Sorry, In the prologue I forgot the disclaimer: Gravitation belongs to Murakami Maki, I only wish I owned Ryucihi.

Another AU (Alternate Universe/Timeline). What if Seguchi had been there to save Yuki after the Kitazawa incident? How would the Gravi lives be different? Contains considerable Fake crossover. I find Ryo and Dee convenient when I need New York police.

Warning--Sexual Content in this Chapter (I'm getting an early start.)

Athen Blade--Thank you for the review. Seguchi really doesn't have much of a part in this story except at the very end.

Kemet--Thank you so much, I really love cookies.

DeMoN4EvA--If you didn't review I think I would lose it. Yuki is definately correct.

Chapter One

Danger Stalks

Eiri Yuki was scheduled to meet with his boss at 9:00 am sharp. He always hated these meetings. He would be getting his pay for his last job today, and the paycheck would be substantial. The pay for this job would keep a family of five in luxury for over a year. The only problem was that his boss would want all of the details. Yuki did enjoy his job but he did not enjoy relating the details. His boss was on bloodthirsty bastard and Yuki believed that the man was trying to live vicariously through his exploits. These meetings also forced him out into the daylight. He was a person of the night,an assassins business was of the night. During the day, he only wanted to be his alter ego, a freelance writer who was renowned for taking dangerous assignments.

Right now, he was felling open and exposed. He was forced to forego his usual black leathers in favor of a business suit and tie. Today, he was the businessman off to meet another client for a breakfast meeting. Approaching the café, he cursed softly to himself, his boss had chosen to sit at one of the Bistro tables underneath the still brightNovember sun. As always, he was out in the open. His boss claimed that made them look respectable. Yuki glanced inside of the building and saw plenty of respectable looking people sitting inside. He knew there was no way he would ever get his boss to agree to an inside meeting.

The man watched him approach behind dark sunglasses; the glasses were the only outstanding feature of the man's gray suited attire. Yuki thought that the man really only wore the glasses to cover the hunger in his eyes. Anyone else who was looking at him coming down the street would only have thought that he was just a very good looking man, maybe a little aggressive, but certainly not dangerous. His height was only a little over six foot tall, not tall enough to be outstanding. It was his lean, muscular frame combined with his golden hair and unusual amber that drew people's attention. He knew that his ancestry was Japanese but he did not look Asian at all. He had been told that even though he was considered by some to be pretty, his features were not at all feminine. He found admirers among both sexes, although he tended towards the males. The only feature that tended to put some people off of him was his eyes. They were cold and marked him for what he was, a cold-blooded killer.

As he approached the table, his boss rose. "Smith," Yuki greeted the man. He took the man's cool hand and giving it a friendly shake.

"Mr. Thomas," Smith greeted in return. Thomas was his name within the organization. "It is good to see you today. How did the meeting last night go?"

Smith was never one for preliminaries, yet he was always careful to follow the conventions of polite society. He was also careful to use hidden phrasing, just in case anyone might be listening.

"Everything went according to plan. The transaction went smoothly and should come as a surprise to the other investors." Yuki grinned to himself at his own choice of words.

"Are you certain? This particular news has yet to reach any of our investors."

Smith's grin told him that the man was enjoying the verbal exchange and that he approved of Yuki's choice of words.

"The writing is on the wall, Smith," this phrase was a designated code, something that Smith wanted to hear, one of the gory details that Smith liked and could picture. "I am quite certain the transaction was a success."

"Good, good," Smith muttered, seeming slightly distracted, "I was worried about the far-reaching effects." The man was only fishing for more details and Yuki decided to oblige.

"It was only a one shot transaction. The distance of the exchange was not an issue, the deal was closed quickly."

"Were there any complications, no outside offers?"

Now Yuki found he was tiring of this game, of course he wasn't seen. If he had been, he would not be here now. Yuki sighed, "None that I was aware of at the time and none now."

"OK then," Smith gave a smile that clearly said that he was giving up; "Here is the hotel key and the directions to the hotel. See that you get some sleep; I expect you to be back at the office at 9:00 am tomorrow."

"Yes, Mr. Smith, I will not be late."

Yuki left the meeting with more than his normal sense of disquiet. The entire time he had been speaking with Smith he had this feeling of being watched. He had been having this feeling for the past few weeks, a sort of prickling feeling at the back of his neck. He did not know if he was really being followed or if it was his general discomfort of being out in the daylight. If he was being followed it would not be the first time he had been tailed. He had even managed to get himself arrested once. They had not been able to stick a charge to him, but he had gotten too bold. He was past that now, he was too good.

Wanting things to look as normal as possible, Yuki did go to the indicated hotel. He was tired. He had been awake for the past two days setting things up for last night's job. He had never been able to get any sleep after doing a job and last night was no exception. I was not guilt or remorse that kept him awake, it was the pure adrenaline rush of getting away with it again. And, as always, his system was getting ready to crash. His boss knew this and always had a hotel room ready for him after a job. He knew that Yuki would not be able to make the trip back to his own home without passing out.

He had chosen not to live in the city, it was too close. He kept a modest apartment in New Jersey that was paid for totally by his journalism earnings, making it untraceable. He was still close enough to get into the city quickly if he was needed. His job as a freelance writer was frequently used as a cover for some of his less savory jobs.

The hotel was only a short walk away and this was a very good thing because by the time Yuki arrived, he was stumbling with exhaustion and his head was spinning. He did not need to check in; Smith would have taken care of that. All he needed to do was to be able to get himself up to the room and lock the door. At least the feeling of being watched had faded. It was a struggle for him to even reach the bed. Without even removing his shoes, he collapsed on top of the covers and was instantly asleep. He knew nothing more for almost a full day.

Detectives Dee Laytner and Randy 'Ryo' McClean had been given the unenviable assignment of trailing one Eiri Yuki. The police had been following this guy off and on for the past several years. They knew he had some sort of tie to the Aizawa Organization, but other than observing several meetings this Yuki had with another known member of the organization, they had absolutely no evidence at all that the man had actually committed any sort of crime.

He had been arrested once because he had wandered too close to a crime scene. But, when he was arrested, he had a blood alcohol level of 1.34 and was obviously just a curious drunk. Mr. Yuki had spent the night in the jail and the judge had decided not to even charge him with public intoxication since he had no other public record.

The New York City police were familiar with most of the operatives of the Aizawa Organization they even knew what most of their functions were within the Organization. But, this guy, this Eiri Yuki, was an enigma. They knew that he had some kind of function, but did not work on a regular basis. He did not even live like someone who was on the payroll of an organized crime syndicate. He had a regular job as a writer and did not live above what he made as a writer.

Mr. Yuki had completed his usual morning meeting with a man they had come to know as Mr. Smith. After the meeting he had checked into a downtown hotel. They had waited for several hours outside with no sign of the man emerging. Bored as Hell, they returned to the police station to give their report.

Ryo groaned to himself,Dee always left it to him to fill out the reports. At least this one was easy: nothing, nothing, and nothing.

"Laytner! McClean! Get your asses in here!" Ryo was just putting the report in to be filed when the chief's voice shook some of the plaster off of the walls of the old precinct building.

The detectives looked to one another, both grimacing. They began the short trek down the hall to the chief's office. Both men felt like they were walking a Green Mile. Dee peeked around the corner with a cocky grin. "What's up chief?" Ryo just knew he was going to say something stupid, "Need for us to baby-sit your grandkids again?"

"Shut up Laytner!" The chief shrieked "What's up you ask. What's up is a dead businessman, one Mr. Stephen Walker. He was an up and comer on the streets. But, he started making deals and crossed into Aizawa turf. The odd thing is, the guy was a real recluse. He rarely left his building, and said building was also highly secure."

"You suspect this was an organized hit?" Ryo asked finally walking into the room.

"No way to know for sure, yet. But, it is a safe bet. I need you two to go over to the scene and look for anything. From what I have been told the scene is very clean, except that the guy's brains are spattered all over the wall. The best we can figure right now is that whoever iced him must have been Spiderman hanging off of a web outside the window."

Dee grinned and grabbed Ryo by the arm tugging him out of the office. "We're on it Boss." He yelled over his shoulder on the way out.

Ryo shook his arm loose and glared at this partner, "What's with you Dee?" he was trying but failing to hide the irritation in his voice, "I wanted…" his angry words trailed off at the look in Dee's eyes. "What is it?" Ryo asked examining his partner more closely.

"Don't know yet, but I go a feeling. Let's just go look at the scene, maybe I can get a line on what I'm feeling."

The building in question was on the other side of the precinct. Their old run downprecinct was nothing compared to the steel and glass monolith standing before them. The building was new and very modern. The security was state of the art. They went through the structural plans before going up to the scene. All of the windows were even bulletproofed. Ryo noted with amusement that the building had even been built earthquake and hurricane proof. 'Paranoid' kept going through his head, but then again, the guy apparently had a right to feel paranoid.

The room of the scene was pretty much how the chief had described it, completely clean except for the brains spattered on the wall. There was a single bullet hole through one of the south facing windows. The hole was low on the window, as if the guy pulling the trigger was on a lower level and had to fire up to make the shot. There was no evidence on the outside of the building that anyone had rigged a sling to hang outside. Following the line of sight, Ryo stared out the window, looking at the building across the street.

"Whatya thinkin, Ryo?" Dee came up behind him, startling him out of his thoughts. Dee's arms wrapping around his waist did not help his concentration, "Beautiful view isn't it?"

Ryo peeled Dee's arms from around his middle, "This really isn't the most romantic place, you know?" Ryo turned and grimaced at the spatter on the wall. "I was just thinking, there was only one shot fired. The ballistic evidence won't be complete for a few days but my guess is that the bullet was armor piercing fired from a high-caliber rifle. There was only shot fired, whoever did this was damned good."

"Why is that?" Dee now turned to gaze out of the window.

"Well, if I am following the line-of-sight correctly, the shot had to have come from that window," Ryo pointed to the building across the street, "of that building. I cannot think of one single member of the department who would be able to make that kind of a shot."

Dee shrugged, "You're pretty good Ryo."

"Not that good. Also, the guy was probably shooting at a moving target. He managed to nail him right between the eyes, the bullet exited through the side of the guy's head. So not only did the guy make the single shot from an incredible distance, he hit a moving target and nailed him dead on from the side. Also, he was shooting from at least one floor down." The worry on Ryo's face was clear.

"Sheesh and all I saw was the view," Dee tried to lighten Ryo's mood, but could see that his partner was not amused. "Want to go check it out?"

"Yeah, I don't think we're going to find anything else here, any evidence is going to be over there." Ryo started out of the apartment but Dee stopped him.

"Let me grab a couple of the Lab guys first, if there is anything over there, we'll need them."

They crossed to the building's entrance with four 'CSI' guys following. They spent some little time speaking with the building's owner. The man stated that the apartment in question had been rented just last week by a college student. Six foot tall or close enough, slim build with dark hair and dark eyes. The name on the lease was Donald Heath. The guy had paid two month's rent and the deposit in cash. That was all of the info the man had.

Ryo gave Dee a knowing look. Donald Heath was a local drunk, in and out of the tank frequently. He was known to be homeless and frequented several shelters in the area. He certainly was not a student. Plus, the guy was about fifty years old, five foot six, and weighed approximately two hundred pounds. More importantly, Donald Heath had been found dead in an alley near here over two weeks ago. He definitely was not their man.

This apartment also proved to be very clean. It was furnished, and although the furniture was shabby, it had obviously not been used in a while and the apartment was definitely not being lived in. Ryo immediately went to examine the one window in the room. There was evidence that the window had been recently opened. There were also powder burns on the window sill, the floor, and the surrounding walls. But, that was all. There were no hairs, no fibers, nothing that would help to lead them to a suspect.

"Damn, this guy's good." Dee repeated Ryo's earlier sentiment. "But, I can't help wondering…"

"You got that feeling again, don't you?" He looked Dee in the eyes to see that he was really thinking hard. Ryo loved the line that appeared in Dee's forehead whenever the man was thinking. Unfortunately, he didn't get to see it that often. "Do you think you've got something?"

"Don't know yet Ryo let's go get a cup of coffee. I think I might have something, but I need to talk it through, see if it makes sense."

Ryo and Dee made the short walk to the same café where Yuki and Smith had their meeting earlier that day.

"So, what are you thinking?" Ryo asked. Dee wasn't one who tended to like to keep things to himself but if he was going to talk things through, Ryo would need to draw him out. Their coffees had arrived by the time Dee began talking.

"Shit, I don't know, it may be something, it may be nothing. I just can't be sure yet. Do you remember the last profession-style hit we had, what was that, three months ago?"

"About three months, why?" Ryo was now very curious.

"Well, this Mr. Thomas that we have been following, wasn't he in the city then too?"

"So, he's here nearly every day."

"True, but I remember three months ago was just like this morning. Instead of having his meeting and going back to Jersey or to a magazine office, that morning Mr. Yuki also checked into a hotel."

Ryo was beginning to get the idea of what Dee was thinking, "We would need to go back to the precinct to check the reports, but yes, if I remember correctly, he did check into the same hotel, which is odd anyways since he lives so close." Ryo took another sip of his coffee and considered, "You're thinking that this Yuki guy is the hit man?"

"Like I said Ryo, I don't know yet. Believe it or not, I really do want to go back to the station and check records. Not just dates of when this guy was in the city compared to professional hit dates, but I also want to check the dates that he checked into that hotel. Even two times is still only coincidence."

"Okay, let's get this done." Ryo started to get up, but Dee's hand on his leg stopped him.

Dee's hand moved up to his thigh and an evil smirk cam across his face, "Finish your coffee first." The fingers kneading his muscle told him Dee was no longer thinking about reports.

"You're incorrigible Dee." Ryo laughed and leaned over to give his partner a hug,

"Work now, play later." He whispered into Dee's ear.

"Spoil sport." Dee pouted back.

Things were really going well for Bad Luck. Their most recent CD had just gone platinum, all of their concerts were sold out well in advance and they were starting to get international recognition. But, Shindou Shuichi was still not happy. He had everything any teenage boy could possible want, he was front man for Bad Luck, he had fame, money, and a gaggle of groupies to hang on his every word. He even had a steady lover in his best friend and band mate, Nakano Hiroshi. But, he still was not happy, there was something missing from his life, and he knew it.

He certainly loved Hiroshi, Hiro, but it was not the all-consuming type of love he had always imagined for himself back when he was a child. And, deep in his mind, he knew that Hiro was feeling the same way. Lately, he had even caught Hiro eyeing one of Bad Luck's groupie girls. The girl's name was Ayaka and she followed the group everywhere. Shuichi knew that it would only be a matter of time until Hiro decided that her bed would be the warmest. The strangest thing was that he really didn't care anymore. Thinking again, he decided that he did care, but it wouldn't really hurt him when it happened.

Shuichi turned on his side to look at his red-haired lover who was still basking in the afterglow of the sex they had just shared. Sometimes, after concert sex was the best, all of your nerves and adrenaline leaving your body in a mind-blowing climax. Hiro's grey eyes were still open and gazing back at him.

"Hiro?" he asked quietly, "Are you happy?" Shuichi bit his lip dreading the answer.

"Of course I'm happy Shu, why the question?" Shu noticed that Hiro's eyes did not quite meet his when he answered.

"I don't know. I was just thinking the maybe…you know, you might want something else." He was really trying to hold back tears, and he was thinking this wouldn't hurt, so much for his thoughts.

Hiro sighed and reached over pulled him into strong arms. Shu knew that he was very needy and Hiro instinctively reacted to that need. He needed constant physical and emotional reassurances. Sometimes he felt like he was always taking too much fromhis loverand that it was draining him. He thought that if he could manage to love Hiro more, he would be secure in the other's love too.

Hiro's warm breath on his ear gave him some comfort, but hiss words did not.

"You know that I love you Shu. I will always love you and will always be here for you." Hiro released him from the embrace and grabbed cigarette, lighter, and ashtray from the night stand. He lit the smoke and inhaled, obviously giving him time to collect his thoughts.

"I love you too Hiro," he finally started again, "I don't ever want to lose you. But, I have noticed the way you have been looking at that Ayaka girl. I know that you want her."

Hiro's face showed his shock,he obviously didn't think he had noticed. Shu knew that most people thought him innocent, and maybe he was, but he had always been good at reading people and he knew he was not off the mark here. He might not have even been outside of Tokyo until they had started touring, but he knew there was a whole wide world out there that didn't stop just because he was feeling insecure. He could also tell by the way Hiro's body stiffened that he had hit the mark. A horrible thought struck him then.

"Hiro have you already had her?" The sudden blush on his lover's face told him everything. "Don't try to lie I can see it on your face."

"No Shu, I won't lie. I don't want to answer, but I will not lie, not to you."

Shu could tell that Hiro was just stalling for time. He was trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't be too hurtful. He thought that maybe Hiro was waiting to be let off of the hook. "Just say yes Hiro that's all you have to do."

"Yes"

The whisper was so low that Shu could barely hear the response. He covered his own pain by now pullingthe other maninto his arms. By Hiro's shudders, Shu could tell that he was crying. He was having a hard time holding back his own tears. Since neitherof themhad been truly happy in quite a while, he really should have expected this. The realization that he loved Hiro, but was not in-love with him was almost a comfort.

"I'm sorry Hiro," he wasn't sure why he was the one doing the comforting. He wasn't the one who had been screwing around. But, he did feel responsible for the situation.

Hiro snuffled a few more times before speaking again. "Why are you sorry Shu? I'm the one that…" his words were cut off as the weeping began again.

"I'm sorry because it is my fault. I am just not able to love you the way you need and deserve to be loved."

Hiro was unable to respond due to his continued weeping. Shu thought to himself that he was acting maturely for the first time in his life. Instead of clinging to something because of his own insecurities, he was letting go to prevent pain in another. He always wanted everyone to be happy and refused to keep Hiro from happiness by chaining him to his side.

"I never meant to hurt you Shu. It's not your fault, OK. I've always known how you felt. I always knew there was something missing. I let myself become involved anyways. I can't help that I always loved you more that you were able to love me." With a trembling hand Hiro reached to grasp his hand. "Do you want for this to be goodbye?"

"I don't think I could stand it if you left. I still need you; I need you as my friend. I think it would be OK if you and Ayaka got together. Just as long as you don't forget about me, and still spend time with me, now and then."

"I will always be here for you Shu, no matter who I'm with."

"Thank you Hiro."

"I just wish…."

"I know; me too. Now, go to sleep." After his last command to Hiro, Shu never expected to find sleep of his own. But his eyes did finally close.

Morning came earlier that he would have wished. He had to drag Hiro out of bed at a very early hour, especially since it was the morning after a concert. They were usually allowed some time to sleep in. This morning they were scheduled to have a meeting with their producer Sakano and their manager K. If they were even a minute late, K would be at their door pointing his guns at their heads and shooting holes in his walls.

Everyone else seemed to think that K was basically harmless. They thought that he was a lot of bluff with basically a good heart that he was trying to cover up. Shu wasn't so sure, he had seen the look in K's eyes when he got really angry. The sky blue eyes turned to steel and caused a shiver of fear to vibrate down his spine. He just couldn't believe that K was always bluffing. Somewhere deep in his heart, he knew that K was a very dangerous man.

Throwing the comforter to the floor to finally wake Hiro up, Shu ran to get to the shower first. In the past Hiro would not have minded and would have just gotten into the shower with him. With a pang of regret, Shu realized that those days had come to an end. Even with the two of then scurrying around each other, both uncomfortable with the situation, they managed to make it to NG Records with a few minutes to spare. Shu could actually feel potential sweat drying at the relief of not having to face K's guns.

They were hurrying towards Sakano's office when Shu heard sneering laughter.

"Well, if it isn't the toneless fairy and his baggage boy."

Shu turned to see their chief rivals at NG and in the music business, the members of the band ASK. Their lead singer, Aizawa Tachi for some reason had developed a hatred for him. Other than being competition, Shu really couldn't figure out what he had done to earn such animosity. Sure Bad Luck was beating ASK on the charts and taken over the top spot on NG's roster, but this was due to talent, not to any one-upmanship by the members of Bad Luck.

"What do you want Tachi, something?" Hiro growled, giving the dark haired man an irritated look.

"Yeah, I would like to know how a couple of no talent hacks like you manage to keep on?"

"We manage to sell records, you…" Hiro started, but Shu interrupted by placing a hand on his arm and leaning to whisper in his ear. "Let me handle this."

Shu put on his best come hither walk and made sure he wiggled his hips as he approached Tachi. When he was close enough he put his arms around the man's neck and wiggled his groin against the man's hip. The look on Tachi's face was priceless; it was a study of emotions. The first was anger, then astonishment, followed by pure primal lust. It was Tachi who pulled him around to his front and began grinding them crotch to crotch. She could feel Tachi's growing erection as the other man grasped his ass and began squeezing. Tachi's mouth plunged down on to his, raping his mouth with a violent kiss. Shu tried to look like he was cooperating, but inside he really wanted to go home and take another shower, Tachi made him feel dirty.

When Tachi pulled away from the kiss, Shu couldn't hold back the hand that flew out and connected with Tachi's face. The resounding slap could be heard throughout the lobby. But, that did not seen like enough punishment, a quick shove sent Tachi flying backwards on to his ass, sliding across the white marble floor. Shu turned away flouncing back towards Hiro, he made sure his hips were still wiggling. He turned his head back to face Tachi's position on the floor and grinned, "Who could say no to this!" He taunted one more time before rejoining Hiro and heading on to Sakano's office.

"That's the last time Shindou," Tachi screamed down the corridor, "I'm not going to let you get away with humiliating me ever again." The door to Sakano's office closed cutting off anything else Tachi might have had to say.

Hiro turned to him with a grin, "How did you know that would work? I figured that he would just punch you and get it over with. How did you guess he would react like that?"

Shu blushed but couldn't hold back his laugh. "Hadn't you guessed? I did, all of his insults seen to have some sexual undertone, particularly those that are directed towards me. The fact is that he wants me, and he doesn't like that he wants me."

"Are you sure want is the right word?"

"In his head he may not think that he does, but his body told a different story. You should have felt him Hiro, he was sooo hard." Shu giggled and gave another of his little wiggles.

"You could you know Shu, do him. It might be right." Hiro looked down and stared into his eyes.

"No way!" Shu laughed and stuck his tongue out at this friend, "I've got enough problems. If that wouldn't be destructive relationship I don't know what would. Besides, I don't really like him at all. He definitely needs a few lessons on courtship. And, that kiss it made me feel dirty."

He and Hiro were still laughing when K, Sakano, and their other band mate Suguru arrived. K was flaming mad. Shu felt himself being grabbed by the collar and lifted completely off of the floor. K then proceeded to give him a good shaking.

"What the hell did you think you were doing Shindou? There's going to be trouble over that." K's voice actually vibrated, he was shaking him so hard, Shu wondered briefly how the hell he was supposed to answer without biting his own tongue off, 'Now that would be good for the old career' he thought, trying to control the hysterical panic that was threatening to cause him to bray laughter into K's face. When the shaking finally stopped he was really glad to see that there was amusement behind the steel in K's eyes and he was able to relax, a little.

"Ah K, come on and let me down. I had to do something." K gave him a look and he suddenly felt like a fish that K was thinking about throwing back into the pond, but his feet were allowed to hit the floor. "I was trying to bring things out in the open. I figured that if I could get a response from him, then he just might stop the sexual insults."

"I saw him when he got off the floor," the normally quiet Suguru put in with a grin, "He had a bulge the size of Mt. Fuji. And, I know that I wasn't the only one to see. He even grabbed his crotch as he ran off. Ma-san and Ken-san are going to have a time with him later."

Everyone in the room burst out laughing except Sakano, who promptly started having a fit over how his boss, and ASK's producer Seguchi Tohma would react to the news. And, since Seguchi was the also the President of NG, Shu figured Sakano had a right to be worried. But, since Seguchi was currently vacationing in Australia and not expected back for another month, Shu didn't really think he would have anything much to worry about.

Sakano, as usual, recovered quickly and called the meeting to order. "Now, if we can get onto the business at hand," he yelled over the top of everyone's laughter, "We need to discuss Bad Luck's upcoming Promotional Tour. Since the band is getting some international recognition, especially in the United States, we at NG feel that you should do some promotion there. There will just be a few concerts and personal appearances, that sort of thing. This is a great opportunity for NG to expand its market."

"How soon?" Hiro asked. All of the band members were probably thinking the same thing, we just off of a tour and now you want to send us out of the country?

Sakano looked down at the calendar on his desk and refused to meet their eyes, "Three days. Your flight to your first destination, New York City, leaves in three days."

A large groan resounded around the room and even K joined in.

"Sakano-san", Shu almost pleaded, "We just finished a three month tour. I, for one, am exhausted!" he put on a fake fainting spell. "Besides, I still don't speak much English. How am I supposed to relate to the fans?"

"You instinctively know how to relate Shu without even opening your mouth." Shu gave Hiro one of his special looks that were reserved for idiots, but the sincerity in Hiro's eyes told him that Hiro was not being insulting and meant every work he said.

"I have arranged for a translator for all of you, in case you need the help." Sakano admitted.

"Gee thanks, Sakano-san, it is good to know that you care. We may all drop dead from exhaustion, but at least we'll have someone to explain it in the native tongue."

Aizawa Tachi didn't think he had ever been so angry. That little bastard Shindou had made a fool of him, and in front of a busy office full of people. And he wasn't just humiliated, he was sexually humiliated. Tachi realized that what had really made it so bad was that he had wanted it. He felt like he was obsessed. He hated Shindou and wanted him at the same time. His self-humiliation had rivaled what Shindou had done to him. Finally having that boy in his arms had left him hard and aching. As soon as he was able to run, he had taken off to hide in the back of ASK's dark studio.

"Oh god," he cursed, putting his head in between his knees after sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. "What am I going to do?"

"I would say that you have several choices," Ma's voice announced near his ear.

Tachi nearly jumped out of his skin, he had not heard Ma follow him in. Ma sat on his knees between Tachi's legs and put his hands on Tachi's knees lowering his head to be able to look him in the eyes. Ma raised a gentle hand tolift his chin.

"Tachi, the way I see it, you could give in and tell Shindou how you feel about him," he couldn't hold back the grimace at that suggestion. Ma saw his look and continued, "Or you could ignore the entire thing and act like nothing happened. Play off that the entire incident was beneath you." He was not thrilled with that idea either too many people had already seen his reaction. "Or," Ma continued, "You could just kill him." Tachi for some reason latched onto this suggestion. It must have shown in his eyes because Ma gave a quick intake of breath.

"I wasn't really serious about the killing part Tachi."

Tachi closed his eyes to hide the sudden pain and Ma responded by trapping his mouth in a kiss. He would have never guessed that Ma liked men, or maybe it was just him. Sure Ma had never had a steady girlfriend, but he had a past with women. Ma's mouth felt so good he couldn't help but respond. Not only respond, but take control. Ma submitted without hesitation, Tachi could tell that he had done this before. They had been friends for years, how was it that he didn't know. Why hadn't they done this before?

Tachi couldn't seem to keep his mind on one subject; Ma was driving all coherent thought out of his head. After several long and delicious moments Ma broke the kiss and pulled back to look into his eyes. He knew that the lust and hunger he was seeing in Ma's eyes was reflected in his own. Ma gave a happy smile and moved his hands down to unzip Tachi's now too tight pants. Ma's mouth began working it's way down his neck and then skipping directly to his throbbing erection.

Tachi at first couldn't believe this was happening. Ma, beautiful Ma was going down on him. It felt delicious, it felt wonderful, but he could not let this go on. He and Ma had been friends for years and this was not fair to Ma. He grabbed Ma's head and pulled him up, "Ma, please stop." He asked eventhough his body was screaming for the man to continue.

"Why stop now Tachi?" Ma's mouth may have left him, but his hand continued stroking. "I want this Tachi, I have for years."

Tachi reached out his hands and grasped Ma around the waist pulling him into his lap,

"This is why Ma." Tachi took Ma's mouth in a searing kiss, tasting some of himself on Ma's lips.

When Tachi left the studio he was feeling somewhat better about himself. He had never had sex with a man before, but he could tell that Ma had. He was just too damned receptive not to have had some experience. No matter what morals or convention said, he had to believe that what Ma and he had just done was a good thing. He had the feeling that he had just fallen in-love with Ma. But, no matter what his feelings truly were, it did not change what Shindou had done to him.

He could not keep Ma's final suggestion out of his head, 'You could just kill him' echoed in his mind. Tachi was just getting ready to leave the building when he overheard a couple of the secretarial staff having a discussion, neither of them sounded happy.

"That jerk K wants me to make plane reservations, hotel reservations, and press releases for five US cities. He only gave me three days to do it."

"Really, all that! But, why only three days?"

"Bad Luck is going to be doing a promotional tour in the United States. I guess I shouldn't feel so bad, the band did not get any notice either and they just got back from a tour."

"I know that you can do it, you are very competent. Where is their first stop going to be."

"New York City, of course. Then they're headed to Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, and finally ending in LA. They are expected to be gone for three months."

"At least you will get something of a holiday while they are gone."

Tachi turned away and left the building. There was a plan hatching in the back of his mind. He decided to walk home instead of taking a taxi. By the time he had reached his apartment building the plan was fully formed and he had decided to go through with it. Entering his apartment, he headed straight for his phone.

"Hello, uncle," In English he greeted the deep male voice that had answered the phone,

"It's Tachi. I need a small favor."

Tachi was laughing when he hung up the phone. Few people realized that he had such powerful relatives. He mostly tried to keep it quiet about his family connections. Not everyone needed to know that he came from a family that ran an organized crime ring. But, from time to time, he had found these connections to be useful.

Now that he had taken care of that little matter, he was free to explore his new and disturbing relationship with Ma.

Yuki is going OOC in this fic, different life experiences. The Fake characters, Ryo and Dee will see considerable action in the early chapters but they are important to the story.

Review Please