OSPREY….SWOOOOSH
UO: Hey guys, ready to rock?
Ichigo: Yes
Andrew: Ready
Orihime: Good to go. (Notices Nui) Oh hello there what's your name?
UO: Tatsuki can you move Orihime?
Tatsuki: Uh…Okay (Moves Orihime)
UO: Thank you someone do the disclaimer please. (Wields his sword.) SATSUKI, RYUKO SHE'S OVER HERE!
The two girls show up.
Ryuko: DIE
Satsuki: JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL
Chad: (Ignoring the chaos) UnitedOsprey1991 does not own Bleach or any of the tracks or drivers. He only owns the plot and makes no money.
Explosion is heard as the set is destroyed again
Grand Prix cast is blown away as the show starts.
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 30: Italian Renaissance
Monday September 5th about 7:30AM Japan Time
When we last left the Kurosaki contingent, they were enjoying some down time with their friends from the Kuchiki team. During that time, Andrew had to tend with an assertive Soi Fong but the Kuchiki driver was nice enough to understand their relationship as she was trying to recover her emotions. Also happening was the Kuchiki head and his wife welcomed their baby girl Sayuri into the world. But those who wanted Byakuya out of the way attempted to kill or capture the family. This resulted in the arrests of the Kuchiki board and those involved with the home invasion. But it was how it ended that left scars on one driver.
Andrew was slowly waking up after having a sleepless night. After pulling the trigger on the former head of the Kuchiki board of directors, he had cried himself to sleep due to the doubts he had come into his mind. Looking down at his chest, he saw an unusual sight. Having his girlfriend on his chest was nothing new, having Shaolin Fong in his bed was.
His movement stirred the women awake. "Morning, Andrew." Tatsuki said nuzzling his chest.
"Morning Andrew-san." Shaolin said stretching her limbs out.
"Hey girls. Uh, Tatsuki what's Shaolin doing in our bed?"
Shaolin just leaned back onto his shoulder. "I was legitimately concerned about you. I was originally going to say good night to you but I saw you crying and something came over me to help soothe you. I've never seen anyone look more composed then you and to see you break like this, it was really concerning."
"I let her sleep in here, because I could see she was really worried about you." Tatsuki said.
Andrew sighed and leaned back. "Sorry to have worried you. It's just…I never fired a real gun before and the ramifications that I could have killed him and I could fire so easily." Andrew closed his eyes. "I was doubting whether I was a good person doing what I did."
Shaolin sighed. "Andrew, please understand that what you did was the right thing. What do you think would have happened if you hesitated?"
Andrew opened his eyes. "Byakuya, Hisanna or Sayuri would have been hurt or killed."
Tatsuki smiled. "Does that make you a bad person? Would you have done the same for any of us?"
"In a heartbeat." He said.
"Then where is the doubt coming from?" Tatsuki said rolling over to straddle Andrew's chest. "You did the same thing anyone else would have and you reacted faster. If anything you should be happy everyone is alive. And you got Kuchiki-san's favor. That can't be easy to get."
"It isn't." Shaolin said.
"So be thankful for that and erase any doubt you have." Tatsuki said.
(Lime scene ahead)
Andrew nodded. Tatsuki smiled and then moaned as Shaolin snuck behind her and groped her breasts under her shirt, which was the only thing she was wearing.
"Shaolin." Tatsuki moaned.
"Shhh…its okay you don't want to share me with Andrew. I understand. Perhaps, we can be…friends with benefits?" Shaolin said chewing Tatsuki's ear.
The blush had spread all over Tatsuki's eyes and looked at Andrew. "I…I'm game, if Andrew is is…just let's not have…sex here." She said giving into the pleasurable sensation.
Andrew chuckled. "And here I thought you were faithful to Orihime."
"I…I am. We're both Bi-curious. I explored…it a bit more…due to my tomboy personality." She said breathing heavily.
Andrew sighed. "If you want to do something like this…then I suppose once in a while wouldn't hurt."
Shaolin smiled and reached down to undo her sash revealing her nude body to the couple. Her small body was athletically built and there wasn't an ounce of wasted muscle. Her breasts suited her frame perfectly.
Andrew groaned. "Those fire suits are like second skin you know."
Tatsuki was panting as she felt her shirt being removed. She cooed as her breasts were tenderly molded and kneaded.
"So firm to the touch, yet soft like dough. I'm jealous." Shaolin whispered into Tatsuki's ear. She let go much to Tatsuki's disappointment. "Only fair you get to do into me." She said leaning back and posing. Tatsuki caught her breath and then proceeded to do the same thing to Shaolin getting pleased moans out of the girl. After a few minutes of that, they rested while Andrew got up to use the toilet because he did not want to blow in the bedroom.
(End Lime)
"You are a natural." Shaolin said to the karate girl. "You sure I can't steal you from Andrew." She asked amusingly.
"Thanks and no." Tatsuki said. After a couple of moments of calm, Tatsuki spoke.
"Thank you. For helping Andrew out." Tatsuki said.
Shaolin offered her a rare smile. "No worries. Its what friends do right?"
"Friends…I like that." Tatsuki smiled. "With a little bonus on the side. Does that make me a whore?" She asked.
"No. You haven't done anything with me or Orihime. And Andrew said he would not mind once in a while. I think he doesn't want you to cheat on him."
"I would never do that." Tatsuki replied.
"Good. And I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable the last couple of days."
Tatsuki waved it off as Andrew came back in. "All taken care of?" She asked giggling.
"Yes. Come on let's what the cooks have for us for breakfast." Andrew said as the girls got dressed and left the room. Andrew watched them leave, with Tatsuki swaying her hips to entice him.
Andrew shook his head and looked down at his right hand. It was shaking badly and he closed his hands to calm it down. This wasn't his normal hand twitch he did when he was nervous, it was near full blown shaking. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that he needed the hand to change gears especially at the track that was coming up.
'Is this the result of the gunshot? Whatever it is I better keep it under wraps. Great this flares up right before a race that needs a lot of shifting.'
He continued his thoughts as went to breakfast.
A couple of hours later, the Kurosaki team left the mansion after saying their farewells, the owners staying behind to discuss future business. In Chad's Nissan Altima, he was behind the wheel with Isane in the front and Uryu and Nemu in the back. The weather had turned to a dreary rain as they climbed down the mountain.
"Did you honestly think, seven months ago we would be in a position we are in." Uryu said looking out the window of the car.
"If we were not rookies, do you think we would get this much attention?" Chad asked.
"No...well not like this. We probably would have gotten press because the two heirs to the Kurosaki company fortune were racing in top tier. When Andrew came along, his rising stardom added fuel to the fire."
Uryuu watched the rain hit the car. "With the success of both Andrew and Ichigo, its shifted from how the two rich boys would find their way in racing's top tier, to the two charismatic young men that have taken the world by storm. Let's face it, they are charming, they've won multiple races, they have beautiful girlfriends and they are the top two drivers in standings."
Isane was confused. "Your doing well aren't you? Uryuu you won at Road America, Chad was victorious at Monaco. Your 12th and 6th respectively.
"But we are a distant 6th and 12th. Its 110 to me and 91 to Chad from Andrew, 96 and 77 to Ichigo. Theoretically all the drivers save the bottom five drivers can still win, but that number is going to go down as the season winds down. At most only seven drivers currently have the best shot, with Chad and Gin having the longest shots. If Andrew and Ichigo keep the pace they are going, it's possible one of them will clinch at Argentina." Uryuu said shooting down Isane's argument.
Nemu looked concerned at her boyfriend. "Uryuu-kun, there is no reason to believe that Ichigo and Andrew think your any less a part of this team. You may have not won as many races and Kurosaki-san and Michaels-san, but you two have contributed enough that the Kurosaki team is running away with the team title."
Chad sighed. "Nemu, what we are trying to say is that we are in the shadows of the other Kurosaki drivers. Most of that has been because they have been more successful but its also because they have an extraordinary amount of luck, having not gotten into a lot of wrecks somehow."
Uryuu looked out the window. "I got a call from a relative of mine. He's my Uncle through the Ishida family not the Kurosaki family. His name was Yhwach Schwarzlicht. He was kicked out of the family for nearly killing the family head at the time, my Grandfather. His team, based out of Germany is currently in the European Premier Racing League, one of the European tiers right below GP3. He approached me after the race in Nürburgring.
Flashback July 15th after the race
Uryuu was walking through the garage area getting some fresh air after the party like atmosphere following the previous win.
As he walked around, he happen to glance over and spotted someone walking towards him. He was a tall middle-age man, with a pointed mustache and was in a grey business suit. The eyes though told him that there was a genetic connection between him and this man.
The man walked up to him with a smile. "Little Uryuu Ishida. My how you have grown."
"Excuse me if I do not know you. Who are you?"
The man chuckled. "Of course you would not know me. My name is Yhwach Schwarzleicht, formerly Ishida. I am your father's older brother, making you my nephew and Ichigo Kurosaki my nephew-in-law."
Uryuu was shocked. Here he thought that most of his close relatives were traveling with him yet had never heard of this man.
"I take it you don't believe me. Well that's to be expected. I was kicked out for a crime against the family. Trying to kill my father would do that I suppose."
Uryuu widened his eyes. "So you were kicked out of the family and thus my Father took over the mantle."
"Correct. But I have made a name for myself without resorting to the Ishida fortune. Which is now the Kurosaki and Ishida fortune. I must say Masaki marrying Isshin was unexpected."
Uryuu returned to his normal façade. "What do you want after all of these years? It can't be to say hello."
Yhwach smiled. "Straight to the point, I like that. As with most major companies and entrepreneurs, I run a race team, Vandenreich Motors, part of my telecommunications company, Vandenreich LLC. We are currently in the European Premier Racing League. And I have an offer for you.
Uryuu's silence urged him to continue. "I've seen you race this year. While you have done well, it seems to have been overshadowed by your Cousin and your American teammate. What I am proposing is that you come join my team at the end of the season. I can assure you, you will not be overshadowed by any of your teammates, and in fact you will be the main driver. Think about it, in a couple of years, your old team will be a thing of the past."
Uryuu looked stunned at the offer. But the more he thought about it, the more he began to doubt his place at the company and these doubts began to fight against his loyalty to the family.
Yhwach handed him a business card. "Call me if you change your mind." The elder man left Uryuu to his thoughts.
Uryuu headed back to the Kurosaki plane still contemplating the card. As he entered the hanger, he was surprised by Nemu's appearance.
Nemu approached him shyly. "Uryuu-kun, is something the matter?" She asked.
Uryu looked at Nemu. "No, just guy who wanted me to look at offer for next year.
Nemu nodded and leaned into kiss him. The formerly stoic man pulled her in close and kissed her back. After a minute, they released.
"The others are inside. Come on." Nemu said. The quiet girl had started to become more confident since they began dating. They walked towards the rec room and the other three couples were already there.
"Uryuu you crazy bastard, stop making out with your girlfriend and grab a bottle." Ichigo said from his position on the couch.
The two had the decency to blush and Nemu headed over to the chair as Uryuu stayed back. He took another look at the card in his pocket and tore it up.
"Sorry about that. Needed some air." Uryuu said as he walked over to his girlfriend."
End Flashback
The occupants in the car were surprised at that revelation. "I didn't know you did that Uryuu-kun. I assumed you were not interested in interacting with us."
Uryuu shook his head. "No. It was seeing you all that made me realize I couldn't just betray you all for a man that supposedly was a member of my family."
He felt something soft wrap around his arm. He looked down to see Nemu leaning against his shoulder. "I am glad that you decided to stay. It would make me conflicted as to whether to come with you or stay with my father. It was something I did not want to contend with. Before we started dating, my father was firm but fair with me. He unfortunately scared off any potential boyfriends and I guess I went into my mind most of the time. I liked to draw and my feeling were what was put on those pages. Father may seem a little…insane, but he genuinely cares for my well-being."
Uryuu smiled and started running his hand through her dark hair.
Chad sighed. "If we are being open about this…I was approached between qualifying and the race in Spain.
Flashback June 4th After Qualifying
Chad was on his way to pick up Isane for a date in Barcelona proper. He had a kick in his proverbial step as he walked in his khakis and black shirt. As he walked towards the nurse's station an older voice sounding voice called out in English.
"Excuse me? Mr. Yasotora?"
He turned around to spot a younger Japanese man a couple of years younger than Byakuya. He was wearing a windbreaker and had black pants and white t-shirt.
"May I help you?" Chad said. He may have more patience then Ichigo and Andrew but keeping from his date with Isane was grating his nerves.
"My apologies. My name Ginjo Jugo. Executive VP of Xcution, LLC an electronics manufacturer and owner of Xcution Motors in GP3. I must say Mr. Yasotora, your win last week was genius and even lucky."
Chad nodded. He was getting press left and right since his win on Sunday. Considering it was at Monaco and his past, it was a big news story.
"Yes I had enough fuel to make it to the end and it was fortunate that Ulquiorra ran out of gas."
Ginjo nodded. "Yes, well I came to talk to you about a potential offer."
"Can you make it quick, I've got a date to get to?"
Ginjo noticed Chad was a little antsy. "Sorry. Anyway I've read your story. You were a street racer, you weren't the drug runners of some of the street gangs you just raced to protect your crew. One you saved one of the Kurosaki children, Yuzu I believe and you got yourself caught and recruited onto the Kurosaki roster."
"Your point being?"
Ginjo smiled. "Do you honestly think a company as large as Kurosaki would want a driver with a past like yours?"
Chad's face betrayed no emotions but inside he was starting to get upset. "If you recall those same stories, the only thing I was ever guilty was reckless endangerment destruction of property with a motor vehicle which with Isshin-san's input meant I got off with probation and monitored for two years. I was cleared and quite frankly I do not want to go back to racing in the underworld."
Ginjo frowned slightly. "I wasn't going to suggest that. My current roster consists of four people who have gotten into some…difficult situations and I helped them out a bit. In exchange they race for me. What I am proposing is you come drive for me. I am sure they would be more respectful to you."
Before Chad could answer, a female voice called out.
"Chad, there you are I thought you were coming straight from qualifying." Isane called out. Chad looked and saw Isane in a white blouse and grey skirt. Isane looked and saw Ginjo. "Oh who's this?"
"Just a fan who wanted to have an autograph." Chad said looking at Ginjo critically.
Ginjo was sweating. "Yeah, I saw your race last week and I wanted an autograph but uh sorry I didn't have anything for me to sign in my, uh eagerness." Ginjo said trying to back track.
Chad nodded and then turned around to escort Isane towards the hanger to get his car. He then stopped "As for our little talk, I own my team more than you would ever know. So kindly do not approach me again."
Ginjo gulped as the gentle giant led his girlfriend away.
End Flashback
Isane leaned back in her chair. "That was something I didn't expect. I would think with you all rookies and being as successful as you have been this year, other teams would try to plunder you guys. But I would have thought it would be Ichigo and Andrew not you guys."
"Ichigo is too loyal to the family and Andrew has publicized his comments about his friendship. With them being the poster boys at the moment, they would not go after the two that are doing well, especially lower tier teams." Nemu commented.
"But go after the two drivers that aren't being successful and suddenly you have top tier talent at a bargain. Even if you don't sign the drivers, it could create an unnecessary stress to all the drivers involved and at this point in the year we do not want that." Uryuu finished.
The drive was then silent as the occupants digested this information.
"Then, we need to prove that we belong in this tier and to show them that if they want to break us up, well it will be over our dead bodies." Chad said.
Isane smiled as she found his hand. Uryuu and Nemu smiled as well and the rest of the ride was pleasant."
Tuesday about 10:30 AM Japan Time at the Kurosaki gym
Andrew had finished bench pressing and was breathing heavily. Bench pressing 300 pounds was not an easy endeavor for anyone. As he sat up and started to drink his Gatorade, the bottle started to shake.
"God damn it." He whispered looking at his hand as it calmed down. "Why is this happening?"
"Why is what happening?" Tatsuki asked walking over from her cardio workout.
Andrew shook his head. "Nothing. Just trying to figure out how to go further up on the bench. You finished with your cardio?"
Tatsuki nodded. "Now I'm going to do my legs."
Andrew chuckled. "And what sexy legs you have there." Tatsuki slapped him on the shoulder getting him to laugh. As he went over to the dumbbells he selected two forty pound weights and began to lift them up. The first few reps were fine and then his arm began to shake.
"Please stop." Andrew said as he willed his arm to stop shaking. Once he did, he went over to a therapy ball and started squeezing it. Feeling no shakes, he theorized it must have been a psychological reaction.
"Okay, so what's the trigger?" Andrew said. Looking at his arm, he started to go through potential triggers.
'Love…Tatsuki…Cars.' A small shake occurred. 'Okay, slight issue there but I don't think that's it. Let's see, video games…movies…Top Gun.' At the word gun, his hand started shaking wildly. 'Okay, its gun. Let's see. Time Crisis…Call of Duty.' His hand resumed shaking. Then he started having flashes of what had happened and what could have happened.
"Damn it. Just because they said it was okay, does not mean I think it was okay." Andrew said. He sighed. "Just got to go through the paces. Hopefully, my body can accept what I did soon. Italy is not going to be pleasant on the gear box or my hand."
Andrew then went over to where Tatsuki was and got her to spar with him to keep themselves sharp.
Monza, Italy, Thursday September 8th11:00 AM Central European Time
Ichigo and Andrew were in the rec room watching some T.V with their girlfriends. They had flown in yesterday, and compared to the time difference between the U.S and Japan, it wasn't as extreme. But they were waiting around for the ESPN crew that would be covering them for this race, the next two weeks and then the race in South Africa.
"Nii-san? Andrew-nii san? Orihime-nee chan? Tatsuki-nee chan?" Yuzu's sweet voice called out. She came in to see the four sitting up. It might have been late in the morning but the fact that the two pairs were being lazy made her giggle. The two couples were cute especially her brother and Orihime.
"What up Yuzu?" Andrew said as he put down his game system.
"The reporters from ESPN are here. They are in the hanger talking to Tou-san." She said as she escorted them to the hanger. In the hanger were Isshin, Ryuken, Chad, Uryuu, Yoruichi and Kisuke with three other people. The first was a tall man with wielding a camera in a grey T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap. The second a blonde man wearing a black shirt and jeans and was carrying a variety of equipment. The third was a red head with grey blouse and skirt.
"Ah Ichigo, Andrew. Just in time. This is the crew from ESPN. This is Chris Johnson, Mike Patrick and Lauren Schapp. Chris, Mike, Lauren this is Ichigo Kurosaki and Andrew Michaels, our top drivers at the moment."
Lauren approached pleasantly and shook their hands. "A pleasure to meet you both. I've heard a lot about you all. You seem to have taken the racing and the sports world by storm."
Ichigo smiled. "Well, we try to keep racing out of our private lives as much as possible. Something about undue stress."
Andrew nodded. "When we aren't racing, we aren't talking about it. Hence why despite our success, you rarely hear a peep out of us unlike most of our competitors."
Lauren giggled. "And that's the purpose of this report. We are going to spending the next couple of weeks to see what makes you guys mesh together so well. The story is well known that Ichigo and Andrew knew each other in the lower divisions but what our views is the group dynamic that draws you guys together, what makes Kurosaki-Ishida so coordinated."
Tatsuki chose this point to make a comment. "That's really nice. If you would like we can share notes with you, we've been covering them for another network, we have be focusing more on the competition aspects and some of the personal stuff as well. We've edited and sent them to our boss."
Orihime chirped in. "You can even use our old rooms to edit your coverage and also if you need a place to sleep, you can stay there. We have plenty of extra rooms."
Lauren was grateful for that help and were led to what was formerly the girl's room but now it was a film room.
An hour and a half and a delicious meal later, the camera crew was all settled in and they decided to open with the two girls considering they were the only outsiders to this group, outsider being a loose term.
Lauren cleared her throat as the cameras began rolling. "So Tatsuki Arisawa and Orihime Inoue?" She asked the girls names to which they replied with the correct pronunciation. "How did you come to be apart of this…family as they call it."
Tatsuki looked at Orihime and then back at the camera. "I guess you can say it started in January. We were originally going to be assigned to the Hendrick Motorsports team, covering the champion and her team looking for the team championship after being narrowly beat by the Souske team. Serenity beat out Ulquiorra by less than 10 points and she was looking to repeat as champion."
Orihime picked it up from there. "When Jushiro Ukitake retired and Andrew signed on to be the fourth driver for the Kurosaki team, National Geographic, our boss decided to assign us to them. Tatsuki threw a fit, she had all of this research done for the Hendrick team and now we had to go back to square one with two weeks before we left for Melbourne."
"First day in we get lost and we literally ran into Andrew, still funny after all this time. So we were introduced and well its been a wild seven months."
Lauren nodded and then asked the question. "Has this impacted any relationships the team has had?"
Here the girls blushed. Tatsuki answered after recovering. "As far as we were aware, no one on the team was dating at the beginning of the season. We, meaning me and Orihime started dating, Andrew and Ichigo respectfully before the Japan round. Chad and Isane who is a nurse with the Grand Prix, was not serious till after Monaco and Uryu and Nemu, they didn't meet till Road America, didn't start dating till Watkins Glen. So despite all of the traveling, we've maintained a nice relationship with them."
Linda was surprised but smiled at the fact they were dating. "So, what about rivalries between the drivers?"
Orihime beamed. "Most of the rivals have been friendly. Andrew just patched things up with Soi Fong and the entire team has maintained a healthy rivalry with the Kuchiki team. Hendrick has also been quite friendly with us and we let them stay with us during the Far East swing. The other teams we haven't interacted as much, but as far we can tell they like us. Except." Here Orihime frowned and Tatsuki found her hand.
"Souske for some reason has been extremely antagonistic towards us. Two drivers, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow in particular." Tatsuki said not revealing the full reason. "Most of the team's crashes have involved one of those drivers, including pretty much all of Uryuu's non-mechanical retirements. Andrew, I think has been the only one that hasn't suffered those types of failures. Either he's been lucky or his car has been extremely durable."
Lauren made a sign of understanding. "So you two have gone from reporters to dating the two most sought after bachelors in the sports world. What's it like?"
Orihime giggled. "Its been…a dream. That's all I can say. I went from this shy bookworm, hiding behind a camera, to being treated like a princess in all but name. Even if princess is in my name." Orihime said giggling. "Hime means princess in Japanese. Anyway, Ichigo has been so sweet to me, I've never felt this good ever."
Tatsuki smiled at Orihime's answer. "None of us were looking at dating and with our constant closeness, it seemed to fall in place naturally. We had more in common than we thought. It's been a life changing experience to say the least."
The ESPN crew smiled at the complete honesty of the answers. A few more questions and the girls were finished with the interview.
After finishing uploaded his content, Greg turned around and asked the girls. "Where do you think we can find the drivers?"
Tatsuki tapped her chin. "Its pre-qualifying so that means they should be out and about. Let's see...Uryuu might be with Nemu in the garage area. Chad, I think he's out walking around, you will see him at dinner. Ichigo, I think would be reading a book. Andrew would be the easiest to find. He's in our room playing video games."
Lauren and Greg then headed towards the room and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Andrew's voice called out.
Entering the room, they could see that Andrew was on his headset.
"Okay, he's up to Hive, got to prepare. Checking the Hydras, 1-1. Banelings inbound. Time to send in Tanks and Hellbats.
Lauren was curious at Andrew playing Starcraft 2. She didn't know he played this popular game. Chris was quick to capture the moment that Andrew took control of the match. After a few minutes, Andrew chuckled as he finished off his opponent.
"Well, that's my practice for the day." He turned to see the ESPN crew. "Sorry about that when I am focused, I normally lose track of my surroundings. So what's up?"
"We wanted to see what you guys did off track. Looks like we found what you did." Lauren said laughing.
Andrew turned around on the swivel chair. "Alright what do you want to know?"
"Well, I would like to know what you do during your off time."
Andrew just waved his arms. "Pretty much what you see here. I am considered one of the gods on a game called Guild Quest. On Starcraft 2 I am a Master level player, in normal sports terms that would be the equivalent of a first or second year pro. The tiers go Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master and then Grand Master. Comparing that to the Baseball farm system, it would be Rookie, Short Season A, Single A, Single A Advanced, Double and then Triple A would be Diamond because of how selective the top tiers are. I just got into the current tier for the current season and I won't be eligible to promote till the next ranking freeze cycle."
Lauren was quite intrigued at the idea. "That's fascinating, you try to balance your gaming with racing?"
Andrew nodded. "It's tough, but I have a lot of fans and friends that make it worthwhile. Say if you're curious Blizzcon is in November. That's where the global finals for all of the Esports games. League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm, DOTA. All of them by Blizzard."
"We might be somewhere else." Lauren admitted.
"That's fine, there are some tournaments still going on as the get ready for the finals."
"So how has being part of a rookie foreign team affected you?"
"I've been doing great. The language barrier was difficult for a while but I can hold conversations in Japanese now. But being part of this team has taught me that racing is not just a business but a family because of how long we spend together. I mean Ichigo is my brother all in blood and Yuzu and Karin treat me like their older brother and Orihime and Tatsuki as their sisters."
Looking at his phone, he grinned. "Speaking of the twins, they just finished their online courses. Ichigo should be there to help them out with homework. I am quite sure you would like to see this." Andrew said as he walked out of the room, the ESPN crew not far behind him. They reached the kitchen where the twins were working on their homework. Ichigo had come in to supervise them and help them out especially with their literature homework. Upon seeing the reporters, Ichigo waved at them.
"Its alright if you video tape us." Ichigo said.
Lauren nodded and the group filmed the family moment. Ichigo walked off the screen and walked to a side room.
"Family is what got me into racing. My mom took me to my first race at age 5. I nearly gave it up when she died. But now I don't know what I do without them. My father and uncle run both the company and the race team, operationally, Kisuke is the manager of the team. Uryuu is my cousin through my mother, whose older brother is Uryuu's father. Yuzu is the spotter and Karin is a tire changer. When they aren't being part of our crew, they are normal teenage girls." Ichigo said looking at the scene with happiness.
After Yuzu finished her homework, she went and started dinner with Uryuu coming into help. Soon enough the whole team had started to walk in and the noise and the energy picked up tremendously. The crew sat and ate dinner with the team which surprised them that they would be allowed to eat with the team. One bite of the food and they were hooked on it and they theorized having access to healthy and home cooked food made the team much stronger emotionally and mentally.
After the dinner they started interviewing the crew members which was funny to say the least with all of the comradery they had together despite the multiple backgrounds and styles. Lauren and the crew went to bed later that night with a sense that this team was something special.
Next Day about 9AM Central Europe Time
Lauren yawned and so did Chris and Matt. They were up all night editing the footage they got and they only went to bed about two o clock in the morning. They had just finished their showers and were down to breakfast. When they got there the energy was noticeably different. The positive energy was there but there was a sense of anticipation.
"Morning Ms. Schabb. We are about to head out to practice and then qualify." Uryuu said politely.
The camera crew started eating their breakfast noticing that the drivers were talking with the crew chiefs and talking to the drivers. Once the drivers were finished they followed them to the garage, where in the reporters minds, the magic happened. As they headed towards the garage they happened to notice the F1 cars in a separate paddock.
Isshin picked up on the curious looks "Normally we run with the other GP series. They have the week off. This is the fourth time F1 has been the support race for us, the other three being Australia, Monaco and last week at Belgium. They are going to be the support race for the race in China and in Austin. So getting everything to move and make sure nothing goes run is a synchronized effort between the tracks and the officials."
Lauren nodded as the final preparations for practice was made. F1 was finishing up their practice and would start their qualifying after lunch.
Once practice for F1 was over, the GP cars took the track. Andrew was one of the first out and began setting where his marks would be. As he was negotiating turn 5 and was beginning to go through the gears, he felt his hand start shaking.
"God damn it, keep it together." Andrew said as he willed his hand to calm down. He quickly got back on the gearshift and drove his way back onto the track. Another lap passed and again his arm started to shake a little, this time on the front stretch where he needed to be accurate with the shifts.
"Damn it...what is wrong with me." He whispered to himself.
"Andrew, what's going on? Your times are falling off." Kisuke voice broke through his fog.
Andrew shook his head. "It's fine. Just a little tight. Let's set up for qualifying."
"Alright."
Andrew calmed down. 'Damn it. I can't let Isshin find out. Or heaven forbid Tatsuki.' He thought as he pulled down pit road and into the garage.
A few hours later, qualifying was well under way and there were a several wrecks in the first three qualifying sessions. Chad and Uryuu had qualified well and Ichigo was struggling with the car. Andrew took to the track and started putting his laps in. As he drove, he surprisingly felt better at the moment. Perhaps it was the kiss to the hand he got from Tatsuki beforehand but it was definitely nice. Completing his session and seeing he was 11th with one session left to go, he shrugged and walked away after talking to reporters satisfied with the results.
Starting Line-Up: Italy
1. Ulquiorra Cifer
2. Jason Vettal
3. Kira Izuru
4. Chad Yasotora
5. Maria Robertson
6. George Schumacher
7. Ralph Hamilton
8. Bjorn Kristensen
9. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
10. Uryuu Ishida
11. Renji Abarai
12. Andrew Michaels
13. Michael Bush
14. Rebecca Kirkland
15. Brian Mcnish
16. Alexandra Edwards
17. Shawn Newman
18. Flippe Massa III
19. Gin Ichimaru
20. Ralph Dillon
21. Ichigo Kurosaki
22. Jessica Rosburg
23. Tier Harribel
24. Soi Fong
25. Jason Webber
26. Patricia Stenhouse
27. Serenity Gordon (Gearbox dropped to the rear)
28. Allen Regan
29. Michael Bush
30. Michael Kennseth
31. Jason Webber
32. Francesca Alonso
33. Flippe Massa III
34. Robert Johnson (Wreck dropped to the rear)
35. Marcus Andretti (Wreck Dropped to the rear)
36. Dale Earnhardt IV (Wreck dropped to rear)
(Good effort, time to feel the Need for Speed)
Sunday September 11th, about 8:00 AM
Lauren, Chris and Matt were walking down to breakfast as the team assembled for their usual pre-race meal. As they took the offered breakfast, Lauren glanced around. "Where's Ichigo and Andrew?"
"They are probably on top of the plane. Most race mornings they are up watching the track wake-up." Karin said taking a bite of her eggs.
Obtaining directions to get up on the roof, Lauren and Chris heading up to the top of the plane. Opening the hatch, Lauren smiled at the sight. The two boys were sitting on a blanket on top of the plane, breakfast dishes and a basket next to them. Orihime was laying on Ichigo's lap while Tatsuki was leaning on Andrew's shoulder looking across the garage as the activity level picked up while listening to his Ipod.
"So this is what you guys do in the mornings?" Lauren said as she carefully walked on the roof top.
Ichigo looked behind him. "Yeah, we either watch the sunrise or take some time to practice our martial arts."
"When I want to calm down before a race, I normally pop in some rock and just let the world fade away a bit. I've been on a hard rock kick lately." Andrew said.
Orihime raised herself up and stretched her arms getting her breast to bounce a little, getting a dumfounded look from Chris.
"Those can't be real." Chris said.
"As real as the camera you have." Tatsuki said.
Orihime looked around and her eyes caught something. "That's an unusual flag." She pointed out.
"What's the color scheme?" Andrew asked,
"Uh…Yellow and White. Yellow on the left, White on the right."
Curiosity peeked Andrew took out his phone and activated his camera and spotted what made his curiosity spike. "Tatsuki check who is visiting today. Because if I am not mistaken, that's the pope."
Tatsuki looked it up. "Your right. He's got a 8:30 mass. And he's going to give the invocation for the race. There is already a crowd over at victory lane."
The pope had been the head of the Roman Catholic Church since the founding of the church two thousand years ago. Over the last 200 years the influence of the church had waned as those turning away from religion had increased. After the floods, the various wars and the epidemics that struck the world in the 2030's and 40's the world looked for guidance. Enter Pope Leo XIV of Spain, the pope that had taken over after Pope Francis in 2028. Continuing the reforms his predecessor started, he completed the transition to modernize the Catholic church. He came into power at a time when the world was in chaos and he rose to help the world heal. For forty years, Leo watched as the world crashed, burned and was reborn anew.
The worst crisis that faced his church was the Islamic Civil War. Like most of the world, he feared the war would spilled into the greater world and cause the world's fragile recovery to derail. When the war ended in the favor of Islamic Restoration Front, he was among the first to welcome the new leaders of Islam and Judaism. For the first time in written history, Islam, Judaism and Christianity were united in the worship of the same god. Leo, satisfied that the world was at peace and with the progress that his reforms had taken, headed to the Hose of the Lord in 2068, a death that was mourned by every corner of the world. His successor Pope Alexander VIII of Brazil, had only been a pope for a year and was now looking to make the papacy more accessible to the people not Catholic or Christian as those converting to Catholicism. Hence why he was here to partake in the race activities and bless the race.
"Religion. In NASCAR, with their southern roots was always a religious sport. I was always liberal when it came to it, but in some way…God has watched out over me. You've seen my wrecks this year and other years. Something is definitely watching out for me." Andrew said as he looked at his Ipod. "It's just…the way I pray."
Everyone on the roof smiled at that as they watched the service begin. After a few minutes, the drivers got up to go get ready for the race. Andrew was the last to leave. He looked at his hand which had started shaking. Closing his fist, he searched through the song list and pressed play.
Play Prayer by Disturbed (They are finally back)
Andrew was in his room finishing zipping up his suit and looking at the mirror looking calm on the outside but worried on the inside. Looking at Tatsuki, she smiled at him and Andrew returned the smile.
Ichigo was also finishing his preparations as Orihime watched. Ichigo walked over and kiss Orihime getting the girl to moan slightly.
Chad was in his room praying silently as Chris filmed him. In Uryuu's room, he pulled out a cross he had be given by his Grandfather. Putting on he left his room and joined the rest of the team.
Out in the garage area, the cars were being pushed onto the grid. As the cars were being pushed onto the grid, they passed by the crowds and several priests that accompanied the Pope. The successor to St. Peter's throne, smiled and shook hands with several patrons.
In the Souske pits, Souske was laying down the law with his team. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were smiling while Gin and Tier were indifferent.
In the booths, the various crews were getting ready for the race as they coordinated the cameras around the track.
In the driver's meeting, the pope said a prayer to the driver's wishing them the best. Andrew had Tatsuki's hand in a grip and the girl noticed the slight shakiness in his hand. Waving it off, she followed him out as the meeting ended.
End Previous Song Play Heaven or Hell by Volbeat
Forty years ago, the world was experiencing catastrophe. The waters rose, order nearly broke down and hell was unleashed on earth. In the darkness of the chaos, a voice came from the heavens in the form of Pope Leo. In a world without a voice of reason, he became the voice that unified nations and in the thirty plus years of his reign, the world became more stable and found themselves in need of spiritual guidance. A Renaissance if you will.
For many of the drivers, they were born after this time of chaos. The world has been at peace for over two decades and the reforms that have kept this world on the track to recovery. It's a tough job but to protect their loved ones, people will do anything to protect the future.
In the Italian Heartland, the land of the Popes, there are two words that are synonymous with Italy and Racing. Ferrari and Monza. And at the track they call one of their home tracks, speed is the name of the game. Little drag, wide open turns, long straights. It's a speed lover's paradise.
(Play epic solo)
In the epic the Divine Comedy, there are three realms, Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. For these drivers, the gold is their paradise. (Shows several victories) and crashes are their hell. What will be the results here?
(Chorus sounds out as the track is superimposed)
Welcome to Italy.
(Fox Intro plays as the camera pans out over the track)
Jeremy: A bright day greets us here in Monza, Italy as Round 19 of the World Grand Prix is coming up in about an hour.
(Pans to the booth)
Jeremy: Hello and welcome to Fox's coverage of the World Grand Prix. Alongside Nate Jarret, I am Jeremy Buck. Nate, if Watkins Glen is the Talladega of these road courses, Monza is Daytona.
Nate: That's right, with these long straights, quick turns and banking, you have a recipe for speed. As such the cars are going to be tuned to have as little drag as possible. (Camera pans over the pit straight.) Look for the cars to reach near 230 MPH before they have to brake hard into the first chicane testing the gears and the brakes to the extreme.
Jeremy: Speaking of extreme, let's look back to Belgium as the drivers came back from their month long break to tackle one of the trickiest tracks in the world, Spa-Francochamps."
(Begin previous race montage)
Nate: Rain washed out qualifying and it was set by speed in practice. This allowed Shawn Newman to take the pole, but for most of the race it was the Chinese Hornet Soi Fong in command of the race. No one was even close for most of the day, even our current point leader Andrew could completely catch up. Soi Fong was able to easily win this race running away, but it wasn't all pretty.
Jeremy: That's right. Lap 78 after a wreck in the Blanchimont, the drivers were bunched up trying to get through Eau Rouge. Brian Mcnish is trying to get around George Schumacher and it ends just about what you expect. (Wreck is shown again) Multiple cars involved all of the teams got hit hard. A couple of drivers including the point leader going in Ichigo Kurosaki felt incredibly woozy and Brian Mcnish was diagnosed with a concussion. Fortunately both are cleared to race today.
Jeremy: Now during the red flag, there was a driver's meeting with all of the drivers. From what we know the drivers still running took a vote and overwhelmingly voted in favor of continuing the race despite the darkness the rain and the clean-up. Had the race been called it would have been Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez to take the flag. But it wasn't to be as the race was restarted and Grimmjow was understandably furious as he got caught with a lot of issues on pit road and he ended up third behind Soi Fong and Andrew Michaels. (Highlights end and the points standings are shown) As we take a look at the point standings, in the team standings Kurosaki-Ishida is still the torch bearer, and in the driver's standings its Andrew Michaels and then Ichigo Kurosaki 1-2 with Mcnish in a relatively distant 3rd.
Nate: For more on last week, we have a great compliment of reporters, first up is Jermaine Ferguson with last week's winner Soi Fong. Jermaine?
Jermaine: Thank you Nate. Miss Fong, you finally broke through to the win column this year and afterwards you seemingly made up with Andrew Michaels of the Kurosaki team. What has led to this reversal of fortune?
Shaolin: Well over the break, I had an issue with my boss that forced me to look at how my actions have been detrimental to this team. (Laugh) I guess the new attitude helped.
Jermaine: Speaking of your boss, he's not here because his wife just gave birth?
Shaolin: Correct. Sayuri Kuchiki was born on the 3rd and Kuchiki-sama has taken time to make sure both Lady Kuchiki and his daughter are comfortable. They are both doing well and actually we had the two Kurosaki doctors come and help them. The drivers were there as well. Let's just say little Sayuri had them around her finger.
Jermaine: Glad to hear that and the best wishes to the Kuchiki family, Soi Fong has her work cut out for her she is starting 24th. Now onto Kiyone who is with the man who seemingly had the win stolen from him.
Kiyone: (Pans to her) Thanks Jermaine. Grimmjow after leading the race at the red flag you fell apart after the race resumed. What do you think happened?
Grimmjow: What happened was the race should not have been continued. The track's history and the rain were part of my decision to go against the continuing the race. And then when we got under way I guess my temper got in the way. It was my bad not anyone else's, though I wish the race had not gone on.
Kiyone: Grimmjow rolls off ninth. Back to you Sempai."
After an hour of segments and interviews, the pre-race ceremonies began.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, would you please rise and remove your hats as members of Italian Republican Army presents today's colors. Please remain standing as Pope Alexander VIII gives today's invocation."
(Please keep all negative religious rants out of any reviews)
The holy man stepped up to the microphone. "Let us pray together. Dear heavenly father, as we gather for this race, we are reminded of the fact that behind these machines are thirty six brave men and women. These drivers come from all walks of life and religion and country to do what they love. We ask that you watch over them and those enjoying today. We also pray for the future, in that this world will continue to be at peace so that these drivers can continue doing what they love until they feel they can't anymore. And Finally we pray to you to watch over their crews and their families for without their support none of them would be here. In the name of your first Prophet Abraham, your son Jesus Christ and your final prophet Mohammad, we pray to you. Amen."
The crowd cheered for the very powerful message as the Pope stepped down to allow the playing of the Italian National Anthem.
After the anthem was played, the drivers were then strapped into their vehicles. Andrew had given Tatsuki and a kiss and gave Kisuke a high-five. Once the two were away he looked down at his hand which was shaking slightly.
"Just calm down. Its only my hand." Andrew said to himself.
Two cars, Ryuken was talking to his son and given him words of encouragement. Uryuu sighed and cracked his neck as much as he could in the HANS Device."
Up near the front Chad was quietly awaiting the command to start the race. He saw Souske walking away from Ulquiorra's car. Aizen glanced at Chad's car but with the helmet visor and the windshield, the eyes did not meet. Chad sighed and grabbed the steering wheel.
"NOW FOR THE MOST FAMOUS WORDS IN MOTORSPORTS! DRIVERS! START! YOUR! ENGINES!
The roar of thirty-six engines drowned out any cheering as the engines warmed up.
Japan Booth
Kommamura: And with that command we are under way for the DHL Italy 400. The weather is warm, clear and the track is fast.
Jushiro: Fuel window because of the speeds will be abut twenty laps but they might be able to stretch it to twenty-two. Three things to keep an eye out for. Number one is speed, this is the fastest track we run. The Grand Prix record for time was set here and so has other circuits that run this track. This leads to number 2. All of that output puts strain on the engines, the gearboxes and the brakes. Especially on the pit stretch as you have to go from near maximum speed to almost a dead stop to make the first chicane. On the start and restarts, with the field bunched up as it is, it will probably cause a lot of damage.
Kommamura: Let's see if we can talk to anyone.
Jushiro: Let's try our pole sitter Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra Cifer this is Jushiro Ukitake of Nippon Racing Network you got a copy?
A few moments of silence followed and Jushiro repeated his message and then gave up.
Kommamura: Guess he's focused on the race. Oh well.
After two more laps under the pace car it dived onto pit road and the cars drove around the wide turn. Once they were around the turn, they were set loose down the long straight. They got up to sixth gear, before having to slow down really fast. The front cars were able to get through the chicane but those in the rear were forced to check up more and as a result multiple cars spun and collided. Most were able to get underway, but Earnhardt, Kennseth and Massa got significant damage and with the way the track was it killed their chances of continuing the race. Picking up speed and hitting seventh gear, the engines were screaming at their max input as they approached the second chicane not even slowing down until they reached turn six. Even then they did not drop below fourth gear as they continued to fight for position. Out of turn seven they picked up speed again and headed towards the s turn slowing down slightly and then heading down to the oval turn cranking out RPM's near 14,000. One final navigation of the oval turn at nearly 150 MPH and they headed back down the pit stretch. The cars that were involved had moved out of the way allowing unimpeded progress after the pit straight.
American Booth
Jeremy: Lap 1 in the books. Look at the speeds, they are near 220 on the pit straight.
Nate: It takes nerves to keep up with these speeds for one lap, much lest the distance scheduled. Three cars are already out of the race due to the first turn. Ulquiorra leads the field through turns 4 and 5 and has a two second lead on second place Kira Izuru.
Further back, Andrew was in the middle of the pack just lost a position to Alexandra dropping him to 16th.
"Loose car. Not what I wanted right now. I just to find some grip." He reached down to change gears and the gear shook with his hand. "And find a way to not make my gears slip."
"How are you holding up?"
"Its loose, but I can handle it. Better then drifting out of the line."
In Ichigo's car he was stuck in traffic as he exited the S-turns. He felt like his car was fighting him the whole time.
"F***k Car is really tight."
"Wait for the fuel to burn off see what happens." Isshin called out.
Ichigo growled and he felt he was going to be in for a long day.
Up front Chad had found a way into second and was slowly gaining on Ulquiorra. They approached turn 6 and Chad closed up quick. Ulquiorra tried to slam the door on him but the process through him off the line for the turn and send him briefly into the sand and allowing Chad to pass him.
American Booth
Jeremy: Cifer tries to shut the door, he gets off line into the sand, Yasotora takes the lead heading out of turn 7.
Nate: That was a bit risky for this early in the race for Cifer as the 66 Honda leads them down to the hairpin.
Back on track Chad opened up a two second lead on Schumacher who got around the Souske driver as did Uryuu putting the 04 in 4th.
"That trash."
"Ulquiorra-sama please relax." Luppi, his temporary crew chief said. "How's the car handling?"
"Loose and that is probably why I got into the sand." He said with no emotion.
After the chaos of the first several laps the race calmed down until about lap 21 when Jason Webber and Patricia Stenhouse got together and crashed into the barriers outside the turn 6 and seven sand trap. This unfortunately would put Chad in the back as he had not pited
American Booth
Jeremy: Big impact in the sand trap and the caution is out for Stenhouse and Webber.
Nate: We were in the middle of a cycle of pit stops and that will separate the leaders a bit as they come down pit road George Schumacher leading them down.
Jeremaine: (As Schumacher comes into his pit) He's saying the car is handling really well, a slight air change and he's down and away. (Pans to Chad's car) Meanwhile Chad is saying his car is tight towards the end of the run so they will go up one turn on the trackbar and he's away a good stop for the Giant.
As they came in Andrew was calling for a wedge adjustment. They finished his service and he tried to put the car in gear. When he hit the gas, he got no response.
"What the hell?" Andrew said as he restarted the engine thinking he was stalled out. Then he tried putting it in gear again.
"Kisuke! I can't get it in gear!" He yelled tried to get the car to move. The crew was already scrambling to try to get the car to move. He tried again to shift the gear with no effect. The crew was forced to push him behind the wall as they looked under where the car was and found bits of debris. Tatsuki saw this and grimaced. She had seen Andrew's temper and it was not going to be pretty.
Japanese Booth
Kommamura: Trouble for the 91. What's going on Kiyone?
Kiyone: (As the camera focuses on the 91 being pushed back) He came in fine and put it in neutral to make the stop but when he went to put it in first it did respond and judging by the fact they found some debris in the stall, it may be a transmission issue.
Jushiro: That could be a serious issue, with the amount of shifting this track requires especially on the front stretch. It could be he missed timed his shift. But it doesn't look like he will be back racing anytime soon. A tough break for the points leader.
In the garage, they quickly pushed it to the designated spot and jacked it up. Andrew was in the car waiting on if the car can be fixed.
Hiyori who was underneath the car saw the transmission shredded. She crawled back out and talked to Kisuke. "Transmission is gone. There is No way we can fix it here."
Kisuke sighed. "Alright. Pack it up. Andrew get out of the car."
Andrew growled and climbed out of the car. Lauren and Chris were watching him get out in an obviously pissed off mood. Tatsuki was right on top of this.
"I suggest you get back, because I think Andrew is going to be real mad.
Andrew climbed out of the car and unhooked his helmet and his earbuds. Placing them in the helmet he took a couple of steps and looked around to spot the other racing networks. Putting a reign on his temper he answer the questions asked to him. After a few minutes the reporters left. A few moments passed as they headed towards the pits.
"Are they out of sight Tatsuki?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah, they are." She said answered wearily.
"Good." He said and turned to the car. He lifted up his helmet and threw it at the car roaring in frustration. The impact of the helmet actually dented the car.
Kisuke sighed. "Andrew that's coming out of your pay."
"Fine, dock my pay for it. I don't care right now." Andrew said storming off. Tatsuki looked at the ESPN reporter. "If there is one flaw in the two lead drivers, its their temper. They normally have a hold on it. Andrew…let's say he's had a stressful week not just you guys." She said as she walked away to hopefully find Andrew, but knowing he needed his space.
Meanwhile Andrew had stormed off to the plane, showered and dressed into his civilian clothes and started to walk around the track trying to blow off steam. He eventually found his way around to the hairpin turn as Ulquiorra was leading in front of his teammate.
Andrew sighed and then felt a presence behind him. "Tatsuki, if you're here to tell me that I shouldn't have gone off like that, I don't think you understand the week I've had."
"Tatsuki? I assume that is your girlfriend, Mr. Michaels." A deep male voice said getting him to turn around. In front of him stood the Holy Father himself and some of his security.
"Your Holiness? My apologies." Andrew said bowing.
The man chuckled. "It is fine, young man. I was out for a walk around the grounds. Racing is quite exciting, with the weather like this I figured a good walk through the park is in order."
Andrew sighed. "Guess so. I am glad you are enjoying this."
Alexander looked at Andrew with a frown. "You seem troubled my friend. What ails you?"
Andrew looked away. "Something I don't think a priest, especially the pope would be interested in."
Alexander waved it off. "Nonsense, God is willing to listen to all issues. Come, let us go find a place to talk.
Andrew looked down. "If I had known I was meeting the Pope I would have dressed nicer."
"Jesus I recall was a carpenter, Abraham was a shepherd and Mohammad was a simple man. You do not need to dress yourself for me." Alexander chuckled as he led them to Vatican camp. Along the way, they ran into Tatsuki, who had changed out of the uniform into a green t-shirt and blue jeans.
"There you are, Andrew. I've been looking for you everywhere." She turned to the Pope surprised at his appearance. "The Pope. My apologies." She said curtseying. "I was looking for Andrew, I did not realize he was with you."
"It is fine, my fair lass. Please join us. Your boyfriend has some things to get off his chest." Alexander said as they followed him to the Vatican press box with the bowing priests welcoming him.
"I never understood the need for me to have such nice things. I am a simple holy man." Alexander said with a frown.
"I can understand what you mean. When I started out racing, I did not have much to my name or my dad's name. In fact, I was prepared to leave racing altogether because I did not have the money and I was loyal to my dad."
"Hm." The man said as they sat down and took some of the offered drinks.
"So Mr. Michaels, what has been troubling you?"
Andrew sighed and smiled. "Well, its not my life. I've probably been the most blessed I've been in my life. Great friends, money that I never believed I would make in my life, a beautiful girlfriend and a journey that has taken be to so many places." Andrew looked down. "Its just…did you hear about the Kuchiki home invasion?"
"Ah yes, God bless them for being okay and blessing them with a beautiful daughter." The Pope gushed.
Andrew chuckled. "Yeah bless them a hundred times over. Anyway, during that invasion we found out it was his board that hired people to take them hostage and forced him to hand over the company. We had a plan to capture them, we took the weapons of the intruders and convinced them he had them in captivity. It worked quite well.
After we captured him, he broke free of his bindings and grabbed a gun to fire at the couple. I just…reacted. Shot him in the shoulder. I wanted to blow his brains out."
Andrew started sniffling. "I cried myself to sleep that night and Tatsuki and a friend of ours convinced me that I did the right thing. After all if I didn't someone was going to die. But there were some consequences."
He held up his hand, which had begun shaking. Tatsuki gasped, Andrew was keeping this from her? That also meant he kept this from Isshin and Kisuke.
"This has been acting up since. I know what the cause is but, I don't know how to get it to stop."
Alexander nodded. "I see." A few moments passed as the Pope thought about this.
Finally, he turned to Andrew. "My I see your hand? Ms. Arisawa, can you come over here."
The two looked confused but did as asked.
"Ms. Arisawa, please place your hands on his. No this will not be a marriage ceremony." He hastily added seeing the confused looks.
The two did so and the Holy Father placed his hands on top. "Heavenly father, this young tortured soul, is conflicted on the path of righteousness. Please assure him, that his trial, though torturous was in the right, for he protected the innocent, at the cost of his own. Please allow your love to mix with the love of his family and more importantly his girlfriend be the light the guides him to inner peace. In the name of your son, and your prophets, may your strength guide him. Amen."
The young couple opened their eyes and looked at the Pope. "Look at your hand." He instructed gently.
Andrew did so and watched as the hand was still without his input.
"It was all in the mind, young man. All you need was reassurance from someone else."
Andrew nodded. "Thank you, your Holiness." He said as he stood up and took Tatsuki's hand.
"God is always there for those who choose to listen. Go in peace my young friend and his lady friend.
The two walked away but stopped when Tatsuki turned around and curtseyed. "I may not follow your religion, but I thank you for helping my boyfriend. It felt great."
"God does not discriminate, only loves. Be there for him as he is there for you Ms Arisawa."
Tatsuki nodded and they walked out.
The head priest with him turned to Alexander. "May I ask why I you chose to help him, your Holiness?"
Alexander turned to face the track which was on lap 62. "I didn't see a driver when I saw him there. I saw a young man that felt like the world was on his shoulders. As a Pope, it is my responsibility to help those that seek it."
The man nodded. "Very well, your Holiness. Shall we continue to watch this race?"
"Yes I believe we shall."
Back on track
After battling back from the being shuffled into the field due to the first pit stop, Uryuu had battled his way back and took the lead from Grimmjow who spun his tires on the restart following a blown engine by the 51 of Marcus Andretti. Chad then took the lead with both Souske drivers dropping further into the pack due to bad set ups. This allowed George Schumacher to creep up on them and eventually passed Chad in turn 4. Schumacher then pulled away and began to lap the field as they headed towards the end of the race. By the time of the last pit stop, Ulquiorra had caught up and Grimmjow was separated by some lap traffic. They began the final pit stop on Lap 82 under caution due to a wreck with Ulquiorra getting a better pit stop and lead at the restart.
But like it had most of the day, Ulquiorra's car began to drop off and with no protection from Grimmjow, Uryuu eventually caught him and passed him and held the lead until about lap 90. Ulquiorra found a way to bounce back and was racing Schumacher to get to the lead.
Uryuu saw the two approaching and got on the radio with his dad. "Cifer and Schumacher are gaining fast. What do I do?"
"Hold them if you can."
Uryuu nodded and held on for another lap. Schumacher had gotten around Ulquiorra and had closed the gap on Uryuu. Realizing his defeat, Uryuu just let him go and settled for fighting the hard charging Souske drivers for the next ten laps. Schumacher continued to increase his lead and took the flag to a very enthusiastic crowd, as their countrymen won the race for him and the team he raced for.
Six races to go until the 50th World Grand Prix crowns a champion. With many storylines still to be resolved, who will stay on top at the end? Find out as the Grand Prix continues.
Finish Order: Italy
1. George Schumacher, Ferrari 37 points 32 laps led
2. Uryuu Ishida, Kurosaki 36 points 32 laps led
3. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Souske 35 points 9 laps led
4. Ulquiorra Cifer, Souske 37 points 34 laps led
5. Chad Yasotora, Kurosaki 33 points 13 laps led
6. Renji Abarai, Kuchiki 31 points
7. Ralph Hamilton, Red Bull 30 points
8. Brian Mcnish, Audi 29 points
9. Tier Harribel, Souske 28 points
10. Francesca Alonso, Ferrari 27 points
11. Maria Robertson, Ferrari 26 points
12. Allen Regan, Rousch 25 points
13. Soi Fong, Kuchiki, 24 points
14. Gin Ichimaru, Souske 23 points
15. Ralph Dillon, Hendrick 22 points
16. Ichigo Kurosaki, Kurosaki 21 points
17. Alexandra Edwards, Rousch 20 points
18. Raoul Garcia, Audi 19 points 1 lap down
19. Ikkaku Madarame, Kuchiki 18 points 1 lap down
20. Bjorn Kristensen, Audi 17 points 1 lap down
21. Serenity Gordon, Hendrick 16 points 2 Laps down
22. Kira Izuru, Kuchiki 15points 2 Laps down
23. Archie Stewart, Stewart-Haas 14 points 2 Laps down
24. Rebecca Kirkland, Audi 13 points 3 Laps down
25. Robert Johnson, Hendrick 12 points 3 Laps down
26. Jason Vettal, Red Bull 11 points Out
27. Marcus Andretti, Stewart-Haas 10 points Out
28. Michael Bush, Stewart-Haas 9 points Out
29. Shawn Newman, Stewart-Haas 8 points Out
30. Jessica Rosburg, Ferrari 7 points Out
31. Andrew Michaels, Kurosaki 6 points Out
32. Patricia Stenhouse, Rousch 5 points Out
33. Jason Webber, Red Bull 4 points Out
34. Dale Earnhardt IV 3 points Out
35. Flippe Massa III, Red Bull 2 points Out
36. Michael Kennseth, Rousch 1 point Out
Points Standings: Italy
Drivers names
Team
Points
Ichigo Kurosaki
Kurosaki
516
Andrew Michaels
Kurosaki
515
Brian Mcnish
Audi
514
Serenity Gordon
Hendrick
481
Chad Yasotora
Kurosaki
451
George Schumacher
Ferrari
450
Ulquiorra Cifer
Souske
447
Gin Ichimaru
Souske
439
Soi Fong
Kuchiki
434
Uryuu Ishida
Kurosaki
428
Archie Stewart
Stewart-Haas
427
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
Souske
401
Tier Harribel
Souske
400
Ralph Hamilton
Red Bull
379
Ralph Dillon
Hendrick
369
Renji Abarai
Kuchiki
366
Patricia Stenhouse
Rousch
360
Michael Kennseth
Rousch
357
Maria Robertson
Ferrari
355
Rebecca Kirkland
Audi
338
Kira Izuru
Kuchiki
328
Jason Webber
Red Bull
324
Robert Johnson
Hendrick
322
Fransesca Alonso
Ferrari
319
Michael Busch
Stewart-Haas
312
Ikkaku Mandarame
Kuchiki
308
Marcus Andretti
Stewart-Haas
306
Bjorn Kristensen
Audi
305
Jessica Rosburg
Ferrari
303
Alexandra Edwards
Rousch
301
Jason Vettal
Red Bull
297
Raoul Garcia
Audi
290
Flippe Massa III
Red Bull
278
Dale Earnhardt IV
Hendrick
278
Allen Regan
Rousch
255
Shawn Newman
Stewart-Haas
240
Team Names
Combined points
Kurosaki-Ishida
1910
Souske
1687
Hendrick
1450
Kuchiki
1436
Ferrari
1427
Audi
1417
Stewart-Haas
1285
Red Bull
1278
Rousch
1273
END OF CHAPTER
UO: GOD DAMN IT I WANTED THIS OUT LAST WEEK. Regardless hope you liked it.
Preview: As the Grand Prix heads to Africa, tensions are mounting across the teams. At the same time, Souske continues to plot to take down Kurosaki-Ishida. What will happen in the South African Savanna? Find out
Next time: Rumble in the South African Jungle
Next up is Journeys
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