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Awesome update. Nice twist though.

Mine is updated too. Will be for the next two days or so.

i feel like my character gonna be part of sumthin big pretty soon eh??

I can't wait any longer!! The prime highlight of the entire story is here!! It's a tragic one though. I am sure everybody could empathize with this chapter. Again, this isn't a funny chapter. It's time to get serious with the story!!
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Chapter 18 - A Forever Love Lost

The news of the crash down the Wangan Line is exposed as soon as the 7 AM news breaks. Daiki's Television at his own room was left on for the entire night. He looks exhausted. Does it have something to do with Silverblood's interference on his self control?

The news begins on screen:

"This is Aiko Masahiro for today's 7 o' clock news. There has been a major car crash near the Daikoku Futo district where a group of Nissan Zs and Subarus have crashed and are in a status far beyond repair. The local police have gathered around the area to surveillance the scene. There were a couple of drivers, who happen to be street racers, who have died; as the paramedics on the scene confirmed."

Daiki just woke up and could hear the news. He crunched up from his bed and sits upright. He looks at his clock, which has a recent photo of him with Chloe at the Tokyo Carnival. He looks at it with interest. Seeing Chloe's face first thing in the morning really pleases Daiki; giving him a boost of energy to get through the day.

He enters the bathroom in his felt robe and closes the door.

Ten minutes later, he gets out, all dressed for work - wearing a long sleeve One Simus brand polo shirt and matching slacks, walks over to his Z as soon as he gets to the garage and drives back to his racing School.

As soon as he gets to his office, he sees a newsletter on his desk, with a couple of letters in it. He sits down to check the newly arrived mail. While browsing through, he identifies them: "Bill...bill...junk mail... huh?" He stumbles upon something big, as big as a book but it isn't that thick. He looks at it and was amazed. It is a magazine featuring Chloe entitled 'French Fashion magazine'.

Before he could start reading the magazine, he sees a letter attached to it. By the looks of the handwriting, it is made by Chloe. He opens the letter and begins to read it:

Cherie,

Bonjour. This was just published yesterday and by tomorrow afternoon, this would be open to the public for sale. Lucky for you, I manage to get my hands on the very first copy courtesy of the President of our French Fashion Company. He says that I should share this with a friend, since it features me and all, tee hee. I want you to have this. I hope you enjoy this. If I remember clearly, there's a small segment on the magazine that features you in it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy help publish this. Call me if you have any free time; you know that just for you, I'll give leeway time for us.

With Love,
Chloe.


Daiki smiles upon reading it. "I can't wait to read that part though." He looks at the magazine again and is astonished by Chloe's beauty. "God she looks beautiful." His heart races once again. He places his left hand on his chest, identifying this familiar feeling. "So... I am in love with her." He concluded. Love is something that oftentimes hinders somebody from doing something - but this is different for Daiki's case. The feeling of love varies from person to person and he is no exception to the rule.

Someone knocks on his office door, making him fuss and childishly throw the magazine under his desk's drawer. "C-come in." He said. It's Naoko, who entered the door. "Oh, it's you Ms. Vice president."

"So that Chloe person is a CEO of a French fashion company, now is she?" She asked with a tired smile.
"Y...yeah. Sorry if I lied to you back then. I wasn't thinking straight that time."
Naoko just gave a warm smile back at him and said "It's alright. When people are in love, they tend to make a fool of themselves. It's alright Daiki."
"Naoko-san..."

Before Naoko was engulfed in her fantasies of her and Daiki once again, she immediately came to her senses and gives her report about a certain someone. "A-ah! Yes, the reason why I am here." She freaked out. "I have some helpful information that you might reconsider, sir." "What is it?" Daiki asked humbly. "It's about Kitana Tioseco."
"Hmm?"
"The reason why she isn't coming to class anymore is because... she has a boyfriend."
"Teen love, eh? How'd you know about this?"
"I saw her with somebody just last Thursday, and that time was supposed to be when she is off to the racing school. I was gonna approach her until I saw them..." Naoko blushes upon staggering in her report.
"Saw them what?"
"K...ki...ki...kiss..." Naoko said.
"They did?" Daiki confirmed.
"y-yeah. I was completely shocked. It was quite immoral don't you think? It surprised me!" Naoko said in complete guilt and shock.
"Kids these days." Daiki said, crossing his arms and feet. "If she doesn't come to class soon, I have to personally call her and give her a piece of our minds. A matter of irresponsibility is not acceptable in my school. Racing isn't a mere game, she has to understand that. Naoko, remind me of that tomorrow, okay? I'm too busy right now to comprehend such an irritant in my school."
"Understood, boss." Naoko said as she bows courteously and leaves the room.

As soon as Naoko leaves, Daiki gives a huge sigh and stretches his arms and legs. "Man, I can't stand going from happy to serious in a flash. It's stressful on my part. At least that is over." He groaned. "So Kitana is in love. At this very age of hers? Isn't she a bit too young for such things? She's like what? 14? Too early to be getting into a relationship if you ask me."

He opens the drawer of his desk and takes the magazine out.
He looks at it with sincerity.

"This calls for a celebration."

Ring Ring...

Chloe was celebrating along with her colleagues at a food court by the mall, eating soft serve chocolate and strawberry ice creams in Belgian waffle cones. Chloe felt her cell phone ring in between her chest. "You keep your phone there?" One of the female models asked her. "Yeah. It's for protection." Chloe answered. "Ah! I see where this goes: If a robber tries to rob your phone off you, not only would he be judged for robbery but for sexual harassment as well. Nice thinking, Chloe." Another beautiful Italian female model commented.
"Well, I have you girls to thank for that." Chloe assured. "Now please excuse me for a moment..."

She presses the call button to answer the call. She was in a rush so she never knew that it was Daiki.

"Bonjour?"
"Tres Bien, Chloe." A familiar voice replied.
"Daiki!!?" She immediately covers the other end of the phone and whispers to her peers "It's my boyfriend."
"ooh!" The group of female models reacted.
"I got your magazine. And you look breathtaking in it. You are really beautiful, mademoiselle."
Chloe blushed upon hearing the compliments. "T-thank you."
"Say, are you free this evening? I want to take you to a fancy dinner, you know, to celebrate. It's on me."
"I'd love to! We'll meet at 5:30 by the Shinjuku district."
"That's a fine time even for me. I'll bring my Z along and..."
Chloe was in shock upon hearing that Daiki would be bringing his Z. She's still in fear of Silverblood and doesn't want to be threatened by it; it'll disrupt the entire mood of the night. "No. No need for that, I'll bring by 3400 along. You can drive it instead."
"Oh? Did you know that I modded my Z to 700, is that why you don't want me to bring it?"
"Eh?"
"I understand. Your Boxster is a much safer car than mine at this moment. Alright. I'll give in to your wishes."
"Glad of you to understand, cherie."
"No problem. So, 5:30 at Shinjuku..."
"Yes."
"I love you. Au revior."
"Same to you." Chloe said finishing it off with a sound from her lips - a kiss sound. She hangs up and places her phone back in between her bosom.

"So you have a date tonight?"
"Y-yeah." Chloe answered in an embarrassed tone.
"I dunno what to wear though."
"Don't go for something fancy. Just go for casual. Fancy and too formal of an attire isn't in nowadays. Besides, thanks to the weather in Japan, we can't wear gowns. And the weather forecast did tell that it'll rain tonight."

"Then I guess, I will be wearing my jacket."
"We wish you the best, Chloe. So! What's this Daiki person like?"

Chloe thought that they'd never ask. She's anxious to tell them all about Daiki. When she started talking she never stopped until all the details were told to them.

Time flies and it is now 5:30 in the afternoon. The clouds thought are grayish, denoting incoming rain. Daiki is wearing a Kashmir coat and looks as if he just came from work. Chloe arrives in her Boxster and steps out to greet her mate. "I'm here. Did you wait long?"
"Nah. I just came." Chloe as she said never wore anything fancy. She just wore a shoulder less, short sleeve top covered with a short sleeve vest and a miniskirt with neutral toned stockings and clog like sandals. She had her hair done as well. She's not wearing her favorite beret tonight though.
"Shall we dine? I know this exquisite restaurant not too far away from here." He said as he buckles up on the Porsche's driver's seat.

"Thanks for all this, cherie." Chloe replied. "But you don't have to go this far. A family diner would be alright."
"Well, If you say so. I don't want to keep you waiting either. I hear that reservations there are hard to slit in."
With that all said and done, they drove off to a famous Family restaurant instead.

-6:45 p.m.-
Kitana was on the scene. Her boyfriend happens to be a city street racer. He is currently in a circuit race with a BMW M3, Mitsubishi 3000GT and a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Her boyfriend is driving a Porsche 911 (996) carrera GT3 and drove with finesse. He's in first place holding his lead against the others. The M3 is gaining on him with angst. "Damn... get the hell outta my way, 911!" He shouted in his seat. The M3 is holding a familiar yet threatening aura around it. The aura is scary, and is even threatening to Kitana's boyfriend but he tries to fight the fear. Entering an intersection at 200 kilometers, they brake. The M3 skidded to the outside expending the gap further. Her boyfriend was on a safe zone again.

A few blocks away, Kitana was watching the entire thing, on her interlinked phone whilst they never passed by her yet. "That's it. You can do it!" She called out to her boyfriend through the phone. They enter one corner and the M3 jumped through the sidewalk and gains on the 911's side.

"Grr! Darn you, you cheat!" The 911 driver hollered.
"Ha! This is mine!!" The M3 driver screamed. All of a sudden, his eyes turned opaque and a blood red aura engulfs the BMW for some reason. This presence sounds familiar and these street racers, however, never heard of it. It blasts with the 911 at speeds of 180 km/h. At that same moment however...

Daiki and Chloe finished eating and are walking down the rain soaked sidewalk to the car. There wasn't enough parking space to accommodate the Boxster so Daiki had to park on the other block. Chloe never minded this. Daiki, holding the umbrella escorts Chloe as they make their way to the car. Chloe begins to talk as if it is her last moment with him - telling him stories of everything they've been through.
"Say, Daiki. How long have we been together?"
"Seven Months, as far as I can tell. We met last April of this year."
"And now is November. I can't believe how time flies so fast. No matter how I look at it, no matter how I want time to slow down for us, it is so unforgiving."
"Don't think of it that way, my dear." Daiki assured as he embraces her on his side. "It's not how long the time we spent together matters. It is how meaningful the moment we had together that matters most of all. Life is short so we should give ample time and cherish it with all our life; especially the times we have with our love one."
"Oh Daiki." Chloe nests her head on his shoulder. "I love you so much."
"I love you too."
Daiki never felt that it sounds like it's their last moment together. But Chloe knows for sure. She knows that Silverblood is after her to get rid of her. She is the only person, blood related to her grandfather, who has witnessed Silverblood from the sides. Silverblood doesn't leave any witnesses, he gets rid of them by whatever car-related means necessary; explaining why all his combatants end up crashing or dying.

"From the moment we first laid eyes on each other, I knew you were the one, Daiki." Chloe commented.
"Is that how you think of me, Chloe? Because, I never experience the fact of loving somebody until I met you." Daiki replied.
"SO I am your first love?"
"You are the first and only love for me, Chloe." Daiki said blushing altogether.

The rain starts to pour harder and harder for some reason. A Half of Chloe never bothered to ignore what's about to happen; she knew that the rain has a meaning - a tragic meaning. But the other half of her kept ignoring this warning - all that she could think of is none other than being with Daiki. Daiki was a slave to his emotions and never bothered about anything else.

They were close to the rendezvous point with Kitana, who's at the other corner of the street they're about to cross. The BMW and the Porsche battle it out and as they enter the corner where Kitana is, Daiki and Chloe have reached the intersection. As the Porsche and BMW reach the exit of the corner, onto the straight, the BMW rockets from 180 to a sudden 200 km/h. The 911 stayed by its side; but not for long.

"No!" Kitana said as he saw her boyfriend's car release smoke out of the engine bay behind. She immediately caught eye of Daiki with Chloe. The BMW, despite the presence of Daiki and Chloe crossing the street, continues to force its way down the road. It had a wide body kit, hogging the entire roadway. Kitana continues to call out to them at the top of their lungs "GET OUTTA THE WAY! LOOK OUT!" But because of the loud engine noise of the M3 and the strong rain, her words never reached them.

Something within Chloe pounces on her to get to reality. When she got to her senses, she saw the incoming BMW M3, with its bright xenon lamps. Daiki didn't notice this as he was too in love to bother; he was looking only at his love, Chloe. She, on the other hand was conscious of what is happening, but it is too late. They are about to hit the M3. In a split second, Chloe knew that it is Silverblood - indirectly, it possesses a non-Z driver just for the sake of its awakening.
"So this is how it is... You got me, are you happy now? If this is how things would be, I swear that you'll be confined soon enough...Silverblood... There's somebody who can topple you down and end you for good even when I am gone." Chloe thought, directing it to the entity possessing the M3.

All of a sudden, as soon as Daiki was pushed by Chloe, he came to his senses. "What the hell?" He said in his mind. "C-chloe?" Chloe gives a sympathetic look at Daiki with a smile and a falling tear on her face. "W-what is this?"
Quickly Chloe utters out I-love-you in Japanese one last time from her lips until it happened. Daiki didn't hear her say it before the impact but he understood the figures out of her lips.

Daiki's body, technically his feet, was 5 centimeters away from making contact with the M3's left headlight and wheelbase. He landed on his left right shoulder. Witnessing the mayhem, the M3 ran over two things - the mid air umbrella Daiki was holding, and Daiki's savior - Chloe. Her body rolled up the windshield hitting her abdomen first until her body was sent upward by the M3's bodywork. Once the M3's body was passed, her torment wasn't done. Her left shoulder made direct contact with the M3's GT wing, dislocating it. She landed on her spine as soon as the M3 drove off. The Porsche that was chasing the M3 despite a smokey engine bay, came to a stop to help the injured victim.

Daiki, witnessing it happen, was in total shock. Right before his very eyes, Chloe was ran over. He can't feel his arms, nor his legs. He was in a total state of shock, most likely compared to a coma. Kitana only stood at a distance. She can't bear to watch.

Chloe's face was completely coated in blood with the rain washing it all away. Her entire body was blood spattered too, even her clothes. Her hair was soaked by the rain and the ends were dyed in her own blood. She's barely breathing and her heartbeat was weak - if in percentage, an estimate of 15 percent. 2 Blocks away, by chance, there was a medical hospital.

Daiki doesn't know what to do now - he wants to shout but he can't, he wants to run over and check her but he can't until Kitana's boyfriend calls him back to his senses. "HEY YOU! DON'T JUST STAND THERE! TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL."

Daiki has not time to wander over what happened. He heeds the guy's advice and runs to her. He carried her in his shoulders and ran to the hospital in the soaking rain. The weather was cold and he could see her breath. Each breath has a leeway of 5 seconds a breath - it's weak. He hurriedly ran to the hospital. He nearly ran out of stamina upon reaching the hospital. The security guard noticed him and ran to help him. With one last step, Daiki trips and sends him falling. He wants to save Chloe and twists his body in order that his back lands first. The guard immediately called out a stretcher from the information section, which spent no delayed time. Daiki lost consciousness while holding Chloe in his arms. He's still breathing, though; he just ran out of energy.

With no time wasted, the male and female nurses arrive with a stretcher, taking Chloe to the Emergency room. One nurse, carries Daiki to the waiting area...

Would Chloe be alright?


[ Post merged on Sep 20 2009, 02:40 AM ]
Oh, before I go for the meantime, I'd like to inform you guys that the pic there was from a flash based application called Anime Character Generator. I used that to get the pose and costume then edited/ inserted the text in Photoshop. Guess, I have to explain the October 2004... Let's say it's published in October 2004, to be released to the public by next month; explaining why it says october 2004 and Daiki said that it is november now. Enjoy reading!

so nw we noe...wat happen to chloe...hmm..sumthin tell me the end of silverblood is gonna be awesome..xD

My god. Tragic. Really tragic.

A bit spoiler story about Sora and Steve's conversation about Daiki and Silverblood

Sora: Silverblood...

Steve: That how the legend goes. I heard this from Scott, who happens to be on the scene few years back... 2004 to be exact

Sora: And?

Steve: Not sure how it ended, though. Scary, isn't it?

Sora: Sure is

Steve: (Grins) I hope Sky King will never ever find a new host and haunts Wangan in the near future when you died. Now that most of them are gone

Sora: Heh, surely it won't happen to me... I had a lot of time to live

This post has been edited by R_E_X on Sep 21 2009, 02:52 AM

Phew... Now I only got 2 pieces of homework to accomplish: My Humanities Restaurant project and of course... THIS UPDATE!!

Chapter 19 - More Than Love

What's practically relieving about the hospital at this time of the year is that there aren't that many people at all - just the typical groups: patients, nurses, and of course doctors. This didn't however change the facts that Chloe's life is on the line.

There are a couple of people in the emergency room, surgeons, doctors, and nurses more specifically, doing their best to bring Chloe back to her normal state. They're having a hard time though, right after analyzing her X-RAY. Daiki feels helpless outside the emergency room, sitting in a conveniently located set of chairs right next to the Emergency room.

He's trembling on his seat because he feels so worthless for his love.

"Why must it be her?" He said with her hands shaking on his knees. "It should have been me! I should be the one who got hit by that blasted M3!!"

"I feel... so useless..." He uttered with his head down.

One of the interns of the Tokyo General Hospital, Sakura Johina, walks past Daiki and can't help notice him. Why? He's shivering, with a couple of hicks to back it up. Sakura seems young to be a college intern of nursing; well... she IS an accelerated student at the age of 15. She looks quite attractive, as well. Her hair goes down all the way to her shoulders and is well combed.

She looks at Daiki with a concerned face. Sakura is a girl who wouldn't let things go this way. Hope is always her prime principle. She approaches Daiki and asks "Are you alright, sir?"

Daiki never uttered a word, although he heard her question.

Sakura looks at the light above the Emergency room door and concludes - "Is the one inside a friend of yours? Or perhaps somebody you care for so much?" she asks then looks at Daiki, who still has his head down.

"It's alright. Whoever that person you care for may be, I know they'll make it out fine." Sakura assured.

"How can you be so sure, little girl?" Daiki reacted in a serious tone. He stands up and acts like a wild man "I SAW THE CARNAGE RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES!! HOW CAN YOU JUST SAY THAT SHE'LL BE ALRIGHT!!?" He shouted.

Sakura was startled by Daiki's abnormal reaction. She takes a deep breath and counteracts that reaction with a firm explanation. "I don't know much of what happened, in comparison to you sir... but what I know is that... whatever happens... have hope for the future. Be positive about things - don't dwell on the negatives so much. It'll be good for you and her." Sakura answers.

One of Sakura's superiors approached her and told her to go to the medicine room for a requisition for another patient. "I'm sorry, sir. I have to go..."

Daiki takes her words into account. A moment ago, he was desperately hanging on to the hope of Chloe surviving that crash. She was still breathing that time... She's alive at that moment. Why on earth did he ever let his emotions and his negative thinking get the best of him, as soon as Chloe was brought to the emergency room. 'She's right.' he thought. 'I shouldn't have acted that way towards a young girl as her'.

"Wait!!" Daiki called out to Sakura.
Sakura gave way and looks at him back with a smile. "Yes?"
"I'm uh... sorry to have acted that way. I wasn't myself."
"It's alright. Some people who come here, who have witnessed things such as this act that way. Apology accepted...um... May I know your name, kind sir?"
"It's Daiki... Akiyama Daiki... I'd like to thank you... for your assuring words."
"You're welcome..." Sakura walks towards her responsibilities until...

"Miss... Your name... I'd like to know..."
Sakura staggers. Around the hospital, she's known by another name for the sole fact that she's not staying with her parents, who are overseas. She was taken in by a guardian, under the family name Musashiro, ever since she was a little girl... She was known as Akari but she couldn't dare tell him her true name or her other interns and superiors might get suspicious of her.
"It's Akari. Akari Musashiro." She said with one last smile to him.

"Akari... meaning Light..." Daiki thought aloud to himself.

"Um..." Before he could even say what he wanted to ask her, Sakura...erm... Akari is gone.

Right after that, the stretcher carrying Chloe came out of the Emergency Room on to her room right on the 4th floor. Daiki turns to see a couple of people carrying her stretcher to the elevator. Daiki approaches the doctor who is at the far back of the pack.

"Um... Doctor..."
"Hmm?" The Doctor turns to accompany Daiki.
"Is... she alright?"
"Is she related to you?"
"Y...yes... I'm her suitor..."
"Then it's safe for me to tell you this... Mr..."
"Daiki..." He introduced himself again.

The scene immediately shifts 15 minutes later. Daiki stands right infront of Chloe's room - 452. He's unsure whether to enter or not. "But I must be sure that she's okay. It's because of my stupid unawareness that got her to this. I have to make amends." With that, he enters the door with no hesitation. From behind, however, there's a young girl stalking Daiki from a distance, she watches him enter the door.
Who could that girl be?

Time check: 11:38 p.m.

The ECG right next to Chloe's bed depicts her current heart rate. Sad to say, it isn't looking any good. Her heart rate is quite slow, showing similar signs of sleep apnea. Chloe's face is bandaged with an oxygen mask placed right on her nose downwards until her chin.

Most of her body is bandaged as well. No wonder it took them 4 hours to operate on Chloe, even with around 4 doctors, 5 surgeons and 3 nurses aiding her. Daiki waits for the nurse to leave before he could approach her. As soon as the door behind him closes, he walks.

"Claudia..." Daiki softly uttered.
It seems that Chloe isn't responding to any word Daiki's saying. Could he be too late? Unlikely. The ECG still gets readings of her heart beat. She's still alive; probably asleep.

"What have I done?" Daiki said in desparation. Before he could even curse himself right infront of Chloe['s body], he thinks back on what Sakura...este... Akari told him:

He looks at Chloe with a concerned face. And thinks back on those good times they had, ever since they met. Daiki starts talking it out aloud, hoping that Chloe hears it.

"You know... you are the first girl I have ever fallen in love with. And I think... the last girl I'd ever fall in love with. I, have to admit, am the serious type of guy but because of you, I was able to feel, well... human again... I felt as if I was ransacked by endless secular troubles... but all of that changed... why? It was all because of you." Daiki said with a smile, directing it at her.

"You inspired me to do better. For all my life, as the head of my own racing school, I've been trotting on the same pace for years. I was about to give up on my passion. But because of you, Chloe... I was able to rekindle the inspiration of what cars meant to me. And I seem to have remembered what it was like to do so too..."

"Remember the time when we met your ex, Santana at Hakone? I swore to protect you no matter what. But just because of this recent experience... I felt that I have failed you. I don't want to think of it this way but... but..." Daiki suddenly shed a tear. "What I want to tell you is that you mean everything to me. I don't ever want to lose you. As of now, you mean the whole world to me. I wouldn't know what to do if ever you are gone... it is as if I can see my future already, and it is dim... dark... and I know I'll lose my way once again. I don't want to return to the past any longer."

As Daiki expresses his heart out, Chloe's eyes slowly open. She listens to every word that Daiki continues to say. She, however, didn't force herself to stand up. She could even barely open her lips.

"Daiki..." she said in her mind. "I was right... you are not like other men. I am glad to have met you... and have fallen for you... But one question about you is still left unanswered. What is special about you, Daiki, my love? I always yearned for an answer to that question of mine. I want to know what it is." She continue to think.

"One thing is for sure, though. You are the greatest racer I have ever met. When I was back at Europe, I used to race... Santana and I... I gave up on him and that because things start to get out of hand, and the generation of racing today... is not like what we wanted it to be. People tend to be selfish and only think of themselves with the prize... that's why I gave up on racing and moved here. But because of you... Daiki... my point of view on that changed, completely. And that... is what I have to thank you for...but..."

Chloe suddenly felt her heart is pounding hard against her. Her vision starts to blurr. Why must it come to this?

"D...Daiki... if only I knew... that you'd be Silverblood's host... I still won't waver my love for you... knowing that you'd be that... But I know... you can fight him..."

"Chloe..." Daiki said with a flood of tears pouring down his face. "Stay alive... If you do... We'll move to Europe! To Italy!! We'd live a happy life by the cliffside... where we can see a vast view of the bay... like Tokyo bay at Umihotaru parking area. You know? The place where we dated? I planned that just for the two of us and..."

"Italy?" She softly spoke. "I'll love that. I always wanted to live there..."

"C...Chloe?" Daiki wonders. She looks keenly at Daiki's eyes and tries to raise her hand up, just to wipe them off. Daiki immediately, out of love... holds her hand back.

"Is that a promise, cherie?" Chloe asked him.
"Yes... It is a promise... so fight it! Believe that you will live, Chloe..."
"That's good to hear..." Her voice starts to fade and linger. And the ECG receives a much slower heart rate at that point.

"C-Chloe...no..."

"Daiki... I know it musn't come to this... I know it shouldn't. But what can we do? It's human nature..."

"Human nature? Don't be foolish. We have to strive to survive... We have to keep living for each other!!" Daiki insisted.

"As much as my heart agrees with you... my body has already died... death is soon after my heart and it'll be all over by that point..."

"Don't say things like that! We will be together from this time onwards. As soon as you get out of this place, Let's live together... at peace... I know it'll work out between us. I know it will!"

"(It's too late for that...)" She said in return...

Her heart is starting to feel compressed. The time is close.

"C-chloe! no!"

"Daiki. Let me take this last opportunity to say something to you..."
"No... don't speak. Save your breath."
"When I first met you... You weren't like other men. You are special to me and you are the only one who has reached my heart the way I want it to. No, I am not lying... All of this is true. Now I know... that you are the one who would stop him."
"Stop who? I don't understand!"
"You'll know soon enough..."

The ECG continues to receive much weaker responses from Chloe's heart.

"and lastly... Daiki..."
"What is it?" He asked as he firmly holds on to Chloe's hand.
"I love you... forever more... even in death... I will always love you..."

Then it happened...
The ECG receives NO response... a straight line is all that it shows.
Chloe's hand slowly lets go of Daiki's firm hand and falls, slowly, down on the bed's comforter. Her eyes show no reflection. She's given it all she's got on her last talk with him. Her resilience is great but it didn't stop death from taking her away from Daiki.

"No...NO!!" Daiki panics and endlessly presses the emergency call-the-nurse red button. "Help! Somebody Help!!"

Outside the room, the girl stalking Daiki saw it all, from the moment they spoke until the moment Chloe became silent... She leans on the wall and sheds a small tear for Daiki. "If only we weren't there... this wouldn't have happened."

A man approaches the girl outside the room and takes her in.
"Come on... let's go home...


Kitana."

This post has been edited by Gunma's 34 on Oct 3 2009, 05:44 PM

Hix...

Silverblood must be laughing like hell

Poor Daiki...

His love was taken away from him.

Happy Birthday Gunma!

Any special updates? Lol.

This isn't exactly a story update but an artwork related to this. Dang it! Why must my birthday follow our finals after that day!! Ironic, isn't it? I should be doing the next 2 chapters but noooooooooo.... here-ith come the allegiances of educational hell... heh heh... anyway, here's the latest artwork I have made for this story... Enjoy! and feel free to leave as much comments as possible:

The most heartwarming/breaking/aching/anything with an -ing related to the heart chapter between Daiki and Claudia este Chloe... to make things more real or emotional whatever the case may be, here's the theme song to this chapter. It's from a Korean Soap Opera and it so fits the scene - especially the part where Daiki wants to bury chloe himself...:

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Chapter 20 - Goodbye My Lover, Goodbye My Savior

Daiki stayed with Chloe's body for the entire night. Even the nurses couldn't control him, male or female. He hoped that staying with Chloe's body could return the life force taken from her in order that she could open her eyes again, as what Daiki believes. But alas, all is lost. Claudia is gone for good. She has passed away. She was to be released by tuesday afternoon, a day from the day she died, to the Tokyo Morgue to be prepared for an onset burial. The relatives and work mates of Claudia, aside from Daiki, will be informed of this tragic news.

But Daiki went against all of that. Despite his words of desparation to the officials handling her in the hospital, his words were but sounds of tears falling into the ground - ignored and abandoned. The officials left him with no reply to his requests, leaving him, unfinished. He had no choice but to go home and get ready for tomorrow at his racing school, for security was ready to take him down if ever he resisted in following orders of the Municipal Hospital.

Tuesday, the next day, arrived.

Daiki wore some casual clothes, new ones, right after taking a bath. The only thing left unchanged in him is his face of regret and disproval. He looks as if he didn't get enough or any rest at that. He took his dark blue coat and his cellular phone and went out of his mansion. Boarding his 350Z, which still holds the E-type body kit, he calls Naoko's phone.

At the Akiyama Racing School...

Naoko just came, being a good example to her colleagues at school, and of course for being vice president. She can feel her phone ringing from her purse, not to mention the ring tone which was pretty loud - an instrumental MIDI format file of MOVE's Fly me so High. "Oh? It's Daiki..."

"Hello?"
"I won't be coming to work today."
"You are not coming? Why?"
Daiki didn't answer. He can't say that his mate died. The news would break out and things will further get complicated. He decided to keep it a secret from Naoko, his longest colleague in his racing school.
"I have a few papers outside the school's knowledge to take care of. It's rather important..."
"You're lying. I can tell." Knowing Daiki for a long period of time, Naoko knows when he is lying or not.
"Just inform anyone, if ever they ask, that I won't be coming to the school for this time around. It may take longer than expected, if ever that happens."

With that, Daiki hangs up.

"Huh? That doesn't sound like him at all. Could it have something to do with Chloe? Did they break up or something? Or..." Naoko was puzzled with millions of possible questions to Daiki's predicament.

Outside the school, a silver E-type body kit fitted Nissan 350Z with a universal GT wing, stands 2 blocks away. Daiki just gives a huge sigh and slowly brings the car to gear 1 and onto the Shutoku en route to the Morgue.

Coincidentially, a red Porsche 996 911 Carrera stops by the school.
"Are you sure you want to come back here?"
"I have to. After what I saw, I realize now that I have to finish this."
"How long were you absent?"
"For half a month, as long as the time we spent together."
"Just keep our relationship to a minimum okay? You're still a minor."
"Yeah. I know. I'll keep that in mind."
"I'll see you soon. Keep in touch, Kitana."
"Okay." She said finishing their conversation with a kiss on the cheek of her boyfriend.
She watches the 911 drive off into traffic before she turns to face the school. Kitana finally came to her senses that she completely forgot about the racing school she enrolled in. She doesn't want to end up like those other half-witted students who just slack off in school, whatever school that may be. "I have to apologize to Daiki-semai. He must be worried... Now that he knows of my absence..."

Entering the school, she looks for Daiki but stumbles across Naoko in the entrance. "G-Good Morning, Naoko-sensei. Have you seen Daiki-sempai?"
Naoko just waved her head sideways, denoting a no.
"Are you here to continue your studies? I, as vice president, would be taking care of your missed subjects and examinations from now on as long as your sempai is out."
"Guess I'll have to live with that..."
"Got a problem with that?" Naoko asked sarcastically.
"No-no. I'm good." She fussed in place.
"You better be. I'm gonna work you hard so that you can catch up to your other classmates. You better hurry." Naoko encouraged.

Time check on the event is around 12:27 p.m.

Daiki heads home to claim something from his garage. He called one of his helpers, perhaps his bodyguard, to prepare his personal Yacht by this afternoon. "Where would we be going sir?" The bodyguard asked.
"Italy."
"So soon?" He said in a surprised tone.
"I have a promise to keep to somebody I lost..." Daiki said softly in an off tone.
"Understood." The bodyguard firmly acclaimed.

Daiki rushes to the morgue afterwards.

Down the Wangan, at 2:30 in the afternoon...
A Dark Silver BMW M3 E46 CLS, a white Nissan SKyline GT-R R34 with a Nismo S tune bodykit and a Purple Mazda RX-8 type S made rounds together around the Shidome and Edobashi junction. The M3 leads the pack with the RX-8 and R34 side by side with each other, running down the Wangan straight at 200 km/h constant. As soon as they reach the Hamazaki junction, the White R34 enters C1, the M3 enters the New Belt Line route and the RX-8 enters Yokohane.

"Any sign of supernatural occurences?" The M3 driver asked them via radio.
"This is lightning angel by the Overpass at C1. No occurences here as of the moment. I'm heading back to Daikoku Futo. Staying here doing 8 rounds around C1 might be enough." The white R34 driver, driven by Raymond Yamazaki, mentioned.
"Good. I'll meet you there, Raymond. What about Yokohane?"
"This is Young Gun by The Yokohane District, entering the Daiba junction. I've at it here for around 4 tries already around the entire route and so sign of paranormal activities within the vehicles of the area. I'll be going as well to Daikoku Futo, Karl." The RX-8 driver reported.
"Very good, Shin. I'll see you two there within 10 minutes." Karl Schneider, the driver of the M3 CLS, puts the radio transceiver back in place and shifts gears - from gear 3 to gear 4 with the blast from his rear exhaust and the revving of his Inline 6 BMW engine, equipped with a turbine, bringing the car up to speeds of 300+ km/h by the trophy dash straightway.

At the Morgue...

"NO! I WON'T ALLOW IT!!" A shout from a room emerges.
"But sir, it's compulsory. We can't do anything about it. It has to be done or-"
"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S MANDATORY! I STILL WON'T ALLOW IT!! I'LL TAKE CARE OF THINGS MYSELF!!"
"We can't authorize you to do that, Mr. Akiyama." One of the Morgue's managers said to him. "We might be sued by law for unauthorized carrying of a corpse around Tokyo.
"SHE IS NOT A CORPSE! DON'T TREAT HER AS IF SHE IS A THING!!"
"Please, sir. Don't fuss. Besides, she's already dead and..."
"SHE ISN'T DEAD! I WILL NOT ACCEPT THAT!! I WON'T LET YOU LAY A FINGER ON HER!! THIS HAS TO-!"
"Sir. Let's make arrangements then, if this would suit your demands..."

Daiki takes a deep breath after his intense shouting, hoping to calm his senses down. "What do you have in mind."

"Allow us to do mandatory procedures up to the point where you decide to take over and she'll be all yours. We'll let you borrow our body bags in order for them not to be suspicious of your actions. We'll simply remove internal parts that would possibly rot in days, wash her in formalin to..."

"Exclude the formalin."

"But her body will..."

'NO FORMALIN! YOU UNDERSTAND!?" Daiki said in rage as he rapidly takes a scalpel out of the table and threatens the manager with it as he places it directly close to his nose.

"A-alright. No formalin then."

Daiki turns around, throws the scalpel and says a few words.
"From that point on, she's all mine?"

"Yes sir. But-"
"BUT WHAT?" HE continues to react in rage.
"Without Formalin, her body will continuously rot to the point that the scent to your nose is most disgraceful..."
"I'll just have to bathe her, then. Is that what you want to remind me?" Daiki guessed.

"I guess so..."

"Then that settles it. Start right now. Be sure it is done by an hour from now. just a few stitches to hold her body in place. DON'T MESS WITH HER FACE!!" Daiki warned once more before he opens the door.

He slams the door shut right behind him and leans on his 350Z.
Thinking about Chloe at that point, his personality changes. Moments ago, he sounds completely enraged. Now, he seems sympathetic with tears to back it up. He continues to cry his heart out, keeping his body upright by holding the Z with his hands.

"Chloe! Why...! Why must it end like this!!? Tell me!! Why must it be you."

An hour later, the necessary procedures were ready. Daiki was called into the cold room once again and is ready to claim her. Chloe's body was zipped up.

"No. Don't Zip it up."
"But?..."
"You heard me." He said in a weak threatening voice. "Just dress her up with long sleeve clothes and give her a rushed makeover - just something to hide all those pale spots and in order for it to look like she isn't dead."
"PLease wait for around 10 minutes sir. Just stand outside the door."
"I'll wait right here. Just commence with what you have to do."

While they pretty up Chloe for that reason, one of the workers in the morgue asks Daiki. "Tell me sir. Is this person that important to you?"
"She is. As of now, she means as much as my own life - the most precious thing that I have ever met. No value of money or any material object could par up to her value in my heart. That is why I am requesting all this from you guys. Before she died, we made a promise and I swore to keep that promise and turn it into a reality."

"Now we know your purpose sir, we apologize for our rudeness..."
"No I should apologize..."
"No I..."
"Let's talk later. WE have to finish this." The head of the morgue interrupts.

As soon as her body is done, it looks as if Chloe is just sleeping - only she isn't breathing. Sort of like sleep Apnea.
"Even in death... she looks beautiful..." Daiki thought aloud.
"Now, if you would just pay for our services, you can take her to where you want her to be..."
Daiki takes out a hundred thousand yen from his wallet and told them to keep the change. "Thanks for your help."

Carrying her like that time when she just got severely hit by the widebodied M3 that day, he took her to his Z and laid her body on to the passenger seat, even buckling her up for the ride.

By 4:30 p.m....

"Sir... you managed to... oh?" The bodyguard from awhile ago noticed.
Daiki carried Chloe to the yacht into his deck.
"Let's go. To San Reno Italy." Daiki commanded softly.

The commandeer of the yacht slowly brings the yacht out of the docks and up to speed past tokyo bay. "It will take us 2 days to reach italy." "I don't mind." Daiki assured the commandeer.

Wednesday...
6:28 a.m.... past the Indian Ocean...

Daiki didn't sleep and kept his eyes on two things - the ocean and Chloe's corpse, all dressed up beautifully. He looks intimately at her eyes and begins recalling the first time they met at Tokyo Park.
"She had troubles with her 3400S... I helped her out and it is when our hearts met. All because of that small thing that I am an expert at - cars." He thought.
He carresses his hand over her gold hair and sheds a small tear on his left eye. His right eye begins to water...

"From that point on..." Daiki said as he moves his fingertips around Chloe's arms. "we started seeing each other. Day after day. With not a care in the world. We only had one thought in mind - and it is to be together. I still didn't claim that it is love. We look after each other's needs and solved each other's problems when we had some... If only we talked more about serious stuff than something that excites us too much... we could've had an even more mutual understanding of each other's feelings... Boy was I a fool... a fool to my own heart. But still... I didn't mind... Being with her just made things worthwhile for me..."

Moving his fingers across and around her torso, including her chest's framework... Daiki recalls the dates they had, the encounter with Seiji and Santana... and even the times when they forgave and forgot. Times when things seem desperate and the only thing they have are each other.

Looking at the clock, Daiki knows that it is time to bathe her. He carries her to the bathroom and removes her clothes - including her brassiere and panty. Daiki can see the scar mard done on her chest lining - where the morgue people worked on to remove her soon to rot intestines. As soon as the tub was filled with lukewarm water, he slowly and caringly lowers Chloe's body, soaping every part of it with no signs of embarrassment. It was just them at that room. Even with the presence of the commandeer of the yacht and the bodyguard right on deck, he didn't mind. It is their time.

Right after that, he rinses her body off the soapy residue. He took a towel and wiped her dry - all the way from her face, neckline, shoulders, arms, breasts, waist, legs, and feet. Before he could even get her clothes... he looks at her face and recalls all the times when they kissed to make problems go away. He breaks into a stream of tears and hugs her body tight.

As soon as her body was dressed up...

He looks at Chloe's face and faces the ocean. He can see the boundary of Italy and tells the commandeer to slow the yacht down as soon as they reach the docks. There is a cliffside by the San Reno Docks. The Docks were stranded - nobody was there and the area seems foggy, even if the time is around 5 in the afternoon.

He carries Chloe's body to the exact spot he has decided to bury her. he took a shovel and marble tombstone in a backpack he has in his back; and Chloe's body in his hand infront of him. He walks 2 kilometers from the docks in a slow pace and bringes her body to the upper cliff of San Reno's Dock area.

He puts her body down next to the tree and and starts digging a hole big enough for her body to fit. Once done, he slowly puts her body down onto the hole. One last time, he looks at Chloe's face. He can't help but look as if he has fallen for her, even at death, one more time. He kneels down and says a few words.

"Claudia... I hope... even in death... you'd remember me... Just look at you... you look as if you're only sleeping... how Ironic... isn't it, Chloe?" I sure wish there was a way to change this..." He said, closing his eyes and approaching Chloe's face and...

Kissed her lips, holding her face with one hand. Afterwards, he raises himself up, grabs the shovel and before returning the soil...

"I guess... this is goodbye... You have been the one for me... Au Reviour..."

Bit by bit... Daiki returns the soil... and places the tombstone in place.

Daiki slowly walks back, with his arms in his pockets... to his yacht. He looks at Chloe's tombstone and faces the yacht. "Let's go home..."

By 11:30 p.m.... Daiki is fast asleep. And at that same moment... A recently commencing race ends up in a huge casualty. Wangan-tuned cars crashed on the sides of Yokohane With one car remaining on the route... standing unscarred with a blood red aura... an old Silver 280Z... whom we all know as... Silverblood...


This post has been edited by Gunma's 34 on Oct 14 2009, 05:28 AM

Very interesting...

Daiki is one driven man..

Gotta update mine soon. Damn mid-terms...

Finally! Some action coming your way!! This will be epic!!
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Chapter 21 - Silverblood

There was no sign of Daiki Akiyama after that Incident. Early November and he hasn't driven at the Wangan for long... It has been 3 days since Chloe passed and 2 days
since Daiki came home all the way from Italy. He didn't report for work, he didn't contact anyone he knew, he didn't even bother to ride his Z. You might be thinking... what happened to Chloe's Porsche Boxster?

Her RUF 3400S was placed in the Akiyama Racing School's garage - it was one night, at around 12:56 a.m. when the school was closed. Daiki brought the car into one empty garage space and locked the gate tight. No one will ever know, aside from Akiyama himself, what is inside that 'forbidden' garage gate.

As soon as he got home to his Mansion by the outskirts of Tokyo, he locked himself in his room and didn't bother to come out. The last thing he did before he "hibernated" was touching his lips, thinking back on the time when he kissed the lips of Chloe... erm... Chloe's 'cleansed' corpse. After that incident, nothing was heard from Daiki Akiyama for the past 2 days now...

Naoko, who was manning the entire racing school, was starting to worry over Daiki's predicament. She had tried calling his phone but to no avail. She even tried going to Daiki's place but the butlers would say the same thing everytime she's around - "Sorry ma'am. Our master doesn't wish to talk to anyone. I apologize on his behalf."

It's not that Naoko's getting suspicious of him. As his fellow co-worker, and admirer, she's simply concerned over Daiki's overall welfare. After another tough day, also the 5th day that Daiki didn't show up, Naoko was famished. "Phew. Now I see what Daiki is going through every single day of his life here." she thought aloud.

Before she could enter her office, a student called out to her. It was Kitana.
"Sempai! Wait a minute!" She hollered across the hallway.
"What is it, Kitana?" Naoko asked.
"Here!" She said, extending a folder and a small bag to Naoko's chest.
"What is this?" She kindly asked the young student.
"It's my report on drivetrain differences and as a bonus, I'm giving a sample of my butter cookie recipe to you.... and... um... here!" She hands over another small bag with has a red ribbon and a heart shaped letter stuck to it.
"Let me guess..."
"Oh, let me guess... it's for Daiki, isn't it?" Naoko sarcastically asked. She said that in that tone because she still remembers that PDA action she saw weeks back. She feels that she'd double crossing the meaning of loving somebody.
"Is it that obvious? Just give it to him. I want him to taste it too."
"Eh hehehehehe... alright. i will..." Naoko gave in and placed it next to her bag.

Kitana frolics to the exit and greets Naoko goodbye. But, with her face facing the door and not Naoko, she gave a sad frown. She knew what happened to Daiki's girlfriend and feels regretful of the matter. "If only that race didn't happen." Kitana thought.

"I'd love to give it to Daiki... but I am not sure if I could." Naoko thought.

She walked inside, got changed, and rode her car to the Shutoku. What's her car, if you may ask? It's a 1996 SW20 Toyota MR-2 GT-S. Coated in a metallic pine green paint and holds the TRD 2000GT widebody kit. She feels so proud of her car as soon as she rode it but she still couldn't get Daiki off her mind.

As soon as she passed the Daikoku-Kanagawa Toll gate, she pressed deeper on the gas and her MR-2 blasts off like a rocket. Her SW20 MR-2 carries a maximum output of 485 hp, turbocharged and has a level 5 low rev muffler. Her car drives smoothly down the straight road and her turbine is so quiet that you can't tell if it is a turbo or not, a GT or GT-S. She had it tuned perfectly...

It was a feeling she missed this whole time. She has been locked up in her work for too long. Now that she's out and running, she presses deeper on the accelerator. Her MR-2 swoops by the other passenger cars as if they are just merely sitting ducks. Naoko was able to reach speeds of 260 km/h and rising. The question, though, still remains... Is she good?

As soon as her car enters the C1 district, something caught her eye: a battle is commencing just 500 meters away from where she is. "That sound... a 20B rotary and a 2L Turbocharged V-TEC... a race is happening! Who could that be?" she wondered as she ups her pace and gets ready to observe who it is...

A purple RX-8 and a blood red Acura RSX Integra. The RX-8 looks quite different compared to its previous times around the Wangan. This one has a GT wing equipped with a Mazdaspeed Body. The stripes were removed and looks more mature than ever.

The RSX has a custom body kit with a universal GT wing attached on its back and a Mugen type Aerodynamic hood bolted in the front. The high toned hissing from the RSX is definitely a high rev turbine, bringing out 350 max horsepower more onto the standard 220 hp V-TEC engine. That sums up to an overall power output of 570 hp at the wheels. For an FF it sure could make such scary horsepower. Well, it's the Wangan. What do you expect?

"This guy is good. But doesn't he know that it's dangerous out on the Wangan tonight? Any day for that matter is unsuitable for racing out in the open. I won't allow it! That's why I must win!!" Shin uttered to himself. He's becoming more mature as well behind the wheel of his very own RX-8. He requested Raymond Yamazaki to change his bodykit and the rest of his car to suit his Wangan needs. Under Schneider's command, he needs to be strong, strong enough to stop other Wangan drivers from causing a scene that'll attract what they fear the most as of the moment.

The person in the RSX gives a grin on his face, proving the worth of his rival. "For a kid, you sure could do some skills out in the C1. Well, what do I expect out of a 600 HP RX-8?" He shifts gears from gear 4 to 5 and lets his car lead the race further ahead. A burst of flame comes out of his car's exhaust and lets his car feel the wind against the body.

Before he could even do so, he notices the upcoming MR-2 behind them...

"Hmm?" the RSX driver thought.
"No! Please, don't join in. I don't want to fight anyone." Shin pleaded. But the MR-2 just gains on the 2 B-class cars...

While that race commences, another race commences at the opposite side of the Wangan by the Edobashi junction - this time, it's an A-S class battle: a pink Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R, a BMW M3 CLS, and a silver Lancer Evolution 8 MR-FQ400. The M3 leads followed by the Evo and the R34. The drivers are definitely Seiji and Schneider in the Evo and the M3 respectively, but who's in the R34?

Inside the R34, there's a small picture of Raymond Yamazaki stuck in the rearview mirror. The driver seems to be a girl. She has red hair, all the way to her neck's end, and is wearing a white tank top with black jeans. Her name? Kallen Koizuki, Raymond's lover.

She seems to be holding her ground against Seiji's Evo as she slipstreams behind him. As soon as they exit the tunnel, Kallen breaks free off the slipstream and attacks the Evo on the inside, as it understeers to the outside.

Seiji doesn't seem to be bothered by the R34's attack and continues to regain ground as Kallen's R34 gains on the M3. "You're pretty good. I expected more from you, as a lady... To tell you the truth, I never look down on my rivals... You're lucky to have come close to my Evo's capabilities... But this is far from over" Seiji uttered.

Seiji's Evo counterattacks by slipstreaming behind the same R34 as the latter slipstreams likewise against the M3. "Hmm? Kallen Koizuki... the Wangan Princess... Raymond has told me stories of your capabilities... And it seems he is not lying... You have my respect, woman." Karl uttered as he looks at his rearview mirror.

Kallen never uttered a word as she makes her attack, she keeps her eyes glued on the M3's movements, hoping to gain the lead once Karl makes a mistake. Seiji on the other hand plans the same thing against Kallen.

At the C1's truck overpass, the 2 battles pass by: The RX-8, RSX, MR-2, and the M3, R34, and Evo 8. As soon as both races pass each other, something came up. Karl and Shin start to feel uneasy. For Shin, this was evident in his driving as his RX-8's rear fishtails at the rim of gear 5. The RSX driver, who happens to be Keiichi Iwata by the way, sees the mistake and makes his counterattack, gaining the lead over Shin. "you fool! You left your outside wide open!!" Keiichi uttered as he goes side by side with the RX-8 before the divider. Shin staggers in his driving which forces him to decelerate behind the RSX before reaching the divider. Naoko's still a bit far off back so her presence isn't quite disturbing to the group.

As for Schneider and the rest, they have just passed the dividers on their side of the road. Seiji's closing in on Kallen's BNR34 the same way as Kallen closing in on the BMW M3. The gap between the 3 cars are 5 millimeters each. As soon as the next right corner is up, it looked as if they are reading each other's minds: Seiji braked at the same point as Kallen and Schneider. Through the corner and out of the corner, the gap is still the same: 5 millimeters from the bumper of each car.

As for Keiichi, Shin, and Naoko, they already passed the dividers and are planning to go to the right lane, bringing them to the New Belt line district. Schneider, Seiji, and Kallen on the other hand are routing to the west bank of the Kanagawa line. Once they enter the district of both routes, the same feeling that Shin and Schneider felt reappears... this time, much stronger. "What is this feeling? It's like the feeling of fear..." Both of them thought aloud.

At speeds of 200+ km/h, they noticed something behind the last person among the group: Naoko and Seiji.

The round figure of a first generation Z... but more geometric, cancelling the 'first generation' adjective. The sound seems threatening... stronger than that of a V12 or an LS7 engine of a Corvette Z06. Schneider could see something only he, Seiji, and Kallen could figure out: an intense blood-red aura engulfing the unidentifiable Z chasing after them.

As soon as that happens, traffic behind them starts to shut down - literally: headlights and engines dying from behind, lights shattering from their posts, tires squealing, despite the fact that the other traffic cars are NOT racing. It sounded more like they crashed or something. Shin recalled all the descriptions that Chloe gave him, Schneider, and Raymond. Seiji and the rest don't know of this because they never bothered to listen and fled the parking lot when she was about to dictate the most important part of the Silverblood descriptions.

"He's here! Crap! Talk about bad timing..." Shin cursed the incoming old car. It looked as if the old car was running at 320 km/h constantly, even past the C1 district. The car behind Schneider is running at the same pace as the car trailing behind Shin and the rest. Shin desperately tries to nab the lead off Keiichi in order to trail them safely to the next parking lot. But before he could even take the lead, the old looking Z suddenly teleported next to him and reveals his outer body work: a 1978, second generation Z: The Nissan Fairlady 280Z with dim headlights, a wider S30 body and vintage rims as that of trailers... all in stock form except for one thing: the car sounded like it isn't stock. The window tint was blood red and so is the aura of the car. Shin could see it and was in fear. As soon as the 280Z revealed itself to Shin, it positions itself infront of the RX-8. Naoko didn't see this, nor did Keiichi yet Naoko can detect Shin's staggering line. Seconds later, the weirdest thing happened with Shin's RX-8. The bolts of his GT wing are starting to loosen and SNAP!

The GT wing snaps off the RX-8's body rolling down the road like a ball loose on the streets. Keiichi was too busy to look at his rearview mirror and continues to drive straight ahead. Naoko, on the other hand swerves to the side immediately before getting hit by the rolling obstacle. "What in the world was that? His wing was alright a moment ago... what happened to it? There's no way that it has something to do with this RX-8's movements..." Naoko wondered. Well, she was right. The only thing she didn't know that it was Silverblood's curse was on Shin, the moment it placed itself infront of the car.

As for Schneider and the other A-class drivers...

Likewise, Silverblood closes in on Schneider's M3, When Silverblood passes Kallen halfway, the engine of the R34 slows down a bit, it was as if the acceleration was cut by a quarter even if Kallen had her foot down all the way. "What in the world?"
"What's with this woman?" Seiji wondered. "Why on earth would she slow down when she already has the chance of retaking the lead from that M3?"

Little did the 2 of them know is that, like what happened to Shin, Silverblood's curse has fallen on Kallen. The only reason why Seiji was unaffected is because he's positioned behind Kallen, much like the slipstream principle; but it won't help him for long. Like with the RX-8, the weirdest of things happens to Kallen's R34... her side mirrors snap and were sent flying towards Seiji's Evolution. Seiji didn't budge and only felt it when it snaps one of his side mirrors away.

Schneider notices this and opens his hazard lights. Silverblood knows when its rivals give up so it swerves outside of the line of racers and makes its way, disappearing infront of Schneider in the process. "Silverblood... the next time we meet... I'll be the one to take you out." Schneider swore.
Kallen was still in a state of shock: how could her pink R34 lose such power on the straights and get her side mirrors loose?
Seiji was doubtful of the situation as well.

Back with Keiichi and the others:

Naoko still gains on Shin and Keiichi. To Shin, he could see Silverblood going side by side with Keiichi's RSX. Because he is still right in Silverblood's Vicinity, Shin was so fearful of Silverblood that he forced himself to slow down, letting Naoko overtake. "What's with him? No matter. I'm going to chase this RSX and take the lead!" Naoko assured. Now, she's joining in the race for good while they are on the Daiba route of the New belt line. But it didn't last long for Naoko. Why? Her MR-2's fan belt suddenly snaps, forcing her to slow down as well? "What the!?" She shouted. "I haven't even started yet!" Reason to this phenomenon is that she's right behind Silverblood at that time. It all boils down to Keiichi and Silverblood.

2 minutes later, the rest of the straight road of the New Belt line was cleared. Keiichi and Silverblood are making their way to the overpass back onto C1. A hard right corner and they're still side by side; Keiichi doesn't know of this though. He slows down, letting Silverblood take the lead on the corner's entry: fatality is coming at him as upon braking, his tires lock up; he couldn't corner as well as he planned. His RSX understeers and crashes onto the wall. Lucky for him, he crashed at quite a slow speed, only wrecking his front bumper in the collision.


Soon... all of the modern generation will fall...

New machines will bow down to their predecessor!

There will only be one Shutoku warrior.

Only one will rule the highways in a speed that they dare take pride on...

a speed that everybody takes for granted...

a speed only fit for the Blood red Silver Z!!


This post has been edited by Gunma's 34 on Nov 4 2009, 07:19 PM

Very interesting chapter there....

awesome..silverblood curse huh...

Here's the continuation. And I am glad to say that things are turning around for Daiki for the better.

Chapter 22 - True Blood

The rain pours heavily on downtown Tokyo. Despite this, most of the population are ready for it. Majority of pedestrians are wearing their rain coats, jackets, waterproof sweaters and their umbrellas at hand. This was true also about the children too.

At the Shinjuku district, it is all the same. Many people, many commuter vehicles, many umbrellas from a birds eye view.

At the outskirts of Tokyo's borders, there's one place which is as gloomy as the weather itself: Daiki Akiyama's humble abode. His mansion, in this cloudy weather looks as if it is a horror movie's set. No lights were on, not even outside of the house either. His 350Z is soaking in the rain for a long time now and no one is around to check up, guard, or even clean up the place. Daiki had his servants on leave momentarily as he wants to be alone for a while. Still grieving over the loss of his beloved Claudia Fortescue, he hasn't eaten for almost 2 weeks.

Naoko drops by every now and then but he ignores the ringing of the doorbell. All his mail, 2 weeks worth, is crunched up on the mailbox and his lawn hasn't been trimmed for the same amount of time. He hasn't bathed either. He didn't change clothes either and he is still wearing a normal white shirt with thick black slacks. His hair seems messed up, giving us the image that he had sleepless nights; well, we could say that is the only thing he does.

He can't think straight, stand straight, anything at all, he can't do it straight. The only thing lingering in his mind are images of him and Chloe.

As lightning strikes at the background, someone's shadow is exposed infront of the Akiyama household - a young teenage girl who is wearing a nurse's outfit. She's Saku- no... Akari Musashiro. On her way to the hospital that she works, she lets the cab driver pull over as soon as she sees the characters A-ki-ya-ma on the engraved Mansion wall.

"So this is where Mr. Akiyama Lives. Well, there are a lot of Akiyamas in Japan nationwide. I guess I am lucky to stumble across the right Akiyama... I think."

Sakura presses the doorbell and at Daiki's room, he could hear the ring.

"Mr. Akiyama-san?"
"..."
"It's Akari from the hospital... You know, Tokyo medical hospital."

She waited in the soaking rain for almost 5 minutes waiting for a reply. "I guess nobody is home." When she turns to walk towards her destination, she hears Daiki's reply from the telecom that she was just speaking through.

"I'm sorry if I made you wait, Ms. Sakura."

She runs to the telecom again and answers his reply while fixing her hair. "Oh no. It's no problem at all."

Daiki didn't give a reply again. Is she making this young girl wait?
The only thing that is keeping sound to this scenario is the falling rain. Every drop making a somewhat loud splash down the pavement.

"Are you... um... alright?"
"Define to me 'alright'..."
"So it seems you haven't recovered yet." She realized in a soft tone. "The doctors who were assigned to your beloved told me the whole thing. I saw one of them during my breaks and told me the whole thing. I know it is hard Mr. Akiyama but... let's try to look at things in a different aspect, shall we?"

She opens her bag and looks for the book that she wants to share with him but...

"Oh. It seems I left it at home." She told herself. "Now what?"

"Coincidentially, 2 boys wearing formal attire walks by Akari. One has long spikey hair that resembles like that of Gundam Seed's Kira Yamato, only black in color while the other boy has flat rounded hair but his distinction is that he has glasses. Both seem to be in their early teens, in comparison to Sakura who is in her mid teen-age. To Akari, one of them looks familiar. She presses the telecom and tells Daiki "Could you wait for a moment, please?"

She waits for 20 seconds until she hears Daiki's solemn "Okay."

Running to the boys, Sakura calls out one of their names. "Tomo-chan!"
"Uh?" The spikey haired boy reacts. "Ah! Akari!" Tomo answers. It is a Saturday so its no surprise to see young boys out in the morning wearing formal attire - long sleeve polo shirts with neckties paired with matching and contrasting slacks and fitted with leather shoes in the bottom.

"You're preaching today?" Akari asked them. Tomo nods his head. "Kaede forced me to." He was referring to the one with glasses. "Hey! It's for a good cause you know." From Akari's statement, the two young boys are Jehovah's Witnesses doing their weekly preaching activity around Tokyo. Tokyo's Eastern border seems to be their current territory. "Why aren't you Akari?" Kaede asked.

"Well... I'm still on my internship at Downtown Tokyo Medical Hospital." She answers cheerfully.
"And how old are you exactly?"
"C'mon. Enough with the Q&A Kaede. What is it you need?" Tomo interrupts.

"Oh!" She gasped. "Do you have an extra copy of the 'What does the Bible Really Teach' book?"
"I do. Here." Kaede answers as he offers Akari the extra copy. "I still got a spare in my bag so you can have it. What for?"
"Your share of preaching perhaps?" Tomo sarcastically comments.
"You could say that. I still have an hour to go and the Medical hospital is just a 20 minute brisk walk from here so I still have time."

"Well, we better get going. Tomo and I still have a lot of ground to cover."
"Yeah. See you Akari." Tomo bids as he and Kaede walk to the next corner onwards.

Akari frolics over to the telecom and talks with Daiki again.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Akari apologizes.
"It's alright. I have nothing better to do anyway..."
She turns to the page about death before they start the next conversation...
"Ah! Here we go. I have something to share with you. It's about How we can cope with death of a loved one."

"Do you think it is God's will for our loved ones to die? What do you think?" Akari opens a question.
"Is this about religion? I have to be honest with you. I'm not that much of a religiously inclined person but I can give an answer to that. If it is a will... then... I have to say yes." Daiki answers.
"Well... I have to apologize in advance, Mr. Akiyama-san. To tell you the truth... we are destined to live forever; that is what God intended for us."
"If that is the case, then why must people die, anyway?"
"It dates back to the first Man and Woman on earth. We were made to last forever as I've said but they've committed something that made perfection a price to pay for - sin. Because they sinned, we die." Akari answers that question of Daiki's.

"What must I do about it then? Now that my love has died right before my eyes?" Daiki asked in a sentimental tone.
"You've said that you're not that inclined to religion, right Mr. Akiyama? Well... we don't have to grief about it day in day out. We have to stand strong. Don't you think that's what Ms. Fortescue wants from you?"

Learning of that last statement made Daiki wonder. He recalls the last words that Chloe told him aside from 'I love you' before she got hit by the rampaging BMW M3 before her death.

"Hmph... Well now that her spirit is in heaven, I have nothing to worry about thanks to what you have said."
"It's nothing really. But about that spirit thing. Let me clarify that to you. You see, There's no soul or spirit that detaches from us when we die. We, ourselves are living souls. The dead are dead souls. So when we die, the soul dies. As for the spirit, it is merely the life force that sustains us when we are alive. Without it, we're dead. So now you have a clear view of the words soul and spirit and I don't think you should mix them up, well that's how I want to view it from you...I know it is hard to believe but if you have the time, try to understand and ponder over it."

Daiki never said a word after that.

"Well, I've tried." She thought. "I'll just leave this book in your mailbox. I hope you find it helpful." Akari told Daiki before she leaves.

After taking a few momentary steps, Daiki tells her one last thing. "Ms. Akari... thank you. You really live up to your name... Your name meaning... light... Arigato."

As Akari makes her leave, Daiki freshens up and wants to leave his place for a while. He wants to ponder over what Akari told him by going to the wangan, even at this rainy weather.

[SHUTOKU EXPRESSWAY 12:40 P.M. WANGAN LINE]

A Silver 350Z, with its Nismo S-tune body kit in place runs down the Wangan at a smooth pace of 100 km/h. Inside, the air condition is turned to low as the driver, Daiki, thinks about what he and Akari just discussed.

From behind, a white BNR34 tailgates him. Daiki looks at his rearview mirror to see a familiar R34 behind him. "Yamazaki?" He thought.

They reach Daikoku Futo Parking area and parked their cars to have a chat.

"So the host of silverblood shows himself." Raymond shouts in an undertone.
"Silverblood's host? What on earth are you talking about?"
"So you didn't know? Nobody told you? Perhaps they're too scared of you now that some know of your deep dark secret." Raymond continues.

"I believe what you're saying is nonsense. It sounds hard to believe." Daiki humbly answers.
"True. But facts are facts my boy. The crashes here in Tokyo's Wangan area are no laughing matter, nor are they coincidences. When you're not around... or perhaps we could even say when YOU are not around, HE emerges and wreaks havoc around here."

"Who?"
"Silverblood. A legendary entity that lingers around Tokyo's Wangan having something unfinished."
Daiki was just silent with a confused look. "Yes I know it sounds hard to believe but that's the only lead we have about these crashes. It has been proven already by Shin and Schneider; even my girl Kallen was a close victim to this... Silverblood."
Daiki's face changed to something serious.

"Well, I figure that it's best you know of this so that you know what's happening. When this gets out of hand, It won't be a pretty sight you know. That's all I have to say."

"If this monstrosity is inside of me... then why are you helping me?"

Raymond, before he could board his R34 freezes and thinks of an answer. "Why? Well, it's because I want a clean fair rematch against you when this is over. Not even Seiji and not even Silverblood would stand in my way of making this goal of mine come true."

The white Skyline slowly leaves Daikoku Futo leaving Daiki puzzled.

That night, when Daiki is asleep, Silverblood emerges out on the Wangan again claiming hundreds of victims - commuters and street racers alike. The news, by next morning, reveals of 78 minor injured victims and 22 severly injured ones located at the Shutoku expressway.

When Daiki saw this in the news the next day, he was trembling. "So... this is what Yamazaki is telling me... Silverblood... what is he...? what is it?"

Lol, Gundam SEED reference. That's nice.

Chapter 23 - Candidates of Turmoil

After Daiki and Raymond's last encounter that rainy day, the weather starts to haze into a bright tomorrow; and a bright tomorrow indeed. At the brink of 6:38 a.m., the sky seems to depict the same brightness as that of 2:00 in the afternoon; only cooler and more skin-friendly. A couple of street racers are still in the vicinity of the Kanagawa freeway district. What group of people ought to be out in broad daylight at this hour?

A nest of cars sit on the local parking area consisting of the following vehicles:

A silver BMW M3 CSL
A Midnight Purple Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
A Yellow Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 GSR
A red TVR V8S
A blue Nissan SKyline GT-R R33 V-spec LM edition
A Red Subaru Legacy Blitzen
And a familiar looking purple Mazdaspeed RX-8 type S

It's Schneider's West Protection Division. It is a group made by Schneider which is also known as the Anti-Silverblood Task Force. With the incapacity of the local police to do a thing about the entire Silverblood scenario, Schneider decided that the only way to beat a Wangan Threat is with the aid of Wangan Masters, whether accepted by or denied by anyone involved in this matter.

"Status report on your assigned territories." Schneider calls out to the group.
"C1 has no unusual occurrences or accidents about." Said the driver of the Purple R34.
"New Belt line by Shidome is all normal" Reported the Evo driver.
"Nothing going about around Haneda." The TVR driver reported.

"Everything is fine by Shidome." The R33 driver reported.
"Well, that's good to hear eh, Colt?" Colt is the nickname of the R33 driver. He's an associate of Schneider's. "What about you Raven?"

"At the Wangan line? Even if my Legacy is C1 built, I'm glad to say that there's nothing going bad about the area." Raven, the Legacy Blitzen driver, reported.

"Well, it's better we not just upgrade the looks of your vehicle, Raven. Best yet, your gearbox as well. We need to make it Wangan Material. For a feisty girl as yourself you can hold on to high speeds, isn't that right Raven?" Colt joked around.

"Oh, shut up you old hag." Raven answered back to Colt.

"Schneider-san." Shin, who is leaning on his RX-8, interrupted. "What is it?" He returned the question back to Shin. "I have to go. I got classes by this afternoon." He reasons.

"Very well. Looks like we all have made a job well done. We best head back."

"I'm on route on the Wangan Line. Who's with me?" Schneider offers. The R34, Evo, and TVR drivers all raised their hands. "What about you other guys?"

"My place is already close from here." Colt answers.
"I still have to go somewhere else by the C1 district." Raven recalls.
"And my junction is already here. Sorry Schneider-san." Shin apologizes.

[10 minutes later]

The BMW M3 Leads the pack with the Evo, TVR, and R34 behind it respectively. At this same very moment, Daiki is still asleep in his place. There's just one thing odd about him at that hour. What is it? He's having some night terrors of his own. Again, he dreams of Chloe's death, repeatedly revealed to him through these night terrors. He tries to stop 'her' but fails every time. He moans in deep pain and sorrow for losing her time and again in his very own dreams, driving him nuts. Maybe not even Akari's words of encouragement helped him at this moment.

Back with Schneider, he feels uneasy as his car enters the Wangan Line district, right after passing by the toll gates. He quivers in his seat wondering what the hell is going to happen at this very moment.

As soon as his speedometer reads 301 km/h, his car starts to lost some needed power. "Huh? How come my M3 is slowing down?" He thought. "I just had the oil changed and the parts readjusted. Why the hell is this going o-" Then he remembers. "So he is here. He has shown himself."

As he cruises down the Wangan along with his group, a mysterious car emerges from behind the commuter vehicles...

"Interesting..." Schneider groaned. He decelerated and lets the other 3 cars overtake him.

The other drivers didn't wonder why Schneider would decelerate at a place such as this. Is he expecting a rival even at this hour? No matter, it must be Schneider's most important battle; so definitely, his rival must be...

"...Silverblood... you're mine!!" Schneider enrages himself as he continues his press on the accelerator again. His M3's acceleration sky rockets and blasts past by his group's vehicles like they're just idling there in place.


3 kilometers worth of straight road down and Silverblood's 280Z leans right behind Schneider's M3. The only problem with this placing is that Schneider's other group members are tailgating behind Silverblood; and you know what happens then!

As they enter a high speed left bend, Right in front of the Evolution 7's front end, an image of Silverblood's Z losing control right in front of him.

At the same moment as well, the driver of the Midnight Purple R34 experiences this same scenario too and is freaked out by the Z spinning wildly right at his front.

Both drivers veered towards the inside, hoping to make it safely past the illusion. The only problem? Both cars are running at 310 km/h, a dangerous speed. They lost overall balance of their cars and before they knew it, they can't even countersteer themselves to safety. Soon hereafter, they collided with the inner wall and lost even more control over their cars!


Schneider was too busy concentrating on holding his lead against Silverblood to notice the catastrophe commencing at his rear view mirror. Even the TVR V8S driver was so scared of silverblood that he downshifts the car by accident on the long straight and suddenly, his engine blew. His car's hood is already wrapped up in flames and it slowly ate the driver up as well until there was nothing left of the TVR.

"Grrr... I'm now at 328 km/h and I still couldn't shake this monstrosity off! Even a ghost car is just a car. It SHOULD have limits!" Schneider complained as he grits his teeth and more firmly holds the steering wheel of his M3. Concentrating too much on the battle, Schneider didn't take notice of the tachometer. It is in the red zone. His M3 lagged and gives Silverblood's Z the upper hand.


That wasn't the only problem. Silverblood desires victory. He'd do anything for victory... He makes another illusion as soon as the edge of his front gets closer and closer to the M3's. On the opposite side of the M3, there's another Silver 280Z!


"W...What the!?" Schneider was shocked of the sudden 'magic act' that his hands tremble as they grip on the steering wheel. His feet are shaking to the point that his subconsciousness veers off the clutch and hoping to stomp on the brakes instead. As fear engulfs his inner being, Silverblood makes good use of this moment and doubles his acceleration rate to bring an end to Schneider and his M3. Both Zs beside Schneider merge in front of him and finally claims the lead over the M3!

"W-Wha!?" Schneider gasped as he sees the Z right in front of his eyes.

"Oh no! I'm in a bad spot! I better get out of here!" Schneider freaks out in his seat as he tries to step on the brakes. But to no avail. His brakes aren't working. He lets go of his foot off the accelerator but the car still accelerates, as depicted by the tachometer's reading - going past 6000 onto 7000 rpm even with Schneider's foot off the gas.

"I've got no choice do I?" He thought. "I have to aim this perfectly." Schneider devises a plan that would hopefully make him flee from Silverblood's clutches and bring his car to a full stop. He turns the wheel to the side and raises his E-brake at a current speed of 335 km/h. The only thing that's life-saving about Schneider's M3 is that it has a well built roll cage that could withstand high speed roof-to-tarmac contact up to speeds of 300 km/h, like that of Le Mans cars.

Inducing his M3 to a barrel roll, He waits for his car to slow down. The only thing good about his condition right now is that he's in a straight. If it was a corner, he'd be jumping off the cliff and into his direct doom.

He continuously rolls down the long straight as the velocity of his car decreases. By the time his car comes to a halt... the M3 is totally shattered. The only thing left of the body is the rollcage. There are no doors left. There's not even a roof. One of the tires fell loose off the chassis and his windows are totally shattered. He steps out, completely bruised, but not critically bleeding, observing the menacing Z disappear right before his eyes.

"Silverblood... how could we comprehend such a life threatening beast? Was there a way to stop it? Or would we all suffer, like that of Ms. Fortescue's grandfather?" Schneider wondered as he calls for an EMS team and an Ambulance for assistance by the Wangan line's highway intersection...

Another set of victims for Silverblood, even if there's just one survivor of his onslaught. Who would be next?

By 6 P.M. in the evening, Daiki watches the evening news. He was trembling over the picture flashed on the television screen. He fell on his knees as he listens to the news.

"This is Hitoshi Takahashi reporting for the evening news. Just this late morning, local shutoku police have reported a group of vehicles that have crashed on the Shutoku line past the Daikoku Futo district. It has been reported to be a cause of reckless driving and excessive speeding. Local Federations are informing Tokyo residents taking route on the wangan to be watchful of the speed they drive on and have their vehicles double checked before attempting to drive at such dangerous speeds. SUch as the case, we want everybody to cooperate with the Shutoku checkpoints around the highway vicinity for a quick run down on each and every vehicle that must enter the Wangan area. They wish of everybody's cooperation to ensure the safety of the people, most especially, car drivers..."

"There it goes again... As what Yamazaki told me the day before..." Daiki thought aloud to himself.

"Is this what that thing... Silverblood does... when I am not around? Even in the morning?!"

Ooo, nice pictures there. I am interested..

Chapter 24 - Declaration of War on One's Self

Thanks to that book given by Akari, Daiki is starting to regain his sanity. As Days pass, he continues to feel more normal in comparison to that faithful day. He believes in the hope of the Ressurection as he has read in one of the Chapters of the "What does the bible Really Teach book?" and is starting to visualize his reunion with Chloe in the near future. It still sounds hard to believe but it doesn't hurt to believe in something that the world would ignore.

This however, doesn't stop Daiki's hurtful dreams. During his sleep, he moans deeply, rolls from side to side, and screams in anguish. Why so? It's Silverblood, haunting him by mixing up his memories - blending what is good into what is bad. 'It' loves to do this to its host. Now that a minimal number of Wangan Racers are out every night, Silverblood decides to haunt down its own host, making it suffer bit by bit until they have lost all control of themselves. It's primary objective is obviously to become the next unbeatable legend, then disappear into the night with its host, ending his or her life by a forced suicide run afterwards, leaving no trace of evidence that a legend was once around.

Daiki is already the 7th host that Silverblood has possessed. The previous 6 were undoubtedly unworthy for Silverblood's calibur. They have all failed in accomplishing its objective and were more so disposed of.

As Daiki prepares to return to his own racing Academy, his body feels weak but his resilience is strong. He feels his heart ache numerous times but he still holds his ground. There were instances, like now as he walks down the stairs, he loses balance but he still holds his body upright. Daiki has no idea, however, that all this pain is Silverblood's bidding.

Greeted by his heartwarming staff a well said "Good Morning, Master Akiyama." He bids them good morning with a smile right back at his servants. He snabs a Piece of buttered toast on the dining room table and immediately heads for the garage. One of the maids humbly Approached Daiki before he enters the garage, just to give him his coffee on a thermos cup. "Sir, you might need this."

"Hmm... Thank you very much." Daiki thanked the maid, again with a smile.

He boards his Z and ignites the engine. It still has the demonic 700 plus horsepowered v6. The body however, was reverted to the standard Nismo S-tune aero kit. Slowly he passes by his other cars in the garage, en route to the gate: A BMW M3, Spoon Sports Tuned Integra DC2 type R, a Nissan CarbonR R34 Pennezoil Nismo GT500 imiatation, Mugen Twincam Honda S2000 GT, NSX type R NA2, Audi S4 2000, and a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

Entering the Shutoku's Kanagawa district, en route to an exit by the C1 district, Daiki starts to feel tired all of a sudden. "Argh... What is wrong with me today? I am not like this!" He thought to himself. Again, you know who's doing this to him.

His vision is starting to blurr as he passes by 160 km/h. He decides to slow down to a mere 100 km/h to play it safe. As he enters C1, a familiar looking Lancer Evolution Meets up with Daiki's Z. It's Seiji Tsuchiya. He runs side by side with Daiki's 350Z but he can see Daiki's expression that he isn't interested to battle. "Not now, huh?" Seiji wonders. "Alright. Maybe later." Seiji increases his press on his accelerator and blasts out of the tie. As he shifts to gear 3, balls of fire engulf the Evo's exhaust pipes.

There was something about Seiji's Lancer Evolution 8 that doesn't add up. At the front, it looks somewhat the same but somewhat different too. It had canards and the front end seems to be lower than usual. The rear has a immensely large GT wing in replace of the standard issued-Evolution wing. Inside, he has equipped his car with a level 2 rollcage, the type that makes a cross at the back of the car's interior for even more stability. He didn't mind being rejected by Daiki but he won't miss another chance when he's ready to battle. He heads down the C1 en route to his job at a journalist's building by the Edobashi district.

Bringing his Z to a halt at his usual parking space, Daiki enters the ARS to see if things are working in tip top shape. Upon entering, he meets up with Naoko who had a slight wound on her left cheek. "Naoko! What happened to you?"
"Oh, hey Daiki... I mean, Daiki-sama. Ohayo-guzaimasuta."
"What happened to your face?" He asks again.
"This?" She points to her bandage. "Well... this happened days back. My fan belt snapped when I was out on the Shutoku racing with a couple of cars of the same class. I was gunning a red Integra DC5 until the strangest of things happened. My fan Belt snapped as we enter the New Belt line's Trophy Dash. It was weird because I checked my car from head to toe before I even went out to the Wangan. My MR2 was in pristine order..."
"Were you alright?"
"Yeah. Then I pulled over to the side, checked it and there was something like a stone that blasts by my side hitting my cheek causing this deep wound. It must have been a sharp stone of sorts."
"Well, at least you're alright." Daiki assures Naoko with a pat on the shoulder.

He goes on his way to his office until...

"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" Naoko asks.
"Is it wrong to be nice to someone you knew for so long?"
"No, I mean... It's like it's 'us'... You're not that caring or casual to others before... Why the sudden change? Does it have to do with that girlfrie-"
"No. It doesn't involve Claudia." Daiki immediately counters.
"Where is she then...?" Naoko follows up a question. It is hard for him to say it to her. It was meant to be just between him and Claudia alone. He didn't answer that one.
"Something happened to her, am I right?"
"Um..."
"Like she dumped you?"
"No. It's nothing like that."
"Then what happened to you two?"
"I don't want to talk about it. Anyway, is Kitana Tioseco back in class?"
"Yes she is. Um... WAIT! YOU'RE STRAYING AWAY FROM THE QUESTION!" Naoko breaks into a fit. "Tell me! What happened to her that made you change your ways?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it! DOn't be so stubborn when I said that I wouldn't say it!"
Naoko didn't say a word when he saw Daiki's face full of deceit.

"I-I'm sorry, Daiki-sama." Naoko apologized.
"Just... don't bring up this conversation about her ever again." Daiki seriously returned an answer to her and leaves.

Once Daiki was out of sight, Naoko has the feeling that something treacherous happened to Chloe. But what?

The day passes quickly and it is now sunset. Daiki saw Kitana taking make up classes under Naoko and was glad enough to see a striving student. He had his Z vinyled by some of the staff of the school. It now has a Nismo vinyl on his side. He must be planning on remaking a Nismo S tune, for sure. Or maybe he has other plans for it.

He enters the Wangan and stops by at Daikoku Futo. There wasn't much of a crowd around that early evening. The only cars he saw around are Raymond Yamazaki's R34 and a beat up BMW M3. He was curious to what happened to this M3. "How could this have happened?" He thought aloud.

"You know who did this." A familiar voice from behind answers his rhetoric quiestion.
"Raymond!" Daiki gasped as he turns his head. Raymond was with Schneider, who had his entire left arm casted and with a cane on the other hand. His left foot too is casted. "What happened to you um..."
"Schneider. Karl Schneider's the name." Schneider introduced himself.
"What happened to this M3? What happened to you? Don't tell me this is your-"
"Yes, it is my M3. And if you want to know who did this... well..." Schneider rasies his casted left hand slowly until it directs to Daiki.

"M-me!?"
"More specifically. Silverblood."
"Silverblood?" Daiki asks again.
"Remember what I told you? When YOU are not around, HE is." Raymond quoted.

"He slumbers within you, Akiyama. Just as long as you are awake, he won't appear. But you can't be awake 24/7 now can you?" Schneider said. "Even in the day, he appears. Whatever time it may be, just as long as you're asleep. He'll appear."

"What happened to all the other racers? Isn't there supposed to be a gathering of sorts every night here at Daikou?" Daiki asks.

"Well..." Raymond staggers. "Majority are severly injured and are confined at the hospitals around Tokyo whereas a number of which died due to accidents..."

"Caused by this... Silverblood."

"If I may ask, Daiki. Have you seen your suitor around?"

Daiki became silent after hearing that. It is like when Chloe's not around, they are all looking for her, through Daiki. "I can't say..."

"By the looks of that face..." Raymond notices. "Something bad has happened to her. Something tragic if I may say so myself."

"Don't tell me you're gonna blame-" Daiki's words were interrupted when all 3 of them had an idea who did that to her - Silverblood.

"Perhaps... it wants to get rid of the Fortescue family members who are involved in such 'sports'" Schneider thought. "Her Grandfather was once a well known Shutoku racer here. He died trying to win against Silverblood when he was about to become the next legend. Maybe you have heard of it - a Green Porsche 911 RUF BTR..."

Daiki sways his head side to side, indicating a 'no'.

"Oh, yeah... right... You rarely come to this place just to hang out and share information."

"Yeah. I don't usually run around the Wangan just for the meetings or such. I just run my Z, snatch a few battles, and on my way home right after the race. I occasionally stop by the parking lots just to get a drink or something, when nobody is around."

"One of Schneiders Anti-Silverblood squad died when he crashed. That red TVR V8S,right?"

"That's right. Raymond. Good thing Shin wasn't stupid enough to come and get himself involved." Schneider quoted.

"What are we gonna do, then?" Daiki asks.

"At this rate... there won't be any Shutoku racers left standing once we are all eliminated. I mean, aside from all these newbies... the only ones capable enough to take SIlverblood down are Seiji and I. I could involve Kazuhiko but just like when your suitor shared to us this story of Silverblood, he detested it." Raymond remembers.

"You said that he exists only when I am asleep, right?" Daiki recalls.
"Yep."
"What if I am able to issue a formal challenge to this Silverblood... so that none of this would continue?" Daiki suggests.
"That sounds quite stupid don't you think? People might think then that you are autistic... or weird... talking to yourself just to issue a challenge."
"What about that paranormal stuff you Japanese traditionally do?" Schneider suggests.

"I don't do those stuff. I barely even know our own country's paranormal culture." Daiki admits. "Same goes for me." Raymond agrees.

"But there's one thing I know for sure... sometimes... Dreams act as a counterbalance and medium to communicate with certain spirits..."

"Oh, now you're going paranormal... This is just getting dumber by the minute." Raymond interferes.

"So what you're trying to say is that I issue a challenge through my dreams?" Daiki verifies. "That's much what I am trying to say..." Schneider admits.

"Let's give it a shot then..." Raymond suggests. "I know it sounds hard to believe but we might just try that...

"Or better yet... run at the same pace as him on the Wangan and then start the battle from there..." A mysterious voice calls out to the three.

"Who's that?"

"Keiichi Iwata." It's Keiichi. He parked his Integra, which has a new bodykit, outside of Daikoku Futo parking area with its hazards lit. "It's just a hunch. I don't believe in this paranormal stuff as you do Akiyama and so I think doing just this... running on the wangan at full force might attract Silverblood's attention."

"That sounds better... Better than acting all foolish in my dreams making my servants think I have Night terrors or sleep taking syndromes or something like that." Daiki said, sarcastically directing the statement at Schneider and Raymond.

"But how would that be possible...?" Raymond asks. "He only appears when Daiki isn't around or sleeping..."

"Then... better yet... Daiki must be half asleep. With his subconsciousness driving..." another voice lurks from behind Keiichi. It's Seiji Tsuchiya.

"Seiji!?" Schneider jolts in place. "I thought you didn't believe in this?"

"Well... after what just happened with that Pink R34's side mirrors flying to my windshield that other day... I have to believe what that woman is saying... I know... hard to believe... sounds stupid... but its better to make a solution out of it rather than wait for our doom." Seiji uttered. "And besides..." Seiji looks at Daiki with a stern look.

"I don't want to die just yet... not unless I get my revenge match on this guy."

"I am not as much of a Wangan Racer as you said I am back at Umihotaru. But Things like this make me want to become one... And becoming one... means that I won't back down on an issued challenge such as this one you're giving me, Tsuchiya..."

"Now you're starting to sound like the Wangan racer I want to defeat!" Seiji smirks.

"So Daiki..." Raymond interrupts. "Can you do it? Subconsciously drive and summon Silverblood out to issue a challenge?"

"No. I'll subconsciously drive and summon it out to race it for good!"

"The only way to end this monstrosity is by simply outrunning it... I've asked a few people about the Silverblood matter and even interviewed Chloe once after that huge Daikoku Meeting we had... and have formulated the best way to win against it."
says another voice from behind Seiji and Keiichi's back. This time, it is Kazuhiko.

"Kazuhiko-san..."

"Normally, I am the tactical adviser but since I am new to this game, Kazuhiko calls the shots..." Keiichi narcistically comments. "You'll get your time." Seiji assures.

"As what Chloe told me... Silverblood only wishes to become just one thing - the undefeated legend. He wants to witness it by selecting th fastest Z driver of this generation to ensure his goal's success, in this case, Daiki. Whoever he selects, would be his host and medium in accomplishing it. Over its rage against the gunning Hakosuka back in the day, it wants to eliminate all competition to ensure a flawless victory. The only reason why its host doesn't counteract its motives is because, most of Silverblood's hosts were weak-willed. So if the host counteracts it, then the host too is considered as a challenger, to be eliminated. But once the host is eliminated... Silverblood has to leave... but we don't want that right? So the even better plan formulated for this is for Daiki to ensure an absolute victory over Silverblood. I suggest a full round around the entire Tokyo route: From C1 to New belt line, straight to the Wangan Line, past Daikoku Futo, onto the Kanagawa line, through Yokohane and back to the C1... only then would one be considered the ultimate Wangan legend. And if Silverblood fails... he'd simply fade away into oblivion... Oblivion as in... for good. IT would understand that he's no longer somebody or something that could conquer the Wangan because there is somebody greater... somebody whom it cannot defeat..."

"That sounds like the greatest plan I have ever heard... for the dumbest cause..." Seiji thought aloud. "BUt let's go with that. It is the most logical plan, as a fellow Wangan racer, formulated."

"So... Are you prepared for this, Akiyama?"

"Well... I do have the C1 memorized at the back of my head... but with this monster... a 700 horsepowered monster... I need to practice a bit to rememorize the braking and acceleration points... But leave it to me."

Schneider gives a smile and says... "WE'll be counting on you."

"To those not involved in this, it might sound just like a typical time attack. But this is different for us. It is for the future of Shutoku racers..."

"700 eh..." Seiji thought to himself... "I need to increase my Evolution's overall power too before one of us declares a challenge after this monstrosity."

"So... Seiji... would you mind that?" Raymond asks him. "Would you mind Daiki becoming the true legend before your name could even hit the books?"

"If it weren't for this dumb thing we call a spirit, then I won't let it happen. But because it is here, then I don't mind... We all don't wanna become the next victim... How about you?" Seiji directs the same question back at Raymond.

"Well... before I could even face Daiki... I need to beat your pal Kazuhiko. We've been in a tie for years and I don't know when either one of us would break it... But until the time comes... Kazuhiko is still my prime Wangan rival. So I am leaving Daiki to your hands once this is over."

"Hey, I am right here you know..." Kazuhiko ironically comments.

[November 23 - 11:59 p.m. WANGAN AREA - C1 DISTRICT]

Daiki is smoothly running at gear 2, on a standard speed of 80 km/h. He just past the dividers and into the junction where one of them would head for the New belt line district. He brings his car up to speed until he reached the Wangan line. Shifting to gear 5, his Turbine hisses monstrously. His engine response is faster, just like the racing car's, after every shift. He immediately reaches 350 km/h down the Trophy Dash thanks to the tri-aspiration imitation system he has on his Z. All power was excreted from the Z's standard V6 engine, much like that of a Supercharger's. But out of that hairpin before the dash, his car turns and runs gracefully like an NA. Yes, his car is a turbo but he gauges have been set to that like of both an NA and Supercharger; paired with the appropriate suspension setup resulting in the same values.

Entering the tunnel, 500 meters ahead, a sillouhette slowly departs from the 350z. Slowly, it takes form of a full bodied dark silver Nissan 1978 280Z Fairlady. The car looks completely stock but runs faster than Daiki's Z, at a speed of 365 km/h, slowly breaking the tie with Daiki's Z. Until the Z isn't completely solidified, Daiki has his eyes half open. By the time the engine roar of the 280Z emerges, he became wide awake all of a sudden.

He gasps as he sees the old 280Z gunning infront of him. "So this is Silverblood... You'll pay for what you did to Chloe and the others..." He grinned.

My host... became my prey

For yet another casualty...

Your decision to go against me...

Would be your most fatal mistake...

I could've given you immense power on my account...

But you decided to take it to your own hands...

Very well, If your wish is to leave this world...

Then I hereby grant it with your life as the price to pay

From then, everyone will know and fear...

The true meaning of...

"SILVERBLOOD"!!

AS both cars enter the tunnel, their dispute begins... running at 360 km/h... Would Daiki survive?

Interesting. The climax of the story approaches.

awesomeness has juz appeared!!

Awesomeness, indeed... and here comes the awesomeness!!!
-------------------------------------

Chapter 25 - Ultimate Battle!

The battle has begun... or so for just those who believe in it. The war between Daiki and Silverblood has begun. Down the Kasumigaseki tunnel, Silverblood slowly breaks free from the boundaries of Daiki Akiyama's presence. Once the shadow has been released, its body takes form. The form though, to Daiki, is still blurred as he isn't sure whether he'd believe this stuff about Silverblood or not. To the likes of Raymond and the others though, who are all at the Ohi Parking area near the Ohi U turn area, they too are in a pinch as Seiji raises a curious question.

"What if... this thing we fear... this thing we call as silverblood... doesn't actually exist?"

The group of Shutoku racers stood there doubtful of Seiji's words. He has a point though. They never actually saw this thing in the first place. The only idea they have is that it is a silver 3rd generation Z, the one right after the HS30.

"But what about those casualties? and those accidents? They can't be just by chance. Majority of those who went to the wangan checked their cars through the checkpoints and they all check out. How can you say that he doesn't exist, Seiji?" Raymond contradicted.

"We can't jump to conclusions yet. This battle, though would explain it all for us, so don't worry." Karl Schneider assured the group to prevent futher guesses of Silverblood's existence.

Moments ago...

From the Hamazakibashi Branching, Daiki took a left into the C1 section. Before that section is where Silverblood has started to emerge from Daiki's Z. Once they have entered the Kasumigaseki tunnel, The race finally begun as Silverblood trails Daiki from behind. Daiki, who is unsure though if Silverblood IS real or not to him, simply visualizes a complete 280Z behind him and ups his pace. As he accelerates, so does Silverblood at that exact point.

Reaching speeds of 258 km/h upon entering Chidoya tunnel, Daiki decelerates his Z retained at gear 5 through the tunnel, up to its exit. As soon as his Z reaches the exit, he downshifts to gear 4 and accelerates 'further away' from Silverblood upon reaching the Edobashi branching exit. The speed increases and Daiki is getting pulled back by the horizontal G forces upon pressing deeper on the accelerator.

Upon reaching the Kiba exit, Daiki slowly maneuvers his car from the inside to the outside then attacks on the inside's apex. "An out in out is the most essential tactic through the Kiba exit... I wonder if this... thing... could do the same..." As Daiki glances on the rearview mirror... he simply smirks to the 280Z behind him... "Nice job... Either that or... what I do... Silverblood simply imitates it..." He thought.

After one corner, he enters the Wangan Line - the ultimate stretch of straight road that every driver... or Wangan Racer desires of. As Daiki sees the area, free from any traffic, he pounces on the gas but cautiously. He knows of the Silverblood curse, but whether or not he is sure if it would work on the host himself. Reaching speeds of 343 km/h, the 350z and 280Z go on route the Wangan Line, to Ohi; even the flashy ferris wheel didn't distract Daiki, or even made him remember of needless stuff unrelated to the battle ongoing.

Because Silverblood has threatening speed down the Wangan Line, Daiki makes use of this moment to sacrifice a bit of some bodywork for some extra speed. He blocks Silverblood's way and waits for the opportune moment to gain a momentary boost of speed. Because this is a battle between what we call a human and a supernatural, no laws of physics and Wind geometrics could rule down their strategies.

As both cars enter the Tokyo Port tunnel, they have reached a phenomenal speed of 366 km/h down the tunnel. The speed they're at is so intense, that to a spectator, it seems like a flash of lightning just blasted by them. Daiki has passed the Ohi U-turn and is now going side by side with Silverblood's Z... wait! Side by side!?

"Tsk... I left my inside open through the long high speed left before the Ohi turn..."

Once their cars steadily go down the long stretch of road at 370 km/h, they enter the Airport District of Tokyo... The status of their battle? Still at the same old constant pace, side by side. Their next checkpoint would be the Tamagawa Tunnel. Daiki may have the upper hand at this high speed chase's point. As soon as they enter the tunnel, Daiki's predictions weren't according to plan. Silverblood may have fallen back - by only a few centimeters from Daiki's side. But, by a nose, it is obvious that Daiki is leading. As long as the tunnel is curved, Daiki is slowly recovering his ensured lead.

Exiting the tunnel, they reach the half point of Ohgishima. The speed loss they have gained down the tunnel is slowly being recovered down the Ohgishima stretch, before the Wangan Line Tsubasa Bashi bridge. The race is still neck to neck, with Silverblood, once again, gaining by the side, taunting Daiki to do a dirty trick to retain his lead. But Daiki resisted and focused on his own pace, as he watches Silverblood take the lead from his side.

He's not thinking that it is over, though.

Down the bridge, for some reason, Daiki's Z seems fine and dandy. Nothing is wrong with anything about the car; the gauges, the tire angle... everything... It seems that Silverblood's curse does NOT work on its host. This gave Daiki utmost confidence... or so he thought...

Upon reaching the end of the high speed festival, The Daikoku Junction (JCT) is up and Daiki is forced to slow down immensely. The most unnatural thing is happening in this battle that shocked Daiki off his feet. Silverblood did not brake upon entering and is facing the incoming corner at 370 km/h, whereas Daiki decelerated already to a safe 230 km/h corner entry, and blasts through the corner's inside. The gap between Daiki and Silverblood significantly increased to a sudden 10 car gap as soon as Daiki exits the Daikoku JTC.

Back at the Ohi PA... kazuhiko raised a valuable question.

"What is the last record throughout the entire Wangan area - of both areas: Tokyo and Kanagawa combined?"

Everybody crossed their arms and started thinking amongst themselves. "If I remember right..." Raymond thought. "The last record was made by someone driving a Fairlady Z as well... The time was..." His words were interrupted as Seiji recalls the exact time record: "19 minutes and 30 seconds flat is what I remember" Seiji answers.

"Raymond..." Keiichi uttered. "What Z was that person driving?"
"The Z was... an S30? or a Z32? Z33? Sorry. I can't remember."
"It must probably belong to that Silverblood thing... There aren't enough Z drivers around here capable of making such a god-like record." Raymond hypothesized.
"As what Schneider told us. We can't jump to any conclusions." Seiji reminded.

"Then who must have made that record?"
"I dunno." Majority of them blurted out.

"If Daiki manages to break that record... he'd become the next undisputed Wangan King..."
"Or Wangan God... Even my 34 has its limits..." Raymond uttered.
"Well... that's why we tune them, right? To make them better..." Kazuhiko reminded the others.
"If time permits... I might break that record before he does..." Seiji wondered to himself aloud.
"But your last record was 19'30"485 if I remember clearly..." Kazuhiko interrupted. "That was a close time though..."

Seiji just stared at the starry night and wonders...

"Is Akiyama giving it his all? He's probably at Yokohane's upbound by this time..."

Unknown to Seiji, his guess was right. Daiki has recently entered Yokohane, with a gap unbearable to recover. At the Namamamugi JCT, Daiki attempts to grip the Z at a high speed just to recover from the gap made by the 280z. The engine tone of the VQ35DET echoes around the Kanagawa vicinity upon reaching the rev line of 7850 rpm close to the 8000 red zone.

As Daiki slowly closes in on the 280Z, he notices its cornering movements upon entering the wide corners of Hamakawasaki. Intense concentration engulfs Daiki's eyes as he looks intimately on the 280Z. "It may be a ghost or a fickle portion of my mind but a car is still a car.

As the 280Z reaches the turning boundary of the corner, its rear swerves to the outside, with all of the 280Z's weight on the outside tires as it closes in on the inside wall, nearly enough to cause a spark. But the Z didn't, however, induce its rear tires to spin. A grip move, perhaps?

"So that's how it works..." Daiki thought to himself.

He imitates the same movemets of the 280Z but enters the corner earlier. He has the strong feeling that his Z would understeer more due to its weight in comparison to the 280Z. 150 meters from the corner, "This is it!" He shouted as he turns his steering wheel with all his might. His Z's rear tires spun slightly but not enough to hinder his top speed. He exits the corner at a speed of 299 km/h down the Hamakawasaki district's corners.

The gap decreased now to a mere 6 car legths.

Yokohane line is a highway district with not that much treacherous corners, majority of them can be taken at high speed. Daiki makes good use of this opportunity to close in on Silverblood's 280Z. Down another left corner and a right, Daiki repeats his attack, slowly, the gap lessens to a mere 2 car lengths.

He makes a perfect shift upon shifting to gear 6. Releasing the clutch and the gas simultaneously as if it is automatic to him within half a second or less, the Z rockets forward, even at the slightest. He lunges forward, enough to gain on the 280Z. As they clear the remaining corners of the Yokohane district, Silverblood gains more ground than Daiki. It didn't give him the impression though that he's losing speed because he is in the 'cursed zone'. Rather than that, this drove Daiki to double his pace at the last half of the Kanagawa area before they head on fort to the Tokyo district once more, where their goal is after the dividers, right before the branching to the New Belt line area.

As of this moment, they enter the Haneda tunnel. The down point before the tunnel is mostly curved so Daiki's positioning on the tunnel's entrance is his key. Majority of drivers understeer at this point when they enter too fast and only a few made it out unscathed even at a fast pace.

As the drop intenses, Daiki removes his foot off the gas before the drop. Once the tires made contact with the pavement, he nudges his wheel to a slight countersteer and floors it halfway through the corner. Once at the tunnel, he enters a fictituous slipstream and gains on the 280Z. If by numbers, the 280Z's speed is at 284 past the corner and Daiki is in full force at 294 km/h.

As speeds increase, they enter the last set of corners of the Yokohane: the Katsushima district. Silverblood takes the first corner head on where as Daiki slowed down on that portion - the slow-in-fast-out tactic. To his surprise, they came out with the same gap. And here Daiki thought that his plan would work; then again, he wasn't disappointed.

Down below, at Ohi; everybody can hear the whistiling of the 2 Z engines roar by. But to some, it sounded only just as 1 Z engine.

"He's here. That was fast." Some wondered.
Seiji just gave a stern look at the headlights that passed by him from above.

Down the straight, Daiki retook the lead from the 280Z and blasts his way down the long straight, warm-lit road. He waits for the Hamazakibashi road before he concentrates. While on 6th gear, he relaxes his mind and gives a huge sigh. A bit too early to relax, huh?

After his short moment, he didn't detect Silverblood close in on his right. They race down neck to neck; bumper to bumper down the road to Hamazakibashi. Entering the said district, everybody thinks that they took the right lane, which obviously takes them back to C1 outer area. But Daiki changes his plans and goes to the left branching, taking him straight to the C1 inner loop.

Silverblood's 280Z, slowed down and trails him from behind. Daiki halves his accelerator upon entering the all famous, yet dangerous Ginza area. After the S curves, Daiki and Silverblood are in a tight sopt with Daiki, being pressured by both the course and the 280Z behind him. The first underpass is up. and Daiki clears it smoothly on the right lane. The 280Z takes the left lane however. As they enter the second divider, Daiki is still on the outside aiming hard. Upon exiting that area, his heart pounds intensely as he can feel that he and Silverblood's 280Z are about to cross paths and crash onto each other.

He didn't give in to fear and just went on with his foot firm on the gas pedal. They did collide but Silverblood was the one in fear and decelerates, with just their ends meeting. Daiki continues his rampage and passes the 3rd divider on the right side still. The gap between them increases and Daiki's aura begins to form around his Z - a dark maroon one; larger than Silverblood's blood red aura.

Entering the Edobashi Branching, he raises his E-brake and countersteers 75 meters before the turning radius of the branching to the C1. He clears the corner with his rear almost lifting off sparks with the wall. Silverblood has realized his host's willpower and has accepted his worth as the fastest. Clearing the rest of the Kandabashi S curves in full force at the exact points, Daiki has one more goal left in mind...

Beat the previous record that everyone was talking about.

Originally, the previous record done by the old Z and the one about to be beaten by Seiji is ends on the Edobashi district, from the C1 outer side. Clearing the Entire C1 area as a finale, would take Daiki longer to beat. Will he be able to do it with such an extension?

Entrance to the Chidoya tunnel, Daiki floors it even more and lets his rear tires burn. He removes his gas off the pedal and clears the other half of the corner in the inside at a devastating speed of 275 km/h. He exits and gets ready to exit the Kasumigaseki tunnel and onto the last hard right before his 'goal'.

His goal is the Hamazakibashi branching. Once they hear the squealing of the tires, they end the time.

Daiki doubles his acceleration once again and shifts to gear 6, a blast of flames purge out of the exhaust and he prepares his foot on the brakes.

Down at Ohi, they can hear the Z roaring onto the Hamazakibashi. Daiki's Z is the only car around the pass at this time. Pressing the brakes and downshifting two gears at the same time, Daiki turns the wheel and never bothers to countersteer. The guys heard the skid and closes the watch.

"It's done." Schneider utters.
"So... how did he do?" Raymond wondered.

Keiichi notices the watch and declares: he accomplished it in 19'23"468.

"Even with a course extension, he manages to clear it? If he did take the C1 outer route also, he would have cleared it in less than 19 minutes. It's a new record!!" Kazuhiko declared aloud.

"So... Tsuchiya..." Raymond taunts. "Do you still want to race this bakemono?"

"I'm not giving into defeat just yet. He's even more of a worthy rival than I imagined... Of course I will." Seiji said with a smirk on his face.

The engine sound of the 350Z dies down as he exits the Wangan and wents home to sleep. Typical Akiyama, as he told them; he'd not waste any time on the parking lot. He'd accomplish his goal and that's it. Home.

By the time he woke up the next day, his nightmares have ended. Another day passes, he no longer had the nightmare again. 3 consecutive mornings and he woke up full of energy. Must the rumors of Silverblood be true, he has finally rested. The threat of the 280Z no longer suppresses Tokyo. He even got word from Raymond that when his lover Kallen drove around the Yokohane and the C1 area, there was no ominous presence and that no loose parts came off her car. It was a sarcastic joke but they both knew... that it is gone.

Days passed and... The question still remains however... what Seiji said...

"What if Silverblood does NOT exist at all?" What could have explained that predominal incidents happening during 'its' stay? The day is now Friday, the 21st of December.

Daiki has a few ends to meet before the holiday. And he still has a battle pending for him - his rematch with Seiji. They haven't finalized when they'll battle though. As they give it some more thought, the sky starts to fog and an intense cold wind blisters about all throughout Tokyo.

This post has been edited by Gunma's 34 on Nov 20 2009, 07:01 AM

And so Silverblood dies... Interesting.

Can't wait to see what happens to Daiki after all this.