A/N: Raikou is awesome. I love that part at the end of episode 12 where he told Yukimi that he was fine to drive, and then lo and behold, five seconds later, he had landed them all in a river. And that's how he managed to get a guest appearance in this chapter.

Gunning For A Ride

"Raikou."

"Oh, Yoite. Is there something you need?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if you could give me a lift somewhere."

"Ah, you want me to drive?" He sounded happy to be of service. "I'd love to. Where do you need to go?"

Yoite cited the address of an infamous gun shop in the next town.

"Huh? Are you serious?" Raikou asked, incredulity coating his voice.

Yoite nodded.

Raikou worried his lower lip as he considered the request. "Well, I guess that should be fine. It's a little out of the way, but if we leave right now, we should be able to make it back by nightfall."

"Thanks."

"Which way?"

"Left."

Swerve.

"That was a right."

"My bad. I'll just make a U-turn here."

Bump.

"Oops. Didn't see that speed bump there."

"That was a dog."

"Oh, no, not again."

"I think it was already dead."

"Oh, good."

Bump.

"But that one wasn't."

"Oh, bugger."

"Well, wasn't that fun?" Raikou was, of course, unfazed by the day's misfortunes.

Yoite, as usual, didn't say anything.

"So, it looks like we're here."

"Yeah. Thanks for the ride." Yoite opened the side door and stepped out of the car.

"Sure thing," Raikou replied casually. Then he turned to Yoite and saw the shop behind him. "Hey, wait. This is—" His expression became one of horror. "Yoite, you…"

"I'm buying Yukimi a birthday present," Yoite lied. "He's been wanting a new gun for a while now." That part could have been true.

"Oh, I see." Raikou sighed in relief. "Take your time, then. I'll be waiting right here."

Yoite stepped towards the store, hearing Raikou in the car mumble something along the lines of "Oh, shoot, don't tell me it's his birthday again already… I better get him something or he'll think I forgot again…"

Yoite left him to it, and went on with his own business.

An old-fashioned bell was sounded as he entered the compact shop. "Well, good afternoon, young man," the elderly shopkeeper greeted in a deep voice. "What can I do for you today?"

Yoite let his eyes wander over the displays of pistols and rifles and various other weapons of mediocre destruction. He ended up pointing to a gun he didn't recognise the type of but thought looked nice.

The man followed the gesture and saw the would-be purchase. "Ah, good choice, sir," he remarked as he took the weapon down from the wall. "I see you have an eye for detail."

Yoite didn't need to mention it wasn't his first time buying a gun. "How much?"

The man lowered a brow and asked, "How much you got?"

Yoite took his wallet out from his pocket.

Damn. It was empty. He'd forgotten that he'd spent all his money buying that first gun off eBay. Maybe he shouldn't have put in such a high bid so early on. He told the man, "On second thought, never mind," then turned his back and walked away.

He heard the shopkeeper calling after him, desperate not to let a prospective customer get away. "Wait, young man! I'm sure we could work something out! I'm willing to…"

The door swung shut behind him then, drowning out the man's attempts at bargaining, so he was left to step back into the car in peace.

"Back so soon?" Raikou enquired.

"I think I'll get Yukimi something else."

Raikou took the answer without a second thought. And so, they began the long drive back to where they had begun—speed bumps and all.

Yoite sighed.

Today had been a two-part plan. The first part had involved Raikou's super driving technique; the second had involved getting a gun and, well, it's pretty self-explanatory from there. He figured he was going to have to add a third part to that plan now: going home.

Omake~

"Yukimi!"

"Huh? Raikou? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing! I just wanted to give you this."

"You're giving me a bag of lemons? Wow, I… I don't know what to say…"

"Yep, they're all yours. Happy Birthday."

"Um, thanks, but it's not my birthday for another ten months."

"Oh…"

Raikou laughed nervously and excused himself from the room, scratching his head in puzzlement. "Huh. I guess Yoite just likes to get a head start on shopping for birthday presents."