The Key to it All.docx

The Key to it All
Pairings, Characters: Asami x Akihito, Feilong, Tao, Yoh, Mikhail
Rating: R
Spoilers: up to NT8
Warnings/genre: Continuation from NT8, romance

Notes: Looking back, I think the writing in this first chapter is pretty stiff. But it gets better in following chapters, IMO. Someday I may go back and smooth it out.



Day 1


This wasn't what he'd planned or even expected. That bastard Yoh had double-crossed them, resulting in what now lay before him. He took the soft cloth and water they'd left, and began wiping the body down. He must have put up a mighty struggle, to be so bruised and torn. But even he couldn't fight against betrayal, and against that many men.

After a while the boy gave up. The water was stained dark red. They needed a doctor, but he knew his pleas would be ignored.

A moan came from the man in front of him.

He reached out and gently touched the dark head of hair. "It's OK, Asami. You're still alive. And if you're still alive we can get out of this. It's OK."

But he didn't really believe that. He knew Feilong intended to kill them both, once he'd finished playing with them. He only hoped that the playing wouldn't destroy the man before him.

His fingers ran down over the cut and bruised face. No longer handsome. No longer proud. No longer invincible.

Hot tears dropped into the bloody water on his lap. Even when he hated the man, he'd never wanted this. And now...

He set the water down, and crawled onto the bed next to the still body. He reached down and laced the fingers of his hand though the other's right, the only part of him that wasn't broken.

"It's OK, Asami. It's OK."

But as he sobbed into the once-strong shoulder, he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, Asami or himself.



--



A noise in the room awakened him. He spun around to see Tao standing there, eyes wide with surprise, holding a tray of food.

"I brought you this, Akihito. You need to eat."

Tao wouldn't look at the other man on the bed.

Akihito felt vicious today. "Why won't you look, Tao? Are you afraid to see what your Master Feilong is really like? He did this. He and his men. Is that something a good person would do?"

Tao's eyes filled with tears as he set the tray down. "You don't understand. You don't know what this person did to him. This is a bad man."

Akihito leaned forward and grasped his wrist. "Then tell me. Explain to me, because I want to understand. Dammit Tao, they're going to kill us."

Tao seemed confused, unsure. "I don't think anyone is going to kill you, Akihito. You're wrong about that."

"Look at what they did to him Tao! That sure doesn't mean they're planning to treat him kindly. At least let me understand why."

Tao's shoulders sagged and he looked down and to the side. "I – I don't know if I should. I don't really know everything, just some things."

"Please Tao. Something, just anything."

Tao jerked his arm away and stepped back. "Is there anything else you need?"

Akihito rubbed his hair in frustration and thought for a moment and sighed. "A doctor, but I suppose there's no chance of that. So. Bandages. Alcohol. Medication, painkillers, antibiotics. More clean water and towels. If you could get me those it would mean a lot."

Tao stood straighter. "I will get you those Akihito. I promise. Maybe not the pills. I don't know where to get those. But the rest. I will ask about the medicine though. OK?"

"Thank you Tao."

"You're welcome." Tao turned to leave, but paused at the door. "Akihito. Does he mean to you what Master Fei means to me?"

Akihito froze for a moment. He didn't really have to think about it though. He spoke softly. "Yeah Tao. He does."

"I will think about it then. Telling you what I know." Tao slipped quietly out the door.

Akihito glanced at the food on the tray. Rice. Some kind of stir fry, pork maybe. Tea. Soup. Asami might be able to eat soup and tea. If he could wake him up. He needed to get something into him. He would eat something first and let Asami sleep a little more, then try to feed him.

The stir fry did have pork in it, what kind he didn't care to think about, but at least it was meat. He began shoveling it in with the chopsticks provided, barely tasting it. There'd been no food yesterday, not with the fighting. Akihito had been left on his own, until the door had opened and Asami's body had been thrust in.

Akihito had run to him. "Asami! What happened?" Asami had only managed, "Akihito. Yoh. Don't trust," before collapsing into a bloody heap on the floor.

At first the shock had drained him of any and all appetite. Then once he'd kicked himself into motion he'd not had time to think of food.

But for now he couldn't do any more, and he ate because he needed strength.

Funny thing, that. He always assumed Asami would show up and be his strength. He never thought it would have to be the other way around.

He set the cleaned off plate back on the tray, refraining from licking it, and picked up the bowl of soup. When he turned back to the bed, he almost dropped it. Asami's eyes were open and on him, though he wasn't sure they saw him.

"Asami?" He spoke softly. "Can you eat something? You need to, if you can."
He held the bowl out. "There's some good soup here that might make you feel better."

He saw Asami's eyes move to the bowl. They stayed there a moment, then moved back up to look at him again. His lips remained closed tightly. There were small white lines of stress around Asami's swollen mouth as he held it shut.

Akihito was confused. He didn't understand. "Don't you trust me?"

Asami blinked slowly, as if processing the question. "Trust you. Not him." His voice was a dry raspy whisper, and he could barely talk. There was a heavy bruise around his throat.

"Ah. He's never drugged me before. But I suppose he might start with you. Well here, let's see." Akihito raised the bowl to his lips and took a gulp, Asami struggling to raise his body and only groaning in pain from the effort. "Fool!"

Akihito set the bowl down and gently pressed Asami back against the sheets. "I'd already eaten a plate full of food. If he means to drug us, it's too late for me. We'll give it a few minutes and see, OK? Can you tell me what happened? Here, let me give you some water. It's been here since last night and I've had plenty, so I know it's fine."

He placed a hand behind Asami's head and lifted it slightly, then tipped the glass to let Asami take small sips. Asami wouldn't meet his eyes. He knew the man's pride had to be killing him. He tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, if this were a shoujo manga I'd take a sip and feed you with my lips." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I know that's probably been a dream of yours. Want me to try?"

Asami's eyes shot back to his, and they filled with speculative amusement. "Yes."

Akihito blinked. He hadn't expected that. Well. OK.

The amusement in Asami's eyes grew. "Scared?"

He scowled. "You know, it would be just as easy to spit."

He lifted the glass and took some water into his mouth, then lowered his body, trying not to press upon Asami's injuries anywhere, until he hovered over Asami's lips. His gaze traveled from the lips up to the knowing eyes, reading a hunger there. He knew then, that Asami didn't want water to ease his thirst, any more than he did. He needed something else, something they'd both been thinking about for weeks.

He lowered his lips and kissed Asami letting the water flow into him, letting his tongue follow, making it speak the words only lovers use between them. Asami's good hand had moved up behind his head, grasping his hair, pulling him down, hungrily taking his mouth, tasting him, reclaiming him, inch by inch. As if he even had to.

Desire flooded Akihito's body. This was nothing like Feilong. He got hard on occasion with him, but this, with Asami, just a look, a touch, a taste, was all it took. He moaned into Asami's mouth, and felt the battered lips under his smile. He trembled for wanting so badly, wanting the feeling of cleansing that lovemaking would bring, wanting his lover's touch.

But it would have to wait. Even Asami couldn't with such injuries. He pulled back, his lips trying to linger on the other's. His looked into Asami's eyes again, reading desire, and no little satisfaction.

"I – I missed you." He looked away, then rested his forehead lightly on Asami's bruised shoulder. "Every night, after he was done with me," the hand on his hair tightened, "I'd lie here and think about you. I'd wonder what you were doing, when you were coming. He tried to tell me you weren't coming, but I didn't believe him. I knew you would come. I knew it." Tears rolled from his eyes to the hot skin he leaned against. "I found my shirt, from that day. Your blood was all over it. I knew it meant something." He started shaking again, not from desire, but from long pent up emotions flooding from him. "I wanted to see you so badly. I just wanted to be home with you." He couldn't speak anymore, just buried his face deeper into Asami's chest and let the tears flow.

The fingers in his hair loosened, moving slightly to caress his head.

They lay there together like that as the world went on about them. Neither had been in a worse position. Neither could remember being as content. Both fell asleep.


--


The door slammed open. Akihito jumped to his feet, the chain on them rattling, as Feilong stalked into the room and over to the bed. Akihito stepped between him and Asami. Feilong shoved him aside, and looked down at the man lying there.

His eyes ran over the body, stopping at all the cuts and bruises and signs of injury. "I didn't do this. Nor did I order it done. I am not so crass. He was being beaten by the men of an enemy, a traitor." His eyes rose to meet Akihito's. "They no longer live. Not because I care about him, but because of what they did to me. But I thought you would appreciate the irony of me taking vengeance for him. He certainly would." He nodded toward the bed. "I'll have the medicines you requested sent. In return, remember that mark on your wrist. You'll be in my chamber tonight, and willing."

He held Akihito's eyes until Akihito nodded. Feilong looked back down at Asami, then spun about and left the room as abruptly as he'd entered.

Akihito breathed a sigh of relief and sunk to the bed. A strong hand gripped his right wrist and held it up. The fingers tightened painfully. He refused to meet Asami's eyes. "He did that while I was unconscious, to keep me from running." He laughed a little, shakily. "He doesn't know me very well. I ran anyway. But everyone recognized it."

He tried jerking his hand away but Asami wouldn't let him. "But he's kind of stupid, ne? I would have just covered it up with a bandage next time. Because there would have been a next time, until I made it. I wasn't about to sit around and wait for anyone to rescue me." He stuck his chin out and finally met Asami's eyes with a defiant stare.

Asami was angry, yet a corner of his mouth quirked up. But when his eyes fell to the mark they again lost any amusement. He lifted his head and spoke in short gasps. "Mark. Means nothing. I mark. Deep inside." He squeezed the wrist, making Akihito wince. "Mine. Always."

His held fell back and his eyes closed. He was breathing harshly from just that small effort. But the grip on Akihito's wrist didn't loosen. "Burn. Fucking. Thing. Off." He started coughing. Akihito held his head up and gave him some water.

"I'm all for that. I sure don't want the thing. And you can pay for getting rid of it too, since it's your fault he kidnapped me."

One eye cracked open and looked at him skeptically.

"Well, mostly your fault. He wouldn't have bugged me if it weren't for you. At any rate, I want this thing off me. It makes me sick, seeing it."

His wrist was squeezed again, more gently this time.

"And no replacing it with some damned symbol of yours! Though I don't know how they'd draw an asshole."

A snort came from the bed.

"My God, did you just laugh? You must be on the verge of dying if that happened." Akihito noticed the food sitting on the tray. "Hey that soup didn't kill me. It looks like he's not gonna poison you yet. You want me to ask for more?"

But there was no answer. Asami had fallen asleep. His hand, however, was still tight around Akihito's wrist.



--



Tao came back sometime later with the promised supplies and medication, and some more food. He was smiling.

"You see, Akihito? I told Master Fei and he helped. He's not bad like you say."

Akihito grudgingly agreed. "He's not so bad, this time. Thank you, Tao. You're a big help."

After Tao left, Akihito got to work, cleaning the wounds with disinfectant and bandaging them up. Asami was awake off and on through the process, but he clearly needed more sleep, so Akihito let him rest. The only time he needed help was rolling Asami over to get at his back, and Asami himself did that. Akihito winced just at having to clean the torn flesh. The "traitors", whoever they were, had done a thorough job. There was very little left unmarked.

Through it all, Asami remained silent. Not a moan, or a whimper, or a hiss of breath escaped him. Akihito wondered what it would take to break that self-control, and hoped he never saw it.

He cracked open the bottles of medication. They had been thoughtful enough to provide new ones, to prevent worries about tampering.

What could Feilong possibly be thinking? Akihito knew he wanted them dead. At least he thought so. Why would he let them live, help them even? It made no sense.

Maybe he could get answers tonight. He wasn't looking forward to playing the whore again, but at least this time it bought him something that was worth it. He ran his hand over Asami's hair yet again. This time he would be the protector.

Besides, how great would that be to hold that over Asami's head in the future? He grinned, then quickly wiped it from his face as Asami muttered something.

He leaned forward. "What is it? What do you need?"

But Asami quieted as soon as he spoke.

"Asami, I need to give you medicine."

Asami awoke at that. "No."

"Yes. You need antibiotics for infection. Do you want your dick to rot and fall off?"

OK, so maybe that wasn't likely, and the look in Asami's eyes told him he didn't think so either.

"Come on, do you really want to get sick on top of all this? You've got to take these. The bottle is new. I opened it myself. Childproof and everything. And no, that didn't make it a challenge for me."

Akihito picked up the bottle and showed it to him. Erythromycin. 500mg. Asami stared at it a moment, then nodded.

"Good." He lifted Asami's head. "This time you're not getting it in a kiss. Well, maybe if you're good and take the pills, you'll get one afterwards."

Asami's lip curled up slightly in a sneer. "Sugar?"

"Sugar?" He laughed. "To help the medicine go down? Boy you must have had a strange childhood. Death and Mary Poppins. Yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying."

He pushed the pill into Asami's mouth. Asami bit down on his finger, gently. Akihito blushed. The corners of Asami's mouth lifted. Akihito quickly jerked his hand away, reaching for the water.

"No kiss for you," he muttered, tipping the glass so Asami could swallow.

Asami swallowed, then stared at him. "Liar."

"I said if you're good and you're about as far from good as they come!"

Asami, despite his bruises and lack of energy, looked smug as hell. "Best. You know."

Akihito snorted. "Yeah, I know. You're a hell of a lot better than Feilong is, that's for sure."

Asami's eyes darkened. "Going? Tonight?"

Akihito nodded as his eyes shifted away for a moment. "I have to. I'll try to find out what's going on."

He could tell Asami wasn't pleased, but that he understood. "It's only sex. It hurts, and it's tiring, but in the long run, it just doesn't matter. It's not like..."

Asami was watching him expectantly but he looked down at his hands and didn't go on.

"Like...?"

Akihito looked up. "It's not like us."

"No."

He blinked in surprise. Then blinked a little faster, clearing his eyes. "I never thought I'd hear you say that. It's... It's nice, hearing that."

"Hear. More. From now on."

Asami closed his eyes again.

"No you don't. Food before you go to sleep."

Asami cracked his eyes open.

"Look, I know you're tired. I know you need rest. But you need food to get better too." Akihito looked around for something to prop Asami up with. There was nothing.

"Here. Let me help you sit up a little. You're gonna have to lean on me. There aren't any more pillows or anything."

Akihito scooted behind Asami's head, lifting him slightly so his shoulders and head rested against Akihito's chest. Akihito saw his lips tighten against the pain. Asami would never consent to a painkiller.

His eyes narrowed as he recalled the hotel room in Japan. Time for a little payback. He reached around for the soup, slipping one of the pain pills into it and stirring it a bit.

He grimaced. That would not taste good. Maybe he could blame it on the cook.

He filled the spoon and cautiously moved it around to Asami's lips. "Here."

Asami's lips stayed closed.

"What the hell is it this time? Don't you dare let me believe it's your pride. You're not stupid enough to let that keep you from getting better."

He felt Asami sigh, then the lips opened. He slipped the spoon inside. Good. One down, forty more to go. I hope each one isn't a damned fight. "Tastes pretty good huh?"

"Crap."

He chuckled. "Sometimes there's a good cook, sometimes a bad one. This must be the bad one. I hope no one shot the good cook, or we're in for a long painful stay." He held another spoonful in front of Asami's mouth. Asami opened it, but to speak. "Hope." Akihito slipped the spoon in again, earning him a glare.

"What about hope?"

"You. Me. Same. Hope."

Akihito paused. "You mean we both have the same hopes?"

Asami closed his eyes in frustration. He opened them to try again. "We hope. When none."

"Ah. Yes. You're right. It's why they'll never, ever beat us until the day we're dead. Open up."

Asami did, his eyes showing a fierce satisfaction at Akihito's understanding and admission. They stayed that way as he finished the soup silently. Then the painkiller took effect, sending him into a deep sleep.

Akihito gently eased Asami down against the mattress, then covered him up. Then he took time to eat the rest of the food. He wasn't going to ignore his own good advice.

Eventually the door opened and he turned his head to see Tao standing there. He raised a finger to his lips.

Tao nodded and gathered up the empty dishes, stacking them quietly, as if he'd had lots of practice at treading softly. When he was ready to go, he unlocked the chain at Akihito's ankle, then picked up the tray. He nodded at the door. "Come with me."

He and Tao stepped through the door. There was one guard, but no others in sight. They headed down the hallway.

"It's time? Already?"

"Time for what?"

"For um, Feilong wanting to speak with me. He said he would later."

Tao shook his head. "I will ask, but that's not why. I thought about what you said. I decided that I should speak to you. Let me take this to the kitchen first."

They trod through the passages, Akihito knowing them as well as Tao did by now, since he'd become a drudge for the household. As he walked, he noticed the quiet. He kept looking around, but he saw almost no one.

"Tao? Where is everyone?"

Tao scowled. "Not everyone is here any more. Many have left. They're traitors. They're with that Yoh person. I never liked him. He was a creep."

"Yoh? He betrayed you too?" My God. Did Asami know this? He almost turned back, but he knew Asami would be dead to the world for at least eight hours. "Tao, what is Feilong doing about this?"

Tao was quite serious. "He is doing his best to hold the organization together and protect his people. He takes his responsibility very seriously."

They reached the kitchen, where they both quickly washed and dried the dishes. No one was around to help the cook. He thanked them as they left.

"Come with me, Akihito."

He was led down another corridor to a door off a dead end. Tao produced a key card and led him inside. It was Tao's own room. Akihito had never seen it. He looked around curiously.

It was small, not much bigger than the storage room he and Asami were kept in. But then, the munchkin was only half his size. His eyes wandered over schoolbooks and a computer on a desk. Then they halted and widened.

"WHAT?! You have a Playstation 3! How did you get it? Can I play? Can I?"

"Master Feilong has connections." Tao smirked a little as he sat on his bed, and gestured at Akihito to sit as well. "But we came here to talk. Maybe we can play after that, if Master Feilong isn't ready to speak to you."

Akihito sobered at the thought of that interview. "OK shoot. What gives?" He flipped the chair at the desk around backwards and straddled it, leaning on the back.

"You wanted to know why Master Feilong hates that man?"

"His name's Asami. Yeah, I know a little, like Asami shot him a long time ago and that's where he got that scar."

Tao nodded. "I do not know specific details, and he would never tell me anything, but I listen to others talk because they don't notice a small person standing nearby and overhearing them. They say that about seven years ago Master Feilong lived at his house up in the Midlevels...