Author's Note: Bro ya'll don't know how LONG I've been itching to write an Initial D self insert fic. Anyways, I have the fattest crush on Bunta and Keisuke, but for obvious moral reasons, love interests will NOT include Bunta. (I made that lil manga edit. My bad bro, ahaha...)
Warning: Swearing, most likely cringe
Disclaimer: I don't own Initial D, all rights go to Shuichi Shigeno.
Beginning...
A new, shiny blue Subaru WRX STi speeds down the mountain pass of Akina of Gunma on a straightaway after emerging out of a corner. The car begins to head towards the first hairpin turn on the course, the engine roaring as the road beneath the car rumbles the very floor of the vehicle. The road ahead, illuminated only by its headlights, challenges its driver's skills and tests their resolve.
The driver, a young woman in her late teens, tightens her grip on the steering wheel, her hands steady and poised but slightly moist from a nervous sweat that she couldn't contain. The young woman exhales sharply, determined to push past her fears and doubts. She glances at the speedometer, noticing the needle inching closer to its limit. Her eyes widen with a mix of exhilaration and caution.
As the hairpin turn approaches, her grip on the steering wheel tightens further. She carefully judges her entry point, searching for the perfect line through the corner. With a surge of confidence, she executes a late apex strategy, delaying her turn-in and aiming for a smooth exit.
The Subaru WRX responds to her inputs, hugging the inside line with precision. The tires squeal in protest, fighting to maintain traction on the tight curve. Her body leans into the turn, her eyes glued to the road ahead, anticipating any sudden changes.
The rush of wind against the car's exterior, coupled with the rhythmic thumping of the exhaust, amplifies the intensity of the moment. Lana's focus narrows, blocking out all distractions as she becomes one with the car.
As she exits the hairpin, the young woman feels a surge of confidence course through her veins. Her hands and feet move in perfect harmony, effortlessly transitioning from throttle to brake, feathering the inputs to maintain control and maximize speed.
"H-holy shit..." she breathes out, inhaling through the nose, out through the mouth in an attempt to keep calm and levelheaded. Her heart thumps heavily in her chest, fueled by adrenaline and anxiety as she makes her way down Mt. Akina.
This isn't her first time practicing a downhill run on this pass, but it's definitely her first time trying to go faster than she normally does.
The next set of corners appears rapidly, demanding quick decisions and split-second reactions. Her eyes scan the road ahead, analyzing the racing line and mentally preparing for each turn. She anticipates the weight transfer of the car, expertly adjusting her inputs to maintain stability.
Time seems to blur as she navigates the treacherous curves. The car dances along the mountain pass, its blue metallic paint reflecting the moonlight as it weaves through the night. The young woman's confidence grows with every successful maneuver, her initial nerves transforming into pure adrenaline.
As she nears the end of the downhill run, her racing instincts take over. The fear that once gripped her heart dissipates, replaced by an insatiable hunger for speed and mastery. She pushes the WRX to its limits, extracting every ounce of power from the engine.
Suddenly, her eyes widen in astonishment as the pair of headlights rapidly approach from behind, illuminating her rearview mirror. Her heart skips a beat, and she instinctively eases off the throttle, allowing the mysterious car to pass her. As it streaks by with lightning speed, her breath catches in her throat.
"What the hell?!" she exclaims in utter shock, her jaw dropping as a flash of black and white was illuminated by the moonlight. A black and white Panda Trueno vanished into the night, leaving the girl's Subaru WRX in the dust. She couldn't help but stare in awe as it disappeared into the distance, the sound of its engine reverberating through the mountain pass.
"No way! That was so BADASS!"
A mixture of admiration and determination fills her eyes as she watches the fading taillights of the Trueno. She grips the steering wheel tighter, her desire to chase after that elusive car intensifying.
Until a tiny Subaru Sambar truck with the weight of a brick house fell right onto the top of the car, instantly killing her and reducing her body to red mush.
She jolted awake from her dream with a gasp, heat surrounding her body to the point where she felt the inside of her fluffy pajama pants coat in a thin layer of sweat.
Even after hours passed since she woke up, the girl couldn't get the image of that AE86 out of her head. Restless, she leans back against the pillows, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. She replays the scene over and over in her mind, analyzing every detail—the car's sleek lines, its impeccable handling, and the effortless speed with which it disappeared into the night.
A rush of excitement fills her chest. She knows she witnessed something extraordinary, a glimpse into a world of racing she had only dreamt of. Determined to uncover the secrets of the AE86 and its driver, Lana grabs her notebook and pen from her desk.
She begins sketching, recreating the silhouette of the legendary car from memory. Each stroke of the pen brings her closer to capturing its essence. her mind racing with questions and ideas, her imagination running wild.
With a determined smile, she takes one last look at her sketches before placing them safely in her drawer, her eyes heavy but her heart light with thrill and curiosity.
"Hey..." Lana heard a faint voice call out from a fog shrouded in images of cars and the phantom feeling of the car rumbling beneath her body and her hands. Her eyes were glazed over as she lost herself in her imagination, craving the feeling of the wind in her hair and the moonlight above her future WRX.
"Oi! Lana, are you listening?" The voice of her classmate scolds her, interrupting the daydreams she found herself lost in.
"Eh? I'm sorry. What you said?" The girl questioned, tilting her head and giving them a sheepish smile. She didn't mean to get lost in thought! It's just- how could she sit there in their boring hourly lecture about a subject she doesn't even need to study to understand? Her talents are enough for art class, at least she thinks so. And the group of underclassmen that compliment her art on the daily in the art club. A bunch of 15 to 16-year-old Japanese high schoolers gave her all the confidence she needed to continue her hobby.
Her classmate sighed, shaking their head.
"Forget it. Also, it's 'What were you saying' or, 'What did you say'," they corrected, holding a finger up to emphasize their point. "Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that you're on cleaning duty on Monday with Fujiwara-san."
"Fujiwara?" 'Fuji, like the mountain?' She pondered, squinting her eyes as she tried making sense of the name. Her Japanese needed some improvement, sure. But surely connecting words to things she found familiar would help her memorize things.
Being a foreign exchange student in her last year of high school wasn't what she planned, but one moment her mom was nagging at her for her mental issues causing a block in her grades, and the next thing she knew, she was shipped off to Japan to live with her uncle Yuichi. What sparked her mom into sending her away, she'll never really know. She was always sort of psychotic, no wonder her mind was also going to shit. She loved her mom, really. But obviously, it was clear they didn't have the best relationship.
Ah, mama. How sweet her homemade manjuu were.
She had exchanged phone calls with her uncle Yuichi a few times as she grew up, but she'd never gotten the chance to really know him. After a few weeks of settling into her new home, she barely found out he owns a gas station and the fact that he was pretty involved with the racing community around Gunma when he was younger.
Her mom, his younger sister, not so much.
In fact, she always did kind of disapprove of Lana's interests. In spite of that, she pursued them anyways.
Oh, how her mother wanted to rage when she heard Lana bought a car without her permission. But hey, it was her money, so she did what she wanted.
She didn't slave away at her local pizza joint for nothing. Except it did end up being all for nothing, since her mom sold her car a week after sending her away to Japan.
She mentally sobbed and begged for forgiveness from her beloved 1985 Subaru XT.
Anyways, the prospect of learning things from her uncle to fuel her fixation on cars and JDMs thrilled her, and she wasted no time in inquiring about every little thing that she would find out about, only to then question the answers she got. Her uncle seemed slightly annoyed by this from time to time when the questions became too many or too much, but he still loved her curiosity and her passion that they shared.
He said it was ironic and amusing to him that they as uncle and niece have a shared passion for cars and racing whilst his close friend and his own son don't even talk about cars.
Aforementioned friend turned out to be Akina's fastest downhill racer, and apparently, no one has beaten that title since the 80's. Or was it the 70's? She couldn't recall too clearly.
She wanted to meet this guy immediately after hearing this, but her uncle said one day he'll get the chance to introduce her to him once the guy is free. Apparently, he owns a tofu shop somewhere uphill in their town of Shibukawa, so it's no wonder he's busy.
"Fujiwara Takumi, he's in our class. He sits a few seats away from you, actually," Lana's classmate informed her, pointing over to a brunette gazing out the window, his cheek resting on his raised fist as he leaned on his elbow.
'Oh, he's a cutie pie.'
"What did you say?" Her classmate questioned, raising a brow at her.
Lana's face lit up in a blush as she realized something. "Oh, sorry. Did I say something in English? I was just telling myself that I am...gonna be cleaning with that guy. Just to remember, ahaha..." She trailed off, nervously laughing.
Lana's classmate gives her a perplexed look, clearly unable to understand her sudden change in demeanor and her comments about cleaning with Fujiwara Takumi. They shake their head, deciding not to press further.
"Just make sure you show up on time, alright? The teacher will be checking," they warned her before going back to their seat, Lana waving in understanding after them.
Now being left alone, Lana turns back to observing her cleaning partner for tomorrow.
I mean, sure...this was kinda creepy. But in her defense, he was probably one of the prettiest boys she'd ever seen.
She entertained the idea of approaching him, but since she'd be hanging with him for a whole, like, 30 minutes alone in a classroom, she might as well just wait for Monday.
Her mind swirled with anticipation as she wondered what topics they would discuss and how their conversation would unfold. She mentally rehearsed various icebreakers, trying to come up with the perfect way to engage him in a conversation.
'Do you know why the chicken crossed the road?'
'Uh...Shit, that's literally all I know. I should've tried learning more Japanese jokes or something.'
"Can I help you or something?" A calm voice tinged with confusion sounded from above her, and Lana immediately looked up to find Fujiwara himself standing above her, brows furrowed in what seemed to be mild annoyance.
'OH NO.'
"Do- Do you know why the road crossed the chicken?" She blurted out of sheer nervous shock, lips trembling as her eyes grew wide.
"Uh..." Fujiwara just looked dumbfounded at her ridiculous response and Lana just wanted to cry.
He scratched his chin, looking off to the side. "That sounds like something Itsuki would say to a cute girl to try to be funny."
She blinked away the tears that had glossed over her eyes. "Um, Itsuki?" Lana questioned, wondering if maybe Itsuki was a character from a Japanese show or a manga she didn't know about.
Fujiwara shrugged, placing his hand in his pocket. "My friend, Itsuki. He's kind of infamous, I guess. For the wrong reasons though, not really for popularity."
Lana stared at him, an embarrassed blush still present on her face as the heat began to cool down from the casual nature of the conversation.
"Popularity? Uh..." Lana mumbled, struggling to understand certain words he said that she didn't recognize.
"Oh, I got it," Takumi suddenly said, placing his fist on the palm of his hand. Lana could almost see a bright light bulb appear over his head as his eyes shined with realization.
"You're the foreign exchange student. Makes sense that you speak kinda weird."
Lana balked at him and frowned dramatically.
"That's rude to say, don't you think? I'm still learning, you don't have to be mean."
Lana was starting to think his cute looks couldn't save his personality.
"Yeah, I guess so. My bad," Takumi rubbed the back of his head almost timidly. "Anyways, I guess you already know we're both on cleaning duty next Monday when class ends. I got work afterwards so I hope we can make it quick."
"Yeah, that's fine," Lana nodded, glancing over at the time.
"Uh, this is kinda weird to ask, but is it cool if I spend lunch time with you? I don't really talk to anyone else. I think this is the longest conversation I've had with someone here at school."
"That's...kind of sad," Takumi nodded despite his blunt words. "Sure, I don't mind. My friend Itsuki will probably join us though."
"I guess that's fine. Will he mind?"
"Nah, I doubt it. I'm just gonna apologize in advance if he says anything weird. He doesn't talk to girls much."
'He is NOT a good wingman. But I guess it's nice that he's warning me in advance,' Lana snorted to herself before getting up from her seat.
"It's alright. I might not even understand what he says, so it will probably be okay." She smiled at Takumi before pausing.
"I think."
"You can still back out." Takumi had a slightly worried look on his face that made Lana's heart squeeze.
'Ugh, he's too cute.'
"No, it's okay. Things might turn out pretty funny," Lana said with a half-smile, unsure if she was reassuring him or herself.
"I'm being serious."
He was obviously joking.
"Haha, yeah."
She hoped he was joking.
To be continued...