Chapter Nine
Author's Note: The million "a's" that are in the story are there for section breaks. I normally put dashes but for some reason, the document manager won't let me use them (when I update changes, they disappear). If anyone knows how to fix this problem, please let me know. Thanks!
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"…San!"
"…Ni!"
"…Ichi!"
"…GO!"
The Hachi-Roku led the Toyota Celica downhill on Akagi.
Keisuke sat nervously on the hood of his car at the base; he could feel cold sweat building up from the backs of his ears and his hands were clammy. Normally, Ryousuke would always talk with him about strategy before the battle, simultaneously preparing and calming his brother's rattled nerves.
Despite the knowledge that Ryousuke wouldn't have been able to be present even if it weren't for their argument, Keisuke still berated himself for treating his Aniki so harshly. When did following Ryousuke's advice ever steer him in the wrong direction?
In his time of trouble, he quickly found himself desiring his brother's presence. Am I even ready for the professionals?
He knew the scouts had arrived; a blue prototype of the progeny of the RX-7 stood parked on the side of the road, indicating that at least the Tokyo scout was nearby. The car was beautiful to Keisuke's eyes. If only Ryousuke could see it. Then again, he probably had.
"They've passed the first set of hairpins!" Matsumoto's radio crackled from behind him near the support van. "The Hachi-Roku's still ahead but the Celica is pushing hard!"
The eleventh corner…Keisuke figured that it would be no more than five or six more minutes before the race would be over; surely Fujiwara would not drag it into a second run.
"I'm sorry, Aniki," Keisuke raised a shaking hand to his forehead. "Shit! I can't do this!"
He had never been so tense before. Ryousuke had gone to the hospital early in the morning to have the titanium pins removed from his leg and was resting when Keisuke finally worked up the nerve to apologize for his errant behavior. When he was leaving for the battle, he heard Ryousuke's voice on the phone through the closed door. Deciding not to disturb him, Keisuke left without a word.
"Keisuke-san," Kenta handed him some water. "You don't look so good."
Keisuke glared at the shorter man; Kenta was always stating the obvious. "Is the WRX ready?"
Kenta nodded. "Since we've given them the option of leading or chasing, they've decided to lead this round."
Even without Ryousuke present, Keisuke heard his brother's voice declare it a mistake of inexperienced amateurs who often underestimated the advantage that a home course provided the driver.
"Unless the vehicle is at an extreme disadvantage," Ryousuke would say, "it is wise to chase a car and learn, on the first run, the strategy and skill of the driver."
At least all he had to do was pass the other driver. A distinct sound of a rotary engine caught his attention. The Mazda Dominion car was starting, most likely preparing to drive up the course to observe him on the second set of hairpins. He tried to see the driver, but the tinted windows hindered his site, making Keisuke even more nervous.
Matsumoto came up to him. "Keisuke-san, you should probably begin warming up your engine. They should be coming down any minute."
"Oh…" Keisuke nodded. "Hai…"
Matsumoto was concerned for the young driver; the absence of Ryousuke was effecting them all, more so this battle than the last. Fumihiro's absence was even more disconcerting. "I wonder where he is."
"We're at the last set of hairpins!" the radio exclaimed. "Amazing! The Hachi-Roku's entrance speed is incredible! The Celica can't keep up…"
Keisuke heard no more; he didn't need the radio to tell him how the race would end. A couple minutes later, Fujiwara's car crossed the goal, followed almost five entire seconds later by the Celica.
The driver of the blue Mazda spoke to Matsumoto, who pointed up towards the road and the driver sped off. Keisuke felt a tremor through his spine; cold sweat soaked his back. "I can't drive like this…"
"He can't drive, Matsumoto-san," remarked Kenta. He then ran to the other team to delay the start of the climb for another ten minutes, blaming last minute tuning.
"He doesn't have a choice. There's too much at stake."
Matsumoto looked again at the nervous ace. "He needs you, Ryousuke."
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A bang on the door woke Manaka from her shallow slumber. Quickly donning her robe, she walked to the front door to find Kintaro's angry face looming through the peep hole.
"Ssshh! You'll wake everyone!"
He didn't care and barged into the living room and plopped down on the couch, smiling in self-satisfaction. "I got some new parts for the Porsche today. Father had them shipped in from Europe; they certainly make cornering much faster." His feet plopped onto the coffee table, knocking her purse over. "I'll practice some more and shame those idiots who don't think that imports are worth shit."
Manaka knew nothing about cars; she didn't even know how to drive a manual. As usual, she nodded and began to pick up the scattered contents of her purse. A piece of paper with a bank seal fell out and Kintaro seized it before Manaka could hide it from him.
"What the HELL is THIS!"
He knew exactly what it was; a loan statement indicating that Manaka had borrowed over thirty million yen from the bank.
She paled at the volume of his voice. "Kintaro, please. I can explain…"
He slapped her. "The hell you will!"
The force of his hand on her cheek caused her to loose her balance and fall on the coffee table. Tears stung her bruised cheek and she felt his hands grab her arms and jerk her to her feet. "You bitch! Going behind my back like this!"
"I'm only giving you back what I owe you!"
He laughed cruelly. "I don't need your money. You owe me much more than that, Manaka."
His lips crushed hers and she whimpered and twisted under his touch. The taste of sake stained his tongue.
"Let go of her!"
Kintaro turned around and threw Manaka against the wall. "Shut up and go back to your room!"
Tamiko held her ground, green eyes blazing. Behind her, Kioko gripped her little brother's baseball bat and waved it menacingly. "Get OUT of my house or I'll call the police!"
Kintaro grunted and spat at her, returning his attention to Manaka, who was struggling to rise from the ground. "Father tried to tell me you weren't the effort."
She just bit her lip and looked down.
He let out a cruel laugh, bent down to meet her gaze, and roughly grabbed her chin to make her face him. "That's what happens when you don't listen and fall for little bitches like yourself."
Kintaro shoved her down once again. "I'm leaving." He grabbed the loan statement and tore it to shreds. "You're not getting out this easily."
The tears didn't fall until the door slammed shut. The other two girls quickly ran to Manaka and helped her to the sofa. "You're bleeding."
She touched the back of her head and felt a sticky substance. "I'll be fine," she whispered.
"Manaka-chan," said Tamiko, "you need to tell the police. We can't keep on doing this anymore."
She nodded. "I'll leave, I'm so sorry for putting you guys through this."
"No!" Kioko exclaimed. "You've definitely misunderstood us. Kintaro would never harm either of us…our parents would have him executed." Her attempt at humor failed to bring a smile t her friend's face.
"Manaka," Tamiko wiped a tear from her face, "the least we can do is be here with you. I just can't see you go through this again. It's only getting worse."
"You don't understand…" Manaka whispered. "I've dug my grave and I can't get out…"
The other girls cradled her as she cried.
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In a Tofu shop across Gunma, a bitter old man finished a small bottle of sake and lit a cigarette.
Slowly rising, he entered his bedroom and from the desk in the corner where he kept his accounting ledgers, removed a worn envelope from the very bottom.
Pinching his cigarette and disposing it, he slowly opened the envelope and pulled out a faded and worn picture.
There she was, he thought.
"Beautiful as ever."
Walking across the hall into the other room, he placed the photograph back into the envelope and onto the bed.
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"Keisuke-san," Kenta ran breathlessly towards the FD, "we have to begin otherwise they'll count it as a forfeit."
Keisuke nodded and entered his FD. Revving the engine, he listened to the soothing sound that only a rotary could create. He pulled up slowly to the start line behind his opponent and tried to relax and breathe normally.
Matsumoto began the countdown. "The countdown is ten seconds!"
"Jyuu…" Keisuke's heart began pounding as he heard the smooth hum of the opponent's engine.
"Kyuu…" His hands began to shake and his breath was ragged.
"Hachi…" I can't do this.
"Nana…" The interior of the FD seemed to close in on him.
"Roku…" He breathed deeply in an effort to calm himself.
"Go…" Keisuke had to stop his foot from slamming the accelerator. Damn the English that sometime worked its way into Japanese colloquialism.
"Shi…" I can do this.
"San…" No I can't…
"Ni…" Keisuke felt his entire body tense, waiting for the last number before the actual signal to begin.
It never came. Instead, the familiar honking of Fumihiro's car caught his attention.
The driver of the WRX cursed. "What the hell is going on! Is this how you do things in Gunma?"
Ignoring his protest, Matsumoto looked closely at the car and his eyes widened. "Hold on…ten minutes, no more."
"I'm sick of waiting!" demanded the other driver.
Matsumoto walked to his window. "Do you want a real battle?"
"This is what you call a battle? This is what I call WAITING!"
Leveling with the other driver, Matsumoto lowered his voice. "Ten minutes and you'll have your battle."
He then motioned for Keisuke to roll open his driver side window as Fumihiro pulled up just behind the FD on the gallery parking lot.
Expecting more complications and too nervous to look, Keisuke obeyed silently and listened as the car door opened and closed moments later.
Gasps and murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd. Just as his curiosity got the better of him, a familiar voice set his senses into place. "Keisuke."
Snapping his head to his right, Keisuke drew a fast breath. "Aniki!"
Supporting himself on a set of newly acquired crutches, Ryousuke managed to smile down at his brother, taking note his flushed face and the numerous sweat trails leading from his hairline. "Hold back at first and let your opponent get comfortable."
Speechless, Keisuke could only nod. To his great relief, the familiarity of the situation was already soothing his ruffled nerves.
"The scouts are almost certainly stationed towards the second or third set of hairpins before the summit; most likely at the landing where both are visible."
Another nod; the sweat began to recede and Keisuke felt his trembling cease.
"You want the scouts to see you pass the other car, so stay behind him until the third set of hairpins from the end."
His breathing returned to normal and the old burning desire to race found its way back into Keisuke's rolling stomach.
Ryousuke noted the change in his brother's demeanor. "Until you can pass him, make sure that your car is in control coming out of each corner. You cannot be sure where the scout is, so make sure you emphasize precision in every move. Remember the acceleration techniques we spoke about."
"Aniki," Keisuke started, but was quickly silenced by a shake of his brother's head.
"I know, Otouto," he said. "I'll be here when you're done."
Keisuke nodded and revved his engine as Ryousuke slowly made his way back to Fumihiro, avoiding the shocked and concerned looks of the other onlookers.
"ARE WE FINALLY GOING TO MOVE!"
Annoyance and anger replaced Keisuke's former anxiety. "Let's do it."
Fuhimiro took Matsumoto's place at the starting line and began counting down.
"…San!" Keisuke cracked his neck and flexed his fingers.
"…Ni!" He gave the accelerator pressure, reveling in the sound of his engine revving.
"…Ichi!" Looking to his right, he caught his brother's eye. Ryousuke nodded confidently at him. You can do it, Otouto.
"GO!"
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I'm sooo sorry about the lateness in posting. I'm in the middle of a crazy set of prelims and my computer keeps not cooperating with me. I think I'll have to put this on a disk just in case it decides to crash or something.
I've also decided to hike the rating up to PG-13 due to some of the scenes in this chapter. Please let me know what you think…PG or PG-13? I'm not really familiar with the system.
All in all, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, late as it was. Your reviews have been great and I've enjoyed them and I only hope for more (plus a little help with my rating problem). Thanks a lot!