[Fic] Revelation Chapter 6
Title: Revelation Chapter 6
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Viewfinder
Characters: Mikhail x Fei Long, Asami x Akihito, Yan, Toh(OC)
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Ayano Yamane
WARNING: From here onwards it follows the manga, so SPOILER ahead in every chapter. You have been warned.
Note: I realize I've taken just about as long as Yamane sensei herself to update *LOL* and what do you know? All I have is a repetition of the manga. *sighs* Whatever. CI:R is more like a fic for my own enjoyment, filling in the blanks where I feel I must. So I apologize to those who are still reading if it's boring. XDD I'm very selfish these days. *goes back to hibernate another two months before writing the next chappie*
*LOL* I'm just kidding XDD
******
It was getting dark outside. Akihito wondered how long he had been sitting there fiddling with his cell phone, undecided whether he should or should not make the call. The Chinese man had left hours ago and still he couldn't make up his mind. It was his friends’ lives or his pride. The choice was obvious. But the execution was unbearable.
What would he say? How would he say it? Could he still live with himself after crawling back to Asami like this? It wouldn’t have been so difficult if they were lovers. But were they? Every once in a while they would meet, most of the time by chance. They would have sex, and then went on separate ways. He didn’t know the man outside the bedroom and Asami had taken no interest in knowing him beyond it. Their relationship, if existed, was kept simple. Not that it bothered him. He didn’t need a lover and he would prefer not to get involved in the world Asami lived in. Perhaps the man understood and kept his distance, or perhaps he just didn’t care enough to commit himself beyond it. It was the question that had been bothering him more and more lately. And this was his chance of finding his answers no matter what that answer may be. He wasn’t the kind of man who ran away from problems and he was at least man enough to take the truth, no matter how painful.
He took a deep breath and dialed the first name on his phone’s memory, smiling sarcastically to himself at how ironic it was, that the devil’s name happens to begin with an A, which automatically put him on top of everyone else on his list. And to him, Asami did seem to be on top of everything every time.
“A..Asami…” Akihito paused and swallowed hard the bile in his throat right along with his pride. He was about to beg a man who had been treating him like a convenient sex toy for something in exchange for his friends lives. It was hard, harder than having to live with the fact that he had countless of times allowed himself to be played with. But under the circumstances, what must be done must be done.
“Please, will you meet with me?”
***
Midnight.
Asami stood by the bed watching the boy he had just drugged with sleeping pills lying unconscious in front of him. Takaba had come to him begging for the data disk to save his friend’s lives from Fei Long and he had deliberately declined knowing that is was an empty threat and, naturally, his friends’ lives meant nothing to him. But as much as he wanted to overlook the matter, things were becoming a mess. He had never expected Fei Long to come back into his life quite this way, with Takaba caught in the middle. The boy was young, innocent, and naïve and was no match for someone in Fei Long’s position, not even back then. Had he allowed him to wander off Fei Long could easily use the boy against him.
Use the boy against him? Since when had he allowed himself to give this boy enough significance to be used against him? This ordinary boy had no place in his life nor could he have survived in it. And yet he had troubled himself to the point of drugging him in order to keep him safe. He was certain his interest in this boy didn’t go beyond sex that he had to admit was satisfying enough to keep him coming back for more. But why did he do all these things he would have never done before? Why was his life starting to revolve around this ordinary boy? And even then, all that was in his head was the thought of what had to be done to keep him from harm. Could it be love? Could he have become as stupid as Arbatov to be blinded by it?
No. Asami quickly erased that thought from his mind. Takaba was nothing more than one of his possessions. And it was only natural that his ego would not allow him to watch his possession being snatched away. It was simply this, and nothing more.
He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. He had an appointment to keep and important business to attend to. But for a moment, Asami paused and took a glance back at the photographer. It was a newly acquired habit that had been irritating him lately and he had found no explanation to it. A man like him doesn’t look back or struggle with a decision he has already made. Yet a simple action of walking out of a room with Takaba in it was somehow and somewhat difficult.
A part of him simply wanted to stay.
***
2 am. Park Hyatt Tokyo
“Put them in the guest room.” Fei Long commanded as he walked in the door of his presidential suite. He had given the boy a 4am deadline to meet him at the bar with the data disk from Asami. Since that phone call the boy had yet to show himself or pick up the phone. Yet his men had just informed him of Asami leaving the hotel and being on the move, to which he had ordered them to follow the yakuza. Things were going a bit different than he had planned and as a result they had brought his two friends back to the hotel, waiting for him to make further decisions. He should have just killed them both, but it wouldn’t serve him in anyway in terms of luring Asami out in the open. Besides, Takaba Akihito, being an ordinary boy, should not realize the fact that this had been a rather empty threat, and even if he did he shouldn’t be able to just sit around and do nothing. He had decided to wait a little longer.
Restless and tired, Fei Long walked past his bodyguards to the living room as they locked away the two hostages and poured himself a drink from the bar. With his condition he should get some sleep. But sleeping was something he hadn’t been able to do ever since he came to Tokyo. After seven long years of carrying this almost unbearable weight in his chest, he was about to confront the man who had put it there in the first place and get his answers. The decision to finish his business with Asami he had made with absolute certainty, but it would be a lie to say that he was ready for it.
He stood still by the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the night sky of Tokyo. Somewhere out there Asami was enjoying himself with the company of the young photographer. The sound of that boy crying from intense pleasure as he was taken by his lover had been ringing relentlessly in his ears ever since that phone call he made a few hours earlier. Asami must have known it was him calling the boy. Of course, he did. He could just see it right in front of his eyes. Everything from the smirk on Asami’s face as he made sure they were being heard, their naked bodies rubbing one another, that skin covering the masculine body he once felt with his own hands, fierce, golden eyes that once roamed over his body, and the taste of cigarette that somehow still lingered in his mouth, everything.
Until then he had never realized why there was so much anger in his heart when it comes to Asami. That night he finally understood. It wasn’t the deception. It had nothing to do with his father’s death. It was the fact that Asami didn’t really care, that he had been played with and that everything he had been made to believe was a lie that he could not swallow. He had been clinging to his own denial, to the false hope, that he hadn’t been rejected, once again, by someone he had given his heart to. And the unbearable turmoil in his heart that night was nothing but jealousy. After all this time, a part of him still belonged to Asami Ryuichi. It was the brutal truth that he had been trying to deny, for the acknowledgement was too painful for him to bear.
Fei Long poured himself another drink and walked over to the grand piano in the middle of the room. Long, delicate fingers landed randomly on the ivory keys as the sweet melody reminded him of another man in his life. He paused and looked at his reflection on the flawlessly polished instrument as his eyes caught the sparkling silver jewelry on his neck.
And what of Mikhail? Was he just Asami’s substitute? There was a bond between him and Mikhail that could not be broken. The rare comfort in Mikhail’s presence was undeniable, and the tranquility in his embrace no one else could provide. The Russian had no doubt become a significant part of his life that he didn’t want to lose. But was it love? Or was it just his selfishness that made him tried to keep the only man who had ever come close to loving him?
Fei Long laughed at himself sarcastically as he realized how pathetic he was to think of Mikhail at a time like this. He was in a pursuit of another man, and as a result Mikhail had slipped through his fingers. He doubted they would ever be the same from now. And he was sure of it that Mikhail’s attitude would change after hearing about his past. And it did. Mikhail did just stand there and watched him leave. It was only fair. He had been given a choice, and he had chosen to pursue Asami Ryuichi. But whatever happened or how much it hurt, it was time he faced Asami. More importantly, it was time he faced himself, his feelings, and his heart.
Fei Long finished his drink and glanced at his watch. It was almost 4 am. His men were still trying to figure out where Asami had gone since they had lost sight of his car. If only they were in Hong Kong Asami would have been delivered to him with a snap of his fingers. But he had no power in Japan, and Asami was its master.
He closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them once he had reached a decision. He grabbed the gun he had left on the table before proceeding to the room where his captives were held. Deep, amethyst eyes looked down to the boys whose names he didn't bother remembering as his subordinates stood waiting for his orders. Fei Long pointed the gun to one of the boys’ head. They were useless now and he had other ways to get to Asami.
One look at their master’s eyes and the bodyguards knew they were going to have to clean up a big mess before dawn. Liu Fei Long executes with extreme precision and he does so without wasting his words. One of them was quick and wise enough to hand him a silencer. It would give them extra time to clean up before the cops were alerted due to the sound of gun shots.
Before he had pulled the trigger his cell phone rang. Fei Long decided to pick up the call before finishing his hostages off.
“Yes?” It was from his other group of subordinates. They had better have something for him.
“Fei Long sama, we have found the hotel where the boy is.”
Finally, some progress. The two boys were amazingly lucky…or not, depending on how the young photographer reacts from now on.
“Go to him and put him on the phone. I want to know where Asami is.” Now that he was certain about their intimacy, as long as he had the boy, Asami was in his hands.
***
The elevator opened on the 10th floor of the building. Asami stood motionless for a second as his eyes met the corpse of a man he had taken under protection just minutes ago before Fei Long’s men had turned up to hunt both of them down. He grounded his teeth without showing any other emotions other than the fire in his eyes that burned an intimidating gold flame. Chou was a valuable business partner, most of all this man had asked for his help in protection from Fei Long who was trying to get rid of him. While it was normal for Fei Long to try and hunt down this man, when under his protection and on his own territory, no one would dare order an attack unless they were looking for war. It had put not just a dent in his reputation, but Fei Long dared to intrude in his territory and spat on his face. It was unmistakably the man’s style. Even back then, the adopted son of the Baishe leader had always gone beyond straight business and let his emotions interfere. It was a wrong move, a serious mistake, and he would be there when he learns it.
“Find out where Fei Long is. And bring as many men as we have in the area. I want him captured and brought to me in two hours.” Asami commanded with a terrifying coldness in his tone. Fei Long didn’t just want the data, he wanted a war, and war there will be.
In less than an hour his men had found Baishe’s hideout in Tokyo and successfully raided the building, only to find that Fei Long had already left and all they had captured were a few of his men he had left behind. Surely that boy had grown into one sneaky snake. Fei Long must have known he would do this and evacuated just in time, but not before leaving some men to give them a false location of his whereabouts. He had underestimated the young leader of Baishe. Fei Long certainly has become one tough meat to chew.
Just when he was about to leave, Suoh stepped into the room where Fei Long’s men were being captured with the one boy he didn’t want to see at that place. Upon looking at Takaba’s guilt, ridden expression, he suddenly realized who it was that had given Fei Long the location of his meeting place with Chou. It was his own carelessness to not take the boy more seriously, thinking that he could not have done any damage.
“I was in Fei Long’s sight.” Akihito began his confession. He may have done a wrong or a stupid thing, but he was ready to take the consequence and make things right. “It was I who sold you out.”
Asami paused to look at the boy in front of him with eyes that clearly showed intense anger, eyes that could almost turned everyone in the room into stones faster than medusa could ever accomplish. If this was one of his men he would have been shot in the head without hesitation. But strangely all the anger in his chest at the moment had nothing to do with how to punish Takaba, instead it was due to the extreme irritation at how he himself had allowed things to go so wrong because of one ordinary boy. And it had gotten to the point that he must force himself to make a decision whether to abandon this boy altogether, or to start letting him into his life for him to be able to control the situation and consequently drag the boy into hell where he himself dwelled. A wise man would pick the first option without thinking twice.
Akihito held his breath as Asami grabbed his collar and pulled him up violently, forcing him to look directly into his eyes.
“This time you owe me a huge amount." Deep, dignifying voice growled at his seemingly tiny existence in comparison, "I no longer want to allow you your freedom anymore.”
He was at a loss for words when Asami pulled him up to a kiss, one that felt like he was about to be devoured whole by the devil himself.
It came to him as a surprise that he didn’t quite understand the words Asami said before their lips met.
“Descend with me to the deepest layer of hell.”
***
Toh residence, Shanghai
It was still early in the morning. The sky was clear enough to allow the rising sun to cast its ray on the trees and flowers that made up one of the most elaborate traditional Chinese garden in Shanghai, complete with a pond and bridges that connected the main building with the over water pavilion. In it stood a Chinese man in silvery grey cheongsam, gazing down to the crystal clear water of the pond underneath where a crowd of large, colorful carps gathered.
"They're hungry." A smooth yet commanding voice called from behind. Liu Yan Tzui turned his head slightly to see the master of the house standing at an arm's length behind him. Philip Toh appeared in a glamorous white cheongsam with a modern cut, his shoulder-length hair tied back neatly into a low ponytail showing a well refined face that was prettier than average. The man stepped forward and reached for the fish food pallets in a bowl made entirely of jade before sprinkling them over what seemed to be a rare collection of priceless, award-winning carps.
"Dzou San." Yan Tzui greeted with a slight and quick bow, just enough to acknowledge Toh as the master of the house but nothing more. Regardless of his present situation, he was, after all, a man of equal position.
"Good morning." Toh replied, wiping his fingers with a hot towel delivered promptly to him by the servants without so much as a gesture from the master. The staffs at Toh's residence were spotless in their manners and service, befitting the image of a perfectionist that everyone knew of their master.
Yan Tzui couldn't help but kept his eyes on the young man's gracious movements that reminded him of another, though Toh's was far less elegant and graceful than the man in his memory. While it was true that they both had some resemblance - the same flawless, porcelain-like skin, the luxurious straight hair as fine as silk, the fine features of his built, a face that was more 'pretty' than 'handsome' - yet Toh was in no way a match for the memory of the young boy in his mind. In such surroundings and after all the efforts Toh had made to appear Godly, the one person who would have fit flawlessly into the beautiful landscape wearing the most luxurious cheongsam as if they were created beautiful just to compliment his existence was none other but his brother.
"It is rude to stare." Toh turned towards him slightly as he spoke. His hawk-like eyes studied his guest's expression like a man with superior authority.
"You remind me a little of my brother." Yan Tzui replied, showing no fear or concern over Toh's effort to intimidate him.
"You mean 'my' brother." Toh argued with a calm and collected tone, looking at his guest from the corner of his eyes to catch any change of expression. Before this man can be used as a pawn, he must know the depth of their brotherly bond.
"If you regard him as such." Yan Tzui replied, locking his eyes with those of the man who would have been his enemy had he still ruled over Baishe.
Upon hearing it, a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Toh's mouth, one that almost turned him into an ugly man.
"Unfortunately my regard has nothing to do with it." Toh began with a cold and irritated tone filled with hatred and disgust. "For no matter what I do, that son of a whore whose existence had driven my mother into madness and taken my father's life managed to emerge and remain a pebble in my shoe."
It was nothing but the truth. Fei Long had been a curse to his family from birth. The day his father's secret mistress died during delivery, the baby had been brought to his father's feet to claim its place in his household. The truth of his father's adultery had driven his mother into madness that resulted in several suicidal attempts until the baby was taken away to be adopted by the Liu family. But his mother never recovered, and still after twenty-one years this baby who had grown into a young man had killed his father while he tried to take him back into the family. Fei Long was a curse, a damnation that should have never been born.
"So all this has been about revenge?" Yan Tzui asked without a change in expression. He would not give away his stand until the other revealed his true intentions.
"There are no rules that say you can't do business while getting revenge." Toh replied with a smile as cold and as vile as the devil himself, one that almost gave Yan Tzui second thoughts about dealing with the man.
"Define 'business'." The true heir to Liu's family's fortune demanded. Before they enter any form of alliance, he must be sure of his benefits.
Toh smiled cunningly before giving the servants a gesture signifying the need for privacy. Once they were alone he proceeded to the tea table and poured a round of kung fu cha that had been laid out for them in a spotless manner. And once more Yan Tzui couldn't help but recalled the memory of long, elegant fingers of his brother gracefully handling the tea pot and cups as if they were precious objects made for the emperor of China. Seeing Fei Long prepare ceremonial tea was a privilege only he and his father possessed. The simple but maddeningly beautiful movements had made his heart raced relentlessly for countless of times. Fei Long had always been his most valuable possession, one he still had no intention to let go.
"Once you've signed the casino deed over to me, I will provide the manpower and the money you need to take back Baishe." Toh began as he sipped his fine oolong tea. "Once Baishe is under your control we will form an alliance. All your trade routes must be shared."
Toh paused and took another tiny cup from the tray, eyeing the older man for any change in expression as he sipped his tea. "And you will deliver that bastard son of a whore to me on his knees."
The older man listened quietly as he reached for a teacup and brought it to his lips, sniffing the aroma of the fine tea before sipping the content quietly. Toh certainly knew how to do business. And he didn't mind the less than fair offer as long as he could resume control over Baishe. But there was just one problem.
"And if I don't?" Yan Tzui asked calmly.
"That depends." Toh replied thoughtfully. "Would you rather have me kill you or let you die?"
This time Yan Tzui laughed out loud. Toh must be out of his mind to think that kind of threat would work on him. If he didn't want Baishe back in his hands this bad this conversation would have never taken place even if he was being hunted down by all the world's mafia. It was never about saving his own life. It was the power and Fei Long that he craved.
"I will sign over the casino deed and you may share the routes." Yan Tzui declared with an unwavering tone. "But Fei Long remains mine or you may kill me and find other ways to get your revenge."
The answer had taken Toh by surprise. His brow was raised slightly as he tried to translate the meaning behind it. And then once he had realized the truth that failed to hide itself in Yan Tzui's eyes he couldn't help but laughed out loud to himself.
"He cast a spell on you too, didn't he?" The young leader asked amusingly even though he was so sure of the fact. Things were turning out better than he had originally thought and he could hardly believe his luck. How could he have overlooked such an important fact? Liu Fei Long wasn't just a brother to Yan Tzui.
How incredible. There they were, two men who both shared the position of Fei Long's brother and yet they both wished they were something else.
"Then by all means, keep him. And when you're done with him I shall have my turn." Toh agreed with a devious smile. There was nothing like a child witnessing its mother's repeated suicide attempt. For years he'd had to live with the horror of it all and the trauma that consumed his mind. The horrifying memory was still vivid in his mind. It would be too easy to kill Liu Fei Long. No. He would rather see him disgraced and lived as Yan Tzui's little bitch until hell seemed like a better place for him.
"Laoban." A servant approached his master from behind reluctantly and tore him away from his thoughts. "There is a man at the main gate asking for you, sir."
Toh waved his hand once in dismissal. "I'm not expecting any guest. Tell him to leave."
"But sir," The servant seemed most reluctant. "He said his name was Mikhail Arbatov."
Surprisingly, that name almost made the young boss jumped out of his seat.
"Are you sure?" Toh immediately stood up and confirmed the matter with his servant.
"That is what he said, sir." The servant replied. "He has blond curly hair and blue eyes and he does look Russian."
ed
Toh kept quiet and considered it for a second. It sure sounded like the man himself. Mikhail Arbatov was known to be ruthless in business, and he usually faced his opponent head on as opposed to running around doing it 'the hard way'. But even so, he had never expected to be approached this way or this quickly, and in his own house for that matter.
"Ask him to wait in the lotus room. I will be there in a few minutes."
***
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Viewfinder
Characters: Mikhail x Fei Long, Asami x Akihito, Yan, Toh(OC)
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Ayano Yamane
WARNING: From here onwards it follows the manga, so SPOILER ahead in every chapter. You have been warned.
Note: I realize I've taken just about as long as Yamane sensei herself to update *LOL* and what do you know? All I have is a repetition of the manga. *sighs* Whatever. CI:R is more like a fic for my own enjoyment, filling in the blanks where I feel I must. So I apologize to those who are still reading if it's boring. XDD I'm very selfish these days. *goes back to hibernate another two months before writing the next chappie*
*LOL* I'm just kidding XDD
******
It was getting dark outside. Akihito wondered how long he had been sitting there fiddling with his cell phone, undecided whether he should or should not make the call. The Chinese man had left hours ago and still he couldn't make up his mind. It was his friends’ lives or his pride. The choice was obvious. But the execution was unbearable.
What would he say? How would he say it? Could he still live with himself after crawling back to Asami like this? It wouldn’t have been so difficult if they were lovers. But were they? Every once in a while they would meet, most of the time by chance. They would have sex, and then went on separate ways. He didn’t know the man outside the bedroom and Asami had taken no interest in knowing him beyond it. Their relationship, if existed, was kept simple. Not that it bothered him. He didn’t need a lover and he would prefer not to get involved in the world Asami lived in. Perhaps the man understood and kept his distance, or perhaps he just didn’t care enough to commit himself beyond it. It was the question that had been bothering him more and more lately. And this was his chance of finding his answers no matter what that answer may be. He wasn’t the kind of man who ran away from problems and he was at least man enough to take the truth, no matter how painful.
He took a deep breath and dialed the first name on his phone’s memory, smiling sarcastically to himself at how ironic it was, that the devil’s name happens to begin with an A, which automatically put him on top of everyone else on his list. And to him, Asami did seem to be on top of everything every time.
“A..Asami…” Akihito paused and swallowed hard the bile in his throat right along with his pride. He was about to beg a man who had been treating him like a convenient sex toy for something in exchange for his friends lives. It was hard, harder than having to live with the fact that he had countless of times allowed himself to be played with. But under the circumstances, what must be done must be done.
“Please, will you meet with me?”
***
Midnight.
Asami stood by the bed watching the boy he had just drugged with sleeping pills lying unconscious in front of him. Takaba had come to him begging for the data disk to save his friend’s lives from Fei Long and he had deliberately declined knowing that is was an empty threat and, naturally, his friends’ lives meant nothing to him. But as much as he wanted to overlook the matter, things were becoming a mess. He had never expected Fei Long to come back into his life quite this way, with Takaba caught in the middle. The boy was young, innocent, and naïve and was no match for someone in Fei Long’s position, not even back then. Had he allowed him to wander off Fei Long could easily use the boy against him.
Use the boy against him? Since when had he allowed himself to give this boy enough significance to be used against him? This ordinary boy had no place in his life nor could he have survived in it. And yet he had troubled himself to the point of drugging him in order to keep him safe. He was certain his interest in this boy didn’t go beyond sex that he had to admit was satisfying enough to keep him coming back for more. But why did he do all these things he would have never done before? Why was his life starting to revolve around this ordinary boy? And even then, all that was in his head was the thought of what had to be done to keep him from harm. Could it be love? Could he have become as stupid as Arbatov to be blinded by it?
No. Asami quickly erased that thought from his mind. Takaba was nothing more than one of his possessions. And it was only natural that his ego would not allow him to watch his possession being snatched away. It was simply this, and nothing more.
He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. He had an appointment to keep and important business to attend to. But for a moment, Asami paused and took a glance back at the photographer. It was a newly acquired habit that had been irritating him lately and he had found no explanation to it. A man like him doesn’t look back or struggle with a decision he has already made. Yet a simple action of walking out of a room with Takaba in it was somehow and somewhat difficult.
A part of him simply wanted to stay.
***
2 am. Park Hyatt Tokyo
“Put them in the guest room.” Fei Long commanded as he walked in the door of his presidential suite. He had given the boy a 4am deadline to meet him at the bar with the data disk from Asami. Since that phone call the boy had yet to show himself or pick up the phone. Yet his men had just informed him of Asami leaving the hotel and being on the move, to which he had ordered them to follow the yakuza. Things were going a bit different than he had planned and as a result they had brought his two friends back to the hotel, waiting for him to make further decisions. He should have just killed them both, but it wouldn’t serve him in anyway in terms of luring Asami out in the open. Besides, Takaba Akihito, being an ordinary boy, should not realize the fact that this had been a rather empty threat, and even if he did he shouldn’t be able to just sit around and do nothing. He had decided to wait a little longer.
Restless and tired, Fei Long walked past his bodyguards to the living room as they locked away the two hostages and poured himself a drink from the bar. With his condition he should get some sleep. But sleeping was something he hadn’t been able to do ever since he came to Tokyo. After seven long years of carrying this almost unbearable weight in his chest, he was about to confront the man who had put it there in the first place and get his answers. The decision to finish his business with Asami he had made with absolute certainty, but it would be a lie to say that he was ready for it.
He stood still by the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the night sky of Tokyo. Somewhere out there Asami was enjoying himself with the company of the young photographer. The sound of that boy crying from intense pleasure as he was taken by his lover had been ringing relentlessly in his ears ever since that phone call he made a few hours earlier. Asami must have known it was him calling the boy. Of course, he did. He could just see it right in front of his eyes. Everything from the smirk on Asami’s face as he made sure they were being heard, their naked bodies rubbing one another, that skin covering the masculine body he once felt with his own hands, fierce, golden eyes that once roamed over his body, and the taste of cigarette that somehow still lingered in his mouth, everything.
Until then he had never realized why there was so much anger in his heart when it comes to Asami. That night he finally understood. It wasn’t the deception. It had nothing to do with his father’s death. It was the fact that Asami didn’t really care, that he had been played with and that everything he had been made to believe was a lie that he could not swallow. He had been clinging to his own denial, to the false hope, that he hadn’t been rejected, once again, by someone he had given his heart to. And the unbearable turmoil in his heart that night was nothing but jealousy. After all this time, a part of him still belonged to Asami Ryuichi. It was the brutal truth that he had been trying to deny, for the acknowledgement was too painful for him to bear.
Fei Long poured himself another drink and walked over to the grand piano in the middle of the room. Long, delicate fingers landed randomly on the ivory keys as the sweet melody reminded him of another man in his life. He paused and looked at his reflection on the flawlessly polished instrument as his eyes caught the sparkling silver jewelry on his neck.
And what of Mikhail? Was he just Asami’s substitute? There was a bond between him and Mikhail that could not be broken. The rare comfort in Mikhail’s presence was undeniable, and the tranquility in his embrace no one else could provide. The Russian had no doubt become a significant part of his life that he didn’t want to lose. But was it love? Or was it just his selfishness that made him tried to keep the only man who had ever come close to loving him?
Fei Long laughed at himself sarcastically as he realized how pathetic he was to think of Mikhail at a time like this. He was in a pursuit of another man, and as a result Mikhail had slipped through his fingers. He doubted they would ever be the same from now. And he was sure of it that Mikhail’s attitude would change after hearing about his past. And it did. Mikhail did just stand there and watched him leave. It was only fair. He had been given a choice, and he had chosen to pursue Asami Ryuichi. But whatever happened or how much it hurt, it was time he faced Asami. More importantly, it was time he faced himself, his feelings, and his heart.
Fei Long finished his drink and glanced at his watch. It was almost 4 am. His men were still trying to figure out where Asami had gone since they had lost sight of his car. If only they were in Hong Kong Asami would have been delivered to him with a snap of his fingers. But he had no power in Japan, and Asami was its master.
He closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them once he had reached a decision. He grabbed the gun he had left on the table before proceeding to the room where his captives were held. Deep, amethyst eyes looked down to the boys whose names he didn't bother remembering as his subordinates stood waiting for his orders. Fei Long pointed the gun to one of the boys’ head. They were useless now and he had other ways to get to Asami.
One look at their master’s eyes and the bodyguards knew they were going to have to clean up a big mess before dawn. Liu Fei Long executes with extreme precision and he does so without wasting his words. One of them was quick and wise enough to hand him a silencer. It would give them extra time to clean up before the cops were alerted due to the sound of gun shots.
Before he had pulled the trigger his cell phone rang. Fei Long decided to pick up the call before finishing his hostages off.
“Yes?” It was from his other group of subordinates. They had better have something for him.
“Fei Long sama, we have found the hotel where the boy is.”
Finally, some progress. The two boys were amazingly lucky…or not, depending on how the young photographer reacts from now on.
“Go to him and put him on the phone. I want to know where Asami is.” Now that he was certain about their intimacy, as long as he had the boy, Asami was in his hands.
***
The elevator opened on the 10th floor of the building. Asami stood motionless for a second as his eyes met the corpse of a man he had taken under protection just minutes ago before Fei Long’s men had turned up to hunt both of them down. He grounded his teeth without showing any other emotions other than the fire in his eyes that burned an intimidating gold flame. Chou was a valuable business partner, most of all this man had asked for his help in protection from Fei Long who was trying to get rid of him. While it was normal for Fei Long to try and hunt down this man, when under his protection and on his own territory, no one would dare order an attack unless they were looking for war. It had put not just a dent in his reputation, but Fei Long dared to intrude in his territory and spat on his face. It was unmistakably the man’s style. Even back then, the adopted son of the Baishe leader had always gone beyond straight business and let his emotions interfere. It was a wrong move, a serious mistake, and he would be there when he learns it.
“Find out where Fei Long is. And bring as many men as we have in the area. I want him captured and brought to me in two hours.” Asami commanded with a terrifying coldness in his tone. Fei Long didn’t just want the data, he wanted a war, and war there will be.
In less than an hour his men had found Baishe’s hideout in Tokyo and successfully raided the building, only to find that Fei Long had already left and all they had captured were a few of his men he had left behind. Surely that boy had grown into one sneaky snake. Fei Long must have known he would do this and evacuated just in time, but not before leaving some men to give them a false location of his whereabouts. He had underestimated the young leader of Baishe. Fei Long certainly has become one tough meat to chew.
Just when he was about to leave, Suoh stepped into the room where Fei Long’s men were being captured with the one boy he didn’t want to see at that place. Upon looking at Takaba’s guilt, ridden expression, he suddenly realized who it was that had given Fei Long the location of his meeting place with Chou. It was his own carelessness to not take the boy more seriously, thinking that he could not have done any damage.
“I was in Fei Long’s sight.” Akihito began his confession. He may have done a wrong or a stupid thing, but he was ready to take the consequence and make things right. “It was I who sold you out.”
Asami paused to look at the boy in front of him with eyes that clearly showed intense anger, eyes that could almost turned everyone in the room into stones faster than medusa could ever accomplish. If this was one of his men he would have been shot in the head without hesitation. But strangely all the anger in his chest at the moment had nothing to do with how to punish Takaba, instead it was due to the extreme irritation at how he himself had allowed things to go so wrong because of one ordinary boy. And it had gotten to the point that he must force himself to make a decision whether to abandon this boy altogether, or to start letting him into his life for him to be able to control the situation and consequently drag the boy into hell where he himself dwelled. A wise man would pick the first option without thinking twice.
Akihito held his breath as Asami grabbed his collar and pulled him up violently, forcing him to look directly into his eyes.
“This time you owe me a huge amount." Deep, dignifying voice growled at his seemingly tiny existence in comparison, "I no longer want to allow you your freedom anymore.”
He was at a loss for words when Asami pulled him up to a kiss, one that felt like he was about to be devoured whole by the devil himself.
It came to him as a surprise that he didn’t quite understand the words Asami said before their lips met.
“Descend with me to the deepest layer of hell.”
***
Toh residence, Shanghai
It was still early in the morning. The sky was clear enough to allow the rising sun to cast its ray on the trees and flowers that made up one of the most elaborate traditional Chinese garden in Shanghai, complete with a pond and bridges that connected the main building with the over water pavilion. In it stood a Chinese man in silvery grey cheongsam, gazing down to the crystal clear water of the pond underneath where a crowd of large, colorful carps gathered.
"They're hungry." A smooth yet commanding voice called from behind. Liu Yan Tzui turned his head slightly to see the master of the house standing at an arm's length behind him. Philip Toh appeared in a glamorous white cheongsam with a modern cut, his shoulder-length hair tied back neatly into a low ponytail showing a well refined face that was prettier than average. The man stepped forward and reached for the fish food pallets in a bowl made entirely of jade before sprinkling them over what seemed to be a rare collection of priceless, award-winning carps.
"Dzou San." Yan Tzui greeted with a slight and quick bow, just enough to acknowledge Toh as the master of the house but nothing more. Regardless of his present situation, he was, after all, a man of equal position.
"Good morning." Toh replied, wiping his fingers with a hot towel delivered promptly to him by the servants without so much as a gesture from the master. The staffs at Toh's residence were spotless in their manners and service, befitting the image of a perfectionist that everyone knew of their master.
Yan Tzui couldn't help but kept his eyes on the young man's gracious movements that reminded him of another, though Toh's was far less elegant and graceful than the man in his memory. While it was true that they both had some resemblance - the same flawless, porcelain-like skin, the luxurious straight hair as fine as silk, the fine features of his built, a face that was more 'pretty' than 'handsome' - yet Toh was in no way a match for the memory of the young boy in his mind. In such surroundings and after all the efforts Toh had made to appear Godly, the one person who would have fit flawlessly into the beautiful landscape wearing the most luxurious cheongsam as if they were created beautiful just to compliment his existence was none other but his brother.
"It is rude to stare." Toh turned towards him slightly as he spoke. His hawk-like eyes studied his guest's expression like a man with superior authority.
"You remind me a little of my brother." Yan Tzui replied, showing no fear or concern over Toh's effort to intimidate him.
"You mean 'my' brother." Toh argued with a calm and collected tone, looking at his guest from the corner of his eyes to catch any change of expression. Before this man can be used as a pawn, he must know the depth of their brotherly bond.
"If you regard him as such." Yan Tzui replied, locking his eyes with those of the man who would have been his enemy had he still ruled over Baishe.
Upon hearing it, a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Toh's mouth, one that almost turned him into an ugly man.
"Unfortunately my regard has nothing to do with it." Toh began with a cold and irritated tone filled with hatred and disgust. "For no matter what I do, that son of a whore whose existence had driven my mother into madness and taken my father's life managed to emerge and remain a pebble in my shoe."
It was nothing but the truth. Fei Long had been a curse to his family from birth. The day his father's secret mistress died during delivery, the baby had been brought to his father's feet to claim its place in his household. The truth of his father's adultery had driven his mother into madness that resulted in several suicidal attempts until the baby was taken away to be adopted by the Liu family. But his mother never recovered, and still after twenty-one years this baby who had grown into a young man had killed his father while he tried to take him back into the family. Fei Long was a curse, a damnation that should have never been born.
"So all this has been about revenge?" Yan Tzui asked without a change in expression. He would not give away his stand until the other revealed his true intentions.
"There are no rules that say you can't do business while getting revenge." Toh replied with a smile as cold and as vile as the devil himself, one that almost gave Yan Tzui second thoughts about dealing with the man.
"Define 'business'." The true heir to Liu's family's fortune demanded. Before they enter any form of alliance, he must be sure of his benefits.
Toh smiled cunningly before giving the servants a gesture signifying the need for privacy. Once they were alone he proceeded to the tea table and poured a round of kung fu cha that had been laid out for them in a spotless manner. And once more Yan Tzui couldn't help but recalled the memory of long, elegant fingers of his brother gracefully handling the tea pot and cups as if they were precious objects made for the emperor of China. Seeing Fei Long prepare ceremonial tea was a privilege only he and his father possessed. The simple but maddeningly beautiful movements had made his heart raced relentlessly for countless of times. Fei Long had always been his most valuable possession, one he still had no intention to let go.
"Once you've signed the casino deed over to me, I will provide the manpower and the money you need to take back Baishe." Toh began as he sipped his fine oolong tea. "Once Baishe is under your control we will form an alliance. All your trade routes must be shared."
Toh paused and took another tiny cup from the tray, eyeing the older man for any change in expression as he sipped his tea. "And you will deliver that bastard son of a whore to me on his knees."
The older man listened quietly as he reached for a teacup and brought it to his lips, sniffing the aroma of the fine tea before sipping the content quietly. Toh certainly knew how to do business. And he didn't mind the less than fair offer as long as he could resume control over Baishe. But there was just one problem.
"And if I don't?" Yan Tzui asked calmly.
"That depends." Toh replied thoughtfully. "Would you rather have me kill you or let you die?"
This time Yan Tzui laughed out loud. Toh must be out of his mind to think that kind of threat would work on him. If he didn't want Baishe back in his hands this bad this conversation would have never taken place even if he was being hunted down by all the world's mafia. It was never about saving his own life. It was the power and Fei Long that he craved.
"I will sign over the casino deed and you may share the routes." Yan Tzui declared with an unwavering tone. "But Fei Long remains mine or you may kill me and find other ways to get your revenge."
The answer had taken Toh by surprise. His brow was raised slightly as he tried to translate the meaning behind it. And then once he had realized the truth that failed to hide itself in Yan Tzui's eyes he couldn't help but laughed out loud to himself.
"He cast a spell on you too, didn't he?" The young leader asked amusingly even though he was so sure of the fact. Things were turning out better than he had originally thought and he could hardly believe his luck. How could he have overlooked such an important fact? Liu Fei Long wasn't just a brother to Yan Tzui.
How incredible. There they were, two men who both shared the position of Fei Long's brother and yet they both wished they were something else.
"Then by all means, keep him. And when you're done with him I shall have my turn." Toh agreed with a devious smile. There was nothing like a child witnessing its mother's repeated suicide attempt. For years he'd had to live with the horror of it all and the trauma that consumed his mind. The horrifying memory was still vivid in his mind. It would be too easy to kill Liu Fei Long. No. He would rather see him disgraced and lived as Yan Tzui's little bitch until hell seemed like a better place for him.
"Laoban." A servant approached his master from behind reluctantly and tore him away from his thoughts. "There is a man at the main gate asking for you, sir."
Toh waved his hand once in dismissal. "I'm not expecting any guest. Tell him to leave."
"But sir," The servant seemed most reluctant. "He said his name was Mikhail Arbatov."
Surprisingly, that name almost made the young boss jumped out of his seat.
"Are you sure?" Toh immediately stood up and confirmed the matter with his servant.
"That is what he said, sir." The servant replied. "He has blond curly hair and blue eyes and he does look Russian."
ed
Toh kept quiet and considered it for a second. It sure sounded like the man himself. Mikhail Arbatov was known to be ruthless in business, and he usually faced his opponent head on as opposed to running around doing it 'the hard way'. But even so, he had never expected to be approached this way or this quickly, and in his own house for that matter.
"Ask him to wait in the lotus room. I will be there in a few minutes."
***