Leasure Drive

[Word Count: 1819]

----------

Following the late-night rendezvous, one of the devil hunter examiners was reluctantly called away from his family to conduct Leo's psychological examination. The physical assessment would have to be scheduled at a later date in a hospital.

As the examination concluded and all the questions were answered, the examiner rubbed his tired eyes, glancing at the paper and then back at Leo. Nervous sweat trickled down his face as he prepared to stamp Leo's paper with a "Fail." However, Kishibe swiftly interjected.

Instead of returning home, Kishibe had chosen to stay and oversee Leo's examination.

Observing the examiner on the verge of failing Leo and denying him the chance to become a Devil Hunter, Kishibe stepped in.

Placing a firm hand on the examiner's shoulder, Kishibe simply uttered, "It'll do."

Leo's psychological evaluation was far from perfect; left unchecked, he would pose a danger to himself and those around him, on paper at least. Kishibe had claimed to have trained Leo extensively, though his methods were far from conventional, often involving throwing someone into the deep end and rescuing them before they drowned.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, the examiner set aside the "Fail" stamp and replaced it with a green "Pass," bringing an end to this late-night examination.

Did Kishibe know that Leo would fail the psychological evaluation? Probably.

Regardless, the examiner packed his belongings and bid everyone farewell, leaving Leo, Kishibe, and Makima in the latter's office.

Smiling at the results, Makima looked up at Leo and Kishibe, both sporting bored expressions.

"Unfortunately, we won't be able to conduct any further evaluations at this time," Makima informed them. "You'll be responsible for scheduling your physical assessment, and we'll handle the rest."

"Uh huh," Leo's professionalism had vanished along with the earlier examiner. "Can I go home now?"

SMACK!

Kishibe, ever the dedicated professional, attempted to smack some sense into Leo, only to have his hand blocked by Leo's as he shielded the back of his head.

"So?" Leo asked nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.

Maintaining her smile, Makima responded simply, "Sure, would you like a ride?"

"Uh, no," Leo stated simply.

Turning around, Leo marched toward the door and opened it.

Glancing back at Kishibe, who was watching him leave, Leo playfully stuck out his tongue before closing the door.

Unimpressed, Kishibe stared at the closed door and reached for his flask, taking a swig of the remaining liquor.

.

Walking through the familiar streets of Tokyo was second nature to Leo. He had traversed these paths countless times, becoming intimately acquainted with every nook and cranny.

As he strolled through the wintry air, occasional gusts nipped at Leo's reddening face. Letting out a tired yawn, he shrugged off the chill and pulled up his hoodie for added warmth.

While casually observing the bustling street, Leo's attention was piqued by an unfamiliar car that seemed to be making repeated rounds. It had passed him three times already, and now, Leo watched it go for a fourth.

Stopping, Leo watched it turn the corner going for a possible fifth time.

No sense of danger came with the car, which might be due to the removal of a sixth sense but Leo didn't feel uneased by the passing car.

Without fail, as Leo turned around, the car reappeared, swiftly turning the corner once more. He maintained his gaze on the vehicle, observing its approach until it eventually came to a halt directly in front of him.

As the passenger side window rolled down, a blonde man with short hair and thin facial hair emerged from within the car. He sported a black suit with a carelessly buttoned white shirt, an outfit you wouldn't want to be seen wearing at this time of night in this part of town.

Leo, unimpressed by the man's appearance, walked up to the car and kicked the metal barrier between the street and the sidewalk in a display of aggression.

"What do you want?" Leo demanded, his iconic glare cutting through the air.

The sound of the metal being kicked startled the blond man, causing him to flinch. Leo's piercing gaze did little to ease his nerves.

"I-I-I, uh," the man stammered, coughing into his closed fist to regain composure. With a slight stutter, he continued, "A-Are you a friend of Ai's?"

Leo's glare persisted, showing no signs of relenting. "Who's asking?"

Clearing his throat once more, the tension in the air grew palpable.

"I-I'm Ai's father," the blond man revealed.

"She doesn't look like you in the slightest," Leo pointed out, his expression unyielding.

The man sighed, acknowledging the truth. "She's a surrogate."

Leo's glare softened, his gaze fixed on the blond man.

"What is it with blonds taking in kids who aren't theirs?" Leo pondered silently.

Removing his foot from the metal barrier, Leo snapped his fingers and formed finger guns, displaying a nonchalant attitude.

"Cool," Leo stated before turning to walk away.

The blond man looked on perplexed at the sudden change in attitude before shaking his head and driving slowly along the road keeping pace with Leo's stride.

"W-Wait," the man called out, hoping to catch Leo's attention. "Do you need a ride?"

Leo glanced at the impatient drivers behind the man's car, deliberating his decision. With a playful gesture, he placed his hand on his chin, taking his sweet time to contemplate the offer.

As the cars honked their horns and the blond man grew increasingly nervous, a minute passed before Leo finally made up his mind.

"No," Leo declared, walking away without a second thought, purposely wasting the time of both the blond man and the drivers behind him.

The blond man felt his eyebrow twitch in frustration as he watched Leo's departure. He sighed and turned his attention back to the road, slowly accelerating. However, before he could get very far, he heard the sound of his passenger side door opening.

Looking back in surprise, the blond man witnessed Leo stepping into his car, casually taking a seat in the passenger side before closing the door.

"Actually, I'll take the offer. You want gas money?" Leo nonchalantly asked.

Flabbergasted, the blond man stared, his mouth slightly agape, and his eyebrow twitching involuntarily.

Shaking his head slowly, he managed to respond, "No."

"Cool," Leo replied, nonchalantly buckling his seatbelt and settling comfortably into the seat.

Closing the passenger window, Leo realized they weren't moving, prompting him to glance back at the bewildered blond man.

"I don't think the cars behind us will be very happy if you keep them waiting," Leo pointed out, the persistent honking emphasizing his remark.

The blond man snapped out of his daze, realizing the inconvenience he had caused the drivers behind him.

"R-Right," he stammered.

With a sheepish smile, the blond man pressed on the accelerator, causing the car to smoothly merge into the flow of traffic. The honking subsided as the irritated drivers were finally able to continue on their way.

As they drove through the city, the atmosphere inside the car was filled with awkward tension. The blond man stole occasional glances at Leo, trying to make sense of the enigmatic individual sitting beside him. Leo, on the other hand, seemed entirely unfazed, gazing out the window with a hint of indifference.

Breaking the silence, the blond man cleared his throat nervously. "So, um, you seemed hesitant about accepting the ride at first. Is there a reason for that?"

Leo leaned back in his seat, his eyes narrowing slightly as he contemplated the question. After a brief pause, he shrugged casually.

"Yeah, I wanted to fuck with you," Leo blatantly admitted.

The blond man found himself gritting his teeth at the blatant admission. Here he was trying to be nice and this little shit is just admitting to toying with him.

"He's just a kid, Ichigo, let it go," he calmly told himself, taking a deep breath to ease his irritation.

Turning back his attention back to Leo the blond introduced himself. "My name is Ichigo, Ichigo Saitou, what's yours?"

"Leo," came the reply. "Leo Tsukumo."

"It's a pleasure, Leo," Ichigo politely greeted. "Ai's told me a lot about you."

"Bad things I hope," Leo responded.

Ichigo chuckled.

"Far from it," Ichigo replied, his tone sincere.

"Hmmm," Leo hummed.

"So, what brings you to this part of town at this hour?" Ichigo asked trying to keep the conversation going.

"Part-time job interview," Leo answered.

"Yeah?" Ichigo inquired, genuinely interested.

Leo nodded. "My full-time job has flexible hours, so I have plenty of free time."

"Oh? You already have a full-time job?" Ichigo asked, surprised. "What do you do?"

"I'm a Yakuza," Leo answered, his voice steady and unapologetic.

Ichigo froze at Leo's bold declaration. The revelation hung in the air, momentarily enveloping the car in silence. His mind raced, trying to process this unexpected revelation.

Before Ichigo even realized it, a car stopped right in front of him.

BUMP!

Ichigo's car slightly tapped the car as the tires screeched to a halt.

Panic set in as Ichigo realized he had just bumped into a police cruiser, its lights turning on and flashing red and blue.

"Oof," Leo commented to the side, nonchalant as ever.

Ichigo held his face in disbelief as the officer's door opened, and a familiar face emerged. It was Reiji, a police officer who Leo seemed to know well. Reiji examined the damage on both cars before approaching Ichigo's window.

Tapping twice, Reiji signaled for Ichigo to lower his window.

The officer cleared his throat before speaking in an aggressive tone. "What the hell are you doing? Aren't you paying attention to the road—wait, oh shit, Leo, is that you?" Reiji's berating suddenly turned into surprise as he noticed Leo in the passenger seat.

"How's it going, Reiji?" Leo greeted casually.

"Same old, same old, you know?" Reiji replied with a friendly smirk, momentarily forgetting about the situation. Then, he turned his attention back to Ichigo. "Hey, man, lower your window some more."

Complying with the request, Ichigo lowered his window all the way down, and to his surprise, Reiji leaned into the car, sticking his upper body inside, and smacked his hand against Leo's creating a satisfying "BAP!"

Ichigo sat there, shell-shocked at the unexpected interaction, feeling like an outsider in their casual conversation.

Letting out a laugh, Reiji shifted his focus back to Ichigo. "Hey, Leo, you know this guy?" he asked with a grin.

"He's the parent of a friend of mine," Leo responded, maintaining his cool demeanor.

"Cool, cool. Hey, man, do you need an escort?" Reiji asked, offering assistance to Ichigo.

Breaking out of his stupor, Ichigo shook his head.

"Cool," Reiji stepped back, giving Ichigo some space. "Go on and drive around. You barely left a scratch on the cruiser, and your bumper got a dent. Be more careful, man. You have a child onboard."

With a light warning, Reiji walked back to his cruiser and turned off the flashing lights.

Ichigo sat dumbfounded at the unexpected turn of events, while Leo simply looked back out at the street.

"You might want to drive before we have a repeat of earlier," Leo said, breaking the silence and bringing Ichigo's attention back to the present.

Ichigo slowly glanced at Leo, taking in his composed expression, before refocusing on the road and gradually accelerating.

"Ai, what kind of friend did you make?" Ichigo mused to himself, the experience serving as a memorable introduction to Leo's world.