Restart my life chapter 3: Saving Hope.
Asami walks out of his penthouse armored in his three piece suit, ready for the fallout of the newspaper article. Mentally sighing as he gets into the limo, Kirishima has already mentioned a few important investors need to meet with him ASAP. Kirishima has been on the ball since this fiasco started.
Kirishima asks when they get close to the Sion building "Front or back entrance, sir?"
Asami closes his eyes. "Pull up to the front. I will not cower to vultures. I will face this head on."
As they reach Sion, he can see the media circus is there, scrabbling to get good spots. Also, there are a few protesters with placards voicing their opinion on bigotry and hatred towards homosexuality, which really agitates Asami. Rubbing his eyes, and mentally gearing up for the battle ahead, he exits the limo. Within seconds he is swarmed. His bodyguards do an excellent job, no one has touched him. As he reaches the entrance, he turns to face the crowd, and holds up his hands for silence.
"I will hold a press conference this morning to explain this hoax." Asami then turns on his heels and enters the building. He can feel his employees staring and whispering, but ignores them. He can't wait to get to his office and start planning his attack, save his company and reputation, and get Akihito home.
"Suoh is waiting in your office." Kirishima mentions as the elevator door slides open.
When Asami arrives at his office, he immediately goes and pours himself a drink, then sits at his desk and lights a cigarette. He's gone through a packet already.
"What have you got, Kazumi?" he asks, speaking with his cigarette on his lips.
Suoh Kazumi is head of security, loyal as a dog, and very intuitive. Sitting with his back straight, he looks Asami in the eyes. "Sir, a private plane left that airfield around midnight heading for Hong Kong. The technician in question fuelled the plane, but didn't see who got on board."
Asami smirked. He knows exactly where Akihito went. It was a surprise, but he's running scared and Feilong will be better able to protect Akihito than anyone.
Suoh continues: "Akihito's phone is wiped. The IT guys are now trying to open the phone to see who he called. He dumped his backpack in the bin also, so I think he only took his camera to wherever he's gone. Also, it's difficult to get a good look at the man in the photograph, so I've locked down the hotel room and sent Miyuki Kazuya to the hotel to see who booked that room and to check for any evidence of who was there. He is quite talented in his observational skills."
Suoh finished his report, hoping he didn't miss anything. Asami is a patient man, however sloppiness in the workplace he is very unforgiving of, so right now even though the news article was about Asami's private life, its affect on Sion is devastating. So Suoh, as a matter of pride, needs to protect both Sion and Asami.
Stubbing his cigarette out and leaning back in his chair, Asami smirks, his voice raspy from smoking too much. "I believe Akihito has gone to Feilong, so we can hold off on looking for him at present. We need to find the people who could pull this kind of trick off, and that young man from the hotel room, that's your priority. Also, keep an eye out for any cockroaches who think they can double cross me while I am distracted with this mess." Asami swallows his drink, the burn in his throat frees his mind for a few moments, allowing him to think clearly.
Suoh stands and bows. "Yes, sir." he says, and leaves.
Asami is undecided whether to call Feilong, or wait to see if he'll phone him. He wants Akihito home, but at the moment he would be vulnerable to attack from his enemies, so for now he lets Akihito go. For now.
Kirishima enters the office with a pile of files to go through, saying "The press conference is going to be held at 11, and our first appointment is in 15 minutes." Asami hears Kirishima talking, but he's not listening. All he's thinking about is who, how, why. And Akihito.
Realising Kirishima stopped talking, Asami nods. "Call the Tokyo Times, get the editor in chief to come to my office. I need to speak with him." he says with a sly grin.
Kirishima leaves Asami in an empty office, knowing that this feeling in his gut is the calm before the storm. Closing his eyes, thinking of Akihito again, his phone rings.
"Feilong. Nice surprise." he says, making sure there is no hint of a problem in his voice.
"Asami you stupid fool, why?!" Feilong is angry.
Asami knows Feilong is driven by emotions. Sometimes they cloud his judgement; but deep down, Asami knows Feilong is a clever man.
"I don't have to explain myself to you, of all people. However," he says, as Feilong is about to cut in, "I will say this: I was framed. I was not in that hotel room. I haven't betrayed Akihito. I wouldn't." Asami says, letting genuine feelings slip in.
"Look after Akihito for me, he is safer with you at the moment. So when I can prove all of this, I want Akihito back, understand?" his tone is edged with subtle danger.
Feilong is shocked, actually shocked. Asami is being honest. Feilong grumbles at the threat Asami gives him; however, his anger lessens.
"I am sure you are aware that Akihito will do what he needs to do. However, I will help Akihito as much as I can. I am still not sure about your fidelity, but I will comply. I am going to send a copy of the SD card from Akihito's camera. It has a very good recording on it, the images on it are convincing. They say the camera never lies…" he says, a bit of malice in his voice.
"There could be something useful on it if you were framed, however, once more, Asami, Akihito has recorded evidence of 'you', so believe me when I say that that Hell might actually freeze over before he'd believe you." Feilong's tone is slightly amused.
"Again Feilong, I don't need to explain myself to you, but as a favour look after Akihito. I am actually innocent." Asami and Feilong both scoff at the words "innocent" and "Asami" in a sentence together. Asami thinks that if this wasn't such a serious matter, it would be laughable.
"I know Akihito. He is very stubborn and won't listen to me just yet, so just make sure he's protected. Who knows if this threat is mine alone, or if they're hoping to take down Akihito as a bonus?"
Feilong can hear the concern in Asami voice. He understands immediately that if it really is an attack on Asami, then Akihito might be a target, either by proxy, or by intent. Something bigger than a lover cheating.
Feilong pauses, a calm silence between two enemies. Akihito managed to bring them together in business, not fully trusting each other, but at least with an understanding.
"I will say this, he is hurting badly." Feilong could hear Asami sigh. For the first time in his life, he actually feels sorry for Asami.
"Asami, Akihito is strong, he's proven that many times. Prove to me that this is some sort of attack, and I will help if I can. When the time is right, I'll try to make Akihito understand the situation. Whether he will listen is another matter. However, if you are just acting a part, I will kill you. Understand me?" Silent again, Feilong makes sure Asami understands his threat.
"I would look after him anyway, however, you now owe me one. I will collect" Feilong says, ending the call.
Asami stands, and pours another drink, contemplating the thought: 'Feilong actually would kill me; he sounded like a big brother protecting his family.' As the liquid slides smoothly down his throat, he realised that without Feilong, he would have been battling on three separate fronts: first the obvious set-up to bring both his personal reputation, along with Sion, to ruin through the media. Second, looking for whomever did this as a threat from the illegal side of his business interests, possibly from an enemy. And third, Takaba Akihito himself.
So the fact that Akihito is safe with Feilong means he is now fighting only on two fronts, which is still bad but the odds did just get better. The knock on his office door rouses him from his train of thought. Kirishima comes in to remind Asami of his first of many meetings. Asami stands, straightens his suit, runs his fingers through his hair, and smiles.
"Ready for battle, Kirishima." Asami says, his tone lighter than before, playful even.
Kirishima realised that some people buckle under pressure, but not Asami. He loves a challenge and thrives under pressure, and when he is backed into a corner he gets creative. Asami is a very clever man. Kirishima knew right then and there that since this all began, Asami has had a plan. "Yes, sir." Kirishima said, and smiles back.
Asami, as he left his office, was ready to save his company, get his reputation back, kill whomever started this fight and then, most importantly, get Akihito back, which will also be the hardest part of it all.
In Hong Kong, Feilong puts the phone down and stares at it, confused by the conversation he just had with Asami. He could hear genuine concern over Akihito, and an honest tone to the words "I'm innocent". Akihito is his priority now and he will keep him safe. Feilong calls Yoh into his office.
"Make a copy of the SD card from Akihito's camera; send it to Asami." Feilong strokes his hair as he thinks.
"Yes sir. Oh sir, Tao would like to keep Akihito company, so that when he wakes, he can see a friendly face." Yoh comments with a smile. Feilong nods in agreement. "Send him in, then."
Chuckling, Yoh leaves the office.
Feilong's face fell. Remembering the shower incident, he phones Tao's doctor. She can help Akihito, because seriously, that wasn't a normal response, scrubbing himself raw. Dr. Nico Robin is excellent. After Tao came into his life, she helped the young man blossom. Feilong wants Akihito's fire back; even though he's stubborn, Feilong knows this is for the best.
With that thought, Tao comes charging into Feilong's office. "Well, where is he?" he says with a smile that could rival Akihito's.
"He's in my bed sleeping. He should be out for a good couple of hours, but you can stay with him if you want." Feilong frowns. "Just be careful, he has a few injuries, so be gentle."
When Tao walks into Feilong's bedroom, he climbs onto the bed full of pillows and cushions. He could see Akihito laying on his stomach, gently breathing. Akihito's sleeping face doesn't look peaceful, he's frowning in his sleep. Tao caresses his cheek and whispered "Don't worry, Akihito, we're gonna look after you, 'kay?" Tao kisses the top of Akihito's head, then grabbing his DS, he settles in for the wait.
Dr. Robin assessed Akihito's condition, and Feilong frowned, not liking being told that he was partly responsible for Akihito's PTSD and OCD. When Asami, Akihito's support structure, was taken away, he relived every traumatic experience since he first met the man, so Akihito had to now build his own base of strength and learn not rely on others. Excessive cleaning is unfortunately a way to control his destructive thoughts. She advised daily counselling, and has either Feilong or Tao shower with Akihito until his need to scrub away his emotions gets under control. Akihito will have to learn to use mental tools to stop his thoughts from circling into a downward spiral as another part of Akihito's problems was now honesty and trust issues. But, he would get through it.
6 months later, Asami was getting infuriated. He had located and sequestered the young man in the recording, a male prostitute picked up off the street. Sadly, he was a drug user that didn't recall the man who hired him.
As well, three computer/engineer geeks who had set up this sophisticated trick had been located. It was impressive how they got a projection of Asami set up in that hotel room. Suoh's second in command, Miyuki Kazuya, managed to get finger prints off of a mirror in the room which had then lead to the geeks, however, the guy who had hired them had explained that it was for a stag night prank and had paid them a large sum, but the name and address given was an alias, so that was a dead end.
However, it was damn insulting when Feilong had called with 2 names, both of whom he had thought belonged to dead men, but they were still fucking alive. Asami's guts coiled: he knew who was behind the attack, but now he had to go on the hunt to find the cockroaches. Oh, he was itching to kill. As resources were deployed to find the bastards, a simple motto ran around in his mind: revenge is a dish best served cold. Asami smirked.
6 months later, Akihito had moved into Tao's room, just in case that no-good Russian Mikhail showed up unexpectedly, which Feilong found very annoying. Akihito was always too curious for his own good, but the doctor has mentioned Akihito's need for stability, honesty and trust, so Feilong began telling Akihito about his life, and business. If he had a meeting, he explained who they were and why they were there; also, he didn't shy away from incidents where he killed. Akihito, even though he didn't like the idea, understood that if family was in danger, in their world this is their way.
So when Akihito asked to be trained in some martial arts, Feilong was overjoyed. Akihito was taking control. Feilong had him join Tao in some of his studies, especially languages, which could him help in the future. Also, he started to train him personally in hand to hand combat, weapons handling and to use his sexuality to distract the enemy. If Akihito wants to learn, he might as well learn properly, so that if he should get into a situation, he could handle himself with confidence.
Feilong believed his mind will become stronger and more disciplined. Akihito will restart his life, this time for the better.