Ai No Kusabi Fan Fiction ❯ The Final Decision ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

 

Disclaimer: As before, the characters of Ai No Kusabi and the Taming Riki series do not belong to me, nor do I profit from this story.

 

* * *

 

Chapter Five

 

Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.

 

- Corrie ten Boom

 

* * *

 

A soft hiss broke the silence of room, and Riki groaned as the sound seemed to echo painfully within his throbbing head. Though everything hurt and he was confused and disoriented, he fought against the clarity that threatened to pull him from the comforting darkness. His instincts warned against it.

 

I don't want to wake up yet, he thought, smiling as his imagination began to paint sensual pictures within his mind once more. He couldn't exactly remember what or even who he had been dreaming about, but he knew what he felt, and he hadn't felt this content in a very long time.

 

Snap!

 

Yelping in both pain and shock, Riki's eyes snapped open and he leapt to his feet as something cold and unbelievably sharp sliced a shallow wound across the taut muscles of his thigh. He didn't get far, however, before a metal ring around his neck prevented him from standing fully upright. It jerked harshly against his soft throat, cutting off his piercing cry, and the momentum forced him back to the hard, stone floor with a resounding crash, jarring both elbows and the back of his head.

 

Coughing violently, Riki clutched the metal collar and squeezed his eyes closed against the pain. For several seconds, he saw stars and was dangerously close to losing consciousness once more as his head spun from the force of the impact. Fighting back his sudden nausea, he opened his eyes and carefully pushed himself to his knees, mortified to discover that he was completely naked and firmly tethered to large, solid ring wedged tightly into the stone wall at his back.

 

"It is about time you awoke, little one," a harsh voice hissed from the other side of the room.

 

Startled, Riki cringed against the cold stones and studied the intruder. He was tall; very tall, and his yellow-blond hair had been pulled back and secured high on his head; the color marking him as an obvious Blondie. He wore billowing green pants and nothing else, no doubt to display his impressive upper torso as the glistening muscles bunched and flexed beneath his slightly oiled skin. Riki couldn't see his face as it was hid behind a plain, black mask. Only cold, blue eyes were visible.

 

What does a Blondie want with me? Riki thought frantically, trying desperately to recall how he had managed to fall into the clutches of a member of Jupiter's superior race. His memories provided nothing and the growing sense of panic nearly brought tears to his eyes.

 

"Who are you?" Riki asked, and instantly felt ashamed that he sounded so harsh and frightened.

 

Instead of an answer, the mongrel received a painful lash, and he immediately cursed himself for not noticing the wicked instrument held tightly in the masked Blondie's hand. It was the most horrific whip Riki had ever seen. The handle was small, maybe only a foot in length, but so thick the wielder could not wrap his fingers around it entirely. It was made of a strange-looking leather, almost like an animal hide split into countless thongs and tipped with what looked like broken bits of glass.

 

"I was beginning to think that you might have gone ahead and died all on your own," the masked man chuckled, drawing the whip over where his lips might have been under the mask.

 

Gathering what dignity he could - seeing as he was naked and chained to a wall - Riki lifted his head and covered his exposed organ with his hand, staring pointedly at his jailer. "Where am I? Why am I shackled like an animal?"

 

The man moved almost faster than the eye could perceive, and before Riki could shift or even shield himself, another shallow wound decorated the hard muscles of his stomach. Gritting his teeth, he probed the seeping gash, relieved to find that though it was beginning to bleed profusely, it was fairly superficial. Narrowing his eyes, he glowered angrily at the sadistic, whip-wielding bastard.

 

"You will not speak unless spoken to, filth, or you will be severely punished!" His piercing blue eyes sparkled ominously from behind the holes of his mask. "You have been brought here for training."

 

"Training?" Another strike split the skin of his cheek, but Riki ignored the pain and brushed away the blood that had begun to drip from his chin. He knew the jailer wanted his silence, but if he was answering his questions, what was a little cut compared to the information he could receive regarding his predicament?

 

"You are to be transformed into a desirable, docile pet without the benefit of the Pet Academy," the guard growled softly, shifting the whip from one hand to the other. "If you are lucky, perhaps we can find you a home when all this is through."

 

"What?" Riki's eyes widened with disbelief. "You've got to fucking be kidding me!" He barely bit back a cry as the whip tore into his flesh once more. Having had enough of the masked bastard's punishment, Riki grabbed the chain that tethered him to the wall and snarled viciously as he yanked on it with all his strength.

 

"You really don't know when to shut your mouth, do you?" Sneering, the jailer snapped the whip at the ground to emphasize his point. He chuckled at Riki's dark glower and fruitless attempts to free himself, secretly aroused at the sight of the fiery Bison leader naked, chained, and dripping with blood. "You are here to be transformed into a decent pet, and until you pass, you are to remain shackled to the wall like the filthy mongrel you are."

 

Though he knew he could do nothing to remove the cold steel around his throat, Riki wrenched defiantly at the ring. "Maybe I should take that whip and beat you like the sadistic fuck you are," he snarled angrily, refusing to back down. He may be a mongrel, but he was a proud mongrel, and the one thing a dog did when it was chained and backed into a corner was fight with everything it had within it.

 

The masked jailer threw back his head and laughed at Riki's obstinacy. "You really think you can't be tamed, don't you?" he chuckled, his eyes gleaming with delight. "Oh Riki, I shall so enjoy breaking your spirit."

 

Scowling, Riki lifted his chin and drew from every reserve of his courage that he could find within himself. "Fuck you."

 

"All in good time," the masked man smirked, drawing back his hand and releasing the full force of his arm through the whip.

 

The impressive muscles in his torso and arms bulged and glistened as the jailer flexed, twisted, and danced with the brutal leather throng in his hands. Strike after strike reigned down upon the writhing mongrel until more than just sweat decorated his tormentor's flawless skin and littered the floor.

 

To the masked man's surprise, instead of cowering beneath his arm, Riki snapped, strained and struggled like a rabid canine against his bounds, and he couldn't help but be a bit impressed by the mongrel's resilience. However, no matter how hard Riki tried to ignore the pain of his many wounds, he couldn't for long, and he soon began to lose strength as the bite of the whip tore brutally through his skin. Clenching his teeth, he hung his head, unable to move, though fully determined not to utter a single sound of anguish.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, the jailer stilled, laughed once again, and approached Riki's twitching form. "Anything more to add?" he chuckled lifting the mongrel's bleeding body from the ground by the collar around his neck.

 

Panting, Riki mumbled incoherently.

 

"What was that?" the jailer taunted, shaking him a little.

 

Riki's eyes cleared as his head snapped forward, and before the jailer could move, the mongrel had worked up the remainder of his courage and spat blood and bile directly into his tormentor's face. Though stunned, it did not show in the masked man's expression as he calmly flicked the gob from his brow and smashed the handle of the whip directly into Riki's nose.

 

Dropping the bleeding mongrel to the ground, the jailer immediately began a full-on assault, kicking and beating him with the handle of the whip as Riki tried to squirm from beneath the punishing blows. When the jailer's own knuckles were purple and raw and the muscles in his legs were sore, he moved back to his previous position on the other side of the room and resumed the whipping.

 

Curling into himself on the ground, Riki barely felt the whip's brutal sting as his mind slowly sank in a dark delirium. Blood steadily pooled beneath him, mixing with the dirt and forming a sticky paste that anchored him firmly to the cold, stone floor. What had happened to him? How had he gotten here? These questions burned in Riki's mind, but he pushed them aside. It no longer mattered where he was or how he had arrived. All that mattered was that he was going to die here.

 

"That's enough!"

 

A handsome blond man barged through the door and firmly grasped the handle of the whip, wrenching it from the jailer's grasp. His jaw dropped in horror at the sight before him. The masked jailer was literally dripping with crimson sweat, and blood and gore painted the floor and walls like a grotesque fresco. Still tethered to the ring, Riki's flesh hung in tattered strips, and his battered body twitched with every harsh, shallow breath. How he was still alive, let alone conscious was a mystery to both of them.

 

"Do not interfere," the jailer hissed, reaching for the whip.

 

Gripping the handle tightly, the Blondie turned on the tormentor, his eyes flashing with fury. "You go too far," he growled, stepping away, "and if you do not keep your distance, so help me Jupiter, I will turn this monstrosity on you!"

 

Chuckling darkly, the masked man shrugged and retrieved a towel from a hook in the hall. "If you feel so strongly about it, I can continue later," he remarked casually, wiping the filth from his skin as he turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

 

Seething, the Blondie dropped the foul implement of torture and turned his attention to the badly injured mongrel on the ground. "Riki," he called gently, sinking to his knees beside his prone form and reaching for his shoulder. "Can you hear me?"

 

Riki flinched away from the Blondie's touch, hating himself for showing even that small amount of weakness. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes and tried to prepare for whatever torture this new man had in store for him. If he was lucky, perhaps he would not survive. To his shock, he felt the Blondie slip something between his lips as a trembling hand brushed back his blood-matted hair.

 

"Swallow this. It will help," the Blondie urged.

 

Unwilling to fight any longer, Riki sighed and did as he was told. Confused and in a considerable amount of pain, he wasn't going to deny that he was extremely soothed by the gentle ministrations of the Blondie's large hands in his hair and on his battered brow. Soon, his own, natural opiates and the powerful drug kicked into his system and the agonizing pain slowly melted away.

 

"What was that?" Riki speech slurred slightly.

 

The Blondie smiled shakily. "An Opiate-6," he answered, his eyes full of sympathy. "It will help dull the pain of your whipping…and of the Accelerator."

 

Riki didn't have time to ask before the Blondie forcefully held him down and emptied the contents of two, large canisters over all his oozing wounds. Even the potent drugs that circulated within his system were not enough to dull the intense agony of the Accelerator, and though he had vowed to remain silent during his torment, Riki couldn't hold back his cries of anguish as the strange chemical worked to repair his extensive injuries.

 

"I'm sorry, Riki," the Blondie whispered, holding the dark-haired mongrel tightly to his chest until his violent tremors subsided. He could only imagine the agony the poor man was in as his wounds rapidly knit together on a cellular level. Ignoring the blood on his own clothes, he propped the nearly unconscious pet against the wall and gently patted his cheeks. "You need to stay awake. There are some things that we need to discuss."

 

His strength was gone, and though the wounds he had suffered were closing quickly, Riki still felt a lingering ache where they had once been raw and seeping. Blinking, he struggled to remain alert. "Let me go," he mumbled, his head lolling from side to side.

 

"I can't," the Blondie answered, looking away. "I wish I could, Riki. I really do, but there is nowhere for you to go."

 

"My gang, my friends," the mongrel wheezed. "I can find them."

 

"No. Listen to me. Riki, look at me."

 

Blinking, Riki focused on the handsome blond man's face.

 

"Do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?"

 

Despite his nearly overwhelming need to sleep, Riki shook his head to clear it and glanced around the room. Come to think of it, something about it was vaguely…familiar.

 

"I've…been here before," he said softly. At once his eyes found his Blondie savior, and he studied his face with renewed interest. "I've seen you before!"

 

The Blondie nodded. "You have. What do you remember?"

 

Dropping his head to his hands, he rubbed his temples and searched his foggy memories. After several minutes, he looked up and sighed. "Not much, just bits and pieces really. How long have I been here?"

 

"I'm not sure," the Blondie admitted sadly. "But you haven't been Riki the Dark… What I mean to say is, you haven't been with Bison for nearly three years."

 

"Three years! You lie! You -" Riki paused as several broken pieces of memories flashed through his mind. He recalled a penthouse overlooking Tanagura, a young gray-eyed youth named Daryl…and Katze. His face burned as he remembered servicing the bronze-haired boss of the black market as Daryl looked on. Had he really done that? Concentrating, he was even able to produce a name for the Blondie before him, though he couldn't - for the life of him - remember where they had met or why.

 

"Riki?"

 

"You're…Omaki Ghan."

 

"That's right, Riki," Omaki smiled in relief. He didn't have to heart to demand the mongrel to use formalities. "Tell me what else you remember."

 

The mongrel shook his head. "I can't remember anything specifically; just faces and places. There are so many things missing from my memories. I don't even know how we met or why I know your name!"

 

The Blondie sighed and sat back on his heels. "Try Riki. Concentrate."

 

More memories surged forward and Riki gasped as he recalled Guy, his face contorted with anger as he pointed a laser toward him. "This is for Kei." He remembered rolling to the side to avoid the blast, and then screaming in agony as Ayuda and Odi - he could recall their names and faces so perfectly though he did not remember them - opened fire, and Guy collapsed into his arms.

 

Horrified, the mongrel lifted his eyes to Omaki, begging silently for the Blondie to somehow deny the truth. Not much touched the great Blondie's heart now days, but the tortured expression on the mongrel's face was enough to make his chest ache. He didn't know what exactly Riki had recalled, but whatever memory had just surfaced did not appear to be a pleasant one.

 

"I'm sorry, Riki."

 

"No!" Riki cried as tears filled his dark eyes. "No! Guy!"

 

All his pride vanished in that instant, and he felt as though he were just a child once more; a runaway from the orphanage, hiding in the shadows and scraping for food, always afraid that this day would be his last. The only difference was that in the past, Guy had always been there with him, and somehow, he knew that they two of them would always make it through. Feeling lost and vulnerable, he wrapped his arms around his legs, buried his head in his arms, and cried.

 

Though he kept his hands to himself, Omaki was surprised to find he was actually moved to comfort the grief-stricken mongrel as he silently wept for his dead pairing partner. In the Taming Towers, Lord Ghan had been witness to many ghastly sights and as many acts of barbarism known to man as he discovered that many of the Blondies had fantasies and depravities that surpassed his own. In order to do business with such individuals, he had adopted a stoic and indifferent demeanor, and soon it was less of an act and more of a way of life as his heart hardened against the suffering of others.

 

It was a necessary evil. If he allowed himself to feel anything for the countless pets that had suffered within his domain, he would have gone mad a long time ago.

 

However, everything that had happened to him over the past few years, from acquiring Enyu, to his love for Aki, meeting Commander Khosi, interacting with Riki, Iason, and the whippings, had shaped him into a different Blondie than he had been before; one with more compassion and a softer heart. Though he never saw anything as black and white as Jupiter wished of all her children, there was now color where there had only been different shades of gray.

 

Riki's anguished cries drew his attention once more, and his hands twitched of their own volition as he, again, fought the compulsion to comfort the mongrel. Frowning in sympathy, he waited patiently for Riki's sobs to lessen before he said, "I wish I could explain everything, but I can't. All I can say is that the life you had before now no longer exists, and it's time to begin anew."

 

Brushing the tears from his face, Riki sighed and lifted his head to meet the Blondie's gaze. Without his gang - his memories - what could possibly be in store for him? Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, he asked, "What do I do now?"

 

"You've been given a second chance," Omaki explained softly, searching the mongrel's dark eyes. "Instead of death, you've been given a chance to serve as a pet."

 

Riki scowled at the absurdity of the thought. Was he being serious? "There is no such thing," he protested sharply. "Who ever heard of a mongrel pet?"

 

Momentarily stunned, Lord Ghan nearly came undone with amusement at Riki's choice of words. If only he knew what he was saying, Omaki thought, holding back his mirth. Remembering himself, he swallowed his laughter. "You have only two choices," the Blondie continued as somber as he could. "You can become a pet, or they will turn you into furniture."

 

Riki paled at the thought. Castration? What had he done to deserve such a fate? "You forgot one other option," he remarked dryly.

 

Omaki's brows raised quizzically.

 

"I could choose death."

 

The Blondie scoffed. "Would you truly entertain such a notion?" he challenged. "I heard mongrels prided themselves on their tenacity. What will everyone say if you take the easy way out now?"

 

Riki wasn't sure what 'tenacity' was, but he was pretty certain he understood the Blondie's meaning. Men from Ceres - mongrels they may be - never gave up. He was born a fighter, he lived as a warrior, and he would die without shame. Lifting his head, he nearly jumped when he felt the Blondie press something cold into the palm of his hand.

 

"What is this?" Riki asked, his eyes dropping to the syringe that lay innocently in his grasp.

 

Omaki hated what he was about to do, but he knew that it was the only way. Hoping to convey his sorrow and sympathy, he gently took the mongrel's other hand and caged the syringe between them. Taking a deep breath, he prayed to every god he knew to watch over Riki, and even perhaps one day, be granted his forgiveness.

 

"You are a proud man, Riki the Dark," Omaki began, "and the coming days will be very difficult for you. While you may be able to stand up to them now, what you faced today is nothing compared to the tortures that will be brought down upon you with your continued 'training'. They will break you, Riki. Make no mistake of that. They will beat you, starve you, rape you, and bring you to the very edge of death before forcing you to live again."

 

Though he tried to be brave, Riki shivered with trepidation.

 

"They will do whatever is necessary to stamp out your stubborn pride and replace it with mindless submissiveness." Omaki's eyes narrowed as he studied the mongrel's face. "We both know that you would fight to the very end; that you would rather die than submit to their will."

 

"What does it matter to you?" Riki asked, bewildered. "Why do you care if I live or die?"

 

The Blondie sighed as he tried to come up with an acceptable explanation without giving too much away. "There are many of us who have high hopes for you, Riki," he said solemnly. "There are those who would rather see you serve as a mindless slave than die, alone, in this hole. There are those who care for you."

 

The proud mongrel pulled his hands from the Blondie's and clenched his fist around the syringe. "What is this supposed to do?"

 

Omaki sighed. "It is a way for you to start fresh."

 

Riki didn't answer, and the Blondie sighed once more.

 

"They'll never tame you, Riki, not without destroying who you are. I'm giving you a way out. This will take away all your memories; allow them to make you into the pet they want, and you won't be tormented by ghosts from your past."

 

Omaki felt physically ill at the thought of Riki as a broken pet. Sure, he might regain his memories, but the sheer amount of damage - both physical and physiological - he would be forced to sustain to become what they wanted would ruin him forever. Even if he and Iason found one another again, Riki would never be the same person. He would be empty, hollow specter, slowly wasting away until his broken spirit abandoned its shell. And how long before Iason followed suit? The great Lord Mink loved his pet with all his heart. How long before the Head of the Syndicate followed the mongrel into oblivion?

 

This way, if Riki chose to give up his memories, he could start a new life somewhere else. If he and Iason found one another, the memories could be restored, and Riki would not have suffered so needlessly. Though Lord Ghan found the whole debacle vile and despicable, it really was the most humane option the Blondie could offer. It would further reduce the lovers' chances of reuniting, but it would save the mongrel's health and sanity. To Lord Ghan, the choice was clear.

 

"Riki," Omaki sighed once more, placing a hand on the pet's trembling shoulder. "I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but I'm asking that you trust your instincts. The life you knew before is gone, and the alternative to being a pet is most unpleasant. I'm offering you a peaceful slumber, just for a little while."

 

Staring down at the gleaming medical instrument in his hand, Riki released a ragged breath. "Can I have some time to think about it?"

 

Nodding, Omaki stood and gazed down at the beautiful mongrel. "I will leave you to your thoughts, but you only have until morning to inject yourself," he instructed. "After that, they will come for you, and there is nothing I can do to stop them."

 

Closing his eyes, Riki clenched his fist around the syringe once more and gave the Blondie a curt nod. Feeling miserable and guilty, Omaki tried to give the mongrel a reassuring smile before he moved toward the exit. Just as the seal disengaged and the door slid open with a hiss, the Blondie paused, hearing Riki call his name.

 

"Lord Ghan."

 

Turning, he regarded Riki curiously.

 

"Back when… I mean…" Riki shook his head, trying to form words from the complicated emotions running rampant through his heart. "When I was here before, was…was someone hurting me?"

 

Swallowing hard, Omaki nodded.

 

"And, someone else came to save me."

 

Omaki nodded again, his eyes widening marginally. Could it be? Did the mongrel actually remember? It was impossible…wasn't it? The memories should have been completely scrubbed from their minds.

 

Opening his hand, Riki studied the silver cylinder before moving his gaze to the motionless Blondie. "Who was it?"

 

Omaki felt like the blackest soul on earth as he returned the pet's hopeful stare. Dropping his eyes to the syringe, he took a deep breath and replied, "It doesn't matter anymore, Riki. Does it?"

 

Chuckling softly, the mongrel slumped back against the stone wall of his prison and sighed. "No," he said sadly, clutching the needle to his chest. "I suppose it doesn't."

 

Gritting his teeth to hold back the truth, Omaki slipped through the door and disappeared. Riki watched him go, feeling confused and torn about the paths that were stretched before him. He didn't want to be a pet, and he didn't want to be furniture. However, it seemed as though he didn't have much of a choice either way. On the other hand, he could hold onto his pride and fight them until he either ended up dead or too broken to care about his existence any longer. Neither option appealed to him.

 

"I'm asking that you trust your instincts."

 

Lord Ghan's words floated through his ravaged mind as he returned his gaze to the syringe. What were his instincts saying? A lump formed in his throat as he thought about Guy, Sid, Noris and Luke, the former members of his Bison gang. More faces rose to the surface to haunt him: Katze, Daryl, Ayuda, Toma, Tai…all these people were strangers to him, and yet somehow, he knew them. Could he really go on like this? Could he really live each day surrounded by faces of people he remembered, but could not recall? Could he survive feeling as though a large part of his heart had been stolen and he had no clue who had been the thief?

 

A part of him wanted to fight; to show whoever dared to remove him from Ceres that even though they were mongrels, they would not go down peacefully. He wanted to make other mongrels proud, even if it meant being beaten to death in the process. However, another part of his heart kept him from shattering the syringe against the wall.

 

"There are those who care for you," Lord Ghan had said, and something within him confirmed that it was not a hollow admission.

 

Somewhere, someone did care for him, and he needed to make sure they could find each other once again. That meant staying alive and relatively healthy. If only he could remember! He felt as though he were viewing his own life on a holo-projector and the digital disk was badly decayed. He saw places, faces and felt emotions, but he lacked the necessary tools to put it all together into something that made sense.

 

Closing his eyes, he felt a sharp stab of fear, but before he could change his mind, he thrust the needle deep into his arm and pushed the plunger. Dragging his aching body to the corner and as far as his collar would allow, Riki dropped the syringe, curled into a ball, and waited for the drugs to take effect. He wasn't sure what was going to happen or even if he had made the right decision. All he could do was have faith that his instincts were leading him in the direction he needed to travel.

 

As the drugs circulated within him, a face flashed before his eyes once more. It was the same beautiful man he had seen in his dreams, though, like before, his features were blank. Smiling, he imagined reaching out and touching the beautiful man's cheek, brushing away the luxurious blond hair. Suddenly, as the strands fell away from his face, piercing blue eyes met his gaze, softening with a breathtaking smile as the rest of his features slowly came to light. Riki couldn't help but return the expression as his heart suddenly overflowed with love.

 

Love… Blondie…. It was another face he knew; the name on the very tip of his tongue.

 

Riki relaxed as he felt the drugs drag him under, and he breathed deeply as the last of his conscious thoughts were ripped away. However, just before the sedative stole his mind and the nano-ites worked to destroy the remainder of his memories; Riki gave voice to the overwhelming surge of adoration he felt in his heart:

 

"Iason."

 

* * *

 

As soon as the mongrel lost consciousness, the masked jailer ended the visual output signal and turned to face the Blondie seated nonchalantly behind his desk. Omaki returned the stare impassively, ready to face whatever the sadistic bastard had to say.

 

"You're a traitor," the jailer hissed, removing his mask and untying his long, blond hair.

 

"You're one to talk, Raoul," Omaki scowled, shoving the whip into the bottom drawer of his desk and locking it away. "I gave him a way to survive. What about you? You've taken him from his home, his friends…"

 

"I did what was necessary."

 

"How can you sit there and justify yourself!" Omaki shouted, slamming a fist against the heavy desk as he stood. "How could you do this to Riki…to Iason!"

 

Annoyed, Raoul tossed the mask into a nearby box and walked toward the large sink tucked neatly beside the bar. Studying his reflection in the mirror, he moistened a towel and wiped the rest of Riki's blood from his shoulders and arms. Satisfied, he retrieved his discarded tunic from the closet. "It is for Iason that I must see this through to the very end," he answered, tying the sash around his waist.

 

Snorting, Omaki shook his head and moved toward the bar. Damn, he needed a drink. "Don't fool yourself into thinking you're doing this for Iason's sake."

 

"You heard the mongrel!" Raoul whirled around to face him, nearly crimson with rage. "He called out Iason's name! There is no doubt the two will reunite, and what will Iason have? Humiliation? Degradation? I refuse to sit back and allow him to throw away everything again!"

 

A bottle of White Moon fell victim to Omaki's wrath as he slammed it against the bar, shattering it into a thousand pieces. "You have no right to interfere!"

 

Chuckling, Raoul leaned against the sink and shrugged. "I'm not interfering," he explained. "Iason will continue with his life as though Riki never existed. It will be as it should have always been before the mongrel complicated our lives."

 

"You honestly think that Riki affected us so?"

 

"Of course," Raoul nearly hissed in annoyance. "We will go back to the times before discipline, humiliation, and ridiculous acts of sedition against Jupiter. We will go back to the times when we were prosperous, proper, and in her eternal favor as her most treasured Elites."

 

"You presume much," Omaki remarked dryly, "if you honestly believe we were all happy and better off before."

 

Raoul snorted softly. "It doesn't matter," he replied. "Iason will be the person he was before the mongrel interfered. He won't feel the loss of the pet. He won't remember."

 

"And when he does remember, Raoul, what then?" Omaki asked, clenching his hands into fists despite the blood dripping from his injured palm. "What will you tell him about Riki's fate?"

 

"Iason is incapable of recalling the mongrel's face unless he undergoes the reverse procedure." Raoul straightened and crossed his arms. "They can't perform the procedure until they find one another again. I'm just making sure that Iason never stumbles across his filthy pet."

 

"You heard Riki," Omaki protested, pointing toward the blank monitor. "He underwent that same procedure, and yet he called for Iason by name. How do you explain that?"

 

Though Raoul remained silent, his eyes betrayed his growing doubt.

 

Omaki shook his head. "You surprise me, Raoul. You know how much Iason cares for Riki. And what of the pet? Did he not earn your respect by stepping in for Iason when he was being whipped to death?"

 

"It is out of respect for Riki that I devised this plan," Raoul growled angrily. "It would be far easier to just kill the miserable mongrel, but instead, I'm giving him a chance to live. I believe I am being far more merciful than you give me credit for."

 

"So you'll beat him within an inch of his life? How is that merciful?"

 

Raoul sighed. "That was the plan, old friend, but only because I knew how difficult it would be to stamp out that mongrel pride. Now that you've changed the rules with your nano-ite cocktail, there is no need for extreme discipline."

 

Omaki studied the Blondie warily. "He won't be beaten any longer?"

 

Raoul shook his head. "No more than is necessary to train him."

 

Sighing, Omaki reached for another bottle of White Moon and poured himself a glass. "And what happens when you succeed? You can't seriously think you'll sell Riki. When this is over, you'll have to answer for what you've done."

 

Raoul's expression chilled Lord Ghan to the bone.

 

"You…you'd export him?"

 

"Of course!" Raoul laughed, shaking his head. "Did you really think I'd give him to someone on Amoi? I'm not a fool, Omaki. Even if I could find a way to keep him away from Iason, no Blondie would dare touched the Head of the Syndicate's infamous pet. The moment I took Riki, I sealed his fate and mine. The only option is to export him."

 

Omaki paled, feeling ill at the thought. It was his responsibility to set up interplanetary auctions. Therefore, selling Riki would fall to him. "I don't understand you, Raoul," he said shakily, leaning heavily against the bar. "Why do you hate Riki so much? Why do you hate what they have?"

 

Raoul frowned. "I have my reasons."

 

"But as painful as it might be, my friend, we all know that Iason no longer wants a relationship with you," Omaki protested softly. "Not only that, but you risked everything by having your furniture modified! Does Yui no longer interest you?"

 

Raoul's eyes darkened. "What happens in my household is none of your business," he replied coldly. "But for your information, I do still care for Yui."

 

"Then how can you condemn Iason's love for the mongrel when you yourself harbor feelings for your own furniture?"

 

"Because I am not Head of Syndicate!" Raoul roared, shaking. "I do not have to live under constant scrutiny. It is Iason's responsibility to hold himself to a higher standard! It is Jupiter's law!"

 

Omaki was sickened by the words that spilled from the Blondie's lips. After everything, he had to admit his own faults; that he too had been guilty of prejudice and cruelty toward the mongrel race. However, his hatred had been fueled from an early age. As young men, the Blondie were taught that mongrels were inferior to them in every way; that they were not even human. It was a lesson that had been ingrained within every Blondie since the day they were created.

 

At an early age, however, Omaki quickly found his own tastes and preference marked him as somewhat of a deviant; an outcast among his own kind. That was, until he discovered that small rebellious streak was present in more Blondies than he could care to count. Catering to those needs had made him a successful businessman. This discovery, coupled with his interaction with Riki over the last few years, caused him to seriously reevaluate his previous beliefs.

 

What Riki and Iason shared went beyond race, social class, and Jupiter's laws. Riki had proven that like the Blondies, mongrels were capable of love, honor, and courage; that they were just as human as any of them. Riki was the reason Omaki had sided with Iason and had gone against Jupiter and her edicts.

 

"Iason deserves to find love, just as the rest of us do." Omaki gazed at his friend over the rim of his wineglass. "If that love is found in the arms of a mongrel, who are we - who is Jupiter - to deny him?"

 

"It doesn't matter." Raoul waved his hand in dismissal. "It is done. There is no turning back now."

 

Furious, Omaki nearly crushed the wineglass in his grasp. "Perhaps I should go to Jupiter and tell her what has occurred here," he threatened. He was not at all prepared for Raoul's menacing grin.

 

"I figured you might not have the stomach for this," Raoul sneered as he reached into his tunic and removed a disc. He laughed at Omaki's sudden expression of horror. "That's right, my friend. You should be more careful when blackmailing your friends."

 

Omaki's gaze switched between Raoul and the metallic disc in his hand. "That can't be -"

 

"I assure you, it is," Raoul answered, tucking the disc away once more. "You should know by now that anything that is recorded can potentially fall into the wrong hands."

 

Omaki appeared shaken as he set down his wine. "I had it destroyed."

 

"Ah," Raoul winked. "You had the hard disc destroyed, but you failed to erase the digital copy stored in your files. I'd say that's rather sloppy on your part, Omaki."

 

Defeated, Lord Ghan lowered his head.

 

"You should be used to this, my friend," Raoul taunted. "Although I suspect you're not accustomed to being on this side of a rather nasty blackmail."

 

"You're a bastard."

 

"Now you have an idea how your victims feel about you!" Raoul laughed heartily before becoming serious once more. "If you go to Jupiter, I will give her this video showing how you aided Iason's torture and beating of me, and then blackmailed him for credits. I have no doubt that she will want a few words with you after she's viewed it."

 

Omaki felt nauseous. "And if I remain silent?"

 

Raoul lifted his hand in a conciliatory gesture. "Once Riki is sold at auction, you have my word that I will give you back this disc, erase the file, and we can pretend it never happened."

 

"It seems my hands are tied," he said sadly. Feeling as though he was being betrayed as well as being a traitor himself, Omaki closed his eyes and nodded, hating himself more with every chuckle that spilled from Raoul's lips.

 

* * *

 

A/N: It was a little discouraging to not hear from you as frequently as before, although I am aware that I was terrible of me to take so long to update. As a peace offering, I worked diligently to get out the next chapter before the month was over. I hope there are people out there still interested in this story. For those that did review, you have my eternal gratitude and humble apologies once more. I hope you enjoy the (quick) update. :)

 

Forever yours, clnv