Disclaimer: Though I wish I owned this entire series, I don't. All original characters are mine. None of the songs used belong to me.

Summary: After he loses Gisele, Han finds himself picking up the pieces without her in Tokyo. Tired of living in her sister's shadow, Joanna decides starting over in a new country would be a fantastic idea. Neither of them expects to cross paths, nor do they expect the sparks that come with it. But he's got his secrets, and so does she and when their two worlds collide in a spectacular way, it's enough to leave them shaken, reeling, and utterly breathless.

A/N: So after this chapter, we should really be able to get the ball rolling. So I'm not going to keep you waiting. Here you go!

Chapter Three

I Just Wanna Live – Good Charlotte

"Pop the hood, I want to see what the inside of this beauty looks like." Joanna nodded and popped open the hood of the car. Earl squealed with delight as he inspected the engine, "Let me know when you're done fangirling, I'm gonna go find something to drink."

Walking through the crowded garage, Joanna scanned the crowd for someone who could possibly be serving drinks. It was a rather hot night, and despite wearing a barely there crop top and mini skirt, she was starting to break into a sweat.

Rounding a corner, she caught sight of Twinkie's Hulk van. To her delight, there was a cooler sitting next to it. Assuring herself that he wouldn't mind, she walked over and opened it, grabbing a bottle of water.

"Stealing? I didn't peg you as a klepto." She knew that voice and turned to smirk cheekily at Han. Since they reached a truce a few weeks earlier, they had become civil with one another. He still had his moments when he'd randomly lash out at her, but she figured he just had some serious emotional issues, and she saw no use in prying.

She didn't want anyone prying off her own mask.

"I was thirsty, cut me some slack." Somewhere below them, the sounds of two drivers preparing to race echoed in their ears, "Who's racing?"

"Who knows? I just come for the party." He smirked before turning away.

"And the women, don't forget the women." She sniped, and he glared at her, but she could see the amusement in his eyes, "I'm just stating the obvious. You get around, from what I hear."

He didn't respond as he continued walking in the direction of the elevators, disappearing inside of one within a few moments. Downing the rest of her water, Joanna decided she was ready to go home. There was really nothing of interest happening here anyway. Walking towards the elevator, she pressed the down button and waited. When the door finally opened, she was greeted by the rather unpleasant sight of a couple making out. Scoffing, she rolled her eyes as she stepped inside and ignored their moans.

Earl was long gone by the time she reached her Lotus and she closed the hood. Climbing in the driver's seat, she sat for a few minutes, letting the engine run. Putting the car in reverse, she peeled out of the parking spot and headed towards the exit.

She couldn't help but to chuckle at herself, wondering when she'd become such a grandma. In Madrid, she would have been up all night at the races, long after they'd lost her interest. Of course, it did help to have some Spanish man candy on her arm to keep her entertained. Perhaps Tokyo just wasn't her scene. The only reason why she left Madrid was…

She didn't want to think about it.

Arriving at her apartment, she hurried up to her door and went inside. She was beyond tired and just wanted to sleep. As she walked through her living room, she noticed something strange on her table. Frowning, she picked it up. It was a small envelope, mixed in with the rest of her mail. She had been in such a rush earlier while getting ready that she hadn't even noticed it. Opening it, she pulled out a letter.

Grace's handwriting was instantly recognizable.

Han watched her as she left her apartment for her morning jog. Her wild black hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and she wore Nike shorts and a hoodie. He wasn't the stalking type, and he certainly had no idea why he was there, watching her.

But he was.

Jo,

You can't even understand how hard it was to find your address. The people I had to hire weren't cheap, but it's okay. It was worth it? How are you? Words can't explain how much I miss you and wish you hadn't gone. But something tells me that this was what you needed. Life hasn't always been easy for you, I get it. Just be safe. Okay? And come home soon.

Your sister,

Grace

It was cold on the balcony but it was certainly the lesser of two evils as the inside of Han's club was blistering hot. The wind whipped through her hair as she looked out over the city. She had the next flight booked out, deciding that Hong Kong might prove to be more fun.

"Last I checked, the party was downstairs." She turned to see Han leaning against the doorway, his trademark smirk on his face.

"Is that all there is to this place? Partying? I had more fun in Madrid." He came to stand beside her and she felt a little warmer with his body heat next to hers.

"If you want more out of this, you got to know the right people."

"Well, I know you."

"Oh, you do?"

He turned to walk away, only stopping and glancing back at her before heading into the club. Figuring she was supposed to be following him, she sighed and walked back inside. Looking around, she caught sight of Han standing by a door on the other side of the room. Making her way through the mass of bodies, she managed to catch up to him.

"You're going to want to cancel that next flight out," And the door opened. Joanna rolled her eyes as she found herself in a VIP room filled with dancing models. Scoffing, she cast a disbelieving look back at Han, his smirk never faltering.

They walked to another door and Han gestured for her to open it. Pushing the door open, her eyes went wide at the sight. It was a massive garage filled with bikes, cars, and a loft apartment.

"Nice, but why show me this?" Her eyes drawn to the black and orange Mazda that Han had first visited her in. Walking over to it, she ran a hand over the hood. It was a beautiful car.

"You're looking for a reason to stay, aren't you? See that?" He pointed to a blue and orange Nissan Silvia and Joana gawked, "Built it from the ground up. Best car I've ever drifted in."

"Oh really?" Joanna smiled, "Can't say I've ever drifted before, so I wouldn't know."

"Well, you can always learn."

With that, he left her to admire the cars and she wondered if staying in Tokyo would be such a bad thing after all.

When he hadn't seen her for a week, he figured she'd packed up and skipped town. He was pleasantly surprised though when he pulled into his garage and found her leaning against the hood of the Silvia, talking with Reiko. Getting out of his car, he walked over to the stairway leading up to the loft.

"Han!" Twinkie approached him as he reached the top of the stairs, "Jo says you're gonna teach her to drift!" Han smirked; he didn't remember saying anything like that. Leaning over the railing, he was met with a cheeky grin.

An image of Gisele flashed through his head. She always smiled like that when she won an argument, no matter how pointless it was. His heart clenching, he brushed Twinkie off and headed to his bedroom, ignoring the teen's calls.

Sitting on his bed, he looked over at his dresser where a picture of her sat. It had been taken in Brazil, right after they pulled off the heist against Reyes. She was smiling, laughing at him in his board shorts and sun tan lotion. They had no other cares in the world besides each other. And now here he was, without her and wondering how to move on.

A knock on his door snapped him from his thought and he got up, prepared to tell Twinkie to buzz off. Instead, he opened the door to reveal Joanna. She gave him a small smile.

"Twink said you were upset, so we can start my lessons another day. I'll catch you later." Giving a small wave she turned to leave, joining Twinkie at the top of the staircase.

He watched her go, seeing the love of his life in every step that she took. She wasn't Gisele, and she never would be, but she was close enough to it. He didn't like the idea of using someone, but he had to make pain go away, he needed to move on with his life. At the end of the day, the end justified the means.

She would just have to forgive him later.