[Fic] VF: Nightmare
Title: Nightmare
Pairing/Character(s): Asami / Takaba, most of the other characters show up
Warnings / Spoilers: AU universe (supernatural elements), some violence (OK a bit of gore) and horror elements
Rating: R for violence
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Yamane-sensei, I'm just playing with them.
Summary: Asami finds himself in the middle of what seems like a nightmare, but which feels all too real. These can't be the people he knows, can they?
I started writing this a while back for Halloween, but it turned out not to be a Halloween-centered fic, though it's kind of weird and supernatural. It actually ended up owing a little something to the anime The Eccentric Family, which I recommend to anyone who likes anime out of the usual.
How boring. Almost midnight. People on the streets rushing home before the last train, all going about their boring lives. They were lucky to have him to make their lives interesting. And, it was convenient having all their money funneling into his bank accounts.
He raised his chin off his hand. There, into that alley, a little sparrow with silver-brown hair. He knew that one and cared. What was he up to tonight? Would he complain about it before he was tossed onto the bed and made to forget it?
Asami looked forward to getting home now. He'd been doing that more often, thinking about hot meals and shapely asses in aprons. Was that bad? Was it making him more boring too? He didn't care. It was what he wanted for now.
He watched the alley as they passed. Someone in a long overcoat was standing at the entrance; he caught Asami's eye as he passed, then grinned at him as he turned and followed Takaba. Fear ran along his spine like a little cat and he shivered.
"Kirishima, stop the car."
"Already saw him."
Kirishima was ever observant, to the point of annoyance sometimes. Asami had once noticed him systematically tracking and graphing all the habits of Takaba, all the while his eyebrows twitched in disapproval.
He'd stopped with a squeal of tires and a flick of the steering wheel, ending up right next to the curb. The cars in the way had been shoved aside. Who would say anything?
Asami unbuttoned his jacket as he climbed from the limo, slipping his hand into the front left side where his holster hung, making sure the gun was loose and ready. Kirishima stood next to him, noting everything. He made as if to follow. Asami shook his head.
"No. It's probably nothing."
"But perhaps not. You take too many chances."
"I already have a wife."
Kirishima pursed his lips and stepped back to lean against the side of the car. He unbuttoned his coat and let it hang open.
"I'll stay alert."
Asami nodded and turned. People on the sidewalk melted from his path as if they weren't there. They weren't, to him.
The alley was long, dark and narrow, running between two tall old buildings. It was about as wide as two men, and piles of trash took up most of that. He couldn't even make out ten meters into it, much less the other end. Turning sideways he pushed past the clot at the entrance and slipped into the passage.
It smelled old, musty maybe, reminding him of that time, over ten years ago now, when he and Suoh'd gone after that construction boss for his gambling debts. They'd busted into his place and found him sitting in a chair in front of the TV, dead for weeks. His cats hadn't been fed, so they'd helped themselves to their owner. Suoh couldn't stand cats to this day.
That was the smell. Cat piss and rotting flesh.
He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply. It was one reason so many in his line of business smoked, to cut through the stench.
Sounds up ahead floated back to him, odd sounds. He frowned. Not business as usual then. He moved faster, not caring about making noise, not caring about his ¥2,000,000 cashmere coat, only caring about reaching his goal. He was good at that. Taking care of business, getting what he wanted. What he wanted was Akihito safe and an explanation. Then sex in the car to pay for this hassle.
Something hammered loudly a few times, the sound bouncing off the walls around him. He couldn't tell what that was and that bothered him. Without stopping he drew his pistol and flicked the safety off, then chambered a round, the snick-click of the gun comforting. He kept it low and at his side, at the ready. It seemed like an application of force might be required. His footsteps quickened.
He almost ran into the wall. With a start, he realized that there was a turn in the path. No wonder he couldn't see the other end. He immediately relaxed at such a common sense explanation for at least part of the strangeness at hand. At least, he relaxed until he heard shots to the left. He took off down the new path and came to a slightly wider portion at the corner of a right turn. And stopped in shock.
There in the light of a naked bulb on the wall, stood Suoh. He was methodically emptying his clip into a figure slumped against said wall. One with long dark hair. Asami felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.
"Suoh, what the hell are you doing?" He ran over to crouch by Feilong, who also had a gun lying in his limp hand. He picked it up and stuck it into his coat.
"I thought you took the day off. What's going on? Is he the one after Takaba?"
He touched Feilong's neck. There was a pulse. A breath he didn't know he was holding released.
"Nah boss, I just thought you wanted him dead, and I had the chance to do it."
Asami stared at him in horror. "Suoh, I've trusted your judgment for years. How could you be so stupid?" He focused on the body in front of him. So many holes... Frantically he tried to stop the blood that was pouring out.
"Boss, I thought I was doing good. "
"You have no idea the damage you've done." He slapped Feilong's face lightly. "Feilong? Can you hear me?"
Feilong blinked sleepily. "Asami. I should have known. Finally finishing it?"
"I would never have ordered this. You know that. We were through. What was done was done."
"And yet as soon as I see Akihito again, this happens.
"What do you mean, see Akihito?"
"Save him. I tried, but your man...."
"From what? Save him from what?"
But Feilong's head slumped to the side.
"Boss, I'm so sorry."
"Shut up, Suoh, and make yourself useful-" A gun fired behind him and he spun, just in time to see Suoh fall, shot through the head by his own hand, half the contents of his skull on the wall behind him, clearly dead. Asami's legs failed him and he sat on the ground, Feilong's blood all over him, Suoh's running toward him along cracks in the pavement.
"Suoh...?" Suoh would never... Would never have shot Feilong either. Had everyone gone insane? He whipped out his phone, calling Kirishima.
"Hello."
"Call an amb-"
"...This is Kirishima Kei. I'm too busy to answer the phone right now. If you'd like to leave a message please leave one at the tone." He gritted his teeth, waiting. And waiting. The tone never sounded.
He broke the connection and sent a savage text. Your best friend is dead. Maybe if you're not too busy you could come and help with it?
Evidently he'd have to do everything himself. He tried applying pressure to all of Feilong's wounds, but there too many. He picked the heaviest bleeder and pressed while he dialed 119 and requested an ambulance.
He spent the next ten minutes cutting Feilong's silk with his own knife, packing it into the bleeding holes. But the silk was soon saturated and blood kept pouring through.
"C'mon Feilong, stay with me. Don't let this happen." He leaned forward and brushed the long hair out of the way and lightly kissed him, though not particularly caring for it. "Wake up, Princess." Funny how tastes change over the years. "You want this, don't you?" Feilong mumbled and licked his lips, making a face to Asami's tired amusement.
"That's right. Grab onto life. You'll find someone whose taste you relish. Don't die now." Gods, hadn't they already been through this? Motherfucking Suoh. Was he on drugs or something? And where were Kirishima and the ambulance?
He heard a step behind him and looked back over his shoulder. He sagged in relief. "Yoh. Good. I need your help."
"Get away from him." Yoh drew a gun and aimed at him.
What the hell?
"I'm trying to help him!"
"Yeah, the bullet holes really helped. Feilong-sama killed your man there before the job was finished, so you jumped right in. Stop it, Asami, I mean it."
"Is everyone insane today?"
Yoh shot at his arm, grazing him.
Asami spoke in slow, measured tones. "Yoh. If I don't help Feilong then you need to, or he'll die before the ambulance arrives."
A scream pierced the air from further along the passage, wrenching something in his chest. "Let me go. I just want to save Takaba. You can save Feilong. All debts between us are clear."
Yoh's hooded eyes stared at him from beneath that mop of hair, then he nodded, once.
Asami started to run for the other exit, but first stopped by Suoh's side. They'd been together for so long. Saved each other so many times. He wanted to slam his fist into the wall and rage. My last words to him.... But Suoh was dead. And in the meantime Takaba was still alive and needed his help. He'd mourn later. He started moving, only to be stopped by Yoh's voice.
"You know in Hong Kong? I wasn't yours anymore. I played you. You left your precious Takaba's life in a traitor's hands. If I hadn't needed him to save Feilong, I'd have killed him for spending so much time in Feilong's bed."
Asami pressed his lips together for a moment. All this in one day, Feilong's blood on his hands, Suoh dead, Kirishima not there when he needed him, and Takaba in danger... this was getting to be a little too much. But Yoh had been a good man whether he said this now or not. And after his last words to Suoh...
"You know Yoh, I put you in that position not just because I trusted you, but because I knew you had independence and initiative, and that you'd transfer your allegiance to Feilong and keep him safe. Believe it or not, that was important to me. You're only showing that my trust was justified."
Yoh stared at him a moment, then looked a little humbled. He bowed, a Japanese bow of respect. A moan from Feilong ended the moment. "It gets worse here on out, Asami. Go save Takaba. You're the only one who can."
Asami ran down the alley, gun loose in his grip, watching for whatever other insanity might try to block him from Takaba. He didn't expect the next.
It was at another turn, this time to the right. Kuroda sat, chained to a pole, the links going through a bomb on his chest.
"Ryuichi, don't come in....!"
But he was already there. "Kuroda...? What the hell is going on here?"
"I don't know. Some Russian guy grabbed me. When I woke up I was like you see. Nii-san, you've got to get me out of this."
"I told you never to call me that, cousin."
"I'm sorry. It's just-"
"Never means never. Did the Russian say how it was triggered?"
"By someone going through that entrance." He nodded at the passageway Asami had to follow.
Asami closed his eyes for a moment. "Fine. I'll go back out and around. I'll come back for you, I promise."
"Except it was primed when you came in, and now if you leave either way..."
Another cry echoed from close outside far end of the little room. He didn't have time for this. Asami thought about just going, he couldn't help it. But this was the one relative who'd treated him like a human and not an animal. "Dammit."
"We'll disarm it." He glanced at Kuroda. "I'll disarm it."
Kuroda's voice broke like a sixteen year old boy's. "Have you ever done that before?"
"No, but how hard can it be? Two wires, one cut."
"At least call a bomb squad! They can tell you what to do."
He called Kirishima. "Hello. This is Kirishima-." He hung up. There was no answer at his office either. "Fuck. Search the internet." He swiped across his phone, starting the search.
"What???"
"It looks like a military grade bomb. We'll find a manual on the internet. Look, it even has a Wiki."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. You hold this, read it to me. I've got a utility knife here..."
Kuroda's hands trembled a little, but he started reading in a calm voice. "First, carefully and may I repeat carefully unscrew the plate at the front under the timer. Then the screws for the two attaching plates will be visible. Remove those."
"Got it." Asami started in with them. By some freak luck the screwdriver on his Swiss army knife was the right shape and size.
"Ryuichi," Kuroda said softly. "Remember how you used to read those textbooks to me when I couldn't get to sleep?"
The corner of Asami's mouth lifted. "Ah. And how you cried when I didn't finish the chapter on the rise of automobile manufacturing in Japan."
"I thought it would end better."
Their eyes met. "I won't let you die, Kuroda."
"I know." Nii-san. It was unsaid but they both heard it. But Asami hated being reminded of family. He bent back to his work. Every so often, there would be another cry from outside. They sounded weaker. At one point he thought he heard crying and he had to stop for a second because his hands were shaking. Be strong, Akihito. I know you'd want me to finish this.
It took about twenty minutes, but Asami finally lifted the bomb free and helped his cousin to his feet. "Go, back out that way. And send help. I don't know what's going on, but I need some more men. And find out what the hell happened to Kirishima!"
"Are you sure you don't need me to come along?"
He shook his head. "I need you outside this mess more, helping there. Get going."
"I will. Now go save Takaba."
He smiled. At least one good thing happened today. Now I can stop worrying about everyone else and get Akihito.
He was still feeling good when his cousin stepped into the passage back to Yoh and Feilong and it exploded.
"No... No!" Pieces of debris and flesh rained down on him. "Kuroda!"
He stood there dumbfounded for a minute, until he heard clapping behind him. He turned and saw Mikhail behind him, applauding.
"Oh that was wonderful, Ryuichi. So heartwarming. Cousins reuniting to a happy ending, then boom, it's all gone, like he was blown off the deck of a cruise ships by bullets. One family member for another. Yuri wasn't much, but he was all I had."
Asami ripped his gun free from its holster, intending to kill, stopping when he saw what was dangling on a chain from Mikhail's hand.
"That's right. I have a key you need to get to your precious Akihito. To get it, you have to deal with me."
"I can kill you and take it," he growled.
"The key is information as well."
Asami was willing to negotiate for Takaba's sake. He'd kill him later for Kuoda's. Kuroda... Night after night he'd sat by himself outside that house and Kuroda, only four, had come out and plopped onto his lap with some watermelon, and just sat there with him, sharing it. It was one of his few good memories of that time. Like the time he and Suoh... He abruptly cut himself off. He had to mourn them later.
"No? I think you must. I can understand that losing is difficult. At least I've heard it is. But at least you're losing to me. You shouldn't be ashamed."
"Are you aware, Mikhail, that while you're preening, Feilong is dying about twenty meters beyond that pile of rubble with only Yoh for a companion?"
Mikhail looked uncertain. "Feilong? What would he be doing here?"
"How the hell should I know?" Asami snarled. "What are any of you doing here?"
"Maybe you should ask yourself that," Mikhail mused, weighing his options. "Damn. I have to go after him. I didn't expect that." He came to a quick decision. "The deal is simple then. We're square now. A death for a death. A life for a life. You told me about Feilong. You can have the key. And the information. Agreed?"
Asami nodded. He'd agree with the devil at this point. "Agreed."
Mikhail tossed the key to him. "You'll need two keys before this is over, and neither will be easy to use."
"What is this, riddle time?"
"It's all I know. For what it's worth, I hope you find him."
"Mikhail, save Feilong. And by all the gods, fuck him."
"Really?"
"He needs it. And it will be something nice for you before I kill you."
Mikhail laughed. "You see, you can be fun too. Some day we will spend time together." Mikhail could have such an angelic face when he wanted to. He'd never fooled Asami though. After all, Lucifer was once an angel.
"Oh, you can count on that."
Asami turned and ran like Akihito's life depended on it. It turns out it did.
Unfortunately, at the next turn he ran into another road block.
"Kirishima? Why aren't you answering your fucking phone? Are you aware that Suoh shot himself in the head?" Asami bent over, breathing hard. The wound in his arm was killing him. "Wait a minute. How did you get here before me? Never mind. Takaba is just beyond. I could use your help. Let's go."
Kirishima stood blocking the passage, gun in hand, unmoving. "No."
Asami blinked. Twice. "What did you say?"
"I said no, Asami-sama. Someone has to stop you from this idiocy. We agreed that whatever would happen, Suoh and I would take a stand."
"Suoh didn't do anything of the sort. He shot Feilong."
"Who was trying to rescue that brat Takaba."
"That makes no sense whatsoever. How could he know Takaba would take this alleyway?" It really wasn't much of an alleyway now though was it? It was more a hallway with walls and a ceiling. Again he reminded himself to concentrate on what was important.
"None of this matters. Nothing but Takaba. Move, or I swear I'll kill you."
Kirishima raised his gun. "Don't make me do this, Asami-sama. You're acting like Feilong, obsessed with someone beyond all reason. The business, are you aware how much money we lost last quarter with that trip to Hong Kong? Are you even paying attention to us anymore? You used to trust us."
"It was my money to lose. And we've already made it back. Move."
"It will just get worse. And I will not."
Asami walked toward him. "I won't shoot you."
"You'll have to." Kirishima fired, hitting him in the leg that was still healing from the fight with Feilong in September. "I'll shoot the other too, so you'll be stuck in a hospital bed until long after he's gone."
"Who is so keen on ripping my heart out today, Kei?"
Kirishima's gun faltered. "Wh... what do you mean?"
"Everyone I trust and care about is being stripped from me, in the cruelest ways possible. You would never do this, so who is making you? Arbatov? We can stop him, together."
"Asami-sama..." The gun sank a little more as the one in front of him grew uncertain. Asami limped forward and embraced the man. Then slugged him in the jaw. That wasn't Kirishima. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew Kirishima inside and out, and that would never happen.
"I don't know who or what you are, and why this is happening, but I'm onto you now. And I'm coming. You'd best hope that Akihito is still alive and whole."
He stripped the body near him of its tie and looped it around his leg, staunching the blood flow. Then walked with a determined stride further in.
--
When he reached the end of the passage, there was a merely a blank wall with a hole in it. A sign said "Insert key here."
He stared at it. "It can't be this easy."
"But it is."
He spun around to see... himself? Was that why the man following Takaba had looked strange to him? His eyes narrowed as he inspected the doppelganger. "You must be the nice one."
Asami 2 smirked. "Since you're already the evil twin?"
"Obviously. Is Akihito behind the door?"
"Obviously. All you have to do is use the key."
"Why, will it blow him up too?"
"Oh no, I play, but I play fair. You have to have this last chance to save him."
"So I can save him?"
"Of course. Though your chances are slim to none."
"That's all I need."
"Good. Go on, then. He's already been prepared for your viewing pleasure."
How he managed to keep his face blank he'll never know, because inside he was terrified of what he'd find.
"It probably isn't even him. Your fake Kirishima was terrible."
"I know. I was indulging myself. I thought someone should say that to you, and he was the perfect choice, if a little out of character."
"How did you create them?"
"Magic, of course. I am, after all, a god. The god of tricksy games." And standing before him was Akihito.
"Akihito...?" No. He could see it was not. Though he pretended that he couldn't, so the 'god' thought his work good enough for the game. But none of them had been, none except maybe Kuroda. The next beat of his heart ached, but that was all. Now he knew they weren't real.
"The others then, they weren't real?"
"You have to win to find that out. But I'll tell you this. At least one was."
Which one? His chest tightened again. Please, not Kuroda. And not Suoh. Not one of them. But they made the most sense, being here in Tokyo. Fuck I can't think about this now.
"I am good, aren't I? Even fooled you." And the Akihito disappeared. "I've been prepping your pet. There's not much time left. You should join him before it's too late."
"And if we succeed?"
"Oh, on the chance that you do, you can go. This wouldn't be any fun without the possibility, small though it is, of failure."
Asami stared him down. "I will destroy you if you're lying."
"I doubt that. But you may try. It would prove entertaining."
"Just use the key, hmm?" he turned to the door.
"And lose your hand."
"What?"
"If you stick your hand in there and use the key, your hand will be cut off at the wrist."
"...I see."
He took his tie off and looped it around his left wrist as tight as he could, transferred the key to that hand, and stuck it in the hole. It was agonizing, but he was through. The passage was open. His hand was nothing compared to Takaba.
And the wound was cauterized. "Thanks, at least, for that," he said through clenched teeth.
"I wouldn't want you to die too soon." He turned to leave. "Oh wait. You'll want this."
The other Asami held the key out to him. The second key? That easy? He somehow doubted it.
It was a little bloody. He realized it was the key he'd just used. He raised an eyebrow.
"My apologies." The god wiped it on a handkerchief and smiled. "You'll need it to get out."
He stared at the other for one long moment. "Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I am the good one." He caught the key tossed at him and put it in his pocket.
The other laughed with delight, clapping his hands.
"That's so out of character," Asami grimaced. "Please don't ever do that in front of me again." He stepped through the door.
It clanged shut behind him with a finality he should have found alarming.
His eyes had to adjust to the light, which glowed a deep red. There was nothing in the room but a single box of marble raised up in the center, like a tomb. Akihito lay on top of it, curled into a ball upon on his side, still wearing the clothes he'd last seen him in. Because of the light he couldn't tell if he was harmed. Who knew where the screams had come from, a real or a false voice? And who knew if this Akihito was real?
That last thought let him move forward and face what he feared. It was hard to walk now from the very real bullet wound, and the pain in his arm was unbearable. As if any of that would stop him from reaching his goal.
He limped up to the dais and looked down. It looked like Akihito. The god was good at copying that. But he hadn't been fooled by the other's imitation. How could that thing come close to copying Akihito's spirit? No one he'd met had ever held such a unique and fiery light inside them. How could evil even imagine something so singular and bright?
He laid his hand, his only hand, on the shoulder before him. It was cold and didn't move. His hand trembled a little. He refused to accept the thought going through his mind. "Akihito." He shook the body slightly. "Wake up. We have to get out of here."
There was no response. His hand tightened on the shoulder, then slipped up to the neck. There was no pulse. He shoved himself away from the body.
"I thought you said time was running out, not that it already had! You said I had a chance!" He shouted hoarsely. "Where is he?"
There was no answer.
He had to be here, the real one, because that thing lying on the slab could not be him. He looked around, panic coiling in his chest. He took a deep breath. He had to remain calm. He had to think. Small, calm steps.
But the roiling emotions inside him wouldn't allow him anything like that.
He walked the circuit of the room. It was small, the size of his bedroom. The walls were bare, except for another hole inside the wall opposite the door he'd entered. And he knew what that was for.
There was no clue. Just him and the dais. And the body.
He returned to the center. He could barely look at what lay there, but he bent and gathered it into his arms and moved it to the floor. It felt like Akihito. Even smelled like him, like the shampoo he kept in that stupid animal container in the shower. But it was not. It just was not.
He made himself think. Mikhail had said there were two keys. That meant a keyhole.
The dais looked like a crypt. He searched for a way to open it. He ran his hand over every inch of it, but it was smooth, unblemished by any mark or control. He pounded his arms on the top in frustration, sending agony through the left. He gritted his teeth. That was fine, it helped him to focus. There had to be a way.
He looked across to the hole in the wall. That couldn't be it. If he had no hands he couldn't save anyone. He shook his head. If he knew, knew that would work, it would be one thing. But he couldn't afford to lose the other hand just yet.
He made himself check again. He had to have missed something. On his second trip around he found it. A slight notch in the surface that he could fit his finger into, and when it slipped in he felt a needle drive into him under his nail. His blood dripped into the hole and a small keyhole opened. He grabbed the key from his pocket and tried to push it in, but it was too big.
The surface of the tomb was cold, and for a moment, just a moment, he rested his forehead upon it. Just a minute ago, he reminded himself, he hadn't made this much progress. He had to keep moving. He had to find the other key.
He turned back to the body. It had to be there. He methodically searched the clothes, trying not to think about it when he found Akihito-things in the pockets of the jeans, a receipt for film, some string, a fuzzy old piece of candy, a movie ticket stub. Who did he go to the movies with? Shouldn't it be him? No, he didn't need to go down that road right now. These were props. His eyes wouldn't return to the candy, the same brand that sat in bowls around Club Sion.
There was nothing in the clothes, nothing. So then, he'd search the body next. When he opened the shirt he had his answer. There was a wound in the body, one that had been stitched up, right over Akihito's heart. A chain like the one in his pocket hung from it. All he had to do was pull the key from its heart.
It wasn't Akihito, right? And it was dead already, wasn't it?
It gasped and shivered a little, and it opened its brown eyes.
No...
This was too much. He couldn't. What if....?
He sank to the floor and leaned against the tomb, staring at the thing... the Akihito that stared back at him.
"Asami...?"
He closed his eyes against the tears that threatened. How the hell could he make this choice?
He heard it crawling across the floor to him. "Asami... I knew you'd come for me."
This one was dead. Death was something he knew intimately. He couldn't have been mistaken. And yet....
It reached him. Reached out to him. Crawled up into his lap. Put its arms around him. "Asami... He hurt me...Please, I need you..."
He opened his eyes and saw Akihito looking at him. He bent his head down and tasted the lips that opened beneath his.
He reached up and grabbed the chain and pulled.
Heart's blood spilled over his body as the chain came free.
"Asami...?" Blood was burbling from its lips with his name. "Why...?"
He held it as it died.
He was cold inside now, the cold of death.
This had to work.
He laid the body on the floor and scrambled to find the keyhole and shoved the key into it. It turned with a click and the top slid aside. Akihito was inside. He sat up gasping for air, coughing, glaring up at him. "What took you so long? I almost died in there!"
He broke. He couldn't help it. One minute cold as death, the next an emotion burning so bright in him it spilled from his eyes like water. He slid down the wall of the tomb, face against cold marble, only held up by the young hand that grabbed his as he pulled himself up out of the tomb. He scrubbed his face against his arm and just hung there a minute as the universe righted itself around him. Then he stood and grabbed Akihito, his Akihito and swung him up into his arms, rubbing his cheek against the soft brown hair, holding him in a grip so tight it would never be broken.
"Asami... your hand!" He felt gentle fingers on his sleeve.
His Akihito noticed these things and cared.
"It's nothing."
"Nothing?! It's your freaking hand!"
"We can talk about this later. We need to leave. And he probably has some other tricks in place to kill us again before we get out of here. He may look like me."
"Yeah, he already tried that, pretending to be you. He..." Akihito swallowed and shivered. "I knew it wasn't you. You're an idiot about some things, but you've always trusted me."
"You are transparent to a fault. And you are mine."
He'd kiss him, but he wouldn't be able to stop. And they had to leave.
They helped each other to their feet, and went around the tomb. Akihito stopped dead and stared, looking at the corpse, his eyes going from its chest to the key and back. "That bastard," he said softly, tears in his eyes, looking at him with understanding. "I never could have done that. But Asami... How did you know?"
Asami looked at him, at this one who always felt the pain of others before he felt his own. "How could I not?"
Akihito turned back to him and, standing on tiptoes, brushed their lips together. Asami crushed the lips below his, forcing them wide, needing this more than he'd ever needed another's touch. It burned right through him, that kiss, lighting his heart along the way, chasing away his weariness. He reluctantly raised his head, and Takaba reluctantly stepped back. Asami jerked his head toward the floor. "We have to go. Those are your clothes. Get dressed. And there's one more bridge we have to cross."
Akihito quickly dressed, checking his pockets, blushing as he looked sideways at Asami.
"I've never known you to leave candy uneaten," Asami teased. "A memento, perhaps?"
"Of what a jerk you can be!"
He smiled, and waited for the rug to be pulled out from under his feet. They couldn't be finished yet. This wouldn't end like Kuroda had. His smile fell at the memory.
"What?"
"Hmm?"
"What made you sad just now?"
"Why? Do you want to comfort me?"
"Asami, stop. I've never seen that look on your face. It's ... scary. And don't say it's nothing."
"He plays tricks, this god, because he loves pain and despair. We didn't fall for it with his copies. So he'll likely try it with us."
"Let him try!" Akihito shouted at the ceiling.
Asami winced. "Well you've certainly issued an invitation. Let's go."
"Give me the key."
"No."
"That's what I thought. It chops your hand off, doesn't it? I've seen stuff like that in movies. Well, you can't lose another. Give me the key."
"You need both your hands for your photography."
"You're right, I do. But that guy doesn't." He pointed at the body.
"A dead body can't hold a key."
"Give me your pocket knife." Akihito knelt on the floor, taking the right arm onto his lap. Asami fished the knife out, curious.
"This might be gross. And while I feel bad for him, well, I figure if anyone has the right to do it, it's me." He cut a slit in the index finger and slipped the wide end of the key inside. Then he pulled the string and ticket stub from his pocket, wrapped the stub around the finger to stiffen it, and tied it on with the string. Then he sat back with satisfaction and ran his hand through his hair sheepishly. "Um. I have no money so I had to learn to make do."
Asami didn't realize his lover was so handy. "Now if only you'd fix that dripping faucet at home."
"I did three weeks ago. Let's do this."
Together they got the body across the floor. And while Asami held it upright, Akihito maneuvered the arm into the hole. "This is weird.... " he muttered.
"What?"
"What?! The Holding a Dead Copy of Myself with a Key stuck through its Finger, putting its Arm into a Hole so Ours don't get Cut Off kind of weird!"
"Ah. That."
Akihito snorted. "Stop making me laugh. We get one shot."
Asami looked at the other arm. "Actually..."
"I know. It sounds more cool if you say that."
"Just do it. It's getting heavy."
"Here goes."
The key clicked in and the door opened. The corpse fell backwards, one hand missing.
"Yes! Takaba saves the day!" He started for the opening.
"Stop!"
Akihito uncharacteristically obeyed. "Why?"
Asami picked up the body and threw it though the gap in the wall. There was a blinding flash of light as it triggered an explosion that threw rubble and flesh at them.
"Now," said Asami with a look of satisfaction, "we can leave."
--
When they stumbled out the alleyway the sun was already rising. His men were there en masse. They sprang for him, shouting into their phones that they'd found him. Within minutes, Kirishima was there.
"Your hand! What happened to you? I've been up and down this alley all night. Why the hell didn't you call me?"
Asami just looked at him and started laughing, startling the hell out of everyone around him.
The limo pulled up and Suoh got out. Asami shoved through the men until he stood in front of him, just staring up at that ugly face. "Kazumi. You're okay?"
"Yeah? I'm sorry I wasn't here when you needed me."
"No. No I'm glad you weren't."
"Boss?"
"Don't ever shoot Feilong."
"Boss. Why would I do a stupid thing like that? Unless he was trying to kill you or the kid."
"Exactly." He pressed his fingers against his eyes, sealing in emotions. "I know can always count on you."
But that meant Kuroda... He sagged a little.
Takaba was there in an instant. "Asami, we need to get you to a hospital."
Kirishima was there too, opening the limo door. "Yes, Suoh just got back from there. Is Kuroda-san all right?" he asked the bodyguard. He turned back to a stunned Asami. "He's the one who told us what was happening. He stumbled out of the alley a couple of hours ago with some wild story about Feilong and Yoh and Suoh here, and at first I didn't believe him but there was shrapnel from an explosion all over his back, so we mobilized the men. But we couldn't find the entrance he was talking about."
He was real. And he made it out... Thank you. Thank you for that.
"I took the liberty of purchasing the buildings on either side of the alley and have been demolishing them room by room, but with no luck. I also took it upon myself to contact Feilong, and he was annoyed but fine and definitely in Hong Kong, and he said he'd contact Yoh but had heard from him very recently and that he'd had no plans to come here. We did put some researchers on the problem and they found that this used to be the site of an inari shrine-"
"Kirishima, have I told you lately how much I value you?"
"Not in so many words. Though I have charted out things you've said that look suspiciously like compliments."
Suoh covered a laugh with his hand and coughed. "Boss. Hospital."
"Yes."
As the car pulled away from the curb, Akihito at his side under his arm, he had to wonder what the point of this night was.
"Was he trying to teach me to value all of you? It's not like I don't."
Takaba looked up at him. "It's not like you say it."
"No, but you all knew it, right?"
"I don't know if we did. We all hoped, and thought maybe. But Asami..."
"What?"
"What, you don't know how I finished that sentence? You should know, right?"
He scowled at the smug face at his shoulder. This one was a clever one that he'd never quite pin down. But that was just one of the reasons he was so very special. He caressed the very warm shoulder under his hand.
"Well, perhaps then, once in a while, I'll remind you all that I care." He leaned over and kissed the top of Akihito's head before turning back to the window. Perhaps they could go on a date, he thought. To the movies.
He looked outside at the mundane sights he hadn't been sure he'd see again, and this time he appreciated them a little more.
Arbatov was leaning against a building they were passing and gave Asami a little wave.
He had a red bushy tail.
It was wagging.
~end~
Pairing/Character(s): Asami / Takaba, most of the other characters show up
Warnings / Spoilers: AU universe (supernatural elements), some violence (OK a bit of gore) and horror elements
Rating: R for violence
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Yamane-sensei, I'm just playing with them.
Summary: Asami finds himself in the middle of what seems like a nightmare, but which feels all too real. These can't be the people he knows, can they?
I started writing this a while back for Halloween, but it turned out not to be a Halloween-centered fic, though it's kind of weird and supernatural. It actually ended up owing a little something to the anime The Eccentric Family, which I recommend to anyone who likes anime out of the usual.
How boring. Almost midnight. People on the streets rushing home before the last train, all going about their boring lives. They were lucky to have him to make their lives interesting. And, it was convenient having all their money funneling into his bank accounts.
He raised his chin off his hand. There, into that alley, a little sparrow with silver-brown hair. He knew that one and cared. What was he up to tonight? Would he complain about it before he was tossed onto the bed and made to forget it?
Asami looked forward to getting home now. He'd been doing that more often, thinking about hot meals and shapely asses in aprons. Was that bad? Was it making him more boring too? He didn't care. It was what he wanted for now.
He watched the alley as they passed. Someone in a long overcoat was standing at the entrance; he caught Asami's eye as he passed, then grinned at him as he turned and followed Takaba. Fear ran along his spine like a little cat and he shivered.
"Kirishima, stop the car."
"Already saw him."
Kirishima was ever observant, to the point of annoyance sometimes. Asami had once noticed him systematically tracking and graphing all the habits of Takaba, all the while his eyebrows twitched in disapproval.
He'd stopped with a squeal of tires and a flick of the steering wheel, ending up right next to the curb. The cars in the way had been shoved aside. Who would say anything?
Asami unbuttoned his jacket as he climbed from the limo, slipping his hand into the front left side where his holster hung, making sure the gun was loose and ready. Kirishima stood next to him, noting everything. He made as if to follow. Asami shook his head.
"No. It's probably nothing."
"But perhaps not. You take too many chances."
"I already have a wife."
Kirishima pursed his lips and stepped back to lean against the side of the car. He unbuttoned his coat and let it hang open.
"I'll stay alert."
Asami nodded and turned. People on the sidewalk melted from his path as if they weren't there. They weren't, to him.
The alley was long, dark and narrow, running between two tall old buildings. It was about as wide as two men, and piles of trash took up most of that. He couldn't even make out ten meters into it, much less the other end. Turning sideways he pushed past the clot at the entrance and slipped into the passage.
It smelled old, musty maybe, reminding him of that time, over ten years ago now, when he and Suoh'd gone after that construction boss for his gambling debts. They'd busted into his place and found him sitting in a chair in front of the TV, dead for weeks. His cats hadn't been fed, so they'd helped themselves to their owner. Suoh couldn't stand cats to this day.
That was the smell. Cat piss and rotting flesh.
He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply. It was one reason so many in his line of business smoked, to cut through the stench.
Sounds up ahead floated back to him, odd sounds. He frowned. Not business as usual then. He moved faster, not caring about making noise, not caring about his ¥2,000,000 cashmere coat, only caring about reaching his goal. He was good at that. Taking care of business, getting what he wanted. What he wanted was Akihito safe and an explanation. Then sex in the car to pay for this hassle.
Something hammered loudly a few times, the sound bouncing off the walls around him. He couldn't tell what that was and that bothered him. Without stopping he drew his pistol and flicked the safety off, then chambered a round, the snick-click of the gun comforting. He kept it low and at his side, at the ready. It seemed like an application of force might be required. His footsteps quickened.
He almost ran into the wall. With a start, he realized that there was a turn in the path. No wonder he couldn't see the other end. He immediately relaxed at such a common sense explanation for at least part of the strangeness at hand. At least, he relaxed until he heard shots to the left. He took off down the new path and came to a slightly wider portion at the corner of a right turn. And stopped in shock.
There in the light of a naked bulb on the wall, stood Suoh. He was methodically emptying his clip into a figure slumped against said wall. One with long dark hair. Asami felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.
"Suoh, what the hell are you doing?" He ran over to crouch by Feilong, who also had a gun lying in his limp hand. He picked it up and stuck it into his coat.
"I thought you took the day off. What's going on? Is he the one after Takaba?"
He touched Feilong's neck. There was a pulse. A breath he didn't know he was holding released.
"Nah boss, I just thought you wanted him dead, and I had the chance to do it."
Asami stared at him in horror. "Suoh, I've trusted your judgment for years. How could you be so stupid?" He focused on the body in front of him. So many holes... Frantically he tried to stop the blood that was pouring out.
"Boss, I thought I was doing good. "
"You have no idea the damage you've done." He slapped Feilong's face lightly. "Feilong? Can you hear me?"
Feilong blinked sleepily. "Asami. I should have known. Finally finishing it?"
"I would never have ordered this. You know that. We were through. What was done was done."
"And yet as soon as I see Akihito again, this happens.
"What do you mean, see Akihito?"
"Save him. I tried, but your man...."
"From what? Save him from what?"
But Feilong's head slumped to the side.
"Boss, I'm so sorry."
"Shut up, Suoh, and make yourself useful-" A gun fired behind him and he spun, just in time to see Suoh fall, shot through the head by his own hand, half the contents of his skull on the wall behind him, clearly dead. Asami's legs failed him and he sat on the ground, Feilong's blood all over him, Suoh's running toward him along cracks in the pavement.
"Suoh...?" Suoh would never... Would never have shot Feilong either. Had everyone gone insane? He whipped out his phone, calling Kirishima.
"Hello."
"Call an amb-"
"...This is Kirishima Kei. I'm too busy to answer the phone right now. If you'd like to leave a message please leave one at the tone." He gritted his teeth, waiting. And waiting. The tone never sounded.
He broke the connection and sent a savage text. Your best friend is dead. Maybe if you're not too busy you could come and help with it?
Evidently he'd have to do everything himself. He tried applying pressure to all of Feilong's wounds, but there too many. He picked the heaviest bleeder and pressed while he dialed 119 and requested an ambulance.
He spent the next ten minutes cutting Feilong's silk with his own knife, packing it into the bleeding holes. But the silk was soon saturated and blood kept pouring through.
"C'mon Feilong, stay with me. Don't let this happen." He leaned forward and brushed the long hair out of the way and lightly kissed him, though not particularly caring for it. "Wake up, Princess." Funny how tastes change over the years. "You want this, don't you?" Feilong mumbled and licked his lips, making a face to Asami's tired amusement.
"That's right. Grab onto life. You'll find someone whose taste you relish. Don't die now." Gods, hadn't they already been through this? Motherfucking Suoh. Was he on drugs or something? And where were Kirishima and the ambulance?
He heard a step behind him and looked back over his shoulder. He sagged in relief. "Yoh. Good. I need your help."
"Get away from him." Yoh drew a gun and aimed at him.
What the hell?
"I'm trying to help him!"
"Yeah, the bullet holes really helped. Feilong-sama killed your man there before the job was finished, so you jumped right in. Stop it, Asami, I mean it."
"Is everyone insane today?"
Yoh shot at his arm, grazing him.
Asami spoke in slow, measured tones. "Yoh. If I don't help Feilong then you need to, or he'll die before the ambulance arrives."
A scream pierced the air from further along the passage, wrenching something in his chest. "Let me go. I just want to save Takaba. You can save Feilong. All debts between us are clear."
Yoh's hooded eyes stared at him from beneath that mop of hair, then he nodded, once.
Asami started to run for the other exit, but first stopped by Suoh's side. They'd been together for so long. Saved each other so many times. He wanted to slam his fist into the wall and rage. My last words to him.... But Suoh was dead. And in the meantime Takaba was still alive and needed his help. He'd mourn later. He started moving, only to be stopped by Yoh's voice.
"You know in Hong Kong? I wasn't yours anymore. I played you. You left your precious Takaba's life in a traitor's hands. If I hadn't needed him to save Feilong, I'd have killed him for spending so much time in Feilong's bed."
Asami pressed his lips together for a moment. All this in one day, Feilong's blood on his hands, Suoh dead, Kirishima not there when he needed him, and Takaba in danger... this was getting to be a little too much. But Yoh had been a good man whether he said this now or not. And after his last words to Suoh...
"You know Yoh, I put you in that position not just because I trusted you, but because I knew you had independence and initiative, and that you'd transfer your allegiance to Feilong and keep him safe. Believe it or not, that was important to me. You're only showing that my trust was justified."
Yoh stared at him a moment, then looked a little humbled. He bowed, a Japanese bow of respect. A moan from Feilong ended the moment. "It gets worse here on out, Asami. Go save Takaba. You're the only one who can."
Asami ran down the alley, gun loose in his grip, watching for whatever other insanity might try to block him from Takaba. He didn't expect the next.
It was at another turn, this time to the right. Kuroda sat, chained to a pole, the links going through a bomb on his chest.
"Ryuichi, don't come in....!"
But he was already there. "Kuroda...? What the hell is going on here?"
"I don't know. Some Russian guy grabbed me. When I woke up I was like you see. Nii-san, you've got to get me out of this."
"I told you never to call me that, cousin."
"I'm sorry. It's just-"
"Never means never. Did the Russian say how it was triggered?"
"By someone going through that entrance." He nodded at the passageway Asami had to follow.
Asami closed his eyes for a moment. "Fine. I'll go back out and around. I'll come back for you, I promise."
"Except it was primed when you came in, and now if you leave either way..."
Another cry echoed from close outside far end of the little room. He didn't have time for this. Asami thought about just going, he couldn't help it. But this was the one relative who'd treated him like a human and not an animal. "Dammit."
"We'll disarm it." He glanced at Kuroda. "I'll disarm it."
Kuroda's voice broke like a sixteen year old boy's. "Have you ever done that before?"
"No, but how hard can it be? Two wires, one cut."
"At least call a bomb squad! They can tell you what to do."
He called Kirishima. "Hello. This is Kirishima-." He hung up. There was no answer at his office either. "Fuck. Search the internet." He swiped across his phone, starting the search.
"What???"
"It looks like a military grade bomb. We'll find a manual on the internet. Look, it even has a Wiki."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. You hold this, read it to me. I've got a utility knife here..."
Kuroda's hands trembled a little, but he started reading in a calm voice. "First, carefully and may I repeat carefully unscrew the plate at the front under the timer. Then the screws for the two attaching plates will be visible. Remove those."
"Got it." Asami started in with them. By some freak luck the screwdriver on his Swiss army knife was the right shape and size.
"Ryuichi," Kuroda said softly. "Remember how you used to read those textbooks to me when I couldn't get to sleep?"
The corner of Asami's mouth lifted. "Ah. And how you cried when I didn't finish the chapter on the rise of automobile manufacturing in Japan."
"I thought it would end better."
Their eyes met. "I won't let you die, Kuroda."
"I know." Nii-san. It was unsaid but they both heard it. But Asami hated being reminded of family. He bent back to his work. Every so often, there would be another cry from outside. They sounded weaker. At one point he thought he heard crying and he had to stop for a second because his hands were shaking. Be strong, Akihito. I know you'd want me to finish this.
It took about twenty minutes, but Asami finally lifted the bomb free and helped his cousin to his feet. "Go, back out that way. And send help. I don't know what's going on, but I need some more men. And find out what the hell happened to Kirishima!"
"Are you sure you don't need me to come along?"
He shook his head. "I need you outside this mess more, helping there. Get going."
"I will. Now go save Takaba."
He smiled. At least one good thing happened today. Now I can stop worrying about everyone else and get Akihito.
He was still feeling good when his cousin stepped into the passage back to Yoh and Feilong and it exploded.
"No... No!" Pieces of debris and flesh rained down on him. "Kuroda!"
He stood there dumbfounded for a minute, until he heard clapping behind him. He turned and saw Mikhail behind him, applauding.
"Oh that was wonderful, Ryuichi. So heartwarming. Cousins reuniting to a happy ending, then boom, it's all gone, like he was blown off the deck of a cruise ships by bullets. One family member for another. Yuri wasn't much, but he was all I had."
Asami ripped his gun free from its holster, intending to kill, stopping when he saw what was dangling on a chain from Mikhail's hand.
"That's right. I have a key you need to get to your precious Akihito. To get it, you have to deal with me."
"I can kill you and take it," he growled.
"The key is information as well."
Asami was willing to negotiate for Takaba's sake. He'd kill him later for Kuoda's. Kuroda... Night after night he'd sat by himself outside that house and Kuroda, only four, had come out and plopped onto his lap with some watermelon, and just sat there with him, sharing it. It was one of his few good memories of that time. Like the time he and Suoh... He abruptly cut himself off. He had to mourn them later.
"No? I think you must. I can understand that losing is difficult. At least I've heard it is. But at least you're losing to me. You shouldn't be ashamed."
"Are you aware, Mikhail, that while you're preening, Feilong is dying about twenty meters beyond that pile of rubble with only Yoh for a companion?"
Mikhail looked uncertain. "Feilong? What would he be doing here?"
"How the hell should I know?" Asami snarled. "What are any of you doing here?"
"Maybe you should ask yourself that," Mikhail mused, weighing his options. "Damn. I have to go after him. I didn't expect that." He came to a quick decision. "The deal is simple then. We're square now. A death for a death. A life for a life. You told me about Feilong. You can have the key. And the information. Agreed?"
Asami nodded. He'd agree with the devil at this point. "Agreed."
Mikhail tossed the key to him. "You'll need two keys before this is over, and neither will be easy to use."
"What is this, riddle time?"
"It's all I know. For what it's worth, I hope you find him."
"Mikhail, save Feilong. And by all the gods, fuck him."
"Really?"
"He needs it. And it will be something nice for you before I kill you."
Mikhail laughed. "You see, you can be fun too. Some day we will spend time together." Mikhail could have such an angelic face when he wanted to. He'd never fooled Asami though. After all, Lucifer was once an angel.
"Oh, you can count on that."
Asami turned and ran like Akihito's life depended on it. It turns out it did.
Unfortunately, at the next turn he ran into another road block.
"Kirishima? Why aren't you answering your fucking phone? Are you aware that Suoh shot himself in the head?" Asami bent over, breathing hard. The wound in his arm was killing him. "Wait a minute. How did you get here before me? Never mind. Takaba is just beyond. I could use your help. Let's go."
Kirishima stood blocking the passage, gun in hand, unmoving. "No."
Asami blinked. Twice. "What did you say?"
"I said no, Asami-sama. Someone has to stop you from this idiocy. We agreed that whatever would happen, Suoh and I would take a stand."
"Suoh didn't do anything of the sort. He shot Feilong."
"Who was trying to rescue that brat Takaba."
"That makes no sense whatsoever. How could he know Takaba would take this alleyway?" It really wasn't much of an alleyway now though was it? It was more a hallway with walls and a ceiling. Again he reminded himself to concentrate on what was important.
"None of this matters. Nothing but Takaba. Move, or I swear I'll kill you."
Kirishima raised his gun. "Don't make me do this, Asami-sama. You're acting like Feilong, obsessed with someone beyond all reason. The business, are you aware how much money we lost last quarter with that trip to Hong Kong? Are you even paying attention to us anymore? You used to trust us."
"It was my money to lose. And we've already made it back. Move."
"It will just get worse. And I will not."
Asami walked toward him. "I won't shoot you."
"You'll have to." Kirishima fired, hitting him in the leg that was still healing from the fight with Feilong in September. "I'll shoot the other too, so you'll be stuck in a hospital bed until long after he's gone."
"Who is so keen on ripping my heart out today, Kei?"
Kirishima's gun faltered. "Wh... what do you mean?"
"Everyone I trust and care about is being stripped from me, in the cruelest ways possible. You would never do this, so who is making you? Arbatov? We can stop him, together."
"Asami-sama..." The gun sank a little more as the one in front of him grew uncertain. Asami limped forward and embraced the man. Then slugged him in the jaw. That wasn't Kirishima. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew Kirishima inside and out, and that would never happen.
"I don't know who or what you are, and why this is happening, but I'm onto you now. And I'm coming. You'd best hope that Akihito is still alive and whole."
He stripped the body near him of its tie and looped it around his leg, staunching the blood flow. Then walked with a determined stride further in.
--
When he reached the end of the passage, there was a merely a blank wall with a hole in it. A sign said "Insert key here."
He stared at it. "It can't be this easy."
"But it is."
He spun around to see... himself? Was that why the man following Takaba had looked strange to him? His eyes narrowed as he inspected the doppelganger. "You must be the nice one."
Asami 2 smirked. "Since you're already the evil twin?"
"Obviously. Is Akihito behind the door?"
"Obviously. All you have to do is use the key."
"Why, will it blow him up too?"
"Oh no, I play, but I play fair. You have to have this last chance to save him."
"So I can save him?"
"Of course. Though your chances are slim to none."
"That's all I need."
"Good. Go on, then. He's already been prepared for your viewing pleasure."
How he managed to keep his face blank he'll never know, because inside he was terrified of what he'd find.
"It probably isn't even him. Your fake Kirishima was terrible."
"I know. I was indulging myself. I thought someone should say that to you, and he was the perfect choice, if a little out of character."
"How did you create them?"
"Magic, of course. I am, after all, a god. The god of tricksy games." And standing before him was Akihito.
"Akihito...?" No. He could see it was not. Though he pretended that he couldn't, so the 'god' thought his work good enough for the game. But none of them had been, none except maybe Kuroda. The next beat of his heart ached, but that was all. Now he knew they weren't real.
"The others then, they weren't real?"
"You have to win to find that out. But I'll tell you this. At least one was."
Which one? His chest tightened again. Please, not Kuroda. And not Suoh. Not one of them. But they made the most sense, being here in Tokyo. Fuck I can't think about this now.
"I am good, aren't I? Even fooled you." And the Akihito disappeared. "I've been prepping your pet. There's not much time left. You should join him before it's too late."
"And if we succeed?"
"Oh, on the chance that you do, you can go. This wouldn't be any fun without the possibility, small though it is, of failure."
Asami stared him down. "I will destroy you if you're lying."
"I doubt that. But you may try. It would prove entertaining."
"Just use the key, hmm?" he turned to the door.
"And lose your hand."
"What?"
"If you stick your hand in there and use the key, your hand will be cut off at the wrist."
"...I see."
He took his tie off and looped it around his left wrist as tight as he could, transferred the key to that hand, and stuck it in the hole. It was agonizing, but he was through. The passage was open. His hand was nothing compared to Takaba.
And the wound was cauterized. "Thanks, at least, for that," he said through clenched teeth.
"I wouldn't want you to die too soon." He turned to leave. "Oh wait. You'll want this."
The other Asami held the key out to him. The second key? That easy? He somehow doubted it.
It was a little bloody. He realized it was the key he'd just used. He raised an eyebrow.
"My apologies." The god wiped it on a handkerchief and smiled. "You'll need it to get out."
He stared at the other for one long moment. "Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I am the good one." He caught the key tossed at him and put it in his pocket.
The other laughed with delight, clapping his hands.
"That's so out of character," Asami grimaced. "Please don't ever do that in front of me again." He stepped through the door.
It clanged shut behind him with a finality he should have found alarming.
His eyes had to adjust to the light, which glowed a deep red. There was nothing in the room but a single box of marble raised up in the center, like a tomb. Akihito lay on top of it, curled into a ball upon on his side, still wearing the clothes he'd last seen him in. Because of the light he couldn't tell if he was harmed. Who knew where the screams had come from, a real or a false voice? And who knew if this Akihito was real?
That last thought let him move forward and face what he feared. It was hard to walk now from the very real bullet wound, and the pain in his arm was unbearable. As if any of that would stop him from reaching his goal.
He limped up to the dais and looked down. It looked like Akihito. The god was good at copying that. But he hadn't been fooled by the other's imitation. How could that thing come close to copying Akihito's spirit? No one he'd met had ever held such a unique and fiery light inside them. How could evil even imagine something so singular and bright?
He laid his hand, his only hand, on the shoulder before him. It was cold and didn't move. His hand trembled a little. He refused to accept the thought going through his mind. "Akihito." He shook the body slightly. "Wake up. We have to get out of here."
There was no response. His hand tightened on the shoulder, then slipped up to the neck. There was no pulse. He shoved himself away from the body.
"I thought you said time was running out, not that it already had! You said I had a chance!" He shouted hoarsely. "Where is he?"
There was no answer.
He had to be here, the real one, because that thing lying on the slab could not be him. He looked around, panic coiling in his chest. He took a deep breath. He had to remain calm. He had to think. Small, calm steps.
But the roiling emotions inside him wouldn't allow him anything like that.
He walked the circuit of the room. It was small, the size of his bedroom. The walls were bare, except for another hole inside the wall opposite the door he'd entered. And he knew what that was for.
There was no clue. Just him and the dais. And the body.
He returned to the center. He could barely look at what lay there, but he bent and gathered it into his arms and moved it to the floor. It felt like Akihito. Even smelled like him, like the shampoo he kept in that stupid animal container in the shower. But it was not. It just was not.
He made himself think. Mikhail had said there were two keys. That meant a keyhole.
The dais looked like a crypt. He searched for a way to open it. He ran his hand over every inch of it, but it was smooth, unblemished by any mark or control. He pounded his arms on the top in frustration, sending agony through the left. He gritted his teeth. That was fine, it helped him to focus. There had to be a way.
He looked across to the hole in the wall. That couldn't be it. If he had no hands he couldn't save anyone. He shook his head. If he knew, knew that would work, it would be one thing. But he couldn't afford to lose the other hand just yet.
He made himself check again. He had to have missed something. On his second trip around he found it. A slight notch in the surface that he could fit his finger into, and when it slipped in he felt a needle drive into him under his nail. His blood dripped into the hole and a small keyhole opened. He grabbed the key from his pocket and tried to push it in, but it was too big.
The surface of the tomb was cold, and for a moment, just a moment, he rested his forehead upon it. Just a minute ago, he reminded himself, he hadn't made this much progress. He had to keep moving. He had to find the other key.
He turned back to the body. It had to be there. He methodically searched the clothes, trying not to think about it when he found Akihito-things in the pockets of the jeans, a receipt for film, some string, a fuzzy old piece of candy, a movie ticket stub. Who did he go to the movies with? Shouldn't it be him? No, he didn't need to go down that road right now. These were props. His eyes wouldn't return to the candy, the same brand that sat in bowls around Club Sion.
There was nothing in the clothes, nothing. So then, he'd search the body next. When he opened the shirt he had his answer. There was a wound in the body, one that had been stitched up, right over Akihito's heart. A chain like the one in his pocket hung from it. All he had to do was pull the key from its heart.
It wasn't Akihito, right? And it was dead already, wasn't it?
It gasped and shivered a little, and it opened its brown eyes.
No...
This was too much. He couldn't. What if....?
He sank to the floor and leaned against the tomb, staring at the thing... the Akihito that stared back at him.
"Asami...?"
He closed his eyes against the tears that threatened. How the hell could he make this choice?
He heard it crawling across the floor to him. "Asami... I knew you'd come for me."
This one was dead. Death was something he knew intimately. He couldn't have been mistaken. And yet....
It reached him. Reached out to him. Crawled up into his lap. Put its arms around him. "Asami... He hurt me...Please, I need you..."
He opened his eyes and saw Akihito looking at him. He bent his head down and tasted the lips that opened beneath his.
He reached up and grabbed the chain and pulled.
Heart's blood spilled over his body as the chain came free.
"Asami...?" Blood was burbling from its lips with his name. "Why...?"
He held it as it died.
He was cold inside now, the cold of death.
This had to work.
He laid the body on the floor and scrambled to find the keyhole and shoved the key into it. It turned with a click and the top slid aside. Akihito was inside. He sat up gasping for air, coughing, glaring up at him. "What took you so long? I almost died in there!"
He broke. He couldn't help it. One minute cold as death, the next an emotion burning so bright in him it spilled from his eyes like water. He slid down the wall of the tomb, face against cold marble, only held up by the young hand that grabbed his as he pulled himself up out of the tomb. He scrubbed his face against his arm and just hung there a minute as the universe righted itself around him. Then he stood and grabbed Akihito, his Akihito and swung him up into his arms, rubbing his cheek against the soft brown hair, holding him in a grip so tight it would never be broken.
"Asami... your hand!" He felt gentle fingers on his sleeve.
His Akihito noticed these things and cared.
"It's nothing."
"Nothing?! It's your freaking hand!"
"We can talk about this later. We need to leave. And he probably has some other tricks in place to kill us again before we get out of here. He may look like me."
"Yeah, he already tried that, pretending to be you. He..." Akihito swallowed and shivered. "I knew it wasn't you. You're an idiot about some things, but you've always trusted me."
"You are transparent to a fault. And you are mine."
He'd kiss him, but he wouldn't be able to stop. And they had to leave.
They helped each other to their feet, and went around the tomb. Akihito stopped dead and stared, looking at the corpse, his eyes going from its chest to the key and back. "That bastard," he said softly, tears in his eyes, looking at him with understanding. "I never could have done that. But Asami... How did you know?"
Asami looked at him, at this one who always felt the pain of others before he felt his own. "How could I not?"
Akihito turned back to him and, standing on tiptoes, brushed their lips together. Asami crushed the lips below his, forcing them wide, needing this more than he'd ever needed another's touch. It burned right through him, that kiss, lighting his heart along the way, chasing away his weariness. He reluctantly raised his head, and Takaba reluctantly stepped back. Asami jerked his head toward the floor. "We have to go. Those are your clothes. Get dressed. And there's one more bridge we have to cross."
Akihito quickly dressed, checking his pockets, blushing as he looked sideways at Asami.
"I've never known you to leave candy uneaten," Asami teased. "A memento, perhaps?"
"Of what a jerk you can be!"
He smiled, and waited for the rug to be pulled out from under his feet. They couldn't be finished yet. This wouldn't end like Kuroda had. His smile fell at the memory.
"What?"
"Hmm?"
"What made you sad just now?"
"Why? Do you want to comfort me?"
"Asami, stop. I've never seen that look on your face. It's ... scary. And don't say it's nothing."
"He plays tricks, this god, because he loves pain and despair. We didn't fall for it with his copies. So he'll likely try it with us."
"Let him try!" Akihito shouted at the ceiling.
Asami winced. "Well you've certainly issued an invitation. Let's go."
"Give me the key."
"No."
"That's what I thought. It chops your hand off, doesn't it? I've seen stuff like that in movies. Well, you can't lose another. Give me the key."
"You need both your hands for your photography."
"You're right, I do. But that guy doesn't." He pointed at the body.
"A dead body can't hold a key."
"Give me your pocket knife." Akihito knelt on the floor, taking the right arm onto his lap. Asami fished the knife out, curious.
"This might be gross. And while I feel bad for him, well, I figure if anyone has the right to do it, it's me." He cut a slit in the index finger and slipped the wide end of the key inside. Then he pulled the string and ticket stub from his pocket, wrapped the stub around the finger to stiffen it, and tied it on with the string. Then he sat back with satisfaction and ran his hand through his hair sheepishly. "Um. I have no money so I had to learn to make do."
Asami didn't realize his lover was so handy. "Now if only you'd fix that dripping faucet at home."
"I did three weeks ago. Let's do this."
Together they got the body across the floor. And while Asami held it upright, Akihito maneuvered the arm into the hole. "This is weird.... " he muttered.
"What?"
"What?! The Holding a Dead Copy of Myself with a Key stuck through its Finger, putting its Arm into a Hole so Ours don't get Cut Off kind of weird!"
"Ah. That."
Akihito snorted. "Stop making me laugh. We get one shot."
Asami looked at the other arm. "Actually..."
"I know. It sounds more cool if you say that."
"Just do it. It's getting heavy."
"Here goes."
The key clicked in and the door opened. The corpse fell backwards, one hand missing.
"Yes! Takaba saves the day!" He started for the opening.
"Stop!"
Akihito uncharacteristically obeyed. "Why?"
Asami picked up the body and threw it though the gap in the wall. There was a blinding flash of light as it triggered an explosion that threw rubble and flesh at them.
"Now," said Asami with a look of satisfaction, "we can leave."
--
When they stumbled out the alleyway the sun was already rising. His men were there en masse. They sprang for him, shouting into their phones that they'd found him. Within minutes, Kirishima was there.
"Your hand! What happened to you? I've been up and down this alley all night. Why the hell didn't you call me?"
Asami just looked at him and started laughing, startling the hell out of everyone around him.
The limo pulled up and Suoh got out. Asami shoved through the men until he stood in front of him, just staring up at that ugly face. "Kazumi. You're okay?"
"Yeah? I'm sorry I wasn't here when you needed me."
"No. No I'm glad you weren't."
"Boss?"
"Don't ever shoot Feilong."
"Boss. Why would I do a stupid thing like that? Unless he was trying to kill you or the kid."
"Exactly." He pressed his fingers against his eyes, sealing in emotions. "I know can always count on you."
But that meant Kuroda... He sagged a little.
Takaba was there in an instant. "Asami, we need to get you to a hospital."
Kirishima was there too, opening the limo door. "Yes, Suoh just got back from there. Is Kuroda-san all right?" he asked the bodyguard. He turned back to a stunned Asami. "He's the one who told us what was happening. He stumbled out of the alley a couple of hours ago with some wild story about Feilong and Yoh and Suoh here, and at first I didn't believe him but there was shrapnel from an explosion all over his back, so we mobilized the men. But we couldn't find the entrance he was talking about."
He was real. And he made it out... Thank you. Thank you for that.
"I took the liberty of purchasing the buildings on either side of the alley and have been demolishing them room by room, but with no luck. I also took it upon myself to contact Feilong, and he was annoyed but fine and definitely in Hong Kong, and he said he'd contact Yoh but had heard from him very recently and that he'd had no plans to come here. We did put some researchers on the problem and they found that this used to be the site of an inari shrine-"
"Kirishima, have I told you lately how much I value you?"
"Not in so many words. Though I have charted out things you've said that look suspiciously like compliments."
Suoh covered a laugh with his hand and coughed. "Boss. Hospital."
"Yes."
As the car pulled away from the curb, Akihito at his side under his arm, he had to wonder what the point of this night was.
"Was he trying to teach me to value all of you? It's not like I don't."
Takaba looked up at him. "It's not like you say it."
"No, but you all knew it, right?"
"I don't know if we did. We all hoped, and thought maybe. But Asami..."
"What?"
"What, you don't know how I finished that sentence? You should know, right?"
He scowled at the smug face at his shoulder. This one was a clever one that he'd never quite pin down. But that was just one of the reasons he was so very special. He caressed the very warm shoulder under his hand.
"Well, perhaps then, once in a while, I'll remind you all that I care." He leaned over and kissed the top of Akihito's head before turning back to the window. Perhaps they could go on a date, he thought. To the movies.
He looked outside at the mundane sights he hadn't been sure he'd see again, and this time he appreciated them a little more.
Arbatov was leaning against a building they were passing and gave Asami a little wave.
He had a red bushy tail.
It was wagging.
~end~