While chaos was reigning at Yoko Beach, Tokyo 3 was relatively peaceful: Kensuke Aida was on top of the moon. He'd won a massive replica P-38 pistol for signing onto one of his military magazines; the model was massive, almost 10 feet high. But it came in a massive display box and the delivery men put it in his bedroom for him. Kensuke lived in one of the older Japanese houses and he had quite a large room and it made a great wall feature in his room. He was basking in his newest acquisition when he got a phone call from Toji.
"Hey Kensuke, can I come over to your house?" he sounded desperate
"Sure man, why, what's up?" Kensuke asked
"My father is having a midlife crisis and has bought a ridiculous car: it was cheap but by hell it looks odd" he groaned
"Sure amigo, come on over" Kensuke said and hung up
Kensuke went into the kitchen and started making a plate of nachos for him and Toji when his mate arrived crying that Kensuke was god and all sorts of odd stuff. Kensuke went to the lounge room and saw that Toji seemed pretty upset over something.
"Toji dude what's bugging you?" Kensuke asked
"My old man is going though a midlife crisis" he said
"I got that part; and that he'd bought some weird car" Kensuke said chucked his friend a lite beer
"Yeah, this red and orange thing with the biggest god damned yellow spoiler you've ever seen in your life man" Toji grouched and took a swig of the lite beer
"Damn man, but ah, madness prevails here too" Kensuke said
"Huh?" Toji asked in a confused manner
"I won the biggest replica gun you've ever seen mate" he explained
"As in it shoots bullets and shit?" Toji requested confirmation
"No, but I can see all the moving parts and shit. Very cool" Kensuke said and took a swig of coke.
"Jesus wept, has this whole city gone insane?" Toji wondered aloud
"This is Tokyo 3, Toji, being mad is a prerequisite to living here mate" Kensuke said and slapped Toji on the back
*****************
Hikari was cooking dinner while Nozumi did her homework in her room when she heard a loud noise outside her house. With a look of confusion and interest she sticks her head out of the window and saw her sister pulling up in this atrocious looking pink and white car that looked like it was ripped off from a B-grade Mexican science fiction film set from the 60's. But Kodama seemed happy with it
"I hope she didn't spend money on that" Nozumi said in a sickly voice as she saw the car
"Hey hey, who wants to go for a ride in my new wheels?" Kodama asked the others
"Please tell me you didn't spend money on that" Hikari repeated Nozumi's sentiment
"5 yen for the raffle ticket" Kodama said and went to get a drink
"You won the car?" Nozumi asked
"Yep, the Uni ran a raffle and I won, I could not believe it" she said and again tinkled her keys
"So, whose up for a ride?" she asked, smiling devilishly
"Come on Hikari, when do we ever win a car" Nozumi said and skipped out and into the backseat
"Come on sis, you've worked hard this month, you deserve a break and I think a long drive out to the lake and back will do you good" Kodama said
"Okay then" Hikari relented
"But first, get changed. No school uniforms" Kodama said, being firm on the matter
"Well what do I wear then?" Hikari asked huffily
"Something sultry and sexy, we are gonna be like Thelma and Louise plus 1" Kodama said, shaking her hips in a seductive manner
Hikari just remained silent and went upstairs to her room and got changed. She got a small midriff tee shirt which revealed enough but not so much that she looked like a slut/popstar and a hip hugging denim skirt. With a pair of tennis shoes Hikari was ready to go.
[Please god don't let Toji show up at the lake] Hikari prayed as she walked down the stairs self-consciously
"Ah, much better little sister, lets go" Kodama grabbed Hikari and ran to the car
[Why do they insist in wearing such revealing clothing; it's pretty silly at times] Arcee thought as they drove her to the lake
Arcee's thoughts on the Horaki family from her limited contact with and info on them were pretty balanced; Kodama was the wild one, Nozumi was the funny and bubbly one while Hikari was the middle child yet she was the mature studious one. In her experience with the children of her own race, the middle one was usually the partying wild kind rather than the older ones.
[She will be an interesting person to get to know] Arcee decided
They made it to the lake with no major mishaps and Kodama set out a blanket and some food and drink on the shore and relaxed in the afternoon sun. Nozumi played in the water and Kodama sun baked while Hikari went for a walk along the lakefront, not as romantic as a beach but it was beautiful all the same.
[Now I wish Toji was here] she thought sadly
To Hikari's total shock, her wish was granted. Toji appeared from under the water of the lake, startling Hikari so much that she fell down and screamed; a really feminine sound. Toji shook his head clear of the water and blinked when he saw who he thought was the class rep. Upon closer inspection, he became sure that it was
"Hi Hikari, what are you doing out here?" he asked as he picked up a towel that was hanging over a tree branch and dried his hair and chest.
Hikari was going redder than beetroot: she had a huge crush on Toji, and having him pop out of the water the way he did in a pair of swim shorts and dripping in water wasn't helping her much. Toji was now standing over her, offering Hikari his hand. She blinked at him for a minute before working out that he was offering her a hand up.
"Oh, ah, thanks" Hikari stuttered and accepted the proffered hand
"No problem Hikari" Toji said
"Hehehe" Hikari giggled
"What, what did I do?" Toji asked
"That's the first time you've ever called me by my name" Hikari said
"So it is. I should do it more often, I like your name" Toji said with a soft voice he rarely used
Hikari was blushing before, now she was giving of light and heat from the comment Toji just made. Behind a rock, Nozumi was watching her sister and the other boy with a huge smirk on her face. She may only be eleven but she knew a crush when she saw it. Giggling a little, Nozumi went back and told Kodama what she was seeing. The older sister smiled and went for a look.
[My sister has good taste] Kodama thought and snuck away
"Anyway, Hikari; I need to go now. But next time you feel like a swim, I'll keep you company" Toji offered as he jumped on his bike
"S, sure" Hikari stuttered as Toji peddled off
[Wow] Hikari thought as she rejoined her sisters; both of whom had smug looks on their faces
"What are you two looking at?" she asked
"Hikari and Toji, Hikari and Toji" Nozumi chanted from her safe position in a tree
"I must admit little sister, your taste in men is very good" Kodama said in a low voice with a smirk on her face that could ignite the pope's boxer shorts
"YOU SAW ME?" Hikari shrieked incredulously
"Well, I did first; then I told Kodama" Nozumi said with the big smile only preteen can use.
"Oooh" Hikari fumed and stormed off up to the car
*****************
Later that night, Toji carefully slipped out of his house and into the garage. He unlocked his dad's weird looking car and got into the driver's seat and started the car up. His father and grandfather were both at work and used his grandfather's car to go to and from work. Toji eased the car out of the garage and began driving.
[This will probably be the death of me, but hey, at least its fun] he thought and drove, very carefully to the meeting place.
Toji had gotten involved with an illegal street racing group a while ago: Toji loved car games at the arcade and longed to try the real thing. So when one of the members he met (by beating him at a racing comp at the local arcade) offered him a go at the real deal he jumped at the chance. The proviso was he had to bring his own car. So when his father bought this one, it was a godsend
"Okay, time to see if I've got what it takes to really race with the big boys" Toji said to himself as he pulled up to the meeting area
Toji got out and locked the car, then he went to find Maki; the guy that ran this little operation. Maki was a tall guy around 17 or 18 with more money than sense and a very fast car. He was however a very likable guy with a great deal of charm, the kind that makes people believe in him and follow him. Maki saw Toji and smiled after lighting his cigarette
"Toji my man, finally scored a set of wheels huh?" Maki asked
"Yeah, you could say that" he paused and pointed to the car he came in
"I prefer to call it a clown car but it's got one hell of a motor under the hood" Toji finished and laid down the entry fee for the race: 1; 000 Yen
"Okay, here's your race number. Get to the starting line" Maki said and handed Toji a plate with a 5 on it.
"Thanks Maki" Toji said and ran to his car
Soon everyone was registered and ready to go. A girl around Maki's age stood up on a rock and grabbed her scarf and held it aloft. When she dropped the scarf; that was the signal to go. Toji breathed deeply and began revving the engine to get the rev counter going. The air was thick with tension as the deafening roar of engines and music. The scarf dropped.
[GO!] Toji's mind screamed: he hit the accelerator
Hot Rod was worried and excited at the same time: he was gonna get to have a real good hoon now but he was sure that the boy wasn't a very capable driver at high speeds and he was far too young to be driving anyway. So Hot Rod told himself that he would take over if Toji lost control of him.
[Okay kid, let's see what you got] Hot Rod thought as he lathered on the speed
The race was on a hill area outside of the city: the roads were very twisted and had lots of steep and sharp curves in them. This part of the road was nicknamed 'The Helix' and it was a favourite of the racers. Toji learnt to drive so to speak when he spent a month on an uncle's farm: he started with tractors and by the time he left was able to drive into the town in the Ute for food and other supplies.
"By god you have a good engine in ya" Toji smiled as he poured on the speed and shifted gears to take it up a notch
Then something happened: some oil had been spilt on the road earlier. Not a lot but enough to cause a problem. Toji couldn't see it coming and hit it. The car went into a spin and Toji had no control over it whatsoever: he was shooting towards the edge of the cliff face
"Oh no, I'm dead meat" he said
"No you're not" a voice said, making Toji jump
The brakes on the car slammed on hard, and the car stopped moving totally. Toji was still shaking when that same voice asked him if he was okay. Toji just nodded dumbly and asked what the hell was going on.
"Well bucko, my name is Hot Rod, the clown car as you put it. I, like others of my kind were sent her to protect you. There are a few other people we guard as well" he explained
"What?" Toji was stunned, as you would be
"First, let me show these punks how to drive. I've got a trick or two that worked in the Canyon Rally, should do here" Hot Rod said and hooned back into the race
He just sat back and let Hot Rod do his thing: he was obviously better at it than Toji himself was. As they ran the race, weaving and passing people at an incredible rate; Toji pondered the implications of what Hot Rod told him: why would he need a giant car to look after him, was some kind of madman after him or something. Soon they approached the finish line and Hot Rod let Toji drive him again as they slowed to claim victory. Toji opened the window and tried to be as calm as he could
"Can I have my winnings please?" he asked
"Yeah, sure" Maki handed over the money with a robotic movement: he was still stunned that Toji won his first race
"Bye Maki" Toji said and drove off feeling superior
As they drove, Hot Rod decided to question Toji on his foolhardy actions in joining the race. It took some prodding but eventually Toji decided that he would spill the beans on his reasoning
"My sister is in hospital, she's badly injured and I feel so angry I wanted to hurt the person who hurt her" he said
"Did you?" Hot Rod asked as he pulled to a stop
"Yeah, it was Shinji; my now best buddy. Anyway I still felt the pain and I knew I couldn't just go around punching people out so I started driving in the sim comps at the arcade" he continued
"Well, go on" Hot Rod prompted
"I beat Maki one day: he was the one who offered me the try at real racing. And when I started trying it out in trials for the races; I felt the pain go away" he said
"I see; so the rush of you knowing that you could die in this race made your pain leave you" Hot Rod surmised
"Yeah, even when I thought I was going to die I wasn't feeling pain" Toji said
"Toji, I want to show you something but you need to outside me, can you pop out for a minute?" Hot Rod asked
"Sure" Toji agreed and jumped out of the car
"HOT ROD, TRANSFORM" he cried
Toji, like all those who saw this feat of engineering; watched in silence as the car became a robot about the size of a three story building. He had a youngish appearance as if he himself were a teenager like Toji was. Hot Rod smiled and sat down cross legged.
"Hi man, I'm Hot Rod. Your bodyguard from here on in" he said and smiled at his young charge
"W, wow" Toji was amazed
"Yeah I get that a lot" Hot Rod said; then he felt something in his windshield
He plucked out the offending item and saw a picture of Arcee's charge: Hikari Horaki and he suddenly felt the boy's affection as he himself had a connection with Arcee that was a bit one way. He looked at the wide eyed boy
"A sweetheart eh, you devil" Hot Rod teased
"Back off man" Toji got heated
"Whatcha gonna do dude?" Hot Rod teased him again
"Oh you're dead" Toji jumped at Hot Rod
Hot Rod merely dodged around the boy's lunges and chuckled as Toji tried time and time again to catch him with little or no success until Toji just gave up in a huff and sat down to grumble about damn big robot cars. Hot Rod sat down beside him and asked him if he wanted to know anything
"How many of us are being protected like this?" Toji asked
"Eight of you. I don't know the reasons myself but my guys don't do this sort of thing for no reason" Hot Rod explained
"Who?" Toji pressed
"Well, you of course, your buddy Kensuke, Shinji Ikari, Hikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Soryu, Misato Katsuragi and Ryouji Kaji" Hot Rod said
"Well I can understand everyone bar Kensuke, Hikari and myself. Why are we so important?" Toji asked
"I don't know. You wanna go home Toji?" Hot Rod said
"Yeah, I'm tired" he answered
Hot Rod transformed back to a car again and Toji got in the passenger side seat. Hot Rod created a hologram for a driver so as not to arouse suspicion as they drove. The ride was quiet and peaceful and they got home without incident: luckily Toji's father and grandfather were still at work when they arrived home. Toji stepped out and stretched himself and thanked Hot Rod.
"Toji, suffice to say you cannot tell anyone about me, except those who have already made contact with their guardian, and so far only Asuka has met hers" Hot Rod said
"Oh man, not the red devil anyone but her" he groaned
"Sorry dude, but you can come and talk to me any time you want" Hot Rod said
"Hot Rod, how advanced is your medical technology?" Toji suddenly got his with inspiration
"Pretty damn good, why?" Hot Rod senses he knew where this was going though
"Can you repair a spinal cord, a human spinal cord?" he pressed
"Probably" Hot Rod answered: he definitely knew where this was going
"Can you guy heal my sister's spine. She can't walk or anything like that any more" Toji pleaded
[Oh boy, you can play that guilt card like a pro] Hot Rod was debating what to do
"I'll talk to my medic buddy, if we can help you we will" Hot Rod promised
"Thanks" Toji was very grateful for Hot Rod's help
"No problem kiddo" Hot Rod replied
Toji went inside and got ready for bed: he was tired and sore from the race but he was also filled for the first time in a while, with hope. In the short time he'd known Hot Rod, the Transformer had become like a brother to him and he was very thankful for it. As he lay down to sleep, knowing a robot with the strength of a million men was out there looking after him and his closest friends made him feel better.
"We may survive the war yet" he said and went to sleep
****************