Disclaimer: I don't own Initial D, Shigeno-sensei and the Kodansha Publishing Company do.
The Kizuna Ethridge name and character belongs to fellow Initial D fanfic author SouthSideSlider.
Programmed Lives – Final Stage
Prologue
After the almost thirteen hour long flight, Hiroki's neck was rather sore and the twenty year old could not wait to get out of the plane so he could stretch out properly before he would meet up with his father so that the two of them could drive back to their home in Tochigi's capital city.
'Hey, come on, you're not that tired, are you?' he heard Kyosuke ask and that made him look to his left where the older guy was sitting sandwiched between Hiroki, who was sitting at the aisle seat and Kizuna, who was at the window one.
'Yeah, I am, why?' Hiroki replied as he stifled the umpteenth yawn.
'Because we still have to go through the press conference,' Kyosuke replied smirking at the younger man.
'What? Again? Didn't we have one at the end of the race?' Hiroki asked raising his eyebrows in surprise.
'Yes, we did,' Kyosuke replied smirking even more, 'this one is for the national press, for the journalists who couldn't go to Melbourne.'
'Do I really need to go? I'm dying to get back home so I can get some sleep,' Hiroki begged.
'Nope, sorry,' Kyosuke said, 'they want the whole team to be there for the pictures.'
'Great: pictures,' Hiroki complained, 'that's exactly what I need after thirteen hours of insomnia,' he added sounding rather miserable.
'I know what you mean,' Kyosuke said and that made Hiroki realise that, from the whole team, they were the only two who were still awake for the rest of the guys were all sleeping rather soundly, including Akito who had Ryoko leaning her head on his left shoulder.
'He's so lucky,' Hiroki commented pointing at Akito with his thumb.
'He is,' Kyosuke agreed, 'but again, I think he can sleep almost everywhere as long as it's warm enough.'
'I'll take your word for it,' Hiroki replied and as he was about to say something else they heard as the flight attendants started waking everyone up so they would fasten their seatbelts and prepared themselves for landing.
Fifteen minutes later at nearly eight o'clock pm, the JAL flight from Melbourne touched down at Narita International Airport and they barely had the time to get their bags when an airport officer ushered them towards one of the small lounges at the Arrival's terminal. There they saw a long table placed in front of a horde of journalists ready to start firing their questions at them:
'Fujiwara-san,' one of them shouted shoving his mike towards Fujiwara Takumi, 'do you think your team will be able to keep such great results up throughout the whole season?'
'Er…' Takumi started.
'It's much too early to ask us that,' Keisuke replied instead, 'we still have seventeen races to go.'
'It looks like your number one driver has completely recovered from the accident which saw him retiring from the previous season,' another journalist fired at them.
'Yes, he's very much back in shape,' Keisuke replied.
'What did you think of the performance of the PIAA-Tanaka Team's new driver?' a reporter from the back of the room asked looking straight at Akito.
'He's very fast,' Akito replied, 'so we're not going to underestimate him.'
The whole press conference was over in just under half an hour, time during which no one asked Hiroki a single question making the twenty year old as though as if he had just wasted twenty minutes of his life.
'It's okay,' he heard his father say as the two of them drove back to Tochigi's capital city.
'What?' Hiroki asked feeling rather confused.
'The press conference,' Tohru replied for he had witnessed how the reporters had ignored his son in a very blatant manner.
'What about it?' Hiroki asked making his father look at him with an equally puzzled expression.
'Well,' Tohru started, 'the journalists…well…they seemed…'
'Dad,' Hiroki interrupted, 'I know that they pay loads more attention to Akito than they do to me but I don't mind.'
'It won't always be this way,' Tohru assured his son.
'Oh, I hope it will be,' Hiroki replied and seeing his father's bewildered expression made him add, 'I'd hate to have the all the journalists focus on me the way they do to Akito. I honestly don't know how he can stand it…'
'It can't be too easy,' Tohru agreed, 'in any case, I'm glad to see you two are friends now.'
'What?' Hiroki asked, going back to being confused, 'I'm not his friend. I can't be.'
'Son, I know that before anything else he's your best enemy and all.'
'No Dad,' Hiroki said, 'that's not it.'
'What is it then?'
'Nothing,' Hiroki replied, 'you wouldn't understand.'
'Hiroki…' Tohru insisted.
'Dad, please, just leave it, okay?' Hiroki said then, hoping that his father would take the hint he rested his head on the car's headrest and closed his eyes.
Unfortunately, that simple action made him revive the intense angst of the moment when, not too long ago, he had realised something that he knew it could mean the destruction of the Takawara Racing Team.
Startled by this Hiroki re-opened his eyes and as he looked through the window, he let out a tired sigh and renewed once more his firm resolution to keep it a secret from everyone. Because there was no way on earth anyone could ever find out that he, Suetsugu Hiroki, had fallen head over heels in love with Takahashi Ryoko.
To be continued…
