Disclaimer - I do not Initial D; only the plot and any OCs.
{Warning, due to inconsistent temporal settings, some changes had to be made in regards to the time events happen in the original source material.}
Prologue
Saturday, 20th of July 2013
It was a typical Summer evening in Japan.
The high temperatures contrasted with the misleading lack of light, creating a peculiar setting.
It is because of the almost-unbearable temperatures why one might be forgiven for believing that participating in any sport that requires any semblance of endurance, in that heat, can be considered a rather asinine decision.
Yet, despite this setback, on a road cutting through a dark, unwelcoming forest whose canopies loomed over the edges of the tarmac, two extensively modified cars moving in a single file line, with a Honda S2000 at the front, and a Toyota Corolla at the rear, lined up behind the starter for the umpteenth time, with both drivers savouring the short break they had before the inevitable countdown began.
The physical and mental toll on both drivers from brazenly scampering across a narrow and unlit mountain pass incessantly had already begun to show.
Takumi's focus and concentration were beginning to waver, and his vision had begun to blur momentarily at random points during the downhill runs, which was disconcerting, to say the least. Joshima was faring worse, though only marginally, despite the fact that his age exceeds that of Takumi's by a country mile, as he had a lot more experience with long endurance races. Their cars weren't faring much better.
The rear tyres on Takumi's Eight-Six were almost completely bald, making it more of a handful in the corners. In an attempt to preserve what little was left of the rear tyres, Takumi counter steered less, taking advantage of the grip left in the front tyres, and on one or two runs, tried to avoid drifting, and gripped instead, despite not having any previous experience with gripping. Additionally, the obsolescent suspension in the Eight-Six was beginning to give way under the constant strain. The rear tyres on Joshima's S2000, on the other hand, were faring much better, as he used a combination of both driving styles (gripping and drifting). However, the front tyres on the S2000 were in worse condition relative to that of the Eight-Six, as it was heavier.
Both drivers steeled themselves as the countdown began.
"3…2…1…GO!"
Both cars set off on the downhill run, with the two drivers carefully avoiding wheel spin to preserve their rear tyres.
At the bottom of the pass
Silence blanketed the dark surroundings, despite the massive crowd it contained.
It seemed that even outside observers could sense the increasing trepidation and tension between the two participating teams.
Ryosuke Takahashi noted the lack of communication between his team members from where he sat at the back of an empty Project D van. The usually bold and talkative Keisuke was unusually silent as he quietly observed the corner from which the AE86 and the AP1 would later emerge, and so was Kenta, his "Apprentice", as he jokingly called him a few days prior. The same could be said about the other members; the team spokesperson and the two mechanics.
Since the beginning of the ongoing downhill run, Ryosuke felt jittery; his senses and instincts were screaming, telling him the conclusion of the race was near, and judging by the thick silence that rested between the other Project D members, the others believed this as well.
As Ryosuke eyed the stretch of road behind the finish line, his ears picked up the distinct thrum of an engine.
At first, it started off as a whisper, a sound that few would be able to hear, and he thought it was the two racers approaching, but quickly dismissed that theory, as 1. The most recent downhill run just began, and 2. As the car neared, the soft thrum became the roar of a four-cylinder boxer engine, an engine that both the AP1 and AE86 weren't fitted with.
A large portion of the crowd and the entirety of both teams snapped their heads towards the approaching noise, heralding the arrival of the unknown car. As it approached the crowd of spectators, its features became clearer and clearer. It was fitted with an easily recognizable combination of blue body paint and golden alloy rims and was towing what appeared to be a single car trailer.
As soon as the Impreza entered the vicinity of the two run-off areas at the two sides of the road where the crowd and both teams were lounging, it suddenly braked and slowed down at an incredible rate, before the rear wheels locked up, and swung around in a 180-degree turn, with assistance from the handbrake.
The Impreza swung around and stopped right in front of the finishing line, parallel to the painted lines on the road. The trailer it was towing began to slide around as well and stopped perfectly in-line with the Impreza. A feat that many would dismiss as pure luck.
However, for a brief moment, Ryosuke caught a glimpse of the aura surrounding the mysterious Impreza. A devilish, seemingly ubiquitous blood-red aura surrounded the Impreza.
Auras are emitted by everyone. It changes slightly every time one does a different activity, and the changes tend to be the number of "holes" or "dark patches" present in the aura of a person, which represents how many weaknesses one has in an activity, the size of the aforementioned "dark patches", which indicates how large (or exploitable) these weaknesses are, how widespread the aura is, which displays how much confidence one has in an activity, and the density of the aura, which shows how much skill and experience one has in a particular activity. Occasionally, the colour of the aura of a person may change, which displays what approach one takes in an activity, whether it be aggressive, cautious, cerebral, or any other approach one might possibly have.
There was not a single hole or irregularity present in the Impreza's dense, impenetrable aura.