Hi,

This chapter is divided into two parts (though I don't truly divide it into parts here). The first one tells a story of Akihito and Asami's regular friday dinner and it happened months before Akihito went shopping with Haruka (chapter 7). The second part tells about what Akihito does when Asami is away interrogating Tao. I was not sure about this chapter and actually almost deleted it. But I quite like it so I decided to keep it.

Next chapter, it will be all about Asami and Aki and their two babies. And some lemons. Between Asami and Aki, of course. Not with the babies. :P

Disclaimer : VF belongs to its respective author.

Warning : Lengthy chapter, as usual. And I do apologise for the grammar mistakes, misspelling, etc.

Chapter 10. Priorities

I stood nervously in the middle of the luxurious hotel lobby after one wedding shot, facing the biggest dilemma in my life.

Damn it, Asami! I thought you said that everything had been taken care of! But looked what happened! I knew I shouldn't have trusted the bastard.

Everything started in the afternoon when Asami decided that he didn't want to miss our regular Friday dinner just because I suddenly had a wedding to shoot that night. The lovely couple already told me that they could get an extra hotel room for me. But Asami being the great Asami Ryuichi refused to stay in a common deluxe room, even if it was a deluxe room in one of the most expensive five stars hotels in Tokyo. So he told me to cancel the booking and ordered Kirishima to book the presidential suite in the same hotel and to have a table ready for the two of us in the famous romantic restaurant located on the top floor of the hotel.

Which was the reason why I was in his office that same afternoon, arguing in great details about how the wedding was scheduled to be held until very late at night and how the couple wanted another post-wedding photo session around the hotel the next morning and how there wouldn't be any time for us to do ANYTHING else but sleep. When he ignored me and kept reading his business thingy, I continued my reasoning that it was such a waste to spend so much money booking a suite just to sleep for a few hours.

"The couple told me they could provide an extra room, anyway. But I know it won't meet your standard. The room is so plain and boring. So, you see, you don't have to force yourself to accompany me just for a few hours. I completely understand if you want to enjoy your evening in the comfort of your condo. And imagine how much money you can save if you don't book that suite. See? It is a win-win solution. You can save some money for your business, while I can do my work-"

"Akihito, should I buy the entire hotel now just to shut you up?" He didn't even lift his eyes from the papers that he read as he cut my blabbering. Asami looked annoyed since I told him that I couldn't make it to our dinner because of work. And I knew that his patience grew thinner the more I tried to persuade him to cancel our plan.

Okay, I had to make a confession here. I actually took this wedding shot on purpose. When I found out that the couple wanted to hire me from Friday night until Saturday afternoon, I grabbed the opportunity to avoid our regular Friday dinner right away. I was tired of waking up on Saturday morning with all the guilt for failing to refuse this selfish love affair churning inside my stomach.

I thought Asami would be more understanding if I told him that I wanted to cancel our dinner because of work. Wasn't there a rule that couple should be supportive of each other's work or something? Arata and I wouldn't complain if we had to cancel our plan because the other got work to do. And heaven knew how many times Arata and I did that lately. I had lost count already. At least, we wouldn't complain out loud and book a ridiculously expensive presidential suite just so we could stick to our plan. But as usual, Asami didn't react like how the other millions of human beings on earth would.

I sighed and tried to argue one last time. "Asami, I really won't have time to have dinner with you. And what's the purpose of spending so much money for a presidential suite if we can't take our time to enjoy it?"

"Fine. Kirishima, change the booking. Extend it until Sunday so my dear Akihito can take his time to enjoy the suite. Adjust my schedule accordingly."

Kirishima just nodded respectfully while I gawked at Asami in disbelief. Was this man crazy? Why did every time I try to lead him to one point, he just went the other way?

"Asami, I can't do that! What will I tell Arata? I don't want to lie to him anymore!" I blurted without thinking.

He finally looked at me. His irritation was clearly written on his handsome face. He didn't even look at his secretary as he calmly issued a new order. "Kirishima, tell Takagi that I would need him in Osaka by tonight. And give him something to keep him busy there until Monday morning at the very least."

I was speechless.

"Now, I am sure everything is taken care of then. Or do you have any other concern, Akihito?" His voice didn't show any emotion, but I knew he was pissed beyond reason already. The more I tried to make him agreeing, the more he would issue unbelievable orders just to show me that he could do that. If I argued more, I would just make everything worse. So, I shook my head resentfully.

"No, Asami-sama," I sneered angrily at him, "I don't have any more concern."

"Good," he said coolly and continued to read his stupid paperwork.

And that was why I now fidgeted in the hotel lobby, sweating nervously because one of my best friends apparently was a close cousin of the bride and now he wanted to stay with me in my hotel room for the night.

"Come on, Aki. It will be fun! We haven't spent much time together lately. And since my dear cousin Maria, has paid the room, let's enjoy it to our heart content."

Maria hit Kou playfully, laughing along with her new husband. I was sure that I stared at my best friend with a completely blank expression because my brain chose that exact moment to stop working.

The problem was I already told Maria that I would book the room myself. I thought that I could use the cash she gave me plus my photography fee to contribute to the presidential suite Asami booked. At least this way, I wouldn't feel like I was a whore visiting her customer's hotel room in the middle of the night.

Of course, Kirishima snorted rudely as soon as he saw the amount of money I passed him. But he accepted it nevertheless, telling me that he would make the booking under my name so I could rest as soon as possible. So, now, I didn't have any room but the presidential suite that I would share with Asami, and I didn't have any money to book another room. How could I tell my best friend that I would stay in a ridiculously expensive presidential suite that was clearly out of my budget just because my selfish secret lover didn't want to cancel our supposedly secret dinner no matter what?

"It is a good idea, Takaba-san. Tomorrow the four of us can have breakfast together before you take our photo," Maria pleasantly tried to persuade me. "I will make sure Kou help bringing your equipment during the photo session."

"Umm," I tried to reject the offer diplomatically, "I don't think it is nice of us to bother a newlywed. You must want to have time together as much as you can. We shouldn't disturb your breakfast."

The couple just laughed as they helped Kou dragging me to the check in counter.

"Oh please, Kou and I have always been close since we were young. It will be nice to have some time with him before I move abroad. My husband works in Hong Kong so I will move there to be with him," Maria explained along the way as she winked her eye to me.

"Excuse me, can you please check a booking under the name of Takaba Akihito?" Kou asked the lady behind the check in counter.

I could feel cold sweat streaming down my back. But before the lady asked for my identification card, there was a commotion from the entrance of the hotel. Everyone turned around to see what was happening.

And there he was. Asami Ryuichi. Looking as strikingly hot in an elegant way as ever. He wore a black custom-made stylish coat with a nicely matched dark blue scarf around his neck. The color accentuated his silky black hair and the golden color of his eyes. And everyone inside the lobby gawked at the sexy crime lord wrapped in all those expensive fabrics. Everyone. Including the beautiful bride who stood right beside me. I could practically see Maria drooling over Asami and I felt a surprising urge to yell at her, "Move on, you just got married less than three hours a go. He is mine!" But when I glanced at her new husband, the young man also stared at my lover as he fixed his jacket to cover his tented pant. I shook my head. Indeed, tonight Asami radiated stronger aura of power, wealth and danger. And all those just made him looked sexier, attracting every man and woman like moth to flames.

Asami stood there arrogantly, obiously was not oblivious to all the attention given to him but didn't care enough about these people to show any kind of reaction. His eyes scanned the room quickly until he found me. I saw him giving a subtle order to Kirishima and his right hand man immediately walked towards me.

"Aki, isn't that the man who picked you up after our new year party?" Kou asked behind me curiously.

I gulped. Great, things were just going to get worse.

Kirishima, blessed his heart, noticed that something was wrong as soon as he recognized Kou. When the man approached, he asked carefully, "Takaba-sensei, is everything okay?"

"..sensei?" Kou asked in confusion.

Now I got Kou, Maria, and her husband stared at me in wonder. And it just made me even more nervous.

"Ummmm," I murmured noncommittally, "yes?"

Kirishima's gaze at me was sharp before he looked at the lady behind the counter, who, of course, was also drooling over Asami. She blushed and quickly gave me back her attention, "Sorry, Sir. May I have your ID card to confirm your booking?"

I waved my hand in an awkward gesture, "Oh, ummm, you mean...like identification card? Like the identification card that we use to identify ourselves?"

She looked at me as if I was an idiot. What? It was better to look like an idiot rather than having my best friend found out that I made a booking for a fucking presidential suite to accommodate my goddamn love affair. But Kirishima realized the situation quickly.

"Takaba-sensei, I know you are tired. But I am afraid Asami-sama doesn't have much time in his schedule. It will be great if we can have our discussion first before you go to your room," he gave me an excuse.

I gladly turned around to face Kirishima. I was sure he could see relief written all over my face because he looked at me with some sort of concern in his eyes.

"Discussion? Oh, oh, yeah sure! The discussion! Well, we can't make the great Asami Ryuichi waits for long, can we? Shall we go now so we can discuss, ummm, you know, whatever it is we want to discuss?"

I heard a familiar laugh from behind Kirishima. Asami chuckled so unreservedly that even I was surprised.

"Oh, I am very sorry for this," he casually said to Kou, Maria, and her husband. The newly wedded couple instantly melted at Asami's deep baritone voice. "It has been a tough day but seeing the animated Takaba-sensei always brings laughter back to me."

The couple automatically assured him that it didn't matter, that they understood, blah blah blah. But Kou just stood silently, watching Asami in suspicion. I couldn't blame him. In my humble opinion, that was what everyone should do every time they saw Asami. Asami introduced himself briefly; hardly giving any information more than what was necessary. And my companions introduced themselves so excitedly. Well, two did that excitedly. One did that with a frown.

"Takaba-sensei, shall we go now? It will take some time to discuss the full detail of the project. And it is getting late already," Asami's voice pulled me out of my intense observation of Kou.

"Then I will just wait in your room, Aki," Kou quickly told me.

"I am afraid that the discussion may take some time," Asami lied smoothly. "I may need to take Takaba-sense somewhere else to show him some proofs."

"Proofs?" Maria asked curiously.

"Oh, haven't Takaba-sensei informed you that he once worked as a photojournalist for criminal section? We are working for government's project right now." Asami tilted his head as if he was truly wondering whether I had told them or not.

Maria and her husband were so enchanted with Asami that they enthusiastically asked in detail about the thrill of my past experience as a crime photojournalist. She even squealed in interest as Asami smoothly described my 'current project', a nicely altered conspiracy story that I knew he copied from an old detective novel. I saw Suoh reading the novel once and I asked what it was about. But apparently, Asami's trick worked. Everyone was distracted from our previous topic and for a while I thought my best friend would simply forget the idea of waiting in my room. Then Kou interrupted the easy conversation and I started fidgeting again.

"I thought you quitted crime photography, Aki. You told me that it was dangerous and you didn't want it to affect your relationship with Arata." Raising his eyebrow, he put meaningful emphasize as he mentioned the word 'relationship'.

I hoped a hole would open up and I silently prayed that it would swallow me whole. I didn't know what to say. My mind was blank and I looked at anywhere else but my best friend. My breathing increased and my heart rate jumped suddenly. I felt that everything moved slower around me. And everyone talked louder to my ears. I started to sweat heavily and my instinct told me to run away from this damn hotel as soon as possible.

The next thing I knew, Asami moved casually to stand beside me. Our arms were separated a few millimeters away and he didn't touch me. But I could feel the warmth of his body. The smell of his familiar cologne with a hint of his usual cigarettes filled my brain and, amazingly, it slightly calmed my mind down.

"Takaba-sensei did. But I asked his favor and he kindly accepted. I am very sorry to ask this, but do you happen to know Takagi-san as well?"

Kou looked surprised, "Do you know Takagi Arata?"

Showing his perfect smile, Asami answered easily, "What a small world. Of course, I do. I believe I know this happy couple quite well. They always look so sweet together I can't help but tease them from time to time."

Normally, I would snort at Asami's blatant lie. But I felt so detached with reality now that I just nodded absentmindedly from behind Asami's broad shoulders, secretly hoping that I could lean on him and inhale more of the intoxicating aroma of his body.

Asami smartly talked about Arata with Kou for a while, telling a funny anecdote about something Arata did at the office and, in the same time, making Arata a sort of hero in front of all this people. And everyone truly laughed at his story. Just like that, Kou didn't look at Asami suspiciously anymore. He still observed Asami's every movement, but he didn't say anything else that might reveal my secret.

When Asami finally asked me to leave for the restaurant, Kou didn't try to stop me. Maria frowned, though, and innocently asked, "The famous restaurant on the top floor? I thought it is already closed for the day."

Leading me with a strong and reassuring grip at my elbow, Asami smirked. "Is it? I am sure they will make an exception once in a while." And I knew he wasn't bragging. He simply stated the fact.

"Um, I will wait for both of you in the lobby tomorrow morning, Maria-san, Himuro-san. 9AM, okay? Bye, Kou! I promise I will call you soon," I told them in a more steady voice before I left.

Once Asami and I were inside the lift, Kirishima passed my lover our room cards. I didn't even notice when Kirishima checked us in. Too busy trying to hide my secret, I guess. Suoh and Kirishima stood inside the lift, facing away from us as they blocked other people from coming inside.

As soon as the door closed with the familiar 'ding' sound, I grabbed Asami's jacket and bring him down roughly to kiss him. I didn't know what got into me. I meant, Kirishima and Suoh were there, standing only a few feet away from us. And I just experienced one of the most frightening incidents since I quitted crime photography. But instead of feeling any fear or guilt, I felt horny. I grinded my arousal desperately against Asami's thigh as he held me around my waist and thrust his tongue deep into my throat, kissing me brutally.

"Asami...I don't know...I...why...," I sobbed as I gasp for breath. His face was so near that we practically breathed the very same air.

"Adrenaline rush," he calmly explained. "Your adrenaline is pumping right now. Everyone has different triggers. It is natural. Nothing is wrong with you."

As he leaned down to lick my jawline, I bit his neck hard in frustration. I wanted his bare skin against mine. I wanted to taste his cum in my mouth. I wanted his cock deep inside me. Frantically, my hand pried to his pant, but his hand halted my movement. I looked up at him sullenly. I could feel his erection poking my stomach. So, what was his problem now? Didn't he want this too? Wasn't he the one who stubbornly insisted that we kept our regular Friday affair?

"Kirishima," that was the only thing that he said as he stared at me.

"Understood, Asami-sama," Kirishima answered without looking back.

What was this? How did Kirishima understand what Asami wanted just with that single word? Did they talk in a telepathy mode now? A strong wave of jealousy exploded inside me. Out of the edge of my eyes, I noticed Kirishima pressed a button on the lift panel as he took his phone out. I heard another 'ding' sound. But I didn't care. Everything else around me faded out into the background. Right now, the only thing I wanted was to show Asami that it was me who was with him. Not Kirishima. Not Suoh. Not everyone else who blatantly gawked at him as they worshipped his body secretly inside their pervert imagination.

I stripped out of my clothes provocatively at him, ignoring the two bulky men who stood behind me. Asami smirked sensually at my unusual advances. He leaned on the lift wall and crossed his arms, obviously enjoying my show. I couldn't miss the hard-on in his pants or the way his eyes lit when I teased him by brushing my fingers lightly across my naked chest down to my stomach. His lustful eyes followed every movement of my hand. And when I reached my underwear, I took my time to take it off, enjoying the way he fucked me with his eyes as I revealed more and more of my bare skin.

As soon as I was naked, I strode towards him, my hard cock was on display for him to enjoy. Circling my hands around his neck, I forced him to slightly bow down as I kissed him desperately, grinding our erections together. And he kissed me back even harder. I would have swollen lips tomorrow. But at that moment, I couldn't care less even if he decided to kill me there. He let me stripped him out of his coat. I trembled with an uncontrollable desire to touch his naked skin.

When I felt the bulge of his gun behind his wool jacket, my hand stopped moving for a while. But he grabbed my chin in a rough but reassuring grip and forced me to look at him in the eyes. His left hand rested firmly around my waist. He didn't say anything else. His gold eyes pinned me in his embrace. And it was enough to erase all my doubt. I quickly removed his gun holster and the rest of his shirt. Before I moved to his pants, he positioned my back against the wall. His hands rested on both sides of my head, trapping me.

I looked at the powerful man in front of me. Asami in his stylish suit was truly breathtaking. But Asami dressed in nothing but his pants as he suggestively stared at my body was a sight to behold. The dimmed light inside the luxurious lift highlighted each flex and roll of his muscles. And I swallowed hungrily at the idea that this sexy creature wanted me.

Licking and sucking my neck, he lifted my left leg, holding it with his strong arm while putting out his hard cock with the other hand. Spitting into his palm, he did a quick trick with his fingers to prepare me. And not long after, he penetrated me in a slow steady speed while thrusting his tongue frantically into my mouth.

"Move...faster, bastard," I complained at him when he finally gave me time to breath.

He snickered as he whispered low in my ear. "Oh, so impatient today, aren't we."

I blushed. But then Asami thrust hard. And fast. And it melted my last brain cell that enabled me to think about embarrassment. I panted and moaned, muttering wordless requests so he moved even faster and harder. He shoved his huge cock into me like a wild man, holding our bodies hard together until I was almost tiptoeing.

Tonight, I felt that my senses were dramatically heightened. And the stimulation he gave me multiplied into the point of insanity. So, when his cock touched that erogenous spot deep inside me, I howled loudly. My knees went weak, and his solid embrace was the only thing that kept me standing as I held onto him for my dear life. I wanted to cum. I wanted to touch my own cock, but our position didn't allow me. I was practically at his mercy.

"Asami," I held his head in my arms tightly, "Please!"

He bit my nipple roughly and sucked it hard. And that was what sent me over the sharp edge of orgasm. Everything was blinding white for a while and I felt him thrusting into me a few more times before his warm sticky liquid filled me. Then it was all black.

When I woke up, I found myself in the middle of an enormous bed, as comfortable as the one Asami had in his penthouse. A thick soft blanket kept me warm. But I was alone. Where was I? I noticed the hotel logo on some stationary at the bedside table and I realized that I must be in the presidential suite Asami booked. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still half past three in the morning. But I could hear some people were talking (or shouting, to be exact) from another room.

Unable to find my clothes anywhere, I wrapped myself with the thin sheet I found in the bed. In the small lounge outside the bedroom, I saw Kirishima sat in a couch, silently reading a newspaper. He looked up when he heard me coming.

"Kirishima? Where is Asami?" I asked in confusion.

"In the office room in this suite. He has a meeting right now. Your new fresh clothes are on that table." He pointed the table across him. "Get dressed. You can take a bath if you want. After that, you must eat something. I will tell the room service to bring in the food now. You must be very hungry by now considering you didn't have dinner."

After I took a bath and dressed in clean clothes, I did feel hungry. Kirishima watched me stuffing all the delicious food into my mouth as he accompanied me for the very late dinner.

"How come he has meeting at three in the morning? Who will come to such a meeting anyway? If my boss asks me to do that, I will tell him to go to hell," I asked in between the food.

Kirishima sipped his own cup of coffee before he answered simply, "Well, people who want to keep their life will come."

I frowned at his answer. "If he was so busy that he needed to held a meeting at the wee hours, why didn't he just agree to cancel our dinner? It would save the both of us all the trouble. In the end, we didn't go to dinner, anyway."

For a long while, Kirishima looked at me as if I was truly an idiot and he wasted his time by talking to me. And when he didn't say anything after a few minutes, even I started to believe that I might be an idiot because I didn't understand why he treated me like one.

"Okay, unfortunately, I can't read your mind like Asami do. So, unless you explain to me, I won't understand."

Now Kirishima looked confused, "What make you think that Asami-sama can read my mind?"

"Well, he just needed to say 'Kirishima' and you knew what he wanted. And I believe it is vice versa," I muttered with a pout.

He snorted, "Brat, YOU just need to look at him and he will know what YOU want. And vice versa. Both of you doesn't even need to say anything to know that the other wants to fuck like bunnies. Is that jealousy I heard in your voice?"

I blushed, "I am not jealous!"

He shrugged, "Yeah, whatever you want to believe. If what you meant is the way he ordered me in the lift before, there is a simple explanation. He wanted to tell me to stop the lift, put it in emergency mode, call the security to turn off the CCTV inside that lift, and be on guard outside the lift. Or are you an exhibitionist and you wanted to give a free show to the men watching in the security room? If that is so, I will happily make sure that the security can watch all your action from the best possible angle in the future."

I stare at him in disbelief, "Then, why didn't Asami just say so?"

Kirishima sighed, "You were high with adrenaline. He didn't want to say anything that can make you even more unstable. Didn't you notice how you get upset just because he called my name? What would you think if he explained all that when your emotion weren't stable?"

His answer made me speechless.

"Listen, brat. It may not be my place to say this, but he deeply cares for you. Every time you are around, your safety and wellbeing is always his top priority. Do you think he will spend effort to distract you curious friends and talk your way out of trouble if he doesn't care? If it were someone else, he would just shot the person dead. That was how I could guess what he wanted when he called me in the lift. Whenever you are there with him, the only thing he wants is just to keep you safe." He paused. "And as for why he didn't want to cancel your dinner?"

I remained silent because suddenly I was not sure I really wanted to hear the answer. But Kirishima ignored my discomfort and kept explaining mercilessly.

"Have you ever realized that he always has time for you no matter how busy he is at work? I am the one who arranges his entire schedule, brat. And trust me, I knew for sure that he has never broken a promise to you. He employs millions of people, leads multiple businesses in many different countries, and practically rules an empire that reaches over the five continents. But surprisingly a freelance photographer can be much busier than him that you need to cancel your weekly dinner appointment because of work. This is just my humble opinion; you can just ignore it if you want. But when you start prioritizing other things before your partner, you may want to be careful. Maybe it is time for you to reconsider whether you truly care about your partner."

Half an hour since Asami left me alone with the two babies, I still feel upset. But being upset won't improve the situation.

Fix it one by one, Akihito. Don't take everything at once.

Okay, first, Mariko.

I try to open the front door. It is not locked. But three bodyguards in their neat black suits block my way out, watching my every movement as if I will suddenly jump and eat them alive. When I pop my head further out of the front door, I notice that there are another five guards looking at me from the foyer and another two guards standing in front of the lift. And I am sure there will be more downstairs.

Wow, Asami must have gone crazy. Ten bodyguards just to make sure that I don't leave? Especially after he chained my wrists and ankles?

Realizing that it is a futile attempt to go through the front door, I go back inside and close the door. Even if I can trick a few guards, I won't be able to pass all of them. There is also no way I can go from the balcony, unless I can fly. I sigh. It seems that I am stuck inside for the day.

Another option is to call Arata. But if Asami finds out, he won't be so happy. And it is not wise to make him unhappy after our quarrel this morning. Think, Akihito. There must be a way to contact Arata without alerting Asami. I just need to carefully tiptoe behind Asami's back.

I grab the landline phone and dial a number. Kou answers in the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kou."

"Aki! Where are you? Where have you been? Are you okay? Some scary people came and asked about you," he blurts as soon as he recognizes my voice.

"I know. I am sorry, Kou. It is a long story. Anyway, this is urgent. Do you hear anything from Arata? I think he is in trouble and I want to see if there is anything I can do to help him."

There is uncomfortable silence following my question.

"Kou?"

My best friend doesn't say anything for a while, as if he is trying to find the right words to explain everything. When he finally answers, his tone drips with his disapproval of my behavior.

"Arata lost his job, Aki. And his sister is missing. And he has to face everything alone since you are too busy doing whatever it is you are doing at wherever it is you are doing it."

I am stunned. I know about Arata's sister. But he has never said anything in his emails about losing his job. Since I left him, Asami must have lost interest in Arata's work. Even though it is not directly my fault, I still feel guilty. But I remind myself that I have prepared to sacrifice everything for Asami's wellbeing. This is just part of it. There is no point for dwelling in regret now.

Still, Kou's resentment surprises me. I know Kou has always been close with Arata. But I don't realize that they are that close. As my best friend, somehow I expect Kou to be more understanding towards my situation.

"Well, umm, I am truly sorry to hear that he lost his job. But-"

"He is a good guy, Aki."

"Indeed, Arata is a very good guy. But Kou-"

"He loves you."

"KOU, I broke up with him! I told you before I left."

"He still loves you! He worries about you! Do you know how hard the last few months are for him? He worked days and nights for you, for your future together. But suddenly you disappeared. And then his stupid client cancelled all the contracts with his company. His boss blamed him. He lost his boyfriend AND his job in less than a week. But you don't care, do you? You had never cared about him! You always took him for granted!"

"Kou, what are you talking about? I care for him. Well, maybe not in the way I did before. But I do care as a friend."

Kou snorts. But he didn't say anything else. Suddenly understanding dawns on me.

"Kou, do you like Arata?"

There is only silent. It all makes sense now.

"Kou, it is okay. I am not mad. Arata and I...look, there is nothing between Arata and I now. It was over. It was over a long time a go, Kou. We just didn't want to admit it."

"Well, maybe you think so. But he doesn't."

I rub my forehead in frustration. Why do all the men in my life have to be so stubborn? Of course, so far, the bastard still holds the top position for that.

Kou sighs before he continues softly. "Is it that man? He is the reason you break up with Arata, isn't he?"

For a while, I feel confuse. There are so many things run havoc inside my head at this moment that I need more time than usual to follow our conversation. "Which man?"

"Come on, Aki. Stop hiding it as if I am stupid. I may act like I don't care about anything in life. But I can be quite observant. It is something I need to learn since young in my family, remember? I am talking about the man who picked you up after our new year party; the same man who met you at the hotel after Maria's wedding. He is the reason you broke up with Arata, isn't he? Do you love him?" he asks gently now.

Oh, he means Asami. I close my eyes. Well, this is going to happen sooner or later. I can't keep hiding Asami from everyone forever. It is time to face it like a man and tell my best friend the truth. Kou deserves it.

"I do love Ryu, Kou. But he is not the reason I broke up with Arata. Our relationship just didn't work. That's all."

My best friend doesn't show any reaction to my simple admission. Then I hear him sighing.

"When we met him at the hotel, I realized something was not right. This Asami looked...I don't know...he looked so protective about you. He watched you all the time, even when he pretended that he didn't. But I knew he did. He reacted to every small thing that you did. And when he mentioned Arata and said what a happy couples you and Arata was, he smiled and laughed. But all I could think by that time was how upset he looked like. And I thought...I thought he had an unrequited love for you. I thought maybe you didn't know. But I couldn't tell you. I didn't want to. Even if you didn't know, I could see your attraction to him. And I didn't want you to realize it. I pitied the man. I know how it feels to have a love unreturned; being unable to do or say anything even when the person you love is so close near you hurts like hell. So I felt sympathy towards this man. But I didn't want Arata to get hurt. I will do anything so Arata won't get hurt," he pauses. When he continues, his voice sounds so full of regret, "I am sorry."

I don't know what to say. How come I didn't realize my best friend's feeling up until now? What kind of a friend am I to be so blind? "No, I am sorry, Kou. You didn't do anything wrong. I should have noticed your feeling. I am so very sorry."

Being such an easygoing person, Kou chuckles softly at my awkwardness. He sighs loudly before he teases me, "Well, let's just consider it even between us, then. Otherwise, we will just keep saying sorry to each other forever." I am relieved to hear his cheekiness back. "So, are you with this Asami now?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I am not sure. Are you going to tell Arata about your feeling?"

"What is this? Are we playing a game where we need to tell each other the truth like some girls in pyjamas party?" He laughs. But when I remain quiet, he gives up and answers, "No, I won't. And you better don't."

"But, why?" I instantly ask. Somehow I think they will fit each other. The serious Arata and the happy-go-lucky Kou will be a good balance.

"Well, you know my family. They won't allow it."

And I do know his family even though I just met them once or twice. They don't like me but the feeling is mutual. Kou comes from a strict family full with respectful doctors. His father and his older brothers are well-known surgeons. His family even owns their own hospital. It is already ingrained deep inside Kou how disappointed his family is because he failed to enter the medical school. My easygoing friend always acts like it is nothing. But I know he is much more disappointed with his own failure than his family will ever be. And that is why he won't do anything that may cause more problems for his family.

"You won't know for sure until you try," I tell him simply.

"I know for sure already. Even if Arata somehow likes me, which he doesn't, it will only hurt him. And I don't want him to get hurt because of me."

Somehow, his argument reminds me of someone else's argument; someone that I am very familiar with: myself. And for the first time since I woke up after the Russian incident, I finally see the whole situation clearly. It is weird how everything becomes so obvious when you are just an observer. I am not sure whether my next advice is truly meant for him or for myself.

"Well, maybe he doesn't mind to get hurt for you. And who knows what will happen in the future? Maybe everything will be fine and no one will get hurt. Are you going to give up now just because you are too afraid to even try?" The words are out even before my brain can filter everything.

Kou is quiet for a long moment. Then he replies in a steady voice, "Yes, I am going to do that, Aki. And we are not going to discuss this issue anymore. Anyway, you want me to check on Arata, don't you? I'll call him now. I'll let you know as soon as possible, ok? Besides, I don't think it is wise if he knows that you are back in Tokyo now."

I don't want to upset my best friend anymore than I already have. So, I give him my phone number quickly. And with that, he hangs up. I sigh. Now, I just need to wait until Kou calls me back. And hopefully he will do it before Asami comes home.