I didn't break his nose. Which in a way was a good thing otherwise he would probably be after me to get me back for that for the rest of his life. I did however break open his upper lip which was the cause of all his bleeding. He was not to happy with having a swollen, now broken lip that required stitches. I didn't mean to hit him that hard...but it happened. He hated the marking on his lip, the thin white line of clear surgical thread sewn into the top of his mouth to keep the wound closed. Plus it was swollen so all in all he didn't look too attractive. I kept my distance from him since he already punched someone square in the face when they stopped to look at him. Anyway, with Takeo now looking out for Jia and the Yami as well as Yuki's people flooding through the city making sure no one could get close to Jia there was a pretty good chance Choong Jae would never see his demise coming. I asked Akio about Takeo later on, wondering what his deal was.

"Oh Takeo isn't a yakuza."

"I thought he was."

Akio shook his head as he pulled his coat on. We were getting ready to leave to do our rounds and relieve Mikkie and Jun.

"Nah, he's just a gangster that lives in Queens. He makes a fortune offering his services, selling or holding drugs, selling information. Stuff like that."

"Oh...he does that a lot I see."

"Yeah. He's valuable and trust worthy. Since he doesn't work for anyone, he can call his own shots. Plus he's loyal. Once he's contracted, he's contracted until the job is done."

I nodded as I took out my mp3 player, looking at it as I then put it back in my pocket, getting my earphones out as Akio said,

"You always got that little thingy in your ear."

"I get bored a lot. And I like my music."

He nudged me as we went to work.

We did our usual rounds after letting Mikkie and Jun go off. We worked, stopping to get some dinner along the way. Akio had a cigarette as we ate and because he's such a flirt, the waitress let him and didn't even charge us the full cost of the meal. Akio smirked at her once she came by with the bill, winking at her as she blushed and gave a smile. He then left her a twenty on the table. We got up as I said,

"Why a twenty?"

"She was cute."

I laughed as we went back to work. The night was getting longer and more drawn out. I had a hard time understanding how any one of them could do this on a continuous basis. I was bored after a few hours. Plus my knee was starting to hurt. I didn't complain though. I rather suffer all to myself then have someone baby me. It's bad enough that they were all eventually calling me Aka-chan...complaining would only make it worse. We had another two hours to go before we were relieved of our work. Akio and I were standing in Soho, watching as a few still open coffee shops served, some random stores were still open and the occasional pedestrian walking across the street. The sky was clear for once, the moon shining brightening in it's crescent shape. Tsuki...I missed my tsuki badly again. And that small ache in my heart started up again...thoughts of his pretty face came to mind, the way he smiled at me and the way he felt against my hands. I missed him badly. We were about to get walking again when Akio's cell phone rang. Akio picked up as he spoke for a few moments as we walked. He then said,

"Oh shit...okay I'm on my way."

He hung up as he said,

"Come on, we gotta get to Queens."

We started running to the closest subway possible as I said,

"Akio, what's going on?"

"Choong Jae's in Queens. There's a fight going on right now and Jia's in the center of it with Toki, Aoki and Aya. Everyone's trying to get there now. Takeo is already calling everyone in."

I nodded, running down into the subway as we saw a train already boarding passengers. We hopped over the turnstiles as we ran past the people, quickly checking it was bounded for Queens as we got in. Akio called Jun as I called Gabriel, asking for details. Gabriel was with Tai already in Queens and headed towards Flushings.

"Takeo spotted a small crowd of suite and tie guys in a bar in Flushings. After sending his girl in to see who they were, he found out they were Choong Jae's guys. Jia had found Choong Jae out a moment later and the fight started."

I nodded as I held onto the subway cart pole, trying not to fall over as the cart jolted.

"Is Jia okay?"

"Hai for now. But if he doesn't get more people around him, Choong Jae and his people are gonna take him down."

"Well, Akio and I are on our way."

"Everyone else is too. We'll meet you there."

"Okay."

We hung up as we waited for the train to get there.

We took a cab out to Flushings, Akio and I both a little tense and worried. When we got to the borough of the city, it was quiet. I checked my watching seeing it was one in the morning and in a city that never sleeps, for it to be this quiet was rare. It was an eerie kind of feeling, like I was walking into a ghost town with no one but Akio at my side. I put my hands in my pocket, peering up at the sky again seeing the crescent moon was slowly hiding being the rolling night clouds. Suddenly a dull roar of thunder echoed through the sky and cold kisses dropped down on my eyes. It started to rain. Akio tucked his hair back as he said,

"Come on. We have to find them."

We started walking as the rain gradually got heavier. My clothes started getting heavy, my skin getting soaked no matter what I had over myself. Akio leaned forward and flipped all his hair back, since most of it was sticking to his cheeks. After about a few blocks, he said,

"Hold on, I'm gonna call someone."

We tucked away under a store doorway and Akio took his cell phone out as he called someone. That someone turned out to be Takeo.

"Takeo, where is everyone?"

He was silent as I looked around, watching as the rain blurred everything. He spoke to Takeo for a while longer as Akio then hung up and said,

"Takeo said they're about three blocks that way."

He pointed to the left of where we were as he notioned we should get going. I pulled up my coat around my face though it served no real purpose and we started walking where Takeo had said. We got there almost fifteen minutes later and still we saw nothing. The rain was still falling hard, making any visibility difficult. As we turned a corner and walked down some, we saw Gabriel. He had lost his coat and was still armed, his hair soaked and flat around his face. He clutched his arm as if he was hurt and looked over his shoulder. Akio was about to call out to him when Gabriel looked at up at us and raised his gun. We were worried he didn't recognize us and we both called his name but he fired anyway. We both ducked down, just in case. It was then we heard something falling behind us and we turned around as we saw one of Choong Jae's guys. Gabriel went over to us as he said,

"Sorry...he was right behind you two."

Akio looked at him as he pat him on the shoulder as he said,

"Thanks man. Where's your coat?"

"I lost it a while back. Tai and I got off the train and we were ambushed by Choong Jae's guys. We split up to get away from them but they grabbed my coat off me and my cell phone was in it."

Akio took out his cell phone and passed it over to him as Gabriel nodded as we started walking. He gave Tai the word not to call him on his phone since he had lost it and then asked him where he was. Tai was headed towards Jia since the fight between them was getting heated so we headed over that way.

The area where Jia was just as silent as the rest of Queens. It seemed all the more casual since there were a few bars open, people still inside. Gabriel sighed as he said to us,

"This doesn't look good. I can't see Jia or anyone else. Calling them would be too much of a risk."

Akio decided to text them. Hopefully they would respond. I turned around, now paranoid after what happened before with Gabriel as I checked seeing it was clear. We crossed the street, the rain letting up slightly but only for a moment. As we did, we heard a few sounds of struggle and a crack of someone getting hit as someone's arm fell from an alley way. We looked in that direction as Tai stepped out and looked at us. Gabriel sighed in relief as he went over to him, Tai leaning down as he pulled back the body and hide it among the trash as he said,

"Jia's inside."

He looked up as we saw the building he was gesturing to. The rain poured down on us as Tai then said,

"Akio, Joryu, take the fire escape up, Gabriel and I will go in through the back. Aoki and Aya are somewhere around inside so look out for them. Also Mikkie and Jun should be arriving any minute now."

I then swept my soaked hair back and said,

"Is anyone else, like Estuya or the Yami gonna show up?"

"No, they're around fending off any more of Choong Jae's guards that might be coming in."

I nodded as Tai and Gabriel went around the back and Akio jumped up and reached the fire escape as he started pulling it down. He climbed up with ease but I had a little trouble. Being slightly shorter then him and not in the best physical shape made me not be able to pull myself up all the way. Akio had to reach down and pull me up as he laughed, saying,

"And you're eighteen? Kid I'm in my thirties, there's no way in hell I should be able to do this better then you."

I sighed, getting up to the first level as we started climbing up the fire escape the rest of the way. We went quickly, holding onto the slippery railing as we got up to the top floor, looking in to the hallway of the building, seeing nothing. Akio broke through the glass and unlocked the window as he opened the window and we got inside. It felt nice to be out of the rain for a while. We walked down the hall, guns ready as we listened for anything. As we neared the end of the hall we saw an elevator, the doors closed and it was coming up. Akio and I got on opposite sides of the hall and slowly went down it, making sure no one was on either end. As I got to the end of my side of the hall, I felt something grab me and pull me to the floor. I came nose to nose with a black barrel of a gun as I heard,

"Oh...it's just you."

He let go as I saw it was Aoki. He was sitting on the side of the wall, Aya beside him as rubbed my nose and said,

"What's going on?"

Aya smoothed his hair back, looking as if he'd never been in the rain at all as he said,

"Jia's down the hall with Toki. They're taking care of the last few guys Choong Jae has here. Word has it, Choong Jae's downstairs, so we're watching the elevator. Just in case."

I nodded as Akio sat on the other side of the hall and said,

"Nothing?"

"Nah. Everytime the elevator gets called back up, it's empty."

The elevator rang out in a soft bell and we all stood up but moved aside as again it was empty. It closed and went back down as Aoki said,

"Something's going on."

We nodded, knowing something was as Jia and Toki appeared down from down the hall. Toki was clasping his hand as he cursed to himself and Aoki said,

"They're downstairs Jia."

He nodded as he said,

"So let's go."

He called the elevator back up and as we waited I noticed they were all dry except Aoki who's coat was still damp and so was his hair. Aya on the other hand, looked as dry as Jia and Toki....I guess water just slides off him. The elevator came back up and opened, we got inside and Jia looked up at the emergency latch and said,

"Aoki, we gotta get up that."

Aoki nodded as Akio knelt down and Aoki stepped up in a quick notion, reached up and unlocked the latch by hitting it with the end of his gun. Akio stood up, dusting off his pants as he jumped up and pulled himself up. He reached down, giving Aoki a hand and then they helped Toki up. Jia went next, getting pulled up with ease as Aoki reached down for Aya, pulling him up almost effortlessly. Akio and Aoki then grabbed my hands and pulled me up as the elevator came to a stop. It jolted for a moment as the elevator doors opened and we heard Choong Jae's guys cursing as the elevator returned empty as it had been before. Akio shed his coat as he took out his gun and sat at the edge of the elevator shaft as he leaned back into it, hanging himself upside down as he whistled, getting their attention as he fired a few shots. He climbed down quickly as Aoki jumped down and Toki followed. Jia, Aya and myself lingered on the top of the emergency shaft as the shots went on outside. The doors started closing as Jia then shouted,

"Toki, the door!"

Toki stopped the doors from closing as he said,

"Ne, we got them, but we left one alive just for you Li."

He gave him a wink as Jia started climbing down, Toki helping him as he then walked out of the elevator. Toki then reached his hand up and said,

"Pretty Aya....come down. I'll help you."

Aya smirked as he said,

"I can do it on my own thanks."

Toki then left with Jia as Aya climbed down and I followed him. The doors closed behind us as Jia took out his gun and walked towards the one half alive Korean. Aoki was keeping him against the wall as he clutched his side, holding his bleeding wound as Jia knelt down and said,

"You're gonna die anyway. So....if you just make this easy for yourself, I'll walk away. And how you die is up to your own means."

The Korean breathed hard, blood surrounding him as he leaned his head back against the wall and said,

"What...do you want to know?"

Jia smirked as he said,

"Where's Choong Jae hiding?"

The Korean panted, the pain getting to him as he said,

"You...you'll kill him...right?"

"More then likely. But he started all this. I'll kill him eventually...with or without you telling me. You'll just make this easier for me."

Jia waited for a moment before the Korean said,

"He's...he's..."

He stopped for a moment as he panted for a moment and said,

"He's probably in Manhattan at this point."

"Why Manhattan?"

"Trying...to get through you...try to take out...everyone from under you. The Yami...other associates..."

Jia nodded as he got up and said,

"Let's go."

He walked away as he went past Aoki and said,

"Kill him."

He got his cell phone out as he started calling Tsubasa, Aoki pulled back the clip of his gun and shot the guy. Jia was pissed. He saw Choong Jae in the beginning of the fight, but he had long since vanished since he was corned inside the building we were in. As we left, Toki's cell phone rang. He answered it as he tried to lit a cigarette and he then stopped walking. He cursed as he said,

"Li, we gotta get back now!"

"What's going on?"

"Jun and Mikkie are having problems with Choong Jae himself. If we don't get the fuck over there they'll be in trouble."

Jia nodded as he said,

"Okay, let's get the fuck out of here. Jo, you drive."

He tossed me the keys as I realized Aoki must have gotten them here. I caught them as we ran out the building, the rain had let up a lot so it was easier to see but it was still heavy. We found Gabriel and Tai on our way downstairs and they said they would take a cab, there were too many people to drive already. Akio opted the same as Aoki, Aya, Toki and Jia all went with me to drive back to Manhattan. Aoki told me where they parked and I recognized my baby right away. We got in as I started up the car, taking just a moment to defog the windows and then sped out.

The rain slicked streets made turns tricky...but I would not go under fifty miles an hour, cutting corners through all of Queens until we got over the bridge and there, I did over eighty, weaving in and out of whatever traffic was around. Jia had sat in the passenger side with me, Aoki, Aya and Toki in the back. Toki damn well nearly fell off the seat as I cut around a car at full speed never slowing down as he said,

"FUCK! You drive crazier then Aoki does!"

I said nothing but kept going at the same speed, never once distracted. Once off the bridge, I started cutting corners around Manhattan as Jia called Jun, Toki called Mikkie just see where they were. Toki then said,

"By Chelsea Piers."

Jia nodded as he said,

"Let's go."

Within twenty minutes, we got there. Choong Jae was there already, his people around the area as I made a sharp turn to park at sixty miles an hour. The car skidded and everyone held on against the door as it rocked for a moment and then they got out. I shut off the engine as I got out, Jia looking around for a moment as he still had Jun on the line. They hung up to text as Jia said,

"They said they're by the warehouse down there."

We looked around, seeing nothing. Toki was complaining about a now wet cigarette which he flicked away as his hair started falling down from the spikes. Aya didn't even get out of the car as Aoki stood behind me, Jia looked around. Suddenly a gun shot rang out and we all ducked down looking around to see where it came from. I looked around seeing something behind a garbage can. I took out my gun as I slowly crawled over there on hands and knees, checking over my shoulder every now and then as I finally reached the large metal container. I leaned against it, careful not to make any noise as I slowly peered around the side. Seeing nothing I went ahead, and looked at the back seeing none other then Choong Jae and one of his guards. I shot the guard which made Choong Jae turn around and lunge at me. We fought for a while and my face still being tender from my fist fight with Toki, made whatever Choong Jae throw at me hurt almost as badly. I grabbed his wrists as I held him up above me and banged his hand against the garbage can beside us. He dropped it and I shoved him off me, still holding onto one of his wrists as I pinned him down to the floor, holding his arm behind him. He cursed in pain as I reached for my gun that I dropped when he lunged at me. As I got it, he pushed me off him as I landed on my side. He started getting up to his knees as he laughed at me and said,

"Weakest ones are always victims and always the first to go."

I narrowed my eyes at him and raised my gun up, his eyes getting wide, his smile fading as I said,

"So I guess that's why you're going huh?"

I pulled the trigger without further hesitation.