OSPREY…SWOOSH
UO: Alight then let's get this going because we are approaching ten chapters left. Counting the number of races left and the number of ideas I have there aren't many left plus the epilogue
Ichigo: Quit Yammering and let's go.
Andrew: Even I'm not this patient let's go.
Orihime: Come on let's go Knights of Justice
Tatsuki: Relax everyone let's get through this without any chaos.
UO: Yeah, better take a look at the script.
Tatsuki:…Great. UnitedOsprey1991 doesn't own the teams, manufacturers or the drivers or Bleach. He only owns the plot and any driver you would not recognize.
UO: ON WITH THE SHOW
Normal: Dialogue
"Italics and quotations": Radio, track announcer, phone conversation
Underlined and Italics: Lyrics or TV broadcast
'Italics and apostrophe': Thoughts
Bold: Yelling
Bold and Italics: Yelling in head:
Name followed by a colon: In-race TV Announcer
Chapter 26: Hungary for a win
When we last left our heroes, they had just conquered Germany's Nürburgring with Andrew somehow coming back and beating out Grimmjow at the line. Despite Grimmjow's argument that somehow he cheated, there was no evidence that the car was modified in anyway. This incensed the man and he refused to take the podium. Regardless, Andrew and Ichigo were in really high spirits.
"Before we get onto our celebrations, we should go over the next track." Isshin said with a smile as he looked at the very happy drivers, or at least the drivers who finished 1-2. Ichigo had Orihime on his lap while Tatsuki was leaning against Andrew. Chad had Isane next to him and Uryuu was surprisingly more laid back with a blushing Nemu next to him.
Ryuken cleared his throat. "This is not a particularly difficult track terrain wise but it can a little tricky turn wise." He turned on the projector. "The Hungaroing is relatively short compared to other tracks and especially compared to today at just over 2.7 mile. After a long straight, you turn right at a hairpin turn and then a slight right hander that goes into a wide left hander which turns then goes into another right hander. A straight where you can open up the throttle before a left hand kink, before a wide right turn. This moves to a right left chicane, then left hander 8 into a right hander nine before opening up the throttle for a sweeping left hander at 10 before a fast right hander. Another straight leads into a three turn combination, with a right hander opening it, then a left handed hairpin before a final right hander."
Isshin turned to the group. "I appreciate the effort you have put forward this year, all of you. The break after this race will be well deserved. Dismissed."
The group separated and went to go relax.
An hour later found them laying around watching a baseball game talking about a variety of things. Andrew and Tatsuki were on one of the couches, with the dark-haired girl tucked inside. On the other couch Orihime had her head on Ichigo's chest while he was petting her hair. On one of the lounge chairs, Isane was blushing as she sat in Chad's lap while on the other lounger, Nemu was laying against Uryuu.
Nemu spoke up. "Is this what you guys do after every race?" She said not believing that these drivers she had learned from Uryuu were laid back like this. She was even surprised that Uryuu lost his normally stoic appearance.
"I can assure you I can relax. Contrary to what my cousin believes I can be just as fun as you three." Ichigo just raised his middle finger to tired and too comfortable to say anything, getting Orihime to giggle.
"You know after a race like I had, I should be celebrating that I am alive." Andrew said. He felt Tatsuki squeeze him. "I was scared that you wouldn't make it. That wreck should not have been avoided." Tatsuki said in a quiet voice.
"Can you explain what happened? I was preparing to see your injured body before sending it to the hospital." Isane said.
"I…can't really explain it in a way that can be understood. I've had this ability to perceive possible incidents and problems on the track. On that one, I saw the wreck and I thought I could find a way to avoid it. I couldn't…I should be in the hospital but something pushed the cars away."
The room was silent until Nemu spoke quietly. "I may have been raised to believe in science Michaels-san, but there was something there that I don't think science can explain anything."
Tatsuki raised up her cross. "Maybe. I may have gotten this for my birthday…but all I care about right now, is that you're in my arms right now after what happened."
Andrew smiled and held Tatsuki closer. Orihime smiled at their interactions and let her eyes glaze over. This was the comradery that was built up between the four pairs. They could interact like this and it didn't feel awkward. Even the new girls, Isane and Nemu were starting to warm-up to the little group.
"Excuse me. As much as I like watching baseball, I am going to move to another room." Isane said.
"Why don't the girls move to another room? I mean Tatsuki I don't know if you want to leave." Orihime asked as she separated from Ichigo.
Tatsuki sighted and untangled herself given him a kiss. "Nah its fine. Are you going to be alright?"
Andrew smiled and waved her off. "I'll be fine, I don't think you want us smelly boys messing with your girl time."
Tatsuki shook here and Isane and Nemu followed the two girls to one of the rooms leaving the boys to relax.
"Those girls are something huh?" Andrew said stretching out along the couch.
Ichigo sighed and reached for the remote. "Yeah. So Uryuu had did you get Nemu to date you without Kurotsuchi killing ya?"
Uryuu blushed and coughed. "I don't know what your talking about? Mayuri is a nice man, though a bit…eccentric…" He trailed seeing the disbelieving faces. Uryuu cleared his throat. "Well I can say this was after…Russia I think. While you two were have your fit I happened to run into Nemu without her dad there as she was looking at our cars. She seemed very shy to talk to but I managed to get her to open up when I brought up classical music."
"Go figure." Ichigo said, getting Uryuu to glare at him.
"As I was saying. We started connecting as we talked and then Mayuri showed up scaring the life out of me. Instead of backing down when he asked me what I was doing, I asked him point blank to date her. After some thought, which I thought I was going to die, he agreed on the condition I treat her right or I get dissected."
The other three shivered. "Well I assume he started to like you if only barely." Chad said.
Uryuu nodded. As they talked more about their dating lives, Andrew was randomly searching through his Twitter and Facebook accounts. He came about one tweet that seemed particularly nasty. Reading the tag he could only growl, it read BluePanther otherwise known as Grimmjow.
"What a sore loser." He said getting the other's attention. 'Germany race rigged. I should have won not Andrew Michaels, his car should have been DQ'd.' Two hundred Likes, 500 Retweets thirty comments mostly from his supporters."
Uryu moved his glasses. "I suggest responding in kind."
Andrew nodded. "Already on it. 'That's a riot coming from you Blue Panther. Considering the rumors about your team.'
Andrew posted it and waited a couple of minutes. He got a reply. 'Your just jealous that we have a better car than you.' "Oh he did not say that." Andrew said a little ticked off as he typed out a new tweet.
'If it's crashing than yes you are better than us. Though would you kindly not involve our cars? All but three of our DNF's involved your cars.'
He was sure to get a reaction out of that and wasn't disappointed. 'All coincidences I assure you. And I must say you were either retarded or lucky to avoid that wreck.
I would be a little suspicious of how you avoided that wreck.'
Andrew growled and the others knew he was set off. They immediately went in to provide support for him as Andrew typed out a response. 'You want to talk about coincidence? How about a tire blow out right in front of me when no else was complaining of tire issues.
Andrew grinned as he provided some deft logic. Just then Isshin came into the room. "What the heck are you guys doing?"
Ichigo gulped. When his dad was serious he was a force to be reckoned with. "Those sore losers at Aizen are talking trash and disrespecting us. We are returning the favor."
Isshin sighed. "Just make sure not to use any coarse language. We have a good guy reputation to keep."
"Not that easy Uncle." Uryuu said as Andrew got another tweet, this time from Ulquiorra and how Andrew should not be gloating about his win.
Andrew sent another tweet and then changed the channel on the T.V where Sportscenter was covering the race highlights. They then got into the Twitter battle that had been taking place in the last twenty or so minutes. (They always seem to have it ready)
Andrew looked at his Twitter and growled. "Retarded am I? 'If I am that word then at least I am smart enough to win.'
"That should shut him up, let's see what else is on." He said as the Souske drivers dug themselves into a hole.
Isshin frowned. "Though they may get in trouble for that, they won't let the back and forth go unchecked. Be careful at the race."
"We will Dad." Ichigo said as they returned to their relaxed positions.
Up in Andrew and Tatsuki's room
Isane was laughing as Orihime was regaling them with a story from their school days.
"And then Tatsuki told them to not mess with us again. She may be a serious girl but she's smart she was top ten in school." Orihime said getting even Nemu to crack a few giggles.
Isane recovered her wits. "You girls had some interesting times. I kind of wish I was more outgoing in school. Kiyone was always the more outgoing type."
Tatsuki grinned. "Still didn't stop you from snagging Chad."
Isane looked away with a blush. "I don't know what to say. When he came in after Malaysia, I figured considering his size, after a flip and crash like that, he would be having trouble walking. Other than maybe some bruising, Dr. Unohana thought he was fine. I was intrigued by him so I gave him my number. We met after Road America and went on a small date. We were going to date in Japan but the guys fell sick. I took care of him and good lord look at me talking like a school girl." Isane said covering her face.
"Calm down Isane-san. Its fine. You have obviously never had this much positive attention paid to you." Nemu said.
"Yeah. My height was always a turn off for a lot of the men I've met. Hard to believe I turned to nursing. But I love my job and Dr. Unohana has been a great teacher."
"So what convinced you that you had something more with him?" Tatsuki pressed.
"Uh…would you believe during Monaco?" Isane said. "I remember you two convinced me to come out with you guys. I never felt that pretty and then when I saw Chad, I didn't feel like a freak, I felt like a woman for once."
Tatsuki sighed and laid back against her bed. "You know that night was the first time I really dressed up since…I think graduation." Tatsuki said looking at Orihime for confirmation. "It felt nice. And Andrew treated me with the respect that was apparently drilled into him. I'm glad our boys were very appreciative of the effort we put into our appearance. They were gentleman through and through.
Isane nodded. "That was…outside my graduation…was the best day of my life. I never experienced so much in one day. The food, the atmosphere…oh kami, I never wanted it to end. Up until that little robbery incident, I was treated like an important person. I actually relished in the jealous looks."
"Your important, Isane-chan. If your dating one of our drivers then you are special to us." Orihime beamed.
Isane smiled. "Thank you. Though I have a question. What exactly happened? I was too far away to get an idea what happened at the start.
Tatsuki sat up. "Andrew and I were going in to cash his winnings. When we were leaving, he saw three people coming up to the cashier. He saw that they had guns or at least one of them did. He intentionally bumped into one of them, an argument broke out and well you know what happened next."
Orihime went over to her bag. "We found a couple of business cards. It was odd that European bank robbers had a Japanese business card."
"We believe that it is something related to Souske because the two words are related to Mazda cars they have developed."
Nemu looked at the card. "Yes. I remember before Kurosaki-san hired my father, Aizen had approached my father to hire him for racing development. He must have done something to tick him off because my father refused and he gave him a card similar to this. The one thing that didn't change was the Kanji for the company."
Isane rubbed her chin. "What could they be doing? Isn't it accessory to a crime?"
"Don't know we are still figuring it out." Tatsuki said as they changed topics.
Next day with Aizen July 18th about 10:00 AM Germany Time
Aizen was absolutely furious at two of his drivers. In a fit of rage Grimmjow had refused the podium position after the Kurosaki whelps had somehow stolen the win. Then the big idiot had to go run his mouth and insulted the American driver.
'Retarded, Really Grimmjow? If he got insulted from Soi Fong saying that, what do you think his reaction was going to be if you said it.'
Grimmjow's continued conversation eventually drew Ulquiorra and Ichigo into the conversation and it ended with Ulquiorra drawing fire and Ichigo looking like what his name meant. He had to issue a formal apology about the comments and now had to pay a fine for both of them. He warned Grimmjow about his mouth before. It looked like the message needs to be sent again.
The two drivers in question just walked through his door with frowns on their face.
"What the hell Aizen, we should be on our way to Budapest?" Grimmjow said.
"Yes, well we will let you go just as soon as you answer this question. WHAT. THE. HELL. WERE. YOU. THINKING!?" Aizen roared uncharacteristically.
Grimmjow crossed his arms. "What? Are you talking about what I said? Tch…those punks just got me good."
Aizen slammed his desk. "You don't get it do you. That word is off limits especially to a known autistic.
"Autistic? Ain't they the slow kids who have horrible interaction skills?"
"Yes, and though he may not look the part, Andrew is autistic and is not afraid of what he is. That said he takes offense when people use that word to him and so do most people. Quite the contrary he was Top 5 percent in his class in high school and Cume Laude in college. (That means with high praise in Latin. GPA is normally 3.5 to 3.7. Considering his job…that was really good)
"So? He's smart why should that word offend him?" Grimmjow asked not getting the point.
"You don't get it. By calling him that, you also say that to all the autistics in the world and those who aren't always there. It's a direct insult to his character. You saw his reaction when Soi Fong said it!"
"Alright. I get it I'm sorry." Grimmjow said.
"No you don't get it. With Ichigo defending Andrew, they are now seen as heroes to a lot of people. I am now forced to issue an apology and the fine is coming out of your paycheck. What's more, my business just took a hit and now the proposed deal with Shell is in jeopardy. You are lucky you are keeping your job."
Aizen turned to Ulquiorra. "And what the hell were you doing helping him? You should have stayed out of it."
The pale-skinned man looked at his boss with a neutral expression. "I was attempting to end Grimmjow's foolishness and I just so happened to catch the last couple of exchanges between him and Kurosaki-san. I attempted to talk him down, but it appears he pressed one of my proverbial buttons. I apologize."
"You better be sorry. If I lose this deal, you two are going to be looking for new jobs at the end of the year. As it is, be lucky you still have your sponsorships. Both of you out of my sight!" Aizen roared as both of the drivers hastily left the office. "If those idiots disrupt my plans, they aren't going to be looking for a new job, they are going to be looking for an undertaker."
His thoughts were interrupted by his secretary. "Aizen-sama? Shell is calling you. Its in regards to the merger."
Aizen calmed down. "Very well. Tell them I'll be there in a minute." He answered. Aizen took a deep breath. "No matter. A small spin and a little sweet talk and this deal will be back on track." He said as he walked to the conference room.
Munich, Germany, Tuesday July 19th
Isane was waking up from all of the driving they had just done. Normally she would be on the plane to either Japan or wherever they were racing next. Somehow though, Dr. Unohana allowed her to come on this trip to the historic city. So with some pressuring she loaded up her luggage into Chad's Camaro and watched as the others loaded up in their respective cars. A few minutes later, she was holding on for dear life as she got a front row seat to the Autobahn. For those who didn't drive on Germany's roads regularly, it meant that there were no posted speed limits on most of their main roads. Seeing Chad's calm exterior driving at such speeds off the track, she relaxed somewhat as she watched the scenery go by. Chad was always a silent fellow and if she was going to be honest with herself, she enjoyed silence. She found herself falling asleep and leaning back in the seat. She was only woken up when they had reached their destination.
"You awake Isane?" Chad asked concerned."
"Yeah…what time is it?" She asked a little blearily.
"About 6. We stopped for the night. We are in Munich. We still have about six hours to go but have two days to get there."
Isane nodded and stepped out of the car. She watched as they all stretched outside the restaurant they had stopped at.
"Have a nice nap?" Chad asked walking over and placing an arm around her shoulder.
Isane nodded and the four couples walked into the restaurant. Unlike the one in Monaco this was more casual, something that appealed to the normal consumer. Compared to the atmosphere that day, this was something she welcomed, though she would prefer a coffee shop and a book. The group of eight sat down and indulged themselves in some of the food and drink. Fortunately, the hotel wasn't that far off and Andrew had used his card to book them all in separate rooms for the night.
As they indulged in the food, someone over at the bar was becoming increasingly rowdy. When they were eating their main course, they were distracted by the shouts coming from the bar. A glass shattering had the whole restaurant watching as two men starting throwing punches at each other. Soon the two fighters were on the ground and the bar keepers had to force them apart. A couple of minutes later the fight ended and the two were hustled outside. Andrew though recognized the two patrons.
"Holy cow that's Michael Busch and Raoul Garcia, What the heck are they doing here?" Andrew asked.
Ichigo looked over at the bar to see some more familiar faces. "I think I see some of Audi and Stewart-Haas drivers." He said as they walked out after paying their tab. Outside, they watched as the Michael and Raoul were placed on the ground. They had just finished explaining to the manager and offered to pay the damages. Brian caught the sight of the group approaching. "Andrew, Ichigo what are you guys doing here?"
Marcus also saw them and waved. "Hey guys. Sorry about this."
Isane walked over to take care of them while the boys talked. "What the hell happened?" Ichigo asked.
Marcus pointed to Michael. "He started drinking a lot. Something about drinking this season away. He then started hitting on Rebecca which got Brian annoyed. Raoul had also been drinking too much one thing led to another and well."
Andrew rubbed his head. "I hate to say I know them, but I do. The Busch family in America are known more for their off track issues. I can tell you this isn't his first team or first issue."
Andrew sighed. "We aren't even at the track and already two teams are going at each other. If you add on to the fact that more than likely Souske is not going take what happened this week lying down. Ugh…the disciplinarians are going to be in full force this week."
"Oh yeah mate, you two sure stirred up a hornet's nest." Brian pointed out. "But you had a right to defend yourself. That stupid cat and the pale guy has been rubbing people the wrong ever since they joined GP1."
"They always been like that?" Tatsuki asked.
"Yeah. They seem to have it out for the Kuchiki team. Seems like the business rivalry translates to an on-track rivalry. Though I have my doubts about their integrity especially after Shiba died."
"I heard it was the brakes failing at the wrong moment, do you have a different theory?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah, right before the wreck one of my teammates that he saw something sticking out of Yammy's car. But with no proof we haven't been able to do anything. My question is what is Sosuke's beef with you? I mean you guys are rookies, they normally go after the veterans." Brian asked.
"I think me and Ichigo would me the more likely targets because ourdads run the Kurosaki-Ishida conglomerate. It must be something similar to the Kuchiki rivalry." Uryuu theorized.
"Maybe, doesn't explain why they don't like me." Andrew said crossing his arms.
Isane walked over. "Other than being drunk out of their mind and some cuts, there is no lasting damage. Though they are probably going to regret this when Yammamato gets wind of this."
"Thank you Nurse Kotestu. Well we will get these guys back to sober up. It is a good thing this restaurant is used to bar fights." Rebecca said hoisting Raoul up while Marcus picked up Michael.
"See you guys in Budapest." Ichigo said as they walked towards their cars to head to the hotel. The couples were assigned to their own room, which Isane blushed at sleeping in the same room as Chad. After unpacking, Chad being the gentlemen offered to sleep on the couch and almost instantly went to sleep. Isane tried to get to sleep after getting ready for bed but her mind was playing with her emotions as she kept glancing over at the giant man.
'It can't be too comfortable over there. I guess…I can share for a night.' She said climbing out of the bed in her nightgown. She walked over to Chad and nudged him.
"Zzz…Hm?" Chad said after a couple of gentle shoves. "Isane?"
"Are you comfortable here?"
"Mn." Chad mumbled.
"If you want…you can share it…with me." She said quietly.
Chad looked at the woman and wordlessly got up and moved to the bed. Holding the sheets open, Isane climbed in and slid next to him. Because of their size they were already close to each other.
"Night." Chad said dozing off. Isane watched him sleep with a small smile and then snuggled into his chest. He might be quiet, but it fitted her just fine.
Three days later Hungaroing
The teams were now getting ready for qualifying. In an unusual weather pattern, the track was wet due to a light drizzle and the race Sunday called for more of the same, an unusual departure for this region for this time of year.
Uryuu walked over to the garage where the drivers were staying out of the rain. He had some interesting news to share with the group.
"I heard about the Busch and Garcia." Uryuu said getting their attention.
"What's the damage?" Ichigo asked from his spot next to the tires.
"$300,000 each and they have to start from pit road."
Andrew whistled. "Ouch, they aren't going to be winning today." At the girl's confused looks, he explained. "Starting from the pits essentially means they aren't qualifying and they pretty much lose a lap to the leaders because they have to start from near the middle of pit road and go from there."
The girls nodded. Just then a snide voice cut through their thoughts. "Not like you guys are going to win either."
Andrew immediately stood up to confront the snide voice. "What are you doing here Jagerjaquez head back to your den."
Grimmjow growled and moved in closer. "Listen Red Neck, I got into trouble because of you."
"Not my fault you can't keep your mouth shut online." Andrew said. Grimmjow reached over and grabbed his suit causing several things to happen. Ichigo moved to remove Grimmjow's arms only for Ulquiorra to shove him back. The two reporters moved back as Shinji and Kensei moved into separate the two. Several other crew members from both teams started to move in and it looked like a brawl was about to start.
Forutnately cooler heads had prevailed for the moment as soon as the officials came to break it up.
Grimmjow let Andrew go and left but with one more parting shot. "I see you on the track, and you are history."
"Like I haven't heard that before." Andrew called out. "Go back to your litter box." Grimmjow growled and moved to punch Andrew, but Ulquiorra held him back and finally both drivers headed back to their garage.
Andrew sighed. "This is going to be a long weekend. Tatsuki, Orihime stay close to the crew or us."
The two girls nodded and the drivers prepared for qualifying.
An hour later Ichigo had strapped in for his qualifying run. Uryuu had gone out in the second group and had complained of a gear box issue which regardless of his run would force him to the back of the field. Andrew had gone out and qualified decently. Now in the fifth segment he rolled out onto the track to begin his time. As he completed his second lap Ulquiorra had caught up with him coming out of turn 3. As he set up for his turn 4 entry, Ulquiorra boxed up out ruining his momentum. As they continued their lap, the Souske driver continuously cut him off. It was clear that he was not going for the fastest time but rather to make sure Ichigo did not do well. This caused the red head's temper to rise tremendously. When they finally finished the laps, Ichigo immediately stomped over to the 04.
"What the heck were you doing out there? You trying to wreck me?"
"I simply did not have a good car. You can forgive me for being in your way while I was completing my laps." He said calmly getting out of the car
"Hell you did, you could have moved out of the way instead of holding me up." Ichigo yelled before Andrew and some of the crew pulled him back. Ulquiorra managed to move back into the shield of his crew as the officials moved to separate the crews again. At this rate there was going to be a fight between the crews. The question is what was going to be the spark.
Starting Line-up: Hungary
1. Michael Kennseth
2. Brian Mcnish
3. Archie Stewart
4. Rebecca Kirkland
5. Serenity Gordon
6. Marcus Andretti
7. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
8. Jessica Rosburg
9. Dale Earnhardt IV
10. Gin Ichimaru
11. Kira Izuru
12. Renji Abarai
13. Andrew Michaels
14. Flippe Massa III
15. Shawn Newman
16. Bjorn Kristensen
17. Patricia Stenhouse
18. Chad Yasotora
19. Jason Vettal
20. Alexandra Edwards
21. Soi Fong
22. Ulquiorra Cifer
23. Ralph Hamilton
24. Ichigo Kurosaki
25. Ralph Dillon
26. Ikkaku Madarame
27. Uryuu Ishida (Changed Gear Box dropped to the rear)
28. Tier Harribel
29. Francesca Alonso
30. Robert Johnson
31. Maria Robertson
32. Jason Webber
33. George Schumacher (Wrecked in qualifying)
34. Allen Regan (Wrecked in qualifying)
35. Raoul Garcia (Penalty for off track behavior)
36. Michael Bush (Penalty for off track behavior)
(A very tense atmosphere at this track. What will cause the spark)
Sunday July 24th
Ichigo was sitting on the edge of the bed in contemplation. The whole weekend the Souske contingent had been on their case and it had nearly come to blows several times. Now it was race day and he knew there was going to be some retaliation.
"Ichigo?" Orihime's gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts. That and the soft body that had been sleeping with him the past few weeks embraced him from behind. "What are you thinking about?"
Ichigo sighed. "Souske has been at our throats. I feel like its going to boil over."
Orihime just closed her eyes. "Just come back safe. I feel like something bad is going to happen."
Ichigo nodded and let the gentle girl pull him back and let him rest on her stomach. They were both worried but they had comfort in each other.
Andrew and Tatsuki's room
Andrew slowly awoke with a groan. He looked up at the ceiling and realized what today was. Yesterday they had a smaller celebration for his birthday, but today was his actual birthday and he turned 23. Andrew sighed, he could remember where he spent several of his birthdays, but this was the first he spent in a foreign country and with a girl by his side.
"Hey birthday boy." Said female companion spoke up. Andrew smiled as he felt arms wrap around him. "How you feeling?"
Andrew looked out the window to see it raining. "Like the weather. I have a bad feeling about today."
"It's just the nerves is what I would say, but you haven't been wrong yet with these predictions. Just be careful alright?"
Andrew nodded and listened to rain set an ominous tone for the race.
A couple of hours later they were getting ready for the race and Andrew hit the shuffle button and the song started up, chuckling that song somehow fit today.
(Play King Nothing by Metallica)
As Andrew got ready, he kept glancing out the windo to see the rain picking up slightly. He never liked racing in the rain. But it was his job. Looking at Tatsuki, she nodded in support as he walked out of his room.
Outside Ichigo's rom, Orihime stood waiting for him to change. She looked at the ceiling in almost fervent worry. When the male came out, her worry was replaced with a small smile as they walked out together.
Chad happened to walking by the nurse's station when he saw Isane. The silver haired nurse blushed and waved at him as he walked by the station. Under his locks he smiled as he walked to his car.
Uryuu was walking alongside his car as it was pushed to the grid. As he walked he kept glancing at Nemu who was walking with her father. Nemu happened to glance at Uryu once and caught his eye and looked away with a blush.
In the Souske pits, Aizen was finishing talking to his drivers. He walked under a provided umbrella with a grin on his face. One way or another, in his mind, Kurosaki was going to pay for the embarrassment his team suffered this week.
Along the track, there were some puddles on the track, a result of being in the middle of a valley. Despite this the many fans that showed up with ponchos and umbrellas.
Around the track the cameras and the track crews were taking great care in protecting themselves and their equipment. The track marshals were well aware they could see more wrecks today.
In booths where it was dry, the broadcast teams were preparing for their jobs. Even in the booths, they could feel the tension building and it wasn't just the weather.
In the driver's meeting, the Kurosaki drivers and the Souske Drivers were intentionally kept apart with the Hendrick team between them. The Kuchiki drivers were separated by the Audi drivers because of the animosity between the two teams. Yamamoto finished up the mean and leveled a glare at the owners to keep an eye on their drivers. He sighed and talked to Saeskbe to have the officials prepared for anything as they were dismissed into the downpour.
(End Previous song and start Plowed By Sponge)
"In order to survive the World Grand Prix, you need to survive years in the lower leagues. Some drivers never make to the grand stage. Others were in the right place at the right time (Andrew and Rebecca are shown.) But to even get this far, they had to survive crashes, (Various crashes are shown), rivalries (Souske and Kuchiki are shown) and even hardships to get to where they are.
Through it all, they leave something of themselves behind. Blood, oil, machine is constantly sacrificed to get a fraction of a second more time on their rivals. In a world that hasn't seen a global conflict in two decades, these gladiators take the track having proven they are the best in the world at what they do, in a world of human wreckage.
(Chorus plays as it shows an overlay of the track is shown. Welcome to Hungary is shown in English and Hungary's local language.)
(Play Fox intro montage as the camera opens up to the track in the middle of the rain.
"A summer rain greets us from Hungary. The track may be wet but the drivers are ready to race."
(Pans to the American Crew)
Jeremy: Greetings from the Hungaoring outside Budapest Hungary to all around the world. This is round 18 of the World Grand Prix and last race before we take a month off. And considering what these drivers have gone through the first 17 races they certainly need it. Nate what do you think is going through the minds of the drivers especially after the long race we had last week.
Nate: After last week I think they welcome the change. This is a significantly smaller and easier track compared to Nordschliefe. But it does not mean they can't let their guards down. This weather will make it very tricky especially for a track that is normally dry this time of year.
Jeremy: Before we tackle this race, let's look at last week's marathon.
(Begin Montague)
Jeremy: The field was shrunk due to the size of the track but for the most part it was the Souske duo of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra who led 19 of the 20 laps.
Nate: (Replays show Andrew battling his way forward) But it is the last lap that counts and that lap was led by Andrew Michaels who battle his way back from a large deficit. (Wreck that Andrew avoided is shown) That includes this wreck that for all intents and purposes he should have ran into. But somehow he dodged it and he made the most of it. Hooking up with teammate Ichigo they stormed through the field and on the last lap they fought off the 06 of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and won in a cloud of smoke at the line.
Jeremy: What a comeback as we look at the two standings, Andrew and Ichigo still lead the pack. Same with the Kurosaki-Ishida team leading the team standings. As always we have a diverse report team as we send it to our reporter Jermaine Ferguson who is with last week's winner and the birthday boy trying to stay dry.
Jermaine: Thanks Jeremy. Andrew you have done more than any rookie has ever done in their rookie season since your competitor Brian Mcnish, winning at Abu Dhabi, Korea and last week at the Nordschliefe. How do you keep finding the will to win?
Andrew: I honestly thank the great crew and team I have backing me. But it's because of that team and our supporting cast that keeps me racing. I honestly will never know how I avoided that wreck but I think it's because a lot of people would be sad to see me gone or hurt
Jermaine: Talk about profound words. Speaking of word, you and Ichigo got into a bit of a twitter war with the two lead Souske drivers that seems to have carried over into the pits. Care to explain what happened?
Andrew: Yes. Grimmjow was apparently upset that my car suddenly got good near the end of last week's race and was furious it passed inspection. He called me out I responded about his team's wrecks somehow involving ours and then he called me the R word. You know that word ticks me off. Ichigo and Ulquiorra got involved and apparently Ulquiorra said something that got him fined as well. He's a poor sport and his attitude has gotten him in trouble more times than he would admit.
Before Andrew can continue, Grimmjow made his presence known and started shouting. Before he got close a couple of his crew and couple of Andrew's crew got between them. Grimmjow stomped off leaving Andrew to sigh.
Andrew: I have no idea what his problem is. But he seriously needs to fix it.
Andrew walked off. Jermaine turned to the camera.
Jermaine: Well the tension here is palpable. Back to you Jeremy.
After a few more segments and the pre-race ceremonies, the drivers started getting into their cars. Andrew strapped in looking more cross than he normally did. He looked in front of him to Gin who was talking to his crew chief.
"Relax. Not everyone on the Souske team are bad." Kisuke said trying to relax his driver.
"I know. But it doesn't mean I won't race them any more leniently."
Kisuke nodded and walked away.
Ichigo had his helmet on as Orihime grabbed his hand. This relaxed him somewhat as he looked over to Ulquiorra who was across from him. He looked up to the innocent girl and smiled.
"NOW FOR THE MOST FAMOUS WORDS IN RACING! DRIVERS! START! YOUR! ENGINES!
The roar of 36 came to life as they prepared to race in wetter conditions than they are used to.
Japan Booth
Kommamura: Rain hasn't kept the race fans from attending as the drivers make their way onto the track to begin the parade laps.
Jushiro: Race summary for this Budapest Tourism Grand Prix of Hungary; 2.7 miles, slightly larger than some of the more well-known tracks but not incredibly challenging. 110 laps will comprise the race. The fuel window is about 23-25 laps but the conditions might make people gamble near the end. Rain will play a factor today and more than likely with all these tempers it will make for some interesting racing.
Kommamura: Let's talk with our pole sitter. Michael Kennseth do you read me this Kommamura Saijin from Nippon Racing Network.
"Loud and clear."
"First pole in a while do you think you can springboard this into a good day."
"I like to think so. These Rousch Fords can handle this weather. Though I don't know if we have the staying power with these Red Bull cars. We'll see what happens."
Kommamura: Very Well Good Luck
After the parade laps the green flag was waved and thirty six sprays of water shot up as they made their way to the first turn. It was no surprise as they slowed down for the first turn that some cars were going to be sliding through the turn. One unfortunate car the 011 of Ikkaku Mandarame, braked way to hard and end up sliding into the tire barrier ending his day early. Coming out of turn 3, Kennseth lead the field down to the hair pin turn where more sliding occurred but this time they stayed off the wall. Going into the chicane the speeds increased but it was still tempered a little bit by the weather. Going through the final hairpins, Kennseth still had the lead over Archie Stewart.
American Booth
Jeremy: Lap one in the books. Many cars slipping and sliding. One car already in the wall and more than likely retired, that is the 011 Kuchiki Toyota of Ikkaku Mandarame.
Nate: Most circuits allow racing in this weather. America at least at the top levels of the Oval divisions don't. However the Grand Prix has a scale numbered 1-10 and its based on the track. The conditions here were a 6 on the scale. Because of how relatively smooth and slow this track can get they were fine with racing it. Conversely, if Spa, the track we race on next month got this rating, they might consider running it another day or shortening the race.
Jeremy: Tracks vary by week and so do the conditions. But rest assured the Grand Prix does everything in their power to make sure the drivers, the crews and the fans are safe.
A few laps later the racers had settled down somewhat, but those with loose cars were struggling mightily. Unfortunately, Ichigo and Andrew were two such cars.
"God damn it wrong day for a loose race car." Ichigo growled as he slowed down for the circle hairpin.
"We missed the set-up. I'm sorry. We will try to tighten you up."
Ichigo sighed. "We were setting up for sun not the rain."
"I know I know. Even Kisuke has his off days. You think Andrew is enjoying this?"
"I heard that Isshin. And No I am not." Andrew said out loud.
"What's the issue with you? I thought you like loose cars."
"My issue is the rain. I've never enjoyed driving in it much less racing in it." Andrew said. "It's exhausting and can actually play on your nerves."
"You think we can just survive today and get out of here?"
"At this point I just want to make it to the first pit stop without crashing. We got enough points, let's just avoid crashing today." Andrew said as he slid of the course again and cursed.
"Uh Andrew?"
"I HATE THE F****KING RAIN!" Andrew roared which got chuckles out of all of those on the frequency.
A few laps later on lap 23 they finally got to the first round of pit stops as many cars were starting to get loose with the slick track. This led to another retirement when Ralph Dillon broke something in the axels and was forced to pull off. Despite the changes such as air pressure and track bar changes, Andrew and Ichigo continued to struggle and Andrew even was threatened with being lapped.
American Booth
Jeremy: Lap 35 in the books as Webber is holding off a charge from Ichimaru in the chicane. Seems like the Souske cars are doing well along with the Red Bulls.
Nate: Trouble on the front stretch. Looks like a Viper and an Audi, that's Michael Busch and Raoul Garcia.
Jeremy: They got into a fight at a bar earlier this week and…it looks that tension hasn't dissipated as the Spaniard is looking really mad at the American. Race officials are right there to break it up.
Nate: Very testy at the moment. They were dropped to the rear at the start due to their off track behavior. Now it looks like they are taking it to the track.
Andrew drove by the wreck and whistled. "Well now we knew there was bad blood. This feels like the Bristol Night Race."
"Were there fights?" Kisuke asked.
"Oh boy I have stories."
A few laps later after the caution was pulled, it was sent out again when Renji got clipped by Tier and collected Massa coming into turn 12.
Tier looked at the carnage. "My apologies Abarai-san."
"Do not apologize to those Kuchiki whelps." The voice of her boss came over the radio.
Tier said nothing as the race continued.
Ten laps later as they went back to racing, Grimmjow happened to come across Uryuu as he sped down the front stretch. Getting a cocky smirk he drafted up on Uryuu and then as he slowed down he clipped him none to gently. With no grip Uryuu slid into the barrier with a thud.
"Uryuu are you alright?" Ryuken shouted.
"I am fine father. But that stupid cat is getting on my last nerves.
Ryuken looked at his crew to see the angry looks on their faces. "I know the feeling."
Japan Booth
Kommamura: Trouble on the front stretch and it's the 32."
Jushiro: That's the fourth wreck Uryuu has been involved and it's the fourth one that wasn't his fault.
Kommamura: (Replays are shown Grimmjow spinning out Uryuu) And it's the Third time Grimmjow has been involved in wrecking Uryuu. There has been some increased animosity after the comments said this week and it looks like the Souske camp has decided to not play nice.
Jushiro: (Listening to the scanner) This is straight from the Grand Prix officials, all Souske drivers are being warned that they are on their last chance. One more incident like that and all of the Mazdas will be parked. They have been repeatedly warned and they are fed up with their behavior. To those who like baseball, think of the umpire warning the bench for one team.
In his car, Andrew growled. "That stupid cat has crossed the line. He clearly went after Uryuu on that one.
"Souske is on their last warning. Careful you don't retaliate."
"It's not me that you have to worry about Kisuke it's our crew. They are probably chomping at the bit."
"You have no idea." Kisuke said seriously.
A few laps later as Andrew was going down the back stretch he saw Tier in front of him. His mind was in conflict on what to do. He got onto the front stretch and looked like he was going to avenge Uryuu. The angel side one and he let up on the gas.
"Revenge isn't the answer. I would be just as bad as that cat." He said as he navigated the turn.
"There are some people here who would disagree with you." Kisuke responded.
"Screw them. I race to win not wreck people."
"…Isshin made the right choice hiring you." Kisuke said with a smile.
As it was two laps later, Tier blew a tire and forced her to retire.
American Booth
Jeremy: Tier has dropped out due to a tire failure.
Nate: I could have sworn she could would have been wrecked earlier. Andrew was creeping up on her and looked like he was going to get a little retribution for Uryuu. He backed off, I guess his kindness won out.
Jeremy: Hearing word that Souske is trying to get Kurosaki called out for cutting down the tire. That seems a little ironic considering there have been several accusations of them cutting tires.
Nate: He clearly backed off. No question he is innocent.
Andrew's conscious was clear as he raced on.
As the lap counter wound down, the Kurosaki and the Souske cars were separated on the track. They were not in contention for the win as they did not have the cars to compete. But it did not mean there was some bubbling tension between two teams. This came to a head with two laps to go. Grimmjow finally got near Andrew heading down the back stretch towards the final set of turns. As the navigating the turns Grimmjow got out of line slightly and bumped Andrew.
Feeling the impact Andrew growled. "Seriously? Real mature Grimmjow."
On the final lap they were separated by less than a second going through the same track that Grimmjow passed Andrew. Grimmjow moved to block but forgot about the wet conditions and slid off the track. Considering they were the last ones on the lead lap this didn't affect them much but the Panther was incensed. As they came in from the cool down lap, the two entered the pit and Grimmjow seeing an opportunity sped up and spun Andrew into the wall. Andrew quickly backed up and went towards his pit. He quickly unstrapped and climbed out of the car. His crew was already there as well as Grimmjow's crew.
"What the hell is your problem? Are you that much of a sore loser that you wrecked me in the pits?"
Grimmjow growled. "You wrecked me. I only returned the favor."
"That is absolute BS and you know it."
"Your right. Here let me show you how much you've embarrassed me." Grimmjow roared throwing a punch. Andrew quickly blocked and then all hell broke loose. Grimmjow's crew and Andrew's crew quickly got into a brawl. The remaining three crews from both sides quickly joined the brawl and it nearly became a riot. Ichigo was able to get Andrew out and they were quickly escorted back to their trailer as they observed the Kuchiki team getting involved.
"Are you guys alright?" Ichigo said as they slipped through to get to their plane.
"I'm fine. What about you Tatsuki?"
Before she could answer, she caught something in her peripheral vision. "Look out!"
Andrew looked behind him to see Grimmjow had broken through the crowd and moved to punch Andrew in the back of the head. Tatsuki's warning gave him enough time to react. He grabbed the out stretched arm and took him down to the ground. The struggling driver tried his hardest to break the grip but Andrew and Tatsuki held firm as Ichigo pushed Orihime behind him in case he does get free.
"Are you guys alright?" One of the officials ran up to him.
"Yeah this guy attempted to blind side us. I was merely defending myself and my team."
The official took one look at scene and nodded. "I think I can vouch for you but just be ready for probation okay?"
"What about the rest of the teams?"
"Souske was warned and their crews are going to be punished severely, your crews and Kuchiki could get off lighter. But don't worry, a lot of the cameras show you trying to avoid conflict. Thank you for trying to avoid fighting."
Grimmjow was shooting off insults as he was dragged away. Andrew sighed and turned to Tatsuki. "Are you alright?"
Tatsuki nodded and squeaked when Andrew leaned in and kissed her squarely on the lips.
"Andrew, Ichigo and Orihime are here."
"Don't think they'll mind at the moment." He said looking at the couple who was in a lip lock as well. Releasing the two couples looked at each other and nodded. Whatever was going to happen to them over the last eight races of the season…it was going to test them mentally, physically and emotionally. Can they hold out? Find out as Bleach Grand Prix continues.
Finish Order: Hungary
1. Jason Webber, Red Bull, 40 points 44 laps led
2. George Schumacher, Ferrari 36 points 20 laps led
3. Serenity Gordon, Hendrick 35 points 7 laps led
4. Soi Fong, Kuchiki, 34 points 12 laps led
5. Michael Kennseth, Rousch 33 points 13 laps led
6. Jason Vettal, Red Bull 31 points
7. Rebecca Kirkland, Audi, 30 points
8. Ulquiorra Cifer, Souske 29 points
9. Gin Ichimaru, Souske 29 points 5 laps led
10. Bjorn Kristensen, Audi, 27 points
11. Robert Johnson, Hendrick 26 points
12. Chad Yasotora, Kurosaki, 25 points
13. Ichigo Kurosaki, Kurosaki, 24 points
14. Brian Mcnish, Audi, 24 points 9 laps led
15. Ralph Hamilton, Red Bull, 22 points
16. Patricia Stenhouse, Rousch 21 points
17. Alexandra Edwards, Rousch 20 points
18. Andrew Michaels, Kurosaki 19 points
19. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Souske 18 points
20. Marcus Andretti Stewart-Haas 17 points 1 lap down
21. Jessica Rosburg, Ferrari 16 points 1 lap down
22. Maria Robertson, Ferrari, 15 points 1 lap down
23. Francesca Alonso, Ferrari 14 points 2 laps down
24. Dale Earnhardt IV Hendrick 13 points 2 laps down
25. Shawn Newman, Stewart-Haas 12 points Out
26. Allen Regan, Rousch, 11 points Out
27. Kira Izuru, Kuchiki, 10 points Out
28. Tier Harribel, Souske 9 points Out
29. Archie Stewart, Stewart-Haas 8 points Out
30. Uryuu Ishida, Kurosaki 7 points Out
31. Flippe Massa III, Red Bull, 6 points Out
32. Renji Abarai, Kuchiki 5 points Out
33. Raoul Garcia, Audi, 4 points Out
34. Michael Bush, Stewart-Haas, 3 points Out
35. Ralph Dillon, Hendrick 2 points Out
36. Ikkaku Madarame, Kuchiki, 1 point Out
Drivers names Team Points
Ichigo Kurosaki Kurosaki 484
Andrew Michaels Kurosaki 473
Brian Mcnish Audi 450
Serenity Gordon Hendrick 446
Gin Ichimaru Souske 409
George Schumacher Ferrari 406
Chad Yasotora Kurosaki 387
Ulquiorra Cifer Souske 384
Uryuu Ishida Kurosaki 383
Archie Stewart Stewart-Haas 383
Soi Fong Kuchiki 370
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez Souske 366
Tier Harribel Souske 352
Patricia Stenhouse Rousch 345
Michael Kennseth Rousch 340
Renji Abarai Kuchiki 332
Ralph Hamilton Red Bull 328
Ralph Dillon Hendrick 319
Rebecca Kirkland Audi 299
Jason Webber Red Bull 298
Maria Robertson Ferrari 295
Robert Johnson Hendrick 292
Marcus Andretti Stewart-Haas 291
Kira Izuru Kuchiki 288
Michael Busch Stewart-Haas 287
Bjorn Kristensen Audi 286
Jessica Rosburg Ferrari 282
Fransesca Alonso Ferrari 280
Flippe Massa III Red Bull 275
Alexandra Edwards Rousch 274
Jason Vettal Red Bull 273
Ikkaku Mandarame Kuchiki 267
Dale Earnhardt IV Hendrick 251
Raoul Garcia Audi 240
Allen Regan Rousch 226
Shawn Newman Stewart-Haas 204
Team Names Combined points
Kurosaki-Ishida 1727
Souske 1511
Hendrick 1308
Audi 1275
Ferrari 1263
Kuchiki 1209
Rousch 1185
Red Bull 1174
Stewart-Haas 1165
END OF CHAPTER
UO: Finally done and printed.
New Tracks
Hungaroing: Hungary's Grand Prix circuit. It was at this track in 1986 where the first race behind the Iron Curtain happened. A very popular track especially with the fans.
Preview: As the racers separate and enjoy their month long holiday, reflections ensue as Andrew talks with some of his fellow gamers while Ichigo spends alone time with Orihime. As passions seemingly explode between the two couples, Aizen begins his public moves but will something keep it from happening? Find out next time
Next Chapter: Reflections and Passions for Life.
Next update is Journeys of the Dreamer.
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