Later that evening, I was to be scolded. And I was...in front of everyone. Jia told me to go to the Dragon Leaf, one of the most beautiful and expensive resturants in all of Tokyo. My mind crindged just thinking of going there because of the prices. But I had to remember I could afford it...though I didn't want to. I got to the Dragon Leaf a little after ten. I had my coat taken by the doorman and I saw a private room in the back. Once I told them who I was looking for the waiter lead me to the back. He tapped the tan paper screen door as he said,

"Suminasen. One more of your party is here."

The screen opened as Aoki let me in. I removed my shoes as I took my place in the far end of the kneeling table as Akio sat across from me. I swallowed a large lump in my throat as Jia sat at the head of the table and as he held his cup of sake, he said,

"So...we're about to emerge in a war. We have an enemy that is potential danger. We haven't spotted him yet though we've narrowed locations he could be in...and our little Aka-chan saw him yesterday."

Everyone looked at me and I could feel them burning holes in me as I hung my head. Jia finished his cup as he set it down.

"So...you're probably asking why we haven't found this guy if Aka-chan saw him."

I bit my lip as Toki said,

"Yeah...why didn't the kid go after him?"

Jia then looked at me. I KNOW he was looking at me by the silence of the room. I kept chewing on my lip as Jia then said,

"Joryu...why don't you tell them?"

I gave a heavy sigh, letting my lip go as I said,

"I was with Miya."

I didn't mumble it. I knew I was at fault. I heard everyone sigh or grumble in dissapointment. Toki rolled his eyes as he said,

"Figures. Not even I had to get my dick sucked so badly I fucked up my job."

"It wasn't like that."

"Then what the fuck where you doing kid?"

"I haven't seen him in months!"

I raised my voice without meaning too. Toki sat up straight, leaning against the table as he said,

"Who the fuck cares if you haven't seen him in months. You're working! You're ALWAYS fucking working! You do NOT fuck off when doing your job! You could have one of us killed!"

"Oh but it's okay for you to fuck off and basically ignore an order Jia is giving you right?!"

I heard this dreary, awful silence. Everything seemed to go black on me. I saw Toki stand up as Jia and Aoki stood up and grabbed onto him. Jia then said,

"Enough! It doesn't matter anymore."

"Fuck that! You see how he's fuckin raisin his voice at me?"

He turned to Jia to say that as he then turned back to me and said,

"Don't think cuz your daddy's here or because Jia's here or that we're in Tokyo I won't go off on you little boy. You fuck up like that again, I'll find you and your bitch an turn him out in front of you."

I stood up, anger blinding me as Akio got up and got in front of me as he said,

"Jia...taking care of Joryu is my responsiblity so I apologize for this screw up."

Jia notioned Toki to sit back down and he relcutantly did though we were both glaring at each other. Jia sat down as Akio made me sit as he sat down too. Jia then said,

"Jo, you fuck up like that again and you'll pay heavier consequences. Understood?"

I bowed my head as I said,

"Hai."

Jia then let everyone continue their dinner as I suddenly felt less hungry. I looked at the sushi in front of me, leaving it untouched as Akio finished his. He then looked at me as he said,

"What's the matter?"

"Not hungry."

He knew I was angry, since what Toki said was far from a low blow. Once everyone ordered dessert and tea, I watched as everyone had a cigarette..everyone who smoked anyway as Akio had some fruit since fruit in Japan are so expensive you figured you'd pay for the whole tree rather then the small bowl you recieve. Anyway, Akio began eating the cherries, offering me one as I still sulked. He then held one by the stem as he said to me,

"You know...if you can tie a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue, that means you're a good kisser."

I already knew he was. But a few others over heard as Jun said,

"What a stupid thing. What does tying a cherry stem have to do with your kissing techinque?"

Toki looked at him as he said,

"Stupid. It means how well can you move your tonuge."

Jun flipped him off as Toki smirked and said,

"Not even if I was drunk."

Akio laughed, as did Tai and Gabriel, Jia snickering a little. Akio said,

"Toki, you try since you have such a claim to fame."

He handed the bowl to him as Toki took a whole cherry. Akio offered them around and some took a cherry out of curiosity to see if they could. I declined. Akio then explained how it should be done.

"You take the stem and only using your teeth and tongue, you knot the cherry stem. No hands."

He then put the entire cherry, stem and all in his mouth as he chewed thoughtfully, looking at everyone else who tried it. I watched Pretty Aya pull the stem free from the cherry as he held the cherry in his fingers and place it against Aoki's lips. He took it in, biting Aya's fingers. Aya laughed as he then put the stem in his mouth, Toki's cherry already sitting on the plate untouched as he worked the stem, Jia watching him as he laughed slightly. Gabriel was giving it a try as Akio chewed the cherry. I was wondering how he was doing that with a stem in there as well. After a few minutes, Aya made a noise and leaned his head back as he opened his mouth and with his slender fingers, pulled out a semi knotted stem. Jia gave him a slight clap as Aya dropped the stem on the plate. Gabriel sighed, giving up as he pulled out a almost tied stem. He rolled his eyes at it as he said,

"Damn. That's upsetting."

Tai consoled him as Toki then spat out his stem. An almost tight knot in the middle of the stem. He smirked as he looked at Jia. Jia looked at him from the corner of his eye and said,

"What?"

"You know I'm good."

Jia rolled his eyes as Toki stuck his tongue out him, then licked his lips as Jia laughed. I watched Akio for a moment as we all waited for him to reveal the stem. He then smiled as he reached into his mouth and pulled a tightly knotted stem. He looked at me, that seduction in his eyes again as I felt my face get warm as Toki lit a cigarette and said,

"Play on playa. And that is why him an Takeo are boys."

Everyone laughed as the continued with dinner. I was just amazed knowing that Akio was a better kisser then Toki. Which was...true. Anyway that night, though I was scolded and I was angry for most of that night, was one of the best before the problems started coming in.

A few days after, there were fights and arrests and all kinds of problems flooding in. It was all Sugihara's work. We knew it was. Worst off, it seemed were close to pinning where he was, but never actually doing it. He moved suddenly and in all kinds of directions never sticking to class or taste...so we had a hard time tracking him...making me more at guilt. I felt bad for letting him get away...but I was not risking Miya in my work. I worked mostly through the nights. Miya was sleeping most of the time since he had class the next morning, but often times when he didn't he would sit up and wait for me. I would come home and find him sleeping on the couch, the TV on. I would sometimes pick him up and carry him to bed, other times he was awake and he would just be so glad to see me. He knew I was working...my job no longer being a driver though it's what I started out as. Miya would cling to me, kissing me, telling me he loved me. I hated hearing the fear in his voice when he would tell me he loves me. I knew he was like that because of me. I tried not to make him worry. I would tell him I was fine and that I just walked around all day and nothing happened. I could convince him nothing happened and I wasn't doing anything because he had no idea I owned a gun. My own now and I knew damn well how to use it without remorse. As long as I could keep that hidden, his fears were alaid.

After three weeks of chasing Sugihara and not catching him again, as I walked the streets with Akio one night, we both got calls. I picked up my cell phone as he got his and I answered.

"Hai?"

"Joryu it's Jun. We found Sugihara."

"Where?"

"A club Jia owns. Akio will take you in because we're known there. Sugihara walked into that club knowing it's 36 Moons territory."

"We're on our way."

We hung up as Akio looked at me and said,

"Let's go."

We went into the red light district where kogals and ganguro girls hung out selling their bodies for a place to stay for the night because they think running away for a small amount of time is a good idea. We went straight to the club Jia owned and after the bouncer looked at Akio he let us in. We went inside and looked around, some of the 36 Moons, the lower heads were already there. I saw Hisoka, someone I haven't seen in a while. He sat by the bar looking out for Sugihara. Sugihara himself was at a booth, a small group of people surrounding him as he had a drink. The bright pink of his hair flat, falling around his face, covering a single eye, the silver necklace beaming, the single part of it falling between his collarbones as his dark red button down shirt was parted open, revealing his chest. On the table he had one of his hands, holding a glass as three silver rings clung to his fingers. I recognized him right away as I nudged Akio beside me.

"It's him. It's Sugihara."

He looked in the direction I had gestured to as he said,

"Yeah...that's him."

We looked around not seeing Jia yet as I said to Akio,

"What should we do?"

"Make sure he doesn't leave."

I looked at Sugihara, comfortable in his enviroment as I said,

"I don't think that would be a problem."

Within a few minutes Jia arrived, Toki at his side as he went over to the table. Aoki and Mikkie were behind them as he rest of us kept our distance.

Jia was offered a seat which he took and Toki sat besdie him, Aoki and Mikkie standing behind them. We watched them from afar, Jia holding his cell phone in his hand, moving his thumb around it every now and then. He was texting someone around him though it wasn't Akio or myself. We watched them for a while as I sat down next to Hisoka. He greeted me though we never left sight of Jia at that table though he was already surrounded by his best.

"What do you know about this guy?"

"Nothing really. Just his name and what he looks like."

Hisoka looked over at him as he said,

"I wish I knew what they were talking about."

"Me too."

Akio put his arm around me as he kissed my cheek, whispering in my ear as he said,

"You paying attention?"

I nodded as he said,

"Good. Go over to the table."

"How come?"

Akio showed me his cell phone where it said 'send aka-chan over'. I excused myself, as I went over to Jia and stood beside him. Jia then notioned to me as he said,

"Is this who you mean?"

Sugihara looked at me as he smirked and said,

"Yeah...I didn't know he was one of yours Jia. Dissapointing."

I hung my head again, remembering how I let him go the first time though I was suppost to be working for one of the most ruthless syndicates. Jia looked at me as he said,

"He's young. But he's smart. He knows better then to let it happen again."

Sugihara laughed slightly as he gestured towards me, his ringed hand waving slightly as he said,

"I saw the young thing he was carrying beside him..."

I didn't like where he was going with that.

"Kinda a distraction ne?"

He looked at me when he said it, the look in his eyes reminding me all too much of Toki as I clentched my fists. He smiled again,

"If you want...so this action won't repeat, I'll gladly take him off your hands."

Jia saw my anger as he said,

"Sugihara...shut up."

Sugihara looked at him as he leaned his head back, part of his hair falling away from his face as he said,

"Jia...you cannot possibly know what you are handling with."

"Sugihara...you are in my city. In my club. You are walking into a death trap. State what you want...or the next time anyone sees you, you will be in pieces skattered across the Tokyo skyline."

Jia's deadpan tone made him serious and Sugihara noticed it. He finished his drink as he sat up straight and leaned on the table. He lit a cigarette as he said,

"Listen Jia, oyabun of the 36 Moons, you have a reputation...and everyone dealing yakuza wise knows Japan is off unless you have a deathwish...or something stronger then the 36 Moons. I don't have a deathwish."

Jia did not hesistate. He shrugged as he said,

"You say you don't, but all I see is you. No back. I won't underestimate you assuming you have said back up. But until then you're in my city. Fuck with me or any of my people...and you'll never leave here alive."

Jia stood up, Toki following him as we then left. We got into seperate cars, I was driving one again as Jia handed me the keys. Aoki sat beside me as Jia and Toki sat in the back. Jun, Mikkie, Akio and Aya went to another car as everyone else I didn't see was still not in sight. Jia said to me,

"Aka-chan...if you care about Miyabi...you will not let him do anything alone for a while."

"He's got classes Jia."

"Classes?"

"He goes to Tokyo Univeristy."

The all looked shocked. Jia then said,

"Smart kid."

"Smart piece of ass." said Toki.

I glared at him as Jia said,

"So...tell him to miss a week."

"A week?"

"College students do it all the time. If you want him to stay alive, make him miss a week. I gotta get this battle out of Tokyo."

I nodded as I started the car and began to drive home.

----------------------

Definitions

Sumimasen- Excuse me

Kogals- Girls barely 18 years old that take nude pictures so they could have extra spending money. Their pictures appear in magazines that specialize in that.

Ganguro girls- "Ganguro" literally meaning "blackface" Ganguro girls wear a lot of make up and tan their skin dark. She applies pale make up around her eyes and mouth to make it seem like she's wearing a black mask, which is where the term ganguro came from. Ganguro girls often spend a lot of money establishing that look so they sell their bodies as "dates" to business men who don't mind paying for them.

Oyabun- Don, boss

Aka-chan- Baby

References-

- When Joryu states that there are girls like kogals and ganguro girls in the red light district who think running away is a good idea, it's a reference to a known fact that teenage girls in Japan often "run away" from home for a few days as fun.

- In the Dragon Leaf when Akio claims that if you tie a cherry stem with your tongue it means you're a good kisser, it's true. Also unwrapping a Starburst candy with your mouth only, means the same thing.