Okay, time to explain myself. Alright, for those of you who have played the original Tokyo Xtreme Racer and beaten it, I'm sure you'll remember all of the big bosses and grueling battles. Well, seeing as this is one of the only TXR games I've ever played, I definitely remember them all. And...I believe that all this game was missing was a storyline.

Well guess what?

I made one.

This is a nice fanfic in honor of the original game, featuring some of the toughest of bosses as characters. I wanted to show what they might have looked like if you ever got the chance to see them on the game. The main character is actually someone I made up completely, although one of the cars in my garage on the game is named after this person, so they actually are a character in my mind. Also, there are other characters that I have made up myself (can't just use the TXR rivals, now can I?).

Anyway, it's something I've been working on for a long time. I hope you all will accept it. Please note that seeing as I have only played the first game really, the only characters present in the story will be characters I have made up and characters from the first game. Also, the story will be set up like an anime, so I guess you can imagine the characters "anime-style." The episodes/chapters will be known as "acts," and the seasons will be known as "stages." I took this from another racing anime, "Initial D," as well as "Wangan Midnight."

So...how about it? Wanna see?

holy shit hey fett its me torque

Oh hey! Haha...so you're on here too huh? That's two people I know from the forums now! What's goin' on?!

Ahh I hope I hear from somebody...that they want to read my story...

Dude I've been waiting for you to post it of course I want to read it!!!

STOP BEING NOB AND POSTS

Tokyo Xtreme Racer
Stage 1

Act 1 – Severed Ties


There were so many lights that it looked as though the ground had traded places with the night sky. The nights were always like that in Tokyo; the city was most active at night, it seemed. The place that was most active, however, was the Shutokou Expressway. Not only did people use it to travel to and from work, but it was used by thrill-seekers as well. Every night, many people, both men and women, brought their cars out to the expressway, which they called the Wangan. They brought their cars for one reason only: to race.

But not everyone on the Wangan raced for the same reasons. Some raced to become the fastest; others raced because they lost a loved one in a car crash and wished to carry on their memory. But Haruhi’s reason was simple: she just wanted her friend and former team leader to come back with her to the team. Three months ago, Kevin left to relax in Tokyo, saying he was going to quit racing and get a real job. Ever since he left, the team had absolutely no luck in winning any battles. Even she had lost on their home course, shaming herself and the team. The only way she could see to end the losing streak was to bring the leader back.

She searched the expressway for any sign of that silver Beetle he drove. She knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to race for very long. Racing was his life; his idol was the racing car Herbie! He just had to be out there! Besides, she paid 30,000 yen to come out to search for him, and that wasn’t cheap at all! Well, it was the fifth time she had circled the expressway with no sign of his car. The sun began to come up over the horizon, and that meant it was time to go back. She disappointedly took one of the exits and went back to the apartment.

She locked the door behind her as she entered the apartment, then looked at the mirror on the wall. It had been so long since she’d seen him; she had grown her shiny, brown hair out, and it was just past her shoulders now. What if she did find him? Would he recognize her? She gave the mirror a tired and partly frustrated look. She could hardly stand anymore. Her muscles ached as she moved over to the couch and fell onto it, exhausted. She immediately closed her brown eyes and dozed off. Meanwhile, life went on outside without her.

When she awoke it was a little past noon. She didn’t remember her dream. That is, if she even had one. Time seemed to pass much faster in Tokyo than where she used to live. She knew she’d never get used to it. But still, it was nice here. She was glad that her friend, Keiko, let her stay with her. She looked around, wondering where Keiko went every day. It was Saturday, so Keiko was probably sleeping too. And tomorrow they’d go to Denny’s for breakfast! She had to remind Keiko to wake her up. She could almost smell the eggs and bacon.

That night she watched the news. She didn’t really understand much of it, but Keiko had been teaching her some Japanese, so she understood the basic things. She started to wonder why, in the three months since he’d left, Kevin never called, even to see how the team was doing. What if something happened to him? Weren’t there Yakuza in Tokyo? Did they have something against Americans maybe? Did he wreck and die on the Wangan? Was he even in Tokyo anymore? What if she was just wasting her time? Then she stopped. Why was she even trying so hard to find him?

The team wasn’t really that bad off. With Garnet as the new leader, they did win a few battles. No one else was trying to bring him back. She pulled the blanket Keiko brought her up to her mouth. She admitted to herself that the team wasn’t the only reason why she was searching for him. She blushed at her own thoughts, then her embarrassment turned into anger. He never seemed to care about her feelings; only her driving seemed to matter to him. That made her want to give up looking for him…but then she began to cool down.

She realized that maybe he would’ve cared more about her feelings for him if he actually knew she had them. She never did give him any hints to her feelings. Maybe she figured that driving well was what turned him on. She covered up her head with the blanket, feeling stupid for even thinking that. When was morning coming? She felt so hungry. In fact, she hadn’t eaten all day, seeing as she was kind of asleep the entire time. Her first thought was “midnight snack,” but she didn’t want to be eating all of Keiko’s food. After all, Keiko paid for it, not her. She was the guest.

Suddenly, she remembered that she should have been out on the expressway to look some more! She jumped up and fell onto the coffee table. She always forgot that it was there. How many little bruises did she have from it again? She hit her right shinbone on it this time. She held on to the place where she bumped her leg as she hopped to the door. Keiko walked up behind her with her arms crossed. “Look at you! You’re being ridiculous!” Haruhi stopped; she knew it would come to this soon. Keiko was worried now. But Haruhi had to admit that she was right. She was being…ridiculous.

Keiko pulled her back to the couch and pushed her down. “You aren’t going out tonight. You’ll get home around three and then you’ll miss our breakfast date! You were saying how you wanted to go, and I’m not going to be your alarm clock again!” Haruhi pulled her knees up to her chin in a pouting mood as Keiko walked back to her room. Haruhi said, “Who made you my mother all of a sudden?” Keiko yelled in Japanese for her to go to bed before she decided not to go to Denny’s, so Haruhi slammed her head on the pillow in anger. Surprisingly, she was able to sleep regardless of her bad mood.

At Denny’s the next morning, Haruhi covered her eggs with pepper as Keiko cut up her pancakes. As she began to eat, Haruhi overheard some men in their early twenties talking about something interesting. One had short brown hair, and the other had short black hair. The one with the brown hair seemed to have the floor in the conversation. “I’m not the only one who saw him! He beat the Lonely Jackal so quick that the man might as well have been sitting idle!” The man with the black hair calmly sipped his coffee and said, “And you say he drove a red S30?”

The man with the brown hair nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I hear he’s undefeated. No one can keep up with him! I was afraid to challenge him!” Haruhi watched and listened intently. The man with the black hair seemed cool and calm, taking the brown-haired man’s story with hardly any interest. He sipped his coffee again before adding, “This is the same one that Eve wrecked attempting to keep up with?” The brown-haired man went silent, looking down at the table with a look on his face suggesting he saw a ghost. Slowly, he nodded and replied, “Y-yeah. It’s the same one.”

Keiko frowned and was about to tell Haruhi off for eavesdropping when Haruhi asked, “Hey Keiko? What’s an S30?” Immediately, Keiko’s mind went into “car freak mode” as she began spilling info about the vehicle in question. “The S30 is the Datsun 240Z. S30 is the chassis number for the first generation Z. They don’t make them anymore, ever since Datsun was disbanded in favor of Nissan. The dimensions are-“ Before she could go any further, Haruhi interrupted her. “Are they fast?” Keiko searched her head for horsepower and torque levels. “Not stock. You can get many different upgrades and engine swaps though.”

She began to go into the specifics. “Most people prefer to switch out the original engine for a GT-R engine, but the L28 twin turbo was also a popular engine swap for it. Of course, the car is very difficult to control at high speeds. Horsepower was about 724 if you tweaked it right, so it got up to high speeds pretty quickly.” Haruhi looked outside in a dazed manner and asked, “Are they any good today?” The question left Keiko with something to think about. “I…don’t really know. I haven’t seen someone race one for a long time. Like back in the eighty’s. Why are you so interested in old Z’s anyway?”

Haruhi put her head down and closed her eyes. “No reason,” she replied as the two men left. The brown-haired man got into a blue 300ZX, and the black-haired man got into…wait. Haruhi rubbed her eyes just to make sure she was seeing straight. No doubt about it. The black-haired man got into a black Porsche 930, complete with a special racing body kit! That was a serious car! How could she have missed seeing it this whole time?! Keiko saw it too. “Wow, a 930! That guy must be super-rich! I wonder if he uses it on the Wangan?” Haruhi watched as the cars pulled away.

On the way back to the apartment, another question started to bother Haruhi as they drove on the Shutokou in Keiko’s blue RX-7. “Keiko? Who is the fastest on the Wangan?” Keiko thought about it for a bit. She watched the street lights go by as she searched her memory for the answer. Unfortunately, the answer was an unsure one. “Well…it’s been a long time since I last heard about someone who was the fastest, but a year ago…a year ago, there was Iceman. He still drives here…he drives an R32…an icy blue GT-R R32. Last time I heard, it was Iceman that was the fastest.”

Haruhi began daydreaming about racing Iceman and beating him when two sets of headlights came thundering up to Keiko’s FD. Two GT-Rs, both R32’s. Keiko’s heart began pounding; on her right was a huge truck with a trailer. There were only two lanes, and both were filled. Should she slow down? Speed up? Before she could react, one of the R32’s, an orange one, squeezed in between the two cars. The other R32 did the unthinkable: it squeezed in between Keiko’s car and the wall. Haruhi watched in horror and amazement as the car squeezed in; it was an icy blue R32.

Haruhi’s eyes went wide open. “Iceman…” The two R32’s drove past as though it was routine and thundered down the highway again, side-by-side the entire way. Haruhi could hardly breathe, and Keiko was furious. “What the hell were they thinking?! Probably weren’t…crazy son of a-“ Not wanting to curse in front of her friend, she honked her horn to complete the sentence. The sudden noise knocked Haruhi out of her state of shock. Keiko was right, she had to agree; those two were off their rocker. It was like they cared more about the race than their lives!

Is that what it took to be the best out on the Wangan? Insanity? Or was it passion? What makes the drivers out here so extreme? Why would they take such risks just to stay in front? Later that night and into the morning, Haruhi took her own FD and cruised the Wangan again. But this time, it wasn’t really to look for Kevin; she came out tonight to race. But as she thought about it, she knew she wouldn’t have what it took. The drivers around here were amazing; she was nothing compared to them. She felt so out of place. The drivers here were so passionate about racing.

As she returned to the Wangan line for the second time, she began to get discouraged about racing the drivers that ran here. As she cruised along the Shutokou, with lights flying by, she began to grow weary. “What am I doing? I don’t even remember anymore…” Just as she was about to merge into the exit lane, there was a flash of lights behind her. When the lights continued to flash, she looked in her rearview mirror to see what was causing it. It was the orange GT-R from earlier! “Flashing lights,” Haruhi said to herself. “Wait…is he challenging me?!”

Sure enough, the GT-R was tailing her.


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Submit feedback as you see fit. Tell me how you liked it. I'll post up act 2 in a bit.

still epic after the 7th time reading it

hehe. Yeah, and this time it has the italicized words!!!

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Act 2 – The Makeover


Her heart began racing; she knew she couldn’t keep up with him. Maybe if she turned on her hazard lights, he’d think she was a civilian and leave her alone. She switched her hazards on and waited. Suddenly, she felt a jolt; the GT-R had nudged her rear bumper! On purpose! The GT-R casually pulled up next to her and revved its engine. Haruhi did her best to stay calm; he wanted to make her angry, so she just had to ignore him until he left her alone. The GT-R suddenly turned as if to ram her, then turned the other way. This guy really wanted to race. But why? What did he want to race her so badly for? Maybe it was because she was new to the Wangan and he was just curious as to her skill.

Or maybe he was a jerk asking for an ass-kicking.

Either way, she refused to give in. Not tonight. She just wasn’t in the mood. But the longer he bothered her, the more frustrated she became. The GT-R then pulled ahead and merged into the same lane she was cruising in. Suddenly, the GT-R slammed on its brakes, and Haruhi slammed on hers just in time to avoid running into the back of the car. What was with this guy?! Now she was officially angry.

She turned on her highbeams in an attempt to blind him. “Leave me alone! Asshole!” The GT-R wasn’t phased by the highbeams, however, and instead slowed down and merged back into the other lane, allowing Haruhi to pull up beside of him. Haruhi felt like ramming him into the wall, but a race would do fine. “You want a race? You’ll sure as hell get one!” She put her foot down hard on the accelerator, but her car didn’t pull ahead of the GT-R, and both cars went neck-and-neck down the expressway. Haruhi knew her car had a low top speed, and that meant she wouldn’t last much longer like this.

The orange GT-R gradually began to pull ahead, then suddenly shot forward, flames bursting from the exhaust pipe. Haruhi felt almost as though her eardrums would burst as the engine roared, accelerating the car off into the distance. Haruhi was determined not to let him go, however, and did her best to keep up, to no avail. But she kept going, pushing her FD as far as she could. As she sped around a tight left corner, she suddenly saw that there was a van on the right lane, and she was headed right for it!

She quickly slammed on the brakes. The sudden braking caused the car’s weight to slam forward. She missed the van’s rear by a few centimeters, but then her FD began to slide, all four wheels having lost traction. In a split-second, the nose of her car was pointing straight at the wall. Haruhi closed her eyes and listened as the sound of shattering glass and bending metal filled her ears. The front of her car grinded against the wall as it slid for a few feet before finally coming to a stop. Haruhi’s muscles were twitching as her body shook from the shock of the accident. She didn’t want to open her eyes. She had never crashed before in her entire driving career. Now her car was ruined.

She finally opened her eyes and got out of her car to reluctantly inspect the damage. The front bumper was bent out of shape, and the headlights were shattered. Not too bad, but she couldn’t bring her self to get back in and drive it, too ashamed of the damage. Instead, she called a tow truck and waited on the side of the road. As she looked off into the distance, she gritted her teeth. That jerk in the orange GT-R…what did he want to race her so badly for? Just to show off? “What a jerk,” she muttered to herself. And with that, she swore that she’d get her revenge on him.

Around noon the next day, Haruhi sulked around Keiko’s apartment, waiting for the call that her car was finished. The call never came. She sighed as the clock read 12:27 p.m.; she absolutely hated sitting around doing nothing. She decided that she’d bug Keiko to take her out to the Wangan later. Before she could, however, Keiko had dragged her to the garage that was working on the FD. Keiko explained, “We’re going to give you a chance to change the aerodynamic parts on your car. You don’t have to, but I would recommend it…if you’re going back to the Wangan.”

After much consideration, Haruhi found herself looking through catalogues with Keiko, choosing the parts she found most attractive: a double-slit hood, RE Amemiya front bumper, special rear bumper with the red reflectors removed, smaller mirrors, a curving sideskirt, a low rear spoiler fit for stabilization at high speeds, and glass-covered, non-flip-up headlights. Then the tuning began for driving the Wangan. Her 473hp engine was reworked for a much more effective power output of 506hp. It wasn’t the best, but Haruhi could work with it. The displacement of the tuned engine was 874cc. She watched as the process took place, and was very satisfied with the outcome.

She went to the Wangan as soon as it was finished so as to break the engine in. Keiko tagged along. As she rode the Wangan in her new and improved FD, she couldn’t help but smile. It was so smooth, and the graceful aerodynamics made the car so easy to control. The suspension had been custom-tuned by Haruhi herself, and the feeling was perfect.

After about a week, she began to get excited. Only a few more kilometers and it would be ready. The sky turned orange as the sun began to set under the horizon. She was determined to break the engine in tonight no matter what! She would be caught unprepared if she didn’t, and that wouldn’t sit well with her at all. Keiko was enjoying herself as she watched the city transform as nightfall overtook it. The sky turned a very dark blue, and a million lights seemed to come on all at once. Haruhi flipped on her headlights, even though the street lights provided enough light to see anyway. She carefully weaved in and out of traffic as she went at the break-in rev limit.

Keiko looked over at Haruhi’s figure; she was relaxed. Keiko admired Haruhi’s patience and perseverance in breaking the engine in. She also admired Haruhi’s pedal control. To be able to control her speed so precisely…wherever Haruhi used to drive, she must have had to go through rigorous training to be able to do it so naturally. Haruhi listened to the sound of the engine as she went through a tight, downward left. If the revs got too high, she’d hear it and adjust the accelerator accordingly. Racing in the mountains got her very well-acquainted with her car.

Only two more kilometers now. She wished she had some music or something; Keiko wasn’t much of a talker when in a car. She was always obsessed with how the car sounded and how the car felt. Riding in a car…it was like a wonderful dream to her. It was almost too good to be real. It was 8:30 p.m. now; and only one more kilometer. Haruhi couldn’t wait to be able to go all out, just to see how much it had improved. The tension was immense as she watched the distance meter. Almost…almost! There! She began to press the accelerator to the floor when a pair of headlights raced up behind her.

Curiosity overpowered her, forcing her to slow down. “Who is it? I’m dying for a race!” The car pulled up alongside the right of Haruhi’s FD. It was a jet black Silvia S15. Haruhi was about to floor it when Keiko put her hand on Haruhi’s left arm, watching the S15 closely. “No. Don’t try it. He’s one of the untouchables of the highway…the Grim Reaper.” As Haruhi watched the S15 drive on, she suddenly realized that although the car looked stock, it had something about it. A powerful aura. “One of the untouchables?” she repeated as the S15 went up through the junction back to the Wangan line.

She narrowed her eyes and floored the accelerator. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll just be my FD’s first test!” The dark silver FD roared up to the black S15. Haruhi had her poker face on. She felt as though she had the advantage. The S15 most likely had a worn engine, and it seemed to Haruhi as though it was cowering in fear at her rotary monster. She flashed her highbeams at the menacing Nissan, raring to battle. Keiko’s eyes opened wide as she watched what Haruhi was about to do. “A-are you insane?! I just told you not to challenge him!”

Haruhi frowned and replied, “That Silvia won’t be able to keep up with my car! I just know it!” Keiko gritted her teeth. “You…idiot!” As soon as the battle started, Haruhi’s arrogance disappeared as she realized why he was “untouchable.” As soon as it started, the Silvia began pulling away. Inside the S15, the driver frowned. No mercy. Never would he show mercy to anyone. No mercy.

A burst of flame came from the muffler, and the jet black S15 careened around a long left, leaving Haruhi far behind. Haruhi could hardly believe the car’s speed. Keiko crossed her arms and looked out the window in a frustrated manner. Haruhi sighed. “I was just testing my car out…” Keiko abruptly cut her off. “And how did that go, hm?” Then she started speaking in Japanese; half of it Haruhi didn’t even catch, but it was most likely a string of insults, so she didn’t care. Her FD had improved. She made all of the turns without any real trouble. She didn’t really care if she lost that race…or any race, really. Except…Haruhi had to know. “Keiko? Do you know the name of that racer in the orange R32?”

Keiko pretended to ignore the question, but then decided to answer. “He belongs to Iceman’s team, the Speed Masters. His name is Fullmoon Lunatic.” Hearing that name, Haruhi’s eyes narrowed. She would never forget the name, and she would never let him get away with what he did. She came to the conclusion that he only wanted to race her to show off. Keiko noticed Haruhi seemed frustrated, and became curious as to why. “What? What’s wrong?” Haruhi didn’t answer, too busy concentrating on traffic, searching eagerly for that orange R32. Keiko’s suspicions aroused, she gasped and shouted, “You’re not thinking of racing him now, are you?!”

Haruhi didn’t take her eyes off the traffic. She simply replied, with a sour tone, “I already did.” At hearing that, Keiko’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. Now it made sense; why Haruhi crashed was all clear now. Keiko was about to say something, but decided not to. Haruhi was in a bad mood, and when she was in a bad mood, Keiko didn’t like to bother her.

Meanwhile, Haruhi was still sifting through the traffic with her amber-colored eyes. No good; the GT-R was nowhere to be found. No silver Beetle either. She had almost forgotten about Kevin amidst all of the confusion that had been going on lately. In fact, the more she drove the Wangan, the less she seemed to care about finding him. Her driving spirit seemed to be taking over. She was becoming obsessed with becoming faster. She wanted to be the fastest for once; she wanted to beat everyone, no matter how long it took, or even how impossible it seemed.

Her eyes were suddenly drawn to her rearview mirror. She was being tailed…but what kind of car was it? As if on queue, the tailing car pulled up along her left. It was a black Porsche! Just like that one from Denny’s! The 930 drove ahead and merged back into the middle lane. Haruhi didn’t bother to challenge him; she could almost see the car’s aura. There was no point in challenging him. However, his appearance reminded her of that conversation she heard at the restaurant. Was he out looking for that red S30 they were talking about? She watched him with interest. Should she follow him around?

It was almost midnight, and she was starting to run low on fuel. She frowned. Dammit…should’ve filled it up before she came out. In a few minutes, she’d have to call it a night and take her car to a fueling station. She really didn’t want to go though. The black 930 went through the loop line, probably going back to the Wangan line, while Haruhi left the expressway, stopping by a fueling station to fill the FD’s fuel tank before going back to the apartment.

While they cooked their box dinners, Keiko turned on the television and stretched out her arms. “Aah…it’s so nice to be back home.” The microwave beeped, and Haruhi took out her roasted turkey breast with gravy and mashed potatoes. It had such a great smell, and it looked so delicious; it would taste great too! She sat on the couch as Keiko waited for her own meal. Haruhi felt like she should still have been out on the Wangan. Once she got in the racing mood, nothing else seemed to interest her. She immediately started eating, which seemed to be the only thing that could truly get her mind off of it. But it didn’t work.

She began wondering if she should tweak her FD a bit. Maybe make the gears longer, but more close together. Did that make sense? She wished Kevin was there to help her out. He was the one that originally tuned the FD for mountain and track racing. Surely he could tune it for the Wangan as well. She closed her eyes; it didn’t matter anyway because she had no idea where he was! Keiko could tune a car, but Haruhi really wanted her car tuned by her leader again. Someone who knew her driving style well. And with Kevin not available, the only person who knew was herself. Which meant she’d have to modify it on her own.

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See? Even better than the original!!!

That was still epic ! i could imagine it all happening in TXR. makes me want 2 play it now.

Hehe...I just played it not too long ago.

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Act 3 – The Purple Flash


Early the next day, Haruhi went out to the garage and began tweaking the gears on her FD. Keiko thought it was so funny that Haruhi was so into her car. Keiko knew Haruhi when they were little, and Haruhi never showed an interest in cars. As a matter of fact, she used to hate cars. Her parents were both killed in an accident, which forced her to move to America to live with her aunt and uncle. Now she comes back, and look at her! Tuning her car all by herself, going out racing until sunrise; Keiko began to wonder what changed Haruhi’s mind so extremely. Now Haruhi was completely different.

But Keiko didn’t want to ask her why directly. She would just have to find out some other way.

Haruhi finally found the settings she desired around noon. Satisfied, she put everything away and looked at her car. She very much admired her car. Her aunt thought the color wasn’t very nice, but Haruhi loved it. She chose the car because it reflected herself. Looking at it with its new aero parts, she began to miss the way it used to look. She especially missed the flip-up headlights. Well…it was too late for that now.

Keiko decided to go for a drive on the Wangan that night. It had been a long time since she had actually raced on the Wangan; even though she wasn’t planning on racing this time either, she still got a bit excited at the thought of going out alone again. However, the one thing that bothered her most was which car she would choose. She had two cars, but it was for a good reason. She held a great secret. Would she go back out with her old car? She hadn’t used it for so long; an entire year, now that she thought about it. But it was for a good reason.

It was because she felt like she wasn’t herself. Right? Wasn’t that the reason? Or was it because she was just afraid of what would happen if anyone found out. She was hoping to get a boyfriend. What if someone found out her secret? Would the boys still see her the same way? She hesitated opening up the storage building holding her old car safely inside. Her other car, the blue FD, sat in the lot as the sun began to set. She felt as though her cars were people sometimes, not because they have personalities or anything, but because of moments like this. Even though there were no people around, she felt as though her cars kept her company.

She decided to open up the building as the sky turned a deep orange. She took the lock off and raised the garage-like door. Looks like she would take the chance; she was coming back.

Two hours later, Haruhi was cruising the Wangan again. She was eager to try out her new settings, and her car had performed beautifully. The settings were perfect for the expressway. At least…she believed they were. They felt right to her. She was sure that there were some people who could have tuned it better, but she didn’t care. She knew for a fact that she could keep up with the best with these settings. She was also starting to get used to the roads. She found that there were some turns that were easier to grip through than slide through, and vice-versa.

She almost felt like she was just learning how to drive again. She hated that feeling; the feeling of looseness. The feeling that she wasn’t in control. That was the one thing that all racers feared: not being in control. But she was reassured that it would go away in time, just like up in the mountains. The longer she practiced, the better she’d get, and the easier her car would be to control.

As she slid around a left corner, she began to get excited. She felt like a race; she knew she could be a formidable opponent now that she knew the road…and the dangers that there were. Especially with traffic.

She feathered the accelerator as she went around a sharp, downhill left. This was one of the turns she hated, mainly because it was hard to see any traffic until it was too late. As she carefully took the turn, she noticed a truck in the right lane. If she had taken the turn too fast, she would have most likely smashed into it. She needed to learn how to take turns like that at higher speeds. She didn’t want to have any weak spots when she raced. After a while there would be another sharp left into a tunnel; the same turn where she first crashed. She got furious just thinking about it. She remembered that she swore to herself that she’d defeat Fullmoon Lunatic. Iceman’s buddy or not, she was determined to defeat him; to get her revenge.

She had been searching traffic for that orange R32 ever since she got her car back. Every time she saw an orange car, her heart skipped a beat. Why was she so jumpy? As she drove through a tunnel, she noticed a pair of headlights racing up from behind her. She strained to see what kind of car it was, but soon made it out. “A purple FD?” The FD behind her began to pull up alongside her, but didn’t push her to battle. Instead, it continued down the expressway alone.

Haruhi was tempted to follow it, but before she could, a jet black S15 caught her attention. “Stock body,” she said to herself, “jet black, too. No doubt about it. The Grim Reaper.” She immediately began to flash her highbeams at him, and before she knew it, the battle had started. She did her best to keep up, and was surprised to find that she could do so, staying on his rear bumper the entire time.

She suddenly noticed that the purple FD was right behind her, tailing her. Her eyes opened wide in disbelief and surprise. Who was that?! She shook her head quickly and forced herself to focus on keeping up with the Grim Reaper. It was becoming increasingly difficult; was he getting faster? She felt as though she had lost her balance. Her muscles began to shake as the tension and pressure of the car behind her began to get to her. Suddenly, the purple FD pulled up beside of her. It was going to overtake! She was beginning to lose focus and her heart was beating so fast that it was distracting her. She had never been in a three-way battle before, and she didn’t like being in one now.

It was no use; the third car was just too distracting. If she kept on like this for much longer, she felt like she would crash again. Reluctantly, she lifted her foot off of the accelerator and watched as the two cars raced off without her. Whoever was in that purple FD was an amazing driver. Haruhi began cruising as her heart began to go back to its normal beat. It was just too much. She was only used to one-on-one battles. It seemed that would be all she would be used to, unless she began practicing three-way battles somehow, which she didn’t want to do at all.

The more she raced on the highway, the more convinced she became that it was extremely different from racing on mountain courses. She frowned; if she was going to do any good here, she needed to get used to it!

As she cruised the Wangan, she noticed that the purple FD had pulled over. Curiosity overpowering her, she parked her car behind it and got out. As soon as she closed her door, the driver’s door of the purple FD opened, and the driver stepped out. Haruhi just about fell over when she saw who it was.

“K-Keiko?!”

Sure enough, it was her friend Keiko. Keiko closed the door to her FD and sighed. “Yes, it’s me.” Haruhi looked at Keiko, then at the purple FD. “B-but…what about your blue FD? Where did that one come from?!” Keiko hesitated, trying to choose the right words. “Well…this is my first car. My original car. I’ve had it for two years now.” Haruhi felt like she had been lied to or something. She never knew that Keiko raced! “And why didn’t you tell me about it? How long have you raced with it?” Keiko looked at the ground in shame as she replied, “For two years now. I didn’t know how to tell you. Last time I saw you…you hated cars…and racers…”

Haruhi put her hand on her forehead in frustration. “But I don’t now, so why didn’t you tell me?” Keiko looked up and frowned sadly. “I couldn’t…because then you’d see me as someone different. Luckily you hadn’t heard about it, but now it’s too late. I guess I should fully reintroduce myself to you…see…I’m known as the Purple Flash out here. I’m…I’m one of the untouchables.”

At hearing this, Haruhi had to catch her breath. Her best friend from childhood was a legendary racer? “Y-you? You’re…” She closed her eyes. She couldn’t think of anything to say. She felt as though she was running a fever; her head hurt so much.

As she and Keiko drove back to the apartment, Haruhi began to feel alone for the very first time. She felt like she didn’t know anybody anymore. There was absolute silence as they made their dinners and watched the television. Haruhi wasn’t really watching it. She felt like she was in a complete stranger’s home. As she lied alone on the couch, she began to think about things. Maybe it was time to go out on her own. As she thought about it, she decided to go up to one of the mountains nearby for a nice drive. It had been so long since she had been on a mountain course.

She snuck out and drove out to the Wangan, using a map to find the nearest mountain. She drove through the mountain pass at a nice speed. It brought back so many memories. Memories of the team. She missed racing with them…with the leader. Maybe he really had quit racing. Maybe he was really working and everything like he said he was going to do. Man, that bummed her out! Why would he do that so suddenly? What the hell was going on these days?!

Haruhi went through the entire mountain pass, then went back to the Wangan to go back to the apartment. As she cruised along, she felt a sense of dread. She didn’t want to go back to the apartment. She didn’t want to see Keiko anymore. Finally, she decided: it was time to make it on her own. If Kevin was doing it, then she would too. She’d get a job, pay for her car, and get her own apartment. Maybe someday she’d run into him. Like at the market or something. She frowned and groaned at the thought. She was already getting bored.

Then she heard the sound of an engine. It was gradually becoming louder and louder, until a pair of headlights appeared behind her.

Still a win even after reading it at IDW. I feel my Kyushi is dying and I wanted to retrack my comics (the orig. Speed Legend) into a fanfic like this but for TXRD2 this time since you got TXR. EPIC WIN!!

I'll be double thinking about posting it but as for your fic... MOAR PLZ!! (AS usual)

Act 4 – The Red S30


The engine was like a sound she had never heard before. It sounded a bit like an older engine, but it still caught up to her with ease. Before she could react, it pulled up on her right and passed her. It was a red S30! As it pulled away, she noticed something that made her heart jump: the license plate was American! “997-XNE” was the code on it in red digits. The state was unreadable in the dark, but it didn’t matter to her.

Was it him? She had to find out! “I won’t let you go!” she said as she pressed down on the accelerator. But it was no good; the S30 pulled away more and more. Her heart sank as it disappeared out of sight. She might not be able to follow it, but she remembered the license plate. And that meant there was still hope. The next day at the transport ministry, Haruhi looked up the license plate number with anticipation. But once again she was cut down: it wasn’t in the database. She slammed her fist down. Of course it wasn’t in there! It wasn’t a Japanese plate! She began searching her head for other possibilities. Maybe there was someone around here that knew the driver. No matter what, she had to find out who that driver was!

Around noon, she found an affordable hotel room and began searching through the papers for a job. It was a good thing Keiko taught her how to read Japanese, otherwise this would be really hard! She decided to take up a job as a waitress. It had good enough pay. Maybe. She sighed and laid back on the bed. She felt like her life was slowing down. She needed to go back out to the Wangan before she died of boredom.

Meanwhile, the driver of the red S30 waited at a car park as the sun went down. Parked beside of him was a black Porsche 930 with a widebody custom racing kit. But the driver of this Porsche 930 wasn’t the same as the one Haruhi saw at Denny’s. This driver was an older man, with a stubble and short, black hair. The driver of the red S30 began to talk. “Hey Zero…what makes us better than the other drivers here? What’s so different about us? When you think about it, we’re all the same.”

Zero smirked as the S30 driver continued. “Is it our cars? Is that what makes us so much better? Is it just natural born talent? What is it that makes us so different?” The sound of a GT-R filled the lot as Iceman’s R32 pulled up. Iceman parked beside of Zero’s 930 and got out, drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola. “Hey guys. No one worth racing tonight. I wish all of these amateurs would stop clogging up the road…” Zero nodded in agreement, then changed the subject. “So Iceman…how’s your “number two” driver doing, eh?” Iceman put the cap back on his soda bottle and smirked. “Fullmoon Lunatic? He’s doing alright. Almost good enough to lead the team. Still needs an attitude adjustment though…”

The driver of the S30 cleaned off his glasses, put them back on, and patted his car’s hood. Zero turned to him. “Hey Kevin! When’s our next race?” The driver of the S30 closed his eyes and said, “How about right now?”

Back at the hotel, Haruhi put on her small, light purple jacket, opened the door, and turned the light off. “The beginning of the end…” she said to herself as she shut the door. For some reason, she was absolutely convinced that her entire life was going down the drain. But she would’ve done all of this sooner or later.

She got into her FD and sighed lovingly as she heard the engine hum to life. She loved her car more than anything in the world. She began to feel more like herself when she drove it. As she entered the Wangan line, she saw a black 930 leaving a parking lot. What got her attention was the car that followed: a red S30! And following the S30 was…Iceman. But she didn’t care. She wouldn’t let that S30 get away again! She put the pedal to the floor and caught up with Iceman. In his R32, Iceman chuckled as he saw the silver FD in his rearview mirror. “You think you’ve got what it takes to keep up with us? Let’s see you try!”

Suddenly, it became a four-way battle as the cars weaved through the traffic in a graceful manner. At least…the three in front did. Haruhi, however, was having a hard time navigating the traffic, and got nervous when going around corners. But she was determined not to lose sight of the S30, no matter what. She switched to the right lane to pass a truck to her left, then merged into the left lane in order to pass a van on her right. She was improving, but she was still unable to keep up on the straights. Meanwhile, Iceman took a glance into his rearview mirror to see the silver FD falling behind. He slipped past a truck, nearly clipping the side, and flew through a long left before braking lightly for another, harder left.

It was almost routine for him. No one could truly race with the best unless they’ve learned the road. He floored it on the long straight, weaving through the traffic. A right corner was next. He set his car up on the outside. Then he cut inside through the corner, nearly clipping the inside wall. Then he went back to the outside, ready for the S-turns ahead.

Haruhi, meanwhile, was still struggling, dreading the S-turns that were coming. Iceman went into the inside and hit his brakes, anticipating the left turn. Haruhi saw this as an opportunity, and took the outside lane. From then on, her instincts from mountain racing took over. She came out of the turn side-by-side with Iceman, then drifted through the next turn, cutting Iceman off and overtaking him. Then she did a weight shift to slide around the sudden right turn. After that, she floored it down the long, uphill straight, catching up with the black 930 and the red S30, with Iceman right on her rear bumper.

She knew she was done for. Next was the hard, downhill left where you couldn’t see traffic very well. It was one of the turns she had yet to master. She slammed on her brakes, praying that the car would respond the way she wanted. It didn’t. She had gone in too fast, and the FD did the worst possible thing a car could do in a ninety-degree turn: it understeered. She began to panic, holding down the brakes and turning the wheel as hard as she could, but the car didn’t respond. Iceman quickly passed her on the outside as she headed for the outer wall.

At the last second, the tires of Haruhi’s FD registered grip. But it was too late. The right corner of her front bumper smashed into the wall, and the rear tires lost their grip, sliding out until her car was completely facing the wall. Luckily, the bump pushed her car away from the wall, and the damage to the corner of the front bumper was all there was this time as the car slid to a stop, sideways on the road. She slammed her fist on the wheel, causing the horn to sound. Would she ever get to see the driver of the red S30? How were they able to go so fast anyway? What did they do that was so different? Why couldn’t she keep up with them?! She watched as their taillights disappeared into the distance.

The next day, she sent her car for repairs and reported for her first day on the job as a waitress for a fancy restaurant. For her first day, it was mostly training. Around 7:30 p.m., she was told to give it a shot on her own. As she waited on a table near the windows, she saw three familiar cars pull up: Iceman’s R32, the black 930, and the red S30! What were they doing here?! Why would they be coming to a fancy restaurant like this? Before she could panic, the R32 and the S30 pulled away, but the 930 stayed, taking a parking space.

The driver entered the restaurant. To Haruhi’s surprise, it was an older man. She was expecting the younger man from Denny’s that one morning. He walked in with his hands in his pockets, eyes closed. Apparently he had been in here before in order to be able to walk through without looking. Finally, he opened his eyes, revealing black jewels, as he approached Haruhi. “Ah,” he said, “the new girl, huh?” Haruhi stammered, unsure of what to say exactly. “U-uh…yeah. Yes! Yes sir!” The man chuckled and gave her a pat on the head. “You’re a cute one, aren’t ya?” He turned and walked to the back and went into the room marked for the manager, closing the door behind him.

Haruhi was dumbstruck for a split second before finally understanding. He was the owner of the restaurant! No wonder he had a Porsche! Suddenly her luck had completely turned around! This guy could tell her who the driver of the red S30 was! She smiled as she got back to work. In a good mood at last!

At midnight, the restaurant closed down, and Haruhi waited for the owner to come out. As he walked toward his car, Haruhi ran after him. “Wait! Excuse me! Sir?” As she ran up to him, he turned around. He smiled when he saw that it was Haruhi. “Oh, it’s you! What do you need?”

Hesitantly, she began to speak. “I…I was hoping…” she shyly began, fiddling with her fingers. “I was hoping you could introduce me…” The man raised an eyebrow as Haruhi stammered, trying to force herself to talk. “ Would you introduce me to the driver of that red S30? Sir?” The man was surprised by Haruhi’s question. “Hm? Why do you want to meet him?” Haruhi looked down at the ground, unable to answer the question. The man smirked and asked, “What’s your name, young lady?” The question caught her off-guard, but she was able to reply. “Haruhi. It’s Haruhi, sir.” The man held out his hand, and Haruhi hesitantly shook it.

He then said, “My name is Zero. I’m sure I could introduce you to my good friend. Come along.” He gestured her to the passenger’s side of the Porsche.

bravo!! a good read. its really drawing me in.

carry on!!!!!!!!

Act 5 – Reunion


Before she knew it, Haruhi was in the passenger’s seat of the black 930, cruising the Wangan. Zero turned and went into a parking lot near Rainbow Bridge, dimly lit by the street lights. There was no one else around as he parked. Haruhi sat in the passenger seat of the 930 and looked around. Zero got out and walked over to a soda machine to buy a Diet Pepsi. Haruhi didn’t move from her spot. It seemed like they waited forever before three cars rolled up: Iceman’s R32, the red S30…and Full Moon Lunatic’s orange R32! They all parked in their own spaces. Full Moon Lunatic got out first and strolled over to Zero. “Hey, old man! What’s going on?”

Then he glanced over at the 930…and saw Haruhi. “What what whaaat?!” He smirked as he walked over to the black 930. “What is this? Zero! I didn’t know you were interested in younger women!” Zero frowned at the remark and replied, “How many times do I have to tell you to respect your elders, boy? She just wants to meet someone.” Iceman got out of his car and said, “Leave him alone, F.L.. I’m not having the Speed Masters run by some jerk while I’m gone…” Full Moon Lunatic frowned and looked away as the driver of the red S30 got out. Haruhi blushed, unable to look at him.

Finally, she looked up, and took a deep breath. No doubt about it. It was him. Her former leader…Kevin. He hadn’t changed at all. Still quiet…still mysterious. Probably still undefeated too. He had that serious look on his face that he always had. No one ever saw him smile.

But that car…where did he get it? Why didn’t he have a Japanese license plate on it? Was he planning on leaving soon? She hesitated; she wanted to get out of the car. She wanted to talk to him again; to hear his voice. She wanted to hear his racing advice, even if she didn’t care about it. She just wanted it to be like it used to. But she couldn’t move. She felt numb all over.

Suddenly the passenger door of the 930 opened. Kevin was standing there, looking at her with a neutral face.

“I never would have thought…that you’d follow me out here.”

She didn’t know what to say. Was he glad to see her? Or was he complaining? She couldn’t tell…but she had to know one thing. “Why? Why did you leave? The team needs you!” Kevin simply looked away dreamily. After a long silence, he replied, “For what?” Haruhi was a bit surprised by his question. She was even more surprised by the fact that she had no idea how to answer it. When she failed to reply, Kevin closed his eyes. “Your final test was my leaving. Your final test was to make it on your own. I take it the team broke up?”

Once again, Haruhi didn’t reply, simply staring at the 930’s glove compartment. Kevin continued. “You can’t go following me around all your life. If you can’t race without me, then stop racing.” With that, he walked over to the soda machine and got a Root Beer. Haruhi wished she could tell him, but she was afraid. She was afraid that he might not care. Was it worth a shot? She had to at least say something. Finally, she got out of the 930.

“Well…I like driving with you. It’s…hard to explain…but…I want to drive with you! Please!” Before he could answer, there was the sound of screeching tires as another icy blue R32 GT-R roared into the parking area. Behind the rear windows was a custom sticker with two sets of sharp teeth covered in ice. In the middle of the teeth was the word “Frostbite.” Iceman stared at the car as though it was an old enemy. “What does he want?” Full Moon Lunatic crossed his arms and watched the car park. “Doesn’t matter. If he wants a race, we’ll beat him like we do everyone else, right?”

Iceman frowned as the GT-R driver got out. He was a larger man, with slick, brown hair, rectangle-lens glasses, and a green plaid shirt. He had a serious look on his face as he walked up to Kevin, saying, “What’s goin’ on, man?” Kevin nodded in response, leaning against the wall. Finally, he said, “So, are you still sliding around the corners, or have you finally decided to use the grip of your tires properly?” The GT-R driver, Rusty, grinned and said, “Doesn’t matter; I’m not going to lose to anyone!”

Kevin closed his eyes and said, “Hmph. Confident, as always…but I guess that’s good.” Full Moon Lunatic overheard the conversation and looked at Iceman, saying, “What does he mean ‘sliding around the corners?’ You can’t make a GT-R slide! The ATTESA-ETS prevents it!” Iceman frowned and replied, “He can do it. He can do the impossible: drift a GT-R.” Full Moon Lunatic’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. “N-no way!” But then he began to calm down. “Heh…still, that won’t save him from a racer using the grip run.” He smirked. “Drift just slows cars down. Grip is king!”

Rusty overheard Full Moon Lunatic and said, “Hey! Up yours! I could beat you any day! Come on, pal! Let’s go! Right now!” Full Moon Lunatic chuckled and patted the hood of his orange R32. “You think you can keep up with my R?! Bring it on, punk.” Rusty laughed and yelled, “I will destroy you!”

Haruhi blushed and hesitantly walked up to Kevin, who was just about to get in his car. She stammered as she said, “I…I want to know…if I could ride with you. I don’t have my car right now, so…”

Kevin knew the real reason why she wanted to ride with him, of course. She wanted to see him drive. He sighed, knowing that it’d be cruel to just leave her after she tried so hard to find him. “Fine,” he said, “get in.” Haruhi felt a feeling of relief as she sat beside of him. It felt right sitting beside of him. The S30’s engine growled and roared to life as Frostbite and Full Moon Lunatic pulled out of the parking area and lined up side-by-side, ready to battle. Kevin, Zero, and Iceman followed behind them, watching the race from their cars.

Out of the blue, Kevin said, “This is dangerous…following them.” Haruhi perked up and looked at him. “Huh?”

No one else knew, but Kevin did. He knew that Rusty wasn’t really all that good yet. He was still getting used to the roads. He was still an amateur…still a beginner. Kevin knew he’d have to keep his distance in case there was a wreck.

When Kevin didn’t elaborate on his statement, Haruhi began to get nervous. Afraid. What did he mean “dangerous?” The battle began, and Full Moon Lunatic pulled in front, blocking Rusty off. Rusty flashed his lights, angry at Full Moon Lunatic’s abrupt move. He went to pass, but Full Moon Lunatic blocked him off again. In his R32, Iceman gritted his teeth. “Come on, F.L.. Don’t let the boy get angry. Just let him pass for now. He’s dangerous when he’s angry.” Full Moon Lunatic continued to hold the lead, going into a left corner. He grinned, glancing in the rearview mirror. “Can you get through the first corner, you punk? Let’s see you!”

Rusty slid through the turn at a dangerous speed, almost grazing the outside wall upon exit. Haruhi’s muscles were tense as she watched Rusty’s car. Now she was beginning to understand what Kevin meant when he said it was dangerous.

Rusty gritted his teeth as Full Moon Lunatic began to pull away. “No! You’re not getting away!” He put the pedal to the floor, pulling up to Full Moon Lunatic. As they went through a right corner, Rusty took the inside and began pushing on F.L.’s rear fender, hoping to spin him out. F.L. scowled, saying, “Too bad, that won’t work. This is a four-wheel drive!” The stabilizing power of the orange GT-R’s 4WD kept the car in line, but Rusty was able to pass. He pulled ahead of F.L. and slid around another left corner.

F.L. watched Rusty’s car closely, looking for a weakness. It quickly became obvious. The car’s rear suspension was set so that the rear came loose when the brakes were applied. Not only that, but the tires were wearing out. F.L. tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Fight fire with fire? If you wanna try to spin me out…” He put the pedal to the floor and grinned. “Then I’ll do the same for you!” The orange R32 quickly caught up to Frostbite. As they came up to the sharp, downhill left next to the Shinkanjo exit, F.L. took the inside. Rusty turned into the corner, and F.L. nudged his left rear fender. Frostbite’s rear tires couldn’t take the strain, and the loose suspension caused the GT-R to begin to spin out.

F.L. grinned as he passed Rusty. “Yeah, bite on that, Frostbite! Haha!” In Kevin’s S30, Haruhi gasped as Rusty’s car began to spin. Kevin, Iceman and Zero were headed right for it! Kevin’s eyes narrowed. “Hm…” He tapped the brakes, then accelerated on past with ease. Iceman and Zero drove around the out-of-control car as well, as it screeched to a stop just inches away from the outer wall.

Haruhi frowned. Now she hated Full Moon Lunatic even more! Of course, Rusty attempted to cheat too, so he had it coming.

Meanwhile, Kevin was having a strange feeling as Haruhi sat in the passenger seat. He had never taken a passenger before when he went on his Wangan runs. He had the urge to do well; to be perfect. More perfect than he usually was. He had never felt that way before. As he took the off-ramp to his house, he felt relieved that it was over. He’d have to take Haruhi home first though. Then he had another strange feeling: he didn’t want her to go. He enjoyed the company for once. He looked over at her. She was asleep! The repetitive sound of his car must have made her drowsy.

Afraid to wake her up, he decided to go to his house and put her on the couch. He parked in the garage, then carefully unfastened Haruhi’s seatbelt and carried her up the stairs as the garage door automatically closed. At the same time, Keiko arrived at Haruhi’s apartment to find that she wasn’t there. She cursed; Haruhi was probably out on the Wangan. She left in a furious stomp to her car, then pulled away, tires screeching. Meanwhile, Rusty continued to drive the Wangan, bent on revenge. He was seriously ticked off that he spun out during the race. He was itching for a rematch. He’d learn the roads no matter what, and Full Moon Lunatic would then tremble at the mention of the name Frostbite!

Back at Kevin’s house, Kevin laid Haruhi down on the couch and went to bed. As he laid down in his bed, he felt a feeling of relief and comfort. As much as he loved driving on the Wangan, it was always nice to get home, lie back, and relax his muscles and mind. He sighed and turned off the lights. Tomorrow he’d need to go back to work.

that's really a nice story. i enjoyed it. is there more, or is it the end?

Yes, there is more. I'll post it up when I have more time.

you know, you got me wanting to do a story like that. I'll cover ITC though (I'll change the story a bit, because it ALREADY has a story about king speed, and I don't want to spoil it), seeing how awesome of a job you did on the original TXR, I don't want to be a copy-cat or anything...

This is awesome! This inspires me to make a manga!