Racing Hearts

Choices

"So, how did you end up over here, anyway?" Sean broke down and asked Han one evening.

"Well, you know those old Westerns where the cowboys make a run for the border?" Han asked. Getting a nod he continued. "This is my Mexico."

Kat would always be glad that Japan is where Han landed. She knew what had run him out of the U.S. and knew he could have gone anywhere to start over. Well, anywhere without extradition.

"Why'd you let me race with your car? You knew I was gonna wreck it." Kat scoffed. "Brother, you didn't simply wreck it. You crushed it." She took a large sip of wine before sitting back against Han.

"Why not?" Han and his philosophical reasoning she thought with a smile.

"'Cause it's a lot of money." He was right, it was a lot of money. Not something they were in short supply of thanks to Han and presents from her uncle over the years.

"We have money." Han explained taking a drink of his own bourbon. "It's trust and character I need around me." He patted her arm letting her know he needed to stand up.

"You know, who you choose to be around you
lets you know who you are." He said crossing the room to the large wall of windows overlooking Tokyo. "And one car in exchange for knowing what a man's made of, my wife's brother at that, that's a price I can live with." Sean got up to follow him to the windows.

"Look at all those people down there. They follow the rules, for what? They're letting fear lead them. What happens if they don't?" He let that sink in the teens mind before continuing.

"Life's simple. You make choices and you don't look back."

"So, if you don't drift to win, what do you drift for?" Han turned looking the boy in the eyes for a moment.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Let's go."

Kat grabbed the keys to one of the four drifters and led the way.

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Kat was in the place that made her most calm. Hip-hop music blared from the stereo but it was background noise to her as she sat with her eyes closed and her head back. She and Han had a pact to go driving for fun a few times a week.

It let them forget the stresses of life and be one with cars.

"There's no "wax on,wax off" with drifting. Learn by doin' it. The first drifters invented drifting out here in the mountains by feeling it. So feel it."

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The next day something in Sean seemed to click and he was getting better at drifting. They were sat behind the warehouse on old couches and chairs watching Sean drift though a course Twink had made with cones.

Kay was leaning back enjoying the sun in a chair next to Han when she heard tires squealing. Sean was trying to get a third set of tires from Twink so she knew it wasn't him. Sitting up she sighed dropping her head as she saw her cousins car tearing its way to them.

"I've got it, baby girl." Han sighed seeing the coming fight. Kay has to walk a fine line when it came to her family. She could fight when it was called for but she knew Sean had pissed off Takashi on a personal level and she couldn't let him know they were related.

So she had to sit back and let him think it was just a driver for Han. She accepted Han's kiss gratefully as he stood to keep her cousin from killing her brother. Leaning her head back eyes closed as if she didn't care she listened closely to their words.

"DK, grab a chair." Han said walking up. "We're about to roast some marshmallows." Sarcastic humor was Han's specialty.

"Yo, come on, man, look..." Twink tried to help Sean to no avail. Takashi swing knocking Sean in the jaw. She curled her hands to keep from saying or doing anything.

"Stay away from her, or the only thing you'll
be driving is a wheelchair." Takashi spat at Sean. Kat took a deep breath realizing what Sean had stupidly done. No, she couldn't save him this time. This was an issue she would stay out of.

"Find yourself a new driver." He yelled getting back in his car and tearing off. Obviously he hadn't seen her which was to her benefit.

"I'm all right." Sean said standing up after the hit he took. "No, no you aren't little brother." She said standing and walking slowly to Han. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she explained.

"This is a high school matter of honor. The Yakuza can't know we're related. It's bad enough they know about dad. Luckily, they know he doesn't give a fuck about me." She said with as little resentment as she could.

She smiled slightly when Han kissed her temple. "Bottom line, Sean. You have a choice to make. Nila or Japan. I don't know what else to tell you." With that she walked away heading back to work on her cars. Cars never had problems she couldn't fix.

"What'd you expect?" She heard Han ask. "You didn't just play with fire, you soaked
the matches in gasoline."