Chapter 3 Condor

Disclaimer: Once again, I can only dream of owning the bird-people. They belong to Tatsunoko Productions.

Joe Asakura pulled off his helmet and waved briefly to the crowd. First place again, not too shabby. A couple more races like this and his rank would be locked for the year. As long as that purple freak kept his damned toys out of everyone's face for a little while that is.

As he turned to head towards the pit, his eye was caught by a familiar figure in the stands. What the hell? None of the others had come to this race. He looked closer and recognized Oniishi watching him. What the fuck was the Red Impulse squad doing here? He rose in his seat, ready to jump out and question the man when Oniishi flipped him a quick salute of acknowledgment, then ducked into the crowd. Joe shook his head and drove to the pit. What the hell was going on? He brushed off his pit chief's offer of going for a drink to celebrate the victory, saying he would be around later. His mind was distracted by the unexpected visitor, and he nearly called Ken to find out if anything unusual was going on today, then decided against it. He was being left alone for once, why invite trouble?

He parked his car next to his trailer and slowly went inside. He was dead tired, it'd been a long day. He reached into the fridge for a beer, intent on passing out for a couple of hours before joining his crew. He popped the tab and nearly choked on the first gulp of liquid when he spotted the envelope lying on the counter at his elbow. How the hell did that get in here? He caught his breath then picked it up and studied it carefully before opening it. What was this? His eyes narrowed and he recalled seeing Oniishi at the track. One hand unfolded the sheet of paper as the other automatically strayed towards the hidden pocket on his pants. Was this why he'd been at the race? His jaw nearly dropped in surprise as he read the letter's greeting. Only one person could manage to convey that sarcastic tone even on paper.

Hello Joe,

Before you either tear this up or riddle it with those shuriken you love so much, sit down, shut up and listen for a minute, I have a few things to say to you. You can do whatever you like to this letter...after you read the entire damned thing. Now sit down.

For the first time in his life, Joe followed Red Impulse's orders without hesitation or argument.The bed beneath him groaned as he collapsed heavily onto it and continued to read, his beer forgotten on the counter

Now that I have your attention, we're going to have ourselves a little chat. For once I'm going to talk and you're going to listen. Guess there really is a first time for everything.

Sarcasm aside Joe, there are some things I want to say to you. First off is thank you. You've kept Ken from getting himself killed on more than one occasion. I owe you for that. I'll owe you even more if you can manage to help him get his head out of his ass on a few things. Although if you're reading this, don't expect to collect any time soon.

Second thing is that I'm glad to see the man you've turned into. You haven't changed much from that scrawny little kid that Nambu picked up on the beach that day. You're still as much of an ornery cuss as you were when you nearly bit my hand when I helped him patch you up. Don't worry, I don't hold it against you. You've exceeded my expectations of you, and they were higher than you probably think. Sure I picked on you and the others, but it did it's job didn't it? Pissed you off, made you work harder, just so you could shove your success in my face. And you did admirably. I'm proud of you.

You remember that nickname you gave me years ago? Rat Bastard, I believe, was the term you coined. You probably thought I'd forgotten about that one didn't you? Sorry Condor, wishful thinking. I never did call you on that one either. I never held it against you either, it fit too well sometimes.

Now, let's get past the macho acting and take a good look at a few things. You need to realize that without you, my son would be a stressed out wreck. You're the one who helps him see everything from both sides, in your own uniquely irritating way at times. And you provide the way to vent his frustration at times before it eats him up completely. Jinpei, though he may be a terror at worst and a pest at best, worships you, even though you tend to use him as a joke prop. Jun values you as the one she can talk to about anything. You're the rock in her life. And Ryu...well, keep hanging around him and sooner or later you're bound to get civilized.

If you do catch Katse one of these days, do me a favor and tell him how much I wish I could have killed him myself before you blow his brains out.

And lastly, love the family you have and don't let anything, even yourself, come between all of you. Take care Joe.

Kentaro Washio

Joe laid back on his bed, somewhere between a state of disbelief and feeling straight out grief that Red Impulse wasn't around so he could give him hell over this letter. He thought about pinning it to the wall with a shuriken just on the principle of it, but instead merely got up and crossed the two steps to the counter to retrieve his beer. He placed the letter in a drawer then, lifting the drink in a brief salute to the departed pilot he smirked, "Fly safe you old bastard. I'll pass on the message."He downed the rest of the beer then left to join his crew. He had a reputation to uphold.

Author's Notes: I owe my undying thanks to my onisan for helping me with this chapter. Red Impulse decided to take a leave of absence from talking to me, leaving me halfway through a letter and rather ticked off, so big brother dragged him back for me and helped finish it off. I also have to thank Alondra for the constant encouragement and for her assessment of Joe's reactions to this piece...the Condor is more her area of expertise than mine, and the input is invaluable. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated, praise will be enjoyed and any flames will be used to give Katse a major hot foot when I next tackle a battle fic.

Gold Angel: Once again, thank you for the wonderful review...I always look forward to seeing what you have to say. If I get hold of Gatch II or F, you'll be the first one I email.

Faux Fox: Thank you very much for the encouragement. Nambu's a tough one, you never know how he's going to react to certain things. Hope you enjoyed Joe's reactions...I had to edit his language a bit at (shakes head)  Jinpei's is up next. God help us all...

To anyone who may have read and not reviewed, I hope you enjoy this story. There are four letters left to go. Ja ne! Whiteswan