OSPREY…SWOOOSH
UO: Hey is everyone here?
Andrew: You seem to be down what's up?
UO: Real life events, not anything that happened to me, have killed the tone I wanted for this chapter, well the tone I had for the first part of the chapter.
Ichigo: What kind of events?
UO: Let's just say, Andrew and Soi Fong got off lucky last chapter. Everyone else here?
Chad: Yes.
Uryu: Ready
Orihime: Present
Tatsuki: Here
UO: Good. I don't own Bleach, the cars, the track and various manufacturers. I only own the plot.
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 32: Chinese Civil War
About 7:00PM South Africa Time September 25th
When we last left the Kurosaki team, Andrew escaped yet another nasty wreck with Soi Fong barreling into his stopped race car. Both drivers were lucky to walk away from the wreck and got an earful from Tatsuki. As a result of the accident, Isane was tapped to fly with the team to make sure the two drivers, Soi Fong being allowed to fly back with them, did not have a concussion. If it all went well, both drivers would be back the next race.
Now they were sitting in the meeting room awaiting the information on the next race.
"Alright now, the next race is going to be a doozy. First off, I am sure we all are glad Andrew and Shaolin are okay. Shaolin will be bunking with us for the next couple of weeks and Isane will make sure they can race in China. Speaking of China." Isshin said activating the hologram.
Ryuken picked up from there. "This is one of the famous Hermann Tilke tracks. From the starting line, you have a difficult first few turns where you have to let off and tap the brakes. Turns 1 and 2 are left handers and then turns 3 and 4 snap back to the right, a good exit is required to have a good time entering the next stretch. A sweeping right hander at 5 leads to a slow second-gear turn 6. You pick up speed in in the turn 7-8 Esses, be careful of the g-forces that could be experienced. Turns 9 and 10 are slow left turns that set you up for the 11-12 section. It is a slow left-right combination that leads you into a sweeping turn 13 and spills you out onto one of the longest straights in racing at 1170 meters. After reaching near top speed, you brake for the right handed turn 14 and then you can take the last turn with a tap of the brake."
Isshin looked at all of the driver. "That is all, go relax." Isshin said dismissing the team. Andrew walked over to Kisuke.
"Something on your mind?" Kisuke asked curiously.
"Just this." And everyone was surprised at Andrew's hug. Releasing the hug, Andrew smiled. "That's for designing the car that saved both our lives and for being my voice of sanity this year."
Andrew walked away leaving Kisuke to smile as the rest of the crew left the room.
Andrew, Tatsuki and Soi Fong went to Andrew's room. Soi Fong's bag was in their room and the petite driver went into her bag for her bathing supplies.
Shaolin groaned. "No sleep wear. Great."
Tatsuki perked up. "I've got some extra stuff at the mansion. For now, Andrew do you mind if she borrows one of your shirts?"
Andrew nodded. "Yeah, go ahead I've got a couple of extra shirts, not sure how they will fit you." He said as he went to take a shower. A few minutes later he came out in a pair of shorts.
"Alright, you can use the shower now. Ichigo and Orihime said they could wait.
Shaolin nodded and went to the bathroom. She stripped out of her clothes and turned on the shower after removing her hair clips, cascading the hair to the base of her spine. She hissed in relief as the warm water hit her body. She felt the soreness in her muscles and more than likely would be feeling it all day tomorrow. After the shower, she dried off and looked at the shirt. It did look really big on her, seeing the size was XLT. Not one look a gift horse in the mouth she put it on over her bare body. It felt to her ankles and her shoulders were exposed, with the sleeves covering her hands. She actually had a hard time not tripping over it as she went back to the room.
Tatsuki smiled. "You look cute especially with your hair down." She said walking out to the bathroom.
Shaolin looked at Andrew who was look frustrated. "What are you looking at?"
Andrew looked at her and smiled. "Stocks. Some of the markets especially China's market have been in flux the last couple of days. China's market kind of set everything off and a lot of my American stocks are going to drop. Fortunately, I am spread out amongst several sectors."
Shaolin crawled into the bed on his left and looked at the numbers and saw a lot of red. "So how much is in your stock holdings."
Andrew smiled. "Well…using some of my prize my father invested in some stocks that were low in price at the time and they have since gone to nearly triple their price/ In total my invested amount is close $500,000. With the prices the way they are at the moment, I am holding close to $15,000,000. "
Shaolin widened her eyes. 15 Million American dollars was a lot in any currency. "With all of the stock options, the sponsorships, the prize money from winning and the money I've saved up, I have close to $40,000,000 in my accounts. I could retire and live out the rest of my days in luxury. But I don't, I enjoy this sport too much. Besides, all I need are my friends and my girlfriend to make me happy." Andrew said.
"Damn right." Tatsuki said walking in dressed in one of her silk teddies. Andrew grinned. "Looking good, Tatsuki."
"Sexy even." Shaolin added with a blush. Tatsuki giggled and crawled into bed as Andrew fished out the remote. He channel surfed until he found an IRL race at Pocono.
"Better than nothing." Andrew said as the girls settled into his arms. Four hours later as the race wound down, his Ipad buzzed.
"Sorry girls, Dad probably saw the wreck and wants to talk to me." He said putting on his shirt. "Mute the screen."
Tatsuki nodded as Andrew answered his Ipad.
"Hey Dad."
"Hey Sport. How's it going?"
"Living and breathing. I figured I was going to get a call about this.
"You were right. That wreck was nasty. Are you alright?
"Going to feel sore tomorrow and maybe Wednesday. Got a doctor to double check any concussion I might have.
"You feel woozy?"
"No. I got checked by one of the doctors. Said I was fine at the moment. She sent her assistant with us to check me."
"What about the other driver, Soi Fong? Is she alright?"
Andrew smiled. "Ask her yourself." He said turning to Shaolin who was under the blankets next to Tatsuki. "Shaolin, this is my dad William. Dad this is the driver of the 002 Kuchiki Toyota, Soi Fong.
Shaolin smiled. "A pleasure to meet you sir."
"Hey Mr. Michaels."
"Hey Tatsuki, Hello Soi Fong. Are you alright? That impact was intense."
"Yes. From what me and Andrew theorized, the fact that I am the shortest GP Driver this year combined with the fact that it was the near the end of the fuel run and I am lucky I lived too."
"…I'm glad your both alright. I've seen my boy get into some nasty accidents. I remember the Indy wreck. Incidentally are you the one that insulted my son earlier this year?"
Shaolin looked away. "I…I've not been the nicest person to Andrew, but I apologized and we are becoming good friends."
"From the looks of things, more than friends. From Tatsuki's expression, she is okay with this?"
"Its unusual but don't worry we have an agreement that Soi Fong won't take Andrew away. Think of more friends with benefits." She said blushing.
William chuckled. "Your 23 years old and Shaolin is 26. Your big boys and girls. I don't have to tell you what to do."
As this conversation happened, the race they were watching was about twenty laps from the finish and were about to go green. Andrew was about to go back to talking with his dad when Tatsuki let out a hiss at the impact by the lead car. As the camera focused on the wreck, another car seemingly lost control and smashed into the inside wall.
Tatsuki looked at both cars. Whereas the first driver was struggling the get out…the second wasn't.
"Andrew."
"What?" He asked looking at the screen. They watched as the first driver climbed out but the second driver didn't.
"Get the others. They need to watch this. Dad turn on NBC sports."
Tatsuki ran and got the others. They showed up as Andrew and Shaolin watched as the ambulance came straight to the track.
"What's the problem?" Ichigo asked groggily in his undershirt and shorts. Chad was in a muscle shirt and shorts while Uryuu was in sweats. The girls were in robes that matched their hair.
"Look." Andrew pointed to the screen as more medical teams surrounded the car.
IRL Announcer 1: We have the replays. Chase Karem is in the lead. (Replays begin.) Going into turn one, the car cuts loose and hits the wall. A lot of debris from there. Still don't see Greg Wilson's car. Let's look at another angle.
Announcer 2: Its going to be to the high side of the wreck. Wilson is not in the camera shot yet. Now he is, I wonder did he hit the nose cone?"
Andrew watched the debris and watched the cone bounce. He widened his eyes as the cone came down and right in front of him.
"No." He whispered. As he said that the announcers all gasped.
Announcer 2: It did hit him and he is just along for the ride at this point as he hit the inside wall.
Andrew hazard a glance across the room and got the expected reaction. Stoicness from Uryuu, no reaction from Chad and a cross look from Ichigo. On the girls, other than Nemu who frowned, the girls were horrified.
Andrew sighed. "Let's hope he's okay." The others nodded and left to their rooms.
"Dad you still around?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah, that wreck looked nasty. I hope he'll be okay.
"Yeah, us too. Night dad." He said hanging up. Andrew took one more look at the screen and saw the helicopter start up, before he turned it off and pulled the two girls closer. They all drifted off to an uneasy slumber.
Three Days later September 28th Japan time about 8:30 PM Japan Time, 6:30 AM US Eastern Time
The wreck that happened that happened on Sunday seemed to be in the back of their minds as they came back and recovered from their jet lag. Andrew and Shaolin had an appointment with Isane the next day, so for the time being they were pretty much confined to the house. Chad's girlfriend did a concussion test and the two passed it before they conked out on Andrew's bed with Tatsuki.
The team was in the living room looking for something to watch.
"Ugh, I hate the timezone changes, no sports on and the dramas aren't even subtitled on cable." Andrew said contemplating going to record some games."
"That's Japan for you, either news, drama or anime." Ichigo replied. (I don't know what they watch)
Andrew sighed as he flipped to the satellite channels. He flipped through the sports channels when he caught a breaking news article.
"Again the big news coming out of Pocono today, Greg Wilson, a long time fan favorite in the IRL Pro league, has died due to injuries he suffered in Sunday's crash."
The rest went unheard as the drivers essentially went numb. In the profession they were in, there was a sense of brotherhood because every race could be their last. When a driver in any of the pro leagues died, it affected everyone.
"Damn it." Ichigo said slamming his glass down and walked out of the room. Orihime who walked in gasped in horror at the news and so did Yuzu and Isane when they heard Orihime.
Andrew sighed and pulled out his phone to send out a tweet. "Just heard the news. I hope they've got race tracks in heaven Greg Wilson. RIP.
(A/N: Just so you know this is a small tribute and memorial to Justin Wilson, who through small changes, had exactly the same wreck at Pocono a couple of weeks ago as of this writing. He was a fan favorite as I recall and I send condolences to his family.)
Andrew sent it out and then motioned for Chad, Uryuu and Shaolin to follow him outside where Ichigo was. The cool fall weather blew through their hair.
Andrew took a seat on the chair next to him. "So what's got you worked up?"
Ichigo sighed. "I guess Wilson's wreck."
Andrew looked up at the stars, being away from the city lights made them shine. "So…what? Not the first death you've seen on track, heck it's not the first one we've seen on track. Remember that kid Davis?"
Ichigo did indeed remember. It was in the Light Division not long after they buried the hatchet. It was at Michigan the same week as a NASCAR A division race. The guy Davis had wrecked on the front stretch. He was getting unhooked when another car T-boned him, killing him almost instantly. The rule in NASCAR was changed to forbid drivers from unhooking until safety personnel came over.
"Heck it wasn't even the first wreck I've seen on track. I remember in the Sprint Car division two years before I jumped to the Light division, some guy wrecked and he came out onto the track and got run over." Andrew said sitting down.
Chad spoke up. "When I was street racing, I saw a few other street racers die, including a couple of my fellow team members. Not exactly something I like to advertise."
Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "Admittedly, the Japanese tiers have not had many deaths. None while I was racing there but I have seen several drivers get sent to the hospital."
Shaolin looked at Ichigo. "So what's wrong Kurosaki? Someone else's death should not have shaken you up this bad.
"IT'S BECAUSE I NEARLY KILLED YOU TWO!" Ichigo yelled startling the drivers. Shaolin and Andrew looked at Ichigo.
"It's because of me, you ended up in the hospital and to hear Tatsuki tell it nearly killed you both."
Andrew stood up and walked over to Ichigo and smacked his head. "Ow! What the Hell!
"You are sounding like an idiot at the moment. What happened with Shaolin was just that an accident, the air got underneath the rear of the car and lifted. The flaps, the car and the HANS device did their jobs. When Isane clears us we will be racing in Shanghai."
Ichigo's frown softened to a smile. "Sorry, your right." He then looked inside to see Orihime had calmed down and started watching cartoons and the twins had just gone to bed. "If something happened to me…"
Andrew looked and smiled. "If something happened to you, I would take care of her. You better do the same for Tatsuki." He looked at Shaolin. "You might be taking care of three women in your case." Getting the smaller girl to smile.
Ichigo chuckled. "Yeah, let's go back inside. It's getting a little chilly out here."
The drivers went inside and Ichigo went over to Orihime and wrapped his arms around her stomach getting her to squeak.
"Ichigo?" She said blushing.
"Good night guys." He said and lifted Orihime off the ground and threw her over his shoulder. Orihime playfully pounded his back and squealed.
Andrew chuckled. "Don't think we will see them the rest of the night."
(M rated scenes implied)
Up in the couple's room, Ichigo opened his door and placed the giggling princess on the bed
"What are you doing Ichigo? Not that I mind." She asked humorously.
Ichigo looked at Orihime and the innocent girl saw something in his eyes which cut of the humor.
"Hime, would you love me if I ever died?" He asked seriously, his grey eyes searching for an answer.
Orihime realized what that look was, it was desperation. She smiled sadly. "Ichigo, you'll be the only love I will ever have, the only man I want to marry and the only man to father my kids. I know why your doing this. I was scared for both Andrew-kun and Shaolin-chan too."
She reached around his neck. "I hope that you realize, that whatever you get into, I will be loyal to you." She said getting a hint of lust in her voice.
Ichigo put his hands on her cheeks and leaned down to kiss her whispering. "You have no idea, how much I needed to hear that." Before taking his girlfriend's lips on his own. Orihime closed her eyes and instantly submitted to Ichigo's ministrations as he reached down to undo the belt of her robe revealing a silk teddy that outline Orihime's breasts perfectly. Before long, they were lost in their passions and four rounds later, the two were exhausted but completely satisfied.
Orihime traced Ichigo's muscles and sighed in bliss. "Ichigo?"
Ichigo was half falling asleep when he heard her gentle voice. "Yes, Hime-chan?"
She nuzzled his chest. "The last seven months have been the best of my life. All the traveling, all of fun, loving you, it is been a dream come true."
Ichigo chuckled. "Yeah, it has been a ride."
Orihime sat up enough to look at Ichigo in the face. "Remember when you said about racing for something?"
Ichigo looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I think I found it about…3 months ago. At the start finish line at Watkins Glen.
Orihime teared up, she knew what he was talking about. Ichigo saw the tears and gently wiped them away. "Thank you Ichigo."
Orihime then laid her head back down. "Sweet dreams." She said and fell into a peaceful slumber. Ichigo spent the next few minutes petting her silky hair before finally dozing off himself
Friday, September 30th about 1:00 PM
Nurse Isane smiled as she walked through a Kurosaki owned clinic. It was time for Shaolin and Andrew's appointment that would determine whether or not they would race next week. Based on her interactions with the two, this appointment was a formality.
She headed to the waiting room and saw the two drivers smiling and laughing at something.
"Shaolin? Andrew? I can take both of you if you want." Isane said. The two blushed and Tatsuki giggled as she followed the two to the exam room.
Isane turned to the two. "Please remove your shirts, Shaolin you can leave your bra on."
Andrew did so without second thought, but Shaolin was a more reserved.
"Shaolin?" Andrew asked.
"It's…something I am not 100% proud of." She said removing her tank top. On her back was a crimson and jade dragon that covered most of her back, from the base of her neck to the lumbar spine with wings on the shoulder blades and mouth near her left shoulder.
Shaolin closed her eyes expecting disgust and outrage. "It's something from before I joined up with Kuchiki-sama."
When she heard nothing, she expected the worse. Instead she felt two cool hands touch her tattoo and traced it almost worshipfully, getting her to shiver.
"This tattoo is so cool. I'm jealous." Tatsuki said.
"Dad wouldn't let me get a tattoo. It looks so good on you." Andrew said.
Isane cleared her throat. "You can look at each other's bodies later, please let me do my job. Andrew can go first."
Andrew nodded and Isane went through the normal checks, and then started checking his muscles.
"No muscle tears, but we will check the x-rays. Now I'll check for concussion symptoms." Isane said. She looked at his eyes and found the eyes were normal, then made him walk a straight line to test his balance. Once that was out of the way, she had him toss a ball with Tatsuki to test his strength and coordination. Once Isane was satisfied with the results, Shaolin did the same and passed them satisfactorily.
"Alright, just an x-ray and you'll be ready to race next week." Isane said as they redressed and headed to the x-ray room. Andrew was first to don the lead shield and the X-ray was turned on.
"Hm…nothing wrong from this angle. Turn and face your right. Good…now your left." She said as it scanned up and down Andrew's body.
"Other than some strains, I don't see anything wrong with you. Shaolin, your turn."
The shorter girl stepped up to the machine and turned it on. Isane went through the same procedures and smiled. "Your good to go you two. Keep up the stretching and massaging and you'll be good to go next week. Be safe, both on the track and well you know."
The trio blushed and smiled as they left.
Andrew stretched out. "Well that was pointless. What time is it…2 o'clock? Milkshake time."
Tatsuki giggled. "Sounds great, even though its cool out."
"What's a milkshake?" Shaolin asked.
This stopped the couple. "Your kidding right?" Andrew asked. When Shaolin shook her head, they grabbed her hands.
"We need to fix that. TO THE ICE CREAM SHOP!" Andrew said.
Shaolin yelped as she was pulled along. She quickly started laughing as she followed them. She might have been friends for a short time, but it felt like it has been forever. Whatever she was on earlier this year, seemed to have gone away.
In a nearby park about the same time.
Orihime was snapping up the fall scenery with absolute glee. Dressed in her purple leggings, brown rain boots, pink cardigan and white scarf, she ran among the beautiful fall weather. It had rained the night before and the autumn chill had descended on Karakura Town. Ichigo watched her with a smile, in his blue jeans, a white long sleeve shirt and a black wind breaker.
"Ichigo!" The driver turned see her playing around in some of the fallen leaves. Before he could blink, he got leaves in his face. Ichigo scowled and then grinned. "Oh Orihime~~!"
The red haired girl squeaked and started to run but Ichigo was quicker and scooped her up and fell backwards into the leaves. He started planting kisses on her face as the princess giggled
Calming down, they walked over to a relatively dry bench and sat down.
"I haven't acted like this…since Sora died." She said trailing off in thought. Ichigo planted a kiss on her head.
"Guess something about the day awoke your inner child." Ichigo said. "I'm sure your brother would want you to have fun without him."
Orihime smiled and the wind picked up spinning some leaves around the couple.
"Hi Sora." She said to the wind giggling. "I've been well. Ichigo and me have doing great. I hope you are doing well in heaven with Miss Kurosaki."
The wind swirled and there a sense of familiarity in the air to both of them.
"That's good, I hope to you again but hopefully not before I've had a few kids and grandkids." Orihime said. The wind died down and Orihime adjusted herself and closed her eyes.
Ichigo watched her doze off. He then leaned back and dozed off himself after setting an alarm clock to wake himself up to go pick up the twins.
At Souske Limited about the same time
In contrast to the happy mood the Kurosaki drivers were in, Souske was racking his mind to figure out how to keep his company afloat. China's volatile market was hurting Aizen more than the Japanese markets, due to assets he controlled in China. In addition, the energy markets had completely tanked, with prices approaching twenty dollars a barrel of refined hydrogen. Even though it was cleaner than oil, due to the environmental concerns, the amount process had to be regulated. Hence the energy companies that processed were limited but the restrictions had been slowly lifted as signs of environmental recovery had been increasingly positive.
What was killing the energy market at the moment was threefold. Number one was China, long the number one energy consumer and economic market had been hit again with factory slowdowns and lack of demand for materials. Their stock market bubble had burst last month through factors similar to the 1929 crash in the U.S. Second was in addition to the lack of demand on the part of the Chinese, overall consumption had collapsed. These two factors combined with a glut in energy production from multiple countries, had crashed the prices and it would take a few years to recovery if at all.
That recovery cannot come soon enough to save Aizen's company as it turned out. Barring a bailout which would send markets down even further, he would be able to get through the end of the year but would not be able to race a team next year, especially with some of the sponsorships seeking to end their deal.
If that wasn't enough, his criminal empire was beginning to take a hit. Several of his overseas underworld connections were being cleaned up and money had been taken from them. They had not found anything that could be tied to him, but with each group found, it was only a matter of time.
Gin walked in with Aizen scowling. "What seems to be the problem?" The silver haired driver said.
Aizen looked up. "Our company is going under soon. I've had to lay off more workers today and sell another refinery. I also had to cut funding to the governments we backed. Not that it mattered, half of them had been beaten back for good.
Gin frowned. "Well, can't you take a bail out?"
Aizen stood up. "And you will give me a bail out. I've already paid several creditors and that was before the credit ratings dropped. The stocks will be worth less to completely pay of the loans. Our investors are looking for money and I am starting to run low on it."
"Well, if you weren't so keen on your "outside activities" you wouldn't been in this mess."
Aizen was about to retort when he paused. "Outside activities. Yes…I know exactly who to give me that loan to keep me above water and they have the perfect leverage for me to use." He said as he typed in a couple of commands and turned the monitor to show the Kurosaki twins. "We have agents monitoring Isshin's daughters. The moment they are alone, we strike."
Gin looked impassive, but on the inside he was sweating. He was now in a rock and a hard place, if he tipped off Kuchiki, his cover would be blown. If he didn't Kurosaki would ride his butt and more than likely result in his mission being terminated.
"We have the men in place, we know their routine. All we need to do is catch them alone, they will be ours." Aizen said with a wild look and laughing as he left his office.
Gin sat down and sighed. "Damn you Aizen. Targeting Kurosaki-san's children. But this might be in my advantage. The group he hired are street racers. Perhaps our good man Yasotora might help, he was street racing before he turned pro." Gin said as he thought of ways to make sure anything Aizen attempted against the twins. He may not like the team as a whole, but getting children involved rubbed him the wrong way."
About five hours later on the way from the hospital (Implied M rated scenes ahead)
Chad was slightly worried when Isane called him and told him to pick her up from the hospital at the end of her shift. That wasn't anything normal, her car was at the mansion and she preferred to car pool. It was her tone and wanting to go straight to a bar for a date that had him concerned. Isane was the type to curl up in front of a fire and read a book, he should know, she fell asleep a few times in his arms after reading a book. Whatever was bugging her, was really bad.
Driving his Altima, he spotted Isane in the entrance to the clinic. She did not look happy.
"Isane?" Chad said as the girl got in.
"I need a cold hard drink. And its all because of your boss."
Chad started to drive. "What did Kurosaki-san do?"
Isane looked out at the cloudy sky. The forecast called for some more rain well into the weekend. "Well he came by earlier."
Flashback three hours ago
Isane was finishing up the medical report for Shaolin and Andrew. She smiled knowing that once Retsu got the papers and sent to Yammamato, they would be cleared to race. She picked up the files and headed out of the office whistling a little tune. As she approached the fax machine, she was surprised to see Isshin Kurosaki walking up to her.
"Kurosaki-sensei? What a surprise. What's going on?"
Isshin smiled. "Ah Isane-chan just who I was looking for. Can I talk to you privately?"
Isane looked at her watch. "I've got no more appointments for the day sure.
They headed back to her office and closed the door. "So what can I do for you?"
Isshin eyed the reports in her hand. "Those reports are Shaolin's and Andrew's right?"
Isane nodded. "I was just about to send them out to Unohana-sensei to clear them to race."
Isshin nodded. "Right. When you send those reports, make sure Andrew's says he can't race."
Isane looked confused. "What do you mean? He passed all of his tests and I can get Unohana-sensei to double check my results."
Isshin crossed his arms. "I am trying to save him further down the road. I know he's been in worse wrecks and he's only had one concussion in his career. But I am not going to have a vegetable for a driver. I don't want him racing in China."
Isane normally didn't get mad, but this was pushing it. "Kurosaki-sensei, your driver passed all of my tests. He passed the concussion protocol and he has no broken bones. He has more than a week to get the swelling down. I cleared him, Unohana-sensei will clear him and he will race. I can get you called up for interference in doctor/patient confidentiality.
"Your making a big mistake." Isane snapped at that.
"No you are. Andrew is well in the thick of this title chase. If I have to pull him out, he will be mad at me and when I tell him it was your call, it will go to you."
Isshin sighed, knowing she was right. "Fine. But I will have a standby driver just in case."
"That's fine. As long as he starts he will earn the points. Now get out of my office."
Isshin left leaving Isane to fume.
End Flashback
"He knows with my connections to Retsu, a medical report from me is as good as gold. Why would he want to keep Andrew out? I know Andrew he will race if his doctor lets him." Isane complained leaning back in her seat. "I need a drink. You don't mind being my designated driver do you?"
Chad smiled and nodded as they headed to a bar the boys frequented. Two hours later, Chad was dragging the silver haired nurse under his arms. A couple of cat calls were heard as he brought her over to the car.
"Why does everyone push me around!?' Isane wailed as she was strapped in and Chad started up the car.
"No one wants me!" She wailed as he pulled out of the restaurant. "Its because of my height. No one wants a tall woman. But I'm a sexy nurse. Everyone loves a sexy nurse." She said.
Evidently, when Isane gets drunk, she becomes an emotional mess and he nearly had to fight off a couple of grabby guys as Isane was going between flirty and angry. He was sure he had nearly been banned from the bar.
Looking back at Isane, she was starting to sniffle. "Isane…your height is perfect for you. Don't let others tell you that. If you think your tall, look at me I'm tall for a driver.
"But Chad~~ I am still taller than most girls. Look at Tatsuki and Orihime~~" Isane moaned.
"Still shorter than me." Chad said.
That seem to calm Isane down as he drove them to the Kurosaki manor. He didn't feel like he could get Isane to her home in her condition and the weather began to deteriorate. Once inside, the first one to greet them was Ichigo.
"Chad what's up with Isane?"
"She's a little drunk. Do you mind if she crashes her for the night?"
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Don't know if we have stuff to fit her."
Chad nodded and brought her up to his room. Passing Andrew's room, he heard small moans but ignored it as he went two doors down and opened the door. The bed itself was big to fit his frame but other than some posters related to soccer, it was rather Spartan.
Chad placed Isane on the ground. "Are you alright?"
Isane nodded with a flushed look on her face. "Chad. Do you mean it that you don't care about my height?"
Chad smiled as he removed his shirt, getting Isane to gawk at the Tiger tattoo on his back. "Sugoi~"
"Isane…your height is nothing to me. You have your own beauty, your own charm. If anything you being shy is kind of a turn on for me." He said turning and showing his six pack.
Isane gulped seeing Chad's torso. She had an ache in her loins and the alcohol that was left in her system was not helping her inhibitions,
"Take me." Isane whispered.
"What?" Chad asked.
"Show me that I can be loved too. Take me, make me your woman, I don't care if I'm drunk." Isane said walking over inadvertently swaying her hips.
Chad looked at Isane. Underneath the drunken haze, there was a desire there, a desire to be loved.
"If you want Isane…then I won't deny you." Chad said kissing his silver haired girlfriend. The next few hours was a symphony of moans, giggles and love as the two made love to each other.
Next morning about 6AM
Isane moaned as she pressed her hand to her throbbing head. Looking around the room, she saw that it wasn't her apartment and the pillow she was sleeping on was breathing. She widened her eyes when she spotted Chad's face sleeping. Just then the memories from last night came flooding in like a freight train. Isshin coming to her, her getting drunk, her unloading all her emotional baggage, and…
"You awake?" Chad's voice broke through the fog of her mind.
Isane looked up and saw Chad's eyes through her hair. "Did we?
Chad nodded and reached over a grabbed a couple of pieces of plastic. "Don't worry I had condoms in my drawer."
Isane's relief was evident as was the state of the sheets and her dress. Blushing she brought the sheets in front of her chest.
"I….thank you. Even though I wasn't in the right mind, I never felt that loved ever." She said as Chad started petting her hair. "Can I stay here for a while?"
Chad looked outside and despite the early hour he could hear the rain. "Yeah. You can stay." He said dozing off.
Isane giggled and started tracing his muscles dozing off soon after.
An hour later in Andrew's room
Shaolin was not having a hangover as she sat up holding the sheets to her naked chest. She blushed at the memories from last night, remembering getting a really massage and then her lust took over and somehow they had a threesome the previous night.
She heard a sigh. "You know, I like to listen to the rain. Especially after sex I have found." Shaolin turn to see Andrew sitting up and Tatsuki leaning against his chest smiling at her. Shaolin turned back to the window to see the rain fall.
"What's wrong?" Tatsuki asked.
"The last week or so…has been some of the best times of my life. I just wonder…where we go from here. Are we still friends? Lovers? Fuck Buddies?"
She felt the bed shift and two pairs of arms wrapped around her.
"We'll be whatever you want to be." Tatsuki said. "As far as I am concerned, you're more than a fuck buddy. You're more like a friend who we are not afraid to bring into our bed. From last night's activities I don't think you mind one bit sharing me and Andrew." She said biting her shoulder get her to moan.
"Just because we are bed mates, doesn't mean I will take it easy on you." Andrew said squeezing her.
Shaolin giggled at that, her long repressed femininity showing. "I never expected you to."
Andrew smiled and gently rolled her over to land between the pillows. Looking up at Andrew it was easy to see how much he dwarfed both girls.
"So now what?" Tatsuki asked leaning in from her left. "Its about 7:30."
Andrew grinned. "I don't feel getting up or for that matter dressed too much today." He said nuzzling Shaolin's chest.
Tatsuki shrugged. "Neither do I. We need our own place just saying. There are so many things I want to do again and quite honestly under all of that rough exterior is a girl who is as sweet as honey." She said tracing her hand on the equally small girl's stomach and softly nibbling on her shoulder.
Andrew rolled his eyes and went between the two and wrapped his arms around them. Shaolin watched them doze off. She smiled and nuzzled into Andrew's chest and dozed off too enjoying the two's combined scents.
One week later Friday October 4th Shanghai International Circuit about 11:00 AM
Ichigo was finishing zipping up his suit and looking out the window. A light drizzle was falling outside giving it a hazy drizzle. He stepped out to see Orihime taking a cursory shot of the hallway. They left the plane, being escorted by Lisa who had an umbrella for the both of them as they walked through the garage.
Ichigo looked around and noticed a tension in the air that wasn't caused by the Souske team. It was more targeted at each other.
"Hime stay close." Ichigo said as Orihime closed in. They reached where their cars were covered in the garage.
As Ichigo was watching the crew adjust the car, a hand grabbed his shoulder. Ichigo turned and was about to wail on the guy but calmed down when he saw it was Andrew and Tatsuki.
"Damn it, I nearly clobbered you." Ichigo said.
"What's going on?" Andrew said walking over to his car.
"I don't know there is this…tension in the air."
Andrew looked at the garage and noticed Flippe Massa and Jason Webber from the Red Bull team watching them and turned around.
"Yeah, it seems to be directed at us and probably the Hendrick and Audi. Souske and Ferrari to an extent. You, me, Serenity, Brian, Cifer, Chad and Schumacher are the only ones within a race a half of the lead. It's a tension that means they are losing their chance to win the title." Andrew said.
"We just need to race our race. What's the forecast?"
"Rain off and on all weekend." Tatsuki said as Kisuke walked in to discuss their plans.
After the practice session, where they noticed there was some pushing around more than usual, they set up their cars for qualifiers. Ichigo rolled out in the second session chasing Robert Johnson for the pole. Passing the start finish line to start the lap, he went into the first few turns okay, but then Michael Busch came by setting an almost blistering pace and instead of letting up he intentionally went wide almost ran Ichigo off the road.
"What the hell? Michael, that was uncalled for!" Ichigo yelled.
"You know him. He's always been a hot head, like you." Isshin said as they continued to qualify. After the end of the session, Ichigo growled as Bush nearly ran into the back of him entering pit road.
Unhooking quickly, Ichigo climbed out and started to walk to Michael's car. His crew was already there to hold him back.
"What the heck Busch? This is qualifying."
Michael shrugged. "Sorry man, it was a wet track."
Kisuke grabbed Ichigo's shoulder. "Let's not get hasty. Save your energy for the race."
"Yeah walk away. You don't have the gall…"
"Gall to what?" Andrew said with Chad and Uryuu near by.
Michael growled and walked away. Andrew shook his head. "What an idiot."
"Sadly, if the rumors are anything, its because he doesn't have a ride in GP1 next year." Uryuu said.
"So he's acting out big whoop. He shouldn't be up here with his attitude." Andrew said as they walked to his car.
Climbing in he caught the eye of Grimmjow who sneered at him. Firing up the engine they rolled off. As they warmed up, Grimmjow got a little bit too close to the back bumper especially on the hair pin leading onto the pit stretch.
"Stupid panther." Andrew mumbled going into the stadium section of the course. "Get off my bumper. This is not the race."
Andrew frustration showed in his lap times as he finished the times. Climbing out, he looked at Grimmjow who was talking with reporters and then just shook his head.
An hour and a half later, the qualifying session ended with Rebecca Kirkland taking the pole and Robert Johnson taking the second spot.
Soi Fong was sighed as she walked back to the trailer. She looked up into the sky and noticed the rain begin to fall. She felt the rain on her hair and shuddered at the cool feeling. It soon stopped causing to her to look and see it was Andrew and Tatsuki out of their suits.
"I actually was enjoying the rain. It felt very stuffy in the car." She said as they escorted her to the Kuchiki plane which was next to the Kurosaki plane.
"Its fine. Besides it looked like you had stuff on your mind." Tatsuki said.
They got on the plane. Inside was a bit more furnished than the Kurosaki plane but it was well-decorated nonetheless.
Shaolin sighed as they went inside. "You don't mind if I change in front of you do you?"
Andrew chuckled. "Nah, its fine." He said as he took a look around the room. It was Spartan save for some cat pictures and track diagrams. "Didn't expect the cat stuff."
"It was Yoruichi. She took me under her wing before Kuchiki called me up. I saved Byakuya from some thugs and he in return saved me from the gang life. It's why I'm loyal to him." She stripping the uniform off revealing the tattoo to the onlookers.
"Your tattoo." Tatsuki theorized.
"I…did not have the nicest childhood. I was part of Shanghai Fong Clan of the Triads. I was assigned to take out Byakuya on his business trip." She said as she took out a clean pair of undergarments and put them on. "Instead I actually saved him from getting run over. He tracked me down and well let's just say my former gang no longer exists."
"Were you a street racer?" Tatsuki asked as she appreciated the view.
"Yeah. Like your teammate Chad. Except I was raised in a gang, he started one to protect his neighborhood." She said as she put on a shirt. "Anyway, thanks for the escort." She said walking out.
Andrew nodded. "Anytime." He said as he walked over to her. "Just remember, just because we are friends/lovers, doesn't mean we go easy on each other."
Shaolin nodded. "I understand." And reached to pull Andrew in for a kiss. He had to pick her up to get her to reach her mouth.
"Have a nice day." Shaolin said as they released. Tatsuki came over and pecked her lips. "Love you good luck Sunday." She said releasing.
Shaolin nodded and they left her room. "Hey." She called out.
They turned to the small woman. "I love you too. You don't have to say it. Just caring for me is enough."
Andrew nodded with a smile and the couple left. When they got in their plane, Andrew turned to Tatsuki. "So being with Shaolin the last month or so, what convinced you to you know, be with her."
Tatsuki smiled and crossed her arms over her head. "I don't know. What's the expression, love works in mysterious ways? Orihime is happy with Ichigo. I just felt, something right with her." She said with a sincere smile.
Andrew nodded. "You know I will be faithful even with this right?"
Tatsuki turned to Andrew and hugged his arm. "Right back at you. I think though having her in our lives will be fun."
The two laughed and went to their room.
Starting Line-Up: China
1. Rebecca Kirkland
2. Robert Johnson
3. Raoul Garcia
4. Michael Bush
5. Soi Fong
6. Ulquiorra Cifer
7. Andrew Michaels
8. Dale Earnhardt IV
9. Jessica Rosburg
10. Chad Yasotora
11. Ichigo Kurosaki
12. Gin Ichimaru
13. Archie Stewart
14. Uryuu Ishida
15. Ralph Hamilton
16. Shawn Newman
17. Tier Harribel
18. Ralph Dillon
19. Jason Vettal
20. Francesca Alonso
21. Jason Webber
22. Allen Regan
23. Alexandra Edwards
24. Marcus Andretti
25. Brian Mcnish
26. Michael Kennseth
27. Ikkaku Mandarame
28. Serenity Gordon
29. Kira Izuru
30. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
31. George Schumacher
32. Bjorn Kristensen
33. Renji Abarai
34. Maria Robertson
35. Patricia Stenhouse
36. Flippe Massa III
(Another good effort, every point matters)
Sunday October 9th about 7:00 AM
Ichigo yawned as he awoke from his peaceful slumber. He looked outside and sighed, it was raining again. The cars were already set for rain, but it did not mean he liked racing in it.
A pair of slender arms wrapped around his torso getting to smile.
"Morning." Orihime said sleepily. Showing some strength she gently pulled him back onto her chest as she laid against the pillows. His head felt her sheer negligee and his groin reacted accordingly in his boxers.
"Damn Orihime, you don't know what you do to me." He whispered, getting the girl to giggle.
"It's a talent." She said wrapping her legs around his. A few moments of silence followed.
"I hate the rain, it reminds me of Sora." Orihime said quietly.
"Yeah, kind of is a little depressing."
"But having you, its like I have this real guardian angel." She said closing her eyes. "I know you'll protect me and if something happened to me you would save me."
Ichigo smiled and actually closed his eyes and enjoyed the rain for a few minutes
"Ichigo?"
"Hm?"
"I saw Andrew and Tatsuki being more intimate with Shaolin, and I was wondering if…" Orihime chewed her lip. "If you'll hate me if I tried to bring another girl in."
Ichigo sighed in relief. "For a second there, I thought it you wanted another guy. To be honest, I want to stay absolutely faithful to you. Though if you are attracted to another girl, who am I to stop you. I would punch any guy that came after you though."
Orihime smiled reassured of Ichigo's commitment to her. "That's good. If something comes up, I'll let you know."
The princess turned to the clock. "7:45. Mou…I'm comfy."
"Yeah me too." Ichigo said as he sat up. Orihime rolled out of the bed and walked to the other side of the room. She stripped of the lingerie grabed a towel and some spare clothes. "I'll shower first."
Ichigo nodded and he sat back down and sighed.
In the next room, Andrew was coming into the room out of the shower.
"Its going to be crazy out there with this weather." Tatsuki said in her towel.
"I know. And I don't think the rain will calm anyone down." Andrew said as he scrolled through his songs and selected an appropriate one.
ALL ABOARD! HAHAHAHAHAHA
(Play Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne)
Andrew finished getting dressed up and turned to Tatsuki and kissed her. Walking out of their room, Ichigo was already leaving with Orihime. The two boys pounded their fists while behind them, Tatsuki and Orihime held each other's hands and smiled.
Already out of the plane, Chad and Uryuu were under two large umbrellas as the drizzle started to turn into a steady rain. There was a scramble to make sure the tires were dry and the equipment was working.
As the drivers began to walk to their cars, some of the drivers got a little antsy and started to trash talk. The curious thing was it was the teams that had a driver in contention that were trashing each other almost breaking out into blows.
Aizen observed this with a smile. Who knew that this much tension could be caused by something other than him? He glanced at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra who were talking and laughing up a storm.
The weather started to dry up, but the camera crew and the fans that weren't in the stadium were still putting ponchos on to protect themselves.
In the booths, the camera crew were watching the track seem to wake up. They made sure that all of the satellites were connected with the weather and haze. Broadcasting around the world was hard enough but the current conditions upped the difficulty.
In the driver's meeting, there seem to be stronger feeling of anxiety and Yammamato was forced to split the groups up because there were multiple insults thrown. His anger got them to shut up and then a final word sent them on their way.
(End Previous Song Begin Pacific Rim Main Theme)
(As the theme starts up an unknown driver starts moving on a conveyor belt)
"Getting to the Grand Prix take blood, sweat and luck. Surviving it, takes a different breed.
(The driver is suited up. With each piece of gear added a different wreck is shown. First is Andrew's wreck at Indy, then Ikkaku and Kira's wreck at Daytona, then the big wreck at Spa, finally the big wreck between Soi Fong and Andrew.)
"Each driver has the scars of wrecks gone past. Concussions, broken bones, deep bruises you name it. But they persevered and now thirty-six drivers are at the pinnacle of the sport."
(At the last word, the driver is revealed to be Serenity Gordon. The camera pans back as the other drivers are shown. The camera quickly pans out and shows lights over thirty-six cars on jacks with their hoods up facing away from the center. One by one they get in and strap in with their belts, their HANS Device and their helmets.)
"But it takes more than a driver to make it to the top. You need a sharp crew. (Individual crews are checking and recheck the car and making the changes.) You need an engine that won't fail on you. (The engines are shown as the hoods closed.) Tires that won't give under pressure. (Tire changers drill the tires on.) Fuel to get to the end. (The fuel pumps are removed)
The doors in front of the cars are opened into a rain storm. As this is happening the drivers place their steering wheels on.
"But here in China, the manufacturing capital of the world, the biggest challenge here is that despite all conditions, is the courage to flip the switch.
(One switch is flipped and the camera pans across the garage as each cars headlights turn on as the engines roar.)
"That's what separates race car drivers and civilian drivers. The courage to flip the switch and experience the 900HP at full power.
(The cars speed off as the theme guitar rift plays as the words Welcome to China is displayed.)
(Guitar rift plays as the camera pans over the track.)
Jeremy: A wet track greets us but it is drying up and hopefully the weather will hold as we go racing today.
(Pans to American Booth)
Jeremy: Good Morning, Afternoon and Evening to all of those watching today. This is the Shanghai International Circuit and Round 21 of 25. Nate with four races left after this, those still in contention need every possible point they can get.
Nate: That's right as we look at the points standings, (Check the last chapter) the front four of Ichigo Kurosaki and Andrew Michaels from the Kurosaki team, Serenity Gordon from the Hendrick Team and Brian Mcnish of the Audi team are within ten points of each other and another four drivers with a race and a half. Looking at the Team standings, Kurosaki is running away with the team title and could quite possibly clinch it in Austin.
Jeremy: We've seen the images but let's look back at the wreck from last week as we check the highlights from last week.
(Begin Montage)
Jeremy: As the race in South Africa took shape, Michael Busch led the race throughout the day and it eventually became a fuel mileage race that the Stewart-Haas driver lost as Serenity Gordon led only the last lap and won the race. But all of the attention was on the very nasty wreck.
Nate: (The wreck is shown) Possibly one of the scariest wrecks I've seen in my career. Andrew slides and hits the barriers. He was going to unbuckle when Soi Fong, gets the rear end lifted by the air difference and she was along for the ride. Unbelievably, both drivers walked out and the image of Andrew carrying the vastly smaller driver out of the car and helping her walk to the ambulance is the testament to the safety in these cars. Both drivers are lucky to be alive.
Jeremy: What helped them in my opinion was it was end of the fuel run, the height of Soi Fong and the fact that Andrew was not unbuckling in the car, growing up in NASCAR's tiers. For more on the drivers, Jermaine is with the two drivers. Jermaine?
Jeremaine: Thanks Jeremy. Ms. Fong, Andrew, you are probably the two luckiest drivers in the world. How are you feeling?
Andrew: We are lucky. I don't know what was watching out over us but I am grateful for it. Unfortunately, some drivers aren't so lucky. I would like to take some time to send condolences to Greg Wilson's family. That's the part of the job I hate that we put our lives on the line and unfortunately Greg was killed doing something he loved. I hope your racing with the big boys Greg.
Jermaine: Yes it was a quite a tragic accident last week and all sympathies to his family. Soi Fong, what were your thoughts about the wreck.
Shaolin: I remember losing the rear and getting air borne. I felt the impact and I blacked out. Next thing I remember was Andrew coming over and helping me out of the car. I had been most unkind to him this year but we started to fix our relationship and well surviving that accident kind of finished burying the hatchet I suppose.
Jermaine: Thank you. They start 5th and 7th.
Jeremy: Andrew brought something up that I am sure some people are aware of. The day of the South Africa race, at Pocono there was an IRL race. With about 20 laps to go, Chase Karem crashed and scattered the debris. The nose cone bounced and hit Greg Wilson in the head neck and knocked him unconscious. That injury, turned out to be fatal. In a way, Greg was doing something he loved and those who race for a living are doing what they love despite the risks. If the adage was true about never working a day in your life if you loved your job, then Greg never worked a single day.
After that segment and several others along with the pre-race ceremonies all of the drivers strapped in. From his position in tenth, he looked at Chad to his right and gave him a thumbs up. Looking to his right (They are lined up next to each other and angled towards pit exit.) He saw Gin acting like he normally did. The fox man turned and saw Ichigo adjusting his straps.
'Today will be quite interesting.'
Up with Andrew, Tatsuki grabbed Andrew's hand and shook it getting him to smile. Going up to Shaolin's car, she smile at the girl. Seeing the helmet nod, Tatsuki headed back to Andrew's pit.
"NOW FOR THE MOST FAMOUS WORDS IN MOTOR SPORTS! DRIVERS! START YOUR ENGINES!
The track was drying as the engines fired up to drown out the crowd.
Japanese Booth
Kommamura: As the cars begin role out for the Cathy Pacific Chinese Grand Prix, let's look over the race summary.
Jushiro: 110 laps to cover 350 miles. Three things to look out for. Tire pressures, even with the cool air there is still a lot g-forces going for it and the tires can heat up really fast. Number two is the weather. It has been raining off and on all weekend and thus any rubber put down is gone so grip is a premium. Number three is the close quarters in the first section of the race. With a downward hill like Laguna Seca and just as slow.
A couple of warm-up laps later, the green flag was dropped with Rebecca leading the field to turn one. Due to the tightness of the turn, some drivers had to go wide in the turn as they had to continuously tapped the throttle. Going down to the next set of turns, Robert nearly passed Rebecca but had to back off as he nearly got into the dirt. Out of the hair pin they went through the winding section until they slowed down again and Robert tried to pass her again, this time Rebecca actually slammed the door on him. Going into turn 13 they reached near max speed before slowing down for the other hairpin. Rebecca still beat Robert to the line but it was close and he finally managed to get her near turn 3.
American Booth
Jeremy: Robert has been all over the bumper of Kirkland as the she leads the first lap and that persistence has paid off going into turn 3 as he takes the lead.
Nate: He's had a rough year but this car was fast in practice let's see what he can do.
It started to settle down a bit but Shaolin had gotten around Rebecca and like a Stinger missile started to home in on Robert. Lap 11 gave her the opportunity to close in as there was still some water in the turn leading to the long straight. Robert was getting looser as the run continued and a mistimed brake job allowed her to slip to his right and completed the pass heading out into the straight.
Japan Booth
Kommamura: Johnson heading into 11, Soi Fong out brakes him goes to the right closes the door and takes the lead.
Jushiro: The Kuchiki Toyota on her home track. As she speeds off toward turn 14.
A bit further back, Grimmjow was starting to get impatient as he climbed to 24th. Spotting the 24, he lined up his target and just as he got of the turned and shoved the car out of the way.
Serenity felt the impact and growled. "That panther is starting get on my nerves. Have been all year."
"That pass was legit unfortunately, you didn't spin out."
Serenity growled as she spotted the blue and grey car of Tier Harribel. As they got to the Telkke hair pin turn, she waited a second longer to brake and then cut inside of Tier and drifted into her forcing her onto the dirt.
"Damn that girl. Mila!"
"I saw it Hallibel-sama. If it's a war they want it's a war they are going to get."
After a few laps led the leaders started to come in for their pit stops. Shaolin came in on lap 25 as Robert left his pit.
As she changed tires, Gin was finishing up his stop behind her. Gin was held for an extra second and then took off. Shaolin finished her service and was getting up to speed when Gin sped up at the pit road and cut her off nearly clipping her."
"God Damn it! Please tell me someone saw that."
"Things are starting to pick up a bit Mam. Please relax."
"Fuck that stupid fox."
After the round of pit stops, Robert resumed the lead. After 39 laps, there had been four retirements. Allen Regan blew a tire and ran into the run off area. Because of the track being designed with F1 in mind, it only needed a local yellow. The second one did need a full course yellow as Raoul Garcia decided that the Red Bull cars were perfect targets and took out Massa and Vettal. This resulted in the current caution and brought the cars back down pit road.
On the restart, Robert was lined up next to Michael Busch. At the drop of the green flag he gunned it but the tires wouldn't catch on the slick road and allowed Busch to beat him into the corner. To make matters worse he nearly went off the track and lost more positions and had to fight his way back by bumping into the Hendrick Chevy of Ralph Dillon.
American Booth
Jeremy: Johnson spins the tires, Busch takes the lead.
Nate: He's going to lose more positions as he fights to get back on track. Busch takes the lead.
Busch's lead was not for long as Ichigo and Andrew who had slowly been creeping up on the lead all day passed the start finish line less than a second behind him.
"Where do you want to take him?" Ichigo asked going into turn 1 and 2.
"Set him up in the sweepers, get him in the turn before the straight." Andrew said.
"Right, you go left I got the right, he can't take both.
"His arrogance will cost him."
As planned, the two young drivers got close on esses and slowed down entering the ninety degree turn. As they approached the cricular turn Andrew went left and Ichigo went to the right. Thinking Andrew was the bigger threat, he went left but got into the dirt. Andrew had backed off enough to let him skip into the dirt and nearly losing control. Going around him he got around the turn following Ichigo.
Japan Booth
Kommamura: A great move by the two point leaders.
Jushiro: They have been dangerous all year. If two of them are near each other, watch out they will do just like that.
Isshin laughed. "Great move you two, keep it up."
"Thanks dad. Now we can get back to how we really race."
"What me kicking your ass?" Andrew said.
"No beating you to the line and enjoying the champagne."
The girls giggled as they listened the two banter.
The two led for the next several laps, with Andrew taking over after Ichigo slipping in turn 3. This led into the next set of pit stops in which Grimmjow stayed out to lead a couple of laps as every point counted at the moment.
Behind the leaders, there was more than just passing. There had been several spin outs and some of them had been penalized created a chaotic field. Among those penalized was Rebecca Kirkland, who spun out Archie in retaliation for wrecking Bjorn Kristensen. The other Audi entry, Brian McNish, shoved Dale Earnhardt off the track and wrecking him ending his day.
After the previous round, Shaolin assumed the lead and had to fight off a furious charge by Ulquiorra. The Kuchiki and Souske rivalry was evident as both had to fight to keep their tempers in check. Robert, the only Hendrick really doing well, was back in 8th after a slow pit stop.
On lap 76, the contest of who blinked first ended with Ulquiorra getting Shaolin in the second hair pin.
"Later trash." The pale man said.
Shaolin growled. "Damn it. This team is on my last nerves."
"This is getting bad, your not the only one being targeted. The officials have noted multiple incidents. They are focused on the contending drivers and their teams." Omeida said.
"Kurosaki, Audi and Hendrick.
"More so Audi and Hendrick. Our pals at Kurosaki have kept clean for the most part. But the targeting of the two teams has led the other teams to go after each other. It looks like a continental split, American vs Europe. Souske has also done some damage but they have focused their efforts in keeping the Hondas in check. Byakuya-sama said to keep our heads down."
"It will be hard, I don't think all of us can follow that order." She said crossing the line again and slipping back into third.
Twenty laps passed and the final stops of the race were taking place. On lap 94, Ulquiorra came in to do his service. Not far behind, Andrew and Shaolin came in as well.
Andrew saw the 04. "Kisuke how fast do you think they can get our service done?"
"Correctly? About 12 seconds."
"I think I can screw with Ulquiorra and Shaolin is going to help."
Shaolin was in front of the 91 and saw the 04 in front of her. "Omeida I'm going to angle my car in to trap Cifer.
"Roger."
Ulquiorra came in sliding through the 91 pits. Shaolin as planned ducked right and blocked him. The pale driver cursed.
"Damn that Kuchiki trash." He said as service was completed. He began to pull out when Andrew who was angled out of his pit, cut him off forcing him brake and back up. At the same time Shaolin finished her service and sped down the road. Ulquiorra slammed his steering wheel. Aizen immediately asked the officials to review the tapes.
American Booth
Jeremy: (Viewing a replay) Ulquiorra is trapped between the 002 and the 91 as he completes his stop. 91 is angled out to get around the 04, the 002 has to angle herself in to get to the pits and they complete their service. Ulquiorra lost a lot of time just to get around the two having to brake to avoid getting hit.
Nate: If I didn't know any better, they planned that to mess with the 04, whatever it is, that gives the lead to the 48.
Jeremy: Grand Prix control reviewed the tape and even though it was coincidence, they did nothing wrong.
Nate: Well, even if it was a coincidence, Ulquiorra got essentially sandwiched and time was lost.
Andrew laughed. "Remind me to thank Shaolin, that went better than expected.
In her car, Shaolin giggled. "Thank Andrew for me, that was surprisingly well put together."
Ulquiorra growled. "Tesla, what's the status of the appeal?"
"They ruled that though it looked they coordinated it, there was no coercion involved. They both had to angle their cars to get around you. If anything you had more motive to slow them down."
"Son of a bitch." Ulquiorra growled as he was sorted back into tenth.
After all of that, the front was relatively calm. Robert, thanks to a fast stop got the front position and held off Shaolin and Marcus Andretti to lead the final run to the end of the race, giving him his first win since the Hungary round last year. Back in fifth and sixth, Ichigo and Andrew were cruising along as the checkered flag flew. Andrew looked behind him and saw the 06 and the 04 storming up behind him.
"Great I got to block them."
Andrew slowed down to give him some space between him and Ichigo as the two Souske cars got close. Not even trying to fight them knowing the race is over, he intentionally went wide. But that did not stop Grimmjow from swing out and bumping Andrew forcing him into the grass.
"Idiot, I gave him that line. He just f-ed up."
Andrew wound up eighth as he got mad at the blue haired Souske driver. He got out and was about to go over and give him a piece of his mind, but a glance at Orihime and Tatsuki stopped his anger and walked off. At this point, with four races left, he needed the points and if he blew his top, he would lose points.
Four races left till the champion is decided. One month until the fate of Souske is decided. One month to determine if the rookies from Kurosaki-Ishida can be champions. Who will win find out next time in the Grand Prix.
Finish Order: China
1. Robert Johnson, Hendrick 40 points 39 laps led
2. Soi Fong, Kuchiki 36 points 25 laps led
3. Marcus Andretti, Stewart-Haas 34 points
4. Ichigo Kurosaki, Kurosaki 34 points 6 laps led
5. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Souske 33 points 2 laps led
6. Ulquiorra Cifer, Souske 32 points 20 laps led
7. Andrew Michaels Kurosaki 31 points 8 laps led
8. Renji Abarai, Kuchiki 29 points
9. Chad Yasotora, Kurosaki 28 points
10. Michael Bush, Stewart-Haas 28 points 9 laps led
11. Alexandra Edwards, Rousch 26 points
12. Tier Harribel, Souske 25 points
13. Serenity Gordon, Hendrick 24 points
14. Ikkaku Madarame, Kuchiki 23 points
15. Kira Izuru, Kuchiki 22 points
16. Maria Robertson, Ferrari 21 points
17. Uryuu Ishida, Kurosaki 20 points
18. Jessica Rosburg, Ferrari 19 points
19. Brian Mcnish, Audi 18 points 1 lap down
20. Francesca Alonso, Ferrari 17 points 1 lap down
21. Gin Ichimaru, Souske 16 points 1 lap down
22. Rebecca Kirkland, Audi 16 points 1 lap led 1 lap down
23. Ralph Hamilton, Red Bull 14 points 2 laps down
24. Jason Webber, Red Bull 13 points 2 laps down
25. Michael Kennseth, Rousch 12 points 2 laps down
26. Ralph Dillon, Hendrick 11 points 3 laps down
27. Patricia Stenhouse, Rousch 10 points Out
28. Shawn Newman, Stewart-Haas 9 points Out
29. Dale Earnhardt IV Hendrick 8 points Out
30. Archie Stewart, Stewart-Haas 7 points Out
31. George Schumacher, Ferrari 6 points Out
32. Bjorn Kristensen Audi 5 points Out
33. Raoul Garcia, Audi 4 points Out
34. Jason Vettal, Red Bull 3 points Out
35. Flippe Massa III, Red Bull 2 points Out
36. Allen Regan, Rousch 1 point Out
Drivers names Team Points
Ichigo Kurosaki Kurosaki 559
Andrew Michaels Kurosaki 554
Serenity Gordon Hendrick 542
Brian Mcnish Audi 535
Ulquiorra Cifer Souske 514
Chad Yasotora Kurosaki 504
George Schumacher Ferrari 478
Soi Fong Kuchiki 477
Uryuu Ishida Kurosaki 474
Gin Ichimaru Souske 468
Kira Izuru Kuchiki 466
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez Souske 465
Archie Stewart Stewart-Haas 455
Tier Harribel Souske 445
Renji Abarai Kuchiki 418
Patricia Stenhouse Rousch 411
Ralph Dillon Hendrick 405
Ralph Hamilton Red Bull 398
Maria Robertson Ferrari 391
Robert Johnson Hendrick 390
Michael Kennseth Rousch 389
Jason Webber Red Bull 370
Fransesca Alonso Ferrari 367
Alexandra Edwards Rousch 362
Michael Busch Stewart-Haas 361
Ikkaku Mandarame Kuchiki 358
Rebecca Kirkland Audi 355
Marcus Andretti Stewart-Haas 345
Jessica Rosburg Ferrari 322
Raoul Garcia Audi 312
Bjorn Kristensen Audi 310
Jason Vettal Red Bull 302
Dale Earnhardt IV Hendrick 302
Flippe Massa III Red Bull 286
Shawn Newman Stewart-Haas 270
Allen Regan Rousch 267
Team Names Combined points
Kurosaki-Ishida 2091
Souske 1892
Kuchiki 1719
Hendrick 1639
Ferrari 1558
Audi 1512
Stewart-Haas 1431
Rousch 1429
Red Bull 1356
END OF Chapter
UO: NO EXCUSE! I wanted this out five days ago.
New Tracks:
Shanghai International Circuit: A 3.5 Mile Track that was designed by Hermann Tilke. The shape of the track resembles the first character of Shanghai meaning to ascend.
Preview: As the last real break between races begin, Aizen executes his contingency plan as a street gang kidnaps the Kurosaki team's girlfriends and Ichigo's sisters. To get them back, they will need to go into Chad's past and enter the world of illegal street racing. Their skills are put to the test as everything they took for granted is gone and their lives are in danger from more than just the gang members. Will the succeed and get them back safely?
Next Time: Fast and the Furious
Next up is Journeys
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