I'm sorry about the wait for this. I'm also sorry that it's so short. One of my weaknesses as a writer is my speed, or lack there of.

This chapter is mostly from Akihito's perspective, though I steadfastly refuse to let him take over the story as writing his point of view does not interest me as much as Asami's.

Sensei owns all.

Asami's office door slams in his face and it takes Akihito only a second to realize what's happened and he kicks and pounds at the door. "Let me back in, you damn bastard! You can't just threaten a guy and then throw him out!"

There is no response.

Akihito turns and yanks the doorknob, but to no avail. "Asami! Open the door! I'm not finished with you!" It's only with the distinct click of Kirishima's gun cocking that Akihito turns around. "What the hell are you doing?" Akihito demands, giving the door a kick for good measure. "Let me back in!"

"Don't make me have to do this, kid," the bodyguard answers. He reaches for Akihito's arm, but the boy jerks back.

"Don't touch me! I want to talk to Asami!" Akihito stares down the barrel of Kirishima's gun, sure that the bespectacled man has no intention of shooting him. "Let me back in there."

Kirishima sighs and presses his gun to Akihito's temple. "Takaba. Please. Please."

There's enough gravity in his voice that Akihito begins to shake. The metal is cool against his forehead, but it burns and he remembers being shot before, though now there's no way the bullet would miss him.

"Takaba. I have my orders. You have yours." Reluctantly, Kirishima presses his gun harder against Akihito's head. When he reaches for his arm this time, Akihito doesn't fight. The boy nods numbly and follows him out of the building.

Kirishima releases him at the top of the steps leading out to the street.

Akihito stumbles down them and then looks back with tears in his eyes. "What... exactly... are your orders, Kirishima-san?"

"If we see you again, we're to shoot you. No questions."

Akihito's eyes widen in shock. "How can he do this? How can he just say it's over? After... after..." hiccup, "after... everything, how can he just say it's over? And now you're supposed to shoot me? What the hell, Kirishima-san? It's not fair! Nothing he does is ever fair! Other people have feelings too, you know! I bet he's not such a great boss all the time either, huh? He can't just say it's over. He said he loves me."

Kirishima doesn't tell him that's probably precisely the reason that Asami issued the order, knowing full well that his boss cannot afford to show, or even have, any weaknesses. "Go on, Takaba, get out of here. You're free. Isn't that what you wanted anyway?"

Clenching his fists, Akihito's pride won't let him do anything but nod. "Yeah, I guess."

"Get out of here now, Takaba. Don't make me point my gun at you again, got it?"

"Would you really shoot me, Kirishima-san?" Akihito knows he hasn't made the man's life any easier, but surely he wouldn't really kill him.

"I don't want to have to."

Akihito swallows hard and stares back at the weapon in Kirishima's hand. "This isn't over."

"Yes it is, Takaba."

"No, it's not!"

"Yes it is, now get out of here."

"Fine, I'll leave, but this isn't over!" Akihito takes off only to be followed by the sound of one warning shot. It misses him by a mile, but he looks back to see Kirishima still aiming at him.


"Akihito..." Kau leans over his friend, who is lying on his couch, barely responsive. "Come on, Aki, it's been almost two days. At least tell me what happened." He pokes Akihito in the shoulder only to get a shrug in return. "Does this have anything to do with that rich guy?" Kau has long suspected that Akihito wasn't being completely honest about his relationship with the broad-shouldered, well-dressed man who often showed up to whisk him away. "Look... Aki, I mean... if he's like... your boyfriend or whatever, we're not gonna judge you or something."

Akihito throws his hands over his face. "'S not my boyfriend," he mumbles. "Not anymore, anyway."

Kau sighs in relief. It's the most Akihito has talked over the past two days, after showing up covered in sweat and shaking like a leaf. "Okay, so... tell me about it."

The photographer moves one hand from his face to look at his friend. Seeing no trace of judgement or condemnation in Kau's face he moves the other hand and sighs. "It's such a long story, Kau."

"I took the day off."

So Akihito explains the whole story to him, leaving out bits here and there that he knows would distress his friend, like the fact that both Asami and Fei Long raped him... and most of the shooting.

Kau listens intently and quietly, only nodding or adding the occasional "Mmhmm" to Akihito's tale. When he's finished, Kau can only laugh. "Come on, Aki, it's like something out of a smutty manga."

Akihito can't help but laugh too, realizing that all of it must sound very ridiculous, "Well you would know."

"Hey now! Look, I mean... this Asami guy... it's great that he came to get you from Hong Kong and all and I guess we owe him for that, but is he really somebody you want to be mixed up with? He sounds pretty dangerous. I know he said he loves you and everything, but now he told his men to kill you? I don't get it."

"Yeah, I know, but-"

"Do you love him?" Kau asks.

"Wha-? I mean... uh..."

"I don't know, maybe it's too dangerous and maybe it's not and I can't say that I'm surprised that you're mixed up in this kind of stuff, Aki. You're always looking for a rush, but if you love him too... well, you know. We'll always be there for you."

Akihito twiddles his fingers together and looks down at his bare feet.

"Do you love him, Aki?"

He looks into Kau's eyes, "I... I wish I could say no."

Kau nods. "Thought that might be the case."

"I'm such an idiot, Kau."

Punching his friend lightly in the arm, Kau laughs again, "'Course you are, Akihito. I knew that already."

The next day, Kau, Takato, and Akihito return from lunch to four boxes in the apartment which were not there previously. They are all neatly taped shut and labeled with Akihito's name in Kirishima's nondescript writing. Akihito tears them open to make sure all of his camera equipment is safe, relieved when it is. Everything but his film is accounted for.

"How sad is it that my whole life fits into four boxes?" he asks his friends.

Takato pats him on the shoulder and Kau snickers under his breath.

"So what are you gonna do now, Aki?" Takato asks.

A defeated puff of air escapes Akihito's lips.

"Aw, don't be like that," Kau chides, throwing his arm around Akihito's shoulders, "You're Takaba Akihito! You gotta go after the man you love!"

Akihito gives him a withering look. "Shut up, guys." But he smiles to himself and looks over at his camera equipment neatly piled on the floor. There's no way he can just let Asami off the hook. Not like this. What would Asami do if the situation were reversed? He'd never stand for it. And the person Akihito was before Hong Kong... what would he do? He'd go after Asami... follow him to the end of the earth... to the depths of Hell.

So that's what Akihito decides he's going to do. "Kau. Do you mind if I stay with you for a little bit longer?"

"Sure, buddy, whatever you need."

"If anybody asks if I'm staying here, say no. Even if it's my family or something. I'm not here."

Kau and Takato both give him a funny look. "Yeah, sure," Kau answers, "like I said, whatever you need."


"Absolutely not. You're asking too much, Asami-san."

Asami leans casually against a stack of boxes and smiles at a man named Komatsu Tenshin. He has been looking forward to this meeting for awhile, simply because there is a large supply of a certain type of product sitting in this particular warehouse that he would much rather convert into more liquid assets. However, Komatsu is not the man Asami would have preferred to deal with.

Komatsu has a reputation for being a very tough negotiator and Asami would much rather have handled the matter with his boss, an elderly, exceedingly corrupt Diet member. "Komatsu-san," his honeyed voice betrays nothing of his ire, "There is no need for all of this. I have something you want and the market has dictated the price for it. You can see how I'd be an idiot to accept less."

Komatsu mimics Asami's posture and smirks back. "Of course, Asami-san, but you must also see that we have to make a profit."

There's the faintest click of a camera shutter and Asami freezes instantly, waiting to hear it again. Surely the boy couldn't be that foolish. But he's been hearing that noise a lot when it isn't there and so he turns his attention back to Komatsu.

"You have your instructions, do you not?" Asami asks the man. The question obviously makes Komatsu bristle and he cannot afford to show the dissent that he really feels toward his elderly boss. "There is no need for these games, Komatsu-san," Asami continues. "It's a clean and even exchange."

But there's the click of the shutter again. It's more distinct this time.

"Fine, Asami-san, I'll just need you to confirm the transfer," Komatsu passes his phone to Kirishima who in turns hands it to Asami.

Asami's ears twitch with another few snaps of the shutter, but no one else seems to hear it. With a few swipes on the touch-screen of the phone, the transfer is confirmed and Asami is honestly relieved because he would prefer not to have vast quantities of drugs in his possession. The drug trade is so much messier than the arms trade.

Leaving the warehouse with Kirishima, he turns to look down the alleyway only to see a familiar shock of bleached blond hair darting behind a dumpster. Kirishima sees it too and raises his gun and taking aim.

"No," Asami says, "Just... let him go."

"Sir?" Kirishima asks.

"Just this once."

TBC. Thank you for reading!

-El