Author's Note: LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Warning: Swearing, probably cringe
Disclaimer: I don't own Initial D, all rights go to Shuichi Shigeno.
Recap...
"Coming up, hairpin in 2nd gear!"
"PLEASE STOOOOP!"
"JUST SHUT UP TAKUMI!"
"WOOHOOOOO!"
Lana had never felt more alive in her life until that moment.
She had no idea that this would be the first of many incredible experiences she would have on Mt. Akina.
Continued...
"Are you alright, Takumi?" Iketani asked as everyone gathered around Takumi, who was currently slumped on the floor and breathing heavily from fright.
The group had reached the meeting spot, and as soon as the doors of the S13 were unlocked, Takumi practically crumbled to the ground, overwhelmed by the horrible experience.
Lana had immediately raced out of the vehicle and crouched down at Takumi's side, worried by his shaken state. She wished she brought a purse with tissues to wipe his sweat, but the most she could do was allow him to catch his breath.
"Jeez, you're really pale...I think I saw a vending machine nearby, I'll go grab you some water, okay?" Lana said, noticing his unwell complexion as the guys talked amongst themselves.
She quickly got up and jogged over to a vending machine dimly lit by the streetlamp standing above her. Sliding some yen coins into the slot, she grabbed the drink and returned to her brunette friend's side, handing it to him.
"Thanks, Lana." Takumi gasped in-between sips of his water. "Urgh..."
Itsuki tsk'd, squatting next to his best friend.
"You're pathetic, Takumi. Getting that scared," Itsuki scoffed. "Are you really a man? I'm embarrassed for you dude! You're the kinda guy that screams on a rollercoaster ride!"
Lana sent him a glare for talking down on Takumi like that, feeling offended on his behalf.
"Itsuki, cut it out! Don't talk to him like that when you see he's not well!"
She scolded, causing Itsuki to deflate and bow his head down.
She glanced over at Takumi, hoping Itsuki didn't affect him too badly. Instead, he seemed rather ticked off than anything.
"...I've never found a roller coaster scary, Itsuki. You just wouldn't understand this fear, even if I explained." Takumi huffed, wiping the sweat off his brow.
Itsuki blinked at him, interest piqued.
"What do you mean?"
Before Takumi could respond, the faint whirring of not one, but two rotary engines were menacingly approaching from the road, grabbing everyone's attention with the high-pitched motors.
Not too long after their wordless announcement, a bright yellow FD and a white FC rolled down the street and came to a smooth stop. A couple cars followed behind them, but the first two cars were obviously the stars of the show.
"Haven't seen those guys before...They must be some outsider team." Iketani muttered to his team before his eyes widened in recognition as he got a good look at the red sticker on the rear fender of the FD.
"Rx7's! They're so gorgeous!" Lana gushed, stars in her eyes as Itsuki joined her in her amazement, scanning both cars back and forth.
The doors of both Mazda vehicles opened, and out stepped the mysterious drivers.
Lana's eyes widened, and her jaw almost dropped.
'Ohmygod.'
Instead, she clenched her jaw tightly and puffed out her cheeks as they rapidly changed from a tan beige to a bright red, heat surrounding her face.
'They're fuckin' hot!'
She practically heard a love song begin to play in the background. Something like George Michael's Careless Whisper or Junko Ohashi's Sweet Love.
The white FC's driver was tall and lean, short black hair groomed perfectly and complimenting his dark blue button-up shirt, the collar loose but in a very attractive way.
The yellow FD's driver had a similar but slightly bulkier build, blonde spiky hair giving off a wild appearance. In contrast with the FC driver, he wore a hoodie with baggy olive jeans.
"They're drop-dead gorgeous, dude! Are you- are you seeing this?!" Lana whisper-screamed to Itsuki, who raised a brow at her as she quietly squealed.
The two Rx7 owners glanced at each other, sharing a nod before the blonde stepped up, effortlessly drawing undivided attention.
Without even saying anything yet, his entire aura radiated 'Look at me!' and demanded respect. He definitely didn't seem like the kind of guy who messed around.
"Listen up! We're the Akagai RedSuns!" He announced, looking around and briefly meeting eyes with Lana before moving onto the rest of the crowd.
With that single glance of steel eyes on her own brown ones, her heart caught in her throat, and she felt her chest tighten.
She prayed she didn't look dumb.
"I don't wanna start off sounding like a prick, but the only thing I want to know is who the fastest team or the fastest driver is on this mountain! Anyone wanna claim that?"
Everyone began muttering amongst themselves wondering who these guys are or if they should step up as a team.
Lana was still star-struck by the handsome Mazda drivers who suddenly appeared on this evening night at Akina. She wondered if she'd get the chance to talk to one of them.
She'd probably freeze up like a deer in headlights anyway.
Iketani stepped forward, unable to back down as the leader of his team.
"We're the Akina SpeedStars, and if you came up here lookin' for the fastest drivers on this mountian, well you're staring at 'em, hotshot."
After hearing this, the blonde nodded back at another RedSuns member behind him and mouthed something before the other guy stepped up, turning the attention towards him.
"I'd like you to hear us out..."
He proceeded to explain that racing with locals stunts your skills, and in order to improve, they suggested an exchange meeting with the RedSuns next Saturday, same pass. They'd have a time-attack both uphill and downhill in order to select a representative from each team. It was in the name of friendship, as the RedSuns member put it.
"Since it's all about team and friendship, what do you say?"
Iketani turned towards his team and shrugged at each other before reluctantly nodding.
"If you put it like that...Why not."
The RedSuns member grinned, "That settles it then! We'll take the opportunity to practice today."
"We're gonna take it easy on the runs today, if that's cool with you guys." The blonde smirked.
"I told ya this was gonna be awesome, didn't I?!" Itsuki said ecstatically to Takumi, gripping his white shirt by the collar.
Lana eagerly nodded in agreement and held her hands to her cheeks, feeling the warmth of excitement beneath her skin as she watched the handsome men step back inside their cars.
Lana and Itsuki practically foamed at the mouth as the vehicles started up, the mind-blowing sound of the engines buzzing to life and sending waves of excitement into their bodies.
"Ohhh my gosh, that's, like, the sexiest sound I ever heard," Lana swooned, hearts practically in her eyes as she watched the Rx7's roll away. "And did you see that beautiful yellow FD?! Ugh, the body is so shiny and clean, I can tell the owner takes amazing care of his car!"
"The FC, too! Woah, that white coat is so sleek!" Itsuki gushed.
"Right?! And I just LOVE a hoodscoop! Although honestly, I think I like the shape of the FD better," Lana sighed dreamily.
"...But the drivers are just unable to be compared," She muttered quietly, a dopey smile and a blush spreading across her face as Itsuki's eyes were glued to the last few RedSuns cars driving away.
Takumi just sighed under his breath but cracked a smile at watching his friends fangasm over the JDMs.
As soon as they were able to, the Akina SpeedStars scrambled to get in their own vehicles, determined not to let the Akagi team intimidate them.
Iketani stayed behind for a moment with the three high schoolers as the rest of his team drove off.
"Don't be fooled...They may have said all those pretty things, but in practice, it's a challenge." Iketani said, a serious look in his eye that could only be described as a fire, determined not to be brought down on his own turf.
"Let's see how the Takahashi brothers, supposedly the fastest on Akagi, drive!"
"Takahashi brothers?!" Itsuki and Lana exclaimed in unison, although Itsuki's voice held a shocked tone while Lana's held excitement.
"So that's who they are! Yeah, I guess you can't tell at first, but they do look similar! It's all in the eyebrows and their jawlines," Lana nodded, placing a fist in her hand.
"And- and the eyes, ahem." She coughed into that same fist as the other guys turned to her with a knowing look.
"Anyways, you remember there were two Rx7's? They're really famous street racers. They've even been in magazines," Iketani explained, brushing off Lana's blatant attraction.
"Magazines?" Itsuki asked incredulously.
"Yes, and they're also known as the 'Rotary Brothers'. This is the first time I've seen them for real myself!" Itsuki and Takumi's senpai exclaimed as he opened his car door, climbing into the Silvia.
"Wait! Iketani-senpai, what about us?" Itsuki cried out as Iketani clearly had no intent of bringing them in the S13 for the runs.
Iketani looked at the three with a completely unapologetic expression, but maybe he was a bit sympathetic leaving behind some teenagers all alone in the dimly lit street.
"Sorry, but I won't have anyone in the navi-seat when I drive for real! Wait here, I'll pick you up afterwards!"
And with that, Iketani slammed on the gas and sped off in hopes of catching up with his team and the RedSuns.
Lana, Takumi, and Itsuki stood there in disbelief after being ditched by absolutely everyone. They stood in silence for a moment before Lana gasped, reaching an idea.
"Guys! Why don't we go over to the side over there and see if we can watch the practice runs! I mean, we could probably see the headlights, right?" She proposed excitedly, hoping to lighten up the mood as well as get a good look at a mock race.
"You're right! Takumi, come on!" Itsuki grinned, grabbing Takumi's arm and racing over with Lana to stand over the guardrail on the side of the lot.
Even from a distance, they could see the bright headlights of various cars flashing on the mountain and in-between the trees. They couldn't tell which was which, but occasionally, Lana would see a flash of yellow, making her smile to herself.
Takumi blankly stared down beneath him, uninterested in what little action there was. In fact, he was sure that even if he was watching the race first-hand, he'd still be bored.
"Ahh, it's just too bad that we're the only ones who don't have cars! Especially at a time like this," Itsuki whined, wanting so badly to be a part of the street racing world.
"Say, you guys...Is being a street racer that much fun?" Takumi asked off-handedly.
His two friends looked at him then looked at each other with unsure expressions.
"It's strange. Why does everyone get so fired up over something like that...?" The brunette continued to watch the flashing lights faintly traveling down and up Akina's pass.
"I'm the one who's amazed, Takumi. You really don't feel anything?" Itsuki questioned, his voice picking up in volume as he went on. "Doesn't your blood stir when you hear that full-throttle sound?!"
Takumi blinked at him, taken aback by his tone.
"My blood stir...?"
"What he's trying to say, Takumi..." Lana chimed in, making both boys turn towards her.
"...Is that it's hard to believe that you really have no interest in cars or racing. I mean, you have friends who have a passion for it- a lifestyle in it. You live 10 minutes away from a popular racing spot, and you work at a gas station." She listed as she held up her fingers one-by-one to visualize the points she made.
"I mean, it's not a bad thing that you're not into cars. It's not your fault, but I guess it's just a little..." She trailed off with a moment's pause.
"Okay, I don't wanna say disappointing, but-"
"It's really disappointing, dammit!" Itsuki interrupted with a huff, clearly having his own say about the matter. "Seriously Takumi, in all our years of being best friends, I don't get how you never picked up my love for racing."
Takumi's face fell a bit, causing Lana to feel incredibly guilty.
"It does make me feel kinda bad for not being able to understand you guys. I can tell how into it you guys are, and I end up being left out a lot when it comes to these sorts of things," Takumi admitted, placing his hands in his pockets.
"I'm sorry, Takumi. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I just- I wanted to...um...I just wanted to explain that we want to include you in those things," Lana said apologetically, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't like leaving you out when we get excited or when we're talking about something that you don't understand."
Takumi nodded and sighed.
"No, it's alright. Don't feel bad."
Lana still felt guilty but tried lightening the mood with a small smile.
"Why don't we talk about something you like, Takumi? That way we can probably be able to be on the same level."
Takumi thought about it for a moment but shrugged after a while.
"Actually, I'm not really into anything. I like taking naps, and I like...the springtime."
Lana and Itsuki looked at each other, the former sending him a smile that read, 'It's something, right?'.
"Okay, um...What's your favorite part of spring?" Lana tried, hoping to take this conversation somewhere despite the seemingly unusual subject.
Takumi proceeded to explain what he enjoyed so much about spring, and surprisingly the conversation led to Lana telling the boys what she did for spring break last year.
A couple hours later, and they were just on the subject of possibly going to a car meet in the next prefecture over during spring break before the SpeedStars started rolling back into the lot, Iketani leading the rest of his team.
The teens met with Iketani and the others, Lana asking how the runs went with a perky smile.
She quickly dropped her smile, noticing how defeated the guys seemed as Iketani made eye contact with her, a disappointed look in his eyes.
"Those guys're incredible..." A guy with long side bangs said with a weak tone as he crouched down. "There's just something different about them. I tried watching their techniques from behind, but I just couldn't keep up."
"I heard the level was high at Akagi, but I never thought it was that high. It's such a shock to be beated at our home turf."
The team began muttering among themselves, mentioning the money they must've put into the tuning and how expensive the cars must be.
Lana and her friends glanced at each other, unsure what to say or do in this grim situation.
"We just can't go against the RedSuns, Iketani..." One of the SpeedStars said, an insecure expression on his face.
Iketani didn't say anything for a moment before he sighed in exhausted frustration. "But we can't just run away on our home ground...We agreed, so we'll have to do it."
He looked at the sky for a moment and then looked away. "It's getting late. Let's meet up somewhere tomorrow..."
He turned to his Silvia and motioned the teenagers over.
"Itsuki, Takumi, Lana, get in. We're leaving."
The three obeyed, not wasting a moment to climb into the seats and taking off. Itsuki got his wish of sitting in the front seat this time since Lana thoughtlessly decided to sit in the back with Takumi.
The ride was quiet for a while, an awkward and uncomfortable tension looming in the car. Iketani sighed, breaking the silence.
"Among street racers, most hate losing. There's a lotta pride that goes into it," Iketani explained, eyes focused on the road.
"Anybody would think they're pretty fast themselves, and we're no different, I guess. When it comes to racing, you get all serious."
Iketani explained that there's nothing more pathetic than losing to outsiders on your home turf. As a local, you never lose to outsiders. That was the unspoken law of street racing.
"If you guys start racing, you'll understand my feelings eventually..." The driver said, his voice thick with exhaustion and an obvious disappointment in himself and his team.
"Hey, Iketani..." Lana spoke up, peering at him from behind his seat.
"Is it scary on the mountain? I mean, you're not only focused on shifting the gears on time and passing your opponent, but aren't you also scared about spinning out or drifting too hard and being sent flying off the side of the road?"
She shivered, visualizing being behind the wheel at full speed, hands sweaty from shifting gears and focusing on not sliding off the damn mountain. She couldn't believe anyone could just attack the pass full-force without fearing death from the slightest mistake.
It was a dangerous, but thrilling world of street racing. No wonder it was illegal.
"It's...yeah, I'll admit that sometimes, I get hit with that sudden anxiety of slipping up. I was especially terrified during my first few runs on the mountain," Iketani admitted as he made a turn down the first hairpin of Akina.
"In fact, I really wondered if street racing was for me after a close call once where I got so nervous, I attacked a corner last second. I thought that was it, and I thought I was really gonna crash. I made it out though, and I finished the run untouched by anything. That feeling of accomplishment, that I had those skills and the capability to drive freely and recklessly. It's everything to me. I knew I would never want to give up racing for the world." He chuckled, reminiscing.
Lana had a 'Oh' shape on her mouth as she turned to look at Takumi. She noted that he seemed lost in thought, as if he was really thinking over Iketani's realization of his passion.
She smiled to herself, poking his shoulder.
Takumi jolted out of his entranced state and looked at her, the light from the headlights making his eyes shine. He felt himself blush at the look on her face. The sweet smile she gave him, her eyes full of warmth and amusement.
'My heart...Is picking up!' He thought to himself, wondering what could be making him feel so...nervous? Fearful?
No, he wasn't scared. Not like how the ride up the pass earlier made him feel. Instead, the thumping of his heart felt more light, like butterflies were smacking his organs with their fragile little wings holding the strength of a thousand arrows.
They pierced his heart in a good way, though.
"Do you think you'd come to more events like this, Takumi?" Lana asked him with a whisper. "With me and Itsuki?"
Takumi's mind blurred out the mention of Itsuki's name, only hearing 'With Me'. He slowly nodded, eyes wide with bewilderment at the state he was reduced to by this strange foreigner.
"Yeah, I...I probably will," he mumbled back, his gaze softening as she let out a pleased hum and turned back to look out the window, hiding the red on her cheeks as she felt her face warm from Takumi's charm.
Itsuki let out a yawn and glanced back at his friends, noting the look in Takumi's eyes as he glanced at Lana beside him.
'Oh man! If Takumi gets a girlfriend before me, I'm gonna lose it!' He internally sobbed, turning back to look longingly out the window of Iketani's S13.
...To be continued...