It was my fault. It was all my fault. My tsuki was here...because of me. I looked at him seeing the bruises on his face, on his pale arms, down his slender fingers that I now held in my hands. I was afraid to add too much pressure to his hand and cause him pain so I held him with a feather like touch. He was sleeping when I got to him, his head turned towards me as I noticed the forming welt on his full lip, the red abrasions on his neck as if he was strangled for a moment. The doctors told me he was in shock which is why they had to sedate him. I felt so guilty, so angry with myself and I felt this rage inside me that was only subsided by the fact that Miya was laying here. And I felt horrible, knowing it shouldn't happen to him. I put his hand down as I put my head down beside him and I felt tears brimming at my eyes. I had not cried since I was little and hardly even then but I felt like I could now. I stayed the whole night there, never moving and once I fell asleep, I woke up almost immediately. I couldn't stop feeling guilty. Around eight that morning, I was awake, watching over Miya the whole time. As I watched him, I felt someone coming in and I stood up and turned right away despite how tired I was. I saw it was Akio.

"How'd you find me?"

"Not hard to track you down Baby-chu."

He handed me a cup of coffee as I took it and sat back down. I felt Akio standing beside me as he said,

"What happened?"

"They cut his tongue open with a razor blade."

"Who brought him in?"

"His friends."

"He looks banged up."

"He is. Akio this is all my fault."

"Truth be told Baby-chu, you're lucky it's just this. They could have killed him."

I closed my eyes the pain and fear doubling as I thought of that. I nodded as I said,

"It's still my fault. He doesn't even know why they went after him or why they hurt him...it's because of me."

"It's not your fault. You didn't do this to him."

I bit my lip as I took a sip of the coffee and I smoothed my hair back from my face as I said,

"What do I tell him when he asks why this happened to him?"

"You can't keep lying to him. Tell him the truth."

"It'll scare him."

"It's better he knows anyway."

I sighed and nodded as I said,

"I should.."

I then saw Miya moving. His fingers twitched slightly as Akio whispered, "Don't tell him now though. Wait until he can handle it."

He then left the room, closing the door behind him as Miya turned and opened his eyes. He parted his lips to say something but I stopped him, leaning to him and kissing his bruised lips softly as I said,

"Don't say anything."

I felt the tears brimming again as his slender bruised hand reached up to my face, smoothing back my hair as he smiled softly. It broke my heart to see him like this...he even smiled at me, glad to see me as I turned my face towards his palm, holding his wrist carefully as I said,

"You okay?"

He nodded slightly as I said,

"I'm so sorry Miya...I'm so sorry."

Both of his hands cupped my face as I sat down beside him, leaning over him as he looked up at me. It pained him to speak so I didn't want him to. I kissed his unbruised cheek as I leaned down and held him, keeping my weight off him because I was scared to hurt him. I felt his arms around my neck as his lips kissing my cheek softly as I felt some tears sliding out, running down my cheeks as I held him. I never felt pain like this and he was alive. Just knowing something worse could happen to him scared me but in enraged me all at once. This was not a time to be enraged. I then heard the door opening again as I reached up quickly and brushed my face dry as a doctor came in. He checked Miya as he then said,

"Nagano Miyabi?"

Miya nodded as the doctor looked at me and said,

"You are?"

"Here to pick him up if he can go."

The doctor checked him over as he said,

"Yes, he can go. But he'll be in some pain. His tongue will be a little swollen for a few days. He'll be able to talk whenever he likes but it may pain him."

I nodded as the nurses took out the things that were stuck in his arm. Once he was able to sit up I helped him get dressed as he stood up, pulling his coat on as he signed the discharge papers and I took him home.

Once home, I made him go to bed again as I laid beside him, I held him without hurting him as he clung to me, scared I would leave him again. I was feeling angry now since I knew who did it. Sugihara has been threatening me with this since the moment I ever laid eyes on him. That night after Miya fell asleep, my cell phone rang. It was Akio.

"Hey Baby-chu. How you feelin?"

"I'm okay. Miya's home now."

"Good. We know for sure the Sugihara's in the city."

"I thought so."

"We have to find him tonight."

"I'll go."

"Shouldn't you stay with Miya?"

"I'll come back to him. He's sleeping now."

"All right...I'll come by to get you in a few."

"Okay. Oh...Akio?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for bringing my luggage back."

It was in my living room when I brought Miya home that morning. I knew Akio had brought it. No one else would have.

"No problem. I'll see you soon."

We hung up as I went to shower and then change. When I was done, I wrote Miya a note just in case he woke up and left it by him as I checked the clip in my gun and then grabbed my keys as I went downstairs and waited for Akio. The car pulled up a few moments later as I got in and he said,

"You're sure about this?"

"I'm not letting Sugihara get away with this."

Akio nodded as he then went into his pocket and withdrew a small silver piece of metal he handed it to me. I looked at it as I said,

"What's this?"

"Butterfly knife. I'm giving it to you because I know you'll have more satisfaction using it then I will."

I looked at the metal as I carefully flipped out the blade and looked at it. I could tell it had recently been sharpened and that one wrong move and I could probably commit yubitsume by accident. I put the blade away as I thanked Akio and we got moving.

We went out into Tokyo, meeting up with Aoki and Aya later as Aoki spoke on his phone to someone. Aya was brushing his back with his hands as he said to us,

"Sugihara is in Tokyo, not in the Roppongi District we covered that much."

"Is he alone?" I asked.

"Not sure. I doubt he is though."

Aoki spoke on his cell phone a little longer as he said,

"Tai said that the lower heads reported seeing Sugihara in the red light district."

"We should get there now then."

Akio handed me the keys to the car as we all got in. I drove as quickly as possible, speeding like crazy...as always. I have to wonder why I never got a ticket because of that. Anyway we got to the red light district as I parked and we got out and walked around for a while. Girls of all ages started paying us attention as they called out to us but I had one objective and only that one. We walked for a while Aoki and Aya separating from us as Akio and I kept going, looking around. I didn't know nor did I care about where anyone else was...I was not allowing Sugihara to leave Tokyo alive. I was walking for a while with Akio as we both had a cigarette when my cell phone rang. It was Aya.

"Sugihara's around."

"Where?"

"One of his men was spotted at the down town club in the red light district. It's not too far from us."

"Okay, thanks."

We hung up as I told Akio and we left on our way there. Akio called in Jia to let him know what was going on as we made our way to the club. We walked in easily since Akio knew the bouncer as I looked around. I could spot Sugihara from anywhere so I began walking around looking for that familiar pink hair. At the club I was noticed by one of Sugihara's men and I quickly ducked into the scene. The last thing I wanted was for him to escape when I didn't want him to. Akio blended in so that I lost him along with anyone else...I didn't care though. I had a one track mind at the time.

I saw Sugihara making his escape through the back exit of the club. I would not loose him...so I followed him, going slowly and listening to anything. Once I was sure it was clear I went inside. The hall was dark and narrow and it swallowed me whole. I could barely see two steps in front of me, but I listened and followed the sound of footsteps not too far from me. I ran behind them slowly and I shut off my phone so they wouldn't catch me first. As I slowly caught up to them, Sugihara's swagger stopped and his men did too. I stopped and ducked into the shadows as I heard his voice echoing out and said,

"Someone's here."

His men turned around and looked into the darkness. Not wanting to be caught, but not wanting to loose them I leaned against the narrow hallway and slowly climbed up using my legs and hands to climb up and stay up by pushing against the hallway's wall. I watched Sugihara's men go past me as the said,

"No one's here."

Sugihara paused a moment longer as he said,

"Let's get the hell out of here. There's a flight for Bangkok at midnight and I don't want to miss it."

As he started to walk down I jumped back down and I took out my gun and in the dark shot off two shots, hoping they would hit his men and not Sugihara. By the dim light he watched them fall as I took out the blade Akio had given me as I approached him slowly.

"I am nobodies weakness Sugihara."

I heard him laugh as he said,

"Oh you...the child."

"I am not a child."

"You act like one. You think you have the balls to take me on...all by yourself?"

"I have more then that to take you on."

"I know what this is about. Mad that I cut your bitch's tongue open huh? You know he cried...I would have cut the damn thing in two if not for the razor blade I had. He wouldn't say where he was going, where he lived...nothing. He had nothing that would have been of any value. You're lucky it was day time...my boys and I would had fun with him. He's pretty you know...better then most girls."

"I would have killed you sooner had you touched him."

He laughed again as he said,

"Boy, turn around and run home to your oyabun. You can't take me on."

He turned and started walking away as I said,

"That's your mistake Sugihara! You underestimate me!"

I ran at him but stop short as I knew he would turn to hit me. I ducked under the arm he swung at me had I been any closer as I leaned to my side and my lunged my foot at his side. It connected with his hip as he fell towards the wall. I got up quickly as I elbowed him in his back. He turned and punched me in the mouth and then elbowed me in return while my head was down. I fell to my knees in pain as I clenched my teeth. I heard him spit to the side as he said,

"You don't have enough to take me on kid. I made whores out of people like you."

I took the blade out of my pocket as I flipped it open and said,

"Like I said....your problem is...you underestimated me."

Instead of lunging forward, I stabbed the blade into the back of his thigh. He shouted from the shock and pain as he fell to his knees. He punched me again as I punched him back and then shoved him down as I pulled the blade out of him. He gritted his teeth as he reached up to grab me around my neck and with a quick notion, swiped the blade across his face. He gasped, letting go of my neck as I said,

"You had him like this...cut and wounded and he was scared. Difference is..I'm a yakuza...he isn't."

I cut him once more across his mouth as he clapped his hand over the wound. I wouldn't stop there as I grabbed his hair, pulling his head back as I took the knife and slit his throat. I could feel the spray of blood across my face in the darkness, the sound of his gurgling as he was dying. I felt the blood seeping under my hands as I stood up, flipping my blade back into the metal as I walked away.

Akio was right. I would get more satisfaction out of using it.