Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction ❯ Power and Control ❯ 13 ( Chapter 13 )

Power and Control- Chapter 13

 

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The windshield wipers kept time like a metronome to the uneasy rhythm of the silence in the car. Amon stared at the road ahead of him. The light drizzle was unexpected. It had been a clear night when he first arrived at Sakaki's apartment. But now the roads were covered in a light sheen of moisture that reflected all of the street lights like a black ocean as he made his way back to Raven's Flat.

 

Out of the corner of his eye Amon could see the blonde leaning against the window, eyes closed, but not asleep. He felt something, some emotion stir in his chest, a deep longing that he couldn't place. Sakaki hadn't recoiled or looked at him with disgust when he came clean about being a Seed and what led to his current situation. No, the boy had instead offered him comfort, something that he had denied himself for a very long time. For five grueling years, the only touches he received were by those that wanted to use him- to hurt him. There was never any pleasure for him. They forced his body to react to their advances, with stimulants if they had to, but he never found any enjoyment in anything done to him. He was relieved after Zaizen lost interest and turned his attention to Michael. But it was a short-lived respite. By the time he realized what the old man's true intentions were with the young hacker, it was too late to prevent it. And he surprised himself by not wanting to do something to prevent it. If Sakaki ever found out that he had gladly removed himself from Zaizen's path and left the door open to Michael, the rookie hunter would hate him forever. Sakaki could never truly understand why he practically abandoned Michael in his time of need. The fear, the pain, the utter humiliation he endured were not things that he was willing to revisit for anyone, not even an innocent, scrawny boy who had been ripped away from his average teenage life. Now, it was all he could do to make it up to Michael. In a strange turn of events, Amon realized that he didn't want Sakaki, or Michael, for that matter, to be angry with him. The mere thought of it caused him physical pain

 

It was all so confusing. These new feelings, what did they mean? Why did it matter so much what these two boys thought of him? He had never cared about other people's opinions about him before. Why now? The memory of Michael's hug was like a warm blanket on a cold night. He liked that feeling. And when Sakaki had passed out and he held the boy until he came back around, that had felt good too. That he could give of himself physically to another person and not have it be sexual was a new experience. He had been so closed off and emotionally distant from everything that he forgot just how much a simple gesture like that could mean.

 

Amon glanced over at the blonde and again his chest tightened. There was something else there, some other factor that was causing him to react this way. Before, in the hallway, he wanted to reach out and run his fingers through the boy's hair. Fresh from the shower, Sakaki smelled so clean and his hair was so fine and silky. Even in the midst of his earlier concern that bit of information managed to seep its way into his brain. What could possibly cause a reaction like that?

 

He stopped the car at a traffic light and brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. The headache was growing in intensity. Perhaps he would grab some aspirin out of the first aid kit when they got back to the office. Beside him, Sakaki sighed deeply and opened his eyes.

 

“We're almost there,” he told the boy as he slowly accelerated through the intersection. Amon took his eyes off the road briefly to meet the other's eye. Sakaki nodded, but didn't say anything. They rode the rest of the way in silence.

 

As they pulled into the underground parking garage beneath Raven's Flat, Sakaki abruptly turned to Amon and asked, “He has to know that we're planning something. What are we going to do?”

 

Amon maneuvered the car into a spot and shut off the engine. “We don't know anything for sure, but we should assume that he does and act accordingly.”

 

“Yeah, how? He'll probably be monitoring us more closely now that…well, after last night and all. The sick fuck probably wants to see if we'll kill each other.”

 

Amon slumped in the seat a bit, brows furrowed. “You're right. He might get suspicious if we're suddenly friendlier to each other. We'll have to keep up the charade…at least while we're at the office.”

 

Sakaki nodded. “Agreed. We can use my apartment as a way to get information to one another too, if you want.”

 

“Yes, that will be good. We can do some of the legwork from there and not here where it could be monitored.”

 

The rookie hunter jerked his head in the direction of the car door. “So, are you ready to go, you fucking asshole?”

 

Amon kept his features carefully schooled, but the remark had definitely caught him off guard. At least until the corner of Sakaki's lip curved upwards to show that he had been joking.

 

“After you, you headstrong little prick,” the taller man deadpanned and violet eyes went wide.

 

“Wow. Good one. I almost believed you were serious,” Sakaki said. The expression on Amon's face didn't change.

 

“Who said I was joking?” he asked and then stepped out of the car leaving the stunned boy inside.

 

Sakaki jumped out and trotted to catch up to him at the elevator. “You were joking. Right?”

 

Amon tilted his head back to give the other a sly, backwards glance and watched how the boy's eyebrows went up. A smile teased the edges of his lips.

 

It took a second for him to catch on, but once he saw the smile, Sakaki knew the taller man was pulling his leg. “I knew it! You are shitting me. But for a second there, you really had me going. Remind me never to play poker with you…geesh.”

 

When the elevators doors opened, the two men stepped inside. Amon reached out to press the button for the office floor, but Sakaki stopped him by placing his hand gently over his.

 

“If I know Michael, he won't be at his desk,” he said as he pressed the button for the main floor. “He likes to sit in the courtyard whenever he's upset. I bet we'll find him there.”

 

Amon nodded once and settled back against the back wall of the elevator car. As soon as the doors closed, Sakaki followed suit.

 

“You have a nice smile. You should show it more often,” Sakaki said without looking at him.

 

Amon cocked his head to meet the other's gaze for a flash and then quickly looked away. He felt his cheeks begin to burn.

 

“Are you blushing?” the boy sounded astonished. “O my god, you are,” he exclaimed as he leaned in for a closer look.

 

There was telltale pink coloration across the taller man's pale face and he inwardly cursed his occidental blood for giving him such a fair complexion. If Amon could have melted into the floor right then and there, he would have. To be paid such a compliment made his pulse race and his breath quicken. But then to react to it in such an outward fashion was utterly humiliating. Thankfully the elevator doors opened and saved him from suffering any further. Something was changing inside of him, that much was certain, and it was because of these two young boys.

 

He followed behind Sakaki at a much slower pace as they walked down the short corridor that led to the courtyard in the center of the building. When the blonde stopped short in the entranceway, Amon nearly collided with his back. He looked over the boy's shoulder to see that his eyes were fixed on Michael. The hacker was sitting cross-legged on the ground next to the old stone well, typing away on the laptop in front of him.

 

“You said he wasn't mad at me, right?” Sakaki asked, sounding very uncertain all of a sudden.

 

“No, he was very worried about you,” Amon answered quietly and the boy nodded in reply. Worried enough to guilt me into coming over to check on you, he thought wryly. He stayed where he was and watched the boy take a few hesitant steps into the courtyard. He didn't want to intrude.

 

“Michael,” Sakaki said softly and the other teen looked up.

 

“Haruto,” the redhead gasped, eyes wide. He scrambled up to his feet, nearly tripping over the various electronic items in his rush, and ran without hesitation into the waiting arms of his lover. “O, Haruto…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,” Michael sobbed into the older boy's shoulder. “I didn't…I shouldn't have…I'm so sorry.”

 

“Shhh. It's all right. I'm okay…I'm okay.” Sakaki wrapped his arms tightly around the shivering boy and ran his hands over that scrawny back in an effort to calm. That seemed to be the final chink in Michael's control and his body went limp. Sakaki let the weight pull him down to the floor and knelt while his lover cried out everything he had been holding in.

 

“It's not your fault, Michael…it's not your fault. None of this is,” he whispered as he placed gentle kisses on the side of the boy's face. “Easy now…calm down. It's not your fault.”

 

“It is…it is. You wouldn't be involved in this if it wasn't for me.” With a sniffle, Michael pulled himself away. “Maybe you should leave me. If we're not together anymore, maybe he'll leave you alone…and…and…”

 

“Michael. Shut up,” Sakaki interrupted and the boy hiccupped once and then quieted down. “I'm staying right here, so knock it off,” he said as he reached out and brushed the tears away with his thumb. “Right here…no matter what happens, Michael. Right here, okay?”

 

The redhead sniffled again and nodded. “I'm sorry,” he muttered, keeping his eyes averted. Sakaki hooked his hand behind his lover's neck and pulled him back into his chest.

 

“Stop apologizing. You did nothing wrong.” He surrounded the smaller boy with as much of his body as he could to keep him safe, if only for this moment. Sakaki knew he wasn't good with words, but he could use his body to convey what his mouth couldn't.

 

Amon watched the two embrace from the shadowed entranceway. A sharp, stabbing pain flared through his stomach. Watching Sakaki comfort his lover made that unknown feeling stir. What is that like to be loved so unconditionally? Would someone ever be able to love me like that? Could I love them back? There was a word to describe what he was and had been feeling for a very long time now: alone. And it only grew stronger the more he watched Sakaki and Michael together. That growing void inside him ached to be filled, so much more that it ever had before. What was it about those two that made him feel this way? It wasn't jealousy per se. It was more envy than anything else. A want that lay dormant until recently. But Amon kept himself so distant, even before Zaizen. He could never open up and allow someone into his fucked up little life. Keeping people at arm's length insured that they were never close enough to catch you in a vulnerable moment and hurt you. And he was so very good at driving people away.

 

“Amon?”

 

Sakaki's gentle inquiry brought him out of his thoughts and he looked over to see the two boys rising to their feet. Taking this as a signal, he pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning on and began to walk towards them. Michael sniffled a few times and wiped his face as he approached.

 

“Thank you, Amon,” the redhead said, voice still shaky, but the smile on his face was beaming. “For your help. I don't know what I would have done if-“

 

“Its fine,” Amon cut him off abruptly and the smile faltered. Realizing the harsh tone in his voice, he quickly added, “You're welcome.”

 

He cursed himself for his lack of interpersonal skills and decided to quickly change the subject to save any further embarrassment. Looking past the boy to the laptop, he inquired, “We're you able to make any headway yet?”

 

Michael gave a weary sigh. “No, not yet…and it's pissing me off.”

 

Amon sniffed condescendingly and Sakaki took the bait.

 

“He's doing the best he can!” the blonde roared suddenly, pulling the hacker into his chest protectively. “If you think you can do better, go ahead.”

 

“Maybe I will,” Amon shot back. “I should have never trusted a child to handle this.”

 

“Child? He knows ten times more than both of us put together!”

 

Amon opened his mouth to retort, but Michael beat him to it.

 

“Uh, guys…what are you doing?”

 

“Just play along,” Sakaki whispered harshly into his ear.

 

“Are you worried about the security cameras?” Michael asked without lowering his voice in the slightest. The two men winced. “Because it's not necessary. I disabled them.”

 

Amon met Sakaki's equally bewildered look. “How?” he asked dryly.

 

The hacker's mouth curved into a broad grin as he practically dove for his laptop. Pausing to wipe the residual wetness from his eyes, he started typing. Fingers moved across the keyboard in a flurry of motion and when he found the program he was searching for, he turned the screen around to show the others.

 

“I was about to throw the stupid thing against the wall in frustration when I decided to take a break,” Michael said as Amon and Sakaki leaned in to take a closer look. “So, I started looking for other loopholes and backdoors into the security system. I stumbled across the surveillance system almost by accident. Unfortunately, it doesn't control the ones in Zaizen's office or my room, but it's a start.”

 

“It's a really good start,” Sakaki complimented.

 

“I can control all the cameras from this remote location. Also, rather than having to shut off an entire security grid, I can shut down each individual camera if I want. It would appear less suspicious that way.”

 

Amon watched Michael's eyes brighten as he spoke of his recent findings. Nothing made the boy happier than finding some new way to break into some place he wasn't supposed to be. They were getting closer to finding a way into Zaizen's files, he could feel it. Once that despicable man no longer had those evil videos of both him and Michael, then he wouldn't have as much leverage. Slowly, but surely, they would erode the power Zaizen had over all of them and take control over their lives back.

 

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Michael walked a few paces behind Amon and Sakaki as they made their way back up to the office. The two men were speaking about what their next course of action should be. They weren't excluding him, but he felt the need to back off a bit. It was strange to see Amon so…open? He wasn't sure what word would best describe their stoic team leader's new attitude, but there was a definite change. He smiled inwardly as he watched his lover nod his head in agreement with something Amon said. He hadn't realized how scared he was until he saw for himself that his lover didn't hate him for what happened the night before. But when Sakaki held him and told him that he wasn't going to leave him alone, he felt such a soul-draining sense of relief that he broke down. It was as though he could breathe again. To him, Sakaki was his very air, his only reason for living. Without him, there was nothing but the bottle of pills he kept squirreled away underneath his bathroom sink. His final solution…and he wasn't afraid to use it.

 

As the three men exited the elevator, Michael turned away from his dark thoughts. He had to maintain hope that they could escape from Zaizen's clutches, he just had to. When Sakaki glanced over his shoulder, he gave a genuine smile.

 

“Well, now that we no longer have to worry about the cameras, things should be a little easier to orchestrate,” Amon stated gruffly.

 

Michael set the laptop down on his desk and moved around to sit on the chair. “I'll get back to work on Zaizen's system password. I have a few more ideas that I want to try.”

 

The dark haired man sat down at the desk adjacent to him. “Is there anyone you can think of that might be able to help?”

 

Michael cocked his head in the other man's direction. “I do have some fellow hackers I can run this by, but I don't want to resort to that just yet. The less people involved, the better.” Amon nodded in agreement. Behind them Sakaki gave a weary sigh.

 

“Guess I'll just sit back and stay out of the way,” he said as he slumped into his desk chair. “I feel bad that I can't help with any of this stuff, but computers and me don't get along that well.”

 

“Don't be like that; you help out in lots of different ways.”

 

“Yeah, like what?” the blonde moaned dejectedly. When Michael couldn't come up with anything he looked down at his lap.

 

“Exactly my point,” Sakaki said as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his hands behind his head. Violet eyes looked up towards the ceiling momentarily before sliding closed.

 

Michael stared at his lover as an uneasy feeling began to gnaw the inside of his stomach. He though that perhaps his love was joking around like he usually does, but the tone was different this time. There was no playfulness to it. He opened his mouth to try and give his love some reassurance that his presence was helpful, but all that came out was an aborted squeak. He couldn't think of a damn thing to say that wasn't something along the lines of “I love you so much that just having you near me is enough to make me feel better.” How girly and pathetic is that? I'm so dependent on him; he must get so fed up with me all the time. I don't think I could stand to be around me if I were him. Why does he stay then? Why?

 

Despite the urge to keep trying to explain his feelings, Michael turned back to his computer and began to work. He could see Amon staring at him from the corner of his eye. The older man looked concerned. The only answer he could give the man's unsaid question was a sullen shrug of his shoulders. It was so strange now, this new closeness with their somber team leader. And of all things to share, abuse was not something he wanted to bond with someone over. It made Michael's stomach clench to even think about it. But he had to admit that Amon hid it very well. Too well, actually, but now that he knew, the hacker could see the fear and the barely checked animosity in those stony hazel eyes. If Amon's path through hell led him to become the hardened individual he was today, where would Michael's path take him? A cold shiver passed through his body and his fingers paused on the keyboard. Too many questions and not enough answers. Now, if he could just get into Zaizen's computer.

 

The next hour passed relatively quickly as he worked in tandem with Amon. While Michael worked on the firewall, the other man researched what looked like shipping records and inventory lists. He wasn't sure how that tied into their little project, but he trusted Amon enough to know that it had to have some importance. Behind him, he heard the soft squeak of a chair as his lover fidgeted, followed by the hum of Sakaki's monitor as he powered up his computer. He glanced over his shoulder to see the other teen surfing through different websites, head resting on his hand and looking bored out of his skull.

 

“No looking at porn, Haruto. You'll only piss off Kosaka if he finds out,” Michael chimed lightly without turning around.

 

“Well, he's not here to find out, is he?” The sing-song tone of Sakaki's voice caused the redhead's lips to curve into a smile. “And besides,” the blonde added, “I know a certain computer genius that should be able to keep an angry bald man from discovering the truth.”

 

Michael heard the sound of an office chair rolling across the floor, but he still jumped when he felt moist lips latch onto the base of his neck. He gasped and it took all his willpower not to moan at the playful love bite.

 

“And besides,” Sakaki whispered in his ear, “A little porn isn't such a bad thing now, is it?”

 

No, no it wasn't and if Sakaki kept licking the side of his neck like that, it might quickly digress into such a display right here in the control room regardless of whether Amon was watching or…not…Amon! Michael's mind snapped back to reality and he looked over at the other man. Hazel eyes were watching the two of them unabashedly.

 

Sensing the immediate tension in the hacker's body, Sakaki looked up and backed off with a nervous chuckle. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Amon composed himself quickly and looked back at the computer screen. “He's just so cute, I can't help myself,” the blonde said as he gave his lover a warm smile.

 

“It's fine,” the older man said brusquely without turning around.

 

Sakaki shrugged and rolled back to his desk while Michael took a moment to analyze Amon's reaction. The look on the other man's face had been surprised, but not that exactly. It was more a look of disbelief than anything else. Surely he's seen us be affectionate before. The day before, he walked in on Haruto comforting me after that panic attack and didn't have that type of reaction. Why did he seem so shocked by it now? Well, we haven't exactly been flaunting it the whole time, but now that Amon knows, I don't feel the need to hide it anymore and it looks like Haruto feels the same. Weird. Well, then again, this is Amon. He does do things differently.

 

With a sigh, the redhead pushed his glasses up on his nose and went back to work. It was just so frustrating that he could not get into Zaizen's computer. Two days, two whole days he had been working at it. It had only taken eighteen hours to break into the STN-J mainframe way back when, a personal record for him, but this was getting out of hand. All the computers were routed through the same server, he should not be having this much trouble. Currently, there were three different brute force cracker programs running to break Zaizen's system log in and password and they were turning up nothing.

 

Three more hours passed with no new results. It was time to face some facts. The hacker sat up straight and pushed off the desk to spin his chair around. “Guys,” he started solemnly. “I don't think we're going to be able to get in this way.”

 

The two other men stopped what they were doing and turned to face him. “Why do you say that?” Amon asked.

 

“Because I've been running these programs for two days without any results.”

 

“Is that enough time?” Sakaki chimed in.

 

“It depends. Back when I was…home and didn't have all the fancy equipment, it would take me days if not weeks, but we don't have that kind of time. We need to get in now and I think the fastest way to do that is if I'm at Zaizen's computer.”

 

All the sound in the room seemed to get sucked into a vacuum. The implication of what he just said hung heavily in the air. Time was definitely not on their side, and if they wanted to relieve Zaizen of his power over them, they needed to act fast.

 

“You mean, break into his office?” Sakaki practically sputtered. “That's almost impossible. Even if we did get in, I'm sure he has that room monitored. He's going to know we were in there and there goes our trump card, right down the crapper.”

 

“It's the fastest way I can think of, Haruto.” The redhead glared at his lover. “If I'm at his computer, I can open a remote desktop connection. I can keep trying to get through the server, but I think this is the best way.”

 

Sakaki glared back. “You said it yourself; you couldn't access the cameras in there. How are we going to cover our tracks?”

 

“I guess we can't. We just better hope that what we find on his hard drive will be enough to cover our asses once he does find out.”

 

“Have you given any thought to the fact that what we're looking for might not be on his hard drive?” Amon interjected smoothly.

 

Michael's eyes widened. “No, I didn't.”

 

Sakaki shook his head from side to side. “No, no, no, it's on there. He showed me clips, remember?”

 

Hazel eyes narrowed in the older teen's direction. “Zaizen has a network of people who are sympathetic to his interests. It is not uncommon for them to share with each other. I don't doubt that the videos he has of all of us have been distributed. We need to take that into consideration.”

 

An icy shard of fear stabbed through Michael's rib cage and into his heart. “Oh, my god…you mean th-that someone else has seen those videos? Oh no…no, this can't be happening.”

 

“Easy, Michael, calm down,” Sakaki said as he placed a reassuring hand on his lover's forearm. The hacker recoiled from the touch.

 

“Calm down?” he gasped. “Haruto, other people have seen us…together. And there are god knows how many people out there getting off watching him hurt me. How the hell am I supposed to react?”

 

“Be angry as fuck. I sure as hell am, but I don't want you to worry yourself sick over this,” Sakaki said, trying to diffuse the situation.

 

“Ughn…too late, I feel nauseous.” Michael bent over to rest his elbows on his knees, panting heavily. The other teen rolled his chair closer and began to rub the hacker's back in an attempt to soothe the impending panic attack.

 

Amon watched the two knowing exactly what the younger one was feeling. He had no way of knowing for sure if the videos were distributed until they were in Zaizen's computer, but he had a very reliable hunch. Years ago, the old man made it clear that all “meetings,” as he liked to call them, were videoed, even if they were in front of an audience. It was a safe bet to assume that the recordings he had of Michael and Sakaki were probably making the rounds within that despicable circle of perverts. But Amon decided to keep that bit of information to himself unless it was absolutely necessary.

 

“Michael,” Amon began sternly, waiting for the boy to look up at him. “We'll know for sure once we get in. From there we can find out if they were distributed and how. I need you to be focused now. We can't have you falling apart. Get a grip on yourself.”

 

The older man's attitude ruffled Sakaki's feathers instantly. “Hey, there's no need for the tone, Amon.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Michael spoke before the other two could get into an argument. “No, Amon's right. Once I'm in, I'll be able to track any files that he's uploaded or download anywhere. If he's using some sort of file sharing system like IRC or an FTP site, I can track those as well. I'll also go through his email and his internet history. Once I'm in, there won't be anything he can keep hidden.”

 

“Sounds like a plan. Now all we need to do is get into the lion's den,” Sakaki said with a wry smile.

 

“Leave that to me,” Amon said as he stood.

 

“Do I even want to know?”

 

For the briefest moment, a smirk touched the normally stoic man's lips. “No, you probably don't.” He picked up his trench coat and shrugged it onto his lean shoulders. “It might take a day or two to get what I need. Keep trying this way for now. We'll come up with a battle plan as soon as we know where we stand. In the meantime, get some rest. Especially you, Michael, you look exhausted.”

 

The redhead nodded in response. When the dark-haired man turned and began to walk towards the elevators, Sakaki stood and went after him.

 

Catching the other man as the doors opened, he called after him. “Hey, Amon…thanks again.”

 

Hazel eyes widened momentarily as they met the genuine sentiment in the pale violet gazing at him from the corner. He dipped his head to acknowledge the boy and stepped inside the elevator and let the doors slide closed.

 

Michael looked up from the computer as Sakaki walked back into the office. “Do you know what Amon has planned?”

 

The blonde stopped and leaned against the side of the desk. “No, not exactly, but he might know some people who can help with our special needs.”

 

“People? Like who?”

 

“No clue…so, are you ready to go to bed?”

 

Michael smiled lovingly. “Yeah, just give me a second. I have something I want to finish up first. You go ahead; I'll be along in a few minutes.”

 

“You'd better,” Sakaki whispered as he bent down and slipped his fingers into the collar of his lover's shirt. “If I have to come out here and drag you off this computer, there's gonna be consequences and repercussions.”

 

“Ha, ha, very funny,” he said dryly, shrugging away from Sakaki's clever fingers. “Now go, I'll be right there.”

 

With another playful smile, the blonde took off towards Michael's room. Turning back to his monitor, the computer genius checked the status of the programs he was running. Still no results. He accessed the security cameras and turned them back on in the main office and corridor. The guard on duty in the morning should never realize that they were off since they were shut down internally through the grid and not by an outside source. He was in the middle of sending an email to his fellow hackers to advise them of the current status and change of plans, when his desk phone began to ring. He glanced at the clock. It was only ten after eleven. He toyed briefly with letting it go into his voicemail, but if it were one of his other teammates; they would find it highly suspicious if he wasn't at the computer. There was also the possibility that it could also be Amon with news or perhaps a question. In the end, he decided that answering it was for the best.

 

“STN-J,” he said drearily into the receiver. There was a pause on the other end before a low, rumbling chuckle was heard.

 

“Hello, Michael.”

 

The phone nearly slipped from his fingers at the sound of Zaizen's deep voice.

 

Oh, no…

 

“These conferences can be so dull,” the old man began slowly, and Michael could hear the predatory smirk in his voice. “Three hours going over how to motivate your subordinates. It was simply dreadful. Believe me; I know how to motivate people. So, I noticed you had some company staying over. How about the two of you put on a little show for me?”

 

“Wh-what?” Michael asked, his voice trembling as much as his body. He knows Haruto is here. That means he's watching us…Fuck, how long has he been watching?

 

“It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just get your lover boy to fuck you and that will be good enough. The porn selection in these hotels is horrible. Some live action would be much better.”

 

Michael's mind reeled at the thought of doing a command performance. He had to think of a way to get out of it. “I can't…I'm still injured. What if I just suck him off instead?” It was the first thing that came to him. Perhaps it would be good enough.

 

“Oh, come now. That's never stopped us before. I'm sure he'll be extra gentle with you.”

 

“Please…please don't do this.” Michael felt the tears begin to well up as he choked back a sob.

 

Zaizen gave a frustrated sigh into the receiver. “I can see you want to do things the hard way. Well, here is some motivation for you. Open your email.”

 

With a shaking hand, Michael worked the mouse to double-click the newest email. He gasped loudly as a set of three pictures appeared. He knew right away, that these were pictures of Sakaki's sister. She looked just like him, with the same oval face and high cheekbones. Her hair was a few shades darker, but the almond-shaped eyes were identical. The pictures depicted her in various stages of undress and were most likely the same pictures Zaizen showed his lover the other night.

 

“Oh, god…no,” he whispered.

 

“If his dick isn't up your ass in ten minutes, I start sending out these pictures to a few of my colleagues and I do have many more where these came from. There are even a few of her in the bath. I'm sure those would be very popular. Am I making myself clear, Michael?”

 

Michael sniffled, unable to verbalize anything. Why? Why is he doing this?

 

“Answer me, Michael,” Zaizen demanded. “Am I making myself clear?”

 

“Y-yes…” he croaked.

 

“Good. Remember, ten minutes, Michael.”

 

“But he's going to suspect something is wrong. He won't want to hurt me, he'll never agree to it,” Michael blurted out in a last ditch effort to stop this from happening.

 

“Then you're just going to have to be extra convincing. Ten minutes.” And with that, Zaizen hung up the phone.

 

Michael just sat there, staring into space for a few moments. There was no way out. That evil bastard was using an innocent girl as his pawn and there was no way he was going to let her get hurt. Steeling himself, he wiped the tears from his cheeks and walked down the hall to his room where his lover was waiting.

 

Sakaki was just coming out of the bathroom, drying his face with a towel when Michael entered. The blonde was wearing nothing but his boxers and a smile. It twisted the knife in his gut that much more, but he knew that this was the only way. For a few seconds he entertained the idea of telling his lover about Zaizen's demands, but quickly killed that notion. He knew that would just aggravate the other teen into doing something stupid. No, if he was going to get through this, he needed to keep Sakaki in the dark.

 

Without a word, the redhead stalked over to the taller boy and placed both hands on either side of his face to pull him down into a passionate kiss. The weight of his body pushed the blonde into the door behind him with a loud thud. Sakaki immediately stiffened and yelped his surprise, but Michael's mouth was persistent and soon he calmed and relaxed.

 

“Wait…where did this come from?” Sakaki panted when they finally parted.

 

“Want you,” was all he said as he continued to kiss and lick along that elegant neck. Reaching down, he cupped Sakaki balls and then palmed the half-hard erection he found there. Sakaki moaned low and sexy, then bent down to claim his mouth once again. Michael continued to fondle while his lover devoured his mouth. This is so wrong. It was never supposed to be a chore with Haurto…never. But I have to keep going…for his sister's sake. If I keep him distracted, he won't suspect anything.

 

Michael broke off the kiss suddenly and looked into those beautiful violet eyes. There was no suspicion, just pure lust. It was working. Sliding down to his knees, he kissed a wet trail down, Sakaki's lean stomach. When he reached the hem of the boxers, he yanked them down in one motion and placed his hand over the heated flesh he found there. His lover's breath quickened with anticipation. He took the entire length into his mouth in one motion and began to work it in and out, feeling it harden against his tongue immediately.

 

“Uh…. Michael…god,” Sakaki moaned as his head fell back against the door.

 

Michael smiled when he felt a gentle hand comb through his hair as he worked the tip of his tongue into the opening of his lover's penis. He loved being able to pleasure Sakaki like this, it made him feel wanted…appreciated, like he wasn't just a thing to be used. But now, Zaizen's taint had spread to the last sanctuary he thought he had. He was watching them and probably reveling in the fact that he was controlling the action in some way.

 

Sakaki gave another ragged moan and Michael decided it was time to move things to the bed. As soon as he withdrew, Sakaki's eyes were on him. He gave a coy smile and took hold of Sakaki's hand.

 

“Let's go to the bed,” he said with as much confidence as he could muster. He knew Zaizen was serious about that time frame and he didn't want appear rushed. Sakaki paused a moment to pull his boxers off the rest of the way and then followed. Michael yanked his own shirt over his head and quickly kicked off his pants. When they were both naked, Michael took the initiative and pushed the other teen down onto the bed and climbed on top of him. They kissed some more, letting their hands massage and caress.

 

Sakaki broke off suddenly. “Wait, won't he be taping this? The camera that's hidden…”

 

Michael ground his blossoming erection into the other teen's hip, providing enough distraction. “I don't care. Let him watch…let him see what two people who love each other look like.”

 

The sentiment was genuine. At that moment he didn't care that he had been coerced into doing this. Michael truly loved Sakaki with every ounce of his being. That sadistic bastard was not going to change that. He leaned forward, over Sakaki's prone body to place his glasses on the table behind the low headboard and fished around in the drawer for the bottle of lube.

 

“Whoa, wait a second,” Sakaki said when Michael sat back, straddling his hips. “You're hurt, we can't.”

 

“It's okay…I want to. We'll go slow. It'll be okay.”

 

“Are you sure? I don't want to make you sorer. I mean, he tore you up pretty bad-”

 

Michael placed a finger over Sakaki's lips to silence him. “It's okay. I want this…please?”

 

The blonde reached up and cupped the side of Michael's face. “I won't hurt you,” he said sternly.

 

“You won't.”

 

Michael flipped open the cap to squeeze some of the cool gel onto his fingers as he bent forward to kiss Sakaki again. He reached behind himself to slowly rub the lubricant around his sore opening. Knowing what was going to happen, he broke off the kiss and rested his forehead on Sakaki's collarbone as he pressed a finger into himself. It went in relatively easy, but he knew he couldn't dawdle. He withdrew slightly and then pressed a second finger inside. He could not hold back the gasp that escaped his lips.

 

“Are you alright? Maybe we should stop,” Sakaki said, clearly worried as he rubbed his hands up and down the other's back.

 

“No! I'm fine…it's okay.”

 

That was a lie. The second finger stretched him wide enough for the old tears to split back open. Michael squeezed his eyes shut as he began to work both fingers in and out of himself. It burned so bad, but he knew that he had to work through it. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying out. Zaizen had had abused him for days on end without letting his body heal. He lived through that, he could sure as hell live through this.

 

Deciding that no amount of preparation was going to make this any easier, Michael sat up and began to coat Sakaki's erection. Reaching back to position himself, he slowly sank down. There was some resistance at first, but once the head breached his opening, the rest of the length went in one abrupt motion. It was agony. He collapsed onto Sakaki's chest, gasping for air, eyes tearing from the pain. He buried his face into the crook of his lover's neck to hide the torture. His raw passage was split open and bleeding again. He pressed down with his inner muscles, trying to will his body to be loose. His erection was long gone, having wilted from the pain.

 

“Michael…Michael, are you okay? Shit, I knew this was a bad idea.” Sakaki was pushing on his shoulder, trying to get a reaction out of him.

 

“I'm okay; just give me a second to adjust.”

 

He didn't think he sounded convincing, but there was no turning back now. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself off Sakaki's chest and gazed down into the concerned eyes of his lover. “I'm okay,” he reassured again. “Move, only…slowly.”

 

Sakaki never broke eye contact, but gently withdrew a bit and pushed back in. Michael gasped again at the friction; his body was slowly becoming accustomed to the intrusion. It took some time, but they managed to find a rhythm. The pain was still present, but when he pressed back to meet his lover's thrusts and angled himself just right, there was a spark of pleasure. He did his best to concentrate on that.

 

“Yeah, just like that…harder,” Michael moaned. Beneath him, Sakaki complied, placing both hands on the redhead's narrow hips and slamming him down into his upward thrusts.

 

“Ngh…Michael, god you feel so good.”

 

Michael didn't trust himself not to scream out, so he smiled down instead. A horrible, forced smile, but he was performing for a very demanding audience. He closed his eyes. It made it easier to try and focus on the small amount of pleasure he was feeling. Please let him not be suspicious. I don't want to hurt him…please.

 

Sakaki then surprised him by wrapping both arms around him and pulling him down into his chest and reversing their positions. Michael yelped in surprise, but was quickly silenced by Sakaki's mouth. He did his best to kiss back, but his lover was pounding into him strong and powerful, like nothing could ever stop him. Michael wrapped his limbs tightly around the body surging above him as if trying to absorb some of that strength, grunting as the air was pushed out of his lungs. This position was worse, but he couldn't say anything. Each thrust felt like it was splitting him in two. He just had to bear with it and forget any enjoyment for himself. It wasn't the first time and probably wouldn't be the last.

 

“Faster,” he whispered into Sakaki's ear. “Harder.” This was the first time that he wanted it over as fast as possible. Normally he enjoyed his lover's stamina, but he didn't have it in him to last through a marathon session. If there was one good thing he could say about Zaizen, it was the fact that the man usually didn't last more than a few minutes.

 

Michael noticed when the grunts and groans changed and dug his heels into the small of Sakaki's back, spurring him on. It shouldn't be much longer now. And he was right. The blonde cried out, moments later, driving hard into his body four more times, and then stilled. Michael hadn't even come close. The pain and guilt were too much of a distraction.

 

“Are you okay?” Sakaki asked after a few seconds. He propped himself on his elbows and wiped away the sweat-soaked bangs from Michael's forehead.

 

Michael forced another smile. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

 

Now came the tricky part. He needed to make it to the bathroom to clean up before his lover figured it all out. He pushed at Sakaki's shoulder to get the other teen to roll off him. Michael all but whimpered when the blonde withdrew, letting loose a small stream of warm semen over his raw anus. He sat up carefully and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

 

“Are you sure you're alright?” Sakaki asked from behind him.

 

“Yeah, let me go wash up and I'll be right back.”

 

Michael stood up on wobbly legs and walked as fast as he could to the bathroom. He felt Sakaki's eyes on his back the whole time so he tried not to limp too badly. Once inside, he shut the door and leaned heavily onto the sink, gasping for breath. The urge to crumple onto the floor was strong, but he fought it back. He wet a washcloth with lukewarm water and dabbed at his backside, hissing through his teeth at the burn. There was blood. Not as much as he originally thought, but enough for him to know that there was no way he would be sitting comfortably for a few days. As he finished cleaning himself in a ritual he had preformed many times, the sobs began to rack his lean body. That bottle of pills was beginning to look like a very viable way out right now. How could he keep on living like this?

 

*~*~*~*~*

 

Sakaki lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He should have been feeling sated in that fuzzy post-coital way, but instead he felt uneasy. Something was wrong. While it wasn't completely unheard of for Michael to take the initiative, he certainly would not have started something when he was injured. Yes, they were both under a lot of stress and finding comfort this way the most rewarding sometimes, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Michael didn't really want them to make love.

 

Fear seized his chest at the thought that Michael forced himself because of how he had freaked the other night. God, I'm an idiot. He probably thought this was the only way he could make it up to me. Shit, what do I do now?

 

He retrieved his boxer shorts from the floor with the intent of going into the bathroom and apologizing to Michael. Sakaki wanted to make sure that his love didn't think that he had to do this again in the future.

 

“What the…?” As he pulled his shorts on he noticed a ring of drying blood around the base of his cock. Stepping over to the bed, he yanked back the sheet to reveal a small red stain in the center of the mattress.

 

He…he lied to me. He told me that he was okay. Why would he lie if I was hurting him? Why didn't he stop me?

 

The bathroom door opened and Michael stepped out looking pale and weak. He met Sakaki's eyes and immediately looked away, guilty.

 

“Michael, why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?”

 

“You didn't, I'm fine.”

 

“Stop lying, there is blood on the sheets.” The redhead's widened in surprise. Sakaki felt the anger starting to build. Why was he being so obstinate?

 

“It's nothing, just a little blood. Some of the old wounds reopened. Stop worrying. I'm fine.”

 

Sakaki stalked over the naked boy and took hold of his chin, forcing him to look up. “Why? Why are you lying to me?” he demanded.

 

Michael flinched. “I'm not lying. I'll be fine. Can't we just go to sleep now? I'm tired.” He tried to brush past Sakaki, but the other boy just blocked his way. “Haruto, I'm tired. Please…let it go.”

 

“You didn't come. You were trying to hide that fact from me.”

 

“Th-that's okay…I wanted you to feel good. It doesn't matter if I-“

 

“What?!” Sakaki could not believe what he just heard. And then the dreadful realization hit him like a wrecking ball. “He put you up to this, didn't he?” Michael's surprised look was the answer he needed. “Motherfucker! How?” When his lover didn't answer, he grabbed him by both arms and shook him, hard. The younger boy cried out as fingers dug into his muscles. “How, Michael?”

 

“H-he called as soon as you left the room. He must have been watching. He told me that if I didn't get you to…to…he was going to start emailing the pictures he has of your sister.”

 

Sakaki let go of the hacker so abruptly that he fell backwards onto the cold stone floor. He didn't hear his lover's cry of pain; he was too enraged at the moment to notice. “Where are you you son of a bitch?” he screamed at the walls. “Where are you?!”

 

Michael stayed where he was on the floor, watching his lover knock books off of shelves and toppling chairs in his fury. And just when it seemed that he was hell-bent in destroying the room, the rookie hunter seemed to pause suddenly. Directly opposite the bed, right above the door was a vent. Sakaki's eyes were fixed on that vent.

 

He dragged a chair over to stand on and peering inside the grated covering. Sure enough, there was a small lipstick camera fastened just inside. A triumphant smile spread across his face. “Found you.” He yanked on the cover to try and pull it off, but it was screwed in on all sides. He jammed his fingers in between the slots of the grating. The opening wasn't big enough, but he didn't care. As the skin was being scraped off his knuckles, his fingertips brushed the camera. Just a little more…got it!

 

Sakaki jumped down from the chair and pulled out a long black wire from the vent. Holding it up to his face, he looked directly into the lens. “You sick fuck…getting off on hurting others. No more free shows.” And with that he smashed the tiny camera against the concrete wall, shattering it to pieces.

 

Sakaki looked over at Michael. He was still on the ground, tears streaming down his face. “It's okay now,” Sakaki said as he gathered up the trembling boy into his arms. “He won't be able to watch us in here anymore. We're safe now.”

 

“I'm so sorry, Haruto…I'm so sorry,” Michael sobbed into the blonde's shoulder.

 

“It's okay…he's not going to be in here with us anymore.”

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Miles away, Takuma Zaizen leaned back against the pillows of his hotel room bed and lit a cigar. The laptop at his side showed the two boys seated on the floor holding each other.

 

He had to laugh to himself, if they only knew how many cameras were actually hidden in that room. But he did have to give the pretty blonde credit. He certainly was a tenacious one. Let them have their false sense of security. It was just another thing he could exploit in the future. A wolfish grin spread across his lips. This boy was definitely going to be an adventure.

 

 

TBC…….

 

 

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Yay! Finally, the revised version. No major changes just some grammar fixes. Feedback is never demanded, but always appreciated. Thank you everyone out there who has been reading this.