A/N: Whew, we're finally here at the end! It's been... wild. I've been putting this last chapter off for so long but I finally sat down and forced myself to type it today. It was pretty damned hard to be honest lol. I hope you enjoy the end as I wanted to do something similar ending it with how I did in a previous story of mine (Red Rose to Call my Own) if you've read that... if not, you'll see.

I also want to shout out a fellow story called "When Heaven Burns" by Twilight Nexus!

Also also, I want to announce that I've created a Discord server! Everyone is free to join and chat! It's a free chat program where you don't even need to download anything to use, you can use it on your browser and is totally free. Just thought it'd be a cool idea for my readers and fellow writers to hang out in and chat about whatever!

discord . gg / Mzw2fhK

Of course get rid of the spaces between all the letters!

But all in all, I hope you all enjoyed Octane as much as I enjoyed writing it. Remember to vote for the next story you want to see me start on my profile! Or let me know in Discord :)

Until next time guys! I'm off to take a much needed break... This chapter took a lot out of me!

Staring up at the sky, Yang raised her arm over her eyes to shield them from the sun. It wasn't too hot but it was warm. That and the sun was fully out, not a cloud in the sky. In fact there couldn't be a more perfect day for racing. Already, things were looking up for her.

Glancing back down towards the garage where her crew were hustling to prepare for the race this afternoon, Yang stifled a yawn as she loosened a few knots in her hair. She was a little surprised to see that her hair had been braided in a few odd places when she woke up, but she didn't think much of it as she quickly prepared to head out. She and the rest of her team had arrived at the track early this morning, before the sun had even rose. She and the others had gone over everything that was expected of them today, time and time again. So much so that it almost felt like Yang was in school again.

But now, now it was almost time. Almost time for her to put everything she knew to the test against real pros. Drivers that had years of experience in this field. Pros that she'd contend with.

And win against.

Hopefully.

Though as she was thinking about what was to come in the coming hours, Yang felt a firm slap at her shoulder which caused the blonde to turn around and spot her partner. The girl who'd be out there on the track with her in this crucial moment and the person she had to trust to have her back.

Cinder.

"You look a little nervous there, Yang." Cinder noted with a ghost of a smile on her face. "The Yang I knew was never scared of anything."

Cinder was dressed almost identically to what Yang was wearing. They both were suited up in their light blue and white race suits which were decked out with various logos and sponsors. Though it looked uncomfortable, especially in this heat, they were actually very comfortable and breathable.

Looking back in Cinder's eyes, Yang snorted before looking back out towards their pit garage. Sure, she was a little nervous, but that didn't mean it was a bad thing. It'd keep her on her toes.

"Nothing like a little fear to make you feel alive, right? You taught me that." Yang answered with her own smile towards her former best friend.

Though the two of them haven't completely made up yet, their relationship has gotten much better. To the point where Yang considered them to at least be friends again. It also didn't hurt that they were synced very well during practice. Almost as if they both knew how the other drove. Predicting each other's moves on the track before they even preformed them. It was a pretty handy trick that they might have to rely on today.

"Well, if I got something through that thick skull of yours, I'll consider myself honored." Cinder shot back.

Yang glared at the girl but soon broke into a chuckle, casually pushing the other girl away in a playful manner before Cinder also broke out into a laugh. Though as the two girls quieted down, their gazes turned towards the other countless teams' own pit crews who worked close by to where they were standing.

They didn't have to say anything as they both felt the overwhelming feeling that washed over them. Being so close to their opponents and knowing that they were the only two brand new rookies this year, it only caused them to be just a little bit unsure.

"We're gonna have our work cut out for us today, huh?" Yang asked, though she already knew the answer to it. It was painfully obvious that this was going to be no walk in the park.

"It wouldn't be fun if it were easy." Cinder answered.

Both girls turned to face each other before Yang held out a closed fist towards the slightly taller girl, much to her surprise.

"You got my back out there, right Cinder?"

Yang peered into Cinder's eyes as the girl's face twisted into a genuine smile. She returned the friendly fist bump with her own fist before nodding her head.

"You know I do."

Dropping their hands, Cinder playfully bumped Yang's shoulder with her own. "Plus, if I let anything happen to you out there on the track, Ruby would kill me." She added.

Now it was Yang's turn to look at her in surprise.

"Oh? The mighty Cinder Fall, tamed by my adorable and awkward little sister! I never thought I'd see the day." She teased.

Cinder for her part only managed to look half embarrassed at the prospect of her being whipped.

"Screw you, Yang."

As both girls grinned towards each other, they didn't notice when their pit crew leader, Marcus, snuck up behind them, clearing his throat to get their attention.

"I hope you two are ready, because it's almost game time."

Turning around at his voice, both Cinder and Yang's demeanor changed in seconds. Both girls only nodded their heads before glancing at one another. There was a fire lit in both of their eyes as they knew it was time. With a silent nod of affirmation and respect towards one another, Cinder and Yang both followed their crewman back into their garage.

It was time.

"It's almost time, it's almost time!" Ruby shouted from her seat, much to Weiss' annoyance.

The Schnee girl tried to not let the noisy talking of the spectators or the hot sun beating down on her skin get to her. After all, it was in fact her idea for them to watch the race from the stands instead of the nice shaded and a/c cooled room in one of the VIP suites. She half hoped when she entertained the idea that Ruby would have refused, but the girl seemed more than willing to suffer outside in the sun.

"Masochist." Weiss whispered, though her voice was drowned out by the loud cheering of the crowd.

Her interest being perked now, Weiss turned her head back towards the track and noticed that the drivers were making their way towards their parked cars that were already lined up in their starting positions. Already she could feel her heart start to beat quicker as she felt adrenaline pump into her veins. It was almost as if she was the one about to race, not her girlfriend. Now she knew why Ruby was feeling so hyper now.

As her eyes darted between the cars, Weiss instantly spotted the two Audi R8s belonging to her father's team, and the blonde girl that would drive one of them. Dressed in the light blue and white racing gear that mirrored their team's colors, Weiss watched both Yang and Cinder as they walked side by side amongst the other drivers towards their respective cars. Though she was much too far to hear what they were saying of course, Weiss could see that her blonde girlfriend looked slightly nervous. And she couldn't blame her.

Realizing that the race was going to be underway soon, the crowd in the stands erupted in cheering and applause towards the drivers. The entire section that Weiss and Ruby were sat in had to be the loudest in fact, easily deafening her. Though when Weiss noticed fans waving flags and banners belonging to teams and names that weren't ones she was familiar with, something in her made her feel angry.

She didn't want these people cheering for her girlfriend's opponents! No, only Yang was allowed to be praised and cheered for.

She wouldn't lose to them!

Standing up abruptly, Weiss cleared her throat as best she could before she took a deep breath and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"You can do it, Yang! Beat those other guys! You better win!"

She didn't stop there however as she continued to raise her voice over the crowd sitting next to her.

"Win! Fight! Conquer! Remember you're not the best unless you're first! Go and win!"

Out of breath but feeling invigorated, Weiss couldn't stop now. She kept shouting and cheering to her heart's content as she watched all the drivers get into their cars and wave. It wasn't until she felt a tug at her shirt that Weiss finally glanced down and spotted Ruby as the girl gave her a perplexed look.

Looking around her quickly, Weiss noted that the incessant cheering from her neighbors have died down significantly ever since she finished her own cheering. Feeling herself heat up from what could only be embarrassment, the Schnee girl quickly cleared her throat and took her seat, not wanting to meet Ruby's curious gaze.

But before Ruby herself could even ask what had come over her sister's girlfriend, she caught a familiar looking head of orange hair that was coming down the steps of the bleachers they were sitting at.

"Hey, hey, are we late?!"

Quickly waving towards the Nora, Ruby only shook her head as more and more of her friends came into view, all here to support Yang. Though as Ruby scanned through her friends' faces, she couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt at not seeing the one girl she was most looking forward to seeing arrive. Not wanting to show her sorrow though, Ruby kept her smile on her face and quickly made room for the others.

Nora, Pyrrha, Jaune, Ren, and others all showed up, even bringing with them a giant sign with Yang's name and car number on it.

"Glad you guys could make it!" Ruby quickly said, speaking much loudly over the cars which were now starting up.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Ruby." Pyrrha quickly uttered before throwing a knowing glance towards Nora, "Though we would have been here much earlier if not for someone getting pulled over for speeding."

Ruby deadpanned towards Nora as the girl looked everywhere but at them, her eyes focused towards the track as she pretended not to hear them. The girl was already cheering for Yang.

Why am I not surprised?" Weiss quickly chuckled out before she pointed towards the banner that both Jaune and Ren were holding. "Did you guys make that?"

It was Jaune who answered this time however as he happily nodded his head, his blonde hair bobbing with the movement.

"Yep! We thought that Yang would like it, give her some moral support while she's out there kicking ass."

Weiss smiled warmly at that and nodded. She was sure that Yang would love it. It was even a bright yellow with her name written in black, her favorite color scheme, just like her Skyline. Though Weiss' smile was shattered at the sound of a metallic voice cutting through all the noise of the arena moments later.

"Ladies and gentlemen… I hope you're all ready for the first race of the season, because we're about to get underway!"

Staring out of the windshield of her Audi R8, Yang continued fidgeting with the straps on her helmet. She kept trying to loosen it as it felt stifling, though she tried desperately to listen in case her manager started speaking through the internal headset.

"Damn it, come on." The blonde uttered impatiently.

With every labored breath she took, she could see the visor on her facemask fog up to unbearable levels. Nothing was going right already. She was close to just bashing the damn thing against the plastic driver's side window until she heard a voice cut into her headset.

"Yang, just calm down."

She instantly identified it as Cinder, and for a moment, the blonde was a little embarrassed. She knew that everyone could hear her as her helmet featured an open mic, meaning her comms were always going.

"Just take a deep breath and relax, for fuck's sake you're making me even more nervous just listening to you." Cinder continued with a shaky chuckle at the end.

Sighing loudly into her mic on accident, Yang opened the fogged up visor of her helmet, welcoming the cool air and muttered a quick apology to her teammate. Now that her helmet was open though, the excessive and deafening sound of her car's motor was as loud as ever as it assaulted her ears, but she'd rather deal with the loud sound than being blinded by her own breathes in her helmet.

"Okay girls," A voice cut in, but Yang instantly recognized it as belonging to Marcus, their pit manager. "Just remember everything we've been going over these past couple of weeks and you'll do fine. Number one important thing is to be safe out there."

Yang nodded her head as she listened to the older man. It was the same thing her mother had been telling her since this morning. To be safe. Yang knew that, but she also wanted to win! You couldn't win if you didn't take any chances.

"Will do."

"Got it."

Taking another deep breath, she finally lowered her visor just enough so she could hear herself think, but didn't shut it enough so her heated breaths would obscure her vision once again. She could hear the radio in her helm cackle as Marcus said something inaudible before it cut out as he closed his mic and Yang could feel her nerves beginning to creep up on her again. Even now, she bounced her leg in spite of herself in a nervous tick.

"So…" Cinder's voice cut in. "This is it."

Glad to have another distraction, Yang chuckled nervously. "Yeah… it is."

"Forget about what I said before… I'm nervous as all hell!" Cinder groaned out.

It was successful in making Yang burst out laughing, with Cinder following suit a moment later but the blonde was glad that it wasn't just her. Even Cinder, her former best friend and teammate was nervous. It was somehow very reassuring.

"Let's do our best Cinder." Yang cut in, desperately trying to keep her voice from cracking from the fear.

It was silent for a few seconds though before Cinder spoke back up, this time though her voice and tone were confident.

"Together… partner."

Yang smiled at that. She wasn't alone in this, they'd do fine if they just backed each other up out there.

"Okay you two, remember, this is a fifty lap race." Marcus' voice cut back in again. "Cinder you're starting in thirteenth and Yang you're in twenty-fifth."

Yang nodded her head as she listened to her manager but his voice cut out abruptly once again. All she could do was stare at the car waiting in front of her and grip her steering wheel in anticipation. She knew that the race was going to begin soon… She only hoped that she made everyone who was depending on her or watching her proud.

"First things first, Yang you need to catch up to Cinder out there and once you do, then you two can coordinate your driving together to push ahead… but Cinder, by no means does this mean to not push up in the ranks. If you see an opportunity to climb up, go ahead." Marcus continued.

Yang heard Cinder acknowledge him as his voice cut off again. But Yang only went through scenarios in her mind. She was twelve cars behind Cinder, which meant she'd have to pass twelve established pro-drivers. Granted if Cinder didn't pass anyone herself in the meanwhile. Quite a task, if she had to say so herself, but that didn't mean impossible.

'I can do this.' Yang thought to herself.

Quickly nodding as if to reaffirm it, she did a quick one over of the gutted dashboard of her racecar before tapping the gas pedal, relishing the vicious sound of the heavily modified V10 motor as she did so.

"It's game time girls, the countdown is starting!" Marcus called over through her helmet.

Taking another deep breath to steady her nerves, Yang continued slightly revving her motor as she turned her eyes towards the flagger who stood on the catwalk down the track. She tugged on the harness that kept her in place and fixed the helmet on her head one last time before she gripped the wheel in anticipation. It was do or die time.

"I can do this…"

Hearing the roaring sounds of engines and tires, Blake looked up towards the sky and realized that the race had started. But here she was, still standing in front of the track's entrance, still in the parking lot. She still wasn't ready to go inside, still unsure of what to expect when she did. Though she was personally invited by Yang, Ruby, Weiss, and even getting a single text from Cinder, Blake knew she was welcome to sit and watch the race but…

Sighing to herself, she gently adjusted the sling she wore on her left arm. She hated wearing it but it was the doctor's orders, at least for another few weeks. She'd never felt so useless until she wore this. Daily normal activities became a hassle to try to do; not to mention that she didn't have a car anymore. Her prized Supra wasn't exactly totaled but it wasn't drivable by any means. Not to mention the police ended up towing it that night, but Blake had begged and pleaded with her parents for them to let her bring it back to their home so she could slowly work on it and restore it to its former glory. Much easier said than done.

"Doesn't help that I have this stupid gimp arm for another few weeks." She muttered under her breath.

Placing her head against the brick wall she was leaning against, Blake wondered if having her mom drop her off here was a good idea. She didn't tell anyone that she was in fact coming, but Weiss made sure to give her the location where she and everyone else would be sitting and watching. Blake had to give it to her, she was tenacious.

Even though she had been trying to … try to get along with everyone again, she wasn't exactly one hundred percent ready to. She still needed time, her wounds still didn't heal but she was thankful towards her old friends. Especially Weiss as the girl quickly got the police off her back regarding the chase and crash. Even Yang who offered a few times to help Blake work on her car when she got it back, but Blake declined her each time. Not because she didn't want her to, but she knew that Yang had to practice for the very same race that was happening right now. But for Yang to even suggest helping her work on her car over going to practice did make Blake still feel like her best friend. It was one of the main reasons why she even asked her mother to drop her off here.

But there was another reason of course.

Fishing her phone out of her pocket with some difficulty, Blake flipped it open and saw she had a text waiting from a girl she had been talking to these past weeks. One who made her heart beat rather quickly time and time again whenever she was around… and one who promised to join her to watch today's race. In fact, just reading over the text from said girl, Blake realized that she had just arrived.

Looking out towards the parking lot, she instantly spotted a championship white Lotus pulling into a parking spot. Staring at the car as it shut off, the ebon haired girl couldn't help but smile the whole time as she watched it. But when the door opened and a girl of short stature stepped out, Blake already felt her heartbeat quicken again.

Wearing a thing white sweater, black jeans that were tucked into brown knee high boots, was Neo. The short girl still had her usual three-color dyed hair that Blake had come to adore. It was such an odd mix of pink, brown, and white that she was sure it was one of the first things that drew her to the shorter girl.

Quickly waving a hand towards Neo as the girl locked her car and crossed the parking lot, Blake only felt even more nervous now. She watched as Neo smiled and waved back as she jogged towards her, something Blake found very adorable. They had only hung out about two times prior to today, though Blake has yet to introduce her to any of her old friends. Today was going to be a lot of firsts for her it seemed.

"Hey Neo." Blake quickly greeted once the girl was within range. "Thanks for coming, really."

Neo only smiled wider at the words and she quickly hooked her arm through Blake's good one, pulling her towards the entrance to the building. Blake knew better than to resist and oddly she liked being pulled along by the other girl.

Quickly handing her tickets to the front desk and being told where to go, both girls could hear the sounds of multiple cars redlining and racing in full effect. Navigating their way towards the location Weiss had texted her prior, both Blake and Neo emerged from the building towards the open air bleachers that overlooked the track where the race was already underway.

The sound was deafening by both the cars and the crowd cheering, not to mention the loud blaring announcer who came over the speakers, but already Blake felt her nervousness vanish. The overall atmosphere here was exciting. Even now she felt her adrenaline pumping as she watched about four cars locked in a dogfight as they passed the starting line, heading onto their next lap.

Though feeling a slight pull on her right arm, Blake broke out of her trance and looked down at a beaming Neo as the girl pointed towards a girl with crimson hair who seemed to be waving at her.

Ruby?

Before she could even contemplate what she'd say to her former crush, Neo seemed to understand that Ruby was calling for her and gently guiding her towards where Blake could see all her old friends were sitting. Not fighting it, Blake watched as Weiss, Ruby, Nora, Pyrrha, and the others all looked up at her as she approached, though their eyes quickly averted towards Neo.

"Heya, Blakey!" Nora greeted loudly, though her smile was anything but devious as she turned towards Neo with a knowing smirk. "Nice to see you two still getting' along!"

Blake only blushed as she muttered a greeting back, but whatever awkwardness she thought would arise was nonexistent as everyone quickly made room for both her and Neo to sit down. Though no one really questioned who Neo was as they said their hellos, Blake could see that Ruby gave her a small smile before returning her attention back towards the race below.

Blake returned the smile, and though she knew they both had questions, now wasn't the time. They were all here to watch and support Yang as the girl was on the verge for making a name for herself… and that's what she would do.

Though it did help that she had Neo subtly holding her hand as they sat next to each other. She was the one who supported her into even showing up, and she had to thank her for that. That's why Blake wasn't going to cause a scene right now. No, right now she'd focus on supporting … her best friend out there on the track.

"Come on Yang! You can do it!"

Whatever thoughts Yang had of an easy race was quickly blown out of her mind by what she was currently enduring. There was no doubt about it…

She was nowhere near these professional's level.

So what if she started at twenty-fifth, that didn't help anything. Sure, she was tasked with meeting up with Cinder near the thirteenth spot but all in all Yang actually dropped in rankings. She was now in twenty-ninth! All because of a stupid mistake she made early on in the second lap. It had cost her quite dearly in time and in placings.

Though Marcus told her to shake it off, the blonde could do anything but as she gripped the steering wheel in both a mixture of anger and fear.

"You hangin' in there, partner?" Yang heard Cinder call over in the headset, though the girl's voice sounded strained as if she were feeling just as nervous as Yang was.

"I- I'm trying." Yang answered back through gritted teeth as she jerked her car towards the right to stop the driver behind her from getting into her blind spot. "These damn bastards like playing dirty."

She heard Cinder give a short laugh before she grunted. "Yeah… Yeah they do… which is why I could use your help up here anytime you're ready. No rush of course."

That stung.

"It's not like I'm having a party back here!" Yang shot back as she kept her eyes focused both in front of her and in her rearview mirror to keep an eye on the number 98 car who kept trying to pass her.

"Yeah well hurry it up will ya?"

Grumbling to herself, Yang ignored Cinder for now. She knew the girl's nerves were just getting the best of her at the moment and she couldn't exactly blame her for getting a little upset. Cinder had managed to pass one car and was sitting in the twelfth spot now as she waited for Yang to catch up so they can put their tandem driving to use, but it did them no good if they were separated as they were right now.

Hitting the brakes for the incoming sharp left hand turn coming up, Yang felt herself be jerked forward, shoulders biting into her harness as she fought the force of turn, keeping a firm grip on the wheel. She made sure to keep an eye out for the car behind her as she watched it closing the gap as it rode her ass in her mirror.

Cursing repeatedly, she realized too late that she exited the apex of the turn too early and was forced to ease off the gas so she could finish the turn without hitting her brakes more, costing her another few milliseconds.

It seemed that the car behind her was hell-bent on cashing in on that mistake as she watched it dip its nose towards the inside of the lane.

"Oh hell no you don't!" Yang growled as she twisted her wheel back towards the inside, listening as her tires squealed in protest to the abuse.

She felt her car make contact with the 98 car as a momentary grind of metal on metal was heard but she successfully blocked the other driver from passing her on the inside as they both exited the turn.

Taking another deep breath, Yang felt drained just from that, and she had been dealing with it all day so f ar. She honestly had no idea how much more of this pressure she could take. Forget moving up in ranks, it was taking all the skill she could muster up just maintaining her spot now.

And it's only lap 28.

Or was it 29?

The laps were blending together in a blur despite Marcus quickly reminding her each time it was a new one. All her focus was solely on maintaining her focus! And she wasn't sure how much longer she could do it for.

"Fucking hell, Marcus, I'm coming into the pits!"

Yang furrowed her brow at hearing Cinder call the order over the headset. The blonde quickly looked over her gauges and noted that she had half a tank of fuel, and her tires were still in decent shape. She had no idea why Cinder would be going to the pits.

"What? Why?" Marcus asked.

Even Yang herself was going to ask why but something in the back of her mind told her that she really knew the reason why already.

It was because of her.

Cinder didn't reply for a few moments and Yang had a sour feeling that the other girl was trying to think of a suitable excuse without throwing her under the bus.

"My front tires are losing grip, I think I've been on the brakes a little too hard." Cinder answered finally.

Yang heard Marcus quickly deny her request to come to the pits but Cinder quickly fought back saying if she didn't replace her front tires that she'd lose her spot regardless anyway. She wouldn't be able to maintain the position.

"Fine… damn it." The pit manager finally answered, his annoyance evident in his voice. "Yang, you're about eight seconds behind from Cinder, try to pick up the pace when she comes in."

"Will do." Yang answered.

Though she couldn't help but ponder what Cinder was up to. Sure, if she wanted to help, going to the pits probably wasn't the best way. Their pit crew was fast, but not eight seconds fast. Not to mention getting out of the pits would put even more distance between them… Just what was on Cinder's mind…?

Honestly, Cinder didn't even think Marcus would have gone for it. But now that she had the okay to pull into the pits, she was going to put her plan into action.

She didn't really need to change her front tires, they still had plenty of thread left for her to pull another ten or twelve laps if she drove it conservatively, but both she and Yang weren't getting anywhere separated like this.

Keeping her own pace at the moment, Cinder stayed calm and didn't try anything crazy as she finished the current lap, as she noticed her team's flag up signaling her to pull into the pits. Obliging, Cinder slowed her R8 and turned towards the pit area, quickly noticing the cars behind her zip past…

"But not for long."

Making sure to do the speed limit while in the pit area, Cinder watched as her crew stood ready a few meters away, ready to work on her car once she came to a complete stop in their area but… well, she had other plans.

She felt a little bad lying to Marcus but this was the best way she could think of without endangering herself on the track. The best way to fall back to where Yang was so they can pull up towards the lead. Together.

Watching as she neared her area, Cinder made eye contact with an agitated Marcus as the man watched her… but Cinder didn't stop. She rolled right past where her crew mates were waiting, and without even so much as a nod, Cinder kept on the gas and drove right towards the exit of the pit area. Right back towards the track.

"Cinder, what the hell are you doing?" Marcus' voice cut in not a second after she past them.

Well, she knew he'd be heated but…

"Sorry Marcus, on second thought, I don't think I need a tire change quite yet." She replied with a hint of a smirk on her lips.

Before he could key in and interrupt her though, Cinder hit the gas, hearing the loud V10 motor of her car roar loudly as she shifted through the gears and exited the pits, heading right back into the race.

"Before you chew my ass out, what place am I in now?" The amber eyed driver inquired towards her manager.

She could hear the older man grumble and berate her but he finally replied with the answer she had been waiting for.

"Twenty-ninth, goddamn it!"

"Not bad," Cinder mused to herself before quickly falling back into her rhythm. "You still hanging in there, Yang?" She then asked towards her unusually quiet blonde friend.

She heard the girl grunt in response, and Cinder wondered just how much stress her partner was under. But as she thought that, Cinder quickly veered her car skillfully around the number 33 car who was ahead of her, already passing them with ease.

'That's one down.'

"Alright Yang, give me two laps… and I'll be right behind you." Cinder keyed in.

"Then we can show these bastards what a couple of street kids can do."

Focusing back on her own race, Cinder kept her eyes peeled and adopted the best driving line she had figured out. All the days and weeks of practicing on the home track had honed her mind to find different lines to follow depending on the situation she was in. And at the moment her situation was speed. She needed as much speed she could get to catch up to Yang before the final laps.

And she followed it.

Sticking to the fastest line she knew of, Cinder gunned her Audi with all her might, catching and passing her fellow drivers at every turn, knowing full well though that this line put added stress on her tires. But it never slowed or deterred her will to keep going.

In fact, all that was on her mind was catching up to Yang. The motor that filled the cabin of her car was all she heard, neither Marcus nor Yang speaking on the mic. She didn't even remember what lap she was on, but when she took a quick right at a blind turn, a reassuring smile crossed her face as she spotted a light blue Audi R8 that mirrored hers, minus the numbers which read 47.

Yang's numbers.

She could see a Porsche hot on her ass though as they both took the next turn ahead of her, but Cinder was catching up. She had no one on her ass and without the added pressure, she was free to follow her line to a tee.

It took only three turns for Cinder to catch up to them and now she could see why Yang couldn't move up in the placings… this Porsche was throwing her off her game. The car was riding Yang bumper to bumper, and Cinder was impressed to see that her partner was actually holding her own, not letting the other car get around her while simultaneously not making a mistake and losing the spot.

But now that Cinder had finally caught up with her…

Seeing the next turn coming up being an "S" curve, Cinder watched both cars ahead of her hit their brakes in preparation… but not her.

Watching as her own car quickly caught up with the Porsche behind Yang, she waited until the last second to hit her brakes, feeling her shoulder bite into the harness as she wrestled her wheel into the turn before counter steering, initiating a dangerous power slide.

She could hear her tires screaming on the asphalt as she held it steady, sandwiching their opponent in between both her and Yang's cars.

"On this next turn Yang, leave some room on the inside for that bastard to make a move on you." Cinder called out through her helmet.

"What?!" Was Yang's sharp reply back, but Cinder didn't have time to explain her plan to her partner. It was now or never for the two of them to get started on their comeback.

"Just trust me Yang! Do it!"

She got no verbal reply back but when she spotted that Yang ever so slightly leave some room open on her corner, Cinder smiled as she watched the Porsche inch their way towards it… right into her trap.

Quickly following the car, Cinder knew that intentionally ramming a car off the road would result in a flag… but if it appeared to be an accident… then it was all fair game.

"At the apex of the next turn, cut in his line and I'll take care of the rest." She ordered to the blonde.

She heard Yang grunt in the mic and Cinder prepared herself for what she was going to do. At the next turn she knew the Porsche had the advantage now on being in the inside lane with Yang on the outside. But when Yang started to inch her way into his lane, forcing the other driver ever closer towards the edge of the road, Cinder made her move.

Speeding up and sticking on the other driver's bumper, she quickly nudged her steering wheel to the left and right as if she were trying to get around both her and Yang, but since they were locked in their own dogfight… Cinder mistakenly bumped into the car in front of her as she kept up her pace.

It had worked like a charm.

She watched as the Porsche had nowhere to go but to the left… right into the grass. The small tap at his bumper combined with the clipping him and Yang's car were locked into on his right caused their opponent to hesitate for a moment before fishtailed into the grass… and out of their way.

"Just like I planned." Cinder muttered happily.

She heard Yang curse in her own headset but it was soon followed by a chuckle of relief.

"Gods, I never thought that bastard would be off my back." Yang cheered out. "Thanks… partner."

"Thank me after we finish this race." Cinder replied back, fighting to keep her car straight as they exited the turn, her tires were paying dearly for her earlier driving. "We've got a long way to go but now…"

"Now we can finally put our skills to the test." Yang finished with a smile.

"Whoa!" Ruby cheered out as she watched the car that had been riding Yang's own had spun out. "Did you see that?!" She asked for the millionth time as the entire stunt was played on the large screen that hung ahead near the track.

"It almost looked… intentional." Pyrrha noted as she watched the replay of Cinder bumping the other car off the road and into the grass.

"No way! Cinder wouldn't do that on purpose!" Ruby quickly defended, not totally believing that her girlfriend wasn't above a little cheating. "She was just looking out for Yang!"

"Regardless…" Weiss cut in, her own eyes glued to the monitor as the cars raced out of view of them. "Both she and Yang have their work cut out for them if they even want to place for points."

All eyes turned towards Weiss though as she heard a collective question of "huh?"

She turned from the screen and sighed loudly. Of course they wouldn't know what she meant.

"Placing for points is what's most important during the season of racing." She explained quickly, watching as everyone's heads nodded as if they were listening.

"Only the top ten ranks make points, with the higher you place, the more points you acquire. Since it's the first race of the season, it's pretty important to try and finish as high as you can so you can build a comfortable lead… it'll also influence where you start in the next race in positioning." She finished.

Blake however was the next to speak as she noted what everyone there was thinking…

"Do you think Yang and… Cinder can do it? It's already lap thirty-nine."

No one said anything until Ruby snatched the sign that Juane was holding and stood up.

"Of course she can!" Ruby shouted, waving the large yellow sign over her head. "That's my sister and girlfriend out there! They can beat anybody!"

Though not quite believing her words, Weiss did understand the meaning behind them. They had to have faith. It wasn't over just yet.

Grabbing the other side of the sign, Weiss let out a humorless laugh as she too waved the sign in unison with Ruby.

"You two better win, you hear me!"

"This next one, you go left, I go right; next turn, okay?"

"Got it!"

Executing their maneuver quickly and efficiently, both Cinder and Yang zigzagged around the three cars ahead of them with startling precision. She watched as the cars attempted to block their path but were unable to, attacking from both angles left them wide open to a coordinated pass.

"Hell yeah!" Yang cheered. "We actually might do this Cinder, we actually might!"

Cinder laughed as she already spotted their next target about a second ahead of them. Though it was way too early to celebrate, she couldn't help but feel good about their progress.

"That's thirteen and fourteen." Marcus called over the mic. "By Gods, if you two actually pull this off, I'm buying everyone on the team a drink!"

"Underage drinking?" Yang asked with a laugh. "Sign me up!"

But when the next turn came up, all laughing was silenced as both Yang and Cinder refocused on their attack plan again.

"Same plan as last time, I'll take the right."

Following through once again with their pincer attack, both Audi R8s sandwiched themselves around their next prey, quickly bypassing the other driver's defense and sliding right on by with no problems.

"Another down!"

"Okay you two, just a couple more cars and you'll place!" Marcus encouraged. "And not to rush you or anything but you're coming up on lap forty-eight, only a couple more to go."

Breathing a sigh of a mixture of relief and anxiousness, Cinder shook her head and refocused on their task. It still wasn't too late for them to make it.

"Not done yet." She called out towards Yang, driving on the girl's left.

"Oh, not by a long shot, Cindy!"

Cinder blushed slightly at the old nickname and fought the smile that was forming on her face and failing.

"Is that a smile I see in my rearview mirror?" Yang teased before laughing at Cinder's expense.

"Shut up." The other girl replied though she couldn't keep a straight face as she uttered it and knew she smile was so much as heard through the words.

"We can't let our girlfriends down up there." She continued as she followed Yang's line through the corner, right towards their next opponents who seemed to be a few seconds ahead of them.

"Yeah, I need to win so I gloat about it!" Yang answered back as she already took her place on the left of the other car ahead of her.

Cinder couldn't help but feel prideful in their ability to coordinate their attacks now without even having to call it out, speaking casually as they initiated their overtake with ease.

"Don't know if you noticed or not… but did you see that sign in the stands?" Cinder asked just as she too passed the next car on the right, advancing to the next place.

She watched Yang's car pull ahead of her in the turns, and Cinder knew she didn't have much longer with her tires worn like this, but she wasn't going to give up just yet.

"Huh? What sign?" She heard Yang mumble as the girl rushed straight into the next turn, hot on their next victim's tail.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Cinder snorted.

"The big bright yellow sign that has your name on it!" She explained, perplexed at how the idiot could have missed it. "You seriously didn't see it?"

Quickly taking her position on the right, Cinder waited for Yang to make her move first on the next car before she turned into their line, and passed them. It was becoming easier and easier to do as they moved on up the ranks, though Cinder wasn't sure if they were just getting lucky or what.

"I really didn't!" The blonde squeaked. "It must've been my adorable little Weissy."

Cinder scoffed at that but said nothing else as they once again passed the starting line… signaling the last and final lap. She spotted the white flag being waved on the catwalk.

"You two have placed! Just hold your position for the final lap and you're good! Ninth and tenth!" Marcus called over excitedly. Cinder could even hear the crews cheering in the background as well.

"But we have one more lap to do even better." Cinder answered, and if she knew Yang… and she did, she knew that the blonde wouldn't give up until the very end.

"Your tires are done Cinder, don't do anything reckless out there." Marcus warned, but Cinder pushed it aside. She'd be fine… after all, she had the best partner she could ask for out here watching her back.

"I'm ready to keep going if you are, Yang."

She heard the blonde laugh into the mic… and her only answer was watching the Audi R8 ahead of her slam down on the gas as it kept surging forward…

Even with her tires almost done, Cinder wasn't going to let her partner continue the fight alone.

Dropping her car into fourth gear… She mirrored Yang's pace and fell in line behind her partner… and her friend. They got this far together and they'd finish together.

Funny how things worked out in the end. Never before did Cinder believe her life would end up like this, but here she was. With friends old and new, the career of her dreams, and a girlfriend who encouraged her to be a better person. There was no way she was giving up on any of it.

The only way to go was forward.

Onto a brighter future for all of them.

"Let's finish this, Cindy!"

"Right behind you, buddy…"