I went home that night only thinking of the job at hand. I sat on my bed pouring through the file I just got, Dir en Grey playing Raison D'etre in the background. I laid down, looking over names and property and notes in Tai's sloppy yet legible handwriting while Aya's was pretty, small and clear. He could fit a paragraph in the margin of a sheet of paper. Akio was a lot more...elegant very exaggerated though yet still legible. Gabriel's seemed almost juvenile since he wrote sloppy, yet clearly all at once. I read through their notes, what they wrote about Kenimin's children. The four were almost scattered, but not far enough. Two still lived in Victoria. One was in New York, the other was currently unknown. That was all the information that they had gathered for me. I didn't feel like traveling, though because one was in New York, it was my first intention to go there. Then I thought about how stupid I was being just because I wanted my dick sucked I was willing to shaft my work. I smacked myself in the forehead as I decided that if I had to, I'd head to Hong Kong first. For the rest of the night, I pulled out a map of the world and circled the first two cities I had to got to no matter what. Once I was done, I was glad I had bought that stupid map.

The next morning, I went to Jia's office and told him everything I had to do. Jia nodded, smoked, agreed and then said,

"So...what do you from me?"

I could have fallen over at that point. After I just spent twenty minutes going over everything.

"I was just letting you know so I could go to Hong Kong."

"Oh, okay. You know Aka-chan you don't have to tell me every little thing. Just let me know you're going to Hong Kong for work."

"Oh....okay."

"Who's going with you?"

"Um...I have to take someone?"

"You can't go into the city of the man I just basically told to fuck off, alone."

"But Akio's busy."

"Take someone who isn't."

"Okay."

I bowed my head slightly before leaving his office.

Someone who wasn't busy. Well...that's Aoki, Mikkie, Jun and Toki. Well Jun's the doctor, at any given moment he could be busy and he was sorta busy anyway with some other stuff I didn't bother asking about so I had to count him out. Aoki....um..moving along. Toki, yeah right I'd sooner go by myself. So that left Mikkie. I was on okay terms with him so I guess I could ask him to come with me. Besides, not like we didn't travel just the two of us before. After I thought that out and wandered around Jia's floor for a while, I finally decided to call him to see if I couldn't find him anywhere. I thought it was rather lazy of me instead of just to go looking for him since he was probably right here but I called anyway. His phone rang for a moment before I heard him answer.

"Hai."

"Mikkie?"

"Hm?"

"Are you around here somewhere?"

"Around where?"

"Jia's building."

"No, I stayed home today. I don't have anything to do."

"Oh, I'm sorry for bothering you."

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, no I just had to ask you something."

"Ask me what?"

"I have to go to Hong Kong soon to do some background checks on Kenimin's sons. Two of them are in Hong Kong but Jia wants me to take someone and since everyone is either busy or out of the question I was wondering if you'd care to go."

"Yes. I'll go. When?"

"I have to book the flight but I was thinking sometime near the end of this week."

"That's fine."

"Okay, thanks Mikkie."

"No problem."

We hung up as I sighed and went on to go do everything else.

The best part about going to places like Hong Kong and New York were that I didn't have to pack. Ha. No packing for me. I already had everything over there at both apartments although my Hong Kong was so empty. I just bought clothes and shit for it there. Anyway, that didn't matter because I wasn't there much for vacation of any sort. The worse part about traveling was having to leave everything I loved about a city and fuck up my whole sleeping pattern. By the end of the week, I made my travel plans and went over everything with Mikkie. Working with Mikkie was hard though sometimes. On occasion, Toki was there, annoying Mikkie I guess, but Mikkie really did nothing to actually make him go away other then shout at him once and then go back to ignoring him. And Mikkie didn't really shout...he just...spoke a little louder then he usually did. Toki rarely took that as threatening and sat beside Mikkie, smoking, his hand on his thigh, or wrapped around some end of Mikkie's still blonde hair. Anyway by the end of the week, Mikkie and I left for Hong Kong and went to work doing the background check on two of Kenimin's sons. It would be hard to go unnoticed there especially since Kenimin knew both our faces, but we had to go on with our work regardlessly.

The first son we came across was the eldest, Xiao Lung. He was Kenimin's first and there for, most precious, beloved child. Kenimin spoiled Xiao Lung so the little man had to do nothing and lived in luxury. Living in high class society, doing absolutely nothing now that he finished school. He was the one that Kenimin had in mind to take over Japan and was also Kenimin's right hand man. As he waited for Kenimin to die so he could take over the Black Hand, he had married the eldest daughter of one of the highest ranking business executives in Victoria. Also, he was even more adored because his own first child was a male. Kenimin moved everything with Xiao Lung. He was his sun rise and sun set and the world began and ended with him. Kenimin Xiao Lung was also close to thirty, college educated and in his father's eyes, gold. He was Jia's first battle. What Xiao Lung actually knew was difficult to see because he was a family man and still his father's heir to Hong Kong. Mikkie assumed that since he was second in command, that he would know everything Kenimin does.

"Xiao Lung would probably be just as difficult to get to as Kenimin is right now."

I nodded, looking over my notes as I sat down at a restaurant with Mikkie. He and I had spent our second day in Hong Kong learning what we could about Kenimin's first born. I tucked my hair back as I said,

"So what we know about this guy is that he's Kenimin's pride and joy and also second in command. "

"He's got a kid."

"Yeah that too..."

"Worst comes to worse, we can just cut the family tie there."

I looked up at Mikkie as I saw him stir his tea. He said it so naturally and calmly. I looked over what I wrote down as I said,

"But...the kid is only about six or seven."

"So?"

I didn't bother to argue, Mikkie not caring about anything but his job. If he had to slit the throat of a seven year old child he would, without hesitation. I had to wonder how anyone like Mikkie was capable of loving anyone. Anyway, after we found out about Xiao Lung, we moved on to find out about the second son, loved but not as much as the first and the rest of Kenimin's family. Kenimin had apparently married three different women just because he could. The second son, Xiao Hei, lived also well above his means. He was just as educated, married well but unlike his older brother, he had only one boy and a girl as his children. He was what was considered as back up so he was just as educated as Xiao Lung. I still had no idea where one of them was and the other was in New York City.

By the fourth day I spent there with Mikkie, I had learned what I could about Kenimin's two kids. I called Jia and let him know about the information.

"Kenimin's kids aren't fucking around."

"No, they're well educated. The one I see you having with a problem most is Xiao Lung. Oldest and ready to take Kenimin's place."

"So he would have to be my next enemy."

"Yes. His second is Xiao Hei. He would be the next problem."

"He has four right?"

"Hai, one's in New York, the other is still being tracked down."

"Probably the youngest is the one that disappeared."

"Probably. I'm going to head to New York after this unless you want me to do something to Kenimin's oldest."

"No, don't risk it. Just send all the information to Tai. He'll put it to use."

"Hai. I'll be heading over to New York then."

"Okay. Talk to you soon Aka-chan."

"Talk to you soon Jia."

I hung up as I then sent the information over to Tai. After confirming everything with Tai about the information about Xiao Lung, Mikkie and I made arrangements to go to New York within two days. Mikkie was good at his job because all he really did was blend into the background. No one really expected him to be capable of anything since his slender frame, pale complexion and short height gave everyone the idea he was a docile, fragile thing. Unfortunately, they were all wrong. I later learned that, that's how he got his syndicate name anyway. Because he was underestimated, he was pale and people dismissed him as nothing but a myth. By the end of the week, Mikkie and I headed over to New York.

When we got there, we took a break to rest up from the jet lag and I slept for hours. When I woke up, it was almost one in the morning. I sat up and rubbed my eyes as I went to take a shower. I decided to call Mikkie next to see if he was up and ready to work but when I got back from my shower and started getting dressed, my cell phone rang. I thought it would be Mikkie but when I answered, I heard a different, yet familiar voice.

"Hey Joryu."

I smiled as I sat down, smoothing my wet hair back as I said,

"Hey Ichiro."

I swear I could hear his smile as he said,

"Nice to see you still remember."

"How could I forget?"

He laughed slightly as he said,

"I wish I would call for pleasure. Unfortunately it's business."

"Oh, Jia called you to let you know why we were here?"

"Yeah he let me know. Along with the Yami and Karasu."

"So do we have back up?"

"More or less. We'll have a meeting with Karasu and the Yami later on tomorrow evening."

"Okay. I should let Mikkie know."

"He knows. Karasu contacted him earlier. I would invite you over tonight but unfortunately I'm working."

"Sucks."

He then said,

"I do want to see you soon though."

I smiled myself as I said,

"I wanna see you too."

"But within due time Joryu. I'll see you tomorrow. The meeting is at seven. At the Pearl Tea House."

"Okay, thanks. See you then."

We then hung up as I went to get dressed and go over the rest of my notes for the last two of Kenimin's kids.