Shizukana Kaze - Chapter X - Left Behind - 16/8/12

"Merry Christmas, Tsukiko"

December 25th - "Christmas Day"

Christmas is not an official Japanese holiday, but we still like to celebrate it in Japan. It's a day to spend with friends and family and cherish the moments you have had throughout the year. Regardless of what's going on that day. School, work, etc., you should always find ways to spend time with the ones you care about most, as the holiday is meant to be a splendid day. Throughout my life, I have loved Christmas, it was nice celebrating with my father and mother.. though, I can only record one "White Christmas" I have been through, and that was when I was 8. Though, today, it was something I didn't expect. It was definitely one of those days known as the "White Christmas".

I woke up at around 9 AM, exhausted by the party from last night. Tadashi had left, but everyone else stayed. Aoi planned on staying, though Aki had fell asleep on the couch, but we decided to leave him be and sleep.

I opened the door, and stepped back inside after warming myself up. It was a cold Christmas, and light snow fell as the sun could be seen shining. I walked over to Kyoko's bed quietly, but she wasn't there. I thought to myself she must had gone downstairs to see the others already. I opened the door, and headed downstairs to see them (and to get some coffee). I was right, they were all down there. Kyoko and Aoi sitting on the couch, and Aki standing in the kitchen.
"Good morning, everyone.", I said, and walked over to the kitchen.
Aki was just standing there in a still figure. He appeared to be quite cold, pleased, and also wondering why he is still here at Kyoko's house. I walked in front of his view and he blinked.
"Hello?", I asked.
"Oh, hi, Tsukiko-San.. When did you wake up?"
"Not too long ago.. why?"
"Um..", Aki said, thinking of something to say. "Nothing.."
"Okay, then. It's a nice morning, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. The snow is awesome, and the sun is an addition to that."
"Yeah, the snow is lovely.."
I walked over to the coffee machine and started brewing the coffee. I was the only one who really liked coffee in this house, so I didn't have to ask anyone else about if they wanted it or not. Whilst brewing it, I noticed Aoi just talking to Kyoko as she stared at the floor. She was probably looking forward to the presents, as she is quite a kid at heart. I walked over there and Aoi stopped talking.
"Well..", I said. "Good morning."
"Good morning.", Aoi said to me. "Rin is being quite quiet, do you know why?"
"Well..", I said, staring at Kyoko.. "I just think she can not wait to open the gifts wrapped nicely underneath the tree."
"Yeah, she probably does. Haha.", Aoi replied.
"Well, you two stay here. We can soon, Kyoko."
I walked back to the kitchen and poured my cup of Coffee. Aki was still sitting there, doing nothing.
"Aki?.. Aren't you coming?", I asked him, as I put some sugar and creamer in my coffee.
"Huh? Yeah, I will. I'm just.. wondering."
"About what?"
"That BMW I gave you. I really didn't expect you to be accustomed to a vehicle of German engineering."
"Neither did I, but, I guess I am."
"Haha. Yeah. So, are you going to keep the R33?"
"Probably not. I'll sell it to a kind man who needs it, probably."
"That's a good idea. There are people who need some nice vehicles out there, huh?"
"Indeed."
There was a pause for a moment as I stirred my coffee and took a sip.
"So, do you plan on doing any modifications to it at the moment?"
"No, not really..", I said.
"Ah, I see."
"When I do, it will be good modifications. Though, I'm not too knowledgeable on cars.. perhaps you could help me."
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Forgetting what?"
"That."
Aki pointed to a notebook lying on the counter that read, "Setups". It was one of the notebooks in the set Tadashi had given me last night as a gift.
"Oh, that..", I said. "Yeah, that could work."
"Yes, it could. Tadashi was kind enough to give you that. Such generosity."
"It is.."
"Well, shouldn't we go open the gifts, now?", Aki asked me.
"Sure."
I grabbed my cup and walked over to the couch, where Kyoko and Aoi were still sitting. Aoi was also staring at the ground at this point.
"Well, we are ready.", I told them.
"Oh, good!", Kyoko said.
"There we go.."
Aki and I took a seat on the couch by them, and I grabbed the gifts from me and gave them to everyone.
"Here you go, all of you. Please, enjoy them."
"Thank you.", they all said to me, pleased.
They all raced to open their gifts. Paper was flying as they opened it up quickly, and what was there for them all, pleased them each. They all looked cheerful and thankful for what I had done.

----

Sorry for the short chapter, and if it is a disappointment. I did state it was a Mini-chapter, though.








​

Chapter VIII - Abandoned
Shizukana Kaze
冬



****

December 31st

I awoke to thunder as lightning struck the ground. It was quite a huge thunder strike, as it shook the entire ground almost to that similar of a small earthquake. I quickly took of my covers and got dressed to take a look at the storm. It was horridly cloudy and the wind levels were high. I decided to stay calm and wake Kyoko, as we needed to get to a safer place. Upon looking outside and seeing how hardly the rain and wind stroke together, she agreed, and we both ran for the door. We quickly went down the stairs, not caring of anything that we were leaving, and headed for the door. I opened it first as she put on her shoes, and we ran out, but.. we were only to be greeted by a man with a gun in his hands. Kyoko and I tried to back away, but she slipped and hit the floor. I held out my hands in attempt to cover her from any harm. She tried to get up and stop me, but she couldn't. The rain kept her down to well for her to even make a forceful movement. The man with the gun just stood there and stared. He was aiming at something in particular. I slowly walked back, but it did nothing. I decided to just stand there and stop.. and before I knew it, a gunshot was heard..


****

7:30 AM

I woke up later than usual today to quite a shock. My dream wasn't exactly the best to have. As usual, I suppose. It is a good thing today is not a school day, though. I looked around, but Kyoko was nowhere to be seen. I assumed she was downstairs eating breakfast or something. I got up from my bed, got dressed, and yawned. Today was the day I was finally going to enter a race with my new car. Of course, it is not rally, but I plan to do that at one point. I looked outside, it was yet again another sunny day. The sky was fairly cloudy, meaning it could possibly snow again later. I walked over to the door and opened it, then headed downstairs. Kyoko was down their, eating cereal whilst watching something on the television.
"Good morning.", I said.
"Yes, good morning.", she replied quietly whilst staring at the television.
"What are you so stuck to the television with?"
"Nothing."
She was right. She really was just staring at nothing.
"So.. we get a day off of school and all you do is just eat and stare at a black screen for enjoyment?"
"No!", she said as she stared at me.
"Haha, right."
I walked over to the kitchen to get myself a cup of Coffee and a bowl of cereal.
"So, I have a race later.. Would you like to come along?"
"Sure."
"That's fine. I hope you will enjoy it. It is quite a nice car"
"It does look like a nice car."
"It is a nice car. Quite strange how Aki's father gave me it for.. practically free."
"He did?"
"Yes. He said it could be a birthday present."
"That's a kind man, then."
"Yes, he was."
I turned back around and poured the cereal into a bowl, and then milk. I then took my coffee cup out from the coffee maker. I didn't let it sit long enough, so it was quite hot, but I wasn't focusing on that right now.
"So..", I asked. "Any other plans for today?"
"Not exactly.."
"Okay then."
"When is the race?"
"Around 11 AM, why?"
"That's 4 hours from now!"
"That's quite far away.."
"No it is not!", she yelled and quickly ran upstairs.
Not having an idea about what that was, I just sat on the couch to eat and watch some shows. I had quite awhile before getting ready, so I might as well spend it to relax and enjoy myself.

----

After about an hour or two, my phone rang, and it was most likely Aki. I picked it up and answered it.
"Hello?", I asked.
"Hey, Tsukiko-San! How is it going?"
"It's, um.. going fine. Why?"
"Just wondering. How's the BMW going?"
"Well, I have yet to really race in it.. I plan on doing that 2 hours from now, though.."
"2 hours?"
"Yes. Why does that matter?"
"Just.. wondering. What track is it?"
"I believe it is known as "Cape Ring", or something along those lines. Why?"
"Also curious.. Well, have a good time there!"
"Wait, Aki -"
I tried to say something to him, but he had hung up before I could do so. It was now 2 hours before I attended the race, but I had no idea what to do. So I decided to watch a little more. I've actually found new things to watch, now. That should be able to keep me entertained..


****

10:30 AM - Are you coming or not?

"Kyoko, we have to go! Are you coming or not?"
"Yes, I am. Just wait!"
"I have been 'waiting' for 10 minutes.."
"Why can't you just give me a second?"
"Please, just hurry up. I would not like to be late."
"Okay.. I'm coming..", she said as she ran down the stairs.
"Good. Now get your shoes on, and let's go."
She walked in front of me and put her shoes on. I then opened the door for her to walk out and left behind her. After she walked over to the car, I grabbed my coat and locked the door. I followed her back over to the car and unlocked it. We both sat inside the cold car, and shivered a bit.
"Very cold..", I said as I put the keys in and turned up the heat.
"Yes, it is.."
After a few moments, it became all warm and cozy inside the car.
"How's this?", I asked.
"It's fine now."
"And the car?"
"It looks quite nice, I guess.."
"That's good.", I said as I put the car into the first gear and drove off.
"It sounds nice..", she said.
"It does, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does.."
"So.. why do you sound so down today?", I asked.
"Down?! What do you mean?!"
"N-Nothing!"
I decided to be quiet for awhile after that, and just focus on the road instead of talking.
"Why did you wake up so late today?", she asked.
"Huh? Probably because it's not a school day.."
"I thought you often woke up early."
"Not exactly. You just always wake me up."
"Oh, right. Heh."
I took a breath for a few seconds. The air was still cold, but warm at the same time.
"Do you want to do anything today, Kyoko?"
"No thanks.. it's fine. Do whatever you would like."
"No. If there is anything you would like to do.. tell me."
"Okay then. Well, I would like to go out and buy a few things.."
"Yes?"
"Yes."
"I will take you to the market after the race, then. How is that? We'll even go out to eat dinner."
"That would be great!"
"Yes, it will. It will be great to end this year like that."


****

11:00 AM - Race

"Attention all drivers, please prepare for the race to begin.", the commentator said as we all stood and waited.
We all got into our cars and did as told. Kyoko was out in the bleachers watching me as I checked my car to make sure everything was working well. Everything was working fine and the gas tank was full. I was prepared for the race, hoping I would actually take first. Once we were all ready to begin the race, we formed a straight line and each of us began driving slowly. According to what I have read from Tadashi's notebooks, it is known as a 'Rolling Start'. As each car passed the finish line, we were all allowed to speed up. Once I passed it, there we went. All of us.



I focused on not who was behind, but only on who was ahead. That's the key to gaining the lead right now. Though, I could slightly help it. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of yellow car that was behind me.



Driving along at quite a fast speed around the fourth gear, I noticed that this was a rather "hilly" track, meaning it is probably bound to having blind descends. I kept that in my mind to keep caution as I attempted to pass the car ahead of me.



Looking ahead, I noticed something not very common. A ring.



The ring didn't look too sharp of a turn, so I didn't slow down too much when I came to it. I only had to brake for about a second or two, then I could press down the accelerator again. I tried taking the inside lane this time to overtake the other competitors.





Once the ring had ended, I completely overtook everyone but the first place Subaru. I knew that would change as this blind descend came up, though.



It was quite a scary descent. Luckily, I didn't crash and broke at the right time. If you weren't to use the brakes at the right time, you would most likely hit the guard rails head on.



Looking behind me, I noticed they were all behind me. Getting further and further as I sped away.



After the straight came a 'chicane'. I slowed down to hopefully not ruin the corner.



But, I did. I accidentally pressed the accelerator at the wrong timing and drove straight into the grass.



When I got back onto the road, I looked behind, and noticed I was still in first. With that confidence, I got back on track as the final turn came.



"Just two more laps.."



As the first corner came, the Subaru was creeping up, but I knew he wouldn't be able to overtake me.





The ring came up yet again, and honestly.. I loved it. It was quite a nice feeling, in my opinion.





Upon leaving it, I did well again with the brake timing, but I steered a bit too much. It wasn't too bad of an incident, though. It was only my right tires going slightly off.



After that came yet another blind slope.



With me being so far ahead of everyone, I felt as if I was only driving this track on my own. Though, I know Kyoko is probably watching in the crowd.. proud of what I have achieved.



The chicane was ahead, but this time, I did quite well.





Driving on the straight that had the finish line, I noticed the other drivers behind me. They weren't as far as I thought.



I tried my best not to focus and just kept on driving. The way this car handled was just lovely..





As the ring came up ahead, I sort of went ahead of myself and went a bit.. too fast.



Luckily, I did not make a mistake, though.



After the ring came the usual blind slope, which I handled well.





I tried my best to not mess up on the chicane, but the winning got to my head and I drove off by accident.



My car went into the grass, but it did not spin. I wasn't going to let something like this stop me.



I was close to hitting the railing, but I did not.



I quickly pressed the accelerator and got back on track. Still in first.



On the final corner, I decided to do a 'drift' to make myself look nice. Who doesn't love photo-shoots?



I quickly pressed the accelerator once it was over and passed the finish line. I had won first, once again..




****

3:23 PM - Shopping

"Well. Here we are!", I said to Kyoko.
"Yes."
"Yes, we can buy some stuff with the money I made."
"Really?"
"Sure!"
We both got out of the car and went into the huge shopping mall. Kyoko liked to go to places like here. It wasn't really an interest of mine, though. I followed behind her into the store. It was nice, huge, and quite cozy.. but it is always crowded. It's rather hard to walk around with all of these people here. I do not know exactly how Kyoko can not mind it.
"Ooh, Tsukiko, look!", she yelled as she grabbed my hand and ran toward something.
"Wait!"


****

6:34 PM - Dinner

"Kyoko, you might have gotten a little too much from this mall..", I said to her, holding a couple of bags.
"That's nonsense!"
"Well.. let's just load this all into the car and go find a place to eat for dinner. I'm looking forward to eating at a really good Sushi bar. I do not go too often, though. It's rather expensive."
"A Sushi bar?"
"Yes, a Sushi bar."
"Sure, let's go!"
"Yes.."
We finally reached the car and I quickly put the bags into the back. Now, let's get going before it becomes crowded.."
I put the keys in the slot, shifted into reverse, and off we went to a really delicious Sushi bar.


----

We finally reached the Sushi bar around 7 PM. I was starving, so I was glad we finally reached it.
"Follow me, Kyoko.", I said.
I led her inside. The place was very nice, clean, and rather busy. Luckily, I found one last empty table, and sat us there. I gave us both the menus, and we looked to decide what we wanted. After about 5 or 10 minutes of waiting, a waitress came over and we made our orders. I asked for a few Eel rolls and Kyoko just asked for Shrimp rolls. About 10-20 minutes after taking our orders, our food came, and we sat there as we ate and talked.
"So, how was your day?", I asked her.
"It was good.. thanks for all of this."
"Well, you're welcome.", I said, sipping from a straw. "How was my race?"
"It was good! You did really well, Tsukiko-Kun."
"Thank you. I tried my best."
"It was a great day. Thank you.", she said to me.
"Well, I'm really glad it was."
"Tsukiko-Kun, I have something to say.."
"And that is?"
"Well, um.."
I stopped eating. I didn't know what she was on about.
"It's okay, speak it. Surely it's not too bad, right?", I asked.
She kept stuttering as her face reddened a tad.
"Well.. I-I.."
"You?"
I had a feeling what she was going to say, but I wanted to make sure..
"I love you.."
"Oh? You do? Well, that's okay."
"It is?"
"Definitely."
"Okay then.."
"Well, you should eat your Sushi before it goes bad."
The both of us remained quiet after that. It was a delicious meal nevertheless though. Eventually we finished and had to go home quickly, as it was a late night, and we were both pretty tired. Most likely because we didn't get much sleep last night.


****

11:15 PM - Run

The both of us got home and before we knew it, in our bedroom getting changed to go to sleep. It was a late night, and I thought to myself that we should get enough sleep tonight. It was certainly a good day. The race, the meal, even the shopping was.. If only every day could be more like this.
"Well, Kyoko-Chan.. good night.", I said.
"Yeah, good -"
She stopped as she was trying to turn off the light. She stood perfectly still and shook very slightly as her hand stayed on the switch.
"D-Did you hear that?", she asked me.
"Yes.. I did.."
We were interrupted by talking men. About 3 of them broke down the door and all barged inside the house. They were looking around downstairs as we stayed up here inside our bedroom.
"Kyoko-Chan.. be quiet.."
"Tsukiko-Kun.. run.. Run, now. As far as you can go.."
"Why?!"
"Just go! Jump off the balcony, get in your car, and get out of here!"
"Why should I leave you here?"
"Just go.."
I had no idea but to listen to her idea, as I opened the balcony door, three men appeared. One was small and slim. He wore glasses and held a shiny hammer in his hands. The hammer they had most likely used to get through the door. The other was small, fat, and short-haired. In his hands he held a Baseball bat, most likely for the assassination of others. Probably the scariest of all was the one in the middle. Most likely their leader. He was tall, slim, and held a Nambu pistol in his hand. They all looked around as I hid and saw Kyoko. They looked around until they found her to their side. The one with the hammer hit her once as the other guy aimed the gun at her.
"Tsukiko.. Run..", I heard her say as he shot.
I flinched after hearing the noise, and they all noticed me. Their leader attempted to shoot at me, but he failed. I jumped off of the balcony with a fairly rough landing, and got into my car. I quickly started it up, shifted into first, and got out of here.. They all followed me from a distance, though. In dark black cars. Seeking me out in the night.


----

I drove, and I drove like Kyoko said to. I drove until I got to the point where my car ran out of gas. By that point, I was in the city of Kyoto, and all three of them were following. I quickly parked my car by a Hospital and ran.


****

11:56 PM - A Risk

I ran as fast as I could. These men were certainly not ones to mess with. When it came to a point where I had no idea where to go, I took a risk and hid under a manhole. I sat quietly and listened to their footsteps as they questioned where I had gone.
"Where is he?!", the glasses wearing one had said.
"Where do you think he has gone, idiot? You let him get away!", said the other with the short hair.
"You both are idiots.. You could have ran faster, you know!", the leader said.
"Does it look like I care? You're the one who can't run a good gang.", said the one with the short hair.
"What did you say?"
"You heard what I said, didn't you? You're a ****ing bastard, old man."
I heard a rustle as one of them seemed to reach into their pocket. It was within a second I realized it was the Nambu he had used to shoot Kyoko.. that shiny, grey Nambu that was aimed right in front of me at my head. I kept quiet to keep the fear away. Just hoping he would not find me.. But, I realized it wasn't me he found as I heard a gunshot, and, before I know it, a scream. He had shot one of them. Most likely right in the head.
"Well, he's finished..", said their boss.
"Y-Yeah, he is..", said the glasses wearing one, feeling frightened.
I listened carefully as they walked away in the snow, and I opened my mouth to breath. What I had gone through was unexplainable, I could hardly open my mouth. What I saw with Kyoko, and the man who drove a familiar car.. Most importantly, I could not believe I had actually survived.. but-but why would she jump in front of me like that?
"Is it my fault I am putting ourselves in danger?! What's wrong with my life?", I said as I slightly cried..
I then stopped thinking about it, cleared my eyes, and I thought about how to get myself out of this. I decided to finally open my eyes and take a look around me. It was grimy, cold, and damp. Water fell to the ground every few seconds to make a "plop" noise whilst rats scattered around to find things. The ladder down here broke as soon as I grabbed onto it so there was no use in trying to get back up. I reached my hand into my pocket to see if I had the flashlight from earlier, and I still did. I took it out and turned it on. It lit everything around me as I could hear the small footsteps of the rats as they ran away from it. It was quiet, except for the drops of rain as I got up and walked, shining my flashlight around. At every corridor, I stopped to make sure nothing was following me; such a place has always creeped me out for an odd reason. About 5 or 10 minutes later, I became to tired to walk, and since I couldn't find a way out, I decided to take a quick rest, but a noise had then interrupted me and I stopped. It was the noise of grunting and paper flying around off in the distance.
"Hello? I-Is anyone there?", I asked.
There wasn't a single answer, but I could still hear those noises. My only choice was to react to the situation and take a look around. I ran quickly, following the traces of the sound until I reached a smaller tunnel with a door blocking it. I found the door to be unlocked and I opened it. The tunnel was dim, but light enough for me to turn off my flashlight. As I turned the flashlight off, the door behind me closed quickly but very quietly. I made sure I wasn't being followed, and continued walking. The tunnel wasn't wet or cold. It seemed warm and well maintained, helping me dry off from the outside. It was a bit twisty with it's constant turns, but a short tunnel nevertheless. Around the end, I came upon a set of stairs. They were fairly well made stairs, but they had traces of moss on them. As I slowly walked down the stairs to the sound getting louder, I found myself in a small, yet lighted room. There sat an old man at the table. His grey hair looking greasy as he scuffled through the papers and threw them to the ground. I walked closer quietly but I had tripped to a small hole being in the floor. It was loud enough of a fall for him to hear me. He stopped looking through the papers for a moment and became silent. I quietly stayed down on the floor, hoping nothing bad was to come. He lifted himself up and turned around only to see me..
"Dad?"
His son.. right behind him.




To be continued..



*All races in Shizukana Kaze are 100% true races. They are not staged whatsoever. Whatever happens is what happens in the chapter
*This is probably the fastest I've ever written a chapter, and ironically, the longest.. So I do hope you all do not think it is rushed​