Chapter 29: Home to Hong Kong, part III

Home to Hong Kong, part III

When Asami stopped outside of the door to Aki's bedroom, he waited a moment to see if he could hear any noise inside the room. No yelling, cursing or hysterical wailing, so that meant either his boy was melancholy, was thinking about his behaviour over the last thirty some hours, or quite possibly had fallen back asleep. Opening the door, he took in the bed, just to NOT see a prone kitten NOT cuffed to the headboard. It took several seconds for his eyes to communicate to his stunned brain that not only were the handcuff chains dangling limply, but the missing cuffs themselves were on the side table, open beside a bent and mangled paperclip and the blindfold. Looking automatically to the window in the room, he saw it was open, but the screen was still intact and in place. Just then, the light in Akihito's bathroom clicked off, and his blond walked out, a towel around his waist, and a smaller one in his hands, pressed against his hair to soak up the water. Noticing somebody in his room, Aki looked at his lover for a second before he motioned to the handcuffs. "Hey. If you borrowed those, they're useless now, so I'll replace them. If they were yours, suck it."

Asami blinked before taking another step forward and asking "How the hell did you do that? Was it something you learned from Feilong?"

His boy finished with the towel on his head and gave him a cheeky grin as he tossed it into the hamper. "Nope. YouTube. Yoh had Tao and me look up all the ways to get out of handcuffs and zip ties, and I came across this link. Impressed the hell outta Fei too."

Shaking his head, Asami sat down on the edge of the bed, grateful that his kitten hadn't run again, and seemed to be back to normal, and proud of his clever boy despite the trouble down the road this new talent may cause him. And while part

of his mind was occupied with finding out what a Takaba wore under his towel, he

was still annoyed enough to ignore that distraction and zero in on the heart of the matter.

"I asked you to marry me, so why did you think you are not good enough for me, Akihito. Do I need to beat it into you while we're away from home? I am yours and you are mine. I should have addressed your doubts long ago, I know that

now, but I thought the ring on your finger would have been enough. It's been a

while since we've played with pain. Do you think a refresher is necessary until you understand; believe that it's only you I want?"

Akihito swallowed. Asami wasn't angry, he was pissed, more than he'd ever seen before; well, except when he was being shot at. 'Did I really make that big a mistake...?'

"But before we start, explain this to me: why did you get drunk and then spill your guts to Feilong about how you thought I couldn't possibly want you, my Akihito?"

"How the hell did you overhear our conversation?!"

"It doesn't matter how I heard your and Feilong's drunken meanderings. It was lucky I arrived when I did, gods only know what you would have done if I hadn't arrived." Akihito only looked more confused, if it was possible.

"I was only dancing." Asami made a derisive snort. Akihito was dancing alright; from security reports in the club, the blond was giving random strangers vertical lap dances. Then got into a fight over it and nearly broke a guy.

"Fine." The boy sighed and moved towards Asami. "I'm not blaming anyone in particular, but you've got to admit, Ryuichi, that hearing over and over again, from you on down your crew to Feilong, Suduo and Sakazaki that I'm not worth your time or attention, does wear a person down." Holding out his hand to stop Asami from interrupting, he continued quietly. "That many people telling you the same thing can't be wrong, can they."

Akihito turned away from a troubled Asami toward his dresser, thinking to get

dressed and go down to breakfast when a large hand gripped his waist for a second before the towel beneath it unraveled and slid to the floor. Looking down at the bundle of cotton around his feet, the blond glanced at Asami with a deadpan face and said "That, sir, was you smoothest move yet." Asami gave him

a little smile, tightened his grip and pulled his boy back to him and sat him

down on the bed.

Akihito grinned as the last whiff of booze vapour in his brain cells took effect.

"And just how do you plan on beating me, Feilong's little brother, inside OUR own home?" Asami's eyebrows shot up at that sudden curve. "If you asked to borrow some of his toys, he might have something to say about it… Yoh would likely take a pretty dim view of it, too. And as for Tao, you're on some pretty thin ice with him already, mister. Considering he's likely the one who's gonna be choosing all of our senior care residences when the time comes, you may want to get him on your side now. What're you planning on doing, Asami, whip out that monster Moby Dick of yours and thump me with it repeatedly? Won't that cause blunt force trauma? Muscle contusions, bruises? It would suck long and hard if The Wife showed up all black and blue to the party…"

Asami couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh at his brat. Such a mouth on him! Who else had ever dared to talk to him that way, except Kei, Kazumi or Shinji; and that usually required repeated applications of alcohol, en masse. Gazing down into those teasing blue eyes, he couldn't help but kiss his kitten.

Their first kiss was always the most dangerous; at times he could be swept up by

just being near enough to smell Akihito's warm scent, but tonight was about making his little blond knew once and for all he wanted him, so he struggled to calm himself down. Once all the nips and giggles were done and they'd both sobered some, he let the boy see his heart through his golden eyes.

"I would die for you, Akihito, even with all this pain you put me through. I took two bullets for you from the man who's bedroom is just down the hallway. Sometimes I got numb from the backstabbing business partners and all the others who tried to take something away from me, and you, the only one who didn't want anything from me, was the only one who seemed to know how to rip me open. I want for you to understand that all you need to do is love me. You have power over me, Akihito. Sometimes I think I love you more than you love me."

Asami's voice for once was low and so very sad.

"No one can replace you, Ryuichi. I would take a bullet for you, but I know you

wouldn't let that happen. And I don't want you to die for me, I want you to live

with me. All of me loves all of you, because I gave you all of me a long time ago. I fell so hard for you, and sometimes you seemed so remote I just wanted to break through your walls. Even when I thought I was running for my life, hurting after I was convinced I saw you cheating on me, all I wanted was to be enough for you, and for you to want to love only me."

Asami rolled him over, pinning him to the mattress, causing the bed to creak. "I have everything I could ever want, but I would give it all up for a lifetime with you." Akihito swallowed. Asami had changed; he was still a ruthless son of a bitch to the rest of the world, but to a select few, he could be warm and funny. And when they were alone, he could be so open and romantic at times...

Asami's hand gripped Akihito's throat and squeezed suddenly. Akihito's eyes held no fear, only love and desire. Relaxing his grip a little he asked his boy "Do you trust me? " Akihito didn't hesitate to nod yes. Asami sighed and released his hold, just resting his hand on Akihito's slender throat. "So, why do you trust me unconditionally with your life, but not your heart? Akihito, why can't you give me your heart?"

Moving slightly, Akihito caressed Asami's cheek. "My life and my heart are one. I gave you both on the yacht after we left the casino cruise. I guess I was just overwhelmed with coming back here, to Hong Kong and Feilong, with you. It will pass. I-" he paused, before glancing up at his lover. It felt like a storm had come up out of nowhere, stirred up all kinds of crap, and now it had passed. What he had to do was fix the damage, and clean up the mess. "I understand now, Ryuichi." Akihito sniffled, apologising for his behavior. Asami had already somewhat forgiven him before he came back into the room. Maybe they should've had this talk long ago, but Asami's pride wouldn't let him. He'd said the words of love, but Akihito had needed more.

"Akihito, tell me what I need to hear." Akihito cocked his head for a moment, thinking, then snapped to with sudden determination.

"I am much stronger than this, and it will pass. I am all you'll ever need and

desire. And you. are mine." Akihito leaned forward to rest his hands on Asami's

broad shoulders, who bent down to take a searing kiss. When air was needed,

Asami moved over and whispered in Akihito ear: "Just remember, my beloved... you are also mine."

Asami kissed the red lines on Akihito's wrists, rubbing them gently with his

thumbs. Akihito felt tired, but still had some energy left. He threw his arms

around Asami's shoulders and kissed him deeply. Asami smiled and returned the kiss. Feeling stronger within himself, Akihito looked at Asami and smiled a peaceful smile. Tapping Asami's shoulder, he pushed against him until his dark haired devil rolled onto his side. Akihito smirked as he commented that sitting up against the headboard was more comfortable without clothes on. And if there was an Olympic sport for sexiest speed stripping, Asami would have been awarded all three medals for his performance. Heading down to Asami's ankles, Akihito started to kiss slowly up his calf then his knee, never taking his eyes off Asami's face, who was trying not to grin. The blond kissed Asami's thigh, nipping it when he saw the bigger's man's cock twitch, but Akihito ignored it to lick and slurp up along his well-defined torso and over his chest, making obnoxious noises all the way, then up his neck to nip his ear, moving over to the corner of his jaw. Akihito could see the golden eyes flare with desire as Akihito made sure to wiggle his hips as he moved back down to the other ankle and blazed a trail up Asami's body with licks and nips and sucks until he got to those breath taking lips, where he moved to straddle his man's hips. Clasping Asami's cheeks tenderly, he pulled him into a deep kiss. It had taken a few minutes since his fiancé had come back into this room for Akihito to realise Asami had been scared, Mister Big Bad Wolf was afraid Akihito had run again, so this benediction was all the reassurance he could give him. After their brain melting kiss, he tilted his head forward to rest against Asami's forehead, and whispered "mine", a declaration of love he was sure the yakuza would understand. Asami lifted his chin to peck his boy's lips, feeling a smirk on the other's lips before deepening the kiss.

Aki had been practicing a new move he'd read about for a week or so on some ice lollys, so right now was the perfect chance to see if he could manage to do it.

Asami relaxed back, rearranging some pillows as his Aki started to lick him and tease him, circling his groin slowly. To be honest, he hadn't wanted to be pleasured by his kitten right now, he wanted to do something else that would wreck his boy into a sopping, mewling, panting mess, but he could tell Akihito was determined to do this, so like with most things the little blond really wanted, Akihito got his way. Horrible really, how he spoiled his kitten.

Part way through, Akihito could feel Asami shift and hum his satisfaction as his

hardened cock twitched, causing him to scrunch up his own toes in anticipation.

He knew his own personal, adoring demon was getting close, but still he took a deep breath, then swallowed Asami's cock further down his throat. He moved his tongue around to sit under the penis at a rather strange angle ("like tying a knot in a cherry stem" was how it was described), so even Asami couldn't work out what he was up to until Akihito looked up with his big blue, oh so innocent eyes, and then he purred. It was deep, long and lusty, and it vibrated around the engorged cock that he held at his mercy.

That was all it took for Asami to tense up, gasp loudly in surprise as his head went back and his body convulsed as he exploded down Akihito's throat, who then sat back, quite happily licking his lips and looking quite smug until Asami finally came down from his high, pulled an unresisting Kitten to him and made his Akihito purr his own way. "Next time, my sweet Aki-hi-to, you'll be wearing cat ears and a tail that vibrates when you perform your new trick." Asami promised as he smiled darkly at his panting boy.

They sat soaking in the steaming bath together, Asami slowly washing Akihito's body carefully. The shaggy blond head was tilted back as it rested on Asami's shoulder, his eyes closed with the barest hint of a smile. The yakuza kissed his temple as he slowly cracked open his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Ryuichi. It was never my intention to upset you."

"Akihito, I know. Up until now, you've blindly followed me into the abyss. I just

needed to jump in further…" Asami kissed him again, husky voice rumbling against Akihito's back.

"I'll follow you wherever this is headed, Ryuichi."

"Hmmm…, one step closer..." Asami's cupped hand poured warm water down Akihito's chest, but even with such an innocent act, their chemistry was undeniable as they both reacted to his shivers.

"Akihito, why would you ever think that I'd want Feilong over you."

"Asami…" the blond whined before he sighed and answered. "Relationship-wise,

I've only ever had you. And you can't deny you admire and were attracted to

Feilong."

"Mm, when I was younger there was a moment, but it never happened." Asami shrugged his shoulders.

"Why didn't you choose him?"

"We were too much alike. I couldn't make him less than what he was."

"But with me, you didn't have that problem."

"You're doing it again, Kitten; you took what I said out of context. You are by no means any less than Feilong; you are quite a bit more, in fact. Feilong and I are creatures of darkness and you're one of light. I needed to devour you, make you mine, which I did, but how I did it would have broke others. I would have broken Feilong, was what I was trying to say, but you, my beautiful Akihito... you are like a phoenix: no matter how dark it gets, you burn brighter. What's between Feilong and I is business and family, which means taking care of you, Tao and Yoh, nothing more. I am more afraid of whatever was between you and Feilong from before, and whatever you had with him."

"Actually, he had me. Thanks for bringing that up; helpful, really. I mean I've only had the one man I love with me in bed."

"I've had many sex partners, both men and women, mostly "one and done" in nature. I've had less than a handful of relationships; mostly when I was at university, then after Sion was established. However, my sweet kitten, I have only had one Akihito in my life, and I intend to keep it that way. So, if you really want to know, I've only had one Kitten in my home. No one else was worth the hassle."

"Oh..." realisation dawned on Akihito.

"I do hope you are now feeling quite stupid."

Akihito nodded, breaking out in an embarrassed blush. "Right, well, thanks for

your understanding. I'm going to sleep now." Akihito snarked. A deep chuckle

shook him from behind as the blond slowly shut his eyes, fatigue finally claiming him. He heard Asami whispering in his hair "My Akihito, I will always be at your side, never forget that."

"But," he continued in a louder voice as he gave the blond's ass cheek a sharp pinch to wake him up. "You need to decide something, young man: you either want Feilong and I to have a friendly partnership or we won't, and we'll just be family, running our own businesses. I am happy with either one. And he is a challenging rival. But as you wouldn't approve if I were to, say, shoot him as a first warning, my choices when responding to him would be limited."

Speaking of that particular devil, the top three males of the Baishe were lingering around the breakfast table, speculating about what the absence of Asami and Aki could mean. Well, more like two of them were speculating. The third was wearing a strained expression along with his designer sunglasses, indoors, at the breakfast table, all while nursing his expensive tea and looking like Death warmed over.

As Tao turned to say something to Feilong, they all heard a yell from somewhere upstairs, a slammed door, followed by running footfalls with a rumble of laughter chasing them. A few seconds later, a barefooted blond dynamo came charging down the stairs followed by a tall dark hunter closing in hot on his heels. As long arms flashed out to grasp the boy, he jumped over the stair banister and took off down the hall, past the breakfast room overlooking the garden and onward to the kitchen doors. As Tao and Yoh craned around to see what was happening, they could hear a cacophony of noise coming from behind the closed doors: sounds of laughing, threats, yells, cursing, cookware dropping on the floor and plates rattling before a loud squeal and finally the kitchen doors banged open to reveal a triumphant Asami, two bottles of water in one hand, a giggling red faced blond thrown over his shoulder, pilfered sandwiches in one hand, and a plate of cut fruit in the other. As they went by the doorway to the breakfast room, Asami gave the males within a smirk and a casual salute of his hand as the boy hanging over his back was still grinning and gave them a happy nod. After the pair had disap-peared back up the stairs, two heads looked back at each other, one of them blushing, the other looking calmly relieved. The third head was being carefully cradled in hands as sensitive fingers rubbed gentle circles at his temples. And all

he had to observe about the scene that had just taken place was that everything

seemed to be back to normal.

Feilong finally managed to pull himself together in time to look regal for his annual birthday celebration, where well wishers came to pay their respects and offer tokens of their fealty (or, as he personally thought of it, a bunch of has-beens and never-weres offered him cheap tributes and tawdry bribes so as not to eradicate their asses for another year). He sat on one of his elegant antique chairs as group after group sent their representatives with gifts that piled up on the dining room table. He was just about done with the flowery praise and fawning bullshit when Yoh came into the room and stood by his chair, leaning over to whisper something to the young triad leader. Feilong perked up in interest at the news, and nodded his assent. Moments later, a man was escorted into the room with his own entourage, unlike the others already in attendance, surrounded by key Baishe men. The room went dead silent as everyone realized who it was, and wondered at the implications of this visit. Kirishima Kei, 2nd in command of Sion and trusted keeper of secrets for the uncrowned Emperor of Japan stood calmly taking in the room while failing to take notice of anybody in there that wasn't part of Feilong's group. Approaching Feilong and Yoh, he stopped a safe distance away from the other leader and gave them a respectful bow that looked like it was calculated to the exact degree with a compass and a scientific calculator.

"Liu Feilong-sama. On behalf of Asami Ryuichi-sama and Sion, I was asked to convey his respects on this auspicious day, and to give you his regrets on not being able to give you his gift in person. However, as I was to come to Hong Kong in preparation for upcoming business, he felt it would be more appropriate to send it with me today rather than to come see you at a later date, personally. If I may?" At Feilong's nod, Kirishima turned and gestured toward the doorway. Two of Feilong's personal guards came in with a pair of Sion men, carrying between them what looked like a long coffee table top, wrapped in embroidered silk. As Kirishima stood aside for the gift to be presented, Yoh came forward to unveil it. The stony silence in the room changed to awed whispers of admiration as the long bronze wall plaque sporting a fierce, writhing dragon in clouds was revealed. A definite cultural treasure from one of the early dynasties, probably purchased on the antiquities black market and most assuredly priceless.

Feilong shook his head, hiding his grin with his hand. Glancing up at Yoh at this

surprise move of Asami's, they shared an amused look. The Face he gained through this gesture would be enormous, given the reputation of the one who sent it to him. The rumours and speculation this would start among "friend" and foe alike, anyone looking for any signs of weakness within the Baishe would back off from this turn of events. Looking after Family, indeed…. Taking a sip of tea,

Feilong faced the formidable man before him and spoke. "Kirishima-san, please allow me to express my thanks and appreciation for this remarkable gift. If you don't have any pressing matters that need attending to right away, would you do me the honour of having you and your men stay for awhile, to relax and recover from your journey? And please, pass along to Asami-sama my invitation to visit my home when his business here is finished. I would like his input on what he would deem a place of honour for his present." The proverbial pin drop could be heard as the team from Sion all bowed and Kirishima offered his thanks and acceptance for the invitation. Chairs were brought in for the group, and a place of honour was made for Kei by Feilong as trays of Champagne were circulated among all the guests. They talked quietly among themselves until the luncheon buffet out on the veranda was ready and the party moved outside.

Meanwhile, Aki had finally escaped the clutches of his carnivorous lover long enough to grab his tablet and phone and meet Tao in the staff kitchen set aside for the guards and security workers far away from the activity in the main house. Bribing the staff for use of the facilities hadn't been too hard, given the promise of fresh made cookies and treats, and the cook staff made sure that young master Tao's order of baking supplies, fruit and dessert toppings was delivered as promised. The next couple of hours was a noisy, fun exercise in baking for Tao as his big brother brought up his favourite recipes for individual angel food cakes, brownies and almond cookies. Flour and dough was thrown or stuck to unsuspecting victims, rogue escaping fruit was chased down and the inevitable selfies showing the boys sporting dollops of Crème Fraiche in various places were taken. Tao then made sure his birthday candles were handy and left special instructions for them when it came time for Feilong's family meal before everything was moved back to the main kitchen in preparation for dinner.

Once all the guests had left and the house was settling down again in late

afternoon, introductions were made between liaisons and team members as Kirishima and his team were moved into their suites among the rest of Asami's men in the dedicated wing they had taken over, now informally dubbed "Club Sion". In the midst of the updates and strategy meetings and plain out gossip sessions, Yoh received a request from the guards at the front drive gate. It seemed a late comer had shown up, asking specifically for him. As he approached the front gate, he saw a lovely classic 60's Mercedes Benz parked there, with a driver and someone seated in the back. Coming up to the lowered back window, he politely bowed and introduced himself. The older gentleman within looked him over appraisingly as he spoke, the cherry amber eyes not missing a trick as the elegantly dressed man explained that he was a business colleague of the late Master Liu, and had been absent from Hong Kong for about a decade or so, and had come to make the acquaintance with the new head of the Baishe, but seeing as how he had a full house of guests already, he had decided to call again at a later time, and wished to give Liu Feilong a private message instead. After passing over a red envelope, the gentleman said his goodbyes and departed. Yoh returned to the main house, and bypassing the pile of gifts and cards in the dining room, he rejoined Asami, Kirishima, Suoh and his Feilong in the courtyard garden, enjoying drinks and talking among themselves. Giving the envelope to Feilong, Yoh gave him a quick explanation before taking his seat and joining in the easy conversation. Feilong opened the envelope and took out a handwritten note on fine rice paper that simply said that after looking into the situation further, he had decided that Akihito would be protected. It went on to further state that Feilong may now discuss this with the others as he saw fit. The note finished with wishes for a happy and prosperous year, and the reminder that dragons guard their treasures jealously. It was signed "Tadashi", and had a contact number at the bottom. Relaxing somewhat, Feilong mentally moved another marker over to their side on his virtual abacus, wondering at how all seemed to fall under the the spell of the "Akihito Affect".

Finally, the festivities were over and a quiet family dinner was enjoyed. Kei and Kazumi joined them, as Feilong pointed out that even as enemies, they had known each other for a long time, and they were both better friends than many that he had now. A number of small serving plates were replenished with portions of delicious food, and one whole course was dedicated to combinations of Feilong's favourite stir fried vegetables in oyster sauced. They were enjoying a brief respite as dinner dishes were removed, and the table was prepared for dessert. Tea and wine was poured and topped up, and several toasts to the birthday boy were made, and finally Feilong himself gave gracious thanks to his guests for helping to make today memorable, and then mentioned how especially thankful he was that this meal wasn't crashed by anyone's ex boyfriend. And that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening as the dessert cart was rolled out and carousels of different toppings were placed at strategic points around the table as plated angel food cakes were set before each person. Asami noted how the other bowls had sweets, chopped fruits, various individual favourite treats and whipped cream, while his was dedicated to sliced candied ginger, raspberries, diced kiwi fruit, blackberries, sour cherries and Crème Fraiche. Aki explained how he and Tao had made the desserts themselves, (and nobody better touch their pocky!), and then an overflowing mini cake, heaped with gummie candies, small toys, drenched in whipped cream and topped with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and sprinkles was presented to Feilong as the candles were added and lit. Photos were taken, another round of wine and toasts, and Feilong was urged to make a wish and blow out the candles. The boys cracked themselves up as they watched Feilong unsuccessfully try to blow out the candles time after time, before the blond finally came clean and told everyone about Tao buying the trick candles. Chuckles and head shakes at the pair were starting to die out when the burned down candles finally went out when suddenly the middle candle sparked back to life. Everyone at the table glanced at the guttering flame when the candle exploded with a loud crack. Everyone jerked back at the sudden noise as an eruption of whipped cream, cake and other detritus splattered Feilong's face and clothes. A shocked triad leader sat stone still as drops of whipped cream dripped from his hair onto his expensive silks. Yoh leaned forward, wiped a smear of cream from his lover's cheek, and observed "You're lucky you didn't get any of this white cream your eyes. That stuff really burns." Everyone sat still for a moment until Asami grinned and laughed, Feilong turned bright red and covered his eyes, while Kazumi completely lost it, and Kei took off his glasses, hiding his face in his hands as his shoulders shook helplessly. Tao was clinging desperately to his chair, fighting for air. Aki managed to snap pictures on his phone when he wasn't snickering so hard he kept trying to drop it, and Yoh calmly stuck his creamed finger in his mouth to suck it clean.

Izaya's Shenanigans

Izaya from now on, we will be using code names. You can address me 'eagle one'

Izaya: Kei will be 'been there, done that'

Izaya: Tao will be 'currently doing that'

Izaya: Feilong will be 'it happened once in a dream'

Izaya: Akihito will be 'if I had to pick a dude'

Izaya: and Asami will be 'eagle two'

Asami: Oh thank gods

Kei: We need someone to fill in for Akihito

Izaya: I think Asami's already filling in Akihito

*Izaya and Feilong snicker and high five*

Asami: I got a new suit, do you all have any thoughts about it?

Akihito: That'll look good on the floor

Asami: "…"

Izaya: Ooo~

Izaya: I didn't think you would be so open…

Akihito: What? I'm saying that suit look ugly on him. What were you – wait NO THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!