Around the same time Kyoko and Kuon were meeting at the restaurant...
"Oh yeah. Mmm, right there." Sho Fuwa positioned on his stomach, lying on the heated massage table in his ridiculously fancy high-rise office. "Hard- er," his voice caught as his secretary worked a particularly tight knot, her full breasts pressed alluringly against his upper back, hardened nipples poking through her sakura patterned silk blouse.
"Akemi, have I ever told you what a talented woman you are?" he asked with a half-smile, stretching languidly. Aside from being a professional masseuse, she was a capable fencer, possessed extraordinary administrative skills, and didn't mind fooling around (provided he was unattached) though the last was recent development. Filching her from that director was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
She gave him a close-mouthed smile and stood, her almond eyes twinkling with amusement. "I believe you may have mentioned it a time or two. Bonus points for not only saying so after I've just rocked your world," she quipped, tossing her long, wavy chestnut-brown hair back over her shoulders. Though egocentric, the young executive's philosophy of promptly giving credit where credit was due was admirable, at least.
He laughed lightly, wiped his lean, muscular frame with a towel and slipped on a midnight blue silk robe. It perfectly complimented the shade of young executives eyes.
Akemi began cleaning up as well, enjoying the comfortable silence.
The edge of frustration in the young man's voice when he'd ordered his voluptuous assistant to bring her fencing gear this morning made his foul mood abundantly clear. Sho loathed working on Saturdays, but this strange temperament was clearly the result of something else, not simple petulance towards his grandfather's command.
Upon arrival she'd been order into her gear and they'd sparred together, swords clashing furiously, his sabre a manifestation of his inner turmoil as he thrust, slashed, and parried until they were both trembling and out of breath. Sensing a lingering tension, she'd suggested he shower while she set up to give him a massage.
He's calmer now, though I wonder what caused his agitation in the first place, she mused. And whether it will last.
Regardless, Akemi was determined to stay in his good graces, as she had these last six months, at her employer's request. Ingratiating herself with the head of HR had been the fastest way of garnering attention and she knew she was the right type, curvaceous and mature, to tempt the Fuwa heir. It had only been a matter of time before he snatched her away. What she hadn't anticipated was her growing attraction to the charismatic, cocky male.
Thanks to his preoccupation with personal matters and their burgeoning and wildly inappropriate relationship, her efforts had finally born fruit–he'd left her alone in his office. The USB drive containing a download of his files that were hidden in her black leather high-heeled boots could prove useful, but she doubted she would find anything too condemning there. I need to access his phone... Unfortunately he takes the damn thing with him wherever he goes. Plan B it is, she sighed to herself. Akemi had witnessed the young VP's legendary volatility and possessiveness first-hand, but she thought she'd also seen sparks of kindness underneath his veneer. This is the only time I've ever hoped my client's accusations were false she thought, and the only time I've ever been so intimate with a mark she thought pensively.
Akemi Adams, had been carefully and discreetly hired to investigate the death of Sho Fuwa's late girlfriend, Lin Michaels because her father was convinced his daughter's untimely end was the result of foul play. Though Akemi originally wanted to be an actress, and had the talent to join Showbiz, she ultimately decided on a different sector, one that was still lucrative and allowed her to travel, but without sycophants. She was a seeping mist in the night that vanished with the morning sun. The problem with Plan B was it could leave a minuscule trace, like a snag in a sweater that, if pulled just right, unraveled the whole thing. And Akemi refused to be ruined.
Strong, deft hands interrupted her rumination, one curving around a breast and she gasped. The other began fondling her toned ass and she found herself naturally relaxing into him. "You appear deeply concerned by something," Sho remarked without sounding unduly curious, continuing his caresses of her flushed body.
Her heartbeat quickened and she leaned back, melting against him further. "Are you worrying about me?" he whispered coyly, breath tickling her flawless skin.
In that moment, the French doors burst open and a grizzled, grim-faced elder strode into the room, hands regally clasped behind his back. His eyes narrowed as he absorbed the sight before him.
Two men shadowed Hayate Fuwa, CEO of Fuwa Hospitality Group- a burly one who took a protective stance and a skinny, tablet-carrying one who awkwardly stared at the Fuwa grandson's obvious indiscretion.
Akemi cursed under her breath and straightened, smoothing her attire while taking a step away from her boss to welcome the CEO. "It's an honor to see you again, sir."
His eyes never so much as glanced her way.
Sho's thoughts mirrored his secretary's, though they were of a more explicit nature. Determined to not lose face in front of his employee, he kept his posture relaxed. "Ojii-san, what a surprise. I am honored by your visit," Sho uttered. His words were with polite enough, but his tone bordered on snide.
"Taking liberties with the help again I see," came a sternly disapproving voice. Then a faint smile showed on older man's lined, yet still handsome face, though it never quite reached his eyes. "No matter, enjoy yourself while you are young," he leaned over next to the ear facing away from his grandson's assistant. "As long as you don't make a mess I must clean up again," he finished in a vicious whisper, forcefully squeezing the young man's shoulder as his sharp dark eyes bore into him.
Sho grimaced, fists clenching at his sides, but he held tongue. What would he do if I reminded him of his own transgressions?
The woman kept her face carefully blank, registering the faintly spoken words she didn't want to believe with no outward emotion. That means they did do something then...she felt sick–like the octopus in the salad she'd ordered from the hotel restaurant down the street was wriggling around in her stomach with renewed life, threatening to make its' way back up her gullet and she fought the urge to bolt, managing to only shift her feet slightly towards the open doors.
"Leave us," the patriarch commanded and everyone but Sho Fuwa hastened to exit.
The executive assistant's last thought as she fled was one of thankfulness that she'd already bugged the office.
x=x=x=
Still reeling, Akemi Adams tossed her keys in the ceramic dish she kept on the entry table in her modest apartment located 15 minutes from the corporate building. Saturdays at the office were always shorter so by the time strolled into her kitchen, the clock only read 3:22 PM.
Pulling out her laptop and RF receiver, she set up to listen to the recorded audio, fast forwarding to the time of Hayate's visit. Since she'd been in the Vice President's employ, the CEO had never once deigned to visit his grandson in person, which meant whatever conversation they had was definitely something she wanted to hear.
The sounds of shuffling feet and clacking of high heels rang through the audio before the click of the French doors closing. It was silent for a moment and Akemi gasped as she heard a decisive slap! and the noise of stumbling feet.
[Hayate]: I will not tolerate insolence from you, boy. Remember your place. Do notgrow any closer to that assistant of yours. If I see or hear anything of this nature again, I will first destroy her and you will be stripped of your position until you can prove more trustworthy. He paused for the span of a few heartbeats before abruptly changing the subject. Why my fool of a son had to listen to his wife and adopt that girl against my wishes he grumbled as though speaking aloud to himself... He gambled that she would come to love us as family, but blood always runs deeper. If
Kyoko ever finds out what happened with her mother, she could ruin us and you are not allowed to have feelings for her. Akemi's eyes widened. She knew the Fuwa's had adopted a girl and raised her as their own though they hadn't given her the Fuwa name and had managed to keep her out of the public eye completely. And now, she knew her first name. Emotions are a weakness. Separate yourself from those flaws and refrain from acting rashly as you did in the past. This will be my only warning. Akemi imagined the man's cutting gaze as he spoke the words.
[Sho]: How did you know? His hushed words were barely audible.
[Hayate]: I knew she came back to be there for you after Lin's death in spite of your past cruelty. After that point, you began treating her differently. Remember that I have eyes and ears everywhere. On you and your stepsister. There is no place out of my reach.
The clomping of dress shoes growing fainter against the hardwood floor signaled Hayate's movement towards the door. All was silent once more until she heard Sho's guttural curse.
Akemi lifted her head, blinking rapidly as she stared at the high ceiling while blowing out a long breath. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do... She started with searching for individuals with the first name of Kyoko in the area.
=x=x=x=
Bzzt! Kyoko lunged for the phone on her solid oak nightstand, smiling dreamily at the text from Kuon. He'd insisted on following her back to the apartment she shared with Moko to ensure her safe arrival and had promised to text her when he finally made it back to his place.
I'm home it said. I love you Kyoko. Remember, always.The teen traced a trembling finger over the words on the screen, unshed tears of joy pooling in her eyes.
I love you, too she wrote, and before she could chicken out, continued I'm on the pill. There was no immediate response and Kyoko tucked her legs into herself, resting her head on her flannel-clad legs as she waited nervously for a reply.
Sounds good finally popped up on her screen. She stared down at the device in confusion.
Across town, Kuon held his face in his hands. What am I supposed to say to that!? Shaking, his head he sent the most neutral reply he could think of, following up with Let's talk about this in person, tomorrow. I'll call you. We also still need to talk about how we want to tell Sho.
Ok she replied. Call me. I can't wait to see you tomorrow was her last message, surrounded by cute little pink hearts and it was fortunate that no one was present to be blinded by Kuon Hizuri's beaming smile.
Kyoko laid back against her fluffy pillow feeling like she was floating in a fantasy land with the last days events. Bzzt! She grinned again, expecting another message from Kuon, but her smile rapidly turned into a puzzled frown. It was from an unknown number...
Kyoko sat up, blood draining from her face. Do you want to know the truth about Saena Mogami's death and how the Fuwa's were involved?
=x=x=x=
When Kuon entered his office the next day, he was startled to see his friend already present. The restaurant had limited hours on Sundays and Kuon had arrived early to get some work done unimpeded. At least that's what he was telling himself. Rick sat, his legs rudely resting on the formerly beautifully polished wooden desk as he tossed a mischievous smile at his friend from over his shoulder. The younger man pushed at his legs, knocking his feet down with a force that caused Rick to nearly fall out of his seat. The older man gave him a scowl before the two burst into laughter.
"What do you have for me?" Kuon asked, turning serious.
"Well, he's not exactly squeaky clean, this one. Turns out he got into some trouble in his youth with a couple things. First, multiple complaints were filed against him from the same woman. It looks like it nearly escalated to the point where she was going to get a restraining order."
"OK, so then what happened?"
"She died."
Kuon gaped. "What?"
"Yeah, she died under mysterious circumstances and though Antony was questioned, nothing ever came of it."
The younger man rubbed at his forehead. "That's unbelievable. What's the other thing?"
"Apparently, he has quite the talent, and reputation as a former hacker. Allegedly, he's retired."
"How did he manage to get hired here?" came Kuon's disbelieving voice.
Rick smiled ruefully. "That's the thing, my friend. Those incidences happened when he was under 18. It was difficult for me to get the information.
A standard background check wouldn't show squat."
Kuon sighed heavily. "Thank you, Rick," he said meeting the other man's gray eyes.
"Anytime, bro. I gotta head back to work, but don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything. Later," he gave him a single wave before heading out the door.