Whoever compared Kaji to Jia, in a sense was wrong. Power does not make one smarter. It just makes you powerful. Power corrupts, power blinds...and Jia was not corrupted or blind. Jia knew just what he was doing. Once he got a hold of his business heads, he called in Hisoka, who lead most of the lower heads. In a way, Hisoka was Jia's fuku-honbucho, running the lower heads as if he was one of the top heads, yet whenever we came into the room, Hisoka bowed and still had Tai and the rest of us to answer to. On top of that he still had Jia to answer to. Anyway, Hisoka and his lower heads were checking through Tokyo, waiting for Kaji to emerge. Jia himself did not see Kaji as a threat. So much so that Jia himself would go and walk through the Kabuki-Cho. I had known Jia to be armed a few times in my time working for him. Ever so rarely, Jia had a gun on him. Most of the time he didn't have anything and relied on his words to get him out of situations and then he allowed Toki, myself, Aoki and Jo to do the killing. The few times Jia has ever been armed was when he started out, when the situation with Sapporo rose and random moments afterwards. Once Jia grew in power, he rare was armed. Now, as he was about to leave for his walks through the Kabuki-Cho, I watched as Jia checked the clip of his .40 Smith&Wesson, pulling back the safety as he then put it in his pocket. Since he rarely needed to be armed, the gun was small enough to fit in his pocket. He checked for another clip as he and Toki went to walk through the Kabuki-Cho.

Kaji was around, we sensed him, caught glimpses of him and he didn't hide. He lingered around. One night, Toki caught word from Hisoka that Kaji was at a pool hall in the Kabuki-Cho. Toki looked over at Jo and myself along with Akio and Aoki who sat in the lobby, Aya sound asleep on Aoki's lap since it was close to three that morning and Aya had been up all day. Toki smoked, throwing his head back slightly as he said,

"You guys wanna head to Kabuki-Cho?"

Jo sighed as he said exhaled his cigarette and said,

"Is getting your dick sucked all you think about?"

Toki smirked as he said,

"Prolly...but it's not that reason. Kaji's up there. Playin pool."

"Probably where we usually go." Said Akio.

Aoki leaned his head back to look over at Toki as he said,

"I'll go."

Akio raised is hand up as he said,

"Me too."

Jo sighed as he said,

"I'm game."

Toki looked at me as he said,

"Come on Ghosto...you play pool as good as Akio an you got aim like no one's business. Come with us. Besides.....we actually workin."

I sighed as I said,

"All right."

After Aoki woke Aya up and sent him home, Jo got the car keys from his pocket and we all headed to the garage. We got in the car, Jo driving, Akio in the passenger side, Aoki, Toki and myself in the back. I sat near the window, Aoki between Toki and myself. Jo drove like a mad man through the streets of Tokyo, speeding through lights as he leaned back in his seat, hand near his mouth as his nails picked at the scab left on his lip. The bruises had healed for the most part and whatever wasn't healed was hidden behind his hair. Once we got to the Kabuki-Cho, Jo parked not too far from the pool hall as we all got out and saw the BMW sitting outside. Aoki looked at it as he said,

"He's definitely inside. It's like a tease."

Toki smirked as he said,

"He's waiting for us."

We went inside anyway.

The owner knew the three already, he recognized me and Jo as Akio grabbed the tray of balls and we headed over to the table across from Kaji's. Kaji was still playing in his element, his dress pants hanging low, his button down hanging behind him near his coat as he played in his white wife beater, a tattoo visible around his arm, his blonde hair still going in all angles, a cigarette from his lip. The man he was with that night wore a black button down, the sleeves down, buttoned at the cuff, chin length black hair framed his face as he walked around the table. He noticed me and let Kaji know. Kaji nodded as he took the cigarette from his mouth and tapped it on the ashtray. Akio and Toki had begun a game, Aoki watching as he sat beside Jo, both of them smoking. I stood by the table as I picked up a cue when Akio let me take a turn. I was about to take my shot, pulling back the cue when I heard Kaji go,

"Hey baby boy, what you do, bring your friends to protect you this time?"

He laughed as did his friend. I ignored him, taking my shot as Toki exhaled a cloud of smoke as he said,

"A real asshole aint he?"

Akio smirked slightly as he said,

"Yup...I love how he's trying to play on Mikkie's anger."

"Too bad Ghosto aint got none."

I took my shot, sinking in three balls as I stood up and walked around the table. I was about to take my next shot as Kaji said,

"Little boy, you still aint got no manners do you?"

I stood up straight and set my cue on the table as I turned and said,

"What do you want?"

"I've been tryin to get your attention for a while."

"You insulting me isn't going to do it."

Kaji and his friend laughed as he walked over to me. It was then I noticed Kaji wore a wedding band. He looked down at me since he was taller as he exhaled smoke from his mouth and said,

"How much you worth?"

"You don't have the numbers."

"Try me. You a sweet piece of ass aint ya?"

Toki then joined us as he said,

"Yeah but he aint for sell."

Kaji and Toki looked at each other as Kaji scoffed and laughed as he said,

"Look at you like you some threat."

"Try me." Toki said with a smirk.

Kaji ignored him, turning back to me as he said,

"Punk."

I saw Toki's hand reach for the cue I left on the table as he grabbed it and in one quick gesture, cracked it over the back of Kaji's shoulders. It broke as Toki leaned down and grabbed the second piece and then kneed Kaji in the stomach as he fell. I leaned back to avoid it as Kaji's boy ran over to Toki and soon had a switch blade under his chin. I saw Jo get up, his butterfly blade already out as he flicked his wrist, moving his fingers as he then had his blade out.

"Cut him and you'll be dead before you hit the ground."

I heard Kaji start to laugh as he started getting up with the aid of the pool table. Everyone else who was there was watching this little fiasco go on. Kaji then got to his full height, rubbing the back of his neck as he said,

"You.....you 36 Moons heads don't fuck around."

Toki smirked as he said,

"You knew who we were."

"Of course......the corners and dark alleys talk."

Kaji's boy move the blade back from under Toki's chin as Toki said,

"You got balls man...hittin on him like that. He could have snapped your neck in two."

Kaji laughed as if the thought of someone like me doing that. I was tempted to show the smug bastard I could. Kaji then said,

"I know he could. I just wanted to see how far I could push him before he actually did it."

"What do you want? You been making your presence a little too much lately." Said Akio.

"I've been waiting around to see what your oyabun will do. Smart man...not scared is he? Just walkin through these streets like no one would touch him."

"No one would. No one would be that stupid." Said Jo.

He flicked his blade back in place as did Kaji's boy. Kaji then said,

"I can make my presence known. Or does that scare your oyabun?"

"Nah...jus makes him wonder what you're up to." Said Toki.

Kaji nodded as he said,

"Expected. But I can show my presence, just like your oyabun does. He can have his city, but the streets belong to me."

Aoki stood up, rubbing out his cigarette as he said,

"You in for a war? You'll be crushed you know that don't you?"

"Free lance yakuza don't stand a chance against a syndicate." I said.

Kaji looked at me as he said,

"I find it hard to believe you are all syndicate. Especially him."

He pointed at Toki. Toki smirked as he flipped him off. Kaji then said,

"But....sure. Your oyabun thinks he can walk in my streets....we'll be partners in war."

Kaji then smirked as he said to Jo,

"Oh.....kid, I'll let you buy back the whore I got the other night at the club."

Jo looked at him as he said,

"Keep your whore. I don't want used goods."

Kaji smiled, nodding his head once before he left. His boy watched us before Kaji was finally out. Once he was gone, his boy followed after he gathered Kaji's coat and shirt.

We returned to Jia's building that night. Among the mass of papers and work, Jia sat with Tai in Jia's office. They looked up as we entered. Toki let Jia know of Kaji, his attitude, his reign over the streets and that he declared war on Jia. Jia leaned back in his chair as he said,

"Cocky son of bitch."

"So....what's the plan Li?" Toki said as he sat on the corner of Jia's desk.

Jia sighed as he said,

"Why would anyone think they could go up against me?"

"They think they have the means to." Said Tai.

Jia picked up his cigarette case from the corner of his desk as he said,

"It's okay....I'm just wondering how far this has to go."

We would find out soon enough. Within the days and nights of any one of us walking through the streets there was a problem. Newspapers had a field day, the word yakuza war sprayed all over every page, every newspaper, every print. Nights were the worse where clubs would be filled with gun shots, blood everywhere, bodies falling to the ground. The top heads mixed in with the action and we would gladly leave Kaji's men thrown in alleys. We went searching for him, noticing that since our last encounter, Kaji was no where to be found. Jia was not about to mix himself in the war going on, though he was tempted to. We had our next worry when we discovered Toshimasa's casino had been raided. Toshimasa himself was not there so the worry was only for a moment. Jia called him to find out where he was and we discovered he was Kyoto doing his next rounds through the casino's there with Xiao Tien. Jia told him to stay out of Tokyo for a while and let him know of the war that already started.

It was nothing serious at first other then gun fire and fist fights. A lot of the times, Kaji's boy was out there himself. To me he seemed psychotic, always standing in the background, always wearing long sleeves buttoned at the cuff. It was like staring into my own reflection when I saw he too had no life in his eyes. He was dead, unfeeling and with no effort often took a switch blade in his hands and could slit anyone's through with ease. I watched as a few lower heads went down like that. I had a feeling I would be doing battle with him later. As the war continued across, a lot of dead bodies piling up, business slowed down slightly due from these events. Cops where going out of their minds trying to distinguish the street thugs from the syndicate yakuza. Of course mistakes were sometimes made and Gabriel worked overtime. We all made due with what was going on. Toki, Aoki, Jo and myself worked in the middle of the fight, more often then once, leaving headquarters in one piece and coming back drenched in blood. One such evening came when Kaji's men went through the harbor, invading warehouses trying to rob us. Toki and Aoki along with a couple of lower heads went to take care of the situation as Jo and myself had another job to do. We came back earlier then expected when it turned out the club was raided by the cops and we all had to leave. As we explained what was going on to Tai, Toki and Aoki came in the lobby, Toki was soaked and pissed off. Tai raised an eyebrow as he said,

"What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you what happened..."

Toki took off his bandanna, ringing it free from the water as he then tossed it aside, then picked up the bottom of his jeans as he toed off his boots and then leaned down to take off his socks.

"We were takin care of the shit goin on. Some fuckin kids though they could take out shit in the process. We went in, did some work when we noticed three of them were runnin out. I went after them, got one but as I got the second one, I shot him and the third one tried to get me. I grabbed him and the little bitch got so scared he fell back and took me with him."

He took off his two shirts, letting them fall with a thick splash to the floor. Aoki sat down as he took off his coat and said,

"I had to pull him out."

Tai nodded as he said,

"And the kid?"

"I shot him in the water."

Toki finished up by ringing the end of his wife beater as he kept that on. He then said,

"Now I'm fuckin soaked and Li would get on my shit if I got in the car like this. And all my cashed is soaked."

He took out his wallet as a stream of water fell out from it as he threw it on the sofa. He also took out his cigarettes which he cursed at the sight of. Jo smirked slightly as he said,

"You could take the train."

"I aint got no money. At least none thas not soaked."

He shook his hands out as Tai then said,

"How did you get here then?"

"Walked...took the train. Aoki paid that time."

Aoki went into his pockets, getting his cigarettes out as he said,

"How'd it go with you two?"

"Club got raided before anything went down." Said Jo.

Toki sat down on the floor as he said,

"Someone let me get a cigarette. Mine are soaked."

Jo went into his pockets as he got his pack out and opened it as he turned it to Toki. Toki took one out as he got his lighter out. He tested it a few times, glad it still worked as he lit the cigarette and said,

"So aint shit happening huh?"

"Not yet. Kaji is hiding from us." Jo said.

"Then maybe it's time I go find him."

We all looked over to see Jia standing there, hands in his pockets, a cigarette in his mouth. He took the cigarette out of his mouth as he said,

"I let this punk have some fun. I let him fuck around...but now it's time to get serious. My profit is coming in low. Besides, Toshimasa and Xiao Tien have to come back here. The casino is in shambles."

He looked at Toki as he paused and said,

"Why are you wet?"

"Fell into the ocean. No, I don't wanna talk about it."

Jia nodded as he said,

"I've made arrangements."

"For what?" Said Tai.

"To pair my best with my best."

"Meanin?" Said Toki.

"I called the Itto Ketsuen and Ryuujin no Chi here."

"Fuck.....New York syndicates....that'll have Kaji scared."

"Let Hisoka know and tell him to send word out. Toki...go home and change."

"I aint got no money for the train and I know a cab wouldn't take me without dry money an your car's out of the question an I ain't fuckin walkin."

Jia took out his wallet as he gave Toki some yen and said,

"Go home and change. Take the cab. Last thing I need right now is you getting sick."

Toki got up, getting his socks and shoes back on as he picked up his shirts and left.

The next day, we headed to Narita, Jo driving, Jia in the back, me accompanying Jia for his protection. At the airport earlier that afternoon, we waited. A few minutes later, Sozaburo and Karasu appeared in sight, three guards following them. A few moments later, Kotei and Ren appeared, four guards following them. They met up with Jia, shaking hands as Jia said,

"I'm surprised you didn't bring more."

Sozaburo and Karasu looked at each other as Karasu said,

"The plane isn't empty yet Jia."

Four more guards filed out, not all being Japanese. They adjusted their suits as Ren turned to catch the attention of the three other guards that joined this rather large party. Sozaburo smiled his seductive smile, small beauty mark catching all attention as he said,

"You did say bring your best."

"That I did."

A line of cabs followed Jia's car, Jo actually having to drive like a normal person. He complained the entire way saying he could get out and run faster then this. Jia calmed him down by saying,

"No one is chasing us Jo. You don't have to speed everywhere."

Jo sighed, leaning back in his seat, picking at the scar in his lip. The cabs eventually lined up in front of the Imperial hotel, Sozaburo, Karasu, Ren and Kotei stepped out, their guards following with luggage in hand as they began going in. Sozaburo swept some of his dark red hair, the blonde now gone, away from his face as he said,

"When should we get to work Jia?"

"Tonight. I want you to rest first."

Karasu nodded as he said,

"Yeah...I'm jet lagged."

Kotei yawned loudly to prove Karasu's point. I noticed the little emperor was not so little anymore, his height had lifted him a few more inches, almost reaching Ren's height. His hair was still blonde, though now a slightly darker blonde, still falling over half his face, longer then before. He wore a suit, but still refused the tie as his ever present gold locket rested on the pale skin of his chest. He covered his mouth as he apologized and Jia laughed slightly as he said,

"I'll find you all tonight."

With that everyone went into the hotel as Jo took Jia back home.

Once it was the two of us, Jo stopped at a light for once. He went into his coat pockets as he got his lighter out and had a cigarette as he said,

"Tonight is gonna be hell all over Tokyo."

"I know."

I tucked my hair behind my ears as he said,

"Not anxious?"

"Not really. I've done this too many times to remember."

Jo nodded as he said,

"I gotta pick up some clips."

"You should always have enough."

"I do I just wanna be sure. Besides, my shit is hard to come by."

"No one told you to carry illegal bullets."

Jo's bullets, teflon bullets also known as cop killers, were illegal almost everywhere. Only through some good connections could you get some...and Jo had good connections. Jo laughed as he said,

"They worth it though."

I sighed as the light changed and Jo went ahead. He sped as always, not really feeling like speeding when he suddenly stopped the car. We both lurched forward, the seatbelt straining us in the seats as I held my hands against the dashboard. I looked over at him with an angry look wondering what the hell was wrong with him as he looked ahead. I looked ahead as I saw Kaji's boy standing in the middle of the street, a gun pointing at us. Jo then said,

"Not this fuckin car. I'll kill him first."

He put the car in reverse as he then floored it. Kaji's boy getting a few shots in as he then jumped out of the way. Jo turned the corner as he then parked the car and we both got out. He was pissed off, I could tell as he said,

"Really fuckin with my car now...in the middle of broad daylight."

It didn't take us too long to get out of the car and walk back to where Kaji's boy tried to shoot us. And sure enough he was a good distance away but he walked as if nothing was going on. Jo and I walked quickly, but not too fast as to catch up to him. Once we did get close enough, we split up as Kaji's boy kept walking. He paused for a moment as he undid the cuffs of his sleeves as he then turned and went inside an apartment building. I lingered outside for a moment, calling Jo to let him know Kaji's boy had gone inside an apartment building. I followed him inside the building, seeing he went inside a stairwell. I knew he had plenty of time to get in and hide...but he wasn't hiding. I followed him up the stair well, checking my gun along the way, setting my phone to vibrate as I went all the way upstairs. When I reached a door at the very top, I pushed it open and walked through. I looked around, feeling the cool air touch my face, dishelved my hair. Then I saw Kaji's boy. He tossed off his jacket, a switch blade in his hand as he then pulled up his sleeve as he spoke. I saw a line of tick marks stopping below his wrist and going as far as the bend of his arm. Deep red scars that were too perfectly lined up, too perfect in length and depth to be anything else but hand made. Once he pulled up the sleeve of his other arm, I saw the same thing. He then said,

"You know why I have these marks? It's to remind me of how many I killed...to remind me how much I owe God in the end."

I scoffed as he said,

"I have over one hundred and twenty-five. You're gonna be one hundred and twenty-six."

I took off my coat, throwing it off as I said nothing and waited. I didn't move, even when he did, coming out, a flick of his wrist pulling out the knife. I had not been in a fist fight in ages and I was not good with a knife so I didn't carry my own. But we fought. He got his cuts in and went to kill me a few times. Only luck and moving quickly proved me to keep my life. After he cut me deep enough for it to scar, deep enough for it to hurt across my arm, I paused, moving back and clutching my arm. I gasped, for the first time in a while feeling sincere pain. And it was then that Kaji's boy had life in his eyes. He was only happy when he killed. He flicked the blade again, my blood coming off it in a spray as he smiled and said,

"You're not easy to get rid of."

I smoothed back my hair as I reached behind me and withdrew my gun. He stopped as he said,

"I was waiting for that."

"You didn't honestly expect me to not be armed did you?"

He stood still before he lunged at me. He shoved me down, both of us falling back as he landed over me. I still held my gun in my hand as he shoved the blade under my chin and made a cut. I didn't make a sound as he said,

"Maybe you're not so quick after all."

"No...maybe you just underestimated me."

I saw his eyes widen as he heard the click of my gun at his temple. I pulled the trigger, turning my face as I felt his blood splatter against me. He collapsed on top of me as I opened my eyes and turned my head again, looking back up at the sky. It was a clear day...not a cloud in the sky. I shoved him off me as I sat up and heard the sound of metal falling on the gravel of the building. I saw it was his switch blade and I picked it up as I grabbed his wrist and slit the blade across the skin of his wrist.

"One hundred twenty-six."

I got up from the ground, tucking my gun behind me again as I picked up my coat and dug my cell phone out. I called Jo, hearing him ask me where I was. I just said,

"Kaji's boy is dead."

He then offered to get me and I told him where I was. Once we hung up, my arm was in throbbing pain. I felt a little weak from as much blood as I was loosing and I only lingered near the door, eventually opening it and going downstairs. I had to stop only after walking a few steps since my vision got spotty. I didn't wait too long. Jo found me and we quickly left.

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Definitions

Fuku-honbucho- Assistant. Runs eight gangs below the saiko komon.