Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica
Sorry I'm kind of editing all over the place.
This is one of my favorite chapters for Act I. I hope you will like it too. This chapter is long, approx 14K. So grab a snack or rest your eyes before continuing on :) leave review on what you think. :D
{~0~}
Bite Me
(4:07pm Italy : 11:07pm Japan)
Shinobu kneeled down and twisted the drenched bloodied shirts above the shower drain. Red transparent liquid flowed down between his scrunching fingers and trickled onto the dirty white tile. The blond sniffled and wiped away the rolling tears with the back of his hand. Every drip of blood belonged to Misaki and it aches him to see it. Shinobu tightly held the shirts before compressing it between his palms. More warm salty tears flowed down heavily along his cheeks. Sobbing, gasping and shaking on his knees, he slammed the wet cloths against the floor, creating a slopping thud.
"Arghhh! Fuck you Armel!" he cried.
He placed his left hand to scrunch a patch of dirty blond hair while grinding his teeth. Eyes shut tight at the invasive thoughts of Armel violating him without consent. More vivid images of Misaki's brutally beaten body flooded his mind. He hated this place, this room, this mansion and worst of all, his life. He didn't want to be imprisoned in this cramped cell forever, nor did he want to be acknowledged as a pet. If only he could turn back in time to prevent himself from being kidnapped, maybe everything would be normal. Then at least he could be back in his apartment, in close proximity with his lover. After university maybe he would snuggle in warming comfort with his lover, or go visit his parents, eat out with friends and even get physically romantic in bed with Miyagi. But that life became evanishing, now that they were here. Before he lived a normal life, now he was someone else's bitch.
Several minutes has passed and his sobs eased down into weak intermittent sniffles. Shinobu lifted up the shirts to twist them again before rising up to turn on the shower tap. He held out the bundled cloths to catch the falling cold water. Satisfied with the soaking, he turned off the tap to repeat the cleansing process. With a final shake and whip he hung them over the shower head. With that done, he slumped down along the wall until he reached the floor. His chest tightened as his bare upper body was exposed to the cold air.
Feeling numb and fatigue, the blond staggered slowly out of the bathroom and sat down on the mattress next to Misaki's body. Looking down at the sleeping brunette, he lightly ruffled Misaki's hair. How can a man inflict such pain to an innocent person? Why Misaki in the first place? Shinobu wanted to find out. He wanted to help Misaki. The poor boy was going to have permanent scars for the rest of his life. How was he suppose to go out in public with his shirt off and not reveal the everlasting lashed scars?
Today had been traumatizing for him and Misaki, his body demanded rest. Shinobu squeezed himself onto the mattress, slowly he drifted off to sleep.
[~¥~]
(4:07pm Japan: 11:07pm)
"So is this where we'll find the underground red light city?" Akihiko asked his brother.
"Yes this place is where we'll find one of the many routes that will lead to the underground city."
"Do you know this person?"
"It's not specifically a person. This place is operated by the yakuza. Gambling is illegal in Japan therefore casinos are not a major thing here. This is why the wealthy and powerful political figures come to this place. This route was recently opened after the yakuza managed to corrupted a politician. Anyways enough talk. Let's go, we haven't got all night to stand out here. And leave the talking to me, you just stay quiet."
The two brothers stood outside the poorly lit alleyway that lead to a high class Japanese restaurant located in the city. The restaurant only accepts reservation and has a secluded exterior where only VIP members such as actors, politicians, diplomats, and other powerful people could dine without interference from the public. Aside from being exhibited as a restaurant, this place has an illegal casino hidden below its lower sanctums.
The two were dressed in stylish, handsome and ravishing tuxedos. Haruhiko wore a dark navy blue tux with a white undershirt and blue tie, whereas Akihiko wore a black tux with white undershirt and a red tie. They entered the opulent restaurant and approached a beautiful blacked haired hostess wearing a purple kimono. The elegant woman stood behind a wooden stand with her reservation booklet.
"Your names please," she asked politely with a welcoming bow and smile.
"Usami Haruhiko and Usami Akihiko, we had reserved a private booth," Haruhiko replied.
The hostess ran her pink painted fingernail down the list, scanning for their names. She spotted the name and a secret code written beside it which they used to access the casino. The secret code was the number of the private booth.
"Yes, you've booked a reservation here. Please follow me to your booth."
The hostess escorted them through the restaurant and pass the diners. The restaurant was still full despite being opened late at this hour. The interior design was traditional Japanese and the customers sat on the floor with their shoes off. She lead them to a private room and through a secret backdoor alleyway and into an elevator. When they finally reached the bottom level, the hostess lead them to a heavily guarded door.
"The Usamis have arrived," she alerted the guards before turning to face the brothers. "Please enjoy your night sir." She bowed formally and returned back to her duties.
The black suited guards saw the brothers and immediately opened the door invitingly, without questioning them. It was their job to know and identify their guests to avoid infiltration from the police. Luckily for Akihiko and Haruhiko, bearing the Usami last name was enough to walk right into a heavily guarded illegal casino.
"Welcome in the Usami brothers," they greeted.
Haruhiko nodded to acknowledge them. The brothers casually entered, they paused to observe their environment. The grand hall was spectacular. The floors were covered by exquisite brown, maroon and gold carpets and the walls were painted cream white. The air was filled with laughter and chatter. Akihiko could see leather lounges where they had hostesses dressed in sultry dresses entertaining and pouring their customers alcoholic beverages. The other side of the hall had rows of slot machines with flashing lights above them. In the middle of the hall was rows of poker and roulette tables. Surrounding the tables were wealthy classy men and woman dressed in evening dresses. They gambled using poker chips that were valued more than thousands or millions worth of USD. The brothers sauntered through the busy night, dodging pass waitresses and waiters carrying liquors such as Martinis garnished with a lemon slice, on top of their black tray.
"Hn, never thought being an Usami would get you in that easy," Akihiko scoffed.
"Don't be ridiculous. If you stuck to your responsibilities you should know how powerful our influence is and who we associate with."
"Ha. You make laugh. I don't care about the stupid corporation. Like hell do I even want to become a part of it."
Haruhiko stopped and turned to glare coldly at his brother.
"Akihiko, when are you ever going to realise your responsibilities. You went to Law school, graduated on top and yet you throw that away just to become a writer. What a waste, you've proven yourself useless to the family. When are you ever going to wake up?!" he chided.
"Look here daddy's boy!" Akihiko pointed rudely to his face. "I don't care about the Usami Corporations and I don't even plan to look forward in running it! I chose to become a writer under my own will. And I don't even care what you think and what father thinks. I can do whatever I want, so put that into your goddamn head!"
"Akihiko! I am not—."Haruhiko shot back but was interrupted by a petite waitress dressed in a black short skirt and strapless white corset.
"Umm excuse me sir. Sorry to disturb you two but do you need anything in particular?" Her voice appeared shaky, large blue eyes down casted from direct eye contact.
The two brothers ceased their argument when they realized they were altercating in the middle of the hall, causing everyone nearby the poker tables to shift their attention to the brother's direction. Many of the guests including the poker dealers and the staff paused their activity to stare at them in bemusement.
"Nothing is wrong here madam. We'll be on our way now," Haruhiko replied calmly. Although he was actually feeling quite ashamed in front of all these strangers when Akihiko labelled him as a 'daddy's boy'.
"Oh okay sir. You gentlemen have fun," the waitresses replied tremulously. She was worried that she would be rebuked for her interruption.
The gluing stares made them both feel embarrassed and they scurried off from the scene as quickly as possible. They quickly left the hall and into a more quieter area, before sighing in relief.
"That's just great Akihiko, five minutes into this place and we're already arguing. Like that's going to help us find Misaki," Haruhiko complained, he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Well I suppose being paired up with a jackass brother like you, would expect to have results like this. Especially since you're the one who raised your voice first," Akihiko retorted grumpily.
"Grow up Akihiko. Your still a baby. Do I need to buy you a teddy bear just to get you to behave." Haruhiko gesticulated with a toy dangling motion to insult his brother.
Akihiko aggressively grabbed onto Haruhiko's collar with both hands to threaten him. "Insult me again and I'll—."
A loud squeaky fast voice came from behind them. "Wuuuoo, emergency spill lounge five, emergency spill lounge five, emergency spill lounge five." A panicking waiter carrying cloths darted right past them, causing the two to break up and act neutral. More waiters scrambled pass the brothers with their mops and plastic buckets.
"You'll need to control yourself when your down here Akihiko," Haruhiko stated. He adjusted his collar and tie with a disgruntled look.
"Well you need to refrain yourself from that bad mouth of yours." Akihiko crossed his arms in discontent.
The two idled there momentarily without directly communicating. They grumbled indistinctly under their breaths, cursing at each other through their vexing demeanor. Eyes narrowed sharply, eyebrows furrowed deeply while lips curled upside down in disgust.
They hated each other, but for Misaki, they'll have to endure.
They sighed in unison.
The brothers begun to move on. They headed towards another double door, a couple more corridors and downstairs to a room filled with heavily guarded yakuzas. Akihiko swallowed upon seeing the gangsters who appeared sinister and intimidating. The yakuza parted their suits to display the golden chain necklaces and dragon inked tattoos on their necks. Black hair was either slicked back, short or medium length. He felt nervous when they all turned to him and his brother. Sharp slanted eyes glued to them like birds to worms. To his surprise he recognized one of the men who had a bullet scar under his right eye. This man used to work for a wealthy businessman who had a connection with his father. The scar faced Japanese man wearing a grey silk fitted suit approached the two and bowed formally to greet them.
"Greetings the Usami brothers and welcome. Ah Haruhiko your back. Can't resist the temptation of the red light city? And this must be your brother Usami Akihiko." He turned to face Akihiko and smiled to greet him. "Nice to meet you Usami Akihiko. My name is Rei and I am the gatekeeper to the hidden city. So you've come to bask in the luxury and pleasures of this exotic wonderful hidden city?"
"Yes I have and I'm looking forward to it." Akihiko lied. The only pleasure he would seek was from his petite brunette.
"You two must be excited. Well I shouldn't hold you two for too long. I'll unlock the elevators for you now."
"Thank you," Haruhiko said.
Rei removed a thin necklace from around his neck. The silver chain laced necklace had a golden key attached to it. Approaching to the jaded pillar, the scar faced man inserted the key into a dragon's eye. He twisted the key clockwise ninety degrees and then anti-clockwise three sixty degrees. A clicking sound was heard. The golden dragon carved wall adjacent to the pillar begun to shift upwards, revealing a secret elevator. The two waited for the wall to fully open before they stepped into the spacious elevator, the floor was even covered in red carpet.
"Enjoy your night. Oh by the way, tonight there's a major canine tournament held at the arena today. Everybody's going to be there, the bets are high tonight," Rei informed them in an ecstatic tone.
"Thank you for letting us know," Haruhiko replied.
The older Usami brother pressed on the second button in the elevator. There were three levels but Akihiko wondered why his brother had selected the second one instead of the third. Shouldn't the lowest one lead to the underground city? Unless there were more doors and elevators they had to go through. The dragon wall moved down when Haruhiko pressed the button. Once the wall closed, the elevator began to descend, creaking as it travelled down.
"You reckon we should check out the canine tournament?" Akihiko asked.
"Maybe we should. He did say everybody was going to be there. Might as well scout there, see if we could possibly find some clues."
"I can't believe some people enjoy watching dogs fight."
"It may seem futile but canine tournaments make good business and they reel in a lot of cash from gamblers."
The elevator came to a stop at level two. The steel elevator doors parted and the two stepped out onto the stone pavement on top of a man made hill. Akihiko's eyes widened in astonishment as he gazed out over the underground city. They had arrived to the hidden city. The silver haired was amazed by the spectacular view. He didn't imagine an underground city would be this beautiful. He was expecting an underground city full of intricate tunnels and rooms, but not an actually city.
He gazed out over the traditional Japanese city with red illuminating lanterns hanging off from the streets and buildings. The city was surrounded in a dome and had a river flowing through the center, dividing the city into two. The calm river was connected by wooden and stone bridges. The city was dark but the shining bright lights made the city appear natural at night, a replica of the real nightlife outside.
"This is different from what I had expected," Akihiko said.
"It's amazing isn't it. This place makes billions worth of cash daily by selling illegal goods and hosting entertainment. Although its not all that beautiful once you find out the ugly truth about this place."
"Indeed. From the size of the city, I assume you were unable to thoroughly scout every building."
"I wasn't able to explore everywhere in one night. So I only scouted the male brothels on this side of the city, but I haven't been able to explore the other side yet. It was a bit odd travelling by myself down here. That's why I brought you. I found it uncomfortable having my personal bodyguards following me into those type of places."
"Okay then should we get started by exploring the other side of the city?"
"It's a start and better than nothing. Oh by the way Akihiko." Haruhiko turned to face his brother. "Remember do not reveal your relationship to anyone, especially to the owners or anyone linked to trafficking. Misaki could be brought to harm if anyone holds anything against us or our family. Understood?" He informed in a serious tone.
"I hear you."
"Good. Then lets go."
The two descended down the long, wide and tall stone stairs. Akihiko probably thought they had at least travelled down five stories on the staircase. They turned right and then left as they walked down the stairs until they reached the bottom. Gazing back up to the hilltops, Akihiko hoped that they didn't have to take this path on their way back home. He could finally see the elevator that was meant to be the third level, located next to the bottom of the staircase. At least now he knew where to get off if they had to return.
As they moved towards the large wooden pillar entrance, they entered the streets of the red light city. This place reminded Akihiko of the time when he went to a Japanese festival with his lover, dressed in their traditional robe-like outfits and wooden sandals. He was filled with the nostalgia of the nightly celebrations, with bright lanterns, splashing goldfishes and sparkly fireworks. A smile curved on his face on the memory of Misaki breaking his sandal strap. An advantage he saw to get physically closer to him. Touching Misaki got his heart racing, addictive chemicals would surge through his brain, activating his hormones and turning him on.
Akihiko's mood was however ruined by the constant cat-calls and wooing from the prostitutes. The streets where they were walking through had brothels laid out in both sides. Each building had a different costume theme and were competing for their customers. Entertainers were displayed by the windows dressed in all sorts of indecent clothing such as seductive lingerie and bikinis. They swayed their voluptuous curves while lasciviously winking at the Usami brothers.
"Come here baby!" The beautiful women invited them in. "In here please. We'll give you a good time handsome boys."
The brothers ignored their request. Both weren't interested in woman. Misaki was their only goal. Most of the people passing through the streets were rich customers, mainly wealthy men but there were also females present as well. The yakuza were seen in groups patrolling around the city to maintain civil control. Other gangs would come to this place, often clashing with other clans, resulting in eruption of violence. Hence some sort of guarding was needed to maintain peace.
The two had reached the market square, away from the maddening brothels. Food stalls, restaurants, gift shops, pet stores were all set up around the circular street. Akihiko paused his movement when he had witnessed a baby panda locked in a steel cage being transported into an exotic pet store. The poor baby panda was squealing its lungs out while pushing its face against the bars. It attempted to escape but the caged barred it from freedom. Such cruelty to animals was also conducted down here. Akihiko felt sick to his gut on the treatment of an innocent creature. But on the other hand, he actually felt like buying one. Who wouldn't want a panda? A baby one too. A real living teddy bear for him to adorably cuddle in his arms. He slapped himself mentally. His goal was to find Misaki, not purchasing fluffy animals. Haruhiko was oblivious to his brother and kept on walking straight. Akihiko needed to catch up to him. The silver haired quickly paced up to his older brother until they were side by side.
After five minutes of walking and sight seeing along the way, they crossed over a bridge. Akihiko was surprised to see canoes and even cruise boats on the man made river. The pair arrived on the other side of the city. They glanced around left and right, trying to decide which path to take.
"So which way should we take first?" the silver haired asked.
"I don't know, but lets try left and work our way up."
They turned left and explored past the buildings along the river bank. Looking out for a male brothel, they spotted a two story building with effeminate males dressed in beautiful kimonos, idling on the front door porch. They were dressed in various colors and patterns. Their makeup made them appear feminine but their kimonos' parted, revealing their flat chest. The two stood in front of the building, analyzing the external environment. The male geishas cat-called the brothers and flashed their hairless legs to allure them in.
"Are we going to enter this place?" Akihiko whispered to his brother.
"Might as well. They appear to be around Misaki's age. Let me do the talking."
Haruhiko moved towards the entrance, Akihiko followed behind. As they head pass the male geishas, one of them wrapped their arms around Akihiko's arm. The silver haired ignored his amorous advances and continued to walk, breaking physical contact. Inside they glanced around the interior. The floor was made from cypress wood, walls were traditional paper lined with black oak wood. In the middle situated a greenish blue marble counter decorated by pink roses. On the right side of the room there was at least four chabudai (Japanese short legged table) with white flat cushions laid on the floor. Two geisha performers sat on a small wooden stage next to the tables, playing a Koto and three-string flute. The atmosphere was relaxing and a few male guests were seen mingling with the entertainers.
From a distance outside the brothel, a conspirator stalking the brothers was on a phone to an unknown contact.
"Yes sir. I understand. Will do sir."
Inside the brothers approached the empty counter and tapped on a silver bell to signal their presence. An old man with grey short hair wearing a black hakama appeared from the left side of the hallway. He bowed to formally greet them.
"Evening gentlemen welcome to Yasei-ji. My name is Yuma and I am the host to this place. How may I be of service?"
"We're looking for a brunette to service us. So if you could show us your brunette collection, that would be nice," Haruhiko responded.
"Very well sir. I will gather all of our available brunettes and have them lined up in the next room. In the meantime, please have some light refreshments while you wait." The old man extended both of his arms to the left, signaling them to have a seat by the short legged tables.
The brothers moved towards the table to sit down while Yuma went to gather to his entertainers. A male geisha dressed in a white and pink kimono approached the table, carrying tea and blue china cups. He placed the tea pot down and poured the hot contents into the cup to serve them. Haruhiko thanked the boy before he moved away to serve another guest.
A serene tune was playing while they sipped their tea. Akihiko tapped the glazed ceramic china cup repeatedly with his index finger. His appeared restless and would often sway his violet eyes around or down to stare at the tea. The silver haired didn't know what to expect here. What if Misaki was being held in this place? That would solve everything since they could just purchase him off from the owner, and everything would be restored back to normal. The anticipation in Akihiko grew. Haruhiko glanced at his brother as he took a sip from his hot mint tea.
"Feeling a bit nervous are we?"
"Yeah a little, never done this sort of thing before," Akihiko replied in a low tone.
"It's always the anticipation that gets to us. Don't think too much we still have other places to explore."
Akihiko swirled his tea cup. "Yeah I know. I just can't help it."
Five minutes has passed and Yuma had returned.
"Gentlemen, we have our brunettes lined up. Please follow me to the other side of the room."
The brothers immediately rose from their spot. It was time to determine whether Misaki was present here or not. The two were guided to an enclosed private room on the left side of the hallway. The old man slid open the door and invited them through. Haruhiko entered the room first followed by Akihiko. Inside they saw at least six brunettes lined up. There was short, stubby and tall brunettes but no Misaki. Disappointed by the results Akihiko decided to question the old man.
"Is this all the brunettes you have? And when I mean all, I mean all."
The old man scratched his head. "Well we do have one but he's currently being disciplined at the moment."
"What do you mean by discipline? What does this boy look like?" Akihiko questioned further. His voice grew demanding.
"Well he likes to bite our customers. And this morning he bit one customer on the leg and we were given a negative review. So that's why we're just making sure he doesn't do it again. Also to answer your other question. He is brunette, umm he has green eyes and is short. He did say he was a university student but after that I don't know much about the kid. He wouldn't tell me his name. I purchased him weeks ago, I'm still in the process of training him. So he doesn't do sexual service just yet, mainly entertainment."
The brothers glanced at each other in surprise. Could this be the Misaki they were looking for?
"We want that kid! We will pay double if we have to, for one hour!" Akihiko demanded.
"Uh okay sir. I'll see. What room would you like? We got normal, deluxe. Our grands are currently being used I'm sorry."
"Deluxe will do," the silver haired replied eagerly.
"Very well sir, I'll escort you to your room. Follow me."
Haruhiko placed his palm on Akihiko's shoulder from behind. "Akihiko, how do we even know this is Misaki? Wouldn't fifteen minutes suffice?" he whispered to his brother.
"You heard what the man said. It matches who we're looking for. Now let's follow him."
Haruhiko shook his head in disagreement but did not object to his brother's decision. If this wasn't Misaki then one hour would be too long for them. Fifteen minutes was enough for them to question the entertainers and leave. But it was too late for that now.
The two exited the room and the brunettes were dismissed. Yuma led the brother up the stairs that was located next to the main hall. There they were then escorted to the last room near the front of the building. The old man opened the door and the two sauntered into the room.
"I'll be right back. In the meantime you can relax and if you want refreshments, there is a red phone you can use to dial room service." Yuma closed the door behind them for privacy.
The two glanced around the room as they entered. The room was medium and long. On the right side of the entrance was a lounge area where three red sofas surrounded a large flat screen television hooked onto a wall. Black dressers were placed next to the TV with scented blue unlit candles on top of it. On the left side of the room was a large double red bed. There were short drawers next to the bed with tissues and more candles placed on top. In the middle of the room situated a large window with red curtains that provided a view of the river. Haruhiko moved towards the window to gaze out towards the riverside with his arms crossed. Akihiko took a seat in one of the red couches facing the TV.
They waited for a few minutes in silence. Akihiko begun to feel impatient, he fidgeted anxiously with his thumb and intertwined fingers. A couple of stacked brochures on the coffee table caught his eye. He leaned forward to grab the papers to read, hoping to chew up time. The first brochure contained a menu of available refreshments they could order through room service. Uninterested by the contents, he flipped over to another brochure. This one caught his attention. On the front, a German shepherd was seen growling, displaying its beastly fangs. The dog was edited onto a fiery steel background, creating an epic depiction of the tournament.
Akihiko flicked over the paper to read the back. According to the text, the tournament commences in half an hour, but the rare fighters are battling at the end. The main match that had attracted everybody was actually a fight between two professionally trained dogs. These canine beasts were ranked either first or second place in the world. Today was a legendary day where they will battle each other for the first time, this was a rare event. He curiously wondered if his father was into this stuff. After all, his father was bound to associate with some members linked to the underbelly empire.
Akihiko finished reading all of the brochures, most of them were advertisements. The silver haired tapped his agitated foot repeatedly, his eyes wondered around the room. He grew weary of waiting for Yuma to arrive with his brunette. Desperately wanting to accelerate time, he decided to a watch a little bit of television. He reached out for the white remote. Once in his grip, he aimed it towards the TV. Haruhiko saw his brother's action and dropped his crossed arms immediately to warn him.
"Hey I wouldn't do that if I were you!"
Too late.
Akihiko had already unsuspectingly pressed the on button. Rather than the regular channels being shown, an X-rated video of men making love was displayed. The sound of erotic moaning and skin slopping filled the lounge room. Akihiko panicked, his hands clumsily tried to turn off the TV, resulting in a juggling mess and a accidental drop of the remote onto the floor. He quickly bent down to retrieve it back up and turned off the TV. The smutty noises ceased, the room resumed back to awkward silence. He sighed in relief but flustered in embarrassment when he realized his brother was in the same room.
"They don't display normal channels here," Haruhiko said in lower tone than usually.
"You don't say."
The brothers resumed back to waiting quietly. Haruhiko returned his gaze out onto the river. It felt relaxing to watch the calm night waters ripple and the glowing reflections. Haruhiko could also see automobile carriages on the pavement streets used to transport guests around the city, as well as ambling figures. Akihiko didn't feel like touching anything, especially after what happened. He sat there, vividly day-dreaming about rescuing Misaki from this dreadful place.
Knock. Knock.
Finally they were here.
"Hello? I've brought the boy you requested," came the voice of the old man.
The brothers shifted their attention to the closed door. Akihiko rose from his spot, his heart pumped at a faster rate than usual. Slowly the door creaked open and in came Yuma with a brunette behind him. The boy kept his head lowered, disconnecting all possible eye contact. The brunette was wearing a white silk robe with light pink and red floral patterns printed diffusely on his sleeves. The night robe only reached his upper knees, revealing the white hairless legs. He had a similar appearance to Misaki with his head down. But it was the face they wanted to get a closer look at.
"Honorable guests, this is Brown Bear. That's the nickname we had given him, because he bites. But enough talking, I'll let you have fun with him. Oh and I forgot to mention. The drugs are starting to wear off. If he gets out of control just let us know." He turned to the boy. "Behave. Remember they're paying double for you. Don't mess up." Yuma threateningly whispered into his ear before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Haruhiko observed the brunette, his eyes scanned vertically. They waited for him to raise his hidden face. The older Usami noticed something odd, it just didn't feel like Misaki. Akihiko slowly approached the boy, his desiring emotions started to flood into him and all he could think of was Misaki. Even the slightest resemblance had the silver haired yearning for his lover. As Akihiko moved in closer to the brunette, the boy raised his head to catch a glimpse of his customer. Akihiko froze momentarily when he witnessed the teary emerald orbs. More emotions surged into his head, chaotically deluding him of reality. His ardent love for Misaki made him lose control and he had mistakenly confused the boy for his lover.
"Misaki? MISAKI!" Akihiko cried. He promptly brought the brunette into his embracing arms. Misaki was finally safe in his arms, at least that's what he thought.
The brunette cringe at the strangers hug and squirmed. "Aghhh get off me!" he protested. The boy attempted to unravel Akihiko's arms.
"Misaki its me. Usagi. Don't you remember me? If you can't its okay. It's probably the drugs. I have you, your safe now." Akihiko spoke softly to reassure the startled brunette.
Haruhiko watched the Misaki look-alike being hugged by his brother. He noticed the boy's voice was different and less mature than Misaki's. He wanted to hug the boy as well but his conscience told him not to. This was definitely not the Misaki they were looking for and he felt disappointed. Only a love-sicken fool like Akihiko would fall for this in a late night, after recovering from a hangover.
Unable to escape from the clinging silver haired, the boy decided to sink his teeth into Akihiko's lower right arm. "Arghhh! Are you crazy Misaki? I'm not trying to hurt you!" Akihiko cried. He placed a hand over where he was bitten.
The brunette retreated behind the sofa. Frightened panicked eyes darted back and forth between Akihiko and Haruhiko. The silver haired returned his gaze back to the boy, he gently stalked towards his direction.
"Misaki its okay I'm not going to hurt you," Akihiko said softly, trying to alleviate his fears.
"Leave me alone!" the boy cried.
Threatened by the unwanted close contact, the brunette snatched the TV remote from the coffee table, hoping it could be used as a weapon for defense. Akihiko continued his advance, inattentive to the boy's defensive stance.
"Akihiko I don't think that's Misaki, even though they look the same," Haruhiko warned.
Akihiko ignored his brother's cautious remarks. The man was too delved into his own world. He wanted to embrace his lover, to soothe and to tell him that he loved him. His heart skipped a beat with every step he took. It was Misaki. His Misaki was safe in this room with him.
Haruhiko braced himself for disastrous impact. Clearly the boy was provoked, yet his obtuse brother was unconscious to the wavering red flags. The older Usami bit his lip in vexation, arms crossed while his index finger tapped repeatedly. He should of brought that idiot down here when his mind was cleared of alcohol intoxication. The silver haired had drunk until he dropped, obviously his mind was still impaired, which without doubt affected his judgement, leaving him imprudent.
"It's okay Misaki, it's just me. Everything's going to—."
Thwack.
"Arghhh!" Akihiko yelped in pain.
"Idiot." Haruhiko covered his face in shame. Akihiko was a disgrace to their family name.
The shorter boy had swung the remote with relenting force across Akihiko's face, knocking his head back and bruising his nasal bridge. The brunette made haste for the corner black drawers. He climbed up swiftly onto the top, knocking over the scented candles. He retreated further into the corner and pointed the weapon towards their direction, mainly towards the silver haired. His hands trembled as he held the remote. Fear culminated within him and his quaking hands resulted in an accidental drop. Defenseless, the boy quickly bent down to retrieve it, unfortunately when he held the remote sideways, it turned on the TV.
And the smutty video resumed back on. The sounds of men making love filled the room again.
The puerile commotion was stirring Haruhiko's patience. His eyes squinted in annoyance, teeth grinded, eyebrows angled, everything was out of control. Without hesitation, Haruhiko moved towards the dresser but kept his distance from the swinging motion.
"Hey get yourself down from there! Your going to get yourself hurt. Please step down from the dresser now or I'll have to pull you down myself!" Haruhiko demanded.
"Misaki get down from there!"
"I'm not Misaki! Will you stop calling me Misaki! My name is Jiro, not Misaki!"
"Akihiko are you stupid?! He's not Misaki! Do you think a drugged person will have that much energy?!"
"But it has to be…" Akihiko said before finally realizing the truth. This Jiro kid was indeed not Misaki. Everything became clear and Akihiko could spot the difference. The brunette's voice was less mature than Misaki's and his behavior was dissimilar. Daggers pierced deeply into Akihiko's chest, he slumped to his knees. His tongue paralyzed, lips numb, no words were able to escape. All of his hope was obliterated into deep dejection. He wanted to scream out on the top of his lungs in anguish pain. His violet eyes watered, Misaki was not here.
While Akhiko withdrew himself into a mental breakdown, Haruhiko had to deal with an aggressive brunette who wouldn't obey his orders. Even worst the moans coming from the TV invigorated his anger. His patience was wearing down thinner, until he erupted into internal flames.
"That's it. I had enough! Turn off the TV and come down this instant!" he ordered. His face grew more serious than before.
Haruhiko tried to grab hold of his legs whilst defending his face from the swinging attacks. The elder Usami veins bulged as Jiro kept retaliating. He managed to grab a hold on one of his arms. Shocked by the restraint pull, the brunette attempted to smack off Haruhiko's arm. The tightened grip around the rubber buttons caused the angled remote to increase in TV volume. Eventually the volume escalated to the max. Now with the catalytic loud sounds of erotic moaning blasting the room, Haruhiko ignited. A nuclear bomb exploded destructively within him. He turned his head to his brother.
"AKIHIKO YOU STUPID WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! ARE JUST GOING TO SIT THERE OR HELP ME?! CAUSE IF YOU—!"
Tack.
"Gah!" Haruhiko groaned in sudden pain.
Haruhiko, the great Usami, top architect and supposedly the next in line to the throne of Usami Corporations, had just received a hard forward kick from Jiro's bare foot to his head. The man stumbled backwards in great speed towards the sofa, knocking it over as he fell. Jiro unintentionally dropped the remote again, this time it ended up on the floor. Akihiko remained lost in his emotional thoughts, ignoring the surrounding disorder.
In the meantime, the old man downstairs balancing his checkbook paused when he heard resonating moans, followed by a loud thud from above his head. The two entertainers stopped playing their instruments and the mingling guests quietened down to listen. The male geishas outside and passing figures turned their attention to the second window upstairs. A group of conspirators standing outside remained speechless as they listened.
With the assailant splattered on the floor, Jiro jumped down from the drawers to pick up the remote before fleeing to the other side of the room. But his movements were impeded when Haruhiko was able to clutch onto his robe. Now with the brunette snagged, he roped the boy in closer.
"Don't touch me you monster!" He protested and tugged his robe back against the older man.
"Give me the remote kid!"
"No!"
Thack.
"Arghh!" Haruhiko shrieked.
Jiro had smacked the remote ruthlessly on the top of his head. The older man grimaced in pain, he placed both hands on his aching head before rubbing it. His face reddened and eyebrows furrowed deeply until they could almost touch each other. His eyes sternly glared at the brunette. This kid had crossed the boundary and Haruhiko needed to neutralize this mayhem. Jiro was uncontrollable and aggressive, if he wanted to play rough, so be it. It was time to subdue that boy and chastise him.
"That's it kid I had enough of this behavior! Come here!"
The elder man removed his spectacles and placed it on the drawers to prevent it from being broken. With an height domineering aura, he stormed towards the brunette. Jiro shuddered in fear, he ran beside the bed to hurl pillows, tissue boxes and whatever he could find to throw at the enraged man. With his remote held hand, Jiro whacked it against Haruhiko's body. The older man was too angry to feel any pain at this moment. With his strength Haruhiko was able to grab onto both of the brunette's arms. Jiro panicked, he leaned his head forward with his jaw parted in effort to bite him off. The older man anticipated his movement and maneuvered the boy into a suppressing headlock. Jiro squirmed, screeched and hissed violently, his face contorted in discomfort while his neck movement remained immobilized by Haruhiko's choking arm.
"You stay like this for now kid. Akihiko I need help! Oi moron, listen! Aki—arghh!"
The brunette dugs his nails into his flesh, denting into the dermal layer. Haruhiko used his free hand to remove the vicious clawing fingers. Akihiko's body remained in a motionless state, inert. The older Usami sought assistance but his younger brother wasn't helping. He needed to get his attention this instant, Jiro's struggle became difficult to contain. Glancing around desperately, he found the dropped remote by his foot. He bent down, unintentionally choking Jiro as he picked up the item.
"Arrrr," the brunette's asphyxiating throat retched. His green orbs widened to the fullest like a squished goldfish from the sudden choke.
Haruhiko tossed the remote across the room, hitting the side of Akihiko's head, a bull's-eyes. Akihiko's sorrowful droopy eyelids lit wide open revealing his stunned violet orbs. He blinked a few times as he awoke to reality, his senses returned. He motioned his head to the wrestling pair.
"About time you respond! Baka—stop scratching me kid! Akihiko, find something to help me restrain this boy. Check the drawers over there. Hurry!" His older brother pointed directionally.
"Nghn. Yeah whatever!" he grumbled unenthusiastically.
The silver haired rose from his spot, staggering slightly due to his numbed legs. He shook his head in frustration over the ruckus when he moved towards the drawers. He kneeled down to open and examine the drawer contents. Akihiko shuffled through the toys, gags, sleeping masks, until he found a pink fluffy handcuff.
"This will do." He mumbled under his breath. Satisfied with the form of restraint, Akihiko paced to his brother.
"Let me go, nghh arghh! Let me go!" Jiro screamingly protested.
"Hurry Akihiko and cuff this boy for me!"
Jiro's eyes froze widely when he saw the cuffs. Scared of what the men might do to him, he fought for the protection of his chastity. Squealing screams gorged their eardrums as he flailed his legs in the air.
"Okay Akihiko, I'll push him down onto the bed. You place on the cuff hands or we'll never get anywhere!"
"No please! Don't do this to me!" the brunette cried.
"We got no choice kid. I'm sorry," Haruhiko replied.
The older Usami forced the brunette prone onto the bed, pinning him down with his leaning body. The brunette yelped.
"Hurry Akihiko place the cuffs on his wrists."
Akihiko quickly cuffed Jiro, arm by arm behind his back. With the cuffs locked in place, the brothers slumped backwards against the wall, sighing in great relief. They had successfully subdued the aggressive, biting brunette. Haruhiko panted heavily, a damping sweat perfused from his forehead, he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Three minutes of wrestling was indeed tough, his chest heaved asthmatically. Jiro could almost be described as a living bear, that was how difficult he was to control. Akihiko's eyebrow twitched on the sudden realization of the TV's blasting volume. He irately stomped to where the remote was and turned off the TV. The level of noise resumed back to normal.
While Haruhiko tried to catch his breath, Jiro motioned his body in attempt to escape once again. But due to the smoothness of his silk robe, he slipped from the bed and landed on his lower body. Haruhiko noticed this but he ignored it. His migraine, aching head and exhaustion drove him mad. He needed refreshments to reenergize his spent energy.
Akihiko slumped down on the sofa, he covered his face with both of his hands. He was crestfallen by the outcome. If only that kid was the 'real' Misaki, but he knew this was not the case. His lover was still somewhere out there. Where was he being held? Who had him? He prayed to heavens that Misaki would soon be found. He wouldn't give up the boy he treasured the most. No way he would, there were still other brothels to explore but the feeling of crushed hope left him devastated.
Jiro whimpered, his lips pouted miserably, he felt vulnerable to the men. He turned his frightened gaze to Haruhiko. Humongous teary emerald eyes met brown eyes.
"Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry," the brunette wailed.
"Kid. You need to calm down. I'm not interested in sleeping with you."
"Please don't lie to me."
"Kid, or Jiro if that is your name. I'm not interested. Get that in your head." Haruhiko rubbed his swollen scalp. "Ow, looks like I'm going to need some ice," he muttered.
"Then what do you want from me?!" the brunette questioned. He was confounded by the man's disinterest. Most of the customers that came in were filthy rich old men and demanded fondling, but not Haruhiko.
"Just some questions. But first I'm going to order some ice for my head."
"What questions?"
"Look kid, I'll ask you once everything's settled down. So just relax will you. I'm not going to hurt you in any way. So chill!"
Glancing around the room, Haruhiko spotted a red telephone on a circular table by the door. The man sauntered to the phone before dialing room service.
"Hello is this room service? Yeah I like to order two bags of ice and three non-alcoholic ginger beers. Thank you."
Five minutes later.
The fallen sofa had been placed back into its original position. Akihiko sat on the right sofa leaning forward with an ice bag over his nose. While Haruhiko sat in the middle sofa holding an ice bag on the top of his head. He gazed down onto the brown bottle in his hand before taking a satiating gulp. Jiro sat in awkward silence on the left sofa watching the two injured brother's independent interaction. His wrists remained cuffed behind his back.
"Okay lets start this conversation properly now," Haruhiko said as he placed down his ginger beer onto the coffee table. He turned his attention to the brunette. "We're sorry to have frightened you before Jiro. My idiot brother here had mistaken you for the person we're searching for."
"What? Wait your brothers? You don't look the same and why would you come in a room together? I mean it looks weird…um but…when you do that…people think. This is awkward to say but…
"It's complicated," Akihiko interrupted. He knew what the brunette meant. Two men entering the same room in a brothel, well that can lead to an assumption of a threesome. But that would never happen, ever!
"You see a friend of ours was kidnapped nearly two weeks ago. Therefore we're searching for him. Akihiko show him the photo."
Akihiko patted his jacket and pulled out a photo of Misaki from his inner pocket. He passed the photo to his brother who then held it in front of Jiro's face.
"Have you seen this boy?" Haruhiko asked.
"Wow he does look like me. So that's why you were calling me Misaki. And also from my memory, no. I haven't seen him."
Disappointment stabbed the Usami brothers. Jiro didn't recognize Misaki. The two were wasting their time, this irritated them, since they were getting nowhere with their investigation. Haruhiko returned the photo to his brother.
"Are you sure? How long have you been here?" Haruhiko asked.
"Also how did you get kidnap. Did he throw your phone outside the car window? Did you get taken in broad daylight," Akihiko added.
"One question at a time Akihiko. Your giving me a headache."
"Umm, how do I know I can trust you guys?"
"You can trust us. We won't hurt you. So tell us what you know," Akihiko asked.
"How do I know you two won't rape me?"
"Because why the hell would I want to be naked in front of this idiot? And also the only person I'll ever make love to is Misaki."
Akihiko's eyes widened at his brother's confession before they narrowed into glaring daggers. He gesticulated pointing prods to his brother. "Like your getting anywhere near my Misaki. He's mine! When are you ever going to learn not to take things that belong to me?! You four eyed moron!" the silver haired berated.
"Look here Akihiko you're the reason why Misaki's missing. You neglected your duty as his provider. The only reason I brought you down here was because I felt sorry for your stupid ass. I love Misaki and that's final!"
Akihiko gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles cracked. This was why he hated his brother. Haruhiko was the worst sibling. The man was selfish, arrogant and inconsiderate.
"You!" Akihiko pointed towards Jiro.
"Me—e?!" the brunette stuttered. He jumped up in fright from Akihiko's terrifying grouchy demeanor.
"Yes you. I'll purchase your freedom!"
"What? Really I can go home?!" His face lit up brightly. A euphoric rejoice for him. Finally he could escape from this hellish nightmare.
"Haruhiko here's a brunette who looks exactly like Misaki. You can have him and treat him like Misaki if you want. Just stay away from mine!"
"Wait? What?! I thought you said I was going to get my freedom? I don't want to stay with him!" the brunette wailed.
"Akihiko as generous as that sounds, that kid is not Misaki!"
"Oh but he does look like Misaki. Why don't you take him home and get Misaki out of your system!"
"Uh guys, I don't think I'll get Misaki out of your system."
"Maybe you need to get Misaki out of your system and give him to me!"
"Like hell I'll give Misaki to you! Why the hell are you so obsessed with him?!"
"Uh, guys I don't think arguing over Misaki will—."
"Because he is different. He made me feel things I haven't felt before. He encouraged my dream goals and to me, that was special."
"Pfft. Is that all? To me Misaki means more than that. He has changed me and showed me a life I thought I would never have, a life of happiness."
"You sound pathetic Akihiko," his brother scoffed.
"Your pathetic Haruhiko. Because you know you'll never have Misaki. Just admit it! Admit it!"
Haruhiko invisible thin line of self-control snapped, his inner wrath invoked. The older Usami resorted to physical violence and shoved Akihiko by the shoulders. The silver haired was merely forced back a step. He gritted his teeth and retaliated with a forceful push. Haruhiko jerked back but held his balance. The two prowled at each other like alpha male lions fighting over their chosen mate. Muscles tensed, ready to pounce. Fists clenched belligerently, this was war.
"Whoa, okay guys stop fighting! Now is not the time!" the brunette yelled. Jiro had to end the sibling rivalry, the two men looked as if they were going to murder each other. He needed to intervene, despite being hand cuffed. The brunette advanced to the gap between the men. When he jumped in to separate the fight, Akihiko's fist that was meant to punch Haruhiko, smashed brutally into his unguarded face.
"Nghh owww!" the brunette yelped. Blunt pain pummeled his upper nasal region.
The boy fell backwards but Haruhiko had caught him. Jiro had just received his own taste of medicine by accident. Akihiko froze in disbelieving shock after seeing whom he had just assaulted. Haruhiko shot a glare at his brother.
"Now look what you did, you idiot!"
"You started it first! Sorry Jiri that was meant to be for this jackass."
"His name is Jiro you moron. Are you okay Jiro?" Haruhiko looked down at the injured boy in concern. Jiro whiningly sobbed in the older man's arm. He shielded his face towards Haruhiko's chest.
"That's just great Akihiko. You abused this kid!"
"Oi don't blame me! He jumped in!"
"Excuses!"
"Shut up!"
"Don't tell me to shut up!"
"Oh I will. I can say—."
"Both of you shut up!" Jiro abruptly shouted in frustration over their trivial squabbles.
The brothers jerked when the brunette's turned his face, revealing the contorted grimacing expression and bloodied face. Warm red fluid had poured out from his nostrils, smearing his lower half. Haruhiko panicked and guided the boy to sit down on the couch while he searched for tissues.
"Here." Akihiko handed Haruhiko a red serviette that came with the refreshments.
Haruhiko rudely snatched the serviette off from his hand. He sat down beside Jiro. "Here, use this," he offered. Haruhiko held the tissue under his nose to collect the dripping drops of blood.
"Does it hurt?" Haruhiko asked.
Jiro nodded shyly. Never before would he think Haruhiko would demonstrate such form of kindness to him. All of the men in this place treated him like a toy, used for pure entertainment. But not these brothers, they refused to inappropriately touch him. Feeling a bit comfortable around their presence, he begun to open his guarded gates for them a little.
The brothers waited a couple of minutes for Jiro's nose to stop bleeding. Haruhiko drenched a spare serviette with melted ice cubes to help Jiro clean off the bloody stains. The older man slathered the wet tissues on his cheek and rubbed it up and down in a rocking motion.
"You feel a bit better now?" Haruhiko asked again.
"Yes, thank you. By the way, I'm sorry for hitting you guys. I thought you two were going to hurt me."
"We understand what you mean but that's not why we're here."
"So you two are looking for Misaki? How are you going to find him in a place like this?"
Akihiko looked towards the brunette with his arms crossed, trying to mask the inner guilt. "Yes, we're looking for him. I don't care how big this place is. I will find Misaki. Even if they are hiding him. I'll find out. So tell us your story kid. How did you end up here?"
"Uh well where do I begin. I'll start where it all happened first. I was kidnapped approximately three weeks ago. I was heading home late at night from the bar with my university friends. I studied Law with them. We were heading home and separated our ways when a black van drove by and two men abducted me. When they pulled me in, I bit one of them in the arm. He screamed and punched me multiple times. I still didn't stop biting him. The only thing I could remember hearing was one of them calling someone Aku or something for help. I don't remember that much. After I was kidnapped I woke up in some prison cell. There were others there too. We were all frightened. The bad people would come and go, dragging off innocent people like me to who knows where. I was taken and drugged and sold in a minor auction. That's how I ended up here."
Jiro's voice begun to sound tremulous as if ice shards had formed within his throat. His eyes watered clearly, adding a gleaming shine to his emerald iris. "You don't know what's it like for your normal life to be taken away from you. There's no escape, I'm better off dead. Yuma-sama even said that I won't be here for long. They will kill and replace me with someone younger once I reach a certain age. There's no future for me here besides pain and death. It's not a life anyone would want. Not even you. There are so many innocent people like me down here." The damming tears broke their banks and ran down his cheeks.
"Misaki's so lucky to have you searching for him." Jiro's voice grew hoarse. "I know you two will find him. Your trying so hard. I don't even know Misaki, yet I'm already envious of him. I really am. Who doesn't want to go home? You would if you were trapped down here. I didn't even get a chance to say good bye or I love you to my family. So that's why when I saw you two fight, it angers me. Family is important… I can't go any further." Jiro broke into long whining sobs at the image of his loved ones casted out of his reach. Their anguished faces painted in the portrait of his vision, unsmiling gloomily.
With that emotional spill out, the brothers fell speechless, lips sealed tight, heart sunk pitifully by his aching words. Haruhiko quietly placed a sympathetic hand to touch his back. He wasn't good at succoring others, but at least he was demonstrating some of his will. The older man swallowed a hard lump, he wanted to hug the boy and offer him solace. But his misanthropic-like personality hindered his capability to fully express his feelings. Inside he wanted to bargain with the owner for Jiro's freedom. If Haruhiko was willing to make an arbitrary decision, this would not guarantee Jiro the full entitlements of freedom. Rather the boy would become a property and a burden to his daily life. Furthermore it would only spark a strong disapproval from his autocratic father.
Akihiko felt a sting to his chest when listening to Jiro's story. The sadness in his words drifted into his soul, weakening him. Misaki must be mentally thinking the same, the need to break free and the need to see his loved ones. Undesirable images of Misaki being abused by his sadistic cruel owner made Akihiko boil. He didn't want to witness Misaki's sweet joyful demeanor devoured into sufferable pains and tears. His dream of Misaki's torturous screams haunted him till this hour. The phantom cries echoed in his head despite him being awake. He prayed that this abhorrent dream remained unreal. He wanted Misaki to be safe, unharmed and alive. Now he had the surge of determination to find Misaki, but he needed clues that will lead him to his lover. The crying went on and Akihiko begun to fall impatient. He patted his coat and his pocket in search for his cigarette pack, but realized that he had left them behind in the car. He grunted unhappily and waited for the boy to relieve himself. He needed to ask more questions.
After several minutes, Jiro managed overcome his grief. His sobs softened into light sniffles and lung hiccups. Haruhiko used the side of his index finger to caress away a strand of tear damped hair away from Jiro's eyes. The brunette turned to him and thanked him with an appreciative smile. Their eyes locked on for quick moment.
"Thank you."
"Don't worry about it. Would you care to tell us more about the kidnappers?"
This caught Akihiko's attention, finally Jiro was ready to spit out the news.
"Well in the van part, they were covered. So I didn't really see their faces. The Aku is probably the only lead I can give you guys right now. I'm sorry."
"No Jiro you don't have to apologize. Thank you for telling us." Haruhiko reassuringly patted his shoulder gently.
Akihiko frowned at the lack of useful information. But still you get what you get. "Haruhiko we should investigate this Aku guy and see where he'll lead us."
"We should, but we need to know where to find him. We need to track him and see who he is affiliated with."
Akihiko paced to the pile of brochures, he shuffled through to find a particular advertisement and held it in front of his brother. "I assume this maybe our next lead?"
Haruhiko rubbed his chin while contemplating. "That's not a bad idea. Rei did mention that the canine tournament was popular. Assuming that he is there, when does it start?"
"Right now but we could still get in. The grand final hasn't commenced yet though. It's just other dogs fighting each other at the moment."
"Then what are we waiting for? Thank you for time Jiro but we'll be leaving now." Haruhiko rose up from his spot and adjusted his jacket.
"Wait your leaving?! Please take me with you. You two have been the nicest to me and I trust you." The brunette turned to face Haruhiko. "Please take me with you Haruhiko-san. Please! I'd rather serve you then stay locked up down here for the rest of my life. Please!" he begged.
"I'm sorry Jiro it's not exactly freedom you will get. I'm sorry, but we have to go now."
The brunette broke into heart breaking tears and leaned his body against Haruhiko's navy blue jacket. "Please save me. I know I'm not Misaki. But please give me a chance. Please!"
The emotion of desperation, loneliness and fear could be heard in the brunette's sobbing voice. Akihiko couldn't watch the brunette's desperate plea in attempt to escape. It was depressing to see him crying his heart out and wanting to be freed. Misaki would probably do the same if he were in this situation. Akihiko knew he would start to cry too if he stayed any longer to watch this. He couldn't stand watching someone that was close to resembling Misaki being rejected for help. There was nothing they could do unless Haruhiko was willing to accept the challenge.
Jiro appeared as if he were already attached to Haruhiko. The boy pleaded incessantly, his bawling cries grew louder. Jiro slumped down feebly on his knees. His face reddened intensively, lips and facial lines contorted, he cried until air was strangled out of his lungs. He couldn't even barely gasp, only desolated chokes retched from his lips.
"Jiro I'm sorry I can't. You have to understand." Haruhiko whispered to him. Their eyes lowered in commiseration. Melancholy was felt in the air as they watched Jiro's struggle.
"Hey I'm going to wait outside. You two can sort it out," Akihiko said in a low tone. He couldn't withstand the forlorn boy and his unfortunate fate. The silver haired wasn't the type to cry in public, but to see this, it placed him on the verge of tears. Akihiko left the room and sighed wearily. This was a difficult decision and Akihiko wanted no part in this, but yet it still bothered him. He left the painful rejection for his brother. In his heart, he hoped Haruhiko would come up with something beneficial for the brunette. It was now up to Haruhiko and where his heart would lead Jiro's fate too.
Akihiko sauntered downstairs with his hands in his pocket. A familiar voice interrupted his deep contemplation.
"Akihiko. We've been waiting," came the voice of the conspirator.
Akihiko's eyes widened in shock, his body jerked backwards. "What the hell?! Why are you here?!"
Twenty minutes had passed and Haruhiko finally descended down the stairs. His brown eyes were faint pink as if he had been crying. The conversation between the two had been emotional. Unfortunately he could not free Jiro at this moment. He approached the front counter, he wasn't happy with the owner's treatment of the boys behind closed doors. He antagonistically eyed the old man.
"How much do I owe?" He gritted, trying to hold back the assailments.
Yuma's eyes vertically lifted from his paper to Haruhiko, his writing paused. "Oh some men who took your friend had already paid?"
"Someone took my bro—? Wait what happened? Who took my friend?! Where did they go?! Tell me old man!"
"Oh my nothing bad happened I suppose. The men were wearing black suits and were dressed formally. They look like bodyguards more than your average Mafia or gangs. They simply paid and your friend was talking to him like they knew each other. And they went outside."
"How long ago?!"
"Twenty minutes ago I guess."
Haruhiko's usual serious demeanor returned. Who was this person who took his brother and why? If anything were to negatively harm Akihiko, his father would blame him, especially being the oldest. Haruhiko stormed out of Yasei-ji and stopped when he saw his father's men outside waiting for him by a carriage like car.
"Tadao?! What are you doing here? Where's Akihiko and father?"
"Haruhiko sorry to startle you. Your father is here and wants me to bring you two to him." Fuyuhiko's personal and trustworthy bodyguard approached him. The guard had short black cropped hair with the middle spiking up naturally, his jaws were narrowly mature and eyes were dark brown.
"Shit, my father's here?" He muttered underneath his breath. "Where's Akihiko?"
"In this carriage. Please hurry your father is expecting you two."
Tadao opened the door formally for Haruhiko to enter. Inside he sat in the back seat next to his brother.
"You know how worried I was when that old man told me some men took you away. You know how angry father would be if something happened to you. You shouldn't wander off like that!" Haruhiko chided.
"Hah. Worried?" Akihiko scoffed. "I didn't wander off. I just went downstairs when I saw Tadao and his men waiting for us."
"They knew we were here? They must of tracked us."
"So what on Earth is he doing in this type of place? I'm not interested in seeing him."
"I don't know but we've got no choice."
"Damn. How did things go with Jiro?"
"I…its…well," his brother stuttered. "I had to decline him. I don't really want to talk about this. Let's just move on."
"I see." Akihiko spoke lower than usual. He was fairly disappointed that Haruhiko had rejected the poor boy. He knew his brother had made a tough decision, hence he didn't want to question any further.
The two sat in silence when the car begun to accelerate off. From the second window, Jiro's palm rested against the transparent glass as he watched the Usami car take off. His disconsolate green puffy eyes watered continuously down his pink blotchy skin, he gasped whimpers intermittently, his only hope to seeing the warm sun drifted from his reach. He was alone in the shadowy dark, no one came for him. He was left there, because he was not Misaki, he was a nobody. He leaned his forehead against the glass, weeping at the final moment when the car was no longer in sight.
Haruhiko gazed out the window to observe the streets. There were many carriages like car here that were used as a source of transport. Many of those cars were parked outside a large Japanese building with a curved roofing design. A red giant banner of the canine tournament was displayed on the front entrance of the arena. The carriage stopped here and the doors were opened for the brothers to exit.
"So that's why father is here. This is pathetic." Akihiko chuckled lightly in sarcasm.
"Well it is the grand final. So I assume many wealthy businessman would be here including father."
"This way please sir," Tadao called out to them.
The brothers followed Tadao into the building and along the hallways and up an elevator to the top level. They moved further on and into a private booth which had a full view over the arena. They entered the booth to find their father relaxing on a black leather armchair holding a champagne glass in one of his hand, while gazing down onto the arena field. Fuyuhiko placed down his glass of champagne on the table next to him and drew his attention to his sons entering the dark room.
"Ah my sons. You have arrived. Please take a seat. Your just in time for the grand final." The old man grinned calmly.
The brothers sauntered to sit down on the adjacent leather seats. Only three of them were present in the room, the Usami guards including Tadao stood outside to secure the area. The atmosphere was uncomfortable and awkward, the two had never gathered with their father in this sort of setting before.
"What are you doing here?" Haruhiko asked his father with his arms crossed.
"I should be asking you two the same question. As you can see I'm enjoying the tournament. It's a rare battle and worth watching."
"What do you want from us? We're not interest in watching in a bunch of bitches fight. Your wasting our time" Akihiko complained in an arrogant tone. His father was disrupting them from their investigation.
"You mean wasting your time on your search for Misaki? As happy as I am to see you two get along. I refrain you both from getting involved in anything that may bring harm not only to you but to the future of the Usami Corporations." He intertwined his fingers in a professional manner.
"Finding Misaki is not a waste of time!" Akihiko raised his voice. "Like you would understand. All you care about is your corporation. When have you ever been worried about us? We didn't even grow up properly when we lived with you! I love Misaki and you can't prevent me from finding him!"
Haruhiko sat in contemplative silence. He agreed with his brother in secret.
Fuyuhiko sighed deeply. "Akihiko. You don't know what your getting involved into. Your presence is well known here and it represents me. You two came to a place like this, with no bodyguards or protection. You know how dangerous that can be if someone were to assassinate you without any witnesses." He explained in a discontented tone. "Even worse Tadao informed me that you two entered a male brothel. Together. You know how others will perceive that?! Don't bring shame to the Usami!"
"There he goes again about the Usami." Akihiko rolled his eyes.
"Father. We are not children anymore. We haven't associated with anyone dangerous," Haruhiko defended.
"But you have been asking questions haven't you?"
"Only an entertainer so far. No one else," Haruhiko replied.
"We haven't gotten far since you interrupted us."
"Akihiko, Haruhiko. Sons." His father leaned forward. "I know I haven't been a proper father in your eyes. But I do care for you both equally. And I when I say this, I mean it from my heart. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to raise you properly but you two are the only family close to me. Please don't go too deep into this."
The brothers retort were reduced to a muting silence and a unfamiliar feeling to their hearts. After all these years this was the first time their father had spoken to them like this. It made them resentful yet at the same time warm inside. If only their father had said this since the day they were born.
"Ahem." Haruhiko cleared his throat to break the silence. "We don't need your—."
An announcement made by a boisterous male voice from the arena stage interrupted Haruhiko. "Ladies and gentlemen this is the night you've all been waiting for! The fighters are ready! I hope you had a…"
"It's starting. Time to enjoy the show sons. Sit back and enjoy."
"Can me and Har—."
"No." Fuyuhiko cut off Akihiko's sentence. "You two stay. Don't even think about leaving."
Akihiko grinded his teeth and exhaled heavily through his nose. Misaki was his priority. Not some dog show. Unable to disobey or walk out, they capitulated to their father's authoritarian orders. They two sat back and peered down onto the circular arena in defeat. Spectators excitedly gathered around, cheering loudly. A man dressed in a white suit and black vest stood on a podium on the edge of the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen, lets bring out our first fighter. This tough dog you all know is one the most deadly and intelligent hunter. This lone wolf was trained to hunt and kill. Ladies and gentlemen I give you White Dagger the Alaskan grey wolf!"
The crowd cheered wildly while sparkles of bright white flames shot out from the sides of the podium. Heavy rock music played in the background as the metal gates below the arena opened. Out came a large grey wolf that was almost the same size as its Western owner. The wolf growled and circled around next to it's owner.
"I betted for that one," Fuyuhiko pointed eagerly.
The brothers glanced at their father simultaneously. He must really be into this kind of entertainment they thought.
"You boys want something to drink?" Fuyuhiko offered them a champagne.
"No thank you," they both declined.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Lets bring out our next opponent. Give it up for Big Bear the Caucasian Shepherd Mountain Dog!"
The metal gate shifted up at the opposite side of the arena. Another slower heavy rock soundtrack was played in the background. Akihiko rolled his eyes over the ridiculous hyped show. They even named the canine creature Big Bear. The silver haired knew nothing could compare itself to his favorite stuffed animal. But as the dog made entrance, his violet eyes lit fixed onto the animal. They dog was huge, almost the same size as it's owner and covered in thick coats of brown fur, similar to a fluffy bear. If Akihiko were to bet in this sport, he would chose Big Bear. A hidden smug came to mind as he imagined his father's chosen dog being devoured and the defeat labelled on his face. The dogs growled pugnaciously at each other, displaying their aggressive nature and sharp canine teeth.
"Ladies and gentlemen. No more waiting in anticipation. Let the battle begiiiinnn!" The man announced on the top of his voice. The crowd roared in excitement.
The match began and the owners scurried off from the arena dirt field. The dogs continued to snarl viciously and circle one another. The shepherd hybrid barked at the wolf. The wolf grew agitated by the relentless barking but continued to circle around its prey like it did in the snowy wild. The shepherd was provoked and ran in for the attack. The wolf dodged and nipped the shepherd's leg causing it to yelp. Fuyuhiko smiled when the wolf used a sneaky tactic. Akihiko felt disappointed with the bite. It was cheap, but the tournament seemed to have caught his interest. The fight continued for about ten minutes. Each dog took nips and bites of each other, until the shepherd fluffy dog managed to get a hold of the wolf's neck with its jaw. The wolf started to whine and yelp in pain. Big Bear bite harder and this time using its paws to help, it snapped the opponent's head. The crowd cheered rapturously and booed at the same time.
"Yes," Akihiko mumbled under his voice in victory. Haruhiko glanced to his brother when he heard him mumbled indistinctly, but later brushed it off. Akihiko turned to his father to watch his reaction. There was a disquieted blank expression on his face before he opened his mouth.
"Hm. Well that was unexpected." He rose from his chair to put on his black coat. "Now I guess its home time. Haruhiko we've got a meeting tomorrow at noon." The brothers stood up from their spot at the same time. "Best to get some rest its late. Akihiko you should spend some time at home with us." Fuyuhiko invited his son home.
"No I don't need you to babysit me. Just drop me off at my apartment. It's more closer."
"Are you sure?"
"I already told you. I'm going back to my apartment," Akihiko disgruntled.
"Okay but if I find you drunk on the streets again, I'm taking you back home where you can sober up."
The three exited the private booth. Haruhiko placed his palm on his brother's shoulders when his father wasn't looking. "We'll come back Akihiko. Misaki won't be going anywhere if he's down here." He whispered quietly to the silver haired. Akihiko grunted, he would need to find a way to sneak back down here without his father knowing.
The two exited the arena and out of underground red light city, escorted by his father and his men. Fuyuhiko and his men entered the city through the same route as the brothers did. The three stood outside the private carparks reserved for the restaurant guests.
"Haruhiko, Akihiko. Please don't let me find you two down there without my permission. I will find out from now on if you do," their father warned.
"Yeah whatever, I'll have to drop off Akihiko first before I'll come home. After all his place is on the way back."
Fuyuhiko hesitated at first, but to see the brothers bond, it made him feel contented. After all of these years of hatred and ignorance, one brunette had been able to influence them to overcome this barrier. Well not fully yet but it was a start.
"Okay you two drive safely. Good night."
Everybody hopped into their respective vehicles and headed off. Haruhiko drove while Akihiko sat in the passenger side. The silver haired found his cigarette pack in the cup compartment.
"I have been dying to smoke one of these since we were down there." Akihiko lit the cigarette with his lighter.
"Oh please Akihiko not in here!" his brother complained. Haruhiko pressed down on a button on the door to partially wind down the glass.
"It's not going to kill you. You complain like Misaki when he does—." Akihiko became lost in his words. Eyes downcast at the fainted voices of Misaki in his head.
'Usagi-san. Have you no manners? I can't breathe in here. You can smoke but at least open the window." Misaki wafted his hands in the smoky air.
Even the simplest things would remind Akihiko of his adorable Misaki. He missed that berating brunette. The loud, chiding atmosphere and the hurling 'baka' often used when Akihiko attempted to grope him.
They drove in silence for a moment. "Well even if father didn't let us explore any further. We still have some lead." Haruhiko said.
"Your right. We need to find this Aku guy. He must be the person responsible for supplying the Mafia. Don't forget we could still scout further if we need to."
"We just have to make sure father is not there. Anyways, there's a lot of men out there named Aku but we could do some research and gather a number of suspects."
"Since you got work tomorrow. I'll see what research I can do back at my apartment."
"Good you do that. Remember try searching their background and history and see if it links with anything. I'll try and ask father and see if he knows anything."
"Why him?"
"He's bound to know something. I just know it. Don't worry I'll deal with father and you do what you do. Just try to keep sober."
"Yeah whatever." Akihiko turned his gaze outside before closing his eyes to think of only one thing; Misaki.
They finally arrived outside Akihiko's apartment.
"See you tomorrow. Wait where are we meeting?" Akihiko asked.
"Your place tomorrow night. I don't want father to interfere with our investigation."
"Alright. Don't be late."
Akihiko exited the black luxury car and made his way up to his apartment. Standing outside the front door, he jingled through his keys to unlock it. Once opened he flicked on the lights in the lounge room to reveal the disorientated mess. He sighed unhappily at the workload that he would need to clean before his older brother would visit for the first time. He wanted to save himself from being criticized, hence he would need to suppress his indolence. A quick and effective way to clean in short amount of time was to shove everything in one room. But that could wait for tomorrow.
Grabbing Suzuki from the lounge, he made his way to his toy covered bedroom. He placed Suzuki next to his pillow and patted the stuffed animal. Unmotivated to full undress into his sleepwear, he exhaustedly slumped into his bed. Laying with the blankets covering up to his waist, he laid there, eyelids partially closed into slits.
'Please save me. I know I'm not Misaki. But please give me a chance. Please!' Jiro's voice reverberated in his head. 'Usagi-san if you don't finish your manuscript. I'm not coming home early. I'll hang out with my friends.'
Akihiko covered his teary eyes with his palm. "Misaki…"
Meanwhile on the other side of town.
A collage of photos were currently being printed from a large printer in an unknown office in Japan. Men dressed in white plastic protective clothing arranged the printed photos, while a conspirator sat on a chair nearby, smoking. The plastic clothing was to prevent contamination of any DNA onto the package that was to be sent out. Orders from Armel were to be followed with strict adherence. This means no evidence were to be traced back to him. The leader that kept the operation within Japan flexed back her feminine fingers to admire her red manicure nails.
"This should be delivered before dawn." The woman smirked maliciously.