ACT 6 – 6000RPM 'The Next In Line'

The tide of Bu Xia De has seemingly been halted, after the crushing victory over the last race, with Mark defeating Sly at Route C4. As controversial as the victory may be, a win is a win.
With the scramble of Bu Xia De members remaining, a last stand must be held in order to rid the racing scene of Zui Hou R's dominion.
The score was 2-1, and all Bu Xia De could do was even the score. And that was the only opportunity left for them to sustain a balance between competitions.

Bu Xia De held another meeting at Fao and Reiko's residence. However, this one seemed a more sophisticated, yet serious, as it would probably their final meeting until all their gears have finally come into play.
It was the following week after the previous battle, the rest of the Street Elite had gathered and held a small 'car show off' session, along with a team discussion on the side. Just like the autocross industry, street racing was serious business for Bu Xia De.

The time has finally come… It's my turn now…
The final most revered and feared member of the Bu Xia De Street Elite – Yun Alex the Burning Ruby, stood lone next to his formula red twin turbo MR2 GTS and kept to himself. It is what he would often do before preparing for a serious race.

I'm the only one left who can even the score.
Alex was much different from his fellow drivers. There was just something about him that set him aside from the others. Arguably the most balanced driver and virtually impeccable battle record compared to the other members, Alex was known for his overwhelmingly cunning style and abilities.
Despite his age, he still seemed to have a more mature experience and presence on the street beyond his other colleagues.

"I couldn't do it man… Such bad luck," said Sly, as he walked up to Alex, "That dirty sonuva… He braked on purpose even though he knew we'd collide…"

"Nothing can be done about it. Whether we like it or not, we lost. That's two in a row," said Alex in a very calm and straight voice.
"We should have a rematch," suggested Sly.
"Sounds good… but no," replied Alex, "It's partially great, we'll plan to conquer our enemy at C4 again. But now it's time for the big dogs to come out and play,"

"Oh yeah… you're the only one left, right? We're counting on you!" cheered Sly, "You'll need all the preparation you can get, Zui Hou R's ability are more seemingly insurmountable than you think,"

Alex quickly threw down his cigarette and killed it with his shoe, "You really think so?"
"Yeah," admitted Sly, "Whether it was raining or not, that Mark guy would have still put up a fight,"

"That's exactly what I want," Alex leaned off his car and got up. "It's my turn now, and it's time to shut down Zui Hou R's game. They think they can just move in on us like that,"

"Now I understand what Reiko's been talking about," said Sly, "Perhaps it was a bad idea,"
"Oh don't be like that fool. You two lost against them. Don't give up on me, Sly. I don't know when you and Reiko started to be so affected on just a mere loss,"

"Alex, you'll soon find out what the big deal is," claimed Sly.
"Indeed I am, because I'm going right after the big deal itself!" announced Alex.

I really am going to find out what the hell the big deal… What all the fuss is about…

"What do you mean?" asked Sly.
"I'm going all in! Hands down, I'm challenging the Neon Serpent of Zui Hou R, Fukada Kumiko herself!" claimed Alex.

"Oh…no… way!" said Sly in shock, "You're not serious are you?"
"I am indeed serious. She's been my target from the beginning! Defeating her was the whole point of challenging Zui Hou R in the first place!" said Alex.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Alex, man," said Sly.
"That's enough from you, Sly. I'm going to crush the Neon Serpent with my SW20! And I'm making the challenge for this weekend, at C4!"

The town was as busy as ever, even in the early evening and Koda's was no different. However, the place seemed more calm and friendly compared to its usual bustling pace. Things seemed quite a little more eased for Maya, as well as the other staff.
The cafeteria and bar was also secretly an unofficial meet point for both local and foreign road racers, since the owner was once previously a part of the scene herself.
It was quite a health source for vital information about upcoming underground events among other things, and disguised as a cafeteria, bar and pool joint.

Fu Huo did not stray far during his break, as he remained seated alone at the bar, as usual. Looking at car magazines, as usual. Spoke to nobody, as usual. Working for Maya was not a full time job however. His other method of income came from Zui Hou R itself. Aside from racing events, Fu Huo spent a lot of time as a dealer for Zui Hou R in terms of marketing components to other racing teams and trading parts. He was assited by an old friend called Shijian, also known as the Eastern General of the Divine Unit, who does the accounting and database work for Zui Hou R, as well as set time attack records for various selections and Kumiko, who was the chief manager of Zui Hou R's tuning branch, which provides special tuning for other vehicles just like Dreadnaught Racing.

Fu Huo did not seem to be in the best of moods. The look on his face was a give away to tell that he did not want anybody around. He did not want to get noticed, as he was rather pale. He sat on the bar stool, almost bobbing his head down as he stared at the pages, thinking to himself.
KYOKO was the only thing that justifies me better than Ku. Now she's way beyond my reach. Damnit, but it was such a horrible experience.

It had only been barely a week since Fu Huo had experienced the nightmare of KYOKO, and he had already been thinking of ways to reclaim it. Maybe its for the best. Perhaps I shouldn't take it too seriously. That would be more logical. It's just a car after all. But I just can't resist.

Little did Fu Huo notice the person who then sat on the stool right next to him as he never usually pays any attention to the background.

"What's wrong?" Minako sat next to Fu Huo, wondering what was the case, "You look so glum man,"
"Nothing major, just a little bored, you know," lied Fu Huo.
"You don't look so happy either, Fu," noticed Minako, "Hey, I know, let's go for a walk or something?"

Fu Huo sat silently, and after a brief moment, he finally got up from the barstool.
"Fine, let's go,"
"That's better Fu. It's been a while since we've spent some time talking. We haven't really talked much,"

The two headed for the park area near the bridge that crossed over a small river around the town area. It was a bit of a change from the usual driving.

"So how are you, Fu?" asked Minako cheerfully.
"Same as always," replied Fu Huo, "And yourself?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for actually asking,"
"Been singing lately? I still haven't actually seen you perform for real,"
"That's because your never around, silly," Minako teasingly poked her tongue at Fu.
"Sorry,"
"Anyway, I've been thinking a lot lately, and sometime, I'd want to try and write my own songs, but I don't know what to sing about yet,"
"You'll figure something out," praised Fu.
"Really? Maybe I really will. It sure feels like it,"
"I enjoy listening to you sing in Japanese. Because that way, I wouldn't know what the hell you're on about, haha,"
"Meanie," laughed Minako.

The two of them continued to walk on down the park. Being with Minako briefly took his mind off KYOKO for a while. Yet he still felt the incompleteness.
After a while, Fu Huo and Minako stopped at a bench and took a break.

"Oh by the way, I got a new dress the other day," announced Minako excitedly.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'll show you sometime,"
"I'd wanna know if you've finally picked something that looks good on you for once," teased Fu Huo.
"What's that supposed to mean?"

The two continued to tease each other, until Minako remembered the time Kumiko showed up, and spent the rest of the day with her and took her home.

"Fu…"
"What is it?"
"Why do you race?" asked Minako.
"Man, I've already told you many times. I like that sort of thing and I'm excited about it. I dunno how else to explain that,"
"I know, I know, but why? What is so exciting about it?"
"Like we both know, it's not the smartest hobby to choose, but you won't understand why until you actually try it. I enjoy driving, especially through mountain roads, and highways. And racing is a way of showing that I am good at what I enjoy doing,"
"But you know it's dangerous, yet you still do it,"
"Minako, the things we all like to do are often bad," claimed Fu Huo.
"Can't you be good at something else?" suggested Minako.

After a long silence, Fu Huo finally came up with an answer, "…No."
"What a shame. I just hope nothing bad ever happens to you,"
"Thanks a lot, Mina. I reall do appreciate your concern,"
"Then why don't you quit? My sister managed to retire, why can't you?"
"I still have many things I have to do,"
"Well why don't you just race on the track? Or be a rally driver or something? Why do you gotta do this risk taking crap on the street?"
"Because its just not the same,"

Man, he says this all the time. I guess there's no way of convincing him. What's so good about driving anyway? It's just a faster, more dangerous way of running.

"Oh hey, Mina," said Fu Huo after a long while.
"Yes?"
"I forgot to tell you, I still have one of your undergarments at my place,"
"Um… excuse me?" replied Minako disturbingly.
"I have a few of them laying around somewhere actually. I figured you might want them back or something,"
Minako seemed a bit rattled at that point as she playfully slapped Fu, "Well I'd appreciate them back, thank you very much!"

"It looks okay now, doesn't it?" asked Kumiko, who spent time at Zui Hou R's tuning garage located at the city headquarters helping out with the customization of a customer's Civic. "I've been around cars all my life, yet I'm still learning a lot of other stuff," continued Kumiko.

"I see. You seem to be more serious about this retirement idea, huh," replied Shijian, who also assited Kumiko with modifications.

"Most of what I know is basically what the Emperor has taught us," said Kumiko.
"I thought most of your basic knowledge would come from just with your GTO. You're not too bad. You'll eventually get a good feel of things," explained Shijian, "Most of the time, I try to maximize the car's performance from its stock from through my own skill,"
"You mean your cars are not modified at all?" asked Kumiko.
"They are, but the settings I use are almost default. I don't use any custom brakes or suspension from our department. I just stick with the STI parts that came with the Impreza when Zui Hou brought one in," said Shijian, "By the way, we've been able to borrow the new model Impreza WRX from another team. It was a Spec C STi Version. I've only tested it a couple of times, it runs pretty well in its stock form. Set a few records with it too."

"Well, time attack is your department, E…" said Kumiko, "Your times are even faster than mine. I suck compared to you,"
"Just stick to your battle record," replied Shijian, "I'll take care of the rest."

Shijian was also an undefeated member of the Divine Unit. Although the reason was, he hardly ever participates in battle events, yet he has won each one he had actually accepted. He was probably the more experienced of the Generals, yet his style is rather complicated for others to learn and understand, which is why he is not an instructor. His official Zui Hou R time attack rankings have only recently surpassed Kumiko, which Shijian was unable to do previously. He was a more mature man, yet a little reserved. However, he seemed to be well acquainted with Shireishou X, Chuan Fu Huo.

Moments later, Fu Huo arrived at the Zui Hou R headquarters that evening, as soon as Kumiko and Shijian had finally finished with their work on the Civic.

"Working overtime again?" said Fu Huo.
"Well, as you know Fu, I'm focusing more on the business side of Zui Hou R more than ever, since I'm off the street now. This is still my job after all," explained Kumiko, "How have you been?"
"'Sup, Fu," greeted Shijian.
"I'm fine now. A little better," said Fu Huo.
"What happened to you anyway, Fu?" wondered Shi.
"Another test, man,"
"I see…"

Fu Huo's reason for his appearance was revealed in time, "Hey, Ku… Bu Xia De's challenged us again."
"Thought so. Who is it this time?" asked Kumiko.
"Dunno, says his name is Alex," said Fu Huo.
"Hmm… I haven't heard of him," admitted Kumiko.
"I have," said Shi, "The Burning Ruby. So he's actually gone out and challenged us,"
"Can you tell us a bit about him?" asked Kumiko.
"There's no need for that," suggested Fu Huo, "Because he's already here,"
"Oh, you serious? Already? Well then let's go and see what kind of challenge he has in mind,"
"You two go ahead, I still need to do some cleaning up here," suggested Shi.

Moments later, Fu and Ku met up with the challenger at the reception area. The presence of the man was rather indimitating. The red MR-2 stood like it was burning with a fiery glare and an amazing aura just from its presence.

"Good evening. You are Fukada Kumiko, correct? Allow me to introduce myself, I am Yun Alex of Bu Xia De," spoke Alex in a straight but charming voice.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yun," Kumiko shook hands with him, "So you have come to challenge one of our members to another contest, correct?"
"That is partially correct," claimed Alex, "But let me get straight to the point, I know you are planning to retire and all, but I am here to challenge you personally, Fukada Kumiko," explained Alex.
"I see," replied Kumiko, "Well, I'd hate to disappoint you, but you probably know my answer,"
"What a shame," said Alex, who almost ran out of options, "The Neon Serpent is now backing down from a challenge.
"I am truly sorry. Despite the actions I take in my career, a higher authority also binds me. I reside to these tuning branches of this Imperial Zui Hou R."
"I see, its such a shame to see the Neon Serpent be reduced to what I see before me," commented Alex, in the hopes to get into Kumiko's head and talk her into racing.

Fu Huo could not take anymore. He could not stand there any longer and listen to his mentor being disrespected by someone like Alex. He's a bit of a prick. I thought he would've been alright.
"Look, Mr. Yun," butted in Fu Huo, "What makes you think you are even on Kumiko's level? Who do you think you are to just waltz in here and disrespect somebody who has done more than twice you ever will in your lifetime?"

"I apologise," said Alex politely.
"I am the only one who can defeat Kumiko! Nobody else!" claimed Fu Huo.
"Is that so?" asked Alex, turning to Kumiko.
"Well…" Kumiko was still unsure, but deep inside her, she already knew the real answer.
"It's a shame that you won't get to even meet the glory of Kumiko first hand on the street, because I'll stop you dead on your tracks," claimed Fu Huo, "I'm going to be your opponent!"
"Hm… so the great Neon Serpent hides behind her own student. But no matter. I'll even up the score with Zui Hou R."

Kumiko kept her patience yet was getting fed up with the insults. "I have been training Fu Huo to replace me. I am no longer a match for him, as he says. He shall be a worthy opponent for you,"
"So be it," said Alex, "I've heard about your battle record, Chuan Fu Huo," continued Alex, turning to Fu Huo, "Your performance at Route F5 was stunning. How about having another run on such a track again? We'll see if luck is still on your side,"

"Whatever," shrugged Fu Huo, "I'm ready anytime. Route F5 it is."
"The battle is this weekend, Saturday 10:30PM. See you there, Chuan Fu Huo," finished Alex.
"You'll be sorry you ever looked down on Kumiko like that," claimed Fu Huo.

Alex had briefly apologized again, then returned to his vehicle and sped off.
Fu Huo watched on arrogantly as the MR2 made its way out of the headquarters.

"Fu Huo," muttered Kumiko, "You know what your doing?"
"Do you?" said Fu Huo, "I'm good enough aren't I?"
"Yes you are. But good luck. I have a bad feeling about this one," admitted Kumiko.
"Why? Just because it's in F5 again?"
"No. It's not that. I'm not sure what it is. Just be careful. That man is no amateur. You must win this race or else the team battle will be a draw. We have to establish our overall dominance as overwhelming as possible. This is not the time to go easy,"

"I guess Bu Xia De have gone all in," said Shijian, who arrived out of nowhere, "…sending their best racer here to challenge us,"
"Is he really that good?" wondered Kumiko.
"Yes. I believe he can even smoke you, Kumi," claimed Shijian, "I hope you know what you just did, Fu,"
"I know. I won't lose," said Fu Huo.
"If what Kumiko and the Emperor's theories are true, then you are the absolute best we're gonna have," hunched Shijian, "You might even get a slight chance of defeating Alex,"
"Only a chance? How do we know he's not another overrated showboat mascot like ours?" said Fu Huo.
"What's this?" wondered Kumiko, "Am I missing something?"
"You'll see first hand," continued Shijian, "Alex the Burning Ruby is no joke. His car might not only look like a Ferrari, but with the likes of him, he's probably that fast. I wonder if Zui Hou's Dragon of the Sky can match him,"
"I will," announced Fu Huo.
"Good luck, Fu. I've always believed in your instincts like they were mine," cheered Kumiko.
"Thanks, Ku."

Fu Huo had not much preparation for days until the actual race day. Much time had been spent during the remainder of the week working with parts dealing and the side job at Koda's. Restrained deep within him was an immense lust for power and status. Not so much of his darker ideals have been exposed, yet he was still a boy with a dream.
And he was determined not to let anybody get in his way.

It was finally race day, and the afternoon was spent cruising down local streets nearby the route D1 pass. Minako took a spin of Fu Huo's LanEvo, while he had sit beside her in the passenger side.

"You're driving seems a lot smoother now. You been practicing, haven't you?" complimented Fu Huo, "I thought I was the only one who could treat her right." He paused, as he reached for the radio and played some soft, soothing music, 'Your Song' – Koda Kumi
"Well, Fu, considering I got my license way before you did…" paused Minako.
"I'd like to see you push it," bragged Fu Huo.
"You don't mind?" asked Minako, beginning to put on a little bit of throttle.

'Konna samishii yoru ni wa
Kimi wo mitsumeru to kokoro yasuragu'

Minako displayed her accuracy in basic clutching, shifting, and throttling motions as they cruised along the pass at moderate speed.

'Sore wa watashi no koto dake
Kimi ga mitsumete ite kureta kara?'

"Hey, be careful," said Fu Huo sarcasticly. Though he knew that he could trust Minako behind the wheel.

Minako's driving was very smooth and very well maneuvered, from curve to curve; she did not hesitate with the low speed precise cornering basics. Fu Huo seemed rather impressed, yet remained concealed.

'Ayafuya ni shite kita koto
Yasashisa de sotto...Holding me so tight'

"Can you go any faster?" asked Fu Huo.
"Sure," replied Minako in a nonchalant voice. She applied more throttle, then eventually geared up.

The LanEvo was almost far beyond the speed limit. Though they both seemed confident on the conditions, neither of them took notice.

'Negao ni Kiss sotto hoho ni
Komiageru omoi mo ai de tsutsumikonde'

A car had approached them going the opposite direction at medium speed. Minako's expression did not change. She seemed to continue at her pace and smoothly predicted the car's speed and her ideal speed of which she would continue. Fu Huo watched her on, observing her actions. She's not phased one bit. She seems to have the instincts of a road racer. This can't be good… can it?

Minako continued to up the pace, "Well? How am I doing?"
"Uh… you're better than I thought," replied Fu Huo, "You seem to be able to connect with the car's characteristics pretty well. Just how often do you do this?"
"I drive my sister's car a lot. We live at the top of D1, and very early every morning, we have to rush down to the city and open the café. My sister does a lot of work there and needs plenty of energy, so I do the driving most of the time, even though I work there too," explained Minako.
"You have to drive fast to get there in time, don't you?" wondered Fu Huo.
"Yeah… Our schedule for the café is rather tight, we have to open at 6:30AM for the breakfast shift, and work until midnight during weekdays," continued Minako.

'Yozora no hoshi no you ni hora
Kimi ga kagayaite mieru kara'

Fu Huo had finally worked out possible conclusions. It's no surprise. If she does this every day and night, Minako would have no doubt have developed some sense within various conditions and a comfortable feel within the mountains.
Fu Huo predicted that some day, Minako would have eventually been pushed slowly but surely into the realm of touge. Just like she cared for him about the dangers of road racing, as did he for her. He did not want her to face the same risks as he did. Racing is a man's world. Minako doesn't belong in it. She's much too better than to spend her life on the street. I hope fate does not deny her the chance to be the great woman she could be.
Fu Huo watched on.

'Love ai ga furisosogu oka de
Kimi to yume wo miyou zutto...'

"Minako," said Fu Huo, "I think you should just stick to singing,"
"What makes you say that?" wondered Minako.
"I… don't know." Fu Huo could not bring himself to say it, nor bring a hypocritic image upon himself.

'Holding me… Holding me, holding me, holding me so tight…'