Chapter Four
Aya stared at the crowd as he and Youji walked down the boat ramp. He honestly didn't know how to feel coming back to his native country for the first time in three years. Takatori was probably learning that Aya was here, or he already knew. Either way he was prepared for trouble. He found none. They got into a taxi and within hours they were outside Youji's mother's house.
Her name was still Naoki Kudou. She came outside smiling. Youji ran up to her after getting out of the car. Aya paid the driver and got out. Youji was crying into his mother's shoulder and she was rubbing his back and smiling at Aya. There were tears in her eyes. He really just wanted to get the hell out of there. Here in Japan he was working without a safety net and he doubted he had the element of surprise.
A red laser dot on the back of Youji's head forced the assassin to move. He forced the Kudous to the ground as silenced bullets tore up the ground. He swore colorfully and pulled a gun from his jacket. There was no rifle barrel to be seen. Seconds after the shots missed a car sped out of a nearby parking garage and down the street.
"Well. I guess he knows I'm coming." Aya commented nonchalantly as he placed his silenced pistol back in his jacket.
"Jesus, what else do you have in there?" Youji asked in awe. He was sitting on the ground staring up at Aya with his mouth open. His mother was pretty much in the same state. It was weird having two pairs of unnaturally green eyes staring at him.
"A bit of this and a bit of that," Aya shrugged then helped both mother and son to their feet.
"Just tell me there are no grenades."
"I like to be prepared for anything."
"So you do have some?"
"I thought you told me not to tell you."
"I forget you take what I say so literally." Youji huffed. His mother's eyes sparkled with amusement then, to his shock, She embraced Aya.
"Thank you for saving my son." She whispered.
"You should see your face!" Youji gasped then threw his head back laughing. Aya did not appreciate the humor. He took Naoki by the shoulders and carefully extricated himself from her embrace.
"I still have work to do." He said grimly. The assassin walked over to Youji and grabbed his chin. "Stay away from the windows for a few days." He placed a gentle kiss on the taller man's lips, not caring that his mother was watching. He let go and walked away before he could change his mind.
Youji watched Aya walk away with mixed feelings. "How do I know you'll com back?" He called. The assassin paused then reached up to his ear and pulled out his earring. Aya turned and tossed it to him.
"I'll come back for that. Stay safe Kudou." He then turned and kept walking, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. When he turned to his mother she had about a million questions on her face.
"Let's go inside and I'll explain." He put an arm around her and they went into the living room. After making sure the curtains were closed he sat with her on the couch and began his sad tale. He started with the bargain his dad had struck with Takatori. Youji explained what life had been like with Reiji, making sure to keep it a bit vague. He then told her again all that Aya had done for him. "Its weird but he kind of just laughed at me when I made him that offer. He hates Takatori more than I do."
"Why?"
"I found out...about a week ago now, that he had once been where I was." He went on to just state the facts then his conclusions. "He had to rely on himself to break free. He didn't have someone like him to help him out and he was with that bastard longer than me. Well at least that's what I think from little facts he's shared. Aya doesn't like to talk about his past and he has a hard time with emotions."
"And yet he loves you." Youji looked at her in surprise. She waved a hand. "I'm a mother, I know what love looks like. If he is as bad with emotions as you say; he might not even realize it." She sighed. "I did not get to see much of him, but I saw the way he looked at you."
"And you don't care? You know that he's a guy?"
"Not really." She shrugged. "It has become fairly common these days and besides I feel that your happiness is more important than your partner's gender." She looked up at him with a smile. "Does he make you happy?"
"Yeah." Youji replied after thinking about it. Aya did make him happy. "He also drives me a bit insane." His mother nodded.
"Men will do that." They shared a laugh. He then explained what Aya had planned. "And this is the man you love?"
"I don't know about love yet. It isn't an emotion I'm too familiar with and we haven't really known each other that long." Youji sighed. "I know I'm attracted to him and for some irrational reason I want to hold onto him and never let go."
"Love is rarely rational my dear."
Aya crawled through the vents toward Takatori's penthouse. He would rather keep his visit off camera. The assassin knew where his target was going to be that night, due to the fact that he had scared the business tycoon into shutting himself in. Sure he was on high alert, but that was never something that had bothered the redhead before. More security was only good if there was no way around it. Aya had discovered that all buildings had to be temperature controlled in some way so they all had to have duct work. The sizes varied, but he had found that he was small enough to fit in just about all of them. This made getting in and out harder, but more successful.
It had been almost three days since dropping Youji off with his mom and he missed the blonde more than he thought he would. Hopefully the time apart would convince the older man that the constant road was not his friend. He wanted Youji with him, but that was a selfish thought. His life was a bit hectic with all the running he did; both from police and his target's security. He just wasn't safe and he desperately wanted a safe life for Youji, even if that meant he wasn't part of it.
"Fujimiya is a common name." The police detective told Youji.
"That's all I've got." He groaned. Why was this so difficult? Aya had found his family. Why couldn't he find Aya's? "I have a name and the relative date his family died."
"When did you say?"
"I only know it was six years ago."
"Well there was a prominent couple named Fujimiya that died in a gas explosion six years ago." The woman said looking at her computer. "Looks like they were survived by a son and daughter."
"I think that's them. He said he had a sister who died."
"I don't know. This says that Aya Fujimiya, who was a girl, later died in a hospital. The son disappeared. His name was Ran, here look." She turned the screen and there was a picture of Aya. He looked younger and was in a school uniform, but it was him.
"I think I'll kill him." Youji muttered. "Can I get copies of all this?"
"Sure." The woman said warily.
Aya held back a sneeze as he crawled the last two feet. He looked down through a vent as Takatori explained a blow job to his new 'pet'. Aya's lip curled. The new pet was probably not yet 18. From here all he could see was Takatori's fist in the black hair of a youth bobbing up and down between his legs. Aya bit his lip to keep his rage contained. He remembered when that youth was him. Slowly he crawled so that he was above the vent then he dropped down.
"Good of you to join us...you still calling yourself Aya? Takatori asked once he was over his initial shock. At the sight of the gun in Aya's hand the youth got up and moved behind Reiji. Aya was about to raise the silenced pistol when a shot rang out. Something hit his shoulder, turning him slightly. He finished the turn, saw a body guard and shot him in the forehead. Well damn, now his shoulder felt like it was on fire and it just had to be the one that had been shot a year earlier.
"Oh no you don't." He turned and shot Takatori in the leg as he tried to make a run for it. The man fell to the floor and Aya approached him gun raised.
"You know you'll never make it out of here alive." Takatori spat. Aya saw him glance in the opposite direction and followed his gaze. The youth stood defiantly near the desk, under which was most likely an alarm of some kind.
"I'll be just fine." He raised the gun and shot him in the forehead without looking. "Well that was a bit ant-climactic." He muttered to himself then met the youth's eyes. The boy was now cowering by the desk.
"Please don't kill me!" He practically screamed as Aya walked toward him.
"I'm not. I came for this." He shoved the desk with his hip so that it was under the vent. "If I hadn't been shot I wouldn't need it." The diminutive assassin climbed atop the desk then glanced at the boy. "I suggest you run. Any minute now men with guns are going to come running through that door and see that their boss is dead while you're alive."
"Will you take me with you?" The youth asked. Aya immediately thought of Youji then shook his head, wincing as he pulled himself in to the vent.
"I'm feeling less than charitable right now. You can use the vents to get out though. That's as much advice I'm gonna give." He then turned and began to crawl. It took him about ten minutes to get out; twice as long then getting in, but he blamed it on the shoulder. Right now his shirt and coat were controlling the bleeding, but he knew he'd have to clean it up soon.
After getting out of the building he took care of the wound. The rest of the night was spent dodging the law and Takatori's guns for hire. The whole time he was thinking about Youji and praying the older man hadn't changed his mind. He could handle it if he had. Aya would just bury it a long with the rest of his feelings and carry on...No he wouldn't. He would cease to be able to function and it was more then just the sex. Sure they'd only known each other for a little over a week, but Aya listened and was observant. He knew a lot about the other man. A lot more than Youji knew about him. That was going to have to change though and Aya knew he would have to pull on his big boy pants and open up a bit more. Especially if he wanted to keep Youji.
He was a little surprised the next night to see Youji's light still on. The rest of the house was dark, which made sense it was pretty late. He slowly crept up to the house and opened the window. Youji looked up when he crawled over the sill. " You ever hear of a door?" The blonde asked tartly. Something was definitely wrong and even though his heart was pounding Aya tried to keep it light.
"I have rare occasions to use them." His eyes fell on the papers strewn about the bed, where Youji was seated. "Late night reading?" He picked one paper up and was shocked to see his own face looking back at him.
"You know I thought I would find your family because you found mine. Well I thought I'd try at least."
"I told you they were dead." Aya said numbly. In his mind were about a million things he wanted to say...none of them in English or nice. Family was and always would be a sore spot for him.
"I thought maybe it was like with my mom. Like people had lied to you and shit." Youji snapped. Aya let loose a string of expletives and dropped the paper. "Yeah. You know what I found?"
"I know all too well what you found."
"I discovered that your real name isn't even Aya. It's Ran and-"
"Stop." Aya held up a hand. He didn't really want to listen and why did his name even matter?
"No. What else have you lied about?"
"Nothing, and I did not lie about my name. I told you the name I use, which is more than I tell anyone really. The name Ran is dead to me." Aya folded his arms. "I cast it aside years ago. I took my sister's as a way to keep her alive because she was at first and I had this weird notion that if her name was used by the living that she would survive. I was wrong, but I was only 16 and prone to strange ideas. I grew up pretty fast." He scoffed. Suddenly Youji's arms were around him. The blonde was crying.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to help you find someone. You found my family. I thought I could find yours." Youji wailed, his voice muffled by Aya's shoulder...the hurt one. He flinched away and swore to himself as it began to bleed again. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He asked accusingly, eyes narrowed.
"I miscalculated." Aya checked his stitches and sighed with relief. They hadn't come undone, they were only leaking. "I'm lucky he was only able to get off one shot. He was a bit distracted though." He fixed his clothes with a sigh. "Takatori is dead now so you're safe. I might have to run from a few of his business partners and the authorities, but it's nothing I'm not used to."
"Well you won't be running alone." Youji said. Aya looked up at him in shock. He had been bracing himself for rejection. He couldn't think of anyone who wanted a life on the run. They would never stay in one place for more than a few weeks and the blonde would always worry when he was on a job. No one wanted that. "Why are you so surprised? I said I wanted you to take me with you. My decision to go was hinged on your response to my question about lies. You know I don't put up with them."
"I didn't think you would." Aya replied fixing his clothes. He told himself not to get his hopes up. He refused to meet Youji's eyes. "And I would be lying if I said I wanted you to stay behind. I just don't think you realize how hard it might be. I never stay in a place longer than a few weeks and you'd always be worried-" Lips crashed into his.
"None of that matters so much. I've had a few days to think about it and as long as we're open and honest with each other the little stuff won't matter." He panted, pulling away. "I think I'm falling in love with you and I don't want to...Aya?" The assassin heard the word love and froze. He knew it had always been a possibility, but he still wasn't prepared to hear it. In his experience love was fleeting and the people you loved never stuck around. He was trying his hardest to not love Youji. He needed to protect the other man. "Something wrong?"
"It's not safe." The younger man blurted. "They all go away." He stumbled back and tried to control his panic.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Youji frowned in confusion. He didn't understand. Youji didn't know.
"People go away when you love them, they die." Aya explained as calmly as he could. "That's why-" Youji's lips were on his again. It was slightly annoying because he wasn't done. The other man's mouth felt so good though. The assassin melted a little and his heart slowed a bit. His fingers clutched the taller man's shirt. He opened his mouth to let in the tongue begging entry. Moaning softly and ignoring the pain in his shoulder he brought his arms up around Youji's neck. It was selfish of him, but he never wanted to stop. Aya knew a part of him already loved the blonde and the rest of him was steadily losing the battle. He stubbornly refused to admit it though. Keeping Youji safe was paramount. To him it was more important than breathing.
"You're wrong you know." Youji murmured against his lips.
"I'm probably wrong about a lot of things." Aya replied. "But not this. I'm going off experience here, which tells me that if I ignore everything and let myself love you that you'll die. I would much rather you didn't. I-" He felt himself relax a bit as Youji's lips touched his again. It was a bit frustrating to not finish a thought, but he found he preferred it when the blonde was kissing him. Aya opened his mouth and deepened the kiss, holding Youji tight. He so badly wanted the larger man with him when he left. Reluctantly he pulled away. Before he could speak,Youji covered his mouth with a hand.
"I appreciate that, I really do, but just because you love someone; it doesn't mean they are going to die. It might feel like that to you, but the world would be a lot different if it were true. I might not know a lot about love. I just know what you're saying isn't possible." Youji was calm. Aya glared over his hand. "I also know I may not be in love yet, but I happen to like you a hell of a lot and want the chance to be with you. Will you take that chance?" He moved his hand. Aya was silent for a while, considering all the angles, but it was no use. There was no way to predict the future.
"What my head is saying is different from my heart. I want to be selfish and say yes, but I don't know what will happen." He looked up into Youji's green eyes. "I know we haven't really known each other all that long and I'm a bit desperate to say come with me because I know I won't be able to function properly without you." This time he caught Youji's mouth before it could slam into his. "Let me finish. I may be wrong about love and I pray that I am. I just don't know if I can handle being right." He moved his hand and wasn't surprised in the least when Youji's mouth covered his. He was a bit surprised when large hands wrapped around his wrists and seconds later he was pinned to the wall, Youji's hips between his legs with a hot, insistent mouth on his. Aya let out a soft moan and he wanted nothing more than to be right there. Unfortunately they had to decide. They were kind of running out of time. There were sirens in the distance so he knew they had a description of him and knew about Youji. He broke free and grabbed Youji's hand. "Decide now because we need to go. I'm going to listen to my instincts again and ignore my head. You need to choose if you want a life on the run with me or to be safe with a normal one."
"I choose you." Youji grinned.
"Well then let's get out of here."