Over the next few weeks, things were quiet and peaceful. The swelling on my wrist had gone down and I now had a tattoo that didn't hurt when I touched it. Miya didn't like it at first. He said it reminded him of what I was but over time, he just learned to ignore it. He was also getting better, the bruises on his milk white skin were fading, his tongue was healing nicely, leaving only a slight jagged line instead of a straight one down the middle of his tongue. During my time off, Akio suggested anything I might wanna do to myself, I should do now. I wouldn't have time to heal if I got a tattoo right now. Over lunch one afternoon, I said,

"I should get another one."

"I did promise I'd take you."

"I don't even remember getting this one though."

I gestured to my wrist as he said,

"It's better to be passed out trust me. I was awake during mine and I said never again. I was passed out cold when I had my phoenix done."

"Honto ni?"

"Yeah. It's better."

I nodded as I said,

"What should I get?"

"Something you feel you want on your body forever."

I chewed on my bottom lip as I suddenly remembered,

"Hisoka..."

"You want Hisoka?"

"No, I mean I haven't seen him that night."

"Oh, he's fine."

"He is? When did he go home?"

"A while back. He's gonna come in sooner or later."

"I feel bad I didn't see him."

"You were busy."

"So he's like...okay?"

"Other then the huge scar he's now got on his face, yeah he's fine."

I cringed, only imagining what that must look like. Akio swept his hair back from his face as I said,

"How old are you?"

"How old do I look?"

"You always say mid thirties so..."

"Yeah?"

"You're like...what? Thirty-four? Thirty-three?"

He smiled as he said,

"Thirty-six."

"Wow...you don't look it."

"Thank you. Now what were we discussing...oh yeah your tattoo."

"I'm not sure if I should get one. Miya was saying that he didn't even like this one."

"It's your body to do with as you wish. God that sounded so dirty."

He smirked as I cleared my throat, blushing slightly as I said,

"Yeah I know it's my body...but I'm not sure what to do to it."

Akio looked down at his food as he said,

"We'll figure it out."

That sounded so wrong...but then again my mind was never where it was suppost to be when it came to Akio.

I had to come into the office everyday now, as I was now a top head. I felt good being able to say that, to work with some of the best though at the same time I worried I wasn't going to be able to handle my job. Jia spoke to me about my education, what I was lacking but he said I was smart enough to school myself and I didn't need a piece of paper to tell me how smart I was. He said I was a natural at what I did and how I learned. He also told me that I would have to improve my skills, however. Being a natural wouldn't cut it all the way.

"I want you to see if you adapt any of the habits from anyone else here so spend sometime with someone else besides Akio."

"Like who?"

"I don't know. But you can see if you're good at something else besides killing. I don't really need another Toki around me."

I nodded as I went around the building, thinking for a while as I put my mp3 player on. I haven't really had the chance to play with this thing for a while since I've been busy. But now that I wasn't doing anything again I decided to listen to some music. I ended up finding Tai and Gabriel, working..or so I thought. I thought I could sit in on whatever they were working on but they were just socially talking. I knocked as I pulled my earphone out and said,

"Sorry to bother..."

Tai shook his head as he said,

"Come in."

I walked in, turning off J as he played in my ear and then sat down as I said,

"I'm suppost to be learning something."

Gabriel swept his black hair back from his face as he said,

"Jia thought it would be a good idea ne?"

"Hai."

Tai nodded as he said,

"He's right. Being able to work a gun will only take you so far."

I rested my chin on my hand as I said,

"What do you do Tai?"

"I'm second in command here. Whenever Jia isn't here or he can't come it's my job."

"So you would be the next oyabun if anything happened?"

"Hai."

"Gabriel what about you?"

"Legal council. I use to be a lawyer."

"Really? Doesn't that take years?"

"I wasn't a real lawyer. I just took the course for it when I was in college when I was younger. I only did it for a year before I came to Japan. I schooled myself the rest of the way to be a practicing lawyer."

"Why did you come to Japan?"

"Long story."

"You don't really...look Japanese."

"I'm not completely. I'm just half."

"Oh..."

Which would explain why they call him the Gaijin. I sighed as I said,

"I'm not sure I'm good at anything else. I don't have much education."

"Neither do most of the yakuza here. Toki didn't even go to high school, Jia himself only finished a year of high school, who knows about Aoki, Mikkie...I'm not even sure how far he got. I myself only finished high school." Said Tai.

I tucked my hair back as I said,

"I should learn something else though, Jia is right. Everyone else here is good at something and I'm just another hired killer."

"You'll learn a trait but not now. Not while everyone is on break." Said Gabriel.

"I should go home then."

Gabriel nodded as he said,

"Don't worry Aka-chan. You'll have the chance to learn something soon enough. Peace never lasts long around here."

He got up as Tai followed and they left. I sighed as I checked my watching seeing that it was about two. Miya had a late class today so I wouldn't see him for a while. And why go home if I'm gonna be bored all afternoon? So I got up and called Akio on my way out.

I remembered Akio telling me I was like a spider's venom. Just as quick and deadly. I laughed at him then but when I thought about it, it made sense. It also fit my given syndicate name. Late that afternoon, Akio got me semi drunk before I had my second, more painful tattoo done. On my lower back, I had a black widow spider done. The body of the spider fitting perfectly on the center of my lower back, the legs reaching out to the sides of my back, near the sides of my torso. Having it inked on wasn't the bad part, having it colored in was the worst part because that seemed to last forever. The Roman numbers eight, nine and three were also done around the body of the spider, forever marking me as what I was. I was half way drunk...but not drunk enough apparently because I felt the sting of the needle the whole way through. Hours later, half way in tears, dying of pain, I was told it was finished. It hurt to even have my shirt over it so as I slowly got up to go take a look, I left my shirt in my hands and turned around to see the black widow spider now inked forever into my pale skin. Aside from the slight blood stains and now painful feeling I got everytime I touched it or something touched it, I loved it. I thought about getting more work done on the numbers later, but for now, I was in more pain then I could handle.

Akio took me back the 36 Moons building where I was asked to show my tattoo off by anyone who came across it. Gabriel liked it, saying the artwork was good. So did Jun and Tai.

"It hurt like hell though."

I kept saying that over and over again and I was still somewhat drunk and not even well dressed because I had my button down shirt wasn't buttoned up all the way and it was untucked and the sleeves were folded up around my elbows. Jia liked my tattoo the best. He said it represented me. Finally after a long day, half drunk and still in pain, I came home, my coat in my hands as a cigarette hung from my mouth. I saw Miya walking towards me and he looked surprised. He took my coat as he said,

"Are you smoking?"

I had forgotten that I had not told Miya about my newly acquired habit. I nodded as I said,

"Sorry, I won't smoke in the house."

I exhaled the last bit of smoke from my mouth as Miya said,

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm sorta drunk."

He then closed the door behind me as he took my hand leading me our room where I sat down on the bed and Miya went to hang up my coat. He then started unbuttoning my shirt as he smoothed back my hair and said,

"Poor Jo...why are you drunk?"

I shrugged, not really being able to answer him for the moment as he pulled my shirt off my shoulders.

"You should take a shower and then go to bed."

"Yeah.."

I rubbed my eyes as I felt my shirt come off my arms and Miya went to put that away. I then heard him gasp as he said,

"That's why you're drunk!"

I looked over my shoulder as I realized he saw my tattoo. I turned back around as I said,

"Yeah..."

"Jo...why did you get that?"

"Part of who I am."

I set his weight on the bed as he crawled behind me. He put his arms around me as he kissed the back of my neck as he said,

"I love you. You know that right?"

"I know. I love you too."

I kissed his arms around me as he said,

"Go shower. I'll be here when you get back."

I nodded and went to do just that.

The skin on my back hurt like hell for the next couple of days. I couldn't sleep on my back and anytime I turned on it during the course of my sleep, I was sharply awaken by pain and I would have to fall asleep all over again. I wasn't called back into the office for a while since everything was going so well. I did however have to go every now and then to meet Jia's associates like Nishiki and all his guards. I was introduced as one of Jia's newest, as I always have been only now they saw my wrist and saw the kanji of venom inked permanently into my pale flesh. They would nod and smile, knowing fully well what that meant. Jia's associates from Bangkok, the 24K made a trip in Tokyo to him know what the Teo Chiu thought about Sugihara's death. I escorted Soryo to Jia's building one evening as Aoki and Aya stood guard outside of the office door. Toki and Mikkie were inside sitting next to Jia as I stood behind them. Soryo and his Thai guards took a seat across from Jia as he said,

"Good evening."

"Good evening. I trust your flight was well."

"It was. I bring news from the Teo Chiu."

"I imagined."

"Well, the Teo Chiu aren't please about Sugihara's death. It is a great burden to them to loose someone as skilled and talented as Sugihara."

"I would imagine."

"So....heat is coming down on anyone in Bangkok about who is allied with the 36 Moons, meaning us."

"I'm sorry. I did not wish to cause you problems."

Soryo waved it off, the right sleeve of his coat sliding down slightly revealed a red dragon, in it's claw was written, 24K, a marking of his syndicate. He reached up to his short black hair which fell only to his eye as he said,

"Don't worry about it. The 24K and the Teo Chiu have no qualms to each other so they don't suspect us of anything. They do however suspect every other gang in Bangkok at the moment. Anyone with a drug habit is selling out everyone else...and as you know drug habits in Bangkok are not something rare."

Jia nodded.

"So, the Teo Chiu wants to know who helped you leave and why they teamed up with you. They won't leave Bangkok but if I were you, I would never set foot in there again."

"Not something I plan on doing ever again. The Teo Chiu can have Bangkok."

"Who did kill him anyway Jia? Sugihara was not an easy man to take down."

Jia pointed to me as Soryo's eyes widened slightly as he said,

"My God. He's still a child."

"Ne, most of them start off this young. He was eighteen when he joined me. He's nineteen now. But he took down Sugihara. With his own bare hands."

"Strong as well as smart huh?"

Jia nodded as he laughed and went into his pocket and withdrew his cigarette case. He took one out as he said,

"Hai, most of mine usually are."

He put a cigarette between his lips as Toki lit it for him and then Jia inhaled as he said,

"Soryo, if you are in any danger because of me, please do not hesitate to ask for help. I will risk myself coming into Bangkok to aid you."

"That's most generous and nobel of you Jia. I appreciate that. But if the 24K comes across any problems, I'll ask for help only as my last resort."

Jia nodded as he said,

"Thank you for coming all this way."

"It's no problem. A phone would have been easier but...I'm paranoid of the Teo Chiu and their means of getting information."

"Wouldn't they suspect you of anything since you left the country?"

"Not really. I am of Japanese decent."

Jia laughed as did Soryo and then Jia said,

"Well, I won't let you come all this way for nothing, stay another night, have dinner with me."

Soryo nodded as he said,

"Thank you."

I didn't really want to stay consider I was still tender to touch from my back, but I went and had dinner with Jia, Soryo and his associates. Jun, Mikkie, Toki and myself were present as Aoki and Akio stood guard outside. I sat up straight because even slouching would hurt, but I had dinner as Soryo and Jia spoke, Toki had a drink and the rest of us ate. I noticed even then Jia had nothing to eat but drank like Toki. They both had the same eating disorder. I turned to Jun as I said,

"Why doesn't Jia and Toki ever eat?"

Jun set his chopsticks down as he said,

"Jia and Toki have an eating disorder. They both say they're never hungry and eat every now and then. I think Jia eats more then Toki, because I know Toki goes for like...two three days without eating. That or he lives on small amounts of food. It's a disorder they developed as they got older."

"Oh..."

I watched them from time to time, only drinking, not eating at all though the rest of us ate. It was a weird habit to form...but nonetheless it wasn't my place to scold anyone, especially the oyabun of the 36 Moons on eating habits. After dinner, I was allowed to leave after escorting Soryo and his men to their hotel. Akio drove on the way back because I couldn't stand sitting for too long against the car seat. As he drove he said,

"What did Miya say about the tattoo?"

"He hated it."

"Why?"

"He just did."

"Hm...he'll get use to it."

"He has no choice. It's forever on me now."

Akio laughed as he said,

"Well...don't become too different. You'll scare him."

"I know."

I kissed him good night as I got out of the car and went home. I had an extremely long day.