OSPREY…SWOOOOSH
UO: Alright New Chapter from school. ACTOR CHECK
Andrew: Here watching a race
Ichigo: Present
Chad: (Nods)
Orihime: Here
Uryu: Here
UO: Good wait…not again…Where's Tatsuki? (Looks at Orihime)
Orihime: Uh…I don't know where she is
UO: Calling her. (Rings) Tatsuki its UO where are you? You just pulled up what took ya? Find out for myself alright. (Click)
Few minutes later Tatsuki walked up. Only thing was she looked well like a girl not a tomboy. Dressed in fashionable clothes that shows off her figure
Tatsuki: What?
Uryu: Nosebleed and faints
Ichigo: Blush and looks away
Chad: (Blush)
Orihime: (Giggles happily)
Andrew: Wow you clean up really nice
Tatsuki: Thanks…guess Ichigo liked what he saw? (Cast nodded and Tatsuki blushed a bit)) Tatsuki looks at Uryu: Pervert
UO: Wow I always knew you could be a knockout but man. Sigh…someone disclaimer please
Orihime: I got it. UnitedOsprey1991 doesn't own Bleach. If he did me and Ichigo would be a couple. Then somehow the blue men would get him Tatsuki as well. Also he doesn't own the tracks or the possible descendants of the drivers. The only characters he owns is Andrew, Rebecca although that might be debatable upon second thought. Also Rebecca and Maria are his creations as well. Also any product mentions aren't his
UO: I don't get out enough
Tatsuki: ORIHIME! (Tatsuki covers her mouth but Ichigo was still knocked out.) (whispers) Don't tell the readers that
UO: too late. Ugh every time even in my other story. Please review Journeys of the dreamer it needs help. Also upon further thought I decided to move my planned rounds back one so I could do a track that would be impossible in the summer. So Japan is round 5 and first part of America is 6 and 7. There is a poll up now to determine which track to go. Tracks will determine the plot.
Normal: Dialogue
"Italics and quotations": Radio and track announcer
'Italics and apostrophe': Thoughts
CAPS: Yelling
Bold and Italics: Yelling in head:
Name followed by a colon: In-race TV Announcer
Underline: Locations and time difference
Chapter 3: Shop Class
Time skip: Three hours after the race.
The first round of the World Grand Prix had finished earlier in the day. The paparazzi had swarmed over the four rookies as they interviewed for several networks. .With all the flashbulbs it was a wonder how anyone wasn't blind. They also had to have a big press conference where they explained what happened in the race. The reporters especially wanted to know what happened with the rain strategy, considering the weather called for dry conditions. To which Drew replied he had a just a gut feeling about it. The also focused their attention on the winner Ichigo in which under the gaze of the reporters was a little flustered but answered them as calmly as he could.
They finally calmed after a couple of hours and the pit crew finally got around to loading up the cars in the trailers. The girls were documenting all of this after getting changed out their suits. They haven't gotten to talk to the drivers because of all the press however they were able to film enough of the post-race to finish one of the episodes and send it to their editor. They had changed out of their suits and were filming the next segment which was the between race area.
"Aww…Orihime why did you change out of that uniform it looked so-OWWWW!" Shinji started only to be hit by off all things a sandal.
"KEEP YOUR PERVERTED COMMENTS TO YOURSELF" Hiyori yelled and started beating up Shinji. Orihime giggled while Tatsuki grumbled about not getting to him first.
"Where are Ichigo and the others?" Orihime asked.
"Try the game room on the personnel plane" Kensei said. "They are probably cooling off; watching T.V or playing games."
The two girls nodded and went to the personnel plane. They walked past the kitchen and to a room that said GAME ROOM. Knowing they were in the right place they went in.
(I'm not going to make stuff up so imagine all of our technology took about 40 years longer to develop yeah they are that race obsessed)
Inside there was music blaring. Looking around the girls saw there were three forty-eight inch flat screen which was on the Fox sports network, with the current game consoles attached (i.e. Wii U, PS4, Xbox 360. Don't own them, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft do. Also let's just say the Kurosakis and the Ishidas have a lot of financial support both personal and sponsorships) There were also several very nice leather couches. In the corner there was a pool table which Chad and Ichigo were playing. They had changed into shorts and a sleeveless undershirt which the girls blushed slightly at the muscles displayed. On the couch Andrew was playing on what appeared to be a 3DS. Uryuu was on another couch reading, Uryuu was in casual clothes while Drew was in a white shirt and blue gym shorts. Uryuu noticed the girls first
"Oh hello Inoue-san, Arisawa-san" this caught the other three's attention. "Orihime, Tatsuki was wondering where you were. Guess in the shuffle we lost track of you" Ichigo said. Tatsuki waved it off "No problem." Andrew looked up from his game "Hey girls take a load off. Want something?" Andrew said putting his game down and walking to fridge. "This bar area is stocked with snacks and drinks what do you want" Tatsuki and Orihime walked over to see he was right. There were several sodas in cans and bottles. There were also snacks in the cabinets. Andrew pulled out a bottle that said Stewart's (Don't own but Damn it is GOOD) and popped the cap.
"What's this?" Tatsuki said pointing to the bottle. "Oh this is Stewart's Root Beer. I picked up a couple cases when they picked me up for the season. Would you believe that this and a shared interest in Nintendo is what broke the ice with me and Ichigo?"
"Really?" Orihime asked in wonder.
"Oh yeah, we were at each other's throats." Ichigo said walking over and grabbing a soda. "We were in the American Junior light car division, Andrew was a rookie the same year I started. If it wasn't me winning or arguing it was Andrew" Ichigo sighed and looked thoughtful. "Man that was what nine-ten years ago. Anyway one of the races was delayed heavily by rain where was it? Loudon? Dallas?" "It was Flemington, because I remember the week before I got my braces and you made fun of it at Dover." Andrew said taking a sip and walking back to the couch with the others following suit. Tatsuki had grabbed two of the root beers and handed one to Orihime "Right so anyway we started talking you mentioned a place not far from the track that sold this very tasty root beer and he was going to miss out on it and he was feeling depressed about it. I told them that I had never had that. Andrew gasped and we started talking. Turned out we had more in common than we thought. What really sealed the deal was our interest in Pokémon." Ichigo said taking a long drink from his soda. Andrew finished "Now we are basically brothers" "I hear that" Ichigo said clanking their bottles. Andrew saw something on T.V "Chad turn the music down the race highlights are on.
So the race was shown broken down to explain to the viewers about what happened. They especially paid attention when they brought up the first two pit stops. Seeing it from a camera rather than experiencing it for real was definitely different for the drivers. After the 10 minute highlight reel that included some of the interviews it switched to something about soccer. They turned away and the music went back up.
"Wow that was so amazing we only saw stuff from pit road, I didn't know what else happened" Orihime gushed. Ichigo smiled which got her to blush slightly "Well what do you think we went through we didn't know what had happened to bring out the caution. Now we know what happened on the first pit stop one of the air guns jammed. Stupid Keigo" Ichigo said.
Tatsuki retorted "Don't be mean I mean he made up for it?" She said taking a sip and the letting out a large belch. Embarrassed she covered her mouth and looked around at the guys and Orihime who looked at her in shock. "Excuse me" she muttered shyly. The snickers started from of all people Ichigo who started chuckling and then outright laughing followed by everyone else even stoic Chad let out a chuckle. They calmed down only for Orihime to burp as well which set off another round of laughter at her blush. Andrew made a comment "Tatsuki the rebel camerawoman and Orihime the innocent reporter, you girls are going to be fun to hang around." Which got laughter from the guys at the blushes of the girls as they drank some more and they started burping which soon got everyone laughing.
It was at this laughing that Isshin stormed in. "ICHIGO YOU TRULY MY SON! A VICTORY FOLLOWED BY KISSY TIME WITH MY FUTURE DAUGHTERS IN LAW" Isshin yelled trying to hug his son. Ichigo though stood up and planted his foot in his face. "EVERY TIME OLD MAN GIVE IT A REST" Ichigo yelled as they started to brawl again. Andrew sighed "Where's the Aspirin?" Uryu grabbed a bottle under the sink and gave Drew a couple as they watched the family "feud"
Next Day
After resting following the previous day all of the carriers were packed up and ready for takeoff. The drivers were still sleeping while the final preparations were made but Isshin would not let them sleep.
"GOOOOD MOOORRRNIINNNGG MY FELLOW DRIVERS" Isshin yelled through a mega phone turned all the way up. The drivers reacted in a different ways Uryu covered his ears, Chad didn't show an outward sign of waking up, Ichigo tore open his door and went to fight his father and Andrew came out took one look at the fighting duo picked up Isshin threw him down the hall and down the stairs. Satisfied he went back to sleep. The girls woke up frightened at the noise and when they saw Isshin get rolled down the hall they laughed and thanked Andrew for keeping the peace. He grunted thanks before closing the door.
A couple hours later they were finally in the air on their way to headquarters in Japan. The crew on the personnel plane which consisted of the two owner crew chiefs, the drivers, the reporter duo, Ichigo's sisters and some of the crew members were riding on the plane. The rest including Kisuke and Yoruichi were on equipment plane which took off afterwards.
Considering they were coming from Australia it would be at least nine to ten hours before they landed in Japan they crews busied themselves with whatever their interests were. Tatsuki and Orihime took their chance to interview some of the crew members who were lounging around.
"So you were one of the drivers for Vizard?" Orihime asked getting a snort from her target which was Hiyori. "Yep one of the best there was on the team. I was so psyched to be in the big leagues but somehow my team got caught with illegal modifications. My team might be full of knuckleheads but we aren't the type to go against the rules. The whole garage thought it was Souske Limited they had the most to gain from this but with no evidence they disbanded the team.
"Wow such animosity towards a team is Souske really that bad?"
"Yeah they are" Shinji said walking up to them. "I don't know how they started but Sosuke's money lies in computers and cars. They sprang up about eight years ago and they stormed through the lower tiers. However the year that we got caught it just so happened the beneficiary of our disbandment was Souske Limited. They won the first year they were up and if it wasn't for Hendrick they would be team champions right now." Shinji finished and the girls looked worried.
"Look girls" Shinji sighed "I know your reporters but do not go snooping for anything. I may be a pervert but when it comes down to it I will defend this team if I have to" Shinji said. Hiyori nodded then frowned and then smacked Shinji with her sandal. "DON"T YOU BRING UP YOUR PERVERTED ANTICS! Uh you're not recording this are you?" The girls shook their heads "good now GET BACK HERE" Hiyori yelled as Shinji ran during Hiyori's distraction.
The girls could only sweatdrop at the scene and left the kitchen area. They decided to go to the game room which was where they thought the drivers were.
They were proven right as they walked in and saw the screen was split into two shots. Loud gunfire was heard and the bottom screen went red.
"God damn it Ichigo I thought we were on the same side" Andrew cursed as he reset and killed one of their opponents. Apparently they were playing online on one of the popular shooters.
"Hehehe serves you right for the mine earlier…DAMN IT" Ichigo boasted only for him to be brought down by a headshot.
"Mine that headshot" Andrew smugly said even though he didn't shoot him.
The girls could only sweatdrop and walk over. Ichigo spotted them "Hey girls what-GOD DAMN IT ANDREW" "Don't get distracted by your girlfriends" Andrew said as he activated one of his perks and started racking up the kills. The two girls blushed at the girlfriends comment and watched the remaining time tic off the clock. The match ended and Ichigo had placed second and Andrew placed third. While Ichigo was trash-talking with the guy who won. Andrew pulled off his headset. "Hey girls what up
"Nothing much thought we see what you were doing" Tatsuki said. "Oh and here" Tatsuki punched him in the shoulder "That's for the girlfriends comment"
"Ow damn girl you can hit" Andrew said rubbing his shoulder.
Tatsuki rubbed her nose "Second-degree Black Belt in Karate" Tatsuki said proudly. "And I'm was a blue belt" Orihime said childishly.
"Interesting I always knew you could defend yourself girls. Black belt is impressive Ms. Arisawa I happen to have one in Tae Kwon Do. It was one of the things I do to keep fit.
"Hey I have Black Belt as well in Karate as well" Ichigo aid taking off his headset.
"Well now I say when we get back you guys spar a bit I'm sure it will be fun." Andrew set putting on his headset and starting up a match.
"Mind if we watch" Orihime asked shyly. Ichigo blushed a little. "Sure just make sure not to distract us." Orihime clapped happily and she and Tatsuki sat near the boys as they started up another death match on the game
Thousands of Miles away: Souske Limited HQ off the coast of Hiroshima
The Headquarters of Souske Limited was like a fortress. Founded by tech business mogul Souske Aizen the fortress five different areas. The area closest to the castle was for the testing of the tech that made the company billions. The area in front of it and separated by a wall was devoted to the test track and the garages for their cars. The third area was devoted to building and shipping of the products which contained the factory in which they were built. The fourth area was the white-collar office workers which were housed in a four-story building. The outer-most area was the area for the ships and the planes to come in and out of. There was a harbor and an airport that was built into the design of the facility. Despite being in an earthquake prone area the facility was designed to withstand a 9.0 earthquake and not sink.
It was in the castle that we find Souske Aizen sitting behind a desk looking at his drivers.
"So…what I want to know is what happened in Melbourne? The only driver that did well was Ulquiorra. Gin your engine blew up, Grimmjow your arrogance cost you on the final laps and Tier where were you in that race" Aizen motioning to the blond bombshell with tan skin emerald eyes and a bored look on her face.
"Aizen-sama forgive me my car was not the best it could have been and was not in contention for most of the race" Tier said.
Aizen waved her off "Everyone has an off day even the best team there is. Now then Grimmjow what happened with the end of the race."
"Tch… ran out of gas I thought I had more. Those punks at Kurosaki punks took advantage of me." Grimmjow growled
"Hm you are right…however you were in a bad spot. You were on old tires and it did not help you weren't conserving fuel. I wouldn't be surprised if they won but we would have been better in points. Now thanks to you we are 7th in the team standings after one race and Kurosaki those upstarts are in first and hold the top four in the driver's standings" Aizen said coolly though you could tell he was angry.
"They won't be getting the best of me next time Aizen-sama" Grimmjow said pounding his fists.
"And they will not. Especially considering the next track in two weeks" Aizen said pressing some buttons. "You know what this track is don't you Grimmjow?"
Grimmjow looked and grinned "Yas Marina hehehe my track" he said laughing. Aizen waved them off and dismissed them. Gin stayed back as the others left.
"So what is going to happen now, Aizen-sama" "Nothing right now, Kurosaki-Ishida are rookies this was just beginner's luck. We will have another title before the end of the year. Gin please bring me what happened to your engine I do not want a repeat of what happened."
Gin nodded and left leaving the businessman to his thoughts. 'Kurosaki-Ishida, you will not last in the top tier. I will make sure of it'
Three days later Kurosaki HQ
After a long day of traveling and a day of rest due to the jet lag we find the Kurosaki drivers in a similar meeting but it was more joyous than the Souske camp. Orihime and Tatsuki were in the room filming the meeting just like at Melbourne.
"Alright this is the post-Melbourne race meeting. This will be relatively short. I know you guys did great but I want to hear from you what can we do to improve for next time" Isshin said to the seated drivers.
"Well I personally think I need to improve my cornering Uncle. Most of the positions lost was because I was not thinking about the turns" Uryu said lifting his glasses.
"More like you let them by" Ichigo scoffed. Uryu sent him a glare.
"Alright then Mr. Winner what do you think you could improve?" Isshin said putting him on the spot.
Ichigo looked a little sheepish "Uh well I guess my patience could some work most of my passes I bumped them out of the way. This I guess came about after that first pit stop. Other than that I guess communication between the teams I know Andrew led most of the team conversations that race" Ichigo said.
Isshin nodded although Andrew had to make a comment
"Aw Ichigo I didn't know you cared" Ichigo was about to retort but Isshin beat him to the punch
"Ok Andrew don't antagonize Ichigo. You can go next." Andrew nodded. "Ok I think patience is a recurring thing for us. My patience issue was in traffic and I could not get seem to stay in front of Ichigo. I also could not get back around him though I think Ichigo had the better car that day. I was fortunate that I was able to keep up with him." Andrew finished.
Isshin nodded and turned to Chad "Ok Chad what do you think you can work on.
Chad grunted "I think speaking more will help. I also want to try to be more aggressive on the track. I was almost lapped before the rain came.
Isshin nodded "Thank you Chad. Final order of business is a preview of the next race" he brought up a hologram of the next track. "Round 2 this year will be at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit. This is normally at the end of the year but considering the circumstances they put it at the beginning and chose it over Bahrain.
The image zoomed in on the track. "This 21-turn course is a fan favorite. You go down the pit stretch into turn one a left hander. This leads into a waving turns 2-3-4. Turn 5 is the beginning of a slow sequence which lead into 6 and the hairpin 7 a good area to pass and to wreck. After turn 7 you enter the one of the fastest parts of the track as it leads down a long straight into turn 8 which you have to go from 6th gear to 2nd in a short time another great passing area. This left right combo with turn 9 leads into 10 which opens up into the other fast part where you go into 7th gear briefly before another slow section that contains 11, 12 and 13 and then into 14. This opens up into three fast turns at 15 to 17 into a slow 18 and 19. One last straight brings you to 20 which leads into 21 which is another prime passing area. And that is one lap at Yas Marina. One last thing is the pit road." Isshin said highlighting the road. It begins on 20 and passes underneath the on track hotel. Where you come out is turn 3 so be careful of cars exiting there. Take care and see you next Thursday." Isshin dismissed the team and they left.
Ichigo and Andrew were heading to the gym when the girls caught up to them. "Hey guys where are you going?" Tatsuki asked.
"Well we are heading to gym we need to keep in shape. What you thought racers were all about racing you need endurance for some of these races. Especially with the next event."
"What Yas Marina where's that" Orihime asked cutely causing Ichigo to look away.
"It is in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. Specifically it's in the water of the coast of the capital Abu Dhabi. The country used to be a big oil nation when the hydrogen cell came about their access to undisturbed water only increased their wealth. Granted a war was fought over the area but with Saudi Arabia's and to a limited extent America they won and now control what used to be Iran (Its 2070 something like that is bound to happen to a big name country in that part of the world) Andrew said.
"And considering that part of the world it's a desert country correct?" Tatsuki concluded.
Andrew nodded.
"Why don't you join us" Ichigo asked. The two girls looked at each other "Sure what the heck we could use this to show what you guys do between races" Tatsuki added and Orihime nodded.
"Alright I'm sure you have some light stuff so grab that and meet us down on the second floor where our gym was" the group separated and went to go change.
A Half hour later finds the boys near the gym entrance waiting for the girls. "Any reason you wanted the girls to tag along Ichigo?" Andrew asked. He was in a grey shirt and red shorts.
"Well I figured they could see us work out maybe help them as well." Ichigo responded. He was wearing a black under armor shirt and blue short
"So…it's not because you wanted see Orihime and Tatsuki in their gym clothes. I gotta tell ya they would look good in them." Andrew said with a straight face. "NO THAT IS THAT IT YOU LITTLE BASTARD! COME HERE YOU" Ichigo yelled and grabbed him in a headlock and grinding his fist into Andrew's head.
"Ow ow ow let go man" Andrew said and then punched Ichigo in the gut. This went on for a couple of minutes until they heard some giggling. Turning their heads they saw Orihime and Tatsuki with gym bags. Orihime had her hair tied back and was wearing a blue tank top which hugged her breasts and black sweatpants. Tatsuki was in a black tank top and grey shorts.
"You two are just hopeless" Tatsuki sighed.
The boys blushed and separated and went inside. The two boys started stretching to make sure they don't get sore while the girls warmed-up next to them. Orihime noticed Andrew's stretching and commented "Uh Drew what are you doing?"
"Well I thought I practice my Tae Kwon Do after I work out. So I'm doing my stretches for them as well.
"Mind if we spar?" Tatsuki asked stretching her legs.
"Sure if you don't being beat" Andrew challenged getting a grin from Tatsuki.
With the red heads Ichigo was wrapping up his warm-ups while Orihime watched.
"So athletic Kurosaki-kun" Orihime said in wonder.
"Thanks I try. Come on grab that small camera of yours and let's show you what we do" Ichigo said noticing Andrew and Tatsuki finishing up.
They started going through their routines. The girl curiosities were peaked when they focused more on leg exercises. The boys explained by making sure their legs were strong they could last without them getting cramped or tired.
They then went over to the weight lifts. The girls were amazed at the strength of the boys as the lift 300 pounds easily. When the girls tried there were differing results. Tatsuki was able to get about 190 up, while Orihime's attempt was comical.
"(Grunt)…Mou Tatsuki I think this is a little heavy for me" getting the other three to laugh at her predicament.
"Ichigo mind watching Orihime for me I'm going to go interview Andrew privately" Tatsuki said as they gave the two some privacy.
"Sure…ok Orihime let's see if we can lighten this for you." Ichigo said as he took off weight from the bench press eventually lightening it sixty pounds.
"I'll spot you don't worry" Ichigo said with a smile getting the princess to blush a bit. Now under the bar Orihime started lifting with some difficulty.
"So what made you decide to be a reporter?" Ichigo asked.
Orihime breathed "I always was a curious person. People always said I was a friendly person. It was either reporting or going into elementary education. I was always great with kids. But I wanted to see the world and Tatsuki's parents had a connection with National Geographic so I went into journalism. I should show some of my stories sometime."
"Yeah I'd like to see them. I bet kids would love you just seem like one of those motherly types" Ichigo said as Orihime lifted the bar for the tenth time and dropped it on the rack.
Orihime smiled up at him. "You know up close you have a handsome face. I thought you were scary but you couldn't be scary if you tried." Ichigo choked and blushed at that causing Orihime to laugh.
"Alright Inoue-chan let's go finish the work out" Ichigo said holding a hand out and helping her up. They proceeded to finish their routine.
Meanwhile Andrew had finished his workout and was working on a couple of katas. Tatsuki had filmed this to show what they could do individually. She knew of course she would need to focus on Chad and Uryu but right now she focusing on the two here in the gym.
Andrew finished one kata and started another when Tatsuki started asking questions.
"So how long have you done this?" Tatsuki said pointing to Andrew who threw a punch.
"Well about five years less than racing. I mean being behind the wheel was ok but" here Andrew launched a back kick "I needed something to develop my motor skills and focus my mind off the track." Andrew said throwing another kick.
"Why would you need to focus off the track?" Tatsuki asked watching in amazement as he leapt with another kick and ended with a punch away from her.
"Sigh…promise this isn't turned around?" Tatsuki looked at Andrew who sounded serious. "Yeah"
Andrew turned around and sat down by her. "I'm autistic. Do you know what that is?" Tatsuki blinked "Wait isn't that the mental disorder that affects a lot of children. I though most of the cases were people who couldn't operate correctly or are very awkward in a social environment. How could"
-I have it?" Andrew cut her off. "I have a mild form of it. If you pay attention you could see the subtle signs of something amiss. That is why I race. I want to race to prove that autistics can do more than what their peers say they could." Tatsuki looked thoughtful then they heard a yelp. Looking over they saw Ichigo had fallen back catching a medicine ball and Orihime in horror had went over to help him. The two looked and laughed a bit at her expression.
After that they showered and left the gym heading towards the Kurosaki house. After about 45 minutes of traffic they finally arrived at the house. It was a two-story house that was laid across several acres. It looked like modern Japanese home with some western influence.
"Whoa, Kurosaki-kun's house is huge" Orihime said in wonder.
"Yeah definitely has my house beat" Andrew grumbled.
Ichigo smirked "Welcome to ancestral home of the Kurosaki clan, the Mugen no tsuki (House of The endless moon). So named because our family was founded on this land under a moonless night several hundred years ago. Our fortune is big, but we don't let it get to our heads." Ichigo said as they got out of the car.
"So what does your family do?" Tatsuki asked.
"We primarily run medical facilities. The Ishidas control part of it but for the most part we run hospitals in Asia and the United States. We also have a hand in some of the technology that makes Japan run. So you can say we are a very diverse business. If it wasn't for racing I would probably be a doctor" Ichigo said as they went inside. Taking off their shoes Ichigo called out "I'm home Dad, Yuzu, Karin are you here."
They heard someone talking loudly and laughing. They walked to the door and knocked.
"Come on in son, Andrew I think you will want to talk to this guy."
Entering they found an office strewn with file cabinets and books. Isshin was talking on a video conference with a brown haired man with brown eyes and a slightly wrinkled face. If the girls didn't know better they were looking at an older Andrew.
"Dad?" confirming what the girls thought.
"Hey sport what's going on?" The man on the screen said back.
"Nothing much we just got back from the gym what are you talking about with Isshin."
"Well other than catching up with Isshin about you and Ichigo we were talking about a business deal.
"I thought you were kidding about that you are going to insure these guys" Andrew's eyes widened.
"Nope we are in the final stages of negotiations. If Mr. Ishida can approve of this and their board does we will insure their whole business. Their E&O insurance will net us millions in premium alone." The man on the screen said.
William Michaels was the CEO of Allied Insurance Inc. He was the great-grandson of Michael Smith who founded the company not long after his son Andrew Smith, Andrew's grandfather and namesake, was born. Andrew had three kids of which his only daughter Mary married and took on the name Michaels and giving birth to two kids William and Steven.
His business in which his Great-grandfather started grew from a small time business into one of the largest insurance businesses in America. Now they were looking to expand beyond the borders and Isshin had given them a way to do that.
"That's…great. Unbelievable even" Andrew said tearing up. Everyone saw this and left to give them some privacy.
"I miss you man" Andrew said touching the screen. "Miss you too sport. I saw the race 2nd place not bad for the first race in the big leagues" William said smiling. "You're going to come watch a couple of our races when we come to America right?
"Would not miss it for the world sport. Just let me know where we could meet"
"I think one of the races coming up is at Daytona another I think is Watkins Glen later this year.
"Sounds like a plan. Alright let me talk with Isshin. Love you sport."
"Love you too" Andrew said as he walked out and Isshin came in.
Andrew walked by his companions, tears still in his eyes. He left before they could talk to him.
Ichigo sighed. "It's part of the business. To go so long between seeing family that you often treasure the time you do spend with them. We may be an exception but Andrew is like a stranger in a strange land. He's the only non-Japanese on this team, heck in all of the Japan garages. We took some heat in hiring him but he takes it with dignity. I think that's why he latched onto us we have that familiarity to him. Give him some time he'll be fine.
A couple hours later they were sitting at dinner eating one of Yuzu's delicious meals Andrew had come in before the food was done in a much more chipper mood.
"Hey Andrew you feeling alright" Yuzu asked worried as they sat down.
"Yeah I'll be fine; it's part of the job. You get to see the world but you don't get to see your family for months on end. I thank you guys for putting up with me." Andrew smiled sadly.
"Don't be ridiculous you're our son even if we aren't from the same family. MASAKI WE FINALLY HAVE A THIRD SON!" Isshin wailed only for Ichigo to nail him and started brawling.
Andrew couldn't help it he busted out laughing which brought smiles to everyone's faces. "I'm sorry…I just can't help you guys just make me laugh. I may be a Michaels but family is family regardless of blood" Andrew said raising his glass to gathered group. "I say this for Chad and Uryu as well to family and to a great season" "KEMPAI" and with that they finally started eating with happy smiles all around.
Later that night the boys were lounging about in their shared room talking about nonsensical things.
"Huh…never knew that about the Second World War." Ichigo pondered. Being Japanese his schooling covered World history and certain conflicts from Japan's perspective.
"Yep…Germany could have easily won the war if they didn't try to fight on multiple fronts or understood the Russian winter better." Andrew said."
Ichigo nodded and turned his head towards the ceiling. "So what do you and Tatsuki talk about at the gym?"
"Oh some stuff from the past. I'll tell you when I feel comfortable about it ok."
Ichigo nodded "So you won't tell me but you will tell a girl you have only known for a week something private." Ichigo said teasingly. Andrew looked away.
"Let's just say something in her told me to trust her. Attraction maybe, friends definitely; we will see in the future. It's late now Ichigo I know we have a day off tomorrow so I would like to sleep in some at least until your father comes in." Andrew said rolling over in his bed and falling asleep. Ichigo rolled his eyes and did the same.
Three days later about an hour from Karakura.
(A/N: Suzuka is in what is known as the Mie Prefecture which is considered part of the culturally significant Kansai region. I'm putting Karakura close to the border with the Kyoto prefecture. Suzuka City, where the track is, is located in the northeastern part of the prefecture. If someone can tell me canon wise where it is it will be helpful.
After a day of rest Isshin told the drivers they were going to be testing for the next couple days at Suzuka Circuit. The track which was run by their cars manufacturers Honda was one of three tracks that Japan regularly used for racing the World Grand Prix, the only reason it wasn't going this track this year was that it was on a rotational basis and it wasn't their turn. That honor belonged to the track at Motegi. But it didn't mean they couldn't use the track for testing.
After a day of running tire tests and engine tests they came back to run a trial under race conditions. When they arrived they were surprised to find someone already there practicing. Driving around they saw the logo of Kuchiki Industries.
"What the heck are they doing here this is a private practice" Ichigo growled as they parked.
"Now Ichigo let's be civil I'm sure they could share the track" Andrew said climbing out. Walking towards the garage they came across Isshin talking with a man about his age a petite woman a couple years younger. He had black hair and cold grey eyes. He was wearing a white scarf and a set of kenseikan in his hair. He was wearing a grey business suit and brown shoes and in contrast to Isshin's personality he was a stone wall. The woman beside him by contrast had an air of elegance. She had dark blue hair and had brown eyes with looked full of life. She was wearing a casual blue dress and shoes.
"So Byakuya you don't mind us testing do you I mean we did plan two days of testing." Isshin asked in his normal tone.
"Hm…I suppose we could see what you rookies could do out of an actual race." Byakuya noticed the other drivers approach. "Oh I see your last 2 drivers are here." Isshin noticed them approach "Guys meet Byakuya Kuchiki and his wife Hisana the head of Kuchiki Industries. Mr. and Mrs. Kuchiki meet my son Ichigo, my fourth driver Andrew Michaels and our reporter duo Orihime Inoue and Tatsuki Arisawa."
Andrew having manners beat into his head stepped up "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Kuchiki." Andrew said holding out his hand. An awkward silence followed only to be broken up by Hisana. "Don't mind my stick in the mud husband it is nice to meet you." "Hisana please don't ruin my image of a Kuchiki noble." Hisana only giggled.
"Alright suit up cars are already here. Chad and Uryu are already on the track." Isshin said getting their attention.
The driver went to go get changed while the girls went to the pit boxes. Suzuka was like most tracks the pit road was on what would be the passenger's side. There was a series of s-curves on the back stretch but its most unique part was it was a figure eight. The drivers passed underneath a bridge and went into the infamous 130R turn and doubled back to the pit straight. Tatsuki started taking pictures while Orihime started wondering about aimlessly. She didn't notice anything until she bumped into someone and fell backwards. Looking up she saw a stern-looking woman. She was average for a Japanese woman (currently an expected height for Japanese woman is around 5 feet 2.) with blue hair tied into two braids. She was wearing black and gold race suit which reminded Orihime of a bumble bee.
"Hey watch it you" Apparently she the attitude of a queen bee as well.
"Gomen mam" Orihime stuttered out. The woman took another look at her.
"Hey you're a civilian this is a private practice" she said picking up Orihime surprising her with her strength.
"Matte, wait I'm a reporter. Where's my press pass" Orihime said frantically searching for her pass.
"HEY HANDS OFF OF HER" A familiar voice sounded. Tatsuki had found Orihime's press pass and was looking for her when she heard her shout. Tatsuki ran up and pulled Orihime free.
"What the heck is wrong with you? And for that matter who are you?" Tatsuki yelled which got a glare from the woman.
"I am Soi Fong driver of the 002 for Kuchiki Industries. As for her she is trespassing on a private practice." The blue haired woman now identified as Soi Fong.
"No she isn't she has her pass right here and here's mine" holding up both passes. Soi Fong scoffed and let Orihime go. She turned around and went to her car.
"Hime you alright" Tatsuki asked concerned. Orihime nodded. "Now then where did you run off to without your pass?
"Gomen Tatsuki but I guess I got curious at the track" Orihime looked down. Tatsuki sighed and handed Orihime her pass "Don't lose this pass please I don't want you to get in trouble.
Orihime nodded and they went towards the garage.
Meanwhile with the drivers Ichigo and Andrew suited up and met with Uryu and Chad. They were walking towards their cars when they heard a loud smack. They ran over and came across a comical sight.
A black haired woman with glasses and wearing a brown top and white skirt was chasing a brown haired man in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts. The bizarre thing was that the man was holding a sake bottle.
The four young drivers watched the scene with a sweatdrop. "Uh…what time is it?" Ichigo asked.
"I believe it is about 10:30 in the morning standard Japan time" Uryu said.
Andrew groaned "You Japanese are so strange. Drinking before noon really?"
The woman looked up "Oh I'm sorry" she said acknowledging the newcomers. "Please excuse this drunkard. I'm Nanao Ise, the camerawoman attached with the Kuchiki team. This man here is Shunsui Kyoraku, the reporter.
"Oh Nanao you look lovely in that dress" the now named Kyoraku said only to be bonked on the head again.
They heard another group of laughter and they all turned to see two more people. One was a red head with a head band and what looked like tribal tattoos on his face in a red and grey race suit. The other was a bald man in a black and blue race suit.
"You two never change do you?" the bald head said. The four rookies looked at the newcomers and Ichigo had a thoughtful look on his face.
"What's with you carrot top" the red head asked.
"I don't know you look really familiar" Ichigo said.
"What you recognize these looks from the winner—OOMPH!" The red head said before Ichigo's eyes lit up and punched him (That seems to be a recurring theme in this series in general)
"NOW I REMEMBER! YOUR THAT BASTARD PINEAPPLE RENJI ABARAI!" Ichigo yelled only to be punched back by a quickly recovering Renji.
"ONLY ONE PERSON CALLS ME THAT! ICHIGO WE MEET AGAIN" the now named Renji said as they started to brawl.
After a couple minutes the brawl was broken up by a smaller girl holding up a notebook.
"Renji nii-sama will be disappointed in your behavior. Ichigo it is nice to see you again." Ichigo looked up and saw what looked like a smaller Hisana in a pit uniform.
"Hello Rukia…hehehe nice to see ya" Ichigo groaned. Rukia scoffed "You haven't changed since we dated.
"Old flame Ichigo" Andrew asked.
"Yeah though we broke it off amicably, though I don't what I saw in a midget rabbit loving—OW" Ichigo started only for Rukia to bonk him.
Andrew took one look at the scene groaned and face palmed. "Ugh…if anyone needs me I will be at my car." Andrew said starting to walk away. "Hey where are you going?" The bald headed man yelled out.
"First off who are you and second I'm going to my car." Andrew said picking up the pace.
"I'm Ikkaku Mandarame and you aren't going anywhere without a fight."
"Fine ding dings WHAM" Andrew answered and leveled Ikkaku knocking him out.
Andrew sighed. "Japan is a wonderfully strange country" he said walking away.
An hour later found all eight drivers on track practicing. The Honda drivers met with the final Toyota drive Kira Izuru who was much nicer if not more gloomy than the other three. Out on the track they were testing the cars capabilities. Soon it would be the pit crews turn to train.
"Alright guys let's begin pit road practice. One at a time" Isshin called out. Chad came in first and with a little slowness on the gas he was down and away. Uryu followed with a similar result. When Ichigo and Andrew came in, well it got tricky. You see Orihime asked Isshin if she and Tatsuki could try and do a couple of pit stops changing the tires. Isshin agreed to the driver's grumblings.
Tatsuki tried on Andrew's car first. She didn't have as much difficulty as people thought. She was able to use the air gun and got the first tire on but when she transitioned she slipped and fell. She got up and with her concentration shot she could barely get the air gun to work right and place the tire. It did not help that someone was yelling to go faster in her ear. She was tuckered out when she finished her first pit stop.
Orihime went next on Ichigo's pit stop. She fumbled with the air gun as the car pulled in. Next she struggled pulling the tire off and then putting it on. Then she ran to the other side and fumbled again. By the time she was done she was exhausted.
"Oh…man…Tatsuki…this is hard" Orihime panted. "You know I though it looked easy but man it is tough lugging those tires around and then speed through the changes" Tatsuki moaned.
Isshin laughed "You girls are alright. Maybe some practice and you could be working the pits with us." The girls just collapsed at the thought.
After a couple more hours the tech teams had all they needed to make sure they could run adequately at races down the road. This was of course after the drivers bumped spun and race the cars out.
After changing out of their gear the drivers met up to say their good-byes.
"You did alright there Ichigo" Renji said grinning.
"Yeah like that race in Melbourne was a fluke just you wait" Ichigo grinned and they shook hands.
Ikkaku looked at Andrew. "You really are something if it wasn't for my car at Melbourne I could have easily kept up with you. Andrew scoffed "Keep telling yourself that." But he smiled nonetheless
Ichigo turned towards Soi Fong after shaking Renji's hand. "I hope you can keep up Miss Fong. It will be entertaining to see the rest of the year."
"Cocky bastard just you wait I will destroy you and especially that Gaijin of yours"
"Whoa what's with the hostility Miss Bee" Andrew said wondering where this anger came from "Your crew chief is Kisuke that bastard took Yoruichi from me when Vizard went under. I will get her back.
"Well then I wish you luck getting her back she is under contract. Besides I happen to like Kisuke as my crew chief" Andrew grinned as the queen bee lashed out only to be held back by her crew chief a heavy set man name Murchiyo Omeida.
All the drivers laughed and separated. Ichigo Andrew and the girls got into Andrew's mustang and started to head back to Ichigo's house.
"Ugh I can't believe your pit crew goes through that every time" Tatsuki said from the back.
"I wouldn't really know I just drive" Ichigo said.
Orihime was just smiling at the interaction as they talked about the day's practice.
About a half hour into their drive Andrew noticed something.
"Ichigo has that car been following us" Andrew pointed to the rearview mirror. Ichigo looked up and saw a black Mazda behind them. "I think it is. Pull off at the next exit I know where we are."
"Kurosaki-kun is everything alright?" Orihime asked. "Everything is alright Inoue-chan just sit tight. Tatsuki where's your phone.
"Right here I also have my regular camera here as well" Tatsuki said.
"Good Andrew pull off here" Andrew did so and the Mazda followed them. After a couple turns that pointed them in the right direction Andrew intentionally missed a turn. The Mazda followed their every move.
"Ok they are following us what are we going to do" Andrew said.
"Working on it" Ichigo said looking around. Now the Mazda was closing in almost bumping them.
Tatsuki spotted something. "Look a cop car"
"Got it any ideas how to get their attention." But before they could the cops flashed their lights as both cars went by him. Andrew pulled over and was about to pull out his license and registration when the cop ran by him chasing the Mazda.
"Well that was lucky" Andrew said as they drove back to the house in silence.
The girls got of the car when they arrived while the boys walked behind them. "Who was that?" Andrew pondered as he looked at his car for damage. "I don't know but I don't like it. We need to watch our backs this year something tells me we are in for a long year." Ichigo said as they walked to the house.
"Yeah I guess you're right." Andrew said as they contemplated who the driver was in the Mazda, not realizing this was only the beginning as someone did want them gone. But who is the question? Find out on the next edition of Bleach Grand Prix.
END CHAPTER
UO: Done with that one. Next chapter is the race weekend at Abu Dhabi. Poll is now up for the next two races afterwards. Please vote and review constructively.
New Terms
Yas Marina Circuit: Built about thirty minutes from the capital city of the United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi it is built on a man-made island and is part of one big entertainment complex. It was completed in 2009 and was designed by Hermann Tilke a renowned track designer of the 21st century. Most of the new tracks built right now have his brand which is a long straight with a hairpin turn. In 2070 the track is relatively the same with more seating capacity. Because of its location its normally held towards the beginning or the end of the year. With the enclosed cockpits one of the challenges of a driver is the heat in the cockpit.
Other Real world tracks mentioned
Flemington Raceway: A former dirt track in Flemington, New Jersey.
Dover: One of NASCAR's tracks. A former horse track paved over with Concrete its former name was Dover Downs. Nicknamed the Monster Mile because of vastly changing conditions, it is one of the track in NASCAR's Sprint Cup version of a playoff.
Loudon: New Hampshire Speedway. A flat one miler in the state of New Hampshire. One of the races in the Sprint Cup playoff.
Preview: Round 2 is upon the grand prix. With the knowledge of a desert race most of the teams have drivers on standby in case of heat exhaustion. As the race heats up and his engine temps climb will the Kurosaki-Ishida team succeed or blown up in the desert sun.
Next time: Enduring the Desert.
Please review kindly. Next update is my journey of the dreamer story until then.
OSPREY…SWOOOOSH