STORY WARNINGS:
– This is Yaoi – Male/Male.
– Rating: Mature. ADULTS ONLY. Contains graphic violence, some coarse language, explicit sexual content both consensual/non-consensual, forced/willing submission, light bondage.
A/N: Akihito's life doesn't revolve around Asami, you know? Not completely, anyway. (^_-)
This is the first half of a humongous chapter that I split into two. Next part should be up in a couple of days. It's a change of pace but I hope you enjoy it!
~ Nyx ~
DISCLAIMER: The Finder series and all recognisable characters belong to Yamane Ayano sensei.
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Chapter 7
"Who knows, Akihito. We might both come next time."
Akihito seethed all the way to the police station. The infuriating bastard had still been immaculate, not a hair or thread out of place, as Akihito had stormed his dishevelled way out of the limo in the early hours chased by Asami's amused parting comment.
It was a toss-up whether he was more mortified by Asami taking him in his mouth looking like the cat that ate the cream, or by coming to as Asami conversed on the phone to find his jacket draped over his still-naked body with his head resting on Asami's lap... Or how he'd leaned against the shower stall in the hot spray when Asami had finally dropped him off home, stroking one out as smouldering golden eyes floated in his mind...
Holy crap, Asami had swallowed...
Akihito groaned, dropping his forehead onto the subway car window as his face burned up. People gave him odd looks but he couldn't care less. They had no idea what he was dealing with!
It took about an hour to finish at the precinct, what with waiting around and checking over his statement. He swung up to Major Crimes but Yama-san wasn't on duty this weekend, which was actually a relief. It would have been awkward trying to explain how Asami had come to save him from a mugging... His crotchety friend would've been furious at the paradox.
But barring the never-to-be-spoken-of-again incident the previous night, Operation Extraction was a success. Akihito had removed himself from Asami's crosshairs; their paths would never cross again.
His tread was heavy as he headed back into the underground.
"So...?" Kou and Takato stared at him expectantly.
It was Saturday lunchtime. Akihabara was heaving with people of all ages converging on the top district in Tokyo for manga, video games and computing goods. Their favourite little ramen bar was packed and they'd waited 45 minutes for three seats together. They didn't mind. With their hectic schedules they could usually only meet up once a week and they were happy catching up while they queued, bantering and ribbing each other.
Akihito had actually been expecting the third degree earlier, but his friends had waited until they'd sat down at the bar with Akihito wedged between them. The small red plastic-covered stools were placed so close together they were practically rubbing hips. As ever they were accompanied by the din of the megaphone hawkers from neighbouring shops, part and parcel of the atmosphere of the bustling district.
Akihito watched the chef shake off all the excess water from the noodles in one experienced fling of the sieve and played dumb. "I think I'll go for the mega pork ramen."
Kou snorted. "Why am I not surprised?" He raised his eyebrows at Takato in question, who nodded back, and he ordered three.
"So." Kou leaned in even closer, as did Takato, hemming Akihito in. "What happened last night?"
Asami was the first thing that came to mind. "Wh-what do you mean?" Akihito stuttered. Then he remembered the mugging. And Risa. "Oh, right, yeah, last night. Dinner was..." Ruined by Asami... He cleared his throat. "Fine. Dinner was fine."
"How much did it all cost?" Takato pressed.
Akihito had messaged them beforehand to say he was taking Risa out to some uber-posh place for their six-month anniversary. They'd nagged him for details and he'd finally given in and told them where, it seemed they'd looked it up.
Kou leaned forwards to throw a look at Takato. "That's your first question? I want to know what happened with Risa."
"It's our two-year anniversary coming up," Takato defended. "I wanted to take Chiharu-chan somewhere special. But they don't have any prices on their menu so I can't look it up online."
Akihito came clean. "We broke up."
"You did?" They both looked at him as though trying to decide whether to offer congratulations or condolences.
Akihito frowned. "Actually that wasn't until later. First we got mugged."
"Mugged!?"
"Dude, are you ok?" Kou was peering at him from all angles, even lifting an arm.
Akihito batted him away. "I'm fine. We're both fine. Actually it was just an attempted mugging, as we were leaving. The guy didn't take anything in the end, he was distracted when someone came out of the restaurant and then some goons stopped him."
"What goons?"
"I don't know, just some goons."
"Why were there goons in Minato?" Takato asked, confused.
Akihito was finding it harder and harder to explain without actually telling them the truth, but he supposed he could just leave out Asami's name. "They were with the person who came out the restaurant."
"Oh. So you're really ok?"
"Yeah. Honestly, totally fine."
The ramen chef, a grumpy taciturn grandad with a white rolled-up bandana tied around his head, plonked three steaming bowls towering with juicy pork slices in front of them. Akihito grabbed some disposable chopsticks and passed them out.
Takato was frowning. "So you got mugged, then you broke up with Risa-san?"
Kou split his chopsticks. "Yeah, I didn't much like her but I gotta say, that's a bit harsh, man."
Akihito poked agitatedly at his bowl, his face shadowed.
"Aki?" Takato asked, sounding more concerned now than disapproving.
Akihito's restless poking slowing down until they stopped altogether. He shook his head. "She..." He pursed his lips, not wanting to badmouth her even now.
"Dude, you can tell us. What is it?"
Akihito sighed, not seeing the bowl he was staring at. He muttered something, too low to be heard when loud electronic music suddenly blared out from next door.
"What?"
"She didn't give him her jewellery!" he snapped. "It's not why I broke up with her, you know I've been thinking about it for a while anyway, but still. The guy had a gun to my head and she wouldn't give him her jewellery. I couldn't... I couldn't keep... seeing her..." He was shaking his head, feeling that gun all over again, the cold pressure against his temple –
He was shoved out of the spiralling mental panic when he was almost knocked physically from his stool by Kou throwing his arms around him. They were levelled out by Takato knocking into them from the other side.
Akihito sat squashed in the middle, wondering what the hell was going on, aware of people glancing over at their group hug. "Uh, guys?"
His friends took a while to say anything.
"You did good, Aki," Kou eventually managed, his voice thick.
Akihito blinked. Kou never called him by his name, he must have been serious.
"I'm sorry we made you feel bad," Takato added, sounding like he was fighting tears.
Which of course just left Akihito feeling awkward. "Ok guys, I'm feeling the love and all, but my ramen's getting fat."
They laughed it off and dug into their ramen, which were indeed fat and soft from sitting in the soup for too long. But it was still delicious and comforting.
"You're sure you're ok?" Takato asked around a mouthful of pork.
Akihito nodded, leaning over the bowl as he slurped up way too much noodle in one go and ended up with it all down his chin.
"Ok, so now can you tell me how much the meal cost?"
"Seriously!" Kou protested from the other side, calling over Akihito's bent head. "Can't you wait? I wanna know how they broke up." His attention swung down to Akihito. "Did you just end it there or did you take her home first? I bet you still took her home, didn't you? You're too nice to have abandoned her even after that. And I bet you paid for the whole cab fare. Am I right? I'm right, aren't I?"
Akihito hesitated. It was just a momentary pause but knowing him as well as they did, his friends pounced on it straight away.
"What, you didn't?"
"So you did just leave her there?"
"No!" Akihito sounded a bit exasperated. "I didn't just leave her. I offered to take her home but she didn't want to get a taxi. This... person... who'd come out of the restaurant, they offered us a lift. Risa-san was dropped off at her place first, and then I broke up with her, and then I –"
He froze. A good liar would have just ploughed right on without hesitating. He was a terrible liar.
"Then I... went home." He tried to say it as normally as he could. He tried to ignore them, to keep eating, to keep his face straight...
"Then you went home," Kou repeated flatly.
Akihito shrugged. "Yeah, and that was that. So, long story short, I broke up with Risa-san." He stuffed his face full to stop himself from giving away any more.
Kou carried on eating but he was still watching Akihito closely, trying to work out what his friend wasn't saying.
"Happy now?" Takato threw at Kou before rounding on Akihito. "So. Finally. How much was the meal?"
Akihito swallowed, still keeping his face carefully neutral. "Sorry I can't help you, Takato. The uh... that person, they paid for our bill."
Takato's brow rose in amazement. "They paid your bill, saved you from a mugging, and gave you a lift home?" He laughed. "Wow, some person, huh? That's some luck there, even if the rest of the night bombed."
Akihito laughed tensely, hoping it didn't sound manic. "Yeah, some luck, huh?"
Kou suddenly slammed his hands down on the wooden bar, making them both jump, and pointed a finger at Akihito. "You got laid!"
This loud announcement was followed by stillness all around them, filled only with the earnest hawking of the shop assistant inviting shoppers next door.
"Kou!" Akihito hissed, yanking the pointing hand down and ducking his head, flushing at all the attention they'd suddenly gathered. "Would you cut it out?"
Kou didn't care that everyone in the ramen shop had heard him. "I'm right, aren't I? Tell me you didn't get laid."
"I didn't get laid," Akihito ground out quietly, trying to ignore the sniggering around them as the diners gradually returned to their noodles.
Kou stared at him hard for several seconds until he believed him. But he wasn't letting up. "Well something happened. What was it, just a blow job or something?"
Akihito's cheeks bloomed bright red.
"Aha!" Kou cried triumphantly. "I knew it!"
"No way!" Takato laughed. "Seriously?"
Akihito buried his face in his hands and groaned.
"You broke up with Risa then got blown straight after? You dawg, you!"
"Who made the first move?" Takato grinned.
"That's gotta be them, right? Our Aki-kun wouldn't just jump someone in their car."
Akihito wished the ground would swallow him up whole and chew him up and never spit him out. This was going from bad to worse, they had no idea how close they were hitting to the mark.
"Of course I didn't jump them. They just wouldn't take No for an answer."
"Were you forced?" Kou almost leaped forward in sudden concern, making Akihito grab his shoulder to try and quieten him down again.
"We guys have a choice too, you know," Takato said. "You can say No."
"Geez, you sound like the sex ed teacher," Akihito scoffed. And clearly that lesson hadn't stuck where Asami was concerned, if they'd even had them back when the perverted bastard was at school. He frowned, having difficulty imagining Asami as anything smaller or younger or in any way less than the overbearing, all-encompassing way he was now.
Akihito settled for a half truth. "They were just... very persistent."
Takato didn't look reassured. "So you just went along with it?"
"Was it good?"
"Kou!"
"Well, was it?"
Fuck, yes. Akihito couldn't be sure if he might've actually blacked out afterwards. Risa-san had been surprisingly adventurous sometimes and they'd had some pretty hot sex that had left him wobbly, but nothing that had even come close being so staggering as to turn him into a human octopine vegetable that needed to be manhandled into the recovery position...
He cursed the over-abundant blood flow to his cheeks as heat spread right across his face and even painted his ears.
Even Takato laughed this time. "Geez, Aki!"
Kou almost fell over guffawing. "That must have been one helluva mind-blowing blow job!"
Akihito buried his face in his hands again. He didn't even try to stop them, nothing short of Mount Fuji falling on their heads would stop his friends now.
"Who was it Aki?"
"They're obviously richer. Or just plain rich," Kou mused. "Do you know?"
"They paid for your meal –"
"Sugar Momma!" they cried out together.
Akihito was glad his face was still hidden, otherwise his reaction to that would have given him away even more. They'd assumed it was a woman. Akihito had only ever had girlfriends before, and since he'd been careful to avoid referring to a gender, it was a logical assumption.
He snapped his head up and glared at his friends. They grinned back.
"It's not like that, alright? It was a one-time thing only, and it's not happening again. Ever!" he insisted emphatically as he started digging into his ramen that was now way, way too squishy. His friends carried on regardless.
"Rebound girl!" Takato piped up. Akihito choked.
"Rebound lady!" Kou amended.
"Why lady?" Takato asked, slapping Akihito on the back.
"I just assumed she'd be older if she was that rich." Just as Akihito thought he'd got his breath back, Kou grinned. "Rebound Sugar Momma!"
Coughing and spluttering all over again, Akihito gave up on his ramen.
Akihito managed to get his friends off his back for a few hours that afternoon after broaching the question of staying with them for a while. When he'd mentioned someone from the neighbourhood he'd had a run-in with and wanted to stay clear of for a while, Kou remembered the suspicious man in the suit that he'd wrestled with earlier in the week. But having been three sheets to the wind, he seemed to 'remember' that he'd somehow managed to win their tussle hands down despite being shockingly inebriated, and, fortunately, he didn't recall faces or any real details.
Akihito grabbed enough stuff to stay at Kou's for a while. Of course there had still been plenty of ribbing and prying from the two of them who the mysterious Sugar Momma might be, and from Kou all through Sunday too since he was now likewise single and had nothing better to do than to lounge about with Akihito and play computer games. But Akihito knew they meant well and was glad of their support.
It was Sunday night when events seemed to catch up with him. He startled awake in the middle of the night, chased out of sleep by unknown phantoms. It took several alarming seconds to recognize Kou's living room in the colourless half-light, and a whole lot longer than that for his pulse to return to normal. Settling back down again proved elusive until his mind drifted to a certain tall presence, and it was the memory of the quiet steadiness from the alley that finally carried him back to sleep.
Monday.
"Hey, Yama-san, what a surprise," he answered cheerfully when his phone rang.
"Don't play dumb with me, kid! I saw the report about the mugging, what the hell happened?"
"Yes I'm perfectly alright, thanks," Akihito intoned. "How kind of you to ask."
"I know you're alright, it said in the report. But you know what else is in the report? The fact that you were with Asami! What the hell were you thinking?"
The electronic Toryanse tune warbled overhead with the green light and Akihito joined the commuters crossing the pedestrian zebra, on the look-out for any men in black suits.
"I wasn't with Asami, he just happened to be in the restaurant and he came out when it was all going on outside, that's all."
"That's not all! How does he even know you? You promised me you'd keep your head down, you punk!"
"And I did! Or at least, I tried, ok? A lot's happened and there was nothing I could do, so stop getting all mad at me."
Yamazaki sighed over the phone, and his voice was still rough but it was kinder. "Look, Takaba, I'm just worried about you. You've kept your real name out of it all this time, don't go giving yourself away to Asami of all people."
Yamazaki had been assigned to the case of Akihito's first scrape with the law on his very first 'computer trespass' investigation. But since Z4m4 M1r0 had uncovered a minister involved with underage prostitutes, instead of pressing charges, the newly qualified detective had instead taught the cheeky young punk who was convinced of his invincibility and stupidly boasting his online alter ego to zealously guard his identity. It had taken the full gory horror of the graphic case of the hacker who'd been tortured and executed by the Russian Bratva after revealing their secrets for the message to sink in. Since then the two of them had an unspoken agreement on reciprocal information sharing, an arrangement that had turned out to be mutually lucrative with scoops and arrests.
"I know, and I'm being careful, so don't worry."
"Look, do me a favour and just drop this whole thing. Just let it go."
Akihito's brow rose. "You've changed your tune in a week."
"That was before I knew Asami actually knew you, that's a whole different ball game! It's too dangerous. You know what these organised crime vermin are like, they give fuck all about the law but they're religious when it comes to their own 'code'. These types take honour and debts very seriously. They never forgive traitors, and Asami's the worst of the bunch being top dog."
"Top dog?" Akihito had figured that out for himself by now but Yama-san hadn't mentioned that. He overtook a group of dawdling mothers with pushchairs and carried on along the tree-lined road, glancing up and down the street just in case. "What does that mean exactly?"
"What do you mean, what does that mean? I told you."
"No, you didn't."
"... I didn't?" The gruff voice was hesitant.
"No, you didn't! Did you misplace a few marbles over the weekend?"
"Don't get smart with me, kid. Asami rules the Tokyo underworld, and pretty much across Japan. All the yakuza families defer to him. Hell, some rumours even say he holds power over a lot of Asia. Look, kid, just let this one go. I know I gave you his name in the first place but he knows you now. This is biting off way more than either of us can chew. I'll find you another target."
Akihito felt himself go a little pale. It was even worse than he'd thought. "'Unstoppable drug dealer' doesn't quite cut it, really, does it Yama-san? 'Cos that was what you called him, remember?"
Yamazaki sighed. "Sorry, maybe I should've made that clear."
Akihito pulled a What the hell? kind of face. "You think?"
"You know now so just move on, ok?"
Akihito stared across the road at the squat, green building where he was headed.
The mugging, and now this – what the heck was he supposed to do with the video? Murder was murder. There was no mitigating factor for taking a life in cold blood, even if Asami had saved Akihito from a sticky situation. But even that wasn't a foregone conclusion. The mugger might have just as easily walked away and left them unharmed a minute later and Asami needn't have played any part...
Even if Akihito would swear blind that any murderer had to be brought to account, he still found himself dragging his heels, keeping the damning evidence squirreled away. He felt ill just thinking about it. Maybe he'd feel more committed once he'd been away from the maddening bastard for a few days and got his head straightened out.
"I think I'll work this one a bit longer, Yama-san. If he's really as bad as that, he needs to be taken down a peg or two."
There was a noise of frustration from the other end. "Did you not listen to a word I just said?"
"He knows me, but he'll never know it's me, if you get my drift. He'll never make the connection. Worst case I can just use it as leverage. I'll be fine." Saying it was one thing, but Akihito had no idea what he'd actually do if it all went to pot and Asami came after him. He was screwed.
There was a pregnant pause. "What leverage?"
... Shit.
Akihito was so used to sharing intel with Yama-san that it had just slipped out. Nearly ten years of habit... Unseen over the phone, he scrunched his face up, pressing his fist to his forehead. Bluff bluff bluff.
"Whatever I find," he breezed. "I was there, I know their systems. I have more of a chance now."
There was an annoyed grunt from the other end. "Don't go getting my hopes up like that," Yamazaki grumbled.
"Watch your blood pressure, Yama-san," Akihito reminded. "Besides, I thought you just told me to drop it? You don't expect anything anymore, right?" he asked with cheeky innocence, hoping he sounded as he normally did.
"If you've already found something that's a whole different story."
"So you want me to stop investigating him but find something anyway? You don't ask for much, do you?" Akihito laughed. "I have to go, new job and all. Call me if you hear anything, ok?"
"Yeah, yeah," Yamazaki muttered gruffly. "And you keep your nose clean."
"Yeah, yeah," Akihito responded in kind.
It was only after he hung up that he allowed himself to relax. That had been too close. He had to be more careful or next time he might say the wrong thing to the wrong person and end up tipping Asami off with all the spies he was bound to have everywhere. Akihito had only just managed to extract himself from that web; he couldn't go messing this up.
He checked one last time along the road – he was looking out for anyone suspicious, he firmly told himself, not looking for. Safely hidden away from anything related to Sion or Asami, on the other side of the city from Shibuya, Akihito crossed the road and into his new community service placement in the leafy suburbs of Ueno.
