Hashiriya Swagger

Bree watched Han drive her eyes asking him a nagging question that she couldn't vocalize.

He didn't seem bothered by her gaze at all his eyes glued to the road as he turned onto the freeway, soon kicking up to intense speeds. Bree wasn't phased and kept her eyes on him.

Han smiled to himself "you trust me a lot more" he said. Bree raised a brow "do I now?" She asked. "Yeah the first time these speeds freaked you out and I think I got a short lecture" Han said. Bree said nothing but looked out the window ahead of her "trust me...I've still got my eye on you" she said. Han smirked and looked over to her "really? Is it just me?" He asked. Bree sat up straight and shifted uneasily. "Stop playing...were are going?" She asked.

"You'll see."

It wasn't a long drive the freeway cut a lot of time, more so at the speed they were traveling. Han parked in a familair Garage and took her up to the very top of a sky scraper. The one he had taken them to before.

Bree looked around to see that it was mostly occupied by couples using the benoculars to sight see or look over the city below some just gazed at the stars while talking casually.

Seeing the happy couples made Bree smile as she followed Han.

He took her to the corner and leaned carefully against the railing. Bree kept her distance afraid of the sheer height.

"So you won ask away" Han said his eyes looking out over the city. Bree sighed "I'm not stupid you threw that race, I didn't stand a chance you and I both knew that" Bree said but she wasn't annoyed. Han stayed silent "why?" She asked.

"I'm not mad, I mean I can beat you for real some other time-" Han chuckled at her words "I just - I don't understand" Bree said.

"Come over here" he said calmly patting the railing next to him. "Uhhh" Bree said taking a step back. "You're a racer now, you can't be afraid of dying....the odds are higher of you crashing and being smashed to mush than falling over this railing" Han stated bluntly. "All lovely pictures...I feel much better now" Bree said rolling her eyes.

Han sighed and turned leaning his back to the railing he held out his hand. "Come on I got you" He said. Bree eyed his hand and his long fingers. She took a few steps forward and lifted her hand a bit.

Han lowered his eyes and gave a bitter smile. "Maybe you don't trust me" he thought, but it was fleeting as Bree's hand slowly slid into his. As reflex Han gripped her hand and with a tug pulled her to his side.

"Wasn't so bad was it?" Han said hiding his shock with a smirk.

Bree looked down over the railing and started to feel sick. "Hey" Han called gently raising her head by her chin. "Don't look down...look out," he said softly. Bree's eyes looked over the city lights. "I'm starting to learn slowly...to look at the life ahead of me rather than the death below" He muttered.

"Huh?" Bree asked turning to him. "Nothing" Han whispered.

The breeze played with fly aways in his hair and Bree found herself gazing at the color spectrum on lights reflecting on his face.

"So...ask away" Han said his eyes fixed on the horizion.

Bree knew what she wanted to ask, but she didn't want to dive right into it.

"Um...so your Korean right?"

Han laughed at her bland slightly akward question and noded his head "yeaaaah, I am....but you knew that" he said the amusement still on his face.

"N-no I meant...well you said you returned here for an escape... so did you come here from south korea or someplace else....where you born here?" Bree asked the questions flowing out freely.

Han chuckled "thats a lot, but no I came here from america, but i've travel quit a bit." Han paused "I moved to america when I was a kid with my family...I came to Japan..." Han's words faltered "for a year but...things changed...and we moved back" Han said.

"We" Bree thought the ring flashing in her thoughts.

"Um so, how...how old are you?" Bree stammered. Han grinned "you sound afraid to find out." He said. "To be honest I always knew you were older than me, because you were older than DK...but recently things don't really add up..." she said.

"Well I guess not, I've always looked younger than I was...which was perfect for starting over here. I'm 33 by the way" Han said. Bree choked on air. "No way!" She nearly shouted. Han side glanced at her almost nervously "boy was I way off the mark...I'm 19...20 fairly soon but....I always thought maybe..." Bree then to hide her shock laughed playfully "you're an old man!" Han's eye twitched. "Nuhg...don't say that...ew" Han said.

Bree giggled of course she was joking she smile and looked out on the city. "Why are you hiding out here Han...why start over?" She asked. Han smiled as she was talking freely with him now.

"Well its a long story....but my crew back home...we did some pretty illegal things-"

"Why doesn't that surprise me" Bree muttered.

"- and found ourselves in some deep water, we got away with it and out of it just fine, or so we thought... came here to build a normal-ish life...but we got called in this time not to be the criminals but to help catch them...it meant us no longer being on the run...I wanted that more than anything for us...all of us. But-" Han paused and drew in a shakey breath. Eyes to the horizion as if looking right into his memories.

Bree could see a sharp pain in his eyes, and they became moist glittering under the citylights.

"It didn't go as planned...we were succsessful in our mission..but...well..if you can call it that. However, I couldn't take the loss, I came here for closer...and never left" He said.

Bree sat quietly for a while.

"Did someone die?" She asked timidly. Han nodded stiffly. "We'd lost two before but..." He trailed off.

A silence fell and Bree gathered up her courage, though part of her felt selfish for asking, it was clearly painful and no buisness of hers. Even still....

"Who was she?" Bree whispered softly. Han drew in a slow sharp breath. For a while he didn't say anything he no longer leaned on the railing but stood up straight, hands gripping the bars turning his knuckles white.

Bree looked at his hands and hesitantly placed one of her over his knuckles. "You don't have t-"

" Gisele Yashar...." He said. "I meet here through my best friend....she was...amazing. not much of a racer, but she was brave, and funny, relaxed, and something I'd never seen before. She became one of my best friends...she was new to the group but fit right in" Han said.

Bree's chest constricted as she listened to him. "She sounds nothing like me." She found herself thinking.

"I asked her to marry me after the last job...she said yes. We decided to live in Japan were the street racing world was thriving and yet were we could both pursue buisness dreams. On our honeymoon we went to Hong Kong...and got dragged into helping the feds catch a drug lord....well...she died saving my life to put it in the shortest way..." Han said voice slightly wavering.

"And I came back here, meet DK at the racers garage...I impressed him. He asked me who I was and though I didn't tell him the fully truth, he took me on as Yakuza...gave me fake papers got me inlisted to his highschool a year above him. And I was able to start over" Han said.

Bree stayed quiet and went to remove her hand. "Im sorry" she said softly. "Its ok...it feels good to tell someone." Han said quietly.

"But why are you still hiding?" Bree asked. Han stayed quiet "If I told you...it'd likely run you away" He said smiling faintly "I like you, you're a cool kid...so I don't wanna run you off" he said.

Bree snorted "please, you've gotten me fired, got my record flawed with a tardy day at school, I've been stab by one of your work mates and all you do is tease and annoy me." Bree said laughing.

"And I'm still here for some strange reason" she added.

Han smiled and looked at her "some strange reason?" He asked. Bree nodded "hell if I know....I liked you from a far, and then up close you looked like a jerk. And to be honest you kinda are sometimes. But my brother likes you...and he's a good judge of character...even if he makes bad choices sometimes." Bree said.

"So no matter how bad you seem...you can't be all bad. You can be nice...when you try" she added casually. She didn't mention that he made her curious or how he confused her a lot of the time.

Han chuckled. "He would have like you" Han said.

Bree tilted her head "he?" She asked. "My best friend..." Han said. Bree smiled a bit.

There was a long silence. Many of the people had left. Bree and Han gazed out at the city both feeling oddly content.

"Hey Han..." Bree asked after some time. He smiled at the sound of his name.

"Yeah" he called.

"I know why you picked my Brother...but, why me?" She asked.

Han slowly grinned "because, I knew the moment you protested it that you were made for racing. There's a certain rush of freedom when the vibrations of the engine rush through your fingers and toes and world becomes a blurr of colors. You wake up and feel how alive you truely are. You only think about one thing and only have one worry." Han said.

"You needed that feeling more than anyone. You needed the world to melt away, to be able to breathe again, to feel yourself instead of all those around you. More importantly it also fit in with a talent you have...you build cars that relfect the riders personality...that way they really are one with their rides. Each car tells the story of the one who drives it" Han said.

Bree turned to look at him "it also reflects the person who put the time into it." He added. "Your cars are built with a special kinda love" he muttered. "True love, it sinks into the parts and the driver can feel it. You were doing what made you happy and that feeling sinks into them as well. You put your best into it for them even without knowing who they were...sure the money helps, but you can feel that was never the real motivation." Han went on.

Bree could feel her cheeks getting hot with embarasment as he spoke so honestly. "You give rides a soul that can be shared with those who might have lost theirs...like giving them a piece of your own" he whispered.

Bree looked back out over the city. Before exhaling. She leaned her back against the railing turning around her eyes now looking at the wall trying to gather courage. But a overpowering feeling was brewing her chest.

"Hey.." she called softly. Han turned to look at her. "Come closer for a minute" she said. Han looked at her with confusion. She took his hand and guilded him infront of her. Standing on her toes a bit she reached her face up to him

One arm around his neck she pressed her lips against his carefully, closing her eyes as to ward away the shocked look on his face.

Han shivered as Bree slid her free hand into his back jean pocket pulling free the Keys to the Gensis. She backed away from Han just as he settled his hand on her hip and leaned into the kiss.

Bree looked up into his glazed over eyes and took the hand on her hip, wrapping the keys in his palm, gently closing his fingers around it. Then with both hands she cupped that hand and brought it to his chest.

"you won" she said in a airy whisper Han searched her eyes but not for long as Bree lowered her head and walked by him her shoulder brushing against him.

She couldn't fight it anymore. It hand't been long. It was against all she knew. But one thing wasn't a lie.

This was no longer a school girl crush.