Despite everything that had gone on with Akio and myself, everything was okay. He was still my partner, he was still my "big brother" and he didn't really mind that I was devoted to someone else. There was the occasional flirtation with him...that I responded to but nothing more. I was now back home with Miya again. My tsuki who slept soundly in my arms and who woke up with a bright smile. The next morning after I got back from Seoul, he skipped class to stay home with me and make love all morning. Not that I was complaining. I was enthralled with having him with me again, his body laying beside me, him on his stomach as he slept but all the while he would let me kiss and touch his damp skin as I smoothed back his hair. I was in love...and all that I was tempted with before faded away when it came to my tsuki sleeping next to me after we made love. I had that over romanticized passion in me sometimes...and I had to wonder where it all came from since Aoki was far from romantic and so was my mother. But anyway I was home again. Every morning afterwards, Miya would come home from class. We would talk and eat and he would drag me out to go do something. He was still a teenager...and so was I so we were entitled to have our fun. I didn't worry about work. I didn't worry about carrying my piece with me and I wore normal clothes. I was once again a normal, average eighteen year old. Being with Miya reminded me of that. I went out, I drank with my friends rather then people twice my age, I partied with people my age and I came home with Miya.

My time off came with a two month rest period. During that time Miya and I accustomed ourselves to a normal pattern like before. We tried not to fall out of our pattern now that we were together. We spent the holidays together despite the fact that his parents would have liked him home. He didn't want to leave me. I had not spoken to my mother since the night she kicked me out and I really had no intention to though Miya kept urging me to. He kept saying she was my mother after everything. But I said to him she didn't want to see me ever again so I was for once being an good son. Miya didn't press the issue anymore and I was grateful for that. As the winter months began easing out, a few weeks after my nineteenth birthday, I got a call to go back to work. I didn't want to but I dressed and went to see what Jia wanted. Lucky for me, Jia had called me in the morning and Miya was at class so I just left. When I got to the office, I went to Jia's office where everyone was. I stood by the door as Jia spoke with his associate Nishiki. I had never seen Nishiki before, just heard of him but I had a feeling it was him since Jia would never speak so freely with someone new in the room. Once I arrived, closing the door behind me, Jia notioned to Nishiki as he said,

"Nishiki, tell them what you told me."

Nishiki was not that much of an older man, though older looking then Jia. So that must have meant he must be in his fifties or sixties somewhere. Anyway, he turned to face us as he said,

"There's someone new in town. He's looking to set up shop, cause a little trouble."

Toki shrugged as he said,

"So? This guy is lookin to die if he don't know Tokyo belongs to Li."

Nishiki nodded as he said,

"I thought the same. But no one would come into Tokyo, knowing fully well this is 36 Moons property unless one of two things came into play. One, he does have a death wish or two, he has back that could mean something serious."

Tai then said,

"So who's this guy?"

"Don't know yet. Lower heads have been pouring in with information and descriptions. This guy isn't looking to hide himself."

Tai and Gabriel went to go look something on the new comer as Jia then said,

"I'm not too sure what this guy looks like...but everyone here knows the usual stink of a new yakuza coming to fuck with me so...just keep your eyes open."

Everyone nodded as they were dismissed except for me. Jia called me back as I crossed my hands behind my back and said,

"Hai?"

"This is something I was worried might happen. I have an enemy here. An enemy who might take any chances at getting through to me...I want you to be careful."

I knew what he was getting at. This is where it would be shown to me just how much of a taboo Miya was to me. I bowed my head slightly as I went downstairs. I didn't have anything to do but I stuck around anyway. Once I got to the lobby, Akio grabbed my arm as he said,

"Come on Aka-chan, time to work."

I went with Akio and we went out into the city.

Hitting through all of Tokyo wasn't hard. I knew this city inside out so Akio and I went through it quickly. He recognized anyone unfamiliar and out of place. It wasn't hard to pick someone new out of a crowd. We went through many of Jia's fronts through Tokyo, leaving the Roppongi District and traveling outwards. Since everyone else was already in the city we didn't have to go far so it was easy to do our job. I was ready to head back and go home when Akio got a call on his phone. He notioned me that we had to head back to the building, Tai had found out who the guy was and what he looked like. Twenty minutes later we arrived back at the building where Tai was already telling some people who were there what this looked like. Akio came in as Tai stopped and Jia said,

"Okay, sorry Tai but start again. This would be easier if everyone was here at once. Is everyone here?"

Everyone looked around as Toki said,

"Everyone who counts anyway."

Tai nodded as he started again.

"His name is Yamanaka Sugihara. And Jia is right. He is not looking to hide himself. It seems in fact that he's looking for someone to start trouble with him."

Jia nodded as he said,

"We have yet to find out what he wants though."

Tai then nodded before he continued.

"Whatever you may be thinking about this yakuza, put it out of your mind. He's about Aya's height and the easiest thing that makes him stand out is his hair."

"His hair..?"

Toki looked at Tai questioning the very words he was saying. But Tai nodded firmly, never loosing his posture as he said,

"His hair is a bright pink color so that should make him stand out some."

Toki scoffed as he said,

"Geez...how old is this guy?"

Tai shrugged as he said,

"Unknown."

Jia then went into his pockets getting out his cigarette case as he said,

"So, you all know what you're looking for. Watch your backs."

He lit a cigarette as he and Toki then left, everyone following. I walked outside with Akio as I said,

"So what do you think this guy wants?"

"To draw us into war. Tokyo has been battled for since as far back as I can remember. The head here won't be able to keep track of what's going on."

"The head?"

"Detective. Of the police."

"Oh."

"Syndicate crime is harder to track in Tokyo then any place else because we're organized and rich."

He smiled as he then kissed my cheek and told me to go home. I waved to him as he went towards the subway and I hailed a cab and went home. Miya was waiting up for me, doing his homework. He got up once he heard me coming in and he sighed as he saw I was not coming home to tell him I was leaving. I put my arms around him as he hugged me, every part of him lined up with me as he kissed me. I held him close, kissing back as we parted and he said,

"You're home late."

"Had work."

We kissed again as he then said,

"Hungry?"

"Why did you cook?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, knowing fully well he couldn't cook. He poked my chest as he said,

"Not funny."

I laughed, taking his hand as I kissed his mouth as he said,

"I was just offering so I could make you a little something."

"Tsuki, you couldn't boil water."

He pouted in the most adorable way as his full lips stuck out as I kissed him once more and said,

"It's okay. I'll cook for us."

He smiled as he then went back to his homework and I went to change quickly before I went to make him something to eat. As I cooked, I thought about what was going on. My job and my normal life were combining as one since the problems have now come to Tokyo. I worried for a moment as all the warnings I received about Miya came back into my mind. Once I finished cooking and I fed Miya, we went to bed.

The next morning, after Miya came back from class we went out for a walk. My pretty tsuki had dolled up looking as elegant as his name required him to be his hair done so only one eye could be seen, fitted pants and a white button shirt that skirted around his slender waist. It would rise up everytime he raised his arms showing areas of smooth milky flesh. He wore his knee length black coat that had fur around the collar since it was still slightly cold outside. I took his hand as I pulled on my winter coat and we went outside. Still in my designer clothes, jeans that fell down my hips and only stayed up because of the belt I tightened around myself a hundred times, I walked down the street with my tsuki beside me. I was glad to be with my Miya, walking beside him even though I worried that at anytime my life could be changed. I feared that holding Miya's hand now, would be the last time I could. We walked for a while and even though I was with Miya and I wasn't working, I kept my eyes open at all times looking for what Tai told us the other night. The door opened to a restaurant as someone stepped out and nearly ran into me. I bowed my head slightly as I said,

"Gomen."

I looked up to see a somewhat taller man, not by much...like Aya's height. He was in semi casual clothes, all of them black, around his neck was a silver necklace that had a longer part hanging in front down his collarbones. His black leather coat was open and as I saw his face, what made his stand out completely was his pink hair. I stepped back as he said,

"It's okay. Watch yourself though."

He gave me this pouty smirk as he turned and walked away, three men following him. It was him...it was Sugihara. I took Miya's hand again as he said,

"Jo...? What's the matter? You look so serious."

"Oh...um...nothing."

I kept walking with Miya a little bit behind Sugihara. I kept my eye on him watching him walk, noting the way he swaggered slightly, as if trying to draw more attention to himself...like the pink hair didn't do it enough. Miya eventually stopped to see something as I had to stop too. Sugihara hailed a cab at the end of the block and I was tempted to go after it...but I wasn't working. Miya looked over at me as he said,

"Jo?"

I turned back to him as he said,

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing..."

"You seem distracted now."

"Oh...um.."

I turned back to Miya as I kissed his hand and Miya looked angry and upset all at once. I took his hand and said,

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing."

I walked with him home though I watched the direction the cab went in. As we walked I turned to Miya and said,

"I have to call my boss, I'll just be a second."

He looked at me, annoyed as he let go of my hand and I called Jia. Once Jia answered and I told him he scolded me.

"Why didn't you follow him?"

"I couldn't."

He gave a deep sigh as he said,

"Which way did he go?"

"Going north west of Roppongi."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later."

He said it in that deadpan tone and I looked down, feeling ashamed for a moment. I then hung up and went on with Miya.