It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, and gentle fluffy clouds floated above, occasionally passing in front of the sun. It was warm out, but nfot too hot. It rained the night before and the air had a fresh clean smell to it. The birds were chirping merrily in the trees and the wind rustled softly through the grass. It was the kind of day that Hiroki loved. On such days he would take a walk or go biking. Usually he would feel at peace. That day was not today. Ash's presence hung above him like a dark cloud polluting his mind and making the day seem far less cheerful. How can people be happy when Eiji is road tripping around Japan with a criminal? Eiji; his name echoed in Hiroki's mind. Usually the thought of his crush would make him happy. It would fill him with joy and take his breath away. Right now, however, it filled him with grief. Eiji knew better. He knew better than to date a criminal. It took another three days after his talk with Mrs. Okumura for the truth to really settle in his mind. Eiji was dating a murderer…

And he knew it.

Eiji who he knew, the one who grew up in Japan, the one who he attended school with, would have known better. He would have pushed Ash away and gotten to a safe distance. Eiji has always been cautious, always took the safe way. He always avoided conflicts. America has changed Eiji. Ash has changed Eiji. The change has seeped into his crush and blackened his mind. Eiji must be confused. He must have been so lost in America that it changed him for the worst.

Truthfully, Hiroki knew his thoughts were all cluttered. It made trying to figure out Eiji's motives and reasons almost impossible. Hiroki wanted to justify things, to explain things, to come up with a series of events that would make the boy he remembered act the way he did.

Hiroki wondered how Eiji could have decided that a gang leader would make a good boyfriend. It must have felt like a forbidden romance. There must have been a thrill to it; the dashing young dangerous gang leader falling in love with you. Meeting in secret so no one else knew about your affair. Eiji, who had never been in a relationship before, must have been taken in by the idea. It probably gave him a sense of power, like their love was invincible. He probably never saw Ash do anything dangerous, so he romanticized it. It was the same way some movies romanticized violence or epic adventures. Then, at the end of Eiji's stay, he and Ash were discovered and Eiji got shot. That was where Hiroki's theory faltered. How did Eiji's romanticized view survive that pain? He could only think that Ash had probably begged him to stay with him. He probably told Eiji it wouldn't happen again. He probably asked to go to Japan with Eiji.

It was all Ash's fault. Eiji wasn't that much of a romantic until Ash came along. Eiji has changed, he's become too passive towards violence. He must have kept himself from thinking too hard about it. Poor confused Eiji, Ash was probably manipulating him. Once Mrs. Okumura talked to Ash and kicked him out, Eiji would be safe. Eiji just needed to open his eyes to the truth of the things he was glamorizing. It was that thought alone that kept Hiroki from falling into despair all week. Now that the week was coming to an end, Hiroki felt himself become more antsy. Soon the couple would be returning. It was only a matter of hours now.

"Hiroki!" the young man blinked and returned to reality. He must have gotten lost in his thoughts again. He turned towards the voice and found his mother standing next to him, her hands on her hips.

"Stop zoning out." She scolded.

"Sorry." Hiroki muttered. His mother's face softened slightly.

"I went to visit the Okumuras" she said. Hiroki tried not to react too much to the name. "And Yumi-chan asked me to give you this." She handed him a small folded note. Hiroki took it muttering his thanks and pocketed it. He would read the note later. Whatever Yumi had to say could wait until after Ash was booted out. Hiroki's mother's eyes narrowed at his gloomy expression.

"What's with all this sulking around?" She chastised. "What's wrong with you? At least read the note. She said it was important."

"I'll read it later." Hiroki said with a sigh. His mother's frown deepened. Hiroki knew she was frustrated by his attitude and would question him ruthlessly until she got a satisfactory answer. Hiroki fished around in his mind for another subject. "Shouldn't you be leaving soon to visit Auntie? I thought you're staying the night there. She'll be angry if you arrive late."

"I need to return Ito's rice cooker first." his mother said tightly "I can do that!" Hiroki said eagerly, anything to get his mother away. She wasn't one to drop an argument easily. He didn't know how he would explain things about Ash and Eiji to her if she asked. Baffled by his sudden enthusiasm, his mother raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.

"My, that's nice of you." she said shortly, clearly aware of his attempts to get her to leave.

"Yeah," he said, "But, like you said, I should stop 'sulking around'". His mother eyed him suspiciously. He knew she wanted to argue the point more but luckily for him she was on a time crunch. He saw her consider whether or not it would be better to leave now. Finally, she sighed and eyed her son one more time.

"Alright then." She said, defeated. "I'm heading out, and" she pointed a finger at Hiroki. "I want to see you back to your usual mood when I get home."

"Yeah, yeah" Hiroki said waving her off. His mother gave him one more glance and headed out. As soon as she was around the corner, he gave a sigh of relief and headed into the house to grab the rice cooker. The Ito residence wasn't in walking distance of the house, but Hiroki didn't mind. The errand would distract him from his circling thoughts. It was nice to get away from the house and do something.

We're sorry for the delay. The train will be starting up in the next five minutes. Thank you for your patience.

Hiroki groaned and slumped down in his seat. Someone has dropped something on the tracks, and now he was stuck there until it was removed. He has hoped, after finishing his errand, that he would be home soon, and would occupy himself by making dinner. This delay, however, left him with nothing to think about, and his mind snapped back to Ash. Hiroki gritted his teeth. He was tired of stressing over Ash, the American would be gone soon anyway. There was no reason to dwell on it. Hiroki tried to think of something else to distract himself. He suddenly remembered Yumi's note. With nothing better to do he might as well read it. Hiroki hadn't spoken to Yumi since she had confronted him a week ago with the articles. He bet the young girl sent him a note instead of just contacting him herself because Mrs. Okumura didn't want him to 'scare her' anymore. Of course, to be fair, she only came to him because Ash was scaring her in the first place.

Hiroki pulled out the small piece of paper and opened it. He wondered what was so important that Yumi needed to contact him. Looking down at the note, he read:

You are being watched. Someone might come after you.

Hiroki stared down at the note in disbelief. It was very cryptic. The paper Yumi used was so small that there wasn't any room to write more. He wished she had written her note on a bigger piece of paper. The note was unsatisfactory. Why was he being watched? He wondered if this had something to do with Ash. Why would someone come after him though? That part made no sense. He didn't do anything to cause someone to want to stalk him. Hiroki wished he could just go and talk to Yumi. It would make life easier just to ask the young girl what she meant. Of course, he knew Mrs. Okumura wouldn't let him near her. At that thought he snorted. Forget about him scaring her, she seemed to be fully capable of scaring herself.

The train started with a jerk and Hiroki looked up from the note startled. He has been thrown off by Yumi's weird message. Now he was even more confused than before. When the train stopped at his station and Hiroki got off, his mind was still on the note. It preoccupied him all the way home. When he got back to his house, he was pulled back to reality. An expensive limousine was parked in front of his house. Hiroki frowned at it as he passed the car. No one in this neighborhood drove a vehicle like that. Even if they did why would they park it in front of his house? There was public parking lot only a few blocks away. Hiroki grumbled under his breath about rude foreigners as he unlocked the front door and entered his home. The second the door closed behind him two strong pairs of arms looped around him. One pair of arms snapped over his mouth and on his back, while the other firmly grasped his shoulders. Hiroki jerked around startled, trying to get free but the men didn't budge. He glanced up and found himself sandwiched between two large Chinese men. They wore black suits, and both had guns poking out of their pockets. Hiroki eyed the guns nervously. What was going on? Was he getting robbed? The two men dragged the Japanese into his living room. Inside that room Hiroki found another Chinese male lounging on his sofa. He was slim and pale, with long braided hair that hung over his shoulder. He wore a fancy traditional outfit that made him seem haughty and proud. He was drinking tea and looked up as Hiroki entered. Once inside the room, the men released him and pushed him down onto a seat across from the man.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Hiroki demanded as soon as the hand was off his mouth. He was trying to sound tough but instead only sounded frightened. The man smirked, clearly enjoying the effect he was having on Hiroki, and gently put down the tea on a platter.

"Three days ago you called the New York Police." The man said, ignoring the Japanese's questions. "You asked about someone named Ash Lynx. You said something very interesting." He rested his chin on his folded hands, his eyes becoming serious. "You said that Ash Lynx was still alive." He paused for a moment, watching the Japanese's face carefully. "Am I correct?" Hiroki gulped nervously. He had no idea what phone call this man was referring to.

"I-I didn't make any phone call" he finally squeaked, "I didn't call anyone." He said in a stronger voice. "What are you talking about?" The Chinese surveyed him, eyes narrowing. Finally, a ghost of a smile crossed his lips.

"Hmmm?" he purred, looking intrigued. "Interesting." He leaned back on the sofa and carelessly draped his arm around the back cushion. "You see, the report stated that the person who called was a young female. Yet the person in question used your name." He cocked his head at Hiroki. "Why do you think that is?"

Hiroki glanced down at his hands trying to sort his thoughts. Someone broke into his house claiming he had made a phone call. Yumi had sent him a letter, hours earlier, warning him about this. How did Yumi know about this? A sudden thought caused Hiroki to stiffen. If the person who called was a young girl, then was it Yumi? Why did she call the police? The man said she was asking about Ash. In that case it was probably because he didn't give her enough information and she was trying to take matters in her own hands. Hiroki wished he had told her the whole truth.

The Chinese man observed him. He clearly figured out that Hiroki knew something because he straightened up in his seat and leaned forward. He reached over and forced Hiroki to look at him.

"So, you do know something about it." He said softly. "Who made that call?" Hiroki eyed him in terror There was no way in hell that he was going to give Yumi's name to this man. Hiroki tried to think of an excuse that would protect her but none came to him.

"It was actually me." He finally lied, lamely. "I used something to make my voice sound different." The man raised an eyebrow and let go of Hiroki's face.

"Is that so?" he hummed, not looking very convinced. Hiroki nodded and the man rolled his eyes and relaxed against the cushions again.

"Whether it was or wasn't you who made the call might not matter as long as you have the information I am looking for." The Chinese said. "In the call it was mentioned that Ash is alive. Is that true?" Hiroki didn't answer. Mrs. Okumura's words were echoing through his head

What do you think will happen to Eiji when the police realize they are together?

It was the same thing with this man. If he knew Ash was with Eiji he'd probably drag Eiji down with him. Hiroki would not get Eiji involved in Ash's life. He would not be the reason Eiji disappeared or got hurt. The intruder noticed his hesitation and his eyes became slits.

"Don't try to wriggle your way out of this." he hissed. Hiroki hesitated again and the man held up a hand. One of the men who was standing slightly behind Hiroki reached down and took the Japanese's arm tightly. Hiroki gasped in fear and tried to wrench it out, but the man was strong. Terror clouded Hiroki's mind and he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"At least tell me who you are first!" Hiroki exclaimed fearfully. The Chinese man paused and cocked his head in consideration. Finally, he put his hand down and nodded. The guard let go of Hiroki and stepped back. Hiroki massaged his arm, his heart pounding.

"I suppose it wouldn't help things if I harmed you." The man sighed. I am Lei Yut-Lung. It's nice to meet you." Hiroki's face went pale. He had heard of the Lei family before on the news. They were a powerful family. What did Ash do to make someone from that family chase him all the way to Japan?

"Does Ash owe you money or something?" Hiroki croaked. "Is that why you're after him?"

"No," Yut-Lung said, his expression turning amused. He rested his chin in his hands again. "I'm not hunting after Ash because he took something or because he owes something." His stare became intense. "However, your reaction is…very telling. You seem very protective of Ash."

"I'm not." Hiroki spat. Yut-Lung blinked in surprise at the venom in the Japanese's voice.

"Is that so. Yet you don't want me to find him. You clearly have connections with him."

"Not by choice." Hiroki said grimly. Yut-Lung looked thoughtful.

"If it's not Ash you are trying to protect…" He paused for a moment then his eyes widened with understanding. "I see" His face suddenly darkened. "Would you happen to know someone by the name Eiji Okumura?" Hiroki visibly flinched in horror. If this man knew Eiji's name, then Eiji was in terrible danger. This was not good. Hiroki's sudden movement did not go unnoticed by the Chinese whose whole face twisted up in annoyance.

"Of course you know him." He said dryly. "Yet another person hellbent on protecting Eiji."

"Please don't hurt him!" Hiroki gasped. "Please, you can go after Ash but don't touch Eiji! He has nothing to do with any of this!" Yut-Lung blinked, threw back his head and laughed coldly.

"Nothing to do with this?" he sniggered. "If Eiji had nothing to do with this then I wouldn't have had him shot, would I?" The man gave Hiroki and bone chilling smirk and Hiroki shivered in fear and terror. This man was responsible for Eiji's injuries. It was his fault that Eiji almost died.

"But we're not here to talk about Eiji." Yut-Lung said and suddenly he was calm again, "I'm here to talk to you about Ash."

"And what are you going to do when you find him?" Hiroki demanded, shivering.

"Talk to him mostly." Yut-Lung said dismissively. Hiroki blinked in confusion.

"Were you expecting me to say something else?" Yut- Lung said, amused. "I am no longer his enemy. I don't care what he does as long as he doesn't get involved in my…businesses. Of course," his face darkened again. "That doesn't mean I like the idea of not knowing where he is. I guessed that he was still alive after his 'death'. It would take more than a guy with a knife to take him down. I monitored the police to see if they knew anything."

"You did all of that just to talk to Ash?" Hiroki said in disbelief.

"A wild Lynx on the loose is never a good thing." Yut-Lung said frowning. "Picking a fight with him would be dangerous and pointless but not knowing where he is makes me feel… uncomfortable." The man sighed dramatically. "Truthfully, if after this trip I never have to see or hear from Ash again it will make me very happy." Hiroki watched the man suspiciously. He wasn't sure if he was lying or not. His face gave no hints to his true intentions. It didn't really matter though. Hiroki was aware that he had no choice. He didn't know what this man would do to get the answers from him. Hiroki closed his eyes and prayed that Yut-Lung wasn't lying.

"He's here." He muttered. "Ash….is in Japan.

"Is he with Eiji?" Hiroki was silent. Yut-Lung surveyed his face.

"I see." The Chinese said sounded annoyed. "Of course, Eiji would be with him." The Chinese's face twisted into a sourer expression. Hiroki had the impression that he strongly disliked Eiji. Another wave of fear hit him and he worried about the safety of his friend.

"Please don't hurt Eiji." Hiroki said hoarsely. He stood up from the chair. Behind him he heard the two men move forward. Before they could grab him, Hiroki fell to his knees and pressed his forehead against the floor.

"I'll do anything!" He begged. "Please leave him alone. He's been through so much!" It was quiet for a second. Hiroki held his breath, his heart pounding.

"I already told you I'm only here to chat." Yut-Lung said. sounding bored. "You are extremely dramatic." Hiroki heard the Chinese snap his fingers and the two men pulled Hiroki up. The plopped him back into the seat and stepped back. Yut-Lung was watching him, annoyance written across his face.

"You mean it?" Hiroki asked. Yut-Lung rolled his eyes.

"I've already got the information from you that I needed. Why would I keep lying to you?" The Chinese asked, waving a hand. "If I needed you to stay quiet, I would just have you killed. Yes, I'm only going to talk with Ash and Eiji." Hiroki grimaced.

"Why Eiji?" he blurted out. "Why not just talk to Ash alone? Hasn't Eiji been through enough? Why do you need to get him involved?"

"If he didn't want to get involved, he should have returned to Japan." Yut-Lung snorted. "He had plenty of chances to escape his fate."

"What do you mean?" Hiroki asked confused.

"Do you really think Eiji wasn't involved in anything that happened in New York?" Yut-Lung asked, sounding amused. Hiroki bristled. He knew that Eiji understood that Ash was a gang leader, but his crush couldn't have been that much involved. That would make no sense.

"Eiji wouldn't get involved." Hiroki said through gritted teeth. "Eiji isn't that kind of a person. He's not a part of that world."

"I agree" Yut-Lung said nodding. "He's not a part of that world. Yet…" his eyes narrowed. "He stubbornly refused to leave even though his presence there was a burden." Hiroki didn't understand what he meant so he pressed on.

"But still. Eiji's not someone who would hang around gangs. He wouldn't shoot or hurt people."

"You think so?" The Chinese said. a smirk spreading across his face. He tapped a slender finger thoughtfully. "I suppose I can tell." He finally said, "After all, you did give me some valuable information. Think of it as of a trade-off." He snapped his figures again. Hiroki stiffened but no one tried to hold him down, instead one of the bodyguards came forward with a laptop. He presented it to Yut-Lung who opened it and began typing "Ever since meeting Ash I've recorded his movements, including what he did before we met. I have plenty of visual recordings of the events that transpired in New York, many caught on security cameras." He glanced up at Hiroki. "Would you like to see some?" Hiroki bit his lip nervously. He really didn't trust this man at all, however if it was visual proof, then the Chinese man wouldn't be able to fake it. Hiroki really wanted to know what happened to Eiji in America. Yut-Lung made an impatient sound and Hiroki hurriedly nodded.

"Yeah, I would like to see them." He said. Yut-Lung turned his attention back to the computer.

"Let's see." He said. "These three pictures should be enough." He clicked a button and turned the laptop around to face Hiroki.

The first picture looked like it came from a security camera in a prison. There were a lot of people wearing orange uniforms mulling around in the background. In the middle of the picture there was Ash wearing a prison outfit. He had his arms wrapped tightly around Eiji and his lips were clasped against the Japanese's. Eiji had a look of shock on his face. Hiroki bristled. He could tell by the way Eiji was glancing at Ash that it was clearly his first kiss. From the look Eiji was giving the American Hiroki knew that this kiss was unexpected. What a terrible way to have a first kiss; trapped by an inmate who was clearly stronger than him. Behind them Ibe and another man gaped in surprise. Hiroki felt his temper rising. Wasn't it Ibe's job to protect Eiji? Why was he just standing there gaping at him while the blond man forced himself upon the innocent Japanese? With gritted teeth he clicked to the next picture. The sight of it drained his anger in an instant.

In this picture a bunch of sloppily dressed Americans and Eiji were rushing through a fancily decorated hall. The Americans all had weapons with them. What really stood out to Hiroki however was Eiji. His clothes were torn, and beneath them were slash marks against his pale skin. Many of the deeper cuts were still bleeding, and Hiroki saw that they stained his clothes red. Hiroki felt sick and dizzy at the sight of so much blood. Eiji looked exhausted and sad. His eyes were unfocused, and his mouth formed a straight line. Hiroki wondered what was happening to Eiji in the picture. What was Eiji involved in that made him look so torn up? Why was he involved in this situation? Hiroki glanced down at the date and was startled to see how early it was in Eiji's trip. It made him wonder how many times Eiji had gotten hurt while in America before the fateful bullet wound eventually sent him back to Japan. Hiroki bit his lip and moved the mouse to the next picture. He was almost afraid to click on it. What other horrors would he learn about? Finally, he clicked the button and the third picture popped up.

In the last picture there was a group of Americans in nicely fitted outfits. They were in a ball room that was clearly designed for a rich gathering. The people in the room weren't enjoying themselves, however. They were running away from other people who had guns and were shooting up the place. Some of the intruders were wearing formal staff uniform and Hiroki wondered if they had snuck in by pretending to be part of staff. Other intruders were wearing cloths over their faces to hide their identity. On one side of the picture there stood a man that Hiroki recognized as Dino Golzine. He stood with a look of anger on his face, watching the chaos unfold. He had his arms around Ash who was next to him in a wheelchair. It looked like he was holding something to Ash's throat, but Hiroki couldn't tell what it was. It took Hiroki a few seconds to realize that this picture probably took place during the party raid. He remembered reading about it in one of Yumi's articles. Hiroki's eyes were drawn to the middle of the picture where a black-haired man was pointing a gun directly at Golzine. With a horrible jolt Hiroki realized that the man was Eiji. He was wearing a staff uniform and glasses. His face held anger and determination though there were hints of uncertainty and fear. Hiroki felt his stomach churn. His sweet innocent Eiji was holding a gun with the intention of shooting someone. Hiroki quickly recalled what he read in the article. Golzine had been shot during the attack. Was it Eiji who shot him? Did Eiji really pull the trigger?

It was too much. Hiroki snapped the laptop shut and buried his face in his hands. Forget about romanticizing gang activity, Eiji has been taken advantage of, hurt, and then forced to fight in Ash's battles. It was horrible. Hiroki felt like he was going to puke. It was quiet in the room for a minute.

"That was quite entertaining. I could read each emotion you felt." Yut-Lung's voice said from somewhere in front of him. Hiroki could hear the amusement that oozed from the other man's voice. It didn't matter though; Hiroki didn't care what Yut-Lung said anymore. What mattered was that Eiji went through hell in America. He saw horrors that no one here could even fathom. It was quiet for another minute before Yut-Lung continued.

"As you see, Eiji isn't as innocent as you thought he was. He was involved in all of it. Your Eiji has been sniped at, shot at, drugged, kidnapped, attacked by allies, betrayed, and even used a gun himself on multiple occasions. He has taken hostages and run into dangerous areas. Do you know why he did all of this?" Hiroki didn't answer. He was afraid he would vomit on the carpet if he opened his mouth. Yut-Lung didn't seem to care and continued.

"He did all of this for Ash's sake. Even though he could have left, he didn't."

Hiroki took back his earlier thought. It did matter what Yut-Lung said. The Chinese man managed to elaborate on the pictures he saw. Yet part of Hiroki didn't want to believe it. Was that really Eiji in those pictures? His mind was starting to come up with any excuses it could think of to explain who that person was. It couldn't be Eiji. It must have been someone else who looked like him. The part of his brain that wasn't in denial knew better. That was Okumura Eiji and no one else. There was another pause then.

"I suppose you have a lot to think about." Hiroki heard Yut-Lung stand up and heard the footsteps leave the room. After a few seconds the door clicked shut leaving Hiroki alone with his thoughts.

There was no way to describe how he felt. When he thought of everything Eiji must have been put through his heart wept. He has been in so much danger. He has been forced to shoot and hide like a criminal. He has been hurt by so many bad people. Eiji was forced into horrible sickening positions where he had to let go of his humanity in order to survive.

And yet….and yet he still brought Ash back with him to Japan.

After everything Ash had dragged him through, Eiji still brought him back to his hometown. Ash has stolen more than Eiji's heart, he stole his purity and his innocence. Ash dragged Eiji down to his level and held him there until Eiji thought there was no other way to survive except to act like a criminal. What made it worse was that Eiji didn't even act like he was hurting. Eiji who returned from America seemed cheerful and happy. He hid his emotions and didn't tell anyone what he had done. It must be eating him up inside. He must feel so lonely.

Yet he brought Ash back with him to Japan.

It made no sense. Eiji's actions made no sense. Why would he fall in love with someone who forced him through hell? Why did he want to save someone who he knew was a criminal, who took advantage of him? Eiji should have known better. Eiji shouldn't have stayed with Ash. He should have separated himself from their hazardous relationship.

Yet he brought Ash back with him to Japan.

It was too much for Hiroki. He needed to confront Eiji and Ash. He needed to hear it from Eiji himself; to understand why Eiji brought Ash here. He needed answers and he needed them now. Hiroki slowly lifted his head and glanced at the clock. It was still early in the evening. Eiji and Ash would probably be back in a couple of hours. If Hiroki hurried, he would be able to intercept the couple as they made their way out of the train station. Hiroki staggered to his feet and rushed into the hall. He banged open the door and darted down the street. He needed to see Eiji and Ash.