Forever Caged

Authors Note: Hey yaoifangirl89! as to your question about the peeps that were talking to each other in the beginning...well they are still a secret ;p Not quite ready to expose them yet :D

Disclamier: I don't own Ai No Kusabi nor do i make any money from this fanfic.
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Iason/Riki, Raoul/Katze
Parts: 2 Of ?

Edited by cgl4034

~~***Forever Caged***~~

Katze sighed.

Leaning back in his cushioned desk chair, he rubbed his tired, aching eyes. He had been staring at his computer monitors for thirteen hours straight. Although Iason had only been out of commission for nearly a month, time spent in the healing chambers and physical therapy, those weeks without him had caused all sorts of problems.

Problems that he was still trying to get on top of.

It didn't help that Sir Raoul Am kept breathing down his neck. The Blondie, having been in charge during the time Iason was temporarily indisposed of, continued to demand for Katze to report daily on his scheduled duties for every hour of the day.

Iason himself had never demanded that much of him.

One would think that with the Syndicate leader back at the helm, the other Blondie would let up on the pressure on Katze and leave the ex-Furniture to do as he pleased. However, if anything, the damn Elite was getting even more demanding.

Katze was used to the dominating and arrogant personalities of the Tanagura Elites, traits that were doubled in the Blondies; the elite amongst the elite. They were the beings that ruled Amoi and all the protected planets under its control.

Out of all the Blondies, seven of them made up the prime pillars of Amoi.

Iason Mink was their supreme leader. The one that held everything together.

Without Iason, the six remaining pillars would still be able to hold up the foundation of the Amoi civilization, at least for a while. Without their main support, it would only be a matter of time before it all came crashing down. One could compare Amoi and its people to a computer. Everyone had their own their own specific role to make sure the computer functioned properly. However, without a power source the computer would remain shut down.

Iason Mink was their power source.

More than a figurehead, Iason Mink was needed for Amoi's continued survival. This was probably why Jupiter had nearly fried the city of Tanagura, the capital of Amoi, when she had felt the life force of her favorite child start to flicker out of existence.

It was a mystery to them all why she had saved Riki as well. A simple Mongrel pet.

Perhaps she knew that the Mongrel was Iason's power source. That the Blondie would cease to function without him.

Iason was different that way. Never before would a Blondie have allowed himself to need another, least of all a Pet, but then again, Iason was more then just a Blondie. Katze had been with the Syndicate leader since he was eleven years old. First as his Furniture, a position he'd kept for five years before Iason caught him hacking into the Syndicate systems, then later as his Black Market Overseer. Any other Blondie would have sent the sixteen year old Furniture to his death, but not Iason.

During the thirteen years Katze had spent with the other man, he had come to know him as different from the other Blondies. Iason thought and acted differently than them. He was radical and revolutionary where his brothers would have been traditional and predictable. Katze could think of more things than Iason having made his Furniture into his Black Market Overseer and his Pet into his lover, that made him special.

Thirteen years was a long time to get to know someone, and Katze had during that time developed his own theories on why Iason was Jupiter's favored son.

Katze chuckled slightly at himself. It wasn't like him to ponder the greater mysteries of the world or reflect on the past. He didn't care what lay beyond Jupiter's decision. She had brought Iason and Riki back to them. That was all that mattered.

Pulling himself from his reverie, Katze focused his attention back to the matter at hand. He needed to find a way to get the very demanding, Sir Raoul, off his back. The annoying Blondie had ordered all of Katze's activities logged in his daily reports, lest Sir Raoul should find the need to reprimand him. Hell, even the amount of time spent in the shower would need to be written down. If there were any black spots in the time lines, sure enough, his ass would get a call from the towering Blondie. How did one go about politely requesting a Blondie to fuck off, anyway?

At first when Sir Am had stepped up to take over while Iason was still in the Healing Chambers, the demand to give an account of every little move he made hadn't bothered him. Despite the fact he had initially been okay with it, it had gotten old quick, and Katze had started to rebel against his orders by scheduling in places he didn't go to, neglecting to log the places he did attend and generally faking the timelines to give himself some freedom.

Katze wasn't sure why he chose to rebel. He knew it was dangerous. Just the thought of doing to Iason what he was doing to Sir Raoul, sent shivers of fear down his spine. Only a fool would deliberately disobey the supreme leader. Had it been Iason, Katze would have recorded every detail without hesitation. Yet, it wasn't Iason. It was Sir Raoul Am, and Katze couldn't deny that something inside of him was aching to be let free.

There was a restlessness within him. A change taking hold of him.

Perhaps it was simply Riki rubbing off on him. He did spend a lot of time with the rebellious Mongrel, after all. Iason's Pet wasn't exactly known for his docile attitude.

Katze suspected the coming of his twenty-fifth birthday was the likely cause behind his unease.

Twenty-five was no small achievement in their world, and everyone else already suspected him to be much older. Katze didn't mind. He didn't look particularly old, but the scar on his cheek and the years he'd spent in the Black Market gave the illusion of an older man.

He was jerked out of his thoughts when the door to his office was kicked in. Quickly, he leapt to his feet and moved his body into a defensive stance. Only when he realized who had dared to barge into his office, did he relax his posture.

High level Tanagura androids.

To most people there wouldn't be anything special about them. Unlike their elite brethren in Eos, they weren't tall or beautiful; but average. Plain in looks and in height. They could move around freely with their nondescript appearance as there was little to notice them by. Only because of what he did and who he was, did Katze immediately know who they were.

The Hounds of Amoi.

Katze knew just enough about them to know that a visit from these particularly androids were the last thing he wanted, and that a healthy dose of fear should be cued in right about now. He made any threatening movements, and before he could blink they would be holding his arms from across the room, detached from his body.

"Overseer of the Black Market. Step away from the communicator on your desk and back up against the wall," a voice ordered him tonelessly.

Katze didn't hesitate or argue.

Holding his hands, palms up, away from his body, he slowly did as he was told. Trembling in fear, he watched as four more Hounds entered his office followed by one last arrival. 'Shit,' he thought miserably as he stared, wide eyed, at the being in front of him, trying not to piss his pants in fright.

"Katze, ex-Furniture and Overseer of the Amoi Black Market. I am here because of your involvement in the latest assassination attempt of Iason Mink. Prepare yourself, for you have been judged."

At that moment Katze knew he was dead. No one, not even Iason or the overbearing Sir Am, could save him now.

oOoOoOo

Raoul picked absently at his nails as he waited in the lobby of Jupiter Tower. Iason, along with himself and the five other top Blondies of the Syndicate, had finally been summoned by Jupiter with regards to the recent incident at Dana Bahn.

Raoul was rather surprised that the A.I. had taken this long to summon them. Four weeks had already passed since Sir Mikhale Tain and himself, the only two Blondies to have been present when the emergence call from Katze came, had lead the rescue teams to the smoldering site.

It had taken just about ten days to completely heal the vast, ghastly damage done to Iason's body. As for Riki... Till this very day, he still had no clue as to where the Mongrel Pet had been taken.

He remembered quite vividly the masked, sexless figures, wearing Tanagura Syndicate uniforms and informing him that the Pet, Riki the Black, was to be released into their custody by order of Jupiter. The only information they had been at liberty to disclose, was that Riki was to be revived. No other details had been given.

Not even while teamed up with Katze, had they managed to locate the Mongrel.

Katze...

That damned ex-Furniture had failed to report to him the day before. When Raoul had contacted those barely coherent employees of his, they had no clue as to where their boss was.

As soon as he got his hands on him, he'd make it very clear to the flamed haired ex-Furniture that he was never to take off without speaking to Raoul first. Iason had given him too much freedom. Someone like Katze needed to be kept in a firm grasp at all times. A grasp Raoul would be perfectly content to enforce.

Maybe it was time to discuss a possible ownership switch of Katze from Iason to Raoul. After all, Iason had his hands full with Riki.

Raoul had been understandably shocked when he had gone to pick up Iason the previous night. The sounds coming from the master bedroom had been a clear indicator as to the activities of master and Pet. There had been rumors, of course, that Iason had engaged in sexual intercourse with the Mongrel.

Iason had even admitted to loving his wilful pet.

Regardless, rumors were still little more than eager talk and speculation. No one had known for sure, the relationship between the two men.

Until now.

Riki was apparently very...expressive...not to mention vocal, as Raoul had discovered. He had been very clear on just how he wanted Iason to pleasure him.

'I wonder what kind of noises Katze would make,' Raoul wondered briefly, and found himself shocked at the unexpected thought, though it didn't stop him from thinking further down that line. Katze had always been a lovely man in his eyes, even with that hideous scar. Tall and slender, with hair just like a Ruby's, his golden eyes would flash with knowledge and barely concealed defiance.

Raoul found him to be absolutely charming.

He would have been an excellent Pet, had he not been modified.

Raoul froze as a thought occurred to him. Although Katze was modified, he could still be sexually active. Castrates had been recorded to be able to feel phantom climaxes despite the lack of proper functioning parts, and could in any case still be penetrated. Katze could very well be with a lover right then, while Raoul was stuck in Jupiter, bound by his duties, unable to stop him.

He imagined Katze moaning, on his hands and knees as another kneeled behind him, pleasuring him. Allowing someone to touch his body...someone that wasn't Raoul. The very idea of it filled him with hot, burning rage.

"Raoul?" a regal voice interrupted him.

Raoul blinked in surprise as he looked up to see Iason standing before him. He'd been so lost in his thoughts he hadn't even noticed his good friend approach him.

"Are you all right, my friend?" the tall Blondie questioned him.

"Forgive me Iason, I was submerged in my thoughts for a moment. You caught me unaware," Raoul explained, still seething from the images in his mind. Images he filed away safely to one corner of his brain. He would review them later, along with the unexplained rage the images had caused.

"Thinking about body parts again, my friend?" Iason spoke amused, the barest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, actually," Raoul responded, aware that Iason was referring to his profession rather than the more...sexual aspects...of the human body.

"Hm...it never fails to amuse me how you get so involved with your job. You seem always to be thinking of bodies and cells." Iason mused, some unknown emotion Raoul couldn't quite place, glinting gently in his icy blue eyes.

"I am a scientist and a Biochemist, after all. One would assume that is what I think about," Raoul reminded him.

"You have experience in other areas as well. Do you ever get bored?" his friend questioned him.

Raoul smiled. "Unlike someone else I know, not ever," he replied, looking at the other Blondie pointedly. "I find that I am much more proficient when concentrating all my intellect in one area. I am however, quite capable of undertaking projects in my other fields should I choose to do so. I simply find that I don't wish to."

Iason nodded in understanding. "You do have a demanding job," he concurred. "It must be stressful in its delicacy. To my knowledge you no longer have any Pets to enjoy either. It would surely relieve your mind from such a tiresome occupation."

Raoul hid a pleased smile as he found the opening he had hoped for.

"Yes, about that...I was wondering if we could come to an agreement on someone you claim ownership on," he started carefully. "I understand that you might not agree to a complete switch, but maybe we could share. A sort of joint custody, if you like."

While Iason's facial expression remained the same, Raoul could sense the change befall the other man. His body language stiffened, and an air of pure, unforgiving cold surrounded him as he bore glacier like eyes into Raoul's own green ones. Raoul almost felt like testing the room temperature.

He was certain it hadn't been this cold a second ago.

"Exactly who might this someone be?" Iason inquired dangerously.

Raoul was quick to realize his mistake.

"I want Katze."

He hadn't meant to be quite so blunt, but considering who Iason thought he was talking about, he rather saw fit to rectify the situation immediately. They might be the closest of friends, but Raoul held no illusions as to what Iason would do to him should he ever pose as a threat against his ownership over Riki. The unspoken promise of physical harm was very real if Iason believed he wanted to take his Pet from him.

Iason's performance as their leader had not in anyway diminished after Dana Bahn, and he seemed to have only gotten more powerful and proficient. He had changed after the incident.

It could be due to their close friendship, but Raoul was seemingly the only one to have noticed the change. If anyone else had sensed the difference in their leader, they were keeping it to themselves.

Where Iason would have once evaded all questions and kept everyone in the dark as to the true nature of his relationship with Riki, he no longer did so.

There were few who dared to question Iason directly, but those who did were given the truth.

Riki was his, body and soul.

While in the past there had been faint love marks covering Riki's body in a show of Iason's ownership, he had never confirmed or denied that he was having sex with his Pet. Now, Iason thought nothing of marking Riki in places where everyone could see. It didn't matter who knew as there would be no hesitation in eliminating those suicidal enough to challenge the Blondie's claim on his Mongrel.

"Katze?" Iason questioned as his body relaxed into a more comfortable stance.

The movement was so minuscule Raoul barely caught it. He gave a mental sigh of relief when he heard the amusement in Iason's voice.

"Yes, Katze," he spoke. "I have become somewhat...intrigued. I find the workings of his mind to be fascinating," Raoul revealed.

"Hm...Yes, I had noticed your continued involvement in the Black Market. It was understandable when I was...indisposed...so to speak. When you did not step down I wondered if perhaps you were trying to establish more control in a part of my territory," Iason commented.

Raoul's eyes widened.

"Iason, no! I would never do such a thing. Not to you, of all people," he vehemently denied.

"Do not worry, my friend. I have noticed that your interest seem only to revolve around my Overseer and his...assets... rather than the actual profits of the Market," the Syndicate leader chuckled softly.

Raoul wasn't sure why, but Iason's amusement made him uncomfortable. A fact that irritated him greatly. "I fail to see the amusement in this."

Iason's low chuckle grew to a small laugh. "So I see."

"Iason..." Raoul began.

"I believe this discussion can be held off until a later date, my friend," the man cut him off. "This is not a place where we should speak of such things. Where fashion calls for a late arrival, Jupiter cares more for punctuality."

"Come," Iason spoke even as Raoul followed him to the elevators that would take them to the private conference room. It was reserved for the seven of them. The most powerful amongst the thirteen Blondies. Above the conference room, at the peek of Jupiter Tower, was the one place where only the Blondie, Iason Mink, was allowed to enter; their Mother's Sanctuary.

They were almost at their stop when Raoul was compelled to ask, "So...?"

Iason chuckled again. "So?"

Raoul suppressed a sigh. The one thing he hated more than anything was when Iason played his little games with him. "I understand that now is not the time or place to bring this up, but I would at the very least appreciate a straight answer on whether an understanding can be reached or not."

"Hm...You are correct," Iason murmured. "Now is neither the time, nor the place, but an agreement seems possible. I have been thinking of this for some time now, and I believe I have come up with an agreeable solution."

Raoul sneaked a glance at his friend, startled. "Exactly when did you think of this?"

"Three weeks ago," Iason answered with a sly smile.

Three weeks ago...

That meant Iason had noticed Raoul's improper fascination with his ex- Furniture from the very beginning.

Raoul scowled at him. "Have I ever told you how incredibly annoying I find your ability to seemingly know everything?"

Iason nodded his head gracefully. Elegant as always. "You may have mentioned it once or twice."

"Yes, well. One more time cannot hurt," Raoul said irritably, narrowing his forrest green eyes.

"Indeed," Iason allowed. "If it comforts you, I am sure you are not the only one to think so."

"Yes, of that I am sure," Raoul answered sourly as the elevator doors opened.

None descriptive androids were waiting for them, escorting them to the closed double doors, guarding the entrance to the conference room.

Raoul had always found the carvings on the doors to be almost, hypnotic, in its savage, frightening beauty. The enormous double doors, twice the size of the normal standard, were a creamy white in color. Shining with a glossy finish.

The carvings depicted winged beasts, frozen in mid hunt with snarling fangs and ferocious expressions. Their claws were extended and ready to swipe on their prey, cowering beneath them. Besides the winged beasts, there were other beings as well. Humans, males and females, sporting the same ferociousness, smiling enticingly as they lead what appeared to be their enemies, to spike filled pits and other such means of certain death.

"Did you ever wonder why Jupiter would have such a thing?" Raoul questioned Iason quietly.

Iason followed Raoul's gaze to the carved images, but refrained from answering as another voice cut in.

"To intimidate those who enter, I would think."

Raoul turned and sighed when he caught sight of the approaching man. "Hello Aisha," he greeted politely.

"Good evening Raoul. It is nice to see you in something other than your lab coat," the newcomer grinned mischievously. He turned towards Iason and gave a slight bow. "Sir Iason."

"Aisha," Iason returned, coolly.

"Perhaps it is a means to intimidate," another newcomer agreed. "This carving is roughly six hundred years old. It portrays the civilization that once inhabited this world. It was a time before even our creator was born. One can only assume that the person, or people who carved this masterpiece, was one of the savages portrayed in the image."

Raoul smiled at the new voice. "It is good to see you Mikhale," he spoke warmly. After the Blondie had helped him locate Iason on that horrendous day, he found that he quite liked the man.

"What has made you reached this conclusion?" Iason asked indifferently, his blue eyes moving from Aisha to Mikhale.

The Blondie met his gaze briefly before turning back to the double doors. "Just by looking at the carving you can see that the outsiders were killed, some quickly and some painfully. One can only assume by the raw emotion that the artist was one of their own."

"Just how would you know how old it is?" Aisha questioned Mikhale, picking an imaginary piece of lint of his shoulder as Raoul suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the other's antics.

No one would have caused much of an uproar if Aisha had been the rumored elite having sex with his Pet. Aisha Rosen was the only elite he knew that loved trouble. Some of the stunts the Blondie had pulled over the years had left them all shaking their heads in amazement. It was a mystery as to how the melodramatic Blondie hadn't managed to kill himself yet. Ironic, while considering the fact that he was the head of the Health and Safety Department in Eos.

"I submitted a request to Jupiter, asking if I could take a sample," Mikhale revealed.

Raoul stared at the Blondie in disbelief, noticing Aisha doing the same. Iason seemed unaffected as he regarded the carving again.

"That was a bold move," Raoul commented.

"Bold?" Aisha cut in incredulously. "I'm amazed Jupiter didn't zap you where you stood when you asked her."

Aisha snickered at the thought.

"Why would she?" Mikhale narrowed his eyes at the impish Blondie.

"You said it yourself. That thing is more than half a millennium. To chop up something priceless like that just to put it under some microscope!" Aisha chuckled in disbelief.

"Jupiter noticed my interest the last time I was here, where upon I was given permission to take a few shavings of the piece," Mikhale spoke.

"Why would you want to research it, anyway?"

Mikhale looked at Aisha. "I was curious," he answered simply.

Aisha laughed. "You chanced probable dismemberment over mere curiosity? I've seen service androids touch those doors in a seemingly inappropriate manner only to be carted off, never to be seen again."

"She never gave me the impression that I was over stepping my boundaries," Mikhale explained.

"Well, I say you're very lucky," Aisha chortled in reply. "On to a different subject; how is that Pet of yours? I was disappointed when you canceled the performance with my high bred. I've heard great things about your Pet so I was looking forward to tonight."

Mikhale stiffened immediately at the mention of his Pet. "Lilly needed to be disciplined. All performances with him have been put off till a later date."

"Is that so? I've heard outstanding reviews from the elites fortunate enough to experience your Pet's performance. I've been told that your little Pet is the poster child for good behavior. The very picture of the perfect Pet!" Aisha exclaimed, delighted at the idea of such a flawless Pet.

"Lilly is very well behaved, but like all Pets has rules he needs to follow. Rules that I still need to enforce," Mikhale spoke frostily.

Raoul watched the exchange with some interest, and turned to the strangely silent Iason, noticing the peculiar look in his eyes. Iason looked as if he had Sir Mikhale under a microscope, looking beyond his outwards appearance to something interesting. Something hidden from plain sight.

Raoul turned back to Mikhale, taking in the high ranking Blondie. Sir Mikhale Tain, six-foot-six inches tall, with long, straight blond hair, only a shade darker then Iason's. He was beautiful like they all were, blessed with extraordinary lovely aqua colored eyes. He looked like the perfect Blondie. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and Raoul found himself wondering what could have caught his friend's attention.

"Iason?"

Iason ignored Raoul as he continued to watch Aisha badgering Mikhale about his Pet, wanting to set up another performance.

'Interesting,' Iason thought. 'Very interesting, indeed.'

"Your Excellency, Iason Mink?"

All four Blondies turned at the monotone voice of the small, pale android dressed in a white body suit. "Please enter, Your Excellency. While it is not yet time for Jupiter to welcome you and there are still three more arriving, please come in and enjoy yourself while you wait. It would be disrespectful to allow one such as you remain standing out here," the android said with a low bow.

"Yes, one wouldn't want to stand and wait out here with the rest of us," Aisha said humorously, winking at Raoul.

The pale android looked at Aisha for a moment. "I have been informed that you may wait inside as well." Turning, the android motioned for two other, identical androids, to open the heavy doors. Raoul shook his head in slight amazement. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"Royalty first," Aisha jested, cornflower-blue colored eyes glinting with mirth, bowing to Iason as the man passed him.

"That wicked attitude of yours, Aisha, will get you into trouble one of these days," Raoul muttered, following behind Iason.

"Ahh! But what is life without a little trouble?" Aisha chuckled.

"Less stressful is what it is," Mikhale concluded softly.

Iason turned his head slightly, regarding Mikhale as he looked at him with a small secretive smile.

Raoul took one last look on the carvings as the door was opened. Maybe he would ask Mikhale if he knew any other history on the thing. The story looked to be more than a civilization of savages killing their enemies. It looked like a fight for survival. While still fierce, one could see that many of them were also on the run, fleeing the monsters they were fighting.

It made him wonder.

If the carving was the last remaining item from the people that use to inhabit the planet, then how did they die? Had all of them perished, or had someone survived? If so, where had they gone?

More importantly...what had happened to the monsters they had been at war with?

TBC...