I was too confused to actually think of anything. Between Toki, Mikkie, Tsubasa and Jia all having the most bizarre relationship I've seen and the dealing problems with Choong Jae and the rising heads of Seoul, I've been confused and lost. I would say something...but it wasn't my place to say anything. When I came to the office the next day, I heard Jia was back in the office, but Toki wasn't. I was too embarrassed to face Mikkie...since I was wondering what was up with that since he gave me warnings to stay away from him and then he was at his apartment. When I bumped into Tai later, he asked if I had brought the folder to Mikkie. I nodded and said I had and was about to excuse myself when the door opened in the conference room and Mikkie came in. He set the folder I had given him yesterday on the table as he said thanks to Tai. He looked up at me and then walked away. I wanted to ask, but I didn't feel I should. I then went to Jia's office as I found he was holding a meeting. I didn't go inside, I just saw Ai'iro and Estuya standing outside as they talked. I went over to them as I said,

"Morning."

Ai'iro swept his short black hair from his violet eyes as he said,

"Hey. How you doing?"

Estuya gave a nod of the head as he smiled. I joined them as I said,

"What's going on?"

"Jia's having a meeting with Tsubasa and Yuki. They have Nishiki on the phone. They're trying to figure out what's going on with Choong Jae and Seoul." Said Ai'iro.

I leaned against the wall as I said,

"Oh...I see."

"Yeah. What are you doing Jo?"

I looked at Estuya as I said,

"I'm not sure. I'm just kinda...hanging around."

"Can't think of anything to do with yourself?"

"No. I feel kinda useless."

'Don't worry about it. I'm sure Jia will assign you any minute."

I looked at Ai'iro as he nudged me and smiled. I smiled back, tucking my hair back behind my ear as I continued to stand outside with them. Eventually, the door opened as Yuki and Tsubasa came out. Jia followed them outside to the hall way of his office. The three of them spoke for a few more minutes until Jia saw me.

"Good morning Joryu."

"Good morning."

I bowed my head slightly as Jia then said,

"Jo, could you find me Tai please? Gabriel should be with him. Tell them to come to my office. But first, see Yuki and Tsubasa out."

I nodded as I accompanied the small group downstairs, admiring Tsubasa as he walked in front of me, his blonde white hair falling to the top of his back, the shape of his shoulders and how every now and then he would raise his hand to his hair and throw it back over his shoulder. I would smile to myself, just loving the way his hair fell in his silk like wave. After they left, I went around the building, looking for Tai and Gabriel. Once I found them, I delivered the message I was suppost to, then went back down to the lobby where I started polishing my English skills again. Though I had been around it for so long and it was starting to stick more, I wanted to perfect it. As I put my earphone in my ear, listening to Utada Hikaru's Traveling, I studied. Around eight in the evening, after doing nothing all day, things started going down. Aoki and Aya came in from doing their rounds all afternoon and went up to Jia's office in a rush. I wondered what was going and recalled the last time they rushed anywhere. I put my book away in my pocket as I got up and watched as Jun and Mikkie came rushing out of the elevator, their guns in hand as they locked them, taking off the safety and running outside. I then saw Akio. He notioned me to come with him so I did. We went upstairs to Jia's office where Jia said,

"Choong Jae made a move."

I tucked my hair behind my ear as I said,

"So what do we do Jia?"

He lit a cigarette as he said,

"I already started sending people out. I want you and Akio to go out to Queens. I have a small time connection there. He's nothing big, but he'll be just what we need now."

Akio then said,

"You mean Takeo?"

Jia nodded as he said,

"Get him. He knows all of Queens almost better then Aoki."

We nodded and then with a bow of our heads, we turned and left.

I drove us to Queens at top speed, barely catching any red lights. The fear with red lights came to me since that night we were rammed and my beautiful car was totaled. Now pushing a brand new car, sleek and silver, the second love of my life, I didn't want any harm to come to this car. So anytime I saw light in yellow, I just floored it even more, the engine roaring as it sped through intersections. Akio was calmed by my driving. Most people that sat in cars with me held on for dear life. But I guess Akio was use to it. When we got into Queens, Akio said,

"We have to go to Jackson Heights."

"Okay....where's that at?"

"Aiya....damn Jo don't you know anything?"

"I just know Manhattan. Jia never assigned me else where."

He sighed as he gave me directions to where I had to go. We drove down a few blocks in Jackson Heights until Akio said,

"Okay, over there. Park and let's go."

I parked in a small lot, then got out and followed Akio inside an apartment building. It was...a slum type of building. There were cobwebs hanging above my head, people sitting on the steps as they drank from bottles covered by brown paper bags and creaky stairs as we went up. Akio was unfazed by all this. After four flights of stairs, we went down a hall as Akio knocked on a door. We waited for a few minutes before we heard a loud, annoyed

"Who is it?"

"Phoenix." Replied Akio.

The door unlocked quickly as I saw some middle aged man which I wondered was Takeo. He smiled at Akio as he said,

"Hey Akio!"

"Hey Sashi. Takeo around?"

"Ah, you know the little prince is. Come in."

He motioned Akio inside as he saw me and said,

"Who's the kid?"

"Oh, Sashi this is Joryu. Joryu, meet Sashi, he's no one special."

Sashi nudged him as we went inside. The building looked like it was coming apart at the seams, but Takeo's apartment looked very much like what you would find in Tsubasa's building. Beautiful and well kept, everything looking like it was priced to fit a king...or a yakuza anyway. We stepped down two steps into the living room where we saw a blonde guy sitting on the couch. He had a cigarette in his hand, a pretty girl sitting at his feet in a robe and a young looking boy laying his head on his lap all while watching TV. I held my hands behind my back. Akio just scoffed as he said,

"Takeo...you fuckin' pimp."

Takeo, the one being extremely comfortable on his couch, looked up as he said,

"Akio!"

He started getting up, moving the boy's head off his lap as the girl moved aside and Takeo got up. He and Akio hugged as Takeo brushed back his own hair, revealing his eyes which were hidden underneath a shag of blonde. His eyes were...almost as frightening as I would imagine Aoki's would be. One of them was a dark brown, almost black, the other was a pale gray. They seemed to fit his perfectly formed face, well done eyebrows still black despite the fact that his hair was a normal looking blonde cut in soft angles that fell naturally around his face and over his eyes, down to his chin. He was about the same height as Akio and by the looks of what he was wearing, was about as thin as I was. Takeo then back away as he said,

"Who's this?"

"Oh, Takeo, this is Jia's newest, Joryu."

"Why does he look familiar?"

Akio shrugged as Takeo then waved it off and walked back to his couch as he said,

"So, why'd Jia send you? Been years since the 36 Moons called for a head like me."

Akio went over to the living room as well as Takeo tapped the girl's head and sent her over to Akio. Once Akio sat down, the girl crawled over and set her head down on his knee like a cat. Takeo had the boy put his head back down on his lap. Akio then said,

"Jia's about to do battle for Seoul."

"In New York?"

"Yeah, he doesn't want to, but it's better then doing it in Japan."

"I get your point. So what's Jia need?"

"Wants to have a meeting with you."

"Mmm....I see."

His fingers went down to the boy's dark hair as he stroked him like a pet. He then said,

"When?"

"Tonight if possible."

Takeo leaned back as he said,

"Sashi, what am I doing tonight?"

"Getting fucked and sucked like you do every other night."

Takeo flipped off the middle aged man as Sashi laughed. Takeo then looked at me as he said,

"Sorry about the hospitality. I only got two on me today."

He gestured to the girl and boy. I waved it off as I said,

"Oh, it's okay."

"Take a seat."

I sat down next to Akio as Takeo then said,

"Okay, I'll see Jia tonight. Who's the enemy?"

"Some guy named Lee Choong Jae. Choong Jae is the cousin of the former head of Seoul."

"Oh...I heard of the former head. Sung Hyun right?"

"Yeah."

"His death was all over the papers. New York cops had a field day with that."

"Yeah but his cousin is apparently out for retaliation because he came all the way from California to track Jia down."

"Mmm...and since the Koreas over populate Flushings and parts of Manhattan...Jia thinks its possible for them to sneak in and get him."

"Yeah basically."

"He's right you know. Queens is pretty big. Those guys could slip and you guys could have a war on your hands before you know it."

"Jia knows. With the Yami, the 36 Moons and Yuki looking out for us, it's not too hard, but we could always use something else. Just in case."

Takeo leaned back in his seat as put out his cigarette in the ash tray next to him.

"I'm that little, just in case huh?"

"Yup."

"Okay. So I'll buy that. Let me get dressed."

He pat the boy's head as he stood up and went to get dressed, Sashi coming in as he said,

"Can I get you guys anything?"

Akio shook his head as he said,

"Oh wait, actually you have a cigarette?"

Sashi went into the pockets of his black pants and pulled out a pack as he gave one to Akio. He lit it for him as he said,

"Watch it Phoenix. You're gonna get hooked on these."

Akio inhaled as he said,

"Getting hooked on smoking is the last of my worries Sashi."

Sashi laughed as he said,

"What about you Joryu?"

"Nothing, thank you."

Sashi then went around the corner as Takeo came back. He was in a suite and tie much like Akio and myself as he then said,

"Okay let's go have this meeting."

Akio got up, the girl moving her head, long black hair spilling over her shoulder as Akio pet her and then walked around her. Takeo leaned down to her as he cupped her face and kissed her mouth gently before walking over to the boy and doing the same. He then walked out with us.

We drove back into Manhattan and back to Jia's building. It was almost chaos in there as everyone was coming in and out of the building, going to work or coming back. Some came back with news, rumors that were started on where Choong Jae's people were. I went upstairs with Akio and Takeo and walked them to Jia's office. I was about to leave again but Jia notioned me inside as well. Takeo walked in and sat down across the desk from Jia as he said,

"Hey Jia. How's it going."

Jia lit a cigarette as he said,

"I'm fine. You?"

"Can't complain."

"I'm in need of your services."

"So I hear."

"I need you to keep an ear out for me with Choong Jae and the Koreans out to start a battle with me. Some of my people already got into a couple of fights. Nothing drastic. But I need to get them first before something irreversible happens."

Takeo nodded as he said,

"Usual fee Jia."

Jia nodded as he went into his desk drawer and took out a stack of money wrapped in a rubber band. He threw it across his desk as Takeo reached over to it and looked at it, flipping through the money as he said,

"Thank you."

"Thank me when you do your job."

Takeo smiled as he bowed his head slightly and got up and left.

I was in the lobby an hour later. I was tired, dozing in and out of sleep every few minutes, listening to the beginning and end of songs but missing the middle as my eyes closed every now and then. I woke up again when I felt something touch me. I woke up right away as I saw I was on my back, looking up as I saw Toki sitting over me. My first initial reaction to that was not a plesant one. I pulled back my hand and with the heel of my palm connected with his face. He leaned back as he cursed loudly.

"FUCK ME! That HURT!"

I sat up...uh..half way because I wasn't on my back, I had just leaned to the side of the couch. Toki was only sitting next to me, only now he was clutching his nose and mouth as he stood up. He was loud enough that Mikkie, Jun, Akio and Aya all showed up. They saw blood gushing from Toki's hand as Jun looked at me and said,

"What happened?"

"That little fucker hit me in the face because I tried to wake him up!"

I didn't feel bad...though granted I shouldn't have done that. Mikkie looked at Toki first, making him pull his hand back as he said,

"Oh you big baby it's nothing."

"Yes it is! I think he broke my nose..."

He clutched his face again as I saw Akio holding back a laugh. Jun started laughing as he said,

"Let me see. Geez Toki, you always like to be so over dramatic about everything."

Jun made him pull back his hand as Aya said,

"Is he okay?"

Jun looked at him for a few moments as he said,

"Well...I can't tell he's bleeding too much. Toki what are you doing here anyway?"

"I talked to Jia already. Everything's fine with us now so he told me to go wake him up and he clocks me in fuckin' face! Ow...if you broke my nose..."

I saw him looking at me as I shrugged and said,

"So you shouldn't be leaning over me anyway."

That got him angry. Jun laughed as Akio let a laugh slip out. Toki started coming at me but Mikkie grabbed his arm as Aya helped him. They stopped him as Mikkie said,

"Knock it off. Jun stop laughing at him and have his face looked at."

Jun stopped laughing...sorta and took Toki downstairs, Toki complaining the whole way there. Aya went back to work and so did Mikkie as Akio stayed with me. He laughed as he said,

"Bet you've been wanting to do that."

"Kinda...it was just a defense reaction."

He nudged me as he said,

"Jia is sending us to work in Queens. We have to go."

I nodded, before I turned off my mp3 player that was playing L'arc~en~ciel's Spirit Dreams Inside and got my keys out of my pocket as I followed Akio out and went to work.