I had never been so bored in my life. I don't think I was ever this bored. Miya didn't understand how I could be bored since I was home with him and granted I was happy, but it didn't change that I was bored out of my mind. My day would mostly consist of sleeping all of the morning away and early afternoon until Miya finally woke me up sometime before five. If Hisoka or Akio didn't call to do something, I lounge around the apartment all day. I would cook something to eat and wait until Miya got home from doing whatever he did all day or I would cook for the both of us. Life got so boring now that I was on break. I figured I would be happy just being with Miya and I was, but suddenly, it wasn't enough and that scared me. Miya should be reason enough for me to be glad to be home...but I was bored and spending time with him wasn't filling my days. Plus I was becoming a heavier smoker, since I now had at least one cigarette everyday either by going out, or hanging my arm out the window. I told Akio one day that I was getting worried about the fact that I wasn't as glad as I use to be to be home anymore.

"You've grown from it."

"What's that mean?"

Akio stretched his arms over his head since I went over there when he was working out.

"It means that you like being in action. Doing jack shit bores you since it's not as fun as it use to be. Before you were yakuza, you liked doing jack shit because it was all you knew. Now that you know you can do more, it's not fun."

"Oh...makes sense."

I watched as he let his arms fall naturally beside him as he said,

"So it's best that you try to just keep together while we wait. Try doing something you wouldn't normally do."

"Like what?"

"I don't know Baby-chu."

He sat down as he started stretching his legs getting ready to do some kind of exercise. I didn't want to keep annoying him so eventually, I left and went back home.

I had to maintain myself. So I did my best to not go crazy and I spent time with just Miya. Just me and him, doing things we liked doing. He reminded me why I loved being home to begin with. We wasted a lot of film the time we were together, just taking stupid pictures...I wasted like half a roll of film on him alone, just sleeping. But at least I wasn't bored for a while. I scooped Miya out of bed one night, as I brought him to the living room. He yawned and through his sleepy haze he asked what I was doing.

"I'm watching TV."

"Why'd you wake me up then?"

"I need something to hold."

I sat down, holding him on my lap as he put his arms around my neck, his head laid against my shoulder as he eventually fell asleep again. Moments like that, made me glad I was home.

Finally after the ever long and present boredom, as I watched TV through the early morning hours, waiting as the sun rose, I heard my cell phone. I haven't heard it in a while so I was a little slow on answering it because I didn't recognize the sound at first. However, once I did, I got up and looked for my cell phone that I had now lost under a mountain of pillows and blankets on the couch. Finally when I did manage to find it I answered,

"Moshi moshi."

"Hey Aka-chan, I was starting to think you were asleep."

"Iie...I gave up sleeping at night."

Jia laughed as he said as he said,

"That's good but it's also bad."

"Why bad?"

"I need you to come in this morning."

"This morning?"

I checked the TV seeing it was five in the morning.

"What time?"

"Like at eight."

"Oh...okay. I can do that."

"You sure? You haven't slept."

"I'll sleep now. I'll be there at eight."

He laughed again as he said,

"Okay Aka-chan see you at eight."

We hung up as I shut off the TV and went to get a few hours of sleep. I set my phone to be my alarm and at seven thirty, it went off in a loud, annoying beeping sound. It woke up Miya too. Once he saw me getting out of bed he turned to his side and said,

"Where you going?"

"Work. Got called in this morning."

"You're coming back right?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to the office."

He nodded before putting his head down and I went to get ready. I rushed through my routine, stopping only for a moment to say bye to Miya, kissing his cheek softly as I ran out.

I got to the office a little after eight as I light my first cigarette of the day. I walked up to Jia's office and knocked softly as I entered, seeing Tai and Gabriel talking to Jia. I waved to Jia as he said,

'Hey Aka-chan. Come in."

He tapped a cigarette against the platinum of his case as he said,

"Guess what."

"What?"

"Triad are in town."

"Why?"

"I don't know. They haven't made a move and they've been here for a few days. It could be nothing, just a yakuza's paranoia, but still... one never knows."

I nodded as I said,

"So...what are we going to do about it?"

"For the moment, nothing, we're gonna lie low and see what happens. I don't wanna attack on someone that maybe no threat. It's not my style."

I nodded as Jia then said,

"So, we're warning everyone, just in case something does happen, no one's caught unaware."

The door opened a moment later as Akio walked in.

"Sorry...am I late?"

"As usual Akio. Aka-chan can tell you what you missed. You're dismissed."

Akio and I left as I nudged him and said,

"Why where you late?"

"Crazy night last night."

He rolled his eyes as he said,

"I went out with Toki."

"Ah.."

That explained a lot. So anyway, I told Akio what Jia had told me and he said,

"So if triad are here...that could mean something."

"Or nothing. Jia said they haven't made a move."

"Well...if they haven't made a move then that's better for us. Less to worry about."

I nodded as we went out into the city and walked around.

Over the next few days, we kept hearing of the triad that were in Tokyo. They were known as the Black Hand, one of the oldest triad syndicates in Hong Kong. As I understood it was older then a syndicate called the Jade that collapsed a few years ago when the don was killed. I didn't know anything about triads....I barely knew about yakuza. But from what I understand a lot of them are very ruthless...and they're more cut throat then Jia...but then again, Jia was known to be too soft because he feels too much. But I had no idea what anyone was talking about. I thought Jia was pretty mean when he had to be. But that's probably what everyone meant. As Akio and I looked around, staying on guard, we found nothing. No one else heard a whisper. Jia thought if they hadn't made a sound by now, they probably weren't there to cause any trouble. That was fine with him because he didn't want anything to happen now. It was Jia's time off as well.

Over a course of two weeks after we found out that the Black Hand was in Tokyo, Akio and I were in the lobby. We were playing cards for lack of anything better to do and he was teaching me how to play poker. I realized, I pretty much sucked at the game, but I kept playing just because I liked to see Akio laugh. Toki would sit in on Akio's side sometimes or, they would play against each other, which wasn't much of a game, but they did it for the sake of not being bored. Toki wouldn't be around for long after Mikkie would walk through the lobby, getting ready to leave. Once Ghost did leave, Toki look down at his cards and then put them down as he said,

"Gotta go."

Akio picked up his cards as he said,

"Still chasing that Toki-chu?"

"Always man. I'm persistent."

Akio laughed as he said,

"Later."

He grabbed his coat off the sofa as he ran out behind Mikkie and left Akio and me alone. I gathered the cards in my hands, putting them back in the stack as I said,

"You wanna get some dinner?"

"You are forever hungry. Didn't you just have that box of cookies?"

I stuck my tongue out at him as I said,

"Cookies won't fill me up. I'm a growing boy."

He laughed.

"Okay, we'll get some dinner."

I smiled as I started getting up. I went into my pocket as I fished around for my cigarettes and once I found them, I took one out of the pack as I lit it and looked up to see someone walking in. Suit and tie man, a black overcoat on him and he carried a letter. His hair was short, like a buzz cut and black. I notioned him to Akio, who stood and said,

"Can I help you?"

The man bowed slightly as he said,

"I'm looking for someone who is an employee of Jia Li."

"I work for him."

I noticed the other man had an accent...like that of Mandarin.

"I have been sent by the dielow of the Black Hand to give him this."

He handed him the envelope as Akio said,

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

He turned and walked out as Akio looked at the letter and said,

"Weird. Most people come baring arms, not letters."

I shrugged as he said,

"Let's go drop this off at Jia's office. Then we'll go."

I nodded as we took the elevator up to his floor and found Jia there. He was on the phone, having a cigarette as he leaned back in his chair. He looked comfortable. Once he saw us, he waved us in and then put his hand over the speaker as he said,

"What?"

"This came for you Jia."

He put the cigarette in his mouth as he took the envelope as he said,

"From who?"

"The Black Hand."

Jia looked at the letter as he said into the phone,

"Tsu, I'll call you back. I just got something that may be of importance."

He hung up as he said,

"How long ago?"

"A few minutes."

"Hand delivered?"

"Hai."

"Fuck...I wonder what it is."

Jia picked up a knife looking object that was a letter opener as he sliced through the opening of the letter. He set the blade down as he took out the letter and unfolded it. He then frowned as he said,

"Fuck...I can't read this."

"Why not?"

"It's in Chinese."

He set the letter down as Akio peeked over and said,

"He probably thought you could read it."

"I wish people would stop assuming that."

Jia left the letter there as he said,

"Whatever the fuck it says I can't do anything about it. I can't read it. Hope the boss doesn't take offense to it."

He smiled slightly as he finished the rest of his cigarette. Akio said,

"Anything we should do?"

"Nah but if you see whoever delivered that, tell them that I couldn't read the letter and that I meant no disrespect by not answering them."

Akio and I nodded as we then left.

A few days later, after everyone was let know of the letter received, the same man appeared again. Aya, who was now back since Aoki was, let him know that Jia couldn't read the letter.

"My dielow thought so, which is why I returned."

Aya tucked back a loose strand of hair as he said,

"Is there something Jia could do for you?"

"Yes. His presence is requested for an audience with my employer."

Aya nodded as he got his cell phone out from his coat pocket and called Jia down to the lobby. A few minutes later, Jia and Toki arrived.

"I'm Jia Li, what can I do for you."

"The dielow of the Black Hand requests to speak to you."

"On what grounds?"

"To have conversation."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"I accept. Tell you dielow if he wants to see me, I'll be at the Dragon Leaf in the Roppongi District."

The man from the Black Hand bowed his head as he said,

"A day?"

"Tonight. At...nine."

"Shi shi ni. I'll let him know."

He bowed his head slightly as he then left. Jia then turned to me, Akio, Jun and Mikkie who were sitting in the lobby as he said,

"We're going to work people. I don't know what this guy wants but...we need to get ready for it."

Toki sighed as he stuck his tongue out and said,

"I don't wanna go."

"You never wanna go." Said Jia.

"I know...but...eh forget it. Stupid argument."

"You just love arguing with me don't you?"

"It's cuz I love you."

Jia shook his head as Aya began to walk over to us, Toki not to far behind him as he put his hand on Aya's ass and said,

"Hey pretty one."

Aya turned to him as he said,

"Toki...you need to let go."

Toki smirked as he pat him gently and sat down beside Akio. Aya sat beside me as Akio said,

"Who's sitting in the dinner?"

Mikkie looked up as he said,

"I will."

"Me too Ghosto." Said Toki as he winked at him.

Mikkie didn't acknowledge him as Aya said,

"Aoki and Akio will more then likely stand guard outside. Tai, Jun and Gabriel sitting in the restaurant as back up, Aka-chan, you and I will sit in as well."

I nodded as we then waited for it to be nine. Once it was, we got ready, clips being checked or replaced as everyone got their coats and left to go to the Dragon Leaf and to meet the Black Hand.

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Definitions

Dielow: Chinese (can't specify sorry) for older brother/boss in triad terms

Shi shi ni: Yes in Chinese (Mandarin I think....not sure)

The Black Hand: A real triad syndicate that's based in Hong Kong