Trying to explain to Miya why he had to stay home rather then go to school was now something I had to face. I couldn't tell him his life was in danger...that would just scare him. I had no idea what to tell him though. I sat in the car after I dropped Jia and Toki off at their apartment as I wondered what to do. I finally sighed and checked my cell phone seeing it was one in the morning. I couldn't face Miya without an excuse so I called Akio. His phone rang for a moment before he answered.

"Hai."

"Akio, it's me."

"Hey Aka-chan. What's up?"

"Nothing. I can't think of what to tell Miya."

"Tell Miya about what?"

"About him staying home for a week, Jia said it would be best since Sugihara knows who we both are."

"Jia's right. So just tell him the truth."

"I can't tell him his life might be in danger. That would scare him."

"So...what do you plan on telling him?"

"I don't know."

I sighed as he said,

"Come over. We'll talk about it here with some food."

"Okay. Thanks Akio."

"No problem."

I hung up as I started up the car and drove to Akio's apartment.

I had never been there before. I never really had a reason too. Besides, why would I have to go to his apartment? I got there a few minutes later, his apartment near the Shibuya district. I wasn't sure what to expect since I've been hearing from everyone that Akio is a major playboy...but hey what do I know about that? I went inside after parking the car in a garage and then went to his floor, taking the stairwell. I walked down the dim hallway thinking about my reason for Miya when I reached his door. I knocked on the door waiting for a moment before it opened. I saw Akio standing in front of me, out of his usual suit and tie and in some low riding white silk drawstrings, his hip bones shown off along with the slow slope of a line on the sides of his body that went below the brim of the pants. A black silk robe covered the rest of him, as he reached up to his hair and flipped it back. He allowed me in as I stepped inside, taking off my shoes as I walked into his living room and sat down on the comfortable crimson velvet kidney shaped couch, minding the pillows beside me as I noticed the small glass coffee table in front of me, a small dish of chocolates sitting there. Akio came inside as he said,

"Want anything?"

"Um..something to drink."

He nodded going into his kitchen as I looked around seeing his 48-inch flat screen digital TV in front of me, the surround system completely hooked up looking like something I had. His living room provided this warm comfortable atmosphere though everything looked expensive and or imported and probably more expensive. He came back a moment later with a glass and said,

"Here. So think of any excuse?"

I shook my head as I accepted the glass and he sat beside me, part of his robe moving as I saw part of his chest. Lean, smoothing looking...looked like he worked out actually. And he was in his thirties. Man I hope I look that good in my thirties. I cleared my throat as I said,

"I don't want to tell him the truth...he might get scared. And scared of me too."

I took a sip of the drink being water with lemon. I looked down as Akio leaned back on his couch and said,

"You have to tell him something. If anything tell him you can't explain why you're asking him to stay but you will later."

I nodded, thinking it was a good idea as I drank more of my water. That water tasted good. Anyway as I finished I looked back at Akio, thanking him for the drink as I said,

"You think that if I tell him that he'll accept it?"

"He'll be confused but if you set it straight, he'll accept it."

I nodded. I looked around his apartment as I said,

"Nice place. Mine looks nothing like this."

He laughed a little as he said,

"Just something I threw together. I wish I was home more often to enjoy it."

"My apartment here looks nice. The one in New York is practically empty."

"You have someone to live in it while you're at New York. That's why."

"Still...this looks pretty lived in."

"Had it for a while."

He went to the kitchen again as I got up, looking around. There were no pictures, nothing to give away something of himself other then his refined taste. I kinda wondered if he did takes pictures. Anyway I wandered near a hallway as Akio said,

"Find anything interesting?"

"No. Sorry. Didn't mean to snoop."

"You're not. It's just a hallway."

He flipped on the light switch as I looked and saw some doors. One of them was half way open and I saw his bedroom inside. I looked away as I said,

"Looks well kept."

"I have someone clean it every now and then."

He went to the bathroom as he left the door open, the water from the sink turned on as he said,

"You know it's getting late."

I got a little closer to the open door as I said,

"I know. I should go home."

"Yeah, unless you plan on staying the night."

I leaned on the doorway, peering in as I saw his bathroom looked huge, almost like a spring bath spa. White all around, his mirror in front of his sink that covered an entire wall with vanity lights, as in the far space of the wall was a small tub looking thing. Come to find out it was a jacuzzi. What confused me the most was a black, harness, basket looking thing hanging not too far behind Akio as he washed his hands. I bit my lip trying to figure out what it was. I would say a swing since it did have chains, elevating the thing from the floor and it did look like a basket. Out of curiosity I finally said,

"Akio?"

"Hm?"

He turned off the sink as he went to dry his hands off as I said,

"What is that?"

"What?"

"That."

I pointed to it as he grabbed one of the chains and said,

"Oh this. Well..this is...hmm...how to explain. This is a Chinese basket."

"A Chinese basket?"

He had a smirk on his face...like he was amused and yet confused on how to continue. He then said,

"Come here and I'll show you."

I wasn't giving it much thought as he took my hand and turned my back towards it. He then said,

"Sit."

So I carefully eased myself down, realizing it was a swing. Kinda. I said,

"So..what now?"

He sorta laughed as he said,

"It's a sex toy Aka-chan."

I then got the idea as I noticed how far back I was sitting, my feet barely touching the floor, Akio in front of me, holding the chains as I rocked back and forth slightly. I blushed as I said,

"Oh..."

I turned my head to the side noticing the large wall mirror and it's purpose for being so big to begin with.

"Ohhhh..."

I cleared my throat as I started sitting back up as he helped me out of it. He then kissed me softly as he said,

"Go home. Miya's waiting for you."

I nodded as I then left, thanking him for the advice.

I got home twenty minutes later, still somewhat heated from seeing Akio now. I got home to Miya and went in to see him sleeping on the couch. His books were on the table in front of him, closed now, the assignments completed. I went over to him, turning off the lamp beside him as I picked him up and carried him to the bedroom. I decided to tell him tomorrow. The next morning, Miya woke up, the alarm clock setting off. I felt his arm move over me as he shut off the alarm and I reached up and clasped his hand as I brought him over me and kissed him.

"Hey Miya."

"Hey Jo. You came home late last night."

"I know I'm sorry tsuki."

"It's okay. I know you were working."

He yawned as he said,

"I have to go to class anyway."

"Um...no."

I held him close to me as he laughed and said,

"Jo! I have to go to class."

"Miya..."

I rolled him over so he was laying on his back, me over him as I reached up to his hair, pulling it back from his pretty face as I kissed his full lips. I then said,

"I have to ask you to do something for me."

"What?"

"Stay home for the week."

"Jo I can't. I have three exams this week. I also have a review coming. I have finals you know."

"Miya...this is a lot more serious."

"No, me passing is serious."

"I need you to stay home this week."

"How come?"

"I can't say. But I will tell you later I swear it."

"Jo...are you in trouble?"

"No. Not really."

"Not really?"

"I'm not in trouble. But I need you to stay home. Don't leave for anything."

"Jo...I have a life outside this apartment."

"I know but Miya please do this for me. Please, I'm begging you."

I kissed him, mumbling sweet words in between our kisses, begging him to stay.

"Onegai itooshi, just one week, it's all I ask of you."

He sighed, kissing me back, as he nodded and said,

"Hai...for you I will Jo."

I kissed him, his eyes slipping shut as I held him close, his legs opening around my waist as he said,

"What am I gonna do home by myself for a week?"

"I'm home in the mornings. We'll be together. At night I have to work."

He nodded as he kissed me again before he said,

"You'll tell me why later right?"

"Hai."

He nodded as we kissed once more.

Lying to my tsuki was one of the harder things I ever had to do. But I wasn't doing it to be mean or spiteful. And besides being my lover, he was still my best friend and not telling him the truth was hard. But he kept his promise and stayed home for a week. At nights I worked with everyone else trying to figure out what Sugihara was planning and what he was up to. Tai found out there were connections to Sugihara but what and who and where they were was anyone's guess. Tai couldn't seem to track that information down and neither could Gabriel and they were Jia's best. Toki took a different approach on finding information and that was by just asking the underworld. The underworld of Tokyo was terrified of the 36 Moons. The tattoos alone of their given syndicate names were enough to make anyone get out of the way and Toki knew it. He went through the lower parts of Tokyo, trying to find what he could on Sugihara and all anyone knew about him was that he was not alone. I traveled with Akio since I was not one of the feared members of the 36 Moons. No tattooed grazed my skin yet so no one had a reason to fear me....for now. Akio and I listened out and we kept our eyes open when it came to Sugihara. He had kept low since his encounter with Jia but that was soon coming to an end.

Sometime later Sugihara and Jia finally had blows. Over land and territory, Sugihara's men came to have battles with Jia's. I was involved in fights, in shoot outs, having to pull drive byes or having to stop in and pull out a gun and shoot someone. We went into a spa we knew Sugihara's men were in. Taking different routes around, we got inside. Going inside a sauna, we shot and killed Sugihara's men, shooting anyone that tried to stop us. We eventually got to the baths were Akio and I backed Aoki and Aya up, shooting at everyone that was in the way. Some fights broke out at that moment as someone grabbed me and slammed me to the floor. I fought back only getting bad flashbacks as I clocked an older man with the end of my gun and shoved him off me. I started getting up only to be grabbed and yanked into the bath. I was pulled underwater as I saw someone keeping me there, the water dark, filled with blood as the source of blood was trying to strangle me. I struggled and pointed my gun at him before firing, the water getting darker as the grip loosened and I broke to the surface. I gasped for air as Akio reached down and pulled me out. I gasped as for a moment, now soaked as I shot at one of Sugihara's men. Aoki shot someone, dropping them back in the bath as even Aya handled his own, showing he was more then a pretty face. When the room was cleared, Aoki notioned us out. We went through the back and I could feel my shoes making a noise which just annoyed me since we were suppost to be quiet. I decided to take them off and carry them with me as I dripped water everywhere. As I paused to take them off I watched as everyone went ahead. Aoki and Aya went to the left, leaving Akio to go to the right. I saw him lean against the wall, peering over as I then watched as someone came out from the hallway not too far from me. I set my shoes aside as I quickly got up and leapt at the person. We rolled to the floor with a thud as Akio turned around. I grabbed the guy by his neck as I kept his hand with his gun pointed towards the ceiling. Akio tried to keep his distance as he tried to get the gun away from the guy. He managed to get out of my grip as he tried aiming for Akio, but I got up quickly and kneed the guy taking his gun away as I shot him. Akio sighed as he said,

"Damn Jo...you're fast."

I shrug as we kept going and didn't stop until we cleaned out the entire bath house. After that, we left quickly, me driving as Jia's retaliation was done.

Sugihara was not pleased and he was not happy about being shot at in return. Jia and him came face to face, but armed to the teeth in Tokyo Tower one evening. Sugihara finally explained himself slightly as he stood there four guards behind him, three more lurking near the door and Jia with Aoki, Mikkie, Toki and myself standing behind him. Akio, Jun and Aya stood by the door with Sugihara's guards as Jia said,

"Keep fucking with me Sugihara."

"I mean to Jia. You think that you're all powerful...that no one would dare trial against you ne?"

"I like to think so."

"How wrong you are."

Jia scoffed as he said,

"I have yet to deal with someone who could out do me."

"But...we've already met."

Sugihara smirked as he went into his pockets for a cigarette as he said,

"Jia...I wouldn't dare strike you unless I was well armed. I came into this city to get your attention. And now that I have it, I will lead you out."

"And why would I leave my city?"

"Because...I will leave. And for fear that I might come again with reinforcements you will follow. And if you don't I will come back ten times fold. And I will give you something to fear for."

Jia scoffed as he said,

"You're arrogant aren't you."

Sugihara smirked, exhaling the smoke through his nose as he said,

"I have all reason to be."

Jia narrowed his eyes at him as he said,

"If you were stupid enough to bring more people into my country I would have all of them killed."

"Don't underestimate me Jia. You'll soon see what I'm capable of. One more trial. And soon we'll leave Tokyo."

He turned as he started leaving his men following him as they left. Jia then thought for a moment as Toki said,

"What now Li?"

Jia shrugged as he said,

"Everyone is on warning. I will not allow him to manipulate me."

Soon we all left. I was worried of what Sugihara had in mind...wondering what he would plan against us. I feared for the lives around me...and I feared for Miya the most.

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Definitions

Chinese Basket: A real sex toy. It's just as described. It's a basket/swing looking object that elevates from the floor held up to the ceiling. The boy/girl sits in the basket as they receive

Onegai: Please

Itooshi: Japanese word for beloved

Tsuki: Moon; also Joryu's nickname for Miya

Tokyo Towers: A real landmark in Tokyo that looks like the Eiffel Tower.