Hi all,
This is a short chapter compared to the usual. But I hope you will enjoy it. Please, please, let me know what you thought. Even if you just want to protest, it will help me to improve. :D
Disclaimer : VF belongs to YA. And grammar problem, as usual.
Chapter 5. Pandora Box
The gagging sounds had woken Asami up since it'd started. He'd tried to ignore it, thinking that it would quiet down after a while. Apparently, it didn't. So, he finally decided to wake up and checked on it. He couldn't continue sleeping with all the noise, anyway.
The bedside lamps provided a gentle ambient light to the entire bedroom. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, however, Tokyo was still engulfed by darkness. It was a cloudy night and not even the moon showed up to offer additional light.
He threw a glance at his watch, which he'd put carefully beside the lamp, and noticed that it was 4am in the morning, way too early for him to wake up. Yet, he put on his silk pajamas robe, and then strode towards the master bathroom.
"Are we going to have another child?" he teased as he walked into the bathroom. His infamous smirk decorated his handsome face.
Inside, Akihito was sitting on the floor, clutching the toilet bowl like it was his lifeline as he vomited into the toilet. Tears filled Akihito's hazel eyes as he tried to catch his breath.
Asami always thought that a crying Akihito was a sexy Akihito. Even after all those years, his desire for Akihito hadn't burnt-out at all. If it was possible, his passion had grown stronger than ever. However, unlike the beginning of their relationship, it wasn't Akihito's body that attracted him the most now, although Akihito was still as hot and attractive as when Akihito was in his mid twenties. It was Akihito's character and personality that had deepened his love. After a decade of marriage, Akihito had become an inseparable part of Asami. Akihito completed him. His soul mate, one might say. And Asami would do anything to keep it that way.
"I don't mind another girl," Asami continued with a sly smile. "Surely, Mizuki-chan will love to have a sister. But a boy will be fun, too. You can-"
"Shut the fuck up, bastard!" The answer came up in a growl.
"Oh, you have started to become hormonal already?" He chuckled, surprising himself by how much he loved the idea of having Akihito pregnant with his child. If only, he thought grimly. It would be great to be able to impregnate Akihito and truly have their own child. He knew that it was impossible, though. Yet, he couldn't help but to entertain himself by teasing his husband.
"I feel really sick," Akihito whined.
"I know, dear. It is called morning sickness," he cooed, massaging the back of Akihito's neck gently.
Akihito threw a roll of toilet paper towards him weakly. He merely stepped aside to avoid it. Hmm, Akihito had to be truly sick if that was the best his husband could do to kick his ass. Perhaps, it was time to stop teasing Akihito and take this seriously.
"I will call the doctor," he said after another round of Akihito puking, but Akihito quickly shook his head.
"I want to go to the hospital. Now."
He frowned. "Are you that sick? We can't go to emergency room just because-"
"I feel that sick, you bastard! And I know we don't have to go to the ER; it is your hospital, anyway!"
Well, it was true.
Now, he started to feel worried. And guilty. He shouldn't tease if Akihito really felt that sick. Fuck, he should have woken up the first time he had heard Akihito throwing up. However, years of controlling his emotions kicked in and he managed to stay calm.
"I will change my clothes, first, okay?" Asami told Akihito. He went to his closet and grabbed the first t-shirt he saw in his closet. It was one that Mizuki-chan had given him years a go, a stupid, cheesy couple t-shirt. Akihito had its match in his own closet. They had only worn it once, to entertain their daughter obviously, and they had agreed not to wear it ever again. It was way too embarrassing. But at the moment, Asami didn't give a damn.
He took his phone from his bedside table, pressing a speed-dial button he knew by heart. "Kirishima, call the hospital. Akihito is sick. Tell them we'll be there in half an hour. Prepare a room for him," he said in a rush. "No, I will just drive him there myself. You don't need to come pick us up. It is faster this way. Just meet us at the hospital directly."
"Ryu?" Akihito called shakily.
He quickly came to the bathroom, Akihito's jacket in his hand. "Are you okay?" He gently put the jacket around Akihito's shoulders.
"Can I have a glass of water, please?"
"Wait a minute," he answered quickly.
Asami took a detour on the way to the kitchen, knocking the twin and Mizuki's door to wake them up. He didn't want to leave without letting them know.
"Dad? Father?" Mizuki-chan asked as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What's up so early in the morning?"
Unlike Mizuki-chan, Nao and Rikiya had peeked carefully, trying to find out what had happened. They looked like they were expecting a gun in their face rather than their father. Asami couldn't blame them. It was 4AM in the morning and no one had expected a knock on his door. Asami couldn't see his sons' hands from the hallway, but he had no doubt they were both holding a gun.
Asami caressed Mizuki-chan's silky blond hair lovingly. His daughter was his treasure and he always treated her like a princess. Akihito always teased him about what he would do the day Mizuki-chan brought her boyfriend home. Truthfully, Asami had no idea. The first logical thing to do would be to ask Kirishima to do some background check. But if someone ever hurt his daughter or if he felt that the guy didn't deserve his daughter, he swore he would kill the guy there and then. "Your dad is sick, kiddos. I am going to bring him to the hospital now."
"What? What happened?" Nao asked quickly. "Is he OK? We'll come with you!"
"No, there is no need. You guys stay here with the little moon."
"But, father-" three voices started, chorusing a protest, something that they did very rarely to Asami, especially the twins.
"No," he said, finality clear in his voice. "You will need to go to school in a few hours. I just woke you up to let you know. Soga will send you to school later."
He narrowed his eyes at the twins. "Especially the two of you! You have things to take care of." He purposely stressed the last sentence to his sons, reminding them of the problem they had created at school.
The two of them flinched.
"What things?" Mizuki-chan asked innocently.
"Oh," Nao's voice was casual as he answered swiftly without missing a beat. "You know, little moon, just some extracurricular activities. Come on, Mizuki, let's see whether there is anything we can do for dad before father bring him to the hospital."
Asami can only shook my head as he watched his children go towards the master bedroom. Now, what was he supposed to do? Oh right, a glass of water. Not wanting to make Akihito wait any longer, he strode towards the kitchen to get his husband a glass of warm water as requested.
"Takaba?" An unfamiliar voice that called his husband made Asami frown. It had been a very long time since the last time he'd heard someone calling Akihito by his…well, let's just say, maiden name. And something in the tone the person had used as he'd called Akihito had grated on Asami's nerves.
"Nakano?" his husband greeted the person. Asami had never heard the name before but he quickly decided that he didn't like this person. And judging from Akihito's expression, this person wasn't Akihito's most favorite friend as well. Slowly, Asami turned around to get a better look at this unknown intruder.
"What are you doing here?" The person asked with an expression that plainly implied that he was surprised to meet Akihito in this fancy private hospital.
"What are you doing here?" Akihito replied, his voice clearly displaying his irritation to meeting the person. It was rare to see Akihito exhibiting such an obvious displeasure over someone. So, Asami couldn't help but to feel curious about who this person was.
"My wife has a nasty stomachache," Nakano grumbled. "I brought her to the ER and now she is okay. Then, the doctor said that it is better for her to stay the night for observation. You know, just in case it is serious. But, this stupid hospital doesn't have a suite room available!"
The receptionist behind the counter cowered, looking as if she would cry at any moment. Asami was sure that she had tried to placate Nakano for quite some time by now.
"Sir, we are very sorry. Our hospital is kind of full at the moment. But, I assure you that the room we have assigned for your wife is-"
Nakano slammed the table hard until the poor receptionist jumped in surprise. "An hour ago you told me that you have the room! Then, suddenly you said that it was taken and asked me to take a smaller room?! Are you kidding me?! Do you know who I am?!"
Akihito narrowed his eyes at Asami, raising his eyebrow and silently asking whether the unfortunate incident had happened because Akihito had suddenly wanted to go to the hospital. Asami merely shrugged. "Well, I did tell Kirishima to inform the hospital that we'll be here in half an hour and to prepare a room," he murmured to Akihito. And since he was the owner of the hospital, of course the hospital staffs would give the suite room for his husband instead. In fact, they shouldn't need to be here and register themselves like any normal patients. However, the doctor who should meet them was nowhere to be seen.
In front of the counter, Nakano was still screaming at the nurse. The lobby was mostly empty but there were still a few people lounging around, most probably family members of the inpatients. They were all looking at the ruckus by now, trying to figure out what was going. It was embarrassing and Asami seriously didn't have time for this kind of thing. He was opening his mouth to tell Nakano that he could just fucking go to another hospital but Akihito, even sick as he was, had already moved between Nakano and the trembling receptionist.
"Okay, Nakano, enough-" Akihito started.
"Asami-sama, Asami-san, I am so sorry for not greeting you at the entrance, but there was a patient who required my assistance," a doctor greeted them, stopping Nakano from continue screaming at the receptionist and Akihito from kicking Nakano's ass. Then, the doctor seemed to notice Akihito's murderous expression. She froze for a brief moment before asked, "Is everything okay here?"
"Asami-sama?" Nakano turned around when he'd heard the name being mentioned.
Ignoring Nakano completely, Asami answered the doctor instead, "Yes, everything is fine, Sensei. I am sure this gentleman won't cause any commotion and embarrass himself. And don't worry. We understand you have other patients to take care off. We shouldn't compromise a patient's health."
The doctor nodded, her face softened in relief. Obviously, she had thought that Asami would be difficult to handle and felt thankful that Asami understood.
She bowed in respect as she introduced herself. "I am Akiyama-sensei. I am the Chief of the Medical Staff and I will be the one to take care of Asami-san. Kirishima-san explained the situation briefly to me but I will still need to examine you myself, Asami-san."
Asami nodded in return. "Understandable, Sensei. It seems-"
"Did you mean Asami Ryuichi?"
Asami didn't like anyone to interrupt him when he was talking. So, the fact that Nakano had done so had increased his irritation towards the other guy.
"I am so sorry. But, are you Asami Ryuichi, CEO and owner of Sion Group?"
Asami exhaled loudly, trying to control his impatience. Akihito was sick and he wanted the doctor to quickly examine his husband. Here in the lobby, if needed. This delay annoyed him. So, he didn't even bother to turn around to face Nakano as he answered shortly, "I am."
Nakano gasped. "Oh, I didn't recognize you earlier. You don't look like the Asami Ryuichi that I imagined. Especially with that, umm, t-shirt."
Asami simply ignored the remarks. "So, Sensei, it seems Akihito has caught a virus and-"
"Akihito? Wait the minute, when you said Asami-san, do you all refer to…Takaba Akihito?"
Asami snapped, "I thought your wife is sick, Nakano-san?! I am sure she will want you by her side instead of here." Minding other people's business, he wanted to add sarcastically but managed to stop himself.
"Oh, it is just stomach upset. I am sure she will be fine by herself for a few more minutes," Nakano answered with a disgusting smile, waving his hand to dismiss the concern. "Anyway, thank you for your concern, Asami-sama. It is so nice of you. I have heard a lot about you and it is an honour to finally meet the man himself."
Fortunately for Nakano, Akihito started to retch again before Asami could snap more at him. The doctor, thankfully, reacted quickly. She asked for a large metal bowl from a nurse nearby and offered it to Akihito. "Just vomit here, Asami-san. It is okay. No need to hold back," she said tenderly while massaging Akihito's nape.
Akihito vomited what looked like the entire content of his stomach. Once he was done, his husband could only lean on Asami's side, unable to support even his own weight. If only Asami didn't care about embarrassing Akihito in public (and in front of Nakano, whoever Nakano was), he would carry Akihito. Princess style, if necessary.
"Ryu…," Akihito sobbed.
"Bring the wheelchair here, please," Akiyama-sensei ordered the nurse.
A few minutes later, the nurse brought a wheelchair for Akihito. Carefully, Asami helped Akihito to settle in it. When Akihito was comfortable, Akiyama-sensei nodded. With a no-nonsense attitude, she led them to the examination room.
What Asami had missed as he accompanied Akihito, was the way Nakano had stared at them greedily, a knowing smile hanging on his lips.
"Well, you better be dying, Takaba," Mitarai sneered as he entered my hospital room. "I am a busy man and you asked me to visit you in the middle of a very important project."
I didn't even bother to look up from my laptop. "Stop complaining, Mitarai. You still owe me a favor. Remember the time I helped you during Kageyama case, the politician?"
"Tsk. You just have to mentioned it now, huh?"
Mitarai wasn't a nameless freelance journalist anymore. A few years after I'd quitted my job as investigative photographer, he'd landed himself a permanent position as journalist for criminal section in Mainichi Shimbun, one of Japan's most circulated newspapers. Since then, he'd published quite a number of publications that had dragged politicians and criminal leaders into jail. Then, three years ago, he'd been promoted to be the editor in chief.
Although I was no longer involved in criminal investigation, Mitarai and I still met over drinks from time to time. Sometimes, he asked my opinion about his projects, in which I didn't mind to help as long as it presented no risk to Asami. Mitarai was the one who had kept me well-informed about everything in the underground world, including Asami and his business, which was how I'd found out about Asami's conflict with the Takamiyas.
"Wait, give me five minutes while I am finishing this up," I told him as I finished off editing my photos for a foreign magazine. I had been very, very busy lately. Like crazily busy. Out of a sudden, almost every publisher in Japan came and asked me to help them with a project or two. I even needed to refuse a few to make sure I still had some family time with my children.
And being sick surely didn't help. The doctor had explained that I would need plenty of rest. Asami'd insisted for me to follow the good doctor's suggestion. Of course, I had argued. I couldn't imagine just laying in bed doing nothing for days. Hell, I would die out of boredom soon. Thank God, Asami and I had managed to make a compromise: I would be working in bed for a week. At least, I could work on some of my projects.
"So, what kind of sickness do you have?" Mitarai asked once I had completed editing the last of my photos. "Cancer? Tumor? Do I need to prepare a suit for your funeral soon? Damn, you are a lucky son of a bitch, do you know that, Takaba? Even when you are sick, your rich boyfriend could still get you the most expensive room in the best private hospital in Tokyo. Shit, man, this place is even bigger than my fucking flat!"
During the early years of my marriage, Mitarai had figured out my relationship with Asami. It hadn't been really shocking since Mitarai was a very good investigative journalist; it wouldn't take him long to find it out. Besides, me entering Asami's family registry was something that anyone could dig out if they looked in the right places. Asami and I had kept it low profile but it wasn't really a secret. Mitarai'd seemed cool about it and he'd even agreed to keep it quiet, which was more surprising than the fact that he had found out about our relationship. Considering what a materialistic person he was, I had expected that he would sell our story to the first gossip magazine he could find.
Mitarai paused as he looked over his shoulder, glancing at the closed hospital room door. "You even have your own bodyguards outside the door. I meant, seriously, who will want to kill you? Why can't I live a pampered life like you? Life is so unfair. You know-"
I cut him off before he started giving me the full list of how unfair life was to him. "To be honest, I am not. Thanks for your generous concern, man," I added sarcastically.
"What? You are not what?" He arched a brow.
"I am not sick anymore, Mitarai. And I am definitely not dying, so sorry about that," I told him the 'hard' truth. "I have been here for nearly a week! I am well now. Asami just wanted me to take plenty of rest; that is why I am still here. If it were up to me, I would be out of here the second I could walk by myself. Anyway, I called you because I need to talk with you. This is important and it can't wait until I get out of here."
"Seriously?" Mitarai sounded truly disappointed knowing that I wouldn't die anytime soon.
"Do I look like I am joking?" I asked him back, raising my brow in return. Seriously, the guy could be very annoying, sometimes.
"Why do you have to do that, man? Can't you find a cheaper and easier way to talk to me? Fuck, and here I am, spending almost half an hour visiting you because you said you were sick. Time is money, man! There is this technology called smartphone, you know it, right? It was invented a few years back by-"
"Smart ass. Now shut up and listen to me. Someone has been following me."
It stopped him from spouting nonsense. He frowned in disbelief as if I made it a habit to lie to him. "Really? Are you sure about this? Not just you being paranoid or something?"
"I am one hundred percent sure. I had noticed this man for days before I got sick with stomach flu. He was looking like an ordinary salary man and wearing cheap suit. I tried to get away from him, but he always found me. Then, yesterday, when I went to the hospital canteen –Hey, I am so sick of the food here!– I saw him there! I tell you, man, this guy is professional. I wouldn't even notice he was there following me if I didn't pay extra attention. It was truly a coincidence that I managed to catch a sight of him."
Mitarai's expression still showed his doubt. "Hmm, maybe it is your infamous lover? You know, you told me he has someone following you before."
"Yes, he did. But it was more than a decade ago, Mitarai. Before I entered his family registry. He hasn't done that for years. If he wants to know where I am, all he has to do is asking me. There is nothing that I hide from him. You know I'm not doing investigative photography anymore."
Mitarai snorted. "Sure, there is nothing you hide from him," he mocked because he knew it was sort of a lie. "How about when you helped me with Kageyama case? Did you tell him that? Or when you gave me information about Kogawa-gumi? Or-"
I gave him an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Fine. You made your point! I might have a few things that I didn't tell him. But it had nothing to do with him. I just helped you solving an investigation case with one photo or two."
Or perhaps a dozen. Or more. But what was the difference between one or a dozen photos, right? I just couldn't help it when I could easily get insight information from Asami's men. Of course, I did everything anonymously, with Mitarai's help, so it was completely safe. Theoretically.
Mitarai simply shrugged. "Once an investigative journalist, always an investigative journalist, Takaba."
"Anyway, it doesn't matter. I can never be sure that no one will eavesdrop if we talk through the phone. But whoever tailing me can never follow me into this room. Not with Asami's men outside."
Mitarai glanced around nervously. "You sure no one bug this room? Your rich boyfriend won't be happy to find out where your curiosity has led you up until now."
I beamed proudly. "Nah, I asked the nurse to move me to another room less than half an hour before you came. No one will have the time to bug the room and the nurse can't say no to me. I am the hospital owner's lover."
Mitarai grinned like the Cheshire cat. Rubbing his hand in excitement, he replied, "Fuck, you are really serious, aren't you? Fine. Who are we going to put in the front page of Mainachi Shimbun this time?"
"Well, it is just my gut feelings…," I started, feeling unsure whether I could trust Mitarai to do this.
"Your gut feelings have been proven to be right time and time again," Mitarai admitted.
"…fine, I need your help to investigate a high school teacher."
He literally screamed at me, "WHAT? Are you out of your mind?! You called me here to investigate a high school teacher?! Can't it be at least a celebrity or something?!"
Quickly, I put my forefinger in front of my mouth. "Ssshhh, keep it quiet, idiot! If you are that loud, the guards outside won't need to bug the room to listen to our conversation."
"Takaba, there is a limit to-"
"Listen, you owe me a favor, right? Just take this as paying your debt to me. I just have a feeling that there is something big behind this, Mitarai. Something really big. And as usual, you can take all the credit."
He frowned. "How big is big?" I could practically hear his brain calculating the profit he might earn if we ever found a big case. Mitarai didn't become the editor in chief of Mainichi Shimbun by being magnanimous. For him, everything was all about profit. If it gave him profit, he would go to hell and back just to get what he wanted.
I shrugged. "I am not sure. Told you, it is just my gut feelings."
Mitarai didn't reply immediately. Instead, he stared at me. There was this look in his black eyes; a gluttonous look that made me unable to fully trust him even after all these years.
"Fine," he said finally. "Let's do this. Give me the name of that teacher. But I'll tell you what, if later I find it to be nothing, you owe me one."
I simply nodded. "Deal." I gave him Sato-sensei name and description. Mitarai took note of everything. He even made sure he had written the name correctly twice.
I should feel excited as I usually felt whenever my instinct told me that I faced a big case. And yes, my gut feelings said that this was the beginning of something huge. Yet, something stirred in me, giving me an uncomfortable feeling and making me question myself: did I just ask Mitarai to open a Pandora box?
For once in my life, I was scared that I mightn't like the truth behind this case.