Rating: PG
Author's Note: Akihito enjoys the hospitality of a beautiful stranger.
Akihito had given up on shouting for someone to let him out after the first day. He'd only seen one person since he'd woken up for the first time in his cell; except for once in the middle of the night, when he'd jerked awake, disoriented from a disturbing dream, to find a little boy crouched in the dark, hissing the words 'stinky Japanese' at him before slipping away soundlessly. He'd set it down to another dream when he'd woken in the morning, alone.
He did talk to the man who brought him meals three times a day, and that was the only way he knew how many days had passed. He was pretty sure it had been three since he'd woken up in the cage that sat in the middle of the small, unfurnished room.
Of course, the man never said anything in reply, not even to respond to the slew of insults Akihito had used to cast slurs on both the man and his mother. The only thing he did was point his gun at Akihito and wave him to the far side of the cage, while he sat the tray down on the floor.
As he came through the door today, Akihito waved. "Hey, Tanaka-san. You don't mind if I call you Tanaka-san, do you? It's just that you remind me a little bit of my high school biology teacher. He has a big mole under the corner of his right eye too. The guys in our class named it Anpanman because of the striking similarities."
Akihito waited, but the man said nothing, predictably waving his gun and waiting until Akihito scooted further away before putting the tray down. This time Akihito was surprised to see that he didn't leave the room. Instead, he backed away to the door he'd just entered and leaned against the wall.
"What, you're keeping me company today?"
Akihito had to eat through the bars because the bowl of rice he was given, though small, wouldn't fit through. It was awkward and uncomfortable and vaguely humiliating, but Akihito was getting used to it. Without pause he picked up the bowl and the spork that always accompanied his so-called meals, which never varied in size or content. For some reason, he wasn't allowed chopsticks.
"You're not much of a conversationalist," he said through a mouthful of rice. "Are you shy?" He kept eating while the man stared at him expressionlessly. "No? Maybe you just can't speak at all?"
Akihito sighed when that didn't get a response either. He made quick work of his meal, which had only served to wake up his appetite and send his stomach churning. When he was done, he sat down the bowl and spork and drank his water before moving away without being told.
The man came and cleared away the tray, but he came back within moments carrying a small bag. He took it into the bathroom an emptied some of the contents from what Akihito could see, then came back into the room and sat the bag on the floor. He let Akihito out of the cage, gun trained on him as usual. After meals was the only time he got to use the toilet.
The man jerked his chin toward the bathroom, and Akihito quickly went in to relieve himself. His eyes widened as he saw the toiletries that had been placed on the counter: a toothbrush, toothpaste, a large towel, and even a comb. The barrel of the gun nudged roughly between his shoulders.
"Yeah, yeah," Akihito muttered, unzipping his jeans and trying to ignore the fact that someone else was watching him go.
When he was done the man didn't move aside. He pointed at the shower stall.
"You want me to take a shower?"
The man pointed again, his face transforming into an impatient scowl, raising the gun a little higher.
"Okay, okay!" Akihito raised his hands. "Can you give me some privacy?"
"Take clothes off."
Akihito was shocked to hear him speak. His heavily-accented, broken sentence made it immediately clear that he wasn't Japanese.
"You can speak! Can you understand me? Please..." Akihito's eyes widened as he took a step forward without realizing it, his fingers curling at his side. "Please, I want to go home. Can you-"
A fast stream of words poured out of the man. It sounded like Chinese, though Akihito couldn't understand a word, only that they were threatening. The gun planted against his forehead, and Akihito gasped.
"Take clothes off!"
His eyes burning, Akihito undressed, leaving his clothes in a heap on the floor and turning his face away as he flushed with embarrassment. The man only gave him a shove toward the shower, and Akihito wasted no time in shutting the glass door, as if it provided any sort of protection or privacy. Still, it was something.
Akihito took a deep breath and turned on the water, burying his face in the spray. He wasn't sure why the revelation of the man's ability to communicate had shaken him so much. But it had brought back all the emotions that flooded him when he had first woken up and had begun to realize he had landed in a very bad situation, back when he had though maybe it was all a joke of Asami's. Back when he thought Asami might be able to find him and come for him.
Shit. He wasn't going to cry, even though he was shivering despite the hot water pounding down on him. He wouldn't give whoever had him the satisfaction. His chest heaved once, painfully, but Akihito choked down the tears that threatened to fall.
He didn't know what was going on, but he would find out. He'd get out of here one way or another. Deep down, he still believed that Asami would somehow come. His palms pressed against the wall, head bowing under the spray as a different voice inside him spoke up. He might not even realize you're gone yet. And even if does, he won't know anything about what happened. That someone took you. Akihito swallowed hard. But he's smart and he...he's got all kinds of sources.
In the long, boring hours he'd sat and stared at the drab white walls of the room, he wondered why he was taken. Why would anyone want him? Did it have something to with Asami? But how would anyone have even known about him? And what kind of purpose would taking him have? Better that, though, than something else. If it was just some random sicko who had him, well, Asami might not ever find him. He might not ever see Asami again, or his parents or friends.
Yeah, that same dark voice spoke up. And Asami might not even care to look too hard for you at all.
"That's not true," Akihito whispered, hardly recognizing his own trembling voice.
This time, a sob slipped out and Akihito raised his face again, letting the water wash away the salt of his tears.
Whoever owned this place had a lot of money, that was for sure. Even the hallways Akihito passed through were elegant and tasteful, adorned with expensive light fixtures and tapestries in rich colors. It made him feel slightly less ridiculous to be wearing the silk brocade suit with the ankle length pants and the sleeveless jacket with the gold-threaded, frog-closure buttons he'd been forced to put on after his shower-but only slightly. He scowled down at his slippered feet, wishing he'd been allowed to put his own clothes back on, even if they were dirty. He felt like a little kid playing dress up.
He also wished the man with the gun would lighten up his grip a bit. His arm was going numb. Soon enough, though, the man stopped in front of a heavy, wooden door and knocked. He didn't wait for a response, but pushed the door open instead and dragged Akihito across the threshold.
"Jeez, you don't have to yank me." Akihito's eyes widened as he took in the opulent surroundings of what looked to be a sitting room. "Wow."
The man ignored him and shoved Akihito to the front of a finely embroidered low sofa. A chain and cuff were attached to one of the legs and Akihito frowned as the man snapped it around his ankle. At least it was better than the cage. Without another word the man left, closing the door behind him.
Akihito immediately tested the length of the chain, huffing when he discovered he couldn't venture farther than about five feet from the sofa. He looked around anyway, searching for anything that might give him a clue about where he was and why he was there. Long drapes covered one wall, and Akihito suspected they might hide windows.
If he could only get close enough, he might be able to open one, or, at worst, break one, and then he'd make a run for it. He tugged experimentally at the chain, then leaned all his weight back, attempting to move the sofa. It didn't budge.
Not to be deterred, he knelt down by one corner and tried to lift the sofa up, so he could slip the chain free. He almost gave himself a hernia before he gave up. The sofa felt as if it were made of solid gold. From the looks of it, it probably did cost its own weight in gold.
His slippered foot lashed out in a petulant kick at the offending piece of furniture as he blew his hair away from his eyes.
Rich, soft laughter made him look over his shoulder in shock. He gasped to see a tall, beautiful man standing a few feet away. At least, he thought he was a man. His voice was certainly masculine, but his hair was incredibly dark and long and his features fine. The deep red cheongsam he wore fit him perfectly. Well, that answered it, then. Unless this person was just extremely flat-chested, he was definitely a man.
"Good morning, Akihito. I trust you enjoyed your breakfast and your shower?"
Akihito spun around to face him fully, the chain clinking lightly as his feet tangled. "You-you know my name?"
"Of course." The man indicated the sofa with an elegant flick of his wrist. "Please do sit."
He sat himself in a nearby armchair and bestowed a benevolent smile upon Akihito. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Liu Feilong of Baishe, but you may call me Feilong since we will be spending much time together."
Akihito stared. Feilong? Baishe? So he was Chinese too, just like the other guy, though his Japanese was much better. He spoke fluently with only a slight trace of an accent. What in the world did this guy want with him?
"Um...what's Baishe?"
The lovely smile faltered for a moment, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees as Feilong's eyes narrowed and he spit out a word. "Sit."
Then his expression smoothed into tranquility and he smiled once again. "Please, Akihito, sit down. We have a lot to discuss."
His heart beating a little faster in the face of the rapid mood swing, Akihito warily sat down on the edge of the sofa, not taking his eyes off Feilong. But he couldn't stop the flow of questions that started spilling from his lips. "What do you want? Where are we? What are you going to do with me?"
"Now, now." Feilong waved a languid hand. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." He picked up a long-handled porcelain bell from the table beside his chair and rang it twice. "We'll have tea, and you can tell me all about yourself."
"You want to know about me?" Confusion almost outweighed his fear. Akihito couldn't see any possible reason why this Feilong of Baishe, whatever the hell that was, would want with him.
A servant entered quickly and silently, carrying a tray to Feilong's side and pouring tea into one of the exquisite china cups, before bringing another cup and saucer and a plate of small cakes to the table next to Akihito. He left as unobtrusively as he came.
"Please enjoy your tea."
Akihito looked skeptically at the tea and sweets. His mouth watered a little, but he knew better than to trust this unstable guy, no matter how friendly he was acting.
Feilong's soft laughter brought his eyes back around to the man, who smiled as he sipped his own tea. "It's not poisoned or drugged, Akihito. If I want to hurt you, I have no need to resort to subterfuge."
The veiled threat in the words sent a shiver down his spine, but his chin lifted proudly. "I'm not hungry."
Unfortunately, his stomach chose just then to growl.
Feilong laughed again. "Come now. I'm sure you've found your recent meals somewhat lacking. I do apologize for that. I was in something of a temper when you arrived, and I...well, I wasn't acting as a good host ought." His voice turned icy again. "Please enjoy the hospitality I offer you now."
Trying to hide the tremble in his hands, Akihito picked up the cup and cradled it, taking a tentative sip of the steaming beverage. It had a wonderful fragrance and flavor, and he closed his eyes as it slid down his throat.
"Is it to your liking?"
Akihito nodded, opening his eyes and meeting Feilong's considering gaze.
"Help yourself to the cakes."
In all honesty, Feilong hadn't needed to press too hard. After days of just rice and water, the sight of the cakes sent Akihito's stomach into overdrive. He picked up the first one and popped it whole into his mouth. Oh, God. The sugar hit his system with a divine jolt that made him moan out loud. His eyes closed again as he chewed and swallowed, reaching for the next one before the first one hit his stomach.
His mouth full, he looked at Feilong again, who had leaned back in his chair, elbows resting on the arms and his fingers steepled together. His eyes held amusement and a sort of unpleasant fascination.
"Is this really what he likes?" He spoke as if to himself, but when Akihito raised his eyebrows, he merely gave a negligent shake of his head and gestured for Akihito to carry on.
Only when Akihito had finished all the cakes, did he speak again.
"To answer your earlier question, I do wish to know about you. I wish to know all there is to know about you, Akihito."
Akihito sucked in a breath, his face paling a little. Those words conjured up similar words that Asami had spoken to him just days ago. Asami...
Feilong eyed his reaction curiously. "Of course, I know much already. You're a photography student in your second year of University. During your summer break, you've taken a part-time job assisting your mentor on various photography assignments. " Feilong's teeth gleamed as his lips parted briefly. "And, from what I can gather, you've been the well-used plaything of Asami Ryuichi for some months now."
Akihito gasped. Only one thing stood out at the moment, not the fact that Feilong knew so much about him, not the fact that he'd been personally and crudely insulted, but only the very mention of Asami himself.
"You know Asami?"
The blood rushed out of his face again. This was connected to Asami. A maelstrom of mixed relief and elation swept through him. Asami would find him. He was sure of it now.
The visible play of emotions seemed to anger Feilong, he leant forward, all pretense of goodwill wiped from his face. "There's no need to be so pleased by that information. I can assure you that Asami has no idea where you are. If you're expecting him to come rescue his little pet-though," he interjected disdainfully, "I can't see why he would ever bother-then you're sorely mistaken."
Akihito glared, his eyes sparking fiercely as he met Feilong's cold sneer.
"Yeah? Shows what you know, asshole! I'm not a pet, and Asami will come for me. If you're lucky then I'll break out of your stupid chains and cages first, 'cause I'll only kick your ass. Asami will probably break your stupid face and your kneecaps and-"
Before Akihito could process it, Feilong was across the space that separated them, and Akihito was jerked to his feet.
"Who do you think you're talking to you, you tiresome little brat?" Feilong's face was inches from his, and this close Akihito could recognize the absolute fury that simmered in the back of his eyes. "I can see Asami has neglected your education. Whether you understand or not, I am Liu Feilong of Baishe, an organization of the finest pedigree and soon to be the most powerful group in all of China. I was raised as an assassin from early childhood, trained in numerous ways to kill. Nothing-" He gave Akihito a vicious shake. "Nothing you can do can have any effect on me. I could arm you with a gun and a knife and still kill you without sustaining a scratch or breaking a sweat. I suggest you do not find yourself on my bad side because you will not like the results."
Akihito found himself flung to the floor, but he looked up at Feilong, hiding his fear-fueled burn of adrenaline with a cocky smirk. "I can't say the good side is all the great either, if that's what I've seen so far."
He was yanked back up, and a hand cracked across his face without frightening speed, knuckles connecting with the high bone of his cheek. His own hand came up to cover it as he dropped back to the floor. Feilong looked wild, breathing hard, but Akihito still couldn't keep his mouth shut. He glared.
"What did I ever do to you?"
Feilong's hands clenched into fists, and he all but hissed. "Your very presence is an insult and an irritation."
Angry, bewildered, and afraid, Akihito finally held his tongue, staring up at the man who looked as if the last vestiges of his control might disappear at any moment.
It seemed to help, Feilong took a deep breath, bringing his right hand up, covering the reddened flesh with his other hand. "It seems we'd best save the rest of our conversation for another time. It was uncouth of me to strike a guest."
Though Akihito hadn't seen any signal, the man with the gun suddenly appeared at the door.
"Bring him to my room in an hour."
The man bowed and Feilong let his gaze fall on Akihito again.
"I suggest you use this time to think carefully about your situation. Behave, and your time here will pass much more pleasantly. Remember that I control your fate. Not you. Certainly not Asami. When you're brought to my bedroom, I suggest you come with an attitude to please."
He swept away without another word, leaving Akihito staring after him with dawning horror.
He had a feeling things were about to get a lot worse.