Title: Forgiveness
Characters: Fei Long, Tao and Yoh
Warning/spoiler: Set after the end of the Naked Truth arc
Disclaimer: The wonderful characters and world of "Viewfinder" belong to Yamane Ayano.
"Fei Long-sama?"
The boy peered up the long, dark stairway and frowned at the flickering light bulb at the top of the steps. What would the boss be doing in this part of the house? This wing of the Lius' ancestral home had long been closed, by order of Fei Long-sama himself. Tao wondered, not for the first time, whether the guards really saw the boss head this way. If I find out they were playing a prank on me, Tao grumbled as he slowly climbed the steep steps, I'm gonna tell Fei-sama.
The musty air tickled his nose and the handrail was dusty beneath his hand. Tao made a mental note to come back with a rag and polish for the banister. If Fei Long-sama came here occasionally, then the place shouldn't be dirty. Tao looked up and glared at the offending bulb. That needed fixing, too.
On his right was a long hallway, dimly lit by wall sconces, and he could make out two doors. The boy approached the one closest to him and twisted the brass knob. It was locked. He moved to the next door, and found it ajar.
"Fei Long-sama?" Tao called softly again as he pushed the door farther.
Inside, he found Fei Long standing before one of the windows. Unmoving, bathed in the light of the full moon, he looked like a statue.
"Fei-sama?"
Fei Long turned at the boy's whisper. "Tao?" He held out his hand and Tao scampered across the carpet to take his master's hand. "What are you doing here?"
"Your dinner is ready."
"Thank you, Tao." Fei Long gave the young boy one of those sweet smiles that always made Tao feel warm inside, but he made no move to leave the room. Instead, he released Tao's hand to ruffle his hair before turning his attention back to whatever it was he was watching before the boy's arrival.
Tao looked around the room. He'd never been in it. He could tell it was a bedroom, although its furniture was covered in white sheets. In the darkness, they looked like ill-shaped ghosts. Tao inched closer to Fei Long, just in case.
The boy wondered what fascinated Fei Long so much that he stood in this cold room for so long. As he looked out the window, he realized the room provided a good vantage point. It was high, possibly the highest point in the house, and it afforded views down to the main gate — and beyond it.
There, a lone figure stood.
It looked like a man, but Tao couldn't be sure. The person appeared to be watching the house but occasionally turned to scan the street as well. After a while, the figure walked away. Tao's gaze followed the figure until it disappeared. He looked at Fei Long, wondering why his master hadn't alerted his men. But nothing in Fei Long's demeanor suggested he considered the stranger a threat.
Tao looked out the window once again. The stranger had not returned. He wondered if the boss was ready to leave now that the person had left, but Fei Long remained rooted to his spot. He seemed to be waiting. For what, Tao wasn't sure, but he was prepared to wait with him.
Several long minutes passed and Tao fought the urge to fidget. He glanced at Fei Long, wondering how the man could stand so still. After what seemed like an eternity to the boy, the figure emerged again. Tao realized the stranger had gone around the estate. Again, he turned his gaze toward Fei Long, a question in his eyes.
But Fei Long had a question of his own. Without looking away from the figure that once again stood guard in front of the main gate, the Baishe leader asked softly, "You would never betray me, would you, Tao?"
The boy shook his head violently, his hair whipping around his head, his eyes wide with incredulity at the thought. "Never, Fei-sama."
Fei Long smiled, but it didn't quite seem to reach his eyes. Tao wondered how he ever thought Fei Long looked like a statue. No statue could bear such sadness and loneliness in its visage.
He reached out to hold Fei Long's hand.
Tao tried to run as fast as he could toward the guardhouse, but the huge thermos full of hot tea he was lugging was bumping against his legs, making it difficult to walk quickly much less sprint.
He had been polishing figurines in the living room when he heard one of the maids complaining about taking the hot beverage to the men patrolling the grounds of the estate, and so he volunteered. His intentions, though, were not quite altruistic.
In the last several days, he had found himself thinking about the stranger and wondering who it was. He had tried a number of times to return to the room where he had found Fei Long but had always found it locked. He had tried asking the guards, but most had ignored him or shooed him away. And his failed attempt to sneak out of the house one night to get a closer look at the stranger had netted him a painful twist of the ears from Mrs. Chang, the housekeeper.
So when he heard the young woman say she didn't want to head out into the cold night, he jumped up and offered to take her place. He really wasn't supposed to leave the house at night, but he knew Fei Long was ensconced in his study with a couple of his lieutenants. And he knew — because he had checked quickly — that Mrs. Chang was catching up on her drama serials. Nothing short of a disaster could tear the housekeeper away from her favorite actors.
As Tao approached the main guardhouse, he noticed it looked empty. He looked around him, checking to see if maybe the guard stepped out of the cramped structure to stretch his legs or go for a smoke. But there was no one around. The young boy slowed his pace just as his heart began to race.
"Hello?" he called out softly.
He put the huge thermos down and peered inside the guardhouse. It was empty.
He looked around, unsure of what to do when he noticed the small gate off to the side of the main ones was slightly open. Frowning, he hurried toward it, the shale on the path making soft, crunching sounds under his slippers. As he came closer, he began hearing the voices of two men.
"— have to tell the guards to pay better attention."
Tao cocked his head as he began to tiptoe toward the gate. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't place it right away.
"Don't you think I haven't?!?"
Ah, that indignant one was Wong, one of Fei Long's most trusted men.
"They're not even trying to guard the place. Half of the time, they're chatting among themselves like they're at a party."
"I can't watch what they're doing every single second."
"Damn it, they need to do their jobs, to keep Fei Long safe!"
Tao blinked at the other man's explosion, shocked. He knew that voice. It had haunted his dreams for weeks after he lost Fei Long's prized possession — the deed to the casino in Macau.
"You won't betray Fei-sama ... right?
"That's right."
When he poked his head out of the gate, disbelief and anger made him shout.
"YOH!"
Yoh barely managed to look up before a small ball of rage launched itself at him. One moment he was discussing the estate's security with Wong, the next he was dodging tiny fists of fury.
"Tao? What are you—?" Yoh quickly wrapped his long fingers around the young boy's slight wrists to halt the attack. "What are you doing out here?" He looked around to see if there was anybody else with the boy. Next to him, Wong did the same thing. When he looked down at the boy again, he noticed the glint in his young eyes. He reacted, jumping back quickly and narrowly avoiding a nasty kick in the shins.
"I hate you. You hurt Fei-sama. I hate you!" Tao screamed.
Yoh sighed. Tao had every right to be angry with him. He had used Tao, had tricked him, had blatantly lied to him — all to save Fei Long from himself. But how do you explain that to a ten-year-old who thinks his master could not do wrong?
Slowly, gently, Yoh pushed the boy away from him and released his grip on the small wrists. He stood back and watched Tao. The boy seemed to vibrate on the spot, confusion at Yoh's actions warring with his anger. Yoh didn't move when Tao attacked again, punching him in the gut. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wong move to stop the boy. He held up his hand, halting the man in his tracks. Tao struck again and again; a punch here, a kick there.
"Go, Tao. Give him all you got!"
Yoh wasn't surprised to see a couple of Fei Long's men leaning against the gates, smirks on their faces. Tao's shrieks was bound to have been heard. And he was even less surprised that they wanted the shit kicked and punched out of him — even by a little boy. He had a feeling they wanted to be in Tao's place.
"Tao, stop now. You're hurting Yoh," Wong said gently.
"He hurt Fei-sama. I hate him," Tao shouted.
When Tao raised his foot to give Yoh another kick, his other foot slipped and he lost his balance. Yoh scooped the boy to his chest to prevent him from landing face first on the pavement. "Careful!"
Yoh felt Tao stiffen in his arms. He looked down to find the boy staring at him, eyes wide with panic and confusion.
Tao bowed his head, but the shaking of his shoulders and the soft whimpers were a dead giveaway. Yoh found himself swallowing to ease the sudden tightness in his throat. He placed his hand on the boy's head. "Tao, I'm truly—."
The boy looked up, his eyes shining with tears. "I don't understand." He pushed against Yoh and scampered back inside the estate.
Yoh walked toward the gates, watching Tao run until he disappeared behind the trees along the path. He scanned the facade of the estate, noting the lights in the room he knew was Fei Long's.
He had taken Tao's beating. It was punishment for his betrayal and he deserved it. He accepted it, even welcomed it. He'll be black and blue tomorrow — the kid had gotten in some good punches and kicks — but the pain was nothing compared to knowing what he had lost. He wrapped his fingers around bars. This was all he could do, will be allowed to do. Stand behind the gates and watch from afar.
He turned off the lights, but instead of climbing into bed, Tao walked over to the window. He couldn't see Yoh, but he had a feeling Fei Long's former right-hand man was still outside the gates. What was he doing? Why was he so mad at the Baishe guards? It sounded like he was worried about Fei Long-sama's safety. Was he still working for Fei Long then? But he couldn't be.
Tao slipped under the covers and closed his eyes, but found himself still thinking of Yoh. He had liked Fei Long's former subordinate. The man always had a smile for him and had helped him once or twice with his homework. Before the whole thing with Akihito happened, Yoh had even begun teaching him kung fu.
He turned so he was now facing the ceiling. Yoh could have easily stopped his punches and he didn't. Why? Why would he take Tao's punches?
Tao stayed awake for a very long time that night.
"— next time, I'll leave you with a bloody necklace."
"The hell! You're not even Baishe anymore, what do you care if I — ARGH!"
Tao flinched at the sound of something hard hitting something equally hard. He'd been around the Baishe long enough to recognize it was a body part, likely the head, meeting concrete. He stepped around the corner to find the man who had occupied his thoughts for the last week or so holding one of Fei Long's lieutenant by the collar.
"What are you doing?" Tao yelled as he rushed to crouch in front of the limp guard.
"I caught him sleeping," Yoh replied.
Tao tapped the guard's cheek to rouse him. When he couldn't wake him, Tao threw a horrified look at Yoh. "Is he dead?"
"Of course not. Though he'll have a bitc—" Yoh cleared his throat "— a really nasty headache in the morning."
Tao abandoned his attempts to wake up the guard and stood up. Finding Yoh here was actually a good thing. He had so many questions for Yoh but wasn't sure where to start.
"Yoh—" he began.
"Look, Tao, no need to tell Fei Long, OK. I'll just tell Wong about the sleeping guard and get out quickly, OK?" Yoh began to walk away, then abruptly turned. "By the way, when you punch somebody, Tao, remember to make sure your thumb is not sticking out. You might break it, OK?
"Why are you doing this?" he asked softly.
Yoh shrugged. "I just noticed the other night and ..."
"No, why are you helping Fei-sama?" Tao walked over to the small stone bench and sat down. Yoh looked around him before following. "Guarding him. That's what you're doing, right? We were watching you the other night when—"
Yoh held up a hand. "Wait, who is we?"
"Fei-sama and me."
"He was watching?" There was a hitch in Yoh's voice that puzzled the boy.
Tao nodded. "We stood by the window for a really long time. Then Fei-sama asked me not to betray him."
Yoh grimaced at the boy's words.
"Yoh, you like Fei-sama, right?
"Of course."
"Then why? Why did you hurt him?"
For several seconds, Yoh offered no response. Tao thought he never would.
"To save Baishe. To save him." Yoh spoke almost to himself.
You stood and began to pace. "Remember Takaba Akihito?" He waited for Tao's assent before continuing. "Takaba has a friend, Asami, who got very angry with the boss when Fei Long took Takaba. Asami was ready to destroy Baishe. We couldn't have gone up against him and survived, not with all the other problems we had, still have."
Yoh squatted in front of Tao and took the child's hands. "Many people would have been hurt . I tried to find a way to prevent that. So I took the deed and gave it to Asami. I was hoping he could use it in exchange for Takaba. I'm sorry for deceiving you, Tao."
Tao nodded.
"That deed is worth a lot of money. Many people are after it —" Yoh's voice dropped so low that Tao strained to understand him. He thought he heard "bastard" and "Arbatov" but he couldn't be sure.
"I didn't steal it to get rich or to get ahead of anybody. I just ... I couldn't let Baishe be destroyed."
It was time for afternoon tea and Tao stood outside Fei Long's study. Before he could raise his hand to knock, one of the Baishe opened the door. The man held the door for him before heading out. Tao noticed Fei Long was talking to Wong.
Tao tried to park the trolley near the door, but the wheels somehow got snagged in the rug. He rocked the trolley back and forth carefully to free it, but he must have pushed a little too hard for it tipped just a little, spilling the tea and sending one of the delicate teacups rattling on the saucer. Tao threw a panicked glance over his shoulder and was relieved to find Fei Long was still in deep conversation with Wong. He did not want to get scolded by the boss again about spilled tea and broken china. He grabbed a rag he kept under the trolley and hurried to mop up the excess liquid. Behind him, he heard Fei Long throw a folder onto his desk.
"You've got to return to headquarters, Wong, and sort this problem."
"But Laoban, you need me here."
"I need you there more. Those incompetent fools will ruin the organization if they're left alone for long. No more arguments. Put Hu in charge here."
Tao's ears perked at the name. He recognized it as that of the guard Yoh had found sleeping on the job only a week ago. Before he could stop himself, a protest escaped his lips. "But ... Hu—" he began, then faltered when he noticed Fei Long looking at him strangely.
"Tao? Did you have something to say?" Fei Long prompted.
Tao nervously wet his lips. He was never good at lying. He knew he wouldn't be able to respond without revealing the fact he'd been talking to Yoh.
Wong interrupted. "Laoban, I'm not sure Hu could handle the security of the estate."
Fei Long frowned. "Then find somebody else. I just want you to fix the problem at headquarters right now."
Wong stood up quickly and bowed. "I won't fail you, Laoban," he said. On his way out, he gave Tao a quick smile, which the boy returned. He knew Wong had spoken up to divert the boss' attention.
He poured the tea and carefully placed it on Fei Long's desk. "Would you like some cookies, Fei-sama? Cook just baked them."
Fei Long shook his head. "No, thank you, Tao. What I want you to do is to come closer," he smiled and held out his hand.
Tao's heart began to thump loudly as he took Fei Long's hand.
"What do you know about Hu?"
Tao shook his head.
"You looked rather distressed when his name came up just a while ago."
Tao shook his head again.
Fei Long narrowed his eyes. "Tao? Don't make me angry," he said softly. "Now, what do you know about Hu?"
"He sleeps on the job," Tao answered quietly.
"Really? You saw him?"
Tao almost nodded. Agreeing would mean he wouldn't have to mention Yoh. But agreeing would also mean lying to his beloved master. Tao slowly shook his head.
Fei Long cocked his head. "Then how do you know?"
"Yoh saw him," he answered in barely a whisper.
Fei Long sighed. "Oh, Tao."
Hearing the disappointment in his master's voice, Tao flung his arms around Fei Long and cried, "I'm sorry, Fei-sama. I'm so sorry."
Fei Long cradled the boy against him until Tao's sobbing eased into hiccups. "Why are you talking to him? He betrayed us, remember?"
Tao started to wipe his tears and snot with his sleeve when Fei Long produced a handkerchief from the folds of his cheongsam. Tao stood still as Fei Long blotted his face. "He did it to protect you."
Fei Long stopped wiping Tao's tears and leaned back. "Did he tell you that?"
Tao nodded vigorously.
"And you believed him?"
Tao nodded, a little less vigorously this time.
"Why?"
Tao looked back at all the things he knew and seen and heard about the man named Yoh. It all added up to the truth that was apparent even to a young boy like him.
"Yoh likes Fei Long-sama."
Tao ran down the gravel path toward the main guardhouse. It was almost dusk, but this time he had the master's permission to be outside.
"Hey, Tao, where are you off to?" one of the guards asked. "Shouldn't you be inside?"
"I've a message from Fei Long-sama to Yoh."
The guards looked at each other, surprise written all over their faces. Without a word, they accompanied Tao down to the small gate and opened it for him. They waited as Tao crossed the street to where Yoh was fiddling with his motorbike. He, too, looked surprised to see Tao.
"Hey there," he said, standing up and wiping his greasy hands with an even greasier rag. "Are you supposed to be out?"
Tao nodded eagerly. He was excited to deliver his master's message. He cleared his throat and tried to look more serious.
"Fei Long-sama wants to tell you that he does not forgive as easily as a child."
"What?! Why is he telling me—?" Yoh tossed the rag toward his bike. To Tao, he looked agitated. "I know what I did is unforgivable. I've never asked—"
Tao pulled at Yoh's jacket to get his attention. "Yoh, you have to listen to the entire message."
"Why? And why is Fei Long sending you with messages anyway?"
"Because he's still a little bit mad at you."
Yoh looked a bit taken aback by the boy's honesty. "Well, yeah, I know that."
Tao sighed, "Look, I have to go back inside so just listen, OK?" He took a deep breath. "Fei Long-sama said he does not forgive as easily as a child." Tao raised his hand when Yoh looked like he was going to interrupt again.
"But he does forgive."
Yoh looked stunned. It took several seconds before he was able to get sounds out. "What?" he asked faintly.
Tao smiled, happy to have finished his errand. He began running toward the gate. "I'll see you again soon. Bye!" he yelled. He was almost at the gate when he heard Yoh yell be hind him.
"Tao, please tell Fei Long-sama thank you!"
He flashed Yoh a smile then ducked inside the gates.
He ran as fast as he could toward the house and didn't stop. He took the stairs two steps at a time and headed toward the wing where he had found Fei Long that night many weeks ago. When he got to the room, he found Fei Long standing next to the window, once again watching Yoh.
"He said thank you."
Fei Long let out what sounded like a snort.
But a hint of smile touched his lips.
Tao didn't feel the need to hold Fei Long's hand.
The End
* Dialogue in italics is from the conversation between Tao and Yoh in Chapter 12 of NT.