The Yakuza Path: Blood Stained Tea

by Amy Tasukada

  “You’re cute,” Saehyun said, “but too hard on yourself.”

  “If traditional ink could be removed, it would be gone by now.”

  “I think it’s really cool.” Saehyun pressed his head against Nao’s back and kissed the base of his neck.

  “Saehyun.”

  “I’ve debated about getting one too.”

  “You don’t have to say that just because—”

  “It looks amazing. I wonder how it will distort.” Saehyun grinned.

  “Distort?”

  “You know, when you finally let me top. Come on, I’ll make you’ll feel better—I promise.”

  “I hope it doesn’t rain before I get there,” Nao mumbled to himself.

  He walked alongside the concrete wall of the Matsukawa house. The hooked handle of his umbrella was wrapped around his wrist along with a bag of sweets for Father. He’d called an hour ago and demanded Nao come by immediately. Father’s word was absolute, leaving Nao enough time to pick up a few sweets at the train station bakery before his departure. Something more traditional would help curb whatever he had done to anger Father, but a stop at the historic district would be too time-consuming. He hoped whatever Western confection he’d bought was good enough.

  As Nao approached, the house door opened for him, and he was greeted with deep bows from the jumpsuit-wearing new recruits. After the greeting, however, their faces remained stoic as Nao traded his shoes for slippers.

  “Father’s in a meeting with Oyama and Sakai, but he said to let you go up.”

  Nao blinked. “Father still hasn’t found a replacement for Miko?”

  “He’s been too busy with the Double Moon to get a new go-between.”

  The fact that the Double Moon was becoming such an issue was all the more reason to choose someone to take over the position of bodyguard. That had to be why Father called. Nao set his umbrella in a stand with the others. He climbed the stairs, the walls watching each of his steps like they knew every lie he ever told. His stomach knotted. Had Takeo returned and told Father all of Nao’s lies? He dispelled the thought and came to the office door.

  “I’m sorry for the disruption.” Nao gave a low bow to everyone in the room before entering.

  “We were just talking about you,” Sakai said.

  The hairs on the back of Nao’s neck stood up. Nao ignored the sensation. He needed to remain calm and not say anything that could ruin the image he needed to maintain. He walked past Sakai and bowed again to Father before placing the package from the bakery on his desk.

  “You brought a treat?” Father asked before opening the package and pulling out a slice of cake. “What kind is it?”

  “Tiramisu,” Nao answered.

  “Tiramisu? That doesn’t sound very Japanese.”

  Nao looked down. “I’m sorry for my digression.”

  “Oyama, have one of the younger ones bring in some plates. We can cut this up for everyone.”

  “I thought I was only meeting you, or I would have brought one for everyone.”

  “That’s all right. Usually, it would be Miko here. I need to find her replacement, but things keep getting in the way.” Father sighed.

  Nao nodded and sat in a chair beside Oyama. Sakai sat across from them both.

  “I’m fine,” Sakai said. “So only two plates.”

  “Everyone needs to have a piece. You too, Nao. Something sweet before we talk about bitter things.”

  Nao leaned back in his chair. Nao pressed his hands on his yukata. If Takeo was back, he would be here. Father used the pocketknife in his desk to cut the slices, a piece for each of them. They all ate, even Sakai. Despite the comical act, the air was thick, and the words Father spoke of, bitter things, coated Nao’s throat.

  “Perhaps a bit too sweet,” Father said after he finished his last bite. His piece was larger than the others.

  “Next time, I’ll bring some sweet-potato cake.”

  “Nao, out of all of my sons, you’re truly the only one who takes the city to heart.”

  “This city means everything to me.” Nao tried his best to smile.

  “Some things are happening, and we need to protect all of our resources,” Father started.

  That would explain why Nao hadn’t received a replacement bodyguard; he wasn’t a resource worthy of protecting. Nao held too many loose strings that went nowhere, and the family didn’t need any of them.

  “Have you heard from Takeo?” Father asked.

  “He hasn’t reported back here?”

  “His last mission was to protect you. He was supposed to follow you everywhere you went. When you left your apartment, you were supposed to alert him. That was the agreement, since you insisted on your privacy. It’s not like him to go against a direct order.”

  Nao shook his head. “We got into a fight the day before he disappeared. When I knocked on his door before I left, he didn’t answer.”

  “Did you call?”

  “He didn’t answer.” Nao pressed his lips together. “Father, you saw what he did to me. He can’t control his emotions.”

  “What was the fight about?” Sakai asked.

  It was one thing to be interrogated by Father, but apparently Sakai was in on the matter too. Did Father plan on having the top Matsukawa members there to question? The discerning look on Oyama’s face spoke volumes.

  “We fought about the Korean. How it was a bad idea for me to spy and rejoin the family. He was a horrible bodyguard. I tried to tell you, Father.”

  “No matter how mad he was, the last time he didn’t follow you, he lost a finger. It seems like you yet again snuck away from him.” Father folded his hands together. “I wonder, if I said the passing crow was white, would you still agree with me?”

  Nao’s breath caught in his throat. “I’m telling the truth. I swear.”

  “You speak with a different tongue to each of us,” Sakai added.

  “He threatened to put me in the hospital. I don’t know what else I can say to make you all believe me.”

  Father said nothing, and the others stayed quiet. Nao examined each of their faces, but they all remained blank. His family, even those years he wasn’t in the Matsukawa, were always there when he needed help. They were abandoning him, and the meeting was the nail in the coffin.

  “I am your son.”

  “Many sons have betrayed me.”

  “Do I have to chop off a finger for you to believe me?”

  Silence.

  Nao blinked. “I would never want anything to happen to Takeo.”

  “You didn’t care so much in the past,” Oyama said.

  “I am not the same person.”

  “It’s hard for people to change so quickly, Nao. Sometimes people chop off fingers as a sign of surrender to their guilty consciences. Takeo cut his off because he knew he needed to follow you and didn’t. I don’t think he would make the same mistake twice. What really happened? Did the fight get too carried away, and you killed him? I haven’t forgotten what you were capable of.”

  Nao’s mouth dropped, and he squeezed his arm within his sleeve to remind himself that he wasn’t dreaming. That he was a new person. He cringed inwardly when he thought of Kuma. No wonder she’d left him.

  “My house was broken into by a common thief, and here you are thinking I did something.”

  “That’s not what Father asked,” Sakai said. “He asked if you killed Takeo.”

  Nao reached into his sleeve, pulled out his phone, and threw it toward Sakai.

  “Look, I’ve called him three or four times each day since he disappeared. Would someone who had something to do with his disappearance be that worried about it?”

  Sakai examined the phone as Nao continued building upon his lies. “I’m just as worried as you are. I want to feel safe in my home again, and my bodygua
rd is missing. He ran off somewhere because of a little argument. How unprofessional. I haven’t seen him since that day.”

  “Why didn’t he follow you to your teahouse?” Father asked, an unwavering force behind his words.

  Nao took a deep breath. They were checking the details, making sure he didn’t change his story. “I knocked on his door when I left, and he never came out. We would usually eat breakfast together, and since he didn’t come for that, or answer, I figured he was still mad at me.”

  “Who’s Saehyun?” Sakai’s gaze locked on Nao’s phone.

  “That’s the name of my tea broker,” Nao blurted out without thinking. “I’ve been trying to get a new oolong for months now, and that damn Korean sends me crap.”

  “It’s also the name of one of the Double Moon’s leaders,” Oyama said.

  “The fuck if I know.”

  “Perhaps we should call this tea broker?” Sakai grinned but waited for Father’s response before proceeding.

  Nao’s tongue stuck to the top of his mouth, and his throat ran dry. It had never hit him until then that Saehyun could be anything but a simple cog. If he was so important that Oyama recognized his name…. Nao’s mind drew a blank. He had no way to escape, and somehow, he knew it would be easier if he’d been honest from the beginning. He wanted to protect Saehyun. Protect the man that finally pushed him back into the joy of feeling another’s skin against his. The man that came to him when no family member would give him the time of day.

  “Go ahead and call, Sakai.”

  Father’s voice came like a death knell, and Nao closed his eyes, waiting. Each ring echoed in the silent room, and when the call clicked over to voice mail, Sakai hung up.

  “I’ll have to call the number again. I could try a new tea for my clients.”

  “Look me in the eye, Nao, and tell me you had no part in Takeo’s disappearance,” Father said.

  Nao looked straight into his father’s eyes. The wrinkles in his face had deepened since the last time Nao saw him.

  “I had nothing to do with Takeo’s disappearance.”

  “If I find out you lied to me, I will be the one to kill you. We have too much at stake. We’re not taking this lightly.”

  “As you wish.” Nao knew his father didn’t make empty threats.

  “Gion starts in less than three weeks,” Father began. “We need everyone to help protect the city. The Double Moon think they will have this city, but we need to prove them wrong.”

  Father slammed his fist onto his desk, the empty cake plate rattling. Nao remained silent, knowing it was not his turn to speak.

  “We will not let this spill onto the streets! We are the Matsukawa. We rule Kyoto. All over Japan, they look up to us to uphold the old traditions. We cannot let this city fall into the hands of some foreign power. This has gone on long enough. Oyama, kill them at their base.”

  “We’ve been searching for it,” Oyama said. “They don’t advertise like we do.”

  “We’re lucky they haven’t struck here,” Sakai added.

  “With the increased security, that’s probably why they haven’t dropped off any more gifts.”

  “We don’t have to deal with Takeo’s body, then.”

  Nao’s eyes widened. “You think the Koreans got him?”

  “He was loyal to us, and no matter how much of a pain you are, I don’t think he would leave. He didn’t leave before when you were acting like a fool in Tokyo, and you swore to me you had no part in it.”

  Nao shook his head. Yet he knew Saehyun was the last one to see Takeo, and if his own family thought he was dead, that was the only logical conclusion. He allowed his emotions to get the better of him, and his whole family doubted him.

  “People from all over the world, all over Japan, come here to see the Gion Festival in less than three weeks,” Father said. “We cannot allow the Koreans to make a mockery of Kyoto tradition. It is the first year in over fifty that they are doing the full festival. This will not be the year that is remembered for a monthlong festival of violence in the streets.”

  “I will do everything within my power to help protect the city. Father, you can trust me.”

  “Shut up and sit down. Your little spy plan has brought us zero information.”

  “Wait, I found out something—” Nao said before he could think.

  They all waited, and Nao’s thoughts raced for something Saehyun had said in passing that could be taken for information.

  “Well, tell us.”

  “Their next target is the ward my teahouse is in.”

  “Where was this information two weeks ago when we could have used it?” Father looked to Sakai. “We need to make sure we have enough funding for this.”

  “Of course we do, in our stocks and a few real estate items we can liquidate if need be.”

  “Good, sell them. We need to make sure everyone is covered. I do not want it to become a public event. Try to keep this as clean as possible, Oyama. Once this war reaches the public eye, we will no longer be welcome.”

  Sakai cleared his throat. “Perhaps we can arrange a settlement like Osaka had to.”

  “No! These Koreans must be extinguished. This is Kyoto. It belongs to the Japanese and always will.”

  “Do you want me to put a word in with the other families to send help?” Oyama asked.

  “Not yet. We can’t appear weak…”

  Father’s words continued as he gave orders to both Sakai and Oyama, but Nao’s thoughts consumed him. Nao believed each word his father spoke. Kyoto belonged to the Japanese, and the other syndicates understood the significance of the Matsukawa taking care of the old capital.

  He knew he was in one of the few syndicates that kept to the older ways and did not dabble in child pornography or drugs. Kyoto was pure, keeping to the old ways and moving ever more into legal businesses. If they asked for help from anyone else, it would mean admitting the old ways could not make it in the modern world. He would help save Kyoto and keep the old ways alive forever. He needed to keep up his act with Saehyun and make him think Nao was nothing but a meek tea shop owner. Nao would do so in order to get what his family needed from Saehyun the most.

  “Nao!” Father yelled, making Nao jump. “Don’t call or come back here unless you can prove yourself useful. Until then, go back to your tea shop and get your life back on track. You’re finished here.”

  Saehyun closed his eyes, catching his breath. Yet behind closed lids, he could still see the phoenix on Nao’s back twist under him. With each arch of Nao’s spine, the long peacock feathers would take flight. It was the first time Nao had allowed himself to be taken in such a way, and with each deep thrust, Saehyun knew Nao trusted him. After hearing the breathy way Nao called out his name, Saehyun wanted to spend every night hearing him say it. Every day would work too…hell, every hour would give them both something to scream about.

  Nao rested on his stomach, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on his back. Saehyun smiled and reached out, capturing his lover’s hand.

  “It’s so hot,” Nao mumbled.

  “Yeah, it was pretty hot.”

  “Idiot, that’s not what I’m talking about.”

  “What? Are you saying it wasn’t hot?”

  Nao rolled his eyes. “I’m saying it’s summer, and we live in Kyoto.”

  “Your tattoo. It’s so…” Saehyun curled his toes, unable to think of the Japanese, so he used the Korean. “Elotig.”

  “What?”

  “Elotig. You try saying it.”

  “No, it’s probably something dirty.”

  Saehyun grinned. “And what’s wrong with that?”

  “I don’t want to learn dirty things in Korean.”

  “So I should teach you normal things. Like hello.”

  “It’s too hot for a language lesson.”

  �
�An-nyeong. Come on, try.”

  “Nooo.” Nao buried his head in the sheets, which only made Saehyun want to tease him more.

  “It’s easy.”

  “We’re in Japan. We’ll speak Japanese. If we were in Korea, I’d speak Korean.”

  “Not even elotig? Then you can talk dirty to me.”

  “Definitely not that.”

  Saehyun laughed as the grin on Nao’s face grew wider. For the first time since Kuma had escaped, Nao was smiling. He deserved to be happy. He’d struggled so much to get over his rebellious teenage years, and then there was the death of that host Shinya he wasn’t even able to talk about, only to end up with a fucker like Takeo for an ex-boyfriend. Saehyun wasn’t going to be like him. He would keep Nao safe. He would keep him from being tainted.

  Nao sighed peacefully and turned onto his side. Saehyun licked his lips but tried not to let his eyes wander down Nao’s naked body. The snicker Nao let out told Saehyun he was caught.

  “Do you visit Korea often?” Nao’s fingers outlined the Double Moon tattoo on Saehyun’s chest.

  “I never went back after moving to Japan.”

  “Not even to visit family?”

  “Dealing with Japanese customs is a pain.”

  “If it’s so bad, why not become a citizen?”

  Saehyun laughed. He couldn’t tell Nao that he had a record even when he was younger, and even if he went back to Korea he’d be worse off since no one would take him in. Nao was cute but still talked nonsense like every other Japanese.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I’ll never become a Japanese citizen.”

  “Isn’t it a pain renewing your visa?”

  “Not really.”

  Saehyun gazed into Nao’s large eyes and stared back at himself. They promised they would tell the truth. If he wanted the relationship to last, he would have to keep his promise. It was one way to show Nao how much he cared for him.