Alex awoke the next morning yawning. He was tired from being up the night before. He walked out into the kitchen and saw Mei sitting at the kitchen table. He smiled, "Sup?"

Mei shook his head as he sipped his coffee, "Fine, you?"

He yawned, "Tired."

Al nodded and walked over to the fridge, "What are you doing today?"

"I'm taking the FC to my friend in Tochigi. Wanna come along?"

Al nodded, "Sure, I'll bring the 86 so he can look at it too."

Mei nodded, "Alright."

Mei walked out and slipped into the driver's seat of the FC. He looked down at the steering wheel. He used his shirt to wipe off the dried blood before placing the key into the ignition.

Mei followed Al until they got onto the highway. Then Mei pulled ahead and led Al into the Tochigi area. He watched the gauges carefully; making sure everything was running OK.

Mei pulled into a large scrap yard in the outskirts of the town. He drove along the path, cutting between destroyed, wrecked, and, overall, mangled cars. He then pulled into an aluminum building. Inside the large, hanger-like building, sat many cars, most Japanese, with one or two European models sitting around.

Al and Mei both exited their cars at relatively the same time. Al looked around, seeing no one in site. He sighed before hearing Mei yell, "Yo, Kev!"

Al looked around before watching a medium size, dark skinned man slide out from underneath a Mitsubishi Mirage CJ4A. He looked up at Mei, "Sup man, how's it going?"

Al looked down, his eyes widening, "Kev?"

Kevin sat up and smiled at Al, "Sup dipshit?"

Al fell back onto the hood of his Hachiroku, "When the fuck did you come to Japan?"

"3 months ago, bout the same time you guys did, give or take a week."

"Why?"

"Mike asked."

Al looked at Mei, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Mei smirked, "It was a surprise…"

Al sighed, "I don't even want to know…"

Kev smiled, "That's great guys, so what's up?"

Mei pointed behind him at the FC. Kevin cringed before walking over to it. The hood popped and he looked around inside of it. Al and Mei watched on, eager to see the verdict of Kevin's decision.

He looked behind him and said, "The intercoolers dented. Did the engine heat seem a little high on the drive here?"

Mei nodded. Kevin wiped his hands and nodded back, "Figures, also I'll need to do some work to the body, maybe even replace the front bumper. Besides that, cosmetics, he got lucky."

Mei nodded, "I'll say, it looked a lot worse, didn't it?"

Al then looked around, "So which one of these cars are you driving?"

Kev leaned back, "Got myself a Skyline."

Al smiled, "Followed in Mei's footsteps by getting a GTR?"

He shook his head, "4WD's for losers, I got a GTS."

Mei sighed, "Spent an arm and a leg on it too, supping it up for pushing out 280-290 with mechanical tuning."

Al nodded, "I actually prefer turbo personally."

Kev nodded, "So I heard you wanted to get some more power out of this thing?"

Al nodded and walked over to the driver's side so he could pop the hood. The hood was lifted and then Kevin looked down, observing the 4AGE. He smiled, "Nice engine. Stock, but well kept."

Al nodded, "So what could you do to it?"

"I could rebuild it mechanically, but it some upgrade parts, but that would cost a couple million yen, opposed to simply turbo-charging it to push out an extra 50-60 hp."

Al crossed his arms and looked down at the engine with Kevin, "I wanted somewhere around 300 hp."

Kev smiled, "Might as well get a new car then. The 86 was built for a power band of about 200 hp; even some pro 4AGE's are only pushing out 250."

Al sighed, "I would too, this thing too old. The trade-in value is only about 200,000 yen. I'd need at least 1,000,000 to get even a decent FR."

Kev sighed, "Al, I get cars in and out of here all the time. I'll tell you what, I'll keep a look out for something good and when I see it, I'll call you."

Al smiled, "That sounds cool, thanks man."

Kev nodded, "No prob."

Al walked over and stepped into his car smiling as he did so. Mei was about to walk over to the passenger side as Kevin grabbed his shoulder, "Hey, that team with the orange NSX is coming up tonight, you gonna be there?"

Mei nodded, "Yeah, I'll be there, but I'll probably be a little late. Start at ten, with or without me. Run the uphill first; choose who runs by what they're driving. I'll be there for the downhill."

Kev nodded, "Ok, later."

Mei got into the passenger side of the 86 and drove away from the garage as they got back onto the highway. Al asked, "What was that all about?"

Mei smiled and pushed himself backwards in his seat, closing his eyes, "You don't want to know…"

--------------------

Nik had been sitting around for almost 6 hours, pondering where the hell Mei and Al could have gone. He leaned back and sighed, slightly paying attention to an infomercial.

Just then, the faint sound of the Hachiroku made Nik stand up. He walked outside in his sweatpants and looked at Mei and Al as they walked towards him. He sighed and cleared the way, allowing them inside.

He sat down and asked, "Where'd you go?"

Mei answered quickly, "We brought your car to a shop in Tochigi. He said the intercoolers dented and he's gonna install a new one for free."

Nik nodded, "Great, and take car of the body work?"

Mei nodded, "Yeah, he's also gonna keep an eye out for a new car for Al."

Nik's eyes went over at Al, "Since when do you want a new car?"

"Since I found out that changing this thing would almost be a complete waste of money."

Nik shrugged, "Whatever, maybe you should get an FD…"

Mei looked at him, "OR an R33 or R34

Nik looked at Mei, "OR maybe you could get a Silvia…"

Mei looked at Nik with the same angry passion in his eyes, "OR a GC8."

Al smiled, "Whatever, I think I want a BB5."

------------------------

Both men stared at the blonde one as he walked out of the kitchen. He smiled and got into the driver's seat of his 86 before starting up the engine. It was dusk, perfect time for a quiet drive up the mountain.

Al started up the mountain slowly, just enjoying the scenery. He smiled, slowly accelerating up the mountain. It didn't take him very long to get to the top, where he sat for a few hours until it was dark and most of the cars were gone.

Al then pulled out of the upper lot and began his way down the pass. He floored the accelerator as he approached the first curve, gripping it tightly. He then powered down a straight towards the upcoming left.

His car drifted through it smoothly. He then slowly gripped around a long hairpin before hearing a faint sound in his ear. It sounded like an engine. He ignored it and started to weave through a section of light S curves.

He broke hard before entering his first set of hairpins. He floored it a little more then usual, trying to power over through the corners. He was trying to gain inertia, that why he could work on his feint drifts.

At the end of the last hairpin he over powered and spun out, luckily avoiding the rails. He sighed and backed up before getting back on the road. He then slowly went into the next turn before accelerating down the straight.

After four or five more curves, he began to see a glimmer behind him. On one long strait, the lights kept getting closer and closer until the silver Toyota Chaser JZX100 was riding his ass.

Al floored it, trying to pull away, but he could here that the engine was tuned and turbocharged. He entered a corner going full speed, but the chaser kept right on him. The next few turns went the same way.

Suddenly, Al floored the brakes, and pulled to the inside, allowing the Chaser to pass by him. He sighed and sat for a moment, before he heard a sudden screech and the sound of an engine coming towards him.

Al stepped out of his car and watched as the driver of the JZX as well as his passenger stepped out of the car. Al's eyes widened at the sight of them. He asked, "You're American?"

They both nodded, but the driver spoke, "Yeah, so are you apparently."

Al nodded and looked over at the passenger. He looked the same age as him. He then looked down at the car, "This is a really nice Chaser you have here."

The driver nodded, "Yeah, it is. I pushed it so it's putting out close to 400 hp."

Al's eyes widened, "Wow, that's pretty powerful. I've only got 140 HP."

The passenger nodded, "At least it's a Toyota."

Al smiled, "You guys like Toyotas?"

The passenger nodded, "Back home me and my brother used to drive a Lexus GS300."

"Where's home?"

"South Carolina."

The passenger smiled, "You're looking at one of the fastest drivers on the Carolina Motorsports Park speedway."

Al smiled, "My names Al, I'm from Connecticut, street racer."

The driver nodded, "I'm Ross and this is my little brother Pete. We just got here a few months ago."

Al nodded and shook their hands. Al then asked, "I noticed you have no team sticker, haven't built one yet?"

He shook his head, "Nope, but I am planning on making a team out of four-door sedans. You ever got your hands on one, look me up, you got skill."

Al nodded and stepped back towards his car, only to be cut off, "Hey Al!"

He turned, "Yeah?"

"Do you happen to know who the fastest downhill racer on Myogi is?"

He nodded with a smile, "Yeah, he's my older brother Nik."

Ross smiled, "Tell him I'm interested in racing him."

Al sighed, "His car is in the shop now, but when it's done, I'll be sure to tell him."

Ross nodded, "I'll see you around Al, don't forget about my offer."

Al nodded and got into the 86. He finished off his run slowly and then drove back to the house, passing Mei on the way in. He was flooring it onto the highway. Al wondered what was going but then figured it out. Sara.

---------------------------

Sara sat at the starting line, revving up her engine slowly. She was slightly gnawing on her lower lip. This was her first real race. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, but was calmed by the touch of her friend with the red FD.

She smiled, "Calm down, you're gonna be fine. Just remember your lines. This thing's got nothing on you."

She looked over at the Subaru Alcyone CXD. It revved high. She couldn't tell the exact HP, but she knew it had to be at least 100 more then her own. She sighed and revved up her 4G63. The whole car was still stock, except for suspension tuning Mei had done.

She looked ahead as Sato began the countdown. She revved it up one more time and held the high RPM before letting off the clutch when he threw his hand down. Both cars shot off the line, the Alcyone taking a natural advantage.

The straight didn't last long, as the first hairpin set came up. Both cars wove through the 8 curves with relative ease. Little ground was lost, but the acceleration of the CXD kept it ahead of Sara's E4.

Luckily, the uphill only had one straight that was more then 1/4 of a mile long. Sara was able to keep her ground in the corners, even though the exit speed of the CXD was incredible.

They went through another set of hairpins before starting a weaving section. Sara floored her accelerator, pushing her car to the limits. She didn't know how long she could hold up continuous four-wheel grip, but she would keep trying. She slowly gained ground…

She revved the engine double before taking a hard left/right/left curve. She was trying to pass, but the car was just too powerful. All Mei's rambling about technique and now she was being beat by power?

She sighed and noticed both cars where coming up on the deadly right. Sara floored, knowing the CDX would slow down to handle the corner. She floored the throttle before the corner, sending herself into a power over drift.

The CDX used a braking drift, slowing her down slightly more then the Evo 4. Sara closed the distance in that drift, sending them through parallel. The exit, once again, sent them apart. The power of the Alcyone sent it ahead, into the next hairpin.

Sara followed best she could, but the race was finished quickly, the Alcyone being 7 seconds ahead. Sara sighed and pulled to the side of the road. There were tears welling in her eyes, "I'm sorry Mei…"

---------------------------

Mei floored it up the uphill part of the mountain. He sighed as he pulled to the top, seeing his team consoling Sara. He pulled up next to the Evolution and Sara ran into his arms. He held her lovingly, "It's ok."

Her tears got his shirt wet, but then he saw Kev. He asked, "How'd she do?"

"Lost by 7 seconds, but she did really well. That CDX had around 400 hp."

Mei nodded, knowing no matter what was said would change Sara's mind. He looked at Sato, "I want you to race the NSX; Jen can't hold a tight enough line."

Sato laughed nervously, "It's a little too late Mei, I'm sorry…"

Mei looked at the starting line as a girl from the opposing team threw her hand down, sending the FD and the NSX racing down the mountain. Mei's eyes widened as he gently let go of a calming Sara.

Mei looked angry, but then his face changed to confused, "It really is Orange…"

----------------------------

Jen drifted into the next hairpin, utilizing the feint technique. The NSX was sliding with ease. MR gives a car balance. That combined with the excess power and the drivers talented feint technique, meant this race was over from the beginning.

Yet, Jen pushed through, hoping she could do something about it. Her car was red lining in fourth gear as she passed the long straight and entered another hairpin set.

She wasn't sure why she had a weird feeling about this race, because everything seemed normal except for a feeling the NSX was giving to her. It seemed deep, but angry.

Either way it was fast. The car drifted through most corners faster then she could believe. She barley slowed down when entering the turns. It seemed like she just feinted every turn. She moved down the road like a boat down a river.

Jen's car moved in a more solid motion. Her flow had still not been adapted to this mountain. She pushed around another hairpin and tightened up her line slightly. She moved hard, trying to stay with them.

She then found herself weaving through the last corners till the end of the track. She sighed and drove down the rest of the way, not even nearing the speed of the opposing car.

She parked her car next to the NSX. She sighed as she stepped out and looked over at the other driver. It kind of felt like it was ok, considering she was racing a fellow female driver.

She looked over and smiled, "Good race."

She nodded, "Thanks."

Jen sighed as she leaned back onto her FD. She then asked, "How much power does your car have?"

"I'd say around 500 hp."

She sighed, "I only have 350…"

"I had 350 on my old car. It was a Porsche."

"I had a Porsche before, an 80's 911

"Mine was a '96."

"I also had an M3; it was nice before I crashed it."

"I've had a 911, a Lexus SC300, an Audi Quattro, A Civic Del Sol, an…"

"Wow, slow down. Rich much?"

Jen blushed, "Sorry, I had a rich dad back in America."

She smiled, "Don't worry about it. Hey, do you know the next closest mountain to the south?"

"Umm, I think Usui, then Akagi, then Akina, Then Myogi, then…"

"That's enough, thank you very much."

She slid back into the driver's seat of the NSX and then took off, soon followed by the Alcyone. Jen then looked behind her as the rest of the team showed up behind her.

She looked back and smiled, "I lost."

Kev nodded with a smile, "Its ok."

Mei agreed, "Yeah, they were really fast."

Jen nodded, "They're on their way to Usui I think. They seemed like they were interested in going south."

Sato crossed his arms and thought for a moment, "Well, Gunma is pretty big on downhill racers. Maybe that team is a two person Project D."

Jen shook her head, "They seemed more like they were in a hurry. I wonder what's up with them…"

Mei smirked. Sara looked over at him, "What's that for?"

"Me and Nik be making sure they don't get any further then Myogi…"

Rage smiled. At least they knew revenge could be brought upon be Mei and the other Nite's. Jen leaned back and looked over at the highway. She knew Nik wouldn't be beat.

Nik's name was something she'd never forget. The cars drove by and the shining lights made it look like a moving Christmas tree. She smiled, memories flooding back…

She stared at the Christmas tree that sat in the large living room. Periodically, her glare shifted from the tree to the window, looking for a sign of the Black Nissan.

Soon, the sound of a tuned engine came and her body became excited at once, but then died down as she noticed her brothers green BMW, parked next to her other brothers Trans Am.

She sighed; it was the day after Christmas. He had promised he would show up so they could go out. He said 2:30. It was 2:45. He'd better show up or…or…

Beep!

She ran outside and saw the Black 240 sitting in front of her. She smiled and slid into the passenger seat. She forced an unhappy face on herself and said, "You're late."

He smiled, "The best things in life are worth waiting for."

"You loser, you did this on purpose!"

He just smirked and backed out of the driveway. Then they drove. He never did much else but drive. But when he drove, he did it with grace. And, without fail, he held her hand while still being able to shift perfectly.

She smiled, leaning back in the bucket seat. She loved him. He knew it. She'd never ever stop, no matter what. They were happy together. She knew their happiness would never end…