![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
OOC: application & contact info
Name/Nickname: Ebi
Journal:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kaiba_katt
Email: citti_monroe[at]hotmail.com
IMs (AIM/MSN/YIM): AIM: kanemarufan
Timezone: GMT Eastern Time
CHARACTER:
Name: Bleed "Jotaro" Kaga
Age: 19
Series: Future GPX Cyber Formula
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Occupation: Crash Racer
Point of canon to be drawn in: Pre-Fireball Tournament
Preferred level: Abyss
ID Number: 1492816
Kaga's warehouse. This is where he lives.
Appearance: Kaga has large, spiky green hair with two patches of orange on either side of his head, as well as a long braided black ponytail that extends down to his waist. He's got two triangle-shaped earrings, and on his forehead there is a moon-shaped scar. Despite his taste in hair color, he still has brown eyes due to being japanese.
For clothing, Kaga isn't all that picky. He wears a black leather jacket with no undershirt and a large red "Z" on the back, some ratty old red jeans, black riding boots, and fingerless gloves on each hand.
When it comes to stature, Kaga is about 5'6", and he's got pretty scrawny arms... But don't let apperances fool you. He likes eating a lot but can't usually afford all that much, which explains why he's so thin.
Personality: Kaga is a "living life on the edge" kind of guy. He never backs down from a challenge until he's won and enjoys competing in dangerous races to prove his worth and earn money to buy food. Despite his rough nature, he holds high values and good morals close. He's not someone to underestimate just because of how he looks, because underneath all that badass exterior, there's a guy with a heart of gold. He can be a goof and a good friend, as well as someone who will always protect his friends, putting them before his very life. As long as they have compensation, that is.
Abilities: A very talented motorcyclist who uses his skills in crash races. Because he doesn't have the Jaguar (his racing machine), he can only use his motorcycle to race. And despite his scrawniness, he's a tough fighter, often times preferring fist fights to rational conversation.
History: Back when Bleed Kaga was a professional Cyber Formula racer, he and his best friend competed against each other, trying to see who was better and faster. They discovered a strange realm that only those who challenged the limit of perception found: The Zero Realm. This realm allowed racers to see things that were going to happen and make racing much easier for them, having them pull off moves that were almost impossible. The catch was the realm put the racer's body under huge amounts of strain, and would eventually crush said person. But Kaga and his friend became more and more determined to beat one another... Until one day, his friend crashed when he collapsed at the wheel, and was killed instantly.
Feeling responsible for his friend's death, Kaga changed his name and ran away from his old life, no longer playing as a professional racer and instead began competing in Crash Races to earn a living. It was during this point in his life when he met Gray and his friends, a group of tough american mechanics who needed a little extra money to get their dream going. A dream of building the best cars for competing in Grand Prix races. Kaga joined their little group, assumed the leadership role, and got them set on their dream. He eventually found himself back in his home country of Japan, where he followed the crash racing competition. Around this time, he met the youngest Cyber Formula racer at the time, Kazami Hayato. At first, Kaga thought he was just a dumb kid who thought he was a hot shot, but he realized that this bratty kid actually had something in him that reminded Kaga a great deal of himself. Determination and strength. The two became good friends, though Kaga only really ever showed up at Hayato's doorstep when he needed to borrow money or caught wind of a whole new crash race to take part of. This time, it was the Fireball Tournament. A huge Crash Racing tournament funded by a group of rich men who would bet on different racer's lives to win even more cash. Kaga had entered himself and Hayato so they could win the big bucks, and he promised to split it. He knew that if he entered them as a team, then if one of them failed, the other could always earn the money. However, this form of racing was much more dangerous than anything Hayato would ever have imagined, and Kaga knew it was a risk. But he also knew that if Hayato were to ever advance as a full-fledged Cyber Formula racer who wasn't afraid, then he'd have to earn all the skills he could: And where better to start than in Crash Racing?
Just as Kaga anticipated, Hayato and himself won the Tournament, splitting the money fifty-fifty. The next time the two would meet, Kaga wouldn't just be a crash racer. In fact, he'd be one of Hayato's biggest rivals: the newest addition to AOI Zip. That's right, Kaga had joined professional racing again. He said it was only for the money and that he just wanted to win a lot so he could get more food, (and meet some pretty girls) but the truth of the matter was he wanted to challenge Hayato further, just as he had done with his friend. Except this time, he wanted to protect his friend from the Zero Realm, in hopes that it would never reach the youngest racer.
(Not going further since the place I'm taking Kaga from is before the Fire Ball Tournament, which I've already wrote about.)
False memories:
Kaga had been born and raised in Terra with his mother, who often had to go to the Abyss to carry out her 'business'. His birth was an accident of sorts, since that's just the kind of life his mother had, but instead of tossing him away at birth, she kept him in hopes he could find a better life for himself than the one she had to live.
When he was 13 years old, his mother had to take another trip to the Abyss, this time to pick up a package from one of her acquaintances in that level. She told Kaga to come with her this time so he could learn what life was in the more unfortunate parts of the city. Being the kind boy he was, Kaga followed. He'd never been through such a security check before- It frightened him. He remembered being so afraid as he called for his mother... She'd gotten separated from him during the security check... It seemed there'd been a breach somewhere and chaos had broken loose. At about that moment, Kaga had been knocked unconscious during the chaos... and when he came to, he was in a place he did not recognize. Lying on cold and damp cement bricks, he sat up and realized he was bleeding from a large gash on his arm. How long had he been lying there?
Remembering the chaotic situation from before, he grew concerned for his mother and began shouting for her and when there was no response and Kaga suddenly felt so very alone in this large and dark place. He had no way of bandaging the wound on his arm and he didn't even think about using his own clothing to do so... He wasn't brought up that way. After all, his mother wanted him to have a good and clean life, didn't she?
While Kaga was lost, he met a few large men who seemed to be taking a vehicle apart and keeping the scraps. Curious about what they were doing, he went right out and asked them, still assuming they would react like the people of Terra would. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case as the men suddenly surrounded Kaga and brought him out into plain view, screaming at him that he better not tell anyone what he saw and just who the hell he was anyway.
At first, Kaga was terrified. He remembered his fear from during the security check and when he remembered how he'd been separated from his mother, his fear died down. He no longer had a reason to be who he was before, did he? He obviously wasn't in Terra, his mother was gone... As far as he was concerned, he didn't even exist. Taking a bold step forward, Kaga planted both feet firmly on the ground and shouted back,
"Shut up! Why the hell would you care who I am!?"
This response confused the men, as they really didn't know how to answer that. Usually if they screamed at someone, they'd beg to be let go so they could run away... But this kid had spunk. Either he wasn't afraid of them or he was just too scared to care about his life. At that moment, the biggest of the group stepped closer to Kaga and shoved him with the palm of his right hand, "We don't care who you are. We could kill ya right here an' now and nobody'd come to yer rescue. Does that scare you, kid?"
Kaga thought about what he said. He knew there was no one who would come to his rescue anyway... after all, his mother was gone and he was alone here. So why did it matter? Nothing mattered anymore so who cares?!
"I don't have anyone to come to my rescue anyway! So I don't care!!"
That was definitely not what he was expecting the boy to say. Giving a bit of a grin, the man spoke again, giving the boy a rough pat on the back, "Heheh. You've got spunk, kid. I'll give ya that. The name's Gray. These are my pals. We make a livin' by taking apart junk we find here and sellin' it for cash. Anythin' left over, we built up for races held in this neck of the woods. Ever heard of crash races, kid?"
Kaga furrowed his brow and shouted again, "My name's not kid! It's..." He stopped. What kind of name of 'Jotaro' in the presence of these tough guys? It made him sound like a weakling! He tried not to make it too noticeable about how he turned and looked around... but when he spotted his bleeding arm again, he looked back at Gray with a sparkle in his eye, "Bleed Kaga."
"Bleed? Heh heh. That's a good name. Bleed it is."
"So... what's this about crash races?"
That was how his life in the Abyss began. He'd managed to live with a bunch of metal scavengers, and learning from them was even more fun. But what he loved most of all was watching them parttake in 'crash races'. These were dangerous races held in the streets of Abyss, where the only rule was to win. If you crashed, you lost and your body'd be cleaned up off the pavement as soon as people'd stop running it over. If you chose to step out into the streets when a race was going on, it was like committing suicide. No one would stop for you, not even if you screamed beforehand.
This was the kind of life Kaga knew from then on. And he savoured every moment of it, no longer living as a scared kid but now as a risk-loving man who loved the thrill of a good race. He'd often told Gray that he would win every single race if he had a vehicle to drive in the races. That was when Gray gave a triumphant laugh which weirded out Kaga.
"Oiii, old man! What're you laughin' about anyway? Did I say somethin' funny? I really mean it, I'd kick everybody's can out there and win the prize money! Don'tcha believe me?" Kaga growled, spreading his arms out for emphasis as the two walked back to their ratty old warehouse... this being their home.
"Ah, I believe ya, Bleed. I was waitin' for ya ta say somethin' along those lines, actually. 'Cause I got somethin' yer gonna love." Gray responded, gesturing for Kaga to follow him to the back of the warehouse. Kaga of course followed, though he was still a bit suspicious of how Gray was acting...
When they arrived, the 17 year old's jaw nearly dropped. Was this for real!? "Oi... old man... Is that..."
"A motorbike, yeah."
It was a motorbike. A real, honest to god motorbike sitting in their midst. Kaga ran towards it, ponytail swinging back and forth as he ran and knelt next to the gift from above, "Where'd ya... How did ya... Ya didn't built this girl, didja? I would've found out!"
"Ah, we didn't built it, but she was run down. We found the old girl lying a few blocks down... Turns out she was used in one of the crash races. Her driver's still in the cracks of the brick walk, but she didn't get too heavily damaged. All that recent scrap we've been findin'? We've been using it to put her back together. Now she's back to being a beautiful sight." Gray explained, patting the seat of the motorbike.
Kaga grinned wide, tracing the body of the bike with his palm, staring in wonder, "She sure is! ...Gray... Ya don't mind if I... take her for a test run, do ya?"
"Already, Bleed? We just got back from shop. Shouldn't you get some shut eye?" Gray replied, folding his arms and smirking down at his comrade.
"No way I can sleep now! I've gotta try this baby out! Come oooon, if I break her, ya can break any part of me! Deal? An eye for an eye, right?" Kaga offered, holding out both arms and even stretching out one of his legs for extra emphasis, showing just how much he meant his word.
Gray thought a moment, rubbing his chin as if he were in deep thought before flicking Kaga's forehead with a finger, "Fine. But don'tcha think ya should give her a name first?"
At that comment, Kaga gave Gray a devious grin as he began walking the bike out to the front of the warehouse, "I'll decide on that after my test run!"
When Kaga rode the motorbike, he felt free. He felt like his life had a purpose again, and he loved it. He knew exactly what he would use the bike for and became even more determined to prove his worth. He and his friends wouldn't just have to rely on the shop to make money... Kaga would be their money maker. The Abyss was full of tight squeezes in the city, but they were just big enough for the kid to sneak in through, realizing he'd have even more of an upperhand during the crash races to win!
When he returned home, he'd settled on a name for his motorbike. That name was "The Jaguar".
By the time he was 19, the warehouse had gone through a couple of changes. Kaga had indeed kept his word, winning almost every crash race he could due to his ability to sneak through tight squeezes on his bike, which was tiny in comparison to the other vehicles participating. But the biggest change of all was Gray. He hadn't died, in fact he had told the rest of the guys that he was going to Terra to pick up a few things... But he never came back. This was a traumatic event for Kaga, since it reminded him of the past he tried to hard to forget about... But now he was more determined than ever, feeling that this was a sign that he had to go back to Terra one day and find the two people that meant more to him than anyone: His mother and Gray.
Sample journal posts:
[text]
What a rush! For a second there, I thought I was going to lose that race! When "Digger" came up behind me and tried to pop Jaguar's back tire, I thought that was it! But I should never doubt the lady luck- She seems to always be on my side... Cause right then, someone threw a rotten tomato and Digger stopped following me! I guess it hit him right in the face, throwing him off my trail.
I'm sure the guys will be loving me again tonight! After that show I put on, there's no way they couldn't.
But I hear something really weird coming from downstairs... It sounds like arguing? Great, not again!
Sample role-playing post:
When Kaga came downstairs, he saw a not so unfamiliar sight. The guys were all fighting again, screaming at each other about leadership roles, how their life is worthless and filled with failure, there's nothing left for them anymore... A bunch of crap that Kaga had to stop night after night. It had been like this ever since Gray went missing. No matter how many crash and street races he won, it would never settle the fear in the hearts of these men. The fear that they would never see the man who made everything matter ever again.
"Hey!" Kaga shouted, walking over to them, a stern look on his face, "What the hell is goin' on here!? Fightin' again?"
"Kaga..!" one of the other men spoke up, having a feeling he knew what was going to happen. But they seemed to all be in terrible moods, not backing up once when Kaga came near them.
"Listen to me... This team of ours can't hold together if all yer gonna do all day is fight like a bunch of brats! Ya think Gray would wanna see ya actin' like this? Ah!?" The 19 year old continued, clenching his fists.
"Gray's not here anymore! He's gone and he's not coming back! You know it too, Kaga!"
"Yeah... If he was gonna come back, then where is he!?"
"He's given up on us! There's no way he's gonna come back!"
This was the breaking point for Kaga. He suddenly screamed at them, "Don't give me that BULL SHIT! Are you men or are you crying sucks?! AH?!" Turning to look at each of them, Kaga suddenly ran towards Bob, one of Gray's closest friends, and punched him scare in the jaw, knocking him onto the ground.
This merited a gasp of confusion and shock from the rest of them. Just what was Kaga thinking?!
"Keh... 'Gray's given up on us', 'he's never coming back', 'there's nothing to live for'?! Then why have we been livin' like we have?! It's not just for Gray's sake! This is the best life there is! We risk our lives day in and day out, and don't you tell me it's fer nothin'! You got it!? It's a disgrace... Seein' you guys fight all the time, we're gettin' no where here!" Kaga retorted, pointing towards the rest of them, "I don't know about the rest of you... But I ain't just winnin' these races 'cause I feel like it. I ain't just keepin' this team together 'cause I feel like it! I'm doin' this 'cause I know that when Gray comes back, he'll be PROUD of this team! That we held together even without him! As long as I hold onto that kinda faith, I know that my life ain't worthless... Our lives AIN'T worthless, ya hear me!?"
"We hear you." Mack, another member of the team, responded, "Just stop yellin' in our faces, Kaga. We're scared. Without Gray, we feel like we got nothin'. Even if we know he wouldn't want to see us like this, we're still doubting if it matters. Because he's not here."
The green haired man sighed, taking out a pack of cigs and lighting up before he took a drag from the relief. Finally, he spoke again.
"Then... would it make more of a difference if I brought him back?"
(cliff hanger!)
Journal:
kaiba_kattEmail: citti_monroe[at]hotmail.com
IMs (AIM/MSN/YIM): AIM: kanemarufan
Timezone: GMT Eastern Time
CHARACTER:
Name: Bleed "Jotaro" Kaga
Age: 19
Series: Future GPX Cyber Formula
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Occupation: Crash Racer
Point of canon to be drawn in: Pre-Fireball Tournament
Preferred level: Abyss
ID Number: 1492816
Kaga's warehouse. This is where he lives.
Appearance: Kaga has large, spiky green hair with two patches of orange on either side of his head, as well as a long braided black ponytail that extends down to his waist. He's got two triangle-shaped earrings, and on his forehead there is a moon-shaped scar. Despite his taste in hair color, he still has brown eyes due to being japanese.
For clothing, Kaga isn't all that picky. He wears a black leather jacket with no undershirt and a large red "Z" on the back, some ratty old red jeans, black riding boots, and fingerless gloves on each hand.
When it comes to stature, Kaga is about 5'6", and he's got pretty scrawny arms... But don't let apperances fool you. He likes eating a lot but can't usually afford all that much, which explains why he's so thin.
Personality: Kaga is a "living life on the edge" kind of guy. He never backs down from a challenge until he's won and enjoys competing in dangerous races to prove his worth and earn money to buy food. Despite his rough nature, he holds high values and good morals close. He's not someone to underestimate just because of how he looks, because underneath all that badass exterior, there's a guy with a heart of gold. He can be a goof and a good friend, as well as someone who will always protect his friends, putting them before his very life. As long as they have compensation, that is.
Abilities: A very talented motorcyclist who uses his skills in crash races. Because he doesn't have the Jaguar (his racing machine), he can only use his motorcycle to race. And despite his scrawniness, he's a tough fighter, often times preferring fist fights to rational conversation.
History: Back when Bleed Kaga was a professional Cyber Formula racer, he and his best friend competed against each other, trying to see who was better and faster. They discovered a strange realm that only those who challenged the limit of perception found: The Zero Realm. This realm allowed racers to see things that were going to happen and make racing much easier for them, having them pull off moves that were almost impossible. The catch was the realm put the racer's body under huge amounts of strain, and would eventually crush said person. But Kaga and his friend became more and more determined to beat one another... Until one day, his friend crashed when he collapsed at the wheel, and was killed instantly.
Feeling responsible for his friend's death, Kaga changed his name and ran away from his old life, no longer playing as a professional racer and instead began competing in Crash Races to earn a living. It was during this point in his life when he met Gray and his friends, a group of tough american mechanics who needed a little extra money to get their dream going. A dream of building the best cars for competing in Grand Prix races. Kaga joined their little group, assumed the leadership role, and got them set on their dream. He eventually found himself back in his home country of Japan, where he followed the crash racing competition. Around this time, he met the youngest Cyber Formula racer at the time, Kazami Hayato. At first, Kaga thought he was just a dumb kid who thought he was a hot shot, but he realized that this bratty kid actually had something in him that reminded Kaga a great deal of himself. Determination and strength. The two became good friends, though Kaga only really ever showed up at Hayato's doorstep when he needed to borrow money or caught wind of a whole new crash race to take part of. This time, it was the Fireball Tournament. A huge Crash Racing tournament funded by a group of rich men who would bet on different racer's lives to win even more cash. Kaga had entered himself and Hayato so they could win the big bucks, and he promised to split it. He knew that if he entered them as a team, then if one of them failed, the other could always earn the money. However, this form of racing was much more dangerous than anything Hayato would ever have imagined, and Kaga knew it was a risk. But he also knew that if Hayato were to ever advance as a full-fledged Cyber Formula racer who wasn't afraid, then he'd have to earn all the skills he could: And where better to start than in Crash Racing?
Just as Kaga anticipated, Hayato and himself won the Tournament, splitting the money fifty-fifty. The next time the two would meet, Kaga wouldn't just be a crash racer. In fact, he'd be one of Hayato's biggest rivals: the newest addition to AOI Zip. That's right, Kaga had joined professional racing again. He said it was only for the money and that he just wanted to win a lot so he could get more food, (and meet some pretty girls) but the truth of the matter was he wanted to challenge Hayato further, just as he had done with his friend. Except this time, he wanted to protect his friend from the Zero Realm, in hopes that it would never reach the youngest racer.
(Not going further since the place I'm taking Kaga from is before the Fire Ball Tournament, which I've already wrote about.)
False memories:
Kaga had been born and raised in Terra with his mother, who often had to go to the Abyss to carry out her 'business'. His birth was an accident of sorts, since that's just the kind of life his mother had, but instead of tossing him away at birth, she kept him in hopes he could find a better life for himself than the one she had to live.
When he was 13 years old, his mother had to take another trip to the Abyss, this time to pick up a package from one of her acquaintances in that level. She told Kaga to come with her this time so he could learn what life was in the more unfortunate parts of the city. Being the kind boy he was, Kaga followed. He'd never been through such a security check before- It frightened him. He remembered being so afraid as he called for his mother... She'd gotten separated from him during the security check... It seemed there'd been a breach somewhere and chaos had broken loose. At about that moment, Kaga had been knocked unconscious during the chaos... and when he came to, he was in a place he did not recognize. Lying on cold and damp cement bricks, he sat up and realized he was bleeding from a large gash on his arm. How long had he been lying there?
Remembering the chaotic situation from before, he grew concerned for his mother and began shouting for her and when there was no response and Kaga suddenly felt so very alone in this large and dark place. He had no way of bandaging the wound on his arm and he didn't even think about using his own clothing to do so... He wasn't brought up that way. After all, his mother wanted him to have a good and clean life, didn't she?
While Kaga was lost, he met a few large men who seemed to be taking a vehicle apart and keeping the scraps. Curious about what they were doing, he went right out and asked them, still assuming they would react like the people of Terra would. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case as the men suddenly surrounded Kaga and brought him out into plain view, screaming at him that he better not tell anyone what he saw and just who the hell he was anyway.
At first, Kaga was terrified. He remembered his fear from during the security check and when he remembered how he'd been separated from his mother, his fear died down. He no longer had a reason to be who he was before, did he? He obviously wasn't in Terra, his mother was gone... As far as he was concerned, he didn't even exist. Taking a bold step forward, Kaga planted both feet firmly on the ground and shouted back,
"Shut up! Why the hell would you care who I am!?"
This response confused the men, as they really didn't know how to answer that. Usually if they screamed at someone, they'd beg to be let go so they could run away... But this kid had spunk. Either he wasn't afraid of them or he was just too scared to care about his life. At that moment, the biggest of the group stepped closer to Kaga and shoved him with the palm of his right hand, "We don't care who you are. We could kill ya right here an' now and nobody'd come to yer rescue. Does that scare you, kid?"
Kaga thought about what he said. He knew there was no one who would come to his rescue anyway... after all, his mother was gone and he was alone here. So why did it matter? Nothing mattered anymore so who cares?!
"I don't have anyone to come to my rescue anyway! So I don't care!!"
That was definitely not what he was expecting the boy to say. Giving a bit of a grin, the man spoke again, giving the boy a rough pat on the back, "Heheh. You've got spunk, kid. I'll give ya that. The name's Gray. These are my pals. We make a livin' by taking apart junk we find here and sellin' it for cash. Anythin' left over, we built up for races held in this neck of the woods. Ever heard of crash races, kid?"
Kaga furrowed his brow and shouted again, "My name's not kid! It's..." He stopped. What kind of name of 'Jotaro' in the presence of these tough guys? It made him sound like a weakling! He tried not to make it too noticeable about how he turned and looked around... but when he spotted his bleeding arm again, he looked back at Gray with a sparkle in his eye, "Bleed Kaga."
"Bleed? Heh heh. That's a good name. Bleed it is."
"So... what's this about crash races?"
That was how his life in the Abyss began. He'd managed to live with a bunch of metal scavengers, and learning from them was even more fun. But what he loved most of all was watching them parttake in 'crash races'. These were dangerous races held in the streets of Abyss, where the only rule was to win. If you crashed, you lost and your body'd be cleaned up off the pavement as soon as people'd stop running it over. If you chose to step out into the streets when a race was going on, it was like committing suicide. No one would stop for you, not even if you screamed beforehand.
This was the kind of life Kaga knew from then on. And he savoured every moment of it, no longer living as a scared kid but now as a risk-loving man who loved the thrill of a good race. He'd often told Gray that he would win every single race if he had a vehicle to drive in the races. That was when Gray gave a triumphant laugh which weirded out Kaga.
"Oiii, old man! What're you laughin' about anyway? Did I say somethin' funny? I really mean it, I'd kick everybody's can out there and win the prize money! Don'tcha believe me?" Kaga growled, spreading his arms out for emphasis as the two walked back to their ratty old warehouse... this being their home.
"Ah, I believe ya, Bleed. I was waitin' for ya ta say somethin' along those lines, actually. 'Cause I got somethin' yer gonna love." Gray responded, gesturing for Kaga to follow him to the back of the warehouse. Kaga of course followed, though he was still a bit suspicious of how Gray was acting...
When they arrived, the 17 year old's jaw nearly dropped. Was this for real!? "Oi... old man... Is that..."
"A motorbike, yeah."
It was a motorbike. A real, honest to god motorbike sitting in their midst. Kaga ran towards it, ponytail swinging back and forth as he ran and knelt next to the gift from above, "Where'd ya... How did ya... Ya didn't built this girl, didja? I would've found out!"
"Ah, we didn't built it, but she was run down. We found the old girl lying a few blocks down... Turns out she was used in one of the crash races. Her driver's still in the cracks of the brick walk, but she didn't get too heavily damaged. All that recent scrap we've been findin'? We've been using it to put her back together. Now she's back to being a beautiful sight." Gray explained, patting the seat of the motorbike.
Kaga grinned wide, tracing the body of the bike with his palm, staring in wonder, "She sure is! ...Gray... Ya don't mind if I... take her for a test run, do ya?"
"Already, Bleed? We just got back from shop. Shouldn't you get some shut eye?" Gray replied, folding his arms and smirking down at his comrade.
"No way I can sleep now! I've gotta try this baby out! Come oooon, if I break her, ya can break any part of me! Deal? An eye for an eye, right?" Kaga offered, holding out both arms and even stretching out one of his legs for extra emphasis, showing just how much he meant his word.
Gray thought a moment, rubbing his chin as if he were in deep thought before flicking Kaga's forehead with a finger, "Fine. But don'tcha think ya should give her a name first?"
At that comment, Kaga gave Gray a devious grin as he began walking the bike out to the front of the warehouse, "I'll decide on that after my test run!"
When Kaga rode the motorbike, he felt free. He felt like his life had a purpose again, and he loved it. He knew exactly what he would use the bike for and became even more determined to prove his worth. He and his friends wouldn't just have to rely on the shop to make money... Kaga would be their money maker. The Abyss was full of tight squeezes in the city, but they were just big enough for the kid to sneak in through, realizing he'd have even more of an upperhand during the crash races to win!
When he returned home, he'd settled on a name for his motorbike. That name was "The Jaguar".
By the time he was 19, the warehouse had gone through a couple of changes. Kaga had indeed kept his word, winning almost every crash race he could due to his ability to sneak through tight squeezes on his bike, which was tiny in comparison to the other vehicles participating. But the biggest change of all was Gray. He hadn't died, in fact he had told the rest of the guys that he was going to Terra to pick up a few things... But he never came back. This was a traumatic event for Kaga, since it reminded him of the past he tried to hard to forget about... But now he was more determined than ever, feeling that this was a sign that he had to go back to Terra one day and find the two people that meant more to him than anyone: His mother and Gray.
Sample journal posts:
[text]
What a rush! For a second there, I thought I was going to lose that race! When "Digger" came up behind me and tried to pop Jaguar's back tire, I thought that was it! But I should never doubt the lady luck- She seems to always be on my side... Cause right then, someone threw a rotten tomato and Digger stopped following me! I guess it hit him right in the face, throwing him off my trail.
I'm sure the guys will be loving me again tonight! After that show I put on, there's no way they couldn't.
But I hear something really weird coming from downstairs... It sounds like arguing? Great, not again!
Sample role-playing post:
When Kaga came downstairs, he saw a not so unfamiliar sight. The guys were all fighting again, screaming at each other about leadership roles, how their life is worthless and filled with failure, there's nothing left for them anymore... A bunch of crap that Kaga had to stop night after night. It had been like this ever since Gray went missing. No matter how many crash and street races he won, it would never settle the fear in the hearts of these men. The fear that they would never see the man who made everything matter ever again.
"Hey!" Kaga shouted, walking over to them, a stern look on his face, "What the hell is goin' on here!? Fightin' again?"
"Kaga..!" one of the other men spoke up, having a feeling he knew what was going to happen. But they seemed to all be in terrible moods, not backing up once when Kaga came near them.
"Listen to me... This team of ours can't hold together if all yer gonna do all day is fight like a bunch of brats! Ya think Gray would wanna see ya actin' like this? Ah!?" The 19 year old continued, clenching his fists.
"Gray's not here anymore! He's gone and he's not coming back! You know it too, Kaga!"
"Yeah... If he was gonna come back, then where is he!?"
"He's given up on us! There's no way he's gonna come back!"
This was the breaking point for Kaga. He suddenly screamed at them, "Don't give me that BULL SHIT! Are you men or are you crying sucks?! AH?!" Turning to look at each of them, Kaga suddenly ran towards Bob, one of Gray's closest friends, and punched him scare in the jaw, knocking him onto the ground.
This merited a gasp of confusion and shock from the rest of them. Just what was Kaga thinking?!
"Keh... 'Gray's given up on us', 'he's never coming back', 'there's nothing to live for'?! Then why have we been livin' like we have?! It's not just for Gray's sake! This is the best life there is! We risk our lives day in and day out, and don't you tell me it's fer nothin'! You got it!? It's a disgrace... Seein' you guys fight all the time, we're gettin' no where here!" Kaga retorted, pointing towards the rest of them, "I don't know about the rest of you... But I ain't just winnin' these races 'cause I feel like it. I ain't just keepin' this team together 'cause I feel like it! I'm doin' this 'cause I know that when Gray comes back, he'll be PROUD of this team! That we held together even without him! As long as I hold onto that kinda faith, I know that my life ain't worthless... Our lives AIN'T worthless, ya hear me!?"
"We hear you." Mack, another member of the team, responded, "Just stop yellin' in our faces, Kaga. We're scared. Without Gray, we feel like we got nothin'. Even if we know he wouldn't want to see us like this, we're still doubting if it matters. Because he's not here."
The green haired man sighed, taking out a pack of cigs and lighting up before he took a drag from the relief. Finally, he spoke again.
"Then... would it make more of a difference if I brought him back?"
(cliff hanger!)