New Racer
By: Ran Tsuki
Disclaimer: I do not own Initial D, but I do own Ran Tsuki, Kirua Himura, and Ryu Sagara. Those are my own characters. If you wish to use them please email me before to get my accord. My email is lvebunny17@hotmail.com. I welcome any review you might have on my story.
Authors Note: The story happens TWO years after the Third Stage. This will be mostly based on the anime and not the manga. If you wish me to write another story about a couple, you are welcome to email me and I will try my best to do it.
WARNING!!! IF YOU CANNOT TAKE YAOI, PLEASE DON'T READ THE STORY. AND DON'T FLAME ME ABOUT THE YAOI COUPLES.
Have a nice reading! Onto the story!
"Did you hear, aniki?" Asked Keisuke. He had barged in to find his brother after his drive for some fresh air. He wanted to tell his brother about something VERY important. Usually, he would have knocked before coming in, but the news was too shocking and important to wait.
Ryousuke stopped typing and was paying full attention to his younger brother. He had never seen his brother in such state. He looked extremely shocked. More then the first time he came barging in to tell him about loosing to some old 86. "What's wrong, Keisuke? Someone beat you again?" He was teasing him to relieve some of the tension in the air. Keisuke normally was not a very serious person, but this time, he was serious. That didn't happen often so when he did that meant something BIG happened.
"How did YOU guess? I lost to a FC Savannah!!! And that wasn't the problem!" Keisuke ranted.
He was taken back by the answer. To say that Ryousuke was mildly shocked was an understatement. Even when he told him about his defeat to the 86, he didn't act like that. "Huh? It isn't? Who was the driver? Someone we know? A guy?" Ryousuke asked. His eyebrows shot up when Keisuke looked very embarrassed. "Are YOU telling ME you LOST to a GIRL???" He nearly fainted when Keisuke nodded. "You lost by how much?" His face only turned redder. "By a CAR SPACE??? (A.N. For a streetracer to loose by a car space is a LOT. It is equal the length of a car.)"
Keisuke shook his head and gave his brother a lot of thumbs up. Ryousuke couldn't believe it. Keisuke, through the two years under his training, had improved a lot. He now could win anyone except Takumi, Kyouichi, Kai, and him. Nowadays, he came in after them in less then 3 seconds.
"Oh My...! You tell me how much then!!!" He REALLY wanted to know.
Keisuke turned EXTREMELY red. He mumbled his answer.
"Say that AGAIN!!!" He had caught bits of it and wanted to make sure WHAT he heard was CORRECT. If it was he would faint on the spot.
"Even though I was using all my skills and speed, I COULDN'T KEEP UP!!!" Keisuke screamed.
His brother looked shocked beyond words and immediately fainted. Keisuke dragged his brother to his bed and tucked him in. He went to his bed immediately after because he was as shaken if not more then Ryousuke. It was only 10pm. They usually didn't sleep till 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. They both slept till the morning. That shocked the parents when they found their sons in bed when they checked them up at midnight. They usually needed a LOT of ushering before going to bed an hour after.
~Next morning~
Both of them were acting very strange. They both woke up earlier then usual due to early sleeping. They called the rest of their team and the OTHERS team leaders for them to call the rest of their team at 7 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING! Ryousuke was normally a very polite guy no matter at what time even if you were insulting at him. He ACTUALLY yelled at anyone who dared to say that they can't come or said obscenities to him. Keisuke was in no better mood. They told everyone to meet at Akina Mountain at 8 of the same day. Throughout the day, the Racers were in a VERY bad mood. They would loose concentration on what they were doing. Everyone except the Takahashis brothers couldn't wait till the night so that they would know what's happening.
~7 p.m. Tofu Fujiwara Shop~
"So... Are you coming?" Asked an excited Takumi. He hadn't seen that person for a long while.
"Why?" The stranger asked.
"Because... I would really appreciate if you came with me." He answered truthfully.
"With my car?" He raised an eyebrow. (A.N. Until you know who it is, that person will be referred to he. It could be a guy or a girl. Hehehe... Can you guess?)
"Maybe another time since you don't have your car with you right now. You will drive the 86, ok?" Takumi pleaded.
"If you want. When are we leaving?"
"Now! So you can drive around so I can see how much better you had became. Come quietly so my father won't notice us sneaking out!!! He would say no, if you asked him!!! I did this morning!"
"Ok. BUNTA! We are going out for a LONG while. Is that OK?"
Takumi cringed while the stranger smirked. Takumi really wanted to smack him for that stupidity. His father would say no, that's for sure.
"Ok, you two can go. Just don't WRECK the car!!!" Bunta replied while watching TV. He was smirking, but the two racers cannot see it.
The stranger's eyebrow twitched. He somehow guessed he did. Takumi's mouth dropped while the stranger's smirk grew. He dragged Takumi to the car and shot out to the mountain at half speed. They arrived to the foot of the mountain very fast. He shifted the gear from 2 to 4. His drifting technique was flawless and he did the turns at gear 3. Takumi was impressed. The bumper of the car was very close to the guardrail by less then 3 cm each time.
Soon they caught up to the Night Kids. He was passing everyone VERY easily so much that he was yawning in boredom. To say that Shingo was shocked was false. He nearly fainted when the 86 passed him effortlessly. He expected the driver to be Takumi, but stared at a new face who was yawning in boredom. He then had to calm himself from hyperventilating because the 86 just passed Takeshi at a turn. Takeshi, in turn, stepped on the pedal to TRY to keep up with the 86. After a few turns, he completely lost sight of the car. When the Night Kids leader finally arrived at the top, he was raving madly. He stomped toward the offending car.
Two persons were talking animatedly. One was a girl he didn't recognize; the other was Takumi. He was talking more then usually. The girl was quite pretty. Long dark purple hair with silver highlights, a nice figure, and was wearing blue jeans shorts and a spaghetti shirt. He looked like a fish out of water. He had the decency to blush when she smiled and waved him over. Shingo arrived just in time to see Takeshi running toward the duo like a lovesick puppy. He felt a pang of jealousy when he saw who grabbed Takeshi's interest. He cannot fault him as having bad taste. They were openly ogling her, but they can't help it.
"Tak-chan, are they always that rude?" She was grinning mischievously. "Man were not supposed to stare at woman, right?"
They blushed so hard that the duo wondered if their blood vessels were going to burst. She had to lean onto Takumi since she was trying very hard not to laugh. Takumi was not faring any better. He had to lean to the hood of the car from preventing from falling down. Unable to take it anymore, both burst laughing. While Takumi has a light baronet laugh, she had a silvery laugh. Never in their life, did Takeshi and Shingo felt so embarrassed. It was finally after 5 minutes that they stopped. Tears were rolling down on their faces.
"Tak-chan, who are they?" She cocked her head in one side that both the Nigh Kids found so cute. She was playing the role of not knowing them.
"This is Takeshi Nakazato and he is Shingo Shoji. She is Ran Tsuki." He pointed a person as he said their name.
"They are SO cute when they blush!" Ran exclaimed.
They turned even redder. The rest of the team finally arrived to see two VERY red racers with Takumi and another girl. They all started ogling her.
"Tak-chan, this is beginning to be creepy. Is there something wrong with my face?" She touched her face delicately.
"NO, Ran-chan. You REALLY have changed!" Takumi said.
"What does that mean?" She looked very angry.
"It seemed that you have matured a lot over the years you were gone." Takumi explained.
"OH!" She was giggling about something. She whispered something to his ear and he immediately burst out laughing while shaking his head.
"Takumi, I would like to know who was driving the 86?" Shingo asked.
"WHAT?!? I thought it was Takumi because I couldn't see. It was too fast." Takeshi explained after the questioning gazes of his teammates.
"I drove the 86. Is there a problem?" Ran asked. She giggled at their faces. "Tak-chan, they look like goldfish!"
"No, just amazed a the way you controlled the car. It was very fast." Shingo grudgingly explained. He cannot believe that he lost to a GIRL.
She looked shocked. "You call THAT fast?!? Oh my! I wasn't using the limit of the car!"
Everyone's, even Takumi's mouth, were hanged open. They opened and closed their mouth trying to form words, but no sound came out. Ran was giggling at their faces again. They all snapped out of their stupors when the Speed Stars' cars came into view. The Night Kids members were blushing very red. They were glowing as red as the sunset. Speed Stars were staring at them surprised and confused. They had never seen them acting like an idiot for the two years they had known each other. When they realized the reason, they stared at her too.
"Stop doing that! I already have a boyfriend!" She blushed under their gazes.
Everyone except Takumi groaned. They had hoped to have a chance with her. Even those who had someone they love looked like they were depressed so that they won't raise any suspicion as to why they were not attracted to such a beautiful girl.
"Tak-chan, that bit of news they knew it, no?" Asked a perplex Ran. He nodded his head. She smacked his head and glared at him.
"Ok, ok. Yeah, they do. Maybe they are growing old and started to forget things from the past." Takumi said with a cat-grin.
Everyone's mouth dropped open again. They NEVER had heard him say so many words in front of them. Itsuki had SOMETIMES heard Takumi say more then a word, but not often. Another thing that shocked to the core was the fact that his face was no longer impassive. His eyes hold mirth in them. And... He just teased them.
"WHAT?!?!" They all squeaked or screeched.
"Do I need to repeat?" He said to them slowly as if talking to old people with hearing problems. He then turned to Ran to hide the grin from seeing their faces and said. "What time is it?"
"7:35. Why? Want to go for a ride? Full out? You or I drive?" She asked as if the request was often asked.
"Yes, you drive. Please?" He gave her the puppies' eyes that made most of the presents unconscious.
She nodded and they went to the 86. Before they could start the engine, the Red Suns had arrived. At that moment, everyone woke up. They were staring at Takumi who smiled at them and waved. Those actions nearly made them faint again. Takumi and Ran snickered in the car and high fived each other.
She looked questionably at Takumi who nodded his head energetically. She only smiled and turned the ignition on. She buckled her seat belt. Takumi was holding on to the handrail to prepare himself for the ride. Before the Red Suns could ask anything, the 86 zoomed out of view. Ran stepped on 90% of the throttle and engaged the gear 3. She relieved a bit of pressure when they did a turn, but she never changed the gear or braked. Takumi was in shock. He didn't know that you could turn at 150 mph with no braking. They soon arrived to the base and did a nice u-turn with gear 2 and brake.
She soon caught up to the Emperors that they had met at 3/4 way down. She started braking and speeding, but never changed the gear. She passed everyone except Kyouichi with a LOT of ease. NO matter how fast Kyouichi was driving, the 86 would be just behind him. The 86 tried to overtake him so many times that he lost his concentration. He was driving too fast at a hairpin turn. He would have drove over the cliff if the 86 didn't nudge his bumper quite hard to wake him up and stabilize the car. The Toyota overtook him at the exit of the corner. The car then disappeared.
The first thing that Kyouichi said after regaining his wits together while driving was... "What the HELL just happened?!?! Man... Takumi has progressed again... Wait a minute... He was sitting on the passenger seat. Then who was it? I better hurry to the top so I can get the name of the driver and challenge him to a race." Kyouichi sped to the top to find the unimaginable driver. "It must be his father. The faster downhill driver ever seen in Akina Mountain!!!" He was quite shocked to see no old man except Yuuichi. 'IF it wasn't Takumi's father then who was it? Wow!!! Pretty girl... no gorgeous more like it. She seemed familiar... Oh well! Finding that driver is more important.' He thought. He got out of his car and stomped toward Ryousuke Takahashi. He would know. "Ryousuke! Do you know who drove the 86 down and up just earlier?" He asked.
He was friend with him just like the others. They had gotten over their grudges quite fast after they realized they all missed the same person who managed to befriend them all without any problem, but she left to get some driving experience. That person was Ryousuke's girlfriend.
A very stunned Ryousuke turned to greet his friend. "Say that again."
Kyouichi's eyes bulged out. No matter what, Ryousuke never acted like that. "Who drove the 86 down and up earlier?" He asked everyone else. He finally got a good look at everyone. They seemed stunned, sad, and... eager?!?!
"I did." Said a feminine voice.
He turned to the girl's voice direction. His mouth dropped and his eyes bulged out again. "Oh my god!!!" He ran toward her and spinned her around. "I missed you so much, Ran-chan! Did he recognize you? *She nodded while laughing and burying her face on his shoulder to hid her blush. Kyouichi laughed at her reaction.* It had been 2 years since we last saw each other! Oh and thank you for the nudge *Gasps were heard. Everyone knew that Kyouichi HATED to be nudged. Once Shingo did, he regretted it since he got beat up pretty badly.* or I would have been dead."
Gasps were heard. They all admired his driving skills.
She broke away form the embrace and her face was still red. She shook her head and held up 3 fingers.
"3 YEARS?!?!" Kyouichi, Takumi, Takeshi, and the Takahashi brothers yelled.
She shook her head again and laughed a nervous laugh. "3 weeks."
"We didn't see you 3 weeks ago!" The fivesome yelled.
"You did, but I didn't see you." She was fidgeting. She was waiting for the incoming outburst.
You could almost see the wheels turning in their head. Their mouth dropped and nearly fainted, but retained from doing so. They received many confused look. "Australia Grand Prix!!!" They yelled.
She smiled wider and nodded. "I did gave you guys a hint and I quote: 'Don't forget to check the Grand Prix and Nascar racings!!! You will see me.'."
They all sweat dropped. They should have guessed that she was the new racer, Tsuki, who came in just after she went away. Tsuki never said anything in public and never shown his face. That person fit Ran Tsuki's personality like a glove.
"Why are you here then?" Asked a curious Kyouichi.
"I quit. Don't look so shocked. It was a great experience and I learned a lot of stuff, but I wasn't happy. They all raced for money and not for PURE victory anymore. They were greedy people." She pouted.
"That's true." Kyouichi agreed. "So what did you do to the 86 to make it so fast?"
She looked at him confused. "I came back just two days ago. I haven't touched the 86 until tonight."
The Night Kids and Emperors' jaws dropped. They screeched. "DIDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING?!?!"
She nodded.
Ryousuke agreed with her. "Nothing has changed in the engine." He had opened the hood to check it. When he saw their shocked face, he couldn't help, but ask. "What's wrong?"
"The speed was a LOT faster and SHE turned the car WITHOUT braking. Not only that, but the fact that the engine was not overloaded. It's impossible with the way SHE drove!!!" Kyouichi explained. He was having a nervous wreck.
Ryousuke turned wide-eye at an innocent looking Ran. He took her apart to talk to her. "At what gear did you turn?"
"3."
"With NO braking?"
"No."
"Full throttle?"
"No, 80%."
"Not kidding?"
"No."
"Aniki, are you okay?" Keisuke asked. He was worried since at each answer Tsuki gave, he got paler.
"Something wrong with my driving skills, Ryoupon?" Ran asked.
"Nothing wrong with it." Ryousuke answered. He was still in a daze.
"Keipi, he doesn't look so good."
"I know, Ran-chan. What can we do? He is not a sleeping prince... I got it!!! You have to kiss aniki to revive him. It works each time you surprise him." Keisuke suggested with a very wide grin.
She blushed scarlet. She was then pushed toward Ryousuke by Takeshi and Kyouichi who gave her a sly grin. Takumi and Keisuke gave her a thumb up. She walked toward Ryousuke and took his face in her hands. She looked into his eyes, which widened a bit when Ran moved in to kiss him. She got an immediate answer. He wrapped one arm on her waist and the other at the base of her neck. From a simple kiss, it turned to a passionate one. Finally, they pulled apart with both faces flushed. Everyone blushed from such open affection, except 4 people. Their grins were very wide and once in a while, they would snicker.
He kissed her one more time before pulling away. "Thanks, Ranko for the wake up kiss. You have grown more beautiful and your skills have improved again."
She blushed scarlet form the comments and thank. "Anything for you, Ryoupon."
"They make such a cute couple. The only thing missing is her having a FC." Takeshi commented. Ran coughed, but he dismissed the matter as nothing since she looked fine after. "Back to serous matter, why did you call this meeting, Keisuke?"
"Because I lost to a silver FC in Akagi!!! The girl was good. I wasn't able to keep up after 2 turns." Keisuke explained while blushing. Everyone except Ryousuke and Ran gasped from the news. They all knew that Keisuke was not an easy opponent. "I want to find her and have a rematch with her."
"I would gladly accept, but I don't have my car with me right now." Answered Ran who was being held by Ryousuke.
Everyone's jaw dropped to the vicinity of their ankles. That shocked them out of their mind. They wouldn't have thought that her skills would have improved that much.
"How much horsepower does the FC have?" Ryousuke was quite curious. It has to be over 350 hp.
"Don't ask. It need re-tuning and it's a wimp." She angrily answered. "I think it's around 400 hp right now." She sighed.
"WITHOUT RE-TUNING?!?!" They screeched.
"Yes. It's a wimp anyway." She answered.
"400 hp car is a WIMP?!?! ARE YOU CRAZY???" They yelled.
"No, but it's a wimp. Don't forget I used to drive F1 and Nascar's cars." She added.
"F1 And NASCAR'S CARS?!?!" Everyone except those who knew it nearly fainted.
"Never heard of the racer Tsuki? *They all nodded.* Well... that's me!" She announced.
"WHAT?!?!" Those who didn't know screeched again.
"Keipi, when do you want a rematch?" She asked.
"How about now? Aniki, can she use your car?" Keisuke asked.
Ryousuke nodded.
"If you are sure, Keipi." She accepted the challenge. Before she went in the car, she checked the engine first. She then went in the car and aligned it next to Keisuke's car with no problem after she turned the ignition on.
Takeshi counted to five then gave the start signal. Both car zoomed away. Ran was in the lead with a lot of distance between them. She was trying the car as to know what it can do. Soon she was at the base while Keisuke was at 1/2 of the course. She did a u-turn and went uphill. She signaled Keisuke to park his car when she saw him at 3/4 of the race.
"Woah! Your brother's car IS amazing!" She exclaimed.
Keisuke looked very down.
"Ah! You feel bad because you lost? Don't be. It was me who was cruel. I went to the limit of the car so we can talk without the others around." She explained. "With a bit more of SERIOUS training, you would be an EXCELLENT driver!!! Right now, you are very good. You have improved a lot. I am proud of you."
"You think so?" Asked a sheepish Keisuke. Her comment lighted up a light of hope for him to be a good driver.
"Of course. Have more confidence in yourself and use your head while driving. Don't let your ego be an obstacle to be a professional." She continued.
"You are right. I will do my best! Let's go back!" His spirits were back to normal.
She nodded while having a faint smile on her face. They went to their respective car. They went back to the top quickly. Keisuke held in awe at some tricks Ran did. She slowed down to let him keep up and to show him some stuff she learned while she was away.
"So how did it go?" Asked an impatient Kenta as soon as they came out of their cars. He was sure that Keisuke would shame that girl to the ground.
"I lost by a LOT!!!" He answered as if it was nothing.
Everyone gasped. That wasn't the Keisuke they knew. Everyone except Kenta knew that Ran must have said something to him. They all smiled at that. They all had in some point in their lives been scold and told something by her.
Kenta never liked the girl because she befriended with everyone even those outside of their team. He always thought that she wasn't good enough for Ryousuke. His hate and un-trust were never shown in public, but when he was alone, he would go into a big rage. He would never accept the fact that she was an EXTREMELY good racer. It didn't help when everyone have respect for her amazing, but kamikaze skills. It was not as kamikaze as the Tsuki in the F1 and Nascars though.
Keisuke continued. "The tricks you did were so AWESOME!!! I never thought you could do that with my brother's car!!!"
"You could do it with any car with some variations if you controlled the car well." She answered. She was holding hands with Ryousuke.
"What did you do?" Ryousuke asked. He had never seen his brother so excited after loosing a race.
"Oh... just some drifts, right Keipi?"
"Yep, Ran-chan! You are amazing. The tires were not worn out by your driving too!!!" Keisuke exclaimed.
"Of course, she wouldn't if she drove at less then 120 all the time, but she couldn't win with that speed. No matter what she did." Kyouichi said.
Ran looked confused. "I am sure it was a lot faster then that. One thing for sure was when I tried the FC was around 150 mp. So it has to be at least 200 mp for the 3/4 down and 1/4 up when we stopped to have a conversation. Second half around 170 mp."
Everyone's eyes bugged out. She drove that fast and the tires were not destroyed.
"What? I don't have that much money to spend on tires so I drive in sort that they don't worn out so fast." She explained.
"You won because you were more experienced with the FC. Use another car and I'll race you." Kenta said. He challenged her because he wanted to prove to everyone that she wasn't such a good driver. He couldn't believe that she was the undefeated Tsuki.
"Oh, one thing I have to tell you. She is younger then me by a year, but she did start driving at the age of 13. Right, Ran-chan? *She shook her head a bit nervously and Takumi was snickering. She mouthed to him 12. They both snickered at his face.* Sorry since she was 12 years old. I really want to have a talk with Bunta for letting someone as young as that drive and do deliveries." Keisuke's eyebrows were twitching just like the rest of racers.
"I asked him to teach me and I begged until he would let me." She corrected. She giggled a bit. "It was... QUITE fun doing drifts!!!"
"At what age? With the WATER cup? And without?" Asked a suspicious Iketani.
She only giggled nervously. Since she wasn't going to answer, Takumi explained for her. "The first time she went to do the delivery. We were with her. She drifted at it at around 90 mph. And the water didn't overflow, it rotated just like I explained before. Bunta was quite shocked. The water was half full. So the next day, we put it at 3/4 full. She did it even faster on the uphill and... downhill. It was unbelievable!!! She didn't even looked afraid of doing it so fast even for the first time... downhill. You all know how scary the downhill corners could be."
"You kidding??? 12 YEARS OLD??? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!" Kenta ranted.
The rest were shocked to the core. They couldn't believe it, but if Takumi said it was true then it was. Takumi was not someone who lied about such stuff.
"Rain battle?" Keisuke asked after calming down.
"No, normal." He answered when he calmed down a bit, which was not a lot.
Everyone gasped. He must be really angry to want a normal race. No one knew why he was so angry. They all had guesses, but they weren't sure.
"You have a Silvia, um... Ike-chan, can I use your car?" Ran asked.
Iketani blushed from the nickname, but soon it was gone. He remembered who it was along with the rest except Kenta. "Tomboy Ran!"
"Hey!" Ran protested while playfully glaring at them.
In the commotion, they didn't hear a car coming up. They all turned to see... Sayuki and Mako coming out of their car. It was nearly 8.
When they saw Ran, they exclaimed. "You're back, Ran-chan!"
"Now, I suppose you all remembered who she is? *Everyone except Kenta nodded.* Her name is Ran Tsuki, cousin to Takumi. That she is the racer Tsuki from the Grand Prix and Nascar. *Everyone except Kenta nodded.* It's true, Kenta. No one could drive like her. She drives with kamikaze techniques unseen before. It is a wonder that she wasn't killed. *She laughed nervously. Everyone except Kenta nodded while glaring at her for doing such things.* Cool! Ran, Kenta, get ready to race." Ryousuke said.
Like for the FC, she looked at the engine before seating in the car. Takeshi did the counting again after both cars were lined up. Kenta was first followed closely by Ran. He had improved a lot, but he couldn't shake Ran off. She was soon bored so she decided to finish it quickly. She over took Kenta so fast that Kenta couldn't believe his eyes. He was 1/7 of the race when Ran came back from the finishing line. There were two others cars chasing her. He saw a white limited GT-R34 and a red Lan Evo VI. Those two were very fast. He quickly did a u-turn to go back to the top. It was very obvious that he lost. When he finally arrived to the top, Ran was talking animatedly with 2 guys a bit older then Ryousuke. They were around 27. Ryousuke looked very jealous about the way they act with each other. They were hugging and kissing Ran. Together, the trio looked a lot like a couple.
"Let's stop this, guys." Ran stopped their conversation when Ryousuke looked ready to beat the crap out of her friends.
"Why? Oh... Boyfriend jealous? I wonder what he'll do when he know that you live with us." He snickered. Everyone gasped at the information. He was quite handsome. Dark jet-black hair with long bangs loose in the front. He had cerulean blue yes. He was tall, lean, and muscular. He had black khaki and a blue-sky dress shirt unbuttoned. It showed his muscular stomach.
"KAIJU!!!" She yelled in embarrassment.
"Stop making fun of her. Even though... it's quite fun to tease her." The other man said. He also had long bangs loose in the front, but it was blond silverish hair. He was as tall as the other man. He too was quite handsome. He was also lean and muscular. He wore baggy pants and a t-shirt that were black. They were worth drooling over.
"HEY!" Ran protested while they laughed a throaty laugh. "Guys! This is Kirua Himura. *She pointed to the dark-haired man.* And this is Ryu Sagara." She introduced the rest while naming them and pointing to that person.
"Nice to you meet you all!" The duo chorused.
"Nice to meet you too." They answered shakily. They didn't know how to react to these newcomers. Their cars were powerful and they were very skilled drivers to boot.
"Man, your car has a new motor sound. What did you do? It sure was faster." Ran asked Kirua.
"I'll show you." He then dragged her to see his engine.
Her mouth dropped at what she saw and nearly fainted. "I can't believe you. How did you get that part?" Asked a wide-eye Ran.
He whispered to her while placing his hands around her waist and mad her lean onto his shoulders. He had closed the bonnet before moving his hands. Ryousuke growled when she did because she was too shaken in laughter for her legs to support herself. Ryu got a very good guess because he was behaving like Ran. He went to whisper something to Kirua who had to lean onto the car because his knees were buckling from the message and because Ryu was leaning onto him to talk to Ran. Kirua unable to take that much weight collapsed onto the bonnet. Doing so, the trio ended in a heap on the floor since Ran slide and while trying to straighten herself she latched onto Kirua who dragged Ryu. Somehow Ran managed to stay on top while the others were next to each other. To add to the shock of the viewers, they were laughing so hard that tears were rolling on their cheeks.
"I better get off you guys or your butt and back would hurt more then now." Ran tried to stand up, but couldn't because Ryu wrapped an arm around her waist. "Why can't I?" She raised an eyebrow. Ryu whispered something while smirking. "WHAT?!?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!?!" She struggled for a while and almost managed if Kirua didn't stop her. "YOU WANT TO DO IT??? HERE?!?!" He smirked evilly and started his assault of holding her down with Ryu's help. They had a sweaty struggle, but Ran finally managed to get away. She scolded them. "Couldn't you guys WAIT until we go back to WHERE WE LIVE?!?"
That drew shocked gasps from everyone. They at first thought that the newcomers were joking, but if Ran said it then it must be true.
They gave her a sheepish look. Ryu said. "Well, we WEREN'T sure if you would come home tonight..."
Kirua finished his sentence. "Because of them and we wanted some PRIVACY."
"How did you know where to find me?" Asked a perplex Ran.
"I called Bunta and he told us." Kirua explained.
"Now, I understand why he let us use the car so easily. Because he can grill me after." Ran mused. She signed as she imagined how it would go.
"You want us to come too?" Ryu asked.
Ran and Kirua looked at Ryu as if he has grown another head. They yelled. "You want him to KILL you???"
"He is still mad about that? I didn't do that on purpose!!!" He protested while blushing very red. "That was YEARS ago! And I paid for the car reparation and tuning!"
"If you want to risk your life, you could, but don't blame me if you get hurt or killed since I warned you beforehand." Ran pointed out.
"Finally, I can phone you or go to your house!" Ryu explained.
Kirua and Ran only laughed at his relieved expression.
"What did he do to make my dad so mad?" Takumi asked.
"He nearly killed me on the road and wrecked the 86 VERY badly." Ran explained. Astonished gasps were heard and glares were formed. "It wasn't his fault. There was an oil puddle that made the tires very slippery. I managed to stop a bit further so that I don't run off to the valley. He stopped too, but his speed was too fast so he couldn't stop in time so we crashed."
Ryu nodded in agreement while shifting uneasily from the glares he received.
"GUYS!!! STOP GLARING AT HIM!!! It WASN'T his fault!!!" Ran yelled angrily.
"Sorry." They all mumbled.
"Thanks. Ran, you are a honey!" Ryu then kissed her on the cheeks.
She blushed and Ryousuke growled.
"Something wrong, Ryoupon?" She cocked her head to one side then the other.
"Nothing." The answer came out all choked. He was trying not to cry in front of everyone.
Everyone stared at Ryousuke. They had never seen him so emotional before. She sighed and dragged Ryousuke to a corner. What they said, no one knew.
"Ryoupon, don't cry." Ran said. She hugged him to comfort him. "Why are you so sad?"
"Ran, are you going out with Ryu or Kirua?" He said while sniffling.
She fell anime style. She hit the ground with her fists while laughing. "Going out with them?!? Hahaha!!!"
"You are not? Why were you guys acting like that then?" Ryousuke asked. He looked her in the eyes. There was still a bit of water in it, but not as much as before.
"They are kinda my big brothers while I was away. They are also my driving partners and competitors. Kirua and Ryu are a couple just like you and me. You did wait for me, right?" She asked. When she got no answer, her eyes started to fill up. She turned around and was about to run to Ryu when Ryousuke spun her around and whipped her tears away while repeating sorry. Ran tried harder to break free, but Ryousuke had already wrapped his arms around and won't let go.
"I did wait for you." Ryousuke said.
This statement drew a gasp from Ran. Since he wasn't one to let go such an opportunity, he kissed her deeply. They finally broke off just to hug each other hard.
"I missed you, Ryoupon." "I missed you, Ranko." They said at the same time. They walked back to the group hand-in-hand.
"Finally, they patched things up." Ryu commented. They blushed. He then turned his attention to Sayuki while Kirua was slightly behind him. He was holding hands with his lover. "Your name is Sayuki, right?"
"Yes." She blushed because of such a handsome man was paying attention to her. She had been staring at him ever since he came out of his car. Someone looked ready to kill Ryu for stealing the attention of the one he loved.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Are you telling me you are interested in me?" He continued to question her. She nodded and Kirua growled only enough for Ryu to hear. Ryu squeezed Kirua hand behind his back to reassure him of his love for him. Kirua relaxed. "I'm very flattered of your attention, but I'm sorry. I am not interested in you. I already have someone I love very dearly. I'm sorry."
"You mean Ran? She already has a boyfriend!" She protested.
"I do love Ran, but as a sister. The one I love is Kirua." Ryu exclaimed.
Gasps of astonishment were heard, but everyone accepted it quickly.
"So you guys accept male/male love?" Shingo eagerly asked everyone.
Everyone nodded. They were curious as to why he ask that question. Ran smiled a cat-grin and winked at Shingo who blushed.
"I'm going out with... Takeshi." Shingo declared.
He and Takeshi blushed at the statement. They then moved closer to each other. They all accepted it. They should have guessed that something wasn't normal in their quarrels.
"Kyouichi, what about you and... Wataru? Hey, where is he?" Ran asked.
That drew gasps from everyone. They all looked at Kyouichi in shock.
"Who me?" Wataru said as soon as he came out of the car with his sister, Kasumi. "Ran-chan, you are back! Good to see you!"
She nodded. She looked pointedly at Kyouichi. He really looked nervous and was spluttering.
Wataru walked toward his lover and decided to help him out. "Yes, Kyouichi and I are going out." He very boldly declared. He even wrapped his arm around his lover's shoulder.
Ran decided to continue to tease another couple. "Takumi, what about your relationship with..."
Takumi's face burned. He looked at Keisuke who nodded his consent while blushing. "I... am... euh... goingoutwithKeisuke."
"He's going out with Keisuke." Ran repeated for Takumi for all the blank stares he was getting. They all heard a thump like sound, but brush it aside because Takeshi looked sheepish. He fell on his bum. Everyone laughed because everyone except Kenta knew that he used to have a crush on Keisuke, but later realized, he just wanted to be his friend. "Who is next? Um... Iketani, your turn." He shook his head. "Do it NOW!"
He gulped in nervousness and walked toward Mako. "Would you go out with me?"
"Of course, I will! I have waited this moment for SO long." Mako exclaimed then kissed a very red Iketani.
Ran looked around and stopped at Seiji. She grinned at him. He blushed since he knew it was his time to tell everyone his secret.
"Seiji is GOING out with SOMEONE?!? Do we know her???" They all yelled.
"Oh, yes. You know that person. His lover is coming up." Ran declared.
Kai's car was coming out. Seiji's blush turned redder.
"He is WITH KAI?!?" They yelled.
"Huh-huh." She said.
"Hey guys! What happened to MY Seiji? He is so red and sputtering!!!" Kai exclaimed. Everyone's, except Ran's, dropped from such a declaration. He looked around for the culprit and he knew it was Ran. "You are back! COOL!!!"
"I am going out with Kai." Seiji declared.
Kai gasped at that, but nodded while blushing. He guessed that everyone should have known after his slip earlier.
"Um... who is next?" Ran mused.
"There are more couples that we don't know?!?" They yelled. Their eyes were bugged out.
"Oh yes, there are. Don't you agree Itsuki???" She snickered.
Itsuki unable to talk walked over to Kenji and kissed him making them blush.
"Fumihiro... Don't worry... I didn't forget you. GO FOR IT!!!" Ran cheered.
Fumihiro walked toward Sayuki and declared his love for her and she accepted to his surprise. She explained that she had tried to forget him by trying to go out with someone else, but she would always compare them to him. After a while of thinking, she realized that she really loved him.
"The rest of the couples, you know about them." Ran declared. She still has a question mark on her face. "Takumi, where is Natsuki? I thought she was in love with you?"
"Euh... I did go out with her before, but I realized that I didn't love her the way she wished me too. I told her that, but she wouldn't accept it. So, I had to think of something to get her off my back. Since you weren't here anymore, I turned to Ryousuke who gave me the idea of me going out with Keisuke if he accepted, which he did. I guess Ryousuke knew about our hidden love for each other. *Ran snickered and Ryousuke blushed.* Correction. Ran knew and told Ryousuke before she left about it. I'm glad she did. If I didn't pretend to go out with Keisuke, we wouldn't have realized our love for each other. After only two weeks, we did it for real. Well... the rest of the euh... um... stuffs. *He was REALLY red by now. Keisuke was in no better shape. He coughed to regain composure, but the blush was still there. Everyone snickered and pointed to their neck for the hint that they knew from the faint marks on their neck. No matter what they did, they saw it except two idiots. Their blush grew redder and the snickering grew louder. Takumi continued to explain.* Even though, everyone thought we were a couple, she didn't. I tried EVERYTHING to make her understand that I DON'T love her as a girlfriend, but as a friend. She wouldn't accept it so I started ignoring her when she was trying to be seductive. I started avoiding her too. I STILL am. Ran, I beg you. What can I do to make her stop following me around like a lovesick puppy? The one I LOVE is Keisuke. Point final. I would not love someone else. That is for sure." Takumi said.
Keisuke wrapped his arms around his lover to calm him down. Takumi hugged him back to get some comfort. After a while, he was back to normal. He smiled at Keisuke and kissed his nose for the help. Keisuke blushed.
"Let me think about it. She REALLY is obsessed with you, Takumi." She sighed.
"How did you know about all this couples?" Wataru asked. He succeeded in changing the conversation because Takumi looked like he was having a nervous breakdown. He didn't blame him. Natsuki was EXTREMELY obsessed with Takumi.
"It was written on your faces and actions before I left and now." She explained with a snicker.
"That obvious?" Keisuke asked.
"No, but an experienced driver can see those things. Being able to guess what the opponent is going to do is important in a race." Ran explained.
They all agreed. She started to snicker about the couples' faces.
"Ran, stop snickering!" Kai yelled.
"Why? You can cuddle each other if you want. I don't think there will be someone to object anyway. You guys look SO cute when you blush. So EDIBLE to eat on the spot." Her grin was very large. That comment only made them blush harder and her grin to grow larger.
"You mean... you don't want to eat me?" Ryousuke said while sniffling.
"Oh... jealous? I'll eat your WHOLE body tonight if you are good." Ran declared with a wicked grin that made Ryousuke blush a dark red. The others smirked. "Isn't he CUTE?"
They all snickered. Ryousuke tickled him as revenge. She had to lean onto Ryousuke. No matter what she said, he wouldn't stop so she spun around and kissed him while playing with his hair. She moved into his embrace as he stopped tickling her. She smiled while kissing him. She gave everyone a victory sign that made them laugh. Finally, they stopped kissing because of lack of air.
"Man, I lost again." Ryousuke ranted. The rest only smirked.
"You don't like me kissing you?" Asked a teary-eyed Ran.
He hugged her harder. "Naw. You hold my heart in your hands just like yours in mine. I love you, Ranko."
"I love you too." Ran replied.
"I guess tonight she won't be at home!" Kirua said with a gleam of lust in his eyes. Ryu nodded.
"Don't make a mess!!!" Ran scolded them.
Now every couple was huddling against each other and doing some discreet petting. Or not SO discreet from Shingo and Takeshi. They all talked for a while.
Ran sensed something was wrong. They were missing a voice. "Where did Kenta go? His car is still there, but where IS he?"
Everyone blushed. They had forgotten about Kenta in their remembrance moment.
"He fainted." Kai said. He pointed to an unconscious looking Kenta near the cars.
"I wonder why." Keisuke asked.
Everyone even the newcomers knew the reason.
Takumi whacked his lover's head. "From shock that I am going out with you!"
"He doesn't like gay people?" Asked a clueless Keisuke.
That answer cost everyone's sweat drop to double its size.
He got whacked again. Takumi yelled. "No. He WANTED to GO OUT with YOU!!! GOT IT MR. OBLIVIOUS?!?"
"Since when did he have the hots for me?"
Everyone fell anime style. They were laughing like crazy people. Tears were rolling down on their faces. Keisuke glared at them. Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard a moan coming from Kenta. They were going to help him up when they heard him said things he shouldn't have.
"Is this a nightmare? How could Keisuke didn't realize I loved him EVER SINCE he took me under his wings." Kenta mumbled. Keisuke's mouth hanged open. He couldn't believe he had loved him for so long. For almost 3 years and he didn't realized it. He silently asked everyone if that was true. They all nodded. He was going to apologize to Kenta, but changed his idea when Kenta continued to talk. "What does Takumi HAVE that I DON'T??? I wish I could run him over so Keisuke would fall in love with me." Everyone looked angry for that. You cannot force someone to love you even though his love one was dead. "I can't believe that Ran Tsuki is the undefeated racer Tsuki!!! It's impossible. I wonder why Ryousuke and the rest are so attached to her?!? It's not as if Ryousuke and Ran are a couple with the newcomers so close to her. VERY close friends?!? Bullshit!!! I say more they are going out with Ran than with each other. She is nothing but a conniving slut-"
BAM!!! Everyone punched Kenta where they can since they were so numerous.
"OOOOOUUUUUCCCCCHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The yell could be heard all over Gunma.
Suddenly it stopped since Shingo duck-taped his mouth. His yell was too loud to their taste and comfort. Everyone praised Shingo till he was as red as a ripe tomato for the fast reflex of preventing them to be deaf.
After that incident, he never spoke badly about anyone in front of anyone of them. The whole gang would meet every weekend to race, talk, or go to eat. They would also in smaller groups or whole group, which was more often, go to have fun. Now everyone has a cell phone and they all have everyone's cell phone and house phone number for easier reach except Kenta. He still only got the ones he used to have.
As for Natsuki, she NEVER admitted that Takumi was going out with Keisuke so everyone had Takumi and Keisuke french kiss in front of her. She and Kenta fainted right away. After that and other episodes unplanned, these two never doubt the love between Keisuke and Takumi.
THE END
