Kira's afraid of losing Rei. She watches him in class, his head resting on his arms, apparently unconscious. Kira remembers Rei collapsing previously. She starts getting frightened, and grabs his hand and calls out his name.

Rei suddenly wakes up (he was dozing), stands up, and groggily [but very adamantly!] exclaims that his final goal is to win the world championship at the GP500! Then he realizes he's in class (Kira had grabbed his hand and woken him up ;) heh)

The guy from grade 3 comes to ask Rei if it's true that he'll be racing in the Suzuka 8hr motorcycle races. Rei confirms, and offers to get him a ticket. Tatsuya watches him, wondering about what Kira said--about Rei having a twin brother...

The art director/teacher asks Kira why she's decided not to go to college. Kira replies it's because she hasn't the money. The teacher sighs, thinking it's such a pity that Kira and Kurasawa, the two most talented art students, are both deciding not to go to college. Kira's surprised that Kurasawa isn't going to college (he was planning to before), and the teacher tells her that he's withdrawn his application (rough translation). The teacher observes, though, that Kurasawa has already reached his height (of talent, etc) and will probably only be able to go downhill, while Kira seems about to spread her wings to soar. She suggests that Kira enter some of her work in the upcoming art exhibition.

Kira tells Rei she wants to draw while she can, because after high school graduation she probably won't have the time. Rei says he's sure she can win an award, but Kira says that the most important thing for her is that she wants to draw him--Rei looks reluctant at first, but agrees to let her (just "because it's her" ^_^). Then Kira tells him she wants to draw at his apartment, because she wants him to pose nude!! (Rei drops his motorcycle helmet in shock)

Rei shows her his motorcycles in the garage. She's the first girl who's wanted to come; all the others thought it was too dirty. They go up to his apartment, and Kira mortally offends Rei's neighbor Ken by calling him an oji-san when he's only 19. ^_- Kira remembers how the art director suggested that she draw Rei naked, since he's her bf and willing to pose for her. The art director recalls how in his 1st year some girls took pictures of him to draw him, and he was so angry about it that no one ever tried it again.

Rei forgot to lock the garage so went back to take care of it. Kira notices that while Rei takes care to lock his garage of motorcycles, he never locks his apartment ;). She finds a penthouse magazine sticking out from under the bed while she's waiting for him, and Rei comes back to find her reading it. ^_^ He tries to fervently deny that it's his ("IT'S TATSUYA! I TOLD HIM I DIDN'T WANT IT BUT HE MADE ME BORROW IT!"), but Kira just says she should borrow some from Tatsuya too, so she can study nudes. At this, Rei digs up more porn magazines from under his bed for her. ;)

Ken passes by to hear someone screaming "Don't take it *all* off, just the shirt!!" ^_-;;
Kira looks at Rei and wonders at how men and women's bodies each have their own unique beauty. She notices a scar on his collarbone/shoulder. Rei tells her it was from this accident while racing--he'd crashed and his motorcycle had landed on top of him--he'd been lucky to survive. Kira asks why he continued racing, and he tells her that once someone begins, they can't stop...Kira doesn't understand the attraction, and Rei asks her if she wants to watch him race.

Rei takes Kira to the motorcycle racetrack. There Rei hands her over to Kyoko, who talks to her a bit about racing. Kira meets Akitaka, noticing the unnatural movements of one of his legs and remembering Rei mentioning him. Kyoko tells her that everyone says there are angels and demons on the racetrack, and that her husband caught the attention of a demon (which is why he lost a leg). Kira talks to her about being afraid for loved ones doing something so dangerous. Rei comes out dressed for racing, and Kira's startled by the change...especially when he starts riding. Kyoko tells her a bit more about racing, and about Rei starting to race at age 6! Kyoko says that watching him race, one thinks racing must be a sport specifically created for men.

Kira asks Rei whether he's ever afraid, while racing. Rei says of course...but before he has a chance to be afraid, the pressure and everything rushes out and he feels like he's gone crazy. Kira watches him as he speaks, and realizes how much Rei loves motorcycle racing.

Later Kira is drawing Rei riding his motorcycle. Kyoko accidentally lets slip something about Sei being an artist also...Kira asks Kyoko to tell her more about Sei. Kyoko says Sei was a very meek (only word I can think of...) kid; he often drew portraits of Rei. Kyoko says when Rei had that motorcycle accident, Sei was hysterical--even though Rei was already out of danger, he sat crying next to Rei's bed, and said that if anything should happen to Rei, he would die also. Kyoko said that Sei gave people that feeling--of having to die if anything ever happened to Rei. At this, Kira suddenly intuitively asks, "Sei didn't commit suicide--did he?"
Kyoko's reply: "That's right. He jumped from the school roof--in front of Rei."

It seems that in the third year of junior high (that's 9th grade), Sei had leapt from the roof of the 5-floor school building. Rei had seen the whole thing. At the time, Rei had run to the roof to stop Sei from jumping. He had reached his hand out for Sei--but Sei had just turned from him, and Rei had ended up seeing a corpse that looked exactly like himself. Kyoko said that Sei had probably committed suicide because he was so often the victim of violence at school. After his death, Rei got very disturbed mentally and took to smashing all the mirrors at school. No one knew whether it was because he hated seeing Sei's face looking at him from the mirror, or whether he hated himself for not protecting Sei well enough. Kira recalls the art director telling her about Rei being so angry when someone tried to take pictures of him. Kyoko says from that time on, Rei would sometimes suddenly faint, or have trouble breathing...so his father sent him to the hopsital...Akitaka comes in and angrily interrupts her, saying Rei's father didn't care about Rei, which is why he shipped him off to the hospital, and was such a horrible person that he sent Rei and Sei away to LA right after their mother's death, and never contacted them except to send money for living expenses.

Kyoko and Akitaka are arguing about Rei when Rei himself walks in, telling them that they're so loud that everyone outside can hear everything clearly. Kira runs crying to him.

Rei tells Kira later about his father being a workaholic, neglecting them (but this gave them "freedom," Rei said, so it was all right), and how he and Sei had actually been very happy in LA--his uncle (they'd lived with their mother's sister and her husband) had been into motorcycle racing, which is how he started loving it. Sei wanted him to quit racing, but Rei said he was going to go back to LA after high school to be a professional motorcycle racer. Not long after the conversation, Sei killed himself. Rei remembers him and Sei promising to stay together always, even in death.

Kira tells Rei he doesn't have to model for her anymore--she doesn't want to cause him pain. He says it's all right, for her, and that he used never to be afraid of anything, but now that he's met her, he's got lots of things to be afraid of...the biggest thing being when she's sitting behind him on the motorcycle--he says now he always drives slow on the highway, because with her there, he can't afford to do anything wrong.

Kyoko watches Rei and Kira embrace, and smiles, as Rei has finally found something in the world he wants to cherish.

It's summer vacation! On the last day of school, Kira tells Rei to go home alone, as she's got to meet up with someone. It turns out to be Harumi! They're going swimsuit shopping together!! Rei's stunned, and Tatsuya tells him that Harumi and Kira have actually become really close. Turns out everyone's going to Lin Lu to watch Rei race, except Kira--her mother won't let her go, as she seems to think of Rei as the same type of person as the people who inadvertently killed Kira's father (Remember her father died in a car accident? Yeah.).

As she paints, Kira wonders why Sei chose to die. She hears a motorcycle outside, and goes to a nearby park with Rei. He's leaving the next day for Lin Lu. He remembers meeting Kira for the first time at this park, and watching her draw for a while, wondering what she was drawing, before he'd actually gone over to talk to her. He says that he hadn't really noticed what he was doing until he was already talking to her.

Kira asks if she resembles Sei. Rei replies that she does but she doesn't....
At first he thought she did, but things've proved differently since--Kira's not afraid of anything he does, and won't ask him to give up motorcycles. Kira thinks she's actually very afraid for him...She tries to give him back his bracelet, since it seemed to bring him luck and keep him safe. Rei tells her to keep it, and to give him something of hers instead. She ties her hair ribbon to his wrist, and kisses his hand.
Kira: "Kyoko said..on the racetrack, there are angels and demons. Angels! I hope the ones who smile on Rei are you..."

At the Suzuka Circuit--Tatsuya, Harumi, and other classmates are excited about the races. Rei wanders around before the race as some of the attendants and Akitaka talk about the race and Rei's skill. Rei sees a random girl who he at first mistakes for Kira.

That evening Kyoko and Akitaka are worried about Rei being under pressure...
Rei's with his classmates playing a game where you draw straws and whoever gets the long one gets to command everyone else (think: sophisticated Simon Says). Rei gets the long straw and commands that all the guys expose their XXX -_-;;;

Kira's painting, thinking that it must be hot at the races, when she gets a phone call from Rei. He's calling her between races, saying the weather there is hot. ^_^ He also says he's surrounded by professional racers, so he feels a bit discouraged, but will feel completely better if Kira gives him some "energy"--by kissing him. Kira's incredulous at this request, since they're on the phone, but Rei just says that if there's love behind it, he'll be able to feel it. So she does. ^_^

The day of the final race---[8 hours, if you recall :)]
The kids're wowing everything. A man in the seat behind them tells them a bit about the racing. Meanwhile Rei is hooked up to an IV because of the energy-consuming race he's about to participate in (?). Kyoko's riding at the moment (it's like, a relay type thing) and she's in 14th place. Rei says he's impressed, since the motorcycle she's riding was designed specifically for him so she must be having a difficult time controlling it. The man in the stands continues to tell the kids about Kyoko racing, etc...Rei comes out to race...and shocks everyone with his speed as he's trying to catch up with the first few racers.

Rei recalls a conversation with KIra when she's drawing him. He's talking about how people who don't know anything about motorcycles or racing would just look at racers as idiots who make a lot of noise. He says that Kira's mom probably thinks of him as someone just like the people who caused Kira's father's death. Kira asks Rei not to say that...she doesn't really understand his world of racing either, but after she'd seen him race, she's realized this world of the racetrack is a very sacred place. She thinks that only those who are willing to pay their lives as the price would be able to be a part of that world.

While Rei's racing (people are talking about him and how he's only in high school), Kira's at home painting, lost to the world.

One time, Kira had asked Rei if she could draw his motorcycles because she now thinks they have their own potential/life forms. Rei tells her a bit about regular motorcycles and racing motorcycles. He asks Kira why she wanted to draw him in the first place...Kira replies that once he'd said that without knowing what he was doing, he'd come and talked to her in the park. She says that it was the same for her...before she'd realized it, she'd been talking to him...and before she'd realized it, she'd fallen for him...

At the races, Kyoko's injured her hand. It's taken a lot of effort for her to race using Rei's motocycle. Rei volunteers to finish the race, though he'll be going 1 hour over the allotted time and they'll get disqualified. Seems there's this rule that each person can only go 60% of the whole race, max. Rei promises to head back as soon as they give him the signal that his time is up. Before he takes off, he remembers KIra's words about the safety charm, and kisses her ribbon tied around his wrist.

Kyoko cries, angry at herself for quitting over such a minor injury; Akitaka comforts her.

Rei starts doing all sortts of crazy stunts--driving on one wheel, etc--pushing to go faster. People in the audience go crazy; others wonder whether his energy will hold up. Rei's classmates are all cheering; one of them wishes Kira could be there to see. Harumi agrees, saying she wishes the fiery mood there could be sent back to Tokyo for Kira to experience.

Kira's painting away at a portrait of Rei...she remembers first noticing him at school, how he always attracted attention, like the sun...but how she had sensed a shadow behind his happy exterior...she remembers Kyoko talking about Sei's death, Rei seeing a corpse looking like himself...

Rei's setting records with each lap he makes. There's two hours left. Kyoko and Akitaka argue about whether to let him keep going or not...

Kira thinks about how asking Rei why he races would be like asking her why she draws--it's just a way of living. She finally decides that the colors she senses on Rei are the colors of the setting sun: while the darkness presses towards it, it still burns until the very last moment.

Instead of stopping, Rei keeps going...he's caught up with the leading racer. The Suzuka person (the one who's been watching Rei the whole time, seating behind his classmates and talking to them ) observes that Rei doesn't care about winning--he's just racing with his fighting nature [that's the best translation i could do].

The racing's turned really pressured and ugly. Some people say it's lucky that Kira isn't there, or she'd be crying...Harumi says Kira wouldn't be crying, which is why Rei picked her. Rei wins the race and crashes immediately after, his last conscious thought "if only I could just keep racing all the way to Tokyo..." (where Kira is ^_^)

Kira looks up as the wind ruffles her curtain. She looks at the clock and realizes the race has just ended.

Though his team was disqualified, everyone applauds Rei's race, including Akitaka, who says that Rei did just as he would have done.

Kira's painting is in the art exhibition. She and Rei go, but once at the exhibition Kira tells Rei to go in alone, as she's too shy to have him look at her painting of him with her there. So Rei goes in alone. People stare as he walks about. He finally finds it--Kira's painting. She's named it "MARS"--and Rei remembers his conversation with Kira about the god of war. He reaches up his hand to touch the painting. The security guard, seeing this, rushes to stop him--but freezes and stares, like everyone else, as Rei turns and it's revealed that he's the subject of the painting. It has won first place.

Rei tells Kira it's a great painting...that it gives the viewer a feeling of being alive. He thinks that he is so lucky to have met her.

A girl with long curly hair stares at the painting of Rei in the art exhibition, and cries.

End Volume 3.

On to Volume 4
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