AN: Happy St. Patrick's day! So i'm finally done with this. Thanks to all of you who've been reading and following this since i posted it, and sorry for the long time it took me to update. And for those of you who were wondering if i'd post happier works, don't worry, I plan on posting happier works in the near future. So, enjoy! I apologize in advance for any grammar or spelling mistakes, I try to get them all...but ya know. And again, thank you, every single one of you, for your reviews! I hope you enjoy this final chapter!
Disclaimer: I Do not own the Finder Series.
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"Hurry! Hurry! It's under the couch, it's a big box! How can you not see it!" shrill and nasally, laced with a German accent, a woman's voice screamed from across the room.
"Shut up, why don't you! We don't need him knowing we haven't started decorating!" same accent, though deeper and tone, a male's voice cried from behind the green couch, which was awkwardly centered in the large sitting room. A shoe flew from behind the chair on the far side of the couch, instantly hitting the man behind the gaudy furniture.
"Fuck, Liesel, that hurt!" he stood up to his full height, the high heel gripped in his hand. He raised it in an awkward position, making to throw it at his assaulter.
Suddenly, she stood up as well, though not as tall as the young man aside from her, she stood tall nevertheless. Long blond hair fell to her back, bright blue eyes shown with anger as she quickly took off her other heel.
He stood there too, ashen hair brushed in his face, coal blue eyes stared intently at his sister, his weapon raised and ready to go.
"Bring it Han's!" she exclaimed angrily, "I told you_"
From the kitchen came a tall dirty blonde man, in his large hands a box, and inside the box a large cake. Ignoring the sibling's squabble, he ducked as he passed in between the couch and the chair, and placed the cake on the small table in front of the furniture.
When his task was complete, he sighed and looked at his work.
"It'll do you some good to wait after the party before you wreck everything, yes? Please refrain from destroying the living room, we haven't even gotten the decorations up. No. That's supposed to be your job, Han's and Liesel," Ivan sighed as he looked at his two siblings, "I didn't come from Russia and back to America to hear you too Germans complain. And by the way, he is your biological brother, so put some effort into your decorations!"
Scowling, the two agreed on a temporary standstill and pulled the boxes full of decorations from under the couch and began removing it's contents.
"Good," Ivan chimed, "i'll go pick up some more food_Oh, Seth and Maria will be coming over as well. They'll help decorate too...though Seth may be cooking...or is that Maria...or_Anyway, just get to work, this place better look like a Hallmark card by the time I get back."
They grumbled as waited for Ivan's footsteps to fall out before they began their bickering again. Nevertheless, they set up what they could.
After a while of arguing, the living room looked somewhat like the Hallmark card Ivan had in mind, or so they assumed.
The handle of the front door jiggled slightly, and in came two more people.
They looked around the room, holding large brown bags in their hands as they did so.
"...This is the place, the door was open," the young man looked to his identical female counterpart, "But I don't see anyon_"
"Surprise, we're over here," a quick snap from Liesel got the twin's attention, "And Ivan said you guys brought food."
"Ah, yes. To the kitchen I suppose_Come Maria," he turned to the short girl behind him, whose hair was pulled into an assortment of braids that fell messily into her dark face.
"Is he here yet?" Maria questioned as she followed her siblings into the kitchen, her voice bearing a strong caribbean accent, "It will take us a while to cook the food."
Like his sister, he bore the same dark shade of skin, though he abandoned such long braids, and wore his hair in small dreadlocks instead, "They plane hasn't landed yet, at least it won't be landing for another thirty minutes. It'll take them a while to get here, so we've got enough time to cook. Oh_and Mom's coming soon, so let's make this place as clean as possible."
With the help of the twins, the house looked superb in no time, leaving them enough time prepare the main dishes.
"It's been a while," Seth began, as he unraveled the contents of one of the brown sacks, "Since we've all been together like this."
Maria pulled out a large pot from the cabinet and began rinsing it in the sink, "Hawaii is as beautiful as ever," she commented, "I just wish the occasion wasn't so...depressing."
"Does anyone even know the details of this "accident"?" Hans had turned the front burner of the stove on to it's highest point, giving Maria a place to put the damp put, "It sounds bad_But I assume they'd tell us more than "he was caught in a bad accident."
"Maybe it's not our business," Liesel brushed past her brother as she ducked into the brown bag herself, looking for anything she could throw in a pan, "I mean, we're just supposed to be there for him."
"We'd be there for him if he didn't close us out," looking for a cutting board and a knife, Seth threw in his input on the situation, "It's not like we didn't try to call."
"-And he told us we needn't worry about him," Liesel cut in, "so therefore, we should not worry."
"...what dish would feed a family of eleven?" Maria threw in, desperately trying to ease the tension.
"Not a dish_dishes, and it seemed like he was being targeted, I mean, he is a photographer," Seth, clearly missing the point of Maria's randomness, continued on with the subject, "His life was hectic as it was. Certainly, this "accident" we know little about was no accident."
"Bu-"
"Exactly," Hans cast a threatening glance at Liesel as he further elaborated on the subject, "My point exactly. So the question is, whom was targeting him, and why?"
Hans was answered with the crackling of the oil in the pots, the steaming of boiling water, and the silence that ensued from his siblings.
Even Liesel had been speculating such a grim occurrence, though for the sake of her younger brother's privacy, she refused to dwell upon the thought. And now Hans was so proudly proclaiming his opinion.
She welcomed the silence.
OOOOO
Sometime later, the dishes were prepared and left in the kitchen to cool. Different ethnicities had clashed, and the entrees were a result of such a battle.
Food from Germany and Jamaica rested side by side, creating an aroma of pure sweetness.
They weren't master cooks, but they could cook.
They'd tried to carry on a conversation after the awkward silence, but neither could find themselves willing to speak for a prolonged period of time.
Their silence continued even when the front door swung open, paving way for their bubbly mother to illuminate the tension and brighten them all up.
Her heels clicked on the ground seconds before they hit the carpet, alerting all of her presence.
"This place looks nice," she cooed as she looked at the bright green decorations hanging from the ceiling, a huge, "WELCOME HOME AKIHITO" plastered for all to see.
Behind her came David and Lana, her only two biological children.
"Really mom," David whined, "Green?"
"Green is one of Taki's favorite colors," she snapped as she removed her suit jacket and tossed it to the couch, "Thus, we'll decorate in green."
"Smells good," Lana said from behind him, following her senses to the kitchen.
However, such an aroma betrayed the mood, as when Lana, after her mother, stepped inside the kitchen, the sad quartet's aurora radiated like fire.
Whether it be an argument or a dispute, Lana could tell they'd just dissolved some rather uneasy tension before her party arrived.
She cleared her throat at the awkward group, earning a backward glance from all of them, thus pulling them away from their menial tasks.
"Smells nice," Mrs. Takaba complimented as she took in a whiff of the food laying on the table in the kitchen, "Very nice."
"Hi Mommy," "Hi Mom" they all greeted in unison, leaving the counters and walking over to the short hawaiian woman.
Lana was thankful for their consideration and their decision to abandon whatever dispute they had moments before she, her mother, and her brother had arrived. Though it didn't look it, Lana knew that this whole Akihito incident had really shaken their mother up, though she made no indication that it did.
As some of the oldest, she and David knew the entire story, as did Ivan. And on behalf of their parents, they'd kept their mouths shut.
It scared the three of them, yet their parent's could present this information to the trio with little to no regrets.
They were in the military, after all, but still…
With all the hugging and chit-chat going on, Lana hadn't been aware that Ivan had come back, and now he and David stood behind her, watching the scene in front of them.
With a yelp, Lana was lifted off her feet as Ivan embraced her in a bone crushing hug and pulled her to his broad chest.
"It's so nice to get to see you again, in person," he squeezed Lana tighter, "But in light of such a gloomy situation, it's nice to have the entire family together again! Yes, it is!"
David chuckled as his sister's face turned the color of her scarlet hair.
Ivan had no intention of letting go, he was just too happy.
"I...van…I...love...you...too...but...you're...choking me!"
"Oh, sorry," he lightly placed her back on her feet and patted her head, "i'm just so happy to see you."
"I'm happy to see you too, Ivan," and truly, she was. Ivan was her favorite out of all of her siblings. He was adopted from a troubled family, and carried the extra baggage with him.
She helped how she could, though she didn't exactly understand his situation, but nevertheless, she helped. And though it seemed impossible to pry a turtle like Ivan out of his shell, she accomplished it. Hopefully, she could do the same for Akihito.
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Already, they'd eaten more than half of the dishes that had been previously prepared, and now the kitchen quartet hurriedly went back to the kitchen to prepare something else to eat.
About an hour ago, Mr. Takaba had alerted them that he'd be a little long, as he needed to take Akihito to the nearest hospital. Assuming that "a little long" would be five hours at most , the less grateful of the bunch began eating what they could out of hunger.
Ivan's medication rendered him appetitless and Lana had eaten before she came. Thus, that left the food for the rest of the rats to pick off of.
None expected Mr. Takaba to call and okay his arrival in twenty minutes, but they hadn't expected their stomachs to get the best of them either.
So once again, the sound of crackling oil, rushing water and steaming pots could be heard throughout the house.
Now with their mother here, the house was slightly more livelier. Memories and stories had been resurfaced from their childhood, and they found themselves dwelling on happier times.
"Remember when we hid that bird on our room, Hans?" Liesel recalled as she stirred a pot of soup.
"Yeah, yeah! I remember, and we almost had it too! It just had to squawk when Dad was sweeping the hallway!" Hans replied with bubbly laughter, "I had no idea he was scared of birds!"
"That's the fastest i've ever seen a grown man run," Seth chimed in, "I never thought he'd fear a bird."
"Hey-hey, remember when we almost sacrificed Akihito's gerbil to the Tiki gods because David thought the house was cursed?" Lana added as she munched on a pineapple.
Ivan chuckled lightly, "Almost sacrificed?"
"No wonder he took to hiding his...creatures in his room. That kid was obsessed with rodents," Mrs. Takaba shuddered as she recalled that aspect of her son.
"And photography! Remember when we took him to Russia that one time, and Dmitri took him to Siberia?" Hans exclaimed, as he remembered the meeting with their godfather, "We were freezing our asses off there, but Takaba wanted to keep on taking pictures with Dimitri."
"Language Hans," his mother teased, "...yeah, he loved pictures. Guess we owe it to Dmitri, he taught him how to "see the beauty in the ugliest of things," she mocked a Russian accent the best she could.
"Hey, that's not how we sound," Ivan joked, earning laughter from everyone else.
The laughter and memories carried on for a little longer. However, the sound of the door slowly creaking open issued a standstill amongst all.
Thickened with tension, the air was hard to breath in.
They could hear their father and Cho struggling to bring something large into the house, and they only paled at the many thoughts of what it could be.
A hospital bed perhaps?
Unlike the rest of the siblings, Liesel abandoned the "deer in the headlights" stare and made her way to the living room. Like a right of passage, the rest timidly followed, unsure of how to react to the unknown scene before them.
Firstly, they'd managed to bring some extra baggage with them. Cho, who as a sibling, was expected. And Mary, she was like a sister, so it wasn't strange for her to tag along with Cho.
But Kou and Takato?
Perhaps they had been put in danger as well.
However, the present questionable appearance of the two japanese men was not what captured the family's attention.
It was their youngest brother.
According to their relationship with him, according to the memories they shared with him, each had a slightly different reaction, though all the same in the long run.
He'd been a bright eyed, jumpy child in youth, never bound by physical constraints. If there was a wall blocking his path, well, he'd climb higher than the wall itself, perhaps to the sky if the laws of physics allowed it.
Therefore, seeing him in such a state, rendered to a wheelchair, bright eyes dull and void of emotion, unsettled many of them.
Other than his delayed breathing, he gave no indicator that he was alive. His eyes opened on their own accord, a glossy texture about them. His body was slightly slumped forward, but thankfully, a thin belt wrapped securely around his waist prevented him from falling out of the chair.
The "WELCOME HOME AKIHITO" sign had fallen off, fluttering gently atop of the heads of the stunned relatives, perhaps appropriate for such an occasion.
Because Akihito was not this shell of their brother, not this shell of their son, nor was he this shell of their friend.
In that moment, they all felt like a failure of some kind. While they had called him numerous times, while he had assured them he was okay, they weren't idiots.
They knew he was lying...yet no one pressed upon the subject. He'd wiggled himself out of tough situations before, how was this one any different?
"You should've just let him die," Hans broke the thick concentration, finally losing his sense, "He's not even our brother anymore!"
"Hans!" an uproar of repercussion ensued at the bizarre statement, but Hans was not dissuaded.
"Look at him," he motioned towards the limp body, "Was there an option to take him off life support, Dad? Because I certainly don't think he'd like to live out his life as a vegetable_What the hell even happened to him?"
Cho, who had stood near the wheelchair, sighed as he moved to let the guest in, "He was talking while in Japan, you idiot. He's just on some heavy pain medication."
An audible sigh could be heard from from everyone, though it didn't erase the tension.
Takato and Kou's shoes had been removed and placed near the mat, earning glances from most of Takaba's siblings.
Cho sighed and introduced them, "This is Kou," he pointed to the awkwardly grinning dark haired youth, "And this is Takato," he directed them to the brunette, "They're Taki's friends. And inlight of the...situation, they'll be staying out of Japan until things clear up."
"What things?" Hans budded in, "You still haven't told us shit-"
"And you won't get shit with that attitude," Cho snarled at his brother.
"Hey, you two calm down," Mr. Takaba snapped at his bickering children. He sighed as he wheeled his son into the house, being mindful not to roll over the shoes, "Besides, this is a party! So let's be happy!"
"You can keep your shoes on, you know," Ivan advised the two men who abandoned their sneakers, "Oh...can you speak…"
"It's just in our custom to take shoes off….if it offends you, we can put them back on," Kou spoke for the two of them, and both awkwardly bent down to retrieve their sneakers.
"No-no! It's okay," Ivan replied, "we were just confused."
And they were, not even Mr. Takaba returned to his original culture. In fact, he wore his shoes everywhere.
Speaking of him…" I'm taking Akihito to his room…he needs some rest_But feel free to proceed without me!"
"Wait up," Mrs. Takaba parted the crowd as she stumbled beside her husband. She stared at her broken son, and then quickly at Mr. Takaba, "I'm coming with you."
As if some unspoken language had been uttered, Mr. Takaba nodded with closed eyes, motioning for his wife to follow him.
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Hardly anyone had noticed Mr. Takaba's prolonged absence, as the party had kicked into full swing. Music had been played, and in between foreign dishes, potent alcohol had been passed around, intoxicating the minds of it's drinkers.
Cho drank as little as possible, his mind was still fresh on his brother's condition and what trials the future held. His father had done right by moving Kou, Takato and his family out of Japan, no doubt Asami would target them next.
However, the man was desperate despite his part in Akihito's attempted murder. How far would he go to find him again?
Mr. Takaba was already destroying all possibly ties that connected Asami and Akihito, as well as securing the safety of Akihito's friends.
He bet his mother was doing the same, as she shared the same ties that their father shared with the military and other organizations within it.
He sighed, wanting to believe that this mess with Asami was done and over. But he knew better, as did everyone else strictly familiarized with Akihito's case.
It wasn't a matter of if they could keep Asami away, it was a matter of how long. In the short time he'd been with Kou and Takato, as well as with his father, he'd learned a lot about this Asami man.
Apparently, he wasn't one to be messed with, for Mr. Takaba's job dealt with rats of the underworld, and he'd budded heads with Asami's men more than once.
But this was personal, and Akihito wasn't the only one affected by this mess.
Cho's mind dwelled to Takato who had a family, even if it was just his wife, they'd been put in danger. And Asami would not hesitate to harm Kou if the situation called for it...and Mary...well, she came from a mafia family of sorts, so she'd be insured.
And Cho, aside from having his father and mother backing him up, never worried too much about himself. He had ties too, however, unlike his idiot brother, he managed them well.
Not that his parents needed to know about them, though.
From his spot on the couch, he looked at the drinking crowd in front of him. Chuckling, he pondered on the irony of this situation.
Long forgotten on the floor, treaded over by dancing youths, lay the "WELCOME HOME AKIHITO"sign.
However, he doubted this party was actually for his brother. They'd been made aware of his situation a week ago, when their father was desperately arranging away to get him out of Japan. They'd already switched hospitals, as the notorious Asami had found out their old location.
Mr. Takaba had "taken care of him" temporarily, but he hadn't killed him. So he'd be back.
Needless to say, they were aware of Akihito's situation long before this party, and should have figured that he would not be able to eat such heavy foods, especially after surgery.
He looked again at the alcohol, and the adults drinking away at the bottles like thirsty horses. Even Takato's timid wife had edged her way into the house, and was now having drunken fun with some of Cho's siblings.
THey all seemed happy and carefree. And then Cho thought, perhaps this party was for them. Maybe, it was a way to escape such a morbid situation. Perhaps they were all scared...for Takaba, and for themselves.
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"Nana...I didn't kill him. If I did, we would've had more problems on our plate," Mr. Takaba gently tucked his son under the thick blankets, while conversing with his wife, "...Asami doesn't know where he is now, and as far as i'm concerned, he has no connections."
"What about his job, did you tell them where he was going?" Nana leaned on the wall with her arms crossed.
"No, I just told them he was injured, and was returning home with me," he replied solemnly, "they most likely think "home" means somewhere else in Japan. I didn't go into the specifics."
Nana nodded, "And the people accompanying you? They know too much...will you be moving them, or should I take care of that?"
"I'm at odds with them," Mr. Takaba began to pace around the dimly lit room, taking in the sound of his feet tapping against the wooden floor, "Moving them from their home country is no easy task...I want to send them back, America can be a culture shock for them. Not to mention, we just moved them out of the blue."
"And what of their safety?" Nana suggested, her tone critical, "What will stop this man from hurting them as well."
"We'll wait till this all dies down," he responded sadly, "I can't just move them from Japan, not like this. There's too much it'll be risking. We'll keep an eye on them."
Silence between the two individuals followed as they both weighed the severity of the current situation. Akihito's gentle breaths resounded throughout the room, drowning out the faded bass of the music in the living room. Both parents turned and looked at the sleeping form below them, and watched the steady rise and fall of the sheets.
"And what about him?" Nana looked towards her sleeping son, "we need to get him someplace safe...this home may not suffice. It's his childhood home, no doubt Asami would investigate here."
Mr. Takaba nodded.
"We'll have to move him as well," Mr. Takaba replied, "Maybe he can live in Texas, with Cho?"
"By now, he knows most of Akihito's information, he's delving deep into it now. He'll know he's related to Cho….goodness, no one's safe, huh? He'll start questioning the rest of our kids...why didn't you just kill him? And I know it wasn't because it would add more problems to our plate. You could fix that easily. "
This hadn't caught off guard, as he'd anticipated this far before. He was a master sniper, he gotten recognized by the President himself because of his many accomplishments during his military time...yet...he missed.
Mr. Takaba sighed.
"Because he came back," he replied automatically, his pacing at a halt, "he came back for Taki."
"To kill him?" Mrs. Takaba supplied, "because I don't think he'd come back any other way-"
"There's more to this then we know, Nana...and I know i'm playing with fire, but he's not as bad as we think he is."
Mrs. Takaba sighed, "So your true colors begin to show. If I didn't know you like I do, I would've assumed that you were crazy...surprise me. What makes this insane man," she cast a short glance towards her son on the bed, "good?"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, and sighed once more.
"I don't know...it's just a gut-"
"So, you're letting your gut weigh the lives of...of people? Mr. T, what's going on in that thick skull of yours?"
He shrugged, "I don't know...i've of feeling though, an itch of you want to name it….it's telling me that he's not as bad as we think. Why else-"
Akihito stirred slightly, both parents glanced quickly towards him.
"That's crazy talk! Crazy! You're talking crazy!" she hissed in a whisper, "It's taking all my sanity not to slap some sense into you_What are you thinking!? I want to kill this-"
"I know you want to kill him, and I wanted to as well...but his eyes...I could see something else in them..do you get me Nana?"
She sighed, and facepalmed, "Yeah, Mr. T, I get you. But I don't agree with you."
A little more optimistic now, Mr. Takaba headed towards the door,"That's all I need, is for you to understand, dear. Taki needs his sleep, i'd say…and we all deserve to let loose a little. What do you say, Mrs. T? There's a bottle of vodka with our names written on it."
"A-are you serious?! You're kidding me, aren't-hey, how'd you get that close?!" He wrapped his arm around her waist before she could finish her rant, and planted a firm kiss on her lips.
Fight finally gone, she fell into his embrace.
"We'll get through this, I promise," he whispered affectionately in her ear, "now let's go drink."
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4 years later…(hang in there! We're almost done)
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"I'm certain this is illegal in the State of Texas," Takaba called out to his friends, who resided far off in the center of the large field, fiddling with a box of fireworks.
"This country is jacked as it is," Takato called back, "they'll let you shoot guns at the sky, but not let off a little fireworks?"
Takaba sighed as he leaned on the chair which rested on the front porch. He closed his eyes and rocked back steadily, bracing himself for the anxiousness that came whenever New Year's Eve approached.
He'd thought that he ridden himself of such nervousness four years ago, when he'd been forced to attend another New Years party due to his psychologists orders. But he never expected a panic attack to ensue...he was just waiting for Asami to burst through the door at any moment.
His hands gripped his cane, which stood up awkwardly in between his legs. He'd tried to rest his head on the hand piece, but had given himself a headache.
Sighing, he let his mind drift back a few years...he needed to let go, needed to let the past go.
But this cane was an all too great reminder of the trouble that New Years had caused him four years ago.
The pain and the betrayal never left him, though they died down slightly, they never left him.
He hated Asami, he hated Sudoh and he hated himself.
He hated himself for loving someone like Asami, and letting the man sabotage him like he did.
Four years, and he was still dependent on medication, and couldn't even walk without a cane.
He sighed and took in the smell of cedar which polluted the sky.
It was getting dark.
Shifting his weight forward, and unto the walking stick, Takaba forced himself up. His bones cracked due to his prolonged sitting position, and he breathed in a breath of relief.
He'd been stiff for the longest time, and though he was regaining his movement by the day, it was still a challenge.
Just months ago, he was bound to a wheelchair, and felt like a prisoner of his own body. The medication he took rendered him useless, thus causing others to care for him.
He was a burden to many, and he hated being a burden.
Which once again, reminded him why he hated Asami.
"I"m going inside," he called out to the group, "I don't feel like watching you catch this entire field on fire."
"I've got a water hose," Mary called from the bunch, as she removed a giant rocket from the box.
"Yeah, she's got a water hose!" Kou echoed.
Takaba smiled. Ever since that day...his friends had made it a tradition to celebrate New Years Eve and New Years with him wherever he went, as his current situation called for hasty relocation. Not that they hadn't been relocated numerous times due to this problem, which Takaba blamed himself for .
He hadn't meant to drag them into this mess, and though his family had worked hard to shake Asami's trail, they were all still in danger.
He knew that Takato resented him most out of the group, though he'd told him many times he wasn't angry. But he knew his friends inside and out, and knew Takato had a family.
Takaba had ruined it when he'd dragged them into this mess. Takato's divorce never would've happened had his wife not feared for her own safety.
Needless to say, he was surprised that Takato stuck around for their New Years celebration.
With all that they'd gone through together, it meant a lot to him.
A whistling noise distracted him from his thoughts, and he found himself turning towards the distraught crowd.
He looked up and saw a small trail of smoke pitifully fall to the ground.
It didn't even get that high.
"That's God's sign of telling you to stop before you blow this place up_And don't even get me started on the water hose! It's not big enough!" Takaba called out, "Just give it a rest, it's not working!"
"Because we didn't get the good brand!" Cho called back, jumping up suddenly, "We need to go into town and get the good ones! I know a place_"
"We don't need fireworks, they're illegal," Takaba called back impatiently, "let's just...I dunno, watch TV or something."
"We've never done this in Japan!" Kou whined, "and this place is huge, we're gonna do it here!"
"Totally!" Mary replied, smirking as she jumped up, "I'll go get the keys_Wanna come Takaba?"
"No, I don't want to come! Let's just go inside!" he practically begged, but his friends were already marching past him and into Mary's house, searching for keys and spare change.
"We don't like leaving you alone, Taki," he jumped when he felt a hand gently pat his shoulder, and looked away when he saw who it was.
Over the years, his friends had taken to calling him his family given nickname, "Taki".
"I'll be fine Takato...i've just got a bad feeling about fireworks and dry grass," he murmured, "But don't hold back on my account."
"There you go again, looking sad and depressed," Takato smiled, "Cheer up Taki, the fireworks will make you happy_Hey, we'll even pick up a disposable camera so you can snap some shots, okay?"
Takaba dipped his head down, avoiding any further eye contact. His friend's consideration never ceased to amaze him, and he often found himself to the point of tears because of it.
"Y-you don't have to do that Takato...just go get your fireworks," he moved before Takato could stop him, gripping his cane tightly and painfully.
"Do you need me to stay with you?" Takato offered silently, "Like I said, we don't want you alone."
He shrugged, "I'm alright...i'm be alright."
"Keep lying to yourself," Takato whispered, "we won't be long."
Takaba nodded, refusing to meet Takato's gaze.
OOOOOO
Asami was no stranger to America's rugged terrain, as his power stretched all over the world. American's were suckers for money, and Asami had a lot to give.
However, he was far more accustomed to the urban areas rather than the country areas.
Even as a young child, Asami had grown up in the city, and since his adulthood, he hadn't really branched out into the woods.
But business was business, even if it meant meeting in the middle of nowhere.
And unfortunately, Asami's client wanted them to meet up at his ranch.
Which was in the middle of nowhere.
Clyde Bennett, despite his quirky personality, remained one of Asami's most trusted employees, and worked to expand Club Sion's influence in the southern states in America.
And though he'd numerously mistaken Asami for Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and anything but Japanese, they'd established a sort of bond that Asami would like the nourish.
However, he doubted he'd even arrive at his location on time, as they were completely lost.
Well...not lost, so to speak, but slightly off course.
Asami sighed from his seat in the back of the car, and reached into his pocket to pull out his trusty packet of cigarettes.
However, they weren't there, as he'd given up his signature hobby after that day….
Cursing, he removed his hand from his pocket and looked out of the window, and into the wooded surroundings.
Since his run in with a very pissed off Mr. Takaba, he'd searched for Akihito all over Japan. But whoever was aiding the young photographer in his endeavours to escape Asami was truly one step ahead of the Yakuza.
Everyone closely associated with Takaba had been taken out of Japan without a trace, not even their realtors could give Asami useful information.
Takaba's family was quite the surprise as well. He figured that Takaba had been mixed with another race aside from Japanese, as his features betrayed the stereotypical dark hair and pale skin look.
Takaba was a dirty blond, with eyes changing from brown to blue depending on the season, yet he still bore certain Japanese features, such as his slanted eyes and an angular face.
But he was half German, and adopted by a Hawaiian mother and Japanese father. Asami never guessed that Takaba had lived such a secretive life, as he'd never mentioned such a thing to Asami. Infact, he spoke of his family casually, never alluding to the fact that they weren't the typical Japanese family.
Of course, back then, Asami had never been interested in Takaba's background, and instead found himself more intrigued by the boy himself.
However, he wanted to know more and more about this Takaba family and it's inhabitants. He wanted to know more about Akihito aside from the object he made the photographer out to be.
He wanted to know him inside and out. Perhaps he even wanted to be a part of such a diverse family.
Hell, he'd already ruined his chances of that already though, as the father wanted him dead.
He wanted to forget Takaba, yet he spent every hour remembering him, yearning for his touch and his bubbly presence.
But he'd disappeared from Asami's life for good.
Sudoh was another problem, and likewise, had fled the country when some idiot had tipped him off about Asami's newly found urge to rip him to shreds.
Asami would find him though, he didn't doubt that one bit. Someone liked him hated staying in the shadows and away from the camera, for fame, Sudoh would resurface.
And Asami would be waiting.
A sudden jolt tore Asami away from his troubling thoughts.
"Damn country roads," he heard Kirishima murmur under his breath, clearly agitated due to the conditions they were forced to drive in.
Unlike Asami, Kirishima did not like Mr. Bennett, and disliked his tendency to mistake his ethnicity even more.
Not to mention, the roads were nothing but dirt and gravel, how anyone could maneuver through such a terrain was beyond Kirishima. And, Unlike his boss, Kirishima was not afraid to admit defeat, as they'd been following this Quacks directions for the past hour, on this dirt road.
They were lost.
Kirishima had never seen so many trees, fields, cows and horses all in one place before, and in all honesty, it was a culture shock.
One would think, that with the surplus of animals roaming around, one living human would be bound to appear somewhere.
But no, since they'd hit this road, they had seen no one.
Since he wasn't the driver, Suoh wasn't entirely affected by the situation as Kirishima was, besides, he didn't mind sightseeing.
Kirishima sighed at his partner's obvious ignorance of his distress.
"Suoh, have you seen any….people?" he decided to spark some sort of conversation, as the silence was killing him. And though not chatty to begin with, since Takaba's absence, Asami absolutely refused to speak when not necessary. It was almost as if their boss had become a selective mute.
It had started slowly, the silence, and eventually took over Asami's psych completely.
He never spoke unless he absolutely had to, which unfortunately, for Kirishima, wasn't a lot.
"I assume they're all in their homes," Suoh infirmed, "what reason would they have to tend to their animals? They've most likely taken care of business already."
Kirishima shrugged as his partner went back to his site seeing, and despite his predicament, decided to attempt a conversation with his boss.
"What do you think, Asami? Should these people not be out, should we not have at least seen someone walking out, or biking, or…"
He stopped as he looked in the mirror up ahead, his boss had broken eye contact with him seconds after he tried to engage in conversation.
He was distracted by the grass.
They tried a psychologist for his condition_rather, he and Suoh had tricked Asami into meeting one_needless to say, the meeting could've ended without a room full of bullet holes and an even quieter Asami.
And as of recent, Kirishima felt surrounded by idots_yes, Asami was one of them, as was the block head Suoh.
"Should we pull over?" he tried, ebbing for a response from either of his party.
"No, let's just keep driving," Suoh replied, lowering the window and allowing the breeze to blow into the car.
The scent of cedar filled the small vehicle, and Kirishima felt a strangled cough rising in his throat.
Quickly, he rolled the window up, putting a stop to his allergies before they became a problem.
However, seconds later, Asami rolled his own window down, and looked into the green scenery.
Kirishima sneezed.
Once again, silence ensued.
However, up ahead, loud music could be heard, followed by the sound of a heavy motor.
Driving way above the speed limit, fast and large, came an enormous red truck, heading straight for the BMW. As usual, none of the vehicle's occupants showed any sign of distress except Kirishima, whose eyes watered at the smell of the cedar.
Swerving out of the way of impact, Kirishima nearly headed straight for the trees, but luckily broke before he could go any further.
"Pay attention the the road assholes!" came one of the male occupants from the flaming torpedo, which now headed at increasing speeds in the opposite direction.
Eyes wide open, despite their moisture, hands painfully glued to the steering wheel, Kirishima felt just about ready to explode.
Not one of these buffoons made any effort to thank him for saving their sorry lives. By now he was shaking, out of the fear of nearly being killed, and out of anger.
"We should keep on going, those people came from somewhere up ahead," Suoh's calm voice snapped Kirishima out of his rage, "Maybe we can ask for directions."
He took a deep breath and counted backwards from ten, slowly and painfully, ignoring the prodding from his partner.
He needed to calm down before he drove all of them into a ditch.
"W-what do you say," he spat out, slowly and painfully, "Asami? Should we stop up ahead, we are slightly lost."
Nothing was his answer, and the rage nearly boiled over.
Angrily shuffling his hands over the gears, he pulled the car into reverse and backed it out of it's position off the dirt road, put it back in drive, and headed straight towards the house up ahead, though he wasn't entirely sure if there even was a house.
The site seeing from both Asami and Suoh resumed, and Kirishima could feel his hands burning into the thick leather of the steering will.
He could not take this silence, and could not take this confusion.
He wanted a boss, not a man child.
For his own sake, he prayed that Akihito Takaba would magically appear before his Asami, and break him out of this everlasting spell of silence.
It was New Year's Eve, and maybe, just maybe, things could change for the better this time.
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He knew that Suoh was a former mechanic? Kirishima never had an idea. However, his abilities were put to the test when the car had stopped working seconds after they reached the house.
He blamed it on the field that they were forced to drive through, as they had to follow faded tire tracks to get to the dirt porch area.
And right in front of the worn out, red two story house, the car stopped.
At least they had reached the house in time.
The air was dry and hot, forcing Kirishima to remove his thick suit jacket as he moved around the to the hood of the car to help his partner diagnose the problem.
The scent of cedar assaulted him all at once, and he found himself going into a fit of coughs and sneezes.
Asami had removed his jacket as well, and slightly loosened his tie to ease the scorching heat.
With no AC working in the useless automobile, Asami sought to solve the situation regarding directions by himself, as his two bodyguards were preoccupied with the car.
Stepping out of the vehicle, and unto the dirt road, Asami said nothing as he began his stride to the house in front of him.
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He hadn't expected them to get back this early, as they seemed entirely determined to buy another batch of fireworks. Maybe they'd finally gotten to their senses and seen how dumb the entire idea was.
He'd done what he could with the old house in their sudden absence as well. He had cooked a bit, cleaned, and straightened things up.
This house was pretty homey. It was a medium sized, two story farm house. And from Takaba's understanding, it was very old, which shown true in the faded blue paint and old wooden floors.
Since Mary had purchased it, she'd changed a little bit, such as furniture and kitchen appliances, but she mostly kept it's traditional insides.
He could hear them fiddling with the car outside, and was partly surprised that they hadn't busted inside looking for parts to fix the vehicle with. It was Mary's pride and joy, that car, and unlike her not to raise hell because it was broken.
That's what they got anyway, a broken car. He told them that this firework idea was a bad idea, and now karma was out to get them.
Smiling, he slowly walked to the kitchen to check the food that was cooking in the oven. For this special occasion, he'd prepared a cake for his friends, as he believed that this New Year's Eve would be better than the previous had.
A sneeze from outside caught his attention. Sure, the cedar count was high, but none of his friends had allergies.
He shrugged it off. Anything could cause anyone to sneeze, it didn't necessarily have to be allergies.
However, though explainable, that wasn't the only odd thing about this situation. Not one of them had made a noise, nor had they come inside of the house.
The sound of someone knocking startled Takaba slightly, as they hardly had any visitors out here.
As fast as he could, he walked over to the door, certain that these weren't his friends.
"Wait one second please," balancing himself on his cane, quickly twisted the old lock so that the door could freely open, turned the door knob and opened the door.
Sighing, he closed his eyes as he jumped back, "Sorry, it takes a lot out of me...We don't really get people out here," he opened his eyes, and began to speak, however, the words slowly died from his mouth.
"A...asami…" he breathed.
His breathing increased tremendously, he felt as if his heart would burst out of his chest at any given moment. His eyes were wide, and he was shaking in his shoes, shaking out of pure fear.
Bottled up emotions bubbled within him, as he found himself backing away slowly from the man before him.
Needless to say, Asami was just as surprised as Takaba was. Truly, he did not expect to stumble across his long lost love, a love he was no longer afraid to admit.
And though fear radiated throughout Takaba's being like an untamed wild fire, a different kind of warmth ignited throughout Asami.
Because he'd been denied this sensation for so long, he wasn't entirely puzzled at his sudden urge to pounce on the shocked youth before him.
The youth that belonged to him.
Suddenly, his possessiveness reclaimed his shocked state, and immediately, turned into burning lust.
In mere seconds, he grabbed at Takaba's wrist, holding it in a vice grip and pulling him forward. Mindful of the newly acquired cane, Asami worked around it, pulling Takaba harder in an attempt to shake the walking aid out of the younger man's grasp.
"Asami sto-!" hungry lips devoured Takaba's own, thus stealing the photographer's words of protest.
Like old times, thoughts and feelings were communicated through the intimate exchange.
Sadness, betrayal, lust fear, anger and love…all exploded within seconds of intercourse.
Now fully supporting himself on Asami, Takaba gapped at his body's reaction to such a pleasurable sensation.
He thought he was done with this, he thought his fear had destroyed any possible emotional ties to Asami.
Takaba was wrong, however, and again, he hated himself for it.
Yet, in the midst of the touches, the caresses, and Asami's hand slowly creeping up Takaba's shirt, he suddenly realized something.
He could stop this, and finally end this vicious . He hated Asami, he loathed the man and his company. So why on earth was he allowing Asami to molest once him again?
The determination and willpower hidden beneath the turmoil that had shaped Takaba into this broken mess ripped out of its binds, and made Akihito's blood boil.
With new found determination, he clamped his teeth down hard, smiling when Asami made a slightly sound of surprise and discomfort.
Next, he kneed him in gut, hard.
However, he had not intended to collapse to the ground with Asami, as his sudden burst of energy had clouded his logic.
Nevertheless, he wasn't about to lose, not yet.
He pushed himself off of a staggering Asami, bur not before reaching into the man's gun holster and pulling out the deadly weapon.
Time hadn't completely eradicated his memory of Asami, or the man's fatal attire. Staggering backwards, he reached for his cane which had fallen to the ground moments ago. Standing up, and now somewhat balanced, he pointed the handgun at the man below him.
He wasn't going to shoot Asami, as much as he hated the man, he would never intentionally bring him to death's door.
But that didn't mean he couldn't frighten him, or at least try to.
For the most part, Asami was surprised at Takaba's spirit. He didn't actually expect Akihito to hurt him
He could taste the blood from his assaulted tongue, and flinched at it's sudden tenderness.
From his painful kneeling position on the floor, he looked up the photographer. As always, he bore that same spark in his eyes, the spark that had attracted Asami so.
The photographer had one hand balanced on a cane, and the other held Asami's own gun, which was aimed directly at him.
But Akihito's hands shook, and his body language betrayed the fire in his eyes.
Asami smirked and slowly regained himself. His urge to possess Takaba had overridden the sympathy he'd felt earlier, now he just wanted the photographer to himself.
"D-don't look at me like that!" his voice quivered slightly, yet he still glared daggers at Asami, "Don't look at me like I'm an object!"
Asami didn't lose his smirk though, as his kitten's display was entertaining.
Sensing that he wasn't being taken seriously, Takaba's resolve was slightly shaken. If Asami didn't see him as threatening, then what did he see him as?
Entertainment, a piece of meat?
That smirk was edging under Akihito's skin, burning him up from the inside, it was so irritating. Asami was begging for him to continue his pitiful banter, begging for him to submit.
He sighed, his arm was getting tired, his body was getting weaker. Such forced action had certainly taken a toll on his weak form, and now he was beginning to suffer from it.
His arm slowly descended to his side, the gun falling to the ground as it did so. Next went his head, as he could no longer look at the smirking man below him.
"I really do hate you, Asami," he muttered, loud enough for Asami to hear, "I hate you more than anything."
It wasn't like Takaba had never tossed around such a phrase before, although drunk. And other times, his words weren't laced with such realization and emptiness.
In other words, Takaba had never meant that he hated Asami, never.
At least not until now.
For the first time in forever, Asami felt his heart stop, his body stiffen and his throat constrict. He'd experienced rejection in the past, but none to this extent. Never in his life had he allowed someone to edge themselves this deeply into his heart, then pull themselves out years later.
"You can have me, like you always wanted to. Cage me up, lock me away..."a tear fell from Takaba's cloudy eyes, followed by more tears, "but in all honesty, I'd rather you kill me then trap me like a bird. You've already...dammit Asami, look at me! You did this, you're the reason I'll be on medication the rest of my life!"
And he did it again. Sadness and anger arose within Takaba, his passion pouring into his words, splashing into his tears.
Asami felt every bit of it, and the realization that he had broken the person he...loved left him speechless on the floor, yearning to turn back the hands of time just to avoid such a mess.
He could tell Takaba that he himself wasn't fully at fault, that he wasn't aware that he was tormenting him, that it was all Sudoh.
But that was pathetic. Asami should have stopped this mess before it started, yet he foolishly allowed the model to lead him down a stray path.
He should've believed Takaba.
His thoughts had been rattled as the photographer fell to his knees, his cane dropping idly beside him, "I hate giving up...but I guess i've lost all my fight, huh?" he darkly chuckled, "maybe you won't be interested in anymore."
"Look at me," in all honesty, he didn't recognize his own voice. Never had he spoken with such a tone, soft and understanding, human.
Takaba seemed taken aback as well, yet, he still lifted his heavy head, bringing his teary gaze to Asami's tender one.
He sniffed slightly, using his sleeve to wipe the tears from his eyes.
"Y-you look like you actually care, but I don't know if you actually do," he began, "I wish I knew you like you know me, but you never let me."
In an instant, he was pulled from his feeble position on the floor, and into Asami's strong embrace. For a second, he thought about thrashing and fighting, but he was far too tired to resist.
Whatever happened, happened. He had a good run.
He could feel Asami's chin on his head, feel the man squeezing him tighter.
And then small and distant, completely unexpected, he heard it.
An apology.
"I will never let you go, Akihito. I've lived life knowing what it's like being without you, and now that I've finally found you, I'm not going to let you go again. But for what's happened to you, what...what I put you through, I'm truly sorry," he breathed in Akihito's scent, savoring it like a lost treasure, "and I love you."
Silence ensued, but not for long.
Akihito began to chuckle lightly, though no longer did he do so with sarcasm. He was practically shaking in Asami's grasp, his body was racking with laughter.
"Aki-"
"You finally said it!" his voice cracked as tears began to spill, "You said "I love you"...and for once, I can tell you mean it!"
Asami stared at the bubbly youth below him, slightly puzzled at his outburst, "Of course I mean it, why on Earth would I lie?"
Akihito shrugged, and leaned further into Asami. Part of him was cussing itself out, but he knew he couldn't resist Asami, no matter what the older man had put him through.
It was something about him, something intoxicating, alluring, dangerous and now, loveable. This man who had ruined his life four years ago, was now being easily allowed back into his life, and he wasn't doing anything to stop it.
Asami loved him, and that was all that mattered.
"C-can you help me up," Takaba asked suddenly, "My bones are starting to hurt."
Quickly, Asami stood up and balanced Akihito with him, kicking his cane up in the process.
"Thanks," Takaba spoke, as he placed the aid in his hand.
Asami nodded, stepping back to give Takaba space.
As for Takaba, he knew he should have felt bad for this, bad for going back to Asami...but he didn't, strangely enough, he didn't. In fact, he felt thrilled, as if a burden had been lifted off of his chest.
"We'll defiantly have to explain this to my father," he joked, "and my mother, and my other nine siblings...and my friends, but it's okay. I want to be with you too."
Asami smiled, "It's not like you had a choice."
He breathed in and shrugged, "I can always make it hard for you, you know."
And then Asami was attacked...well, not entirely. At some point, during their time alone, his friends had managed to sneak inside and plot a terrible planned attack. At least one of them had. And unfortunately, Takaba was now seeing the outcome.
Takato had tried to swing at Asami, however, years of combat had prepared Asami for the unexpected. So, gracefully, he sidestepped the flying youth.
"Takaba, run! Mary, Cho and Kour are taking on his bodyguards outside, i'll keep this guy at bay!" Takato proclaimed proudly, as he stood up from his crumpled position on the ground.
Takaba was surprised, Takato was the last person he'd expect to fight for him, but here he was, ready to put his life on the line for the friend who had ruined his own marriage.
"Takato, it's okay, he's okay! Call them off," Takaba exclaimed, "They'll just end_"
A prolonged beep could be heard from the car outside, followed by screaming and the sound of fireworks whistling and crackling.
The look on Takato's face was priceless, and had the situation not been so dire, Takaba would have thrown in an "I told you so" to to his friend. However, when a stray rocket flew straight through the window, inches past Takaba's face, all satire had been drained from his very being.
As he had advised them before, fireworks were a bad idea.
In a second, Takato was up, running quickly outside to see the mess that the bodyguards and his own friends had caused.
Both Asami and Takaba visibly cringed at the colorful words that were shouted from both parties as the brawl continued.
"I hate this fucking country!" cried Kirishima, as he marched up the steps and swung the door open, glasses askew and positively fuming. Takaba hadn't missed the smoke erupting from his head either.
He looked past Kirishima and unto the dirt road, and paled as he saw his own friends running from fireworks that had been ignited, no doubt in an attempt to ward off Asami's guards.
"My car!" Mary screeched, screaming as the box of fireworks exploded in the back seat, catching the better half of the car on fire.
"My ass! It's like it's CHASING ME!" Cho wailed as he ran to the field, a string of fireworks following him, thus catching the dry grass on fire.
Kirishima huffed as he saw the mess, and nearly collapsed as he saw Suoh trying to put their own car out with his own jacket.
"Don't use your damn jacket, it'll catch fire!" Kirishima cursed to his oaf of a partner, running to his aid.
"I-i've got the water hose!" came Kou, running to the scene with the miniscule object which gushed out gallons of water in minutes. Unbeknownst to Kou, he'd created a sort mud puddle below him, thus causing him to slip and drop the life saving weapon. Unfortunately, for him, a powerful spray of water assaulted both Souh and Kirishima.
"He'll hate me even more, after this, I suppose," Takaba gritted his teeth as he looked at the horrid scene before him.
But hey, he warned his friends, told them how stupid this idea was.
"Kirishima can manage," Asami replied, closing in the space he'd given to Takaba.
He leaned in slowly, at the same time, Takaba closed his eyes, bracing himself for a kiss.
But he received no such thing. Instead, Asami leaned to his ear, his warm breath brushing up against Takaba's soft skin.
"Not yet," he whispered, "i'm not rushing things with you. You need time to heal."
He was disappointed to say the least, and even-more so when Asami pulled away and draped an arm around his shoulder.
Puckering his lips, Takaba pouted.
"Don't be like that, kitten," Asami teased, though his voice deepened considerably as he spoke once again, "You've been hurt by me, and by others...and I'm going to make them pay."
He shivered slightly at Asami's ability to darken the moment with his mood.
Takaba sighed and leaned on the older man, "I don't want you to kill anybody for me, Asami. Promise me you won't...I just couldn't live with myself if you did."
"I can't promise you that," he whispered, pulling Takaba closer to him, "you're worth more to me then you think."
The remaining fireworks flew into the air, popping and illuminating the darkening sky. All around, similar pops could be heard, except, these came from guns themselves.
Sighing, Asami pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed something, seconds later, his phone buzzed, and he smiled.
"What's so funny?" Takaba asked curiously.
"Nothing, just canceling a meeting," he replied solemnly, "don't worry about it."
"Oh...okay...Happy New Year's Eve Asami," he whispered.
Four years ago replayed itself in his head. The drugs, the rape, Sudoh and Asami working hand and hand, his screaming, choking, cryi-
"Happy New Year's Eve to you too, Takaba," the serenity of Asami's response drowned out all ill feelings and fear associated with the day, and for the first time in a long time, Takaba felt at peace. And he was certain Asami did as well.
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I would've finished earlier, but a skin rash broke out all over my body. I'd say Takaba would be an idiot for just opening the door for anyone, but we've seen him do some pretty stupid things, so it's not out of character for him. I'd like to apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes, I always miss some! Anyway, it was not supposed to end like this, in fact, it was going to be sad. But, I listened to an old song, "A little Patch of Heaven" from Home on the Range, and basically based the ending off of it, so that's why it's happier than usual. Asami's fluctuating feels are in character, I believe. Though I think Asami needs real mental help...but meh, who knows. I'm going to try and finish "Must be the Nargles" in one or two chapters.
Keep in mind those who've been affected by the Malaysian Airplane and it's prolonged absence, as well as Russia and Ukraine, not to mention, Venezuela. And in war torn countries, in broken homes and to those who've no homes and live on the streets, and to unanswered prayers, let's prayer for them all. The world is pretty shitty, let's hope that God's grace will start to shine through the darkness. Have week, and I'll be keeping all of you in my prayers for whatever reason, you're just good people I assume. God bless ;D