Finally satisfied with things in New York, the day after the casino was opened, Jia made plans to go back to Tokyo. He allowed us to do as we wished, but he was going back soon. I wanted to leave just as badly. If not for sheer exhaust then for being home sick. I made my plans, waited one more day and soon I was on my way back home. Jun and I left together, no longer content with staying in New York all that time. After spending years there, anytime I had to go back, I was bored of it. Once we returned to Tokyo, I went to sleep and didn't wake up for an entire day. When I did eventually wake up, I rolled over to my side and saw the window facing the city. I sat up, pushing back my blankets and comforters as I went to my window and looked outside. It was such a nice view, the city sparking under a million lights. It was like poetry. After I got tired of the view, I went to shower and get dressed. Once I was done, I called Kazuki to let him know I was home.

"You're home? So soon?"

"Jia allowed us to do as we wished. So I came back home."

"Sou ka...does that mean I get to see you?"

"I don't know."

He laughed a little as he said,

"Well, obviously since you're here in Tokyo, you called to let me know you're home...so Yuurei...when should I expect your company?"

"Why are you so confidant that you'll get to see me?"

"Just a guess."

I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being right but in the end I just sighed heavily and said,

"I'm going to get some coffee at Bon. If you wish to join me, fine."

I hung up and went to do just that.

I sat at Bon for a while, drinking hazelnut coffee as I yawned every now and then, still feeling tired, which just prompted me to drink more coffee. After about half an hour, I was tired of coffee and I wasn't about to wait for Kazuki anymore. Just as I finished the last bit in my cup, I saw Kazuki come inside. He smiled when he saw me, that cunning smile again as he sat down across from me.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Been here long?"

"About half an hour."

"You waited?"

"I was drinking coffee like I said."

"How many cups?"

"Second one."

"What kind?"

"Hazelnut."

He nodded as he ordered the same and then looked at me as he said,

"Yuurei...you haven't been sleeping well."

"I haven't slept in months."

"Neither have I."

I set the cup down, moving it aside as Kazuki said,

"I missed you."

I looked at him, dark eyes softening with his words. He meant it when he said he missed me. My fingers toyed with the rim of the cup in front of me as I said,

"You couldn't have."

"And why not?"

"Weren't you busy doing work?"

"Didn't mean I couldn't stop and think about you for a while."

I looked back up at him as he said,

"You seem off."

"I'm not. I'm fine."

His cup of coffee arrived a moment later as he received it and then said,

"You didn't think of me?"

"Obviously if I called you before."

"Good point."

He took a sip as he said,

"This is good."

"I know. It's why I only drink it."

He gave a slight smile as he continued drinking.

I found myself spending more time with him shortly afterwards. If I wasn't out with Jun doing the usual or out with Jo when he begged me to go have a drink with him, I was out with Kazuki. I never had so much to do before and it was strange when I realized how little time I spent at home once I got back to Tokyo. Jo had returned to Tokyo after a brief stint in New York. Sozaburo and he had their fun and then Jo went back home. It was his usual pattern of doing things. Once he was back in Tokyo however, if we weren't working he was out partying like he was eighteen all over again. Time with Kazuki was spent just sitting in his company. No matter what we did, we were sitting by each other, just the simple act of that made me comfortable. We caught a few movies in a theater which was so new to me since I had not been to the theater since I was younger. I found I liked doing that the best. It was quiet, where I didn't have to talk. Where in fact, conversation was discouraged and rude and it was in the dark. The first time we went, I ended up missing most of the movie because of Kazuki. Apparently he liked the dark too. I didn't mind after a while because I found I liked kissing him. It was new, it was never forceful, hungry or more then gentle touches of his lips to mine. I wasn't sure what this thing with him was...it was something. But what I didn't know. I decided to ask someone with experience. One night as Jo and I had a drink, I said,

"Jo...I need to ask you something."

He looked over at me as he said,

"You actually wanna talk?"

"Yeah. Mostly because I can't sort it out myself."

"Okay."

He turned towards me a little better to listen as he said,

"Okay, go ahead."

I suddenly felt strange. I couldn't sit here and talk about what was bothering me. I had always been able to shut off whatever I was thinking but now I found I couldn't. Mostly because all these new questions I never had to deal with where springing up. I looked down at my drink as I said,

"What do you have with Sozaburo?"

He looked at me surprised as he said,

"Oh...uh...."

He paused, looking off to the side as if thinking about it. He then said,

"It's...nothing actually."

"But you see him every time we're in New York. You sleep with just him once we're there."

"Yeah but...it's not like we're dating. He knows that once I'm back in Tokyo I'm gonna sleep around. He knows that if I'm in the city and he's busy I'm gonna go out with everyone else and get laid. So it's not really just him I'm with."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I'm just fucking him. He likes it, I like doing it...so we keep on doing it. We don't talk much, unless it's about work or business and we don't go beyond that."

"You set limits?"

"I had to."

"How come?"

"I can't afford having anyone loving me."

"Once when you were younger that's all you wanted."

"Yeah but I realized once I had someone's love, I could break it really easily. Mostly because...I'm poison. Anyone willing to take me is running the risk of being killed."

I nodded as I said,

"Is that what happened with....him?"

He nodded, looking away as he took a drink. Once the glass was empty, he set it down again as he said,

"Pretty much. Now he's whoring himself to keep himself fed and homed. It's okay though...it's not my fault he's done that. What's with all the questions anyway?"

"I'm not sure what this thing with Furukawa is."

"You're still seeing him?"

"Sorta."

"You fuck him yet?"

I gave him this look as I said,

"That was rude."

"Gomen. But did you?"

"Iie."

"Do you wanna?"

"I don't know. It's been forever."

"You need practice."

"I'm into fucking random females."

"Mikkie, no offense, but are you even into females?"

"I'm not really into any one of any gender."

"Oh...so...what you really are frigid?"

I narrowed my eyes at him as I said,

"I don't like being touched."

"You are frigid."

"Will you stop calling me that?"

"Gomen. But it's true."

I sighed and then took a sip of my drink. Jo then said,

"Maybe you should fuck him."

"What would that solve?"

"Makes you stop thinking. It would answer a couple of questions like, what you have with him, what's it worth, is just the fucking....stuff like that."

"Sou ka."

He had a point though a rather crude one.

During that time, I wasn't sure of what to do with myself. I only knew for sure that Kazuki confused me. He made my head hurt when I thought of him and I was sure that those weren't good signs. I tried not to think on it especially when I was around Jun. He would give me odd looks instead of asking what was wrong with me, which in a way was fine because I could always choose to dismiss his looks if I didn't want to talk. I also wondered if this thing was private. With Toki, because I had been ashamed of the fact that he once caused me damage and here I was carrying on with him, I didn't allow anyone to know. I told no one and I made sure he told no one. So we acted as if nothing was happening when in fact, anytime we were alone we spoke, we kissed and I allowed him to put his hands on me. With Kazuki, this was not a secret...but no one saw and I didn't make it a point to tell anyone either. So I was crossed between all this confusion of myself and my thoughts. I wished I had work to do.

After another two weeks, I found out through Jun and Jo that everyone else had come back to Tokyo already. No one really wasted time getting back, though sometimes, some of them are gone for months on end and Jia has to call them back. Most of the year had gone by already. The warming summer days were slowly pushing the last of the heat back as cooling autumn nights started arriving. Soon there would be snow, winter and another year would end. I would go see my mother for the new year, if I wasn't busy working. I didn't really want to considering my father and I didn't clash well, but I was mostly going to see my mother anyway. I sat in Shinjuku Park with Kazuki beside me, both of us lost in a train of though. I had put my elbow up on one of the tables in front of me, resting my cheek on my hand as the gentle breeze shifted my hair that had come untucked from my ears. As I was thinking, I felt Kazuki kiss my cheek. I turned to him as I said,

"Nani?"

"You looked lost. I decided to find you."

I looked away as he said,

"Where's your mind Yuurei?"

"Somewhere. I'm bored."

"You always seem bored with me."

"Don't offense, I'm never happy anywhere."

His fingers turned towards my hair, taking it in his fingers as he said,

"Your hair has gotten longer."

"I know."

"Plan on keeping it that way?"

"A little longer then I'll trim it. I look like a girl with hair really long and I look twelve with it any shorter."

"You're beautiful either way."

I looked at him as I said,

"You can stop hitting on me. I'm already in your company."

He laughed as he said,

"I'm just telling you the truth."

As we sat there for a while, my mind still wandering I heard his cell phone ringing. He excused himself as he spoke, his nails scrapping against the stone of the table as he looked off to the side. I then heard him say,

"How should I know? I don't know, find out what you can and then call me back."

He hung up as I looked at him and said,

"Problem?"

"Some woman is the city with her husband."

"So?"

"I don't know. The people I have working for me tell me that she might be trouble. And I told them to just find out who she is. If she is, then we'll worry about it later."

"Who's the woman?"

"Someone named Eve."

"Yosei? Eve Yosei?"

"So the 36 Moons has fought with her?"

"Some time ago. She was Ebizo's right hand."

"Ebizo?"

"He tried to kill Jia. He's the reason Jia has no feeling in his right hand. They fell off a bridge in New York during the winter."

"Shit...and that didn't kill Jia?"

"Iie....my oyabun is almost indestructible."

I got up as he said,

"Where you going?"

"I have to let Tai know."

I got up from the table and called Tai on my way out of the park to hail a cab.

"Hai?"

"Tai, did you know Eve Yosei was in Tokyo?"

"Since when?"

"I don't know. Furukawa just let me know."

"Sou ka...I didn't know. I have to find out what's going on."

"Are you going to headquarters?"

I hailed a cab as I got in and waited for Tai's response.

"Hai but in a while. I'll call you when I'm there."

"Okay. Later."

We hung up as I gave my address to go home. So it was back to work. Not that I minded. I also realized I just left Furukawa there without saying a word. Oh well, not like I wouldn't see him enough when we all went back to work. Within the hour, Tai called me to let me know that yes, Eve Yosei was back in Tokyo. But why we didn't know.

"If she was trying to make any kind of trouble, she would have done so by now." Said Tai.

He and I met up in Jia's building later that night as I said,

"But she's here and that's what the problem is."

"No one in their right minds would contract her. That would be like asking for their own deaths."

"Maybe we should get in contact with the other oyabuns of Japan. Maybe they know something we don't yet."

"Good idea. I'll call in Aya, Akio and Gabriel to get started."

I nodded as he then said,

"We have to let Jia know. Also we have to put the other heads out in the street. We need to find her and keep an eye out for her."

I nodded as I said,

"I'll let Jun know."

Tai then left to go upstairs and I went back to work.