Hello, hello! Before reading, I'd like to make a few quick points:

First off, parts of this story (especially this first chapter) probably uses too much business jargon, but I wanted to at least attempt to make it sound a little realistic. This said, I'm far from a business major so any details I have wrong, forgive me.

And second, this does have a central canon pairing (Aoba and Clear) with possibly one or two non-canon pairings mentioned (primarily, they'll serve for humor since overall I do want this to be a comical story). So, be ready for that. Otherwise, enjoy!

Spring Cleaning

The first thing Sei heard upon gaining consciousness was an incessant sound of ruffling. Though his eyes were still closed, vaguely he could feel a difference between this darkness and the nothingness he'd come from. His mind was too frazzled to want to process anything and he turned away from the noise in an attempt to block it. Unfortunately, not only did it not work, but new sounds were beginning to filter in as well.

"Looks like he's finally waking up," someone said. "He's been in a coma for nearly a year. Truthfully, I wasn't sure Sei-san would awaken, but it's definitely good that he has. He's the only one that can put an end to all of the chaos."

He could've sworn the voice was familiar. Now to add to the ruffling, his mind refused to shut back down until he pin-pointed whose voice that was. Before he could start churning any guesses, a second, equally familiar voice spoke.

"Remind me again why we didn't just take the company for ourselves? It would've beat sitting around for a year."

The first person sighed. "Because we don't have the legal authority. Even if part of Toue, Inc. operated off the books, you can't simply take a company. Besides, the most we could do is become a shareholder. And I don't feel much like sharing."

"Ah. Quite true," the other person agreed. "Owning a company also isn't much fun. All things considered, looking after Sei was pretty easy. Too bad though we missed our chance to play with Aoba."

A louder exhaled breath expressed the regret of both of them. "Yes, very sad. We underestimated Aoba-san's friends to be so protective of him." The person suddenly stopped speaking and a sound of clothing moving could be heard, as though the person were straightening up. "We shouldn't discuss such things now. Sei is nearly awake, it would appear."

Sei took that as his cue to finally open his eyes. The first thing he took in was a ceiling, smooth and white. His eyes slowly roved the room, picking out a small sink in the corner, then a large window with the curtain closed and a heart monitor on the side of…the bed. The voices said he'd been asleep for a year, in a coma. This had to be a hospital. And his visitors were…

"Hello, Virus…Trip," he whispered, his usually weak voice made even weaker with non-use.

"How are you feeling?" Virus asked, feeling his forehead to ensure he was in good health.

Sei nodded that he was fine and turned his eyes onto something that was in Virus' lap. There lay a large stack of papers, paragraph upon paragraph written in small, officious letters. So that explained the ruffling sound he'd heard earlier.

"Happy to see you're doing well, Sei-san. We were worried about you," Trip said, leaning forward in his chair with both elbows on his knees and his hands under his chin. "If you're feeling up to it, there's something very important we need to discuss with you."

Sei would've protested but Virus didn't give him the time to get the words out. "Ever since the collapse of Oval Tower, the company has been in freefall," he informed. "The mainland government has seized most of Toue, Incorporated's properties and the stock market price of the entire establishment has plummeted. The company shareholders are bailing, further lowering the value. We have a board of directors who helps draw up ideas and second any important company decisions but none of them have been able to come to an agreed vote on who should be CEO. Everyone wants it for themselves."

"In short, we're fucked," Trip said, earning him a reproachful stare from Virus.

Sei had patiently listened to the woes of the company and after a brief moment of thinking, he asked "And what does any of this have to do with me…?"

Trip reached down and picked up a sheet of paper from the top of Virus' lap and pressed it forward for Sei to see. "We actually found documents created by Toue himself naming you as his stand-in if anything happened to him. It's called…what's it called again?"

"Power of attorney, I believe," Virus said, pushing up his glasses and flipping through some of the other papers.

"Yeah, that thing," Trip shrugged. "In sort, while we don't know if Toue is dead or alive, he's not here to manage the company, thus he gave you legal authority to do so in his place."

"Sei-san," Virus said quietly, leaning forward to bore his eyes into Sei's. "You're the only one that can do this. Please. Help restore the company to its former greatness."

Sei flirted with the idea of refusing. For the first time in his life, he was outside of Toue's reach. He could do whatever he wanted. He was free to walk away and never look back, with middle fingers in the air. That was the only thing he'd ever asked for.

And yet…as the leader of Toue, Inc., this put him up on a pedestal that also offered an immense amount of sanctuary. As the executive, he would be the one calling the shots. Whoever said you couldn't have your cake and eat it too?

He looked up at the two non-twins who were waiting for his reply and couldn't hold back the smile that slowly spread across his face. "Alright. But we'll be doing things my way."

~.~.~

The first order of business after Sei got out of the hospital was to request a meeting with the infamous board of directors. Like the VIP he now was, he was chauffeured in an expensive vehicle through the streets of Midorijima and into the now publicly-opened Platinum Jail. The meeting was to be held in a teahouse within the Flame Willow district.

The room was nearly filled when they arrived, with only three spaces remaining for each of them. Both heads of the table were occupied, so Sei took a seat between a gruff-looking middle aged man and a woman who appeared to be in her thirties, her hair pulled back into a perfect bun. Everyone looked intimidating and he found that he couldn't help but shrink into himself a little.

Virus and Trip were saved spots that were across from his and were next to each other. It occurred to Sei that there had never been a time in which he'd ever seen one without the other. Coupled with their similar appearance, it was almost as though it were an unspoken rule that wherever one person went, the other would follow.

How…cute? Sei wasn't sure what to call it.

As usual though, Virus took the lead in speaking and addressed the entire room. "I want to thank all of you for coming here today, especially on short notice. This meeting is to simply inform of some new changes for the corporation and to also discuss our focus and direction for the future."

Immediately, one of the men at the head of the table to Sei's left spoke up. He looked to be the oldest and wore a formal male's kimono with his hands perched formidably on his knees. "And just what do you mean by changes? As the directors, we are to come to a general consensus together on any decisions that are to be made."

"Aye," another person said, this coming from someone to the right. "The two of you might've been the closest to Toue but that doesn't automatically give you the power to bypass us."

As the others murmured their agreement, Sei caught a very quiet noise of annoyance from Trip. However, Virus appeared unaffected and said, "That is quite true, we don't hold any legal power within the company. However, after much searching, we do believe we've found documents that point to the proper heir."

Without hesitation, everyone turned to Sei, singling out the new guy. He shrank down even more, looking at the back of his skeleton gloves as though they were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

"You can't possibly be talking about this kid," the woman next to him said.

Twenty-four isn't a kid! He wanted to protest but figured that comment in itself would sound childish.

Someone else asked the group at large, "Isn't that Sei? The one Toue-san introduced to the public at the commemoration event?"

Sei only nodded to confirm himself and away the discussion went with the buzz of the room growing louder. It would seem that while few people had actually seen him, many knew of him. And it would appear they had a very different idea of his role in the company.

The first leader spoke above the others and pointed an accusing finger at Sei, yelling "You mean to tell us that Toue appointed his pet as his next in line? That's absolutely ridiculous!"

It took a moment for the words to sink in for Sei. Yes, he had been held almost hostage by Toue and yes, many experiments were ran on him, so many in fact, that his heart nearly gave out from stress. But the loathing look on everyone's faces said there was more to it. At last, when it finally dawned on him, Sei literally spat out the tea he had just sipped.

"It's not like that!" he shouted, the first words he'd spoken. "I'm not his…I'm, um…still a virgin," he blushed, allowing a curtain of black hair to shield his face, growing redder still at their snickers. Curse societal double standards…

To draw attention back to the real matter at hand, Trip popped open the tabs on a suitcase and pulled out the stack of papers that they'd shown at the hospital. "These documents prove that Sei is the rightful leader. They're even signed by Toue himself."

He passed the papers around and each person looked at what Sei had already painstakingly gone through. Sei knew what they were checking for as well, the same thing he too had looked for. Any loopholes. Any leeway or unclear phrasing. Any evidence of tampering or dubious legality. But for all of Toue's faults, he was a shrewd businessman and no stone had been left unturned.

One by one, Sei could see the look of helpless realization etch its way into the face of each person. By the time the papers made their way back to Trip, the room had descended into silence. "So, as you can see," Trip continued, putting the papers back into the briefcase, "Sei-san now holds the majority power for Toue, Inc."

Virus straightened his glasses and politely folded his hands in his lap. "This is the first of many changes that will happen. As of the date signed by Sei-san, he is now the primary leader. He also has stated that he has in mind many ideas that he would like to implement to bring in more revenue for the company. Sei, would you care to give an outline of those ideas for us, please?"

Sei had never mentioned that his plan would make more money but he knew that saying something like that would easily capture everyone's attention. Sitting his teacup down and clearing his throat, his soft voice rang clear in the quiet room. "Most of you have been part of the company since its conception. You played vital parts in assisting Toue-san in expanding the company, getting financial help for new projects, and may even have had early information of the experiments that led to my creation."

At this last part, many eyebrows shot in the air, not understanding what he was referring to. Virus leaned over and whispered, "They…don't know about that. You and Aoba-san were an 'off the books' project."

Sei wasn't surprised.

Continuing on, he said, "I'm very grateful to everything you have contributed and how well you handled this last year in Toue's absence. Your dedication has been most impressive." Of course he and everyone else knew that was utter bullshit, that the company had been one step away from imploding on itself, but again, it sounded pleasant to the ears. "However, I have a new vision for the Toue Konzern, one that would be as grand as, if not better, than Toue's original goal. To make this vision come true though, certain sacrifices will be required. As such, all of you are immediately fired."

Nobody moved. Sei fiddled with the fedora that sat on the tatami mat beside him, quietly counting down from ten. …Nine…eight…seven…six…five…

"What the hell?!" One woman screamed, looking like she wanted nothing more than to Hulk Smash the table. "You can't do that!"

"I can and I have," Sei quietly said, his soft voice never changing. "I understand this is very sudden, as it is very sudden for me too. Due to this, I have given all of you severance pay. I expect your offices though to be cleaned out by tomorrow morning."

The one heading the table to his right slammed a sake cup down and stood up. "I didn't want to work at a company run by some damn hipster anyways! But while you were able to get rid of us, remember the shareholders that helped to even put this company on the map! As long as they hold stock, you don't have full power." He turned around to storm out the door and Sei's words followed him.

"You're quite correct, their investments helped to create what is here today. However, I don't need financing for my plans. I simply need to own as much of the company as possible. I've already bought each shareholder off for five times the price they paid for their stock, thus privatizing the company and removing it from the stock market. So yes, I now do hold 100% control."

As the others got up to also ragequit out the door, he realized that neither Virus nor Trip had moved. Trip watched everyone leave with absolute indifference. Sei caught Virus' eye though and noticed that he had gone very still. His eyes were again boring into him, as though it were he that possessed Scrap.

"Sei-san? I would like to know if this change also includes us." His words were as polite as ever, laced with a dangerous edge.

"Yeah, what about us?" Trip repeated.

It of course had crossed Sei's mind to let these two go as well. However, their underground connections might prove useful. And however creepy their fascination with him was, he didn't know squat about running a company. Toue trusted them together as his right-hand…men. Sei would put that same faith in them as well.

The room was now empty save for the three of them and Sei picked back up his teacup, not minding that the drink had become cold. "I'll be keeping you both on. You have known me nearly my entire life and have looked after me. You're invaluable assets."

Not missing the hint of entitlement, the two nodded at his decision. "With that taken care of, Sei-san, it's best we give you a tour of the new facility built in place of Oval Tower. It was only just finished two months ago." Virus said, rising from his seat with Trip trailing him.

Getting up as well, he donned his fedora, straightening the brim. "Certainly, that's fine. Tomorrow though, there's somewhere that I need for you to take me."

"That being…?" Trip inquired.

"To see my brother, Aoba. He and I need to discuss some things…"

Haha, corporate muckety-mucks 'ragequitting'…I spend too much time online :)