Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Takumi was tense as he drifted Akina in the Impreza, one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear shift. Sweat was beading on his face and his pedipalps were shifting around, a soft clicking rising from his throat.

‘Why are we trying this with only one hand?’ Spider asked him, sounding uncomfortable. ‘We’re not even the one in control and can feel how weird it is!’

“I want to know if it’s possible for us. So far, it is, but my reaction time is down.”

‘Didn’t Ryousuke tell us something about this!?’ yes, he did.

“He said that one handed steering is something that only works when one is completely confident in their driving, and able to anticipate incoming problems even when being pushed to the limit. And he’s absolutely correct.” Spider clicked a little at that.

‘Speaking of the lion, we worry for him.’ Takumi’s own clicking stuttered at that, indeed they did. As of late, Ryousuke had been looking like he was getting less sleep than usual, which hadn’t been much to begin with, what with his studies and the team. He’d even dyed his feathers and hair again, both black, a shade Takumi remembered from when he first saw Ryousuke, and the spider really didn’t understand why he’d do such things. Even Keisuke’s taken notice, and not positively either. The mated pair couldn’t help but be concerned. ‘We wonder what he has on his mind to cause all of this.’

“Something personal, probably. If he wants to tell us all, he will.” Spider didn’t say a word at that, but he could tell the arachnid agreed with him.

The sun had just come up on the horizon when Takumi finally parked the Impreza and passed the keys to his dad, who was in the doorway of the shop, positioned so that the smoke from his cigarette drifted outside, but he remained hidden.

“Good job, kid.” he said. “Anything happening this week?”

“No, the 86 is still being repaired, so this week I have off.”

“Ah. That team of yours done with Ibaraki?”

“No, Ryousuke said that we have one last challenger on the mountain before we head out to Kanagawa.”

“Kanagawa, huh?” Bunta exhaled as Takumi nodded.

“Yeah, going out that far is gonna be such a pain.” and with that, Takumi continued in through the shop and into the house. Bunta was silent for a moment.

“Kanagawa, he said?” Tama said from the ceiling. “That name brings back memories.”

“That it does, Tama.” Bunta replied. “That mountain always has some pretty tough opponents calling it home. Seems like my kid’ll finally be facing some difficulties.”

~0~

“Takumi!” Itsuki exclaimed excitedly, and Takumi was almost unprepared for the sudden impact of the little wolf against his midsection; he almost toppled over from it.

“Jeeze, Itsuki, lay off the poor guy.” Iketani called from nearby, and Takumi turned to see him and Kenji walking over. “Hello, Takumi.”

“How are you tonight, outside of looking like you got tackled by one of those American football players?”

“Ha ha.” Takumi muttered, patting Itsuki’s head before pushing at him to get him to let go. “Hello to you too, Kenji.” he eyed them, taking note of the sweat on the them. “It’s still pretty hot at night out here, I kinda feel sorry for you guys.”

“I’m fine with it, don’t lump me in with Kenji and Itsuki, now.” Iketani responded humorously, before pulling Kenji into a headlock. “And besides, I’m working, just like Itsuki. Kenji, on the other hand, is just here to be here!”

“STOP THAT!” Kenji exclaimed, breaking free of Iketani’s hold. “I’m only here because I ain’t got anywhere else to be! If I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t be here with you!”

“Still single.” Itsuki commented in faux mourning. “No girl to be with.”

“Cut it out!” Kenji snapped, causing Itsuki to jump. “Street racers don’t need girls!” the area fell silent as he announced that, before his shoulders slumped. “How many times have I said that, now? I sound so in denial…” Itsuki and Iketani chuckled at his reaction, the latter wolf rubbing his friend’s back a little.

“It’s alright, Kenji, you’ll find someone.” he said.

“Yeah, even if we do give you grief along the way!” Itsuki tacked on quickly. Kenji merely wilted a little more. Iketani sighed, before turning towards Takumi.

“So, the 86 still getting repaired?”

“Yeah.” Takumi leaned against the Impreza. “The suspension is getting replaced, and Matsumoto told me he wants to change the tire size as well.” Iketani hummed at this information as Kenji recovered from his small depressive bout.

“And, if I can guess, strengthening the chassis while reducing weight. Leaving the looks alone but modding the insides, eh?”

“I wonder what kind of car it’ll be when all the modifications are done!” Itsuki exclaimed, practically howling as he let out an excited sound. “Oh, it’ll be so awesome!”

“Especially with you behind the wheel, Takumi.” Kenji commented. “After all, you are the undefeated downhill ace of Project D!” Takumi blushed a little at that, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Also, Takumi, outside of going on dates like I know you two do, among gods know what else, do you go on trips with your mate?”

“First of all,” Takumi’s face was a dangerous shade of red. “Keisuke and I only go on dates, and if we hang out outside of dates it’s either at his house, Akagi, or Akina. So no, I don’t.”

“Denial.” Iketani coughed, snorting when Takumi glared at him.

“Why do you ask anyway, Kenji?” Itsuki asked.

“One of my friend’s friends came up to us the other day, ranting and raving about meeting D’s double aces last weekend in Saitama.”

“We haven’t been in Saitama since the Lan-Evo incident, and if I had any reason to go there you’d know, as I likely would have told Itsuki.”

“That’s what I thought.” Kenji sighed, shaking his head. “I knew it didn’t sound right. What the hell’s goin’ on?”

“Some poor saps getting mistaken for someone they aren’t, maybe?” Itsuki asked, and Takumi merely shrugged. “Anyway, Takumi, when I get off, how about we go somewhere?”

“You have a place in mind?”

Itsuki did, in fact, have somewhere in mind. It was in Saitama, much to Takumi’s vague surprise. He couldn’t bring himself to feel more surprised, as instead he felt anxiety claw at him, the back of his neck prickling. It was as if every time he came to Saitama, something bad happened. Pushing the feeling down, Takumi caught the gleam in Itsuki’s eye and lightly grabbed the door in time for him to push his car around a corner.

It was much smoother than he’d expected it to be. It was still shaky, but Itsuki had clearly improved.

“How was that, Takumi?” Itsuki asked excitedly. “I’ve been practicing when I can! Someday, I’ll emerge as a downhiller with my Levin. That’s my dream, you know!”

“You’ve gotten better.” Takumi responded. “But, reality is a harsh mistress.”

“Huh?” Itsuki blinked. “What do you-”

“That last bit wasn’t really aimed at you, sorry.” Takumi interrupted. “I mean, yeah, racing requires time and energy and it’ll likely be harder for you than you think and such but… well, you know I drive around town for deliveries during the day. I always see school aged kids playing around and having fun and I just... think about that.”

“About what?”

“Well, I’d come to think of summer as this amazing thing. You can play around all day, or sleep for as long as you want, without worry. But now that I’ve got a job, I feel such a stark difference from that mindset.”

“I get what you mean.” Itsuki sighed. “It’s only been a year since we’ve had a summer break. It seems one year is enough to make a huge difference. Almost makes me sad that we’ll never have another summer break like that again for the rest of our lives.” they fell silent at that, neither saying a word as they continued on towards the top.

“So…” Takumi began as he reached into a machine for his drink. “Do you come out here often?”

“Nah.” Itsuki responded. “This is only my second time here.” Takumi shrugged and cracked open his can, bringing it to his lips.

“Hey, someone said that Project D’s coming!” he heard someone nearby exclaim, and as everyone worked up into a frenzy, Takumi choked on his drink and began coughing wildly.

“Hey, Takumi?!” Itsuki hissed as Takumi recovered. “Are you alright!?”

“Itsuki, do me a favor.” Takumi suddenly began, now realizing why he felt the prickling.

“Huh?”

“Whatever happens, don’t do anything. Stay with me, do not take a step away from me.”

“W-What is this about?”

“We’re about to witness something outrageous, no matter what happens I need you to stay here, and stay quiet.” Itsuki’s eyes widened, and after a moment he nodded, just in time for a yellow FD and a black and white 86 to pull into the lot. Takumi and Itsuki watched as two figures emerged from the cars, and Takumi grimaced at their appearances.

“Oh…” Itsuki commented, glancing at Takumi.

“I’m almost offended. I know Keisuke’d be offended. Holy shit.” Takumi took notice of a few bystanders turning to look at him curiously at that, and he merely got out a blue mobile phone. Keisuke’d gotten it for him, citing his need for it in case he needed to call someone, or they needed to get a hold of him.

“What?” someone asked.

“That’s the poorest attempt at identity theft I’ve ever seen.” Takumi responded distractedly, scrolling to his camera app and taking a photo of the imposters. “I’ve seen Keisuke Takahashi and that,” he looked up and pointed at the blonde. “Is not him.” the bystanders listening looked skeptical.

“He’s right, Keisuke Takahashi is like, a million times more good looking than that guy.” Itsuki chipped in.

“I have a photo of him, if you’d like to see.” Takumi offered, waggling his phone, and a few of the bystanders rose a brow before moving closer. Takumi opened his gallery and selected a more recent photo of Keisuke. It was him, leaning against his FD in his human form, a small, amused smile on his face, his arms crossed. “See, there’s no way in hell that’s Keisuke.”

“Hey.... he’s right!” one of the bystanders growled.

“How’d you get such a happy looking picture of Keisuke Takahashi? How’d he even let you get close for such a thing?” someone else asked.

“Well…” Takumi said, scrolling to another photo, one Matsumoto had taken when he wasn’t aware, back when he first got his phone. Keisuke and Takumi were leaning against one another in it, both in full shift with happy smiles on their faces. Takumi looked to be mid-laugh and Keisuke looked mighty proud of it. “That’s easily explainable.” he shut his phone before they could look. “I asked politely.” he looked towards the imposters and grimaced when he saw a gaggle of girls surrounding them, all of them looking excited as the two strung them along with conversation.

‘Disgusting insects.’ Spider hissed. Takumi merely hummed in agreement and began to walk away.

“Come on, Itsuki. Let’s go.”

“Right!”

~0~

“What? You mean you actually saw them!?”

“Yeah!” Itsuki exclaimed. “They were ugly!” Takumi nodded even as Iketani snickered.

“So they’re real!?” Kenji exclaimed. “Shit, I’d been hoping he was mistaken. This is absolutely-”

“Excuse me.” a feminine voice cut him off, sounding terse. Everyone turned to see a fairly good looking girl with short brown hair. “I was told that I could find a Takumi Fujiwara here. Is that true?” Takumi shifted as Itsuki turned to look at him.

“Yeah, he can be found here. May I ask what you want him for, if it isn’t a bother?” Iketani asked, looking wary.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” she clipped, and Takumi rose a brow when he noticed her shadow shift unnaturally.

‘A weaver…’ Spider sounded awed. ‘How rare.’

“Alright, alright, jeez, no need to bite my damn head off.” Iketani responded, Itsuki growled beside him and Takumi was certain that his eyes were leaning towards an angry amber at the moment. He sat a hand on Iketani’s shoulder before taking a step forward.

“I’m Takumi Fujiwara.” he said. Her posture tensed and she took a few steps forward. Takumi widened his eyes and, instead of retreating, he braced and repressed his fangs as hard as he could.

SMACK!

He recoiled and so did she, holding her hand close. Takumi could taste blood and realized he didn’t do a good enough job at repressing his fangs. While holding his cheek, he ran a tongue over his venom glands and realized one felt a little emptier than the other.

“Hey, what was that for!?” Itsuki snarled, his eyes most definitely amber at this point.

“That was for Tomoko!” she exclaimed. “I may not hold a grudge against you, Fujiwara, but what you did to her is unforgivable, and you know exactly what I’m talking about!” Takumi clicked his tongue, his fangs lengthening so he could check them. She seemed to take a step back at the sight of them.

“I have no clue who this Tomoko chick is, ma’am.” he responded, slightly terse as he pressed a finger against his left fang. It wasn’t loose, thank the Outsiders.

“Don’t give me that act, coward!” she yelled. “You-”

“Whoa, whoa!” Iketani exclaimed, causing her to whip her head in his direction. “Let’s calm down here and think rationally!” Itsuki growled at that and Iketani smacked his head lightly. “I said heel!”

“Ow!”

“I have no clue what’s going on, but don’t you think we should talk this out before resorting to violence?” Kenji asked shakily.

“You’re all his friends, there’s no way in hell I’ll talk with any of you.”

“Talk about single minded.” Itsuki muttered.

“He tricked my best friend, damn it, and now she’s absolutely miserable!” Takumi bristled at that accusation. “I admit that my friend was stupid and careless for pursuing you, but she’s still a good and honest person, so for you to use your fame to play with her heart…! Oh! You’re one of the worst people in existence!”

“Play with a girl’s heart?” Takumi echoed incredulously. She huffed at him and turned to walk off. “So sure it was me, are you!?” that made her pause.

“Wait, that’s right! The imposters!” Iketani exclaimed, and the woman turned back around, wide eyed.

“Huh?” Takumi dug in his pocket and got out his phone, scrolling through his photos before selecting the one he took the night before.

“Here, look.” he showed her his phone and she strode up, taking a long look at them. “Is that the guy who hit on her?”

“I have no clue, she just said it was you.”

“Well, if you don’t know, then why don’t you ask her?” Iketani offered. “Take a picture of Takumi and send it to her. It would have been preferable if you’d done that before coming in guns blazing, but hey, hindsight is twenty twenty.” the woman gave him a slightly annoyed look, before getting her phone out and snapping a picture of Takumi.

“There, I sent it.” she huffed. “Such a useless task when I’ve already avenged her, but whatever.”

“Okay, now, with this calmed down,” Takumi began. “When you slapped me, you clipped my fangs. How’s your hand look?” the woman looked down at her hand and rose a brow.

“Angry, red, slightly oozy. It… kinda looks infected.”

“Thought so.” he turned to Itsuki. “Run inside and get the med-kit. Some of my venom got in her wound.” the woman paled as Itsuki ran inside immediately.

“Venom?” she choked, and Takumi gave her an apologetic look.

“The slap pushed on my venom glands enough to force them to release, red widow venom isn’t nice to have in your body.” Itsuki ran back out and opened the kit, pulling out a needle and handing it to Takumi, who handed it to her. “Inject it into your arm, it’ll get the venom before the venom gets you.” she quickly did so. “So… next time, try not to go around slapping random people, yeah?” she glowered at him before looking back down at her phone. She frowned, hit a button, and put the device to her ear.

“She’s not responding at all. Maybe she’s out of the area.” she clicked her tongue, before turning away again. “Whatever, I’ve got a train to catch.” and with that she walked off, leaving the needle behind her as she went.

“This is exactly what I feared would happen.” Iketani groaned as Itsuki retrieved the needle and closed the kit. Takumi would have to give Yuichi another vial of his venom because of this. “Those ants have a lot of nerve hitting on girls under you and Keisuke’s names, Takumi.” Takumi clicked a little.

“I’ll be calling Keisuke about this, this is getting absolutely ridiculous.”

“Maybe call Ryousuke first, spider boy.” Kenji said. “Let him know what’s happening. This is his team that’s being affected, after all.”

~0~

Fumihiro groaned as he heard a phone ring, and pulled away from the 86, looking over to see Matsumoto’s mobile phone lit up.

“Oi, Matsumoto, your phone.”

“Get it for me, will you please?” the kitsune responded, and Fumihiro hummed, wiping his hands on a rag and walking towards the phone. Picking it up, he flipped it open and saw that Takumi was calling. He hit accept.

“Hello, Takumi.” he greeted kindly.

“Fumihiro?” Takumi asked, sounding surprised. “Where’s-”

“Matsumoto is working on your car right now, I was the only free hand available to answer your call.”

“It’s just as good you picked up, Fumihiro. There’s people impersonating Keisuke and I.”

“Ah, yes, we’ve heard of that from a few sources ourselves.”

“I don’t doubt that, but they’re taking it too far.” Takumi sounded absolutely outraged. “One of them used my name, and subsequently whatever fame comes with it, to hit on girls and string them along. I got attacked over it!”

“What!?” Fumihiro exclaimed, and all sound stopped. He turned to glance at the 86 and caught sight of Matsumoto and Tomiguchi giving him concerned looks. “I honestly didn’t think it was that bad. How disgusting.”

“I need you to tell Ryousuke. I couldn’t get a hold of him, and if I tell Keisuke before telling his older brother then all hell will break loose.”

“That’s true. I’ll tell him, don’t you worry. We’ll hunt those vermin down for this.” an angry hoot rose in his throat and he shoved it back down. “Leave it to us.”

“Thank you, Fumihiro. I’ll owe you something.”

“Think nothing of it.” and with that, the line went dead.

“What’s going on, Fumihiro?” Matsumoto asked, watching the siren set his phone down and begin his way out.

“Those imposters we heard about just got Takumi attacked, nasty vermin.” Tomiguchi hissed at the news. “I need to go tell Ryousuke.”

“Just call him.” Matsumoto said. “We just finished up with the repairs and need someone to take this over to Takumi!” Fumihiro paused, then sighed and turned around.

“Alright, that’s probably a better idea than what I had.”

After getting changed and retrieving his phone, Fumihiro sat in the driver side of the 86, scrolling through his contacts and hitting dial on Ryousuke’s name. He picked up after it rang a few times.

“Fumihiro.” Ryousuke greeted.

“Hello, Ryousuke. The repairs on the 86 are done, and I’m taking it to him.”

“Excellent.”

“Takumi called Matsumoto, wants you to know that those imposters we heard about have caused him to get attacked.”

“Have they now?” Ryousuke sounded unamused. “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I’ve found their tag numbers huh?”

“What? So quickly?”

“It wasn’t all that hard. I don’t have the time to be dealing with this, so Keisuke’s in charge of the situation.” Fumihiro winced. “You know how he’ll get if left unsupervised, and I don’t count Takumi as supervision because he won’t stop Keisuke at all. Would you mind keeping an eye on it for me?”

“Of course.” Fumihiro responded quickly. “You can count on me!”

“Thank you.”

“Away from that, I was thinking of taking Kenta with me out to Kanagawa to recon tomorrow. Is that alright with you? I know it’s a little early for it.”

“That’s fine.” Fumihiro could hear quiet clicking in the background. “D is getting closer to entering the final stage. I’m satisfied with it all.”

“The real challenge is now. I’ll make sure to cover the courses more carefully than usual.”

“Thank you.” and with that, he hung up and started the 86.

~0~

Wataru growled as he shifted down into his human form, he couldn’t believe he was about to do this. Well, actually, he could, he made him livid to hear that D’s name was being sullied by a bunch of no name insects like these. Drawing closer, he plastered on a happy, almost fanboyish expression.

“Excuse me!” he called out, catching their attention and causing them to turn towards him. The bystanders stared intently at what was happening. “Are you Project D’s Fujiwara?”

“And just who the hell are you?” the Takumi fake asked, sounding uppity. Wataru wanted so badly to attack him.

“I’m no one special.” he gave them a polite nod. “The name’s Wataru Akiyama.” the two squared up, causing Wataru to raise a hand. “Hey now, chill out. I just wanna have a nice little chat.” he put a hand on his hip. “Do I look stupid enough to wanna cause a fight?” he gestured towards his Levin. “Y’see, we’re both 86 drivers, and… oh, how do I put this… since you’re a famous 86 driver, I was hoping you’d give a demonstration of your skill. I’m very interested in seeing it.” the two began to sweat at that.

“O-Oh, no, I couldn’t. I’m not allowed to do that.”

“Not even one little flashy drift?” Wataru tilted his head, and it became clear to a couple bystanders that he was mocking them, by the way they bristled and tensed up, glowering at him. “Just, burst out sideways from the top of that bridge over there, then.”

“I can’t. I’m not allowed!”

“Aww, please? The exit is just a ninety degree bend, if you’re able to clear the corner with just accelerator work, the crowd will go nuts!”

“Stop screwin’ with me!” the man snapped. “It isn’t that easy! There isn’t anyone who can do such things on the first damn try!” Wataru let out a sigh of faux disappointment.

“Oh, I guess you’re right.” he said. “Normally, such a thing is impossible.” the sound of screeching tires hit his ears, and he smiled a little. “But, well, the world is a mighty big place, you know, and I know one idiot who can pull it off without any practice at all.” he pivoted on the spot and turned towards the road. “So listen up everyone, I recommend you watch what’s about to happen very closely, pay close attention!” he stopped by the fence and turned back to the crowd. “You don’t get to see this kinda thing this close very often!” he rose his arm and smirked ferally. “Now this is real drifting!” he snapped his fingers, and right on queue Takumi came flying around the corner at full speed.

“SHIT! A PANDA TRUENO!” the Keisuke fake yelled, Takumi’s 86 passing and kicking up dust from the road as he went. Wataru watched, almost amazed.

‘He’s much faster, and better, than the last time I saw him.’ he thought, before movement caught his eye and he turned to see the fakes walking off nervously, just in time for Keisuke to pull in quietly with his FD and get out, crossing his arms.

“Ahaha, I just remembered! We have important business to attend to!”

“Right!”

“Let’s get to it, Keisuke.”

“Well!” Keisuke drawled loudly, causing them to freeze. “What a coincidence! Your name is Keisuke? Mine too.” the two turned, terror etched on their faces as he approached Wataru. “Akiyama!” he exclaimed, coming in for a fist bump, which Wataru caught with the palm of his hand. Both flinched a little at that. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“That it has. I see you’re doin’ alright.” as he says this, Takumi pulls up in the 86 and steps out, Itsuki hot on his heels as he walks over towards Wataru.

“Hey, weren’t they at the mountain the other day?” the fake Keisuke hissed, paling.

“I think so.” the fake Takumi replied, just as pale.

“So,” Keisuke turned an angry look upon the fakes. “What are we gonna do with you?”

“What punishment befits insects like them?”

“Well… let’s start with their offences. What gets me almost as much as what happened to Takumi is that they’re using D’s name to their own ends. The team’s name is like a medal of honor that we won through our hard work and dedication.” the two fell to their knees, begging and apologizing. Itsuki growled from his spot next to Takumi as Keisuke approached them.

"Name thieves get bruises." the little wolf growled.

“Secondly, both my and Takumi’s impostors look so fucking ugly. That in itself deserves a few broken bones.” Keisuke cracked his knuckles, ready for a beat down. Someone cleared their throat pointedly, and Takumi turned to see Fumihiro giving Keisuke a stern look. The blonde wilted a little, pouting. “Damn. I forgot I have a babysitter today.” he put his hands in his pocket and walked away, allowing the siren to approach.

“As much as Keisuke would like it, and as much as you deserve it, I’m here to make sure we don’t resort to violence in response to your actions. I’ll make this absolutely clear, never do this sort of thing again, or else.” he put his hands on his hips. “Ryousuke found your tag numbers, it wouldn't be at all difficult to find out your names and addresses from them. Do not underestimate our information network.”

“We’ll never do it again! Swear!” the fake Takumi exclaimed, and Fumihiro turned towards Takumi.

“You have anything you want to say to them?” nodding, he approached with Itsuki and crouched before them.

“Hey.” they looked up at him, alarmed. “You picked up a girl named Tomoko, didn’t you?” he narrowed his eyes a little. “Her best friend slapped me full force because of that.” fake Takumi paled further. “So, make sure you contact her, and every girl you’ve strung along as you have, and tell them just who you really are. Alright?” they nodded vigorously. “Good. And, if I ever hear that you’ve hurt more girls after this, well…” he smiled ferally, showing off his razor sharp fangs as he spoke. “I won’t be so pleasant. Understand me?” the two nodded even harder than before, looking absolutely terrified. With a final growl from Itsuki, Takumi stood and walked back over to Keisuke.

“Never knew you had that kind of threat making in you.”

“You don’t know about a few things I’m capable of if pushed. Let’s keep it that way.” Keisuke chuckled at that.

“Yeah, alright. Let’s.”

~0~

“Hello, Tomoko! It’s about time I finally got through to you!” Mika sighed as she lounged on the couch, her shadows shifting randomly around her. “So, did you see the photo I sent you? That’s the guy, right?”

“That’s not him at all, Mika.” her friend responded, causing her to jump.

“What!?”

“Yeah, the face isn’t right at all.”

“Wrong face!? That can’t be right, no look at the picture carefully! He- he might look different in a photo!”

“He wouldn’t, Mika, this guy’s face is too thin.”

“He… he doesn’t?”

“Nope, I’m afraid this isn’t the guy who hurt me.”

“Oh… that’s not good…”

“What do you mean, that’s not good!? Mika what did you do!?”

“Nothing, nothing!” Mika quickly responded. “I-I just said some things I shouldn’t have, it’s fine. I’ll see you later!” before Tomoko could respond, Mika hung up and tossed her phone, sitting stiffly on the couch. “Okay… okay, so… no this isn’t okay, shit, I delivered a full force slap to the wrong man!” her voice echoed through the house.

~0~

“As expected from a local, he’s pretty good for what the NB8C is capable of.” Gou told the group behind him, while resting his foot on one of the large stones as he watched the car race by. The thought of watching D go up against the racers of Kanagawa was, quite frankly, a little exciting.

He couldn’t wait for his turn.

“I wonder how far Project D will go…” he had to lie, as he knew that Project D is fantastic, he has seen them race before after all, not to mention he is in love with the team’s leader. He turned towards the group, Tsuyoshi landing on his shoulder as he took in their expressions. If they’d caught his lie, they sure didn’t let on that they had. “Kanagawa area is known as the holy ground of street racing. I’m getting excited thinking about racing them.”

Chapter Text

The Purple Shadow pupils weren’t as difficult as the leaders were, thankfully, for Takumi was too distracted by what had happened with that woman at the gas station and wasn’t doing his very best.

“That was for Tomoko! I may not hold a grudge against you, Fujiwara, but what you did to her is unforgivable, and you know exactly what I’m talking about!”

There hadn’t been any news from her and her friend, he hoped that they both found out the truth, and that the impostor hasn’t done anything bad to them again. Looking at the rearview mirror for a split second, he saw that Matsumoto and Kenta were excited for him, both cheering as he drove away from the finish line. At least he wasn’t completely out of his zone, that’s good.

The morning sun dawned as Bunta was dragging his morning cigarette. Takumi slowly walked next to his dad, yawning. Bunta eyeballed his kid, feeling a little concerned.

“What happened? You took the day off today.” he asked.

“I took another shift for someone else.”

“You’re done with Ibaraki, right? How did it go? Did you lose?” stupid question, but he had to ask.

“Of course not, I won.”

“Then why do you look so down?”

“Something else has been bothering me.” as Takumi finished his sentence, his phone rang, it was an unknown number. How did they get his number? He hasn’t given it to anyone else besides Keisuke, his friends and his team. He answered the call. “Hello, Fujiwara Tof-” Takumi cut himself off, a little red in the face as his slip up. Bunta next to him snorted, after years of answering the call like that, he needs to unlearn it. His flush died down quickly enough, much quicker than Bunta thought he would. “Eh? Yeah, sure… Hold on a bit.” Takumi ran back into the shop, the suddenness of it all left the elder spider confused.

“Hello,” a female voice, belonging to the girl who slapped Takumi, on the other side began. “I’m sorry for calling you out of the blue. I wanted to apologize to you earlier, but I didn’t have the chance.”

“No, it’s alright.” Takumi responded truthfully. “But... how did you get a hold of my number?”

“Ah, I called the gas station we were at and one of the attendants gave me your number. I am calling you because I am really sorry for saying such horrible things and slapping you. You must still be mad at me.”

“Actually, I am not, I was honestly worried about you and your friend. But I am glad that you now know that it wasn’t me.” The line was silent for a moment before she started again.

“I wanted to apologize in person, but I didn’t have the time to do so between my training sessions.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that, I am okay with a simple phone call. Just take care.” as the line went dead, Takumi felt the tension leave his shoulders, allowing him to relax a little as he sighed in relief. That’s a big burden off Takumi’s back, just in time for the upcoming races in Kanagawa.

~0~

The leaders of the teams Sidewinder, Racing Team Katagiri Street Version and Spiral hung out watching Team 246 practicing. Satoshi Omiya’s orange Miata drove past them going downhill as Gou started up again.

“We’ll counter Project D with four carefully planned defensive lines. As a prelude to our battles in Hakone, we will watch how Project D races on this pass.” Kobayakawa’s Lan-Evo VII shot past them going the opposite direction. “Kubo sent out a data collection team to the key points of the course. That will help us expose our opponents strategy.” Kubo took stride next to Gou.

“Let us take care of the data. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you don’t need to worry about the results of a hundred battles. Nowadays, info and data is everything in racing.”

“Do we really have to go that far? I don’t think that Project D is that dangerous of an opponent for the best three in Kanagawa to be sneaking around like that.” Ryuji Ikeda retorted, raising all three of his wings a little to drive the point home. Gou was curious as to why he only had three, but to ask a creature about the loss of a limb was rude so he refrained.

“In any case, I’ll settle things in my turn. I am afraid that you guys won’t get the chance to compete.”

“That sounds awfully confident, Minagawa.” Gou said, looking intrigued. “We’ll be looking forward to that.”

Minagawa flew towards the peak of the pass where Team 246 had grouped up. He told the plan what Sidewinder had cooked up and then what he thought of it.

“Still, sounds like an indirect and hesitant strategy, don’t you think?” one of Omiya’s antennae twitched.

“I don’t like how all of that sounds. Seems like the first team, which is us, is supposed to lose.” Kobayakawa tacked on, a wing twitching and knocking a small puff of dust to the ground.

“Should we lose on purpose and let the next team take credit?” a sly smile grew on Omiya’s face.

“Oh, please.” Minagawa rolled his eyes. “A fair and square win is more preferable than that. I’m pissed off that Sidewinder thinks they control every little aspect of what’s going to happen. No one said that would manage us like this. As such, there’s no way we have to hold back for them.” he shifted stance, a small amount of heat beginning to radiate from him. “So, show them the true potential of 246. Sidewinder’s words are not law!”

~0~

Gou crossed his arms as he and Kubo stood off to the side, listening to the sounds of tires screeching as D did their practice runs. He knows where Kubo had placed the data gathering team around the course and wondered if he realized he was basically begging for them to be spotted. Spiders have pretty good eyesight at night, and Ryousuke’s little brother was no slouch when it came to observation, either. If Ryousuke did come to him to talk about what they’re doing, he is definitely blaming Kubo for this, as it was his idea to recon. He watched quietly, noticing Ryousuke speaking intently to his team, Tsuyoshi circling overhead. He dyed his hair, he could tell. He kind of wondered why. But he did look better with black hair. He watched as Ryousuke finished speaking and everyone scattered, allowing Tsuyoshi an opening to land on his shoulder. The sphinx picked up the little bat with a small smile, before he looked at their direction from the corner of his eye. Well, there goes that attempt in being sneaky. This time he has only himself to blame for wanting to see how his mate is doing.

Ryousuke himself was vaguely amused. With the little bat in hand, he approached one of the vans and opened it, looking around before setting his gaze on Nejibana.

“Guess who stopped by.” he said to her, showing her Tsuyoshi. Nejibana began clicking excitedly and hurried over towards the sphinx, allowing him to pick her up and escort her outside, shutting the van behind him. He heard Keisuke pull back into the lot and paid no mind, instead setting down the two familiars to allow them to run around. “Familiars abound!” he called out, catching attention. “Watch your step, everyone!” everyone nodded, and those with things to do went back to it.

“You seem to be having trouble with the power increase.” he heard Fumihiro comment.

“Can’t be helped, hill climbing is a power game after all.” Ryousuke looked in their direction in time to see Keisuke’s expression shift negatively. “There is something bothering me about all this, though.”

“Huh?”

“While I was doing my runs, I saw some guys with stopwatches scattered throughout the course.”

“Are they timing you?”

“Probably, though it’s pointless to do so. We’re still setting up our cars, hell, we haven’t even mastered the course yet. The speeds they get now will be totally different during the actual race.”

“I guess so…” Fumihiro looked a little put off. “But it’s still a little disconcerting that they’re checking our times every so often.” the sound of a car hood being shut caught their attention.

“Okay! She’s ready to go, Keisuke!” Tomiguchi shouted.

“Alright!” as Keisuke turned on his FD and started to leave, Takumi pulled in with his 86. The timing was almost impressive. Fumihiro approached Ryousuke, Matsumoto following behind.

“Takumi looks to be in good condition, as per usual.” he commented easily.

“Takumi seems to enjoy challenging difficult courses like this.” Matsumoto tacked on. “That 86 is tricky to drive in every aspect, but he tells me that it’s easy for him.”

“If he wasn’t a Jorōgumo, I’d wonder if he was an alien.” Fumihiro jested, before they all fell silent. “Ryousuke, is this really okay? I’m sure an organized data collection team is all over the course.” the sphinx felt his wings shift behind him. “Our cars will pick up the pace in the later half, anyone with a good eye will be able to accurately measure our potential.”

“Probably so.” Ryousuke responded.

“Shouldn’t we use some sort of camouflage, then?”

“No, I’d rather we not resort to the usage of cheap tricks. If data is what they want, then today, data is what they’ll get.” Fumihiro narrowed his eyes at that and Ryousuke cocked him a small smile. “Don’t worry, Fumihiro. I’ve made this decision after thinking about it carefully. Think about it, there is no way they can set up their cars in one day, so whoever is timing us, aren’t our next opponents. They must be someone we’ll be facing later on.” Ryousuke looked to the side, making eye contact with Gou for a split second with a smirk.

‘He saw through our plan, just how I anticipated.’ the vampire thought. He continued to watch as Ryousuke spoke to them for a little longer, his wings opening a little to show off black colored feathers as they stretched. He dyed his feathers, too? He is so gonna ask him about that tomorrow.

~0~

Gou looked up when he heard a rush of air, his eyes locking on the form of Ryousuke in full shift, circling above a little before coming in for a landing. It would seem he only dyed his wings, and his hair in his human form, for the rest of him was still that natural sandy yellow that is a staple of his species.

“So, extreme data gathering, huh?” Ryousuke asked, amused, as he shifted to a more human form.

“It was Kubo’s idea.” Gou responded, easily throwing his teammate under the bus.

“And you eyeing what was going on where we were parked for the practice runs?”

“Can you blame me for wanting to see how you’re doing, being back in Kanagawa?” Gou raised a brow. “Speaking of how you’re doing, I get why you dyed your hair black, seeing as it’s your natural color, but your wings?”

“What, do you not like them?” Ryousuke asked, turning to look at them.

“It’s not that, I do like them, I just want to know why.”

“Because I could.” was Ryousuke’s only response.

“Fair enough…” Gou said. He doubted that was Ryousuke’s real reasoning, but wouldn’t press on. “Though the stark contrast between your sandy colored fur and black wings is a tad odd looking, if I’m honest.” Ryousuke rose a brow at that. “I didn’t mean much by it, I just think you should dye your fur too.” he gave him a bright smile. “Thankfully, I always have a lot of black hair dye on hand! I could dye your fur for you, if you’d like.” Ryousuke rose both brows at the offer, and Gou felt victorious over the very light shade of pink dusting the sphinx’s cheeks at his tone.

“I wouldn’t mind that.” Ryousuke responded after a moment. Gou’s victorious feeling rose, and before he could respond, Tsuyoshi came in for a landing between them.

“Hey, Master Ryousuke is here!” the little bat cried, using a wing to wave at the sphinx, who smiled humorously and gave a wave back. Tsuyoshi was being cuter than usual, leaving Gou flustered that he had to hide his face behind his hands. Ryousuke immediately took notice, but didn’t comment on it.

“Sometimes, when your familiar talks to you, I get really curious about what he’s saying. He seems like a little chatterbox. I bet it’s cute.”

“I am not cute! I am darkness!” Tsuyoshi exclaimed, and Gou snickered.

“You are pretty cute, Tsuyoshi. Less darkness and more sunshine and rainbows in my opinion.” the little bat let out a squeak of offense.

“Now don’t be like that with him.” Ryousuke chided playfully. “He can be cute and darkness, like the little hunter of the night he is.” the little bat puffed up at that, looking prideful. The sight almost caused both Gou and Ryousuke to start laughing.

“Are you really curious about what he says? It’s mostly babble about random things, and that little spider friend of his.”

“Of course I’m curious.” Ryousuke gave Gou a look. “He must have so much on his mind, if he’s constantly speaking.”

“More one thing constantly than a lot of things.” Gou snickered. “But, there is a way you can talk with him.” that caught Ryousuke’s full attention. “I just have to add you to our contract. Easy.”

“And what does that entail?”

“Well, for one, it’s verbal but binding. Basically a promise to care for your familiar in exchange for being grounded. Usually demons are the ones to form this kind of contract, because they’re more prone to some weird shit going on head wise.” a specific Jorōgumo came to mind as he said that. “Though, that stuff can still happen, even with a familiar, but it’s better safe than sorry.” Ryousuke nodded at his words.

“So, basically, I promise to help you care for Tsuyoshi, and in return I get an extra boost to my mental stability, and someone to talk to?”

“That’s about it, yeah. I feel like, right now you’ll need the mental boost more than ever.” Ryousuke gave him another look at that but didn’t deny his statement.

“Sure, add me to your contract.” the sphinx finally responded, and Tsuyoshi was the first to react, making his way towards Ryousuke and allowing him to pick him up. The little bat squeaked, something not even Gou could understand, likely in that familiar language he and Nejibana spoke to each other in, and it was like they were enveloped in ice water.

“Okay. Ryousuke Takahashi, do you promise to care for Tsuyoshi, give him shelter should he need it, and support him should he ask?”

“Yes.”

“Do you agree to the terms of the previous contract made between I, Gou Hojo, and Tsuyoshi?”

“Yes.” there was a small pulse of energy.

“Then a new contract is made, so it shall be noted.” the little bat squeaked, and quickly everything went back to normal.

“And just like that, I have now TWO masters!” the bat said excitedly, and Ryousuke smiled at him.

“Well, I guess you do, huh?” Gou watched his familiar and Ryousuke interact, both conversing rather intently with one another as the little bat told the sphinx everything he always wanted to tell him. A small smile came to his face.

It was like he had his own little family now. It was nice.

Now he just had to keep Tsuyoshi from spilling all of his secrets, there were some things he told that bat that he’d rather people not know.

~0~

Takumi was walking up the pass alongside Matsumoto, taking a close look at the course while is was still daylight. Both were in their human forms, it wasn’t so early that there wouldn’t be anyone driving on the road, and being fully shifted at this time was a risk they couldn’t take.

“The first half is a series of steep uphill slopes, meanwhile the second half is more of a mild continuous slope.” the kitsune clicked his tongue. “Well, that is the point from the hillclimb.”

“It is the opposite on the downhill.” Takumi interjected easily. Matsumoto nodded at him.

“Whether it is uphill or downhill, the key part of the course are the points where the road width suddenly changes, there are quite a bit of them scattered along the course. Those points will be important overtaking points.” Takumi agreed with him.

“I know that in my head, but the locals know them from heart and know how to use them to their advantage by not driving on the unfavorable side.”

“You might fall into their trap if you aim for it.”

~0~

“Outsiders, it’s a Lan-Evo again. Why do my opponents always drive 4WD cars?” Keisuke bemoaned. “I’ve had it with them.”

“Why don’t you claim to be Akagi’s Lan-Evo killer?” Fumihiro joked.

“That doesn’t even make a good joke. Frankly, it is the car I hate to compete against on most mountain passes.” Fumihiro was taken aback by Keisuke’s statement. “It’s because it is absurdly fast.” Fumihiro couldn’t respond, and Keisuke watched as the other team discussed their course of action. After a few moments, one of them approached.

“We’ll chase for the first round.” he stated, and Keisuke nodded, getting into his car and putting it at the starting line before getting back out, his eyes scanning around for Takumi. Footsteps caught his attention and he turned, raising a brow slightly. His opponent was a moth creature, his wings and arms covered in tufts of shaggy, feathery looking scales. The moth stopped before him, and they were silent for a moment.

“I’m Kobayakawa.” he finally said.

“I’m Keisuke Takahashi.” the moth offered a hand, and Keisuke grasped it firmly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in his opponent’s aura.

“Let’s have a good race, yeah?” Keisuke nodded, and the two parted, heading to their specific cars.

“Keisuke.” Ryousuke said into his car, causing him to look at him. “You know what to do, right?”

“Yep. I finished half my job yesterday. Is that what you wanted to say, aniki?”

“Correct.” Ryousuke pat the roof of his car. “I’m counting on you, Keisuke.”

“I’m starting the countdown!” Fumihiro exclaimed, and Ryousuke took position beside Takumi. There was a small flutter of sound, and Tsuyoshi landed on his shoulder.

“Did I miss anything?” he asked, and Ryousuke shook his head.

“No, you’re just in time. Are you going to be here for every race?”

“Yep! The big man wants Master to watch all of the races with him up until he has to begin preparing for his race against your team.” Ryousuke rose a brow at that. The big man? The little bat probably meant Kubo. “He smells like hyena and chuckles a lot like one too.”

“GO!”

“Gou has to keep up appearances, Tsuyoshi. So even if he doesn’t want to constantly spy on our races, he likely has to.” Ryousuke smiled at the little bat. “Don’t worry, it won’t last too long.”

Chapter Text

“Give me your best prediction on how this battle will unfold, Kubo.” Gou asked, curious on what Kubo thinks of his mate’s little brother’s skills. Despite any misgivings, and what Tsuyoshi has stated, Kubo was very smart. Even if he did smell a little like hyena.

“Best prediction? That’s tough at the moment.” He cocked a smile at Gou, the vampire felt like he was gonna laugh soon. Outsiders, he hoped not. Kubo laughed too much.

“I know that you don’t have enough data at the moment, that’s why I said prediction. Once you have enough data you can be right one hundred percent of the time.” Yeah, sure, with Project D and the backing of Outsiders, nothing is that certain.

“Well, with that explanation, how could I say no?” he chortled and Gou sighed internally. That man really did need to cut down on the laugh, he just knew he’d hear him chuckle at least five times before the end of the first round. “I’ll give you my prediction. Just a prediction, okay?” As Gou gave him a vaguely impatient look, eyes narrowed slightly and expression set into a deniably pouty curve, the cocky smile on Kubo’s face wilted a little, becoming more mopey instead. “This is what I predict...”

~0~

“That FD’s got power and the footwork is good, but I wonder how he will handle it once the road becomes steep and rough.” The road suddenly widened before them, space enough for him to pass if he so desired, but he remained following, too intent on watching to even think of passing. An antennae twitched as he watched the FD in front of him continue climbing smoothly. “Oh, it is surprising to see a RWD car climb a hill so sharply. But it bothers me, I don’t like the fact that the car is behaving as it should. I don’t feel any plus factors from it, the driver’s presence is weak.” He clicked his tongue.

How disappointing.

“Keisuke Takahashi, you’re a fast driver, but your style is boring.”

~0~

“Omiya, what do you think of Kobayakawa’s decision?” someone asked, prompting the emperor moth to turn around quickly, causing dust to fly from his wings and into the air. Team 246 members averted their noses, despite that someone still sneezed.

“About his decision of chasing in the first round?” Omiya asked, and the one who asked nodded. “I think that it’s smart of him. I don’t see any disadvantages for him, even if the race drags on. If he can figure out what makes him faster or slower than the FD in front of him, he can make a bold and decisive maneuver in the second round.”

“Are you planning to do the same as Kobayakawa?” Omiya paused and thought about that a little.

“That I don’t know yet, I’ll have to see the results first?” he said, his statement veering off towards a question at the end.

“Results?” someone else asked incredulously. “But he has an absolute advantage! His opponent is an FD.” Omiya’s wings began stuttering, knocking more dust loose.

“You see, I don’t like it when I have an absolute advantage. Anything can happen during a race.”

~0~

“He doesn’t show any wasteful wheel spin on this rough surface.” Kobayakawa adjusted his wing positions, wincing slightly when he felt some of his scales dislodge from them. “Takahashi, your perfectionism comes through loud and clear, but that gets on my nerves.” his face twitched. “‘Doing your job right.’ I got it, that’s enough. It isn’t like your team has outrageously skilled drivers.”

~0~

“Ryousuke, lately your conversations with Keisuke have started sounding like riddles.” Fumihiro eyed the baby bat snoozing on top of Ryousuke’s head. “I don’t understand any of it. What did he mean by ‘half of his job was done last night’?” Ryousuke’s expression shifted upwards slightly as he chuckled a little.

“There is no complicated meaning behind that, Fumihiro.” A soft smile appeared on his face. “If you live with someone under the same roof, you can say a lot with little. If you’d hear how we talk at home, I wouldn’t be surprised if you thought that we came up with a secret language.”

“Okay…?”

“But, we agreed to finish the race quickly whenever we start in the lead position. The first half of the course is steep and rough, so he must preserve the FD’s rear wheels as much as possible. That will allow him to execute a super sprint in the second half where the slopes are milder by making the best use of his tires. Don’t you think that’s the kind of easy and straightforward strategy Keisuke would prefer? It is obvious that he can’t keep himself at his peak if he challenges that Lan-Evo to a long race. The victory hinges upon how much Keisuke can increase his top speed. If our opponent can keep up with him, we’ll lose. That is what he meant by finishing half of his job last night.” Ryousuke could feel the little bat shift around on his head.

“Could you two be any louder?” Tsuyoshi squeaked sleepily, Fumihiro tilted his head curiously. “I was just about to doze off!”

“Sure, oh Lord of Darkness.” Ryousuke tried to hold back the laugh, which manifested as a snicker.

“Where did the bat come from?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

~0~

Kobayakawa’s expression began to reflect his stress, something felt very wrong about all of this, he wouldn’t doubt or be surprised if something happened soon.

“We’ve passed the halfway point. He’ll most likely make a spurt for it in this part of the course, but where?” The road narrowed once more. “Where, for fucks sake? Where will you make your move? I know what you’re planning, my Evo won’t lose to any other car in rapid acceleration.” His antennae shuttered at they started picking up vibrations. “The road widens here. He must make his move around here.” The moth was losing his patience. “Here? Should I go for it? Where the fuck are you gonna sprint out?! You’re starting to get on my nerves! Last spurt yet? No, he hasn’t. Not yet. Not now. Maybe the next? ”

~0~

“Evo and Imp drivers believe in one thing single mindedly: the cars made for rallying must be the best on public streets.” Gou narrowed his eyes, paying close attention to what the hyena talked about. “I used to be a rally racer before starting up my own shop, I know what kind of people drive those cars. But rallies were originally done on snow or dirt, thus 4WD aren’t necessarily unbeatable on dry asphalt.” He lifted his right index finger. “That’s why I predict that the winner will be decided uneventfully in the first round. And the winner is…” Gou sighed, Kubo is gonna drag that out for dramatic purposes. He wouldn’t get an answer any sooner.

~0~

“The road got narrower and the visibility went down, you won’t be able to keep this pace up, Takahashi!”

The FD in front of him lit up a bright blue, a very present and frightening aura, and disappeared behind the corner, catching the poodle moth off guard. His shock didn’t last, and was quickly replaced with anger. “You won’t get away! Evo, let’s do it!” his Lan-Evo squatted as he hit the gas pedal. “Bastard caught me off guard, spurting out in a place like that!”

With each corner, each change of the road width, Kobayakawa was being left behind. “I can catch up, I must have to! I need to catch him again no matter what!”

~0~

“Public roads are unfair in every way.” Ryousuke started up again as Takumi walked closer to them, Nejibana situated on his shoulder. She gaze was fixed on Tsuyoshi, no surprise there at this point. “On a difficult, complex winding road with no escape zones, it is near impossible to reach the limit. If there did exist a public road specialist, that person would have courage, fighting spirit, experience, and in some cases, recklessness of youth. And also, a plus factor only given to those who have been blessed by the Outsiders.”

Both Fumihiro and Takumi were shocked at that revelation, and before either could ask Fumihiro’s phone rang. The siren answered it.

“Kenta?”

“KEISUKE WON!” Fumihiro pulled the phone from his ear, visibly startled by the sudden volume. “He passed the finish line before his opponent with a seven second gap between them! IT’S A PERFECT WIN!” Ryousuke chuckled at Kenta’s obvious excitement. The dragon was probably circling around in excitement again. Tsuyoshi caught sight of Takumi and, with a small stretch, flew over to him and landed on his head.

“Hello there.” Takumi greeted politely, and the bat let out a little squeak.

“Hello!” he chirped, and Takumi shifted in alarm.

“He finally got it!” Nejibana exclaimed, causing him to look at her. “We’re teaching each other our animal languages! He finally got ‘hello’ in our language down, master!”

“Y-Yeah, I see he did.” as the surprise wore off, he lifted a limb to his head and picked up the bat, bringing him down to look at him. He was impressed, a bat learning to speak spider. “Well, Nejibana hasn’t known you long, but you’re already picking up our language. You even got the accent right! What an impressive little hunter you are.” the bat puffed up pridefully, causing Ryousuke to chuckle at the sight. The little bat turned to him and squeaked.

“You look funny all puffed up like that, Tsuyoshi.” Ryousuke said. The bat squeaked again. “Yes, you are an impressive hunter, but when you’re poofed up like that you look like a cotton ball.” Takumi rose both brows at the interaction.

“You can understand what he says?” he asked, prompting Ryousuke to look at him.

“Yes. I was added to an existing familiar contact with him.” Takumi’s mind ran a mile a minute at that. Only family and mates could be added to a contract like that, and knowing who Tsuyoshi’s master was… Spider began clicking happily.

“Congratulations.” Takumi said, much to Ryousuke’s surprise and Fumihiro’s confusion. “I’m glad you managed to talk it out.”

“How did you-”

“Contracts are a private thing, wasn’t hard to guess.” Nejibana bobbed at that, agreeing with his words. “Reminds me that I need to add Keisuke to my contract with Nejibana.” the little spider tapped his face with a leg.

“We should all get in one big contract!” she announced.

“Explain?”

“Four creatures in a contract with two familiars!” she clicked. “We’re all family at this point anyway, and Tsuyoshi has told me that he’s wanted to have conversations with you and your instincts on multiple occasions, so why not?” Takumi looked thoughtful at that.

“What did she say?”

“She wants us all to make a contract. You, Keisuke, Tsuyoshi’s master, and I, I mean.” Ryousuke rose a brow at that.

“That doesn’t sound like all that bad of an idea.” he said, and finally, Fumihiro seemed to snap as he let out an agitated hoot, his feathers poofing up. Two vaguely tall feathers stood up atop his head.

“What are you two talking about!?” he snapped, causing Nejibana to vaguely threat posture.

“Nothing you should worry about. Private family things. It was in poor taste of us to discuss it here.” Takumi nodded at that, and Fumihiro deflated a little.

“Well, it can wait! Takumi needs to get to the starting line, he still has a race, remember?” Takumi looked startled at that and nearly bolted, Nejibana hopping from his shoulder and Tsuyoshi taking off.

“Yeah. Maybe we should have waited for this conversation.”

~0~

Omiya shifted, vaguely agitated as the 86 pulled to the start of the downhill and his opponent got out, the spider looking a little distressed by otherwise calm.

“I still can’t believe Kobayakawa lost to a gap of seven seconds.” someone to the side commented. “It’s just ridiculous.”

“You know… the downhill seems frightening tonight.” Omiya commented absentmindedly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this in reference to my opponent, but of myself. After Kobayakawa’s loss, once I start driving I won’t be able to suppress my fighting spirit. I’ve gotta shave down the margin as much as I can, my attack will be bordering my limit.” he shifted, his wings twitching. “I’ll be alright within my zone, but if I screw up, I’m done for. It’s that I’m not really afraid of it that’s scaring me.” the entire team looked taken aback by his words.

“Omiya-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll manage myself well enough. Tonight’s performance will be the best of my career.”

~0~

Gou watched as Tsuyoshi flew closer and lifted a hand, allowing the bat to land on it as he brought him close.

“Any news?”

“Well, you probably already know this, but Keisuke won.”

“Unsurprising.”

“And Nejibana wants to enact a family contract.” Gou rose a brow.

“A what?” he asked, catching sight of Kubo looking at him curiously from the corner of his eye.

“She wants you, her master, your mate, and your mate’s brother to enact a contract with both me and her. That’s the gist. It marks us all as family, mate bonds withstanding.” Gou pondered that for a moment.

“Well, it’s a good idea. Is anyone opposed?”

“Master Ryousuke sounded up for the idea, and Nejibana’s master wasn’t against it at all.” Tsuyoshi shifted. “I don’t know about the oni, though.”

“That’s alright, Tsuyoshi, he can always be asked later on.”

“Just what are you two chattering about?” Kubo asked, and Gou shot him a look.

“None of your business.” he responded quickly, and Kubo rose a brow. “It’s private family matters, and nothing you need to know about.”

“Alright, I won’t press about it.” Kubo let off, looking away, and Gou sighed.

“Nosy.” Tsuyoshi huffed, and Gou couldn’t help but agree.

~0~

Takumi parked his car behind the orange Miata, locking eyes with his opponent. He didn’t need to clasp hands with him to see his aura, an angry but restrained red.

“I’m Satoshi Omiya.” the moth said, offering a hand, and Takumi clasped it. Omiya’s eyes widened a little.

“Takumi Fujiwara.” he responded politely.

“You were almost late to the starting line.” Omiya commented, and Takumi’s expression became a little sheepish, his pedipalps shifting.

“I lost myself in conversation and forgot where I was for a moment.” he responded. “Not much of an excuse, but…” Omiya nodded.

“I don’t much like it, but I understand.” his wings twitched and knocked more dust into the air as they parted.

“Don’t you dare lose, Takumi!” Kenta exclaimed, hovering over the crowd. Takumi shot him a look and approached his 86, opening the door and getting in.

“Alright! I’m starting the countdown!” Takumi buckled in, listening to Spider hum as he did so.

‘This will almost be like a real hunt, seeing the creature our opponent is.’ Spider crooned. Takumi chuckled at that.

“You’re right, it will, won’t it?”

“GO!”

Chapter Text

“You nailed it with the uphill race, Kubo.” Gou stated, sending Tsuyoshi back off towards Project D. “But what do you think of the downhill race?” a confused frown appeared on Kubo’s face.

“I have no idea.” he responded, sounding agitated. “Omiya is a top notch driver most definitely, but that 86 kid is mysterious, which makes it unpredictable. There is also something strange about the driver himself. Being in the business for so long, I can tell you that he’s a rare breed with a unique style.” Gou repressed the smile creeping on his lips. He has seen that kid drive himself, so it feels kinda dumb to ask this question, but he’s intrigued of what that hyena thinks.

“Is he fast?”

“Oh, sure he is.” Great, now Gou felt even more dumb for even asking that, knowing it would have such a predictable answer. He switched topics.

“You know, that 86 kid, he’s being backed by Takahashi Ryousuke.” the hyena, for once, had his entire attention directed at the vampire at that.

“Oh? You look like you’re concerned for him. You had us looking at them for some time last night.”

“Ryousuke… I am. Someone else I know has a big issue with him, which makes me antsy...” his voice trailed off.

~0~

Matsumoto and Fumihiro tuned into Ryousuke’s another info dump. It helps Ryousuke lower his stress, which is why they let him talk without interruption. And Ryousuke seems to be more stressed than usual, as of late.

“Both the NB8C Miata and AE86 Trueno have light and compact bodies with a small displacement naturally aspirated engines. Thus they both are agile, perfect for zipping along winding roads.” his tail swayed. “Their concept is the same though they’ve been made years apart. That’s why the victory hinges upon the drivers’ instincts. The instincts of the NB driver, Satoshi Omiya, and the instincts of the 86 driver, Takumi Fujiwara. In my opinion the result rests on whose instincts are the best fit for their car.” Fumihiro raised his hand as a signal before he spoke.

“You make it sound like both cars are alive.

“Maybe so. The one who won’t listen to their car’s voice for a moment will lose.”

~0~

The Miata and 86 both braked sharply before flying out of the near 90 degree corner. It was only the beginning of the race, and he felt that they were, at the very least, evenly matched.

“Project D is a legendary team from Gunma who’ve swept the Northern Kanto area with no losses.” Omiya mused to himself, an antennae twitching. “I could’ve learned a lot when driving behind them, that’s what Kobayakawa thought. I would have done the same, but that was the reason he lost. You can’t maintain your pace when studying your opponent.” he glanced in his rearview at the closely following Trueno behind him, his wings quivering at the aura it was releasing, no matter how restrained. “It feels dangerous just to look at the 86. That’s why I chose to lead instead. I’ll keep my pace up without any obstacles in order to win.”

~0~

The cicadas were getting on Tomiguchi’s nerves, their clicking and screaming from all sides almost overwhelming to his sensitive ears. In an effort to drown out the noises, he decided to start up a conversation with the oni and the dragon.

“I wonder how the downhill will progress.”

“I don’t think that we will win easily.” Keisuke was quick to answer, almost as if he’d been anticipating the start of topic. “If I am honest with you, I think that our opponents’ levels are high, even though I won with a seven second lead, the race was far from easy.” that revelation had Kenta in awe. “That guy Takumi is facing right now, is especially tough, I can sense it. That guy must have perfected street racing. And I know for sure that Takumi knows and feels this too.” It was clear that the revelation had the cat and the dragon stunned, so he let them think a bit before continuing. “That leading NB will hold on and then suddenly accelerate, just like I did. As a local, he knows the ins and outs of this course and can maintain his pace, which gives him the edge over Takumi.”

“That’s grim, coming from you. So, where would the decisive point be?” Kenta asked, hoping for something hopeful.

“The steep and rough road at the end of the course.”

“The suspension design is old on the 86.” Tomiguchi chimed in. “That part will be troublesome for him.” that’s not what Kenta had hoped for.

“That’s true, but our disadvantage didn’t just begin tonight. Ever since the Red Suns, our motto has been fighting on our opponents stages.”

“That’s right!”

“Aniki’s calculated strategies of fighting those away races have succeeded. If our opponent is the specialist on their course, then we’re a special team organized to tackle enemy territories. In the end, whoever is faster than the other, that’s what’ll matter.” just like that, he managed to shock Tomiguchi and Kenta again. “Nothing is impossible for our team, as long as we have the genius of my aniki. I believe in him.”

~0~

Kobayakawa was flying above the crowd, getting a birds eye view of the race. Gentle rumbling was heard behind the corner and from his position above, the moth could see headlights.

“They’re almost here!” A person from the crowd yelled, catching the attention of everyone.

“They’re gonna dive into that mid section hairpin.” someone else added.

As both the NB and 86 flew into the corner, the crowd went wild.

“Go, Omiya! Leave that 86 in the dust!” a local yelled over the sounds of the roaring engines and tires screeching. And just like that, they were gone.

‘They’ve passed the mid section fighting tail to nose. It has developed the same way up to this point. I knew that the FD would speed up somewhere. I was getting frustrated because he wasn’t making a move according to my predictions. I felt cornered strangely. I’m sure that the 86 kid must be feeling the same. If Omiya keeps up his pace, neither of them can ease up for a second.’ Kobayakawa flew back to the peak to talk with the rest of the team.

~0~

Takumi clicked as he watched the Miata in front of him, taking in its movement and patterns. It was vaguely annoying.

“He’s puppy guarding the entire road.” he commented passively. “Always on guard. Such things give me no space to pass.” Spider clicked alongside him.

With Omiya himself, he was pressed to ignore the aura the 86 gave off as he went along.

“We’re only halfway done with the first round.” he muttered to himself. “My tension is almost off the scale, even my wings feel stiff. But, I have one more level.” he pressed down on the accelerator. “There will come a moment when my fighting spirit flares up. Despite that, I’m focused. I’ll worry about that when the time comes.”

~0~

Matsumoto could hear Ryousuke’s wings shutter agitatedly. While the feathers hardly shifted visually, he could hear them rubbing against one another. Was another info dump coming on?

“From a strategic point of view,” yep, another info dump. “I think braking is most important on the downhill. Stopping distance increased dramatically on the downhill versus on level ground, so one braking mistake is critical.” one of his ears twitched and Matsumoto watched the motion, that didn’t happen often. “Unlike circuits, public streets are dark without any distance markers before each corner. In order to determine a precise braking point in these conditions, you can only rely on your refined intuition.” he shifted his stance. “Landmarks are useless in this kind of situation.” they remained silent as Ryousuke’s tail sliced at the air.

Matsumoto felt he wasn’t done quite just yet. Maybe he’d go on a tangent?

“You know, I’m constantly being surprised by Takumi’s potential.”

‘Two for two, Shuichi.’ the kitsune thought to himself.

“That spider’s braking sense is exceptional, it’s one of the reasons why he can keep winning on the downhill against locals on their own home course.”

“His skill isn’t something acquired with just practice.” Fumihiro tacked on.

“He’s definitely a natural at it.” Matsumoto added.

“One can figure out their opponent’s driving skills by watching how they brake as you stay on their tail.”

“You’re correct, and that’s not so hard.”

“It’s even more true between drivers with similar skill sets.” Ryousuke shifted his gaze skyward and rose a hand, the small bat from before landing in it gracefully.

“Conversely,” he said distractedly. “Hiding skills can be the key to victory. To show your true braking skills when you decide you want to finish the match.”

~0~

Takumi nearly choked when the Miata in front of him suddenly burst to life, a great show of almost fluorescent pink as his opponent’s aura flared brilliantly. His shock almost caused him to miss his braking entirely.

“I was definitely late on that.” he muttered. “Even if it was just the one time, I was still late with my braking.”

‘Enough on that!’ Spider almost growled. ‘We saw that aura! How powerful, who knew a moth could have such bright colors!’ Takumi didn’t dignify that with a response, the almost question sounded ridiculous.

Omiya was focused, completely and utterly. He was throwing all of his ability into the race now, and from what he could gleam from his rear view glances, he was slowly gaining ground.

“I’m racing at one hundred percent capacity, this is a dangerous zone for me to be in.” but with how things were going, he didn’t think he’d have any troubles.

~0~

“They’re getting closer. Almost at the corner.” Kubo said, Gou’s expression gaining a devilish smirk. Omiya and Takumi passed them like a flurry of orange and white. Kubo chuckled to himself, clearly invigorated by the speed which the racers passed them. “Looks dangerous. The cars of that era tend to behave like that when their suspension is stiffened. You can even say it is very 86 like.” Gou came down a few steps. “That car is seriously tuned to be it’s best where the average speed is lower than one hundred kilometers an hour.”

“So, it seems there is a meaning for the choice of using the 86. That is something Ryousuke would come up with.”

“Looks like that Ryousuke guy knows what he is doing based on the fact that that car doesn’t have any aerodynamic parts. With those two racing, the level is so high that both cars will reach their critical speed for a moment, even if they’re in the slow speed stage.” his voice turned glum. “People say that the GT wing only works in closed circuit races, but at their level, it is no longer just a decoration. I have a feeling that this race will be settled by the aerodynamics.” Gou’s gaze remained fixed into the exit of the corner. He didn’t know how to feel about that.

~0~

Ryousuke eyed the little bat sitting in his hand, said creature having his eyes fixed on Matsumoto and vice versa. When Tsuyoshi tilted his head, Matsumoto would mimic it and the bat would tilt in the other direction in response. The sphinx was under the impression that it was a sort of game, it was amusing to watch. As he watched, a thought came to mind and he looked up, his ears twitching again as he opened his mouth.

“Mazda’s RWD cars are designed to have the roll axis a bit forward from the midpoint. The FD is no exception. Though, the Miatas were designed with a perfect fifty-fifty balance in mind. But our opponent must’ve tuned his car to be lighter and thus messing with that weight balance. If the rear end was lighter than the front, it gives the car a better handling. But if it is pushed far enough, the biased load to the front causes the car to oversteer.”

“Oversteering on the downhill is pretty bad.” Fumihiro commented, causing Ryousuke to raise a brow slightly. That statement’s pretty obvious. “You can drive faster by understeering, instead. Knowing our opponents, their car must have been perfectly tuned, but if something destroys that balance, Takumi will have a much better chance at winning.”

~0~

“I can’t catch up.” Takumi clicked his tongue in agitation. “But the gap between us hasn’t widened despite the fact that I’m only tracing his car’s line and speed.” the back of his neck started to prickle again, not the urgent, almost panicked sensation he’d become accustomed to, but instead an almost non-existent tingle, like when your arm or leg is on the verge of falling asleep but you have it at the last second.

He didn’t want to know what it meant.

Omiya himself was beginning to sweat, glancing at the 86 in his rearview and nearly scoffing. Unlike his original impression, he was no longer gaining ground as the 86 stayed in pace with him.

“It’s almost a miracle that he’s kept up with me.” he growled, before reaching up and turning his rearview away from his gaze. “From this point on, I have no need for this mirror. No need to play that guessing game, I just have to look ahead of me and keep pushing hard. I only need to check the rear once I cross the finish line. That’s when I know victory will be guaranteed!”

Takumi’s expression shifted slightly as he noticed a shift in his opponent’s aura. Nothing too large, almost like a shift in mindset. He felt Spider pacing back and forth, watching the race with a constant round of clicking, which only intensified as Takumi reached up and turned off his headlamps, bathing the interior of the car in total darkness. He was still hardly used to it, but he felt oddly comfortable in the darkness of the 86. Maybe it was an instinctual thing? Nevertheless, he kept pace with the Miata, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

~0~

A phone call came in, startling Matsumoto and Tsuyoshi out of their game for a second as Fumihiro answered it.

“The 86’s headlights are off? The blind attack, huh?” the siren was stunned as it was heard from the tone of his voice.

“Ryousuke.” Matsumoto turned to the sphinx, clearly awaiting an explanation.

“Up to this point, Takumi must’ve felt at a disadvantage in the high speed sections. Takumi’s Outsider blessed talent, or, he might’ve heard the voice of the 86.” Ryousuke looked up to the stars. “Blind attack, which is one of Takumi’s signature moves, is a two sided diversion maneuver of confusing his opponent as well as hiding his offensive strategy.”

“But what if the opponent is familiar with the course and remains highly focused at the course in front of them?” Fumihiro asked, as if he knew that Omiya isn’t looking behind him.

“Right, it doesn’t have the desired effect. However, retractable headlights have a lower drag coefficient when lowered.”

“Because of the lowered air resistance!” Matsumoto almost came running.

Ryousuke nodded. “Takumi must’ve wanted to raise his top speed even by a little by reducing the drag.”

“Fujiwara’s tenacity…” Fumihiro trailed off.

“His tenacity may lead to a breakthrough.”

~0~

Takumi had his eyes fixed to both the Miata and the road, Spider’s clicking mere background noise at this point.

“Somewhere.” he muttered. “Just before he begins his braking action. I’m not sure where, but…” he fell silent, his eyes widening a fraction as he realized his next move, and turned his headlights back on. The Miata swerved to the side shakily, a vaguely confusing move, one that caused Spider to begin clicking louder, sounding excited, but not something Takumi would pass up on. He pushed down on the accelerator and quickly pulled in beside his opponent, focusing on trying to pass as best as he could.

Omiya, on the other hand, was in an odd state of shock, unable to completely process what had just occurred.

“What the hell was that?” he breathed, before gritting his teeth. “Damn it! I won’t lose after coming this far! I’ll keep my space right here, the question is, can you keep up?!”

Takumi grit his teeth as the road narrowed, the Miata slowly pulling ahead. Spider’s clicking was almost getting annoying. As they flew into another nearly ninety degree corner, the Miata pulled ahead and swerved towards the side of the road. Takumi widened his eyes as he caught sight of the orange car’s wing clip a street sign and come loose on one side, throwing the car off balance and forcing it to begin swerving uncontrollably.

Omiya heard the wing break, the sound made him wince and cause him to begin sweating.

“Shit, I messed up the wing.” he grimaced, the scales on his wings getting dislodged from stress. “I need to keep this race short. I have to settle the race in this round!” he gripped the wheel harder as he felt the rear tires slide a little, prompting his two other arms to emerge from where he had them by his wings and grip the wheel as well. “The car is unstable. I have no clue what the damage on the wing looks like, but the car’s lateral balance is off because of it. It would’ve been preferable if the wing broke off completely.” the car shook a little harder. “Damn it, no time for excuses! I just have to motivate myself to raise my limit.”

Takumi’s right eye twitched, Spider had begun chanting now, along with his clicks, repeating the phrase ‘wounded prey’ over and over again in increasing volume. He was obviously excited, as they’d never had race before where their opponent was damaged like that but insisted that it keep going.

‘Wounded prey!’

“Alright! I get it!” Takumi exclaimed, pushing down on Spider lightly with his consciousness. It was enough to cause Spider to fall silent.

As the two cars neared the corner, the 86 getting closer and closer, they turned together, and the Miata lost control as they exited, spinning out around the 86 as it passed. The two racers locked eyes, only for a second, and Omiya could see that the spider was concerned, probably more than he should be for a Jorōgumo, but something else in that gaze made him gulp. He felt like prey in the eyes of a predator. As he came to a stop, the 86 rounded the next corner, and was gone. Omiya released the wheel with a click of his tongue, tucking his extra limbs back behind his wings.

“I guess today wasn’t my day after all.”

The rest of the team was quickly making their way towards the damaged Miata once the word came through. Omiya was already looking at the wing with crossed arms as they came up to him.

“Omiya?” someone asked hesitantly, eyes darting between the damaged wing and the moth that was staring at it blankly. Omiya sighed.

“So that explains why the left rear of my car felt so light.” he groused. “Couldn’t maintain grip at that corner and massively oversteered because of this.” he tisked. “Well, it can’t be helped. Luck controls this game we play, and I couldn’t have been any more motivated than I was today.” he was silent for a moment. “I’ve come to realize that the root of my driving lies in the mountain passes. You can’t experience the sensation of your head going blank on the circuit.” his expression softened as he lifted a hand and set it upon the damaged wing, running it back and forth over the now rough and dented surface. “I’m happy that I could fight in a real battle today, because those don’t come around very often in life.”

~0~

Gou was resting against the handrails, staring blankly at the steps they were on, after the news of the race came through.

“Outsiders, I didn’t expect Omiya to lose to that 86 kid like he did.” Kubo sighed. Gou was ready to shoot an angry glare at him, but he forced that urge down. The hyena continued on, completely unaware of the vampire’s mood. “That kid is truly mysterious. Too bad that he didn’t go for a time trial, we could’ve figured out that 86’s racing capabilities and that kid’s skills.”

Gou scoffed. “Our opponent’s leader isn’t an idiot. Don’t underestimate Ryousuke, Kubo. That’s exactly the reason he won’t go for time trial.” Kubo was taken aback. Gou has never defended an opponent like this before, he’ll file that info away for later. The vampire stood, his gaze skyward, and lifted a hand, Tsuyoshi landing in it and collapsing tiredly. Time to leave.

“Gather the guys spread around the course, we’re going home.”

~0~

Minagawa waited quietly, leaning against the hood of his Supra as he waited for his teammate to arrive. A flutter of wings caught his attention and he turned to see a large crow land on a nearby sign, staring at him intently. His expression shifted downwards, crows that large were never a good sign, always meant something he didn’t want to cross might be nearby. The sound of an engine caused him to tear his gaze from the bird and look towards the road in time to see his teammate’s MR-S pull into the lot. He glanced back towards the bird and saw that it was gone. He frowned harder, his red and fuchsia tail feathers twitching. A car door opened and closed, and he set his eyes on the form of his teammate, great black wings and all.

“So, did you hear who won, Kogashiwa?” he asked aloud, prompting the tengu to raise a brow.

“Of course I did.” Kai responded easily. “We should be happy about it too, because now we get our chance to shine.”

“Well, I guess I can’t argue with that.” Minagawa chuckled.

“I, of course, have to pay Takumi Fujiwara back for humiliating me like he did on the slopes of Iroha.”

~0~

The air was… off, at the gas station as Takumi pulled up to a pump and got out. Something was different about the area, he just couldn’t tell what yet. Kenji seemed as excited as ever though, but Itsuki and Iketani were oddly wary of something, and were acting subdued, even as they clapped excitedly.

“Oh, Takumi! We’ve been waiting for you to get here!” Itsuki exclaimed.

“Here comes the Ace!” Kenji tacked on. Takumi felt his face flush a little red as he approached.

“Uh…”

“Allow me, ace reporter Itsuki, to interview the illustrious Takumi Fujiwara of Project D, who just won his first battle in Kanagawa!” Itsuki crooned dramatically, holding a wrench to his face like it was a microphone.”

“That’s really annoying, Itsuki. Cut it out. I don’t like it.” Itsuki leveled him with a look and pressed on.

“Well, Mr. Fujiwara, tell us what’s on your mind!”

“I want a full tank of high octane.” he responded blandly, returning the look Itsuki had given him in spades. Itsuki remained motionless and silent, staring for a moment, before bringing up his free hand and smacking the spider lightly across the face with it.

“Idiot! So boring!” he yelled. “How can you keep your tension so low all the damn time!?”

“Well I just came here for gas! That can’t be helped!” Itsuki groaned loudly.

“Jeez. Anyway, are you ready for the next battle?”

“When even is the second match in Kanagawa?” Iketani cut in as he approached the pump.

“The week after next.” Takumi responded, watching Iketani do his work. “The team decided to have an interval between each race.”

“That means you can relax a bit next weekend.” Itsuki said, walking away to put up the wrench.

“Yeah, more or less.”

“It’s a little far, but we all have got to see Project D, or maybe mostly just Takumi, race out there at least once.” Kenji let out a sound of interest, causing Takumi to turn to him, the Spider was quietly clicking away.

“That’s a good idea! If we can, I wanna stay overnight so we can watch their practice runs the day before the race.”

“That sounds like an idea. We can visit Hakone’s tourist spots and go to a hot spring during the day!”

“I heard Koichiro say hot spring!” Itsuki exclaimed, hurrying over. “That sounds like a good time!”

“You would want to be in a hot spring with him, huh?” Kenji said blandly, crossing his arms. “Buncha wet dogs in a jacuzzi.”

“Uhhh…” Takumi spoke up, catching everyone’s attention. “If you’re coming out, the sooner the better. If we lose, there’ll be no other chance.”

“Don’t jinx yourself!” Kenji exclaimed.

“Yeah, you just make sure you keep winning!” Iketani agreed quickly.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that-”

“Then stop talking about it.” Kenji interrupted him. “Talking about losing is bad luck.” Takumi noticed the air near Kenji shimmer, looking vaguely humanoid in shape, and when Takumi blinked, it was gone. Spider’s clicking was louder now, more alarmed.

‘That figure…’ he began pacing anxiously. ‘We’ve seen them before… Saitama, we think.’

‘Huh?’ Takumi asked mentally. ‘What do you mean?’ Spider didn’t respond, and merely continued to click away.

“OI! Takumi!” Itsuki exclaimed, waving a hand in his face, and Takumi jumped. “What happened? You were staring at Kenji and suddenly you went unresponsive.” Itsuki looked spooked, not as much as Kenji was, though.

“... Spider suddenly began talking to me.” he responded. “I can’t juggle listening to you and him at the same time, so I have to settle. Sorry if that was frightening.”

“I-It’s fine, just, don’t stare at someone again when it happens, okay?” Kenji put a hand against his heart. “That was terrifying.”

“Sorry.”

~0~

Matsumoto stretched, popping his neck and back as he stood and walked towards his phone, the ring tone forcing his ears to turn downwards. He picked it up and flipped it open.

“Hello? Matsumoto speaking.”

“Hello, Matsumoto.” Ryousuke’s voice came from the other line. His tone made Matsumoto pause.

“Hello, Ryousuke, is everything alright? You sound a little anxious.”

“I have a favor to ask of you, and it’s not about the 86. Will you hear me out?”

“Uh, yeah, of course. What do you need?” Matsumoto felt unnerved by this.

“I need you to tune up my FC.”

“Wh… the FC? Why?”

“I… I can’t tell you yet. It’s just about something that’s been bothering me as of late.”

“I see.”

“This is a matter completely separate from Project D. Please keep this between just us for now.”

“Okay… I promise.”

“Thank you, Matsumoto, I’m counting on you.” and with that, the line went dead.

Ryousuke stared out at the expanse of water before him, pocketing his phone without a sound.

‘He’ll eventually show up, so long as Gou leads Sidewinder.’ he thought to himself. ‘It’s an unavoidable fate.’ the water lapped at the shore close to his shoes. ‘I can’t run away from it, because I’m still Ryousuke Takahashi, lone wolf of Akagi. Please don’t worry about me.’

“I’ll be okay, Gou.”

Behind him in the trees, two sets of eyes watched on in worry, and a small flutter of wings was the only sound outside of the rolling waves against the shoreline.

Chapter Text

Keisuke was giddy and vaguely anxious as picked up his phone and called Takumi. He had a plan for the free weekend, and hoped that his mate agreed.

“Keisuke?” Takumi’s voice asked immediately.

“Hey, Takumi! I was thinking that, we should probably go to the beach this weekend, since we have the week free.” he heard Takumi be taken aback for a moment, quiet clicking barely being picked up by the receiver. There was a small swath of silence.

“Ah… I mean sure! It’s been forever since I’ve visited one.”

“It’s settled!” Keisuke was oddly excited and Takumi wanted to see how cute he looked like.

“I know a place where we can go, Keisuke. We’ll be going with your FD because the AC works better.” Takumi ended his sentence with laughter.

“Sure, but you’re gonna have to drive us there.”

“See you later, can’t wait to see you in your swimsuit!”

“Me too, bye!” and the line went silent. He was oddly proud to get the spider to agree to his outing, if he only saw the flush that grew on his cheeks. He wished that the weekend would come faster.

Saturday morning came quickly and the sun was shining bright. Takumi had already packed an outing bag and was going over the directions to the beach in his head, it’s been years since he last went there and hoped he didn’t remember the way there wrong. The window to his room was open and the gentle breeze was shifting the curtains. In the distance he heard a familiar engine sound. Grabbing his bag, he got up and started his way down the stairs.

“Nejibana, are you coming along?” he asked, glancing up at her web.

“No thank you.” she groused. “I hate the feeling of sand. And you’re going to a creature beach, that’s still public enough for there to be small creatures running around. I’d rather not risk dismemberment. Or drowning.” Takumi rose a brow at her, before shrugging.

“Suit yourself.” was his only response, before he opened the front door and stepped out, setting the bag on the upper step as he sat down.

“Going somewhere?” Bunta’s voice caused him to jump, he should have expected his dad to be out here, probably smoking.

“Yeah, Keisuke and I made plans to go to the beach today.”

“A beach, huh?”

“Yeah, it’ll be that nice creature-only one you used to take me to when I was much younger.” Bunta nodded at that as a yellow FD rolled in front of the shop. The driver door opened, and Keisuke stepped out, leaning on the hood.

“Ready to go?” Takumi nodded and grabbed his bag, getting up and walking towards the FD in time for Keisuke to move around towards him. Takumi tilted his head. “I told you that you’ll be driving us there, I don’t know where your preferred beach is.” the spider’s eyes widened.

“Me? Drive your FD?” Keisuke nodded. “You’re sure?” another nod accompanied with a smile. Takumi began to click a little at that. “Well, alright, if you’re sure.”

“I am sure. I know you’ll do fine with her, if I thought you wouldn’t I’d just have you give me directions.” he opened the passenger door and got in as he said this, Takumi taking a seat on the driver side and shutting the door.

“I’d almost prefer it if you’d asked me to give you directions.” the spider said nervously as he tossed his bag in the back, where it joined Keisuke’s own. Keisuke himself merely laughed.

“It’s fine, Takumi. Let’s just go!”

Surprisingly, despite the number of years it’d been since he’d last been here, Takumi remembered the way there almost clear as day. The beach was sparsely populated, he recognized the form of a few more water based creatures messing around around the shore and further out.

“Has this place always been here?” Keisuke asked, looking surprised as he looked around. “Aniki and I have always driven around out here and we’ve never seen this place before.”

“Creature-only.” Takumi replied, pointing at a sign that designated it as such with a rune carved into the metal below it. “The ward lines keep normal humans from seeing and entering this place unless expressly invited. There are numerous places hidden away like this around Japan.” Keisuke looked vaguely impressed.

“Is there anywhere else I should be aware of?”

“Other than a small shopping center in Akagi? No, not anywhere nearby.” Takumi did pause at that. “Well, there are a few activities for creatures scattered around Kanagawa, dad’s told me about a pretty large hot spring out near Hakone that accepts Jorōgumo and other particularly large creatures.” Keisuke grinned at that information.

“Well, we should visit it at some point, huh?” Takumi chuckled at that, before reaching back with a limb and grabbing their bags, shutting off the FD and opening the door.

“That would be nice.” he agreed, before pointing towards a small building nearby. “Changing rooms and bathroom. Not in the same general space, mind you, but the buildings are connected so as to not waste space. The wards had been set up first, of course, so creatures had to build within that limitation.” Keisuke nodded and Takumi pointed in another direction, where another sign sit. “That’s the end of the ward line, make sure not to pass it.”

“Alright. Anything else?”

“No. Just don’t pass the buoys. That’s it.”

“Buoys?” Keisuke looked out towards the water and couldn’t see any buoys.

“They’re pretty far out, most don’t really go out that far unless they’re primarily water based, like a mer, or selkie.” Takumi stood from the car and shut the door, his multiple limbs stretching a little from their vaguely cramped positions. “Come on, let’s go get changed.”

Takumi, Keisuke learned, was very quick at changing into swimwear. He also learned that there wasn’t any swimwear available for a Jorōgumo in full shift, because their abdomen got in the way of quite literally everything. So instead, Takumi was in half shift, and was wearing a normal pair of human trunks. The two of them looked around for a little while, before staking claim on an empty plot of sand to set up base.

“You know, this is nice.” Keisuke said as he watched Takumi hide himself under an umbrella they’d managed to snag. “I’m glad we came out here.”

“It’s a plus that the beach seems a little empty today.” Takumi pointed out as he dug around in his bag. “It’s usually more populated than this.”

“Maybe there’s an event today?”

“I don’t think there are events in this area on Saturdays… though I don’t live around here, so maybe.” he let out a small click of triumph as he pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. Keisuke looked at it with a raised brow, looking a little unamused. “I may be a Jorōgumo, but I still burn. You don’t know how horrid having sunburn on your abdomen is because you don’t have one.” he popped open the bottle. “Last time I was here I ran around in half shift without putting on sunscreen, and when dad and I got home my abdomen felt like it was on fire, and I looked like I had gone through a bad molt.” Keisuke looked a little disturbed by that information.

“Alright, I won’t judge you for the sunscreen. How did you even had ahold of SPF150 anyway?”

“Dad found it at a shopping center a few months back. Got it because Jorōgumo burn easier than a leaf thrown in a fire.” Keisuke snickered at the comparison.

“Well, when you’re done, let’s go out to the water. Your sunscreen is waterproof, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s have some fun, seeing as you won’t be bound beneath the umbrella or to the sand.”

~0~

“That brat took off with his mate in the FD and left his 86 here… I hope that he won’t mind if I test the car out.” Bunta was talking with Tama on his shoulder as he stared at the 86, taking in the differences in build and stature. It still looked like it was, for the most part, the same car, but Bunta knew there was something different about it. “Wanna hop along for old times’ sake?”

“It’s been a while, I wouldn’t mind it actually.” Tama hopped off Bunta’s shoulder and climbed onto the 86’s dashboard, while Bunta took on more humanoid form to get into the car. Setting off, he felt the difference already; though he had been driving around in his Imp for some time, he still recalls how the 86 had felt. He only needed to do one run around Akina to pick out all the differences he could feel in the car, even Tama seemed to have picked up some things.

“The balance is much better than I expected.” Bunta said as he leaned against the wall beside the 86 and lit a cigarette.

“Riding inside on the dash felt much smoother than I remember. Though, my last ride in the 86 was after the engine was installed and I got thrown around as you drove.” Tama swayed a little. “I still get dizzy just thinking about it.” Bunta chuckled at his familiar’s bemoaning.

“If anything, Ryousuke Takahashi is quite a guy. I don’t have the ability to refine the suspension settings like this in such a short period of time. The mechanics he has on staff are likely pretty amazing too.” Bunta sat down on his heels and sat a hand on the 86’s side, Tama peering at him curiously from the hood. “It can really go further with this.” Bunta looked towards the sky and exhaled, the smoke swirling around in the warm night air. “But likely not until the final step is taken.”

“Final step?” Tama echoed questioningly as his master stood.

“Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll have to be prepared for everything. That’ll be the last thing I can do for my hatchling.” as he turned to walk away, he held out a hand and Tama jumped onto it. The old orb weaver puzzled around Bunta’s words, but soon he decided to stop, sometimes his master said things that he shouldn’t puzzle over, as what he meant will always come to light after a while.

~0~

Kai’s expression was neutral as he pulled into the mostly empty lot, his eyes locked on the form of his teammate, a light colored harpy that he sometimes would rather not talk with. He opened his car door and stepped out.

“The car feels better than before!” he exclaimed pleasantly, his wings stretching open momentarily. “Your adjustments perfectly match the course!”

“Well, I can’t lose to some amateurs.” the harpy responded, and Kai withheld a frown at that. “Besides, Racing Team Katagiri’s main battlefield is the circuit, not public roads.”

“You shouldn’t worry about it. It’s impossible to find a reason for me to lose.” his expression shifted. “I’ll put an end to the glory of Takumi Fujiwara, Akina’s 86.” images of their previous race flashed in his mind. His teammate was watching him curiously, obviously intrigued by the idea of Kai holding even a small grudge. “Their strength lies, more or less, in their immaturity.”

“Their immaturity, huh?”

“Yeah. If you drive on the circuit, you get used to safety, and grow fearful of mountain passes. It’s only natural, there are no escape zones on a pass, and you never know what lies beyond the next blind corner.” more images flashed in his head, primarily of the spin-out that cost him the race on Iroha. “It’s not a game for rational adults to play.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you, Kogashiwa.” the harpy cut in. “Even though you know that, you’re still going to fight this ridiculous battle.” Kai’s eyebrow twitched.

“That just means I’m still immature to a certain extent.” he responded firmly. “This is my graduation ceremony.” the harpy rose a brow. “I’ll likely be scared of mountain passes in a year or so, but I can still engage in a reckless battle now because my sense of mountain pass driving hasn’t gone numb. I want to get revenge on that spider, and graduate from the mountain pass completely. Driving skills don’t matter, what does is how immature you can become.”

~0~

Takumi looked around the cabin in awe, it was spacious but cozy, he almost couldn’t believe Fumihiro’d rented the whole thing out for their expeditions out here. He heard a sound of surprise come from the balcony and walked out to see Kenta propped up on the railing, Keisuke leaning against it nearby. Tomiguchi and Matsumoto were out there too, staring out at their surroundings thoughtfully.

“I didn’t notice this in the dark at night, but Mt. Fuji looks so huge!” Kenta exclaimed as Takumi came to stand beside his mate. “Is it any bigger than Akagi?” Keisuke’s expression turned incredulous and exasperated at the same time. Takumi himself stared at Kenta with a raised brow.

“Kenta, you idiot.” Keisuke groaned. “Fuji is the biggest mountain in Japan!” Kenta’s face managed to flush red in his full shift.

“Oh… right…” he chuckled awkwardly. “Anyway, it makes me realize that we are indeed in Hakone!”

“Oi!” Fumihiro’s voice echoed from inside. “We didn’t come here for a school trip! Come in here and eat breakfast already!”

“Okay!” Kenta exclaimed, quickly flying inside.

“You sound like a father chaperoning a school trip, Fumihiro.” Keisuke commented quickly, causing Fumihiro to sputter as everyone laughed and headed inside. Takumi set a hand on Fumihiro’s shoulder as he shut the balcony door.

“You’ve been designated team dad by that.” he commented cheekily, and Fumihiro swatted at him, his feathers floofing up.

“Just go eat.” Takumi laughed and made his way towards everyone else, his eyes locking on a familiar and surprising form as he entered the room.

“Oh, hello Gou.” Takumi greeted politely, prompting everyone to glance at him as he made his way towards Keisuke.

“Hello, Takumi.”

“What are you doing here?” Takumi sat beside his mate.

“I needed to talk about something with Ryousuke, that and, well.” he gestured to the other room, where he could hear Nejibana babbling on.

“Ah, I see.”

“We’ll be talking about it after we eat.” Ryousuke commented without looking up from his laptop. Gou peaked over at it, before gently shutting the screen, receiving a sharp look from the sphinx.

“You need to eat too, that can wait.” Ryousuke stared at him for a few more moments, before sighing with defeat, to which Gou gave a little peck on his nose, causing everyone to freeze in shock, except for Takumi and Keisuke. Ryousuke sat the laptop aside and looked at everyone.

“Cat’s outta the bag.” he shrugged, before grabbing a plate.

“Wh… wh…” Fumihiro looked between them, vaguely alarmed, and Takumi snickered, causing the poofed up siren to stare at him sharply. Gou sat there with a proud smile on his face.

“You look as alarmed as you were when Keisuke told you he and I were mates.” Keisuke chuckled at that too.

“I’d have thought you’d be more happy for aniki.” Keisuke finally said. “And relieved, seeing as he now has someone who isn’t afraid to shut his laptop screen and get him to take care of himself.” Ryousuke gave Keisuke a sharp look from over the rim of his glass, to no effect.

“I-I am!” Fumihiro said.

“I think he’s just a little upset that we weren’t told.” Matsumoto cut in.

“Well, it’s only a very recent development.” Gou responded.

“And, how recent is that?” Tomiguchi asked.

“Before the final race on Ibaraki.” Ryousuke responded. “It was tentative at first so of course we didn’t tell anyone. By now we’re likely stable enough. Gou seems to think so.”

“I know so.” the vampire responded with a chirp.

“Enough on my love life, let’s just eat.” Gou chuckled but didn’t argue, no one else did either.

The meal didn’t last very long, with Gou and Ryousuke finishing first and walking into the room Tsuyoshi and Nejibana were in to talk. And by the vaguely tense tones, it was a talk and a half. Fumihiro finished next and immediately walked outside, followed by Matsumoto and Tomiguchi a few minutes later. Keisuke and Takumi were left alone.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Keisuke asked as he picked up a slice of bacon.

“Something private, seeing as the door is shut.” Keisuke nodded at that logic.

“Yeah, but take a guess.” Takumi gave him an empty look. “Or don’t… either’s fine.” they finished up in silence and picked up any left behind dishes, putting them in the sink for a moment as they looked over what was left over and tried to decide if they’d throw it away or not. After a few minutes of this, the door opened and Ryousuke poked his head out towards them.

“Keisuke, Takumi, come here for a moment.” the two locked eyes and walked over, Ryousuke waving them in and shutting the door behind them. Gou looked a little shaken, but otherwise alright.

“Takumi, has Nejibana talked to you about your contract recently?” Gou asked immediately, and Takumi rose his eyebrows.

“Yeah, she wants me to add Keisuke to it. I was going to ask him about it at some point.”

“Well, at least it was that.”

“She did say something earlier about a family contract, though.”

“That’s what I want to talk to you two about.” Takumi and Keisuke finally sat down. “You see, Tsuyoshi and Nejibana have decided that they both would like all four of us to enter a contract with them both.” Takumi looked taken aback, that didn’t happen very often. “I came here to see if you both agreed, and to do it now instead of later.”

“I’d be happy. Family contracts don’t happen very often after all.”

“Alright, back up.” Keisuke groaned. “What’s a contract?”

“It’s a verbal agreement between creature and familiar.” Takumi responded. “The creature agrees to shelter and care for the familiar, while the familiar agrees to provide companionship and mental stability for the creature.” he shifted. “Nothing too wordy.” Takumi’s expression shifted downwards. “Though, family contracts are a big thing. Some creatures break all prior contracts to make sure it sets in smoothly, which isn’t a pleasant feeling for anyone involved.”

“There will be no contract breaking involved.” Gou stated firmly. “Just initiating a family contract. That’s it.” Takumi relaxed a little at that.

“Okay, so how do we go about this, then?” Keisuke asked, jumping when Tsuyoshi squeaked loudly from the middle of the group. Nejibana was settled beside him, looking like she’d like to go to bed. Takumi gave her a concerned expression and she merely waved a limb at him.

“Well, Tsuyoshi and Nejibana set it up and offer forth the vows and we just have to agree to the terms.” Gou said. Keisuke was silent for a while.

“Alright. Sure. Let’s do this family contract thing.”

Chapter Text

Keisuke didn’t know what he expected when he stepped from the FD at the top of the course, but he didn’t expect Takumi to pause, wide eyed, at the sight of their opponents. His mate’s eyes were locked on what looked to be a tengu, surprised, obviously he knew him. He spared a glance at Takumi, before Fumihiro approached with a neutral expression.

“Have you decided who wants to race first?” he asked easily. The tengu and his teammate locked eyes, before the second waved a hand and walked away, a set of red tail feathers shifting in the gentle breeze as he went.

“I’ll go first.” the tengu replied. “And I’m ready to start whenever.”

“Do you have a starting position in mind for the first round?” the tengu tilted his head. “That’s how we’ve been doing things so far.”

“Starting position doesn’t really matter to me.” Keisuke rose a brow at the response. “Would letting the toss of a coin decide starting positions suffice? Heads means I go, tails means you go.” Fumihiro looked a little taken aback by the suggestion.

“Well… yeah, I don’t see why not.”

“Cool.” the tengu was quick to pull a coin from his pocket and flipped it, the shiny object twirling in the air before it came back down and was caught. The tengu displayed the coin for them to see.

“Tails.” Fumihiro commented passively as the tengu pressed his hand into a fist.

“Then it’s decided, I’ll be the chaser.” he responded jovially, locking eyes with Takumi once more, and Keisuke decided then and there that he really needed to ask the spider about that. He had the feeling he knew that tengu too, or at least knew of him. He looked familiar.

“Alright, let’s begin!” Fumihiro exclaimed, quickly causing everyone to jump into action. Keisuke grabbed Takumi’s arm lightly.

“Keisuke?”

“What was with the staring contest?” he asked, and Takumi tilted his head.

“Kai’s likely here for a rematch.” he responded, and it finally clicked in Keisuke’s head.

“Isn’t he the one who challenged you to a race on Iroha, back before you joined D?” at Takumi’s nod, Keisuke let out a sound of realization. “No wonder he looked familiar. Kai Kogashiwa, right?”

“That’s him.” Keisuke nodded and set a hand on his mate’s shoulder.

“That’s all I wanted to know.” he said. “Go beat that tengu for a second time.” Takumi rolled his eyes and hurried off, getting into his 86 and moving it to the starting line.

~0~

Bunta sat on the hood of his Impreza when a blue MR2 rolled next to it. Ken Kogashiwa stepped out of it, stretching his wings.

“Long time no see!” he said jovially.

“Kogashiwa.” Bunta greeted passively, not even looking in his direction as he lit a cigarette.

“I see that you haven’t changed at all.” Ken jabbed.

“I’ve gotten old. If I am honest, I didn’t expect you to come all the way here, if you want a rematch, I wouldn’t mind.” Bunta’s competitive spirit lit up like a warehouse full of fireworks.

“As much as I would love to, I can’t anymore, after all I am a junior high school teacher now.” and he was terrified of the new car Bunta was driving, but he didn’t let him know that. “I still have time before I retire, so I plan on working hard before then.”

Bunta hummed as he was listening. “Hmm…”

“You think that I have a boring life, don’t you?” Ken’s glasses flashed as he lowered his head. “I think that too at times. Which is why all of my hopes are resting on my son. Did you know that he decided to graduate from the mountain pass and enter the world of motorsports?”

“No, not really. I don’t care much about what others do with their lives.” Ken tisked at that.

“He has surpassed me with his driving skills. What about you Fujiwara, has your son surpassed you?” at which Bunta fell deep in thought.

~0~

Fumihiro has caught the racers’ attention by raising his hand. “I’m starting the countdown!” Ryousuke watched neutrally from the sidelines, Nejibana sat on a shoulder and Tsuyoshi tucked in his shirt pocket.

“I remember Takumi’s opponent.” she chirped, causing Ryousuke to tilt his head.

“Oh?”

“GO!”

“Mmhmm. It’s hard to forget a tengu, especially after hearing my sire talk about his master’s races with his dad fondly.”

“That sounds like it has quite the story behind it.”

“For later.” Nejibana’s gaze was locked on Fumihiro as he approached.

“I’ll say, I was a little surprised to see Kogashiwa here.” he commented.

“I can’t say I expected it, but I’m not surprised.” Fumihiro rose a brow. “That kid was very pumped up against Emperor, mostly their leader, Kyouichi, but still. With that attitude, I’m surprised he didn’t pop up sooner.” Ryousuke’s wings twitched. “He drives a mid sharp car very well, thanks to those go kart skills of his.”

“This looks like it’ll be another tough battle then, huh? Keisuke’s opponent is also an active racer, a real athlete at that.”

“Race car drivers have a different sense of time, knowing how to shave it off very well. If this was on a circuit, our chances of victory would be very slim. But public roads are our stage, so there’s no need to flinch at the fact that our opponent is a pro. All each of us needs to do is carry out our jobs perfectly, and that will likely guarantee our victory. I don’t think any of us came here to lose. I know I didn’t.”

~0~

Keisuke gave Kenta an unimpressed look, having noticed the dragon slowly but surely inching his way over towards their opponent. He didn’t know what was up with the damn reptile, but it was starting to get ridiculous.

“Kenta!” he growled, causing the dragon to jump. “Get back over here!”

“Sorry!” Kenta exclaimed as he flew back over.

“Just what are you doing? You’ve never acted like this before.”

“He’s a phoenix.” Kenta responded, as if that explained everything.

“And…?”

“He’s like a living space heater.” Kenta said quietly, not to alert the phoenix. Keisuke rose a brow. “Look, my species of dragon is particularly coldblooded, yeah? Even now, in the middle of this summer heat, my blood is only heating up to a warmish temperature. Phoenixes radiate so much heat that it’s like a siren call.” Keisuke’s brow rose further.

“So, what, you need a heat lamp, and since you don’t have one you want to harass the opponent for heat?”

“Not harass… more hover nearby and hope he doesn’t care.”

“Kenta, if I saw some strange, overgrown reptile hovering nearby me, I’d be alarmed and care immensely.” Kenta pouted at that. “Just, stay over here. I’ll talk with aniki about getting you one of those electric heat blankets or something.”

“You don’t-”

“If you’re going to vaguely harass every heat radiating creature we meet during expeditions because you’re listening to your feral reptile brain, then yeah, we probably do need to get you a heating blanket.” Kenta flushed red at that.

“No need to put it like that.” he groused. “New topic, what’s on your mind about this race?”

“Well, mostly the course.” Keisuke responded, humoring the dragon’s need for a change in subject. “You see, you can divide this course into three sections, and build an overall strategy using that. The upper most section is wider, perfect for faster speed. The middle section forces you to slow down with back to back tight corners. And the lower part is a middle speed section, where you can step on the gas despite the road being somewhat narrow. Circuit racers would probably consider this entire course to be very slow.”

“Mhmm…”

“It’s in the last section that the decisive point lies. If I were Takumi, that’s exactly where I’d make my move.”

“Is he even able to do that against a pro?”

“Of course. He has to. It’s moments like these where he’s forced to show his hand and unleash his true potential.” Keisuke narrowed his eyes, the whites flashing green momentarily. “I’ve got a feeling that we’ll experience that first hand tonight.”

“E-Experience it!?” Kenta looked vaguely alarmed. “I’m sorry, but I ain’t good with stuff like that!” he raised both of his front claws in defense.

“You idiot, I didn’t say you’d be seeing a ghost.” Keisuke gave Kenta a vaguely exasperated look. “Aniki calls it Fujiwara zone.” Keisuke turned away and focused on the ground ahead of him. “While similar to what some top athletes do, it’s something completely unique between Takumi and that 86 of his.”

“Just what kind of phenomenon is it?” Kenta asked, looking curious. Keisuke put his hands on his hips and tilted his head, looking thoughtful.

“I can’t really explain it, you’d have to ask aniki. It’s… well, when I drive behind Takumi during our practice runs, there are moments where he startles me. He just, pulls away. Leap frogs ahead of the course using some unknown power for reasons I can’t explain. It always made him look like a mirage to me.” he sighed. “You’ll never know what it’ll happen, when you’ll get to see it. But I know for sure that this Fujiwara Zone is real. It’s something only shown when a certain set of conditions are met, and what’s important is the unique rhythm of the course.”

~0~

“The car has definitely improved, though, it is no longer mysterious to me.” Kai thought to himself. “The turning capability is determined by tire capacity and weight balance. Acceleration is a balance between weight and power.” as he pressed down on the gas pedal to catch up to the 86, his wings shifted slightly. “You may be able to fool others, but not me. And if I don’t make any mistakes, I can win. I’ll watch your progress in this first round, and finish you off in the second!” something was still irking him, though, he quickly realized what it was as he cleared a corner. “The speed range of this course is slow… If it was a bit faster, I could’ve passed him already. But I won’t use that excuse!” Kai continued to observe, catching sight of the 86 balancing a tire over the gutter but not moving any more past it.

That was a little surprising.

“Inner wheel lift? He’s good… but I doubt such artistic control actually contributes to his speed.” he tisked. “Race car drivers don’t play around. Faster or not, that’s all that matters.”

Then he saw something that defied explanation, as the 86 suddenly hopped further ahead with hardly a warning. Kai’s eyes widened. There was no precursor, just a sudden leap frog down the course. It was almost like staring at an illusion.

“W-What?” he could feel sweat beginning to bead on his face. “Was it my mistake? I can’t let my guard down around that spider. Remember, you lost to him once.” memories of that flashes for a moment, before he witnessed the 86 hop ahead once again. “Just what the hell is he doing? How is he managing to pull away like that? Am I making mistakes? My strategy was to not make any!” he grit his teeth. “What bothers me most is that I’m upset about this. I might be getting carried away by his pace.” his feathers were starting to get messed up by rubbing against the seat. He wouldn’t be surprised if some of his feathers were bent and broken after this race.

~0~

“What do you mean, a point where his rhythm changes?” Fumihiro asked, looking taken aback. Ryousuke was absentmindedly scratching Tsuyoshi’s head lightly with a claw, much to the little bat’s obvious enjoyment.

“It’s as I said.” Ryousuke responded. “From a rhythmic repetition of stepping on the gas, then releasing it right away to a rhythm of delaying the release just a little bit. The two cars are right at that point. That’s where something might happen.”

“What do you mean, something?”

“The peak of the Fujiwara Zone.” Fumihiro shifted his weight around on his feet as his expression shifted.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, just what is it anyway?” Ryousuke locked eyes with Fumihiro for a moment.

“Well, he didn’t just now start showing it, he’s actually done it for a while. I was able to catch the barest of glimpses of it during my race with him on Akina.” Fumihiro widened his eyes. “I feel like it was refined after he raced against Purple Shadow. Simply put, it’s his level of training in the 86.” his expression shifted as he moved his claw to scratch Tsuyoshi’s cheeks and chin, the bat squeaked happily in response. “When it comes to Takumi, his level is beyond our normal imagination. It has to be a result of his abnormal practice environment.”

“You said he heard the voice of that 86 during the previous battle.” Fumihiro commented, filing away the tone Ryousuke had taken on for later. Sometimes he and Keisuke mirrored each other when talking about that spider. Ryousuke merely smiled at his statement.

“In the auto industry, they often use the phrase, ‘The driver and the car as one’, but in reality, no one can handle one ton of metal as if it were their limbs. But… something exactly like that happens between Takumi and his 86. He can use the best part of the tires just when they begin to skin whenever he wants, he can freely switch between the side for turning and the slide for acceleration, and as a result, what happens is that the 86 begins to accelerate just like a four wheel drive.”

“That sounds completely impossible, and it is!”

“Of course it’s not possible.” Nejibana scaled up to the top of his head, causing his ears to flick around, and settled there. “The 86 is still a rear wheel drive car. What I mean is that the 86 maneuvers so sharply that it creates the illusion of such. It’s a massive shock to witness it from behind, especially to those who know exactly what I mean. Even if you enter a corner the exact same way he did, he points his car to the exit a moment quicker, then steps on the gas with zero steering angle to accelerate earlier. There is a moment when his driving style perfectly matches the peaky characteristics of that car… it’s not something I can completely explain.” Fumihiro looked alarmed by that.

“There are things that even you can’t explain!?”

“Of course. Especially things like the performance of Takumi and his 86. That just can’t be explained by any theory.”

~0~

Bunta exhaled slowly as Ken eyed him, Tama staring intently from the roof of the Impreza.

“You’ve gotten annoying in your old age.” Bunta commented. “You don’t need to worry about what’s going on in someone else’s family. Unlike you, I still do what I want with my life, so you’re just wasting breath explaining it all to me.” Ken’s left eye twitched.

“Rude.”

“Besides,” Bunta pressed on as if Ken had never spoken. “You keep going on and on about your kid surpassing you, that’s not something I can understand.” Bunta turned his gaze upon the tengu. “If you really think a twenty some year old kid already surpasses his own father’s skills, then I think you’re overestimating him.” Ken was silent at that, and Bunta shifted. “If you don’t agree with what I’m saying, then I have only one thing to ask you, Kogashiwa. If you’re so proud of your kid graduating from the mountain pass, then why didn’t you stop him from taking part in this race? With you criticizing the touge so much, maybe you should have advised him to throw the race. Anything can happen on a mountain pass, like an accident that could jeopardize his career as a professional. Your son is taking a lot more risks with this than mine.”

Ken was stunned silent, unable to produce a coherent answer and only stammering. "Well, that's because…" he couldn’t come up with a response to that.

“Maybe I’m being arrogant, but it seems to me that you’re the one who’s concerned about the touge.” Ken gave him a blank look. “If it’s for your pride, don’t go finding a bunch of excuses to decorate it. Rules only serve to tie you up. Jeez, school teachers are so troublesome with their quarreling.”

~0~

“I guess this is reality.” Kai growled, eyeing the 86. “The pace of this race has definitely increased. I… can’t I become childish enough? Can’t I push myself recklessly? Trying not to make any mistakes while conserving my tires… is that kind of calculating making me drive like an old man!?” he bared his teeth. “Ridiculous. I race with the faith that I’m the fastest one out there!” he snarled. “I’ve got to become childish in order to win this battle!”

Takumi felt vaguely strangled as he fled, he could feel his opponent’s aura flaring angrily, a glance in his rear view showed him a deep, brightly glowing purple. He braked and cleared the corner, Kai keeping up with him easily, and even catching up a little. Damn it, damn damn! He was feeling a little like prey again!

“Damn it! That was my absolute limit, and he mimicked it like it was easy!” he huffed. “I couldn’t have turned any faster than that! Pros are amazing.”

‘Traditional racing strategy seems to put us at a disadvantage.’ Spider commented easily.

“I know. I need to change it up.”

~0~

Ken sighed, catching Bunta’s attention quickly as he took another inhale of his cigarette.

“You are probably right.” he admitted.

“That had to hurt.” Bunta commented quietly.

“But, I have to admit, my kid is my pride. This entire thing is a strange coincidence, yeah? The chance for a rematch just from moving from Irohazaka to Hakone, I mean. It feels like it was fated.”

“I just think it’s a particularly interesting coincidence, these things don’t really matter to me.”

“Bullshit!” Ken chortled, and wow that was not a sound Bunta missed. He could hear Tama clicking agitatedly behind him and knew the feeling was mutual. “Our kids are battling it out right now, you know. How can you be so calm at a time like this? You should be feeling unsettled!”

“You’re really vindictive, you know that, Kogashiwa?” Bunta exhaled skywards. “You’re always one hundred percent sure your kid’ll come out on top, but I’ll tell you something right now, bird boy, my kid won’t lose like that.”

“Even if it’s not one hundred percent, I’m ninety percent sure that my kid will win this race!” Bunta fell silent at that, if he opened his mouth to respond to that, he’d say something that would have them at each other’s throats like old times. “Why’d you go silent, Fujiwara, cat got your tongue?” Bunta groaned.

“So annoying.” he mumbled. “I just don’t want to talk. Besides, you’re being a little too arrogant with your words. We haven’t even spoken in years and the first thing you do is come in making shots in the dark.” Bunta took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled. “I know that you’re proud of your son’s achievements, but just where does all of the confidence stem from? Does your kid go through some sort of intense training or something?”

“Training?” Ken looked taken aback by the question. “He goes to the gym once every other day to work out. The most important thing of being a professional driver is having a strong body, right?”

“And that’s all you know?” Bunta rose a brow.

“And just what’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Kogashiwa, you’ve spent the last hour rambling on and on about your kid, so now it’s my turn. Let me ramble about my kid now, okay?” Ken was stunned silent. “Takumi understands how to control his car with precision better than anyone else, and his handling with accuracy is better than anyone I’ve seen. Though, this only applies to driving the 86, so far. I would never dare insinuate that my kid has a high chance of winning. Never one hundred, never ninety, those percents are too presumptuous. I’d say my kid has a solid sixty percent chance of winning, and this comes from my knowledge of his experience on Akina. Just like your kid has gone pro, my own kid has gone pro in his own way, on the touge.”

~0~

“Takumi’s being pushed hard.” Fumihiro announced as he closed his phone, prompting Ryousuke to pause in his scratching of Tsuyoshi’s head before resuming.

“The final stage is near.” he muttered quietly.

“This one’s tough.” Fumihiro commented. “I feel like Takumi’s been backed into a corner.

“He’s grown a lot more than you seem to realize, Fumihiro.” Ryousuke responded the contrary.

“Is that so?”

“Since he’s leading, our strategy is to finish the race on the first run. He knows this, we talked it out yesterday. The actual trick lies ahead.”

“Huh?”

“I know he hasn’t lost concentration yet. His unlimited vehicle control skills are the best part of the Fujiwara Zone, when he drives that 86, he creates a situation that even a pro can’t surpass. That’s the idea behind our trap… but I’m positive our opponent has already figured that out.”

“Doesn’t that mean such a strategy will fail!?”

“No, not at all.” Ryousuke side eyed him. “Do you think a pro would run away from a clash of skills? His pride will make him face the challenge head on, or, at least, today’s opponent seems that type. I approved this strategy because I thought an honest and fair person, one who chooses their position with a coin toss, will knowingly fall into our trap.” Fumihiro was wide eyed. “The combined performance of Takumi and the 86 can make them clear a corner at a speed that pros would think impossible. Such things happen in reality. It’s all part of the Fujiwara Zone.”

~0~

“The goal is close.” Takumi breathed, feeling sweat roll down his cheek. “It’s going to be an over the limit breaking match at the entrance of the next corner!”

Kai’s eyes widened as he watched the 86 speed towards the corner, not even braking when he thought it would.

“Crazy, this is what mountain racing means! If you can clear the corner at that speed, I should be able to as well!” he bared his teeth in a vaguely feral grin. “I’ll take your challenge!” as they entered the corner together, the 86 leap frogged ahead once more, causing Kai to growl. “Same speed, same line. My car’s MR layout has a higher limit than an FR’s! This can’t be happening!” his front tires suddenly gave and he spun out wildly, swerving towards the guard rail. He recovered inches from the rail and continued down the course, numb, stunned. The 86 was no longer there. He was gone.

“I lost.” he said forlornly to Takumi when they met at the finish line. “Damn. Anything I say will just sound like an excuse.” Takumi merely watched him with attentive eyes, obviously listening to his woes. “My car’s got a mid engine and a rear wing, I honestly thought I couldn’t lose during full braking.” they were silent as he turned towards the spider. “Pros are trained to control their car a half step before such a situation occurs, but you kept control the entire time while I chickened out.” his expression fell. “That spin-out was caused by me backing down, and that’s what I regret most about all this. Had I kept going, I don’t know if I would have cleared the corner, or hit a tree.” he sighed, before letting a vaguely happy expression cross his face. “You know, I was going to invite you to become a pro, but now I think that’d just be a waste.” he raised his arm and offered his hand, Takumi stared at it in surprise.

“Wh-”

“Takumi, you be the best in your field, alright? You’ll become one of a kind. That’s my advice to you.” Takumi blinked, before a small smile crossed his face and he clasped Kai’s hand.

“Thanks.”

~0~

Ken jumped as his phone rang, the tengu hurrying to look at who was calling.

“Ah! This must be the victory report.” he sang smugly, quickly answering it. “Hello?... WHAT!?” Bunta resisted the urge to snicker, that didn’t sound very victorious.

“So the kid won, huh?” Tama commented as Ken hung up.

“It would seem so. Oi, Kogashiwa, don’t be so depressed, this is just a bunch of kids racing you know.”

“Oh, shut up!” Ken snapped. “Spare me the pity! You have absolutely no clue how I’m feeling right now! My son… you have no damn clue how good of a racer he is! When his team was recruiting, he out-performed most of his competitors! He was practically unbeatable after an entire year of constant training! How the hell did he lose at a damn touge race!?”

“What’s the point of bemoaning all of that?” Bunta asked incredulously. “A loss is a loss!” Ken’s gaze snapped at him to burn holes in his skull, his head turning so fast that the spider could hear it pop and crack. He repressed the urge to wince.

“So intimidating…” Tama gulped.

“Ugh, this is absolutely infuriating, I’m going home.” Ken snapped, walking towards his vehicle.

“Oi, Kogashiwa! You were the one to ask me out here, you know! What kinda example are you gonna set for your students with an attitude like that!?”

“Stuff it, alley spider!”

Chapter Text

Keisuke couldn’t help but realize that maybe Kenta had a point, albeit a very instinctually driven one. His opponent was standing not even a yard away from him and he could feel small licks of heat radiating off of him.

“I’m Minagawa.” his opponent finally said, catching his full attention.

“Keisuke Takahashi.” he replied, and Minagawa gave him a level look, silent for a moment.

“I’ve heard that you’re fast, with consecutive wins against 4WD cars. If you can shake me off, then you are indeed something. Let’s get a good look at your proud sprint dash.” Keisuke rose a brow.

“Are you telling me you want me to lead?” at Minagawa’s nod, Keisuke rose a brow. “Alright then. Let’s see just how well you can keep up with me, then.” Minagawa scoffed.

"Shut the fuck up." Keisuke’s competitive response seemed to have caused their auras to flare, the oni could see the restrained red of his opponents and vaguely wondered what his aura looked like. But one thing is for certain, the heat output of the phoenix was increased. The two turned away, making their way to their own cars.

“Kenta!” Keisuke exclaimed as he caught sight of the dragon slowly inching his way towards the other team again. The dragon jumped and was over by him without being told. “I get that your instincts are telling you to do it, but I thought you had a better grasp on them than this.” Kenta didn’t respond, Keisuke sighed at the silence. “Listen, Kenta, this battle has a special meaning to me, understand?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“Good. I’m gonna win this race, no matter what.”

“Alright everyone! I’ll be starting the countdown!” Matsumoto shouted.

Kenta stared at the FD and the Supra lining up. ‘I know why this battle is special to Keisuke. It’s because his opponent is a pro and he wants to test his skills against one.’

“GO!”

~0~

“Why do I feel so irritated?” Minagawa simmered, the air in his Supra warping slightly in response to his agitation. “Or is the word for this feeling ‘vicious’?” he stared angrily at the FD in front of him. “I want a complete victory over you. No matter how many amateur 4WD drivers you’ve defeated, amateurs can’t use the full potential of their cars. If I dash when the tires are in their best condition, I should be able to overtake you, even with my heavy 80 Supra.” his grit his teeth slightly as they cornered, he could feel his agitation spike for a moment and shoved it back down.

It wouldn’t do to get angry now.

“The battle between rear wheel drive cars boils down to the game of conserving the rear tires. You can’t attain real tire management skills unless you take part in professional racing, you’ll just wear out your rear tires by trying too hard in the first run. Then the proud speed brat of the touge will be finished.”

~0~

“Hey,” Fumihiro began, catching Ryousuke’s attention. “Do you remember the second round of battle against the Toudou School in Tochigi? In that complex stage of uphill and downhill, everyone thought you’d choose Keisuke’s FD against the racing driver, Tomoyuki Tachi. You chose Takumi’s 86 instead. The explanation you gave me was so sensational that I couldn’t forget it.” at Ryousuke’s attentive look, he continued. “You said you’re using two approaches in your pursuit of the fastest record in street racing. That’s why there are only two drivers in Project D.”

“Oh… you remember that? I’m amazed.” Fumihiro gave him an unamused look at that.

“Of course I remembered it, it sounded very meaningful. Takumi is a peculiar type who specializes in mountain passes, I think he’s become exactly as you described. Keisuke, on the other hand, is a traditional type, adapting racing techniques to the street. You chose Takumi because we wouldn’t have stood a chance against a pro in a clash of traditional skills.”

“I did say that.” Ryousuke responded evenly.

“What do you think will happen during today’s battle, then?” Fumihiro was worried. “Today’s opponent has top level traditional skills…”

~0~

Kubo and Gou had found a nice, secluded spot next to the course to observe unseen. “The downhill was won by that 86 kid. But what I’m more interested in is how the hill climb will develop. This time I would love to hear your prediction, Gou.”

“From what I’ve gathered from meeting him, Minagawa is a proud person who thinks that he won’t lose to an amateur. But what he doesn’t realize is that the younger Takahashi is way better than what he thinks.” Kubo’s face still had that shit eating smile plastered on. Gou sighed, but continued. “He is well trained, especially his accelerator work, that’s why no one has been able to defeat him.”

“I see.”

“Plus, he’s supported by Ryousuke. I doubt that he’d send his otouto into a race without strategy.” Kubo hummed affirmatively as Gou kept going. “This battle will be messy. It is a big mistake to believe that Minagawa will win easily, if he’d win.”

And just like that Kubo’s obnoxious laughter broke free. “Whose side are you on, Gou?” the vampire turned his head away, but Kubo kept pressing on. “What happened between you and our opponent’s leader in the past?”

“Nothing much.” it wasn’t a complete lie, their closer relationship had only developed recently, Kubo kept laughing. “Although, it is my aniki who has a bitter connection with Ryousuke…” his voice turned sorrowful, as did Kubo’s expression.

“The driver known as the Shinigami?” before the conversation could take a turn for the worse, the FD and the Supra drove by them in a flash.

“The FD is in the lead?” there was a sound of exasperation in Gou’s voice. “Minagawa must have chosen to be the chaser. Their positions in the first round will determine the outcome of this race.”

~0~

“Indeed, our opponent is a top class driver.” Ryousuke began, turning completely to look at Fumihiro. The siren glanced at his pocket to see the little bat had fallen asleep. “With competition trained skills, he won’t show any weaknesses. The sense of shaving time off, mental ease at the limit, and stamina, those are things that can’t be attained by street racers. It’d be the right strategy for us to throw a change up, instead of a fast ball, but we don’t have that kind of choice with Keisuke. So I’ve sent Keisuke out with confidence, because he has grown.” he turned his gaze towards the trees, memories flashing through his mind.

“Ryousuke?”

“I set him with what he compared to a boot camp,” the sphinx started, Fumihiro closed his mouth to listen. “A special menu that I thought would train him better than anything else. Five round trips around a course a day at minimum. He was to match the times I set for the ten laps of uphill and downhill, write all of his times in a notebook, and show it to me every day. Any noticeable gaps between my times and his were to be pondered over and reported on, in detail.” the sphinx chuckled. “His first response was to point out that the times I gave him were quite a bit slower than Akagi’s best record, called it easy. I didn’t say to surpass those times, being faster or slower than them wasn’t good. The face he made when I told him I wanted him to match those times exactly was hilarious.” Fumihiro was stunned silent for a moment.

“I see.” he finally said. “I didn’t know Keisuke had to put in that kind of training. I’m guessing it was the second race against Toudou School that made you do that. But what’s the meaning behind it?” Ryousuke was silent for a moment.

“That training was slightly modified for Keisuke. It’s practically the same menu I used when I was younger.”

“The same menu?”

“If you drive blindly at full throttle, you’ll only put stress on your car, and your skills won’t improve. Drive at the limit over and over, and your times will eventually even out. It’s more difficult to get a set time while holding back, because your times can easily be faster or slower. Just flooring the gas pedal won’t work. You must learn the technique of controlling the throttle precisely. Tacking onto this, in the rain, you have to be creative in setting the pace for the constantly changing friction coefficient of the surface. It’s difficult to cope with the situation when you get stuck behind a slow car. Suppose you lost four seconds until the overtake point, you must recover those four seconds exactly. You have to do with with the internal clock in your body, instead of relying on a stopwatch.”

“Is that even possible?” Fumihiro asked, sounding taken aback.

“Not right away, but eventually, depending on how your train yourself. That’s the traditional way of driving practice. You attain an abundance of information through repetitious, simple training, and eventually your internal sensor will become sensitive to time.”

“Uh huh…”

“You see, the great thing about Keisuke is that once he sets his mind to it, he’ll finish a task without any compromise. He drives every day, except for Project D’s race days.”

“Every day?”

“As the gap between the desired and actual times narrowed, he began to understand what made his time too fast or too slow. His daily report made him create a habit of analyzing things rationally, which added a logical foundation to his intuitive driving style. Likely, he’s aware of an unexpected side effect of the training as well.” they remained silent for a moment, Fumihiro watching as Nejibana stretched out a few limbs but didn’t get up from her spot. She was going to get tangled in Ryousuke’s hair at that rate. “You remember our first battle here in Kanagawa, right Fumihiro?”

“Against Team 246? Keisuke suddenly accelerated in the mid section and won his race.”

“His tire management in the second half was splendid, but I’m more interested in his refined acceleration when needed. Speed is what I meant by side effect. Tire management skills specialized for mountain passes, and sense of time. The real reason I made Keisuke train that way was to make him attain those two skills at a high level. Strangely enough, the menu designed to slow him down only helped him drive a lot faster in the end. Today’s strategy is to make the best use of that side effect.”

“So you’re telling me that Keisuke’s going to engage in a head to head fight against a racing driver in a sprint battle!?”

~0~

Keisuke eyed the Supra in his rearview with the chance he was given, a finger tapping the wheel.

“As I expected, he’s got more horsepower. Though, that doesn’t mean much for this battle, and I’m positive that both of us are well aware of that.” memories passed through his head, of his training given to him by Ryousuke. His grip on the wheel tightened a little. “I’ve gotta control the gas pedal depression in a number of small steps. It’s much harder to control your desired speed than trying to drive as fast as possible. Aniki told me that my special training was for accelerator work, but I’m finding that to not be the full truth. There’s something else I need in order to continue winning in this tough Kanagawa area, and I’ve come to realize just what it is.” Keisuke cocked a small smile. “I won’t let my mate hog the spotlight, just you watch, I’ll build my share of the legend of Project D, the best of the Kanto area!”

Minagawa had managed to cool down at this point, the air inside his car no longer warping in warning. His eyes were locked on the FD before him, a brow raised slightly.

“Not too shabby.” he commented as they entered a corner. “He’s trying to catch me off guard by altering the throttle opening at the exit of every corner. Opening the throttle randomly between eighty five and ninety percent, he’s gauging vehicle distance to decide when to accelerate. I didn’t expect him to pull off such a trick, he’s much better than I thought.”

~0~

Takumi sighed sleepily as he lounged atop the 86, a couple limbs swaying side to side gently. Half of him wanted to nap where he was, but the rest of him, and Spider, were adamant that he stay wide eyed until Keisuke finished his race.

“The first half of the uphill is almost complete.” Matsumoto commented from beside him, prompting the spider to turn his head in his direction. “What did you think of our opponent this time around? Give me your actual impression.”

“Well, when it comes to speed, race car drivers are really fast. Against Kai, I was able to pull away once. I put in one hundred percent, believing that I had to outrun my opponent from there, but I was caught and it put a lot of pressure on me. I tend to panic a bit when I lose in speed at a critical moment.”

“That’s understandable.”

“But, Keisuke is completely different from me.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, how do I put this… Keisuke has this aura that makes me glad we’re on the same side. I don’t ever want to race against him. There are many fast drivers out there but Keisuke… well, I think he’d be a particularly tough fight.” a shutter ran down his spine and he rubbed at his dominant arms. “I’m getting chills, and goosebumps. Has the second half begun?”

~0~

Ryousuke could feel a small prickle on the back of his neck, a warning of what was occurring. He knew what it meant.

‘It has begun.’ he thought to himself. ‘I’m counting on you, Keisuke. Without two genius drivers on my team, it’ll be impossible to sweep all the races in Kanagawa, and D won’t be complete.’

~0~

“The Supra is a grand touring car, you know.” Kubo spoke easily. “Generally speaking, it gives off a very race oriented feel, but its design approach is different from a hardcore sports car like the FD. It’s greatest weakness is its weight.” Gou’s expression shifted thoughtfully.

“What you’re trying to say is that when the FD and the Supra go head to head in a mountain pass, the Supra will be inadequate, right? So if the drivers skills are very close, it’s possible for an amateur to embarrass a pro.” Kubo nodded, a vaguely smug expression on his face.

“That’s the highlight of this battle.” he laughed humorously, before a ping from his phone signified that he received a message. Flipping it open, he let out an impressed sound and showed it to Gou. “Their pace is much faster than I expected. I didn’t expect them to be that fast.” Gou’s expression was slightly smug, and amused, while Kubo’s was more serious and neutral. “Since the race has, so far, been a high speed match, the physical condition of their tires will determine the outcome. The FD driver must feel very pressured, but Minagawa will be the one who’s comparatively more hard pressed. I don’t think he expected the pace to be this fast. Their current deadlock must be a psychological attack on Minagawa’s part for turning the situation around, and at the same time, it’s the last card that phoenix can deal.”

“Uh huh…”

“Victory hinges on whether or not the lead driver can endure such things.”

~0~

“He isn’t falling behind,” Keisuke commented, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. “But he isn’t gaining on me either. I don’t like that very much, it really pisses me off. Damn it!” as he cleared the next few corners, he came to a realization, one that made him bare his teeth, his form shifting a little to reflect his true form. “It’s not my imagination, he’s slowly gaining on me. The advantage I created is narrowing, but by bit. Shit, the guy behind me is a pretty scary guy, aniki. I have the feeling that he’s got one more gear left to use. Race car drivers are so incredible and scary, they give me the chills.” he tapped the wheel gently with a finger as he glanced at the rear view, swallowing at the sight of the bright fuchsia aura emanating from the car.

How intimidating.

“I’m counting on you, FD. Your remaining strength is all I’ve got. The goal is so close!”

~0~

‘Don’t get in a hurry, Keisuke.’ Ryousuke thought. ‘Your opponent will put tremendous pressure on you. Emotions mess up one’s driving, which can easily push the situation out of your favor. Believe in your car, and the experience you’ve gained. Show everyone proof of your undeniable growth!’

~0~

“Step on the gas harder.” Minagawa huffed. “What’s wrong? Push harder! Try to get away… be more desperate!” he sped up, riding the FD’s bumper, only for there to be no change in the vehicle’s behavior. He backed off a little. “Try harder to pull away! Do it! If you don’t, then I’ll lose this battle!” he sped up again, this time bumping into the back of the FD, forcing a flash of an angry, blue aura to light momentarily before being suppressed, his tires sliding slightly as he slowed down. “Shit, I used up all the potential of my tires. I can’t fight a second round…” and as the FD sped off and vanished around the next few corners, he sighed.

He lost.

~0~

“FD’s are superbly balanced , with a light body and a front mid engine, allowing it to reduce its tire wear.” Kubo leaned back with an amused expression on his face. “That’ll decide the winner and loser.”

“Knowing that, Minagawa still put up a fight for his pride as a man who lives in the world of speed.” Gou tacked on. “The resulting high speed race broke the course record by a large margin. Unsurprising, for Project D.” the vampire stood and stretched, his wings opening for a moment to alleviate stiffness. “Gather everyone around the course up, it’s time to head out.”

“Where’s your little bat friend?”

“Around. He’ll come back to me in due time, don’t worry about it.”

~0~

“Pros are pretty incredible, aniki.” Keisuke commented neutrally, receiving a lopsided, amused smile from his brother.

“And you’re only now realizing something so obvious?” Keisuke flushed a little at that, resting a hand on the back of his neck sheepishly in a very Takumi-esque motion.

“Yeah… more or less. Right now I have mixed feelings of joy and frustration. I’m satisfied with myself for racing so well, and I’ve done everything I can for now… but I just can’t explain how I lost my advantage right near the end. I did my best to pull away, and I was able to manage that pace. Both of us were struggling with worn tires, so how did he pick up the pace in that situation? I was scared to death and I don’t know why! Do you, aniki?”

“Your opponent was a pro.” Ryousuke responded easily. “Racing drivers know everything about speed at the limit. Each driver has his own unique technique they’ve learned from experience. They know how to raise the bar even higher when the situation calls for it. Every driver is different, so I can’t explain what Minagawa did, but it probably has more to do with his spirit than skills. Right now, all you need to remember is that it can happen.” and with that, he turned and walked away.

“Alright!” Fumihiro caught everyone’s attention. “Let’s head back to Gunma! Kenta!”

“Huh?”

“You’re driving van two.”

“What!? Sweet! Alright, let’s go!”

Chapter Text

Itsuki’s expression was particularly unamused as he listened to his phone ring, over and over, never connecting. He’d been trying to get a call to go through for five minutes now.

“If he isn’t picking up then he isn’t picking up.” Kenji commented. “Takumi’s probably out with his mate or something.” Itsuki sighed and hung up.

“I’m not surprised he chose his mate over everything else.” he sighed. “I’ll just drop by his place later and see if he’s there.”

“I’m almost surprised that you aren’t steamed about it.” Kenji chuckled.

“It’s good that they’re focused on each other as they are.” Iketani spoke up. “It means they’re dedicated to making sure their bond lasts. It helps that they’re both bluntly honest.”

“You’d likely know.” Kenji shrugged.

“I do know! It’s the kind of relationship I envy.”

“Hey, I’m dedicated and honest.” Itsuki commented immediately, and Iketani smiled at him.

“Yes, for the most part.”

“What do you mean, for the most part!?”

“Well, you’re plenty dedicated, but sometimes you’re just a little lacking in the honesty department.”

“Am not!”

Kenji rose a brow as he watched the two wolves descend into almost mindless bickering. They were obviously having fun with the argument and didn’t mean anything by it, he wondered what that was like. Even if he’d never get the chance to be with someone, he didn’t mind it. Having amazing friends was good enough for him, even if they tended to make fun of him being single.

~0~

Ikeda was standing against his red 350Z when a blue S15 drove towards him, the first thing he sees of the driver being a familiar pink polo, which really didn’t hit the mark for the aesthetic the driver was trying to convey. As he exited his car, he stretched his leathery wings. Ikeda remembers some of the bickering that Gou and this vampire has had, but forced down the laughter threatening to escape his throat.

“So, our time has come?” he asked without greeting, not that one was really needed at this point.

“This feels like a joke, Okuyama… Team 246 was out of question, but I genuinely thought that Katagiri’s racers had a chance.”

Okuyama sneered. “They have too much pride, especially that phoenix, Minagawa. It is that pride what shot them down from the skies.”

“And you think you can win?” Ikeda asked, his wings shifting slightly. “Project D’s 86 is very fast.” Okuyama scoffed at that.

“Of course I’ll win, I guarantee it!” he responded, and if that didn’t sound at all prideful, he didn't know what would. “There aren’t any regulations, so we can do anything, right?” he flashed his terribly sharp canines. “If you try to compete in skills, you could trip over your own naivety. I had no intention of competing in driving technique from the get go. I’ll just try to win.”

“You do understand. The summer agitation will be over soon and Hakone will quiet down soon.” Okuyama didn’t have the time to listen to Ikeda’s philosophical talk and drove off, leaving the seraph to his own thoughts for a moment, before he got into his own car and drove off as well.

“It is just as Okuyama said, Minagawa must have lost because he tried to save face as a pro.” he muttered to himself, completely focused on the road as he went along. “The conditions don’t have to be equal, we can defeat our opponents just with our superior vehicle potential.” a sudden shiver ran down his spine, tearing his attention from the road enough to realize that there was someone tailing him close enough to fill the interior of his car with light.

When did they get there?

“I have no idea who you are, but you must not be one of the locals, you’re an idiot when trying to pick a fight with Spiral’s Zero.” the spot where his fourth wing used to be began to twinge slightly, it happened enough that Ikeda hardly even noticed. "I'll show you what I got!" and show his opponent he did, gaining speed and clearing corners like he would on any other course. But his opponent didn’t fall behind at all, in fact it almost seemed like they were slowly gaining on him.

That was...

“He can keep up with my car’s power?” he sounded exasperated. “At this pace? That’s pretty impressive. This one definitely isn’t some ordinary driver.” he narrowed his eyes, his wings quivering. “He doesn’t miss the braking zone, he knows this course. If you’re a local, oh mysterious car, then just who are you?” he grit his teeth. “This is ridiculous!” as he pulled the heel to toe maneuver, he felt a sudden jolt, the mysterious car hit his rear bumper. He swore in a vague panic, yanking at the wheel to pull it back into line, and was lucky enough to recover mere seconds from hitting the guardrail. “That was too close! Someone could have ended up dead!” then the realization hit, there is only one driver who pulls dirty tricks like that. No doubt, he was being chased by the Shinigami’s dark silver R32 GT-R.

~0~

“Apparently,” Kubo began grimly, catching Gou’s attention. “The Shinigami has been sighted a few times lately.” Gou kept looking over the wooden fence, at the still lake. His expression was carefully blank.

“So it would seem.” he responded quietly. “He left home long ago, so… I have no clue what he’s been up to. I’m not really interested to know, either. But, I do know this for sure. His true target is Ryousuke Takahashi.” his heart felt like someone was stabbing it with needles, if he only could rest his hand on his chest to alleviate the pain. Kubo made a curious sound.

“Is that what you meant by ‘bitter fate’?” Gou sighed quietly.

“He lost his ‘girlfriend’ two years ago, and has been acting really weird ever since. He shut in on himself, closing himself up in his room, quitting his job, he even stopped talking to the family.”

“So how’d Ryousuke Takahashi get involved in all this?” Gou remained silent for a moment.

“He had been crushing on the very same girl.” Kubo let out a quiet breath at that. “Her name was Kaori.” he sighed. “Her suicide messed up the lives of the others.” it was harsh of him to say, but it was the truth. “ I don’t know what happened between them, but aniki said that it was fate ever since they met in med school.”

He looked down for a moment, closing his eyes. “Kubo, he isn’t the Shinigami himself, he’s just a pathetic guy who wanders around because he is possessed by the Shinigami itself. He might be ready to die for real.” his voice shook at the last sentence.

~0~

Ikeda was in a vague panic, he had no doubt it reflected in his driving style as he attempted to flee faster than before. He knew he would be harshly bumped again and wanted to avoid it. Seems he couldn’t as when the two were cornering at high speeds, Ikeda was bumped once more.

“Did you have to bump me here!? Of all places!?” he grit his teeth and focused, turning the wheel so that the bump induced spin out worked in his favor and carried him through the corner. It worked, and he straightened out upon the corner’s exit, letting out a small sigh of relief. “His speed is absolutely lethal. Either I play wildly, or die trying.” he turned on his hazard lights. “As frustrating as it is, I have to quit for today.” as he pulled over and watched the GT-R pass, his eyes widened. It’s aura, a bright, angry purple, was streaked with slashes of a much darker color. It felt disappointed, almost upset that he’d quit their little game. He’d never seen an aura like that before, it looked wrong, something wasn’t right.

What was it, though?

“I’ll pay you back later, Shinigami. And I’ll find out why your aura is so messed up!”

~0~

Itsuki stretched, wishing he could shift just a little and let his tail out, it felt very cramped up. But, he wasn’t on break, so he couldn’t just walk inside and relax.

“So,” Iketani’s voice caught his attention almost immediately. “Project D’s third round in Kanagawa finally begins tonight!” his expression wilted. “Yuichi didn’t give us any days off though, so we can’t go see it this time around. Itsuki and I both asking for the weekend off was probably a bit too much.”

“D is the enemy, from Kanagawa’s perspective.” Kenji cut in. “I wish we could send as many people as possible to support them. I heard a lot of people saying that they’re going this time around, despite the distance, but even so, we Speed Stars can’t go. I’m not sure what to think of all this.” Iketani gave Kenji a very serious look.

“Kenji, just for today, you should go by yourself.” Kenji sputtered at that.

“Ahah, w-well, actually, I’d love to but I’m kinda broke, and I can’t pay for the gas.”

“That’s absolutely pathetic.” Iketani growled, before noting the air warp for a moment. Itsuki’s expression was thoughtful, before turning determined as he turned towards the both of them fully.

“I’ve made up my mind.” he announced, causing them to look at him. “I’m going to watch the final race, no matter what the boss says!”

“Itsuki?” Iketani asked, sounding vaguely alarmed.

“I bet the best of Kanagawa will appear. Whether Takumi wins or loses, as his best friend, I must see his race of a lifetime!” his hands reflexively came up to grip at is neck and chin. “I don’t care if it gets me fired! I feel like I have to be there!”

“But, if he loses this time, there won’t be another one.” Kenji commented, sounding concerned.

“He won’t lose.” Itsuki said shakily. “He won’t ever lose.” his eyes began to tear up, Kenji and Iketani both looked at him in alarm. The older wolf immediately put an arm around Itsuki.

“Hey now, we get what you mean, so don’t cry, alright?” Kenji tried to calm him down, to no avail as the younger wolf practically lost it.

“Chin up, Itsuki.” Iketani said gently. “You’re absolutely right. We’ll go see the final race together, all three of us. We have to see is through to the end, no matter what!”

~0~

“I’m the team leader, Ryuji Ikeda.” the seraph announced, his eyes locked on the forms of the Project D members across from him. He noticed a couple of them watching him warily, those being a kitsune, and a Jorōgumo he recognized as that team’s downhill driver. Two demons, he didn’t hold their suspicions against them. “Thank you for coming all the way out here.” one of the rival team’s members stepped forward, a sphinx by the look of him.

“It’s nice to meet you.” he greeted politely. “I’m Ryousuke Takahashi of Project D.” he gestured towards the Jorōgumo and another creature, an oni, if the horn and eyes were any indication. “These two are our drivers.”

“I’m Keisuke Takahashi.” the oni said politely.

“I’m Takumi Fujiwara.” the spider said in kind.

“So you are Project D.” Ikeda’s wings shifted, Takumi watched the motion nervously. “I have a question I’d like to ask you three, if you don’t mind.” Ryousuke tilted his head. “Just tell me what your first thought is. What is driving you?” the three looked a little surprised by the question. “Let’s start with you, Keisuke Takahashi. What’s your answer.” Keisuke was silent for a moment.

“In short, proof of masochism.” Takumi made an odd choking sound at that answer, prompting Keisuke to glance at him curiously.

“That’s pretty interesting, I’ll admit.” Ikeda nodded. “What about you, Fujiwara?”

“It’s like a daily activity.” he responded. “And also, to keep up with my mate.”

“Interesting, and admirable.” Ikeda’s attention turned towards Ryousuke.

“I’m not really a driver.” Ryousuke said. “Do you really want me to answer?”

“I would love to hear it.” the sphinx gave him a vaguely amused look.

“A dream.” was his only response, and Ikeda was stunned silent. “If that’s all you wanted to ask?” Ikeda snapped out of his stupor.

“Oh, yes. Thank you for humoring me.” with a small bow, he turned on heel and walked away.

“Alright you two, begin your runs as usual!”

As soon as Project D had left to their stations, the gryphon turned towards Ikeda. “Okuyama didn’t show up to greet them at all.”

“He told me he couldn’t find any reason to greet them.” Ikeda responded. “If that’s not he raises his motivation, that’s fine. Besides, Junichi, did you sense anything special from Project D?”

“Their presence gave me chills, it must be from the momentum of their continuous wins. But, at the same time, they aren’t desperate or hostile towards their opponents.” he looked down at the ground as his feathers ruffled. “They look so calm that they appear more professional than the pros themselves.” Ikeda nodded in agreement.

“I think you’re right. Those three are top notch public street racers.” his expression shifted as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. “This will be the perfect stage to test my Zero theory, which I’ve been advocating. The key is to free yourself from destruction before you begin the race. I believe that the idea driving style can be achieved through a mental state of zero noise.”

~0~

Kubo felt like he had to say something to break Gou from his trance. “The air feels damp, so it’ll rain from dawn through the day tomorrow, just like the weather broadcast said.” while Gou’s expression didn’t shift, he did open his mouth to respond.

“Wet conditions will probably benefit the locals, because they know the course.”

“Generally, that would be true.” the hyena tilted his head with a smug grin. “But Team Spiral tends to rely on their cars potential, so it’s unlikely that they actually like the rain. I originally thought that Project D’s 86 driver would have a tough time if it was dry. Compared to Okuyama’s car, the difference in performance is just too big. But in the rain, the cars will equal out. Plus, there may be another condition besides the rain that’ll make Okuyama run for his money.”

Gou kept looking ahead with a blank expression, something was troubling him, but his eyes conveyed nothing.

This was something Kubo had never seen from the vampire before, and he was positive that he didn’t like it.

~0~

“Looks like it’s really starting to come down, now.” Fumihiro commented from the deck door, watching the rain fall.

“Did the forecast say when it’d stop?” Kenta’s muffled voice caught his attention, and the siren turned to see a pair of glowing eyes peeking at him from inside a heading blanket.

“We can’t trust the forecast, especially when it involves mountain weather.” he closed the door. “The half wet road surface will be tricky. It would be better if the road was either completely soaked, or dry as a bone.”

“You shouldn’t worry about it.” Keisuke called, causing them to turn and look at him. He and Takumi were at the table eating, looking decently unbothered. “I kinda prefer difficult road conditions. I get more excited as the accelerator work gets more severe.”

“I don’t hate wet roads either.” Takumi added easily. “People say it’s scary because you don’t know when you’ll start to skid. But I’ve never felt like that when driving the 86.” Fumihiro noticed Keisuke shift in his seat and begin to side eye Takumi’s food. “I know how much I’ll skid before entering a corner, so I just drive like I usually do.” Keisuke hummed slyly before striking, using his chopsticks to snatch something from Takumi’s box.

“Show off.” he teased, eating what he’d snatched as Takumi let out a choked sound and turned to look at his mate.

“Hey! That was my main dish!”

“Should have eaten it, then.” Keisuke gave him a smug smile.

“I was saving it for later!”

~0~

“So it rained after all.” Ikeda commented softly as he stood beneath a wooden awning. “It won’t do to question it, and besides, poor conditions are perfect for my Zero theory. This is a suitable setup for a street race where everything is unpredictable.” his expression shifted a little. “Ryousuke Takahashi… I sense something special about that guy. Open, wide, deep, and gentle… why would someone like him be holding on to so much sadness?” he pondered on it for a while, before giving up. The whole of Project D must be something special, to make him question so many of these things.

~0~

“Ryousuke? You’re still up?” Fumihiro asked quietly as he entered the room, the sphinx situated at the table with his laptop.

“I’ll be fine.” Ryousuke responded. “I’ve done more on less than three hours before.” Fumihiro didn’t doubt that, but still, Ryousuke should have tried to sleep more. He half wished that the sphinx’s mate was here to convince him off his laptop. “Besides that, Spiral’s Ikeda is a pretty interesting guy.”

“Hmm?” Fumihiro walked over.

“He’s published his Zero theory for driving on his site, it’s very unique.” he showed the web page to the siren. “It’s got a multitude of similarities to my own theory. Keisuke’s going to have a pretty tough time with this one, it won’t be an easy win, that’s for sure.”

“H-Hey, we do have at least a chance of winning, right?” Fumihiro asked, panicked, and Ryousuke nodded.

“Of course, it’s my job to find it.”

Chapter Text

Iketani’s tongue clicked as he watched the rain come down hard, Itsuki and Kenji standing beside him.

“Almost can’t believe it’s pouring.” he commented. “I wonder how bad it is up in Hakone.”

“I hate tackling mountain passes in the rain.” Kenji spoke up. “I can never tell when my car is going to skid, and the brakes don’t work like they should. Visibility isn’t good, either.”

“The way night rain makes everything so dark, even with headlights on, is strange.”

“You can only see half of what you’d normally see on a clear night, and the wipers block the view.” Kenji sighed. “Nothing scares me more than losing the ability to see.”

“All this rain makes me think of is that Project D has to race in it.” Itsuki cut in. “Sorta reminds me of Takumi’s rain race on Myogi.”

“That was an incredible race.” Iketani nodded. “Completely owned his opponent with speed alone.”

“I was impressed by Takumi’s steering work. Or, well, what I could see of it from the back, at least. I can only wonder how he didn’t crash even though I’m sure he couldn’t see, spider eyesight or not. He was going at it full speed, tore around the corner sideways with hardly any speed lost…” Itsuki shuttered, a terrified expression crossing his face for a moment. “Oh it’s hard to express how absolutely terrifying it was.”

“Your facial expression seems to be more terrifying than your experience, Itsuki.” Kenji snarked, ignoring the glare he received in response.

“I know that fear too, Itsuki.” Iketani said aloud. “I fainted from it once, after all.” Kenji blinked at him, having obviously forgotten about that.

“Oh yeah…”

“There’s something special with Takumi, more than just his driving skills. I think that he might have some… sixth sense or something, something that allows him to see the road, even when he’s driving blind. Rain won’t put him in that difficult of a position, I don’t think.”

~0~

It was wet, very wet. Tomiguchi didn’t like it much, and was, for once, thankful he didn’t have a long tail like Matsumoto or Ryousuke. With a sigh, he stepped into the road, hearing the FD’s familiar engine begin to veer closer. When the FD finally rounded the corner, he and Fumihiro both guided it to a stop on the road.

“How’s the surface?” he asked Keisuke as he approached, the oni shutting his car door.

“I didn’t see any water flowing across it.” Keisuke responded. “The rain has stopped in almost every part of the course, I don’t think it’ll start pouring again.”

“The forecast didn’t anticipate heavier rain, so the course should remain in the same condition.” Fumihiro said.

“Half wet pattern B, then.” Ryousuke called from the back of a van, eyeing the road warily. He quite obviously wasn’t interested in the soaked turf. “Did you happen to see any fog during your run, Keisuke?”

“Some mist here and there. Nothing thick enough to obstruct my view.” his expression shifted. “Why?”

“Nothing important right now, Keisuke. We’ll have to see if it develops any further.”

Much later in the night found both teams together, the first racers exiting their cars as they finished warming up their engines.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll lead for the first round.” Ikeda said firmly. “As soon as we pass under the tollway overpass, go full throttle.” Keisuke didn’t say a word, the silence proving to be all that was needed. “Let’s begin.”

“Finally, the battle between Project D and Spiral will start!” a person hanging on the side of the start line said.

His friend whined. “Too bad that the road is wet. I wanted to see their dynamic full throttle hill climb. It is a battle between fast cars, but they won’t be able to open up their throttle as much. Which means we won’t be able to see their top speeds.”

“No, I don’t think so, even if we won’t see their top speeds, it’ll be an exchange of high level skills. Under these conditions, those cars need to have a high level of balance, not power.” the Z took off with the FD following, as the human kept talking. “Depending on how you see it, it’ll be an interesting race, especially for those with a keen eye.”

As soon as the cars passed the overpass, the battle had begun.

~0~

“The rain pisses me off.” the Team Spiral vampire let out a whine. “What is the point of having increased power and fatter tires if the road is wet?”

His team mate tried to cheer the gloomy bat up. “It stopped raining, so the road surface should be drier by the time the hill climb is over.”

“If that’s the case, I hope that Ikeda’s race will drag on for as long as possible.” he huffed, crossing his arms. “The drier the road surface, the easier it is for me to race.”

~0~

Kubo let out an excited hum. “Oh, looks like Ikeda chose to be the lead, but why would he do that in these conditions?”

“Both Kobayakawa and Minagawa chose to be the chasers and they were defeated, maybe he’s trying to break that jinx.” Gou said, his blank expression unchanging.

“Usually the lead driver of a wet race will feel an enormous pressure. They need to figure out the road conditions as they increase the pace. That also goes for a street race.” Kubo let out a vaguely impressed huff. “He has a strong mettle, Spiral’s Zero.”

~0~

The gryphon’s tail was slicing the air behind him, vaguely agitated. ‘People think that we, Team Spiral, are focused on tuning cars. There is some truth to that, we’re picky about tuning, but we aren’t spending our money aimlessly. It is our style to focus on the approach of modification. We build our cars with certain objectives, it is as if our cars demand certain driving style. That is the basics of Zero theory.’ Sakamoto was left alone to muse to himself.

~0~

“The mind is weak.” Ikeda began muttering to himself. “That’s because of emotions. They hinder sound judgement and precise control. As an example, this rainy road. It causes frustration by not being able to step on the gas and at the same time anxiety and fear of the slippery road.” his wings twitched in response to his musing. “Those emotions lead to a mistake, so you must empty your mind and listen to the voice of the car. Zero theory begins with interacting with your car.” the stump of his missing wing brushed against the driver's seat, causing a small jolt of pain to flash down his spine.

Ow.

The seraph pushed the pain to the back of his mind, effectively ignoring it. “A well tuned car has its own soul, so the driver should be modest. Instead of trying to make the car behave as you want, become a part of the car and drive as the car wishes. Emotions, such as anxiety, fear, and haste will cause a negative result. Even fighting spirit is unnecessary for Zero driving.

As they passed another overhang, Keisuke was taken aback by Ikeda’s driving. It was impressive, not something he’d really seen in many drivers before now.

“He’s not just skilled, but amazing!” he said in awe. “Is he not trying to skid the tires? As he’s so stable on this wet road. But he isn’t driving slow either. I almost lose control of my car just trying to catch up to him. Does that mean that he doesn’t have any wasteful accelerator work? The lack of eagerness is eerie.” one of his eyes lit up in red, vague agitation passing through him at the admittance. They raced passed two people standing next to a guardrail, both of them watching as the two racers vanished around a corner.

“The younger Takahashi is facing a wall.” Gou stated. “But there is plenty of time to see how he faces that seraph.” it seemed the race was enough to stop Gou from worrying too much about what will soon happen, even if it was for a fleeting moment.

~0~

“What is Zero theory exactly?” the siren questioned and his wings shifted. “It sounds really ambitious, I have no idea if I get it or not.”

“My interpretation of that theory is prioritizing fewer mistakes.” Ryousuke began and not turning himself around to face Fumihiro. “Instead of letting drivers do what they want, assume that cars have wills of their own, and let drivers follow them.”

Fumihiro wilted a little. “That’s the part I’m not so sure about…” Ryousuke’s expression shifted just a little.

“Well, to put it in extreme terms, they assume an emotionless computer controller car is the ideal example to follow, so they suppress the driver’s consciousness and emotion. To be fair, such an approach isn’t wrong. Mistakes are constantly caused by emotions.” his wings shifted. “I agree with the idea of focusing on the interaction with the car, like the relationship between Takumi and his 86. A driver’s skills are determined by the amount and accuracy of the information he receives. Especially with wet road conditions like this, information received from the tires is absolutely crucial.”

“So our opponent has no weakness?” Fumihiro asked worryingly. “Is there any way we can break through his defenses?”

“Of course. It is impossible for someone to completely control their emotions.” Ryousuke’s glare got angrier. “I won’t be fooled. In that theory, fighting spirit is considered unnecessary, but that is not true. There is something absolutely needed for a driver to drive fast.” his tail sliced the air behind him. “The keyword between Keisuke and I is fighting spirit.”

~0~

Gou watched passively as the air around them became dense, fog beginning to form at a slow but firm rate. Soon enough the whole area would be covered.

“Yesterday, you mentioned a condition worse than the rain, that comment seems to have become a reality.” for the first time in a few days, his expression changed to become more pensive, and nervous, while Kubo’s warped to an ‘I told you so’ smirk. “Hakone’s infamous white demon.”

~0~

The guys at the base of the mountain were getting anxious as the news of the fog hit. “You gotta be kidding me, we’re in the middle of a hill climb race!” the gryphon was getting antsy. “This is horrible.”

“If this was the Fuji Speedway, this race would be terminated with a red flag!” a naga exclaimed.

“All we can do right now is hope that the fog doesn’t get any thicker.” Sakamoto looked down. “As long as he has good enough visibility, a seasoned driver like Ikeda can manage it.”

The naga continued. “But the race marshals that we had scattered across the course will be useless if you can’t see them.”

“We can’t help that. In any case, no driver can maintain their pace in the fog.”

~0~

“You anticipated this fog?” Fumihiro asked, somehow managing to sound both surprised and completely unphased by this. “I shouldn’t be surprised but here I am.”

“Well, this was more of a very probable hunch.” Ryousuke responded honestly. “I knew that this weekend’s weather would be bad. When coming to a new course, I usually gather information about anything I can think of, in this case weather happened to be a major research point.”

“I see…”

“Because of that information, I predicted that fog would be highly probable, and I told Keisuke about it before the races tonight. We took this fog into account when we planned our strategy.”

“You probably already know this, but you’re just amazing.” Fumihiro sounded genuinely impressed. “People don’t normally notice that. But, still, this poor visibility affects both drivers equally. Wouldn’t the local driver have the advantage in this case?”

“I don’t really know about that.” Ryousuke’s tail slashed at the air. “This area’s most notable feature is that the famous Fuji Speedway is in their territory. Undoubtedly, it’s helping the locals improve their skills.” his shifted his stance a little, crossing his arms. “Naturally, their cars and driving styles are biased towards the circuit.”

“That sounds about right…”

“I know it’s right, it’s something I felt strongly when I read Ikeda’s Zero theory. It’s suitable for a closed circuit, an environment designed to be used for safe driving. It’s a superb theory that you can apply to mountain passes, but it doesn’t take any uncertainties into account.” he fell silent for a moment. “My theory of fastest street racing is even dirtier than what we face. I’ve been making Keisuke practice a type of blind training inspired by Takumi’s blind attack. It’s not something that was meant for fog, but our solution to temporary low visibility at night in the rain will come in handy.”

~0~

Takumi looked around nervously at the thick white fog rolling around him, Spider clicking away quietly.

“Fog…” he commented, it just had to be fog, huh? Things always accompanied fog.

“Master Keisuke will be alright in this, won’t he?” Nejibana asked quietly.

“Of course.” he responded quickly. “He’ll be fine.”

~0~

Keisuke’s expression shifted slightly in response to his vague discomfort at the fog rolling in, sweat beaded up on his forehead.

“This is it.” he muttered to himself. “The situation is developing just like aniki predicted. My chance to attack will come sooner than expected. I won’t miss this window of opportunity!”

Ikeda himself was sweating, the feathers of his wings getting messy, he was beginning to regret leading for the first run, now that the fog had rolled in.

“I’ll admit, my decision to lead has turned out to be the wrong one.” he shifted. “But the battle is still on. I want to keep the drop in my pace to a minimum.” he felt a bead of sweat roll down his face. “It’s obvious that I’m getting upset. Interaction with the car is the basic of Zero theory, but no matter how well I do it, I can’t break free from this situation.”

Keisuke was calmer than Ikeda was, if even by a little. His grip on the wheel was tight but he wasn’t panicked.

“I may be scared of the poor visibility,” he muttered. “But I can only imagine how the lead feels in this situation. Poor visibility wears down on the lead racer harder than the rear, and I can see one clear difference from earlier because of this. While I hadn’t seen any emotion before on Zero’s car, back at the beginning of the race, I sure do now.” he smirked. “Right now, it’s a battle with fear. Extra emotions will dictate your driving style.”

Ikeda’s mind swam with his words to Sakamoto, about how feeling fear during a race is a deadly thing, and to ease up on the gas when feeling it. Fear is caused by mistakes and to feel it means you made them.

He couldn’t help but remember that as he felt it begin to dig at him a little. It wasn’t a feeling he liked.

“I need to ease up on the throttle, I know I do, but…” he swallowed a little. “It’s like I can’t, my foot is frozen in place on the pedal. That contradiction is stressing me out.” he grit his teeth. “But I can’t lose. What I need now is focus and a strong desire to win.” his wings tensed as it finally hit him. “This is that fighting spirit that I normally deny.” he was almost shaken by this revelation. “I can’t believe this… am I not racing with the mindset of Zero?”

Keisuke narrowed his eyes as he watched his opponent race.

“His line is different.” he growled. “Clearly different from earlier in the battle. I can tell from this new line that he’s concerned about oncoming traffic. In this visibility, there’s no way you can avoid an oncoming car. He must have arranged a number of course marshals at the blind corners, but they’re now useless because of this fog.” he huffed. “Aniki’s prediction was dead on.”

~0~

Kenta watched anxiously from his position, his phone clutched tightly in his claws. The fog was beginning to thicken and roll in faster as he stared down the road, oh how he hated the fog.

“Not yet.” he mumbled, Keisuke’s voice ringing in his head.

“Right here will do the trick, Kenta. This is where the average speed suddenly increases after a series of slow sections. If fog does indeed form as aniki predicted, anyone would hesitate to step on the gas, no matter how strong minded they are. The idea is to pick a overtake location and practice repeatedly until you can visualize it. I don’t know how thick the fog will become, but I’ve practiced until I could trace the line with my eyes closed. Your role in all this is important, Kenta. I’m counting on you.”

“Keisuke went back and forth on this section, eyes open and closed, to train in avoiding dropping pace in poor visibility.” the talons on his free claw began clicking against his scales. “Is it okay to believe that fate is on his side? Fog this thick was within his expectations, wasn’t it? Passing in this fog sounds like a very Keisuke thing to do, but it’s also far too dangerous.” he could hear the sounds of exhaust and squealing tires drawing closer and closer. “They’ll be here soon, I have to focus on sounds coming from behind me… I have a great responsibility.” he brought up his phone and stared at the screen. “For Keisuke’s sake, I can’t make a mistake!”

~0~

Two people watched as the two vehicles raced by, sending the smallest of water droplets in their direction as they went.

“Isn’t that incredible, Shinji?” the woman asked, looking vaguely excited. “Spiral’s Ikeda drives so fast in this fog.”

“I don’t really know about that.” Shinji responded quietly, causing her to look at him curiously. “The lower car looked more amazing to me, mom. Like a big yellow fireball.”

~0~

“We’ll be entering a hilly area soon.” Ikeda shifted in his seat. “Once the fog gets thinner, I should be able to see the right lane clearer. Then I’ll be able to let out my frustration at full throttle!” as he announced this, instead of thinning out, the fog suddenly increased in thickness, cloaking both racers in a blanket of impierceable white.

A phone call pierced the noise of the engine, causing Keisuke’s eyes to dart towards where his phone was taped to the dash. Only one person would call him at a time like this, it was Kenta.

“A call means there’s no oncoming traffic in the target area! Excellent, Kenta, perfect timing!” Keisuke floored the gas pedal, bringing him side by side with Ikeda. He could only just barely make out the form of his opponent’s vehicle in the fog beside him, a sudden flash of red in a sea of white. He quickly sped past, taking the lead as he shot from the fog like an arrow. “I cleared the fog, it seems it all gathered in that one spot because I have the majority of my visibility back!” he caught sight of his opponent breaking through as well and slowing down, causing him to smile wildly.

He won.

~0~

“KEISUKE!” Kenta exclaimed as he rushed forward, almost colliding with the oni in his excitement. “You did it!”

“The plan worked excellently, Kenta.” he said easily, and Kenta let out a sound of relief, drifting towards the ground a little.

“I was scared to death.” he said, sounding relieved. “The fog was much thicker than I expected, and I was so anxious while I was waiting. When your FD burst from that white fog, I was so thrilled and relieved that I thought I was gonna cry.”

“Keisuke came up with the idea of where and how to make him move. I may have given him hints, but I didn’t give him any concrete advice.” Ryousuke spoke up.

“Is that right?” Fumihiro spoke, sounding impressed. “Well, you’ve really grown, haven’t you, Keisuke?”

“You keep saying that after every battle.” Keisuke commented blandly. “You really do sound like a dad like that, you know.” Fumihiro sputtered.

“W-Well, I don’t think it’s like that at all, not when I’m telling the truth!”

“Dad.” Keisuke snickered as Fumihiro poofed up again.

“Along those lines,” Ryousuke spoke up, catching their attention again. “I think it was incredible that you made your move in the high speed segment. That one has an S curve, so it’s not just some simple straightaway. I’m also impressed that you kept the throttle open.” Ryousuke walked forward and sat a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“I spent a lot of time on rehearsal, and the usual blind training must have helped too.” Keisuke’s expression softened. “Still, the fear of not being able to see is strong. I couldn’t have stepped on the gas unless I was sure there’d be no oncoming traffic.” his gaze locked on Kenta, who merely bared his teeth in a sunny, draconic smile.

~0~

“Well,” Kubo chuckled. “That was quite a ‘meaty’ hill climb, wasn’t it? Very interesting.”

“Yeah.” Gou muttered, his hands in his pockets. “More or less.”

“Ah, street battles are so deep. That dramatic show could only be equaled by top category motorsports.” Gou scoffed. “I feel sorry for the gallery of spectators, without any information, they don’t know a thing that’s going on. I mean that quite literally, you can’t see anything. It’s a shame, because the upcoming downhill will be even more impressive.” Gou couldn’t help but agree. Okuyama may be a prideful excuse of a bat, but he was still a good racer.

~0~

“They chose to chase.” Fumihiro commented as Takumi exited his 86 and shut the door, Nejibana situated on his shoulder.

“I see.” Ryousuke said, before turning towards the spider. “I’m sure you heard that, so let me give you some advice on pace management.” as he spoke, Takumi turned to him completely, and Nejibana lifted her legs at the sphinx, prompting him to reach over and allow her to jump onto his arm. “Visibility is poor, so go at eighty percent right after the start. Once you get a rhythm, raise it to ninety, and once you’re confident, go full throttle.”

“I see.” he responded. “Do you have a specific amount of time you’d like me to wait for, having said that?”

“No more than one third of the course. Finish it off before that.” Takumi nodded firmly at that, and with that the sphinx walked away.

“Alright!” Fumihiro yelled at Takumi stepped back into his car. “I’m starting the countdown!”

“It’s too foggy.” Nejibana commented from Ryousuke’s shoulder, hunkered down and quiet.

“Oh?”

“Fog always brings things with it. Feral, angry things.” she shifted. “There’s too many creatures out here right now for them to do anything, though. More likely they’re enthralled by the cars.”

“Things?”

“GO!” the cars sped off as Nejibana pondered her response.

“Feral creatures. Forest dwellers. They like the fog.”

~0~

“Is that so?” Shinji heard his mother exclaim, her phone held to hear ear. “Okay, I’ll tell him.” she hung up and shut her phone. “Just as you thought it would, the yellow car was the one who won. There are two different cars coming down the hill, Hojo said that you should pay attention to them.” Shinji’s expression shifted slightly as he looked down.

“To be honest,” he began softly. “I’m not really interested in any of this. At all.” a sudden loud screech caught their attention.

“Oh! Here they come!” Shinji watched as the two cars sped around the corner, his eyes locked firmly on the black and white one as his vision filled with blue. His eyes widened as he watched them race by and vanish around a corner.

“... I saw wings.”

“Huh? Wings?”

“On the black and white one leading.” his mother chuckled.

“On the 86? Silly, it didn’t have a wing.”

“Not like that.” he said, his voice rising in volume a little. His mother looked slightly surprised. His gaze focused back on the road.

He saw wings. Flared out amidst a bright blue and energized aura that bent and curled like spider legs was a brilliant pair of blinding white wings that scattered feathers across the road. It was an absolutely breathtaking sight.

He wanted to see it again.

Chapter Text

As Okuyama followed behind his opponent he became more and more certain of his victory.

“He’s not slow, by any means, but he’s also not as fast as I thought.” he commented, his wings shifting. “And that’s likely due to the fog.” he cocked a smirk. “I’m gonna give him a hard time by putting pressure on him from behind. I was absolutely right when I chose to chase!”

~0~

Ryousuke stared at the treeline, vaguely concerned. Tsuyoshi hasn’t come say hello at all tonight. Was the little bat busy? Maybe he was mad, knowing what Ryousuke had told Gou just a couple of days before.

“Hey, Ryousuke?” Fumihiro’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“Hmm?”

“You told Takumi something before the start, right?” the siren asked. “Just what’s your strategy?”

“It’s not exactly a strategy.” Ryousuke responded. “Takumi can win thanks to these conditions.” Fumihiro looked taken aback by this.

“Then… what did you tell him?”

“Simply instructions about not giving too much data to our opponent. My mind is already on the next race.”

“You mean the final battles against Sidewinder?” Ryousuke was silent for a moment.

“Yeah… you could say that.” as Fumihiro gave him a vaguely confused look, Ryousuke thought to himself. ‘Before that… I have a battle of my own to face.’

~0~

Okuyama narrowed his eyes slightly when the 86 in front of him sped up, causing his wings to tense in response to his vague surprise.

“He picked up the pace…” he muttered. “Even though he’s not a local, he can see the course in this poor visibility. This isn’t about technique anymore, he’s got good driving sense. But…” he shifted gears. “He won’t be able to continue this pace for very long. Even Ikeda lost his concentration, so you keep trying as hard as you like.” his lips curved into a smirk. “You’ll make a mistake in the second half, that’s when I’ll make my move.

~0~

“If you ask me,” Keisuke started as he faced the road, Kenta turned towards him fully. “I’d say the result was obvious even before the race began.”

“The opponent’s car is so well tuned, though.” Kenta commented. “I can tell by just looking, since I own a Silvia myself. I think the balance of turning, braking, and acceleration are better than Takumi’s 86, and normally he’d be at a disadvantage.”

“And just what does ‘normally’ mean, Kenta?” Keisuke asked neutrally. “Like, driving on a circuit on a sunny day? If that’s the case, vehicle potential does make a difference. In conditions like this, it’s all about the driver. Takumi has this natural cluelessness about him, it’s what inspired aniki’s blind training. As all conditions deteriorate, the Fujiwara Zone gets refined, so much so that I completely hate it. I keep telling you the same thing over and over, Kenta, Takumi is possibly the most fearsome mountain driver we’ll ever meet.”

~0~

“The way he’s stomping on the accelerator is scary.” Okuyama commented. “This speed feels twice, or even three times faster because of this fog. Just what kind of nerves does that spider have? The next turn is a right hand hairpin.” he watched the 86 speed up once more, the rear of the vehicle shifting closer to the ground from the force, and felt offence climb up his spine. “Is he challenging me to a braking battle in these conditions!?” he scoffed, quietly noting that the very notion made him angry.

His eyes were probably glowing a little, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“No thanks.” he growled. “Can’t be sure whether either of us would wreck or not. I do not want to be involved. Even if I fall a little behind during braking, I should be able to recover my loss during acceleration. I’m not going to risk it, so you go ahead and vanish from the course alone!” as they entered the corner, the 86 hardly lost speed as it went through… then completely vanished from his sight. His eyes widened as he pushed to complete the corner. “What the hell was that!? Is my sense of speed dull because of the fog? Alright, don’t panic, panicking at a time like this won’t do me any favors. If I accelerate precisely while minimizing wheel spin, the car will narrow the gap by itself. That’s what it’s tuned to do, after all. Even if I don’t take a risky gamble, if I keep driving so I won’t lose, victory will still be mine in the end!” he completed the corner, spotting the 86 ahead once again.

Only for it to vanish once more.

“What’s happening!? He’s so fast! This is just ridiculous! Is that car a 4WD?!” he cleared the next corner and felt sweat roll down his face. The 86 was completely gone. He couldn’t see any trace of it, it’s almost like it was never even there to begin with. “It disappeared? It really disappeared from the course?!”

~0~

“Alright!” Kenta exclaimed with a fist in the air as the 86 appeared from behind the final corner. Keisuke looked peaceful at the sight of his mate’s car.

On the opposite side of the lot, the seraph was talking with the gryphon lightly, looking unsurprised by the results of the race.

“I knew the conditions were dangerous, I myself drove the course after all.” he said. “But Okuyama isn’t a weak driver who would be affected by the fog. He is this team’s number two driver for a reason. I knew he’d be able to finish the race safely, but at the same time, I was sure he wouldn’t be able to win, no matter what he did. The reason why I let him race without any advice is because I thought he’d gain something, an experience he’d never be able to have otherwise.” he stretched his wings a little. “He must be shocked, since everything he’s built is crumbling down around him, but that will just help him grow. The frustration from this loss will drive him up to the next level.”

~0~

Kubo gave a hearty chuckle. “Is this what they meant by getting bewitched by a kitsune? Both Okuyama and Ikeda were defeated while trying to figure out what happened. This is a big miscalculation for our recon team, we couldn’t learn half of the things we wanted because of the fog.” he turned to face Gou. “Ryousuke Takahashi is one lucky guy, I don’t like it.”

A soft smile appeared on Gou’s face. “The reason he is so lucky, is because he is well prepared.”

The hyena laughed again. “Oh? You look happy, Hojo.”

“Because I am, a stage which we couldn’t even dream for has been prepared for us. This festivity will reach the climax.” but before that, his mate will face off his brother, which transformed the smile into a frown.

On the other side of the course, Shinji and his mother were making their way back towards their car, having been called by Gou again to hear who won. Shinji paused as his mother continued on, unaware, and looked at the road, back at where he’d seen the 86 pass. His mind swam with the sight of those wings again, it wasn’t something he’d soon forget.

He really wanted to see them again. Maybe he’d get another chance.

~0~

“Takumi!” Itsuki exclaimed as the spider stepped from his car. “We’ve been waiting for you!”

“Looks like all you can do is win, huh?” Iketani commented. “Besides that, I have a few things I need to hear from you. Your opponent from Spiral, he had an S15, right? What was it like? Was it tough?”

“Well,” Takumi tilted his head. “The course was covered in fog, and the road was partially wet. The car looked quite powerful, but the conditions didn’t allow him to step on the gas very hard.”

“You guys still race when it’s foggy?” Iketani asked incredulously.

“Well, yeah. It’s a rule that we race in any condition, so long as both teams agree to participate. This time we were lucky that our opponents accepted our challenge.”

“You may be right, it’d be a pain for you all to have to drive all the way from Gunma for another day.”

“I mean, that’s true.” Takumi nodded. “But what I really meant was that I didn’t want the race to be cancelled because I tend to focus better when the conditions are severe.” Itsuki strolled over with a smug expression on his face.

“Just like I said, right Koichiro?” Iketani snorted.

“Yeah, just like you said.” Takumi looked between them, vaguely alarmed, and Iketani turned back to him. “It rained over here that day, Kenji and I were worried about the weather in Hakone, Itsuki, on the other hand, said that the rain would give you an advantage. He was very confident about it, too.” Itsuki crossed his arms and smiled.

“Ah…”

“Anyway, it feels like you’ve finally hit the moment of truth.” Iketani continued. “You’ve accomplished something great! The next one will be the final battle.”

“Even the high level Kanagawa racers are no match for Project D!” Itsuki howled confidently.

“Even though we were afraid of a salary cut, we still asked Yuichi for a day off. We’re both taking a vacation that week.” Itsuki let out an excited sound.

“Oh I’m already so excited!” Iketani chuckled.

“All of the SpeedStars members are coming to watch you race, Takumi. I believe we’ll witness the birth of a legend.”

~0~

A white FC drove down the Akagi pass, it had a carbon fiber hood and a wing. Ryousuke looked blankly ahead. Bringing his car to a stop at the parking lot, Matsumoto ran towards him. “How is it?” he asked

“It is perfect, just like you.” his tail remained pointed down, no hint of movement was visible. “I can’t feel the benefit of the wing on the streets of Akagi, but I really needed the stability in high speed corners. All that I now need to worry about is how I handle the car after a little hiatus.”

The kitsune looked sad. “Ryousuke, do you really have to do this? I wouldn’t say this if your opponent was someone else, but the next race will be the final away race for Project D. If anything happened to you, we couldn’t do this.” he stepped closer to him. “Ryousuke, you shouldn’t do this. This isn’t like you.”

“I am sorry, Matsumoto, but this is a fate that I cannot run away from.” he looked to the side. “I can’t leave that person the way he is, it is something I can only do. Even his little brother couldn’t bring him out of it. It is difficult to settle the next battle, but don’t worry, I’ll return, no matter what.”

“If you insist.” Matsumoto knows that Ryousuke can’t be convinced otherwise. “But I have a condition.” Ryousuke turned his gaze towards Matsumoto.

~0~

“Huh?” Keisuke turned towards Kenta, a vaguely alarmed look on his face. “You’re joking, right?”

“No!” Kenta exclaimed. “I’m serious! Someone saw Ryousuke and his FC here, the car had a huge wing.”

“A wing?” Keisuke asked incredulously. “That’s strange. Are they sure it was aniki?”

“He said he saw his face very clearly, so I’m absolutely positive! Akagi street racers wouldn’t mistake anyone else for your brother.” Keisuke looked genuinely alarmed by this, an expression that caught Kenta off guard.

“I’d been thinking that I hadn’t seen aniki’s car in the garage from time to time…” he commented quietly. “If that’s true, why does he need a wing?” his entire expression shifted negatively. “I have a very bad feeling about this.”

~0~

A dark figure stood in the middle of the fog, his R32 idling. “Hakone’s fog is nice.” his voice quiet, almost like a whisper. “It hides the ugly side of reality. When I stand still, there is nothing but absolute silence and overwhelming loneliness.” the figure looked down. “This is the state of Nirvana, right, Kaori? Ever since I’ve lost you, I feel like I’ve been standing in the fog. I will have a race with Ryousuke, where we both will bet our lives. Time to make a choice, choose the one who will join you in the afterlife. This time, follow your heart, Kaori.” the rumble of a closing rotary engine brought him out of his trance. He opened his eyes to an FC appearing from the fog, like a ghost from the aether.

Ryousuke eyed the figure before him quietly, able to see his aura even now, even when they weren’t in a race. It looked wrong. His expression flew through a multitude of states, like concern and vague terror, before finally evening into a neutral, if vaguely sad scrawl. Repressing all of his creature features, Ryousuke stepped out of the car, smelling the air unnoticeably and picking up three very familiar scents from the trees, before walking closer towards the dark figure.

“It’s been a while, Rin Hojo.”

“It has, hasn’t it?” Rin responded quietly, eyeing him. “You look a little neater.” Ryousuke was silent for a moment.

“I don’t know how to respond to that.” he finally said, before pausing and adding a very quiet ‘senpai’ at the end as an afterthought. Rin’s eyes narrowed, vaguely angry at the respectful term. His eyes flashed, something Ryousuke picked up on easily, and he felt vague anxiety claw at his back.

~0~

Fumihiro looked very worried, Keisuke noted, as the siren exited one of the vans and approached.

“I heard the rumors.” he said, stopping before him and Kenta. “I called Ryousuke’s cell, but I wasn’t able to connect. I did leave a message, but haven’t heard anything back. I checked with the college lab, and he isn’t there either.” he was silent for a moment. “If… if Ryousuke modified his FC, I’m sure he has a good reason for it! Matsumoto is the one who’s been tuning and maintaining the FC, so I tried calling him to see if he knows anything, but I can’t reach him either. Something is definitely not right, with the both of them missing.”

“If that’s the case,” Keisuke began. “Then I’ll just ignore this.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it. For the time being, it’s pointless for us to get upset over this.”

“How could you not be?” Fumihiro asked, sounding surprised. “Aren’t you worried?”

“Of course I am, but aniki must have a significant reason for doing this, even if it means going solo behind our backs. He’s always been like this.” Keisuke crossed his arms. “You know that, don’t you? Aniki always makes the right choice. He’ll come back, and feign ignorance as if nothing happened. Just have faith in him and wait, there’s no point in worrying yourself senseless. We just have to act as we always do, and what we should be doing now is preparing for the final battle. That’s what aniki would say if he were here. He’s Japan’s most ingenious street racer, don’t-” Keisuke was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing, pulling it from his pocket he flipped it open. “Takumi?” he asked, sounding genuinely surprised, and answered it. “Takumi, what’s up? You don’t usually call this late at night.”

“Itsuki called me saying he and Iketani heard rumors about Ryousuke’s car being spotted around sporting a wing.” Takumi responded, sounding vaguely rushed. “What’s going on?”

“Takumi… we don’t know what’s going on.” Keisuke sighed. “But whatever it is, we shouldn’t worry about it. It’s likely something private for aniki to be sneaking around behind our backs. Don’t let it get to you, he’s stronger than both of us, our worry won’t do him any good. Just focus on preparing for the upcoming battle, alright?” there was silence on the other line. “Just trust him, he’ll be fine. You worry too much.”

“I do not.” Takumi responded on impulse, causing Keisuke to snicker.

“Just worry about preparations, Takumi.”

“Alright… but you will tell me if you learn anything important, right?” Keisuke rolled his eyes.

“Yes, Takumi. I’ll tell you if anything comes up.”

“Thank you.” and with that, the line went dead.

~0~

Ryousuke revved up the engine, warming it up for the race. Matsumoto lowered himself to look inside the FC, a serious expression on his face.

“Ryousuke.” he began, catching the sphinx’s attention. “I will be waiting right here for you, so please pick me up when you’re done. I plan on returning to Gunma in your car’s passenger seat, and I won’t think about going back any other way either.” Ryousuke looked a little taken aback by his words. “Even if it takes you several days, I’ll remain here and wait for you. Even if it rains to the point where I get soaked…” Matsumoto’s eyes flashed. “In other words, if you don’t come back, I’ll plant myself here and die.” they were silent for a moment.

“You know, Matsumoto, I can really see you doing that.” Ryousuke finally responded, causing the kitsune’s expression to shift. “I’ll return no matter what, I promise. Thank you.” and with that, Matsumoto watched the two cars drive out of the lot and down the road. A cold chill ran up the kitsune’s spine and he reached into his pocket, running a finger over the orb he kept stashed there for the first time in years.

He really hoped Ryousuke came back.

“It is a promise, Ryousuke. Please come back safely.” he whispered into the night, hoping dearly that someone hears his plea.

Chapter Text

The white and black cars headed to the main road, their engines becoming a distant noise to Matsumoto’s ears.

“This is too risky, I’ve never seen such a high speed downhill anywhere else. You’d be in a serious disadvantage in a lead position against a local on this course. He hasn’t even had the time to get accustomed to the upgraded FC after his hiatus. All I can do right now is to believe in the super driving sense of the Akagi’s White Comet.”

He remembered the story Ryousuke told him on their way to Hakone. “Three years ago, I fell in love with someone. She was a senior by one year and the kind of person I’ve never met before. Free spirited, half childish, half mature. Sometimes strong willed, sometimes weak. A person with a lot of contradictions, which may have been the reason I was attracted to her. I was so in love with her, that I lost my head over her to the extent of not being able to control myself. It was out of character for me, I guess. In hindsight, I had no idea that she was a creature and being a human back then, it would’ve been foolish of me to chase her.” 

~0~

“Cornering potential is the same for both cars, but mine has more power.” Rin muttered to himself. “As for braking, his car has the advantage because it is lighter, it’ll become more apparent at the end of the course. But that’s fine by me. If my brakes won’t work, I won’t be able to avoid slamming into his car.” the dark gray car’s front bumper was getting dangerously close to the white one’s rear bumper. “There will be only one round, if you manage to get away, you win.” he gave a demonic smirk. “But I won’t let you!” he ignored the prickling sense within him.

In the FC, Ryousuke had a flashback. “Ryousuke, why do you think you were born? Have you ever thought about it?” Kaori turned around to face Ryousuke.

“There you go again with your philosophical questions.” he'd replied.

“Don’t try to dodge my question, Ryousuke, try answering it. What do you really want to do in your life? Do you really want to succeed your parents? Are you attending this college because you really want to be a doctor?” he looked down with a small smile on his lips as she continued. “You can’t be happy with that. It’s sad if you can’t choose what you want to do in life.”

“You’re hitting a sore spot, Kaori.”

“What is it that makes you truly happy? What is your dream?” the last word kept echoing in his mind, ‘dream’. Yet he kept blankly staring ahead. As the drove past a corner, Sakamoto climbed out of his hiding place to call Ikeda.

“I spotted the Shinigami’s GT-R. It’ll pass you chasing a white car at high speed.” a winged figure with glowing red eyes flew past him at incredible speed and Sakamoto almost fell back. They went by too fast to identify. “There is also a flying creature following them! Be careful!”

“Thank you.” his voice echoed from the phone and then the line went dead. Ikeda started the engine of his 350Z and took off. The FC and the R32 were close behind and passed him. But the flying creature had other ideas, they took higher into the skies at the sight of his car.

“I’ve finally caught you, Shinigami.” his voice nearly growling the name. “Team Spiral is proud to be Hakone’s neighborhood watch. We won’t forgive anyone who breaks the rules of the mountain pass. Your foolery ends now, Shinigami!” his eyes focused on the white FC ahead of the R32 wondering who’s the driver. “How reckless of you to take the lead position against the Shinigami, you must have nerves of steel.” then it hit him, that blue aura. “Could it be that sphinx?”

~0~

“Ryousuke, I need to tell you something.” they were sitting at a bar back then, “My parents have chosen a fiancé for me. I’ll have to marry him in a few years.”

“That is a bad joke, Kaori.” she turned to look at Ryousuke with a shocked expression. “Do you really want to follow your parents’ wishes? That is not at all like you.”

She turned away from him. “You just don’t know the true me.”

“Then I’ll begin to discover it from now on. I will not give you up.” in hindsight, he thought, he was quite naive back then.

“No.” a stream of tears ran down her cheek. “Please, give up on me.”

Ryousuke was taken aback. “Why are you crying? I’ll protect you no matter what!”

The sphinx felt someone dear to him hanging nearby, and it didn’t feel like the woman he loved in the past. That person was protecting him, like a guardian angel.

~0~

Rin was keeping his eyes firmly on the FC and something bothered him about the way it was behaving. “What’s wrong, Ryousuke? I see a slight hesitation in your corner entries. Are you scared of this super high speed stage? Or is it from your hiatus?” his gaze turned hostile. “You’re so naive, Ryousuke. If you’re spacing out, then I’ll wake you up!” as he said that, he slammed on the gas pedal as they neared a corner and bumped the FC’s right side rear bumper, making it lose balance.

Ikeda swore as he watched the FC begin to slide towards the side of the road, sweat beading on his face.

“He did it already!” he exclaimed. “Rear wheel drive cars are defenseless against that kind of push right after a turn in when the car is unstable. The Shinigami did that on purpose… please recover!”

Ryousuke himself was completely calm as his FC slid out of control, this wasn’t something he couldn’t handle. A smirk crossed his features as he glanced at the GT-R in his rearview.

‘Was that really the best you could do, senpai?’ he thought passively, before maneuvering the wheel to push the momentum of the car into a drift, allowing him to quickly recover and straighten out upon the exit of the corner.

“I can control the car.” he said. “That’s what that taught me. It’s well tuned, as always, Matsumoto. Now I know I can push myself to the limit without hesitation.”

“The Shinigami is acting different from before…” Ikeda commented, his teeth gritted. “He’s… he’s seriously trying to…!” he watched the GT-R speed up, going in for another bump…

Only for nothing to happen, the aura around the car flaring lightly in surprise and vague outrage.

“He missed!? The Shinigami’s serious attempt to crash was dodged! What incredible acceleration… there’s no doubt about it. The charismatic driver, who was once the best in northern Kanto, has returned! What made him do that?” he noticed a change in the GT-R once again, and gulped. “What’s going on? The Shinigami is acting strange, he’s showing true hostility! The sphinx is well aware of this, but he isn’t even trying to escape! The Lady, this is no ordinary battle… looks like I ran into an extraordinary situation.”

~0~

“Ryousuke…” Rin growled, pointedly ignoring how the pricking intensified. “This is just like you. Your earlier hesitation is gone. You’ve got incredible adaptability. You’re a much better driver than I expected.” a flash of magenta passed by in his peripherals. “I bet you’re watching us from nearby, Kaori. I dedicate this battle to you. Even if I die here tonight, I won’t regret it. I’m not afraid of anything.” as he spoke, memories of her flashed through his mind.

“I’m sorry, Hojo.” her voice echoed softly. “But I can’t marry you.” she looked away after saying this.

“Hang on, this is rather abrupt. Why is it you can’t? This has nothing to do with what our parents agreed to! I love you from the bottom of my heart, don’t you know that?” he could remember the tears that fell from her eyes as he said that to her, and the way she turned away from him more. It hurt this heart quite a bit.

He really had loved her. His grip on the wheel tightened.

~0~

Ikeda shook, a wave of terror ripping through him as a new wave of hostility radiated from the GT-R.

“This is scary.” he swallowed. “The tension is off the scale. I’m having a hard time keeping up, much less cutting between them! And, that Ryousuke Takahashi… I heard he was the logical type, but that’s not true, now is it. Only a genius could pull off this kind of driving. It’s almost a miracle for a non local to maintain this high pace. This course is so unique that even the locals don’t push themselves to the limit. Because you only have one life.” he watched on, witnessing a small flash from the FC’s exhaust as the vehicle raced on. “So fast. His handling of rotary is almost an art. Even if he’s known at the logical type, it’s because he has both the sense of a genius and an all too clever mind?” he clicked his tongue, his wings shifting.

The stump of his fourth wing was almost burning with pain. He desperately ignored it.

“That’s just the true nature of Ryousuke Takahashi, I guess.” he narrowed his eyes. “But… the Shinigami will show his truly frightening nature up ahead.”

~0~

“Ryousuke.” Kaori’s voice echoed in his head again, the image of her standing at the end of a dock forming before him. “You’re a mysterious person, y’know. You’re younger than be, but a bit more composed. That’s kinda irritating.” she flashed him a teasing smile, he remembered that he’d noticed her particularly sharp canines with interest but hadn’t pointed them out. “But you’re always honest, kind, and strong minded. The type of person who can make a woman happy.” he remembered feeling flattered by those words. “I… I’m not sure if I can be the one who experiences it. Maybe I don’t deserve your feelings. I… I wish…” her eyes filled with tears, he could remember clearly, he’d been alarmed by them. “I wish I could be by your side forever…”

His grip on the wheel tightened. He’d wished that too, at the time. His attention was pulled beside him as headlights picked up on his right, the GT-R pulling alongside him. His expression tightened, Rin was planning something, he could sense it. As they pulled into the corner, Rin struck, impacting the side of his FC and sending him flying towards the trees. Gritting his teeth as his eyes shifted, he worked to stabilize his FC as best he could, allowing it to ride along the slope and then bringing the vehicle back into line before returning to the road.

“You’ll have to do better than that, senpai!”

~0~

“That was amazing!” Ikeda exclaimed excitedly. “He climbed up the slope as if it was a bank! I almost can’t believe what I’m seeing, they say no one can escape the Shinigami, but Ryousuke Takahashi is doing a damn good job of it!” he forced himself to calm down. “Forcing the car to stay on the road would have forced him to smack the curb and bounce back uncontrollably, so he instead went for the slope instead of trying to recover. That had to have been a split-second decision… if he tried to think about it, it would have been far too late.” his wings shifted anxiously.

This was starting to become too much, even for him.

“He’s even more of a natural than that spider downhiller of his.”

~0~

The infuriating prickling wouldn’t stop, he’d thought he’d managed to squash it down years ago, but it seems not. Rin’s eye twitched, nothing was going as planned tonight. Ryousuke was supposed to perish at that spot! Kaori was supposed to take him! He growled.

“You have strong luck, but how long will it last?” he noticed the FC’s aura flare, a taunting challenge that made him grit his teeth and narrow his eyes. “Damn it…” memories began to swarm again without warning, Kaori appearing in his mind once more.

“I can’t say.” she said quietly. “It has nothing to do with you.”

“But I can’t be satisfied until you tell me… wait, you love someone else, don’t you?” the way she refused to meet his eye infuriated him, she never met his eyes. “Tell me who took you from me.” she’d turned away from him instead, refusing to answer him at all.

He’d hated it. Another memory swam, one not his own. A loud slap echoed in the room, Kaori’s soft voice gasping in surprise and pain.

“How could you be so selfish!?” her father demanded, outraged. “Are you trying to destroy everything!? All of it, from my company’s existence to your carefree college life, everything is owed to Director Hojo! You know that!” Kaori was seated on the floor, holding her cheek with tears in her eyes, outrage and rebellion shining within those orbs. “Change your clothes. We’re going to visit him and apologize. If we’re sincere about it, the Director should forgive us. I’ve spoken with Rin, he had the same idea.” Kaori narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth, her sharp canines gleaming in the light.

“No.” she growled. “I won’t go.”

“Enough is enough! How much are you going to trouble me!? Listen to me, pup, this is for you too! You have no other choice.”

“I DON’T WANT TO GO!” she cried loudly, her eyes flashing red as tears poured down her cheeks. Her father took a step back, looking increasingly alarmed. “I don’t want to go.” she said again, much quieter this time. “Even if I have to die.”

Chapter Text

Ryousuke eyed the GT-R as it pulled beside him again, he quirked a brow as it kept even with him instead of striking.

“The RB26 is impressive. It must be making at least six hundred and fifty horsepower. I’ll be out-accelerated on a long straightaway.” as they came upon a corner, Ryousuke mutedly realized it was a cliff corner, and choked when he felt Rin’s GT-R bump into his FC once more, sending him towards the rail. His teeth sharpened as he grit them, his nails lengthening into claws as he attempted to stabilize the FC. He could feel it bump along the rail and it clicked, he allowed the car to bump the rail a few more times and quickly enough, the FC stopped shaking and he pulled back onto the road. He could tell Rin was shocked, so was he, vaguely. He was more relieved than anything.

~0~

“He recovered.” Ikeda sighed in relief. He’d felt so powerless a moment ago. “The Shinigami’s fatal side press proved useless. How, though?” he pondered for a moment before it clicked, a repeat of what had just happened playing again in slow motion in his head. “I get it! The speed… the FC’s cornering speed is very fast, that very speed nullified the Shinigami’s previously inescapable side press!” he couldn’t believe he’d seen such masterful recovery, he was amazed. This was a battle of a lifetime to witness. Motion caught his attention and he looked up, his eyes widening when he caught sight of them. Their very auras identified them to him, he would be a fool to not recognize it.

Outsiders. Two Outsiders.

What were they doing, following a race like this? Swallowing, he turned his attention back to the road.

“Following basics make you a victim of the Shinigami.” he mumbled as a distraction. “Ryousuke sacrificed the high speed exit for a high speed approach. On top of that, he sees his opponent’s moves very well. He’s so strong minded that he doesn’t flinch at dire circumstances. Instead of resisting, he remains open to fear and anger, simply letting them go by. Oh, that’s the ideal Zero mindset I’ve been trying to achieve. He’s shown me something I don’t have. You’re incredible, Ryousuke Takahashi. It doesn’t matter how fast that GT-R is, he’s no match for you in a normal race. Their mindsets are totally different, and the Shinigami looks noticeably impatient. That’s why, with the GT-R still chasing, the situation is even more dire.”

~0~

“You’ve met Gou Hojo of Sidewinder, everyone on D has. His brother, Rin Hojo, who I’m going to meet, was three years senior to me in college.” Ryousuke remembered the words he said to Matsumoto. “I want to save Rin, because both of us are feeling the same pain. That’s why I can’t run from this, Matsumoto. I have to face it head on. For my own sake… the Rin I knew was sensitive, and smart. He knew everything, but just couldn’t accept it, so he shut himself in. He needs a chance, and I believe in him. Words are convenient, but powerless. Sometimes you have to get the message across using something other than words.”

“What you’re saying is very complex.” the kitsune had replied. “I don’t really understand why you have to do it now, though.” he grimaced. “I hate to say such things about your mate, but since they’re brothers, Sidewinder and the Shinigami might be collaborating behind the scenes. This screams trap to me, Ryousuke.”

“That’s completely unlikely, Matsumoto.” Ryousuke remembered the tone he had taken, disbelieving and stubborn. “Rin picked this date for a reason, a very obvious one…”

~0~

“Today’s the second anniversary of Kaori’s death.” Rin spoke. “Two years. What I can’t stand is that you recovered, and moved on! How can you be so cold hearted? Was it so easy for you to forget!?” his aura flared brilliantly, streaks of fuchsia lapping against blue. The blue, startled, cringed away as a streak of dark color touched it. “That’s the extent of your feelings for her!?”

“NO!” Ryousuke’s voice roared in his head, causing him to wince. “You shouldn’t let the depth of the scar, depth of sadness, or the intensity of your despair keep you from moving forward! No matter how strong the pain is, our duty is to move forward. You’re wrong for running away from reality as you have!”

“Shut the fuck up, Ryousuke!” Rin roared back, the prickling at the back of his head intensifying, a rhythmic bang, bang, bang, like something deep within him was banging on a metal door, begging for help. The blue aura tensed. “You’re the one who’s running away! Don’t you dare forget that! I’ll never let you forget that!”

“I haven’t forgotten, nor run away.” Ryousuke responded resolutely. “It had never escaped my mind. That’s why I made my choice to move forward. Do you really think she wishes for us to keep fighting like this?” Ryousuke’s voice cracked. “This will only make her sad! Why don’t you understand that!?” Ryousuke was silent for a moment. “This is not you, Rin. This is not you. If you intend to drive me into despair, I’ll give you a wake-up call!” and with that, Ryousuke’s aura retreated down quickly, ripping itself away from swirled fuchsia, back into the FC.

~0~

Ikeda grimaced, taking notice of how the GT-R’s brake lights were flashing too often for his comfort.

“Shit.” he swore. “The fact that he’s checking the effectiveness of his brakes so much is startling. Does the pedal feel weird or something? Or is there actually something wrong with the GT-R’s brakes?” glancing up, he saw the Outsiders still following, and above them a pair of red eyes trailed along, staring at the GT-R with horror.

So he wasn’t the only one concerned about that, it seemed.

~0~

Kaori flashed through his mind once more. “Oh, Kaori, how I wish you were still alive and well. You’re the best woman I’ve ever met, no matter what others say. Even if you weren’t mine, I’d be fine as long as you were happy. Oh, soft hair, breathtaking gaze, flawless white skin, slim body, gentle curves… you’re like a work of art, Kaori. But you’re not here anymore!” with that shout, he rammed into the FC and forced it against the rail. The FC’s aura flared angrily and is suddenly slowed, yanking itself hardly out from beside the GT-R and to the back.

Ikeda widened his eyes in horror. “No! He forced the brakes to pull his nose out! They’re gonna lose control at the same time!” true to his words the two cars slid, the FC recovering first and retaking the lead. Ikeda gulped. “This is furious… the under-steered GT-R hit the curb, while the over-steered FC crossed the line with full counter steering… this is one deadly dogfight… but despite that, I’ve been witnessing an absolutely beautiful exchange of splendid skills over and over again. I pity that poor GT-R… with such skills, why did you have to turn your precious car into a lethal weapon?”

Rin snarled. “Why can’t I get him!? Gah, you’re foolishly honest despite your looks, Ryousuke. Are you trying to play along? For what? For whom!?”

“Again?” Ikeda looked horrified at the sight of the GT-R testing it’s breaks again. “Something is very wrong… the braking distance is getting longer… so why is your foot still on the gas at a time like this!?”

~0~

“What’s your dream, Ryousuke?” Kaori’s voice echoed. “To become a good doctor? That sounds good, and I admire it, but you can hardly call that a dream. It’s just a practical goal. Men should be eager to chase dreams, in my opinion.” she turned towards him and smiled. “I bet you’re wondering what my dream is. Well, girls are different. I can live with practicality. I’m not strong enough to turn away from reality in order to pursue my dream. I think men have the privilege of being able to chase dreams… I wish I could keep watching it with the one I love.”

“My dream…” he muttered.

Rin growled as the GT-R shook and swayed. “Ugh, what terrible under-steering. The front tires have no grip. My brakes are even worse than that… this is very unexpected. I never thought this game would last this long. The downhill puts more stress on the brakes than the circuit.”

“There’s one more emergency exit area beyond the next corner.” Ikeda commented towards the GT-R. “If you really can’t stop, use it, Shinigami. You’ve done enough!” he continued watching as it came closer… closer…

And the GT-R completely passed it by.

“DUMBASS!”

Ryousuke eyed the GT-R in his rearview, his eyes narrowing vaguely in concern.

“Your pace is strange.” he commented. “Likely because of the brakes. Fuck… what do I do!?”

Rin was peacefully quiet, even that insistent prickling had stopped in the face of what was coming next. Memories began to flash again.

“... Kaori… I’m disappointed in you. Do whatever you want, this whole thing has displeased both father and myself. You’ll regret it later. I really do hate to say this, but your father;s business is going to suffer now. Someday, you’re going to regret not choosing me.” he could clearly remember the disgusted way she’d glared at him, still not making eye contact but still conveying so much hatred in that gaze.

It had bore straight through this heart, and right to him.

“It didn’t have any deep meaning.” he mumbled. “I couldn’t help but say something so foolish, I was just so angry… Kaori… was it me who drove you to do what you did?” he slid through a corner, impacting the guard rail but continuing on unflinchingly.

Ryousuke’s expression relaxed, and he released the accelerator, pressing on his brakes and ramming into the GT-R’s bumper. His and Rin’s auras rose, Ryousuke could feel Rin’s extreme surprise.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?” he heard Rin scream angrily. “You can’t just stop the heavy body of an R32! My brakes are completely fucked, and yours can’t handle the weight of two cars!”

“I know.” Ryousuke muttered, Kaori’s voice filling his mind once more.

“Goodbye… Ryousuke.”

“Kaori? What’s going on? What are you talking about?”

“Thank you for everything. It may have been brief, but… I had so much fun.”

“Kaori… Kaori where are you? I’ll come as fast as I can.”

“... I’m glad I met a human like you, Ryousuke. I’m so sorry… goodbye…”

“Kaori!? Kaori!”

Ryousuke shook the memory away as he struggled, his teeth grit.

“It’s hard to maintain control, the two cars are misaligned. I can’t recover from this mistake! I can’t get maximum braking ability! We aren’t slowing down! I CAN’T STOP!” a flash of red caught his eye and his gaze darted to the side, his eyes widening at the sight of Ryuji Ikeda smiling at him, sweat rolling down his face as he too backed into the GT-R and stomped on the brakes. His own aura flared.

“I’m not letting you do all of the work by yourself!” his voice exclaimed passionately. “You impressed me so thoroughly! I have to help!” as they all slid forward, the end of the pass coming closer and closer, a sudden feeling of warmth and relief blanketed Ryousuke, his eyes widened as a familiar scent of flowers entered his nose.

“... Kaori?” he asked, his form shifting for just a moment as he looked up. He watched the exit come closer, the cars slowly coming to a stop. The FC hit a pylon, sending it flying towards the toll booth and bouncing off it as they came to a full stop, just inches away from a horrible crash. He let out a sigh of relief and repressed his features, him and Ikeda stepping out of their cars and flashing each other relieved, and in Ryousuke’s case thankful, smiles.

A scream of anger caught their attention and they turned, eyes widening as they caught sight of the Outsiders atop the GT-R, the one Ryousuke recognized as usually hovering around Gou yanking out a figure by the arms. Pale flesh, claws, boney limbs, razors for teeth, sunken face and eyes, the creature screamed and fought against the Outsider valiantly.

“NOO!” it screeched, prompting the second Outsider to morph from a crow into a more human form and help force it from the car. Ikeda suddenly paled and turned away.

“Don’t look it in the eyes!” he exclaimed, and Ryousuke looked away from it too, if Ikeda had such a reaction to it, it must be dangerous. There was a final screech, before all was silent.

“Ryousuke…” a soft voice called to him, the sphinx turned and looked at the direction the voice came from, eyes widening. Ikeda was already looking, an awed look on his face. Before them was a bright fuchsia figure, billowing like mist, but the shape of the face and the outline of hair was unmistakable.

“Kaori?”

“I’d been calling for help for so long, Ryousuke. Thank you. By being here, by being Outsider blessed, you’ve freed Rin and I both. Thank you.” with a soft smile, she drifted into the air and vanished, finally at peace. Ryousuke glanced into the car, catching sight of Rin holding his hands to his mouth and crying through the tint.

He’d give him time. They could talk when he composed himself.

~0~

A different winged form landed in front of them, form visibly shaking and vaguely bunched up. It was Gou, his eyes glowing red but full of tears. Without warning or sound, he latched onto Ryousuke and rested his head on his chest. The sphinx wrapped around his vampire as the seraph slowly moved some distance away to give the two a little privacy. It was clear to Ikeda that he's not meant to be a part of what's coming up.

There was a mix of wails, sobs and Gou trying to say something through them. It was hard to make out what the vampire was saying as he attempted to get it out in this condition. He was getting Ryousuke's shirt wet, the sphinx noticed mutedly, but he didn't mind it, raising one of his hands to pet his crying mate. “I was so scared for you!” he finally choked out, burying his face deeper into Ryousuke’s chest. Gou wrapped his wings around his mate, to protect him from outside threats. The sphinx gently hushed him, gently swaying back and forth in an effort to calm the vampire down.

“I am alright now, nothing bad will happen anymore.” a little panicked bat flew from the forest into the hug pile, not even conveying any words in his squeaks. “I am safe now, Tsuyoshi and Gou, I’m lucky to have you guys as my guardian angels.” Gou lifted his face, his teary eyes, which are no longer glowing, meeting Ryousuke’s. He used one of his hands to wipe away Gou’s tears, his mate’s breathing uneven and hiccupped due to crying. “I am so lucky to have you, Gou.” he whispered and Gou began crying again, hugging him tightly. The bat situated himself on the sphinx’s shoulder.

They were all safe.

The sound of a car door opening echoed from out of the blue, snapping them back to reality. Ryousuke’s eyes darted towards the sound, noticing that Rin was slowly, hesitantly, stepping out of his car. Gou’s eyes shifted red and angry again and he set himself between his brother and Ryousuke in a defensive maneuver. It was clear on Rin’s face that he is confused about the sight they had made. His little brother, looking hostile and harsh, with leathery wings, sharp canines and black eyes with red irises, first clinging to Ryousuke for dear life, and now visibly, silently growling at him in warning. Rin was almost ready to run away again, hoping to god that it wasn’t the same situation like the one he had, he wouldn’t wish that upon anybody, especially his little brother. But Ryousuke set his hand on Gou’s shoulder and looked at him softly. ‘It’s alright’ his eyes conveyed. And the vampire relaxed, he sat on the ground as Ryousuke made his way towards Rin.

“Ryousuke…” was all that Rin could say.

“You’ve got a lot to learn about this wonderful world, just like I did.” he said with a smile. Rin only hummed at that, his eyes darted toward Gou, which didn’t go unnoticed by Ryousuke. “You’re worried about your little otouto there, aren’t you?” the human looked back at Ryousuke. “There is no need for that. He’s a good vampire.”

Rin’s eyes widened at that. “V-vampire?” Gou stood up and slowly walked towards his brother, his arms crossed and his expression pensive. He stopped beside Ryousuke and stayed silent for a moment, searching Rin’s face. He must have found what he was looking for there, for he opened his mouth.

“Aniki, our dad is a vampire and our mother a human. Our dad was displeased when you were born a human, which is why this arranged marriage bullshit happened.” Rin looked down at the ground. “Kaori, she was a vampire, like me. But I feel like it wouldn’t have ended well, there would’ve been suffering, just like our mom suffered.”

“I know what you’re thinking Rin, as a human, it wouldn’t have ended well for me too. But that’s the thing. I am not a human anymore.” an odd noise came out of Rin, as Ryousuke unfurled his wings and tail. “I am a half-blooded sphinx, Rin. Always have been, I guess.” his teeth shone white in the light. Rin looked ready to pass out again at this point. “Found out about it only last year though, as I had to go through an awakening. It was around then, when I found out that Gou was of creature blood as well. He taught me how to fly.” he flapped his feathered wings. “He’s good at teaching, like you, Rin. And it was back then, when fate decided that, we’re compatible.” Rin looked dazed by the sudden influx of information, this was probably too much for someone who’d just been freed from some form of possession, Ryousuke thought mutedly.

“Can… you give me a second?” Rin asked, and the sphinx nodded.

“Take all the time you need.” Rin swayed a little and apparently decided that standing was too much too, because he sat on the ground and was silent for a decent stretch of time. Tsuyoshi decided to climb down from the sphinx’s shoulder and investigate the human, landing before him and looking up at him with a tilted head. Rin locked his eyes on the little bat and was motionless. Tsuyoshi seemed to come to a decision about something, and began to make his way towards Rin, not flying as he got the impression that would startle him. After a few moments, Rin finally moved and reached a hand down, allowing the little bat to crawl onto his hand.

“... well, aren’t you small.” he commented. Tsuyoshi looked offended by that, puffing up, and Rin chuckled. “Oh, and fierce too. You’re probably a fast little thing, aren’t you? A ferocious predator.” Gou snickered as the sight Tsuyoshi made, and Ryousuke got the largest sense of deja vu.

“Your brother is going to spoil him rotten, Gou.” he said. “I’ve seen Keisuke act just like Rin is with Nejibana. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tsuyoshi developed an ego.”

“He already has an ego.” Gou responded quickly.

“I can hear you!” Tsuyoshi squeaked.

“We know.” Ryousuke chuckled. “Why else are we saying it?”

“Hey!” Rin looked between them, confused. “Rude!”

“The truth is sometimes rude, my fuzzy little friend.” Gou responded, and that time the bat just squeaked without words and turned away in a huff, climbing onto Rin’s head because his hair seemed fluffy and soft.

“Are you guys having an actual conversation with a bat?” Rin asked, sounding absolutely lost, and Ryousuke snickered.

“Yes.” Gou was quick to respond. “That’s Tsuyoshi, our familiar.” Rin looked dazed again and Ryousuke sat a hand on his mate’s shoulder.

“Let’s give him time to process everything before we start a new topic, okay?”

“I am just giving him a quick rundown, I’ll later explain everything once we get home.”

“It would be a good idea to let him process.” Ikeda’s voice caused them to jump as he walked over, they’d completely forgotten he was there. “I have a question for him that I’m certain the both of you will want to hear the answer to.”

Turned out that allowing Rin to process didn't take much time at all, for after ten or so minutes he opened up again and reconfirmed what he’d already been told. His reaction to it all was surprisingly tame, for a human who’s first encounter with a creature wasn’t a good one.

“I’d be more surprised if it didn’t happen.” was his reasoning, and Ryousuke would admit, it was pretty sound. After the line of questioning finally came to an end, Ikeda struck.

“How long?” he asked, causing everyone to look at him. “How long was that thing controlling you?”

“Do you know what it was?” Ryousuke asked, and Ikeda leveled him with a firm look.

“Something nasty, let’s leave it at that.” his turned his gaze back towards Rin, who was silent for a moment.

“Maybe a little less than two and a half years?” he responded questioningly. “Give or take?”

“So, everything that happened… that wasn’t you? At all?” Gou asked, sounding alarmed. Rin nodded.

“At first it was me.” he admitted. “Meeting Kaori and finding out about the arranged marriage, at least. Everything after that, though…” he trailed off, looking uncomfortable as Gou sat next to him. “I watched everything happen but couldn’t do a damn thing. I stopped trying to fight my way back in control after a while, because it didn’t work, and no one could even tell it wasn’t me.”

“That’s usually how it goes, with those creatures.” Ikeda nodded. Ryousuke looked alarmed by this.

“While I was racing that creature, our auras intertwined for just a moment. I could hear something quiet, rhythmic… that was you, wasn’t it?” Rin looked just as alarmed as Ryousuke at that.

“You could hear me!?”

“Only just barely.” Rin remained quiet.

“I didn’t want to kill you.” he said. “When I realized that was what it wanted I started to fight back again. I could tell it was pissing the damn thing off, too. That you heard me…” he almost looked vaguely relieved by that. “Well, at least someone heard me while I was trapped.” everyone fell quiet once more.

“I’m glad it wasn’t controlling you for any longer.” Ikeda finally broke the silence. “Had it gone on, there would have been consequences. Those things usurp to keep, and I could tell it was going to keep you or die trying.”

Rin looked at Ikeda. “Who were those beings who tore the thing away finally?” Ikeda visibly shifted at the question and was silent, likely pondering a good answer to that.

“There are some beings in this world who can do extreme, and amazing things. Sometimes wonderful, sometimes horrible, but amazing nonetheless.” the wings on his back twitched and Ryousuke realized that Rin hadn't even reacted at the sight of them. “All creatures refer to them as Outsiders. They’re… how do I explain this?”

“Rin,” Ryousuke began, catching their attention. “I remember you once reading a Lovecraftian novel. You remember the beings of incomprehensible form, right?” at Rin’s immediate nod, Ryousuke sighed. “That’s basically what Outsiders are. Elder gods, eldritch beings, have at you.” Rin’s eyebrows rose, looking as if they’d recede into his hairline as any given moment.

“You’re telling me that I was rescued by actual Eldritch beings?” Ryousuke nodded firmly, and Rin looked at the sky. “This is almost too much.”

“You can ask one of them about it all later.” Rin shot a questioning look at Gou. “One of them usually hangs around me, for whatever reason, they themselves don’t seem to know why.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

That had marked the end of any serious topics they decided to cover. After that, and a few more questions from Rin that they could answer, Ryousuke stood and stretched, his wings opened wide and the feathers poofed out. He faintly heard Rin laugh but ignored it.

“I must return to the top of the pass, I left Matsumoto there and promised I’d pick him up.” Gou was the next up and followed close after him as he walked towards the FC. “Are you coming with me?” at the look Gou gave him, Ryousuke immediately dropped the question.

“I can’t leave you alone, I’m still a bit scared.”

“What about Rin?”

“He can take care of himself, he’s strong. If he needs help, the seraph can aid him, I can feel it.” Ryousuke rose a brow at that, his gaze darting back at the two who were still seated on the ground, Rin still obviously asking questions and Ikeda answering, and let out an amused huff.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

~0~

Matsumoto had been absolutely relieved when Ryousuke returned to the top of the pass, his car obviously having seen better days but the sphinx himself practically unaffected. He rose a brow when he spotted Gou inside the vehicle too, wondering when he’d gotten there, but didn’t question it.

“I told you I’d come back.” Ryousuke commented, and Matsumoto smiled at him.

“Yeah, I guess you did, huh?” he got in and that was all they said for a while as they make their way back to Akagi. “Your precious FC is so scratched up.” Matsumoto finally spoke again.

“Sorry.” Ryousuke responded immediately. “But it was unavoidable.”

“I can imagine how difficult the situation was just by examining those scratches.” his ears flicked as his gaze darted to the rear at the large bat hanging there. Gou had obviously gotten uncomfortable, he’s not surprised. “I’m not going to say much about it, I’m just glad you made it back safely. That’s the Ryousuke Takahashi I know.” he cocked a smile at him. “Well done.” Ryousuke huffed in amusement.

“Thanks.” he was silent for a moment. “Despite it all, I feel like I was able to get over a lot of things during that race. That’s why I said it was for my own sake on the way there.”

“I can tell.” Matsumoto responded honestly. He could see it in the way the sphinx held himself, he looked much better than before, as if refreshed.

“As a team leader who send two drivers into battle, I must always be aware of the reality of the front lines. What’s most frightening is becoming less sensitive to it, but I was able to reassure myself about my insight before the final battle.” Gou shifted at those words.

“I haven’t been able to prepare myself and my team for that race because I’ve been worried about you and my aniki. But now, I’ll promise that I’ll give your otouto the best race of his life.” Ryousuke smiled at those words.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Gou.”

~0~

Keisuke leaned against the wall in the hallway, arms crossed, as he watched Ryousuke and Gou practically stumble in through the door. His aniki obviously didn’t expect him to be standing there and froze like a deer caught in the headlights. The oni remained silent, observing the two. Ryousuke looked exhausted, but must more serene than he’d seen in a while, while Gou looked flighty, as though he’d snatch Ryousuke up and fly off with him.

Something big had happened, just like he thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to comment on it.

“Welcome home aniki, Gou.” he greeted politely, righting himself and allowing his arms to return to his sides. “There’s food left over in the kitchen if you’re hungry.” and with that, he waved them off and sauntered into the living room. It was enough for him that Ryousuke had come home alright, and besides, he had to text Takumi about this.

He did promise, after all.

Ryousuke and Gou, in the meantime, made their way upstairs towards Ryousuke’s room, tonight’s events lad left them drained, the effects finally catching up with them. They at least took off their shoes before falling into the sphinx’s bed and falling asleep almost immediately, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

Keisuke checked in a few hours later when he noticed the door was open, and merely shut it without a sound.

Chapter Text

The morning sun shone through the window onto Gou’s fluttering eyelids, which he scrunched up as he felt vague agitation swim to the top of his consciousness. Pesky sun, how dare it do this. When he opened his eyes, he saw his mate sleeping soundly next to him with his back towards the window. Ryousuke has never looked so cute, he thought, so peaceful and serene, and after that stressful period, he’d thought that he’d never get to see it. But here he is, laying next to him, all warm and huddled up. The birds were quietly chirping behind the window. Gou couldn’t help but smile at the sight Ryousuke made. He gently lifted his free hand to move some of Ryousuke’s locks to the side, to which the sphinx reacted by pressing himself deeper into his pillow. Gou gave a small kiss onto Ryousuke’s forehead, which finally woke up the sleeping lion. 

“Morning, sweetheart.” he said coyly. Ryousuke mumbled a low ‘morning’ back to him while rubbing his eyes. Gou brought himself closer to Ryousuke, cuddling his sleepy mate.

They might still be wearing clothes from last night, but they don’t mind it. Right now, it is just them, not even a familiar in sight. Tsuyoshi had, out of curiosity, decided to stay with Rin and Ikeda. Ryousuke was petting Gou’s hair again, just like last night, though Gou can’t purr, he didn’t mind it. The fact that Gou buried himself deeper into Ryousuke’s hug was all that he needed to know that he likes it. Oh if only they could stay like this forever. But alas, nothing is made to last, for the summer heat caught up with them. Ryousuke slid ungracefully onto the floor to escape from the heat, landing in a heap with a grunt. Gou sat up on the bed and unfurled his wings, stretching the limbs out wide and moving them in an effort to dissipate as much heat as he could. They looked at each other in different states of catharsis and laughed.

“Would you like breakfast?” Ryousuke asked.

“I’d love some.” Gou replied with a smile.

~0~

Itsuki and Iketani were leaned up against a pillar near the gas pumps, the both of them hiding away in the shade for as long as they could, waiting for customers to show up on this slow day. The sun was setting, a few stars already appearing in the sky despite there still being sunlight.

“One week left until Project D’s final battle in Kanagawa.” Iketani commented with a vaguely tired sigh. Itsuki hummed in response to his words. “I wonder what kind of driver Sidewinder’s downhiller is. Just what kind of car does he drive, anyway?”

“No matter who he is, he’ll be no match for Takumi.” Itsuki tacked on, sounding very sure of himself.

“I agree with you on that one.” Iketani’s expression shifted. “But… remember when Kenji was mumbling on about something just when the Kanagawa battles started?” Itsuki let out an affirmative, if confused hum. “I’m afraid of a driver who’s specialized in a particular course. Someone like Takumi, who knows Akina like it’s one of his limbs, and won race after race on that mountain.”

“Agh!” Itsuki began waving his hand back and forth frantically. “That’s impossible. Takumi’s one of a kind, he didn’t grow up in an ordinary family! Parents have to be eccentric for that to happen.”

“Well, that’s-”

“He’s a natural!” Itsuki plowed through what Iketani was going to say. “A natural with a special environment and talent! Do you honestly believe that there’s another strange family like them in Kanagawa?” Iketani groaned lowly as he thought about that for a moment.

“Ah, probably not.” they both fell back into silence at that, watching the sun fall further and further below the horizon. The sound of a car pulling in after a while caused them to glance right, their expressions becoming fondly exasperated at the sight of Kenji’s 180. They made no effort to get up, not until they spotted the vaguely panicked expression of their human friend’s face.

“Iketani! Itsuki!” he yelled as he shut his car door and began to hurry over. Both wolves were on their feet in moments.

“Whoa! Kenji!” Iketani exclaimed. “What’s the matter, you look like you just saw a ghost!” a thought crossed his mind. “Wait, did your grandmother go missing again?”

“Don’t jinx me like that, she’s been doing well about that!” Kenji exclaimed, coming to a stop in front of them. “No, I’ve got the latest info on this weekend’s race in Hakone!” Kenji was visibly beginning to sweat. “They’re so secretive that it was nearly impossible for me to get even one kernel of information! The only thing I could get is that… well, you know how we knew absolutely nothing about Sidewinder’s downhill driver, right?”

“You found out something about him?” Iketani asked, eyes widening as he and Itsuki leaned forward a little.

“Nothing about the actual driver himself,” Kenji responded. “But I did find out that his car is an 86!”

“An 86?” Itsuki echoed questioningly. “Trueno or Levin?”

“I wasn’t able to find out that much, Itsuki.” Kenji responded blankly, watching as Iketani’s fist collided lightly with the back of the smaller wolf’s head.

“Besides, that’s not important, now is it?” Iketani said gruffly, causing Itsuki to shift his stance, looking vaguely submissive.

“Yeah, it’s not important, sorry.” Iketani sighed and pat Itsuki’s shoulder gently.

“You’re fine, stop passive posturing.” he crossed his arms and groaned a little in thought. “Anyway, 86 versus 86, huh?”

“Well, if they’re both 86 models, then that’s fortunate, right?” Itsuki asked, a pleased expression crossing his face. “Takumi won’t lose in a battle of 86 models! There’s no way there’s an 86 driver out there who’s better than Takumi!” he laughed a little. “You know, I was pretty nervous about it all, but now that I know what the opponent’s car is, I feel very relieved. Once they engage in a fight of technique, Takumi will win for sure!”

“That’s a pretty naive take to have on all this, Itsuki.” Kenji said nervously. “It’s too easy to simplify it like that.”

“I agree with Kenji.” Iketani cut in. “This is too ominous for my liking, I have a bad feeling about it. It’s a matter of confidence. Confidence that they’ll win is that is leading them to use an 86 in this race, knowing who they’re going against.”

“They appear to have a very good strategist.” Kenji retook the reins. “I don’t think he staged a battle between two 86 models just to make the show more interesting for those watching.” Iketani’s eyes flashed amber as he tilted his head.

“Likely, they’re doing everything they can to counter Project D. Their choice to use an 86 as their final weapon to stop Takumi’s consecutive wins may be a sign of confidence, like I’d said before. This all makes me very, very nervous.”

~0~

Kubo watched silently as Shinji’s 86 flew by, it’s path and cornering very obviously pre-planned and perfected.

“That kid drives so smoothly that he doesn’t really leave any strong impressions behind.” one of Sidewinder’s members commented from beside him, sounding vaguely put out.

“But,” Kubo didn’t look away from the road as he lightly stressed the word. “If you time him, he drives this downhill faster than anyone on Sidewinder. Plus, he doesn’t drive any other course. This world is just full of strange talents.” he chuckled. “I wonder how someone his age acquired such skill. It’s a perplexing thing to think about, something beyond the common notion of what driving technique should be.” he chuckled again, not noticing the vaguely annoyed expression on the face of the Sidewinder member beside him. “I bet even Project D will be caught off guard.”

On the other end of the course, Gou stood with a separate teammate as he spoke fairly quickly.

“And he got rid of his R32.”

“Are you talking about Rin?” his teammate asked, Gou nodded. 

“Yeah.” his expression was vaguely soft. “I get why he decided to toss it, but I’d been convinced he’d just get it fixed up, maybe get a new paint job or something. But no, the Grim Reaper GT-R will never appear in Hakone again.” he shifted a little, his wings beginning to feel stiff. “He’s also put in a request to return to his former position as work.”

“That’s good, isn’t it? For your family, I mean.”

“Yeah, probably.” Gou shrugged. “I don’t really care if it’s good for them or not. I’m just happy he seems to be getting back to normal. We’ll probably never be as friendly as we used to be, but that’s alright. We’re too old for that clingy sibling stuff anyway.”

“I’ve also heard that he’s gotten friendly with Team Spiral’s Ryuji Ikeda. Those two have been spotted together quite often.”

“Has he now? Well, I’m glad he has found someone.”

~0~

It was ridiculously hot, Keisuke quickly processed that during his run on Akagi, and was thankful that Kenta ran up to him with a water bottle when he stepped from his car at the peak.

“So, what do you think of the setup?” Tomiguchi asked curiously. Keisuke drained half of the water bottle before answering.

“It felt excellent on Akagi’s roads, but I really can’t say anything concrete until we gather some data in Hakone. I want to tackle the final stage very soon, I’m so damn tired of image training.”

All the way on Akina, Takumi was returning home from his own practice runs, his eyes beginning to droop and Nejibana passed out in his passenger seat. He soon came to a stop back at home and turned off the car, leaning back in his seat, his eyes closing for a moment. Soon he opened his eyes and stepped out, yawning quietly as he closed the driver’s side door of the 86 and walked towards the door, unsurprised to see Bunta standing there with a lit cigarette.

“I’ll circle the dates of the Hakone expedition on the calendar, alright?” he walked past him towards the stairs, another yawn breaking past his mouth.

“I got it, kid.” Bunta responded, waiting a moment before quietly walking out and around towards the 86. Settling closer to the ground, he reached out with one of his limbs and ran a hand over the tire. “His tire management is impressive.” he muttered. “But something about this bothers me… the control is far too perfect.”

~0~

“Keisuke, Takumi, come here for a moment.” Ryousuke’s voice caught their attention fairly quickly, prompting the two closer towards him with a hand motion. They obliged quickly, and he lowered his voice. “As you both know, this course is particularly long, so it’s physically impossible to practice on everything in one day. Cut it all down to the bare minimum, find what you believe will become the key to victory as you drive, then expand your scope from there. Trying to do everything will leave you only half finished. Imagine tomorrow’s dogfight, and take a practical strategy of knowing what to focus on and what not to.” one of Ryousuke’s ears flicked and he cocked them a smile. “I’m positive both of you can do that.” both of them nodded, expressions determined, and Ryousuke smiled wider. “Excellent, now go!” as the two raced off, the sphinx headed over towards Matsumoto and Fumihiro quietly.

“This is truly a long course.” Matsumoto commented, and Ryousuke nodded.

“Indeed, so long that it’ll take longer than usual for them to complete their routine.” he turned towards them with a firm expression. “I’m going to let them practice thoroughly until dawn, so be prepared.”

“Got it.” Fumihiro nodded. “I’ll go get more food than usual for tonight. Can’t really fight on an empty stomach, now can you?” Ryousuke picked up on the amused look Matsumoto was shooting the siren, and tried not to quirk a smile at it.

“Thank you, Fumihiro, I’m counting on you.” and with that, he turned away, walking off towards his laptop and leaving the two alone. Both were silent for a moment.

“You know something, Matsumoto. I know you do.” Fumihiro suddenly spoke up again.

“Know something about what?”

“About Ryousuke , of course.” Fumihiro crossed his arms. “He’s acting differently.” Matsumoto turned back towards his clipboard.

“It’s likely because this is the final battle.” he responded easily. “He’s just focused.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” Fumihiro huffed. “He’s relaxed, smiling more often. Matsumoto, just tell me what the hell’s going on.” Matsumoto sighed.

“Well, I don’t know anything.” he responded, before turning towards the siren with a sly expression. “If you’re so worried, why don’t you go ask him yourself?” Fumihiro groaned, turning away and starting towards a van when he finally realized he wasn’t going to get a word about any of it from Matsumoto.

~0~

“What do you think about all this, Kubo?” Gou asked quietly as they listened to the distant squealing of tires from lower down the pass. “That FD is giving off a different feeling from the last battle against Spiral. I feel that it’s been modified a lot for this battle.”

“I don’t really know what to think.” Kubo replied. “The outer appearance is different because of that carbon fiber hood, but I doubt the insides have changed much.” Gou scoffed, he wouldn’t put it behind Project D to be hiding something like that.

 “I’m worried, forget about the 86. I want everyone to focus their data collection efforts on the FD.” Kubo looked a little taken aback.

“If you insist, I’ll tell them, but are you sure about completely forgetting about the 86?”

“You forget who’s going against that 86, Kubo.” Gou said. “Shinji doesn’t really use data when he races, so gathering it for him was just prove useless. He won’t need it to win, anyway, he’s just that kind of driver. Don’t you think so too?” Kubo chuckled.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“So, just focus on the FD. Obtain as much information as you can on its section times and determine how its fighting potential varies.”

“I can arrange that, no problem.” Gou nodded thankfully and turned, Kubo caught sight of his nervously shifting wings and let out a very quiet sigh.

‘That’s not good. He’s visibly nervous.’ he turned away and looked back down the road. ‘It would seem that he’s fallen for our opponent’s diversion strategy. Well, despite that, they shouldn’t have changed the specs very drastically at this point. That FD is a completely balanced machine.’ he clicked his tongue. ‘I won’t be tricked by you, Ryousuke Takahashi. This is our match of intelligence, and you’re a worthy opponent.’

~0~

Ikeda was silent as he eyed the road, his arms crossed as he felt the hot summer night breeze passing through his feathers. His wings shook as he tried to dissipate the lingering heat, the downside to having Fallen is the black feathers, they just absorb too much heat.

“Hey there, Mister Zero.” a voice from above him startled him out of his thoughts, though he didn’t visibly recoil, and he looked up in time to see a familiar Emperor Moth land before him.

“Well!” Ikeda’s expression was pleasant. “If it isn’t that hot blooded moth from 246.” Omiya scoffed and merely stood beside him.

“The moment of truth has finally come.” he said. “Honestly, I’d expected you and Okuyama to stop them.” Ikeda chuckled.

“Sorry about that, we just weren’t good enough.” the roar of rotary caught their attention, and both turn in time to see the FD race by and vanish around the next corner.

“Keisuke Takahashi…” Omiya hummed. “How do you rate him?”

“Well his accelerator work on helf-wet road is exceptional.” Ikeda responded quickly. “He managed to control the traction of his rear tires as if they were part of his body. Besides his concentration right at the moment of attack, his ability to switch mindsets quickly is also impressive.” his wings shifted, causing the feathers to make a soft shuffling sound. “He reached beyond the scope of Zero Theory, like a fighter jet boosted by an afterburner. You know, kinda like you.”

“Like me?”

“Yeah, the type of driver who shows his eagerness for victory, who has skills and understands the theory. But, what matters most in the end is spirit. In that account, you and Keisuke Takahashi are alike.” Omiya let out an amused hum at that, his wings shaking and knocking dust towards the ground.

“Y’know, I don’t feel bad hearing that.” another engine roar caused them to look down the road again, and the 86 sped by, vanishing down towards the bottom of the pass. 

“And what’s your opinion on Takumi Fujiwara, Omiya? What kind of driver is he?” he turned his head to look at the moth. “I want to hear your opinion, seeing as you witnessed his true potential.” Omiya was silent for a moment.

“It’s… difficult to describe him.” he finally responded. “It’s like looking into a black hole.”

“A black hole?”

“Mmm. He has a wide margin to be able to absorb a lot. He appears to have his own concrete policy, but in reality he’s just… colorless. Transparent and flexible. He always improves after a race, so it’s likely that he’s different from when he raced against me.”

“You’re almost raving about him, Omiya. You must think pretty highly of him.” Ikeda pointed out, vaguely teasing. “Then, what’s your prediction for this battle between Project D and Sidewinder?”

“You really do cut to the point, huh?” the moth sighed. “It’s unfortunate, but Sidewinder will win.” Ikeda sighed as well.

“I’m of the same opinion. I really admire Ryousuke Takahashi… as a member of a Kanagawa area team, I shouldn’t really openly say this, but my emotional side wants Project D to win. But that’s impossible, seeing as Sidewinder has had plenty of time to prepare for this. As long as they have Eiji Kubo as their strategist, they don’t have any weaknesses.”

“But ,” Omiya stressed the word, his wings opening slightly. “You can’t really tell until they start racing. It’s not like Project D has no chance of winning. They have a slight chance due to their drivers improvements. I’d say they have a twenty percent chance of winning.”

~0~

“This is just ridiculous !” Keisuke groaned. “I’ve never seen so many guys with stopwatches before.” he clicked his tongue angrily. “Don’t they have anything else to do with their lives?”

“We aren’t really all that different, thinking about that last comment, Keisuke.” Ryousuke commented. “Seeing as we came all the way out here from Gunma.”

“Well… yeah okay, that’s true.” Keisuke took a swig from his water bottle. “They’re measuring my section times pretty closely, though.”

“I don’t like them trying to figure out our strategy.” Fumihiro cut in.

“Should I add another camouflage pattern, aniki?”

“No.” Ryousuke’s wings shifted. “Just do as normal.” at their twin looks of alarm, Ryousuke felt the need to explain himself. “I’m afraid that you won’t finish practice if you change up how you do your runs now. It’s too late to do anything about it at this point, and anyway we don’t have to modify our style.”

“Right, I got it.” Keisuke responded, a sly expression crossing his face. “Alright, I’ll let them watch and learn the style of Project D, the best of the northern Kanto area!” as he sauntered off, Ryousuke chuckled.

“Yup, that’s exactly what I meant.”

“What should I do, then?” Tomiguchi asked.

“Set the suspension to pattern C, and add ten liters of gas.” as he finishes saying this, Takumi pulls into the lot as well, parking and stepping out with a stretch of his limbs.

“Hey, Takumi!” Fumihiro called as he walked towards the arachnid, prompting him to look at him. “Did you notice a huge number of scouts throughout the course?” Takumi looked a little surprised as he nodded. “Keisuke told us about them, said they had tons of stopwatches too.” he passed Takumi a water bottle.

“Well, there are quite a lot of people out there, but I didn’t see a single one of them press any buttons.” Fumihiro’s expression turned a little alarmed. “I noticed those who were keeping time and taking notes from the first round. At least, I’m pretty sure they’re the same people. I remember some of their faces. But not a single one of them pressed the button on their stopwatches.”

“Are you sure about that, Takumi?” Ryousuke asked suddenly, coming to stand beside Fumihiro.

“Yeah.”

“You noticed such a small thing while driving?”

“It helps that I have Spider, you know.” Takumi tapped his right temple.

“Huh… but, what does this mean, Ryousuke? This completely contradicts what Keisuke was saying.”

“I just means what it sounds like. Both of them are telling the truth. All according to plan.”

Chapter Text

Itsuki stared at Mt. Fuji from the platform and couldn’t hold in the desire to sing. “I’ve come all the way to Kanagawa~!” Iketani thought that Itsuki’s howl is more pleasant to hear than whatever that was. A determined expression crossed the smaller wolf’s face. “One and a half months behind his arch rival, Takumi Fujiwara, Itsuki Takeuchi finally steps into the land of Hakone!”

“Idiot!” Iketani kneed Itsuki, causing him to let out a small sound of shock. “You’re way off the mark, you’re just a sightseer!”

Kenji didn’t want the two wolves to start having relationship drama with him next to them, so he changed the topic. “The woman at the kiosk told me that it is rare to see Mt. Fuji so clearly at this time of year.”

“Is it?” Iketani asked, turning his attention to the mountain. Kenji’s diversion tactic worked. “Does this mean something good will happen?”

“It should!” Itsuki chirped. “Today is Project D’s final battle in Kanagawa! Takumi’s victory is guaranteed!”

“I wish it could be simple.” Iketani sounded deflated, but then a familiar scent of rotting flesh hit his sensitive nose.

“Ah, I thought I recognized that loud voice.” a low draw picked up from nearby, and they turned to see Takeshi Nakazato and Shingo Shouji staring in their direction. Iketani rose both brows at their appearances, he most certainly didn’t remember the rat being that tan.

“The NightKids are here?” Itsuki asked from beside him, his head tilted, clearly not used to the smell that Takeshi gave off.

“I expected you guys to be here since it is the last Project D race.” the dullahan spoke.

“It’s pretty great that you came all the way out here to support them.” Iketani said, and Takeshi’s expression shifted a little.

“That almost sounded disturbing.” he muttered. “Wait, actually, yeah, it kind of is, seeing as Project D is carrying all our hopes. Including yours.” Iketani felt his brow twitch at that. Rude.

“Anyway,” he said firmly, his eyes flashing amber. Takeshi shuffled back a little at the silent warning. “I don’t remember your mate being so… tan . In fact, I also remember you being more tan than you currently are.”

“We went on vacation.” Shingo spoke up, his whiskers twitched. “Went to the beach for a couple weeks. I really tanned, as you can see, but Takeshi can’t tan at all, seeing as he’s technically a corpse and all.” Takeshi wilted at that note. “In fact, I think the exposure to the sun made him pale more. Soon he’ll be white as a sheet and there’s nothing either of us can do to stop it.”

“If you keep it up, you’ll be going back to Gunma in the back seat, and you’ll be sleeping on the couch.” Shingo looked a little alarmed by that threat.

“Alright, alright! Shutting up now.”

~0~

“So, this’ll be the last time we will be able to see Mt. Fuji from this deck.” there was a note of longing in Keisuke’s voice.

Takumi was still bewildered by it all. “I can’t believe the situation I am in. It still feels wild to be a Project D team member.” Keisuke chuckled from beside him.

“You might as well thank me.”

“Huh?”

“I went all the way to Akina to invite you.” Takumi huffed with amusement, his pedipalps shifting.

“Yeah, you did, didn’t you?”

“Oi, wipe that sappy look of your face!” Keisuke exclaimed. “This isn’t the moment to get all sentimental and lovey.” Takumi snickered, and both fell silent for a moment. “Don’t lose, Takumi. I know I haven’t seen your opponent yet, but I feel like something really bad is going to happen. My intuition as a street racer is usually correct. Your opponent must be like a ghost, you’ll have a tough time of it.”

“Seriously?” Takumi looked decidedly surprised and unamused by his words.

“But ,” the way he stressed the word made Takumi shut up. “I don’t think you’ll lose. I only say it like that because you were like a ghost to me, once upon a time, but now I can see you. So, you won’t lose. I know it.” Keisuke looked away, out at Mt. Fuji. “If they’re so focused on the data, we just have to be better than we are now.”

“Right.”

~0~

“Ah, it’s such a great day, isn’t it?” Sayuki’s voice was happy as she looked out at the lake beside Mako. “Look at Ashino Lake! It’s surface shines just like a mirror!” she sighed. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Mako. We need to catch up. Let’s enjoy the hot spring and drink tonight! It’ll be fun!”

“What are you on about, Sayuki?” Mako asked, sounding unamused. “We don’t have time for that tonight.”

“I know that!” Sayuki retorted. “I was joking!” she tisked. “I’ve come all the way from Karuizawa to root for Takumi. That aside, how have you been doing in the races?”

“It’s been tough.” Mako sighed. “I hate to admit it, but I’m always blown away by the level of those around me.” the wolf sighed. “You know, after I started racing, I realized just how great professional drivers are. Project D’s achievement is incredible, almost divine!” Sayuki hummed in agreement.

“A lot of pros have been defeated.”

“It might be different this time around. Sidewinder has a professional manager. You might not know this, but this event has caught the attention of people from all sides. If D wins, it will cause a stir. This might not end as a mere carnival among a small group of street racers.”

~0~

The sound of Fumihiro turning on the stove clicked through Ryousuke’s ears. Typical to Fumihiro, he worried about the upcoming race. “Will this race be tough?”

“Probably.” Fumihiro looked at the sphinx in shock. “Eiji Kubo’s bio is quite interesting. He used to work at the racing division of a large manufacturer, but left the company a few years ago and now he manages his own shop.” Fumihiro settled a large pot with water on the stove. “Now he develops aftermarket parts while he builds demo cars to compete for times in the circuits. His parts are known for high performance.”

“He sounds like a real pro.” the siren commented.

“What makes this more interesting is that he used to compete in rallying, and even won big prizes in provincial races.”

“He sounds tough, that circuit part really creates an almighty air about him.” Ryousuke shut his laptop, which took Fumihiro by surprise.

“You’re right.” even though Kubo is just a hyena, from what he’s heard from Gou and Tsuyoshi. “Anyway, Fumihiro, what is today’s pasta?”

~0~

Shinji paced a little in the kitchen as his mother cooked, his nerves buzzing wildly.

“Come on, mom, I’m begging you, can’t you call and cancel the event or something?”

“You know we can’t do that at this point.” she said firmly. “If you really don’t want to do it, you should call Hojo yourself.”

“I can’t do that, it’s impossible.” Shinji’s expression shifted. “He’s scary.” she stopped what she was doing and turned towards him.

“Stop talking like a little child.” she huffed. “You said that you’d do it, so be responsible for what you said!”

“I… really don’t want to. It’s too much of a bother.” his mother’s expression changed, as did her posture.

“Shinji… are you scared?”

“Not really?” his answer sounded more like a question. “I mean, I don’t understand the meaning of racing cars. What’s the point?” his mother was silent at that.

“You should ask Hojo that yourself.” she finally responded. “Whether you drive or not, you’re obligated to see Hojo on time.” Shinji’s eyes drifted around, never meeting his mother’s. She always says that, but she never really saw what he did to understand why he was scared of Hojo.

~0~

Gou stood off to the side watching his mate and brother talking about something. He so badly wants to be with Ryousuke right now, but he can’t, he doesn’t want his team to know. Certain hyena’s voice brought him out of his little dream.

“Hojo!” It’s Kubo and Gou’s expression turned annoyed. “I’ve finished my data collection and analysis. I think I know the combat potential of the FD based on the first 3 Kanagawa races and last night’s practise. Your NSX’s settings have been completed accordingly.” Gou would much rather hear Ryousuke’s info dump, but he has to settle with Kubo for now. Kubo continued. “Let’s take advantage of the NA engine and mid ship layout. Traction is everything in hill climb. The key is how efficiently the car can transfer its power to the ground at the exit of each corner.” Gou actually began to drift off, his gaze fixed on the opposing team.

“Let me get to the point.” Kubo said which snapped him out of it again. “Based on the assumption of using the same driver in the same environment, your car has a fifteen second advantage. It isn’t a big advantage for the entire distance of the course. Their FD is much more refined than what I expected, but that is my miscalculation, but I did my best with the given circumstances. Do you have any qualms with a fifteen second advantage?”

The vampire snapped back. “It’s enough. Who do you think I am, Kubo? Do you think that I’ll lose to some punk from Gunma in driving technique?” he hoped that neither of the Takahashis heard that. He hopped in his car and drove off for a practise lap, leaving the hyena all alone. 

‘If you fail to make good use of that fifteen second advantage, you might get screwed.’ Kubo thought, crossing his arms. ‘Don’t make light of these Gunma challengers.’

Gou returned to the lot later in the night, stepping from his car with a blank expression on his face.

“So?” Kubo asked. “How was it?”

“Pretty good.” was the vampire’s response. “Well done.”

“Kubo!” someone shouted, sounding panicked as they ran over. “Hojo! Shinji still isn’t here!”

“What?” Kubo sounded almost upset, and Gou merely released a put out breath.

“I called his mother, she said that he’d left home a while ago.” Kubo groaned.

“So, what, it’s like he’s playing hooky? Just, from racing instead of school?”

“What should we do? Should we arrange a substitute for the downhill?”

“Yes, but only as insurance. We’ll wait for him until the very last moment.” the Sidewinder member nodded and hurried off, Gou shifted and let out a quiet groan. But he did note that the hyena had started laughing a lot less, has the nervousness of the upcoming race finally caught up with him?

“I thought that this might happen.” he cocked a half smile. “What a brat.”

“And you’re amused by this?”

“He’s probably somewhere around the course trying to figure something out in his head.” Gou waved Kubo off. “He does that sometimes, I know he’d done it during practice a few times.”

“If that’s the case, then I’m sure he’ll work it out and show up before the downhill race starts.”

“I certainly hope so.” a small flutter of wings caught his attention, and he turned just in time for Tsuyoshi to collide with the side of his head. The sudden impact nearly threw the vampire off balance, Kubo chuckled at him.

“Oops…” the little bat spoke sheepishly as Gou pulled him off his head. “Crash landing.”

“Tsuyoshi? What are you doing here?”

“I brought him.” Rin’s voice caused his eyes to widen a little, and he turned more, catching sight of his brother making his way over.

“Aniki? What are you doing here? I thought you’d be avoiding Hakone for a while.”

“I can go wherever I please.” Rin responded, sounding vaguely defensive. “Even if I should avoid some places I can’t be stopped from going to them anyway. Besides, is it a crime to want to watch my little brother race?” Kubo looked between them, obviously missing something. “I haven’t been able to do that in a long time, and I feel like that, in and of itself, is a worse crime than coming out here to see it.” he sighed. “I caused so many problems for you and our father, I’m so sorry.”

“But that wasn’t your fault.” Gou’s wings opened a little, and Rin sighed.

“My fault or not, I still missed watching you race for two odd years.” they were quiet for a moment. “I don’t really have anything to tell you besides ‘do your best’, and I don’t think you need me to tell you that. Besides that, use everything you’ve ever learned for this race. Ryousuke is big.” Gou looked at Rin for a little while, a small blush rising up, it took Rin a bit to understand what he said. He looked to the side and continued. “And there’s no telling what he’s taught his little brother. Just do your best and enjoy yourself.” Gou scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away as he blinked a couple times.

“Telling me what I already know, just go away.” Rin chuckled and waved him off, turning to walk away. Tsuyoshi shifted a little bit, seemingly making a decision, before squeaking and taking off after the human. “Ah, yes, betrayed by my own familiar. Rin probably is spoiling him rotten!”

“Come on, we don’t have time for… whatever this is.” Kubo huffed. “We have to get to the starting line!”

~0~

Fumihiro looked to the side, where their opponents are and noted a familiar figure. He turned to Ryousuke. “What is your mate doing with our opponents?”

“Oh, you mean Gou?”  Ryousuke chuckled.  “He’s our uphill opponent today.” 

The siren was ready to pass out at that. “Please don’t tell me that you told him about our strategies and the like!”

“Of course not, Fumihiro, I haven’t told him anything about this and he hasn’t said anything about his team.”  a smug smile appeared on Ryousuke’s lips.  “But before all of this, he might’ve told me about his little downhiller who he’s proud of.”

Keisuke walked towards his brother. “And he’s driving an NSX. When I came back to the top, I crossed paths with him, I can sense that this’ll be fun.”

“That’s what he promised me.” the sphinx looked at his mate and when their eyes met, the vampire was oddly blushing.

Matsumoto chimed in. “I’m guessing that Gou is blushing because his brother said something along the lines of ‘Ryousuke is big.’” which made the sphinx’s face heat up too, his wings flexing open and moving around him while the rest of them tried to hold back their laughter. Sometimes, Matsumoto’s eavesdropping hobby was useful, but right now it was more embarrassing than anything. Ryousuke just wanted to hide beneath his wings.

“I’ll go see what starting position they want, okay?” Fumihiro said, trying to relieve Ryousuke’s embarrassment.

“Alright.”

~0~

Rin leaned against a railing near the starting line, listening to the sounds of engines revving and warning up as Tsuyoshi chased a few moths around a light pole.

“Sounds like they’ll be starting soon.” a voice picked up from nearby, he opened his eyes in time to see Ikeda land beside him. They eyed one another before the seraph leaned against the rail as well. “This hillclimb it looking to be a good one. I saw you talking to your brother a little bit ago, you give him any advice?”

“I didn’t give him anything of the sort.” Rin responded. “All I did was apologize, and wish him luck.”

“Apologize?”

“For everything. My fault or not, I still had to apologize for the problems I caused him and our father. I want him to perform at his best, and you can’t perform well using negative emotions as motivation. He wouldn’t have a chance of defeating the younger Takahashi like that.”

“Ah, I see.” Ikeda responded understandingly. “My own Zero Theory has a similar rule, which is to get rid of all negative emotions. Anger, jealousy, grudge, self glory, and sadness, none of those emotions will guide a driver in the right direction.”

“Do you know why Project D is so strong?” Rin asked suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“They always look like they’re having fun.” Rin’s eyes drifted towards Tsuyoshi, watching the bat start chasing after a particularly large moth. “They love cars and mountain passes. That’s what drove them until now. No matter how difficult the situation becomes, they somehow find a reason to enjoy it. The Kanagawa drivers, on the other hand, aren’t enjoying this at all because their sensibility and pride get in the way. You corner yourself the moment you think that there’s no way you can lose.” a small smile came to his face. “You’ve got to have fun. Rather than winning or losing, it’s a matter of whether you can enjoy this or not, especially because today is the final day of the carnival.” Ikeda was a little quiet at that.

“You know, you could have jinxed him, saying that.” he finally spoke, his wings shaking a little. “I can only wonder if your brother will understand your true intentions. Regardless of his motivation, I don’t think Sidewinder will lose.”

“Oh?”

“They spent weeks preparing for this battle, not to mention they have that Eiji Kubo on their side.” Rin clicked his tongue.

“Kubo…” he groused. “That old bastard stinks.” Ikeda let out an alarmed bark of a laugh at that. “He’s sneaky, nothing like Ryousuke, who has aesthetic quality.”

“Now that sounds like the Rin Hojo I know.” the seraph said, amused. The distant sound of engines and squealing tires let them both know that the race had begun.

“Gou might be confused by my words for a short period of time, but he‘ll get it. First, he has to empty his mind so that he can recall what’s truly important.”

Chapter Text

The cars were aligned for the start, the NSX leading. 

“Five seconds to start!” Fumihiro yelled, catching everyone’s attention. “Four! Three! Two! One!” and the cars sped off towards the peak of the pass.

Near the first hairpin of the course, the SpeedStars were standing, waiting patiently for the racers to fly by. Iketani’s ears picked up on the distant engine noises, they’ll be reaching them soon. Once the two racers passed them, it left Itsuki speechless.

“That NSX looks more aggressive than during practise. It hugs the ground like a supercar. Looking at them, it gives me the chills.” Iketani said.

“It’s also in the front position,” Kenji added. “Which means the FD has no chance of winning if the race drags on.”

~0~

Keisuke stared at the leading NSX. “I don’t like your lack of focus.” he tisked. “What is on your mind, Gou? I can see your hesitation from behind.”

Gou had his own mental struggles in his car. “You can’t just show up to say some random stuff, aniki. You should know what my responsibilities are. I did everything I could in preparation to win this race. My motivation was high enough, but did you think it wasn’t enough at all?” his grip on the wheel tightened. “I don’t want to lose, no matter what, so just what were you trying to say with all that, aniki?”

~0~

“Omiya, what kind of a driver is that Sidewinder bat?” Kobayakawa stood next to him.

“I’ve never had the chance to race against him on the circuit, because he’s younger than me, but I have raced against his older brother Rin. The Hojo brothers are well known on the circuit. I remember his older brother guiding Gou by showing him the ideal lines.” the emperor moth looked blankly where the oni and the vampire had gone. “They seemed to like each other, even though their auras were vastly different, and were very fast too.”

“They’re very similar in some aspects to the Takahashi brothers.” Kobayakawa commented, and Omiya nodded.

“The cool headed and logical older brother, and the emotional younger brother. Both drive peaky cars with a narrow margin of control, and compete in cornering speed. Concentration and mad dash speed are their strengths.” Omiya’s wings shifted, knocking dust to the ground. “Undoubtedly, this will become a sprint race. The leader will make a sudden dash at some point.”

~0~

Back at the bottom, near the starting line, one of Sidewinder’s data collection members was talking with Kubo. 

“They have passed the second hairpin.” he told to Kubo.

“Second hairpin.” he parroted.

“From there on, the second section is a mid-speed stage where the cornering speed is slow. Section four is similar to section two. Both of those sections will be the areas where the NSX will perform better. It has a clear advantage in terms of section time.”

“That is because of the better braking due to the mid-ship layout and the immediate response of the NA engine.” Kubo tacked on. “Section two is the first key point, if we can surprise that FD driver there by suddenly picking up the pace, then he’ll wear down his tires just trying to catch up.” he sounded confident.

“It must be because the NA cars are easier on the tires, than turbo-charged ones. If we hold on and launch a full attack in section four, then the RWD turbo-charged FD won’t be able to keep up.”

“Because Hojo chose to be the leader in the first round, that must be his plan. The battle will take a new turn from there.”

~0~

A lot of thoughts were running around in Gou’s mind. “I don’t understand, Rin. We used to drive a lot for fun, but that was a long time ago, I don’t know if it is because of what had happened to you, but there is something strange about you now.” he pulled a hard stop on that train of thought. “I’d better stop thinking so hard. I’ll just show my mate’s otouto how fast I normally drive with this NSX!”

Keisuke was starting to pick up on the changes of the NSX’s movements. “He’s starting to show sharper movements now. I don’t like this, because he suddenly pulls away even if I don’t make any mistakes. Which is exactly what aniki predicted.” he let out a chuckle. “Of course he could predict that, they’re mates. How foolish of me. Besides, he gives off the same aura as a certain someone.” the image of Takumi appeared in his mind. “I’d be panicking right about now if I didn’t anticipate this. But this isn’t where the real battle is held!”

~0~

Ryousuke was standing next to Matsumoto on an empty parking space. “Keisuke might be shocked by the speed of the NSX more or less. The hill climb of this vehicle class was always fought between turbo-charged cars.” Matsumoto began, worrying about Keisuke.

“The NSX is the only exception, as far as domestic sports cars are concerned. The expensive and large engine is mounted in the middle of the chassis, which gives the car a superb handling on a twisty course. The high speed cornering of the mid-ship layout and the fast cornering exit speed of the NA’s linear response. That becomes even handier on public roads, as they have more short corners than the circuits.” Ryousuke’s expression turned focused. “But I don’t think that he’s upset, because he is familiar with the type of a driver who takes advantage of the NA engine.”

“You mean Takumi?”

“I think that Gou’s NSX driving style is similar to that of Takumi’s. But it is adapted to fit for the hill climb.”

“That is a tough opponent to race against. I feel like Gou was right when he said at the back of the FC that he’ll give Keisuke the best race of his life.”

“That is true, but I knew for a long time that he’s driving an NSX. That was one of the things he couldn’t keep hidden from me. But we have our own trump card. Keisuke himself.”

~0~

Shinji looked around at all of the bystanders, feeling confused by all the excited muttering. He could see flashes of tails and wings, horns and fur, hidden from sight but not from him, and was almost relieved that no one seemed to notice him and his 86.

“I don’t get it…” he muttered. “What did they all come here for?” his eyes landed on two ladies, one hiding ears, fur, and a tail, and the other seemingly human. They were very pretty, not people he’d think would come to an event like this by themselves. “Even women like them are here. It’s so odd.” he turned his gaze away and looked down the mountain, his posture tensing for a moment. “What should I do? I’ve basically flaked on Hojo, I can’t just show up like it never happened. It’s long past the set meeting time… but I can’t go home either, mom’s scarier than Hojo.” his hands twitched and his expression turned slightly sour. “Why am I like this, running away at the most critical moment and disappointing mom?” he clenched his fists. “Well, this time, the person who’d most disappointed is-” a hand suddenly touching his shoulder made him jump, his posture tensing more as he quickly turned to see the two pretty ladies he’d spotted earlier.

“Hey there!” the blonde exclaimed nicely. “Are you alright? You look so gloomy.”

“Uh.. i-it’s nothing, really.” he responded quickly, his eyes darting between the two. They looked genuinely concerned, especially the werewolf, at least he assumed she was a werewolf, from the amber in her eyes.

“Oh?” the blonde rose a brow at him. “You’ve been over here looking upset and muttering for quite some time.”

“Quit pressing, it’s probably private.” the werewolf growled at her friend, lightly elbowing her.

“Fine, I’ll change the subject, sheesh.” the blonde groused. “Well, you look pretty young. Maybe high school age. You love cars?” he shifted a little at that question. “Did you come to see the battle?”

“Well I… it’s not like I love them or anything, maybe just like them? More or less?”

“More or less, huh?” she clicked her tongue quietly. “Well, whatever.”

“Sayuki!” the werewolf snapped again. “Rude.”

“Oh hush.” the blonde, Sayuki, responded, before turning back to Shinji. “Anyway, I’m Sayuki. And this very lovely lady is Mako.” she gestured to the werewolf. “What’s your name?”

“Ah, Shinji… Shinji Inui.”

“Do you live around here, Shinji?”

“Yeah…”

“We came all the way out here from Gunma!”

“That’s pretty far.” he noted quietly. “Why come all the way out here just to see a race?” both of them looked a little taken aback by the question.

“W-Well, we ourselves used to be street racers, you see.” Sayuki responded. “Besides, it’s fun! Right, Mako?” she turned towards her friend, who nodded.

“Yes, it’s very fun.” her expression softened a little. “It’s thrilling to just watch, and it’s even more fun if you sit behind the wheel.”

‘Fun?’ Shinji thought questioningly. Before he could ask verbally, the sound of screeching tires caught his attention.

“Here they come!” someone from the crowd exclaimed, and he turned to see headlights drawing closer. He watched the NSX and the FD come into sight and speed by, vanishing around the next corner after only seconds of being visible, and everyone around him exploded into sound.

‘Why are they so excited?’ he asked himself incredulously.

“What’s your take on this, Mako?” he heard Sayuki asked, and Shinji turned to see that they had very serious expressions on their faces.

“Hard to say.” she responded. “But at least the NSX’s traction is impressive. The exit of this corner is really steep, but it accelerated quickly without losing balance. The FD is at a disadvantage, being one step behind the NSX in response.” Shinji turned his eyes back to the road, his expression turning slightly sour again.

‘Hojo’s red car didn’t look like it was having fun.’ he thought. ‘But that yellow car… it was smiling.’

~0~

“They’ve just passed the third hairpin.” a teammate told Kubo. “I have their section time and it seems that their pace has increased.”

“So far, everything is going as planned.” the hyena looked pleased with himself. “Good enough.”

Moments later, a new update came out. “They’ve passed the hairpin at the observatory and have entered section four!”

“This is where everything happens.”

~0~

The NSX became a red blur as it disappeared behind the corner. “So, it has begun.” Keisuke noted as his eyes shifted to his true form, the single blood colored orb ready to look for his prey “I can’t conserve my tires anymore. I am counting on you, my FD! Please hold on!” and the FD became a yellow blur like the NSX before it. 

~0~

The younger wolf was fidgeting next to his mate, visibly brimming with energy and agitation. He was ready to howl, both Kenji and Iketani knew the warning signs. “This is getting frustrating! How is the battle going?!” there it was.

“Settle down, Itsuki.” Iketani said firmly, setting a hand on Itsuki’s shoulder.

“But I’m worried! I just can’t stand still!” Iketani almost sighed at that.

“They’re probably just maintaining their positions at the moment.” he responded, turning his attention back to the road.

“Classic cat and mouse,” Kenji spoke up. “The NSX tries to flee, while the FD tries to catch it.”

“Exactly.” Kenji side eyed Iketani.

“But, do you really think the FD can win?”

“Huh?” Iketani blinked, while Itsuki took on a vaguely aggressive stance.

“Just what are you saying, Kenji?” the younger wolf almost snapped.

“You saw it, didn’t you?” Kenji gave him a firm look. “The NSX’s speed was incomparable, and besides, it’s in the lead position!”

“Keisuke Takahashi will win!” Itsuki responded stubbornly. “No matter what! He’s Project D’s hillclimb ace!” he sounded like he was ready to cry at any given moment. “The same goes for Takumi!”

“Itsuki, you’re beginning to shout.” Iketani hushed him, and the younger wolf sighed. “We understand what you’re getting at, but we can’t help but worry.” Iketani took Itsuki’s hand and slowly rubbed his thumb over the bridge of it in an effort to calm him down, and to ease his own nerves. “We’ll just wait and see how this turns out.”

~0~

“Matsumoto.” Ryousuke’s somber voice pierced the silence, “I couldn’t tell you this until now, but I hesitated to pick Keisuke as a driver for Project D.” that caught Matsumoto off guard, he turned his full attention to the sphinx. “I… I hate to admit it, but there was a time where he looked inferior, when compared to Takumi and his splendid talent. It’s not something I like saying aloud. Keisuke must have felt that, more or less, as well. Drivers naturally figure those things out.” he crossed his arms. “Keisuke must have felt a certain degree of pressure, despite Takumi being in love with him. As for myself, I didn’t want to look like I was favoring my blood related brother. That’s why I’ve been distant and harsh with him.

“Harsh is a bit of a soft word for it, but yes, you have.” Matsumoto responded, he felt how the sphinx flinched at that. “I remember when Keisuke damaged his car’s suspension after going through some oil during our Saitama expeditionary race.” his mind filled with the sight both Keisuke and the FD had made. “You blamed Keisuke for his carelessness, instead of our opponent’s dirty trick. I’d never seen your brother cry before then. And the spider got so hostile with you, I almost believed he was going to attack. The whole situation was too much, I still feel sorry for Keisuke.” Ryousuke sighed, looking ashamed.

“Keisuke’s always been tough, ever since he was little.” Ryousuke responded quietly. “I’d picked up that he improves much faster from getting chewed out than from receiving praise. It was around that time that the look in his eyes changed.” Ryousuke’s tail slashed at the air. “Regarding the training of having Keisuke match a preset time, I was obsessed with the same training a long time ago. Surprisingly, you don’t learn much when you’re desperate and trying to drive fast. Your concentration doesn’t last, and you’ll only put stress on your car. On the contrary, you can reach your limit after perfecting such control.” his gaze turned towards Takumi, eyeing the arachnid as he spoke with Nejibana, who was bobbing up and down on the roof of the 86, looking excited. “Takumi is a typical example. He’s a master of vehicle control.”

“You are right about that.” Matsumoto commented.

“You could say that he and Keisuke have a sense of rivalry when it comes to racing, which has improved my brother. Keisuke has never skipped his driving training on Akagi, even if conditions were bad. Some say a never ending passion is what brilliance is all about, Keisuke has something like that.” Matsumoto let out an amused chortle.

“Those two are mutually beneficial to one another in more ways than one, huh?” Ryousuke snorted and elbowed the kitsune.

“Hush.” the two were silent for a moment. “To be honest, Matsumoto, this past month… well, no, the past two weeks to be precise, Keisuke has reached an incredible level.”

“Huh?” Matsumoto looked incredibly confused by that. “An incredible level?” Ryousuke nodded.

“His time is dead accurate to the preset time. Even when he faces obstacles that might disrupt his pace, he matches the time in the end. He’s likely developed an accurate internal clock.” a small, proud smile graced the sphinx’s face. “My past peak performance wouldn’t beat today’s Keisuke. I did the same training, so I can understand how impressive he is. It’s godlike to drive such a long Akagi road within an error margin of less than a second. Many factors have contributed to Keisuke’s breakthrough. My training method has created an incredible street racer. His condition is extremely good… it’s a pleasant surprise, just in time for the final battle. Our trump card is Keisuke himself.”

~0~

“Kubo! I got the section time, it is nearly Gou’s best time!” the team mate exclaimed. “None of the Sidewinder members could keep up with that pace. Keisuke Takahashi truly is amazing.”

“You know, there are a lot of spectators watching this race, but most of them don’t understand what is going on.”

“Eh?”

“At a glance, it looks like the situation seems deadlocked, but in reality both drivers are managing their tires very well. It’s a high level race, appealing to the experts but boring and uneventful in appearance to everyone else.” he oddly took pride in that claim.

~0~

Two birds were eyeing the cars as they disappeared from their field of vision. “Kai, what is your impression on the NSX’s performance?” the phoenix asked.

“To me, it looks like it is desperately trying to run away, Minagawa. He is going flat out and the tires are at their limit. More than anything, the lines show Hojo’s seriousness.”

“I agree.” his feathers started glowing from agitation, Kai took a small step to the side, away from the sudden heat. “Then why is Keisuke Takahashi’s FD right behind it? What exactly is going on?”

~0~

Gou let out an odd grunt. “This isn’t what we talked about, Kubo. You said that my car will have a fifteen second advantage. It’s frustrating, but I shouldn’t be so surprised, knowing who’s behind this.” his irises were starting to get their red hue as his voice sounded strained. “This sucks major ass!”

~0~

Shinji watched quietly as everyone talked calmly, their prior excitement having died down a short while ago. His gaze lept between Sayuki and Mako, picking up how obviously relaxed the two were with one another. He saw Mako’s ears swivel on her head and her tail wag lightly and was more and more convinced with each passing second that she likely wouldn’t have those minor reactions around anyone else. As he pondered that, he noticed it, a dim yellow glow on her inner wrist, he’d seen a similar glow on other creatures, though they were different colors. As Mako shifted her arm, he caught sight of a yellow swirl, the same color as Sayuki’s hair.

Maybe they were together? That would explain her reactions to Sayuki. Thinking about those marks, he realized that he’s seen one on Gou too, very recently. And that he’d started appearing a little less tense.

Well, whatever, all he knew is that those marks were pretty to his Sight.

~0~

Both the poodle moth and emperor moths stayed where they were, letting the wind brush upon their wings. “Who would’ve expected a deadlock like this? This came out of the blue, but things are just now getting interesting.” Omiya spoke. “The proud bat trying to settle the match but failing. Project D truly is something.”

Kobayakawa turned towards his team leader. “There isn’t too much left after this hairpin corner, this must be a surprising turn of events for Sidewinder. I don’t think that they anticipated to go for a second or a third round.”

“That must mean that Eiji Kubo made a mistake somewhere when coming up with a strategy. Something else must have happened behind the scenes.”

~0~

“What!?” Kubo exclaimed, the Sidewinder member grimacing at his tone. “What did you say!? That’s ridiculous! What’s the section time!?”

“Y-Yeah!” the teammate lifted his phone to show it to Kubo, who’s eyes widened as his expression dropped.

“That’s not possible…” he breathed, turning to look at the road. “That FD isn’t built to match such a high pace. Was there a miscalculation? No, no that can’t be it. The FD3S shouldn’t have that kind of potential.” he grit his teeth angrily, prompting the teammate to very quickly back off, Kubo may be mostly human but hyenas were still scary things, his teeth weren’t the sharpest either, but rather than piercing, he could still rip pieces off. “Damn it!”

~0~

The vampire’s teeth were starting to ache as they pierced his lips, he doesn’t even need to look at the mirror to know that his disguise is slowly fading. “What the fuck? I was on a roll when I went flat out. I know I was!” he furrowed his brows. “How are you still here, Keisuke?” there was a gaze fixated on Gou behind him, continuously staring at him. “Why are you putting pressure on me instead of falling behind? I don’t like this!” he’d heard Takumi once say that leading against some opponents made him feel like prey, is this what that’s like? He hated it.

~0~

“Sidewinder tried to dominate us in intelligence gathering by dispatching scout teams since our first race in Kanagawa.” an amused expression came over Ryousuke’s face. “Gou said that it was all his strategist’s idea, he didn’t hesitate in throwing his teammate under the bus, either. But despite the effort, seasoned strategist Kubo’s plan didn’t work because Keisuke’s skills, which are refined by his peculiar daily training, greatly exceeded Kubo’s expectations.” Matsumoto’s ears twitched at the sound of footsteps, and he turned to see Takumi making his way over, Nejibana situated on his head. “The type of driving sense he’s acquired becomes useful in many ways. Even if you don’t control your car at full throttle, you can understand how the car will behave at its max acceleration. Around the time when we began our Kanagawa races, Keisuke stopped practicing a flat out run. You can learn more that way. And more than anything, you can finish your car’s settings because of improved efficiency.” Matsumoto heard Nejibana chitter from beside him.

“Hush.” Takumi muttered to her.

“That makes sense.” Matsumoto responded when he realized Ryousuke had paused.

“Our opponent has a data analysis expert who can see through any imperfect camouflage. By focusing on the critical attacking areas, and going easy on the rest, we created an evened out pace, which should have made it difficult for our opponent to gauge our potential. On top of that, Keisuke drives extremely fast even when he takes it easy. Even Kubo couldn’t anticipate a driver, who’s trained on public roads, could pull such a stunt.” Matsumoto let out an amused breath.

“It’s all beyond my imagination.”

“They may have figured out how we control our cars, but we didn’t give them any information about our peak performance. This battle of intelligence is even.” Nejibana made another chittering sound.

“Yes, I’ll agree on that one. This is all pretty amazing.”

~0~

Ikeda’s phone rang, disrupting the conversation the seraph had with Rin. “Hello? Ah I see.” Rin was still leaning on the railings. “The first hill climb is over and the results aren’t what we had expected.”

“Let me guess. Gou failed to outrun Keisuke which means that the game is carried over to the second round?” Rin turned to face Ikeda.

“Right.”

“That’s the way it should be. I bet that his brain is frozen like a glacier. But he has time to recover. I know that he’ll do better without any annoying restraints like strategies or pride.”

The seraph has never heard a mortal predict such things to that kind of a degree, which was a first. But oddly, that’s what makes Rin more interesting than any of his team members, which is also why he’s watching the race with him. “I see what you mean.”

“Something inside him has to be awakened, something that you creatures would call nature or instincts. And all that is needed is a game of tag on a mountain pass.” Rin looked towards the sky like he was about to whisper to Gou, hoping that his brother would hear it. “Remember the basics. A battle tends to be settled by something very simple.”

Chapter Text

Gou rose a brow at the expression on Kubo’s face, both apologetic and underlyingly angry at the same time.

“I’m very sorry.” the hyena finally said, and Gou scoffed.

“What are you apologizing for?” he responded firmly, causing Kubo to recoil in surprise. “The car is in great condition. My instinct tells me that I had a pretty good time, am I wrong?”

“No, you’re absolutely correct.” Kubo said. “You beat your own section four record by two seconds.”

“See?” Gou let out a breath through his nose and faced forward. “I had good feedback. Besides, it’s not like I lost. I’m struggling a little, but I’ll recover from here. I just have to pull myself together.”

Keisuke was mentally preparing himself, last round, he was the hunter, and now he was to be the hunted. He’d seen the vampire’s attitude when hunting, looking back at the incident at Saitama, and knew that he needed to be mentally ready for it being directed at him, if it was. Even now he could feel Gou’s gaze locked on the back of his neck.

“Are we ready to go, Keisuke?” Fumihiro’s voice cut through his thoughts, he took another moment to calm himself, then nodded.

“Ready at anytime, Fumihiro. I’m throwing everything I’ve got into this second run. If we run into a third round, I’ll definitely lose.” he heard the siren’s feathers rustle.

“Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself, despite the desperate comment.” Keisuke turned to look at Fumihiro, flashing him a fanged smile as the red orb in his eyes switched sides.

“I’m enjoying this from the bottom of my heart.” he responded honestly. “This might just be my happiest moment since Project D began.” Fumihiro gave him a surprised look at that, before patting the roof of the FD and retreating to the sidelines.

“Let’s begin!” he yelled, prompting everyone in the area to clear the road. “Five seconds till start!”

~0~

Ryousuke could hear the distant roar of engines as the second round began. His wings shuttered.

“You’ll lose if there’s a third run, Keisuke.” he muttered to himself. “But no matter what happens, I’m proud of what you’ve achieved. I’ll have to tell you that once this is over.”

~0~

“This is breathtaking, isn’t it?” Kenji asked, causing Iketani and Itsuki to look at him. “I mean, Keisuke was at a disadvantage in every aspect! He was amazing when all this first began, but he’s gotten much better than I could have ever imagined!”

“Right!” Itsuki exclaimed. “Just like I said, Project D’s double aces won’t lose, no matter what!” Iketani let out a slightly disagreeing sound.

“Turbo charged cars do tend to lose power over time because of heat soak, Itsuki.” he commented. “”A longer race will negatively affect the FD.”

“Keisuke Takahashi should know that better than anyone else, though.” Kenji commented. “Seeing as he’s driven a turbo so for so long.”

“You’re right about that.” Iketani crossed his arms and tilted his head. “I don’t know where it will happen, but he’ll make a sudden dash in the second half of this round.”

“I agree!” Itsuki yelled, and before he could continue speaking, the FD and NSX raced into sight and vanished around the next corner. Everyone exploded into sound.

“I’m going to get a kick out of that cannonball dash of Keisuke’s.” Iketani commented quietly. “It’s beaten a number of tough challengers… it’s going to be epic in this final stage.”

“You got that right.” Kenji muttered beside him.

“I can’t imagine what’s gonna happen, or how the race will turn out. After all, they’re putting their lives on the line to drive this fast.” Iketani’s grip around Itsuki tightened ever so slightly.

~0~

Gou’s eyes were focused on the FD. “Keisuke is making it obvious that he is just cruising, he ain’t even pushing his car to the limit. But still, he’s so fast and even maintaining this high-speed pace!” his voice turned exasperated. He has never had this fast of a prey before. Eyes locked on the car he noticed how the FD passed the guardrail with a little space to spare. “If I am honest, I didn’t expect him to be able to pull off that kind of a move. By driving behind him, I can finally see how skilled he is. Besides, his car seems fun to drive…” his voice quietly trailed off. ‘Has my car ever looked fun to drive?’ he thought. The inside of his car fell oddly, yet comfortably silent as his opponent’s aura began to rise, a bright blue, ever so similar to Ryousuke’s aura, a comforting shade. “I’m being sucked in, absorbed by this pleasant rhythm and getting synced with him…”

He could feel his blood boiling, ready to catch his oni prey. “This pleasant feeling will eventually come to an end. There will be a point where he will go all out. He will make a full-throttle dash, just like I did. If I can’t keep up with him, this battle will be over.” His eyes flashed black and red. “Where will you make your move, Keisuke? I will not let you escape!”

~0~

“I just don’t get it!” the team member yelled. “I’ve seen many FDs at time attack events between tuning shops. Some of them even looked like race cars.” he turned to face the hyena. “I thought I was aware of that particular car’s strengths and weaknesses. I even thought that we’ve built a victory worthy NSX. Something isn’t right. What do you think, Kubo?”

“You can never be certain about the outcome of a competition.” he said firmly. “We might’ve been outsmarted in the data collection, but that car is still within our expectations. We ran our simulation with a reasonable margin.” his eyes gleamed in the moonlight. “We aren’t stupid. The NSX may not have a fifteen second advantage, but we still have the absolute advantage, mountain passes aren’t like the circuits, because unlikely things can happen on public roads.” Kubo sighed. “I hate to admit it, but so far, our opponent is doing an excellent job. We haven’t lost yet. Gou will turn this situation around! If he can manage this second round, there will be no reason for us to lose. Nothing can shake our absolute advantage!”

~0~

With every corner passed, his heart kept racing, his instinct telling him to catch the car in front of him. “Ryousuke, what have you been doing in the background? The FD’s cruising speed shouldn’t be this fast.”

At the same time, Keisuke felt that he was ready to show what he’s got. “I can do it! I am focused!” a smile crept on his face. “This is fun. I’ve always wanted to fight a battle like this!” It seems like Gou had kept his promise to Ryousuke.

Gou could feel the scary energy radiating off Keisuke’s FD. “I am not mentally ready yet. What caused my spurt to fail in the first run?” anxiety clawed at his spine and a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek, everything suddenly felt like it slowed down as his doubts began to run rampant. “Is he better than either of us could have imagined? I don’t get it… does my car really have an advantage? Or, am I the problem?” his wings began to ache as he shook his head of that thought. “I have so many doubts that I have nothing to rely on… I don’t know how to turn this around… I- what should I do, aniki? What would you do?”

“You beat your best time again today.” Rin’s voice echoed in his head. His eyes widened slightly, he sounded younger, happier. “You’re noticeably getting better because your times are consistent.” they were both younger then, hair shorter and attitudes less cynical. He vividly remembered wearing brighter colors then, too.

“Your advice is always spot on!” he remembered chirping pleasantly. “You know exactly what to do to improve the time.” Rin smiled and chuckled at his words. ‘Circuit racing is really fun. I like the fact that my time clearly shows how I’ve improved.”

“You can’t find a situation where you can go flat out elsewhere.”

“Right.”

“You have the right aptitude, though.” Rin sounded proud of him. “Your rate of improvement is incredibly fast.” he’d looked proud too. “I think you have talent, Gou.”

He shook his head of that memory. It didn’t answer his question, not in any way he knew. He grit his teeth as he continued following the FD.

“What was it that aniki told me before this race started?”

“Just do your best and enjoy yourself.”

“And enjoy myself…” he parroted mindlessly. “Enjoy myself…” and suddenly, something in his head clicked. “I think that I am beginning to understand. If he’s better than me, it’s pointless trying to figure out what to do.” he changed gears seamlessly even though his mind was full of thoughts. “As a driver who pursues speed and technique, seeing something this extraordinary should be a thrilling opportunity. Make your move! Though remember this, I am persistent.” 

~0~

Shinji stared at the road blankly, his ears picking up the very, very faint sounds of engines in the silence.

“Hey, Mako?” Sayuki suddenly spoke up, prompting him to turn to look at them. “Doesn’t Shinji have this sort of energy about him that reminds you of Takumi?”

“He does!” Mako chirped. “From the moment I saw you I felt it. You two have a similar atmosphere, you know. Quiet, not really chatty. I also get that you both are particularly on the pure side, though the last time I saw Takumi was last year, so he might have changed regarding that.”

“Takumi…?”

“Project D’s very own Takumi Fujiwara.” Sayuki explained, causing Shinji to widen his eyes slightly. “He’ll be racing next, you’ll be able to see it from here.”

“You know Project D’s Fujiwara?” he asked, genuinely taken aback.

“More or less.” Mako responded, wobbling a hand back and forth in a so-so gesture.

“We once fought a battle against him, and lost.”

“A battle?” they fought an actual battle against his opponent?

“Oh yes!” Sayuki crooned. “We were racing partners back then, completely confident that we would never lose on our home turf.”

“Ah, Takumi had something superior about him, even back then.” Mako cut in, her expression wistful. “Racing him is special, because even if you lose, you feel completely refreshed. It helps that he’s just a genuinely pleasant guy with a soothing smile outside of that monstrous 86 of his.”

“Really?” that was actually a little relieving, the thought of any other kind of opponent made him nervous. “Is being able to drive a car cool, then?”

“Oh, that’s a definite yes!” Sayuki chirped. “When it comes to men, looks don’t matter. Any guy who’s the best in his field is always popular, no matter what he looks like!” Shinji turned to look at Mako, curious about what her opinion on that was and completely missing the odd expression that suddenly crossed Sayuki’s face.

“What do you think about that?” he asked, and before the wolf could respond, Sayuki was at her side with an arm on her shoulder.

“Oh, Mako’s absolutely head over heels for fast drivers.” she commented, sounding vaguely sly. “She had the absolutely biggest secret crush on a guy like that before.”

“Sayuki!” Mako nearly snarled, Shinji noticed that her eyes were beginning to glow amber, and guessed they were showing outside of her disguise. “Shut up before I rip you to shreds!”

“But it’s true!~” Sayuki giggled.

“Shut up!”

“Aww, you’re blushing!~”

“SHUT UP !” Mako finally snapped, her face scarlet, and took a swipe at Sayuki, prompting the blonde to yelp and duck away. The wolf took a moment to compose herself, before turning back to Shinji, noting the completely bewildered and almost exasperated expression on his face with an uncomfortable chuckle. “What she said aside, have you ever seen a race in a circuit before, Shinji?”

“Huh?”

“A handful of chosen drivers, who race in front of crowds, are admired heroes.” admired heroes? Mako turned on heel and walked towards the rail, looking over the edge at the trees and valleys below. “The four drivers who are competing in this stage today are truly special to us. I think they’re even more awesome than the professional drivers who race in the circuit.” Shinji felt his face heat up a little at that. Awesome? Him?

~0~

“The idea of enjoying driving varies according to the driver’s skills.” Ikeda commented, his wings shifting as he spoke in an attempt to alleviate stiffness. Rin eyed the dark, feathered appendages, both wary of one clipping him in the head on accident, and curious about them. “Enjoyment is only attained by high level drivers in my Zero theory.” Rin chanced a glance back at the light to see Tsuyoshi finally catch a moth, poofing a little in triumph before eating his catch and flying back over, looking tired. “Those who regard adrenaline pumping, risky situations as enjoyment are still low level drivers. You can relax your mind under pressure and tension only when you have the skills to control various factors. Don’t you think that such a relaxed mental state is synonymous with enjoyment?” Tsuyoshi squeaked at Ikeda from atop Rin’s head, the seraph merely responded with a small glance in the bat’s direction. “Conversely, if your mind is not relaxed, your brain can’t function at its best. I think, to a lesser extent, it’s similar to a top athlete’s ability to reach a special mental state.” Rin let out a vaguely amused sound.

“I have absolutely no idea what to say to that. I mean, Ikeda, you’re a nice guy and all, but you seem to be a little over philosophical.” an amused smirk crossed his features. “I can almost smell the incense, probably because you’re a monk.” Ikeda choked at Rin’s sly jab, flushing a little as his wings tensed open a little.

“Well, excuse me for smelling like incense.” he pouted, Rin merely chuckled. Him, a seraph, embarrassed by a human? That’s new.

“I’ll admit, your Zero theory is very well constructed, but what I wanted to tell you is that Gou was a little different. I wanted to remind him of the eagerness to defeat the opponent right before his eyes, and of a strong fighting spirit backed by the confidence of not losing.” Ikeda let out a vaguely incredulous sound, his expression shifting as Rin turned to him. “Call me childish, but that’s the basics of street racing, isn’t it?” he looked away again. “You think adrenaline is bad, but I disagree. It’s fundamentally different from risky maneuvers by amateurs. Because they possess such high skills, they were done with course strategy and vehicle tuning even before the race began. After it begins, they just have to be eager to win. Today, the higher the blood adrenaline level, the better.” Ikeda let out a chortle at that.

“‘Blood adrenaline level’, Outsiders, you sound like a physician!” a sly smirk crossed his face. “I can almost smell the antiseptic.” he watched as Rin’s smile grew a little wider at his own return jab, and marked that a small victory. “Still, it’s too risky, I don’t like it.”

“Well, that can’t really be helped, now can it. That’s just what a mountain pass is all about, and that’s how you enjoy it.” the small bat had fallen asleep on his head.

~0~

A cheeky smirk revealed one of his sharp canines, Gou didn’t care about his disguise anymore as his wings were sprawled in the most comfortable position he could get them and a keen eye could spot two glowing spheres in his car. “I have a hunch where you will make your spurt!” he sounded excited. “As a local driver, I know too much about this course which made me blind to the most simplest of things. It is so simple.” he and Keisuke passed the crowd at the observatory hairpin. He could feel how the crowd’s excitement fueled his enjoyment.

~0~

The loud roar of two engines caught their attention, and the three of them turned towards the road in time to see the FD and the NSX rush past, the aura from the NSX catching him off guard. It was… blue. Granted it was being overtaken by a much more threatening red, but Shinji remembered Gou’s aura to be more fuchsia in color when he was racing. And the differences in this round he could see compared to last… the two cars vanished around the corner, leaving him breathless.

‘So cool…’ he thought. ‘What happened? Gou and his red car have never looked like that before. The car looked so excited…”

“Oi, Mako!” Sayuki’s incredibly concerned voice cut through his thoughts. “Gods, are you crying!?” turning towards them, he realized with growing alarm that yes, the wolf was crying.

“I don’t know why,” she sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. “But I’m so moved. It was like something traveled through the air, oh, both of those drivers are amazing!” an odd feeling bubbled up inside him at that, causing him to clench his fists at his sides.

He wanted to move someone to tears… he wanted to drive like that, too.

~0~

“Ah-hah! This must be the place. It’s the point where I had made my move in the previous round. It is the most simplest answer!” Gou seemed ecstatic by that revelation.

In the FD, Keisuke was ready to win this race. “I’m going to use all my strength that I’ve been saving. Let our battle begin, Gou Hojo, Hakone’s vampire!” The FD let out an aura never seen before, it was blindingly white, but still as stunning and it disappeared behind the corner.

“I called it!” Gou exclaimed. “Outsiders, this is fun! This isn’t about logic, it is just not letting your prey escape. If I see a car in front trying to outrun me, I must chase it. It is only natural. It makes my blood sing!”

~0~

Ryousuke knew the race was close to its end, he could feel it and see it. Pride in his brother simmered quietly in his chest.

‘I feel very much like, “Do your best and leave the rest.”’ he thought to himself, watching as Takumi idly played with Nejibana, the orb weaver leaping between the spider’s limbs as Takumi moved them around. ‘I’ve done everything I could, so drive as you see fit. You outgrew me long ago.’ a soft smile crossed his face. ‘From here, your strength will be put to the test. Go for it, Keisuke.’

~0~

“I-I’ve got the intermediate time from section four!” the Sidewinder teammate exclaimed nervously, handing Kubo his phone and immediately skittering backwards. “Have a look!” Kubo growled as he looked at the times.

“Damn it, this is bad! It’s too fast! They’re using their cars’ potential beyond the preset limits!” he huffed. “We shouldn’t maintain this pace in a course without any escape zones!” he began to pace. “Damn it, Gou, you only have one life. When it comes to a street fight, Project D is a notch above us because they have more experience. The strategy was to race without reaching that level! If we could fight this battle as a motor sport, we would be superior! Don’t get overeager! Our opponent is struggling just as much! He can’t maintain such a pace for long!”

~0~

“They’re incredible.” Minagawa said quietly, having since calmed down and was no longer radiating extreme heat. “It gives me the chills.”

“It’s like a fist fight.” Kai responded. “Their exit lines at full throttle are closer to the outer edge by a few centimeters compared to their previous round.”

“If they continue fighting like that, they could lose control at any time. Their concentration won’t last forever.” the phoenix’s expression shifted a little. “I hope this won’t end in tragedy… despite that, I’m a little envious for some reason.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” Kai’s gaze never left the road. “I’m deeply impressed. They look awesome, don’t they? No doubt, I share the same DNA they do.”

“The stubbornness and pride of simply hating to lose in a sprint battle.” Minagawa huffed. “Without it, we wouldn’t be racing in the first place.”

“Outsiders, I want to race so bad. I want to jump into the high tension race.”

~0~

Gou grit his teeth as Keisuke vanished around a corner once more, blatantly ignoring how his NSX bounced off the guardrail as he attempted to keep up with the FD.

“The view is different from usual, I’m going at an extraordinary pace.” he gulped. “I can’t stop, how can I stop having this much fun?” the gap between them grew wider and wider with each corner passed, the FD constantly vanishing in after image around them. The NSX nearly smacked into the guardrail again as it slid around. “Not only is my car understeering, but it’s oversteering as well!? I’ve never worn the front tires so much in a hill climb before! Keisuke has to have the same problem!” as he says this, the FD vanished again. “He’s so fast! Damn it!”

~0~

Matsumoto eyed as Takumi got up, Nejibana leaping from him onto the ground and scuttling over to Ryousuke as her master began stretching.

“Warming up already?” the kitsune asked, his ears twitching. “The hillclimb hasn’t even ended yet. There might be a third round if they can’t settle it in the second. Why the hurry?”

“There won’t be a third run.” Takumi responded, his tone resolute. “It’s ending in this round.”

“That’s a very confident prediction, Takumi.” Ryousuke responded, eyeing the spider as Nejibana settled herself on his shoulder. “What makes you think this is the case?”

“Keisuke is in excellent condition.” Takumi responded quickly. “We practice together constantly, so I can tell. I always thought he was amazing, but he’s been absolutely extraordinary this weekend. We aren’t pros, so our driving precision varies by our physical condition at the time. He raised his condition to the highest at this critical moment, that’s impressive.” Ryousuke’s expression shifted a little.

“As per usual, you’re very observant.”

“I think that our opponent is an impressive driver, but Keisuke is better at the current moment.” Takumi caught sight of Ryousuke’s expression and his eyes widened in vague alarm. “N-Not to insult your mate, Ryousuke, in fact your mate seems to be absolutely stellar at racing from his aura alone!” Ryousuke’s posture relaxed a little at that. “Anyway, I’m glad I’m not Keisuke’s opponent. He gives off a dangerous aura.”

~0~

Gou growled, his fangs coming close to puncturing his lip again as he watched the FD vanish once more.

“I can gain on him a bit if I go flat out for three seconds longer.” he commented. “I have to shed every tenth of a second I can in order to maintain the gap. There’s a flat out segment of four seconds after this curve, I must take every opportunity one by one.” as he began to clear the corner, he felt the NSX slide a little, and winced. “Is my entry speed too fast? No, I’ve gotta go for it! Swing the tail a bit, and use four wheel drift!” as he cleared the corner, the FD came into sight. “Step on it, I can’t lose a tenth of a second. I have to keep on pushing, or I’ll fall behind! I have to push it!” as he began to come closer to the FD, he felt his stomach drop, and the rear tires lost their grip completely, forcing him to spin out. Time felt like it came to a screeching halt and moments later, so did the NSX. He lost.

Chapter Text

Gou sat in his car, his body tensed up, the shock still strong within him. After some moments he slumped onto his car seat, his wings were fully open, almost digging into the seat and roof of his car as he processed what happened. He let out a vaguely shaken sigh and allowed himself to relax, releasing the wheel as he looked in the rear view, catching sight of his glowing red eyes and extended fangs. “Outsiders…” he muttered under his breath. He can’t stay here taking up the entire width of the road, so he shifted the car into gear and made his way towards the peak, though not going at full speed.

Despite how it ended, and despite how wild he’d looked, he enjoyed that race. He had fun, the most fun he’s had in a while. He didn’t park quite near the top, instead opting for a quieter place. He stepped out and stretched his wings, preparing for takeoff. He’s gonna talk with Rin first, then he’ll go and talk with Project D.

~0~

Shinji let a small sigh out of his nose, knowing that the uphill has likely ended by now, and that his turn had come.

“Mako, Sayuki,” he spoke up, a little louder than he’d been this whole time. His self assured tone caught their attention immediately. “I have to go.”

“Go?” Sayuki asked, confused. “Where? The best part of the show is about to begin! Why don’t we watch the downhill race from here together?” Shinji’s expression shifted a little.

“As much fun as that sounds, I… I really have to go!” he took off running at that point, leaving them completely confused.

“What’s wrong with him?” Mako asked, concerned.

“I don’t know.” Sayuki tilted her head, locking eyes with the werewolf. “I wonder what’s going on…” they pondered for a moment, but before either of them could speak, surprised and confused mutterings started up in the crowd, causing them to turn and see an 86 slowly making its way towards the road. Their eyes widened when they caught sight of Shinji at the wheel, his expression much more serious than they’d seen so far.

“You two watch me from here, alright?” he shot them a small smile. “And, thanks. You two gave me the courage to face my opponent. I might just defeat Takumi Fujiwara.” and with that, he rolled up the window and was gone, leaving behind two shell-shocked ladies.

“Does… does that mean what I think it means?” Mako asked quietly, Sayuki nodded.

“I think so… Shinji’s Takumi’s opponent!”

~0~

A loud fluttering noise caught Rin’s attention. It happened quite fast, before he could blink, a dark figure landed on the platform in front of him. He felt Tsuyoshi perk from his spot on top of his head, and quickly realized that it was Gou.

“Hello, aniki.” Gou greeted politely, Rin shot him a small smile.

“Hello to you too. Did you speak with Keisuke Takahashi after your race, or did you just come straight here.”

“I haven’t spoken with Keisuke, yet.” Gou responded. “I felt like we had an elaborate communication while driving, anyway, so me putting off speaking with him to come talk with you won’t hurt him any.” he huffed lightly. “We probably don’t even need to talk, he’d probably tell me that too. We have other chances to talk in the future.” Rin rose a brow at that, ignoring as Tsuyoshi squeaked something, likely a question at his master. “No, Tsuyoshi, I didn’t win. It’s frustrating to admit, but even if I lost I still feel refreshed. That race showed me things I’d never seen before. Keisuke was the most fun opponent I’ve had the chance to race against.” Rin nodded.

“Good, then you’ll only grow from here. If you really did have fun, then I bet you did your best for this race.” he smiled a little wider. “Good job.” 

Gou noticed that the seraph behind him was looking happy. “I should head back, Ryousuke is waiting for me.” Tsuyoshi clung onto Gou, excited to talk with the rest of his family. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds now be.” and just like that, he was in the air.

“Did he just…?” Ikeda commented while watching the vampire fly away, a light blush was on his cheeks.

“Yeah. Looks like he hasn’t changed at all, cheeky brat.”

~0~

“The race was at a such a miraculous high-pace that it exceeded Kubo’s expectations.” Ryousuke began explaining after hearing the results. “It even exceeded the limits he had set for the car. That should tell us the true potential of humans and creatures alike. The margin between winner and loser very is thin.” Matsumoto felt like Ryousuke was trying to save his mate’s face with that claim. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if he was. “The Outsiders have smiled upon Keisuke tonight, though who’s to say it was actually them. Though I do feel that Keisuke’s passion and love for street racing must’ve been higher than Gou’s, even if by a small margin.” 

Takumi nodded, just as a the FD came into sight. He turned as Keisuke stepped from the vehicle and started towards him, raising a hand as he came in for a high five. Takumi rose a hand as well, taking a few steps forward, and meeting the oni halfway. He seemed to not have been keeping his strength in check, because the high five resulted in a particularly loud clap and Takumi’s hand beginning to sting as it nearly impacted his face. He let out a small exclamation and shook his hand, trying to alleviate the stinging as Nejibana’s distant, amused clicks met his ears.

“Oops.” Keisuke chuckled. “Must have gone in too strong, sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Takumi responded, allowing his hand to fall to his side.

“I would hope so!” Keisuke gave him an easy smile. “The course is all yours. I’m counting on northern Kanto’s fastest downhiller to win.”

“You always are, aren’t you?” Takumi huffed. “You’re too awesome, Keisuke. Just like always.”

“What can I say?” Keisuke drawled cockily, smirking at his mate. “It’s in my bones.” Takumi heard Spider softly click at that. “Your eyes went hazy there, you talking with your friend?”

“Not really, he’s been really quiet lately. All he really did just now was click agreeingly, I think. It was really quiet.” Keisuke looked a little concerned.

“Quiet isn’t something I’d call Spider, Takumi.”

“I know.”

~0~

Gou smiled softly and repressed his creature features as he caught sight of Shinji pulling up in his 86, a little relieved that he’d showed up. He was almost afraid that he wouldn’t. Tsuyoshi was off chatting with Nejibana and the rest, so there wasn’t any worries about freaking Shinji out, since this moment isn’t the best to come out being a creature. He noticed Ryousuke repressing his own form as well, with Takumi following after, and guessed he’d seen him shift.

“Shinji.” he said easily when he stepped from his car, causing him to look in his direction. “I’m glad you made it. I was a little worried there for a second. What made you change your mind if I may ask?”

“I was watching the race with some people who said some things that really made me believe in myself.” Shinji responded truthfully. “Not to mention, I was moved while watching you drive.” a small smile appeared on his face. “The girls I stood with called us awesome, and said that people who race in front of crowds are heroes. I want to be a hero. So, I want to race! Let me do it!” Gou tilted his head and let out an amused huff.

“I like that self assured expression, Shinji.” he said. “Go for it. There’s no one else.” he turned his gaze towards Takumi, Shinji’s own following along. “At this point, only you can stop Project D’s consecutive victories.” he turned back towards Shinji. “Not that I should have told you anything, you don’t really need, nor care, to hear stuff like that. Just express yourself as you like during this race and most importantly, have fun.” he looked off to the side. “Tonight’s stage is a thrilling one, and you’re the star, Shinji.”

Gou turned towards Project D and let them know that his team is ready for the downhill. Fumihiro approached them, seeing that Gou was in human form, he also kept his creature form hidden. As they spoke, the two 86s came up to the starting line in preparation.

“In my opinion,” Kubo began when Gou came to stand beside him, having finished speaking with the siren. “We should take the lead position regardless. Shinji has overwhelming speed, but his opponent has more experience under his belt. Eliminating all uncertainties is what a strategic plan is all about. He can make the best use of his talent if he drives as the lead.” Gou’s focus wasn’t on Kubo as much as it was on Shinji and Takumi, watching as the two interacted as the hyena spoke. “This match should be settled on the first run.”

“I have no objections to that, Kubo.” Gou responded, sounding vaguely distracted. “Shinji has a good look on his face.” a smirk grew on the vampire’s face. “Let us shock Project D, Kubo. This will be the first official race for the Kanagawa’s miracle boy.”

~0~

Takeshi’s eyes were locked on Takumi and his opponent, vague surprise crossing his features as he took them both in. Takumi looked taller than he remembered, but his opponent…

“That’s Sidewinder’s 86 driver?”

“He looks younger than the spider.” Shingo tacked on, sounding incredulous. “This has to be a joke. Has that spider ever raced someone younger than he is?” Takeshi didn’t know the answer to that, why ask him? His eyes darted towards two figures standing nearby, maybe they knew. “And why drive an 86? I get the spider’s reasoning, but Sidewinder’s downhiller?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking me this.” Takeshi huffed. “Why don’t you ask them ?” as he pointed at the two figures, noting that both of them were now looking in their direction, Shingo shot him a look.

“Well maybe I should, that wouldn’t mind, probably.”

“Wouldn’t mind what?” the sudden voice from beside him caused Takeshi to jump a little, his eyes darting towards the source to see one of them looking at him with a slightly tilted head, their round glasses sliding down their nose.

“Just curious as to why the spider’s opponent drives an 86.” Shingo responded, not sounding shaken in the slightest.

“That’s not something we know.” another voice cut in, undoubtedly the other one standing by Shingo. “One of our friends, however, would know, probably, knowing who they talk about a lot. But they are currently busy, and as such we cannot ask.”

“That’s fine.” Shingo said quickly. “It’s just vague curiosity is all. I don’t really have to know.” the one beside Takeshi tilted their head a little more, and the dullahan sighed internally.

Outsiders made him very nervous.

~0~

Something felt off when Keisuke saw the Sidewinder downhiller. “Hey, aniki?”

“This final battle could be Takumi’s most difficult race yet.” Ryousuke responded, sounding resolute and vaguely nervous.

Takumi and Shinji were silent, observing small mannerisms before any of them could speak. Shinji could see his opponent’s large, monstrous hidden form, from the many limbs, to the tri-pupiled red eyes, to the large black and red abdomen with the glowing yellow swirl. Shinji knew that if he’d seen only that, he’d be terrified, but his opponent had this look and air about him that put him at ease.

"My name is Takumi Fujiwara." Takumi was the first to break their silence.

"Shinji Inui, nice to meet you." Takumi rose a hand and held it out to Shinji, who clasped it.

“Same here.” the spider gave Shinji a small smile. “Let’s have a good race, yeah?” the two went their own ways and entered their cars to begin warning their engines up, prompting Ryousuke to walk over and tap the roof of Takumi’s 86 to catch his attention.

“As we expected, they chose to lead.” the sphinx said, his eyes flashing for a moment. “This first run will be the hardest part, think of him as your strongest opponent ever. Keep up with him, even if you have to use your tires to the fullest. Got it?” at Takumi’s nod, Ryousuke let out a tired sigh. “He’s tough, that alone going from his expression and how Gou has spoken about him. Be careful.”

“I got it, Ryousuke.” Takumi said firmly. “I’ll do my best.” they locked eyes and Ryousuke nodded, patting the roof once more before backing off and returning to the sidelines, nodding at Fumihiro as he went.

“Alright!” the siren shouted. “Let’s begin!”

~0~

Itsuki couldn’t contain himself anymore. “It’s finally time! Project D’s downhill ace Takumi Fujiwara will take off!” he let out an excited squeal as Iketani’s grip on him tightened a little.

“Alright, Itsuki, you’re starting to shout again. Let’s calm down.” Iketani was beginning to worry about his boyfriend. “You’re really hyper tonight, though, I can understand why. The thought of the downhill segment is getting me excited too.”

“Me as well!” Kenji laughed.

“Of course we’re getting excited!” Itsuki howled, prompting Iketani to hush him once again. Itsuki continued on, though much quieter this time. “Takumi represents our home region of Gunma!”

“He’s more like our pride.” Kenji commented.

“That’s exactly right.” he turned to face the sky. “Please win, Takumi.”

~0~

“GO!” Fumihiro yelled and the two 86s took off. Matsumoto watched quietly, taking in how everyone around him began relaxing and shifting their forms a little now that the two racers had taken off. With nothing else to do, he closed his eyes.

“Hey,” a voice caught his attention. “Those two 86s have different body shapes, especially the one leading the race.” Matsumoto opened his eyes and turned them towards the voice.

“Well, yeah.” another replied, and he caught sight of two oni talking, one red and one blue. “The 86 has two models, the Levin and the Trueno, and each model has a two-door and three-door variants. Project D’s 86, with the rear hatch, is called a three door hatchback, and Sidewinder’s 86 is a two-door sedan.”

“Oh, I see.” the blue oni looked like he understood, but the red one continued on.

“The 86 is very successful in motor sports, but the variants were used in different fields. The three-door was mainly used in circuit racing because of its aerodynamic advantage, while the two-door was the mainstream in rally and gymkhana because of the stiffer body.”

“So, if that’s the case, wouldn’t that mean that Sidewinder’s two-door has the advantage in a street race like this?”

“If you’re gonna put it that way, then I guess so…”

That made Matsumoto just a little bit nervous.

~0~

Takumi’s eyes were set on the leading 86, something about it made him shiver. He couldn’t quite tell what, but now wasn’t the time for pondering such things. As they reached one of the first corners, the leading 86 suddenly blurred on him and hopped around the corner, not really gaining any ground on him but still enough to be startling. He felt Spider perk and ignored it as he continued on, watching as his opponent did it again, and again, and again.

“He’s so fast!” Takumi exclaimed, sounding surprised.

‘Is that what mate means by our leapfrogging, you think?’ Spider spoke up. ‘What’s happening here sounds sort of like how he described it to us.’

“Now is not the time to ponder that, we need to catch up to him at any cost!” he sighed. “Anyway, where have you even been? You’ve been quiet ever since Ryousuke came back from doing whatever it is that he did.”

‘You don’t need us needlessly commenting on everything right now.’ Spider’s voice was firm. ‘Now focus on the race!’ and with that, he fell silent once more and backed off.

~0~

Bunta stepped from the shop in his human disguise, taking a moment to stretch as Tama sat on his shoulder. Letting out a sigh, he turned and began walking down the road, a hand in his pocket. Pulling it out knocked his keys loose, causing them to fall to the ground, bouncing a few times. There was a soft metallic sound as it went, one that caught Bunta’s attention immediately as he turned around and headed towards his keys, picking them up and letting out a curious sound when he realised the keyring had broken during impact with the ground. He clicked his tongue.

“It broke…” he sighed, Tama clicking quietly from his shoulder. “I’ve been using this thing since I bought the 86 fifteen years ago...” a shiver ran down his spine. “This is a bad omen.”

“And bad luck to just keep around.” Tama added.

“Right, it’s better to just toss it.” he threw it into a nearby garbage can and looked up at the night sky. There was a bad feeling, deep in his gut. Something bad was going to happen to that 86 tonight, he could feel it. He hoped to the Outsiders that his son would stay safe.

~0~

“I was getting worried because I thought that Shinji wouldn’t make it to the starting line.” the hyena was talking to Shinji’s mother.

“He still acts like a child when he shouldn’t. I don’t know how to apologize to you about the discomfort he might’ve caused.”

“You don’t have to.” Kubo responded easily. “He came to the starting line, holding his head high and looking more determined and self assured than I’ve ever seen him.” he turned to look at Gou, who was still eyeing the opponents. “Once he grabs the wheel, it’s like his personality completely changes.”

“Do you really think so? I really hope that’s the case.” a small shiver ran down her spine and she visibly shuddered. “I just have a bad feeling about all of this, I feel like he’s going to do something unbelievably stupid.”

“There isn’t really any need to worry about it.” Kubo said. “He may be Sidewinder’s youngest member, but he’s a seasoned driver with the most experience. You used to say that all the time, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did.” she let out an anxious breath before looking around, her arms crossed. “I wonder how many years we’ve driven this road. We moved here twelve years ago, I think, around the time he moved up to elementary school. My job is located at a spa resort on the other side of the mountain, so I drove up and down the pass every day with Shinji in the passenger seat.” she smiled a little. “It’s only natural that Shinji knows this road as well as he does.”

“I see…” Kubo commented, eyeing Gou again and noticing that he hasn’t looked away from their opponents the entire time they’ve been talking.

“Shinji has a very good memory, but since he doesn’t study his grades aren’t good. But, his IQ is really high, which shocked his teacher.” Kubo hummed thoughtfully at that.

“He may have exceptional spatial cognition.” he suggested. “Just when did he start driving.” Shinji’s mother tensed at the question, suddenly looking very nervous.

“I can’t really say this too loud, but…” she leaned closer to them. “Sometime during upper elementary school, I think.” that seemed to cause Gou’s attention to snap directly onto her, for his head turned a little and his eyes were a little wide with surprise. “It all started out of his kindness. I was raising him by myself, and I had a lot of worries. It was taking its toll on me, and he probably couldn’t stand watching me drive while I was fighting to stay awake.” Gou’s expression vaguely softened at that. “I remember very well that I was surprised by his excellent steering work. I drove in the morning because traffic was heavy, so he only drove at night.”

“I see.” Kubo chuckled, been a while since Gou heard him do that, he guesses that Kubo must feel calm. “That’s why he’s unusually fast on the downhill.” he said, ignoring the piercing gaze Gou was shooting at him. “Now I know the reason behind Shinji’s speed. He learned mountain pass driving as if he was playing a game.”

The vampire went back to observing his surroundings. He noticed that the Outsider who has been with him for the longest time was beginning to look antsy. Something must be off. He still remembers the time he met that Outsider, he was lost in a forest when he was just a preschool child. It was getting late and he had sat against a tree while crying. But an apparition had come in front of him. He remembered them asking what was wrong, sounding and looking genuinely worried. After explaining that he was lost, that Outsider had helped him find his way out of the woods and told him to call for them whenever he was in trouble. After a while, they started staying by his side almost at all times. So seeing them in a state of anxiousness was new.

“His steering work is the product of constant, repetitive training.” Kubo’s voice claimed as Gou continued to watch the Outsider with a raised brow. “It’s like a refined art.”

“I think you have a point when it comes to him playing a game.” Shinji’s mother took back over. “He looked happy every time he drove.” she let out another soft sigh. “That car is one of the only things I have left of my late husband, you see. Because he was a rally driver, I have some knowledge about technique, but I didn’t teach Shinji a single thing. I didn’t even give him any advice. His driving is completely self taught, without any theoretical background.”

“So he’s a natural born talent, then.” Gou responded distractedly. Kubo hummed in agreement from beside him.

“I’ve been watching him drive for a long time, so I know that the center of his technique is his lack of brake use.” Gou’s full attention was back on her once more, eyes wide.

“Lack of brake use?” he parroted incredulously.

“That’s probably his game. Using the brakes as little as possible, I mean. It’s complete nonsense from a driving standpoint, but his goal was never speed. He doesn’t really use the accelerator very often, instead using inertia to his advantage, seeing as it’s the downhill. While focusing on steering, he tried to find the lines so he can drive smoothly. When he’s at the wheel, you can sleep comfortably in the passenger seat.” she fell silent for a minute, her eyes growing distant as she was obviously remembering something. “He’s such a kind boy.” she looked at them with a smile. “Ever since he caught Mr. Hojo’s attention, he’s been developing the basics behind technique and theory, but his intuitive no-braking feeling hasn’t changed in the slightest. He’s more than likely just an ordinary driver on other courses, this road is the only one he knows so completely. His body knows the limit of how fast he can enter each corner. And I mean, quite literally, each and every single corner. The limit he knows is totally different from that of other drivers.”

“If that’s the case,” Kubo picked back up. “Then you really don’t have to worry so much.” a vaguely rueful look crossed his face. “Shinji finishes his job so smoothly that I almost hate him. He looks like he wants to tell me he doesn’t have to do anything special.” he scoffed. Gou turned his attention back to the Outsider, starting to feel concerned at the sight they made, looking a little more anxious compared to when he’d last looked.

What could possibly be wrong? He could ask them, but being near Kubo and Mrs. Inui, it doesn’t seem to be the best idea.

~0~

“You should know that horsepower isn’t that important on the downhill.” Takeshi began, causing Shingo to perk up. “The downslope will help a one hundred horsepower car accelerate like a one fifty.” he let out an amused huff. “Going up against a two hundred feels like fighting a three hundred, though that’s completely useless on the downhill of a mountain pass. What is important is the balance between weight and agility. That is why that spider won every race on Akina, because he had everything necessary to make up for the 86’s lower power.”

“My EG6 and your R32, both Takahashi brothers, who were considered the fastest in the Gunma area back them, we all lost because of that. But this time, something feels off. The trump card that the spider has always had is now in the hands of the opponents.” he let out an amused breath. “It’s an ironic twist of fate that the last battle of the final round happens to be a race against an 86 Trueno.”

“Hmph, I am not so sure about that, Shingo. Sure, that Sidewinder brat has a dangerous aura about him. But that spider has been developing his skills and gaining a lot of experience this past year. He’s got something that defies logic. Even when pressured, he can find a way to break through with his miraculously swift reactions. He has something that can just make it happen.” a firm look came across Takeshi’s face. “The legend of Takumi Fujiwara will never end.” Shingo was a little surprised by that statement, not expecting to hear it come from Takeshi, but actually kind of agreed. The thought of that spider may make him a little nervous still, but even he could admit when Takeshi was right about him. When he realized Takeshi wasn’t going to say anything else for now, he turned his gaze to the crowd, catching sight of the two Outsiders standing a little ways away, looking agitated and vaguely nervous. He rose a brow, just what could be going on with them?

Something was going on, and he didn’t know if he liked it very much.

Chapter Text

"I can catch up to him, but after a series of tight turns I'm left behind a little… why? We’re both driving 86s, so why!?” it was irking him, and as they continued through the corners, Takumi continued eyeing his opponent, trying to figure out what was different between them. And suddenly it clicked. “I can’t keep up with him in the corners… I’ve never had this happen before!'

'Aren’t you forgetting the Northern Saitama alliance's Sakamoto and his Suzuki Cappuccino?' Spider’s voice suddenly commented, causing Takumi to mentally pause for a second as he pondered that.

“Oh yeah…” he chuckled awkwardly, a little bothered that he’d forgotten one of his previous opponents. “But still, Ryousuke said that I needed to treat Shinji as if he’s the strongest opponent I’ve faced. And I’m doing as I said I would, I’m doing my best, but I just can’t catch him at the corners!”

~0~

“Who could have imagined that Takumi’s very last opponent would be an 86?” Itsuki asked quietly, a stark difference compared to his earlier howling and shouting. “Even though Kenji told us about it before, it still feels a little to the surreal side.”

“Yeah.” Iketani replied. “One is the two-door notchback and the other is the three-door hatchback, but both are Truenos.”

“On top of that.” Kenji interjected. “Don’t you think that the mood is way different than the race against Wataru Akiyama’s Levin?”

“I’ve noticed that, yeah.” Iketani agreed. “I feel like something unexpected will happen. It is making my fur stand up.”

“Now I’m getting the chills!” Itsuki whined.

~0~

“Turns out that Shinji truly is Takumi’s final opponent.” Mako turned towards Sayuki.

“This is amazing.” Sayuki sighed. “The quiet types tend to have an extreme type.” she gained an excited smile with her revelation. “Just like Takumi!”

“Both drive 86s and are the same type.” Mako looked at the nearly full moon shining in the sky. “I have no idea how this race will end.”

~0~

Seiji side eyed Kyouichi, taking in his friend’s particularly sick appearance as he rubbed at one of the bandages on his arm, likely trying to alleviate some form of itchiness without actually scratching at it. He didn’t like seeing him looking like this.

“Are you sure that you should be out and about, Kyouichi?” he finally voiced his concern. “After you got fucked up by that cat, you’ve been looking worse each passing day.”

“For the last fucking time, Seiji, I said that we won’t be talking about this subject or I’ll scratch up your face like that damn cat did me.” Kyouichi was getting pissed at Seiji’s pestering. “Besides, I can’t miss the race of the century because of some damn cat scratch fever.” 

“If it was cat scratch fever, it wouldn’t have lasted this long and kept on getting worse!” Kyouichi shot Seiji an agitated glare, which made Seiji back down. Before Kyouichi could go whip up another rant, the sound of cars alerted them. It wasn’t too long until the two 86s came into view and disappeared just as fast.

“Did you see that?” Kyouichi asked, sounding startlingly calm compared to mere moments ago, to which he got an affirmative answer from the other man.

“Fujiwara’s 86 seems faster on the straights because he’s chasing.” Seiji elaborated.

“His 86 has a special engine that Ryousuke has likely been improving bit by bit this past year. But Sidewinder’s 86’s driving seems boring and lacks any impact. The only advantage of that style is ride smoothness.” Kyouichi kept talking. “If he’s the type of driver who was chosen by that practical Eiji Kubo during this critical moment that driver must be the kind that Project D hates the most.”

Kyouichi thought to himself that if he had a tail, it’d be wagging all over the place. ‘If I had a tail? Where did that come from?’ Seiji continued looking worried about Kyouichi, but didn’t voice his thoughts, because he might go through with his threat. Kyouichi was really terrifying when he was as angry as he seemed to be right now. 

Kyouichi let out a long sigh. “Do you wanna know why I think that Sidewinder’s 86 is the type that Project D would hate the most?”

“Uh, sure.” he said, thankful for the new topic, if he was just listening, then Kyouichi wouldn’t go after his throat.

“When we drive on touge, we basically think of the WRC drivers as the ideal. You make a relatively large yaw of motion when entering the corner and then turn by drifting. Because of the nature of rally racing, this style is reasonable and safer too.”

“You mean that the steering is only a trigger and you turn by using the accelerator. Isn’t that safer?”

“Yes, but having a safety margin means losing something elsewhere. Closed-circuit drivers don’t drive like that. They’ll let their tires grip by using their full potential, because that allows you to go faster. But because you can’t see what’s ahead on a mountain pass, I believe that the rally style is better. Those who are fast on mountain passes all drive like that, and Fujiwara is no exception. In fact, he seems to like swinging his car around the corners. Sidewinder’s 86, on the other hand, is different.”

“Okay, Kyouichi, slow down a minute!” Seiji finally cut in, putting a hand to his temple. “Your explanation is getting complicated, I feel like a headache is coming on.” Kyouichi shot another angry glare at him because of the headache comment. He let out a huff through his nose.

“This is just my hypothesis,” he continued on. “But if there was a driver who could drive the mountain pass with lots of blind corners as if it was a closed circuit, if there was a driver who knows the course so thoroughly, beyond anyone’s imagination… Takumi Fujiwara’s drifting style made him the fastest in northern Kanto, but I doubt he’ll be able to beat the boring gripping style with his drifting style.” he leveled Seiji with a sharp stare. “Understand? There’s a stylistic issue here.”

“Is that so?!” Seiji raised his voice and fists. “Shit!” Kyouichi’s expression blanked, that sounded so fake.

“Don’t be so loud, it hurts you know!” he hissed. “And you’re standing right next to me, you don’t have to shout.”

“Sorry.”he looked away from Kyouichi sheepishly. ‘That being said, I didn’t understand a word of his explanation.’

~0~

Ryousuke eyed his anxious team, with occasional glances at Gou. There were moments where he’s catch Gou looking away, and came to the conclusion that he wasn’t the only one who wanted to be near his mate. He let out a longing sigh. ‘There is a meaning behind the letter ‘D’ in Project D.’ he was thinking to himself. ‘I couldn’t have started all of this without Keisuke and Takumi. There is more to this battle than just winning or losing. Fight the best you can, Takumi! You’ve found the best and toughest opponent who can help you ascend to the next level.’

He glanced Gou again and just now realized that they were wearing very similar outfits. Nice.

~0~

“In most corners of a mountain pass, you can’t see the entire curve from entrance to exit.” Kubo commented, starting to feel vaguely annoyed by Gou’s lack of interest in their conversation. “No matter how experienced they are, drivers instinctively maintain some sort of safety margin. This issue is unrelated to the level of technique one has. But, Shinji doesn’t seem to have that kind of hesitation at all. It’s almost as if he can see corner exits, which are invisible to the rest of us. Would you happen to know why, Ms. Inui?” a slightly bewildered, yet vaguely proud smile came over her face.

“Well, he used to sit in the passenger seat next to me, and excitedly watch the scenery and corners pass from the other side. He’s always been a smart kid, so maybe that’s why.” Gou suddenly tuned back into their conversation, eyes wide. “He always seemed curious about the roadside scenery. Every day, for twelve years, he’d watch the side of the road. Parts that you can’t see at night are visible during the day, and you can pick up a lot of information when you’re free from the steering wheel in the passenger seat. In each corner, there’s a slight elevation change from entrance to exit, and a change of radius. Any minor damage in the asphalt, the flow of water, and even loose gravel can be seen. The accurate shape of the gutters is hidden by summer weeds around this time of the year, but he can see them because he’s memorized their layout and appearance during the winter.”

“I see…” Kubo said, sounding awed.

“In addition to that, he’s learned the course from the opposite side. Every corner is visualized from the exit first.”

“He learned every corner from the opposite side!?”

~0~

Takumi was trying to ground himself by studying how his opponent drives. ”He isn’t particularly fast on the entry or the exit of the corner, but he’s fast during the entire sequence!” he grit his teeth. “Just a little, it’s only a little but I am falling behind in the corners. Even if I can catch up with him in the longer straightaways, this course is lacking them. In fact, it has a log of tight corners near the goal instead.” he could feel anger and agitation building within him as he began to click, Spider joining in. Takumi felt that they would only get angrier from here on. “I won’t be able to keep up with him when we get near the goal. What should I do?”

‘We need to figure it out, and soon!’

“This is not good, not good at all!”

~0~

Daiki watched quietly as the two 86s raced past, noting the very agitated aura on the one chasing as it lost and regained ground around the corners.

“It’s a strange sight, isn’t it?” Tomoyuki suddenly spoke up as they watched the two racers vanish from sight. The human rubbed at his nose. “The finale of this big event turning out to be a battle between two 86s, I mean. What’s your take on all this, Daiki?” the tanuki’s tail twitched.

“Well, Fujiwara is better at braking. He can delay his braking point without harsh repercussions. The way he uses his heel-and-toe engine braking to slow down his car is at a professional level. The leading 86, on the other hand, has loose corner entry control, and he seems to use heel-and-toe just for the hell of it.” he tilted his head. “But his brake release point was so perfect that it gave me chills. He must know this course incredibly well.” Sakai suddenly began chuckling, a smile adorned on his face. Daiki had no clue if he was actual amused, or just stressed.

“That unique observation is just like you, Braking Artist Daiki.” he chortled.

“Even I can see that Fujiwara’s racing technique has improved since I last saw it.” Tomoyuki took back over. “But despite that, he didn’t seem to have any margin.”

“No margin?” Daiki parroted, confused.

“That means the pace is fast. Even if their paces are the same, Fujiwara has a smaller margin because he’s fighting to the fullest. His opponent, on the other hand, is driving gently and smoothly. That puts less stress on the tires and the car.” Sakai let out a quiet hiss.

“It’s amazing that he doesn’t have to swing his rear end. His style is totally different from Toudou School’sss.” his eyes narrowed a little, letting Daiki know that he wasn’t as amused as the smile let on. “This won’t go well for Project D. At this rate, it will be Fujiwara’s tires that wear out first.”

~0~

“His braking from a straightaway is fairly loose.” Takumi observed, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.

‘Reminds us of how we were last year.’ Spider commented, not at all helping Takumi figure it all out.

“Then why!?” he almost snapped. “I’m struggling to keep up after a series of corners, what’s making the difference!? Is the potential between our cars different?” he quickly shook his head of that question. “That can’t be it, this car’s maintenance is handled by Ryousuke and Matsumoto, they’re the best team out there!”

‘That means that we’re the ones losing out here!’ Spider did not sound very pleased by that.

“I know that!” he responded as he entered a corner, his opponent vanishing behind it. “If I fall behind in the next hairpin curve, things will get even worse than they already are-” he cut himself off as he cleared the corner, shock filling his form as he realized, quite loudly at that, that his opponent’s hazard lights were blinking as he began to slow.

‘What?’ Spider sounded completely lost and confused, almost concerned.

“Why are his hazard lights on!?” as his opponent pulled to the side and began allowing him to pass, Takumi caught sight of a determined expression of Shinji’s face, the look in his eyes telling him that he knew what he was doing. When he got behind Takumi, his hazard lights shut off, and he began trailing without a problem. Takumi growled angrily at that, and some observers could note that his aura had died down.

How insulting.

“I don’t believe this.” he snarled. “Just what in the hell is he doing!?”

‘This is an insult!’ Spider shouted, pacing back and forth. ‘The gall of our prey, daring to turn this hunt around on us like this!’

With Shinji himself, he could tell he’d angered and confused Takumi, from the look on his face, but that didn’t matter.

“I want to see them…” he said quietly, his mind filling with the image of those brilliant white wings. “There were wings on the back of your car. I want to see them again, those breathtakingly cool wings. And I won’t be able to see them from the front. Show them to me again.”

~0~

“Did you see that, Kobayakawa?” Omiya asked, his antennae twitching wildly.

“Yeah,” the poodle moth responded, sounding vaguely offended. “He just gave way.”

“That’s one hell of a crazy move that you never see.”

“More than crazy, it’s an insult!” Kobayakawa huffed. “Maybe he doesn’t understand the rules of this battle.”

~0~

“What the hell do you mean, ‘he gave way’!?” Kubo yelled, sounding outraged. “You can’t be serious!” the Sidewinder member who came to report shrank in on himself, taking a step back. Gou understood why, Kubo was really looking feral.

“I-I heard it from a nearby record keeper!” the teammate squeaked. “I don’t know what’s going on.” Ms. Inui put a hand to her temple at that, an upset look on her face.

“I knew he was going to do something ridiculously stupid.” she mumbled.

“Did he not understand why we chose to lead!?” Kubo continued. “Does he not know the rules of this battle at all!?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry for all of this!” Ms. Inui exclaimed shakily.

“Once the positions are switched, it’s the end unless he can overtake again!” Kubo plowed on. “Oh, he’s going to lose!” Gou finally couldn’t take it anymore and began laughing uproariously, much to Kubo and Ms. Inui’s alarm. He also felt how Project D started looking at him in shock.

“Oh, this is too much!” he exclaimed. “I love it, this is so awesome!”

“Gou…?” Kubo asked shakily, Gou realized mutedly that the hyena probably thinks he’s completely lost it.

“I thought he’d pull something like this, after telling me that he wanted to be a hero like some girls said that people racing in front of crowds were.” he said, wiping a tear from his eyes. “I told him to express himself as he liked, and to have fun, and I guess he took that advice literally!” everyone was staring at him with wide eyes. “He can’t be called a hero if he loses, you know, so he understands the rules full well. I don’t doubt that he’s willing to win. He’s only done this because he’s absolutely confident that he can retake the lead. It’s funny, no one has ever insulted Takumi Fujiwara as much as Shinji has tonight.” a giant smile overtook his expression. “All hell is breaking loose, and no one knows what will happen next.” his gaze turned back to Project D, taking in Ryousuke’s very obviously alarmed expression. “Project D’s panicking too. Ryousuke and I, we’re all just spectators at tonight’s grand performance. It’s making my blood sing!”

On the other side of the lot, Ryousuke was nervous, his foot tapping the ground and his tail was aimlessly moving about as he listened to Gou’s very amused rambling, sounding as if he’d snapped, but the sphinx knew that wasn’t the case at all.

“Aniki?” Keisuke’s voice sounded very alarmed and worried.

“What would you do in a situation like this, Keisuke?” Ryousuke asked quickly, causing Keisuke to blink at him for a second.

“I dunno, panic?” he responded. “No one has ever given way to me during a battle, it’s so insulting. Humiliating, even! My motivation would hit rock bottom. It’d take a while to switch my mindset off of it and get back to racing like I should.”

“That sounds about right.” Ryousuke’s tapping increased in frequency. “This is completely unexpected. But… well, it’s not too bad of a situation.” he finally stopped tapping as he said this, the entirety of Project D turning to look at him in surprise. “If this battle had gone as I simulated, our chances of victory were very slim at best. We needed something to cause a stir and change up the mood. We may not be able to control anything, but this is suitable for Project D’s final battle.” Nejibana and Tsuyoshi were silent on his shoulders, likely listening to every word with rapt attention. In fact, thinking about it, they haven’t moved for a while now. “The stars of the show are out there, so there’s no need for a mediocre scenario. The greatest drama we’ve yet to see is about to unfold with your mate in the lead role!”

~0~

For once, Itsuki was not excited about the race, in fact, the sudden change in his mood would have been extremely concerning for Iketani, had he not experienced it too.

“Koichiro? Kenji?” Itsuki sounded genuinely upset. “What’s gonna happen now?”

“I don’t know!” Iketani himself finally howled, causing Itsuki and Kenji to recoil. “The only thing we can do now is just believe in Takumi! He’s our downhill ace!” at the sight of Itsuki’s startled expression, Iketani let out a huff and began trying to calm himself down. It wouldn’t do to have Itsuki start in crying around all of these strangers, his trying to calm the younger wolf down would just cause a scene.

~0~

Takumi was completely at a loss, for once not completely focused during a battle like this. His competitive spirit wasn’t even with him or Spider, his mind spinning with questions.

“What’s going on?” he asked, dazed. “This is a battle, right?” his eyes darted to his rear view, anger bubbling within him at the sight of the other 86. “Just what the hell is on your mind?” he turned his eyes back to the road.

‘All we can do now is maintain our lead-’ the 86 suddenly jerked and slid a little, causing Takumi to verbally swear and drag the car back into line.

“That’s easier said than done!” he exclaimed. “I can’t concentrate at all!”

~0~

“This is a matter of winning or losing, right?” Fumihiro finally spoke up questioningly, causing Ryousuke to look at him. “We should take advantage of any chance we’re given, right?” Ryousuke’s foot began to tap the ground again. “I mean, none of us may like this, especially Takumi, but we can win at this rate!”

“Fumihiro.” Keisuke spoke up, catching the siren’s attention. “You… you really don’t get it, do you?”

“Huh?”

“Letting your opponent pass you means that you’re completely confident in your ability, and that you intend to overtake them and retake the lead.”

“What? But that’s impossible! The later section of the course narrows, how can he overtake him with such limited space!? A top class battle is fought very closely. Takumi is our downhill ace, he’s never lost when it comes to a dead heat!” the siren took a step forward, looking vaguely angry. “Where’s your faith in your own mate!?” Keisuke’s expression darkened at that and be bared his teeth, his eyes shifting as his fangs began to twist. The oni didn’t like having his faith in his mate questioned, and now he was mad. Ryousuke watched as his brother’s skin and hair began to change color as well, as Fumihiro took a few steps back. Even Kenta moved back, orange scales breaking out across the bridge of his nose in response to his alarm.

“My faith in my mate is here alright, don’t you dare question that!” Keisuke growled. “You may be right about all of that, but this isn’t about logic! I’ve had some rough times, but something unexpected will happen. This shows how difficult the opponent is that he’s facing right now.” Fumihiro visibly gulped at the angry gleam in his eyes. Ryousuke noted that Gou and his team’s attention was shifted towards them now.

“I share Keisuke’s sentiments.” Ryousuke spoke up. “Takumi won’t be able to maintain his lead, no matter how hard he tries. Him staying in the lead is the most unlikely scenario I can come up with.”

“Wha… you too, Ryousuke?” Fumihiro sounded genuinely upset.

“Let go of your common conceptions, Fumihiro.” Ryousuke continued on. “This is why I said Takumi’s opponent was a worthy driver for our final battle.” a vaguely amused expression crossed Ryousuke’s face as he locked eyes with Gou for the first time that night. “I never expected to find such talent.”

Chapter Text

Kai was a little confused by everything happening, having heard whispers from the trees about the 86s suddenly changing position, and not in the nice way, even Minagawa seemed to be off, seeing as he wasn’t radiating heat.

“Compared to a hill-climber,” Minagawa began musing. “The 86 is underpowered, yet both unexpectedly manage to pick up speed on the straightaway.”

“It’s likely due to fast cornering speed.” Kai responded. “The 86 is so mysterious.” Minagawa hummed his agreement.

“This battle might look close to ordinary spectators because of that speed.”

“Probably so.”

“But to our eyes? No, they haven’t even gotten serious yet.” Kai felt his feathers shudder, just as Minagawa’s tail feathers twitched. “It’s like the calm before the storm.”

“Exactly. But, I can’t help but notice this strange awkwardness. Why does watching this race make me feel so nervous?” Minagawa was silent for a moment.

“I understand how you feel.” he finally said. “The pursuing 86 is going to do something… or, he may have already done something, and it was only the beginning. There’s a strong sense of danger in the air. This battle is going to be a rough one.”

~0~

“I’ve gotta keep running away.” Takumi said shakily. “The real match will happen in the technical section just before the goal. I just have to preserve my tires until then!”

With Shinji, his eyes were locked in his opponent, gleaming but catching nothing that he wanted. He could feel agitation raising within him.

“I can’t see them.” he groused. “I can’t see the wings today. Why?” in fact, he couldn’t even see his opponent’s aura. “I’m a little disappointed.” a sly smile crossed his lips. “If you won’t show them to me, then it’s completely pointless to stay behind you.”

~0~

“It’s hard to drive behind Shinji, because people lose their rhythm.” Gou began, having finally calmed down from his earlier laughing fit. “It’s more than likely due to his unusually fast corner entry and his own unique rhythm that this occurs. Such things tends to make skilled drivers lose their rhythm even more, and make small mistakes that they normally wouldn’t, as though they’re hypnotized.”

“Those who’ve driven behind him say exactly that.” Kubo interjected. “Some have just spun out while trying too hard to keep up with him. That is why he should be driving in the lead.” Gou narrowed his eyes at the hyena, he almost couldn’t believe he was still tilted over this topic. “He can only use half of his strength if he drives behind.” Gou scoffed at him.

“Don’t get so riled up, Kubo.” he warned. “Shinji gave way for his own purposes, that much is clear to me. Something about his opponent must have caught his eye that he wanted to check out, seeing as they drive the same 86 type.” Gou caught sight of Ms. Inui’s grim expression and felt his eye twitch. “That’s a good thing. It means that Shinji has taken an interest in someone else’s driving. That’s never happened before, and you both know that. You know that he’s only ever been interested in himself. If this is just to win tonight’s battle, then he doesn’t have to learn or see anything, but in order for Shinji to break out of his mold and grow further, it’s probably better for him to face confusion, and struggle. While his inexperience is his strength, it’s also his weakness, and the trigger for him to break away from that is his current opponent.”

~0~

“I’m so confused.” Sayuki whined, the pitch of her voice bordering too high for Mako’s ears. “Why did Shinji give up his position? I thought that Sidewinder normally stuck with the usual theory of choosing the lead position and trying to pull away.”

“That’d be a more aggressive strategy.” Mako responded. “You take the initiative to win a battle quickly, but-”

“I don’t understand any of it, no matter how I look at it.” Sayuki interrupted, causing Mako to click her tongue. “Besides, how could someone so young represent Sidewinder, the toughest team in the Kanagawa prefecture?”

“I don’t know. But now that you mention it, look at Takumi.”

“Huh?”

“He was just a high school kid when he raced against us in Usui’s mountain pass only a year ago.”

“Oh yeah, he was, wasn’t he?” Mako let out a quiet breath.

“I guess there being more than one miracle boy with incredible potential isn’t surprising, huh? This isn’t just some fantasy.”

“Oi!” someone in the crowd yelled, catching their attention. “Here they come!” the roar of their engines caught their attention and the two watched as the 86s appeared from around the corner, Takumi in the lead, as expected from what they’ve heard. When they came upon the next corner, Takumi slowed a little to pass safely, but Shinji continued on, not losing speed and instead knocking into Takumi’s 86 with a loud thunk as he retook the lead. Mako could practically hear Takumi clicking as his aura, having been practically nonexistent previously, flared slightly with anger. The two vanished around the next corner, leaving the whole crowd silent from shock.

“No way…” Mako turned her gaze towards the one speaking, setting her eyes on a siren with dark red plumage. “That 86 sedan is absolutely insane!”

“This isn’t even a normal passing zone, either!” another creature exclaimed from beside him, a jackalope, if the antlers and floppy ears led her correctly.

“I know, I can’t believe it! The super fast Takumi Fujiwara, who has defeated Kanagawa’s best drivers one after another, was overtaken!”

“This is so unreal…” Sayuki finally spoke up.

“It really is… the entry into this hairpin is twisted like an S-curve, so there’s only one line. No one in their right mind would ever thing of going side by side in a place like this… but he just dove into the corner so casually. It doesn’t help that his opponent is Takumi !” Mako turned her gaze to Sayuki, catching sight of the very pensive expression on her face.

“Hey, Mako? This is just speculation, but hear me out?”

“Go on.”

“Maybe… maybe Shinji wanted to show us his overtaking maneuver. Whatever the line or layout is, he could have passed anywhere he wanted.”

“What? But that doesn’t sound right.”

~0~

Kenji’s attention was drawn to his phone as a notification sound came from it. Pulling it out and flipping it open, he froze in place when he saw the message. Two wolves flanked him on either side and were stunned. In unison they exclaimed their shock. “Takumi was overtaken!?” their shout caught the attention of everyone around them, whispers breaking out as the news spread.

“How could he have been overtaken!?” Itsuki was close to howling again, Iketani didn’t blame him. By this point, his anxiety has made him stay in half-shift, just to feel more comfortable. “Just how is that possible!?” Kenji winced at the volume Itsuki had suddenly taken on, that was his loudest howl yet.

“Is there another overtaking point left?” he asked, looking at Iketani for answers, only to see an upset expression. That wasn’t the answer he had been looking for.

~0~

“He bumped into my car.” Takumi growled, clicking wildly as his grip on the wheel tightened harshly, the poor thing groaning in stress. “It’s unexpected, but I guess that’s the kind of driver he is, huh?” he could hear Spider clicking away in his head, pacing back and forth, waiting to be released. Takumi shifted gears and narrowed his eyes, feeling his focus haze slightly in his anger. “Well, if that’s what you want…” and with that, he fell back, Spider taking full control with a gleeful shout.

“Then that’s what you’ll get!”

~0~

“It went just as you said it would, Gou.” Kubo stated, sounding vaguely relieved by the news. “It’s almost terrifying, what he did. Passing in the hairpin at the viewing platform and completely disregarding any theory whatsoever!”

“He passed there ?!”

“Yes, it seems that when he’s focused, he enters his own little world. Starts acting nasty , which is the polar opposite of how he usually behaves. It’s like he doesn’t fear damaging the body of his own car! That alone sets him apart from most others, because street racers absolutely despise causing damage to their car’s body.”

“It is true that he doesn’t really care about keeping the car free from scratches while he’s driving.” Ms. Inui spoke up. “I mean, he learned to drive in a beat up car with lots of damage. He doesn’t care about brushing the body against a tree, or the guardrail. His impacts are always just minor scuffs, though. He’s never caused any serious damage to the car.”

Kubo flashed a smug grin. “It’s like a master of martial arts dodging an opponent’s attack by the slightest margin. I had the body damage repaired and repainted. It was a part of my strategy.” he let out a small chuckle. Again. “If I hadn’t, our opponent would have been much more cautious from the start.” Gou turned his back towards Kubo, he has no idea what he has awakened in that Jorōgumo. He could almost hear the excited clicking of the Spider. He then looked at Ryousuke, a worried look in his eyes. Ryousuke picked it up immediately, a nearly identical look in his own. Everyone who knew Takumi well enough knows what has been awakened by Shinji’s recent actions. 

‘Besides the ramifications of his actions, Shinji made his move too early.’ the vampire thought. ‘That makes the Spider more dangerous, as it gives him more time. This race won’t end without a hitch. You’re fearless alright, but Shinji, Takumi Fujiwara, and in turn, the Spider, is far more terrifying of an opponent then you can ever imagine.’

It was about time when Takumi’s team finally heard the full news, their expressions vaguely grim at the thought of how this would affect Takumi himself.

“The hairpin at the viewing platform?” Keisuke parroted again, sounding more incredulous than the first time. “Outsiders, you have got to be kidding!”

“He’s got guts to make a move in such an unthinkable place like that.” Fumihiro commented shakily. “He keeps insulting Takumi left and right, I’m almost terrified to see what he’s like after being riled up as much as he has been tonight. He’s probably pretty shocked too, if he’s lost motivation, he might have switched places with Spider, and the idea of that makes me nervous.”

“Judging by the look on Gou’s face, I fear that he might’ve done that.” Ryousuke commented. “And I can’t help but echo his sentiments.”

“Even if Takumi’s lost his motivation,” Keisuke cut back in. “Spider being at the wheel means that at least one of them is still fired up, and won’t let insults cost them the race. They’re both driving for more than their own sake.” the red orb in his eyes darted over towards where the NightKids were watching the road intently. “Everyone he’s defeated in northern Kanto is here, watching. Their presence gives that spider a strong tailwind. I highly doubt that they’d both lose motivation with backing like that.” Keisuke’s hands clenched into fists, an excited expression crossing his face as he bared his teeth. “The battle begins now! It’s awkward to stay in the same position, think of it as handing over the position to get even!”

“Yeah…” Fumihiro suddenly perked. “Yeah, you’re right!”

“Of course I’m right!” Ryousuke chuckled to himself quietly.

‘Keisuke has a point.’ he thought to himself. ‘To Takumi, and Spider, this incident is likely not as dramatic as the others think. I can practically see the situation.” he turned his attention back over towards Gou, seeing the vampire deep in thought. ‘He would have been shocked quite a bit if he was trying to pull away at top speed. But even at that high speed, he should have been cruising in order to preserve his tires. While I am unsure as to whether he was caught off guard by the attack or not, I can say that he probably didn’t block such a reckless move even if he thought he could, and gave up the position intentionally. That scenario sounds much more plausible than anything else I’ve heard so far.” a small smile, almost smug in nature, settled onto his face. ‘Not bad. That spider is always breaking into new ground when he most needs it… Takumi is the type of genius who keeps evolving, always becoming faster and faster.’

Kubo felt very calm and satisfied at the news, but couldn’t help but wonder why Gou turned his back on him like he did.

‘Well, now that Shinji has retaken the lead, I have nothing to worry about. I don’t want to sound like an idiot by stating the obvious aloud, so I won’t, but I think this battle will be a smooth ride from here. Takumi Fujiwara is tough, but the more confidence a driver has in their speed, the more dangerous it is to get behind Shinji. There’s no one out there who can drive like he can. If you try, you’ll only end up crashing.”

~0~

Shinji was quietly humming away after retaking the lead. He glanced at his rearview mirror, falling silent when he realized that his opponent hadn’t fallen behind like he’d thought he would. No matter what he did, his opponent continued to trail closely after him, almost slowly gaining on him.

“He isn’t falling behind, but is actually keeping up with me.” he gulped a little as he felt a piercing, heated gaze on the back of his neck. “In fact, he’s a little faster than before.”

Spider clicked excitedly, happy to hunt at his very best as Takumi recovered in his place.

“You’re incredibly fast prey.” he complimented, almost crooning. “But you have the same 86 that we do, therefore, there’s no way in hell that we can’t clear a corner at the same speed as you!”

“The next curve it the one that I think is the toughest on the entire course.” Shinji mumbled, an image of the road ahead flashing in his mind. “The exit is tighter than the entrance, and nobody has ever kept up with me at the same speed.” as he cleared the next corner, his opponent kept right up with him, not slowing down even in the slightest. “Wow, what’s with him? That’s the first time someone has pulled that off…” he continued on, beginning to sweat a little when the gaze on the back of his neck rose slightly in intensity. “Why isn’t he falling back? I… I’m doing my best, but he isn’t falling back!”

~0~

“That’s just what you’d expect from a local driver.” Sayuki commented passively. “We drove Usui every day, so we know what it’s like to feel every bit of the course.”

“It’s the type of feeling you can only gain by constantly driving hard, even in the rain or against the wind. He can make such bold passes because he knows this course so well, that he could almost drive blindfolded.”

“Wait!” Sayuki looked panicked as she turned towards Mako, her hair flying around. “Wouldn’t that put Takumi at a serious disadvantage!?”

“Don’t you remember? Our race against Takumi on Usui pass?”

Sayuki gave her a flabbergasted expression. “How could I not? Takumi was keeping up with us even though it was his first ti-” she cut herself off.

“Exactly.” she gave her a firm look. “I think that it was the essence of his expeditionary races.” she turned her gaze to her car. “We were the local specialists, but he stayed right on our tail, completely in sync with us.”

“It was like he instantly figured out and copied your cornering lines and entry speed. His concentration, even back then, was extraordinary.”

“Right, and very likely, he’ll do the exact same thing here. It doesn’t matter how well Shinji knows this course, or how fast he can drive by ignoring theory, if Takumi can humbly accept what’s happening, then I believe that he will awaken those very same senses from that time. I think that’s what his essence is, even after growing up to become an undefeated downhiller, now. He perfectly copied my maneuver on C-121, which is the toughest spot on Usui’s mountain pass. I’ve never forgotten the shock of seeing it happen from my rearview.”

~0~

“Oh, man.” Kubo broke the silence. “I heard a report from the third hairpin. As you know, that corner is one of the hardest parts of this course. It may not be difficult to climb there, but the downhill gets more dangerous the more you try to tackle it harder.”

Gou lowered his face. “The guardrail over there is incredibly damaged.”

“Shinji is a class of his own when it comes to that mid-speed hairpin. When other drivers try to enter that corner at the same speed as him, they end up sliding out at the exit and crash into that guardrail, like it was a black hole.” Gou looked at Kubo with a serious expression as he continued. “But turns out that Fujiwara kept up with him the entire corner and cleared it with no issues whatsoever. Shinji must feel shocked at the sight of that. Section time says that he’s going at full speed.” Gou looked away once more.

“This is a good sign.” he said, and he could feel Kubo’s surprised expression on him, while keeping his gaze firm on his mate. “A genius instantly surpassed the world Shinji has built for himself over the past thirteen years. Takumi Fujiwara is very persistent.” Kubo let out another chuckle, and Gou could feel his brow twitch again.

“Excuse me for saying this, Gou, but you’ve changed in a good way. It’s something I’d noticed long before now, but tonight is seems all the more obvious. You seem to have a much broader perspective on everything. Not just victory, but you’re also thinking about developing Shinji’s skills.” Gou huffed.

“Maybe so.” he responded easily. “I must’ve lost my obsession when I was defeated by Keisuke. It’d be a waste if you’d finish this battle with only winning or losing on your mind. Everyone who has participated in this event, in one way or another, could be considered a part of Project D. Shinji is lucky that he can be on the ultimate stage.”

“Also, I hope you don’t mind me asking this.” Gou turned to look at Kubo again. “Why do you keep looking at our opponents? I’ve noticed that every time we went to scout out their previous battles.”

Gou scoffed at that. “Oh? No reason in particular. Project D is a very visibly emotional bunch, and some of them are pretty loud. Focusing on them could easily give me information.” Kubo rose a brow at that, and Gou made sure his expression gave nothing away, that was a pretty flimsy excuse, but he didn’t have the time to come up with anything better. The three of them were silent for a short while.

Shinji’s mom felt quite worried. “I don’t know if Shinji can win this battle or not. If I am honest, I’m surprised that he showed up at the starting line, rather than running away. From how he’d looked and sounded this morning, I thought that he’d run away right before the start. He must be scared, because he’s rather docile and timid when he’s not at the wheel. Once he starts racing, he can’t depend on anyone and make any excuses. Drivers are alone.” she looked at the ground, and everyone fell silent once again. “He’s desperately fighting his weakness, but he will grow up.”

“Shinji isn’t weak.” Gou was quick to cut back in, his voice firm and resolute. “He’s put in a lot of time. He has unique senses and technique. Even if he feels weak and loses confidence for a short period of time, a driver with that kind of speed can’t be weak. In the end, a fighter can only rely on the backbone he’s built for himself. He has it, and it makes him strong.”

~0~

“This guy’s fast!” Shinji exclaimed, sounding panicked. “I’m no good after all, mom. I don’t like this anymore.” his expression shifted wildly. “I want to quit and drive off! I’m so scared! Mom!” he could practically feel the excitement of the predator behind him, and it was terrifying. 

Chapter Text

“Hey mom, Mr. Hojo complimented me again yesterday.” Shinji’s voice echoed inside his own head, the memory sudden, he didn’t know what caused it to come around. “Everyone tells me that I’m awesome because no one on the team can follow me from behind!”

“Oh? I see.” his mom had responded, cutting food for dinner as he sat down.

“Is this something to be really proud of? I mean, this is the first time in my life that older people have complimented me!”

“You have to be modest, Shin.” his mother’s tone was firm and focused, if a little tired. “I’m happy for you, and proud of what you can do, but don’t be overconfident.” she turned to him then, a knowing look in her eyes. “There are many drivers out there who are faster than you.” Shinji remembered vaguely that he’d disliked that statement.

“That may be true… but all I care about right now is that it was a blast.” he smiled softly. “It’s not like I want to be number one… it’s just that no one could stay behind me.”

His focus returned to the present, for only but a moment, before his mind wandered once more.

“Mr. Hojo told me yesterday that there will be a major street race soon.” his mother had been driving at that time, Shinji facing ahead. “He said he was thinking about asking me to participate.”

“What, in street racing?” Shinji had nodded with a hum.

“Yeah, but when Mr. Hojo talks about it, he sounds really scary.” he’d been vaguely passionate about street racing, and Shinji remembered having seen his eyes glow beneath his disguise for the first time that day. “It’s like he changes into someone completely different from his usual, kind self… I don’t really like it very much. I’m… not really interested in racing.”

Shinji snapped back to reality once more and grit his teeth, vague anger bubbling beneath his self doubt.

“Mom was right, there must be a lot of fast drivers out there. I’m no good at all. I shouldn’t have done this. I want to go home! I hate this! I hate this!”

Spider watched curiously as the 86 in front of him began to feel off, noting it to Takumi, who began paying attention as well. Takumi himself perked as he suddenly caught sight of something he hadn’t seen before.

‘Could he be…?’ Takumi trailed off as they cleared another corner, a feral grin splitting Spider’s face.

“Yes, he has to be! And if he is, then we can do it too!” he flipped off the 86’s lights, quickly swerving to the side and accelerating to pull beside his opponent, flipping the lights back on. He could feel the sudden fright in his opponent’s small aura as he braked and began to pull back a little, a mistake that sound cost him the lead. Spider morphed his eyes back into Takumi’s own, so as not to startle his opponent, knowing they would lock eyes, and they did for only a moment as he pulled ahead, allowing him to catch sight of startled incredulity. “Just as we thought, his biggest advantage is his racing line! If you’re the type of driver who aims to stay on his line, then you’ll only be disappointed when you fail to do it!” Spider could feel Takumi’s surprise at his words, before vague pride began to replace it. Spider had always been behind with Takumi’s own knowledge, but it would seem he’s finally caught up. Maybe that was why he’d been so silent all this time. “We got the impression of that being the case while watching you from behind. Please don’t hate us, we may have been a little aggressive, but at least we didn’t hit your car.” his tone was suddenly scathing, and Takumi’s mood switched to something less proud, and more exasperated.

“I GOT PASSED!?” Shinji was too shaken to breath, his eyes shaken as he stared at his opponent in disbelief. “I got passed on this course! How-” he cut himself off with a choke as the world around him slowed, tinted a bright blue as his opponent’s aura flared brightly, and he watched those great, brilliant white wings unfurl and spread out wide, knocking feathers all across the road. He was stunned, tears coming to his eyes as he watched them. 

They were more beautiful than he remembered, and larger than ever before.

Everything returned to full speed, his opponent stabilizing, if sliding a little, but Shinji could care less. He’d finally seen what he’d wanted, he’d finally gotten to see those brilliant wings.

Spider hissed as the wheel jerked a little, a sign he did not appreciate.

‘This feedback from the front isn’t good.’ Takumi commented.

“Yes, but from here on, this is a slow section! When it comes to a technical section, our car is properly tuned. Even if we don’t use it, we’ll pull away with just our concentration. There will be no second round!”

~0~

“A disappointing report just came in.” Kubo’s voice was absolutely exasperated, and Gou had a feeling he knew exactly what that report was. “Shinji was overtaken in the second hairpin. Facing reality, I’ll say this again… well, I have to admit that I’ve underestimated Takumi Fujiwara.” Gou nearly scoffed, yeah, he did underestimate that spider. That’s a mistake that will cost them. “He’s already exceeded my expectations by keeping up with Shinji’s cornering work, but now he’s passed him to take the lead. It’s extremely hard to believe.”

“Shinji’s probably feeling the same way right now.” Gou put his hands in his pocket as a smile came to his face. “But, honestly, I’m glad I recruited him for this battle. Only Takumi Fujiwara can put this much pressure on him. Shinji may not have realized this, but he has a strong passion for driving within him. Once he realizes it, his abundant experience will spontaneously drive him forward.”

~0~

“I must have become overconfident without realizing it, mom.” Shinji commented as he wiped at his eyes. “All those compliments from the team made me conceited. That’s so embarrassing, because it caused me to allow a fast driver like him to pass me. I can’t believe I was so clueless.” Shinji grit his teeth, his anger simmering. “Maybe I just got too excited by all the spectators. It’s not like me to want to be a hero. Despite this strong sense of self-consciousness, I’m just an ordinary, timid, wallflower type. A boring guy who’s hardly popular with girls.” the image of a teary eyed Mako appeared in his mind. “That’s who Shinji Inui is. That’s who I am. But… but… despite all of that…” he watched as his opponent suddenly leapfrogged ahead a little as they began clearing a corner, his eyes widening as his fighting spirit began to arise from deep within him. “I don’t want to just lose! I’ve driven this road more than anyone else, this is the only thing I’m good at. I can’t just lose this battle!”

~0~

“All the fast drivers we know don’t take their foot off the brake pedal, even after finishing deceleration at a corner’s entrance.” Ryousuke said, his foot still endlessly tapping away.

“That’s to dive deeper into the corner while keeping weight on the front tires.” Keisuke commented, and Ryousuke let a small sigh through his nose, his tail slashing at the air.

“To be exact, your speed changes through a corner in order to decelerate at the entrance, and accelerate at the exit. But Takumi’s opponent, Shinji Inui, doesn’t change his speed from entrance to exit while cornering. No deceleration or acceleration means the whole tire’s grip acts in the lateral direction. Theoretically, it allows him to achieve the optimum cornering speed.”

“Oi, wait a minute, aniki!” Keisuke exclaimed, taking a step forward. “Doesn’t that mean the benefit of his driving style isn’t just the faster speed, but also…”

“Exactly.” Ryousuke turned to look at Keisuke, a vaguely tired look on his face. “The tires.”

“The tires?” Fumihiro parroted, confused.

“I can kind of see it.” Keisuke mused, causing everyone to look at him. “When you tackle a corner hard by delaying the brake timing, the entire weight of your vehicle will be on the outer front tire.”

“Right, and on the other hand, if the speed doesn’t change at all in the corners, tire wear is evened out. Downhill races are particularly hard on the front tires. Even if your drive at the same pace, even if your tire wear is less, it’ll give you a definite advantage at a critical moment near the goal.”

~0~

“Our opponent’s aura has changed.” Spider commented, sweat beginning to roll down his cheek.

‘It feels very dangerous.’ Takumi replied. ‘This is bad.’

“His tension was down a while back, but it’s already back. Damn it! We need concentration now more than ever! If we lose our nerve, we’re done for!”

‘We have a plan for the technical section!’ Takumi exclaimed.

“Right, if you think you can pass us, then I invite you to try!”

~0~

“He’s cleared the individual corners in the lead.” Kenta reported, holding his phone in his claws and his eyes locked on the screen. Matsumoto couldn’t help but blink, when did Kenta half shift? The tension must be off the scale for him. Matsumoto internally chuckled at his little joke.

“The tide’s on our side, then.” Fumihiro commented. “There’s not much of this race left, after all. I hope this ends without a hitch.”

“Strange things keep happening one right after another.” Kenta continued on blankly. “I mean, it is unusual for this type of battle to have three position changes within the first round, right? There’s also no straightaway, and the road is particularly narrow. It should be impossible to switch the lead so many times.”

“This just means that theory doesn’t apply to them.” Keisuke commented. “If you assume it’s impossible, you can’t do anything and your don’t even try to make a move. As soon as you wonder whether you can pass or not, it’s already too late.” the oni crossed his arms. “No matter how reckless you have to be, only a strong motivation of getting ahead will successfully allow you to pass your opponent. If you’re using that mindset, then every corner is a passing point.”

“Every corner?” Kenta parroted, sounding surprised.

“That’s the kind of battle they appear to be fighting, at least.” Keisuke continued on. “It’s hard for me to explain, that’s just the reality before them.”

Ryousuke himself was lost in thought, pondering many things as his gaze settled on Gou once more. He seemed to look nervous too, like he didn’t know whether to root for Shinji or Takumi.

‘If my assumption is correct, Shinji Inui’s cornering can only be achieved by an exceptional level of experience with this course. Even if you manage to copy his speed exactly, you can’t use your tires the same way he does, not even Takumi. He must really be fighting against understeering by now. Wear on the front tires causes understeering which can’t be controlled by any technique. A slower entry into the corner is the only way to cope with it.’ he let out a quiet sigh. ‘You must be struggling quite a bit now, Takumi, but not all of your chances are lost yet. Your last chance is the high revolution zone. It’s just a matter of switching your mindset and adjusting to the situation. Ordinary drivers can’t do it, but if it’s you…” he trailed off as a memory began to unfold in front of him, one from the day before the race as he and Matsumoto spoke with Takumi, the hood of the 86 propped open.

“Listen, Takumi, this is a very important point, so listen carefully.” the fully shifted spider had his attention completely focused on him. “The modified twenty-valve 4AG in your 86 is a super high-rev unit, capable of more than ten thousand rpm. But when we started Project D, Matsumoto and I decided to change the engine’s output characteristics.” Takumi had blinked at him curiously. “We increased the mid-range torque to give it more consistent power delivery than before. It’s a result of optimizing both durability and combat potential, but unlike before, it doesn’t produce a lot of power at the highest range of engine rev. As you know, we’ve been racing with the rev limit at nine thousand until now, but this time, we’d better prepare a strategy for using the higher range, which we haven’t touched before.”

“A higher rev doesn’t make me go faster, right?” Takumi had asked, looking vaguely confused.

“It depends on the situation.” Matsumoto had taken over, his right ear flicking. “Let me explain…”

~0~

Shinji watched as his opponent’s 86 slid a little in the front, kicking up a small cloud of debris and forcing him to leave an opening.

“Not good enough, he’s starting to leave some room.” he commented quickly. “Maybe I can go. No, no maybe, I’ll definitely go! I’ll do it, I have to, no matter what!” he accelerated and began to pull in beside his opponent, their aura flaring slightly in vague surprise, before rising in outrage as he bumped the rear of his opponent’s car once again, a small lick of red slashing through the blinding white and blue. The rival 86 pulled back in front of him, visibly agitated from his little attack. Shinji huffed angrily, recovering for a few corners before trying again, bumping the car for a third time and causing another lick of blood red to shoot through Takumi’s aura.

~0~

The two wolves perked up from hearing the engines. Their shifting about was enough to alert Kenji of what’s about to happen.

“They must be right over there, because they sound close!” Iketani said, getting everyone ready for the show that’s about to play out. In a split second, the headlights of the two 86s flashed from behind the corner as they came racing down, tail to nose. The crowd went wild as the trio yelled in unison. “There!”

Takumi’s 86 was sliding outside, suffering from understeer as the Sidewinder’s 86 bumped him again for the fourth time this run and easily passed him on the inside. Itsuki gave up nearly all self control and started wordlessly howling as the other two were too stunned to do anything.

Kenji finally spoke. “He got us!” and the smaller wolf’s voice died down.

“I never thought I’d see something so shocking…” Iketani almost choked on his words, a growl beginning to rise within his throat.

“That was such a dirty move, too!” Kenji cut back in. “Boldly hitting him on the side like that!”

“That may be true,” Iketani’s growl began to leak into his voice. “But it’s unusual for Takumi to be passed so easily on the inside. Takumi is losing speed, and I don’t know why. His cornering speed is the fastest in the northern Kanto area. His unmatched super high speed drift is-”

“You can’t be saying it’s gone , Iketani!” Kenji exclaimed.

Tears were already streaming down Itsuki’s face. “Quit kidding around, Koichiro, that’s not funny. It can’t be true. There’s no way Takumi can lose.” Iketani noted with alarm that Itsuki was starting to puff with emotion as he cried, likely ready to howl again. “I can’t accept that, no matter what!” Iketani stepped between Kenji and Itsuki, pulling his mate into a hug. Itsuki continued crying into his shirt. “Takumi can turn this situation around.” he said, muffled by his face being pressed into Iketani’s chest. The elder wolf was quietly ruffling Itsuki’s hair.

~0~

Spider clicked away, his anger simmering as Takumi’s presence had almost completely vanished from the shock of what was unfolding, still able to sense his outrage and indigence but not enough to cause a distraction.

“Shit! We’re really in trouble now.” he growled. “Even if we enter a second round, we won’t be able to defeat him with our tires like this!” one of Takumi’s own memories began to rise before him.

“A higher rev doesn’t make me go faster, right?” Takumi had asked, looking vaguely confused.

“It depends on the situation.” Matsumoto had taken over, his right ear flicking. “Let me explain. It’s true that you don’t gain much power even if you rev higher than ten thousand rpm. Instead, a higher rpm means each gear can rev the engine to a higher range. In a situation where your opponent tops off his engine power, and wonders when to shift up, if you keep your foot on the accelerator without hesitation, you can gain around point three to point four seconds. It’ll be about half the length of your car.”

“In a dead heat,” Ryousuke took back the reins. “There’ll always be a situation where you can make use of your advantage on a mountain pass. I want you to find out where you can do that during today’s practice. Remember: this is your last resort , for it will put great strain on your engine. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to, or unless you have to.”

“We have no other choice.” Spider suddenly commented as the memory faded. As he said this, that all too familiar prickling feeling began to rise on the back of his neck, a strange feeling of Déjà Vù. “We have to pass one last time! We are so sorry to do this, beloved 86, but please hold out for us!” and with that, he shifted up a gear, plunging into that previously untouched rev zone as he shut off all of the lights inside and out of the 86. He cleared many corners before finally coming upon the place he could pass, speeding up and coming beside his opponent with a loud round of clicks. With a blood thirsty grin, he bumped the rival 86 back, startling his opponent’s aura to life.

Shinji choked as he felt his car jerk from the bump, his eyes darting to his left as he drove.

“No way, he’s right there?! His headlights are off! That’s absolutely insane! You’re in my way!!” as they moved through the corner together, Shinji could hear the muffled sounds of metal impacting metal, likely his opponent bouncing off the guardrail as he stabilized.

And Spider himself was far too focused on winning to care.

“We still have some grip left on the rear tires. We won’t lose in acceleration at the exit!”

“The road is so narrow, I feel choked up!” Shinji exclaimed shakily. “I… I can’t trace my line! I don’t want to lose! I’ve gotta step on it!” both cars slid as they entered the corner, Shinji felt the rear of his 86 bounce off of a passight street sign and impact the rear of his opponent’s vehicle, hardly phasing either of them as they continued through the corners. Shinji felt his eyes narrow as he realized where he was. “The next is…”

“... the last corner!” when he finally realized he was leading,  the Spider’s eyes drifted downward in order to turn on the headlights. The moment everything lit up, the tachometer read twelve thousand rpm. Everything fell silent as Spider and Takumi’s minds both blanked in horror. There was a small hum within the car, apologetic, before giving away in a loud, all too familiar, gut wrenching bang as the engine blew, oil splattering the windshield like blood. He felt the rear wheels lock up and force him to spin. Shinji reflexively slammed on the brakes, forcing his car into a spin along with Takumi’s 86. Unlike that race against Kyouichi at Akagi, he regained focus once more and depressed the clutch, which made the car move backward by inertia alone. His car was the first to pass the finish line, and despite the blown engine, he won the race. He could hear noise suddenly kick up wildly outside of his car as Shinji came to a stop in front of him, and Spider let out a shaky sigh, gratefully falling back when Takumi tugged on his consciousness. Repressing his features, he got out of his 86 and walked towards the front, setting a hand on the hood of the car as steam and smoke leaked from the cracks, a sorrowful expression graced his face.

“You did it, 86. Thank you. For everything.”

He stood there, quiet, and continued standing even as both teams came to the bottom of the pass. Keisuke was the first to him, his eyes wide as he took in the state his mate’s car was in. Hesitantly, he snaked an arm around his waist and let out a sad sigh when Takumi leaned into his hold.

“Damn.” he muttered, just as Matsumoto came to them next, wincing at the sight of oil dripping from the car.

“Sorry I couldn’t give you better strategic advice, Takumi.” Matsumoto apologized as Ryousuke stopped beside him. Takumi turned and gave the kitsune a small smile.

“Don’t apologize.” he said. “This is entirely my fault.” he looked back at the 86 and sat a hand on the roof. “I over-revved far too much, but somehow she pulled through for me and went higher than the limit.” Ryousuke’s expression turned a little odd at that.

“When your 86’s engine blew, and you spun one hundred and eighty degrees, you cut the clutch to retain tire grip, correct?” at Takumi’s nod, Ryousuke gave him a proud smile. “In the end, the difference in the level of experience mattered in a dogfight.”

“I wished my hardest to win.” Takumi smiled. “I’d like to think that my 86 recognized that and sacrificed itself for it.” there was a sudden, distant howl, causing them all to look over in time to see a large, fuzzy black wolf running full speed at them. A larger brown one was hot on its tail.

“TAKUMI!” Itsuki’s voice echoed from the wolves direction, causing Takumi to widen his eyes and pull away from Keisuke in time for the first wolf to morph into a more human form and tackle him point blank, completely plowing him over.

“Itsuki! Iketani! Get back here!” Kenji’s voice called out as he finally caught up with Iketani, who was also morphing into a more human form as Itsuki sobbed hysterically. “Gods, you two are faster than I thought!”

“Itsuki was the first to take off.” Iketani stated, using his tail to smack Kenji in the back of the leg. “You didn’t have to run after us, you know.”

“Oh, shut up, you damn glorified husky!” Kenji huffed. “Itsuki, let the poor spider up, damn it!”

“But I’m so happy! He did it! He’s the hero of Gunma!” Itsuki howled, causing Iketani to sigh and pull his mate off the poor, visibly winded spider.

“When did he get so strong?” Takumi coughed as he pulled himself back up, ignoring as Keisuke snickered at him. “Also, I wouldn’t-” he cut himself off when he realized just how many people were standing nearby, looking vaguely amused by what was happening. His eyes picked out numerous familiar faces, from Wataru standing there with his arms crossed and a proud smile on his face, to Sayuki and Mako, waving, to Kyouichi, who looked startlingly ill, but still smiling earnestly through it all.

On the other side of the area, Shinji stood, quiet, facing Kubo, Gou, and his mother with a vaguely sad expression.

“I… I’m sorry… I couldn’t become a hero like I said I would.”

“And that’s completely alright.” Gou said reassuringly, giving him a lopsided smile.

“Right, you did amazingly!” Kubo chuckled with a smile. “No one’s blaming you for losing.” as he said this, Shinji’s mother ran forward and dragged her son into a hug, surprising him.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re safe!” she exclaimed, pulling Shinji closer and causing a small smile to break out on his face as he hugged her back. Gou watched on with a soft expression, feeling the presence of the Outsider watching quietly.

“This loss will definitely help Shinji become much faster and much stronger.” he said quietly, and looked up at the moon. The night was finally over. His eyes drifted back towards Ryousuke. He made his way towards him, with an excited expression. They hugged each other, both of them have been touch starved this entire night. Gou’s eyes were tearing up again, exactly like during the race his mate had against his older brother. Kubo saw what the vampire was up to, finally seeing why that bat was so interested in Ryousuke. He felt a small smile split across his face, who knew that losing a race could be such a happy occasion?

~0~

Gou and Ryousuke were sitting close with one another as they watched their teams interact, Takumi and Shinji having a small conversation with one another with Keisuke standing proudly next to the spider, while everyone else finally has the opportunity to relax after a stressful night. There was a small flutter of wings, and Ryousuke looked over in time to see a large crow land on a nearby sign, watching everyone quietly, before turning towards Ryousuke.

“Congratulations.” the bird croaked, causing Gou to raise his eyebrows.

“Why?” Ryousuke quickly asked, causing the bird to tilt their head.

“Why what?”

“Why help out with the race? With all of this project?” the crow chuckled at that, hopping down from the sign and shifting to a more human form, looking more like a harpy than anything as they sat down before them.

“You and everyone involved have made the past year and a half one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of having in my long life, I’m certain my friends agree as well.” there was a warp of air, and the Outsider that usually accompanied Gou nodded. “I myself do not know what brought any of us to help you, maybe it was a sense of attachment or familiarity. Whatever it was, it happened.”

“But why keep the 86 from-” more laughter cut him off.

“Silly blessed, we didn’t do a thing coming to this race.” Ryousuke’s eyes widened. “Everything that happened tonight was without intervention. The 86 did that all by itself.”

“Infact, Shinji Inui kept us from intervening with his humming.” Gou looked particularly interested by this.

“That humming… I do not know where that Seer learned it, maybe he made it up, but it alone kept us anxious enough to prevent us from doing a thing.”

“Seer!?” that was news to Gou. “You mean he’s been able to see our true forms this whole time!?”

“Of course.” the crow responded as though it was the simplest thing in existence. Gou seemed to realize a multitude of different things from that revelation and groaned, leaning backwards.

“Oh, that explains so much.”

“He can also see mate marks.”

“Oh yes, the most blessed of sight! Or cursed, depending who has the ability.”

“So he can see ours?” Ryousuke asked.

“And the spider and oni’s. And literally every other mark in the vicinity.” the crow stretched their arms to gesture at all the humans and creatures around. Their attention was quickly drawn by two others approaching, they waved with an ecstatic smile and they waved back as they got up. “Ryousuke Takahashi, I ask you to keep an eye on Kyouichi, as he’s soon to face something that he won’t be prepared for. If you want, Gou, you can accompany him. But act fast, the full moon is soon upon us.” Ryousuke looked dreadfully confused by that, but nodded in agreement as the Outsider turned towards the one beside Gou. “If you’ll excuse me, we have something we must do.”

“Before you do.” Gou spoke up towards his familiar Outsider. “Could you show Ryousuke how you look like? You know, from the time I first met you.”

“If that’s your wish.” the figure turned towards Ryousuke and slowly revealed their appearance, looking oddly similar to Gou, but sporting draconic wings, and their hands were black that faded as the markings moved up to their elbows. Eyes glowing, but purplish blue. They looked scary, but oddly a feeling of safety flowed around them. “Happy now, Gou?” they asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“Yeah, now go do whatever you needed to do.” he chuckled. The harpy-esque Outsider huffed, amused, before flying down to the other two, joining them and conversing for a moment. When the four were together, all of them started their way towards Takumi, Keisuke, and Shinji, prompting Ryousuke to raise his brows.

“Just what are they doing?” he asked, and when Gou shrugged, both got up and walked over.

Takumi himself felt their aura before he heard them, his head darting towards them as he fell silent. Keisuke’s gaze followed his own, visibly confused.

“Takumi? What’s wrong?”

“... Outsiders.” he whispered, and, to his surprise, Shinji froze beside him as well. Everything was silent as they stopped before them. For a moment, Takumi could feel a chill run down his spine.

“Takumi Fujiwara,” one of them spoke, finally, the other three silent, allowing them to take the reins. “For the past year and a half, we’ve all been watching, in one way or another. We’ve seen every action you’ve taken from start to finish, and we’ll admit that everything you’ve done to this point has made that period of time the best we’ve had so far, especially looking at this past summer.” Takumi looked a little confused at that, as one of the others spoke up.

“We want to reward you for it, but it’s up to you and you alone if you take it or not.” the second opened their mouth.

“We’ll give you time to think on it, right now doesn’t seem ideal, you’ve already experienced quite a bit on this night.”

“You may call for us once you make a decision.” the fourth said. “No matter how you call, we’ll hear it. Is this acceptable?” Takumi was silent for a moment.

“Uh.. yeah. I mean yes! That’s completely acceptable.” the four Outsiders nodded at that.

“Then, we shall see you once you have come to a decision.” and with that, they were gone within the blink of an eye, leaving a multitude of shocked and confused mortals behind. There was a panicked flutter of wings after a moment, causing Takumi to look up in time to see Tsuyoshi flying in, Nejibana’s front legs grasped in his feet.

“Incoming!” she yelled, and the both of them crashed directly into Takumi. “I’m never doing that again!”

“It’s not my fault you’re heavy!”

“Oi, are you calling me fat!?”

“You were the one who wanted to know how it feels to fly!”

“You just called me fat!” Takumi sighed, exasperated as Nejibana and Tsuyoshi devolved into a shouting contest, his gaze turning to a very, very tired looking Shinji.

“I’m not even going to ask, too much has happened tonight.” Shinji said quietly, and Takumi understood completely.

~0~

“Retire it for good!?” Iketani exclaimed quietly as he watched Itsuki and Takumi diligently clean the 86.

“Yeah. It’s sad to think about, but Takumi’s final race was the ultimate farewell.” Yuichi responded from beside Bunta. “That 86 has been like an extra set of limbs for Takumi, helping him write a number of legendary episodes in his life. It deserves to finally be put to rest quietly while it’s still undefeated.”

“Is that really all that’s left for it?” Iketani sounded particularly sad.

“Sounds like it.” Kenji responded. “Damn, it’s really sad, isn’t it?” Bunta let out an amused huff at that.

“Hey, dad?” Takumi called out, causing Bunta to look at him.

“What?”

“Do you think we can keep her at home?” at Bunta’s questioning look, Takumi continued on. “I don’t want to race with her anymore, just as Yuichi said, it’s better to put her to rest. I just want to fix her up over time, I’ve grown too attached to her to just let her go completely.” Itsuki set a hand on his shoulder, an understanding expression on his face.

“Oh, I know how you feel.” he said sagely.

“Well, if you’re really sure about keeping her, Takumi.” Bunta responded, scratching at his cheek. An extremely bright, happy expression came over Takumi’s face, one that they really didn’t see often, as Itsuki howled in triumph.

“Hey, Takumi?” Iketani suddenly asked, causing the spider to look at him.

“Hmm?”

“Did you ever come to a decision regarding that gift the Outsiders wanted to give you?” Bunta and Yuichi both looked alarmed at the mention of Outsiders, while Takumi tilted his head.

“Yeah… I did.”

“And?” the sudden voice behind them caused everyone to jump, turning in time to see only two of the four Outsiders from before. “What is your answer, Takumi Fujiwara?”

“First, I have a question.”

“Oh?”

“Just what is this ‘gift’?” a vaguely surprised look came over their faces, obviously they didn’t expect that question. A smile came over the harpy-esque one’s face.

“You made a promise to your mate, didn’t you?” they asked slowly, causing realization to dawn on Takumi’s face while everyone else looked confused.

“You mean…” at their dual nods, Takumi breathed in deeply. “Yes, I accept your gift.” the Outsiders looked delighted by this.

“Excellent!” the crow clapped excitedly. “Your gift awaits you where this all began.” and the two were gone in a blink.

“Where this all began?” Itsuki parroted, genuinely confused, and Takumi looked excited.

“Akina.” he said, catching everyone’s attention. “They left it at Akina. Dad, I’ll be borrowing the Imp!”

“The hell you are, just hop in the passenger seat, kid, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go get something the Outsiders have brought about on your own!”

~0~

The peak of Akina was still the same as it was a year and a half ago, when Takumi saw Keisuke for the first time ever. There wasn’t anyone around, vaguely strange for the time of day, but Takumi hardly noticed that. Instead, his eyes were locked on a lone shape, parked neatly on the side of the road. It was the only thing around, and there was a small note attached to the windshield. Walking forward, he slowly removed the note and read it. Thanks for an amazing summer, was all it said, and attached to the note was a set of car keys. There were no signatures, but he found he didn’t need any to know that this was the gift they wanted to give him.

“Oh, kid…” Bunta sounded awed. “You really must have gained their favor.”

“Yeah!” Iketani said from beside his Silvia, his grip firm on Itsuki so the younger wolf didn’t cause a ruckus over the new car. “And for them to give you a GT86… one that resembles your 86, at that with the same color scheme and everything…”

As the group of creatures awed over the new car, two sets of eyes gleamed in the treeline, watching as they did so.

They hoped that Takumi Fujiwara would continue his legacy with the new car.

~0~

Ryousuke watched quietly as Project D celebrated their final race, the sun setting as they went about excitedly. Keisuke and Takumi were both passed out on the ground on top of one another, their faces adorned with the light blush from the beer they’ve downed so far beginning to kick in. Turning his gaze a little, he caught sight of an equally drunk Kenta wrapped around the grill  that Fumihiro was no longer using, obviously enjoying the burning heat if his reluctance to move meant anything. Ryousuke smiled a little, at peace as he carded his fingers through Gou’s hair, even he had a little too much to drink, and now was sleeping soundly on his lap. His eyes shifted once again, locking on the GT86 that Takumi had come in. That had been the Outsider’s gift to him, it would seem, and Takumi seemed to be happy about it, though Keisuke was more so.

“You all need to keep this a secret,” Fumihiro’s vaguely slurred voice caught his attention, and he watched as the siren poured Matsumoto and Tomiguchi beers, Fumihiro seated in a foldable chair from one of the vans since Gou was completely stretched out on the bench. “But we’ve received some inquiries about Keisuke and Takumi from several professional teams.”

“Really!?” Tomiguchi exclaimed excitedly, his ears rotating wildly atop his head. “That’s amazing!” Gou let out an agitated groan and cracked an eye open at the werecat’s shout, seeming to think for a moment before letting out a happy sigh and snuggling closer to Ryousuke, much to the sphinx’s amusement. “If they step up, that’ll be so inspiring to us!” Matsumoto nodded excitedly at his words.

“Our dream just never ends, does it?”

“The real Project D goes on from here. Right, Ryousuke?” before Ryousuke could respond, there was the sound of something splashing as Keisuke placed a leg upon a buoy, since when had he gotten up? Takumi looked particularly put out by the sudden absence of his cuddle buddy.

“I hereby declare!” Keisuke began, his voice most definitely slurred. “I’m gonna become a pro!”

“And so will I!” Takumi exclaimed, sounding tired and vaguely agitated.

“You’ll both be successful!” Kenta crowed from the grill, even he hadn’t slept off the alcohol yet. “I have no doubt about that!”

Fumihiro turned his eyes towards the setting sun, a strange, bittersweet feeling filling his heart.

“I’m a little sad.” he said, sounding a little serious. “An unforgettable summer is coming to an end, after all. It’s bittersweet.” Ryousuke nodded in agreement.

“That it is.” as he began to look around once more, he caught sight of the Outsiders once more, even they had come to join the festivities, it seems. The crow locked eyes with him and flew over, landing on the table. One of the other Outsiders joined them, and for a while, it was peaceful.

But that had to come to an end, because at the end of the celebration, Ryousuke and the Outsiders had a bunch of very drunk creatures to drive home.

~0~

Ryousuke placed some flowers into a vase beside a grave marker, a peaceful expression on his face as Gou watched from a short distance away.

“Hello, Kaori.” he greeted gently as he lit some incense. “You once asked me what my dream was, and I believe I’ve figured it out. I want to train Gunma drivers who can compete around the world. I want to keep finding diamonds in the rough, who can fly out from here, train them, and send them out to find their own paths. That is my dream, and what the D in Project D has stood for this whole time.” a gentle breeze rustled his hair, carrying with it the scent of flowers and incense, and Ryousuke smiled. “Goodbye, Kaori.” and with that, he turned away and made his way towards Gou, giving him a bright smile. “Come on, let’s go home.”