Hiding his uncertainty behind his c

Hiding his uncertainty behind his closed eyes, Asami-sama quietly explained, "I told him that he was my happiness, Kirishima. My only happiness. I told him...everything about my feelings. Well, almost everything. I proposed and he said yes. He said he isn't going to run away anymore. He..."

Asami-sama shook his head as if to clear his own thought. Kirishima was at a lost of words. For a while, he just stands there looking at his boss dumfounded. This revelation changed everything.

"I know it seems stupid and illogical. I was confident he won't run away from our relationship anymore. But he was so angry with me about the kids. So maybe -"

Obviously, his boss believes that Kirishima was thinking how foolish Asami-sama's desperate hope is.

"No, no, Sir," Kirishima cut off quickly. "I am just surprised. I didn't know that you had proposed. So, the two of you were...engaged. Well, maybe now is not the best time, but congratulation!"

The chuckle was still tired but sounded more genuine now. "Indeed, this is not the best time. I was planning to tell everyone in a more glamorous event than sitting here in the middle of this mess."

"But putting this fact into consideration, then it doesn't make sense to think that Takaba-sama is running away, does it? I meant, he was angry, true. But he told me-," Kirishima stopped, considering whether it was wise to impart what the brat had told him in secret. Well, this is an emergency situation, anyway. Surely the brat will understand. "He told me he would forgive you. It was just a few hours before he run away. Now that I know about your engagement, I don't think Takaba-sama will run away just like that, Asami-sama."

His boss snorted. "Well, he did it once. He could have done it again for all we know. There is no proof saying that he doesn't run away."

"Please allow me to remind you that you hadn't proposed him and he hadn't agreed to marry you the last time he left."

"He had also told me that he loved me before he tricked me with that stupid project in Osaka. That he would have done anything for my happiness. And still, he'd left," Asami-sama grumbled with bitterness.

Kirishima just shrugged at his boss' stubbornness. "In my humble opinion, there is a huge difference between 'admitting love' and 'admitting love and knowing that the person you love not only loves you back but also wants to spend the rest of his life with you', Asami-sama. That is a very serious promise." He made invisible quotes with his fingers. "And as far as I know, Takaba-sama is an honest and kind person. When he left you before, he still broke his relationship with Takagi off. He didn't have to do that. He could have left you and still be with Takagi. But he didn't. He couldn't be with Takagi halfheartedly. And now you believe that he would run away with Takagi after he said yes to your proposal? Please forgive my rudeness, Sir, but that is the most stupid thing I have ever heard from you. Doing that is just plain cruel, not only to you but also to Takagi, and I don't think Takaba-sama could do such a mean thing just to spite you."

Asami-sama didn't say anything, so Kirishima continued softly, "You think he was discreetly asking you to find him when he told you to find your happiness, don't you? Because you believe he knows now that he is your happiness."

There is nothing of his usual firmness when Asami-sama nods wearily. Kirishima understands now. His boss is unsure. There is no guarantee that the brat wasn't running away and Asami-sama doesn't want to get his hope high without any proof. If the brat was indeed running away and if people somehow find out that Asami-sama, blinded by love, denies that obvious truth, they will mock him to the end of the world. The entire organization will be a laughing stock and Asami-sama doesn't want it.

"I believe...I believe that he was forced to leave, Kirishima. He said that the key to my happiness was closer than I thought. That I might think that it was him, but it was not."

Understanding dawned on Kirishima. "So you think that the key to find Takaba-sama is Emi. Or Takumi. Someone that is close to you, someone who looks similar to him that you might think it is him. But this person is not him."

Strangely, it makes sense to Kirishima. In fact, this is the first real clue he heard since his men called him informing the run away. He noticed the changes in Emi, how she became more and more similar to the brat until it is frightening him. Kirishima remembers the times when he couldn't differentiate the two of them in a glance.

"Call it a stupid hunch, Kirishima. But I want to give it a try. Because I don't have any other clue where he is right now. If I still can't find him, so be it. Maybe we are not meant to each other." Asami-sama drank the rest of the vodka in one swallow before putting the empty glass on the side table. "Now, shall we go? We can't find Takumi yet. But we can start from Emi."

This is crazy. The possibility is almost nonexistent. But Kirishima feels hope when before he thought everything was useless. With a newly awakened spirit, he nodded, "I will call the car now. Please rest assured, Asami-sama. We will do everything we can to find Takumi. For now, we have Emi in one of our empty warehouse, ready for questioning. I will do it myself, if you allow me."

Hold on, brat, wherever you are. We are coming for you. And you better stay alive until then. Because no one can replace you. Not in my life or the life of any other persons who are close to you. And definitely, in Asami-sama's life. You are the only one.

Less than two more hours to go.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Emi is starting to count down her life. She knows she was out of luck the moment Asami-sama ordered her to be brought here. Somehow, her master found out that she was involved with Akihito's disappearance. She doesn't know how, but she is not stupid enough to miss the hints. There is no need for all the troubles of keeping her here if Asami-sama just wants to replace her with another light brown hair boy or girl.

But, it is okay. She won't go to the land of the dead alone today.

Suoh enters the spacious room, ordering men to move a long table to her side. Quickly, the men place various torturing instruments on the table. Obviously, they are trying to shake her mentally.

She just smiles at every one of them.

Bear with it, girl. Just another hour and thirty three minutes. Hold the truth until then and there will be nothing they can do by that time.

Two men tighten the rope that binds her until it is difficult for her to even take a breath.

"Thank you," she told the men nicely despite her difficulties to get air into her lungs. They look at her as if she is mad. But she doesn't care. If she has to do this, she will do it with grace. Smiling, she closes her eyes and waits patiently for her fate.

See you in hell, Akihito. Soon.