With all the practice Sean had put into learning how to drift, I wasn't surprised that he won his race against Morimoto. It helped that since his dad had kicked him out he spent even more time at the shop and therefore more time practicing. The kid really was a natural and as he came to a halt, taking first place, I smirked as I stood next to Han, everyone else cheering and rushing to his car to congratulate him whilst Takashi looked like he had just eaten something bitter and sour. He walked away with a wrathful expression, dropping the keys to his Corolla into Han's hand who was failing miserably at keeping the smirk off his face. "Pleasure doing business with you." Rolling my eyes I elbowed him, making him laugh. "What?"
"You could at least try to act humble about this. I can see you smirking." I told him whilst smirking just the same as him. I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as Sean got out his car whilst Morimoto continued to have a fit of defiance and rage in his own car at having lost to the rookie. Han and I laughed quietly to ourselves, his arm stretching out to drape itself naturally around me and I leaned against him comfortably, my own arm wrapped around his back as Sean continued to receive the praise of his new fans. Even Neela was smiling to herself. Guess that cowboy was winning her over slowly.
Everyone moved back downstairs ready for the next pair of racers and I stuck with Han who still had his arm around me, our fingers laced casually together, thinking nothing of it as everyone else partied and danced around us however Han was able to effortlessly find the gaps and walk us both through, heading over to where Sean was grinning with Twinkie still raving about the fact he had actually won when I heard a sound I had not heard in a long time.
A sudden rev of an engine made me whirl around, letting go of Han's hand as I immediately sought it out, disbelieving my ears and second guessing myself almost immediately however when I heard that same sound again, I knew that I recognised it. My heart pounded in my chest as a cold rush swept over me and before I knew it I was racing forwards, diving between parked cars as Han called out to me in confusion, frowning as I sought out the source of the sound. I knew that engine, I knew the way it ticked and purred. Even after three years I still remember it clearly and I knew that it was the same one. My brother's car, his pride and joy.
When I finally found it, I could do nothing but stare at it in shock, the body paint completely changed from black and yellow to plain red but I knew it was the same. The custom mirrors, rear wing, twin exhaust pipes, just…everything. I knew it was his car and sure enough, that slimy son of a bitch who won it off him was leaning back against it. "Well, well, well, look who's back on the circuit. Haven't seen you in a long time, Masuda." Gritting my teeth I glowered heatedly towards the guy who still wore the same worn out jacket that I remember him wearing even when I was little.
"Not long enough, Satoshi." I responded coldly. "I see you've completely massacred my brother's car. You call this an upgrade?"
"Anything after your brother's work is an upgrade, baby, just keeping things real here." He answered with a twisted smirk as he stood up and came closer, his fellow gang members flocking to his side. "How about I give you a ride? You know, for old time's sake."
"In your dreams." I brushed him off as he reached out to touch my hair, stepping back in order to open up more distance between us as I felt my entire body tense up defensively. "The only reason I would get into that car was if I was taking it home myself. Besides, didn't you ever learn that trying to mess with me was detrimental to your health? Pretty sure I've given you enough black eyes to last you a lifetime you creep." Satoshi only smirked further, displaying several chipped and broken teeth from the numerous fist fights he had found himself in the middle of over the years, usually against my brother after a comment about me behind our backs but still within earshot.
"A man knows what he likes. Can't blame a guy for trying." He answered as he spread his hands. "How about a race then? I been looking for something to get the blood going after three years behind bars and what better way to get back into the game then beating the sister of the last punk I defeated? I would savour the sweet taste of victory for weeks." The nasally voice grinded horribly against my nerves as I swallowed back the bile in my throat, feeling a surge of competitiveness suddenly flare inside me as Satoshi dangled the keys to my brother's car in front of me. "I'll even let you race for slips, give you a chance to win back your brother's car. Must mean a lot to you now that he's dead and buried."
"Hey, that's enough." Han's hand closed around my arm and drew me back slightly as he, Twinkie and Sean appeared along with a few curious onlookers who noticed the tension and prospect of a fight breaking out. "That's uncool man, don't be an asshole."
"These guys bothering you Cora?" Sean asked me so with a breath to calm myself, I shook my head.
"No. I was just leaving." I informed him, turning around and placing my hand on his back to signal that we should all move on, however the next words out of Satoshi's mouth flipped me like a switch.
"That's right you little punk ass bitch, run home to your cripple daddy and your whore mother. No wonder your brother threw himself under a truck, having family like that." All at once everything snapped inside of me and I felt such uncontrollable rage that it spread through my body like a wildfire that was untameable and ripped free from any boundaries in an instant. Whirling around I flew straight back at Satoshi and slammed my full weight against him with my fingers curling into that musty jacket of his, slamming him against one of the other cars so that I loomed over him with fire dancing in my eyes.
"You bastard!" Roaring in blind fury I balled a fist to strike him, only managing one blow before both Sean and Han dragged me away from Satoshi as his followers recovered themselves from their shock and dove at me, jumping to defend Satoshi as he bled from his nose and swore as he gripped the now crooked mess.
"You damn broke my nose!"
"I'll break your face! Say that about my family again you asshole and I'll make you scream like a little bitch!" Still completely enraged by what he said, not even Han could calm me down in that moment and the most anyone could do was simply hold me back from trying to go for Satoshi again. I could bite my tongue about a lot of things, but he damn well crossed a line and there was no forgiveness for that.
"Oh yeah? Come on then! Come on! Your brother was a sissy who could never throw down with the rest of us, always thinking he were too good even though he had less than everyone on the block, let's see what you got then Masuda!" Fired up all over again I lunged forwards however Sean grabbed me around the waist and lifted me off the ground, effectively keeping me from getting anywhere however as everyone else started chanting for a fight, one of the race organisers came and broke through the crowds, ordering everyone to calm down and called for quiet. The silence was deafening, everyone listening as he surveyed the situation.
"Looks like we got some beef here. Well folks, you either take it outside or you take it to the track. What's it going to be? You gonna race to settle the score?" He asked, looking first at Satoshi who smirked again, that sickening smirk that I wanted to just smack off his face.
"This little girl wouldn't dare race against me. She doesn't even have a ride from what I hear and I only race for slips, she hasn't raced since her brother became road kill." I tugged away at Sean but he had not slackened his grip one bit meaning that I wasn't going anywhere, however in that moment I wanted nothing more than to race him. I wanted to race. I wanted to win and I wanted to drive home in my brother's EVO to take it back to the shop, returning it back to the way it was then take it home to my dad. I wanted it. I wanted it so bad that I could feel strong bursts of determination inside seemingly raring to break free.
Suddenly a key was being dangled in front of me, making me blink and momentarily become distracted before I followed the hand up to face Han who was holding it out to me, looking me dead in the eye. For once he wasn't smiling, his face deadly serious as he offered me his car to race with. He was willing to let me bet his car on this race, a race that in all honesty I didn't know if I could win. I was out of practice and hadn't been behind the wheel in over three years and although Satoshi was in a similar situation having been in jail, he didn't have the same reasons to be as terrified to drift as I did.
But still. He'd insulted my father. Insulted my mother and had trashed my brother's name several times in a very brief conversation and I was not going to let that go. Not this time. Before I even realised what I was doing I had grabbed the keys from Han and levelled my gaze against my opponent who blinked in shock. "Let's race." After a shocked pause there was suddenly a thunderous roar of applause and screams, the word quickly spreading as I strode through the crowd and head straight to Han's car, the Mazda RX-7, Veilside Fortune. They parted for me effortlessly, making way and some even looked alarmed by the stormy expression I wore but I didn't care. No matter what it took, I am taking home my brother's car if it's the last thing I do. I am not going to lose.
As I reached the car and opened up the door, Han finally caught up with me and touched my shoulder gently. "Hey." I calmed down a little when I looked at him, seeing his genuine gaze on me as he leaned in a little closer. "Win or lose, you'll make your brother proud. Go show them what you're made of." He said to me and his words made me stop and think, a little taken aback and when his words finally hit home, I felt myself get a little emotional. Han was right. Even if I lost today it wouldn't really matter. Sure I'd feel awful for losing Han his car but if I did this, then it would make Alex proud. Just the fact that I was willing to do this was immense, though now that I was beginning to think this through the gnawing panic in my gut made me feel rather ill.
"Thank you Han." I said to him in earnest before ducking into the seat and started up the engine. For a moment I sat there, getting a feel for the seat, the wheel and adjusted things to better fit me before slowly, I edged forwards. Even with the windows rolled up I could hear everyone thundering outside, cheering and shouting my name like I was some kind of returning celebrity. Even Takashi came rushing back when he realised what was happening, pushing his way to the front of the crowds in order to watch as I kept my eyes facing forwards, ignoring Satoshi as he tried to get my attention with insults and trash talk. I won't let him distract me. I am going to grind his face under these tyres if I have to, but that EVO he's driving right now? It's coming home with me.
Paying careful attention to the guy who counted us down, I tried to remember what kind of driver Satoshi was and any tricks I could prepare myself for. I knew he drove dirty, so I decided to simply be ready for anything. I was nervous and I could feel those nerves eating away at me until slowly, I could feel the rumble of the engine bring me into a world completely on my own. I felt comfortable here and when the last count came and the arms were dropped, my hands and feet moved in perfect synchrony to peel away from the starting line with a surge of power that left me gasping, freezing up slightly and instinctively pulling back on the gas which allowed Satoshi to slip out in front. "Damn it!" I winced in guilt, taking a few quick breaths to calm myself and focus. I can do this. I can do this. I haven't raced in years but that didn't mean I've lost my stuff, it just needs a little polishing off, that's all.
Satoshi took the first corner and glided around with the EVO, cutting it a little close on the tail end before darting away from me as I came up behind, losing a little more ground as I took the corner a little more slowly but with better spacing, getting used to the movements again before powering forwards. The guttering roar of the engine filled my ears and soon enough that was all I could hear, distracting me from the fact that I was shit scared and terrified, trembling even as I gripped onto the wheel. I could see Satoshi's taillights, following after them as we took the public route which made for a longer race, the same one that Sean had just won.
As we exploded out onto the streets, it suddenly hit me that this wasn't just for Alex I had to win. I was part of Han's crew, which meant if I lost it would reflect badly on him and that only pushed me further to want to win. "Alright you asshole. Let's see what you got." Cameras were filming us at every corner, people rushing to get there in time with Satoshi in the lead, coasting easily around the first few bends until they began to tighten in on themselves and he misjudged the turn, scraping the EVO at the back and on the fenders which made me wince to see whilst I found myself making the judgements in snap decisions in my head, my hands seemingly doing their own thing and knowing exactly what it was they needed to do.
I was still behind but that was okay, now wasn't the time for taking over, I would overtake on the straight and if that failed, there was a wide turn which if Satoshi took wide, I could cut in front of him and take the lead. Already I understood his driving style and knew that he went mostly by luck and speed, there was generally no skill to his driving which then made me wonder how he ever won a race, however my own question was very quickly answered. Satoshi suddenly swerved, making me swear sharply and drop back to avoid getting hit by him, trying to drive me off the road before going for it again. "You crazy little…" I couldn't even my own sentence. Satoshi suddenly braked without warning after cutting in front of me and I instinctively slammed my foot on the brake, digging in the clutch and going to neutral as I spun the wheel, my only option being to avoid hitting his rear end otherwise I would have been spun out of control.
He knew exactly what he was doing and he was playing a dangerous game. There was nothing he wouldn't do to knock me off this road, however as my tyres screeched and the car turned in on itself I quickly put it into reverse and allowed it to free spin backwards until I had found my grounding again, reversing at speed whilst looking out the back window. My god I had forgotten how exhilarating this feels, the adrenaline was unreal and as I reversed around a bend, catching up with Satoshi I pulled up alongside him, smirking as he stared at me through the window. I wiggled my fingers at him just to goad him, wanting to make him really angry and it took nothing more than that.
I could see him angrily mouthing off at me even though I couldn't hear anything, rolling down the window to stick my middle finger up at him as I continued to reverse drive, drifting around the next swerve and weaving in and out of traffic as another group caught everything on camera. I am so going to demand a copy of this because I don't think I've ever driven this well. It was like everything just naturally fell into place and as I continued to streak ahead on the straight, I took this moment to spin the car around and straighten up again. It lost me a few metres of distance between me and Satoshi, allowing him to catch up so that we were neck and neck, however as the final big turn came up, I fell back slowly and allowed him to take the lead, gliding across to his inside and sure enough, he took the turn far too wide as he drifted. With a burst of speed I did not slow down even as I took the turn which continually tightened up on itself, taking it perhaps a little too tight as I saw bright sparks gleaming off the front of the car and I flinched inwardly.
Within moments I had undertaken Satoshi, my pulse hammering in my head like a constant drum as I then glided back into a straight line and continued to drift around the corners, heading into the parking bay and climbed up to the very top, spiralling effortlessly up the coiling drive until I shot out with so much force that the front wheels left the ground, sailing a few inches into the air before slamming back down once more and that sent me into a whirlwind of panic, my eyes widening in terror at the sensation as I slammed the brakes a little too late, forcing the crowds to part as I lost control and struggled to decrease the speed, ripping the wheel around so that a long trail of black ribbons snaked over the floor behind me as the Mazda whirled around in two full circles before coming to a halt, parallel to the wall with only a scarce inch or so between the mirror and the hard, stone cold concrete.