THE ROAD IS LONG

I needed to have another chapter with Lance and Hikaru in, so this is what came out. I wanted to explain a little more about the Tran family life. I know that Johnny's dad wasn't all that bad in the film, i mean he did slap Johnny at one point but that was it. I just decided to develop on that a bit and that's how Hikaru came out. I made up the rest of his family and i do actually feel a bit sorry for them, the way I've written it. But they won't be playing a major part in it, probably won't be in any other chapters beyond a flying reference here and there.

I do actually quite enjoy writing Hikaru, he's so creepy...

Well, Happy Reading.

Gem

xxx

Chapter 17: Tran's Plans.

The evening air was warm and pleasant, filled with the subtle fragrances of rosemary and lavender, as Lance mounted the marble steps of his uncle's colossal residence with a decided spring in his limping stride. He could barely keep the triumphant smile from his face for longer than a few seconds as he straightened his dark crimson tie and smoothed down the lapels of his night black suit before pressing the doorbell and announcing his presence throughout the stunning property.

It was easily worth several million dollars, if not more, filled with many more rooms than were required for Hikaru Tran to live there comfortably with his wife and two daughters, all of which were painted in startling, crisp whites with floors of the most highly crafted and polished white marble that his uncle's ill-gotten fortune could buy. Then there was the land that accompanied the house. The gardens were so large that Lance was sure that there were places even the twenty gardeners had never before seen let alone tended to!

"Good evening, Sir."

Lance glanced up, drawn from his curious contemplations at the voice of his uncle's butler, suddenly realising that the front door had been answered and was now wide open revealing the long, high ceilinged reception hall.

"Thank you, Chen." Lance replied stepping through the large mahogany door and inside, past the small, thin, older man who stood straight backed and rigid, no doubt from Hikaru's almost dictatorial reign over his staff and family.

Chen bowed deeply to Lance and took small, shuffling, tentative steps through the huge hallway, leading the way towards the dining room, as if he was scared to make too much noise for fear of being punished. All who lived with or worked for Hikaru Tran knew that same fear. Even his wife and eldest daughter...if not especially them. His uncle was not beyond giving out a sound beating when he thought that the receiver deserved it and more often than not that role was filled by his wife and eldest daughter. Only little Jia Li was spared the wrath of Hikaru for she was the only one who had never 'disgraced' him, as he liked to put it. At the age of sixteen she was already developing her father's cold and callous ways...and Hikaru was very proud of that fact. Lance's aunt, Xue Fang, had apparently caused so much disgrace that Hikaru no longer needed a reason to beat her and so she played the part of the ever dutiful wife and took her punishment without so much as a whimper or a tear. Mei on the other hand, the elder of Lance's cousins, was mere weeks away from escaping the oppression of her father as she had agreed to wed the son of a prominent business partner of Hikaru's. She wasn't marrying for love, however. She had only consented so that she could escape the shame in which she lived in her parent's household. Her crime had been sleeping with a man out of wedlock and not just any man, no. The very man that had killed Hikaru's precious, and only, son. His heir. Lance had to agree with his uncle where Mei was concerned. Letting Dominic Toretto fuck her had turned her into a cheap whore and had sundered the name that was Tran. Everyone had been surprised when Hikaru's business partner had suggested the marriage of Mei to his son, though Lance had suspected that his uncle's 'persuasive ways' had something to do with it...or a lot to do with it.

"Sir?" Chen's soft voice broke Lance's thoughts a second time and he glanced up noticing that they had reached the wide, double doors of the dining room. "Master Tran is participating in his evening meal with his wife and daughters. Shall I announce your presence?" he queried, hands fisted and snapped firmly at his sides.

Lance gave a curt nod of affirmation and Chen bowed and pushed one of the doors open slightly so that he could slip in.

Several minutes passed before the butler returned, his left cheek burning a bright red from where Hikaru had more than likely struck him for disturbing his evening meal. He was a creature of routine, his uncle, and he thrived and prided himself on running his household and business like a well oiled machine...and he became very irate when things did not follow his schedule.

For the first time since he had discovered the whereabouts of Toretto and had decided to deliver the good news in person, Lance began to have second thoughts. Perhaps it would have been better if he had sent one of his incompetent lackeys to-

Before he could finish his train of thought, the door opened and Lance took a step backwards, swallowing the nervous lump that had risen chokingly in his throat.

His aunt and Mei scuttled past him, eyes trained on the ground devotedly, both nodding at him lightly as they went by and hurried to their rooms. Probably glad to be out from Hikaru's commanding presence for a change. Then came Jia Li, skipping and with a broad smile on her pretty but ruthless face.

"Bye Daddy." she sang, waving back into the room over her shoulder, then scowling at Lance as she continued to skip away.

Lance took a deep breath, suppressing the fear that tingled in his chest. He had to do it now. He couldn't keep Hikaru waiting. That would gain a worse punishment than interrupting him would.

Slowly he limped into the long dining room.

-00000-

He sipped at his red wine, swilling it around in his mouth, savouring the tart flavour before swallowing it down and swirling the remainder of his drink about his glass. His dark eyes glittered over the rim at the smartly dressed, young man standing nervously before him, shuffling from foot to foot.

Hikaru Tran raised a dark, well shaped eyebrow and cleared his throat, drawing his nephew's uncomfortable glance.

"Please tell me that you have a good reason for interrupting my evening meal with my family." he said coldly, placing his glass down onto the table with a clink and lacing his fingers together.

Lance stuttered slightly returning his gaze to the crimson rug that ran beneath the dining table.

"Come one! I don't have all night!" Hikaru snapped, ire making his tone sharp and causing Lance to jolt, his face pale.

"I know where they are." he announced simply and suddenly, heaving a sigh of relief almost as he forced the words out and into the open.

Hikaru raised his eyebrows again, though this time in mild curiosity.

"Oh?" he asked nonchalantly, stabbing at the remained of his meal with his chopsticks and placing the rice into his mouth very nearly daintily.

"Yes, uncle." Lance replied with a fervent nod. "They have travelled down to San Felipe in Baja, Mexico. Dominic Toretto has family there."

Hikaru's face and mood blackened at the mention of the man who had brought shame upon his family twice over. He needed to pay, and the revelation that he was staying with family just gave Hikaru more ways to hurt him in the way that he had hurt Johnny and Mei. He turned his attention to his meal again, as if Lance wasn't present, until he had cleared his plate and sat back, satisfied. He took a deep drink from his wine glass, downing the remainder and then finally turning his gaze back to his nephew.

"San Felipe?" he mused resting his body weight forwards onto his elbows upon the tabletop. "With family you say?"

"Y-yes, uncle." Lance responded, staring at the carpet again.

Slowly Hikaru clasped his hands together, fingers interlacing. "With family? What family?"

"I do not know as of yet, uncle." Lance replied, inwardly cringing in anticipation of his uncle's reprimand. But surprisingly, it didn't come. Instead Hikaru gave a cold smile, standing and moving down the length of the long dining room to where Lance almost cowered. He slipped his arm about Lance's shoulders and laughed, the noise floating to the high, vaulted ceiling and then resounding back down to their ears.

"It is of little matter who they are. This is a marvellous turn of events!" he beamed and before Lance realised it, they were walking. "Now you have the perfect means by which to hurt Toretto the way he has hurt our family." Hikaru's long, thin fingers bit into Lance's shoulder mercilessly and the younger man had to repress a cry, swallowing it back down deep inside to keep it from escaping his lips. "You are to find him. Find him and shame his sister and his whore like he did my daughter. And kill his friends like he killed my son. And break his family like he almost succeeded in breaking mine." Hikaru's words came out through clenched teeth, icy and stabbing and making Lance flinch with every syllable.

They had reached the front door, he realised suddenly, glancing up at the impressive carpentry as Hikaru pushed the door outwards and firmly moved Lance out on the step.

"Oh, yes. There was something else." he said suddenly, gripping onto the door as if he was about to slam it in his nephew's face. "Today, what you did at the garage-"

"I can explain about Finney, uncle!" Lance spluttered, fear etching it's pale way over his features as he reached out to place a hand on Hikaru's arm.

His uncle paused, glancing down at the hand that he had dared to touch him with, in disdain, and Lance withdrew it as if he had been scalded. Finally, Hikaru took a deep breath and raised his black eyes to meet Lance's brown, terrified ones.

"I was going to say that there may still be hope for you yet, nephew." he gave a sly, one-sided smirk before closing the door and leaving Lance standing dazed upon the stone steps in the suddenly chill night air.

-00000-

Ooooh! Hikaru's such a bully...but he's soooo much fun to write. The next chapter...hmm, not to sure what's gonna happen but Leon wakes up for sure and he and Vince meet the Toretto Cousins. Please read, review, criticise and all that jazz!

Back                         Home                              The Fast and the Furious Main Page                              Next

Your Name or Alias:      Your E-mail (optional):

Please type your review below. Only positive reviews and constructive criticism will be posted!