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Alternate Tracks 2nd Story in Rivalry Series	By : kurahieiritrJIO Category: +G to L > Initial D Views: 2560 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Initial D, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 26
- 27
- 28
CHAPTER 27

Takumi examined the pair that exited the antiquated jalopy. The Japanese man pulled a box out of the car and slammed the door hard. He appeared at ease in his unfamiliar surroundings. Of average height, he held his athletic body in a proud, almost haughty way that oozed self confidence. Sunglasses hid his eyes. The Japanese man wore a blue, short sleeved, button-up collared shirt, and tailored cream slacks. His dress style was similar to Ryosuke san's favored style. A carefully controlled blandness blocked any emotion from his expression. Casual elegance described the Captain of the Roaring Falls team perfectly. His hair was longer than usual in the back, while short and spiky on top. Takumi frowned as his off and on "knowing" that began to stream through his emotions without rhyme or reason. Something about the strangers was setting his emotions on the edge.

Takumi's eyes settled on their other visitor. His odd gut deep, and completely unexplainable knowing began screaming that something was very wrong the moment his eyes landed on the foreign woman. An icy chill sliced through his core and slithered up his spine. Singing-Wolf Samantha was a tall woman wearing very dark sunglasses. Her hair was a dark copper, and styled in multiple tiny braids. A filigreed metallic looking circlet held part of her hair high upon her head. It looked like an odd parody of a ponytail. She wore a pale mint shirt that dipped into a flowing lace ruffle in the back. Long form fitting sleeves dripped with lace at her wrists. She wore black pants, and knee-high riding boots. She cinched the weird shirt with a wide leather belt. A crooked grin that looked inherently cruel graced her lips, the only solid evidence that his alarmed intuition was correct. Something about her long ground eating stride and appearance rattled Takumi.

"Singing-Wolf's clothes remind me of a highwayman in a movie we saw a few years ago." Ryosuke spoke in a soft voice as he studied their visitors.

"It's an American style called Night Romantic Gothic, Ryosuke kun. That style borrows European renaissance era lines." Tohji responded softly.

Takumi watched the woman pull off her sunglasses, crossing her arms over her chest without any expression. Large, piercing, eerie silver eyes raked their group. A tawny predator was the perfect descriptive term for the Gaijin woman Takumi thought. Singing-Wolf was nothing like images of Gaijin that Takumi had seen on television. Her coloration surprised him that she was supposed to be an American Indian. He'd seen old western movies from America. The much darker skinned people in those old classic movies had been half naked savages, shrieking, and killing pioneers, soldiers, and cowboys. Yet none of the movies Takumi had seen justified his immediate unease that her appearance caused.

Tohji's expression was sheepish when the foreign woman tilted her head to glare at Akimoto. Her razor sharp smile sent another chill down Takumi's spine. Tohji began speaking slower than normal. "Singing-Wolf san, gomennasai onegaishimasu. I hope you will ignore Akimoto's bad manners. I thought his grasp of your native tongue would help you, and didn't expect him to be so smitten at first glance."

The copper haired woman retained her hostile smile. She spoke with slow deliberation after several moments. "Tohji san, I know how to hit hard when a man gets out of line. My ryōshin would kill me if I did not have that skill down cold." Her voice was flat, bordering upon lifeless, as she answered Tohji.

Her abnormally deep voice increased Takumi's wariness. Japanese women had a much higher, nasal pitch. The Gaijin's tonal range was in the expected register of some men.

"His actions won't cause difficulties with the American Embassy, will they?"

Her expression remained scornful. "The embassy won't care. However, it may annoy my otosān. That is much worse, Tohji san." Her comment held an acidic bite.

"Will you let my baka friend's words slide, Singing-Wolf san? Akimoto does act like a baka when he thinks an onna is attractive, but I assure you he's usually harmless." Tohji pleaded.

She lit a cigarette with a raised eyebrow. "Words, . . . Tohji san? He grabbed, . . . my backside, . . . before saying hello."

"Nani?" Keisuke yelped, whipping his head sideways to stare at Akimoto.

Samantha continued her deadpan narrative. "Then he made a, . . . crude comment, . . . about a perfect handful! He then asked if this, . . . Jewel, . . . was free for a few hours. At that point, . . . I knocked him on his ass. . . . If that's how this region, . . . greets onnas, . . . it needs great improvement, . . . before others visit!"

Her icy monotone slammed the point home. Takumi felt humiliated over the woman's described encounter with Akimoto. The teen could see the huge thug doing something so vulgarly. Seeking to calm his fast escalating dread, Takumi gave himself a mental shake. The foreign woman had every right to be angry he reasoned.

"Uhm, oh dear. I humbly beg your forgiveness, Singing-Wolf-sama. I'm quite shocked over Akimoto's unacceptable behavior. We don't greet strangers like he did. It's considered very crude in our society!" Everyone looked at Tohji as he used the highest honorific with the woman. Takumi wondered if Tohji was attempting to appease her wrath by overstating her station.

"That, . . . is a relief. His actions dismayed me . . . at being on the receiving end of such, . . . obscene treatment." Her expression shifted from a bloodthirsty smile, to carved impassiveness within a heartbeat.

Tohji was pale as he began to point to and name people at half speed. "Anyway, onto introductions. This is Takahashi Ryosuke, captain for Project D. His otouto, and uphill specialist, Takahashi Keisuke. Next to Keisuke, is Project D's downhill specialist, Fujiwara Takumi. These other gentlemen are Nakamura, Matsimoto, Etsuya, and Fumihiro, the team's mechanical support. This other young man is Takeuchi, who knows of your accomplishments in the Iron Will Continental. He's fascinated by American muscle cars, Singing-Wolf-sama."

Slowly annunciated Japanese flowed with frigid precision. "I'm Samantha Singing-Wolf, the Gaijin embassy factions' representative. It's a pleasure to meet everyone else, I'm sure. I'm honored to learn one of you has knowledge of my Iron Will Endurance participation." She waved her hand in her companion's direction. "This is Asada Kiyo, captain of the Roaring Falls team. I believe someone here is familiar with him as he has contacted your team."

Asada greeted them at native speed with a small head bow. "Now that we have addressed Sammy-chan's unfortunate adventure, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Since Akimoto is not part of Project D, Samantha-sama will not remain angry with Project D, will she?" Tohji asked the newcomer at normal speed.

"I doubt it, Tohji san. Although Sam's still furious with the man who offended her, her honor code won't let her hold his actions against others." He turned to Ryosuke. "I believe you needed these, Takahashi san." The tall, lanky man handed over the box he carried.

Ryosuke spoke as he took the container with his own small bow. "Domou arigatou gozaimasu, Asada san. Are these the two videos of the different courses you offered to make for us?"

"There are three videos in this box. I convinced Sam's otosān to take a mini chopper up, and make an ariel of the Gaijin course for the third tape. I thought it might be of additional use to your drivers."

"That will indeed give my double aces a new perspective. I appreciate your kindness, Asada san."

The woman watched the exchange of rapid Japanese with a blank expression. Takumi wondered why the woman was allowing Asada san to use a masculine sounding name as he listened to the two men converse.

"Sam was kind enough to drive for the Gaijin course footage. I hope the new perspective will help you grasp their course. There is a unique technique required to tackle the triple death section that she displays for your drivers in the two videos."

"I'm sure we'll find it very educational, Asada san." Ryosuke san turned and gave a small bow to the Gaijin woman and slowed his speech. "Domou arigatou gozaimasu, Singing-Wolf san. We appreciate that you were kind enough to drive your course for these videos."

The Gaijin woman nodded. "It was my pleasure. May I have a moment with Asada before you get too involved in your conversation?" Ryosuke nodded. She touched her companion's shoulder and spoke rapidly in a different language. Asada nodded, and said something in return. Keisuke's head turned to look at her as she stepped away from the group and walked back to her car with a predator's natural grace. Takumi felt his tension draining as the strange woman retreated. Ryosuke and Asada began talking in subdued tones as the onna returned to her car.

Takumi leaned closer to his boyfriend. "Nani did they say, Keisuke?"

"Singing-Wolf san said she's going to do some work while he talks with us. It seems that she needs more time to calm down before she feels she can give us a fair evaluation. Asada san agreed with her."

Akimoto butted into the conversation. "Man, she's so delightful to look at. She has a great feeling ass too."

"Akimoto, when will you stop being such a rude asshole?" Keisuke snapped which drew the rival captain's attention.

"Come on, you have to admit a body that looks like that deserves undivided attention, Keisuke. By the way, would you happen to have an ice pack around? She did a number on my jaw."

Keisuke gave him a dirty look. "Baka, you deserve a lot worse than loose teeth and a busted lip! Learn how to keep your hands to yourself already!"

"Oh, speaking of hands, am I ever going to get to hand out congratulations, Keisuke?" Akimoto's tone turned sly as he winked.

Keisuke snarled, "Akimoto! Get inside my place so I can chew your ass out in private!"

"Doushite do you want to chew me out, Keisuke?" Akimoto sounded confused. Takumi covered his face with a hand, mortified that the gangster was getting uncomfortably close to revealing his and Keisuke's affair to their teammates.

Keisuke turned on his heel, grabbing Akimoto's arm. "In my house now, baka! I've got plenty of reasons for yelling at you after the stunt you pulled. You've probably damaged Project D's reputation! Tohji, Fujiwara, are you two coming?"

"Of course! I have a few things to say. They don't deserve airing in public, Keisuke kun." Tohji growled.

Ryosuke san, and the captain of Roaring Falls watched Tohji and Keisuke who displayed their anger for all to see. Takumi saw Asada san watching them with an amused twitching of his lips as the group stomped toward Keisuke's home. Takumi trailed after the trio as his boyfriend had requested.

Keisuke banged into his home and vented on his friend. "Don't ask about my private business in public ever again, Akimoto! Are you trying to ruin everything for Project D?" Takumi closed the front door behind himself while Keisuke exploded while slipping out of his shoes.

"Did you two get together or not? I've been hoping Fujiwara would say hai. I know you're really crazy about him. I even took some heat to help you find out if he's phobic, so I deserve to know if things finally worked out!" The burly man blithely spoke.

Keisuke snarled at the bigger man as anger took over. "If Fujiwara hadn't heard me out and agreed to give me a chance, I'd be killing you for destroying everything, Akimoto." Takumi felt heat flash through his body and settle in his cheeks.

"Doushite didn't you tell us sooner? Congratulations! I'm really happy for you two."

"Akimoto, . . . Not another word!" Keisuke turned, and stomped into his kitchen.

Akimoto bellowed after the furious blond. "Well, Keisuke, you've been so tight lipped. I only tried to help you find out if your cute man was open to suggestion."

"Baka, I was terrified Fujiwara would never forgive me because of your stupid stunt! He scared Kenta half out of his wits right before it was his turn to battle. Your big mouth came way too close to destroying Project D that night," Keisuke barked as he handed over the ice. Akimoto put the pack on his face with a sigh of relief.

Takumi felt compelled to speak. "I don't like the way you acted, Akimoto san. You have someone, so it was very offensive and wrong. Still, I wouldn't have realized that Keisuke san was always glaring at me because he didn't want to like me. Saying the things you did helped me to put things together, and understand Keisuke san. So, doumo for your help." Takumi dipped his head out of respect.

The big man blinked several times in a row as he studied Takumi. "Ah, it was nothing." The big man waved off Takumi's grudging acknowledgment. "Just so you know, Fujiwara kun, Keisuke ni's never been a basket case about anyone before you. He Really loves you."

Takumi smiled as he saw his boyfriend's unsettled expression. "Doumo. I'll keep that in mind, Akimoto san."

"Call me kun, or just my name, Fujiwara. You're part of the family now. So Keisuke, when will you tell everyone the good news?"

Keisuke grumbled, "We aren't going to announce anything to anyone, so keep your big mouth shut! Aniki and Kenta figured things out, but Fujiwara doesn't like anyone knowing about us seeing each other."

Akimoto demanded, "Doushite? I'd be telling the whole world that I'd found my perfect squeeze if I was in your shoes."

"We're not flaunting our relationship because Fujiwara isn't comfortable with the idea, Akimoto! So, keep your mouth shut!"

Tohji interrupted, "Enough, Aki. Let it go. Doushite did you ignore my warning to leave that onna alone? Her otosān's far more lethal than Samantha san."

"Well, I was expecting a brawny looking woman. She doesn't look like the bodyguard type. I can hold my own with anyone in a one on one fight, even her otosān."

"Wrong! Singing-Wolf-sama has a terrifying reputation. Even our government's most accomplished professionals respect him. He'd eat you and Keisuke both simultaneously, and barely register the two of you as having been opponents, Aki kun!"

"Nani? Akimoto and I aren't exactly easy to beat, Tohji."

"Keisuke kun, Samantha's otosān is a professional assassin killer. He's a bodyguard and embassy driver between real jobs. An elite group of known experts in assassinating top-level government officials targeted our Prime Minister a few years ago. Someone tipped our government off in time, but had trouble uncovering the actual assassins. His government deployed Singing-Wolf on our Prime Minister's behalf. He found and killed all three of the assassins within a week of arriving in Japan! Our Prime Minister arranged a formal high tea with fan dances for him out of gratitude. He was so smitten with the interpreter at the party that our Prime Minister requested that Singing Wolf Russell move here permanently so he could marry the onna."

"I really don't want to tangle with someone like that." Keisuke agreed with a sour expression.

Akimoto conceded, "Sounds like her Oyaji's got some good moves."

"Che. You're the touchiest damned baka alive! Even Shinsei says the poorest and least educated Americans aren't nearly as obnoxious as you. You don't have any excuse for how you acted today, Akimoto!"

"I'm not making any excuses over being a sex addict, Keisuke ni. To be honest, Shinsei's still more comfortable around me than other pureblood Japanese, even if I do annoy him sometimes."

Akimoto's blunt admission shocked Takumi. He watched as Keisuke paced his living room. "Doushite did you send this baka, Tohji? You should have sent me instead. This really could screw up Project D's reputation!"

"I sent Akimoto because he likes speaking English, Keisuke kun." He turned to glare at Akimoto. "Asada san, her companion is dangerous too, Aki. Don't anger someone with the connections Asada has. His ojīsan is the head of the Yakuza factions inside Tokyo Prefecture. His otosān runs the pure Samurai lore and etiquette-trained faction that act as bodyguards for some of our diplomats oversees!"

"How do you know so much about him, baby?" Akimoto asked Tohji.

"It's easy to find out about a twenty-seven-year-old with that much wealth and power, Aki! Asada's lover is a shipping tycoon that collects ultra rare cars. Inoue wants Singing-Wolf's car, despite it looking like junk. The latest gossip to hit the streets claims that the factory's blunder makes her muscle car the only one of it's kind, and Inoue only collects ultra rare automobiles. He can easily afford to have the car restored to factory specs and place it in his private museum."

"So the guy outside is filthy rich, gay, and blood related to an organized crime overlord?" Keisuke gave Akimoto an even darker look.

"Asada's part of the Samurai branch of Yakuza, which is different from the mainstream crime syndicate. He's the watchdog for the pass that Project D may compete at in a couple of weeks. His immediate underlings are the ones who keep the peace between Gaijin, and native street racers. Samantha-sama's probably working on one of Inoue's collectible cars since she mentioned work."

"Matte. She's working on a really rare car?"

"Probably. Samantha san works part time as a relief guard for the Embassy because her government demanded it of her. She's a genuine obsessive compulsive workaholic. Her real passion is her garage business that does repairs, full restoration, and customization of cars. The gossip is that our government allows her to import parts that other garages can't out of courtesy for the American Embassy, and her otosān. My studio had her install heavy reinforcements in our stunt cars because she's top notch."

"You mean whoever works for her is top notch, don't you?"

"She's the top mechanic, Keisuke kun. It doesn't matter how bad a shape a car's in, she can fix it. The American car outside was little more than damaged and rusting steel until she rebuilt it."

"I wouldn't mind working with a babe like her every day." Akimoto winced as he held the ice pack on his sore jaw. "Then again, I'd probably lose my gold teeth from that onna's punches."

"Sammy-sama doesn't like very many men. I'm sure she'd turn one of her blow torches on your naughty boy bits to remove them from her misery, Aki kun." Takumi could not hold back his chortle at Tohji's quip. He heard Keisuke snicker also.

"Hey, I grow on people, baby, and you know it."

Keisuke answered. "It takes time for people to get past their fear, or annoyance before you can grow on them, baka. Your lack of self control makes you lots of enemies, and starts meaningless fights, Akimoto."

"True. However, even you stopped throwing down with me after a while, Keisuke."

"Neither one of us ever clearly won. Stale mates get old, Akimoto."

"The punk kid from junior high who dared to take on the senior classman with a hard delinquent record from a different school. Kami-sama, those days were the best." Akimoto winced when he smiled.

Keisuke chuckled as he looked at the big brute. "That was a long time ago, Akimoto. I haven't minded changing direction. Maybe you should give it a try."

"Actually he was mellowing out, Keisuke kun. Narise's company sent her to China for six months. She left two weeks ago. Akimoto's been, . . . a bit, . . . overwhelming, . . . since she left."

"So, you're being a baka because you're pissed at your girlfriend?"

"I'm not mad at Narise, Keisuke. She's not here to yank my ear and tell me to behave is all. I kind of miss it."

"Che. Sounds like Narise is good for you, Akimoto. Plus she must've been giving Tohji plenty of backup to make you behave."

"Keisuke san, shouldn't we see if the Gaijin representative has calmed down yet?" Takumi asked.

"Hai. We should get back. Stay out of sight, Akimoto. Aniki should have things under control by now. Don't blow things for Project D a second time."

Akimoto nodded in answer. Takumi followed Keisuke back to their team's location beside the antique American car. A mild twinge of dread slithered through Takumi's body as his eyes found the foreign woman's position. His odd knowing centered on a nebulous feeling he could not completely comprehend. A borderline foreboding tightened in his chest, almost cutting off his ability to breathe. Something was about to happen around this strange woman. Whatever it was, Takumi knew things were going to be very unpleasant.

Keisuke stopped beside Ryosuke san. "Aniki, nan da?"

Ryosuke answered in a soft voice. "Asada san told Singing-Wolf about your reaction to Akimoto's crudity, Otouto. It helped her calm down and put us in a more favorable light. Since she's calmed considerably, we have been talking to her for the last few minutes. Asada san has gotten her into discussing several alterations for an Avtech Vector Roadster."

Takumi looked at the pair standing beside the American car. Asada cupped an elbow in one hand while his chin rested on his knuckles as he looked at a laptop that rested on the roof top. "We aren't that concerned with time, or expense, Sam. Inoue wants to keep the high performance, but has an added level of comfort that easily passes for stock."

"Well option one requires the rotisserie, so I hope you aren't worried about time. Once the frame's on it, you can't get the car back until I can put it together again. It has to be stripped of all the body panels, engine, interior and transmission before I can start the main frame, chassis, and suspension work this option requires." Singing-Wolf responded. The commentary surprised Takumi. Subtle changes had happened to the onna's voice. It was still methodical and slow, yet there was a new liveliness to her speech.

Ryosuke spoke to the pair that hovered over the computer. "Sammy san, you considered diverse ways to tackle the problem. Your mechanical knowledge is quite impressive."

The woman glanced at Ryosuke. "I love working with my hands. I also love cars, so want to do right by the machine. When you want to soften a super stiff racing frame's ride, there are set modifications for the problem. A crop and chop for adding inserts that turn the main frame into a shock absorber requires a fair amount of welding and metal work, but keeps the vehicle stock in the purest sense of the term. You can alter the front and rear ends to make room for extreme modifications to the suspension, and undercarriage. It requires cropping the inner fender wells to provide extra room to add parts. The last option is to strip the interior completely and replace it with shock absorbing seats and other cushioning agents that are anything but stock. All three options will affect the performance, but option two allows for most diverse performance modifications. Option two can even improve handling if it's done correctly."

Ryosuke spoke again with a thoughtful expression. "All are good points. However, you're going over different time frames, and in depth descriptions of how to do the modifications. You've used that software to explain each step. I've never seen anything like it before. Where did you get it?"

"Three-D Auto Blueprints comes from my country. I can buy it because of my business license."

Takumi hid a smile at Ryosuke san's startled reaction. "You own a company?"

"Hai. Wild Child Triple R's my custom garage chain franchise in America. My main shop's in the United States. I opened a branch here since my country sent me here to serve as a relief guard and backup chauffeur for the Tokyo Embassy. The Wild Child Triple R garage chain has a total of five franchised branches in the United States. The Wild Child chain does specs perfect restoration on antiques, racing upgrades, customization, and normal repairs. They designed this blueprinting software to give visuals of upgrades before actual work begins."

"That's impressive. Is this software database oriented?" Ryosuke san asked with obvious interest.

"Hai. The program lists several hundred cars with assembly line specs built into the main program. Most of the cars are from the nineteen forties through the early seventies, and American models dominate the base line. I can get model updates on additional disks every year. Different disks go into American, European, or Japanese new model releases that America imports. Each disk focuses on a specific automotive region. I have four European regions on disk which covers one hundred car models each. Each regional disk also lists dealers, manufacturers, and other information to make purchasing parts for that region's automobiles easier for the garage. I have two disks that feature American-sold Japanese cars with me."

"Do they sell Mazdas in America?"

"Sure do. Which ones are you interested in?" Samantha grabbed her computer bag and pulled out several CD-ROMS. She opened a case, and popped it into the laptop.

"Do you have FC-3S or FD-3S models in your database?"

"Uhm, I'm not familiar with those names. Let me guess, . . . using the chassis tags?" Samantha frowned as she answered.

Asada snickered. "Hai, Sam. FC-3S is the RX-7 Savanna edition. FD-3S is the RX-7 Efini." He pointed to Ryosuke's white FC as he explained. "The white car is the FC-3S."

"I know what a Savanna looks like, Kiyo! When there's multiple body styles listed as a make or model, I even know their style acronyms and editions most of the time. Mazda dealerships have sold the silver car in America as the RX-7 GSL-SE Turbo I. This database doesn't use chassis tags because it came from America! How often do I have to remind you of that? Mazda has not offered the yellow Mazda parked beside it in my country. They would have marketed it probably as the RX-7 GSL-SE Turbo II had Mazda exported it to my nation." She began to type information into the computer.

Takumi interrupted, "Matte. America renames our cars?"

The woman continued to scroll through information. "Always. I found out that Japan calls the car my country calls Corolla, Trueno, or Levin here. Had Toyota sold it as a Trueno in my nation, the company would have suffered massive losses. We have the Grand Torino classic still ripping up the drag strips. Core car freaks would have tried to burn down dealerships that had Toyotas for insulting Ford's Torino."

Keisuke asked, "What kind of insult do you refer to, Sammy san?"

"The Grand Torino is an old school classic, big block engine muscle car. The Trueno-Levin, or Corolla, as America calls that car, has a small engine in a light weight compact body better suited to economy. Torinos are road pounding, heavy weight, hard-hitting, big block, gas hogs that shred the quarter mile tracks in my country. Nissan's Skyline GT-R was a complete failure in some parts of my country because of an American manufactured muscle car classic by Pontiac. The Name was very close to the Pontiac GTO. Buick's Skylark was an economy priced muscle car also built in America. Parts of America flat refused to accept the Japanese Skyline GT-R because of the name. We import almost every kind of car ever built across the world. When Nissan didn't rename the car, it didn't sell in some regions. Other Nissan models also suffered in the same regions because of the perceived insult to American made classic cars. Car fanatics in America hold severe grudges."

"The name Trueno, and Torino are kind of close." Fujiwara scratched his head as he looked at his hachi roku. "It still seems strange that people would refuse to buy cars over something that lame. Would you help me understand the reason Americans would decide to act that way?"

Singing Wolf changed topics. "Found your white RX-7. So which options does your car have?" She prompted.

Ryosuke raised an eyebrow at her question and stepped to her shoulder. "How do you slow the scroll rate? I can read English, if this scroll rate is slowed."

Samantha san moved her hands across the keyboards. She moved out of the way so Ryosuke could read over the parts listed. Fumihiro stepped beside Ryosuke. Matsimoto stopped on his other side to check out the information. The trio spoke in soft tones that Takumi could not hear clearly.

"As to your question, uhm, what was your name again?"

"Fujiwara Takumi des." He dipped his head in respect.

"It boils down to Americans being very obsessed with cars. We hate mistaking different street machines because we attach names to identities. Would you want someone to tell a friend you were driving an economy car when you own monster machine that can exceed one hundred miles an hour in four seconds after a few tweaks and upgrades? Those kinds of mistakes cause serious trouble in my nation's street scene. As a Corolla, the Trueno-Levin enjoys notoriety among the rodeo crowd, but isn't on the drag-strips where it can't compete."

"Rodeo crowds?" Keisuke frowned.

"Rodeo is a driving sport similar to our Gymkhana, only taken to greater extremes. High speed precision handling is rodeo's main focus. Drivers make hard turns around big barrels, and tall poles in set patterns at a minimal set speed that they can exceed, but not drop below to remain competitive. If they drop below the minimum speed, they're disqualified. The car's bumper distance from the barrels, or poles get measured with the help of laser equipment, and flash photography that gets run through a computer program to measure distances between each run. Judges combine the distances from the obstacles with a driver's times to decide winners. Civics are also popular in Rodeo because they are responsive, and light weight. Their wheel hop problem is desirable to the rodeo crowd. Big block muscle cars are hard to maneuver in tight patterns because they're so heavy and require extreme modifications to compete. Their multiple ton weight drags the vehicle out mid-turn, which costs the driver points." Asada explained the sport.

Ryosuke san interrupted, "I'm amazed at the different options Americans have for modifications. Mazda has really gone all out for Americans. Most of these optional parts are unheard of here."

"American or European companies make most of those parts, Ryosuke san. That's the bulk of the list you're reading. Mazda never offered the parts here because Japanese manufacturers don't make them. Most Japanese companies refuse to import after market designs, or retro fit parts. Foreign parts cut into their profits." Samantha supplied.

Ryosuke moved aside to allow others to view the software. Fumihiro began to read to Kenta and Itsuke as they came forward to investigate.

Asada smirked. "Americans truly are obsessed with cars, minnasan. It's worth a visit to their country if only to see the many directions their passions take. I've seen cars turned into outrageous parade floats. Americans turn others into the meanest non street legal, literal fire breathers imaginable."

Singing Wolf chuckled, "Ford designed the first cheap assembly line cars so average Americans could play with them. Dropping the car's creation to standardized metal cast molds on an assembly line made them viable for mass marketing. By switching to metal, instead of hand carved wood for body panels, replacement parts became available for cheap. If not for Henry Ford, the world would still be ordering a car two years in advance. Owners would still be praying their vehicle never broke down, or the heavy wood-based bodies were really slow to rot. Cars cost more than homes back then. People had little hope of replacing broken parts. The car maker had to use the original broken part to make a new workable replacement because none of the parts were completely identical before Henry got involved. No two cars had identical engine part molds. Master craftsmen had a few concise measurements without standardized molds for the first seventy steam engine car years, or twenty gas engine years. Henry Ford truly revolutionized the automobile's history."

Takumi noticed that Ryosuke san still watched the foreign woman with keen interest. Her voice unsettled him because it was so masculine. Takumi wondered if that was why Ryosuke san watched her. Was he as unsettled by her voice, or was there something else to his scrutiny? Did Ryosuke san also feel the same undefined dread he was experiencing around the foreign woman?

Asada's head shake drew Takumi's attention. "There you go spouting verifiable facts on the automobile's origins again. I can't comprehend how you Americans keep from killing each other when you get into your car debates. The research some American's do to back every opinion about which make and model is the best ever designed is disturbing. You, Sam, are the most obsessed of all."

"I can see your point, Asada. The Mazda specific parts listed on her laptop have option packs, and parts we've never seen in Japan. I can't envision how half the parts named under each optional package would be incorporated into mine or Keisuke's cars." Ryosuke gestured to the laptop as he stepped aside so Keisuke could investigate. Takumi followed when Keisuke motioned him over, and began to look at the images on the screen.

"Custom work is a big chunk of the automotive performance industry. The package deals are for customized looks, performance, or economy. You have to know the specific requirements to use any of the packs. Not all the packages are useful. Let's say you want more responsive handling. You may have to sacrifice something in gas conservation to get optimum agility."

Takumi listened to Singing Wolf's explanation as he looked at the computer screen. Keisuke opened smaller boxes that showed actual parts.

While checking out the parts' catalogue, Keisuke asked, "What kind of custom work do you do, Samantha san?"

"Sammy, onegai. I hate my full name. Hand me a stock car with a request and I fill the order. Some people want their car to look different from the rest, or to do something specific that a stock vehicle can't do. Wild Child Triple R makes modifications based upon the specifics. I've had people hand boxes of kid toys to me because they want an art car. I have to get the right kind of glue to stick the toys onto their Buick to make it into an art car. I've had customers drag two unrelated cars from different eras in on flat beds with orders to put the ass of one on the front of the other to make a custom automobile, or two."

Takumi looked at the woman as he tried to digest the notion. "Are you serious, Sammy san? Doushite would someone do that?"

Sammy smirked. "You mean fuse two different cars into new and unique beasts that nobody else has?"

"Hai. Were the original cars badly damaged or something?"

"Not a scratch on the originals, Fujiwara san. I can't tell people how they should think, because that's not part of the industry. I started Wild Child Repairs, Restoration, and Racing because I love working on cars. It was a way to make side money so I could get my own place when I was a teenager. Never expected to get swamped because of my knack for tricking out, and spec restoring cars. The backlog surprised me when things mushroomed into a small chain of garages over the last few years."

"You got swamped after you won the Iron Will Continental Endurance. You may have only been twenty-two, but you won in the hardest core scratch build A-A-R ever seen, Sam. You made it out of scrapped junk which they stated in the fund raising commemorative. People took notice of your brilliant blue printing specs, and flooded your phone lines with requests."

"My bad boy's still the hardest core scratch build A-A-R, Kiyo. I still haven't decided whether to paint him, although Iron Will Foundation's bugging me to get it done. Wish they would lay off on the paint job demands. I can defend my damned title without slapping paint over the primer coat. I'm always thinking of new things to do to the A-A-R so painting him's a waste of money." Sammy rubbed her chin between fingers and thumb as she spoke.

"Uhm, I'm confused."

"Doushite, Fujiwara san?"

"What's an A-A-R exactly?"

"It's my car. It's an All American Racer edition Barracuda made by Pontiac. So the street tag of A.A.R became the acronym for All American Racer. The acronyms differentiate the car models between Barracuda body styles. There's the Hemi 'Cuda, and the 4-40 six pack style Barracudas to consider. The A body style, through E body get different tags so people know which make and model they are discussing. Plymouth only produced AAR for a few years. The Hemi Cuda line up was a special order option package for the third generation body and is the rarest in the Cuda stable. They produced an average of thirty E body cars each year from nineteen-seventy through nineteen-seventy-two. However, the seventy-three and seventy-four model 'Cudas didn't have the option of a big block hemi. New emissions laws made big block engines obsolete."

"Domo for the information." Takumi nodded that he understood.

Sammy grinned. "You're welcome. Anything else?"

Takumi watched as others spoke up. It was a surprise to see how fast everyone lost their unease around this woman. The teen wondered if perhaps the common bond created by cars was behind the ease with which everyone spoke. Yet, his nagging sense that something bad was coming would not ease.

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Alternate Tracks 2nd Story in Rivalry Series