FOREWORD: I, HashiriyaGDB, am submitting this Initial D facfic on behalf of Midnight Dorifuta, the author of this fanfic and a fellow user on the Initial D World Forums. The only things I've done to this is correct some (if not all) the typos.
All trademarks are owned by their respective owners.
Chapter 12: Mutual hardships
"..."
It was hard. I twas extremely hard for Itsuki to not slam the door to his Levin off its hinges. Looking down the alleway, he saw two figures in the dim illumination of one headlight - and heard the pleading voice that he hardly registered as Kazumi Akiyama's... most likely because of its dire tone, more fuel to the continually building fire of rage in Itsuki's heart. Kazumi was seconds away from being raped... and he wasn't about to let that happen, his vision so tunneled out on Souma he didn't even notice the quick flash of headlights from ebhind him. No, he just charged... charged straight for the boyfriend figure, and rammed his face into the cinder-block wall, being careful somehow not to injure Kazumi.
Itsuki watched Souma fall to the ground, his nose broken. The bash was rediculously strong. The rapist was done, down, out, left to the pavement... .and so was Kazumi, splayed out on the bare asphalt, her skirt slightly undone as well as her blouse - though no privates were showing... but it couldn't get any closer than that. Finally, the voice that was blurry and distant quickly cleared up.
"...believable! Itsuki, thank you so very much... he's out like a light bulb."
"Eh?" Coming quickly back to his senses, Itsuki's head snapped to face the person talking - Wataru.
"...eh heh... yeah, I guess... are you going to call the authorities, then?", Itsuki suddenly suggested... defeating his opponent and anihilating the target at hand drained all courage from Itsuki... his normal state of being timid and uncourageous was returning to him, and Itsuki just wanted to be out of the situation and back to his own buisness. And quick.
"No, I'm not... when this guy wakes up, I'll give him a set of words he won't forget... you take Kazumi home, Itsuki. It's... the least I can do to be nice. If I didn't see your Levin... and you didn't catch this... her life would have been ruined. So go ahead, take her home, to your place... catch up on life with her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you comforting her."
Itsuki looked at the small set of keys he had, one silver, although a little tarnished... with 'TOYOTA' written on the side, then looked to Wataru, bearing a sense of uncertainty. "...You know what you're doing?"
Wataru nodded solemly, his gaze shifting back to Kazumi. "Yeah... you were the one who saved her after all, not me. Don't worry... I've got all bases covered here. My initial impression back when I met you was you were a better person, anyways... if she wants to return to me, she'll tell you. Good luck with her, Itsuki."
Itsuki dimly nodded, walking over to Kazumi slowly, and mustering all his effort to pick up her body, carrying her to the Levin in a fashion that was all too familiar for romantic movie buffs, and easing her into the passenger's seat, buickling up, and driving off back to Haruna for the time being.
-
Less than a meter seperated the Evolution III from the RX-7 Infini III, and though a normal person would be led to believe the FC's chances of winning were nil stock for stock - but both vehicles were in a high state of tune. The single-turbo power of the 13B rotary was nothing to be laughed at, despite the car being close to 10 years old.
There were ten hairpins left overall, and through the first and second, the Evo began to gain slightly on the RX, and gain the lead. The behavior of the Evo III changed mildly, but enough to bring the even battle to now one advantageous to the Mitsubishi. Ryousuke knew this, his FC leaving the corner's exit with a bit of an outward drift, his usual mid-apex approach seeming to refine itself just a tad more... but still he had nothing for Sudou. It was definately frustrating.
Another hairpin, then two, then three. The Evolution dove in hard with a late-entry approach, sliding slightly through the corner's exit before launching down the straightaway with the Evoltuion's relentless all-wheel drive traction.
"...and you were holding back? That's commendable, given the sutuation you were putting yourself in", Ryousuke said , with a bit of a chuckle. "Although that did kind of seal the deal for me... I'm suprised how much your modifications have improved the car's all around ability."
Kyoichi was also grinning widely in the tight embrace of his Recaro bucket seat, watching as the FC began to very slowly slip away from his rearview mirror - probably an inch a second, not much more than that, but it was pleasantly noticable and also evermore assuring to Sudou that this race was indeed in the bag.
"I'm more than happy not to spoil your reputation in front of a crowd", the Evo driver added, with a bit of a grin, "Since technically you are a retired racer. And it shows. Ryousuke, don't you know it's too late to attempt anything else?" He considered easing the pace just to toy with Takahashi - then common sense kicked back in. "No, I shouldn't be doing that... knowing you, Ryousuke, you'd make a win out of any advantage I gave you... which is suprising now that we're nine-tenths into the race and you still haven't made a move. Is this really all that's left of your driving skill?"
"The car doesn't feel right..." Ryousuke muttered, as the loss on the straightaway seemed to be more significant before. "Is something wrong with it?"
From the tips of Ryousuke's exhaust, a thin layer of white smoke was hardly noticable. The car was burning coolant... an internal seal, after all these miles, was beginning to give.
"A turbo leak... at a time like this? No...", he said to himself, a quick glance showing the turbo pegged to 19 PSI, "She's still steady boosting... but the engine feels taxed..."
Last hairpin. It was do-or-die for Ryousuke Takahashi. Even though the engine problems had left him distracted, he was still balls-to-the-walls... and almost crept back to Kyoichi's back bumper... ever so almost. But alas, it was the final straightaway, and to a race fan, it would be a shock - maybe even a disappointement - to any fans that were watching, luckily none were, though. The Evo continued to pull away from the FC right up until the third bridge, where there was a 50-meter difference between the two cars. It was a clear victory for Kyoichi Sudou, the fire dying in his eyes and his breathing slowing a little as he rolled to a stop. He chuckled again.
"Wow... you got me a lot worked up than I thought, Ryousuke. But why... why didn't you put up such a strong fight?"
Kyoichi exited his Evo III, cutting the engine as Ryousuke climbed out of his white RX-7, giving Kyoichi an honest look of acceptance of loss. "That was a good run, Sudou. It looks like you put my advice to good use, and have grown considerably in the past year."
Kyoichi's eyes narrowed a little, though. He had a look of disappointment on his face, and even a bit of offendment. "Why'd you give me the race so easily?", he asked, looking at the RX-7.
"I didn't." Ryousuke looked down a little, shooting the FC's hood a glance, then panning his stare back to Sudou. "Tonight proved 3 things. Your skill and your car has enhanced, my lack of practice from managing the team is becoming more and more obvious, and my FC is about as ready to retire from racing as I am. She started to lose power in the middle of the race... maybe 20 to 30 horsepower."
"You... you serious?" Kyoichi struggled to keep the cigarette on between his lips as he listened to the Rx-7 carefully, eyes narrowing. "I'll admit... something does sound a little funky." Then Sudou's nose caught a whiff of the burning coolant. "...smells sweet... coolant, maybe?"
Ryousuke turned around, pacing slowly to the back of the FC, then noticed the steam-like smoke faintly trailing out. Definately burning coolant. "Hmm... looks like the FC's also suffered from my team management. An apex seal has given, I believe. I haven't changed them in well over a year, and this car's seen a lot of racing in its day." Ryousuke stood back up, looking Sudou square in the eye. "A win is a win, no matter how it's obtained. Because my car wasn't running 100 right doesn't mean you should feel bad about it, like you cheated me out of a win. I only cheated myself by bringing a tool not cut out for the task."
Kyoichi laughed out loud a little, before taking a step back to his Evolution. "You know, that's one thing I always liked about you. Even though you almost always win, whether you win or lose, you're usually pretty humble about it. If not in wording then perhaps in attitude. I'll be on my way, then... that FC going to make it home, or should I go grab some antifreeze sitting in my garage?"
"It's only a 40 minute drive home. I'll top off the system with water at halfway."
"Well then, I'll catch you around sometime. Good luck with your next race, wherever it may be."
"Later, Sudou."
Ryousuke slipped back into the cockpit of his FC, closing the door and staring at the odometer for a good minute or so, wordless. Its mileage read 386,257... The FC had seen countless nights of nothing but driving and practicing, constant racing abuse, and hot summer periods. It had seen levels of boost not accounted for by Mazda's designing eingineers, and throughout its 8 years of existance, held up suprisingly well. In comparison, the AE86 was brand new to Ryousuke's FC. Its engine had been changed... the RX was still on its original drivetrain.
"I might have to take you off the road soon...", he said, sliding the shifter into first and gently pulling away. "I just don't have the time to keep up with a needy aging car anymore..."
-
Standing in the middle of a racetrack, in broad daylight... and under scorching heat, Akiyuki stood alone, somehow, in the midst of the roar of the crowd - and the sound of approaching engines. He glanced behind him - grandstands on either side, and a huge scoring tower and display. It was none other than the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His heart was pounding; something was wrong, terribly wrong. His sister was in the race, with a strong lead.
He was almost oblivious to the 9 or 10 cars that just zipped by at north of 225 miles per hour, the wind gust kicking up his light jacket and blowing his hair.
"Kas-chan!" He walked, forward, moving so slowly within this massive sea of asphalt, as in a trance. He moved against his common sense, against what a few fans were screaming at him to do... perhaps even, against whatever desire he had to live. His hand, outstretched , seemed to be reaching for something... anything.
"Kas-chan..."
Then, he saw it. Kazumi's car and her signature pink helmet, coming around the corner. Akiyuki broke into a full-on sprint as the track surface began to gather banking and he sprinted. He had to stop her. Something horrible was going to happen.
"Kas-chan!"
Her IndyCar headed directly torwards him at light speed, almost, it seemed. Akiyuki held his hands out as the car closed in, trying to hold on, trying to stop the inevitable... but...
Suddenly, her right-front wheel gave way. A suspension piece broke, the car suddenly switching direction, now heading torwards the wall at 200 miles per hour - and smacking it head on. The whole nose of the car seemed to snap off, its fuel cell bursting and 25 gallons of methanol igniting, turning the car into a twisty fireball of a tornado, everyone's hearts shattering as it flew through the sky.
"KAS-CHAN!"
And he remained motionless, time slowing down as he made no effort whatsoever to move from its way. The plastic, metal, carbon fiber, and of course flesh and blood-made mass of human and machine came straight down on Suzaki, first blocking all sunlight from him, and then...
He grabbed his chest, his breathing accelerated to hyperventilating speeds. Eyes wide open with fear, soon beginning to tear up, just a bit... the monotonous wait for his own sister triggered that nightmarish version of an already awful flashback.. But soon, he was able to control himself, returning back to normal breathing... before he caught a glimpse of the bright red sheetmetal of the car circling the lot. It was an old Honda Life Step Van, sporting 15" wheels that barely fit and was equipped with a modern-day CBR engine, and a CVT transmission... the side logo reading Suzaki Performance.
"Kas.. chan..."
Kasumi eased the van into a small parking spot beside her old Starion, giggling as she let go of the throttle lever of the right side of the steering wheel, and slid the gear selector into "park", before removing the key and unbuckling herself. Carefully, she climbed down... and out... of the van.
"Hey, Akiyuki-san!"
Akiyuki chose the van because for Kasumi's mobility and had the tailgate modified... still, it hardly opened.
"Kas-chan..."
Her face was an attractive mix of native american and caucasian, and she had black hair that flowed beautifully down to a few inches below her shoulders, with naturally narrowed hazel-green eyes that matched Suzaki's... but her most defining feature was a scar that started at her right eyelid and trailed down across her nose to her left cheek It was a scar from the accident.
Her upper body was also very slender and contoured, and she was viewed once as "the Supermodel of racing" for her appearance. Her waistline was also very thin - the similarities between her and her "little brother" - the irony that statement beared today is painful - were incredible. But now...?
She used one hand to shut the door, keeping herself balanced on the other before walking on her hands. 'I feel more free this way', she always said, and her arms were quite toned and suited to the task.
"Mind giving me a lift, little kid?", she asked Akiyuki... who kneeled down and hoisted Kasumi up, hugging her very tightly, before carrying her into the Burger King.
...Kasumi Suzaki lost her legs in the brutal and firey IndyCar accident that killed her teammate, Keith Hendershot, as they were leading the 1995 Indianapolis 500 1-2 by 7 car lengths on the 199th lap, and to this day continually plagues Akiyuki's memory from time to time.
