Hiro remembered the day he'd met Akihito. It was the first day of preschool. He remembered watching as Akihito's mother kissed him goodbye and told him that she would see him later. And how they became friends when he'd poured his chocolate milk in Akihito's lap. "It's okay! I have stuff ta change into!" He'd said.
From then on they were never apart, they took baths together, slept together, and played together. Hiro loved Aki's mother too; she was so sweet and gentle, and the best at kissing boo-boos better. They were friends until the second year of middle school. Then Hiro had to move back to his hometown, Oaxaca, Mexico. It was horrible to watch Akihito crying before boarding the plane. He remembered promising to bring him lots of things back from Mexico and take tons of pictures.
Aki was all he thought about those years he spent in Mexico. He kept his promise too. He bought carvings, took tons of pictures at Noche de Rabanos, and brought various other things. By the time they moved back to Japan, he was going to start his second year of high school. He'd changed much, going from the shy, sweet kid to a loud, obnoxious fashionista but that was his parent's fault. He had been so excited when he'd stepped out of the car and saw Aki.
He started to run to him until he saw to other boys beat him. He watched as they hugged and walked in together laughing. Hiro remembered the pain he felt as he watched them throughout the day talking and laughing. He'd forgotten about him. The second he got home he took all of his pictures down of the two of them and all the things he got him, threw them in a box and shoved it to the back of his closet. Just like Aki shoved him to the back of his mind.
He became Akihito's bully. He took all his anger out on him, stealing his lunch, beating him up and hurting his new friends when they tried to stop him. He poured his anger into every beating he gave, and when Akihito didn't come to school, he took it out on other kids who even so much as stared at him. He did his best to make Akihito's life a living hell. Until he had to go to rehab for being too violent. He graduated and was immediately sent to beauty school. But every day after class he'd go to Akihito's college and continue to beat him up.
He knew Akihito didn't know why but it made him happy to know he was suffering. He did leave him alone eventually, though. He opened his salon in Tokyo, and somehow people who worked in drug dealings started coming, the police caught wind and started coming too because he had all the information. And he always told, for a price. Sometimes though his mind wandered to Akihito and he began wondering what he was up to. So when a detective by the name of Yamazaki came for information, he asked him about Akihito and surprise, surprise he knew him well.
He waited to see him because he was scared that he would recognize as his high school tormentor. It wasn't until a man named Asami needed information did he take the chance. The first time he entered the spacious condo with Suoh, Asami's bodyguard he was shocked that this was where Akihito was living now. He did give Asami what he wanted to know for no price at all but before he left he gazed over Akihito. And before he could stop them the words came out, he told them Asami and Fei Long were looking great, and he looked like shit. But that was rude; he learned that from anger management class before he was kicked out for being angry. So, he quickly added he would look adorable with pastel blue hair and that he should visit his salon sometime.
He was shocked at how quick the two men jumped to his defense and how Akihito had looked hurt before rushing behind one of them. He did panic a bit but remembered that Suoh had said something about staying downstairs. He quickly said something about going to dye Suoh's hair and how he would look gorgeous with pastel purple hair and rushing from the apartment and down the hall to the elevator. He did dye Suoh's hair of course by lying and saying that Asami said he could, and he told Suoh everything, about what happened upstairs and how he and Aki were best friends and how he'd bullied him. Because he needed someone to talk to.
Suoh insisted he apologized. So two hours later, he trudged back to the elevator Suoh behind him. He slammed the door open and apologized to Akihito and his two lovers, his eyes lowered to the ground. It was weird apologizing, so he covered up his embarrassment by shoving Suoh forward. "Isn't he so cute now?" He smiled brightly and when they weren't paying attention left the building. He walked all the way home, to the run-down city on the outskirts of Tokyo. The first thing he did was pulled out the pictures. He wished things were the way they were. No Kou or Takato and no weird, kinky lovers. And for the first time in a while, he cried. "I want you back, Takaba Akihito."