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SPOILER

Hey guys. I'm sure you can ascertain who this is. If you can't, well... it's probably better we just start anew. Anyway senior staff members do what you want with the old account, I just created this so I've got a place to dump my occasional waves of creativity and maybe some folks here could get some enjoyment out of it. I'm done entirely with the old one. I have no intention of doing anything else with this account, except maybe private messaging. Alright? Alright, thanks for understanding. I hope.

Phase 1 - Jersey Girls Don't Pump Gas

The year is 2015. Japan is facing an unusual social and economic crisis as an epidemic of both differred marriages and families choosing to have just over 2 children have slowed population growth to a near stall and the age of the average citizen has climbed to over 47 years. The ripple effects of the 'lost decades' between the 1990-1999 and 2000-2009 has only exasperated the problem as a more cautious consumer base have limited themselves to buying only what they need, no matter how bright the lights and outdoor TV screens advertise that they should buy. Only the decades-strong Japanese export industry has kept them economically alive, but as now over 1/3 of the population has reached retirement age, something has to be done to stop their government social platform from imploding.

One solution proposed was to loosen immigration standards for foreigners. While elders still hang tight to their traditional silent beliefs that the 'gaijin' have no business growing and raising families in their country, the logic that young immigrants correlates to an overall younger tax base is too appealing to ignore any longer. Sometime in the early 2010s, a new law is passed where many young upstanding folk who are at least partially fluent in Japan's native tongue are welcome to move to Japan and work hard for their yen, with one simple stipulation; Surrender your citizenship with your home country and assimilate, and they'll do our best to help you help them keep the whole system from crashing in on itself. Slowly, a steady stream of immigrants from all over begin to trickle in from places as far and wide as Austrailia, Western Europe, Africa and of course the Americas.

Some come because they've grown bored with their own culture and want to experience something brand new. Others, for varying reasons want to leave their past lives behind and start anew in a foreign place, where what is alien to them now will one day hopefully become normal. But there's yet another group of people who wish to join the land of the rising sun - people who've grown up watching Americanized Saturday morning, weekday afternoon or late-night cartoons. Young men and women who have collections of dolls, action toys or scale models - who have been to conventions to try to get a taste - pure or processed - of 'that life.' People obsessed with the modern Eastern way of living who, upon hearing about the new immigration laws through Internet rumors or automatically-translated Japanese news pages, realize that their fantasy could be a reality - if only they tried hard enough and looked at their own lives seriously enough to take the plunge.

The commitment factor alone scares off a lot of self-proclaimed 'otaku' who couldn't be bothered to be a hard-working member of a society they've never taken seriously. But that leaves in folks that, for the most part, grin at the challenge of adapting and being able to see the cities, mountains and way of living that ever-changing Japan has to provide should they buy a one-way ticket and never look back. All the funny cars and odd curtsies, all the hustle and bustle of densely-packed cities with sprawling mass transit. The weird flip phones that double as 24-7 news television sets. The vending machines that serve literally everything under the sun. All of it. There's just something to that way of living that ignites a passion in their hearts, an unyielding yearning to leave their home country, their friends and even family behind and start anew - or, in some cases, return to where their own parents came from. Perhaps even tell stories about growing up in their native nation and sharing it with the Japanese.

Not excluded from those 'Japan lifers' are car enthusiasts. Especially in America. The kind who pull up to a car meet and furiously pocket their sunglasses so they can get an unfiltered look at that freshly imported 25-plus year old AE86 Sprinter Trueno, the star car of the famous driving game series 'Touge Legends' and pro drifter Keiichi Tsuchiya, or the mythical Godzilla, also known as the highway-destroying Nissan Skyline GT-R AWD. Even though its great-grandson R35 is superior in every conceivable way, the crowd always gathers around the older GT-R, sometimes stock, sometimes having been given 'love' by a previous owner who will likely never cross path's with the car's new keyholder. 'Authentic JDM parts, installed when the car was still in Japan!' they'd giddily exclaim. But the diehards wanted more. They didn't want to go to their local importer and just pick up a Daihatsu Hijet or Mazda Eunos Cosmo or some other weird car that's actually within their buy-with-cash budget, they wanted to see virtually every car on the road with right-hand drive. They wanted in, whether for good or ill, to get and grow a career and stick it out.

Somewhere along the line, a few of these people will converge. Be it fate or happenstance...

-

"Ah, nice... Silvia." the young, dark-skinned girl in the white Corolla Levin BZ-R says. "Look old and worn, but I see racing type damage. You race, do you?" The fuel attendant wiping her window blushes slightly then chuckles a little bit. "Well, yes, I do race on the track when I can afford to, but usually I'm just driving fast with my friends. You know, I'm not big on front-wheel drive but I've always kind of liked the AE111. It has the same engine as the legendary AE86, only imporved to its limit! So I give it a pass."

The girl laughs nervously, before struggling a reply. "FF... front wheel driving train. Not good for skid, I know. But... fast. Fast enough for... me. I like driving. I like fast speed. But what is AE86?"

The attendant can no longer contain his laughter. The blonde-haired girl's poor grammar is comical. "Your Japanese is so broken and bad! Aren't you Japanese?" Then his face quickly changes its expression from comedic to awkward. "Oh, uh... I'm sorry, that was insensitive to ask."

"No, no, it's okay... Parents... Japanese from Japan. Me, I born USA. New Jersey. Just like Japan, no pump the gas! Full serve!" The driver tries the best to hide her own embarassment. "Still learn Japanese in school, I take many Japanese class when... uh, school begins. Still high school. Only one year study Japanese before I move."

"USA, eh? Well, welcome back to Japan then, eheh." The attendant hears the pump click off and excuses himself for a moment, before returning to the driver with her total. "That'll be 5,800 yen, please." The driver groans in disapproval before going through her wallet and grabbing her payment. "Fuel so expensive.... I didn't look that too well before move." She reluctantly hands over her notes to the attendant . "Uhh..." She says as her focus shifts back to an earlier point in their conversation, her eyes beginning to glimmer with curiosity and a hint of excitement "You drive with friends fast? On the mountain maybe?"

"Yes, right here in Akina. There's a great back road that runs from here to Ikaho. We gather there again tonight, actually. We're not Formula 1 drivers, but we can really hold our own out here. Home team advantage, you know? Say, would... you like to come?" A feeling grows in his gut as adrenaline begins rushing through him for reasons he cannot explain. His inner thoughts begin to rush. This girl barely even speaks Japanese and probably grew up near some urban place like New York City where the roads aren't as treacherous as they are here in rural Gunma. What are you thinking, dude!? Do you like this girl or something? I mean, she is really attractive... Really, really cute... He begins to sweat, waiting on her response.

"YES! I love fast cars! Vroom! Take me there. What time I meet you with where?" She says with a smile... then her smile turns questioning as he isn't exactly responding quickly. "Oh, what time should you meet me, and where? Well... uhm... How about 9PM, right here? That's when my shift ends. I'll try to bring my friend Itsuki along, and maybe even that airhead Takumi as well, in spite of him always saying no, heh heh. Are you free then?" The girl squees and claps her hands together in excitement. "So free! Yes! Drive fast, tonight with you! And Taco-meat and Itsucky!" Iketani stammers a little at her hoarse pronunciation. "It-su-ki and maybe Ta-ku-mi and myself, we'll be here. I hope to see you then. By the way, I don't think we shared our names. I'm Iketani. I-ke-ta-ni. What's your name?"

The girl wonders for a moment why Iketani said his name twice, before getting it and giggling. "Katie- er, I mean, Ku-ru-mi. Kurumi. That's new name, me." Kurumi extends her hand out the window with a small smile. "Pleasure meet you, I-ke-ta-ni." He ponders for a moment before realizing why it is she has her hand out. It's a handshake... right. She's Japanese-American-Japanese or something. Uh, right. Better shake her hand before she thinks I'm being rude. Iketani reaches in with his hand before it's gripped quite tightly by Kurumi's, then shaken vigorously. Wow, her hand strength! "I look forward to seeing you tonight. Remember, no later than 9!" Kurumi gives a salute to him, before cranking her car's engine over and grinning. "Yes, yes! Iketani, meet you at 9! Vroom vroom, Touge Legends!"

Iketani watches with first horror and then uncomfortable curiosity as the white AE111 pulls out of the gas station and then takes off at full clip onto the road. Oh God, please don't tell me she thinks video game physics are real... Wait no, she's going to hit the rev limiter, can she even shift correctly!? Right at the car's 8,000 RPM redline, Kurumi pumps the clutch in and out twice over and with lightning speed, shifting from first to neutral to second in the mere blink of an eye, zoned in on acceleration and embracing the sound of her car's VVT-i in full song. Whoa... She can sure slam gears like an American drag racer though... is that AE111 stock? All I hear is maybe an intake... but I've never seen one accelerate like that. I just hope she knows that the Akina mountain pass isn't a hundred-yen arcade machine, and you can't just feed your car coins when you wreck it. His attention is pulled away as another customer approaches the pumps, as he then quickly adjusts his hat and engages them with his textbook-rehearsed greeting.

-

"Hey, Ikeeetaniiii! I'm here, finally!" Itsuki runs to meet his friend and co-worker just as the lights at the gas station are about to get cut off. "For the Super Saturday Night Drift-a-Thon! The Akina Speed Stars showing their stuff, out-drifting and out-running all contenders!" Itsuki holds his hands as if they were gripping a steering wheel, shifting them back and fourth. "Skrrrrr! Vrooom-tsututu! SILVIA POOWWEEERRRRR! CA18 EAT THIS, Yeah!" Iketani walks casually to his partner in crime, smirking. "Now stop hyping my car up so much, it's not even an SR20 model... you know those are much faster on a hillclimb. And also it's all scratched up from scraping the guardrail and hitting it lightly a few times." Itsuki frowns, shaking his head in disapproval.

"But you have a car, and it's a NISSAN, and it's so old school and cool! If I had a car like this I'd be in love with it. They just don't make them like this anymore, the Z34 is too chunky and the R35 is for rich punks and weighs as much as a Toyota Century! They suck - Silvia is where it's at! Be it S13, 14 or 15... the perfect drift car! BRAAAAH-Tsutututu!" Iketani chuckles. "Ah, Itsuki. Maybe one day you'll get a Silvia, too. Even the turbo S15 model is starting to become affordable." Itsuki begins to fabricate a retort about how the AE86 is his real dream car but his attention is quickly drawn away as he sees a small white coupe drive into the station, right past the pumps and right next to Iketani's green Silvia. "Uh, who's that? I haven't seen that car before." Iketani is about to answer but can't mouth a word as his new associate glides out of the body of the heavenly Levin.

Kurumi is definitely more 'gal'd up' than she was earlier in the day, her bright blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and wearing a grey tank top and blue mini skirt that are both pushing the limits of what moderate fashion is. They also show that Kurumi has some nice credentials - the kind that make any man look twice. Not huge balloon knockers, but enough bust to give her a curvy figure. There's a few inches of absolute territory between the skirt and silky black thigh-highs. It's almost a 'Gyaru Lite' look, save for her very out-of-place-looking shoes. Not heels or platform shoes, no, nothing like that; in place of fashion-focused footwear adorning her attire, she is instead wearing dull black racing shoes. The velcro kind that make footwork a breeze. Also, tactical-looking fingerless gloves. A look that says, 'I'm more worried about driving than feeling pretty.' Even her fingernail extensions are gone. The look absolutely captures Itsuki's poor socially-awkward heart and he slinks right on over to her.

"Hi, I'm It-itsuki..." He studders, looking slightly up at Kurumi's eyes, the girl being but a few centimeters taller than him. "Your name must be gorgeous..." Kurumi blushes brightly, before laughing. Oh, he is sooo falling for me! Did I go overboard with the tank top? Maybe I should have worn something looser fitting, or with a higher cutline. "No, it is Kurumi." She smiles, covering her heart with both hands, but strategically placing her left hand over her right, displaying her rose gold engagement ring right in Itsuki's line of sight. "Your name?" Itsuki's face drops as his heart shatters just as quickly as it swelled up. NO! Of course she's taken. Dammit, I was too late! I lost before the game even began... "It's, uhm... Itsuki. What are you doing here after hours.... Wait. WAIT! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE IKETANI'S SECRET FIANCE!!" Kurumi's blush washes over her face entirely, turning her usually tan skin nearly beet red. "NO! NO! WE MET TODAY!"

"Itsuki, leave her alone! We just met earlier. I didn't even see the ring... though who ever have it to her is a lucky man." Iketani smiled in a slight bittersweet mix of happiness for her, and dissappoint for himself. As usual, the babe's already taken... oh well. Shut down again. He glances at his watch and notices it's already 9:10. He slowly walks over to Kurumi, putting his serious face on. "Hey, Kurumi. The mountain pass is no joke. I need to get my practice in, so once we're on the right road, I'm gunning it. Don't try too hard to keep up with me, okay? I've been up and down it a hundred times so I know where to brake and turn. If I start pulling too far ahead, just ease off, okay? We can always meet up on a weekday night and practice together, but I don't want you crashing your car trying to keep up with me on my conscience." Kurumi just smiles and nods, slinking back into her Levin. Looks like she's keeping her speech to a minimum... I can't blame her. Her Japanese is terrible...

-

Kurumi's nearly stock machine has very little effort keeping pace with Iketani's lightly modded Silvia, especially between gear shifts. The slight turbo lag between gears caused by the older turbo design and his somewhat obnoxious atmospheric blow-off valve gives the Levin time to catch up between gears, almost nullifying the power difference between the two cars. She finds herself studying the green car in front of her almost as an AI in a simulation racing game. His corner entry is so-so, but he's fighting so hard to make the car slide! Why is he forcing it like this? Every time he goes back and fourth with the wheel it looks like he's going to spin out. I can't get too close to him... he might crash. Is this what drifting really is? She uses momentum to help her car around Akina's Five Famous Hairpins, feeling her own car's tail start to hang out just a bit mid-corner. I'm sliding a bit... too hard on entry? Her right foot gingerly applies just a bit more throttle and she feels the steering wheel for any signs of traction loss. Huh, no... the car likes this. Not really skidding... Cool! Kurumi giggles while powering up the next straightaway. This road is so smooth and tight... this is fun! Like, really fun! New Jersey's shitty roads can't come clost to comparing! I love it!

"WHAT? Are you KIDDING ME!? We're halfway through the course and she's STILL within 50 meters of me? Please tell me you're joking!" Itsuki shakes his head back and fourth, staring somewhat nervously at Iketani. "Whenever you start your drift she slowly closes in, and when you're accelerating she closes in even more! Especially when you shift. Is her car an automatic? I don't see her car lose speed between gears." Iketani groans in frustration. "No, it's not an automatic... it's one fucking insane shifter behind the wheel. Remember that Dodge Viper video we saw fron the USA? The one where it sounds like the Viper has a F1 gearbox but really he's just slamming gears like some kind of drag racing god? Her shifting ain't much slower." Itsuki looks behind him again after the Silvia exits the next corner, paying extra close attention as the S13 accelerates on the straight. "Holy shit, you're right... I don't know about her braking and cornering, but her shifting is amazing! Whoa, what the hell!?" Iketani swerves the car suddenly, barely missing an oncoming RX-8 that went too wide on the corner going downhill and ran into the oncoming lane. Iketani had to do the same to avoid a collision and Itsuki watched in fear as the SE3P got back in its proper lane with only meters to spare and barely missed the AE111, which flashed its lights and was probably honking its horn too, although that couldn't be heard over the Silvia's loud-ish exhaust.

"^FUCKING COCKSUCKER! RETARD! YOU ALMOST KILLED US!^" she shouted in English. Kurumi's heart was pounding out of her chest, and her right hand's middle finger was sticking well out of her Corolla's window as her left hand laid on the horn. "^Jesus FUCKING christ learn how to FUCKING DRIVE! UGH! What a douchebag...^" She got her focus quickly back onto the next corner and decided to fall back even further, leaving a hundred-meter gap between her car and Iketani's... should anyone else decide to play Russian Roulette with their car's handling. It didn't take long for Kurumi to realize that perhaps at least some drivers around these parts were a bit too zealous behind the wheel. A few more hairpins, a dogleg, another hairpin, a second dogleg, one more hairpin... Man, this road goes on forever. It's so much longer than those roads in Bridgewater and Watchung! Next came a sweeping right, followed by another long straight, and then she and her car came upon a large group of various tuner cars throughout the past 2 or 3 decades parked either against the opposing guardrails or within the parking area.

Tuning from all makes and models were abound, most in somewhat beat-up condition. A plethora of S14's and S15's, RX-7's, Eunos Roadsters, RX-8's, Supras, Soarers, pretty much anything with rear-wheel drive, wearing Frankenstein-style stiching on their bumpers holding the parts together, quarter panels and fenders that have clearly been dented and then pulled out by the driver, primered or mismatched doors... and of course, team stickers from a few notable local 'car clubs.' Gunma Thunders seemed to be the most prevalent... and the most beat up. There were also a handful of Akina Speed Stars stickers, all on cars that were mostly older than the rest but in less banged up shape overall, if more rusty here and there. As Kurumi parked her car and climbed out, she began to notice a trend between the two large crews: The Thunders had huge, fancy - or at least fancy-looking wheels, lots of negative camber, exhaust pipes that stuck up and out past the bumper, wings, aftermarket side mirrors and other look-good stuff, but also quite ratty. The Speed Stars cars were much closer to stock, with wheels closer to factory size, but no bright colors or other stuff. The Speed Stars cars, in her eyes, seemed to be treated more cautiously thank the Thunders cars.

Kurumi turned her head to see where Iketani was and she saw him standing near the edge of the lot alone, just watching cars drive in and take off. Seeing an opportunity to not be heard by the others, she scampered down the lot and met within hearing distance over the loud exhaust. "Iketani, a question." Iketani's eyes glanced to meet hers with a curious look on his face. Nevermind the fact that this complete newbie to the course hung with him just fine, but she almost got taken out. How is she not pissed off at him for bringing her here? Mentally, he was preparing himself for a proper slap to the face. "Go on..." He said, almost wincing. Kurumi looked back to the strip of road splitting the parking areas, watching that same orange RX-8 that nearly hit her nearly take its rear bumper off as the driver pulled a showy, smoky 180 and headed back down the mountain, THUNDERS sticker prominently displayed in its rear glass. "The Thunders people. They call themselves Thunders why? Because always they make the crash like a thunder, right?"

Iketani's facial expression remained remorseful and dull for a second... then his eyes began to widen. Then his mouth began to smile. Then he snorted. And finally he burst out in laughter. "BAAAAAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MY GOODNESS, MY SIDES! CRASHING LIKE THUNDER! OH MAN. HELP ME, I'M CRYING. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. KURUMI... Kurumi... Kurumi, you WIN. Why didn't I think of that myself? Oh man... yeah, that's a great joke. I should tell it to the leader of those knuckleheads... fucking A plus." Iketani wiped his eyes before continuing. "H-hang on." Iketani then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, soon texting Itsuki who was way over in the other lot.

Kurumi asked me if they called
themselves the thunders because
they're always crashing like thunder.

A pause before Iketani's phone buzzed in his hand.

LMAO

Another buzz.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT
MY SIDES

Finally one last buzz.

TRUER QUESTIONS HAVE NEVER
BEEN ASKED ABOUT THEM [laughing tears emoji]

"Itsuki thought it was hilarious, too. You know what? With your natural knack for driving and your sense of humor, I think you'll fit right in with the Speed Stars. Do you live around here?"

Kurumi clasped her hands together and tilted her head down, eyes aimed at anywhere but Iketani's general direction. "Um... Live near here, I do. Go to high school in Akina, start next semester."

Iketani looks at Kurumi with modest concern, perplexed by her sudden bashfulness. "What... what's the matter? Did my driving style upset you?"

Kurumi looked at Iketani, but only for a second "Well, yes. Your driving. A bit scary, too jerky. You try drift too hard, no force a the car so much or else it spin. I no want you to spin. No crash drift Silvia. I want safe Iketani, okay? You seem good person. But what I say about Thunders... question is honest. Was not joke."

"Oh... right. I, uh... I'm sorry. I was trying to get some angle in to show off. Maybe that's another reason why you kept up so easily. I was reeeealy showing off, wasn't I? I'll try not to be so reckless. And, as for the question... joking or not, it was hilarious. Those guys wreck a lot. Nobody's been seriously hurt yet, but they have ruined quite a few cars. They usually leave around 11:30 or so, I already let the crew know we should just let them run their cars until the low fuel lights come on and they leave. Then we'll get some actual practice in. Sound good?"

"I think..." Kurumi said, looking slightly deflated... "I go for drive away from this. Too much the crowded, someone get hurt. Not me, not my car. I tell that ^cocksucker^ though, he almost take me out! STUPID MAZDA DORITO ENGINE CAR, ASSHOLE THE DRIVER!" She made a childish mocking face and proceeded to imitate the sound of a rotary engine. "BREEEEEEEEEEMPH!" Kurumi glances back over to the bulk to the Thunders cars gathered, before shaking her head. "Where to drive, anything nice? Watch at a sky, maybe?"

Iketani thought for a second, then a light bulb went off in his head. "Oh. Yes. I know a place. But I'll only tell you if you let me handle that little... incident. Kurumi, nobody here knows you... I'm the leader of the Akina Speed Stars , so my name - and my voice- carries weight. We'll be sure to have a little discussion with the Thunders and tell them to cool their shit out fast or else we WILL kick them off this mountain. It's not even their own home course, they should be showing respect to us instead of going balls-out and damn near killing someone, local or not. I don't want us locals to lose the privilege of racing on Akina and have the cops enforcing this stretch of road because some ^HOONIGAN^ drifted too hard and died. Is that fair?"

Kurumi meekly nodded. "Yeah, maybe. Not good, be a loudmouth me. Just angry, UGH! Know nobody. Want positive impression... not sound stupid gaijin."

Iketani chuckled before putting one of his hands on her shoulder. "You're not a stupid gaijin, you just need to work on your Japanese a bit. And by a bit, I mean a lot. But... I think you're a pretty good person so far, Kurumi. Study hard, cram those courses! You can drive with us anytime." He smiled softly. "You'll make it in Japan. You'll make it here in Gunma." Iketani then pointed beyond the parking lot and further down the road. "Just up that way, you'll come up to a lake with a hotel near it. Lake Akina, it's called. You'll still hear the distant backfire of one of our cars racing but it's mostly peaceful. Great sky on a clear night like this, too. Go there and recharge. If I don't see you again tonight, be sure to not be a stranger, okay?"

Kurumi nodded briskly. "Okay. I like sky with stars. Very romance. Maybe you one day a girl find and hold hand with her. You good person also. Looking out for stranger. Thank you Iketani. I think we not stranger any more. I think we maybe friends now?" Iketani smiled. "Sure, we can be friends. I'll see you at the pumps at GS. Don't worry about Itsuki, I think he's still secretly licking his wounds from the crushing defeat of seeing that amazing rose gold engagement ring on your finger." Kurumi smiled and let out a small giggle. "I just feel special, so many men attract to me. I new here and already they flirt, they flirt! Flirt so much, where modesty be at? Hehe." Iketani gave Kurumi the peace sign. "Go do your thing, girl. Before '^dorito head^' comes back and you throw your shoe at his car." Iketani then makes a shooing gesture at her, relieved that what he thought was going to be a disasterous evening ended up not turning out as badly as he expected. Perhaps if he had just a little more self control, he could find the one. Sure, Itsuki would hate him for life, but it's only his nature to find a woman to fall in love with.

Kurumi let out another playful giggle before tracking her way back to her Levin. "^Ah, my little white companion car. Let's get out of this idiot circus and make for the lake, shall we, m'sir?^" Sliding into the leather seat and popping in the key, then firing up the 4A-GE Black Top engine, she soon found an opening in 'bro traffic' and cruised gently out of the area and towards Lake Akina, getting looks from exactly nobody. Sure, driving fast on the street was pretty fun, but not with knuckleheads like those Thunderdouches on the road. And... she wanted more. She wanted someone who she could truly chase after, and not just her signficant other who's still a day or two away from touching down in Tokyo. That city was absolutely bonkers, but Takasaki, and this reigon in particular? In her eyes, it feels just right. And Tokyo is only an hour or so away. Yes, just right. A bit city, a bit country. No suburban sprawl to be found. Soon she was upon the parking lot of the hotel. Maybe she'd check out the lake later, but right now, in this peace and relative quiet, her only goal in mind was to do one of her favorite things; open up the moonroof and just take the night sky in. She glanced quickly at the clock before turning off the ignition and lights and laying her car seat back, the time on the clock reading '23:16'. Maybe I should catch a quick nap while I'm here... She thought to herself, staring at the stars through her moonroof. Within moments, her eyes grew heavy and began to close...

-

Kurumi was awakened by the sound of a slamming door near her car. "!!!" She leaned her seat up to its driving position and tried to get her bearings. She quickly keyed the ignition to the ACC position and saw the clock on her dashboard glowing a near-sunrise 04:17. "^Shit... that was more than a nap.^" Glancing about, she saw a sleepy figure walking to the right of his car, a mere 20 feet away. The area wasn't very well lit so she couldn't make out much more than the figure of a man opening up the door to his car and climbing into the driver's seat. "^Oh^," she thought aloud, "^He must have slammed his trunk. Wait... that car...^" The shape was so familiar to her, as was the black and white paint job - or at least, what was left of it and not exposed, rust-stained brown metal. That car was definitely an old bucket, but she was also pretty sure that it was.... "^An AE86? A real Japanese Corolla GT-S?^" The car roared to life with what was clearly some kind of high-flowing exhaust of some sort. Kurumi quickly fired up her own AE-chassis Corolla. "^Maybe he's an enthusiast too. I hope he is. I want to chase him down the mountain! Please turn left.^"

Sure enough, just as Kurumi kicked on her car's headlights and started off behind the AE86, the panda-colored hatchback turned left and took off at full sing. "^YES! I want to see how fast a -real- AE86 is, not just a bunch of pixels!^" Kurumi hammered down the throttle, double clutch slam-shifting the car from first to second and taking less time than expected to catch up to the old hatchback. Huh? She thought to herself. I think he's accelerating all the way, but this car isn't fast... It's not fast at all! She kept a few car lengths between herself and the lead car as their speeds started to climb... 90... 100... 110... 120... 130 km/h and beyond. Uh, does he know there's a turn coming up...? This is kind of fast. Soon they approached the first sweeping left, and Kurumi started to freak out. I can't go in that fast!!! The twilight was beginning to grow into dawn and she could sort of make out the radius. Kurumi also felt a presence she couldn't quite place, but it's almost as if there were flames or something coming from within the car... from the driver. I have to brake!

Kurumi chickens out and watches with horror as the 86 gets closer and closer to the corner. He'll fly into the trees! Moments after it's too late, the AE86 brakes briefly, before gliding into the corner and beginning to slide slightly from what appears to be all 4 wheels. Holy shit... holy SHIT! That's fucking fast! Kurumi fights the wheel and enters the corner as gracefully as she can, but her car's body is unsettled and she fights understeer through the wheel the whole way through. A breif opportunity to accelerate precedes a tight hairpin ahead, and Kurumi wrings out the BZ-R for all it's worth. She's able to close nearly half the gap between her and this rustbucket hatchback that's unnaturally fast in the corners. As they come up to the hairpin, the process repeats itself. That car has to be on invisible rails or something... shit, understeer! COME ON LEVIN! Once again Kurumi takes an okay line for a first timer but the execution is now subpar compared to the AE86. You've gotta be shitting me. He might be a local, or he might be Lewis Hamilton! Give me a break!

But the 86 is showing no signs of relenting as it continues assaulting the downhill. Following a sweeping right is a quick and hard left, but the 86 is beginning to slide into the corner. Kurumi struggles to remember if there's a straightaway or not, and errs toward caution as she approaches the corner in a much more timid fashion. Tires still chirping though, the one-month freshly imported schoolgirl isn't exactly taking it easy. She's driving at her own personal limit as the 86 continues to gain angle. I'd call him an idiot dipshit, but something is different about this slide... As they clear the corner, a hairpin appears dead ahead. How will he turn? He's sliding! And, almost as if to answer her question, the 86 swings its tail the other way and the car powers through the hairpin like the road was curving to suit the car's handling. FUCKING WHAT!? Her Levin's front tires cry for mercy as she muscles her way around the hairpin, only to discover a shocking revalation beyond the hairpin. The car... it's gone! Did it fly off the road!?

She slowed down and kicked on her foglights, but there was no sign of any skids going off the road, no upset debris, no damaged guardrails, no nothing. She pulled over, finding herself in shock at what she just saw. Did he really pull away that quickly...? My God. That driver. He's an animal. Or is it the car? Is it a sleeper that looks bad on the outside but is like, a super duper tuned up car underneath the bad metal? Are the tires made out of super glue? So many questions... shit, dammit! I can't ask him because he's GONE! "^GODDAMMIT, WHOEVER YOU ARE, QUIT USING FUCKING HAX! THAT WAS HAX! I'M GETTING YOU BANNED FROM THE SERVER!^" she screamed in English, before gaining her composure and continuing back down the road after a minute or so. AE86 driver... whoever you are. Let's meet again. Show me these hax again. I want to be hax like you. Kurumi giggled to herself. Yeah, I am going to have a good time in Akina.

This post has been edited by Master0fMadness on Feb 17 2016, 11:59 PM

Fffffffffffffffuck
This was definitely worth waking up at 01:30 and logging in for the first time in months.
A bit heavy on the nerdisms, but that's kinda what makes it relatable. I like how what's canon stayed canon. And although I never gave you permission to use my character; I do approve AND HOLY SHIT SO MUCH MYSTERY AND FACEPALM ALL IN ONE.
HNNNGHH NEXT CHAPTER PLOX Σ(ﾟロﾟ)

I'm loving what I'm reading so far, from the master himself nonetheless.

Kurumi could either mean one of two things, although I'm pretty sure her parents had no clue fate would bring the etymology of her name to such a shift-locked reality.

Kuru; the act of coming from a place... afar perhaps. Mi; to see that ahead of you.

Her personality, like her name, is like a walnut of zest... a little star-shot seen coming from abroad~☆

Oh you're good, you mad hatter you~ ♪

Awe thx Xiao~ even though her name is just a coincidence. *v*)/

This post has been edited by Hannah on Feb 20 2016, 12:41 PM

lol, the Master told me it was your design initially.

I like my Kurumi's to be light on the hair, as opposed to the clockwork dark haired one roaming around the google'nets. So it's nice to have her be a halfy from New England; her personality shines through pages like a sassy gal from Joisey no doubt~ (^ヮ^)/ ♪

This post has been edited by xiao on Feb 20 2016, 01:22 PM

Just add 'Saitoh' to the name and you'll find her.

Nice art gurl! ♪

Let's get 'er in a red Stratos at one point in her adventure, and her propensity for cherry coloured vehicles will surely make my eyes pop like a... well...

I was listening to this song while reading Master's prose~

This post has been edited by xiao on Feb 21 2016, 12:52 PM

Lol that's so not her style, and a little kid like her has no business behind the wheel of one XD XD XD
would be sick, tho.