Sean Boswell was surprised when he pulled up next to a small tea house. When Han had given him the direction's he thought that they would be going to another bath house or sketchy club to collect more money or something along those lines. He couldn't really picture Han as the type to sit and drink tea in a traditional tea house, to Sean; Han belonged solely in the club. They walked in to find the place pretty much empty, they seated themselves and patiently waited to be helped. Sean thought about asking why they were at the tea house but figured that he wouldn't get much of an answer. Han didn't need to justify where he had Sean drive them, he owed Han a lot of money and that meant that he did what Han wanted when he wanted. Granted it really wasn't that bad, Han never asked him to drive him around at ungodly hours and he enjoyed driving nice cars. He was about to start up a conversation when a young woman came out to take their orders. She was probably around 23 or 24 and had a kind of traditional beauty about her, she was no supermodel but she could defiantly turn heads if she wanted to. She was wearing a deep red kimono with a light pink Japanese cherry blossom design and a cream colored trim.

"Good day, my name is Atsuko. What can I get for you today?" Her voice was just like he imagined it, soft and feminine. Her whole persona screamed delicate.

"I'll have my usual and Sean will have the suama." Sean wasn't sure if he liked having Han order for him. Even if he didn't know what most of the things on the menu were he would have preferred to get something he had already tried or better yet, not order anything.

"So Han, what is suama exactly?"

"It's a traditional desert made with rice flower and sugar. Don't worry it tastes good and Atsuko is good at baking."

"So what do you usually get then?" Han was about to answer when Atsuko came out carrying a tray full of food.

"Here we are, an order of suama for you," she placed a plate with a pink and white desert in front of Sean, "and an order of dango for you." Along with the plates she placed a pot full of jasmine blossom tea and two cups down on the table.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" They shook their heads both already in the process of devouring their food. She smiled before heading off to tend to another customer. Sean had to admit that Han was right, Atsuko defiantly knew how to bake. He loved his suama and decided that if he and Han ever came back, he would order it again. After they finished eating they casually sipped their tea and talked about drifting and car engines. A little while later Atsuko came back carrying a check and a goody bag of sorts. It was colorful and Sean was instantly curious about what was inside. While he was wondering about the mysterious package Han pulled out a small wad of cash and handed it to her. She quickly counted the money up and nodded. Han got up and Sean quickly followed suit. He watched as Han kissed Atsuko on the cheek briefly before casually walking out. He followed Han to the car, happily heading to the passenger side of the vehicle when Han motioned that he would drive.

"So Han what's in the gift bag?"

"Wasanbon, Atsuko knows that I eat a lot so she makes me a bag every time I come in."

They ended up visiting the tea shop almost every other week. Sean got to know Atsuko and grew to love her as an older sister. She was the one who really helped him integrate into the Japanese culture. After she finished her shift she would sit down and help him with his language skills, not to mention she would always make him delicious deserts to eat. The latest one was something called taiyaki, it was basically two little cakes shaped like fish that were filled with custard.

He soon realized that he walked past the tea shop on his way from school and would make it a habit of dropping by and saying hello. It was rather dark out by the time he started to head home, having been at a school sponsored festival with Neela. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure that Atsuko would be getting off work around that time. Sure enough he caught sight of her walking down the street a few blocks ahead of him; he was about to catch up with her when he noticed some rather shady characters leave a nearby ally way heading in the same direction. He caught up to the group just in time to catch the tail end of some rather nasty jeers. He approached them and wrapped a casual arm around Atsuko's shoulders.

"Hey Atsuko I was just looking for you," The sleazes were all glaring at him obviously unwilling to let him ruin whatever plans they had for the beautiful young woman. "Han wants you to come up to the shop, says he's missed having you around."

It was a complete lie, she had never once stepped foot into the shop. However as soon as Sean dropped Han's name the group backed off, retreating back the way they came, probably off to look for an easier target. He wasn't sure how, but Han had made himself quite the reputation; everybody who was anybody knew that Han wasn't a guy you wanted to mess with. As soon as he was sure they were gone he turned towards her hastily checking her over for any injuries.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little shaken up. That's all." Her voice was trembling and it broke Sean's heart. She was one of the sweetest people he had ever met and she didn't deserve to have something like that happen to her.

"Hey don't worry, I'll tell Han what happened and he'll make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

"No! Please whatever you do, don't tell Han or anyone else. It wasn't anything really, no need to bother him."

"It wouldn't be bothering him, he cares about you, he would be happy to make sure you were safe."

"No really Sean don't tell Han what happened tonight. I wasn't hurt and you scared them enough that they won't be coming back anytime soon. No need to make a big deal over nothing."

With that Atsuko walked away. Sean was a little confused as to why she was so against telling Han what happened, he obviously cared for her and wouldn't be the least bit bothered by the idea of making sure she was safe. Ultimately he decided that he would tell Han even though Atsuko asked him not to. It was always better to be safe than sorry, and Sean knew that if she got hurt and Han found out that he could have prevented it; Sean's ass would be the one on the line.

Han had been furious. It had taken Sean a whole 20 minutes to talk him down from finding the guys and beating them within an inch of their life. The only thing that got him to stop was the fact that Atsuko would be upset if she found out that they had assaulted someone, even someone who wasn't exactly "innocent". From then on Han would try to give her a ride home whenever he could, and when he couldn't he would make Sean walk her home instead. At first she had been uncomfortable with all the new found attention but she soon grew used to it and even started to look forward to it. She and Han were getting closer and she loved hearing him talk about the adventures he went on before he came to Japan. They continued to grow closer until one night he stopped her as she was about to step out of the car.

"Hey, do you have any plans for this weekend?"

"No, not that I know of, why?"

"I was planning on doing some drifting up in the mountains and thought you might like to come along."

"Sure, I'd love to."

"Fantastic, can you be ready by 7?"

"Definitely. Well, I guess I'll see you then, goodnight."

He let go of her arm and she walked into her house as calmly as she could, while on the inside she was jumping up and down like a little school girl. Han, the man she had been crushing on for over a year had just asked her out.

Saturday couldn't come soon enough, but when it finally did arrive she found she could seem to settle on what outfit she wanted to wear. Han hadn't specifically called it a date so she didn't want to be overdressed in case she misread his intentions; but she didn't want to wear something too casual either. Finally she settled on a pair of skinny jeans, a light pink t shirt, a red sweater, and a pair of white convers. She was just putting on a pair of simple earrings when she heard Han's car pull up. She grabbed her purse and quickly shut the front door behind her, almost forgetting to lock it in her haste to start their "date".

They spent a good three hours just drifting around and talking before Han pulled off to the side of the road. Atsuko shot him a curious look, but his just got out of the car and walked around to the other side where he opened up the passenger door and helped her out. He then led her over to a blanket that was laid out under a large Japanese maple tree. There they sat together and watched the stars, occasionally one would point out a constellation or mention how a particular star seemed to be shining exceptionally bright. Soon Atsuko found her eyes drooping and her head bobbing, keeping herself awake becoming harder and harder every minute. Finally she couldn't fight her drowsiness any longer and let her head gently fall to the side, and onto Han's shoulder. He jumped a little at first, startled by the sudden contact, but soon became accustomed to their new position resting his head on hers. It was almost midnight when he finally decided it was time to leave. Han was reluctant to wake her up, so carefully he shifted her sleeping form until he was able to pick her up and quietly walked back to the car, doing his best not to jostle her. Once there he placed her in the passenger seat before heading around to the other side and getting in himself. He turned on the car only to realize that she wasn't wearing a seatbelt and that trying to put one on her would only wake her up; so he gently picked her up and positioned her so that she was sitting on his lap and her head was nestled into his neck.

The drive back down the mountain was a slow one; he took every precaution to ensure the smoothest ride possible. All too soon they arrived at her house and it became apparent that he would have to wake her up. He set her back in the passenger seat and softly shook her shoulder to rouse her. They both got out of the car and he offered her his arm as he walked her to the door. She accepted with a girlish giggle and rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek when they reached her front door. However, just as she was about to walk through the doorway she felt Han's had land on her bicep. He spun her around and before she knew it, his lips were covering hers in their first kiss. She stood for a moment stunned as his lips moved against hers, but soon enough her brain kicked back in and her lips eagerly responded to his. Finally after what felt like hours they pulled away, staring into each other's eyes as they caught their breath.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, I'll pick you up and we can go to lunch somewhere." She nodded and gave him on last quick peck on the lips before finally heading inside. Han walked back to his car his brain hazy. Sure he had kissed his fair share of pretty women but none of them had ever felt remotely like the kiss he had shared with Atsuko. He grinned, he couldn't wait for tomorrow.

So I was planning on writing the third chapter in this story but I decided to read back through to make sure it fit with the other two and realized that my writing really wasn't that great… so instead I decided to edit my first chapter instead. I'll hopefully edit the second chapter tomorrow and write the third chapter over the weekend. Thanks to everyone who's put up with the less than stellar writing up to this point, you guys rock!

-MsFanatic17