Now is about the time where I question my ability to string a sentence together, coupled with this style of writing it can be a pain in the ass.
But here it is regardless.
Well, now is about the time I accept that I practice sadism with words, yep, that's right, cliffhanger, one that you weren't expecting I hope.
Credit to Rumi for the quote at the end.
Feilong made the decision for them, he said there was no reason for Akihito to stay in Tokyo the way things were now, he needed to be elsewhere, away from things that reminded him of Asami, of everything he'd lost.
The constant reminders would only continue to open up the wounds that needed to heal.
Kirishima felt like being sick at this point, everyone knew that Akihito didn't care that he'd lost everything, his life, and his name.
Everyone knew that he would have thrown it all away for Asami in an instant, everyone knew except Asami, the only person that needed to know.
Suoh had protested, but inside he knew Feilong was right, it was pretty hard to go against the Baishe leader when he was dead set on something. He wasn't the boss for no reason.
He said if they wanted Akihito back, they'd have to find a way to make Asami wake up from his delusion, and that he'd need to fix everything he'd done to Akihito.
How on earth they were going to make Asami admit that he'd made a mistake, they had no idea.
It was like pointing a blind man in the direction he needed to go, futile, because he couldn't see.
Like telling a deaf man all the words he needed to hear, pointless, because he couldn't listen.
It wouldn't be their fault that Akihito was gone by the time he finally realized his colossal fuck up.
Feilong took Akihito to Hong Kong the next day.
.
.
It turns out getting Asami Ryuichi to admit he'd made a mistake was near impossible, tension in the office was high, the air getting thicker and thicker as weeks went by.
The first confrontation that Suoh and Kirishima had tried ended up being met with silence, they tried reason first, and were met with the wall of Asami's fortress.
Like before, any issues that concerned Takaba Akihito were ignored, and no one wanted to flare up and push the issue like Jun had, for fear of the obvious. For fear of another red eruption.
Asami became unforgiving, bitter and impenetrable, and he showed no signs of seeing reason any time soon, no matter how hard the pair tried.
Each night made it harder to reach him, each night Asami drunk himself further into his colorless castle, every bottle further away from reason, attempting to fill up the hollowness and drown reason at the bottom.
All Asami could hear is silence, all he could see was the dark, stuck in his own cerebral black hole.
Kirishima had never seen his boss look so weary, so burdened, he'd lost his businessman front and wore the face of an ice king.
His eyes were oblivion, no matter how hard you looked into them, you would never see anything, his visage cold, frozen in place, revealing the face of the true man he was now, merciless and black.
Kirishima and Suoh wondered what the hell it would take, short of hammering it into his head, it was clear that Asami couldn't live with his decision now that he'd made it, but crime lords were stubborn, and the tension only kept on building, the air becoming stagnant without change. Every second soaked with unspoken conflict, every hour a silent war of wills.
He wondered who would snap first the next time the subject was broached.
It was impossible to tell at this point, but in the end something had to give, their patience, or Asami's wall.
The secretary wondered how his boss would take the fact that he needed to socialize, tonight, he had attended hardly anything since it happened, choosing to let his silent penthouse keep him company instead.
This event couldn't be missed, but Asami's demeanor was enough to incite unease, and the thought of him at a charity ball right now was akin to sending a muzzled wolf into the flock. He was still terrifying, even if he couldn't bite, the threat was still there.
"Asami sama. The charity ball is tonight, the one you agreed to sponsor 2 months ago." Before Akihito left, he wanted to say.
His boss showed no reaction, he'd heard the unspoken words, and let them land hard against his fortified ears, ignored.
"Who am I going with?" His boss drawled, there was no ounce of care in that tone, there never was anymore.
Kirishima straightened, Asami still hadn't neglected his duties as boss, yet. That was about the only good thing.
"The actress Azumi, Asami sama." The one that Akihito hates, he let silence speak those last parts.
He watched the minor twitch as his silent words hit, as he was hit with a reminder of his mistake. That was it, the only reaction, but he knew it would be a catalyst for things to come.
"Very well." His boss deadpanned, he could tell his boss knew it too.
.
.
Suoh had never been this frustrated in his life, anything Akihito could have done while he was causing trouble was easier to deal with then this.
In fact, he'd give anything for the brat to be leading them on a merry chase throughout Tokyo right now.
He knew Feilong and Kirishima were right, but it didn't make his ire go away, reason didn't quell his unease as he said goodbye to Akihito at the airport weeks ago.
It didn't lessen his frustration at his bosses fucked up reasoning.
The urge to confront Asami wasn't reduced when he went to work the next day, or the days after.
Only his self control and Kirishima's pestering did that.
Suoh was a patient man, but this was proving too much.
He held on to the last of his patience as he gripped the steering wheel of the limo, he was picking up Asami from the charity ball to take him home, which wasn't unusual at all, something like that would never normally stretch his rope so thin.
This time however, he knew his boss had once again clouded his mind with alcohol, like he did every night, hoping to chase his cowardice away.
This time, the actress Azumi got in the limo with him, and sat too close to Asami for Suoh's liking, too close to even more betrayal.
Too close to a betrayal that Suoh would play no part in, not now, not ever.
He watched as the actress put all her charm into seducing his boss, he watched as she leant over to slide her small hand up his thigh, coming in close to his face, their lips inches apart.
It wasn't like Suoh to interrupt, but this time he gladly would.
"Where are we dropping Miss Azumi, Asami sama?" he deadpanned.
He saw the alcohol in his bosses system push the last of his reason away, snapping the last patience Suoh had.
"She's coming back to the penthouse, Suoh." Asami said before he traveled the small distance to place an unfeeling, detached kiss on the actress's lips.
It was too much, Suoh had waited like Feilong and Kirishima said, had resisted the urge to tell his friend to wake the fuck up and make it right, and all he had done was watch as he went further and further down the rabbit hole, dragging Akihito's name in the dirt behind him.
There was only one person Suoh would ever take back to the penthouse, the only other person apart from Asami.
Takaba Akihito, the only person that needed to be taken back to the penthouse.
"I'm done, Asami."
His boss stopped his pathetic excuse of distracting himself, and looked at Suoh, his eyes narrowed.
"What did you just say?" he responded with venom. Any other time Suoh would have flinched at the tone, not this time, he was immune now.
"I said I am fucking done!" Suoh snapped as he took the keys from the ignition and got out of the limo.
Asami got out to follow, with a snarl painted across his face.
"You dare disobey me, Suoh?"
"Yes I dare disobey, I'm not going to sit back and watch you make even more fucking mistakes, I'll not sit by and watch you betray Takaba even further. Take yourself back to your damn penthouse."
He threw the car keys at his boss's chest, but they were ignored and clattered on the concrete at their feet.
"Do not speak his name in front of me Suoh! You think I betrayed him? You know nothing!"
He was in angry boss mode, the one where he killed without a second thought, Suoh didn't care.
"Oh I know Ryuichi, you thought you were doing the right thing? Is that it? Thought that casting him aside without even bothering to clear his damn name is right? What a joke, you dragged him through your fucking mud and now he's ruined!"
"It was the only choice I had, Kazumi!" Asami growled the words, his eyes promised murder, angry that someone had confronted his problem head on.
All of Suoh's frustration flooded out in his tirade, urging his mouth to keep speaking.
"That's a lie and you know it! Just admit you made a mistake for once in your life! You're a mess, Ryuichi, look at you. I'm not going to stand around and watch while you fuck it up even more. You had better make the right choice this time Ryuichi," he gestured to the limo, indicating what choice he meant, "because if it's wrong I wont be at work tomorrow."
Suoh spat the last words, in a red rage of his own as he looked at the shadow of a person he called friend, before turning around and walking away.
He didn't realize the effect his words would have as he strode away, as each word blasted a hole in Asami's wall, letting the alcohol drain away, leaving Asami to find reason as he walked into the night.
Asami stood on the pavement, motionless as time passed around him, he didn't hear Azumi nag him, get frustrated and leave, all he heard was silence as he watched the back of his friend walk away, as he watched the back of his friend get smaller.
As he watched the shadows of his organization dissipate into nothing.
Was that really what would happen now he sent Akihito away?
Would everything crumble? All that he'd built?
Would he lose everything that was of any importance? Suoh, Kirishima, he'd already shot Jun.
Yes. He would.
He barked a laugh as he sat on the curb, and threw his head back to look at the stars through the smog.
As he looked for reason and found it though the haze of alcohol.
The light of the stars, even through the polluted air of Tokyo, was so bright. The light was so bright.
Light, it was the thing that cast shadows, the thing that brought darkness together and held it in place.
Light was the reason shadows existed. To the shadow, light was everything.
He once remembered telling Akihito something, what I give to you is your everything.
All these years, Asami had failed to realize it was the other way around.
How was he to fix it now though? There was nothing he could do that would warrant Akihito even looking at him, he'd betrayed Akihito, smudged his name in ink across the newspapers and hadn't done anything about it.
He had wrecked everything Akihito was, and the only thing that would make it right, was for it to be undone, reversed, and the only way to reverse that, was for Asami to wreck himself.
For the first time in weeks, he felt clearheaded as he picked up the phone and dialed a number that could do everything he wanted.
It rung twice before it answered.
"Ryuichi?" was all the person said.
"…I need a favor, Kuroda."
He explained to Kuroda, and as he explained what he wanted to do, he finally felt the burden lift from his shoulders once more. Weightless. He'd made the right choice, this time for sure.
The bright light of the stars through the Tokyo smog told him so.
.
.
Asami woke, today he felt better then he had any other day since he'd sent his light away, an eternity ago.
He didn't have any dreams last night. He hadn't had any dreams since he'd made the decision to see this through one week ago, since he'd started sleeping in his own bed again.
The black fog had cleared from his conscience, and the great mind of Asami Ryuichi had begun planning Akihito's redemption the only way he knew was possible.
Today was the day where he'd made the right choice.
He dressed for work, he put on the finest suit he owned, this was an extremely special occasion, something he had never done before. Something he would only do for one person, for Takaba Akihito.
He left his guns in the safe, he didn't need them today. He wouldn't need them for a while. Not where he was going.
For the first day in over a month, he sat and ate breakfast at the table he used to share with Akihito. It was quiet without him, but he didn't mind today, it was nice to sit and share the memories with the silence.
Kirishima and a much more reluctant Suoh entered the penthouse, dragging their feet like they had done every other day the past month, only to find Asami waiting for them, dressed impeccably and eating breakfast at the dining room table.
He looked…. Gold. That was it. Asami Ryuichi was back, and he shone brilliantly as he sat at the dining table and ate in silence. God, he was so bright.
Was he this bright before it all happened? No, back then there had been something obscuring the view, and Kirishima had a feeling he knew what it was.
It was denial, dirtying the lustrous shine underneath, and now his boss shone with acceptance, bringing out gold's true potential.
Asami's men sat and waited for orders from their boss, the silence didn't stretch out like it used too, unspoken words didn't weigh down the air of the penthouse, the winds of revelation had finally blown the storm away.
The two men startled at a knock on the penthouse door, and made to draw their weapons, no one was allowed onto this floor without their permission.
"Stand down, Kei, Kazumi." Asami announced as he stood from the table, his movements were sure, his words held resignation.
He walked over to his men, and gave them each a crisp white envelope. White. Kirishima felt like he was seeing that color for the very first time.
"Your orders. Read them after I am gone. Thank you, Kazumi, Kei. For everything."
He left his two subordinates standing dumbstruck, wondering where on earth he would be going after he had just found himself in the dark, after what they'd been waiting for finally happened.
Before Kirishima could act, and piece it all together, his friend opened the door.
Officer Yamazaki, Kuroda Shinji and a handful of officers stood in the doorway.
Yamazaki stepped forward, and drew his handcuffs from the belt on his waist.
With the next words, Kirishima understood, his boss was righting the colossal wrong he'd done, he was trying to fix it, and with this he would. He would fix the name of Takaba Akihito.
"Asami Ryuichi. You're under arrest."
He saw his boss smile, relief washed over his features, and he held his wrists out willingly.
"Indeed I am."
You are not just a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in one single drop.