Initial D Fan Fiction ❯ Rush ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

The night was clean and fresh, there was nothing in sight. The flash of headlights and the quiet sounds of a turbo engine were all that were heard, on what appeared to be a deserted mountain pass, at first glance. The screeching of tires, the whirring of the engine, all aftereffects of the counter adjustments made to compensate the body weight shifting during the drift. As the car made its way further down the pass, in the corner of one of the turns sat a yellow Mazda RX7 FD. All that was heard as the car passed was the whirring of the engine and the screeching of the tires. The driver of the car did not notice the flash of the camera as it drove by.

“This is not good,” Keisuke told himself. “Not only was that car doing the downhill, but it practically broke any record that Takumi has been able to pull off.”

As he checked the camera screen, the clearness of the car and the make was noticeable to his eyes. The color was crystal clear, it appeared to look royal blue, almost purple. The only thing that let the photographer know that it was a 300 zx was the hatch. In the split second that Keisuke had to take the picture, he knew that he was almost sealing the fate of Project D. This was not going to be as easy as they once thought. Tokyo was by far going to be the hardest battle they had yet to face.

Keisuke, in that split second, decided that he needed to speak to Ryousuke as soon as possible. If he was correct, and there was no mistaking the direction of the car, Takumi was in serious need of training and strategy. He knew that his brother would not be worried about the car, but since the 86 was an outdated car, there was no way of predicting the outcome. Keisuke quickly dialed Ryousuke's number.

“Yo, aniki,” Keisuke began, he had no idea how he would retell what he saw. “While I was scouting the course, I saw a car running the downhill. I am not sure about the year, but I could have sworn that I heard a twin turbo engine.”

“What are you trying to say, Keisuke,” Ryousuke replied sleepily. “Did you get a good look at the make and the year?”

“I did, but I could not see what type of car it was,” Keisuke replied apprehensively. “I will just show you the photograph.”

“Keisuke, I know you are hiding something,” Ryousuke commented. He knew that Keisuke was hiding something and knew that it was not good news at all. “Just tell me what it is.”

“I saw the downhill ace for this prefecture. Aniki, what are we going to do about him, this guy is an ace driver. To make matters worse, Fujiwara may not have his head into racing until he knows how is dad is,” Keisuke confessed. “I don't think that we should give up, but I just think that you should tell Takumi to focus on driving.”

“Keisuke, I all ready knew the driver was very good. I picked that location because Takumi needs to realize that there is so much his beloved car can do,” Ryousuke replied. “I think that if we show him the footage that I have of the racer, it may convince him to use his father's Impreza for the downhill run.”

“You mean to tell me that if he were to use his father's car, he would stand a chance of maybe passing and winning the downhill,” Keisuke asked almost under his breath.

“That is what I had planned all along. I don't think that his car is outdated, there is just too much work that would need to be done. If I can convince him of using the Impreza, we may see him evolve faster than I originally had calculated,” Ryousuke confided.

“I feel a little better about this upcoming dogfight Aniki. Just do me one favor, don't ever send me to an area that you already know has an expert racer,” Keisuke warned his brother. “The drive back is going to be a long one. Do you think I should spend the night at a hotel?”

“I think staying overnight would be best, Keisuke. I would not want anything to happen to you,” Ryousuke agreed.

Keisuke heard the click that let him know the connection had been terminated. He had been through a range of emotions that had not happened since his first fight. The adrenalin was still pumping its way through his body letting him know that he had better take Ryousuke's advice and stay overnight. He made his way to his FD, the secluded spot that he had chosen was hugged by shadows that started reminding him of Kyoko. He had thought that he was doing the right thing, but he soon realized that he had started liking her.

One of the things that plagued him in the back of his mind was if she were truly all right and not heartbroken about what he had done. There were all of these what if's running through his mind. He wondered if he should remain steadfast in his focus. He wondered that if he wavered a little and allowed himself to be affected by a girl what it would do to his driving.

As he made his way to the inn that he had been eyeing since he had started contemplating staying over, he knew that his aniki was right, he would hurt himself if he tried making his way home. The only thing that seemed to matter at this moment, sleep.

Keisuke went to front desk and paid for a room. As he made his way, he made sure that all of the equipment that he had brought with him made it up to his room. The entire time he was almost struggling to stay awake. When the last of the equipment was in the room, he plopped on the bed with such force that he was asleep as soon as he felt his head hit the pillow.

Meanwhile…in Gunma…

Ryousuke could not get his mind off of the car that Takumi was going to be racing. Not much was known, but if Takumi were going to stand a chance at winning, he would have to use his father's car. The Impreza was half the size of the hachiroku, plus, Takumi had been practicing with it since his father had first purchased the car.

One of the reasons Ryousuke had yet to figure out was why Takumi could not let go of the car. Did the reason have something to do with his mother's death? Could it be that it was the only thing that his father had given him? Whatever the reason, Ryousuke wanted to know, he wanted to know everything about his shy, genius that was everything to him.

Takumi was thinking about what he needed to do to surpass his father, even himself. What could he do to make himself better than he was at this very moment. He had driven a rotary engine and now knew why Ryousuke marveled at its performance. He needed to find a niche in the car community. After the suspension had gone out during his battle with God Hand, he had been learning the hard lesson that his precious car was not the set standard anymore. He was slowly learning the Impreza, everything that he learned in the 86, came faster in the small car.

One of the things that always hurt, the turn ratio and differential. The 86 was always a fraction of an inch off of the ideal line that Takumi always wanted to keep. Whenever Takumi tried that exact same line in the Impreza, like clockwork, he would hit the ideal line and shave .oo3 seconds off of his run every time. It was something that he was learning the hard way, something that had taken almost six months for him to realize. The realization being that there were better cars than his precious 86.

As he lay awake thinking of this, he noticed Ryousuke was thinking of something as well. Takumi was full of apprehension. What if Ryousuke did not want to answer him, if he were to ask what was on the White Comet's mind. The hapless driver just settled for staring at his lover in an effort to gain his attention.

Ryousuke noticed the inner struggle that was going on inside Takumi's mind. He had that defiant, determined, yet lazy, look he always had. Though, as he continued to stare at the younger man, Ryousuke saw a twinkle and the look change to something more of apprehensiveness. In an instant, Ryousuke shadowed that face, he lightly ran his knuckles over the cheek.

Once Takumi felt Ryousuke stroke his cheek, he looked up and was instantly swept away in a passionate gesture. Their tongues met, teasing and prodding, neither vying for dominance. It was sweet and lazy, with a promise that there would be more to come. Neither wanted to tell what they had been thinking about, but the topic was going to come up in later conversation. The moment was all that mattered. Ryousuke wanted to break the silence, unfortunately, to begin talk about Project D; however, Takumi had wanted to speak that he knew it was almost time to put the 86 to rest, he ended up breaking the silence first.

“Ryousuke, I have been thinking. May be I should think about retiring the car that I have now,” Takumi said, completely taking Ryousuke by surprise. “Do you think that I have the right idea, or should I see how far I can drive in my father's old car?”

“Takumi, I was actually going to ask you to think about driving your father's Impreza,” Ryousuke replied. “You never cease to amaze me. I could tell that you were distracted tonight, but I never thought that it could have been for the right reasons.”

“I was thinking about driving my father's car.” Takumi confessed. “I know now that the car is as old as it always was. That still does not change the fact that it was the car that defied all the odds. I want to be able to defy more by doing something that I never thought that I would do.”

“Takumi, please do not feel cornered,” Ryousuke commented, he could tell that it was something that weighed heavy on the young driver's shoulders. He could not help but feel that he had pushed him to that corner. “You came to this conclusion all by yourself, but there is a part of me that feels responsible.”

“Ryousuke, the suspension giving out was not your fault, nor was it mine,” Takumi replied, he had surprised even himself with that remark. “I don't know how long it would have lasted if I had not pushed the car to its limits that night. I do feel that, maybe it is time to realize that the car just needs to remain a legend before it ends up in a scrap yard.”

“Takumi, is there no end to your surprises,” Ryousuke found himself smiling in a way that he had never done it before. His young lover had realized something that he was going to try to convince him of. It had happened by actually living what could happen at every turn if he remained in the car. “I just never thought that I could find myself so in love with a person before. I never thought that I could love someone like I love you.”

“Really, I always thought that once you had confessed something that was that,” Takumi teased. “I love you too.”

“You are a never ending delight to me,” Ryousuke replied, unable to hide the laughter that begged to be released. “Seriously, I am glad that you have decided to drive your father's car. This next downhill dogfight is going to be really tough. I would beat around the bush and let you drive without knowing what you're up against. I do think that knowing what kind of car it is will help you out as well. Keisuke has been in Tokyo for the past week. He has been scouting the downhill and uphill there. Your competition is a twin turbo, Nissan 300zx. From what Keisuke said, it sounded like we did not stand a chance if you were insisting on using the 86.”

“Oh,” Takumi replied. Hearing this made him want to be a little defiant, but he had just told Ryousuke that he was ready to start racing his father's car. “You're lucky I am a man of my word, this makes me want to drive it more. I know that it would just end up with an accident, me in the hospital, or maybe even dead. I know that both of us would not want that.”

“Glad to see that you agree with me. I don't want you to feel obligated for this, but please do not reconsider the decision that you made,” Ryousuke retorted. He knew that Takumi could not refuse him if he worded his pleas almost like commands.

The rest of the night was pleasant, almost fleeting. They embraced and slept dreamlessly. Neither wanting to escape the bliss of the moment that had been created. They had been thinking about the same topic, not for the sake of Project D. It was not for the sake of their pride as street racers, but it was for the sake of evolution. They both knew that if Takumi refused to escape the 86 he would not continue to grow at the monstrous levels that he had been evolving at.

Instincts in anything can only take one so far. Learning to embrace and enhance what has been given, that is the mark of true wisdom. Knowing when to let go and when to push a subject mean that someone really wants to live their life happily. Such happiness is incredibly difficult and almost impossible to attain; yet, somehow, Takumi was one step closer to attaining his subtle happiness at every turn he took.

Somehow, they had managed to snuggle closer to one another so that it was hard to distinguish between the two of them. When one seemed to stop, the other began, almost a human form of infinity. Fear no longer had a place in their lives, they had each other. The moments of subtle contact affirmed their commitments that they had made.

Meanwhile…Back in Tokyo…

Keisuke could not get the look in her eyes out of his face. The way she had painfully pleaded with him to see how he raced. Even though it was his aniki's car, he still showed that rotary engines were almost all the same. This project was his brother's dream to be the best in Japan and they were accomplishing it with the two drivers that they had focused on. The problem being that Ryousuke could not help but think that he did have time now to pursue relationships.

One name seemed to haunt him every uphill dogfight that he battled. One name chased him every practice run he took. One name sat on the tip of his tongue every time he passed through the Seitama Prefecture. Her black FD never lost any detail, if anything, it was a little more updated and ran better. He often thought about what if they had taken her along. Her car would have the care that it needed that she worked really hard for. She would learn how to better listen to her FD. What if he had given in to pleas for his friendship or maybe even tried having her around as more than a friend.

“Please, Keisuke-san, let me see how your driving is from the passenger seat,” She said through clouded eyes and a tear streaked face. “Please!”

Keisuke bolted up out of bed, caked in sweat. How long had he been dreaming of her, he no longer kept track. It seemed to happen every night. Every time he saw a car drive uphill, though not as quickly or as experienced. He knew that he had to track her down. He had to make things right. He had broken her heart and he had really hurt her as well. The only thing that he could do was pray that she would not hang up on him and want to try something. Project D was not over, but his sanity would be forfeit if he could not make these haunting leave him. Such was his guilt of having treated her like a gentleman and then say that he had no need for her.

Ryousuke had no idea that he was plagued by the nightmares of what could have been. Though, he had noticed that Keisuke was acting a little distant to everyone, including his personal fan boy. The little subtleties that they were noticing were enough to convince him that he had to seek her out and make amends.

There was still plenty of night left and Keisuke knew that he was not going to be able to sleep if he could not forget it tonight. He often thought about calling her number and saying let's start dating. He always thought that he could just do the romantic thing and ask her to meet him somewhere, thus creating opportunity to rectify and make amends. He knew that he had to try. Quickly looking at the time, Keisuke braced himself for the decision that he was about to make. He knew that, whatever the outcome, he had to have no regrets.

It was going to be a long drive and he knew that he would have to stop and stretch his legs. Passed what was going on in his mind, he thought he was crazy for trying to track her down like this. He also knew that he had been a jerk, an ass hair, whatever name his mind came up for him. This was the only way that he knew of that he could make it up to her. Having made his decision, he was finally able to let sleep reclaim what had been lost. Whatever the outcome, he was now certain that he would no longer feel the pang of guilt that would not leave him alone.

Meanwhile…Gunma…

Morning began painting the sky in brilliance that had never been seen around the Akina togue. The scene played the way it had on all the mornings of the early tofu delivery. The only difference is that the distinct sound of the lion's roar was no longer heard. Now, all that could be heard in the morning was just the screeching of tires. It was a welcome transformation that was needed due to the shock of what was going on.

Takumi had left to do the runs just the way his father had always done it. He prepared the tofu, packed it with the same care that his father had always done. The only difference was that he had to place the cup of water in the car after the tofu before he could take off. He had left Ryousuke sleeping up stairs in his room. It was going to be a long morning, everything he was, was going to poured into the run. He was determined to make sure that he knew this car as well as he knew the 86.

Ryousuke heard the sounds of Takumi packing the car. He was getting dressed as his lover was preparing to leave for the run. He had to go with him. He knew that they had to do this together. If there was something that Takumi felt was off he would have Ryousuke for advice and a second opinion. Ryousuke caught him just as he was about to leave for the morning delivery.

“I know how important this is for you,” Ryousuke interrupted him. “As much as I admire your courtesy, I feel that I must accompany you. If something feels off, or if you feel that you need advice.”

“All you had to do was ask if you could join me for the run,” Takumi replied chuckling. “I knew that I was going to have to ask you for advice, you just saved me a trip back into the house.”

Takumi finished packing the car and allowed Ryousuke to get in the passenger seat. There was not much left to do except start the engine and take off.

The run was as normal as it could be. There was very little traffic for so early in the morning. The sun was trying to peer out over the horizon. So many obstacles kept coming every time that Takumi thought that he had found what he desired. His friends were insecure in their knowledge of him, but the biggest milestone was hospital visit that he was going to have to make.

He loved it whenever Ryousuke wanted to join him and accompany him. Today was one of those days that he really felt that he should work it out on his own. His lover was perfect in more ways than one that it was impossible to say no. On the other hand, Ryousuke was right. If something went wrong, he would not have the knowledge to figure it out. He had been driving the car since his father had first purchased the Impreza. The hardest part to accustom to was that he did not have to compensate the under steering. Newer model cars have computerized fail safe devices that make it impossible to wreck, plus there other things that made driving that much more easy.

As usual, the drive to the peak was to get reacquainted with the Impreza. He had not been driving it since his fall down the stairs. Takumi knew instinctively that it was not necessary, but he did it anyway to ere on the side of caution. The balance was different than that of the 86 and it was twice as lighter.

Having pushed the car just a little on the drive up, Takumi was almost certain of how far he could try to keep that perfect line that he was always capable of while driving the Impreza. Not to say that the car was a perfect machine. Handling does not come from guessing and memorizing, the car was an all wheel drive car. All four tires grip the road simultaneously making it impossible to lose control during a drift or any turn for that matter.

Instincts always take control, blood pressure always raises just a little to compensate for the massive overload that Takumi's brain undergoes while driving. His mind knows what to do and moves his body before he has a chance to think about what is next.

As he approached the first turn on the trip back, he could feel where the tires were going to be. He knew what line the car was going to take and how far from the guard rail it was. Even thought he had not driven the car for three months, his mind and body were still in tune with the car. The 86 had been difficult to master, the Impreza was a walk in the park compared to an outdated downhill monster.

As soon as he knew where to brake, Takumi tried what he was best at, drifting. All that could be heard were the screeching of the tires as they struggled to maintain control. The car started moving, never once leaving the perfect line. Takumi floored the accelerator to maintain the speed once they were through the corner. Harmony in motion as his mind started calculating where to make the move for his body to react. Never once did he take his mind off of the road due to a lack of confidence. The biggest hurdle in driving a new car and thinking about racing in one as well, is familiarity. Takumi was more of a racer than he knew.

Sorry for the long awaited post my dear fans! School was very fast paced last month and I was taking a Photoshop class that required my attention one hundred percent. Please read and enjoy and keep coming back for more!