Akihito was exhausted to the bone as he entered his small apartment in wet rags. He took off his drenched attire and threw it into the laundry basket. One action filled day was enough to last a lifetime for him. He had always liked a thrilling chase but that was behind a computer screen not a chase in the water and throughout Tokyo's streets at night. He didn't think he'd be able to pull a stunt like that again. Then again he was grateful his aunt forced him to stay physically fit. Contrary to her looks she was an obsessed enthusiast of the martial arts. The men back at the warehouse had almost succeeded in capturing him but were foolish enough to turn their backs on him. He grinned as he entered the shower with a towel in his hand. Those men will have a harder time locating him again. If they ever get the chance to locate him again. They had already failed three times.
He was suspicious about the first two incidents. He thought it was a case of mistaken identity. He hadn't done anything dangerous to grab the attention of bulking men who could be identified as the Yakuza. It wasn't until this third failed attempt that he accepted the fact that they were after him. For whatever reason. Natsuki-san was right he should've laid low after the second time.
When he finished his shower he saw his phone vibrating, it was his aunt calling. He stared nervously at the phone before picking it up.
"Akihito, you finally picked up! You had me so worried! I thought I had to report you missing." She exclaimed worriedly.
Akihito laughed into his cell phone. He walked to his closet to take out a warm sweater and cotton pants.
"Don't worry! Nothing happened I just went out for a drink."
He lied. He didn't wanted his aunt to worry about his safety every hour of the day. Her worrying had increased lately ever since she found out about some men in black chasing after him. He brushed it off but she was insistent about the bad feeling she was getting. She had called the police about the lurking men around her establishment. When they arrived to investigate they had told her that they found no traces of the group of people she mentioned. Natsuki had concluded that whoever was behind this incident must have both wealth and power. Enough power to keep the police silent and enough money to hire a group of men.
"Jeeze, don't put your phone on silent even if you're drinking out with friends. You'll worry me sick." She chastised.
"I'm sorry. Don't worry I won't get captured so easily. I going to take your advice. I'll lay low for a while. So I won't be stopping by any time soon."
"That would be for the best. Don't come to the internet cafe until I tell you to. Those men may be waiting it out around here without us knowing it."
"I got it. I guess I'll hold off on completing requests for a few days."
One of the reasons Akihito didn't have a computer at his apartment was simple. It was a security measure in case someone was able to track his whereabouts. Although he was hailed as a hacking wiz he wasn't so arrogant as to underestimate other people's skills.
He had found out after completing a request one day that someone was able to trace him. He was impressed. There hadn't been anyone who successfully traced him to the cafe. They were even skilled enough to hack into the security camera at the internet cafe for a moment until Akihito had caught the intruder and switched the video surveillance off. He had to admit that whoever's handy work that was that person was indeed skillful.
After acknowledging this person's ability he panicked a bit. The mistake of having his face seen by the intruder plagued his mind. Akihito thought he was just in time to shut off the video surveillance. So he put it at the back of his mind because his pride took a hit when realizing someone had caught an image him for a moment. He should have known how those men were able to recognize him on the streets. If he had been more careful and aware of his surroundings he wouldn't have been caught by surprise that night. And hauled into an unknown warehouse with his hands and legs tied up.
"Akihito, I'll do my best to find out who's behind all of this. It's getting on my nerves. If I catch any one of those buffoons I'll make sure they spill everything including their guts."
He unconsciously shivered and he wasn't even cold anymore. Natsuki-san's threatening aura had brought chills down his spine.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you then," he said quickly.
"Have a good night's rest. Just think of it as a vacation. I'll let you know when the coast is clear."
"I got it. Thanks." He replied before ending the call.
Akihito sighed as he laid on his bed face down. The sheets were soft and comfortable. He turned to his side and pulled the covers all the way to his neck. He decided to forget all these problems by having a good night's rest. This was the first time in his life that he was grateful for a warm bed. Treading frigid waters became an eye opener for him.
He sunk into the fluffy pillow.
Tomorrow I'll change my appearance. It'll be my disguise for the time being. That way, I'll be able to get rid of the men pursuing me. They'll eventually tire out and give up on searching for me around Tokyo. He thought before nodding off.
_-...-...-_
Akihito woke up early in the morning. As he headed out the door he grabbed a black cap, sunglasses and a sick mask. He wouldn't run the risk of being caught on the street in broad daylight. It would be thrice as hard to escape now. He went out to the drugstore to buy some hair dye. He was careful of his surroundings the whole trip there. It was his first time dying his hair so as he looked over all the different colors; he chose blond. Surely having blond hair wouldn't look so bad on him? And there was no way anyone would recognize him from behind, if his hair was blond and not black.
Akihito bought the hair dye and some cough drops. The cashier wasn't all that suspicious from his black cap and sunglasses she really thought he was sick. He headed out back to his apartment. Reading over the instruction manual carefully. It was his first time trying to dye his hair. Usually he would wear a wig if he wanted to go undercover investigating. Wigs were an option if he wanted to escape those men in suites but the wigs were starting to annoy him. It was a hassle to wear one every morning and then take it off every night. Who knows when they would get tired of searching for him? So he opted to another alternative which was dyeing his hair.
He walked into the bathroom and followed the instructions from the box. He mixed the hair dye contents into a bowl and ran it over his hair with a brush. The contents on the box said to wait 15 minutes for the end result. He covered his hair with a shower cap and sat on his bed. Akihito woke up so early. He wasn't used to waking up at this hour since he mainly worked at night. His head nodded tiredly to the side a couple of times before dropping onto the bed and falling asleep.
His eyes fluttered slightly, an hour and a half had already passed.
I fell asleep!
He jolted awake after realising what he was supposed to be doing. He didn't wash off the hair dye yet. Akihito raced into the bathroom. He jumped into the shower and prayed the end result wouldn't be so hideous looking. If that was the case he'd have no choice but to wear a wig. He washed his hair in the shower thoroughly and stepped in front of the mirror with his eyes closed.
If it ends up green I'll scream. He thought nervously while folding his arms to his chest.
Akihito opened one eye and then widened both. He was utterly shocked, his black hair had turned a silvery blond. He picked up the hair dye box and read its manual again. It seems he had left the hair dye in his hair for far too long and it bleached it to this color. The colour was so striking, he didn't know how other people would react to it. Especially his aunt. He sighed into his hands, his aunt is going to get a kick out of this one.
She's going to laugh herself into oblivion. He thought bitterly.
Akihito trudged outside the bathroom and dried his hair with a towel. He checked his reflection in the mirror again combing his fingers through his hair.
Well, I guess... It doesn't look that bad, he mused as he started at his reflection. This is better than it turning out green.
