A week went by before the Koreans struck again. I had been in New York a month...two weeks plus I guess. Anytime I got the chance I was studying my English and practicing my shots and learning more about everything around me. My English was coming along better and with help from Akio, I was learning how to shoot better. My first shot ever had been pure dumb luck. I later learned that from Akio as he told me to aim better. He told me to keep both eyes open and to aim at the thing right to the target rather then the actual target. I got better with time. My studying English wise was coming slower because I didn't have anyone to help me with that. I spoke to Hisoka like Mikkie had said to learn it better. As for my environment, I learned that I was too pretty. Toki stalked me when he could. Meaning I couldn't have my back to anything that wasn't a wall. One too many times he could come up behind me, pressing full body against me, leaning down, asking what I was doing. Suddenly anything I did became cute...I got worried about anything I would say instead I said nothing and slowly shyed away.

The situations with the Koreans didn't come full circle until one night. Aoki and Akio stood guard outside Jia's private dining room at a tea house called the Pearl Tea House. Hisoka and I stood outside in the car as Jia had dinner with Tsubasa, Ai'iro and Toki. I was bored as Hisoka leaned back against the seat and said,

"If you're hungry, I'm assuming I can leave you alone for a minute while I get us something to eat."

"I guess so."

"Good. I'll be back in a sec."

He looked around outside of the car before he turned the safety off his gun, put it back in his pocket and then got out as he walked away. I leaned back against the seat, just looking around, waiting to see if I saw anything suspicious. I tapped my fingers against the wheel, wanting to study a little more but it was too dark to see anything so I just looked around. I looked at the Pearl Tea House through the glass windows. I could see straight ahead as Aoki and Akio stood outside a private room. They were still for the most part unless Akio would reach up to his hair to tuck it back or reach across to Aoki when he offered a smoke. Aoki was always smoking. He only moved to reach up and lit another cigarette. He smoked by holding the cigarette in his mouth, inhaling then exhaling out of the other side of his mouth. I wondered how he did that without dropping it. Hisoka was taking a while and I wondered if he was okay. I was about to call when I saw a small group of people. They walked towards the tea house, one of them was a tall, slender looking man. Kind of feminine, dark hair that fell to the sides of his face. He had a pretty girl walking beside him, her hand locked around his arm as two guys walked behind them. I had a feeling these were the enemies. I called Hisoka right away. His line rang as he said,

"What?"

"Hisoka, I see three guys and a girl walking to the tea house."

"And?"

"They look kind...suspicious."

"How come?"

"Guy and a girl walking up front, two other guys walking behind them, the guys in suites."

"Okay...are they going inside?"

I waited to see if they would and sure enough one of them opened the door allowing the couple inside.

"Yeah they went in."

"I'm calling them. You keep watching."

He hung up as I put my phone down, my hand on the side of my hip where my gun was. I watched as the couple took a seat in the outside tables where the other patrons where. I saw as Akio picked up his phone from his pocket, nodded and said one word before he hung up. Then Aoki did the same thing. I went back to the couple, watching as the girl swept her dark hair back from her face. She didn't look Asian at all. The guy sitting across from her said something and she smiled as the two standing took a place beside him. A moment later my phone rang again.

"Yes?"

"You have a view of them?"

It was Akio. I nodded as I said,

"Yeah...I can see them from the car."

"Where's Hisoka?"

"Outside."

"Keep an eye out."

We hung up as I looked around seeing nothing as Hisoka got back in the car. He gave me a bag as he said,

"So?"

"Nothing yet. They went inside though. Looks like they're having dinner."

I opened the bag and took out a sandwich as I ate some of it. Hisoka looked out the window as he said,

"See anything else?"

"Nothing."

We sat still eating the quick dinner until we finished and tossed the bags out. After that we watched outside and at the restaurant as Jia opened the door to the private room, Toki walking out behind him as Tsubasa and Ai'iro walked out behind them. The four of them, filed out, Akio and Aoki walking close behind as they all gathered outside. Jia spoke to the ningyo, exchanging words for a moment before he kissed him on the cheek and the ningyo and Ai'iro left to their car as Aoki went up to the car and opened the back door. Jia got inside as he sat down, adjusting his coat as Toki climbed in behind him. Aoki shut the door as Hisoka rolled down the window and said,

"So?"

"Seems like nothing. Akio and I are gonna stick around. He's calling Jun and Mikkie now just in case."

He nodded before the window was rolled up and Jia said,

"Take me home."

I nodded as I started up the car and pulled out smoothly and out into the street.

It was only about nine thirty. At a light I saw Toki was sitting beside Jia, their heads were turned towards each other, almost as if they were kissing only I could see Jia bring his cigarette up to his mouth every now and then. I kept driving though, trying not to let the fact that my boss was practically making out with his body guard. About four blocks from Jia's apartment, I stopped at a light. Hisoka checked his watch as he then leaned back. I leaned back against the seat, my hand on the steering wheel as I rested my other hand on my knee. I watched as traffic slowly moved on as other cars made turns or went right past us. We were the second car at the light, another car pulled up behind us, the lights on so I couldn't see who was driving. I was waiting for the light to change as suddenly the car behind us flashed the high beams which was all the warning we got before it rammed us. I hit the breaks and pulled up the emergency break as Toki turned and looked out the window as he took a shot. Jia had slouched down as Hisoka got out of the car as Toki did and began shooting. I couldn't just sit there so I looked over my shoulder as I said,

"Jia are you okay?"

"Fine."

He pulled back his hair from his face as he sat up slightly but ducked back down as a bullet went through the back window. I got out of the car too, my gun in my hand as I started shooting too. I remembered everything Akio taught me and fired. I started moving in as people climbed out of the car from behind us. The car itself started going backwards, trying to get away so I ran after it. I went up to the drivers window and with my elbow broke the rolled up window as I grabbed the driver and pulled him out. I heard someone groan with pain as I saw Toki clock some guy with the end of his gun. He grabbed him as he began punching him in the face. Meanwhile I had the driver and yanked him out of the car and threw him to the ground as Toki walked over to me as said I did good before he put his foot on the guys face and knelt down. He smiled as he said,

"Hey you. How you doing?"

The driver could only moan in pain for a moment as Toki said,

"Who you work for?"

The driver said nothing, but started mumbling in Korean. Toki moved his foot as he put his gun there as a replacement and said,

"I can pretend you're telling me off and be done with it. Who the fuck you work for? I won't ask again."

The guy said nothing until he heard the gun click and said,

"Just kill me."

"Got that much loyalty huh?"

"Yes."

"Stupid."

He shot him point blank without a word. The other guys were already killed so we went back to the car as Jia stepped out. Toki went over to him as he said,

"Li, you okay?"

"A little sore."

I looked at the car and felt more pain...I loved that car.

We had to leave the scene. Luckily the car was under a false name so we didn't worry about that. We took a cab the rest of the way since Jia was in some pain. I stayed quiet for a while as Jia then leaned back against Toki since the four of us squeezed in the cab, Jia ended up having to sit on Toki's lap. He leaned back as he said,

"Joryu...you're getting comfortable with your job."

I shrugged as I said,

"I guess."

I saw him smile as he went into his pockets and looked for his cigarette case as he got one out. He went into Toki's coat pocket as he lit it and said,

"You're doing fine kid."

I smiled, feeling proud. When the cab stopped, we went back to Hisoka's apartment. There I didn't even bother changing and I left my gun on the floor beside me as I laid on the couch and slept. I managed to sleep through the night and got up, got dressed and went back to the office with Hisoka. There we found out that Jia was in pain still. I guess he took the blunt of the hit. Toki was okay, not really complaining of anything but the usual. Jia brought everyone in, Gabriel was doing checks of the cost of the damage to the car as Jun made sure that nothing on Jia was broken. The top heads stood up front, Hisoka and myself in the background near the door as Jia explained the situation. Tai explained he found out the name of his enemy.

"His name is Lee Sung Hyun. He's Alexandra's husband."

"I thought she loved her first too much to ever marry again?"

"Well...I guess time heals all wounds. But unlike her first, this is the head of a very powerful syndicate in Seoul. He owns the large crime portion there, running a lot of drug and money laundering schemes. He also has a few scars of his own. Been arrested for drug possession, arrested for suspected criminal acts, suspected for multiple murders including that of another crime lord and his own first wife Yoo Jin."

Jia looked up from his desk as he said,

"He killed his own wife?"

"It's suspected he did. She died under mysterious circumstances. Not two weeks later after the funeral he hopped a plane taking his syndicate with him as he got to California and married Alexandra."

Jia nodded as he lit a cigarette as he said,

"How fucked up is that?"

"His wife made him sign a prenup where he was required to spilt half of everything should they get divorced."

"And he didn't want to give up anything."

"He's a wealthy man that's got a lot to loose."

Jia nodded as he said,

"Joryu, when you got the guy out of the car, he didn't say anything?"

Everyone turned to look at me as Jia smoked.

"Um...no. He was just stunned."

He nodded as he said,

"Today I want you and Hisoka to travel around Manhattan and look for this Sung Hyun guy. His wife is Alexandra. She was the one you saw at the tea house the other night."

"If I find her Jia...?"

"If you find her, bring her here. She knows me."

"And her husband?"

He paused before putting out the cigarette in the ash tray.

"Kill him."

I nodded as I waited for Jia to assign everyone else. Gabriel and Tai had to get a new car, Aya and Aoki went back to Queens to look for Sung Hyun or any of his people, Jun and Mikkie went find more information on Sung Hyun and Akio went downstairs to make sure no one got in as Toki stayed by Jia. Hisoka and I went on our way.

I was happy I was finally getting some recognition. To think once before I was being scolded every few minutes for not doing something right. We only walked as far as Soho when I noticed Alexandra. She was standing in front of a window as if contemplating if she should go inside. She leaned down and tugged up the side of her knee high boot as she decided to go in. I nudged Hisoka as I said,

"It's her."

"I see her."

"Should we go in?"

He looked around for a moment before he said,

"You get her. I'll stay here and make sure no one else is around."

I nodded as we went to the store and I went in. I looked around for her in the small store as she shopped. I gradually went over to her as I said,

"Mrs. Lee?"

She looked up at me with wide, surprised eyes as she said,

"Who are you?"

"I work for Jia. I need you to come with me please."

She frowned as she went back to her shopping and said,

"I got nothing to say to Jia. He wants something from me, tell him to come get me himself otherwise, you can go running back to him and tell him to go fuck himself."

I was a little surprised. I then said,

"I'm just following orders."

She sighed as she looked up at me and said,

"You're new aren't you?"

"Hai.."

"So what's your name? Silence, Murder, Cold Dark Evil wind? What?"

"I don't have a syndicate name."

"Oh geez he sent a lackey. How insulting. He couldn't even send a close head of his."

She turned away from me. I suddenly got very angry. This woman had no respect for me though I wasn't even being mean or insulting. I was simply asking for her to fulfill the quest my employer asked of me and she snubs me. I grab her arm forcefully as I take my gun and point it her lower back and lean down close to her as I said,

"I'm not a syndicate head but I'm still a yakuza. You wanna fuck with me and I'll gladly put an extra hole in you. Get me?"

I jab it into her lower back as she gasped and then said,

"Fine..."

We walked out of the store and I met up with Hisoka and we got her in a cab and went back to the building.