When I woke up again, bright lights from over head blinded me, making it hard for me to open my eyes in first place. Once I managed to open them a little, everything was blurry and out of focus. I saw something move which made me paranoid. The figure came closer as I then saw it was Jun. He brought his hand to my head as he said,

"Hey...how you feel?"

"Wh....where am I?"

"My office where else."

I blinked a few times as I managed to start seeing everything clearly. I tried moving my arms slightly as I felt wet and also uncomfortable. Jun snapped on a pair of latex gloves as he moved back the sheet covering me as he said,

"You scared me for a second."

"How come?"

"You don't usually call me like that. When I found you, you weren't moving at all. Not even slightly. I thought I was too late."

I still felt a little dazed as he touched my side slightly. I then took a deep breath as I said,

"Why am I wet?"

"That would be Toki's fault."

I looked at him strangely as he said,

"He came with me once he got word of what happened. We got there and once we got you out of the car he carried you. Of course Jo couldn't park us any closer to the actual scene since there was no place to park so we ran out to you. Obviously he was already wet from the rain...and us carrying you back to the car made you get wet but he was already soaked so it just made it worse."

I tensed up once he actually touched my wound as he said,

"Yeah...you'll be tender for a while. Some ache and pain...but that's natural. How do you feel now?"

"Tired. And wet."

He sighed slightly as he said,

"As long as you're alive. You want anything?"

"To sit up."

"You're gonna be dizzy."

"I'll make it."

"Okay but don't get off the table."

He helped me sit up as I instantly felt the room spinning. I felt so light headed and spots of black kept impairing my vision. I closed my eyes as Jun said,

"You okay?"

I nodded as he said,

"I'll be back. Don't get off the table."

I nodded again as I heard him leaving. I stayed sitting up, my eyes closed because everytime I opened them, the room span making me feel sick. I felt cold once I sat up, the air pricking at my exposed, damped skin as my hair fell down my back. I heard the door open a moment later and I expected to hear Jun's voice instead I heard,

"Hey Ghosto...you're up."

Without opening my eyes I knew it was Toki.

"Hai."

"How you feel?"

"Dizzy."

I felt him get close to me as stroked my hair back and I opened my eyes slightly. I felt dizzy again and felt as I would fall back as he said,

"Want anything?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Please make the room stop spinning."

I felt him put his arms around me as I rested my head on his shoulder. He felt warm despite the fact that his shirt was slightly damp. I kept my eyes closed, loving how he felt as he rubbed my back. We stood there for a while like that until I opened my eyes again and I still felt a little dizzy and light headed, but the room no longer span as badly as before. I started to move back, but he still held onto me. I tapped him as I said,

"Let go."

"Nah."

I sighed as I said,

"I never took advantage of you in your weakened state."

"That was your fault."

I cracked a small smile and made it disappear quickly as I said,

"I need to lay down. My side hurts."

He then let go and I started to lay back down, bringing my hand up to my face as he brought the sheet over my body again and then grabbed a chair as he sat beside me. He got a hold of my hand as he said,

"Atshusi did this right?"

"Yes. Well not him, himself. One of his guards."

"Don't matter. I'll get him."

"You don't have to."

"Yes I do. Imma gut him an fuckin Furukawa."

"Why him?"

"Cuz, his bitch ass couldn't handle this shit. He let this happen. If he would have tol Li right off the top, handle this motherfucker, then nothing would have happened."

He had a point. I didn't say that though.

"I'm fine though."

"And if you weren't? What then?"

"Would it have mattered?"

He glared at me as he said,

"Of course it would have mattered! What the fuck you think?"

I sighed, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before I said,

"Toki...?"

"Hm?"

I looked back over at him as I said,

"Why are you so jealous?"

He looked at me kind of surprised and then sort of angry. His face was so full of expression. He shows everything so clearly by the gestures of his eyes and his mouth. I don't think he was aware of it. I also thought my question would go unanswered, since Toki's not one to admit much of anything. But instead, he said,

"Because...the fuckin fox was movin in on my Ghosto."

"I'm not yours."

He brought my fingers to his mouth as he kissed the back of them and then looked at me as mischief sparkled in his eyes as he said,

"Yes you are."

I managed to grab his bottom lip between my thumb and forefinger as I pinched him and he yelled back and then sucked on his bottom lip for a minute before he laughed. Jun came back down a moment later, cup of coffee in hand as he said,

"You better be leaving him alone."

"I am. Relax."

Jun walked over to a chair as he picked up my shirt and said,

"It's damp and it's stained, but it's all you got. Jo's upstairs waiting to take you home."

"I don't want to go home."

"Like you're of any use to us now Mikkie. Get up and go home."

I sighed as I slowly got up and got my shirt on. I buttoned most it easily as Jun and Toki then helped me off the table. Toki helped me up the stairs as Jo stood in the lobby, his coat on, his hair tied up, umbrella in hand as he spoke to Akio. Once he saw me he said,

"Hey Mikkie. How you feel?"

"Weak."

Once I said that, my legs started to shake and I felt as I would collapse on myself. Before I did however, I felt Toki put his arms around me as he then picked me up in one quick fluid motion. I was so weak and I still felt dizzy I didn't even argue. Jo walked in front of us as he opened the doors and then opened the umbrella as Toki and I walked to the car. Jo opened the back door for us as Toki slid me in first then followed. Jo closed the door as he then went to the driver's side and took me home.

I rested my head on Toki's shoulder as he had his arm around me. I felt sleepy, the warm air from the car and Toki's heat and the patter of the rain on the window was comforting and I started dozing off. As we reached my apartment, I picked my head up as I said,

"We there?"

"Just about. you need help inside?"

I shook my head, feeling helpless enough for the night. He brought his hand up to my hair as he said,

"You sure? What if you need somethin?"

"I'll manage."

A moment later, Jo pulled up in front of my apartment as he said,

"Okay...you're home."

I nodded as I started moving slightly to get out of the car. It was still raining and the rain started to soak through my already damped hair. I stepped away from the car slightly as I slammed the door behind me and started to slowly walk around as I got onto the sidewalk and began going to my apartment. I felt a little dizzy and paused for a moment as I then kept going. I managed to get inside the lobby as I searched my pockets for my keys. My side ached in a dull roar, pinning pin pricks of shock through the area with every move I made. I closed my eyes again as I kept going and went to the elevator as I pressed the button and waited. I had never felt so slow in all my life. As I waited for the elevator, I circled my arms around me as I felt cold and standing here in wet clothes wasn't helping. Finally the elevator doors opened as I went inside and pressed the button to my floor. I got into my apartment after what seemed to be forever, changed and laid down to sleep.

I woke in agony the next day. I suffered through the pain though since I felt I couldn't move. I felt horrible and my side hurt so bad and I kept feeling I was bleeding through my bandages but every time I checked, I saw nothing. I finally felt horrible enough that I called Jun and told him I wasn't feeling well. After about half an hour, forty-five minutes, Jun came to my apartment. I told him what was wrong as he said,

"Either you caught something from being soaked or it's infected. I can't tell."

I sighed, falling back in my bed. He sat down beside me as he lifted up my pajama shirt and started to peel back the medical tape on the gauze that was covering my wound. As he did, he said,

"There was an incident this morning."

"What?"

"Since Furukawa had to come in to see Jia, that meant Jia was in the office this morning. Which also meant Toki was in. I thought that was bad, but Toki was asleep for hours. When Furukawa actually came in, Jia saw him and from what Tai told me, Jia is pissed off. But that was nothing. Apparently, Aoki and Akio love seeing Toki's anger because they woke him once Furukawa was in the lobby. The two started arguing back and forth, you know how Toki is. Any, long story short, they had to peel Toki off him because they started fighting in the lobby."

As he finished up, he had pulled the tape off and was checking my wound as I said,

"Are they both okay?"

"Well Toki was using cheap shots. He also managed to clip Furukawa in the face with the tip of his boot when we started pulling him back. Holding Toki by his arms is never a good idea because he uses that to his advantage. He kicks like a mule."

"God...what about Furukawa?"

"Oh, don't think he just took it either. He managed to bust Toki's nose. They both got their good shots in."

I gritted my teeth as Jun took a look at my wound and said,

"I think you're just in pain. It looks fine to me. Maybe you did catch something from the rain."

I nodded as he started putting the gauze back down as I said,

"What did Jia say?"

"Well Jia wasn't too pleased about his Tokyo associate and his closest friend fighting like children in the lobby of his building. It's suppost to be a place of business after all. Anyway he was angry at the both of them and put Toki in time out as he usually does and told Furukawa to leave."

"What about Atshusi?"

"Well the little brat, who's basically having nothing more then a temper tantrum was already caught a hold of. Before Jia disposes of him, he's going to speak to him. Lower heads are watching him, making sure he doesn't try anything."

I nodded as I moved my hair back from my face. Jun then got up as he said,

"You need anything?"

"Some pain killers."

"I meant food wise."

"I don't care. I'm dying here."

Jun nodded as he said,

"I'm actually busy now. You caught me at a bad moment. But I'll have Jo come by. That okay?"

I nodded as Jun took out his cell phone and said,

"I'll call him as I leave so you don't have to wait too long. Get some rest. Call me if anything gets worse."

I nodded as Jun started to call Jo as he then tucked me in bed and then left my sight.

As I dozed off, I heard Jo coming in my room. He looked uncomfortable to be bothering me where I lay, but he tried to set himself at ease as he said,

"Hey Mikkie. How you feeling?"

"Sick and in pain."

"If it helps, you don't look it."

I didn't say anything as he came in and I saw he held a plastic bag in his hand, a cup in the other. He walked over to the side of my bed as he set the cup down as he said,

"I bought you some ungei, rice, some tea. I also got you pain killers because Jun said you needed them."

"Hai. Arigato."

Jo nodded as I started sitting up slightly, just enough to bring the tea to my mouth and take a sip before I took the pain killers. Jo paused for a moment as he untied his hair and then gathered it back up and tied again. He then said,

"You need anything else?"

I shook my head as I set my tea down again and picked up the chopsticks as I pulled the paper from them and snapped them in half. I took the small sushi platter in my hands as he said,

"I should go then. I don't wanna bother you."

"Arigato for coming."

Jo nodded as he said,

"I feel kinda bad about leaving you here injured."

"I'm fine. I'll sleep most of the day."

He nodded again and then said,

"All right...if I can't do anything else then I'll go."

I let him go as I thanked him again and he left. After I ate, I laid back down and promptly fell asleep.

I didn't wake until much later when I heard a faint knocking sound on my door. I also didn't feel as sick and my side ached less. I got up, picking up my bathrobe on the way as I padded towards the front door of my apartment which now seemed an eternity away. Once I did reach my door, I checked to see who it was, sighing annoyingly to know it was Furukawa on the other side. God that man was just as stubborn as Toki sometimes. Just as dense too. I opened the door slightly as I said,

"What?"

"I came to see how you were."

"I'm alive. Thanks for your concern."

I went to shut the door again as his hand came to stop it as he said,

"You are so stubborn."

"You're one to talk."

"You won't even let me explain."

"I don't care what you have to say. You want to speak, do it to a wall."

"Why are you so quick to shove me away?"

I paused in my actions as I looked up at him. He had my attention. Now to keep it was another story. He sensed that as he said,

"It's almost like you were looking for some reason, any reason to shove me away from you. Like you were just waiting for this to happen."

"I wasn't. I expected something different from you."

"What did you think I was trying to do?"

"Carry on something else with me while you had Atshusi. And I refuse to be your middle point."

I tried closing the door again but he still had his hand and arm in the way and I wasn't strong enough to really shove the door close.

"You think I was trying to do that? If you weren't being so stubborn, I could have told you that I have nothing to do with Kei. And his fucking jealousy is the reason I stopped seeing him years ago. But he clings and him being here was not my doing. In fact, I don't even know how he found me."

I stopped again as he said,

"I wouldn't do that to you. I wouldn't want to make you my middle point. You have to be the ultimate destination. I worked too hard to get where I am now only to fuck it up and make you second best."

I sighed to myself, looking down and then back up as I said,

"You can't do this to me."

"Do what?"

"You have to be honest with me."

"You think I would go through all this trouble, get into a fist fight with Toki in Jia's building, face Jia's wrath nonetheless, all that just to lie to you? I'm taking all this bullshit because I want to see you. I want you to know that there is a purpose to this."

I felt my resistance to keep him back fading away and my hands started sliding down the door. I gradually stepped back as I opened the door fully and looked at him as I clasped my arms around myself. I looked at him and said,

"Tell me."

"What do you want to hear?"

"Tell me what this thing with Atshusi is."

"On a personal level, nothing. But he still cares about me with no actual reason. He thinks that by getting rid of you, he can have me."

"How'd he even know it was me?"

"He had me followed, saw all my attempts to reconcile."

"For a yakuza you're so sloppy."

"Hey, working with Kotei in New York dulled my skills. I'm only now getting them back."

I shook my head as he smiled and said,

"So...that's how it all started. When I told Jia I could handle it, I wasn't lying. I can handle Kei. I just can't control his bouts of jealousy."

I nodded as he looked a little more relieved. I saw the damage Toki had inflicted on him, the marred black and purple skin on the side of his cheek, his bottom lip was swollen, the side already forming a fresh scab, though still laced with faint traces of his blood. His bruises extended towards the sides of his face were he took the blunt of Toki's attack and also where his hair it best. I brought him closer to me as I held him against me and I laid my head on his chest. I watched his hands come up as dark red marks, cuts, scrapes and more bruises laced through the top of his hands, his knuckles and some of his fingers. He said,

"Am I forgiven?"

"Something like that. I find out you're lying to me in anyway and I'll kill you."

He sighed as he said,

"I would gain nothing by lying to you."

Had I fallen apart so easily, so quickly just for some attention an affection? My exterior wouldn't show how much I really, really longed for someone to care for me, sincerely, though my insides caved in on each other at the thought. I felt Toki had been and will remain my only chance for even some sliver of happiness...but then Furukawa...Kazuki came. And now threatened to break me apart. I didn't dare want to say it though. I just sighed and moved back as I said,

"Okay, go. I'm resting."

He laughed slightly as he said,

"I go through all that for a hug and a quick get out?"

"What do you want a medal?"

He smiled slightly as he leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. He moved back just as quickly as he said,

"I feel bad about pressing this disgusting scab to your perfect mouth. I'll kiss you more when it's gone."

He then stepped back and left, finally allowing me to close the door.

Over the days as I recovered from my what have been fatal stab wound, I learned Atshusi was furious I had lived, he was in a jealous rage and wanted nothing more then another attempt at me. Once Jia found out that this whole drama was nothing more then the little boy's jealousy, he couldn't think of killing him. It was so trivial it would have been a waste of his time. All he said was for him to go back to New York and if he dared to come within a hundred foot radius of any one of the 36 Moons, then he would kill him. Jia told Atshusi that it was lucky for him I had survived otherwise he would have been dead the same night he dared to strike me. I didn't care much for revenge or satisfaction. I was alive and it was all that mattered. Though granted I was in horrible pain for a couple of days. Begrudgingly, Atshusi packed his guards and left back to New York. I thought that would be the end of that and my ordeal with jealousy was done. I was wrong, however.

Whatever had began to rekindle with Toki was not just a passing interest for him. He sincerely wanted me back. Despite the fact that I had made it clear to him so many times that I couldn't be his middle point, that he seriously shattered me inside, that he hurt me more then anything else I suffered through, he still wanted to put me through it again. Things became more complicated when he found out I had forgiven Kazuki and was right back where I left off with him. Once I was well, I returned to work and discovered something was going on. In Toki's rage, he went to Jia and in front of all the top heads, he said,

"I don't want Furukawa around anymore."

Jia looked a little surprised and raise an eyebrow as he said,

"Because of your fighting? Is that it?"

Jia didn't want to ask why because he knew and just hearing it would cause more damage to our already fragile oyabun when it came to Toki. Toki didn't say yes or no since he knew that Jia knew why. The rest of us stayed silent as Jia said,

"I need him as my associate."

"He already proved he can't do shit."

"It was stupid Toki."

"Dun matter. If he can't hold his shit on petty shit what makes you think he can handle somethin real?"

"Toki...please don't do this to me now."

Toki got mad as he turned and said,

"Everyone get the fuck out."

We just looked at him as he said,

"What ya'll deaf? GET THE FUCK OUT!"

Jia fell back in his chair as he brought his hands to his face, hiding it as he rested his elbows on his desk. We began to leave as Jo closed the door behind him and we stood in the hall. Jun sighed angrily as he said,

"Great....here we go. Another temper tantrum."

No one disagreed.