Shot?

When his phone rang again, he was hardly able to answer it, his hands were shaking from the rage that had overtaken his whole being.



“You.Are.Dead.”



“Oh? I so don’t think so.” Tinkling, silvery laughter.



“Imagine what could disappear when I die? Would you really want me to leave this blissful existence without telling where the key is?” Another laugh.



“You misbegotten son of a bitch. I’ll kill you.” His voice vibrated with fury at the tall Chinese. Outside Akihito’s room he had gotten a description of the nurse from Keita, when Hanashi came down the hall, devastated because he couldn’t find the pretty nurse anywhere. Nobody had to tell him who the nurse was. He knew. All of a sudden he just fucking knew. No one else would have dared to do that to his boy. While he was injured. From a gunshot. Stupid brat.



And now this. He needed the key. Arbatov was definitely not worse this increase in suffering. He couldn’t care less about the idiot in the warehouse.



“So, just in case you have some time to spare for an old friend, how about a meeting… let’s say next month? In Hong Kong? I so do like the weather there at this time of the year. Of course you should bring our kawaii boy along. I’m sure airport security would have a field-day with him.”



Asami’s answer was a garbled mix of every curse and expletive known to man. And maybe some more he just created. He so didn’t need this.



“Alright. You win.”



“Again? I think I didn’t hear you correctly, Asami.”



“I. Said. Alright.”



“No, I meant for you to repeat the second part.”



Silence. Dark, dangerous, ominous silence.



“Don’t push your luck, princess.”



Theatrical sigh.



“Well, but I really do have to take a short trip to Hong Kong. Matter of fact, I’m about to board my plane. But don’t worry – I’ll be back by Sunday, keep Arbatov safe for me. Zai Jian*.”



The line went dead.



As dead as a certain longhaired Chinese would be. He would call Yoh and make him torture the debased dereliction of genetics.



The car stopped once more in his reserved parking space below his building. He hadn’t even noticed that they had already arrived. Akira accompanied him upstairs to his apartment and after one look at his boss, walked over to the bar to pour him a generous shot of whiskey.



The long-time bodyguard helped Asami out of his long coat, steered him towards a chair, gently pushed him down into it and pressed the glass in his hand.



“Here, boss. You look like you need it.” At very rare occasions Akira allowed himself a few liberties, confident that he would survive them because of his long history with the young Yakuza.



Asami leaned back, closed his eyes and groaned in frustration. He seemed to do this a lot lately. It felt like his whole damn life was falling apart.



“Maybe it would have been better for me, if they had killed him.”



Silence.



Akira carefully considered every detail about the loaded sentence. He knew with certainty that he was expected to reply.



Asami opened one eye, directing its gaze at the dark-haired man who had shared almost twelve with him. He watched him going back to the bar, pouring himself a drink.

Sitting down across from him, Akira silently watched the amber liquid move in his glass for several seconds before looking his boss straight in the eyes.



“I don’t think so. I think Akihito-kun is the best thing that ever happened to Asami-sama.” His eyes never wavered.



“Care to enlighten me?”



Akira sighed. This would be one of those nights. He survived three of them in the past. ‘though compared to the topic of this one, they now seemed like child’s play in comparison.



Deep breath.



“He makes you come alive.”



“He makes me vulnerable.”



Shit. This didn’t go well. Think. Fast. As if your life depended on it. Maybe it did?



“He is sui* to your ka*.”



“That he is.”



“He was willing to die for you.”



Another sigh.



“Yes, there is that. The question is though: Am I willing to let him die for me?”



Much safer grounds now.



“That would be his decision to make.”



“He is mine. So it will be my decision.”



Earthquake. Shit. That wasn’t supposed to happen. He really didn’t see that one coming. He took a long swallow, savoring the burning feel flowing down his throat. His mind frantically searching for the right words. His Oyabun* would know if he was anything less than honest. He would swear any day, that Asami even knew when he just thought about lying.



“He will fight you for this decision. That’s why you need him. He stands up to you and even if he loses, he always stands up. He is toko kenpei*. A true musha*.”



Finally a smile.



“You’re right. Getting rid of him would be much more trouble than keeping him.”



Score one for Akira. Relief swept over him, it had been a tad uncomfortable there for a while. And he would bet his life that his boss had feelings for the boy. Deep feelings. Not really surprising. The photographer really had something going for him. It was hard to resist his infectious smile, his overwhelming joy at the most simple things. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.



Suppressing a smile, Akira got up, put his glass away and left his boss to go back to sleep. He really needed it. As much as he tried, he couldn’t remember a single day when Asami had looked disheveled. He was always immaculately dressed. Well, not today. His shirt was buttoned wrong, his hair wasn’t sleeked back. Then again, who wanted to die for pointing out something like that…



“You should try to get some more sleep, Asami-sama. Good night.”



He left, making sure his men were positioned outside the apartment and went to finally get his well-deserved rest.



Tossing back the last remains of the drink in his glass, Asami finally got up from his chair, a bit unsteady moving towards his bed. He didn’t even bother to shut the door to his bedroom, much less to take his clothes off. He just dropped on the soft mattress, a fleeting smile on his face when the last thing he saw was the beautiful figure of his Akihito. He would so hate this picture…



…and still smiling the powerful Yakuza just fell asleep.



**************



*Zai Jian = Chinese: good bye (or so the dictionary says)

*Sui = Japanese: Water: Sui or mizu, meaning "Water", represents the fluid, flowing, formless things in the world. sui can be associated with emotion, defensiveness, adaptability, flexibility, suppleness, and magnetism. (from Wikipedia)

*Ka= Japanese: Fire: Ka or hi, meaning "Fire", represents the energetic, forceful, moving things in the world. Animals, particularly predators, capable of movement and full of forceful energy, are primary examples of ka objects. Bodily, ka represents our metabolism and body heat, and in the mental and emotional realms, it represents drive and passion. ka can be associated with motivation, desire, intention, and an outgoing spirit. Besides the obvious examples of heat and flame, lightning can also be thought of as an extension of Ka. (from Wikipedia)

*Oyabun= Japanese: Supervisor of a group (obviously not necessarily Yakuza)

* toko kenpei= endless power

*Musha= fighter