Ai No Kusabi Fan Fiction ❯ The Other Side ❯ A New Life ( Chapter 6 )

Hey everyone! Sorry this parts a bit late, life's been kinda crazy.

 

Passing reader:

Thanks so much for the great review and don't worry, you didn't offend me at all. I'm always grateful for constructive criticism because it helps me grow as an author. Oh and thank you for the link. I'd already read that story (and a good deal of Iron Dog's work). You're right it's a great one. Anyways I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

 

Thanks to all my readers and please review! Ethereal

 

 

Iason stood in front of the mirror of a tiny bathroom with a scowl on his face. It had been three days since they had biked out to Riki's old base to see what the damage was. Iason had already known that they would not find survivors, but he had allowed it in hopes of finding some clue to who was behind the attack. He could still clearly picture Riki falling to his knees with a gut-wrenching cry of rage when they discovered the room belonging to Guy was at the center of one of the explosions. It was one thing for Iason to tell Riki that his lover was dead, it was another thing to have it thrust into his face like that. Riki had sat there on his knees for about thirty minutes. The silent tears running down his face were the only indicator of how much anguish he was in. Other than that his face was stone cold, his eyes empty.

 

Unnerved by Riki's behavior and not really wanting to interfere Iason instead busied himself with looking for clues as to who had attacked the base. He was easily able to confirm that it was indeed Tanagura style explosives that had caused the damage. The shrapnel and the scale of the destruction made that blatantly obvious. The building was almost completely destroyed and Iason had to marvel at the fact that they were both alive. Iason looked over at Riki, why had they both survived, and what was Iason to do now?

 

Iason approached Riki very slowly. He truly didn't want to be bothered with the creature's emotional breakdown, but the mission was precedent to his inconvenience. He was not going to stand there as valuable time slipped away and his would be killers closed in.

 

“Riki?” Iason questioned after receiving no response from the Mongrel after positioning himself right in front of the creature.

 

“Go `way.” Riki mumbled in a thick voice. Iason frowned and reached out to pull the Mongrel to his feet. To the Blondie's surprise Riki glared up at him and than lashed out in a rage.

“I told you to go away damn it. This whole thing is your fault!” Riki was on his feet now and actually looked as if he intended to punch Iason.

 

“You killed him you asshole! He'd be alive if it weren't for you!” Iason easily grabbed Riki's fist as it came at him and pulled it over the Mongrel's head. Riki was thrown off balance but he was not deterred. He brought his other fist up and made to punch Iason in the gut, or perhaps lower, Iason really didn't want to find out. The Blondie caught this punch too and than spun Riki around so that he was facing away from him. He then trapped flailing arms across the Mongrel's breast and pressed the smaller man's back against his chest.

 

Iason didn't know what he had expected the violent Mongrel to do once he grabbed a hold of him. He had most certainly not expected Riki to grow limp, his head hung and his weight leaned against him. Iason felt a spike of anger at the creature's audacity. He had just been attacked by a Mongrel, a crime that carried a death sentence in normal circumstances. Iason was about to remind the Mongrel of his place when he paused at the harsh tremors he felt rocketing through the smaller body. “He's dead.” Riki chocked out. “God he's dead and it's my fault.”

 

Iason quirked an eyebrow at this admition. Hadn't the Mongrel just blamed him for his lover's death? The creature was most certainly unstable. He couldn't seem to make up his mind.

 

“We need to go.” Iason stated, he didn't think either of them wanted to continue this conversation. He loosened his hold on the Mongrel and was thankful when the creature moved away without incident. For a moment Riki just stood there, his hands clenched into tight fists as he gathered himself. When he finally did speak his voice had only a slight tremor in it. “You're right, I can't just give up, Guy won't want that. I'll take you to the hospital now.”

 

“No-“

 

Riki spun around his eyes ablaze, “Don't you fucking start with me Iason! This has nothing to do with you! I don't have time to be your fucking taxi! I get that you've got problems but damn it mine are bigger. All my friends, they're my fucking family and they're dead!”

“I am well aware of your problems and though I do not agree about their severity I know one thing. The ones who attacked your base were from Tanagura. It is likely the same group that attacked me.” Iason left out that they may have been trying to save him, he didn't think that would help the situation just then.

 

“So they were after you, I was right this whole fucking mess is your fault!” Riki screamed.

 

“I did not ask you to help me.” Iason replied coldly. “Your emotional response will not change the past. If you wish to get vengeance on these people than you will need to get into Tanagura's mainframe. You will not be able to do that without my help. We have the same enemy Riki, I am loath to admit it but we need each other.

“I don't need your fucking resources. Why the hell would I want to work with you, I fucking hate you!”

 

Iason smirked, “I'm not certain that is true, but it is irrelevant. I am going with you. You will need me when we get deeper into this mess, and I will need your guidance now as much as you will need mine in the future. It seems that I can not trust my own people to not harm me, so I must trust you.” Iason admitted this last bit begrudgingly. He knew that the Mongrel was already aware of this, but hearing Iason say it might just be the stroke on the Mongrel's ego that was needed to make this work.

 

Riki spat, an utterly disgusting act, and than turned and walked back towards the barrowed bike. “If you want to come along so bad then fine, but we do this my way, understand?”

 

“Very well.” Iason said with a smile as he started to follow the Mongrel. It had been all too easy to manipulate the creature. If Riki wanted to feel that he was in control Iason could allow that, so long as it fit in with his goals. “So what do you want to do first, oh great leader?” Iason asked as he climbed onto the bike behind Riki, his tone hitting at sarcasm.

 

Riki scowled, “first we need to do something about that fucking hair. Mat's right, I can't stand you looking like that either.”

 

“Are you saying you don't like my hair?” Iason asked bewildered by the comment. It was not one he often received.

 

“I don't like you period.” Riki muttered as he kicked the bike to life and took off at backbreaking speeds. Iason could do nothing but hold on and contemplate this odd alinance that was forming between him and the Mongrel.

 

Thus Iason had ended up in a small hotel bathroom with a container of black hair dye and a grimace attached to his face. In the last three days Riki had been very civil with him. The two had actually worked well together, and were preparing to make their first move. Now Iason just had to play the part. The Blondie had never really considered the possibility of losing his golden hair, but it was not a prospect that he was looking forward to. It meant more than just a change in appearance, it was a change in social status. Would people treat him like a filthy Mongrel now, would he be hunted along with the people he had been trying to exterminate? Iason sighed, when had he started thinking of Mongrels as people? He blamed Riki for this; it was the Mongrel that forced him to look at the world through his eyes. Iason was a stranger to guilt and he didn't like the feeling at all. What would Riki think if he knew just how much of an enemy Iason really was? Would Riki blame Iason when large raiding parties invaded Midas and started rounding up his people? No, Riki would never know he was behind it. He didn't know why but he couldn't stand the idea of seeing that hatred in Riki's eyes. He had already seen enough hatred reflected in those eyes and it was not something he enjoyed. He had only been with the Mongrel for a handful of days, but Riki had indeed had an effect on him. With a shake of his head Iason opened the first little box and prepared to change his identity, and his life along with it.

 

**~~**

 

Raoul sighed as he stood in front of his closed door, looking at it as if it were the entrance to hell. In a way it was, because on the other side he would find the Mongrel that had been nothing but a terror since the day he arrived. Had it really only been three days ago that he had taken the creature in? Somehow it felt like much longer. The first day Guy had screamed and yelled and tried to fight Raoul on multiple occasions. He had tried to escape twice that day; both attempts had of course proved totally futile. After that Guy had resorted to destroying furniture to show his anger and Raoul had finally tied him down and left him to think about his actions. Raoul knew that this would not help him gain the Mongrel's trust but damn it he would not let the creature turn his life upside down so completely. All the same Raoul had released the Mongrel and brought a fair sized breakfast up to the room the next morning. He had to help Iason and he couldn't afford to be enemies with the one creature that could lead him to the other Blondie. He still had no clue as to where Iason was or if he was even alive, and the Mongrel still didn't trust him in the slightest.

 

Guy had refused the food; he had refused to talk to Raoul or even acknowledge his presence that morning. Exasperated Raoul had stormed out and found an excuses to stay away throughout the day. He had even slept in the guest room that night, in a guest room! He had awoken stiff, sore, and angry. He would make progress with the Mongrel that day, even if it killed them both.

 

Raoul clenched his teeth as he walked up to the door. It slid away with silent grace, allowing him entrance. Raoul walked into his room and stopped dead in his tracks when he found the Mongrel sitting at his desk going through his paperwork. Raoul felt anger bubbling up inside him and forced it far down. This Mongrel inspired far too many emotional responses from him, and he was not about to give the creature such control. The information on his desk was all work related, and if the Mongrel could even understand it he wouldn't be able to use it for anything. It was simply the matter that he had gone through Raoul's possessions at all that disturbed the Blondie. Raoul approached the Mongrel with silent steps his anger flowing after him into the room. He waited until he was right behind the Mongrel before alerting him to his presence.

“Just what do you think you're doing?” Raoul held back a smirk as Guy whirled around with wide frightened eyes, his movement causing all of the papers to go floating to the ground. If nothing else he had finally gotten a response from the unstable creature. Raoul looked pointedly at the papers, enjoying the Mongrel's discomfort.

 

Guy gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his usual nerve returning. “I wasn't doing anything wrong okay! You've had me locked up in this damned room for the last three days and I'm fucking board!”

 

Raoul rose an eyebrow, the Mongrel was actually talking to him, not sulking or screaming nonsense, but true communication. Raoul decided that he would not point this out to the Mongrel, lest he fall back into old habits. “I already told you that you could come out as soon as you learned to curb that tongue of yours. It is no ones fault but your own that you are still in here.”

 

Guy sighed heavily shaking his head. “Look, its not like I mean anything by it. It's just how I talk okay? I don't get on you for being all prime and proper like do I?”

 

Raoul pursed his lips, that was what trying looked like? He sincerely doubted it. Still he was surprised by this answer and the amount of thought that actually went into it. However small it was the first true bit of communication that had accrued between the two. “So you are saying that if I were to travel to Midas, per say, my manner of speaking and acting would be considered offensive?” Raoul asked trying to keep the conversation going.

 

Guy shook his head. “Not offensive, just fucking weird. Er um, I mean just weird. Look I'm sorry okay I can't help it. It's not like I'm tryin' to do it or nothin.' It just slips out. Look I gotta get out of here okay? If I have to stare at this fuckin' pansy ass room any longer I'm gonna go crazy.”

“The room that you speak of is my personal living space, Mongrel.” Raoul said trying to keep the annoyance from his voice. He had to constantly remind himself that he was trying to win this creature's trust. Iason had been out there for three days already. Who was to say what had happened to him in that time.

 

“If you want to get out so badly I suppose I can take you to the gardens. I will expect you to hold your tongue when we are in the presence of others, seeing as it can not behave itself when allowed to wander.” The Mongrel blinked at him, dumb founded. “Come along Mongrel.” Raoul turned and exited the room, smiling at the pit pat of slippered feet following behind him. They entered the common area of the apartments used for dinning and entertainment. There were pets on display here, and a heavy mixture of Blondies and other upper class citizens. Raoul could not help but notice that Guy moved closer to him, glancing nervously at the Blondies assembled in the common room. It was good to see that the Mongrel was looking to him for protection, it was a sign that he was beginning to trust him, even subconsciously. Raoul continued through the dinning area without hesitancy and made his way the elevator that would take them to the buildings indoor garden. The garden spanned the entire top floor of the building, and was supposed to be very beautiful. Raoul had never been there himself, he didn't keep pets and found the place to be a waste of time but he figured that the wide-open area would be as good a place as any to draw the Mongrel out of his shell. As the pair entered a private elevator Guy glanced at Raoul uncertainly. “Why the hell are you being so nice? Blondies don't act like this, what do you want?”

Raoul glanced down at the Mongrel and was surprised to see the strange mixture of fear and hope in the creature's eyes. He leaned it close to the Mongrel, having to stoop down a bit to reach his ear. “What do you think I want?” He whispered in a thick voice.

 

The Mongrel shuttered and drew back, his eyes going to the ground and his face heating. The elevator lurched upward and Guy stumbled a bit, his face red. He wrong his hands in front of him and gave a shaky laugh. “Hell if I know. I mean you coulda taken anything you wanted and you didn't and you've been nice. I mean you're a Blondie and you've been nice. I didn't know Blondies could be nice. I mean you don't act like a Blondie-“ Raoul cut him off by gently placing a finger under his chin and applying a bit of pressure until the Mongrel looked at him. Those vivid eyes stared right through Raoul, tearing away at all of his carefully placed defenses.

 

“I don't want anything from you Mongrel. At least not at the moment.” Raoul said at last. “I won't say that I will not ask for more in the future, but I will not force you into anything. You said that I do not act like a Blondie, and I do not know how you think a Blondie is suppose to act. I have a proposition for you Mongrel. Judge me by my actions, and make your own opinion. Do this for me and I shall do the same for you.”

 

The Mongrel was silent for a moment and when he did at last speak Raoul had to strain to hear him. “It's Guy.”

 

“Come again?” Raoul asked not quite understanding the Mongrel's reply.

 

The Mongrel looked up and there was something new in his eyes, something that Roual could not identify. “My name is Guy. If your not gonna judge me by my species than call me that. I'll give you a good once over if you want it so badly, but don't expect me to like what I find.”

Raoul nodded taking the odd mix of words as an agreement to his proposition. “Very well Guy, I look forward to getting to know you.”

 

 

I promise there's more Iason/Riki in the next part. Lets just say some bad things happen with them. Anyhow hope you enjoyed and please review!

 

Ethereal