Author's Note: I do not own Naruto. Anyway here is the latest chapter of the story. I would just like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews. They really are inspiration to see this story out. I am so glad that so many of you are enjoying it. I would also like to thank all of you for your input. It is helping me decide what I want to do with the story as it soon will be nearing its end. I am still considering writing a sequel to this story. I have been redrawn to the story lately. So depending on the demand for a possible sequel I may do it. I should have a lot more time this summer to right as well as the school year is nearing an end. So once again sorry for the wait and one more big thankyou to my wonderful reviewers. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
The sound of the air horn screamed through the air causing his actions to go into autopilot. Almost without thinking he had punched the accelerator sending his wheels spinning and his car surging forward on the road ahead of him. It was probably a good thing to because at the moment he would admit that his mind was not totally on the race. The mystery of what Kabuto and Orochimaru may have planned for Hinata was eating away at him, leaving him unable to put his full concentration on the race. He knew that if he didn't start focusing soon he would lose. There were races that he could drive on autopilot and easily win, but against Hinata he didn't have that option. If he didn't devote his full attention to this race, he didn't doubt that she would beat him, unless of course there was something wrong with the car.
His hands tightened around his steering wheel as his onyx eyes slid to the left to see Hinata's car in line with his own. The nose of her car was out in front by a slight margin, no doubt from his own lack of focus at the start of the race. He tried to focus on the road in front of him but no matter how hard he tried his thoughts kept drifting back to the car to the left and most importantly the girl inside of it. How had it gotten to this? He was risking everything because he had gotten attached to this girl. He had kept himself aloof from everyone else but had fallen for the mystery of one girl. He didn't know what it was, curiosity, lust, or something entirely different, but it kept her in his thoughts even when he didn't her there. And it was this that made it so important for him to make sure she wasn't one of the many victims of Orochimaru. He would stop it this time before it was too late, nothing else seemed quite so important.
As they approached the first turn, he once again went over in his mind everything that may be wrong with the car. He had already disregarded a bomb of some sorts because it was far too obvious and would no doubt draw quite an investigation. Orochimaru would no doubt go for something more subtle, something that would cause an accident, something that would appear accidental should it prove that Hinata was either critically injured or killed.
Obviously her brakes hadn't been cut. She had used them in order to get to the rally. Of course the wiring might have been tampered with so that the brakes could go at any moment but that didn't make much sense either. That was too unpredictable. There was a chance the brakes might not fail at all which would not benefit them in the least. She would have used the clutch as well. Hinata probably would have noticed something wrong with her steering and nothing else seemed to fit.
As they came to the first corner, his hand reached out and rested on his emergency brake. The instant he felt it under his hand, it hit him. Hinata would have no idea if her emergency brake had been tampered with. She wouldn't have used it before the race. He glanced at the turn, glanced at the car next to him, and then back to the turn. There was no way to stop her before she hit the turn.
Hinata couldn't help but feeling that Sasuke didn't have his mind on the race. He was just as good if not a better driver than her and somehow she was slightly ahead of him despite that fact that her mind wasn't entirely on the race either. She was having trouble focusing on the race with so much on her mind. Between trying to put a label on how she felt about Sasuke with all things aside and how she felt about him knowing who he was working for and what he did was not going so well. It was taking a toll on her and frankly it was far too distracting. The simple fact that despite everything she couldn't get him off her mind was driving her crazy.
She tried her best to push thoughts of Sasuke to the back of her mind because she had prided herself on leaving emotion behind when she got behind the wheel during a race. She didn't manage to totally succeed but she managed to put at least most of her attention on the upcoming turn that loomed before them. Her hand fluttered to her emergency brake.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Sasuke's M3 dropped back. A frown crossed her features as she wondered the reasoning. Still it left her more room to maneuver. She removed her hand from the emergency brake and set it back on the wheel, feathering the gas as she headed into the turn. She turned the steering wheel in the direction of the turn and floored her accelerator. As the car went sideways she counter-steered in the opposite direction to control the car as it slid around the corner.
She straightened her wheel as she exited the corner, the car steadying back out into a straight path. She glanced in her mirror and saw Sasuke's M3 behind her, her mind back on the reasoning as to why he had given her that turn, something didn't seem right. She wasn't sure if she slowed or if he suddenly got his mind back on the race because suddenly his car was moving up alongside of her own.
She internally scolded herself for another lapse in attention. It seemed that while she had been nearly flawless in her attention in all the other races she had been in, in this one where she needed to be the most focused, she was slipping up. His car pulled up alongside hers and she noticed then that his window was down and that he was waving at her.
What in the world was he trying to pull? Despite her better judgment she hit the button to roll down her own window so that she could see him better. He yelled something to her but she couldn't hear much over the roar of the engines and the wind now whipping through the inside of the car.
"Pull over the damn car," he shouted above the noise and this time she heard him. She hesitated though because they were in the middle of the race. As if to prove a point about whatever it was that he needed to say was that important, she noticed him slam on his brakes as she surged ahead.
She hit her own brakes and watched her speed plummet until she rolled to a stop. Sasuke then pulled up beside her and jumped out of his car. She frowned, threw her car into park and got out as well.
"What in the world are you doing," she demanded as he walked around to the driver's side of her car.
"I think someone messed with your car," he said brushing past her and sliding into car through the open driver's side door.
"What are you talking about? And what are you doing in my car, for all I know you could be trying to mess with it now," she said though she didn't believe her own words. She didn't honestly believe that he would try something like that though she supposed that she should believe it. She knew who he worked for after all.
"Do you really believe that," he asked, his onyx gaze meeting her violet one as he called her bluff. She swallowed and shook her head, and he turned back to her car. She watched as he pulled her E-brake and then put the car in drive. The car rolled forward.
Her eyes widened. When the brake was pulled the car should not move and hers had rolled forward without any trouble at all. Her thoughts flashed back to only a moment ago when her hand had hovered over the brake to go into that last turn. She would have used it if Sasuke hadn't dropped back, and it wouldn't have done a thing.
Her violet eyes met Sasuke's knowing gaze as he put the car in park and climbed out. She realized her hands were shaky slightly and squeezed them into fists in an attempt to get them to stop. It wasn't a big deal, she was okay, but despite retelling herself that over and over she couldn't get past the idea of what they had wanted to do to her.
Sasuke opened his arms and without thinking she stepped into them. She felt him wrap his arms around her slender frame and leaned her head against her shoulder, taking deep breaths to steady herself. She squeezed her eyes shut as he leaned his cheek against the top of her head.
"It's alright," he murmured into her hair and she let out a shaky breath. She pulled away from him then, her chin set in a bit of a stubborn manner, as she put on a brave face.
"You're right," she said offering him a shaky smile. "And thank you," she added quietly. He didn't say anything, just studied her, his onyx gaze intense. She almost felt the need to look away but she didn't. After a minute Sasuke shook his head and glanced over to the two cars.
"We'll call the race," he said with a pathetic attempt at a smirk. She wondered if his helping her right now would mean trouble for him, and could only assume that was the reason for the half-hearted grin.
"No," she said suddenly, surprising even herself. "I can finish it. I just won't use the E-brake. I can drive just fine without it," she said confidently.
"Don't be stupid," Sasuke scoffed. "That might not be the only thing. It was just the one thing I could finally think of," he said with a frown.
"Oh please do you really think that whoever did this expected their little plan to fail. I highly doubt I am worth that much trouble," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"You'd be surprised," he muttered more to himself though she happened to hear it. "I still think it's too dangerous."
"Well the last time I checked you weren't my boss. But I guess if you are that worried I might beat you we can call it," she said with the smallest of grins creeping onto her features.
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in disbelief and then he shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm not afraid of you," he said as he walked around to the front of her car. "I just think your crazy for wanting to continue. Hell I'll even quite using my E-brake just so you don't have an excuse when I beat you."
Hinata crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "That's a lot of talk for someone who's going to lose," she retorted back.
"At least pop your hood and let me take a quick look," he said as he waited expectantly. She gave a disgruntled sigh. "It will make me feel better," he insisted and so she complied. He seemed satisfied after a minute or so and slammed the hood down. She watched him walk back over to his own car and climb inside.
"I'm done taking it easy on you," he called through the open windows.
"Eat my rubber Uchiha."
"On three then," he said. And as he counted out loud, she counted in her head. When he said three the sound of the roaring engines filled her ears as they both shot forward. They stayed neck and neck down the straightaway, each one of them hitting their shifts at exactly the right moment.
Unlike before, Hinata found it easy to focus on the race at hand. Despite what had just happened she found it so easy to push Sasuke into the back of her mind. She let the race settle over her as she remembered why it was that she did this. She could feel the adrenaline racing through her body, the pounding of her heart in her ears above the steady hum of the engine. The familiar grip on the steering wheel, the blur of her surroundings as she raced by them, all of those things were welcome comforts, fond reminders of why it was that she raced. Because it wasn't about the money and it wasn't about showing off, it was about being free. Not free from the prying eyes of the people she faced everyday, but free from her worst oppressor, herself.
It was clear how much different the race had suddenly become. Neither of them gave an inch as both of them threw all their efforts into their driving. When he got the inside corner, she would come out of the corner faster to make up for his better positioning. And when she managed to gain even an inch on him, he would surprise her by making it up and then some. But she wouldn't give him an inch either.
As they came to the final turn before the end stretch she knew that apart from the beginning of the race, this by far had to have been one of her best times. The pace was so fast that she felt as though she was reacting before her mind processed what she needed to do.
The turn loomed before them. Sasuke had the inside track and once again they were neck and next. He took the turn incredibly tight, his car seemingly wrapping around the corner in an impressive display of driving. She had downshifted and took the corner wide, her mustang swinging around the turn in a graceful arch. He shot ahead slightly but the tight turn had reduced his speed. Still he had her coming out of the turn.
She punched the accelerator. Red line. Shift. Her car surged forward, the distance between them closing. First a car length, then a half of a length. With each second she gained an inch, and then they shot over the finish line.
She hit her breaks and the tires squealed in protest as she came to a stop. They had been neck and neck. How had won? She jumped out of her car after throwing into park. She was grinning despite herself. No matter who had won she had definitely driven one heck of a race and that felt good. Immediately she was accosted by Naruto and an anxious looking Shikamaru.
"Who won," she demanded immediately.
"I don't know," Naruto said exclaimed, Sakura standing close by his side.
"It was too close to tell," she added, a bit of excitement in her own voice.
"Some people are saying you won and some are saying that Sasuke did," Naruto explained. "Of course you definitely won," he said giving her a thumbs up.
"But there isn't really an official finish line so its hard to tell. I've never seen a race that close before," Shikamaru commented.
"Me either," Naruto said, still quite excited. "But Shikamaru here had me worried. We thought someone messed with your car."
"Someone did," she said in a whisper so that only they could hear her.
"What was wrong," Shikamaru asked quickly while Naruto's mouth formed an 'O'.
"I'll explain later," she said glancing around though she couldn't see much except for the crowds of people. She did however spot Jiraiya forcing his way through the crowd.
"Kid that was one of the most impressive finishes I have seen. You've already got people demanding a rematch. It was too close to call," he said with a grin. "I'm going to have you racing again next week."
Hinata forced a grin and resisted the urge to add that she would only race if someone made sure to watch her car every possible moment for the next week. Maybe they could get a camera or something to install at the garage.
"I am going to get the car out of here," Hinata said walking towards it. Shikamaru followed, interested in getting an update on what exactly had happened. Naruto promised to meet them there and fought his way back through the crowds with Sakura.
An hour or so later and Hinata was ready to call it a night. The race and the emotional rollercoaster she was on with a certain raven-haired boy had taken their toll on her. She was fighting back yawns as she crossed the lot to get to where she had left her car, in plain sight of where she had been sitting around and talking to everyone. She wasn't taking any chances anymore.
The squeal of tires registered in her mind before she saw the car headed straight for her. It was as if she was frozen to the ground as the vehicle hurtled towards her. Unable to react all she could do was stare in horror as the car raced towards her. In the back of her mind she registered someone yelling out her name and at the last possible moment felt something shove her out of the way. She felt the front of the car clip her leg as she was hurled towards the ground, but the throbbing was nothing compared to the sickening sound of car meeting body as someone rolled up over the hood. She heard a scream as she scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain in her leg.
She whirled around and a cry escaped her lips as she stared at the crumbled figure on the ground.
"Oh God not this."
Okay so major cliffhanger. Please don't hate me too much, but I couldn't resist cutting it off there. I shall try to get out the next chapter as soon as possible. Maybe if I get enough angry reviewers it will be this weekend. Hope you all enjoy!
