Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Coincidence	By : Kiba Category: +. to F > Ai no Kusabi Views: 9481 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Ai no Kusabi, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 36
- 37
- 38
***

***

Chapter 37: evolution restarted

What's my nature? What am I? Is there anything else? Those were the questions, mankind was made of. So what did that made of Jupiter now? An electronic toddler? A living being? An entity?

Raoul did not know. Up to that point the AI simply dealt with a question, its programming found no answer to. It didn't mean the AI suddenly developed a sense of individuality but that it continued searching, was miraculous in itself. Or wasn't it?

Knowing Raven to be an exceptionally clever mongrel, Raoul conjectured about the nature of the alien code in Jupiter's data bases. Therefore he offered the unthinkable - the installation of the human plug. And Jupiter agreed.

~~~

The installation of the plug was a quiet affair. Jupiter had chosen the original core to be the linking location. Currently a set of androids took care of the installation, alongside Nyet and Kris. Naturally Raoul, Kyle and Dorian overlooked the process. As did Katze and Liam. Of course the composition of the crew was explosive and yet they managed to work quietly alongside each other. Though the difference in status was plain obvious. Both Lucius' technicians wore their one piece work overalls. Every movement proved practised efficiency and even Kyle, who would have preferred to think of Kris as only a pet, could not fail to note that Kris was actually quite good at his 'job'. Katze had taken residence at one of the peripheral systems, eyeing the source code of Raven's plug program.

Kyle's mouth thinned into a hard line while Liam grinned complacent, “No fundamental differences between them … or us.” The elite's trademark derisive snort was the only answer Liam received before Kyle went back to brooding over the past events. His twin furnitures arrived with a variety of drinks and food. They served silently but when they offered Nyet a wrap, Kris snatched it from his hands and shove it back into the furniture's hands, “Fuck off!”

A very puzzled Nyet asked, “I never thought I'd see the day when you refuse food. What's gotten into you?” “Shut up and go back to work.” Nyet cocked his eyebrows, “Last time I checked, I still had authority to issue the orders, runt.” Kris rolled his eyes, mumbling audible only to his friend, “Whatever, go kiss the guy's ass.” He himself would more likely gnaw his tongue off than take anything from Kyle.

Katze stared at the screen for a long moment before, surprisingly enough, he smiled and finally laughed out wholeheartedly. He closed one hand over his pack of cigarettes, struggling with himself whether to take one out or adhere to Raoul's no smoking mandate.

“Katze?”

The dealer, unable to help it any longer, got himself a cigarette out of the pack, staring apologetically to Raoul, “That excessively clever little bastard...” He lit the cigarette and inhaled, “safeguarded his technological baby with a hardlock.”

Though Raoul's eyes betrayed no response, his eyes betrayed him being proud of his mongrel. Nyet, coming from a more rational point of view, simply stated, “Thought Raven enough of a coward to trust a Blondie? Come on …” The technician pointed towards Raoul, “though him he trusts quite a lot.” Liam grinned back at Nyet, “That he does.”

Kris rolled his eyes and chucked his voltage tester into his tool bag, “I'm taking a break. Anybody care to join?” To everyone's surprise Raoul accepted the offer and Kris didn't seem offended. “Liam,” Raoul asked. “Coming Ni-san.” The energetic youth took Dorian's hand and dragged him along. Both, Am and Kris furrowed their brows but accepted the strange liking, Liam had taken to the Juppiter child without further comment. “Where do they go?” “Make an educated guess, Kyle.” “Strange bunch you are, ” Nyet took a cigarette out of Katze's pack, “You look like a sane person, care to treat me to a cigarette and a snack?”

~~~~~

Dorian studied Liam's face while he watched Raoul and Kris at Raven's bed. No, he didn't watch Raoul nor the Feron, he watched the mongrel. “He has been a part of my life ever since I gained consciousness, he established order inside our chaos, he recreated my world … I dare say he was my world.” “Do you like him?” Liam turned to Dorian and smiled, “He's family.” “Family.” Dorian tested the word, considered its meaning and shrugged his shoulders in an apologetic way. Than he suggested, “I will give you the tour around town and will listen if you are willing to explain.” “Sounds good to me.”

Inside of the hospital room the ex-pet and Raoul smiled at each other, awkwardly, fondly and not knowing how it happened, that they had come to an understanding. Maybe it was the shared motive of caring for a beloved person, maybe it was the feeling of being left alone by that same person or simply their complicated history. They didn't talk much but took comfort in the small gestures of the other. Kris lay down right beside Raven and whispered in his ear, “Come back!”

Liam gestured towards the picture, “Family.” He and the Jupiter child left the hospital and strolled towards the park. At first Dorian showed several sights and explained their history but at some point, Liam slowed him down and coaxed him to take seat on a park bench. “What are we doing?” “Just watching.”

The park was pretty much of a fairground at that time of day. A line of busy blue collar workers gathered near the push kart. One brought several paper mugs from the kart and they distributed them among each other, chattering. Near a cherry tree a young man smiled at another one. Apparently he had told a joke. A couple of pets boasted about the latest gifts from their masters while not far away two elites bandied looks that left nothing to the imagination. Another elite was followed by his furniture, a quiet young man who answered the elites wishes before he even voiced them. Apparently he knew his master well.

“All of this is family.” Liam smiled at Dorian and extended a hand to him. Something dawned at Dorian. He remembered the soft reprimanding chuckle in his voice, he remembered the taste of the warm liquid in his mouth as his morning coffee pooled down his tongue – the coffee that he had put on his desk, god, he remembered the heated discussions with him and suddenly he felt water wetting down his face. He ached, he longed for the one, he'd lost and now he was tasting it again, the guilt, that Raoul's words once instilled inside his mind. When he felt Liam's knuckles at his face, he shivered mentally-bruised and psychologically-spent. The blonde let go of his inhibitions and admitted the hurt. Liam hugged him and Dorian clung to him and grabbed his arm with unaware possession as they rose and started walking again arm in arm as friends … maybe family.

~~~

The tiny pager in Kris' pocked started buzzing. He took it out and read the message aloud, 'move your asses over here, sister is running' . Raoul nodded and both made their way back to the core location. Liam had already undressed and crossed over to the basin. “Move your ass over here, spitfire.” Kris gave him the middle finger but took position at the terminal nonetheless. He adjusted the system when the young Blondie started his dive into the system. Moments later Kris sighed in anger. “The system doesn't connect.” Nyet took position next to him. His fingers flew over the touch screen but finally he pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away from the terminal.

“What's wrong?”

“The system refuses him.” Kris moved over to the tub and helped Liam to get out of it.

Nyet opened a channel, “The Sister-system is installed and running.”

“But?” The worried tone, though via com, was not lost on everybody in the room. It took a while but finally Liam answered, “It refuses me.”

“I see.” Ajax tried to connect with Brother, as he had finally renamed the Ranaya-AI, to Sister but the system refused the contact. It proved to be as stubborn as its creator.

“Is Am around?”

“Yes.”

“Give him a try.”

Silence filled the room. Liam was brooding and boiling with anger. He wasn't able to answer, nor to voice his objection. Dorian moved over to him and touched their foreheads together, whispering, “I'm glad.” Liam slowly moved his head up to face him. And once he did, Dorian stilled again and said nothing more, as though he were patiently waiting for Liam to ask him something, offer him something? Wasn’t it he who had sought him out to begin with? He did not know why but he repeated, “I'm glad.”

Kris turned to the group of Elites. Ajax assumption made sense and deep inside Kris had known all along. He remembered the countless times when Raven pointed out that the infants were far to young to have the burden of a dyeing civilization put upon their shoulders. Kris facial features contorted. As if they were much older. Why did Raven have to take everything upon his own?

“You are granted a great gift, Liam. You should accept it with grace not grief. Duty is not everything. Take your life into your own hands for awhile and learn to assess its value.” He turned to Raoul, the Achilles' heel that haunted his nights and days and yet became a mainstay of his life. He directed a silent question at the man.

Raoul undid his clothing and Kris put the bundle aside. He led him to the tub as he had led Raven countless times. Even though, he did not know whether Raoul still read his mind he silently voiced, 'be careful' when the Blondie lowered himself into the fluids.

The tiny redhead readjusted the system and started the sequence under the observant eyes of everyone.The com hummed as it went down. Moments later the system connected and Ajax got a first glimpse on the man. Their minds surrounded each other, gazed at each other, accepted each other. Sister retreated to Tanagura and Brother to Ranaya.

Evolution restarted.
- 36
- 37
- 38
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Coincidence