Shadow Racers

[Obelisk]

Shadow Racers chapter 0.1

Finally Home!


-------------------------------------

August 8, 2015


“Ugh, how did we wind up with a rustbox Taurus?”


That was the first thing out of Dagurasu’s mouth on this sweltering August day. He was riding shotgun in a 1998 Ford Taurus SHO, which had definitely seen better days. In the driver’s seat is his mechanic and friend, Jacob “Steel” Wiseman, and in the back is Dag’s little sister Aria. The three of them were heading to their new house and team complex in a quiet town in suburban Massachusetts, and all of them were looking forward to it.


But as of right now, Dag has a more pressing concern. It was getting too hot in the Taurus and the air conditioner had long been dead. He goes to press the window control, and it disappears into the empty space in the door with an audible ‘SNAP’.


Dag: “...” You have to be kidding me…


Steel glances over and then back to the road, as they take a left turn towards the Shovel Store. This old building had once housed a mighty shovel company that even supplied military trench shovels during the second World War. Now it was just an abandoned building that the town was preserving. They were able to get it for a reasonable price, and have spent the last six months repairing and setting up the complex and living quarters. Yet…


Dag: “Steel, do you really think you can get this thing race-ready?”


Steel glances over again.


Steel: “Boss, please tell me you’re kidding. If I can turn a mangled mess into a Ferrari BB, I sure as hell can turn this into a simple racer.”


Dag flinches when he heard Steel utter “Ferrari BB”. How could he forget? He drove a 1976 Ferrari 512 BB in Japan over the past eight years, and his skill combined with the demonic nature of the car solidified his role as the king of the Wangan. He was known as the “Wangan Devil” for most of his time there.


But, being the fastest wasn’t his goal. It was a means to his real objective: Stopping the illegal street racing. Not quite how it sounds, however. He intends to allow it to keep occurring, but in a legal and safe fashion with emergency staff supervising the racing. In short, Dag wants to turn these illegal runs into completely valid races, and a new sort of motorsport.


Why is he doing this? An illegal, unsanctioned race between his father - in the 512 BB - and a member of an old team called Hajime Racers in ‘92 ended in a 180 M.P.H. crash that ended his father. He had just 18 years old and was left to raise himself and his 8 year old sister.


They arrived at the Shovel Store. It was a large stone building with architecture reminiscent of the late 1800s. It had two stories - the lower level would be the garage (fitting 40 cars max) and the upper level is the living quarters. As Dag got out of the Taurus to unlock the door, the rear suspension snapped and the back of the car dropped onto the concrete with a loud smash.


Dag shoots Steel a strange look and then enters.


It was quite cool inside, and it was vast. Dag takes a deep breath.


Dag: “Alright. This Devil is finally home!”




About 2:30 PM, August 22

Dag: “Jeezus, Steel. Just two weeks ago, this thing was a piece of crap.”


In front of him was a red, shiny 1998 Taurus SHO with a set of blue wheels. Next to it is Steel, using a power drill to screw on the front wheel on the driver’s side.


Steel: “I toldja, boss. In a few days, it’ll be ready to go 180.”


Dag chuckles and leaves through the front door. "The boss sure can be annoying sometimes, since he’s always so serious." Steel thinks to himself. He wonders if it has to do with Dag being 41…


His phone buzzes. How did anyone find this num-oh, an e-mail.


E-mail:

RE: SR Membership

Hey Steel,


I heard you and your team moved to the U.S., and I was thinking about moving there. Let me know if we can still go ahead with the membership thing, and I’ll get moving as soon as I can.


Regards,

- D


Oh, right. That kid from before...The name escapes Steel at the moment, but he remembers that kid’s incredible skill. He replies, informing the kid that everything is all set to go. Someone taps him on the shoulder, making him jump in alarm.


Dag: “Steel, the Ferrari’s outside on the truck. And apparently, so are all of Aria’s new cars. Go get ‘em off now and fix them up when you finish with this Taurus. I’ve got to manage funding with Aria, and you know how she gets if I ignore her.”


He leaves again, this time heading upstairs. Boss has a point, he has to keep Aria occupied so she doesn’t get mad.


Steel puts down his wrench and opens the garage door, then peeks out to see what’s on the truck.


Steel: “W-WHAT THE HELL?!”


In front of the BB were six cars, all in various conditions. A Toyota Celica, a Toyota Supra, a Mazda RX7 FC, an Acura NSX, a Nissan R35 GT-R and a Datsun 280Z. There’s a theme here...Steel just hasn’t figured it out yet.


He brought the cars in and set them all up in their corners. Compared to these machines, the Taurus looked like a bloated turd. That didn’t matter to Steel. He resumed work on the car.


Three hours later


Steel: “Done and...done.” That wasn’t an easy engine re-work, I guess.


Steel closes the hood of the Taurus and then starts it up. It roars into life with what can only be described as a vicious growl erupting from the exhaust. It brings a smile to Steel’s face, hearing a car take in its second chance at life by his hand.


All the lights shut down in the garage and the security system beeps twice. Time to call it a day…


Bzzt. New e-mail?


RE: SR Membership


Don’t tell your boss. I’ll be bringing my car over if I can. See you guys in a few weeks.


-D


Er...That might not work out well if he has a newer JDM car. The U.S. is awfully picky about imported cars. Well, they’ll make it work. Steel stretches and then locks up the garage and cars and goes to bed. Tomorrow is another day for him.



9:00 AM, August 23


Dag is still having issues with jet lag. This particular morning, he’s not waking up at all. Aria is standing in the doorway with a sheet of paper. “Stupid Aniki...He forgot he had to go get his and Steel’s cars today.” Aria mutters to herself. She enters his room and sets his Atomic Bomb alarm clock to 9:15. Hopefully it works. She places the list of cars on the nightstand, next to the alarm clock, and then gives Dag a quick kiss on the cheek.


“Silly Aniki. He never gets it right.” Aria thinks, as she closes the door behind her. Steel isn’t here today. Did he go to pick up that ugly truck of his? “Ugh, that thing is awful.” is the first thing that crosses her mind when she sees pick-ups. Aria is all JDM, and it showed in her car selection. She wanders along her section of the garage to look at her cars. The GT-R, painted white, is one of the best affordable supercars on the market with the bonus of daily driver practicality. That’s exactly why she chose it - she needed a grocery getter that’d murder exotics. Now, what did she want to do with it…? She looks over at the rest of her cars, all lined up and ready to go. She’d decide on that later, as she has to go manage their funding.


$98,456,192,350.76. That’s how much they have as of today. How do they have such a massive bank account? Simple. Takenouti, Aria and Dag’s father, was a very skilled gambler who knew exactly what kind of bet to make and how to make it go in his favor. He was able to successfully win money off of yakuza and street gangs, and kept their respect for him in spite of it.


Aria jots down the number and then gets the prices and costs of the cars Dag and Steel were supposed to get. She sighs and then spends the next half-hour ordering the cars and parts. By this time, the alarm clock has gone off several times and Dag still hasn’t woken up.


She heads down to his room and throws him into the hallway.


Aria: “WAKE UP, ANIKI! YOU HAVE ERRANDS TO RUN.” Stupid Aniki...


Dag: “O-o-o-ow…Fine, I’m getting up…”



As soon as he stands up, Aria grabs the paper on his nightstand and gives it to him. “Go get these cars and parts for me, Aniki.” she tells him before sending him off and heading back to her room.


Now that both men are away, she can relax. She fires up her Playstation 3 and spends the day playing Gran Turismo 6 and Need for Speed ProStreet.


=========================
Note: Welcome to the Shadow Racers world! A few notes here.
1: This story takes place in the same world as the Hajime Racers story.
2: This story may or may not get dark at times.
3: Changes have been made to the region that the story is set in to accommodate the lack of American courses in GT6.

-Ob

 

[xXPeacockXx]

Shadow Racers chapter 0.2a

An Old Friend


August 25


Erich jolts awake in a cold sweat. He looks over to his clock. 5:30 AM.


Erich: *sigh* As good a time as any I guess…


He sits up and looks around his bare room from the mattress on the floor. A small fan oscillates back and forth with a subtle creaking noise. Erich taps the button with his foot and wanders out into his apartment kitchen to make some coffee. He steps around stacked cardboard boxes strewn around the living room. It had been a month since he moved out here and nothing was unpacked except for his computer and desk.


Erich leans against the counter and looks at the pile of boxes.


Erich: Eh… I’ll get to it tomorrow…


He gulps down his coffee, showers, gets dressed, and snatches his keys off the counter. He pauses at the door and looks back at his stacked belongings, sighs, and leaves.


Erich walks up to his trusty companion… his old ‘03 Mazda3. He sinks into the cloth seat and turns the key. A small smile forms on Erich’s tired face as the grumbling 350 horsepower engine beneath him roars to life.


Erich: Time for some asphalt therapy.


Erich pulls out of the complex and drives off toward the highway, taking it easy to let his old girl warm up. By the time he reaches the highway he knows the 3 is ready to go. The roads are empty this time of morning so he stops short of the onramp and looks around…


Erich: Alright old girl, time to have some fun! Three… Two… One!


The front tires chirp as they get startled by the sudden acceleration. Erich flies through the gears... One... Two. A huge grin is smeared across Erich’s face. Three. He begins to laugh, feeling the forces pull him into his seat. Four. Erich feels a sense of freedom as everything he ever worried about starts to vanish on the quickly retreating road behind him. He reaches to shift into fifth and glances at the speedometer…


Erich: Oh ****! You’re on highways in the morning, man... calm it down… okay...


He lifts of the accelerator and shifts into fifth and coasts back down to to a more tame 75 miles per hour.


As the adrenaline begins to wear off, Erich hears a sound. Somewhere in the distance behind him, the demonic wail of an old flat 12…



-----

20 minutes earlier…


“It’s a peaceful morning, isn’t it? Nothing like the hustle and bustle of Tokyo…” Dag thinks to himself, as he runs his hand along the side of his beloved 512 Berlinetta Boxer. Steel had adjusted it recently, so he was supposed to take it out for a run to see how it drives. He gets in and starts up the old engine, and leaves the car to warm up while he does a spot-check on the beater Taurus. Huh, it looks a lot better now...but it still looks like a turd.


He jumps back in the Berlinetta and heads out to the highway. Unusually, this highway was empty...Perfect. Dag drops the Ferrari into second gear and floors it. The engine roared with power as the Ferrari rocketed to 180 MPH, with the tunnel walls flying by in a dull grey blur. Dag listened to the unique demonic wail that this BB was known for, and it filled him with joy. This was his special car, and it meant the world to him. 190...200...208! This beast had gotten faster! That sensation of pure speed, along with the flat terrain brought back memories of an old friend Dag knew…


------

Summer 2000

Laguna Seca


A quiet and peaceful day at Laguna Seca...It was warm, with a faint crosswind wafting through over the arid land.


The peace was quickly shattered by the sound of engines roaring and tires begging for mercy. Today was a special track day where drivers of all kinds were invited to tear through the track with their personal machines. One particular car stood out, a French Blue Lotus Europa. The little Lotus was passing cars left and right, and giving the local race-prep car trouble the entire way around. Another car joined the track after the Europa’s fourth or fifth lap and chased it down on its first lap. It was a red 1998 Mazda MX-5 NB. What was peculiar about this car is it was right-hand drive and the driver appeared to be American...The U.S. has laws in place against imports because of emissions. Over the next five laps, the two cars fought a vicious battle for the fastest lap on-track. The MX-5 won by a half-second, and then both were called back to the pits.


When they returned, Dag got out of the Europa and took his helmet off. He popped open the engine cover so the engine could cool off for the commute home. He kicks the back tire and then looks over at the Miata that gave him so much trouble. He was curious as to who this MX-5 driver was, and why he was so skilled with this new generation, so he walked over to the MX5’s driver side door, then tapped on the window of the car. The driver noticed and lowered his window.


Dag: “Hey, that was some nice driving out there! I didn’t think Miatas could be that agile.”


Erich: “Haha, thanks! You drove pretty well yourself! Yeah, these little guys can really turn. Gotta love that short wheel base!”


Erich shuts off the engine and steps out of the MX5. He notices Dag’s car cooling down.


Erich: “Is that an Europa? I haven’t seen one of those in a while.”


Dag: “Yeah, it is! I’ve had the thing since I was sixteen.”


Erich: “She’s kept up nicely! Beautiful and quick to boot! You were right on me all day.”


Dag: “Oi! Wasn’t it the other way around? I’m pretty certain that Japanese coupe was in my mirror the whole time.”


Dag has a big, cheerful grin on his face. Finally, he had someone he could connect to.


The two of them developed a strong friendship as they kept running into each other track day after track day. They eventually started taking their cars out to long drives on the Californian highways and chasing each-other through the coastal mountain passes. Eventually, a look of sadness started to form on Dag’s face, and when he turned 32, he left without warning. All that Erich knew was left on a note on his recently-acquired Mazda3. “Erich, I’m going to Japan for a little while. I don’t know if we’ll see each other again, but I’ll try to come back. - Doug”


=======================

Present day


The wail of the old boxer engine was very gradually getting louder, as if it was quite a distance away. There was no mistaking it, though. This car was powerful, and coming fast. A few minutes later, Erich finally spotted the car in his mirror, coming down the fast lane.


OST - New World Symphony (4th Movement)


A black Ferrari BB.

An old Ferrari?! Who would be insane enough to run an old treasure like that around here?! It roars past Erich, a black blur, but something about its presence felt familiar. As if he knew the person.


The Devil had just enough time to look in his mirror to see the face of the Mazda 3 driver he passed. He thought the car had looked familiar…


-=End OST=-

Dag: “...Wait…” Was that Erich?! What the hell is he doing out here?


A few minutes later, Erich noticed the BB pulled over in the breakdown lane, with the hood cover open. A familiar sight...The driver is sitting on the front of the car.


Erich: “No freakin’ way! That’s Doug!”


Erich pulls off the road slightly ahead of the BB and steps out and yells to Dag.


Erich: “Well look who it is! Thanks for the note, you f*ker!”


Erich laughs and embraces Dag with a hard smack on the back.

Dag grunts like any normal person would, and then returns the embrace with a smack that’s just a little harder.


Dag: “It’s been eight years, huh? And you’re still driving that piece of ****?”


Erich: “Hey, she’s old but she gets the job done. Plus I have something on the way… So when did you get the Ferrari… OH **** IS THAT A BB?”


Dag casually kicks the front tire. It’s a habit he’s had for a long time.


Dag: “It is indeed a Berlinetta Boxer. It’s the ‘76 512 BB. As for how I got it...It was my father’s car.”


Erich: “Wow, I can’t believe you were able to salvage her. Your dad would be proud to see her looking this good.”


Dag: “If you think she looks good on the outside, look under the hood.”


Erich heads over and looks at the boxer engine.


Erich: *whistles* “If there’s anything the Italians do well, it’s food and engines…”


Dag: “You want to go for a spin in it later? The highway will be empty around 2 this afternoon.”


Erich: “Definitely! Where should we meet?”


Dag: “You should know where the Shovel Store is, right? Go there, that’s where I live.”


Erich: “I think I’ve seen it while driving around town. I’ll see you there.”


Dag shuts the engine cover and then looks at Erich again.


Dag: “For the record, it took every fiber in my body just to put that note on your little turd.”


He laughs at his own (lame) joke and then fires up the engine. The only way to describe the sound is a vicious bark followed by a faint wail. He drives off, and then floors it. The Ferrari emits its distinct demonic sound as it roars off down the highway.


Erich: “Dick…”


He smiles to himself… glad to see an old friend. What are the odds that Erich would run into him here? The interaction left Erich with so many questions. He figured meeting with Doug for that drive would provide him a chance for some much needed catching up.


Erich hopped back in his 3 and headed back to his apartment. As he crossed the threshold his phone began to ring.


Erich: “Hello?”


???: “Hello, I’m with Trans-Pacific Freight. Am I speaking to Mr. Weiss?”


Erich: “This is him.”


TPF: “We just wanted to inform you that your shipment has arrived in the Port of Los Angeles and is currently being transferred. It is on schedule and you should be receiving your package in just over a week.”


Erich: “Thank you, that’s good to hear. Have a good day.”


Erich ends the call. “It’s almost here,” he thinks to himself. Erich looks out the window at his Mazda3 in its cramped residential parking spot. “I’m gonna need more space.”



======================

Shadow Racers 0.2b

When I See You Again...


Around 1:45 that afternoon


“Now why the hell was Erich out on Interstate 95? Doesn’t he live out in Irvine?” Dag thinks to himself, as he messes around with Aria’s PlayStation controller. He has no clue how to use the console, so he’s staring at the black screen of the T.V. in their living quarters.


Dag: “Now that I think of it, I don’t think I saw his wedding ring…” Yeah, that’s kinda odd...Wasn’t he very close to his wife?


He gets up from the couch and heads downstairs. Steel is back in the engine bay of the Ferrari, tweaking God knows what. Dag looks around at the mess of cars all up and down the sides of the buildings. Their newest addition, an EK Type R Civic, is sitting in the corner with its wheels off and its engine bay open. That one will be dealt with later...Dag lets out a heavy sigh.


Dag: I guess now is as good a time as any to catch up. “Hey, Steel! Finish up soon! Erich will be here in a few minutes.”


================================


Erich slowly pulls into the lot outside of the Shovel Store. The building looked uninhabited. He parks his car and steps onto the cracked, decaying asphalt. Erich begins to look around, searching to see if the BB was parked anywhere nearby. Suddenly the sound of an air wrench echoes from inside the Shovel Store. He walks over to a large garage door and gives it a few loud knocks.


Steel: “YEEEK!”


There’s a loud crash, and Dag sticks his head out of a small door on the side a few seconds later.


Dag: “You scared my mechanic, dude. The car will be out in a minute.”


A few seconds later, a garage door opens and a pair of flip-up headlights come on. Erich can hear the idle rumble of the Ferrari through the wall as it’s rolled out into the parking lot. The car looks no different from earlier. Dag emerges a second later, holding the keys.


Dag: “I’ll be riding shotgun. Here, catch.”


He tosses the key to Erich.


Erich: “You sure, man? I know you put a ton of love into this thing. It’s your baby.”


Dag: “Why do you think I’m riding shotgun?”


Erich: “Okay. Let’s do it!”


Erich sits in the driver’s seat and pauses for a minute to take in the interior. It was pristine… almost as if the black leather had just left the factory. No cracks in the dashboard, bright decals on the gauges... truly a sight to behold. He depresses the clutch and turns the key and the engine roars to life. Immediately Erich is giddy. It’s been a long time since he has been behind the wheel of a Ferrari, and that flat 12 roaring behind him reminded him why he loved it so much.


Dag: “Sure brings back memories of our old days, huh? Why don’t you head down Route 24 and let her rip?”


Erich: “All out?”


Dag: “All out.”


As Erich merges onto Route 24 he is surprised to see an absence of traffic, just as Dag told him. He looks to Dag and Dag gives him a nod. He shifts down to third gear and cautiously pressed down the throttle to three-quarters. The BB starts accelerating quickly. As the needle races around the tach, Erich confidently presses the pedal to the floor. The needle rapidly approaches redline, the 460 HP flat 12 screaming behind the driver’s seat. Erich shifts up to 4th gear and continues flooring it. The speedometer is crossing 215 km/h and the BB is still pulling Erich and Dag deep into the seats.


Dag: “Awesome, right?” He’s just like he was before…


Dag laughs as Erich keeps pushing the archaic car past sensible speeds. Erich remains silent and doesn’t break focus, but Dag knows Erich heard him from the smirk that formed on his face. The indicator on the car is now reading 260 km/h and the engine is reaching the redline. Right around here, Erich starts to hear the demonic wail coming from behind him. It’s far more intimidating up close than it is at a distance.


Erich slams into 5th gear, his body coursing with adrenaline. The wail grows louder, penetrating into Erich’s mind. The pedal remains glued to the floor, the broken lines on the highway becoming blurred into solid white streaks guiding the BB into the distance. The needle on the speedometer begins to cross 300 km/h. He notices that the speedo is running right up to its limit of 320 km/h… And the car is still accelerating like a bat out of hell!


Dag: “Hey, Erich. Bring the car back down to the speed limit. We need to get on the other side of 24 to get back to the compound.”


Erich snaps out of his trance and lifts off of the throttle.


Dag: “Take the next off-ramp and then get back on 24 South. And drive a bit slowly, I have a lot to explain to you.”


Erich complies, and once they get on 24 South…


Dag: “Alright...So about nine years ago, after one of our highway cruises, I decided to dig out my dad’s old stuff. When I found the box, I noticed it was awfully light and discovered that it only held two keys: One for the BB and one for a base in Kanazawa Ward. I went to Japan to investigate and found the mangled mess that was the BB in an old complex equipped with all sorts of race-related tools. From there on, I decided to just stay and well, things became interesting. The restored BB and I became known as the Wangan Devil around there, and it was because of me that another team re-formed. During the battles with that team, I met a remarkable Canadian kid named Dillon Tsuchiya. He drove a simple white FD, and he was the only one who was able to properly rival me. I wonder how he is…”


Dag takes a moment to remember that tremendous battle with Dillon, and then his gaze wanders over to Erich’s ring finger.


Dag: “Forgive me if I’m out of line here, but I noticed you’re not wearing your wedding ring. Are things still good with you guys?”


Erich becomes very silent and glances at his hand on the steering wheel. He felt a sharp pain as he saw the faint line of pale skin where his ring had rested for the past fifteen years. His grip tightens on the steering wheel.


Erich: “She… She lost her battle with cancer just this year.”


Erich sniffed sharply and cleared his throat, as he stared down the highway. He hasn’t really spoken to anyone about his wife’s death since he came out east.


Dag: “I’m sorry… She was a wonderful woman. You two really cared for each other.”


Erich: “Thanks… It hasn’t been easy. That’s actually the reason I’m all the way out here. Just wanted to get away from everything… to start over, you know?”


Dag nodded and the two rode down the highway in silence for a moment. The flat 12 droned behind them.


Dag: Should I mention his shipment…? Aria found the information by accident and showed it to me. Screw it, I’ll ask. “Hey, Erich. Aren’t you getting a shipment soon?”


Erich: “In fact, I am.” Hmm… I see he’s still on top of staying informed… “It should be coming in the next couple weeks. Though where I’m staying isn’t really big enough to work on it. I’m going to have to rent some storage space or something until i find a place with a garage.”


Dag: “Where are you living?”


Erich: “I’m renting an apartment in the Highland Streets Complex. It’s temporary. Just while I work on getting established out here.”


Dag: Oh, jeez. He played the fool like usual. “Couldn’t you have picked anywhere worse?”


Erich: “Yeah, I know... it was a cheap fix.”


Dag: “Well...We still have room in my complex. You can bring all of your stuff there.”


Erich: “That's really kind of you to offer… I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your projects.” Though it would be nice to be around some people for a change. And it’s not like I’d have to pack… “If you’re cool with it, though, that would be a great help.”


Dag flips out his phone and calls the local moving company, and directs them to Erich’s apartment. The call itself lasted all of 30 seconds.


Dag: “Already done. Consider this an invitation to the team.”


==============


They arrive at the apartment a few minutes later, and discover the truck is already there. It takes them an hour of moving boxes and a slew of unpleasant language, but they get the truck packed and on its way to the complex. Once it’s arrived, Dag has his sister - an attractive woman in her 30s - and his mechanic - a 26 year old kid - go out to unpack the truck.


While they unpacked, Erich took the time to explore the property. It was ridiculously massive for a low-residence compound. As he was exploring, he came across a large object under a filthy and dusty tarp. He pulled it back to find a rotting, rusted out 2002 Lotus Esprit V8! He hurried back to show Dag.

 

[Obelisk]

Shadow Racers 0.3 - The “Package”


9 AM - Friday, August 28


There is a sudden, loud racket upstairs in the complex. It sounds like fighting. “Are those two really going at it again…?” Steel thinks to himself, as he finishes polishing the 1954 Corvette he just obtained. It’s fine for commuting at the moment, but he plans to make it a monster of a classic. “Still...you’d think they were a married couple, the way they fight.” was a common observation he made of the energetic brother and sister duo that made up the other 2/3rd of the team. The email notification on his phone goes off, and he quickly opens it. It’s the kid who was coming here to join them. He says his flight is docking right now, and he’ll have his luggage soon.


Steel: I hate having to deal with those two at a time like this, but…


Steel heads up the stairs and knocks on the door, and the arguing suddenly stops.


Steel: “Hey, Boss! I’m going to go pick up my package now.”


Dag: “Oh, right. That thing you ordered from Japan...Go ahead. I need to calm Aria down, anyways.”


Steel: Calm her down? What happened this time…?


He shakes off the thought and jumps in the Corvette. The antique engine weakly rumbles to life and the car spontaneously backfires. Steel makes a note of that issue and then starts driving down to the airport in Boston, about an hour north.



An hour later…


In the midst of the Boston chaos, the little Corvette pulls onto the off-ramp for the Logan Airport, and then proceeds to the arrivals section. He parks in the pick-up lane and shuts off the old car, and then e-mails the kid to let him know he’s here. Now he just has to wait- Oh, here’s the guy now. Steel pops open the trunk and then takes the kid’s suitcase, putting it in the trunk and closing the trunk in one move. He plops down in the driver’s seat and starts the engine as the kid sits on the passenger side of the car.


Steel: “Welcome to America, kid. Watch out for the trucks.”


???: “Thanks Steel, but I’ve been here before.”


Steel lets out a small chuckle and then starts the long, chaotic commute home...And the kid falls asleep. Must have been an exhausting flight…


----

Another hour later…


Steel: “Hey, wake up. We’re back…”


???: “Wha… Oh, nice place.”


Steel grabs the suitcase out of the trunk, and gives it to the kid before heading on inside.


They head upstairs and as Steel reaches for the door, they both hear Aria yell in anger. The look on Steel’s face was quickly replaced by an expression of concern.


He opens the door-


“-ING STOP BEING LAZY!”


The kid catches sight of the second half of a German Suplex, with Dag as the victim and some woman as the aggressor.


CRASH.


Dag is sent skidding across the floor, and he crashes into a bookcase on the adjacent wall.


???: “Maybe this is a bad time…?”


Steel is nowhere to be found. The woman is still yelling at Dag, who appears to have been knocked out by the blow. There’s a shattered glass table nearby…


???: “Hey… you okay there? You like you just had your dog run over…”


Aria: “Oh, wha? Wait, who the f--- are you?”


???: “My name is Dillon Tsuchiya, and I know that man.”


Aria looks at him for a second, and then her face goes blank.


Aria: “Eh? You know Aniki?!”


Dag: “Uggghhh….my back is killing me for some rea-”


Dillon: “Yes, I raced him on Kanazawa about a year ago. And won.”


Dag stares at Dillon in surprise.


Dag: “How on Earth did you get here? And where’s Steel, for that matter?! He said he had a package for us…”


Dillon: “I know, I’m the ‘package’. And I don’t know where he is, just sprinted somewhere after he heard your sister scream…”


Aria goes red in the face, utterly embarrassed.


Aria: “Oh God, I’m so sorry, Dillon! I was yelling at Aniki because he was sitting around, doing nothing.”


Dag: “...Says the gamer.”


Dillon: “Hey, sitting around and doing nothing is what we guys do best. At least in Canada…”


Aria walks away, still embarrassed by letting Dillon see her like that. She goes to her room and locks the door behind her.


Dillon: “Is she okay? She looked very embarrassed, was it something I said…?”


Dag: “It wasn’t anything you said. She got embarrassed because someone saw her performing a suplex. She was a great wrestler in high school, but she always insisted on using a suplex on me whenever I didn’t do anything…”


He gets up from the floor.


Dag: “How am I gonna clean this glass up…?”


Dillon: “I could do it, doesn’t look too bad anyway. You should go rest, looks like you took a real hard hit to your back…”


Dag: “I may be an old man, but that doesn’t mean I’m fragile. Actually, that hit popped a bad joint back in place, so I feel better now. Hey, do you have a car right now?”


Dillon: “Not yet, but I think 3 cars are coming tomorrow on a flatbed truck for me.”


Dag throws Dillon a small object. When Dillon catches it, he sees it’s a key to a Ford of some sort…


Dag: “There’s a Taurus SHO downstairs. Use that for now, and don’t break it.”


Dillon: “Thanks, and do you mind if I take Steel with me? I have to go to California to get something, and I heard he’s from there, so…”


Dag: “You can take him, but you have to find him. I bet you he’s hiding in the bed of his SSR now. But remember, Dillon. Don’t break my Taurus.”


Dillon: “I can speak to cars, I can feel what they say. I won’t break it. I kept that R34 in Japan going for like 15 years straight without anything happening to it.”


Dag: What is this, Car Whisperer? “...Ok, kid. You’ll need to know that the Taurus gets its best mileage at 80 miles per hour, the way it’s set up. Now, I’m not telling you to speed or anything, but don’t be afraid to put the foot down in it.”


Dillon: “You’re telling me that, after I reached over 320 km/h and still beat you?”


Dag: “It’s the cops, kid. The American cruisers here are monsters...The Chargers and M4s can all hit 230-something.”


Dillon: “Alright, I’ll be careful.”


Dillon leaves Dag in the room, finds Steel in his SSR, like Dag said, and pulled out of the driveway in the Taurus.


Dillon: “I’m guessing it’ll be a very long drive to California, so you can sleep for a bit until we get there.”


Steel: “Eh, I need to keep an eye on the engine sound.” He pulls his phone and opens an image to show to Dillon. It’s the Taurus, two weeks ago, completely rusted to the chassis. “That’s what this car was two weeks ago.”


Dillon: Why did he show me that now…? “Alright, then do whatever.”


-----------------------------------------

2 days later, 5 PM, California


Dillon hits the off ramp in a city called Irvine. The traffic had been horrible all throughout the trip, but at least the Taurus was going strong. Steel had in fact nodded off for a bit, but Dillon hit a pothole a few minutes earlier, so they’re both wide awake now.


A few minutes later, they pull into this huge complex, made up of two huge buildings.


Dillon: “You can come with me if you want, or you could stay in here.”


Steel was too busy looking around at the sheer size of the place. Then he read a huge, blue sign. “Mazda”.....


Steel: “Yeah, I think I want to see this…”


After parking the Ford, they walk into one of the two buildings. They got in an elevator and headed to the basement. Once there, Dillon went to talk to a couple of men, while Steel was left staring at two cars, covered by Mazda car coverings.


Mazda Rep #1: “Do you want us to leave you for a few moments?”


Dillon: “Please. I must say goodbye to her one last time.”


The two men backed out into another room, as Dillon unveiled one of the cars. It was a white FD Spirit R with Japanese license plates. It had a front splitter, aftermarket wheels, and a big rear wing. At first Steel didn’t know what that car was, but then remembered what Dag said, back in Japan.


--

“Steel, the kid in the FD beat me. I’ve never seen so much potential in someone that young in my life. It was like a white ghost passing me. I didn’t agree with the wing, though! The guy driving it was a young fella named Dillon, who was distinctly Canadian…”

--


Dillon: You and me have had some great battles over the past few years. We reached the top in Wangan, equaling the man who killed Dag’s father. We even took down the Wangan Devil, and found out who he really is as a person. Ryosuke-san was right with keeping you, but I can’t anymore. Blame the laws, not me. Either way though, we will see each other again, I promise. You have a new home now, and I firmly believe you’re going to like it. See you later, White Rocket…


After that, the two men came back into the room, and Dillon motioned to Steel to come over.


Mazda Rep #2: “We at Mazda take care of our show cars seriously. Your FD will be in good hands. Now, without further-ado, we’re pleased to present to you this.”


They both unveiled the second car together. It was another FD Spirit R, only this time in grey, and with no modifications done to it. There was one big difference though, which Steel noticed almost instantly.


It was left-hand drive, and had American plates.


Steel started drooling and his eyes lit up. He HAS to take this thing apart and build it up as far as he could. Dillon noticed Steel drooling and trembling.


Dillon: Oh boy… Wonder what his reaction would be when I ask him that…


The two men and Dillon head off to another room to sign some paperwork, leaving Steel to drool over the FD.


After a few short moments, Dillon walked out with a signed document, stating that he was the new owner of that grey FD. Steel was still drooling at the sight of the car, so Dillon went over to him.


Dillon: “When we get back, I want you to build this car with me. I can see how much you like it, so I'm asking you to take the body apart, stiffen it, add in better springs and dampers, and upgrade the engine. I heard that you once rebuilt the “Wangan Devil”. So now I want you to recreate the “White Rocket”. Can you do that for me?”


Steel: “Can I do that? Can I do that? That’s not the question you should be asking! You should have asked how quickly I can do it! In a week, I can get this cranking 500 horsepower.”


Dillon: “Heh, I like your commitment already. Dag was right about you. The exterior should be exactly like this car over here, my old FD. The rest is up to you.”


Steel: “Let’s see here…”


Steel heads over to the White Rocket and looks at the exhaust tip, and then casually taps the hood of the car.


Steel: “I’ll take your two-rotor and raise you a turbo. Dillon, when we get back, leave me to the FD. I’ll have something for you the following afternoon.”


He whips out his phone and starts tapping away furiously at the keyboard. What could he be doing…?


With that said, the two left the building. Dillon would drive the FD back, while Steel took the Taurus home. He would have wanted to ride shotgun with Dillon, but knew Dag would have been very angry if his Taurus was left hundreds of miles away, in California.



2 Days later, SR Complex


Dillon and Steel were finally back. The FD only got a bit dirtier, but the Taurus was still going strong. Steel drove the FD into the garage to start work on it, while Dillon went inside to unpack the rest of his things. He noticed that Dag and Aria weren't home. There were also various large boxes scattered around with the name Jacob Wiseman on them. In the garage, there were three cars covered by black car coverings. One of them has “Dillon” on it. Steel gets curious and peels the cover back, then jumps back and shouts.


Steel: “WHEN DID WE GET AN MR2?!”


Dillon: “Uh…. That would be mine…”


Dillon headed down to the garage to see the three cars. He knew what they were instantly as he saw them.


Dillon: “Yeah, that's mine. The other two are as well. Go ahead and unpeel their covers.”


Steel complies and his eyes widen a bit as he uncovers a healthy Acura Integra Type R DC2 and a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8. Oh, hohoho. Steel has a treat on his hands.


Steel: “Hey, Dillon. I’m gonna work on the FD now, ok?”


Dillon: “ Alright, but don't touch these three yet. I want to work on them myself.”


A few hours later


Steel: “Hey, Dillon! Come look at what I have.”


Dillon: “What the hell….”


The car had half of a rear wing assembled, lowered suspension, and almost half the engine was on the ground, with parts being replaced. The body was also painted in the same exact color as the White Rocket.


Dillon: “ It’s only been like two hours!! How the hell did you do that?!”


Steel: “Eh, I’ve done better. Anyways, the brakes, roll bars, rims, and front splitter should be arriving in an hour or so.”


Dillon: “They deliver stuff that fast here?”


Steel: “Well, I ordered it when we were leaving the Mazda place.”


Dillon: “.... I think I’ll go out for some fresh air, and look for some of the back roads around here.”


Steel: “Head up Route 138 North, there’s a nice back road through the Blue Hills reservation.”


So Dillon jumped into the DC2, and headed north, looking for new roads.


Dillon: Man…. I miss the sound of these things. This feels so much more alive than newer FF cars. Even the rear slides out of corners.


About 3 hours later, Dillon arrived back, having found a couple of suitable roads, plus a really good one called Unquity Road that branched off of Route 138. Once he got back, he noticed that Dag and Aria were back, and they were in the garage, presumably looking at the FD.


Steel: “Hey Dillon! I'm done.”


Dillon: “W-WHAT?!”


To his surprise, Dillon thought he was staring at his old FD again. The body, rims, wing, seats, even brake calipers looked identical. Only difference was the rims were black, but Dillon liked it.


Dillon: “I’m literally speechless…. Thank you, Steel….”


Steel: “Hey, don't mention it. All that's left is to fine tune it.”


Aria: “That’s Steel for you.”


Dag: “Nice to see this car again, after a long time. And you too. Welcome to the team, kid. Or should I say, Dillon.”


All Dillon could think about was driving that FD. It had been a good 4 months since he last heard a rotary.


Dillon: “Thanks guys. This already feels like home...”


End of Chapter 0.3

Note: Authored by ruwan1969. Sorry about the lack of photos!

 

[Obelisk]

Shadow Racers: Chapter 1
Back in the driver's seat!

September 7th, 2015
1:35 AM
Route 138, Milton, MA.


It’s a quiet night on Route 138. The skies are clear, the neon signs a bright contrast against the night sky, and there is the occasional rumble of some wayward car passing by on its way somewhere. On this lonely road, somewhere in Milton, is a silver car passing through. It turns off near the local college and makes its way down to Unquity Road. The peace of the local neighborhood is marred by a sudden backfire that sets off the car alarms of several cars down the street. A few house lights come on, but the cause of the noise has disappeared around the corner.


This silver car has parked itself at the local ice rink on Unquity, which is a popular starting point for the serious street racers. It was unusually empty today...The car turns off and a figure steps out of it. The driver is distinctly female, and on this particular day has decided to wear a simple long-sleeve shirt, jeans and a pair of leather fingerless gloves. She produces a bottle of water from the car and studies the tire tracks on the road.


“So that Spirit R guy was here recently… I’m in the right area.” she thinks to herself as she fiddles with her car key. “Once I find him, I can find my ex-husband...and destroy him.”


She jumps back in the car and roars off, the straight six in her car roaring wildly as the tires beg for mercy.


=================================

September 7, 2015
9:00 AM
Shovel Store


An ordinary day in the Shadow Racers complex - that is, for them. Erich and Dillon haven’t met each other or the rest of the team, but they’re all living together. Each one has their own schedule except for Dagurasu. As per the norm for him, he falls out of his bed with a loud “THUD”. Only this time, it’s accompanied by a yelp and metal crashing downstairs.


Dag gets up and cleans up, then heads downstairs and grabs the keys to his Civic.


Steel: “Why the Civic?”


Dag: “Is that really a question that needs to be asked?”


Steel: “...Right, the traffic. Let me know if you see anything odd with the car.”


Dag nods and fires up the old hatchback, and then sets off for Route 138 North. As he heads up 138 in the midst of the brutal traffic, he takes notice of rubber chunks like one would see on a track. “That’s odd,” he thinks to himself, “road tires don’t break apart like that in normal usage.” He decides to head to the ice rink to see if there were any changes in the parking lot.


He gets a little distracted by the road itself, and almost blows by the state police station at 85 MPH...He quickly recovers and gets the car back to the speed limit, much to the chagrin of the impatient Prius behind him.


When he arrives at the parking lot, the first thing he notices is a pair of tire marks coming from a spot in the back. These tire marks were not normal, and looked fresh. Dag picks up a chunk of tire that came off of the mystery car’s tire and then flipped his phone open. He decides to call Dillon first.


The line rings twice. Dillon answers it.


Dillon: “Hello?”


Dag: “It’s Dag.”


Dillon: “Oh hey, what's up?”


Dag: “I’m over at the ice rink near 138. You need to come see what I found.”


He turns the chunk of rubber over in his hand.


Dag: “We may have a major problem here.”


Dillon: “Alright, give me 5 minutes and I'll be there.”


About 20 minutes later, at 10:25 AM


Dillon pulls up to the skating rink parking lot in his MR2, and parks next to the Civic. He gets out of the MR2 and heads over to where Dag is standing.


Dillon: “Sorry about that, had to find the stupid key. So what is it?”


Dag tosses Dillon the chunk of rubber he found and then stands on the fresh tire marks.


Dag: “What kind of car do you think made these tracks?”


Dillon: “Depends on which car uses these tyres. These are Michelin's, and they look like high performance ones. Usually European performance cars have these, like Porsches and BMWs. Although… select Japanese cars of the 90s used them too.”


Dag: “There’s a guy around the corner who hangs out at the gas station in his orange Z. Maybe he heard someth-”


???: “I did, I did! Loud as all motherloving heck, it was!”


A lanky guy was walking around the corner and had overheard them. He had a Nissan key in hand, so he was likely the owner of the Z.


Dag: “What was loud?”


???: “The idiot who came ‘round here in her big Nissan GT-R and scared us all to death. The thing was a boxy design, although I've never seen one of ‘em in my whole life.”


Dillon: “Did it look like this car?”


Dillon shows the stranger a picture of a R35 GT-R on his phone.


???: “Hell no! I've seen those things all the time. And it looked much older than that. If you give me that phone here, I can find the car.”


Dillon cautiously gives the man his phone, and the guy went crazy trying to find the car. He eventually finds it.


???: “Here’s the car!”


Both Dillon and Dag looked at the picture. What the kid pulled up was a picture of a 1995 Nissan R33 GT-R with what appeared to be a widebody kit, and black wheels accented by a blue edge. Dag turns pale.


Dag: “What the hell…A GT-R LM Road version...”


Dillon: “They only made one of those, and it's locked away in Japan!”


Dag: “On top of that, those things are illegal to import here…”


???: “Well that's the car, definitely looked like that.”


Dillon: “Did you happen to see the driver?”


???: “Didn’t see worth a dime. Just tha’ car.”


Dag thinks about something for a while, trying to remember if he knew someone with a GT-R LM.


The stranger looks around nervously and flees the scene.


Dillon: “Something's really fishy here…”


Dag: “Dillon...This is bad. If someone’s running around with a road-legal race car like that, we’ll be crushed like ants.”


He notices a sheet of paper nearby and picks it up. He opens it, and stares at it with a blank face.


Dag: “That kid’s on drugs. I thought this was a note or something, but it’s just a-”


Dag turns over to see Dillon wiping his phone down frantically, trying not to touch it with his skin.


Dag: “-drug shopping list.” He’s struggling not to laugh at Dillon, and crumples the paper up.


Dillon: “So….. now we have a runaway GT-R on the loose, possibly aiming to crush us. This is just like that Japanese team…”


Dag: Which one…? “Did you mean Hajime?”


Dillon: “Yeah. Some new team has appeared and is trying to crush down every member. Part of the reason why I left, but I did managed to teach another FD driver the ropes.”


Dag: “My sister beat down one of those guys in a Blitz replica. I’ll show you...the...video?”


Dillon: “You okay? You look even more pale now…”


Dag and Dillon notice a sound in the distance...It sounds like police sirens, and unnaturally loud V8 engines.


Dag: “...Dillon, those are pursuit Chargers. And I think we’re the mark.”


Dillon: “What a way to meet…”


The two of them run to their cars and floor it out of there, just as two police Chargers come roaring around the corner at the light.


Dillon: “Follow my line! They won't keep up!”


Dillon says out of his window to Dag. Dag is quick to comply, and his little Civic starts accelerating quickly. He turns on the built-in walkie-talkie on their phones so they can communicate with each other.


Dag: “Dillon! There’s a freaking police station up the road!”


Dillon: “Well… pretend it's Need for Speed! Shoot past and don't look back!”


They tear through the Blue Hills reservation at breakneck speeds, hitting at least 90 MPH and wasting their tires. As they fly past the station, with the two Chargers behind them, Dag notices that the station is inactive…


They get to Route 138 and head southbound to try to evade the monster cars looming in their mirrors. As they rip through Canton, the sound from the two pursuit vehicles fade away quickly. Dag and Dillon both realized a crucial detail just a touch too late: There was absolutely no traffic here, when the traffic is at its worst at this time of day.


Dillon and Dag both slow down and then pull over in Stoughton. Dag gets out of his car and flops on the hood, exhausted from the pursuit.


Dag: “They stopped chasing us for some reason. Ugh, I feel like I was hit by a train.”


Dillon: “Heh, I used to do that daily.”


Dag stretches and pulls his light pink scarf over his nose and mouth, then puts on a dark pair of sunglasses to conceal his eyes. He opens his mouth to say something. Before he can utter a word, the roar of a powerful engine cuts through the quiet air.


Dag quickly moves the Civic out of sight and takes his jacket off to throw off whoever it is. Dillon follows his example and takes off his long sleeves shirt.


The car passed them about 30 seconds later, heading southbound. Dag and Dillon both saw it. The GT-R. Sure enough, it looked exactly like the one-off 1995 GT-R LM road car.


Dillon: “That’s the car, alright. Should we follow it?”


Dag: “No. Didn’t you notice the power? That thing is beyond 500 horsepower. You could say I kinda felt it from here.”


Dillon: “I see. Maybe my Evo can take it on later, also I believe that M3 GTR I saw earlier was yours. It can keep up, too.”


Dag: “Not that M3. It’s got 500 horsepower on the dot. If I had to guess, from the exhaust tone, we’re looking at a 700 horsepower monster of a GT-R.”


He kicks his Honda’s tire in frustration.


Dillon: “We might have to think of a plan if we don't want to get crushed.”


Dag: “The original was basically a road legal racing monster. You remember the Ford GT40 I had in Japan?”


Dillon: “That's was you? I heard about a GT40 racing against a Ferrari once.”


Dag: “Yeah, it was that reckless journalist guy I raced against. Anyways, we brought the GT40 over here, and Steel says he’s cranked up the power to somewhere in the same range as that GT-R. But we both know the flaw of the GT-R engine: It loses power at high revs. So...We beat it at high revs.”


Dillon: “I catch your drift. If what Steel said is true, it should hit 9500 RPM. Plus that's where it's at peak power.”


Dag: “Right, then. Let’s get out of here before those Chargers show up again.”


Dag jumps back in his Civic, while Dillon heads to his MR2. Both quietly make their way onto the road and drive casually back down to the Complex.


They spent the rest of the day locked up in the Complex, with Dag still trying to figure out how to use a PS3 controller. Dillon eventually gets annoyed and shows Dag how to use the bloody thing.


Dillon: “There! Your generation is so behind sometimes. Good thing it wasn't a PS4 controller...”


Dag: “Don’t blame me. I had to raise Aria since I was 18. I didn’t have time for this stuff. Now let’s see...What’s this Gran Turismo 6 game all about?”


Dillon: You’ll see what's it about. Could also help his driving skills… “Right, so you want to start with a basic car or one of your cars?”


Dag: “Eh? Well...I suppose I’d like to try a Chaparral. My father loved the things...Do they have them in this?”


Dillon: “Yeah, only game to have them I think. Looks like your sister has all the cars in the game…”


Dag: “Doesn’t surprise me. She plays on this thing all day. Makes me wonder what she actually-”


Aria peeks around the corner with a death glare aimed at Dag.


Dag: “Never mind.”


Dillon: “Right… so let's try Suzuka Circuit first, just to get a feel for the car.”


They start the time trial with a Chaparral 2J and things seem to be going well…


And then Dag promptly crashes the car on the first turn. The rest of the lap is just as much of a nightmare.


Dillon: “Maybe you should stick to real driving… Anyway, you'll get used to it, the car is pretty hard to drive for a first timer. Should we plan some things out to race against this R33?”


Dag: “We need to observe that car first…”


He stands up and gives Dillon the controller.


Dag: “...And strike it down for good.”


Dillon: “You okay again? You’re shaking…”


Dag: “Since when has this Devil ever been in bad shape?”


The End

===============
Author notes:
So, a few things.
1. Awkward, Dag's ending lines are awkward.
2. Photos will start with chapter 1.1

 

[Obelisk]

Shadow Racers: Chapter 1.1
Dillon meets Aria Properly (...Sort of)


Tuesday, September 15
8:00 AM


Dillon had just woken up. He had a weird dream that someone in Japan was wrecking every racer on Touge, and they were driving a 4WD, then flew off to the Moon.


After changing into a t-shirt and sweatpants, he headed downstairs in search of breakfast. He managed to make himself a cup of coffee before Aria came down in her PJ's. She looks worried.


Aria: “Oh, Dillon. Have you seen Aniki? I haven’t seen him in three days.


Dillon: “He must be getting stuff for us to do battle with that monster R33 we saw about a week ago. He was very tense when he was talking about it. Maybe it's someone from his past…”


Aria grabs the table counter, and it seems like she’s trying to control herself. Dillon notices a very brief change in her eyes, almost like something tried to break out. He ignores it and starts to drink his cup of coffee.


Aria: “You said R33, right?” She giggles innocently. “That’s Aniki’s ex-wife.”


Dillon does a spit take.


Dillon: “WHAT?! HE WAS MARRIED?!”


Aria: “Yep! Had two kids, too. Let’s see...Nephew Peter and Niece Alice. Nice kids, but Alexis was a bit too much of a gold digger and took them away when she couldn’t get daddy’s money.”


Dillon: Maybe I should have stayed in Japan… “I guess that explains a lot. But it doesn't explain how the hell she got the one, ONE, GT-R LM in existence over here.”


Aria: “It’s a replica, Dillon...She built that in five years with some no-name mechanic. Now that I think of it, I think it was Steel’s dad. Runs in the family, I suppose!”


Dillon: “Hmm, I guess it does. Speaking of him, I think Steel went out somewhere. Heard the garage opening twice in the early morning.”


Aria: “And that Erich guy doesn't seem to be here either, think he flew somewhere for his job.”


That worried Dillon a bit. He remembered how Aria nearly knocked out Dag when he first arrived, and if it was just the two of them in the Complex… it could spell trouble for Dillon.


Aria: “I have an errand to do, you wanna tag along? I need some stuff for Aniki, and some food.”


Dillon: “Sure, I don't have anything else to do.”


Aria: “Can you go start the white GT-R? I need to change.”


She tosses him the keys to the R35.


Dillon: “Alright.”


She runs off to her room to change, leaving Dillon by himself.


Dillon: She looks kinda cute, like she's 25 or something... Something feels kinda off, though… I’m getting ahead of myself. I promised myself to never check out girls again, after that happened…


About 20 minutes later, Dillon had the R35 warmed up, and was changed into a simple blue, long-sleeved shirt and black skinny jeans. He was waiting for Aria in the garage until she came.


Aria: “You ready?”


Aria came out wearing a pretty small Call of Duty t-shirt and skinny blue jeans. Although it doesn't sound like it, her outfit was pretty skimpy, and revealed most of her curves.


Dillon: “Uhhhhhh, yeah.”


Aria: “Did you start the car?”


Dillon: “Yep, it's good to go.”


Aria says nothing and heads down to her R35, ever the bundle of joy she seems to be. Dillon is still sensing something strange with her, but reluctantly climbs in the car.


They set off, taking a small back road from the complex called Highland Street. It was incredibly narrow and had signs declaring “Dangerous curves ahead!” at the entrances. Aria was driving conservatively, but the GT-R felt like it was about to erupt with power.


Aria: “Aniki told me the RX-7 isn’t your original one, and you had some trouble transitioning. Is there a reason why?”


Dillon tenses up for a second, then relaxes again.


Dillon: “Well, that car was a gift. A gift from my dead girlfriend.”


Aria: “Aw, what happened?”


Aria slows down a bit, as she listens to what Dillon is saying.


Dillon: “We met back in Canada, just a few months before I was due to leave for Japan. She was my age, Asian, and was very pretty. She was a shy girl in high school, always hanging out with her group of friends and never really branching off. I was similar to her in that sense. Anyway, we went out, and I guess you could say it was love at first sight. We used to spend almost every weekend together. We met each other’s parents, and it looked like a Hollywood love story. Unfortunately, it ended like most too. She never told me she was dying of breast cancer, and happened to pass away just before we were due to leave to Tokyo. I went ahead, because she told me to. It was the last thing she ever said to me. When I arrived, I found a white FD3S Spirit R waiting at the airport parking lot, with my name on it. I guess it was a present from her. The paper also said to make it the fastest FD in Japan. So I vowed to do just that, and I hope I did for a bit.”


Aria pulls over at a small parking lot by the pond and shuts off her car. She looks like she’s getting a bit teary-eyed, and proceeds to give Dillon a big, and rather strong, hug.


Aria: “Dillon, it’s ok...We’re all here for you now.”


Dillon: “Uh…. I'm over it now. Thanks, though.”


She stops hugging him.


Aria: “...We’re going to a store near Blue Hills. I’ll buy you breakfast there.”


Dillon: “You don't have to, but thanks for the offer.”


Now Dillon’s sure something is off with Aria. She was unusually strong. That would explain the incident on his first day in the complex...


They arrive at a massive superstore that was busy beyond belief. It appeared to be relatively new. Aria parks the car next to an older, beaten up Impala, and its owner was staring at the GT-R in shock.


Aria: “Stay with the car while I go get some stuff, ok?”


Dillon: “Okay.”


Aria heads into the massive store, and the guy in the Impala gets out and knocks on the window.


???: “Hey! I want to talk to you for a sec!”


Dillon: “Uh, sure…?”


???: “You’re a lucky b*****d, y’know? You get to roll in a GT-R with a cute girl. Thing is, this GT-R and her remind me of a Gran Turismo 6 fan story I’m working on…And in that, I had a girl with a white GT-R. She was a yandere…”


Dillon’s face dropped.


Dillon: Yandere? Those kind of people are deadly as hell. Some can even tear through sheet metal with just the force of their punch. Could Aria be one…? She was acting weird earlier, and I’ve been having a bad feeling ever since I got in this car…


???: “It could just be a hell of a coincidence. I have to punch in for work. If I run into her at the store, I can confirm it for you since I work out here.”


He runs off towards the store to go to work.


Dillon: “Thanks, I guess…”


A few minutes later, the guy comes back out and knocks on the window again.


???: “Be careful around her. She gave me a really bad vibe when I talked to her to offer help...If she is a Yandere, she’s d*** good at hiding the crazy.”


The guy runs off to go collect some shopping carts.


Another few minutes later, Aria comes back with her groceries and packs them in the trunk. She hops back in the car and they spend a quiet, awkward drive back to the complex.


Aria giggles a bit and slips into the thought of sneaking into Dag’s room for a second, and Dillon catches the odd expression on her face.


Dillon: “Hey, I was planning on taking the FD for a spin round Route 138, you want to come?”


Aria looks over to Dillon with a sort-of menacing look, while she pulls into the driveway of the complex. After a short, awkward, few moments, she responded.


Aria: “Sure, I’ll just put the groceries away and I’ll be ready.”


About 10 minutes later, Aria came back to the garage to find that Dillon was in his FD, with the engine on. As soon as Dillon hears the passenger door close, he engages first gear, and slowly pulls out of the complex, head to Route 138.


Dillon: “I’ll be pushing it a bit, to get a good feel for the car. Although it’s been awhile seen I’ve driven flat out before, so I won’t be at my best.” You’ve got me fueled now, ‘Yandere’. No matter what the car, I will be faster than anyone else. I’m doing it for her…


Aria: “Alright.”


Aria seems very calm, but still menacing. Dillon ignores her, though. This was his car, and he was driving. This is what he did best.


About 5 minutes later, they reach the start of Route 138. There’s no traffic at this point, so Dillon guns it up the hill. The FD responds instantly, and shoots past an old Buick on the side of the road. The two guys in the Buick were shocked, just by hearing the rotary engine scream past.


Guy #1: “Geez, did you see that Mazda? It looked like a racing car, even had a full rear wing!!!”


Guy #2: “My cousin who’s into those JDMs told me that there was a white RX-7 in Japan, running on their highways. According to him, that guy’s been beating nearly everyone on those roads. He has a definite aura around him, and he said the guy looked like a teenager! That might have been him…”


Guy #1: “That guy had a girl beside him, so probably not. I have to say though, that girl’s pretty brave to ride shotgun with a driver like that.”


Aria, at this point, was no longer looking calm but a bit bored. Dillon was hitting about 140 MPH on the straights, which on these narrow, one-laned roads was suicidal. He was also drifting around the tighter bends at incredible speed, almost like the car had 4WD. Dillon, on the other hand, was silent. He was trying to feel how the car was reacting to his inputs, where the engine was at its strongest, if there was any body vibration, and most importantly, if this new FD was better than his old one.


Aria: Hehe, this kid is still hiding potential like Aniki said...Probably a well-earned win, even if I was about to rip this guy’s head off.


She glances over at the gear selector and the tachometer and then stares out the window.


After they got to the end of the stretch, Dillon yanked the handbrake and put the car facing back down the hill.


Dillon: “That guy’s good. Feels just right.”


With that said, he casually drove back down the hill, and to the complex. After shutting off the FD, Aria quickly jumped out and was heading inside before Dillon spoke.


Dillon: “Thursday morning, 5 AM. Route 138. Better bring something that can match. I do my fighting out there.”


Aria: “Hm?”


Aria’s eyes go dull and she gets a wicked smile on her face as she figures out that it's a challenge..


Aria: “You got yourself a race.”


Dillon: I hope for your sake it's a good one.



Thursday, September 17
5 AM


This was it. Both cars were beside each other, primed and ready. Aria had gone with her Acura NSX, which was red and had an aero kit on it. The noise it was making when idle served as a pretty solid indicator of how dangerous it was. She’s looking at Dillon and her eyes just look...Almost psychotic.


Both get in their cars, give it a few revs, and rocket out, not needing a countdown. The NSX takes the lead, being a mid-ship platform, and the power it was producing helped too. Dillon wasn't phased. Normally, he would start having second thoughts on racing, but today he was completely focused. After about 2 miles, the turns became tighter, Dillon managed to stay right under the NSX’s wing thanks to his drifting technique. Exiting the corner, he gained much more traction than Aria, and managed to pull alongside her down the next straight. It was now a test of power, and aero. The NSX had the upper hand with power, putting its nose about half a wheel ahead. But thanks to the extensive aero modifications, the FD was still keeping up. The next turn was coming up, the only 50 MPH turn on the route. The NSX braked first, but the FD braked much deeper into the corner, following a racing line.


Dillon: If that's your weakness, this is going to be more boring than I thought.


Aria, on the other hand, only just smiled. She knew Dillon was a good driver, but never did she think he was this good. The race was over, then. She pulled over.


She got out of her car and waited for Dillon to come back.


Dillon: “Why did you stop? Your car would have had the upper hand in the next section…”


Aria: “The race is over, sweetie.”


Her voice wasn’t as smooth as it was before…


Dillon: Sweetie? “Oh. So, you wanna drive back now?”


Aria: “Just one little thing first…” She approaches him and grabs the collar of his shirt playfully.


Dillon: “EH?! What are you doing?!”


She says nothing, smiles innocently, and pulls him closer then…


He’s on the ground with a sudden pain in his chest.


It takes him a second to figure out what had happened...Aria had just hit him in the chest, and sent him flying a good ten feet.


Aria: “So you knew, sweetie.” Her voice has become very rough, and her eyes are dilated and dull.


Dillon: “Ow…. What's wrong with you? You haven't been acting like yourself at all. Dag said you were “normal”. This ain't flipping normal…”


Aria lets out an innocent giggle and then lifts him by his leg.


Aria: “Not myself, hm? Oh, what was it…? That nice college student at the store must’ve told you? Too bad...He was right.”


Dillon: “What the hell?! You’re just like that idiot Kaage. Always deceiving…”


Aria: “Who said I was?”


She tosses him back on the ground with considerable force.


Dillon, at this point, wasn't feeling so good. After the first hit, it felt like one of his lungs popped, and he was finding it hard to breathe. Now, he needs to find something to protect him, or at least take a bit of the impact. Dillon runs to a nearby forest, and hides within the trees.


Aria: “Silly kid…”


The tree Dillon was behind explodes with a loud CRACK as Aria punches clean through it and grabs Dillon by the collar again. As Aria starts to drag him back to the cars, Dillon spots a moderately sized tree branch he could use as a bat…


Dillon picks up the branch with his leg, and smacks Aria’s hand away from him. Then as Aria regains ground and tries to lunge at him, a unknown force pushes her back a few feet, making her fall to the ground.


Dillon: “What the...? Did I-”


???: Don't worry Dillon, you won't be killed here.


A voice spoke inside his head, and it sounded a bit like a young girl.


Aria gets back up and shakes her head. She mutters, and her dull eyes return to normal.


Aria: “Now, Dillon...Listen closely.” She helps him up. “If you ever tell anyone about me, I’ll send you on a one-way trip to meet your girlfriend again.”


Dillon: I think I did just meet her… “Sure, but just as long as I don't get any heart problems in the next few days. That was one beating alright…”


Aria: “And stay out of my way for the rest of the day.”


She jumps in her car and roars off towards the complex.


Dillon: Well, I take back what I said about her being cute…


???: Remember, Dillon. She does have a weakness, but you'll need your friends’ help to uncover it.


Dillon: Okay, now this is getting VERY weird...


The End

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Notes: Who needs 'em?
Yes, Aria is a Yandere.
-Ob