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Asami wiped the sweat from his forehead as he loaded the last of the boxes into the back of the dark grey SUV and shut its hatch. It wasn’t his usual type of vehicle. And he preferred black, but the point was to look as inconspicuous as possible. Of course the vehicle was outfitted as well as his limo, he wasn’t going to take any more chances than he needed. I think I overdid it this year, he smiled. But I want to make up for missing last year. Looking around to make sure no one was watching he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. In the back of his mind he felt that nagging feeling that he was being watched. With one last look around, seeing nothing suspicious, he pulled into traffic. He’d cleared his schedule for the entire weekend and had ordered Kirishima to make sure that he wasn’t bothered by anything. If something were to come up, the secretary had explicit instructions to either handle it or to put it in their warehouse down on the docks to await his return. No one was to know what he was doing this weekend. It was something that he did every year. He knew that his guards hated the fact that he was off the grid for three days, but they didn’t argue. He was the boss. And if he wanted to take a weekend to himself then that was his prerogative. What was important was that no one found out what he was doing during those three days.
Now if only Akihito will behave.
Asami shook his head in amusement at the thought of his lover. It’s been almost a year since he rescued Akihito from Hong Kong, in fact, their little excursion in Hong Kong was why he had missed this last year. Akihito moved in shortly after that, and they’d been living together since. He even seemed to settle down a little. He’d quit taking jobs that were related to Asami’s business, and even used his skills to help on occasion. He’d even agreed to take a bodyguard with him on assignment. That had been a small miracle in itself resulting in fewer midnight chases and even fewer injuries to both his lover and his subordinates. But he’s angry with me right now for hiding things from him. Only when Akihito was angry did he pull some stunt that resulted in his men chasing the boy all over Tokyo. It was as if the boy were throwing a tantrum to get his attention. Asami smiled at the thought. Akihito may have settled down some, but he was still the wild, untamed man that he had fallen in love with, full of spirit and an undying sense of freedom. I hope he doesn’t pull something stupid this weekend, Asami worried.
Bringing his thoughts back to his driving, he worked his way through the streets on the outskirts of Tokyo eventually pulling up alongside a large, aged, red brick building. His heart warmed with the memories of the place. No one can know of this! He shook his head, trying shake away the feeling that he was being watched. But that was impossible. No one had tailed him on the way there, and none of his men knew where he was. He’d loaded the car from a small efficiency apartment that he rented just for he purpose of deception, trying to hide his activities. He’d even forgone his traditional expensive suit in favor of a pair of fitted jeans, a t-shirt, and a loose button-up over that to ensure that he didn’t look like his normal self. I look like Akihito, he laughed at himself. Looking over the familiar building once more, it’s faded red brick, the large patch of fenced in grass full of children playing and laughing, he grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and got out of the car.
As he walked to the door of the building Asami did not fail to notice the irony of the situation. That irony was the same every year as he returned to this place. He was the most feared underworld leader in Japan. No one would suspect him of something like this, and no one better either. He had a reputation to uphold after all. Running his hand over the familiar nameplate next to the door, he smiled as he read its words “Sakurakawa Orphanage” before entering.
The inside of the building hadn’t changed much in the last two years. The large, general-purpose room he was standing in was scattered with a few random toys that hadn’t been put away, the paint was still fading, and it smelled of children and cookies. A small, ancient woman stood from the chair she had been sitting in and, defying her apparent age, ran over to greet him her arms open wide. “Ryu!”
Putting his bag down Asami engulfed the woman into a gentle embrace. “I’m home, mother.”
“We missed you last year. What happened? You normally don’t miss this. I was worried that maybe something had happened with your ‘job’. You know I still disapprove of it,” she scolded pulling back from the hug to look him in they eyes. “Why you couldn’t have used that brilliant mind of yours to be a normal business man I will never understand.”
Asami laughed. This was the only person in the world, other than his lover, who could stand up to him and live. Well, he thought, Akihito’s punishment is just different, that’s all. “Yes, I know. But I’m good at what I do. And I’m happy doing it. So don’t worry, I’m being careful. I promise.”
“Wait!” the woman exclaimed. “There is something different about you.”
“I assure you I’m the same man, mother.”
“No,” she insisted, reaching up to touch the side of his face. “I can see it. It’s in your eyes. Something has changed you. And for the better.” Her eyes glinted with mischief. “You found yourself a lover, didn’t you?”
“I need some of the older boys to help me unload the gifts,” he tried to dodge the question. Not that he was embarrassed to tell this woman about Akihito or that he was unwilling to admit the boy’s influence on his life.
Just in time, they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps running down the stairs. “Ryu-nii!” a small voice chimed as the sound of footsteps was followed by a streak of black and pink hurling itself across the room and launching itself at the man standing in the middle of the floor, nearly tripping over the discarded bag in the excitement.
“Careful!” Asami warned, scooping the little girl up into his arms, rescuing her before she could hit the floor. “You don’t want to get hurt.”
“Why didn’t you come last year, Ryu-nii?” the girl pouted. “We missed you! Did you forget about us?”
“I could never forget about you, Miwa. You’re my family. And I don’t forget about family. I just had something really important to take care of, that’s all.”
“But we’re important, too. You said so yourself!”
“Yes I did. But another of my family was in trouble and I had to go help them.”
“Oh…” the girl sighed. “Did you get to help them?”
“Yes. I was able to help them.”
“Then I guess it’s okay. But tell them to stay out of trouble. Trouble is bad and people get hurt by it.”
Asami laughed. “I will little one. But with this person, that’s a little hard for them to understand sometimes,” he said with a small laugh as he put the girl back down on the floor. “Now go find me some of the big boys to help with the car. I brought gifts.”
Her dark eyes lit up. “Yay! Presents!” and just as quickly as she had come in, she ran out the back door, her dark hair streaming behind her, legs kicking at the pink ruffled skirt in excitement. “Everyone! Come inside! Ryu-nii’s here and he’s got presents!”
In no time the room was filled with excited children of various ages. Once all of them had said their hellos Asami, followed by Miwa and several young, teenage boys left to unload the treasure from his car. He wasn’t prepared, however, for what met him there. Leaning against the back of the grey SUV was his lover.
Panic raced through Asami’s heart. How the hell did he find me?! It was an uncomfortable feeling. He was Asami Ryuichi. Nothing frightened him. But now was one of those rare moments when fear warred with anger in his mind. Careful not to make a scene, he advanced on the young photographer waiting for him. “Akihito,” he said dangerously, “what are you doing here?”
“I was worried. You were so secretive…” his voice trailed off, the hurt in his eyes tempering Asami’s anger.
“Because I…” Asami almost shouted.
“Ryu-nii?” Miwa interrupted tugging at the hem of Asami’s shirt. “Who is this?”
Asami saw his lover’s eyes widen. “He’s…” Asami searched for the right word to use. He couldn’t say that the boy was his lover. That would be too much to explain to the little girl. Not to mention that his mother had finally made it down the short path from the house and was standing next to him. “He’s family,” was all the man said reluctantly.
“Really?” the little girl looked up at Akihito curiously. “I haven’t seen you before. Are you the one that was in trouble last year?” she asked boldly.
Akihito was taken aback by the question. “Ah…” he stumbled. “Yes. You… could… say that.”
“Well,” Miwa continued, pointing her small finger at the young man. “Ryu-nii couldn’t visit us last year because of you. So be a good boy and stay out of trouble. People only get hurt by trouble. And we don’t want Ryu-nii to get hurt. We love him.”
Asami burst out laughing at the stunned look on his lover’s face, his anger fading. “Don’t scold him too much, Miwa. I think he learned his lesson last year. And it wasn’t all his fault either. Part of it was mine. So go easy on him, okay.”
“Okay,” the girl conceded, though it appeared to be grudgingly. “What’s your name?” she asked.
“Takaba Akihito.”
“Then I’ll call you Aki-nii since Ryu-nii says you’re family.”
Asami cleared his throat, rescuing Akihito from his obvious embarrassment. “I think we need to unload the car. Everyone else is waiting inside for their gifts.”
~ ≈ 川 ≈ ~
Asami and Akihito were escorted to an unoccupied room on the second floor of the building. The presents had been distributed, dishes from dinner were washed and put away, and all the children were safely in bed.
“I’m sorry, but this is the only room that we have open at the moment,” Asami’s mother explained. Two futons had been laid out in the middle of the floor, made and ready for bed.
“It’s okay, mother. We’re fine like this,” Asami said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Good-night.”
“Good-night, Ryu. Good-night, Akihito-kun,” she said as she headed to the door. Stopping at it’s threshold she turned. “And I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight, Ryuichi!” she scolded, pointing her finger at him. “Don’t forget there are children here!” And with that, she left, shutting the door behind her leaving the two men stunned. Neither had said anything about their relationship nor had they done anything that would give it away either, or so they thought.
After a moment, Asami turned on Akihito. “Now,” he began in a low, dangerous tone. “I want you to explain how the hell you ended up here.”
“I followed you.”
“You followed me? By yourself? You don’t drive, Akihito. So tell me who helped you.”
“Kirishima,” the boy replied, eyes scanning the floor.
“What!” Asami roared. “He had strict orders…”
“He was worried, too!” Akihito interrupted, looking Asami in the eye. “You always go off this time of year and never tell him where you’re going!”
“Don’t make him sound like a jealous lover, Akihito.”
“He’s not. But he is in charge of your safety. Imagine how he feels when you’re gone for three days and he can’t reach you or do his job. He’s just been too scared to push it.”
“How did you get him to help?”
“I… threatened him,” Akihito mumbled.
Asami was genuinely surprised. He knew his lover well enough to know that he could never threaten anyone, let alone be able to carry that threat out. “That must have been some threat.”
“Yeah, it was,” Akihito said, mischief in his eyes. “I promised him a chase that he would never forget. I think it involved passports and the Amazon River. And maybe an alligator, or a crocodile, which ever one lives there. Or was it a snake? But I can’t exactly remember too well now. I was desperate to get him to help me. I wanted to know what you were hiding from me. Why you weren’t trusting me.” He looked at Asami, the fire in his eyes mixed with hurt.
“What am I to do with you?” Asami asked, pulling his lover to him in a tight embrace, their lips coming together in a heated kiss. For a moment, the world only consisted of the two of them, hands exploring familiar bodies, lips tasting familiar skin. Laying his lover on the futon beneath him, Asami slid Akihito’s shirt over his head with one hand. His other reached for the button of the boy’s jeans.
“Asami!” Akihito cried, trying in vain to push the larger man off of him. “Your mother…”
“She obviously already knows. So let’s not disappoint her,” Asami whispered seductively.
“But what about the children?” Akihito pleaded, his grip on sanity fading. “They’ll hear!”
Asami laughed darkly. “That’s an excuse I never thought I would hear,” he said as he finished removing the younger one’s pants, revealing his excitement. “Then I guess we’ll have to find a way to keep you quiet,” he whispered as he sealed Akihito’s lips with his.
~ ≈ 川 ≈ ~