STORY WARNINGS:
YaoiMale/Male.
Rating: Mature. ADULTS ONLY. Contains graphic violence, some coarse language, explicit sexual content both consensual/non-consensual, forced/willing submission, light bondage, adult themes.

A/N: I know, I miss Asami too! But since Akihito is without, we are too. Don't worry though, our big bad crime lord can't bow out already – we haven't even got to the good stuff yet!

I'm sorry to say I'm away for a few days so the next update will take a bit longer. But it's nearly there so hopefully I can post it by next weekend. Fingers crossed! There are so many fun things coming up... Tee hee. I'm evil to taunt you, aren't I? Mwahaha... (^σ^)Ψ

Matane! ~ Nyx ~

DISCLAIMER: The Finder series and all recognisable characters belong to Yamane Ayano sensei.


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Chapter 8

The community outreach centre was run by beleaguered volunteers. As soon as Akihito arrived he was grabbed eagerly by a retired teacher called Maeda who managed the place. She was one of those rare people who buzzed with energy and swept up everyone around her with infectious enthusiasm. With a whirlwind tour around the centre and its various meeting rooms and facilities, with rushed introductions to the other volunteers as they passed – they were all women, Akihito noticed – he was bundled off into the hands of a quiet volunteer in a stylishly cute dress with stylishly wavy hair.

"He can do computers, get him to have a look!" Maeda rattled off before she rushed off again.

He took a moment to let the dust settle before he nodded his head to the girl he'd been left with. She looked about his age, and slightly familiar although he couldn't place why. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, I'm Takaba."

She seemed more alarmed by his sudden appearance than by Maeda's abrupt departure. She gave a nervous smile. "No need to stand on ceremony here. Hi, I'm Ai."

He grinned, more like his usual self. "In that case, hi, I'm Akihito."

She waited, a curious look on her face as though she was expecting something. He shifted the rucksack on his shoulder, wondering if there was something he was supposed to do.

She let it go after an awkward pause. "Alright then, Akihito-san who can do computers. Let's go take a look."

She showed him to a small, cluttered office with a single window overlooking the car park, and to an old relic of a computer that had him doing a double take. It had been forever since he'd last seen a boxy monitor the size and shape of his microwave.

Akihito had to hide a wince as the old machine whirred painfully to life.

"I hope you're better at this than me. Maeda-san has it fixed in her mind that all young people can 'do computers'," she made air quotes, "so she's been pushing me to look at the website but I don't have a clue! I mean, you go to it, and it doesn't work, so what are you supposed to do? I don't think computers like me but that might be because I don't like them either. It's mutual." She scrunched up her nose.

"I can take a look, Ai-san," Akihito said, finally managing to get a word in edge ways.

"Oh, yes! Please do!" She stepped aside and dropped into the rickety swivel chair. "Even at school I was hopeless with computers, the teachers used to scold me when I used to write out the IT assignments by hand. I think it's because I've always kept a diary ever since I was five but they were all written by hand. And by the way, please don't call me Ai-san, it makes me feel so old! Ai-chan is a lot cuter."

He threw her a smile. "Sorry. Ai-chan, if you're sure."

"I insist. It's what all my friends call me. Actually, everyone does really, now that I think about it. I suppose that's why it feels more like me because I've been called that for so long by so many people. Are you Akihito-kun or Aki-kun?" She tilted her head. "Or Aki-chan?"

He shrugged as the old computer whirred away, still trying to get its old motors working. "I'm not fussy. Most people tend to shout my name. You know," he said, pitching his voice high, "Akihito, why are you having noodles again? You'll fall ill if you don't eat properly." Next he pitched low. "Akihito, stop worrying your mother and get a serious job already. Or my favourite, Takaba, you punk, what the hell have you done this time?" he growled roughly, imitating Yamazaki.

Ai giggled. "Sounds lively."

He grinned. "That's one way to put it. It's mostly Takaba, or Akihito-kun. But then my best friends insist on calling me Aki-chan, so I get all sorts really. I really don't mind." It was unusual to be so informal with someone when they'd only just met, but the girl was easy to talk to and it didn't feel strange.

She was peering at him with her head tilted. "You're cute," she decided suddenly.

Akihito froze at her frankness. Was he supposed to compliment her back? She was too cutsey cute for his liking, not like a certain someone... "Uh..."

She laughed, the sound of sprinkling rain in Spring. She took pity on him and moved on. "The website crashed last week and with the big event this weekend we want to make sure it's up and running. The auction?" she prompted at his questioning glance. He shook his head. "We're holding an auction to raise funds for a new paediatric therapy centre. It's going to do everything – occupational health, mental health, special needs, speech, physio – you name it. There isn't anything like it for miles around so it's hugely important. We have pieces to auction donated by private collectors. Local artisans and craftsmen too. Oh, that all comes after the black-tie three-course luncheon. Half of the tickets were offered for sale to local business representatives, the other half went on general sale. All the tickets sold out, we're really excited! And nervous too, we've never run anything like this before..."

Her enthusiasm was clear as she chattered on.

"What a great cause."

She hummed in excitement, digging under some of the piles of folders on the small, scratchy wooden desk. "Ah, here it is," she said, pulling out a piece of paper with a web address and some passwords on it. "This is all the stuff I was given. I don't know if you can make heads or tails of it?"

The old computer had finally rolled to life but Akihito would have rather pulled his teeth out than use it. "It's ok, I can do it. But maybe we could try it on my laptop? This machine might struggle a bit with the online stuff."

"Really? You have a laptop with you?"

He never went anywhere without it. He pulled it out of his rucksack and had it up and running within seconds.

She clapped. "Wow, this is like the future!"

He couldn't help laughing. "Not really, this is the now. Computers really aren't your thing, are they?"

She shook her head, making her wavy hair bounce.

"What is your thing?" he asked, only half paying attention as he was clicking away on his laptop.

When she didn't reply straight away, he glanced at her. She was looking at him, with that same curious look she'd given him before.

"What is it?"

She shook her head again, a gentler gesture this time. She looked out of the window, her eyes far away and a small smile on her face like something had secretly pleased her. "I come here when I can, to do something for the community. I can't usually stay for the events, I'd just cause too much chaos, but it's nice to know that I helped, without people knowing."

He expected her to say more, considering how chatty she'd been until now, but she seemed introspective and quietly content. He let her be, accessing the source code and checking why the website might have crashed.

"What about you? What brings you here?"

He paused, glancing unsurely at her. "Uh..." It was the kind of question that didn't get asked in big corporations, nobody had ever questioned why he'd come to work for Sion. Volunteer-run community centres were a whole different kettle of fish. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, my reason isn't anything as good as yours."

She peered at him curiously.

He hadn't intended to reveal this but he didn't want to lie either. "I have a community service order from the courts."

She sat up, drawing back.

"It wasn't anything violent or anything like that," he hurried to reassure her seeing her obvious fright. He waved vaguely with his hands. "I was hacking. It was computer stuff."

"Hacking what?"

He winced. "The police... And some big company..."

She frowned. "Why?"

"I really can't say much, but long story short, I thought there was corruption, that someone was doing something illegal, and I just wanted to find out more."

She tilted her head. "So you broke the law, to find out if someone was breaking the law?"

"...When you put it like that, yeah, it's pretty dumb, huh?"

There was a pause before she suddenly laughed. He turned to her in surprise, startled to find the twinkle back in her eyes. "I like you, Akihito-kun." She laughed even more at the alarmed look on his face. "Oh, not like that. You feel like the big brother I never had, who seems naughty but actually has a heart of gold."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "A, we just met, and B, that is so cheesy."

Her laughter rang around the tiny office as they went back to fixing the website.


Maeda blew in like a tempest. "Is there not one decent soul in all of Tokyo?!"

The two of them jumped in their seats where Ai had been trying to explain, in her chatty, long-winded way, how they wanted the auction listing.

"Is one massive hall really too much to ask? I mean, it's for charity, for crying out loud!"

It turned out that a water main had burst right beside the auction venue.

With the hotel hall flooded and out of action for at least a fortnight, Maeda had already started making enquiries but she'd been stymied every time. She launched a full-scale calling frenzy by every volunteer in the centre to reach out to local venues and hotels and conference centres, not just to check availability but also to persuade them to rent to them free of charge. There were very few that were still free at such short notice for the prime weekend slot, and even fewer open to charitable giving.

"Maeda-san! Maeda-san!"

It was half an hour later when one of the long-term volunteers rushed in brandishing her phone like the sword from the stone.

"Is it...?"

Barely had Maeda started the question before Tama was bobbing her grey permed hair, smiling from ear to ear and handing the phone over. Maeda rushed out as she introduced herself, leaving a wake of flustered volunteers hanging up their own calls in the office and the small hallway beyond.

"Tama-san, can we stop calling?" Ai asked.

"Oh yes," Tama smiled, her eyes twinkling. "We're saved! It's even better than the first place!"

Ai flopped back in her chair as all the volunteers drifted back to their previous work. "Thank goodness!" Her relief was palpable. "I don't know what I would've done if it had all fallen through."

Akihito felt like an interloper on all their hard work. "You must've been working for this for a long time."

"It's –" She stopped, the joyous bubbliness from moments earlier dissipating like mist. "It means a lot."

Akihito waited, not pushing, giving her the space to talk if she wanted to. Long seconds passed. But he never found out if she would have explained any further when the quiet was interrupted by his phone ringing.

He glanced at the caller and wilted. "Sorry, I should get this."

Ai nodded, making a go ahead gesture.

He didn't even manage to get out a greeting before he was being deafened.

"Takaba! What the hell kind of trick do you think you're pulling?"

Akihito winced, pulling the phone away from his ear before tentatively putting it back. "Ah, hey, Ogawa-san, what's up?"

"Don't you What's up me, Takaba, you know what's up. You just upped and left with no warning!"

"I'm sorry it was sudden but it couldn't be helped. I'm at a new place now."

"I thought you'd stay until the end of your contract, what the hell happened?"

Akihito's mouth worked soundlessly. "It was just a last minute order from the judge on Friday." He really should have thought of an excuse.

"Does it have something to do with what happened with Asami-sama?"

Akihito almost choked, his whole body experiencing the now-familiar uncomfortable tightness. "It was just the judge's order, ok? The final release is all ready to go, you just need to run the validations then Soteria's live and kicking and Sion's AI cyber shield is all set. After that it'll be the ongoing upgrades but you'll be able to handle that."

There were some unintelligible sounds from the other end. "Damn it, Takaba, we could really use you here. Mitarai's winding everyone up without you to pick on, though I would've thought he'd be more pleased now that he's Asami-sama's go-to guy."

He was? Akihito couldn't identify the gnawing feeling that developed in his gut. "Is that all I'm good for, as Mitarai's verbal punching bag?"

"That's not what I meant –"

"I'm sorry, Ogawa-san, but I have to go. Call me if you have any problems with the security release, OK? Bye."

Akihito dropped his head to the desk and groaned. He did feel bad leaving Ogawa in the lurch but no way could he have stayed.

A small hand rested on his shoulder. "You ok?"

"Sorry," Akihito mumbled to the desk.

"It's a good place to hide out here," she said quietly. "Just be sure you're not hiding from something that's better to be faced."

There was a pause before he turned his head, his eyes half covered by the curtain of his blond hair. "Seriously?"

She scrunched her nose up. "Yeah, that was lame, huh?"

"God, yes." But he laughed. He sat up with an almighty sigh. "Come on, this website isn't going to stand up by itself."

And that had been the start of it. Since then, Ai started watching him closely every time a black car drove into the car park and Akihito craned his neck to check it wasn't a limo. Or when someone in a suit walked in and he'd double check it was just an off-the-rack number. But just as he never did, she never asked either, only expressing her concern and questions with her big brown eyes.

Ai tended to hide away from all the other women volunteers, usually quietly doing the community centre's paperwork in the office or getting the hall or meeting rooms ready for bookings. But she seemed happy to drag him around with her and Maeda, who turned out to be Ai's family friend, didn't stop her.

They ended up working together all week.

Between Ai directing him around the centre during the day and lounging about with Kou in the evenings, it certainly helped Akihito to try and take his mind off the elephant in the room.

Not that he was very successful. It didn't help that reminders kept getting thrown in his face. Like the news reports of more yakuza members found dead, caught red-handed with another cargo crate full of underage girls and boys in appalling conditions. The police were probing the possibilities of a turf war, although so far no group was under suspicion.

Asami wasn't mentioned. He never was in relation to news like this but Akihito's gut had no doubt that the bastard was involved.

Or when V1P3R had broken a week's silence with another disturbing message on Spotlight's forum.

Didn't you like my gift? Don't worry, Z4m4 M1r0, I'll arrange another. One you won't be returning. Because I promised you, remember? Every bit of pain. Every drop of blood. I'll make you pay.

The timing was chilling. He hadn't received any item. By 'gift' they couldn't possibly mean the mugging, could they? Or was that just a coincidence? It didn't help that Akihito hadn't been able to get anywhere trying to track down who they were. Did they know Akihito's real identity? Did he need to arrange some kind of protection? Asami popped into mind, which Akihito savagely suppressed.

Night times were the hardest. It wasn't every night but several times he bolted awake in the darkness when he never used to before, and always the futility of all other attempts to return to sleep until he gave in and let himself remember that unwavering presence... Then in the morning it would begin all over again, the news reporting every day of the police unearthing more pieces of an underground trafficking ring that had been in the making, citing anonymous tip-offs. Did Akihito have it all wrong or was Asami being a right old busy bee?

"Do you want to bring a plus one?"

It took a few blinks for Akihito to pull his head out of his thoughts and remember that they were in the storage room, pulling stuff out for the children's party that afternoon. "Huh?"

Ai gave him the same patient smile she'd been giving him all week. "The auction tomorrow. Do you want to bring a plus one?"

That was when Akihito realised that he hadn't thought of Risa all week, his thoughts being predominantly occupied by a certain someone else...

He shook his head. "No, no plus one for me."

She grinned. "Good. You can keep me company then."

Maeda-san popped her head through the door. "Momo-chan, we've just had another piece for the auction! I've put it in the office."

"No problem, we'll come sort it out."

Akihito stared at Ai over the mass of deflated bouncy castle between them. She noticed his stillness, saw the startled look in his eyes that told her that he'd just twigged, then sighed, disappointment making her shoulders dip. She didn't say anything, simply gripped the trolley handle tightly.

He suddenly knew why she'd seemed familiar ever since they'd met. Momohara Ai, the idol seen on every billboard in Shibuya, on the front of so many magazines. He'd even heard about her dropping out of the limelight considerably since a stalking incident six months ago that had so nearly ended badly, that she was now restricting her public appearances to a few carefully arranged occasions always surrounded with heavy security. But here she was, mucking out with the riffraff, not bothered in the least about getting dirty even when she was dressed stylishly cute.

The curious looks she'd given him when he didn't recognise her made sense now, as well as her strange choice of words, how she didn't attend the local community events because of the chaos she would cause. He couldn't believe it had taken him five days to recognize her, having been so caught up in his own issues.

He grabbed the rest of his side of the bouncy castle. "Ready to heave ho, Ai-chan?" he asked with his usual grin. "Then you can add the new piece to the online auction listing."

She still looked hesitant, as though expecting him to treat her differently. "I might have forgotten how..."

His jaw dropped in mock outrage. "But I showed you yesterday! Gah, you're hopeless, I'll have to show you again."

She finally smiled a bit easier. He heaved up his side of the thick vinyl as she shoved the trolley under it.

"Maybe it's the teaching that's deficient," she teased.

He headed around to grab the opposite side. "My teaching is exemplary! It made perfect sense to me! I'll tell you what is a complete enigma and that's kawaii [cute] fashion," he insisted, knowing the subject would cheer her up. "What you said about knowing when it's just right or too much was plain ridiculous."

She giggled as he heaved up the other side and she shoved the trolley under the rest of the bouncy castle.

"Then I guess I'll just have to explain that to you all over again." She tilted her head thoughtfully as he came round and they both pushed the trolley out into the hall. "Maybe if you tried dressing the part, you'd understand better."

She peeled with laughter at his genuinely horrified face.


"Dude, I still can't believe you're going with Ai-chan."

"For the last time, Kou, I'm not going with her. We're just going to happen to be at the same event at the same time. She's the celeb, and I'm just the court-ordered help."

"Yeah, but you look hot, man. And leave that alone!" Kou repeated for the hundredth time as Akihito fiddled with the wing collar under the bow tie again. "It took us ages to get your tie done, don't undo it!"

Akihito almost didn't recognize his own reflection. The dinner jacket fitted well, even if it was a rental. He had to agree with his friend, he did look good. Not Asami-good, but hot in his own way. Ugh, he really had to stop thinking about Asami...

He glanced enviously at Kou lounging comfortably on the bed in shorts and t-shirt. "Maybe I should untie it, then I'll have to stay here."

"You promised her you'd go, right? So go. Don't be an ass. Anyway, I'm heading out this afternoon so you'll be all lonesome if you stayed."

"You are?" He straightened out his dinner jacket again. "Hot date?"

Kou gave him a huge grin in the mirror.

"Cool." Akihito wasn't surprised really, his cheerful friend was popular and never took long finding a date.

"Just a film and dinner, and who knows where this evening?" Kou wiggled his eyebrows.

Akihito shoved his wallet and phone in his pockets. "Don't forget I'll be asleep on the sofa, I don't want an eyeful of your fat ass again."

"Hey! You must be blind 'cos I have a beautiful ass!"

Akihito shoved his feet into the shiny dress shoes. "No, that would be my ass you were looking at!" He dodged the pillow hurled his way, laughing. "Have a good date!" he yelled behind him as she slammed the door and ran down to the street.


The taxi dropped off Akihito opposite the grand glass front entrance of the Royal Spire Hotel. As expected of a five-star establishment, the interior was luxurious, the staff were perfectly attentive, and every surface sparkled and glittered.

He was half an hour early for the drinks reception but immaculately dressed guests were already arriving. He wound his way through the hall, careful not to stand on any glittering trains, and found Maeda through the double service doors. She was still dispatching orders but looking calmer than she had the whole week.

"Akihito-kun! It's finally all coming together!" Her eyes shone, taking ten years off her crows feet and smile lines.

"You look very elegant, Maeda-san," he said, admiring her dress.

"Oh, stop," she smiled. "It's all under control so you go and find Momo-chan and enjoy yourselves. I'll shout if we need anything."

He nodded and stayed out of her way, finding a few other volunteers who had also turned up early in case they needed to help out.

Ai arrived half way into the drinks reception to much fanfare outside. Even from inside he could see the press and paparazzi surging forwards, and she was almost completely hidden from view until the ring of security guards deposited her inside. There were a few other celebrities here who had similarly stirred the press pack outside, but perhaps it was from his knowing her that he now had the urge to slam the door on their greedy faces and give her some damn privacy. Did Asami ever deal with this kind of attention...?

Things were only a little better inside. She was greeted enthusiastically by the other attendees, the everyday men and women who had purchased tickets as well as other big names. There was one particular man that she seemed to try and distance herself from, a large man with a toupée that was too black to be natural on his otherwise salt and pepper hair, who kept spitting as he spoke. Akihito edged around the hall towards her, not wanting to intrude but letting her know he was there.

She was all sparkling smiles in her feminine rose dress for the crowds but she excused herself quickly, slipping towards him.

"Do you know anywhere quiet?" she hissed through a tight smile.

"Sure." He steered her to the side through the service doors, then out of the way of the rushing service staff through another door into an unused hall that he'd stumbled across earlier. It was half the size of the one booked for their event, already set up for a dinner that evening.

Away from prying eyes, Ai let loose a long, heavy sigh. Akihito pulled out a velvety seat and she sank into it. She didn't talk for a while and he simply sat next to her, looking around the room, giving her space.

"I still struggle sometimes."

He turned to her but didn't say anything.

She was wringing her hands. "Apparently he first saw me when I was out shopping with some friends. There was a crowd gathering and he looked over when he heard the noise. That's when he saw me. He said it was fate."

She was talking about the stalker. Akihito gently took her hands, prying them apart, holding them in his own.

She laughed hollowly, blinking back tears. "He's in jail now. But I still can't forget..."

His heart went out to her. Looking at her like this, he had an impression of cold, paralysing fear – a stark contrast to the blazing hot fear he felt with Asami. He'd never thought before that fear had a temperature.

He gently squeezed her hands. "Some things you can't. But... Memories can be like stepping stones. You can stand on it. You can stand on him. And you can stand taller because of it. You're still here, Ai-chan, you still came today. You should be proud."

She squeezed his hands back for a long time before she looked at him, more of her usual twinkle in her eye. "And you say I say cheesy stuff."

He laughed. "Too much?"

"Way too much!" she complained, smiling as she got up and pushed their chairs back in. "We should go make sure Maeda-san's not pulling her hair out."

She stopped him before they went through the door, hooking an arm through his. He looked at her about to ask, only to stop at the determined look on her face.

"Stepping stones, huh?" She smiled. A small smile, but with a depth of feeling. "Come on. Let's do this."


The three-course meal was lip-smackingly good. Ai had wrangled the table plans so that she was sitting next to Akihito, and the two of them bantered and giggled their way through the entire meal, interspersed by people visiting her and asking for autographs or selfies. She seemed to have a better handle on things now, and she sometimes shared a secret smile with him.

The tables were cleared away after the lunch by an army of unbelievably efficient attendants, and the hall was converted with a raised platform in the centre with circular rows of chairs surrounding it. There was a generous space left around the hall perimeter and guests continued to mingle with drinks.

The spitting man who was now rather inebriated kept trying to approach, even making a pass at Akihito – he'd eyed him up and down and leered, "Don't you look tasty!" – at which point they renewed their efforts to steer clear of him. Maeda had even asked about removing him, but it was only a couple of hours left for the auction and they were sure they could stay out of his path, especially seeing that he had already made a sizeable donation.

"Are you ok?" Akihito asked quietly as they skirted around, keeping the circles of chairs and central platform between them and the man.

She leaned close, whispering, "He reminds me of a pot-bellied pig!"

"Don't be cruel." He grinned. "What pig would be seen dead wearing a toupée like that?"

She burst out laughing, hurriedly smothering it behind a hand as several people glanced over.

That was when they heard a suave voice behind them, burning through Akihito with the force of a thousand volts.

"You didn't honestly believe you could escape me that easily, did you Akihito?"


"Akihito-kun?"

Ai kept looking between her friend and the man that had appeared out of nowhere behind them. He hadn't been there earlier during the luncheon, she was certain she would have remembered a face – and a body – like that.

Akihito turned slowly. Even expecting it, Asami's appearance floored him. A perfectly fitted dinner jacket and wing-collar shirt and bow tie framed his broad shoulders, long, lean legs stretched down wrapped in immaculately pressed trousers, and those narrowed, golden eyes – blatantly heated as they swept Akihito's dressed-up frame with undisguised appreciation but edged with a steely, incensed glint as they zeroed in on Akihito's wide eyes...

Asami was a stunning vision of powerful, pissed-off sex god.

Holy fucking shit.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Akihito?"

Smooth with just a hint of rough, the deep baritone washed over him. Akihito shakily let loose the breath he hadn't realised he was holding. He didn't even question why Asami knew to find him here. It had been a week after all, of course he'd know by now.

Akihito tried to keep his voice level. "Uh, this is Momohara Ai. Ai-chan, this is... Asami Ryuichi."

Ryuichi. Akihito felt the significance of it, saying it for the first time. Even in introduction it was way too intimate, and it didn't help at all that Asami's darkening gaze pierced through him...

Maeda rushed up beside them. "Asami-sama!"

Akihito cleared his throat. "And this is Maeda-san," he added, "she organised this event."

"I'm Maeda Hitomi, I'm so pleased to meet you. I can't thank you enough for allowing us the use of your beautiful hotel, Asami-sama."

Asami inclined his head politely, "You're most welcome, Maeda-san."

Maeda lightly chided the blond, "I didn't know you knew Asami-sama. Why didn't you say?"

But Akihito wasn't listening. His blood had turned to ice. Asami's hotel... The change of venue... The flooding... On. Monday.. Morning...

His frozen gaze met Asami's gleaming gold.

Asami had known since Monday morning exactly where he was. He'd thought he'd gotten away. He hadn't. Not even for a few hours. The fool he'd been!

Had Asami only left him alone all week because he'd been busy? Dealing with human traffickers, possibly. But why?

And to even flood the original venue... Just how far would Asami go to get his way? To get him? Could it really all be to pursue him?

Akihito continued staring, thoughts flying a mile a minute and at complete odds with himself as he veered between horror and something that felt suspiciously like elation and back again, and then he also threw outrage into the mix for allowing himself to become so tongue-tied...

"It's so generous of you to give up your precious time to attend in person," Maeda was saying, oblivious to Akihito getting more and more riled up and Ai looking on with increasing concern. Maeda smiled good-naturedly. "Are you perhaps here to join in with the charity auction?"

"Yes! Yes he is!" Akihito blurted.

They all turned to him but he was done being a scaredy cat. He dared to meet the unnerving gaze and glare right back. If Asami wasn't going to leave him alone anyway, then he was very well going to exploit the man's deep pockets.

"He's very keen to make a sizeable donation to our worthy cause. Aren't you, Asami?"

Ai and Maeda seemed a little taken aback at his brazen demand of this important man. But then again Asami had addressed Akihito by his first name. Perhaps they were closer than the two women realised?

Akihito was too busy secretly triumphing over Asami's stony expression to notice. It only lasted a moment, however, before Asami's gaze became calculating, then downright evil.

He wiped it all clean as he turned to Maeda with a perfectly innocent mask. "Of course, that's what I'm here for. I heard there was to be a bachelor auction of one of your volunteers, is that right?"


Akihito had gone ashen.

"Ba-bachelor auction?" Maeda-san stammered. "Do you mean bachelorette auction?"

Asami gave an indulgent smile. "I mean bachelor auction. With so many women here, there's bound to be several interested in a harmless dinner date with a generous volunteer giving back to the community. I'm sure there'll be no objections for men to make or further an acquaintance, either. I, for one, would certainly be bidding – with the bachelor's permission, of course," he added with a mockingly serene smile at Akihito. "But regardless of the outcome, I'd be pleased to donate the proceeds for a dinner date and transportation."

To Akihito's growing dread, rather than looking disapproving, Maeda seemed to become increasingly enamoured by the idea the more Asami spoke.

"Oh, that would be wonderful! You're too kind, Asami-sama! It'll be the last auction event, then dinner straight afterwards this evening, that would be perfect. You don't mind, do you, Akihito-kun?"

She finally seemed to realise that the centre's only male helper hadn't said a word. She turned to find Akihito shell-shocked.

"Akihito-kun?" Ai touched his arm.

"Are you unwell?" Maeda-san asked, concerned over his silence. It wasn't like him. "You don't look well. Maybe you should go home. Momo-chan, can you have your car sent around?"

Akihito's stomach was floundering somewhere about his toes. He'd completely dug his own grave. If he agreed, Asami would never let himself be outbid. If he refused... Well, this week had just gone to show that escape wasn't going to be so easy. It seemed Asami was determined not to let him go just yet.

Maeda and Ai were making plans to take him home, genuinely concerned for him.

He forced a shaky smile. "It's fine, Maeda-san. I'll do it."

Maeda still looked worried.

He was sunk anyway, he might as well make sure this worthwhile cause got something out of it. "It's just dinner, right? Honestly, it's fine. Do you need help organising it?"

"Are you sure? We have plenty going on if you can't?"

Something was still holding her back – he couldn't entirely hide his underlying fear at what Asami might do to him and she could probably sense it. It didn't help that Ai was looking at him closely with the same look she'd been throwing him all week, but paired with suspicious glances at Asami now too...

He couldn't put them at risk. He grinned, trying his hardest to make it look natural. "Positive. Go for it, Maeda-san."

With one last glance at the both of them, Maeda finally acceded. "Alright, then." She pressed her hands together, at last allowing the excitement to take over. "Bachelor auction, oh the ladies are going to love this!"

"I'll send my secretary over to make the arrangements," Asami acknowledged as she gave him a bow and hurried away. "Now I need a word with Akihito if you don't mind me stealing him away." He was already steering Akihito away by the shoulder, his hand ominously heavy.

"But the auction's about to start in a few minutes," Ai pointed out. She caught Akihito's eye as though trying to work out how worried she should be.

"I'll bring him right back," Asami reassured her over his shoulder. "Excuse us."

Akihito wanted nothing more than to smack the hand away, the contact burning through him even if it was over his jacket. He couldn't believe they were right back here, as though the past week hadn't even happened.

"I'm coming so stop manhandling me," he hissed. He shifted his shoulder, trying to be subtle in case Ai was still watching, but the grip hardened all the more, making him wince.

"You're already on thin ice," Asami clipped darkly. "Don't make it worse for yourself."

"For myself? That's hilarious, 'cos from here it looks distinctly like you making it worse for me!"

Elegantly dressed people gave them curious glances as they passed, voices low but clearly arguing. Then again they might have just been staring at Asami.

"Just keep fighting, Akihito," Asami sneered, incensed and wickedly heated all at once. "All the more reason to punish you."

Akihito stumbled.

The hand on his shoulder caught him and saved him from a face plant. Akihito wavered between fighting and buckling down and found himself unable to do either as Asami propelled him out into the foyer and up the wide sweeping stairs.