Title: Runner
Summary: When Akihito gets a call from an old friend, Asami starts to dig. What is his kitten hiding? And who is this new kid on the block that refers to himself as 'Wildcat'?
Rating
: T—Due to change
Genre
: Suspense/Romance
Length
: 15 Chapters


Author's Note: This story will be a total of 15 chapters, not including the prologue and epilogue. I will go into depth about Takaba's lurking predatory nature (and if no one gets the pun, I'm calling it fault) and what being a "runner" entails next chapter.

Implied of underage drug addiction and other dark themes. Past AkiOC (there won't be any in the future though.)


Chapter 1: An Old Friend

He knew it was wrong. It was always wrong but he couldn't bring himself to stop. It was an amazing feeling, to kick off of the edge of a building and be momentarily trapped in freefall before you collided with solid ground again. It exhilarated him. It thrilled him like nothing else could and he always wanted more-more-more!

He couldn't see straight anymore. The pills in his system had long ago made it hard to think and his sight had altered as well. Colors had long since shifted and blended together. The only thing he could see was the path he intended to take. All he had to do was jump

Akihito awoke with the gasp, the lingering sensation of freefall leaving his limbs. How long had it been since he'd had one of those dreams?

Akihito rolled over to look at the clock. It was only four in the morning. He huffed under his breath and slid out of Asami's vice like grip with practiced ease, ignoring the way his body ached exquisitely. Asami hadn't stirred—which was an extremely lucky piece of fate—so Akihito took care to be quiet about gathering his clothes.

He'd go for a walk to clear his head.

The streets of Shinjuku were busy as they always were. A gust of wind swept past him and Akihito pulled his coat tighter. The way the material flexed over his body reminded him of—

Stop.

Now was not the time to be reminiscing, not when he could so easily slip into the Redlight District and—holy hell, he needed to get the fuck out of here!

Akihito ran.

He didn't care where his legs were going to lead him, he just needed to get the hell out of here. Years of stalking and running made his stamina rank at epic proportions so he could run for a full mile before he started to feel the burn out of adrenalin.

So that's what he did.

When his legs gave out, Akihito stopped and took in his surroundings. 'Of all the places you could have taken me, legs, you chose to take me here?' He thought darkly.

It was the base of the building he had jumped off of to escape Asami. The memory alone was enough to make him smirk. He remembered the shock that painted those golden eyes of his... how being the prey made him feel that sense of excitement that he'd only ever gotten from running information between checkpoints.

While free running in itself wasn't particularly illegal, it wasn't legal either. People that ran usually got slapped with some half-grade charge like trespassing or vandalism and ended up paying a hefty fine. There were some that got out of the game after their first offense—like Akihito did—and then there were some that ended up being recruited by local Yakuza operations for their knowledge of the land. Luckily, runners never showed their face and never used their real names. They all had aliases or nicknames they used.

Akihito's was Pantera.

'But not anymore.' Akihito thought sullenly as he slipped through the shadows. A flash of light hit his hazel eyes and he winced at the piercing pain it brought to his head.

The sun was coming up. It was time to go back.


Asami was livid when he got back. "Where'd you go?" He asked coldly, his eyes darkening to sharp gold. His anger was palpable with the way his eyes narrowed into pinpricks.

"Out." Akihito said evasively. He hadn't gone anywhere, really.

"Akihito." The one in question flinched at how sharply his name had been spoken. "You've got a lot of nerve sneaking out like that and while I'm in town too. It's one thing to do it while I'm away but slipping out of my arms? I should punish you."

"You punish me regardless of whether or not I do something so what's the point of protesting anymore?" Maybe it was his boredom and annoyance combined talking.

If Asami was going to reply, it was cut off by the demanding cry of Akihito's cell phone which he had left behind on a whim. He snatched it up before Asami could think about taking it. 'An unfamiliar number.' He thought. "Takaba Akihito speaking," He said disinterestedly.

"Aki, it's Tsukiya~!" A female voice chimed. Akihito's eyes lit up.

"Tsuki-chan. It's been a while." He grinned. "How's the old business going or are you still in the game?"

"It's wicked, baby~. Hey, I'm going to be in Shinjuku today and I was wondering if you wanted to meet up. We could go get lunch."

"That sounds great. We can catch up. Did you get my number from Kou?"

"Yeah. He was a little pissed when I asked him what your number was considering how the three of us parted and all…"

Akihito winced. "Don't remind me. It took eight months of physical therapy for me to get full use of my arm again." Asami was giving him a predatory look. That wasn't a good sign. He'd better end this call now. "So I'll meet up with you later?"

"Yeah. We can meet in front of the station. You do jobs there, don't you?"

"I do. I'll talk to you then."

"Bye-bye~!"

She hung up just in time for Akihito to slam the phone shut and spin around so his back wasn't turned to Asami who had grabbed his waist and jerked their hips together causing the younger of the two to cry out. "An old girlfriend?" Asami asked almost disinterestedly.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Akihito said, regaining some of his fire. "It's a pity I won't tell you."

"Naughty kitten. Leaving your lover in the dark…" There was a sharp bite on the nape of his neck that made it hard to reply. "I'll just have to mark you so she knows to keep her hands to herself." He bit again and again, each mark becoming more and more prominent. Akihito's nails dug into Asami's shoulders as the pain-bordering-pleasure became too intense for Akihito to bear.

Later, after they'd calmed down and Asami's insatiable appetite was somewhat sedated, Asami asked Akihito, "So? Who was it?"

"Hm?" Akihito looked up from his place on Asami's chest. "Oh… on the phone. An old friend from high school—Nakamori Tsukiya. She's a year older than I am. We had a thing going for a while but it's been over since I chose a different path for my life." 'Though I have to wonder if it's really different.'

"And? How'd you meet?" Asami asked. Akihito looked up at him and glared. He was met with an arrogant smirk that made his blood boil. "I'm simply curious."

"I was sixteen and stupid." Akihito finally said. 'Let him draw from that what he will. I have no doubt he looked into my background anyways, the creepy jerk.' And besides, Asami didn't need to know about his Runner history. Undoubtedly that would draw up all kinds of questions that Akihito really did not want to answer.

"Another journalist?"

"More like running buddy…" He said slowly, as though he was talking to a child that wasn't getting the full picture. "She bought me my first Polaroid." He added. Asami's eyes flashed with amused mirth and Akihito felt a sense of naughty triumph even though the words weren't lies at all. 'Sucker,' He thought. "After I got picked up by the system for the first time, we split. It was on fairly good terms considering." Considering the fact that their romance had been adrenalin induced—considering how addicted to the rush they had gotten… it all could have been so much worse than it actually was. One of them could have died before they got to split or they could have been more violent on their high points. Just as well. They were still on speaking terms at least.

"I'm not sure I want you to go meet her." Asami mused.

"Why? Because she's my ex or because you think she might be competition?" Akihito asked.

"Yes, on both accounts." Asami said casually. He wasn't afraid to admit it. It wasn't like his little kitten would believe him either way.

"She's not competition, Asami. And who said I'd go out with an asshole like you anyways?" Akihito asked, his fire returning again. "She's just an old friend now. You could hardly call what we had a 'budding romance' anyways. And for the record, I think she's engaged now."

"I never would have figured you for the type to be arrested." Asami mused, changing the subject more to humor his feisty lover. His fingers drifted lazily over Akihito's spine.

Akihito relaxed and let him guide the topic. "Yeah, well… it's not exactly something I'm proud of." 'There are a lot of things I did that I'm not proud of.' Like how he'd punched Kou out the night he confronted him or the way he'd thrown himself mindlessly into a relationship with a girl he knew practically nothing about. Like how he'd been so careless with his life for all those years only to wind up dislocating his shoulder just before being arrested and fined.

But… what are mistakes if not lessons to be derived from?


"Hey, Aki!"

"Yo… Tsuki." Akihito smiled a bit.

She was still the same as he remembered—long legs that went from here to there, flat chest, blonde hair, green eyes and a mole under her eye. She still wore those tacky bracelets with plastic beads and those gaudy bright colored leggings that contrasted with her modest, ruffled black dress and high heeled pumps.

She hadn't changed a bit.

Still… Akihito couldn't help but feel that something was… off. Why was she here? Why did she go through all the trouble of contacting him almost six years after they split?

He finally worked up the nerve to ask when they were sitting at a fountain with a pair of colas. "As usual, you see right through me." She said, her smile losing its luster. She looked down at her soda with sad melancholy. "It's just… I don't know who else to turn to. Everyone else is either working for the Yakuza or in jail and… I'm all out of options."

What was she talking about?

"Tsukiya…" Akihito said slowly. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Oh, Aki. You have to help me." She pleaded, looking up at him. "I screwed up… like… majorly screwed up."

Akihito took a breath and steeled himself. "Tell me what happened."

"Alright… I got recruited by a corporation in Ikebukuro after we split and it worked out for a few years. I ended up getting a better offer overseas so I took it. I… hooked up with a client about six and a half months ago and… well…" She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm pregnant."

That's why he felt different around her. The clothes she wore before were tight and hugged her curves… the dress she was wearing now was loose fitting with ruffles to hide her figure from view.

"Congratulations," He smiled. "I'm happy for you. But what do you need my help for?"

She sighed softly. "The old company I used to work for found out about the new deal and was pissed. My boss and fiancé—the baby's father—is missing and now they've started coming after me." She flung herself at Akihito, latching her arms around his neck in desperation. The empty can clattered against the ground where it had been disregarded. "You have to help me, Akihito! I can't fight them on my own. It's not just my life I'm risking anymore. I have a child to think about too. That's why I cleaned up. That's why… that's why I called you for help." Her grip tightened on his neck before she pulled back, still clutching his shoulders, and looked up with tears in her eyes. "So? Will you help me? Aki?"

Tsuzukeru.