I stayed in New York for a few days. Six to be exact. The entire time I was there, I would only go to my apartment to change clothes. Otherwise, most of it was spent at Ichiro's apartment. I got to see his niece more often. She would be running around with her nanny behind her. The middle aged woman would be chasing Katie around with her coat, trying to get her to put it on as Katie ran away and ran to Ichiro. I got to see Ichiro balance being a semi-parent while he worked. He was on the phone, dealing with Itto Ketsuen business all while holding Katie up and putting her coat on and then setting her down on the ground. Before she spilt over her glass, Ichiro would pick it up and move it. Whenever she dropped something, Katie's nanny would clean it up or Ichiro would. When Katie ran over to the both of us and I would be on the bed, Ichiro on the phone or just laying his head on my chest as we both watched TV, he would settle her down and she would watch TV with us until she fell asleep. He was almost like a father. And while I was there, it was almost like some bizarre family scene. One of my final nights, I spent in Ichiro's room watching some movie. I was on my side, Ichiro in front of me as Katie slept in his arms. I stroked Ichiro's hair back from his neck, planting gentle kisses there as he sighed softly. Since he was home each day I went there, he didn't wear his choker, so I got to feel just his neck, his smooth skin and the feel of his hair. He eventually got up, taking Katie to her room and he came back, locking the door behind him. He got back in my arms as I laid over him. He then put his arms around me, kissing me. When we took a break for air, he looked up at me as he said,

"When do you have to go?"

"Kicking me out?"

He laughed slightly as he said,

"No, just wondering so I could start getting use to the idea."

"I'm not sure. Maybe in a two more days. I spent almost a week here."

"I know."

We kissed for a moment as I said,

"I'm sorry I used you."

"It's okay. Not like I didn't know I was being used."

"You don't care?"

"Not in the least. It's not like we date each other."

"True."

And we kissed again.

By the sixth day, early that morning as I slept, I heard my cell phone ringing. I moved my loose hair from my eyes as I sat up slightly and reached over to the night stand where I picked up my phone. I answered only to hear Tai on the other end. He apologized for anything he might have interrupted before he said,

"You should come back now."

"Hai, I figured I should be heading back soon."

"When should we expect you?"

"I'm not sure. I'll catch the first flight out. I'll call when I'm there."

"Okay. Until then."

We hung up as I sighed, turning on my back as Ichiro sat up.

"Going?"

"Yup."

He leaned down and kissed me once before he got out of bed and got his boxers on. He then pulled up his sweats he smoothed his hair back. I saw his small, perfect beauty mark on the corner of his eye as his reddish blonde bangs were tucked behind his ears. He then opened the door to his bedroom as he turned back to me and said,

"So, what time are you leaving?"

"Depending on when my flight gets out."

I started getting dressed again as he said,

"You gonna face your problems?"

"I have no choice now. My problems are calling me back."

He helped me pull my shirt on as I sighed, sitting down on the bed as I picked up my hair tie beside my phone. I started gathering my hair in my hands as he stood in front of me, his slender waist leaning towards the side more as I looked up at him. He smiled slightly as he said,

"I'm glad I was able to see you."

"Yeah...same here."

I stood up as I kissed him before I said,

"I have to call."

He nodded as I picked up my phone and called to see what the first flight out was. I also saw it was close to seven in the morning. Damn time zones. Anyway I called and booked a flight for nine that same morning as I then rubbed my eyes and looked at Ichiro who sat on his bed, watching TV. I went up behind him as I leaned my head on his shoulder and said,

"Around eight I gotta go."

"What time is your flight?"

"Nine."

"Okay."

I turned to him, kissing his shoulder as he leaned back into me. I lingered around for a while, realizing I had yet to take a shower but I couldn't exactly stop home and change either since I had only an hour or so. I just stayed where I was until around seven thirty when I took a cab to JFK, saying bye to Ichiro for now. I waited for my flight, getting some coffee as I waited. Around nine, the flight began to board and I went back to Tokyo.

I arrived the next evening, not really tired since I slept on the plane. I went back to my apartment and changed my clothes after a shower. I then called Tai on my way to the building as I lit a cigarette.

"Hai."

"I'm here."

"In Tokyo?"

"Hai. I'm on my way there."

"Okay."

We hung up as I sat in silence the rest of the cab ride there. When I did arrive to Jia's building, I stepped out and walked inside the lobby, noticing no one was around. I checked my watch to see everyone was probably working or home. I headed up to Jia's office, knocking softly on his door. I heard his voice allow me in and I stepped inside after opening the door, looking up to see Jia at his desk. He was having a cigarette, leaning back against his seat as his black hair fell around his face. He wasn't wearing his coat and he looked the same as he always did, facial expression wise. I closed the door behind me as I said,

"Jia?"

He looked at me as he turned his chair and looked outside the huge picture window behind him. The small lamp on his desk was the only source of light in the otherwise dark room. I clasped my hands behind my back as he said,

"Sit down."

I walked over to his desk as I sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. I set my hands on my lap as I heard him begin to talk.

"I think...I may have looked at you and thought too much of you. May have...misjudged you. Just because you are Aoki's son does not mean you are Aoki. You may have his mannerisms, his looks, but you are not him. You don't have his attitude, his common sense, his actions. You don't even have his ability to shut off emotion."

I looked at my hands, faintly wondering if this was the start of my dismissal.

"You do have some hope though. I understand that you're still young and you're still learning about this. So...I apologize for making such a harsh ultimatum before. It's not my place to say. I'm your boss...not your God. I have no right to interfere in your personal life."

"It's okay. I'm glad you did."

"How come?"

"Because...Miya wouldn't want me back anyway. He left me after Sugihara's first encounter. It's no surprise if he never wanted to see me now after this."

"I see. All the same. You're the common young yakuza. The one who thinks because he's twenty, busted off a couple of caps and got away without a single arrest that he's invincible. That nothing could touch him. Then around the same age, everyone gets that harsh blow that sends them barreling back to real life, where they hit the ground with so much impact it takes the wind out of you. It happens to everyone. I'll tell you something I didn't find out until much later running this syndicate."

I saw him extend his arm out to the side, his chair turning slightly as he tapped his cigarette against the ashtray. He then turned back to his original position.

"You know why Aoki wears those sunglasses right?"

"He's got a scar over his eye."

"You know how he got that scar?"

"No."

"I myself have known him for some...ten, fifteen years. He was in jail when I took over this syndicate. Out of all those years, I only saw him without those sunglasses maybe a handful of times. He hides behind those glasses because if you see the eye alone, there's a scar that indents his eyelid and doesn't allow it to close completely. The eye itself is white and he can't see out of it."

"He's blind in the eye?"

"Yeah. But you know why?"

"No."

"Because he was once twenty something too. Aoki was always in this game. It's like he was born to it. When he was around your age, he was just released from jail. He thought he was one bad ass yakuza. Everyone should be shook of him. So, he was fucking around when he shouldn't have been. Upon his release, he went to fuck off with a couple of guys. He decided to get drunk, stoned and blown as his celebration. As he smoked, drank and got his dick sucked, he and his friends were ambushed by some rivals back in the day. They started shooting up the place. Aoki was dazed, disoriented...and when he went to duck behind a wall to get himself together, he found himself face to face with a barrel of a gun. He turned his head fast enough to not get killed, but the blast went off near his eye. He lost his eye as a result."

I wasn't sure where he was going with that story.

"I'm telling you this to let you know that, I have some hope for you. I think I expected too much from you because of who your father is. But now, remembering that, I would hope you grow out of it. Aoki did."

Jia turned his chair back around to face me as he said,

"I still apologize for my early words."

I nodded slightly as I said,

"It's okay."

"I'm hoping your days off before gave you a chance to collect yourself."

"They did."

"Toshimasa is still in Japan. He's not exactly sure what to do with himself since I just had his partner killed. His gambling ring is too big to run alone. So I might have to get involved with that soon. Sugihara is still in Bangkok. The 24K is not big enough to take him down since the Teo Chiu runs all that. However, I have the Black Hand now...so I might just have leverage over them now. I'll have to see later."

I nodded as I then said,

"Where is everyone?"

"Home. Toki's in the car waiting for me."

"I see."

"So, tomorrow evening, I'll have a regular meeting. We'll discuss what to do then. You could go."

I bowed my head slightly as I got up from my chair and left his office.

I decided to go back home to change since I wasn't tired. When I changed again I went out to get a drink. I had to sit at the bar by myself, sulking slightly. I was feeling strange recently, wondering about myself mostly. I didn't bother to linger on my pain with Miya. That part of my life was completely over with now. I didn't even want look back. It was almost as if Miya died and I had to get over it. I had to think of it that way. I doubt I was ever going to see him again. I didn't bother thinking of anything else and I felt glad that at least there was a chance I could grow out of my stupidity. Jia said that everyone, around my age gets to feel that blow that brings them back to earth. I felt mine. Having Miya nearly torn from me was enough. I had learned. I saw that it was my major weakness, something anyone could use against me. I saw how Sugihara used that to his advantage...and how I stupidly walked into his set up. It was better this way. I had hit the earth with full impact. It left me lifeless. I was a child, forever marked as one since I could not stop acting like one. I think from that moment on, I figured that, my childhood had come to an end for good.