I honestly rather not talk about why this chapter is months late. Let's just say it was due to (as always) technical complications and stuff outside of writing, along with having a few to no sources of the English dub to look for references :P Ah, yes, I'd also like to say that I'll be working on two other stories I'm almost finished with but for now, I'd like to get back to this one and update as soon as I can. If any of you are still there, thanks for staying and being patient, and for also dealing with the sour attitude I have at the moment XP OK, enough talking. The next chapter needs to get rolling!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights over Initial D. All rights go to Shuichi Shigeno. All I own in the cover art.

Race 3: Cinderella Drives a Trueno

Takimi was living one of her greatest peeves: Everyone was staring at her.

"Uh," She could feel a sweat run down her neck, looking around for someone to help her out. "Someone ordered a large order of tofu, right? Ah… It's half off?" She didn't care if she had to give up some of the money Bunta promised her. The sooner she'd get out of here and wash off her anxiety, the better.

"Takimi!" Inari bolted her way over to the delivery girl, her eyes nearly as wide as her gaping mouth. "What the heck are you doing here? Where's your dad? Why are you here? What's with all the tofu?"

"G-Give me a sec here, OK?" The young girl looked jittery, the boxes she had threatening to tumble over. "I didn't even know you guys were going to be up here. And why are you asking about my dad? He's back at the house."

"What?!" Takimi nearly dropped the boxes. Once Inari saw the genuine shock in her eyes, she took a deep breath. "Sorry, girl, I didn't mean to shout. It's just… Ugh, this is not cool! Your dad was suppose to come up here! He said Akina's fastest driver would show up!"

"He did?" The honey-brunette reeled back to when she was given the deal and she almost groaned. 'Did he seriously promise Inari and these guys that? Damnit, old man, you know how much I hate this kind of attention! Everyone won't stop staring…' She wished she could escape but there was a possibility that she would ram all her friends down. Even she wasn't too scared out of her wits to do something like that.

Sighing, Inari shook her head and looked back to Takimi. "Look, did your dad tell you anything before coming up here? Anything at all?"

"No, he just told me what he always does, kinda; deliver all these boxes of tofu to the top of Mt. Akina and then come back home. I thought this was going to be an everyday night delivery." She replied, earning a surprised glance from her senior.

"Late-night… Takimi, just how late do you make your deliveries?" She asked, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest as the gas attendant thought for a moment.

"3:00, 4:00 am, I guess? Usually I'll get lucky and leave before then and catch up on some sleep."

The gasp thrown around the area was instantaneous, Inari looking the most surprised. 'So it wasn't her dad at all. Holy shit, my friend's the ghost!' shaking her head, Inari reached into her pocket and dug out her wallet, pulling out all that was in there. "Here, I'll pay for the tofu."

Takimi jolted back. "That's way more than-"

"Doesn't matter." There was a fire in the older girl's eyes, all her prayers launched at the wide-eyed driver before her. "Takimi, I want you to race for our team. I know I'm asking a lot, but I seriously need your help on this one, girl! We gotta go for broke on this one and we need Akina's fastest racer! And that's you, Takimi!"

"But I'm not even a racer."

"You say that, but you have the skills that a racer has!" Her eyes began to plead and turn glassy, making Takimi flinch. "Please, Takimi, we need you. I swear, this'll be the only time I'll ask you to do this. Just drive against them and then you can go home, head straight back as soon as it's all over if you want to. Please, Takimi. I'm begging for you!"

The 'no' was placed perfectly on her lips. Takimi would have said it without another thought, had she not remembered Inari's accident. The fear and guilt of that night rushed back to her as the older worker looked at her with every bit of a plead in her eyes. She did hope that she could pay Inari back for that one day, but she didn't expect it to be something like this. She finally gave a sigh. 'The things I do for my friends.'

"OK."

Dark eyes lit up with joy. "You mean it?!"

"Just as long as my picture doesn't get taken." Takimi tried to laugh that out, but it only came in a nervous jab in the funny bone. She was sure that, that bone was broken the second Inari pulled her into a hug. "C-Can't breath-!" She wheezed.

"You'll be doing a lot more than breathing once you get behind that wheel," Laughing, Inari looked around the relieved smiles of her teammates before a very shocked Itsuki walked over. "She said yes, Itsuki! Isn't that great?"

"Takimi's gonna drive?!" He gasped, taking only a second to glare and wiggle his fingers. "Takimi, I'm gonna rip your ponytail clean off you! Why didn't you tell me that you were 'The Ghost of Akina'?!"

"I'm 'The Ghost of Akina'?"

Before the monkey-like man could latch at the delivery girl, Inari held him back. "Damnit, Itsuki, you can get mad at her later! She gotta get focused right now! She has a race to win!"

With a small growl, Itsuki looked back at his best friend. "We're so gonna talk about this later."

"We'll see." Shaking her head, Takimi turned her attention back to the 86, jumping as a hand slammed right into the hood. Her eyes met with a familiar pair.

"Didn't think we'd meet at your job again."

"Same." Takimi felt her stomach twirl just as fast as her racing heart. They didn't even start racing and now at his guy was getting on her nerves? Or something like that, at least.

Keisuke felt a smirk tilt his lips. "Ryosuke and I owe you for breaking us out of our hotel last time. But don't think that losing this race for you is how I'm gonna do that." He warned.

"I already told you that you don't need to do that," Sighed Takimi, feeling her cheeks flush. She was thankful that it was pretty chilly tonight. "I didn't even want stay for this kind of thing. I'm only doing this because my friend needs me to." She explained.

"Man, you're the loyalty type, aren't you?" A blonde eyebrow rose amusedly at her silence. "You're also kinda young. Thought the ghost would be a little older, but I'm not going to complain now. Especially since I get to race the girl who beat me on some hairpins."

"That was you?" Takimi crossed her arms over her chest. "I almost didn't get enough sleep last night because of that."

"Are you kidding? You just went bat-shit crazy on those corners just to get some shut-eye?" Keisuke didn't know whether to be angry or impressed. Angry that this girl barely gave their race the time of day, or impressed that something so simple motivated her to match the skills of a pro. "You gotta be insane, but I can respect that." He finally said. "What's your name, anyway? Your uniform didn't have a name tag and I'm guessing you'd hate the nickname, 'Ghost'."

"It doesn't sound too bad," 'Ghost' shrugged before stuffing her hands in her pockets. "It's Takimi. Takimi Fujiwara."

"Takimi, huh?" Keisuke's smirk widened a bit. "Kimi it is, then." ("Please don't call me that.") "Alright, we're gonna race. Just know that I'm not gonna make the same mistakes twice." Pulling his hand away from the panda, the dirty blonde took one more look over his opponent before heading back to his FD, the people crowding them clearing away as both racers went back to their respected cars. Takimi felt her pulse pick up, and she hoped that it was nervousness from competing in this race.

Both cars were left to warm up their engines before the race began. Spectators and teams kept back and behind the road rails as the cars trembled and purred.

"Inari, this is crazy," Said one of the SpeedStars. "There's no way an 86 –a dinosaur like that, even –can go against an FD. And you're asking some girl who looks ready to pass out to drive, too."

"Keep complaining, and I'll switch Takimi out for you." The young man flinched at her growl, a sigh following after it. "Look, just chill, alright? I know what I'm doing. Just sit back and watch the beast that Trueno becomes," Brown eyes glided back to the black and white car, her hands tightly grasping her elbows. "Better yet, watch the beast that our friend becomes once she gets on that road." The words drove straight onto home and even Itsuki had nothing to say. All he could do was look back at the car with the others, worry for his friend and the race making him shake all over.

"Alright, we're gonna start at the count of ten!" Shouted the RedSuns representative over the engines of the drift cars, the two vehicles roaring in response. From the inside of his car, Keisuke looked to his side and tried to see Takimi's outline through the tinted windows. She was just sitting there, looking completely still. Usually, kids her age –the ones who just got their licenses –would be nervous out of their minds to get right on the road. But Takimi looked completely OK. This was what was looking for, what he was waiting for. Keisuke finally felt that his search was over; He found a racer that knew what they were doing.

'Even if she doesn't know it herself,' With a smirk, the pro revved up his engine. 'Show me what you got, Kimi.'

With a sigh, Takimi leaned back in her seat and placed her hand on the stick shift, a familiar tingle rushing through her. 'Here goes something.'

The moment the countdown reached one, the FD took off first with the Trueno coming up behind it. A murmur passed through the crowd as both cars took off into the night, Inari and her team screaming their heads off, cheering Takimi right behind her.

The RedSuns were talking amongst themselves as soon as the two cars vanished. Most of it was just how there was no way Takimi's 86 could catch up with the power that Keisuke's FD had under the hood. But Ryosuke ignored them. His senses all went to his eyes as he calculated the race's turn out then and there.

'The 86 has a 150 horsepower on the high-end. Lower coming off the line,' He thought, putting his years of knowledge to use. 'Doesn't seem to be the monster Keisuke claims… The reason why an 86 can shift so fast is because it has training gears for a rally car race, but it's also suited for shifting the tight hairpins of Akina. But even with that advantage, Keisuke has more of the experience and that girl, Fujiwara, looked too exhausted to even race. Still…' A smile played on Ryosuke's lips. 'Keisuke looked afraid when he told me about that small race, saying that the 86 driver was a demon. Maybe he's right. Even with a pretty face like hers, Fujiwara could be a demon the likes of which no one has ever seen. It's not the make of the car so… It must be Fujiwara herself.' He mused, now wishing he and Keisuke switched places.

With the Trueno barely on his tail, Keisuke eased back and shifted the gears of his car, looking ahead. 'It's go time. I don't like using the straight always to pull ahead, but it's a timed run. After this, I won't have to see that 86 in my rearview mirror ever again. Same goes for you, Kimi.' He thought. The roar of his car was much too loud. It was loud enough to scare some spectators, and loud enough to cover the gasps of racing fans as something crept right behind him. People who weren't at the top of the mount were for sure that 'The Ghost of Akina' was finally revealing itself. They couldn't actually tell that it was just a tofu delivery girl getting excited.

"What's going on?" The RedSuns member jumped at the voice on the walkie-talkie, his eyes caught up on what he just saw with the others.

"T-This is the first corner, it's unbelievable!" He exclaimed, heads shaking with the excitement in the air. "The 86's line in unreal! It couldn't have been nothing more than a few centimeters by the guardrail! I-I never seen anything like it!"

As he passed the first corner and shifted between the simpler curves of the mountain, Keisuke spared one look at his rearview mirror. No Trueno. The smirk forming on his lips dropped though when he saw a pair of lights appearing behind him, leading the black and white panda right after him.

"What the hell?!" He muttered under his breath, trying to ignore what he just saw. "She's closing the gap! How can she be getting closer?" He dared another look into the mirror. Sure enough, Takimi was still following him, but there was still a good enough distance between them. "My head's gotta be screwin' with me. There's no way she could catch up with this much distance between us." Gritting his teeth, the second ace shifted gears along the incoming hairpins, sliding side to side with the road as it began to become curvier. At the corner of his eye, he could've almost seen a white and black paint job.

Takimi was closing in right at his side, the 86 following the FD's movements as if they were in sync. At every new corner, it looked like Takimi was just one step away from catching up with him. Keisuke had no idea what to think. His mind was going blank, just like it did when they first raced. And sure enough, he was starting to think that he was going to lose just like before.

"You gotta be kidding me," Itsuki slapped the side of his own head. "Takimi's dad used to be one of the best drift racers on Akina? That old grouch? Mr. Tofu?"

"Looks like it," Laughing a little, Inari crossed her arms as her mood seemed to be lifted a little. "And judging from what I saw a few weeks ago, Takimi's just like him. My dad told me stories about the Ghost, but I guess he was talking about Mr. Fujiwara back then. When he bought it up again, he must've been talking about Takimi, and even he didn't know it."

"Takimi and her dad," Said Itsuki in wonder. It was hard to believe that the most lax and wax-like life people he ever knew were racers on the wild road, behind the wheel of an 86 no less. Neither of them looked like they enjoyed anything fast and Takimi was like a house cat allergic to the outdoors. It almost didn't add up. "I've known Takimi since grade school and met her dad around then, too. The both of them are pretty normal enough. Well, as normal as anyone could be with running a tofu shop."

With a laugh, Inari clapped the high schooler on the back. "Guess it goes to show that you can't really tell what a person is by their looks. Mr. Fujiwara was 'The Ghost of Akina' and now the legacy is passed down to Takimi. Point being; if her dad sent her down here, then that must mean he knows that she's gonna win this."

"How are you so sure of that?" Asked Itsuki.

With a wink, the SpeedStars' leader twirled a lock of her hair. "Considering that Takimi had raced Keisuke before and won, I think she can do it again."

"TAKIMI DID WHAT?!" Everyone looked in the direction of the gathered group of racers as they surrounded Inari. "She did that?! Our Takimi?! That was her?!"

"Definitely!" Inari was getting pumped, looking at her teammates with confidence. "Guys, you gotta look at the big picture here! Mr. Fujiwara was and probably is a good racer. His daughter must be the same if he sent her up here personally."

"I thought he tricked her into saying it was a delivery-"

"Big picture! Focus on it, guys!" She sounded like a general rallying up her army, pointing one finger to the sky. "We gotta support our friend, no matter what! She may be slow when it comes to getting the point, but I sure as Hell know that she's the fastest when she comes to racing! Come on, guys! We might actually win this!" She exclaimed, a wave of cheers echoing into the night sky.

'Hmm,' Takimi looked across her shoulder, tilting her head one way. 'It's almost like before, but he's gotten better at noticing where the hairpins are. He's just too afraid to push through them,' Knowing that her beach money was practically waving at her face like a dog treat, she decided she needed to get this done. Her eyes were already beginning to get heavier and she was almost worried that her father would have forgotten this race and used the promise money for his 'business trips'. She wanted to go home as soon as possible now. 'Guess I better show him that they aren't that scary as they look.' She mused, her hands and feet falling into a familiar dance.

Straight always and corners just seemed to vanish out completely from the young Fujiwara. As her breath matched the exhale of the exhaust pipe, her vision changed. Mt. Akina was slowly becoming a land of sand before her, an abyss of blue crowing over it with the sun. White seagulls flew around the area and the idle sounds of people walking along a boardwalk echoed in her ears. Her next breath was full of sea salt and warm cement, her throat drying up from the sun that wasn't there. Her mind was off in another world, on a whole different plane. Takimi had reached a whole different level than anyone. She had transformed right before their eyes.

Someone from outside was watching, nearly impressed. He wouldn't show it since it would only douse the ego in him, but that didn't mean he couldn't voice it out.

"Not bad. A little risky, but that clunker managed to pull it off," As the 86 passed another hairpin, he pushed aside his black hair as the guys with him watched on in surprise. "No, not that car, but the driver. Whoever has their hands on the wheel of that 86 is either the bravest or dumbest racer I've ever seen," He turned away from his comrades and the race as he made his way back to his own, sleek-black car. As he started up the engine, his thoughts went back to the Trueno. 'Now I have something to look forward to. Whoever you are, "Ghost," you better enjoy that pedestal you have over Akina while you can. Because I'm gonna be the one dethroning you. Get ready to face the leader of the Myogi NightKids; Takeshi Nakazato.' His Skyline gave a growl as it drove away from the race, leaving black tracks in its wake.

"Finish line here. I can hear the engines getting close!" Everyone held their breath as they waited for the results, their ears straining as if they could hear the sound of thundering wheels charging down the mountain. "Here they are! In the lead, it's… It's the 86! What the Hell?!" Their eyes weren't playing tricks on them down there. As sure as the car was old, the black and white panda crossed the finish line with the FD pulling just behind it. "It's the 86! The 86 won! Keisuke lost!"

From on top of the mountain, the SpeedStars and Itsuki cheered and cried tears of joy, hugging and jumping in the air with excitement. "She did it! Takimi did it!" Sobbed Inari happily, jumping and hugging Itsuki and Kenji.

"That was my best friend! My best friend destroyed one of the Rotary Brothers!" Howled Itsuki.

Inari cried onto his shoulder, squeezing him as a jubilant spark raced through her whole body. "I'm bawling, man! This is the greatest day ever! I swear, I've never been this happy! I still can't believe that she did it." She sniffled. Kenji nudged her head with his own with a smile.

"Quit crying, Inari! You gotta be happy!"

"I am, bastard!" With a cry mixed with a laugh, she released the pair and wiped her face. "No joke, Takimi's the real winner of this whole race. Next time I see her, we're celebrating. All of us! For her win, and for her SpeedStars initiation!" She hollered over her cheering team.

"Yeah! We can get pointers from her and everything if she joins!"

"Don't forget to stick the team's logo on her bumper!"

"I have to do that! You gotta let me! I've known her longer!"

"Tonight's race was a lost on our team's part," The representative and a RedSuns member looked away from the SpeedStars and to Ryosuke. "Let's own up to it with some class." He said as he started to walk away.

"How about the time for our run of the uphill?" Asked the representative. "We still have that." He pointed out, trying to cushion the blow of their loss. Ryosuke wasn't having it.

"The uphill means nothing at this point."

"By tomorrow, rumors will be spread to all the racers in the local areas about this. It won't be long before everyone knows that the undefeated RedSuns lost to an 86 from Akina."

Ryosuke looked over his shoulder with a knowing glint in his eyes. "I guess that means we're going to have to even the score soon. And we'll do it with my FC." He declared, walking away from his confused teammates, the cheering SpeedStars, and the screaming fans that followed his every steps. He got to his car and drove all the way to the bottom, finding Keisuke's FD parked by one of the bus stops. He stepped out of his car and walked over to the blonde, looking around.

"Fujiwara left?"

"Who?" It took Keisuke a few seconds to shake off whatever he was thinking before, then nod. "Yeah, she left. Didn't even stop for a water break or anything. She just kept driving." He sighed and looked at his hands. "Damn, I feel pissed. She didn't even stop to gloat or anything."

"You wanted her to gloat?"

The younger brother shrugged. "It's better than her just treating the win like it was nothing."

'You mean her treating you like you're nothing.' Ryosuke thought. He never seen Keisuke look so oddly frustrated yet relaxed at the same time. It was almost scary. Then again, he did lose twice to this girl. That race must have been something else. If only he had gotten the entire run through with the FD itself. "Did you see anything different from the last race you had?" He asked. At Keisuke's nod, he said, "Show me."

It took a small ride back up the mountain, but the two steels on wheels made it to the one spot Keisuke remembered. Parking together, the two brothers walked over to a gaping yet sharp hairpin that split between uphill and downhill, a few trees boarding past the guardrail.

"Right here," Confirmed Keisuke. "This is where she passed me. It makes no sense, Ryo. Her car sucks at riding those corners, so how'd it slip faster than my FD?" He asked as his brother inspected the area, his fingers touching the ground and then the guardrail. "It was the weirdest shit, Ryo. One minute, I'm cranking up the horsepower and have her only centimeters away from me. The next second, there's this weird scraping noise and then like that, she's right in front of me. I swear, that girl was unreal."

Ryosuke was quiet the whole time, looking at the entire scene and hearing all his little brother had to say before he got up and looked downhill. "I think I get it now."

"What?" Bright eyes blinked in shock. "Get what?"

"How you lost," Without missing a beat in his words, the dark-haired racer pointed at the snake-like trench planted in-between the guardrail of the mountain floor. "She dropped her inside wheels into the drainage ditch on purpose. By hooking the edge of the road, Fujiwara resisted the syntactical force. That way it was possible to gain more corner control than the tires could grip on their own." Ryosuke almost smiled. "It might seem like an amateurish solution, maybe even a little bit ridiculous, and it goes without saying that she would have failed to do this perfectly, had she not done it before. Despite what we thought of her before, I think it's safe to assume that Fujiwara's done this for a very long time, years of training if we want to give her more credit."

"So she might be a pro?" Keisuke looked at the dark road that led downhill, too. "She said nothing about that, though. Even back at the hotel, I didn't see that 86 in sight. Damnit, if I'd know-"

"Even that bit of knowledge wouldn't have helped us," Reminded the elder brother. "Remember, the exciting part of racing is that these sort of things happen –unexpected things. If you're like me, it's been a long time since I've ever been excited about one of our potential targets."Ryosuke barely missed the stupefied look on the blonde's face. "Surprised?"

"just been a while since I seen you like this," Replied the younger racer as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You talk a lot of fancy speech about the opponents we come across, but this is the most you went on and on about Kimi, Ryo."

"Kimi? Oh, yes, Fujiwara. Good nickname," Ryosuke didn't look that impressed, though. "Well, perhaps she sparked some interest to me more than others have."

"... You think she's cute?"

"Beg pardon?"

"I didn't stutter, big brother."

The two brothers met in a deadlock of barely visible glares, a few sparks flying between them. It had been a while since they fought over the same thing.

"We're going to have to cancel the expedition we had planned for next weekend." Said the o,dear brother after a long time, breaking the silent fuel. "We're not moving onto anything until we can lock down a complete victory here," Challenging green met sharp, unwavering blue. "I'm going to be the one to beat the 86." There was another meaning to that, that neither of them wanted to admit.

As Bunta flipped onto the next page of his usual paper, he could hear the sound of a rumbling car closing in on his shop. He didn't bother to look up as lights flashed pass the door that led to the garage and the sound of sneakers entering the household. Only two people ever lived in this place after all, and he was already there. A light slap on the table got his attention, however.

His daughter looked as threatening as a rabbit. She had his sleepy-looking eyes and straight-lined mouth, and thanks to her mother's looks, she was able to pull off a slightly-angry pout. He almost thought she looked cute. "Why'd you lie to me?"

"Did you make the delivery?"

"I'm not talking about the tofu here, I mean-"

"Well I am talking about it, and that's what I want to know about. Did you make the delivery or not?"

Takimi held back a tired sigh. Did her father always had to be this stubborn? "Yes, here." She removed her hand, showing the money and signed receipt. "I did. Inari signed it and everything. But then I had to race down the mountain and go against this guy-"

"Did you win the race?"

"Yeah, but I bet you knew I would or something, right?" She huffed, knowing that she wasn't going to get a straight answer. Pushing herself back up, she toed off her shoes and picked them up, shaking her head as she headed up her room. "I'm going to bed. Remember our promise." Knowing that she wasn't going to get a response –which frustrated her a little more –she went up to her room to calm down and sleep.

Bunta read his paper a little longer before he finally put it down and shuffled the money through his fingers. After counting, he took out a quarter of it and slipped it into the envelope that had Takimi's reward. "A little extra might make her a bit more grateful," He thought, going back to his newspaper. "Can't say I'm surprised that she won but… Weirdly enough, I feel a little happy." Was that pride swelling in his heart? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that his only child had just jumped over the first hurdle of the rest of her life.

"Let's get another round of milkshakes right here! C'mon, keep them coming!"

"Lot of chocolate mixes on this round, too, please!"

"Takimi," The girl in question could tell that Miss. Hana was already looking annoyed. "As much as I love the good profit those kids are bringing, could you be a dear and ask them to quiet down a little? A few of the other customers are starting to complain." Said the plump woman as she handed Takimi a full tray of milkshakes.

"I'll try," Said the brown-eyed waitress, going around the counter top and placing the tray at the SpeedStars' table. "Seriously, guys, you gotta ease up on the noise here. You've been celebrating all afternoon." It was the day right after the race and everyone was still pumped and talking about it. While Takimi almost understood why it was so important and she was grateful that her friends didn't send her name through the crowds, their celebrating streak was getting a little extreme.

"Can't help it, but we'll try, Takimi," Inari took a vanilla shake and sipped half of it down. "Why don't you sit down with us? This is your celebrating party, after all!" She giggled.

"Maybe in a while. I'm still on my shift." Replied Takimi as she took a platter from the table. "Hand over your empty cups, would you?"

"Let me help you with that, my besets friend!" Itsuki already had a few glasses in his hands, looking like a child who had just met his favorite comic book hero. "Come on! We'll talk about all your cool racing skills on the way!" He said as he hurried the working girl back to the kitchen.

"I don't have super racing skills. Get a grip…" Their voices faded away as they headed to the back, Inari and Kenji sharing a look and a shrug before they clicked their glasses together.

"Hey, Takimi, let me ask you something for real this time, though," Said Itsuki as the two of them left the platter by the kitchen. The two of them now stood in the hallway at the back of the café. Takimi wanted to get a little breathing space away from the others. "Did you learn how to drive because of those deliveries you made for your dad? How long has that be going on?"

Takimi had to think on that for a moment. She actually hadn't kept track on how long she'd been driving. "Since… Middle school, I guess?"

"Since then?!" Itsuki exclaimed. "And you never even told me?!"

"Shh!" Takimi gave a firm look. "Loose lips sink ships, Itsuki. If anyone knew that some middle schooler was driving around at night, my old man would get into some trouble." She pointed out.

"Crap, I guess you're right," Her pudgy friend sighed, following after her as they headed back to the table. "Still, I didn't know you cared for your dad that much, man. You guys barely say anything to each other whenever I'm at your place and I don't actually see you guys get along."

"We actually do get along." The secret racer told him as Takimi stopped by the counter to look over the new tables there. "Well, sometimes my old man might get me frustrated sometimes but, well… I don't dislike him, to say the least." She said. Come to think of it, even when Bunta had forced her to start driving for the family business, she didn't hate her father. Unless there was a very bad and traumatic reason involved, Takimi couldn't actually hate or get mad at Bunta. Maybe it didn't look that way to others, but deep down, Takimi respected and loved her father. And she almost hoped that he was the same.

"Takimi, table #12 needs to have their orders made!"

"Got it, Miss. Hana!" Fixing her skirt, Takimi whipped out her pen and pocket notebook and gave a light wave to her friend. "We'll talk about this later, OK?" She told her childhood friend as she headed over to the table, stopping the moment she came there. "Oh… Can I help you guys?"

The Rotary Brothers looked up, their faces almost matching the surprised one that Takimi wore then. One could say that they were shocked that she could pull off a face like that. But on the inside, they were almost overjoyed, but they hid it very well. Keisuke couldn't help but let his eyes travel up and down the peach and yellow uniform on the winner of their last race. She really looked cute with it and her hair in a bun.

Ryosuke caught his cool fairly quickly, despite seeming to be under the same spell as Keisuke. "Yes," He cleared his throat. "I'll have an ice tea, please. No lemon."

"I'd ordered a rematch but I doubt that you would give me that, huh, Kimi?" Asked Keisuke with a little bit of jealousy in his voice. He couldn't had helped it. The 86 driver had not only beaten him once, but twice. It was still hitting him hard. Still, that bit of jealousy was also being pushed down by how adorable Takimi looked. He wasn't ashamed to admit that part, though. He was a guy, and girls were cute to him, even plain Janes who dolled up like Takimi. "I'll have some cola."

"Right," Takimi jolted them down, trying not to remind Keisuke that her name wasn't 'Kimi'. It would have been a waste of time. Even if the nickname made her feel embarrassed. "Is there anything else you guys want?"

"Actually, there is, if you would be willing," Takimi looked at Ryosuke as he stood, that charming smiling on his face making her look the other way. A boy had never looked at her like that before, so it was all so new. "You performed well against Keisuke the other night. I had my doubts about you, Fujiwara, but it looks like I missed seeing something incredible from just being outside the car. Well, I wish to change that," He took one step to be in the young girl's line of vision. "Would it be possible if I could accompany you this Friday for a drive around Akina?"

"A drive?" Takimi looked at him, feeling her face heat up faster than the burgers on the café's grill. "With me?" She knew she sounded like a child who was promised a sack of candy but even she couldn't deny that what oddly sounded like a date made her embarrassed. Especially when it came from a handsome guy like Ryosuke. She was brave enough to admit that both the brothers were good-looking. The only difference was that Ryosuke had the mature looks while Keisuke had the boyish-rugged looks.

"Hey, when was this agreed?" Keisuke stood up, his jealousy now aimed at his own brother. "If anyone's taking a drive with her, it'll be me. I'm the one she raced first, Ryo."

"You were also the one who lost to her. Sometimes you have to share, little brother." Keisuke gritted his teeth at the almost smug look Ryosuke had.

"I don't like sharing."

"Takimi!" Inari was at the brunette's side in a heartbeat with Itsuki, the both of them looking in-between the Takahashis. "Girl, are the two hottest and best racers in Akagi fighting over over you? Holy shit, that's so cool!" She whispered excitedly. Takimi shook her head, trying to deny the whole thing.

"I-It's not like that-!"

"Then it's settled?"

"Fine, but I don't like it."

Takimi whipped her head back to the brothers. "What was just agreed?"

"We'll both go on a drive with you," Said Ryosuke casually. Takimi squeaked. "That way we'll both have a chance to see how well of a driver you are on the inside rather than watching from the outside." He explained. A wave of relief passed through the poor girl, nodding a few times as she looked at the ground. Oddly enough, if she was glad that this wasn't something as drastic as a love triangle, why'd she almost feel disappointed?

"Hey, I gotta get in on this, too," Inari cut in, swinging one arm around Takimi's shoulders. "Takimi's my pal and I've never see her drive up close. I'm coming along."

"Me, too!" Beamed Itsuki from behind. Beating them was one thing, but to actually get up-close and personal with the famous Takahashi brothers was like a dream come true.

"Seriously? We don't need all these sort of people tagging along." Keisuke muttered.

"Perhaps it'll make more the difference, Keisuke," Said Ryosuke. "Fujiwara might be more comfortable with good friends nearby. It never hurts to test this out."

Or it would and just more people would cramp his style. But the blonde didn't say that, especially not in front of Takimi. After what she just witness with him and Ryosuke and with her second win against him, he didn't want her thinking any more little of him than he already was. His pride as a racer and a man couldn't take that. And personally, he just didn't want Takimi to think of him so lamely.

While all this commotion and planning was going on, Takimi could only sigh as she ruffled the skirt of her apron. "I didn't even agree to any of this." But no one paid her no mind, as usual.

To Be Continued!

To be fairly honest guys, I'm not exactly sure if this chapter was too satisfying or worthy for you but I put in my best effort to put in enough content and entertainment to keep you guys busy while I work on the next chapter. Hopefully, my laptop will be up and working again and I could use that to write instead of my IPad. Because honestly, typing on it is pretty annoying XP OK! Next chapter will be up by next week most likely so make sure to keep an eye out for it. Thanks for all your support and I'll see you guys later!

This is me saying, Peace!