Close Topic Options

Note: This post was made in idforums in the beginning; started out as a comic series continuing to our traditional style of writing stories in our well-loved forum!

And I am happy to announce that I'll be posting it here as well. (since it contains an international racing aspect... more preferrably - Wangan scenes in an International aspect!)

Now... in relation to Speed Legend Infinite Akiyama Chronicles, this takes place years later... The lead character is Daiki Akiyama's latest apprentice - Tomogashi Kitsumoro. This is my true original series starring the said Character. This started out as a comic book series.

SPOILER

If you're interested to read the very first part of the series in order to complete the start until finish, please go to these links: Speed Legend [PROLOGUE] part 1 Speed Legend [PROLOGUE] part 2 Speed Legend [PROLOGUE] part 3 Summary of Speed Legend battles after Prologue until Epilogue 2

To know a bit of what is going on, if ever you are interested, here are a few things to know; note: these are also important notes according to my comic book series: Speed Legend R.

• Tomogashi experiences traumatic love moments which affects his driving
• He gets recruited by Takeshi Musashiro to his revamped, Project D like, team: Reminiscent White
• The expeditions fortell Tomo's development as the racer he is destined to be, during his high school times.
• He experiences his first and last supernatural necromantic battle against the Legendary Hakosuka; taking the battle at Rome to prevent further mayhem
• Upon reaching their expedition at Mie, under a new team: Noyzee Tribe, they race Midnight Masters under Shimizu Ohyama and the elite 4 of the group
• Daiki Akiyama, after temporary uninvolvement with street racing for a period of time, returns to the scene as the touge prince, eager to face Tomo.
• Tomo and Daiki face off in a 3 round bout; where the result ends in a tie
• Daiki Recruits Tomogashi to the international league
• undecided over personal college goals and his dedicated dream, Tomo settles things within his area before deciding to take on BOTH, but more on the racing side.
• They start their international debut at Italy, where Daiki meets up with his old student, Kitana Tioseco.
• Team Japan rendezvous with team Blue Crimson, a team from Japan visiting Italy, under Seiji Tsuchiya, Kazuhiko Aizawa, and Keiichi Iwata
• Tomo manages to get the chance to battle Kitana & her Lamborghini Diablo VT GT using an incomplete Z tune Nissan R34 skyline GTR
• Their race ended in a tie where Tomo's R34 is physically in the lead.
• A full overhaul of Kitana's Diablo was conducted as a sign of gratitude.

From this point on, the story will begin at Italy... continuing where the summary left off. Races depicted in this would represent a mix of various kinds: professional Circuit, street sprints, touge and Wangan runs. So I hope you enjoy all this. I'll be posting chapters one at a time.

Now... LET'S START WITH CHAPTER 1!!
---------------------------------------------------

Speed Legend S

Episode 1 - The New Battlefield
Chapter 1 - The start of a new journey

Daiki raced for the International Tournament, representing team Japan.
He placed third all in all at Cote d' Azur.
No one ever knew that this group of youths would be able to make it this far.
The next day is upon them and they're all ready to leave.
A couple of strollers are on one area.
The rest of the Team is merely talking with each other about anything under the sun.
Tomo and Daiki came out of the reception hall with the tickets.
Hiei and Ryusen are getting snacks for their trip to the US.
The two girls, Kasumi and Sakura went to the rest room to freshen up.
The rest of the team are simply, well... talking.
Outside of the airport, there was a girl standing in agony, looking at the skies; listening to the sound of planes taking off and the PA calling out the next plane to depart.
It was Kitana, who was known as the European Matador.
The reason for her gloomy state of mind is that she and daiki have to part ways again. poor girl.
"Tell me Kitana," Yoshikuni Kazuma, her companion asked. "Why are you acting so emo again."
Hearing the word Emo, Kitana's gloomy state is now all fired up in rage.
"Say EMO one more time and I'm forced to push your PORSCHE CAYMAN S off the broken bridge like it was supposed to happen!!"
She faced the sky again and wondered...
"Oh, Daiki..."
She suddenly sprinted towards the main door of the airport.
Inside, Daiki is taking roll call.
"Tomo?"
"here!"
"Kitami? Shinosuke?"
"Yup!"
"Yoh!"
"Shimizu?"
"Hey"
"Hiroya"
"Here!!"
"Tetsuya? Hiei? Ryusen?"
"Here!"
"Here!"
"Present!!"
"Uh, Hiei, that's so childish of you! We're not in school anymore." Ryusen reacted.
"I know. I just felt like it." Hiei said. Everybody laughed afterwards.
"And the Girls?" Daiki asked?
"They went to the rest room to freshen up..."
"Sorry we're late." Kasumi said across the hall with Sakura behind her.
"and... here they are!!" Tomo said to Daiki in excitement.
"Good. Let's board then." Daiki said, pointing towards the door.
"I get dibs on the window seat!!" Hiei said as he ran towards the door.
"Not unless I beat you there!!" Ryusen answered as he chased after hiei.
"No fair guys!! It's my turn!" Tomo shouted. He ran towards them also.
"Those guys will never grow up..." Sakura chuckled as she walked towards the door with Kasumi.
The rest followed with Daiki being the last to board.
"Daiki wait!!" A voice that echoed throughout the hall. It caught the attention of everyone in the hall. It was Kitana, who was catching her breath.
"Kitana..." Daiki whispered.
Tomo held Daiki in the shoulder and nodded.
Daiki went to Kitana. Her atmosphere suddenly changed.
"Are you sure you're leaving again?"
'Sadly, yeah. I know how much you missed me..." Daiki said as Kitana blushed. "But just so you know... I'll come back. promise. We will see each other again. Just remember that."

With a smile, Kitana replied in a happy tone "yeah."
"Kitami hold up!!" This time, Kazuma called out to Kitami.
"What is it, man?"
"I got some information that will help you out. It'll really help out those two over there."
"Daiki and Kitana?"
"Yeah. Listen, and Listen well..."
Kazuma whispered to Kitami everything he needs to know about The Prince and the European Matador.
Silence covered up the whole area. The wind whooshed passed by the plane.
"you serious!!"
"I am. now go. ponder over it during your flight, not here. see ya."
kazuma left with a satisfied look.
Kitami re-boarded the plane.
"well, looks like we're off now." Daiki said.
"I guess... but don't worry. I'll wait for your return." Kitana replied.
"see you soon, Kitana." Daiki said as he pats Kitana's head like a cat.
"Stop that." Kitana reacted while fixing her hair. "I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a grown woman."
"yeah, yeah..."
Daiki boarded the plane.
Kitana watched as the plane took off.
Team Japan is now heading for America.

Chapter 2 will be posted soon. so look out for it.


[ Post merged on Sep 21 2009, 03:39 AM ]
Off with Chapters 2 and 3 to make things a bit interesting. If it fits, I might add chapter 4 and 5 too... They seem short but this is just the beginning.
----------------------------------------------

Chapter 2 - Pondering over prevailing thoughts
This chapter is unusually short for I forgot the original contents of this. forgive me

Everyone was asleep. It's already 3:00 a.m. All but Kitami who was still wondering over his conversation with Kazuma...


"You know very well Kitana and Daiki's nicknames right?"
"The Prince and the European Matador?"
"Yeah those. Unknown to Kitana, she still has another nickname that the whole world of street racing calls her by..."
"and that is?"
"The Princess?"
"Princess? Isn't that sort of medieval."
"Weird but true. There was a team that existed with nicknames such as those before. And it seems that..."
"Daiki and Kitana are two of the many successors of this..."
"Ancient team... we think alike."
"yeah, but that's freaking me out."
"Same here. But, that's all that I could help you with. The rest of this "puzzle" is up to you to finish."


"Then... what is this team that Kazuma is talking about? and how are Daiki and Kitana connected to this at all?" Kitami wondered while staring at the moonlight flashing through his window...

Chapter 3 - The Most Wanted

On the streets of Chicago, a huge roaring engine has been plaguing the streets.
This commonly happens every late evening from 12:30 a.m. At one block, street racers gather at the brink of the night.
Everyone was having a prime time of their lives. As they showoff their break dance moves, tuned sports cars with their big-ass speakers in the trunk, neon lights, women in tight fit clothes, it was a loud party.
Guys from the area gather around for trading info, skills, and parts.
It's like an underground bar and store there. The commoners try to come to that spot; but as they do arrive... to their dismay, no one is around anymore.
Every weekend this happens. The locals can't even get rest and have to resort in calling out the cops.
Those who were disturbing the peace really panicked when they hear sirens coming close by. Out of the crowd, there was just one driver who got the car, the skills, and the balls on taking out the police.
He drives a flashy Chevrolet Corvette Z06. His name? It's Lucas Scott.
Years back, he was known for being a top professional Basketball player in a college aiming to go for the NBA. Suddenly, he disappeared from that light and is now a different person all in all.
There was this one moment when he intentionally let the cops come after him in full force and loses them in one swoop after passing 8 corners. There were battle scars all over his Corvette's front bumper. Definitely a driver who never cares for his car's needs whenever he drives recklessly.
Even in racing he was undefeated. Climbing up the ranks in a short amount of time, he was crowned a god in that area. From building up rep, he also destroys rep; driver after driver.
The Old Lucas Scott was completely lost; and he is now what we see. Showing off in a bad boy look with his Metallic Blue Corvette, he cruises around town every night pounding on a street racer who dares to challenge him.
Back to the present...
He drives around Chinatown causing acoustic havoc. Only his peers adore his annoyance.
His Corvette's loud engine roar, coming out of the 7.0 L LS7 V8 comes and goes around the state. It disappears through the night. What he was doing is what he calls a performance run only.

"There's no one for me to race against... everyone here I've already beaten... this is really boring. I'm heading out back."
He drives to his mansion in the hills as the LS7 V8's tone fades into the night with disappointment...
Isn't there anyone who could make me topple? That'll really give me a race to die for!!

Chapter 4 - Moment of Arrival

The plane is on the roadway in the California airport. It's already 6:00 pm. Most of the group is now awake. All except for Daiki.
He was dreaming of a past; a faraway past. He's dreaming of him in a throne, wearing a royal cape & a crown. Next to him was Kitana wearing the same cape but in a tiara. Next to her are 4 other people - 3 guys and a girl; all on their late 20's or 30's or so. However their faces are covered in the shadows. Before Daiki could even get a glimpse of who they were, a light suddenly blinded him. Before he knew it, somebody is calling out his name...
"Daiki...Daiki!"
"Wake up!..."
Daiki was as quiet as a bird.
"Akiyama! Wake up, we're here!!"
Somebody slapped him to consciousness.
"Ouch. what was that for? Who did that?" Daiki said in pain.
" I did it." Hiroya said in an ironic accent. "We're here already. C'mon!" Hiroya left facing the door.
Tomo was waiting in the reception hall. Shinosuke was with him; so was Kitami, Hiei, Ryusen, and Tetsuya.
Kasumi and Sakura went to the restroom.
"Hey, here comes Daiki, Shimizu and Hiroya" Hiei said.
"Is everyone here?"
"Sakura and Kasumi are at the restroom" Tomo replied. "They'll be back in a while."
"So, where's the venue?" Shinosuke said.
"Infenion raceway. There will be 2 rounds. One is the Sports car course, the other is the stock car course." Shimizu said in detail.
"But that'll be 2 weeks from now. We have time to get to know the course. We'll be going to the venue first thing tomorrow afternoon." Hiroya said.
"So, brother; you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kitami said facing Shinosuke.
"Girl Scouting? You got it!!" Shinosuke replied in excitement. The 2 brothers said that they'll text if they're to meet up again.
"What now? we got a day to spare so where to Ryusen-san?" Hiei asked.
"To the Arcade!! Tomo you joining?"
"Nah. I need to go somewhere." Tomo said.
"aww... too bad. Oh well... text me for updates 'kay? We're off." Ryusen left while Hiei followed.
"Well, this is unusual... bit by bit everyone's parting..." Tomo said with a curious look on his face.
"Waddya mean, Tomo? i'm still here" Kasumi said as she gave Tomo a stern look on her face.
"and Sakura?"
"Well... She and Tetsuya went to a tuner center to check on her GT-R34 to see if it's still in top condition. 'You could never be careful' she said."
"And Daiki?"
"He and the other 2 went to Infenion to check it out. So they'll be back longer than we expected."
"I see... wanna check in first? i'm starving. I wanna see how the hotel's delicacies taste like."
"Is this for your further training as a chef or just to stuff yourself with food like usual."
"Oh, come on, Kasumi. Am I that much of a glutton to you? That hurts you know!"
The two laughed and went to the cargo bay to pick up the GT-R. They look like a sweet couple walking towards their car.
They're now on the main road going past the golden gate bridge - heading towards an unusual city. The only thing unusual about it is that it sort of looks like Las Vegas with most of the replicas of most of the wonders.
"Weird. This looks like one of my Video games when I was young... Sort of like Palmont..."
"Palmont?" Kasumi said with a confused look.
"Nothing. It's game talk. You might not understand it."
The Skyline is going in a normal state likewise other cars in the vicinity.
Suddenly, Tomo decided to go to a hault.
His car was standing on a hill. The 2 stepped off the car.
"This place sure brings back memories of home, don't you think?"
"Somewhat... Say Tomo... I noticed just now... do you have any sibings?"
"I don't. You?"
"none that I could think of."
"But what's with the sudden topic Kasumi?"
"I'm just wondering that's all..."
"Since you brought that up... my turn to ask you: How's your family? I never bothered to ask you before, since it's personal information; and you brought up the topic of family just now..."

"I never had a family. They all died in a fire. I was a mere babe then. My guardian was the one who brought me up. He left me all of a sudden when I was old enough to understand the world and how to blend in and survive. How about you Tomo? How's YOUR family?"
"I had the same fate as you; except for the dying part. They're somewhere they didn't tell me. But every now and then, they call and send me messages - making me think that they're okay. I've been living on my own now and my heart says that I don't need to worry about them anymore since they said so. I don't want to interfere anymore as doing so would..." Kasumi interrupted saying "You're lucky. Lucky that you have one. Though you're independednt, you know that they're okay, looking out for you. Unlike me living on my own most of the time. I really never experience what it means to be loved by a family member."
"Don't you think... you're experiencing it already, Kasumi?"
"Tomo..." Tomo was pointing at himself as he said: "You got me. You could consider me YOUR family, right?"
Kasumi smiled and just stared at Tomo's eyes... "Silly", she said.
"C'mon. Let's check in at the designated Hotel."
The two board the car and drove off, not knowing somebody was there watching the car drive off...

Chapter 5 - Dawn of Encounter

There were minimal cars present in the City at this hour. Tomo decided to floor it. Kasumi held tight on to her arm handle. The GT-R's RB26DETT engine screams around the region. The tires were squealing all around. The muffler back-fired when Tomo switched t gear 4. All 530 horsepower within the GT-R's RB engine are as active as Tomo's battle against Kitan's Diablo SV a at Kitana's Circuit, Italy. Behind them was a LancerEvolution 9 all covered in Vinyls and stickers. It passes by the GT-R and blocks it's way forcing Tomo to go to a stop. Something came out of Tomo's GPS system - "Challenge" it says.

Being new around town, Tomo wants to see how the local drivers fare; so he accepts the Challenge. The Evo 9 driver wants Tomo to select a goal. He selects one 3 miles away. From that post, they took off! The sqealing of the tires at 8000 rpm screams around the area where they met. The Evo 9 is leading with Tomo close to its tail. Slowly, the GT-R catches up; he was applying a split stream tactic, the same tactic he used when he fought Daiki...

"Kasumi... I want you to hang tight. I'll try to give my all in this mock battle. So don't be afraid, okay?" Saying that, Tomo's foot went deeper, pressing the Accelerator even further. A corner was up; the two are approaching it already at maximum speed. Tomo grabs hold of the e-brake and attemps to bring the GT-R to a drift. The Evolution driver plans to nail the apex; but to his dismay, understeer triggered. The Evolution is veering towards the outside. The GT-R's nose is in front. Once the Evo driver downshifts to gain acceleration, The GT-R overtook...

"Is this how the locals drive?" Tomo wondered. His GT-R punched to 5th and outruns the Evolution. One more corner to go before the battle ends. The GT-R is now reaching 156 mph and the Evolution right behind him - around 6 cars away... Tomo won the mock battle without much effort. He decelerates and waits for the Evo driver. "That was great Tomo. It's your first battle here, still you managed to beat him hands down. Good job!" Kasumi said with much excitement.
Little did the 2 know, police are now contacting each other about street racers illegally racing on the streets.

Clearing a corner, he caught the attention of one of the cop cars.
"Suspect has been spotted. I repeat, Suspect has been spotted." the Police driver said to the intercom...
"It's weird, Kasumi... how come my car is picking up the conversation of the Police?"
"I'd rather not talk about that now, Tomo", Kasumi said in a pale voice. "You'd better get out of here. Looks like he wouldn't entertain any questions you'd draw at him. Let's get out of here!"
The GT-R accelerates even further and is being followed by the Police unit. A little while longer, 4 more police units are chasing after TOmo. He needs to getaway. Beside the GT-R, another Sports car is following Tomo's speed; neck to neck with his GT-R. It was a Metallic Red Viper SRT10... It removes one of the poles from the arc and disables ALL the cop cars. They were no longer being chased. They escaped.
"Thank goodness..." Kasumi said with a sigh...
"You're right Kasumi. I better thank that... guy?" The mysterious Viper driver vanished once more. Tomo was dumbfounded. He waits for evrything to cool down before he heads his way. But that Viper was all that is occupying Tomo's mind for a moment.

This post has been edited by Gunma's 34 on Sep 20 2009, 11:22 PM

wow awesome most wanted!!!hmm...

Before I continue, here's a quick overview of everything before Speed Legend S (excluding Akiyama Chronicles):

Prologue: See comics.
Speed Legend 6 Series: Tomo starts to like Natsumi a bit. He gets the chance to race Akina's FC, Takeshi Musashiro. He gets challenged by one of the Underground racers at Irohazaka. Natsumi is about to move away and she decides to have a race with Tomo one last time at Akagi.
Speed Legend R: Tomo was recruited by Takeshi to his new Team: Reminiscent White (sorta like Project D). After a few expeditions, Takeshi was confined by his wife and was forced to retire. This led to a GT-R vs GT-R battle between Tomo and Sakura for Takeshi's fate. Tomo won; Takeshi decides to restart reminiscent white all over again. Later on, Tomo gets recuited, again, by Kitami Kitamaru of Saitama to a team called Noyzee Tribe. They had a battle with the Midnight Masters at Suzuka City, Mie prefecture. Daiki Akiyama, the fastest in Japan, challenges Tomo & his 34 to a 3-round battle at Akagi, Tsuchisaka, and Tokyo wangan area. Later on, he recruited Tomo to the Super GT league.
Speed Legend Epilogue: The Super GT teams had a break from the last round for a week. Tomo reminisces on his runs at Myogi and the persons he's about to leave behind. A couple of 4WD drivers from the US decides to conquer Gunma for their keeps; Tomo defends it and wins. He later on went to a date with Rikona, his long-term crush before he leaves Japan for good.
Speed Legend Epilogue 2: Team Japan starts their inter-league at Italy, where they met Kitana Tioseco - Daiki's student years back. They had battles at Italy, pro and street races; including a match from a Japanese street team who went abroad - Blue Crimson. Kitana decides to race tomo in an inter-state battle from Cote d Azur to her private circuit totalling 300 km. Their engines gave in in the end but Tomo's was half dead. The engine of Kitana's Diablo was totalled. He took the liberty of fixing her car.

Now... we continue with Chapter 6!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 6 - A new Sakura Blossoms

Tomo and Kasumi have checked in. Their room was in the 12th floor of a 20-floor 5-star hotel. Kasumi was so excited about the layout of the room. It was good for two. She then jumped on one of the beds and started frolicking and bouncing like a little girl. Tomo on the other hand has his mind preoccupied about the Red Viper that helped them a while ago.
"Who was that guy?" Tomo murmured...
"Hmm? Did you say something Tomo?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just talking to myself."
"I see..." Kasumi said softly as her hand reaches for the pillow closest to her.
As Tomo locks the door. Foom! The pillow landed on Tomo's head.
"Gotcha there! Not so fast with your reflexes now are you?" Kasumi laughed seeing Tomo's head completely covered in feathers.
"So... you want to play games huh?" Tomo murmured with a grin on his face.
He took the pillow slowly and with a quick reflex of his feet he charges towards Kasumi as he shouts out "LET'S PLAY THEN!!"
"Ahh! Tomo, that's my ticklish side!! You ask for it!"
The two played around, hitting each other with the pillow they're holding tight. Tomo hits Kasumi; she hits him back. The two laughed as they smacked each other senselessly until they both ran out of breath.
"That was fun" Kasumi said as she catches her breath.
"Once in a while, yeah..." Tomo replied. "It's really fun... to be..."
"to be what?"
"to be doing stuff with you, Kasumi..."
Kasumi blushed there for a sec. "Oh, come on, you're just bluffing", she said as she hits Tomo back with the pillow and cost him his balance.
"What was that for?"
"Oh nothing..." Kasumi said with her face looking at the window, pretending to ignore Tomo. "It's just that... it's fun also... to be doing stuff with you, Tomo."
"Copycat!!" Then, Tomo huddles on Kasumi like an excited dog, let's say a golden retriever, pouncing on its owner.
Heartbeats then pounded.
Tomo and Kasumi just stared at each other for a long time as the heartbeats began pounding even louder than before...
Kasumi then pushes Tomo away causing him, again to lose balance and fall of the bed. Careless oaf.
The door knocks and Tomo decided to open the door.
Tetsuya opened the door with great force as soon as Tomo unlocked the door.
"Not fair, you two! You had a party, and you didn't even bother to invite me!"
"this is nothing Tetsu-chan." Kasumi answered in embarrassment.
"So, where's Sakura-san?"
"Her? wait." Tetsuya went and called Sakura to come in.
"Sakura?... Is that you, girl?" Kasumi asked in excitement

Sakura had a new haircut; in turn made heads turn as she goes to the room.
Her hair is now until the end of her neck with the ends curling back. It really suits her, and made her even prettier.
Even Tomo can't help turn his head around too.
"Hey, Tetsuya who's your friend?" Tomo said.
"Are you blind man? that is Sakura!" Tetsuya said.
"Sa...Sa...SAKURA!?" Tomo's whole body froze up from the shock!
"So Tomo... how do I look?"
"You look fantastic!" Kasumi butted in.
"Thanks."
"But that's not all that changed." Tetsuya said.
"What else is there?" Tomo asked after coming out of the shock.
"Come with us to the entrance." Sakura said, leading the group.
As they went down the elevator, from the 12th floor all the way to the ground floor, something was waiting to be seen.
"Is that...?" Tomo said.
"No way...!" Kasumi added in shock.

SPOILER

"Let's take it out for a spin, shall we?"
The 4 went to the Canyons to test the new car out.
Tomo and Kasumi followed as he took his GT-R out from the parking and followed Sakura's car.

---------------------------------------------
Chapter 7 - Rites of passage


Tomo, Sakura, Kasumi, and Tetsuya went to the Canyons to test run Sakura's newly updated GT-R34. From below, you could hear the tires squealing and sliding from the top...
"My GT-R is driving unusually different than before... It's like... even wilder..." Sakura murmured to herself as she switches to gear 4. Flames came out of the exhaust as she did so. In the base, the other 3 are waiting. Kasumi is holding a stop watch while Tomo and Tetsuya are discussing about the GT-R...
"Her car is more powerful than before. Joining the mods I placed on yours and her previous mods when she raced you." Tetsuya said.
"Really now... so her car is strong enough to kick my ass, right?" Tomo wondered.
"That's right. and since she could handle drifts as well as you do, I turned off her ATTESA ET-S so that she'll have more specific control over her car."
"If she nails this then... YOU DID WHAT!?"Tomo suddenly raised his voice while nabbing Tetsuya by the collar.
"Alright! I know it's dangerous. I'll stop her." Tetsuya panicked.
"Sakura! sakura!..." a voice coming out of the earpiece Sakura was wearing; it's like just a piece of a headset.
"What is it Tetsuya chan?", Sakura wondered.
"Come here quickly! but slowly." Tetsuya said through the little ear piece.
The GT-R slowly went to a halt once it reached the base.
Tetsuya re-activated the ATTESA ET-S.
"So the ET-S system is off? No wonder my car is acting drifty-like." Sakura said in relief.
"Good thing Tetsuya is DUMB enough to say that to my face. I'll really wonder if something bad happens to you because of that DUMB decision." Tomo said as he said 'dumb' while facing Tetsuya with an ironic face.
"Hey!!" Tetsuya replied.
"C'mon guys don't fight here just because of my car." Sakura said as she breaks up the two.
In the corner, Kasumi was in a gloomy state, sulking in the corner next to Tomo's GT-R.
"I really feel as if I'm ignored. What am I doing here in the first place?" Kasumi wondered to herself.
Tomo saw Kasumi and approached her to make her feel better.
"There. there. there." You're still in this. Don't think you're left out." He said.
Kasumi hugged him for relief, which in turned make Sakura show off a blazing aura of rage.
"Not infront of my eyes you would!!" Sakura said to herself directing it to Kasumi.
"There. It's reprogrammed." Tetsuya said as he puts the hood of the GT-R down.
As he was about to tell Sakura it's okay, he saw her flaming aura and he backed up in fear...
Later on, Tomo's cell phone rang. It was a call from Daiki.
"Hello?"
"Kitsumoro, where you at?"
"At the Canyons with Kasumi, Sakura and Tetsuya."
"I see. Well, I just called to confirm that we're having a meeting tomorrow at the dining room at the hotel."
"Alright. What's it about?"
"We need time to know who'll race for us in the sports car and stock car course rounds."
"So I pass this on to the other team members?"
"You betcha! See you tomorrow at the hall." Daiki hung up. Tomo did too and suddenly talked to himself.
"hmm... if we're talking about class then... which of us then would race for the stock car course and which of us would fall under the sports car course class?
It is a tough decision to make. But what bugs me the most is... how would the decision making take the form of? What does Daiki have in store"
Tomo looks at Sakura.
"Man, she's prettier than before... FOCUS MAN!!" Tomo said talking to himself "With Tetsuya's upgrades, she's more stronger. How would she fare against me then, that's the question..."
"C'mon guys let's head back." Kasumi said in excitement. "Let's head back. It's getting late. And Sakura, sorry about that."
"Sure. Sorry I got fired up too for some unknown reason..."
The two girls just laughed.
Tetsuya's wondering what on earth happened between those two girls.
Tomo boarded his GT-R, Tetsuya boarded with him.
Sakura boarded her GT-R, Kasumi boarded with her.
then, those 2 cars headed back for the hotel.
-------------------------------------------------------

Episode 2 - Rise and Fall
Chapter 8 - The next top road warrior

The next day has arrived. Tomo was waiting at the reception hall, reading a paper. He was just about to text Daiki where he is when Daiki suddenly appeared out of nowhere infront of him.
"'Sup!"
"Hey, Daiki. So... I have a question. how do you plan to decide who'll race."
"Well... since the race is next week and I checked the course already, I've formulated a plan on deciding who'll battle."
"And?"
"Since I raced last time at Cote d' Azur, we need to pick someone else for the job."
"And?" Tomo's getting irritated bit by bit as Daiki is not getting into the point.
"There's you, Sakura, Kitami, Shinosuke, Shimizu... we still need one more for this"
Tomo breaks up Daiki's statement, throwing his arms down on the table and shouts at the top of his lungs
"JUST TELL ME HOW!!"
"Easy, dude. Easy. It will be in a form of elimination. Like those fighting rounds."
"oh..." Tomo sat down knowing how the battle would go.
"However, we need one more driver who will be qualified to battle since Hiroya went back to Japan to get some parts for the race itself a week from now. Anybody in mind, Tomo?"
"We could ask Hiei or Ryusen to..."
"ARE YOU MAD!? THEY'RE YOUR PIT CREW! I NEVER EVEN SAW THEM RACE BEFORE!!"
"I noticed something about Hiei that will work..."
"If you're f***ing with me Tomo... then don't"
"Trust me, Daiki... it'll work."
Tomo takes out his cell phone. He dials Hiei's number.
Daiki takes his out and dials some number.

(later... 11:25 a.m., Canyons)
Tomo called Hiei and Ryusen out to meet up at the Canyons.
Once there, Tomo was waiting with his GT-R, Daiki was there with a borrowed car. A Mazda Roadster NB6C and a Volkswagen R32. Hiei and Ryusen came up with a cab and got off.
"Thanks man." Ryusen slammed the door of the cab shut and it drove down.
"Now, what's this about Tomo?"
"Well... I'm planning Hiei to race in the eliminations" Tomo replied.
Hiei was in shock. "M...me?"
"Yup. you took up private driving lessons from your mom, right?"
In a corner, Daiki was looking worried.
"Yah. I did." hiei Replied "In fact, I PAY her to do so."
Tomo and Ryusen were in shock "damn..."
"Ahem... anyway, Hiei. take your pick. Roadster? or R32?"
Hiei points towards the Roadster.
"Fine choice." Daiki said. "Let's get this on, Tomo (before I hurl up with this stupid idea of yours)"
The canyon run reminds us of Irohazaka as the first section consists of 6 hairpins close to each other. Tomo blindfolds hiei, who's all set on the wheel of the Roadster.
Daiki sets up in the R32.
The race is a runner, chaser fashion. The R32 infront, the Roadster behind.
Ryusen stuck something behind the Volkswagen. Something I don't want to say at this moment and is awkward...
"Alright guys, I'll give the 5 counts. Ryusen, remove the blindfold after the 5 counts. We'll see how Hiei will fare against Daiki. If he sticks for at least 20% of the race, passing Daiki or not, he's in."
"Alright! Let's do this."
5-4-3-2-1-GO!!
The R32 Accelerates real quick thanks to the 4WD system. Ryusen removes the blindfold. Hiei saw the sticker behind the R32 and dashes away like a panther coming after a wilderbeast!
"To prove Tomo's wrong, I'll outrun his friend from the first corner!!"
The Volks drifts through the first hairpin nailing the apex.
Hiei stays on the inner lane without losing speed, although his move is entry oriented, his roadster drifts through the exit, in a fishtail move.
"P...P...G...Z!!" Hiei chants. "I'M COMING ME DARLINGS!!"
By the second hairpin, Daiki exits in a grip fashion...
"What the!?"
The roadster is now behind the R32. The roadster's BP-Z3 engine revs all the way to the red zone!!
*
"I'M COMING BLOSSOM! BUTTERCUP!! BUBBLES!!!" Hiei shouts.
"What in the world is this? It's like Tomo when he split streamed behind me before at Japan..."
Atop...
'Do you think it'll work Ryusen?"
"With hiei behind? AND that sticker? Of course it will. You know hiei."
'Yeah, you're right. Who am I to doubt his... <gulp> Obsession...?"
On the radio, there's a panicking voice coming out of it.
"Tom...o.... I get... your.... groove.... stop this race....!!"
Tomo and Ryusen went to the spot where Hiei and Daiki stopped.
" I told you Hiei was qualified." Tomo said.
"Okay, Kitsumoro. I believe you." Daiki replied.
"MINE! MINE!!"
"Hiei my love! I knew you could do it!! Hug meeeee!!"
"HEY! THAT CAR'S JUST A RENTAL!!" Daiki shouted.
Hiei was *simply* removing the sticker off the Volks R32.
Ryusen was holding hiei in the stomach area as Daiki, for the first time, acted childlike and tried to remove Hiei's hands off the R32 that are as tight as clamps to an iron stand.
"So it's decided, then. Hiei will be the 6th driver, right daiki?"
"Okay. Let's head to Infenion tomorrow afternoon."
"I'll tell everyone?"
"yes. Everyone."
Tomo started sending text messages to everyone in the group.

SPOILER

*If you notice the picture closer, there's a sticker stuck on the R32, as said. That sticker is a Powerpuff girls sticker.

Chapter 9 - Upon Angel's wings

Everyone has gathered at Infenion Raceway. The place is coated in a large stream of heat. It's like being in a sauna. All of the drivers cars are now there in this order:
Tomo's GT-R34 V-spec 2 Nur, Mine's-Nismo Z tune combination
Sakura's *newly upgraded* GT-R34 V-spec I, Tommykaira-Nismo R tune combination
Kitami's Mazdaspeed RX-8 with GT wing
Shinosuke's RE Amemiya RX-7 basic tune
A Red Mazda Roadster NB6C
and Shimizu's Nissan R390 Road car.
Everyone is sitting in a tent with a glass of lemonade, each in their left hands.
"So, who do you think will race first?"
"I don't know. But what matters is... who will win?"
"We won't know until we see it for ourselves."
Tetsuya is checking each of the cars if they're in top form.
"Okay guys, the table is set. See your opponents."

"Hiei huh?" Tomo murmured to himself.
"Yo...YOU AGAIN?!?" Shimizu and Shinosuke shouted out together
Kitami approaches Sakura and decides to shake hands.
"Although we're team mates, let's shake on it."
"Let's give it our all, Kitami san." Sakura shook Kitami's hand.
Daiki was in command of the mock contest taking place.
"Okay. Let's begin. Tomo, Hiei. You're up first."
Hiei was quiet as he approached Daiki.
Tomo was wondering why Hiei was like that.
"I...I..."
"Yes, Hiei? Speak up?"
"I'D LIKE TO DROP THE RACE!!"
Everyone was in shock...
"WWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTT!!!!!!??????"
"That's right, folks! I'm dropping this battle as I am NO MATCH against Tomo when it comes to racing."
Tomo was acting arrogant and proudlike.
"You betcha!" he said.
"But I can kick his ass when it comes to PC, console and board games! Right, Tomo?"
"You betch.... WHAT!?"
"Easy, friends. easy." Ryusen said as he held Hiei and Tomo's shoulders tightly.
"Okay Ryusen..." Tomo bleated in pain.
"He's right. Now let go of us before we BOTH die as you're cutting off our blood circulation!!"
"Whoops. Sorry."
Daiki was still in a state of shock; so were the others.
"Anyway... as Tomo immediately goes to the semi finals... let's go with the next set."
"Looks like it's us again, huh?" Shinosuke noted.
"Like we first met?" Shimizu replied.
"Let's do this. Check also if your tank is full."
"Oh it is. I'm not as careless as before. Get ready, Shino. Despite your GT300 tuned FD, it'll lose this time to my R390. I did a bit of upgrades..."
"Well... let's let the road decide."
"Alright guys, enough with the intimidating chit chat. Let's start already." Daiki said in an irritated tone.
The cars are in a rolling start. The R390 in front, and the FD behind him.

"I really wanted to fight Sakura, not because she's a babe, but because of her GT-R"
Shinosuke said to himself.
Everybody is cheering for whoever they think would win.
"Shino! Shino!"
"Shi-mi-zu! Shi-mi-zu!"
Shimizu's foot is ready to pounce on the gas as he's about to pass the checkered line.

SPOILER

VS

The R390 passed it. Shimizu quickly presses on the accelerator.
Shinosuke followed along.
"Shinosuke's only fighting chance here is the RE Amemiya tuned 13B Rotary engine" Kitami narrated to the other team members.
"So how much power is it maximizing?" Ryusen asked.
"A mere 350 hp. Weird though. After our expedition with team Midnight Masters months back, he detuned his FD and removed the turbo."
"He removed it?" Tomo pondered.
"Yup. He says that 'the turbo is too much for my FD. It's better if my car reacts like an NA for more rev control." Kitami followed up.
"Rev control? As in concentrate more on the highest possible rpm it could attain and have better cornering control?"Tomo answered,
"Right. It's basics actually. Infenion, although a circuit, it's corners are pretty much technical. Sort of like Tsukuba especially on the Sports car course. There are very minimal straightaways here, despite the wide driving range. Most here consist of light bends reaching from different elevations especially in the first section. So Shinosuke's strategy is to attain a much higher and controllable speed done by an NA compared to the turbo."
"I'm confused. Tomo can you translate?" Hiei asked.
"Ai yai yai... In terms you understand... Turbo is a double edge sword. NA is not. This is fact when technical courses with less straightaways are concerned." Tomo answered.
"I get it..." Ryusen acclaimed. As for Hiei... "Ohhhhhh.....WHAT?"
Back to the race.
The uphill and the first hairpin is the trickiest part of Infenion. Shimizu minimized his speed, shifts from 5 to 4 and attacks the inside closest to the nylon ramp, which sets half of the R390 airborne but clears the corner without touching the grass.
Shinosuke however, attacks directly through the corner, overpassing the apex and let's his FD fly.
"Hmm... good tactic." Shimizu whispered as he glances at the rearview mirror. "It reminds me of his tactic when I first fought him (he let's the inside tires grab the grass just close to Suzuka's elevated nylon ramp; he intentionally oversteers causing me to immediately brake to avoid collision)."
"But something is different... I don't seem to hear a hissing sound as he switches gears". He pondered. "Did he remove the FD's turbo?"
"Looks like my theory is correct. My FD corners better without the turbo."
The next corner's up. Shimizu's R390 grabs hold of the inner nylon while Shino's FD goes through the corner without lifting his foot off the gas.
"I'll play safe on the next bend." Shimizu says as he centers his R390 in the middle of the road through the next right hander.
"I can't seem to calculate the angle of this next bend as the elevation is way too high..." I'll thrust through the corner and hopefully land on the asphalt in the end." Shino planned as he was ready to "thrust" through the S-curve.
Shino's FD did just as he had planned. What he didn't calculate was that at the apex of the S-curves right hander, elevation drops significantly so he was airborne longer than the first turn.
He was ready to press on the brake as he lands.
Shimizu has already laid ground, and distance between them, though Shinosuke successfully puts the FD right back on track.
At the tents in the pits, some were watching the battle through the micro-cam connected behind the R390 which pictures the flying FD.

"He's nuts!!" Kasumi exclaimed.
"That's my brother!" Kitami proudly shouts to the amazed crowd.
The FD slides through the corner, well prepared for the more-or-less-90 degree right hander. He's slowly decreasing the gap.
"That was a good move Shinosuke. We're just halfway, try to keep up!" Shimizu shouts out in his R390.
"I can do this... I can do this..." Shinosuke chanted.
"I can beat you one more time!!" He yelled as he changes from gear 3 to 4 with lightning fast reflexes.

Moving on with another chapter update. Sure hope the ones I PMd and those browsing through leave a comment too... I've worked hard for these chapters back in idforums too...
-----------------------------------------------------

Episode 3 - The dusty roads of infinity
Chapter 10 - Backfire

The engine roar of the R390 and FD is what echoes around infenion.
At the pits, Daiki is inputing all the data gathered about Shimizu's 390 and Shinosuke RE FD...
"Impressive. Despite the Road version tune of the R390, it's performance reaches that of the GT300 class. As for the FD, it's in the same class based on the data. Everything is great. Both cars..." Daiki said as he browsed through the data real quick.
"Well, Shimizu was one of the racers in the le mans national eliminations. He lost though since he miscalculated one corner and ended up hitting the wall, thus ruining his chances of entering the tournament years back." Hiroya said to him.
"No wonder he's part of the top 3 at Midnight masters."
"He's actually top 1 of the 3 before you came along and kicked all our asses."
"Hiroya! Daiki! Something is happening, come over quick!!"
The 2 ran quickly to the TV screen picturing the FD drifting at a certain high angle.
"What's he doing? doesn't he know he's destroying his tires even further!?"
Tomo analyzes Shinosuke's move and starts to drift to his own world.
He imagines as if his GT-R is an FR and mimics the same move that Shinosuke made.
"Now I know!!" Tomo yelled.
"What is it man? you don't have to shout!!" Tetsuya reacted.
"Sorry guys. but I know what shinosuke's planning. can't you picture his car's position?"
"Nope."
"u-uh..."
"I don't get what you mean."
Everyone was stumped. However, one of them was smart enough to see Tomo's point.
"I get your idea Tomo." Sakura answered.
"He's preparing to do an inertial drift. His car's positioned that way as he entered because he's trying to decrease the gap between his FD and the Nissan by drifting through the next turn."
"... that way, he can turn without needlessly braking for the next turn." Daiki interrupted.
"Right." Tomo said. "That way too, his exit speed could be enough to overtake the R390 at the long straightway.

SPOILER

Infineon Map

As the FD was drifting, like what Tomo said, Shinosuke taps the gas to transfer the weight of the car from the outside to the inside as he approaches the next corner.
Shimizu though, was tapping his brakes and sticks to the inside of the corner.
"As I exit this, we're now on the long straightway, I'll increase the gap further there. If I increase my press on the gas, I might understeer and lose time recovering. I'll earn a time loss if that happens. I won't allow that. That's why I'm limiting my speed here." Shimizu murmured to himself.

Shinosuke's FD, just as it hits the apex of the long, semi-round corner, starts to understeer as his speed increased, but was enough to clear the corner without letting his tires rub the grass.
Tomo was right. His exit speed is far more higher than the R390.
Shimizu was in shock. He could feel the FD right behind him.
"Wh...wha...what is this!?" The FD swerves a bit to the left lane to go neck-a-neck with the R390.
"Time to take the lead!!" Shinosuke yelled.

The FD is reaching 9000 rpm already, close to the 9500 red zone. However, his shift timing was delayed. He forgot that his car is in the limit and it slew down a bit.
"Sh... I forgot!!"
"What the? oh well.... go R390!!"
The R390 entered the corner from the outside, but the FD still insists on braking late into the corner.
"You're not serious!! Do you really think you'd pressure me this much like before? No chance!!"
The R390 pursued to turn despite the FD right beside him.
*this scene sorta reminds us all of Daiki Ninomiya's attempt to pressure Takumi at Initial D fourth stage episode 3*
The hairpin has its inner line covered with high-elevated nylon gutters; big enough to make your car lose its balance. Shinosuke's FD, sadly, hits one of them and forces him to start countersteering back.
"Like before!! Just avoid me, go on!!" Shinosuke shouted.
"No way!! I won't be fooled twice!!" Shimizu yelled.
Their cars then, started kissing each other's sides. Sparks were flying!!
The R390 slowly accelerates away from the contact, but it's starting to understeer.
Through the crooked straightway, the R390 and FD's noses were alternating in terms of who's got the lead as they're well positioned on the inside and outside of each bend.
As they approach the last hairpin bend, they're still neck-a-neck. They were both approaching the corner without slowing down. Shimizu brakes at the exact moment, while Shinosuke's not braking at all...
"What? You're not braking? You'll crash!!"
The FD brakes at the moment it passed the R390.
"you won't make it."
As the FD braked, Shinosuke controls it with throttle control through the corner.
The FD cleared the last hairpin in a very high speed.
Shimizu was in a state of shock. So was everybody else.
"Who would've thought... an NA modified FD surpassed a Le Mans turbo road car."
"Alright!!" Shinosuke exclaimed passing through the finish line.
"Well waddya know..." Tomo wondered. "I'm facing Shinosuke"
As Shinosuke boarded off the car, he went to Shimizu's R390.
"That was a good run."
"But you won. You deserve it. I guess, I shouldn't just stick to the circuit. Looks like your training in the togue really paid off."
"When we see a good course during our breaks, I'll teach you a thing or two on intense car control."
"Intense huh? looking forward to it!!"
The 2 drivers shook hands. Shinosuke then faced Tomo.
"I never thought I'd face you until now, Tomogashi."
'Neither have I, Shino. I've seen your brother race and his skill is superb. I want to see how fast you are... as my rival."
"Let's give it an all out battle then; after my little brother's battle against Sakura."
"Sure. Let's see how Sakura and Kitami would fare against each other."

"Would Sakura and Kitami please position their cars on the starting line." Hiroya announced.
"Who'll lead? and who'll chase?" Ryusen asked.
"Let's do this the old fashion way, waddya say Sakura?" Kitami asked.
"It's alright with me. Coin toss?"
"Yeah. You know the drill, Ryu-san."
"Gotcha. Heads or tails?"
"Heads." Sakura said.
The coin flipped. it landed on tails.
"Kitami takes the lead."
Ryusen leaves and tells Daiki the positions.
Meanwhile...
"Since it's our first time to face each other, let's introduce each other formally."
Kitami gives his hand.
"I'm Kitami, Kitami Kitamaru. Yorushuku"
Sakura gives her hand.
"I'm Sakura Johina. Nice to meet you too."
They turned back at each other and went to their cars.

Sakura went to her newly upgraded R34 R-tune.

Kitami went to his Mazdaspeed tuned RX-8

As they did, they started the engines and revved all the way to the red zone.
"This is it." Kasumi said.
"Another one of the GT-R vs Rotary die-hard matches." she followed.
"you're right" Daiki said.
A voice screams out the next race that is about to begin.
"THE BATTLE BETWEEN SAKURA AND KITAMI IS ABOUT TO START!!"

Chapter 11 - A Crimson Spark

Sakura is checking if she got everything correctly, and in place. Her seatbelt, the gauges, the seat setting, the tires, the engine everything. Kitami on the otherhand is merely observing her.
"What is she up to? It's like she's about to ride a car she's not familiar with. Well, by looking at the exterior, her 34 is much more different. Her wing is remodified, the hood, and body kits, everything. The hood seems to be well ventilated, her body kit reminds me a bit of the MCR version... What the engine holds is what I fear..." Kitami murmured to himself. He approaches the hood of his RX-8 and opens it. He observes it for a while as the battle isn't starting yet.
"My RX-8 holds around 390 horsepower; good enough for uphill and downhill." He closes the hood and observes the body. "The body is ever since I met Tomo, along with my big bro at Akagi. I remodified the wing and replaced my rims with much lighter ones. I know I can't lose. Sakura, you may be a girl; I may be a girl addict, but I won't lose to the likes of you. My Renesis Wankel Rotary, is as strong as the 13B REW Rotary to take out your RB26DETT Skyline engine!!"
Tomo approaches Sakura to see if she's all set.
"You ready?" Tomo asked.
"Yeah, I am. My 34 seems to be 100% okay." Sakura replied.
"Hmph. Good to hear."
Tomo looks at Sakura's eyes. She looks back. Tomo, then, held Sakura by the shoulders. she felt a sudden chill.
"Do good out there, okay?"
"S...sure."
Tomo walks away.
Shinosuke approaches his brother and says the same thing.
"Hey bro," Kitami asked. "If I win; I want you to win against Tomo."
"So that we can rematch our battle at Shomaru before?"
"Yeah, that."
"You can count on it. I don't know how great Tomo is, knowing that we never faced each other yet, but I'm looking forward to it. In the mean time, don't lose, lil bro."
"You don't have to tell me that."
Everything was ready. The others went back to the stand at the pits.
Sakura checks the revs by letting it go all the way to 8000 rpm.
Kitami does the same thing.

"Do good out there, okay?"

"I will win. I want to face Tomo again. I promise you, Tomo. I'll win."
At the stand, Kasumi seems worried.
"You seem worried, Kasumi. Anything on your mind?"
"Oh, it's nothing." She replied to Tomo.
"It's about Sakura."
"Sakura?" Tomo pondered.
"Right. The only thing I'm worried about is what will happen to her after her battle, if she lost..."
"Why say that?"
"Sakura and I have been hanging out ever since we were both on the team. We got to know each other pretty well. As for Sakura, she might have... a relapse if she lost..."
"Fear of losing? Hating failure?"
"Sort of. You could put it that way."
"Don't worry, Kasumi. Sakura can handle it. If she was able to control the car without the ATTESA during the training, she can handle Kitami."
"You're right..."
The RX-8 and the R34 are running at a constant 20 mph.
As the RX-8 passes the checkered line, Kitami punches it.
Sakura's GT-R follows.
Because of power, Sakura intends to pressure Kitami before the first corner. The 34's bumper is only a centimeter away from the RX-8's.
"Wow. It's like her R34 powers out around 550 horsepower."
Kitami applies his attack - ride the nylon; the same tactic he used against Hiroya's Mine's evo6 when he used his Celica, and when he fought Keiichi at Kitana's Circuit.
"Mizutoshi, huh? Don't you think it's a bit early?"
Sakura attacks from the outside. Her 34 is immediately side by side with the RX-8. She braked early however, when they entered the first tight right corner. Kitami still held on to the lead. A slim lead.
the Renesis engine shouts and makes a backfire when Kitami downshifted from 4 to 3. The RB26 maintains its speed and acceleration power through the corner, despite it being on a steady 3700 rpm at gear 3.
Kitami centers his car on the road.
Sakura isn't rushing on overtaking the RX-8.
Before entering the 90 degree right corner during the downhill, Kitami intends to make the rear tires skid and lose control.
"He's losing control." Sakura exclaimed.
The Rx-8's body is slowly coming onto a high angle. He countersteers before the apex and exactly clears the corner with the outside tires slightly kissing the road and grass area.
Sakura uses the inner nylon to clear the corner.
Because it was downhill, Kitami is slowly increasing the gap.
Sakura's hand though is ready to hold the e-brake.
The RX-8 brakes and drifts through the long corner, controlling the car, maintaining it on the road, not caring whether it was on the inside or center.
There was a split second of delay on Kitami's front tires. Sakura's eyes were quick enough to notice it.
She enters the corner without braking to decrease the gap.
"She's not braking?" Hiei exclaimed watching the action via TV screen.
"Is she planning to hit the X-8?" Hiroya followed.
"No she isn't" Daiki mumbled.
Daiki was right, as soon as the 2 cars are parallel again, Sakura braked long and hard directly on the apex of the corner, quickly shifts down, letting the needle go nuts on the red zone.
As they clear the corner, the 34's rev falls down a bit; she let's it reach the gear's limit and shifts to 4.
Kitami shifts to 4 and smoke starts to come out of the rear tires, as it skids quite a bit.
"They're on the straightway, and Sakura is just half a car away from taking the lead away from Kitami." Tetsuya said.
"It looks like my little brother could lose this race." shinosuke whispered to himself.
Slowly, the GT-R is about to overtake the RX-8. They braked at the same moment before the hairpin. The GT-R is on the outside lane, the RX-8 is on the inside.
Kitami decides to play it safe but Sakura has something in mind.
The RX-8 attacks the inside too early and heads towards the outside.
Sakura does the out-in-out tactic.
"You still need to brake again on the next tight bend, Sakura!!" Kitami says as he tries to overtake from the outside.
Sakura thrusts through the nylon board, causing her 34 halfway airborne.

Kitami was stupified.
Everyone was. Even Tomo was amazed by what Sakura plans.
Sakura managed to pass Kitami and his RX-8.
"There are still some chances to pass her again!"
But despite Kitami's expectations, the Skyline slowly pulls away as it hits the bends.
Kitami was shocked again.
"What's... in her... Skyline...?"
Kitami slowed down. No doubt about it; he lost.
Sakura was relieved, she eased up as she finishes the race.
She took a deep breath.
"I guess my GT-R is better... no... I think... I've improved..."
She said with a sigh.
"Told you she could do it, Kasumi."
"Sorry if I have doubted her." Kasumi replied to Tomo with a smile.
"Looks like we won't be having that brotherly rematch..." Shinosuke said with a dissapointing tone.
Sakura enters the pits. Later on Kitami enters the pits too.
Everyone went to Sakura's Skyline. Everyone but the following: Shinosuke, Shimizu, and Daiki.
Tomo approaches Sakura.
"Congratulations, Sakura." He gave his hand to her.
"Thanks." They shook each others hands.
Everyone wanted to talk to Sakura on how she knew the attack point.
Kitami was still in a dissapointed mood but with a smile.
"I seem to become rusty for a moment... Ever since we went global, I tied with a FF driver and lost to a girl..."
"You didn't lose to the girl." Shinosuke said.
"Big brother..."
"You lost to both. Her and the car."
"Gee. Thanks. Now I just lost my dignity as a rotary driver!"
"Seriously, your RX-8 hasn't been upgraded much. Street battles and team contests like this are harder than before. Your car needs more power and better upgrades. It's the best for your car." Shinosuke rubs Kitami's hair - thus messing it up.
"You're not rusty. Your opponent... has improved a bit, that is why you lost."
Shinosuke enters his FD and does an exhibition. He came out of the pits through the entrance.
"Looks like Shino can't take it anymore." Daiki commented.
"Tomo!" Tomo glanced at Daiki.
'You're up!"
"Right."
Tomo prepares himself and starts his GT-R34. He equips his seatbelt.
Sakura and Kasumi approached Tomo's blue GT-R.
"Sakura... Kasumi."
Kasumi wanted to say something but Sakura first opened her mouth.
"Tomo... I'll wait for you in the finals. Win this, okay?"
I will. I never faced him before, I can't assure a unanimous win, but I'll try. I'll win because I want to race you."
"Um... Tomo..." Kasumi said to Tomo.
"Yeah?"
"Even if it's Shinosuke... do your best but stay safe."
Tomo became silent. Sakura did as well as she glanced at Kasumi.
Later on, Tomo started to speak.
"Thanks for caring Kasumi. I'll be off so the two of you... move a bit."
The GT-R comes out of the pit's exit and reverses towards the starting line.
His GT-R is wearing the standard Mine's front body; not the Nismo front body.
He removed the muffler and installed a twin for a single for this event. He aligns his car parallel to the FD. He looks at Shinosuke.
"you know, Tomo, this is the first time we faced each other."
"I know. Let's begin shall we?"
"Yeah. Daiki!!" Shinosuke said. "We're ready!"
"okay." Daiki replied. "Let's start."
-------------------------------

Imma getting lazy for the day so 2 chapters would do... Please comment...

New chapters up - FD vs GTR (once again)
---------------------------------------------------

Episode 4 - Forfeit is never given into
Chapter 12 - Split second

The FD and the GT-R are both set for the race. They're starting on a side-by-side fashion.
Tomo, since he's battling on a course he never had a chance to test on, is at a huge disadvantage. He can't seem to picture the course in his mind.
Shinosuke, on the other hand is calm enough to close his eyes before the race.
Later on, Hiroya starts to speak.
"This battle is the semi-finals between Tomogashi Kitsumoro and Shinosuke Kitamaru.
The race takes the form of a side by side start. This is a two lap race around the Infenion stock car course and..."
"Just get on with it and let's start!!" Shinosuke said in an irate tone.
"Sheesh... stingy..." Hiroya muttered to himself.
"Fine... Countdown..."
Hiroya left and the countdown lights start to appear...
"Will I chase? or will I floor it?" Tomo said to himself.
3....2....1.... GO!!
The FD and GT-R accelerated off the starting line... Tomo, however decided to ease up on the gas.
"Hmph. so despite the fact that your car's a 4WD, you decided to take the chaser position... Stupid choice. I'll outrun you from this point onwards!!"
the FD revved all the way to the red zone at 9500 rpm...
"He's increasing his pace!" Tomo exclaimed. "I better do something!!"
He follows the line of the FD and starts to splitstream through the bends at the exact speed that Shinosuke was on.
"Hi-ai!" Tomo said before they entered the next corner...
The next corner was an exact 90 degree right hander.
Shinosuke tapped his brakes and started to drift through the corner, nailing the apex.
Tomo just eased off the gas and lets weight shift do it's thing.
At the exit, Shinosuke's FD stopped drifting exactly at the center.
The GT-R was faster through and was only a ruler's width away from hitting the wall, yet he managed to decrease the gap even further.
"Na...NANDA!? B...bureku-janai?" (Japanese for "W...What? Not Braking?")
Shinosuke was in shock...
"Isn't he forgetting that this is a circuit course?" Shimizu wondered.
"there's actually something different about the stock car course from the sports car course, Shimizu. At the end of the long straight before the right angle corner, space is wide enough to drive through it without drifting much. Releasing the gas is enough to cut your sector time... Shinosuke just didn't notice that much." daiki reasoned out to him.
"So... in order to even the score between Tomo and Shinosuke, you let them race in the stock car course right?"
"Yup. I don't want any disadvantages here between rival who haven't raced with each other..."

(flashback)

"Since he has no Idea what the stock car course consists off, he's a stag at this section, giving Tomo the upperhand." daiki commented.

Back to the race, the FD and GT-R are now entering the next right hairpin of the stock car course.
"I can't do what I did on the last corner... what to do?" Tomo's starting to panic mentally.
Shinosuke had another plan up his sleeve. He plans to steal his little brother's attack and revise it back to the conventional style: curb riding.
"As far as I know, this is a common move in circuit races; let me apply this with a bit of drifting..." Shinosuke planned.
Shinosuke swerved to the outside, aimed at the apex AND braked at the same time. Since the GT-R was too heavy to make a critical turn, Tomo braked 100 meters before the corner; but due to stronger braking power in the GT-R because of the aftermarket racing brakes, he slew down even faster.
Shinosuke rode the nylon curb and cleared the corner faster. The GT-R got an exit boost due to it's turbo. It was enough to limit the gap increased by the FD...

"pull away, FD! PULL AWAY!!"
"Catch up, GT-R!! go!!!"
They're now on the long straightway with the light bends in the beginning. It was enough for the GT-R to narrow the gap.
Tomo suddenly slowed down and let's his tachometer drop.
"He was so close to taking the lead from me from the outside, what's he up to?" Shinosuke bothered.
"Tomo..." Kasumi and Sakura wondered.
"Is he giving up?" Hiei and Ryusen wondered.
"Kitsumoro, what are you up to?" Daiki asked himself.
As it reached 2900 rpm, Tomo attacked the inside.
Shinosuke's FD was on the center of the road as he braked for the final hairpin.
As he looked at his right windshield, he saw the GT-R on the inside, close to his FD...
"What the!?"
"huh!?"
"What was that!!?"
Everyone, including Shinosuke was confused with what Tomo's GT-R did.
"He applied both the fading line, out-in-out, and engine braking! Impressive." daiki said in an awe of "silent" excitement.
Tetsuya didn't get what Daiki said.
"What do you mean by engine braking?"
"Engine braking is like this," Daiki explained. "Engine braking is when you take your foot off the accelerator, wait for the revs to drop by about 1000-3000 RPMs, then downshift. This slows the car down without using the brakes, thus reducing the wear on said parts."
"Parts like tires right, and brakes?"
"You got that right." Hiroya added. "It's a common rally technique as well on those medium bends that need some braking... I think."
Tomo came out of the outside and Shinosuke ended up on the inside; making them side by side.
"Which of them will cross the checkpoint first?" Ryusen asked.
Suddenly a loud banging burst came out of the FD... It's front tires were punctured; Shino lost control. He braked for his life. Tomo accelerated further and braked later on to avoid the collision.
Later on, both cars went to a halt.
The front of the FD was damaged, he hit the wall while he was braking. Shino was safe but the FD earned itself Heavy damage.
Tomo came out of his car and chased after Shinosuke. Everyone went towards him too.
Shinosuke took out his safety belt. He stepped out of the car.
"You alright?" Tomo asked.
"I am... What do you think happened?"
"Beats me."
"Tetsuya, mind if you check it out?"
Tetsuya came towards them with a jack.
"I got it. Ryusen, raise the front.
Ryusen raised the jack - raising the front of the FD.
"The tires were punctured."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Looks like somebody doesn't want us to race here."
"That didn't happen a while ago... why just now?"
"As far as I can remember... in the previous battles..."

"What could be the cause then?" Sakura asked.
"Found it." Ryusen said.
There were spikes placed on the road; just a car's width - from the railing to the middle of the road. They were opaque in color - painted the same as the road it was on not to be seen. Whosoever did this preparation must have done his or her job pretty well...
"In other words, the 4 who raced a while ago... well, two to be exact didn't bother to drive on the inner lane after the hairpin... I think it was placed there before we came." Daiki explained.
"You are so great at explaining stuff, Daiki Akiyama. I've heard a lot about you. Lucas knows you through your many credentials all over the net." A voice came out of nowhere - 300 meters from where the whole team was standing.
"Now, that you're done... leave. We got training here."
"Get out a here, you bunch a noobs. we got an event here.
Everyone was angry; however, neither one said a word. They just gave the locals who called their attention an angry stare...
"Who... are you?" Tomo asked in an angry tone, with a grin on his face...

(consult the Infenion map at chapter 10 post to know what the stock car course looks like. - pretty much like the sports car course only on the straight after the S curve.- gray section)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13 - A battle for the wrong cause part 1

There was a dark atmosphere surrounding everyone at Infineon.
Both sides were giving the opposite group a stern stare.
"Weren't you noobs listening? I said, get out of here." One of the locals said.
"We don't want to. You can't force us." Tomo said.
Sakura started to become concerned over Tomo's actions. "Tomo, please, don't start a fight."
"I'm not, Sakura. I'm just showing these locals the meaning of democracy that the Americans are proud of."
Sakura and the others were wondering over what Tomo had just said. "Isn't he just agitating them to start a ruckuss which will start a fight?" everyone wondered.
"If you won't move. What way would you decide to settle this? Like a winner takes all thing? Or are you scared you little pussy?" Everyone in the locals group are laughing at Tomo for calling him a pussy.

"Uh-oh! This isn't good. If Tomo gets mocked further, he's bound to explode" Kasumi panicked. Before she could even reach for Tomo's hand to lower his temper; Daiki spoke in their behalf.
"You just gave me an idea. How's say this. Right now, let's have a battle - an AMBUSH battle."
"A-ambush battle!?" Hiei, the Kitamarus, Ryusen, and Tetsuya reacted in fear.
"You mad, Akiyama? We'll get completely screwed that way!"
"No it ain't. It's a good way to know if our skill is high enough to meet the standards of the highly skilled locals here. This battle is beneficial." Daiki explained before turning to the locals group.
"waddya say, gentlemen? Battle it is?"
"Like always - the great Daiki Akiyama, as casually behaved as any gentleman. Fine, Mr. Jap-man. Battle it is. Who's facing us?"
"Me." Tomo answered.
"No, I'll do i-" Sakura insisted as she was utterly interrupted.
"You wouldn't like it if I lost to you without knowing the layout of the sports car course, now would you, Sakura? It would be unfair on your part as well..."
Sakura thought about what Tomo said and agreed.
"You're right. You battle then. Just... be careful, okay?"
"Don't worry. I will" Tomo said to sakura, patting her shoulder as he boards his GT-R.
"Let's begin, shall we?"
"fine. Guys, you race."
"Gotcha." three voices said in succession coming out of the entrance.
Three cars came out and headed onto the starting line.

The cars came in succession:
A black Lancer Evolution 9 MR edition covered in vinyls
A black Nissan Skyline R34 covered in the same vinyls like the Evo
A Corvette C6 covered in a military vinyl

"Let's take this outside. Performance of these are too overrated for this limited area."
"Where to?" Tomo asked.
"The Nevada desert Highways. We fight there, it's the perfect spot."
"That's far!" Kasumi reacted.
"No need to worry, Kasumi. You don't need to go. It'll be only me and Daiki."
"We'll keep you a visual of the battle. I'll be placing this webcam on the GT-R." Daiki answered.
With that, the 3 local drivers, Tomo and Daiki set off to Nevada.
"Is it a long drive?" Kasumi asked.
"They're close by. California and Nevada I mean." sakura answered.
"Those two states are just next to each other, so it'll take them a quick drive." Tetsuya followed.
Once there. Daiki set up the web cam onto the GT-R's dashboard.
"All set. You sure it's not obstructing your vision?" Daiki asked.
"I'm okay." Tomo replied.
"Tomo, I have one piece of advice for you."
"What is it?"
"Well, based on the revving of the cars a while ago, they seem to possess around more than 950 horsepower."
"Are you kidding me?" Tomo said in shock.
"Not to worry. I asked tetsuya yesterday to reinstall a stronger turbocharger onto your GT-R. It now has around less than 800 horsepower. I had a feeling that an intrusion such as this means big big business so it's time to take it up a notch for this battle only. We'll return it to it's original state after it. So now, you won't have any problems. But that's not what I'm trying to say here. Actually, I'm advising you to do a splitstream as much as possible."
"The splitstream? like the one that I used to beat you?"
"Don't remind me. Anyway, this might be what these locals call a speed challenge. Just retain your highest maximum speed."
"what about engine bre-"
"You don't have to worry about that. I set the ECU to limit your maximum speed to 230 mph once you attain that. During a splitstream, it may reach up to 240 but don't count on it, you hear me? You won't be able to control the car at that speed. The 230 limit is the highest you can reach and is the maximum limit of handling capability for this battle. Use your splitstreams frequently but catiously, okay? Don't push the car too much."
"So this could reach up to 230?"
"That's right."
"Cool!" Tomo said in excitement.
"I'll be alright." Tomo said.
"Now... let's do this!!"
With the locals group...
"Hey, shouldn't we tell Lucas about this?"
"He won't know a thing, as long as we beat his kid. Besides, my Evo is fit for this..."
"So is our GT-R and corvette. So there's no worry."
"You're right, I mean, look at it!! That blue GT-R? It's not that scary unlike ours."
"Just look! I mean, all stock, BBS Rims, a carbon hood... that's it?"
"Let's outrun him at the very start."
"Let's begin! Let's not waste anymore time..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 14 - A battle for the wrong cause Part 2

At Infenion, the rest of the team seem worried.
Kasumi is in a corner holding a picture of Tomo tightly in her chest.
Sakura is just beside her to comfort her.
The rest of the group have their eyes pinned on the Television screen hoping to see Tomo win the race.
All 4 cars are stepping on the accelerator, making huge rev sounds.
They are placed in this order (from the back)

Tomo GT-R --> Corvette C6 --> Lan Evo 9 --> Skyline R34 GT-R

Daiki is starting the countdown.
3!! 2!! 1!! GO!!!!
The GT-R and Lan Evo rocketed out of the starting line.
The corvette followed in it's usual FR type acceleration - slow start with a huge burnout compared to a 4WD.
Tomo followed along.
He passed the corvette before entering the first bend.
The blue GT-R rode the center of the road and the inner dirt lane.
Distance was huge when comparing these 4...
There was around 200 meters per car. 75 meters between the leading black R34 and Evo 9.
"To save some time and to decrease the gap, I have to control the car in high speed through the bends. Deceleration will be my braking. I hope tetsuya managed to set the suspension right... Because... the car's jumping all over the place... the road surface is bad in this road... It is totally killing my speed!" Tomo strategized.
The GT-R driver leading is communicating to the Evo driver...
"Looks like he's having trouble with the road surface."
"What an idiot. He never bothers to check his suspension setting? such a big L!"
"Guys" the Corvette driver joined in the conversation. "You better pull away quickly. despite what you're saying there, he's picking up speed."
"you sure with that?"
"I'm positive. Quickly! Pull away. I'll be alright as long as you guys are leading."
With the big turbo equipped on the lancer and GT-R, they start to pull away once they reach the exit of the corner.
Tomo followed up. His GT-R punched to fifth at 9000 rpm. He is reaching around 187 mph. He's slowly catching up to the Lan Evo.
There was a huge change in elevation in the road they're on.
The Lan Evo and GT-R slowed down as their cars gained air.
Tomo on the other hand can't help but pin his foot in the accelerator.
His GT-R gained air but as soon as his car lands on the road surface, the front bumpers lower extension made contact with the road first, causing his GT-R to lose balance.
Tomo panicked and removed his foot from the gas. He powerslided to safety as soon as his car was tilting at an angle.

He gained control again; he was safe.
At Infenion, everyone was relieved to see Tomo still alright.
Kasumi was an inch away from fainting over the close-call-calamity.
Tomo's jump was high enough to clear a 50 meter gap behind the Lan Evo 9.
They are now halfway through the pass.
The Lan Evo driver is starting to become cocky.
"Alright we're so gonna win this."
Suddenly he hears a car tap the back of his bumper.
"What the? Is it our corvette? or that noob?"
He looks at his rearview mirror and notices a blue GT-R right behind him!
"What the!? No way!!"
Tomo's GT-R is riding in a steady 235 mph.
He now decides to cut through. He quickly swerves to the left of the Evo and overtakes at a higher speed.
The Evo was just stuck at 210 mph; it was easy for Tomo to cut through; but he didn't stay infront of the Evo but he was just on the next lane, trying to retain his 230 which is slowly dropping.
He's slowly catching up to the leading GT-R.
"I need to get closer to this fast GT-R..." Tomo reacted.
"I need to pull away from this dude!" the black GT-R driver said to himself.
They are only 2 miles away from the finish.
The GT-R's are closely tailing each other.
Tomo now decides to splitstream next to the other GT-R. It was a successful attempt.
He's closing in; they're now neck a neck!
"I'm not gonna let you! Not a chance!!"
The Black GT-R rammed Tomo's GT-R causing both to lose control.
Both cars are off balance. The Black GT-R suddenly went into a barrelroll and landed on it's hood. Tomo stopped but was facing the wrong direction. He immediately shifted to Reverse. He was 100 meters away. The Evo 9 is closing the gap. Tomo was about to panic!
"It's time for a 360!!"
He is still geared in reverse; he turns his car towards the left for a quick spin; he immediately shifts from R to 1 and punches on the gas and clutch.
Tomo made it to the finish and made a quick sigh of relief.
His car is positioned horizontally like a roadblock in the middle of the street.
Tomo was exhausted.
But the Evo driver is coming close by!
Tomo quickly shifted to 1 before the impact.
Luckily there were no serious damages except for the black GTR; but the Blue R34's rear bumper was severly damaged from the impact with the Lan Evo.
"Whoo! Close call... You alright Kitsumoro?" Daiki asked through a walkie talkie.
"I... am... let's head back... we got a finals to settle..."
The GT-R returned for Daiki then, they headed back to Infenion.
Back at the carnage site...
"This is supreme bull!"
"Don't say anything further. If Lucas hears about this..."
"He won't do anything unless he hears it."
Suddenly, a blue Corvette speeding by skids to a stop at the Black GT-R with the evo and C6.
"I...it's..."
"Lost huh?" A voice said from the Blue Corvette.
"It's nothing, boss..."
"Boss... don't tell me you'll be after..."
"No I won't... I wanna talk to this kid. Plus, I got some stuff to do right now."
"What a relief... We don't want your hands to get dirty over this."
"I heard he's in town... with team Japan is that right?"
"yeah..."
"Along with Akiyama Daiki?"
"Whoa! How did you know, boss?"
"It's in the net, stupid."
"Anyway... I'll talk to him once I see him, but not now. See you in our next meeting."
The driver of the Blue Corvette shifts to first.
Then, he speeds off with a huge burnout.
The LS7's supercharged engine shifts to 2 at amazing speed.
The rest of the crew were left dumbdounded.
"I've never seen boss so calm like this"
"you got that right. I mean when we lose, he'd like hit our heads or something..."
"Something's up with boss... but I don't know what or why..."
They just stood there thinking... or in the point of view of others, acting stupid as they looked towards the sky.
The sound of the Blue Corvette ZO6 was the only sound that echoed throughout the Nevada desert speedway.

Chapter 15 - Battle of the R Emblem!! A rerun

The Blue, battle-scarred GT-R returns to Infenion to race in the final match of the mock-contest. The Rear bumper is close to falling off; everybody was shock seeing the damage done. Tomo comes out unharmed, which gave a sign of relief for the rest of the team members. Kasumi however is still worried.
"Tomo! Are you sure you're alright? Can you walk?"
"I still can. Don't worry too much about me."
"But... but..."
"Kasumi, Tomo's fine. I saw him unharmed after the race..." Daiki said.
"Alright." Kasumi is convinced.
"We're back on track, team. Thanks to Tomo here, we can pursue the final match. There will be a 15 minute break first, giving time for Tetsuya to fix the rear of the Skyline."
"I'll help." Hiei insisted.
"Me too!" Ryusen followed.
Tetsuya, Tomo, Hiei, and Ryusen are hurriedly fixing up the Skyline. Good thing they bring spare parts of the cars in one of their trailers. It was easy for Tetsuya to change them.
Within fifteen minutes, the R34 was repaired.
"Is the rear okay?" Tomo asked.
"It's all good! You can start anytime." Tetsuya replied.
Tomo gives a thumbs up to Daiki.
"Okay. Will Tomo and Sakura please line up their cars to the starting line." Daiki hollered.
Sakura slowly brings the GT-R onto the starting line.
Tomo was all set, he was just waiting for her to line her car up.
Sakura gets out of her car.
"Doesn't this remind you of our battle at Akina?"
"I still remember that battle."
"You guys already battled?" Daiki wondered.
"Yeah. When I was still under Takeshi Musashiro and Reminiscent White. A slight Musashiro conflict that got both of us involved unfortulately." Tomo answered.
"Yeah, I mean... we're the solution to the debate of Takeshi and Hikari"
"It's too bad though, neither in the team except us knows that we raced against each other."
Tomo faces Sakura, Sakura faces him back.
"Shall we start?"
"Lets!"
The 2 RB drivers got into their cars. Daiki was starting the countdown.
Sounds of loud, roaring engines are what they hear.
The needles are approaching 9000 rpm.
"Let's start the countdown!!"
Everybody was excited. They were all cheering for both!
3!-->2!-->1-->GO!!!
Both GT-Rs took off the starting line at lightning speed! Daiki got blown away a bit when they boosted away!
This battle is gonna be good
Tomo was on the outside, Sakura was on the inside.
The first bend of the Sports car course was up. Tomo decides to floor it on the outside.
Sakura decelerates a bit to position her car for the next corner.
Then there was the right hand corner.
Sakura attacks towards the inside.
She was too close to Tomo who was riding the curb. Tomo gained the lead exiting that corner.
"argh..." Tomo whispered as he switched gears...
"It wasn't like this a while ago. Why now?"
Because of the pain plaguing Tomo, his car slowed down during shifting.
Sakura is sticking really close to the GT-R.
Back at the Pits...
"Say, Tetsuya," Shimizu wondered. "What's the difference between Tomo and Sakura's GT-R34s?"
"The difference?" Tetsuya verified.
"Yeah... are there any, since you are their repairman."
"Well, for starters, the model year and type. Tomo's is a V-specII Nur, while Sakura's is an early V-spec I based on the 1999 model. In terms of upgrades, Tomo's basic upgrade was Mine's based while Sakura's was Tommykaira based. Now they both have a percentage of Nismo upgrades. Sakura's is racing based, when it comes to other parts; Tomo's is street based with a bit of pro-racing influence."
"If there's a difference, it's unlikely..."
"So their cars are equal, apparently, huh?" Daiki added.
"That's right." Tetsuya concluded.
"Now... only driving style and technique will differentiate these two equals"
The 2 GT-Rs sped through the next set of corners before the hairpin...

-------------------------------------------
Here's the entire episode. I don't wanna spoil what's gonna happen between Tomo and Sakura so I'll leave that to you guys before I post the next chapter/s. Feel free to give your possible suggestions to this battle if you like.

Before we get to Episode 5, here's a little, what I call a character profile section:

Team Japan

Daiki Akiyama
AKA the Prince
Daiki is the team manager and planner of the group. He hosts practice sessions, provides the stuff as he is rich & all, and has the most links to many in the racing industry. He is formerly associated with a local team from Japan's Mie prefecture: Team Midnight Masters - the fastest street racing team in Mie.
He is known globally as the Prince of Racing; since he, on the age of 14 started to claim racing titles on the togue roads and circuits and almost every racing competition ever known.
He was also once the mentor of the Princess , Kitana Tioseco of Italy.
as for his racing skill, it's phenomenal, as if he's creating music and/or art as he races.
Currently, Daiki is not much active in the racing industry as a participant as he hones the skills of the new generation that he's managing.
*Car: Nissan 350Z Nismo Powered (350Z R Tune Power)

Tomogashi Kitsumoro
AKA Gunma's 34
The lead protagonist of the story. Tomogashi was inspired all about cars at an early age and has developed his interest as the years pass. He knows much about the cars but not much on how the racing industry works. He's willing to learn new stuff. Being a chef-in-training at the same time poses a huge challenge for Tomo as he needs to balance both his racing and culinary career.
He has a great personality, thus entering into good relations with anyone he meets. Note though, he has a slight problem when it comes to his patience as any form of insult, he immediately reacts in a harsh, physical manner just to retain his respect - he thinks of it as saving his own hind from the spread of embarrassing, false or true information.
In terms of driving ability, he started out mediocre; right now, he's a much fully competent driver at such a young age of 19 or 20 participating in the professional league. He's always inspired and motivated to become the best he can be. Currently, aided by the Prince, Daiki Akiyama, whom he once defeated back in Japan.
*Car: Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-spec II Nur Mines-Nismo powered (Z Tune BNR34)

Sakura Johina
The female driver of the group. Like Tomo, she also has a double career of a professional racer and a soon-to-be doctor, pathologist or anesthesiologist she says, whichever one comes her way. She loves to make friends and loves whatever a girl loves. A typical female with an extra-typical career.
The only thing Sakura despises is failure and hates to come out last, either if it's racing, career or anything for that matter. She does her best to attain perfection in that field, and she does that pretty well.
She & Tomo are good & close friends. But it was her personal decision to join the pro league and hone her driving skills which she attained from being under Takeshi Musashiro, a well known young street racer of Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
The only thing that can pose as a delight and threat could be - chocolates...
*Car: Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-spec I Nismo-MCR Powered (R-tune)

Kasumi Nadeshiko
Kasumi's past is shrowded in mist as little is known about her, aside from being Tomo's guardian. She has a liking for Tomo; she doesn't deny it. She's willing to support anything Tomogashi does unless it dishonors her code of rights.
She's not a racer; yet a valuable member of the team. She tries not to be a stumbling block to everyone and ensures the success of whatever plans the group is doing.
And on a side note, she's very pretty, has an excellent figure paired up with long, straight, beautiful orange toned hair; which matches her orange colored eyes.

Shinosuke Kitamaru
AKA 1/2 of Shomaru's undefeated
We could consider Shinosuke to be a well matched driver to Tomo. The only difference could be their choice of cars. He owns an FR type Mazda and he's proud of it. His driving skills were developed in the Saitama prefecture where it's not much of an easy run compared to other areas in Japan.
He starts out strong and comes out strong.
One of his past times if he's not racing is playing the guitar and what he calls as "girl scouting". He even has his own philosphy when it comes to life, love and women. A certified woma-holic... er something... (something shorter meaning addicted to *hot* women).
*Car: Mazda FD3S RX-7 Type R RE AMEMIYA powered (RE Amemiya GT300 tune)

Kitami Kitamaru
AKA 1/2 of Shomaru's undefeated
He's obviously Shinosuke's brother. They love each other despite the disputes that they had in the past (i.e. Fighting over the newly bought & modded Celica ST205 GT-FOUR by C-one). Kitami is more on the literal artistic side compared to his brother. He likes to draw what he defines as Indy style - like them Marvel comics. The only thing he & his brother always agree upon is women. They have a philosoply & code about it.
As for his driving technique, not much to say as he & his brother's driving technique are 100% identical. The only difference about it is how they use it.
*Car: Mazda SE3P RX-8 type S Mazdaspeed Powered (Mazdaspeed RX-8)

The Pit Crew - Tetsuya Kudou, Hiei Kamura and Ryusen Kennichi
Tetsuya is nicknamed as 'God's right hand' as whatever tuner car you have, Tetsuya can tune it better. Like Daiki, he's got lots of links to many legal tuner shops in town. No Chop shops as he knows the consequences of getting linked to those kinds.
He gets along well with everyone and he was known for his tuning expertise during the expeditions of Team Noyzee Tribe.
Hiei & Ryusen are Tomo's long time best friends, until present. They love to do gags and jokes during their free time but they all know when to get serious. These 3 are the pure heart of the team as they do what the pros can do, despite their youthful age.

Shimizu Ohyama & Kagami Hiroya
These 2 are more or less like Daiki's consultants and friends. They were together ever since Daiki joined Midnight masters, which was formed by Shimizu. Shimizu & Hiroya are the only people who understand Daiki's intentions with the group; and only they know and EVEN doubt if the plan will succeed.
*car (Shimizu): Nissan R390 GT-1 Road car 98.
*Car: hiroya: Mitsubishi lancer Evolution 6 GSR Mines Powered.

---------------------------------------------------------

Episode 5 - Fate's decision...
Chapter 16 - Desparation Over Determination

The 2 Skylines' engine tones are clearly heard atop the highest peak of Infenion.
Tomo's GT-R desperately maintaining the lead against Sakura's red GT-R.
"This is not like Tomo at all" Sakura whispered.
There's something wrong with him... not his GT-R... I'm sure of it!!
Tomo shifts gears down from 4 to 3...
Damn... again?
"It's human lag!" She concluded.*
She presses on the accelerator further. She's pushing the car.
"She's about to overtake me..." Tomo wondered.
He left a short, car width distance from the inside of the upcoming corner.

"(In order to stop Tomo's misery, I... I...) I AM CONCLUDING THIS RACE RIGHT NOW!!" Sakura has made up her mind. She won't waste anymore time behind Tomo's GT-R.
She's ready to overtake!
She swerves her car towards the right...
Tomo was ready to brake for the upcoming corner but his aching foot is preventing him to push the brake pedal to the full... It was actually too early for him to brake...
"this early? What are you trying to pull, Tomo-kun?"
Sakura decides to finish the race in the last corner. She positioned her GT-R side by side with Tomo's GT-R.
Tomo wasn't in shock at all and was concentrating on his foot on the pedals...
They both pressed their brakes to the max, with Tomo feeling a little pain and hesitating a bit...
They enter the corner together...
Tomo was slowly regaining the lead but understeer triggers.
Sakura applies one of Kitami's moves - nylon run (sort of like gutter run but your tires are in the grass close to the nylon.) She slowly gains speed.
Tomo tries to restore his GT-R back on the inside lane; he attempts to tap the gas and brake simultaneously but he just understeers further until the whole car is now driving outside the road. Tomo presses the brake with his left foot as an emergency.
It didn't matter to him if the engine dies momentarily but what matters is that he could stop the car immediately.
The car came to a stop.
Sakura saw the GT-R on a full stop. She makes a direct 180 and heads towards Tomo's GT-R...
She comes out and heads to Tomo immediately...
She opens the car door.
She saw Tomo sweating, hearing moans of pain, his head resting on the steering wheel.
"Tomo..." she said in a pale voice.
The Blue GT-R's engine died down. A gust of wind just blisters through the two of them.
"Are... you okay?" She asked...
"To tell you the truth... no..."
"Is it because I won against you?"
"No... not that... seriously."
"Then what is it?"
"It's... my left foot..."
Tomo shows the foot to Sakura. It was swollen, bleeding slightly, it was completely red.
"What happened?"
"It's from the impact a while ago when I finished the Nevada race."

"you poor thing..."
"Let's head back okay?" Sakura followed.
Later on; at the pits...
"It's quiet... too quiet..." Daiki uttered.
"Do you think they stopped the race somewhere?" Hiroya hypothesized.
"Wait... I see them..." Shimizu exclaimed pointing at a red GT-R...
"So... Tomo lost?" Hiei wondered...
"What could've happened?" Ryusen thought to himself...
The Red GTR was pulling the blue GTR to the pits...
Tomo was sitting in the passenger seat of his car as Sakura slowly brings the car to a halt at he pits.
Everybody went towards the cars.
"Kasumi-san" Sakura called out.
"Yeah?"
"Come help me... Tomo is injured...
"In...jured?" Kasumi gasped a bit.

"Bu... I thought..." Kasumi's words started to chop thinking that Tomo's injury is completely severe...
She runs immediately towards Tomo and his GT-R.
She had a worried face as she looked at Tomo.
Tomo cannot look back at Kasumi since he lied to her about his condition and insisted to battle with an injured foot.
"S...sorry, Kasumi if I lied... to you..." Tomo said in guilt.
"You shouldn't have raced with that injured foot in the first place." Kasumi raised her voice.
"I'm sorry..."
"Kasumi," Sakura interrupted. "He said he's sorry. Sorry that he got you worried."
Kasumi was looking away where a tear slowly ran on her cheek, falling on to the ground.
"Tomo..." she spoke.
Tomo turned to look at Kasumi who had her back infront of him.
"Don't lie to me about your condition again. If you're injured... tell me ASAP..."
"Y...yes..."
After saying that, Sakura and Kasumi dressed his injured foot.
Then, they got off the Skyline and escorted Tomo to a seat nearby.
Daiki was about to reschedule the rematch but...
"Daiki." Tomo called out.
"Yeah?"
"you better let Sakura race in the Infenion Sports car league and Shinosuke for the Stock car league. I can't battle with an injured foot."
"Of course you can't."
Daiki then faced Sakura.
'Sakura, the battle will be 4 days from now. Are you sure you're up to the challenge?"
"Leave the Sports car battle to me, Daiki. Like Tomo, I won't let the team down. I'm gonna race with all I've got."
"That's good to hear."
After Sakura giving her Speech of guarantee, the rest of the team started to applaud.
With that, they all left Infenion. Daiki, who was driving the Blue GT-R, brings Tomo back to the hotel.
Tomo fell into a deep sleep which lasted 1 day and a half.
The next day, he was watching Television at his room when the phone rang...


*Human lag was a coined term by Sakura indicating the loss of a huge amount of speed when Tomo shifted gears. His timing with pressing the clutch and accelerator was completely off Key, which cost Tomo the race

Chapter 17 - Apprenticeship

The phone rang while Tomo was watching TV.
"Hello?"
"Tomo? It's Kasumi."
"Where are you?"
"I'm at a street near the Golden gate bridge. I saw a good restaurant here that could be of use to you?"
"Waddya mean?"
"So that you won't be much a stag with your culinary skills, how's say you do a bit of OJT training here?"
"You know... you're giving me a good idea... I'm almost becoming a stag, as a matter of fact."
"You really need to get your ass up, Tomo. Remember, you're not a full time Hashirya . You're also a chef in training."
"Alright, alright... you don't need to sound much like my mother."
"I'll send you the address of the area, alright? ciao."
"Okay, I'll be waiting. Take care now..."
She hangs up.
Tomo gets up from bed and walks towards the closet.
"Looks like my foot is completely healed. I better thank her and Sakura one time."
He then goes to the elevator; presses the G button and heads down to the ground floor lobby.
He boards his GT-R parked by one of the attendants and heads of to the place that Kasumi is recommending.
*ring*
He got a message from his cellphone reiterating the location.
He places the points onto his onboard GPS.
The Skyline accelerates off the hotel; however...
little did Tomo know, a blue corvette was waiting across the street for his car to make a move.
It was Lucas Scott's corvette.
"So that's the GT-R which kicked the asses of my troops. I'll follow him later on and talk with this guy."
Lucas then marks Tomo's GT-R on his GPS; thus having an idea where he's heading.
Later on...
"You Tomo-dude! We got some orders of Southern Fired Chicken for table 6!" A voice shouted calling out to Tomo.
"You mean Southern FRIED not Fired!!"
"Whatever!!"
It looks like Tomo was easily accepted on the restaurant. The restaurant was a bay side restaurant. The name? The Golden Plate , named close to the Golden Gate bridge. It has a good atmosphere.
"Okay, let's see... hmm..."
As Tomo was trying to recall the process of preparing Southern Fried Chicken, he plays around with it while thinking.
"I got it!"
He starts removing the chicken from the milk marinade and places it infront of a breading station ; flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, all separated.
He dips them one by one in each filling and throws it onto the deep fryer.
He's got 2 plates ready with some java rice.
Later on, the bell near the door rang. Another visitor.
He went in line like everyone else. There were around 5 other customers in line.
5 minutes later.
"Tomo! I need those chickens! Are they done?"
Tomo quickly removes the done and checks for doneness with the use of a cooking thermometer. It reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
"ORDER UP!! He said."

He slides the two plates through the aisle onto the trays of the waitress.
"Thanks, cool Jap dude..."
Inside, Tomo was acting conceited again...
"Cool she said..." He faced another chef and starts to brag about it.
"She said I'm cool..."
The chef hits Tomo with a hot spatula.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!!"
"Easy, Tomo... you just started! Don't get so high on yourself. You can get thrown out with that attitude, remember that!!"
"Okay... okay..." Rubbing his head off the spatula mark.
Finally, it was Lucas' turn to order.
"What would you like sir?"
Lucas stares at the menu and decides to...
"gimme one of them Southern fried combo meals..."
"Guys! One Southern fried combo meal!!"
"You got it!!" everyone in the kitchen hollered.
"Tell me..." Lucas asked the waitress... "when are your cooks on a break?"
"One of them... the new guy will be having a five minute break later after your order..."
"Alright... is it okay if I could talk with him with that duration?"
"Sure, no problem. I'll tell him."
A few minutes later.
"Order up! Southern Fried Combo meal!!"
The waitress comes up to take the order.
"Good job, Tomo. You can take a break; oh! and the customer who ordered this... requests for you to talk to him."
"Okay... let me clean my station first."

Tomo comes out of the hot kitchen and heads for the table where Lucas Scott is sitting.
"You called me out, sir? How's the food?"
"It's great. For a non-local, you sure got the exact taste of the ideal American Chicken! Congrats."
"Thanks."
"Anyway, I'm not here to talk about the food. I'm here to talk to you..."
"M...Me?"
"You're Tomogashi Kitsumoro, aren't you?"
"Y...yeah? How'd you know?"

"Daiki Akiyama's apprentice... hmm..."with a slight grin on Lucas' face. "I can't believe I'm actually face to face with the person who defeated Akiyama in his home country... Forgot about introductions. My name is Lucas Scott..."
"Nice to meet you Mr. Lucas Scott."
"Call me Luke if you want... Lucas is fine too..."
"okay... Luke..."
"I saw one of your current races here, and I say, you got potential... how old are you?"
"I'm 20."
"Twenty... hmm... not too young but not too late to start either... You really put up quite a fight there... against that black GT-R and Evo 9..."
"How'd you..."
"I was following you from way behind... a stealthy like approach... and by how your engine echoes through the Nevada highways make a huge statement... I know how you do by listening to it..."
Tomo started talking to himself...

"Hey..." Lucas snapping his fingers in between Tomo's eyes... "HEY!!"
"oh! Sorry..."
"Anyway, come outside for a moment... Let's talk there... it's too noisy here..."
The two left the table but...
"Lucas... are you still gonna eat this?"
"Obviously... Just make the remains a take out, okay?"
"Fine. Waitress!! Take out here, please!"
The waitress comes over and brings Lucas barely touched plate for take out.
Lucas was sitting close to his Corvette, but Tomo never gave a sign of excitement...
"I'll see you soon then. It was nice knowing you..."
"Same here." Tomo replied. "Lucas, right?"
"That's my name... lose it, your ass is mine."
"Wh...!?" Tomo immediately reacts.
"Kidding, dude. Kidding..."
The waitress brings the take out to Lucas...
"here's my number. Give me a miss call and I'll text you if I want to meet up, ayt?" Lucas shows Tomo the number; Tomo inputs to his cell and miss calls Lucas.
"Got it. Thanks man... Next time, we could have a longer chat..."
"Sure..."
"I suddenly got an interest with what you could do with that beat up GT-R of yours... if it could match up to My Vette's LS7 supercharger..."
That statement of insult to Tomo's GT-R, nearly made Tomo himself, crack and strangle Lucas; but he resisted.
"I'm out." Lucas shifts to gear 1 and heads off.
"interest with what I could do...
'What did he mean by that?"
Tomo just stares abruptly at the Corvette slowly fading away onto the horizon.

Chapter 18 - Words of empty Memories

After work, Tomo heads towards his GT-R to go back to the hotel...
The image of Lucas, insulting his car, was stuck on his mind.
He then makes a resolution...

I need to know who this Guy Lucas Scott is... who he REALLY IS! Ore-te yurusanezo!!

He turns on the ignition and punches on the accelerator.
To the sound of a seasoned driver, it was a tone of rage that came out of the GT-R's exhaust.

[Hotel Square; Lobby
5:45 p.m.]

Tomo was still infuriated over Lucas' insult.
He angrily took the keys from the lobby desk and heads for the elevator, all tired and pissed.
As he boards off the elevator to his room, he opens the door and sees Kasumi looking out at the window.
The wind passing through her long, orange-colored hair and freely touching her cheeks.
Looking at Kasumi from afar calmed Tomo down for the moment.

Kasumi, slowly tilts her head, facing the door and sees Tomo staring back at her.
"AH! You-re back... sorry I didn't notice you come in..."
"It's okay. Not to worry."
Tomo drops his things and goes towards the computer in the other room.
Kasumi follows. "Watcha gonna look for, Tomo-kun?"
"Something about Lucas Scott..." He replied.
"Lucas Scott?" Kasumi reiterated.
"You know him?" Tomo asked. "No." She replied. "I know 'coz, I saw that name on one of the headlines on one of the old magazines at the Lobby."
"can you get it?"
"I'll ask through room service."
As Tomo goes to the internet to research on Lucas, Kasumi calls room service in order to help him.
He found a site, which has stuff about Lucas.
"I got something."

"So he was once a basketball star... how about this one?"
Tomo shifts tabs and opens another site about Lucas...

"I think what happened in the past made him disown himself and become the person he is today. What a waste of good talent... His rage and regret might've been the reason for his brisk development... no wonder some consider him a dangerous driver... It's like the he and the night are one..."

"Tomo! Here's more information on Lucas." Kasumi followed.
Kasumi shows the main article about Lucas Scott becoming a street racer.
"It was written by his brother, Regis Scott; a local journalist..."

"How sad..." Kasumi whispered; shedding a tear or two...
"I'll see you later, Kasumi. thanks a lot for your help." Tomo said getting his coat and facing the front door.
"Where are you going?"
"Don't tell me I'm gonna lose you too?"
"Of course not. I'll just go to a nearby starbucks. I'll be back okay?"
Tomo slowly approaches Kasumi.
"I'll be fine. Trust me. So don't worry so much okay?"
Tomo kisses Kasumi's forehead and leaves. He closes the door.
"T... take care... T-tomo" Kasumi said in a pale voice, talking to the wind.

Episode 6 this time!! More soon!

Episode 6 - Extracting the hidden ability
Chapter 19 - Rebirth! The GT-R goes to hell and back!!

Tomo heads for the hotel garage but finds his GT-R going towards the exit.
"Who the hell is driving my car? HEY YOU!! GET BACK HERE!!"
He chases after his own car which suddenly came to a stop after Tomo shouted.
"Easy, dude. We'll get it back." The driver said.
"Wait a minute... Tetsuya!?"
"Bingo!!"
"Where are you taking it?"
"To a legal aftermarket shop nearby. If I'm right, it's HKS. It's one of the local tuners here. They make insanely fast cars here."
"Watcha gonna do to my GT-R?"
"It needs a new turbine with extra power. and I'm gonna have the body refined."
"Refined"
"yep. It means that The body will be restored to how you first had it. Obviously we'll return the other parts with more refined ones for a more stable body."
"I see; wait! What will I drive then?"
"Use my Commander. It's on the far left, the green one."
"fine."
Tetsuya throws the keys to Tomo and heads for the tuner shop.
"I'll call ya if it's done!!" tetsuya shouts for one last Time.
"Well... Guess I'll have to do with this then."
Tomo boards the Commander and heads off to a local coffee shop.

[Starbucks - 6:45 pm]

Tomo ordered a cappuccino 'frape' and sat down looking at the city horizon; waiting for neon lights to start flickering on and off. As he makes another sip, his phone rang.

Tetsuya Calling...

Tomo answers the phone. "Looks like he's done..." *click*
"hello?"
"Come here. Your GT-R is done."
"Seriously?"
"Told ya it'll be fast; they got all the necessary machinery here and boy are they damn fast!!"
"Where's this HKS facility that you're talking about?"
"Go to my Commander and I'll tell you on the necessary pin-points."
Tomo heads out of starbucks to the parking lot. He enters the Jeep Commander...
"Location, please?"
"Okay; it's around 4 blocks from where you are right now."
"Okay, I'm on it."
He starts the Commander and shifts to "R". He heads for the HKS tuner shop.

[HKS Tuner co. - 7:00 pm]

There was a banging sound on the garage gate.
"Who is it?" One of the employees asked.
"Tomo Kitsumoro. I'm a friend of Tetsuya there."
"Kudou, you know this kid?" the employee asked.
"Send him in. I'm expecting him."
The employee presses a button raising the gate.
The Commander comes in and comes to a slow stop. Tomo steps out of the Jeep seeing that his GT-R is raped down to the body.
In shock, "WHAT IN THE DAMN HELL DID YOU DO TO MY GT-R!?"
"Easy Tiger", Tetsuya answered back in a calm manner. "This is just step 1 of the process. They're just "massaging" the body."
"Massaging?"
"Yup. They're refining the body; just like I told you hours ago. They're bringing the car back to it's 'original' state like when it was newly bought."
"Like fresh out of the factory, eh?"
"exactamundo."
"Where's the engine?"
"Right over here."
The RB26DETT is placed on top of an industrial table.
"We're equipping it with a stronger turbocharger - bigger fan, titanium finish, larger rotors; the big kahuna."
"Like a stage 3?"
"Sorta. That information you get from playing too many racing simulators back home helps you quite a bit... but not too much compared to my vast knowledge."
"Like that'll boost my confidence; thanks a lot!" Tomo replied in an irritating tone.
"This turbo will multiply your HP by x2.5 of the original HP in stock..."
"So wait... 350... times 2.5... MORE THAN SEVEN HUNDRED!?"
"We're not going that far Tomo... the car will become more unstable then... we're controlling that. I'll be calibrating the Turbo's capability once the body has been done."
A siren sounded in the factory...
the GT-R's body refining stage is done.
"Okay... now we can reassemble... Tomo give us a hand here... it's YOUR car..."
"I'm coming... I'm coming."
They reassembled the GT-R with a little help from the machines...
in 30 minutes, the car is back to how it was before...
They placed the engine back onto the car.
"Okay, Tomo. Rev the engine!"
Tomo turns the car on. *VVVRRROOOMMM!!!!!!!!*
"Whoa Nelly! That's some engine tone!!"
"Told ya..."
"Let's set up the engine outputs..."
Tetsuya is using a contraption... some sort of calibrator, controlling the whole ECU and power management of the car.

*...10 minutes later...*

"Do you guys have a test course here?"
"They got one... Can we use it?" Tetsuya asked...
'Well... we're about to close but... for you guys... we'll let you. Just close the lights here when you're done..."
All the employees are out. It's only Tomo and Tetsuya left in the facility.
Let's test it out...

[HKS TEST SITE... (think of it as the NFSU2 URL course) - 7:45 pm]

"Let's start with a short battle." Tetsuya said.
"With who?" Tomo asked.
"Me..." a voice came behind Tetsuya; it was Daiki.
"Where'd you come from?"
"Here and there... anyway... watcha got Tetsuya?"
"we refined the GT-R and placed a larger turbo..."
"Funny, I got my Z's turbo tuned up too and lighter carbon made rims"
"Let's start, shall we? I promised Kasumi I won't take long..."
"Okay. Akiyama, get your Z on the starting line."

The blue, newly tuned GT-R faces off against the Silver Z once again.
A side by side start.
Tetsuya starts the countdown. 3!! 2!! 1!! GO!!
The GT-R accelerates; so did the Z!!
Like their previous battle with each other, it was a side by side start by the Z and GT-R.
The Z takes the lead by the first corner.
"Hello, Daiki... is this a rerun of our last battle at Wangan?"
The GT-R is prepared to splitstream behind the 350Z..."
"Not this Time Tomo!!"
The Z swerves before Tomo could even align his car right behind the Z..."
Daiki does an inertial drift as he enters the first 90 degree turn.
Just tapping the gas, he induces his Z to a slide.
Tomo analyzes the Z's movement and attempts to mimic it.
Are you kidding me!? You attempting to induce your GT-R to a drift? Daiki thought
But he was right, Tomo induced his car to a slide...
And successfully mimics the inertial drift that Daiki was doing...
What's this!? Did he suddenly become God Foot or something? or is that turbo doing something to it?
As they head on the straight, Tetsuya computes the performance output of the GT-R...
When an FR has a turbo carrying too much power, it tends to slide too much causing it to oversteer too much especially at first or second gear... if I could apply that theory onto Tomo's GT-R... then he can make drifts become so simple that it's just child's play... but It's just a theory... It might not work either... since that ATTESA can recalibrate the tires to prevent wear... can Tomo break the ATTESA's seal without destroying it?"
Tomo cuts through the next turn in lightning speed with his front bumper stuck close to Daiki's Z...
This is good... extremely good... that turbo did help... At this rate... he can conquer the underground derby here and stop their disturbance of the peace.

As they enter the last bend the Z understeered for some reason. Looks like Daiki intentionally induced the car to an understeer to let Tomo take the lead.
Tomo pounces onto gear 4 at 135 mph onto the straight.
Daiki presses on the accelerator harder as well...
The cars were both side by side onto the long straight.
The race was close but the GT-R managed to win by a nose!!
"He's ready..." daiki said. "ready to take on the 'jack'."
The race finished in a close fight.


*footnote: by the looks of it, Daiki did some research on the fastest driver in the US in his own way not mentioned in the other chapters, treated to be confidential.

Chapter 20 - Escaping Twice is unecessary

[City Streets - 8:45 pm]
The Blue GT-R travels around the city - before it heads for the hotel that day. Tomo was searching for the people he raced against at the Nevada Highways; he wanted to talk to them.
Because of that invigorating battle between Tomo and the Locals, less drivers appear at the brink of the night; the city is becoming peaceful, bit by bit; but it doesn't mean that it'll be this peaceful from now on.
He could still see a Porsche (997) 911 Turbo drifting along the corner being chased by a Subaru Impreza (GDBF) which is gripping through the intersection's left bend like glue.
"It may seem there are some races still on going... I might be close."
He is dead serious in looking for those 'fools' in their imports.
He came towards an alley with neon lights flashing at the end of the road. He sets his lights to low and slowly approached the flickering light.
There were people dancing and talking; getting drunk with beer, hogging all over 'hot' women and banging their heads to the beats coming out of their cars' trunks. Beat music everywhere.
As the GT-R comes closer, the music stopped. The lights stopped flickering on and off.
Tomo steps out of the R34; then everyone started to panic for some reason.
He calls out: "Where are the drivers whom I raced against yesterday?"
"Y...You mean us...?"
"Stay back you monster!!"
"Monster?" Tomo wondered. "Why'd you call me that?"
"Don't play dumb with us!!"
"How you drive... you're not human..."
"I mean... we gots 800 horses under our hoods and you beat us in a speed match with just 500+ HP... YOU ARE A MONSTER..."
" Oh, come on... are they really that scared to someone whom they lost to? Anyway, since you guys might at least answer me a few questions, if it's okay with you..."
"S...u...re... just don't race us...!!"
"We've been through enough shit in this sport...Don't you dare give us more. We've had enough!"
"Would you guys just can it already?" Tomo said in an irritating tone.
"Anyway, where does Lucas Scott do his practice rounds?"
"Lucas Scott you say? the god of American Youth street racing?"
"He practices at the canyons every night... if you hurry, you could meet him during his runs... Trust me, you, even if you're a monster, cannot beat him in his turf; none of us have won against him ever since he appeared. He's unstoppable!!"
"You don't have to go through all that detail. That's all I need to know. thanks."
Tomo faces his GT-R and boards it. He swithches to R and drives off back to the main road. As the road becomes wider, he pulls his e-brake and performs a quick 180 degree spin and with lightning reflexes, moves it to gear 1 and heads off to the highways...

While driving,a bunch of sedans are tailgating his car.
"What's up with these sedans? every exit I go to, they follow. Every lane I transfer to, they copy me. What do they want?"
Tomo accelerates to pull away from the 6-pack.
As he executes a drift onto the main road, out of the highway, sirens start overlaping the atmosphere. A huge band of undercover police cars are now chasing after Tomo and his GT-R.
"I don't have time for this... I better outrun them!!"
Tomo presses harder on the accelerator. He switches to gear 4, reaching a speed of 145 mph. They enter a fork intersection through a construction site. Some of the drivers from the underground are having their race and somewhat interferes with the chase. One of them hits the control booth of the crane, making the load being carried fall. IT nearly hit Tomo but it did stop SOME of the cops on their tracks.
There were still 3 more chasing the GT-R. Then, one of the cops request for back up and a roadblock near the mall.
"What the hell is going on here?" Tomo asks not knowing anymore what's happening here. He holds his ebrake and engages the GT-R into a drift. The roadblock is coming up. Tomo is looking for a small gap in the roadblock. He sees a road with an end in his GPS. He tried to go there. A small alley leading to a parking lot with it's road ending with a huge poster.
"I got no choice do I?" Tomo never hesitates to go through the poster/billboard in max speed. He swerves his car to the left and is attempting to do a shortcut-jump variation of the out-in-out attack.
"DO IT!!" His car went through the billboard, at the same time avoiding the roadblock. But the car was losing control. He countersteers as soon as he landed and uses his tap-tap-tappy technique on the accelerator. The car was induced to somewhat like an inertial drift at that point.
"Control, we need a spike strip set up..."
"Now they're serious!!"
Tomo comes across the casino area passing by it at high speed. He thought that he was in the clear. As he enters another narrow route, he didn't expect the spike belt that was waiting for him as he entered it.
There were 2 cars blocking the road at both ends with the spike belt centered on the road. There was no escaping as 3 other cops are chasing behind him. "What to do? Should I resist arrest or what?"
He prepares his car to pass through the belt. BOOM! His tires went flat as he passed it; but he still attempts to drive. Sparks were flying. The GT-R is being tortured.
Tomo suddenly feels himself communicating his own car. "My GT-R is crying... am I pushing you too hard this time for my own selfish desire of freedom?" Tomo removes his foot off the accelerator. "I'm sorry my 34... Please forgive me..."
He brings the car to a complete stop, he raises the e-brake. All of the cop cars surrounded him. He can't escape. Not even on foot.
He puts his hands up in the air. The police calls out an EMS team. The all-powerful GT-R driver has given in to the law, not knowing why he was pursued.

Chapter 21 - Rights and Privileges

The setting takes place on a local police station... Tomo was in a cell waiting; sitting on the bench which was there on one side of the cell. A guard approaches him.

"Sir, the inspector would see you now." He opens the cell door and Tomo comes along.

He sat right outside the inspector's office... thinking why did the feds arrest me? if I was speeding they could've at least just gave me a ticket or something...
The police officer tells him to come into the office. He sits down looking at a someone in his chair, with his back against him.

"Um..."
"sorry for the intrusion... It seems that you're not from here and your car resembles one of the vehicles that we're after... But you did break a few rules here so I'm afraid I have to issue you a ticket."
"Okay... Wait... this car you were after that looks like mine... how'd you & your men come to the conclusion that MY car was the car YOU GUYS were after?"
"We never got any close visual contact with the vehicle. He was just too fast for our crew's standard sedan cruisers."
"(Don't you guys have like a registered hidden camera or something or a file on registered cars on your district? Saying that, it sounds like you guys are in the lowest division in the whole PD squad...) So the only thing you're familiar with is that it's blue?..."
"And it had those two round paired taillights at the back."
"Sounds like my GT-R but not quite. Why is that you guys never had visual contact with the car that you were after?"
"One word, Skill. and besides; are division is more on the on-foot patrol and crime scene investigating ability; when it comes to driving maneuverability and techniques, are division was the lowest; especially when it involves apprehending a suspect who has that advantage; we need to rely on the other divisions for that."
"Ouch... Got any leads aside from the information you got?"
"Well... we were told that the car was a CHEVROLET."
"MY CAR'S A NISSAN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!" Tomo breaked into rage.
"Wait..." Tomo thought for a moment. "Chevy? Blue chevy? (The only car that matches that is Lucas' Corvette! So... he's the wanted person!?)"
"Inspector... I think I know who you're dealing with..."
"Okay... let's make a deal." The inspector said as he puffs out a huge cloud of smoke from his mouth. The close eyed inspector goes towards the window. Later on, he tilts his head and looks at Tomo.
"I'll drop the charges; but you gotta help us with this abomination."
"Deal."
the 2 drivers shook on it; suddenly...
"Tofu?" The inspector asked.
"Eh?" Tomo was freaked out when the inspector showed the tofu wrapped in plastic. "N...no thanks."
"Fine... Anyway... what's your name son? I don't give out my name to anyone so just call me inspector."
"I'm from Japan; you can call me Tomo."
"Tomo huh... welcome to the force..."

Chapter 22 - When the first petal falls on the ground

The 2 head from the inspector's office down to the garage in the basement.
"Sorry again for the intrusion." the inspector said looking at Tomo with his eyes closed.
"It's alright."
"As a token of apology; we called out the EMS team to bring your car to a local tire shop close by. I'll take you there in my Subaru..."
"A subaru? You're a tuner fan?"
"You can say that... anyway; no time left. Who knows if we've lost our lead."
The 2 reached the B1 floor. As they were about to step out, Tomo sees a grey Subaru Impreza WRX STi Ver. V... However; despite the Impreza's presence in a 'foreign' land, Tomo was unimpressed.*

The two got on the car and headed out for the tire shop.

[9:30 p.m. - Local Tire shop]
"I'll leave you now. Here; it's my number. Call me if you seen him do any other mischief." The inspector said. He heads for the door and leaves.
Tomo heads for his car and checks the tires.
"What kind of the tires are these?"
"Those are high-class AVON tires." The shop owner said to Tomo.
"Avon? Isn't that a soap brand?"
"Coincidentially, it is. But this brand has been supporting the 24 hr. Le Mans to all competitors."
"Really? I never knew that?"
"Anyway, those are free. This has been approved by the inspector of this block's division. Hope you enjoy it."
"Okay."
Tomo boards his GT-R and heads back to the hotel at last.

[9:35 p.m. - Infenion raceway]
Daiki, Sakura & Tetsuya went back to Infenion after the modification of Tomo's GT-R34. Sakura was still in the midst of training but it seems she has reached her limit.
A red GT-R34 Skyline approaches the last hairpin of the course. She brakes hard; changes gears from gear 4 to 3 to 2 and hits the apex of the corner perfectly but there was something wrong with the way she exits the corner. As soon as the front end of the GT-R has faced the straightway, it was still turning right. As Sakura came back to her senses, she quickly countersteers, but sends her car spinning when she tried to de-gas a bit. g-forces suppressing her in her seat; the seatbelt, crushing her chest. The red GT-R went to an instant 360 spin.

It came to a stop.
The tires were smoking hot as it came to a halt.
Sweat drops fell on Sakura's cheeks, running towards her chin.
Daiki and Tetsuya just noticed the red GT-R just 200 meters away from the goal.
"She's been at it for how long again?" Tetsuya asked.
"35 laps, if I counted correctly."
"How long IS the sports car battle?"
"double of what she's done tonight. I only saw her at lap 10 onwards."
"70 laps huh... that's harsh..."
"Tell me about it. she stopped at lap 17 to change the tires on her own."
"Wow... she really must want to win..."
"On the contrary" Daiki interrupted.
"Eh?"
"I was able to ask Tomo and Kasumi about her one occasion why she's included and if she gots what it takes..."
"And?"
"Sakura has this... fear of failure syndrome..."
"Like she doesn't wanna fail or something?"
"Yeah... 'she hates that' Tomo said to me."
"But as far as what we see tonight, she's reached her limit... or is it because it's the dead of the night..."
"She's not much of a dead-night racer, I can tell."
"I better help her out." Tetsuya says snatching a bottle of water from the tabletop.
"Sakura, I know you wanna perfect this... picturing the course 100% perfectly on your mind... but I think you know when to draw the line... or you're just ignoring it... you should know too that you're not the only one suffering as you go... your car as well..." Daiki muttered to himself.
Sakura reached out for the bottled water Tetsuya was handing over to her.
"Tomo... where are you? Why is it I have a feeling something new has come up that involves you?"
The 2 push the GT-R to the pits after Sakura was rejuvenated. Tetsuya checks the GT-R for any internal damage.
"Say... Sakura... when did you start practicing?"
"Um... quarter to eight..."
"for 2 straight hours... I can't believe it..." Tetsuya uttered to Daiki.
"She's a fighter I can tell you that..."
"You seemed fatigued..."
"Yeah... sorry if I got you worried..."
"Well, it's just like how Tomo described to me about you."
"Tomo told you that?"
"Yeah... he did say that despite your personality infront of people; privately, you're a real fighter & strives for greatness. You can tell by your heart if what you did or doing is right and..."
Daiki cuts his descriptions short as he notices Sakura blushing...
Did Tomo really say that... OMG... Wow... Sakura talked to herself.
"You alright?"
"Ah... y...yes-yes... I'm okay..." She said in panic.
"Anyway, it's getting late. We'd better head back. We'll continue your training tomorrow... besides, you still got 2 days before the big competition, right?"
"Yeah... even if it's practice, I'll still do my best." Sakura said in excitement, with a smile.
"That's a good attitude." Tetsuya followed.
"C'mon Kudou. Help me up with her GT-R onto the carrier." Daiki said as he points on the carrier at the back of Tetsuya's Jeep Commander.

[later... 10:00 pm]
"Okay. the gate's locked." Tetsuya confirmed.
"Good. waddya say we head on back. I'm pooped."
"Same here. what about sakura."
Daiki and Tetsuya rushed to the Jeep Commander to see.
She's quietly sleeping. Like a little kid who passed out due to fatigue.
"She's sleeping soundly..." Tetsuya confirmed.
"Let's go, then. We're all the same - tired." Daiki says as he puts a long cotton blanket on her.
The SUV leaves the venue, with the Red GT-R on the carrier, covered; being pulled by it.
Inside the car...
Tetsuya sips on a cup of hot choco.
Daiki fell asleep with his fist on his cheek while leaning on the window.
Sakura, who was sleeping soundly with a smile on her face, sheds a tear for some reason...

edit: forgot my footnote...
*the primary reason why Tomo was unimpressed by the Impreza's presence are due to 2 reasons:

• He totally envies the Impreza as it does almose everything better compared to the GT-R... being lightweight and all...
• He encountered one back at Akina, Gunma Japan in the hands of a complete juvenile who planned to ram the car he's driving on down Akina's DH; note: he (Tomo) was driving Rikona's SXE10 TRD Altezza

Chapter 23 - Climbing up the Stairs to the Mountains above

The next day came. Kasumi was still asleep in the bedroom. Tomo was asleep also on the sofa. There was a note stuck on their door.

Hiei & Ryusen were rushing towards Tomo's room to warn him of something.
"TOMO TOMO!! Something's up bigtime!!"
"THERE'S A DUDE IN A CORVETTE WAITING FOR YOU IN THE LOBBY!!"
"HE LOOKED SCARY & GAVE US A PRETTY BAD LOOK...!"
"Alright, alright... I get the picture..."
Tomo had a huge hunch that it was Lucas Scott who is waiting for him at the lobby.
He dressed up and went down to the lobby. And there was Lucas waiting for him...
"Tomo, right? I got an invitation for ya from our troops..."
"Is it a race invitation or something?"
"That's right... I recieved word that you were looking for me one night; in our "culture", that's looking for competition..."
"And?"
"To show you that I accept, I'm giving you an opportunity to battle me..."
"Just an opportunity? What do you mean exactly?"
"You can't fight me directly. You need to work your way up. It's the way of the underground & you can't go against it."
"Whatever it is... I accept it..."
"Alright, that's the spirit... Before I go..." Lucas said as he goes out of the building, looking at Tomo..."I want to know your motif for challenging me... I know you're not the type who's just greedy for a battle."
"Let me answer that with a question: why did you abandon your previous passion? Why did you leave that part of you behind?"
"Why did I? I wasn't suited for that in the first place. I was walking in the wrong road. They were all pushovers - my teammates in my basketball days; seriously, if you need something done, you need to do it yourself. Until I saw this road called "street racing", I need to get with the times. I can't accept that lost I had a decade ago. Yeah, people could say I'm too proud of myself that I'm the best and I couldn't let anything, not even defeat get the best of me. They all need to understand that... I AND my PRIDE are one... I'm proud of myself, got a problem with that? And now that I'm unstoppable in this field... not even you can stand a chance! I'm letting you give me your best shot at pushing me off this field... If I lose, I'll get your word for it. BUT if I win, you need to accept this fact Kitsumoro, that without pride... you're nothing."
Having said that, Lucas went off...
you're a fool Lucas Scott... your philosophy is something I can't approve of. Pride isn't everything. I'll show you. Being proud does nothing but make you see defeat... I will show you the light and bring you back to the person you once were and move on as that person; not the person you are today...
"T...Tomo? You okay?" hiei asked.
"Can't you see it Hiei? Tomo's aura is blazing..." Ryusen said in awe.
Tomo heads back to the room that he's staying at, grabs his GT-R keys & phone and heads down once more to meet up with Tetsuya & Daiki at a nearby coffee shop.
He dials Daiki's number.
Ring. Ring. Daiki picks up the call.
"Hello?"
"Kitsumoro. Call Tetsuya and meet me at the coffee shop just a block away from the hotel."
"You're making a move on the derby?"
"Yeah. It's time to settle things. He came up to me with a challenge."
"by he do you mean Lucas?"
"Right. If he's desperate for attention, I'm giving him."
"Don't get too overconfident now, okay? You know what happens to those who get puffed up with pride."
"I am aware of that. Just make sure I do."
"eh? (What the heck does he mean by that?) Well, I'm off now - to the coffee shop. You can tell me your plans there."
"Good." Tomo boards the GT-R and heads off.

[Coffee Shop - 10:45 a.m.]
(15 minutes later)
Tomo tells Daiki and Tetsuya of his plans. He wants to prepare his car for the underground.
"What WERE his conditions that he threw at ya?" Tetsuya asked.
"These." Tomo hands over the note of the conditions that Lucas is expecting to be met.
Let's see...

"That ain't much of a problem to ya as I could see." Tetsuya affirmed with pride.
"It's not as easy as you think it is Kudou. Don't ya know the abilities of applying Nitrous oxide to your car?" Daiki interrupted.
"What then?"
"If the battle was a straight match, obviously, the one who is equipped with it will most definetly win."
"Then I should leave 'em behind at the start."
"You're getting puffed up Kitsumoro..."
"No I'm serious. I can still remember the racing style of that flame-bodied Evolution 9 that challenged me when we got here...
because of too much power in the cars, the tendency to understeer is definetly assured. If they need to counteract that, long braking is required.
That way, with my car having less power than them, I can increase the gap in the corners, adding the factor that my car's 4WD..."
"There's a glitch to what you concluded there Tomo. Remember, weight reduction is common here, so even if you have a corner-advantage car in your hands, they'll still close the gap with a lighter body, thus larger cornering speed and a higher exit-corner speed."
"Daiki's got a point. any other bright ideas?"
"Then let fate do it's bidding." Tomo said in a serious tone.
The other two were confused with what Tomo said.
Daiki later on realized what Tomo meant when he reminisced on his battles against him back at Japan.
"He could be right you know. (We wouldn't know what to expect from Tomo once he's in action. if his car is weak, then he just has to compensate on some other factor that is unexpected)"
"Tetsuya."
"Y...yeah?" He replied, still trying to read between what Tomo said.
"bring a small tanker. we're starting this tonight."
-------------------------------------------
Finally... The race is soon gonna start!!

This post has been edited by Gunma's 34 on Oct 6 2009, 01:56 AM

Nice!!!

Sweet illustrations too!

It's been a while so sorry for the delayed update. I got hooked on Dirge of Cerberus FF VII [PS2] recently... anywho... now that I finished the game, here's the next update:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Episode 7 Silence could never suppress the RB's howl
Chapter 24 - Night of the full Moons


[12:05 a.m.; Local city streets.]
The city is quiet on one end. On the other end, there were drivers with highly modified cars on the road, just waiting for one more competitor to show up. Later on, they can hear an RB26DETT Engine come up to them. It was Tomo and an EMS service truck behind him.
The locals started to laugh.
"Hahahaha... what's up with this clown....!?"
"Lucas told us to race this wreck!?"
Tomo pulls over, does a quick 360 spin and positions his car parallel to the other 3.
Round 1 is about to begin - a circuit race around the main road - near an industrial park & factory.
3...2...1... go!!
Tomo quickly gains first, thanks to the AWD system.
He's being followed by a Supra, an Impreza, & a 350Z coupe.
The first 125 degree hairpin is coming. With Tomo just a hundred meters away from the corner.
"Tetsuya, I want you to turn off the ATTESA ET-S for this moment."
"Let's see if I can increase the gap from here..."
Tomo brakes, de-gasses as he hits the corner's apex. As it starts to gain a higher angle, he countersteers before his rear bumper hits the wall.
The gap increased even more, down to 200 meters and increasing after every corner...
"w...what is this guy?"
"He's extremely...no... monstrously fast!"
"We...can't keep up..."
After 10 minutes, the battle was over... With Tomo clearing around close to a kilometer's length from the 2nd placer...
At Lucas' Mansion, Lucas was there on his study looking at the city from his window. He receives a text from his peers who is included in the street racing scene as of this moment. The text says that Tomo has easily defeated the top circuit racers in record time. Reading this, Lucas made a huge tantrum - getting a book that he sees close to him and releases all his rage in it; throwing it to the ground.
Hours later Tomo was asked to race in a sprint match from where they are all the way to the entrance to the canyons.

[2:55 a.m.; Canyon]
The battle reaches the climax: a one on one duel with a Street Tuned Lambo Murcielago; equipped with a wide body kit with larger air dams for better wind ventilation, in a downhill canyon duel. The canyon's name was nicknamed "Journeyman's Bane". Tomo starts of as a chaser.
"They made a false move this time. We all know that the chaser has the ultimate advantage in this sort of race." Tetsuya told Daiki in assurance.
"I wouldn't count on that, Kudou. Not all who have the chaser position has the full advantage. If the runner is skilled, which supports his car's optimum performance, then he could increase the gap from that point; thus rendering the chaser out of league." Daiki responded.
"Will Tomo do well?" Tetsuya asked.
"Well... he still has the advantage here."
"eh?"
"It was the mistake on the part of the locals to pit in a Lamborghini."
"I still don't get it..."
"Have you forgotten? Tomo already had experience dealing with Lamborghinis. He did race Kitana back at Italy who was driving A LAMBORGHINI."
"Now I remember. In terms of history, the Diablo and Murcielago 'play' alike. Afterall, the Murcielago IS the Diablo's successor. And the fact that Tomo has battled a Diablo makes this next race of his easier."
The race began. The Lambo immediately increased the gap from the start with the small straight that was infront of them. The Lambo was heavy so it only attacks following the center line of the road for balance. Tomo attacks on the apex, 1 to 2 feet away from the guardrail. With the ATTESA ET-S off, the car was acting like Sakura's newly modified R34 when they tested it out. At one corner, the Lambo braked before entering the medium right bend to the small tunnel. Big mistake Tomo reitterated to himself. Tomo, with perfect timing, ungassed while turning causing the rear end to go berserk. With that move, the gap decreased. As Tomo turned early and hit the apex; corner after corner, the gap decreased... until the GT-R is directly behind the Lamborghini.
"What's wrong with this kid!?" The Lambo driver asked.
As they reached the long straight before the Iroha-based chicane, The Lambo driver increased the gap yet needed to brake early as soon as it reached the first hairpin. Tomo's GT-R was on the range of 1275 kg so he just braked half the distance of what the Lambo needed. holding the e-brake, Tomo induces the GT-R to a zero countersteer drift through the first bend. He intentionally wanted the car to oversteer and instead of countersteering to clear the first, he let's the understeer kick in to not countersteer. He does the same for the other 4 corners. Following this section is a long circular section where one huge corner is shaped like 3/4 of a circle, reminding us all of the second checkpoint of the Myogi downhill. "This seems familiar..." Tomo said.
The Lambo on the other hand is having trouble. Understeer is already kicking in real bad and he needed to brake as soon as his car is veering off the center line. This gave Tomo the ultimate advantage, sticking his car on the inside, he's positioned well for an out in out attack at the next right hander. As the Lambo faced the next corner, he braked hard, even using the e-brake to pull away from the barricade. Checking his rear view mirror... "Wher'd he ... go!?" The Lambo driver exclaimed. He looks at his right side seeing a GT-R already overtaking him...
"NO!! IF he overtakes me and stays for 10 seconds in the lead, it's over..."
But it was too late, the GT-R took the lead and increased the gap bit by bit.

"His Tires gave in because of too much braking and the weight added that effect. Stupid fool. His car is too heavy for the downhill, obviously before the race ends, you'll lose despite all that power."
Ten seconds passed and Tomo still has the lead, increasing the gap after every corner. No doubt he won already.
Everyone in the base was shocked. Daiki and Tetsuya weren't as they already know the outcome.Once they saw a GT-R speeding down the pass, they were all silent.
The GT-R stops infront of Daiki, Tetsuya and the Wrecker behind him. "Fill 'er up." Tomo told Tetsuya pointing at the gas tank in the EMS. "What am I? your gas service?! sheesh..."
"Good job Kitsumoro."
"It was nothing. Knowing that I'm gonna race a Murcielago; gave me all the attacks that I needed. Thanks to Kitana; this race was nothing at all..."
"C'mon. Let's head back. I need rest if I'm gonna be tutoring Sakura tomorrow for the race that'll take place the day after tomorrow."
"I'll try my best to be there, tell her that. I just need to loosen up some end with Lucas."
After that conversation and the GT-R gas filled, they went off the canyon.
The locals on the other hand had their heads down. They had their best of the best yet they lost.
I guess, Lucas is the only one left... We're supposed to not let the kid win and not get Lucas' hands dirty.
the kid is a monster
Don't worry, Lucas is an even bigger monster.
You got that right.
Back at the mansion...
Lucas threw his cellphone to the ground, thus breaking it. "If you want something done... you should do it yourself... incompetent people. They can't stop a midget Skyline... gimme a break. Well, I'll show that kid that if you ain't got a whole lotta pride in ya' then a loss is well assured. My Corvette with my skills is like the dragon engulfing a town in flames. I can't be stopped. He can catch up but that's all he can do... I'll guarantee that. I AM the best in this town." With that said Lucas kept on laughing like a demonic evil-doer.


Chapter 25 - Grand Prix

Kasumi was busy reading a book, while waiting for Tomo's arrival, entitled Mankind's search. Sakura comes back from practice. "Hey Sakura" Kasumi said closing the book she was reading.
"Hey, Kasumi... w...what time is it?" Sakura asked in a gloomy tone. "quarter to 4 in the morning..." Kasumi replied...
"I see..." Sakura's voice went pale and she suddenly went falling down; plunging towards the floor. Kasumi quickly grabs her by the stomach. "You okay?"
"I'm... just tired..."
"You need some rest."
"Yeah... you're right... don't wake me up okay?"Sakura said as she went to the bedroom and closed the door shut.
"She's working really hard..." Kasumi uttered to herself.
Tomo later on arrives completely fatigued and falls down near the door. Kasumi hears the bang of a fallen body and sees Tomo on the ground.
"TOMO!!" Kasumi panics and heads quickly for Tomo's fallen body.
"You alright?"
"I...I'm f...fine...I just need to rest..."
"Here" Kasumi assists Tomo to the sofa "Sakura's in the bedroom. You can sleep here."
"Thanks..." A completely tired Tomogashi said as he slowly lies down on the sofa...
"What have you been exactly doing?"
"Climbing my way up to fight Lucas..."
"Are you sure you're ready to take him on?"
"Kasumi... I need to show Lucas that his principle of pride is an ignorant theory...as the Proverbs say...Pride before a crash..."
"haughtiness before a stumble I know that line too..."
"I'm racing him tonight... I can't go to work today... call the manager I got a fever and I'll come the day after tomorrow..."
"Okay... sure..."
Kasumi looks at a pitiful looking Tomo catching up on his sleep...
"No one knows what Tomo's intentions are... because I was taken under his wing..." saying the last few words, Kasumi blushed... "Um... only I could sympathize with what Tomo is doing..."

That happened at around 4:54 a.m. Some are still asleep and some have gotten up from bed to fix breakfast up...
Hours later, 7:00 hits the clock. Sakura, Tomo and Daiki are still asleep. Kasumi was sitting next to Tomo... waiting for him to get up.
Someone knocks at the door.Telegram the voice from the other side of the door said to whoever was in there, and slid the letter under the door. Kasumi picks it up and sees Tomo's name in the back.
"This must be Tomo's... It could either be from his Boss at the internship training or from Lucas Scott..." When she saw the Japanese characters "CHALLENGE" in the front. "It's from Lucas...I had a huge feeling..."
She opens the letter.
"I know Tomo won't mind at all..."

"So he is racing him... those previous races must've worn him out completely..."
"So the Top Driver makes his move, huh?"
Kasumi wondered who it was. It was Kitami.
"Yes. He gave Tomo this letter." Kasumi said while showing Kitami the letter."but... How'd you know about Lucas?"
"Long story. But I'll tell you anyway..."

"So you have no idea what Lucas has in plan against Tomo?"
"No. That's all I heard."
"Useless..." Kasumi said in a sigh of discontent...
"Say, Kasumi... If Tomo's planning to race that Z06..."
"Yeah?" She answered.
"Tell him to attack on the right areas... that way, he won't lose at all..."
"Okay; sure."
With that, Kitami made his departure.
Kasumi looks at Tomo again, thinking about what Kitami said to her.
"Attack on the right areas, huh? What did he mean by that...?"

[Troy's peak...
11:35 p.m.]
A lot of street racers have appeared to see Lucas Scott race the GT-R that everyone despised.
All are anxious to see the winning streak of that GT-R come to an end.
Many, who were spectating bid for Lucas to win.
in one road, close to a wide intersection, a blue Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R waits...
The GT-R is patiently waiting for the Z06 to appear.
"He told me to wait here... Where IS he then?" Tomo uttered.
From his behind... a huge roar from a modified LS7 engine makes a ruckus turning all heads.
It was the Corvette itself... And it's none other than Lucas Scott's Corvette. Evidently, it was his because of the custom GT wing behind it and the blue stripes in it's front.
At the same time, Tomo's phone rang. He received a text from Kasumi...

"I won't... I'll assure you that..." Tomo whispered to his cellphone.
The Corvette does a zero countersteer drift on a T-intersection towards the starting line.
As soon as he sees the GT-R in sight, 500 meters away... the corvette brakes at 325 meters - in between him and the GT-R...
It stopped right next to the GT-R perfectly.
The same guy who talked with Lucas, whom Kitami saw, stepped out of the Corvette to start the countdown and give Tomo what he needs to know.
"Hey kid. I'm pin pointing the location of the goal on your GPS. You're on your own from this point onwards..." Tomo just nodded hearing that.
"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED PEOPLE!!" The guy shouted out to the crowd.
Everyone was excited and were all rooting for the Blue Corvette. Lights all around. people covering the other lanes.
All this ruckus catches the eyes of the Inspector, that Tomo negotiated with before, from his office.
"So this is the night..." the Inspector said puffing out a huge ball of smoke.
Kasumi, too sees the many colored lights coming out of one small area. She knows that Tomo is there. She just stares intimately at the lights, trying to picture in her mind what is happening.
All the odds were against Tomo, as everyone thought...
Tomo was only in a state of silence. Ignoring all the boos and hisses that the locals throw at him.
Concentrating on his revs, he taps his foot on the gas raising the needle to 7500 rpm.
Backfires coming out of the GT-R's stock muffler (yes, he's still using the same visual upgrades during the Infineon mock-contest)...
Lucas revs his engine all the way to the 8000 rpm red zone and looks at Tomo with an utterly serious look. Tomo on the other hand is focused on what he's thinking - not losing to a lowlife like Lucas...
"Pride before a crash..." Tomo whispers..."haughtiness before stumbling..."
"I'm number 1! I'm the best... there's no one else!!" Lucas uttered to himself boosting his self esteem...
FIVE!! FOUR!! THREE!! TWO!! ONE!! GO!!
The GT-R and Z06 blast off the starting line and onto the city streets. Their goal was the exit of the city onto the canyons; they made the race more of like a touge battle as evidently, the GT-R's power isn't capable of outrunning a much-modified Z06's LS7 engine...
If Tomo could stay behind Lucas and cling to him, he wins... but if Lucas outruns him, completely, for 15 seconds, then the race is over...

Chapter 26 - Breaking the Silence

Tomo and Lucas never said a word as soon as they made eye-to-eye contact with each other before the race... A 'hot', beautiful, dark brown long-haired woman stood in between the 2 cars and is ready to count down...
She looks at Lucas and he just gave a thumbs up along with a wink. Then, she looks at Tomo and gave a wink at him. He blushed a bit and nods afterwards.
The woman raised both of her arms and everyone started shouting "Three! Two! One!" altogether. after everyone shouted out the numbers, the woman threw her hands down signaling a go. The GT-R and Z06 rocketed out of the starting line.
Since Lucas' Z06 is accustomed to the public roads here, it was set for the ultimate acceleration capabilities it was known for and holds the lead. The GT-R although a 4WD has lost to the Z06 in terms of off the line acceleration.

Lucas shifts to gear 2 with a backfire coming out of his exhaust, screaming at 4500 rpm. Tomo shifts to gear 2 with a bit sluggish movement as he directs it to the power band of 9000 rpm. Both the cars have reached a current speed of 120 mph with a gap of 70 meters in between the Corvette and the Skyline. "As soon as we hit the first hairpin, we'll see what he's capable with..." Lucas uttered as he shifts to gear 3.

"The Z06 is pulling away bit by bit on this straight... if Tetsuya haven't upgraded my GT-R back there, it's obvious that I have lost in the beginning. Good thing I never said a word to Tetsuya about detuning my R34 from 700 hp down to 550 hp. Now, CATCH UP GT-R!!" Tomo declared to his car. The first Hairpin is up - the perimeter of an exclusive hotel displaying a volcano mold/monument with fake, yet realistic lava. Lucas has his hands ready on the e-brake. He brakes 150 meters ahead and induces his Z06 to an e-brake drift.
Tomo, who braked late, closed the gap and braked as it hits the apex. Although there was no gap present between the two as they passed the apex, the Corvette slowly increases the gap from that point up to the exit.

"The corner was wide but because of the speed we've reached moments ago, understeer is very evident on all cars. The settings of most cars here is focused on power and is aided by a bit of weight reduction and suspension settings because of the handling capabilities are very weak from that moment on... But they're all irrelevant compared to my Corvette. Mine is completely balanced, both power and handling are top-notch; only I can control my Z06 the way I want." Lucas proudly declared as he presses on the gas even harder.

There was a hooded person standing with the other spectators, watching the race from afar. It was Shinosuke Kitamaru; he sees Tomo's GT-R acting unusual. "Is it because his R has too much power? Is that the reason why his GT-R is acting unusual?" he pondered.
A 500 meter straightway, followed by another right hander, leading to a tight, left hairpin. The Corvette understeered drastically but powerslides like crazy as it's rear tired touched the grass on the outside. It's as if he's preparing to induce his Z06 to an inertial, out-in-out drift attack. Tomo, on the other hand, 200m meters behind, veers towards the outside and brakes hard as soon as he's 50 meters from the apex; thus having his car well positioned on the outside of the upcoming hairpin curve. "What kind of move is he planning?" Tomo wondered. He sees the Corvette doing a perfect drift on the apex of the corner. "His angle is too high yet his car gracefully glides through the turn..." he stated in awe.
Coming out of the bend into the straightway next to a casino, the GT-R and Corvette shouts throughout the straightway. "Full powerrrrrr!!" Lucas exclaimed. "It ain't over yet!!" Tomo thought to himself as he shifts to gear 4 at 135 mph. At the end of the straight next to the casino, elevation rises as soon as they pass the next intersection. It was an uphill section composed of multiple, light S-curves. The road however is wide so it won't be a problem nor a hindrance for the 2 drivers. Lucas increased the gap to 425 meters with Tomo's GT-R catching up. The GT-R's rev needle is close to the powerband, once more. Both cars zoomed through the light bisection into a cliff-side road. The Z06 is sliding through the road, driving erratically. The GT-R, meanwhile, is stable as soon as it catches up to the zig-zagging Z06. "What's he up to? Why is his Z06 swerving erratically?" Little did Tomo know that Lucas has something in store for what he's doing. He's adjusting the weight shift of the car, looking for the exact position of the weight ballast. As soon as Lucas braked while swerving, the weight pushed the car further into a slide position, fit for drifting. Tomo observed the Z06's movements closely as he grips through the corner. "Pushing the car by positioning its ballast on the exact area where the weight pushes the car further, increasing its angle and inducing it to a drift... Sounds illogical but... what he did is somewhat... SOMEWHAT similar to what I've concluded." Tomo observed. "Beat that, GT-R Boy!!" Lucas proudly shouted, directing it at Tomo.

The 2 cars are now close to the Silverton Town exit onto the highway, with the Z06 leading and the GT-R34 500 meters behind. Lucas grips towards the entrance to the highway as Tomo attempts to drift his GT-R through the junction...

[Local Police department]
A police officer hurriedly rushed to the inspector's office. He bangs on the door and calls out "INSPECTOR!! INSPECTOR!!"
The inspector, sipping a shot of beer, replies "WHAT I'M BUSY!! REPORT FROM THERE!"
"Sir, street racers are racing around Silverton!! Should we do something?"
"Just stand down..."
"but..."
"STAND DOWN, officer!!" The officer didn't bother to argue any further.
The inspector puffs out a huge ball of smoke out of his mouth. "We make our move as soon as that kid is in the Canyons... In the meantime, go back to your post. You're dismissed."
"SIR!!" The police officer said as he leaves the office.
"That kid... could be the one who can do what no one ever dared..." The inspector whispered with a grin on his face.

[Silverton highway to Downtown]
The GT-R slowly closes the gap using his slipstream attack. But it wasn't enough to close the gap completely. From 500 meters, it's now down to 175 meters. As Lucas brakes, Tomo only decelerates, thus decreasing the gap even more.

"I don't want to look at the mirror... I know it'll disrupt my concentration. But I know he's near. closing in; but as soon as we pass the apex, the lead is assured. But with his capabilities, I know from a few kilometers back, there's no way I could relegate him and ensure my full victory. What I just need to do is... MAINTAIN THIS LEAD..." Lucas said, analyzing his situation.

The Z06 increased the gap once more as soon as both cars exited the apex. Going through the downtown expressway. "Wait... there's something wrong with what I'm doing... why'd I forget that I should just minimize the gap and no need to take the lead... what an Idiot I am..." Tomo said in an irritating tone. "As long as I limit my distance from the corvette in front of me... this win is assured... No need for me to take the lead... I only need to close this gap and I'm safe!"

Lucas attempts to increase the gap much more... and getting a bit frustrated...
"Argh... how is it that this kid, who doesn't care how good he is nor is he proud of his skill, could be this good; compared to me...? My skill is perfect and I'm proud of it but... why is that somebody like him... equalize with me?" he pondered while briskly shifting 2 gears down as he enters the next junction to the other side of silverton from Downtown.
Tomo, on the other hand, as the first race comes to a close uses engine braking to close the gap and clear the corners faster before the Z06 could even pull away. "A little more..." Tomo uttered.

All who were part of the spectators in the starting line went to the canyons boundary awaiting the victor. The same woman who started the countdown, the guy whom Lucas was with and all the others in the crowd are awaiting Lucas' Corvette coming to the finish all alone...

2 familiar engine tones can be heard 200 meters away. They know it's Lucas but...
"If that other engine tone is the GT-R... could it possibly mean..."
As soon as the 2 cars approach the last bend, everyone can't believe their eyes!
The Corvette; leading, but...
THE GT-R is behind it.
"No way!! Lucas Lost!?"
"This can't be..."
"Am I seeing things or did I see OUR Lucas Scott lose to a nobody...?"
Everyone was panicking in connection to the battle...
"So he was able to keep up... sweet moves, Tomo. The Corvette may be powerful but like any other sports car in the GT-R's level it has one basic flaw - it's heavy and the Z06's peak power is way too high... It's surprising to see Lucas control powerslides with such a beast but it's even more surprising to see that the GT-R kept up with those kinds... He (Lucas) was weak with turn in up to the apex & Tomo was able to close the gap at that point... As far as what I can see, the race is unanimous." Shinosuke whispered as he went to his FD and leave.

Tomo stepped out of the Skyline; and Lucas stepped out of his Z06. The 2 approach each other. They stared abruptly in each other's eyes.
"Let's do the canyon..." Tomo said...
"We're feeling a little cocky, eh? Just because you kept up with my Z06..."
"Who says I am." Saying that, Tomo steps back on his GT-R and heads for the mountains. Lucas, evidently did the same thing...


[ Post merged on Oct 28 2009, 09:30 PM ]
Episode 8 - Glorious moments that never surprises the experienced one.
Chapter 27 - Going down the Deadfall Junction

The Canyons were dark. Lights were very dim; but the Sounds are enveloped with the noise of revving engines. A lot of cars were parked on the sidelines. A Blue Nissan Skyline R34 and a Blue Chevrolet Corvette ease up on the gas going up the canyon pass. They both slowly reached the top and made a turnaround, getting ready for the race.
Once again, everyone was rooting for the Corvette to win this time. Most of the spectators showed an irritating grin when they saw the GT-R close to the Z06.
I can't believe this jerk...
Could that loser think he'd win this time around?
I'd wish he got knocked over the canyon...
Back atop, Lucas Scott, the driver of the Corvette & self-proclaimed hero of the town steps off his car and approaches Tomo, who's sitting in the GT-R.
"By the looks of your face, you're ready. This will be similar to your so called togue battles at Japan. First round, you lead & I chase. Try to keep the lead as long as you can; that is if I didn't overtake you soon enough... heh heh..." Lucas laughed as he went back to his car.
Tomo was completely silent. He never said a word. His hands were glued tight to the steering wheel.
Lucas, too, was ready. He has all preparations made.
The same girl who started the countdown at the city race, arrived for the sole reason of starting the countdown also in this canyon battle.
She reached her arm out to her left, then to her right; later on, raised them both up in the air - this signaled "THREE, TWO, ONE"...
Tomo was compelled to press his accelerator all the way to the red zone.
As soon as the girl threw her hands down, Tomo quickly shifts it to gear 1 from N.
Lucas though was too calm and just waited before he could make his move as well. Suddenly, Lucas slowly shifts to gear 1 but kicks his accelerator, resulting in astonishing acceleration!
The gap that Tomo has made, 295 feet, was significantly narrowed down to just 20 feet.
Amazing acceleration... I'm outmatched again!!Tomo thought to himself.
"You should know by now that your defeat and my victory is 100 percent assured!"
A soft left bend followed by a medium corner and a tight left hander - a chicane of all sorts that the GT-R and the Z06 is on. The GT-R was close on the inside not veering off at all, unlike the Corvette that is drifting on the outside, induced in a drift at a 20 degree angle. Lucas controlled the position of his car via technical footwork - stabilizing its position. Reaching the incoming tight left section of the chicane Lucas does an out-in-out drift in succession to keep up. Tomo, however brakes too long and the Z06 easily kept up. The Z06 is now side to side with the GT-R.

"I won!!" Lucas exclaimed.
"No... not yet!! NOT YET!!" Tomo reacted in defense. He accelerates further and was able to break the tie. The cars were bumper to bumper and neither driver slowed down.
Soft bends followed the chicane a slight left-right-position yet makes it easy for cars, running at high speed, to lose control and to be induced in a weight-shift; yet both drivers cleared that section with no problem at all. They soon reach the tunnel leading them to a long straightway which was unusually angled at 10 degrees to the right, followed by a steep downhill.
The GT-R was picking up the pace & so is the Z06. Zooming down like 2 rabid dogs chasing each other, they raced through the cliffside at 150 mph.
"As soon as we reach the hairpins, I'll release my trump card at him. A card which I call Zero-Rocket!" Lucas strategized.
"I have a huge feeling that he's planning something..."
The 2 drivers have reached the 1st of the 4 hairpins. Lucas brakes hard and long halfway to the apex while Tomo slowed down just before the apex. The gap was big but that's what Lucas wanted...
"NOW!!"
The Z06 was slow on his turn in but with extensively amazing acceleration he was able to go side by side again with the GT-R!
"It's my version of the Out-in-out attack making good use of my ZO6's superior acceleration capabilities. At the same time, it's a good way to play mind games at my opponents! Think you can heighten the gap at the hairpins? Well, your luck is out my friend!!" The Z06 was on the outside of the next hairpin and slowed down drastically once again. The GT-R was on the inside yet it veered outward quite a bit. From there on, Lucas shortened the gap again and the 2 cars are nose-to-nose. This went on for the 3rd and 4th hairpin.
The Corvette easily closed the gap, yet Lucas isn't planning on overtaking him on the first round.
"I want to see him suffer bit by bit! I want him to break down further on the second round."
Nothing special much happened from the hairpin section until the goal.

The second round was up. The cars were ready. 3!2!1! GO!! The GT-R and Corvette rocketed out of the straightway! The gap slowly increased, later on drastically! Tomo was close to losing but he was only 10 feet away from the outrun countdown. As Lucas clears every corner at a speed far higher than the first round, Tomo just ungasses at every corner entry he enters. At the straight before the 4 hairpins, Lucas was acting high and mighty again...
"Alright! He's out of my sight! Now's the time to end this!!"
He slowly brakes shifts from 4 to 2 and holds the e-brake to induce his car to a drift. As soon as he did a surprise beheld Lucas' high & mighty eyes.
"No... NO WAY!! This CAN'T Beeee..."
Tomo was there bringing the gap back to a bumper-to-bumper state.
Through the 4 hairpins Lucas shows off his Zero Rocket move again as Tomo holds the e-brake before the corner and drifts through the corners at lightning speed.
The next straightway is followed by a bridge. Tomo ungasses at the end of the bridge, which was followed by an S-bend. Lucas increased the gap from there but he braked long & hard as he reaches the S-bend.
The Z06's tires were slowly deteriorating, losing it's grip.
A wide M curve awaits them after the steep downhill.
Tomo zeroed the gap as he goes through the corners. As they pass the last corner of the M curve, the Z06 veered outward even more, scratching the old guardrail. It was Tomo's chance to close in even more.
"Let's do this!! I'm ready to take the lead!"
The GT-R went side-to-side with the Z06 as soon as it braked and braked at the same time, next to the Z06!
The GT-R was on the inside & the Z06 on the outside.
The Z06 veered outward even more as it cleared the corner, losing speed at the same time, whilst the GT-R gripped through the inside increasing speed.
Tomo took the lead successfully.
"No!! NOT YET!! THERE'S STILL A CHANCE!!"
There was a 200 foot lead between the GT-R and the Z06. Lucas increased the acceleration of his Z06 and closed the gap.
The race was close! Lucas is closing in.
"I'll... win...I'LL WIN!!!" he exclaimed.
Before he knew it, bang! He hit the bumper of the GT-R! And increased the gap even more. His lust for victory ensured Tomo's...
It was over.
The Jack was toppled down!




Chapter 28 - Two minds, one theory... a nocturnal end

2 cars on the base of the Deadfall Junction canyon pass, joined by a group of locals in their highly upgraded cars. Tomo Kitsumoro and Lucas Scott have settled their disputes and Tomo was victorious.
A furious Lucas Scott looks at a calm Tomogashi.
"I can't believe this!!" Lucas shouts out in rage.
"There's no point in dealing with this. It was obvious, am I wrong? My 34 passed your Z06. There's no theory that you could point out that can turn the tables around."
"Why... you... Don't try to talk to me like that!"
"Just for curiousity sake, do you want to know why you lost? And for a clue, it ain't your car."
Lucas was in shock when Tomo gave that point.
"Your car was a perfect one. It has no weaknesses despite the huge power output it possesses. The problem was..."
Tomo points his finger at Lucas' nose.
"your attitude towards the battle!"
"M...my attitude? Give me a break!!"
"All you talk about is how great your skills are and how great your car is blah blah blah!... You got puffed up with pride. It clottered your thinking. Instead of thinking of a way you could outrun my 34, you were entangled with your thinking of the inevitable victory under your grasps. That's what led to your downfall."
Lucas' hands were shaking in fear. He makes a fist to stop his shivering.
"Don't try to talk to me like a priest!! My pride got me this far! I won't accept your reasoning! I'm still victorious despite this!! I'm still a winner!!" he reacted.
"Tell me... who was responsible with all your victories? You? or your pride? Your pride cannot be a source of glory. It's just a hindrance. Nothing good comes out of a person who just talks about himself. Let me give you a little fyi. Sure I may have been the only person who could bring out the potential of this 34. But guess what, Lucas... do you know who taught me and tuned my car? My companions, my friends; without them, I wouldn't be here at all. My victories are not mine because everyone had their part. I wasn't alone."
Lucas didn't say a word and was in shock, again, to what Tomo explained to him.
"No man is an island. That's an inevitable truth. Man was not made to live alone. He was given a partner. Almost in everything we do... no one succeeds alone. Being independent has brought you this far; but it doesn't mean that you can conquer all the pressures alone. That's what led me to my victory and led you to your downfall..."
Lucas' pride was shattered. He got down on his knees and regretted everything that he was proud of - himself.
"Pride before a crash, a haughty spirit before stumbling. You can't escape that fact."
"Tell me Tomo... you told me that you became great in racing because you were aided by your friends, right?"
"Yes."
"Who inspired you to this field?"
"No one."
"What?"
"No one inspired me. I had that personal interest."
"But you work as a chef..."
"I'm inspired by both. Is there a problem?"
"Doesn't that mean that you're a two sided driver?"
"No. It doesn't mean that."
Later on sirens started approaching them; becoming louder as a group of police cars come close. The whole police force led by a gray Subaru Impreza. Others panicked, but Tomo & Lucas stood still. The police came out with their guns aimed at Lucas.
"DON'T MOVE!!"the police said.
The inspector cane up close to Tomo & Lucas and faced the latter.
"Lucas Scott?"
"That's me." Lucas responded in a pale tone.
"You're under arrest for the following crimes: damage to property, disturbing the peace, reckless driving, owning illegal car modifications, unregistered modifications and the most common of all - Speeding. These infractions have totalled to impounding your vehicle and to be brought to the nearest police station for debriefing." The inspector said as he puffed a ball of smoke.
Two other police drivers came close to Lucas and cuffed him.
The inspector approached Tomo and gave him a warm handshake.
"Thanks, kid. You have helped us stop this menace. I thank you. And as promised..." The inspector took out a ticket, with Tomo's name on it and his infractions, and ripped it apart. "You're free to go. Your crime is adjurned." The inspector gave Tomo one last smile and headed to his Impreza.
"Tomo..." Lucas called out.
Tomo looks back at the arrested rival...
"Are you really into this? Racing I mean..."
"Why'd you ask...?"
"If you're unsure, then I assure you... you're just wasting time, energy and effort."
"C'mon, get movin'" the police officer said to Lucas.

"At this rate Tomo!!..." Lucas followed while being pushed into the cop car; "you'll lose all of this sooner or later!! All this will be a huge piece of s-" his last word was cut short when the cop closed the door infront of him.
The rest left. There were some who were arrested by the cops as well - Locals in gahoots with Lucas & his crew.
Tomo and his GT-R were the only ones remaining in the canyon.
"That isn't true, Lucas... I can succeed... c... can I?"
A gust of wind passed by Tomo's face, which was down, looking at his shadow...

Chapter 29 - Plans of a Transformation

That night, Kasumi was anxiously waiting for Tomo's return; also Sakura's. Later on, a knocking sound was heard by her.
"Who is it?" She asked. "It's me, Kasumi. It's Sakura." The voice said. She hurriedly went to the door.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw a happy Sakura.
"You seem happy. Did something good happened?"
"That's right. There's a glitch in my practice."
"Eh?" Kasumi wondered as she fixed her hair.
"While I practiced, the stopwatch, este timer, recorded my fastest time and was registered in this upcoming race. I can't wait to start my qualifications."
"Well, congratulations to you on that." Kasumi said with a smile.
"Now I got a time to beat to ensure the podium at the start of the race." Sakura followed happily.
"Say, where's Tomo?" She followed.
"He's at the canyon as of now. He faced Lucas Scott." Kasumi replied.
"Any news on it?" Sakura asked with a concerned tone.
"Not yet. I'm begginning to worry. About Tomo that is."
"Me too. Why don't you call him?"
"I tried but his phone is unattended."
Kasumi and Sakura went to the balcony to look at the starry night.
"Oh Tomo..." Sakura murmured.
"Where are you? I'm so worried about you..." Kasumi uttered too.

[Local Burger shop - 11:30]
"Okay Hiei!! This is it! The Final Frontier!!" Ryusen told his bestfriend.
"Ready for it? Can you still do it?" Hiei repled.
"Oh, come on, you know that I'm the man with 4 stomachs... Of course I can!!"
The 2 friends get ready as they have a hamburger on each hand.
"Ready..."
"Set..."
"G... HEY! It's Tomo!!"
Tomo comes in the shop and sits on the countertop.
"Coffee... make it a latte"
"Tomo!!" Hiei shouts out to Tomo.
"Come here! Wanna burger? It's a double pounder! Your fave with cheese and salsa..."
Tomo tells the waitress to bring it to their table. Tomo steps off the chair and goes to Hiei & Ryusen.
"What's up? Anything happened?"
"I just defeated Lucas..."
"WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT!!!???" Ryusen freaked out.
"No no no, Ryusen... like this. HHHHHHUUUUUUUWWWWWWWHHHHHHAAAAATTTTTT!!!!!?????" Hiei corrected.
"Yet, why aren't you happy? Aren't you glad you beat him?" Ryusen asked.
"Because, he said this to me after our battle...

... that's what he said." Tomo answered.
"Nah, I don't think you're wasting any time." Ryusen concluded.
"Though you're a chef-in-training and a professional racer at the same time. You're doing quite well with managing both! I know you won't fail!" Hiei followed.
"So... I won't fail in life?" Tomo asked.
"You will..." Hiei answered.
"Gee, thanks..." Tomo said turning back to his frowning face.
"... not fail..."
"Wha?"
"We know you won't! Tomo, the 3 of us are friends ever since High School. And Lucas met you only this week. WE know you more than that biker wannabe!!"
"He's all talk so get that off your head."
"Thanks guys..." Tomo said, shedding a tear...
"Whoa, dude... are you crying?" Hiei asked, quoting a line from the Disney Movie CARS.
"NO, HE'S HAPPY!" Ryusen replied, also quoting from the same movie mimicking the same voice.

Tomo can't help but laugh a bit.
"C'mon guys, it's getting late. We better head back to the Hotel." Tomo said with a smile.

[Hotel - 10 minutes later]
"Girls, we're back." Tomo said opening the door.
"Tomo..." Sakura said with a tone of relief, who was near the door.
"You're home!!!" Kasumi charged after Tomo, crying and pushing Sakura out of her way.
She hugged Tomo and he rubbed his hand down her long, orange-toned hair."
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
"You sure? You got me worried!" Kasumi said about to cry.
He rubbed her eyes, removing the soon-to-become tears. "C'mon, don't cry. You know I don't like it when you cry, Kasumi."
"Kitsumoro." Daiki called out, who was sitting in the couch. Tetsuya was sitting next to Daiki too.
Tomo went to Daiki and sat next to him.
"So you beat Lucas, huh?"
"That's right."
"Was it hard?" Hiei asked.
"Extremely."
"Side by side? or Runner-chaser fashion?" Sakura asked.
"The latter."
"How's the GT-R?" Tetsuya asked.
"Back bumper is damaged."
"AGAIN!? I JUST FIXED THAT AND YOU GOT IT DAMAGED AGAIN!?" Tetsuya panicked and tried to strangle Tomo.
"Not my fault, it was Lucas..." Tomo said, trying to calm the heated mechanic down. "That happened when he broke down and cracked"
"As if all his senses were deactivated and all he wants is to win, not carring whether you're in his way or not." Daiki commented.
"That's right." Tomo replied.
"Where's Lucas now?" Hiei asked.
"In prison. After our race, the police came by and arrested him."
"What about you?" Sakura asked. "How did you get away?"
"I teamed up with them for a moment to drop the charges I got before. I accepted and the inspector has my word."
"You never told us that! Are you hiding something?" Hiei asked.
"I'm not" Tomo said. "It's because they were after Lucas and I know how to help them... so the inspector gave me this proposition...

...and the rest is history."
"If he's in prison, then should you see if anything changed with him?" Ryusen requested.
"I don't think he'd change in one night, Ryu. He's completely stubborn with what he believes in." Tomo replied.
"You're right there." Kasumi agreed.
"But still, I'm going to visit him tomorrow. Anyone wanna come?" Tomo asked the group.
"I could." Kasumi answered.
"We'd all like but..." Daiki uttered. "Sakura's race is tomorrow. The big time. We all need to be there. Ryusen and Hiei as the pit crew, Tetsuya to do the setup, Me as the head of the pits. You understand right?"
"I know. I wish I could be there. What time does it start anyway?" Tomo asked.
"It starts at 2 p.m. the peak of the afternoon." Tetsuya answered.
"Aw man" Sakura reacted with her head down. "It's too bad you can't come. I guess we have our daily objectives and all. I just wish we could..."
"Don't worry Sakura. I'll be there. My visit with Lucas will be short." Tomo answered.
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"You'd better be." Sakura said pointing her finger as a warning. "We never get to talk much, even though we're on the same team. Priorities are different when we're there & we need to concentrate and..." she breaked in to silence.
"Really. Sakura, look at me."
Sakura raised her head and looked at Tomo.
"Do you trust me?"
"Well... I..."
"I'll be there." Tomo assured her.
"Also me." Kasumi followed up.
"We'll be there to cheer you on. To cheer ALL OF YOU on." Tomo assured the whole team.
"Another set of assuring words out of Kitsumoro's mouth..." Daiki uttered.
"Speaking of the race, where's Shinosuke & Kitami?" Hiei asked.
"They're with Hiroya and Shimizu doing their plans. Don't worry, they're a good enough team. Those 4 will do fine. We just need to make sure that nothing goes wrong with Sakura's run. That's our objective of the race." Daiki said.
"YES!!" Hiei, Ryusen and Tetsuya said in confidence.
"Alright. That settles that. Sakura, give me a call when it's starting okay?"
"Yes."
"Let's go get some rest guys. Tomorrow's a big day for Sakura. WE all need to do our part." Kasumi told the group.
With that the group went to their rooms and went to sleep. Tomorrow is something they need to have all their strengths ready for the start of the next round of the GT International Tournament.

Chapter 30 - Visiting the Imprisoned Adversary

As said by Tomo; the moment he left work, he went to the prison where Lucas was in. His shift was from 8 to 12, being a part timer. Kasumi brought the car to Tomo's workplace and waited for him to come out.
A few minutes after Kasumi arrived with the 34, Tomo came out of the backdoor, wearing his trainee's chef's jacket and knife kit. He placed his kit on the trunk and went to the passenger seat. Yes, Kasumi will be driving for the day.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Did you wait long?" Tomo asked, panting a bit.
"No, no. I kept myself busy." Kasumi said while she shows the book she read - Revelation - It's Climax at Hand .
"You never let go of the books I brought, did you?"
"Well one, it was yours. I gotta see it for myself why you brought such interesting books that opened my mind up."
"Like..."
"Well... uh... I'm still working on that." Kasumi said sticking her tongue out in embarrassment.
"The other reason?"
"Right. I think It's because; I too could benefit from this as much as you have."
"Good of you to come to the right path"
"I think I know what verse you're saying..."
"...the path to the light; small and narrow, and only a few are seeking and walking on it to salvation." Tomo said, quoting another verse.
"That's the one! I knew it!"
"Well, that's good. Now! Let's get a move on?"
"Okay. But we need to make it quick. Sakura's counting on us to be there on her debut at Infineon."
With that said, Kasumi shifts from N to gear 1 and slowly brings the GT-R up to a smooth 50 miles per hour speed on the freeway. The RB26DETT engine smoothly sailing across the Golden Gate Bridge, heading towards Tomo & Kasumi's destination.

[12:20 - PD Local Prison State Correctional Facility]

"Name please?" The police officer on the secretariat section said.
"Tomogashi Kitsumoro and Kasumi Nadeshiko." Tomo replied.
"Foreigners huh? Yorusu-ku onegaisimasu" The police officer replied.
"Yorusu-ku ne." Kasumi answered.
"Your Japanese is good, sir." Tomo commented
"Thanks. Now, who would you be visiting?"
"Mr. Lucas Scott." He answered.
"Let me check my records. Here we are, prison code B43B9F5. Lucas Scott. Apprehended for resisting arrest, damage to property, disturbing of the peace, and owning an illegally modified Vehicle."
"Yes. can we please speak to him please?" Kasumi forwarded.
"Please wait on the communications center. We'll bring him out shortly."
Tomo & Kasumi went to the place as directed by the secretariat officer. Moments later, Lucas Scott came out. He was wearing an orange uniform - top and bottom with his prison code tag on the back. They knew it was Lucas because of his hair and his sunglasses that were hanging on his hair. Tomo took a seat; so did Lucas and both picked up the phone. Kasumi just stood behind Tomo.
"Scott."
"Jap boy..." Lucas answered with a frown directed at Tomo.
"Don't tell me you haven't learned yet?"
"This place is hell man! Now I know why a lot of hoodlums end up here and this is the punishment they deserved."
"What about in your place?"
"I'm getting what I deserved. Thanks to the lowly goody likes of you." Lucas answered in a bitterly harsh tone.
"Hey, don't take it on me, you're the one who did all those infractions you caused. No other form of twisted politics could undermine your sentence. How long are you in for?" Tomo asked.
"Five years, what is it to you?"
Tomo made a huge sigh and followed, "Look man! you need to let it go. None of this would've happened if you just kept satisfied with that you've attained and not go for something more than that which is pointless. You climbed up the stairs to victory and you let others who're on the bottom be your prey and let them kiss your feet or something like that for being number 1..."
"How'd you know about me being number one."

"It's in the net, man. There's an online article of you abusing your right as a street racer. It said that although you're in the top of the charts there, you still destroyed the rep and dignity of others who had the ability of climbing up the same way you did. Being number 1 doesn't mean that you can destroy other people's futures on the same field. It's just not right. Get what I'm saying? Your pride got you to that danger point which you crossed over. Let go of what you believed in before and become a better person by starting anew."
"Y... you sure it's the only way to get out of this purgatory?"
"There's no such thing and it IS the only way out of this. You better get it through. This won't happen if you don't put your heart into it and seriously begin change. You should, by all means, NOT go back to the person you once were, which was yesterday. You want to get out of this? Do some change, think about what you've done... make amends for the better!" Tomo said.
"Mr. Kitsumoro. Time's up." The officer said to Kasumi.
"Tomo... we need to go." Kasumi said pulling his shoulder.
Tomo just gave Lucas a quick stare showing that what he said was true.
Lucas never said a word after that. Later on, he was brought back to his cell.
As Tomo and Kasumi head for the door, Kasumi asked Tomo something that disturbed her.
"Tomo, are you sure you did the right thing?" Kasumi asked.
"What do you mean?" Tomo answered.
"I mean, are you sure it was right of you to talk to Lucas that way? He seemed pissed at what you said..." she replied.
"I didn't want to do that but I had no choice back there. It's the way of the world - I hate doing it but I don't got a choice. If I don't do it, Lucas will still be as stubborn as ever." Tomo said opening the door.

This post has been edited by Gunma's 34 on Oct 28 2009, 09:45 PM

Nice update there.

Those drawings go very nicely with it - unique!

The second one is my fav btw.

Thumbs up overall.

Now we move on to the final section of Supido Densetsu S: Round America!!
-----------------------------------------------------
Chapter 31 - A Promising success

[Infineon Raceway - 1:30 p.m.]

The qualification races were being currently held. Many fans await the start of the real race. Locals, fanatics and critics alike. Many work teams are making different settings on their cars. Vipers, Mustangs, Infiniti V35's, Camaros, all of it. Out of all the cars in the qualifying line-up, one car stood among the rest; as if it's misplaced. A Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 with a silver and red color layout. In the pits, the GT-R is being checked for final preparations. A girl stands on one corner fixing herself up. raising the zipper of her race uniform up, strapping on her gloves, and snatching the keys off the tabletop counter, she comes close to a person posing as the team's manager.

"Daiki... am I gonna drive this?" she asked.
"That's right. I negotiated with the Super GT FIA department. Since the new R35 is the current car being used at the Super GT in our home country, they gave me full rights over this car since it's unused ever since the R35 made a debut in the race scene. So now, this is our Team car along with the other 34 that Tomo uses. You ready? Because our team's up." Daiki replied.
"I am. The R is what I'm worried about." the girl answered.
"Don't worry, with the TCS on, this R34 handles like it's natural 4WD production partner. We all know that this is converted to an FR so with this driving aid on, it's as if you're using your own car. Would you like me to turn off the TCS?"
"Could you please? I want to see the difference between an FR type 34 and my personal 4WD type. I want to achieve the same results as I did."
"We're on it. Just be sure YOU'RE ready... We're all counting on you... Sakura." Daiki answered as he heads to the pit crew.
Sakura just smiled looking at how the Xanavi Nismo R34 looks. She tied her hair to a ponytail as she stares in awe at the car she's about to lay her hands on.
"You ready for this, Sakura?" A guy asked her from the other side of the pit lane.
"Shinosuke-san!" She exclaimed.
Shinosuke, in his yellow & blue racing jacket, jumped off the ledge and talked with her.
"Well, I'm still using the same GT300 FD I used before."
"It's because the drastic evolution of the cars used in our country is the reason why we're driving them today. Mazda didn't come up with a new race entry in the GT300 Super GT, have they?" Sakura asked.
"As far as the GT300 is concerned, nadda." Shino answered."And just because our opponents are in much higher and newer models doesn't mean they have the upperhand. We still got a chance with winning this."
"Yet, Shinosuke, I don't think winning is the reason why we're here. Winning ain't the only reason; nor is it the primary reason. We're here to show what we can do." Sakura corrected.
"You could be right." Shinosuke said in agreement. "But one thing's sure, we won't lose to them."
"SAKURA!! YOU'RE UP!!" Hiei shouted.
"OKAY!!"
"Do good out there." Shino said as he faced his back on Sakura.
"You ready?" Daiki asked.
"I'm okay. Let's do this!" Sakura said as she boards the Xanavi R34 GT-R.
Sakura turns on the engine and slowly brings the R34 out of the pit lane at a constant 49 miles per hour. As soon as she exits the pits, she was given a lap to warm up the tires and to get use to the car. The lap passed by and Sakura is about to cross the checkered flag signaling the start of her time trial run. She pushes the car hard up to it's 9750 rpm red zone. The engine giving off a backfire sound as it hits gear 3, roars like a charging lion on its prey.
The R34 zooms by and is ready to attack the first corner. She quickly shifts down from gear 3 to 2 and nails the apex perfectly in a grip motion. She mimicks the battle she had with Kitami and clears the next corner or two in a very speedy pace.
Back at the pits.
Ryusen checks out Sakura's movements through the Heli-cam that the TV is picking up.
"She's driving as if she's not in a circuit, Daiki." he commented.
"Tetsuya, is Sakura chasing after a time or something?" Hiei asked.
"She is. When she practiced for that 37 straight lap run one night ago, she got hold of her fastest time. With that time, she wants to break that time on this run. That way, she could see how far she could push herself."
"Wow... I'm speechless..." Ryusen followed.
At a very quick pace, Sakura has just passed the 2nd to the last hairpin before the crooked straightway. Sakura just kept on going and going. Hitting the apex of every bend, she balanced the car through the bends before she could reach the final hairpin. She braked hard shifts two gears down in quick succession, ungasses for a moment, and hits the apex of the corner.
As soon as the nose of the 34 is facing the straightway, she punches on the gas and the rear tripped. The GT-R is induced to a quick drift; whilst in a drift, the rev meter is running eratically as if it's about to break, yet at the same time speed was increasing for some reason.
She cleared the corner with the rear bumper a centimeter away from the outside wall. She got her foot nailed to the accelerator and passed the checkered flag in an outstanding time.
She makes a U-turn and heads for the pit lane. Moments later, she got out of the car and removed her helmet. Approaching Daiki, she asked: "So, how did I do?"
"Why don't you look at the split time tower?"
Sakura looks at it and sees her time. 1"22.268
"That's some fast time you got there!" Daiki praised Sakura.
"Not only that, You're on fourth in the starting lineup!" Tetsuya said.
"You did great out there, Sakura. Tomo will be so proud of this." Daiki said patting her shoulder.
Sakura can't help but smile at her lap time. "With a GT-R34...away from its home country... this is unbelievable. Now, what I need to do... is maintain this or go higher!"
She looks back at the pits and heads for the work team's parking lot looking for a blue custom modded GT-R34 around.
"I hope you make it Tomo... Kasumi..." She wondered.


Chapter 32 - The Fast Lane

At the end of the qualifications, the results were satisfying to Team Japan. They ranked 6th all in all. Out of 20 competitors, the ones leading were a couple of Vipers. Chevy's and Ford GT spec II's. The ones behind are some Pontiacs, Camaros, a few Lexus cars and some european representatives such as Porsche and BMW. Pressure was on the drivers and the mechanics as they make final preparations to their vehicles. In the garage of team Japan, Sakura finishes off her bottled water and checks the time.

"We have to make sure that we retain our post. It's hard enough that we gained the slot. It's even harder to maintain it." she said wiping off her sweat drops falling down her cheeks.

"Sakura, we're off in a rolling start on this okay? Remember all the tactics that you and I've planned during the eliminations and your practice rounds. Got that?" Daiki asked. "I got it." she answered. "THE GT-R IS READY!" Tetsuya shouted out to Sakura.
Sakura boards the car and drives off with the rest of the racers in a rolling start. The safety car, that leads the pack, guides the drivers as they follow in a slalom motion. From inside the GT-R, a voice comes out of Sakura's ear piece. Remember, the TCS is off. Even if this is an FR, a GT-R is a GT-R. Conserve your tires when necessary. If you push it, the tires won't last until lap 10 and... "I got it. Thanks for the concern, Tetsuya-san." The sports car league of the GTL is about to begin as the safety car enters the pits and the racers close in on the starting line.

The leading car of the pack, a Viper GTS-R Oreca presses on the accelerator further, signaling the start of the race, as he passed the starting line. Followed by a C5-R, then a Ford GT race spec II, then... the GT-R. The race began! Passing the first corner, all the cars followed the same line, forming a multi-colored caterpillar. All but Sakura and her GTR34 followed the racing line the Oreca was taking. It may not look like it but Sakura hits the apex half a meter closer than the rest, thus closing in on the other cars.

"I lasted until lap 37 before... I wonder how long I could push this car..." She wondered. "But... I need to coordinate with Daiki on this. It's not like in the Super GT, where we can't negotiate between driver and pit crew. We need to strategize how we could lessen the time loss that it'll eat up.

[minutes later - lap 9 of 40 - crooked Straightway after hairpin - Infineon]

Tomo's car still hasn't arrived yet. Sakura is pushing herself hard. Currently, she's in 4th place. She's not losing any momentum at all despite the heat. While driving on the crooked straight, she contacts Tetsuya. "Kudou-san, prepare the pits when I reach lap 11."
"Lap 11? can you still make it?"
"I just need to finish one more lap."
"What's the gap between you and the car behind you?"
"Pretty big. He went to the pits at lap 7."
"You mean the Camaro LM? I saw it. That must be the one behind you."
"Anyway, better get it ready."
Sakura closed the radio as she gutter-rode the nylon.

[start of lap 11 of 40]

The Xanavi Nismo R34 enters the pits and Hiei & Ryusen quickly switched the tires. Tetsuya brings out the gas tank and refills the car. Daiki comes through the window and tells Sakura to push it for the next 10 laps. Sakura gives a simple nod. Hiei taps the rear, telling her that service is done and she can immediately go.
Sakura rockets out of the pits. Her position between the car infront of her and the car behind her is equal.

[lap 15 of 40]

She's now right behind the 3rd placer again but she feels as if something is missing. Only at that moment, she realized she forgot all about Tomo. While driving, once more, she opens the radio and calls out to Daiki. Is Tomo there yet? Well, Is he? Daiki gives just a "no" to answer that. Sakura just kept on driving but she's not into overtaking the 3rd placer realizing that Tomo ain't there yet...
"I thought you promised me... Where are you guys?" Sakura thought as she presses on the accelerator even harder. The modifed RB26 screams in angst as Sakura wonders what's taking Tomo so long...






Sorry if I had to Jump from one lap to another. It's hard to describe every lap as it is. I'm just iterating what's really happening to remove the boring parts. After all, this is the pro league so Endurance is of the essence and most laps run just like previous ones so I don't need to say the same actions over and over again. I'll just go to the good parts of the story that is more important.

Episode 9 - Awaiting the Future Generation...
Chapter 33 - Believe

[lap 35 of 40 - Infineon]

The Xanavi GT-R pulls over for her last pitstop. Hiei & Ryusen went straight for the tires and unscrewed them in lightning speed! Daiki looks in the cockpit and sees a depressed Sakura holding the steering wheel with her head down.
"What's wrong Sakura? you're doing great out there. 5 more laps and this is over." Daiki encouraged her; somewhat. "It's because, Tomo's not..." she was short of a word as Hiei tapped the rear saying that the pit is done.
"Tell me as you drive." Daiki said as he gave way for Sakura to accelerate. Later, a voice came out of the radio. Is it because Tomo ain't here? That's why you can't give your max? "Yeah. He promised me. I just remembered." Don't get it too much on your head. come on, you got a race to finish. who knows, he might show up before the final lap. Just concentrate and bring out the inner power of that Xanavi R34.
"Bring out the inner power huh?" She wondered as she enters the next hairpin. She closes in on the 2nd placer - a Corvette C5R.

[lap 39 of 40 - infineon; approaching lap 40]

From the sidelines, Tomo and Kasumi work their way through the crowd.
"Move it tourist!"
"I'm sorry."
"Watch it!"
"Very sorry."
"Hey! You stepped on my drink!"
"Sorry."
"Come back here noob!"
"lateh!"
"Kasumi, do you have the poster?"
"Here!" Kasumi throws it who was 3 feet away from Tomo. He barely got the poster and runs for the starting line.
Sakura's about to reach her limit. She's panting as she drives. She's close to losing her momentum. She takes a glimpse of the guy who's waving the white flag - signaling the final lap. She sees Tomo right behind him with a poster.

Seeing that poster held by Tomo, Sakura's spirits were lifted and she regained some energy. She sat back on her seat and is ready to overtake. A tri-duel begins at this moment.

[final lap - Infineon Sports Car Course, hairpin before crooked straight.]

The C5R and Viper approach the apex of the hairpin. Sakura's R34 just entered the hairpin and attempts to remake her attack during the eliminations battle. She drove through the nylon plank and had her R34 halfway airborne. As the car has it's four wheels on the ground again, she's side by side with the C5R and overtakes at the first and second bend of the crooked straightway.
As she approached the final hairpin, she's a few meters away from the Viper, but it seems it's too big of a gap to decrease.
"I'm going to have to togue my way out of this." she planned.
As Sakura sees the Viper enter the apex, she brakes late and continues to brake as she turns. The GT-R did a slide and does what she calls an out-mid-in corner entry. With the back still sliding, she countersteers and does a perfect exit-oriented drift.
"What the!?" The Viper driver reacted.
"DORRRRRIIIIYYYYYAAAAAA!!!!" Ryusen and Hiei exclaimed.
"Amazing..." Tetsuya said fixing his glasses in place.
Daiki and Tomo just smiled at what Sakura just did.
Her exit speed is higher than that of the Viper and she was able to catch up.
It was a close match in the straight. The Viper in the outside lane with the R34 in the inside lane. The GT-R catched up even more.
The race was close!!
Zoom! The 2 race cars passed the finish line. Officials checked the camera for a slow motion analysis. It was close but the R34 won by 5 millimeters from the side.
The GT-R barely won and everyone was excited in the Team Japan Garage.
Ryusen hugged Hiei over excitement. As soon as he got to his senses he tried to break free. Shinosuke on the back leaning on his FD smiled and just told Hiroya and Shimizu to get ready. Tomo was happy and went to the garage with the rest of the team. Daiki gave a personal applause. Tetsuya just nodded. Sakura, as soon as she came to a stop, she panted, gasping for a bit of air; but with a smile. She was happy. They all were.




[ Post merged on Oct 30 2009, 02:57 AM ]
Chapter 34 - Shinosuke's final Drive

The Stock Car race of Shinosuke quickly ended. They had the same regulations as that of Sakura's battle - 40 laps, 20 race cars and pit enabled service. Hiroya and Shimizu as Shino's pit crew did a good job. Shinosuke's race was very straightforward. It was nothing really. It's like any other race. Winning over LM edition racers in a JGTC RE Amemiya RX-7 from the GT300 2004 league. No one knew that the weak-powered Rotary could dominate from last place; they all stood corrected, even if Shinosuke placed second - half a car away from gaining first. Everyone gathered at the Hotel in Daiki's room. They had a huge celebration. Beer, Yakitori (Chicken Skewers), Juice and cake all laid out in the table. Hiroya, Shimizu, Shinosuke, Kitami, and Ryusen got drunk after drinking 3 bottles straight. Kasumi and Sakura chatted in one corner of the room. Tomo joined along with the others but never intended to drink. Hiei stuffed himself with chicken skewers while Daiki gave thankful remarks to the rest of the crew. Later on, Shinosuke spoke.
"Guys, I have something to say..." Shinosuke said.
"Oh come on! No need for a speech, your race is everything that we need to see and hear." Shimizu said.
"He's right, Shino. We all did a good job just as Sakura, Hiei, Ryusen, and Tetsuya." Hiroya commented.
"Aww... come on, Hiroya. You're making me blush. My run is nothing compared to Shinosuke's." Sakura said, covering her cheeks.
"Can I talk now?" an angry Shinosuke interrupted.
"Whoops. Sorry, man." Tetsuya said.
"Ahem." He said cleaning out his throat. "As of today, I'm quiting the group."
Hearing that out of Shinosuke, Everyone else dropped their glasses.
"But why brother? Why are you leaving the group?" Kitami stood up in angst trying to change his brother's mind.
"I got a contract with a couple of Holywood people. And if I accept that, it'll be much harder for the team as my skills would be something that will be affected."
He looks at Tomo and followed. "I'm not like Tomo nor Sakura who could control both my secular and my racing careers. I mean, there's still Kitami."
"M...me?"
"That's right, little brother. Even though your wins went downhill, like getting to a tie with an FF driver and losing to Sakura during the eliminations..."
"YOU DON'T NEED TO GO THAT FAR."
Everyone laughed as they saw Kitami turning red over his defeats.
"...Sorry bro. But if you look at it, you improve more when you lose. I feel as if you've surpassed my skill and I'm growing weak over quick Victories. I feel as if I'm too dominating."
"Don't you think that's a good thing for the team?" Kasumi questioned.
"The only problem with that, we might get the tendency of being too conceited with our victories that our further adversaries will not care about us no more. It won't be very beneficial for the team at all." Daiki said.
"I think I get what you mean. No one will learn over easy victories." Tomo followed.
"Tomo's right" Shino said. "Starting something new such as this could be something good for me."
"Well, I don't think Haruka would pay attention to that statement." Hiei answered.
"That's what she thinks."
"It could be a good start for you Shinosuke-san" Kasumi said. "If I remember right, Tomo told me that your father is part of showbiz right?"
"And still is. While the night is young, let me enjoy this last moment with the group."
With that said, the group went to another round of shots. Tomo stood up from where he was sitting and went to Sakura who was standing at the veranda, enjoying the view."It's breezy here, ain't it?" Tomo said as he came close to her.
"Um... yeah. I like this feeling." Sakura answered.

"You know..."
"hmm?"
"I'm kinda... sorry for coming late for your race, Sakura. On our way there, traffic was soooo... long it took us around half an hour to break free off the traffic. Not to mention the crowd control in the arena."
"Forgiven... I knew you had it coming..."
"yeah..." Tomo stares for half a second at the view and gets what Sakura is saying... "Hey!" he followed in a pissed tone.
Sakura just giggled. "Took ya long enough to figure that out."
"Tsk. Come on Sakura... gimme a break... hold on..." Tomo came close to Sakura's face and noticed something. He wipes something off her cheek. "You got a bit of Chicken sauce over there."
"Th...thanks."
"There. Now you look as cute as before..."
Sakura can't help but blush. Kasumi, who is sitting with the others who're drinking hapilly overheard the conversation of Tomo and Sakura and is furious with jealousy. Hiei, Ryusen, and Hiroya are scared over Kasumi's blazing aura as she drinks from her cup.
"S....sca....ary..." The three whispered.
"Hey, Shinosuke-san", Daiki stood up and approached him. "I know of a way to complete your last get together with Team Japan."
"Are you thinking of a duel? You and me?"
"That's right."
"Well, I'm in. We didn't battle against each other right?"
"On the contrary." Daiki answered.
"huh?" Shinosuke was dumbfounded. "Remember? Tsuchisaka? The S2000... remember now?"
"That! I get it... I never knew that. But that race was illegitimate."
"An hour from now... would it be alright?" Daiki requested.
"Okay." Shinosuke agreed and shook hands with Daiki.

[Eternity Pass - 10:30 p.m.]
A 350Z waiting at the peak. It was Daiki's but it's not the usual Z that he had when they arrived at USA. The body's a bit wider than usual, Carbon canards on the sides. The rims, though, are retained. A low spoiler that is alike the original Nismo spoiler.
Behind them are Daiki, Hiroya, Shimizu, Ryusen and Hiei.
On the other side is Shinosuke's FD. His FD has close to the same upgrades as of Kyosuke's silver FD back at Italy. The GT wing on the back, though, is different and equipped with Konig Blantant rims. With a smooth yellow coating, the FD poses power that is admirable. On the other side of the road, next to the FD, is Tomo, Shinosuke, Kitami, Kasumi, and Sakura.
"Shino. Let me give you a few pointers about Daiki." Tomo said.
"No need, man. I need to do this alone. It's my race so please don't interfere."
"Brother. just do your best, okay?" Kitami said.
"I will, little brother. I will."
On the other side...
"Daiki, how's say I ive you a few pointers when racing against Shinosuke." Shimizu said.
"Don't butt in on this Shimizu." Daiki answered.
"Why do you say that?" Hiei asked.
"This is not a race where winning or losing is essential or anything. Nor is it a race of pride. It doesn't matter if I win or he wins, fellas. This is a race between Shinosuke and me."
Daiki goes next to Kasumi and requests her to start the countdown. Daiki and Shinosuke boarded their cars and begin to rev the engines high.
It's been a while since I drove seriously. THe last time this happened is when I faced Tomo and when I raced against Hiei. I'll give Shinosuke a race that he'll remember.
The VQ35DE, custom turbo and supercharged engine of the Z roars with confidence up to 7500 rpms.
The 13B REW engine shows that it is not showing any weaknesses either as it revs all the way to 9300 rpm. The turbo hisses with angst as neither driver can't wait to begin. Shinosuke looks at Kasumi and waits for her arms to rise, getting ready for the countdown; but Kasumi is giving a signal saying that Daiki has something to say.
Daiki lowers his window; Shino does the same. "This'll be a handicap match. My Z's enigne is too advanced as engine statistics is to be taken to account. I'll let you lead for up to a hundred feet then I begin. An overtake nor outrun countdown won't be declared. Just finish this race."
"No. I would like it to be the other way around. Is it alright if you? I don't care if your engine is that advance or something like that but I want to see if what you call your superiorly advance engine is that strong and I too want to see if I can keep up with it."
"Alright. It's your race afterall..."
"Thanks a lot. Let's begin." Shinosuke closes his window and gives a thumbs up to Kasumi. She looks at Daiki who gave a nod.
"sa-te... hajimeruso desuka!!" Kasumi shouts starting the countdown.
"GO! YON! SAN! NI! ICHII!...GO!" As she throws her hands down.
Daiki rockets out of the starting line. Tomo counts how far before Shinosuke could take off.
Tomo gives a thumbs up and Shinosuke raced off. The first hairpin is up and Shino braked long and tapped his accelerator as he gets through the apex. "FD is light so as I reach the final hairpin... the gap between me and the much heavier Z will decrease by half. Go, my 13B REW. Harima-kure!" Shinosuke exclaimed as he boosts to gear 3. Daiki on the other hand, is also drifting through every corner with finese. Controlling wheelspin as he goes through the apex, his delicate acceleration techniques prevents him from going any slower than a normal Z through the corner. Daiki smoothly drifts out of the fifth hairpin and ruggedly presses on the accelerator, shifting to gear 3 to gear 4.
As the Z reaches the downhill section, the FD clears the 5th consecutive hairpin. "I'm right! There's the Z and is right there on the downhill. Close the gap, FD!!" Shino shifts to gear 3 as soon as the needle is close to the 8200 rpm redzone.
Back atop...
"Do you think Shinosuke could pull this off?" Hiroya asked.
"Even I, his brother ain't sure if he'd win." Kitami followed.
"So do I; even though I lost to him twice already." Shimizu said.
"Didn't you guys listen to Daiki?" Tomo asked. "It doesn't matter if Shino wins or loses. This is his greatest battle, to race against the prince like what I've been through. I'm going down to see who wins..."
"No need to do that, Tomo." Sakura interrupted as Tomo's about to board the GT-R.
"Daiki said that after the battle, they'll come up to pick us up."
"I see." He closed the door of the 34 and leans on the side as he thinks of who'll win...
"WHO Will win?" Tomo asked himself silently.

At the tunnel which is the 1/3 part of the whole pass...

Daiki raises the e-brake and shows off one of his signature moves - out-in-inertial drift. He hits the apex and stays on the inside while drifting and controlling wheelspin. Shinosuke slowly comes up close to Daiki's 350Z and grips through the corner. Distance between the Z and FD increased slightly as they reach the straightway before the low speed chicane. The FD is now 15 feet away from the Z and both grip through the low speed section. They tapped the accelerator in controlling understeer and clears the next right hander in top acceleration. A VQ35DET roars down the steep hill of Eternity pass as it is followed by an equally faster Rotary Engine. Just for kicks, Daiki and Shinosuke drift through the mid-high speed left corner. A parallel drift. A small distance of a ruler's width in between the Z and the FD.
The Z slowly smoothens his position, getting out of the contersteer and centering the front tires facing the straightway. The FD clears it at a slightly slower pace compared to the Z. Daiki makes a gap and slowly increases it.
"There's still a way..." Shinosuke said while punching the car to gear 5.
"It's because you're FD is NA tuned. You removed the turbo to increase cornering ability and avoiding the double-edge sword effect of the turbo... Break your way into the lead, just try, Shinosuke!!"

Daiki said pushing the accelerator even further.
The last tight corner (a J turn) is close and both drivers are ready to brake hard. Shino braked a bit later than Daiki. As soon as the FD is near the Z's bumper, Shino removed the accelerator and hits the inside hard. Daiki eased up on the brakes on the latter part of his braking to lessen deceleration as his Z's speed is near to the exact speed.Shino clears the final corner and exits from the inside whilst Daiki on the outside. It's full speed all the way and Shino's close to gaining the lead but...
As soon as both drivers reach gear 6*, the FD's gear response time is longer compared to the 350Z's and Daiki gains a bit of a lead - half of a car distance. Daiki and Shinosuke still push through passing 150 miles per hour. Once they reached the finish line, Daiki maintained the lead. With Shinosuke on his side. A close match indeed. Shinosuke wasn't dissapointed, nor did he break a sweat.

He smiled - he was happy. What a way to end his racing career with Team Japan.
"What a match... if during the Infineon eliminations the spike belt wasn't there, my race with Tomo would've ended the same way... If I retained the turbo in my Rotary, we would've ended in a tie or

better, I would've won... oh well... a great way to finish this story of mine..."Shinosuke said, reclining on his racing seat.
"You remind me of Tomo a lot, Shinosuke-san. No need to thank me for this wonderful race of ours. If the Z is not as strong as it is tonight, you would've won... Don't forget this race. If you would ever return to this field, remember this battle. Let it be your guide as how I experienced it in my youth days." Daiki commented.

[Next Day, Hotel Entrance]
Shinosuke checks out and is ready to board his FD. Before he can put his head into the car, Kitami calls out to him.
"What is it, little bro?"
"Here." Kitami said as he gives his keys.
"What's this? your RX-8's keys?"
"You're right, little brother, I need a couple of improvents on myself AND my car. The capabilities of my RX-8 is limited compared to your older but more powerful FD. I already made arrangements for a new car that I'll use during the team conquests...It's non-Japanese but I think it has the same capabilities as that of your own car."
"What car is it?"
" A Ford." Kitami proudly replied.
"Well, good for you." Shino said as he smiled.
"The races you and the team that'll be experiencing are going to be much harder than before." Shinosuke asnwered.
"How'd you know that bro?"
"Just a feeling. But I know that'll happen."
"Thanks for the reminder bro."
"No prob. Let me help you hook up the RX-8" Shino said as he pats his brother in the back. They loaded the RX-8 into the carrier and hooked it up to the Rx-7.
"So... you'll be letting go of your identity of being a rotary driver is that right?"
"That's right, bro. It's time for me to explore new things, new skills. And hopefully, once we return home, I'd be able to do something I've never done in my RX-8. Who knows, driving a completely different car would be a good thing."
"You could be right there, Kitami."
"So... this is goodbye, eh Shinosuke?"
"No... not goodbye... but see you soon. Why?"
"Tell me." Kitami answered who was a bit confused.
"I'm still there." Shino said as he points at Kitami's heart. "I mean, come on... everytime we raced, we're more of rivals than brothers and there are a lot of moments where we're on the same side. With you or against you... I'm still your brother; you know that."
"Oh yeah... I nearly forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me that..." Kitami commented.
"I'm off for my interview... I think I'd do quite well... I'll send you e-mails from time to time."
Shinosuke boards his FD and drives off to California's showbiz central...
Kitami stood in awe as the FD drives off to the horizon.
"See you soon, brother..." Kitami's last words as he held tight to the keys of his new machine. The machine that he'll be using from this day forth...
A car that is close to his brother's FD but more non-Japanese... what car could that be?

* because Shinosuke's FD3S engine is a custom duplicate/close-replicate of the GT300 RE Amemiya Engine, a 6-gear transmission is added to the car. This self-explains why Shino was said to shift to gear 6 at the same moment with Daiki's 350Z, which is already 6-geared.

Chpater 35 - Futility

As soon as Shinosuke had made his leave, Kitami went to the Ford Motoring Center to check up on his new car. Back at the Hotel, everyone else was wasted over the party. Most of them slept on the floor surrounded by beer and juice bottles. Sticks of Chicken Skewers were everywhere. The girls, Kasumi and Sakura slept on the furniture. Someone though is missing, aside from the Kitamaru brothers... Tomo's not around; how come?

[Golden Plate Restaurant - 8:45 a.m.]

A Blue Nissan Skyline R34 is parked in the employee's parking area next to the restaurant. Tomo's back at work.
Tomo opens his locker and gets ready to put on his cooking add ons - his apron, skull cap, and his side towels. He's ready for his shift.
"Kitsu, right?" someone asked Tomo from the office door.
"Yes, boss. What is it?" Tomo answered.
"We have a new recipe in our menu; it's kind of awkward for a quick casual restaurant like ours, that serves most of their chickens fried and roasted, to serve something like this." The boss described.
"let me see..."
Tomo browses over the recipe ingredients and procedures; he was stumped.
"What's it called, boss?"
"It's called coq au vin..."
"Coke a Vin? What's that? Vin Diesel drinking coke?"
"No! Don't make it sound so childish. A French guest requested it. Thanks to that Frenchy, our restaurant is slowly upgrading from a quick Casual restaurant to a just-plain casual restaurant expanding it's cuisine. Turnover of customers will be slow though due to these recipes but it'll raise our reputation. If we try to do our style with the conventional service of this casual restaurant thing, it could be a trademark of our restaurant. But we need your help."
"I'm ready for anything boss. Name it."
"Buy us some red wine why don't ya?"
"You don't got any in our storage?"
"Weren't you listening? We only serve our chickens fried and roasted. Using wine is new to us and our restaurant could be becoming quite Europeanic... No one in the cooking staff tried this yet. Could ya?"
"Alright. I'll be back then we try this out."
"Good to hear that. You got 5 minutes."
"WHAT!?" Tomo screamed in surprise.
"Do it or you're fired!" The boss said.
Tomo is in his frozen-like-a-stone reaction hearing that. "Kidding, boy. I'm kidding. You Japs easily get surprised over stuff like this..." The boss said as he went back to his office.
Tomo stepped out of the restaurant and went to his car. Where's the nearest Wine bar here?, he wondered. He shifted to reverse and accelerated smoothly out of the parking area. From one corner of the opposite street stood someone who has known Tomo. It was Lucas Scott. What's he doing in broad daylight? And we all thought that he's still in prison, what's going on here?
[5 minutes later...]
"Boss, I'm back." Tomo said in excitement.
"Ah, good. Waddya get?"
"This. Red Wine from freshly pressed red grapes. It's great. The alcohol content is not that much but flavor is strong."
"You really know your way around the ingredients huh?"
"Bad habit when I was young; back home, they call me free-taste-boy."
"Why do they call you that?" One of the chefs asked.
"Because everytime there's a free taste stand at the supermarket, I'm often the first and last taster they get if I liked it." Tomo said, scratching his head.
Everyone laughed over that story.
"Listen up guys, He'll show us how to do this coq-au-vin thing that the french guest requested. Seeing that most of our customers are Europeans, changes in the menu had to be done. I'll ask some help from you guys what to change later on. Right now, we have ourselves an in-house demonstration."
After 20 minutes, the demonstration begins.
Tomo cuts up some onions, carrots, celery into rough cubes. He then took out the Leg and Thighs that are already soft & marinated in red wine and placed it in a hot saute pan, with a little oil to brown. He browned the veggies in another sauce pot on the side. 6 minutes later, the chicken showed some good brown spots and is ready to be cooked with the veggies.
"It's like you roasted it but using the saute pan, not the oven. Impressive." One of the cooks commented.
Tomo placed the chicken in the veggie mix and deglazed the hot saute pan with half of the red wine in the recipe. He later on added that to the chicken and veggies; also added the rest of the red wine. He seasoned it with salt, peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme. 20 minutes later, the chicken is done. Tomo strained out the pieces and returned the red wine in the saute pan to reduce. Minutes later it was done. Tomo just took out the chicken and placed it on a plate that has rice. Later on he drizzled some of the sauce on the chicken.
"Wait! What about the veggies you cut up awhile ago?" A cook asked.
"It says on the recipe to discard the vegetables"Tomo answered.
"Why is that!? If We're doing this then I quite! I won't allow myself to waste any ingredients over such recipes." One of the cooks argued.
Tomo tasted the onion himself to know why. He showed a dissapointed look and swallowed the chewed up onion. "It's tasteless." he commented. "That's why it has to be discarded."
"I see... oh!... no wonder..." The chefs and cooks uttered.
The boss tasted the coq au vin. He showed a very excellent reaction by showing a thumbs up on the air. "DEEEEEELLLLIIIIICCCCIIIIOOOOUUUUUSSSSS!!!!!" he said as he posed like Napoleon and stood on one of the cooks, who in the boss' mind, is his faithful horse.
"Th...that's....!?" The cooks shouted.
"Napoleon Bonapart..." Tomo followed.
"I've decided! We're going to put this in our menu!!" The boss said. "Now, let's begin the meeting. shall ... we?" The boss' words were cut short as the rest of the cooks rampaged on the coq au vin, trying to taste it.
He went to Tomo and patted him on the shoulder saying... "good job."
Hours have passed and Tomo's shift ended at 5 in the afternoon.

[Golden Plate - 5:10 p.m.]

"See you tomorrow, fellas." Tomo said as he leaves his workplace.
He removed his cooking gear and boards his GT-R.
As soon as he could shift to gear 1, someone stood in his way.
"Let's talk a moment. Okay?" It was Lucas Scott.
"Lucas!? I thought you're in prison. If this is your escape plan, sorry. You can't ride with me."
"Let me explain, alright? Don't get pissed at my presence because of our confrontations."
"Fine." Tomo said with an angry grin. "Hop on."
Lucas boarded the car and the GT-R was off to the metropolitan.
"Explain yourself Lucas, why are you out in broad daylight?"
"Is it a crime to be outside?"
"Prisoners like you? then, yes."
"I'm still under police supervision, okay? See this arm watch thing on me?" Lucas shows his right hand to Tomo.
"My perimeter from the prison to downtown is quite limited. They gave me the whole day out."
"So, you're still under probation, is that it?" Tomo verified.
"That's right."
"What about your Z06?"
"Impound. I won't be getting it after 5 years.
"How long are you in for?" Tomo asked. "9 months. I didn't do any killing sprees so the sentence is quite minimal - down to less than a year. I've been there for 2 days and I know what it's like to face the consequences now. I was a complete ass. A complete moron, I admit it. I got into the wrong side of life." Lucas admitted in a pale voice but with a smile on his face as he stares at the fast moving horizon.
Tomo just looks at Lucas.
"It must be hard for you, huh?"
"People around the area know me. Both fans and rivals. Some praise me but the truth is, they all fear me. My pride, no... I got myself this far. I don't want to live like this, being feared by the public. Back in the prison, it was the complete opposite. I fear them; they knew that among those who comitted crimes, I was the softest - just broke property. The rest? Some were serial killers, others killed at least one person in their life... It was scary there. I have to get out of there. I don't want to be a racer anymore if that'll be my future safe and under the law... It's like Karma, you do something..."
"...that something will get you back two fold." Tomo followed. "It's like the law of equivalent exchange. You've treated others harshly, and here you are now, the victim of all the opression."
"I know; so you don't have to repeat it all on me, man." Lucas interrupted. "you're a good man, Tomo."
"I'm not. I'm already telling you. I'm no different from you."
"eh?" Lucas was confused with what Tomo just said as he takes the R34 into the peak of Devil's creek pass. He stopped the car, raised the e-brake and got out. Tomo just looked at the horizon and kept on talking.
"I was often the oppressor when I was little. I controlled everything; I controlled my friends. What happened? Because of me acting all high and mighty, when they all left the village that I was living in, they never said goodbye. I lost a couple of friends whom I never get to keep in touch with. I changed and became the oppressed as the years go by in school."
"Tough luck." Lucas said.
"I tried to stand up to those who were helpless but I end up looking at the sidelines, seeing them being socially tortured. In their eyes, they knew I too am an oppressor. I was no different. Instead of gaining friends, I lose more. As soon as my school career ended, my circle of friends never expanded. Maybe it's because they were looking for something that I'm not capable of being. I'm becoming someone I know that is good but in their mind, is just a fantasy poorly becoming a sad reality."
"That's how they think." Lucas followed up. "you've shared something about yourself... mind if I share a bit of mine? Besides, by 6:30, the cops will be tracking me down, bringing me back to my cell."
"Sure. I'm listening." Lucas came close to where Tomo was standing and started talking himself.
"Whenever I race, winning was all in my mind. The competition? I didn't worry about it since I know my skills are superior. As I reached the top. All the so called blessings of being number one shadowed my conduct. I end up wrecking others instead of helping them. Probably also, because, I don't want to give up this post, even if there's someone else improving and about to become the next number one who could beat me. I realize now that winning isn't everything at all. Once you get there, what now? Staying there, protecting that worthless position, I'm just wasting minutes of my life. There's always someone better; that is where the youth generation appears. New things come up, things that some can't understand fully. While I was in my cell, all of that came into my mind and made my mind even clearer. It made me realize how much of a fool I've become through the years ever since I became number one. I guess, being proud too much doesn't do any good, now does it?"
"Wow. That's a lot out of you, Lucas. I can't believe after 2 days, your way of thinking changed." Tomo said. He was impressed by how Lucas self examined himself.
"You've read the post of my brother in the internet right?"
"Yeah...?"
"I quit the team because of the same reasons why I became a street racer. The similarity among the two? I feel as if I'm too good and no one would dare topple me down. I did all the shots. I threw the passes. The team was nothing without me - even they knew that. In my last game, the opposing team cheated to win. When I stole the ball from them for a fast break, one of the opponents acted his way on getting me a foul. I was one foul away from getting fouled out. Yes, I did hit him by accident but he made it look as if I made a foul. I tried to explain to the referee but he won't bother to listen. I was sent out and in 2 minutes, a 10 point gap was made between our team and the opposing team. Even my team members didn't believe me. From a far away view, it may seem that I've committed a foul. I was just an inch away from one but I know what I was doing. After the game, I overheard my teammates saying that I was nothing but a lousy cheat. TO me, I thought otherwise. I felt that they were pulling me down. I'm better off playing alone. That's what I thought before. Then came my street racing career. Though we race alone, it's still a team effort. When you came along, how I looked at my basketball team on my last game is how I treated my team mates in racing. You, winning without a sweat, made me think that all the while, I've been hanging with a couple of noobs, doing the dirty work. You were right Tomo. I can't do everything alone."
"I realize that and that's why I brought it up to you after our canyon duel. If racing is an individual thing, teams shouldn't have been formed in the first place." Tomo said.
"I've decided..."
"eh?" Tomo this time wondered what he meant.
"I'll try to give my basketball career one more chance. I'll use my time in the prison to practice - not alone, but with a team. I'll try to get along with others. Hopefully, they'll change just like how you changed me."
"It's never too late to go back to an old passion, Lucas. But what about you-"
"I think racing is not my thing. Even if some say I'm skilled at it. I don't have the right heart to race unlike you do. I race for myself; for all the glory; for victory. While you race for others... You make sure that what your teammates did to your car won't go to waste. That's sorta surprising about you Tomo."
"Thanks, man. (But why is it I have this feeling that what he said to me was a lie?)" Tomo said.
Later on, a Crown Victoria and an Impreza came by.
"You know the drill Scott."
"I know, inspector. Back to the old brine, I guess."
"Good of you to cooperate. Survive these nine months and I might bail you out for good behavior..."
"That could happen, Inspector."
"In your dreams, kid."
With that said, The Impreza and crown Victoria went down the hill; as the GC8 did a few drift moves of his own.
Tomo stood silently as he stared at the sun completely out of his sight and night begins to fall.
"Am I really racing for others? Or am I no different from Lucas? Am I racing for fame?" Tomo wondered.
He got on his car and drove down Devil's creek pass.
"...race for myself...since I know my skills are superior......I'm the oppressor..." random things that Lucas and Tomo said cluttered Tomo's thinking as he drove down the pass.
As he cleared one corner, and getting ready for another, another car comes down from behind. There were no lights down the pass and the sky became pitch black. It was hard to see the car behind the GT-R. Tomo wasn't minding about the car at all. He tried to remove all the words that he and Lucas said out of his mind. Tomo tried to drive himself out of his thinking. He raised the e-brake and downshifted as the needle is eratically pointing at 9000 rpm. The RB26 screaming down the hill. An unfamiliar racing tone followed the RB's engine tone, getting closer to the GT-R's tone.
As Tomo is ready to face the straightway, a couple of lights blinded him from his rear view mirror.
"What car is that? Could that be Daiki? It can't be him!"
Tomo pressed on the accelerator to get away but the gap didn't increase at all. The unknown car just nailed itself on Tomo's behind and is not losing any momentum. Tomo does an out-in-out attack on the next hairpin and induces the car into a drift via weight shift along the way. But the unknown car still kept on going.
"This car behind me... it's alot faster than my GT-R... In terms of acceleration, it's as quick as Lucas' Corvette. What IS that car?"
Tomo plans to late-brake on the next corner to increase gap. He does so but understeer kicked in. "DAMN! TOO WIDE!!" Tomo panicked and presses on the brake longer as hen aimed for the inside. The unknown car minimized the gap to a bumper to bumper distance. They approach the third to the last hairpin and Tomo's GT-R barely could manage the lead. The unknown car plans to attack from the outside as soon as they pass the apex. But because of Tomo's quick response time, he sees its plans and counterattacks quickly, centering his car where there's no gap wide enough to pass.
He was wrong...
The unknown car still insisted on attacking from the outside. The gap between the GT-R and the mountainside is just right. "No! What are you doing!?" Tomo said in panic.
The second to the last hairpin approaches and Tomo's 34 tried to close the gap in the inside as they enter the right corner. Both cars braked and entered through the inside. Problem? There was a couple of rocks on the road, big enough for you to lose control once your car hits it. Tomo avoided the rocks but the rear right tire hits and induces Tomo's GTR to a spin out. The unknown car didn't move a bit at all and maintained his position in the inside - still attacking. The GT-R can't do any countersteer attacks anymore. It's bound to lost control. Tomo didn't know what to do, he had no choice but to brake hard up to a full stop. He sees the figure of the car that is slowly passing him.

It was a Dodge Viper SRT10 coupe. The same Viper that saved Tomo and Kasumi when they had their mistaken encounter with the police. Everything went into slow motion: Tomo's GT-R slowly increasing in angle as the Viper smoothly overtakes him. "Vi...viper!? A DODGE VIPER!?" Tomo exclaimed in his mind.
Seconds later, the GT-R came to a full stop executing a close-to-death 360 spin. The SRT10 Disappeared.
Tomo panted out of restraint. "I...lost... even if it was an illegitimate match... I still lost... but that's not the problem I'm having... who's that in the viper and what does he want with me and my 34?" Tomo asked himself.
The RB26 engine died again from the conflict. Tomo slowly turns the car back on and cruised down the rest of the Devil's creek pass. No scratch in the car but the battle was too intense that it raided much out of Tomo and the tires of his 34. His hands tremble from the race. The Viper was too much for Tomo...

--------------------------------------------------------------

Don't fret. This isn't over. Not by a longshot. We still need to figure out who the Viper driver is. Tell me your insights on Round America and then I'll post Round: [country] soon. Yeah. I am not gonna spoil it until the next update!!

This post has been edited by Gunma's 34 on Oct 30 2009, 02:56 AM

Episode 10 - Destination Lockdown! Onto the North!!
Chapter 36 - A mysterious new machine!

Tomo, who broke into a sweat, got out of his car and stood at the scenery. He was totally in shock. "That car was something else! I never expected that around the mountains..." he said wiping his sweat off. "That Viper... resembles a lot like Lucas. But It couldn't have been him. I saw him being taken away by the Inspector and his escorts. Whoever it is must be a talented driver. His car also looks like it's not from any of those bozos of the underground league. I better keep my eyes peeled for that car again" Tomo said with confidence as he looks at the starry night. He boards his GT-R and heads on home - back to the Hotel where Kasumi and the others are.

Before Tomo could go to gear 1, he opens his cell phone and calls Kasumi.
At the hotel. Kasumi just woke up. She stretches out her arms and fixes her hair and her blouse. As she stood up, her phone rings. She looks at it and reads Tomo-daisuki. "I wonder what Tomo wants..." She answers the call.
"Hello? Tomo-kun. I-tai, nani? (What is it)?"
"You won't believe this, Kasumi..."
While Kasumi listens to Tomo's story, she went to the veranda for a better reception of the call. She later then broke into surprise.
"Yo-YOU WERE AMBUSHED!?"
"Not necessarily physically ambushed. I was ambushed on my way down Devil's creek pass."
"What car was it?"
"A Viper."
"Viper? Naniga Viper-ru desuka?"
"It's an American car. I was gonna ask you if Daiki's there."
"He is but he's asleep along with the others. You didn't get hurt did you?"
"Well... no. I barely faced the wall. Luckily the brakes of my 34 stopped in time. It was a close call."
"Well, that's good to hear. You coming back?"
"I am. Tell Daiki about this. I might get some useful information from him about that car."
"Okay. I will. Take care Tomo."
"Yeah. I will..."
She hangs up and stares at the moon.
"Viper..." she said.
"Are the cars here in America that threatening to Tomo-kun?"

Everything is quiet around the Canyon area after that; however, there's an ominous background around the Lookout Point pass. A couple of local drivers are toying around the course. One is driving a silver Renault Clio and another one is driving a red Dodge Charger SRT8. The 2 friends are practicing their drift moves around the pass. The Renault clears one corner with an e-brake feint motion drift while the Charger does a simple powerslide with brute power. Both cars, however are veering to the outside - obviously a couple of starters in the art of drifting.
"Woo-hoo! I can't believe my Clio is so smooth at this!!"
"Oh yeah? Top what my Charger and I did! no one can top that!"
"If this is the pure drifting league, we could've been the champs!"
"OR better yet, we tie up in first place!!"
"C'mon bro. It's getting late. Best we head back."
"You go on ahead. I'm gonna do one more trial." The Charger driver said as he haves goodbye to the Clio.
He heads back and does a few more runs.
As soon as he reaches the top, he does a 180 burnout and heads on down. A few seconds later, another car comes speeding down the same pass.
As soon as the guy clears 2 corners, a couple of headlights flashed at his rear view mirror.
"Hmm... another one? You wanna mess with the new king of drift? Watch as my moves make you eat my dust!!"
Inside the mysterious coupe is a young guy, with medium length hair and wearing a pair of glasses, commenting on the moves of the Charger.
"Too fast my friend."
The Charger driver brakes long, turns left, countersteers and shifts all the way from gear 4 down to gear 2 and does another powerslide on the inside. Shifting to gear 3 on the small straight, he looks at the back. "Told ya you can't touch me! Me and my peer practiced on the drifting circuits! You know like the Japanese D1GP!! You dig that -!? What in the!?"
As he was done chatting himself, the mysterious car is doing a perfect out-in-out drift technique. At the exit of the corner, the mysterious car closes in on the SRT8.
"This guy is remarkable! What he just did... was it magic? I need to pull away from him!!"
The SRT8 pulls away and brakes long again on the upcoming right corner.
From the point that the SRT8 braked, the mysterious car makes a big gap, planning to do some kind of special drift attack. While drifting, the Charger driver looks and sees a Yellow Ford Mustang with a GT Wing and carbon hood.
"A mustang? You gotta be kidding me!! That car's obsolete compared to my 400 hp Charger!!"
The Mustang quickly decreased the huge gap that they made and they're now side to side.
"What Kind of mustang is it then? Is it a GT, or a Shelby Mustang?"
At the next corner, the Charger driver plans something he somewhat learned from the drifting circuit! "Though this isn't the car I used at the drifting circuit! I'll at least give you a sampler of what I CAN REALLY DO!!"
He aims for the next corner's outside area.
"Not yet... not yet... a little more..."
As soon as he's in the bank of the corner, he shouts out...
"HERE WE GOOOOOO!!"
"Stupid." The mustang driver said.
"SPECIAL TECHNIQUE OF THE D1GP!!" The guy hollers as he steers, brakes and holds the e-brake at the same time! "CROWD WAVER!!" The charger is placed on a 90 degree position, with a countersteer, facing the inside wall of the apex. "ULTRA SUPER LATE RIGHT-ANGLE DRIFT MOVE!!"
"Idiot. You don't know the difference of a drift race to a duel do you?"
The Charger lost a huge amount of speed and is slowly coming into a stop. The Yellow mustang does an e-brake drift. "This is the proper way of using your e-brake!"
He brings the mustang to a 40 degree angle and countersteers through the turn hitting the apex perfectly!
The Charger driver was in shock. As much as he wanted to get back in the race, the engine stalled.
The Mustang positions itself to a feint at the exit of the corner and executes a beautiful inertial drift on the next corner.

The Mustang driver's cell phone rings. He picks it up and answers it while holding the wheel with one hand and slowing down a bit.
"So how did you like it, sir?"
"It feels great. A bit beasty unlike my rotary but it'll do."
"That's great. At least that's what makes my customer happy. Let me know if you need anything for your car... Kitami Kitamaru."
Kitami hangs up and proceeds to finish the rest of the pass.

Chapter 37 - Heartbreaker

Tomo reached the hotel as soon as he came from the Canyons. He parked his car and went

back to his room to talk to Daiki.
He knocked on the door; Kasumi let him in.
"Tomo, did you say that you were ambushed by a Dodge Viper?" Daiki asked who was sitting on the couch with his laptop on his lap.
"That's right. But it was something like I never seen him before." Tomo answered.
"What model was it?"
"It was something new. I don't know the year."
"Probably the SRT10; the only latest generation of the Viper. You're dealing with an extremely powerful car here. As powerful as the Corvette that you faced a night ago."
"The worst possibility of all is if that Viper that Tomo raced against is carrying a VENOM engine." Tetsuya said as he came out of the Kitchen carrying a cup of hot chocolate.
"Venom? What's that? (sounds scary)" Kasumi asked.
"VENOM is more or less an integrated and more powerful version of the Viper's Engine bay, making use of a V12 instead of a standard V10. It carries a demonic 800 brake horsepower status level."Tetsuya answered.
"What I don't understand is it's presence in the canyons. Normally, an engine with that much power has the hundred percent tendency to go off course... as in spin or worse..." Daiki commented.
Tomo just nodded and looked on the floor, showing sure grief over his adversary. It is something he never faced before. Hearing about the VENOM version of the Viper sent chills down his spine. Eight Hundred... that's a big number.
"I checked the US car registration database, ever since Kasumi told me about what you told her. There were a few registered Vipers here and their corresponding registered modifications. Tell me, what does that Viper look like compared to this?" Daiki asked Tomo as he shows a stock picture of the Dodge Viper SRT10.
"The color is red but...That pic is not like the one I faced. That one's ride height is too high. The one I encountered had a lower center of gravity. The Front bumper's end is a centimeter away from kissing the pavement and send sparks. Even the back looks different... it is like it had a..."Tomo's words were cut short as Tetsuya finishes it for him.
"...a Widebody kit."
Daiki double checks the results but to no avail. The database shows NO RESULTS FOUND.
That's odd. Tomo either faced against a foreigner or a ghost of a Dodge Viper that crashed down the Canyon.
"He must be a foreigner then" he uttered.
"Could be. He must be from..." Daiki's words were cut short at Hiei exclaims "CANADA!!"
"huh!?" Everyone was stumped at what Hiei said.
"Well, I was gonna say European but he may have a point there."
"In what way?" Kasumi asked.
"Canada and the United States may both be on the boundaries of North America but their borderlines claim otherwise. Both are independent and have their own govermental systems. This may Include the registration services of the countries." Tetsuya explained in detail.
"What a coincidence then... We were gonna have our next round at canada - the famous Vancouver street course. Unfortunately, our team doesn't have a stock car nor a stock car driver so I'll fill in for this one. I'll try to negotiate with the other previous stock car teams on this. Best we make a move on to ample some time. Pack your bags people! We're heading for..." Daiki's words were AGAIN cut short.
"CANADA!!" Hiei finishes his statement.
"Will you stop that!!" Daiki panicked!
"Sorry." Hiei said as he moved his head down.

The group took a convoy all the way from New York to Vancouver. It took them 2 days to travel at moderate speed. In the end, they made it to their hotel... COMPLETELY WASTED... all except Daiki, Hiroya, and Shimizu. As soon as Tomo brought the car to a stop, he passed out. So did Sakura and Kitami in their respective cars. Hiei & Ryusen slept at Hiroya's Evo - it was the only one that could carry more than 2 passengers among the team.
The 3 came back from the lobby confirming their reservation to the group.
"Tomo, wake up." Daiki said as he nudges Tomo's shoulder.
"What I was having a nice dream of me and Ka-..."
"I didn't wake you up to tell me about your romantic fantasies. This round is pretty simple and I don't need the whole team to be involved. This is something that we from Midnight Masters are fond of doing. You, Kasumi, Sakura, Kitami, Hiei and Ryusen could take a breather from the tournament; but I'll need Tetsuya for this one. Here are some tickets to the skating rink. Hope you like skating. Register first on the lobby before you guys could do any sight seeing around Vancouver. Ciao."
"W...wait, Daiki!" Tomo said.
Daiki just gave a peace sign as he leaves with Hiroya and Shimizu. The Z, R390, and Lan Evo 6 took off to spectate the area. Hiei and Ryusen were dropped off next to the red R34 and Yellow Mustang. Obviously, Hiroya isn't dumb enough to let those two tag along with them.

[2 hours later]
Tomo came out of the hotel wearing a green shirt, topped with a black jacket with white stripes, Denim pants and black leather shoes.
"C'mon you guys. Let's go."
Kitami came out in his casual snow clothing: a long sleeve sweater topped with a coat, cotton pants and boots. Hiei and Ryusen wore the same long sleeve shirts and 6-pocket pants, but the shirts are of contrasting colors.
Sakura came out in her pink, long sleeve cotton blouse and mid-knee skirt with thick stockings all the way to her knees. Her blouse is topped with her favorite, Hello-Kitty style, pink jacket. Kasumi, who came out last is dressed in a way that makes jaws drop among the locals. She's wearing a sleeveless blouse, above the knee "mini"skirt and long stockings as long as Sakura's; she also has a pink scarf/muffler around her neck.

Tomo took a quick glance at Kasumi and he can't help but blush. Kasumi blushed at Tomo in return. As she passes Tomo, she asked "umm... Is what I'm wearing too awkward...?"
"Well...I...uh...no...you look breathtaking."
Hearing that, she blushed a bit deeper than before and said "thanks."
They boarded their cars and went to the Skating rink that Daiki is recommending.

[Skating Rink - 2:00 p.m.]

Hiei just came out of the food court carrying a tray of hot drinks. All are hot chocolate with marshmallows. He brought it to the rest of the guys who are on the stand-up table.
Kitami is staring at Kasumi as she practices her balance. "You're one lucky dude Tomo. You got the hottest girl that you could ever find and claim her as your own."
"Oh, shut up Kitami. I don't "own" her..." Tomo said making quote icons with his fingers. "Yeah, sure she's pretty and has a nice figure... but it's her decision. I didn't force her to... but you're right... she does look astonishing today." Tomo said as he too stared at Kasumi as she skates.
Sakura is having no trouble at all keeping her balance.
"Drinks?" Hiei asked.
"Here, darling!" Ryusen said.
"Okaaaay... so one for you, for you, and for PUH!!" Hiei said as he gave one to Kitami, one to Tomo and one to Ryusen, with a bonus uppercut to his jaw.
"When would Ryu ever grow up...?" Kitami said as he sips his cup of hot cocoa.
"Beats me." Tomo answered in doubt as he sips his cup also.
Moments later, Tomo took his skates and goes to the rink. "I'd better help Kasumi before she hurts herself."
"You sure you can do it, dude? I mean, you did tell me you haven't skated before."
"Don't worry Kitami I know what I'm..." BANG! Tomo slipped and hits his face onto the ice. "...do...i..ng..."
"Keep your balance man. Balance is the Key." Kitami commented.
"I know!" Tomo said as he tries to get up. Later on, Sakura comes close and picks Tomo up. "Here Tomo. Let me teach you." He held her hand as he tries to keep his feet balanced. "Remember when we were young, Tomo-chan that you love 'skating' around the slippery floor with your socks right?"
"Yeah?"
"This is your chance to Improve. Go on, as soon as I let go; do what you normally do... okay?" Sakura said with a smile as she's ready to let go...
"Uh... O..." Sakura lets go of Tomo's arm and he starts to panic.
"...KKKKKKAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!?????" He tries to stop. For some unknown reason, he did stop. How? What Sakura told her brought back Tomo's childish instinct. "I can do it!! " Tomo said in excitement. "Now to help Kasumi-chan" He skates to Kasumi who's losing even more control.
Kasumi is skating backwards in an awkward position - her butt is sliding in the rink. Somebody stopped her. She looks at the guy who caught her.
"You alright mademoiselle?"
"Um... yeah..." The man helped her up.
"Thanks a lot for saving me mister. How can I ever repay you?"
At the food court; Kitami senses a Casanova nearby hitting on one of the girls that he knew.
"Well..." the man said. "Hold on you got a little bit of ice on your cheek."
"Where?"
"Let me get that for you."
As soon as Tomo is close enough to ask Kasumi how is she, an ominous sight beholds Tomo's eyes; not only his... but the rest of the team is watching...
The man KISSED Kasumi in the lips. She was shocked.
Hiei & Ryusen dropped their drinks. Kitami just uttered "...damn..."
Sakura gasped in an OMG state of mind with her hands on her mouth.

Tomo was also shocked at what he saw. All his weight went to his legs and caused a crack at the ice. He's flaming in anger and stomps all the way to the 2. Every stomp that Tomo makes leaves a crack in the ice.
He pokes at the man's back to get his attention.
"Hey mister." Tomo said in anger.
"Yes?"
As soon as the man tilts his head, an oncoming fist is close by. Surprisingly, he caught Tomo's fist. "Whoa there, Monsieur. Don't cause violence in a public area such as this." He said with a smile, suppressing Tomo's punch without shaking.
"Tomo..." Kasumi said in a low undertone.
"She's your girlfriend? I'm sorry. It's ac customary to my family background, you see." the man assured Tomo.
"Yeah, like I'll believe that." Tomo said, still in anger.
"Pardon me, mademoiselle & monsieur, let me introduce myself. My name is Nathan Archibal Jr."
"Well, your father must be a huge cassanova to teach you that..." Tomo commented in a pissed-off tone.
"Tomo, please! Calm down." Kasumi begged.
Hearing that from her; Tomo takes a deep breath and Inhales. exhales.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah. Sorry if I tried to hit you sir Nathan."
"Please. call me just Nathan."
"Okay, Nathan."
Sakura skates her way towards the 3.
" To show you my sincere apology, Mister..."
"It's Tomo. Just call me Tomo."
"To show you my sincere apology, Tomo... let me invite you and your group of friends for tea and biscuits at my place. Please. Follow me." Nathan said in a gentleman like manner.
Kasumi watched as the group leaves; touches her lips and quickly wipes the 'kiss' off with her handkerchief as to not remember the event again. She later on follows but...
"Uh... guys? Tomo? Sakura?" She's still stuck in the ice and can't move. Sakura comes over and reels Kasumi into motion.

[Skating Rink, Parking area - 2:30 p.m.]

"Just follow my vehicle, and we'll be there shortly." Nathan said.
"Okay... so what's your car?" Kitami can't help but ask.
"This one." He points to the red sports car just a few cars away.
Looking at what Nathan is pointing, Tomo can't help but freeze in fear.
"That... that's...." Tomo was in shock to see the car that he & his group is about to follow.

Chapter 38 - The Element of Surprise

Tomo was in a state of shock when he saw the car that Nathan jr. would be driving.
It's the Dodge Viper that ambushed him back at the US. What's it doing here all the way from there?
"Anything wrong, Tomo?"
"Yo...you're the one who caused me the near-crash back at Devil's Creek pass!!" Tomo hollered.
"So... that's the Viper that you've been talking about, dude?" Kitami verified.
"About that... I never knew it was you. It's just that I saw that blue Nissan by accident and as I got close, seeing that it's a GTR34, he started to pull away and I can't help but accept that challenge."
"Challenge? Isn't it you who challenged me?"
"I told you, I never knew it was you."
"Well thanks to you I was about to face my first time in the hospital."
"At least you'll get special treatment there."
"Why you little-!"
"You two, stop!!" Kasumi screamed. "Would you two just give it up already!! It was just by chance that the two of you faced each other in that canyon pass. Don't tell me, Tomo, that what you saw awhile ago is still in your mind is it?"
Tomo gave a fierce, angry look at Kasumi that sent chills down her spine as their eyes connect. "Why, Tomo?" Kasumi said in her mind.
"She's right. Forget that incident. Let's just go to my place and soften things up there. I might have a couple of things that could move your mindset." Nathan said as he boards his Viper.
Tomo still has a pissed look on his face. Not even Kasumi's heart warming words could calm him down at this state. "Hiei, you ride with me." he said.
"What about-?"
"Don't worry." Sakura answered. "She could ride with me. Right, Kasumi-chan?"
Kasumi just nodded as she boards the red GT-R.
"Well, looks like I don't got a choice. Ryusen, hop on."
"Cool! I get to ride in your mustang. Can I touch the-"
"No!! I'll think about it."
"Fine!" Ryusen said while showing off a pouting face.

[Highway - 2:45 p.m.]

The Viper smoothly leads the group with Tomo's GT-R behind it; followed by the Mustang and the other GT-R.
As Tomo follows the Viper, visions of that last canyon match still clogs his mind. Seeing his car spin over and over again - that's all that he could think of. Kasumi, meanwhile, isn't bothered about Tomo's look at her despite the chilly feeling. She knows deep in her heart that whatever obstacle stands between him and her, she'll always love him no matter what.
Later on, the viper signals his hazard lights in the middle of the highway, but he's not pulling over to the side.
"Could this be a challenge?" Tomo thought. "It's time for a rematch!!" He said planning to push the accelerator further down. Before he could do so, Kitami went side to side with Tomo's GT-R. "Best not to take him on, man. At that state of mind, you WILL crash." Kitami said.
"What are you trying to say?" he asked.
"I'll race him. I want to see if my Mustang is good enough, better than my previous RX-8 or even my brother's FD." With that said, Kitami pressed harder on the gas to accept the challenge. Nathan looked at his side mirror, seeing the Mustang coming up fast. He later removes the hazard lights and overtakes the mustang. Kitami followed in a higher pace, leaving the two GT-Rs behind.
It was down to the Viper and the Mustang. Two Muscle cars battle it out Wangan Style.
The map is as follows: an 800 meter straight followed by a medium right hander, another straight with a length of 2 kilometers, an S-curve section, a long straight and a left to the exit of the highway. From where they are until the exit, it's a 6 kilometer race.
At the first part, the straightway, Kitami knows that he couldn't stay with the Viper for long on the side, so he slipstreams behind him to gain some level ground. "Starting off with a draft, eh? Not a bad one. Tell ya what, eh. I'll let you stay close to me. Let's see how you'll fare in the corners." Nathan uttered with a smile.
"Tomo was an idiot to face off with the Viper back then. I won't make the same mistake in my Mustang. My GT has 600 flat horses thanks to the Shelby engine swap and a supercharger upgrade. It's enough to stay with this Viper!" Kitami uttered in excitement.
"Uh... I think I'll just be quiet and hold tight to my seat." Ryusen said in fear.
The first right is up and both cars are reaching 274 kilometers an hour. As Nathan braked, Kitami got out of the slipstream and timed his braking to go side by side with the Viper. Both shifted down to gear 4 then gear 3 with the needles going crazy at the red zones. There was something up with the viper though - as they drifted into the corner, the Viper is breaking the tie by a notch as he enters the turn. By the apex, he's now infront of the Mustang at 45 degrees. A perfect parallel drift was accomplished. As they hit gear 4 again, both cars backfired from their exhausts. Not a scratch at all on the new GT. "Not bad. He's a rad driver." Kitami itterated. While on the 2 kilometer straight, he stayed behind the Viper again. Looking at Ryusen, he already passed out. Why? That's the first Time Ryusen got into a parallel drift seeing the distance between the Viper and the Mustang nearly 2 centimeters away from each other's doors.
"Ugh, what a drag. I knew I could've brought Hiei Instead of him but he might go DORRRIYYYAAAA then pass out too. Oh well..." he said as he followed the Viper. 2 Kilometers later, they're now facing the S curves. Although Kitami was in a slipstream for long, a gap was still made as the Viper pulled away. Thanks to the slip streaming though, the rate of the increasing gap was relatively slow and a 1 car gap was made before the entrance of the S curve. "Alright. Let me try it one more time!!" Kitami said, getting ready to copy the same attack once more."
"Don't tell me you're gonna copy the same move you did a while ago, eh?" Nathan wondered.
As they entered, Kitami is ready. "Alright! Parallel drift, Take 2!!" He shouted. He got on the same side again but... The rate of the Viper breaking the tie is now double than a while ago. He cleared the S-curve in an unbelievable speed! Kitami was shocked. As he drifted through the S curves as well, he was amazed as soon as he got to the exit. The Viper was gone. "What was that!? It was astonishing!!" He said. As soon as he got to the exit, minutes later, he saw the viper with it's hazard lights on, parked on the side. Kitami came to a stop as he parked behind it. The 2 waited for the GT-Rs.

[Archibal Mansion - 3:00 p.m.]

Kitami, Tomo, and Sakura parked their cars at the driveway of the Archibal's front door. Nathan called for his dad. His dad came out, with a cup of hot chocolate.
"What is it son? I was busy watching my soap opera, erm... I mean watching Discovery Channel."

"Sorry dad. I'd like to introduce to you some friends I met at the Skating rink at Vancouver. Tomo, the Spikey haired one; Kitami, the girly faced one..."
"Hey!!" Kitami and Tomo squealed at Nathan Jr.
"Hiei the thin one and Ryusen the thick eye-brow one..."
"What does thin supposed to mean?" Hiei squealed, too.
"Well, my eye brows DO look thick." Ryusen uttered.
"Sakura and the lovely beautiful angel, Kasumi." Nathan finished.
"What? No description for me?" Sakura said as she pouted and faced her back at Nathan jr.
Kasumi was just silent, glancing at Tomo and looking at the floor.
"Well, she does took beautiful." Nathan's dad said.
"And this is my dad... Nathan Archibal Sr." Nathan jr. Finished.
"Hello to you all. Come inside. let's have some tea shall we?" Nathan Sr. said as he escorted the guests into the dining hall.

Chapter 39 - Silence in the Moonlight

Nathan Sr.escorts his guests to the garden patio half a kilometer away from the back of the house. 500 meters worth of green fields stay in between the home and the tea garden.
The place was huge. I'm talking about the garden. This includes the bushes, the fountains, even...
"Whoa... it's like you could own your own golf course with this." Ryusen uttered.
"We actually do... a mini-golf course to be specific..." Nathan sr. chuckles saying that.
After the long walk, they reached the wonderfully crafted garden where a variety of biscuits were laid and a set for 8 of house blend milk tea was ready.
Later on, while they're all sipping their tea and rampaging on the biscuits... well, Hiei and Ryusen to be exact, Nathan Sr. Notices something about Tomo.
"What happend to your arm, sir? I just wanna know, eh." he asked.
"Oh, these? They're just common bruises I got from work."
"What is your work?"
"I'm a freelance chef."
"Freelance chef? mind if you explain."
"It goes like this, sir..." Tomo said in a courteous manner. "Being part of an international racing league and being a certified chef as well, my group manager negotioated with an F&B outlet that I like to apply for to be recognized as either an intern of the brigade. It's working well and they often treat me as an equal."
"Well, that's good to hear. Hey, since you're a chef, mind if you join me? I got something to show you in my cellar below. Please excuse us." he courteously said to the remaining people in the area.
Tomo followed.
"Um, Ryusen-san..." Kasumi said while patting his shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Could you...you know, look after Tomo for me?"
"What for? He'll be alright, right..."
"Well... it's just that..."
"Something to do with that cellar? Okay, me and Hiei will cover for him. Let's go darling." he said as he pulls Hiei by the collar.
"H...Hey! I'm not done with my shortbread... SHORTBREADDDD!!!" Hiei screamed while freeing himself from Ryusen's very gripped fist.
As the others go on about their 'tea and biscuits' session, Kitami opens up the discussion:
"Hey, 'than... mind if I call you that?"
"Best go with Nathe, eh?"
"Okay,Nathe... I was wondering... how did you clear that S-curve at the highway back there? It was amazing... It must be murder to your rear tires."
"I'm glad that you brought that up. It's like this, you see. I modified the differential and disabled the one on the rear. I let it freely spin as it pleases. My tires, though would be another story. Do you know the tire compound used in them drag races, eh?" Nathan freely asked.
"Aren't they the big, so called 'wheelie' kinds at the back?" Sakura answered.
"Those. In my case, my rear tires are based from that but with a few extra alterations. It's that very hard compound, based on the drag wheelies but looks like an ordinary set of rear tires. It's something done only here in our area and fir only for my SRT10. The secrets of the production? I won't tell. You're no exemption to the rule." Nathan jr. confidently said. "Now, my dear..." he then turned to Kasumi.
"Please excuse the harsh actions I've done infront of your boyfriend. I hope it didn't offend him much in any way..."
"Well...I..."Kasumi can't speak being considered as Tomo's girlfriend or her having Tomo for her boyfriend. To her, the term is inappropriate and it goes against what they believe in and against their conduct. She knows this very well.
"Don't worry. They're not." Sakura answered in behalf of Kasumi.
"Thanks" the latter whispered.
"I know. Remember, I know what you're thinking. I'm just the same as Tomo-kun." Sakura told Kasumi.

[WINE CELLAR]

At the bottom of the mansion, there's a wine cellar. Barrels containing different wines are stored here where they maturely age more. Local and Imported Wines that Nathan Sr. has in store are located here.
"Try this Crown Royal whisky, my friend. It's made from the best barley wheat of the countryside of Canada." Nathan gives Tomo a shotglass full. A bit up to the rim, though.
He drinks it all in one shot and gives a nod saying that it's good; however, his face shows otherwise. 20 percent of his face turned red all of a sudden.
Nathan sr. Walks a bit to the other side, opening a cabinet of red wine bottles imported from France.
"Ah, here we are. Try our Rouge Champagne. Grapes harvested from the Rhone Valley of France. They're from the Merlot grape Variety if I remember. Here you go." He said as he gives Tomo more than 1/3 of a goblet full.
"Don't be shy now. Drink it up." He does so but drinks it as if it's water. In truth, Tomo doesn't drink at all, whether it is wine or alcohol. This is his first time as he knows more by word than by mouth.
Later, he becomes quite Tipsy and starts mocking Nathan jr. He sees a vision of Nathan jr. and Kasumi Kissing in the skating rink once more.
"you...b...bet...betta...raise...you....r...son....more....man...I mig...ht... do...something....threatening...t..u...your....son...if...you're...not...careful...and...hits on..." Before Tomo could even talk any further, Ryusen knocked him out with a Karate chop at the back.
"I'm terribly, sorry." Ryusen said in Tomo's behalf.
"First time trying, eh? It's natural for youngsters like him to act this way after drinking 2 of a different kind..." He chuckled as all of em got out of the cellar.

[GUESTS' ROOM 7:00 P.M.]

Tomo wakes up in an unfamiliar room. The Guests' Room. He looks around and sees only Sakura, who is lying next to him, Hiei, and Ryusen in the room. The latter 2 are busy looking around the room.
"You okay, Tomo kun?" Sakura asked as she helped her up.
"I'm fine. Ugh, my head."
"I figured you couldn't take it. Knowing you bro... stay away from the wines for the moment. It could get worse." Hiei said.
"Wait. Where's Kitami?"
"He's in the other room with Nathan Sr." Ryusen said, pointing to the door.
"and Kasumi?"
"Well...uh..." Sakura doesn't want to say where as she knows that Tomo will freak out once he knew.

[NATHAN SR.'s LIBRARY ROOM]

Kitami looks around with the books ranging from History books, to old novels, and old compilations of the 24 hour le mans.
"You into racing, sir?" Kitami asked.
"My, that's a sudden question to stir up a Topic, eh? Yes I was. Back in the old days but not in the Le Mans. It was my childhood dream that never came true. I became a real estate broker and look at me now. But it doesn't mean that I abandoned the LeMans part off my mind. I still have it in me."
"What car of the Le Mans were you into?"
"Definetly not the prototypes, my boy, although they're the best in the groups. I'm into more on the very first Midship that Ford has made." he said.
"About Ford... I have another question, sir."
"Please. Have a seat first, my boy." Nathan said as he extends his arm to the chair infront of him.
Kitami takes his seat and then follows along.
"What is the Ford Mustang capable of?"
"So, you're the driver of the yellow Mustang outside, eh?"
"Correct, sir."
"You drive one and you've no idea what's it capable of?"
"Well, I know... numerically but in a more personalized comment such as from yourself sir. What do you know about it's capabilities; because I'm new to this car. I was into rotaries my entire driving life, you see."
Kitami said.
"As Nathan Sr. puffs his cigar before he could talk, "The Mustang to me, son... is a wingless horse."
"A wingless horse?"
"You know the Greek Mythological creature right? The white horse with the wings?"
"Pegasus?"
"You know what I'm talking about do you? Then I shouldn't tell you since you know."
"No, sir. It's true. I have no Idea."
"Alright. Since you honestly told me. To me, the Mustang is a fraud personification of Pegasus. They tried to raise a horse onto a higher level but eventually failed. Shelby even tried to, in my context, clip on the wings by the means of the GT350 & GT500 Mustangs but they too ended in failure. It still cannot be considered as the rank of a Pegasus type, despite the better performance and credibility. Well, I did my own experiment and I now own the real Pegasus of the Ford Family. It's in the hobby room. Wanna see, eh?" Nathan Sr. escorts Kitami to the hobby room.
"The Pegasus of Ford? What is he talking about?"

[MAIN DRIVEWAY]
Tomo ran outside to see if Nathan Jr. took Kasumi somewhere else such as what Sakura said.
"Where is that guy? Just because I'm not around her doesn't mean he could do something with her without me knowing..." He said in a pissed tone as he checks out the garage.
"Wait up." Sakura shouted.
Both saw the garage door up but... the Viper is still inside.
"If his car is here... then where could they have gone to?" Tomo wondered.
"Look." Sakura said pointing on an empty car space.
It has a Pontiac logo painted on the space.
"I better see where they went. I wanna know what that guy wants with Kasumi." Tomo is still pissed at the current sceario. He jumped on his GT-R and drove off like a madman out of the Archibal mansion.
Sakura evidently followed.

[TUNNEL FREEWAY, Vancouver outskirts of "Bayview" area]
A red GTO cruises along the traffic endowed area. 2 people, in the car discuss their unknown agenda.
"Where are you talking me?" It was a girl; and by the looks of what she said, she's the passenger.
"I can't get enough of you out of my mind now, even with him around. I need to give you something but I want it somewhere disceet and secure. Just the two of us." the guy said as he drives along the road.
The girl's heart pounds faster and faster hearing that from him.
"What does he want with me?" she wondered to herself. "What does he really want?"
She just stared at the night sky waiting for something extraordinary to soon happen. Or perhaps just waiting for this event to quickly pass.

[HOBBY ROOM - ARCHIBAL MANSION]
Nathan Sr. shows off the car that's hidden under the blankets.
"allow me to introduce to you, Mr. Kitamaru... Pegasus with it's wings..." He said as he removes the blanket.
As Kitami sees the car in full, his throat dropped. He was surprised.
"This is... this is..." he uttered in shire excitement and doubt.

Chapter 40 - Clash of misunderstood thoughts

Tomo arrgessively swerved throughout traffic searching for a Pontiac that has Kasumi on board it.
Sakura tries to keep up with the GT-R infront of her on her own GT-R.
There was one problem though - what model and color is it? Does it have any visual changes? Tomo never thought about it before. Luckily, there are not much cars holding the Pontiac badge.
He heads for the mountaneous area where the possibility that she could be brought there.

For some reason, his guess was right. A red Pontiac GTO, a 2003 model, is parked on the side with its hazard lights on. Two people stand on the veranda showing the cliffside scenery. Lights of various colors give shine to the scenery. Kasumi gives a serious look at Nathan Archibal Jr. who took her there. Nathan gave her a 'cool' look as he thinks what to say to her.

"Good thing that Kasumi's my locator is activated and synchd to my cell phone. They're a few meters away.
He stops the car and walks towards a bush to see closely what is going on. Tomo is 300 meters away from the 'couple'. Sakura stands next to him.
"W-what are you doing here?"
"She's my friend too, Tomo. I too am worried."
"Okay. Let's not make any noise, then." Tomo whispered.

Moments later, Nathan got on his knees as he holds Kasumi's right palm. Tomo, who is hiding in the bushes, is trembling in rage. Sakura just notices the infuriated Tomo next to her. Later on, Nathan spoke: "Kasumi, please?"
"I'm not gonna be your girlfriend or spouse or anything."
"No, it's nothing like that." Kasumi lost the words she was about to say to Nathan. She is confused. If Nathan doesn't want her to be his girlfriend; then, what is this conversation he's stirring up to her?
"Would you help me?" he asked.
"What for?"
"You see, this sounds completely childish but hear me out here." he begged as he bends his other knee.
"Please, mo cherie?"
"Tell me all about it first." she said.
To Tomo and Sakura, they thought that it is a BF-GF proposal and Kasumi rejected it. They gave a sigh of relief.
"I need help you see. There's this girl I'm in love with and I don't know what to do or say infront of her."
"Then why did you kiss me?"
"'cause you look alot like her. And... well... it happens automatically; I don't know why."
"(He's weirder than Tomo) What do you need help with?"
"Can you be my girlfriend-for-training?"
"What!?"
"NANDA-TOO!!!???" Tomo's close to cracking and can't control himself much longer.
Sakura just gave an OH MY GOD reaction overhearing that.
"Just to know if I could take it;talking to her I mean; you know..."
"Does she know you?"
"Well, yeah but..."
"But?"
"I just don't know why I can't face her."
"(What a weird situation I got mixed up in) Tell me, are you known around here?"
Saying that, Nathan released his hands off Kasumi and started to act mature.
"Actually, I'm a showbiz celebrity; me and my dad are. We're famous around Canada."
"Just Canada?"
"Well, I'm new and all... My dad is part of it for as long as I could remember."
"(Well, that explains the completely wealthy condition of his) And you're shy over a fan?"
"I didn't know she was a fan of mine; unless she mistakes me for my father."
"Can't be, I mean look at you. You got the looks; why wouldn't she fall in love with you then?"
"Well... you see... uh..."
"You can't read a girl's mind can you?"
"Some but... I'm telling you, her case is of a higher level that I can't manage."
"Fine, I'll be your gf-for-training if that's what you call it."
"Really!!? Oh, thank you!!" Before Nathan could hug Kasumi happily, Kasumi shows off her hand telling him: "Hands off, okay? Kissing and hugging though is where I draw the line. I don't want to tarnish my innocent body because of somebody I don't completely know." she said as she blushed.
"Let me at him!! I'm gonna give him a pounding!!" Tomo broke into rage and tries to charge after Nathan, but Sakura is preventing him by pulling him back.
"Alright, you have my word, mademoiselle." Nathan Jr. assured Kasumi. "I swear beyond my soul that I won't lay my lips on any part of your body."
"Alri-... what did you just say you pervert!?" Kasumi now breaks into rage and slaps Nathan's cheek, rendering him unconscious after a while later.
Tomo was able to break free off the grapple and runs toward Kasumi until he sees a knocked out Nathan on the ground.
"Kasumi... mind if you tell me what's going on here?"
"Yeah, we're confused as it is." Sakura said as he ran to the two.
"Sorry I got dragged into this but... alright let me explain." Kasumi said as she gave a huge sigh.

[ARCHIBAL MANSION - HOBBY ROOM]
Kitami lost his balance and was shaking over the vehicle that Nathan Sr. showed him.
It is a 1969 Ford GT40. The car was a hundred percent replica of the 24 hour le Mans of the late 60's.
"This is the Pegasus, that you're telling me?"
"It is, my friend. I'm fond of this because of the Le Mans; and I'm fond of the Le Mans because of this. It's a one of a kind car - this is an asset to my investments. This GT40 has reminded me of the past much. Oh how I wish I was young again. I never got hold of this car until this part of my life."
"Then, why didn't you take it out for a drive?"
"The car is as weak as it is now. This is just a body frame duplicate. It looks like a replica but internally, it's not you see. Besides there's another car here in my garage that is related to this. It's my personal car. It's what I use most of the time. Have I answered your question?"
"In a way. Is it the Ford GT?"
"You know your catalogues, don't you?" Nathan sr. chuckled as he walks to the garage with Kitami.
He looks back and takes one last look at the GT40. "a GT40, eh? First a Corvette, now a GT40... could USA be any more threatening?" Kitami uttered.


Back with the son and the rest...

Nathan regained consciousness and woke up in his GTO.
"And that's the rest of the story." Kasumi said to Tomo and Sakura.
Tomo and Sakura just showed a "what the hell" look at what they've heard.
"A superstar with the dumbest of all dilemnas..." Tomo said.
"This is more of what Kitami would do." Sakura said.
"Well, I just need majority of this girl's info then Nathe and I could start." Kasumi mentioned.
Nathan got out of the GTO and approached the group. "What happened?"
"You got slapped by one of Kasumi's killer face palms." Sakura answered.
"I see."
"Well, I'll accept your request Nathan. Just give me what I need to know then You'll be out of that dilemna in no time."
"Thanks a lot. Come on. I'll drive you back to my place."
"No thanks. I'd rather hop along with Tomo-kun."
"Alright. You know where my place is. I'll meet you there." With that said, the GTO bursts off from zero to sixty or so.
"You sure with what you said to him?" Sakura asked.
"Of course. What could possibly go wrong?"
"I don't like the sound of that." she replied.
"How come?"
"I know you want to help and all but, this is dangerous. You start off this way then before you know it, you're under him and you might even take this training too seriously ending up with your emotions blending in..."
"Oh Sakura, you know that I'm not ready for that stuff... Even if I am with Tomo-kun."
"Alright but just to keep you safe, take this. Read it privately." Sakura hands over a book entitled Questions Young People Ask, Answers that work Volume 2.
Before Kasumi could even ask something to Sakura, she's already boarding her car and drove off.
"Come on, Kasumi. Let's head back. We need to sleep." Tomo said, waving his hands to her.
Kasumi follows and they headed back to the Archibal Mansion.

At the garage, Nathan Sr. shows Kitami his Ford GT. The car seems like a blast from the past to Kitami. Not because the body of the GT is identical to the GT40, but the vinyl. "You're really into the Le Mans GT40, are you? You even reincarnated the old into the new GT." Kitami mentioned.
"Well, this car happens to be the first model that came out in the market on its opening. I was the first to purchase one as I heard the news years ago. It's still running as smooth as when I bought it. I did a few upgrades on it and replaced the vinyl design to represent the 69' GT."
"So you're into the racing business, yes?"
"No."
"No?"
"Yes. I'm not. I'm in the showbiz and real estate stuff and all that. The part of me having knowledge on racing is a mere hobby. Well, it's getting late. We'll continue this discussion of ours tomorrow morning. Have a good rest, Mr. Kitami."
"You too, sir. And thanks a lot for all the helpful commendations you gave me about my GT."
"No problem. Glad I could help out a fellow Ford owner."

Later on, the rest of the group came home. They bid their goodnights as soon as they settled in. Before Tomo could get into his room, he asks Sakura - who's about to go inside her room. She's wearing her favorite pink pajamas. "If we'll be staying here... then what about our Hotel Reservation? We went straight here after the skating rink thing..."
"Oh that? I'll inform Daiki about it. As far as I know, he and the rest must've settled in there so there's not much of a problem. Anyway, good night Tomo. I'll see you tomorrow morning." With that said and done, Sakura went in and closed the door. Tomo went in and did the same in his room. An hour passed and the whole mansion is silent. Even the maids and servants went to sleep in their respective provided rooms. Kasumi, though is the only one awake in the whole house. She's still reading that book which Sakura gave her. She is reading the topic on How far is too far?
As she reads deeper into the chapter, her hands shivered. "What have I gotten myself into?" she said to herself.
"I know this is more of a training but what it is is STILL what it is. It makes no difference. I don't want any of this to happen to me at all - not even Nathan, not any other guys; but... with Tomo... I... why can't I decide once it's him? Sorry for Nathan but I need to decline his offer. I need to get him straight; he needs to get out of this demeanor he's into." She assured herself. "These things are all driving me nuts. Best I go to sleep right away." She closed the book, placed it on the desk next to her and covered herself with the blankets.

The next day came. Kasumi and Nathe had a talk in the kitchen - all closed up for a serious private conversation. Looking at Nathan jr. He's scared of all the things that Kasumi told him. Moments later, his dad called him out to the front yard.
He came out with a wasted look.
"Son, what's the matter?" the dad asked him.
"..." He said nothing in return.
To know what Kasumi told him - she asked if he's ready to marry at his young age of 23? 'You barely even know how to deal with such yet'Kasumi told Nathan jr. which left him confused and afraid for some reason. Come to think of it, all that Kasumi said was true. Even with that thought in mind, he went to his dad to ask why he was called out.
To change his mindset,' Nathe saw the Ford GT out of the garage. "Uh, dad? What's your GT doing out here?"
"What? Is it a crime?"
"Well... no but... it's been a year since you brought that car out."
"You've got a point there son. I just want to see if this old baby still has what it takes to be better than the old GT40..."
Later on, Tomo came out of the house and joined in. "Hey Nathe, Mr. Archibal; good morning I was wondering if..."
"Oh, Tomo good morning." Nathan Sr. greeted him.
"what's the matter...?"
"I was wondering if you guys saw Kitami and the other two guys..."
"Those three?" Nathan Sr. clarified. "I saw them drive off to the top of the mountain pass in Kitami's Mustang GT."
"Probably a test run if I'm right."
"I see. Well, thanks." He runs to his GT-R to check a few things.
"you know son, I change my mind. I'll just let it out for a few moments under the cool sunlight."
"Okay. (cool he says) I'll do a few rounds of golf at the back." Nathe said as he leaves his father.
Inside the house, Kasumi drinks one of her favorite fruit drinks. A Strawberry Mifuelle shake. Sakura joins her. "You seem carefree." Sakura said.
"Well, I figured if I used the book against Nathan's childish problem he'd snap out of it. It worked. Thanks for lending me the book."
"No problem. I knew someday that would come in handy." Sakura chuckled saying that.

At the local mountains near the Archibal Mansion, The sound of a highly modified SOHC V-8 roars down the pass. Traffic was minimal and the car swerved from bend to bend. Kitami is still adjusting to the way the Mustang responses to his footwork and driving ability. The car is still a monster to be frank. The tail just kept tripping into a slide. Kitami kept on countersteering so much that it wore out a lot out of his tires. A clinking sound from the gearbox as Kitami shifts from gear 2 to gear 3, adds up to the morning 'holler' that the Mustang "GT-R" is making. Hiei and Ryusen are waiting at the base. Moments later, the Mustang is on the home stretch. It passed the two guys with a menacing breeze and Kitami braked hard into a stop. The tires screeched so hard that it made a 50 meter mark on the road. The tires were steaming. This never happened before to Kitami. It must've had something to do with the major drifts and 'maniac' revving of the car, as he would describe it. This car won't do with just ordinary tires, unlike my X-8 or my ST205. Something has to be done. I wonder if Nathe has something in his garage that could help me. With that said, he calls out to the two guys and heads back to the Mansion, hoping to find a solution to his Mustang problem.

Time flied so fast that it's now midnight. Everyone is asleep again; but there was something ominous around the mansion. Somebody was missing and there are a couple of skid marks near the driveway. A smooth engine roar engulfs the mountain road near the mansion; it's fading as the sound lengthens.


(Note: Forgive me for the huge image. Forgot to resize it before uploading to Photobucket. )

Chapter 41 - The Reprove and breakdown

Kitami approaches Nathan Sr. who's watching Television at the Living room. Nathan Sr. is watching a documentary video of the Le Mans of 1970 as he admires the Ford GT40 of the olden times. Seconds later, Kitami interrupts Nathan Sr.'s reminiscing moment...
"Um... sir... if I may ask..."
Nathan Sr. pauses the video and faces Kitami who shows a depressed look.
"What is it my boy?"
"I tried to use the information you gave me about the whole Pegasus thing but it seems that I still don't understand what you mean by it. Yesterday afternoon, I took my Mustang out again and nothing much changed. It's still driving monstrously. The tires of my Mustang can't hold on much. As soon as I stop, the tires were steaming as I looked at it." Kitami uttered.
Nathan Sr. crossed his arms and gave Kitami a serious look.
"You're not that good behind the noggin, eh?"
"What's that supposed to mean, sir? (Is he insulting my intelligence?)"
"You can't find the balance of your car. The only way you could manage your car without balance is through excessive drifting. As your car is heavy in weight, it's really killing your tires. You get what I am saying? You don't have the balance. That's why your tires are quickly running down." Nathan Sr. said.
"The balance? Is it that important?"
"It is, my boy. Drifts are necessary only at the last moment, where you're bound to lose grip. It's a racer's last resort. If you use it at the very beginning in a car such as the Mustang GT, then you're bound to be caught up or worse - crash. If you still can't get the balance; don't dare to ask me again. Come back to me once you got the balance right, okay?" Nathan Sr. Walks away leaving Kitami in shure doubt.
As Nathan Sr. opens the Kitchen door, he sees Tomo working with the workers. He approaches him to have a quick chat.

"I see that you're serious with your career, eh?"
"That's right sir. If I don't at least do this, I'll become rusty in the industry."
"I get your point, son." Tomo snatches a quarter of a cabbage and begins to chop it. With mayonnaise infront of him, it seems that he's planning to make coleslaw.
"Tell me; what do you value more: your career as a racer or this career?"
Tomo freezes in the middle of his chopping and ponders over the question.
It was total silence. Later on, he spoke. "Well... I like both..."
"I'd have to disagree with you there, boy."
"Why? Is there something wrong with loving two careers in life?"
"Nothing but, do you have the balance between the two?"
Tomo didn't say a word.

"Give me the keys to your car?"
"What for?"
"Just give it." Nathan Sr. is serious. He's demanding the keys. Tomo is about to give him the same look but is in fear as he glares at Nathan Sr.'s eyes. He gives in to the look and gives it to Nathan Sr.
"Starting right now, you can't touch your GT-R until I call the shots. If you can show me that you have the balance between this life career of yours and your racing career then I'll see what I can do. Concentrate there and prove me wrong."
Nathan Sr. left once more. Tomo was at a loss but it seems the loss he has now would grow bigger in the future. What will he do without the GT-R's keys? How can he hone his skills if he has the time? How will he face Daiki after the Vancouver Touring car race? What does Nathan archibal Sr. have in store for him?

Hours later, the news got to the rest of the group down at the garage where Kitami is tuning his Mustang. "What!? Tomo was reproved off his car?" Kasumi exclaimed. "No way; how will he polish up his driving?" Sakura wondered. Yes. Everyone can't believe what they heard. Tomo was the best among the group and with him without his car, they're no more than a couple of newbies in the area. Everyone relied on Tomo's support and with him not on his natural condition, the team's career is as good as dead.
Ryusen, on one corner of the Mustang, analyzed Tomo's situation. As soon as he got the idea, somewhat, he said "Let it be. We just have to put faith in Tomo." Hearing that, the team became completely silent. No one spoke a word after what Ryusen has said.
"What if Tomo can't handle this?" Kasumi asked.
"Then, let's leave it to God and see what happens."
No one but Sakura and Kasumi disagreed with that statement.
"I won't accept the leave-it-to-god attitude... I know Tomo can do this." Both girls said in their minds. To their dismay though, days passed and Tomo can't help but look at his GT-R everytime he's not cooking nor in the kitchen. He just glances at the GT-R. "What will I do? This feeling isn't new to me or anything but if this keeps on going, then I'll be as slow as I was in my S14 years ago..." Tomo uttered. He sat on the GT-R's hood thinking about what Nathan Sr. has in mind.

"Come to think of it, where are the Father and son duo at this hour? They're not at home... maybe they're out on another film shooting or something. The Dad did say that I should prepare dinner by 6. And they're coming home at 5:45 which is an hour from now. I'd better get my butt moving..."
He stood up and headed for the Kitchen. One last time he stares at his GT-R. The Nismo Z-tune front Bumper, hood and Mine's rims are the features that his GT-R holds. He thought to himself, even with a car like this... If I'm not as good as my car is, then... I'm not fit to be Daiki's companion at this team... He walks to the kitchen with his head down.

Sakura and Kitami did a few runs at the nearby mountain road. Sakura drifts through a corner, nailing the apex in her red GT-R34 as Kitami equalizes with a parallel drift. Flames bursted out of the two cars as they prepare for the next corner - a right J turn. Both cars were positioned at the outside and slowly make their way inside. Sakura grips through the turn as Kitami's Mustang slowly clears the corner at the same manner. The mustang though was understeering and as Kitami nudges a bit on the gas, the rear trips. He immediately countersteers and regains the car's balance. The gap widens and Kitami pounds on the accelerator as the straightway is up. Whilst on the straight, Kitami checks the grip meter screen on top of the airconditioning next to the gauges. He was able to make it out with three quarters of grip remaining. He still wasn't satisfied. He wanted it to reach at least half. He still hasn't got the balance that Nathan Sr. is talking about.

Sakura steps out of her GT-R and wipes the sweat off her face. Kitami approaches her and begs for one more round. "Eh? Wasn't that enough for today? I mean, we're at it for the past 5 rounds and you still can't get the balance of your car?" Sakura asked.
"I know it's too much, but could you at least race me one more time? I need to make it reach half of the grip left. I beg you, one last round." Sakura just gave a sigh and said "Alright. One more round. Then we head back, I'm starving."
"Thanks." Kitami said as he boards his Mustang.
"What? We need to wait here again!?" Hiei asked.
"Just one last time, Hiei-chan. We'll just do one more round." Sakura answered.
"Oh, alright! I'll just time your run like I used to do. Ryusen, you time this time."
Hiei leaves and gets a soda from a nearby vending machine.
"Ready for one more, Kasumi?"
"alright. One more. If I scream; sorry in advance if I freak out over your driving."
"Forgiven. Now, let's go. I can't wait for what Tomo is making for dinner." Sakura shifts the car to gear one and presses the gas real hard. The red GT-R went to a 180 degree spin. Kitami followed as the red Skyline boosts out of the finish line.

Tomo was in high pressure in the Archibal Kitchen. Even the other chefs he's working with are pressuring him. Everyone is moving at a high pace. Tomo, because of his current state of mind is working at a pace half of that of the rest. He's working on a couple of monkfish fillets. He rolled them up on all spice and Paprika and pan fried them in a hot Saute pan with olive oil. Pretty easy? Well, Tomo's keeping an eye for the right timing - not too early as it'll still be raw and not too late as it'll burn and dry up. He has already burned 2 fillets earlier. One of the Chefs next to him is working on the Citrus Vinaigrette while another one is sauteeing potatoes and asparagus in butter. The head chef is calling the shots and he's like a processor as he talks. "Guest-Chef hurry with the fish you there is the vinaigrette done how are the desserts doing is the chocolate holding its shape it better be!!" He's talking straightforward; no stops, no periods. He's like a stopwatch timing everyone every second. "You guys got a few minutes before we start serving and guest chef the fillets the fillets!!" Tomo was spacing out a moment ago until the head chef calls his attention. He nearly burned 5 fillets there but he was able to save them.
The head chef approaches him and says "stop that. Take a break first. You can't work at this rate."
"No chef. I need to finish this. I only got 2 sets of 5 left. I can do this, don't worry."
"Easy with the stubborness Kid. If that stubborness gets to your cooking, who knows what Sir Nathan would say about it. Okay fellas double time!!" He's right. Tomo's not giving his effort at all. Why? What Nathan senior told him is still bugging his mind as he works. He tries to concentrate but he momentarily sees his GT-R at the back of his head. He's sweating as he continues his work. A simple task yet Tomo's having a hard time doing it at a face pace which is regular in a kitchen brigade.


Episode 11 - Elements of Devotion

Chapter 42 - Priorities

A weeks stay at the Archibal Mansion has passed by and Tomo never had the chance to practice in his car. It is murder for him. He can't stand it. He loves his cooking career but he loves his car and his driving career equally. Without the other one, he'd fall apart. He's sitting next to the Kitchen door, spaced out as he blindly stares at the scenery. He's completely out of it.

One of the line cooks noticed this and went to the head chef. "Sir, don't you think that Sir Nathan ought to return the boy's car keys? If his car is that important to him, it'll be unjust to rip him off that passion as well. What do you think, eh?"
"I have no say in this at all. I can't approach Sir Nathan about something like this. This is between him and Sir Nathan. We can't interfere. If the kid pulls this off or not, Sir Nathan will give the final call."
"Can't we at least encourage him to work harder even without..."
"Like I said, Grillardin We can't interfere. I can only approach him if he's not working pretty well."
During the conversation of the 2 cooks the rest of the kitchen brigade joined in the discussion. Later on, Tomo stood up, still with the spaced out look.
The rest of the cooks and chefs hid behind the back door.
"Do you think he heard us?"
"SSShhh!!"
"Where's he going?"
"I said ssshhhh!!"
Tomo removed his apron, hanged it where he used to hang it; along with his towels and training skull cap and heads out of the Kitchen.
He slowly walks around the Mansion, in a completely depressed look. The rest of the maids and servants who noticed him wondered why. Did the Master do something to him? They started to feel sorry for their visitor.
Tomo decided to go up and sleep for the rest of the day. His friends are out doing runs in the nearby mountain roads. Only he was left in the Mansion. The Father and Son are also out. No one knows whether it's business related or something. One thing's for sure that the Ford GT and Viper are out of the Garage.
Before Tomo could open the guests' room door, his pants were being heeled by somebody. It was a little girl. Probably one of Nathe's siblings; around 4 years old. A cute, Goldilocks like girl with blue eyes, wearing a gown-like dress. You could even consider her as a doll. She was crying. "Mister, could you help me, please? My big brother and Father are out. Please help me!"

Tomo's depressed, spaced out look soon faded and he begins to show a more compassionate look as he stared at the child's big blue eyes. He bends down to the kid and asks: "What do you need help with, kid?"
"My sister... I can't find my sister..."
"What does she look like?"
"She's got smooth lines and wears a shiny pink..."
The kid kept on talking as Tomo forms, in his mind, a teenage girl who resembles Kasumi...
"...and she's got Shiny wheels...!"
"And any more t-... what?"
"Shiny wheels!"
Tomo covers his face with his palm. "Idiot I am. She must be referring to a toy car or something. Okay where did you last saw "her"?"
"I'll show you, mister." They went to the little girl's room. A typical girly like room with dolls one one corner, a cute bed on the other corner and all that. Something unusual though next to the door - a Diorama of their house where she plays with her dolls. "Where'd you last place your toy?"
"Over there." She pointed to the teddy bears at one corner. Tomo, one by one, removes the bears and before they know it, Tomo found the car. It was a pink Honda AP1 S2000. The second generation kind. And it had a few changes. It almost seemed real.
"Is it this one?"
"Marie!! There you are!!" The girl nabbed the toy car off Tomo's palm and hugs it dearly. "What's so special with that car? You're a girl. You should be more on dolls and teddies..." The little girl gave Tomo a pouting face. "You're mean, mister. My dad made this for me."
"Oh! Sorry. I didn't know. How long was it with you?"
"Mommy said ever since the day I was born."
"Where is your mother?"
"She's out in the back near the cars." the little girl jumps to the window where you can see a good view of the garage all the way to the green fields and the flower garden. "See?" She points to a Blond haired woman, in her late thirties, picking flowers near the cars. As she picked some, her eyes were on Tomo's Nissan Skyline. What for? What is in his GT-R that caught the attention of someone who seems to not care about cars in a detailed aspect? "That's your mother? (Must probably be as old as the Sr.)" As the woman tilted her head, it showed a very young faced woman With teal eyes and smooth blond hair. "(OMG! She's young!!)..." Tomo was speechless while the little girl intimately stared at how Tomo looked at her mother.
"Come on, Mister. I'll introduce you to my mom" she called out to Tomo as she skipped to the hallway. Tomo just followed.

[FLOWER GARDEN NEAR GARAGE 1:45 p.m.]

"Mommy! Mommy! I want you to meet someone." The little girl called out to her mother.
"What is it dear. By the way, do you like daisies or dandelions?"
"Later mom! I want you to meet him."
As she got a glimpse of Tomo, she told her daughter. "Mommy knows him already."
"Really? What's his name?"
"His name is Tomo. Now run along baby. Mommy needs to put these in a vase."
Tomo looks at the girl as she plays on the green fields, like her mom told her.
"Is this your car?" The mother asked.
"Ah, yes ma'am. By the way... I think we didn't meet. But it seems you know me."
"My husband told me about you."
"May I know your name?"
As the flowers are starting to whither, she says "Let's talk later. Is it alright if I ask for your help with these? I don't want these to die..."
"Okay ma'am." Tomo said as he helps her with the flowers.

Chapter 43 - A Dazzling Melody

Nathan Sr.'s wife arranged the flowers she picked and placed them in a wonderful looking vase filled with ice water. Tomo helped a bit in the flower arrangement. "Thank you so much." She said to Tomo.
"It's no problem at all Mrs... uh... ma'am."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you my name. My Apologies. I am Dorothy. Nathan's wife. It's pleased to be talking to you at this moment, Mr. Kitsumoro." She bends her head down in respect for Tomo being Japanese.
"Please, ma'am. Lift your head up. I appreciate it." Tomo said as he panicks in embarassment.
"Would you like to have some tea? You must have worked so hard in the kitchen."
"Thanks a lot. Well I was planning to take a nap until your young daughter came up to me."
"Margarette? She's been asking me to help find her toy but I don't have the time. My Husband and Nathe are always out too. She rarely gets to talk to the rest of us. It's often me when I at least have the time."
"Must be hard... for her I mean at this very young age."
"Oftentimes her only playmates are the maids when they come and clean her room. That enough, she's happy." One of the servants came with some tea and muffins. A sweet fruity aroma embraces Tomo's nose. "The sweet smell of oranges surrounds me."
"That's because it's made with orange zest." The maid says.
"It happens to be one of my favorites. Please try it." Dorothy claimed.
While Tomo takes a bite out of the muffin, Dorothy sips some tea from her cup. "So, how do you like the ambiance here?" she asked. "The place is wonderful. I can't believe Sir Nathan has managed to get a lot here. It's like being in a wonderful flower garden not too far from Vancouver. It reminds me a lot of home."
"If I may ask, where in Japan were you from?"
"I'm from Gunma. By the way, the muffin tastes great."
"Glad you like it. Gunma eh? That place has a wonderful ambiance as well."
"Have you been there?"
"Before. The place is peaceful."
"Not exactly. At night, the prefecture is something else. It's like being in Tokyo." With that said Tomo sips some tea out of his cup. He continues to describe the difference of Gunma by day and Gunma by night. Dorothy was able to understand as she admits that she did go to one of the mountains one night. Moments later, she changed the topic from what's Gunma like to What's with Nathan Sr.?
"Before we go on any further with this conversation, I'd like to give to you my apologies for the actions of my husband."
"Oh, no no. You don't need to apologize. I'm actually treating Sir Nathan's 'command' to me as a test."
"I think it's best that you know the reason behind my husband's actions." Dorothy's eyes look serious as she tells Tomo about Nathan Archibal sr.
"My Husband, he can tell the presence of a person specializing in driving techniques. He can tell if a person needs improvement or not. To tell you the truth, my husband is actually doing you a favor. He likes to help people out but in a way that seems annoying to his recepients."
"Well, that's unusual in a way... If I may ask, what does Sir Nathan's ability to see driving ability have to do with his identity as a hollywood star and real estate broker?"
"None. It's his secret 'profession' that only we in the family circle know.He even got my son, Nathan Junior involved in his so called adventure. Despite this, he keeps it as a sidestory of his life."
Tomo leans back on his seat and thinks of what Dorothy said to him moments ago.
"Now I see... It's his way of seeing if my driving ability is acceptable to his standards. What car does he drive any way?"
"I'm sorry. That I cannot tell you."
Tomo just gives a sigh. He takes his tea cup and sips on it again, thinking, at the back of his mind, how to cope with this situation he's in.
"But I could tell you how he drives. It was an experience that is still tatooed on my mind." Dorothy suggested.
They placed their tea cups back on their saucers before she started telling another story.
"The last time he took me for a drive was no more than 4 years ago.

"And that explains why Nathe has the Viper..." Tomo said as he crossed his arms.
"He has a secret to that way of driving." Dorothy followed. "He acutally practices in the snow with cars like this. He even took out his personal car out the same way and improved drastically."
"I know you wouldn't tell me what car it is but at least may I know where its engine is placed?"
"It's in the back of the car and the power is immense."
"A mid ship eh..."
"Is that what you call it?"
"Yes ma'am. Unlike a normal car, a mid ship car has it's engine at the back to gain a more or less 50-50 weight distribution of the car giving it better cornering than that of a normal car with its engine at the front. Um... I'm sorry if I'm talking too much like this. I can't help it."
"No no. It's alright. I understand. Nathan used to give me these 101's that he call most of the time years back."
"I see. So in your own words, how would you describe his driving?"
"How would I describe it?" Dorothy looks at the scenery as she thinks. The flowers waving her "hi", the birds nesting on a tree, the butterflies swarming around the flowers, helped her think of how to describe her husband's driving."
"Hold on." She calls for one of the maids and requests something. The maid leaves and gets what Dorothy asked. A minute passed and she came back with a case of somesort. A violin case, holding a special violin. A stradivarius.
"Tomo, this is how I describe my husband's driving."
Dorothy takes the violin and positions it as how most violinists would. She takes the rod and starts to play a song.

SPOILER

Violin piece(violin entry comes at 1 minute)

Once she stops playing, Tomo was in a state of shock. He was able to picture in his mind a violinist at work and compares it to Nathan's driving. Driving in the snow. It was as if he's making an art. The line he took, in Tomo's mind, was perfect. "So that's how Nathan drives. Unbelievable." He said in a soft tone. Dorothy looks at Tomo to see if he's alright or was he mesmerized by the song. "You alright, eh?"
Tomo soon got to his senses. He holds his head. "Yes. I'm fine. That piece was something."
"Did you like it? It was the only way for me to describe my husband's style."
"It was lovely. You're really good at the violin aren't you?"
"It's nothing really. I do this whenever I'm bored at home, my boys are somewhere else and Margarette is sleeping."
Tomo stood up and decides to go back to the Kitchen.
"Thank you, Mrs. Archibal. Now I know; I don't need to doubt myself anymore. I'll show your husband that I can surpass his expectations."
"Please, call me Dorothy. Afterall, with you guys around the house, things are becoming livelier. I even considered you guys as part of the family."
"Thank you for that too... Dorothy."
Tomo walks away and looks at his watch. He needs to get ready. Dinner is coming. He and the rest need to prepare ASAP.
Dorothy looks at the GT-R one more time. Her smiling face soon soaked down to an emotionless face. "Will he be able to prove my husband wrong? Only a few have done so. Many have failed. Will he be the fourth one to surpass his expectations? I sure hope he knows what he's doing for I know what will happen after this." she said to herself. What could she mean by this?

Nice update as usual Gunma.

I wish I can have the same output... I am too damn busy with schoolwork and all to publish my story quickly.

Continuation, here we come!!!
------------------------------------
Chapter 44 - Familiarity

Everybody came home before the sun completely sets. Dinner was ready. It's now 7:30 p.m. and everyone gathered at the dining area. A whole variety of food was placed infront of them: Pan fried spiced monkfish fillets with citrus vinaigrette, Deep fried Polenta, Bacon and cheese quiche lorraine, American style Beef Steak, Sashimi and for dessert, fruit & nut chocolate fondue. Sakura was trembling in excitement over the food they're about to eat. Well, mostly on the fondue part. Hiei and Ryusen took photos of the dinner table before they settled in. Kitami was talking with Nathan sr. about how he nearly got the balance he was talking about. Nathe was busy talking to his manager by phone. Kasumi went to the kitchen to check up on Tomo. As she peeps through the round window, she sees Tomo intensely working hard with the rest of the kitchen crew. "I guess he's adjusting well; even without me around. That's good."

Dorothy had everyone take their seats and gave the opening statement before eating. "As you could see, the food tonight is completely different. It's a mixture of flavors from around the world. Honestly, this is planned by our house head chef and Tomo, our guest chef; so please, enjoy." With that said, everyone gave an applause. The guests took their portion of the meal, except for Ryusen who took in double of his own weight. By 8:15, they were done and they went straight to their rooms, getting ready for bed. Tomo on the other hand is still busy preparing which looks like tomorrow's morning and afternoon tea - a chocolate chip cookie dough and a sugar cornmeal cookie dough. He's currently wrapping them up in cling wrap. But he's not done yet. Everyone in the kitchen left for their rooms except for him. He's still busy preparing the meals for tomorrow; getting whatever meats to use tomorrow marinated and whatever ingredients, segregated. He volunteered to do this on behalf of the head chef. Two hours passed and he's still not done, working on the lunch ingredients. It looks as if a slab of pork is being spiced and wrapped as well. If my guess is right, it could be a German recipe he's working on - German pork knuckle. The head chef said that it's the master's favorite lunch for he has been to Germany recently. In connection with Tomo's intentions, I think he's trying to impress Nathan sr. so that he could drive again. Another hour passed and he's still not done. He's cleaning up the place. Mopping the floors, sanitizing the pots and pans, double checking the knives; all that all by himself. Moments later, Dorothy went down to get a glass of warm milk and witnessed Tomo's perseverance. She said to herself "I think he's overdoing it a bit. But I guess for this moment, it's alright. He needs to do this." Tomo felt a presence as if he's being watched. "Am I being watched?" he uttered. He looked at the back and saw mistress Dorothy by the door. She lets her in and they had a chat over some warm milk. "You know, I think you need to go to bed. Some of your friends have slept already. I am getting worried that something might happen to you if you don't sleep well."
"Don't worry, ma'am Dorothy. I'm quite used to this." Tomo said as he assures her by holding her right hand, which is next to the glass of milk. "I hope you are sure of it."

At Kitami's room, he still can't get to sleep. He tried nudging from end to end of his bed and still can't sleep. He covered his head with his pillow until he nearly suffocated. "Arrrgh! Why can't I sleep!?" He yelled. He decides to go down to ask for a glass of milk as well. At the stairs, she saw Dorothy. "Good evening ma'am." he said courteously. "Oh, Good evening Kitami." She answered back. "Your friend Tomo's down at the kitchen cleaning up. If you need a glass of milk there's one he placed at the dining table."
"Oh, really? I'd better thank him. Well, goodnight ma'am." Dorothy nodded her head and makes her way up to her room.
As soon as Kitami took the glass of milk and drank it all, Tomo just came out of the kitchen completely wasted. "Uggh" he moaned. "I'm so tired. I gotta rest. I need to do this to get my R back."
"So this is what is all about?" Kitami asked him out of the blue.
"Whoa! Kitami is that you?" Tomo's eyes are quite blurry at the moment and he can't recognize who was there.
"You can't tell?"
"At first glance, I thought you were a macho dancer or something."
"What are you-... hey!?"
"I'm kidding alright? Sheesh, calm down. I'm going to bed." Tomo said in a sleepy tone.
"Fine. Just don't let me catch you sleeping infront of your room just like when we were in high school, you hear me?" Kitami reminded him.
As Tomo got up the stairs, he noticed something as soon as he got to the flooring of the second hall: Sakura's keys to her GT-R. Tomo could tell by the Hello Kitty Key chain that is attached to it. "I'd might as well give this back to her." Tomo thought. It took him a while to think.
A minute of thinking past. Kitami's coming up the stairs. Tomo silently panicked. "What to do, what to do... if Kitami sees me with this then... Agh! I don't wanna think about it! Where to hide?" He shouted in his mind until he found the large indoor plant near the second floor library room. It was big enough for someone to stand behind it and not to be noticed. Tomo took the opportunity and stood behind it as Kitami walks tipsily back to his room. He closed the door. Tomo gave a sign of relief and stares again at Sakura's car keys.
"D'oh, it has been nearly half a month's worth of stay here with the Archibals, where my friends are out finishing up their techniques and me stuck in the kitchen. I can't miss this chance." He whispered to himself. "But... I kept my word that I won't touch the GT-R until Nathan Sr. gives the signal. But... Sakura also has one... and I have the key to it... the key to liberate me from this cage that I'm used to - the kitchen. Now's my chance."
Tomo was anxious to get out and drive Sakura's car even for a short while.
As he walked down the stairs, he taught to himself: "wait a minute, why would Sakura leave her keys outside her own room? Hmph. must've dropped it as she tiredly went to bed or something. It's a typical case." He sneaked up to the back door. He's halfway through the long main hall of the mansion until.
"Are you seriously going to go against your own words?" A voice from behind him said.

Tomo slowly tilted his head to see who it was.
"Dorothy? Kasumi? Little Margarette? Mommy?"
As Tomo got sight of who it was, it was Sakura in her evening dusters.
"Damn. Busted." He uttered to himself.
There was something odd though about Sakura - she looks as if she's half asleep.
As Tomo looked down, Tomo shrivelled in embarassment. "Please, cover yourself up" he said.
Sakura did just so; but she wasn't embarassed much over it. Her face partly went red hearing that as she fixed her clothes up.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I saw your keys next to your door and as I looked at it, I couldn't help myself. Alright? Here, take it. And let's go back to bed."
"What are you talking about?"
"Ha?"
"Not so loud. I'm already doing you a favor here." She whispered. "I'll allow you tonight on one condition. I come along with you. So that things won't be that obvious okay? I'll tell the guard at the guardhouse near the gate that I'll just go and buy some milk or something then we trade places, got it?"
"O thank you Sakura, I lov-"
"Less talking more sneaking, got it?"
The two of them sneaked towards the back door. They rode Sakura's GT-R and turned it on. Sakura nimbly tapped on the gas in order to not make any excessive engine noise. She lets the idling of the engine lead them to the gate. The guard on duty woke up as a couple of headlights came up close. He opened his flashlight and saw Sakura driving it.
"Um... I am... just buying some milk. A bit health conscious here. I'm gonna go to the convenience store to see if my favorite brand is there."
"Oh. Okay." The guard silently opened the gate, lets them through, closes it and goes back to sleeping on the job.

Kilometers away from the mansion, Tomo and Sakura traded places. Tomo happens to be scrunching up in the back, covered in blankets in order not to be noticed. Sakura keeps a few blankets if ever there were moments that she needs to catch up on her sleep and does it in the car. Tomo accidentally witnessed one of Sakura's brassieres there but he didn't bother to tell her that. He knew what'll come next if he does so.
"There we go. No need to thank me, Tomo-chan."
"Tell me Sakura, why are you doing this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Helping me go against me and Nathan Sr's conditions?"
"I was concerned about you. I knew that if you don't get a feel of a car at all, you will collapse no matter how determined you'd become the next day, You'll get relapses and mistakes on the way. I don't want it to happen to you. That's why I'm doing this."
"Really?" Tomo said as he blushed. "T-Thanks a lot."
"Don't mention it. Remember we only got until 2 a.m. on this. We have to get back before 2. It's 12:25 now. Let's go."
Tomo shifts the red GT-R to gear one and slowly presses the gas. The car smoothly gets out of the service road and into the main highway.
Tomo took a right turn at the second junction. He checked the time: 12:35 a.m. Moments later, he got to an area where it reminds him of one of the passes where he and Lucas Scott raced. The layout of the area, as he makes his way up, resembles the passes he's been on when he was at USA. As he reaches the peak, he turns the car around and stops. BOth of them got out to see the landscape pictured.
A lot of Neon lights flashing from afar. A huge round light in the middle and a blimp floating above it. They could tell because of the small red light blinking as it makes its way around the big light. "That's the staduim at Seattle." Sakura mentioned. She's still wearing her dusters but she wore her denim jacket on top of it. "Who ever thought that its lights are that powerful. Must be a huge concert or something going on." Tomo commented. Tomo's still wearing his chef's uniform that night.
Sakura glances at her watch. A rolex GT-4 golden studded watch. It was a gift from Daiki, Hiroya and Shimizu for that race at Infineon for doing a good job. "we better head back now. It's almost 1 a.m. Start practicing here. This is where Kitami and I practiced days back with the rest of the group. Here's my personal record." Sakura takes a small piece of paper from one of the pockets of her denim jacket. It was all crunched up and Sakura unwrapped it open. It says 2:14.658 - that is Sakura's time record with Kitami on one session. "Think you could beat that in my car?" She asked with a grin. "I'll try. But I won't guarantee that I could beat it."
"You don't have to obliterate my record. Just do what you can do. And we better hurry. Time isn't on our side, you hear?"
"Gotcha there. Let's get in and start."
Tomo re-ignites the GT-R It sounds as if it's holding a bigger turbine. The muffler backfires successively, like that of some WRC cars. A huge hiss came out of the car as Tomo releases his foot off the gas at certain moments. He's ready. He shifts from Neutral to gear 1. He taps the gas and holds his foot on it afterwards bringing the car from a smooth start off to a serious run. He shifts gears as if it's an ordinary thing. Letting go of the gas, pressing the clutch, shifting to the next gear and swapping the position of his feet, it's a feeling he missed so much. Being far from the cockpit has caused Tomo's feet to slightly tremble. Sakura looks at him and gives a cute smile. "Glad I can help you out at moments were you're desperately in need of it." She mumbled. "Did you say something?" Tomo asked.
"Oh, nothing."
The first corner's up - an immediate tight hairpin pattern staring off with a right hairpin. Tomo grips on the steering wheel much harder. He removes the gas, shifts down and presses the clutch and brake together and makes his turn. The car slightly understeered but his entrance was too general which made him clear the corner just right. He lost a huge amount of speed though, upon entry.
He shifts up and simultaneously presses and lifts both the clutch and gas pedal. Flames bursted again from the muffler. And a huge hissing sound out of the turbines. The turbine gauge points at an area in between 1.5 and 2.0. As they shift gears, their bodies leaned forward a bit yet are supported by the seatbelts.

Tomo makes his way through 1/3 of the pass, He's doing just fine. To Sakura, his driving is a bit too common today. Too standard but she lets it pass. She knows that because Tomo was out too much on the kitchen and not out at all on the driver's seat, Tomo didn't get use to his own driving style and copied a basic, orthodox pattern. He passed a few hairpins and stuck onto the inside lane nearly causing the car's rear to skid. The ATTESA ET-S works up and corrects the tire position, thus regaining grip and no skidding.
Tomo looks behind him and concludes - "someone's coming from behind"
"hmm?"
"Somebody's coming. Do you think you want to let it pass?"
The car behind them suddenly got close to the 34's rear bumper and signals his high beam at Tomo.
"It looks like it wants to challenge me down the hill. What should I do?"
"I think you should..."
"let's race then!"
"I was gonna say pull to the side and let him pass but...oh well..."
Tomo pounds on the gas and tries to make a gap between Sakura's car and the car behind them. The car can't be identified completely except for the 2 figures that Tomo's able to see: a couple of headlights, the shape of a thin almond in an angle and a yellow and green metallic circle at the middle. Even Tomo has no clue about the car behind him. They passed 2 successive hairpins. Tomo checks the mirror and saw no car from behind. He gives a sigh of relief. After that sigh, it reappeared again. It shocked TOmo and Sakura out of their seats.
"Who is this guy?"
"I don't know Sakura. But there's one thing bugging me. The line he's taking... I think I've seen it before. Back at home."
The mysterious clubman car from behind slowly decreased the gap. It's closing in to the red GT-R that attempts to pull away.

Chapter 45 - Resolution

An infamous mountain side road at Canada is beholding a secret unknown battle. This infamous road wasn't given a name to be recognized as. Frankly, touge racing isn't much of a trend in Canada than it is in Japan and the Canyons of USA. A road that we could name as ANONYMOUS. A red GT-R and a mysterious black compact duel down Anonymous pass.

The past gives a somewhat similar road layout as that of Momiji line pass, which is located at Tochigi, Japan: long and wide straights with a few bends and an oncoming hairpin at a steep slope. Some sections would have high speed chicanes as that of its twin pass from the east. The difference? No gutters present. It's easy to gain speed but it's easy enough also to lose control and understeer.

Sakura's GT-R can barely hold on to the lead against the oncoming chaser. "I still can't identify the car from here. Its lights are too bright." Sakura, who was sitting at the passenger seat, said as she tried to identify the oncoming car from behind. "But, what did you mean that this line he's taking is familiar?" she asked Tomo.

"I can't quite put my finger on it Sakura, but I know I've seen it somewhere before." Tomo answered. Mid way through the pass, they've cleared 4 hairpins and 2 sets of steep chicanes. Going down at full throttle, you could really feel the weight shifting from one side to the other. As the GT-R brakes for every oncoming chicane-hairpin combination, the mysterious car clears every corner faster as if it ain't braking at all. The maneuveres the unknown car shows from behind is unexplainable. To top it all, it's stable as it exits every corner.

"The next series of turns would tell if I could outrun him, or her... After this is a long straight before one final hairpin." Tomo has his plan in mind, yet he still wonders if that plan of his would coincide with his current mediocre driving style. He has nothing to lose. He only has one shot at this. Sakura notices the determination and concentration in Tomo's eyes that she prepares for the worse that is to come. She held tighter to the hand grip and her seatbelt.

Right turn. Tomo immediately steps on the brakes; downshifts 2 gears lower and delays his gas timing as he turns the car into the apex. Once he passed it, he went full throttle and times his shifting. Unfortunately, he was a second late as he shifts one gear up. The car veered back a bit compared to his same attempts corners ago. He shifted too early. The unknown car swerved to the side, getting ready to overtake from Tomo's side. BOth cars are now nose to nose with each other. A short S bend is approaching.
"Gotta un-gas at this area to maneuver through with ease. Against a car of the same weight as that of the GT-R, it's a good plan to increase the gap. There was just one problem though. His opponent's car seemed so small, so it must be light. Tomo was on the outside of the first bend. He ungasses as the car's nose is perpendicular to the change of the road's line - coming into a linear angle by the moment. The other car didn't bother to slow down and the driver had his foot glued to the gas pedal. As he turned the car, it moved with ease - just like what TOmo had in mind. The tie slowly diminished and the mysterious car was in view in front of the R34. It is the latest Lotus model. As the Lotus positions itself infront of the R34 while clearing the chicane, a few letters, made from chrome in between the tail lights spell out the model - EXIGE.
Below the right tail lights is a mark spelling out 240R. Yes; it was a Lotus Exige 240R. A car equally light or much lighter than the AE86. Engine output as high as a Honda S2000's. A body as compact as a Mazda Roadster's. It's the ultimate British downhiller. Add the midship component of the car, it kills all corners. The exige's exhaust burst out flames as the car pulls away from the R34.

Tomo gave a huge sigh. His sigh either means 'glad that's over. I didn't know what I was up against so, it's okay' or 'damn! Another loss!? Oh, man I really can't face Daiki like this!'. By the time they reach the base, the Exige disappeared as well. Tomo entered into the main road back to the Archibal mansion before he gets caught for breaking his word. Also to catch up on his sleep, as well. Sakura patted Tomo's shoulder. "Well, so much for our little challenge. We'll try next time okay?" Sakura mentioned. Tomo intimately looked at the road. "Are you okay Tomo-kun?" Sakura pats his shoulder some more until he got irritated that he needed to know why. Sakura just said "Forget about that encounter. You weren't ready. Let's leave it at that alright? It caught us off guard so it's not your fault you lost to it." Tomo simply nodded as they make their way back to the mansion.

[7:55 a.m.]
Everyone is awake. All but Tomo, who is still in his room sleeping. They actually made it on time. They came home 1:30, they swapped seats before entering the gates, and quietly made their way up to their rooms. A close call.
Nathan Sr. went to the kitchen to check up on the brigade. Actually, he's there to see how Tomo is doing. To no avail; Tomo wasn't there. "Huh? He's not here?" He stepped out and continued to think. Probably he has given up, he thought to himself. "But he couldn't have. I know a lazy one from someone determined. As far as he's concerned, he's more of the latter. Where could he have gone off to? Did he break our agreement and borrowed one of his friends' car?"
Dorothy, who just came down noticed her husband thinking deeply.
"Morning, love." she called out.
"Hey, hunny, have you seen that Tomo kid anywhere?"
"Oh, him? He's still asleep."
"Asleep? (I guess I was completely wrong about him. He's a bum alright.)"
"He stayed late last night preparing everything for today and the next day. He stayed in the kitchen all the way until nearly 12 in the evening."
Nathan Sr. made a whistling sound hearing that. "I see."
"That's all you could say, love?"
"For now, yeah. That was something out of a guest. Staying late at night to do most of our crew's work while they're out asleep." Nathan walked away and went to his study.
Dorothy started to doubt what she said. "If that's the case, then he must have gotten up earlier than we expect. But I checked his room. He's still snoring and sleeping soundly. It's either he was worn out or did something at the back of our eyes." She kept on thinking about it as she got Margarette's breakfast ready.
While Tomo's fast asleep, the rest of his friends were out practicing again. Kitami has the hang of his car already. It's not sliding needlessly as compared to before. It's as if the car has more grip now. The mustang's tires stuck to the pavement like glue as it clears a mid speed corner at 117 kph. Sakura, in her red GT-R is the chaser for the current session. She can keep up but...
The gap gets wider and wider after every corner. "looks like Kitami has the hang of it now." She shifts the car to gear 4. Flames burst out of the exhaust. The needle slowly makes its way to 8400 rpm. Sakura smoothly turns the wheel and the car follwed. She yawned quite a bit whilst on the straightways. She barely got enough sleep at all but she could manage. She didn't do anything tiresome unlike Tomo who cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom.
As they're on the last section of the course, Kitami has made a 2-car-length gap in between the Mustang GT and the GT-R. Alls he got to do is clear the next right corner and they're done. As the Mustang is less than a hundred meters away from the corner's turning point, Kitami presse hard on the brakes. We could say he overdid this corner a bit. The car swerved to the outside a bit as it makes its way through the corner. The rear tripped and is slowly coming into a drift.
Kitami gritted his teeth as he countersteers. "This wasn't supposed to happen." He plans on clearing the corner in a grip manner, not a drift approach. As he clears the corner, his rear end was a ruler's width away from the outside wall. Sakura, who drifted through with ease; possibly coming in with a weight shift-feint maneuver, decreased the 2 car gap down to less than a car's length worth of gap. 200 meters later, they came to a stop.
Sakura and Kitami stepped out of their cars. They approached Hiei, who was holding two stop watches, Ryusen, who was holding a clipboard containing their session times, and Kasumi, who had some bottled water ready for the two of them.
"How was the time?" Kitami asked.
"damn..." Hiei said. "Remember on our first session, you two did a 2:14.XXX-ish record right?"
The two drivers nodded their heads.
"Well, you won't believe this." Ryusen showed the clipboard comparing the first session time and the time they just made. It was a 10 second difference. "You guys nailed the downhill completely."
"Exactly what was our time?" Sakura asked.
"A 2:04 flat!"
"Two minutes and 4 seconds? That's quite an improvement you two did!" Kasumi said.
"Really? I never knew that even Sakura could improve in a heavy weight such as her 34." Kitami uttered.
"And what does THAT suppose to mean?" They all laughed after Sakura gave that question in an ironic tone. Their comic moment was disturbed as a black Lotus Exige pulled up from behind Sakura's car.
"Hmm?" "What could possibly that guy want?" "Who the heck is he anyway?" Kasumi and the guys start to talk amongst themselves about the Exige that parked. As for Sakura, she starled as she saw the car much closer. She gasped as she took a look around the whole body. "Th...this is the car! The car that challenged us!"
"What are you talking about? WE raced amongst ourselves remember?"
"I wasn't talking about you, Kitami. I mean Tomo and I. We..."
"Wait a sec! When did you exactly race with him?" Kasumi started to become suspicious.
"Last night when you were all asleep."
"w...wh...W-WHAT!?"
"Easy, girl. WE didn't do anything that'll hurt you okay? We just went for a drive."
"Halfway down last night, that Lotus approached us and raced us while Tomo was practicing."
The Lotus driver came out and approached Sakura.
"By the looks of this crummy ol' 34, I know the reason why you lost."
"It wasn't I who raced you it was..." As Sakura kept on talking while facing the Lotus guy, she stopped as she saw the face of the driver.
Everyone was covered in deep silence. As if they saw an old friend. A friend that they haven't seen for a while now. Hiei and Ryusen's hands were shaking as they pointed to the guy's face. "Y...y-o...you-re..."
"Yo!" The guy raised his right arm and gave a peace sign to the group. His hair is styled to look as if it looks like a porcupine's. Not that much of a tall guy, I'd say, but his face does look quite Japanese. His hair though is long enought that the tips nearly touched his back collar. His side burns' length was parallel to the tip of his ears. He wore a red and black cotton jacket. No doubt about it. It IS an old friend of theirs. It was Kyosuke Katsumaru.
Kitami's glasses went down in awe. He fixed it up and asked "Kyo? Is that you?"
"Waddya expect? Elvis?"
"Probably."
"Well, it's just... H-HEY!"
The group laughed. Kasumi took Kyo's hands and held it with both of her hands. "it's been a long time, Kyosuke-san. Tomo will be so glad to hear from you."
"What are you exactly doing here?" Ryusen asked.
"Long Story guys. I quitted Scuderia D."
"Scuderia D? Isn't that Takeshi's new project?" Sakura verified.
"It is. Now, they're halfway through the Northern Kantou and they're planning to start up north." Kyo answered.
"Wait a sec. Something's not right here." Hiei wondered. "If that black car is yours, what happened to your R32 Skyline, AE86 Group A trueno, GT300-based PS13, Your Cappuccino, and your Custom RE Mazda FD?"
"All my babies? They're at home. covered soundly. This is my new car."
"Hmph. Babies he said. So you decided to go for a Lotus?" Kitami asked.
"It's my own judgement, alright? You guys know me for driving quite light vehicles. Well, the GT-R is an exemption to that rule of mine. All those cars that I own and Hiei mentioned are quite overused already."
"Overused? I mean, back in our days as Noyzee Tribe, you kept on switching from one car to another." Kitami corrected.
"True. But I practice more with them, which makes me better than you anytime."
"Take that bacK!!" Kitami tries to strangle Kyo but Ryusen holds Kitami in place.
Kasumi takes a look at Kyo's Exige. The car's quite compact, coated in a metallic Black mica. The rims seem to be matte painted and appear to be light. She looks at the back and notices the spoiler. It's quite small, she thought. Atop the Exige is a very small roof scope. Before she finished observing the car, she noticed a shiny sticker at the gas valve. It was Kyo's old team sticker on it. MYOGI KNIGHTS written on the blades of a sword.
"I'm curious, where are you staying?" Kasumi asked.
"Me? At a hotel in Vancouver. I actually came across Daiki and the others. Tetsuya was so surprised to see me. He said he wanted a tuning rematch or something."
"I see. By the way, Kyo. Your car seems pretty light." Kasumi added.
"It is. It's like my AE86 but shorter like a Mazda Roadster and as light as a Suzuki Alto. add the fact that it's a midship, it's the fastest downhill car I've owned. Small, nimble and fast. Just the way I like it."
"Like you?" Kitami broke into laughter saying that.
"Shuddup!" They all laughed afterward.
"Hey, wanna come with us and visit Tomo?" Sakura offered.
"Thanks but no thanks. I need to catch up on some business of my own. I ain't here for nothing you know." Kyo goes to his car and hopped on. He ignites the engine and a high pitched racing engine-like tone came out of the Exige. 300 horses, 700- kilograms. It's like carrying a 550 hp monster in there. He lowers the side window and shouts out "Kasumi! Give my regards to Tomo okay?" Kasumi nodded in return. What a loud sound coming out of a small car. It's weird but you have to get used to it. Kyo shifts to gear one and blasts out of the spot he parked. The group watched the Exige fade into the fog as Kyo leaves them.
"Great. Shino out, Kyo in. What's next?" Ryusen said.
"Don't start Ryusen okay? It's good enough that Kyosuke san came back." Kasumi answered.
"Good enough? I won't be too sure about that. Now I got one meddler to deal with. How can I par up to the best of our team if another one shows up and nabs top 1 away?" Kitami said in disbelief.
"Let's go guys. We had enough training for today." Sakura mentioned.
The group boarded the cars and headed back to the Archibal mansion.

Hours passed and the current time is now 4:30 p.m. Tomo woke up around 2 in the afternoon already. He had something in his mind. It felt great enough for Tomo to hold the wheel of an R again, even if it isn't his own car. He wanted to thank Sakura. He had something in mind already. He plans on making her a personal dinner. As soon as he got to the Kitchen, he gave this idea to the head chef. "Alright. For today; let's just make sure we keep this a secret amongst ourselves. Master Nathan always want everyone, family and guest, to eat dinner together. Tell me what you need, and get started. Me and my men will handle tonight's meal. You go ahead and fix up for your friend." the chef complied. "Thanks a lot!" Tomo answered as he bowed his head. Knowing the fact that Sakura's both physically and mentally active, he makes sure of it that the food he'll serve would benefit her. He took out a quarter of a chicken, some spices, some green veggies and some tofu. He even got some liquid seasonings and some chicken powder, which he considers his magic powder. Before he got started, he took third of a cup of Arborio rice. He's planning a risotto. But what kind?

Two hours and a half passed. It's dinner time. As everyone got down, Sakura was stopped by one of the cooks. He whispered to her ear "Guest Chef Tomo has something for you personally and would like you to separate from the group. If they ask, tell them that you're not hungry as an excuse. Hurry ma'am. He's waiting for you." That message made her blush a bit. What is it that Tomo planned for her?
Kasumi wondered why Sakura slowly walked in the middle of the main hallway, "What's wrong?" she asked her. "Oh, nothing. My stomach's acting up. I can't join you guys. I'm quite full at the moment." She acted. "Oh...kay? I'll tell Miss Dorothy that. See you later then." Sakura went to the second floor again to her room. As she got there, something was wrong. She can't open it. "Darn it! Why won't it open? And I left the keys to it inside. Why would Tomo want to drag me here just to find out that my room is locked from the outside?" She holds her stomach in depression. "and I'm getting hungry here too..."
Inside, Tomo climed from the balcony and asked help from the cooks to lift the food up.

Five minutes passed and Sakura was becoming helpless. She later heard a click sound. Is it opened? She opens it to make sure. It did. She went inside witnessing Tomo lighting a candle on the table. Tomo got throught the trouble of wearing a vest, holding a towel in his left arm, all well dressed just to be her waiter for the night. "W...what is this?" She asked as she blushed. "Your dinner, my lady." Tomo said.
As Tomo assisted Sakura to her seat, she asked again "No, seriously. What is this for?"
"I just wanted to thank you. For last night. For that cruise. It's all I need to get out of that slumber of mine. And this is how I show my thanks to you." Tomo opens up the covered plate showing a personal dish he made. Risotto Milanese with Parsley, Chinese mushroom-vegetable stir fry and Sauteed Chicken breast with Ivory sauce. For dessert he offered Sakura a slice of Devil's food Cake topped with Strawberries and white fudge icing. "How'd you know?" she asked.
"I knew. Why must you ask?" Tomo answered completely red. Sakura blushed back.
Before Tomo could properly say a thank you and goodnight, someone knocked at the door. It startled the current ambiance. It was one of the cooks. Tomo took the liberty of answering the door for her. "It's for you sir. Master Nathan wishes to talk to you. He's at his study" Tomo nods and leaves Sakura for the moment. Sakura smiled back at him before he went down. He told the cook to bring the plates down once Sakura gives the signal.

At the study, Tomo reported as Nathan Sr. wished. "You called, sir Nathan?"
"Come on, please call me Nathan. You're not one of my cooks here. You're my guest too. Don't need to be so modest."
He extended his hand to a chair offering Tomo a seat.
"I got word from my wife that of you're work and..."
Tomo curled up his hand to a fist waiting for the words.
"...I'd like to say..."
Tomo shivered a bit; as he can't wait any longer.
"...I appreciate your efforts."
That's it? Tomo froze for a moment. All that hard work and he won't be able to reach the end of their agreement? It has been nearly 3 weeks now and still no go signal? "Just that?" He said in disappointment.
"What? you expect me to let you off the hook that easily? That ain't the way to get me to change my mind you know!" Once Tomo gave that 'just that' comment, Nathan knew that all the work he has done is for the wrong cause. While working, no doubt his heart wasn't in the right place. Tomo felt so frustrated. He struggled for nearly 3 weeks worth of not driving and he still can't claim back his own car? "But..."
"You're rushing things. Your actions said it all. Cleaning everything and doing everything in one night, acting as if you are a one man army? Haste Makes waste my child. And from what you first said, I knew that your heart wasn't in the right place. Get your act together, child. You still haven't met my expectations. YOu cannot drive yet, you hear me? If you still don't accept what I just said, you're better off with the failures that I met before. They went through the same things you're in now and I assure you that they all failed. Not one passed this challenge I offered to them. And you? You're this short from falling off." Nathan said as he makes an almond shape with his thumb and forefinger. "You want to drive? Then work for it. Don't rush it. Put your heart into your work!" He turns his chair around and kept on talking. "I don't want to cause any ignorant arguments in my household. So please leave me in my study if you're still not satisfied." Tomo did just so, in anger. His actions do not show it but his face shows a lot. It's so childish for someone who was happy moments ago to shift into this person full of self-hate. He went to the garden and slammed the door shut. Coincidentally, Kasumi was there, meditating on the sound of the shrugging leaves. She notices Tomo who was standing still with an angry face. She could tell by how Tomo looks what he's saying. It shows 'idiot. What an ass I am. I hate myself.' She approaches Tomo and confronts him. "Something happened, am I right?" she asked. Tomo just looked at the ground. He pretends not to listen to what Kasumi's trying to say. "at least say something Tomo." He wouldn't respond at all. He just stood there. With that same old angry look on his face. All that he thinks to himself is how much he hates himself. He was ignoring all the senses around him. Moments later, Kasumi knew that words won't get to him. Her words won't calm him down. Her words won't stop him from hating himself. And so she hugged him. Hugged him hoping that it would do something good. She rests her head on Tomo's shoulders and wrapped her arms around his body. "There, there." she said. "You can get through this. I know so. Soon, you'll be able to ride your 'body' again." She was obviously referring to the car. She said 'body' because she knows the aura that surrounds Tomo and his Skyline R34. It was a powerful connection. A connection as powerful as what Kasumi and Tomo have at the moment. Kasumi didn't let go of Tomo for a while. The wind flew by them. Her orange-toned hair smoothly touching Tomo's face. Through Kasumi's love, Tomo slowly lets go of the fault he had known minutes ago and is now in peace. Suddenly, a small tear fell down from Tomo's eyes. He shouldn't have said that to himself. He wasn't only hurting himself. He was also hurting the ones who cared for him. He was blinded by self-hate. Now, he's free. Shortly, thereafter, he stopped hating himself. As his body responded and noticed Kasumi still hugging him, he hugged her back. That hug meant 'yeah. You're right. What was I thinking? Thank you.'
Kasumi later quoted something that would always remind Tomo of how he reacts to those sorts of comments about him: "An enraged man stirs up contention but one that is slow to anger quiets down quarelling. You somewhat did the right thing Tomo. I'm happy you didn't do anything that would harm your connection with Sir Nathan as..." "Harm will return. I know. Thanks for reminding me of that as well, Kasumi."





[ Post merged on Dec 31 2009, 06:19 AM ]
Chapter 46 - Focus

Another day passed. Tomo understood his fault and is now working twice as hard. Was there a difference between his hard work before and now? There is. He's working to his full potential. But that isn't the only thing that proves a difference. He's putting his heart into his work. For some reason, he can't help but smile while working. He realized now that loving what you do puts your heart in the right place for the right purpose. For now, it doesn't matter if Tomo would be able to drive already or not. All that matters to him is giving his heart into the food that he's preparing. A food to be made for a selfless reason.

As for the Father and son, the two of them took out Nathe's Viper SRT10 and went for an early drive up Anonymous pass.
The SRT10 rests upon the peak of the mountain pass. Both father and son stepped out of the car. Nathe shows a small note to his father. Written on it is: 2:03.486. It's the last record he has done. "I'm just curious dad." Nathe opened up a conversation. "Well, what is it about son?"
"ever since you brought the GT out of the garage, after nearly a year's stay there; what made you bring it out again?"
"Gee... that's a toughie. I guess, I acted on my own. As if my dying passion got another leash of life or something. It's telling me that I want to drive a little while longer before I pass on all these skills of mine to the next generation." He faces Nathe and points his forefinger at his heart. "And when I mean the next generation, I mean you, son. Who knows, you might be the one to bring my passion back to life again; but in your hands that is."
"So, what you're telling me is that you still got it in ya, eh?"
"That's right, eh."
"Just to be sure, how's say you break my record. See if you still got it."
"Hmm? My old son, issuing me a challenge such as this? You're starting to act like me during my youth days before I met your mother." Nathan Sr. chuckled as he said that; before continuing with: "Fine. Hop along."
"Me? join in the trial? Wouldn't I disrupt your power to weight ratio or something?"
"What are you talking about? Of course you won't. With all that power in your SRT10, a venom replica of the Venom 800, PW ratio is nothing to worry about to me."
"I don't like the sound of this one bit."
"Just get in son. Then we head back and pick up the GT, come back here. I'll show you I still have it in me in my own car afterwards."
Nathan sr. shifts the car to N, lets the needle rise up to the 8000 rpm red zone, and shifts once more. A huge burnout was created. A ball of smoke right behind the SRT10. It blasts off its zero postion like it's second to none. Nathe, who had his seatbelt up real tight, nearly chocked as the intertial movement of his body, from zero was very strong. "Damn. We just took off and I can tell that he still has it. If I'm crazy enough to cause a burnout on S curves, my father is much crazier. No wonder he lets this career of his sit on the sidelines." Nathe thought to himself.

Back to Tomo; right now, he's on his one hour break before he goes back to work with lunch. He reminisces on his past journey at Italy, the country where he met, befriended and raced Kitana Tioseco - the European Matador.


At the same time, Kitami suddenly remembers what Kazuma told him at the Airport before they left Italy for good. It was all about the nicknames of Daiki and Kitana and how they're interlinked with their upcoming rivals. "Prince, and princess... hmm... what is it in those two titles that is related to our journey? Well, Tomo did face Lucas Scott, the self proclaimed American Jack and... God am I slow! Now I get what Kazuma means! Prince, princess? Jack? It all makes sense now! The pattern they follow resembles that of a royal family. But the question now is... how are they related to it? Literally or what?" Kitami begins to think. 5 minutes of thinking past and somewhat Kitami had some weird theory he had in mind. "Gotta tell Tomo about this."

He approaches Tomo, who was leisurely reminiscing near the flower garden. "On break?" he asked. Tomo looked to see Kitami. "Uh, Yeah. For an hour." "Good." "Good?" "I got something to tell you. Something important. It's not certain but it's worth a shot." Kitami stood next to Tomo and started talking on how Daiki's nickname - the Prince, Kitana's nickname - the Princess, and Lucas' possible nickname - the Jack, are related to each other. After going halfway through Kitami's explanation, Tomo stepped off and faced back. "You got to be kidding me! That's stupid." he said "how sure are you with that?"
"I'm not but the relation's close. It might not be literal but it could be a rank. Like top 2 of a team and its second tier and third tier members and so forth." Kitami replied. "I don't think so." Tomo answered in return. "It's ironic, illogical and childish. I mean, Medieval posts as a racing rank? Puh! Please!"
"Think about it, man! Yes, Daiki is great. But that's just Japan. Obviously, there are more people who are faster than him. Then, there's Kitana. Z against Lambo; think about it as well. Daiki doesn't stand a chance or if he could, he'd be just par to her but not better. Like in a medieval setting, the Prince and Princess' relative Importance within the Royal Family is the same."
"How could you explain the Jack then? Doesn't that just exist in card games? You know, the ones with the 'J'?"
Kitami can't answer. He got the part of the prince and princess right, but what about the Jack? What's its relevance in the family?
"See? There you go! It's bogus. The end."
"No wait! I still need to research on the meaning behind a Jack. Going beyond what we've encountered, I tried to co-relate other members of the Royal Family into instances like that. No driver could rank a Bishop, no driver could be religious about his driving. But a knight is possible - the defender of the family, so there's one. Then there's the qu-..."
"Just zip it, alright? I have no idea what you're talking about here! Yeah Daiki's called as the Prince, and Kitana's only, and I mean, ONLY the Euro Matador. The Princess thing was just a hypothetic theory behind it. While we're in Italy, she wasn't called by that at all. And For Lucas? What does he have to do with the two of them, huh? Stuff like this just confuses me, Kitami. I think you approached the wrong person for this sort of thing. Save it for someone who cares; like Ryusen or something." Tomo leaves Kitami dumbfounded, standing there.
"Idiot." he murmured. "If what Kazuma says is right, and is related to what Tomo's going through now, Nathe or Sir Nathan could be the next one in the Royal Family. But, Tomo's right. I need to get my words in the right places. Kazuma told me about who're part of the Royal Family yet... what IS the Royal Family? And what does this have to do with Racing at all? In other news, why is Tomo's reaction like that anyway? Does he know something about this Royal Family but just won't admit it? Or is it in his character?" Kitami thought about going to Kasumi to know why. Kasumi happens to be at the other side of the front garden, playing with Margarette.

"Kasumi!" A voice called out from the other side of the mansion. Weird much, or is Kitami's voice just that well projected? Anyway, Kasumi heard it and turned to see who it was. "Kitami-san. What is it?" Kitami talks to Kasumi with a very serious yet concerned look. He tells about what he told Tomo and what Tomo's reaction to that information is. Kasumi crossed her arms and thought to herself. She was looking for the answer right behind her mind. She closed her eyes to concentrate a bit more. A moment later, she opened her eyes and answered Kitami straight. "It's just Tomo. He doesn't want any unknown information coming at him from nowhere which has nothing to do with what he's doing - whether it would be driving, his cooking career, or his life. He thinks of it as an added load and he doesn't want to think about it too much unless it intrigued him." she answered.
"But it DOES have something to do with his driving career. And I have a feeling, Nathe or his father would be the next one on the Family."
"He probably just doesn't understand it. Oftentimes, his mind doesn't quite grasp what others mean. He has his own way of understanding things. Don't worry. It's him. He can understand soon. Just give him some time to think over it. Then he'd understand what you mean." Hearing those comforting words made Kitami feel calm. Kasumi does have a way with making someone feel good after a hard or confusing moment. "Okay?" She followed with a smile.
"Now I understand. Thanks a lot Kasumi." Kitami heads back into the mansion to do what he calls "research".
"Anytime, Kitami." she shouted as she saw Kitami run into the large house.

Back at Anonymous road, A menacing Viper SRT10 cruises; no, blasts its way through the peak's straightway. It's approaching the first left corner at an amazing speed. 150 meters ahead and the Viper isn't slowing down. 100 meters left and still no sign of deceleration. Nathe is about to panic. "Is my dad crazy enough to take on the first corner at that speed!?" Before Nathan Sr. goes past the 50 meter point from the corner, He swerves the car to the outside and launches to the inside immediately. An Out-in-out attack if you ask me. "I can really feel the G forces acting up on me!" He uttered to himself as he gritted his teeth. He looks at his father who shows a calm yet happy face. Their speed? Due to the G forces acting up and the TCS still on, the car decelerated but it doesn't stop there. The rear tripped. It's induced to a drift. Nathe once again looks at his dad. "You-'re not countersteering!?" The Viper is close to a 30 degree angle and still he isn't countersteering the car. The first corner happens to be a J turn. Taking that in mind, Nathe remembers that when he made his run, he accelerates through the first bend and as soon as the corner deepens in its angle, he brakes and nails the apex. As for his father, he's taking a very unusual attack point. Letting the speed drop at the first section of the J turn. What's he planning? As soon as they reach the critical point of the corner, his dad finally countersteers yet it seems to Nathe that he countersteered too late. There's the inner wall right infront of them. Will Nathan Sr. clear it? Evidently, he has, but...
the distance between the Viper's front and the wall was close to half a centimeter. A small set of sparks went flying as the Viper barely clears the corner at past a hundred kilometers. Nathe was sweating immensely. He has never cleared a corner that close to the apex. More so, he loves playing with the corners even if he clears them faster than anybody else. "Hmm... still rusty a bit, I'd say..." Nathan said. "Rusty!? Yeah, right!!" Nathe replied in his mind. There was no room for Nathe to give a sigh of relief. The next left corner is up; followed by an S curve starting with a right hander. Nathan lets the car's rear end trip once again. There was something unusual about the Viper's tires while on the drift. There was no smoke coming out of the tire-to-pavement contact point. As if he IS NOT drifting nor is he gripping hard. Like it's somewhere in between. Nathe compares his own style with that of his father's: he likes to make the rear tires burn as he's confident of the unique tire compound he got installed. His father though... "Is my dad's style that conservative?" Nathe wondered. AS they make their way through the half point of the left corner, the Viper shifts its weight to the other side causing the car to 'drift' through the other side. Another set of G forces acting up on Nathe in his seat.

"Ack! I'm getting squeezed in here!" He wondered. "Is this what it's like racing alongside my father in one car?" Most of the time, Nathe drives alone when he does his runs. He lets his father time his run from below. Personally, he has never seen his father go all out until now. But this wasn't his full potential. Nathan is hiding this from his father. The S curve is up but Nathan didn't position his car through the next half in a drift motion. After that weight shift, he neutralizes the drift and thrusts through the corner in a straight line with the sides nearly kissing the walls; almost causing sparks everywhere.

Nathan Sr. blinked and his look completely changed. He looks as if he's spaced out. There was a long stretch of straight road - enough for Nathe to catch his breath and notice his dad. "Huh? Hello?" Nathe was confused. Is his dad like this on the straights or is he thinking of something for the next series of bends? He waved his hands infront of his dad's eyes; yet, there was no reaction. As Nathe looks back at the road, the next hairpin is up. He gasped as he stared at the spedometer: 215 kilometers. Looking back at the road, he shouted out in the car: "DAD! SLOW DOWN!!" He squealed. His dad wasn't responding. They're still heading for the corner at high speed. Once they were 75 meters away, he finally braked but the understeer kicked in. Was it all part of his plan or did he make a bad move? From the outside, he raised the e-brake and balanced the car through via throttle control. Nathe looked at the side mirror seeing how close the car was to the outer wall. He is close to screaming in fear. Once through that hairpin, it wasn't over. A sudden drop in the slope and the Viper was sent flying. Once they land, an S curve is up. He has no room for clearing it at high speed unlike a while ago. Nathan Sr. braked hard and raises the e-brake. He intentionally makes the Viper come to a 90 degree position - perpendicular to the road. He immediately shifts to N and lets the needle go wack on the red zone. "Dad are... you breaking my car!? How could-"Before Nathe could finish his exclamation, Nathan Sr. brings the car to gear 1 and it blasts off once more. Thrusting through the S curve. "Ugh... forget I said that..." Nathe said as he passed out halfway through the pass. He's being chocked by the G forces of his own car and can't take it anymore. His father "leisurely" clears the rest of the pass and ends up finishing it in 2 minutes flat.

--------------------
Chapter 47 - Inspiration

A little kid, a boy, scurries through the grassy garden. He carries along his little toy car - it looks like a die cast model of a BNR32 GT-R Skyline. It's his favorite car and he plays with it all day. When he got bored he sees a little girl, sort of his age, and asks if they could play in the swings. Every week, they meet and play. When they got older, the moments start to fade. They ended up meeting just once every 2 months or so. When they got even older, the little boy had to go to another prefecture. The little girl was left behind. To make up for it, he gave her the BNR32 toy car he cherished. The girl held it tightly in her arms as she sees the van, the boy's family car, drive off.

Years passed and they had their separate lives to deal with. The girl evidently, became the smartest in her class until she was smart enough to be considered an accelerated student. The boy just finished his grade schooling while the girl just passed junior year. The age gap of the two was just eleven months but it seems they considered themselves to be of the same age. They never met since; they had their own lives - lives where they had no time to contact each other. A new set of friends to keep them company; a new set of educational challenges for them to face; a new set of life's obstacles to go through.

Once the boy reached half of his his first year, the girl was now a graduate of her high school and decided to take college in France. The girl's parents cannot accompany her there as they have their seculars to deal with. She was taken under the wing of the Musashiro family, who is also heading for France. When she had time, the eldest son of the Musashiro family offered her some driving skills. Apparently, this eldest son is planning on making his own racing team. She still has the toy car that the boy gave her for so long. She accepted the Musashiro's son's offer but for one condition - to drive a car like that of the toy car she had. And yes; in France, she was trained by this son with use of a Nissan Skyline. She started out in a BCNR33 Nismo 400R. The Musashiro's were wealthy and transportation seems to be a regular finance to them. As months passed, she became skilled. Although she is a nursing student in France, she was as devoted to her driving as she is to her college course. She was given the best, in both fields, and she makes sure of it she excelled. She knew what it's like to drive differently. At the back of her mind, though, she wondered: why do I drive? What does this have to do with my career? Am I doing this so that I could see that boy again? They seem to have something in common and they were getting along just fine. Their passions though were different. Back then, before the day the boy had to leave, they asked each other what they would want to become.

She really wondered, during her stay in France, if that boy had known his calling. They both like to help people the best way they know. On their return, she became a regular in both her field and street racing. She was known in both worlds. After all these years she was able to see the boy again. He followed what he said on becoming a racer; but was he serious with it? She thought that he wanted to help. How could he help people with driving all day? Did he change? or was he the same old person he could remember?

Months sooner, they raced. Against each other. She doesn't want to race him but she had no choice. The Musashiro's there had a family dilemna and this was their only way of settling the dispute. That race brought the boy and girl closer. A race of the R emblem. A battle of destiny. A red and blue GT-R34 battled through the likes of Haruna up and back. As soon as the days pass, they ended up on the same side. At the same time, the boy has found his calling - the best way he know of how to help people: food service. He wanted to become a chef.



Many things passed. Many experiences encountered. Many questions answered and many unanswered. Many people met, but can they remember them all? Many words said in the past - could it be recalled? Before she could arrive at an answer, her eyes opened and showed her the current present time. sakura Johina just woke from a nostalgic dream. She holds her head and wondered: "Dreaming of the past... what do those visions mean? 'Why DO I drive?'... it is the only question in my dream unanswered. It's as if I quickly browsed through my childhood until today." She got up and opened the windows of her room. A soothing gust of nature's wind blew upon her face. The feeling was nice. It was a remarkable feeling. She starts to utter the unanswered question in her dream: Why is it that I drive?

Tomo, who is on his break, is like that of Sakura today. He is pondering over an unanswered question thrown to him: What do you love more: racing or your cooking career? He has been searching for an answer but to no avail. The rest of the cooks who were on break left the mansion to buy more raw ingredients for the days to come. The only cook behind was Tomo, whose company is just his Chef's knife that he had ever since college. It had his name engraved near the tang of the knife, close to the handle.

Not too far from the Kitchen's back door, he can see his GT-R34 by the shadows of the Garage. The amazing Nismo body kit it had astonished many drivers. More so, it amazed Tomo after all he had been through. Ever since his Third Year in high school, he has started racing. That's when his name - Gunma's 34, developed. With that aside, he is still looking for an answer to why he loved cooking and racing, and an answer to which of them he loves more.

From there, he remembered the words of Daiki Akiyama when they finished their second round of a 3 round duel: It's easy to give up an old passion; it's easy to choose a new; but it's hard to adopt to the new. He was referring to his experience of giving up racing and going for something else. Then he also remembered what Kasumi told him while on his battle with Daiki. He was concerned over staying in Japan or going global - she said that 'Even if you want both, you should pick one and give up the other.' That statement is true but... Tomo's passion for driving and cooking are the same. He doesn't want to give up one but he knows that sooner or later, he needs to let go of one of them. To Tomo, they make up his entire entity. He knows this because of what he and Kitana talked about in Italy: sympathizing with Kitana when her Lamborghini Diablo VT died, Tomo uttered that she and her Lamborghini are part of her being. Kitana didn't argue about that. Tomo was absolutely correct at that context. She loved her VT as if it as a part of her family; as if it is a part of her; as if it is human.

His thinking starts to go deeper and deeper; and it's just confusing him even more. He decides to take a walk to forget he ever thought about the question. At the same moment, Sakura decided to take a walk to forget that dream she had. Subconsciously, both of them met at the same spot and deci

Keep it coming... what is wrong with the writings on the last one? It has a cut on the story

Oh crap! I must have reached my text limit. No matter, I'll just continue off and repost the last paragraph here...
-------------------------------------------------
(continuation ch. 47)
His thinking starts to go deeper and deeper; and it's just confusing him even more. He decides to take a walk to forget he ever thought about the question. At the same moment, Sakura decided to take a walk to forget that dream she had. Subconsciously, both of them met at the same spot and decided to talk it over amongst themselves.

"Hey..." Tomo started off.
"Aren't you at work?" Sakura asked.
"I'm on break. The rest of the cooks went to buy raw ingredients."
"Why didn't you join them?"
"I... had something in my mind and I want to think it over."
"That's funny."
"Why is that."
"I have the same situation as well."
"Huh? How's say we talk it over here." Tomo sees a bench by the small lake in the back garden. The grassy fields are quite calming to the mind - as if you're body's becoming in tune with Nature. You can think deeper without any unecessary feeling of doubt or fear. Tomo and Sakura sat and stared at their reflections in the water.
Sakura started talking. "You know, I dreamt of you this morning."

"Really? About when?"
"When we were little kids. You used to mistook me for Ruri."
"Well... the two of you DID have the same hairstyle. It's hard to tell you two apart until today."
Sakura just giggled.
"So, what was your dream about?"
"Remember when you're about to leave Omiya for Gunma, you gave me your toy car?"
"The die cast Skyline R32? I remember."
"I still have it."
Hearing that, Tomo blushed.
"It's at home. I don't want to lose it while on our trip. Then, I start to wonder... why did I decide to drive, drive the way you and I do right now?" She stood up and stared at her reflection. "It's weird. It's as if I could say... you're the reason why I DO drive. I just don't know why of all possible answers... why is it you? Why do you think You're the reason behind this second passion of mine?"
"Passion? Since when?"
"Since now." She turned around and faced Tomo.
"It is not something for me to answer, Sakura. The reason to why I could be the reason for this 'passion' of yours is within you."
"You could be right there."
"Say, how's your medicine side of yours going?"
"It's alright. I mean, most of the time during tuning our cars, there are instances where Kitami, Hiei, or Ryusen got injured and I had the opportunity to put my knowledge to the test."
"That's good to hear."
"well, you on the other hand have more time to exercise your career than do."
"I guess so..."
Tomo stands up and stands next to where Sakura was standing. "You know, I am starting to question myself as well. Why is it I chose this path? Why did I decide to drive? Does it have to do with my childhood?"
"Maybe. You did say that you wanted to be one and now, here you are."
"But I feel as if this is just a start or it's all happening so fast... If I had not accepted Daiki's offer, what could I have become?"
"I guess, I'll be throwing the same answer at you. It's not something for me to answer either. The answer lies within yourself only." Sakura answered.
Tomo lifts his head up and stares at the sky. He goes back to the troublesome question. What does he love more? Cooking or racing?
After 10 minutes of staring upward, he finally got an answer. "I got it! He said." He lowers his head, which ached a bit due to his position. "Now I know what to answer to Nathan Senior!"
"Really? I'm so happy for you."
"But..."
"But?"
"Would my answer be acceptable? Would that be an appropriate answer?"
"You wouldn't know unless you believe in it and try it at least."
"Yeah. You're right."
Tomo looks at Sakura and the sky successively. "I wanted to see this through. Things such as lifetime careers would take me years to master. And I only got a short amount of experience on both. And I feel as if they make up who I am. It makes me feel like me. It makes me feel I am somebody. I'm not just someone. I have this talent in me. I have the passion in me like no other person has. Only I have that; and both sides of my life need it. Some would disagree but I don't care. Some would criticize me I don't care. As long as I know that they make me up, then that's what matters most of all. No one could alter that. Only I can."
"You're right. Only you can make your own happenings."
"Same with you. For some reason, we went on the same path and we both wondered in between it who we are. Now that I have the answer, it may seem that it'll work for you as well. Medicine and Racing? Only you know what makes them go hand in hand. Only you can say and believe that. No one can take that away from you, Sakura. No one at all."
"It's within us. It makes us who we really are inside, right?"
"That's right. Only we know ourselves better than others do."
"Except for Jehovah God but amongst our kind, it's just us."
"I have to tell Nathan right now. I want to return my yin and yang to its proper state." Tomo runs off to the study, hoping to see Nathan there. Sakura, stood there and smiled. Thanks to Tomo, she has the answer within her. She now knows why she drives. She drives because she was born to. She has the talent. She won't waste it. Same goes for her passion for medicine. She has the drive. She won't ignore it either.

Nathan is in his study, as told to Tomo by one of the servants. Tomo knocks at the door. His heartbeat rises. He feels quivery around Nathan. He hopes this time, his answer would be valid to Nathan. Valid enough to restore his post as a driver of a GT-R34. He's anxious to get back on his driver's seat. The door slowly opened for him.

Chapter 48 - Evidence

Nathan is humbly sitting on his recliner at his study as he notices Tomo walk in. Tomo had a serious look on his face. Is he gonna take a stand against Nathan's words to him the other day, or is he going to say something else that could turn the tide?

"Now, Tomo. What is it you want to talk about?" he asked.
"Remember what you told me weeks ago that started all this?"
"The part where I ask you 'what do you love more?'"
"Yes, sir. That one. I finally have an answer to that question of yours."

Nathan gave a somewhat smiling grin on his face. It seems to him Tomo finally got into his qualifications for a battle.

"My answer to that, sir, is both." Hearing that, disappointed Nathan. From a happy grin, his mouth shows disappointment. Nathan's face showed seriousness as of this moment. How could he possibly love both? It is illogical. Tomo continued to talk his way out of the gloomy situation: "I know that answer is quite uncommon and stupid but hear me out for a moment. When I drive or whether it be I cook, I find contentment in both. If I am not cooking, I drive. Same goes for the other way around. It's like my balancing factor - my yin and yang to my identity. Many have wondered what is the connection to both careers because fact shows that there is none. Well, I know something they don't about them. The happiness you could feel in one is the same happiness you could feel for the other. There is a catch, though. When I race, it is for myself and oftentimes for others. When I cook, on the other hand, it is for others and oftentimes myself. There's a balance between the two and it makes up who I actually am. I cannot deny both as denying one would destroy my identity - who I actually am. Well, that's how I believe in it, sir." Tomo's legs shook there as he was talking. He wasn't sure if what he said is enough and is ready to take any verbal attacks at him.

Nathan turned his recliner around showing Tomo only the back of it. "I guess that isn't the right answer afterall..." he thought. Finally, Nathan spoke: "What you said, it is something that no one would opt to say. It's like a childish reasoning just to save one and the other. But if that's what you believe in, then nobody could judge you for that unless proven wrong. However..." he stood up and continued talking: "What you've mentioned awhile ago, the one about balance... it intrigued me. How is it that both careers balanced you out? That's what I want to know, NOT by verbal reasoning. I want something with evidence, if you know what I mean..."
The last statement made Tomo's eyes bulge. He knows what Nathan is saying. He's giving him his car back. Nathan looked back at Tomo with a smile. There was something odd though in the atmosphere. Tomo was happy; of course but, he's also afraid. Afraid of what?

He could see Nathan's immense aura. An aura depicting a Lance wielder sitting on a stallion of sorts. The Lancer had the lance on one side, and a sword on the other side; well that's how Tomo sees it. Nathan knows that it is time to release him from confinement. He wants to see this boy's skills.

Nathan approaches Tomo to say a few words. "It is time, boy." he said. He approaches Tomo's ear and whispers something to him. "But I won't let you out of the cage and into the seat just yet." Of all things that Nathan said, this is something that puzzled Tomo a lot. He doesn't want to think anymore as to his glorious moment.
"What do you mean?" he questioned.

Nathan turns around once more before he has his hand on the door knob of his study: "You can drive now, but on one condition. We will race 3 days from now; HOWEVER! You cannot drive until the third day. This means you also cannot request your friend's car just to practice. If what you said is true, I want to see for myself if it is. Remember, Tomo. Only until the third day I'll give you your car keys back." He answered while showing the keys to the GT-R. Tomo gave a simple nod accepting terms but he wasn't disappointed or angry over the situation. Nathan nods back and exits the study leaving Tomo to think of a strategy. But could he even have a strategy at this moment? He doesn't even know who he's going up against.

Outside the study, Nathan closes the door finding out that Dorothy was standing outside also. She overheard the discussion among Tomo and her husband. She's beginning to worry. "Love, are you sure with your conditions to Tomo? Isn't it that you're just making things harder for him?"
Nathan puts his head down and answers: "It shouldn't be this way either. But this is in a way punishment for breaking our word."
A short moment of silence envelops the hallway. "What do you mean punishment?"
"I know he got out one night to practice. I have a keen ear for modified machines and that late night proved it. It's for curiosity's sake if that short practice of his without my consent would help him with the race 3 days from now or not. Don't worry, hon. This won't be long at all."
"You're seriously going to drive? But you haven't raced after more than a year. How could you possibly win?"
"Let's say I'm in the same predicament as that of Tomo. I also raced one night. So we're pretty much even. The question is, would he still par with me even without practice on his side?" Nathan leaves Dorothy and heads for the garage to start his "skill refinement", He looks at his Ford GT and wonders "It's been a long time since I held the wheel of my own car. Can I still remove the remaining rusts within me?"
Someone overheard Nathan talking from behind. It was Nathe, his son. "Only one way to find out, dad." Nathan looks back and sees his son. He gave a grin and calls his son. He has something to say.

At the nearby city of Vancouver, Kitami made research by asking most of the circuit racers and locals alike about the Archibal Father and son. Some know them, some don't. Kitami meets up with Kyo once again, who was spectating the practice rounds for the soon to be stock car tournament held at Vancouver itself. Kitami thought that Kyo might know something about them. "Kyo!" he called out. Kyosuke tilted his head seeing Kitami and the two of them approached each other. "What is it, man?"
"Do you know anyone by the name Nathan Archibal?"
"Which one?"
"So you know."
"Are you kidding me? He's well known here in Canada and Seattle. The artist of the circuit and the street. A real charismatic driver if you ask me. He could be old but he drives as great as you, me, and Tomo combined."
"Even tougher than Kitana?"
"Kitana is nothing compared to the Nathans"
"Are you telling me even Nathe is as great as his father?"
"Nathe, if you mean Nathan's son, then yes. He is."
Kitami had a sudden chilly feeling that went down his spine. That really doesn't sound good.
"Why? Are you racing him?"
"No. But I have a feeling Tomo would."
Kyo's face turned serious and he puts his head down. Tomo's always the one targeted because he has that intense passion over it, even if it isn't the first in his life. But almost anyone who gets his name, outside of the team, is entangled to race him for some reason. Kyo leaves Kitami for a moment to get something from his Exige. He took out something from the car's glove compartment. A Video tape of sorts. The label shows ARCHIBAL RACE ARCHIVES. "Are you just leaving without helping?" Kitami asked in anger.
"Easy, man. Keep your cool."
"Dude, don't tell me to keep my co-"
Kyo hands over a VHS tape near Kitami's face.
"Give this to Tomo. It could give him an idea who he's dealing with."
Kitami looks at the tape and looks back to Kyo.
"Tell me, Kyo. Is this the business you've told us about before?"
"Hmm... probably." he answered with a grin.
Kitami smiles back and offers something. "Say, Kyo. We're a little short on drivers seeing that my brother left the team. How's say you come back to Team Jap?"
"Are you kidding me!?" he answered. Kitami thought that he rejected the offer and he was wrong about Kyo.
"I already got ahead of you. Daiki already asked me the same thing and I accepted. Get with the times man."
Kitami was happy to hear that. Could be competition for him but to Kitami, it's better than no competition at all. Besides, they got a score to settle still.

Sakura and Kasumi are leisurely talking in the ground hall of the Archibal Mansion. Suddenly, Kasumi had a thought in mind. "Say, Sakura. How do you think Daiki and the others are doing?" she asked.
"Well, how's say we call him right now?"
"Wouldn't we disrupt his training?"
"we won't. Knowing Akiyama, he's ready anytime even if he's interrupted."
"Hold on, since when did you and Daiki ever get close?"
"Um... we aren't... just a feeling I had. But when did you ever worry about him?"
"Well... I... uh, am just being sure."
It's a weird atmosphere between the two girls. Anyway, Sakura takes out her cell and calls Daiki.
"Hello?"
"Daiki-kun."
"Ah, Sakura. Where exactly are you guys? I'm beginning to worry about you guys. It's been a month since you didn't bother to call."
"We're staying over with the Archibals."
"Who?"
"With Nathan Archibal. He offered us a stay here and helped Tomo with his culinary training too."
"Wait... Nathan Archibal?"
Kasumi butted in and asked "You know him?"
"Girls. Between us. Nathan Archibal is actually a racer."
"What!? Get out, Daiki. He's a real estate broker and a hollywood star. He told us that."
"That's just his morning job. When he has the time, he comes here to the Vancouver track to do runs. I saw him during our practices. I even got to talk to him."
"I see..." Sakura and Kasumi's tone started to fade to a disappointing one.
"Is Tomo there?"
"Yeah but... he was confined from his car."
"I was afraid of that."
"What do you mean?"
"That's how Nathan gives a test to high ranking drivers such as ourselves. Nathan starts out with that and declares a battle. I'm telling you, once you were given such a condition, you could expect defeat coming your way. It's a scary feeling for a racer not to practice at all."
"You'll lose your touch and eventually end up being a low ranking one at best." Sakura answered.
"Yeah. So if he declares a battle to Tomo... tell Tomo to reject it at all cost. He'd lose I know that."
"How did you know?"
"I'll explain when I have the time to talk to the two of you personally. I got to go. Hiroya and Shimizu did some settings for me to 'win' this and I need to try them out."
"Okay. Take care Daiki." the two girls said.
Daiki hangs up and the two reclined in disbelief.
"I can't believe Nathan is a racer and he hid it from us."
"Yeah... I guess, some things aren't meant to be told; especially to guests like us. If we found out, then we're in trouble."
"In what way?"
"I dunno. It's a feeling I have."
They look at the stairs and noticed Tomo walking down. He had a serious look.
"Tomo-san!""Tomo!" the two of them reacted and went to him.
"Oh, hey girls."
"Did you talk to Nathan?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah. He said something about a battle. From what I know, it's obviously a car battle."
"Oh no. We're too late."
"Waddya mean?"
"You see..." Kasumi started "we just talked to Daiki on the phone and he told us that Nathan is a high level racer. He often goes to private circuits to race."
"Who knows, he could be doing the same runs we do at the passes as well..."
"I already know that."
"Looking at how he issued the confinement and how I saw his aura, he definitely is a racer. I accepted the race and there's no turning back now."
'But even with practice..."
"I wasn't given any."
"What!?" The girls were shocked hearing that from Tomo.
"He told me that I can only touch my car at the third day from today. And I can't borrow your car either. I can't break that promise." he said.
"TOMO!!" Hiei screamed from across the hall.
"Hiei! Pipe down! We're not in the fields you know!" Kasumi answered as to show courtesy for being guests.
"Sorry, Kasumi. Tomo, I got something for you. Kitami told me to give it to you." Hiei hands over a tape. It was the tape that Kyo gave to Kitami.
"What is it?"
"An archive of Nathan Archibal's battles?"
"We better check it out. Which one of you has a TV in your room."
"Well, I do..." Kasumi answered.
"Why do you have o-" Hiei squealed.
"It's Nathe remember? When we first arrived here."
"Oh, yeah."
"Anyway, let's check the tape out." Tomo said.
The 4 of them went to Kasumi's room. Kasumi wondered: "Say, Hiei. Where's Ryusen?"
"Him? Doing his early training outside."
"What kind?"
"The usual physical training."
"Oh..."

When they got into the room, Tomo immediately placed the tape on the VHS. He gets the remote and turns it on. Kasumi and Sakura sat on the bed, Tomo stood next to Kasumi and Hiei sits on the floor, just in between the two girls.
The video shows a Pontiac GTO and a Ford GT drifting through seattle.
"Drifting!? But that's a circuit."
"Do you think it's them?"
"I dunno."
Further into the film, it shows scenes of the Ford GT doing zero countersteer drifts, a parallel drift with a Corvette C6 and a Viper SRT10 roadster, weight shifts past the railways, a continuous no-skid drift through the S curves. Another scene portrays a race meet where it shows Nathan and Nathe come out of the Ford GT and Viper SRT10 Coupe. The 4 of them cannot believe it. It's actually them. And it's actually Nathan Sr. doing all those drifts in seattle as well.
It shows a battle between Nathan & his Ford GT where he obliterates a Pagani Zonda F in a speed match, beat a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 on a circuit match and a R35 Proto on a drift match.
They were all stumped by the video. As the tape goes on, Tomo knows what he's dealing with. It's scary. So scary that he cannot picture himself keeping up. Definitely harder than his race with Daiki, Kitana and Lucas Scott. Probably, the hardest match he has up to date.
-----------------------------------
Note: An old timer must have recorded this with old equipment, solving the loophole of the VHS tape in the modern setting...
-----------------------------------

Chapter 49 - Strength

It's almost a month ever since Tomo and the rest of the team stayed in the Archibal Mansion. The family didn't mind a couple of young strangers staying over; even for that long of a period. In fact, they were very grateful. The house has become livelier than before. They have tasted food that was uncommon to the local group, thanks to Tomo's career training. Most of all, though, it rekindled the spark that was defused within Nathan Sr. The happiness though seems to change as things start to become serious. The race was issued and Tomo doesn't know how to cope with it. Without practice by his side for nearly a week, he's down to a rookie; as stated by Sakura. Does he even have a chance at this?

[DAY 1]
A usual day goes by as Tomo helps out with the Kitchen for the usual morning, afternoon and dinner preparations. Time flied so fast that nightime approached quite fast. Tomo was exhausted. As he got up to the second floor landing, he noticed someone giving him "the look". It was Kitami; he had a serious look on his face. Tomo just leisurely passed by him. Kitami took his right arm and said something.
"You sure about this? Could you even match this guy?"
"I have no other option. The battle was issued. The preparations are being made."
Kitami scrunched his eyes a bit.
"There's nothing we could do now. All we could do... is wait."
Kitami lets go of his arm and allows Tomo to do as he wished. He just stood there, looking seriously at the person who's about to fall prey to this house's master.

[DAY 2]
Kasumi looks at Tomo's GT-R at a distance. Visions of the soon-to-be battle comes into her mind. She crosses her arms and gives it a thought. I sure hope he doesn't over do this. According to Daiki, Nathan could be a very skilled driver. This is bad for Tomo, who never had gotten back onto the wheel of his own GT-R. He had a run in Sakura's but it was a different one. His own GT-R is different; one of a kind, and Kasumi knew that very well. As she looked intensely at the car, she could see Tomo in it. Struggling. In her mind, he struggles on his battle against a mysterious car.
Only Kasumi was the one who doesn't know what car the father of the household uses.
She couldn't care less but Tomo's safety, yet she also cares for his victory. How come? The answer is only within the boundaries of Kasumi's mind and heart. She won't blurt out the reason. She won't talk about it. It's something she keeps between her and her alone. Not even Tomo could convince her if he ever found out.
A couple of footsteps approached Kasumi. She turned around and looked to see Dorothy holding a cup of tea. She shows it to Kasumi. "Would you like to have some milk tea and Strawberry shortcake?" Kasumi nods and assists the mother of the house.
"Tell me, is your husband that great?" Kasumi asked out of the blue.
Dorothy just gave a nod.
"I see. But... do you think he'd have a chance?"
"It is not something for me to answer."
"What would happen then? How would we know if Tomo even has a chance against your husband?"
Dorothy raises her left arm and extends her left pointing finger at Kasumi, directing it at her heart.
"My...heart?"
"If you believe he can, then he will." Dorothy followed.
"If you believe he can... then... he will?"
Dorothy nods again to the naturally affected female. She (Kasumi) holds her chest and feels her heartbeat. a fast paced one. Slowly, it slowed its beat down. Her heart soon beats as if nothing extreme happened or came to her mind.
"If I believe..." she uttered.

Late at night, Tomo grabs a glass of warm milk and heads outside to get some fresh, cold air before he'll go to sleep. He stares at his own car. Can I possibly do it? For the whole day, that's what he thought, thinking positively and otherwise. He's starting to doubt his own capabilities. He gave a huge sigh.
"What a bad moment not to have Tetsuya around..."
"Relying a bit too much on tuning, eh?" A voice behind him said.
He turns around and sees Nathe looking at him.
"If you rely too much on your tuning, you're bound to lose and fail. besides, what is more wrong if you have a car wherein you're unfamiliar with the settings? What would you do? The answer is obvious. But what do I care? It's not my problem anyway."
"Nathe... what are you-"
"I got to train a bit..."
"Train?"
"In case my father would allow me to, I'd want to be part of the race myself."
"What are you talking about? It's only between your father and I..."
"Wrong my friend... My dad calls the shots. Who knows, he might allow it. I'm his son after all..."
Tomo gritted his teeth. He was right. With Nathe included, he'll be at a complete disadvantage. The probability for Tomo to even keep up is no less than zero percent. He watched as the Red SRT10 Viper speeds off into the mountains.

[DAY 3]
Sunset. The day is almost near. Tomo feels like giving up. Kasumi looks at him at a distance. "At this rate, he's bound to lose. I guess, I need to put into his mind what Dorothy said to me yesterday. If it is true that he believes he can..." Kasumi goes closer to Tomo trying to get his head into gear.
"Tomo-kun."
"Kasumi..."
"can I sit here?"
"Oh, sure."
Kasumi sat next to 'her' Tomogashi-san. She was wearing a pink spaghetti top blouse and wore what looked like a denim-material skirt all the way to her knees. She had her hair ponytailed. She got close to Tomo to say something important.
"You know..."
Tomo looked to Kasumi and nearly broke out in surprise seeing Kasumi's outfit. He blused completely. He was red as a freshly picked tomato. But what for? I guess Tomo and Kasumi didn't talk that close for a very long time ever since they met the Archibals and got to stay with them. He sat again feeling a somewhat sense of relief.
"Sorry if I went jumpy there."
"It's okay."
"You were saying?"
"Oh..." she blushed back before she got to say what she tries to say. "this race of yours... do have a plan or something?"
In a gloomy state, Tomo answers "None."
"Is your opponent that fast?"
"If you've seen his aura, Kasumi... It's fearsome for a driver such as myself to see an aura like that."
"But I know that you could do it."
"eh?"
"I know you can win."

"How could you say that."
"Because I believe so. I know you can." she said as she stood up.
"You really think so?"
"What I said will only come true if you believe it also." She replied with a smile.
She bends down on her knees and looks at Tomo with a sweet look. "So don't be gloomy. Be positive." Tomo blushed as Kasumi stares much closer to him. Those glossy lips of Kasumi are somewhat beautiful to watch. The peachness of it mesmerized him a bit. He tries to resist. "Okay?" she asked again. As she got close, she hugged Tomo and her mood changed. "I don't want to see you like this."

[THE BIG DAY]
Nathan Sr. waits at the main hall. He is waiting for his combatant. Tomo comes out, wearing his casual outdoor clothes. Tomo comes down the stairs with a serious look on his eyes and a smile on his face. The rest of the group awaits the racers outside next to Tomo's GT-R. Nathan shows to Tomo the keys of his car. As he got to Nathan's side, he opens his hand and Nathan lets go of the keys.
They step out and board their cars. Before Tomo could even step into his car, he told Kasumi "Arigato, Kasumi. I'll win this. I'm saying it because, I believe so. Thanks to you, I'm mentally prepared. This race will be for you, especially."
Kasumi blushed hearing that and nods happily.

The rest of the group boarded their own cars and some carpooled. They head out to the start, following Nathan's car. Tomo gives Nathan sr.'s car a serious look. A ford GT, resembling the old GT40 of the late 60's le mans. He's wondering though as they went to the starting line... where is Nathe? Is he really gonna join the match?

Episode 12 - The Knight Rides again
Chapter 50 - Wonders of the Open Road

Tomo, Nathan Sr. and the rest of the members of Team Japan arrive at one of the roads leading to the British Columbian Mountain Region. The Cypress Bowl Road; or as some may call, the Cypress Mountain Road is located at West Vancouver by the British Columbian Mountain range. The base of this pass leads to Vancouver. The road map doesn't seem to carry as many hairpins as that of Japan. It has around 4 to 5 hairpins from the base. As they reach the peak, the road becomes a bit more complex. Once in view of Cypress Provincial Park, the road divides into two - one route leading back to the route down Cypress road and another leading to a dead end.

Atop Cypress Road's midpoint, Tomo and the rest stopped there in order for the 2 drivers to discuss the road map. Both drivers step out of their cars. As Tomo steps off his GT-R, he can't help but notice the look of the Ford GT that is parked right infront of his car.

The FORD GT. A reincarnation of the Ford GT40 of the late 60's Le Mans. No one among the europeans that time had ever thought that America could match up to their racing standards. The GT40 proved them wrong as in its first debut, it dominated the round. Now, the GT resembles the GT40 itself, in modern times in the hands of a secretly skilled driver named Nathan Archibal. The body seems very aerodynamic. 550 hp roaring at the back of the car. To Nathan, 550 isn't enough to bring out the beast within the GT. He upgraded it to a 710 flat horsepowered stallion. It deserves the name that Nathan gave to it - Pegasus. With this, he could "fly".

Just looking at the GT gave Tomo the chills. Part of him is in fear of the GT. "It looks so light" he thought to himself. Well, he's correct. The GT, though originally, weighs as much as the GT-R - 1500+ kg. Nathan was able to bring it down to 1150. A very light supercar at that. The Engine is out of the ordinary - the racing engine used by Ford exclusively for the GT LM spec models used to compete in the modern Le Mans. To top it off, Nathan also equipped it with a twin supercharger thus increasing total power output from 610 to 710. It even has the latest in racing engineering geared up upon the GT's chassis. Bridgestone racing Tires, the whole car reinforced with a set of roll cages, and for the heck of it, a vinyl set just like the GT40 in the past.

"You read to listen to the route, son?"
Tomo was startled as he hears someone call out to him. Nathan was waiting for him to approach him for the race's route.
"I'm ready, sir."
"Well, good." He brings out the map of Vancouver. It covers the West, North and Eastern Region. "We're here. In Cypress Bowl Road, 70 kilometers away from my place." Nathan said. Tomo simply nodded in agreement.
"As we go down the road, from the peak, we head straight for the Main freeway. We exit the freeway at the 19th exit, leading us to Lynn Valley road. We take a left at Mountain Hwy upward until we reach the next mountainpass."
"Another one?" Tomo questioned.
"Yes. But this one is much more treacherous than Cypress Road. It is Crown Mountain and it is still part of Mountain Highway. Next to it would be Lynn Headwaters Regional Park - that would be your aid knowing that you're on the second pass." Nathan followed. "The dead end of that road is the finish line; the one consisiting of the 6 consecutive hairpins. The goal is located at the last of the 6 hairpins. BUT! It doesn't stop from there. From that point, we make a turnaround and HEAD BACK. All in all, it will be a 80 mile race."
"HEAD...BACK!? 80 MILES!?" Tomo freaked out hearing that.
"Is there a problem?"
"No...no sir! No problem at all!" He answered." (So it's a round trip. This is serious. Especially concerning my tires.)..."
"Shall we begin?" Nathan asked. Tomo once again nods in agreement to terms.
As he looked back, Kitami wasn't there. "W...where's Kitami?"
"You're friend in the Mustang? He went ahead to Crown Mountain. He'll be staying at the goal waiting for us there."
"While we wait for your friend, I'll help you plot out the route in your GPS."
Tomo goes to Sakura and Kasumi, a few meters away from where the 2 contenders are.
"This is it, huh?" Sakura said.
"Probably. I'm really not sure if I could pull this off."
"You don't have to win at all." Kasumi commented.
"What?"
"She's right. I mean winning won't make you a better driver."
"You sort of got a point there."
"I mean, do you remember this statement? Of what does a man benefit and gain the whole world and lose his soul in the end?" Kasumi quotes.
"You don't need to win. You just have to give your best." Sakura followed.
Tomo was silent. The girls thought that what they said might have discouraged him in this race. A little while later, Tomo spoke.
"You know... I was about to think of the most stupid plan that I have cooked up with. If it weren't for the two of you, I'd end up like what most drivers are. And I don't want to end up like Lucas either."
"Yeah... him... Lucas Scott... it's enough that you changed him for the better. But it's wrong to end up wearing his shoes in the process." Kasumi commented.
"What do you mean?" Sakura questioned. She has no idea who Lucas Scott really is. Only Tomo and Kasumi were the ones who got to know him in the 'slammer'.
"I'll tell you later. You didn't get to see him since you were out busy with your pro race at Infineon, remember?"
"Alright Kasumi. But what we need to focus now is Tomo's race today. So Tomo-kun, do you have any plans?"
"Well I was planning on driving like a mad man just to keep the lead but I change my mind. I might as well drive to the best of my abilities and try not to push myself too hard on this race."
"Now that's the Tomo we know and love." Kasumi and Sakura said together. Tomo blushed while the two girls looked at each other. They laughed for that short moment while they wait for the official start.

Ten minutes passed and Tomo received an incoming call. It was Kitami.
"Kitami. Where are you?"
"I'm at Crown Mountain. And let me warn you man that this road is no walk in the park either. This is a tough pass. Near the summit of this is a snow pass so you better take extra caution. Even a 4WD could lose control here."
"Thanks for the Warning, Kitami." Their talk was interrupted when Nathan approached Tomo. "Say, Tomo... that's your friend, eh?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah."
He asks for the cell and Tomo willingly gave it to him.
"Kitami, is this you?"
"S...sir Nathan. Yes. I'm here at the pass near Crown Mountain."
"Good good. Here's the thing. Once we get there, we'll be heading back here."
"A round trip?"
"That's right. So once we go back, you come along with us back here okay?"
"Y...yes sir."
He hangs up and throws the cell phone back at Tomo.
"Let's start." Nathan mentioned.
"Yes."
They slowly walk to their cars. Everything went in slow motion as Nathan and Tomo drive their cars before the first hairpin of Cypress Road. Tension was everywhere. Everyone who's witnessing this battle can feel it also. The Tension is embracing everyone. The doors slowly close as the drivers buckle up slowly too.
The cars were slowly brought to the starting line. They slowly rev to their red zones.

Kasumi knew that they're about to begin so she walked in front of the cars; in between them specifically and is volunteering to start the countdown. She extends her hand, holding a handkerchief - a classical way of starting car races in the past. Once the handkerchief touches the pavement, the race begins.

Both drivers concentrate on their accelerators. The needles hit the red zones. They're anxious to bring their cars to gear 1 and blast off the starting line. Kasumi lets go of the handkerchief and they watch as it lands. Once the tip touches the pavement, Nathan quickly puts the car on 1st. Tomo hearing the burnout of the GT, puts his car on 1 as well and both drivers blast out of the starting line with the GT slightly in front. Add the fact that the GT is in the inside while the GT-R is on the outside of the corner, Nathan obviously has the lead.

Kasumi and Sakura ran to the exit of the corner and watch as the cars take on the first left hairpin. "And so it begins." Sakura said with a serious look on her face.
Kasumi holds her chest and hopes for the better. She wishes that Tomo would succeed; whether he wins or not. The battle between Tomo and Nathan has begun. Who knows what will happen.

Chapter 51 - An Indefinite Road of Discomfort

The gap slowly increases ever since the race between the GT and R34 started. Nathan is keeping a calm face. He always knew that his GT is faster than any 4WD or any other car in the US when it comes to start offs; not to mention that he had the utmost advantage in the beginning of the first corner. Tomo is feeling uneasy. He feels that he's beginning to succumb to the immense power of the GT and felt like giving up in the start. Then, he remembered what Sakura and Kasumi told him and what he said back.

"No... the race just started!"

He shifts to gear 3 as he makes his way halfway through the straightway before the second hairpin. Flames bursted out of his exhaust and the needle is right on the red zone when he shifted. Then it came: the next hairpin. He saw the GT take it without much effort - braking effort. The line that Nathan was taking was very smooth; compared to Lucas' unnoticeable racing line. He saw that the rear of the GT tripped and was induced to a drift however, there was no friction smoke that came out from the lower end of the tires. He didn't see the car countersteer; not even for a slight moment. What was he doing to his car on the corners?

It's now Tomo's turn. He brakes not too hard but not too soft within 250 meters from the start of the corner. Swerving the car to the outside, he's planning to take it on using an out-in-out attack. The weight though of his car is 200kg heavier than that of the GT. As he entered and nailed the apex, the car understeered before he passed the apex. He decelerated to clear the hairpin completely in the inside and slowly position it on the outside.

Nathan, while driving on the straightway, glanced at his rearview mirror. "Hmm... what are you planning?" He was wondering why he wasn't going all out yet. Is it because the GT is overqualified for the GT-R? He isn't thinking of any stupid reason why. Alls he know is that he should finish this and see if he could make a comeback.

Tomo was in a completely uncomfortable pace. He still wasn't used to his car again. It has been a long time since he rode on it. For the past weeks, he just glanced at his car. He could feel the car pull itself when he hits the wrong shift points. It wasn't helping him at all in the race. The rate of his spedometer at every shift decreased and the time that he gained speed was too long. But this is just the beginning. It is just the beginning. He still has a lot of chances. He could do this. His only problem? could he do it and regain the lost distance?

Back atop Cypress road, Kasumi is in her usual state - too concerned. She isn't like this when Tomo is out in the passes against a rival that she knows is par to Tomo, but against a car like a GT? She is beginning to worry. "I wonder if Tomo-kun IS pushing himself too hard?"
Sakura glanced at her. Didn't he just say that he wouldn't? "Kasumi, I know that what Tomo meant, he will. He will not push himself too hard on this race. This is just the start."
Sakura closed her eyes and listens to the engine tones that are still hearable. She could hear tire screeches as well. By the looks of things, the screeches between the GT and GT-R are very far away from each other and are not that 'intense'.
"He's not overdoing it I could tell." Sakura spoke.
"You sure?"
"When Tomo pushes the car too hard, the screeches of the tires and the sound of the targeted shift points are higher than what I just heard. In fact, he's still getting used to his own car."
"Isn't that both a good and bad thing altogether?" Kasumi wondered.
"True. It's good that he could plan out his strategy during the long round trip battle but... it's also bad that he might not be able to decrease the gap compared to how it is right now." Sakura answered.
Kasumi takes her eyes off Sakura and looks at the horizon.
"Tomo... please drive safely." she said to herself while feeling her heart.

Back with the race...
through another hairpin, the GT-R is slowly gaining ground however, it is still not enough to catch up to the GT. The GT is still dominating the first half of the race. The gap hasn't changed yet. He grips through the next corner without stressing the tires too much. As he exits the corner, he was not surprised with what he saw. The GT was gone. He got ahead and the gap is around a kilometer long. He wasn't surprised though. Most racers would give up when their opponent is no longer in sight. Tomo is different. Until the finish is up, he won't rest until the goal was passed. "Just keep going, GT-R." He said to himself. He shifts to gear 3 after exiting the corner. This time, he nailed the correct shift point and his car pushed a bit as it gained speed down the hill. 300 meters before the next bend; the last bend before the freeway's entrance, he lightens his pressure on the accelerator; anticipating the degree of the upcoming corner.

Nathan has now reached the main freeway's entrance and his GT is still in top condition - no tire deterioration, perfect acceleration control, everything was flawless. The freeway is a measure of aerodynamics; very much like the Wangan. It's all about straight line driving. Obviously, the only obstacle in the freeway is the cars on the driver's path. Local drivers getting to their destination through the freeways. Nathan smoothly makes his way through the light traffic. As for Tomo, he's still far behind, obviously. The corner that he's on is pretty much like in Myogi's 2nd section. He goes through it in mid speed on the inside lane. As soon as he got view of the junction road - a fork road where one leads to the freeway, he presses his brakes and induced the car to a powerslide. A fatal mistake. "Damn! Don't drift!" The ATTESA ET-S kicks in and recovers the car's position. Tomo gave a huge sigh as he directs the R34 into the freeway.

"By now, the distance between me and Nathan could be around 2 kilometers... He has the utmost advantage at this point in the race. I need to somehow decrease the gap. Power margin is quite large between my car and the GT. 550 to 710. I need to compromise... but with what?" Tomo wondered. Then it hit him. A flashback of his battle with Daiki.

The third round match between Tomo and Daiki years back. It was Tomo's first time on the wangan. He didn't know what to do, not to mention the fact that he was in a completely disadvantageous position - the runner that time. Daiki initiated an attack that got him the lead. Slipstreaming. Of course. That was the complete advantage of an underpowered car in the wangan. If your car is capable of catching up, despite a huge difference in power, you could still catch up by means of it. Using the same attack against Daiki, Tomo was able to level the playing field and maintained his gap with Daiki. He wondered in one moment at the Complete New Belt Line battle; Daiki's speed decreased when he got out of the slipstream and positioned his Z right infront of the GT-R. That's when he knew the secret. At one J turn, he stuck right behind Daiki; even thorugh the corner. At the exit, his speed is higher than the Z's and overtook Daiki at the last corner's exit. That gave him the win.

He only had one problem though when he thought of that plan right now... there was no car fast enough to be his 'shield'. As he entered the freeway, he noticed the pattern of the local cars. Some have formed a diagonal line. "If I use all of the cars as a slipstream..." he thought. It might be possible. His speed reads 257 km/h. In the Wangan status, it is a bit too low. Drivers there reach 300+ kilometers and maintained it through the road. As for the GT, it is going at a steady 320 km/h. The racing engine really helped, along with the twin superchargers and the installed racing clutch & flywheel. Nathan had some time wondering what Tomo would do. He knows that Tomo is someone who has met his standards. Now that he's testing his capabilities, why is it that he's doubting his own isights on the guy? Or maybe he's just not showing his true potential yet. Well, neither is Nathan. The specs of his GT alone could make him a top class driver; but add the driving skills that he has honed and revived, he's like a legendary god amongst the roads of Canada. "Just show me what you could do Tomo. Bring out the driver in you!" Nathan said to himself as he deepens his foot on the accelerator. Flames came out of the GT's exhaust. No unfamiliar sounds coming out of it.

Daiki, who was doing his rented car for the Stock car race at Downtown Vancouver, could feel the presence of Nathan Archibal nearby. "He's close. I could feel the presence of his driving style." he uttered. While Hiroya, Shimizu, and Tetsuya are doing different suspension settings for the car, Daiki moved away and stared at the freeway. "Anything wrong, Daiki?" Hiroya asked. He shook his head, meaning 'no'. "He must be tired. He needs a breather." Shimizu said.
"Don't be too worried, Hiroya." Tetsuya followed.
The familiar tone of a Supercharged V12 is close by... close to where Daiki and the other professionals are. No doubt, it is Nathan's Ford GT passing through from above. Running at 330 km/h on the freeways, it feels like a quick hurricane passed by Daiki's face. "It's him." Daiki said.

Tomo's plan is working perfectly. His recent speed is increasing momentarily. 260, 270, 280... it's working as he thought. He could feel his car getting close to the GT. The RB26DETT roars like hell through the passing traffic. Swerving slightly from left to right Tomo's speeds are rising immensely. A high speed S curve is ahead and Tomo's GT-R narrowly kissed the inner wall. Weight shift kicks in at the middle of the S curve as Tomo makes his way through the second part of the corner. He couldn't believe what he just saw. A familiar sillouhette of the car he's chasing. His speed is now at 310 and he's pretty certain of the car that he saw. "The GT! I'm gaining!" Tomo uttered with excitement. He shows a smile on his face knowing that he could pull it off. Nathan just passed the 10th exit and Tomo just passed the second 8th exit. He continues his slipstream tactic and is able to shorten the gap. Speeds now of the GT-R are reaching an unbelievable 323 km/h. Could he be pushing his car too far? Or is it natural when you're on a slipstream for a long time at such a speed. Tomo had around 3 near misses with the local cars. He nearly hit the side of a Honda Odyssey, the back of a Mustang Convertible, and the front of a Ford Taurus. He was doing fine.

Nathan wasn't at his limit when Tomo saw the GT, he's toying with the accelerator - bringing it midway, then full throttle and back. He wasn't waiting for Tomo either. The downforce could kill his tires; being an MR. He heard of a rumor in one of the practice runs of team Nissan and their R89CP at Sarthe a decade and a half ago. The tires were thrashed after 1 lap around Sarthe. It was a mysterious moment for them. They wondered why would the tires burn up so quickly? They were medium racing tires and they burned as quick as those Super Soft compounds!? Nathan was cautious with his tires even if he maintained his speeds at 330. He doesn't want to bring it up to 350 even if his GT could go all the way to 375 km/h. He knows that even at straightways, his tires would be affected too. So he's simply playing safe while he knows that he has the lead here.

780 meters. That was the current gap between the R34 and the GT. another 280 meters more and Tomo's in the slipstream once again - right behind Nathan. He has to make it fast though, his speed is dropping as soon as he got out of the last slipstream. Suddenly, another car was coming right behind Tomo. It is coming up fast. It's not an ordinary car. He couldn't say if it is a Tuner either. The pitch was high and the revs were low. He hears a hiss of a turbine behind him. Kitami? Couldn't be. He's waiting at the second pass for the two of them. Daiki? He's still down there at downtown. Sakura? Her R34's revs are as high as Tomo's GT-R. The revs that he could hear are around just until 7000 rpm. Every shift, he could feel the needle going eratic. 7000 is its redzone. Only U.S. Muscles could go that low but that fast. Lucas? Couldn't be either. His car is in the impound for a decade. It also doesn't sound like an LS7. It sounds more like a V-10 coming up fast right behind the GT-R. It's far away though but the presence could be felt a mile away. There's a well known car that could be equipped with such a deadly turbine in a V-10, revving all the way until 7000 rpm.

"Is that you?" Tomo uttered.
The sound seems very familiar. It completely reminded him of that ambush race back at the Canyons..
Speeds of 340 km/h right behind Tomo's R34.
"It... is you..."

note: for your information, this is the course map. Just follow along the star's point all the way to the main road (thick orange line), then the exit to Lynn road, etc... as described in Chapter 50.


Chapter 52 - Dual Mayhem

A red Dodge Viper invades the battle between Tomo and Nathan Archibal Sr. Who was it? It was none other than Nathan's son, Nathe. His Viper is a custom replica of the 1st generation Venom 800. It boasts about 800 bhp and by the numbers itself, it is a total monster of the highways.

"It's you... I remember this feeling..." Tomo uttered. He remembered it clearly - this was the same feeling when he was being chased by the cops back at USA. The same red Dodge Viper interfered with the chase and disabled the cops chasing Tomo. Thinking about that incident made Tomo conclude that Nathan was the one who rescued him from that catastrophy. But... why him? How on earth does Nathe know who Tomo is? Was he awaiting their arrival or something?

Before Tomo could ponder any further, a car was infront of him when he glanced back at the road. He immediately steered the car to avoid the collision but he lost an immense amount of speed as body roll kicked in and forced him to slow down to regain control of the car. Because of that, the Viper was closing in thrice the speed than it was awhile ago. He gritted his teeth and tries to block the Viper.

Nathan, in his Ford GT glanced to see how the young contender was doing only to figure out that he disappeared from his rearview mirror. "Something must've happened... or this could be a trap set before me..." he wondered. The road was wide - wide enough to hide from your opponent and engage a surprise attack. Nathan knew that very well and didn't hesitate to stick his foot down on the accelerator.

Going back to Tomo and Nathe...
The Viper is closing in. He's only a few meters away from the GT-R's rear bumper. Nathe shows a huge grin on his face as he taunts Tomo and forces him to lose concentration. "Putting me and my dad on the same side on this race... we're the unbeatable duo of the Canadian roads!! Try to stop us if you can, eh!" Nathe shouts out to Tomo. Tomo on the other hand, tries to regain his speed by slipstreaming right behind local drivers again; even though he knows the presence of the Viper right behind him...

The pressured R34 just couldn't hold his place much longer and Nathe is anxious to overtake; yet he pleads himself to stay where he is and toy around with his opponent. A few minutes later, Nathe was bored... he toyed around with the GT-R for too long. He pressed harder on the accelerator and quickly rotates the wheel to the left. There was no car blocking Nathe's way and he didn't hesitate to overtake. The SRT10 blasts right next to the GT-R. Tomo wasn't surprised but he gritted his teeth out of dissapointment and anger. He couldn't take the feeling of being toyed around. He knew that Nathe wasn't taking him seriously. "I'll get back at you, Nathe. Just watch me!!"

The GT was 1.5 kilometers ahead and the Viper is slowly increasing the gap and catching up to his father. Tomo was in a complete slumber - his slipstream worked but he wasn't able to compensate the balance that he needs. He nearly crashed that time. He needs to think of another plan to catch up and fast. The gap increased and increased.


[ Post merged on Jan 19 2010, 06:55 PM ]
Chapter 53 - Pegasus shows his wings

The race is getting infuriating for Tomo, who's now left behind by his 2 rivals. He, however, is not giving up by the slightest. He's still fighting. He wants to regain his place from Nathe and get to Nathan as fast as possible. They're about to reach the 14th exit. 4 more exits then they head to mountain highway.

An S curve is close to where Tomo is driving on. He has recovered part of his speed; which is now at 269 km/h. He enters and removes his foot off the gas. Approaching the corner, he jolts his steering wheel to the right, thus approaching the inside. As he gets close enough to the inner wall, he accelerates and the car understeered due to the high speed he's at. Running at 250 through the first part of the S curve, he's doing well. He shifts to gear 5 as soon as he exits the first half of the S curve. Approaching the second one, he intentionally lets his rear trip and brought to a powerslide. He does a perfect 4 wheel, Zero countersteer drift through the second half at an amazing 267 km/h.

Nathe is wondering if he should wait for Tomo or go straight to his dad. It was a tough decision and the race is just 1/4 done. Shifting to gear 5 half a thousand rpms early, his car slowed down. The rate of the viper's increase in pace was disturbed for a moment. Once the needle is in the higher rpms, the car jolted back to its usual pace. He passes through a couple of passenger cars in a slalom motion, pretty much showing off a performance run.


"I can see my dad from here. An estimate of around 350 meters ahead. And still no sign of the GT-R at this moment." Nathe said as he passed the 16th exit. Running at a steady 300 km/h, he tailgates right behind a Corvette C6 convertible and breaks free from the slipstream once he's bumper to bumper. He looks again at his rearview mirror to see if the GT-R is still catching up. He feels that their cars are too powerful for the lone tuner. He didn't care despite that. Nathe still insists on increasing his pace and hopes for something out of the ordinary to happen.

Tomo is slowly applying all the techniques he used in the Wangan against Daiki in the past. Slipstreaming, deceleration instead of full braking, late shift technique, and all the other highway interpreted techniques just to lessen the gap. Although he's bringing out all the techniques he know related to the highways, he's not pushing his car to the limit. He promised Sakura and Kasumi that he won't overdo it. Moments later, all the driving techniques he know of before the "probation" are slowly coming back to him like magic. He has regain the confidence he had lost due to a long duration of not holding his own car. He's back! Tomogashi the racer is back in action. He presses harder on the gas to gain more speed. His speed, for some reason are increasing as fast as Nathe's viper! 270, 290, 310... He's at 315 km/h and is coming in fast. He blazes through traffic like a bullet. Flames burst out of the exhaust like crazy and his revs are reaching 8700 rpm. Slipstreaming at every car infront of him, he is getting close to the Viper and GT!

Half a kilometer ahead, Nathe has caught up to his dad. A clear 100 meters right behind the Ford GT. Nathan glances to see his own son's Viper. "Where's Tomo?" he wondered. While the father and son leisurely cruise the highways at 300+ kilometers, Nathe felt an incoming aura right behind him. After a light right turn, he stared at his rearview mirror to see if he's behind him. To his surprise, it is him. "That Skyline... how did it appear all of a sudden." He flashed his headlights at his father saying to pull ahead. Nathan recieves the call of his son, via rearview mirror and did just so. He's about to reach the 375 km/h top speed of his GT. He doesn't want to let the GT-R catch up. Nathe wouldn't want that either. All the 800 horses of his SRT10 are kicking in. The Aluminum V10 and the racing modified, DOHC Pushrod V-8 roar in succession like a horse's neigh of determination. As Tomo still insists on catching up, something nearly frightened his fighting spirit. Once the Viper and GT went side by side on the remains of the long straight to the said exit, he saw their aura blending together. The aura took form of a pair of wings that came out of the opposite sides of the 2 supercars. Another part of the aura formed something in between the two cars and adjoined with the wings: a horse shaped aura. Yes, their aura combined, brought out the shape of the mythological horse of Hercules... Pegasus. As the engines reach the top of their revs, the aura, at the same time, neighed loudly. Tomo was shocked to see it but his foot isn't letting go of the accelerator.

The GT-R is running at 320 km/h steadily while the GT and SRT10 ran at 360 tops at the same pace. They passed a sign that says that their exit is near. To show courtesy to the locals, while in the race, they turned on their turning lights. Tomo did the same thing in his R34. The RB26 is running the best it could. The GT and SRT10 are just too powerful to race against at a place like the highways. They; the GT and Viper, braked as they enter the exit. It is a tight round corner; that gave Tomo the moment to catch up; and he did. Because the GT-R's speeds are much lower than the other two, he braked less compared to the father and son duo. Tomo downshifts to gear 3 as he took on the tight exit. He lets the spedometer go nuts at its high revs. The needle nearly went crazy when it was a few revolutions away from the red zone as the rear tripped at the same time and induced the car to another powerslide. A high-rev powerslide and Tomo intended for it to happen. While Nathe and Nathan tapped the accelerator to balance their car through, Tomo is slowly closing in. By the time they're about to exit the corner, the GT and Viper went full throttle as they reach the flat street of Lynn Road. They veered to the other lane as Tomo steadily clears it on the inside. It wasn't over from there.

The 700 and 800 respective horses of the 2 leading cars kicked in once again and boosts away from the GT-R. Tomo wouldn't let it happen and still kept his foot glued on the gas as he shifts to gear 4. He's in the slipstream as soon as he regained much of his speed. All 3 cars are now running at 200+ kilometers as they swerve through oncoming traffic. With ease, they all turned left to Mountain Highway. Once again, thanks to Tomo's underpowered GT-R, he braked less as he entered the corner while the other two spent more time braking as they entered the corner.

"They'll leave me behind for a while but I'll catch up as soon as the first tight corner is up. I'll catch up from there." Tomo strategized as he still insists on barely sticking right behind Nathe's Viper. "I never had a thrilling match as this in my entire life. It's right of me to join in the race." Nathe thought to himself. "The inner driver within me has awaken, thanks to that kid. Now, I don't need to hesitate through the corners of this pass. My tires are as fine as they were when we started. At the downhill; the road back to Cypress Road, I'll push my car to the limit from the turning point and finish this race!" Nathan planned out.

Although Tomo is doing well, he can't help but grit his teeth as he watches the Viper and GT pull away. "This race is no different from my race with Kitana at Italy... But this is even far more extreme..." Tomo thought to himself. The third part of round 1 is up - the second mountain pass and all 3 cars are raging to the entrance to the pass.

Near the gates to the pass, Hiei and Ryusen are waiting for them to appear. Ryusen's S2000 parked at the side of the road with Hiei leaning on the left door of the car. Ryusen is holding his cell phone which is set to Kitami's phone. "Do you think Tomo could catch up? I mean, against that monster?" Ryusen asked.
"No idea. But I could say that they're extremely good." Hiei answered explaining what he just saw in the documentation that he, Tomo, Kasumi and Sakura watched.

Before the two could talk any further, they heard a couple of high revving engines close by. "Is it them?" Hiei wondered as he leaned off Ryusen's car. Ryusen immediately called Kitami, who is waiting for their call.
"Hello?" Kitami answered atop.
"They're here."
"Alright." Afterwhich, Kitami hangs up.
"What? Doesn't he want to know who is leading at all?"
There was a Moving truck on the incoming lane. They couldn't see who's actually leading but they're certain that it's Tomo's Skyline and the Ford GT. The cars screeched telling them that they're overtaking the truck. Hiei saw a vintage looking body approaching the side of the moving truck.
"It's the Ford GT!!"
"Where's Tomo?"
Once the GT positioned itself infront of the truck another car was in view...
"TOMO?" the two exclaimed.
A red Dodge Viper was in view this time.
"What's that?"
"Isn't that Nathe's car? What's he doing in the race?"
Before they could doubt any further as well, Tomo's blue GT-R shows up. The gap wasn't wide at all. It was around 70 to 100 meters. They were relieved. They watch as all 3 supercars blast by them.

Chapter 54 - Twilight Heavens

The 3 racers have approached the final part of the course before they head back. The GT still holds the lead, with the Viper right behind it as the GT-R barely holds on to the slipstream behind the SRT10. Father and son Nathan are keeping their cool while Tomo grits his teeth just trying to keep up. As they reach the first corner of the uphill, Tomo noticed something. By the time he starts braking, he expects the GT and the Viper to release their brakes and enter the corner at full throttle.

"I get it now." he said. "The faster they enter the hairpin, the longer they need to brake. That could be my only chance of minimizing this gap. As soon as Tomo's 3/4 way of braking before releasing it, the 2 cars have accelerated through the corner. The gap, though, minimized as what Tomo predicted. He still has a fighting chance. At the back of Tomo's eyes, he could still see and feel the immense aura that the duo has formed moments ago. Pegasus still shines forth right above them. It didn't matter to Tomo now that he has found a glitch on their attack. The GT pulls away further and Nathan sr. is pulled back on his seat as he shifts to gear 4. Reaching nearly 8000 rpm before shifting to gear 5, the exhaust chokes out a pair of flames. The Viper hisses as it shifts to gear 5 as well. Another corner is up and the 2 started to brake. Halfway through theirs, Tomo started his. The Viper and GT are entering the braking zone at a speed of 263 km/h while Tomo enters it at 220 flat, giving him time to minimize the gap.

It's slowly decreasing. Tomo still has that fighting chance. Atop, Kitami listens to the engine Tones so that he could figure out how far Tomo is behind the GT. To his surprise, the sounds were directly successive. That means the GT-R is close to the engine tone of the GT. There was one thing bugging him. "What's that other engine tone I hear? Sounds like a twin turbocharged V10..." he uttered to himself.

After a series of more hairpin turns, the GT-R is now a car's length away from the Viper, which is bumper to bumper to the GT. There was a long straight for Nathe to take a breather. Although being Nathan's son, he's having quite a hard time keeping up with his own father. By the time he glances at the rearview mirror...

"That's not possible!!" He said. Because of the presence of the GT-R that made such an impact on him, he forgot all about his own pace. Now that the needle went past the 8000 rpm limit, the needle dozed down causing the viper to fall back a bit from the GT.
"Now!" Tomo shouted in his mind as he attacks the Viper. Entering the slipstream, his speed reaches 285 km/h, just like Nathan's viper. It increased to 300+ km/h and he was able to pass the SRT10.

"Not over yet, eh!" Nathe answered in contrast. He still tries to keep up with the GT-R that is closing in on the GT. A fork road is ahead and Tomo checks his GPS while on the straight after he shifts from 4 to 5. "turn right..." he quoted. Nathan's GT turned right and the other 2 young drivers did the same thing. It had a series of weak bends for a rugged straightway. It felt as if you're going through a high speed slalom test. Nathan flawlessly clears the straight nearly hitting the guardrails. Tomo followed along with a much centralized line yet maintains the gap as it is. Nathe copies the GT-R's movements and has shortened the gap as well.

Moments later, they're on the consecutive hairpins. Tomo's gaining more ground here. Being a 4WD, he could blast his way through the exits of the corners where as the GT and SRT10 should wait for the needles of their tachometers to calm down at the exit as the high rpms cause the car's tachometers to go crazy if they're not careful. At the 4th hairpin, Tomo was nearly close to overtaking the GT. But as soon as Nathan hits the next gear, he pulled away even further. Not to mention that the course is quite snowy. Nathan was very good with snow conditions, even with his GT. he does a couple of zero countersteer, low rpm drifts and executes them as if he's making art.

Tomo initiates drifts as if his GT-R is an FR. Countersteering quite a bit at some exits and flawless zero countersteer 4WD drifts at others. A small straight is left before the turning point. From there, Kitami sees the contenders. "Here they are!" he told himself. The GT brakes and Nathan sr. raised his E-BRAKE. Tomo let's the engine doze down to gear 1 while braking and turns at the process. Nathan countersteers late as he exits the hairpin. There was a scene that caught Kitami's eye - As the GT-R enters too early, the GT countersteers too late and it looks as if the 2 are going to hit each other.

Everything went in slow motion as this scene happens: As Nathan brings the car to a full countersteer, Tomo lessened his turning radius a bit to avoid the collision. Nathan shifts at the same time, to allow his car to be pushed. It did just so and it's a near miss collision. The GT and GT-R got out of that predicament safely. a sweatdrop went down Kitami's cheek in awe. As Tomo exits, Nathe enters this time. With twin turbochargers powering his Viper, he presses hard on the gas by the time he hits the apex; near the cone. A huge pile of snow was pushed back by the Viper's rear tires, covering up Kitami. He wasn't able to see if the Viper cleared it but one thing is for sure to him...

"No one makes a fool out of Kitami Kitamaru! No one!!" He got on his Mustang GT-R and turns it on. He shifts to one and blasts off like a mad man on wheels. Because it's a downhill this time, Nathan has a bigger upperground on the straightways for sure. Even slipstreaming couldn't help Tomo right now. His approach to the corners would tell if he could keep up or it's all over.

There was something in the snow that caught Tomo's attention. Most of the time, the roads here are plowed but not completely. Sometimes, some locals; especially kids, would play snowball fights in the snow. Some were too brave enough to make ditches as their home bases and shields for the sake of the game. That's where Tomo got this insane idea. He thought of Mt. Haruna and his fight with Takeshi's FC. He plans on using the ditches as a gutter. He approaches the apex as early as possible and attempts a mizutoshi.

The GT-R's front left tire drops with the rest of the tires on the plowed asphalt. His car gained an extra boost of speed through the corner and he's closing in on the GT. To his dismay, Nathan knows of this as well and does the same thing on the second hairpin. The good news is, though, Nathe was falling behind.

Tomo is gaining on the GT but not quite as much as he would expect. Nathan is concentrating on the road he's on - no time to be distracted by the rearview mirror. He's hallucinating as if he's part of hte mille Migia - an Italian racing tournament of the late 50's when the famous Mercedes Benz 300SL touring car was in play.
He clears those corners without a problem at a range of 180 - 197 km/h. Tomo barely caught up with it. The battle was fierce and it's down again to just Tomo and Nathan Sr. Nathan, obviously has the upperhand. Even though Tomo regained his memory of his racing times, it's not helping much though he's not falling too far back.

Nathe still hangs on and still has a visual of the GT-R infront of him. The rugged straightway is up again and Nathe clears this section at a higher pace nearly setting off sparks on the guardrails. It looks as if he's going through it in a straight line rather than swerving his car from left to right. By the time they reach the set of hairpins before the entrance gate to the pass, Nathe recovered his pace and is now right behind the GT-R once more.

"I believe you forgotten about me, eh..." Nathe mumbled, directing it to Tomo in anger.

All 3 cars are now closely knit to each other as they enter the set of variable hairpins once again.


chapter 55 - Melodious Disaster

Huge engine roars echo down The mountain pass of Mountain Highway. Some ignored the sound while others stood in awe and fear - enthusiasts and commoners alike. Nathan still clings on to his lead as Tomo desperately hangs on with Nathe right behind him. The race back just began and the competitors drove down the pass like wolves. The GT executes a wonderful outside drift in the snow while the GT-R goes through it in a grip-like fashion whereas the SRT10 plows through the corners at blistering speed and at a high angle powerslide.

"Nathan sr. doesn't seem to be bothered by my presence. Is this how professional drivers of the past race?" Tomo wondered.
"What's the idea of this kid?" Nathe argued to himself while gritting his teeth. "He looks as if I don't exist. Ever since he overtook me, it doesn't seem like I'm there. Dad, you better be wary of who you're up against."
The GT revvs all the way to the red zone once more and Nathan hits the perfect shift point for 7 consecutive times in a row. Despite old age, he has full control of the young automobile.

Back at the Archibal mansion, Dorothy, Nathan's wife, feels uneasy as she stares at the city from afar at her quarters. Later, her young daughter, Margarette, enters the room looking worried over her mother's expression.

"What's wrong mommy? Why the sad face?" she asked her mom.
"Oh, nothing dear. It's your father that's all..."
"Did you have a fight?"
"No; it's nothing like that. He seems different now that he's racing against Tomo?"
"Mr. Tomo is a racer? Since when?"
"well, he's of both - a racer and a chef. Your father challenged him for particular reasons..."
"Like what mommy?"
"Like... um... to tell you the truth, he didn't tell me."
"Isn't it bad, mommy? For daddy to keep secrets?"
"Some cases. But I think this is something for us not to be involved in. It's between your father and his ... well... rival."
"Are they fighting? But Mr. Tomo seems like a nice guy."
"They're not fighting. Your dad just wants to see something from Tomo."
"Like a talent, mommy?"
"That's right." Dorothy answered as she goes to her daughter and gently rubs her hair back and forth. Margarette blushes a bit feeling her mother's warmth and love.
"So... what's gonna happen...?" Margarette asked.
"I can't put it in words, my dear..." Dorothy goes to one corner of her room to get something. It was her stradivarius. She's obviously going to explain it to her daughter by means of a violin piece.

Violin Piece during battle - The Devil's Thrill

As Dorothy plays it; at the same moment, Nathan is giving more than what he gave at the first half of the race. He's giving around 66% of his full ability to pull away from Tomo. He's applying all tactics to remove that GT-R off his rearview mirror. Every corner, the GT-R would catch up; every straight, he won't leave his sight. The GT-R was a fighter; yet, so is Nathan. He's fighting for his post in this race. Slipstreaming after every city car on his way, he increases the gap and is desperately trying to end the battle, hoping the GT-R would give up in the end.

To his dismay, the GT-R is still there; gaining and closing in on the GT. On the highway, they're on equal ground. The one thing that would disrupt this equity would be driving skill - how they use their location to their advantage. Tomo begins to slipstream from side to side, nearly 2 car lengths away from the GT. A sweatdrop falls upon Tomo's cheek. He didn't budge; not even the slightest. His full concentration is locked on that GT infront of him. The Viper behind him is coming in fast but he has a way of eliminating it from his mirror. They enter a wide right corner. Nathan decelerates and enters the corner through the inside. Nathe is planning on attacking by drift. Tomo, on the other hand has something else in mind. There is a pair of sedans infront of him. He halves his acceleration and cuts through the cars from the inside. "That's suicide!!" Nathan uttered. "Entering a corner with a pedestrian car close to the inside lane? You got to be kidding me!!"

The GT comes out of the corner. Nathan is halfway through the corner as of this moment. As he sees the long stretch of straight road in view, he was shocked by what he saw. No trace of the GT-R in his sight. What Nathe could see are the following: the 2 cars that Tomo 'attacked', A cargo trailer in the middle of 2 trucks leading, mainly a gasoline carrier and a car carrier. Where could have that GT-R gone to?

Unknown to Nathe, Tomo actually is infront of the cargo trailer. The 2 trucks are covering his presence as to not to be figured out by Nathe. How did he do it? As soon as his car starts to understeer after hitting the apex and narrowly avoid the car on the inside, The position of his GT-R was rightly placed infront of the cargo trailer. With a couple of trucks infront, not blocking the way, he placed his car in between them while catching up to the GT. His move, though, cost him the race. The 2 car length gap increased to four.

Luckily for Tomo, there is another set of cars positioned like a slalom. He slipstreamed right behind them. As he did so, the gap decreased once more. He looked on his dashboard - his car status display screen to see if his car is still in top form. The display denoted the following figures: 40% grip remaining on front tires, 61% grip remaining on rear tires, and so on and so forth. He was able to control the grip loss in his car to a minimum. 5/6 of the race down, he's doing great.

Nathan Sr. couldn't help but glance at his rearview mirror once in a while. The presence of the GT-R not behind him is driving him crazy. He started thinking as to where he'd come out. The highway is a wide place - you could take the lead anywhere without being detected. Thinking of such things has subconsciously caused him to slow down. As Tomo came out of the last 3 cars infront of him, he's drastically catching up to the GT. How come? Is he waiting for him or something?

Tomo scurries to take the lead. He slipstreams once again behind the GT - for sure this time. Nathan stops thinking about what tactic would Tomo do to him. Because of too much thinking, and too less driving, he gasped as he saw th GTR right behind him. "Ho...how could this be!? When did he get here?" He starts to thomp on his accelerator and tries to pull away. The GT-R, though is still behind him. Tomo's in the perfect spot - at the drafting zone behind the GT. He has gained too much momentum that he is about to hit the rear of the GT. Realizing this, he swerves to the right and attempts to overtake. The GT is fighting for it's lead where as Tomo fights for his lead. It was a dead-beat down the long 2 kilometer straightway. For one kilometer, they're still tied. Past the 1.5 km mark and still tied. As Nathan hits the sixth gear, that's where he got the lead finally. Tomo swerves right back into the draft zone as to not to be left behind again. They're close to Cypress Bowl's entrance again.

"Tsk... not enough." Tomo said as he grits his teeth.
While on the straightway, somebody was honking their horn at Tomo's Skyline. As Tomo takes a moment to check what it is about, he, this time, was shocked over what was behind him.

"I'm back!!" the driver behind Tomo said.
A red Dodge Viper with Black Stripes is right behind the GT-R once again.


----------------------------------
The End is close... here's the next chapter!!
-----------------------------

Chapter 56 - The Last Breath

As the race is about to be brought to a close, the racers are getting pretty high on themselves. The race is fierce as neither combatant wants to give up. They're all on the final section of the course - Nathan Sr, Tomo, and Nathe in that order. The GT, holding on the lead with the Skyline GT-R34 and Viper right on its tail. They've been passing through traffic at speeds of 250 to 275 km/h. The exit to Cypress Bowl Road is just an exit away now.

"We're close to the exit. I'll settle it from there." Nathan told himself.
"I still have a chance at this. Just go on, GT-R!" Tomo said.
"Hmph... I wonder if you could still catch up after we do that..." Nathe wondered.

The exit is a left corner to a sudden right from the Highway itself. Nathan swerves his GT to the left as Tomo follows along with Nathe. With the Ford GT still ahead, and the 2 cars right behind it, they successfully clear the sudden chicane with ease, copying each other's entry. This is where the real challenge begins... To a competitor like that of Nathan Archibal Sr., Cypress Bowl Road is not just a mountain pass where skill is needed... Power must support it to be a 'god' in the course. He has that in his GT, which Tomo lacks in his R34. Once the road was clear enough, Nathan went full throttle. The GT's tachometer reads a staggering 8250 rpm - right past the red zone's starting point. He's over-revving the engine but to an extent that it aids to his driving style. Tomo shifts at the same moment but the GT starts to pull away. How come? They did it together yet the GT is increasing the gap for some reason.

The GT's V8 staggers across the road to Cypress Road. He's exceeding what the GT could do. That was the GT's only flaw in it's production. The GT40 before had that drastic catastrophe of its nose lunging upward due to too much wind pressure; not to mention the top speed it has reached. Ford has opted not to cause this again in their resurrected production model. What the GT40 could do before could not be done in the GT. Limitations were breached on it and Nathan plans on breaking it.

Tomo's at a huge disadvantage now. Not because of Nathan raising the gap... It's Nathe. His Viper's front bumper is a millimeter away from the GT-R's rear bumper. Its twin turbos are far superior than that of the GT-R's... Despite all this, Tomo isn't planning on losing. To Nathe, this is what he was talking about. It was their father and son strategy: The father pulls away as the son sticks to the opponent. They double team on their rival causing intense pressure from the front and back of their target. Through this, they play mind games on their opponent: making them fear of losing the race and their car in the process. Nathe called this the ENCLOSED WINGS attack. It was as if Nathe has his opponent right where he wants him to be. Instead of killing two birds with one stone... it turned out to be killing a bird with two stones - from the front and back. This ensured their victory from time and again and they saved this attack for Tomo to be their trump card.

"I don't need to know if Nathe is still there..." Tomo said to himself... "I know he's right behind me but... is he holding back? What does he plan on doing behind me? Will he overtake or hit my behind?" It is starting: what Nathe wanted Tomo to think. Placing himself at a very inconvenient place would lead to Tomo's breakdown.

"No... now's not the time to think like this! I have to overtake Nathan!! I must!!" As he enters the first corner of the 4 primary corners of Cypress Road, he blasts through with a out-in-out attack. Nathe copies his move evidently. The hillclimb is Nathe's utmost advantage and he has total control over Cypress Road with his 800+ hp, twin turbocharged Viper SRT10. Before reaching the long straight, there is a left bend. Tomo's GT-R understeered at its exit where as Nathe has his Viper placed in the center of the road at its exit. For once, understeering helped Tomo. The Viper overtook the GTR and now Tomo's back on the slipstream once again. They've reached the 300 kilometer mark on this treacherous pass. Nathan Sr makes sure of it that in Cypress road, he doesn't exceed 295 km/h on the hillclimb - the fatal flaw of the GT40. Due to the long slipstream attack, the gap was minimized once again. Even during the second corner, the first hairpin, Tomo overtakes Nathe at the apex. Intense wind pressure infront of Nathe caused his Viper to understeer more than what Tomo experienced.

Upon reaching the exit, Tomo sees the GT 450 meters infront of him. As soon as he's on the straightway, he sees Nathe lose control of the Viper as its rear hits the outer wall causing him to go to a spin. Nathe was able to counteract this but the gap immensely increased. The high powered turbines caused it to spool and also induce a large amount of rear wheelspin making his rear tires go whack in seconds. It was the first time for Nathe to see his plan backfire and his Viper let him down.

Now it is down to the GT-R and GT for good. He's once again on the GT's drafting zone. He's closing in. By the time he reaches the next hairpin, Tomo brings out another corner-oriented attack that Daiki taught him during the moments of the Super GT...

The exit oriented out-in attack. What makes it so special?

Nathan Sr. is on the inside; riding it casually. There was something wrong in his approach - he's too slow considering the fact that it is a hairpin. This gave Tomo a good chance. Tomo enters from the outside but he didn't attack the apex head on. As he passes it, the car starts to enter the inside at a higher speed than Nathan's entry speed. Nathan swerves to the center in planning to block Tomo for good. He brings out another touge based tactic - he rides the sidewalk. Nathan was expecting Tomo to slow down knowing the fact that he could ram each other. Tomo saw through this and rode the sidewalk, using it as an extension of the Road. By that moment, Tomo regained the lead.

They still have one last hairpin to clear; followed by a right bend.
"I'm not through yet. I still have one last ace..." Nathan uttered while observing the GT-R. Nathan still lingers behind the GT-R even if it could overtake at the straights with ease. The hairpin is up. What is Nathan planning? Tomo enters again with an out in out attack for one last time. Nathan did something that no one would expect to do in an American Exotic. As Tomo is in his braking zone, he positions his GT right next to it. Tomo, on the inside, and Nathan on the outside. "I still have the win, Sir Nathan!" Tomo said. But he was wrong. Tomo changed his attack from an out-in-out to a full inside attack. Nathe enters the corner from the outside and... raised the emergency brake.

Through the apex, Tomo still has the inside. Remember where Tomo used the sidewalk on the cliffside as an extension of the road? Well, it was Nathan's turn to do the same thing. He induces the GT to a high speed outside drift; balancing the car's position through the curve. The catch? His rear right tire is riding the sidewalk. Upon exiting the corner, Tomo is now in a deadbeat. He was about to feel that it is over; then, he remembered... his race with Daiki was like this very moment. The race at Akagi and the position he is in... it's the same...

The nose of the GT is leading before the right bend is in play. Sakura and Kasumi are witnessing what would happen! Sakura's GT-R is noted to be the finish line; parked perpendicular to the road yet on the grass. Sakura had her camera in hand as soon as she was about to hear them come up 2 hairpins ago.

The GT-R didn't slow down as contrast to Nathan's GT, which decelerated slightly upon entry. Exiting the bend, They're neck to neck. Both cars reached their red zones and both drivers shifted their cars to gear 3. It was the key point of the whole race. Which car would be brought to victory? At that short 50 meter point from the finish all lies now to tuning. Which car would pull back less after the shift?

Things start to go to slow motion once again as both cars' gears changed... The needles start to retract to the starting rpm point of the 3rd gear. Once they attained it, it was a close match. The GT's nose though extended by 2.5 millimeters. The cars passed Sakura's GT-R at a staggering 210+ km/h. Sakura took a clear sports-mode shot of the race from her car.

She couldn't believe what it showed. Kasumi took a look herself and was shocked as well... Both drivers brought their cars to a full stop and raised their e-brakes.
Sakura and Kasumi slowly went to them to announce the victor. Kasumi brought along a pair of bottled water for the 2 drivers. Once Tomo finished his, he asked "So... who won?" Sakura and Kasumi bent their head down upon Tomo asking it. Nathan gave a stern and concerned look at the two girls. "I guess... by looking at those two over there with Tomo, I know who won..." he said in his mind.

It looked as if Kasumi's eyes went watery...
"Kasumi?" Tomo asked. "You alright?"
"Gomenasai...Tomogashi-kun...(I'm sorry... Tomogashi-kun...)" She said in return.
"So who won?"
Things went mute as Kasumi told him who actually won. By the looks of Kasumi's lip movements, she commented that Nathan is the winner.
Tomo forgot that he had an empty bottle of water in his hand and he just suddenly lets go of it... The only sound that brought everything back to normal was the sound of a falling empty plastic bottle.

Sorry if ever the update has been delayed for 166 days... was busy with a lot of stuff... again, I'm sorry. ANyway, to continue, here are a couple more chapters to this:

Chapter 57 - Ends of the Means

A Ford Mustang GT-R climbs up Cypress bowl road. Kitami was anxious to see the result; not to mention to pick a bone with Nathe for a while ago. As he got to the fourth corner's exit, he could see a couple of cars blocking the way - A Dodge Viper Coupe, a Ford GT, and... a Nissan Skyline... it's them.

Kitami parked to the side and got out of his car. What he could see is the whole gang: Tomo, Kasumi, Sakura, Nathe and Nathan Sr. He could see Tomo sulking in the hillside. "Must be bad news..." Kitami told himself. Before he could even approach them, a black S2000 came. Ryusen's S2000 stopped right behind Kitami's Mustang. "You guys..."
"What's the result?" Hiei asked as he stepped out of the passenger seat of the S2000.
Ryusen silently stepped out and closed the door. Both of them approached Kitami and all 3 of them went to Tomo and the rest.

"Sakura!!" Kitami yelled her name out to get her attention. Sakura tilted her head to see who it was. She looked at Kitami with a teary-eyed face and a sad expression. Kitami stopped and translated her look at him. "Tomo... lost didn't he?"

She bowed her head in reply to Kitami's question.
"It's not like he crashed or anything." Nathe said as he faced Kitami. "He was obviously too young to face my father. Really, arrogance takes this consequence..."
"Why you..." Kitami grits his teeth and desires to strangle Nathe by the colar.
"You take that back, Archibal!" he answered back to Nathe with an angry look.
"Shut it son. You've said enough." Nathan called his son's attention.
"But Dad? It's the truth right? No matter how strong he clinged to you, he didn't have the chance to get the lead from you and..."
"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT YOUR TRAP!" Nathan snapped and shouted at his arrogant-speaking son.

Silence engulfed everyone in the area. It was a sad moment for Tomo. He promised Kasumi that he'd win but... he let her down. He let the whole team down... that's what Tomogashi thought.
"Tomo." Nathan spoke to break the silence. He lifted his head slowly.
"You put up a good fight there. At your age... you are amazing."
"How could you say that, sir? I lost and you know it."
"It doesn't matter."
"Eh?" Everyone was confused with what Nathan said.
"In a race... there are two things that you, as a participant, are aware of: surviving and winning. You could only claim one trophy over the other. There are masters who attained both but there aren't too many of them. Some were greedy enough to win that they even plan on losing their lives to do so. Rubbish thinking if you might ask me."
Tomo looked at Nathan with a doubtful look in his face.
"Winning isn't everything, my boy. You remember what your little girlfriends told you before we started?"
Overhearing that, Kasumi, Sakura and Tomo blushed as they thought about it. All 3 of them closed their eyes and looked back.

"Yeah, you're right." Tomo answered. "What the damn hell was I doing sulking?"
"Of course... why are we sulking?" Kasumi asked.
"Must be immediate to us. We're not used to losing... especially when Tomo is the competitor..." Sakura answered.
Tomo rubs off the tears from his eyes. So did Sakura and Kasumi. They started to laugh thinking how stupid they reacted to the result. Kitami, Ryusen and Hiei are confused with what was happening; so is Nathe.
"What is going on here?" Kitami wondered.
"Who are they and what have they done to Tomo, Kasumi and Sakura?" Hiei asked.
"No, no, Hiei. Nothing is wrong with us..." Kasumi answered.
"That was a rhetorical question!" Hiei followed.
"Yeah... I know... we all know it was." Sakura commented.

Tomo looked back at Nathan to say a few words.
"Thank you, Sir Nathan. I was too absorbed with the battle that I forgot all about what I just told myself before the race."
"No need to thank me. We often forget when we are too concentrated with what we do that we lose control over our minds and the shadows of our heads take over."
"You said the exact same reason that I was thinking."
"But most of all... I would like to thank YOU."
"Thank me? For the food?"
"No, I didn't mean that. I meant for this race. You made me feel young again. It was the feeling that was about to die in me. I am glad that I was able to experience it again; as if I'm living my life all over again. Thank you for letting me race with the likes of you."
Nathan turns his back with a smile as he looks at the landscape. Tomo separates from the rest, who are busy playing around with each other, and walks towards Nathan.
"When you race... winning isn't everything. It doesn't make things better. What is most important is the race itself. You learn things that you wouldn't expect. You get to help co-racers in ways you wouldn't expect either. Racing is a mysterious field..."
"Yeah... I... mean- yes sir... you're right about that." Tomo answered.
Suddenly, Nathan's face showed seriousness after a moment of happiness.
"So... are you planning to go pro after everything is over?"
Tomo looked directly at Nathan with the same serious look that Nathan just shown.
"So are you?"
He bites his lips thinking of an answer; an answer that would please and satisfy Nathan.
"I'll know if you're going to lie or not. Just say the word." Nathan 'warned' him.
"I'm not." Tomo answered.
"Not what? Not gonna lie to me?"
"No sir... I mean, I'm not going to go pro."
Nathan scrunched his eye as he looked at Tomo with the same current look.
"I am part of this team because I am helping a friend see it through the end. But if the time comes for us, everyone in Team Japan, to go to our own separate paths... I don't want to go pro at all. What I am experiencing right now has made me see enough of what this world behelds. The World itself... isn't what I expect it to be. I don't want to be someone to be chased after in this world. What I am seeing now is just good enough for me. And No. I am not wasting my time on this. I want to see this to the very end as well before I move on with my life."
Nathan softens the way he stares at Tomo and slowly looks back at the horizon.
"Hmph. A very deep answer... But I respect you for that. That IS what you decided after all. Who would bother to change your mind? Only you could do so."
Tomo smiled hearing that.
"Actually..." Nathan talked further.
"Part of what you said is the same reason why I didn't go pro either. I hate how the world sees automobiles. They see it as a luxury, a way to express themselves in a dominant manner, a way to be number one the shortest way possible. There are only a few people who'd appreciate auto racing just as how I look at it. This world isn't desirable to see cars the way I do. I am not being to predominant myself; that's just how I look at things. That's what I am trying to inculcate to my son. How I look at auto racing, it's not for the money, the popularity, nor for the sponsorships and the victories. It is all about having a wonderful time and seeing things pass you by at feelings only you could understand. It is all about appreciating the work of your hands... Besides, it is us who made these automobiles the way they are now." Nathan said as he looked at the Viper, GT, and the Skyline.
"But..." Tomo mumbled.
"Hmm?"
"I'm not sure if I would decide to go pro later on in the future..." he said with a sad expression depicting the fact that he's totally unsure.
Nathan approaches Tomo and pats him in the shoulder.
"Don't worry. You're still young. You still have many decisions to finalize and make. This is one of them."

Nathan walks to his GT and is ready to go home. "I heard that your friend is part of Vancouver's stock car race a few days from now, right?"
"Y-yes."
"I would like to see him. Do you... and your peers want to watch it with me live?"
Tomo nods to agree. He looks at his friends playing around, acting stupid as they don't have a clue of how he & the girls look at the race. Kasumi was on one corner holding Sakura's camera. She turns around and slowly approaches Tomo.
"Kasumi..." Tomo uttered.
"I...I am... r...really happy for you..."
"Really? even if I lost?" he asked with a smile.
"That doesn't matter, silly. You did great today; that's what mattered to me. Atashite... bokuwa... shiawase... You've really improved a lot, I can tell... even... if I don't know too much about cars and racing as much as you do..."
Tomo held Kasumi by the shoulders. Kasumi blushed and stared at Tomo's eyes. Tomo moves his head a bit closer to Kasumi. She thought that it would be a kiss. Her heart is pounding really fast and really hard on her.
"Thank you Kasumi... I am just glad... that I am here celebrating the end of this race with you and the rest."
Kasumi's eyes glittered as Tomo stared. When she knew that was just it, she pushed Tomo off her saying "You pig!"
"W...what?"
"You were planning to kiss me are you?"
"No...no...no... that wasn't it (sheish... what the hell was wrong with my body there?)"
"...T...To...Tomo..." Sakura slowly approached Tomo with a fiery aura. "W...was... th...that... true...!?"
"Sakura, not you too?"
"It was your plan the whole time, right?"
"what plan? What are you saying?"
"You wanted to, don't you?" Slowly, the two girls are taunting Tomo with their aura as they came up close to him while Tomo walks away from them slowly.
"You...you don't understand..."
When they were close enough and Tomo's back touched the railings, His heart started pounding really hard... the girls slightly stuck their tongues out and laughed.
"Ha ha ha... boy, we really got you there..." Kasumi said as she held her stomach.
"You should've seen the look on his face when we came close. It looked as if he has seen a ghost."
"C...CUT THAT OUT!" Tomo said with an embarassed look on his face.
The other guys just laughed at him.
"What's so funny? I believe you guys were no different..." Tomo said in embarrassment. The rest just kept on laughing.
"Ah, Youth... what no better way to spend the time in the mountains with laughter and camaraderie..." Nathan said.
"Yeah. I mean, I'm a few years ahead of them yet I am jealous. Tell me dad, you held back at the last straight did you?"
"Nope."
"Seriously? I mean, your pace was not like it was during the highways."
"My GT's at its limit. I am planning to double my supercharger but I wanted to see how far it could go with just a single supercharger."
"So if it weren't for that custom racing clutch you installed, you would've lost did you?"
"Hmm... probably."
"Probably?"
"Who knows what could've happened if that was the case." Nathan said with a smile.
"That guy Tomogashi sure is something." Nathe commented. "Team Japan's next race after here is Buenos Aires right? Do you think we should recommend her?"
"Now's not the right time. He'll figure it out soon. I heard from a friend of mine in South America that she's racing again after that huge incident that left a big mark at her career." the father answered.
"And I was about to think that you're not recommending her because you were afraid to say that you lost to her in a fair match." The son answered.
"Well, you were no match either, my boy. You're no different from me, eh?"
"Just leave it at that, dad. I've had enough racing for one day."
"Let's head home. Tell them to follow up."
"Sure."
Nathan heads down in his GT as he drives back to his mansion. Moments later, they followed. Little did they know, somebody was spectating the secret battle. This exact person was part of the crowd of spectators who were watching Tomo's battle with Lucas Scott. Only a silhouette of the person was visible yet undetected by anyone in the area.
Everyone is getting anxious over the upcoming main event at Vancouver. They'd want to see how Daiki will do this time. Tomo may have lost this match but he has won a lot in replace of it. Something that cannot be answered with a simple First place or second place. Tomo, aboard his GT-R alongside Kasumi, drives down Cypress Bowl Road with a smile.
"Good thing I got my rematch with Nathe back there." Tomo said with a small grin.
"And I thought you didn't care if you'd win or lose?" Kasumi asked.
"Got you back, girl. I was only kidding."
"I don't understand you sometimes, Tomo..."
"And that's what I like about you as well..."
"Stop it with the romantic quotes already..."
"Fine..." They just giggled in the car as they drive to the Archibal Mansion once again.


Episode 13 - Professionalism
Chapter 58 - Earning your Wings

The next day arrived and it seems to it that nothing ever happened. It obviously looks as if the feud between Tomo and the father and son duo of the Nathans didn't happen at all. Everything seems normal. Tomo was doing the usual stuff. The rest of his friends are doing whatever they could lay their hands on; such as Kasumi and Sakura baby sitting and playing around with Margarette. Kitami decides to slack off for the whole day and go to places where he wouldn't expect. Hiei and Ryusen decides to help out with Tomo in the kitchen for a change, hoping they lessen the load rather than increase it.

In Nathan's study, he and his wife are talking about that whole race that they just concluded while Nathe is out on another film shooting. "...and that is what happened, love." Nathan finished telling her the story.
"That boy... he sure is quite talented. I mean, even a months worth of not driving didn't stumble him at all." Dorothy commented as she sips from her tea cup.
"Not completely though. He had quite a few relapses in the beginning but he was able to compensate all that hard predicaments that befall him. What a person he is." Nathan followed.
Silence engulfs the study while the couple think of something else now that the topic they just finished talking about one.
Finally, Dorothy breaks the silence by starting off with the next conversation.
"Um... not to be rude, honey... but... how long are they going to stay here? I mean, they've been with us for more than a month now, right?"
"I know what you mean, love. I was able to talk to Tomo about it and he said that right after they're well prepared to leave for their next venture."
"Which is?"
"Around 2 to 2 and a half more weeks."
"It's quite sad though... to see them leave after a short period of time."
"Short? a month and a half is short to you?"
"Well... you see... I was able to accept them as part of the family... well; most of them are..."
"We did accept them with open arms. I'm starting to feel the same way." Nathan Sr. said as he stood up and looked at the horizon through his tall window.
"You know, we're all going to watch the race tomorrow. Do you want to come along? I know it isn't much of your thing but I want us to go as a family. All this secular stuff of my real estate and showbiz has kept me from enjoying time with my one and only family."
"Why do you even ask? Of course, I'll come along. I'll even bring Dorothy along too."
"Thanks love. That is well appreciated of you." Nathan said as he approached his wife and kissed her.

What do I mean when I say Tomo's back doing the usual stuff? Well, he's back in the kitchen. The other chefs are wondering why he's back due to his recent situation. Tomo explains briefly but fully that today will be different and he's ready to help out with the best of his abilities.

Everybody worked hard to prepare, what they may call as the start of their last working days with the best help that they have found. As Tomo sautes the vegetables with the commis, Hiei and Ryusen help out in butchering slabs of meat with the butchers and meat chefs, not to mention helping with any group that needs help. Time didn't wait for anyone and it is now 11:30. They were given a break by the head chef, who just came out of the storage checking stocks.

"So this is what it feels like working in the kitchen." Hiei said after he drinks a glass of water.
"It's kind of like our fourth year military training classes." Ryusen commented while wiping the sweat of his face.
"No kidding." Tomo followed along.
"Look who's talking. You were able to skip that part of school while me and Ryusen had to deal with it... It was fun though."
"For you it is. Good thing I stood against the odds back then."
"Yeah. It's because of your belief, right?" Ryusen asked. "Out of everyone in school, we were the only ones who respected you for that. We didn't question you why."
"But it's not like we didn't care. We do and we understand your side of things. No one in our batch could've done anything better than that." Hiei said as he looked at Tomo with a smile.
"Not that smile, Hiei!"
"What? Why?"
"I SEE A PEDO!!" Ryusen exclaimed. Hiei's smile was a bit jagged but it didn't matter to him. That's him and he likes the way he is now unless he says so. Tomo can't help but laugh. "Really, you guys are the best!!" He said as he hugged them tight around their necks.
"Hey, don't forget Sakura and I. Well, Sakura is just like Tomo but I, on the other hand respect his belief double that of you guys combined." Kasumi said as she walked over to the trio, overhearing the conversation.
"Thanks a lot... everyone. Only you guys made me feel like a man." Tomo commented as a small tear fell from his cheek.
"Aww. Can it with the senti stuff for a while, man."
"Sorry. Sorry, Ryusen. Times like this make me emotional and grateful to have known you guys." Tomo apologized as he took out his handkerchief out of his pocket.
"Say, where's Kitami?" Tomo asked out of the blue.
"Out joyriding with his Mustang." Kasumi answered.
"If I am right, he made a few settings of his last night to corner better." Ryusen told Tomo.
"At least he gets to familiarize himself more with his car." Hiei wondered.
"Guys, it's 11:50. C'mon. Let's get the food ready on the table."
"Yes, sir!!"
"I'll call Kitami over and Sakura as well."
"Thanks, Kasumi." The trio heads back to the kitchen while Kasumi goes to Sakura, who is playing with Margarette at the flower garden.

[3 hours later]
Everything else was settled after everybody had their lunch. They went about doing their personal stuff around the mansion. Tomo decided to take his GT-R out for a spin once again. To his happiness; somewhat, Kasumi wanted to come along. She's already used to Tomo's driving and has no problem hopping along with him. They went to Cypress Bowl Road for the second time to do a quick run. They actually want to visit Daiki a day before the race itself and they know that he's still at the Vancouver city track practicing and formulating a strategy with the group.

Approaching a low speed corner at a speed of 242 km/h from the start of the long straight, Tomo removes his foot off the gas and brakes hard. 50 meters upon the corner's entry, he removes his foot off the brake and lets the intial idling of the engine to slow the car down. Hitting the apex, he accelerates from that point on and exits the corner at an outstanding 120 km/h. "Without the trouble of either the Viper and GT behind and infront of me, I am able to clear corners better and at my own pace." Tomo thought to himself. Kasumi glances at Tomo and can't help but smile at him."He seems so cheerful. It's great to see the old Tomo back." She said.
"huh? Did you say something, Kasumi?"
"Oh, nothing." she said with a chuckle.
Tomo looks back on the road and enters a mid-speed corner at 169 km/h. He removes his foot off the accelerator again and enters the inside. He nearly hits the exit's outer wall by a millimeter or two at the same entry speed. Every corner he clears, his entry speed and exit speed are starting to come out at the same value. He learned this during his battle with Nathan and Nathe. Although he lost, he picked up a thing or two from that epic race. At the back of Tomo's mind, he could feel his aura caressing the R34. In his imagination, he could see that the 'wings' of his car are starting to expand. Hitting 5th gear, the wings expose themselves around the car. The length is the same with that of Nathan's aura - Pegasus. He has earned it - the wings he had lost. Kitana, back at Italy, described Tomo's aura to be taking the shape of a eagle or phoenix. At some point in their completed journey, Tomo is starting to see what Kitana had figured out. He could feel his car lifting up from the road and onto the heavens. The car, to him, felt light and agile. For some reason, he could feel the wind touching his face. His windows; however, are closed. It isn't a literal figure - the wind. It was another kind of wind. Even Kasumi is able to understand and feel the same feeling. It was extraordinary.

Moments later, they were able to reach their destination. He parked his car along the trailers and corporate vehicles that were present in the parking area. The pair walked up to Daiki who was talking amongst Hiroya, Shimizu, and Tetsuya.
"Guys!! Over here!!" Tomo called out to the others.
"Tomo!! How's it hanging?" Tetsuya asked.
"Nothing much, despite the fact that you guys are busy with this sort of thing for more than a month." Kasumi answered.
"Well," Hiroya said shrugging his shoulders, "We need to make sure that everything is in the right place. We don't want to have any problems during the race."
Daiki turned around to face Tomo. He had a serious look on his face.
"So, Akiyama, ready for tomorrow's race?" Tomo asked with a smile.
"You raced him did you?" Daiki asked in a serious undertone.
Looking back at Daiki with a confused look just agitated his anger at Tomo's action.
"I told you not to!" Daiki's voice started to sound scary.
"What do you mean?"
"YOU BASTARD! WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN!?" Daiki charges at Tomo, about to punch him for not following what he said before. Kasumi immediately stood infront of Tomo, hoping to take the blow for him as she shouted. "STOP IT! DAIKI, STOP!"
Daiki stopped his fist from making contact with Kasumi's face. He held his fist down.
"It isn't his fault." She said.
"Why? WHy did you race him!? I know that you'll lose that race."
"Is this about my race with Nathan?"
"What other race is there?!"
"I lost, to tell you the truth."
"SO you did!" Daiki's face shows intense rage. He reminded the girls to warn Tomo of the consequences if he is ever to race him.
"When Kasumi and Sakura called you, it was too late. The race was already issued."
Daiki started to calm down hoping that Tomo would say something that would turn the tide of the swarming emotions around them. He didn't regret accepting the terms between him and Nathan. He knew that he'll lose but it didn't matter to him. He told Daiki that winning isn't everything and that race of his was impossible to conquer; yet he faced the odds and kept up with the GT. Daiki was amazed hearing that.

Daiki approaches Tomo slowly with his head down. He held Tomo by the shoulders, saying... "You're something else, you know that?" Daiki raises his head to show a somewhat happier mood. That face of his meant an apology. An apology for his actions minutes ago. "So... how large was the gap from the finish?"
"3 millimeters."
"You're kidding, right?"
"He isn't." Kasumi followed.
"Say, Daiki... You better do your best too, okay? For tomorrow, I mean." Tomo told him.
"Yeah. You don't need to worry about me."
"And this is the car that you'll be using?"
"This is the car that I was able to negotiate with."
"A BMW?" Kasumi asked.
"A 328i to be exact." Shimizu added. "Daiki had a 3 series at his place so he has no problem handling such a car. we just need the proper settings and he's good to go for tomorrow."
"Glad to hear that."
The rest of the day was spent talking until 4:00 hits the clock. The big day is a few hours away and Tomo assured them that they would be rooting for them. The GT-R leaves the parking lot in a very authentic fashion - Making a 360 spin before heading back to the mansion.


[ Post merged on Aug 1 2010, 11:54 PM ]
Chapter 59 - Competitive Secrets

There was a huge gathering at the prime state of Canada, Vancouver. It was one of the most thrilling races that has ever been held ever since the late 1990's touring car championship. At this very moment, time is starting to rotate itself once again. The moments return with a few modern changes. It is the Canadian Touring Car championship - a contemporary of the ongoing international Racing Tournament.

Representing Japan is Daiki Akiyama in his BMW 328i touring car. Unfortunately, in a nationalistic sense, there was no available car of the old ages that could be used to race once again; the statistics of the current models, isn't enough to match to that of the European standards of Touring Car racing. Lucky for Daiki, he had a contact who is actually the person who offered him the BMW. With contenders such as Audis, Mercedes Benzes, Alfa Romeos, and Opels as to name a few, Daiki has chosen the rightful car for the job. With Hiroya, Shimizu, and Tetsuya in charge of the pit stop, things would seem to be fine.

Time is in the break of 12 noon and there are around ten thousand spectators viewing this thrilling 24-lap battle. The race compromises of Marine drive, primarily, going to Capilano Road, then Montroyal Boulevard directing the drivers to the North Vancouver District, going into the main freeway's underpass with a right to Stevens Drive around the Capilano Golf & Country club and back via the following avenues: Southborough drive, Eyremount Drive, Cross creek road,a right to Matthers avenue bringing them back to the starting point located at Marine drive. The competition seems quite challenging for the head of team Japan.

Daiki double checks with his team concerning the settings and is awaiting the Go-signal from the Racing committee. Nathan Sr., along with his family, and Tomo along with his friends have the best spot to see the whole race: at Marine drive.
"Say..." Sakura disrupted as she looked at the brochure of the race. "Isn't the race a bit too long for just one lap? Isn't it kind of like Germany's nurburgring?"
"Well..." Nathe answers, "Considering the fact that this is just 24 laps, and add the fact that the average time that they could attain here is around 7 to 8 minutes per lap, I'd say it'll go along with those long lap but short course races in this tournament."
"I see... now I understand." Sakura wondered.
"The only problem is how would drivers manage their tires without going into the pits too much per lap..." Kitami concluded.
"Yes, that would be a problem." she wondered again.
"Looking at the course layout, it kind of resembles Infineon in many ways." Tomo butted in. The other 2, Kitami and Sakura, didn't get what Tomo is saying.
"You don't get it?"
"Could you expound on it?"
"Take this example: Capilano Road. It resembles the straightway of Infineon, just after the hairpin of the sports car course. Also the road around the Golf & Country club. It resembles the wide turn of the same part of infineon. Lastly, the road between Matthers Avenue and Marine Drive. It is like the first bisection of Infineon as well."
"Tomo is right." Nathan Sr. added. "The course layout of how this race would be compromising of is more or less an extended duplicate of Infineon raceway. You will encounter this in some of your professional races. Race courses will differ but at one point, they share a common pattern."
Sakura and Kitami nodded in agreement. They understand now.
The race is about to start and Tomo just noticed... "Hey... where's Hiei and Ryusen?"
"Over here!!" Hiei shouted from a corner. He is carrying snacks and drinks for everyone.
"Cool! Whatcha get?" Kitami went to Hiei to get his share before he starts talking.
"No touchee!!" Hiei exclaimed slapping Kitami's hands.
"Here we go: chips, chips, chips, chips, mixed nuts, chips, chips, and..."
"Let me guess... chips?" Kasumi asked ironically.
"No. Soda, then chips."
"IT figures..." she said shrugging her shoulders.
"Where's Ryusen?"
"Got a sudden feeling of constipation upon arriving. He's still at the bathroom."
"Make sure he sanitizes..." Kitami said while eating his hotdog w/ mayo and relish.
"It's about to start. Too bad Ryusen would miss this..." Dorothy said while holding Margarette firmly on her lap.
Hiei took out a foam finger to support Daiki.
"Dude," Kitami followed. "we're not in a baseball game."
"And your point is?"
Kitami didn't answer. Neither one budge as they stared in each other's eyes.
"Gimme. The finger."
"You wanna do it, do you?" Hiei asked silently.
"You read my mind." Kitami silently replied in return. Hiei gave it and leaves Kitami be.

The countdown begins and everyone is cheering for their favorite competitor and or car to win. Daiki is in position 12th of 20. He lowers his visor and gets ready for the race. Once the light shines a bright green, all 20 cars took off at blistering speed. It has begun, another thrilling professional race for Team Japan!!

Everybody is cheering wildly for the competitors; Tomo and the group aren't an exemption to this. Daiki's BMW is chasing an Alfa 155 GT, a pure classic touring car that has 4WD and 4 huge exhaust pipes. His 3 series is the sedan type equipped with the M3 GT-R race body kit. He doesn't have any problem staying with the group. He's not straying too far behind the leading cars but he also isn't being caught up by the others behind him. He's doing just fine, yet this is only the start of the race. He still has 23 laps remaining after this one. As far as that is concerned, it won't be a problem for Daiki at all, nor for the pit crew.

[mid point of first lap]
At the pits...
"Looks like Daiki is doing just fine. By the looks of the readings of his 3series, everything is going just the way we set it up to." Tetsuya said as he looked at the monitor showing the overall status of the BMW. The monitor depicts the following primary figures:
Tires are still at blue interpreting cool condition and maximum grip.
Brakes gauge is still empty interpreting no fade conditions present
Aerodynamic figures are still evident and no physical contact nor damage present yet.
"Hmm... you're right, Tetsuya." Hiroya went near to Tetsuya and looked at the figures himself.

As for Daiki...
Still holding 12th place and gaining on the 11th, they enter Stevens Drive at medium speeds of 168 km/h. In Daiki's mind, he could see the correct line to take at the round section. He shifts to gear 4 at 7000 rpm out of 9000. The BMW is tailgating behind the Alfa at a constant pace. Upon entry to the left corner, The Alfa takes the inside lane at a speed of 150 km/h. Daiki approaches the corner at a much higher speed of 160 km/h at the inside. Normally, at this speed the car would start to undertseer however, Daiki suggested to turn his TCS at level 1 of 15 for the time being, a close to OFF setting. The Alfa Romeo driver could feel the presence of his opponent closing in and decides to deepen his press on the accelerator. This was a fatal mistake on his part as his car begins to understeer giving Daiki the upperhand. Daiki noticed this and beghins to accelerate and take the lead. His distance from the inside fence of the club and the Alfa is just enough to pass.

The entry speed was high enough to take the lead. Daiki begins to make some ground as his BMW overtakes the Alfa successfully. His rear skid as soon as he passed the alfa inducing it to a drift. Daiki slightly turns his wheel to the opposite direction at a very small angle. He executed a drift without letting the tires smoke too much. At the exit of the corner, he exits it at 180+ km/h, outrunning the Alfa far behind. He slowly gains on his next target: An Opel Calibra, another 4WD touring car.

Tomo, Nathan and the others are watching the race from the large screen monitor from the Starting line. "That fellow Daiki..." Nathan Sr. uttered. "...I've seen his driving before; I just couldn't remember when but I am certail that it isn't here. It was a long time ago." Tomo glanced at Nathan unsure of what he just said. Did they really meet before? Why didn't Daiki tell him of this if they have met? "I just couldn't put my finger on it... When did I meet him exactly?" Nathan continued. "I'm sure of it..." Tomo said in his mind. "They have met. It explains why Daiki warned me of not racing him, even if his warning was too late." Tomo stopped cheering and just sat there. NOw that one problem is over, another arises: Who IS Daiki? What else did he not tell me? By the looks of things, how did Daiki know that Nathan was that good?

Unsure of what is happening now, he goes to the restroom without informing the ohers. After a minute passed, Kasumi was the only one who noticed that Tomo wasn't with them. She goes out to find him. Taking out her cell phone as she makes her way through the crowd, she calls Tomo and ask where he is and why. He received the call and answers it.
"Hello?"
"Where are you, Tomo-kun?"
"I'm at the parking lot and just came out of the restroom"
"Why didn't you come back?"
"Are you still there? Perhaps you might not hear me."
"Well, I could barely hear you."
"Come to the parking lot. I'll explain."
Kasumi made her way through the crowd and went to the parking lot, as Tomo wanted.

[minutes later...]
Kasumi got to the parking lot with barely enough air to inhale. She was fatigued from making her way through the large group of people.
"Why didn't you come back? Don't you want to see Daiki race?"
"You see, Kasumi... I am starting to feel that Daiki is hiding something from us."
"What do you mean?"
"I... you sure you could keep a secret?"
"Of course."
"Swear?"
"I do. Just tell me why."
"Alright... I overheard Nathan saying something about Daiki as he noticed him drive. He said that 'he met him before and he's sure of it. He's just not certain when."
"Don't you think it was mere coincidence?"
"He sounded so firm saying it... He wasn't kidding and he had a serious face trying to recall that moment."
"So... you think that Daiki has met Nathan?"
"WHY then do you think he warned you about me not racing Daiki as he knew who I was about to deal with?"
"Hmm... good point..." Kasumi said holding her chin. 'It is strange. How could Daiki know about Nathan Archibal by just knowing his name? Why would he warn us of how he drives if he didn't brief us about it before?' she thought to herself.
"With the case with Lucas, it was different because he was new to the scene. Nathan, however, was experienced and his name could be breached out as far as the world or Japan at the very least aside from the USA. He should at least know of this and inform us in advance of some well known drivers..." Tomo thought.
"professionals, in the very least should know who are some of the top drivers that they're associated with, right?"
"That's right, Kasumi."
They stopped talking and started to think. They thought to themselves what is actually going on. They could hear the engine roars of the cars racing in the match and the cheers of the audience.
"I really think we need to keep this to ourselves, Tomo. Bringing this discussion to the others would destroy our team." Kasumi suggested.
"Destroy?"
"Friction will come in between you and Daiki and could possibly lead to the disbanding of the group."
"You really are conscious of what happens to the team, huh Kasumi?"
"It's what binds all of us together, don't you remember? You, me, Sakura, Kitami, Hiei, Ryusen, Daiki, Tetsuya, Hiroya and Shimizu."
"Y... you're right, Kasumi. Let's keep this a secret. We'll figure this out ourselves. What the connection between Daiki and Nathan is. WE should investigate before our departure."
"When is our departure?"
"A week from now." Tomo said softly.
"I need to give a gift."
"A gift?"
"To show my appreciation of letting them offer us a stay in their place. That's why."
Tomo smiled at Kasumi hearing that. He never knew she had it in her. She wants to really appreciate their hospitality. He wanted to help out as well.
"I'll help. How about we go now?"
"But what about... Daiki's race?"
"I'll make something up like, you don't feel so well and I need to take you to a doctor or something."
"That is so sly of you... but I think it's for the best. You might cause a ruckus with the thought of Daiki keeping a secret against you."
"Thanks of you to understand Kasumi. I'll apologize to Daiki about this soon."
"I'll text them so that they'll know." Kasumi volunteered as she started texting Sakura and the others.

They left the parking area and went to the well known shopping mall at Vancouver.
"Daiki will do alright, right?" Kasumi asked as she strapped on her seatbelt.
"He will. He will. I am sure of it. A race like this is nothing to the Prince."

[lap 12]
Daiki's BMW enters the pits for the second time around. The first time was during lap 7. He started to up his pace from lap 8 onwards causing his tires to burn faster.
He stops at their spot and lets Hiroya and Tetsuya do their thing- changing tires as fast as they could. Shimizu gives Daiki a few strategy guides for the rest of the remaining laps. Daiki is currently in 5th place but as he enters the pits, the 6th driver nabs the 5th post from him.
"You're now on 6th Daiki. You could get the lead for the next 2 or 3 laps right?"
"I could but I need to expand the gap as much as I could to retain the lead once I get into the next pit stop."
"Just don't overstress your tires okay? Tire conservation is key to a race as long as this."
"I got ya." Hiroya tapped the rear hard denoting that the pit stop is complete. Daiki shifts to 1 and blasts out of the pit lane with the 7th driver behind him. He starts to outrun everybody and hurriedly steals the upper posts. Within 2 laps, he gains the 3rd position that fast and is now playing with the podium drivers for a lap or so.

Within lap 20th, he heads for the pits once again. He is now holding the lead and has around a minute's worth of gap in between him and the second placer.
"4 laps to go, Daiki. You only need to retain this gap and post to win."
"Thanks for the info. I know that, Shimizu."
Another tap from behind and Daiki blasts out of the pit lane once again, still retaining the lead. He never had much of a problem with the race and is leading against the Audi Touring car and Benz 190E touring car. At the end of the race, 20 minutes later, Daiki cleared the whole race, in first place, setting a new record.

Chapter 60 - Goodbye is never the right word

The next night, the night after the Vancouver touring car championship, Daiki gathers everybody for a celebration of his victory at the hotel that they are staying in. He paid extra to rent the penthouse suite for the said event. Gathering some of his combatants of the recently concluded race, and his crew along, Daiki wants this to be a well-planned celebration. There was one problem in the atmosphere... Where is Tomo? Where is Kasumi? Where is Kitami? Only 1 of the said 3 are nearby and Daiki knows where he's gone off to. Kitami is doing a couple of rounds at the Cypress Bowl Road once again. He plans on imitating the battle that happened between Tomo and Nathan. He wouldn't rest until he gets close enough to their speed and times without losing control. He exceeds his own expectations and attempts to bring his Mustang to the next level.

He enters a left hand, low speed corner at an entry speed of 188 km/h. He brakes hard until 114 km/h and enters it at a drift maneuver steadily on the inside. The mustang exits the corner at the outside with speeds of 137 km/h and gains some evident ground. "Now I see the secret to my Mustang. The strong oversteer would be my primary weapon in this car. I think, though, that the turbines spool too much at certain moments. I need to ask for Tetsuya's help to adjust the ECu of this once again if we have time." Kitami uttered to himself. He shifts to gear 3 and hits the perfect shift point - right in between the red zone and the normal safe zone upon exit. Flames burst out from his exhaust more often than so. His front's toe angles are toed in at the right setup which contributes to his oversteer and his Turbines add an extra boost of oversteer upon entry to the higher rpm values of the car. He's doing quite well? I guess so.

Midway through the pass, he sees a vintage Ford Mustang parked at the side with its hazards on. The car is coated in a bright yellow tone with black stripes down from the back to the hood. It holds the body of a Fastback Mustang but the rear lights says otherwise. It is actually an ancient Shelby GT500 coupe. Kitami slows down to see who drives it. "Pathetic vintage owners... don't they see that the modern Mustang outclasses that kind?" Once Kitami got a glimpse of the driver, he was amazed that he forgot the feeling that he is holding his steering wheel. It was a girl... no a woman. A pretty woman at that. Her hair lengths down past her shoulders right before her middle spine, She has a sweet looking face with her bangs shaped just right. Quite small in height but she looks like an angel. Kitami's jaw dropped upon noticing her and before he knew it, his Mustang is kissing the outer wall of the pass. He got back to his senses by the time he feels the awkward vibrations. "Whoa..." he moaned by the time he stopped his car a few miles down... "That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I can't wait to brag that at their faces!" he said with a grin.

Minutes later, Tomo and Kasumi were running down the same pass and saw the same car, still parked there helplessly at one side. The woman that Kitami saw earlier is now sulking, sitting next to the Shelby's front tire. Her face shows desperation and disappointment altogether. "Hmm? Mind if you wait here a sec, Kasumi?" Tomo asked as he slows down his GT-R. "Uh, okay... go ahead." she answered.
Tomo brings the car to a full stop and steps out of his car. It was dark and he couldn't see clearly what she looks like. "Um... excuse me, miss?"
The woman tilted her head to answer that call. By the time she got up and walked towards tomo, the moonlight reveals itself, hidden by the clouds, and reveals her face. Kitami was able to see her awhile ago because of the hazard lights. This time, she turned them off and sat there waiting for something to happen or something. She just called a wrecker 30 minutes ago but it still hasn't arrived.

Tomo couldn't believe who it was; nor could the woman recognize Tomo. "IT'S... YOU!?" "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" "I ASKED YOU FIRST!" "NO! YOU START!"... "Wow! I never expected this!" Tomo exclaimed and the woman said the same thing. "Is this for real? Is that really you, Sabine?"
"I should be asking that question, Tomo."
The two of them laughed and gave each other a welcome hug. Kasumi took a glimpse of what's happening behind her and was dumbfounded with what is happening. She nearly flipped in rage. "What the hell is happening here!?" Kasumi shouted in the car. When they finished hugging, Sabine and Tomo went to check out the car.
In the GT-R, Kasumi couldn't take any of it any longer. She turned the car off, took the car keys of the R34, and stepped out of the car to give Tomo a piece of her mind. Jealous girl. It looks as if a casual romance comedy of some sorts.
Tomo asked Sabine where's the problem in her Shelby and she pointed at the battery which is not that visible due to low lighting.
"Where?"
"Over there right next to the..." while pointing the part in the engine bay closer, Sabine suddenly slipped and lost her balance nearly landing on Tomo. He caught her by the waist to catch her fall. Kasumi saw this as well and is infuriated. Is he seriously hitting on a girl that she doesn't know?
Joking around, Sabine told Tomo "You did that on purpose, huh?"
"Huh!? N-No! You're mistaken!!" Tomo reacted in embarrassment.
"I know you had a crush on me back in college but isn't this going a bit too far?"
"IT'S A SMALL crush only! And besides..." his voice suddenly dropped to a whispering tone "I already have someone I like, remember?"
Kasumi only heard the 'crush back in college part' and got sent into eternal rage. She really wants to hit Tomo right now.
Sabine laughs and admits that she was kidding. That wasn't very nice for Tomo; she was playing with his emotions, even if it was a simple kiddie joke. Before Tomo could talk any further concerning the Shelby, someone caught her by the ear.
"Ow, ow ow!!" he said. "Who in the..."
When Tomo looked behind him, he saw a disappointed looking Kasumi staring angrily at him. "Oh, heh heh... Kasumi..."
Kasumi just gave him, 'the look'.
"Uh... I can explain..." Tomo said.
"Say, Tomo... who's your friend? Your girlfriend?"
"W-Wait a sec! One at a time here!!"

[10 painful and unexplainable minutes later]

"And that's the whole story, Kasumi. Sorry if you misunderstood some things." Tomo finished explaining. He had a hard time explaining everything to convince Kasumi not to be angry at him anymore.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you my name... You're Kasumi, right?"
"Yeah?" Kasumi replied.
"I'm Sabine. I happen to be one of Tomo's college mates. We were on the same Business Entrepreneurship class back at Japan."
"Funny. You don't seem very Japanese looking, although I have to say, for a girl such as myself, you do look pretty cute."
"Thanks. I happen to be Irish. You know? Ireland? Europe?"
"Oh." Kasumi answered with a smile. Looks like her fit is over. Thank goodness.
"Anyway, back to my car... What am I to do? I don't got any jumper cables at the trunk... Do you have any?" Sabine asked.
"Sorry, Sabine. I don't have a set at my car. I didn't bring it." Tomo apologized.
"Well, we couldn't leave you here, now can we?" Kasumi said as she looked at Tomo.
"By the looks of things, you two talk as if you're friends already."
"You think?" The two girls asked Tomo rhetorically.
"Well, we could tow her to a nearby gas station at the Main Road."
"That could be alright." Sabine said. "I have a hard-bound nylon rope at my trunk just for the job."
"What have you been exactly doing ever since we part ways?"
"Tee Hee... Secret." Sabine said showing off a 'shh!' sign with her finger on her lips.
Sabine asked Tomo and Kasumi to help hook up the GT500 to the GT-R. Kasumi took out a flashlight from the glove compartment of the Skyline and assisted the two on hooking up the cars together. Moments later, they're driving again. Kasumi sat next to Sabine while Tomo pulls the 69 Shelby via his own car. Holding a short range receiver in hand, Tomo tells Kasumi to tell Sabine to get her brakes ready in case they slow down after the long straightway. Everytime Tomo brakes at speeds of 80 to 20-40 km/h, Sabine brakes simultaneously with the Skyline.

Within half an hour, they made it to a Gas station by 31st street near Marine Drive. Kasumi assisted Tomo on unhooking the cars while Sabine went into Customer Service to ask for some assistance with her car.
While waiting for Sabine to come out with some help, Kasumi stared at Sabine's car. "Isn't this car a bit too old?" Kasumi asked.
"well, it actually is. It was made in 1969. A powered version of the 428CJ Mustang Fastback made on the same year. It is probably released to the public at the early 70s or so." Tomo answered.
"Is that so?" Kasumi rhetorically asked. "What an old car..."
"30 plus years, huh?" Tomo wondered himself.
Later on, Sabine got out of the center and approached Tomo and Kasumi to thank them.
"Thanks a lot and sorry if I was too much of a disturbance to you guys."
"It's okay, Sabine. I mean, I was really glad to see you after all this time." Tomo told her.
"In what way?" Kasumi asked in a serious tone. She keenly looked at Tomo with a bad look on her face.
"Don't tell me you're jealous, Kasumi? I mean, haven't I explained much?"
Sabine just laughed while Tomo was desperate to get Kasumi's good side again.
"Well, if I ever see them, I'll tell Isabella and the others that you said hi."
"You mean they're here too?"
"Who's Isabella?"
"She's another classmate of mine, just like Clarice, Jonathan and Damian."
"Wanna come and have a drink with me after this?" Sabine offered.
"Thanks, Sabine but we really have to get going."
"Oh? Where to?"
"We need to bring a couple of gifts to some friends here." Tomo said as he boarded his GT-R.

Sabine, Tomo, nor Kasumi know how to end this reunion of sorts and they were engulfed in silence once again. Sabine asked something so that they could go on with their personal activities...
"So... uh, when will we see each other again?" Sabine asked.
"Soon. Promise. When will you be heading next, by any chance?"
"Argentina. Why do you ask?"
"Funny... It's near where we're staying."
"We?" Kasumi doubtedly asked.
"Hawaii. If you guys have the time, and booked flight, I wish you could come and see us."
"Okay. We'll try." Tomo agreed. Kasumi nodded her head in agreement and they left Sabine alone with her Shelby.

[Days later...]

It is now the day for team Japan to end their journey at Canada and move on.
Daiki, Hiroya, Shimizu, and Tetsuya are waiting infront of the Archibal Mansion's main gate; waiting for the others to come out.
The Archibal family, along with the entire kitchen brigade, are ready to bid farewell to their long term guests.
"Are you really leaving, big sister Kasumi?" Margarette sadly asked.
"I know it's hard, Margarette but we really must be going." Kasumi answered.
"But I'm really gonna miss you guys." Margarette pleaded.
"Don't worry" Sakura encouraged. "We'll be back."
"So, you're off to Argentina, eh?" Nathe said.
"Probably. Boy, I'd wish I could beat your Viper." Kitami uttered.
"Someday. But not now. After 10 years then we'll see."
"Heck. It won't take me that long."
"Do good there, kid." The head chef told Tomo. Nathan nodded stating that he was about to say the same thing.
"Yes. I'll do my best."
"And Tomo, one more thing." Nathan interrupted as he whispered something to Tomo's ear.
"Be wary of that Akiyama guy. I swear we met and it seems that he is hiding something from you guys. Stay on your toes, especially you. There's something concerning you that he desperately wants. You won't know it right now but you will find it soon."
"Thanks for the concern, sir."
With all that said, Tomo, along with his friends made their bow gestures as a way of saying thanks and farewell to the Archibal Family.

Their cars are now with Daiki and the rest; they walked down the long driveway as they make their exit. "So, it's off to Argentina now, eh?" Kasumi asked Tomo.
"Hmph."
"What? Did I say something?"
"No, it's just that you're starting to sound like them."
"Am not!"
Hiei & Ryusen decided to make things a bit interesting as they make their walk.
"Race you guys to the van!"
"Last one in pays for our in-flight lunch!" Hiei & Ryusen race off; Sakura & Kitami decides to play along and ran after the 2 guys.
Tomo's face starts to look serious as he recalls the last bit of advice that Nathan Sr. gave him. 'I'll figure it out...' he said to himself. '...what Daiki is hiding...'
Kasumi, looking back, sees the family and the kitchen workers waving their hands at them except for margarette, who is holding something. It was the gift that Kasumi chose for her. It is a medium sized snow globe with a house made to look like their own mansion. It even has her brother's and her father's cars right there with all the detail. There was a note stuck at the back of the globe saying
'Be a good girl always.
love,
big sisters Kasumi & Sakura, big Brother Tomo and the guys.'
Another journey in another country ends and another is in their view. It would be, somewhat, the most emotional and thrilling journey that they'll face.

-------------------------------------

Finally! We get to the good bit. And I got good news and bad news.
Bad News: This is the End of Speed Legend S.
Good News: The next chapter is the start of Speed Legend Z. The most awaited supercar will make it's full appearance. and a statement to describe the next chapters: A blend of emotions altogether.

Speed Legend Z! Don't miss it!

Before i continue... with the updates that is...

sorry guys for this very late update.
Been busy with... well... videos of my latest series!!!
What are they? Then that's the reason why I am replying to this 120 day old thread. XD

what I've done so far?
Intro video to acts 3 - 5


then, click the links to the videos themselves:
Supido no Densetsu V: The Black Phantom of C1: The Origins part 1

Supido no Densetsu V: The Black Phantom of C1: The Origins part 2

Supido no Densetsu V: The Black Phantom of C1: The Renaissance Part 1

Supido no Densetsu V: The Black Phantom of C1: The Renaissance part 2

And the latest so far:

Supido no Densetsu V: The Pawn & The Lightning Angel - Contrasts about the once known Prince part 1

Supido no Densetsu V: The Pawn & The Lightning Angel - Contrasts about the once known Prince part 2

About to watching it, Gunma-san! Looking cool

Btw, sorry for my senseless (If I could read your mind...) pm at the other forum. I just meant to find a volunteer to collect the pictures of TXRD 2 cars from Kingdom Twelve team and Sitar Kaneyama for my fan fiction. Don't get me wrong though, not writing racing fan fiction but more like a multi-fandom competition-themed fan fic.

Regardless, KORE WA DAISUKE DESU!!!

hi hi guys!!! I forgot to add this.
Ironic isn't it? Episodes 3 to 5 came in first and the prelude came just now!! How ironic is that!?

Anyway, enough about irony, here's the prelude to this video web series! See familiar faces in the AKiyama Chronicles story too~!

followed by episode 1

It took me 3 days to catch up where your stories established. Couldn't stop reading it Now, the videos make me even more drawn to your fiction. I wished I could've made an account earlier to support your work.

If it's possible, could I use some of your characters into my story way later? I was thinking of doing the same with R_E_X, but I think he's a bit too busy with work and university so I'll just wait.