Chapter Two: Visions of Blood and Danger

"He can see the Jewel Shards?! How?!?" Inu-Yasha's mind yelped, inadvertently echoing what Kagome was thinking almost exactly. Then, before any questions could be asked, the trunk of the Mach 5 popped open and two eleven-year-old boys climbed out, causing all three of the teens (if you could truly include Inu-Yasha as one of them) to nearly jump out of their skins.

"Spritle?!" Speed shouted, his tone a mix of surprise, a minute trace of anger, and even some impatience.

"Sorry, bro. Old habits die hard." One of the eleven-year-olds said, giving his elder brother the same sheepish look Speed had given Kagome a short time before.

"Sota! You know better than that! Mom and Grandpa are probably worried sick about you!" Kagome said, a little angrily as well.

"But Nee-san, I just wanted to make sure you weren't cheating on Inu-Yasha! That's all!" Sota argued. This got a fervent blush from both Kagome and Inu-Yasha.

"My personal life is none of your business!" Kagome shouted, when she'd come to her senses enough to do so.

"Well, in any event, my chances of a peaceful afternoon are pretty much shot. I'm likely to get my head chewed off for even talking to you, Higurashi-san." Speed muttered, with some chagrin in his voice and eyes.

"Don't say that! I'm sure they'll listen to you if you explain why you left the stadium." Kagome reassured. Inu-Yasha only offered a snort in derision at the idea. Speed shook his head.

"Not likely. Pops was so angry with me yesterday that he came very close to calling me by my elder brother's name. I really screwed up and I have no excuse for it……….Save maybe just one. But even that one sounds too crazy to believe." Speed murmured.

"Well? What was it?" Inu-Yasha asked, impatiently.

"Yeah, Speed, what was it? You can tell us!" Spritle chimed in, fearlessly climbing onto the hanyou's shoulders and looking his elder brother in the eye (much to Inu-Yasha's surprise). Kagome could tell right away that what Speed had on his mind really bothered him, and that he was reluctant to tell his new friends about it.

"Racer-san, why don't you and your brother come inside and tell us what's on your mind? It'll be better than standing out here." Kagome said, trying to provide a small, temporary avenue of escape for the young man.

"Thanks, Higurashi-san. I appreciate it." Speed said, gratefully, as the five of them stepped into the house. Once the four guests had been seated at the dining room table, and Kagome had gotten them all something to eat or drink, she sat down and gently confronted the troubled racer.

"Now, what's bothering you? What was it that has you so spooked?" Kagome asked, making direct eye contact with Speed as she said that.

"You're going to think I'm crazy." Speed warned.

"I've kinda come to that conclusion already." Inu-Yasha grumbled, before Kagome gave him a warning look that said 'Shut up or else'. And Inu-Yasha knew what the 'or else' meant, all too well. Speed, on the other hand, ignored him.

"Go ahead, tell us. I've seen enough weird stuff in the past four or five months that if I told anybody I know, they would think I'm crazy. Don't worry. You're in the company of friends here." Kagome assured.

"And family! Don't forget that I'm here too!" Spritle added, from around his glass of chocolate milk. Speed gave him a wan smile.

"I guess I have nothing to lose by telling you. Just don't call the nuthouse when I'm through, okay?" Speed asked, jokingly. Kagome smiled in turn.

"Okay." Kagome promised. Then the young racer took a deep breath and began his tale.

"It started off like this…………." Speed said, then started to explain what had happened jus twenty-four hours before.

Flashback

Speed clenched the steering wheel of the Mach 5 tightly as he rounded one of the hairpin turns in the racetrack. For some reason unknown to him, he was on edge. Every nerve within him was taut; almost to the breaking point.

"Speed, ease up around those turns! You know better than that!" Pops Racer's voice shouted into Speed's left ear.

"Sorry Pops!" Speed replied, as he gunned the motor and shot down the straightaway.

"What in the world is wrong with me? Why am I so tense?" Speed wondered, before the answer quite literally came like a bolt from the blue. For a split second, a second that seemed more like an eternity, Speed's mind's eye opened and an image appeared before it. And the image itself was what truly scared Speed Racer; it was the familiar image of Racer X, but his uniform was soaked in blood and his eyes glowed crimson from behind his X emblazoned mask.

"Speed…………………help me…………" Racer X's voice weakly pleaded, before the image itself was gone and Speed returned to reality. He yelped when he saw how close he was to the wall and veered away, bashing part of the Mach 5's fender into the wall before crossing the finish line and ending the trial.

"Speed, what the hell were you doing out there?! The racetrack is not the place for daydreaming!" Pops shouted, furiously.

"I'm sorry, Pops." Speed said, softly, too disturbed to offer an argument for his own defense.

"Sorry won't cut it! Any more carelessness like that and I'll have you kicked off the team! Is that clear?" Pops snarled. Speed in turn gave him a look that was a cross between shocked and hurt. Then he lowered his head and nodded.

"Crystal clear, Pops." Speed replied, as he sadly turned and left the area.

End Flashback

"That's about the heads and tails of it. What do you think, Higurashi-san?" Speed asked, with fresh pain in his eyes from having to remember the day before. There were a few moments of silence before Kagome answered, but, when she did, her expression was serious.

"And you've never had anything like that happen before?" Kagome asked. Speed shook his head.

"Never." Speed replied, then asked, "What do you think it meant?"

"Whatever it meant, it's certainly pointing to Racer X. Whether he was in danger or not really depends on how you interpreted the vision." Kagome said, as Speed looked gravely into his coffee mug.

"Something tells me that he's in danger. More danger than he could possibly handle on his own. I can't put my finger on it, but something dark has taken him; something evil. But I can't figure out what. Or why." Speed admitted, completely at a loss for what the next move should be. Kagome gave him a look a genuine sympathy. She understood firsthand that feeling of utter helplessness, since she'd experienced it herself that first time she'd gone to the Sengoku Era.

"Racer-san, would you like a closer look at what you saw from the driveway?" Kagome asked, having made a decision to show the racer the Shikon Shards. The confused racer only nodded.

"Oh no! Don't tell me you're thinkin' what I think you're thinkin'! Don't you dare show him, Kagome!" Inu-Yasha shouted, as he stood up to stop Kagome from leaving the room.

"Sit boy." Kagome ordered, as once again the hanyou was smacked to the ground (or, in this case, the floor).

"I wish she wouldn't do that." Inu-Yasha muttered, as he propped himself up onto his elbows and glared after Kagome.

"You asked for it." Spritle stated, dryly, his expression deadpan as he said so.

"Bite me." Inu-Yasha grumbled, moodily.

Toko Higurashi smiled when she saw that the lights were on inside of the house. She could hear sighs of relief from the back of her van when the remaining members of Team Go spotted the Mach 5.

"I hope Speed doesn't take my arrival the wrong way." Hank murmured, as Toko parked the van next to the Mach 5 and got out.

"I hope not as well, Hank. I was too hard on Speed yesterday and I'm sorry for it. I should have noticed that something was bothering him." Pops said, thoughtfully, with some regret in his tone.

"I'm sure he'll forgive you, Pops. All things considered, he's probably the most forgiving guy on the face of the planet. If he doesn't forgive you, then you'll be the first." Sparky said, matter-of-factly.

"Must've gotten that from his mother." Pops murmured, as he, Hank, Sparky, and Trixie got out of the van and followed the keepers of Higurashi Shrine indoors. Trixie could tell right from the first step into the house that the racecar driver she'd come to love was still deeply troubled. Even though his gaze was averted, she could see the spiritual pain even from her vantagepoint.

"Why didn't I see that sooner? There's so much pain, so much turmoil, in his eyes at this moment…………….It seems that Pops isn't the only one who should feel guilty right now…………." Trixie thought, freezing when Speed turned his head and looked directly at her. For a moment, both froze, uncertain what the next move should be, then Speed quickly stood and made as though to bolt from the room.

"Speed, wait!" Trixie called, startling the other room's unseen occupants and making the troubled racer pause. He watched warily as she approached, with the rest of Team Go, Toko, and the old man at her heels. She'd seen that look directed many times at different foes in the past, and it hurt her deeper than any physical wound that it was now directed at her.

"Speed, I'm…………….sorry for what I did to you earlier. I was wrong to slap you. I should have listened to you when you were trying to explain what had happened on the track. My anger at your supposed carelessness and excuses for it got away from me. Could you ever find it in you heart to forgive me?" Trixie asked, her tone gentle and calm as she approached the nervous racer with extreme care. She didn't want him to run out of her life like his elder brother had done in his. It was then that a concerned-looking, silver-haired man strode over to the racer and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You all right, Racer?" the stranger asked, with an almost concerned tone in his voice.

"I'll be all right. Inu-Yasha, this is my girlfriend, Trixie. Trixie, this is Higurashi-san's friend, Inu-Yasha." Speed said, as he carefully introduced the strange-looking fellow to Trixie.

"Huh, so you're the one who had Racer all depressed. And I can smell the other culprits too, since they're right behind you." 'Inu-Yasha' muttered, as he gave the rest of Team Go a deadpan look. Pops Racer, Hank and Sparky were quick to check themselves for body odor and, when they didn't find any (nothing they could smell, at least) they all gave Inu-Yasha a blank look.

"I've got a stronger nose than yours'. The reason is because I'm half youkai." Inu-Yasha said, dryly.

"Huh?" Pops, Hank, Sparky, and Trixie asked, in unison.

"It means he's more like a dog." A boy's voice chirped from behind Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha bristled.

"Pipe down!" Inu-Yasha retaliated.

"Make me!" the voice challenged.

"Inu-Yasha, what're you arguing with my brother about now?!" a female voice asked, in a rather chagrined tone. It was when the owner of the voice caught sight of the remainder of Team Go that she blanched and tried to hide the tiny jar that she had in her hand.

"Higurashi-san, was that what you wanted to show me?" Speed asked, his curiosity easily seen and heard. The girl nodded and slowly placed the glass jar on the table so Speed could take a closer look. Trixie watched as the wary expression returned to Speed's face, and as it appeared on Spritle's face as well.

"There's something evil about those shard………..Are they what you and Inu-Yasha have been looking for?" Speed asked, tensely, as he gave the girl a questioning look. The girl again nodded, and Trixie could see some worry emerge in Speed's expression almost immediately.

Kagome could see the worried look as well, and knew what it was that the young Racer was concerned about.

"What's all this about, Speed? What's so important or evil about those pieces of glass?" one of the young men behind 'Trixie' asked.

"Sparky, you may or may not believe me, but I have a suspicion that these 'pieces of glass' may have more to do with Racer X's disappearance than we realize." Speed said, gravely, as he looked the mechanic in the eye.

"What do you mean, Speed?" Trixie asked, voicing the question that was now on everyone else's minds. Speed in turn shifted his gaze to Kagome and Inu-Yasha.

"That vision I had, Higurashi-san, had the same aura that these Shards do. Something……..or someone that has the same powers as the Shards has taken hold of Racer X…………and it's about to make it's presence known." Speed murmured, as a feeling of foreboding came upon the entire group. And for once, Inu-Yasha couldn't think of a single snide remark.