Ai No Kusabi Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Caged ❯ Chapter 36 ( Chapter 37 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Ai No Kusabi nor do I make any money from this fanfic. But I do own all the original peeps that I've chosen to invade the AnK world.
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Iason/Riki, Raoul/Katze, Original characters and novel character pairings.
Parts: 36 of ?

 

Edited by the lovely Scarlet Tigress

 

 

~~**Forever Caged**~~

 

Relaxing his back against the rough bark of the tree, Riki watched two of his so called `enemies' inch their way towards him on their bellies. He observed their noisy efforts from his perch not terribly high up on the thick tree branch, and quietly snickered. The fabric of the black shirt he had wrapped around his face completely covered the sound. He had removed the shirt and used it as a mask due to his now hyper-sensitive nose in an effort to block out the smell of the strange world. He glanced again at the two mercenaries clumsily ascending the tree, and tried not to laugh at their pathetic attempts to sneak up behind V and Luke's current location on the ridge. Of course, neither one had any idea that he was there.

Whatever sickness had been afflicting him had not only enhanced his senses, but increased his strength as well. Riki's old eyes would have been impaired by the darkness around him, but now the old weakness was barely a memory. His night vision was practically perfect. Suited head to toe in black, wrapped in threads designed for silence, Riki didn't just blend in with the night shadows, he became one.

To Riki's relief, and discomfort, playing hunter in this world's strange game of war was relaxing and allowed him to think more clearly about the bomb Jade had dropped on him. Riki recalled how he had just stood there, looking at the boy, unable to express even a fraction of what he was feeling. However, what scared Riki the most was that he hadn't felt shocked or even surprised at the information that he was the traitor.

The injection Jupiter gave him the day she had visited him before they escaped Amoi…why didn't he think that it could have been something else? He should have fucking knew from the get go that it was more then what she told him and the words that she said to him the last time they spoke: “It's been a busy day for you, so I bid you goodnight Riki and goodbye.”

 

Riki hadn't thought much of her words at the time, consumed with the death of Amelia and the stress of that day, but he should have. He should have questioned her strange comment, should have thought “How the hell would you know how busy I've been?” But that became another fuck up on his part and the worst part was that he had blamed Lilly for it all.

Asking in a whisper if it was true to the worried mongrel by the door, Riki had closed his eyes when V quietly confirmed that it was.

“Yeah…Sorry Riki. The doc found nanites in your blood when he tested you and Jade. Sky needs to give you exact details, if you want them…but the cold truth is you're the one who has been unwittingly been snitching us out.”

“So everything that is being said now is being heard?”

“Not sure.”

“`Not sure' as in you don't know or `Not sure' as in you can't tell me?”

“As in I don't really know. Sky said that the little bugs in the blood sample that the doc got had been severely damaged or out right destroyed…Look Riki I wanna tell you more but I can't….”

“Cuz every word you've said might be being listened to, right?”

“Yeah…”

Without saying another word, Riki had calmly walked out of the room. He had run away, letting his instincts guide him, and had soon found himself in the basement of the run down house. Cold, damp and even dingier then the rest of the shack they were hiding out in, the only thing that had astonished Riki were the walls. The whole area of the peeling plaster had been lined with weapons that Riki had never seen the likes of before, not even in his short career in the Black Market. Even the rows of tables stationed sporadically throughout the substructure were filled with ammunition and different types of camoflage, all of which had been alien to him.

Strangers, five of them, were seated at the only chaired table in the whole joint and had leapt to their feet when they finally noticed his silent entry. To Riki they were strangers, but from the way the older men reacted, how they swiftly backed up and away from him, Riki could only assume that he had met them before. He must have attacked them when his brain had been malfunctioning, just as V said he had. The fear he saw in these unknown men was undoubtedly due to the actions of the other him.

Ignoring them, Riki had confidently perused the room and randomly grabbed some clothes, weapons and gear before leaving the house. Feeling the thrill of the wind rush through his long hair as he ran down rocky terrain was a sensation he had never had before. The surroundings were familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time and Riki unlocked the strangulating hold he had on the caged animal within him that had been roaring for its release ever since he woke up.

But it wasn't because he couldn't contain it anymore; more like it was a meeting of sorts between the two of them. To say Riki had been afraid of relinquishing his control over the feral creature was an understatement. The only reason why he did now was because he had realized while listening to it howl and snarl that the thing was a part of him that somehow had gotten separated.

Although he recognized the savageness within him, Riki had never ever been or even felt so bloodthirsty. Even before he met Iason and had been fighting tooth and nail to establish his territory in Ceres, Riki had never the primal urge to stalk and to fight that he did now. Once Riki recognized that it wasn't some alien entity that had invaded his body, he had let it go and thus the inner battle began. His mind warred in an all out fight for dominance for which part of his personality had the right to control his body.

The moment Riki won, which he never doubted he would, he had found himself once more alone. He was surrounded by, blessedly alive, unconscious bodies of four men lying on the rocky terrain around him. But this time Riki retained the memory of taking them down, though the memory was shadowed and fragmented. The animal part of himself that had awoken still whispered to him seductively and fought to be set free, but it wasn't a struggle to keep it on its leash …for the moment at least. For the time being, Riki had prevailed as the alpha over the wild side of himself.

Figuring out what channel to contact V using the radio Riki had taken, in spite of his frame of mind when he took off, only took a few moments. All he had to do was find the channel with the most buoyant chatter. Once he had V's signal, Riki gave the mongrel his location as best as he could so that V or Luke could retrieve the guys he had dropped who, by luck, had been from the opposing team.

”Yo Riki!”

Speak of the devil. Riki adjusted his ear-piece and made a series of clicks on the radio.

“The enemy is too close for you to talk?”

Riki clicked twice for `yes'.

“Can you take them out? Sky and the gang have returned to the house. We won the game and I'm thinking it's time to get to take care of…your little problem.”

Riki clicked again `yes' to let V know that he could take out the last two. With the agility of that of a great cat, Riki stood and stretched. Then he stepped off the tree limb, silently landing on the balls of his feet.

A whisper of a sound was all that was heard as Riki took his weapons from the holsters strapped to his thighs and casually walked the short distance to the foes crawling towards V and Luke. He could see them both clearly in the dark, without the aid of night goggles, unlike those in front of him.

“There's the purple haired bastard! Dickhead stole my wallet and used my own money to play poker!”

“Quiet fool! I heard that their crazy-ass black haired leader is out hunting tonight, and from all the stories I've head of him, I don't want to meet him.”

“Please! Those stories were exaggerated. There's no way anyone can do the things that have been said. Everyone is making this black haired Ceres guy sound like the boogie man, sprouting crap like how he's some kind over demon and how he's able to materialize from the night and shit, their only making excuses to cover their asses for losing.”

Having crouched down between the two men minutes before they started talking, Riki made his presence known by cocking the hammer back on his guns. “If your teammates were just as noisy as the both of you, then it's no wonder you've lost the game.” Giving the two surprised men a smile as they swung their heads up at him in shock, Riki shot the both of them in the shoulders where the drugged paint could soak into their clothing. The shoulders weren't covered with armor and the drug would act quickly. Still, Riki leapt back and shot them both in the ass twice, one for each cheek, when they cursed and were about to turn and point their own weapons at him to shoot.

Running feet thundered towards Riki just as he kicked the guns from the two men's numb fingers and pulled his shirt from his face to give them a cruel smile. Shock was clear in both their faces as their heads dropped to the dirt floor and they went down for the count.

“Riki!” Luke's voice was shrill as he ran.

Riki was slightly disappointed that the last fight of the night ended without much of a climax. He batted irritably at his tangled long hair and leaned down to check the men's pluses just to make sure he hadn't gone over board with the trank shots before turning to Luke's shout.

“Aren't you cold running around without a shirt wild man?” V asked.

“The smell is worse than the cold,” Riki mumbled to V as he came up slowly behind Luke, but he put his shirt back on nonetheless.

“Smell? What smell?” Luke asked, sniffing.

Riki shook his head, “It's nothing. What do we do about them?” Riki gently kicked the men onto their backs.

“Game's over, but there are still stranglers running around,” V shifted his goggles on his head. “Their teammates will find them. It's more important to get you back to the house so Sky can get rid of those bugs of yours.”

“Should you be telling me this?” asked Riki as he started walking towards the rundown shack he has essentially run away from. How he knew he was going in the right direction…Riki didn't want to closely think about that. It was another strange new phenomenon that he did not want to really examine. Just like he didn't want to think about the fact that he just jumped down from the tree at a height that should have broken one, if not both, of his legs.

“It's locations that we can't tell you of or allow you to hear about. That girl that got killed, the old woman with her told you the name of their planet and what solar system it was. Few weeks later…boom! Attacked and enslaved. It was the same with when we were attacked after landing to take you to the doctor. You were unconscious at the time, but we were talking around you, and said the name of the planet. We can say all we want as long we don't go into to much detail. Even discussing how we plan to get rid of the pests isn't a problem because they don't know where we are so they can't stop us. ”

Riki still felt uncomfortable about V and Luke knowing that he had those things in him. He knew what nanites were. Hell, hanging around Katze for as long as he had, he had heard and learned a great many things…just as he knew that getting the things out was going to be painful.

The three of them walked in silence the rest of the way to the house. Luke jogged off muttering some crap about the ship and machines just as they reached the entrance. Riki didn't question what Luke needed to do, not wanting to see V sadly shake his head, denying him the information. Instead, he kicked open the front door and walked into the house.

Ignoring the strangers staring at him, and the whispers that followed, Riki searched until he saw Jade amongst the fold. With a jerk of his head, he motioned the kid to his side, away from the blonde that annoyingly gave him a grin and a wink.

Holstering the guns he still had in his hands Riki reached out and gently rubbed the boys head. “Sorry to run out on ya kid. Needed to clear my head for a bit.”

“Understandable, considering…”

Riki frowned at the painful sound of Jade's voice. “How long did the doc say his voice would be like this V?” Riki called out to the mongrel.

“A week or two if he keeps his trap shut and rests his cords.”

Riki glanced around the room at all the hard asses staring back at him. “Until we are back on the ship you are to stay close to me Jade.” Riki commanded.

“O-okay…”

“Don't talk just nod.” Riki didn't like the fact that kid's only weapon was out of commission. Riki wasn't worried exactly, just bothered that the boy was defenseless.

“Hey Riki there's no need to think that the boy can't take care of himself just cuz he can't sing at the moment. Just like his daddy, Jade can fight and it didn't take long for him to learn the basics.”

Riki grunted when V slapped him on the back.

“He isn't allowed to come out with us and fight since he's still a beginner, but he has still learned a lot. He's proven in these three days that he can hold his own if he needed to.”

Looked down at Jade, Riki gave the kid a half smile when the boy pulled his shoulders back and lifted his chin. “Good to hear. Now where's the rest of the gang?”

“Hey! If you're looking for Sky we saw him go to his room.”

Riki curled his lip at the stranger that shouted to him. Snarling Riki took a threatening step towards the loud mouth. Something about the man sent all his senses on fire. It took both Jade and V to block his path and pull his arms to stop him from attacking the man. Riki couldn't explain it, not even the blonde had made him react in such a way, but just looking at the guy made Riki so enraged that he literally saw red.

“You just don't fucking learn do you Chaz? You only just got both your arms healed and here you are starting shit with him.” V `tsked' in disgust.

“There's nothing like a little pain to start up a long lasting relationship. Besides I heard he was sane and I wanted to see the difference for myself. I'm thinking I like the way he is now. I thought he wasn't going to remember anything so I didn't think it would have been a problem if I came over to say hello.” Chaz said with a leer.

“Obviously you were such a fucking prick that you left a deep impression,” V remarked curtly. “I've saved your sorry hide by holding him back from beating your ass, but only because we have shit to do. Don't think I'll do it again.”

This was the very first Riki felt such animosity directed toward another human being. The hostility toward the stranger filled his entire body and quite frankly he didn't know how V and Jade were able to hold him back from attacking.

“You never could fucking follow orders Chaz. If it were up to me, you would have never been allowed to team up with us. Then again, if I was screwing the teacher like you then maybe I would have gotten my wish. For once why don't you stop thinking with your dick and for fuck's sake sit the fuck down and keep your stupid trap shut for once in your life before you get yourself killed.”

“Yeah, listen to Rio shit-head.”

Flicking his fervid glance over to the blonde that appeared to his left, Riki waited to see if the larger man obeyed. It wasn't surprising when the order was ignored.

“I'd prefer if I was the one that beats his ass…or if not then I'll settle for second best and bend his kid over for some fun.”

The ease in which Riki was able to shake off Jade and V's restraining arms was alarming. Almost as startling as the speed in which he threw his fist and the power behind the punch. Later Riki would reflect that it wasn't just the sickening crunching sound of the guy's facial bones caving in where his fist met flesh that was the most frightening, but how much he loved doing it. But for now the only thing Riki felt was an immense amount of satisfaction as he watched the asshole's feet leave the floor. Chaz practically flew through in the air, collapsing a table in his descent.The room became deathly quiet and Riki tensed as V came into his view. The other mongrel took a defensive position in front of him and Riki felt Jade as he trembling as the boy pressed and aligned his spine with his. Riki allowed Jade to turn so that the boy could to protect his back. Riki waited for the prick's friends to attack.

Clapping…Of all the things Riki expected, clapping was not one of them.

Laughter and cheers spilled forth and Riki narrowed his eyes at the phenomenon. It just wasn't normal. Usually, when a gang member's face had been rearranged you knew you could look forward to the rest of the dude's gang coming to hunt you down, with interest.

“Fucking awesome!” The smiling blonde on his left said.

Riki pierced the clapping blonde with a questioning glare. “Are you demented or something?”

“Maybe just a little. Don't worry. None of my guys are going to come after you or anything. Chaz isn't loved by anyone in my crew, so him getting his ass handed to him so quickly by you was a sight many have been wanting to see.”

Riki looked to V.

“Riki, Rio. Rio, Riki.”

“Hi. Introductions aside when are you going to start teaching me to fight like you?”

Riki stared blankly at the blonde that spoke to V. “Where's Sky's room?”

“Hey now, don't think you can ignore me. I'm going to be all up on your ass, figuratively speaking, until you teach me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Riki as he turned to the stairs V motioned to.

“Top floor, take a right and it's the third door on the right.”

Making sure Jade was following close behind him with V dutifully trailing behind the boy, covering both their backs, Riki began the climb cautiously up the steps.

“So are you now going to get rid of those bugs in you?”

Pausing on the top step, Riki slowly turned his head and glared over his shoulder at V and the grinning blonde that had followed behind the amethyst eyed bastard. V was busy studying the flower printed wallpaper pealing from the walls and trying hard not to look at him.

“Violet?” Riki hissed.

“Violet? Holy shit! Is that what V stands for? I thought it was for Victor or Von. No wonder you go by V. Shit if it was me I would have just changed my name all together.”

“Shut-up Rio!” V snapped.

“Sure,sure. Sorry Violet.”

“I swear to fucking god you're more of a pain than Fidget!”

“Thanks!”

“That's not a compliment!”

Riki checked the hallway, making sure the hallway was clear before pulling Jade up the last step and in front of him so he could get closer to V. “You told this kid?”

“NO! He kinda just…walked in while the gang and I were talking about it…”

Grabbing V's ear Riki yanked the mongrel's head down to him. “How much does he know?”

“Ah hello? He is right here and can answer for himself.” Rio said, rolling his eyes.

Riki gave V's ear lobe a hard yank causing the mongrel to yelp in pain and glare at him. “So? Spill it.”

“I'll tell you if you teach me.”

“How about I drop your ass like I did that prick downstairs?” Riki snarled.

“I really didn't hear very much. Just how you have microscopic tracking and listening devices milling about in your blood and about how your powerful lover is trying to track you down because you made a complete fool out of him back on your home world and how this psycho computer has been killing off people you've coughed up conversations with. That's all I heard.”

“That's all?” Riki shook his head at V, the damn blonde just about summed up everything that happened since leaving Amoi.

“I swear Riki we really didn't know he was in the room when we started talking.”

“Damn it V!” Having his boys know about him and how he had those things in him was one thing, but to have some outsider know was intolerable.

“It was a mistake and we made damn sure it never happened again. But it's all cool. Rio may look like an irritating, irresponsible, fuck up for a leader that finds everything, no matter how inappropriate, funny… but the kid's trustworthy and loyal.”

“You seriously believe that?” Riki looked at the blonde's face skeptically.

“Yeah, since his royal highness here also got cornered by Sky.”

Riki snickered when he saw the Rio blanch at Sky's name.

“How the hell can Sky and Fidget be siblings- twins even. They are like night and day.” Riki heard the blonde mutter.

“Just count yourself lucky Sky hadn't dragged you off to speak with you in private. But anyway, because Rio heard us we decided to recruit him to help us out.” V said.

“Help us out with what?” Riki was becoming impatient real fast.

“Err…can't tell you right now…what I can say that it was a decision that none of us took lightly. Still, with shit the way it is now we would be spending more time running once we get back on the ship than doing what…we want. We still need to talk to you about what has all been said and planned…but after.”

“T-the plan is a good one Riki.” Jade squeaked.

Riki sighed but nodded and backed off when he heard Jade's painfully whispered words. What was done was done and even though Riki could bust the blonde's head until he forgot or just kill him out right, Riki dismissed both options…unless what all his boys said really pissed him off.

Riki started to make his way down the hall before stopping again. “Wait…what's his “Royal Highness” crap?”

“Bastard son of some crowned prince of shit.” Rio grinned.

“You're joking with me, right?”

“Nope.”

“What the hell is some bastard prince doing being a hired soldier? What does your mother or rich old man think about this?” asked Riki, his distrust rising back up.

“Well…my mum got me in the biz and as for my shit-head of a father he's too busy running for his life, from my mum, to think of anything. Much less worry about me, or the rest of his family, when it comes to me. I'm not the only bastard kid running around from that guy.”

“Your dad's running from your mom?” Riki raised an eyebrow.

“Yup. My mum is the number one assassin we have. Pop's fucked up and got caught cheating on her so she's decided to kill him. Well that and he sent some third rate killers to knock me off cuz I'm so fucking hot.”

“Why don't you tell Riki why you're so scared of Sky, Rio?” V smirked.

“I'm not scared of Sky! I just respect him a lot.”

“Rio said that Sky reminds him of his mother!”

“Shut-up Violet!”

“Can we say mother complex?”

Headache is definitely coming back, Riki thought as he watched V and the blonde start to shove one another. “Let's go Jade.” Leaving the two fools to play, Riki stepped up off the top step and made his way towards the room V told him was Sky's.

“Riki wait up!”

Edgy and tired, just wanting the night to be over, Riki barged into Sky's room and froze holding the bedroom door wide open.

“Dude why'd you stop? Sky should be in his- OH MY GOD MY EYES!” V shrieked. Riki flinched when V shouted into his sensitive ears.

“God I can't see! My eyes are trying to escape from my head to run away from the traumatizing sight they just witnessed!”

Riki couldn't look away from the… surprisingly familiar sight of Sky, whip in one hand, bending over a bound Lilly. The ex-pet had one of his legs wrapped around Sky's hip while his other foot was firmly planted on Sky's chest, for all appearances pushing Sky away. Both mongrel and pet had a mixture of disappointment, relief, and anger on their faces as they stared back at him. Riki noticed that anger that was beginning to take over on Sky's face as V's wailing grew loader. Riki started laughing. Catching the tail of the whip as it snapped dangerously at his face Riki couldn't help but laugh harder until his sides hurt. He heard Lilly yell what might have been curses or pleas of help from behind his gag, but from the enraged look on his face Riki guessed it was the first of the two.

“V, my man…I think your leader just lost it…” Rio whispered.

“Haven' you ever heard of knocking…?” Sky snarled.

“I think I need a doctor! My eyes are burning!” V shouted.

“Sorry.” Riki chuckled, unable to keep back his mirth. Maybe he had cracked like the blonde said, but he just couldn't help it. V sobbing in the background, Rio muttering close behind him that he would never be able to look his mum in the face ever again. Still, the worst of all was that, even though Lilly was tied up on the bed and it looked like Sky was in control, it was clear that the blue haired mongrel was about to lose the `top' position just by the scent drunk look on his face. Even Riki had to step back from the pure, undiluted, fragrance that made him feel like submitting to Lilly.

“At least you're both still clothed and we didn't catch you with your panties down.” Riki stated.

“…You will be sorry.” Sky promised.

Riki shouted out in pain and crumpled to the dirty wooden floors when Sky drew out a taser and shot him in the chest. Limbs twitching Riki cursed Sky once he was able to speak.

“…That was punishment for walking in, but it's also your cure. I'm going to be shocking your ass…which may stop your heart… but I'm about fifty ta fifty-five percent positive I can restart it… and I'll repeatedly do it until all those things in you are dead.”

“Sky…you sadistic…mother fuc-“ Riki's jaw locked when he was tased again.

“Sexually frustrated, sadistic, mother fucker you mean and I wasn't the only one. Me and Lilly were just going to use each other to lessen the…hunger pains. Lilly more than me since he needs it. Now as I was saying: I'll be shocking your ass, but with something much more fun than this toy. After that we'll filter your blood with another toy Rio's med tech has graciously given me out of the kindness of his heart….Keita is putting it in the ship now.”

“If t-that's not what you're going to use than why are you shooting me with it!” Riki snarled loudly, then growled when Sky pointed the taser at him yet again. “I fucking dare you.”

“…You should know better then to say that to me.”

Before Riki could get to him, Sky shot him in the chest for the third time…Riki might as well have asked Sky to juice him up again by daring him. Fucker never backed down from a dare, ever.

“V if you don't stop crying like a bitch out there than you're next! You too Rio!” Sky snarled.

“Well excuse me if my pure mind is now bleeding, wanting to kill it's self from the horrific sight it just saw!” V snuffed.

Riki could only lay there staring up at Sky. All humor having vanished from the first five hundred thousand volts of electricity that Sky shot into him.

“Suck it up V!...Anyway Riki don't think I'm enjoying this…well maybe a little…but I'm doing this because it short circuits the transmitters of the nanites within you. Which is why I can now tell you how we plan on getting those things out of you….We need to go to our ship to do it, but I thought…why not start now? You must be tired of being kept in the dark, right?”

“I'm going to kick your ass Sky.” Riki was able to hiss through his clenched teeth as his body contorted with pain.

“Tisk, tisk…not a smart thing to say when I have one more charge left in this gun, isn't it? If you could please stop interrupting me, I'd like to finish what I was saying…hummm…you made me lose my train of thought….Oh yes, while we get you cleaned up on the ship we'll also be heading to the planet Lazaille where one of Amelia's kin is being kept. Rio has already found her…she was sold to this high end night club and we have already planned and gathered the perfect disguises to get her out.”

Gasping Riki pulled himself up until he could lean up against the door. “Then lets go now.”

“My thoughts as well. We've already gotten all we need from this world and it's best that we leave promptly. Since we have been here you have had a strange and abnormal influence on some of the soldiers that you've been around. Rio is a perfect example of how much someone's personality can change, while this dip-shit Chaz has shown a completely different flip around than Rio's. He experienced a dangerous change in personality just by being near you.” Sky kneeled a safe distance from Riki so he could look him in the eyes.

“Then…what are you waiting for?” Riki wished he kept his question to himself when Sky pointed the taser at his chest for the forth time. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Don't worry, you can't die from this. Trust me, I know.” Sky smiled as he stood just before pulling the trigger.

oOoOoOo

Niko waited impatiently as two more Furniture entered the elevator that would take them to the higher levels of the building where their Elite masters resided. Even though three days had already passed, the bruise under his eye had yet to fully fade. Instead he was stuck with the hideous sickly yellow and brown discoloration that came before his perfect healthy skin tone returned. Niko was tired of the smirks and pitied looks that the other Furniture gave him, but he had been forbidden to use any thing to mask the mark. It was his punishment from his master.

Thanks to Katze, Niko had been excused from serving Sir Gabriel until his wounds healed. Master Raoul had not been in a pleasant mood after seeing his face, and strangely enough, his displeasure seemed to be directed solely at Katze. Raoul focused on his pet's decision to bring home the aphrodisiac and largely left Niko alone. Despite how his actions might have warranted him getting abused by the hand of Sir Gabriel, Raoul seemed more upset with Katze. Before seeing master Raoul, Katze had warned him to let him handle the whole thing and to keep his mouth shut. Seeing his master angered at him had always frightened Niko so keeping his head down and his mouth closed hadn't been a problem for him. The fact that he could have been punished by trying to drug Sir Gabriel hadn't been brought up. As promised before they spoke to master Raoul, Katze made sure that the fact that he had become intimate with the other Blondie wasn't mentioned. Not that it would have mattered. His master had taken one look at his face and said a few curt words to Katze before grabbing the phone. Raoul spent a good hour speaking in hushed, harsh tones before striding up to him and saying that while he still needed to go back to Sir Gabriel's home he would be excused until his face and anywhere else on his body that was damaged was healed.

Thankfully the love bites on his body would take more then a week to disappear. Still, from the way his master spoke to him Niko thought his little vacation might end more quickly. Even though master Raoul had said all the wounds on his body needed to be healed before he went back, Niko had a feeling it was just the one on his face that master Raoul was looking at. Still, Niko wasn't about to complain, not to his master at least. However, he found that voicing his complaints to Katze a wondrous thing. Things that he had been trained to bitterly swallow, the unfairness that came with being a Furniture to a Tanagura Elite, Niko discovered that he could express his unreservedly to the almost regal ex-Furniture and not be reprimanded for it.

Niko had not been able to do such a thing with anyone else since his good friend Keita had left him, booted out of Guardian at the required age of thirteen. The fact that his friend was one of the mongrels that caused such an up roar and busted Riki out of Eos was a secret that Niko held tightly to his chest.

The information he gave his Excellency, Iason Mink, was something that anyone could uncover if they contacted Guardian but Niko still felt guilty for saying it. Still, the other reason why he didn't want to say anything was because he didn't want to be somehow used to harm them. Riki not recognizing him had hurt at first, but in the end it had been a good thing. It was not too surprising since he was younger by two years and his looks had considerably changed from the last time they had seen each other at Guardian.

Niko shuffled to the side when the doors to the lift opened and four servants stepped out. Huffing out a breath when he finally had room to put his heavy bags down and rest his tired arms.

“Hello Niko.” A gentle voice said.

Niko turned to the sound of his name and smiled widely. “Jussal! I haven't seen you in quite some time.” Niko held out his hand, clasping the warm hand of Sir Mikhale Tain's Furniture. Jussal was the only Furniture from the older generation of Furniture that wasn't an uppity prick. He was someone who Niko looked at as an example on how to conduct himself. Granted he was still working on it, but he did try.

“It looks like you may have gotten into a bit of trouble.”

Niko touched his face and smiled shyly. If any other Furniture had said those words to him he would have taken it as a way for them to say that he had been insolent and thus punished by his master. But with Jussal there were no sneers, barely concealed laughter or viperous words. The older Furniture sincerely was a kind man. “Just a little.”

“Nothing serious I hope.”

Niko shook his head and lied. “An error in depth you could say. I am vertically challenged, and I thought I had enough room to store a box on the top shelf…I didn't and it came crashing down.” Niko fidgeted when the older Furniture just stared at him, but relaxed when Jussal smiled kindly at him, allowing him to get away with the fib.

“Be careful Niko. You must always remember that if we cannot take care of our master's needs, whatever they may be, than we as Furniture become useless in their eyes and become even more expendable to them.” The older man cautioned.

Even though Jussal obviously had the wrong idea on how he received his black eye, Niko was curious at how the order Furniture was able to keep his position as long as he had. Elites were pretty fickle creatures and became bored quickly which was why they loved new things. It was normal to see so many new pets in an Elite's home, and not just because it was by law for them to do so.

A Furniture's life span could be only six months to ten years. Even he, at eight years, had an impressive run. Still, it was not like Jussal who had to have been in the service of his Blondie for over twenty years. Some say that Jussal was the very first Furniture Sir Mikhale Tain ever bought and also why all Furniture treated Jussal with respect and sought his consult.

Niko opened his mouth to ask that question, when the elevator doors opened to Jussal's floor and the Furniture gave him a pleasant nod in farewell before stepping out. Niko started to call out when something big and blonde caught his eye down the hall. Niko shrunk back and repeatedly pressed the button to close the elevator doors, flattening himself against the wall, hoping that he had not been seen.

Niko sighed and smiled when the doors closed and stepped back over to pick up his grocery bags. “That was a close call.” Niko said to himself. He had hidden himself in the apartment for as long as he could before he was forced to leave to replenish their food supply and other household products. It was why he had so much to carry at the moment.

It wasn't that he was afraid of seeing Sir Gabriel, more that he couldn't stop thinking about that night as it was. To see the Blondie would be more than he could handle, not with the way his body seemed to betray him. Niko had even called to try and make an appointment with the Ruby Elite Sir Michael Ozent. He had been very careful with what he said when trying to explain his problem. How could you really explain that every morning he woke up with an erection or that thinking about certain forbidden touching also had him standing to attention? But all the Ruby told him when he called medic today was to continue taking his medication…

Niko had been so irritated that he had gone down to the Clinic to speak to the Ruby personally. He didn't want to die, and they way his body had begun betraying him was a death sentence should anyone discover it.

Walking into the clinic, Niko had frowned when the place seemed completely empty of any medical staff. Searching every exam room and finding every one of them empty Niko had been angry. As he came out of the last empty exam room to stride down the hall, he had heard a strange noise. Turning, Niko remembered seeing a Plantina coming out of the empty room he just exited.

Niko hadn't known why, but he had quickly hid himself from the Elite. Forgotten, rusty, instincts spilling forth, screaming in warning for him to `be still', `hide'. Not one to throw away good advice, especially when it came from himself, Niko ducked behind a cart. From the mirror shine on the windows, Niko watched the Platina fill a small bag with medical supplies before going back into the exam room he had appeared from.

The furniture heard that strange scrapping, dragging noise again. With his heart pounding, Niko had peeked up and waited for a few moments before silently sneaking to the room and saw…nothing. The room was empty just as it had been when he had checked it the first time….But then where did the Platina come from? Where did he go?

Scared, Niko tried hard not to dash out of the clinic. Calming down only by going grocery shopping, Niko had decided to tell Katze about the strange behavior of the Platina and the Elite's disappearing act once he returned to the apartment.

At the chime signaling that he had arrived to his designated floor, Niko stepped forward as the doors opened. He moved to leave only to peddle back when the very Blondie he had been trying to avoid, had hidden from one floor down, blocked his way. Sir Gabriel he didn't look very pleased. “How?”

“There are two lifts Niko. After you so rudely shut the doors in my face, I felt that I had to tell you how displeased I was by your actions.”

Niko panicked when Sir Gabriel entered the elevator and pressed the buttons to close the metal doors as well as hitting the emergency button that would effectively trap them both in the small cage. The alarm was quickly disabled and Niko hugged the bags to his chest and kept his eyes lowered. He could already feel his face heating up being this close to the Blondie and wished he was anywhere, but where he was now.

“There seems to be some kind of miss communication between Sir Raoul and you, Niko.”

“I'm unsure of what it is you are speaking of Sir Gabriel.” Niko mumbled as he tried to inch his way to the elevator controls and flinched when the Blondie slammed his hand on the wall next to his face.

“Raoul seems to be under the impression that the injury on your face was due to me striking you out of annoyance.”

Niko kept his eyes downcast even as the Blondie forced his head up and to the side so that his bruise could be inspected.

“Now why would you lie to Raoul on how you received this?”

“I did not lie.” Niko hugging the bags tighter.

“Nor did you tell the truth. You allowed him to believe that I intentionally harmed you.”

“I don't know what the truth is Sir Gabriel...I don't remember anything…” Niko whispered, uncomfortable with how close the Blondie was to him. The Elite's presence forced him to remember the embarrassment of what he had desperately been trying to forget. It didn't help that Sir Gabriel crowded him into the corner with his huge body.

“So you're planning on ignoring what we did together?”

Niko finally did look up and gulped at how close Sir Gabriel's face was to his own. “T-there's nothing to ignore Sir Gabriel…I honestly do not know what h-happened. Since I've fo-forgotten the whole thing.” Niko slightly stuttered, thinking that was what the Blondie wanted to hear, because it sure as hell was what he wanted to hear.

Scared and just a little irritated, Niko tried to scoot away only to be blocked again by the Blondie putting his left hand on the other side of his head.

“So…you've forgotten how you screamed my name over and over again? How I still sport the marks of your nails when you raked them down my back? How you clenched around my length as I made you repeatedly clim-“

“Please!” Niko cried, feeling as if his face and body were about to go up in flames. Clearing his throat Niko took a minute to calm down. “Sir Gabriel you were under the influence of a….err…strong relaxant that had a strange side effect on you and I'm on a new medication that had yet to take hold-“

Gabriel laughed. “Your medication will never take hold as you put it.”

“So,” Niko continued, as if the Blondie never spoke. “Whatever happened two nights ago never happened. It has been forgotten, deleted, erased and wiped clean from ever existing. Please do as I have Sir Gabriel. That night was a mistake that should have never happened. So if you could excuse me I would like to get back.” Niko ducked under the Blondie's arm and reached out to hit the button that would start the elevator.

Gabriel grabbed the troublesome Furniture's arm and pulled him back. He had been more then just annoyed when he had what woken up to an empty bed and discovered that his Furniture had allowed the boy to run away. That annoyance grew when he noticed that Niko had used a favored dress shirt to clean his hands with on the floor. Still, the breaking point was when he got a call from Raoul expressing his outrage over the fact that Gabriel had damaged his property. If it had not been his reminder of why Niko had been given to him and what would happen if Raoul even thought to go back on their deal, had Gabriel's temper soaring.

In the end Raoul and he had been forced to agree to meet in the middle. Niko would come back, but only until the damage he had done to his face was gone. Gabriel was ready to dismiss Niko's horrid behavior of sneaking out since what had transpired between them was the greatest taboo an Elite could ever do with a Furniture. If it got out, though whole affair would cause an even greater scandal than that of Iason and his pet Riki's rumored sexual relationship. Gabriel even knew all about the `relaxant' Niko was talking about. It had not taken very long, seconds really, to determine the cause of his over heated behavior that night. A simple talk with his Furniture about the drink he had been given as well as a quick search of the trash had revealed plenty of evidence. Gabriel had discovered the small envelope containing the residue of the drug Niko had slipped him and all had been explained. With that came the conclusion that Niko had to have somehow gotten the substance on himself, resulting in his highly sexual state as well.

“Please Sir Gabriel,” Niko was desperate to get away from the Blondie. The heat and clean masculine scent of the Elite made his body remember all kinds of naughty things that were best forgotten. “As I said you weren't yourself and I was having a normal physiological response to the stimulations you were administering to my body. That was all. It would have never happened if my medication had been working appropriately.”

Of all the snippy back talk Gabriel had envisioned from Niko, having the boy deny their night together had never been one of them. If anything it should be he that should be doing the denying, but now the boy was trying to use that, without actually saying it, as if that was the only reason why he could have wanted him. Gabriel wasn't about to allow that.

“So you think that because you were not right of mind, we would have never had sex?”

Niko blushed. “I think we should forget about it as if it never happened, Sir Gabriel, and yes, I don't think it would have ever happened if we had both been thinking clearly. Besides it wasn't that great,” Niko mumbled the last part under his breath, annoyed that the damn Blondie wouldn't leave him alone and kept bringing up what they did. It was hard enough as it was to hold back the images of their bodies coming together…over and over again…

Gabriel choked. “What did you say?”

Uh oh! “Umm…I said that we should forget about the whole thing?” Niko said with a well practiced expression of confusion and innocence. Damn Blondies and their dog like hearing.

“After that!”

“…It would be great? As in if we could go back to how we were?”

“No…” Gabriel crowded the boy even more. “You said: “It wasn't that great.”

Me and my big mouth…but still if you had already heard me then why bother asking, Niko thought, grunting when the Blondie pressed up against him. “Sir Gabriel I have to go-“

“You're dismissed, when I say you're dismissed. The amount of times I've said this to you is proving to be aggravating Niko.”

Niko honestly didn't mean for what happened next to happen! One minute the Blondie's face was lowering to kiss him and the next it was covered in cream. The death grip he had around his bags, high up on his chest and the pressure of the Blondie made the container of milk to explode upward. Unable to help himself Niko started to giggle, the owl eyed look on Sir Gabriel's face was so comical he just couldn't help himself.

Gabriel stood there shocked up till he heard the twinkling bells of Niko's laughter. Angered Gabriel ripped the soiled bags from Niko's arms and threw them in the corner.

“Hey!”

Wrapping his arm around the boy's waist, Gabriel hauled Niko's struggling form against his own. He pulled the boy's head back to slam his mouth down, as Niko gasped at the pain.

Moaning at the remembered honeyed taste as he devoured those soft lips, Gabriel braced the boy on the elevator wall with one arm so he could rip Niko's shirt off with the other. The action only caused the boy to struggle earnestly to get away. Releasing those luscious lips, Gabriel trailed down and licked at the erratic pulse on Niko's neck before drawing the boy's tantalizing flesh between him mouth, sucking. Without warning, the Blondie was denied his treat as Gabriel hissed in pain when his own head was pulled painfully back.

“Not where it shows! I told you that already, damn you!”

Chuckling in wicked glee, Gabriel slipped his hand down the back of Niko's pants. “I thought you forgot everything? “It has been forgotten, deleted, erased and wiped clean from ever existing” Isn't that what you said?”

“No one likes a smartass, Sir Gabriel, you shou-“ Niko cut off with a painful shout as a long elegant finger entered him and retaliated by biting the Elite on the shoulder. Hard.

“That's it…Bite me harder!”

“Just like before, you just don't know when to shut up and get on with it.” Niko moaned out as the stinging pain faded and was replaced with jolts of pleasure as that single digit found and rubbed the hardened nub within him. A part of Niko knew that allowing the Elite to continue without putting up a fight would come with drastic consequences later…but the other side of him didn't care and egged him on to command the Elite to continue.

“I'm not cleaning this mess you made in the corner I hope you know.”

“I'll just call my Furniture to do it.”

Breathless Niko wrapped his arms around Gabriel's neck and held on. Thoughts of the strange Platina at the clinic disappeared as overwhelming desire filled him. Besides Elites were already weird so who knew or cared what the Platina was doing or where he vanished to.

TBC…