Chapter 6

It was a slow recovery. Akihito felt as if he was constantly floating between life and death. During the haze between waking and sleeping, the photographer thought he'd seen his deceased parents. Overjoyed, he was about to follow them only to be stopped by an unknown force. Akihito grieved when he watched his parents leave for somewhere outside of his grasp for the second time. However, the warmth surrounding him soothed his soul. The blond saw how a beautiful man held his hand while he was delirious from fever and sought comfort in that small action.

It wasn't till after his fever had subsided enough that Akihito noticed something amiss.

Firstly, his bed was way too comfortable. He lived in a crappy apartment and couldn't afford luxurious furniture. In fact, he slept on a futon! Why was he on a bed?

Secondly, the man he saw in his dreams turned out to be real. Akihito knew he'd seen that face before but his memories were foggy at best. The fever might have subsided but the headaches and aching didn't. He felt queasy and weak at the same time. Getting to the bathroom was no mean feat. Standing on shaky legs that didn't seem to belong to him was a gargantuan task. It took everything that Akihito had in him just to make a trip to the bathroom and back to the bed that still didn't belong to him. Most times, he'd pass out soon after from the exertion.

Over the course of the next few days, Akihito found that he was able to stay awake for longer periods of time. Between those fleeting moments of consciousness, the blond would hear the other man in the house speak in low hushed tones over the phone with a someone called Kirishima. The name was familiar but Akihito was still too tired to even put a face to that name. All he knew was how he needed to recover his strength as fast as possible and escape this alpha's hold.

Yes, Akihito knew that the man was an alpha. No, he did not need a reminder of that heavenly scent. That overbearing attitude was enough to convince Akihito.

About a week went by smoothly with Akihito regaining his strength slowly. By now, Akihito was able to stay awake for about an hour each time. He ate more solid food and was introduced to a doctor called Dr Mashiro. Asami reintroduced himself and it took Akihito a while to remember that this was the bastard who'd captured him and caused the whole fiasco in the first place. His first reaction to that smug face was to claw those mocking eyes out. Sadly, his attempt failed and the only casualty was a ripped shirt.

Asami wasn't mad when his shirt got ruined. In fact, he looked amused. Akihito swore that he would get back at the man when he was fully recovered. Whatever illness he caught was almost gone now. It was only be a matter of time.

However, the alpha beat him to the punch.

The very next day, Akihito woke up to the sound of things clattering. It sounded as if someone was moving many heavy objects around.

Curious, the blond put on a pair of loose pants crudely stolen from Asami's wardrobe and walked out to see what the commotion was. At the entrance, some men were carrying heavy boxes and moving them into a room. At a certain corner, Asami watched them like a hawk. It took Akihito some time to understand why he found the items so familiar.

"Hey! Isn't that my Xbox?"

The alpha only smirked in response and Akihito saw red. How dare this man move his belongings without his permission?! At the same time, another thought hit Akihito. What happened to his precious cameras?

"You... you didn't do anything to my cameras, right?"

Asami's only answer was a mysterious smirk and Akihito paled. Although he hadn't taken any good shots of the crime lord, he knew from rumours that anyone who tried to involve themselves with Asami Ryuichi would meet some sort of tragic end.

Akihito had never been one to pray but this time, he came close.