Well, I took a while off this fic because I was unsure about the way I wrote it.
I'm still not sure, but have decided to finish it nonetheless.
The update isn't huge, but it's still an update, the story will be finished soon. Will be going back to my older stuff also, after this.
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Kirishima and Suoh stood frozen as Asami led everyone out of the penthouse, you would never think he'd just been arrested, his head was held with pride, his shoulders perfect and straight, his golden aura blinding the people that had come to arrest him.
He had his wrists cuffed in front of him, but as he strode forward, out of that door in front of everyone else, he still looked like the King, and they still looked like his subjects.
Kuroda Shinji gave them both a fleeting glance, and he let a sigh out as he followed his Asami down the hall, he'd helped set this up, it doesn't mean he was happy about putting his friend in jail.
He closed the penthouse door behind him, and with his boss's exit, Kirishima couldn't help but notice how all the color faded, turning the world inside the penthouse into a dull monochrome.
"What. the. fuck?" Suoh deadpanned.
Kirishima then remembered the envelope in his hand, and he knew it would have the answers Suoh was wanting.
As Kirishima flipped open the envelope and brought out the strong white paper that his orders were written on, he adjusted his glasses, and read the black words on the white page.
"Look at today's newspaper.
Call Feilong, he knows everything.
Bring Him to me."
That was all it said, it wasn't much, but surprisingly it was enough. He looked over to Suoh's paper, his stoic friend stunned with the single line written in oblivion colored ink.
"Thanks, Kazumi. Look after him until I get back."
They both had their orders, so unlike the order Asami had given him weeks ago after the front page that started this entire disaster.
These orders he would follow willingly.
First though, the newspaper that was still tucked under his arm, forgotten in this morning's events.
"Hurry up with the fucking paper already, Kirishima." Suoh had looked over at Kirishima's note in turn, and had yanked the rolled up headlines out from its purchase under his arm.
The pair of subordinates rolled out the paper on the dining table, and surveyed what their boss had been up to this past week.
The headline on the front page read:
"Takaba Akihito works with D.A Kuroda to uncover Sion CEO felonies, charges pending."
The first line of the article said:
"Takaba plotted with D.A Kuroda to stage the relationship to sequester confidential information about underground business deals."
The photo that accompanied the article was a picture of Takaba Akihito, with a strap slung over his shoulder, his face pointed in the direction of the light.
Kirishima knew Asami must have picked this photo, it was the first photo Kirishima gave to Asami all those years ago, the first time Asami ever saw Takaba Akihito.
Young, innocent and carefree, not yet tainted by Asami's world, this was the photo that Asami wanted everyone to see.
"….he really did it." Suoh said, in a whisper.
He did, Asami did to himself what journalists have been trying to do for years, the King was untouchable, everyone knew about the rumors, but nothing was ever published, to get a scoop on Asami Ryuichi would be the pinnacle of a photographers career.
Asami had given Akihito exactly that.
"Hey, Kei, we didn't tell Asami where we sent Akihito, did we?" Suoh questioned as he looked at Kirishima's orders once more.
"I didn't, no." Kirishima replied, pensive.
"Fucking hell, even with all the booze he can still read us like an open book."
"That's why he's the boss." Came his reply as he pulled his phone out, to call Feilong.
.
It was early morning, and Feilong found himself shifting in his seat, speculative for the call that he didn't know was coming or not. When Asami called him one week ago, he could hardly believe what the man was saying to him, what he was asking of Feilong.
Feilong, who would sooner shoot Asami for what he'd done to Akihito, Feilong, who was now defending Asami's routes and underground business while the man got himself arrested and sat in a cell. For Akihito.
It was so ironic how the tides had turned, Asami once held everything of Feilong's in the palm of his hand, and he had clenched that fist without mercy and destroyed it nearly beyond repair.
Now here the Baishe leader was, he had the only thing that Asami ever wanted and more, but instead of crushing it, he found himself agreeing to watch over it, cradle it with both hands, rather than closing his fist like Asami had done all those years ago.
Feilong didn't think he could bring himself to do it anyway, even if he wanted to. That was the difference between him and Asami.
Asami was darker shade of black than him.
He heard the fax come through, the one he'd been waiting for from Asami's friend, Kuroda, not really believing his ears as he walked over to the machine in his office and snatched the page from the feed as soon as the machines teeth let it go, he held his breath as he flipped the page over to look, exhale, and there it was.
The mornings front page headline for Tokyo, with Akihito's face on it.
Even though the photo was black and white, it still had more color than what Akihito did now.
Oh, his skin had returned to the tint of someone living, his cheeks had filled out, and he was beginning to show expression again, but despite all that, he was still a few shades short of the true color he'd once been.
Feilong truly had no idea how Akihito would react when he showed him the fax he had in his hand.
Or what would happen when he told Akihito they would be going back to Tokyo, as Feilong promised Asami they would if the Japanese man really went through with it.
All Feilong needed now was the phone call that was due any second.
He waited a few more minutes, or eternity, they were one and the same right now, until the phone in his pocket finally came to life and said there was an incoming call, from Kirishima Kei.
"Kirishima, what took you so long?" he said, his patience was wearing thin by the time the phone actually rung.
"Feilong, so you do know what's going on?" Kirishima sounded relieved, as he should, because for all the secretary knew, his boss had just thrown him in the deep end without a way out.
Asami and Feilong had discussed it, Kirishima could only hold the fort so long, and that's where Feilong stepped in.
Though Kirishima didn't even know that yet. That was something they had to discuss in person, away from prying eyes and ears.
They discussed briefly what was going on, and at the end of the call made arrangements for Feilong to finally bring Akihito back to Tokyo, back to Asami.
With that done, Feilong left his office, and walked the halls of his home towards the sitting room, where Akihito and Tao were having breakfast with Yoh.
Akihito and Tao, Feilong had to smile, where one was, so was the other.
Tao had stuck to Akihito's side like glue the moment they arrived in Hong Kong, even going so far as to sleep in the same room.
Young Tao was strangely receptive to it all, he never once mentioned 'that man Asami' that came to pick Akihito up last time, not once had he ever asked what was wrong.
Instead, he took it upon himself to keep Akihito company at all times, he told Feilong it was because he thought Akihito looked lonely, he made Akihito eat, he made Akihito sleep, and over the past week, he'd even managed to make Akihito smile, if only for a fleeting moment.
He was a child after all, it was hard to be immune to his efforts, or his demands in some cases, lord knew that over the years Feilong's immunity to them had been completely wiped out.
Akihito's time in Hong Kong would be cut much shorter than Feilong would have liked it, but in the end it wasn't what about what Feilong wanted, it wasn't even about what Akihito wanted, it was about what he needed.
Akihito needed to talk to Asami at least once, whether it be the last time or not, and it seemed Asami knew too, from the orders he'd given Kirishima.
What would happen at that meeting was anyone's guess.
It was all up to Akihito to decide how it would go, as it should have been from the very start. It had taken until now for Asami to realize that. Stupid man.
"Akihito." He said as he walked into the room, finding the blonde and Tao at the dining table.
The Baishe leader didn't know which way to go about this, he didn't even know if was a good idea, the page in his hand could undo it all, it could thicken the filter over Akihito's vibrancy, or finally reveal the full spectrum.
Akihito looked up at his ambiguous tone, and Feilong watched him pale as he took in the bit of paper in Feilong's hand.
Of course, paper wouldn't mean anything good to Akihito, especially ones that had photocopied news headlines on them.
He gave the faxed article to Akihito face down, and gave Akihito the choice of when he finally chose to look.
The blonde stared at the white page on the other side for a few breaths, before looking at Feilong in question.
"Just look, Akihito, you'll see." The Chinese man urged.
"….Alright." with that, Akihito turned the page over in one quick motion, getting it over and done with as if ripping the band aid off.
Yoh and Feilong both watched as Akihito surveyed Tokyo's news in front of him, they watched his eyes widen, and then narrow as they read the small print.
They watched with each word read, his eyes become animated once more, no longer static.
They watched as each shade of emotion passed over his features, until the full picture of Takaba Akihito was revealed in all its hues.
Akihito bandied the page about in a clenched fist.
"What the fuck does he think he's doing? If I'm gonna get a scoop, I'm gonna get it myself, that bastard. "
Tao was clapping his hands in delight, happy to see Akihito so animated, Yoh stood open mouthed, and Feilong couldn't help but laugh.
Takaba Akihito was back in all his brilliance, and Asami was going to find himself in for a shock when he was face to face with Akihito once more.
He told Akihito their arrangements with Kirishima to fly back today, and Feilong found himself laughing once more as Akihito left to go pack his things, muttering colorful expletives and profanities about a certain Japanese crime lord as he went.