A/N: And with this long chapter we're finishing! I was playing a little with the idea of slicing it into two chapters but since I couldn't find a good place to cut we have one chapter ^.^ In this one Akashi is… well, some may say not like himself, but while writing it I had in mind the fact that he is barely a seventeen-year-old kid and some things are still out of his reach, no matter how mature he may appear. I hope I did it right…

Okay, enough of my rambling – that will come in the end notes xD

"So what was so important?"

His tone of voice probably should be more firm but after doing it for the second time with Furihata in the morning (who claimed he was never done horse riding, even though he was riding Seijuuro like a pro), he was too tired to stand his father's idiocy.

They were once again in his father's study, the only difference being the time of a day—it was barely eight in the morning and Seijuuro wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed and happily dream about Kouki's heated body and beautiful cries.

"After our last talk I had a little confrontation with Airi."

The man was completely in control of himself but there was something about him that was unsettling.

"I really don't care about your love life," he said in disgusted tone.

"You have leverage on us, I must admit, but he decided that he doesn't care and that you should know a few things."

"And you still believed him. Didn't you understand what I told you? He's using you just as he was using me."

His father sighed and stood up, then walked into the attached room. Still feeling a little anxious—Kikune had to have been lying about not caring about the pictures he threatened them with—Seijuuro followed the older man and sat himself on one of the chairs. He'd been in this room only a few times in his life—it was the conference room his father used when he met with important business clients.

"Do you want something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Or maybe something to eat?"

"No, I already had breakfast."

Nice play, that was something new. He decided to talk as little as possible and see how it would turn out.

"I'm going to talk with you as the grown-up person I suppose you became, even though your last action was quite childish. I must admit you played your cards well, but you still lack subtlety and try to force your way in, which is not good. But that's not important right now." Childish? Force? Seijuuro didn't have the patience and time to play cat and mouse with the old fool and his pretty plaything. Still, he didn't say a word and waited until the man made himself a cup of coffee and sat down. Seijuuro still felt on alarm, there was something uncomfortable about the whole situation, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Your words did make me think and I sniffed around here and there to try and understand Airi's motives, even though I do believe him."

"Of course you do," he sneered, not even trying to hide his sarcasm.

The man nodded, completely ignoring his tone and looked into his eyes without a trace of doubt.

"It was probably my fault that we were trying to hide everything and I never talked to you about this. I suppose many times you thought me a hypocrite." He only raised an eyebrow in mockery. Why was he talking to him like he was a kid? Wasn't he supposed to treat him as an adult - like previously stated? "I'll start with the accusation that was... well, the most hurtful for you, I suppose. Something that I should tell you years ago. The reason I never let you see your mother is that it wouldn't serve you well."

"Don't you remember all those lovers you had here for years?" He said calmly, suddenly wishing for tea, so he could do something with his hands. The topic of his mother was always pretty touchy. "They all were gold-diggers."

His father nodded.

"Yes, but they also had their usage and no, I'm not talking about this kind of use. I'll get to it later. Your mother was chosen by my parents and we were engaged to be married." Seijuuro blinked. He didn't know this. "I... quite liked Eiko—that was her name. She was gorgeous and very lady-like on the surface, but happy and sunny on the inside. I enjoyed her company, though I didn't love her."

"This is why you never married her?"

He'd always wanted to know something about his mother. First thing he did when he was given an allowance was hire a private detective to find something about her, but the man found nothing. A few times, Seijuuro wondered if he was spotted and out paid by his father, who right now was looking quite solemn.

"She cheated on me. Repeatedly. It came out that she was addicted to sex and I wasn't enough for her." He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee, all the time looking at Seijuuro, who was shocked to the core of his being. He'd built an image of a mother in his mind. In his mind, she was a good and nice girl whom his father used and then discarded of, even if he was telling everyone the most probable truth he was hearing since childhood—that she was a gold-digger. "I broke off our engagement, but later she come to me saying she was pregnant. I detested her at this point and told her to go and find the father, since it's impossible to say who the father is. In case, you're wondering, you are my son, I checked after you were born. Our DNA match." Suddenly, he found himself sighing with relief.

"Then you did kick her out after she give birth to me?"

His father smiled crookedly.

"No, actually I took her in. I wanted to try again, especially because I..." He coughed and looked to the side. "I loved you since the moment you were born. I'm not a man who's easy with his emotions and... and this is why I wanted you to have a mother."

"Then why isn't she here?" he demanded, wholly ignoring the expression of love that made him feel uneasy and quite... weak.

"Because she's at the hospital," the man whispered. "In the mental ward, since she tried to murder me in my sleep, screaming that I'm responsible for the loss of her legs when she was a child. She suffers from a high mental disorder and has a split personality, addiction to sex was only a by-product of the illness. Something I was seriously afraid you took after her," he added in a choked voice and dropped the entire act of being calm. This was what made Seijuuro feel uneasy. All this time his father was acting. And now, now he was shaken and this was no act, he could tell. Once he realized this, the whole atmosphere changed and his anger disappeared. "When you started to smile like her in that... that creepy way, when you started to look at me like you wanted nothing more than to kill me, when I started to hear about the pressure you put on your teammates, I was scared. Eiko lost her mind so quickly because she was always spoiled by her parents, she could do everything, she had nothing to hold to. I was trying to keep you in line, put pressure on you to do other things, to make your mind stable. And I found someone who was a good friend and something close to good parental figure to you."

"Kikune," murmured Seijuuro, massaging his temples. His mother was insane. And he could be, too. He knew how much insanity travels in bloodline, statistically, and decided to go and check himself before he'd ever decide to get even closer with Kouki. And he'd have to tell him. But how? In what way as to not make him leave him? The sheer thought of that made him feel a slight panic.

"Yes, Airi. He took a liking to you and I thought that he was going to keep an eye on you, since he was a good kid and a very intelligent one with high empathy." He smiled gently and sighed. "He was much more to you. Repeatedly, I argued with him about you and the things you should have or not. Horse riding was his idea, just as shogi training and basketball. If it were up to me, you wouldn't have even seen a horse, I thought it was too dangerous. It was also his idea to not take you to the corporation too often, since you don't like when people stare at you. He was dragging my ass halfway around the globe to give you good vacation time and not even once did he ask for something for himself. And he's still as devoted to you as much as any parent would've been, probably much more than I. He's still watches you play and comes back excited about how great you are and how proud he is." He suddenly pressed his lips. "I still don't like you playing basketball and the fact that you're losing, it's not how you should've been. But the only time I was trying to write your withdrawal, after last year failure, he threatened that if I do that he's going to leave the company and me. And that's... that's not something I can put in danger."

"Why not? He still got what he wanted, right? The company." He tried to sound angry, but somehow the somber and sincere man in front of him didn't make him feel the anger. It was making him realize more and more how he acted, how Kikune acted for all those years and really the little things were coming back to him.

"About this I must ask you something and depending on your answer I'll or will not change my mind." He leaned in and spoke in a low, serious tone. "Is that true that around your second class of middle school you had a break down?"

For Kouki, it was really hard to find the place Akashi told him about on his own. He'd only been in Kyoto a few times and each and every time he was either with someone who knew the town or he had a clear map in his hand.

This time, he had to ask strangers about the way and felt like a total idiot, but was doing this nonetheless.

It started three hours ago when he was laying in bed with a goofy smile on his face, remembering their lovemaking from the morning and the parting kiss, which almost turned into sex against the wall. His phone vibrated and the smile disappeared instantly when he saw the short message: 'I need you. Break Cafe 321a, Kyoto. Please, Kouki, it's important.' Jumping into fresh clothes he dialed Akashi and the boy only repeated what his message contained, but he sounded... sad, resigned. Like something bad happened and that made Furihata's blood run cold.

He thought at first that maybe Akashi really was going to stop seeing him, but he threw that away—not everything was about him and he just knew it had to be something else. But what, he had no idea. That's why after the first few minutes when no one could point him in the right direction, he gave up and took a taxi, even though this month's cash was getting short.

When he ran into the café—a place that looked all posh and well above his usual Maji Burger standards—a very sour-looking man walked up to him and looked him up and down with a scowl.

"Do you have reservation, sir?" His tone clearly indicated that he found it really hard to believe.

"I'm here to meet someone. Akashi-san, he should be here."

Suddenly, the man smiled, acting completely different.

"Yes, of course, Akashi-sama told us that he's waiting for a companion. Please, do follow me, sir, he's waiting for you at a private room."

Wherever he looked he saw suits and pretty dresses—he really was out of place and everyone was staring at him. He felt only slightly better when he finally saw Akashi and he was clothed just as casually as he, even if his clothes were clearly on a different level.

But soon he forgot about it when he saw the strange... blankness on his lover's face.

"Are you hungry, Kouki?"

"No. What..."

Akashi shot him a wary look and smiled at the waiter. With a forced, fake smile.

"Two jasmine tea's, please and red velvet cake."

"Of course, sir."

When the door closed after the waiter, Akashi sighed and covered his face in hands.

"Can we talk now?"

"What? Ah, yes. I just... don't want to talk about this with someone else around." He sighed once again and looked at Furihata with tired eyes. "Sorry to call you out of the blue."

Kouki shook his head.

"It's okay. If you need me..." He blushed, suddenly feeling shy, and coughed to clear his throat. "If you ever need me just call. After all, we're together, right?"

As depressed as Seijuuro was, at those words, he felt the warmth spread through his body like hot tea on a cold winter day. And he just had to smile—genuinely.

"Thank you. I... I just need to talk this out and there are things you need to know." His stomach flipped at the thought of Kouki deciding to leave him, but he gritted his teeth and moved on. "I met with my father today and we talked a bit, probably for the first time in my life it was like a true talk. He told me about my mother, that's first. Told me where she is."

"Are you going to see her?"

Well, that was a good question. His father gave him an address but also told him that it's not a pretty sight. Somehow the feeling that he was treating him like an intelligent, adult man was making him less willing to go there, but he supposed one day he would.

"Right now, no. She's..." Waiter tapped on the door, so he stopped talking. Only when he had tea in his—he realized with shock—shaking hands and the man walked away, did he start talking again. "She's mentally ill, a personality disorder."

Kouki's eyes opened wide and he was clearly speechless. For a moment, he made a true show of opening and closing his mouth and gesturing wildly, to finally give up.

"I... don't know what to say" he croaked out in the end, feeling clearly miserable.

"It's alright, I suppose I wouldn't know if I were you, too. Thing is..." He bit his lip and halted for a moment, his heart beating wildly. He didn't have to... The moment this thought ran through his mind, Seijuuro wanted to slap himself. Of course he had to know. He had the very right if they were as serious as he wanted them to be. "Things is, this type of illness is often hereditary and I... I often feel something dark and evil, sometimes I'm not in control of myself. Usually my psycho act is just that—an act—but not always."

The boy in front of him looked concerned for a while and then blinked twice and looked to the side, clearly sad. This was it? Seijuuro felt like his heart stopped and was right now only concentrated on hurting.

"Is that..." Kouki whispered in broken tone. "Is that your way of telling me off?"

"Don't be daft, of course not. I'm just giving you the truth about..."

"It's not a truth unless you really are sick, right?" The boy bit his lip. "Have you ever... you know, visited a doctor?"

Seijuuro shook his head.

"No, but I'm going to."

"Then until then, for me, nothing changed." Kouki smiled shyly and dig into the cake. "Oh my, that's tasty!"

Seijuuro smiled seeing the happiness on the boy's face. In this moment, he decided that if he was going to be sick and dangerous he'd get locked by himself or would run away. He didn't want to hurt Kouki and when his father told him about his mother's attempt at murdering him, all Akashi could see in the eyes of his imagination was himself killing a sleeping Furihata.

"He also made me remember something I tried to forget," he smiled gloomily and sighed. He rarely felt wrong and stupid but this time he had to admit he was trying to push all the things that were not fitting into his feelings over Kikune into forgetting. But sadly, he had perfect memory. "When I was in my second class of middle school, I kind of... Well, like every kid at that age, I had problems with myself and the world and ended blowing up. Since Kikune back then was still my friend, I vented it out to him and he took me seriously." He laughed and felt something inside him hurt. "How idiotic is it that he had done something as big as this just because of emotional teenager?"

Kouki was looking at him with confusion clearly written over the face, so Seijuuro started explaining, at the same time remembering the whole scene in his head.

It was a tiring day—he had to wake up really early, look into some documents his father wanted his opinion on, then at school he overheard some rumors about himself and that his family had close ties with a yakuza circle. Later on, everyone started avoiding him and even Shintarou wouldn't look at him (a few days later, it came out that this day Cancer's compatibility with Sagittarius was the lowest and Cancers were better off staying as far away as possible). At the company, everyone shot him dark looks because his opinion on the matter ended with two people being fired and his father was still unhappy with his slow pace. He was tired, sad, lonely and furious. The moment, he ran into his room he broke into a hysteric cry and Kikune walked in. Since then Seijuuro had to admit... it was his fault.

"Sei, what's wrong?" The tall, gorgeous man had run to his side and tried to look into his face. "Did someone hurt you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I hate it!" he'd screamed angrily, looking into such a familiar, loving face. The gentle look he got was making him feel even less in control and he was sobbing out the words, choking on them, while his hands were trying to stop the tears. "I absolutely detest it, Airi! I hate being looked at like everything is my fault, of my father's demands and how stressed I am after every visit at the company, how everyone hates me! I don't... I don't want to do this," he sobbed out and twisted his fists into Kikune's shirt. Warm hands rubbed his shoulder.

"It's okay, Sei, it'll pass, you'll see. The beginnings are always the toughest but once you get a little older they'll start to respect you and..."

"BUT I HATE IT!" he screamed, tears running down his face, his voice breaking. "I never wanted to be an heir, the business world doesn't interest me, I love shogi and I'm good at it, I would love nothing more than to be able concentrate on that! But I have to do something I detest and my father... He won't let me leave." Panic and fear started creeping into his voice. "Oh gods... He won't ever let me leave, right?"

For a moment, he was just shivering in Kikune's arms, then the man pushed him back a little and looked into his face with gentle, but serious look.

"You truly don't want to work for the company?"

He nodded.

"I don't. I never wanted it."

"Then..." Kikune smiled sweetly, but with a touch of sadness. "Then I'll do anything that is possible to help you get out of this. I promise."

Kouki was feeling very, very bad. He didn't know what to say, how to comment, how to make Akashi feel better. His head was empty and all that was appearing in it were the lamest lines ever.

"He... really did everything that was possible." Akashi was looking so much in control, but his jaw muscles were contracting, his whole body tense. "And I hated him for it, I never thought he would take me seriously and I should've know better."

"He just loved you," said Kouki, not knowing if it was the right thing to say, especially when Akashi snorted.

"I suppose he did, still does in his own way. He... I forgot about this, you know? I thought that he was just a good actor and I completely forgot how unambitious he was, how he never wanted anything for himself."

"Well, you saw him with your father in such a position, it's nothing wrong that you thought like that," he mumbled, feeling the need to defend his actions. "You were just a kid, how were you supposed to know..."

"I should've, but that's not important, I just feel foolish. I'm whining, you could say."

That was a different Akashi than Kouki was used to seeing but this... vulnerable boy actually looked more like a grown-up man and he could only feel pride that he dealt with this in such a way—no denial, no justifying his actions, just the simple truth.

"I like that," he blurted out and winced when Akashi looked at him with slightly widened eyes. "I mean..."

"No, tell me. I'm interested in everything you may like."

He blushed and stuttered a few times before he actually spoke.

"I like that you can say you were in the wrong."

"Don't get excited," chuckled the boy, looking more like himself. "I'm not going to do anything. I still dislike Kikune, he could do it other way and... Ah, who am I trying to fool? I'm just too stubborn to go and apologize."

"You can take it easy..."

"And I will, believe me." Akashi reached for Kouki's hand and feeling quite shy he let him hold it. "What do you say—a little one on one? I feel like doing something to let it all out. I know a nice, secluded court around here."

"I don't have shoes, sorry" he smiled apologetically.

"It's okay, me neither. We can just play for fun." He moved his hand and reached for a cake. "Let's eat and go, okay?"

"Sure."

Sometime later, before they left the room, Kouki, feeling quite nervous, stepped closer to Akashi and kissed him lightly on the cheek and propped his head on boy's arm. Just to show him some support and apologize for how lame he was in making him feel better.

He never understood why people like Reo or Kotarou were saying that having someone for them was so good, but right now he understood that completely. Before Kouki came he didn't know what to do with himself. Both his own stupidity and everything he got to know was making him feel something he never felt before—ashamed and depressed at the same time.

His father told him much, much more than he told Kouki. Like the company really had problems because there was no support from Seijuuro for Kikune, so the man was seen as an impostor and even if he was making good decisions and under his supervision they were getting the best out of the branch, he still wasn't accepted and his actions were often undermined. If he were less of a business genius the company could suffer severe losses. He also told him that the house that was bought for him by his grandparents was still Seijuuro's though his father had tried a few times to punish him by taking this from him as well, but Kikune stepped in once again.

And, what made him feel the worst—something he couldn't say to Kouki because he felt so ashamed by it—was how in his own head and to Kikune's face, he'd often accused the man of using his father. Which he knew—really, deep down, knew was a lie.

"I fell in love with him the moment I saw him." His father was smiling lightly, right after Seijuuro asked how in the world he ended up with Kikune. He was way past fury and being wronged, after realizing he himself had wanted to get out of being the heir. "What you should already understand, considering your relationship with that boy, is that gays are not well-liked in Japan. In my position, as the current CEO, being openly homosexual would be a catastrophe. I, my company, every employer—we all would've been ostracized and the lack of contracts would soon make us bankrupt. I don't think even our staff would easily find new jobs. Even knowing this, I fell in love with Airi. And I know for a fact that he loves me just as much."

Seijuuro blinked twice, trying to conceal his shock. Those were... pretty firm words. And they made him remember many things he'd tried to forget, to sully Kikune even more. Things he hated to remember, because they didn't suit the image of Kikune the Cheater well.

"In this world, the world of business, things like love or affection don't hold much meaning, but they do happen. In our case, it happened and was too strong. But we did fight it. He was still a teenager when I saw him, but already so beautiful and intelligent, and fiery when it came to things and people he wanted to protect. A steel wrapped carefully in a silk; that was my first impression of him. From the start I saw... well, I saw his interest in me but he was still underage, so I tried to distance myself. And so I started my parade of lovers, I tried very hard to find someone who could make me hold as much interest, but I failed each and every time. We avoided each other as much as possible, but we still had you in common. And to Airi, my lovers were torture, like he himself stated once. I think that I wanted to show him that I'm not interested, since even if I had some fantasies about him when he gets older, I never actually took under consideration your position in it. You were so enamored with Airi, saw him as an older brother or parental figure, I didn't dare jeopardize this. But with this I also failed. The night he came to me saying he wanted to take the company and let you play shogi professionally, after a long talk I took advantage of the situation and made one more demand. That he's going to belong to me. I can't say he put up much of a fight. Not long after we told each other... well, everything." He smiled cockily and shot an amused look at a quite disturbed Seijuuro. "Lately, Airi was saying that soon you'd understand that matters of the mind, will, and heart are quite different and I think he was right. That boy changed you. What's his name?"

"Furihata Kouki," he said and couldn't help the little smile that appeared on his face, remembering Kouki's arms around him and his shy smile.

"Good for you. I... won't press you into doing anything, but it would be nice if you helped Airi at the company." Then steel crept into his voice. "But you have to stop belittling him, I won't have it any other way."

"It'll take some time," he mumbled.

And that was also the truth. He realized that Kikune... Airi, wasn't in the wrong, but even thinking about the man made him extremely uncomfortable and still dizzy. It wasn't as ugly as before but still, his hate for the man ran too deep, he'd made himself hate him too much, to just get over it in a matter of...

"Seijuuro-kun?"

He stopped and felt Kouki also stop. The main topic of his thoughts was standing a few steps in front of him in casual clothes. Immediately, Akashi felt the fury and hate fill him, even more when he saw just how huge eyes Furihata was making at the man.

And the way he was blushing.

"What?" he snapped, completely forgetting all that happened earlier in the day.

Kikune flinched but smiled nonetheless.

"I'm just surprised to see you here. Do you... Maybe the two of you would like to drink a tea with me? I would very much like to properly know your friend." He bit his lip, looking to the side, making Kouki gulp and all the girls around stare at him while passing. "Did your father talk with you?"

"Yes and nothing changed," he spat, hauling Kouki by the arm and dashed forward, bumping into Kikune's arm on the way, ignoring the man's shocked and hurt face, that only stabbed him with a little guilt.

With an unclear mind, he was walking fast and soon found the nearest love hotel. He pushed a wide-eyed Furihata inside, paid for a room, and while inside threw the boy on the bed.

"I told you he's gorgeous, you didn't believe me," he growled, feeling something really ugly stir inside. Especially when he clearly saw the fear in his lover's eyes. "You would go with him, right? You would choose him over me. Do you like his type?"

Kouki was shivering both in fear and, well, excitement. Akashi was clearly jealous and that man—Kikune, he supposed—was his berserker button, apparently.

"I..." he croaked out and couldn't meet the standing boy's eyes, but what he saw around didn't help his growing arousal. Bottle of lotion on the nightstand, pack of condoms, some handcuffs... Nope, he shook his head and had to think clear. "I wouldn't."

"Really? Then why are you erect?" A strong hand cupped his cock and he gasped. "You're like everyone else, aren't you? Falling for his pretty face!"

He gulped and licked his lips. Akashi was so close, so intense... There was anger in him but not a threat.

"He's beautiful, I admit, but, Akashi-san, I... I like you and to me you're far prettier," he mumbled, trying to find the courage to say something that could end badly, but he wanted to believe that with Akashi he could say what he wanted and not be scared. He really wanted to believe in that. So he looked up in the gorgeous eyes and said in an uncertain tone. "I think you're overreacting. You... you need to calm down... please?"

The hand on his shaft grasped him a little tighter and that made his head spin. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Akashi's face was twisted like in pain. So he did the only thing that came to his mind. He hugged his lover and started whispering in a heated voice:

"I like you, only you. I'll only be with you, so you can rest."

"I hate him," he spat with venom, but Kouki felt strong arms almost crushing him in an embrace.

"I know. You..." He cleared his throat and tried once again. "We can work on this later, take it easy."

There was a long silence in which they were just caressing each other and Kouki smiled when he felt Akashi relax, little by little the tension was disappearing. Suddenly, he spoke.

"I hate him and I feel bad about it, but the moment I see him it comes back. He was the person I looked up to so much."

"I know."

Another long pause.

"Don't you think that I'm stupid?"

Furihata vehemently shook his head.

"Of course not! Why would I think that?"

"Because I was supposed to be in such control of myself and my feelings and I act like a brat."

"He broke your trust, or so you thought. And years of hate won't come off that easily."

Or so he thought. He'd never hated anyone like that, never had to have go through something similar.

"I always knew he liked my father, I was just lying to myself to feel better," whispered Akashi in such a low tone that Kouki barely heard him. But he let him talk—didn't even know how to comment on that, so he only hugged him closer. "He never went anywhere with us if one of father's lovers wasn't also coming with us. Never. I suppose he didn't trust himself well enough. And when he was with us, he was so unhappy at times. But the first time I realized this was very early, I was nine or ten maybe. My father came to the library to look at my studies and Airi was standing behind him, looking at him with such sadness and longing it hurt. Later, I caught him looking like that my father so often, that it was a mystery how he was holding himself for so many years."

Another pause in which Kouki kissed Akashi's shoulder soothingly. He was probably lame at making him feel better.

"I... caught him crying once, you know? There was engagement party, since my father decided to marry, and through the whole evening Airi was staring into his plate, not even controlling what I was doing, all pale and barely holding himself together. Later I found him in library, crying so much, he didn't see me. He was hugging himself and looked so broken I felt bad myself. So that was the only time I walked up to my father and asked something from him—to break up with the girl, although I never told him the reason. I never saw Airi more confused than when my father told us there wouldn't be a wedding. And I never saw him so much at peace with the world than for the few weeks before I screamed to him that I know everything about him and my father." He sighed and sat straighter so he could prop his forehead on Kouki's. "Now go ahead and tell me how cruel and awful I am."

"I won't," he said immediately, closing his eyes and breathing heavily. "This was your judgment, your decision to hate him and it was in the past, right? You can't change it. Thing is... are you happy that he is happy?"

"I don't know," he said truthfully, in small voice. "I still hate him too much."

"Maybe..." He licked his lips, not sure if that was his place to...

"Just say what you want to say, Kouki. Don't hold yourself back on my account."

He smiled and said in a more sure voice:

"Maybe just ask him to dinner or tea, like he wanted it? Start talking about basketball or something, I dunno, something neutral. If he still loves you this much, and from what you say he treats you like his own child, then it should be easy for you to love him back again." Then he felt a little fear. "Unless... you see him as something more than a parental figure?"

Akashi actually laughed and suddenly Kouki found himself on his back, with the boy on top of him.

He didn't remember having anyone with such a calming effect on his nerves. Kouki didn't know what to say so he was quiet, only from time to time mumbling some soothing words, all the time embracing him and kissing lightly. Not much, but for Seijuuro it was everything.

And now the stupid boy was thinking that he's somehow losing him?

"No," he whispered, caressing his soft cheek slightly. He really liked Furihata's eyes—so big, so innocent, and so often confused. But they looked the best when they were half-lidded with arousal. Deciding that their one on one would be ruined nonetheless, he could at least see these brown eyes at their best. "Kik—Airi was only a friend, maybe unconsciously a... a mother, I suppose. You, on the other hand..." he murmured, hitting the low, purring tones Kouki loved so much. His lover's eyelids fluttered, his breathing got heavy and his cock started getting hard once again. "You definitely are not my mother."

And with those words, he made Kouki feel exactly as loved as he was, beginning with a scorching kiss full of passion, biting, and entwining of tongues.

A/N: Aaaaand… fin!

I hope you all enjoyed the ride ^.^ To reply to often asked question – no, I do not plan to write another AkaFuri, I had enough problems to come with this one to try again xD It was fun, though.

Thank you all for reading this and reviewing! It makes me really happy that despite me not being much into AkaFuri there are people who like this story! And I'm even more happy that my Ootsutani imput (OHMYGOD DID YOU SEE THAT MOMENT IN EP 30 WHEN THEY HAD A MOMENT FOR THEMSELVES STANDING SO CLOSE AND ALL?! Yeah, it makes this little to make me happy) was accepted! Personally I must also admit I also fell in love with Fukamachi/Kudoh and Akashi's father/Kikune pairs, dunno why xD

All in all – I had a great time writing this and I'm happy you like this!

And Saru-Pulver – I hope you're happy with the way I ended things. I'll be forever in your debt!

(btw Rinnesuke – yes, it happens often, I suppose there are many articles about it on internet, but I have, let's say, a first-hand experience when it comes to this ^.^)