A/N: The soulmates have finally met! I wrote part of their first meeting in the beginning stages of the fic and I'm so happy it is finished.

Thanks for reading!

-Lucicelo

Ayase's mind continued to spiral out of control.

Looking down at his curled hands, he didn't register the young woman who walked in to leave a cup of tea in front of him. In his peripheral vision, he registered her socked feet, but he didn't have the ability to thank her. His throat closed up as he fought with himself to keep his tears at bay.

His whole body was on overdrive. Urging him to get back on his feet and find a means of escape. For him to not remain stuck on the floor. It didn't matter if he got lost in this place. There was somewhere for him to wiggle through an escape. These old style homes always had gaps big enough for him to go through.

He had to get up.

He needed to.

His body didn't respond to his unvoiced pleads. His legs remained glued to the floor, unmoving, despite the oncoming prickling feeling. The uncomfortable prickle underneath his skin which rivaled the disgust of recalling Kanou's touch on his skin.

Uncurling his fingers, Ayase gulped down the lump in his throat. He needed to calm down. Losing himself to his panic didn't help him. Even if his body didn't want to move, he couldn't appear afraid in front of whoever else entered this room.

Inhaling deeply, he released the air through his nose. In and out. In and out. He repeated the motion multiple times until he managed to calm himself down.

Taking note of the wrinkled mess of his kimono, Ayase wondered how much it would cost for dry cleaning. He couldn't return it in this state.

If he was given the chance to return this kimono back to its original owner.

Someya spoke about the cost of keeping all of his kimonos clean and vibrant. He usually kept them in specialty wardrobes, but these were rentals for his employees. The dry cleaners bags were thick, kept dust off of the clothes, and kept them upright for future use.

These strangers pulled him into the van and didn't care about handling him carefully. He was shuffled on the back seat and the van drove back onto the road.

His heart clenched at the thought of Someya. He blinked away the developing wetness in his eyes. Hunching his shoulders even more, Ayase shut his eyes and clenched his hands together. Who cared about the kimono?

Someya betrayed him.

The hope of being saved from Kanou brought him into an even worse situation.

He was taken inside of a crime syndicate. An organization far more dangerous than Kanou's shark loan business. Ayase understood the danger he was in. He could be shipped off and no one would be the wiser.

Someya's final words replayed over and over again.

"I know this looks wrong, but their Boss will protect you."

"Please, go with this gentleman. He will take you to a safe place. Okay?"

"I'll see you again someday."

Ayase shook his head.

When those men snatched him into their van, he overheard their conversations as they whooped for a job well done. Enjoying the ease of having taken Ayase, the person of interest, who fascinated their Boss. The comments of his foreign features, their Boss' good taste in women, and his lack of disturbance didn't help calm him down.

Ayase managed to conceal his desire to cry. He shut himself down, keeping his attention on the fabric of the car seat and whatever caught his interest. None of the men addressed him. They talked among one another, not at all interested in checking up on him. It was as if he wasn't in the van. Invisible. Unimportant.

Just as well, Ayase didn't think he could have answered them.

The lack of non consensual touching was welcomed as well. None of the men who resided in the car dared to touch him. Other than the man who pulled him into the car, he was left untouched. Almost as if he was diseased or someone ordered them not to touch him.

Whoever was the Boss must have had a resonating level of respect for his men not to ignore his orders. Throughout those long twenty minutes, Ayase could have been violated or passed around by all of them before he was dropped off.

He was left intact.

As intact as he felt, there was bruising in the hidden parts of his body.

Letting out a shaky breath, Ayase lifted his head and looked to the door. Determination trickled inside of him; he couldn't let himself crumble in front of the Boss.

On his way toward the family area of the Honda syndicate, Kazuhiko conversed with his longtime maid, Sumire. Her hair was always pulled into a tight bun, keeping her silver-streaked hair away from her face. She was petite, far smaller than the average woman, but she struck fear in the men who walked in the public area of the manor home.

Sumire had worked for the Honda family even before the late Honda Fumio married Kazuhiko's mother. She descended from previous servants who continued to work for the family until their deaths. One of the few left over who didn't leave to work in another profession. She avoided marriage and other commitments, wanting nothing more than to give her life to the Honda family.

Her trustworthiness was irreplaceable.

Kazuhiko trusted no one else with the knowledge of his soulmate.

Sumire would pamper Ayase and help him regain his footing. Her motherly instincts certainly helped Kazuhiko and Haruhiko when their mother passed. She never implied replacing his mother, but wanted to be a safe space for the turmoil of the syndicate.

Kazuhiko knew for certain that she wouldn't reveal his secrets to anyone else.

Kazuhiko opened the large doors which lead into the family area. Sumire followed right behind him "He's here?"

"Yes." Sumire bowed her head. "He was left in the private entertainment room near your rooms and I gave him a serving of tea. Although…" She grimaced. "He looked scared, Kazuhiko-sama. He didn't even acknowledge me when I entered the room. His attention was on the floor."

Kazuhiko sighed. "I expected as much. He has been running on adrenaline for the last few weeks. I just…. Hope I didn't scare him even more because he was brought here,"

Sumire patted his back. "Both of you share an incredible bond through that beautiful mark of yours. He will soon open up to you and learn to trust you."

Kazuhiko's heart raced as he got closer to his entertainment room. "I hope so. I'm usually a real impatient man, but he needs all the patience he can get. I don't want ot fuck this up, Sumire."

"If you can admit your shortcomings, Ayase-sama will understand." Sumire reassured him. "Remember, let him initiate all forms of contact."

Sumire knew the basics of Ayase's captivity. Not much, but enough for her to be discreet. The reason why he was bought at an auction was all she needed to know. After all, those who bought a sex slave would use them almost immediately after purchase.

"I know, I know."

Kazuhiko gulped down the lump in his throat and opened the door.

When the door opened, Ayase readied himself to bow low to the floor and plead for mercy, but he was taken aback.

There was a handsome man standing at the door.

Ayase thought the next person who would walk inside of this room would be the Boss. This young man was not the vision Ayase built up in his head. He didn't look like someone who would participate in organized crime. He looked like a model.

He had shoulder length black hair which was pulled back in a ponytail. His bangs framed his chiseled face and almond shaped eyes. He wore a dark green yukata with a black belt holding it together. His brown eyes stared down at Ayase, seemingly taking in his appearance. Shock soon etched on his face.

Ayase wanted to shrink into himself. With the makeup and kimono, he appeared like a woman. Someya's expert hands transformed him into a pretty girl, not a pretty boy. Maybe, his appearance was not something this man liked to see.

The man shut the door behind him and walked forward.

Ayase braced himself for violence or threats, but the man knelt on a pillow. With his back up right, hands on his knees, he stared at Ayase with an expressionless face.

Ayase observed him, not knowing what to say.

The more he stared at him, the more a wave of recognition washed over him. Almost as if Ayase knew him from somewhere. He didn't know where he could have possibly met this man. Ayase made sure to stay clear of people connected to organized crime and delinquency.

The irony didn't escape him. He was related to someone who sold him to pay off the debts he placed under his cousin's name. Ishii Tetsuo didn't care that Ayase was his cousin, he was another person he would use for his own benefit. A concrete fact that broke whatever bond Ayase had with his cousin.

In his opinion, they were strangers to one another. If he ever saw him again, Ayase wouldn't acknowledge him, there was no point. The betrayal of it all dug deeper into his heart, never to be pulled out again.

Across from him, the handsome man said nothing.

He stared at Ayase, unfazed over the effect his stare brought on Ayase.

All of a sudden, this stranger let out a deep sigh and began fiddling with his belt. Ayase watched in horror as he began untying his belt and slipped his yukata off of his shoulders. Immediately shutting his eyes, Ayase couldn't help but whimper.

He wasn't saved.

He wasn't saved.

He was going to be–

"Open your eyes." The man softly demanded, almost tender in the way he said it.

Ayase snapped his eyes open, not wanting to anger this man. He looked at him, body trembling as the man turned to the side, exposing his back.

Ayase's eyes widened.

There was a large sakura tree on this man's back.

The soft pink petals contrasted with the monochrome images on the man's chest. The tattoos didn't touch the soulmark. They seemed to fade away before touching the cherry blossom tree branches that peeked over his shoulders. Ayase's eyes prickled from the incoming tears. The realization of the identity of the man before him was clear.

His soulmate found him and saved him.

Kazuhiko turned in time to see Ayase weeping into his hands. Before he turned his whole body around to comfort him, Ayase launched at him from the side. Almost knocking them down onto the ground, Ayase clutched onto him, and tears fell onto his ribs. Hesitating for a brief moment, he laid a hand onto Ayase's back, rubbing small circles and muttering reassurances.

Ayase didn't flinch from his touch. He seemed to melt to his side, clinging onto him, as if he didn't want to let him go. Kazuhiko didn't mind this one bit. He leaned down, pressing a kiss against the top of his head. Ayase continued to sob, releasing the anguish of the last few weeks.

"I-I am Yukiya Ayase." Ayase declared through his hiccups.

Kazuhiko muttered reassurances as he kissed the side of his head this time. "I know. I know." He looked down at Ayase. "I am Honda Kazuhiko."

Kazuhiko kept his hands on Ayase's back, not moving them in fear of gaining a bad reaction out of him. The fact he was able to even hold him was a miracle in itself. Most survivors didn't like having another person touch them. Let alone another man.

Underneath his hands, Kazuhiko felt an increasing warmness on Ayase's back. Kazuhiko's own back started to react in a similar fashion. Their soulmarks reacted to their connected touch. The problems of these pain-staking weeks seemed to disappear from their minds. All they could think about was one another. Kazuhiko wondered if more color was added to the flowers or maybe something else appeared on the design.

Kazuhiko heard Ayase gasp out loud.

Looking down, Ayase was busy touching his chest, seemingly fascinated with what he saw. Kazuhiko could have teased him about touching his muscles, but he held himself back. This was not the time for flirting. Whenever he felt comfortable, Ayase would touch him however he wished.

Ayase inquired. "Um...Honda-san?"

"Kazuhiko. Call me Kazuhiko. I hope you give me the privilege of calling you Ayase."

Ayase nodded his head furiously. "Yes, Kazuhiko-san." He touched Kazuhiko's exposed chest, amazed at the branches overtaking the old tattoos. "The tree...it grew bigger. The branches have gone past your shoulders..."

"Huh?"

Kazuhiko looked down at his chest and was stunned to see cherry blossoms covering his chest pieces. The old ink dissipated to bring ample room for the branches of his soul mark to overtake his skin. All of the tattoos that he painstakingly sat through, were run through with his soul mark.

"Well, shit."

Ayase chuckled at the sight of Kazuhiko contorting himself to look at his soul mark. There was muttering of what else grew bigger, but they wouldn't know unless he completely undressed. Thankfully, Kazuhiko didn't take off his yukata, but kept his chest exposed. Ayase was not ready to see him undressed yet. Seeing his chest was fine, but nothing else.

Despite his reservations, Ayase was fascinated at the sight of Kazuhiko's chest. His torso seemed to have been transformed into a bundle of flowers, covering the previous tattoos with their petals. He wasn't sure whether the mark was hiding them from view or caused them to disappear for good. Either way, the expression of excitement from Kazuhiko was a touching site.

Ayase prayed, hoped that his soulmate would still accept him. Whenever he had time to think, he thought of the person on the other side of this mark. What kind of person he or she was. What he or she looked like.

Ayase was relieved they met even during these stressing circumstances.

The remaining sense of nervousness dissipated from his body.

Someya was right.

He was safe in Honda Kazuhiko's arms.

"Well, damn." Kazuhiko touched his own chest, stunned to see none of his previous tattoos. "My brother's soul mark didn't react this way. He only got the other half of his soulmate's tattoo. This is almost an over exaggeration."

Ayase asked. "You have a brother?"

Kazuhiko smiled big. "Yeah, he's seventeen, a smartass, found his soulmate when he was a kid. You might see him today ...or not. He always goes to cram school. I never force him to go, but he doesn't want his grades to drop."

"He sounds responsible."

"Pff! Way more responsible than me. He never gave our old man headaches that's for sure." Kazuhiko slipped his yukata over his shoulders and covered his chest. "I wonder..." He looked at Ayase. "Did your soul mark take over your whole torso? Because I'm far bigger than you, so it makes sense that you're basically a cherry blossom canvas.

Ayase blanched.

He couldn't remove his kimono and show off his soul mark. As much as he would like to, he couldn't do it.

Not now.

Bruises and bite marks littered his torso, showing the damage Kanou bestowed on him. Many of his bruises were in multiple stages of recovery, but the recent ones were given to him on Saturday morning. Kanou assumed the men in Someya's bar touched him and wanted to make sure no one would think to touch him. No matter how much Ayase pleaded that Someya kept him away from drunken patrons, Kanou didn't listen. He continued to assault, telling him this was all his fault.

The fantasy of taking off his shirt, happily showing his mark to his soulmate was ruined. He didn't feel comfortable enough to expose his body. Kazuhiko didn't need to see another man's bruises on his skin. He deserved a clean canvas, as clean as it could get now that they met. Ayase felt he might never be able to let Kazuhiko see him naked unless he was drunk or even

Kazuhiko seemed to understand and didn't push the issue. "I don't need to see your soul mark."

"Are you sure?" Tears cascaded down Ayase's cheeks as he asked. "You can always–"

"I'm not going to force you." Kazuhiko wiped the tears from Ayase's eyes. He kept his composure, but Ayase saw the anger in his eyes. "I have an inkling of what you have gone through and…you need time to recuperate. Once you're ready, then we will expose ourselves to one another." He joked. "I just have little shame. I was so excited to show our soul mark that I stripped!"

Ayase laughed through his tears.

Sitting down in a comfortable position, Kazuhiko slowly gathered Ayase into his arms. Ayase crawled onto his lap where he pressed his cheek against his chest. The extension of their soul mark provided another layer of warmth as they continued to touch. With his tears drying up, Ayase felt his eyes droop and his body leaned against Kazuhiko.

Kazuhiko chuckled, comforting him with soothing words and gentle back pats.

Ayase fell asleep with the scent of musk and sandalwood filling his nose.

TBC