Ai No Kusabi Fan Fiction ❯ Falling Into the Darkness ❯ Whisper ( Chapter 2 )

Whisper…

Sitting on the edge of the balcony wall, Riki thought about the circumstances that brought him to his station in life. Living in luxury in a Blondie's condo in Eos was supposed to be the pinnacle of his existence. Instead he felt suffocated. It shouldn't be this way, but it seemed that he would never get the opportunity to go back to Ceres without his friends paying the price so he resisted the urge to escape.

Riki figured they all probably knew by now where he'd disappeared, but there was nothing to be done. He could just see Luke and the others teasing Guy about not being man enough to keep the leader of Bison satisfied. If the gang only knew the price Riki had paid for his existence, they might choose to think differently. The irony of it all caused him to recall the pain he had endured on his journey to become a "willing" Pet.

How could he have known that the simple act of repaying a debt would have landed him in such a situation? If it had been anyone else in Ceres…hell, most of Midas, even…who had saved him from the beating and worse he'd been up against that night, he'd have let them fuck him and his debt would have been paid. Why did that *Blondie* have to be different? Why could it not have just been a regular Citizen? It had to be Iason Mink, damn his luck.

Iason wasn't just an ordinary Citizen. He was one of the elite Blondies. Even that should have been solved in a couple of hours. Instead, Riki found himself chained for life as a Pet. Pets are only supposed to be year-long contracts, but no…Iason had to see something he couldn't live without. Jupiter only knew what *that* was. Riki saw himself as just another man destined to live his life working the system to his advantage, even if that meant being *outside* the system.

As usual, when Riki got in his moods he remembered the hardship he endured the first time he was forced to be a Pet to Iason. Katze waited quite some time before giving him the missing details of an evening he previously thought was merely part of an everlasting nightmare from which he still felt he had not recovered. The humiliation alone was almost enough to make him do away with himself at times, but being the dark Mongrel he was, he would never allow the trainers at the Academy to see him totally broken. He fought them all…every step of the way…until he lost his will to fight.

Riki thought that if Iason could have kept him a secret he would have tried longer to do so. Soon after the Blondie took Riki home, however, it was apparent that he would need to be "properly" trained, so off to the Academy he went, kicking and bitching until no one could possibly ignore his displeasure at being a "guest" of the Citizens of Midas. Of course, no one cared how he felt. He was *Iason's* Pet, after all. He was given a crash course in what it meant to be a Pet, especially a Blondie's Pet, and then given intensive training in an attempt to make him lose his prideful ways.

Intensive training included Daryl. There were others, of course, but Daryl was his personal nightmare. Katze saw to it that Daryl was Riki's main trainer, and Daryl loved his work. Nothing Daryl did was pain-free, and nothing Riki did would satisfy Daryl enough to stop. Often the sessions left Riki at the point of passing out from the rough treatment. Even so, he wouldn't give the sadist the satisfaction of breaking him completely.

"I can stop the pain if I will it all away" became the Mongrel's mantra after a point. The beatings, the raping, and the threat of various tortures…he accepted them all with a defiant look, but still he accepted them. For all intents and purposes, he *had* been defeated, but until he gave his mind or his heart to the Blondie, he would remain himself. Daryl knew this as well, and the knowledge made him even more extreme in his methods. Even so, Riki and Daryl eventually came to a tacit understanding: as long as Riki did what Katze or Iason required, Daryl would stay out of his life and give Katze the word that the work had been successful.

Katze continued to put Riki through his paces and would bring in the additional Pet on occasion so that he could be certain that the mongrel wouldn't embarrass himself in the public forum and, by extension, embarrass Iason. That sort of emotion in the Blondie was something Katze avoided at all costs. Iason could be ruthless if need be, and the Furniture did not want that ruthlessness directed at him.

Riki was barely tolerant of the duty he was to perform at the clubs. He could imagine Guy teasing him good-naturedly about how he could have a piece…several pieces if he wanted…of the finest flesh in Tanagura on a nightly basis. They had often joked about becoming a wealthy Pet in the service of a Blondie. The reality, however, was nothing like either of them had imagined.

As a result, Riki would passively stand in the bullpen until he would be summoned to the stage. There he would stand immobile until he was quietly threatened with a visit from Daryl. Only then would he pleasure himself. More often than not, he would be forced to let his mind drift back to Ceres and his beloved Guy as he allowed another Pet to pleasure him orally or to take the pleasure of another Pet while the Blondies and their guests watched. His heart ached for his lover, but here he remained, Iason's eyes continually boring through him.

<I can stop the pain if I will it all away.> One night, after his part in the nightly show was over, he was summoned from his room yet again, and upon answering the summons found himself staring at the broad chest of his Blonde owner.

"Come, my dark Pet. I wish you to join me," Iason said, his voice a little hoarse with a desire his eyes failed to hide.

Riki followed Iason into the open sitting area, took the offered hand, and allowed himself to be seated on the ottoman in front of the Blondie's chair. His instincts told him there was much more to come this evening, despite the fact that he'd given a full performance on stage only a few hours earlier. He had often seen Iason view him with hungry eyes, but the smoldering look he was given this time was very different. Riki felt that if Iason was to touch him at all, he would lose himself in the end.

The fact that Blondies did not sully themselves with Pets had always been a given. This Blondie, however, was not just any Blondie, and he seemed ready to take matters into his own hands…literally.

Iason reached out to the defiant Pet and caressed his face the way he'd seen some of the other Pets do their masters when they would try to curry favor. It pained the man to see his prize flinch at his touch. Even so, the fact that Riki *was* his Pet gave him the right to take any liberty he wished. Iason had felt stirrings that he did not understand every time he watched the Mongrel perform. The sweaty bodies melding into each other made Iason long to run his ungloved hands over Riki's smooth, taut flesh as he had on the evening he chose to bring the Mongrel from his slum area life. Just the thought of controlling Riki as Riki was allowed to control the Pets he performed with gave him a warm feeling in his groin…a feeling he never experienced personally before meeting Riki. Jupiter told him once that it was a sensation common to the lowly Pet population, but where Riki was concerned, Iason felt the need to explore the stirrings further.

This would be the night Riki would teach his master the fine art of pleasure. The Blondie had lain in wait entirely too long, observing the strict code of the Elite. He had tried to be content with only the visual as he had been with all of the other Pets, but his resolve momentarily crumbled every time he looked at his dark conquest.

Riki sat quietly as Iason stroked his face and then moved down his arms. The touches were tentative, which surprised the man more than the fact that his Master chose to require such personal attention. His fear temporarily immobilized him as he tried not to respond to the gentle fingers. The fact that he did respond felt as if he was betraying his pairing partner back in Ceres.

Iason watched his Pet and took advantage of every moment the dark one's muscles would tense to indicate a particularly sensitive spot. He could see Riki's internal struggle in the clench of his jaw, the heightened whiteness in his eyes, and the way the man would still himself completely, as if trying to disappear from view. Iason exploited this knowledge, returning again and again to the erogenous zones until he felt he would have them all memorized in his sleep.

Riki didn't understand why Iason had a special effect on his senses. None of the Pets he'd been involved with, regardless of gender, captured him as the Blondie had. Perhaps it was the result of his training to be especially attentive should his Master decide to exert his control…there was no other logic he could see.

Iason took Riki and turned him so that Riki's back was to him. Reaching around the Pet, he stroked the fine definition of torso and pectorals, playing almost too roughly with the little buds that were Riki's nipples. Feeling them tighten under his fingertips excited Iason further and he continued to stroke them until Riki began to subtlely writhe at his touch.

Sliding one hand down the Mongrel's back and delighting in the shiver the motion produced, Iason unfastened the clasp on his own clothing, freeing the not wholly uncomfortable tightness building within his loins. He gracefully looped his arm around Riki and drew him onto his lap, resting the Pet's buttocks against him. Not quite ready to cross the line into what was considered totally taboo, he knew even this action would be looked upon with suspicion by anyone choosing that particular moment to venture past them.

Nervously leaning back onto Iason's still-clothed chest, he felt the Blondie's arousal beg for attention behind him. This was indeed something new, he thought as the arm that drew him close dropped to his waist, the hand cupping him and slowly stroking him erect. Riki remembered the first time Iason had done this to him, against the wall the night his turmoil began, and realized that Iason was a much different man tonight than he was then. There seemed to be a more emotional aspect to the night's activities…if a Blondie could be said to have emotions of this sort at all.

The Blondie's behavior made Riki more apprehensive, and thus more guarded in his own response. Iason took the hand that had been entertaining Riki's chest and slowly trailed upward to the long column of throat yet again. Slipping his hand along Riki's jaw, he slid his fingers between the Pet's slightly parted lips. Riki was so shocked by Iason's display, however, that his instincts took over and he bit the Blondie quite hard. That one movement, and the coppery taste of blood that filled his mouth, sealed his fate for the evening.

With a growl of anger, Iason gripped Riki by the hips and drew him down harshly, impaling him to the root. Heedless of the Pet's apologetic cries, he hissed, "Pleasure me Pet…as if your life depended upon it." Iason punctuated his words with an upward thrust of his hips as he grabbed Riki by the hair, pulling him back to fiercely plunder his mouth. The Blondie had proven in the past that while he never officially had copulated with any being, he did, in fact, need no instruction in the art of the kiss. Tonight, however, he cared nothing about "art"; he wanted to assume dominance. He wanted Riki to feel his displeasure as intensely as possible. Using lips and tongue to bruise Riki's mouth, he finally broke the kiss, and after catching his breath, he opted to employ his teeth in a hot line along Riki's neck, settling painfully at the juncture between the lovely, tanned stem and the strongly developed shoulder.

<I can stop the pain if I will it all away> Riki frantically thought as he cried out, feeling the teeth break his skin and seeing his blood trickling down the right side of his chest. Releasing the bite, Iason again demanded that he be pleasured. Bracing his hands upon the Blondie's thighs, the trembling Riki began to slowly move up and down Iason's shaft, the pain in his shoulder distracting him from the proper execution of his task.

Impatiently, Iason soon lifted Riki off of him and slung the lithe body, face down, over the ottoman the Pet had originally sat upon, knocking the breath from the man in a pained "oomph". Before he could recover, Iason stood, grasped Riki by the hips once again and plunged himself back into the Mongrel's tender cavity. Again and again Iason slammed himself as far as possible into the Pet, growling that the rough treatment would have been avoided if only Riki had given his sweet ass willingly. Instead, the Blondie was in a state of anger he'd previously heard about but had not believed possible. The steel of his cock seemed to be reinforced by his anger, and the harder he took his Pet, the harder he seemed to grow.

The moans of agony issuing from Riki's mouth only served to intensify the sensation, and he buried himself in the tight heat with a steady rhythm. Soon afterward, the pained sounds ceased to reach his ears, and through a haze of anger-filled lust Iason realized that Riki had lost consciousness. He fought the feeling of relief he felt at losing the Pet's resistance at last, knowing his actions were wrong yet being unwilling to stop before he reached completion. Mercifully, his release ripped through him quickly after Riki became dead weight in his hands and he filled the still man with the fruit of his effort.

Pulling out of the bruised and swollen cleft, Iason saw the red-tinged cum dripping down the inside of Riki's thighs, as well as the welts that were beginning to purple in the shape of his own strong hands across the cheeks of the most beautiful ass in Tanagura from his need to spread those selfsame cheeks to better accommodate his girth.

Guilt welled up inside the Blondie as he surveyed the damage to his victim, for he acknowledged that Riki indeed had become a victim very early in the transaction. What he had done was beyond horrendous in his oh-so-proper mind. Not only had he broken the covenant that Blondies did not sully themselves on Pets in general, he had also done worse to his Pet than he had seen some of the harshest trainers do.

In his anger, Iason neglected the fact that in engineering the Blondies, Jupiter had given them strength beyond the normal comprehension of the average Citizen. As such, he had directed his full force toward the conquest of his Pet. Now that he was coming back to his senses, he knew that Riki had withstood much more than he should have had to, even had Iason not lost his temper. After quickly ascertaining that Riki would be safe to move, he called Katze and asked him to bring a transport, but refused to elaborate further.

Katze arrived shortly and, seeing the battered heap that was Riki, knew immediately what had transpired. His disapproving glare was all that was necessary to cow the Elite, but his only comment as he gingerly carried Riki to the transport was that they would talk after seeing to the Pet's safety. Taking Riki to Iason's home via a private entrance so as to avoid more discovery than necessary, Katze tried to make Riki more comfortable, using all means possible to alleviate some of the damage. He included an injection for pain so that the man would be able to sleep without constant agonized moans.

The next morning Riki remained asleep, despite having been carefully cleaned and cushioned during the night. Iason sat next to the bed watching helplessly as even more bruises made themselves known until the man lying in drug-induced oblivion became a riot of color. By noon, the Blondie had begun to worry about his charge because he knew that at least some of the drugs should have started wearing off in some small part. Katze suggested a discreet medical official in their employ be consulted. Neither wanted the regular doctor to the Pet population to know about the previous night, even given the fact that, as Riki's Master, he could have quite legally killed the Mongrel without facing any sort of consequence. Even so, the cause of the injuries was too apparent for the incident to remain quiet should he be seen.

Shortly after the doctor arrived at Iason's home, the door chime sounded and, when Katze answered it, Raoul pushed his way inside. "What have you *done*?" he asked when he saw the battered Mongrel lying as still as Death upon Iason's satin-covered bed. The deep bruises contrasted with the bedclothes almost as painfully as they did with the golden hue of Riki's skin. "You threw caution to the wind didn't you? Jupiter will know of this, and I don't know if I'll be able to keep you safe from the repercussions afterward. Oh, Iason, what…have…you…done?"

Watching his friend and colleague leave as quickly as he'd arrived, Iason sat heavily in the chair next to the bed and hung his head. Raoul was right, there would be answers demanded of him and he had few to give…none, in fact, that could be given satisfactorily.

Hearing a low moan of sound, the Blondie saw Riki's eyes slowly open, and then close again in a flutter of long, dark lashes. Despite what he'd done, Iason gasped at the beauty he saw before him. Hearing the gasp, Riki turned and, seeing the Blondie, wailed as he tried to scrabble up into the headboard. Katze rushed into the room to find the wild-eyed Mongrel quaking in a ball as far away as he could get from his blonde Master, said master helpless to do anything but to silently plead to the Furniture for help. Katze drew Iason out of the room, shut the door, and then sat on the edge of the bed, reaching across to gently stroke Riki's shivering back while whispering quiet words in a feeble attempt to comfort the injured man.

The next few days remained much the same. Riki lay in Iason's bed silently for the most part. Nightmares of the incident plagued his sleep, but the doctor appeared twice a day to check on him and give him more of the disgusting pain medication that almost immediately dragged him down into his hell once again. Katze knew suspicions had arisen about his absence from his headquarters, but the Mongrel needed a reassuring face and equally reassuring words at present. Anything Katze could do to help Riki regain his sense of self would be done willingly. The two of them had been much alike, and Katze knew that if circumstances had been different, their roles could very easily have been reversed. Riki went into a whimpering panic every time Iason attempted to look in on him, but the Blondie couldn't stay completely away, despite seeing the damage he'd caused to Riki's psyche. He tried to only look in while the other man slept, but invariably even then, Riki would draw up into a ball as if he could sense the Blondie's presence.

A month passed, and Riki's bruises disappeared as well as the rest of the physical damage. The Mongrel slowly regained his composure and over the course of time Katze dropped his visits to once daily. The particular day's visit was one both had been dreading because it signaled a necessary ending. Riki finally agreed to see Iason as long as Katze remained in the room with them. Iason quickly agreed to his Pet's terms because he truly regretted the cause of his forced absence. He realized that neither Riki nor his Elite peers who had gleaned knowledge of the incident would be quick to take him back into their good graces. However, being the Blondie he was, he knew they had no choice but to tolerate his whims, if that was how they chose to see the situation.

Lightly knocking on the door and waiting for the quiet voice to beckon from the other side, Iason stepped into his bedroom fro the first time since Riki's awakening. The man was slightly pale from the obvious fear that controlled him, but Iason marveled at the exquisite beauty of the hard eyes and aloof bearing that greeted him. Katze stood in an unobtrusive corner of the room, arms folded across his chest, in the event that he was needed, but otherwise remained quiet.

Iason stepped over to the chair next to his opulent bed and sat, absently reaching to take Riki's hand.

"Don't touch me," Riki demanded harshly. Iason complied, his hand dropping to his lap, his face forlorn.

"I'm sorry, Riki. I have never apologized to anyone for anything in my life, but I am going to do my best to make you understand how badly I feel about what I did." Iason's eyes dropped momentarily at Riki's derisive snort, but then he gathered himself and faced the smaller man's wrath as he continued.

"I know my words will not be all you need to hear, but I need them to be said. I am a Blondie…you are my Pet. As such, I have various inherent rights to do as I wish with you. It may not be fair, but there it is just the same. I am allowed to do anything to my Pets without fear of reprisals. Even so, I crossed an indelible line when I took you.

"I had never before taken pleasure directly from anyone…not even a peer, despite rumors to the contrary. I had been content to view Pets as they copulated and felt an odd satisfaction in the way the world worked. You, however, caused my blood to flow in a way that would no longer allow me to only watch. The more I saw you, the more I knew I had to have you in the ways you took the other Pets. I asked you to perform with only the most beautiful and most athletic Pets for a reason. I wanted to observe you to learn what *you* did in order to pleasure them, as I would think similar actions would be the sort of things you would find pleasurable.

"I had to satisfy myself by only watching you, but the more I watched, the more I needed you. I would have been willing to promise you almost anything to have you give me the rapturous glances the other Pets gave you when you serviced them. Still, I kept my feelings to myself as much as possible." Again, Riki snorted.

"I know you don't believe me, and I will not ask you to do so. That night I finally could no longer sit idle. I tried to be gentle. I tried to go as far as possible and yet still not cross the line by taking you completely. I think I may have actually succeeded…my will is strong when I need it to be. I normally school my thoughts and feelings well…normally.

"When you bit me, my senses abandoned me. I wanted you so badly, and when your bite hurt so acutely, I wanted to cause you pain. More than that, however, I wanted your body more than ever. The lust and anger together fueled me, and I lost all sense of reason as I took and took until there was no more *to* take. I made you mine, but I know I almost destroyed you in the process."

Iason's voice softened as he said, "It was inexcusable, even for one such as I. It was inexcusable *especially* for one such as I. I deeply regret the pain I caused you that night…you'll never know how much I regret my actions."

Reaching across once more, Iason took Riki's closer hand and began stroking it gently as if trying to calm the dark Pet. In reality he was attempting to keep his own calm and having only limited success. He felt the tremble in Riki's hand and heard the man's protests, but he felt the contact to be a necessary thing in order to rebuild his relationship with the Mongrel. Even with all that happened before, he was still, in fact, Riki's Master, and that could not be allowed to be forgotten if order was to be retained. Besides, Katze was in the room to oversee that nothing bad happened to Riki. That was the one concession Iason agreed was necessary, and as part of the concession, Iason agreed also to accept Katze's judgment if his actions were to go too far. Apparently the Furniture saw his present action as acceptable, so Iason continued.

"Riki, my Pet, I will not lie and tell you I will not require you to submit to me again. I know I shall, and many times. I hope that, over time, you will learn to accept your fate with me once again, if not one day welcome my advances. I know that much time will be required if I ever hope to gain your trust, and I do not blame you for never having had that before.

"I will promise, however, to always be as careful with you as I can. I want to make you want me as much as I continuously want you. I have agreed to accept Katze's counsel in this matter. Before he was my Furniture, he, too, had been well-versed in the pleasure arts, or so I'm told. I often heard him speak with my other pets as to how they might enhance my visual pleasure in performing for me. I never paid much attention to what had been said, quite honestly, as it was nothing I thought to ever concern my self with.

"I will not free you now…I cannot. In time, perhaps, but at this point I will not. I find I cannot function as I should when I try to think of going through my life knowing you will not be waiting for me. Even knowing the hate you perpetually feel does not quell my desire. Being the man I am, I am not willing to give you up just yet. However, I am willing to try and learn to make things as pleasant for you as I can if you will try to accept your lot in life."

Katze stepped away from his perch along the wall as Iason reached up to cup Riki's jaw. The Mongrel's eyes grew wide when the Blondie leaned in for a gentle kiss, but he didn't pull away from the contact despite his desperate fear. He also did not allow himself to respond to the kiss, although he felt the raw emotion the Blondie conveyed. Riki wished in some perverse way that he could drop his guard just long enough to acknowledge that he understood. He knew, however, that he would shatter completely if he let himself be lulled into believing all would be perfect. His pain went too deep for the loss he'd already experienced.

He lost his precious Guy and more recently lost his own self-respect by not being able to resist the Blondie's advances. He did not fight now because he understood that the Blondie held all the cards to his life. If he balked, they could always call Daryl, who would enjoy breaking him bodily yet again, especially if he discovered that the reason his services were needed was because Iason had broken the Code. Nothing would make the sadist happier than to know Riki lived through an anger-induced rape by the Blondie…it would mean the Mongrel could withstand his harshest methods. Riki was not willing to experience that at any cost, so he would accept his lot for now. However, if sufficient opportunity arose, he wouldn't hesitate to attempt to escape or to end it all. Even in his deepest pain they always refused him *that* particular option. He doubted that would change for him now and mentally chanted his mantra once again.

<I can stop the pain if I will it all away.>

Riki knew his nightmares would continue, but he had to have faith that Katze would force Iason to keep his word. The silent communication as their eyes met over Iason's shoulder said Katze could be trusted even though he was as much the Blondie's slave as Riki was. He prayed his patience would one day be rewarded with his freedom, but he truly held little hope of that ever happening.

Meanwhile he could only attempt to maintain his sense of self while the Blondie slowly and thoroughly kissed him, his eyes involuntarily closing as his training took over. He began to respond, drinking in his Master's sorrow even as the tears of both Blondie and Pet intermingled down their cheeks. Riki's last memory of the events of that night was of Katze stepping out of the room, staying within hearing range should his intervention be needed. He knew they were all drawn up into a fine web of agony that only time and resolve could ever hope to heal.