Chapter 2: At the Racetrack
Haruka patiently sat in her beloved No.910 GT racecar, her gloved hands grasping the steering wheel, calmly waiting for the starting signal. She couldn't help but cast a glimpse to the stand. The excited crowds are all cheering and shouting, she couldn't see her family in those various faces, but she still could feel them. They surely were there watching her, cheering for her, their hearts were no doubly always bond to each other.
Yes, Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru were not simply only her companions, but also her true friends¡..and families. She shifted her eyes to the front of the windshield. The small golden paper crane was hanging there, its golden color seemed like a gold aura shining in her eyes, and it's ready to fly with her, chasing in the wind¡¡
A gentle smile appeared slowly in Haruka's handsome face. Again, the lovely kitten-like purple eyes of a 6-year-old girl came to her thought. Before every race began, she would get her routine "gift" from her family members: Michiru's "lucky kiss", Setsuna's teasing and warning, and her Kawaii Hime-chan¡..laughing, bear-huging, and this time, a small golden "lucky charm". Now she could surely believe that she would win this race now, with all these "motivation", why couldn't she? ¡..She watched intensively the flickering red light, ready to compete with her wind¡..
Everything seemed normal as usual, Haruka had claimed her 1st position easily just at the beginning of the race, now she was busy blocking any passing attempts from her opponents behind her. "Yay!¡.Haruka-papa will surely win today!" Hotaru was jumping up and down excitedly in her seat, declaimed to her two mamas. "Yes!¡She certainly will!" Michiru smiled to her over-energetic daughter, couldn't help patting gently her purple head. Setsuna watched with interest at the scene, hiding a laugh behind her hand.
Suddenly, a loud sickening crashing sound startled all of them. Meanwhile, the audiences all gasped and began screaming in shock. The three outers quickly turned their eyes back to the track, watched in horror at the sudden chaos.
"OH GOD!¡..A couple of cars in the leading group collided in each other!¡." A man in the front seat of the stand shouted, his voice slightly trembling. Hotaru's eyes watered with fear, Michiru and Setsuna paled.
" Shit!!¡." Haruka quietly cursed under her breath, meanwhile trying her best to control her jerking car. Just few laps before the race was over, several cars behind her crashed into each other, and her car wasn't lucky enough to avoid the sudden impact that as they collided into her GT's rear. She knew that at that top speed she could hardly avoid a deadly accident, but her instinct told her that she must do the last thing she at least know to do¡¡to survive.
Her car dangerously spun out and swerved toward the railwall. All the audiences watched in horror and shock as the red No.910 racecar rolled over the grass area and finally bumped into the railwall with a loud "BANG". Clouds of dirt and metal parts flied and sent into the air.
Haruka held her breath and relax all her muscle to minimize the probability of injury. The jarring sickening noise of metal gritting with cement nearly deafened her ears. After a seemingly like eternity of rolling and whirling, her car finally stopped. One of her earpieces got loose and she faintly recognized the hysteric shouting of her worried crews from the pit:
"¡..Tenoh!! Are you OK?¡.. Answer me! ¡¡Damn! Somebody get there instant!¡¡"
Haruka managed to open her eyes, but only see constant black. She shook her slightly dizzy head, when her blurred vision came to focus, she tried to move her body and limbs. OK, it seemed they were not hurt, lucky me¡.She slightly sighed, but next moment, suddenly something smelled burned reach her nostrils¡..A familiar terrible smell¡..and the worse, black smoke began to merge into the cockpit.
"Damn! I must leave here, at once!!¡." Haruka quickly realized what was going on, the engine caught fire, then the fuel tank, and the consequience¡..there would be one million of pieces of her left if she didn't escape quickly enough. She hurried to kick rudely at the twisted car door and dragged herself out. At that moment, she didn't forget to do the last important thing, grabbing the hanging precious small golden object out and squeezed it tight in her hand¡¡
"Haruka¡..That can't be¡.." Michiru watched the terrifying scene with unbelievable eyes, she suddenly turned to the still pale Setsuna: "Setsuna, you stay here with Hotaru!¡I need to find Haruka!¡."She quickly ran into the now chaotic racetrack, her tears sliding down uncontrollably.
"NO! Haruka-papa!!¡.." Little Hotaru whimpered and shrieked at the horrible scene her Papa had been through. In her little innocent heart, she was scaring the worst thing would happen to her papa, and helplessly prayed that she would be OK, going back to hug her just like many times before, with the charming sly smile in her face. 'Please be OK, Papa¡..Don't leave me¡..' She silently sobbed, hugging tightly at her Setsuna mama's leg. Setsuna said nothing, just knelt down and gently took the frightened girl in her arms, soothing her. Looking worriedly at the racetrack, she unconsciously held the slightly trembling small frame tight in her arms¡¡
Just then, a heart-throbbing explosion sound echoed around the track and twitched everyone's hearts painfully. Terrified people were all shouting and running, trying to escape. All paramedics and racetrack crews were rushing to the explosion scene, sirens of ambulances and fire engines screaming, the whole track was in a total mess.
Haruka eventually pulled herself out of the wreck of her car, but just running for a few meters, the explosion erupted behind her. Her racecar was blasted into a huge pile of metal debris. The pieces was flying everywhere, huge clouds of smoke and flames poured from her car and all over the track. The tremendous impact and flow of the explosion had lifted her over, tossing her body to the grass meters away. The audiences watched with aching anxiety that the paramedics quickly ran over to the motionless form of the famous blond racer¡..
Haruka felt she had been sent flying in the air and flipped for numerous times. She only felt the heavy dizzy and the unbearable pain. Her head throbbed that it seemed that it would explode the next moment, and she couldn't move. "¡..No¡.I can't leave¡.I love them, I must LIVE!¡.."Haruka screamed silently to herself. In her blurred vision, she caught a flash of something aqua¡..her beloved Michiru¡..she's running toward her¡.and faintly registered her frantic crying over the roaring of blood in her ears. Several familiar faces flashed through her mind: her family, Michiru¡.and her little Hime-chan¡¡
Using all her final strength, Haruka weakly lifted her head, loosing her tightly squeezed fist and looked into it. She saw the small gift she desired¡.the golden paper crane¡it's still intact in her palm¡.
'Great¡..it's still safe¡..' Haruka felt a sudden release and slightly let out a sigh. Too exhausted, she finally gave up and slowly closed her eyes, welcoming the awaiting blackness overwhelm her¡..
'Michi¡.Hime-chan¡..I'm sorry¡¡'
Haruka patiently sat in her beloved No.910 GT racecar, her gloved hands grasping the steering wheel, calmly waiting for the starting signal. She couldn't help but cast a glimpse to the stand. The excited crowds are all cheering and shouting, she couldn't see her family in those various faces, but she still could feel them. They surely were there watching her, cheering for her, their hearts were no doubly always bond to each other.
Yes, Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru were not simply only her companions, but also her true friends¡..and families. She shifted her eyes to the front of the windshield. The small golden paper crane was hanging there, its golden color seemed like a gold aura shining in her eyes, and it's ready to fly with her, chasing in the wind¡¡
A gentle smile appeared slowly in Haruka's handsome face. Again, the lovely kitten-like purple eyes of a 6-year-old girl came to her thought. Before every race began, she would get her routine "gift" from her family members: Michiru's "lucky kiss", Setsuna's teasing and warning, and her Kawaii Hime-chan¡..laughing, bear-huging, and this time, a small golden "lucky charm". Now she could surely believe that she would win this race now, with all these "motivation", why couldn't she? ¡..She watched intensively the flickering red light, ready to compete with her wind¡..
Everything seemed normal as usual, Haruka had claimed her 1st position easily just at the beginning of the race, now she was busy blocking any passing attempts from her opponents behind her. "Yay!¡.Haruka-papa will surely win today!" Hotaru was jumping up and down excitedly in her seat, declaimed to her two mamas. "Yes!¡She certainly will!" Michiru smiled to her over-energetic daughter, couldn't help patting gently her purple head. Setsuna watched with interest at the scene, hiding a laugh behind her hand.
Suddenly, a loud sickening crashing sound startled all of them. Meanwhile, the audiences all gasped and began screaming in shock. The three outers quickly turned their eyes back to the track, watched in horror at the sudden chaos.
"OH GOD!¡..A couple of cars in the leading group collided in each other!¡." A man in the front seat of the stand shouted, his voice slightly trembling. Hotaru's eyes watered with fear, Michiru and Setsuna paled.
" Shit!!¡." Haruka quietly cursed under her breath, meanwhile trying her best to control her jerking car. Just few laps before the race was over, several cars behind her crashed into each other, and her car wasn't lucky enough to avoid the sudden impact that as they collided into her GT's rear. She knew that at that top speed she could hardly avoid a deadly accident, but her instinct told her that she must do the last thing she at least know to do¡¡to survive.
Her car dangerously spun out and swerved toward the railwall. All the audiences watched in horror and shock as the red No.910 racecar rolled over the grass area and finally bumped into the railwall with a loud "BANG". Clouds of dirt and metal parts flied and sent into the air.
Haruka held her breath and relax all her muscle to minimize the probability of injury. The jarring sickening noise of metal gritting with cement nearly deafened her ears. After a seemingly like eternity of rolling and whirling, her car finally stopped. One of her earpieces got loose and she faintly recognized the hysteric shouting of her worried crews from the pit:
"¡..Tenoh!! Are you OK?¡.. Answer me! ¡¡Damn! Somebody get there instant!¡¡"
Haruka managed to open her eyes, but only see constant black. She shook her slightly dizzy head, when her blurred vision came to focus, she tried to move her body and limbs. OK, it seemed they were not hurt, lucky me¡.She slightly sighed, but next moment, suddenly something smelled burned reach her nostrils¡..A familiar terrible smell¡..and the worse, black smoke began to merge into the cockpit.
"Damn! I must leave here, at once!!¡." Haruka quickly realized what was going on, the engine caught fire, then the fuel tank, and the consequience¡..there would be one million of pieces of her left if she didn't escape quickly enough. She hurried to kick rudely at the twisted car door and dragged herself out. At that moment, she didn't forget to do the last important thing, grabbing the hanging precious small golden object out and squeezed it tight in her hand¡¡
"Haruka¡..That can't be¡.." Michiru watched the terrifying scene with unbelievable eyes, she suddenly turned to the still pale Setsuna: "Setsuna, you stay here with Hotaru!¡I need to find Haruka!¡."She quickly ran into the now chaotic racetrack, her tears sliding down uncontrollably.
"NO! Haruka-papa!!¡.." Little Hotaru whimpered and shrieked at the horrible scene her Papa had been through. In her little innocent heart, she was scaring the worst thing would happen to her papa, and helplessly prayed that she would be OK, going back to hug her just like many times before, with the charming sly smile in her face. 'Please be OK, Papa¡..Don't leave me¡..' She silently sobbed, hugging tightly at her Setsuna mama's leg. Setsuna said nothing, just knelt down and gently took the frightened girl in her arms, soothing her. Looking worriedly at the racetrack, she unconsciously held the slightly trembling small frame tight in her arms¡¡
Just then, a heart-throbbing explosion sound echoed around the track and twitched everyone's hearts painfully. Terrified people were all shouting and running, trying to escape. All paramedics and racetrack crews were rushing to the explosion scene, sirens of ambulances and fire engines screaming, the whole track was in a total mess.
Haruka eventually pulled herself out of the wreck of her car, but just running for a few meters, the explosion erupted behind her. Her racecar was blasted into a huge pile of metal debris. The pieces was flying everywhere, huge clouds of smoke and flames poured from her car and all over the track. The tremendous impact and flow of the explosion had lifted her over, tossing her body to the grass meters away. The audiences watched with aching anxiety that the paramedics quickly ran over to the motionless form of the famous blond racer¡..
Haruka felt she had been sent flying in the air and flipped for numerous times. She only felt the heavy dizzy and the unbearable pain. Her head throbbed that it seemed that it would explode the next moment, and she couldn't move. "¡..No¡.I can't leave¡.I love them, I must LIVE!¡.."Haruka screamed silently to herself. In her blurred vision, she caught a flash of something aqua¡..her beloved Michiru¡..she's running toward her¡.and faintly registered her frantic crying over the roaring of blood in her ears. Several familiar faces flashed through her mind: her family, Michiru¡.and her little Hime-chan¡¡
Using all her final strength, Haruka weakly lifted her head, loosing her tightly squeezed fist and looked into it. She saw the small gift she desired¡.the golden paper crane¡it's still intact in her palm¡.
'Great¡..it's still safe¡..' Haruka felt a sudden release and slightly let out a sigh. Too exhausted, she finally gave up and slowly closed her eyes, welcoming the awaiting blackness overwhelm her¡..
'Michi¡.Hime-chan¡..I'm sorry¡¡'