Forever Caged

Disclaimer: I don't own Ai No Kusabi nor do I make any money from this fanfic. However, I do own all the original peeps I've chosen to invade the AnK world.


Rating: NC-17


Pairings: Iason/Riki, Raoul/Katze, original characters and novel character pairings.


Parts: 104 of  ?


 

~~**Forever Caged**~~




Stretching his arms over his head, Riki loudly yawned. The gang leaders had departed. Lilly, Jade and he tiredly made their way to the exit. Two fucking hours of listening to gang leaders bitch and try to insert their dominance, only to him verbally and physically beating their asses to the ground when they challenged him.





Two long hours of shouting and fighting, until they finally came to an agreement. They were going to rebuild Ceres, and having gained control of Guardian would allow them to do that. The Slums was no place for children, so they needed the teachers and caregivers that ran the place. But on his terms. Those mongrel children would have a better childhood than he, and all the other mongrels, did.





But it all depended on whether or not Riki could find the bastard that was taking their people, and bring the fucker forward so they all could rain mongrel justice over him.





Iason was going to have an Elite hissy fit when he told the Blondie he had agreed to that term. And there was no telling what Iason would do when he discovered what Riki planned on doing with Ceres. Which was why he wasn’t going to tell him… Not yet, anyway.





"Our meeting did not last as long as I thought it would," Lilly said, blinking at the brightness of the sun as they emerged from the rundown hotel.





"It would have taken forever if both you and Jade had not been with me," Riki replied.





"Less me and more Jade," Lilly said. "With Jade with us, I was not needed."





"Really?" Jade blushed.





"Really, kid," Riki said. "You did me proud today. Without you bitch slapping those hardheaded bastards, it would have taken more than two hours to get them to agree to the changes."





Jade ducked his head, embarrassed. "But what will Sir Mink say when you tell him?"





"Tell him what?" Riki asked, leading them down the street.





"Of your plan to build Ceres back up," Jade said.





"Our plan," Lilly corrected. "I want in, Riki. I wish to help make your home flourish once again."





Riki smiled. He wondered what Mikhale would have to say about Lilly’s decision. He just hoped he wasn’t around when Lilly told the Blondie. Mikhale wasn’t a fan of his.





"But," Lilly stressed. "What will you tell Sir Mink about today?"





As little as fucking possible, Riki thought. "Secrets are good for relationships. Every couple keeps secrets from one another. Now is one of those times," Riki said, staring pointedly at Jade.





"I won't tell," Jade mumbled.





"Not saying you were," Riki said. "I'm just passing along helpful information, from father to son. Iason and I have been together for seven years now. Secrets are what kept us together and helps keep the spark alive in our love life."





"Yes," Lilly said dryly, "I'm sure Sir Mink kidnapping you, imprisoning you in Eos, putting a pet ring on you to track your movements, and forcing you to be his pet had nothing to do in keeping the both of you together."





"Shut up, Lilly," Riki said glaring at the pet good-naturedly. Lilly smirked at him.





“I’m sure I can find other means of-of keeping the ‘spark’ between Gideon and me alive, without lying to him,” Jade said, his blush spreading to the tip of his ears.





Riki grunted. About time the kid stood up to him about his relationship with Gideon. He didn’t like it, but he’d find another way to mess with the hulking Blondie.





“Where are we meeting up with others?” Lilly asked.





Riki frowned. He hadn’t heard a peep out of the others since they went their separate ways. V and the twins had been told not to disturb him will he was talking to the gangs, but his boys weren’t what one would call “considerate”.





“I spoke to Fidget before arriving with Gideon, and with V before he left Eos with Rio,” Jade said. “Fidget told me that he would be “getting the scoop about Aisha”, so Sky and he would be “off the mic” for a while. V doesn’t want to talk to you right now, because you stuck him with Rio.”





Riki sighed. He just pulled off a miracle minutes ago. Since the rebellion a hundred years ago, never had Ceres ever joined forces again, and his main guys were having temper tantrums and off fishing for tidbits on each other’s sex life.





“I told those fools to meet me—“ Riki stopped.





“Riki?” Jade paused at his side.





“What is it?” Lilly asked.





Riki laughed softly. “The main thing Ceres needs is a steady flow of currency.” Riki looked into the window of a leather shop. “Iason’s digs are good for tramping around Tanagura, but I’m sure he’s tired of all those stuffy suits he wears.”





Looking at the display in the bared windows, Lilly laughed. “Sir Mink dressed in leather? He would never clothe himself in such an outfit.”





Grinning wickedly, Riki walked to the shop’s door. “He set up an account so that I’d spend his money. I swore I’d never touch his cash, and it’s been collecting interest for years, why not use it?”





“I don’t Sir Mink meant for you to use it here…” Jade mumbled.





 Ignoring Jade’s comment, Riki entered the shop. He could afford to waste ten minutes. It would take more than two hours for V, Rio, and the twins to find the lunatic they were hunting. If anything, Riki was concerned about the damage those four could do than anything else.

oOoOoOo




V licked his dry lips as he struggling to lift his leaden eyelids. He grimaced when he tasted blood and shakily pressed the palm of his hand to his aching head.





Or, at least, he tried to.





Forcing his eyes open, V stared, dumbfounded, at the manacles circled around his wrists. “What the fuck…”





His arms were stretched wide apart above his head. V could barely bend his elbow. His legs were in the same position.





“What the hell is going on?” he groggily whispered.





“I told you we should have called for help,” an annoyed voice called out. “But no, you didn’t wanna listen to me. Why should you listen to me anyway? I’ve only made it my life goal to not be the one in front of the gun, but behind it.”





“Rio?” The room was dark with candles casting golden shadows against the walls. Squinting his eyes, V made out Rio’s figure hanging in chains in front of him. “What the hell happen, dude?” They had been bickering back and forth as they climbed down the ladder into the tunnels, then…





Then, what?





V shook his head, trying to clear his muggy thoughts. What happened after they climbed down into the tunnels? He'd been knocked out dozens of times before, and almost always he remembered a fist, club, or some kind of pain after waking up. This time, however, he could not remember a single thing. He had a headache, yeah, but he had one—because of Rio's constant chatter—before finding himself chained, spread eagle, in the middle of some cave—which also wasn't a first for him... and probably wouldn't be the last.





"What happened?" V asked.





"Other than the fact that we got jumped and are now chained up?" Rio said. "Granted, this isn't the first time this has happened to me, but more than half the time there were feathers and naked people involved—"





"Rio," V growled, rattling his chains. "I don't want to hear about your fucking sex life. I already saw enough of your naked ass today. I don't need, or fucking want, a mental picture added onto that. Just tell me what the hell happened!"





"We wouldn't be in this mess," Rio hissed, "if I knew what happened. I've been fed poisons and drugs my whole life to make sure something like this never happened. You know how hard it is for someone like me to get high? Very, and believe me when I say that I've tried and tried hard."





"So we were drugged?" That would explain the hangover-like headache he was sporting.





"We walked into a trap," Rio said, his voice laced with disgust. "They knew we were coming and were waiting for us."





How? Other than their Blondies, who could have possibly have known they were coming? The order to find and rescue Niko's ass had only been uttered this morning, and the strange youth Rio had wounded wouldn't have had time to call for help and get back to ambush them.





"We have a traitor," V said, then frowned. The moment those words exited his mouth they felt wrong. While he didn't quite trust Orphe or the other Blondies, he believed in the selfishness of their needs because part of their Elite needs benefited his friends and all mongrels.





Whatever was going on one thing was crystal clear. They needed to get the hells name out of their chains and make a run for it, before whoever captured them returned.





V looked at Rio.





The assassin rocked in his chains, swinging slightly. "Don't look at me, asshole, for your snitch. You were with me the whole time, and if I were the dick that ratted you out, do you think I'd be strung up like this?"





V shook his head. "That wasn't the reason why I looked at you."





"Really?" Rio stared at him suspiciously. "Then why—"





"Because he wishes to quietly discuss with you all the options the both of you may have, so that you both may escape. Is that not correct?"





Startled, turning as much as he could to face the new voice, V's jaw dropped.





"You know," Rio said, "when V told me about his people disappearing and some turning up dead, I didn't think much about it. I mean, Ceres is city built out of razor blades and filled with criminals. Hell, even the flowers are out to rob ya. But never, not in my wildest dreams, would I have thought you were behind this."





V glared at Rio. "Shut up, Rio. I swear to fucking God, your mama must have dropped you repeatedly on the head." Shaking his head, V turned his attention back to the new comer.





"Niko?" His Guardian playmate smiled weakly at him. Agony etched on his pale face. Niko's hair was long, like down to his ass long. An oversized shirt hung down to Niko's white trousered thighs and both were stained with...





"Is that blood? What happened to you, dude?" V whispered.





Niko slowly walked toward them. V watched as the mongrel fought to keep his face relaxed, but, with every step Niko took, sweat beaded across his forehead and by the time he reached V's side, Niko could no longer keep the pain from reflecting on his face.





"Curiosity killed the cat," Niko softly laughed, tears threatened to spill from his sapphire eyes.





"Get us out of these chains, Niko," V said. He didn't know what the hell was going on, and he sure as hell didn't want to wait around—





"He's allowed me to see you," Niko said limping to stand next to the lone table in the room.





"Who?" V asked, his eyes roaming down Niko's back and the goulash stains that slowly grew wider across Niko's back.





"He won't let me say," Niko replied. "He will be with you soon, so you need not wonder for long."





"What are you doing, Niko?" V asked softly. He was disturbed at how his friend was behaving. The man before him was not the man he knew. It was if Niko didn’t even see that they were hanging there.





"If I’m good he'll stop hurting me," Niko mumbled. "He's happy you're here—that my attempt at 'escaping' brought you to him."





"And you're going to be good for this fucker?" Rio asked.





Turning around, Niko informed Rio, "I'm always good."





V leaned back as far as the chains allowed him to go. In Niko's hand was a jar filled with clear liquid and long black things swimming with in it. "What is that?" V asked.





"If not for you," Niko said quietly," I wouldn't have gotten into a fight with Gabriel."





Niko held up the jar to the candlelight and stared hypnotically at it.





"If not for you, I wouldn't have gotten hurt and wouldn't have needed to go to the infirmary." Niko looked away from the glass container and stared at Rio.





"Niko—"





"If not for you—" Niko raised his voice, cutting V off—"I wouldn't not have been taken and, for the first time in my life, experienced this kind of terror."





V watched as Niko moved to stand in front of Rio. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, Niko, rethink it now," V advised. He didn't think twice about fucking with Rio—about attacking the blond. Because he had the skills to defend himself if Rio decided to retaliate. His troublemaking friend, on the other hand, did not.





"You wouldn't be the first person to blame me for their problems," Rio said, "but if I were you, my sexy little friend, I'd take V's advice and rethink any stupid thoughts of revenge forming in your head."





"It does sound like I'm blaming you, yeah?" Niko said. "But I know it wasn't your fault he took me. As I said before, curiosity killed the cat or, in my case, skinned it."





V hoped to Jupiter that Niko did not mean what he said, but feared he wasn't. "Niko..."





"My snooping is what led me here." Niko shrugged.





"Then why bring it all up?" Rio asked, hanging and swinging in his chains as if he weren't restrained by them.





V suddenly began to laugh. "Oh man. I told you before, Rio. Niko's the king of retaliation."





"When I get home—" Niko's voice broke, thick with emotion. He had to clear his throat a few times before he could continue. "When I get home, Gabriel will baby me for months. But, after the horror of this hell has been made to never happen again, one thing will always remain."





Niko held up the jar.





"Gabriel will always remind me of how I kissed you when it had been you who had kissed me." Niko unscrewed the top of the container and then hooked his finger inside the waistband of Rio's pants.





Rio's eyes widened. "Hold up now! Didn't you say you needed to be good? That he would stop hurting you if you were? Doing this shit isn't anywhere near being a good boy, Niko baby."





Niko paused, then hiked his shoulders up. "He wasn't going to stop, regardless of what he promised." Slowly, Niko poured the jar of leeches down Rio's pants.





V laughed uproariously as Rio cursed.





"Hold onto that feeling," Niko whispered. "It might be the only thing you have left after he's gotten through with you."





V's laughter died. He did not like the sound of that. "Time to let us go, Niko," he ordered.





"I'm afraid, dear little Niko, is unable to assist you in that regard."





V froze. From the darkest corner of the room he watched a Platinum Elite emerge from the shadows. Not once had V notice the Elite.





"Niko may seem to be functioning rationally, but I assure you he is not," the Platinum said. "He is highly medicated."





V took a good long look at Niko. Yeah, besides the leech dump Niko was far from being...well, Niko. But drugged? Nah, V knew drugged and Niko was not juiced in any way, shape, or form. What V did see was undiluted fear shinning in Niko's completely focused gaze.





Rage filled V. He knew that kind of fear. Unlike Sky, he didn't care that mongrels were running around Eos as Elite slaves. Power to them and all that crap for getting out of the Slums—an opinion he'd never say out loud in case Sky overheard. His blood brother was way prejudice when it came to the mongrel Furnitures.





The fear radiating from Niko was the kind of fear he had been happy to see absent when Niko and he had been reunited. V had actually felt a moment or two of envy at how innocent Niko had been.





Had been...





Until the fucker in front of him took it away.





"What did you do to him?" V demanded.





"What did I do to him?" The Platinum smiled. "I've given him a gift, and if you behave I'll give it to you as well."





"Don't be takin' candy from strangers, V," Rio said, wiggling the lower half of his body. "I know crazy, and this freak is one stuffed cat short of a full room filled with dead shit."





Despite the seriousness of their situation, V rolled his eyes. "What the hell does that mean?"





"Look—" Rio glared at V—"I got leeches sucking the life out of my Mr. Happy, okay? That’s as good as you're going to get from me."





"I bet you say that to all the fellas," V said dryly.





"Don't forget the ladies I whisper that sweet nothing to." Rio grinned.





V's replying grin wiped clear from his face when Niko let out a muffed scream. The Platinum's hand was closed over Niko's shoulder, his fingers digging into his flesh.





V cursed as blood soaked into the Elite's glove.





"I would appreciate if you gave me your full attention," the Platinum said.





"Let go of him," V growled.





"But of course," the Platinum said, releasing Niko.





V winced as Niko fell to the ground. A long torturous moan escaping pass Niko’s pursed lips.





"You'll have to excuse his bad manners," the Platinum said waving down at Niko. "He has yet to recover from my loving treatments."





He knew how to play this game. V knew what to say and how to act to escape with minimal suffering and lifelong trauma...But, seeing Niko curled in a ball at the Elite's feet, whimpering, bleeding from who knew how many places on his body, all rational thought eluded him.





"You think you're hot shit now, but we both know the reason why you're puttin' on airs. And why you're hiding down here," V sneered. “Can’t hack it with the big boys, huh? You’re so fucking pathetic I feel sorry for you.”





"V. Don't do it, man," Rio warned.





"Nah, Rio," V said softly. "It's cool. I'm just chattin' with this white-haired motherfucker so that we can get to know one another a little better."





Stepping over Niko, the Platinum approached V. "There is no need for us to exchange pleasantries. I know all I need to know about you."





"Yeah?" V said. "I doubt that, bitch."





"V!" Rio shouted.





"I must say you are a beauty," the Platinum said, both he and V ignoring Rio's alarmed shout. “Your photograph does nothing to capture the exquisiteness of your features.”





V tried to jerk away as the Elite's hand reached out to caress his cheek.





The Platinum's eyes narrowed. "Let us see how beautiful this face of yours will be after I've gotten through with you."





"Hurt him if you gotta," Rio said. "But I'd think twice about killing him, Niko, or me."





"Kill you?" The Platinum laughed. "My dear prince, killing you is the farthest thing on my mind."





"Prince? So you know who I am, huh?" Rio asked. "Knowing my pedigree makes kidnapping me and my friends harder for you, doesn't it? I'll have a shit load of people looking for me."





V hissed out a breath when the Elite suddenly grabbed his hair and yanked his head back.





"If I know who you are, do you not think I also know the circumstances of your stay in Eos?" the Elite said. "Other than the Blondie you are now servicing no one will be looking for you."





"And a great deal of people have serviced me as well. At the moment, I've got any number of mouths sucking on my dick," Rio muttered. “Ow! Damnit! Their biting my sack!”





V glared at the ceiling. Stupid Rio.





"Sir Landon...please..." Niko said, standing shakily to his feet. "Please let them go."





V snarled as Landon pulled his body close. The Elite rubbed his cheek against V's, then trailed his face down and inhaled deeply at the junction between his neck and shoulder.





"Disgusting fuck," V hissed, jerking in his restraints.





"Even your scent is lovely," Landon whispered. "I would have thought Mikhale's pet would have been the one to smell divinely, but your natural odor is just like your face, beautiful."





"Wait!" Niko shouted.





Amazingly enough, the Elite let V go and took a step back. "Did you need something from him before I begin, Niko?" Landon asked.





"I-I d-do, Sir L-Landon," Niko stammered, coughing into his fist. "Could I... Could I please hug him one last time? He was once my lover, sir, and…and this may be the only time I will ever be able to do so."





We were never that close. V stared at Niko, wondering what the hell the mongrel was thinking in saying such an outrageous lie.





"Lover?" Landon laughed. "I had always assumed Gabriel had been your first man, little Niko."





"We all have our secrets, Sir Landon," Niko whispered.





"Yes," Landon said. "Like how you seem to have suppressed the drug I engineered. Thankfully for you, Niko, with the lovely Violet and the prince, I have two other subjects. So you can rest easy...for now."





Two other subjects? V opened his mouth to demand who the other who 'subjects' were, but Rio caught his attention. The assassin shook his head sharply at him and mouthed, not now. Stay alive, dickhead, to him.





V shut his mouth. Staying alive wasn't the problem. The crazy Elite had already said he wasn't going to kill them. But accidents did happen.





"Despite your recent disobedience, Niko," Landon said. "I will grant your request and give you leave to physically express your goodbyes to the fair Violet."





Concerned, V was speechless as Niko limped to him. The damp moldy stench of the room had been the only thing V could smell in the place, but as Niko came closer the sharp metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils.





Niko held his gaze for what seemed like forever before standing on the tips of his toes, and wrapping his cold arms around his neck.





V shifted uncomfortably. "Niko?"





Niko's lips covered his and soon Niko's tongue pushed against his lips, demanding entrance into V's mouth. Surprised by his boldness, V opened his mouth then moaned in pleasure when he felt a long thin object pass from Niko's mouth to his.





On his neck Niko tapped his nape. Twice with his left hand. Once with his right, then once more with his left.





Directions maybe? But to where?





"That is enough, Niko," the Platinum said.





Pulling back, V smiled down at the mongrel.





"I'm so going to tell on you," Rio told Niko.





TBC...