Author's Note: I posted this on my LJ after I posted the epilogue, and someone asked if I would post it here, so here it is. It's NOT a full chapter or officially a part of the story, but it is a deleted scene that took place when Asami was on his private jet to Hong Kong. It was just after Homura had dropped the bombshell that he knew Akihito was alive and where he was. It's also right before Asami finds out about the big scene that went down with Akihito and Feilong and everyone. If you're interested in seeing a bit of Asami's mental state/thought process/planning at the time, feel free to give it a look. :)

"Here."

Asami stared at the glass full of ice and whiskey that Kirishima extended to him. He hadn't even noticed him making it. "I don't want it."

"You're wound tighter than a drum." Kirishima set it down on the table next to Asami. "You should drink it."

He stared coldly, but Kirishima didn't falter. He had that look that said he planned to dig in his heels and face his boss's wrath if necessary. "I don't want a clouded mind."

"One drink won't do that. We won't land for another three hours." Kirishima pointed out. "You should eat too."

Asami swept the glass up and drained the contents, leaving the ice cubes rattling against the sides as he set it back down on the table. "Don't push it."

Wisely, Kirishima refrained from commenting on the inadvisability of drinking on an empty stomach, and Asami folded his arms across his chest and went back to staring a hole in the far wall of the jet.

"Boss."

Suoh had Asami's instant attention.

"Yes?"

"The security teams are in place or on route. They'll be in position by the time we arrive. Transportation has been arranged." Suoh's expression didn't change, but the atmosphere in the cabin did when he asked, "Should I dispatch a team to Takaba-kun's location?"

Years of being his subordinates kept their faces neutral, but Asami knew his men felt the tension, were probably sweating beneath their well-cut jackets. This wasn't the first time he had gone through periods of...instability. However, this was certainly the longest lasting and the most profound.

It was a particularly unsettling situation for them all, himself included, because, even at this late hour, he was completely undecided-an almost unheard of state for him-about what he intended to do about anything. Oh, he knew he was going to kill Homura as slowly and painfully as possible. That much was set in stone, but the best way of going about it hadn't quite gelled in his mind yet, and it was driving him fucking nuts-if he wasn't there already.

Akihito on the other hand, well, his intentions in that quarter were a mystery even to himself. With cold discipline, he pushed the tangled knot of thoughts about the boy deeper inside. He couldn't afford to make any more mistakes, not with what was at risk.

A flick of his wrist shook his jacket sleeve back, and he glanced at his watch. "Not yet. We'll wait for Feilong's update." He frowned, willing the time to flow faster. He knew Feilong and Yoh had plans to make to ensure Akihito's safety, but his patience was running thin these days. It made him angry that his level of control over the situation was so tenuous.

The question was, what was Homura thinking now? Would he go right for the kill? Would he play the waiting game to build fear? Had he pinpointed Akihito's exact location? Did he have accomplices who might even be in place now while Asami was trapped on this plane and helpless to affect matters.

His fingers curled tightly. No. Think. He had finally scored a hit on Homura. He'd seen the cracks in the man's veneer of sanity. He'd seen these cycles before in lesser fashion. Homura would get worse before he would get better. His decisions would become less and less rational, less thought out, and he would be afraid of losing the game, his prize. If Akihito survived, Homura would lose, even if Asami himself died in the process. Homura would believe it was meaningless if he didn't suffer that trauma first.

Could he trick him? Lead him on a wild goose chase? His actions once he set down in Hong Kong would surely be monitored. Homura obviously had ample resources. If he rushed hell-bent to Akihito's side, then he might be leading Homura there if he wasn't aware already. On the other hand, he would have to rely on Feilong and Yoh to protect Akihito when that charge should be his alone. And if he miscalculated, if Homura did sniff him out...

His body yearned for another drink, but he suppressed the urge, pulling out a cigarette instead and lighting it with languid movements that belied his inner conflict. The nicotine was a welcome rush. He allowed it to relax his shoulders as he tipped his head back and began to work out the beginnings of a plan.

"An email from Sun Ji just came in."

Kirishima slid the ashtray toward Asami as his hand came down to stub out the cigarette in the thick crystal. He pulled the laptop closer, scanning the concise email rapidly.

His brief liaison with Sun Ji many years ago had already paid off more than once. His loyalty and gratitude hadn't wavered from his initial low-level position in the Hong Kong police force to his recent promotion to Assistant Commissioner of Security. A surge of satisfaction lifted Asami's spirits slightly as he took in the measures Sun Ji had implemented to attempt to stop Homura at whatever transportation hub from which he dared emerge. It probably wouldn't work, but the more eyes peeled for him the better.

He sent a quick reply, then closed his eyes and leaned back against his seat. Being hidden away at Feilong's villa was logical when Akihito had been assumed dead-fewer prying eyes to spy him. But now, with Homura aware of the deception. It was unwise for him to remain there.

Regardless of the protections he knew Feilong had in place, it wasn't enough. Better to be in the city-in Baishe headquarters even-where tall buildings of stone and steel and a press of bodies could act as more formidable barriers. Entrances and exits could be covered much more easily. But Baishe still wasn't solidly Feilong's. After their altercation, the organization was still finding its feet. He couldn't put Akihito at risk.

No. He had real estate in the city, unknown to Feilong, under one of his dummy corporations. Perhaps that was the best-move Akihito there immediately. How many men would be sufficient? With Sun Ji's assistance perhaps it wasn't a completely untenable plan.

Then he could set a final trap for Homura, using his own methods against him. Asami opened his eyes and looked at Kirishima. "As soon as we land, contact Zhao Peng." Asami explained his plan as Kirishima listened intently, making a few notes on his PDA. Zhao was a reliable source for all sorts of information on just about anything that affected Hong Kong politics and its underworld, but this time Asami planned to make use of his other speciality-peddling the finest flesh to be had, not just in Hong Kong, but all of mainland China.

He would pay well, and Zhao would ask no questions. He wouldn't care that his merchandise would be in danger, regardless, once it was paid for and delivered. His client's predilections were of no concern to him other than as they affected his procurement and sales patterns. Asami couldn't feel any guilt. His own fair-haired boy was all that mattered in this moment, but he would grant freedom for the role Zhao's boy would play in drawing Homura to him. After this was over, he would set him up for whatever kind of life he wished in recompense.

Perhaps Feilong would balk, but he could convince him, of that Asami was certain. Whatever debt he ended up owing to Feilong for his part in keeping Akihito safe was something he was more than willing to shoulder. He bent forward again, spending longer this time drafting his plan into precise orders in such a way to avoid ruffling Feilong's feathers. He couldn't afford to antagonize him at this point, especially with Yoh's loyalties shifted.

Once it was sent, he withdrew another cigarette and smoked it down to the butt as he fine-tuned the details with Kirishima and Suoh. His eyes strayed often to the computer screen, his face darkening when no reply was forthcoming.

A shorter, blunter email followed his first, and they sat in heavy silence under Asami's leashed distress. Eventually, Kirishima rose and brought back another drink, setting it without comment next to Asami's elbow. That earned him a level glare, but he didn't blink, only sat down again and began working on his PDA again.

They all started when the laptop beeped at the incoming mail, and Asami sat forward abruptly. His expression grew blacker and blacker as fury and fear made his stomach churn with an agonizing burn.

"Fuck!"

Even Suoh's granite-like features flickered at his unusual outburst, and Kirishima looked as if he were ready to jump out of his skin in apprehension. Asami felt a wave of dark laughter well up inside him. Only his ironclad discipline allowed him to shove it back down. If it started now, he didn't think he would be able to stop it.

He reached for the drink and swallowed it all. Anything to push back the fears he couldn't let himself confront right now.

The situation is stabilized, Yoh had written. A short, bleak laugh now escaped him. As if any situation involving Takaba Akihito was ever stable.

Like an adolescent, he wanted to rant and rave, let loose a litany of crude curses, and batter his way to what he wanted. He had brought this all down on himself. All of it. But there was no time for self-indulgent recriminations, no time to let the bitter fear consume him.

He looked down at his hands holding the glass and realized they were trembling. The fear hit him suddenly with full force like a punch to the gut. Akihito. If he...

"Asami-sama..."

His unseeing eyes raised to Kirishima's hesitant call.

It didn't matter. Whatever he was dealt, this was his responsibility, and he would fix it. It was what he did. He had proven time and time again that he could fix anything, turn anything to his advantage.

Almost anything.

His knuckles whitened around the glass, and then his gaze sharpened with cold resolve. He pushed the glass toward Kirishima. "Get me another. We'll be making a few changes."