Quick comment about the year: Ryosuke's FC is from 1990, Keisuke's FD is from 1993. Ryosuke was 23 in the first episode of Initial D (which was supposed to be 1996/1997) and he is 24 during Project D, so based on that, I decided to set the starting year of the story in 1992 to average things out a bit. That said and since not even Shigeno-sensei bothers to keep a coherent year in the canon (throwing cars into the mix that aren't supposed to be available like Ikeda's Z33) I think I'm just going to come up with an alternative time line while doing my best to remain as faithful to the canon's as humanly possible. I need to take this literary license or this story of mine will never work so please try to be understanding. ^_^
As always, thanks for reading and for your encouraging words, they really help!
Planetarium
Chapter One
The Takahashi's family dinner at Chez Pierre was, to say the least, an awkward affair and Ryosuke had to appeal to his best diplomatic skills in order to keep his father's attention focused on him, rather than on Keisuke. It didn't help that the youngest member of the family had refused to wear the suit the housemaid had prepared for him and, instead, he was wearing a pair of beige combat trousers and a black t-shirt from some British rock band from the seventies.
'Father,' Ryosuke started, 'I'd like to consult something with you,' the doctor simply nodded and that prompted him to continue, 'now that I've graduated from high school and that I've secured my acceptance into the medical school you recommended, I think it's the right time for me to apply for my driving license.'
'What a happy coincidence,' his mother said making Ryosuke feel puzzled, she then glanced at her husband and asked him, 'dear, can I tell him?'
'Go ahead,' Doctor Takahashi replied.
'As your graduation present,' Kinue explained, 'your father and I were thinking of buying you a car.'
'Are you serious?' Keisuke asked her.
'Of course,' she replied offering him a smile, 'your older brother has graduated with honours.'
'It'll be a miracle if you manage to graduate at all,' Sousuke added glaring at his youngest son.
'Keisuke,' Ryosuke said, 'do you still have the address of the school where you got your motorcycle license?'
'Yeah,' the boy replied obviously ignoring his father, 'I think I have it somewhere in my room.'
'I remember you saying that it was a very good driving school,' Ryosuke asked him.
'They were pretty cool,' Keisuke replied.
'I'm glad to hear that,' Ryosuke said then, he asked his father, 'did you have any particular make in mind?'
'To be honest,' the doctor replied, 'we didn't really know if there was a model you would prefer so…'
'There is,' Ryosuke interrupted him as gently as he could, 'I've only seen it recently but I'm quite taken by it.'
'Is that so?' Kinue asked him.
'Yes, Mother,' Ryosuke replied, 'it's called RX-7 Savanna and it's made by Mazda.'
'Isn't that an old car?' Keisuke asked him.
'Not really,' Ryosuke replied, feeling grateful that Takayuki had briefed him on the subject, 'the FC3S is still in production and the specific series I'm after came out less than two years ago. I've been told that it was released in limited numbers so finding a brand new unit might prove a little bit difficult.'
'Have you tried?' his father challenged him.
'Not yet,' Ryosuke replied, 'I thought of applying for the license and then I needed to ask for your approval.'
'You have it,' Sousuke replied.
'Thank you, Father,' Ryosuke said, 'in that case: I shall start my search first thing tomorrow morning.'
'Inform me as soon as you find it,' Doctor Takahashi ordered him.
'Of course, Father,' Ryosuke replied.
Two very long hours later, their father drove them back home in the Mercedes and, as soon as the car was inside the garage, Ryosuke saw his parents entering the house while Keisuke went to retrieve his helmet from the top of his motorbike, a black and red Honda CBR 400. Ryosuke stopped him before he could put it on.
'Wait,' he said.
'What?' Keisuke asked.
'Where are you going?' Ryosuke asked him.
'Out,' Keisuke replied.
'Keisuke…'
'Aniki,' the boy said, 'I've been playing happy family for the past three hours. I think I deserve a break now.'
'I need to talk to you,' Ryosuke insisted.
Keisuke stared at him for a couple of moments before he let out a sigh full of resignation. He then placed the helmet back onto the CBR's seat and crossed his arms on top of his chest while he waited for his older brother to start speaking.
'Okay,' Ryosuke said, 'I know school can be a bit boring…'
'A bit?' Keisuke asked him sounding very sarcastic.
'Alright,' Ryosuke accepted, 'it's boring most of the time.'
'Yeah,' Keisuke said.
'Nevertheless,' Ryosuke continued, 'if you want Father to get off your case, you need to be a lot smarter.'
'I'm doomed then, aren't I?' Keisuke asked with an ironic smirk.
'No, you're not,' Ryosuke replied seriously, 'what you need to do is to make sure your behaviour at school is impeccable, keep your marks up and this way no one will have anything to reproach you. Also, you need to stop drinking alcohol.'
'Why?' Keisuke asked.
'Because you're underage,' Ryosuke replied pointing out the obvious, 'if the police caught you…'
'They won't,' Keisuke interrupted him.
'You can't know that,' Ryosuke countered.
'We do,' Keisuke said, 'we're not so stupid to start drinking in public. We usually do it in our secret base.'
'Secret base?' Ryosuke asked trying not to sound amused.
'Yeah,' Keisuke replied, 'where our group gathers to, well, have fun, mostly.'
Ryosuke shook his head and not wanting to know more than that, he said:
'Alright, just promise me that you'll be careful.'
'I'll do my best,' Keisuke said being purposely vague.
'I'm serious,' Ryosuke insisted.
'I know,' Keisuke replied, 'and that's your problem: you're always too serious.'
'Someone has to be,' Ryosuke countered, 'Keisuke, I'm very worried about you, promise me that you'll take care of yourself and that you'll behave at school. Now that I won't be there with you, it's going to be difficult to…'
'I get it,' Keisuke said narrowing his eyes, 'can I go now?'
'Not until you promise me you'll be careful,' Ryosuke replied.
'Alright,' Keisuke said, 'I promise. Happy?'
'Not quite,' Ryosuke replied honestly, 'but it'll have to do.'
'Great,' Keisuke said with fake enthusiasm while he grabbed helmet again.
He pushed his head inside of it and, not bothering with fastening it properly, he climbed onto his motorbike and turned its engine on. A moment later, Ryosuke watched the back of the CBR 400 disappearing in the distance.
A week after their family dinner, Ryosuke waited for Takayuki at the eastern exit of the Takasaki station while he finished reading the national traffic regulations handbook the driving school had given him when he'd enrolled four days before.
'Hey,' his friend said, 'sorry I'm late: I've been up to my ears sorting out official paperwork.'
'Everything's ready now, isn't it?' Ryosuke asked him.
'Yes,' Takayuki replied sounding relieved, 'all I have left now is packing my suitcase and I'm done.'
Ryosuke didn't say anything to that, instead, he closed the handbook and got up from the bench.
'How is it going?' Takayuki asked looking at it, 'I take you don't need any help preparing for the written test.'
'Help?' Ryosuke asked sarcastically, 'if I had known it was going to be so easy, I would have skipped the intensive course.'
'I told you that you could do the whole thing without attending a driving school,' Takayuki said.
'I know you did,' Ryosuke replied, 'but I still need the school's training car to get some practice.'
'I don't get it,' Takayuki said, 'you guys have what, three or four cars?'
'Just two,' Ryosuke corrected, 'but one is a Bentley limousine and the other one is a Mercedes automatic.'
'Ah, I see,' Takayuki said, 'not exactly what you need if you're applying for a manual transmission license.'
'Definitely not,' Ryosuke confirmed, 'now, let's go or we'll be late for the appointment with the dealership.'
'I still can't believe you found one,' Takayuki said while they started walking.
'It wasn't easy,' Ryosuke admitted.
'I bet it wasn't,' Takayuki said, 'they only made six hundred of them. It's a miracle that you managed to find an unsold unit and that they were prepared to ship it all the way down from Akita to our local dealership here in Takasaki.'
'Money is usually a good persuasive factor,' Ryosuke told him with a smirk.
'It sure is,' Takayuki said, 'I still can't believe you actually bought it without even taking a look at it.'
'I don't need to,' Ryosuke replied, 'I know it's the car I want and that's more than enough for me.'
'As long as you're happy,' Takayuki said.
'I am,' Ryosuke assured him.
Fifteen minutes later, the two friends made it to the Mazda dealership located in Takasaki's city center. The shop had a few models on display but Ryosuke didn't look at any of them, his attention was focused solely on the Crystal White RX-7 FC3S he could see at the back of the showroom and he only stopped staring at it when an employee came to greet them.
'Good morning,' the man said, 'how may I help you?'
'My name is Takahashi Ryosuke,' he replied.
'Ah,' the employee gasped his smile widening, 'of course, you're the son of Doctor Takahashi, aren't you?'
'That's correct,' Ryosuke confirmed then, indicating the white FC, he asked, 'I take that's the one I ordered?'
'Yes, it is,' he replied with a nod, 'if you and your friend can please follow me,' they did and soon Ryosuke found himself seating behind the car's steering wheel while he and Takayuki listened to the salesman's rant about the long list of extras which had been added to this limited edition, '…it's got upgraded suspensions, upgraded ECU, fifteen-inch BBS aluminium alloy wheels, lightened weight and…'
'May I see the manual?' Ryosuke asked the man who looked startled for a moment.
'Of course,' he replied before hurrying to his desk leaving the two teenagers alone with the car.
'The manual?' Takayuki whispered.
'Yes,' Ryosuke replied calmly, 'I'd rather read about the FC's specs myself, besides, I've already bought the car, it's not like the man has to sell it to me. Also, I fear that if we let him talk, we'll never get out of here.'
Takayuki just shook his head while he smiled at his friend.
Nearly an hour later and after they had screwed the number plates onto the brand new car and Ryosuke had signed everything he needed to sign, the salesman gave him two sets of keys, a pouch containing all the documents the car needed to be road legal, including the insurance they had previously contracted as well as a complimentary but well assorted toolbox offered by the dealership itself. The man then tried to give Ryosuke a dark grey sweatshirt bearing the Mazda logo but he politely refused it and, handing one of the keys to Takayuki, he said:
'Let's go.'
'Yes, sir,' his friend replied playfully. Ryosuke went to seat at the FC's passenger seat while Takayuki sat behind the steering wheel, before he inserted the key into the ignition, Takayuki spent a moment to touch the Infini badge on it, smiling as he did so, 'alright,' he said, 'let's do this.' Takayuki then turned the 13B engine on.
Hearing the rotary's powerful purr for the first time made Ryosuke feel an adrenaline rush that removed any of the doubts he'd had regarding the impulsiveness of this action. This car, he thought, had been made to belong to him, he was one hundred percent sure of it and for the first time in a long, long time, he felt truly happy about something.
While Takayuki drove the car outside the dealership and onto the road, Ryosuke started scanning the first pages of the user manual and by the time they reached the Takahashi residence, less than ten minutes later, he had almost finished reading the first chapter, which also served as an introduction of the beautiful machine he now owned.
'Park it in there,' Ryosuke instructed pointing at the open garage where one could see the dark Bentley limousine.
'Sure,' his friend replied. He complied and as soon as he stopped the engine, he said, 'mate, this is a fantastic car.'
Ryosuke just nodded while he climbed out of the FC3S. He then walked around it while he started checking the details to see if they matched the description on the manual, he then popped the bonnet open and there, he saw, among other components, the 13B rotary engine. Written in red on top of it, he read the words "Rotary Turbo with Intercooler" and, through the grid which covered the engine, he saw the mass of metallic tubes, hoses, cogs and other mechanisms which composed the turbo charged Mazda's Wankel rotary engine.
'Hey,' Takayuki said, interrupting his exploration, 'is that rascal of your brother home?'
'I doubt it,' Ryosuke replied while he lowered the bonnet's cover, pinning it back in its place, 'why?'
'No reason,' Takayuki said, 'I guess I just wanted to say goodbye to him before I leave.'
'I see,' Ryosuke replied, 'well, I'll tell him whenever I see him, which it might not be anytime soon.'
'What do you mean?' Takayuki said frowning seeing the worried look on his friend's face.
'I haven't seen Keisuke in nearly three days,' Ryosuke explained, 'in fact, I think I've seen him for about five or ten minutes ever since the school holidays started. He hasn't had a single meal in the house since then, it makes me wonder where and what he eats.'
'Hey,' Takayuki said, 'that's to be expected, right? I mean, the kid is enjoying his holidays too, isn't he?'
'Yes but…'
'Ryosuke,' he interrupted him, 'your brother is a good kid and he's just doing what normal kids do.'
'I didn't just disappear for days when I was his age,' Ryosuke pointed out.
'Yeah,' Takayuki agreed, 'but again, you've never been a normal teenager, have you?'
'What's that supposed to mean?' Ryosuke asked glaring at him.
'It means,' an unfazed Takayuki replied, 'that Keisuke is having fun, I know it's a mysterious concept for you but try to understand. Seriously though, I don't think you need to smother him so much: your brother can take care of himself.'
'I don't smother him,' Ryosuke protested.
'Yes you do,' Takayuki countered, 'now, let's quit talking, what do you say if you take this up Mt Akagi?'
'I can't drive it yet,' Ryosuke said, 'I don't have the license, do I?'
'No, you don't,' Takayuki conceded, 'but you've got the temporary permit, don't you?'
'Yes,' Ryosuke replied, 'but I need someone with a full license that's been issued for at least three years.'
'So?' Takayuki asked.
'Your license is only a few months old,' Ryosuke replied.
'That's right,' Takayuki said, 'which is the reason why we're going to pick my sister up from her job.'
'What?'
'Come on,' the guy said, 'she said she'd be happy to sit with us in the car during her lunch break.'
'Takayuki…'
'Aren't you dying to drive it for a bit?'
'Yes, of course I am,' Ryosuke replied, 'but unlike you, I can easily wait until I'll be able to drive it by myself.'
'Ryosuke…'
'I'm taking the driving test in just a couple of weeks,' he explained, 'until then I'll just leave it here.'
'Are you saying you're not going to drive it at all?' Takayuki asked sounding slightly scandalised.
'That's exactly what I'm saying,' Ryosuke replied calmly, 'now, let's go inside and get some lunch, shall we?'
The two friends spent the rest of the day talking about the car and reminiscing the three years they had spent in high school and when it was time for Takayuki to go back home, Ryosuke felt an unexpected pang of melancholy when he realised that it was probably going to be the last time he'd see Takayuki before he would travel to Milan, Italy.
'I'll write,' the guy promised.
'Alright,' Ryosuke said.
'And listen,' Takayuki continued, 'when I come back, we could take that FC of yours and go on a road trip.'
'That sounds like a good idea,' Ryosuke said with a soft smile, 'you'll take care of yourself, won't you?'
'Of course,' Takayuki said, 'now I better go before you get all mushy-mushy with me.'
Ryosuke's sceptical half-glare was enough for Takayuki to burst out laughing.
'Take care of yourself you too,' he said once he calmed down a bit.
'I will,' Ryosuke promised, 'and thank you for driving the FC here.'
'It was a pleasure, trust me,' Takayuki said, 'you're going to have heaps of fun, once you start driving it.'
'I'm sure I will,' Ryosuke replied.
With that, the guy left the Takahashi residence leaving Ryosuke standing in front of the door by himself. He stayed there for a few moments then, giving himself a determined nod, he walked into the living room, picked up the FC's manual and the driving school's handbook from the table where he'd left them and, with both books in his hands he went up the stairs and into his room where he sat on his study chair and, discarding the handbook, he continued reading the manual, stopping to take notes of the things he wanted to research later at the town's public library.
Two weeks after collecting the new car and with his forty eight hours old driving license in his wallet, Ryosuke got onboard the FC to drive it to the campus of Gunma University's Medical School. During that fortnight, when he wasn't busy with the driving lessons, he had gathered every bit of information regarding every single component of the FC, from its rotary engine all the way to the braking pads, there was nothing in the car of which Ryosuke had not read about. Because of this and in spite of the fact that it was the very first time he was going to actually drive the car, he felt an out of the ordinary familiarity with the FC.
Cruising down the quiet street where his family had their home, Ryosuke enjoyed the characteristic sound coming from the 13B as it revved up and down while he changed gears. He liked the smoothness of the gearbox, the precision of the brakes but, above all, he loved the fact that now he had his own car, for the first time in his life, he felt truly and absolutely free.
'We're going to be a good team, aren't we?' he said tapping the shifter's knob with his fingers.
Letting out a soft chuckle, he realised that he was talking to a car but, somehow, he didn't find it weird at all. In fact, he was so focused on his first experience behind the FC's steering wheel that when he arrived at the campus twenty five minutes later, he had nearly forgotten the reason why he was driving there. Today was his first day at medical school and, if everything went according to plan, in less than four years from now he would start his residency at the Takahashi General Hospital.
Distracted as he was by this thought, he almost failed to notice a girl that had started crossing the road right in front of the FC and, thanks to Ryosuke's quick reflexes as well as the brand new braking pads, he managed to stop the car just before it hit her. Unfortunately, the girl was so frightened by the incident that she ended up falling onto the ground anyway making Ryosuke climb out of the car while he hoped she hadn't got hurt in any way.
'I'm sorry,' he said hurrying to her side, 'I'm very, very sorry, I…'
'It's okay,' the girl said offering what she probably thought was a reassuring smile, 'it's my fault: I wasn't looking.'
'Please,' Ryosuke said giving her his hand, 'let me help you.'
'Thank you,' the girl replied taking it and getting back up.
Ryosuke then collected the books she had dropped. Looking at the covers, he handed them to her and said:
'You're a medical student too, aren't you?'
'Yes,' the girl replied, 'I'm starting my second year today.'
'In that case,' Ryosuke said, 'you're my senpai. I'm first year student Takahashi Ryosuke.'
'It's nice to meet you,' she said and pointing at the FC, she added, 'shouldn't you move it out of the way?'
'Of course,' Ryosuke replied.
'Okay, have a nice day, Takahashi-kun,' the girl said bowing her head a bit then, she left without giving him the time to ask for her name. Ryosuke watched her walking away from him feeling slightly puzzled and, getting back into the FC, he inserted the first gear smiling as he realised the reason why he felt confused: for the first time in a very long time, he had spoken to a girl who obviously wasn't interested in getting in his pants. It was a rather refreshing experience.
Finding an empty parking space for his FC, Ryosuke started toying with the idea that, maybe, now he was at university, the girls there would all treat him like an equal and that he would not have to put up a cool front to keep them away from him like he'd done for the past three years and, perhaps, he would even find someone he could bring himself to like, maybe a girl like the nameless one he'd just met...this thought startled him so he decided to quickly push it at the back of his mind.
Grabbing his bag, Ryosuke stepped out of his car and, closing the door carefully, he started walking towards the Medical School building and then went to the information desk where he was given a welcome kit by one of the university's clerks. Within the kit, he found a very helpful map, a list with the names of the lecturers as well as the schedule for the first day, he checked his watch and saw that he had ten minutes to make it to the main hall where all the first years were supposed to gather. Looking at the map, he located the main hall and less than five minutes later he walked into a massive room that was already packed with people.
Finding the nearest empty chair, Ryosuke sat down enjoying the fact that no one seemed to pay any attention to him, in fact, his fellow students were all too busy talking to each other, reading stuff or keeping themselves otherwise occupied to even notice he was there, he decided that he liked that sort of anonymity and hoped it would last for a long time.
By the end of the morning, Ryosuke was a lot happier than he thought he'd be when, an age ago, he had agreed to follow his father's footsteps and become a doctor so that, one day, he would take over the family's hospital. He hoped that getting a degree in medicine would give him the sort of intellectual challenge he hadn't had in his high school years and, if the first day was anything to go by, he honestly believed he would make it to the start of his residency retaining a fair share of sanity.
Walking out of the lecture room, he checked his watch to see that it was still early enough to go back home for lunch. He knew that the university had a decent enough cafeteria but since he felt like getting back behind the FC's steering wheel, he discarded that idea and made his way back to the parking area. He had just inserted the key into the door's lock when he heard a man's voice saying:
'That's a beautiful machine.'
Ryosuke turned round slowly to see a guy taller than he was with an unruly mass of curls on his head. The man looked to be at least two or three years older than he was but, somehow, Ryosuke found his kind smile to be quite reassuring.
'Thank you,' he replied.
'Are you a first year?' the man asked him.
'Yes, I am,' Ryosuke replied.
'I've just started my last year here,' the man said, 'my name is Hojo Rin, what's yours?'
'Takahashi Ryosuke,' he replied, 'it's nice to meet you, Hojo-senpai.'
'Same here,' Rin said then, pointing at the car, he added, 'that's an FC3S, Infini III series, isn't it?'
'Yes, it is,' Ryosuke replied, 'do you like cars, Hojo-senpai?'
'A little bit,' the man said widening his smile, 'not as much as I like my girl.'
Ryosuke was about to ask what he meant by that when, coming down the car park's stairs, he saw the same girl he'd nearly run over first thing in the morning. He had just enough time to put on his mask of indifference when he saw Rin smiling at the approaching girl and, offering his hand to her, which she took, he looked at Ryosuke and said:
'Takahashi-kun, please meet Kaori, my fiancée.'
To be continued…
