I returned home a few hours later. I wasn't too worried because I didn't come home with a bad feeling unlike last time I did. I was however worried and anxious about the triads that had flooded into Tokyo. I was worried about what they might do and their actions against us. When we got home, I went straight home to Miya. I set my luggage down as I came inside, it was late afternoon and I was anxious to just see my tsuki. He smiled at me as I ran up to him and picked him up, feeling his long legs wrapping around my waist as we kissed. When he pulled back, he tossed his hair back as he said,

"Jo! I missed you!"

"I missed you too."

We kissed again before I set him down and he hugged me, his smile making me smile as he said,

"How was Hong Kong?"

"It was okay. Just boring."

"What did you do?"

"My boss had to go meet some new associates. New partners and such."

He smiled, his arms around my neck as he seemed to not be listening. I then said,

"Miya, what are you planning?"

"Nothing Jo, really. I was just happy to see you."

I then went to take a shower and changed as I got in bed, Miya crawling up beside me as he hugged me, and curled up in my arms as I slept for a while.

Later that evening, my cell phone went off. I rubbed my eyes as I reached over to the night stand, over Miya as I picked up.

"Moshi, moshi?"

"Hey Aka-chan, I need you to come in tonight."

It was Jia. I nodded as I cleared my throat and said,

"Hai, I'll be there in a minute."

I hung up as I got out of bed, slowly moving Miya back as I got up and went to look for my suit. I wasn't sure how proper I should look because Jia didn't sound too urgent so I just got on my pants and my coat as I tucked in my button down shirt as I stuffed my tie in my coat pocket. As I started picking up my cell phone and my wallet, putting everything in my pockets, Miya's hand smoothed out the area I was laying in before as he suddenly woke up and looked around the dark room. He saw me about to leave.

"Jo? Where you going?"

"I have to go to work for a minute."

He turned to his side as he moved the clock on the night stand and said,

"It's almost two in the morning Jo."

"I know, but I'll be back soon I swear."

I walked over to the bed, kissing him gently as I then quickly left without giving him a chance to complain any further. I grabbed the car keys on the way out and then quickly left.

I got to the building a little while later. Jia explained the happenings of the triad that had roamed around here.

"They're pissed off at both me and Kenimin. They won't retaliate with Kenimin so they will with me. They underestimate me."

Toki sat beside him, his head wrapped in a white bandanna as he said,

"Ne, don't triad usually fuck with their own people anyway?"

"Don't usually yakuza Toki? To them I am one of their people now, more then ever because of my roots and who I passed my name to. I married into the Black Hand and because I'm in Tokyo, they'll fuck with me. If I was still in Hong Kong, they wouldn't dare."

Toki sighed as he tugged on the white wife beater he was wearing and said,

"Ne, so what'll we do? Man hunt right now?"

"No need to. Tai and Gabriel have already done the dirty work."

As if on cue both Tai and a very blonde Gabriel walked through the door. My eyes couldn't help but fall at Gabriel's appearance. He use to have black hair...but now it was platinum blonde, almost a white color echoing Tsubasa's. It bobbed around his head and face as he glanced up, his blue eyes all the more radiant, but he looked more white then Japanese at that point. Tai smoothed his hair back as he said,

"The enemies of the Black Hand had spread out all along the outskirts of Tokyo. They won't set foot inside the city. Lower heads say that some triads were trying to sneak in, get some information on where any of the 36 Moons could be found. Lower heads gave away nothing so we have nothing to worry about it."

Gabriel nodded, tucking back some of his hair as he said,

"The whole revenge from them lacks organization and structure. I wouldn't be surprised if the people after Jia were just a bunch of wanna be rising triads that don't have the money but want to earn the respect it needs to be a top triad in Hong Kong."

Jia nodded as he said,

"So basically I have nothing to worry about."

Gabriel shook his now pretty blonde hair as he said,

"I wouldn't say that Jia. Underestimating them would be a bad idea. We could just say they're nobodies, but we're not a hundred percent sure. Although it could be a safe assumption since they suck at doing this so far."

"Shit, Li won't underestimate them but I sure as hell will." said Toki.

Jia then went into his pockets, getting his case out as he opened it and retrieved a cigarette as Toki lit it for him. He then inhaled as he said,

"Okay so we'll meet up tomorrow afternoon...um...tomorrow evening. We'll see if anything comes up then. Right now, I'd doubt they'd make a move."

We were then dismissed.

I went back home a little less then an hour later and much to my surprise I saw Miya was awake. He covered in one of my button downs, sitting on the couch watching TV. He was sitting because if he laid down, he would fall asleep. I closed the door behind me as I toed off my shoes and set my keys on the table as I said,

"Hey tsuki."

He turned off the TV as he turned to me and softly said,

"Hey Jo."

I wondered what was wrong but I chalked it up to lack of sleep. Miya hardly stays up late unless he's doing something. Watching TV wouldn't be one of them. He stood up as he closed the shirt around his thin body as he walked up to me. He hugged me, his arms slowly coming around my neck as his body lined up to mine again. I loved when he hugged me like that. He stood on his tip toes for a moment as he stepped closer to me, his bare feet standing between mine before he finally stooped to his normal height and then set his feet carefully on top of mine. I held him close the whole time, wondering why he was doing that. I didn't say anything though. When he stepped back, his hands slid down my arms as he took my hands and said,

"Let's go to bed. I'm tired."

I nodded, following him to bed. He helped me undress, making it feel like I was back in Akio's embrace again. But it was sweeter, not so full of lust and when Miya looked back into my eyes, I saw nothing but his love. I suddenly felt that small ball of guilt rising to my throat and sticking there as I realized all I had done when I was out of town. My tsuki lovingly trusted me to go on and work while I was actually fucking around. And I was with Akio, thinking about fucking him...about letting him do all these....extremely pleasurable but still, wrong things to me. I felt guilty and I would give my tsuki a soft smile in return as he got up after taking off my pants, as he folded them and set them aside on a chair in the corner of our room. I laid down in bed in my boxers as Miya got back beside me and put his arms around me as I hugged him back, kissing his forehead and his eyes as I said,

"I love you Miya."

"Love you too Jo."

I went to sleep for the night.

The next afternoon, I got up, feeling Miya as he crawled out from under my arm. He went to the bathroom and stayed there for a moment before he came back out and went to the closet to look for something to wear. I turned over to my back as I looked at the night stand and saw it was four in the afternoon. We had both slept late. I yawned as I sat up and Miya turned to me as he crawled back on the bed and threw his arms around me making me fall backwards on the bed. I smiled as he said,

"Jo, you're not working today right?"

"Not until later."

"Let's go do something."

Flashbacks of running into Sugihara last time I took Miya out ran through my head as I said,

"I don't know..."

"Onegai itooshi?"

I smiled softly, loving it when he called me such a term of endearment. I gave into his plea as I said,

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Shopping."

"Tsuki, don't you have enough clothes?"

I gestured to his already overfilled side of the closet as he said,

"Not for me. For you."

"Me? I already have enough clothes."

"Not clothes koi. Something else."

He got off me as I got up and started getting ready to go out.

I was worried and paranoid about taking him out, but he wanted to so badly it was hard for me to say no to those beautiful eyes. We walked through Tokyo for a while, he was content with being beside me. I, on the other hand, was looking around like I had been trained and use to doing, my long dark blue shirt hanging past my jean pockets as my gun stuck me in the back since it was in between me and my jeans. I checked my watch as I felt my cell phone every now and then wondering what everyone else was doing as set it to vibrate. I tucked my hair behind my ears as Miya looked over some jewelry at a window. He smiled as he turned to me and said,

"Jo, those are so pretty."

He pointed to a small set of diamond earrings that I would love to buy for him. They weren't too big as if to show off, but they were big enough to catch attention if he tucked his hair back. I smiled as I said,

"You want?"

"Not right now."

"You sure?"

He smiled as he said,

"Jo, don't spoil me. I might get use to it."

"That's the whole idea."

I took his hand in mine as we started walking towards the store's entrance. As we did, I noticed someone in the glass reflection. I thought it was just another business man since the streets of Tokyo are often flooded with them but it wasn't He glanced over at me before he turned and walked away. I quickly looked around the area and saw nothing but I couldn't be sure. I went inside the store, quickly taking Miya in, just in case. After I bought him the earrings he saw before, we walked outside again. I made another look around before letting us go any further, but again, nothing was in sight. I was now more paranoid then before and I wanted to make some excuse to take Miya home now. I couldn't think of anything without sounding like I was ruining the almost perfect day, so I decided to take him somewhere else, to just basically get the hell out of here. I told Miya I would take him to the Shibuya District for more shopping and he quickly agreed. We started going towards the subway, his hand in mine when I heard the sound of rubber screeching against the pavement. I knew that sound well enough to know what it was and turned around quickly as I saw a car racing up the street. I knew well enough what it meant and I didn't have to wait for the windows to roll down, I grabbed Miya's hand tighter as I tugged him along side me to run. He went with my flow as we both ran towards the subway entrance. I heard the first initial shot and as a reaction, I pulled Miya close to me as I brought us to the ground. I heard gun fire ringing around us, glass shattering, bullets hitting metal as people screamed and ducked down, bullets still firing away until the car pulled off in a trace of tire marks and dust. I opened my eyes as I looked down at Miya who I had covered, my hands slowly moving down his head as I said,

"Miya...daijoubu?"

He looked up as he said,

"What happened?"

"Are you hurt?"

"No...I'm fine."

We started standing back up as everyone around us was still in shock, some people hysterical, while they dusted off their clothes from the ground and the shattered glass. I helped Miya to his feet as I said,

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Jo what's going on!?"

"I don't know! Just...you're fine right?"

"Yes! I'm fine tell me what's happening."

I looked around as I heard the cops coming. I took Miya's hand again as I ran us down to the subway and saw the train was just arriving. I saw it would take Miya to our street and I said,

"Miya please, just right now, go home. Be really careful okay? Don't stop for anything or anyone just go straight home."

"Jo...I-"

"ONEGAI JUST GO!"

I had never shouted at him before. He looked at me surprised before he turned and ran onto the subway car and it finally left. I went into my pockets as I called Akio right away. Once he picked up I told him what happened.

"I know, they pulled the same shit on me and Toki. We were walking out of Sakura's Touch."

"You two okay?"

"Hai, we're fine. It was nothing."

We decided to meet up at headquarters as we called everyone else only to find out that almost everyone was shot at in a drive bye. Jia was with Nishiki at the time so he was fine and Mikkie and Jun were standing in as guards. Everyone else was caught in the drive byes including me. Once we met up and Jia asked if everyone was fine, he said,

"Now's the time to make action happen. I will not be pushed around by these fucking pissed off triads who are mad at me because they ain't worth shit."

Jia sent us out into Tokyo in our usual pairs, going through clubs and the slums as usual. We were armed and ready. Akio asked me what I was doing out in the first place that I got caught in a drive bye. I explained how I was just taking Miya out. He sighed as he said,

"Shit got you in trouble before."

I nodded as I lit a cigarette and said,

"Hai, but I don't mind. As long as my tsuki isn't hurt, then there's no problem."

Akio laughed as he nudged me. We were in a club, checking out anyone who might be there. I was mad I didn't get a good look at the people who shot at me earlier that afternoon. It would have made the job much easier. As Akio and I were about to leave, I looked around on our way out, noticing someone by the door. I wasn't going to give it a second thought, when suddenly, they took off running. Akio was already ahead of me as I ran behind him, catching up to this loser who decided to run and give himself away. He ran outside and down the street before turning into an alley and trying to jump a fence there. He cursed as Akio caught him by his coat and pulled him down. We both drew our weapons and Akio said,

"Talk."

"Fuck off!"

He pulled the clip back on his gun as he said it again.

"Talk."

"Fuck off I don't have to tell you anything!"

His English was bad...his accent heavy in each word. Akio then said,

"You got one more chance to talk."

He put his gun up against the guy's forehead as the man shouted,

"Okay! Okay, I talk. What do you need to know?"

"Where's your boss at?"

"I'm not sure. He said would be leaving soon."

"You after my boss?"

"Yes. He had no right to marry into the Black Hand being yakuza."

"Who the fuck are you to make judgment like that?" I said.

The guy sighed as Akio was about to say something when his phone rang. He let me take over as I put my gun to the guy's head, keeping him here as Akio talked on the phone. He then said,

"Okay, we're good. Aoki cleared this guy's boss. He was found in his hotel room. Hey man, you should tell you boss needling popping in this city would get you killed."

Akio gave me the gesture to shoot him so I did, then we both walked away. The whole ordeal took less then four hours to do. It was only eleven that night when we regrouped at Jia's office. He was speaking to Kenimin on the phone as he found out that those after Jia were bunch of no ones that had too many problems with the Black Hand. The boss of the syndicate was a heavy heroin addict and would do anything for it. Kenimin told Jia that those guys talked a lot of shit but when confronted with the Black Hand, they denied everything. Turned out the boss of the syndicate we just killed was grossly misinformed about Jia and the 36 Moons, mistaking us for one of them. After the whole situation was cleared, Jia allowed us to go home.

I was glad everything was over...for now. I could go back home and rest and be bored for a while, having my tsuki by my side. When I got home, it was a little past eleven. I came inside the apartment as I toed off my shoes and looked to the living room seeing it was empty. I saw the bedroom light on as I walked towards it and saw Miya. He had a suitcase open on the bed as he folded his clothes and threw everything inside. I saw he had already packed another small bag that was resting by the door.

"Miya...what are you doing?"

He looked up, almost ashamed of what he was doing.

"I didn't think you would be back so soon. You always take forever."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm...leaving."

"Leaving...?"

"Yeah. I'm leaving."

"Here?"

"Everything Jo. This apartment, this life....you."

"Why?"

I could feel my heartbreaking in my chest as I watched him look away.

"Because I'm scared. I'm scared every moment and everyday and I can't live like this anymore. I thought I could but...not after today."

"Miya, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"But it did Jo! It did! This is not a way for me to live! I can't be scared every time you walk out that door and I wonder if I'll ever see you alive again! I can't be scared every time I walk outside because someone who hates your boss is trying to kill everyone including anyone in the way, I can't be scared all my life Jo!"

"You said that you knew what you were getting into. You said you love me."

"And I do! I'm not stopping my love for you, but I can't do this anymore. I tried but I'm scared! I'm scared to death of everything that can and will happen. One day one of us will be killed and if it's you then what do I do then? Loosing the love of my life because he was shot like a nothing on the street of some Godforesaken city is not something I wanna live with! And if it's me...I don't want you carrying that guilt. So I'm leaving."

He threw the last of his clothes in as he shut the suitcase closed. I saw tears streaming down his eyes as I said,

"I didn't mean for my life to swallow yours."

He stood up straight, his hair falling over his left eye as he said,

"But it did anyway. I still love you Jo. But I can't watch you do this...I'm too scared. I can't handle it anymore."

I hugged him feeling him struggle against me for a moment before he gave up and went limp in my arms. He hugged me close, his body coming up against mine as he kissed my cheek, his tears rubbing on my face as I said,

"Aishiteru Nagano Miyabi."

I heard him give a soft whimper before he meekly said,

"Aishiteru Tachimine Joryu."

He pulled away from me before he reached up to his face, wiping back his tears as he grabbed his bags, bringing them outside to the living room. One by one, he took his things and before he left, he stood at the door and pulled off the key to the apartment off his key ring, setting it down on the table where I usually leave my keys. He then turned around and closed the door, the soft click seeming so final and absolute. And my tsuki was gone.

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

Definitions

Onegai- Please

Itoshi- Beloved

Koi- Short for Koibito, another term of endearment

Daijoubu?- You okay?

Aishiteru- I love you