Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Initial D Fan Fiction ❯ Initial D: Anything Goes Drift Racing ❯ Stage 3: Chapter 4: Battle ( Chapter 23 )

Initial D: Mt Furinken. Anything Goes Drift Racing.

 

Stage 3: Chapter 4: Battle.

 

Music floated around the top of the mountain as racers and onlookers stood around chatting, comparing cars and driving techniques. The more confident exchanging challenges for later in the evening.

 

Yoko Watanabe smiled to herself as she opened the door to her sky blue Nissan Silvia S14, sure in her coming victory against the black BMW of Max Sato. Friends at school, their rivalry on the mountain passes was well known by the other racers and though neither of them were among the best, their skill visibly improved with each race.

 

At that moment the call come over the radio. Cars on the mountain heading for the top and moving fast. The sound of engines drifted up through the night air punctuated by the squeal of tyres loosing traction on tarmac.

 

“They will be here soon, lets get the first racers lined up ready to go.” Said Hitoshi Suzuki the nights unofficial race starter, making a motion to Yoko and Max to bring their cars to the line.

 

A minute later the five cars of Ranma, Akane and their friends rolled into the lay-by used as the staging area along the `launch strip'. It was the first time the cars had been seen on the mountain by other racers and the return of Ranma, Akane, Edy and Sakura after a long absence.

 

Edy stepped from his car and looked round, there were some familiar faces but also some new faces that looked on with curiosity and some even with leers thinking these were outsiders come to challenge or people with more money than skill.

 

However those people were quickly pushed to the back by the old hands welcoming their return and the admiring investigation of the new cars. Yoko waved at Ranma, a classmate and student at the Tendo School of Martial Arts she was pleased to see them back on the mountain but she was also feeling the adrenalin and excitement of her pending race.

 

“You going to be long honey? Max here needs to be taught who's faster.” She called. Max merely snorted and turned away in mock indignity.

 

Ranma looked round at the range of cars parked up, expecting to the white Toyota waiting among them. It wasn't their and Ranma let out a breath he had not realised he was holding. “Yes, let's get down to the fun.” He said.

 

The crowd began to spread out again Edy, Sakura and Kuno moving off to chat to old friends or catch up with rivals. Ranma and Akane worked their way through to Yoko who was strapping her three point harness ready for the race. He leaned through the window.

 

“Hey there, you been up here much recently?” He asked casually. She looked at him with her head cocked sideways.

 

“Most nights yeah, been trying out new suspension settings with Max, why?”

 

“Have you seen anyone new hanging around, strange cars running the road?”

 

“You mean that Supra that ran Kuno off the road, no. We've all been keeping an eye out for it but my guess is they've left the area and won't come back.” She replied with a shrug. Ranma nodded slowly more unconsciously while digesting the information than as a confirmation.

“Thanks Yoko. Good luck tonight.” He said and he and Akane went back to the crash barrier dividing the lay-by from the road, where Edy and the others had gathered together. “No apparent sightings of our mystery driver.” Ranma whispered to Edy as he climbed the barrier.

 

“I heard the same thing. Some of these guys can be a bit hot headed but they haven't found him.” Edy sighed. Mean time the drivers on the starting line and Hitoshi was now standing between them with his arms raised. They could feel the sudden rise in tension, the electricity in the air that they had all missed so much. The engines gunned.

 

“Go!” The race began, the BMW spinning it's wheels a half second too long and letting the S14 draw ahead as the first corner approached. The radio on Sakura's belt crackled, the voice of a lookout somewhere down the course was audible for a second, it sounded urgent.

 

“Say again, say again, what was that?” Sakura said into the radio.

“A car is coming up the mountain with no damn lights on. I heard it go passed but it was to dark to see what it was.” Sakura looked round at the others, the same thought in their heads while other racers with radios began talking excitedly. The radio came to life again, a different voice.

 

“It's a white car, it just passed me. It could be that Supra. He's still running without lights and he's really moving, I have no idea how he can see.” Someone in the crowd began shouting back into the radio.

 

“You've got to warn the racers, neither of them has a radio, there is going to be a really big accident.” The crowd around the lay-by erupted in noise. It was hard to hear the response over the radio.

 

“This is Ando they just passed me here, I was waving like mad but they just shot by.”

 

“My God, this is bad. Is this lunatic trying to cause accidents.” Hitoshi shouted.

 

Ranma leapt the barrier and sprinted across the road to stare down the mountain side. Through the trees occasionally visible for a second the two sets of headlights battling for position on the road. The next moment there was a painfully bright light like a signal flair in the middle of the road ahead of the two cars. For a moment he saw the headlights swerve and then they were lost among the bright light. The crowd went crazy and the radios fizzled as everyone tried to talk at once. “What the hell was that.” “I think they came off the road.” The rest for the moment was unidentifiable.

 

The light below faded and went out, it took a moment for Ranma's eyes to adjust to the low light. He could see one set of headlights somewhere off the road but couldn't see the second set. It looked like flash lights were making their way towards the cars. The radio crackled again.

 

“They're both ok. They were forced off the road at speed, but it's nothing but bruises.” Ranma sighed a huge sigh of relief, he was bent double with his hands on his knees. He felt light headed. This nutcase had to be stopped before someone was killed.

 

The sound of an engine coming round the first corner and up the `launch strip'. It was the white Toyota Supra, the mirrored glass hiding the identity of the driver. There was a roar of anger from the crowd that surged forward around the car as it came to a stop.

 

A sudden loud bang and another flash of light and the crowd fell back, a few people screamed. Ranma pushed his way through the crowd and stood in front of the car, his face daring the driver to show himself. The door cracked open.

 

“Ranma Saotome.” A familiar voice laughed manically. A set of plimsolled feet appeared, followed by a figure in a white zhiju, the Han style robes they had so often seen the so called master of concealed weapons wearing.

 

“Mousse!” Ranma bellowed. “What the hell do you think you're doing?”

 

Mouse leered, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. He laughed a deep chesty laugh.

 

“Saotome. Do not mock me. You know why I am here, I am going to KILL YOU.” He screamed the last bit pointing directly at the person 6 feet to Ranma's left as his glasses slipped back down his nose again. The poor young man looked like a deer in headlights. No one seemed to really be sure what was happening. Even Edy and Sakura who had some idea of what was going on felt the confusion. Only Akane and Kuno felt like they were on home ground.

 

“Over here duck boy.” Ranma said in a slightly board voice. “Why the hell do want to kill me now?”

 

“I said don't mock me. Shampoo won't be mine until you are out of the way.”

 

“What! When was the last time you saw Shampoo. There is nothing going on between us, there never was! She's in love with someone else now and Akane and I are married.” Ranma protested angrily.

 

“Hey, is that a good idea to set Mousse on Sarah?” Akane said pulling at Ranma's sleeve. It didn't matter, it was obvious Mousse was being his usually pig headed self.

 

“Just shut up and DIE!” Mousse launched himself into the air suddenly, a number of concealed sharp and spiked objects on chains hurled at Ranma and the air around him. The crowd panicked and people began running in all directions.

 

Ranma had been expecting the attack and had already begun planning his fight before Mousse had fully emerged from the car. Swiftly he grabbed at several of the chains and used them to wrap up all the weapons to keep them from striking any bystanders. Once he felt the primary threat was neutralised he closed the distance on Mousse.

 

Aside from his fight with Ryoga, he hadn't had many serious fights in recent months but had still been more than keen to keep his hand in, with practice fights with Akane, Kuno and the inevitable morning bouts with his father.

 

The two traded blows, none of Mousse's landed. Ranma felt he had to end it quickly. His fists flew faster than was visible to the normal human eye landing blows to his body, arms and face.

 

Mousse stood slumped against his car panting hard. He peered up at Ranma his eyes full of malice. “Well Saotome,” He spat. “If I can't beat your tricks like this then I shall beat you in this.” He slapped the bonnet of his car.

 

“Mousse, I'm going to say this one last time. I have no feelings for Shampoo, she has no feelings for me. We haven't seen each other for months and it's clear you haven't either. Otherwise you'd know I'm telling the truth.”

 

“Lies! Of course I haven't seen her. When I learned of your new plan to impress Shampoo to steal my Love from me, I went back to China to see my cousin Tissue. World class Chinese Amazon Drifter, I had him teach me everything so I could beat you and once and for all show Shampoo I am superior.”

 

“God damn it.” Ranma slapped is palm to his forehead. He felt Akane's hand on his shoulder.

 

“Ranma you can't race him. That car is probably full of concealed weapons. He'll force you to crash.” He turned to Akane and took both her hands in his.

 

“It's ok Akane. You know Mousse and he won't give up. He'll keep causing accidents till I race him. Then he'll go running back to Shampoo and he can see the truth for himself.”

 

“What about Sarah. She can't fight Mousse.” Akane protested.

 

“Shampoo wouldn't let Mousse hurt her and I wouldn't let Mousse get out of control. But if I don't let this latest obsession of his play out now, show him that racing me is pointless then it will go on and on until someone here is really hurt or killed. It was only T's thick skull from all those beatings that saved him.”

 

“Ranma, who are you calling thick headed.” Kuno seemed to rise out of nowhere beside them. “But I agree, I have fought this fellow in the dress before and he is persistent.”

 

“It's not a dress.” Mousse stamped his foot. Ranma planted a tender kiss on Akane's cheek, Kuno's eye twitched.

 

“It's will be ok. I have to do this. Before he hurts someone I really care about.” Ranma squeeze Akane's hands tightly, looking into her eyes.

 

“Ok Ranma.” She bowed her head, her eyes suddenly watery.

 

Ranma looked round, many people seemed to have fled but most had stayed to watch the spectacle. Even those Nerima residents who had experienced the bizarre battles before had never expected it to spill over into their night time world of drift racing.

 

“Ok, so let's get this set up then.” Said Edy stepping forward. “Let's get the cars to the line.” The placed exploded into a flurry of activity, suddenly relieved by the relative normality that seemed to have returned. A race they could understand.

 

Within a few minutes Mousse's Toyota Supra and Ranma's Toyota Altezza were lined up next to each other. Edy had stood between them but at Ranma's insistence stood to one side with Ranma's car between him and the Supra.

 

Unseen in the background Akane and Kuno had readied their own cars with the plan to follow Ranma down. Sakura checked the two cars of Yoko and Max had been cleared from the road after the two had been taken off to hospital to be checked out.

 

Ranma looked across at the Supra but the tinted windows meant for the first time he couldn't see his opponents face. He revved his engine and settled in his seat. This was his territory, he was ready to go.

 

Edy raised his arms. “Ready, Steady…”