Close Topic Options

It's not that we won't explain it…it's that…er…

yea, we won't explain it.

Not yet, anyway. Everything will have it's time in the spotlight. Questions that needs answering will be answered, and questions not asked will be too.

Thanks for answering then. Lol

I am curious as to how long will this series continue. Since I don't really want it to end lol xD

I did some maths regarding that. In terms of the defense line arc that we're in right now…we're 35% there give or take. Of course, that's just the outline, there's all sorts of character development arcs and large stories that take place at the same time and such.

TL;DR, it'll be here for at least another year. Let's not set our sights too far ahead (He says, having already planned the ending…but that's getting into confidential stuff).

Alrighty then.

Just gonna wait patiently for the next chapter.

...Gee, this is so far the only racing story that I am stoked to keep reading besides Initial D's anime adaptions since Fourth Stage. xD

The next chapter's gonna be…I dunno, I'll say between Sunday, and next Wednesday. If not, I should sack myself for breaking my two week policy.

And no art, as explained before, because Rin's in need of a break of some sort.

Edit: Again, big thanks for sticking with us.

This post has been edited by Onboy123 on Jun 26 2014, 03:32 AM

We've something special for today. =)

Courtesy of our writer, Onboy's hard work...thanks again for this chapter. Enjoy, readers.

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

To commemorate the milestone of 20 chapters, we bring you a small special. This chapter will mainly focus on the senior citizens in the world of Accel Code, and how their daily lives play out behind their children's back. In between all that, there'll be plenty mentioned that'll be significant to the story later on…so don't just dismiss this as a goofy chapter of fun and games.

Accel Code: Past and Present - Part I

Ayase, Kanagawa prefecture. The current time is 1AM sharp. The streets of this busy town have mostly fallen silent as its citizens rested after an arduous day at work. The current street racing sensation, Ayase Tsurugi was no exception to this rule. Having spent the entire day modelling for the cover of a fashion magazine, she was naturally worn out. She lay sprawled on her bed, clad in just her hot pink underwear. She was so desperate for rest that she didn't even bother to remove the fishnet stockings from her legs. Her beloved cat Stephane was resting next to her. Trying to lull herself to sleep, she recapped on the day's events while holding on to Stephane. Feeling a cosy fuzz slowly spread through her as she stroked the Japanese Bobtail's furry body, her eyelids quickly grew heavy.

However…

The startling sound of metal smashing the floor echoed through the house. Violent cussing ensued. In an instant, Ayase was wide awake. She got up and groaned with contempt. Ayase walked out of the room, leaving her beloved Stephane relaxing on her bed.

"Ugh, give me a f**king break."

In contrast to the rest of the Tsurugi household, the garage was strangely active. Hidekazu Tsurugi stood next to his pride and joy, the Osmium Racing JZS147 Aristo. He had just finished retuning the 2JZ engine, and he was evidently satisfied with the result of his late night toiling. However, he was less than pleased with his oil-stained T-shirt, so he simply took it off and tossed it onto the car behind him. Deciding that the night was still young, he quietly opened the garage gates before creeping back into the Toyota. Despite his best efforts to hide in the darkness, it was all too easy to make out his form with the Aristo painted in a pink brighter than Ayase's lingerie.

Still in her underwear, Ayase wandered sleepily into the garage. She was clearly annoyed. Her eyelids still felt heavy and her sight was still bleary, but she knew all too well who was disrupting her sleep. Without restraint, she brutally smashed the door open. What she could just about see in the darkness was an illumination from a flashlight. Hidekazu forgot to turn it off, revealing what's on the bonnet of her Chaser- his oil-stained shirt and marks of grease, riling Ayase up even more.

"Dad? Can't you see I'm tire- the hell did you just do to my car?"

Hidekazu managed to get into the car before his daughter could cause any more commotion. He then fired up the Aristo. The man revved it a little, dumped the clutch, and blasted out of the garage, leaving an enraged Ayase in a cloud of tire smoke. The scream of the 2JZ-GTE bouncing off the rev limiter echoes throughout the streets, masking the girl's drivel.

"Just wait 'till you come back home, dipshit..." An upset Ayase muttered to herself, watching her father disappear.

Hidekazu made a quick stop at Osmium Racing's main shop. He unlocked the rolling doors and slid them up slightly. Inside, to his surprise, the lights were still on.

"Hey boss, what's the matter, coming in at this hour?"

Yamato Taika, the newest recruit, slid out from underneath a battered Chaser.

"…It's nothing much. Compared to seeing you put in extra hours, anyway. I'd have sworn it was not even a month ago when we caught you sneaking out of work to stalk Ayase home."

Hidekazu teased and, without waiting for a reply, quickly made his way into the office and grabbed a work coat off a shelf. The man then dialled a number on his phone as he struggled with his makeshift clothes.

"Hey, Koizumi, how's things? I heard from my girl that you're now spending your days cleaning up after some rich girl. To think that an almighty legend of the Wangan would have fallen so low…reality is so harsh to some of us…"

Upon hearing that from the low, hoarse voice on the phone, the butler's eyes twitched slightly. He glanced at his mistress, who was still too engrossed in her gaming to care, before excusing himself from the room. As soon as he gently closed the door behind him, he hurriedly made his way to the mansion's garage, before finally responding.

"f**k you…though I suppose reality is harsh. I now live in a mansion larger than your tuning shop and your house put together. I also imagine, judging by how breathless you are, that you're probably reeking of engine fluids after wrestling with that pig of yours. At least I still look reasonably human. Still, what the hell do you want after all these years?"

"Speak for yourself lad, I was busy running an actual business, something I doubt you still have right now. Anyway, why can't we have a toast at our favorite bar or something, just like the gool ol' days? I'll be at Nagao in a few minutes. Meet me downhill."

Having confirming the meeting time and location, Koizumi got in to the GT-R and fired it up. Pausing slightly, he whispered a quiet apology under his breath.

"Forgive me, mistress. But for tonight, you'll have to be without me…" He glanced at the HKS EVC-S boost controller, hesitating for a moment before reaching across and adjusting its settings. He changed the boost setting to Mode B and gave the throttle a prod, monitoring the boost gauge. A surge of nostalgia washed over him when he heard the RB26's unrestrained howl, this time accompanied by the heavy chattering from the blow-off valve.

Familiarising himself with the GT-R, he slowly cruised out of the mansion, before letting loose the full 850hp as he headed towards Nagao.

Nagao pass was surprisingly quiet tonight. The usual gathering of youths and street racers were nowhere to be found. Hidekazu, first to arrive, was greeted by the eerie sight of an empty parking area. Deciding to liven things up, he floored the throttle and steered hard, his donuts covering the entire parking lot with a thick cloud of tire smoke.

Before he blew up his tires, he was stopped by a loud echoing. Listening to the distinct sound of an RB26 mix together with his 2JZ's howls, he smirked slightly before getting out of the Aristo. The car that appeared from the darkness was a black R34 GT-R.

"Koizumi…Koizumi, damn it's been ages!"

"…It certainly has been a long time. I see that's not changed your smoking habits…ugh, this smells awful."

A thunderous rumble interrupted their reunion. It wasn't from the clouding skies, but from further down the mountain. Unlike the Aristo and the GT-R, the approaching car's engine was undoubted not from Japan. The engine rumbled lazily, popping and banging every time it slowed for a corner.

"…Ah. Always one to make an entrance, the loudest one of us all."

----

Cruising towards them, the last of the trio arrived.

A lowered and widened De Tomaso Pantera rolled up alongside the two old men. Even as it came to a halt, the Pantera's V8 spluttered and gurgled as the driver revved the engine.

"…Wow. Really?"

"…Yup. Really."

Koizumi and Hidekazu were at a lost for words.

The bold and brash sports car finally settled down. The tomato red classic "√4761" scrawled down the doors in florescent colours .

"Well, we're right then."

"How could we be wrong about something like this?! Please welcome, on stage, the loudest of the 90's wangan masters…!!! Koizumi, if you will…"

"Dum…dumdumdumdumdumdummmmm…" Quickly dancing towards the driver's side of the Pantera, the butler faked his drumroll shamelessly, letting it echo around the large carpark.

"Mr. Fumihiro Muramoto!"

With a sarcastic applause, Koizumi welcomed the driver out.

"…You guys enjoyed that?"

"Yup."

"Sure did."

"Thank you…" Sighing and rubbing his bald head, the youngest man of the trio stepped out. "Really…thank you for that fantastic welcome. Would you two like to go f**k yourselves now?"

"Aww, don't be like that. It's been a properly long time since we last met."

Patting the disgruntled Fumihiro on the back, Hidekazu comforted him.

"How long has it been, really?"

"…Some ten years ago, since that night."

"Oh…god help us, Koizumi's sentimental again."

"Let me be." Sitting down, the butler grumbled. "Who's fault was it I wound up in prison?"

…No. That's not your fault.

"Ahh, let that slide already…let this dead corpse rest in peace, clubbing it won't change anything."

"We were just kids after all."

…Hmph. I guess.

---

Ten Years Ago…

On this very night, these three men's fate parted for the first time.

A high stakes, high speed battle that ended in disaster spelled the end of the first generation of highway racers in Tokyo.

The news was widely reported, and widely known. For the first time ever, the elusive racing communities throughout Japan were brought to light, for all of society to criticise.

At the heart of it all…

Koizumi Asahina and Hidekazu Tsurugi's selfish actions to reach the holy grail of the Wangan.

A simple, petty clashing of egos.

"This…is our holy grail. It's the same for everyone else.

320kph.

"Ultimately…that'll be what we set our sights on."

It was his obsession. Night on night, every possible waking moment was devoted to the three numbers.

Even when he had lost everything else, even if he had to cut all human contact, he strived for that goal.

Yet, on that night…

…as his beloved black R34 inched closer and closer to the magical 320…

He…

…never saw it to the end.
-----

"Holy shit, wake up and let's race already. Race, man, race!"

"What's on your mind now? You thinking about that cutie from back then?"

Turning to Koizumi with a smirk on his face, Fumihiro offered him a cigarette.

"One for old time's sake?"

"Nah…We're not young anymore, you know. We all have kids to look after, daughter or otherwise. This…may well be the last time we'll meet up. And I've been off smoking for ages, don't tempt me."

Koizumi's eyes turned strangely downcast as he spoke those words.

"Speak for yourself." Hidekazu's cheery voice broke the depressing silence. "I'm what…half an hour away from the both of you, and I know baldy over there's not got much to go home to, so it's just you who's missing out."

"Oi, what the hell's that supposed to mean? The family's back together and has been since I quit racing. I'm only going to do the bodywork for these cars, racing itself…no f**king way. I'll leave that to my girl."

"Oh, her? What's her name again…that stubborn girl you gave the garage to for a few days?"

"That stubborn girl is my daughter, have the decency to remember her name." Fumbling around for a cigarette, Fumihiro grumbled. "It's Shion Jakuza, and spare me the jokes about her surname being different and all, she refuses to change it back, something like a lesson to me or whatever…really."

"You sound like you've got a lot to talk about. Save it for when we get up there. The usual, no bars held, first to the top, last one there pays for the drink. Let's go."

With that, the three men enthusiastically sprinted to their cars, and without any formal starting signal, began battling their way out of the carpark.
----

A certain garage, on this same night.

"Ah, Adachi-chan's here!"

Getting out from underneath Shin's R33, a man in his late thirties greeted the blonde as she walked up to him. Her sour expression softened into a gentle smile on seeing her team mates.

"Can you not call me that? You make it sound like I'm your pet or something."

"But Adachi-chan was, is and always will be Adachi-chan~!"

Walking out from behind raised GT-R, Shin snickered with a refreshing smile on his face.

"Give it a rest, Shin. And you're smiling too much, it's creepy." Adachi sighed and smiled in response, tossing a small bag of shopping towards him. "As requested, light snacks and beer for the night."

"Great, none for you though, you can't hold your drink at all, and we need you all there tonight."

"Why's that?"

"You didn't know? Toni-"

"Shhh." Tetsuo quickly slapped Shin's arm with a sly smile. "That's for later. Right now, as we're all gathered here, let's have our first proper meeting with a roof over our heads. It's nice to be able to talk like we do without worry. No one else but us will hear anything, so feel free to swear and complain as you want."
"…You speak like you know we've got a load of dissatisfactions with the group."

"Am I wrong?"

"Yes, actually." Adachi grabbed a can of beer from the bag, ignoring Shin's protests, and gulped it down. "I don't know about the loner over there, but being frank, I'm much more comfortable now."

Squatting down on the floor next to Tetsuo, she looked up to the white glare from the lights above her head.

Yeah…

Swirling the can in her hands, Adachi's mind slowly slipped into a daze.

Back in Saitama, the entire team was almost entirely dependent on me. We were frankly just a team by name…

But what was wrong with that?

…when that kid challenged Megu, it was like a slap across my face. It was a cheap shot, but coincidence or not, she managed to trip me up.

Adachi knew where she had went wrong. That much, she was forced to acknowledge.

That was the biggest mistake she had made, one that had cost her dearly.

I…should have ended it there and then. That…

"Is the most suitable form of retribution"?

"Ah, she's out cold already? Adachii~, wake up, we're just starting with the meeting."

Before she could locate where the extra voice in her head came from, Tetsuo's irritating voice pulled her out of her daze.

"Awake? Great, let's start. Tonight…we'll talk about which party we want to crash."

"Eh?"

"You know what I mean. Where do we want to hit first?" Tetsuo cracked open a beer for himself. "We'll have to decide pretty quickly and make our arrangements, or the entire scene will move on again. We all come from now-deserted areas of Kanto, so really, we have two choices."

"Eh, quit the bullshit. You know where we're going to aim for anyway, so just say it."

Glaring sharply into Tetsuo's eyes, Shin spat out his blunt response.

"…If you must." Taking a map and marker pen out from his shirt pocket, the team leader lay it out crudely on the floor, and handed the marker to Shin.

"We'll attack…" Shin quickly ran his eyes over the familiar map. "Here."

"Kanagawa…?" With a grimace, Tetsuo sighed while chewing on his finger. "Aren't we aiming high right off the bat."

"I'd say that's the best way forward. Take them on and finish them all off in one go, in one place. No reaction time and no need to drag things out. There's four aces we need to deal with in Kanagawa, four races in one night is easily manageable."

"Argh, forget it. That's too damn long."

Grabbing the marker pen from Shin, Adachi bitterly scrawled an "X" over the map.

"It may be one night, but we'll need to prepare so much for it. The risks are too high."

And there's no guarantee that brat will be there…

"We'll start, START here. Then work our way to Kanagawa. Everyone's an enemy, the old rules apply. We need some warm up, after all. I need it, certainly. "

"…As expected. Even with me included…this is the power of revenge, yes." Nodding his head in an exaggerated manner, Tetsuo mused over Adachi's suggestion.

"What do you think, Shin?"

"More aces to hunt and more time together with this happy couple, why not."

"Well then…"

Getting up, Tetsuo clicked his neck side to side and let out a loud yawn.

"Majority wins. We'll make our appearance live, on stage, in Gunma. Now, Shin. It's time."

Returning Tetsuo's confident gaze with a narrow smile, Shin nodded and got up. Quickly taking out his phone, he spoke a clear, short sentence before cutting it off.

"Bring 'er in guys, it's time for a touching reunion."

From outside the garage, a deafening roar boomed.

Adachi's eyes widened.

She knew this sound all too well.

A deep red R32 GT-R rattled and burbled into the workshop. More precisely, it was her GT-R. But not entirely as she remembered it. The heavily damaged front section had been completely replaced with a bare carbon panels. Its fenders were enlarged to encompass the wider, low profile tires and to complete the package, in place of the modest rear wing from the factory was the GT-Wing fitted on Shin's R33.

"Well then, we're done for the night. You, I'm guessing, aren't." Tetsuo softly clasped Adachi's hands and passed her the keys.

"Have fun!"
---

Nagao pass, 2nd checkpoint.

Rapidly climbing the fast wide roads, three heavily tuned cars thundered up the desolate pass. From within the DeTomaso, Fumihiro watched with a thin smile on his face as the GT-R surged out of a corner.

Following suite, the pink Toyota lumbered out of the corner. Lighting up its rear tires with over 800hp, it snapped sideways and howled as it gave chase to the rapidly vanishing cars in front.

At the side of the road, a small group had gathered. Four heavily modified Mazdas idled behind these drivers. They watched with still eyes as the three cars dashed pass, exchanging quiet murmurs behind their leader's back.

The purple haired driver stood in the gentle breeze, her starry eyes fixed on the cars disappearing into the night.

That…

It was a brief glimpse.

It…wasyou…right?

But it was enough.

Suddenly turning away, she hurriedly pushed her teammates aside, unable to stand the curiosity stabbing at her mind.

"H-hey, Yukari? The hell's going on?" Trying to grab hold of her, Shion shouted out. The irritatingly calm Yukari had all but disappeared, and in her eyes, there was a rare desperation that pushed even her closest friends aside.

"I've got somewhere to be. You can go home if you want, I'll get in touch later."

With that, Yukari slammed her Cosmo's door shut, and launched the 700hp beast in pursuit.

"Oi, where the hell are you going-Argh, holy shit! This crap again?!"

Punching the air in frustration, Shion turned to the remaining drivers.

"You guys can head home…that girl's gone nuts. If anything happens, I'll tell you about it tomorrow." Slowly climbing into her RX-7, Shion sighed.

"One more thing. Actually go home. The locals aren't fond of new faces, especially from outside. You'll have your fun soon enough, so just leave quietly for now. As for me? I've got to chase after that girl…woopie-f**king-doo."
--

It's…you, right?

Inside the violet Cosmo, Yukari's expression slowly became more and more desperate. She should be closing in. She needed to close in.

Those cars…that black R34…I can't be wrong…

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as she battled with the unfamiliar road. She gave it her all, narrowly avoiding the guardrails at each tight bend. Her car was completely out of its depth, she had next to no course knowledge at all but she couldn't care less. The original goal of reconnaissance no longer mattered. This was more important.

You really…did survive?

The heavily turbocharged 3-rotor's exhaust note wavered, its wild charge suddenly quelled.

Pulling over to the side of the road, Yukari leaned back into the bucket seat.

All this time…

A scene, vivid enough to relive, played out in her mind.

I guess…you did only say "He's gone"…sly bastard.

Smiling to herself, she buried her face in her sweaty palms and began reminiscing.

--
"He's gone."

Those were the words that echoed into Yukari's ears, ten years ago.

Ten years ago, this very day.

One of the most devastating accidents took place on Tokyo's highway.

"I'll bring him back, don't worry.

Parked amongst the Wangan regulars of the Daikoku Parking Area, a bright pink Toyota Aristo idled.

A young Hidekazu Tsurugi sat on the lowered Aristo's carbon hood, a cigarette in hand.

He looked up at her with a cheery smile, nodding understandingly while playing with the collar of his already-out-of-fashion Hawaiian shirt.

Without another word said, he suddenly stood up.

From behind her, she heard.

Like the devil's awakening, the distinct howling of a RB26 echoed through the entire area, bringing all conversation to a stop.

Tossing the smouldering cigarette onto the ground, Hidekazu wordlessly pushed the photographers aside and climbed into the Toyota.

"It's time this shit came to an end."

With a rough bark, the Aristo fired up. Slowly lining up against the black R34, the two cars waded through Daikoku's crowd. At the first sight of clear tarmac, the Wangan's last ever race, and subsequently the tragedy that followed, was on.

--

"Just like the old days…heh."

Hidekazu laughed and forcefully blocked the approaching GT-R with the full width of his Aristo. He sped down the middle of the road, drifting through the wide corners and blinding the following cars with smoke.

They were racing into the third checkpoint side by side, the GT-R's advantage out of corners giving it the edge as they blasted down the straight. The Detomaso was, almost ironically, watching silently from a distance, waiting for a chance to strike. With the road quickly tightening, the two men smiled, playing their extreme game of Chicken without a single regard for safety.

"Stubborn as ever…" Looking across, Hidekazu silently shook his head and lifted off, letting Koizumi slip by into the lead.

If I had just lifted off…if only one of us had backed away…

He suddenly jumped on the brakes, the smell of the overheating pads forcing him to ease up. From behind, the Detomaso seizes the chance. Diving down the inside of the approaching corner, Fumihiro tucked the lightweight's nose into the apex, pushing the Aristo aside.

"Tsk…"

Hidekazu clicked his tongue with a bitter smile.

That's right. This was why we wouldn't back off.
---

The race from ten years ago, despite its notoriety among today's Wangan racers, was inconclusive to those who were there.

Hidekazu remembered.

The way both cars went door to door, racing across the C1, pulling onto the Wangan and storming down to Rainbow Bridge, a seemingly never ending race.

He had even come to enjoy it. Despite the heightened stakes, despite the ever-present danger, in the last five minutes of the race, it became a guilty pleasure he was never to speak of.

However…

…Like all good things, that too, had to come to an end.

The events of that night were carved into his memories. Even with his hands full, his mind would allow him the capacity to relive what was, to him, the brief, defining moments of his youth.

Approaching Rainbow Bridge, Hidekazu smiled as he looked ahead.

Weaving between the patches of traffic at over 300kph, they dashed down the arrow straight road. Despite the speed, within the tense thrill was a strange serenity, a feeling that is still novel to him now.

Yet, it didn't last.

Vanishing into the shadowy darkness briefly, Koizumi's GT-R disappeared from his sights. It was a strange movement. The R34 seemed to lose balance, its front body pushing into the ground as it entered the black patch. A vivid orange blossomed from the void, and from within it, the rear of the GT-R was spat out, spinning out of control in the opposite direction.

In a flash, it was over.

Osmium Racing was temporarily shut down for its involvement, his own life took drastic turns for the worse, and his moment under the spotlight had passed.

Well…that's all in the past.

His stiff expression gradually softening, Hidekazu smiled his usual smile once more. Relaxing his tensed grip on the steering wheel, he brought his focus back to the race.

"Don't count me out of this just yet, boys!"

---

Up ahead, a lone R34 GT-R settled down into a high speed cruise. Koizumi had managed gain a comfortable lead, but he couldn't back off now. From behind, he could hear the faint sound of the American V8 closing in, and he had just passed the final checkpoint.

"Ah…we're nearly there, huh. It's almost disappointing, all over already…My freedom…well, what there was of it, anyway…" He sighed with regret. Braking hard for the final series of corners, Koizumi's expression became stern, exuding his typical calm spirit.

"This time…I won't make the same mistake…!"

Delicately managing the weight transfer, Koizumi coaxed his beloved GT-R into the corner. With the tires rapidly wearing down due to the overwhelming extra power, he could only nurse his pride and joy to the finish line.

It's all that was needed…All I needed to do was learn to give up…

He couldn't help but feel a bitter remorse when faced with his past mistakes.

Of course, compared to the legendary 300kph crash that destroyed Wangan and a family's future, the reality almost paled in comparison.

A 300kph blowout that spat him into an uninvolved third party, certainly, that much was true. How he survived, he had about as much of a clue as everyone else.

But by then, the damage was done.

The impact was soaked up by the odd angle of the crash, but nonetheless, the car he had poured his blood, sweat and tears into was twisted into a pile of scrap metal.

Worse still, in his pursuit for perfection, he had cut all ties with everyone around him.

In those seemingly endless days he spent locked up in a cell, he experienced the lonesome pain of true solitude. No visits, no contact.

I guess that's why they put me by her side…two sad loners locked in their natural habitat, quite fitting when you think about it.

"Ah…right…it'll be that day very soon as well." Slipping the GT-R into 4th, Koizumi mused as he reduced his pace to that of a cruise, coasting up the finishing straight. "I doubt she'll care…but how many years of service does this make it?"

She's still such a child as well…How will you cope when you learn the truth?

"Yea…maybe I'll tell her on that day…I've been too loyal, after all."

With another gentle smile, he lit up the hazards and slowly pulled into the parking area.

--

Nagao's peak was, much like the foot of the mountain, empty for the most part. The recent rumor of the Wangan racers attempts at taking of Hakone pass had diverted the majority of attention there.

Some, with no confidence left in the Defense Line, had taken it upon themselves to defend their roads, and left for Hakone to master the course. Others simply hopped on the hype train, cheering their preferred Aces on as they practiced. Either way, the sudden escalation of events had effectively stripped the rest of Kanagawa of its strongest racers.

Hidekazu's Aristo emerged from the darkness, accompanied by a heavy spray of sparks. Its tires had not survived the punishment, and the Toyota had to be towed up the pass by Fumihiro's Pantera.

"Well then." The butler began, his voice filled with an irritating cheer. He slid off his stool, grabbing the opened sake bottle as he left, and sauntered towards the others. "I'd say that'd be my victory. Anyone disagree?"

"Shut up…" Climbing out of the DeTomaso, Fumihiro grumbled as he held his breath. The nauseating smell of burning rubber and metal radiated from behind him, erroding all will to argue. "As if this is anything new to any of us."

"Father of the year's paying for tonight's drinks, that's plenty new enough." Koizumi pointed towards Hidekazu, struggling to keep his polite smile straight.

"Take a seat already, lad." With a slightly sore frown on his face, Hidekazu pushed Koizumi towards the ramen stand. "My wallet's pretty light already, so just a drink, alright?"

Watching the three men rush towards the stall, a fourth car crept up the slipway. Its headlights were off, and its rotary engine's soft purring was barely loud enough to be noticed by the excited drivers.

The driver watched in silence, dialling a number as she watched. She stroked her violet hair, clenching its maroon tips, her mind clearly caught up in deep thought.

Exhaling heavily, she shut off the Mazda's engine and slipped out.

"Shion…"

"Loud and clear, what is it?"

"We'll strike within this week. As discussed, it'll be at Hakone."

She forced a cheerful smile, tapped the Cosmo's roof twice and gave her usual farewell.

"Oi, wait a sec. You sure you're fine?"

"…Mmm." Yukari gave a stiff nod. "I'm fine. Let's just say…we need to step everything up now."

---

"You know…" In a heavy, drunk voice, Fumihiro began. It had been over an hour of "This…for both of you assholes who ran off playing catch and left me to clean up…is probably karma, right?"

Swirling the empty sake cups, the others listened half-heartedly.

"You." Shoving his index finger into Hidekazu's forehead, Fumihiro continued. "Your daughter's life wouldn't have been so bad if you were home for her…instead, you let her get shat on by damn near a thousand people without care while playing with butler boy here…!"

"…and you! Asahina…!"

"Oh, my turn now…what will you slander me for, I wonder…"

"Pfft…you lost your shop and your girl, and will spend the rest of your life picking up trash for a shut-in…I feel better off just knowing that, I really do."

"Glad to be of service." Koizumi sarcastically replied. Even after all these years, it seemed Fumihiro had still retained the profound ability of irritating him to unimaginable extents. "I'm surprised though…You normally jump on one of us if we ever talked shit about your daughter…"

"The only baby I've had is the burnt out two ton lump of steel I brought out tonight.…and the only abuse its seen is from the two of you bastards"

"I'm sorry…we're the ones in the wrong here now, is that it? That gigantic, overpowered, nose heavy misfit of this group was the main reason your family fell apart, was it not?"

"Actually, the car itself was flimsier than your family. In all my years working as a Body specialist, I've never had a car come back as much, and as often as that piece of crap."

"Say what you will…at least this baby isn't the fantasy of jobless perverts…And won't run away from home…or throw away all my beer…"

"Well if she's so bad, I'll have you know I'm more than happy to take her in." Fumihiro laughed and chugged down another glass of sake.

"Oh…careful now, the 'body specialist' is gonna work his magic on with her-ouch, dammit, learn to take a joke! I thought you didn't care? Or did you sober up suddenly?"

"…Just. You know what. Screw you guys, if this is just going to be picking on my darling, then I'm going home. Don't worry sweetie, at least I appreciate you."

Hidekazu flopped off the wooden stool and stumbled across the parking lot, still muttering to himself.

"…He does realise he can't actually go anywhere, right? Well, we can't either, being fair. Not until this shit wears off."

"Who cares…Forget the kids and forget him, let's drink till dawn breaks, it's been too long!"

--

"So…"

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of a shoe's sole gently slapping the floor stabbed at Koizumi's ears.

"Mind explaining yourself? It's been half a day, you finally showed up not an hour ago after leaving in the middle of the night, and you're already going back to sleep? Also, what is that awful stench?"

"Ugh…Ruka, save the motherly roleplay later, for now, uncle Asahina needs some rest." He waved the girl aside and turned the nearby PC on. "…All this tapping and clapping doesn't help the hangover either…I'll just finish up here, then let myself out for now…"

Rubbing his aching forehead, the drowsy butler squinted his bleary eyes, trying to make out the tiny words on the programming screen.

Map: Tsubaki Line/Forward

AI Aggression: 100%

AI Strength: 200%

CPU 1: Toyota Aristo (Custom set 1)

Name: ??

"Hmm…"

Name: F. U. Tsurugi

"There we go…" Unable to contain his childish grin, Koizumi chuckled at his petty joke and got up, still holding his head in his hands. "To keep you entertained, I set up a new challenge for you on the sim. Now if you don't mind…"

Slamming the door shut behind him, Koizumi yawned and lumbered towards his room.

- つづく -

This post has been edited by Rin on Jul 5 2014, 08:11 AM

Wow....a very interesting approach. I am actually intrigued as to what happened before to the old guys back then...and I never thought we'll get to see such a past from even Koizumi...

I'll give the full feedback later. =)

…I just realised how massive it is.

Er…yeah. Sorry about that. Normal, nice and short, to-the-point chapters will resume soon enough.

If he's still up to it, I'd say the oyaji story will be told in a spin off series written by the slacker of the group (ahem Noob)…if not, then this story will be told in a more condensed manner later anyway.

This is quite a big chapter...and I nearly got lost behind all the background story telling...might wanna keep an eye on that...

That aside, it's interesting to see the elders having some screentime. Just hope they have enough to offer to connect to the main plot aside from supporting. Hidekazu for one strike me intriguing enough a character. Meanwhile...speaking of elders...I am wondering...when will we see Setsura again?

I really wanna read more a bout him...same goes for Koizumi. I hope there's more to them than being experienced drivers. Something different and intriguing enough to offer a good read, ya know?

All in all, pretty good intermission chapter. Hope Chapter 21 comes soon...

20.5 was actually in the works for a longgggg time, so there's a clash in writing style and all that which gives it the length, so yeah, sorry about that.

As for the old guys...well, the timing was a touch unfortunate, but they'll be important in their own right. This chapter sort of became a test, and since everyone doesn't seem to mind the backstory every now and then, I guess more "Past and Present" stuff can be used after all.

21's already being written, stop hassling.

The time has come...

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

Code 21: Bouquet of Calamity

"Hmmm…?"

Pulled over in the middle of Tsubaki Line's empty road were two cars. Two cars that should be all too familiar to the eyes of the locals. A bright pink Toyota Chaser and a black Nissan GT-R, the two cars that could supposedly make or break the defense line's future in Kanagawa were now parked alongside each other.

Image size reduced, original size: 1650 x 1000. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

"So you're the one they were talking about? Ahhh…what a shame, I'd have actually enjoyed that race if only…ugh…"

Rubbing her aching head, Ayase groaned. Her scenes felt blunt, her joints stiff and just looking in the mirror made her want to laugh at her current state.

Still can't quite get it off my mind, huh…No no, don't think about that now…more importantly…

"…The hell is she doing, leaving her car in the middle of the road? And just now…"

Ayase leaned back into the bucket seat, forcing herself to recall the race from not moments ago.

She saw it, the image still fresh in her mind. The way the GT-R glued itself to the Chaser as they both battled up the desolate pass, the rush, this feeling that was supposed to be nothing strange to regulars, was something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Glancing at the side mirrors, she sighed again.

"…Hah. Hahaha. Wow. That's…is that even possible?"

The Chaser's enormous GT Wing had been ruined at its tips, its left endplate severed at guardrail height. She didn't need to use too much imagination to guess where it had been lost.

"…That's just how out of it I am. What a joke…"

To have clipped the barrier while using the inner road…someone just kill me now. So many careless mistakes, damn it all…Aghhh this sulking isn't getting me anywhere!

Ayase got out of the overheating Toyota. The car was burning hot, its brakes more so, but its heat paled in comparison to the almost dangerous levels of frustration radiating from the bitter expression on her face.

"And another thing…At least have the decency to use the hazard lights, otherwise I don't even know what you're doing…"

Ruka watched as Ayase charged out in front of her, blocking her path.

…Oh no. Another short tempered one?

With a sigh, she slid out of the GT-R, preparing for the worst.

"Honestly…fast you may be, but your communication's horrid." Ayase instantly began her lecture, unable to restrain her irritation any longer. "It's a wonder you even slowed down there, if I was chasing, I swear you'd have just carried on…"

"That was communication?" The knacker mistress looked up into Ayase's eyes with genuine surprise. "What did you say?"

"…You're joking, right."

"Do I look like I'm in any shape for that?"

A strange silence fell, both girls staring intently at each other.

…This girl…

Ayase carefully inspected Ruka up close, trying to look beyond the sharp, red on black dress, dripping with sweat.

She's undoubtedly that girl the BBS perverts have been hunting for…but really, what's with this getup? I guess they really weren't lying about her being from some rich family…the clothes reek of money…if only it didn't smell of sweat as well.

Still silent, she then moved onto Ruka's face. The very obvious hints of fatigue beneath the eyes, almost ghostly pale skin and, on her neck, a slight slash of skin covering a clotted wound. She could see it all.

"They really weren't lying about your looks either, huh…beaten as you are."

"What? Who's lying about what? Either? Did you say something before that I missed?"

"E-e-eh?! Uhh…"

Well shit…she's not the only tired one here, I guess. Still…a proper mistress, eh…I suppose I ought to tidy up my speech a bit.

Looking into Ayase's dazed eyes, Ruka cocked her head with a curious frown.

"Well?"

"Ah…err…Allow me to introduce myself. Ayase Tsurugi. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." She began nervously, and with her hand clenched, did a shaky curtsey.

"Tsurugi."

Ruka's mind instantly stopped at that name.

The name was of the most aggressive and challenging rival Koizumi had put her against.

She couldn't begin to count the number of times she had been reduced to quietly sulking in trying to push pass the Aristo and the wake of tire smoke that always followed.

So such a family does exist…such a formidable driver…

"Eh? Do I still have your attention? Hello~?"

"Ah…nothing, it's just…you're not the first Tsurugi I've raced against…In a pink Toyota as well…so it's a family tradition of sorts, I take it?"

"…It could be called that, I guess…wait wait no forget that, 'not the first' Tsurugi you raced? What do you mean?"

"F…U…Tsurugi. I think that was the name?"

Ayase's expression froze for a second as she tried to register what she had just been told.

"…Pfft."

Unable to contain it, she erupted in boisterous laughter. For the first time in what seemed a long time, she could let go and simply start afresh.

"What the hell's with that? You had me going there…I thought I'd have to interrogate that old shit again… "

"Who?"

"Ahh never mind. Whoever told you that…I'd love to meet him one day. See if there's any scores that need straightening out."

"…Is that so."

"So…now I'm done embarrassing myself with that ridiculous introduction, can I at least know your name?"

"Oh, right. Ruka Saginomiya. Likewise, pleased to meet you." Extending her hand, Ruka replied.

"…No curtsey? Awww, here I was hoping to be shown the ropes by an expert."

"Forget it. A handshake is already pushing it, so hurry up and shake, my arm's numbing."

"Hey, stay with me now. If you pass out, who's gonna get your car off the road?" Ayase firmly gripped the outstretched hand with a confident grin.

"Is there something wrong with it? You stopped here so what's wrong with me being beside you?"

Another awkward silence fell on the two girls.

"…Ah forget it. I…I don't even know what to say." Ayase rubbed her forehead with an irritated sigh. Seeing Ruka's eyes slowly fade, she quickly stepped forward and pulled her up. "Now then, before you fall asleep…hey, seriously, don't sleep yet."

"I'm wide awake. Can't sleep when you're stepping on my toes."

"…Whatever. Mind telling me why you're so tired?"

"Hmm…"

Ruka turned her gaze towards the sky, forcing her heavy eyes open.

…That's a good question. Why am I so tired again? Ah right…it's because of her.

The nightmare that plagued Kanagawa's roads. The most persistent, dangerous rival she had encountered.

That Z.

Of course, to say that Ruka had spent the time since their last encounter worrying for her life would be false. If anything, it had already gone beyond that point. With each encounter, the red Z would come closer and closer to putting her into a barrier.

"…Does the name 'Kagerou Kouka' ring any bells?"

On hearing the name, Ayase breathed out a heavy sigh.

"…Is there anyone from BBS who doesn't know that name?"

"BBS?"

"…Carry on, I'll explain some other time."

"…I'll hold you to that then. But assuming you know of that animal…If I were to say she's set her sights on me, I think I can cut the backstory short?"

"I…can sort of imagine the rest, yes. But is that it?"

"Well…"

Laying down on the cooling R34's hood, the increasingly tired mistress hesitated slightly. She tried to hide it, but there was no doubt, she had lost countless hours of sleep over Kagerou's ever-present threat.

"If surviving three encounters with her in one week can be dismissed with a simple 'that is it', then this BBS place wouldn't be hunting for her, no?"

"Hah…That's right, that's right." Ayase clicked her tongue in irritation.

"I don't get it though. It's like she's suddenly the be all end all of everything, like that red gorilla is the hottest topic we can think of. Jesus Christ, day in day out, online, offline, Kagerou this, Kagerou that, if you're scared shitless so easily then grow a pair or just don't race! Take a f**king chance goddammit!"

Ayase's clenched fist slammed itself into the R34's hood. Paying the stinging pain in her knuckles no attention, she tugged at her hair in frustration and continued her senseless groaning.

"It's thanks to these cowards that I've got no one to race with now, really, you're here but that's because you're…crazy in so many ways, but since when did the majority of racers here shrivel up into gutless crybabies? Even a year ago, when I just got familiar with this scene, we'd have swallowed it up and carried on. Shit. Got. DONE! YOU f**kING COWARDS!"

"…Hey, Tsurugi."

"…Ayase's fine." Panting heavily, she shot a dangerous glare at the feeble girl beside her. "What."

"I thought I was the one venting? Or was I mistaken?"

"You're mistaken. If you've got a problem with that, stick it where the sun doesn't shine."

"Vent on my behalf then. Go on. Spare my car though, vent on your own one."

"…I've got nothing."

A gentle vibration broke settling silence between the two girls. From her pocket, Ruka carefully pulled out a thin, black phone. She held it in her hand, looking at it with curious eyes.

"…Aren't you going to answer that?"

"How? I'm told to carry this with me, but I honestly don't know what to do with it."

"…This is like talking to grandparents. Can you do anything other than driving? Really?"

"Nope."

Instant response. I…I don't even…

"Ah, it's stopped buzzing."

"…Give me that for a second."

Quickly grabbing the phone from Ruka's loose grip, Ayase's fingers glided over the screen and rapidly keyed in eight numbers.

"There."

"What's this stream of numbers going to do?"

"…Ask your butler. You have one of them, don't you? He'll know." With another tired sigh, Ayase returned the phone and turned away. "Ahh…You know, you're surprisingly easy to talk to, image and complete lack of sense aside. Feels nice to be able to talk frankly, but~ I've probably got to get going."

"…Okay?"

"We'll continue next time, tell me about your ridiculous sleeping habit then. I've enough to deal with for now. See ya around, Ruka."

"Eh?"

"'I'll be taking my leave here, Lady Saginomiya'. Better?"

Ayase grinned a childish grin as she curtseyed again.

"…Mm…I'l…I guess so…g-goodbye for now."

Well then…

Driving away, Ayase sighed.

Speaking of sleep…I'm not really one to talk, am I? But…at least, for now…I can let it go.

"Mmmhmm…"

A bit of doting and responsibility helps clear the mind, I guess.

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

"Hmm~ Hmm~"

Within a mansion, a young girl danced and twirled in her room. Her vibrant crimson dress, matched by her long, messy golden hair gave off a feral, wild aura, unbefitting her otherwise cute features.

"Onii-sama~ How will you be when the time comes for me to see you? Ahh…I can hardly wait for that day~"

Kagerou flopped onto her bed, tightly hugging the doll in her arms with a bright smile.

"Ah~! Your hair's all messy now…that won't do, you know~!"

Image size reduced, original size: 1650 x 1000. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

Holding up the doll with one hand at arm's length, Kagerou played the aged and broken doll's dusty hair as she continued her rambling.

"…Where ever you may be, I'll keep on looking so don't worry. Say, do you know why he never shows up when I need him? I know he's watching over me but I can't wait~!"

"Don't you feel any remorse for what you've done?"

"People really never change. Once a monster, always a monster."

Kagerou's eyes narrowed at the words.

Attacks that were thrown her way by the community. She remembered them. It was almost routine. Respond to challenge, hear their last words, and leave only that intact.

"What do you think?" Holding the doll close to her ears, Kagerou fell silent for a moment.

"Oh? You don't know either?"

…Those will be your last words then…tsk. Another dead end.
"Well you’re useless then…"

Her eyes dulled, her cheery voice suddenly cold.

"Useless people like you can all just die."

Wrapping her hands around the doll's fabric neck, she whispered.

"…So die!"

Rip.

Clean in two, the doll fell to the floor with a heavy thud in two pieces.

"Tsk. I trusted you. My mistake. You're just like the rest of them. Those oppressive, over-protective ass kissers that can't even stand and fight. People like them got what they deserved…"

Remorse? Who'd feel any for doing that to them. All of them, every last one of them, they had it coming. THEY HAD IT COMING!

"Regardless of their origin, wangan or otherwise, pray they don't fall victim to that nightmare."

"Ah right…"

"Idiot, you got that the wrong way round. It's about time that b*tch made herself useful. Pray they all become her prey!"

Kagerou licked her lips as she smiled a wide, feral smile.

Don't worry boys…I don't discriminate…

"…More people showing up in my backyard, huh. They don't know their place…should I teach them…first hand where this place is…Onii-sama?"

The place for them? Same place for all those arrogant, impulsive scumbags have been shoved off to. That is to say…

Off the roads.

Permanently.


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

Happogahara.

The pass that started it all.

Saburo looked up through the dense mist, his disinterested eyes searching for stars in the deserted peak.

One down…two to go.

In the brief month since his debut, he had managed to rekindle the desire for revolution within the community. That alone was a commendable achievement. Quite rightly, he should be feeling optimistic, eager to charge on.

Yet…

Has victory ever felt so…hollow?

He couldn't help but question it.

How much of the success credited to him was really his work?

Sure enough, he delivered the first blow. But however down-played it was, he couldn't deny it. He had been crushed by Shin Imai's faultless performance. Similarly, the dissolving of Saitama and Tochigi's defense line was only partially his work.

I'll need to push for more…I guess…

He reached upwards towards the faintly glittering light in the sky, fingers stretching to the clouds.

Why? What's in it for me? What did I originally want?
In the mist of all the latest events, he had already forgotten.

"…Saburo Misaka."

From behind, a stern voice called out to him.

"You're finally here. I've been waiting for so long I thought you really did vanish."

"Please, even if your impression of me isn't the best, at least think of me as a man of my word."

"So…Busujima Mutsu, what is it you were planning to tell me?"

"Mutsu's fine. I'm glad you still remember my name, but we're not rivals anymore, so there's no need for the formalities. As for what there is to be told…aren't you rushing things?"

"…Hey."

"The condition was that you beat me. You didn't meet it."

Mutsu glanced at Saburo's still expression in the silence, waiting for a reaction.

"Tch. You're no fun."

"What?"

"I'm messing with you, kid. I did say just now, we're not rivals anymore. I'll tell you what you want to know, so listen up."

"You know what's going on in Hakone, right?"

"…Vaguely."

"Good." Mutsu turned around, resting his interlocked hands on the roof of the S2000. "Saves me some time."

"So what of it?"

"That 'takeover' is not what it's cracked up to be. To simplify it…it's a war of sorts, between our very own defense line and the Tokyo powers."

"…what?"

"…A while ago, there was the rumored 'Tokyo Defense Line'. This is what they were referring to."

"Never heard that one. But what does this have to do with me?"

"I just feel you have the right to know where you stand in the grand scheme of things. If I don't do this, someone else will, I'm sure. What difference that will make to your actions though, that, I'm not certain."

Saburo continued to listen in silence.

"Anyway…Suzume Asai. She's…probably the highest ranking of all exiles in the line's long history. Also most probably the one behind this…though the cars don't match up with her personality. Her downfall alone deserves a separate discussion to cover, but for now, all you need to know is she's not a woman who forgets grudges easily."

"If you plan on going to Kanagawa, watch out. The red Z may be bad, but meeting her would be equally hellish."

"Is that so."

I guess that's Sakuya's detour to Hakone out the window…

With a sigh, Saburo scratched his head. It was a lot to take in, and the information still lacked context to let him come to a conclusion.

"So what about you? Where are you going to go?"
Mutsu stopped his musing.

"Me? I…don't really know. Three lone wolves form a team. Shin's vanished and Genma quit. 'And then there was one'. I'll probably follow Genma and leave, though I can't quite let it go. Either way, I'll figure it out. For now…I'll see you around. Best of luck, Misaka, whatever you choose to do."

Quietly getting into the S2000, Mutsu gave Saburo a final wave, and made his way out of the carpark.
--

"Best of luck", you say?

Saburo's mind was still digesting Mutsu's words. The information was going to be valuable…yet he couldn't make use of it. There was too much he didn't know, too much that was just too big for him to understand.

That hardly helped, it's all so vague.

He gently slipped the 180SX into 5th gear and cruised down Happogahara. It was late already, his eyes were bleary and his mind tired. In the dense, white fog, the usually short sprint felt like an eternity. But it didn't matter. He needed this time to think, to reorganise and plan.

Flash.

The road ahead briefly vanished, disappearing in a bright white glare.

Flash.

Again, the road dissolves, the white mist burning his eyes.

He glanced up at his rear view mirror, eyes still struggling to cope with the searing over exposure.

An indigo blur appeared from the wall of white. Behind it, two pairs of blue headlights followed.

The car in his mirrors…he was all too familiar with.

Image size reduced, original size: 1650 x 1000. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

- つづく -

Whoa...another amazing chapter.

Short, but amazing nonetheless...

And it's interesting to see that Ayase and Ruka finally met and actually get acquainted enough to deal with the problem that is Kagerou's rampage.

And speaking of Kagerou....holy shit...she's a psychotic yandere ! D:

God help those that she set her sights on...and Onii-sama...? Oh dear...please tell me she's not one of those imouto that went crazy from despair of her dead brother. :s

And finally....it's a bit of a relief to see that Mutsu seemed more humble after the fact he's lost everything since the Defense Line bumped him off the stage with his team mates...unlike Shin whom may still be consumed by desire for payback with Adachi...also...is that...a modified JZA70 being chased by an Evo and FD?!

Holy crap...that's HATORI right?!

It was long but very exciting story..Just love it and I really hope you will keep sharing the good stuff..

Great you enjoyed it…though if it's just chapter 1, then please do read on, if you're talking about everything in general up till now…ignore the above and read on anyway.

Just please don't quote it all, it's cluttered and stuff and just not too tidy and makes neatfreaks like me…err…freak out?

Time for another update finally. =)

--

Code 22: Migrating Birds

"So…You know what to do now, right?"

Watching the sun peer above the horizon, two people stood at the side of the road.

"Yeah. I know."

Half a year ago…the team known as Yellow vanished from the streets of Tokyo.

Takahiro…

On that fateful night, the lives of five people were shattered.

The sudden death of Takahiro Yoshikawa tore the team apart.

With their direction lost, all they had was their reputation.

For your sake…for everything we've built up…

"I'll bring you the success you dreamed of."

Kunitaro clenched his fist, determination burning in his eyes.

With the mutual target in mind, the Yellows rise again.

This time…we'll live up to your name.

----

Hakone toll road, 11:00PM.

Yamato Taika let out a deep sigh as he stared at the toll booth. His black and pink Toyota Mark II waited at the side of the road, its fresh new livery quickly becoming the center of attention.

Not a lot of people tonight…did they all get scared?

"Hmph…"

I'm bored.

Quickly grabbing his phone, he tapped the first name on his contacts list.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hey, what's the matter? How's things going over there-"

"AYASE-TAN, DID YOU DO THIS ON PURPOSEEE?! DID YOU SEND ME HERE KNOWING IT'LL BE THIS QUIET?! To top it off, you didn't even let me choose to follow you…where could you have gone~?"

Ignoring his surroundings, the former Ace voiced his grievance as he violently flailed and punched the air.

"…Calm down, dammit. I'm driving at the moment, keep on screaming, and I'll hang up. As for where I am, you don't need to know. You're not my bodyguard and I don't need one, before you ask. Anyway-"

"And here I was hoping I'd get to be by your side now that you're finally back from Saitama…I want to sue! I didn't sign up for this, this is false advertising! I want my lawyer dammit!"

"Ok, ok, take a deep breath. Someone's behind me right now, I can't deal with your autism with my hands full. I'll make it up to you next time, see ya!"

Beep.

Beep.

"That's so mean of you…"

Yamato sulked, pocketing his phone with a sigh. He leaned back onto the guardrail, hands in pocket, and listened.

"…Hey, isn't he one of us?"

Yamato's ears filtered the soft chattering from the surrounding, narrowing down the noise to a certain conversation taking place behind him.

"…He was. Was. Rumored to be the best Saitama had to defend itself with…didn't stop him getting the boot though."

"…So which side does he stand on now?"

"If he's no longer for the Line, which side do you think he's on? There's two options and one of them is out."

'Which side'? Really, we're all so very serious here, aren't we? What happened to a bit of fun every now and then…

--

Jiro watched the Hakone toll road, his eyes scanning every car lined up at the barrier.

"Still no sign of him, huh."

"Well you can't expect to walk into new grounds and just…find the guy you're looking for, you know."

"Mmm…"

Jiro replied with a vague grunt, the monotony of waiting slowly but surely took its toll. His focus wandered to the cars parked around him. He could tell, this wasn't a simple Friday night meeting. Yet his attention was drawn elsewhere. In front of him was something that truly stole his attention, standing out, isolated, in the sea of silver and black.

The car in question was a FD RX-7, finished in a vivid yellow with black stripes running down its side. It sat on a set of bronze Advan RCIIs, the complete package bearing striking resemblance to a hornet. On the car's hood was a young girl. Early twenties, at most. Hime-cut hairstyle, light red highlights.

"That's a fine piece of work, ain't it?"

Jiro nudged Tyrone, directing his gaze towards the RX-7.

"You're talking about the girl, right?"

"Yea-no, you wish. The car."

"…Riiighht."

"The girl's not bad either, I'll give you that. Can't see much of her figure with those clothes, but them legs…and those eyes…"

Jiro nodded to himself with a serious face, his mind replaying the single, vivid moment their gaze aligned. Her sharp, electrifying glare that seemed to stab straight into his heart, shaming him for daring to look in her direction. He had to admit, it was enough to make his heart flutter.

"Eyyyyyy, Jiro ma' man, so you're into that huh. I'll be honest and say I can't see much to like there…just your every other girl who's played too much video games. Or is this that 'glasses fetish' I hear about so much?"

"Oi. Enough of that."

"Hmm? I scored a bull's eye?"

"No. Over there."

Tyrone followed Jiro's line of sight, and understood instantly. Quietly coasting through the tollbooth was a bright red Evolution IV. The very one that had haunted the last of his Wangan days, right up to his crash.

"Well then, you're a lucky one aren't you. Go get 'em."

"Ehhh?"

"Come on, I'll go with you."

Tryone tugged Jiro forwards, grumbling to himself every step of the way. The Mitsubishi pulled over at the far end of the row of cars, just a small distance away from the RX7.

"Go on. That girl you like so much is gonna be listening, it seems, so give it your best."

Ehhhh? Did I make a mistake, agreeing to come here? Who actually cares about this revenge nonsense anyway, I just wanted to take a look at the scene, and my first words are going to that of vengance?! Way to go, me!

"E-Excuse me, you there. Yeah, you. The owner of that red Evo."

"Hmm?"

"Uh…how do I put this-"

"Jiro, you gutless shit, stop swallowing yo' words. If you're gonna pussy about here then let me say it for you." Tyrone pushed his friend aside with a groan. "He has a score to settle with you, so if it's not too much trouble, mind quickly whipping his ass so we can all move on?"

"Thanks man, no, really, thanks for believing in me so much…"

"Hey, I'm not about to bullshit my best friend with some meaningless 'go get that sucker' or 'you da man, man!' nonsense." Tyrone slapped Jiro's back as he reasoned, his voice filled with irritation. Before his friend could respond, he pulled Jiro's nervous body towards him. "Besides, I'm doing you a favor here. How seriously do you think he'll take it if he knows you're not much to deal with? I'll accept that thanks, and you better remember who saved your sorry ass tonight."

"Ok, ok…I don't think it'll make a difference but if you say so…"

With a firm push, Jiro turned away from Tyrone and lined his Impreza up to the Evo.

"So, for the sake of clarity…where have we met?"

"Ahh…a while ago, on the C1…"

"Oh you! I remember. When you hit the wall, I could have sworn you were a goner. Glad to see you're alive and well…" The driver looked over his shoulders at the girl, who was still engrossed in her sketching. He took a deep breath, turned to face the girl and moved towards her.

"Hey, Emiko!"

Image size reduced, original size: 1650 x 1000. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

The girl's hand suddenly froze. Emiko didn't move, instead, she shot a serious glare at the man.

"Aww come on, don't be like that."

Still silent, Emiko balanced the pencil in the RX7's slight panel gap and broke eye contact.

"…Say, mind doing me a favor? I know I still owe you for teaching me the ropes, but just one more favor, please? See that guy over there…yeah, mind giving him a quick rundown of how things work around here…hey, are you listening?"

Emiko gently nodded, but still remained stubbornly silent.

"It's really hard for me to know what you're thinking if you don't talk, you know. Well, we're gonna race, if you feel like taking me up on it, then feel free to join in." The man slid his hands in his pocket and turned away. "Also, very nice drawing of him there. I'd say you were being too generous, actually…or is this your way of expressing interest?"

With that final friendly tease, the man left Emiko's side and walked towards his Evo.

"What was that about?"

"Not a lot. Hopefully I'll be proven correct. For now, just get in your car. I won't be going easy on you, do your best to keep up. The race itself will start when my hazards are off. It'll be around the first corner, so stay awake. Compared to Wangan, this is a completely different game you're playing."

Still dazed, Jiro shook his head and climbed into the Impreza. Tyrone quickly jumped into the passenger seat, and the two cars began their slow cruise to up to the first corner.

Emiko watched the two cars push through the darkness, slowly fading away. She lightly touched her cheeks, still red from her earlier blunder.

I-It's not like there's anything wrong if I just watch…right?

The sound of the RX7's rotary engine firing up disrupted the recovering silence at Hakone.

They shouldn't be too far ahead…I'll catch up, mmmhm…

With a final, confident nod, Emiko launched the RX7 up the pass.

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

Saburo glanced at his mirrors. The sight behind him was awe inspiring. Three cars from completely different eras duking it out, and he was dragged straight into it. Under normal circumstances, most racers would have happily moved aside and watched from behind, but he had no time for it.

Hatori…what the hell did you get yourself into this time…

Diverting his attention to inspecting the purple Supra behind him, Saburo inadvertently lifted off the throttle.

The purple Supra flashed its headlights as it continued its charge, slowing for no one.

"Tsk…Ok, ok, stop that already, I'll move!"

Saburo's 180SX veered out of the way, the road barely wide enough to allow for such a large movement.

"Gentlemanly as always, aren't you." Hatori smiled as she made her pass, quietly hoping Saburo would snatch second place, giving her some much needed breathing room.

"…Too gentlemanly, sadly."

She sighed to herself, disappointment in her voice. The chasing party had continued their advance, completely ignoring the 180SX.

"I guess what they say is true, don't rely on others to clean up your own mess and all that. Now then…"

Gripping the steering wheel with a confident smile, Hatori gave her RX7 in her rear mirrors a final glance.

…Still these guys, huh. I've learned under them, surpassed them…you'd think it'd be a big enough hint for them.

"Since the opportunity has presented itself, let me show you why you'll never catch up to me."

The convoy approached Happogahara's four hairpins with less than 5 meters between each car. The FD in second was closing, slightly further behind was the Evo IV, with Saburo now just watching from a distance.

"Hounding my ass like this…I wouldn't get ahead of yourself."

Gently, the Supra's brake lights lit up.

In perfect sync, the RX7 and Evo slammed on the brakes. Saburo, a fair distance behind, cautiously closed the gap, his eyes locked onto the escaping Supra.
What the hell are you doing, that's braking way too early…stop playing around already!

Even from afar, Saburo could sense something was off. However, he was now rapidly closing in on the Evo. It was a golden opportunity to turn the tables in this one-sided chase.

Glancing at the RX7 behind her, Hatori smiled a thin, sly smile.

"…You never learn, do you. That's almost cute, really."

A red blur dived down her left. No doubt, it was the FD.

Got'chya.

"Huh?!"

In a split second, the outcome of this match was decided.

--

The Evo driver watched the next sequence of events, completely paralysed.
It was all over.

Too quick to stop, too naturally to detect.

He should have been more alert, that much, he knew. It was an amateur's mistake. Yet, caught in the rush of such a hunt, he allowed it to happen.

In front of him, Hatori's Supra surged forwards, escaping the RX7's intercept. Too late to stop, it veered waywardly into the Evo's path. Before he had the chance to readjust, the road disappeared before his eyes.

The ever brightening glow from the approaching Nissan's headlights suddenly vanished.

Nothing was behind him.

To his side, a pitch black blur dived down the inner lane. Too late to block, he could only watch as Saburo effortlessly overtook both of them.
"Shit!"

Unable to correct the fish tailing, the RX7 spun out, stopping just inches from the stone wall. His teammate instantly broke off from the chase, coming to his aid.

"H-hey!"

"Ugh…"

"What the hell happened there?"

"Don't ask…"

I underestimated you…or should I say…I forgot how reckless you were.
"What should we do?"

"Forget the chase. There's nothing good in dragging an outsider into our affairs."
The RX-7 driver impatiently kicked the guardrail, his face sour with discontent.
Your good fortune saved you again…Pray that's still the case next time we meet.

--

"That was more spectacular than it should have ever been." Hatori couldn't help but laugh at how well her simple move had worked out for her. "Knowing them, that'll be all for tonight. Now to take care of some admin…oh?"

Hatori's phone rang.

"Hey, what's this, calling me up all of a sudden."

"Drop the act, what the hell did you do this time, Hatori."

"Nice follow up there, I didn't expect you to see through my feint."

"Stop changing the topic."

"…Not even leaving room for praise and banter, huh. Alright, meet me by the tunnel, you know the place."

--

"Cut to the chase. Who were they? Why were they chasing you?"
Saburo slammed the 180SX's door shut and looked Hatori in the eyes.

"Hey hey, take it easy. One question at a time, I'll answer them all so take a deep breath…and don't stare at me like that, I'm not a drug dealer in disguise, nor have I committed some unspeakable act, no need to look at me like a criminal."

Without replying, Saburo narrowed his eyes, his gaze still filled with suspicion.

"Lighten up, prince, the insomnia is getting to you." Hatori moved beside Saburo with a frivolous laugh. "Yeah, she told me. Everything~. She told me about how badly all this has been getting to you, how much she worries about it, all that. It's really quite cute how you two do this."

"Hey, there's things that can just go unsaid between friends, you know."

"Is this what it is? Either way, that girl really cares for you, you know? She's still sour about that time you ran off to Ibaraki alone. Use this trip to Hakone to make up for it."

"…You're talking like you're not coming with us."

"I'm not. Regretfully, I might add."

"Why? Because of what happened just now?"

"You're pretty persistent today, aren't you. Ahhh~ what's this, what's this? Saburo, stone cold and indifferent, actually caring about something? And it's something to do with me? I'll die with no regrets knowing that." Hatori wrapped her arm around Saburo's neck, tugging him towards herself as she teased.

Image size reduced, original size: 1650 x 1000. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

"Arghhh, enough already-GET OFF! I'm being serious here, grow up!"

"You sure you want that? I'm worried that you might not be able to handle the heat if I 'grow up'. Anyway, don't worry about that. It's nothing to worry about, really."

"They were pretty desperate though-"

"It's fine, so forget it." Hatori snapped. "Anyway, because of that, I won't be seeing you for a while. Take care of her, ok?"

"…I don't need you to tell me."

"Before you ask, I'll be here as usual. Someone has to watch your growing legacy after all. Don't take too long, 'kay?"

Well then…I suppose the cat's out of the bag.

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

3AM. A certain mountain pass in Kanagawa.

Parked at the side of the road, four yellow cars idled in the mist.

In Loving Memory of Takahiro Yoshikawa

Within the overgrowing weeds, there was a small grave erected.

Kunitaro stood facing it. Beside him were Kantaro, Kotoku and Tsukioka. Their eyes were downcast. The usual bubbly, cheery Yellows were nowhere to be found.

The air was thick, heavy. It weighed down on their minds. They stood, taking in the environment that they normally blitz by. The serenity of this scene, the soft sounds of wildlife.

"You…must find this refreshing."

Kunitaro's voice broke the silence. He was speaking to thin air, yet the atmosphere was tense.

"Away from Tokyo. Away from the noisy nights. Away from all the stress and pressure and fighting and all that hell."

His voice trembled.

"It…it's been a while…hasn't it?"

Kunitaro held his tears back.

"You know…when you left. I-It…was a shock. I…didn't know what to do."

He clenched his fist, his words were caught between his tears and his laughter.

"None of us did. We…were so lost…"

In the sporadic silence broken up by soft sniffling, no one interrupted Kunitaro's monologue.

"They call us 'Yellow' now…yeah, just…just like the old days. We did it. We're better off now than ever before…probably more famous…"

"So, you can rest in peace now…right? We can all move on now…right?"

Kneeling by the gravestone, Kunitaro's hands gripped the damp surface. It was moist, there was a faint warmth from the ground.

Watching the normally laid back leader become so emotional was hard for the others. They, too, felt his pain. But none felt it to his extent. He meant a lot to him, It was a true shame he went so quickly, such statements ran through their minds. Statements meant to comfort. Yet, when presented with this scene, they remained as thoughts, never put into words.

Words could not describe their camaraderie. They could not describe the joy, the anger, the thrills that those two had experienced together. Their time together was ambivalent, but it had shaped Kunitaro into who he is.

"…So, what did he say? The usual, "that's great, just don't spend so much time racing or I'll take your sweetheart off you"?"

"That's something he'd definitely say. Guy knew where the line was drawn, he just never stayed behind it."

"Don't start, don't start. Lemme pass the drink around first." Tsukioka hastily passed beer cans around. "Come on, Kunitaro. It's fresh from the fridge."

"…Don't bullshit, where did you find a fridge up here?"

"I had one installed just yesterday, it's getting too hot lately. But that's besides the point." Kantaro lightly tapped Kunitaro's face with the ice cold beer can.

"In loving memory?" Tsukioka raised his can with a cautious glance.

"Yes…" Hesitating slightly, Kunitaro raised his can, and announced…

"To our leader. Forever, and always."

The four men downed their drink and laughed like children. Their laughs were hollow, almost sad.

"Well…I'd love to stay, but really, it's closer to dawn than it is to midnight right now and I've got work to do tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Don't you mean 'later today'?"

"Funny. Either way…Stay as long as you need to, Kunitaro. We understand. It's just…we're not super human enough to spend a night out here."

"Hold on, 'we'?" Kunitaro asked with a frown.

"Yeah…we, as in…uh…us three, not including you. We need to be somewhere, so just take your time, we'll see you around."

Quickly rushing to their cars, the three yellow cars took off, disappearing into the mist.

Silence soon fell once more.

"…So, we're alone again."

"Says who?"

From behind the trees, a tall, well endowed girl stepped out.

"…Kaori, why are you here?"

"It's…been how long? Since he left."

"Don't ignore me, how did you get here?"

"I'm worried about you…that's all." Kaori leaned onto his squatting form and caressed his head.

"Can't be anymore than three months…maybe half a year at most."

"…You've done really well…I'm sure, if he was still here, he'd be proud."

"You think so too, huh?"

Image size reduced, original size: 1650 x 1000. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

"It's fine to cry, you know. We've been going out for so long, I've seen everything there is to see. There's no one else here, and you have all the time in the world. Everything you need to say, want to say…let it all out."

"It's…just a shame. Such a brilliant mind, in such a carefree personality…gone. He raised us up. You were there. You saw it, how he turned us from wannabes that couldn't corner quickly without spinning out into people with presence. People who actually had credibility. Even if the money we made was not enough for a living, it gave us pride. We were "Yellow", one of the five 'kings' of Tokyo's street scene. Drifting through our territory at the dead of night, following Takahiro's moves, laughing at his ridiculous car…Even if our territory was fake…the experiences were real."

"I know." Kaori's embrace tightened. "I know. How can I forget him. He made me wet myself when he drove me home in that…what was it again…?"

"Oh, I remember. That stupidly expensive R32 GT-S he had. Guy always wanted an R34…couldn't afford one. So dumped his entire month of winnings to make a fake. It looked so funny…but no one's laughing now. "

Kaori replied in silence, instead, she softly stroked his hair, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

"Yeah…On that night…Yellow ceased to be."

"You know…He really did transform you. Your eyes back then…they were so full of life, I couldn't get angry at you for anything. You…were completely different. Even with me, you weren't so happy. I actually got jealous, you know?"

"…Ahh…really. You make it so awkward, Kaori. I've got a hella sexy idol so close to me…yet I'm just…so demotivated and sad about something so trivial. It's pathetic…right?"

Kaori sighed and brushed her black hair aside, squatting down in front of the disheartened Kunitaro. Endearingly caressing his teary face, she brought her doll-like face closer to him.

"It's okay, really. Before being an idol, I'm your girl. There's nothing more important than you being happy."

With a sweet, gentle kiss, she silenced the last of his tears.

"…Perfume."

Kunitaro sniffed, his eyes still red.

"Hmmm? What of it?"

"Too much of it. Same goes for your make up. I want to sneeze."

"Go away! So much for being a caring girlfriend and relieving your stress! You can cry and grieve by yourself tonight, huuuuuummph-"

Peering out the corner of her eye, she turned around and pulled a face.

"I'm glad you're better now."

"Yeah…thanks."

Wait.

Kunitaro's thoughts froze.

No.

He was mistaken.

I've…still not done enough.

He may have gained success.

He may have gained recognition.

But that's…not what you wanted the most, is it?

Most importantly, of course…

"Ah…Kaori. It…looks like I'm not quite finished yet."

Seeing the resolute blaze in his eyes, the idol narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Oh ho…is that so? I was gonna tempt you tonight with some things that would be bad for my reputation…but I guess it'll have to wait."

With an understanding sigh, she looked up to the brightening skies.

"So…you know what to do now, right?"

Turning back to hold her soft, warm hands, Kunitaro nodded.

"Yeah. I know."

- つづく -

This post has been edited by Rin on Aug 22 2014, 02:22 AM

Wow, this is yet another very impressive chapter, guys...

Clearly a lot of effort has been put in both pacing and plot progression for every set of characters respectively on every region across Japan.

First off, we get to see a new character debuting with the return of Jiro and Tyrone...Emiko sure strikes me as someone similar to Aoi, very reserved and quiet yet calm with a rather deceptive choice of car that seem to be more than just meets the eye...I really can't wait to see what you've in store for them...

For Saburo's part, we get to see some mysterious yet suspicious activity development from his rather happy-go-lucky partner. The sudden modification on the stock JZA70 into what seemed to be an aggressive battle machine reminiscent of Ryosuke's FC in preparation of the battle against Shinigami sure seemed to raise a lot of questions as to who is Hatori avoiding and why is she hiding it even from her closest friends. Hatori sure drawn a lot of interests in this particular scene and I really wish to know more about her in future.

Finally we get to see the good old Yellow Team members again with Kunitaro and his gang paying their respect to their departed leader...for some reason I find new likeness to Kunitaro and the appearance of the female Kaori sure lightened the mood up a bit in a bittersweet way from the lamenting and mourning to the great leader...sure hope things will go well for them in future.

All in all, this is a very 3 dimensional way of storytelling from many perspective and it's certainly a very refreshing read. Keep up the good work, Team AC!

The characters focus in each different regions sure has that balance that not a lot of stories exist these days, good job on that, Team AC.

Also...I find myself morbidly curious now as to what is Hatori's past as this encounter certainly have made it slipped out that she has a very dark and well-hidden side that seem to antagonize two drivers of high caliber to at least chase her in sight. Her display of unusually high driving skills with clever use of simple tricks to fool strong drivers seemed to be another question waiting to be answered as to how experienced she really is behind her laid back and playful nature. I certainly hope there will be some explanations for her in future as story progress on.

Meanwhile, the appearance of a new character Emiko sure brought new focus back to Jiro and Tyrone whom got out from hospital since last time we saw them. Again, I wonder what's in store for them...

Finally, the respect paying for Yellow's leader...though the lamenting seemed reasonably believable enough, I believe they have more to talk about than just the past...like what they plan to do in future or what their objectives are or whatever agendas waiting for them as they progress on and etc. etc.

All in all this is a very eventful chapter once again. Good work on that.

Don't worry, I won't be so mean as to not explain myself after throwing all that in your face…Just all in good time. You have to let me be lazy.

Yellow's future will be explained, of course, it may seem random but there's a reason some things go unmentioned.

Hatori…eh, as written, she'll be vanishing for a bit…only to give you so much of herself later on that you'd be sick of it. Wait till then.

It's been so long since an actual update...but...here we go <3

--

Code 23: Embracing Truce

Ayase Tsurugi let out a lengthy, heavy yawn.

Her beloved Chaser idled in Tsubaki Line's deserted Parking Area. At 2 in the morning, with not a soul in sight, her very presence here, accompanied only by Mayumi in her Evo V would have normally been met with violent protests.

Normally, she would heed them, begrudgingly or otherwise.

This night, however, she didn't.

"So let me get this straight."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose with a groan.

"What you're saying is, basically, we escort you in tonight's escape, dangerous enough as it is around here…and you want me to actively get in her way and force her to stop?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

Ruka cocked her head to the side in response.

"I'll have you know, before you start questioning its feasibility, that I've given this plenty of thought. It all seems very manageable. I've not had any troubles doing it, so this should be a breeze for you."

"…You tried this? On her? Why do you need us then?"

"No, of course not. These were done on simulators. No worries, really! I only had to restart once or twice…every so often."

"'Every so often', coming from you, would mean…two restarts out of five attempts? Reeaallly encouraging. Ignoring the statistics, why does it have to be me!"

"Isn't that obvious? I'm going to be keeping her busy, so of course you'll have to do it. Divide and conquer, right?"

"I give up. Let's…let's just go."

No, that's not how you use that phrase…but now's not the time for this.

"And her? Will your friend be joining in?"

"Unfortunately yes. She's no where near your level though, sorry if that'll hold you back."

"Too late to worry." Quickly peeking at her pocket watch, Ruka sighed. "Let's go, it won't be long before she shows up. I always run into her at these hours, if you must know."

---

And that explains it…here I am, on a witch hunt.

Ayase rubbed her forehead, keeping a weary eye out for headlights coming up behind her.

Tonight's probably going to be wasted…my precious, precious sleep…how I long for you~

"You're falling behind…"

Hmm…?

"I said, keep up, stop daydreaming! You agreed to escorting her like a VIP, so at least act like a bodyguard and be by her side."

"U-Uh…Ah…s-sorry."

"…Forget it. All of it." Mayumi's voice turned cold instantly. It was a forceful, composed voice. She imposed these words onto Ayase with a rare stubbornness. "For tonight, do what you're told to do without question. It's fine to go by instincts every now and then, isn't it?"

Hearing you shrink back like this…it disgusts me.

"Come on, let's not keep that aristocrat girl waiting. Even if you're not in the mood, she's really depending on you. Just for once, how about you don't disappoint your fans."

Hearing these words, Ayase couldn't help but smile.

Both that time, and now…always here for me, huh.

"Shut up." She chuckled dryly, enthusiasm returning to her voice. "Tonight, the spotlight's mine, got it?"

With a high pitched chatter, the Chaser's turbos exhaled and surged forward, lining itself beside the GT-R.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"You sound altogether more alive, so it's forgiven." Ruka replied with a playful smile as she fiddled with her earpiece. "Ugh…this thing you gave me is so uncomfortable."

"I was nice enough to buy the thing for you, show some gratitude. Also, if not for this, how would we co-ordinate? Just speak up when you need me to do something."

"Ok. She's heading upwards toward us right now, so just stay on guard."

"So certain? Aren't you-"

"I'm not being paranoid."

No one said you were…

Ayase sighed and glanced into her rear mirrors. With Mayumi to her side, the road behind the trio was completely empty…yet it felt off-putting. It seemed to glint and shimmer in the slight fog, brightening sporadically.

From behind, a mechanical bellowing boomed towards them. In the damp, translucent white of their rear mirrors, a vivid red fluttered into view.

Without another word, their hunt began.
----

Kagerou smiled, a childish smirk split her face.

A convoy of three ahead.

Completely empty pass, no traffic up or downhill.

No escape.

...let the party begin!

The Z lunged forward at the fleeing trio. Kagerou's focus hadn't changed. Her eyes were still set on the rapidly vanishing GT-R.

"Come on, come on come on come on!" Her foot firmly planted into the firewall, Kagerou's grin widened as she closed the gap. "Body guards or whatever, you're mine this time!"

"Ayase, drop back. You hold her off."

Ruka commanded offhandedly, catching a glimpse of Kagerou's relentless advance.

"Hmm? What for?"

"To keep your friend from having to deal with her, of course." She replied in a shallow voice. Her breathing was audibly tense and sharp, her focus scattered between so many tasks. "After hearing such a touching conversation, it'd be a shame if either of you got hurt for my sake."

"Doesn't 'holding her off' conflict directly with 'not getting hurt'?!"

"We'll wait for you, so let her get as close as you dare. I'll leave the task of stopping her for you to figure out." Ignoring Ayase's protest, Ruka continued to issue orders. "Get behind me, Ayase's friend. If you can keep pace, you'll be fine. We won't be fleeing for long."

"I've got a name, you know-oh forget it, let's just do this."

Charging towards the divider, the three cars quickly rearranged themselves. Mayumi's Evo took the inner lane, following the GT-R's move. Ayase lifted off the throttle gingerly and moved aside, eyes fixed on the ever growing glare in her mirrors.

"Oh ho, what's this what's this? Some new game you're trying to play?!"

Kagerou's approach was frighteningly quick. Almost instantly, the Z33 was within 10 meters of the Chaser's rear.

"Appetizer's here~!"

The Fairlady's blood red nose was now pointed squarely at the Chaser, itself only a slight distance away from the corner. In front of them, two flashes of crimson vanished behind the barriers. Kagerou didn't overtake her.

She took the bait, huh...that'd be great if my life wasn't at risk as well...

Barely five meters between them, the Chaser cautiously pushed through the unfamiliar corner. It was still, surprisingly, a stalemate. Neither dared attack. Not yet.

"Let's dance."

With Mayumi's Evo out of sight, Ayase began her charge. Turbo spooled up, the Chaser surged forwards. Her usual sideways antics had no place here. All 520hp was used to pull as far away from danger as possible.

Yet it wasn't enough.

Despite her best efforts, in the next series of corners, she couldn't shake off the Z. The haunting whine of its supercharger still resonated in the back her mind. More worryingly, a foul metallic stink filled the interior.

No time to worry...

She glanced back again.

The white glare still sat stubbornly behind her, some meters away.

So persistent! Can't you just back off, dammit! It's a stalemate anyway, leave me the f**k alone!

Throwing the Chaser into another fast sweeper, she bitterly cursed her kind nature. Her tires were giving in, control was slowly slipping away from her and her eyes were burning up. Compounding problems, a corner ahead, the two 4WDs had cut their pace down to a cruise. Ayase could just about see the afterglow of their brake lights.

Her time was running out.

"Hey hey, how are you holding up?"

An annoying, teasing voice broke up her concentration.

"Shut up." Ayase coldly barked. "What the hell are you doing up front? Why am I catching up to you two?"

"I can't do the latter if you insist on the former, you know."

"Tell it straight, or I let this red b*tch pass. With me out of the way, she should catch you awfully quickly, don't you think?"

"...I only jest. End this chase before the straight, that's all I'll say. We're here to make sure something is in the way if she passes you. Her reign ends tonight, after all."

"Uh huh. About that-"

The rest of her message couldn't be heard.

Drowned out by a high pitched hissing.

Her world darkened.

At the same time, a dense burst of white smoke erupted from the front.

The boost gauge flopped lifelessly to zero.

Almost instantly, a vivid crimson flashed behind her.

"H-Hey, what's happening?"

"Argh!"

A violent shunt came from behind.

In her scramble, Ayase had neglected the Chaser's delicate engine. The extreme strain had proved too much.

"D-Don't scare me...What's happening?!"

Ruka's panic fell on deaf ears. She could just about make it out in her rear mirror. That glimmer of pink buried in a sea of white, the crimson shadow behind it, rapidly catching.

Ayase glanced to her side. In between the overflowing smoke, she saw it. A red Z33 in the lane beside her. The Fairlady's momentum accelerated it alongside the Chaser. With the next corner rapidly approaching, there was no doubt what Kagerou's next move would be.

"Hurry up! It's kill or be killed, anything will do so just DO SOMETHING!"

"Arrghh, shut up shut up, I get it!" Ayase groaned.

Violently tugging the handbrake, she flicked the car sideways. Both brakes engaged, the Chaser's speed plummeted.

Kagerou only saw the red flash for a split second.

She couldn't react.

The Fairlady charged straight into the side of the Chaser without slowing. Kagerou herself became a mere passenger in this sudden turn of events.

Image size reduced, original size: 1650 x 1000. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

A sickening impact punched into the side of Ayase's Chaser. The Z33 smashed squarely into the front door, shoving the Toyota into the guardrail.

The Z was crippled. Continuing was an impossibility with the remains of its radiator scraping the tarmac. The front fenders, buckled inward, jammed the front wheels.

No steering, no cooling, damaged engine. Kagerou couldn't hope to carry on.

Dislodging itself from the Chaser's side, the Fairlady awkwardly limped into the guardrails.

"H-Heh."

Kagerou's mouth, frozen agape, suddenly split into a vicious smile. Her hands tensed, curved into a talon.

"Hahahaha…"

That's…

"That's not fair!"

"That's really not fair! I'M THE HUNTER HERE! YOU'RE REALLY SOMETHING, YOU KNOW! To get someone to do your dirty work…as expected of a rich b*tch!"

She slashed at the jammed door, desperately trying to get out. The door eventually gave way to her rage.

A vibrant, blood red glint peered out from inside the Z33.

The hunt came to a screeching halt. Mayumi instantly pulled over and rushed out. Her Evo, along with the GT-R, blocked the front.

"Well then…game over. Restart?"

Ruka's distorted voice rang in Ayase's ears. It was an irritating, childish cheer that mocked her irrational move.

"Screw you. I'm done, take care of things from here."

"Oh, that won't do at all. I didn't expect you to risk so much for my cause. It's heartfelt, really."

"If it is, then leave me be, dammit. I wanna throw up…"

"You have to get out to do that, don't you?"

Ayase simply tossed the earpiece away in response. Resting her head on the steering wheel, she watched the aftermath unfold from the safety of the wreck.

"I guess toying around does have its limits." Ruka sighed and carefully tucked her earpiece away, turning to face the Z's open door. "Now then..."

Time for my battle.

"You…you're quite something."

A shaken, raging bellow echoed through the night.

"That much, that much, I'll give you! Absolutely shameless, ruthless…I'm dangerous…but you take it to a different level!"

"Is that so? Hearing that from someone like you…I'm almost inclined to take it as an insult."

"Am I supposed to feel anything, knowing that?"

"A sense of defeat would be a nice start."

" Don't think that it's over- "

"You lost. Again. Doesn't that mean it's over by default? Ah, I suppose this is where my right to breathe gets threatened again."

"Ha. Haha. That's rich. I lost? How did you figure that? No start, no rules, no finish, where exactly did you win? This was just my usual night of hunting-"

"Only to be hunted in return. Quite spectacularly, I might add."

"Don't boast, YOU CHEATED DAMMIT-"

"Shut up already. If you insist on a battle, allow me to present a more productive alternative to this endless farce. I played by your lack of rules, now you play by mine."

"What if I don't want to? What will you do? What can you do?" Kagerou's feral smirk resurfaced. The anger in her voice disappeared, replaced by a obtuse stubbornness.

"I can't do anything, sadly. Pushing you around can only entertain me for so long, so that, too is out as a solution. I trust you know what I mean by that."

"Heh. I get it, I'll buy your bluff. This better be good."

"Recently, the majority of racers in this area have moved away. Be it because of you or otherwise, they're now focused around Hakone. Rough guess, this should last for another month. Our duel will be simple. Defeat as many as we can find until then. No one can be challenged twice, and for you...do try and refrain from harming anyone. If you can surpass my streak, then you'll have your rematch."

"So tedious...But, if that's what it takes for me to beat you down, so be it!"

"Hmph. A truce then. If only temporarily."

Ruka extended her hand, her face brimming with confidence.

"Don't give me that. I won't hunt you, or anyone else, for that matter, until after I beat you."

"In that case, that'll be all for tonight." Turning away, Ruka strolled pass the Z and towards the pink wreck. Ayase had already been hauled out, with the Chaser still blocking the road. From behind her, a rasping bark approached.

"She's over here, in case you were wondering. Out cold."

"Mhm."

"You...don't sound so great either."

Mayumi silently got out and stood beside the frail girl. Her presence had diminished significantly, her reply so faint it was barely heard.

"How did it go?"

"I-It...was okay...I guess."

"Hmm."

Really now, where did all that spirit go.

Leaning on her Evo, Mayumi thought to herself with a sigh.

"Well" With an inviting smile, she tapped the car's hood. "Take a seat. We're not going anywhere with that in the way, nor will she be waking up anytime soon...so tell me about it."

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

"Yo."

Saburo's voice echoed through Sakuya's silent workshop.

"Morning…aren't you early today." Climbing out from under the Supra, Sakuya replied absentmindedly. "Let me finish up here, then we can go. What's the plan again?"

"I thought you had that sorted? Go to Hakone to check out the new competition, wasn't it?"

"You sure you want to go through with it? I mean, the competition there on a whole different level. 350hp may be enough here, but over there? You won't stand a chance."

"I know…but it’s not like I’ve much choice."

"'Hey, no one's forcing you to go and race them." Still replying in a distant voice, Sakuya cleared up the pile of empty parts boxes beneath her car. "I just want you to come along, see how things are done at the top end."
"Hmmm...."

As Sakuya began the final preparations, Saburo inspected the small corner of the garage. Watching the car lift lower her prized Supra onto the garage floor, a thought hit him.

"So you still plan to use the 3S-GTE for Hakone? I'd have thought for these faster roads, you would pick the 2JZ."

"Eh...I'm still not too keen on using it right now. Besides, we're only checking things out. Our main goal is still Gunma, no point swapping engines twice." She pushed the 2JZ aside with a huff, locking it in its place at the side of the garage. "Anyway, that's for me to take care of."

"Hmm?"

"For you, something less exciting but nonetheless important." From behind the car jack, Sakuya lifted a full set of tires out. "Free...of...charge! Of course."

"You don’t really –"

"Don’t say you don’t need it. 'Better safe than sorry', and all that."

Image size reduced, original size: 1650 x 1000. Click here to view the image in its original dimension.

"Thanks..." Saburo replied in a faint voice, hiding his expression behind his hair.
"What’s the matter?"

"No…it’s nothing."

"Come on then, if you’ve time to stay here, help me out with the Supra. I got to finalise the car before we leave tonight."

"How come I always have to work whenever I visit you for a discussion?"
"Not always. This is...hmm... the tenth time, actually."

"...you actually keep count?"

"Anything wrong with that?"

"...No...that's not it. But anyway, what needs to be done?"

"Let's see..."

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

Hakone Pass, fourth checkpoint.
Jiro’s Impreza was struggling to keep pace. Of course, that much, he expected. He entered this race fully prepared for a complete defeat. Yet experiencing it first hand, the frustration of being left behind, the infuriating bitterness of loss, it clouded his mind.

Meter by meter.

Corner by corner.

The gap between them relentlessly increased, irrespective of his effort.

His sense tingled; his palms were damp with cold sweat. He had completely shut out his surroundings in his chase.

He was giving it his all.

But it wasn’t enough.

“I…”

The Impreza’s turbo chirped as he gently lifted off the throttle.

“I’m done.”

“Eh?”

“I’m backing off. ‘Game over’, ‘better luck next time’, all the rest of it.”

“Y-yo, hold up, what’s this all of a sudden. After all that searching and preparation, that’s it? You’re not even going to finish your first race?”

“I never said I’d win this race. In fact, I said the exact opposite. Besides, if I’m losing my cool over something, it’s not worth carrying on.” Jiro took a deep breath, quickly coming to terms with the vivid emotions from moments ago. “I did my best, it wasn’t enough. I have nothing to regret.”

“No no, you don’t get to chicken out and get the moral high ground.” Tyrone protested. “Guilt trips don’t work either. Now turn your beat ass around and let’s get back to Tokyo already.”

“Isn’t that even worse than giving up? Thanks but no thanks, your friends on Nico Nico will have to wait. This is the first race, it’d look bad if I don’t even try to finish.”

The pitch black road behind them suddenly lit up.
A pair of headlights slithered towards the Impreza. With it, the smooth sound of a rotary engine filled the silent mountain road.

"You see that?" Tyrone jumped at the sight of the RX-7 closing in. "That there, is your chance to redeem yourself, my friend."

"What now? You're so competitive, calm down already."

"Look in your mirrors already dammit. Don't you remember that car from just now? That girl with the glasses, the mute."

"Oh, her. Emiko...I think he called her? What, you want me to race her?"

And don't go labelling people as mutes because they don't like speaking...though I don't mind quiet girls at all..

"Nope. You don't need to." Tyrone glanced behind him, confirming his suspicions. The RX-7 was closing in steadily, aided by Jiro's now relaxed driving. "At the rate she's going, you'll be done real soon."

Before Jiro could respond, the yellow shadow behind him darted pass.

It was a beautifully simple move. In the brief moment he had been distracted, Emiko had stolen the inner lane.

The corner in question was a right hand sweeper. Uphill, off camber. With the road tilted at an angle, however slight, even regulars would be put off by the prospect of taking this corner at speed. Emiko dived in, entering the corner almost parallel to the Impreza, with no intention of playing gentle.

Movement restricted, pushed outwards, Jiro felt even closer to the guardrails. Too close for comfort. Too much to bear. The events of that night played in his head. Fast forward, slow motion, in a split second, he saw and felt the crash replay before him.

The same fears shook his courage here.

He felt boxed in. He saw no escape. His mind drew blanks. Nothing came to mind. To maintain competitive and survive this corner in the wrong lane was an impossibility.

No...!

Jiro backed off.

No...Even if I lose...I won't make that mistake. Not again.

He braked firmly, retreating behind the RX-7. Following her one car length away, Jiro sighed with defeat in his voice.

Yet, he wasn't left behind.

Through the sweeper, both cars maintained their distance.

The momentum that drove the RX-7 ahead seemed to vanish. Even as the road opened out, the pace from before was all but gone.

"Jiro..."

"Yes, I get it, now just sit back and watch."

Confidence renewed, the Impreza set off in pursuit.
---

Was that...a bit too dangerous? There's late braking...then 'dive bombing'...and then what I did just then, I guess.

Emiko glanced at the blue blur behind her. Since she overtook him, the gap between the two cars was limited to fifteen meters. With an eye firmly kept on their distance, she set the pace.

Around this quick should be enough. Watch carefully...

Delicately tapping the brakes, she eased off the pace for the corner ahead. The Impreza followed, trying to copy her line. Its reserved braking, conservative pace and the defensive line, Emiko took note of it all. Unused to the speed, her mind began to wander.

That was quite a good pass...I think?

But she couldn't smile. The more she dwelled on it, the more she felt a bitter regret grow in her heart.

What would he think of it?

She couldn't carry on beyond this point.

Would he see it as dangerous...?

Her mind looped itself over and over, trying to answer these questions.

W-Wait, why would that matter anyway?![I]

The RX-7 surged forward, its rotary engine's sudden scream drowned out her embarrassment.

[I]A-And I only began drawing him because...b-because...

Her eyes widened.

A-Ah...

She had lost her cool in the fast, snaking section of the course. The delicate balance of fifteen meters that she tried to maintain was blown away. The Impreza was barely keeping up.

So much for teaching...

Cutting her pace down to a cruise, she took a deep breath. The road stretched out ahead, her light of sight only interrupted by its gentle kinks.

Come on...keep it together. This only works if your mood is stable...now just calm down, and guide him to the end. We're nearly there anyway...

---

Jiro gritted his teeth.

What the hell...

Through the remaining corners, he had sensed the RX-7 edge away ever with each corner. Yet he was always able to follow, always able to learn the timing. He was kept on edge, but found comfort in giving chase.

Yet, in a matter of seconds, Emiko had become a distant, yellow haze on his horizon. He may have been caught off guard, but that alone couldn't have accounted for all of the gap.

That's...how far I've got to go, huh.

He pushed on. Using the Impreza's 4WD grip to his advantage, he fired out of the tight right hander, glued to the inner lane. The RX-7's familiar rear slowly peered through the red and yellow glare.

All straight from here...right?

Doubt filled his mind, but he couldn't allow himself to be put off. It didn't matter if she was holding back.

Jiro fixed his eyes on the glimmer ahead, desperate to close the gap. The end was just beyond this straight. He had already conceded this as his loss. Yet, he wore a gentle, understanding smile on his face.

"Well...so much for trying my hand at something new."

"Giving up again?"

"Nah. Getting whipped twice in a night is a refreshing feeling."

"I never knew you were such a masochist."

Jiro snorted in response, still smiling his soft smile.

I might have lost the race, but...

The faint recollection of his syncronised chase tingled in his arms, the adrenaline tickled his senses. He wanted more. Getting faster didn't matter, the sensation was enough.

What does it matter...Emiko, was it? Such a considerate girl...if only her driving wasn't so whack...

Just the thought of her violent pass and the rapid escape made him shudder.

"Hmph. The fact that I'm still doing this after that crash is proof enough." Jiro finally replied as he lined up behind the cruising RX-7 once more. "Now, when we finish and meet that girl, I do the talking. No New York 'gangsta' behavior, please."

"Relax man. I won't hit on your girl. 'Specially when you're so smitten after the first meeting."

"Haha...no. Just don't interrupt this time."

Crossing the finishing post, Jiro finally let out a heavy sigh. Both cars gently coasted to a halt, pulling up beside each other.

"Well then, that's that."

"Go get 'er, tiger."

- つづく -

Thank goodness for an update finally!!

And this is well worth the wait!

The first scene: Wow, what an intense chase with a devastating finish! D:

Kagerou sure isn't joking when she's planning to spill some road-killing blood...if that T-Bone stunt on the Chaser isn't saying she's eager to kill someone I sure as heck don't know what qualifies as "killing intent". This is really unusual as I hardly see any story-teller willing to go to this route where you'll have characters openly go at another's throat. But turns out the plan to kill didn't work out well and now Ruka is proposing for a change of a less-blood-spilling game to end their feud.

Sure is interested to see how things go from here on...and I am surprised Kagerou accepted it so easily despite being so hell-bent on attacking Ruka. xD

The second scene: Dang...short but wow, Sakuya really is devoted in giving Saburo everything he needs to get the best results in fighting against the Defense Lines...and Hakone? I sure hope it's not that Hakone in WMMT version since that road is hardly accurate in terms of location. Hakone was supposed to be a much wider road (Like how Initial D use the actual location where Shinigami can push his 600 hp R32 in its fullest).

And the increase of horsepower will help in future... that 2JZ from Sakuya's Supra sure screams "Critical tune" in spades...can't even imagine how much horses she'll get if she decides to swap that thing back in her car...

Scene 3: Eh~ Jiro and his friend playing a game of chase with Emiko~ Cute. XD

The race sure turned out just as impressive, and the capture on Hakone's race is well-written. Nice work on that. Sure hope there won't be any awkward moments with the girl that unleashed ROTARY POWAH on them in the next chapter if there's gonna be a continuation of this. xD

All in all, solid chapter well waited. Keep up the good work~

8.3/10

One thing about scene 1, that is, Kagerou didn't actively ram her. She just couldn't stop in time. We can't blame her for everything, much as we'd like to. I don't know, going after people openly normally just seems a bit tasteless and not too believable I guess...but I want to at least try to make it work.

The Hakone we're using is the Initial D version, yes. Just because it's the version Rin keeps showing me hence it stuck. Glad the Hakone bit turned out alright, it was a bloody pain in the ass to end.

8.3? Where'd the decimal come from?

This post has been edited by Onboy123 on Sep 23 2014, 07:52 PM

Another well-worth waited chapter.

Not a lot going on for Saburo's part but it's okay since the focus is obviously not there.

I am surprised that Kagerou will really try to go for people's throats like that. She turns out to be even more reckless than Hojo Rin lol.

And just like Akiko, I am surprised she switched gears rather well in changing the game of competition with Ruka in gathering up victories to see who's better. What has Ayase really got herself into I wonder? xD

And then there's Hakone...Jiro and Tyrone...hitting on girls. ;P

Well, not really but I do get the whole general idea but hey, it's a start. Really curious to see how things will unfold for them.

keep up the good work man.

Sorry for the delay guys...hope you won't mind.

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

Code 24: Pride

Akagi 10:04 PM.

Typical of a Friday night, the peak of the pass was bustling with life. The crowd of racers filled the desolate silence with their enthusiasm. Aligned in a single file, an impressive display of horsepower was parked on one side of its narrow, two lane road.

Greeted by this sight, Adachi couldn't help but feel a warmth spread in her heart. It was a shuddering warmth, one so familiar it made her feel sick.
Ugh…it’s a f**king convention out here…

"Hey…I know you say it's a debut and everything, but isn't this bit much?" Adachi leaned back into her seat. "I like attention, but this...I can't even see where the line ends."

"I thought you liked the spotlight. Wasn't it the desire for a crowd like this that got you screwed the last time? Anyway..."

From the corner of the side mirrors, Adachi watched Tetsuo's silhouette lumber towards her. His face was blocked by the distinct reflection from a large pair of aviators.

"Before that, what's with the shades?"

"The headlights, dammit. They're f**king blinding."

"Only you would wear sunglasses in the dead of night..."

"Yes, and don't you love me for it. You'll love me even more once you know why we're here tonight, of all times." Tetsuo sat down on the R32's hood, looking Adachi in the eyes through the windscreen. "I've been very generous to you, you know?"

"How so?"

"Tonight's the first formal meeting of the Akagi defense line since the cut. Rumor has it that the people who were at Irohazaka and Saitama would be here too, in other words, people you and Shin have lost to."

"And?"

"...There's a need for one? I'll be clear then."

Tetsuo sighed.

"Vanessa Anderson is here."

"Mhmm."

Adachi paused, before finally giving a vague reply.

"That's it? Oh come on, that's so dull a reaction! At least be happy or angry or flip out, give me a reaction to work with!"

"Mmm..."

She merely nodded in response.

She's here...huh.

Her mind was calm, her heart wasn't moved. The name that would have sent her past self into an obsessive rage, now couldn't even tickle her ego.

Why is that?

Glancing around the pitch black cockpit, she sighed an almost melancholic sigh.

Even if I think back to that race...Even if I remember the hate...I don't feel motivated...

She massaged her wrist, feeling for the fracture.

"Hey, you still with me?"

"...Mhm."

"Anything I need to know about? The lack of noise coming from you is worrying."
"I'm fine."

"...Really? I won't bail you out or pick you up like last time, you kno-"

The idling R32 suddenly let out a fierce bark. Tetsuo jumped away from Adachi's car, both hands in the air.

"Let's go, Shin's probably dying to get a move on."

Shutting off the RB26, Adachi stepped out of the GT-R. She set her eyes on a small crowd down the road. From behind her car, Shin stepped out to join the duo. His gaze was stern, the frivolous smile was replaced by an indifferent expression. Yet his fist still shook at the sight before him.

The popularity of the Defense Line and its remaining drivers was evident, despite the recent attacks. Even now, with less than half of their original territory remaining, these drivers were admired by many. Shin's bitterness, something he had buried since his exile, resurfaced. Though it was nothing compared to the crowd that greeted him, this small gathering still managed to reignite the fire inside.

"Hah."

He laughed a dry, mocking laugh.

To think that I've managed to forget why I joined this team...to be blinded by the simple joy of being in a group...

"Say..."

...How pathetic.

Shin reached ahead and grabbed Adachi's shoulder, his hand still visibly shaking.

"That, over there, is my fight. You sure you want a part? You've got your own score to settle later on."

"What are you on about-"

Just as she was about to swipe Shin's hand off her shoulder, she noticed.
The slight uncertainty in the usual, firm grip, the concern in his eyes, and most prominent of all, the stiff tension in his voice.

"...Hmph. Still not used to this whole team thing? So be it then." She clasped his hand in hers, grinning confidently. "Best of luck."

"Oi, why are you calling the shots now?" Tetsuo dived in between the pair, speaking with an all-too-fake irritation in his voice. "I thought I was leader of the team?"

"Yes you are, leader. Now act like one and keep an eye on this guy. Make sure he doesn't bite that poor sucker's head off."

"...You say I'm leader, then you just start issuing orders...could you at least give me that much respect and not do my job?"

"Sorry, sorry, really. Old habits and all. Shin doesn't seem to mind though, he's gone quiet again." Adachi stepped back and shoved her two teammates forward. "I'll be fine, so just take care."
"...You sure-"

"Yes I am." Without waiting for them, she was already walking back to her car. Raising her hand, she casually waved back at them.

Now then...

Adachi gritted her teeth, eyes focusing on a car further down the road. It's lime green paintjob had already caught her eye when she was talking to Shin. Approaching it now, she couldn't be mistaken.

Let's get this over with.
---
Vanessa glanced over her shoulders.

Amidst the large crowd of gathered racers, she managed to single out the shadow walking towards her. Likewise, the shadow seemed to single her out from the crowd. It was a concentrated glare that left her uneasy.

Out of the darkness, a familiar rival stood before her.

"Tch…Adachi?!" Vanessa clicked her tongue, her face twisted with shock. "You just don’t know when to QUIT, do you?!"

"Quiet down." Dismissively brushing her hair to the side, Adachi replied. "If you're going to start with me, then save your breath."

"Hah? Me? Starting with you? Did that crash skew your memory? In case you don’t remember, I won."

"And I'm here to set that straight."

"Oh grow up. There's more to life than chasing after me, you know?"

"You're just the first step. If not for that crash, you wouldn't even be on my radar. I used to obsess over beating you...not anymore. I won't lose again."

"Ohoh...aren't you confident."

"Mmm...This isn’t getting us anywhere."

Another spiritless reply.

Vanessa frowned.

Standing before her was the disgustingly prideful racer that had brought her to fame. Someone who hated her from the moment she set foot onto the stage, and suffered a humiliating defeat because of it. That this very same person was now looking at her with such indifference, it made her blood boil.

After all that abuse...

Vanessa clenched her fists, a rare aggression burning in her heart.

You...YOU of ALL people...

You don't get to talk down to me!

"One run of Akagi, downhill. Right here, right now. If you're so confident, if you think you can still look down on me, I'll show you...I'll show you how wrong you are."

Adachi's gaze sharpened on hearing these words. Her expression remained largely indifferent, staring deep into Vanessa's eyes with mild irritation.

Is this still necessary? A victory now...how much would it mean?

Don't kid yourself.

You know what this means to you. You know how much you've longed for this day.

Your revenge. For the your team, for yourself, for your pride...

She sighed again.

"Enough."

Enough

Her words silenced her doubt, silenced her heart. She nodded firmly, a minute motion that affirmed her resolve.

"Let's start. You lead, turn off your hazards when you want to start the race-"

"I know how it works, now let's go already."

Vanessa turned away, her voice sharp with aggression.

In silence, the two drivers returned to their cars. The air between them grew increasingly hostile.

Bang.

The Renault's door slammed shut.

Vanessa clenched her fist as she started up the car. Even as she pulled out into the road, her usual gentle touch was replaced by a brutish aggression. The Megane's engine howled as it made its way towards the start of the pass.

The two cars cruised pass the crowds, their flashing hazard lights illuminating the otherwise pitch black road.

Once more. I'll beat you once more...

Vanessa's finger hovered over the hazard light switch, hey eyes firmly fixed on the road.

So take this loss and disappear!

With a synchronised roar, the two cars charged off into the darkness.

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

3:00AM, Haneda Airport.

In the serene silence of the airport's car park, two European men stood waiting.

"Ahh…Welcome to Japan, street racing nirvana."

The first of the two young men covered his stubbled mouth as he yawned those tired words.

"You sound really, really excited…oh wait."

Beside him, the tall, thin man responded. He spoke with a blunt, American accent, unbefitting his smooth voice. Gently, he brushed aside his long brown hair and took a deep breath.

"Cut me some slack, Kyle. I'm as excited as a jet-lagged business man in a completely foreign country can be. Besides, it's the dead of night, no use being so excited…especially when the only other human being around is a guy."

"Business man my ass, I followed you on the basis that this is completely unrelated to work, you lying git." Kyle laughed. "And you know you want me. My sex appeal can bend the straightest of guys when I try, but it's natural to be in denial initially. Sadly for you, I don't swing that way."

"I know how you swing. 100% Rotary-sexual. If I put an R26B to your left and a supermodel to your right, you'd be going left faster than those NASCAR guys."

"Who's the Rotary Junkie? Who schooled Hawaii boy's VTEC ass at the Isle of Man? Oh right."

"Yeah, oh right. It was this 'ere Hawaii boy. Someone ran out of oil in the middle of that run, didn't he? Might wanna take this chance to check, your sweetie might have drank another gallon of that stuff on the way here." Smiling a cheeky smile, the man in the pink floral T-shirt pointed at the distance. "Speaking of which…they're here!"

Peering out into the night, a small white light shone at the pair. The crude rattling of a truck's diesel engine echoed through the desolate parking lot. The truck's driver quickly hopped out and lowered the ramp. Two heavily tuned sports cars were delicately unloaded onto the smooth tarmac, their owners simply smiled at their pride and joy and admired them under the orange glow of the night.

"…I told you. 100% rotary-sexual. When you decide to marry that thing, give me a call. I'll be waiting at our overnight stop. We've got...Tsukuba circuit, Tsukuba pass, Ebisu, Hakone...all these places to visit, we don't have time to get hard over our cars."

"Hey, don’t talk like you're any better. That NSX's been around here for longer than me-"

The cherry red NSX's start up interrupted his rebuttal, filling the empty parking lot with it's booming engine note. With a casual wave out the window, the Honda accelerated towards the exit.

"Holy shit guy, HEY! WAIT for me, dammit!"

Moments later, the echo of his yell was lost, covered up by the sound of screeching tires and the 20B's scream. Following the NSX, the two cars engaged in a jerky, stop/start race to the exit of the narrow underground car park.

"Really...? We land barely thirty minutes and we're already racing-Oh what now?" Kyle clicked his tongue as he braked hard, heaving the FD around a tight, angular corner. In between him and the tollbooth was a dense cloud of smoke.

From the thick tire smoke, the NSX emerged. It was parked sideways, blocking the road with its full length. Its driver was waiting for him, leaning casually on the driver's door. With a sigh, Kyle pulled over and got out, his eyes narrow with suspicion.

"Settled."

"Eh? I know that thing revs high, but you seem even more high. Can you please be coherent for once and tell me, what are you talking about now?"

"The debate. My NSX wins."

"No, don't bullshit. That wasn't even fair-"

"I'm messing around. Why so eager all of a sudden? Did something good happen?" He closed his eyes as a gust of wind blew pass. "So, to make up for it..."

"What do you have in mind this time?"

"Nothing. Your pick, where from the list do we go first?"

"I've not got anything in mind. I do want to avoid the Gunma areas though, too mainstream. Kanagawa? The home of Japan's best, they say...." Kyle fumed over his options briefly before letting out a noisy yawn. "This is going to need some thought...for now...let's go to the overnight stop."

---

In a certain convenience store, a man picked up a lifestyle magazine. He was around twenty years old. His hair was spikey and dyed red at the tips.

"So…that's where you've gone, huh. They sure have some pretty shit taste, hiring you as their model."

He smirked, tossing the magazine aside with a grunt.

"'…Kanagawa's rising star'? Pah. Hahah. That's really funny."

Stamp.

He slammed his foot against the cover of the magazine, smearing the dirt from his shoes all over the cover.

"I suppose I ought to give you a visit though. Remind you of…'the good old days'. Especially now that I know where you've holed up."

He grabbed his shopping from the counter and made his way out into the rain.

The cover of the magazine was smeared with a thick venire of mud. But even so, one could all too easily make out the person posing for the cover.

Stood proudly beside a Passionate Pink Toyota Chaser was the star of Kanagawa's street racing scene.

Ayase Tsurugi.

- つづく -

Ah, finally an update!

I shall give my full feedback later. Give me some time lol.

(`・ω・´)ゞ

Oooookay, so here it is!

First of all, damn....I can see there's gonna be a lot of Ayase's development here with the way things are shaping now.

And ugh....why do I feel so pissed off at what that Kyle bastard say? I sure hope there'll be some fine retribution later when the arc begins since I already feel like wanting to rip his spine out! D: <

On the other hand...holy crap...Adachi and Vanessa just had a switch in personality? This is...quite a twist in development.

Adachi used to be so prideful and pugnacious with her reputation...and now she's turning nihilistic...on the other hand Vanessa must've snapped from frustration since this is like...the 3rd time she face the same persistent opponent, right?

All in all this is really a nice switch development...really can't wait what will happen next. Keep up the good work, guys!