When we joined our associates, we found Jo and Jun were soaked, along with Karasu. Jun was checking Karasu for a pulse, checking his breathing as Toki said,

"What the fuck happened?"

Jo looked up, his hair stacked on the back of his head, matted heavily as his bangs hung in thick strands. He said,

"They tried to kill Karasu when they saw us coming."

"Who's they?" I asked.

"Kaoru's men." Jo said as he pointed towards the warehouse.

Toki went towards the warehouse, gun in hand as I knelt down beside Karasu as Jun said,

"He's alive. I'm surprised he held his breath that long."

"How long was he under?"

Jun shrugged as I looked at Karasu, taking soft, shallow breaths. Jun reached up to his own hair, pulling it back, revealing his face, being very soft looking, also very young. I couldn't believe that was my partner. Jun had been hiding behind his hair too long. Anyway he started getting Karasu up as did Jo and I helped them as Akio, Aya and Toki returned. Aya let us know that Kaoru's men were dead already. Jun nodded as he said,

"We need to get Karasu out of here."

Jo looked around for a moment as he then took out his blade and went towards one of the cars near the warehouse. He opened the driver's side door and checked under the steering wheel for a while, using his blade to cut something and then he locked two wires together. The car suddenly purred to life as he gestured us to get in. Helping Jun carry Karasu over, we got in the car and soon went our way back. With little option left, we dropped Karasu at a hospital and then returned to Jia's building. Our oyabun was glad to hear that Karasu was alive and well, he even laughed at Jun and Jo for being soaked.

"Why aren't you two wet?" He asked, looking at Aya and Akio.

Akio gave him this look as if saying are you serious? Aya put his hands in his pockets as he said,

"I wasn't about to get in that filthy water. Besides Jo beat me to it."

Jia shook his head with a curt laugh as he dismissed Jun and Jo to go home and change. Jia was thrilled that his associate was alive. He was also glad his ordeal with Kaoru was pretty much over.

Two days later, Jia made his rounds to the hospital. He stopped in on Aoki, to see he was feeling better, though complained he was in need of a cigarette. Then, he saw Karasu. I was with him on a count of Toki was still asleep and Tai didn't feel right about Jia walking around with a guard. Jia smiled as he saw Karasu was alive, laying in the hospital bed, as he spoke to Sozaburo. Karasu seemed well, his eyes slightly blood shot from the fact he held his breath underwater for so long, but otherwise he seemed well. He looked a little scruffy, some dark facial hair grown in, his eyebrow barbell still in place as his dark brown, almost black spiked hair was a mess, from him just waking up. Sozaburo looked well himself, the bandages around his wrist still visible as he wore his black suit, a matching shirt underneath, undone so the usual choker he wore was visible. This time, there seemed to be a thin chain hanging from the black material and disappearing into his shirt. He looked up at Jia as he said,

"Thank you for saving Karasu."

"I didn't. Jo and Jun did."

Karasu then said,

"When are you leaving again Jia?"

Our oyabun thought for a moment as he said,

"Another week or so. I want to clear up any mess left over from Kaoru's ordeal. Also I want to get a firm grasp on Hong Kong so nothing can shake me like this again."

"I'm told I can go after another day." Said Karasu

Jia nodded as he said,

"Good. Sozaburo...how about you?"

"I'm fine. Just waiting for Karasu."

Jia nodded once more as he then said he would be on his way.

We waited about three more days. With Karasu released from the hospital and Aoki well on his way to recovery, Jia began to clean up after Kaoru. Jia didn't want anything like this to happen again so with his allies that were with him and his top heads, he worked to grab a strangle hold over Hong Kong. He had once before, but he had dismissed Hong Kong as nothing more then his darker side of the business where porn, sex and gambling took place. Now, he would make it wholly part of his empire so no one would dare to cross him again. He also contacted Toshimasa and Xiao Tien, telling them it was clear for them to come back to Hong Kong. They had to reestablish their casino. Jia had patience where it counted. He went slowly, rolling over details of how he could maintain his hold on Hong Kong like he did in all other cities. He bought up property again like he did in Japan, he established his own business again, the casino which Toshimasa and Xiao Tien ran like in New York and he finally made his next move by calling in the 24K. The 24K, which had been using the Teo Chiu's name as cover through Bangkok and through Thailand, had been doing Jia a great service by holding the cities with great fear. Soryo, by now recovered, well and still running everything with help of his wife and his second in command Nago, was asked to come into Hong Kong. A few days later, Soryo arrived and helped Jia establish a better grip in Hong Kong. Soryo agreed to send some of his people into Hong Kong on behave of the Teo Chiu and 24K. Jia already had some of his own people working for him, but no one he trusted like he had in New York, Japan or California. Soryo could think of nothing and neither could anyone else unless they imported someone from one of Jia's other empire. We stayed in Hong Kong longer then we thought.

I, only being able to stay around and listen in on what Jun told me for a few days, started staying home. Whenever Jun went to check in on Aoki, I went in sometimes. Only then did I finally see Aya by Aoki's bedside, his head down as he slept. Aoki was awake, his hand clasping Aya's as Jun and I entered. Aoki looked over at us as he said,

"Tell me you're gonna come get me out of here."

Jun sighed as he said,

"Sorry, not yet."

Aoki sighed as he said,

"I'd leave if it wasn't for this fucking thing."

He held up his arm showing an IV needle following a tube that led to the actual IV bag on a pole not too far from Aoki's bed side. Jun pat Aoki's arm as he said,

"I'm gonna check how you are. I'll see if we can't get you out of here soon."

As Jun checked the charts, Aoki looked over at me as he said,

"What's goin on out there?"

"Kaoru's dead, Jia's cleaning up. We recovered Sozaburo and Karasu. All is well."

Aoki nodded as he looked back over at Aya as I said,

"How long has he been here?"

"Since six this morning. I woke up with him beside me."

I leaned against the wall as Jun said,

"You seem to be fine. Doctors say another day or so and you could go."

"Thank fuckin God."

"You in any pain?"

"A little sore. But they fuckin pamper me here like I fuckin need it. I've been shot before...wish they would leave me the fuck alone."

Jun laughed slightly as Aya then picked up his head and saw us. He reached up to his face with his free hand as he said,

"What time is it?"

"Almost noon." Jun said,

Aya nodded as he started standing up, but promptly sat back down when he realized he was still holding onto Aoki. He yawned as he said,

"I'm hungry. Are you?"

He looked at Aoki as Aoki shook his head and told him to go ahead, letting go of his hand as Aya got back up and said he would be back soon. Jun then said he would come pick him up in a day or so and then we left with Aya to get something to eat. We left the lower head standing outside of Aoki's room as Aya yawned and rubbed the side of his pretty face as he said,

"I feel like I've been asleep for days."

"You look it." Said Jun.

Aya ran his fingers through his hair as we left the hospital and went to get some lunch. The three of us talked over the basics of the situation at hand as Aya said,

"Jia will probably import someone."

He bit into a sandwich carefully as Jun said,

"Yeah but from where?"

Aya shrugged as I sipped my tea and said,

"Thailand more then likely. Not as if there's someone in Japan he can spare. Or in New York. There's only one person he trusts in California."

Aya nodded as he said,

"The 24K does have a lot of people to spare."

Jun continued eating, never really reaching his fill, just eating until he ran out of food...and until I ran out of food. It's why I never eat with Jun, he usually takes everything from me.

Jia eventually settled on a temporary plan until he discovered something more solid. The plan was to have one of the 24K's associates come into Hong Kong until a more stable head came in place. Jia just wanted to return to Tokyo as soon as he could. With the situation in Hong Kong just about picked up, Jia finally announced to us we could return. After picking up Aoki from the hospital where was going stir crazy, Aya brought him back to his apartment to pack so we could soon leave. Jia checked over things with the 24K, thanking Soryo for coming through for him.

"I owe you more then you owe me Jia."

Jia smiled slightly as he said,

"I couldn't have done anything without you in Bangkok Soryo. Just keep things running for me here for a while. I'll try to bring someone else in soon."

"No rush Jia. Also, no worries. I got you."

Jia and Soryo shook hands on the deal and it was finalized.

Soon we were on our way back to Tokyo. Jia had to set up a meeting with his associate in Tokyo, meaning Furukawa, to let him know of the situation in Hong Kong. I stayed away from Jia's building, grateful he didn't need me as I stayed home for the most part. Once I was bored, I dressed in my khakis and dress shirt as I called Jun and went to have a late lunch, early dinner. One we were done, we went for a walk.

"You still not speaking to Furukawa?"

"No. I don't feel the need to."

"Can I ask you something? As a friend, not a partner."

"What?"

"Why where you so quick to write Furukawa off?"

"I didn't like what I saw when I saw all of him."

"How was he to know that you wouldn't react well to his anger?"

"It doesn't matter Jun. I don't want anything to do with him."

"He's not a bad person. He's better then anything you encountered before."

"What's that suppost to mean?"

I stopped walking as I stared at Jun, waiting for his response. He stopped and said,

"You know what I mean. Look, I may not say anything or just act like I didn't see something, but like I said to Toki, I know more then I lead on."

"So why don't you just say what you know and be done with it."

"Fine. I know that whatever happened with you and Toki in the past, is happening again. I know he's following you around, telling you he loves you and you're this close to falling back in bed with him. I say back because it's obvious you two were fucking before."

"What the hell makes you think I would let him?"

"The fact that once, at one of Jia's parties, Toki vanished and at first I thought nothing of it until I saw you were gone too. And I still would have thought nothing of it, until some lower head told me he saw you following Toki into some room. And knowing him like I know him, you two didn't just talk."

I thought for a moment as I said,

"Fine. We fucked then. What difference does it make?"

"The difference is, you're willing to give Toki, someone who is far less deserving and by all means and sense of the word, greedy, a chance to get to know you biblically while Furukawa, who's the best thing to come your way in God knows how long, who won't fuck you up like you have been, who you actually let close to that ice wall of your heart only for you to turn him away within a blink of an eye! What is it with you? Are you some sort of masochist that just gets off on having Toki mind fuck you all day?"

"Jun, you can't make that assumption about me."

"Then tell me! Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I don't have a reason."

"You obviously do. No one just does this for the sake of going through pain like this unless you enjoy it. Do you enjoy it?"

"No."

I started walking again, pulling my hair back as Jun followed as he said,

"Then what? You just like being used? Did he do something to you that makes you in his debt sexually?"

"No. Just drop it."

"Not until you tell me why. You can't live on like this. It's probably why you can't sleep in New York."

"It's none of your fucking business Jun just drop it! It's nothing!"

He was stunned. I had only ever really yelled at Toki a couple of times before, my anger was usually well kept in check. I had just yelled at my partner and probably the only person I would consider a best friend. Jun then collected himself as he said,

"I'm sorry. I won't pry."

I sighed, waving it off as we continued the rest of our walk in silence.