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Hey, I had been thinking about posting the Tokyo Xtreme Racer story I had written up on this forum site. If this is alright, then where should I post it?

This post has been edited by fettman53 on Oct 27 2008, 01:01 PM

Read the Artwork section description. We've made it so that the Artwork section comprises all aspects of art since it shouldn't just mean drawings. Written works are now included so you guys can post fanfics there.

I'll move this to Artwork now.

*Moved to Artwork*

Alright then! I really had no idea because I never go to the artworks thread anymore...

Ok, to anyone reading, this is the story I've been working on for over a year. I'll post up as many updates as I can. If no one posts up any comments, I'll have to wait a while to post up the next act.
That is, of course, due to the doubleposting rules.

Tell me what you think!

This story was inspired by the original Tokyo Xtreme Racer game for the Dreamcast, which I still play regularly, believe it or not. It will be set up like Initial D and Wangan Midnight: seasons and episodes, which will be preferred to as Stages and Acts.

And so, here is the first act!


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


Tokyo Xtreme Racer

Stage 1

Act 1 – Severed Ties


There were so many lights that it looked as though the ground had traded places with the night sky. The nights were always like that in Tokyo; the city was most active at night, it seemed. The place that was most active, however, was the Shutokou Expressway. Not only did people use it to travel to and from work, but it was used by thrill-seekers as well. Every night, many people, both men and women, brought their cars out to the expressway, which they called the Wangan. They brought their cars for one reason only: to race.

But not everyone on the Wangan raced for the same reasons. Some raced to become the fastest; others raced because they lost a loved one in a car crash and wished to carry on their memory. But Haruhi’s reason was simple: she just wanted her friend and former team leader to come back with her to the team. Three months ago, Kevin left to relax in Tokyo, saying he was going to quit racing and get a real job. Ever since he left, the team had absolutely no luck in winning any battles. Even she had lost on their home course, shaming herself and the team. The only way she could see to end the losing streak was to bring the leader back.

She searched the expressway for any sign of that silver Beetle he drove. She knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to race for very long. Racing was his life; his idol was the racing car Herbie! He just had to be out there! Besides, she paid 30,000 yen to come out to search for him, and that wasn’t cheap at all! Well, it was the fifth time she had circled the expressway with no sign of his car. The sun began to come up over the horizon, and that meant it was time to go back. She disappointedly took one of the exits and went back to the apartment.

She locked the door behind her as she entered the apartment, then looked at the mirror on the wall. It had been so long since she’d seen him; she had grown her hair out, and it was just past her shoulders now. What if she did find him? Would he recognize her? She gave the mirror a tired and partly frustrated look. She could hardly stand anymore. Her muscles ached as she moved over to the couch and fell onto it, exhausted. She immediately closed her eyes and dozed off. Meanwhile, life went on outside without her.

When she awoke it was a little past noon. She didn’t remember her dream. That is, if she even had one. Time seemed to pass much faster in Tokyo than where she used to live. She knew she’d never get used to it. But still, it was nice here. She was glad that her friend, Keiko, let her stay with her. She looked around, wondering where Keiko went every day. It was Saturday, so Keiko was probably sleeping too. And tomorrow they’d go to Denny’s for breakfast! She had to remind Keiko to wake her up. She could almost smell the eggs and bacon.

That night she watched the news. She didn’t really understand much of it, but Keiko had been teaching her some Japanese, so she understood the basic things. She started to wonder why, in the three months since he’d left, Kevin never called, even to see how the team was doing. What if something happened to him? Weren’t there Yakuza in Tokyo? Did they have something against Americans maybe? Did he wreck and die on the Wangan? Was he even in Tokyo anymore? What if she was just wasting her time? Then she stopped. Why was she even trying so hard to find him?

The team wasn’t really that bad off. With Garnet as the new leader, they did win a few battles. No one else was trying to bring him back. She pulled the blanket Keiko brought her up to her mouth. She admitted to herself that the team wasn’t the only reason why she was searching for him. She blushed at her own thoughts, then her embarrassment turned into anger. He never seemed to care about her feelings; only her driving seemed to matter to him. That made her want to give up looking for him…but then she began to cool down.

She realized that maybe he would’ve cared more about her feelings for him if he actually knew she had them. She never did give him any hints to her feelings. Maybe she figured that driving well was what turned him on. She covered up her head with the blanket, feeling stupid for even thinking that. When was morning coming? She felt so hungry. In fact, she hadn’t eaten all day, seeing as she was kind of asleep the entire time. Her first thought was “midnight snack,” but she didn’t want to be eating all of Keiko’s food. After all, Keiko paid for it, not her. She was the guest.

Suddenly, she remembered that she should have been out on the expressway to look some more! She jumped up and fell onto the coffee table. She always forgot that it was there. How many little bruises did she have from it again? She hit her right shinbone on it this time. She held on to the place where she bumped her leg as she hopped to the door. Keiko walked up behind her with her arms crossed. “Look at you! You’re being ridiculous!” Haruhi stopped; she knew it would come to this soon. Keiko was worried now. But Haruhi had to admit that she was right. She was being…ridiculous.

Keiko pulled her back to the couch and pushed her down. “You aren’t going out tonight. You’ll get home around three and then you’ll miss our breakfast date! You were saying how you wanted to go, and I’m not going to be your alarm clock again!” Haruhi pulled her knees up to her chin in a pouting mood as Keiko walked back to her room. Haruhi said, “Who made you my mother all of a sudden?” Keiko yelled in Japanese for her to go to bed before she decided not to go to Denny’s, so Haruhi slammed her head on the pillow in anger. Surprisingly, she was able to sleep regardless of her bad mood.

At Denny’s the next morning, Haruhi covered her eggs with pepper as Keiko cut up her pancakes. As she began to eat, Haruhi overheard some men in their early twenties talking about something interesting. One had short brown hair, and the other had short black hair. The one with the brown hair seemed to have the floor in the conversation. “I’m not the only one who saw him! He beat the Lonely Jackal so quick that the man might as well have been sitting idle!” The man with the black hair calmly sipped his coffee and said, “And you say he drove a red S30?”

The man with the brown hair nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I hear he’s undefeated. No one can keep up with him! I was afraid to challenge him!” Haruhi watched and listened intently. The man with the black hair seemed cool and calm, taking the brown-haired man’s story with hardly any interest. He sipped his coffee again before adding, “This is the same one that Eve wrecked attempting to keep up with?” The brown-haired man went silent, looking down at the table with a look on his face suggesting he saw a ghost. Slowly, he nodded and replied, “Y-yeah. It’s the same one.”

Keiko frowned and was about to tell Haruhi off for eavesdropping when Haruhi asked, “Hey Keiko? What’s an S30?” Immediately, Keiko’s mind went into “car freak mode” as she began spilling info about the vehicle in question. “The S30 is the Datsun 240Z. S30 is the chassis number for the first generation Z. They don’t make them anymore, ever since Datsun was disbanded in favor of Nissan. The dimensions are-“ Before she could go any further, Haruhi interrupted her. “Are they fast?” Keiko searched her head for horsepower and torque levels. “Not stock. You can get many different upgrades and engine swaps though.”

She began to go into the specifics. “Most people prefer to switch out the original engine for a GT-R engine, but the L28 twin turbo was also a popular engine swap for it. Of course, the car is very difficult to control at high speeds. Horsepower was about 724 if you tweaked it right, so it got up to high speeds pretty quickly.” Haruhi looked outside in a dazed manner and asked, “Are they any good today?” The question left Keiko with something to think about. “I…don’t really know. I haven’t seen someone race one for a long time. Like back in the eighty’s. Why are you so interested in old Z’s anyway?”

Haruhi put her head down and closed her eyes. “No reason,” she replied as the two men left. The brown-haired man got into a blue 300ZX, and the black-haired man got into…wait. Haruhi rubbed her eyes just to make sure she was seeing straight. No doubt about it. The black-haired man got into a black Porsche 930, complete with a special racing body kit! That was a serious car! How could she have missed seeing it this whole time?! Keiko saw it too. “Wow, a 930! That guy must be super-rich! I wonder if he uses it on the Wangan?” Haruhi watched as the cars pulled away.

On the way back to the apartment, another question started to bother Haruhi as they drove on the Shutokou in Keiko’s blue RX-7. “Keiko? Who is the fastest on the Wangan?” Keiko thought about it for a bit. She watched the street lights go by as she searched her memory for the answer. Unfortunately, the answer was an unsure one. “Well…it’s been a long time since I last heard about someone who was the fastest, but a year ago…a year ago, there was Iceman. He still drives here…he drives an R32…an icy blue GT-R R32. Last time I heard, it was Iceman that was the fastest.”

Haruhi began daydreaming about racing Iceman and beating him when two sets of headlights came thundering up to Keiko’s FD. Two GT-Rs, both R32’s. Keiko’s heart began pounding; on her right was a huge truck with a trailer. There were only two lanes, and both were filled. Should she slow down? Speed up? Before she could react, one of the R32’s, an orange one, squeezed in between the two cars. The other R32 did the unthinkable: it squeezed in between Keiko’s car and the wall. Haruhi watched in horror and amazement as the car squeezed in; it was an icy blue R32.

Haruhi’s eyes went wide open. “Iceman…” The two R32’s drove past as though it was routine and thundered down the highway again, side-by-side the entire way. Haruhi could hardly breathe, and Keiko was furious. “What the hell were they thinking?! Probably weren’t…crazy son of a-“ Not wanting to curse in front of her friend, she honked her horn to complete the sentence. The sudden noise knocked Haruhi out of her state of shock. Keiko was right, she had to agree; those two were off their rocker. It was like they cared more about the race than their lives!

Is that what it took to be the best out on the Wangan? Insanity? Or was it passion? What makes the drivers out here so extreme? Why would they take such risks just to stay in front? Later that night and into the morning, Haruhi took her own FD and cruised the Wangan again. But this time, it wasn’t really to look for Kevin; she came out tonight to race. But as she thought about it, she knew she wouldn’t have what it took. The drivers around here were amazing; she was nothing compared to them. She felt so out of place. The drivers here were so passionate about racing.

As she returned to the Wangan line for the second time, she began to get discouraged about racing the drivers that ran here. As she cruised along the Shutokou, with lights flying by, she began to grow weary. “What am I doing? I don’t even remember anymore…” Just as she was about to merge into the exit lane, there was a flash of lights behind her. When the lights continued to flash, she looked in her rearview mirror to see what was causing it. It was the orange GT-R from earlier! “Flashing lights,” Haruhi said to herself. “Wait…is he challenging me?!”

Sure enough, the GT-R was tailing her.

This post has been edited by fettman53 on Oct 25 2008, 04:06 PM

It's nice to see more of your writing

In other words: MOAR PLZ!

Of course!

I hope everyone enjoys it!



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Act 2 – The Makeover


Her heart began racing; she knew she couldn’t keep up with him. Maybe if she turned on her hazard lights, he’d think she was a civilian and leave her alone. She switched her hazards on and waited. Suddenly, she felt a jolt; the GT-R had nudged her rear bumper! On purpose! The GT-R casually pulled up next to her and revved its engine. Haruhi did her best to stay calm; he wanted to make her angry, so she just had to ignore him until he left her alone. The GT-R suddenly turned as if to ram her, then turned the other way. This guy really wanted to race. But why? What did he want to race her so badly for? Maybe it was because she was new to the Wangan and he was just curious as to her skill.

Or maybe he was a jerk asking for an ass-kicking.

Either way, she refused to give in. Not tonight. She just wasn’t in the mood. But the longer he bothered her, the more frustrated she became. The GT-R then pulled ahead and merged into the same lane she was cruising in. Suddenly, the GT-R slammed on its brakes, and Haruhi slammed on hers just in time to avoid running into the back of the car. What was with this guy?! Now she was officially angry.

She turned on her highbeams in an attempt to blind him. “Leave me alone! Asshole!” The GT-R wasn’t phased by the highbeams, however, and instead slowed down and merged back into the other lane, allowing Haruhi to pull up beside of him. Haruhi felt like ramming him into the wall, but a race would do fine. “You want a race? You’ll sure as hell get one!” She put her foot down hard on the accelerator, but her car didn’t pull ahead of the GT-R, and both cars went neck-and-neck down the expressway. Haruhi knew her car had a low top speed, and that meant she wouldn’t last much longer like this.

The orange GT-R gradually began to pull ahead, then suddenly shot forward, flames bursting from the exhaust pipe. Haruhi felt almost as though her eardrums would burst as the engine roared, accelerating the car off into the distance. Haruhi was determined not to let him go, however, and did her best to keep up, to no avail. But she kept going, pushing her FD as far as she could. As she sped around a tight left corner, she suddenly saw that there was a van on the right lane, and she was headed right for it!

She quickly slammed on the brakes. The sudden braking caused the car’s weight to slam forward. She missed the van’s rear by a few centimeters, but then her FD began to slide, all four wheels having lost traction. In a split-second, the nose of her car was pointing straight at the wall. Haruhi closed her eyes and listened as the sound of shattering glass and bending metal filled her ears. The front of her car grinded against the wall as it slid for a few feet before finally coming to a stop. Haruhi’s muscles were twitching as her body shook from the shock of the accident. She didn’t want to open her eyes. She had never crashed before in her entire driving career. Now her car was ruined.

She finally opened her eyes and got out of her car to reluctantly inspect the damage. The front bumper was bent out of shape, and the headlights were shattered. Not too bad, but she couldn’t bring her self to get back in and drive it, too ashamed of the damage. Instead, she called a tow truck and waited on the side of the road. As she looked off into the distance, she gritted her teeth. That jerk in the orange GT-R…what did he want to race her so badly for? Just to show off? “What a jerk,” she muttered to herself. And with that, she swore that she’d get her revenge on him.

Around noon the next day, Haruhi sulked around Keiko’s apartment, waiting for the call that her car was finished. The call never came. She sighed as the clock read 12:27 p.m.; she absolutely hated sitting around doing nothing. She decided that she’d bug Keiko to take her out to the Wangan later. Before she could, however, Keiko had dragged her to the garage that was working on the FD. Keiko explained, “We’re going to give you a chance to change the aerodynamic parts on your car. You don’t have to, but I would recommend it…if you’re going back to the Wangan.”

After much consideration, Haruhi found herself looking through catalogues with Keiko, choosing the parts she found most attractive: a double-slit hood, RE Amemiya front bumper, special rear bumper with the red reflectors removed, smaller mirrors, a curving sideskirt, a low rear spoiler fit for stabilization at high speeds, and glass-covered, non-flip-up headlights. Then the tuning began for driving the Wangan. Her 473hp engine was reworked for a much more effective power output of 506hp. It wasn’t the best, but Haruhi could work with it. The displacement of the tuned engine was 874cc. She watched as the process took place, and was very satisfied with the outcome.

She went to the Wangan as soon as it was finished so as to break the engine in. Keiko tagged along. As she rode the Wangan in her new and improved FD, she couldn’t help but smile. It was so smooth, and the graceful aerodynamics made the car so easy to control. The suspension had been custom-tuned by Haruhi herself, and the feeling was perfect.

After about a week, she began to get excited. Only a few more kilometers and it would be ready. The sky turned orange as the sun began to set under the horizon. She was determined to break the engine in tonight no matter what! She would be caught unprepared if she didn’t, and that wouldn’t sit well with her at all. Keiko was enjoying herself as she watched the city transform as nightfall overtook it. The sky turned a very dark blue, and a million lights seemed to come on all at once. Haruhi flipped on her headlights, even though the street lights provided enough light to see anyway. She carefully weaved in and out of traffic as she went at the break-in rev limit.

Keiko looked over at Haruhi’s figure; she was relaxed. Keiko admired Haruhi’s patience and perseverance in breaking the engine in. She also admired Haruhi’s pedal control. To be able to control her speed so precisely…wherever Haruhi used to drive, she must have had to go through rigorous training to be able to do it so naturally. Haruhi listened to the sound of the engine as she went through a tight, downward left. If the revs got too high, she’d hear it and adjust the accelerator accordingly. Racing in the mountains got her very well-acquainted with her car.

Only two more kilometers now. She wished she had some music or something; Keiko wasn’t much of a talker when in a car. She was always obsessed with how the car sounded and how the car felt. Riding in a car…it was like a wonderful dream to her. It was almost too good to be real. It was 8:30 p.m. now; and only one more kilometer. Haruhi couldn’t wait to be able to go all out, just to see how much it had improved. The tension was immense as she watched the distance meter. Almost…almost! There! She began to press the accelerator to the floor when a pair of headlights raced up behind her.

Curiosity overpowered her, forcing her to slow down. “Who is it? I’m dying for a race!” The car pulled up alongside the right of Haruhi’s FD. It was a jet black Silvia S15. Haruhi was about to floor it when Keiko put her hand on Haruhi’s left arm, watching the S15 closely. “No. Don’t try it. He’s one of the untouchables of the highway…the Grim Reaper.” As Haruhi watched the S15 drive on, she suddenly realized that although the car looked stock, it had something about it. A powerful aura. “One of the untouchables?” she repeated as the S15 went up through the junction back to the Wangan line.

She narrowed her eyes and floored the accelerator. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll just be my FD’s first test!” The dark silver FD roared up to the black S15. Haruhi had her poker face on. She felt as though she had the advantage. The S15 most likely had a worn engine, and it seemed to Haruhi as though it was cowering in fear at her rotary monster. She flashed her highbeams at the menacing Nissan, raring to battle. Keiko’s eyes opened wide as she watched what Haruhi was about to do. “A-are you insane?! I just told you not to challenge him!”

Haruhi frowned and replied, “That Silvia won’t be able to keep up with my car! I just know it!” Keiko gritted her teeth. “You…idiot!” As soon as the battle started, Haruhi’s arrogance disappeared as she realized why he was “untouchable.” As soon as it started, the Silvia began pulling away. Inside the S15, the driver frowned. No mercy. Never would he show mercy to anyone. No mercy.

A burst of flame came from the muffler, and the jet black S15 careened around a long left, leaving Haruhi far behind. Haruhi could hardly believe the car’s speed. Keiko crossed her arms and looked out the window in a frustrated manner. Haruhi sighed. “I was just testing my car out…” Keiko abruptly cut her off. “And how did that go, hm?” Then she started speaking in Japanese; half of it Haruhi didn’t even catch, but it was most likely a string of insults, so she didn’t care. Her FD had improved. She made all of the turns without any real trouble. She didn’t really care if she lost that race…or any race, really. Except…Haruhi had to know. “Keiko? Do you know the name of that racer in the orange R32?”

Keiko pretended to ignore the question, but then decided to answer. “He belongs to Iceman’s team, the Speed Masters. His name is Fullmoon Lunatic.” Hearing that name, Haruhi’s eyes narrowed. She would never forget the name, and she would never let him get away with what he did. She came to the conclusion that he only wanted to race her to show off. Keiko noticed Haruhi seemed frustrated, and became curious as to why. “What? What’s wrong?” Haruhi didn’t answer, too busy concentrating on traffic, searching eagerly for that orange R32. Keiko’s suspicions aroused, she gasped and shouted, “You’re not thinking of racing him now, are you?!”

Haruhi didn’t take her eyes off the traffic. She simply replied, with a sour tone, “I already did.” At hearing that, Keiko’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. Now it made sense; why Haruhi crashed was all clear now. Keiko was about to say something, but decided not to. Haruhi was in a bad mood, and when she was in a bad mood, Keiko didn’t like to bother her.

Meanwhile, Haruhi was still sifting through the traffic with her amber-colored eyes. No good; the GT-R was nowhere to be found. No silver Beetle either. She had almost forgotten about Kevin amidst all of the confusion that had been going on lately. In fact, the more she drove the Wangan, the less she seemed to care about finding him. Her driving spirit seemed to be taking over. She was becoming obsessed with becoming faster. She wanted to be the fastest for once; she wanted to beat everyone, no matter how long it took, or even how impossible it seemed.

Her eyes were suddenly drawn to her rearview mirror. She was being tailed…but what kind of car was it? As if on queue, the tailing car pulled up along her left. It was a black Porsche! Just like that one from Denny’s! The 930 drove ahead and merged back into the middle lane. Haruhi didn’t bother to challenge him; she could almost see the car’s aura. There was no point in challenging him. However, his appearance reminded her of that conversation she heard at the restaurant. Was he out looking for that red S30 they were talking about? She watched him with interest. Should she follow him around?

It was almost midnight, and she was starting to run low on fuel. She frowned. Dammit…should’ve filled it up before she came out. In a few minutes, she’d have to call it a night and take her car to a fueling station. She really didn’t want to go though. The black 930 went through the loop line, probably going back to the Wangan line, while Haruhi left the expressway, stopping by a fueling station to fill the FD’s fuel tank before going back to the apartment.

While they cooked their box dinners, Keiko turned on the television and stretched out her arms. “Aah…it’s so nice to be back home.” The microwave beeped, and Haruhi took out her roasted turkey breast with gravy and mashed potatoes. It had such a great smell, and it looked so delicious; it would taste great too! She sat on the couch as Keiko waited for her own meal. Haruhi felt like she should still have been out on the Wangan. Once she got in the racing mood, nothing else seemed to interest her. She immediately started eating, which seemed to be the only thing that could truly get her mind off of it. But it didn’t work.

She began wondering if she should tweak her FD a bit. Maybe make the gears longer, but more close together. Did that make sense? She wished Kevin was there to help her out. He was the one that originally tuned the FD for mountain and track racing. Surely he could tune it for the Wangan as well. She closed her eyes; it didn’t matter anyway because she had no idea where he was! Keiko could tune a car, but Haruhi really wanted her car tuned by her leader again. Someone who knew her driving style well. And with Kevin not available, the only person who knew was herself. Which meant she’d have to modify it on her own.

This post has been edited by fettman53 on Oct 26 2008, 10:13 AM

If the moderators and administrators don't mind, I will edit this post (yes, the one you are reading right now) with the next update. If you don't like me doubleposting, just delete the post and I'll wait for someone to post something before I put up the next act instead.

I just want to make sure everyone's okay with me doubleposting for updates. It makes it easier to read, and it's easier to post up each act as well.

This post has been edited by fettman53 on Oct 29 2008, 02:18 PM

Sorry for taking so long to post about Act 2. I'll try to make up for it with an (atleast somewhat) in-depth review.

The beginning was nice. You did a good job describing Haruhi's initial slight panic, how it turned to annoyance. and how it finally turned into anger as the GT-R kept provoking her. The battle itself was short, but was able to capture the speed of one. And the fact that she was heading towards a van on corner-exit was written just short enough to get the point across. Haruhi's reaction to the damage was appropiate, and her growing excitement as the new engine was closer to being ready was convincing, as was her increasing interest to the expressways. Also, the car being low on fuel for the moment is relatively unique for a racing story.

I like the way you describe some of the details, such as how the just microwaved box dinner smelled and what it was expected to taste like, or how Haruhi tried to distract herself through the food, but couldn't escape thoughts of the Wangan, her FD or Kevin.

Anyway, please keep on writing, because I need something to read.

Thank you very much for the review, Meteor. It was greatly appreciated!

And now...the next act!



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


Act 3 – The Purple Flash


Early the next day, Haruhi went out to the garage and began tweaking the gears on her FD. Keiko thought it was so funny that Haruhi was so into her car. Keiko knew Haruhi when they were little, and Haruhi never showed an interest in cars. As a matter of fact, she used to hate cars. Her parents were both killed in an accident, which forced her to move to America to live with her aunt and uncle. Now she comes back, and look at her! Tuning her car all by herself, going out racing until sunrise; Keiko began to wonder what changed Haruhi’s mind so extremely. Now Haruhi was completely different.

But Keiko didn’t want to ask her why directly. She would just have to find out some other way.

Haruhi finally found the settings she desired around noon. Satisfied, she put everything away and looked at her car. She very much admired her car. Her aunt thought the color wasn’t very nice, but Haruhi loved it. She chose the car because it reflected herself. Looking at it with its new aero parts, she began to miss the way it used to look. She especially missed the flip-up headlights. Well…it was too late for that now.

Keiko decided to go for a drive on the Wangan that night. It had been a long time since she had actually raced on the Wangan; even though she wasn’t planning on racing this time either, she still got a bit excited at the thought of going out alone again. However, the one thing that bothered her most was which car she would choose. She had two cars, but it was for a good reason. She held a great secret. Would she go back out with her old car? She hadn’t used it for so long; an entire year, now that she thought about it. But it was for a good reason.

It was because she felt like she wasn’t herself. Right? Wasn’t that the reason? Or was it because she was just afraid of what would happen if anyone found out. She was hoping to get a boyfriend. What if someone found out her secret? Would the boys still see her the same way? She hesitated opening up the storage building holding her old car safely inside. Her other car, the blue FD, sat in the lot as the sun began to set. She felt as though her cars were people sometimes, not because they have personalities or anything, but because of moments like this. Even though there were no people around, she felt as though her cars kept her company.

She decided to open up the building as the sky turned a deep orange. She took the lock off and raised the garage-like door. Looks like she would take the chance; she was coming back.

Two hours later, Haruhi was cruising the Wangan again. She was eager to try out her new settings, and her car had performed beautifully. The settings were perfect for the expressway. At least…she believed they were. They felt right to her. She was sure that there were some people who could have tuned it better, but she didn’t care. She knew for a fact that she could keep up with the best with these settings. She was also starting to get used to the roads. She found that there were some turns that were easier to grip through than slide through, and vice-versa.

She almost felt like she was just learning how to drive again. She hated that feeling; the feeling of looseness. The feeling that she wasn’t in control. That was the one thing that all racers feared: not being in control. But she was reassured that it would go away in time, just like up in the mountains. The longer she practiced, the better she’d get, and the easier her car would be to control.

As she slid around a left corner, she began to get excited. She felt like a race; she knew she could be a formidable opponent now that she knew the road…and the dangers that there were. Especially with traffic.

She feathered the accelerator as she went around a sharp, downhill left. This was one of the turns she hated, mainly because it was hard to see any traffic until it was too late. As she carefully took the turn, she noticed a truck in the right lane. If she had taken the turn too fast, she would have most likely smashed into it. She needed to learn how to take turns like that at higher speeds. She didn’t want to have any weak spots when she raced. After a while there would be another sharp left into a tunnel; the same turn where she first crashed. She got furious just thinking about it. She remembered that she swore to herself that she’d defeat Fullmoon Lunatic. Iceman’s buddy or not, she was determined to defeat him; to get her revenge.

She had been searching traffic for that orange R32 ever since she got her car back. Every time she saw an orange car, her heart skipped a beat. Why was she so jumpy? As she drove through a tunnel, she noticed a pair of headlights racing up from behind her. She strained to see what kind of car it was, but soon made it out. “A purple FD?” The FD behind her began to pull up alongside her, but didn’t push her to battle. Instead, it continued down the expressway alone.

Haruhi was tempted to follow it, but before she could, a jet black S15 caught her attention. “Stock body,” she said to herself, “jet black, too. No doubt about it. The Grim Reaper.” She immediately began to flash her highbeams at him, and before she knew it, the battle had started. She did her best to keep up, and was surprised to find that she could do so, staying on his rear bumper the entire time.

She suddenly noticed that the purple FD was right behind her, tailing her. Her eyes opened wide in disbelief and surprise. Who was that?! She shook her head quickly and forced herself to focus on keeping up with the Grim Reaper. It was becoming increasingly difficult; was he getting faster? She felt as though she had lost her balance. Her muscles began to shake as the tension and pressure of the car behind her began to get to her. Suddenly, the purple FD pulled up beside of her. It was going to overtake! She was beginning to lose focus and her heart was beating so fast that it was distracting her. She had never been in a three-way battle before, and she didn’t like being in one now.

It was no use; the third car was just too distracting. If she kept on like this for much longer, she felt like she would crash again. Reluctantly, she lifted her foot off of the accelerator and watched as the two cars raced off without her. Whoever was in that purple FD was an amazing driver. Haruhi began cruising as her heart began to go back to its normal beat. It was just too much. She was only used to one-on-one battles. It seemed that would be all she would be used to, unless she began practicing three-way battles somehow, which she didn’t want to do at all.

The more she raced on the highway, the more convinced she became that it was extremely different from racing on mountain courses. She frowned; if she was going to do any good here, she needed to get used to it!

As she cruised the Wangan, she noticed that the purple FD had pulled over. Curiosity overpowering her, she parked her car behind it and got out. As soon as she closed her door, the driver’s door of the purple FD opened, and the driver stepped out. Haruhi just about fell over when she saw who it was.

“K-Keiko?!”

Sure enough, it was her friend Keiko. Keiko closed the door to her FD and sighed. “Yes, it’s me.” Haruhi looked at Keiko, then at the purple FD. “B-but…what about your blue FD? Where did that one come from?!” Keiko hesitated, trying to choose the right words. “Well…this is my first car. My original car. I’ve had it for two years now.” Haruhi felt like she had been lied to or something. She never knew that Keiko raced! “And why didn’t you tell me about it? How long have you raced with it?” Keiko looked at the ground in shame as she replied, “For two years now. I didn’t know how to tell you. Last time I saw you…you hated cars…and racers…”

Haruhi put her hand on her forehead in frustration. “But I don’t now, so why didn’t you tell me?” Keiko looked up and frowned sadly. “I couldn’t…because then you’d see me as someone different. Luckily you hadn’t heard about it, but now it’s too late. I guess I should fully reintroduce myself to you…see…I’m known as the Purple Flash out here. I’m…I’m one of the untouchables.”

At hearing this, Haruhi had to catch her breath. Her best friend from childhood was a legendary racer? “Y-you? You’re…” She closed her eyes. She couldn’t think of anything to say. She felt as though she was running a fever; her head hurt so much.

As she and Keiko drove back to the apartment, Haruhi began to feel alone for the very first time. She felt like she didn’t know anybody anymore. There was absolute silence as they made their dinners and watched the television. Haruhi wasn’t really watching it. She felt like she was in a complete stranger’s home. As she lied alone on the couch, she began to think about things. Maybe it was time to go out on her own. As she thought about it, she decided to go up to one of the mountains nearby for a nice drive. It had been so long since she had been on a mountain course.

She snuck out and drove out to the Wangan, using a map to find the nearest mountain. She drove through the mountain pass at a nice speed. It brought back so many memories. Memories of the team. She missed racing with them…with the leader. Maybe he really had quit racing. Maybe he was really working and everything like he said he was going to do. Man, that bummed her out! Why would he do that so suddenly? What the hell was going on these days?!

Haruhi went through the entire mountain pass, then went back to the Wangan to go back to the apartment. As she cruised along, she felt a sense of dread. She didn’t want to go back to the apartment. She didn’t want to see Keiko anymore. Finally, she decided: it was time to make it on her own. If Kevin was doing it, then she would too. She’d get a job, pay for her car, and get her own apartment. Maybe someday she’d run into him. Like at the market or something. She frowned and groaned at the thought. She was already getting bored.

Then she heard the sound of an engine. It was gradually becoming louder and louder, until a pair of headlights appeared behind her.

Hmm... I wonder who's about to appear behind Haruhi's FD...
There are a couple of possibilities...

• Keiko & her purple FD
• Grim Reaper's S15
• The Orange R32
• The other R32
• Kevin? (nah! Not likely)
• Or some other wangan driver...

Well, let's find out then!

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


Act 4 – The Red S30


The engine was like a sound she had never heard before. It sounded a bit like an older engine, but it still caught up to her with ease. Before she could react, it pulled up on her right and passed her. It was a red S30! As it pulled away, she noticed something that made her heart jump: the license plate was American! “997-XNE” was the code on it in red digits. The state was unreadable in the dark, but it didn’t matter to her.

Was it him? She had to find out! “I won’t let you go!” she said as she pressed down on the accelerator. But it was no good; the S30 pulled away more and more. Her heart sank as it disappeared out of sight. She might not be able to follow it, but she remembered the license plate. And that meant there was still hope. The next day at the transport ministry, Haruhi looked up the license plate number with anticipation. But once again she was cut down: it wasn’t in the database. She slammed her fist down. Of course it wasn’t in there! It wasn’t a Japanese plate! She began searching her head for other possibilities. Maybe there was someone around here that knew the driver. No matter what, she had to find out who that driver was!

Around noon, she found an affordable hotel room and began searching through the papers for a job. It was a good thing Keiko taught her how to read Japanese, otherwise this would be really hard! She decided to take up a job as a waitress. It had good enough pay. Maybe. She sighed and laid back on the bed. She felt like her life was slowing down. She needed to go back out to the Wangan before she died of boredom.

Meanwhile, the driver of the red S30 waited at a car park as the sun went down. Parked beside of him was a black Porsche 930 with a widebody custom racing kit. But the driver of this Porsche 930 wasn’t the same as the one Haruhi saw at Denny’s. This driver was an older man, with a stubble and short, black hair. The driver of the red S30 began to talk. “Hey Zero…what makes us better than the other drivers here? What’s so different about us? When you think about it, we’re all the same.”

Zero smirked as the S30 driver continued. “Is it our cars? Is that what makes us so much better? Is it just natural born talent? What is it that makes us so different?” The sound of a GT-R filled the lot as Iceman’s R32 pulled up. Iceman parked beside of Zero’s 930 and got out, drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola. “Hey guys. No one worth racing tonight. I wish all of these amateurs would stop clogging up the road…” Zero nodded in agreement, then changed the subject. “So Iceman…how’s your “number two” driver doing, eh?” Iceman put the cap back on his soda bottle and smirked. “Fullmoon Lunatic? He’s doing alright. Almost good enough to lead the team. Still needs an attitude adjustment though…”

The driver of the S30 cleaned off his glasses, put them back on, and patted his car’s hood. Zero turned to him. “Hey Kevin! When’s our next race?” The driver of the S30 closed his eyes and said, “How about right now?”

Back at the hotel, Haruhi put on her small, light purple jacket, opened the door, and turned the light off. “The beginning of the end…” she said to herself as she shut the door. For some reason, she was absolutely convinced that her entire life was going down the drain. But she would’ve done all of this sooner or later.

She got into her FD and sighed lovingly as she heard the engine hum to life. She loved her car more than anything in the world. She began to feel more like herself when she drove it. As she entered the Wangan line, she saw a black 930 leaving a parking lot. What got her attention was the car that followed: a red S30! And following the S30 was…Iceman. But she didn’t care. She wouldn’t let that S30 get away again! She put the pedal to the floor and caught up with Iceman. In his R32, Iceman chuckled as he saw the silver FD in his rearview mirror. “You think you’ve got what it takes to keep up with us? Let’s see you try!”

Suddenly, it became a four-way battle as the cars weaved through the traffic in a graceful manner. At least…the three in front did. Haruhi, however, was having a hard time navigating the traffic, and got nervous when going around corners. But she was determined not to lose sight of the S30, no matter what. She switched to the right lane to pass a truck to her left, then merged into the left lane in order to pass a van on her right. She was improving, but she was still unable to keep up on the straights. Meanwhile, Iceman took a glance into his rearview mirror to see the silver FD falling behind. He slipped past a truck, nearly clipping the side, and flew through a long left before braking lightly for another, harder left.

It was almost routine for him. No one could truly race with the best unless they’ve learned the road. He floored it on the long straight, weaving through the traffic. A right corner was next. He set his car up on the outside. Then he cut inside through the corner, nearly clipping the inside wall. Then he went back to the outside, ready for the S-turns ahead.

Haruhi, meanwhile, was still struggling, dreading the S-turns that were coming. Iceman went into the inside and hit his brakes, anticipating the left turn. Haruhi saw this as an opportunity, and took the outside lane. From then on, her instincts from mountain racing took over. She came out of the turn side-by-side with Iceman, then drifted through the next turn, cutting Iceman off and overtaking him. Then she did a weight shift to slide around the sudden right turn. After that, she floored it down the long, uphill straight, catching up with the black 930 and the red S30, with Iceman right on her rear bumper.

She knew she was done for. Next was the hard, downhill left where you couldn’t see traffic very well. It was one of the turns she had yet to master. She slammed on her brakes, praying that the car would respond the way she wanted. It didn’t. She had gone in too fast, and the FD did the worst possible thing a car could do in a ninety-degree turn: it understeered. She began to panic, holding down the brakes and turning the wheel as hard as she could, but the car didn’t respond. Iceman quickly passed her on the outside as she headed for the outer wall.

At the last second, the tires of Haruhi’s FD registered grip. But it was too late. The right corner of her front bumper smashed into the wall, and the rear tires lost their grip, sliding out until her car was completely facing the wall. Luckily, the bump pushed her car away from the wall, and the damage to the corner of the front bumper was all there was this time as the car slid to a stop, sideways on the road. She slammed her fist on the wheel, causing the horn to sound. Would she ever get to see the driver of the red S30? How were they able to go so fast anyway? What did they do that was so different? Why couldn’t she keep up with them?! She watched as their taillights disappeared into the distance.

The next day, she sent her car for repairs and reported for her first day on the job as a waitress for a fancy restaurant. For her first day, it was mostly training. Around 7:30 p.m., she was told to give it a shot on her own. As she waited on a table near the windows, she saw three familiar cars pull up: Iceman’s R32, the black 930, and the red S30! What were they doing here?! Why would they be coming to a fancy restaurant like this? Before she could panic, the R32 and the S30 pulled away, but the 930 stayed, taking a parking space.

The driver entered the restaurant. To Haruhi’s surprise, it was an older man. She was expecting the younger man from Denny’s that one morning. He walked in with his hands in his pockets, eyes closed. Apparently he had been in here before in order to be able to walk through without looking. Finally, he opened his eyes, revealing black jewels, as he approached Haruhi. “Ah,” he said, “the new girl, huh?” Haruhi stammered, unsure of what to say exactly. “U-uh…yeah. Yes! Yes sir!” The man chuckled and gave her a pat on the head. “You’re a cute one, aren’t ya?” He turned and walked to the back and went into the room marked for the manager, closing the door behind him.

Haruhi was dumbstruck for a split second before finally understanding. He was the owner of the restaurant! No wonder he had a Porsche! Suddenly her luck had completely turned around! This guy could tell her who the driver of the red S30 was! She smiled as she got back to work. In a good mood at last!

At midnight, the restaurant closed down, and Haruhi waited for the owner to come out. As he walked toward his car, Haruhi ran after him. “Wait! Excuse me! Sir?” As she ran up to him, he turned around. He smiled when he saw that it was Haruhi. “Oh, it’s you! What do you need?”

Hesitantly, she began to speak. “I…I was hoping…” she shyly began, fiddling with her fingers. “I was hoping you could introduce me…” The man raised an eyebrow as Haruhi stammered, trying to force herself to talk. “ Would you introduce me to the driver of that red S30? Sir?” The man was surprised by Haruhi’s question. “Hm? Why do you want to meet him?” Haruhi looked down at the ground, unable to answer the question. The man smirked and asked, “What’s your name, young lady?” The question caught her off-guard, but she was able to reply. “Haruhi. It’s Haruhi, sir.” The man held out his hand, and Haruhi hesitantly shook it.

He then said, “My name is Zero. I’m sure I could introduce you to my good friend. Come along.” He gestured her to the passenger’s side of the Porsche.

Wow. You updated quickly.

And I can say I wasn't expecting that.

Anyway, another nice chapter. The latest does have a few pacing problems though (IMO) that I think I'll point out later. Still, fun read.

I've actually noticed that my story gets a little degraded in quality as it goes on due to the fact that I've had less and less time to work on it, so I'd stop and then finish the act later. But as long as the story gets told correctly, I'm happy.



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



Act 5 – Reunion


Before she knew it, Haruhi was in the passenger’s seat of the black 930, cruising the Wangan. Zero turned and went into a parking lot near Rainbow Bridge, dimly lit by the street lights. There was no one else around as he parked. Haruhi sat in the passenger seat of the 930 and looked around. Zero got out and walked over to a soda machine to buy a Diet Pepsi. Haruhi didn’t move from her spot. It seemed like they waited forever before three cars rolled up: Iceman’s R32, the red S30…and Full Moon Lunatic’s orange R32! They all parked in their own spaces. Full Moon Lunatic got out first and strolled over to Zero. “Hey, old man! What’s going on?”

Then he glanced over at the 930…and saw Haruhi. “What what whaaat?!” He smirked as he walked over to the black 930. “What is this? Zero! I didn’t know you were interested in younger women!” Zero frowned at the remark and replied, “How many times do I have to tell you to respect your elders, boy? She just wants to meet someone.” Iceman got out of his car and said, “Leave him alone, F.L.. I’m not having the Speed Masters run by some jerk while I’m gone…” Full Moon Lunatic frowned and looked away as the driver of the red S30 got out. Haruhi blushed, unable to look at him.

Finally, she looked up, and took a deep breath. No doubt about it. It was him. Her former leader…Kevin. He hadn’t changed at all. Still quiet…still mysterious. Probably still undefeated too. He had that serious look on his face that he always had. No one ever saw him smile.

But that car…where did he get it? Why didn’t he have a Japanese license plate on it? Was he planning on leaving soon? She hesitated; she wanted to get out of the car. She wanted to talk to him again; to hear his voice. She wanted to hear his racing advice, even if she didn’t care about it. She just wanted it to be like it used to. But she couldn’t move. She felt numb all over.

Suddenly the passenger door of the 930 opened. Kevin was standing there, looking at her with a neutral face.

“I never would have thought…that you’d follow me out here.”

She didn’t know what to say. Was he glad to see her? Or was he complaining? She couldn’t tell…but she had to know one thing. “Why? Why did you leave? The team needs you!” Kevin simply looked away dreamily. After a long silence, he replied, “For what?” Haruhi was a bit surprised by his question. She was even more surprised by the fact that she had no idea how to answer it. When she failed to reply, Kevin closed his eyes. “Your final test was my leaving. Your final test was to make it on your own. I take it the team broke up?”

Once again, Haruhi didn’t reply, simply staring at the 930’s glove compartment. Kevin continued. “You can’t go following me around all your life. If you can’t race without me, then stop racing.” With that, he walked over to the soda machine and got a Root Beer. Haruhi wished she could tell him, but she was afraid. She was afraid that he might not care. Was it worth a shot? She had to at least say something. Finally, she got out of the 930.

“Well…I like driving with you. It’s…hard to explain…but…I want to drive with you! Please!” Before he could answer, there was the sound of screeching tires as another icy blue R32 GT-R roared into the parking area. Behind the rear windows was a custom sticker with two sets of sharp teeth covered in ice. In the middle of the teeth was the word “Frostbite.” Iceman stared at the car as though it was an old enemy. “What does he want?” Full Moon Lunatic crossed his arms and watched the car park. “Doesn’t matter. If he wants a race, we’ll beat him like we do everyone else, right?”

Iceman frowned as the GT-R driver got out. He was a larger man, with slick, brown hair, rectangle-lens glasses, and a green plaid shirt. He had a serious look on his face as he walked up to Kevin, saying, “What’s goin’ on, man?” Kevin nodded in response, leaning against the wall. Finally, he said, “So, are you still sliding around the corners, or have you finally decided to use the grip of your tires properly?” The GT-R driver, Rusty, grinned and said, “Doesn’t matter; I’m not going to lose to anyone!”

Kevin closed his eyes and said, “Hmph. Confident, as always…but I guess that’s good.” Full Moon Lunatic overheard the conversation and looked at Iceman, saying, “What does he mean ‘sliding around the corners?’ You can’t make a GT-R slide! The ATTESA-ETS prevents it!” Iceman frowned and replied, “He can do it. He can do the impossible: drift a GT-R.” Full Moon Lunatic’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. “N-no way!” But then he began to calm down. “Heh…still, that won’t save him from a racer using the grip run.” He smirked. “Drift just slows cars down. Grip is king!”

Rusty overheard Full Moon Lunatic and said, “Hey! Up yours! I could beat you any day! Come on, pal! Let’s go! Right now!” Full Moon Lunatic chuckled and patted the hood of his orange R32. “You think you can keep up with my R?! Bring it on, punk.” Rusty laughed and yelled, “I will destroy you!”

Haruhi blushed and hesitantly walked up to Kevin, who was just about to get in his car. She stammered as she said, “I…I want to know…if I could ride with you. I don’t have my car right now, so…”

Kevin knew the real reason why she wanted to ride with him, of course. She wanted to see him drive. He sighed, knowing that it’d be cruel to just leave her after she tried so hard to find him. “Fine,” he said, “get in.” Haruhi felt a feeling of relief as she sat beside of him. It felt right sitting beside of him. The S30’s engine growled and roared to life as Frostbite and Full Moon Lunatic pulled out of the parking area and lined up side-by-side, ready to battle. Kevin, Zero, and Iceman followed behind them, watching the race from their cars.

Out of the blue, Kevin said, “This is dangerous…following them.” Haruhi perked up and looked at him. “Huh?”

No one else knew, but Kevin did. He knew that Rusty wasn’t really all that good yet. He was still getting used to the roads. He was still an amateur…still a beginner. Kevin knew he’d have to keep his distance in case there was a wreck.

When Kevin didn’t elaborate on his statement, Haruhi began to get nervous. Afraid. What did he mean “dangerous?” The battle began, and Full Moon Lunatic pulled in front, blocking Rusty off. Rusty flashed his lights, angry at Full Moon Lunatic’s abrupt move. He went to pass, but Full Moon Lunatic blocked him off again. In his R32, Iceman gritted his teeth. “Come on, F.L.. Don’t let the boy get angry. Just let him pass for now. He’s dangerous when he’s angry.” Full Moon Lunatic continued to hold the lead, going into a left corner. He grinned, glancing in the rearview mirror. “Can you get through the first corner, you punk? Let’s see you!”

Rusty slid through the turn at a dangerous speed, almost grazing the outside wall upon exit. Haruhi’s muscles were tense as she watched Rusty’s car. Now she was beginning to understand what Kevin meant when he said it was dangerous.

Rusty gritted his teeth as Full Moon Lunatic began to pull away. “No! You’re not getting away!” He put the pedal to the floor, pulling up to Full Moon Lunatic. As they went through a right corner, Rusty took the inside and began pushing on F.L.’s rear fender, hoping to spin him out. F.L. scowled, saying, “Too bad, that won’t work. This is a four-wheel drive!” The stabilizing power of the orange GT-R’s 4WD kept the car in line, but Rusty was able to pass. He pulled ahead of F.L. and slid around another left corner.

F.L. watched Rusty’s car closely, looking for a weakness. It quickly became obvious. The car’s rear suspension was set so that the rear came loose when the brakes were applied. Not only that, but the tires were wearing out. F.L. tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Fight fire with fire? If you wanna try to spin me out…” He put the pedal to the floor and grinned. “Then I’ll do the same for you!” The orange R32 quickly caught up to Frostbite. As they came up to the sharp, downhill left next to the Shinkanjo exit, F.L. took the inside. Rusty turned into the corner, and F.L. nudged his left rear fender. Frostbite’s rear tires couldn’t take the strain, and the loose suspension caused the GT-R to begin to spin out.

F.L. grinned as he passed Rusty. “Yeah, bite on that, Frostbite! Haha!” In Kevin’s S30, Haruhi gasped as Rusty’s car began to spin. Kevin, Iceman and Zero were headed right for it! Kevin’s eyes narrowed. “Hm…” He tapped the brakes, then accelerated on past with ease. Iceman and Zero drove around the out-of-control car as well, as it screeched to a stop just inches away from the outer wall.

Haruhi frowned. Now she hated Full Moon Lunatic even more! Of course, Rusty attempted to cheat too, so he had it coming.

Meanwhile, Kevin was having a strange feeling as Haruhi sat in the passenger seat. He had never taken a passenger before when he went on his Wangan runs. He had the urge to do well; to be perfect. More perfect than he usually was. He had never felt that way before. As he took the off-ramp to his house, he felt relieved that it was over. He’d have to take Haruhi home first though. Then he had another strange feeling: he didn’t want her to go. He enjoyed the company for once. He looked over at her. She was asleep! The repetitive sound of his car must have made her drowsy.

Afraid to wake her up, he decided to go to his house and put her on the couch. He parked in the garage, then carefully unfastened Haruhi’s seatbelt and carried her up the stairs as the garage door automatically closed. At the same time, Keiko arrived at Haruhi’s apartment to find that she wasn’t there. She cursed; Haruhi was probably out on the Wangan. She left in a furious stomp to her car, then pulled away, tires screeching. Meanwhile, Rusty continued to drive the Wangan, bent on revenge. He was seriously ticked off that he spun out during the race. He was itching for a rematch. He’d learn the roads no matter what, and Full Moon Lunatic would then tremble at the mention of the name Frostbite!

Back at Kevin’s house, Kevin laid Haruhi down on the couch and went to bed. As he laid down in his bed, he felt a feeling of relief and comfort. As much as he loved driving on the Wangan, it was always nice to get home, lie back, and relax his muscles and mind. He sighed and turned off the lights. Tomorrow he’d need to go back to work.

Note to all readers:

If you wish for regular updates of the story, you must reply or something. I do NOT like doubleposting on this forum and do my best to avoid it. Therefore, you will not get an update unless someone posts something like a comment or even just a "MOAR PLEZ."

I'd like this to be the last time I doublepost for this story, so if no one replies, I will not put up anymore updates I'm afraid...unless I get permission from a moderator or administrator that it is okay to doublepost for each update.


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



Act 6 – The First Lesson


The next day, Haruhi woke up in an unfamiliar room, laying on a couch. Kevin probably took her to his house since he didn’t know where she lived. She stood up after laying there for a while. She checked her cell phone for the time. 8:34 a.m.. “Hm?” She looked at the corner of the screen. There was a small, yellow envelope. “A message?” She went to her messages and played the new message. It was Keiko. “Haruhi, you stupid b*tch! Where are you?! I’m freaking worried sick! How could you just up and leave me like this?! What did I do to you?!” Haruhi sighed as Keiko continued to rant. Maybe she should’ve told Keiko she was leaving before she just left. She decided to go back and apologize…after she got her car back.

She walked up to the garage working on her car. It was definitely done by now. She walked in and paid it off, taking the keys and starting the RE-3 rotary turbo engine up. It was so soothing to her, and she couldn’t help but smile as she heard it. Reluctantly, she went to Keiko’s apartment, but she wasn’t there. Frustrated, Haruhi wrote a note and taped it to the front door, then left for work.

As she was working around noon, Rusty entered with a slender girl with brown hair in a ponytail. Rusty saw Haruhi, and remembering that she was Kevin’s friend, walked up to greet her. “Hey,” he said, “I remember you. Haruhi, right?” He gestured toward the girl following him and said, “This is my girlfriend, Ayaka. She’s known as Moonlight Child on the Wangan.” Ayaka smiled at Haruhi but was too shy to say anything. Rusty and Ayaka sat down at a table near the windows as Haruhi went to the back to get clean dishes. As she went to the back, she passed by a mirror…and stopped. She felt a bit depressed; she couldn’t even recognize herself! It was time for a makeover. She decided to have it all done the next day.

The next day was hectic. First she had to get her hair cut, which she ended up doing herself because she couldn’t find anyone who could do it the way she liked. Then she needed to fill up her car with gasoline, and change the oil, which she always forgot to do until the last minute. After that she had to get lunch and put her hair up in her own unique “trademark Haruhi” style before going to her job. She was almost late.

On the Wangan around 9:30 p.m., Kevin, Rusty, and Ayaka were hanging out at the Shibaura parking area like they always did. Ayaka was working on her Civic Type R as Kevin and Rusty talked near the soda machines. Rusty looked over at his girlfriend, then said, “Hey, man. Guess what? Me and my girlfriend are going to a hotel tonight. You know what that means! Bow-chika-bow-wow!”

Kevin frowned and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. “I don’t get you. What’s the point of doing something like that if you don’t actually plan on going all the way and actually having the child? It’s fake…can’t you find some other way to express your love for one another?” Rusty crossed his arms and replied, “Hey, once you get a girl, you’ll be doing the same thing. Trust me. You will.”

Kevin shook his head and said, “No. I won’t. I’m not that kind of a person. The way I see it is, we’re called human because we know better than to give in to primitive urges. If you can’t even control an urge like that, then why even call yourself human?” Rusty didn’t know what to say to that, and didn’t reply. Just then, Ayaka started up her car’s engine and honked the horn. Rusty nodded to Kevin and walked over to the EK9, getting into the passenger seat. The Civic pulled away, leaving Kevin in the parking lot alone.

He sat down next to his S30 and patted its fender. “In the end, it’s just you and me.” Then another car pulled into the lot. It was a dark silver FD. It parked beside of him, and the driver got out. Kevin sighed and rolled his eyes; of course it was Haruhi. But something about her was different. No…it was the same. The same as back then. He stood up and said, “You cut your hair like it used to look…”

Haruhi nodded; she hated awkward moments like this. Kevin looked at her FD and said, “I see you’ve pretty much ruined your perfect mountain-tuned FD…those settings were difficult to obtain. I doubt I’d be able to do it again for you. “Haruhi crossed her arms and rested her head on her car’s roof. She looked at Kevin and asked, “What happened to your perfect mountain car?” Kevin looked up at the night sky and replied, “It’s in storage. You know I’d never get rid of that little guy. I love my cars.”

Haruhi flinched. He loved his cars…but…not her. She frowned and reminded herself to keep herself from sniffling: he just doesn’t know yet, that’s all! He didn’t know…how she felt. But she couldn’t think about that anymore. Not right now. Right now, she wanted to get closer to him. And she knew the perfect thing to keep him close.

“I want you to teach me. Please. Teach me how you drive so fast!” Kevin sighed and replied, “How can I teach you how to drive? You find the balance of your car and drive accordingly. It’s simple. If you can’t do it on your own, then you don’t belong out here. I didn’t have anyone to teach me. I learned it all myself.”

Haruhi’s heart sank in her chest, but then Kevin sighed and said, “But if you really want help finding a good line, I can teach you some basics. But it will take a lot of practice. First you need to find balance. Once you think you’ve done that, come back and I’ll start teaching you a little of what I know. The rest will be up to you after that.” Haruhi was about to question him when he continued. “Every racer has a different style. Some like to go the easy way through the inside of the turns. Some like to make it challenging and take the outside of the turns. Some, who have complete control of their cars and complete knowledge of the course, will find their own ways through the turns. Grip is key out here, but sometimes you need to slide through turns too. Or you might not. It all depends on your style, your car, and your car’s settings, as well as where you choose to drive. You can’t be taught your own style, however. Just like you can’t be taught how to think. It comes naturally.”

Haruhi listened to every word he said, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about any of it. She just wanted to hear his voice. She wanted him to talk to her forever. She felt guilty letting him continue talking. She felt like she should tell him she didn’t care. But she didn’t want him to stop. But no…she did! She wanted him to stop talking about racing! She wanted to hear him talk to her about…about…anything! Anything but racing! Was that all he cared about? Did he think it was all she cared about?

As she got lost in her own thoughts, a black Supra JZA80 drove in, followed by F.L.’s orange R32. She felt a strong feeling of vengeance. Both cars parked, and F.L. got out of his car. The driver of the black Supra got out as well; it was a girl with shoulder-length brown hair. The Black Angel, and F.L.’s girlfriend. Her real name was Aly, and F.L. loved her deeply. He took her face in his hands and softly kissed her lips. Kevin watched with approval. Now that was on okay way to express your love for one another.

F.L. got her a soda, acknowledging Kevin and Haruhi with a nod, then went back to his car for a rest. Without saying a word to Kevin, Haruhi walked over to F.L. and declared, “ I want to battle you.” F.L. opened his eyes and looked up at her. “Eh? What for?” Haruhi frowned, staring at him like he was her worst enemy. “You challenged me…a while back. I want a rematch.” Then F.L. perked up, looking over at the silver FD. “Oh, I get it now! Sure, I’ll battle you. But if you lose…you have to give me something for my troubles.”

Haruhi narrowed her eyes, wondering what he could possibly want from her. “Like what?” F.L. smirked and put his arms behind his head and replied, “Oh, nothing much, really. Just a certain article of clothing…” At hearing that, Haruhi blushed, and felt a fit of rage coming on as she angrily stated, “Y-you…perverted…I’ll never…ever…” Just then, Kevin walked over, arms crossed. He overheard that Haruhi wanted to battle F.L. and said, “You can’t race him. You’re not experienced enough.” F.L. smirked and leaned back in his seat. That only made Haruhi angrier, and now she was determined to destroy him.

“Oh yeah? You think you’re hot stuff? Well I’m faster than you think I am. And if I can’t beat you, I can still keep up!” Kevin sighed and walked away, and F.L. chuckled. “So you think you can keep up with my R? Let’s do it.”

They began the race a few minutes after they set up the rules. One lap around the C1 Inner Loop. If Haruhi was still able to keep up with F.L.’s R32 by the end, or if she passed him and got the parking lot first, she won. In her FD, Haruhi gulped. If F.L.’s R32 went out of sight, then that meant…no! She would never let that happen! She was determined to win this time, no matter what!

Kevin followed them in his S30, and Aly followed in her Supra. The battle started, and F.L.’s R32 began to pull away. Haruhi did her best to focus. “Find the balance of the car. Find the balance…control…” Around a right turn, Haruhi began to catch up. He was slow on the corners! Haruhi tightened her grip on the steering wheel. That was his weakness. No matter what, she had to get through all of the turns perfectly! It was her only hope!

Kevin watched her driving from behind and began making a quick analysis. She was loose in her driving. She hadn’t found the balance yet. He watched the race boringly. Haruhi should have stuck to mountain racing. He could tell that she began to panic when she began to hit higher speeds. The pace was too fast for her. She was never good at adapting to different racing conditions. If she planned to pass him, the best place to do it would be near the end so that she wouldn’t be pressured by his headlights behind her. That always messed her up too, even up in the mountains. Meanwhile, Aly stayed back a little ways, following behind Kevin’s S30. She always enjoyed watching her beloved F.L. race.

Haruhi held on through an S-turn, then began to fall behind in the long straight after. But up next was the area with the two highway divider walls. F.L. slowed down slightly for each one, but Haruhi slipped right through, coming out onto the long, uphill straight right on F.L.’s rear bumper. F.L. glanced at his rearview mirror in surprise. “W-what?!”

In his S30, Kevin was a bit amused by the race. Compared to his usual pace, he thought they were going pretty slow. He felt like passing them, but reminded himself that he needed to stay behind in case Haruhi wrecked, which he hoped wouldn’t happen.

Meanwhile, Haruhi hit her brakes as she came up to the hard, sharp left ahead, careful not to push them all the way down to prevent the brakes from locking up. She slipped through the turn right behind F.L., who pulled away slightly on the straight before slamming on his brakes for the right turn ahead. As his GT-R slowed down, Haruhi’s FD began to catch up. As she braked for the right turn, F.L. hit the straight and began to pull away, weaving through the traffic as Haruhi struggled to catch up. She slipped in between two pick-up trucks and slid around a long, easy right, catching up to F.L.’s R32 as they came up to a tunnel. She passed him on the inside, then came out of the tunnel, weaving through the traffic.

The next turn was the place where Haruhi first wrecked her car that one night while racing F.L.. She wouldn’t let it happen again! She braked for the turn and cut to the outside, turning sharply. The tunnel came into view, and the back of her car began to slide. She desperately attempted to keep it under control, but to no avail. The right corner of the rear bumper hit the outer wall. But instead of the tires regaining their grip, the car began to slide out the other way, rotating clockwise. F.L. passed her, followed by Kevin and Aly. Kevin slowed down as Haruhi struggled to stop the car from spinning. She found herself facing the wall once again. She gritted her teeth and turned the steering wheel to the right, hoping to make the car spin clockwise a bit more.

It worked…barely. The left corner of the rear bumper scraped lightly against the wall before the car came to a complete stop. Kevin’s S30 sat up the road a little ways, waiting for her. She slammed her fist on the steering wheel. She hated racing.

A little while later they all gathered back at the parking area. It turned out that F.L. was joking about what he said earlier, and Haruhi was let “off the hook.” He kissed his girlfriend before she pulled out to practice on her own. Kevin frowned as he looked at Haruhi. “You had no business challenging someone of his skill level. You won’t defeat him the way you currently drive.” Haruhi moped in her car as she held a bottle of diet Pepsi. She hated it when she couldn’t control her car. She was determined to control it no matter what the cost!

A few hours later, F.L. was driving home on the Wangan when he saw a wreck up ahead. A racer in a black car had badly wrecked, with steam coming up out of the hood. F.L. sighed and said to himself, “Poor amateurs. That’s what happens when you drive on the Wangan withou-” As he got closer to the car, his heart felt as though it stopped beating abruptly. The crumpled up car…was Aly’s black Supra!

He hit his brakes so hard that he could hear the screeching metal. He yanked his door open and desperately sprinted for his loved one. “Oh my god! Aly! Aly! Somebody call an ambulance! ALY!”

Great. I've done it again. . Sorry about that.

Great chapters as usual, keep them going/MOAR PLZ/I need something to read, just don't quit writing it before it's done.

And in Act 6's ending, again you've given me something I didn't quite expect.

This story will go on until the end. There is a sequel in the works as well.


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



Act 7 – The Phantom

Everyone heard the horrible news the next day, and called off everything they had planned in order to visit Aly in the hospital. Iceman, Zero, Rusty, Ayaka, Kevin, and Haruhi all came to the hospital. F.L. sobbed outside of the door to her room. The doctors had finished their job. She had died on impact with the wall. It was too late. There was nothing else they could do. Iceman frowned sadly and put a hand on F.L.’s shoulder.

No one said anything. No one could say anything. What was there to say? The Wangan was a dangerous place; it was a “drive at your own risk” kind of activity. Everyone knew they were putting their lives on the line when they drove there. They knew what the consequences were if they made a mistake. F.L.’s sobs insighted cries in the hearts of those around him. Only Kevin, Zero, and Iceman failed to cry, and instead began to wonder: what happened to make her crash so extremely? Who was she racing against?

The next morning, Haruhi visited Keiko for comfort and told her the news of Aly’s mysterious crash. Instead of comforting Haruhi, Keiko began to look uneasy. “Haruhi,” she started, “did you ever hear of the racer known as Queen? She was a member of a team called the Wind Stars. She was a really skilled racer…and a very kind person. One night, while racing a mysterious opponent, she went around a tight left turn. Suddenly, her car seized to respond. Everything locked up. Her car hit another car and flipped into the air, going about 260 km/h. It did a complete flip in midair, and then slammed into a light pole, wrapping around it.” She took a deep breath, then said, “The part of the car that hit the pole first was the driver’s door.”

Haruhi flinched at hearing that. She didn’t want to hear that.. Keiko said, “Needless to say, she died on impact. But…this only happened…because of who she was racing. Or…rather, what she was racing. It was a phantom. A phantom RX-7 FD3S…red with black flames. Only…the flames aren’t really paint…it’s like a visible power. A dark power. Anyone who has raced it has died. To this day, none of its opponents are alive. There is no doubt in my mind…this ‘Aly’ was a victim of the Phantom.”

Haruhi was even more depressed than she was before. She came for comfort, not this. Still…it was nice to know what was going on. She asked, “So…what are we supposed to do?” Keiko looked sorrowfully at Haruhi and replied, “I have no idea.”

Later that day, Rusty and Ayaka were hanging out at the Shiodome parking area as the sun began to set. Rusty put his arm around Ayaka’s shoulder and they kissed. Just then, a white RX-7 with a blue flame job rolled up and parked. Ayaka eyed it closely. “Midnight Cinderella…” Rusty had his serious face on now as the driver exited the car. She had long, blonde hair and blue eyes, and had a slight frown on her face as she walked up to the couple. She didn’t know Rusty, but she knew Ayaka. “Hey, Ayaka. So this is your boyfriend, huh?” Ayaka blushed and nodded. “Yes, M.C., this is Rusty. Rusty, this is Midnight Cinderella. M.C. for short.”

Rusty and M.C. shook hands, and M.C. said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Unfortunately I cannot stay any longer. I just came for something to drink before I continue my Wangan run. Perhaps we’ll meet sometime on the road. I look forward to it!” She winked, then went over and bought a Coca-Cola. Then she left. She had been prowling around the Wangan ever since she heard the rumors. Rumors that the Phantom had returned. People were dying every night. Some people were too afraid to drive the Wangan. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. The Wangan was supposed to be an inviting place to be. She would make it safe to drive on again. She would get rid of the Phantom herself! She pushed her FD to go faster as she went all-out on the Wangan.

Meanwhile, Haruhi laid down on her bed as the clock read 8:30 p.m.. She didn’t feel like driving the Wangan. She didn’t feel like doing anything. Seeing F.L. crying the way he did…it reminded her that even the greatest of drivers out there were still human. She didn’t want to leave. She just wanted to lay back and dream. Besides, what if the Phantom was out? She didn’t want to be its next victim! She closed her eyes, hoping dearly for a good dream. As she dozed off, the Wangan was unnaturally calm. There were no racers out at all. The traffic casually traveled on the highway without the fear of wrecks ahead.

All at once, the peace was interrupted as an L28 engine roared and growled in the distance. A sky blue S30 raced into the Wangan line. The driver had a sorrowful look on her face. She never smiled anymore. Ever since her brother died. She saw the wreck herself; saw his car careen into the wall. And she saw his opponent. It was because of the opponent that her brother died. The doctors said he died on impact. She swore revenge on the opponent ever since. She swore that she, Eriko, would destroy the Phantom.

She didn’t care that she was the only driver on the Wangan at the time. It just meant that the Phantom would have less people to challenge. In fact, it meant that it would have to challenge her if it came out, because she was the only person out. Her sorrowful face hid anger and hatred from the view of others. Anger at the unfair death of her brother. Hatred for the Phantom. It murdered her brother…and she’d never let it get away with such an unforgivable crime. It was the only reason why she continued to run the Wangan.

She heard the sound of an engine behind her. It was a white FD with a blue flame job. Midnight Cinderella’s FD. M.C. passed Eriko, causing the sorrowful girl to speed up. She flashed her lights to challenge M.C., who smirked and sped up, starting the battle. Back at Kevin’s house, he and Iceman were watching a video on the television screen. Big screen, thanks to Kevin’s wonderful salary…and working two jobs. Iceman got up and stretched when the video ended. “Well…that was pretty cool. I’m gonna go ahead and leave then.”

As he and Kevin walked outside, Iceman asked, “So how’s that one girl doing?” Kevin closed his eyes and replied, “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her for a while. I guess she doesn’t really care too much about racing. I’m curious as to why she continues to do it.” Iceman nodded and shrugged, then got into his R32, starting up the engine. “I’m sure you’ll find out sooner or later. Maybe it’s just a phase.” As he drove away, Kevin sighed. “Yeah…maybe…”

Back out on the Wangan, M.C. and Eriko finished their battle with Eriko as the victor. They sat in the parking area, not saying a word to each other. Just then, F.L.’s R32 pulled up. F.L. got out of his car. He was different. He was quiet. Eriko looked at him, and quietly said, “One of your loved ones…they were a victim of the Phantom. Weren’t they?” F.L. didn’t answer, but they all knew it was true. Eriko sorrowfully looked up at the night sky. “Many people have died because of that thing…”

At the same time, Keiko drove her purple FD on the Wangan. She did it as a stress reliever. She was beginning to understand why Haruhi started racing now, due to her excellent “investigational skills.” Haruhi raced to get the attention of a guy, according to Keiko. But what she didn’t understand was why? She still hated cars…so did that mean she was desperately in love with this guy? And just who was it anyway?

Keiko went around a long left. Halfway through the turn, a pair of headlights appeared behind her, but they weren’t there a second ago. The car behind her began to flash its highbeams at her. A challenge! She squinted in her rearview mirror, trying to see what kind of car it was. When she finally made it out, her heart stopped. She suddenly realized…this would be her last night to race.

The Phantom appears. .

Brake Keiko! Brake! Even if the car seizes up then, the collision won't be as fatal!

Next act is up!


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


Act 8 – Depression


Back at her apartment, Haruhi was awoken by the phone ringing. She answered, and when she heard the caller’s voice, she gasped, caught unprepared. It was Kevin. “Hey…can we talk for a bit?” Haruhi blushed; he used the word “we.” She smiled softly and replied, “Yes. Please.”

Kevin got right down to the point. “You…you don’t like racing, do you?” Haruhi was caught off-guard by the question. She suddenly felt as though she had been backed into a corner. “U-uh…I…” She couldn’t seem to get an answer out. Kevin smirked, then said, “I see. So…why do you continue to do it?” Haruhi didn’t want to talk anymore. She didn’t want to say what he knew she would. She wanted to hang up.

Back on the Wangan, Keiko tried desperately to keep up with the Phantom. The thing was unnaturally fast. No matter what, she just couldn’t keep up! Going up the long, uphill straightaway, the Phantom pulled away, and Keiko gritted her teeth. The sharp, left corner was coming up.

She slammed on the brakes…but they wouldn’t go down! The pedal was stuck! Then she noticed that even though she lifted her foot off of the accelerator, it was still glued to the floor! Her FD continued to accelerate, faster and faster. She attempted to turn the wheel, but it was stuck too! Her car went careening toward the divider wall at 282 km/h. As it hit the wall, Keiko didn’t hear the sound of smashing metal or shattering glass.

She didn’t see anything. She didn’t hear anything.

She didn’t feel anything.

Back at the apartment, Haruhi was facing a hard choice. She wanted to tell Kevin about her feelings. It was the only way to tell him why she still drove without lying to him. But she couldn’t. She was just too scared. “I…can’t…say…” Kevin sighed and said, “I see. Well…since you’re obviously not interested in it, there’s really no reason for me to teach you how to do it anymore, so…” Haruhi surprisingly interrupted him. “N-no! I…I still want you to teach me! I…I need to keep going.” Kevin began to feel frustrated. “You’re not making any sense! You don’t want to race! I can see that you don’t enjoy it!” Haruhi interrupted him again, shouting, “But I do! There are some things that I enjoy about it!”

Kevin was unconvinced. “Like what?” Haruhi opened her mouth, but stopped. She couldn’t say it. She wanted to so badly, but she couldn’t. Kevin closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. Forget I said anything. I’ll see you on the Wangan.” With that, he hung up. Haruhi stood there, half dumbstruck, the phone still in her hand. What made this topic come up all of a sudden? Was it that obvious? She couldn’t let it end like this! She wouldn’t! When she finally came to her senses, she put her phone down and left…for the Wangan. She would drive all night and perfect her driving if she had to…and she did have to! She’d show him that she enjoyed it! Even if she didn’t…but…she’d convince him anyway! She started up her FD and drove away to the Wangan.

Back at his house, Kevin put his hands in his pockets as he walked out to the backyard. It was a nice night, and the stars twinkled in the dark blue sky. He shouldn’t have called Haruhi. It wasn’t like he really expected her to say anything. What did he want her to say? He knew she didn’t like racing. If she told him otherwise, he knew she’d be lying. He could tell that she had different motivations for driving the Wangan than he had. She wasn’t passionate. She wasn’t devoted. It was like she was purposely living a lie. But she still did it anyway! He didn’t want to think about her anymore.

He walked over to his garage but didn’t open the door. He almost felt as though he would “wake it up.” His car. It deserved a rest, he believed. It was a great machine, tuned to perfection, and cleaned inside and out everyday by him. He put his hand on the metal garage door. It was cold, but it was somewhat soothing. Inside sat his car. His real, true friend. The one he always spent time with. The one he trusted his life with. And his trust was well-placed. The car always ran perfectly, getting him through the Wangan every night. He was glad to be putting his life on the line to drive this car. It was worth it. It was worth every second out there, and he would continue to do it forever. He did it just to do it. Just for the experience of it. It was how he was able to put up with everyday life. He just drove all night, into the morning.

He closed his eyes. He was beginning to think about her again. About Haruhi. He was remembering how he first met her in person. It was back in his senior high school year. She was a new student. A senior, like he was. She was really quiet, and at lunch she would sit at a table alone. One day, Kevin and Rusty were sitting, eating lunch, minding their own business, when a group of jerks walked up and began to bother Rusty like they always did. “Hey, big Rusty,” one of the jerks with spiky, brown hair said, “what’s goin’ on? Mind if I sit here?” Rusty angrily replied, “Get out of here! We don’t even know you!” But the group of jerks sat down around them anyway, grinning and chuckling like little children.

Rusty had packed his lunch in a tin lunch box, and when one of the jerks said something about him that made him angry, he threw the lunch box at him. But the box missed. The spiky-haired jerk dodged it…and it soared across the cafeteria, hitting the new girl on the shoulder, startling her. Guilt immediately filled Kevin’s head, and Rusty stood up, ready to punch the spiky-haired guy in the face. Kevin walked over to get the lunch box back and apologize, but the girl and the box were gone! Suddenly, he turned around. She was standing there, bashfully holding the lunch box and a small, hand-knit pillow. She held the lunch box out towards him, and he apologized as he took it. “I’m sorry…”

Then the girl handed him the pillow. “Um…here…for you…” she said, unable to look at him. Kevin hesitantly took it, amazed at how different she was from the other girls in school. After a while, they sort of became friends. Soon, Kevin led an elite mountain racing team, and she was number two on it. After a year of mountain racing, he left…and now it’s come to this.

He walked inside and opened up a small, unpacked box. The pillow she gave him sat inside. He smiled. He never did ask her why she gave it to him. Just then, the phone rang. The caller ID said it was Haruhi. He took a deep breath and answered it. Before he knew it, he was in the hospital again, this time with Haruhi crying. Keiko was found dead on the Wangan. He didn’t know Keiko, but he could tell that Haruhi was very close to her. Haruhi didn’t cry very hard; just some quiet sobs and hiccups. Haruhi cried softly all the way back to her apartment. Kevin drove her there. Afterwards, he went to the Wangan himself, going about 280 km/h the entire way, even through the turns. He was the only person able to do that without any difficulty. He lazily blinked; doing this Wangan run always cleared his mind. He always had complete control of his car. It was first nature to him! It was as easy as walking.

He casually pressed the accelerator down further, feeling the car increase its pace. The traffic looked as though it was sitting still. Most would say he was insane to be going as fast as he was, but it was just another Wangan run to him. He smoothly drove through the turns and weaved through the traffic. It had almost become routine. And that was what he was afraid of. Once it became routine, it wouldn’t be fun anymore. Like going to school every day. The thing that made Wangan runs fun was the experience. He drove through one of the long tunnels, hearing the sound of his engine echoing through all the way to the end. The sound of the echoing engine was an intimidating sound, but at the same time a soothing one.

He let up on the accelerator for a bit, and headlights came up behind him. It was a light blue S30, coming up fast. In it, Eriko noticed the red S30 and flashed her highbeams, challenging him. Kevin sighed; he didn’t feel like racing. Oh well. He pushed down the accelerator. A burst of flame came out of his S30’s exhaust pipe, and the car shot forward, leaving Eriko behind, to her surprise. She pressed down the accelerator all the way, but her increased pace wasn’t enough to keep up with him. But she was desperate. “If I lose to anyone, then I’m not worthy to take on the Phantom! I cannot lose!”

But the reality of the situation was that she was losing. She went around a left turn coming out of the tunnel. The rear of her car suddenly began to slide out! She had gone in too fast! It was over.. The right corner of her rear bumper slapped the outer wall, and she had to hit her brakes before her tires lost any more grip. The red S30 disappeared into the night as she sat there, shaking.

As she pulled into the parking lot, she saw the red S30 parked there near the soda machines. What made that S30 faster than hers? The driver sat beside of it, almost looking like he was talking to it. She parked and walked up to him, and he stood up. Eriko looked at him with a casual, yet sorrowful, look. “I am…Eriko.” Kevin just stood there, not saying anything. Eriko continued. “I was…supposed to be the one to banish the Phantom…but it seems that you are the one who will do it.”

Kevin frowned and said, “I have no intention of battling the Phantom.” A breeze blew as silence filled the air. Kevin got into his car and started it up. Before he left, Eriko said, “It has chosen you. I can feel it. I suppose…I shall stop this racing nonsense then. Please…please destroy the Phantom! For my brother!” Kevin left without saying a word, leaving Eriko alone. She knew her driving career would be short. She could only hope that the Phantom would be destroyed. It was time to go back to her normal life.

As she drove home, a pair of headlights appeared behind her. The sound…like a growling roar. Eriko’s eyes narrowed, and she sped up her car. She’d hold on for as long as she could. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to defeat it, but she would hold on. For her brother. The Phantom flashed its highbeams at her, and she accepted. There was nothing else she could do.

In his car as he drove home, Kevin thought about what that girl told him. The truth was…he used to know the driver of that RX-7. They used to be “best friends.” When that crash happened, the spirit of the car lived on…the spirit of his “friend.” His “friend’s” racing spirit. Kevin never wanted to race it. He refused to. It brought back all of the memories. No matter what, he would never race it.

The next day there was an article in the paper saying that a girl named Eriko died on the Wangan the night before in a wreck. The doctors said that she died on impact. Zero sighed and turned the page. Every night now, a driver died on the Wangan. And they all had the same diagnosis: died on impact. Either there were a lot of horrible drivers, it was a conspiracy…or the rumors of that Phantom weren’t just rumors. In all his years, Zero had never seen a ghost of any kind, so he had no reason to believe this story now. He looked over at Haruhi, who was washing dishes. Something about her was different. She hadn’t said a word at all the whole day, and only replied to questions with a nod, or shook her head, or just shrugged. And her eyes…they were dull now. As if a part of her had died.

Zero was getting worried…and then Haruhi quit her job. Zero was shocked that she would suddenly do such a thing! She left, going home to her apartment. She knew she wouldn’t have enough to pay off her rent, but until she defeated the Phantom, she would distance herself from society. She just didn’t want anyone’s pity…she didn’t want to talk to anyone.

She went to the Wangan that night and searched for any sign of the Phantom. As she drove on, she began to think about her choices. Maybe she should go back and ask for her job back. But she felt that it was too late. Now her life truly was going down the drain. But she didn’t know what to do. All she knew was that she wanted to get revenge. She wanted to avenge Keiko. She wanted to destroy the Phantom. As she drove, she saw an orange GT-R. Full Moon Lunatic. She flashed her highbeams at him. She was going to end her rivalry with F.L.. Right here, right now. F.L.’s R32 began to pull away, but around a right turn, Haruhi caught up. She passed him around a long, right turn.

It didn’t feel good like she thought it would. It was an empty feeling. No doubt because of Keiko’s death. Nothing was worth anything anymore, it seemed. Another pair of headlights appeared behind her. F.L. looked in his rearview mirror. It was Frostbite. In his icy blue GT-R, Rusty frowned as he downshifted and accelerated, seeing F.L.’s R32. He passed him on a straightaway, then drifted through a sharp left, passing Haruhi. He made it look easy! How did he get so good?! Haruhi tried to keep up, but he kept pulling away on the straights. Well, it didn’t matter. She was still in front of F.L., and that was what she wanted. Rusty chuckled as he pulled away. “Don’t underestimate me!” In the passenger seat, Ayaka smiled softly. “You have gotten better…you improve so quickly…” Rusty smirked, drifting around another corner. “Look out, untouchables! Frostbite has arrived! Wahahaha!”

Meanwhile, Haruhi was putting up quite a fight as she attempted to stay in front of F.L.. They were coming up to the sharp left where Haruhi always screwed up. She slowed down early, taking the outside lane. As soon as she began to turn, she cut to the inside lane, then slid back to the outside lane as she went onto the straightaway. She did it; she defeated the turn! But F.L. still got through it faster than she did, coming out right on her rear bumper. He passed her on the straight and began to pull away. Haruhi was desperate to defeat him. His driving was different now though. It was less aggressive. More focused.

Up ahead, Frostbite was gone. He must’ve been practicing a lot lately. It seemed like Haruhi just wasn’t good enough to take on GT-R’s. If she couldn’t beat F.L., how could she beat a Phantom that killed an untouchable? The answer was plain and simple: she couldn’t. She let up on the accelerator and let F.L. pull away.

The next day she was kicked out of her apartment for not paying the rent. On top of that, Zero was unable to give her job back. It seemed that another girl got it. She had nowhere left to turn…except maybe to Kevin.



This post has been edited by fettman53 on Nov 10 2008, 01:54 PM

That chapter was really depressing... My eyes are going teary here...
I mean... one death followed by another? This is madness...
Who do you think could beat the Phantom other than Kevin, who had no interest...?
Moar plz!! While browsing for my next story, this one sorta hits the "break-time" spot.
Nice story man. Check mine out if you have time too.
MOAR PLZ!!

Keiko. . Dead. . And another driver follows afterwards. And now what'll Haruhi do?

Continue this please.


One error though:

Oh, thank you for pointing that out! Changed it!


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


Act 9 – Roommates



Around noon, Haruhi went to Kevin’s house, but he wasn’t there. A letter was posted on his front door with the address to his job. She didn’t have anything left to do, so…she visited him at his job. When she arrived, she found that she wasn’t surprised where she was. It was a maintenance garage. She creeped around the corner and peeked inside. Rusty’s GT-R was up on a car jack, getting its suspension modified and its tires changed. No one seemed to be around though. Just then, Kevin walked in with a clipboard. He looked up, noticing Haruhi. “Is…there a reason why you’re hiding like that?” Haruhi blushed and came out. “I…needed a job…and…” She fiddled with her fingers bashfully. Kevin looked at Rusty’s GT-R, then said, “You can work here if you want…but it won’t be easy.” Haruhi nodded and walked in.

Kevin made her sign a few papers, told her what she’d be paid, and then sent her to work, knowing back from their days at mountain racing that she was already experienced with fixing cars. She put the tires on the GT-R when Kevin finished the suspension settings, and then Rusty was called to come pick it up. As he came in fifteen minutes later, he looked at his car and said to Kevin, “You know what, man? I think it’s time for a change.” Kevin looked up from his clipboard. “What do you mean?”

Rusty put his hand on his GT-R’s hood and said, “I saw this Eclipse at a Mitsubishi showroom. Really nice color. I think I’ll buy it and put Frostbite in storage.” Kevin looked back down at his clipboard. It was almost time to close up. “Do what you want. Although I believe that you should stick with your GT-R. You’ve already gotten used to it. Why put it away?” Rusty left as Kevin closed up the garage, and Haruhi shyly walked up and attempted to speak to him.

“Uh…mmm…I have another…um…favor to ask, if you’d permit me.” He looked at her with a blank look on his face as she forced herself to speak. “Well…it’s kinda strange of me to ask this…but I have no place to stay. I…” Kevin’s eyes slightly widened in surprise. “You want to…stay in my house?” Haruhi quickly began to speak. “O-only for a short time! Just until I make enough to buy my own place to stay again. Please? I won’t get in the way, I promise! It’ll be like I’m not even there! Please?”

Kevin frowned, closed his eyes, and sighed. “The answer is no.” He hadn’t even given her a chance! “B-but!” He turned around before she could say anymore, but that didn’t stop her. “But I don’t have anywhere to stay! I promise I won’t bother you!” Kevin rolled his eyes and said, “You fail to realize that you’re bothering me right now.” Haruhi cringed slightly. “Why…why are you so…heartless…” Kevin turned around and replied, “The fact that you’re homeless is your problem! Not mine! I’m not taking care of you like you’re some child!” Haruhi clenched her fist, determined to convince him to let her stay. “But I’ll pay for everything! My food and all of that! I have a job now, so I can pay for stuff myself! Please! Let me stay with you! You’re…you’re all I have…” Kevin frowned. “Too bad for you then, huh?”

He turned around, but Haruhi grabbed his arm. She was desperate. “Please! Please! Please!” Kevin was getting frustrated, and finally yelled, “Alright! Fine! Just make sure you keep up your end and pay for your stuff!” With that, he stormed off. Haruhi jumped for joy as she skipped off to her car. She would finally spend some real time with him!

Later that night, Haruhi was sleeping on the couch, lying on her stomach, with her arms crossed under her head. Kevin stood there watching her. It frustrated him how she settled in so quickly, like she belonged here. He could kick her out at any time. As he continued to look at her, he began to get tranced. He had never really looked at a girl before. She was soothing to watch. Her body was smooth and had beautiful, curving lines. She reminded him of his car. That made him happy.

She shifted in her sleep, and as she did so, the skirt she was wearing went a little bit too high. Kevin closed his eyes and turned away. Didn’t she say it would be like she wasn’t even there? It was obvious that she was there. He walked off to his room and lied in the bed, covering himself up completely with the covers. He closed his eyes tight, hoping he might just fall asleep. He had a feeling that he would regret letting her stay.

The next morning, Haruhi woke up and stretched. Then she looked down. Her skirt had gone up too high while she was sleeping, and her panties were showing completely. She blushed and quickly pushed her skirt back down, then got off of the couch. “Note to self: don’t wear skirts when going to sleep! Eek!” She looked around and then hesitantly peeked into Kevin’s room. He was still in bed. She smiled softly and stood there for a while. Suddenly his alarm clock went off, startling her. “Ah!” She jumped back, hit the back of her head on the wall, and fell down. Kevin rushed out to see what had happened, and looked down to see Haruhi passed out on the floor. “What the hell?! Geez…” He picked her up, and her hair tickled his face. He looked at her and blushed. She was so cute! He gritted his teeth and put her back on the couch. Then he decided to go out for a walk to clear his mind.

As he began to walk, he suddenly stopped and turned back around, walking towards his garage. It wasn’t the right time to drive the Wangan, but he hadn’t gone the night before, and it was tempting to go. To just forget about everything and drive. Back in the house about a half-hour later, Haruhi woke up. Again. “W-was it a dream?” She looked around. She was still on the couch, and it was still morning. She snuck in to see if Kevin was in his room. He wasn’t. “Guess not…”

The house was lonely and quiet. The wind chime jingled softly outside, calming her. She felt like she could go back to sleep. She was getting increasingly tired lately. She rubbed the back of her head as she walked into the bathroom. As she took a warm shower to wake herself up, Kevin stood in the garage, looking at his car. The S30 model was nothing but flawless style. It was always a very admirable car. And even now, in the right hands, it was extremely fast. An amazing machine with excellent performance. He had never tested his own S30 completely. He still didn’t know its true potential. But he liked it like that. One way or another, he knew that his car was unstoppable. No one on the Wangan had ever been able to keep up with him.

It wasn’t just his car, though. He had been driving for a long time. As a matter of fact, he had mastered one-handed steering, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, and the other hand on the shift knob. With this technique, it was impossible for him to make a mistake, which made him even more difficult to keep up with. And that was just fine with him. Still, he longed for someone to be able to keep up with him. He thought back to his mountain racing days with the Beetle. Back then, no one could keep up with him either…except for Haruhi. She never defeated him, but she always stayed right behind him. He longed for that feeling on the Wangan. But no one could keep up…

Out on the Wangan later that night, a purple S30 cruised along. Inside, a girl with peach-colored hair gently held the steering wheel. Her amber eyes showed pain, but she smiled nonetheless. Driving helped her to remember. To remember him. Her darling. Although she saw him every day, he was gone.

He suffered from amnesia. He didn’t even know her anymore. Poor Cecelia…she loved him dearly. But he had forgotten everything. Even the fact that they loved each other. But he still drove on the Wangan. Everything that she taught him about driving he still remembered. She was so glad that he did. She longed to drive with him again. Him and his Avenger Z, a gun-gray S30. As she drove, she saw a pair of headlights in her rearview mirror. “Hm?” The car was coming up at an incredible speed. As it pulled up beside of her, she saw what it was.

“A red S30?” She accelerated in an attempt to get back in front of it, but instead the two cars went neck-and-neck down the long straight. Cecelia’s heart was beating super-fast. They went around a right turn, and the red S30 pulled up ahead, but Cecelia held on desperately. In the red S30, Kevin looked in his mirrors. “Hm…pretty good…” Cecelia held on for the entire race, staying right behind Kevin the entire time. Kevin was disappointed though. He wasn’t even going all out…

They parked in the parking lot that Kevin always parked in, and Cecelia walked up and introduced herself. “You are…very fast. You’re the first person ever to give me a real challenge. I… don’t come out often anymore, so…thank you for the race.” Kevin didn’t say anything. Why was it that everyone he raced lately turned out to be a girl? As he pondered this, a green Eclipse suddenly drove in, with a sticker on the rear window that said, “SOUL – REAVER.” It parked, and Rusty got out with Ayaka. She looked frustrated about something. Rusty massaged her shoulders. “I just felt like a change, baby. Look, I know you worked hard to tune my GT-R, but…”

Kevin frowned as Rusty walked up. “You changed cars? Why?” Rusty shrugged. “Eh…I needed a change. Besides, this car is pretty sweet. It’s a four-wheel drive, just like my GT-R, so I don’t need to change my driving style.” Kevin closed his eyes. “Sure, it’s a four-wheel drive, but it’s still not a GT-R.” Rusty shrugged again, and then changed the subject. “So, where’s your girlfriend?”

Kevin looked at him, puzzled. “What girlfriend? You know I don’t have a girlfriend…” Rusty grinned. “I mean Haruhi.” Kevin closed his eyes and turned away. He wanted to say that he didn’t know and that he didn’t care, but that wasn’t true. “Sleeping,” he said finally.

Back at Kevin’s house, Haruhi sat on the couch in her pajamas, clutching a pillow she bought. It was so lonely. She longed for Kevin’s presence. She wanted him to be near. Suddenly she was overcome by a feeling of frustration. Why? Why did she want him so badly? He had never really done anything for her. He didn’t really care about her. But she still longed for him. And she hated it. Where was he right now? Driving, that’s where. The Wangan. She sighed. If only he knew how she felt about him…

Then she heard a car pull up in the driveway and into the garage. It was him. She laid her head down and pretended to be asleep as he came in. Kevin looked at her with a frown. “Still asleep? Lazy…” As he walked by her, she opened one eye to see what he was doing. He made a box dinner and went to bed. Staying here wasn’t such a great thing after all. It wasn’t as exciting as she had hoped it would be.

It's unique that, when Haruhi asks if she could stay in his home, Kevin actually objects.

Anyway, the plot's still moving along, the characters are still written well, there are good descriptions and the character interactions are convincing. Give us more please.

This new Z driver increases my interest. Random driver? Driver with potential? Or future victim of the Phantom? The character certainly isn't just another unrecognizable face (not that there's a single one, all your characters in this fic are given enough description to be unique).

This post has been edited by Meteor on Nov 11 2008, 06:09 PM

Thank you. I'm glad you're liking it. I wonder if there's anyone else on here reading it...

Well, here's more for all potential readers!


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



Act 10 – The Second Lesson


The next day, Kevin and Haruhi went back to work at the garage. The day was full of nothing but changing oil and replacing tires though. Nothing special.

That night, Rusty drove alone on the Wangan in his Eclipse. He drifted through a right turn and grinned. It was an awesome car. It was somewhat different from his GT-R, but he couldn’t really explain how. Just then, he saw flashing headlights behind him. He looked in his rearview mirror and smirked. This was going to be interesting. “Time for Soul-Reaver’s first test,” he said, flooring the accelerator.

Back at the house, Kevin and Haruhi were silent. Kevin went into his room, and Haruhi followed secretly. As she stood in the doorway, she saw something to just about took her breath away.

It was…that pillow. The one so long ago. Made with love in every stitch. She had the urge to pick it up and hold it. So many soft, tender memories. He had actually kept it. That pillow was the last thing she had expected to see after all this time. It was a silly little thing…but it meant so much to her. Inside, stuffed in between all of the stuffing, was a letter, folded to the size of a quarter. On that note, everything that she felt for him…all of her secret feelings…were revealed. She stuck it inside of the pillow. Giving that pillow to him felt like telling him everything, even if she wasn’t telling him anything necessarily. Just the feeling…that was enough.

But she wanted him to know…because she wanted affection now. She had never had a boyfriend in her entire life. When she was younger, she was one of those girls that were determined to be single their entire life. Now the loneliness overwhelmed her.

What was it about Kevin that attracted her so simply? He wasn’t really all that great, was he? Anti-social, cold and heartless, only thought about cars…what was it? Why was she so obsessed? It was like a hazy dream, and the same question kept popping up around every corner: why? Why? Haruhi closed her eyes tight. “I don’t know…I don’t know!”

The phone rang, and Haruhi decided to answer it, hoping to get her mind on something else. It was Ayaka, and she sounded worried. Rusty had wrecked on the Wangan and was currently being taken to the hospital. Before they knew it, they were in the hospital again. Kevin was getting frustrated now. Why didn’t people just learn how to drive already?

But no one was crying this time, and for a good reason. Rusty was alive and well, with a few broken bones. Ayaka asked what happened, and Rusty smirked and looked at her. “The Phantom,” he replied. Haruhi’s heart skipped a beat. “B-but…but you lived! Did…you beat it?”

Rusty shook his head. “No, unfortunately.” Haruhi didn’t understand it. How could he have survived an encounter with the Phantom? As if he could read her mind, Rusty told her the answer to her question. “The handbrake. I used the handbrake.” Haruhi’s eyes went wide. The handbrake? It responded? But how? Why? Kevin closed his eyes and crossed his arms. “The handbrake. The one thing my ‘friend’ never used when he raced.”

Haruhi had a determined look on her face. She would never forget this. Never.

Meanwhile, on the Wangan, Zero drove his black 930 casually, weaving through the traffic. He had driven here for over ten years, and he knew that the Wangan was always changing when it came to drivers. Old ones would leave, new ones would arrive, and the cycle would continue. Soon he would have to retire from the Wangan. Until then, he wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

Headlights appeared in his rearview mirror. As soon as he heard the engine, he knew who it was. The car was another 930, with the same body style as Zero’s, and a ghostly blue color. Zero’s old friend and former partner, Nightwing.

A few years ago, Nightwing was thought to be dead. It was a silly rumor, but pretty soon everyone thought he was a ghost racer. Zero honked his horn in a friendly manner at Nightwing, and Nightwing honked back. Zero was glad to know that there was someone else his age that still ran the highways.

Then there were another pair of headlights. A purple S30. Cecelia. Her Z quickly pulled up to the casually-driving Porsches. Zero and Nightwing both sped up together, leaving her far behind. She was disappointed by the lack of power her car’s engine possessed. She had a new goal: to get a new engine.

The next day, Rusty’s wrecked Eclipse sat in Kevin’s garage. Ayaka had a request. “Please,” she said to Kevin, “don’t fix up that car. I’ll get him to drive the GT-R again. Just forget about the Eclipse. The GT-R is much safer for him anyway.” Haruhi listened in. She could understand Ayaka’s feelings of worry for the man she loved. Haruhi didn’t really need to worry though. Kevin was an amazing driver.

As she and Kevin packed up and closed up in the afternoon, Kevin stated, “You know…I’ve never seen you smile since you’ve been here. I haven’t seen your smile in a long time.” Haruhi thought the statement was kind of strange. “Well, everyone’s been dying. Why would I be smiling?” Kevin frowned and didn’t press the subject any further.

Meanwhile, as the sun set, Cecelia held a small wrench in her mouth as she worked on her car. She felt like she was being silly, but she needed a more powerful engine. She needed to be able to keep up with her amnesiac boyfriend and his Avenger Z. Soon she would be ready to go back to the Wangan again, with a much better machine than before.

Back on the Wangan that night, Kevin drove at a reasonable pace as he relaxed. Only he could be relaxed at the speeds he drove. But it was routine for him. However, he was beginning to understand something about the Wangan. It was always different. Traffic patterns would change, new drivers would show up, some drivers would leave. It was always different in some way every night. Although driving on the road itself was routine, all of the things that changed seemed to be what made it worthwhile. He slowed down a bit. A car was coming up behind him. As it got closer, he heard the sound of its engine, and he immediately knew who it was. “So you’re out here again, huh?”

It was Nightwing, in his ghostly blue 930. Kevin sped up, and flames burst from his S30’s muffler. Flames burst from Nightwing’s two mufflers as well, and the two cars raced off at a blinding speed. Kevin hadn’t seen Nightwing in a long time, but the old man never disappointed him. He was the only person who was able to keep up with his S30. It was almost like a friendly rivalry. They went side-by-side down the highway, going so fast that they were nothing but a blur to the slow-moving traffic. They were going so fast that you could hear the air blowing past them. They were in a different league from everyone else. A different world. No one could touch them.

The battle seemed to last forever, and neither one felt like ending it. It wasn’t a battle to them. They were just driving. Just for the experience of it. Meanwhile, Haruhi was on the C1 Outer Circuit, looking for a worthy adversary. She had improved significantly since when she first started out. She never adapted quickly to new situations before. Now she felt like she could really beat someone. Unknown to everyone, she had actually defeated the Grim Reaper a few nights ago. She wished Keiko was there to see it.

She wasn’t overconfident, but she definitely believed she was good enough to beat some of the best people out there. Maybe someday soon she’d even beat Kevin! She searched the Wangan until she saw Iceman. She hesitated; would she be able to defeat him? He was the fastest on the highway, after all. She felt slightly numb. She didn’t want to try it, but she felt that it was her duty to try. She flipped her highbeams on and off, signaling a challenge. Iceman chuckled and accepted, speeding up and setting himself up for the next corner. His R32 immediately began to pull away, but Haruhi wasn’t discouraged. She’d do her best and never give up!

The battle had begun. Around some corners, Haruhi would catch up, but around other corners, Iceman would pull away, especially around sharp corners. On the straights, Iceman was untouchable. His car was extremely powerful. But Haruhi firmly believed that every racer had a weakness…even Iceman. And she was determined to find it!

The two cars roared down the highway in a fierce battle as Haruhi attempted to overtake Iceman’s GT-R. But he was just too skilled. It wasn’t long before Haruhi was at her limit, hanging on by a little. She was no match for him. But she wouldn’t give up! Suddenly, Iceman slowed down. Up ahead, two huge trucks were using both lanes, making it almost impossible to pass. Haruhi examined the situation closely. There was a gap in between the trucks. Her eyes opened wide. “I can do it…I can make that!” She drove past Iceman and squeezed into the gap, coming out perfectly. Iceman gritted his teeth. “Damn!” He shouldn’t have hesitated. One of the trucks moved closer to the other one in surprise. Now he was stuck behind the trucks!

Haruhi quickly pulled away, feeling a feeling of relief. She did it. She beat him. So then…did that mean that she was the fastest on the highway now?! She began to get excited. That’s when a pair of headlights appeared in her rearview mirror. Her eyes opened wide in horror. It was him! He caught up! But…how?! Iceman casually pulled up beside of her, passed her, and raced off into the night, leaving her far behind. She…lost. Apparently she wasn’t ready to take on the best yet. But if not now, when?

Well…she found the balance of her car, that was for sure. Maybe now was the time to ask Kevin to start teaching her some more. She couldn’t see any other way to get faster than she already was.

Early in the morning, as the sun began to rise, Haruhi sat in the parking lot as Kevin taught her another lesson in racing on the highway. “Now that you’ve found the balance of your car, you’ll know how it will respond to what you do. You’ll know how far you can push it before it begins to understeer or oversteer. This is important for getting through the corners faster.” He was tired, but he continued. “You’ve been driving here long enough at least to know the road. That shouldn’t be a problem, and if it is, then drive slowly around the highway until you remember it completely. Drive slowly and note everything about the highway. How many lanes are in certain sections, how tight and how long each and every corner is…note everything. You need to be able to run through the entire highway in your mind.”

He closed his tired eyes for a bit, then continued. “Also, the connection pallets for the highway pieces in certain sections can be used for timing.” Haruhi didn’t understand that one at all, and Kevin figured she wouldn’t. “Certain parts of the highway are made up of connected pieces. Every time you run over a connection, you feel a slight bump. After a while your mind will get used to the feelings and vibrations of the road, and you’ll unconsciously begin using this to time your driving. But that might take a while. Anyway, one of the most important things I can tell you is that when driving out here, never just floor it. Don’t try to go all out. Just focus on control. You’ll win, so be calm.”

Kevin closed his eyes again, then continued. “A lot of the drivers out here keep on losing because they push their car to its limits. When you do that, not only can you lose control, but your opponent will be able to see your car’s limits and easily find its weakness. Be calm. Feather the accelerator. Don’t floor it. Also, handle the wheel gently. Don’t jerk it left and right. Only turn as much as you need to. Also, use your pedals to get you through the corners. Your wheel is only used to point your car in the direction you want to go. You need to use your pedals to get you through.” It was obvious that Kevin needed some sleep, so Haruhi stood up and nodded.

“Let’s go. I’ll remember everything you taught me and do my best.” But when they went back home, Kevin never went to sleep, and instead began to get ready to go to work. That immediately began to worry Haruhi, who attempted to convince him to get some sleep. Kevin just acted like she was being silly, but she was very serious. “You look so tired! Please! You need to rest. I…I’ll run the garage for today!” Kevin pretended to ignore her and continued to get ready. Being ignored really frustrated Haruhi. There was nothing she could do to stop him though. As she did her work in the garage as usual, she watched him with a scowl on her face.

That night, she went back out to the Wangan, wondering why Kevin wouldn’t sleep. Now that she thought about it, she never really heard him snoring or anything. Had he ever slept?! Her thoughts were interrupted by headlights in the rearview mirror. It was a ghostly blue Porsche 930. And it was approaching at an incredible speed. Haruhi downshifted and pushed the accelerator to the floor. A small puff of flames burst from her muffler, and her FD accelerated. She didn’t feel like being left behind tonight.

A burst of flames came from the 930’s mufflers as it pulled up to her. She had to force herself not to look beside of her as they both went down the long straightaway. Naturally, the 930 pulled in front of her, and she did her best to keep up. In the 930, the driver glanced in his rearview mirror. “Hm. Pretty good. But not strong enough.” Nightwing continued to widen the gap as they continued down the straight, approaching a sharp left up ahead. Haruhi knew she’d have to be careful to avoid the divider wall.

As they went through the turn, Haruhi began to feel as though she was in a trance. She began to think again. Her thoughts went to why. Why did she drive like this every night? Why did Kevin drive like this every night? Why? She began to fall behind. She had no choice but to push her car to its limits in order to catch up. Even so, she couldn’t keep up with the Porsche. On her last gear, she had the pedal glued to the floor, and the engine whined as she redlined it. She had hit her top speed, but she still wouldn’t give up. She was starting to catch up, slowly but surely. “I can do this! I know I can!”

She heard a “clink” from the engine bay, but ignored it. Suddenly, there was a heart-wrenching “kruuunk.” Finally, there was a muffled “boof.” Immediately, the dashboard went dark. Her headlights died, and the only sound coming from her car was the squealing of tires.

I think I know this scene from another story. Very familiar, 100 percent.
I don't want to spoil what it is, let fettman tell it for us.
Anyway, go on. I'm reading this as well.

Hmm, really? Sounds familiar? What makes it familiar, I wonder...

By the way, I started reading your story. Now I remember why I stopped reading comics...phew...but it looks awesome! Just need some time to get through it all. I'm a fast reader, but a slow comic reader.

Well, here goes!



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



Act 11 – New Engine


Haruhi’s eyes were wide with terror at what had just happened. Smoke began to rise out of the hood slits as the dead FD lost speed. She couldn’t do anything but steer off to a safe spot and hit the brakes. She…blew the engine. But why? Why did it blow? That was a brand new RE-3 engine! Why couldn’t she ever win? Was her car below standards for the Wangan? What was she supposed to do?

She watched as a car passed by at a blinding speed. Frostbite. Looks like Rusty’s back on the Wangan. He drifted around a left corner and out of sight. That reminded her of mountain racing the way they used to a year ago. Before Kevin left and all of this happened. She looked at her FD. Well…since she worked at the garage, Kevin should fix it for free.

She was surprised to find that she was incorrect on that statement. As a matter of fact, Kevin was getting frustrated with Haruhi. “First you beg me to let you live with me, and now you want a free engine?! I don’t think so! You’ll use the money from your pay to get the parts you need, and then you’ll fix it yourself.” Haruhi was struck speechless. He wasn’t even going to help a little?! She had never done such extensive work on a car before. She didn’t even know where to start!

Kevin left the room, leaving Haruhi with a pouty and surprised look on her face. She watched him leave, suddenly realizing something. He was testing her, wasn’t he? He was always testing her. Well, fine then! She’d finish it! She’d do it all by herself, too! She’d show him!

That night, Haruhi stayed behind in the garage, holding a wrench in her mouth as she worked on the underside of her FD, loosening parts in order to remove the engine. It was a long process for her, but a week later she had removed the entire engine and awaited the new parts. Meanwhile, Kevin began to get worried as he began to see less and less of Haruhi every day. She’d get back late in the morning and fall on the couch, exhausted. Well, at least she was actually doing something. For the first time, Kevin truly began to realize how hard Haruhi would push herself to accomplish things. She worked so hard without taking any breaks…maybe it was time for him to cut her some slack.

One night, Haruhi got back late after polishing some of her car’s parts. Kevin hesitated, feeling a bit strange offering her what he was about to offer her. “Hey. If you want to sleep in my bed, you can.” Haruhi jumped up off of the couch. “U-um…but…”

Kevin was a bit amused by her sudden change in behavior. A split-second ago she seemed as though she would pass out from exhaustion. “Yeah, well…I’m not really using it anyway.” At hearing that, Haruhi went into “worry mode” again. “But you should! We both should! We need the rest…”

Kevin frowned. “I’m not sleeping with you.” Haruhi laughed embarrassedly. “Haha…that’s not what I meant…” But Kevin continued. “The only reason why I offered to let you use my bed is because it looks like you could use the rest due to how hard you’re working on your car, and it would be better if your slept in a real bed.” Haruhi grimaced as he walked away. Since when did he care about her all of a sudden? Well, whatever…she decided to go ahead and use his bed. As she lied down on it, she saw the old pillow she gave him. It made her smile. It was then that she truly realized what had just happened. Kevin did care! And…he was letting her use his own bed! She happily tucked herself under the warm, soft covers and closed her tired eyelids, and before she knew it…she was asleep.

Kevin sat in his garage with his S30, just relaxing. That was really all he could do to relax his muscles and his mind. Being with his car relaxed him. He didn’t need sleep.

The next day at the garage, Zero came down for a tire change and to hang out. When Kevin left the room, Haruhi told Zero her worries. “Kevin…never sleeps. I try to get him to…but he just ignores me.” Zero chuckled and patted Haruhi on the head. “It’s nice of you to worry about him, but don’t.” Haruhi was about to say something, but Zero held up his hand. “He can’t sleep. He has insomnia. Don’t worry about it. As long as he’s relaxing every once in a while, he’ll be fine.”

Although she didn’t feel too great about hearing that, Haruhi decided to back off. There was nothing she could do. She went into the garage with her FD, looking at it with a feeling of sorrow. With no engine, it seemed so useless. She would fix it up very soon.

She worked hard and long, and a month and two weeks later it was completely finished. Thanks to Kevin allowing her to use his bed, she was able to finish the car. She had put in a brand new, top-of-the-line RX-7 racing engine into her cherished FD, and it now had about 675hp! Because of the stronger engine, she had to tweak the suspension and other parts in order for her FD to be able to use all of that power properly. The next thing was for her to learn to control it. With this, she could outpull GT-Rs!

Saturday night on the Wangan, she test drove it and broke the engine in. As she tested it out, headlights appeared in her mirrors. Whoever it was, they were approaching at an incredible speed! She recognized the headlights: an S30Z. She accelerated, and her FD shot forward. But the person behind her was still coming at an incredible speed. Before she knew it, they were right beside of her. A purple S30?!

The S30 passed her and continued down the highway, but Haruhi wasn’t going to let it go that easily. In the S30, Cecelia looked in her mirrors to see the FD behind her keeping up. She smiled and pushed harder on the accelerator, and began to pull away. But the FD still kept up through the corners. That frustrated Cecelia. How could a stupid FD keep up with her 710hp S30?!

Haruhi couldn’t actually pass the S30, but she could keep up with it. Haruhi smiled; that was good enough for her. At least she was making progress with her car and driving skill. But she needed to improve further if she wanted to take down Iceman and all the others. Especially if she wanted to defeat the untouchables. And so began her long week of practice.

Frustration had overcome her by the end of the week. Saturday night. She just didn’t understand it. No matter what she did, her C1 Inner Loop lap times were always the same. She could do it under four minutes now, but she felt that she could do better. Maybe she was just expecting too much of herself. Maybe this was just fine and she didn’t really need to improve. But somehow she felt that she was still too slow to defeat anyone out there that was really good. Sure, she could do a lap in about 3:58:08, but she knew there were some people out there that could do a lap in about 3:15:12! She didn’t think she’d ever be able to make a lap time as good as that.

She looked in her rearview mirror suddenly. A pair of headlights were approaching. She relaxed as the car came into view. It was another FD. As it passed in front of her, she challenged it to a battle. Little did she know this would be one of the hardest races she had ever participated in. The opponent FD was none other than Midnight Cinderella herself. The blonde woman looked in her rearview mirror to see her challenger, then accelerated, beginning the battle. Haruhi accelerated as well, and focused on the road. She was going to win this one!

This post has been edited by fettman53 on Nov 13 2008, 02:07 AM

Man you update fast.

The FD and the Z have improved quite a lot in that time. And it appears the Phantom hasn't appeared again in all of those days.

[BATTLE STAGE]
FD3S (Haruhi)
VS
FD3S (Midnight Cinderella)
[/BATTLE STAGE]

Time to see what happens.

This post has been edited by Meteor on Nov 13 2008, 02:38 AM