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Regret

PART VI

Akihito stared at his wristwatch for the third time in the last five minutes, but for some reason time just wasn't on his side that night.

No matter how much he begged, it just wouldn't go by more quickly, leaving the young man to wander aimlessly thru the throng of celebrities and VIPs attending the fund raising gala while desperately trying to avoid a certain someone's path.

As if on cue though, Akihito heard his voice again close by and despite his better judgment found himself discreetly looking the other man's way, albeit first seeking refuge behind his camera's viewfinder.

Akihito could always pretend he was taking some random photographs of the group Asami was part of. He was one of the official photographers appointed for the event after all.

So training his ears to pick up on the sounds coming from the nearby group, Akihito tried to listen in on the conversation.

It wasn't long before he could tell some serious 'bootlicking' was taking place...

One of the men Asami was with happened to be a famous banker in town and judging by the way he kept praising Asami and his businesses, it was clear the banker was trying to get the other man to join his client portfolio.

Akihito knew quite well the look on Asami's face as the banker addressed him though, and quickly found himself smiling behind the camera.

"Give it up old man. Not happening in this lifetime!" He mumbled towards the banker, aware his words wouldn't reach the group.

It didn't take long for the business man to realize he was fighting a losing battle, but he was saved the embarrassment of having to come up with a new topic of conversation by a sudden arrival to the group… one that caused Akihito's jaw to tighten despite himself.

From exactly where Azumi Ryouko had materialized from all of a sudden, the young man couldn't tell. He had however come to realize that she had a knack to pop up out of nowhere without warning.

She had already done the same on a few different occasions throughout the night and had just pulled it off again, sliding gracefully right beside Asami.

Akihito soon found himself biting his lower lip again, a habit he seemed to had picked up every time the woman would appear in the picture.

He had to admit she was a knockout though.

Amazingly built, her body appeared to have been sculpted rather than being the result of genes and chance. The same could be said for her face that made any famous painter's muse look like an old hag.

At 33 years old, Azumi Ryouko was at the top of her game, having made a name for herself as a famous actress abroad for the past 5 years. Now that she had returned home though, she was one of the most sought out actresses in the country.

She was revered and idolized by the masses and it was undeniable that the whole room that night was at her feet… Fact which she appeared to be well aware of.

For there was one thing that the actress did not lack at all, apart from beauty and elegance,…and that was confidence.

Azumi Ryouko exuded charisma and magnetism from practically every pore. She was definitely a powerhouse, with a strong personality to match.

Not that Akihito cared to think of it, but if asked if she reminded him of someone, he would probably say…well… Asami.

Azumi Ryouko resembled without a doubt a female version of Asami Ryuuichi in terms of character and presence, which for a moment had made the young man worry.

Akihito wasn't stupid after all, and following his cryptic conversation with the older man the night before, any woman that came five feet from Asami was inevitably followed with suspicion by the photographer.

And to say that Azumi Ryouko hadn't been at the top of Akihito's list of prospective Asami ex-wives would be a lie.

The young man had realized something was off regarding her behavior towards his former lover as soon as he'd first seen the duo talking to each other at the gala.

There was definitely some level of closeness between them; something that clearly surpassed a professional or business-like relationship, but as the night progressed, Akihito became more and more convinced that Asami hadn't lied to him the night before and that he and the actress were not lovers after all.

If anything, Asami seemed to 'tolerate' her presence around him, as he would if he were to meet someone with equal power or personality traits, but he didn't bestow on the actress any particular degree of special attention, seeming actually almost content when she'd choose to leave his side and go off to spread her charm somewhere else around the room.

Truth be told, Akihito couldn't sense any sort of romantic inclination towards the older man from Azumi Ryouko either.

She didn't act awed or star struck in Asami's presence and didn't make the slightest effort to charm him in any way, and yet… yet Akihito couldn't shake off the feeling that something else was there.

That they both shared some sort of odd connection, as if they'd known each other from long ago, even though he'd never heard her name being pronounced by Asami in the years they'd both lived together.

The annoying thing was that Akihito could never get close enough to the duo to listen in on their conversation without making his presence known to his former lover.

For as soon as Asami sensed Akihito was around he would lock eyes with him making the photographer extremely uncomfortable.

The older man had already tried to pull Akihito aside twice that night, seemingly intent on trying to tell him something, but on both occasions the young man had managed to successfully slip away from him.

They had been so on edge with each other the night before that the last thing Akihito wanted was for a similar altercation to repeat itself and end up causing a hell of a scene at the gala.

Avoiding to engage in conversation with Asami did not necessarily mean that Akihito could avoid Asami altogether though, and the older man sure made a point of making his presence known to the youngster whenever their eyes met, causing a fire to burn deep inside Akihito… exactly as it was happening now.

Which was why as soon as a waiter walked by Akihito with a tray filled with cool beverages, the photographer took hold of the opportunity to break eye contact with the older man, reaching for a glass of bubbling champagne from the tray.

The glass was already halfway to his mouth when a hand shot out of nowhere taking the drink swiftly away from him.

"Oh no, you don't!" Matsumoto Megumi said, appearing unexpectedly besides Akihito.

"Come on, Matsumoto-san. It's just a glass of champagne."

"Listen here, Akihito-kun. There is not a chance in hell I'm letting you drink even an ounce of alcohol tonight." The reporter warned, suddenly lowering her voice. "Have you already forgotten what happened last night?" She asked, making Akihito's face flush with embarrassment at the recollection.

"No…Of course I haven't."

"Very well then. I already had a hard time covering up for you in front of your boss. Do you have any idea of the amount of trouble you'd be in if he'd find out you drank as much as you did on the job?"

This time Akihito blushed visibly. Where was that damn hole on the floor when you needed it?

Thankfully for him, the reporter's scolding was short lived as Akihito soon heard her chuckle.

"Well, it was a slightly amusing situation I'm not going to lie. You should have seen the look on Asami-san assistant's face. He went absolutely frantic when he saw the vomit stains on the carpet and once he realized you'd actually thrown up on his boss' suit… You should have seen the way he panicked. Why it almost seemed as though Asami-san had been shot or something."

Akihito found himself smiling despite the embarrassing memories. Knowing how Kirishima was so zealous of Asami and his appearance, the young man could very well imagine the scene that had taken place.

"Although…" Matsumoto-san added suddenly, making Akihito return to the present.

"Although what?"

"…Are you sure you never met Asami Ryuuichi before?" The woman asked; her eyes narrowing at him inquisitively.

"W-What? ! O-Of course not! Where would I have met a guy like him? It's not like we move around in the same circles on a daily basis."

Somehow the reporter didn't seem fully convinced.

"Why did you ask that anyway?"

"Well, maybe I heard it wrong… After all, I was halfway along to the kitchen in search of Kirishima-san at the time, but I could have sworn…"

"…Sworn what?"

"…I could have sworn Asami-san called you 'Akihito' a little while after you passed out."

The round of applauses that suddenly erupted throughout the room as the gala's host appeared on the front stage of the venue, saved Akihito from having to comment on the incident, but it didn't prevent the flutter he felt in his chest, as soon as he heard Matsumoto-san's words.

Crap! So he'd been right all along. Asami had indeed called him by his first name. What the hell had gone thru the older man's mind at the time? Was he insane? Calling him 'Akihito' in from of the nosiest reporter in Tokyo? Why not call her newspaper directly and announce they'd slept together for the better part of two years?

"That's odd!" Matsumoto-san said, her attention suddenly diverted somewhere else, as the gala's host commenced his speech.

"What is it?"

"Azumi Ryouko's publicist is calling me over." She observed, pointing towards a short middle aged man not too far away from them. "I wonder what he wants… Stay here Akihito! I might need you to take some photos for the news' article soon." She added, starting towards the publicist, but not before severely warning Akihito to not even think to go near alcohol while she was away.

No sooner than the reporter turned her back on the photographer than he completely ignored her words though, making his way to the nearby bar area intent on getting himself a drink no matter what.

He had already ordered a mojito and was so distracted watching the barman preparing it that he almost didn't hear his colleague speak up.

"And what will you be having, sir?" The second barman asked someone standing behind the photographer.

"Another scotch on ice." A familiar deep voice replied, making Akihito jump up on the bar stool he was sitting on as if he'd been shot by a Taser gun.

Oh no, oh hell no! Not him. Not after Akihito had so carefully avoided him all night.

Asami must had sensed the young man was about to make a dash for it because he soon sat on the bar stool beside him, half-blocking Akihito's escape route.

"Don't leave. I just want to talk. It will only take a minute anyway." The older man said, as Akihito's bartender finally handed him his drink.

The photographer still pondered with the idea of ignoring the remark and making a run for it, but at the last second decided against it. There was something about the way the other man had been staring at him for a while now that made him stick around despite the fact that half of his brain was ordering him otherwise.

His reply to Asami's request nevertheless sounded as dry as cement. "What do you want?" He asked, appearing to be a lot more disinterested than he actually was.

"…Should you be having that drink?" Asami said in return, eyeing the mojito with suspicion.

"What is it to you?" The young man replied unamused. Geez, what was up with everyone trying to babysit him that night?

"I reckon you feel better from your stomach then."

"I guess…So what?"

"…How did you get home yesterday?"

"I didn't."

"What?"

"I slept in the park in front of your apartment building and took the subway home in the morning."

"You slept in the park? ! Have you no sense of bloody dang-?" The older man stopped himself before finishing the sentence, taking a sip from his scotch in order to keep himself from cursing out loud.

Akihito suppressed the urge to pull his tongue out at the older man. What was up with him anyway? A little too late to act concerned wasn't he, considering how Asami had been the one to practically kick him out of the apartment the night before?

The young man really didn't see where the conversation was going. He tried spotting Matsumoto-san from where he was sitting, hoping she'd call him over to take the photos she'd mentioned earlier, but the reporter seemed to still be engrossed in conversation with Azumi-san's publicist, not requiring his assistance any time soon.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you last night."

The words sounded so out of character to Akihito that at first he thought they had come from someone else sitting at the bar counter. In fact, it took him a full blown minute to realize they'd come out of Asami's mouth.

"Huh? ! !" Was the only expression Akihito managed to come up with. For a second he feared someone had somehow spiked his drink and that he was in fact hearing things.

"…I said, I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday… I shouldn't have lashed out at you." Asami repeated, aware that Akihito was staring at him as if he was some sort of alien.

"Did…Did you just apologize?" The young man asked incredulously, watching the older man's lips morph into a thin line.

"That's beside the point. Anyway, I came here to tell you that the reporter that was with you yesterday is going to ask you to join her for an interview with Azumi Ryouko."

Ok…now Akihito was confused.

"…She is?"

"Yes… And you are going to refuse the assignment."

"Huh? ! And why would I do that?"

"Because I said so, that's why." Asami replied matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Unfortunately for him, Akihito didn't seem to agree on the matter.

"H-Have you gone mental or something? ! What makes you think I'd listen to you?"

"I don't want you near Ryouko." The older man answered calmly, directing his attention back to his drink.

"And why the hell not? !"

It took so long for Asami to reply that Akihito thought he was purposely being ignored and a sudden urge to punch the other man across the face started to manifest inside him.

It was either Asami's following words though or perhaps even the cryptic way he said them that caused Akihito to momentarily let go of his violent thoughts.

"That woman is too dangerous… I don't want you near her." He was looking straight at Akihito now; the young man feeling the full intensity of his gaze.

That didn't stop the young man from asking though. "Why?...Why is she dangerous?"

It was not like the actress was a physical threat to anyone. She looked as light as a feather.

"Just stop being stubborn for once and do as you're told."

"You're avoiding the subject, you know?" Akihito accused, watching as Asami huffed impatiently.

"It should be enough that I tell you to stay away from her."

"And why the hell would that be enough? Are you under the delusion you own me or something?"

It was clear by Asami's subsequent silence that that was probably still the case, which only managed to infuriate Akihito further.

Instead of replying though, the young man vented his frustration by gulping down the rest of his drink in one go.

"Bartender, another one please." He asked as soon as the glass was empty.

"You really shouldn't be drinking anymore."

"Mind your own business, will you? No one asked your opinion!" Akihito retorted immediately, watching Asami's lips suppress a curse or two. It was clear the older man was not used to being addressed in such a harsh tone.

"What is up between you and that woman anyway?" Akihito asked, as his second mojito arrived. "She keeps clinging to you any chance she gets."

"And does that make you feel jealous?"

"As if!" The photographer retorted immediately, nonetheless noticing the grin on Asami's face.

"We're just old acquaintances, that's all… We've known each other for many years."

Again, that odd look in Asami's eyes as he pronounced the words…

"So what?" Akihito joked. "Does that mean she has any dirt on you? Is that why you allow her to hang around so close to you?"

He would have added more, but the look that Asami gave him at that point seemed pretty indicative that Akihito hadn't been too far from the truth.

"Just promise me you'll stay away from that woman, ok?" Although Asami's tone was still bossy, for once it sounded more like he was making a request than actually giving an order.

Akihito was about to ask him what the bloody hell was going on after all, when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Huh…Takaba-san?" He recognized Matsumoto-san's voice instantly and sure enough as soon as she looked behind him, there was the reporter; her eyes going from Akihito to Asami, back to the photographer again, making the young man wonder how much of their conversation had she actually been able to hear.

That thought was soon put aside though, as Akihito realized the reporter was not alone.

Right beside her was none other than Azumi Ryouko's publicist.

"Ah, Asami-san." The man started. "How fortunate to find you here as well! I was just speaking with Matsumoto-san from Yomiuri Shimbun. She was telling me that just yesterday she had the chance to interview you along with this young man. Takaba Akihito, I believe." He added, nodding towards the young photographer, who bowed to him in greeting.

As for Asami, he just nodded back at the man in reply to his comments. He looked as though he had anticipated his presence along with the reporter's all along but did not seem one bit amused by it.

"Yes, that was what I hoped." The publicist continued nonetheless. "Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the gala, Azumi-san thought it would be beneficial to arrange an interview for the newspaper featuring both of you, in order to promote the new club you will be opening together. She's quite a fan of Matsumoto-san's columns in the newspaper and thought-"

"That won't be necessary." Asami cut him off. "We have other means of publicizing the club."

"But-"

"I'll speak with Azumi-san regarding this, don't worry. There is no need to schedule an interview."

"Are you being difficult again, Asami?" A crystalline voice cut thru the air, diverting everyone's attention.

Akihito looked behind the publicist only to find that Azumi Ryouko herself had joined the group managing to pull a stunt again and appear out of thin air.

"Azumi-san!" Her employee exclaimed, glad for her support. "I was just presenting the idea of the interview we spoke about earlier on to Asami-san."

"And as usual he was refusing, correct?" The actress added, an amused smile appearing on her seductive lips.

"We can publicize the club well enough without having to give any interviews to the press." Asami stated, but the actress's smile only managed to widen at his predictable display of stubbornness.

"Give me a few minutes will you, Nanase-san?" She told her publicist. "I'm sure I'll be able to convince Asami-san of the benefits of this interview. In the meantime, you can continue to discuss all the necessary details with Matsumoto-san. You'll need to work around my schedule of course. Remember, I have a few press meetings in the next couple of days."

As the man walked away with the reporter, the actress finally seem to acknowledge Akihito's presence, but just as the photographer was preparing to walk away himself, intent on leaving the other two alone to talk in peace, the woman's next words completely floored him.

"Well, well, Ryuuichi. I have to admit this one is quite the cutie." The actress stated, staring at Akihito from head to toe; her previous smile morphing into a grin. "Then again, you always did have impeccable taste when it came to your lovers. I should have expected your Takaba Akihito's looks to be above average."

It was hard for the young man to mask his surprise at the woman's remark. How was it possible that she knew about him and Asami? He quickly looked towards the older man, but for once Asami's eyes were not on him, as if he'd purposely averted them from the youngster at that point to hide some degree of guilt on the subject.

"Why, he is so handsome I almost feel tempted to steal him away from you, Ryuuichi." The actress continued, trying to get closer to Akihito, but being swiftly stopped in the process by Asami grabbing her wrist and holding her back in place.

"Ryouko…" His tone was a clear warning sign, as were his eyes which narrowed menacingly at her.

She didn't seem at all phased by Asami's threat though. "Oh, relax." She told him. And then looking back at Akihito: "You'll have to excuse Ryuuichi. He was never too fond of sharing his toys with anyone. But then again, you've probably figured that out by now." She shrugged. "Some people just don't change and Ryuuichi here was always such a spoiled brat! Why, I remember one time when he was sixteen-"

"Enough Ryouko!" Asami interjected; his harsh tone clearly indicating that he was on the verge of losing his patience with her.

"What? ! What's wrong with sharing an amusing story regarding your youth with your lover?...Unless…" She said, suddenly eyeing the older man with suspicion. "Oh, Ryuuichi!" She exclaimed, finally realizing what was going on. "Don't tell me you have never told this poor boy anything regarding your past? What a heartless lover you are!"

Akihito stared at the scene playing in front of him, as though he was somehow dreaming it, instead of experiencing it firsthand.

He still didn't know what the hell was going on or what degree of connection was there between the woman and Asami, but even though his mind was ordering him to leave the duo alone and get out of that place as soon as possible, his feet just didn't seem to want to obey.

"Oh but wait a minute…" The actress resumed, suddenly remembering something. "If this heartless man has never told you anything about himself…Then you have no idea who I am, do you Akihito-kun?"

That was the breaking point for Asami, it seemed. He soon got up from the bar stool, grabbing the woman's upper arm, seemingly intent on dragging her away from the area with him. "We're leaving." He said, although it sounded like he was communicating an order to her.

Oddly enough, his reaction only managed to increase the grin on her lips. "Ouch, Ryuuichi. Don't be so rough…Is that any way to treat family?"

Family! ? As soon as the word left her mouth, Akihito felt his heart starting to race. What did the woman mean by 'family'?

"Will you stop with that nonsense already? We're not family." He heard Asami practically hiss at the actress. He had a feeling this wasn't the first time the subject had come up in conversation between them, but it didn't seem that the woman was about to concede on her views on the subject.

"Such a fierce expression in your eyes! You know very well that I'm the closest thing you'll ever get to one."

By then even the bartenders had realized something was up between their two VIP customers, but only Akihito was able to conjure any theories to try to explain the odd behavior of the duo.

…He didn't know how to explain what prompted him to speak up at that point. He didn't even realize he was thinking about it until he heard himself say the words out loud and the couple in front of him stopped quarreling immediately.

"Are you Asami's ex-wife?" Was Akihito's unexpected question.

At first it seemed the woman hadn't heard Akihito at all.

She stayed motionless for a couple of seconds, an almost shocked expression visible in her features, but soon enough she started…laughing.

And not light or forced laughter, but a truly whole hearted one, as if she'd never heard anything more amusing in her life.

"Oh, how refreshingly clueless you are, Akihito-kun!" She said, turning towards the young man. " I can see why Ryuuichi likes you. But no boy, I'm definitely not his ex-wife." She clarified, as her lips lifted upwards in a conceited smile. "I'm his sister."

(to be continued…)