A/N- Hey everyone, I hope I find you well and happy. Please don't kill me for being extremely late this time. This chapter gave me a hard time and I had so little time to write, also my cat ate my computer files (Lies… I don't have a cat….)
Anyways, here is the update for you, I hope you still take interest and joy in this story.
Warning!- Violence and vile language.
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Paper plans
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Killing time
In the dark cold hall, he knelt with the man's head placed in his lap, Ayase was holding him, and making sure that he will not suffocate by his own blood. He sat there waiting, until that man opened his eyes again and glared at him.
"Welcome back." Ayase tried a smile but it did not warm Aida's eyes.
The man set up, wiping the blood from his lips "Who long was I out?" he asked.
"I don't know… few minutes… I think."
"And you did not take the keys and run? Why?"
"Ummm… Someone had to watch over you, no?"
Aida snarled in disablement. "Did you at least try my phone?"
"I did…" Ayase lowered his gaze as if ashamed "I didn't know the code, though."
"You should have left while you had the chance, sweetie." Aida took out his phone from his jacket pocket to look at the time. "…However, you could've not gone too far before I'd catch up with you again. No running away from fate, I guess."
"But… but this is not fate!" Ayase said with a shivering voice. "We don't have to go through this! You can still set us free!"
"And then what? Let justice escape me again? Sorry honey; no turning back now, Kanou will pay for what he has done, it's almost time."
Ayase gasped, returning rapidly to a state of panic, was this for real? Was his life about to end in such a horrible way? One more try to talk sense to that thickheaded man, one last try.
"Kanou would never rat out on someone and sell him to his enemies!" He said, trembling. Aida's grey eyes met Ayase's ones with a mocking glare, but the boy was convinced and continued with passion. "They tortured him! They must have tortured him until he gave you away! He would have never done something so vile by his own will!"
"Are you sure?" Aida approached the boy; mockery still glittered in his eyes. He moved his face close to the blonde; Ayase could feel his body heat and smell the blood on his shirt, and he tried his best to control his breathing and not panic, staring right into the eyes of a killer.
"You are a naïve little thing, sweetheart." Aida said after a long moment of silence. "You know nothing about Kanou, what he does for a living, the people he deals with, the laws he obey…"
"I… I know his heart." Ayase mumbled, and tears filled his eyes.
"And I know he was there." Osamu hissed in return, "He was there, as they raped her, as they killed my love. She was screaming, pleading for them to stop. He was there, watching…"
"But… there must be an explanation …."
Aida's face twisted with ridicule, he drew away from Ayase, smirking "I know how the snakes work, all right? If Kanou were tortured as you said, he would be missing an eye today, or at least a couple of fingers. Face the truth, baby, Kanou sold me out to my enemies, he did it out of pure greed... Soon he will learn that the price for his actions is a little higher than he expected. Now, excuse me, I have to make a phone call, and I need you to be quiet."
"Wait!" Ayase shouted.
"Hush now."
"But…mmm…"
Ayase's protest muffled into whimpers, as Aida blocked his lips with his strong hand. He used his other hand to operate the phone.
Ayase lifted his hands to his face, to try to push Aida's hand away, but Aida was stronger, and his iron grip was irremovable. Aida ignored Ayase's pathetic cries; he turned his attention to the call.
"Hello, Lee-san? It's me, I found your daughter… Yes, she is all right, I got here by time…. The old docks, at the boat shop… Yes, that's the place… Kanou? Yes, one of his pawns kidnapped her, definitely his work… Did you already? Well, this is good news, bring him here… I'll be waiting."
Aida hung up and faced Ayase again, smirking. "They are on their way here, honey, and I will send all of them to hell on a blazing flame." He freed Ayase, and the boy fought to calm his breathing.
Madness, this was what Ayase saw in those cold grey eyes, absolute madness. Kanou-san was right, this man was a fucked up monster, a messed up geniuses. Was there anything in his power to do?
Ayase trembled on the cold floor; he felt pitiful and small, powerless and lost. Kanou was right all along, he should have stay out of this madness, because he was useless and weak.
Aida reached for the sobbing boy and sent a hesitative hand to pet the golden hair.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, I won't let them hurt you." he whispered, "I will blow up this place before one finger is laid on you, I promise."
Ayase felt a sudden rush of energy through him, what was it, desperation or rage? He lifted his hands and pushed Aida away.
"Is this supposed to cheer me up?" the boy growled, "Am I supposed to be grateful now? You are crazy! How can you let this happen? How can you kill the innocents?"
"Innocents?" Aida roared at him "You are not innocent! You are Kanou's lover! You enjoy his wealth and his power! You are as guilty as…"
"Ok, you may be right, but Bou-Yu? She's just a child…"
"She is a child of a demon!" Aida roared.
Ayase ogled him with dismay, panting. Crazy! The man was absolutely bonkers. Ayase's mind was racing and he suddenly realized something, it reminded him a psychology course he took last year.
"This is a game.," he whispered to himself "This is a replay!" he raised his voice, nearly screamed now, looking at Aida.
"What?"
"You just want to be on the winning side this round! This has nothing to do with justice!"
"It has everything to do with justice!" Aida angrily replied.
"No! You just want to fix back your wounded ego! It has nothing to do with Mizuumi's death!"
"Shut up!"
"This is all about your pride!"
"Stop this nonsense! Now!"
"You are sick! Your love has gone all twisted! If Mizuumi-san could see you now, she would hate you for this!"
"I said- shut up!!!" Aida shouted again, this time losing his control.
A smack on the face, pain, darkness.
oOOo
When Ayase woke up, he was tied up and leaned against a wooden pole. He had troubles breathing, since his mouth was gagged and water entered his nostrils. In fact he was dripping icy water and his body shivered without control.
Strange men hovered above him, ugly faces loomed at him, one held a bucket in his hand, he just used it to wake the boy up, and he lingered, staring at the trembling beauty.
"Are you sure it's a boy?" he asked a fellow man, talking in Chinese.
"That's what the boss said.," his friend answered. "Hey, Lee-san, he's up!"
"Move." a new sharp voice barked at the thugs.
The members of the Fire snake gang, made way for their leader to approach. The leader, Lee, was nothing Ayase would expect from a fearsome leader, he was short and thin, and he did not look scary until you looked into his cold black eyes. Once Ayase peeked at those menacing eyes, fear took over him; he realized that man was accustomed to cruelty.
How did this happen? Why did he found himself surrounded by monsters? Comparing to them, Kanou-san was an angle. To think he was so afraid of Kanou-san ages ago; when he yet cross the path of people like Hayate or Aida, now this Lee… a proud member in this monsters' club.
"Bao-Yu, look at him, is this the man who kidnapped you?"
The little girl was there too, clinging to her father's thigh. For a moment there, Ayase's chest filled up with hope. She knows the truth! She won't fail him!
Ayase looked at the five year old, holding on to her father's hand. She was frightened and in tears, she shook her head slowly.
"Daddy…" She said, "Ayase was nice to me! We ate Pizza together."
"The girl is blabbering." Aida interfered.
"Bao-Yu, look closely now, did this man take you from home? Did he hurt you?" Lee insisted, pointing at Ayase. "Try to remember."
"Daddy, please, Ayase is nice!" she pleaded and burst into tears.
Lee was not happy hearing his daughter cry, his face twisted with impatient.
"It's him, I tell you." Aida stepped forward, and Bao-Yu huddled near her father with fear. "The girl is tired and confused; you can't rely on her, you'll have to take me word for it."
"The boy looks harmless." Lee noted.
"Which is exactly why he managed to kidnap your kid. You like Ayase-san, don't you Bao-Yu?"
The girl did not reply; she buried her little head in her father's thigh and continued sobbing.
"It is useless, trying to get the truth out of her." Aida continued, smirking. "This boy here, don't be fooled by his angelic looks. He is Kanou-san's pet; he will do anything Kanou orders him, including kidnap. The plan was for his to get the girl, and Kanou intended to kill her, in case the negotiation with the Hana group would fail. You can ask him yourself, Lee-sama."
'Liar!' Ayase wanted to scream through his gag, and worse they were all buying it! No one listen to the weak and young!'
Aida was going to have his way, and he was wearing a satisfied smirk. Ayase wanted to wipe out Aida's smug smile off his face, but his hands were tied up and there was nothing he could do but hear those lies and suffer in silence. He struggled against his binds in pure frustration, but he only managed tearing up his skin and bleed.
Aida Osamu was going to kill them all; the bombs were placed all over the workshop. All he needed to do was to push the button, what was he waiting for?
Ayase knew the answer to this question; Aida was toying with them all. The only thing remained to be seen was where was his limit? How much suffering will satisfy this crazy man.
"Bring Kanou." Lee commanded his men.
'Kanou-san!' Ayase's heart skipped a bit; they really had him, all right! Everything was hopeless.
The door opened to the storm outside, and Lee's goons dragged in what seemed to be at first sight a huge, wet sack.
Ayase gasped, at the look of him, he never saw Kanou in such a pitiful state before. The man was tied up and on his knees; his elite suit was turned into rages. He was wet to the bone, bruised and broken, his face was a bloody mess and he barely had the strength not to shiver.
"Is this true?" Lee asked him harshly "Were you planning on killing my girl if the negotiation with the Yakuza had failed?"
Lee did not bother waiting for an answer; instead, he kicked Kanou right in the face with his heavy boot. A gush of blood sprayed over the ground. Kanou collapsed on the dirty floor, but with some inhumane strength, he managed to get on his knees again.
"Come on, you piece of shit, spill it out!"
"Your kid should not see this…" Kanou growled through his bleeding lips.
"Take Bao-Yu out." Lee ordered.
"She will be waiting in the car, sir.," said one of Lee's assistants.
Ayase watched as the sobbing girl was led away, he closed his eyes and thanked god for taking her away from this bombs filled hellhole.
"Where were we? Kanou, you dog… did you plan on killing my kid?"
"You know this is not my style, Lee." Kanou replied, wounded as he was he still was calm and collected.
"Give me the truth, son of a bitch!"
"I gave you the truth, you can kill me now."
"He lies even at the face of death." Aida hummed, in almost an admiring voice.
Lee looked at Aida and frowned, he was not pleased and he was not going to be anybody's fool.
"I want the truth, you worthless scumbag!" Lee screamed, "Give me the truth, so I could crush the Hana group once and for all!"
"I won't give you an excuse for a war." Kanou calmly replied.
"Break him." Lee ordered his men.
"We already tried." his second in command said, "We broke his legs and his ribs and he won't talk. This is a demon, not a man, we can kill him but he won't give us the Hana group."
Lee growled, he leaned next to Kanou "Listen to me, Kanou, I want to know all about the Hana's group plans, and you are going to give it to me or I'll cut off your dick and shove it up your ass!"
Kanou's reaction was only a low chuckle "Very creative of you, Lee-san, but I'm only the middle man, I have nothing for you."
"Liar!!!" Lee was fuming, things were not going his way, he looked around the hall, looking for an inspiration, and his gaze fell on the blond little thing.
"So, Kanou, you think you are such a tough one? Petty, I'll have to settle for your pet." Lee smirked; he was going to get his information one way or another.
Kanou-sans' eyes got wide open and his breath choked.
A first sign of fear, Lee smirked with content. "Get the boy!" he ordered.
Ayase yelped as two overgrown men grabbed him and lifted him up.
Kanou watched with blank eyes, if he gives more emotions now, all was lost.
"The Hana group has crossed the line this time! Stealing my territory! Stealing my drugs and now trying to kill my daughter? I will wipe them off the face of the earth. Starting with you, Kanou! And I know how to hurt you! Right in the gusts! You will watch this kid die before your very own eyes! I will peel his beautiful skin off him! Let him bleed to death like a slaughtered pig! You'd like that right?"
"No!" A strong voice said. "This was no part of the deal!"
Of all people, it was Aida to scream first, and for some reason he was truly alarmed.
Lee sent his gaze to the man again, cold black eyes. "Stay out of this. I only paid you to find my daughter, get lost!"
"Your only business is with Kanou, let the boy go!" Aida said, angry.
"Don't tell me how to get things done, idiot!"
"Leave him out of this!"
"One more word coming from your mouth…"
"This is…!"
Lee glared at Aida and smirked "Kill him!" he ordered his men.
"Not if I kill you first!" Aida pulled the detonator out of his jacket, a small black remote control.
"He's got bombs here!" someone shouted.
Aida pushed on the red button, but to his amazement, nothing happened. With a blank expression, he pushed it again, and nothing happened still. Lee's men were leaping at him, trying to tackle him down.
"Damn high-tech junk!" He pulled out his gun, aiming at the nearest bomb. He managed a shot before Lee's men pushed him to the ground, but the shooting did not stop.
"What is going on?" Lee growled, trying to understand the chaos around him, while ducking for cover.
"It's the Hana group! They are outside! It's an ambush!" one of his men answered, and fell down dead as a bullet ran through his chest.
"Shit! A setup! Hold Aida down!" Lee ordered, shooting at the attackers outside "and don't let the motherfucker Kanou escape!"
Ayase was overwhelmed, there were guns shooting everywhere, the noise and the smell of gunpowder stunned him completely. The men holding him seemed to forget him completely as they ran for cover, leaving him exposed in the middle of the hall. All he could do was to crawl blindly towards Kanou, if they were destined to die at that cold night, at least they should die together.
"Ayase-kun…" Kanou's whisper took Ayase by surprise; he thought the man was unconscious.
"Kanou-san!" Ayase whimpered, "I'm scarred!"
Kanou turned his bleeding face towards the boy, smiling "Don't be, my love. I know you are brave, listen to me…"
"Huh?"
"I've picked up a shard of glass and freed my hands, I'm gonna run for it, you must be brave now and follow me."
"Kanou-san, you are wounded."
"I know, that is why you must rely on yourself. On the count to three, my love, you can do it… one… two… three…"
With the strength Ayase never knew he had in him, Kanou got up on his broken leg, tossing away the ropes that used to tie him down.
One of Lee's men tried to stop him, but Kanou punched him and a random bullet hit the man's head and he dropped dead on the ground.
Ayase heard himself screaming. Kanou turned his wounded face towards the boy.
"Come on, Ayase-kun! Get up! I don't have the strength to carry you! Use your legs for goddamn!" he screamed, half commanding, half pleading.
Kanou had little time to see if Ayase was after him, he picked up an abandoned gun lying on the floor, and fired at his attackers, trying to clear a path for them to get away.
Ayase screamed as he saw a man going down, dead by Kanou's hand.
'Get a grip!' he panted 'Run! No one will do it for you! Run!'
It took all of his courage to get up on his wobbly feet and follow Kanou. All around him were people shooting each other, and he could not tell who was Yakuza and who was Chinese, as if it mattered. There were bodies everywhere and every now and then, a bomb went off with a defending bang, Ayase could only run after Kanou to the outside, and as he put a foot at the door, a huge explosion tore off the roof of the workshop. Flames soon burst up to the air and a rain of glass showered all around him. But Ayase realized he was safe, tucked beneath a worm body, worm drops of blood landed on his cold skin.
"Oh god!" Ayase sobbed, Kanou jumped on him, protecting him from the blast.
"Ayase-kun, are you alright?"
Ayase was so relieved to hear this familiar deep voice. "Are you?"
"Get up now, we're not out of the woods yet." Kanou got up, changing the cartridge of his gun. "If Hayate is here, he will not skip the chance to kill me."
"Kanou-san…" Ayase gazed at the man he thought he knew, in his wildest dreams he could not imagine Kanou-san acting so stoically at the face of danger. His wounds were horrible; he was leaving puddles of blood behind him as he dragged his broken leg along. Every step most has been agony, but he let nothing as a soft whimper leave his bleeding lips.
Ayase caught a real glimpse of what Kanou was really made of, and what kind of life he was accustomed to, but it was too early to reflect on that, and they were still in the midst of a battle.
"I'm sorry I cannot free your hands." Kanou said as they found shelter behind a rusty container.
"Holding the gun is more important." Ayase agreed, and another explosion thundered with the storm. It made the blonde wonder if Aida was still alive and he worried about poor Bau-Yu too.
"Try to free yourself… I may lose consciousness soon."
"Kanou-san!"
"Now is not the time to panic!" Kanou reproached him sharply "Can you reach my front pocket? I have a nail file there, it might be useful."
"A nail file?"
"The good for nothing Okama forgot it in my office today."
"Good for something…" Ayase snatched the nail file with the tip of his fingers and started working on his ropes.
"Hurry." Kanou said.
Ayase picked up the pace and soon got his hands out of their binding. He noticed with growing worry that Kanou's face became paler by the moment, and he battled to keep his eyes open.
"Tell me what happened that day." Ayase said in an effort to keep Kanou's attention.
"What day?"
"The day Aida's lover was murdered. Did they torture you to give her and Aida away?"
"Ayase-kun, why…?"
"Because I need to know! Because you must tell me! Did you give them away because the Yakuza offered you money? Did you give them away because otherwise it was bad for business?"
"No." Kanou panted heavily, "Who told you those lies?"
"Tell me the truth, then!"
"The truth?" Kanou closed his eyes against the rain.
"No! Don't faint on me now!" the little blonde grabbed Kanou by his jacket and tried shaking him in vain "Please, I want the truth…Kanou-san!" Ayase sobbed. He leaned on the man's chest, hearing his faint heartbeat. "Please… don't leave me now, not like this!"
"The truth is…" Kanou whispered, in a dreamy voice, eyes shut. "The snakes did get to me that day… I was lucky enough to run away from them… I ran to warn Aida... but when I got to the bay… it was too late…too late… Please, forgive me, forgive me …"
"Kanou-san!" Ayase whimpered, snuggling against Kanou's massive body and it did not radiant heat as it used to, it was cold and numb.
Kanou took a deep breath and looked at Ayase with a dulled glare, in his last strength he smiled.
"Forgive me, my beautiful Ayase… I … never meant to… hurt you…" his worlds were only above a whisper and Ayase struggled to pick them up among the horrible noise that surrounded them. After his apology, Kanou smiled again and closed his eyes; his body went limp like a giant rag doll.
"Kanou-san!" Ayase screamed "Wake up!" he shook Kanou to get a replay from him, but Kanou's head only swayed around lifelessly.
"Don't leave me all alone, Kanou Somuku, I love you!" Ayase cried, petting Kanou's silky hair, and then wiping the dirt and blood from the handsome features. "Please, Kanou-san… don't die…"
The little blonde sobbed, hugging Kanou tightly, kissing him softly through the rain, he did not hear the footsteps or notice the shadow cast upon him.
"What a pretty sight, thank you very much!" a foreign voice invaded Ayase's grieving mind.
Ayase struggled to lift his eyes and what he saw sunk his heart in despair. It was Hayate standing above them, in his pure white tuxedo, smirking like a hyena, and pointing his gun to him.
"Such a beautiful sight indeed…" Hayate continued, "Making me wish I brought my favorite knife here."
"Get away from him!" Ayase said with loathing, trying to protect Kanou with his small body.
"This is not the way to treat the new leader of the Hana group."
"What do you want?"
"To kill Kanou, for humiliating me in front of my old boss, but now that I killed him the pain has lessened, and it looks like Kanou is well on his way too, how disappointing…"
"Leave us alone!"
"Calm down now…"
"Get away, sadistic monster!"
"Now, now… I just want a little piece of my favorite enemy, a souvenir if you don't mind. You may leave, boy; I have no interest in you."
Ayase glared at the knife on Hayate's belt and a rush of rage ran through him. Before he even realized, he was on his feet, holding Kanou's gun and pointing it at Hayate.
"Don't you dare, you crazy monster! I won't let you lay a finger on Kanou-san! Get out of here or…."
"Or what?" Hayate chuckled "Or you kill me? Do you really think you can kill a man? How very interesting… show me!"
Ayase was puzzled; Hayate's eyes were shining with the eerie glare of insanity and the man just would not budge.
Ayase gulped and tightened his hold on the gun, his arm was steady but the rest of his body was trembling.
"Boring…" Hayate snarled, "You are not the killing kind, move aside now."
Hayate lowered his gun and took out his knife instead. The blade was huge and sharp and rain was dripping from it, soon to be replaced with blood.
"No! Get away!" Ayase screamed as Hayate stepped closer, "I'll kill you, I swear!" but they both knew he was not able to pull the trigger, and Hayate ignored his warning and focused on his lifeless prey.
Ayase knew only a miracle could save him now, he closed his eyes and prayed.
A sound of thunder erupted in the air, or was it a gun shot? Ayase opened his eyes again, to see Hayate falling on the ground dead; a bullet went through his head.
'Did I kill him?' Ayase gasped, he did not recall shooting his gun. He looked at his trembling hands and then lifted his head again, the world around him was spinning wildly but he was sure he caught a glimpse of Aida Osamu smiling at him.
At the next blink, that man was gone and that is when he knew- 'Aida Osamu killed Hayate and saved me.'
Ayase tossed the gun away like an unclean thing, the heavens continued to rain on him and from a distance he could hear the sound of sirens approaching.
oOOo
Tbc
OooO
A/N- Well, thanks for reading, I thing that next chapter is the last one, but I'm not totally sure, I might add an "afterwards" too.
This time, I hope it won't take me forever to update. Take care ^_^
