Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Initial D Fan Fiction ❯ Initial D: Anything Goes Drift Racing ❯ Season 2: Chapter 8: Ranma vs Takumi. ( Chapter 17 )

Initial D: Mt Furinken. Anything Goes Drift Racing.

Season 2: Chapter 8: Ranma vs Takumi.

Ranma shivered, not with the cold and not with nerves but with excitement because tonight was the night. He'd had two weeks of practice as had the members of Project D racing up and down the hidden road course, and so they could all go at their own pace they'd agreed to practice at different times since it would be virtually impossible for cars to run the course in opposite directions at the same time.

But practice time was over now and the first race was about to begin, Ranma's NSX against Takumi's 86. Both cars were already lined up ready, their drivers sitting on the bonnets staring each other down.

Takumi felt a strange sensation, he'd never encountered anyone as young let alone younger than him who could apparently match his speed and skill on the mountain side and he was starting to have an inkling of how his various opponents had felt when they'd first seen him and even why Keisuke could still be a little hostile towards him sometimes. He was apprehensive too about the course, racing with Project D and before he'd driven on some pretty tough roads but this was nothing like any of them and even though it was shorter then some it was a course that relied purely on cornering ability, that's where you had to pass your opponent, there was no where else you could pass them.

Ranma too wasn't feeling a hundred percent confident, although he'd come up to watch them practice on occasion he'd never seen either opponent race a full run so though he knew they were good, he didn't know much else. Also he had no plan off attack. Usually against anyone he'd faced before, racing or in martial arts he'd had a strategy to win but here he had absolutely no clue how the opponent would perform, he guessed it would have to be one of those `spur of the moment' ideas that always seemed to land him in more trouble that would determine this race. The only hint he'd had was a tip from Edy that he should race the downhill first but he'd given no explanation for his reasoning. He was suddenly aware that Ryosuke was standing beside him.

"Ranma Soatome, I would like to go over the races once more."

"Sure, shoot." Ranma replied trying to sound casual, something about this guy made Ranma a little uneasy, he sensed a lot of skill and control like a martial artist yet it was different more focused, the skill of a great street racer, the same sense he got when talking with Edy and even Mitzuki and though he hadn't noticed it others could begin to sense the same thing in him now.

"You have requested we do the downhill first, then when that's finished you'll turn round and begin the uphill straight away. You don't want a brake, to change your tyres of anything." Ranma shook his head.

"I have brought only this set." Ryosuke seemed to accept this then continued.

"I have also decided that this can not be counted as the proper Project D race for Mt Furinken. This is not the course that all the racers from this area use so once we can compete we will return to race the fastest racers on that course so this will be counted as a special race." This didn't mean much to Ranma so nodded in agreement. "Then was can begin whenever you are ready."

"I'm ready right now." Ranma said determinedly.

"Then if you'd both like to get into your vehicles and I will start the count down." While the two drivers got seated Ryosuke used his radio to let the time keepers along the course know the race was about to begin. Other than Ranma and the members of Project D there was only one other person on the course, Akane who'd insisted to come watch this race and who now stood fingers crossed at finish of the downhill. She was worried for Ranma it was a dangerous course and she hadn't even got the courage to try a run on it yet, she just hoped the strangers didn't try anything stupid or dirty at the wrong moment. Kenta felt a chill run down his back as she ground a piece of the guard rail into a ball in her nervousness and hoped she wouldn't get to angry if her boyfriend lost the races.

At the top of the mountain the two cars gunned their engines and Ryosuke dropped his arms, they left the start line and shot down the short straight to the start of the 8 hairpins. As Ranma had expected his car still had the advantage off the line and was in the lead going into the first corner. He felt a little relaxed, if he was on front on the straight this race was his. Ranma had gone into the first hairpin as fast as he'd judged was safe and though he'd expected his opponent was good he'd had a feeling that the 86 would fall quickly behind, instead has was shocked to see it had become glued to his rear bumper gaining all the distance he'd put between them at the start. Through the second and third and fourth corners it followed him perfectly no more than a few centimetres separating them and the distance between corners was so short Ranma couldn't gain any distance and then they were in the fifth corner, the first corner where the road briefly widened to two lanes and the 86 was beside him and then it was past him.

Ranma felt a cold shiver run down his body, how could an 86 corner so fast, the sixth corner was narrow again and Ranma had to watch the 86 gain distance over him as it left the corner.

"His exit speeds are amazing." Ranma said aloud mostly out of awe. He wondered if it was all due to the natural aspirated engine or if he'd found a driver even faster then Edy. However for the seventh and eighth corners the road opened up into two lanes and Ranma noticed the 86 gained no more distance over him but there was still a good two ore three car lengths between them but they were in the straight now and Ranma knew that would disappear fast however he was going to be trapped behind the slower car.

From the mountain top Ryosuke listened to the radio reports and listened puzzled. Takumi had over taken him far quicker than he'd expected, maybe this Ranma wasn't as fast as he'd appeared was all his skill horsepower. It looked already like the race was Takumi's. The NSX couldn't over take on the straight, the 270 degree turn would require grip driving to make it round and the NSX's extra horsepower meant the driver would have to hold back to avoid spinning and then there were only the course middle hairpin and 5 consecutive hairpins after that were the course was wide enough for cars to pass each other and it appeared Takumi was faster though the corners. Ryosuke sighed a little depressed, it looked like this wasn't such a good race after all but then why had he sensed such power coming from the boy.

"This is the exit of the straight, the two cars are coming now, the NSX is right on Takumi, he must almost be touching his bumper there about to enter the corner. Takumi is braking. The NSX is passing Takumi!" Ryosuke's attention snapped back to the radio like elastic as the voice on the radio suddenly changed to a startled screech.

"What's happening tell me exactly."

"It's incredible, Takumi braked to take the corner and the NSX shot passed, then braked and kind of, I don't know it was like it had a spasm or something and then it,… drifted."

"What! That's impossible." Ryosuke was almost screaming in frustration, could it be a technique he'd never seen.

"It's true, it drifted at incredible speed round the corner like it was sliding on ice." The voice over the radio was the race timer from the exit of the corner. "Takumi just passed me but he's at least ten maybe closer to fifteen car lengths behind now he can't keep up.

Ryosuke listened to the rest of the race but little sunk in, Takumi made up a little distance passing through halfway hairpin and again at the five consecutive hairpins but Ranma was still in front by a good eight or nine car lengths and there was no passing points left. Ranma had won easily and no one could believe it, even Ranma was amazed how effective the air drift technique was and once again realized why it had been specially developed for this course. Those without the technique would be blown away in the downhill.

But now it would be the uphill, and the air drift would not work in that direction. Ranma turned his car round and moved up to the start line. He was very aware of the driver of the 86 now staring at him from the car park where he'd pulled up. He'd seen Ryoga make that face before a look of disbelief at defeat. Thinking of Ryoga Ranma wondered where he was now. He didn't think he been too hard on Ryoga for what he'd done, he'd almost killed Akane and other people watching that race in careless pursuit of some ridiculous vendetta but if it weren't for that night he knew he and Akane might have thrown their love for each other away without ever realising it and he had on occasion helped Ranma out of a situation or two.

But he couldn't think about that any longer, the second race was about to start, he gave Akane a cheerful wave and then focused on the road. This was going to be the tougher race he realised, Edy had known he knew that now and had let him race the easy one first to get comfortable for the second race. `Well here we go.' He thought. The starter began the countdown.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"