"READY!?" The guys hoot.
"SET!?" The girls scream.
"GO!!" The crowd ROARS.
The whistle blows and the black and white checkered flag flies down. Five motorists burst past the flag in a rainbow of torpedoes. Led by a white motorist in a Yamaha, the group quickly converged into a line before taking the sharp turn down the mountain.
Shizuru couldn't help but smile fondly as she watched Natsuki in the cute blue leather jacket hesitate before converging into the group behind the last motorist. When the racers disappeared behind the turn, one of her bodyguards handed her a handheld radio.
"White is in the lead, white is in the lead! Followed by red, purple, yellow, and taking up the rear closely behind is blue!!" the announcer from the radio hollered in a deep resounding voice. All along the road, there were announcers witnessing the race and waiting their turn to update the crowd who waited anxiously at the starting and ending points.
Natsuki crouched even lower against her bike, her front almost flat against the Ductai. She deeply regretted hesitating at the beginning. Despite what Midori said about these guys being armatures, Natsuki was hard pressed to gain any ground on the yellow directly in front her. The yellow seemed to be taunting her, constantly swerving left and right to confuse her. Whenever he moved just a tad too far to either side and gave Natsuki an opening, the purple in front would coincidentally move into her way and cover up that little slip for the yellow. Natsuki didn't understand. It seemed as if the purple didn't care if the yellow took his place in third. Moreover, the yellow didn't even bother pressing his advantage and passing the purple. Gritting her teeth, Natsuki finally understood--they were toying with her. The white and red motorists were getting further and further ahead while she was conveniently preoccupied.
"DAMN YOU ALL! DON'T THINK YOU CAN STOP ME WITH THIS DUMBASS TRICK!!! WHO DO YOU THINK I AM!? I'M NATSUKI KUGA!!" Natsuki yelled into her helmet.
"Ladies and gentlemen, white is still leading but closely followed by red. The other three are lagging behind it seems. Yellow and purple are almost side by side and bring up the rear yet again is still blue… OH WAIT, WAIT!! BLUE IS GETTING ON THE AGGRESSIVE SIDE! SEEMS SHE'S NOT LETTING UP ON THE GAS IN THIS ALMOST 180 DEGREE TURN!! FAR FROM IT, SHE'S ACTUALLY FLOORING IT!!!!!! OH MAN SHE BETTER MAKE IT, OR ELSE IT'S OVER A 1000FT DROP TO SEA LEVEL!" –silence-
Shizuru was gripping the radio so hard her knuckles were turning white. The few seconds of agonizing silenced seem to stretch for an eternity as Shizuru's grip threatened to break the radio.
"OH MY GOODNESS! LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, OUR FAIR BLUE HAIR MAIDEN ACTUALLY MADE IT!! Now THAT'S a stunt that I thought only our lovely Fujina-sama can pull!"
Letting out the breath she'd been holding, Shizuru said to one of her guards, "Let's go meet our little blue hair daredevil at the finish line, shall we?"
THAT was a close call, admitted Natsuki to herself. She didn't know what she was thinking when she floored the gas and almost ran right over the cliff before she desperately leaned into the turn and barely managed to miss the edge and cut off the purple and yellow biker at the same time. The two were flooring it as well now, but it was too late for them. Natsuki pulled further and further ahead as the adrenaline from almost dying kicked in and kept her focused on the two white and red targets in front of her. From view, she can tell that she was close to the foot of the mountain, the finishing line. She has to reach them before the last leg of the race, but they were so far ahead that she momentarily lost sight of them behind a turn. Damn it, damn it! How am I supposed to catch up!? Then she saw her chance, albeit a slim chance, a gamble. But still a chance. From her elevated position, she can see that the rest of the way was the curviest and steepest part of the race. The most dangerous part of the race. And I'm gonna have to go all in. She silently sighed before revving up her Ducati and pushing it to its limit.
"Oh shiiiiiz!" A young announcer exclaimed, "She's doing it again! Flooring it when most drivers would be pulling back in speed by now to get a better handle on the twists and turns! Who IS this suicidal girl anyways!?"
"Ojoosama?" a bodyguard worriedly said when he noticed Shizuru instantly stiffen and froze at the update as they waited for the racers at the foot of the mountain.
"Come on, come oooon , DuURAAAN!!" Natsuki pleaded with her bike as she again barely managed to clear the edge of the road only to find another sharp turn she had to make at breakneck speed. Duran's wheels were wearing down, but it obediently turned again before it and its master could slip off the cliff. Upon making the turn, Natsuki instantly found herself right behind the red at the last leg of the race.
"Heh, now you're going down. DURAAN!" Natsuki almost pummeled the red at her wild speed before she skillfully dodged the red rider. The white, sensing her right behind him, also floored it. Natsuki can see the finishing line now and the faces there were getting clearer and clearer. She thought she saw an angry Shizuru Fujino in the middle of the crowd and thought, Hm, Fujino doesn't seem like the type to show her anger.. Maybe she's just disappointed that I'M GONNA TAKE FIRST PLACE! With that thought in mind, Natsuki zoomed right beside the white rider and almost begged her bike to go a little faster, just a tad faster.
"WHOA WHOA, WHO'S GONNA GET FIRST!? NEITHER WHITE NOR BLUE SEEM TO BE GIVING ANY GROUND TO THE OTHER! 100FT TO THE FINISHING LINE AND STILL NO CLEAR LEADER!!.....OH OH OOOOOOOOOH!! THE FLAGED IS WAVED! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!....TWO WINNERS! APPERNTLY THE JUDGES CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHO CROSSED THE LINE FIRST! IT'S TIMES LIKE THESE THAT WE WISH WE HAD THOSE WAY EXPENSIVE VIDEO CAMERAS AND DEVICES, NO!?"
The announcer continued rambling, but Natsuki was too shaken to listen. She trembled as her legs buckled and she slid along her bike to the ground. The bluenette stared dumbfounded at her quivering hands. My first race and I've already stared death in the face at least five times. Gawd, but that was fun. Right, Duran? She looked up at her bike, only to see darkness as a body covered her vision.
Midori stalked right up to Natsuki and bent down over the dimwitted nut-head and removed said dimwit's helmet.
"What the hell's wrong with you!?" Midori spat as she clutched Natsuki's collar and pulled her up to her face, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack at 17!?"
In the process of attempting to remove Midori's iron grip with her weak, unsteady hands, Natsuki complete stopped when something Midori said caught her attention. "No way you're 17. No way. I'M 18."
Unable to restrain herself any longer, Midori slapped Natsuki on the back of the head.
"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Natsuki complained rubbing her injury and forcefully pulled herself out of Midori's grip.
"For being a—"
"Ara , ara all this violence is unbecoming of you, Sugiura-san." Shizuru said as she glided over with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Midori sensed the threat and begrudgingly backed down. Turning to Natsuki, the heir said, "Though Kuga-san should really try to be more careful out there, hm?"
Not sensing the heartfelt warning, Natsuki arrogantly assumed, "You're just jealous I won. Hmph."
"Ara, would Kuga-san like to join me in my race? I would simply love having someone as talented as you sit in as my passenger to give me pointers and such."
Instantly embarrassed at how easily Fujino exposed her arrogance, Natsuki blushed and stuttered, "th-that's not what I mean!"
Truly smiling, Shizuru stepped up very close to the still blushing Natsuki and put a hand on her heated cheeks. As soon as Shizuru's hand made contact, Natsuki stiffened and remembered all the times Mai had gently caressed her like that: When they kissed. When they woke up in each other's arms. Before they left for school. When…she blushed.
"No!" Natsuki yelled, pushing Fujino back.
Shizuru froze for the second time that night, unable to form any coherent thought. This was her first time being blatantly rejected like that, but that was not why she froze. The rejection shocked her, but it was Natsuki's loving, caring expression before it instantly turned hostile that stilled her blood and thought. She has someone… was Shizuru's first coherent thought as it played over and over again in her mind.
Seeing the usually composed Fujino wide-eyed and stunned surprisingly bothered Natsuki to no end. Sighing, Natsuki guiltily apologized and when she received no response, she hesitantly nudged Fujino's arm. "Hey…are you ok?"
Hearing the honest concern in Natsuki's voice, Shizuru reluctantly pulled out of her trance and back into her facade. "Ara, is Kuga-san worried about me? How sweet…but I'm a big girl now, I can handle a rejection or two." Shizuru said flawlessly with a forced smile.
Embarrassed and irritated but still feeling guilty, Natsuki ignored the taunt and said instead, "Fine, I'll sit in as your passenger if you want. And…I guess you can call me Natsuki." At Shizuru's surprised and pleased look, Natsuki quickly added, "I'm just not used to people being so damn formal around me, ok??"
Shizuru nodded and actually smiled happily at Natsuki's consideration. Midori watched the whole exchange silently. However, the crowd that had grown around them as they talked, was anything but silent. First they saw their great Shizuru-sama get rejected and then the damn bluenette PUSHED her. And now that lucky-ass STILL get the great honor of sitting in the race with their goddess!?
Shizuru sensed the crowd's discontent and before the situation turned into a riot where Natsuki would certainly be the center of attention; Shizuru went to them, whispered to them, soothed them, healing their displeasure one by one.
Natsuki watched from afar, grumbling about how the dumb teenagers should be at home tucked into bed; although she, herself, was perhaps younger than some of those "teenagers" out there. Speaking of stupid teenagers, where the hell is Nao!?
PSssst, you guys keep forgetting to review!! how am i suppose to know what to improve if you guys don't tell me