A few opening words: And now the exciting conclusion, err… continuation of Behind the Wheel. When we last left off, our star Sakaki had defeated her opponent (i.e.: kicked his ass HARDCORE!!!), only to find he had a gun! Oh noes! What will happen next? Well, let's find out…

"Game over, Miss Sakaki."

Sakaki froze, but didn't show any fear. She stared Nico in the eyes, not willing to back down just because he had a gun.

"Looks like I win." A random guy in the crowd yelled out.

"You cheated! She beat you fair and square!" The rest of the crowd cheered their agreement.

"So? I'm the one with the gun, so I call the shots!" Nico looked around, then back at Sakaki.

"Well, time to say-" He was cut off but the sound of two guns being cocked. To his left and right, two members of the Bulls stepped out of the crowd, both with pistols aimed at his head. The one holding Ezaki up stepped forward. She assumed he was the team's leader.

"Time to say what?" He laughed. "Drop the gun."

Nico glanced nervously at the two men with the guns, and back at the Bulls' leader. He scowled and dropped the gun, proceeding to then turn and run into the crowd, shoving people out of the way. The two Bulls put their guns away, and after a nod from their leader, they walked off to their cars as the crowd dispersed and went back to whatever they were doing. The leader looked back at Sakaki.

"Well, I'd ask if you were alright, but I think the answer is kinda obvious. Name's Carlos." He stuck out his free hand, which Sakaki shook.

"You speak Japanese?"

"Yeah, I learned it when I found out about the tournaments the Yakuza runs. That was about 5 years ago. Some of my teammates can too, but not well. Come, join us for some drinks." He led Sakaki and Ezaki through the crowd to a pair of picnic tables where the four Lamborghinis were parked. Sakaki took a seat beside Ezaki. Carlos pulled a bag of ice out of the cooler and tossed it to Ezaki.

"Sakaki, you want a beer?"

"No alcohol, thanks."

"Oh right, you're still in high school. Sorry." He tossed her a can of juice, taking a beer for himself. He then took a seat, and a long drink from his can. Sakaki waited for him to finish before she spoke.

"So, you're from Italy?"

"Yeah. Long way huh?"

"Yes. How did you manage to get the cars here? Never mind that, how did you hear about the tournament in the first place?"

"I'm sure Reiko told you that, the Japanese street racing scene is one of the biggest in the world. It's hard not to hear about something big like this. As for how we got here, we went on a road trip, and took a ferry across the water."

"A road trip? That must've taken weeks!"

"Well, we managed to cut down the time in some of those Middle Eastern countries. They don't have the best law enforcement there, so we were able to speed through as fast as we wanted." He took another drink, finishing the can. "So Sakaki, I've heard a lot of stories about a tall quiet girl driving a black dragon S2000. Any of them relate to you?" Sakaki blushed.

"Probably. Reiko tells me I'm famous in the area, but I haven't heard any stories."

"Really? How about how you totaled Nico's car, then beat him up without throwing a punch? Or that massive police chase? Or even when you beat Reiko, who is one of this area's best racers, in the first race of your career?"

"Well…um…"

"Also, after seeing you nearly wreck your car in the video of your race with Nico, I've been wondering, who is your mechanic? He must be a miracle worker!" After hearing this, Ezaki spoke up in his name. Or at least he would have, if not for the ice pack covering his nose and mouth. What he had intended to say came out as an odd sounding mix of mumbles and gasping. Sakaki and Carlos stared at him for a few moments, but couldn't hold back their laughter for long. Ezaki slouched back into his seat, with an annoyed looked on his face. Having recovered from his laughing fit, Carlos spoke again.

"So Sakaki, will you be drivin' in the tournament?"

"Doubt it. It's for teams of four, right?"

"Yeah, though I'm surprised no one's picked you up for their team. You're quite the driver so I hear. Maybe you drive with me? I'll get you a nice Lamborghini, like mine!"

"No, I'm kind of on Reiko's team, though there is only three of us; me, Reiko, and Ezaki here."

"Ah, so she did take you on! Well, I hope you guys find a fourth member, I would enjoy racing you in the tournament."

"That would be interesting."

"Sorry for all the questions, it's just that I want to know what's the truth and what's not. How long have you been racing?"

"No more than a week. I've only been in two races, and a police chase."

"Reiko must see something in you then, she wouldn't take anyone on with so little experience, let alone give them one of her cars."

"How do you know Reiko anyway?"

"Last year in the tournament we were down a member for one of the races. Reiko stepped forward, she had no team back then. We won the race of course, thanks to her, and I tried to get her to join the team. She wouldn't though, and after our teammate returned, she was back to watching the races from the sidelines. But that wasn't the end of it. We ended up in the final four, one of which was the Vipers. They were out for blood, and sabotaged my team's cars before the race. She must've found out about it somehow, and if it wasn't for her I would've been killed with the rest of my team…"

"Your whole team was killed?"

"Well, only the three that came that year, we have a lot more members than that. But yeah, my whole team. After that, she hid me from them because, since I was a witness, the Vipers were looking for me. She kept me hidden until the Yakuza found out, and that was it for the Vipers in that tournament. Though, there was no solid proof against them, so they were only kicked out of the tournament."

"I…I don't know what to say…"

"Don't say anything. We've had enough time to grieve, and we're over it. I look forward to facing the Vipers in a fair race this time. Anyway, enough about that. So, whether or not you get into the tournament, we should set up a race sometime!" Before Sakaki could answer, a voice from behind her took her place.

"I'd like that."

"Ah! So you're back, Reiko!"

"Don't forget, Carlos, you still owe me."

"Yeah, I know. It's hard to pay a debt when you're only around for a few weeks a year."

"You'll find a way. I hope you've been treating my friends here alright…"

"I have, but there was one problem…" Carlos gestured to Ezaki, and Reiko noticed for the first time that he had an ice pack over his face.

"What the hell happened to you?" Ezaki removed the ice pack, revealing a slightly crooked nose, with dried blood on his upper lip. When he spoke, his voice was somewhat nasally.

"Ran into an old friend of Sakaki's. Nico. It was a cheap shot, a sucker punch. I coulda taken him…"

"Heh, sure you could've." She took a seat between Sakaki and Ezaki, and took a look at his nose. "Yeah, it's a little bent outta shape, but it's not serious. Hold still." She placed both thumbs on either side of his crooked nose, and with a sickening pop, shifted it back into place, causing Ezaki no small amount of pain. "There you go, good as new!" Ezaki mumbled something about needing a beer, and wandered over to the cooler to grab one, leaving Reiko with Sakaki and Carlos. The crowd had begun to thin out as some teams began to leave. Reiko eyed Sakaki suspiciously, yet in a playful way.

"So, who ended up having to deal with Nico, anyway? I suspect there was a fight involved?" Sakaki fidgeted, but Carlos saved her from having to answer.

"Sakaki kicked his ass! She pulled some awesome martial arts moves on him or something, and put him down without ever attacking! All she did was counter his attacks. It was over before it stated."

"Something tells me more happened…"

"Oh, right. Then he pulled a gun."

"He WHAT?"

"Relax, you know my boys never leave home unarmed right? Not after last year. We took care it. He buggered off without any more trouble."

"Well, that's good. Hey Sakaki! Looks like it's one ass-kicking apiece huh? Maybe we should look into a tiebreaker!" She laughed at her own joke. "Anyway, I was surprised not to see you up there Carlos, you don't normally send one of your teammates."

"Well, I was on my way up when I saw Nico punch Ezaki in the face. Right there I knew there was gonna be a fight, and I know Nico likes to fight dirty, so I figured I'd stick around unless he tried anything. Also, I wanted to see him get his ass whooped by a girl."

"Again, you mean. Anyhow, we'd better be going. Ezaki! You good to drive?"

"Yeah!"

"Good, meet us at the cars." Ezaki finished off his beer, and left for the cars. "Well, it was nice seeing you again Carlos! Take care, 'till we meet again!" She embraced him in a friendly hug. Sakaki simply stared blankly as Reiko led her across the nearly empty parking lot. Reiko caught her gaze.

"What? I can't show any sentiment? He's a good friend!"

"Oh it's not that, it's just… odd, seeing you do that…"

"Coming from someone who's known me for only a week?"

"Still…"

"Ahhh, leave me alone!" She gave Sakaki a playful shove, and they ran back to their cars. Ezaki had them already running. Reiko took the wheel of her Fairlady Z while Sakaki rode shotgun. Ezaki led them out of the lot, and his face quickly filled Reiko's LCD screen.

"So Reiko, when are you gonna tell us what went on in there?"

"Be patient, I'll tell you when we get back."

"Not even a hint?"

"It's big news."

Author's notes: Alright, I had to sit down and almost literally tie myself to my chair to finish this one. I couldn't for the love of GOD concentrate on it. Luckily though, in the weee hours of the morning, I was able to scrape together the rest of the chapter. I am somewhat pleased with the result, and can't wait to get back to writing the racing. But there can't always be action. Sakaki needs her rest.

Anyway, one of the reasons I've had trouble with is this damn other idea I've had. It's turned out quite well, and puts the characters of Azumanga Daioh in a position I would love to see. I have written the first two chapters already, but I'm not sure if I wanna put it up yet. If I did then I would strain myself to putting chapters out as much as possible, and I already have two to write. Maybe, if anyone wants me to, I'll put up a sneak peak in my profile or something.

Also, I apologize for the lame opening words. It was very late at night when I wrote them. Till next time!