Disclaimer: I don't own Initial D; it is one of my favorite comics. I hope that my fanfic won't offend any Initial D's fans. I have created a female Takumi instead under the name of Tatsuki; I hope you will like them.
It was the annual school trip for the high school students before their summer break started. The five students were sitting in the student council room, finalizing their itinerary. They had chosen Usui for their graduation trip. A three-days hiking trip was soon begun. Twenty seaters luxury buses were parked at Seiki Academy on Thursday morning.
All students were wearing their sports uniforms and allowed to bring with them only a haversack. The security guards put away all excess baggage in the school gymnasium. Tatsuki's brow was twitched by their whining and chaos in the middle of school field. She somehow hated this messy and noisy situation. Shin made the announcement before his friend lost her patience. Tatsuki then followed Haruka and Miyu get onto their bus. She put on her headphones and was already dozed off in her seat. The buses stopped at the bottom of Usui Pass Observation Platform to drop all the students off. They were then beginning their first itinerary with trekking up to the platform and then visiting the nearby shrine. After lunch, the students must find their way to the Hoshino Terrace before dinner started. They were put into a group of ten by draw lots. It seemed to be a good idea except that Tatsuki was assigned to a group of the characters that she tested her limits. Asahi was hoping that Tatsuki was not going to "explode" before their trip ended. Her group had a very talkative pair, a creepy boy, a screaming girl, a hyperactive guy, an egocentric and etc. Her face had never been so black before. She was on the brink of losing her temper. These schoolmates were idiots and getting on her nerves as they found their way to the destination. It was just an easy task by taking a local bus but her team did otherwise. Tatsuki never hated the school trip this much.
Haruka and Asahi were looking at Tatsuki group entering the Hoshino Terrace late that evening. Tatsuki team was one of the last few groups to arrive. Haruka knew how furious her friend was by just her expression. Tatsuki was so quiet with her brows knitted together all the time. She had been enduring with the nonsense all the time. She just went to relax in the hot springs without those idiots. She then just slipped herself into her sleeping bag and slept.
Asahi and the three friends were discussing about their tomorrow activities. They were a little worried about Tatsuki. It seemed like this was a sabotage trip for their genius when she got into a wrong company. They planned a hiking, cycling and camping at the Usui Pass Forest Park. The last day was just a free day at the shopping street.
Tatsuki was very cooperative and tried very hard to control her temper throughout the second day. She never been in such situations before. She was now sitting in a small cafe alone on their last day while everyone was shopping around. This was the most peaceful moment of her trip. Shin joined her at the table. Tatsuki took out her sketchbook and began drawing. She was angry at Shin for putting her through those two days of torment.
"I'm going home myself. My house is not far from here," Tatsuki told her friend before she got up.
"Ok, just be careful and call me when you reach home," Shin said while walking her to the train station.
Tatsuki was feeling at peace when she sat on the train from Kyu-Karuizawa to Takasaki station. She was looking out of the window, enjoying the view. As she was walking within the Takasaki station to transfer to another train, many people were looking at her, wondering if she was Luna. Tatsuki had totally forgotten to disguise herself today. She hurriedly got onto the train and put on a cap.
She went to her room immediately after she got home. She had a long bath to relax herself. The girl was wrapping herself in the yukata when she sat down with her father. She was finally at ease when she was home and with her father. Bunta was teasing her when he heard her complaints about the trip and the people she was put up with.
Bunta accompanied Tatsuki to New York on Sunday evening. It was the second time that both of them visited the Juilliard School after three years. Tatsuki had prepared for her final exam for a year. She brought two violins with her for this trip.
They arrived at the Ritz-Carlton hotel the next evening. Both of them were in their suites resting and adjusting their jet lag. Tatsuki had to report to the school on Wednesday so she still had a day of rest.
On Wednesday morning, Tatsuki was get ready to report to her school. She packed her bag and violins before leaving the hotel. Bunta was casually walking around the busy streets. He had a lunch appointment with his business associates on the next day. It was rare occasion for him to travel aboard ever since his daughter was born.
Tatsuki came back in the evening after she completed all her examinations at the Juilliard School. She was confident that she could graduate with the Doctorate in Music Art this time.
Bunta was in a tailored suit the next morning, while Tatsuki was in a lilac A-line dress today. He was bringing his daughter to meet up with his longtime business associates. She knew that her father wanted to introduce her to his friends before she took over the business in the future.
They spend the next five days visiting places of attractions and museums around the city before they returned to Japan. It was a fruitful trip for them. Tatsuki got her certificate while Bunta did some investments during this trip.
Ryosuke had been locking himself in his room studying and working on his "The Fastest of Public Roads" theory. He had been working on this racing theory since the death of Kaori. He did not hear from Tatsuki since he sent her home that night. It had been more than two weeks now. And it was two weeks that he did not step into any of his night hang-outs. He had been coming home straight after his class. The only place that he would go was Akagi.
Ryosuke was standing at the balcony, smoking. The conversation with Kaori suddenly replayed in his head. He knew that he wanted to become a doctor, not because of his parents, responsibility or anything. So, if Kaori were to ask him again, he would give his answer without any hesitation. He had been thinking about his life and future a lot lately. He knew that he missed the high school girl as the days passed by.
Iketani drove to Fujiwara's Tofu shop this afternoon with a big bouquet of red roses in his hands. Bunta was startled while his thoughts were running wild. Iketani quickly told the shop owner that the flowers were for the Hachi-Roku driver. Tatsuki came down with her sleepy eyes. She was too taken aback by the red roses. Her mind was condemning the sender. She passed the card to her father after reading it. It was another racing challenge from the White Comet of Akagi, Takahashi Ryosuke. Bunta looked at the young man with a question about the opponent. Iketani sighed when he realized that both Fujiwara did not know who Takahashi Ryosuke was.
"Takahashi Ryosuke is the Red Suns leader. Before he formed Red Suns, he was known as the White Comet of Akagi..." Iketani told the two persons and even promised to pass them his previous racing video.
"Oh, I see," Tatsuki replied uninterestedly and walked up to her room.
Bunta shook his head when he knew that his daughter did not really think deeply about the challenger. He knew straight away from the name that it should be the same guy that sent her home after her performance. What a small world? He could not wait to see his daughter's face when she found out who her opponent really was. It would be amazing. He packed some Agedashi tofu for Iketani and sent him off.
Tatsuki slumped back in her bed with many thoughts running in her mind. It got nothing to do with the race. She had a few meetings to attend this week with some proposals to draft out. Sora proposed for first violin performance as she got a venue available for her. Her summer break was so busy as always.
Tatsuki packed a small luggage and went to stayed at the cottage on the next day. She was still doing her morning delivery as usual. She was concentrating on her works and drawing out a few draft proposals during her three days in the cottage. She would sit at the bench, overlooking the Lake Akina where she just let her mind ran aimlessly. Today, she was sitting at the bench again. She was drawing on her sketchbook for hours. She was smiling happily while looking at beautiful scenery in front of her.
The young violinist placed her chin onto the chin rest on her shoulder. Once she got into her position, the soft sound of violin was playing in the background. Her fingers were tingling on the chords producing an elegant melody. Soon, the melody was changing to a fun and playful rhythm on par with her current mood. She was exquisitely dancing in her garden with nature as her audience.
Tatsuki came home after a few days stayed on Akina vacation house. However, she was very busy traveling to and forth between Shibukawa and Tokyo. Bunta was very pleased when he read her proposal on his new Yokohama project. The one-stop development would be the new attraction of the city. Tatsuki proposed to have all facilities in just one neighborhood area. From museums, concert halls, art galleries, shopping malls, amusement park to hotels and residences. It was going to be the biggest project of the year especially when the two prominent real estate developers were working together. He knew how capable his daughter was but did not expect that she would exceed his expectation.
With such busy schedules, Tatsuki was already forgotten about her battle on the next Saturday. She was massaging her temple after a daylong meeting with the management team. She took a ten-minute rest before she was heading to Sun Entertainment. After Ice's concert months ago, she was one of the sought-after singers who already had fans waiting for her debut. Tonight, she was going to record her first single with a new song named 'Falling for Love'. A single that was produced by herself, from writing song to the producer to the singer herself. All the artists of Sun Entertainment were waiting outside the recording studio to witness their boss's talent. She would be the only singer who just want to release her work with no promotion works on any medias. This was her only condition before deciding to debut. She would have only one press conference and that was it.
Tatsuki dragged her exhausted body home early in the morning by her family's chauffeur. She splashed water on her face and got into her car. Bunta sighed at the girl's stubbornness. He told her to skip for a day but she insisted to do her routine. She was driving with her half eyes closed but still maintained on the same lines.
Bunta was returning his greeting to Iketani again when he came by to remind him of the racing challenge next Saturday. He even told Bunta about Red Suns battle with Nightkids tonight on Myogi Pass.
Bunta looked upwards where his daughter should be. Tatsuki had not got out of her bed for more than 24 hours now. She must be very tired lately. Although he assigned his chauffeur to her, she seemed to have too much work sometimes.
Tatsuki woke up with a headache. She had a long shower and got dressed. The girl came downstairs in her white sleeveless tee, a black jean and a matching black jacket.
"Where are you going?" Bunta asked curiously.
"Mt. Myogi," she replied and sipped her milk.
"For?" her father asked again with suspicion.
"I heard that the place has a nice scenery suitable for my MV," she replied.
Bunta nodded. It was another work related and not about the race. He did not even sure if the girl still remembered about her upcoming race. He told the girl about the race on the pass tonight and she should stay to watch it. Tatsuki cocked her head aside and looked at her father suspiciously. She did not know why her father mentioned it but could not be bothered to find out. She grabbed her duffel bag and drove off in her house car.
"This is the best I can help," he mumbled to himself.
Tatsuki droves around Mount Myogi area from bottom to the top. She then explored the places on foot with her camera. She stopped by Myogi shrine and bought a soft serve to ease the summer heat. The weather was very hot and humid today. Her mind was trying to put the different places into her MV storyboard. Her song was about the feelings of falling in love. However, she planned to bring a band to play in the middle of a beautiful open space instead of an MV with a love story.
The park at the bottom of Myogi posed a panoramic view with the beauty of Mount Myogi as the backdrop. She scouted out for more places. However, it caused a stir when the Akina Hachi-Roku spotted in Myogi. Tatsuki was not really paying attention to her surroundings when she walked into one of a standalone family restaurant at the bottom of the pass. She found a corner seat along the bay window. With her headphones on, she was completely in her own world. She was scribbling on her notebook on ideas flashing in her head. She took a bite and continued with her work. The late lunch stretched for more than forty minutes and she still could not finish the food. She was in that restaurant until the late afternoon. She looked at the sky, predicting that there would be rain tonight. She lowered her cap as she walked out of the place, passing the Red Suns members who were entering. Keisuke called the girl but no response. He watched her drove off in her car.
"Isn't that Akina Hachi-Roku?" Kenta asked excitedly, thinking that she was here to watch their race.
Keisuke shrugged his shoulder as he thought otherwise. He could see that her mind was somewhere else. However, he could not help to think about the girl and his brother. One was still locking himself inside his room working on his driving simulation, and the other was here.
Tatsuki stopped at the largest parking space on top of Myogi. She stood behind the guardrail and watched the sun setting down the horizon. Her hand was busy capturing the best moments on her camera. The view was fantastic. Her inspiration was overflowing in her mind and she was scribbling on her notebook again while humming the tunes. She was so mesmerizing with her ideas that she did not notice the crowd was coming up as the evening turned into night. She slowly moved herself into her car and continued on her work.
The Nightkids was already gathered around the pass with Takeshi at the bottom where the uphill battle starting line was. Shingo was on the finished line with other team members. He saw the Akina Hachi-Roku parking along the guardrails. Matsumoto led some of the Red Suns members up the pass before the battle started.
Tatsuki was still writing her songs in the notebook. She was so immersed with the rhythm that came to her mind that she had lost in her own world. Until it began to drizzle, the downhill battle was cancelled when Keisuke had already won the uphill one. It was Kenta who was looking for the Hachi-Roku driver since he came up. Keisuke walked over to the car and knocked on the window. Tatsuki woke up from her own world and looked at the man with puzzle. She slowly looked around the surrounding and found that it was drizzling outside. She stepped out of her car and met with all eyes on her.
"Hi," Keisuke greeted in an awkward tone as he could see that she was confused.
"Hi," Tatsuki replied.
"What are you doing here?" He asked while the crowd was listening.
"... Hmmm... scouting the place for my work, why?" She replied with her eyes swiped around the gallery.
"We have a battle here today? Do you know?" He asked with a grin.
"Oh!" Tatsuki finally remembered what her father told her before she left home.
Everyone then realized that the Akina driver was not here to watch the race as they expected. Kenta then approached her and challenged her to a race with him in the rain. Tatsuki looked at the man for a long moment before she got into her car and took out her bags. She slowly secured her camera bag in the trunk while casually throwing the other two big overnight bags into her rear seat.
"Can, I'm going home anyway," she finally answered Kenta.
It was an unexpected response that most of them did not expect from the Akina driver. Tatsuki did not think much about it. She just felt like it was a spin-off since she was going home. As for rain, she never afraid since she had been driving everyday whether it was rain, shine or even snow. Keisuke had called his brother for advice and permission. The rain battle started very soon when Tatsuki was already sitting in her car and watching Keisuke installed a video camera on the dashboard.
The Hachi-Roku revved the engine and was on her full throttle as soon as Keisuke put his hand down. He could see how she was speeding and performed an inertia drift at full speed into the first turn. He knew that Kenta could not catch up with her. It was just the matter of how soon she was going to disappear from the S14 sights.
"The Hachi-Roku had gone," Fumihiro told Keisuke.
"As expected, if I'm not wrong, she drives that car every day in every road condition. So, it's just a normal routine to her." Keisuke said.
"So, what do you think of Ryosuke battle next weekend?" Fumihiro asked curiously.
"Aniki will never be defeated, trust me," Keisuke replied with confidence.
Takahashi Residence
Keisuke came home with a video tape in his hand. He couldn't wait to watch it with his brother. Ryosuke looked at the tape in his hand. The two brothers walked downstairs to their living room. Keisuke was curious if his brother knew that the girl that he sent home a few weeks ago was the Hachi-Roku driver. The video was quite short. It only captured her driving and drifting for about four corners. The Akina driver had improved and she was a tough competitor.
Ryosuke returned to his room and was rewriting his theory for the next race. He was all fired up by seeing how competitive she was. She was improving every day and how could he not give his best shot.
Takahashi Ryosuke looked his newly setting FC in his garage. He tuned its horsepower down to 260hp, sacrificing all the excess power and even make it lighter. Keisuke was excited about the new setting but he was shocked to know about what his brother had done. Ryosuke explained to his younger brother that power was not the most important factor for downhill racing.
He brought Keisuke out for a test ride. He wanted Keisuke to see for himself what he was meant. Ryosuke was very satisfied with the whole car setting. He had confidence in defeating the Akina Hachi-Roku. They came home after a few rounds on Akagi.
The news of Luna's first single was all over the offline and online media. It was a one big bomb exploded on Wednesday morning when all billboards in the main cities in Japan were showing a new MV for the song "Falling for Love" at the same time. Not only MV, all radio stations also broadcasted the song at the same exact time. Millions of copies of her singles were on all stores across the country. It was also the first time that her CD single had six exclusive design packaging for collections. All major music stores were putting up her posters at their shopfronts. Luna was in Aint creamy white cocktail dress standing in the middle of the flower garden with Mount Myogi as the backdrop. Her MV was beautifully done. Within an hour, six million copies were sold out and her song was top the charts in minutes.
Ryosuke was watching her news on television. Her image on television and the image of the Seiki Academy girl slowly merged. He had seen Tatsuki a few times without her nerdy spectacles so he knew her actual appearance. Tatsuki, her name was another clue. Her name meant many moons so that was why she chose her stage name as Luna. However, Ryosuke had forgotten to include her house and the car that parked there to reveal another identity.
After the single debuted, Tatsuki was returned to her Akina cottage again to rewrite all her draft songs. She played it on her piano and fine tunes them while input the lyrics. The whole piano room was scattered with papers that she discarded. Not only papers, guitars and violins were also around the room.
Bunta looked at the calendar on Friday evening, strongly believed that his daughter had totally forgotten about tomorrow night's race. Tatsuki came back early the next morning for her daily delivery. Bunta asked her to come home and sleep after the delivery. Tatsuki nodded and sped off.
To be Continued...