The sounds of gunshots, metal hitting metal, and yelling vibrated around the small room. Ash swung around and punched someone in the face. Then he used that person to shove back two others who were fighting to get near him. Ash spun around, head butt yet another person trying to sneak up behind him. Through the wall of sound, he heard the faint click of a gun being loaded. With only a glance in the direction, Ash fired his gun, knocking his opponent's out of his hand. Ash Lynx was not having a good day.

The meeting, which had started off very promising, had quickly dissolved into a gang fight. They had met with a neighboring gang to discuss territory. The other gang leader had suggested using this abandoned building so that the cops wouldn't find them. Ash had agreed. Now he wished he had been more selective. The building shook whenever someone stomped too hard. It was barely holding out during their fighting. He was surprised that the floor hadn't given out yet.

As Ash swerve to kick down someone who was sneaking behind him with a metal pipe, he noticed the other gang leader standing a few feet away. The man looked dazed. Ash had smashed his head against the wall at the beginning of the fight. He was surprised to see the other gang leader still conscious. The man took a teetering step towards Ash and Ash glared at him. The other gang leader froze, uncertainty written across his face. He didn't know what to do next. His gang was being taken out left and right and Ash hadn't even been scratched yet. Ash smirked. It sometimes happened that neighboring gang leaders didn't take him seriously. They thought that a sixteen-year-old wouldn't be able to fight skillfully and could be easily scared off. They were wrong of course.

Ash hit down two other men and turned to glare at the remaining men. The fighting was dying down. The other gang, realizing that they were losing hard, started their retreat. Dodging around Ash's men they charged the door and barreled down the steps. Ash watched them go as he caught his breath. The air wasn't good in here and he felt lightheaded from all the fighting. A sound behind him made him turn. The other gang leader was dragging himself to the window. Then, without slowing, threw himself out into a nearby pond. Ash and some of his gang members watched as the man doggie paddle to land. Laughter filled the small building. Ash's gang hurdled insults and jeers down at the retreating gang leader. Ash took a step away from the window and turned to his men. They instantly stopped speaking, giving Ash their undivided attention.

"Bones, Kong, go see where they are hiding," Ash commanded. The two nodded and darted down the stairs. Ash turned to the rest of the gang. "Let's move out. This building looks like it's going to collapse at any moment. Regroup at the base." A course of "yes boss" filled the air as the men began to file out. Ash watched them troop towards the door before putting away his gun with a sigh. They had one, yes, but this was far from over. They would be back and probably start playing dirty. Men always did when they felt outmatched. Ash had hoped this meeting would go well and he would be able to sort things out before it turned to violence. Now it looked like they were going to be fighting for a while.

Ash suppressed another sigh as he began to follow his men. As his foot touched the ground, a long loud creek emitted from the floorboards. The next thing Ash knew he was falling. He felt the broken floor, hitting his arm as did so. The horrified looks of his gang were the last thing he saw before crashing to the ground. As his conscience slipped away from him, heard his gang shout his name and the sound of running feet. Then the world faded to nothing.

.

.

Ash opened his eyes with a start. He was in a dark room. The first thing he noticed was that, despite falling and injuring his arm, he didn't feel any pain. The next thing he noticed was that he was on a soft surface. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he was in an unfamiliar room. It was small with posters on the wall and a vanity in the corner. Ash thought he saw a bookshelf near the door, but it was hard to make out in the dark. From what he could gage the room seemed…homely. Ash didn't usually use that word much in his life. Ash was lying in a soft bed. It didn't feel like one of the expensive beds Golzine owned, but it wasn't a cheap one either. As Ash listened for movement outside the room It was quiet. The only sounds he could hear were the cheeping of the birds outside. Ash searched around the room and located a window. Through it, he thought he saw the faint lines of sunrise. Morning was one it's way.

Ash's initial instinct was to get up, but he fought it. The best thing would be to not move. It was still too dark to locate any security cameras. Rushing out might alert someone who was watching that he was awake. Instead, Ash closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles. As he did, he began analyzing his situation.

It was morning. The meeting had taken place in the early afternoon. That meant he had been out for at least sixteen hours. He was in an unknown room. It wasn't a room that his gang could afford so he guessed they weren't behind it. They must have been the ones who retrieved him, but, sometime between going back to his base and now, someone else removed him. Since this wasn't a hospital room Ash wondered if he was moved against the gang's will. If Ash had to guess he would say that Golzine was behind it. If he got wind of Ash's predicament he would have come and collected him. Ash grimaced. Since he wasn't in any pain it meant someone had bandaged him up well. Dino would be able to afford such treatment. The next question was where did Dino take him? Ash knew every room in Golzine's estate. This wasn't one of them.

The bed creaked a little and Ash's eyes flew open. Glancing to the side he could make out in the early morning light another person. Someone was in bed with him. Ash almost sighed in irritation. Of course, that was what happened. It wasn't the first time he woke up in a stranger's bed. He wasn't under any allusions of what must have happened to him last night. It did irritate him that Dino had done that. Ash had been drugged before, but they were past that point. Besides, if Ash was injured bad enough to be out for sixteen hours, then Golzine would have placed him under his care until he was back on his feet. He wouldn't want his plaything to break.

Through his irritation, a feeling of unease lurked. There was something off about this whole situation. If he was in bed with another man, and it was already morning, he should feel sore or dirty. He felt nothing but comfortable. Ash moved slightly so he could pull up the blanket a little to look under it. There was enough light now that he could see. He was clothed and his clothes were smooth and unwrinkled. The other man was also clothed. Ash frowned in confusion as he dropped the blanket. It didn't look like anything happened to him last night, but then why was he in bed with this man?

The man in question mumbled something and turned over in his sleep so he was facing Ash. Ash was surprised to see how young the man was. Most men were at least in the forties, but this guy looked 23 at the most. Ash scanned him, trying to pick up clues on who he was. The man was Asin, maybe Chinese. If so, then this could be the work of the Lee family. Ash tried to remember where Golzine and the Lee clan stood. As far as he knew they didn't like each other much. The man had long black hair that fell around his face. He slept with a peaceful expression. If Ash was being honest, the man was fairly attractive. There was a simple beauty to him that seemed to glow under the morning light, now streaming through the window. Of course, beauty didn't mean much. This man was probably his captor. If Ash was lucky he was just being held, prisoner. If he was unlucky, the man had other things planned for him.

Ash took his eyes off the man and scanned the room. It was bright enough now to see clearly. As he looked, he found that there were no security cameras. That meant it was safe for him to leave. Slowly, he slid his legs out from under the blankets until he was lying on top of them. Then he sat up and shifted his weight, so he was on the edge of the bed. The bed creaked loudly underneath him. The other man gave a jolt and woke. Ash froze as a pair of dark brown eyes blinked sleepily at him. After a few seconds, they focused on Ash.

Ash's heart sank as he tried to relax. The man wouldn't be happy that he was making a break for it. Ash knew better than to fight him. Whatever would happen, would happen. If Golzine or the Lees were behind it, it would end badly for him to struggle too much. Ash didn't want his gang or Shorter to be caught up in this, not if it only involved Ash. Keeping his face neutral he started back at the man, waiting to see what his next move would be.

The man slowly stretched out and gave a loud yawned.

"おはいよございます" He muttered sleepily. Ash wondered what he just said. He started to wish he had taken up Shorter's offer to learn Chinese. Whatever the man said probably wasn't that bad though. Surprisingly enough he didn't look particularly angry to find Ash trying to escape, on the contrary, he looked intrigued.

Propping up his head on his elbow he smiled over at Ash. "You're up early."

Ash didn't answer. He was quickly losing track of his situation. It left him feeling lost and disoriented. The location didn't make sense. The fact that there were no security cameras didn't make sense. The man lying next to him didn't make sense. Ash had no idea what situation he was in and that unnerved him. He could usually pick up what was going on within a couple of seconds of consciousness. He knew he needed to get his bearings and fast or else he would regret it.

A hand reached out and touched Ash's shoulder. Ash forced himself not to jump but only half managed. He straightened up and tried to pretend he didn't just flinch. He kept his face neutral and forced his body to relax. Fear would only entice the other man. He didn't want him to know how much this situation bothered Ash. He was Ash Lynx. He couldn't have any weaknesses.

The hand quickly withdrew from him and Ash looked over to see the man setting up in bed. He was watching Ash with a confused look on his face.

"Hey, are you alright?" The concern in the other man's voice bewildered Ash more. Why was he checking if Ash was alright? Why did Ash's mental wellbeing have any worth whatsoever? The strangest part was that the man's words didn't seem empty. Both his face and tone conveyed the same amount of concern as his words. It didn't make sense.

Ash could still feel where the man had touched his shoulder. For some reason, despite the initial shock, his body wasn't reacting negatively to the touch. He hadn't gone numb and his body wasn't shutting down in preparation for pain. Instead, it stayed alert. It took Ash a few moments to figure out why. Although the man's hand had touched him unexpectedly, it had felt soft and non-threatening. It had barely grazed him and didn't try to invade the rest of his body.

As Ash thought this over, he realized that the man was still staring at him. Ash turned to observe him again. It was strange, how intensely the man's stare was. It was like he was trying to peer into Ash's soul. What was really strange was that his eyes didn't stray to the rest of Ash's body. It stayed fixated on his eyes as if he truly wanted to know Ash's feelings. Ash felt almost human under the gaze like his emotions were valued. It really seemed that the man wanted to make sure Ash was alright. It was unsettling, to say the least. Ash couldn't figure out what he could possibly gain from knowing Ash's wellbeing.

"Ash?" the concern in the man's voice was growing. Ash realized he hadn't answer.

"Nothing's wrong. Just a bad dream." He tried to force a nonchalant smile. Tried to remember how he should act. He would hold his ground, show no weakness. To his surprise, the other man's eyes filled with sadness and understanding

"I see." He gently removed his hand. "That's why you flinched when I touched you." He looked away. "Sorry."

Ash had no idea how to respond to that. Matter of fact he had no idea how to respond to anything the man said. Why was the man apologizing? Ash showed weakness, surely, he was going to make him pay. The man's motives made no sense. Ash couldn't figure out what he was thinking or planning. What did he hope to get out of being nice to Ash? He must want something. Everyone always wanted something in return.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the other man's soft voice broke through Ash's thoughts. At these words, everything clicked into place. Ash stared incredulously at the man. He didn't need to make it that easy. Why would Ash want to talk to him about it? It was now clear to Ash. This person was sent to break down his defenses and exposes his weaknesses. Golzine must need to know another way to control him. Ash almost felt better. Now that his motives were clear, Ash knew how to respond correctly.

"Not really." He said smoothly, shoot the other man a dazzling smile. He wanted the other man to know he wouldn't break that easily. He wanted to get under his skin, irritate him. Ash expected to see a flash of annoyance cross the dark-haired man's face, or at a moment of disappointment. Perhaps he would tense or ball his hands into fists. Instead of any of that, the other man blinked in surprise. He surveyed Ash for another moment before shrugging.

"Alright then." He got up and stretched. "I'm going to go make breakfast. If you want to go back to sleep, you can." He smirked at Ash. "I wouldn't want the low blood pressure princess to lose his beauty sleep."

And with that Ash's surety shattered. Once again, he had no idea what the man was planning and therefore had no idea how to act. The man was standing there clearly waiting for some sort of response from Ash. Ash's mind flew through different responses, trying to find one that fits this situation. When it came up blank, he did the first thing that came to mind. He stuck his tough. The second it was out, he felt embarrassed. How juvenile of him. Of all the responses he could do that was the one he went with. The man had messed with his head by acting like he really cared. If this was a scheme by Golzine then it was an amazingly effective one. Now the man would treat him like a child.

The man stared at Ash for a moment then, to his surprise, through back he head and laughed. The sound vibrated around the room, pleasant and friendly. Despite knowing better Ash felt himself relax. The man stuck his tough out at Ash as he left the room. Once he was gone Ash curled his legs to his chest frowning at the door.

This man was a formidable opponent. He disarmed Ash in a way Ash had never experienced before. Usually, Ash could read someone's intentions within a minute of meeting them. He knew what someone wanted when they were nice to him. He knew how to play to get something out of someone else. Ash could assess a situation and act accordingly within ten seconds of waking in a new place. He could put up his shield easily and keep himself from showing any emotions. This man had confused him which meant his shields were down. The situation was dire. This was basically a death sentence. He was giving information to Golzine that he didn't want to give. Yet….

Yet his mind and body didn't want to panic. Nothing the man did felt threatening at all. How was he supposed to respond to this new threat when he felt so relaxed? Ash was used to a few different kinds of "kindnesses". There was the kindness of friends. He had that with Shorter. They may roughhouse and insult each other but had each other's backs. There was the kindness of his gang. They respected and obeyed him. They would take care of him if he was injured, out of their loyalty as long as Ash stayed strong. Then there was the "kindness" shown by powerful men. This kindness was completely fake. They spoke words of love and protection, yet their eyes held greed and lust. The man however didn't fit any of those categories. If Ash really thought of it, this form of kindness was closest to….

Griff.

Ash took a sharp breath in at that thought. Griff always looked out for him. His smile was gentle and kind. When he hugged Ash, Ash always felt safe. This man had a similar feel to him. But why was that? Unlike Griff, this man had no reason to be kind to him. When people showed kindness, they expected something in return. Ash swore he would figure out what the man wanted. He would not lose to him. Thinking over his options Ash decided the best thing to do would be to play along. He would let the man think he was getting to Ash. Then the man would let his guard down and Ash would weasel the information he wanted out of him.

With a new purpose, Ash put his legs on the side of the bed and got up. To his surprise, he found that he was a few inches taller. If that wasn't mystify enough, he also saw in the vanity mirror that he looked older. His hair was slightly longer and his face less boyish. Ash squinted at his reflection as he traced a finger over his face. Did someone do work on him while he was asleep? How long had he been out? Ash took a deep breath and held it. He let his thoughts swirl in his mind for a moment before slowly breathing out. He wasn't going to panic. The man probably knew what happened to him. He would get that information out of him as well. An angry growl emitted from his stomach and Ash put his hand over it. First, he would eat something for breakfast, then get the answers he needed.

"So you decided to get up after all?"

Ash stood by the doorway of a small kitchen, blinking in the sudden light. The man was cooking something on the stove with his back turned towards Ash. He had glanced over when Ash had entered and was now was pushing food around a pan with a spatula. Whatever he was cooking smelled wonderful. Ash never got a lot of homemade food. It was either food from a stand, or pre-cooked meals his gang heated up. At Golzine's it was all tasteless rich people's food that Ash hated. Ash mentally scolded him. He was going to play this man, not actually fall for the game.

Ash casually sauntered to the table and sat down; his eyes still glued on the other man. Now that he was standing Ash saw that he was actually fairly short. His nightclothes hung off his thin shoulders as he worked in the kitchen. The man's long hair was now tired back with a red hair scrunchy, His hair swayed each time he moved. Despite Ash's best efforts, he found, once again, that he was relaxing. The man looked happy and carefree. He hummed a little as he took a pair of chopsticks and picked up a bit of what he was cooking. After giving it an experimental sniff he took a bite looking thoughtful. It was so mundane and casual that Ash almost smiled.

"I made something for lunch today so don't go off and buy more convenient food." The man clicked the chopsticks in irritation "Your bad eating habits will lead you to an early grave." He glanced back again "Oh and I'll be home late today. I have to help Ibe-san set up for the exhibit."

"Your leaving?" Ash perked up. If he left, then Ash could do some investigating without the other man suspecting anything. It would also give him time to assess the situation and be more prepared for when the man returned.

The other man gave a small huff. "Of course. Just because teachers get summer vacations off doesn't mean photographers do." He took the spatula and, in one fluent movement, plopped the food onto a plate. He clicked off the stove and picked up the dish.

"Are you going to rub it in every single day? Such a drama queen." The man spun around, and Ash got a full view of the apron he was wearing. Whatever Ash was thinking at the moment disappeared as soon as he took in the sight. It was a light pink apron with smiling shiny red hearts on it. The hearts were holding little tophats while happily doing the cha-cha around a slice of rainbow cake. The cake had a single candle protruding from it which, for some reason, was also beaming happily out at them. On the frosting of the cake in large glittery bubble letters were the words "Hot stuff coming through".

It was too much. Ash doubled over in pearls of laughter. He had never seen such an absurd piece of clothing in his life, which was saying something since Shorter had worn some pretty crazy things. Despite himself, Ash had to admire the man's courage. It took a truly confident person to wear such a horrific apron unapologetically. The other man pouted which just set Ash off again.

"Oh shut up." he placed the food on the table and whacked Ash's arm lightly. "I got it yesterday at the grocery store. It was on sale!"

"What, they didn't give you that for free?" Ash snorted. The man huffed and sat down across from him.

"We're having natto tomorrow." He threatened.

Ash had no idea what that meant and, as he attempted to calm down, he realized the error he had made. Once again, the man had easily disarmed him. Ash knew he had to find something quickly to use against the man before he became any more vulnerable.

After a delicious meal, the man picked up his bag and put on his coat. Ash watched him from the table. The man hesitated, as if he was debating something, then called out something in Chinese. Ash lifted a hand and kept a smile plastered on his face until the door clicked shut. The second he was out of sight Ash sprang up and darted to the window. He watched the man make his way down the street. Once he was gone Ash got to work snooping.

An hour and a half later Ash had dug up quite a lot about the mysterious man. The man's name turned out to be Eiji Okumura. He was a pole vaulter for a while but then, after an injury, quit and became a photographer. Currently, Eiji worked at a photo company with someone named Ibe. Despite looking 23 he had actually just turned 28. Apparently, he and Ash had been married for the last five years.

Ash paused at the last bit of information. This was unexpected. Ash would have known if he was married to Eiji for five years. It didn't even make sense logically. That would mean he would have married a 23-year-old at the age of 11. Of course, maybe that's why someone surgically changed his body, to make him look older. Ash couldn't think of why they would do that. It seemed random, over the top, and unnecessary. Golzine would never allow it. He liked young-looking boys like Ash. He would do anything to keep Ash pretty and young forever. No, it clearly didn't make sense. Ash continued his search hoping to find information that could explain things to him. After digging around a box of letters, he found one with the apartment's address on it. Ash scanned it over and his stomach dropped.

Izumo, Japan

Ash stared at the words. He was in Japan. That was halfway across the world. Ash started to file away the information in his brain. If they were in Japan Eiji was probably Japanese not Chinese. When Eiji said something it was in Japanese. Ash's stomach lurched as he realized something else. This plot was not connected to Dino's nor the Lee clan. Neither of them had any connections to Japan. New questions started blooming in Ash's mind. Did he have an enemy he didn't know about? What about the sudden change in appearance? Why was he supposedly married to Eiji for the last five years? Who the hell was Eiji anyway?

Ash shook his head. The search didn't help at all, it just opened up more questions. Perhaps it wasn't an enemy, perhaps he was on a really strong drug and hallucinations. Maybe Ash was lying in an ally somewhere with drool dripping down his face. If that was the case Ash needed to find a way to confirm it. Ash frowned, thinking it over. The whole thing felt too…real. It wasn't that it just felt like he was at that apartment. It was the fact that he could think straight. He still reacted to being touched. He knew this was an unusual situation and wasn't treating it as if it was normal. There was also too much information lying around. If this was a hallucination, then it was a really detailed one.

Ash frowned looking around. If it wasn't a hallucination perhaps it was something supernatural? Ash never believed in supernational stuff before, but he had to admit this definitely made him question it. Too many things just didn't add up. He was older and in Japan. Then there was Eiji. Why would someone set all of this up? Truthfully it felt like he had fallen into an alternate dimension. It was insane to think such things existed but if it wasn't in the realm of reality then maybe it made sense. It would explain how Ash was older or was married. Ash decided, for now, he would go with it. This left him with two major goals.

First, He had to find out how he got here.

Second, He had to figure out how to get back home.