Make a Wish

Make a Wish Part 12

Akechi Imura was positive that someone else might have found his current state extremely alarming. He was pretty certain he had no idea where he was. He couldn't say that absolutely, however, because he was currently blindfolded. He couldn't remove the blindfold because his arms were tied behind his back, which on a side note was rather uncomfortable after awhile. His feet weren't tied, which was a plus, but he had yet to attempt to walk around as he was currently laying on what felt like a very expensive mattress. He wasn't positive which way was the edge of the bed, how high off the floor the said mattress was, or what potentially hazardous objects might be in his way if he attempted to roll off it. There was a vague notion in his mind of the bed being surrounded by knives, swords, and other potentially lethal weapons, but he was pretty sure that was just his imagination running away with him.

There was also the fact that it had been Blue Boy Security that was responsible for him being wherever he was. That could be either good or bad, depending on how you looked at it. But, in truth, what kept Akechi the calmest was the fact that he'd more than once stated that death was a preferable alternative to spending the rest of his life enslaved to Aoe Shougo. So, technically, even if he was in a potentially hazardous situation, it was still a step in the right direction.

He had a brief moment to contemplate his lack of self preservation instinct before he heard the sound of the room door opening and closing. He'd heard footsteps and muffled voices, but since he'd first been thrown on the bed, nobody had entered the room. Whoever had entered wasn't saying anything either.

Akechi had no qualms about being in potential danger, but silence was a different matter, and he'd had far too much of it already. "So." He said to his mysterious visitor. "Stop me if you've heard this one. What does an Airhead say after you give them a blowjob?"

"Thanks for the fill up."

The voice sounded familiar, but something was slightly off. Like a person purposefully putting on a phony voice. But the voice was male and definitely not Shougo. Both he took for good signs.

"Nothing's worse than an audience who knows the punchline, you know."

"Someone did once tell me that."

Silence reigned again.

"So, this whole blindfold thing is kind of new to me. What's the deal? Are you horribly scarred or malformed or something? Or maybe just terribly ugly so you don't want anyone to see your face?"

"...neither." The man sounded amused, almost as if he was holding back laughter.

"Or maybe you're really famous? I've never fucked a celebrity before. That's usually reserved for the rank and filers. You should know, if you paid a high price, you're getting cheated. I'm pretty much the worst host at the B&B."

"I did pay a high price."

"You should demand your money back. You've been suckered."

"But, you see, I knew what I was getting into. You're Akechi Imura. B&B's Court Jester. You specialize in insulting and otherwise upsetting your guests. You're responsible for Akito-san's recent hospitalization due to a nervous breakdown."

"...I didn't realize my reputation proceeded me." Akechi said slowly. He was pretty sure it didn't. Shougo paid top dollar to avoid a bad reputation. Not just anyone could have known his history. So who was he dealing with? "Think you could untie my arms?" He hedged.

"If I did, would you promise not to take the blindfold off?"

He contemplated his answer for a few seconds. "No."

There was a muffled sound he was pretty sure was covered laughter. The man seemed absurdly determined not to laugh out loud. Something plucked at his mind. Something about laughter, but he couldn't quite connect the dots.

"Who do you hate the most?"

The question came out of nowhere, and for a moment Akechi was too startled to form a reply.

"Who do you hate the most?" The man asked again.

"Aoe Shougo." He'd never made any qualms about his feelings. No point in hiding them from his mysterious guest.

"Who do you love the most?"

There was two possible answers. This question was not repeated, and Akechi chose neither answer. "Myself."

Muffled laughter again. Something familiar. The memory stirred, but didn't surface. Who was this man? "Who do you hate?" He asked him, searching for clues.

"The Yakuza."

"Who do you love?"

"...someone who has every reason to hate me."

The first answer sounded familiar, the second did not. An idea plagued him, but he balked at the impossibility of it.

"Who owns you?"

"Who I hate the most. Who are you?"

"I am all I hate."

"...Souma?"

Silence, then the blindfold was slowly removed. Time had passed. Years in fact. In his eyes, Souma was as beautiful as ever. Perhaps more so. "You got one answer wrong." Souma said slowly. "Unless you lied about who you hate the most."

"I'm sorry, you're going to have to explain that in smaller terms. My brain seems to have stopped functioning."

A smile curved Souma's lips, but it faded quickly. "As of one o'clock this afternoon your contract with Aoe Shougo no longer exists. It was bought and paid for by the spoiled leader of the Yabi Yakuza group." Akechi slowly sat up, using his legs to push himself closer to the headboard. Souma watched him, his look uncertain. Akechi promptly slammed his head into the headboard. "Imura!" Souma was at hi side in an instant, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Ouch. Okay. Just checking. Dreams can be very realistic, you know."

Souma stared, then he began to laugh - burying his face in Akechi's shoulder. He'd once told him his laugh was distinctive. That he'd remember it no matter how long since he'd last heard it. That was why he'd made sure not to laugh aloud. After a minute his laughter died down. He took a deep breath. "Do you hate me?"

Akechi blinked. "Hate you?" He repeated.

"For leaving."

Akechi focused his eyes into the distance, trying to understand what was happening. He felt like he was missing something. "I tried hating you, but I wasn't very good at it. Why did you leave? Why did you come back now? It's been so long, Souma. I don't understand it."

"...I thought you'd left me."

"Leave? Where would I go?"

"Shougo said you'd taken an exclusive with someone else."

Akechi closed his eyes. "And why would you doubt him? You hate all you are. SO why would someone love you?" Souma did not reply aloud, but his grip on him tightened. "I thought we'd been through that, Souma."

"It was too soon. What I wanted to believe had years of experience to counter. But when Katsuki-san told me-"

"Katsuki?" Akechi cut in. "Katsuki Kyousuke? He called you?"

Souma pulled back reluctantly. "Yes, we struck a deal. Info about you for help rescuing his friends."

"Amagai and Tomoki?"

"It coincided with the Haitana's young masters' wishes as well. And since Shougo did not expect a rescue mission it was a simple matter. To tell the truth, I think Katsuki-san got the lesser end of the deal."

"But how do you even know Katsuki?"

"A few days ago, I called an ambulance for his co-worker. Izumi-san?"

"But how could he know who you were?"

"Marudo-san came to the hospital. He must have told him."

"That kid...huh." Akechi lowered his head, thoughts too disorganized to put to words. For a moment the room was silent.

"Are you happy right now?" Souma broke the silence again. They'd always shared a hatred of silence, Akechi remembered.

"Right now, I don't know what I'm feeling. It's all too jumbled." Akechi admitted. "What are you feeling?"

"Hope." The word was a whisper.

Akechi leaned closer. "Are you going to untie me anytime soon?"

A sly smile slid onto Souma's lips. "Maybe."

"How long will you keep me?"

"Forever." Souma looked up, reaching out a hand to caress the side of Akechi's face. "How long will you stay?"

"Until you throw me away...Souma?"

"Imura?"

"I seem to be losing my balance."

"Eh?" Souma blinked, then Akechi fell forward - knocking them both off the bed.

"Ouch." Akechi commented from his position on top of Souma. Souma began to laugh, and he couldn't help but smile. He didn't want to go another day of his life without that laugh.

The cellphone rang twice before he managed to pick it up. "Sakashita."

"I'm sorry, Izumi. Iknow it's dinner time."

"Naoya-san!" Izumi smiled. "How is everything? How's the brat?"

"Not so bad once you get to know him. I think things are going to be okay."

"So you're staying there?"

"For a little while. I mean, I plan to get my own place eventually."

"No, you're not! You're stuck with us now!" A Voice interrupted - loud even though it was obvious he wasn't near the phone.

"Don't interrupt people on the phone. Don't you have any manners?" Naoya's words were only slightly muffled.

"That him?" Izumi asked.

"That's Wataru. Sorry about that."

"Sounds like a pain."

"He takes some getting used to. DO you have plans-"

"Izumi. Dinner's ready." Takamiya popped out of the kitchen.

"I'll be there in a minute. Naoya just called." Izumi turned to him.

"I'll keep the food warm." Takamiya smiled, disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Was that Takamiya-san?" Naoya asked.

"Um..."

"He's at your apartment?"

"Well, yes."

"And he cooked you dinner?"

"...it was his idea..."

"Is he spending New Year's with you?"

"Well, yah..."

"Is he spending the night?"

"Naoya!" Izumi blushed as Naoya chuckled. "Geez, just ask a guy a personal question out of the blue, why don't you?"

"You know I just want you to be happy."

"...I'm worried about getting my hopes up." Izumi confessed, keeping his voice low.

"But it's New Year's. It's alright to get our hopes up, right?" Naoya asked him.

"Maybe."

"It's my sincere wish that this year, everyone can be truly happy."

Katsuki stared in the mirror. It wasn't the suit Jin had given him in his world, but it was well tailored and obviously expensive. He hadn't even looked at the clock, content to wait out the empty minutes. He knew, though, it was close to midnight when the door buzzed.

He walked over to open it, not hurried but not dragging out the moment either. He didn't really feel anything about what was happening except perhaps resignation. 'Is this how Izumi feels?' He wondered as he opened the door.

Kashima stood outside of it, his face serious. "Good evening, Kyousuke."

"Kashima" He stepped back, but Kashima waved him forward instead. The suited men from earlier were long gone. But their presence had hardly been necessary. Even if he'd been inclined to run away, where would he go? And he wasn't inclined. Because if he ran now, Jin would be the one to inherit all the blame.

Kashima offered him a card. "The room is 252. You're expected."

Katsuki took the card calmly, pocketing it. "Very well. Was there anything else I should know?"

Kashima almost smiled. "Only that at the B&B it's best to expect the unexpected."

"Huh." Katsuki shook his head. "That is nothing new." He bowed to the other man. "I take my leave of you."

Kashima said no more as he headed away from him to the elevator. The halls were strangely empty, but then, it was almost midnight. New Year's. Back in his own world Jin would be in Sapporo now, he remembered. Was he ever going to see that world again?

"A wish can't make things right...noone can fix the world." The street vendor's words echoed in his mind. "Time can set things right. Our actions make amends. One should always pay off old debts before the new year start..."

Had his actions made amends? Or only made things worse?

He found himself in front of 252, staring at the numbers as if expecting them to change. Taking a deep breath, he swiped the key card, stepping inside. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Ka-"

There was a strange sense of deja vu to the evening, but when he found himself looking at Jin, he wondered if he'd somehow not only crossed world, but gone back in time.

"How long does it take to say a greeting, Kyousuke?"

Kyousuke. Still the wrong world. But for the life of him he could not explain Jin's presence. "What are you doing here?"

"Congratulations on coming this far. But, Kyousuke, you cannot be a host."

Deja vu indeed. For a moment Katsuki could only stare. "Why?"

"Because you're under contract for something different. Have you forgotten?"

Katsuki felt strangely frustrated over the clam way he was speaking. The fact that he was utterly confused did not help. "But Shougo was the one who said that I was to be a host! Are you jerking my chain here or what??" He stormed over to the host, eyes blazing.

"Aoe-sama left a message for you." Jin smirked down at him. Katsuki scowled back up, not replying. "He said to tell you - you've become boring."

Katsuki had to blink. "Boring?" He repeated. The ruler of the B&B had certainly chosen a heck of a time to decide that.

"I have orders as well."

Something about the smug tone to Jin's voice made him look back up, instantly suspicious. "Oh?"

"To remind you of just what your position here is, King's Page." He hooked a finger under his chin, leaning in close. "And, Kyousuke, any restrictions regarding what I can do to you? From this night on, they no longer exist."

"Oh." Katsuki got out before Jin's lips closed hungrily on his. He felt a bit guilty as Jin's hands stroked down his sides and pulled his body tight against him. This was this world's Katsuki and Jin's first real night together, and he was stealing it in a sense. Not that it was easy to dwell on such thoughts with Jin's expert hands seeking out his weak spots and his mouth devouring his.

The sound of fireworks outside alerted him to the turning of the clock. Suddenly a loud sound reverberated through the room. Glass shattered and pain exploded in his shoulder and side.

Jin broke the kiss, stumbling forward and barely managing to catch their balance. The sound came again and he threw them both to the floor as bullets peppered the room. Katsuki's vision swam and he swore he could hear the sound of the wishing charm.

"What-" Katsuki got out eve as his vision darkened around him.

"Kyousuke? Stay awake, boy." Jin berated him.

Katsuki tried to keep his eyes open, but he couldn't Darkness closed around him, and the sound of the wishing charm was distinctive now. "Time can set things right...I'm only here til the New Year." He heard the street vender's voice before blackness overtook him.


To Be Concluded...


Q: What does Katsuki have to do to get home?
A: Absolutely nothing.

Tee-hee. He just had to wait til New Year's. "Time can set things right." Not just a reference to what was wrong between people, but also Katsuki returning to where he belonged.

And of all things, did you expect the one to allow Katsuki and Jin of that world to be together would be Shougo? He simply decided the game wasn't interesting anymore. Izumi said of Shougo that he was like a spoiled child - when his toys broke he got new ones. Since Katsuki didn't fight becoming a host, he wasn't a fun game anymore. So he just threw him back to Jin.

I did toy with the idea of killing Shougo. I mean, like I said before, he's so freakin evil you want him to die. But when I thought of the irony of him saying Katsuki had grown boring, I just had to use it. Ah, don't worry. Katsuki isn't dead in either world. I specifically mentioned that the pain was only his side and shoulder - not his chest, or stomach. Nothing vital.

Next chapter is the final one. What's been happening in the real world? What's going on?? Is it New Year's there? Is Jin back?? Wait and find out! :D