Sunday, November 15, 20xx (2 days before the wedding)

Drying her hair with a towel, Haruka sighed. As much as she enjoyed racing, race day was always filled with an abundance of ancillary meetings from safety meetings to team prep meetings to sponsorship meetings before the actual race.

Not to mention she had skipped out on the qualifying rounds that had taken place the two days before, guaranteeing that she'd be last on the grid for the final, world championship deciding race.

Haruka could already hear the managers' angry voices in her mind and her post exercise endorphins seemed as if they had already disappeared, fleeing from the censure that was sure to come. She'd faced more than her fair share of scolding during her career (she'd never been one of those squeaky clean, rule-abiding racers and that was what the people loved her for) but she knew that today's yelling would break records, especially once she refused to explain her absences.

Even though she knew they deserved an explanation, Haruka could not and would not provide one. Mike's accident had shaken her deeply, happening so soon after the anniversary of that fateful day, and it had only been Michiru's tender care for her over the past two days that had managed to pull Haruka out of her state, ready for this final race.

Haruka could still feel the warmth of Michiru's smooth body coiled around hers when she had woken up in their bed earlier that morning, and now fully distracted by that tantalising memory, Haruka walked out of the locker room.

At the sight of her primly suited agent, looking wholly out of place at the gym, Haruka disappointingly felt herself snap back to reality.

Not bothering to wait for Haruka to reach her side, Akane twisted on her heels, walking at a brisk pace that she clearly expected Haruka to follow.

"I swear I've never had a client as difficult as you," Akane muttered in lieu of a greeting and Haruka winced guiltily. In her distressed state, she'd completely forgotten what her agent must have gone through, fielding calls and trying to excuse her sudden absence.

"My bad," Haruka offered sheepishly.

Akane stared at the blonde for a moment and ultimately deciding Haruka was sincere, she retorted snarkily, although there was no real bite to her words, "As long as you win today."

The racer smirked, "I always do."

While it looked as if Akane would say something back (because Haruka's words hadn't been true for the past year), she apparently thought better of it, promptly changing the subject, "Your salad's waiting for you in the car since we'll be heading straight to the track for some meetings."

Nodding distractedly, Haruka found her eyes drawn to a bright purple envelope that peeked out of Akane's pocket and gave her agent a questioning glance.

Akane hesitated for the first time, visibly grappling with herself until she finally admitted,

"It was in your mail today. It's from Tomoe Keiko."

Her sharp eyes probed Haruka, carefully looking for a reaction but the blonde gave none, expressionless and still.

Haruka extended her hand, and desperately hoping that she wasn't doing the wrong thing, Akane handed the envelope over.

Her fingers slowly opened the envelope with care, unsure and fearful as to what the contents would hold.

Unfolding the letter revealed a rather crudely done drawing of what she assumed was herself in front of a red car, holding a number one trophy. On the right side of the drawing was another person drawn, this one with bobbed black hair and purple eyes and a wide smile. The kiragana on her violet dress was nearly illegible but Haruka could guess the name.

A small note was attached to the drawing and she finally paid attention to it now, reading it.

"Hotaru wanted to wish you well in the upcoming race. Good luck Tenoh san! - Tomoe Keiko."

Haruka felt her throat suddenly close, her eyes becoming suspiciously watery.

She allowed herself just a few more seconds to look at the drawing, before folding it back up and placing it in the front pocket of her shirt.

She looked up to see Akane looking at her, a rare display of concern on her face.

"Let's go," Haruka declared.

It was Sunday and the five of them had finally had time to go to Usagi's apartment and properly celebrate Usagi taking the licensing exam. Makoto, in true Makoto fashion, had brought over a verifiable feast of pastries and brightly coloured confections with the excuse that they were all experimental items she was testing before putting on her cafe's menu. The others fawned over the desserts and they laid out the rest of the gifts and food, also popping some additional confetti crackers for good measure (filled with candy instead of confetti, of course).

Once the initial celebratory fun had settled down, everyone fell into their usual spots in Usagi's apartment. Makoto and Usagi sat across each other on the floor, separated by a mountain's worth of desserts sitting on the table that the cafe owner was keen to test.

Above them, Rei lounged on the sofa, flipping through the channels and hurriedly skipping the ones that were about weddings/celebrity gossip. But it seemed with the imminent Chiba-Kaioh wedding, it was all anyone could talk about and Rei ultimately settled on a random racing channel before tossing the remote away with a huff of annoyance.

Ami walked around the vicinity of the living room, observing the numerous decorations/memorabilia Usagi had obtained since the last time they'd all been in her apartment. The bookcase was filled with yet more plushies and a new star shaped locket that looked like it was from a claw game but was in a nice, clear case. Unable to contain herself, Ami slipped in some books into the nearly bookless shelf when Usagi wasn't looking.

A bit giddy that Usagi hadn't noticed her sly gifting (although Makoto had noticed and grinned at her), Ami moved away from the bookshelf, only to have her attention captured by a new framed photo hanging on the wall.

"Oh my Usagi, however did you get that photograph? I've never seen such a beautiful and high resolution picture of the moon!" Ami remarked.

Ami's sudden exclamation drew everyone's eyes to her and Rei suddenly doubletaked, rising from the couch to examine the photograph with Ami.

Rei spun to stare accusingly at Usagi, "Is that an original Takeuchi? How the hell do you have one? They go for over half a million yen apiece."

Usagi reluctantly tore her eyes from a particularly pretty shortcake that seemed to hold an entire garden's worth of strawberries, sighing mournfully before Rei's words sank in.

The blonde blanched, becoming bug eyed, "WHAT?"

Her friends all waiting on her for an explanation, Usagi blinked furiously as her mind whirred to action, furiously puzzling out what must have happened. Unknowingly, she began to think out loud, "H-He gave it to me… I would never have accepted it if I had known… I need to give it back to him!"

Rei stopped Usagi in her tracks, her eyes filled with deep contempt for the man Usagi hadn't named, "He gave it to you? Forget it, it's not like he can't afford it."

Usagi bit her lip, looking away from her friend's visible anger and focusing on the photograph that now sparked an even more convoluted mixture of emotions in her.

"I'm back!" Minako announced her return from the bathroom, oblivious to the newly tense ambience before she suddenly gasped, her eyes latching onto something that she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before.

"Usagi," Minako said, clutching her heart, "why do you have an Armani suit jacket? FOR MALES?!"

Her outburst was a splash of cold water on them all as they collectively turned their heads to stare at what was now being proudly displayed by Minako who had all but run to the coat rack.

Minako gave a test sniff of the jacket through the opening of the clear, plastic bag it was in, finding that it smelled of a nice cologne that Minako wanted to be wrapped in.

"Did you meet a new rich guy?" Minako crooned teasingly, twirling around with the jacket pressed to her chest.

Feeling everyone's eyes on her once again, Usagi blushed furiously and shook her hands, "No, no, it's nothing like what you're thinking. I was just at the park a few nights ago and a man sat down on the bench with me. We barely even talked and he was just being thoughtful because it was a bit chilly. I was hoping I'd get to meet him again so I could return his jacket to him."'

Makoto's eyes sparkled as she began to envision the movie-like scene, "Was he cute?"

Usagi couldn't help but grin sheepishly, "It was kinda dark but he was reallllllly good looking!"

"How the hell do you keep bumping into all of these rich, good looking guys?! That's it, I'm walking with you every day from now on. I wanna meet them toooo!" Minako screeched before turning and dramatically swooning into Rei who begrudgingly caught her friend.

Loud, boisterous cheering suddenly erupted from the television despite the lowered volume and their attention momentarily piqued, they all watched the screen that was now focused on a single racer who was giving a two fingered salute to the fans as he stepped onto the track.

The camera zoomed in on the man's face and Usagi let out a large gasp, covering her mouth with both of her hands.

"That's him!" she burst out, "That's the man who gave me his jacket!"

Disbelieving their ears, the girls simultaneously dashed onto the sofa, crowding around Rei who, being the first to grab the remote, hurriedly increased the volume.

"And five time world champion racer Tenoh Haruka has entered the track-"

"Usagi, are you sure?" Makoto asked, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of the very handsome, blond racer.

Usagi nodded emphatically even though none of her friends could look away from the screen (her eyes were also glued to the screen), "It was dark but it was him. I know it!"

"Aha!" Minako yelled triumphantly, her fingers finally stopping their furious typing as she held up her phone which now showed a photo of the racer.

"I found him! Tenoh Haruka is a Japanese/British racing driver who races in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. She is a five time- She?!" Minako read before dropping her phone to stare back at the woman on the TV.

"Well, she is very good looking," Ami finally said, her cheeks pink, and the others could only nod silently.

Once the camera moved onto the next racer, they managed to rip their eyes away from the TV, only for them to land on Usagi who sat innocently on the floor as if she hadn't managed to meet two celebrities by sheer chance.

Floundering underneath the weight of her friends' bewildered gazes and with no idea as to how she could answer their unspoken questions, Usagi shoved the strawberry cake into her mouth.
"I hope she wins," Usagi mumbled lamely.

"Welcome everyone to the final Grand Prix of the 20xx season! My name is Steve and my regular co-anchor, will be reporting from the grounds today. But in his place, we have a very special guest announcer for the day: retired F1 racer Seiya Kou!"

"Thanks for having me, Steve."

"So Seiya, for our fans back home, can you quickly summarise the state of the competition before we get back into the action?"

"Of course. McLaren's Katsutoshi Yamada is in first place right now, holding a 20 point lead against Ferrari's Haruka Tenoh. If Tenoh's going to win, she'll have to place first AND Yamada will have to place third. If he places second, then he'll still have more overall points and he'll win the championship."

"Who's your bet on, Seiya?"

"I've gotta say it's anyone's game out there, Steve."

"Oh you… Well, getting back to the racers, Ferrari driver Mike Schumer unfortunately suffered a crash during the first qualifier session on Friday and we wish him the speediest of recoveries. Although Tenoh wasn't involved in the crash, she did not return to the grounds for any of the qualifying rounds and she will be starting at the back of the grid, which will make things very difficult for her. Now Seiya, when you were active on the Mercedes team, your rivalry with Haruka Tenoh was widely known. What do you think about her performance this season?"

"Well, if she had raced like that when I was active, I would have had a lot more wins, that's for sure. But in all honesty, I respect Tenoh for what she's done. It's not easy to come back after a serious crash like she has."

"What do you say to speculations that this may be Tenoh's last race?"

"I can't say I know much because we've never been that close- Our rivalry was as real off the screens as it was on the screens. But if it is her last season, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Really? Tenoh's still pretty young and I'd say she could last a good fifteen more years if she wanted. But I know you also retired at a fairly early age."

"…This career, while rewarding, can take a lot out of you… I wouldn't be surprised."

"Well, pushing speculation aside, let's take a look at the track now folks. McLaren's Yamada is out there and he's looking to be in peak condition. He obtained pole position yesterday during qualifiers with a 31.801s lap time and everything seems to be lining up for him. If Tenoh's going to win, it's going to take a miracle."

"Folks, if you're just tuning in, we're just on the midway mark of the 78 lap prix and let me tell you, it has been astounding to watch. While starting at the last of the grid, Tenoh has steadily weaved her way to the front in a series of challenging moves. Why don't we take a look at one of those moments now?"

"Now if you look here, Tenoh shows no sign of hesitation even as they approach a sharp bend, pressing Renault's Warren relentlessly."

"I don't think I can express just how much skill this kind of maneuver takes. It's risky and 9 times out of 10, it'll lead to a crash. But you can see here how perfectly Tenoh manages to circumvent the difficulty of the sharp turn by pressing her tires, forcing Warren to give way."

"The other racers give her an inch and she takes a mile. And this is only one of numerous maneuvers she's executed in order to get to where she currently ranks in the line up as 5th."

"We're coming up on the 60th lap and severe, torrential rains have suddenly begun to hammer the track. Now- Are you seeing this Seiya?"

"I've never seen anything like it."

"I have to agree, in all my years announcing, this is truly amazing. Seiya, if you could elaborate for the audience."

"When it rains like this, the track becomes slippery and the car's grip becomes unpredictable. Many drivers find themselves slowing down in order to avoid spinning out but Tenoh's always been known for her skills in the rain (dry laugh). And now you can see Tenoh actually speeding up in this rain, controlling her car with the utmost precision. More than that, she's doing this right as she approaches the 130R, the most dangerous turn of the Suzuka circuit."

"Folks, this is the very turn of Tenoh's previous crash two years ago as well as Mike's crash two days ago. But she shows no sign of slowing down and- UNBELIEVABLE. TENOH HAS JUST OVERTAKEN YAMADA AND IS NOW IN FIRST PLACE."

"With barely a lift of her throttle, Tenoh lunged boldly into the inside of her rival, driving at breakneck speeds into a flat out corner before purposely spinning out and overtaking Yamada."

"If Tenoh's movements had been just a millimeter off, we would have witnessed a devastating crash… she hasn't shown racing like this in years, most certainly not since her accident. I do believe this is a race that will go down in the history books."

"...She's unstoppable."

"They're neck and neck-"

"Who will cross the finish line?"

"AND THE 20XX GRAND PRIX WINNER IS…."

Haruka stood atop her car, thankful for the helmet that was currently covering her face. Her eyes felt suspiciously wet, her heart overwhelmingly full as she basked in the thunderous cheering of the stadium. She thrust her arms in the air victoriously and the cheers doubled in intensity, a chant of her name beginning.

She had never entered F1 for the fame but this… she was going to miss it.

She jumped down to the ground, running to embrace her pit crew and team fiercely, and Mauricio's knowing eyes were wet as well.

Taking off her helmet, Haruka rubbed her eyes before giving a disarming smile to the numerous cameras aimed on her. She then stepped onto the podium, as the trophy was given to her, and for the last time, she stood as a stadium shouted adulations at her.

Her crew opened fizzing bottles of champagne and Haruka laughed, not making an effort to dodge the fizzy sprays and she allowed herself to enjoy this one last time.

Haruka poured one of the proffered water bottles on top of her head, shaking her hair In what she couldn't deny was a bit of gratuitous fanservice but also an attempt to get rid of the sticky remains of the champagne.

Stepping off of the podium, she was wrapped in a dual Japanese/British flag that effectively served as a towel and cape. The official F1 reporter and camera crew were waiting right there for her, mic outheld.

"That was some spectacular driving, Haruka. How do you feel, winning your sixth world title and breaking your own world record?"

Loud cheers from the audience followed, the interview being broadcast on screens and speakers across the stadium.

"It feels great Joe," Haruka answered with a grin before turning sincere, "The years I've spent racing have meant the world to me. I'd like to thank everyone for their support but I will be retiring, effective immediately."

There was a sudden, poignant moment of silence after her words dropped, a notable sight in one of the most rowdiest stadiums.

And then chaos erupted.

"Haru-" The reporter tried to interject but his voice was drowned out by the sound of fans gasping and bursting out in loud mutters.

Haruka gave the camera her trademark, jaunty salute, smirking before she turned around, and holding the flag over her shoulder, she sauntered off.

Avoiding the many reporters and staff in the stadium with an ease borne out of years' practice, Haruka snuck her way out to where her own car was parked and where a certain aqua haired woman was already waiting in the front seat.

Haruka couldn't contain the flutter in her chest at the sight and she slid into the driver's seat, turning the ignition on. There was a lightness in her that she hadn't felt in years, buoyed by the the sheer certainty of her newfound freedom.

"Where should we go?" Haruka asked and Michiru smirked at her even as her words were tender.

"I don't care as long as I'm with you."

And without a thought as to the world they were leaving behind them, the two drove off into the setting sun.

A/N: It's a crazy time huh? I hope you're all staying safe and informed, and happy Pride!

Well, it took a while (do people still read this story? lololol) but I came back to this story like I promised. I will finish this story one way or another. Thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot to me (insert hugging emoji)

Story related:

It's been years since I've watched/read the original material. Sorry if any of the girls seem OOC. I do remember the girls' characterisations in the original 90's anime more than the ones in the manga/reboot (although I find the latter more compelling) so I tend to rely more on the former.

I literally know nothing about F1 racing. I read a bunch of articles describing F1 racing and kinda just smashed some words together. Hopefully it made sense. How was Seiya's cameo? I mentioned him briefly in Chapter 2 as one of Haruka's old rivals and I've been wanting to have him be a commentator for the final race since then.

I was really set on having Haruka win this grand prix but lose the world championship due to a matter of points but I also really wanted Haruka to stun everyone by casually announcing her retirement (I like dramatic exits, sue me). While Haruka does have a roguish/charming persona to the public, I think she respects her fellow drivers enough to not steal their thunder by announcing her retirement right after someone else won (Now if she had been racing Seiya, that'd be a different matter entirely hahaha). So, ultimately I went with Haruka winning so she could declare her announcement like that.

At first, I wrote out Haruka giving a heartfelt speech at a press conference when declaring her retirement. But I thought more about it and going back to Haruka's roguish/playboyish/charming persona to the media/fans, I thought it'd be most fitting for her character to drop this huge news and just jauntily walk off (cue shading, flower petals, and music).

The next chapter is the day of the wedding! Ahhh! Are you ready? I'm not