After a few days Jia showed up again. Even though Xiao Tien and Toshimasa had already gone on vacation, once Jia asked them for a meeting to apologize, they came in. Xiao Tien more willing of the two. Of course Jia had already made up with Toki so he was turning a blind eye to the China Doll and his come on's. Besides, I think Jia had enough uke to fill him for a while. After I escorted both of them to Jia's office, when I came out I was surprised to see Toki, Aoki and Akio hanging around. I looked at them strangely as I said,

"What are you three doing here?"

Akio shushed me as he said,

"We're trying to see when those two will come out."

I rolled my eyes as Aoki said,

"You two are sweatin em so damn hard I don't see why either one of you don't lay your charm down and get in their pants already."

Toki and Akio looked at him as did I as Toki said,

"Whatchu mean us two? Actin like you don't wanna fuck Toshimasa or the China Doll raw."

Aoki shrugged as he said,

"Never said I didn't."

Akio nudged him as he said,

"You're so greedy. You got Aya, why you want another pretty boy?"

"Sides...at your age, you might break a hip tryin to fuck two younin's." Said Toki.

They both laughed as Aoki glared at them both. That shut them up just as fast as they started laughing. Aoki then punched Toki in the arm.

"OW!! FUCK! What was that for?!"

"Just trying to see if my old bones would break." Said Aoki with a smirk.

Toki rubbed his arm as he said,

"I think you jus broke my bones..."

He rubbed his arm as he sulked as Akio laughed. Aoki turned to him and said,

"What you want some too?"

Akio shook his head as he coughed and said,

"Just clearing my throat."

I was about to leave as I pressed the button the elevator when I heard Akio say,

"Where you off to Ghosto?"

"Home."

"You're such a homebody. Come have dinner with us."

I looked at him and the two behind him as I said,

"Arigato...but I must decline."

Akio smirked as he said,

"It won't be just us. Baby-chu called me when he got in yesterday. I'm gonna pick him up too."

Oh that made me feel so much better. I raised an eyebrow as he said,

"Come on, it's just dinner."

"What of Aya?"

Akio shrugged as he turned and said,

"Aoki...is Aya comin?"

"Yeah. I'm waiting for him now."

Akio then said,

"Yeah so come on."

"I'm...not sure."

"You need some life man. Come on."

I sighed, tilting my head back as I said,

"I have a feeling I'll regret this later on."

And I was starting to regret it as I got on the subway with them on our way to Jo's apartment. Aoki had Aya stand in front of him, to his side as his other side was near the doors. Akio and Toki were standing around looking at the school girls that boarded on the train. Toki and his fetish wasn't even looking at the girls, but at the boys the accompanied them. Akio rolled his eyes as he said,

"You'll have fun Ghosto."

I shrugged as I nearly fell and grabbed the first thing closest to me since the train jolted so suddenly. I ended up grabbing Akio by his lapel in a very aggressive manner and pulled myself closer to him. He smirked as I looked up at him and slowly let go as I smoothed at his coat and said,

"Gomen.."

I then heard Toki say,

"What? What are we sorry for?"

Aoki laughed slightly as he said,

"Mikkie just pounced on Akio."

I felt my face get warm but I doubt I blushed as I said,

"I did not pounce on Akio."

Aya was laughing, turning slightly as he held onto Aoki as Akio kept smirking. Toki pouted as he said,

"Hey...you never pounced on me."

"I didn't pounce on Akio."

My voice got a little higher since I was already so embarrassed. They eventually left me alone as we got off one of the stops and went to Jo's apartment. Akio went to get him as the rest of us waited in the lobby. I noticed Aya was undoing his tie and opening a few buttons around his neck as Aoki touched any free skin he could. Toki was bouncing on his feet as he said,

"Man...they better not be fuckin."

Aoki looked up as he said,

"If Akio knows what's good for him they won't be."

"True that."

A few more minutes went by as the two finally came back down from Jo's floor. Jo tied up his hair as I noticed a huge kiss mark on the side of his white skin. Toki pointed it out vocally.

"Damn Jo, Sozaburo is fuckin you up."

"It was not Sozaburo." Jo said as he pulled up the collar of his white shirt.

Toki smirked as he said,

"I know it wasn't Akio. The Playboy don't mark territory."

"It's none of your business of who it was."

Jo pulled up his coat as Aya then said,

"Leave him alone. Let's go eat. I'm hungry."

So we did that.

At the Dragon Leaf, we all sat down at a normal table since we didn't want to use Jia's private room. We ordered sake and tea for the table and as we waited for it, they made small talk. Aoki and Toki along with Akio and Jo all lit up as they waited. I noticed a disturbing similarity in how Jo and Aoki both smoked a cigarette. Even how they lit it was almost the same. Jo used his right hand, Aoki his left to hold the lighter but both did the same snap over the flint of the lighter to spark a flame and both jerk back the silver cap of the lighter with a jest as they inhaled and exhaled out of the sides of their mouths. I just played with a napkin while I waited, wanting a cigarette but not wanting to light up in front of everyone. Once the tea and sake came to the table, I had some tea as we ordered dinner. Jo was eating normally again so he ate and Aya persuaded Toki to please have something to eat. Unless Jia did it forcefully, Aya was the only one to get Toki to eat. As we waited for dinner to arrive, Jo looked at me as he said,

"I'm surprised you're here."

"I was convinced."

Jo nodded as his hair fell around his face, his mouth slightly opened, the scar on his lip revealed as he smoked. Aya drank his tea carefully, sipping a little at a time as he spoke to Aoki every now and then. Akio and Toki exchanged conversation as Akio said,

"Mikkie you're so damn quiet."

"I don't have much to add to conversation."

Akio shook his head as Aoki said,

"He doesn't have to talk unless he wants to."

Toki nodded as he exhaled and said,

"'Sides...Ghosto never talked unless he had to. Or actually...even when he had to."

"Is okay, I just think we got one silent person at the table, doubt we need another."

I drank some of my tea as Aya said,

"Why are you so quiet Mikkie?"

"I don't know...I just feel as if I have nothing to add to the conversation."

"How's your life going?"

"It's...going."

Aya shook is head as he said,

"You're too antisocial for your own good Mikkie."

I shrugged drinking more of my tea as Jo said,

"Your hair is growing out."

I nodded as I said,

"So it yours."

I referred to the messy dark red knot at the base of his head. He nodded as he said,

"I'm not really allowed to cut."

Toki shook his head as he tapped his cigarette against the ashtray in the middle of the table and said,

"Nah......Sozaburo wouldn't have anything to hold onto then."

"Fuck you Toki."

"Can I get that in writin?"

Jo flipped him off as Akio and Aya laughed slightly. A few minutes later, a waitress came by with our tray, setting down the platters of sushi for us. We all begin to pick up our chopsticks and were about to start eating when I looked up to move my hair back from my face. It wasn't long enough to be tied up but it wasn't short enough to stay out of my way. I broke my chopsticks apart as I was about to eat when I saw a reflection of someone in the window not too far from the table we were at. I looked behind me seeing no one. I then knew it was the outside. And even worse the reflection raised a gun. Toki noticed my eyes as he looked and said,

"Shit..."

He grabbed my wrist as Aoki turned along with Akio and they both started crouching down. It all happened slowly to me, but it all went rather quickly. As we crouched down, the bullets were fired, and we over turned the table, plates and glasses falling everywhere as people around us screamed and ran and ducked for cover. Aoki covered Aya as Akio and Jo huddled down behind the table. Toki still had a hold of my wrist as we all stayed down. As the bullets stopped, we waited for a moment before we all got up and began to run after the person dumb enough to shoot at us. As we got outside, we looked around until Akio pointed and showed us someone running. Akio, Jo and I went after him, trying to catch up to this person. We split up as I kept up behind them. They ran ahead pretty fast but I didn't let up either and kept running. I saw them making a run for the subway and I ran even faster. As they went down the stairs, I grabbed the guy, pulling him back as he fell to the concrete. When he looked up I already had my weapon drawn. I was surprised to see a feminine face look up at me. I was not fooled however and soon enough Aoki joined me as he looked down at him and said,

"It's a girl."

"How can you tell?"

"Nothing on the throat."

I looked to see he was right, there was no Adam's apple. Aoki picked her up by her arm as he threw her against the wall. He held his gun out as he said,

"Who the fuck are you to be shooting at us?"

She didn't say a word but instead pulled out her gun and took a shot. Aoki fired as well and she screamed as she fell to her knees, clutching her shoulder as she gasped from the pain. I put my gun to her forehead as I said,

"Who the fuck are you?"

She looked up, pulling off a black cap she was wearing as black shoulder length hair fell down and she said,

"I work for the Teo Chiu."

"Figures. Only they would be stupid enough to send someone in our city." Said Aoki.

Soon Jo and Toki caught up with us as did Aya. We all looked down at her as Jo said,

"We can't do her here...someone's bound to notice."

Aoki nodded as he picked her up by her wounded arm and took her down the subway. She held her breath from the pain as she almost tripped down the stairs. She wasn't dressed like most women we encounter in this line of work...but because she was in the game we weren't taking any pity on her. She got to her feet as she said,

"You might as well kill me...I won't say a word."

"You said more then enough."

I raised my arm as I took a shot and a bullet fired. She collapsed on the ground as Jo and Akio pushed her body over the platform for the oncoming train.

We decided to leave then and there in case anything did happen and the next train that pulled up, we all boarded and left. I noticed Toki took off the bandanna he wore around his head as he shook some of the glass that fell from a few plates and glasses out. I noticed he had a few red marks on his hands and fingers and I checked my own hands to see nothing on them and I looked over at Jo and said,

"Are you okay?"

He nodded as he said,

"Yeah...nothing happened."

I noticed Akio crossing his arms not too far from me and in the corner of my eye as I saw he too had marks on his hands from where broken plates landed on him. I looked over at Aoki and saw the same thing. I didn't think Toki was covering me but apparently he was. I shook it off as we then got back to Jia's building.

It had only been about two hours since we left and Jia was on his way out the door as he said good night to Tai when we all came back in and began telling him what happened. Tai, who looked exhausted already, suddenly perked up as he said,

"The Teo Chiu are here again?"

Jia reached his hand to his forehead as he said,

"God I swear they are so dense. It's like the bad date that would never end."

Toki sighed as he said,

"They got some girl in after us. We got rid of her though."

"It's not like the Teo Chiu to employ a female."

"Sleeper?" Said Tai.

"Maybe. Whatever the case may be...we'll have to be more aware of what's going on now."

Tai nodded as we all did and then Jia said,

"I'm going home. I'll see you all tomorrow."

He and Toki then left as the rest of us began going home as well.

I slept more soundly when I was in Tokyo. I felt better, more at peace then anywhere else. But nonetheless, I woke up around eight that morning. After showering, changing and getting something to eat, I went to Jia's building to see Tai and Gabriel. However when I got there, I noticed that the building was empty aside from a few lower heads running back and forth. I went to Tai's office and knocked, opening the door afterwards to find it empty. Tai, who never missed a day of work since his family passed away, was now absent. I thought it odd that he and Gabriel were both not here and for a moment I thought maybe they took a personal day. And why not? Tai did deserve it...no one, not even Li deserved a day off to do nothing but with his lover all day more then Tai. I still thought it odd that he was absent but I figured he might have gotten the day off from Jia.

I went about the rest of my morning, watching as more frequently, people walked through the lobby and left and entered. I sat down stairs, reading the paper as I always do, drinking some hazelnut coffee and waiting for today's orders. Since the Teo Chiu was back in the city I was pretty sure Jia would definitely give some orders out. As I came to that conclusion, I thought it even more odd that Tai was out. Tai would never be out if an enemy was in town. I decided to go check on him just in case. I threw the paper aside as I let Hisoka, one of the lower heads, know I was about to leave and to let Jia know I would be back soon. I took a cab to Tai's apartment and paid the doorman as to let me in as I then took the elevator to his floor and went to his door. I knocked as I waited for a few moments before I knocked again. I seriously began to wonder what happened and decided to call as I stood out there. When Tai didn't pick up his cell phone, I called Gabriel only for him not to answer either. I then put my hand on the knob only to have it turn with my hand. I then knew something was wrong. I walked in as I called out Tai's name, looking around as I saw Gabriel on the floor. I cursed to myself as I walked over to him and saw had a pool of blood surrounding that blonde head of his. I knelt down as I checked to make sure he was alive and then called Jun. I let him know we had a serious problem as I took off my coat and put it over Gabriel as I got up and went to the bathroom to grab a towel. On my way I saw the bed room door was open, but a faint blood print in the shape of hand was left there...I shook my head as I waited for Jun to get here and I grabbed the towel and went back to Gabriel.