The Innocent (A 'Finder' Fanfiction)

Shadow of Pluto - 13 - Asami

His bonds were not long enough for Akihito to lean his back against the headboard of the bed – because Asami had dreadful visions of what somebody who felt like hurting himself might be able to do with a long chain.

Therefore, at breakfast the boy had slid from the bed on the opposite side, where the older man sitting on his mattress could not see him. And there he remained, only looking up once when he announced meekly that he had to use the restroom, and another time when he was handed lunch on a tray hours later.

The thought of just moving over there had crossed Asami's mind several times, but eventually, he had stayed here. Otherwise, the boy would just have snuck onto the opposite side of the bed, if he really wanted to keep out of the other's sight. They could have turned that into a game, but it would not have been a happy one.

The evening before had passed in silence, mainly, after both Asami and Fei Long had given up their attempts to argue with the third. They needed to wait until Akihito ... Arata decided to talk to them himself.

In the midst of the night, presumably believing the older man to be so fast asleep he would not wake up, the prisoner had tried to loosen his chains. First by tearing at them, then by trying to lift the bed just so much that he could pull the metal links out from around the bedpost. That however had not even been the point at which Asami had finally interfered, even though he had told Fei Long so. Pretending to be asleep, he had watched the other through one hardly opened eye for a while longer. Then Akihito had sat down next to the bed, had stomped his free foot against the frame, and had started pulling so hard on the shackle around his ankle that he had forgotten to breathe.

"Stop it!", Asami had begged, sitting up. Akihito had fallen over backwards, panting, coughing and wheezing for air. When the older man had tried to pick him up to comfort him, he had slammed his fists around in a fit of rage, hurting himself far more than the other.

Thus, Asami had taken the syringe with the sedative from the doctor's kit.

"Why don't you just let me go?", the boy's voice, now on the next day, suddenly called from behind the bed.

"I can't", Asami answered factually.

"Why not ... If I really was your lover ... as soon as I remember, I will come back. I promise. Why wouldn't I?"

He rubbed his hands across his face and shook his head, even though the boy could not see any of that. The voice of the other sounded pensive and calm now, and not aggressive anymore.

"If what you say is true, if you and I ...", Asami could hear him swallow hard even from the distance and with the massive bed between them. "If that is all true, then I will come back to you. I promise! I do!"

"I can't", he repeated, louder, fiercer now. "Whoever did this to you wanted you to kill me. But you did not manage that. If I let you go, and they get you, I don't know what they will do. I will not allow anybody to lay hands on you again."

"But if they don't ... I mean, I know ... where to go. To whom. He would not hurt me. And if I'll remember, then I will come back. Of course, I would!", now there was pleading in Akihito's voice.

"I can't! I might never see you again. You might be hurt again. You might be killed. I will not ever let you go again."

"So, you do keep me against my will!", now the boy shouted. He sprung unto his feet and tossed the tray with the empty glass, plate and cutlery across the bed towards Asami. Not any of the projectiles came even close.

"I am keeping you here to protect you. If only you talked to me! If you told me what they did to you, I could explain", he attempted to reason, forcing himself to remain calm and controlled, but it was hard. "This is the safest place I know right now. I brought you to Croatia because here they will not find us. They have not found me for five months, and they will ..."