It was deafening in the parking lot. To anyone not in the drifting scene, it would seem like chaotic mayhem with the booming music, the crowded parking spaces filled with people putting the finishing touches on their cars, bumping into others with the limited amount of room, the girls dressed in skimpy clothes mostly there for winning incentives. Not to the drifters. To them, it was an organized mess that they were routinely used to. Especially if you were the DK or affiliated with him. He got his own space and people stayed away with good reason. Sean Boswell leant against his Silvia S15 with his arms crossed lazily in front of him at the starting line. A few meters to his left, a muscled Asian man popped biscuits into his mouth, looking equally bored.

"Well Sean, looks like no one wants to race for pinks tonight," Han pointed out, leaning against the hood of his Veilside.

"Good riddance, we've got so many cheap cars at the garage anyways," the young man recalled, but Han watched his face fall at the thought of not racing tonight. He had grown close to Sean over the past months reveling at the talent he helped produce. He had half a mind to offer to race him himself when an exotic woman sidled up to Sean.

"Not much point in staying, Sean," she said in a fluid Australian accent.

"Yeah," he agreed, but his eyes flickered around the garage anyways, he turned back to her," I could think of better things to do," his lips caught hers in a second and Han looked away, shaking his head with a smile. Neela had proved to be a good role model for Sean being a pro drifter herself. Han recalled how much his protégé admired the girl for being a female drifter. A commotion drew his shrewd eyes to the entrance of the garage.

"Yo Han, man we've got a contender," Twinkie ran towards him excitedly pointing towards the entrance," I dunno who it was, but man is the car a hot piece of metallic ass. It'd go nicely with our collection."

Han eyed a sleek Aston Martin Carbon Black rolling smoothly towards them with tinted windows.

"Must be new around here," he raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"No Newbie can survive against our DK," Twinkie laughed," you think we should give a heads up?"

The sports car rolled to a stop inches away from the Silvia.

"Nah Twink, let's see what they've got," Han couldn't help but admire the car. You didn't see designs like this in Japan.

"Yo lover boy," he called to Sean who was still in a deep embrace with Neela," you better win this one." He wanted the opportunity to closely examine the car. Sean broke away and scoffed," when have I ever lost?"

The car revved her engine impatiently and both Han and Sean grinned. Neela went to stand in the break between the cars. People were gathering around excitedly wondering who was going to lose their car to the DK next. Han stood up to get a better look. He cursed the cramped garage with its many obstacles. Not a lot of drift techniques could be used in here, they had to stick to the basics to refrain from flipping their cars. He wanted to see just how pro this newbie who was racing the Drift King was.

The driver in the Carbon Black was grinning when Neela waved the Go sign, both cars shot off. A sharp right turn was coming up and the Silvia had the advantage being in the inside lane. To an inexperienced drifter, this would prove to be a setback, but Carbon Black was hardly an inexperience driver.

Han did a double take as he watched the Carbon Black driver perfect an inertia turn. He shook his head. It should have been impossible for that car to squeeze in between the Silvia and wall. The space was too small. Only fast hand movements and exceptional control of a car could enable the driver to do that. Han frowned as he walked calmly towards the elevators. People all around him were in shock. There had been only one person Han knew who would be reckless enough to pull a fast one like that. He smiled slightly to himself as the elevator rode to the roof.

Meanwhile, the two cars were on par with each other. Sean was getting antsy. Every slick move he pulled, the Carbon would counter with a move of its own. Not only did the driver have impeccable control over their car, but they were also getting dangerously close to the Silvia. Sean couldn't understand how they could be centimeters from his car and not crash into it at the intense speeds they were going at. He was starting to get intimidated when another turn came and the Carbon got slightly ahead of him still centimeters away. Sean used his hand brake which he knew was risky because it could cause insane damage to his car. Just as he thought, he lost partial control and the car swerved ahead about to crash into the other racer, he braced himself for the impact. To his immense surprise, the Carbon smoothly avoided the collision. This time, he tried again, purposely swerving his car into his competition. He was once again met with a perfect dodge. The Carbon was millimeters away from the cement wall, but still going speedily. It was the last level before the roof and Sean knew he had to end it. Deliberately, he swerved his car to the left, with every intent of smashing the Carbon into the wall. The driver, seeming to sense what he wanted to do suddenly brought their car to a screeching halt. A surprised Sean collided with the wall, his car making an unpleasant sound as it rubbed against the cement. He immediately came to a stop looking back with wide eyes. The Carbon deftly pulled back into the lane and whizzed past him. It was over. He knew it. The ramp was just up ahead, there was no way he could catch up. Shaking his head he grinned slightly despite his shame.

Up on the roof everyone could hear the screeching sounds and waited in anticipation expecting the Silvia to appear before them. Han knew better. His face was a mask of indifference as the Carbon performed a 360 turn and halted a few meters away from the crowd. Nobody knew how to react. When the Silvia screeched up the ramp and stopped a little ways behind the car everyone was in awe. Murmurs started to erupt everywhere as they waited in anticipation for the driver to reveal their identity. Han shook his head. There really was only one driver he knew who would feed off the anticipation. He walked forward to stand in front of the hood.

"You might as well come out now," he said, bluntly. He thought he heard a loud chuckle coming from the car. The driver's scissor door rose upward on a hinge. The crowd got louder as they examined the high-performance luxury vehicle. Han could see the black Cat boots step assuredly onto the cement. Then the entire person rose out gracefully shaking long blonde locks from a black beanie and running a fingerless-gloved hand through them. The crowd erupted. It was a woman. A teenager to be exact.

"Always ruining my fun," She pouted at Han. The crowd went wild as Han walked over to the girl and kissed her forehead softly.

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too, old man," she shook him off.

The crowd went silent as they watched their DK get out of the car and walk over to the pair. He tossed the girl his keys.

"You won it," he stated with a grin.

She smirked and tossed them back," nah dude, I don't need your car. It was just for fun, yeah?"

"Sean, this is Elliot James, ElJay, this is Sean Boswell," Han waved a lazy hand in introduction.

"How do you two know each other?" Sean inquired.

ElJay turned to Han," you still have your garage in the same place?" Han nodded.

"Let's meet there. I've gotta proposition for you," She was already jumping into her car, the doors closing smoothly. They watched as she expertly maneuvered between the people and sped back down the ramp.

"What's her story, Han?" Sean asked, as they walked off to their separate cars.

"She used to be my student," Han said," I'll meet you at the garage."

As Han walked to his car he remembered the first conversation he ever shared with ElJay.

It was dark outside. He had just stepped out of a convenient store with a bag full of snacks when something smacked into his foot. He looked at the small remote controlled car. A young girl skidded around the corner, breathing heavily. She was white with blonde hair and faded denim eyes, but when she walked up to him, she bowed deeply," I'm sorry. I'm still new to the drifting thing."When she looked up with a grin, Han observed the scar running from her right eyebrow all the way to the corner of her eye just missing the eyeball. He noticed the bandages wrapped around various parts of her body. She looked to be only nine years old.

"Drifting?" he leant against his Mazda RX-7. Her eyes widened when she noticed the car, but she kept her emotions in check as she answered him," yeah, I'm gunna be a drifter when I grow up."

Han smiled slightly when she leant slowly against his car, crossing her arms over her chest in an act of coolness.

"You like cars, kid?"

She nodded exuberantly," the hospital thinks it's crazy that I got to be so obsessed with cars after the accident and all." She ran a small hand over the decals on the side.

"You been in an accident?"

She nodded again," my relatives weren't very nice people so when the accident happened and they died, I think I was very grateful to the car for helping me get away from them," her voice was so innocent and naïve, Han had to chuckle quietly. The girl didn't seem to notice.

"Where you living now, kid?"

Her voice was distracted as she thoroughly examined his car," in an old garage. The owner lets me stay there because he admires my interest in cars. I help him get customers. We sometimes work on the cars together. Kind of like a family."

Something inside of Han jolted. He looked at the tattered clothes the girl wore and her grease covered face and stringy hair. She looked thin and frail, but even Han could see her eyes glittering as she spoke about cars.

"How old are you?"

"I'm eleven. How old are you?"

"Seventeen," he answered, thinking how short this girl was.

"My name is Elliot, Elliot James," her attention turned back to him as she held out her hand.

"Han," he shook her hand.

"You wanna see something cool?" She didn't wait for his answer as the car from hit foot rolled away with a simple button on her remote," I'm not very good at this yet." She did a series of fast movements on her remote and the car sped in a screeching drift leaving black marks on the ground.

"You wanna see the real thing, kid?" Han watched as her expression turned into glee. She nodded her head slowly, eyes wide as saucers.

"Get in," he wondered if this kid was taught to never talk to strangers let alone get in a car with one. He watched her walk around to the passenger seat with her small car in hand and delicately open the door. He had thought she would be frightened as the car turned sharply on the roads, but her eyes were raptly paying attention to his hand movements, darting from him to the road. He tossed her a small bag of chips.

Her eyes snapped from the road and she stared at the bag in awe," can I really eat this?"

"Just don't get crumbs on my seat." He stared at her strangely as she slowly opened the bag and pulled out a chip, as if she had never seen one before.

"This is my first time eating something like this," she told him, putting it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully as if savoring the taste. He watched as she offered him back the bag.

"You don't like it?" he asked.

"I'm leaving the rest for you. I was always told to take only one of everything to not appear rude."

Han snorted," well I'm letting you eat the whole bag, ElJay."

She leaned contently in the seat," I think this is the best day I've ever had. I get to eat crunchy chips. I get my very own nickname. And I get to drift."

Han laughed quietly, wondering what kind of life this kid led to make something this simple the best day of her life.

Han saw the Carbon in front of his garage. She had come to live with him after that with the incentive of helping him fix cars. He was surprised at how much she knew. He had grown fond of the kid. He would sit her onto his lap in the mountains and they would drift together. She loved every minute of it. When she turned thirteen, she wanted to go on her own. Han remembered even as a beginner, her perfect control of the car.

"It's because I owe cars my life. Not crashing them is the least I can do when they saved me from hell."

She had never told him what happened to her. She refused to go to school, spending her days practicing in the mountains. She had left him when she was fourteen, a wanderer at heart. She wanted to search for the perfect car for her. She promised she'd be back when she found it. Han looked at the Carbon and agreed that it suited her well. He pressed an automatic button in his car and the garage doors rolled upward.

ElJay jolted from her reverie. She was thinking about how much Han had matured over the past two years. It unnerved her that he became so good-looking. She began to notice her feelings for him as soon as she left. She missed being away from him. When he kissed her forehead earlier that night she pulled away because her heart started beating furiously and she swore he could hear it and discover her feelings. She had built the perfect car for herself and wanted Han to applaud her efforts for doing what she had sought out to do. There was just one thing missing to perfect the car and that's why she came back to him. She rolled her car into the garage and watched Han do the same with his.

"So tell me exactly how you got this car across the border?" Han watched her examine her car for scratches.

"Its ace having the Yakuza as buddies, my friend," she grinned kneeling to examine the tires," a few wins on the Chinese circuit and I had them eating out of my hand. They hooked me up with a fake ID and the shizz." She reached inside her leather jacket and produced an ID card," I'm eighteen according to this," she grinned, cheekily. ElJay noticed the rippling of biceps as Han reached into his car to close the garage door.

"Heard you got into trouble with them," she cleared her throat, turning back to her car.

Han shrugged.

"I had to race twenty-four freaking hours to get you out of it and all you can do is shrug?" She asked playfully," I could've spent that money upgrading my car, but no, it all went to paying off your debt you dirty money launderer."

Han was intrigued," so you saved my life then?"

ElJay snorted," Chyeah man, watcha think, the Yaks had a change of heart and decided to keep you alive because of your scintillating conversation skills? It was all me, bro."

"So I assume you came back here to claim your due?"

"That's right," she drawled," but I wanna do this fair and square."

Han stepped away from his car and headed towards the stairs going to the second level. If she was going to negotiate then Han wanted to be comfortable. He saw Sean, Neela, and Twink arrive through the club door and gestured for them to follow. He smiled charmingly at the women who were seated on the couches with the rest of his workers. He tossed ElJay a bag of chips which she caught with one hand and sat in between two women who languidly pressed themselves to his chest. He knew her free-spirit well, sometimes even felt intimidated by it. This way he could show her that he was still the boss and usurpation would not be a choice.

ElJay stared dejectedly at the women all around Han. She had grown used to it when she was younger, but now that she had feelings for him, it was disconcerting. She observed the skimpy dressed models and examined her own outfit. Baggy jeans, grey hoodie and a leather jacket. It showed no skin, but ElJay hated wearing anything revealing. It made her feel as if she was some prize to be gawked at. Plus, the numerous scars from the car accident were something she hid to save herself of the painful reminders. Her right eye would sometimes begin to water uncontrollably, an effect of the scar that almost went through her eye. She popped a chip in her mouth.

"I want to race you," she said simply. There was a tense silence from everyone. Han looked unfazed. Sean and Twinkie exchanged incredulous looks. Han didn't race against anyone. No matter how much money they offered him.

"If I win, you let me stay here for free… and get me a 625i engine," ElJay crunched calmly as collective gasps sounded. The 625i was the most expensive engine in the world. With an impressive 502 hp. It was a newly developed IRIS engine design that was smaller, lighter, and significantly more efficient. It was also considered a secret to the car world, but ElJay knew that it was in the process of being perfected. She wanted that engine. She would allow her car to have only the best of the best. Han smiled as he looked up at the determined girl. She would be an asset to the team.

"If you win…" she trailed off hesitantly.

"If I win, I let you stay here, but you work for me. Plus, you go to school," Han spoke up, watching her reaction carefully. He knew Eljay hated being tied down by any sort of boss. She raced only for herself. She would throw a fit if anyone told her what to do. School was just an added bonus. This girl claimed to hate that institution and no one said that Han was a saint. He watched her squirm uncomfortably, trying to find a loophole.

ElJay knew that her hesitation meant she doubted her victory, Han knew it too from the amused smirk on his face.

"Fuck!" She swore, throwing the chips at him," I accept."

"Shake hands with the devil," Han offered his hand. Eljay slapped it with her own, seething.

"Are you for real?" Twinkie burst out," you actually gunna race her, Han?"

Han rose from his seat and walked over to the fuming girl.

"Think about it carefully, Jay," he put his hands on her shoulders. ElJay almost gasped at the heat emanating from them.

"Do you understand what you're getting yourself into? Doesn't matter if you're sick or asleep, I call you and you come to me with a smile. I want you to race, and you win me another useless car to add to the collection. I tell you to do something and you comply willingly. Also, if I win, your car is mine. Don't worry, I'm not cruel enough to take it apart, I want to examine the masterpiece you created in two years." Han watched her eyes narrow to tiny slits.

She wrenched away from him," you make it sound like I'll lose."

"Fine, tomorrow night at the mountains." He brushed a strand of soft hair from her face. Her cheek tingled from where his finger brushed it. She slapped his hand away.

"Let's settle this right now. You know I hate waiting. Gimme ten minutes to change my tires."

Han stared into her denim eyes which darkened with anger," Twinkie, get ElJay a new set."

The Carbon Black sleeked through the night soundlessly purring. ElJay knew Han underestimated her so when she managed to get ahead of him on the last turn she smirked in triumph. In his own Veilside, Han applauded her technique. She was using the Kansei drift on all the corners which he knew was risky for a driver with her experience, but she pulled it off flawlessly and it gave her some leeway because she wasn't using her brake. Han wasn't worried. He taught her everything he knew and her style was evident to him despite the tweaks in technique. Sean had told him how expertly she dodged his swerves and he decided to sneak one on her. No luck, almost as if she knew, her car angled away from his. He nodded impressed. She was a reckless driver, but she moved one with the car. As if it was a part of her.

ElJay changed gears, braked hard, and yanked the steering wheel to the right in an early turn before lifting her foot off the gas pedal and slamming it down a few seconds later. She was shocked when the traction delayed. She swore as Han took this advantage to get ahead. She cursed herself for not stepping on the gas faster. She was usually an expert at the timing, but her mind was off par today.

Han noticed the momentary delay and frowned. He had never once seen her make a mistake like timing the traction. ElJay tried to focus on the race reminding herself of the 625i. She knew Han would get it for her. He had the connections. Her mind was on other things though. She had told the Yaks she would be at the Shanghai races happening in two weeks. They didn't make a deal, but ElJay knew that a lot of money was implied if she won. She knew that some racers had already acquired the 625i. If she was going to win, she needed to do some major upgrading in two weeks. She couldn't lose today. School would just be a waste of time and she knew Han would never let her go to China. If she worked for him, she knew he owned her. The finish was just at the end of this corner. ElJay made an early turn changing gears. She smirked despite herself. Her grin died away when the Veilside whizzed past her. Her jaw dropped. She immediately floored the pedal, but it was too late. Sean and Twinkie grinned from the finish line. It was one of the more intense races they had ever seen.

"What the fuck was that?" Eljay exclaimed, getting out of the car once she reached the end.

"NOS," Han smirked at her.

"You didn't tell me you had NOS," she whined," you played dirty."

"I don't recall racing being a clean sport," he quipped.

"Bull," she crossed her arm across her chest and glared defiantly at the ground.

"Sorry Jay, you got pawned." Han leant against his car, opening a sprite and taking a long sip.

In her rage, she flung herself back into her Carbon and slammed the door.

"Go eff yourself," she flipped him off and raced away.

Han lazily took another sip, completely unfazed.

"What's up with that, Han? You gunna go afta her?" Twinkie asked.

He shook his head," she'll be back."