Part III

Snapshots (a moment, a conversation)

Quarrel 1

"No, Asami! You do not get to make me an excuse to do shit like that. I am not–Sagaki's a lecherous asshole, sure, but he's hardly worth the time and effort to bother with, much less for you and your men to do that to him."

"Yet you understand why it had to be done."

"No!Okay, fine, I get your stupid logic behind it, but that still doesn't make it any less okay! He's in a hospital with his bones a jigsaw puzzle. How the hell–how many times did he 'fall' down those stairs?"

Jousting

"Unlike my husband, I will not ask you to take care of her. There is little need for that." Takaba's mother chuckles, her voice rich and warm, full of affection and pride for her only child. "She'll make sure you'll take care of her — not deliberately, of course — it is simply her nature to make people care. She'll probably fight you every step of the way, though. My daughter," she adds quietly, "is not used to people taking care of her. She has always been self-sufficient. She had to be."

Because you were not there for her, Asami doesn't say. He doesn't need to. He only inclines his head in acknowledgement of her words.

Takaba Tsukiko's answering smile is razor-sharp in its bitterness. "I see you are as astute as you appear to be, Asami-san. I think I'm going to like you."

Share (a continuation of Walking)

Aki put her head in her hands, looking utterly miserable at their questions about the father of her child and her relationship with him. "I wish I could explain the situation better, but I really can't. It's all very complicated."

Takato nudges Kou hard in the stomach with his elbow, and then touches Takaba's shoulder, an awkward attempt to comfort. "Hey, don't strain yourself, all right? You don't have to force yourself to explain."

Aki raises her head and smiles gratefully at him. Takato starts to smile back, but frowns as a thought comes to him. "Is he taking responsibility of you, at least? Because if he isn't–"

"I've been living with him for almost two months now." She shifts uneasily in her seat, obviously uncomfortable at the admission, but doesn't look away. "And yes, he's taking responsibility for this, not that I need him to, but well. And he's met my parents, in case you're wondering."

Oh. That put a different spin on things. Aki wouldn't have introduced him to her parents if things weren't serious. "Did they freak out?"

"Oh, god, yes," Aki says with a laugh. "You should have seen the look on their faces."

"Does this mean he's marrying you, then?"

"NO!" This time Takato didn't resist slapping Kou on the head in rebuke. "I mean, we've never talked about it, and even if he asked, which he never would, I would never say yes." She set her mouth in a thin, grim line. "As if I need to get myself further tied up to an asshole him," she mutters, almost to herself.

"Okay, enough about that asshole," Kou declares, clapping his hands loudly. "How about you? How are you feeling? I hear pregnant women throw up all the time. Are you? How far along are you? Is it a boy or a girl? These two uncles would really like to know."

Laughing, Aki tries to answer all of Kou's rapid-fire questions. Yes, she is fine, no, she doesn't get nauseous often, except when she's too stressed or nervous. She's about ten weeks along, and no, they don't know what the sex of the baby is yet, though Aki is pretty sure it's a boy. "I think I had a dream about it," Aki says, "something about little boy under a huge sakura tree. But I'm not sure."

She even lets them touch her still flat stomach, and she gives Takato a smart rap on the head when he makes a joke about her impending weight gain.

Quarrel 2

Takaba's fingers dug into her temple, a futile effort to keep her headache and temper down. "Let's go over this again, all right? Why the hell do I suddenly have multiple bank accounts in different tax havens worth a fuckton of dollars? Please tell me you're not using me as part of your money laundering operations. Is this money even legal?"

Victory

"Ah. It appears your guess is right." The doctor smiles at Takaba, as on her waist, Asami's hand tightens in a possessive sort of grip, a warm, familiar comfort, now. "It's going to be a boy."

Bias

"We are not naming him after you," Takaba says firmly to Asami, one sunny morning during breakfast, about a few days after they found out the sex of their unborn child.

"And why not?" Asami drawls, looking unperturbed as always.

"Because I think it's the height of egocentrism that you would name our son after you. And it shows lack of creativity and imagination. And also I'd like to give him a head start on having a personal identity beyond being known as your son."

"Isn't that a little too much thinking ahead?" His lips curl to an amused smirk. "Are you suggesting he'll develop an inferiority complex because he has my name?"

Takaba turns up a pert nose to him and quips back, "Isn't that a little too much thinking ahead? And hell, no. He's my son, too. With mygenes he'll probably kick your ass before he could even walk."

Whimsy

The meeting with the Loach was entering a lull in the middle phase when Kirishima hands Asami his phone.

"Oh, hi," Takaba's voice is hushed, though he could sense a barely leashed excitement in it. "Uhm, are you busy right now? I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Asami looks across the table at the Loach, who was busy conferring with his two nervous aides about the proposal. "No. What is it? Are you all right?"

"No! I mean, everything's fine. Yes. Uh. It's, ah–well, uh–he's kicking!" she finally blurts out. The rest of her words came out in a rush of excitement. "I mean, he's been kicking before, but they're mostly just weak flutters and this is the first time I could actually feelthe kicks from outside. And–" she falters suddenly, and she pauses, and then takes a breath. He could almost see her deflate. "I absolutely sound insane, don't I?"

Asami's lips curl upward. "No, you don't."

Takaba snorts, her good humor returning. "Yeah, well. Thanks. That's all I wanted to say." She pauses again, and then she asks tentatively, "Are you coming home anytime soon?"

He flickers a glance at the Loach. "Perhaps. Why? Do you miss me? I've only been gone for a few hours."

"No! I don't miss you!" Asami smothers a chuckle at Takaba's protests. "I just…," her voice trails off, and then, she mumbles, "I just want you to be here." Then she raised her voice, as if trying to drown out what she's said before. "But it's fine! I'll just…see you later! Bye!" The line goes dead.

Needless to say, the meeting was over minutes later.

Burning

When he comes home, Asami finds Takaba curled up and asleep on the couch, a habit of hers nowadays — as her body undergoes the inexorable changes that pregnancy demands, even her usual boundless energy is sapped and she tires easily, and has taken to napping around the house, very much like a cat — her hand over the gentle swell of her stomach. In sleep, Takaba has always seemed young and innocent — in her current condition, she looks even more so, and vulnerable as well, even fragile.

Asami's snorts quietly at his thoughts, even as he lifts Takaba into his arms and carries her to their bed, careful not to wake her. Young and innocent she may be, Takaba is far from fragile or vulnerable — beneath it all is a fierce will and determination, an incredible lust for life and happiness that she pursues with unflinching vigor.

Breathing

They stay that way for a few quiet, still, moments, with Takaba pressed against him, her breaths coming deep and slow as she calms herself down from their intense sex, while his hand strokes her back soothingly.

Then, there's a sudden flutter of movement against his stomach, and Takaba lets out a startled huff against his neck. "Oh, great, he woke up." Pulling away, she places a hand on the swell of her belly, and then grimaces wryly. "He's been kicking pretty hard lately. As exciting as this development is, I hope he doesn't make this too much of a habit. I still have need for my ribs and kidneys."

Asami chuckles at Takaba's words, but the hand he puts on her stomach is both protective and concerned and a little curious — he has yet to feel his son's movements within his mother. The child doesn't stir at his touch, leaving him a little disappointed at his unsatisfied curiosity. "Are you all right?" he asks, his hand rubbing against the smooth, tautly stretched skin.

His answer comes in the form of a sharp jab against his palm from inside Takaba's swollen belly, and Takaba's bright, helpless laughter at what must be bemusement on his face at the unexpected movement.

(In that moment, Asami feels oddly breathless, caught in the sudden surge of intense emotions — protectiveness and affection and want— for his unborn son and his mother. It is a strange feeling, but not entirely unwanted.)

Smirk

"Well, he definitely takes after you," Takaba says to Asami as they look at the three-dimensional image of their unborn child on the monitor. At Asami's raised eyebrow, she grins impishly and points at their child's mouth, "Look, he has your smirk."

Defeat

If he weren't so thoroughly annoyed, Asami would have been impressed.

After months of searching, the man who goes by the name Gu Jin Can has been found trying to leave Japan through a boat heading for Vladivostok, Russia, in a port in Hokkaido. In the past few months, Gu Jin Can has been quietly hunting down and killing all of those involved in the botched smuggling operation that had been blamed on Asami.

The man was careful to not have witnesses, or if there were, he eliminated them. One managed to escape unnoticed, one of the murdered men's girlfriend, a little Chinese waitress, and it is through her that they had a description of him. They also learned from her that despite his name, the man was possibly not Chinese. "He could be mixed blood or something. And he has this weird accent when he speaks Cantonese," the waitress says. "And he spoke in another language–not Japanese. Something else."

Asami's men had been able to apprehend him before he got out of Japanese waters. He put out a ferocious fight, taking out some of his fellow passengers on the boat, as well as two of Asami's men in his bid to escape.

"Asami-sama, he's a fucking tough son-of-a-bitch," Kirishima swore when the first two days of interrogation did not go well. An ominous start — Kirishima swearing is an extremely rare event.

And true enough, Gu Jin Can has been strenuously resisting all efforts to exact a confession or information for more than a week now. Intimidated, deprived of food, water, sleep, clothes, and peace and quiet, beaten within the inch of his life, drugged, dunked, and electrocuted, subjected to excruciating pain and extreme temperatures, the man has yet to breathe out a single word of usable information.

Confounding the matter was the fact that they had been unable to turn up any reliable information about him, leading some of Asami's men to suspect, given the man's resistance to torture and his skill in combat and killing, that he could have been part of some elite military unit, perhaps Spetsnaz, the Russian special forces, which would make sense if one also factors in that he was heading to Russia.

Kirishima put in the theory that Mikhail Arbatov could be the one behind the whole thing, but, though he considered it, Asami had other thoughts. That Gu Jin Can could be Russian or Spetsnaz means little — enterprising former members hired themselves out regardless of race, so long as there was money. Besides, Arbatov was far too preoccupied in a bitter and bloody split within his Bratvawith Yuri to meddle in his affairs. There is also Liu Fei Long and his history with Asami to consider.

"Enough of this," Asami says to Kirishima, after yet another unsuccessful interrogation. He takes deep drag from his cigarette, his first one since discovering Takaba's pregnancy. "Get rid of him."

They bury the man alive in the foundation of one of Asami's high-rise condo. As they watch him disappear into the thick pool of concrete, Asami is handed his phone. "It's Liu Fei Long, Asami-sama," Kirishima says gravely. "He's here."


"Will you be all right by yourself?"

Takaba smiles at her Dad, who looks back at her anxiously. "Of course. I'll be staying here, eating." She makes a shooing motion with her hands. "Go. I'll be fine. I've been here thousands of times. This is my turf. Besides," she tilts her head to the side, eyeing passing crowd of locals and tourists outside the Chinese restaurant, "I'm pretty sure someone's keeping an eye on me."

"All right," her Dad says, though the frown on his face shows how little he likes leaving her alone. Even a month later, her accident by the stairs still haunts them, it seems. "I'll go over Wang's store and get the stuff your mother wants. Stay here and don't wander about."

"I'm not a child," she huffs in annoyance, pouting. "I know this place like the back of my hand. I'll be fine."

Her Dad suddenly reaches out and tweaks her nose. Laughing at her outraged yelp, he then places a firm kiss on her forehead, and murmurs, "I'll be back soon. And if you behave, I'll give you a back and foot massage when we get home."

"What an incentive," she mutters as her Dad finally starts to leave.

"You love them," he tosses over his shoulder before he exits the store, bells chiming as the door swings open then shut. Takaba watches her father walk away and eventually disappear into the crowds, before turning back to her pregnancy book as she waits for her order to arrive.

The Chinese restaurant is quiet, with her being the only customer, which is just fine by her. She enjoys the quiet times she has as much as she can, savors them even, as in six or so weeks, she would have very little personal time and quiet, what with birth of their son.

Their son. Hers and Asami's son. Takaba's heart does a funny little happy twist at the thought of seeing their son face-to-face, after months of waiting. Though daily she worries about the challenges of the future, her worries do little to stem the growing excitement building inside her. Even Asami is caught up in the almost feverish anticipation for the birth of their child.

"I hope he takes after you," Asami had said rather dryly, but with rare affection, putting his hands over hers on her swollen belly, feeling their child move within her. That had been a rather…bemusing admission, but the memory of it makes her smile.

Her soup finally arrives, and, after bookmarking the section about premature labor, she sets the book aside and readies herself to eat. As she reaches for her chopsticks, a shadow falls over her, blocking her light.

"May I take this seat?"

Chills shoot up her spine at the familiar voice, her heartbeat speeding up, and for a moment, she is back to that horrible day, once again sitting in that booth at the coffee shop. Inside her swollen belly, her unborn son erupts in a flurry of squirming and kicking, as if sensing her distress. Unconsciously, she puts one hand over her stomach to soothe him, which thankfully seems to work. Taking a deep breath to steel and calm herself, she slowly lifts her eyes and looks at the owner of the voice.

Liu Fei Long stands across her, dressed in his usual fine Chinese clothes, his hair twisted into a simple braid. "Hello, Aki." Then, as he did on that day, he seats himself in front of her, not waiting for her reply or assent. "It has been a while."

She doesn't speak, her voice caught in her throat. Her heart continues to beat like it's ready to burst through her chest as questions assault her mind. Does Fei Long know she's pregnant? At their current respective angles and positions, the table prevented Fei Long from seeing her from chest down, and the loose bunching of her sweater obscured the state and size of her waist. How long has he been keeping an eye on me?

From the corner of her eye, she sees the restaurant's window's curtains suddenly fall down, just as the thick crowd beyond it blocks the view of the outside and vice versa. Fuck. It takes much will power to stop herself from bolting away then and there. She doubts she could run fast enough away, in any case, considering her condition. She can only hope Asami's men are indeed out there and doing something at this very moment, and that her Dad is safe, and no harm would come to her and the child.

"I didn't realize," Takaba says finally, turning her attention back to Fei Long, willing her voice to calm despite the cold tide of fear threatening to overwhelm her, "that we'll be doing a sequel."

She feels a little thrill of gratification at the look of confusion on Fei Long's face. "Sequel?"

"You know, a sequel to 'Vengeance: Takaba Is Kidnapped as Leverage Against Asami'? I'm sure you remember the movie, seeing as you had a starring role there as the villain. If you plan on doing a sequel, count me out. I'm not interested. You can't afford my talent fee, and I'm fully booked at this moment."

She leans forward, placing her palms flat on the table. "You told me, when we were alone in the ship, before the exchange, that you would no longer do me any harm." She looks deep into Fei Long's eyes. "Is that still case? Or have things changed?"

A strange expression flickers in his eyes, and to her astonishment, he reaches out to touch her hand, as if to comfort and reassure. "I gave you my word. Nothing has changed. No harm shall come to you."

She forces herself not to show just how relieved she is, and not to flinch from his touch. Bastard that he is, Fei Long does seems that he will keep his word, once he has given it. Still, she doesn't put her guard down. She leans back, moving her hands out of Fei Long's reach. "That's great. I'd really not like a repeat of last time. I'd rather not put myself between your and Asami's gun again, thanks."

"Are you worried about me, Aki?" says Fei Long, lips curving upward into an amused smiled. God, how Takaba wanted to punch him for looking so…smug.

"Don't use my first name," she snaps instead, peeved at his familiarity. "No, I'm not worried about you. I'm more worried about Tao. Who would probably sad if you died. Which you are probably in danger of right now because you seem to be an idiot." She glares at him. "What are you doing here, Fei Long? You do realize what Asami would do to you if he found out you're here."

Fei Long's beautiful face stills for a moment, before he replies, "I have…some unfinished business that may or may not involve Asami. He seems to be intent on causing trouble for me. But do not worry, Aki. I don't intend to involve you, or linger long."

"How reassuring. But I would prefer you leave right the fuck now."

That infuriating smile again. "Such temper. I am glad to see nothing has changed. You are still very much the same, despite the changes in your life. Tell me, what is it like, living with Asami?"

Oh fuck. Figures Fei Long had gotten wind of that somehow. Taking a page from Fei Long's book, Takaba does not answer his question and just smiles back. "Speaking of Tao, how is he?" she asks. The boy was still in the hospital when she left. She'd thought about writing an e-mail or something inquiring about how he is, but she didn't know where to send it to. "I hope he recovered well."

Fei Long narrows his eyes, and for a moment Takaba thinks he wouldn't answer, but then his expression softens, as it always did when Tao was involved. Fei Long had such a soft spot for the kid. "Tao is doing well. He has grown so much, in the past few months."

"Not a little shrimp anymore, is he?" She liked Tao, who is rather sweet, though his devotion to Fei Long and Baishe is a bit disturbing for a kid. "He's probably going to end up taller than both of us, the cheeky brat."

Fei Long smiles at that, and it lights up his face and makes Takaba's heart twist with…something. Sometimes, she just forgets how beautiful Fei Long is. "He is strangely embarrassed about it — even asking the maids to lengthen some of his clothes in secret."

Despite the situation, she finds herself grinning at that anecdote. "Oh, that's adorable."

There's almost a comfortable silence between them, after that. But it only lasts for a moment. "You should leave, Fei Long," Takaba urges, her stomach twisting into knots in sudden foreboding. "Asami will not be happy you're here."

"As I've said, I would not be here had Asami chose to leave me and my business well alone," Fei Long says sharply. "But that does not concern you, Aki. I–"

"Is there a problem?"

Takaba nearly jumps out of her seat when a warm, familiar hand descends on her shoulder. Looking up, she finds her father standing beside her, an unreadable expression on his face. He speaks again, this time, directed to Fei Long, and, to Takaba and Fei Long's surprise, in what seems to be fluent Chinese.

"There's no problem," Takaba says lightly, managing to smile despite her fears. "We're just talking. Did you get everything?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I took a while to get back. Some men," he pauses, then narrows his eyes at Fei Long, who thankfully keeps silent, "were blocking the way. We can go now."

Fei Long rises gracefully from his seat. "It's been good to see you again, Aki."

Takaba says nothing, and stands up, albeit with less grace. It's only when she hears Fei Long's sharply indrawn breath that she realizes she has forgotten something very important.

"Should I offer you two congratulations?" Fei Long's voice is strained and brittle as he speaks, his eyes sharp and bright with somethingas he takes in Takaba's pregnant form. Takaba's heart lurches in her chest, suddenly horribly afraid and–

"I think," her Dad interrupts icily in Japanese, interposing himself protectively between her and Fei Long, one arm wrapped tight around her, "this conversation is over." Don't come any nearer, or I will harm you, her father's body language all but shouts.

The hairs at the nape of her neck stand up. Pressed against her Dad, she could feel his muscles tensing up, reading for a fight.

Fuck this.

Calmly, Takaba steps out of her father's protective shielding and faces Fei Long. "I accept all sincere congratulations," she says, with a faint smile, chin raised. "It's been exciting, seeing you again, but we need to go now." She takes her Dad's hand in hers, squeezing it hard in silent reassurance. "Try not to get in trouble, and please give my warmest regards to Tao. Good bye."

She could feel Fei Long's eyes boring into her as she and her father make her way out of the restaurant. The moment they step out, Suoh appears, along with several men, and hustles them out of Chinatown and into the car as fast as possible.

"Is there going to be trouble?" she demands of Suoh as soon as they're in the car. "Is Asami all right?"

"We're not anticipating any trouble, but we're taking precautions, and yes, Asami-sama is all right. He's been informed and on his way." Suoh takes the driver's seat, while another one of Asami's men rides shotgun. "Please fasten your seatbelts." As soon as she and her father were secure in their seats, they pull out and drive off.

Several minutes later, her phone rings. She fumbles to answer it. "Asami?"

"Are you all right?"

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Yes. We're fine. Fei Long–he didn't do anything. We just…talked. What's going–"


"–We just…talked. What's going–"

On the other side of the line, there is a thunderous noise that nearly deafens Asami.

And then static, followed by silence.

End of Halcyon Days


Halcyon Days is supposed to be what it says on the tin:

In the myth of Alcyone, Halcyon Days are the seven days in winter when storms never occur. In popular use, it can also mean to harken back to an earlier time, remembered as idyllic, whether accurately or not. The meaning in popular culture also refers to calm, peaceful days.

Hence, the nearly seven months of Takaba's pregnancy that passed in relative calm. But they did have quarrels during that time, both petty and serious.

Sagaki is the lecherous guy in Pray in the Abyss (you know, the pimpy dude) that molested Takaba. I don't think Asami is in the habit of killing anyone who messes with usual!Takaba, but a pregnant Takaba is a different matter, I think.

The Loach is derived from the current Japanese prime minister, who likened himself to the dojo loach in a speech.