Love (Ai) – Part 2
“Are you Kyo Tatsuya?”
Glancing up from where he was busy holding a large wooden crate while one of the museum assistants nailed it shut, Kyo scowled.
“Would you help first?” he asked, straining against the weight of the crate. Groaning, he returned his attention to the assistant. “Are you almost done?”
“There are two more nails to go,” the answer came in an irritated tone.
“Oh, joy,” Kyo groaned. “Hey, monkey suit, come over here, and help me hold this up. I’m dying under this weight.”
“What did you just call me?” the man asked.
Thankfully, he didn’t waste time and came to help Kyo hold the crate. One moment the weight was pressing back at him heavily, the next it wasn’t.
Kyo sighed in relief.
“Thanks,” Kyo said. “This shouldn’t take too long. I can’t believe that three of the paintings are gone, what luck. Gosh, I’m starving. I didn’t get to eat anything all day.”
“There was a buffet table in the back,” the gallery assistant said. “Do you want me to pack you up something?”
“That would be nice,” Kyo said, elated. “I’m always forgetting to eat. There were so many things to do, food just didn’t factor in.”
“Shouldn’t you realize you’re hungry when your stomach growls?” the man helping him asked.
“My stomach doesn’t growl, thank you very much. And who wears a suit in the evening? It looks like a tuxedo. Are you going out on a date?” Kyo asked giving the man a skeptical look. “If it’s anyone from this college, you should know we’re all just looking for a sponsor. It’s not real love.”
“How romantic of you,” the man answered with a chuckle. “Are you always this cynical?”
“I’m realistic,” Kyo answered with a shrug. He turned and leaned his back on the crate so that he could look at their visitor.
The man was tall. Kyo was a mere five foot seven inches. This man had to be in the six feet category. His body filled out: broad shoulders, lean physique. There was no fat on that handsome bod. He was in a tailored black tuxedo that fit to perfection. Black hair combed back in a neat style.
Meeting dark eyes, Kyo couldn’t help the grin at the handsome face looking back at him. So, what was such a man doing looking for him? He didn’t know any socialites.
“Are you Kyo?” the man asked with a smile.
“Maybe,” Kyo said, just in case the man wasn’t looking for him to give good news. “Why are you looking for Kyo?”
“I have some business with him,” the man replied.
Shaking his head, Kyo was relieved when the assistant called out that he was done. Three men came to help carry out the crate and Kyo couldn’t help stretching his arms to relieve his stressed muscles.
Damn, he was so tired, his stomach was cramping now with hunger. The package of food was his next order of business. After that, he was heading down to Harajuku, where he would spend a few hours getting silly drunk at his favorite club with his sister.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know Kyo,” he said to the man in the tuxedo. “Please look for him tomorrow.”
Turning away from the handsome, tall man, he started for the backstage area and the buffet table. He didn’t get far before a strong grip on his arm stopped him.
Gasping, Kyo looked up to find the man shaking his head at him.
“Let go of me,” Kyo said, worried that he was about to be assaulted by a psycho.
Stories were going around of a pervert who was robbing people on the streets. The description was vague, which meant a man in a tuxedo could be doing it. People were sick out there.
“I scream very well.”
“I know you’re Kyo,” the man said. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he produced a photo, which he held out to Kyo.
Taking it, Kyo was shocked to be staring at his own face. He took the picture for an art book he published earlier this month. Cursing open source sharing, he handed back the photo and demanded.
“What do you want with me?”
“I have someone who wants to talk to you,” the man said, his tone quiet. He didn’t let go of his arm, instead keeping a firm grip on Kyo’s upper arm. “My name is Ryuu Shin. Please come with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Kyo replied.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Ryuu Shin said through gritted teeth. “Look, if I promise to feed you, will you come?”
Food, Kyo sighed. The food at the buffet had been there for a couple of hours. It would be lukewarm, but he wasn’t one to be choosy.
But, he frowned at the man. “What kind of food?”
“I’ll take you to a five-star hotel,” Ryuu replied with a hopeful glance.
Well, high-class tastes, Kyo could feel his stomach cramping even more now. As much as he forgot to eat, he really loved food, the tastier the better. A high-class restaurant would undoubtedly be an experience he couldn’t miss. Not to seem too eager, he gave Ryuu a suspicious glance.
“Do I have to dress up like you?”
Kyo watched Ryuu look him up and felt a blush creep to his cheeks. His washed-out blue jeans, converse shoes, and a white paint-stained t-shirt weren’t top-of-the-line. His hair was in a messy ponytail, a few tendrils had escaped in the struggle to pack the paintings. With his free hand, he pinched the fabric of his t-shirt and sniffed. He wasn’t stinking, but compared to the tuxedo-wearing Ryuu, he was far from fresh.
“Well,” he asked when Ryuu didn’t speak.
“You’re fine,” Ryuu answered with a slight smile. Shaking his head, he nodded towards the gallery exit. “Let’s go, we’re running late.”
“Right now?” Kyo asked in surprise. “Can I at least grab my bag from the back?”
“Already done,” Ryuu said nodding to a man Kyo had not noticed before. He was holding Kyo’s black duffel bag carefully.
What was going on here?
“Come on, we don’t want to be late.”
“Hey,” Kyo said as Ryuu led out him firmly. “Who the hell are you? I’m not so easy, you know. You can’t just walk in here and get my stuff like you own me.”
“Calm down,” Ryuu said as they stepped out into the warm evening.
Leading him to a black car waiting at the curb, Ryuu urged him in first before following. He nodded to the driver and the car joined traffic.
Kyo moved to the other side of the back seat giving Ryuu a skeptical glance before he looked out the windows with a sigh. Well, at least he was going to get food. He would leave the moment he had his fill and head to Harajuku.
Fifteen minutes later, they walked into the Park Hyatt hotel, Kyo groaned under his breath at the sight of the people walking in and out of the place. The glances he got were enough to bring out his rebellious side. He hated being judged, damn bastards didn’t have a reason to do that when they knew nothing about him.
“Relax, Kyo,” Ryuu said placing a gentle arm around his shoulders. “You are making faces at everyone.”
“Why are we here again?” Kyo asked irritated by the situation. Even the air smelled stinking rich, what the hell, he sighed. “I’ve decided not to stay. Give me my bag, I have somewhere to be.”
“You’re insane,” Ryuu said exasperated. “Come on, we’re almost there.”
Arm firmly around Kyo’s shoulder, Ryuu led the way into a restaurant with the name Peak Lounge at its entrance. They walked past the man waiting at the entrance without stopping. A garden setting in the middle of the room had Kyo staring until they stopped at a table in a corner overlooking the city. Ryuu gave him a warm squeeze on his arm bringing back his attention.
“Pay your respects,” Ryuu urged, nodding to the elegant woman seated at a table for two sipping tea.
She was beautifully dressed in a black skirt suit, her hair held in a neat bun.
Kyo could not see her full face since she hadn’t looked up from a folder on the table before her. She looked like a woman who commanded an army or something. Her type scared him. Irritated by the feeling, he turned to Ryuu.
“Who the hell is this?” he demanded making Ryuu wince. “What?”
Ryuu gave him a censoring glance and said quietly, his tone full of respect.
“She is Rin Kiyoshi, the head of the Biyashi Foundation, and your mother.”
“Biyashi,” Kyo gasped.
The Biyashi Foundation was renowned for its galleries in the Eurasian region. Taking a closer look, Kyo gaped when he recognized the renowned artist Rin Kiyoshi. She was supposed to have married a corporate mogul who left her millions when he died which she directed to the foundation. Her paintings were celebrated, but she was a recluse who rarely allowed the public into her private life. Which was frustrating to the media since she was so freaking rich.
The last Kyo heard about her was that her only child had died from some weird disease. Wait, what had Ryuu said?
Kyo frowned and turned to look at the tall man standing beside him.
“What did you say?”
“She’s the head of Biyashi, and your mother,” Ryuu repeated with patience.
This tone Ryuu was taking with him was starting to irritate him as if he was some sort of stupid child that couldn’t comprehend things. Shaking his head, Kyo took a step back.
“My mother is dead,” Kyo said quietly, a cold shiver running down his back. “I don’t appreciate this kind of joke.”
Kyo started to leave, but a hand clamped on his right shoulder. He had been through this before when he left his foster home after he turned seventeen. His older brother tried to help him find his birth parents. After a harrowing experience with a crazy woman who wanted a child so badly she kidnapped him, Kyo stopped looking. He shook his head.
“Let go of me, and get screwed. I’m not this desperate for a parent.”
“At least give me a chance to explain before you leave,” Rin said.
Her soft voice made him want to turn and stay. It made him need to hear her out and he wasn’t going to survive it. Shrugging off the arm on his shoulder, Kyo turned around to glare at the woman sitting so calmly in her seat.
“Why now?” Kyo asked.
Dark sad eyes stared at him and he frowned at the hidden pain he read there.
“I couldn’t find you before,” Rin said.
“That’s rich,” Kyo said and glared at Ryuu. “Since you know where to find me, bring my bag there tomorrow. I gotta go.”
Giving the elegant woman a final glance, Kyo stalked out of the restaurant, angry tears flowing down his cheeks. Wiping at them with clenched fists, he stumbled out of the hotel blindly.
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