Hello, everyone! Words cannot subscribe how great it feels to be back to writing fan fics for all you lovely people, especially after the terrible hiatus. I don't think I would have ever been able to pull myself back into this without practicing, putting myself back in order, and most of all, connecting with all of you again, a lot of you even bringing up a lot of good points. Honestly, it makes me happy to know that so many of you understand what's been going on in the past and for saying that taking care of myself is important, which is very true. This should apply for anyone. Someone also bought up a good point (Thank you to PipeDreamPrayer, by the way, for their comment ^^) That writing should be like a stress reliever, something that I should enjoy. And that makes a lot of sense, since writing is something like a stress reliever. It's something that I enjoy to do. Writing for you guys, though makes me happy. I'm happy if I can make other people happy, even through writing these fics. What I'm getting a though is this; thank you so much for the continuing support and help you guys have given over the years. And yes, this AN will be posted on the other updated fics, too. No matter which fic you guys read, the gratitude is just as genuine ^^ Thank you once again, lets get this chapter rolling!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights over Initial D. All rights go to Shuich Shigeno. I only own the cover art.

Race 4: I Got a Rep to Neglect

"This is a first," Bunta walked in to see Tamiki up first, stirring what looked the burnt remains of some scrambled eggs and rice. He looked over to the stove, his nose wrinkling at the terrible smell and the goop mess left in the skillet. "Any leftovers?" He asked sarcastically as he walked in.

"Yeah, help yourself." Takimi poked at the charred remains until her fork scrapped along the plate, her appetite dropping further. As Bunta took a seat across from her at their tiny kitchen isalnd, she put her fork down and looked up at him. "Hey, I think I'm going to stay home today. I'm not feeling too well."

"You got a fever or something?" Bunta swallowed down the eggs and made a face. "Headache? Chills?"

"Yeah, all of that," She didn't look sick at all. A little tired and bummed out, but her father often mistook it for how she looked normally. Looking at her closely today though, it really looked like something had caused that frown on her lips. "Look, I'm just gonna go back to bed again, alright? I'll go to work if I'm feeling better." Going to work meant she would be in uniform, and being in uniform would give her a disguise and keep her away from prying eyes and unwanted attention. The race against the FD from a few nights ago had bought too much of that to her already. Or so she guessed. She hadn't stepped out after the long weekend. She got up and dumped her eggs in the trash, soaking her dirty dish in the sink before making a beeline for the stairs.

"Hey,"

Takimi stopped at the first step, inclining her head one way.

"You put too much pepper in these eggs."

"You don't have enough pepper in your diet," Takimi quirked back, though oddly enough she felt a little bit better. So long as things were the same at home, things felt a little bit like they used to, before the race. She was still Bunta's delivery girl and his only child. She left her dad to his eggs as she headed back upstairs and went back under the covers, needing another few hours of sleep.

"And, no one picks up. Figures." With a soft sigh, Inari pocketed her cellphone and wandered over to Kenji and Itsuki, smiling as the younger man was reaccounting the events that took place several nights ago. It was weird, since Kenji was there himself but it looked like he didn't mind. In fact, he looked just as excited by it.

"And then -Hwah! The 86 comes charging straight towards the finish line, the FD not even feet away!" Itsuki was waving his arms like a mad man, grinning ear-to-ear. "And like a total badass, Takimi just drives away from the race like it was nothing, giving no shits! It was the coolest thing I've ever seen her done! And you guys should have seen it at school today. Word got around fast and now everyone out there knows that she beat one of the Rotary Brothers! My best friend! Guys, aw man, I can hardly believe it! Everyone's talking about her!" His excitement died down as fast as it came. "Too bad she didn't come to school to soak it all in. A lot of people asked me where she was and everything, but she hasn't called me or anything since." He sighed, looking at Inari. "You tried calling her, right?"

"I tried calling her and her dad, but neither of them picked up." Inari had the strongest feeling Bunta had blocked her number. Maybe it was because he said, 'I'm blocking this number,' when she was trying to get a hold of him for the big race. "I'm sure she's fine. Must've caught some kind of illness or something." She pulled off her cap and fanned herself with it.

"Hopefully she isn't gonna be too sick when you guys head off on that drive with her, yeah?" Laughed Kenji.

"Yep!" Inari slipped her hat back on. "It's gonna be great!"

"The Takahashi brothers are going to be there, too." Pointed out Itsuki. "Isn't that a little weird, though?"

"Dude, no way," Inari shook her head. "They want to see how Takimi works behind the wheel. It's a classic scouting tactic."

"Then, shouldn't we tell them that they can't come and watch, then?" The childhood friend motioned with his hands, trying to fit the words in the air. "We're just letting them look at our secret weapon up-close. Letting them in the car with Takimi is like giving them front-row seats."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey," Inari waved her hand with a crossed look. "Who said we're letting them sit in the front? I'm gonna be in the passenger seat next to her. It's only fair, right?" She added a smile. "After all, I'm gonna recruit Takimi onto the team when the time is right."

"Holy shit, you mean it, Inari? You're gonna let her join?" Itsuki's eyes began to water with happiness as his boss' kid gave a nod. "That's great! Ah," He stopped, feeling his brow begin to sweat awkwardly. "That's not going to be easy, you know? Takimi doesn't really like being around too many people, you know? That's why she hasn't join any school clubs since last year or came with me to watch you guys race. She's pretty shy when it comes right to it. Oh!" His eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. Kenji and Inari were surprised how many emotions he jumped into. "I'm sure she'd be up to join if she had a friend with her, though!" He cleared his throat and buffed his knuckles on his chest. "You know, like a childhood friend. Like a friend who's known her practically her whole life, who she trusts and is always calm around. Hint, hint."

"You're right!" Kanji snapped his fist against his open palmed. "Inari, you're a childhood friend! You already got this in the bag!"

"I know! Right?!" The racers shared a look of mock bewilderment, earning a whine from their fan.

"You guys, I meant me!" He cried.

Laughing, Inari reached over and ruffled the hefty boy's hair. "We know, we know. We were just kidding. What do you say, Kenji?" She looked over to her teammate. "Think we should let Itsuki join if he convinces Takimi to join?"

"Maybe, but you're still gonna need a car, man." The brunette pointed out. "Everyone on our team owns one."

Something about the crackle in Itsuki's voice didn't sit well with his friends. "Trust me. I already have a plan," With his fists pumping toward the air, Itsuki screeched his proclamation. "I'm gonna beg my dad for a loan so that I can buy an 86!"

"Itsuki!" Inari slapped her forehead with a groan. "Victory screeches like that should be reserved for more original ideas."

"My idea is original! I said I was gonna buy an 86 before. . . Takimi just happens to own one, too." He added with a mumble before he went on. "Look, she has a Panda, so that means I can just get my hands on red or black Levin." Visions of the future began to swim into his eyes, his hopes and dreams filled with a crowd of cheering fans as he and Takimi stand between their 86s, the two of them holding either handle of a giant golden trophy up in the air. "And we'll some day be known as the 86 Duo, the best and fastest racers in all of Akina!" The laugh that followed after that allowed Inari to interject.

"Itsuki, you know that the 86 Takimi has is special though, right?" She asked. "Please, tell me you know that." She asked with a touch of crushed hope in her voice.

"Her ride's tricked out," Kenji added. "Faster than an FD, and that's 350 hp." He shook his head, his mind going back to that magnificent win. "I'm not sure how she does it, but she must have a pretty sweet tuning job on the inside." He whistled. "I tell ya, that's one hood I'd like to get under for a long time."

"Don't put it like that," Inari threw a small swat at his shoulder with a teasing grin. "Gross." Inari grabbed the nearest rag and started whipping it lightly at the two, the three of them soon going straight into a rag-slapping war, laughing and chucking into the slow day. "Oh, shit," Inari pulled to a stop and tossed a rag she was going to throw over her shoulder. "Look alive guys, we have a-" As the RX-7 pulled into the stop, she clammed up as Ryosuke rolled down the window and looked up to her. "Welcome," She gathered her bearings and stood at attention. "What can I do for you?"

"If you can give me directions, I'd be grateful," Replied Ryosuke coolly. "I'm looking for an owner of an 86. You may know her."

"Hey," Bunta poked his head in, ready for any flying pillows as he opened his daughter's bedroom door. "Heading to a meeting. Be back in a few hours."

A mess of brown hair popped out from beneath the blankets. "It's too early for you to go out drinking, isn't it?" Takimi asked with a yawn.

"Actual meeting," The older man corrected, placing the 86's keys on her dresser. "Yuichi's driving me over so keep an eye on the shop while I'm gone. Make sure to tend to any customers that come in," He sniffed at the air and waved his hand through it. "And brush your teeth, I can smell your breath all the way from here."

"Love you, too dad." Came the sleepy reply, Takimi already becoming a lump of blankets once more. Her father shook his head, hiding a laugh as he closed the door and left. It was only after a minute or two that the Ghost decided to pull herself out of bed and grab herself a shower, cranking up the warm water until she felt like she could fall asleep standing up. She dried herself up and changed moments later, picking up a book from her room. It was one she had been meaning to get to, but she never had the time to read it because of work. Now that she had some free time, she needed to get through a good chuck of the book while she still could. With the flick of the wrist, she turned the shop's sign from 'CLOSED' to 'OPEN' and made herself comfortable at the counter.

'I don't even want to think about driving,' With sour thoughts, the pro cracked her book open and searched for the page she left off. 'Maybe I can hide out for the rest of the school year and just work for the old man. That's gonna mean driving, but. . . Damn,' She huffed, struggling in vain to get comfy. 'Why did he make me go up there? I know I helped Inari and the others but. . . I didn't think it would mean people would start treating me differently. Eyes watching, crowding around too much.' Maybe she was over-exaggerating, but paranoia could do that to a person. Takimi had seen how people would go crazy for the SpeedStars and the RedSuns. And there were sure to be more fans like Itsuki out there. The thought of that kind of smothering made her stomach upset. Why did it have to end up like this? She shook her head and planted her eyes right into the words of the book. Now, where did she last left on with Arsene's latest heist?

'"And at last, I found it,"' Takimi pressed her nose in closer as she tuned the page. '"The treaure of the Golden City is-"'

The tofu shop's string of bells gave a chime and Takimi held back a groan. 'Incredible timing,' She bookmarked the last page she was on and grabbed her pen and notepad. "Welcome to Fujiwara Tofu. If it's not our tofu-"

"I think I'll take your word for it," Ryosuke chuckled, oblivious to Takimi's shock as he held his car keys in his hands. "Feel like going for that drive, Fujiwara?"

"I tell you, Takimi is gonna love us for this." Inari didn't doubt that Takimi wouldn't apprecite the giant tub of ice cream they were bringing her. She just hoped that the boy occupying her passenger seat would stop bouncing in a place. The bouncy car ride was not doing any favors for her healing shoulder. "We would always do this when we were in middle school. Sneak over to each others houses with ice cream and watch drift videos I'd find online." Inari briefly wondered, with Takimi's lack of current enthusiasm for drift racing, if she had to endure hours of internet videos just to make Itsuki happy. Her patience and loyalty was as strong as her need for sleep. "You think she'd drive over to my house without me noticing somehow?"

"Maybe? My dad says her dad started making her drive back in middle school, but he recently heard about it, too." She shrugged as she turned at the last corner. "So he knows just as much about it as we do." When she didn't hear Itsuki say anything, she looked at him from the corner of her eye and saw him pale up. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"R-R-R-" Why was he rolling his Rs so much? The gas station attendant looked in the direction he was looking in and her foot slammed roughly on break of the car, her jaw dropping as she saw Ryosuke's FC and Takimi's Panda drive away from Fujiwara Tofu. "W-What the Hell? He actually went to her house?!" Inari had thought Ryosuke was only going to take a look at the Trueno like she did a few days ago. She didn't think he would be able to pull Takimi out of the house and into her car. "What's going on here?"

"Dude, it's obvious!" Itsuki exclaimed. "Ryosuke challenged Takimi to a race after she beat his brother in the race! Inari, we got to follow them! We can't miss this race!"

"R-Right," Inari felt her heart begin to thump hard as she drove after the pair, Itsuki chatting excitedly next to her as they followed the two cars without being noticed. Slowly, as the minutes passed by, all that excitement that was bubbling at the very pit of Inari's stomach was slowly draining away. Neither cars had made a move to stop to get ready or accelerate to start the race. They passed each other occasionally, but both were still within the speed limit nd near each other.

"Uh, Itsuki," Inari slowled her car down to a crawl. "I don't think they're racing."

"What?" The high school student blinked rapidly at her. "They have to be. Why would they both be driving together? I don't think Takimi has ever even talked to him before."

As Inari stared after the two fleeting dots, the gears in her head slowly began to turn. They couldn't be doing what she thought they were doing, were they? Slowly did the puzzle pieces she lay out in her mind began to connect, everything from the fact that it was just the two of them to the fact that Takimi would have the least reason to be ever interested in one of the Rotary brothers not making any sense. 'Unless...'

"Oh my god, Itsuki, I think they're on a date."

'Why did I agree to this?' Takimi pulled her legs together, sitting awkwardly on the bench Ryosuke had left her on. As the sun was beaming down upon the local park, families were beginning to set up picnics and a family of ducks flew into the lake nearby. Looking around, the honey-bruntte could see Ryosuke talking to the snacks vendor a few ways away, watching as the old woman was swooning over his good looks. 'Why did I agree to this?' She asked herself again with a sigh.

She could have said no. She could have been back at home, enjoying her book with the apartment all to herself, away from school, work, and people who wouldn't stop talking about cars. But she had accepted Ryosuke's offer, with reluctance and feeling that this was going to end in a race. Well, surprise, surprise. It's didn't end that way. They drove in their separate cars and they didn't race. Ryosuke had partly led her to the local park and offered to get them some drinks nearby since it was a rater warm day. And that was how Takimi had found herself here, slowly regretting it and wishing she had stayed in bed today. Why did he take her here anyway, she thought again with a sigh.

"Here you go," Ryosuke had returned with two water bottles, Takimi accepting the one offered to her with a quiet thank you. She pulled off the cap and took a few sips, feeling a lot more better as she drank the cold water. "I'm sorry for not coming on a cooler day. If I had known the weather was going to be this warm, I would have come another day."

"It's fine," The delivery girl finally managed to find something to say, cradling the water bottle in her hands and staring at it. Looking directly at Ryosuke was like staring right at the sun. It felt so alien to her to sit next to someone this attractive. She drank more water to calm down. "Um, can I ask why you came to see me, though?" She asked, though she beat him to speaking. "Um... I'm sorry I beat your brother in the race." That could have sound a lot less narcissistic, she though with a wince. "My friends really needed the help and it was kind of hard to say no."

"Oh," Ryosuke looked shocked, dumbfounded that she was apologizing for her win. If anything, he was a little impressed that she admit her reason for racing was a selfless one. "You don't need to be sorry. You won that race fair and square. In fact, I think you actually helped my brother out," He took a seat next to her, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's determined to race you again. He's been going out every night to master the entire mountain and even attempting to do that little stunt you pulled in your race. He's been chnaging his tires almost daily now because of it," The professional smiled. "When did you learn how to do that, by the way?"

"Stunt?" Takimi echoed. Her mind reeled back to that night and she came up with the only thing she did differently from Keisuke. "You mean driving into the drainage ditch?"

Ryosuke nodded. "Exactly that. Only someone who's known that mountain their whole life would be smart enough to know how to do that."

"It... It was kind of a fluke, actually," The girl's voice turned quiet as she became embarrassed, her sleepy eyes remaining on her water bottle. "The wheels of the car popped into it when I was working one night. It cuts time whenever I make deliveries in that area so I just got used to using it ever since."

"You learned it while working?" The older man was intrigued. "How long ago was this?"

Takimi took another sip of the water, shrugging. "Three,, four years ago maybe." She mumbled. "It was just something useful. Faster deliveries mean I can go home and get some sleep."

That was almost endearing. Her reason didn't mean that she was lazy or was afraid of driving. Takimi was far from any of those aspects if she worked two jobs and drove like a professional. She just wanted to sleep, to catch up on rest she would miss. The way her eyes drooped and kept to the ground said that as well. It was adorable in it's own way, too. Ryosuke had to trace back his thoughts after that came up.

"I see," He said with a chuckle, taking a drink himself.

Takimi looked at him from the corner of her eye. "You still haven't explained why you wanted to come see me, though. Well, no wait a second. I kind of want to know how you found out where I lived."

"I looked up your family's tofu shop but due to the area being so rural, it was a lot harder to find than I though," Said Ryosuke. "I saw your friends while I was driving around earlier and asked them for directions. I never thought the streets could become that narrow before."

"They're like that for a reason, I think." 'Like keeping guys from finding out where people who don't want to be bothered live.' She shook her head before she spoke again. "So, your reason?"

"None in particular." Now Takimi really felt she could have actually stayed home and read her book. So there really wasn't any reason he called her out here. She was starting to miss her bed. "I guess I just wanted to check up on you," Takimi tilted her head in confusion. "You left in quite the hurry after the race. Did an emergency happen?"

"I just didn't want to stick around," Takimi looked at him, trying to look into his blue-grey eyes without getting unnerved. "I don't like crowds and there was nothing left for me to do over there."

"What about celebrating with the SpeedStars?"

"I won the race for them, but I didn't do it to win for myself or to beat your brother," Takimi rested her eyes on his shoulder, muscle and man tucked into his collared shirt and jacket. This was a lot harder than she thought. "I raced because I was there and my friends needed the help. I couldn't say no to them because I didn't want them to beat themselves up over losing. I helped them win and then I left, because there's nothing else I could have gained after all that."

"Not even the reputation?" Asked the older man. "Everyone who was at the mountain that night now knows your name. I'm sure people know you're the Ghost of Akina by now."

"I'm not the Ghost. Or at least, I'm not the Ghost everyone thinks I am." She sighed. Hadn't anyone checked the different times she and the Ghost were around? She'd have to be Bunta's age to be the Ghost. "People just think I am because of rumors they hear. And the reputation? I never wanted that. I don't want people to look at me," She fiddled with a strand of her hair. "I'm not a spectacle or something. I don't want anyone treating me differently than they did before. I liked how things were before." She sighed. "Now that you bought up everyone knowing, 'who I am,' I'm glad I skipped out on today."

"You mean you skipped going to school and work? All because you did't want anyone talking to you about the race?"

The brunette nodded, the reason sounding more silly when it came out of someone else's mouth. Her cheeks turned pink and she went for her water again, only to gulp down air. Great, she was on empty. When Ryosuke held out his water bottle to her, she gave him an incredulous look.

"It's really hot today, isn't it?"

"... Yeah," Takimi took the bottle and gave a timid sip, holding the bottle carefully in her hands, as if she were afraid it would break if she dropped it. "But it' a nice day, at least."

"The perfect day that makes you skip school." Takimi whipped her head at him this time. And at the amused brow he raised at her, she couldn't help but laugh and swat her empty bottle lightly at his arm. "So violent." He teased, causing her to laugh again. Good, she as smiling now. All according to plan. A little joking and banter had always gotten Kisuke smiling when they were kids, so he was glad the same technique worked on his companion. She was trying so hard to push herself out of her shell just to talk with him face-to-face. The least he could do was meet her half-way and help her get comfortable. Her quiet laughter was a sign that she wasn't as nervous around him as before. Ryosuke would take that as a win. "Maybe it won't be as bad as you think, though. You might even start to like that people are noticing you."

"Are you trying some weird reverse psychology on me?" Takimi asked with a raised brow. "Because it's not working that well."

"Damn," Ryosuke clicked his tongue and mocked an aggravated look. The quiet laughter followed after it. "Just stating a possibility." He said, looking over to the rookie as she began to calm down. "You'll be fine, Fujiwara. Whatever happens, just keep being you. So long as you do that, people won't treat you as differently as you think."

Takimi locked her eyes with his water bottle again and crinkled it, feeling her stomach twist in knots as the older man looked at her like that. She definitely didn't mind when he was looking at her. She never put much thought into being herself, but she was going to take Ryosuke's words to heart.

The day carried on like that for Takimi and Ryosuke. They people watched when they couldn't find anything else to talk about and Ryosuke did most of the talking to fill up any silence (though much to Takimi's chagrin, it was mostly car and drift talk that she couldn't wrap her head around.) At least it did a good enough job from keeping their time together awkward. When it started to get dark, Ryosuke said he would drive with her back to her home, just to make sure she got back safely.

"I know you're more than capable to do that by yourself," He said as the rookie started to protest. "But I want to take responsibility for taking you all the way out here when it was your day off." That made Takimi feel guilty. It wasn't a day off, she went into hiding today because she thought people would look at her funny.

"Alright," She sighed, looking away when he directed that charming smile at her. He should be careful with that, he could blind someone with it. The two of them got in their cars and headed back to Fujiwara Tofu, Takimi taking the lead because it was her place she needed to get to and she couldn't have Ryosuke take all of the responsibility. As they drove up to Mt. Akina, someone shined their lights on them, a dark and sleek R32 following them. Takimi didn't think much of it, until Ryosuke flashed his emergency lights and pulled up to the side. 'What?' She thought curiously, stopping and reversing back to Ryosuke as he rolled down his window.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, but I remembered I have some business to take care of," The dark-haired man apologized. The Skyline was growling behind him and the delivery girl soon had an idea of what business he had to take care of. "Do you think you'll be able to drive yourself home?"

"I've done it before," Takimi gave a small nod. "Yeah, I will be. Thanks for the water and... Well, you know, the pep talk." She revved up her car before he could speak or smile at her again. "Night." And she drove away into the darkness, the cold air unable to cool down her flushed cheeks.

Ryosuke let out a chuckle. She was definitely endearing. He looked into his side mirror and saw the R32 crawl behind him. 'Was he just following after us? Or just her?' He mulled over this as he watched the driver side's door open and a young man step out of the car. He followed in suit.

"I'm Ryosuke Takahashi, of the Akagi RedSuns." He introduced himself as Takeshi walked over to him.

"I know who you are," He said, his eyes shifting to the road the 86 had fled down. He slipped his hands into his pockets as he spoke. "I'm Takeshi Nakazato, of the Myogi NightKids."

Ryosuke remembered hearing about them. An above average team, something of a rising star in the drift community. He had done enough research on them and they were pretty good, especially Takeshi. "I remember hearing about you. So, what brings you out here?"

"It's an honor to know that the leader of the RedSuns has heard about us," His determined and passive expression said otherwise. "But I think you know exactly why I'm here," His eyes went back to the same road. "That was it, wasn't it? The legendary Ghost of Akina? I thought it was just a myth."

"It is one, more or less," Ryosuke crossed his arms over his chest, silently seizing up Takeshi. He could tell with just the fire in his eyes, this young man could explode like a powder keg with just one loss. He wondered what would become of his intentions if he were to lose against Takimi in a race. "The driver isn't a ghost, that's for sure. Does have the skill of the one who started the legend, though." He pulled out a boxes of cigarettes and a lighter from his breast pocket. "You're chances at beating it are very slim."

"Ghost or not, you're acting pretty scared of it," Takeshi rolled his eyes. "It's just a pile of garbage waiting to be scrapped. Just because it beat your brother, it doesn't mean I can't beat it with my car."

"That 380 hp it has under the hood isn't going to cut it."

Takeshi froze, staring at Ryosuke with wide eyes as he blew out a small stream of smoke. "The exhaust gives it away, and you were able to pick up plenty of speed on the straightaways. But still," The pro's eyes went cold. "The results are obvious. On the uphill, the 86 is no match for the R32. On the downhill, there's no way your R32 can beat the 86."

"What did you say?!" The leader of the NightKids balled up his fists angrily. Ryosuke noted that the probability and the suggestion of losing also set this man off. "There's no way it can beat me going downhill."

"Don't take it personally," Ryosuke flicked ashes onto the floor. "I'm just saying what I think."

"You don't have much nerve," Takeshi scoffed. "It's just an 86. There's nothing special abut it, or the bastard driving it."

"You'll see." Takeshi almost took a step back. Why was he looking at him like that now? That ice-cold stare could freeze Hell over. "Once you race against it." Now Ryosuke was looking forward to the possible race, his previous motivation rising up. "I'm the only one who can beat it."

"Cut the bullshit," Takeshi turned his shoulder at the pro. "You've already said it, and now I can't walk away no matter what. I'll beat the 86 and make you eat your words." He swore as he stormed back to his car. "You can be arrogant for now. Don't forget that I am Nakazato from Myogi. I'll say this now! That the rotary is no match for my R32!" He got into his car and slammed his foot on the gas, driving away like a madman. As the taillights of the Skyline grew dimmer and dimmer, Ryosuke could only stare after him with the smoking stick balanced between his lips, curious about how things would turn out now.

'I guess tonight isn't going to end in a race after all,' All of Takimi's hopes were dashed as she drove up to the garage and saw a familiar FD parked nearby. 'Or not.' With a sigh, she parked and stepped out of her car, taking the back door to wash her face in the kitchen sink. 'Why is he here? Does he want another race? Did his brother lure me out of the house just so he could let his brother have the chance to sneak by and challenge me to a rematch, at my own place?' She though about it and shook her head. 'No. Ryosuke's too nice to do that. I don't even know the guy that well but it doesn't look like he would do something so sneaky.' The way he was treating her earlier seemed too sincere to mask something so underhanded. 'So then why is Keisuke here?'

"Hey," Takimi looked up as Bunta walked into the kitchen with an empty plate. "I need you to take this next plate to the customer up front and tell him to get out. Gotta close up shop." He said as he placed a new batch of ganmodoki on the plate.

'He came here to eat?' Takimi thought as she was already washing her hands and accepting the plate.

"Hey, fix your hair."

"What?" She blushed, surprised. "Does it really look that bad?"

"I need him out of the shop but I don' want you scaring a potential customer away with that mess." Bunta said as he started washing the dishes. "Don't forget to charge him."

Flushing hard over how stupid she felt, Takimi only grumbled at her father before she made her way to the front of the store, the young man seated at the counter looking up and smirking at her.

"Hey, Kimi."

"Please, don't call me that." This was the second time she had said that. Was keeping track of that weird? "Here's your order of ganmodoki. Finish it up, because we're closing soon."

"Kind of rude to tell a customer he needs to leave, isn't it?" Keisuke raised a bemused eyebrow.

"You can eat it, but we are closing soon," Takimi pushed a loose strand of her hair away from her forehead. "I'm just letting you know because we need to wipe down the tables and mop up the floor, and we usually like to make sure all the customers have eaten and left before that so that we won't be bothering them during their meal."

"Oh," That ego fell faster than a deflating balloon. Was he hoping to get some sort of a rise on her? Takimi was not impressed. "Cool." He said before he went straight to eating the dish, a little too fast by normal standards, Takimi noticed.

"You'll choke if you eat that fast." She said.

"You're the one who wants me to leave." Countered the FD driver as he stuffed another fritter down his throat.

"I didn't say I wanted you to leave." Mumbled the shy girl. The sound of choking startled her and her eyes filled with horror as Keisuke began slapping his chest hard. "What did I just say?!" She exclaimed as she ran behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, squeezing hard and trying to force the food out of his throat. "Dad! Dad!" She called for her father and Bunta only just arrived just as Keisuke swallowed down the food and hunched over the counter, breathing heavily.

"You OK, kid?" Bunta asked.

"I-I'm fine," Coughed the dirty-blonde. "Can I-hck! Can I have s-some water, though?" As Bunta nodded and left the room, Keisuke sat himself up and took deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"Are you alright, though?" Takimi bit her lip as she went over to his side and leaned down, her hand resting on his shoulder. Keisuke was sure that girls' hands shouldn't be that warm. Takimi's were and they were starting to make his stomach fall into his legs and turn them into jelly.

"I'm fine," He repeated, a lot more clearly and with less post-choking. He started up at Takimi as relief washed over her usually stoic features and her hands fiddled with the hem of her T-shirt nervously. 'Crap, she's cute.' He though, shaking his thoughts away and pushing what she said earlier into the back of his head. "Just ate a little too fast." Bunta came back with a glass of water and handed it to him before he went back to the kitchen, his eyes telling Takimi to make sure Keisuke wouldn't keel over and make a mess on their floor. So Takimi took a seat right next to him and watched him as he gulped down the water, looking a lot better as he did so.

"Hey, can I asked you something?"

"Considering I almost tossed mock goose onto your floor, I don't see why not." A comment like that would have normally come as sarcastic, but Keisuke had decided to go easy on her for now. They both went through enough excitement for the day.

"Why did you come here?" She asked. "It couldn't just be for ganmodoki."

A teasing grin fell on the blonde's lips. "Not for a date, sorry to break it to you."

"That's the last thing I was expecting," Down went the ego, and Keisuke was little bitter for that. Takimi knew how to not cut corners, but did she have to do that while her hands were still playing with her shirt's hem? "So, a race? A rematch?"

"Not yet," Replied Keisuke as he folded his arms on the counter, Takimi mentally groaning at his persistence. "I wanted to come check out the 86 before we all go driving with Royosuke and your friends. You and the 86 weren't here and the old grouch in the store said I couldn't hang around unless I ordered something."

"How long have you been here?" Takimi had seen only one empty plate of ganmodoki but judging by how intently Keisuke was staring at his stomach, she could assume he had eaten a lot just to kill time. "You sat through hours of eating just to come and see the 86?"

"Yeah," He also wanted to see Takimi, just to get the chance to talk to her for his own personal reasons. He wasn't too shocked about it, since he saw the little things she did as cute and teasing her harmlessly was fun in it's own way. What was wrong with a little flirting? Besides, she didn't go out of her way to throw herself a him. It was comforting and something Keisuke could appreciate. "It's fast, for being outdated and looking ready to fall apart on it's own."

"Um, thanks?" Takimi was just as confused as the car talk Ryosuke was going on about earlier. The brothers really knew how to leave her confused.

"I mean it, and I'm not trying to make fun of you for it," Keisuke looked bashful as he said this and more of his childish side began to show. He even avoided looking at her for a moment, like a kid would whenever they would have to own up to something. "I didn't get to say it that time but... You're pretty good, Kimi. Like, really good. I haven't felt that excited about a race in a long time, or had one put me in a corner like that." He confessed, finding it hard to look her in the face and say this. "I want to race you again, but after I get stronger. So you gotta promise me we'll race again."

"I don't even-" The honey-brunette sighed, taking a seat next to Keisuke. "I didn't want to race that night, you know."

"You did it for your friends," Recalled Keisuke. "Doesn't that count as the same thing? You wanted to do it to help your friends." It was cheesy, but cheesy suited Takimi.

"Don't twist my words around like that," She pouted. "That's unfair."

"What's unfair is how cute you're looking right now." And her cheeks were turning pink again. Score one for Keisuke. Take that, Ryosuke. The former chuckled and nudged her lightly with his shoulder. "I'm just telling you what I think. If racing for your friends even makes you a little excited to race, then that's good enough. Everyone has their own way of doing things." He took a sip of his water. "Even if some of them take too damn long." He added, remembering how he was still trying to understand his brother's way with computers.

'Everyone has their own way of doing things,' Takimi repeated this in her head, mulling back to all the water cup tests and deliveries she made for her father. How they ultamiltely led her to helping out the SpeedStars and landing her in this mess. In all honesty, she couldn't say that she especially hated it. She didn't really have to deal with people looking at her or jumping right at the chance on how it felt to beat one of the Rotary Brothers. Anxiousness was all that really occupied her mind, the thought that people would treat her differently all because of one thing making her stomach flip.

"I'm gonna guess you were practicing all those tricks you pulled at the race while you were out, huh?" Keisuke rested his chin on his hand, watching her muse over her own thoughts and giving her a second to soak in what he said. "You're the competitive type, Kimi?"

"I don't like that kind of stuff," Takimi looked the other way, looking shy as she thought back to earlier. "Actually, your brother came over and took me to the park."

"What?!" The owner of the Trueno jumped back as Keisuke stood up. "You guys went on a date?!"

"It wasn't a date!" Takimi blushed and covered her mouth, shocked that she screamed loud enough for her sleeping neighbors to probably hear. "It wasn't a date," She repeated in a softer tone. "He said he came over to check up on me and he just took me there. We sat down and talked, but that was about it." She looked at the doorway that led to the kitchen, wondering if her father had heard all that. She looked back at Keisuke and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know?"

"He didn't say he was going to visit you," Replied the young man. Keisuke stared at his almost empty plate with a glare. He knew Ryosuke better than anyone else. Knew that he was smart enough and attractive enough to get anyone he wanted. But the eldest always shook away the cries of attention from his fans with, 'I'm too busy to enter a relationship right now.' 'Yeah, right,' Keisuke looked over to Takimi, watching her tilt her head in further confusion. Did she really have no idea of the affect she had on people, or was she just doing this on purpose? "Did he drive you here?"

"No," The high school student shook her head. "He said he had some business to take care of, but..." The delivery girl scratched the back of her head. "Um... Do you know anyone who drives a black R32?"

"No. Why?"

"One was following us while we were heading up the mountain," She replied. "That's around the time your brother said he needed to go do something."

'Business with an R32?' Keisuke pursed his lips as he thought that over. "Weird," Was all he could pin to it. "I'll call him and make sure he got home. Oh," He pulled his cellphone and held it out to her. "Put your cellphone number in, so I can text you and give you the heads up."

"... Alright," Takimi told him to wait and she went over to her room, digging through her backpack and managing to find the one Bunta had given her a year or two ago. She only ever used it on deliveries and she would sometimes forget it at home a lot. Still, that didn't stop her from returning to the FD driver and adding her number to his phone. "Here." She handed his phone back and blink as he flashed a photo of her. "Now what are you doing?" She asked as she looked over his shoulder.

"Need your pic for the contact info," Keisuke showed her the pic. "Camera shy?"

"You're so weird."

"Look whose talking," Chuckling, Keisuke pocketed his phone and pulled out more than what he was going to be charged for. He handed it to a wide-eyed Takimi and turned to the door. "I'll text you when I get home. Don't worry too much about it. My brother can take care of himself." He waved as he walked out of the little shop. "Later, Kimi."

"It's Tak-" She sighed as the door closed behind him, her hands pressing against the center of her chest to stop her heart from beating so hard. A boy had just asked and took her number and she had his, too. "It's Takimi."

"... And the she looked at me like I was the crazy one. Can you believe it, Takimi?'

"Mm."

"Hey," Itsuki looked back at his best friend, surprised she was still mopping up the same spot she had started on ten minutes ago. "Hey, you OK? You're acting like a space case, more than usual."

"Don't call me a space case," Snapped out of her hazy trance, Takimi walked over to her mop bucket and dumped her tool into the murky water. "I'm alright. Just feeling a little tired." Having someone who sent you a text message every morning for the past few days could do that to a person. Well, to a person like Takimi, that was. After Keisuke had reported his brother made it home in one piece, Takimi started getting at least one text from him in the morning and maybe one or two before bed or her deliveries. Just things like, 'Morning,' that followed up with a topic they could chat about before she had class to, 'Hey,' with tips and insights about driving while she was making deliveries. 'I thought it was going to be just that text, but now I'm just used to getting these. I have to charge my phone more often for this stuff, too.' She pulled out her cellphone, reading their last conversation.

'By the way, I sent you a picture of me.'

'Why?'

'You'll need it for your contact info.'

'Oh, OK. But I already have your name with it.'

'This makes it a lot easier.'

'You're so weird.'

'Pot calling the kettle black, Kimi.'

She typed in, 'Stop that.' and sent it to Keisuke, a smile unknowingly playing on her lips. She reminded herself to set his photo on his contact as she slipped her phone into her pocket, just in time as Yuichi came walking out of the shop, tossing his car keys into the air and caching them.

"Inari already took off?"

"Yeah," Said Itsuki as he washed greased off his hands with a rag. "She just left on a delivery and took the pickup truck."

"In that case. Takimi," The boss threw the keys and Takimi caught them without any trouble. "Could you deliver some papers to the Yamada shop for me, please?"

"Sure thing, boss." Takimi nodded and walked to Yuichi's car, feeling a lot better than she did in the past few days. There was no way that could be because she was driving more often, though. It had nothing to do with that, or so she had told herself so many times. At least she wasn't being mobbed or harassed at school. People left her alone like always, though some students would come up to the roof around lunch time, probably trying to get a chance to say something to her but Takimi would always take precaution and hide somewhere on the roof to avoid that kind of confrontation. Other than that, things were going swimmingly.

As soon as she drove away, Itsuki looked at Yuichi with a defeated smile.

"Hey, boss," He asked. "Um... You know, I have a licence, too. Why do you always ask Inari and Takimi to run errands?"

"Well, you see," With, 'As-a-matter-of-fact,' in his voice, Yuichi crossed his arms over his chest. "Put your hand on your chest and tell me what you feel."

Itsuki did so. A weird request but he was really curious at this point. He looked at his boss questioningly.

"Feel that?"

"I don't really feel anything."

"Exactly," Yuichi unfolded his arms. "Simply put, I can trust Inari and Takimi to drive. You though, Itsuki, and I say this in the nicest way possible," His eyes were kind but his words felt like a knife stabbing his employee in the gut. "If I were to lend you my car, you'd bring it back with a dent the size of your caved in chest."

"A lot offense taken, boss!" Itsuki called after Yuichi as he retreated back into the shop. With a frustrated grunt, Itsuki threw the rag he had on a shelf. 'I could be just as good as Inari and Takimi. Hell, I could probably take care of both deliveries they're on and have enough time to get everyone coffee.' He puffed out his chest and nodded to himself, repairing his dignity the best he could as he stomped around to get his duties done. 'Hell yeah, I would. Just you wait and see. I will be the strongest racer in all of Akina...' His thoughts were being drowned out by the sound of a roaring engine as an R32 rolled into the gas station. All of Itsuki's anger was immediately gone as he began to fawn over the beast of steel.

'Holy crap, I'm in love,' He thought as he went almost all the way around the parked vehicle. His eyes caught sight of the logo on the side of the car and he almost gave a scream. 'He's a part of the NightKids?!' He thought in awe, standing at attention as Takeshi stepped out of the car. "W-Welcome, sir!" He stuttered.

"Hey, kid," Takeshi spoke so calmly, Itsuki was sure he would piss his pants in fear. Was this guy really talking to him? "I'm Takeshi Nakazato and I'm trying to look for someone associated with the Akina SpeedStars." He said. "Either the leader or this "ghost" they have on their team will do." Itsuki was tongue-tied, unsure of what to say since he was having a moment. "Actually, no. The ghost is the only person I need to see. You heard of him, right?" Again, no response. "What time can I find this guy on Akina?" Takeshi crossed his arms over his chest and waited for a response, but he wasn't getting any. What was with this kid? "Aren't you with the SpeedStars?" That triggered a dream-filled smile from the gas station attendant. OK, the leader of the NightKids was starting to get uncomfortable. "Look, kid. Do you know him or not?"

"H-Her."

"Sorry?"

"H-Her! You're looking for a girl!" Itsuki gulped as he tried to put his words together. "Y-Yeah. She's the one who beat Keisuke Takahashi." As he begun to spin his tale, he suddenly started getting cocky. That was never a good thing. "Yep, she my best friend, actually. We go all the way back to fourth grade, and we've both been fans of racing ever since. Such big fans that we even made a name for ourselves. The 86 Duo." His nose grew longer and longer as he spoke. "The SpeedStars saw that our skills needed to be put to the test, so they let us in right away."

"Are you serious?" Asked Takeshi with wide eyes.

"Hell yeah, man," Itsuki leaned back against the gas pump and smirked. "We're the fastest down-hill racers on our team," He tipped his cap as the visitor's jaw dropped. "Yeah. Well, actually... She may be faster than me, but still..."

"I didn't know anyone on the SpeedStars could race at that level." Takeshi was eyeing the ground as he muttered. Good thing he couldn't see Itsuki's smug grin begin to falter.

"Yeah, um... Well, never mind that," He waved his hands to shoo away any accusations. "I'll do you a favor, man. I'll go ahead and you can message for my friend, since she's not here right now. She might be gone for a while but you can trust me if you need a message to be passed on. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to sign any autograph or something for you. After all," He pushed his bangs back in the coolest way he could pull. "She's my best friend."

"Alright, tell your friend this," Wait, how did he get back in his car so quickly? "Ten o' clock. This Saturday night."

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Stuttered the big-lipped student.

"Takeshi Nakazato of the Myogi NightKids will be waiting for her at the top of Mt. Akina." The new challenger started up his car and pulled away from the gas station as Itsuki tried to run after him. "It's be a race to the bottom!"

"Wait! Hold on!" But Itsuki's plea was not heard. As he tried to chase after the car, Yuichi's car pulled up and made him stop in his tracks.

"Hey, man. You alright?" Itsuki gulped as Takimi poked her head out of the car window. "You look ready to book it. Did something happen?"

"N-Nothing happened at all!" Something did happen. Takimi wasn't only ¼ space case, but she would give her friend the benefit of the doubt. "B-By the way, Takimi," Itsuki twiddled with his thumbs. "I wanted to know if you were free this Saturday? Lets go racing on Mt. Akina! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"No." Takimi frowned watching her childhood friend start to turn white.

"W-Why not?!"

"I don't drive unless I really have to, Itsuki." Besides, she was still going through the motions that came from her last race and the advice she had gotten from the Rotary Brothers. She didn't really have a definite choice on what she wanted to do. "Besides, we're doing that test drive thing with Keisuke and Ryosuke on Friday, remember? Isn't that going to be enough?"

"Takimi!" Yuchi called in from the gas station. "Thanks for dropping off the papers! Come inside, I made some you some coffee!"

"Thanks, boss!" Takimi looked back at Itsuki with a nod. "Be back." She said, before she drove off to park the car. Her childhood friend held onto the same pump he was leaning against a while ago as he watched her leave, trying to stop himself from breaking down as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

"I'm so screwed," He whimpered. "I got to do something before I lose the SpeedStars' reputation... And my best friend..."

To be continued!

Not going to lie guys, this was awesome to work on again. I'm really looking forward to feeling this sort of thing as I keep writing and updating stories for you all again ^^ I hope this chapter was a good start to get things back into motion again and I hope you all enjoyed yourselves. Once again, thanks for all your support and help. Until next time ^-^