The Rise of Usui's Ghost

Chapter 11


Mt. Myogi, Gunma Prefecture

10:48PM

Almost a full week had now passed since Yuzuru's official debut at Usui with his Sileighty and the racing community of Gunma had been sent into an uproar. People had come to Usui hoping to catch a glimpse of the car that had taken up the spot as the touge's fastest since the disbandment of Impact Blue.

The Night Kids of Myogi had been sent into absolute chaos, knowing that their two best drivers had been defeated the first time around when they were caught by surprise on what had originally been intended to be a day of fun, racing in a different pass and becoming more attuned to familiarizing with their neighbor course.

Now that Nakazato had been defeated a second time however, many within the team had been dealt a serious blow to their pride and their morale had plummeted to such a great depth that street racers around Myogi had begun to challenge them left and right, believing that just because one driver had been able to take on their most talented racers and win, they could do the same… They were wrong.

None of them, not one single challenger had been able to take on their second stringers and win. None of them had exhibited the same powerful and intoxicating aura the Sileighty and its driver possessed at a single glance and that could be counted as both a blessing and infuriating to Iwamura Keigo.

For the past five days since their second defeat at the hands of Kurokawa, almost every member of the Night Kids had been forced to continually race oncoming challengers who thought they had what it took to face Shogi or Nakazato.

Needless to say, Keigo too had been demoted to do much of the grunt work whenever the other drivers were indisposed and he didn't enjoy it one bit. As much as he loved racing, he found no reason to enjoy going up against someone who could just barely maintain control of their car and a piss poor attempt of a drift with his parking brake.

Practically each and every single challenge he had ended with him winning before the 6th corner in the last few days and this did not serve to even lighten his mood either. The fact of the matter was that his pride as a member of the Night Kids combined with his respect for both Nakazato and Shingo as street racers automatically flipped a switch in the back of his head and now he was out for revenge.

There was no way in hell he would accept that some no name kid with a Sileighty could have enough talent to beat Nakazato. Sure his technique was way above average, but that night he too had been on the checkpoint overlooking the bridge with Izumi and witnessed how dangerous Kurokawa's maneuver had been just to maintain the lead. The sheer recklessness that had come from it could have forced his team leader into the guardrail and perhaps worse if he had not braked at the last possible second.

Glaring ahead at the incoming hairpin, Keigo immediately slammed on the brakes, kicking the clutch in the process while descending into third gear. He grinned as the roaring B18 filled his ears, he really did enjoy the sound of a well-tuned naturally aspirated engine with its VTEC in full song. There was nothing quite like it in his mind and he nearly shuddered were it not for the fact that he was racing down his beloved home course.

'Everyone knows that among the best and most reliable engines in Japan right now, are the B series made by Honda. They're so easy to tune and never lack in power! There's nothing like it and when the VTEC kicks in, I know I made the right choice when I picked this car.' He really had to thank his cousin and Todo himself for helping him in his decision.

The green Integra's weight suddenly shifted forward as a result of the downshift, and Keigo almost immediately felt the car's understeer begin to act up as he took the sharp left hander at full speed. Nevertheless, he blazed through by pinning the throttle, fighting it off with just enough countersteer to clear it in one go, missing the guardrail by mere centimeters.

Shingo himself could only look on in silent shock as his teammate managed to cross the finish line and break his earlier record by a considerable margin.

"If he keeps going like this Takeshi, he's going to set a new course record for the downhill."

Takeshi remained silent, arms crossed and an unreadable expression on his face. He had expected their losses to garner such a reaction from Keigo and naturally it had a tremendous effect on the way he attacked the corners. From very early on, he was able to decipher just how in tune the younger man's emotions were with his mannerisms behind the wheel.

'Right now I can sense that he's feeling nothing but rage, anger, and fury. It's scary to see that he's even able to driver even faster rather than become the usual reckless Keigo I know. He may even be able to beat Shingo at the moment if he seriously tried.'

"Then you'd better get a move on and show him why he's number three Shingo; don't forget that you hold the record for the downhill. It would look like an even bigger embarrassment if you're surpassed by one of your own pupils," he remarked in derisiveness.

The blonde haired man shot him a scathing look, turning on his heel to meet the new arrival from the top. It was no secret to him that Keigo had also been practicing at Usui every night, hoping to catch the Sileighty on the pass and properly challenge the driver to a battle but Kurokawa had yet to show.

'No freakin' surprise,' he mused. 'He's already playing mind games and they haven't even met yet.'

One thing he had learned in the past three weeks about the young mechanic is that he always calm, cool, collected and cunning. Behind that amicable and bright personality, lay one that was ruthless and crafty who utilized each and every advantage he had even when all odds were stacked against him. The race with Nakazato had certainly been on more equal footing because of the help he received from Sayuki but in terms of technique, he now knew just what set him apart.

If there was one person he could possibly compare Kurokawa to, it was Takahashi Ryosuke; their methods could often be considered unscrupulous, but they yielded the desired result most of the time.

Both men were well educated in terms of mechanics and racing prodigies in their own rights, but one thing that did bother him was also how similar his actions could be when put against those Fujiwara did in his own races; that instinctual habit of throwing all reservations out the window was something that was both incredible to watch, and downright nerve-wracking.

He knew that Keigo wouldn't be able to understand the kind of impact that had until he experienced it for himself and that was just one more reason he made up his mind to tell him where he could find the elusive Sileighty and its driver.

Taking out his new pack of Mild Sevens, he quietly watched as Keigo's Integra parked beside his EG and he moved forward, fishing out his lighter in the process and lighting his cigarette.

"You clocked at 7:39, a total of 6 seconds under my time."

Keigo frowned, grumbling obscenities under his breath as he too lit his own cigarette before sitting on the hood of his car.

"I didn't mean anything by it Shingo-san, all I want to do is beat that blasted Sileighty but so far I've had no damn luck finding the bastard. It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth after last week's race and so far there haven't been that many street racers with good enough talent to actually pose too much of a threat at Usui."

"If you wanted to find him Keigo all you had to do was ask," he answered back.

Almost immediately the tall man sporting a simple buzz cut was on his feet, staring at his teammate with such eagerness that it was slightly unnerving to him. There was no doubt in his mind that Keigo would end up doing going straight to Matsuida and challenge Kurokawa right off the bat, but across other rival teams the younger man had gained a reputation for being ill-tempered and being able to set off just about anyone with only a few words to provoke them.

"Tell me now!" He demanded.

Shingo restrained a sigh in favor of looking the other way, exhaling another round of smoke.

"In Matsuida there's a shop by the name of Matsumoto Speed that's becoming quite famous for their tuning and efficiency. Kurokawa happens to work there and its run by the chief mechanic of Project D who need I remind you, defeated the Todo School a few months ago?"

At the mention of the undefeated team Keigo's frown deepened into a scowl. Evidently, the losses of the school he prided himself to come from his home prefecture was just among one of the many things that had made him so irritable in the past few weeks and now that he knew where to find Kurokawa, he figured he may as well kill two birds with one stone.

"Then it makes things all the more easier for me, now I can put down Usui's so called ghost and share a word with a member of Project D."

"Don't be an idiot and walk in there with your high and mighty attitude Keigo," Shingo warned. "Because you won't be taken seriously and when you piss off those people there you're gonna end up regretting it."

Keigo let out a snort, grinning madly whilst his cigarette hung limply from the corner of his mouth. "That race with Nakazato was a fluke and you know it! Did you see the danger he put the guy in? If he hadn't braked he would have most likely ended up crashing again!"

"Besides," he continued. "I'm gonna show those jokers at Usui and all in Gunma that you don't mess just mess with the Night Kids and come out of it unscathed. Just because a measly Sileighty managed to get the better of us twice doesn't mean we're finished with him yet. The power of this B18C and the tuning done to it by the school make this car more than a match for those flashy drifts so just watch me beat down Usui's new pride and joy."

Shingo let his eyes droop down to the sight of Keigo's DC2 and quickly ran over the details pertaining to its set up in his mind. For a 1.8 liter engine, the car held so much power and its body so well balanced that he had to wonder if Kurokawa himself would have been able to set it up or even improve it to such a degree.

Almost all the parts the car had were made by Spoon and if he had to compare it to his EG, he would hate to admit that the Integra was most likely the better car. He was almost tempted to ask Keigo for a downhill run and see how Kurokawa's tuning fared to those done by the Todo School but quickly let it slip in favor of the present situation.

'You're wrong Keigo,' he thought.

'Kurokawa himself confessed to leaving just enough space for both cars to pass through the bridge although from Takeshi's perspective it seemed like an illusion. There was no way for him to have been able to see that in a matter of sparse seconds and if he had realized that, he probably would have been able to hold on to the race much longer on the uphill.'

"I guess you're going to challenge him tomorrow then? What's your set date for now so I can let the others know?"

The No.3 driver of the Night Kids tossed the remnants of his burning cigarette to the floor, "This Saturday at 10."

"Cutting things a bit close right? Tomorrow's Friday and undoubtedly the news is going to spread around the prefecture too," Shingo pointed out.

"The more the merrier," Keigo replied. "Everyone's gonna be in for quite a shock this Saturday too. Even my cousin is coming along to see the show."

Restraining a groan from escaping him, Shingo carefully mulled over that final detail knowing that Keigo would be sure to put forth nothing but his best for the race. Truth be told, he had already expected something like this to come up and it seemed like his hunch had been spot on.

Keigo's cousin Tatsuru, happened to be the most recent signing from the Todo School and like many before him, developed his technique on circuits and mountain passes. The man was probably the best street racer to come out of Tochigi Prefecture at the moment and he was a senior of Sudo Kyoichi of the Emperors.

In the last three years, Tatsuru grew to become one of the most incredible street racers across the Kanto Region and it was only until Takahashi Ryosuke beat him on his home course that he disappeared from the streets.

New rumors however, had led him to believe that Tatsuru was now back and looking for one final challenge. If the sightings of a yellow AP1 in Happogahara were anything to go by, then there now stood a very good chance it was true.

'There are so many people to choose from though; there's Fujiwara, the Takahashi brothers, and countless others. So why would he come to a simple street race involving his cousin and a new Sileighty on the block?'

Once again, Shingo found himself with another series of questions hovering over his head. Only this time, he didn't have anyone to answer them for him. There was something crucial he couldn't quite place his finger on it and that bothered him greatly, probably more than Keigo's own foolishness.

'Takeshi was right again… Kurokawa's arrival is sparking another repeat of all the hype when Akina's Eight-Six first showed up.'

This time around however, he practically had a front row seat to witness what he already felt would be one long and simply incredible spectacle right in his backyard. Kurokawa had exhibited an undeniable talent as a street racer and it was that he had seldom seen so up close before. Despite his very own pride as a member of the Night Kids and the basic ideal that he should be obligated to root for his teammate, he actually felt impartial when he weighed the possibilities.

Keigo himself had the talent, but his ego and attitude made him both an asset to the team and a hindrance as well. Both he and Nakazato had already learned to deal with his temper and more than once he' been forced to calm the hot headed man down when he flew off the handle.

Several of those who counted as the most senior members of the Night Kids had already voiced their discontent of the matter but much to their dismay, a third faction in the team emerged consisting of mainly the newest, most impressionable youths Keigo had taken under his wing.

'We have to count our lucky stars that none of them have been too heavily influenced by Keigo's antics but sooner or later we may have to deal with it. He's even starting to remind me of my old self save for the dirty driving.'

Indeed Keigo did in fact remind Shingo of how he too used to behave with his high and mighty attitude. He had learned already that no matter how hard one tried, there would always be someone to knock you off your high horse and in his case, Fujiwara had done it with that he originally viewed to be an obsolete 'tin can' through a gum tape death match.

Perhaps Kurokawa himself would be the person to do it. He was affable, witty, and carried an air that held subtle traces of sarcasm that he somehow felt could be the perfect match against Keigo's impetuousness.

If anyone would be able to put down the Tochigi native, it would be Kurokawa. That was absolutely certain, and for the first time in almost a full year, the two opposing factions within the Night Kids between him and Nakazato had united in their opinion. Their numbers may have not been as great but they all favored Kurokawa's win as the final outcome. It was high time someone showed him that the Night Kids were not as superior as he initially believed.

Granted, they were amongst Gunma's finest, but among other teams they held a combination of seasoned racers and fresh recruits who had yet to fully blossom. This made them a team of average-skill at best, but with an enormous amount of talent that continued to grow with each passing day.

Most of them in fact idolized Nakazato and Shingo for the true skill they often displayed and Keigo himself was a part of that. Sure he may have had a few problems in reigning in his temper and the like, but the heart and passion he had for cars was something he had in common for each of them. If only he got rid of his self-absorbed personality then he would most likely end up surpassing many of Gunma's most talented racers.

'It's inevitable I suppose,' Shingo thought in resignation. 'After this battle, I really do hope you change Keigo and avoid making the same mistakes I made.'

"Then we'll see how everything ends up. What time are you planning to pass by the shop?"

Keigo shrugged, "Probably early; sometime around 1 or 2. Tomorrow I have a day off from work so I might as well catch him around then. I may as well give him a piece of my mind while am at it for making me wait so damn long."

Shingo had to wonder if he should accompany his teammate tomorrow. The last thing he wanted now was to leave the whole Night Kids in the bad graces of Matsumoto just because one moron decided it would be a bright idea to antagonize someone who was considered among the best mechanics in the prefecture and the chief mechanic of Project D to boot.

If anything, the man would simply refuse to help Keigo for being his usual arrogant self and Kurokawa most likely ending up not taking him seriously. In any case, this race would simply be a consolation for the younger members whose pride and ego had been beaten down by their recent run of bad form.

All in all, there was no denying the match up would be entertaining for them and who knows, Keigo might finally understand something about street racing and the importance of respect even amongst amateurs.

He chuckled, knowing that his childhood friend wouldn't dare miss another event at Usui like this.

'I guess I'd better call up Sayuki and let her know of this Saturday since Kurokawa will be involved after all.'


The Next Day

Matsumoto Speed, Matsuida, Gunma Prefecture

1:54PM

After a long and tedious process of removing the FD's engine, stripping it of all crucial elements, sanding, the application of a fresh coat of Competition Yellow Mica paint along with the new wide body kit that recently arrived from RE Amemiya, Keisuke's beloved FD was now more than ready for the new tune ups that Matsumoto had planned with Ryosuke in secret.

Matsumoto could still scarcely believe that he had managed to progress at such an astonishing rate with the help of both Akio and Yuzuru. In fact, just the day prior they had focused on loading back the RX-7's engine only after Yuzuru spent a week stripping apart the 13B-REW and polishing each and every piece whilst replacing those which had been worn out or in favor of ones that had proved far more reliable due to his experience in handling rotary engines.

Despite his own extensive knowledge as a mechanic and a tuner, not once did he ever step in and help his youngest employee in any aspect of the disassembly and modifications to the engine. Instead, he would often find himself questioning the teenager's methods before receiving an answer which he discovered to be an improvement upon his own theories to some regard.

Even Akio managed to learn a great deal of rotary engines when it came to assisting his younger co-worker. At first he only knew the bare bones of how to maintain and handle those types of engines but after spending an ample amount of time learning and put all the parts back together, he had grown far more confident in working with them.

Yuzuru groaned the moment he stepped out of the garage for some fresh air. What he had hoped to be a cool and sunny afternoon turned out to be deceptively hot and humid, the sun blaring down at him with such intensity that he began to sweat a lot more than he had been inside the garage.

In an effort to at least cool down a bit, he moved towards the shade underneath a nearby tree and eased out of his jumpsuit, tying the sleeves around his waist and leaned against the trunk as a soft breeze blew by. Matsumoto chuckled, knowing all too well that Gunma was in for another sweltering summer this year.

"Here," he said while handing Yuzuru and Akio each a bento along with a bottle of water.

"Domo," both men chorused as they sat down to enjoy their packed lunch.

"It's the least I can do for you two, after all that work you've put in to getting this car ready treating you guys to lunch is a must in my book. I appreciate the help you've given me because I have to say that if it weren't for you two, I don't know how long it would have taken me to do all of this on my own." He praised.

"Well we've managed to mount the full body kit ad repaint in all in a matter of three weeks so is there anything else left rather than the tuning?" Akio asked while continuing his internal compilation pertaining to all the modifications made on the yellow Mazda.

Yuzuru took a swig from his bottle before closing it up and placing it near his forehead, sighing in relief when the cold sensation began to spread. "There's the suspension afterwards, and we're racing against time as it is. You and I both know very well that it could take longer than a month to find the right settings and match them to the driver."

Akio snorted while shaking his head, "All work and no play makes Akio a dull boy."

Matsumoto shared a blank look with his youngest mechanic, whose eyes betrayed a deep amusement within them.

"Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?"

"Yeah, did it sound too out of character for me?"

Both men inclined their heads, leaving the raven haired man to grumble inaudibly. "You guys have no sense of humor."

All three began to laugh; Matsumoto still couldn't help but feel grateful that he had two enormously talented mechanics under his wing and among the most efficient as well. It felt great to loosen up a bit after a hard morning of work with his employees, having lunch and trading comments with one another about cars as they all eyed the parking lot and the ones that littered it in neat rows.

A great deal of them had come in from across the prefecture and neighboring Nagano after last week's race and the chief mechanic of Project D loved that business was booming far more than ever before. Kurokawa's race had done wonders to improve the reputation of his shop and the news that he was one of the mechanics working in it.

As of now, he counted a total of two GT-Rs, one Celica, four different Silvias, and an EK9 that had just arrived as well. Thankfully, several of his other employees had been able to clear up their shifts to handle the new load of vehicles that were waiting for tune ups and mods.

"Have the new parts for the FD arrived Tencho? Before I can start work on the engine I'm going to need the new set of turbochargers, exhaust manifold and intake so I know where I can start from." Yuzuru answered.

"Don't worry about it," his boss waved him off. "They should be in by tomorrow so after you guys finish up eating, go ahead and get lost. I've got some other things to take care of."

Akigo grinned; this was a very rare occasion. Normally Matsumoto would put them to work if whenever he had the chance but apparently he had chosen to give them some time for leisure. He had hoped to make a few runs across Usui today and test the new suspension settings he had implemented much the week prior on his Eight-Six.

Despite Yuzuru's insistence on helping him to set the car up for better handling, balance, and smoother feel on the touge's downhill. This time around he felt confident that he had finally managed to curb the car's jumpiness by adjusting the dampening rates after several test runs day in and day out.

'I'm not gonna lie, Yuzuru's knack for setting up a car in mere days is something I'm quite jealous of. If I had not asked the boss for some input I probably would have been stuck working on it for at least two months instead of three weeks,' he thought to himself.

"Wait, you're seriously giving us the rest of the day off Tencho?" He heard his co-worker ask in evident surprise.

"Yes, as I said earlier you've both worked hard and spent hours racking up overtime so for once do me a favor and enjoy the rest of your afternoon while I handle a few calls I have to make understood?"

Yuzuru and Akio both knew very well that their boss's voice left no room for argument. They had gone through great lengths to prepare the FD and complete the longer tasks, spending hours after their normal shifts and well into the night just to finish everything on time. Even though he hated to admit it, Yuzuru did feel a bit under the weather for the past few days since his race with Nakazato. Each day involved the tiring physical labor that was an integral part of his chosen profession and if one combined it with his lack of sleep, it all made perfect sense.

'Maybe I can pick Reina up a bit earlier; it just depends on the time she gets out today.'

Sighing once more as he munched on a piece scrumptious homemade deep fried shrimp; he let his thoughts drift back to the warnings both Shogi and Nakazato gave him regarding his most recent challenger. Rumors had been circling across Usui about a Midori Green Honda making practice runs on the downhill and now he was more than certain that it was Iwamura.

Several people had commented on how fast he had been, clocking in at around 7:15 if he was really pushing it. Akio himself had seen the car on the pass twice in the last three days and he even had an impromptu race with it. According to his senpai, Iwamura exhibited a great deal of technique if only a bit unrefined. The front-wheel drive Integra seemed to suffer from the same induced understeer that Shingo's EG6 did, but a critical difference was the approach the two men had in terms of their style.

Whereas Shingo had become far more reserved and conservative in his tires and the amount of grip readily available to them, Iwamura possessed a great disregard for the more conventional rules of pass racing. The man would often chose to put his opponents in a compromising position, exploiting their lack of confidence in those split seconds where everything counted the most and take advantage of it. This was one thing he seemed to share with the man and perhaps the only thing; contrary to popular belief, he wasn't as insane as Ryuji made him out to be when behind the wheel.

He always made a conscious effort to promote some form of safety for his challengers in his races. Even with the R32's sudden attack at the bridge he made sure that his opponent had just enough room to squeeze by, but not enough to emerge ahead of him. One thing that he did not seem to have much consideration about however, was his general disregard for his own safety in the heat of a battle. Reina had reprimanded him for this more than on one occasion because of how hell bent he was on giving his all into each race he had.

"So what's your plan for today Akio-senpai? Reina just e-mailed me back and apparently she's stuck in school until 5 today."

Akio turned to his friend, chopsticks still in his mouth and eyes blank. Apparently he hadn't given much thought to what else he would be doing now that he suddenly had all this free time thrust upon him and the sudden question seemed to leave him in a bit of a daze.

"No… Not a clue actually."

Matsumoto rolled his eyes, unable to believe that two of his most diligent workers did not have anything else to do on such a fine afternoon. Granted, most street racers often had very little time to dedicate to anything else other than their cars but this was just sad in his mind.

"Please tell me you two at least have a social life that doesn't only involve just cars," he said in a monotonous drawl.

Akio seemed to feign ignorance, choosing to simply dodge the inquiry whilst Yuzuru had the decency to silently look the other way, knowing his boss had hit the nail on the head with that last statement. This just so happened to be one of the many things his sister constantly berated him for and to some extent he agreed with her.

He spent so much of his time working on his cars and digging up information in magazines that he rarely had any time to socialize back when he was in Tokyo. Their move to Gunma had only lessened his chances, but on the other hand, he was beginning to mingle a whole lot more with his co-workers and those he met in Usui.

Sayuki, Shingo, and Nakazato had all been nice to him, providing him with information on the latest happenings in and around the prefecture and along with the most recent rumors. Even Ryosuke often tapped him every once in a while to discuss a few modifications on the FD or even just to converse and discuss mechanics and theories. But just as Matsumoto had said, outside from racing he really had no other form social life.

"Mattaku, I know that you street racers often treat their cars like women but do you two seriously have no other relationships with people outside work or racing?"

"…"

Matsumoto shook his head in dismay, "You guys are young, at the very least you should be able to go out and have fun! Not everything in life is revolved around cars you know?"

"So says the man who tunes cars for a living," Yuzuru pointed out.

"I happen to have a girlfriend Kurokawa, that's what I meant," the chief mechanic countered.

"It's not my fault I have nothing better to do here in Gunma," Akio defended. "All of my high school buddies moved on to bigger and better things while I stayed here to help my mother with the upkeep of the onsen. Other than that, I get paid to work with cars and it's something I've always been fond of since childhood."

"He brings up a fair point Tencho; I don't see how he would have time to do other things with managing the onsen as well."

Matsumoto turned to Yuzuru, eyeing him like a stern father would to a young child. "How about you Kurokawa-kun? Other than Aizawa, who I just met the other day I still haven't seen or heard you speak about a girl once."

'Not to mention you're incredibly oblivious,' he mused.

"Bloody hell we're at this again," he mumbled to himself in his kiwi accent.

Despite all of his reservations, his love life also happened to be another topic he rarely chose to discuss with someone else. Like any teenager growing up, he had had his own crushes and feelings for other girls throughout the years, but his attachment to mechanics had outweighed anything else in his eyes.

Akio let out a small laugh, knowing his friend was already flustered enough to curse in English. In the few months he had grown to know Yuzuru, he quickly managed to see just how ignorant the teenager could be in regards to his surroundings and what others perceived of him. On several occasions he had witnessed some of the most attractive waitresses and women around them blush when they looked in his direction and that only sparked another bout of jealousy within him.

Before Matsumoto could continue berating his younger employees, they all heard a loud roar coming not far up the road. Immediately Yuzuru perked up and listened in on sound that continued to grow ever closer from where he stood.

'Naturally aspirated, above average RPM range; VTEC, definitely a Honda.'

Even with all the engines he had worked with and the different pitches each one produced, Yuzuru had more than enough experience to be able to tell at least what kind of car happened to be by ear. It was a scary habit sometimes but he found it more than useful on several occasions.

Akio too whirled around with his bento in hand, waiting for the car to pass by and see if the recognizable exhaust note he had heard was the same one he had heard when going against the Integra. He scowled, realizing it was the same car he had already encountered twice in the past week.

Yuzuru went back to the contents of his lunch as it finally pulled in to the parking lot, giving them a large earful of its undeniably magnificent tuning and a conservative yet breathtaking view of a Midori Green Honda Integra Type R from Matsumoto's perspective. Sporting a set of white ten spoke Volk CE28Ns, Mugen front lip and its OEM spoiler, the DC2 seemed to captivate the other co-workers in the garage as each of them turned their heads to see who the new arrival would turn out to be.

Narrowing his eyes on his expected challenger for a split second, Yuzuru raised an eye brow as soon as the man cut the engine and walked out of his car. Standing at an imposing 6'2 accentuated by a strong and heavy physique, Keigo began to walk around, scanning each and every vehicle before moving on in his trek to scour the parking lot for the car that had eluded him so far.

"What the hell is he doing?" Akio asked in confusion.

"He's looking to see if I'm here," the brunette replied with a snort.

It only took sparse seconds for the older mechanics to understand what that meant and Akio immediately grinned when he caught the Night Kids sticker resting on the car's left quarter glass. Apparently the team hadn't had enough by just losing to Yuzuru twice already and this person seemed hell bent to make it three for three.

Matsumoto watched as Keigo finally stopped before Akio's Trueno, glaring at it as is brown eyes lit up in recognition. He had encountered it at Usui twice after all, and the fact that both times he had not been able to beat such an old car infuriated him even more.

'A tie; I tied against a freaking Eight-Six on Usui's downhill not once but two damn times.'

Yuzuru bit back a laugh when he saw Iwamura's reaction when he laid eyes on his Sileighty, parked right beside the Toyota.

'Just as I predicted, Iwamura looks beyond pissed.'

That tidbit of information that Nakazato had offered had been more than useful in regards to figuring out how the man would act and now here he was, his temper flaring as he clenched his fists in restrained anger while he happily continued to munch on some rice. Normally he wouldn't go out of his way to purposely annoy someone to such an extent, but whenever he encountered someone like Keigo, he simply couldn't help himself and feel inclined to give the person a taste of their own medicine.

As arrogant as that notion was, Nakazato himself had hinted that he would like his third driver to at least grow some maturity to match the skills he has as a street racer.

Matsumoto was the first to finish up his lunch as he tossed the disposable bento into the nearest bin before heading into the parking lot and attend to the lone Night Kids member who continued to glower at the Sileighty as if the mere sight of it had offended him in some way.

"Welcome to Matsumoto Speed, can I help you?"

"Is Kurokawa in?"

The older man nodded, albeit hesitantly. Clearly this man was just another of the several disgruntled members of the Night Kids.

"Then tell him to get his ass out here and face me!"

"He's on his lunch break at the moment, why do you want to speak to him?"

"That doesn't concern you," Keigo shot back stiffly.

Matsumoto glared at the man, already having a bad impression of him. "He is my employee that means it is my business, so either you tell me what you want, or I'll have to kindly ask you to leave."

Easily sensing that Keigo would only give his boss a much harder time if he kept delaying the inevitable, Yuzuru calmly walked back into the center of the parking lot, chopsticks still in hand while the other held his bento up close. So far he was enjoying his lunch far too much to care about one man's blind fury.

"You wanted to speak to me?" It was more a statement than a question.

Struck as he was by Yuzuru's sudden appearance, Keigo managed to recover with enough haste to direct a very fierce glare on the much younger street racer before him.

"So you finally decide to come out Kurokawa, I have to say you're a hard man to reach, or is it that you're scared of facing me on Usui's downhill?"

'Two can play at this game.' Despite his eagerness in handing the man a lesson in manners, Yuzuru had been warned on several occasions by Nakazato just how impatient Keigo himself was; needless to say, he chose to ignore the comment in favor of looking up, jaw set and brown eyes staring back coldly.

"If you wanted to find me, all you had to do was come here in the first place Iwamura. Besides, I'm in the middle of my lunch break at the moment in case you can't tell," as if to further emphasize his point Yuzuru picked up another piece of fried shrimp and bit into.

Keigo could only look on in with annoyance and confusion written on his face, slightly taken by how Kurokawa had even been able to figure out his name without even introducing himself first. They had never so much as shared a word between them so he had a hard time wrapping his mind around that small detail. Slightly miffed by the kid's dismissal of his little barb, Keigo recovered once more.

"You played all of us like fools Kurokawa and no matter what anyone else may think, I still believe that you only managed to win against Nakazato in the last race because of that dirty trick you pulled before the bridge."

Yuzuru chuckled, having expected such an accusation to come from him. Sure it had been pretty underhanded of him, perhaps even downright audacious, but in the end it yielded the desired result.

Preying in on the opponent's hesitance was by far one of his biggest advantages, very few people would ever try to go that extra mile to simply risk everything for a race and the fear induced by such rash and reckless actions was something he was more than willing to take, even if it all had been as a cheap parlor trick; an illusion at its best.

"If you had looked closely enough Iwamura, you'd realize that I left Nakazato just enough room to squeeze through the corner. The fact that his car began to understeer when he tried to pass me on the outside was a calculated risk; I merely forced him to pull back," he replied.

Akio and Matsumoto shared bemused looks, still scarcely believing that Yuzuru had been able to deduce that much in the heat of the moment. Matsumoto found himself more than thoroughly impressed by his youngest employee yet again, Ryosuke would no doubt want to hear of this later on.

"Bullshit," Keigo called out. "There's no way any person would be able to be that cautious in the middle of a race. And look at me when I'm talking to you!"

A sigh escaped his lips and Yuzuru fixed his cool gaze on the person towering before him for the second time disinterestedly.

"Did you come here to insult me or did you want to tell me something? I have the rest of my day off and I for one would like to enjoy it. So please, get to the point before I lose my temper."

Akio flinched by how sudden Yuzuru's demeanor had changed. All traces of humor were gone and replaced by a mask of indifference that was threatening to crumble if the man pushed his buttons any more. No one ever liked to be disturbed in the middle of their lunch and if you include the lack of sleep and exhaustion from a series of restless nights a man could only take so much before doing something irrational and on impulse.

Keigo scoffed, crossing his massive arms in front of his chest. "Though words brat, but do you have the balls to back it up outside of your car? On second thought, don't answer that it saves me the trouble of having to find out."

Yuzuru pinched the bridge of his nose in a strained effort to try and keep his already flaring temper in check. The visible twitch in his eye was the only subtle indication of how close he was to running his mouth about what his other teammates thought of him.

'Wow, he really is an asshole,' he thought.

"Spare me the banter Iwamura, I'm not as much of a sore loser to come and belittle people just for the sake of pride. Nakazato-san took the loss in stride and he was the one who challenged me, so if you're here to try and settle the score of those in the Night Kids who still have got some fight left in them come at me. I'm more than willing to show you exactly why I beat your leader."

'This wasn't part of my plan but screw it, this guy has got an ego the size of Mt Fuji and an arrogance that knows no bounds. Bloody hell Shoji-san was right.'

Oh yes, he would thoroughly enjoy thrashing Iwamura at Usui's downhill. Ryosuke had been more than helpful in digging up information on the man and he soon found out that he was infamous for the fights he caused against other teams and in particular, his extremely combative driving style. He had gained a reputation as a major instigator in both Gunma and Tochigi and none of it was good.

Keigo had indeed proved to be nothing if not predictable because of how much he had been able to deduce in the past few days with input from several trustworthy sources, but he hadn't counted on the man to prey on his irritability.

But still; no matter how much he may dislike someone, a race was a race in his book and he was more than eager to go ahead and test his skills against another opponent.

"Oh that's good," Keigo growled out. "Then I'm sure you would have no qualms on facing me at on Usui's downhill tomorrow night. No is not an answer and if you don't show up I'll make sure to hunt you down for it."

"Very well," Yuzuru paused for a moment, assessing the stares of interest and hesitation on both his boss and his senpai. "Name the time and I'll be there."

A fierce grin formed across Keigo's lips; the kind that almost looked maniacal. As unsettling as it was to see such a reaction coming from someone he just met, Yuzuru couldn't deny that there was some form of skill behind the man's boisterous personality. The Night Kids were no doubt the strongest team on this side of the prefecture and if Iwamura really was their third best driver, then he may as well give the man a shot.

"Be there at 10 sharp Kurokawa, I don't like being kept waiting like you did the last time just because you decided to dress up fancily."

Matsumoto bit his lip, straining to keep back the laughter that was caught in his throat. Like many people, he now knew the real reason behind his getup that day after reading the article on his mother's performance and to see someone far more ignorant than Yuzuru amused him to no end far more than seeing the brunette bristle at such a comment.

'Maybe I'll show up late just to spite you if you don't lose that stick up your ass.' He grumbled to himself.

Before Yuzuru could vocalize another retort, Keigo turned on his heel only to stop right before he opened the door.

"You know," he began. "Lots of the amateurs at Usui are starting to call you Usui's Ghost, saying that you are the fastest on the touge and personally I think that's just a load of bull. You didn't deserve to win that last race against Nakazato and I'll prove it to everyone else on your home course that you're nothing but a young kid driving around in a Sileighty that's gotten lucky the last few times. I can't allow anyone to simply tarnish the name of the Night Kids without proving himself and for that reason you can bet that I will annihilate you on the upcoming battle!"

Without another word, Keigo slipped into the driver's seat of his beloved Integra and fired up the engine, reveling in the strong and piercing growl its B18C let out each time he gave it a few revs.

Within moments, all that was left for them to hear was the loud screech of tires screaming against the asphalt and the high revs coming from the Keigo's DC2 as it shifted into a higher gear.

Yuzuru immediately tossed his empty bento into the nearest bin, letting it fall with a resounding crash. Iwamura had rubbed him in the wrong places and now he was more than willing to make the man eat his words. His pride as a street racer prevented him from denying the challenge and now that he had been mocked by someone he barely even knew it had intensified profusely.

"Usui's Ghost huh? I'll admit it has a nice ring to it," he muttered under his breath.

Akio shook his head, "You've even gotten a nickname. People around here are really starting to take to you."

"Then that leaves us to run a few checks to make sure everything in your Sileighty is in perfect order for tomorrow night. Leave your car with me for a few hours and come back for it Kurokawa-kun," Matsumoto raised his hand up, stopping his youngest employee before he had the chance to voice his argument.

"I know it's not your style, but my earlier statement still stands. Take the rest of the day off and come back for your car when I call you alright?"

Yuzuru knew well enough by now that it was meaningless to try and dissuade his boss from something once his mind was made up and thus nodded, passing him the keys to his Sileighty.

"If anything, all she needs is a check on the oil," he said.

"By the way Akio-senpai, I was thinking that we could perhaps head on to Shibukawa today if you don't mind. There's this errand I have to run for my dad and since I have no car at the moment would you like to come along?" He offered.

"Sure I don't mind, I just need someplace to take a shower and change. I've got an extra set of clothes in my car and I really don't want to stay this dirty all afternoon."

"Let's stop by my place then," he suggested. "I've got to pick up something I left on my desk."

Akio tossed Yuzuru his own set of keys and smirked as the young mechanic caught them reflexively.

"I don't really know where you live so I think it would be best if you drive. I also want some pointers on the handling if you don't mind, I'm confident I managed to get the settings right this time."

Yuzuru glanced at the keys in his hand and then to the Trueno parked only a few steps ahead of him. He had never driven an Eight-Six before although he had ridden beside Akio on several occasions to test different set ups but this would be his first time really getting an overall feel of the car.

"Alright then, let's get going."

The two mechanics piled in to the Panda Trueno and almost immediately Yuzuru found himself feeling a sudden wave of nostalgia overcome him. From the old-styled dials used to activate either the headlights or the wipers, down to the relatively simple dashboard, and the outdated window roll-up handles, each and every part of the interior felt oddly familiar for some unknown reason and he thought it to be odd, since he never really had paid any more thought to it until now.

Nevertheless, Yuzuru started the engine and instead of hearing the hiss of air he was accustomed to from his Sileighty or the smooth purr of the FD, a sharper more natural roar came from the 4A-GE sitting under the hood.

"Something wrong?" Akio asked.

The sudden inquiry snapped the elder Kurokawa from his thoughts, leaving him in a momentary state of confusion that he quickly recovered from with a shake of his head.

"No not at all."

Yuzuru dipped the clutch and set the car in 1st gear, pulling out of the parking space and feeling a bit out of his comfort zone by how light the steering was along with its quick response. The clutch proved to be far more sensitive than he had originally perceived, far more than the FD and he took a mental note of this, adding to the list of quirks that often made up a car's personality.

'I still can't place the reason why these feelings are so familiar… Normally I'm very good with memory but right now nothing's coming to me.'

Matsumoto watched with a pleasant smile on his face as the pair drove off. With the remaining parts of Keisuke's FD not arriving for at least another day, he settled on delivering his team leader the fresh news. Over the past few weeks Ryosuke had become keenly aware of the rumors surrounding his latest muse and more often than not he would be the first to know of everything before it even happened. Still, he was quite sure that this recent development would be something he can at the very least confirm.

'Things are really starting to pick up around here again; it's great to see that more racers are coming out of Gunma again as well. After Fujiwara I thought there'd be no more because of how quiet things had gotten but it's a very good thing I was proven wrong,' the chief mechanic thought enthusiastically.


Takahashi Residence, Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture

3:08PM

Keisuke could hardly keep the full blown grin from forming on his lips after receiving an earlier call from Fumihiro to deliver an update on the status of his FD.

Soon enough, he would be reunited with his beloved car. It was just a matter of days until the final parts would arrive for the car and their installation. After that, came the really fun part that involved testing and tuning the suspension for proper balance and handling.

No one knows his car better than he does, that's for certain, and all he had to do now was eagerly anticipate what he already knew to be a very long but production series of test runs. It was surprising for him to find out that Matsumoto had also instilled the help of Ichinose but he could also understand the motivations behind the decision. Even with the likes of Kurokawa working endlessly on his car in a joint effort with his chief mechanic, the process itself would have taken longer than the month and a half since it first hit the tuning shop.

'I have to really thank those guys for everything they've done.'

The blonde man shook whatever thoughts he had left away and narrowed his eyes on the course map for their next race at Ibaraki. His brother had been far from idle during their one-month period of inactivity, raking in each and every possible bit of information on the two drivers of Purple Shadow for their benefit.

In his case, Kozo Hoshino is the man he now had to face and to top it off the geezer drove a GT-R. That alone made him all the more wary for his upcoming race and he was taking absolutely no chances.

After only one week, he had been able to memorize both the uphill and downhill sections of the course and quickly moved on to his favored exercise of picturing the layout in his mind and visualizing the best possible points of attack. It was a technique his brother had first suggested to him during their early stages of Project D and after a while it became a crucial element in his arsenal.

"Hm?"

"I just heard from some of my buddies in the RedSuns that Kurokawa is racing Iwamura of the Night Kids tomorrow at Usui."-Kenta

The uphill ace simply couldn't contain his amusement and burst out laughing after reading through the e-mail. Like many of the top street racers in Gunma, he too had experienced the full extent of Iwamura's abrasive personality.

"Does this joker really think he can take Kurokawa on and win? Last time he challenged me I wiped the floor with him." He sent back.

"After last week's race, probably not. But you can't deny that the guy's still persistent Keisuke-san."

Kenta was right, during their last encounter at Akagi a year prior; Iwamura was utterly relentless in his pursuit. Sure enough, the man made several consistent attempts to gain the lead on the way down the mountain and at the very least he had managed to stick to him to the very end.

"I'm not gonna lie Kenta, he may have pissed me off that night but he does have skills. If Kurokawa doesn't take him seriously he could end up losing instead but it's still a far cry from happening."

Snapping the phone shut, Keisuke turned back to the notes littering his bed for his next race when he heard a knock on his door.

"Hey Keisuke mind if I come in?" Ryosuke asked in a muffled voice.

"Not at all, come on in Aniki, I just heard some pretty interesting news."

Ryosuke chuckled, smiling slightly when he found his younger brother still scanning the data for their upcoming expedition.

"Oh? By any chance would it involve Kurokawa-kun and another race held tomorrow at Usui?" He replied.

Keisuke stared up at his brother, brows furrowed while he frowned.

"Aw man you already knew? Who told you this?"

"Matsumoto told me," the raven haired medical student returned. "He was there to witness Iwamura officially challenge Kurokawa-kun to Usui's downhill and by the looks of it he's confident enough to boast that he will beat him tomorrow night."

"Is he for real?"

Keisuke couldn't keep the incredulousness in his voice at bay as he pondered the meaning behind that last statement. In his own personal opinion, Iwamura had always been insufferable and conceited but at least the guy had the skills to back it up.

"Apparently he is, but there's something else that's weighing on my mind right now and honestly I think it might be of more importance to Kurokawa-kun than this next race."

There was an undeniable degree of severity in his brother's tone but whether it proved to be a threat for their new talent at Usui was still unknown to him.

Taking his brother's silence as a clear indication to continue Ryosuke took a seat on the nearest chair and passed over his laptop.

"It looks like the Emperors have added a new member to their ranks and to top it off he's their new Number 3. The kid's younger than Kurokawa and he holds an undefeated record at Irohakaza's downhill…"

Keisuke continued to register every detail of his brother's words as he carefully scrutinized the parts he was able to understand from the graphs and imagery displayed on the screen.

"He drives an Evo III? I thought Kyoichi was the only person in the team to drive that specific model. But what does this have to do with Kurokawa?" He asked.

Ryosuke gave him a knowing smile, one that he often used to let others know that there was more to it that meets the eye.

"Naruse Toshirō is the kid's name and what is of more importance is the e-mail I received from Kyoichi last night regarding the availability of Akagi for a race that could be held there in the coming weeks. He wasn't exactly thorough in his message but I did enough digging around to see what his new scheme is. Apparently, the Emperors want to issue a challenge to Usui's new rising star and they want to pit their own new boy against him."

His eyes widened as he took in that bit of new information. The Emperors were by far one of the strongest teams in the Kanto region and they had practically throttled over all the teams in Gunma until Takumi put a stop to their undefeated streak at Akina.

Even then, that defeat didn't completely stop them and they moved on to Akagi to put down the Eight-Six once more and then with Kyoichi himself challenging Ryouske on the downhill. Experience had made them realize that the Emperors were a crafty bunch and just as calculating as their leader.

The fact that they wanted to possibly challenge Kurokawa at Akagi meant that they would be at a slight advantage, knowing that they would be up against someone who had no experience on any other course but Usui.

Keisuke had to admit that the simplicity of the plan in itself was a measure approached with a great deal of caution and planning. Racing in Akagi gave them a greater chance to pull a win out of the bag and its slopes were more than favorable for their Lan-Evos.

They had seen before that any rear-wheel drive car would often struggle on the downhill against their Mitsubishis simply because the combination of 4WD, turbo, acceleration and lightweight body were amongst the deadliest things for pass racing. In other words, one may as well say that such cars were made for rallying and as a result they excelled on any touge.

"This kind of move is typical of Kyoichi," Ryosuke said evenly. "He knows that Usui is an unforgiving pass and because it holds no areas where they can exploit their advantages it only makes sense he chose Akagi as the most possible location."

"Does he stand a chance Aniki? Kurokawa may be a force to be reckoned with, but a Lan-Evo in the hands of a skilled driver is very difficult to face."

Ryosuke sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"Even I can't predict that Keisuke. But I will tell you this: In last week's race Kurokawa proved to me that he's a lot more than a driver who analyzes details. He combines them with his instincts and that enables him to push at an even higher capacity that he's accustomed to. The GT-R had a tremendous amount of advantages going for it and Nakazato still lost. One small disadvantage allowed him to gain the upper hand and force his opponent back. Some people may consider it dangerous, even reckless; but you could tell that through all that he never once stopped giving it his all. He has heart Keisuke, and that above all else is considered the strongest weapon a street racer can even possess."

Once again, Keisuke found himself rendered mute. The feats he had seen Fujiwara accomplish through sheer will were simply breathtaking and the teenager by far could be considered the living embodiment of that. Each and every street racer who had the dedication and passion for their greatest love had a piece of it in them.

He too had felt it in some of the most dire circumstances; that moment when you throw any and all reservations out the window to just pull off some of the most astonishing things was something only the most zealous of street racers could ever hope to do.

"So not only is he the son of a world famous pianist but he's also the son of a legendary rally racer in his own right," he commented.

"And yet he chooses to get his hands dirty and work with cars for a living while being entirely self-taught mind you," Ryosuke pointed out. "If that's not pure talent, then I don't know what is."

Keisuke smiled at that, sharing the same sentiment with his brother.

"Will you come to tomorrow's race then? Or will I have to hitch a ride from Kenta just to see the race?"

Ryosuke shook his head, "I don't see any reason I should go to the race. I already know how he's going to win and where. Iwamura is nothing but predictable and at Usui he holds a great deal of advantages because of the car he drives but they are outmatched by Kurokawa-kun's technique. I don't think I've ever seen anyone hold so much control over a car that it almost looks like an art; Fujiwara-kun too has it whenever he drives his Eight-Six as well."

He knew that being able to predict the outcome of a race was just another of the many talents his brother had and the scary part is that so far he had always been right so far. The race Fujiwara had with Iwaki was a testament to that.

"If you want my advice Keisuke, just stay at the checkpoint that overlooks the bridge. Besides, I have some reports to finish in regards to schoolwork so I wouldn't have had the time anyway."

At his brother's cryptic reply he shrugged, already having expected as much.

'I have to wonder just how this race will go along. I know this race is more of a matter of pride for the Night Kids rather than anything else but I keep getting this feeling that we'll most likely be in for another intense battle tomorrow night.'

Just like Fujiwara, Kurokawa's name was quickly making it to the top of his personal list and Keisuke grinned at the prospect of facing the Sileighty in a downhill battle in any touge. The teenager had garnered his undivided attention like many others in the prefecture and this time around, he was able to take a front row seat and watch the entire action take place.

'Don't you dare lose Kurokawa, not when you're just starting to make a name for yourself. All eyes are on you right now and soon enough you'll probably end up carving your name into the list of legendary street racers here in Gunma. After that though, you'd better be prepared to face me!'


Suzuki Motors, Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture

4:15PM

Today had proven to be more of a slow day for Masashi, only a few cars had come in for the usual servicing or rotation of tires and it had only taken him less than an hour to complete each task with the help of his employees.

He exhaled a breath of smoke as he stood at the entrance of the garage, staring off into the distance and avoiding the Sun's direct glare.

"Damn it's hot today," he said to himself.

Turning back to his garage, Masashi noted that there were only four of his employees left as the rest had shifts that began earlier. Among them, only one continued to work on a partially disassembled engine that had been stripped from its car. Very few people ever brought their cars for him to tune anymore, as he often preferred to keep his business more legitimate for everyday needs but there were always a few here and there who ended up seeking his aid.

Flicking whatever was left of his cigarette to the floor; Masashi promptly put it out before moving over to assist his youngest employee at the moment.

"Need any help? You look like you're struggling with that cylinder head," he answered with a bit of humor in his voice.

"No it's ah-alright Tencho, I'm positive I've got this," a feminine voice replied in consternation.

Masashi chuckled, shaking his head at the stubbornness she often displayed whenever she took on a project. Out of all of his workers, she was beyond a shadow of a doubt the hardest working out of the bunch. She had spent the last three days taking it apart for study and as a request from another customer who had sent it in for repairs.

Now that the cams had been removed Masashi had been able to easily decipher what was wrong with the engine with a single look but the girl still couldn't identify the problem even if it was staring at her in the face.

'She may be stubborn and prideful, but she's a bit of a slow learner.' Masashi mused.

Just as Masashi was about to point out the crucial detail he was interrupted by another employee who approached him.

"Sorry to interrupt Tencho, but there's this young guy standing outside waiting for you; he says that you happen to be a friend of his father's?"

The middle aged man stared blankly for a moment, confused by the sudden question until his face lit up in recognition.

"Could it be?"

Masashi rushed to the entrance to find two men standing by an AE86 Trueno parked right in front of the garage. While other one he did not recognize, the person standing by the driver's side looked incredibly familiar. From the dark brown hair to the brown eyes he could easily recognize in the teenager the traces of the little boy who had frequented his shop so many years ago with his father and for a brief second he was rendered speechless by how much he had changed.

"Are you by chance Suzuki-san the owner of this shop?" Yuzuru politely asked.

"Y-yeah," he managed to croak out.

Bowing in respect the young mechanic continued his introduction, "My name is Kurokawa Yuzuru and I have to say it's been a very long time Masashi-ojisan."

Masashi smiled after hearing the old endearing suffix that Yuzuru had often used when he addressed him as a child. He stuck his hand out and Yuzuru took it with a smile of his own.

"It's been a very long time Yuzuru and I have to say that just looking at you makes me feel older than I really am. You've grown a lot kid," he said.

"I guess I have," Yuzuru remarked casually. "I'm also guessing that you know the real reason I'm here too now right?"

"Of course," the man replied. "The parts arrived just a few days ago so feel free to come and check them out."

Yuzuru nooded and pointed to Akio, who had pretty much tuned out of the whole conversation in favor of scrutinizing the few cars in the garage along with the lone vehicle that lay under a thick black cover in a more secluded corner that seemed reserved exclusively for it.

"This is my friend and fellow co-worker Ichinose Akio; he's the owner of this particular Eight-Six."

Cocking an eyebrow, Masashi moved forward and shook hands with the Nagano native whilst still making a mental assessment of the Toyota parked before him.

"Nice to meet you Ichinose-kun, I have to admit that I like the conservative look you went with, the car looks great. Am I correct to assume you're also running an N/A platform in the mechanical scope of things?"

Akio grinned, "Yeah, I'm getting about a total of 230BHP on tap after extensive tuning. It wouldn't be nearly as fast as it is now without the input I got from Yuzuru."

"Well… It's good to see you still kept up with your passion for cars Yuzuru; I remember seeing you run around my shop like if it were a toy store back when you were a kid. What a sight it was to see," he motioned for the pair to follow and they both entered the garage behind him.

Yuzuru rolled his eyes at that comment and scanned the large interior of the garage, comparing it to the one Matsumoto operated back in Matsuida. This one boasted quite the number of lifts and it even contained an engine room in the back although it seemed to be closed off at the moment.

"What can I say? I belong with cars Masashi-san."

"That you do, but I have to ask, have you also taken up on your father's old passion of street racing as well?"

Knowing that it would be much easier to simply tell the truth, Yuzuru dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Hai," he answered.

"And how's that going? Last I heard your father called to tell me you beat a GT-R a week ago. That's something to be proud of kid."

Akio nearly laughed when Yuzuru groaned at the mention of his father. He didn't exactly know who the man was or what he did, but apparently he was a big enough influence in the teenager's life as he had been constantly berating and cursing at the little details the man ever offered behind his actions, as Yuzuru said so himself.

"Any idea what car these parts are for? I've been trying to look up some of them up but they just don't show up and the old man wasn't exactly specific about them. All I've got are the codes they go by."

Yuzuru didn't catch the quick look Masashi sent in the direction of the covered car before turning back.

'No great surprise there, Sakumo's trying to keep everything under wraps and once he sees all the parts it's only going to leave him with even more unanswered questions. Always the secretive type, sometimes he can be so similar to Bunta that it's almost unnerving.'

Taking out a folded piece of paper, Yuzuru was about to follow Masashi into the back room when he spotted a lone, slender figure standing by what looked to be a disassembled engine. Studying the person's movements closely, he heard a string of curses that only made him laugh softly.

"Oi Yuzuru, are you coming or what?" Akio said loud enough for him and the other occupants to hear.

A loud clang followed as the person who stood by the engine whipped their head around to reveal a young and attractive woman bearing a look of shock on her face. She took off her cap, allowing her silky black hair that had been pulled into a tight bun bounce back into its usual pony tail while her bangs came down to naturally frame her delicate heart-shaped face.

Even through the jumpsuit she was wearing, one could see how it clung to her small, yet curvaceous frame as she looked up to meet the worried looking brunette.

"Yuu-chan?" She managed to say in an almost breathless whisper through her slightly parted lips.


A/N:

In all honesty, I never thought it would really take me this long to actually finish the chapter but now that it's finally out I can at least breathe again.

These past few weeks were hell in regards to school work and this upcoming week is only going to be worse since I have about two tests and two papers due in the next few days.

Regardless of all that, I still am completely committed to writing this fic and you can expect the updates to be there although they won't be as frequent as before but on the bright side, the spare time I did have that wasn't reserved to writing I used to plan out a bit more of the plot so now I have a better idea as to where I'm heading and what will occur in the following chapters.

All in all, I would like to thank Nail267 for writing such an incredible and simply inspiring review and Tatyana along with all of my readers because I just realized that this story will hit 1,000 views very soon and that's all thanks to your support, it really has kept me going and I can't thank you guys enough!

Like always, Please Read & Review and more importantly Enjoy!