I paused for a moment before I said,

"Okay Jia, I'm on my way."

I hung up, sticking my phone in my pocket as I said to Lotus,

"Come on, we have to go."

"What's going on?"

"Something. Come on."

I helped her get the helmet back on before she slowly sat sideways on the bike and got a hold of me before I started up my new lover and drove us back. I got to the building a little while later, parking my bike and helping Lotus off as we went inside. I adjusted my coat and tie as I saw Aoki and Mikkie in the lobby. I went up to Mikkie as I said,

"What happened?"

He didn't say anything, just looked past me to see Lotus. I turned to her as I said,

"I'm sorry, could you excuse us?"

She nodded, going over to the lobby couch and sitting down in her elegant way, his ankles crossed one over the other, her knees touching, her hands clasped on top of her lap. Mikkie then said,

"Kenimin died tonight. His illness, his sudden travel and the stress he's been under got him under."

I nodded as I said,

"So now what?"

"Jia's figuring everything out with the business heads now."

I nodded as I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked at Aoki for a moment as I noticed him about to light a cigarette and I turned away. Pretty soon all of the top heads that weren't business heads were sitting in the lobby including Toki. He was falling asleep, his head on Mikkie's shoulder as he slouched down on the couch. He had a cigarette in his mouth as he gradually dozed off. Mikkie paid him no attention, he just kept reading the newspaper he borrowed from Jun. His hair was tied up, half up half down so most it was away from Toki's cigarette. Jun sat on the other side of Mikkie, yawning, rubbing his eyes slightly as he waited. Aoki sat on the other smaller couch, a cigarette burning in his hand as he seemed to be concentrating on something. I sat beside Lotus in the couch across from Mikkie, Jun and Toki. Lotus was still in her sitting position, just calmly waiting as I took out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it. I inhaled, looking at nothing when I heard Aoki say,

"Mikkie, you better get Toki off your shoulder or take that cigarette out of his mouth. He just fell asleep."

Mikkie didn't even look at Aoki. He just reached up and took the cigarette out of Toki's mouth and passed it to Jun who in turn rubbed it out on the ashtray. Mikkie then went back to reading. I started getting hungry, my stomach rumbling slightly as everyone got more and more bored. Tai, Gabriel, Aya and Akio were all upstairs with Nishiki and Jia working out final plans. Lower heads came in and out sometimes, I saw Hisoka but he couldn't stop to talk since he was working. I yawned as rubbed my eyes tucking my hair back, fidgeting until finally, Tai and Gabriel came downstairs. Jun and Aoki looked over at them as Tai said,

"It's all done. Jia is in control of Hong Kong. Tomorrow or the day after, he'll go and begin claiming and signing everything he needs to."

"Who's going with him?" Asked Aoki.

"I am. As well as Gabriel and Toki."

We looked at Toki was still passed out asleep on Mikkie's shoulder. Tai then cleared his throat as he said,

"So unless Jia says otherwise, we have time off."

I nodded, glad when I heard Lotus saying,

"What of me?"

We all looked at her as she looked up at us. Gabriel then said,

"Jia said he would grant you a divorce."

She then nodded and looked down and everyone began to talk about what to do next. Jia came downstairs a little while later and woke Toki up. Toki woke up groggy, his eyes heavy as he said,

"What happen?"

"Nothing. Get up." Said Jia.

Toki sat up as Mikkie finally got up, rubbing his shoulder slightly. Jia then said,

"Everything is done with Kenimin. For the time being, everyone has time off."

He turned to Lotus as he said,

"I'm sorry...but your father died tonight."

She looked down at her hands as she then brought them up to her face. She started to cry and not a single one of us knew how to deal with a crying female. Jia looked panicked for a second like he thinking 'oh my God she's crying, make it stop.' Finally since no one would do anything, I sat beside her and put my arm around her and let her cry on my shoulder. No one said anything and they just let that happen. Jia motioned to Toki to take him home as everyone soon began leaving. By the dim light of the evening, I sat by myself with Lotus, comforting her as she cried. When she finally began to relax, she sat up, wiping her eyes as she cleared her throat and said,

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I didn't mean to cry in front of everyone like that."

"It's okay."

She smoothed back her hair as she said,

"I cried all over you."

She smoothed over the shoulder of my coat as I said,

"Don't worry about it."

She gave a weak smile as she then said,

"So this is what you meant by something happening. And why Jia would now grant me a divorce so soon."

I nodded as she sighed and said,

"When will he do this?"

"I'm not sure. I'll see tomorrow."

I then realized Jia had not give the order for anyone to stand guard for Lotus tonight. I then said,

"I'll take you back to your room."

She nodded as we both stood up and went back to the garage. We got on my bike as I took her to the Imperial. Once I dropped her off, giving her some time to herself, I went for a ride. I strapped my helmet back on, tipping the clear shield over my eyes as I went on my way. I drove for a while, loving the speed I was pushing. Being caught by cops was not an option so I stuck to the back roads where I sped like crazy, loving how fast I could go. I was defiantly addicted to the speed, to the sound of the bike underneath me, how it felt, how it made me feel. It was almost sexual.

I had time again though, I didn't know what to do with it. With Miya no longer wanting to see me, Akio and I no longer on sexual terms because the Playboy had moved on and Ichiro in New York, I had nothing and no one else to turn to for anything. I wasn't too upset about it anymore. I figured it didn't matter anyway. I had my bike and all the free time I needed to use it with. The next morning I didn't go in to do anything. I slept in since I had spent the other night just riding through all of Tokyo getting a better feel for my bike stopping only to get something to eat or to have a cigarette. I was asleep that whole morning. The world could have come crashing down around me and the most I would have done was turn over. I was beyond exhausted. When I did wake up, it was only out of hunger and to go to the bathroom. Once I was done with one, I went to order some take out while I went to change. After a shower, I got dressed, putting on my loose dark blue jeans and white short sleeved shirt that wasn't really short sleeved because it fell past my elbows along with my black wrist cuff. I then got my take out, ate as quickly as I could as I watched TV standing in the middle of my living room. Once I finished eating, I threw the garbage away as I got my boots on, grabbed my keys, my phone, stuck my gun in my pocket just in case as I picked up my helmet and went out for a ride.

I had plenty of time to think which is what I did. After getting the next volume for Gravitation, I headed to Shibe Park and sat on my bike for a while, reading to myself. Around nine that night, I got a call to head to the office so I did. After parking my bike and sticking my manga in the back pocket of my jeans I went inside. I went to Jia's office when I saw no one in the lobby. Once I got there I saw everyone there including Lotus. Gabriel was going over some final papers with Jia as Lotus looked on. After a few minutes, Jia signed something then Lotus did as Gabriel looked up and said,

"It's final."

Jia sighed as Lotus then clasped her hands behind her back. Jia then noticed me as he said,

"Aka-chan, take Lotus to get her things at the hotel and then accompany her to the airport."

I nodded as he gave me some money to pay for the hotel and for the plane ticket as I was then excused. Lotus and I went to the elevator as I noticed her sad expression. I knew she was upset. Loosing her father and husband all at once was not making things any better. For someone that supposedly feels so much, Jia can be pretty damn insensitive. Anyway once we both got out to the garage, I handed her my helmet as she said,

"Do I have to leave?"

"I don't know. Jia said you can go wherever you want."

"I have nothing to go back to in Hong Kong."

"There's nothing for you here either."

"I have nothing anywhere I go so why should I leave here? Would it make any different of where I went?"

"I don't know."

She looked down at the helmet I gave her, her small hands brushing over the surface as she said,

"Didn't Jia say I could go anywhere I want?"

"Yeah..."

"Then I'd like to stay here."

I bit my bottom lip as I leaned back against my bike and took out my cigarette as I said,

"I don't know if you can stay here."

"I don't see why I should go anywhere just because Jia commands me to. He's not even my husband. If he said I can go anywhere then I should be able to pick my destination and I like it here."

I wasn't sure what to say so I thought the next best thing was just to get out of here and let her pack her things.

"Come on. Let's go back to the hotel and maybe you can have some time to think about it."

She got the helmet on without my help this time and since she was wearing dress pants, she just straddled the bike after I got on and we both left. I tied my hair back this time and I drove off to the Imperial. She still clutched onto me as I went at a high speed, weaving in and out of traffic, missing cars by inches, stopping at lights being my only pausing. I would put my foot down when we were at a light and she would look around for a minute before I would start back up and speed off. After she packed her things she sat down and I sat next to her. She thought for a long time while I smoked. She clasped her hands on her lap as she said,

"I don't have a place to stay here. No job, maybe it's better if I return to the States."

"Do you have anything there?"

"No."

She looked down again as she said,

"Maybe it would be better if I returned to Hong Kong until further notice. Maybe after I get some things planned out I can make better arrangements."

I nodded, agreeing with her plan as I helped her gather the small bag she gathered and then we left for the airport. Once I dropped her off, I gave her the money Jia had given me for her ticket. She held her bag in her hands as she looked down and then said,

"Thank you so much Joryu. For everything you did for me."

"It was no problem."

She gave me back my helmet as she kissed my cheek and then turned and left. I smiled, watching her go inside as I wished I had someone like her in my life. But going after Jia's ex wife is in bad style so I put my helmet on and kicked up the kick stand as me and my new lover went back into Tokyo.

When I started going home, I was thinking about what to do. I defiantly wanted to eat, maybe get some gloves because I knew I would start developing a horrible callous on my hands if I kept riding without gloves and maybe stop to see if Hisoka was around. Since it was about ten at this point I decided to get the gloves tomorrow and get some dinner and Hisoka now. I called him as I parked in front of a restaurant and said for him to meet me up. In about twenty minutes he showed up and we sat at the small bar in front of the sushi bar as we ate. He looked up as he said,

"How you been?"

"Got a new lover." I said with a smile.

He laughed as he said,

"How is she or he?"

"Parked outside the restaurant."

He turned around as he looked out the window and said,

"What? That bike?"

"Hai."

"Nice."

"My new lover."

He laughed again as he said,

"When did you get it?"

"Two days ago."

"You got a license for it?"

I shook my head as he laughed again and said,

"Don't let the cops catch you."

"That's not an option."

We finished having dinner as we spoke, laughed and made small talk. I then let him know how I just turned twenty not to long ago.

"You know, the top heads usually celebrate birthdays."

"Could have fooled me. I spent almost two years working with them and not a one celebrated anything. Not even the holidays."

"The timing was off. If there's nothing going on, a celebration is usually in demand."

"Nah, they wouldn't care. I'm the baby and still newest. I made two huge mistakes already and I seriously doubt that any one of them would want to celebrate anything."

"Then I will. I'll take you out somewhere."

"Yeah?"

"Sure. We'll do anything you want."

I smiled as I said,

"Thanks Hisoka."

He gave me a smile as we finished eating then we left and went to see my baby outside. He admired it for a moment before we made plans to see each other again and I went home. When I got to my apartment, I saw Akio walking out from the lobby. I pulled up in front as I took off my helmet and kicked down the kick stand as I said,

"What are you doing here?"

"Came to see you."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't lately. Where you been?"

"Went out with Hisoka."

He nodded, looking at my bike again as he said,

"It's nice."

"Thanks. So anything you want?"

"Just wondering if you were up for anything."

"I thought you got bored of me."

"What? Why do you say that?"

"I figured. You put the distance there."

"I've been busy."

"Relax, I know."

"You are assuming way too much shit here. I'm busy sometimes, I can't always be around."

"Whoa! I'm not saying I wanted you around for me to cling on Akio!"

"Then what the fuck are you gettin all mad at me for!?"

"Who's mad!? I'm not mad! I don't care. I'm just saying I don't need an excuse because I KNOW you're busy and that you're...you and you will eventually move on."

"That's some fucked up cold shit Baby-chu."

"It's your rep aint it? Then how do you expect me not to follow it?"

He sighed as he reached up to my face, smoothing back stray strands of red hair that had gotten loose from the tail I tied it back into as he said,

"I never get tired of someone who's willing."

I smiled slightly as I said,

"I'm still willing."

"What about Miya?"

"He doesn't wanna see me ever again."

"What happened?"

"He got tired of me saying one thing then showing up with kiss marks."

He sighed as he said,

"Damn Baby-chu, that's real stupid of you."

"I know. But I fucked that up. Might as well drown my sorrows in burning money, drinkin and fuckin THE Akio."

He laughed as I then went to put my bike away and went to my apartment, Akio close behind.