Chapter 29
"You, why are you here?" demanded Akashi.
"Ootori called me," Atobe replied. "But that's not import-" but Akashi wasn't listening, she was already climbing out of bed muttering to herself.
"That back stabbing little…"
"Hey hey!" Atobe hurried to her side and made her lie back down on the bed. "Don't," he told her. "Stay in bed, you're practically purple all over." The only thing Akashi was wearing was her bra and underwear, and while she didn't seem to mind him seeing her in such a state since he'd already seen her in a swimsuit but Atobe did his best to keep his eyes up, however, he couldn't help but see the dark bruises all over body, they were so jarring against her pale skin. She was also covered in bandages as well, what had she gone through in the past twenty-four hours?
After a moment of quiet while she settled back into bed Akashi asked. "What did Ootori tell you?"
"Nothing much," Atobe replied honestly. "But he's worried about you." He quietly appraised the situation, she was in danger, but it was clear she intended to keep everything to herself. He had a choice to make, look the other way, or confront her. He chose the later and prayed it was the right decision. "What are you up to Svetlana Aleksandrovna Udinov?" Akashi froze, Atobe could see the calculation occurring in her mind, she was trying to appraise the situation as well, scenarios and questions were flying off in her head.
"How much do you know?" she demanded quietly.
"I don't think you're in a position to demand Satsuki," replied Atobe. "Or should I call you Svetlana? Which do you prefer?" he asked, she needed to get used to doing things his way now.
"Only my father's family calls me Svetlana," she answered after a long pause. "My mother sometimes called me Svet, but I've always preferred Satsuki."
"No matter, Satsuki, regardless of the facts, you're in danger." Akashi opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off. "Look at the state you're in," he remarked. "So, we're gonna need to keep you safe, you're coming with me."
XXX
Atobe's house was almost exactly as she had pictured it, large, spacious, a proper mansion with a several dogs, maids and an elderly butler. They seemed nice enough but all of it reminded Akashi too much of her own home back in Russia, an old manor in the middle of a dense forest, there was a constant rotation of guards around the tutor style house and a giant fireplace in the living room where she used to roast marshmallows with her father. There was a sudden tightness in her chest as she thought about her dad, his always smiling bright blue eyes, his laughter, she hadn't thought about him in years, not since he… she sighed, why was she thinking about him now of all times?
Akashi ignored the butler's attempt to start a conversation, she was far too tired to makeup any lies at the moment so she stayed quiet. He left her alone with her things once he led her to her room, like the rest of Atobe's home, it was ridiculously ornate, with a walk in wardrobe and ensuite, it had a gigantic king sized bed and on the bed sat Itan dressed in his usual all black with his arms crossed against his chest.
"What are you doing here?" Akashi demanded the moment she noticed him.
"We're family Satsuki," he told her. "And you don't leave family behind."
"How-" Itan stood up and walked calmly towards he, he shrugged.
"I'm very good at what I do," he told her. "By the way, you owe Rihan a new Mercedes, I sort of ruined his when I escaped." Akashi was fuming, she wanted to yell at him but Itan knew her well, if he kept cutting into her rage by the time she did yell, she wouldn't have a leg to stand on. "The drugging was very clever, almost worked, but you forgot to tell him about my childhood growing up on the streets, running with gangs and the mafia and such," he said matter of factly. "I've developed kind of a resistance to such things. Of course it's not perfect, they almost managed to get me on the bullet train before I escaped."
"You-" Akashi shouted.
"You think you're keeping me safe by locking me up and tucking me in a corner," Itan continued. "But have you thought about what I want? You're my family, the one person in this world I'd do anything for-"
"But Haru he, you, you're in-"
"I love you more," he told her calmly. "He doesn't need me, you do."
"I don't need you either!" she shouted harshly but quickly regretted it. "No, that's not what I mean. You, you deserve a life of your own, you-"
"I want to be here, with you, and that's final."
"Fine," Akashi told him resignedly after a long starring match. "Don't blame me if you get hurt though."
"From you or someone else?"
XXX
Atobe carried a tray of food towards Akashi's new residence in his home, a maid or servant could have easily done the same job but he didn't feel comfortable with that, he knocked on the door and without waiting for a response opened the door to find Akashi with her top off and the strange foreign man; who had some how managed to subterfuge his way through all security and tell his butler he was here to meet Akashi before she'd even arrived; examining the bruises on her back.
"Oh, hi," Akashi remarked unabashed when she noticed him, she calmly pulled her top down. "Was showing off my battle wounds."
"I see," Atobe commented calmly. He placed the tray on the carpet where they sat. "I'll just be on my way then."
"Stay," Akashi insisted, patting the space on the floor beside her. "Join us for a meal." Silently Atobe sat next to her. "I've been thinking," she continued as she dug into the bowl of fruit. "About my next step."
"You're next step?" asked Atobe.
"I can't just stay hidden here forever," she clarified. "I'm sixteen, there's only two years till I turn eighteen and once that happens this is all over. Surviving till I'm eighteen is another story, now that he's found me. And Uncle is in danger now, now that he knows he's been helping me."
"Should we leave Japan?" asked Itan.
Akashi shook her head. "I had a head start the last time things went bad, I don't know how, but she managed to keep me in Japan after mother died for almost a year, she must have had something on him, otherwise why would he back off? When she died as well, I had to hide. My promise to uncle is null and void now, there is no way I can finish my schooling in peace in Japan now."
"So instead of hiding for the next two years, we fight," said Itan as he reach for a few biscuits.
"We fight," agreed Akashi.
"Wait!" said Atobe, Akashi and Itan looked at him. "Back up for a second, who died, who are you hiding from?"
"Keigo, you-"
"Don't tell me that you have no intention of involving me, cause I'm already involved, and if you don't tell me, I'll just start digging on my own. And you know I'm capable of finding at least something out, if not why did you waste so much effort trying to distract me."
"You knew?" Akashi asked with a smile.
"It wasn't hard to figure out," Atobe replied.
"He has a right to know," Itan said calmly. "It doesn't seem like he'll be backing off."
"Sounds like someone else I know," Akashi told him pointedly. SHe sighed. "Alright, what do you want to know?"
"Everything would be nice."
"It's a long story."
"Well then start at the beginning. We have time."
Akashi sighed again. "The beginning, well, that's a toughie, which beginning do you want to head first. When I was diagnosed with leukaemia or how about the part where my father tried to kill me?"
"Whichever happened first," said Atobe, now not too sure he wanted to know the whole picture.
"I was diagnosed with leukaemia when I was very young, most of my childhood I remember being in hospitals. Itan was my only friend," she smiled at him who reached and held her hand in support. "I needed a bone marrow transplant, but my mother, father, uncles, none of them were a match. My blood type is rare or at least some of the things that you need to match are rare, I never really understood the whole process, so the chances of finding a remote match from someone outside the family was next to zero. The best match was a sibling, but I had none." Akashi stopped talking, Itan squeezed her hand.
"And yet here you are," said Atobe hoping to edge her one to continue.
"Here I am," she echoed. "Cause of a half-sibling I never knew about."
"Niou is your…" Atobe's jaw dropped.
"No, not him, his mother," clarified Akashi. "Niou Hinata is my biological half sister."
