Winds that Carry

'Ah, shit. How long was I out? My everything is KILLING me. I can only see red in my right eye. Places on my body feel warm, wet, and kinda sticky. Must have taken a bad tumble. Wait. Is that a car? Shit! The race!' Ever since Nar fell from the railing a few minutes ago, the race seems to have come to a halt. Save for Steeltrap that is. When he realized that Nar would not be coming out of the trees he fell into, something inside him snapped. He roared his rage into the trees for some time before he suddenly took off down the track at great speed. Instead of skating as he had been before, however, he now ran on all fours. All the while, raging, and crying into the night sky. He had killed the one person who ever brought any excitement into his life, and he didn't know if life would even be worth living anymore. At this point, his body was on autopilot, barreling down the track, towards the finish line. Wisely, the race organizers hastily evacuated the warehouse that acts as the finish line, and the Vanhoover Police Department was contacted. As Steeltrap thunders down the track, a S.W.A.T team readies to apprehend him as soon as he reaches the warehouse. There's no telling what kind of destruction he could bring to the city if he managed to escape the old industrial district. After searching for his friend for some time, Juno finally exits the patch of trees, and returns to the road that acts as the race's track. He re-adjusts his gear, and places down his skateboard. Seeing this Ryuji comes up beside him, his face awash with concern. "Hey man, take it easy. You just lost your friend. There's no reason to continue the race." In response, Juno grunts, and heaves a sigh. "I know, but..." He goes quiet. Ryuji waits for him to continue, but he doesn't. "But?" Juno smacks his hands against his helmet, and throws his head back. "It's just! If Nar were here, I feel like he'd tell me to finish the race!" Before Ryuji can think of a response, Juno has already hopped on his board, and is beginning to head down the track. He hops on his own board to catch up while trying to think of what to say. (https://youtu.be/G-yZMHstQ3U?si=xKD4us6M6CK-DxZm) Just when the right words form in Ryuji's brain, they are disrupted by a distinct, but annoying sound. A high pitched whirring from near the patch of trees grows louder, and louder. Ryuji looks back to see what could be making the noise, only for a figure, almost a blur, to rocket past him, accompanied by the whirring. "Holy shit!" He exclaims in surprise. Juno nearly falls off of his board at the sight of the figure blitzing down the road, and cutting into the turn at the end at what seems like light speed. Inside the EMS SUV, Asuka slumps against one of the back seats. She makes no sounds, but it's clear she's devastated. Her eyes are red, and cheeks stained with dried tears. Ruby sits beside her, wrapping her in a tight hug while doing her best to console her. For some time, the only sounds within the SUV are Ruby's quiet consoling, and the TV broadcast. That is, until Asuka picks up on an annoying, mechanical whirring. She isn't sure what it is, but it definitely is coming from outside of the SUV. She lifts her head to try and peer outside of the window, only to be met by a blur of motion which passes by the SUV in a fraction of a second. Her attention then turns towards the TV, where it seems the camera crews have just picked up on this same blur. An isometric angled camera takes a second to come into focus on the blur, and eventually, it takes shape. Speeding down the track, and blistering speed, is her brother. His white undershirt is stained red with blood, and he appears to have placed his goggles over his eyes to shield them from the blood coming from a wound on his head. His hawaiian over-shirt is missing, but his favorite straw hat seems to be in tact. He's clearly badly injured, but that stubborn blockhead is continuing to race anyway. Inside the SUV, Asuka scream at the TV for her brother to stop. She screams at the TV screen, as though he would hear her through it. All the while, Nar blitzes down the track at nearly twice the speed he had been going before. 'No idea how far behind I am. I have to catch up. I have to win this for us!' The TV broadcast splits into two views. On the right, Steeltrap rampages down the track, drawing closer to the finish line with every bound. On the left, a bloodied Nar carves a path down the track. He's going so fast that the view is having to switch to different cameras nearly every 5-10 seconds. Not even the overhead drone cameras seem to be able to keep up with him at this point. There are no more flashy tricks, or fancy maneuvers. From this point on, Nar's skating is practical, and most of all, blisteringly fast. There is no slowing down. Not on corners, or when going downhill. He maintains his speed, regardless of how dangerous a position it may put him in. Safety appears to be the least of his concerns at the moment. The only thing that matters to him is that he wins this race. 'Need to take my turns tighter. Find shortcuts. Anything to catch up.' Steeltrap rounds a final turn. He's now on the final, massive stretch of road which leads to the warehouse. Not that he notices. A shadow passes overhead. Despite his mourning, he manages to notice the shadow, and look to it's source. What he sees is nothing short of a miracle. Above, he sees a unicorn, flying. He's covered in blood, and clearly injured, but still flying. Steeltrap's mournful cries begin to shift into maniacal laughter. Nar lands a good few feet ahead of him, and he begins to shout with joy, and excitement. "I knew it! I knew you were stronger! Come on! Show me what you've been holding back! Let me feel alive for the first time in my life!"

Now, the final stretch is a battle between an injured Nar, and an ecstatic Steeltrap. Both aiming for the singular goal of reaching the finish line first.

'Faster! Faster! FASTER! '

Nar crouches down, and leans forward to increase his momentum, and decrease his air resistance. All the while, Steeltrap bounds beside him. The two barely more than an inch ahead, or behind one another. The warehouse quickly grows closer, and closer as the two skaters approach at great speed. As they near the warehouse, Nar's stance begins to falter, and he finds himself involuntarily beginning to stand.

The two cross into the warehouse, marking the finish line of the race, and Nar finally seems to give out. He tips forwards, then flips over, tumbling along the concrete floor for a time until he crashes into a pile of cardboard boxes. All goes dark.

When Nar awakes again, everyone appears to be gathered inside the warehouse. Asuka is above him, treating his wounds. A group of officials appear to be reviewing footage off to the side, and Steeltrap is being put into the back of a S.W.A.T van. Surprisingly, he is showing no resistance. At least, until he meets Nar's eyes. The dragon then shoulders the officers guiding him into the van away, then begins to shout. "Don't you dare die on me you hear?! I want to race you again! If you die, I'll kill you!" He is then shoved into the van by an officer with a riot shield, and the doors are quickly slammed shut.

Nar's eyes then drift to lock with Asuka's. He prepares himself for the scolding of a lifetime, but instead he gets a smile, and a soft "You're real stubborn. You know that? Refuse to lose a stupid race, and then you decide to not die either. Sol, you're gonna give mom and dad a heart attack."

Off to the side, one of the officials appears to say something to the TV host. She clears her throat before lifting her microphone, and asking for the crowd's attention. A light flicks on a nearby camera, and the view of the host appears on a nearby screen. "What a thrilling finish! We've just gotten word that the officials have come to a conclusion after reviewing the footage! Thankfully, Nar is alive, and an ambulance is on the way to transport him to the hospital as we speak. Before that, I think we should let him, and all of you know the results of the race!" The host pauses to allow suspense to build. She flashes a bright smile, then begins again. "After a neck, and neck race to the finish, the winners of the race, and this challenge in the battle of the bands is!..."

"Attack on Mango!"

Despite the news, there are no cheers, or applause from anyone inside the warehouse. Just a solemn silence.

This wouldn't do! Nar risked his life for this win! His friends better start celebrating!

With all the strength he can muster, Nar raises a fist into the air, and bellows "We're still in this!" Then, he grows weak, and his vision fades once more.