Chronicle #2: Roaring Dragons

On a wall somewhere deep within the campus of Ohtori Academy, some of the shadows appeared to take the shape of two girls. The two seemed to look at each other as another shadow formed into the shape of a motorcycle, seemingly off in the distance. One of the girls, the one farther away from the motorcycle, noticed it. "Ah! To watch the wheels spin round and round," she mused aloud.

A fourth shadow took the form of a rose sailing through the sky, becoming smaller as it slowly went off into the distance. The other girl noticed the rose and asked "But what of the noble rose?"

"What rose?" asked the first as she turned to face her companion.

The second one, pointing to the rose, said, "That one!"

"Oh no!" cried the first girl. "They're going to crash!"

The second girl looked between the rose and the motorcycle. "Are they really?" she asked skeptically.

Frantically trying to find some way to stop the collision, the first girl replied "The rose will be destroyed!"

Looking towards the front wheel of the motorcycle, the second girl asked thoughtfully "Or will it stop the wheel and live?"

The two then paused and exchanged glances. "Do you know? Do you know? Do you really know?"

The shadows faded away as the sounds of a loud crash erupted in the distance.

The Club Fair was continuing on the commons of Ohtori Academy. There was much bustling activity as students reviewed the booths for the clubs that had been set up and as the clubs tried to recruit new members. To add to the ambient noise, a loud argument had broken out by a booth that had a motorcycle parked next to it. Three people sat behind the booth watching as the two people in front of it argued.

A student of about six feet, wearing what appeared to be racing clothes, looked at another, shorter student. "Your performance specifications are impossible with that design! The design wouldn't be feasible in a race. It'd shake itself apart!"

The other student, wearing the standard cyan student uniform, his hair black but the bottom half colored silver, shook his head. "Yes, it can," he began. Waving his hand at the motorcycle next to the booth, he continued, "It would outperform the bike you have based on what you've said."

"Only because you're dealing with theoretical values rather than actual results," replied the student in racing clothes.

"My values are quite practical, I assure you," said the other student forcefully.

The first student shook his head. "Your light frame combined with the strong engine you suggest would cause the frame to shake itself apart. If not the frame, then definitely the engine mounting."

"Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!"

The first student started to answer as a third voice, feminine and cheerful but concerned, entered the discussion. "Is there a problem, Chigen?" Both youths turned to face a girl looking at the student in racing clothes, maybe half a foot shorter than him.

"A disagreement," came the swift response from the other student.

"I see," she said. She thought for a moment and smiled slightly. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Asami Hayashi. May I have your name?"

"Vizune Sorcanna," he replied, bowing in a manner more of medieval Europe than of Japan.

"Sorcanna-kun appears to be unable to accept the facts," Chigen explained.

"Facts?!?" replied Vizune incredulously. "Are you saying that I've been lying?"

"Theoretical values are not facts!" came the response, almost a yell.

"Calm down!" Asami shouted at both young men. As the two became silent, she continued, her voice softer and more cheerful: "Can't you calmly resolve this? You're disturbing some of the other booths." She waved a hand towards their immediate surroundings.

"Sorry," apologized both quietly. Vizune quickly and unexpectedly added, "Yes, there is."

Chigen looked to the shorter student. "What would that be? To try to prove your formulas are accurate?"

Vizune merely smiled. "I challenge you."

The morning of the next day saw a small crowd gather on a race track not far from Ohtori Academy's main campus. Chigen and four other members of the motor club were doing a last checkup on their champion's motorcycle when Asami walked onto the field. She began to walk over to the group, looking around curiously.

A tall young man in the group stood, dressed in a black racing uniform, a gold rose emblazoned over the left breast. His light brown hair emphasized the darkness of the clothes. "Hey there," he called out, waving to Asami. He then went back to working on the final checklist for the bike.

"Ohayou, Chigen-kun," Asami said as she arrived at the motorcycle. The others looked up and waved to her before resuming their work.

"Ohayou. Asami-san," Chigen replied. "Everything seems fine," he said to the other motor club students.

Asami looked around the track for a moment. "Are you sure about doing all three parts of this? I've tried to help set up the second part but I'm not sure everything will be in place."

"I am," Chigen answered. "I won't be seen as a coward. I'll take his challenge."

Asami shook her head slightly. Then she asked, "Where is he?" She hadn't seen Vizune anywhere around the track.

"I haven't seen him," Chigen said. Before he could say any more, the roar of a motorcycle was heard as it peeled onto the race track. "That would be him, I think."

Asami giggled and smiled. "A flashy entrance. Two minutes until we start, ne?"

Chigen nodded. "I'll start getting ready then." He turned, donning his black racing helmet.

Asami admitted to herself that the approaching motorcycle and its rider looked about as normal as a green sun. The front part of the motorcycle had the view of a green dragon in flight, ready to swoop down and dig its claws into its prey. The side panels had streaked green flames going down their length. As the motorcycle came to a stop, the rider stepped off the bike. He removed his helmet, letting his hair, half black, half metallic silver, fall down to frame his tanned face. His shirt was solid red but seemed to radiate some sort of glow underneath a silver jacket, with what appeared to be four inch long talons on string to tie it together near the collar in place of buttons. Black leather pants completed the outfit. He waved a hand clad in a silver fingerless glove. "Hey! When do we start?" he asked as he stretched his arms. Asami giggled to herself.

Chigen started moving his bike towards the starting mark on the race track. "A minute or so, if you're ready."

Asami nodded. "Are you really sure about the second part of this race, Vizune?"

Vizune grinned. "Positive." He moved his bike to the starting mark. "Everything ready?"

Asami shrugged and smiled. "We can hope. I've tried to arrange things."

"Good, good," replied Vizune jovially. "Cameras?"

Asami nodded. "Of course! How can we not have them with this?"

Chigen looked between Asami and Vizune. "You seem enthusiastic about that part."

Vizune smiled. "It'll be lots of fun."

"And you made that last night to race with?" asked the other racer inquisitively.

Glancing down at his bike, the shorter rider shook his head. "No. It's my usual bike. It has a bigger fuel tank since it wasn't built for racing, though it'll do well enough given what you've done about yours." A laugh from his competitor was the only response.

A beeping came from Asami's watch. "Less than a minute!"

Vizune swung a leg over his motorcycle, revving the engine loudly. "Ready!"

Chigen nodded once, idling his engine. "Ready."

Asami picked up a flag and held it in the air, looking at her watch. Three of the motor club students stood ready with their stopwatches. "On your mark!" called Asami as she seemed to tense a little. "Get set!" She looked between the drivers a moment, knowing that one would go by on either side. She then took a deep breath before shouting "Go!" as she lowered the flag.

Both motorcycles roared to life as they took off. Asami watched as both seemed to veer a little away until they were just past where she was. She turned, watching a moment more, before running to the side. After all, this was a loop track and they were going to do more than one lap.

Vizune and Chigen quickly reached the second turn, staying nearly even. Chigen called out, barely audible over the roar of the engines, "Not doing as bad as I thought you would!" The two then continued on as Vizune didn't manage to hear the remark through his helmet.

Asami watched from near the motor club members. "Do they usually go that fast, Hiwa?" she asked of a girl standing next to her, a little shorter than herself. Hiwa was the only other girl there and would never be noticed in a crowd with her brown eyes and hair and average build. She was the kind of person you might meet and never realize it until she was away from everyone else.

One of the other students chuckled as Hiwa answered "Of course. The point is to go fast. No worries though. Chigen was second at the high school national level last year."

"How can you tell who's winning?" asked Asami.

Hiwa shook her head. "Sometimes, it's obvious. Other times, you use a photo finish to determine the winner. The photo is taken the moment one reaches the line and it shows who won."

"Oh," replied Asami as she continue watching. "How'd Vizune do in the nationals last year?" she asked casually.

"No clue. By his size, I'd say he just got into high school," came Hiwa's reply.

Asami nodded as she watched the two racers come around again. She still couldn't tell who was winning between the two, whether the black blur of Chigen's bike was in the lead or the green blur of Vizune's was.

Another voice, a little further down the race track, spoke as the racers came around for the third of four passes, "I'm glad we set it up already. Photo ready."

"Just a matter of time now," Hiwa said, glancing at Asami. "What's that second part you three were talking about? The second race here?"

Asami smiled mischievously. "That's the third part."

The motor club members exchanged puzzled glances for a moment until one said, "Here they come!"

Black and green blurs flashed across the finish line. The two motorcycles slowed down and came to a stop. Both riders removed their helmets at about the same time and, glancing at each other, asked, "Who won?"

Behind them, Hiwa said, "I'm going to get the photo." She was running to the camera that had been set up.

Chigen glanced at the green motorcycle. "Didn't match your performance numbers, eh?"

Vizune shrugged. "They should in the third race. My tank won't be as full then."

"Not refueling?" asked the black-clad rider as he unmounted.

"Nope. Don't have to this way." The black and silver rider pushed himself up and backwards over the back of the bike.

Asami, walking over to the motorcycles, asked "Who won?"

Vizune shrugged as he put his helmet down. "Ask the photo. We don't know."

Chigen ran a hand through his brown hair. "Reminds me of the nationals. So close."

The other racer chuckled. "Told you it'd be good. One down, two to go."

Asami giggled. "Are you both ready for the second part?"

Vizune grinned in response. "When we leave?"

His compatriot shook his head. "Need to refuel first." He then started to move his motorcycle towards an impromptu refueling station that had been set up. As Chigen refueled his motorcycle, he checked to ensure everything was still as it should be.

Vizune crouched and glanced over the side of his bike facing him. "Nothing," he said after a moment.

"Nothing?" asked Asami inquisitively.

He nodded. "Nothing wrong on that side. The bike's intended for long travels, so nothing should be."

"Oh. Do you usually go that fast?"

"Only when racing... only when racing," came the soft reply. "It'd be way too dangerous to match that speed on a highway. And in the second part we won't be going nearly so fast," Vizune added almost as an afterthought.

Asami looked over towards Chigen and then back to Vizune. "Because it'd be dangerous?"

Vizune nodded. "Yeah. It's a little dangerous even so. If he hadn't handled as well as he did on the track, I'd have called it off. A bad driver has no chance managing what we set up."

"Does a good driver?"

Vizune started to answer but then paused. "Yes. At least, in theory."

Asami blinked, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she said, a little unsure.

The silver-clad racer smiled. "It'll be interesting. I think he can handle it, especially if he's raced nationally."

"You didn't know that he had?" asked Asami, sounding somewhat amazed.

He laughed lightly. "No clue. I'm not from around here."

Asami gave Vizune a curious look. "What do you mean?"

Vizune tilted his head to a side. "Gaijin. I'm from overseas."

"So you're an exchange student?"

"Hai, hai."

Chigen rejoined Asami and Vizune, having finished with refueling his motorcycle. "How long until your second part starts?"

Vizune looked to Asami. "So?"

Asami looked at her watch. "Seven minutes."

The shorter rider looked to the taller one. "Second part is skill, not speed. Don't try and rush it."

"Of course," came Chigen's soft reply.

"Do you remember all of it?" asked Asami.

Both racers nodded. "I think so," Chigen added, sounding slightly unsure.

"We'll manage," Vizune said, smiling. "And if something isn't ready, don't worry about it." The other two nodded.

"The motor club's never done anything like this before," Chigen said, doubt still somewhat in his voice. "Think we might get in trouble?"

Asami seemed to consider this as Vizune said, "So?"

"I was afraid of that answer," replied Chigen with a smirk as he picked up his helmet.

Vizune continued smiling. "Here," he said as he pulled out two pieces of black plastic connected by a wire from his pocket.

Chigen took the device from Vizune's hand. Looking at it, he asked "What's this?"

"A radio. Speak into it and I'll hear you." He then tapped a similar device in his left ear. "That way we can try and coordinate some of the parts."

Chigen nodded, placing the earpiece in his ear. "We'll need it."

"Always be prepared," said Vizune as he put on his helmet. He then looked to Asami, who appeared to be getting uneasy. "Don't worry. You're not one of the racers. All the blame falls on us." Asami nodded slightly. "Mostly me," he added. "After all, this is my little scheme."

Chigen chuckled. "Scheme is right, though I'd argue the little part." Vizune merely chuckled in reply.

The two racers mounted their motorcycles. "Ready," they said in unison.

Asami nodded. "Still a minute or two." She paused, and then asked, "Why did both of you swerve away at the beginning of that last race?"

"Because we didn't want to have an accident," Chigen answered.

"We're gentlemen. We'd rather lose a crucial moment or two than have any chance of hitting a lady," Vizune added.

Asami smiled, seemingly touched by the concern. "So, who won the first race?"

The two racers shrugged. "We'll find out when we get back, I guess," Chigen said.

"Who cares?" came Vizune's carefree response.

Asami glanced at Vizune. "If you don't care, then why are you racing?"

"'Cause it's fun. And even by being close, I'm proving that my figures are right," replied Vizune merrily.

Asami looked at her watch. "Not long. The race starts when my watch alarm goes off, okay?"

The two nodded just as the watch alarm sounded. The two motorcycles raced by as they peeled away from the racing track.

Hiwa, jogging over to Asami, called out, "The results are in!" She paused and then asked, "Where are they going?"

Asami smiled and giggled. "The second part of the race has begun. Who won?"

"Chigen by a wheel and a half," answered Hiwa. She then looked towards the sounds of the motorcycles as they headed towards campus and seemed to start getting worried. "Aah."

Two students walked down one of the many paths to be found on Ohtori campus. Both of them wore the white uniform that identified them as members of the Student Council. The taller one's uniform was trimmed in red and yellow, providing a contrast to his light brown hair in dire need of combing. The shorter one had darkly tanned skin and red hair, varying in shade from the wine red trim of his uniform. The taller one stretched a little. "What was that again?"

The shorter student shook his head. "Haven't you been paying attention at all, Amano?" he asked wearily.

Amano nodded. "Of course. Having a motorcycle sounds like a fascinating idea."

A sigh preceded the response from the other student. "That's not the point! Students aren't supposed to have motorcycles."

Amano appeared to consider that for a moment. "You know, Shin, it might have been a staff member."

"Only one staff member owns a motorcycle," said Shin sharply. "And he wasn't on campus Monday night, so it must have been a student."

"Oh," Amano said nonchalantly. He casually picked up an apple from a fruit basket, one of many strategically placed around the campus to provide snack food for hungry students. "Is that a problem?"

"It's against the rules," Shin said.

Amano took a bite out of the apple. "Oh."

"Oh," Shin repeated, rolling his eyes. "We need to find out who has the motorcycle!" he said, almost yelling.

The brown-haired student turned his head a little. "That shouldn't be too hard."

"Then we need to enforce the rules," continued Shin.

The sounds of two motorcycles came from behind the two members of the Student Council. Both Shin and Amano started to turn. "Told you it wouldn't be hard to find them," said Amano casually.

Shin looked at the two riders. "Now we need to figure out who they are."

A disinterested glance accompanied the response "Do we?"

"Yes!" replied Shin as a pair of foam baseball bats appeared to be shot out of the nearby bushes into the path of the two motorcyclists. Each rider caught the foam bat as they continued onward, one headed towards either side of the Student Council members.

Amano looked at the rider dressed in red, black, and silver on the greenish motorcycle. "They're coming right at us, you know?"

Shin looked back at the motorcycles, still closing. "They're what?" he said shortly before the two riders swung their bats at the two students. Amano tried to duck backwards under the bat but was still caught in the chest and knocked to the ground. Shin was knocked flat onto his back by the swing of the black-clad rider. The two motorcyclists then tossed the bats over their shoulders towards the Student Council members.

Shin was the first one to get up. He grabbed one of the bats and hit Amano lightly with it. "I told you we need more discipline!"

Vizune and Chigen both laughed. Chigen stopped first though. "We're going to get in trouble now."

"Only if they catch us," came Vizune's carefree reply.

The chemistry club has reopened their booth following the failed experiment several days ago that had claimed their booth, table, and dignity. The two representatives stood there uneasily, wishing someone would express interest in chemistry. One of the them muttered to the other, "I hope we don't have another disaster."

The other nodded. "We better not. Ishikawa-sensei would kill us if we damaged another table." The two then began placing out chemicals and glassware for experiments they hoped to do to attract members.

A small student approached the table. Her hair, black as midnight, was bound into two low pigtails that went halfway down her back and her eyes, blue as the ocean, sparkled and shone with curiosity. "Neat. Chemicals," she said.

One of the students behind the booth looked up at the words. He then shouted to his companion, although he was only a foot away, "Keep her away!" The two then began to quickly move around the table.

"Keep me away, indeed," she said to herself. "I'm not dangerous." She picked up two vials filled with liquid. "I wonder how pure these are."

"Please put them down, Soraia," pleaded one of them, walking up to her. The sound of approaching motorcycles distracted him. The other student of the chemistry club unfortunately walked into him and he bumped into Soraia. She gave a short yell as she lost her grip on the vials. The vial fell onto the table and splashed their contents all over the wood. Unfortunately, the table was also bumped during this exchange and a third vial fell out of the carrying case, emptying its contents, a sole piece of metal, into the pool of liquid. Something in the liquid must have reacted with the metal and the entire pool ignited. They looked at the fire. "Uh oh." All three followed their survival instincts and dropped to the ground.

The motorcycles began to pass the booth as the flames continued to spread across the table. Both riders glanced at the fire. "Is the booth supposed to be flaming?" Chigen asked.

"No," answered Vizune just as the flames reached the remainder of the chemicals on the table. The contents of some vials began to boil while others exploded outright. Soon there was a loud explosion that sent fragments of glass flying in various directions. Both motorcycles veered away from the booth, trying to avoid the shards of glass. Luckily, since they had been even with the booth before the final explosion, they were able to avoid the flying shrapnel without any problems.

Looking ahead again, Chigen said, "I don't remember that in the obstacles."

"It wasn't," replied Vizune as he looked at the three figures now getting off of the ground. He focused on the girl who was now between the two young men of the chemistry club, "I didn't know she was here," he said softly to himself as he turned to face forward again.

"What?" asked Chigen, hearing Vizune speak but unable to make out the words.

"Nothing. It was just a small explosion."

Chigen shook his head inside the black helmet. "Flowers was next, right?"

"Hai."

A short girl wearing the white uniform of the Ohtori Student Council, trimmed in honey gold and black, stood outside. Her black hair was worn in a bun and the air about her warned everyone to stay away. Those who were acquainted with her would think it rare that Hikari Makugire would be outside or anywhere she could be seen. The opinion of her fellow students was that she was the great recluse of Ohtori Academy.

The large clock on the tower of the main building classes chimed noon rather loudly, reminding Hikari that it was time for lunch. As she walked towards the campus cafeteria, the roars of motorcycles reached her ears. She turned her head to look towards the origin of the sounds.

She saw two motorcycles racing towards her. Both riders were driving with one hand, holding a blossomed flower in the other. Hikari stopped walking, realizing that continuing to move might put her in the path of one of the motorcycles.

The motorcycles rushed by her, sending a wind about her. Hikari felt a pair of slight tugs in her hair. A moment later, she realized that the flowers the two motorcyclists had been holding had been placed in her hair on either side of the bun. She pulled the flowers from her hair and threw them into the nearest trash receptacle. Grimly satisfied that there was nothing else in her hair, she stiffly continued on her way as the sound of motorcycles faded into the distance.

"That was fun," Vizune said. "I've never given a lady a flower from a motorcycle like that before."

As the two drove on, Chigen replied, "She's a cold one. She will not have appreciated that. More likely, she'd hate it having been done."

"Oh," came the soft reply from Vizune.

"Next is the part with the dimes, right?" Chigen asked.

Vizune nodded, although it wouldn't have been very visible through his silver helmet. "Yeah. Tricky thing to do. That's why we're doing it near the old, abandoned dorm."

A large man, well over six feet tall, sat on the roof of a building. He moved a strand of blond hair out of his face closer to the ponytail he wore in back as his blue eyes focused on a small bonsai tree in front of him. He tended to it as he heard the roar of motorcycles getting closer to the building. He stood and walked over to the edge of the roof to peer down at what was happening. His ponytail bounced on his back as he wind picked up for a moment.

He saw two motorcycles begin to approach what looked like trays with white paint in them. A few feet beyond the trays were a pair of coins. The silver color of the coins reflected in the sunlight.

The motorcycles reached the trays of paint, getting a small coat of white on their front tires. Both riders leaned back, their shift in position pulling the front wheels of their bikes off of the ground. A moment later, they leaned forward again and the wheels came down landing almost perfectly on the coins, covering them with white paint. Not bothering to see how well they made their mark, the two motorcyclists drove off into the distance.

The man merely shook his head and walked over to a jacket laying on the floor. He found his two-way radio and picked it up. Turning it on, he spoke into it "This is Jiyuu. What do you know about two motorcycles driving around campus?"

As the two motorcycles drove near one of the school buildings, two roses were cast out of one of the windows. Just as the roses reached the height of the riders, they were caught by the motorcyclists as they continued their ride. Vizune spoke softly to Chigen "Be careful. You only have a moment to try this one."

Chigen gestured acknowledgement as the figures of two girls, both clad in the standard Ohtori uniform, appeared in the distance.

The one on the left looked to her companion. Her hazel eyes complimented her black hair in a fashion many would call attractive. "And what are they all about, Himitsu?" she asked.

A flying squirrel, its fur colored neon blue, jumped out of a tree and onto the shoulder of the other girl. It held a nut between its paws. "Nuts," she replied cryptically. She petted the squirrel. "Hi, Kiki."

The first girl rolled her eyes. Turning to keep walking, her eyes fell upon the two motorcycles heading towards them. "What's with them?" she said as she took a step back.

Himitsu looked towards the two riders. "Roses, Izumi-sama." Her comment drew little more than a confused look from the other girl.

A moment later, the motorcycles had passed the pair of girls. A violet rose was found pinned to Izumi's chest. Himitsu plucked a hastily and clumsily pinned white rose from her chest and inhaled its fragrance. She then smiled at Izumi. "Roses. See?"

From the second floor of the building overlooking this scene, an onlooker shook her head. "That is a bad omen," she said to herself, brushing an errant strand of graying hair away. The wrinkles in her face betrayed her age. She watched for a moment longer before starting to leave. "I wonder how they will react to this."

A tall young man wearing a Student Council uniform, trimmed with dark green and gold, rested his hands lightly on the handles of the wheelchair in front of him. The wind caught his black hair and moved it slightly. The sounds of music started playing on a distant speaker and he paused, trying to hear the song.

The girl in the wheelchair turned her blue eyes up towards the young man who was helping her get around the fair. Her face was framed by her coal-black hair, with bangs in front almost reaching her eyebrows and two locks flowing down in front of her shoulders, held together with ribbons tied at the same height as her temples. "Is something wrong, Eien-kun?" she asked.

Eien shook his head for a moment. "Something sounds like music. I can't quite make it out though."

"Oh," she replied thoughtfully. She listened for a second. "Hikarisasu Niwa, isn't it?"

Eien nodded. "Of course! I should have recognized it sooner. Thanks, Ritsuko." He started walking again, slowly pushing the wheelchair. "I heard Isao is trying to reform the rock band. He's hoping to find enough people to fill the vacancies."

"He is?" Ritsuko replied quietly. "It doesn't surprise me. That band was the one thing he loved the most about Ohtori. I remember how upset he looked when he realized that most of the band members were going to graduate."

"I hope he does find enough people," Eien admitted. "He has plenty of talent and the drive that could take a band places."

"That he does," Ritsuko agreed. She thought for a moment. "I heard that Miyuki Ozawa transferred to Ohtori." Eien stopped. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"No, you didn't," Eien said. "She and her sister Natsumi did transfer here. I haven't seen much of them since the beginning of the school year."

"You love Miyuki, don't you?" Ritsuko asked, remembering a conversation from months ago.

"I do," Eien said softly, with a nod.

"She loves you, right?" she asked. "She should. You're a great guy." Eien's answer was silence. "Poor Eien-kun," she said softly, sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I should not have asked."

"It's okay, Ritsuko," Eien said. "You're my friend. You have very right to ask. Besides, there's still hope." He smiled slightly.

"There is always hope," she said firmly. Ritsuko heard something and turned her head to look at it. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Eien asked, not hearing the sound yet.

Ritsuko glanced up. "It sounds like the revving of an engine."

Eien heard it now. "Probably the motor club trying to get more attention."

Ritsuko laughed. "No doubt. It sounds like something they would do."

"Yeah," agreed Eien. Then he saw two motorcycles peel around the corner, heading down the aisle of booths.

Ritsuko looked towards the motorcycles. Softly, she said "Maybe they'll go around us if we stay here." Other people were already quickly moving to the side to allow the vehicles to pass.

Eien merely nodded, watching the two. A call came out from somewhere in the crowd to the side. "Special delivery!" Two sheafs of paper, bound with twine, were thrown ahead of the motorcyclists. He tried to find the voice but could not locate it among the crowd.

Each rider caught one the stacks of paper. The rider of the black motorcycle called out, "Hai!" while the rider of the green motorcycle called out, "Consider it done!"

In the next few moments, the motorcycles passed the wheelchair. The stacks of paper did not. One stack landed in Ritsuko's lap while the other struck Eien lightly in the chest which he caught after a moment of fumbling. As the two peered at the papers, the motorcycles turned around a corner and became lost to everyone there.

Ritsuko laughed as she read the sheet of paper on top. "You're welcome?" She then began to undo the knot in the twine to see what was underneath. As she worked on the knot, she looked up at Eien. "What did you get?"

Eien chuckled. "Try this? Answers next week." He then untied the twine and looked at the next page. "Math problems." He then shook his head as he turned the next age. "I think I've already done these." He then paused and looked at the previous page again. "Or not. How'd they get this set of problems so quickly?" He turned to look where the motorcycles had gone but they were well out of sight.

Ritsuko laughed louder. "More work, Eien-kun? That's too bad," she said in jest.

"These should be fun to solve," said Eien, chuckling. "What did you get?"

She showed him the second page of the stack. "Sheet music. Hikarisasu Niwa is the first one and then some more interesting music follows."

Eien nodded. "Then the music..." he began, looking towards where it had been coming from.

"...Wasn't a coincidence," Ritsuko finished. The two looked at each other and laughed.

The two motorcycles drove off the top of the stairs leading to the field below. "Whee!" yelled Vizune as his motorcycle briefly flew through the air.

Chigen chuckled a little as the two braced for the landing. Two wooden swords could be seen ahead of them, thrust into the ground, their hilts pointing towards the sky. The two riders stretched out a hand, each grabbing one of the swords as they passed.

Vizune smiled as he let his arm drift back before bringing it forward to tap the back of Chigen's helmet. He then pointed off to one side before turning to head off that way.

In the distance, two students dressed in kimono and hakama practiced kendo on the grassy field. One of the students stood in a black hakama with a white kimono. His brown eyes gazed directly at his opponent who ignored the look in the young man's eyes. He shifted his bokken to hold it over his head and his hair, black as his hakama, feathered a little by the wind. His eyes maintained their angered stare, which seemed to be emphasized by his widow's peak.

His opponent wore a red hakama and a white kimono. She was a couple of inches shorter than her opponent and casually held the bokken at her side as her dark brown eyes watched the young man before her. She reached up with one hand and brushed some of her dark brown hair to the side of her face.

Assuming that she was distracted by her hair, her opponent moved forward, swinging his sword. She took a step back, bringing her sword up to simply parry the attack. "Yes, Ichirou, I'm still watching." Stepping to the side, Ichirou brought his sword up to strike at her. She moved her sword in case she needed to parry again. "You need to practice more." Ichirou then jumped back, returning to a ready stance. She glanced to the side. "Incoming."

"What's that, Kaori?" Ichirou asked as he looked towards the incoming motorcyclists.

As the motorcycles passed, the riders swung their bokken. The silver-helmeted rider's sword caught Ichirou in the chest, flinging him to the ground before he got his sword up to parry. Kaori simply parried the blow from the other rider before she turned and clipped his shoulder with her bokken.

Ichirou sat up, glaring at the back of the riders as they drove off. Kaori merely shook her head. "Practice more before next time, else you might not be in such good shape at the end." She then turned and started walking towards her dormitory.

Meanwhile, Chigen rubbed his shoulder as he slowed down a little. "She has some fight in her."

Vizune nodded. "Other one didn't. Feel like some ball?"

Chigen looked towards a nearby basketball court where some people were playing. "Sure."

A tall black-haired young man dribbled the basketball as he looked round the court. Four other students were dressed in black gym clothes like he was. The other five were dressed in similar clothes, but grey rather than black. His eyes glanced towards the goal, then to the people before him. Four of the students in grey were busy trying to keep their counterparts covered as the fifth maneuvered towards him, ready to challenge his hold on the ball. He looked over the spectators, mostly girls, and smiled.

Suddenly, he swept into action. He spun around the defender and jumped to make a shot. "Riido!" yelled one of the spectators, expecting him to make the shot.

As the ball left his hands, two motorcycles drove onto the court, sending the other students into a panic, their roar drowning out everything else. The ball hit the rim and bounced up before being caught by the brown-haired rider. He turned and passed it to the other rider but Riido intercepted the pass and dunked it into the goal as the two motorcycles left the basketball court. He slicked back his hair and smiled, looking at the spectators. Slowly the other players returned to the court.

Further down the path, Chigen murmured "Sorry" as the two motorcycles drove on.

"You win some, you lose some. No sweat," came Vizune's light-hearted reply.

A tall, thin girl looked around at some of the booths as she strolled through a section of the Club Fair. Her black hair danced upon the wind as it blew. She stopped and turned, hearing a familiar voice upwind.

"Michiko-chan!" called out Asami as she jogged to the other girl.

Michiko smiled as she waved, her pale hand brushing against her hair. "Konnichi wa, Asami-chan."

Asami smiled, pausing in front of Michiko to catch her breath. "How are you liking the fair so far?"

"It's fun. I haven't seen many interesting designs though," replied Michiko, glancing around.

Asami giggled and stuck her tongue out for a moment. "Is that all you can think about?"

Michiko giggled in response. "But it's fun!"

Asami nodded, grinning. "Have they passed yet?"

"Have who passed by?" Michiko asked quizzically.

"That would be 'no'." Asami looked towards the horizon. "Should be able to see them soon," she said to herself.

"See who?"

The sounds of motorcycles became audible over the bustle of the Club Fair. Most of the students moved closer to the booths to give the motorcycles room as they came roaring down the path once again.

"There!" Asami yelled, pointing at the vehicles.

"What are they doing here?" Michiko asked nervously as she watched the two motorcycles. As the motorcyclists came closer, she saw that the one clad in black had ribbons colored deep blue trailing from behind him and the one in green had black ribbons that turned silver halfway down their length behind him. Both riders raised a hand in a wave towards the two girls as if to say 'Hi!'. Then, as they left, they raised their hand again as if to say 'Bye!'. Michiko just watched the two. "That's what we need!"

"What?" asked Asami as she watched the two motorcycles drive off into the distance.

"Ribbons!" Michiko said excitedly.

"You know, they weren't there before," Asami said to herself.

"What do you mean?"

Asami shrugged. "They didn't have the ribbons when they left."

Michiko looked her friend straight in the eye. "You had a hand in this?"

"Well, it's an activity!" Asami said, in a mock-defensive tone.

"I should have known," Michiko said, laughing. "But maybe that's why they're trailing behind. If they had more time, they could have done much more with them."

"You just found your inspiration, didn't you?" Asami asked. "So I should expect lots of ribbons at the next dance, right?"

"You bet!" Both girls laughed.

"Would you mind helping me with something?" Asami asked.

"Will it be fun?" Michiko asked, smirking, mischief twinkling in her brown eyes.

"Of course," Asami said, smiling.

A girl jogged through the Fair, her brown locks bouncing. With the way she looked around, it was obvious she was looking for someone. She had heard something about motorcycles rampaging through the Club Fair but she hadn't seen them with her blue eyes. She knew that motorcycles were not allowed on campus and that someone should be told. She knew just who, too.

The sounds of motorcycles came from in front of her. She paused and saw them come around a turn, one in front of the other. She jumped to the side, fearing she might be hit. As the first motorcycle passed by, the rider dropped an envelope. The rider of the second motorcycle did the same as he passed.

After the motorcycles had faded from sight, she walked over to the envelopes and picked them up. She opened both of them and read the letters inside. The first one read 'are watching!', while the second one read 'The Illuminati'. "The Illuminati are watching, eh?" she said to herself, shaking her head.

"Mari-kun," called a male voice. She turned to see Shin walking up the path. "I was hoping I would find you."

"As was I, Shin-kun," Mari said.

Michiko and Asami stood in the middle of the racing track where this race had started. They each held a rose in their hand. "Shouldn't be long," Asami said. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," Michiko replied, giggling.

No one else was present around the race track. The students from the motor club had wandered off to prepare for the third part of the race. Hiwa sat in the stands and looked at the two girls through the sight of her camera. "What are they up to?" she asked herself.

The roar of the two motorcycles dominated the air as they peeled back into the stadium. Michiko and Asami exchanged glances and nodded at each other as they threw the roses, stem first, towards where the front wheels of the motorcycles would probably be. Both of the drivers slammed on the brakes as they passed the ending line of this segment of the race. The roses were caught in the spokes of the front wheels of the motorcycles. "Click," said Hiwa to herself softly as she took yet another picture.

Vizune leaned to a side and looked at the rose, seeing that the stem was still intact. "Cute," he said, smiling beneath his helmet. Chigen merely chuckled.

The two girls giggled for a moment. Asami stepped forward, smiling. "Just like your entire course, ne?" she said.

Vizune laughed as he pushed himself off of the motorcycle. "Hai, hai."

Hiwa stood up where she was and started heading down towards the field. Another student entered the field at an entrance close to the bleachers. She waved towards Hiwa, calling, "Hiwa-san!"

The four students on the field looked up towards where Hiwa and the other student were. Hiwa jogged over to her, asking softly, "How did it go?"

The other student smiled. "Perfect." She then handed Hiwa two rolls of film before turning to leave the field.

Hiwa walked down towards the center of the field, pocketing the film. "Hi, everyone."

As Hiwa came within earshot, Asami asked lightly, "Spying on us, were you?"

Hiwa smiled sweetly in response. "We each have our hobbies, ne?" The others nodded in agreement.

Vizune paused and looked to Chigen. "I'd say we should call off the third part."

Hiwa and Asami looked at Vizune, surprise evident on their faces. Chigen paused for a moment. "Why?" he asked.

"They need a break," Vizune said, waving a hand towards the motorcycles. "Yours wasn't made for that distance nor being used for this length at once. It also didn't have the shocks that would have been best for a few of the things."

Chigen nodded. "I thought as much. How do you think yours is holding up?"

Vizune paused and glanced at his green motorcycle. "It should be fine, but I'm going to run a check later anyway."

"Wise thing to do," commented Chigen.

Asami looked at the two motorcyclists. "So, who was right about the argument from yesterday?"

Chigen and Vizune exchanged glances. Vizune then said, "In part, both of us. My values were based on my experience with motorcycles combined with modifying mine for racing rather than distance travel."

"The only way to really know if his numbers are right would be to build the motorcycle and find out," Chigen said. "I think that may be worth trying."

Vizune nodded. "It should be. If we combine my design with your racing, we won't have a problem."

Hiwa looked at Vizune and asked softly "But if you had equal fuel for the first race, wouldn't you have won?"

Chigen nodded in agreement. "And you did better throughout this last part."

Vizune considered the two statements. "Yes and yes." He then shrugged, turning away for a moment. "On equal bikes, Chigen would win. My design made up the difference of our skill."

"But all the stunts..." Asami began.

Vizune laughed lightly, cutting her off. "Leaned clearly towards me. They were a test of his skill and control more than anything else."

"And not your own?" asked Asami, intrigued.

Vizune's only reply was a sly, knowing smirk.

That evening, a party started at the motor club's garage and clubhouse. The old members of the motor club and those who had already signed up were assembled for the celebration of the first 'victory' of the year.

Chigen stood in front of the crowd. "It's still early in the semester and we've already had our first victory!" The crowd cheered in response to their president's words. "However, we can't stop with just one victory. We have another year ahead of us. Let's show them the strength of the Ohtori Racers!" Another cheer from the crowd answered his words.

In another area of the clubhouse, Hiwa, Asami, Michiko, and Vizune were talking at a table, allowing the others to have a good time as they talked. Once Chigen was done with his speech, he started to move to join them but encountered problems trying to get through the congratulatory crowd. Vizune spoke first, watching the motor club's president, "Seems like everything went great. It should help out the club, don't you think?"

Hiwa smiled. "Our motor club never strides into a new year silently. We always show them our roar and our pride." Asami and Michiko nodded, smiling, as they listened and watched the crowd.

"As it should be," said Vizune, smiling. He glanced to the other two at the table. "What did you think?"

"It was great!" Asami said vibrantly. "Maybe the motor club should follow up with an article for the school newspaper."

Michiko nodded. "You gave me some ideas for the next dance as well."

Hiwa took out an empty canister, devoid of its roll of film. "We even have pictures for the newspaper, if we want."

"Too soon," Vizune said softly.

The three girls looked to him. "Why is it too soon?" asked Asami. "It was a success."

Vizune tilted his head back. "And what of the school officials? What do they think?"

Hiwa glanced down to the table. "We don't know. Yet."

Chigen finally made his way to the table. He sat in the empty chair left for him. "What's wrong, Hiwa?" he asked, gently running a hand along her back.

Hiwa looked up to him and smiled weakly. Vizune said softly "We have yet to see what the school officials will do in response. I think she's worried."

Chigen sighed. "Yes, I'm a little worried myself," he admitted. He looked through the crowd. "However, we attracted a lot of people. If they stay, it'll be our best year ever." The loud roar of a motorcycle engine being revved echoed throughout the building. However, the occupants paid no heed since it was a common sound.

Vizune nodded in response to Chigen's comment. Hiwa looked to Chigen, saying "Maybe, if the response isn't too harsh, or someone wants us to, we could provide the pictures we took for an article on what happened today."

Chigen smiled. "That sounds great. What did you get pictures of?"

Hiwa smiled back at him. "Every part, I think. I had a few friends help me."

"Impressive," said Vizune. "We did a lot."

Chigen nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I was starting to worry about running out of gas near the end."

Vizune leaned back in his chair. "But it all turned out well, ne?"

The others nodded. Chigen then looked to Asami and Michiko. "So, are you two thinking about signing up?"

The two girls looked to each other and then looked back at Chigen. Michiko then shook her head, saying "I'm afraid not. Our clubs will probably keep us busy enough."

"Perhaps our clubs can work together again in the future," suggested Hiwa.

Asami nodded. "I would like that."

"Wouldn't it be nice to have some new outfits for the club?" asked Michiko enthusiastically. Asami barely stifled a giggle and shook her head.

Chigen and Hiwa exchanged glances before looking back to Michiko. "That would be nice," Hiwa said.

Vizune leaned forward, letting the chair come back to the ground. He looked to Asami and Michiko. "If you need any help with something, just ask. I owe you one for helping out." They nodded in response.

Hiwa looked up and noticed a large man with blond hair worn in a ponytail looking at the pictures that were posted on the wall to show everyone what had occurred during the race. Noting that he seemed a bit old to be a student, she tapped Chigen lightly on the shoulder and pointed towards the newcomer. "Chigen, who's that?" Just then, the man turned and started walking towards the table where they were sitting.

Chigen half-stood to get a better look at the man halfway across the room. He then dropped to the chair, his face suddenly serious.

Everyone looked to Chigen. "What is it?" Asami asked concernedly.

The man stopped by the table, seeming to have had no problem navigating through the crowd. "I'll let it slide this time," he said to the students sitting there.

Chigen nodded, deathly silent. Vizune nodded as well and said "Okay." The three girls exchanged worried looks.

The man turned around. "In the future, though, give a warning first." He then started to walk back through the crowd. Before he left, he said, just loud enough to be heard, "Time to have some fun."

Vizune looked to Chigen as the man went through the crowd. "Who was that?"

Chigen took a deep breath and answered softly. "His name is Jiyuu Mouki. He's in charge of security at Ohtori Academy."

"Cool," said Vizune, chuckling. The others just gave him a long look. He shrugged in response. "He doesn't seem to mind too much. I'd say we shouldn't have too many problems with the others as he's followed up on the incident." Chigen nodded a little.

Hiwa looked at Chigen, then at Vizune, and then back at Chigen. "It would probably have been worse if you hadn't practiced last night, Chigen."

Vizune tilted his head. "Practiced for today?"

"I don't know about you, but doing all those tricks on a motorcycle isn't something I normally do," Chigen admitted.

Vizune thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. I'm more used to those kind of tricks while riding something other than a dragon."

"A dragon?" asked Asami, sounding confused.

"It's kind of... slang for a motorcycle that I use," Vizune explained.

Chigen stood from his chair. "Well, are we going to talk all day or are we going to party?"

The others began standing but then Vizune paused. "One last thing before I join in," he said. He pulled out a pen from inside his jacket. "Where do I sign up again?"

"What?" came the surprised response from the other four people at the table. Unfortunately, this was audible enough to some of the crowd to attract weird looks from the other partygoers.

Vizune scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. "With all that was going on, I sort of forgot to sign up." All five people laughed together before heading towards the center of the party.