Disclaimer: I don't own initial d or anything else stated in herein story.

This is my first attempt at an Initial D fic. This is based on my own little storyline. I actually haven't read the manga before, so I'm going off my anime and also my imagination. Expect much more to come, and this story will hopefully be more like stage 1 where more of the interpersonal relations come in as compared to stage 4 where its all racing. I mean, its great racing, but I'd love to see more Iketani/Mako type of stuff too (please no spoilers if its more in the manga. hahah)

Alrite, on with the show. Critiques greatly appreciated.

Italics - thoughts

Chapter 1 – The end of the beginning

It's a dark night in a parking lot illuminated only by the single light post in the center and the lamps hanging from the vans of Project D. Suddenly, the infamous panda Trueno (86) rounds the corner, heading into the lot, with a black RX-7 FC trailing it. Both drivers come to a stop in front of their respective teams, shut off their engines, and climbed out of their cars.

"I'm sorry, I lost," said Kentaro, the FC driver, to his team.

Whispers of disbelief swept through his team as they couldn't believe their god of the downhill had been defeated by an outsider. And to think, this outsider hadn't even driven the course before until yesterday!

As his team stood in shock, Kentaro reflected back on the race in amazement. That Fujiwara Takumi; that pass he made was incredible! No normal person would have even thought to attempt it, the risks of hitting the guardrail were so high! He's just amazing... he'll make a big name for himself someday. Heh... it feels bad to lose now, but someday I know it'll be an honor to have raced with this guy; I can feel it.

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"Great job, Fujiwara," said Ryousuke Takahashi as he clasped Takumi on the shoulder. "A great job indeed; not only did you overcome the disadvantages of this race to win, but you've also secured the last win of Project D."

"What?!" exclaimed Takumi, Fumihiro, and Keisuke at the same time.

Ryousuke continued, "Let me explain. It's all very simple really. When you were all brought on board, it was under the premise of setting the fastest records in the Kanto region. Well, I didn't tell anyone, but tonight we have finally achieved it. We've raced through our challenges, and through the challenges of others, such as Tomo of the Toudou School. We've overcome adversity, and I believe that you two, Fujiwara and Keisuke, have matured an immense amount in this time. Both of you have more than exceeded my initial expectations of you, which is quite amazing as I already had high hopes."

The group stood for a moment in silence until a thought suddenly entered Fumihiro's mind.

"But what about what the D stands for?" probed Fumihiro. It was a question that had been nagging at him since he first asked Ryousuke when the team first formed. Back then Ryousuke had told him the meaning would be clear at the end, but it still held many possible meanings.

"Ah, yes, the D in project D. Domination. It stood for domination. My secondary goal in the forming of Project D was to make create two drivers who, having dominated the streets, would be able to go professional and continue on winning. I can only take you two so far, Keisuke and Fujiwara; what happens from here on out is up to you. I have done everything in my power to advance your techniques. Thus, it is the end of Project D."

The rest of the Project D team was silent as they absorbed this information; they'd been together for months now, and it was hard to imagine that this was the end of the road for them.

Ryousuke continued, "I know it's all still shocking, but life can't stay the same. We all have to move on and strive for bigger things. We have to leave to grow. As a team we've grown close, we've shared thoughts and feelings with each other. We've gone the sleepless nights; these are memories we'll never forget. But memories they must stay, as we all head our separate ways; from tonight onward Project D is no longer. I thank all of you for your time and dedication, and I hope that each and every one of us, from the mechanics to our two drivers, have learned from this experience; I know I have... Well, let's pack it all up and head home!"

"Ok!" yelled out the team as they moved around to gather up all the equipment lying around. Everyone still didn't know what to say, so instead they applied their energy into doing something productive. After packing up, they started on the hour long trip home. It was the longest ride ever as no one spoke a word, everyone still unsure of what all this new information really meant to them.

a/n what does the future hold in store for takumi? Wait and find out!