A/N: It's a slightly short/slower chapter than I had originally intended but I got my flu shot on Tuesday and unfortunately this year I am experiencing the 'mild flu like symptoms' side effects -.- as such I am now going to bed now that this is finally done haha

Asami thanked Kirishima as the man handed over a takeaway cup of coffee. He wasn't sure how many hours he had been sitting in the hospital waiting room but a glance outside the windows showed a faint grey tint to the sky. Morning was on its way. He watched as his secretary handed out cups to the other occupants of the waiting room. Suoh sat on his right and Nariko, face pale and drawn, was on his left. A few chairs down sat Ueda's mother and one of his younger sisters, beside them sat Fujioka's father. Teiji's emergency contact had turned out to be a friend that advised they would pass on a message to his family but he had told Kirishima that they most likely wouldn't come, even if he died. Asami wasn't one to pry into the private lives of his subordinates but he found something sad in such a capable and loyal young man being so estranged from his family. A number of Team Takaba also sat around the room, quietly waiting for news.

All four were currently in surgery and had been for a number of hours. Akihito had regained consciousness sometime on the trip to the hospital and they had been able to make a relatively accurate diagnosis. Clean break to the forearm that thankfully didn't cut open an artery or even damage too much of his skin but was still required to have urgent surgery to ensure correct healing and no infections. Two metal plates and a number of screws were required to put Akihito's arm back together. He had also fractured both his left kneecap and femur in his fall. Luckily those were both relatively minor and would heal on their own provided he didn't stress them. A high grade concussion was also likely. Fujioka had been completely unresponsive since the walkway gave way and apparently suffered similar injuries as Akihito just with a harder hit to the head. Brain swelling and internal bleeding was their biggest concern. Teiji had taken a bullet to the shoulder from police fire while Ueda had suffered both from the fall and a bullet that they believed was from Sudou.

Kirishima sat down beside Suoh with his own coffee and fired off a few more messages from his phone. All the members of Team Takaba that weren't here were all together back at Sion doing their own silent vigil while they waited for news of their peers. Asami had to admit, he never expected the security force for his little soulmate be to so close knit. They were almost like a family unit at this point and even treated Akihito as one of the members. It was good though, it meant they all worked together extremely well and never got complacent. He truly believed that at this point any one of them would follow their oath to protect Akihito with their own lives if necessary. He just hoped it would never come to that.

He was pulled from his musing when a doctor entered the room. The oppressive silence that blanketed the waiting room suddenly seemed strained.

"Kasaya-sensei, good news I hope?"

"Asami-san," he said by way of greeting, "Yes. All four surgeries have been successful. Both Fujioka Daiki and Himura Teiji are already in the ward to start their recovery under observation. Takaba Akihito and Ueda Shoji are both finishing up in surgery and will also be transferred to the ward soon."

A collective sigh of relief could be heard around the room. Everyone had made it through, there was no Sion casualties from this entire affair. It's a shame the same couldn't be said of the trafficking victims. Shinji was currently trying to orchestrate an investigation into the whole affair but the media were going to have a field day once it hits the early morning news. Police opened fire on a warehouse full of unconfirmed targets during an unauthorised raid. Asami had already given the go ahead to disclose Akihito's presence at the shoot-out. Adding to the victims deaths, the undercover journalist responsible for the Kikkawa arrest was in hospital due to the raid. It would get the public on Akihito's side and hopefully help limit the organised crime unit's movements for some time due to the fallout from the scandal.

A nurse stepped through the doors and offered to guide them to the rooms. It was a quiet procession that moved further into the hospital. Kirishima gave his leave and stepped out as they left the waiting room, no doubt to call the team and organise Sion for the next few days. All of the security team also left, barring one who fell in step beside Suoh as though in some silent agreement to ensure Asami's security now that his secretary has left. He realised it was the same person he had entrusted to bring Akihito to the hospital earlier.

The three injured guards were sharing a quiet suite in the private hospital wing and their family were ushered through the white doors to see their conditions with their own eyes. Asami and Nariko were left to follow the nurse slightly further into the wing to the private rooms where Akihito was situated. Suoh and the other guard, Oshiro he thought it was, flanked the door wordlessly and bowed slightly as he strode into the sterile hospital room. A few long steps as all it took until he was at his soulmates bedside.

He looked so small. Akihito's face was almost white in the harsh light and he seemed almost wraith like against the stark sheets. The cast on his arm looked bulky and awkward while his leg was raised up and held in place with a brace. The bed was large for a hospital bed, a perk of paying for only the best care, but it almost seemed to drown the young man in the sheets. He had never seemed so small and frail even when lying in Asami's far larger bed in the penthouse, it took a while to figure out what made the difference.

It was the lack of those fiery defiant eyes and that cheeky little grin. Instead he was lying vulnerable, rendered unconscious by the drugs to help him sleep through the pain. This was honestly a sight he never hoped to see again. Asami wasn't sure how long he stood rooted to the spot, just staring at his soulmate, when a gentle hand grasped his arm. He turned his head to see Nariko giving him a soft smile and she gestured to the chairs beside the bed. They both moved forward and sat in the surprisingly soft chairs, both content to keep the peaceful silence.

Asami had called Akihito's mother upon reaching the hospital and receiving the news of his surgery. She had remained surprisingly calm and immediately accepted the offered ride to Tokyo in the dead of night to join the vigil. His father was going to be coming up later in the day after attending a work meeting that was compulsory. The normally bubbly woman was calm and composed, she had transformed into a quiet pillar of strength. Asami was incredibly glad that he didn't have to deal with a hysterical mother while waiting to hear the outcome. He honestly didn't have the patience to deal with such dramatics while his soulmate was under the knife and at risk of complications. But seeing her steady nerves had earned Nariko a new respect in Asami's eyes, keeping calm when it counted was a not a common trait and showed a surprising strength of character. She noticed his gaze and gave him a small reassuring smile.

"We should stay until he wakes up then get some sleep ourselves, I think." Asami frowned and opened his mouth to protest but was stopped by a quiet chuckle. "I understand just how much you want to stay by his side, truly I do, but you won't be much use to anyone dead on your feet. He'll sleep most of the first few days so you should use that time to rest up yourself. I imagine he's not going to be able to walk or do anything on his own for a good few weeks so he'll need you at your full strength then."

Asami took a deep breath. He could tell even now that he was going to have a hard time walking out of this hospital room and leaving Akihito here by himself. Unfortunately he was going to have a lot of work to do after Sudou's betrayal and his involvement in both trafficking and the police department. He let the breath out slowly and gave a small nod. He couldn't fault the logic behind her words but just the thought of walking out that door tugged at something inside of him.

VFVFVFVFVFVFVFVFVF

It had been a few days of bleary waking hours and constant naps but Akihito was finally starting to perk up. Unfortunately with his wakefulness came boredom. He was stuck mostly unable to move and often alone. He thought maybe he could play games on his handheld gaming device but that required his left hand. As did trying to hold and navigate on his phone. He had been left with some books but holding them up while trying to turn the pages was awkward and reading on his phone wasn't really much better. He had his headphones on and listened to music for a bit but the energetic beat just reinforced how much he wanted to move.

The worst part was that he could feel The Pull. He had never felt it before but he knew that's what it was. It was faint, a slight tugging to for him to get up and move in a certain direction. He checked on the map on his phone earlier and realised that it pointed to Sion. He could definitely see why he wouldn't have noticed the feeling earlier. In amongst the busyness of his work schedule and visiting friends, there was no way he would stop for long enough while not doing anything to feel that tug. It was like that kind of feeling you get when you just suddenly felt like doing something completely out of the blue. Like going to get ice cream or for a walk. Usually it was just ignored, he rarely had time to indulge in such a wistful feeling that came out of the blue, and was quickly overridden by whatever else stole his attention.

How many times had he missed Asami because he ignored the feeling? How often had fate tried to pull them together but they just kept moving in a different direction? How often did they walk past each other completely unaware that if only they reached out to touch, everything would change? He could only imagine how many people were so close to their soulmates but yet just kept on walking past. Is that how the universe worked? Is that how it tried to pull people together? Pull people to the same locations and all they have to do is find the reason to reach out and touch?

That faint tugging made him long for Asami though.

The man had been visiting a lot, much to the nurse's annoyance. They were always scolding the man for staying so long and not resting enough. It was an almost affectionate annoyance though. The nurses had quickly learned about their soulmate status and were regularly caught cooing over their interactions.

The Pull was changing directions and Akihito felt his heart speed up in anticipation. Did that mean he was getting closer? Surely the rapid changing of directions meant that he was getting close enough for Akihito to notice. It made him jittery. All he wanted to do was get up and moving and that tugging feeling was just making it so much worse. He mentally cursed his leg brace and hulking arm cast.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long before his soulmate quietly entered the room. Akihito felt his cheeks flush and heart pound even louder in his ears. Looks like he had correctly identified the feeling. Asami raised an eyebrow at his flushed face but thankfully didn't make a comment.

"You're looking a little more awake today, kitten."

Akihito pulled a face. "Yeah, but I'm bored. I can't move, I can't really do anything. Why do I have to be in here by myself? You said the others are in a room together, so why do I have to be by myself? Can't I be in with them? At least then I would have someone to talk to." He pouted.

Asami chuckled. "You have a private hospital room and you want to join the others?"

"I'm bored, if I share a room I would have people to talk to."

"They are supposed to be resting, much like yourself."

"I can't DO anything though. I can barely even read the books Okaasan left, it's too awkward to try and turn the damn page with my one hand while trying to hold it with that hand, all while I'm sitting in the only comfortable position to read in. It just gets so complicated. You have to work, my friends have to work. It's not like I can always have people in here. So if I can be in with them, that's way more interesting."

Asami sat down on the chair that was pulled up next to the bed. "Only you would request such a thing. I'll see what I can arrange."

Akihito grinned at him. Hopefully having other people around would distract him from that longing feeling that lingered while Asami was away and he was unable to occupy himself. He shuffled over and patted the bed with his good arm. Asami raised his eyebrows before hauling himself out of the chair to move around the bed. He quickly shucked off his shoes and jacket and sat on the bed, pressed up against Akihito's side. Heat seemed to radiate from his entire body and he wriggled around to tuck his head under Asami's chin. A bit of shuffling left them with Asami's arm wrapped around his waist and his ear pressed against his soulmates chest. The soft thudding of the heartbeat in his ear was soothing and Akihito quickly relaxed, finally losing the almost anxious feeling from earlier in the day.

He was just about to drop off to sleep when his breath caught in his throat and his chest constricted. He took a few seconds to realise this was a very familiar feeling and shuffled back to see the light pulsing in their chests. Two hearts beating as one. Akihito couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his face. Last time, he had been the cause of their bond materializing physically.

"JUST LET ME LOVE YOU!"

He knew exactly what the glowing heartbeat represented. "What were you thinking about, huh?"

Asami gave him a rueful smile. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"I would actually. You sure there isn't something you need to tell me?" Asami looked at him, still with that slight, rueful smile, but he couldn't seem to find the words, instead remaining silent. "You should be more honest." Akihito shot his soulmate another cheeky grin and snuggled back down against his chest. "Make sure to tell me properly one day, okay?" The arm around his waist tightened in response. He could wait for the words, just seeing that reaction was enough for now.

He fell asleep to the thudding of Asami's heartbeat in his ear and the feeling of his own heart overflowing.