Hi :D
Sorry, another short chapter! But I'm trying to keep the momentum going while I can so I want to keep these updates coming!
Thanks so much for putting up with my nonsense on the last post, I feel better now thank you and I appreciate the warm words and reaction to this story. I hope it doesn't disappoint as it goes along, I think it'll be a short one and I am also working on updates for other stories so thanks for waiting!
Sorry for any mistakes, I don't own yada yada and I don't know if you get Possums in Japan. (I live in Japan atm btw - fun fact XD)
Warnings: Swearing, drug use.
}xXx{
A man steps out of the polished Sion doors and into the late afternoon sunshine, casually strolling down the steps with his jacket draped over his arm and busying himself with his phone. The target for the day apparently spotted briefly just a few moments ago, loitering by some trash cans in the alley just behind the club and caught in a rare sighting. Scavenging for food.
He stops on the sidewalk and places his phone in his pants pocket, feigning a yawn and pinching the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger causing his glasses to shift slightly as he hears quiet yet urgent, shuffling footsteps ahead of him. Suoh in his ear confirming the swift approach of the pickpocket from the shadows. A short scruffy, scrawny kid with shaggy black hair and ragged clothes. A small bump is all it takes, a soft grunt and the figure rushes off again into the darkness, Kirishima feeling his jacket grow distinctly lighter upon his wallet disappearing, along with this downright brazen thief.
He turns and rounds the corner, Suoh already waiting with the weakly struggling pickpocket held by the scruff of the neck in the alleyway to the left of the building. Kirishima's wallet in hand.
"You used your actual wallet, Kei? There's a good seventy thousand yen in there."
Kirishima just laughs, losing a mere seventy thousand yen would mean nothing in comparison to the shame of letting this amateur thief get away so easily. He steps up, accepting the expensive leather wallet back with a nod after dressing and pockets it back into his jacket before observing the little rat, some street punk who looks like he hasn't washed or had a decent meal in years. Sad, but none of Kirishima and Suoh's concern.
"Young man, please tell me and my acquaintance here why you're targeting patrons of this business…I assure you, fess up now and this will end a lot better for you."
"…"
The boy just fidgets in Suoh's grasp, mumbling nonsense to himself as his head darts back and forth, eyes cast to the ground.
Kirishima looks up at Suoh, the man frowning down at the kid that's trembling and struggling in his hold. He doesn't seem scared, nor cold, just a little crazy. They both sigh and wonder what the most humane method of uh, 'dealing' with him will be but first, they need their answers. It wouldn't do for more of these undesirables to start targeting Sion's elite clientele.
With Suoh's grip tightening on the boy Kirishima fists his mangey looking hair, making a note to thoroughly shower later and drawing the delicate looking face up sharply so he can press some fear into this cretin and make him talk. The boy's face is filthy, grey. Tear tracks and dried blood smeared over much of it rendering it near unrecognisable to that of a person but it's the eyes. Those eyes blinking painfully back up at him that have him gasping. Suoh asking with urgency just what it is that has Kirishima reacting in such a way as to turn as pale as a ghost.
"K-Kazumi he."
He shakes his head, clearing his jumbled thoughts and demanding himself that he keep his head lest he make a terrible mistake in his haste. He opens his eyes, looking to ask the brown eyed boy a question, looking down gravely as Suoh looks on in sheer wonderment.
"You, are you? Takaba, Takaba Akihito?"
"…"
There's silence and Suoh blinks, blinks, blinks again and blinks some more. Trying to fathom just what the fuck he heard from his esteemed and clearly up until now sane colleague and without thinking he whips the boy around, unmindful about the hair that gets ripped from his head with it as Kirishima neglects to let go (not that the kid reacts) and Suoh shakes him, staring into his eyes, at his face. Trying to shake the life back into him. If he heard right. If this is Takaba, Asami's Takaba. Shouldn't he be spitting and snarling at them by now? Shouldn't he be trying to fight, to run away again, anything?
His brushes the long black hair from the boy's eyes, a large hand on his forehead as he also demands, also pleads with the boy.
"Takaba? You're Takaba?"
"…"
The kid though just continues mumbling, eyes wide and seeing but the boy doesn't seem to register just what or who he's seeing. Too high judging by the red eyes, blown irises or the constant sniffing and jittery limbs.
They look at each other over the black head of hair, confused. This situation being an unfathomable one - an un-calculated one. Without the kid saying so much as a single intelligible word, not even acknowledging them - what are they to do?
Kirishima stills, wondering whether it's wise or foolish to bring Asami in on it now, when they're both not even sure. The fact that his hair is naturally black had always been debatable, the men not having seen any childhood photo's but again it's his eyes, those eyes that they would recognise anywhere. They've got both men hoping, praying that this is Takaba. But.
If he were to tell Asami and be wrong? If he were to be the one to only deepen the man's distress further by presenting him with false hopes? No. He can't do it.
He'll take this Takaba lookalike away for now, get him cleaned up and try to identify him conclusively before notifying his boss as yes, more harm would be done than not if they were to get Asami's hopes up after all this time. They both know that Asami has kept Akihito's room just as he left it. Waiting and hoping in secret.
"Kazumi, I'm going to take the boy to my place, have him talking, washed and dressed before we mention this to Asami-sama. Do you agree?"
"Yeah…" Suoh nods grimly. "The boss would have both our heads if we're wrong…"
So they part, Kirishima talking the silent, hunched figure in hand and steering him towards the back of the building to the parking lot as Suoh steps away, just as his phone rings from his pocket making both him and Suoh stop, it's Asami on the line. Shit. He thought the man was still asleep.
Kirishima coughs slightly, handing the boy off to Suoh so he can take the call. Suoh's large hand over the boy's drooling mouth, just in case.
"Asami-sama…"
Kirishima's eyes flicker to Suoh, an order to ready the car coming through after he answers noncommittally and evasively as to why both Suoh and him aren't in the building right now. Asami needs to head to Roppongi for a lunch meeting with the foreign minister to discuss trade routes and a required bribery amount for said trade routes. He hangs up the phone some time later and regards his partner, the Takaba lookalike too and reaches a swift decision. There is no time at all before he has to meet Asami at the bottom of the elevator so there's only one option left.
"Kazumi, we need to go to Roppongi with Asami-sama, would you mind knocking the boy out and putting him in the trunk of the limo? After I drop Asami-sama and you back here I'll take Takab-the boy home right away."
"You sure that's a good idea? What if the boss wants to go in the trunk?"
The bespectacled guard takes a deep breath, wracking his brains. He shouldn't need to go into the boot, obviously. But this is Asami-sama. He seems to always know when his two best men are up to something and this isn't like one of their surprise birthday poker nights. This is his long-lost and supposedly-dead lover. That reason also being why he can't even consider letting him out of his sight, leaving Takab-the boy in his own car until later.
Ah, he could send Suoh with Takab-the boy now and stash him at his place? Hm, but that means he'll have to pull someone else to accompany them to Roppongi and then Asami-sama will definitely start to ask questions. Right. He sighs, looking back at his colleague with steely determination.
There's nothing for it.
"We'll just have to keep him out of there by any means if he catches on Kazumi. Any. Means. Necessary…"
"Right."
They nod gravely, 'Takaba' swaying in Suoh's hold before the men finally rally their courage and part ways. To meet at the limo in a few moments with Asami-sama in tow.
}xXx{
Asami exhales around his cigarette as he looks out of his window, the man reclining leisurely against the soft black leather of his seat in the back of the limo as Tokyo rushes past in a blur of colour and faceless people. Always on the lookout for that familiar mop of unruly hazel hair amongst the crowds.
The meeting had been a roaring success for Asami at least and he's quite pleased, not that he can say the same for his men. They seem distracted, tense. Maybe he's been working them both too hard recently, especially with the late night or rather early morning stops at hotels, only giving them a few hours off each.
"Hm…You two are being awfully quiet this afternoon, where did you both disappear off to earlier anyway?"
Kirishima gulps audibly, Suoh casting him a glance in warning and to remind him of the emergency drill they had discussed while their boss was in his three hour meeting. They knew this was coming, the man giving them both amused glances as they had stood in the corridor that told them he knew that something was up but luckily and through extensive brainstorming, Kirishima has an extensive list of flimsy yet believable excuses thought up for the occasion.
"Just addressing the latest fire audit Asami-sama, checking the fire escapes…"
"Hou?…"
His men squirm and fidget in the front of the limo, Kirishima maintaining a white knuckle grip on the iPhone in his hand and Suoh the steering wheel. Both men looking forward, always forward - never to the rear view mirror, never to the back section of the luxury car as there be monsters, the scariest one of them all (an Asami-sama who appears to be in a playful mood.)
Kirishima clears his throat and taps at his phone desperately, checking and memorising Asami's schedule for the rest of the week to give his brain something to do that is more conducive than fretting over the unconscious man in his trunk and the sweat steadily pooling at his brow. He's about to make a clipped comment about how Asami has the rest of the day free so he should perhaps think about going home to get some rest when there's a sudden bang from the back of the car. One that has Kirishima's and Suoh's hearts both trying to high-tail it out of their mouths.
"What was that?"
Asami looks at them both sharply, gold eyes boring into their heads, right into their brains and most likely right into their guilt ridden little consciences as Kirishima turns pale again, gaping like a fish out of water as he goes to glare daggers at Suoh - who clearly didn't use enough chloroform on the kid! How the hell are they going to explain this? Shit, Kirishima can just see it now. Assurances of 'Oh you think he looks like Takaba too Asami-sama?" 'Oh? It's not?' 'Really?' And finally, from Asami himself…."any last words Kirishima?….." And shit. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfu -
"I ran over a Possum, Boss….."
Suoh says, fucking saving the fucking day and Kirishima could kiss him, french the fuck out of those thin, cherry lips stubble-and-all but luckily the man steps on the gas then, sending them into near warp speed in the limo so he doesn't have to, just settling for a sideways look of sheer relief that says just as much instead.
He's so relieved in fact that he doesn't even bother to remind himself that there are no Possums native to Japan…
It's only a few mere minutes until they reach Sion once more, Asami casting a curious look at the disheveled state his two men are in once they pull up, Kirishima getting out before the car had completely come to a halt to let Asami out at the front of the building. He bows Asami through the door as the mans phone rings, turning back though with a murderous glare in Suoh's direction for the man to go and fix the little problem currently causing the faint rocking and strange noises coming from the limo, Asami thankfully back inside the building already and too busy talking darkly into his phone to Milkhail Arbatov to notice.
Suoh quickly grabs the chloroform from the glove box and makes his way back around the limo to the boot as Kirishima makes his way back down to receive the bottle and white cloth, ready for Suoh to pop the trunk and apprehend the prisoner if he tries to make a break for it. Missing though, the foot that swings up after the fists, clocking the blond guard right in the nose.
"-ittle -"
He stops moving, nose dripping with blood but finally with a hold on the boy as he seems to reach a conclusion. There was somethings familiar about the force of that kick and he's relieved. He thinks they might be onto something here after all.
He finds himself holding onto the boy a little more gently, despite wanting to punch him for the fractured nose.
"Don't overload the cloth Kei, I think he's already too far gone on stimulants for this…"
Kirishima nods, just dousing the cloth with enough of the pungent smelling liquid to knock the kid out for an hour or two, enough time to go and make his excuses to Asami and disappear home for the rest of the day and it doesn't take too long for the boy to fall limp, whimpering and wailing incoherently as the men both look left and right down the street - passers by doing the sensible thing and averting their eyes at the sight. They just hope that Asami isn't looking out the window.
They shove the body back in the trunk and slam it shut, each feeling the heavy weight of their secret as they turn to enter the club. Kirishima thinking up an excuse to leave. He struggles to think of a good reason all the way through the building, in the elevator and even outside Asami's office and it's only a second after that, that he finds himself beside the mans desk with files in his hands and wonders just when the fuck that happened.
"…orea situation?"
"Hm?"
He comes to only a second later with a small start, bowing to Asami and offering incoherently rushed apologies which the man dismisses with a wave of the hand. He regards Kirishima, frowning a little and making the bespectacled guard gulp again nervously. Nervous to the point of making him consider just throwing the files and running. Far, far away.
"Are you feeling alright?"
He starts again, this time though for an entirely different reason, now he's making Asami-sama worry because he's so distracted. He bows again, offering yet more incoherent apologies which Asami dismisses again, this time with a sigh alongside a wave of his hand. The man throws down the file of trade data he was analysing and pulls out a cigarette instead, lighting it and taking a long drag, flicking the excess ash before he looks at his right hand man sternly.
"Go home for today Kirishima. Rest. I want you back here in top form tomorrow. I'll have Suoh leave too when he's finished his briefing, you both seem to need it."
"Should I have someone freed up to take you to the uh, usual places this evening Asami-sama?"
There's silence for a few moments, Asami leaning back and flicking more ash into the crystal ash-tray as he ponders.
"No, I'll head home. Soon I think."
Kirishima sighs, relieved. He honestly doesn't know what he'd do if either himself or Suoh weren't free tonight to accompany Asami to all the godforsaken places places he goes to these days. It's not that he doesn't trust his men, no. it's just that he doesn't trust one of them. He just doesn't know who yet.
"I'll have Suoh notified and he can take you before you send him home for the night."
He bows and steps out of the room, already sagging a little due to a large amount of the oppressive Takaba sized weight bearing down on his shoulders. He nods to Suoh who has bloody tissue shoved up snugly into his nostrils, the man talking with the chief doorman for the night and leaves swiftly out of the building, bypassing exchanging pleasantries with everyone else in favour of checking obsessively that he has his car and house key. Suoh thankfully having managed to dump Takab-the boy in his car without rousing suspicion. He'll have to arrange for the parking-lot's video footage to be scrubbed later but first he'll take 'Takaba' straight back to his, the sedative undoubtedly wearing off within the next thirty minutes or so and it's a good fifteen minutes to his house. He'd better step on it.