After Life: AnK x Zetsuai

by Thean

Summary:

Takuto and Riki both wake up in a new world after their deaths. Riki has lost his memory from his previous life and Takuto wants to go ahead on his new life without having to wait for a missing Kouji. Waiting for beeing able to resolve their issues, they become flatmates.

Notes:

English isn't my mother tongue, so if you see any odd sentence, please let me know, so I'll be able to correct it and progress o/

Chapter 1: Arrival in a new world

White. White everywhere. This pure white light should have been dazzling, but strangely, it wasn’t. It was warm and comfortable. Though it was a great relief, for his eyes if not for his heart, when it disappeared. The young man who was experiencing this didn’t know exactly when it did, since his vision took some time to come back while he began to notice little by little that people around him were speaking. Maybe the light had been dazzling, after all. The words spoken near him became clearer:

“Poor one, it must have been horrible!"
"Died in an explosion, probably."
"If he is, then he surely hasn’t suffered that much. Died in the instant. Impressive but not the worst death either so don’t worry Kagome."
"Are you all right, Sir?”

The new-commer became aware of a blue-haired braid which was falling just in front of his eyes. The person who had asked the question probably was its owner. He tried to get up on his feet and, stumbling, looked around him, still feeling dizzy but now able to discover his environment. Someone shouted that he shouldn’t get up but the voice seemed far away since his dizziness had temporarily increased with this move. Moving freely by himself was the only will he could identify though, so he just decided to ignore both the voice and the feeling and concentrate to stay up.

He was in a room which was quite luminous, even if it was far less than the place he was certain to be before awaking here. Four… no, five other silhouettes were standing here, looking at him. Behind them, several computers were working. He realised that he had been laying at the ground itself, at the feet of what looked like a big hollowed rock sculpture. He asked the nearest silhouette who now looked like a pretty young boy with, as he had already seen, a very long blue braid:

“Where am I?"
"You’re in After Life World, Sir."
"You’ve just died so it’s normal that you feel a little lost."
"Welcome here!"
"I am… dead?”

At this moment, he realised that his clothes were ragged and looked burnt. He remembered what one of the people said earlier. So… an explosion, wasn’t it?

“Do you remember your name?”

The information just came to him:

“Riki.”

The boy looked please.

“Nice to meet you, Riki. I am Aladdin. My friends and I are here to help you discovering this new world. Do you remember what send you here? How are you dead?"
"No."
"It’s okay… you look very quiet about it so it probably wasn’t too terrible. You’re lucky! Anything else?"
"… no.”

At this moment, a very unpleasant feeling of void engulfed him.

Chapter 2: Flatmates

Summary:

Takuto meets Riki.

Notes:

English still isn't my mother tongue. Any comment which could help me to fix odd sentences and progress is welcome =)

Takuto entered the building briskly, Kouji (the dog) trotting next to him. He had arrived to this new world a little more than a week ago and, waiting for Kouji (the other one), having nowhere else to go, stayed at the Arrival building since then. He had already adopted a dog though, who was orphan from his own world too, and named him with his missing lover’s name. A way to avenge from this absence and to reconnect to his previous life when he had once had a dog he also named “Kouji”.

Though he couldn’t help but think that Kouji may have just left him for good this time. Maybe he was already in this world but, for one of the capricious and stupid reasons of him, decided by himself that death was a good opportunity to take separate ways. Death. A violent pain crossed over his left side and made him stop his walk the time to let it pass, leaning against the wall. Even in death, this scar and all what remained with it didn’t disappear. The ghost of the day which had separated his family was still here. His little brother and sister are probably still alive somewhere, but he wondered if his parents were here too, in this world. Even if they were, he didn’t really wanted to face them. He wanted them and this day to stay in his past, even if this stupid scar continued to bring them in the present of his memory. And Kouji who was now linked to this pain… hasn’t he said that he didn’t want to hurt him ever again? What? He wanted to love him to death, but now that they were probably both dead, he hasn’t any reason to stay anymore? He definitely couldn’t be trust!

Kouji or not Kouji, he must to keep going, as always. This is why he had joined the football club and had already asked to become professional again. He had spent all his time on the training field since then. To keep going. And because it was the only thing he could do. He was beginning to think to move somewhere else and stop waiting, just leaving a note to the Arrival building to Kouji in case of he would want to know where he was, when Urahara from the “Welcome Team” had call him to say that he had found him a flatmate. Takuto had never talked of his thoughts of moving to anybody yet, and certainly not of a flatmate. Urahara must have thought that he would be more motivated if someone came to live with him. He didn’t know him well. Having recovered from pain, he finished his way to the office where the guy was waiting for him.

When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was a boy who looked exactly like him, apart from his style, his clothes being as black as his hair and eyes. He was sitting in a chair in front of the desk.

“Aaaaaah! Here he is! Look Takuto! Riki looks like your twin doesn’t he? I thought it would be very fun to make you two live together!”

Looking at the named Riki, he wasn’t the only one who didn’t find this especially “fun”. The other’s expression was so much stern that a shiver ran through his body. When he spoke, his voice was very cold:

“Why couldn’t I live by my own?”
“You have lost your memory Riki, it can happens but it's still unusual. Your flatmate can take care of you if you need it…”
“I can take care of myself!”

Urahara didn’t seem impressed at all by the young man’s anger. Actually, he looked as if he had as much fun as usual. Which was, in Takuto’s point of view, amazing.

“Oh, I’m afraid! I’m sure you can, but I wouldn’t want you to be lock alone if there is any other medical issue. We don’t know where you go if you die in this world and I’m sure you don’t want to disappear, do you?”

Riki didn’t like as sure as Urahara, but he said nothing else. Takuto began to feel sympathy toward him. But sympathy wasn’t everything.

“I have to train, if you want somebody to look after him I won’t have time.”
“What? But you loooooove to take care of lost puppies Takuto, don’t you? And you are taking care of this one (he showed Kouji - the dog) already, so another one shouldn’t be too much. Listen, Takuto: Riki arrived yesterday with post-death amnesia and I’d really be reassured if he had someone else to live with until he recovers his memory.”

Takuto wouldn’t have though this possible, but Riki’s eyes were even more murderous than before. He really thought that he would stand up to hit Urahara if this simple look wasn’t enough to kill him. How could the other one continue joking around like that? Though the dark-eyed guy stayed sit as the unconscious man continued:

“Riki, Takuto arrived almost two weeks ago and was waiting for his lover since then. Though he is still not here and as our friend probably doesn’t want to wait forever, would you keep him company until his boyfriend arrive?”
“Do I look like a pet for you?”

Takuto was about to ask the stupid man not to tell his life to anybody when Riki talked. Voice probably couldn’t kill more than eyes, because to the sound of it, putting an end to Urahara’s eternal life was probably the goal here.

“Uh… no, I didn’t mean that. Humans also can be sociable and living with other human beings, you know? Even if you two look like you didn’t know it, human ARE sociable beings in fact and need sociable connections. You’ll both help each other by living together. Anyway, I don’t want you to sleep in this building starting tonight, so or you go to the house I have found for you, or you’ll sleep under the rain. Yes, it will rain.”

It was annoying, but there was no point in arguing with Urahara when he had decided something. Takuto had just one question he needed to ask:

“Do you like dogs?”

The other one looked at him with a really odd disbelieved expression until he seemed to watch at Kouji. What a weird reaction. His anger for Urahara didn’t look directed to him too at least.

“Well… I don’t think to have met any of them until now but this one looks nice. Why is he attached though?”

This guy had never met a dog before today? Seriously? From where did he came from? He looked like he didn’t want any bad to his pet though, and Kouji looked like he liked him too. They probably could go along.

“He is in leash because it’s this building rule, but I usually prefer to let him be when we are outside. He is trained well so he wouldn’t do anything bad anyway and he follows me everywhere since we met.”

This explanation seemed to reassure Riki a little.

Chapter 3: A new routine

Riki and Takuto’s house was in a quiet district that Takuto called “suburbs”.

Riki had quickly understood that he lacked a lot of common words. It had begun at the Arrival Building, when Urahara, talking to him about the one who had since become his flatmate, had to explain with his irritating voice what was a “dog”, and a “pet”. And since, it haven’t stopped. “Football”, “waiter”, “cat”... even the word “club” didn’t have the same meaning here that what he had remembered. He couldn’t count the words he had learnt since his arrival and still didn’t know if it was linked to his amnesia, the difference between this world and his original one (Urahara had said that it was possible) or just if he was stupid or had a great lack of education. Anyway, he had found it extremely exasperating, even if right now, his time passed talking to people and trying to catch up what he had missed at the library had permitted him to become familiar with all of the common words he could hear or read.

Fact is, if he had feeling really lost at the beginning, his will to go ahead and take his own life in hand had permitted him to adapt more quickly than what he had though. He also had to admit that Takuto had helped him a lot in achieving that. As annoying as Urahara may be, he had been right: they went along very well. Riki’s flatmate wasn’t too talkative, serious about his own business and responsible. Their only argument had been about food at the beginning. Takuto wanted to be the only one to make food at every meal while Riki prefered to take care of his own. Takuto caring a lot about that and being, indeed, a very good cook, they finally found an agreement where Riki had to wash the dishes every time to restore chores’ balance.

He also liked Kouji a lot. The uneasy odd feeling he had felt the first time he saw him had past and he took pleasure to play with him or taking him out every other day. Unlike the humans, the dog was always cheerful, it was refreshing.

Takuto was the one telling him about clubs and the one who suggested him to try several ones to see if any memory came from it. Nothing came back as he did, but he had a lot of fun trying as much as he could. The motorbike and the informatic ones were the ones he prefered though and he had subscribed to both. However he could see that what he felt had nothing to do with the passion that Takuto was living for football. He deduced that these activities weren’t the center of his previous life, and wasn’t even sure that it were only a part of it.

Work wasn’t an obligation here, but he wanted to participate to this city’s life and not being dependant of others, so at the same time he began to work as a waiter in a restaurant, as Takuto had suggested him. It was a basic job, but good since he didn’t know what he truly wanted to do.

Finally, Riki had adapted quite quickly to this new life. He could probably say that he was happy. Though he still had not a clue about his past and it annoyed him. He had talked to no one about the exasperating feeling of void he felt about it. His unsatisfied curiosity about it was almost unbearable. Sometimes, he thought he was about to remember something, but he could never only get what had caused this feeling. He wanted to understand what had happened to him, but had not a clue of how to do it. It was far too personal for him to think to ask help to anyone. It was his own personal issue.

Chapter 4: Iason's arrival

White. White everywhere. Was it that, “death”? Thinking that Riki would make him becoming human enough to experience it, and by his own free will… not even to save Riki but to save Guy, the man he probably hated the most. But Riki had come back to die with him. By his own free will too. He felt happier than ever.

White disappeared to let place to a bright room with five humans in it, all looking at him.

“Wow, arrived standing? How unusual! I’m impressed!”

As to answer to the man who was hiding himself behind a fan and wearing a sun hat, Iason, for his great surprise, staggered. He succeeded in avoiding falling, but this made him realize several things:

First, he had his legs back. Good.

Then, his entire body felt weird and weak. Curious. Less good.

Finally, he was probably back to life, in a place which didn’t look like Amoi at all, and Riki wasn’t in this room. Very bad. He looked around him, knowing that his pet wasn’t here but hoping to find any useful clue about his current situation.

As he did so, a very cheerful blue-haired boy spoke to him:

“Welcome to After-Life World, Sir! We are the welcoming team! I am Aladdin and this is Urahara, Kagome, Sora and Bookman. We’ll be happy to…”

Without thinking, he grabbed him by his clothes. The only thing he was thinking right now was that he was in death’s world and that the person for who he was here wasn’t here himself. The girl, Kagome, gasped behind him.

“WHERE IS RIKI? WHERE IS MY PET?”

Several expressions passed in the boy’s face: surprise, understanding and then it became inscrutable.

“I’m sorry Sir, but I can’t provide you any information about who passed by here before you do.” His voice was very quiet.
“I know you know where he is and I order you to tell me…”

But then, something really weird happened: Aladdin, this young human boy, took his hand and put it away. Just like that. And himself, Iason Mink, a Blondy, couldn’t even resist.

“I’m sorry Sir. I don’t know how it worked in your original world, but here you can’t give orders to anybody. I must ask you to calm down. If you want to find Riki we won’t help you. Find him by yourself.”

Iason couldn’t do anything but looking at him in a perfect disbelief.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Iason put his coat on and went out to walk. He had arrived some days ago and it was the first time he finally could take time to master his new body. A walk looked like a good start for that.

Since his arrival, he had taken a big apartment near the arrival center. Then, he had decided to apply for a job at the city’s administration. People there told him that he had to wait for them to study his resume and that he may get an interview later. It was really weird but he didn’t have the choice. This new world with his “equality” principles looked really odd and stressful to him. This job was the best thing he could think as a way to find a little of his power again.

Even his body looked totally useless. Human. This was the word. He had spent so much time envying Riki’s sensations, and here he was. Weak, useless, having to train and to learn how to move again.

He felt heavy-hearted as he thought that he would be unable to force Riki to stay with him anymore. Well… there must be a way. The boy had decided to die with him, after all. He couldn’t really believe that he would just fly away now. These people from the “welcoming team” knew something for sure, but in his current state he wouldn’t be able to make them talk. How frustrating. He had to recover his previous strength to be able to get Riki back.

Iason smiled ironically, thinking he would have never thought that he would need to work to become stronger one day. Life had been full of surprises since he had met Riki, never boring. As weird as it could be, he probably wouldn’t like to come back to his old life, full of power but empty of the black-eyed boy who had changed him that much. Though, he understood that he needed to take his time, as always, to get used to his body and to this new world before looking for him. The boy knew how to take care of himself and this world looked safer than Amoi, there was no need to hurry. And there was no reason for him to don’t be here.

Plus, for the first time, Iason didn’t feel quite confident at the idea of seeing him again. He had always been in a power situation with Riki, but clearly, it couldn’t be like that anymore. If he had to be honest, it was possible that Riki was stronger than himself right now. How would he react when he would know about it? Would he laugh? No, probably not. Take advantage of it to definitely get free from him? Maybe he had already done that. Riki was sexually dependant of him and his decision to die with him make him think that he might even love him, but he probably loved his freedom better. Riki would be able to accept the lack of Iason, as heavy as it may be for him, for the sake of his pride. He had already done it, until Iason came to make him swear to come back to him.

“I am yours! I belong to you!”

Iason smiled to this memory. A really dear one. Had Riki forget? No way. He wouldn’t have. He belonged to him, on this world as on Amoi. Nothing had changed about it. He just had to find the boy to make him remember his promise. Neither his pride or his lust could deny it. Riki will come back to him.

Full of this new confidence, he raised his head and… froze. The time stopped. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. His luck. In the deserted street where he was walking, just in front of him, a familiar black-haired boy was walking in his direction, a white labrador trotting next to him.

Chapter 5: A link to the past

Summary:

(It's not about Zelda.)
Riki and Iason's reunion?

“Okay Kouji, let’s go home quickly, I have to meet with Kirito tonight to talk about…”

Riki had to stop. A man with particularly long blond hair was standing just in front of his house’s door and was looking at him.

“Uh.. Excuse me but…” Riki began without thinking.
“Riki.”

As the man made a step forward to him, instinctively, Riki step back. Kouji began to grunt.

The man knew him.

And, judging by all the contradictory feelings that engulfed him at this moment, he certainly knew the man too. Fear, need, fear, resentment, fear, joy, fear… as if it was too much, his feelings froze, letting him perfectly confused, sure of one only thing: this man was dangerous. He couldn’t repress a shiver. Though, especially when he was standing just in his way to enter his house, he couldn’t run.

“Who… How do you know me?”

The man frowned.

“That’s enough. I shouldn’t even have had to look for you. Come with me.”
“Why should I do that? I don’t know who you are, but you clearly are suspicious.”

A bolt of anger passed through the man’s eyes. Kouji took place between the two of them, grunting in a threatening way at the stranger, but the other one didn’t even seem to notice as he moved clearly with the intention to grab Riki’s arm. Kouji decided to act to protect his master and the man fell, holding his leg where the dog was still attached, a very surprised expression on his face.

“Kouji, stop it! That’s enough!”

The dog let go the bloody leg, still looking at the man with warning eyes. Riki cursed in himself. If the dog didn’t act, he didn’t know what would have happened and he was grateful for that, but at the same time he had to take responsibility for it.

“I guess I don’t have the choice. Come inside, I’ll call an ambulance.”

He helped the man, who was now very silent, to enter his house and made him seat in a chair in the kitchen. Kouji followed them and took place in front of the stranger to watch him.

“Don’t move. We have to stop the bleeding, I’ll come back with first aid kit. Just take this and press it against the wound while you are waiting.”

He gave a clean towel to the man who was looking at the room with the greatest interest before going to pick up the kit in the bathroom. Takuto had tell him how to use it, he just hope that he would succeed without any issue.

When he came back, the man wasn’t pressing the towel against his wound at all but was just staring at him. A shiver runned through his body again. He didn’t know why, but these eyes looked really creepy to him. As if they could see through him, without missing a single thing.

“Why aren’t you pressing this thing against your wound?”
“It isn’t even disinfected. How unprofessional.”
“Are you stupid? You’ll die if you lose too much blood. And I’m not a doctor so I don’t see why I would be professional. Show me your leg. I have brought disinfectant if you like it that much!”

The wound wasn’t as deep as it looked like before cleaning. The man would probably still need to go to the hospital, but his life was probably not in danger at all. Riki finished his improvised bandage and raised his head to meet the two cold eyes which were still staring at him quietly. He realised that, because of the necessity of the care, he was at his feet. And he really didn’t like the situation, neither the way the other one seemed to appreciate it. He stood up quietly and went to the phone to finally call the ambulance. He could feel the icy eyes which were following him. He was feeling an envy, almost a need, to hit that man in the face. But doing so would make his actions to heal him look absurd. He had to restrain himself and let the time for the ambulance to arrive.

Every second looked as if it last an unbearable eternity as, having finished his call, he came back to the kitchen.

“Iason Mink.” Said the man, very simply, still staring at him.
“What?”
“It’s my name.”

Riki didn’t have any will to introduce himself more that that, but it still looked like the thing to do in this situation.

“Riki.”
“I know.”

Yes, well… this was obvious. And it gave him a very odd and unpleasant feeling. The eyes were still staring at him. Did they left him just one second since they met in the street?

At this moment, the entrance door opened noisily and Takuto appeared. He probably had seen the blood in front of their door.

“Riki! Is everything all r…?”

Looking at Iason, he stopped suddenly. The two of them stared at each other. The silent atmosphere was very tense.

Finally, to Riki’s great relief, the ambulance arrived and the doctors quickly took Iason away to give him better cares at the hospital. After their departure, the young man simply let himself fall on a chair, realising that he was still shivering. What was that? He couldn’t understand his current state. It wasn’t like him.

“What happened?” Takuto simply asked.
“I don’t know!”

He had shouted. He didn’t know why. Does this man’s apparition made him lost his temper that much? How pathetic! He felt angry at himself.

“You don’t want to talk about it?”
“I…”

Takuto, ready to leave to gave him the space he thought he needed, stopped. And suddenly, he felt the need to talk.

“This man… Iason… he was in front of the door when I wanted to come back from Kouji’s walk. He knew me. And, somehow… I knew him too. But I still don’t remember. I feel as if he was… dangerous. I think Kouji agrees with me since he has bitten him when he tried to… well… I don’t really know what he wanted to do with me, but I have the feeling that Kouji has saved me.”

He gave a grateful look to the dog who joyfully barked in answer. Takuto was still silently listening. It was the first time he really confided in him.

“Still… it’s obvious that this man and me were sharing a connection. It looked important to him. And I never felt… well… I don’t really know what this feelings were but it was very violent.”
“Riki… do you still want to know about your past?”

Riki looked at his flatmate. He had just asked the question to ask. He took some seconds to answer, in a more confident voice:

“Yes I do. To be honest, I’m afraid now. But… I couldn’t stand it if I ran when I get the opportunity to know… I really have to make that clear.”

He stood up to leave.

“I’m going to the hospital. Don’t wait for me to eat.”

Chapter 6: Takuto's thoughts

Takuto looked at the door a long time after Riki had left their house to meet with “Iason”. Was it all right to let him go? This guy looked dangerous, didn’t he? Well… he probably couldn’t stop him to do as he wished anyway, Riki was always the only one to take decisions about himself. Takuto could advise him, but never make him do what he wanted. It was good like that. They were two responsible free men. The other’s story wasn’t his business. Though this time he couldn’t stop worrying about it.

Riki hasn’t been himself tonight. Losing his temper wasn’t like him. Confided to anybody - including him - wasn’t like him either. Takuto’s flatmate was clearly not acting cooly. He was just hoping that he wouldn’t lose his self-control during his visit.

About the other one… well… even if he was dangerous, inside of the hospital, there would be a lot of people in the building. He could consider that Riki was safe over there. The issue would be here. Iason knew where they lived now, and he didn’t like that. Not at all.

They didn’t talk to each other but the man’s gaze had been enough: he didn’t like him. And he was obsessed with Riki. From this simple gaze, it wasn’t hard to guess what kind of obsession it was. This guy wanted to possess Riki, and himself, Takuto, looked as if he was in the way. What he was able to do, Takuto didn’t know, but he still remembered the action of Kouji’s family to someone like him who was “in their way”. It was certainly not a good memory. Some people could be able to the worst in this kind of situation.

The fact was that he couldn’t leave Riki alone to face that person. He probably liked him enough to call him a “friend” now and knew him enough to know that he wouldn’t want to be “possessed” by this man neither by anybody else. Takuto would be at his side if needed. Running away was out of question.

Seeing again these two icy eyes in his head, he shivered. What kind of story did that man shared with his flatmate? It was very odd...Were they together, like himself and Kouji? Two men too? Did they had issues with it as they had had themselves? He had the feeling that it was even worse than that. How? Kouji and himself weren’t the pairing with the less issues he knew… Kouji had raped him at the beginning, he had felt the need to take care of him then, pity him, they had to face the murderous attempts of his family because of their relationship, to deal with their two careers, to face the violence of their feelings and of their past. Love and death was almost the same in his relationship with Kouji. It was all what he knew, thanks to his mother’s action too, but he could say that for most of people, it wasn’t like that. For most of people, it looked easier.

But not for this Iason - if he was right about his relationship with Riki beeing of this kind too anyway. Kouji was a kid in his head, and Takuto himself was still young. But Iason didn’t look like that. He probably didn’t face the problems they knew because of their youth. Iason was a self-confident man who seemed to be used to think that he was right about everything. Whatever his actions were, it had nothing to do with a “youth’s mistake”. It was mastered. Riki was probably right about what he had said: this guy was dangerous. And Takuto didn’t like this kind of people. At all.

What actions could Takuto take to avoid tragedies as he knew because of Kouji’s family to happen again in his life because of this new man? And what should he say to Riki for him to understand his fears? Would he have to tell him everything? Was he just actually thinking too much about it and should he just let it go? Do nothing? What would it cost if he just did nothing? He didn’t want to see his career to be stopped again, neither his flatmate to suffer the same kind of pain he did.

He decided to take his ball and come back to the training field to get rid of his worries.

Chapter 7: Riki's visit

Riki had forgotten him. For real. How could it be? What happened? Anger and sadness, like violent recalls of his new human condition, whirled in his mind as the ambulance took him to the hospital. Jealousy too. For that boy who looked like a poor imitation of his pet.

It didn’t take long for him to guess that his slum mongrel didn’t live alone in this house. There were details which weren’t like Riki in this environment. And it was too clean. Though nothing would have prepared him to that. When the other boy had came into the room, he could have thought of a joke. He clearly looked like a counterfeit of his pet, excluding his flashy and short clothes. And then their eyes had met. And, even just for an instant, he had had this look. An intense look, like Riki’s. Not as much as the original one of course, but it had looked insulting.

Iason knew that a lot of people had fell to Riki’s natural appeal. A charm he wanted to keep for himself. He knew that Riki wouldn’t be attracted by someone who would look too much like him, but what about the other one? And what if he was wrong? The two boys didn’t look like being in bad terms. And they were living together. This fake had the luck to live with his Riki, when this last one had even forgotten to his own existence. How inconvenient.

Since his arrival, Iason had felt lost. This world had nothing to do with anything he had known until then. In Amoi, he was a Blondy. He could do anything he wanted. He had power. He had even been created for it. It was all what he had always known. Here, he had nothing. He had bravely decided to follow the rules of this new place in the hope to find his lover. If it was to be able to live with Riki again, he could do it. Maybe this human experience could even be good. They would probably have the chance to become closer thanks to that. But this “lover” didn’t remember him. He had even lost the power he had toward the dearest person to him. And now, Riki would probably not want to stay with him anymore. He had finally lost everything. He felt terrible.

Well… all hope wasn’t probably lost for sure. The boy had still seemed to react to him. He could have read the fear in his eyes. And he had still been very curious. He would want to know about the past he had forget and Iason was sure to be his only clue about it. Even if it took time, he would come and try to know about it. They shared the same goal here. Iason smiled at this thought. He would work to make him remember. And even if he failed, he still could tame him again. This expression he had had on his face… all of his training hasn’t been lost. His body probably remembered, if not his brain. It could even be easy. All what he had to do was activating what he had already created in him. It may even be all what he needed for his memories to come back. He would prefer if it was… having to re-built everything, without their common memories, would still be very frustrating.

-------------------------------------------

He was resting in his bed, trying to decide what he should do once he could leave it when the door opened. As he saw the object of his thought walking to him, he felt an odd unpleasant feeling. He had wanted to see him very badly, but at this moment, he realised something else: he didn’t want Riki to see him like that. Of course the boy who didn’t have any memory of them couldn’t know, but he had never get a weak side and he certainly didn’t want to show him this new part of him. Being in a hospital bed, unable to get up while the boy came to visit him like that, free of his movements, was more than unnatural.

Though Iason knew he probably never could get his original strength back ever again now that he was human too. It didn’t mean that doing what he wanted was impossible here, but he would have to work in a different way, and probably more than before, to be able to fulfill his wishes. And the first step was always to accept the truth. If Riki had decided to come this quickly, it was still a good beginning.

He looked silently at the boy who was now standing near his bed, waiting for him to talk first. If he had came for answers, then he had to ask for it. Some minutes passed like that, without a word pronounced before Riki decided to do it.

“Tell me about me.”
“How vague. What do you want me to tell you about you?”

He looked annoyed.

“Whatever. Anything you know.”
“I know that you like being touched inside of your anus. You’re always so submissive when I do it… your tits react pretty quickly too.”

Ah. This angry look. Exactly how expected. The boy also blushed violently and stepped back, one of his hand instinctively going to his butt, as to protect it. More astonishing, but still very cute.

“What the fuck? I was talking about my story, pervert!”
“You’ve said ‘anything’.”
“Anything you think to know about my story! Don’t go telling weird stuff about my presumed sexual life like that!”
“Well, it isn’t just ‘presumed’, I can testify. And for what I KNOW about your story...”

Iason began telling him what Amoi looked like, and then about their whole common story. The boy didn’t interrupt him once, though he didn’t seem really happy. The ancient Blondy didn’t enjoy the experience either, for other reasons. A weird unpleasant feeling engulfed him as he told Riki about their past. Amoi suddenly looked like the best place ever. A part of him knew that here, he had a chance to build something new with Riki, even if it would be hard. But right now, he just wanted to come back to Amoi, even if it was impossible. It was almost like a need. For the first time of his life, he felt sick.

There was a moment of silence after he finished his story.

Finally, without a word, Riki began to walk toward the door.

“Wait. Come back to me. Live with me again.”

Without even looking to him, Riki left the room.

Chapter 8: Riki's feelings

Notes:

I am really sorry for not having updated this fic for a long time, I was 100% in finishing animating the first episode of AnK Abriged! (you can watch it here) if you wish
I should be able to update it regularly again from now ;)

Feeling the urge need to isolate himself, Riki had left Iason’s room without a word. The man’s story had let him unable to think correctly. He needed some fresh air to put his thoughts in order.

He walked without stop to a park a little outside of the city, to a place a little hidden where he knew that not a lot of people went. A little fountain worked in front of a bench, surrounded by vegetation which made an impression of a really tiny place. To his great relief, as often, there was no one there. He sat on the bench and looked at the water which was flowing in the little fountain, letting his thoughts flowing with it. His capacity to think came back, little by little.

The man could have lied. He didn’t really looked like someone to be trust and his story wasn’t really believable. The world he had described was too perfectly horrible and, more than anything else, he thought that he would have never decided to die for someone like that. Reasonably unbelievable.

Though, it the same time, he had an odd impression which told him that his feelings didn’t match this reason. He felt divided. He hated that. Why couldn’t he feel the same way he thought?

He felt dangerously attracted by the man. He felt as if dying for him wasn’t absurd at all. But it was. It was freaking absurd. From what he had seen of Iason as much as what the man had told about himself, he was exactly the kind of person that Riki hated the most. Everything about him was unbearable. His almost poker face, his condescending tone, the words he was saying, the intensity of his cold eyes and the fear he always feel when looking at him.

The fact was that his feelings matched too well the story he had just heard. Even if it seemed impossible, even if he didn’t want to believe a single word of it, he had to admit that it was hard to totally reject it as a possible truth. And Riki knew that he shouldn’t turn his eyes away from it. The truth was the truth, it was impossible to change it, even if he tried his hardest. Nothing would change about the past.

Iason’s story, clearly, was a possible truth. And clearly the best clue he had ever had about his past.

He took a big deep breath, as to accept this fact.

So what if it was the truth? Iason had asked him to go living with him. Should he do it? No. Clearly no. He didn’t trust the man and clearly had no will to see him ever again. He didn’t have to change anything about his current life just because of what he had just heard.

And what about his own past? His own self? Riki wasn’t sure anymore that he wanted to recover his memory. Why would he have fell so low to lick a guy’s boots and die for him? It didn’t sound like him. And the voice in his mind which was telling his that this was still the truth didn’t do anything good about it. He had the feeling that he didn’t want to know himself, the person he had been before coming to this “new world”.

Who was he? Was he this guy that Iason had talked about? Was this current version of him a fake? Or was Iason just taking him for someone else? What about his own odd feelings toward this whole story then?

Riki gritted his teeth. He felt as a stranger even to himself. He just felt completely lost.

Chapter 9: Takuto's awkwardness

Takuto checked the clock. For the third time, it was half to ten. Even the minutes’ hand didn’t have moved. It irritated him. From when did he look forward his flatmate's return like that? He felt like a stalker.

He didn’t stay more than an hour at the training field. At his return, Riki wasn’t back yet and he had waited him since then, unable to stop his worries to grow bigger at each second which passed.

Ah, the minutes hand had finally moved. 9:51 then.

What if he had decided to stay with Iason? What if the man had managed to convice him to do so? For as much bad it would be for Riki, he knew that it wasn’t his business. Though he had to admit that he wasn’t that altruistic anyway. He began to appreciate Riki’s presence and the idea that he may have found what he was looking for was awakening his old fear to be abandoned. Was he selfish to think this way?

It wasn’t as if he was in love with his flatmate - the only man for who he had already felt attraction was Kouji and it hasn’t changed since he was here. Though, he couldn’t stop himself to worry for his friend. And to don’t want to be alone again either. It was both.

He jump as the entrance door suddenly opened and Riki entered the house. The two boys looked at each other for a couple of seconds. Riki didn’t look to feel well.

“Are you okay?”

Stupid question, but he didn’t know what else he could say.

“Yeah…”

Not really convinced.

“You want to talk about it?”

The other one hesitated an instant.

“Well… no, not really… it’s just… I don’t know if this guy is a part of my past or not. He really is a jerk though. I hope to never see him again.”

Takuto remarked that he looked to have a little more mixed feelings that what he said, but he didn’t add anything.

“I’m working early tomorrow. Goodnight.”

And Riki disappeared into his room.

Chapter 10: A new job

Notes:

(Yes, I had to edit Chapter 3 to add this. I didn’t have a good look at my plan when I wrote it the first time ^^’)

Riki was about to leave the motorbike’s club’s place with Kirito when this last one took a flyer on the notice board. After reading it, he turned a smiling face to his friend:

“Hey, what about a new job? It may cheer you up, don’t you think so?”

Takuto was now the only one Riki confided in. Since his meeting with Iason some weeks ago, he had begun to do it quite often, and his flatmate did the same. This way, he had learnt about his boyfriend Kouji from who he named his dog and who was a very famous singer, how lazy and stupid he was, and how much Takuto missed him. Though, he didn’t share this new complicity with anybody else, not even Kirito. This last one had understood that he wasn’t feeling well, something Riki found especially annoying, but he didn’t know about Iason at all.

“Take this, it’s for you.”

Riki took the flyer that Kirito was holding out to him. It was about being delivery boy for a pizzeria. A job using a motorcycle of course. Not especially better than his waiter one on paper, but he felt curious to try. Maybe he would be able to see a little more of the city than when he had to stay in the restaurant he was working at all the day.

When he put the flyer inside his pocket without a word, Kirito seemed startled.

“You will really apply for this without complain before it?”
“You wanted me to do it, didn’t you? Why do YOU complain?”
“Uh… don’t give me your black look please, I didn’t think you would be that happy that’s all.”

Riki gave him his “black look” again and quickly left the building alone.

Chapter 11: Takuto's first match here

After finally leaving the hospital two days after the accident, Iason had spent a lot of time waiting for Riki, learning about this new world, taking information especially about his pet and his flatmate and thinking. The job he could get at the city’s administration helped him a lot in his quest. The files about every inhabitant of this world were quite light since it told nothing about their previous lives and still very few about their current one (name and occupation, nothing to do with Amoi’s data center), but at least he could easily find an opportunity to observe the objects of his interest. Takuto even more than Riki actually. Seeing his pet was always a good plus, but his goal at this peculiar moment was still to know a little more the one who was lucky enough to live with him.

This Saturday, Takuto was playing his first professional match of “football” (a game which looked especially popular here) and people could come to watch it. Of course, Riki would probably not miss it either. So Iason took as much information as he could about football and booked a seat.

The ancient Blondie went at the stadium by feet. He had taken the habit of making as much sport as he could to regain his strengh and didn’t even have bought a new car yet. In a world where everything he needed was near and where nobody was looking especially at him, there was no need for it anyway. This lack of attention made him slightly uncomfortable but as for a lot of other new daily situations, he managed to ignore the feeling to focus on his objective. After all, even if this lack of attention was unusual, the only attention he truly wanted was Riki’s.

He had once again to keep his cool when he had to stand in line before enter the stadium with every other people who wanted to watch the match. His seat in the middle of the crowd wasn’t comfortable either but he ignored it to focus on his discovering of the stadium’s vibe. Excited people were shouting from everywhere. Knowing that football was popular was one thing, living it in here was another. Takuto’s name looked to be on several lips. He didn’t even have already played in public but was already popular… how annoying.

Suddenly, Iason’s eye was attracted by movement in the front row. There, he saw Riki who seemed to have an argument with people. He looked very upset. Iason grinned, thinking he wasn’t surprised at all to see his pet yelling at people. He always had a gift to attract people who upset him. Wasn’t he, himself, a good exemple? What could have happened this time?

His heart jumped in his chest when the boy began to turn his head in his direction, but at this precise moment, people walked in front of him, avoiding their eyes to meet. Iason gnashed his teeth in frustration.

He couldn’t give it another try since at this precise moment, players entered with the supportive screams from the crowd and Riki focus his own gaze on the field. Iason decided to do the same. It was still his main reason to be here.

The match began and Iason, following it with all the game’s rule in head, quickly had to admit that Takuto was more than good. Probably even one of the best players here. He couldn’t help but being impressed. The fans' cries at every move of the new player told him that he wasn’t the only one to be. A quick glance at Riki told him that the boy didn’t quit his flatmate from the eyes either, even if he didn’t look as excited as the rest of the crowd. Iason didn’t know how to interpret the feeling of blending of irritation and relief it gave him.

Without any surprise, Takuto’s team won and Iason was about to leave when something, which cause a general surprise, happened: a long-haired man hurtled down the stairs, shouting Takuto’s name before falling on his neck. Everything had gone too fast and nobody have had time to do anything against the crazy fan.

Though, quickly, it became obvious that this wasn’t a crazy fan at all as Takuto rejected him and began to yell at his turn:

“Kouji??! Where the hell have you been? How do you dare showing yourself after all this time?”

Both, Takuto and the newcomer, “Kouji”, looked to be about to cry.

Chapter 12: A place to stay for tonight

So finally, Kouji had shown himself. Takuto was still yelling when Riki had decided to left, but he knew that he was just happy to see him again. Whatever he had told, he had been longing for him all this time, it was obvious. And even if it was his home too, Riki didn’t want to be here to ruin their happy reunion.

He walked a moment as the sun was setting, wondering where he could spend the night. Without even realising it, he stopped an raised his head for his eyes to meet a cold blue gaze. Iason was quietly standing in front of him. They were alone in the silent street. Riki haven't even realized that he had walked that much away from the stadium.

“Looking for a new place to stay?”

Riki felt anger engulfing him. Had this man stalking him all this time?

“I’m fine on my own, don’t worry about me.”

Ah. This annoying grin.

“Of course, I’ve almost forgot. Your pride would never allow you to accept any help. So what will you do? Sleeping outside, like a stray dog? You don’t want to stay with your flatmate and his friend tonight, am I wrong?”

Riki opened his mouth… and closed it again. Once again, the man spoke as if he knew him very well.

“Did you spend all of your free time stalking me? Don’t you have anything else to do?”

Grin again.

“Not at all. I haven’t seen you since last time. It just happened that I’ve noticed you at the stadium, and noticed you left as the other two were crying in each other arms.”

This much would have been hard to miss to anybody in the stadium, for sure. It had been quite a scene.

Riki had to recognize that Iason knew the exact words to make him react. He knew him, for sure. The young man couldn’t flee from this any longer. He looked at the man who was patiently staring at him. Reluctantly, with the feeling to make a huge mistake, he accepted:

“Very well. If you want to tell me a little more about your previous life I’ll stay with you tonight. I’ll leave tomorrow though. Don’t try anything funny.”

Riki, in spite of being curious to know a little more about the man who had probably been an important part of his ancient life, almost instantly regretted his choice when he saw Iason’s cold smile. Though, having giving his word and without any other solution in mind, he followed him.

Chapter 13: Kouji's return

“Takutooooooooo!”

The match had just ended when he heard his name shouted by a too familiar voice. An instant, he thought he was back in the past, on Earth, alive once again. He just had time to turn around before being imprisoned by the familiar arms and being engulfed by the familiar scent. And just after surprise, by anger. He didn’t even try to conceal it and pushed Kouji away at the instant.

“Who are you?”

The other one looked lost, hurt. He could.

“T- Takuto?”

For a second, he thought of playing amnesia for real, inspiring himself by Riki. He almost grinned, thinking this last one would not like that at all. From here, he also considered making the other one believing that he had rebuilt his life with his flatmate during his absence. But even more than making Riki feeling angry, Takuto knew that a jealous Kouji was up to no good. Well… it was even very dangerous. The last person he had used for that purpose could have testified. Was she in this world too right now?

“Takuto, you can’t have forgotten me! It’s impossible!”

He really looked desperate.

“Oh, really? And how that? I haven’t seen you since my arrival weeks ago.”

Kouji, even still tense, looked more cheerful.

“But Takuto! I’ve just arrived! I’ve come here directly from the arrival building!”

Was it possible?

“Oh, just now? I would have think you would have followed me in death like you promised.”

Insane, but it was what their relationship was like.

“I had some papers to make in order before disappearing too… for your sister and brother, you know? I thought you would have like to left them everything… but I commit suicide just afterward, I swear!”

“What? You really did?”

Kouji was too pure in his kind to try making himself feeling guilty by this words, but it was still the effect it made.

“Uh… well, okay. You can sleep at home tonight.”

He thought it shouldn’t annoy Riki. Trying to verify that by catching his eyes, he realised that his flatmate had left. However, every people who had stayed were watching them now.

“Uh… we should go.”

He didn’t really feel like signing autographs or answering journalists’ question.

------

He was just leaving the changing room when the team coach went to him, bringing Kouji - the dog. Takuto frowned.

“Nice game Takuto! You’ll go far! Your flatmate came a little earlier, just at the end of the match and asked me to take care of Kouji until you could bring him back to your home.”

Kouji - the man - jumped.

“You called this dog Kouji again? This isn’t the same one as last time, is it? You wanted to remember me? And… you have a flatmate? Who is he?”

If the other ones had been pretty joyful, the last sentence had been said in a gloomy voice. Takuto ignored them all. If Riki had let their dog to his care, then he probably wasn’t at home, and didn’t even intend to sleep there tonight. Was it because of Kouji - the man? This thought upset him. Riki shouldn’t have felt that he should leave just because of that.

“Thank you coach. I’ll take him home.”

He left, the two Kouji trotting behind him. He waited to be outside to answer the continuing questions of the human one.

“Yes, Riki has amnesia about his life so administrators have asked me to take care of him. Not that he cannot take care of himself though… I don’t even expect to see him tonight. But he is living in the same home as me so you’ll just have to accept him. You’ll probably meet tomorrow if he comes back. Be nice with him please”

Takuto knew he couldn’t really expect Kouji to “be nice” with anyone who would share their home. Even his own friend Shibuya wasn’t welcome, back then. Shibuya, who was probably still alive, crying for their double death. From start to finish, Kouji would have just give him hard time. Though, no doubt he had always been here to him. Takuto felt he was in a very similar situation. Kouji was the worst pain in the ass who had ever existed, but this fact had not avoid him to forbid the dead weight he was to leave him. What kind of masochism was that?

When they arrived home, they spent the night talking. They ate and then slept together. They didn’t make love, a way for Takuto to avenge from the time he had to wait before seeing his boyfriend again. Even if he knew it frustrated Kouji, the other one didn’t show anything about this frustration. It felt good to be with him again.

Chapter 14: This pain and violence that I have known once

They walked in silence to Iason’s flat. At least the man looked to dislike useless words as much as he did.

It was both simple and really luxurious at the same time. Iason seemed to be used to money and know how to use it to impress others without falling in the kitsch for an instant. Riki would have appreciated the lack of bling-bling if he had not hoped to take it as an excuse to depreciate his host. This last one didn’t even do anything to especially display the luxury of his goods. He was simply in his natural environment, nothing else.

The place’s master was already in another room when the entrance door closed.

“Oh, I didn’t realize that you may prefer sleeping on the entrance’s floor.”

Iason’s voice made him realize that for some reason, he had frozen just after passing the door, indeed. Why had he accepted to follow this guy already? He should just have slept in the park, the coldness of the night would have been more bearable than this moron’s company. Plus, he wouldn’t feel as if he owed him anything. What the hell has been in his head? Would he only be able to learn something at least?

Though, it was no time to retreat. His pride wouldn’t have stand it. So he just followed his unpleasant host into the room, but didn’t have the time to say a word before feeling grabbed by his hips and being violently kissed on the mouth. He startled in surprise, feeling a tide of pleasure and anger mixed together engulfing him. He tried to reject the man but found out that he lacked strenght for that.

To his great surprise, he realized that he was shivering and that it made him not strong enough to fight. Without Iason’s hands to hold him, he would probably just fall on the carpet. The man’s tongue in his mouth seemed to control his whole body while his hands fondling his back and his neck awakened it to a thirst he hasn’t even suspected. He felt himself panicking and succumbing at the same time. He wanted to hate himself for that, for giving up that easily, for accepting what was happening, for not being able to fight, for beeing weak.

He felt the hand who was fondling his neck leaving it to go under his shirt playing with his tits. He hold his breath, still desperately and half-consciously trying to resist.

What surprised him the most was that the sensations wasn’t unknown to his brain, not more than to his body. He was quite sure to have been used to it somehow, if it was even possible. He just couldn’t consciously remember it. It was a real torture.

“Ah… ah…”

His own voice made him realise that Iason had released his mouth. He was now against the wall, panting while his pants were stripped off.

“We were a little hemmed in it, weren’t we?”

An hand came to hold his erection in order to avoid him to ejaculate.

“Spread your legs.”

As conditioned to do it, he automatically obeyed, allowing the man’s fingers to reach his anus. He couldn’t suppress a groan.

“Remember something?”

As if this sentence bring some of his mind back, he answered weakly:

“Stop that fucking bastard!”

But of course, a lot more than that was needed to make Iason stop. Or to bring Riki’s memory back.

Notes:

Few! It has taken me a lot of time to write this chapter. Actually, it's the first time I try to depict this kind of scene and I wanted to be sure to re-read some passages from the novels and to be honest I've still couldn't make it as well as I wanted even now, but at least it's out! And even not perfect, the main idea is here, so I guess it's the most important! Haha...
Well... sorry again for making you wait ^^'

Chapter 15: Morning

Riki opened his eyes to find himself in the bed, naked and alone. Apparently, for some reason, Iason didn’t sleep with him. The room hadn’t been clean up. It was disgusting.

He felt nausea coming to him, not only because of last night’s leftovers but also because of his lack of action’s memory. How could he have let this happens?

He quickly dressed up and left the room to find the flat’s owner sitted in the sofa. He looked to be in his thoughts, maybe even anxious at first sight, but this expression quickly changed when he saw him.

“Remember anything?”

Was it hope in his eyes? Riki couldn’t care less. The sentence was an echo of another one from last night and he just looked daggers at him.

“Farewell.”

He wanted his voice to be cold but he didn’t expected it to be this much. He felt as if something broke into Iason at this instant. He didn’t want to know what. He just didn’t want to have anything else to do with this man. He just went to the door and left.

 

Once in the street, he cursed. Finally, he couldn’t learn a thing about his past. But he didn’t expect to have to pay this much for the night. Iason was, as he could have expected, dangerous. And him, Riki, had been too naive. He was as scared as keen to know about his own past, and if this night had revealed something, it was that he wasn’t ready to pay the price to cross the line at all. Trying to forget what may remain from this past - meaning Iason - was all what he should do.

He felt engulfed with this inexplicable nostalgia feeling and had to repress the tears which came to his eyes.

“Shit… shit shit shit!”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Iason left a sleeping Riki without having even undressed himself. He had to think about what happened to his pet of course, but also to himself. Having becoming human, he should have expected it, but Riki’s body wasn’t the only one who had reacted and having to repress himself had been very hard. He needed to release himself now.

He had wished so many times, over there, to feel the same things as his lover and to be able to share it with him… but now he was just scared to the idea of showing a weak face in front of him. He allowed himself to groan as he released. So it was how it felt. He didn’t want to do it alone. As an other reminder of his new condition, tears came to his eyes. He was miserable.

He spent the night in the living room, sitting in the sofa, thinking. About Riki. About himself. About them both.

The mongrel’s body had answered his stimulations as usual. It remembered. But he couldn’t be sure about the mongrel himself. He had worked it until the other one’s very limit, letting him no strength to do anything but sleep. Would the night finish this work? He could just wait and see.

 

The sun had rised when Riki faced him again.

“Remember anything?”

The question had resonated into his head all the night. He couldn’t wait any longer for an answer. Even if he already knew it. The fire in his lover’s eyes froze him to the bones.

“Farewell.”

He knew at the instant that it wasn’t just a word.

No. No... anything but this.

Give me your harsh words, your insults, whatever you want but not this only word in this cold voice so unlike you. Where is the one who ran on me the second time we met because of the first time’s memory? Has he grown up enough to master some of his burning temper? Or do you despise me now even more than then?

As Riki left, he cursed his new, once wanted, human condition. He cursed this new free world where he couldn’t keep the one he loved for himself. He cursed this unknown cold tone in the other's voice.

He had come to dream of this world as a place where they could be together freely but if it meant that, if they finally couldn’t be together freely, if Riki didn’t want to see him ever again to spend all of his time with his flatmate and his boyfriend, then he just wanted to get his control over him back in order to avoid it to happen.

To don’t get it was painful. Since the accident with Mimea back then, he had always known it would be. Though in Amoi he could use his power to prevent it. Here, it was different. Here, everything was different.

Beeing alone, he let his tears rolling down on his cheeks.

Chapter 16: Riki and Kouji

They were eating breakfast, talking animatedly, when the entrance door opened on Riki. Kouji stopped and turned to give him a dirty look and to make him understand that he wasn’t welcome, but he suddenly stopped. Takuto grinned, thinking his lover probably didn’t expected his flatmate to look that much like him.

He saw him only after Kouji’s reaction and immediately lost his grin.

“Something happened?”

It had been a while since Riki had looked daggers at him.

“None of your business.”

He knew he shouldn’t insist after that, but he had a vague idea of the reason of this morning mood.

“It’s about this Iason, isn’t it?”

“DON’T EVEN MENTION HIS FUCKING NAME - EVER - AGAIN!!!”

He punctuated his explosion of anger by violently slamming the bathroom’s door, making at least the answer to his question very clear. Kouji like himself simply stayed silently looking at that door even a little while after they began to hear the shower’s water running. Even the dog looked to have exactly the same reaction.

“He… was your flatmate?”

Kouji was stunned. It had probably make him forgetting to be disagreeable about the man living with his boyfriend.

“Y- yeah.”

“At first I thought he looked like you but he’s far more scary…”

He was clearly not as much overconfident as usual. If Takuto didn’t feel both anxious and stunned himself he could have found it funny.

“Well… it seems so. You’re not the only one to have said me this. I’ve never seen him this angry before though…”

He looked at Kouji for some seconds, wondering how much he could tell without betraying his flatmate. If they were to live the three of them together, maybe Kouji should be aware of some details. But Riki, who finally trusted him, probably wouldn’t like it if he talked about his personal problems too lightly.

“He’ll talk about it if he wants to. I won’t push the subject further without his consent.”

It was the best solution for now. Of course, the annoying man who was his boyfriend disagreed.

“Why that? What’s with him? Why don’t you want to tell me?”

The bathroom’s door opened again, letting a clean Riki out. The dog jumped in his direction, eager to cheer him up, which seemed to work since the young man took the time to stroke him with a smile. Takuto knew he had to speak now.

“Riki, let me introduce you to Kouji, who you have already heard about. Kouji, Riki, my flatmate.”

“Why has he already heard about me while I can’t hear about him?”

Kouji was shocked. Riki gave him a look which said everything he had in mind about this remark. Takuto sighed. It wasn’t going to be easy. He took a sharp voice to answer:

“Because he was here and you weren’t. Now shut up. I really hope the two of you will be able to live together peacefully.”

“What? Is he staying?”

Riki voiced his thoughts:

“It’s not to newcomers to make inhabitants leaving the place. If you’re not happy you still can find somewhere else to crash.”

“Takuto! You can’t agree with him!”

“Actually yes, I do. Now shut up Kouji and make your choice. Here with the two of us - only if Riki accepts it of course - or out on your own.”

Chapter 17: Having dark personal thoughts while a moron come to squat your home

Kouji had decided to stay and Riki regretted to have accepted, even for Takuto’s sake. And how could it be for his sake? The guy really was the worst pain in the ass that had ever existed. He didn’t understand how his flatmate could bear him, without speaking of sleeping with him. Love was the explanation, probably. Actually, Kouji followed Takuto everywhere, as if he was his shadow, day and night, and took great care to be unpleasant to Riki everytime he could without breaking the limits fixed by his lover. Only when this last one yelled at him to get some space he accepted to stay at home doing nothing all the day. Even the dog looked more independent than the human.

Wanting to avoid this lazy numbskull and the noise surrounding him, and Takuto’s silent worried eyes when this last ones looked at him, he spent as much time as possible outside of the house, working or spending time at the informatic and motorcycle clubs.

It was late at night and Kirito had just left, letting him alone in front of the game project they were developing together. He had thought this solitude would help him to focus on his work, but it had the exact opposite effect actually. Blue icy eyes and long blond hair came to his mind, once again.

He had never really could stop thinking about Iason since their first meeting in front of their house, but it was even worse since the man had rapped him and that he had taken the decision to forget about him and about the answers he could bring about his past. His life was here and now, so he couldn’t accept the toxicity of a relationship he didn’t even remembered. If this relationship has really existed then it belonged to the past and had nothing to do with the present. It was supposed to be clear.

Though, his mind didn’t agree. He kept seeing this scene, again and again. These eyes, again and again. And this voice, telling him words he wanted to forget, again, and again, and again... And again and again, he felt this anger engulfing him and tears coming to his eyes. And always, he had to control himself to don’t show it. To don’t make the worry in Takuto’s eyes becoming worse. To don’t break everything around him, making a show of himself just because of his need to let out some steam. He hated Iason with all of his heart and wanted to make him pay and yet, everytime he thought about it, he just felt as if he melted because of sadness, as if these very thoughts were against his own nature. As if he aggravated some important tragedy that he didn’t know about. As if accusing Iason was the saddest thing in the world.

And everytime, the same question about his past came back, despite of his will to don’t answer it: What happened between them? Who was Iason for him?

“Shit! Just leave me alone! Give me some rest!”

He had shouted, but for the best or for the worst, there was nobody to hear him. Not even the man’s chimera in his mind.

When he came back home, the first thing he saw was Takuto yelling at Kouji to don’t be followed into the restrooms. After the door beeing closed, the moron just looked at him with reproachful eyes, as if he was the reason why his boyfriend didn’t want them to poo together. He just ignored him to go to bed. The dog followed him into his room, shaking his tail, happy to great his master home. Riki took the time to smile and stroke him.

“Why do you have to bear this idiot name, seriously? You two have nothing in common. Sorry for returning this late Kouji.”

Chapter 18: How to catch Takuto's attention?

The entrance door opened, making him getting to his feet at the instant. Of course, it was Takuto, the other thing that was sharing their house gladly not coming back this early.

“Welcome back!”

The only man to have conquered his heart took the time to put his coat on the coat rack before he answered:

“Have you stayed here all the day again? Did you work on some songs? At least tell me that you took Kouji out…”

Kouji didn’t like to be considered as less than the dog which had the same name as him by his lover, but he tried to don’t show anything about his hurt heart.

“No, I was waiting for you so we can do it together!”

His boyfriend looked at him for some seconds. He didn’t seem to feel all right. Kouji was definitely going to cheer him up during the walk!

“Then be useful for once and cook the diner while I’m doing it. And don’t forget Riki this time. It’s not because he’s able to forget it himself that he doesn’t need to eat.”

Then he took back his coat and disappeared again, bringing the dog with him and letting Kouji as alone as some minutes sooner.

Though, as frustrating as it was, he had given him a task. Could he cheer him up and get some thanks if he accomplished it? Anyway, he had to try, even if it meant feeding their house’s squatter too.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later this night, they were three around the table, Takuto having insisted for his annoying copy to join them. Kouji had added too much salt in his meal, hoping he would understand this way that he wasn’t welcome but he didn’t look to care at all and just ate it without a word. Definitely not the fun kind.

The love of Kouji’s life began to talk:

“Well… I’d really like it if the two of you could go along together but I guess it’s too much to ask.”

Why were Takuto’s dark looks always directed to him even if he took care to do everything he was told since their reunion? Between the two of them, Riki shouldn’t be his favorite!

“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about my next match. You’re both invited if you want to watch it.”
“Sure, I’ll come to support you.”

Riki had answered before him. And Takuto smiled for the first time this night. Kouji had to do better than this. Something big, that his lover couldn’t miss. Something like a firework.

Chapter 19: The argument during Riki's race

Iason had learnt that Riki was participating to a race with his motorbike’s club and wanted to support him. As it was an amateur race, there was no need for tickets and he could just go and watch it. He felt far better than during the “farewell” accident and was decided to keep looking for a way to bring his pet’s memory back, or at least to bring him back to him. If his body remembered it was already a good start and it shouldn’t be that hard to do what he had already done once, even with the issues proper to this new world.

The participants were getting ready on the field. Riki took a time to look at the almost empty bleachers. As his pet was looking in his direction and froze, eyes wide as he always did, Iason smiled. He was definitely still the very same boy who had been able to change him this much, from a Tanagura’s Blondy to this “everybody’s job worker” now. At this precise moment, Amoi seemed both very far away and very near at the same time. But if his mongrel could still look at him like that, then this world they were living on now was more than just bearable. Riki’s attention was all what mattered.

He was broken out from his thoughts by a violent shout directed to him.

“YOU!!! What are you doing here? Can’t you just leave Riki alone for once? I don’t know what happened between you two last time, but clearly he has suffered a lot and now you dare showing yourself again? He’s going to run on a motorcycle race! A motorcycle race! It may be dangerous! Do you want him to be unfocused now? That he get an accident? That he died or even worse: go to the hospital and find himself disabled for life? Is it what you want???”

Of course, his Mongrel’s flatmate was here. His angry eyes could have been almost as endearing as Riki’s. Except that his anger didn’t convey these pure whirling feelings toward Iason like his pet’s did, but aimed to separate him from Riki, which was just annoying. The guy who had make a scene at the end of the match was just next to him, weakly trying to calm him down.

“What with all these negative suppositions? Listening to it, I can’t help but think it’s something you lived yourself. Though, your little life doesn’t interest me at all and I trust my pet to don’t die for this few. He isn’t you.”

The football player looked shocked. He was going to answer something but at this moment, the race began and they all focused their attention on the field.

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Riki’s motorbike’s club was organizing a race and he had decided to participate, thinking it would help him to relieve some stress. Before the beginning, he took the time to look for his flatmate with the spectators and found him with human Kouji. His frozen blood avoided him to smile: just next to them was standing a man with sunglasses, a cold smile and long blond hair, looking directly at him. When could he get some rest with this individual?

Despite of the attraction so typical of the man, he made himself look at his vehicle and the road. The race was about to begin, he couldn’t focus his mind to something else now. It would be as if letting Iason win. And he was the one who had to win. The race. And most of all, his mind back.

When the gunfire announcing the beginning resounded, as well as spectators’ supportive shouts, his goal was the only thing which existed for him. All the external noises sounded to exist as in an other universe, including supports, motorbikes, fear or warning shouts when his own desire to go away from the person he had seen at the beginning of the race and to go away from his own past pushed him to take too much risks. Everything that really existed at this instant was the wind in his hair, his motorbike and his goal, far away ahead.

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The former Blondy couldn’t help but beeing impressed by his pet’s performance during the race. He found the fearful reactions of others - especially the ones of Takuto - really fun. As he had said earlier, he trusted Riki for him to don’t die for this few, and expected him to win the race - what he did, of course. All of it was pretty enjoyable.

And as soon as it had ended and Takuto could see that his flatmate was safe, the discussion started again.

“I want you to leave Riki alone now.”

The football player had calmed down, even if he could still hear his animosity.

“Riki is mine, so I am the only one to decide of this. His body is mine, as much ah his heart and his mind. The fact he cannot remember it doesn’t change a thing.”

The long-haired boy spoke to the other one :

“Takuto, if it’s like that then we should let him get Riki, don’t you think so? He’s nothing for us but they know each other. So they could work on their issue together and leave us alone.”

The slap was quick and when he answered, Takuto wasn’t quiet anymore.

“Don’t even dare to say it again. Riki isn’t nothing for me. Riki is my friend. And if you want to continue living in this house then you’ll accept him as such. I’m already fed up with your attitude toward him, Kouji!”

The other boy looked too scared to tell another word, but his eyes clearly indicated that he didn’t agree at all. Takuto turned to Iason next.

“And you again. Riki isn’t yours. He may not get all of his memory, but something is clear from what I see: Riki has a free spirit. And here at least, he is a free man. And there is nothing you can do about it. If he doesn’t want to see you, then he won’t. But there may be a reason for that, don’t you think so? If he doesn’t want to see you, wouldn’t it be YOUR fault?”

It was too much. Iason saw red. His fist was aiming Takuto’s head before he could think of it. Thought, Kouji stepped in and took it at the place of his boyfriend. As the tall man falled in the other’s arms, Iason just told:

“And maybe you should take a little more care of your own precious person before arguing about others.”

Then, he left before Riki could reach them.

Chapter 20: Explosion

Takuto was on the field, waiting for the beginning of the match with his team. Looking at the bleachers, he could see Riki who greeted him with a hand wave. Kouji, though, was nowhere to be seen. How bad was it?

The atmosphere at home was better since the race some days earlier. Was it only the calm before the storm? Whatever, a Kouji out of his field of vision was dangerous, for this to be for Riki or for Kouji himself.

His chat with Iason had come back to him on a loop since then. Of course, the creepy man was right about the fear he had expressed: thinking of Riki participating at a motorcycle race made him unconsciously think of Kouji’s accident when he has not accepted him to go to Italy for a week and took risks on the road. The first accident of the many which had happened to them since then. But he was right. Even when taking risks, Riki wasn’t Kouji. Riki wasn’t them.

And of course these last words just before leaving. Kouji was a real pain in the ass, but he was still his most precious person. Did he treat him too bad? If Kouji decided to hurt Riki, would it be his own fault? As annoying as he was and able of the worst, Kouji was very sensitive. Maybe this cohabitation was a bad idea from the start. Maybe asking him to accept Riki was asking too much.

He had taken a lot of care of his boyfriend when he woke up after Iason’s punch, hoping to make amends, but what if it was too late? He could never forgive himself.

Thinking of the tall blond guy, he didn’t see him either this time. At least it was something good. If a missing Kouji was dangerous, a present Iason looked even worse. Even physically, Takuto had never seen anyone before able to put Kouji KO with just one punch.

He was still unable to focus when the match began, pressed by a very bad feeling.

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Kouji had prepared everything, on his own. The fireworks were all here, ready to celebrate Takuto’s next victory. Even when he had heard of his plan, Riki didn’t have shown any interest in it. With a very suspicious expression, he had just asked:

“So you know how to make fireworks?”
“Of course I do!”

Well… it wasn’t really true. But Kouji was a really fast learner, skilled in every things he tried.

“Well… if you know what you are doing then I guess it’s okay. I’ll go to watch the match. Have fun.”

And it had been all. It was better this way. Even if he had made efforts since the race’s episode, he didn’t want to spend too much time with their flatmate either.

Outside, the supporters were cheering one or the other of the teams. Kouji decided to light on a cigarette before going to check how it was going on. It was a fool idea. He didn’t know how it happened, but all the fireworks exploded at the same time. Everything went blank.

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Riki felt everything that happened during this second in this precise order: first, the earth trembled. Then, like far away, the sound of the explosion. Then, the heat and the smoke smell, as if far more near that what it really was. And finally the luminous colors of the fire.

At this precise instant, he thought he was back in Dana Burn, waiting to die with Iason.

And then, he remembered about this other world where he was assisting to Takuto’s football match. And finally he realised that his lost memory was back. Amoi’s reality and this new world’s reality merged to make a single one: his reality.

Chapter 21: Iason's worries

Iason wanted to bring Riki back to him, not arguing with his flatmates. He didn’t like them and had no business with them. For this reason, he avoided Takuto and Kouji by not going to see the match and staying home to think about his next move.

He saw again in his mind the scene of some days earlier: “Riki isn’t yours!”
And then, an other one which had happened a long time ago, in an other world “I am your. I belong to you!”

The real thing was the second one of course, but a wall was now separating Riki from this reality and from him. Iason’s goal was to destroy this wall by any mean. Or to build everything again, including himself, on the other side.

“But there may be a reason for that, don’t you think so? If he doesn’t want to see you, wouldn’t it be YOUR fault?”

Yes, for this the footballer was right. Considering his lack of power here, he had probably forced too much on Riki. He couldn’t act as an Amoian Tanagura Blondy anymore. It would only lead to his failure. Plus, it was already obvious that it didn’t bring the boy’s memory back. The issue was that he didn’t know any other way to act. Maybe he should just go away for some times, to find himself a real place in this new world before coming back to Riki? Yes, it would probably be for the best. Now, he couldn’t play with the rules because he wasn’t familiar enough with it. So he had to experiment them and to build himself again before hoping to come back to his love. He already knew how to be patient. He could do it.

A little earthquake and explosion sound made him raise his head. A column of smoke were raising from somewhere near the stadium.

“NO!!!”

He rushed out of his flat to the place of the accident, ignoring the looks of people wandering what was going on on his way and praying all the gods he didn’t know about for his pet to be all right. Even if he had seen that the smoke wasn’t raising from the stadium itself, he couldn’t stop his panic. He had to be sure.

Chapter 22: Panic

Riki was still staring at the smoke, shivering and unable to move, when Takuto hastily joined him, bringing him back to the present reality. The match was cancelled and everyone in the stadium evacuated. Even if the fire wasn’t in the place itself, the organizers were cautious.

“Where is Kouji?”

Takuto was panicked. And as soon as it came to him, Riki too. Enough to forget about Iason and Amoi again. There were things more urgent than his recovery.

“No way… he wanted to surprise you with fireworks!”

His flatmate's eyes and mouth opened wide in surprise and shock.

“He told me he knew how to make it!”

Told like that, right now, it sounded just stupid. Kouji wasn’t the type of guy who could be trusted. Whatever what he had said, Riki shouldn’t have let it try something that foolish while he knew about it. He was responsible for what was going on. A guilty and angry feeling engulfed him.

Takuto didn’t seem to think this way.

“No way. This idiot.”

They both rushed outside the stadium and toward the accident’s place. Time was for action.

Chapter 23: To reach Kouji's side

Takuto wasn’t able to think anymore. His mind was just able to repeat the same sentence in a loop, again and again “This idiot, this idiot, this idiot!”. His legs just carried him to the accident’s place while he was only half aware of Riki who was sometimes following him, and sometimes helping him to push people out of their ways. The crowd of panicked people looked infinite, like a sea of human-sized puppets waving to prevent him to reach the bank where his love was waiting for him. It was unbearable. He didn’t want to be drowned here without reaching his goal.

Finally, they were out and the first and only thing he saw were the stretcher who was carried away, and the man who was on it. Riki’s exclamation brought him back to the reality surrounding him:

“How is he still alive?”

Alive? Was Kouji alive? Riki was right, he had probably been in the center of this awful explosion. He shouldn’t be alive, and Takuto shouldn’t have been able to recognize him like he did. Not that he was complaining of course.

“Excuse me sir, but you can’t go there. It’s the explosion area.”

Takuto turned to the cop:

“My friend is on this stretcher.”

Even now, he still couldn’t say “boyfriend” to someone he didn’t know. It still sounded too dangerous.

“Oh, excuse me sir. Then you can go with him.”

Once near him, Takuto couldn’t left his lover’s side anymore. Riki took care of explaining things to the nurses for them to be allowed to come into the ambulance with him. It was good to have such a good friend at to support him the moment. He knew he could count on Riki to do what he couldn’t and his silent presence was fortifying.

Chapter 24: Recollection

Kouji disappeared in the operating room, letting Takuto and Riki alone in the corridor, looking at the door.

“It will take a while. Don’t you want to seat?”

The two men turned to see a smiling Urahara.

“And I suppose you’re here to tell us why Takuto’s friend isn’t dead?”

His smile widened.

“Indeed Riki. Actually there may be some details I have… deliberately avoided to tell you at your arrival.”

He stopped for a moment and the two men waited for him to continue.

“Don’t misunderstood me. You CAN die, and it may be for good this time. This is the exact reason why we don’t tell newcomers that dying here is far more difficult than in our previous lives. If only one cell survive, then it quickly regenerate the rest to the point the person isn’t in death danger anymore and medicide can take care of the rest.”

An exclamation of relief and joy came out of Takuto’s month. Riki stayed serious, waiting for the end of the explanation. Urahara took a more serious look.

“I’ll ask you to keep it secret as much as possible. I wouldn’t like people to take their lives lightly just because of that. It is when people think there is no danger that they suffer and die. I want every citizen of this world to take care of this second life of them. And be aware that it will still take time for Kouji to leave the hospital.”

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Once they had discussed about the news Urahara had brought, silence came once again and Riki could focus his thoughts on his recollection.

He remembered these dark hours on Amoi. The darker ones had been with Iason. He had been his prisoner, tortured everyday, poisoned with a pleasure he had wanted to flee. It had been a real nightmare. The kind which would stay forever as a trauma, even in this new world, far away from the mad planet he had grown up on.

He also remembered Apathia. Katze telling him how much he had changed Iason. And himself thinking about it, when Guy had come back to free him while he realized that he didn’t want to accept the price of this freedom. His despair, far different from the one Iason had waken in him when he was in Eos, when he had thought that he couldn’t come back to Iason anymore. Iason’s last unbelievable decision to sacrifice himself to save Guy. His own last unbelievable decision to go back to die with him.

Now that his memory were back, he could do as he wanted. Continue their evolution, discovering these feelings which had led them to their death. Becoming Iason’s slave again. It was clearly what the Blondy wanted.

Or taking the chance this new world was offering him to finally be free and happy, away from this mad person who had hurt him this much.

But as he was looking at these possibilities, he realised that he already knew it for sure: even if taking his rightful freedom, he couldn’t erase Iason from his thoughts. He had already tried, back then, without success. A simple visit from him had been enough to destroy all of his will. Here, he could have resisted for one single reason : he had not remembered. But now that his memory was back, it was naive to think of it. With his memory, his invisible chains had come back too.

Or maybe not. Not if he decided that it didn’t. If Iason had decided to get him back, it was unthinkable that he would give up, but he didn’t have here the power that he had in Amoi. Technically, Riki could even decide to go to the police to report him for stalking and Iason couldn’t do anything against it. Especially when the man didn’t look to have any reliable acquaintance here while Riki could count on Takuto’s testimony.

Himself was probably strong enough to learn how to live without Iason again. He had already began. Even if right now he had the feeling that his body cried his needs and felt Iason’s absence as a lack, he could work on it to regain his full independance… maybe. It may be an opportunity.

Thought, for some reason, he couldn’t make up his mind. He couldn’t give up his new freedom, but he couldn’t ignore this happy feeling when he realised that Iason still wanted him either.

He felt more lost than ever, more lost with his memories back than when he didn't have it. Maybe forgetting about all of this story had been the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Chapter 25: Takuto's advice

Takuto mind fluctuated between beeing happy, worried and mad at Kouji when he realised that his silent flatmate didn’t look well himself. Riki had been by his side all of this time, supporting him. Of course, in the action, he couldn’t have thought to anyone but to his idiotic boyfriend, but clearly something was wrong with his flatmate too. Even if he probably had never been in a death danger in this world of course! It was his turn to take care of him.

“What’s up?”

Riki jumped and look at him as if he just realised where he was.

“You surely looks very tense. What’s the matter?”

The other man looked to hesitate for a moment.

“Well…”

It looked hard.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But if I can do anything…”
“Yes, I know. I don’t really like it but I… may use some friendly advice.”

Takuto was touched. He knew that Riki wouldn’t ask this like that to anybody. It was a real proof of trust.

“Sure.”
“Remember Iason?”

Takuto frown. What with this guy again? Will he leave them alone one day?

“Well… the explosion made me recover my memory.”

Takuto’s month wide opened. He wasn’t ready.

“Really???”
“Yeah…I died in an explosion so it looks like what happened made the trick.”
“And… it isn’t a good thing?”
“It makes things worse… about Iason. I don’t know what to do.”

Then, Riki told him about what he remembered from his previous life. It was a crazy story. A crazy world. Amoi may certainly have been an other word for “hell”. And he understood a little better the issue with his flatmate’s stalker.

“I see. You went through Hell for sure.”

He took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure at all about what he was going to say.

“I don’t like Iason, you know it. He clearly is a toxic guy. And he doesn’t know how to live in society. But it looks like there is a background which explains it. He will need help to acclimate here.”

The relief in Riki’s eyes made him feel more confident about what he had decided to advise him. Did he just realised how much his look answered his own question at this precise moment?

“Why did you decide to die with him? Wasn’t it because you wanted to be with him? Don’t you want to continue on this path? You aren’t on Amoi anymore, so things will be different now anyway. You perfectly can decide to stay with Iason without beeing his slave. Maybe it’s not the easier path to take, but if it’s what you want, then I know you can do it. If you think it’s worth it. The answer, Riki, is that you don’t have to choose anymore between Iason and freedom anymore. And of course you would need to work on it, both of you. You’ll have to fix your limits and to make him respect it. He’ll have to understand that he isn’t a powerful android anymore. You both still have to realize that you aren’t on Amoi anymore, and so things can be different than before.”

He had never seen such a look in Riki’s face. It was happiness. And it was hope. he just could wish that it wasn’t false hope. He clearly just had made his day, now he just hoped to wouldn’t have to regret it later.

“Why are you still here? Don’t you have someone to get back too? Plus, I’d like to be alone to yell at Kouji when he’ll wake up.”

Chapter 26: Reunion

Iason had not been able to find Riki. After having looking for him everywhere for as much time as possible, he could have just gone back home, empty-handed. The last time he had been that worried was back then on Amoi, when Guy had kidnapped his pet, leading to their happy death. Or rather unhappy, since he couldn’t be with Riki anymore since then.

Unable to calm down, he stayed on his feet, looking at the city outside the window, thinking of what he could do more than what he had already done. He just didn’t want to lose Riki more than what he had already lost him… he wasn’t even sure that this sentence meant something. He just missed Riki so much. Seeing him and beeing unable to reach him was just unbearable. And the think that he may not even be able to see him anymore was even worse. He felt a despair he had never felt before.

The ring of his bell took him out of the painful whirl of his thoughts. Nobody had ever rang this bell before. When he went to the door and opened it, Riki was here. His relief was so great that he just took him into his arms, wanting to keep him here forever. Protecting him forever. Never letting him go ever again. Even if he had already understood that if this wish was working on Amoi, it wasn’t only his own decision to make it real here. Hi lover’s hesitant voice made him reconnect with reality.

“Will the hugs become an habit?”

For an instant, he relived the scene of their reunion in Dana Burn. Very similar. Except that there was Guy then, still there to keep his pet’s thoughts from him. Now, they were alone. And then, he realised and moved Riki away, still holding him by the arms to look at him:

“You have recovered your memories.”

It was an observation, not a question. A happy one. Especially when the boy confirmed:

“Yes. I have.”

And yet, he had come back. By his own free will. But Iason still wanted to be sure.

“Will you stay with me?”

The boy hasn’t been ready for the question, obviously. Still, He didn’t take long to answer it:

“Sure. If you don’t mind of course…”

A foolish worry.

Chapter 27: Home

Riki just hesitated for less than a second in front of the door before ringing the bell. He was still afraid of Iason, and of his reaction, but he knew what he had to do. Takuto was right, it may be a chance to get both Iason and his freedom, to learn how to live together without the space between them that existed on Amoi. Or maybe not. Iason was Iason. And he would be a fool to think that he would change just like that, in spite of the evolution Katze had pointed out when they were in Apathia.

Katze.

When Takuto had asked him why he had decided to die with Iason, his first thought had been that the Blondy had just proved how much he had changed and that he didn’t want to leave his side anymore. But the second one had been “Well… If I didn’t have decided to die this way, Katze would have killed me anyway, for sure.” He couldn’t have said it to Takuto. He wouldn’t have understood.

Was Katze still alive on Amoi? If he was, the situation was probably hard to deal with for him. But Katze was his model. He had his weaknesses, but he was strong. Even if he had been a furniture, he had succeeded in becoming Tanagura’s representative in the black market. If there was someone he shouldn’t be worry about on Amoi, it was Katze. Things were different for Guy (but if he had survived, then Katze should take care of him so he should be okay too) or the rest of Bison. At least, Kirie wasn’t in their way anymore.

The door opened and he found himself compressed in familiar arms which chased away the thoughts about all of these old faces as well as his breath. Beeing in this position happened only once before, when they had found each other in Dana Burn. And at this moment, he didn’t have had the time to be surprised. Now, he had it. The gesture was so much unlike Iason.

“Will the hugs become an habit?”

He was brutally moved away, though he still could feel the firm grip of Iason’s hand on his arms, as the man looked at him in shock.

“You have recovered your memories.”

There was only one thing to answer:

“Yes. I have.”

And then, something unthinkable happened. Iason simply asked him:

“Will you stay with me?”

It wasn’t an order. Just a question. A request. Without any of these manipulation games he had been used too. Or so it seemed anyway.

Riki wasn’t here to say goodbye.

“Sure. If you don’t mind of course…”

The grip on his arms loosened and Iason entered his flat, letting the door full open. It was a clear answer. Riki followed.

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Riki didn’t really know how to act or what to say, neither did Iason obviously. So they ordered some food and ate it in silence. Then, they went to the bedroom. It was the first time since their first meeting that Riki went to this point with Iason by his own free will and it felt really odd.

“Put your clothes off.”
“You too.”

He was curious to see how Iason would react to this kind of answer. And a little afraid too. But the former Blondy just looked at him in surprise before giving him an ironic smile:

“Do you think I would keep it on?”
“I never know what comes to your mind.”

Which was very true. Still smiling and looking at him, as to prove his good will, Iason began to join the act to the words and Riki did the same. And when Iason began to kiss him, softly and then deeper and deeper, Riki answered. Shyly first, as to discover again his ability to act in a sexual relationship, and quickly in a more passionate way.

As suddenly as he had started it, Iason broke the contact. He didn’t look very well. It irritated his lover.

“What? You don’t want it finally? From the moment I’m giving myself freely, it’s not interesting anymore for you?”

This smile again.

“It’s not like that. You can’t imagine how happy I am right now Riki. I’ll always want you. In this life as much as in the previous one or in the following one.”
“So what is it?”

Iason took a big breath. It was unusual in itself.

“On Amoi, I have dreamt so many times to be able to feel things the way you did. Every times I touched you, here and there, you reacted. It affected you. It didn’t matter how much you tried, you just couldn’t resist it. You couldn’t resist pleasure so you could experiment it. And it made me so jealous. Through you, I wanted to experiment it too. And now that I am human… I finally can.”

Riki was amazed. He certainly didn’t expect it at all. He didn’t know if he was angry because of the Iasonish choice of words to make him remember his darkest hours or just startled about the confession. Still, there was only one way to react:

“Then what are you waiting for, if it’s what you want?”

No answer. Iason probably had never lost his words before this moment.

“Well… I would never have thought to need to do that one day but I surely can help you to discover your body. Will you let me do it?”

Iason silently nodded and just looked at him as he came closer again, not really sure of how to act. For so long he had just let the other one leading everything. He wasn’t really sure of what he should do anymore. It was just too odd.

Though, he had just told him that he would do it, so it was what he had to do now. He put his hand on his neck and began to stroke it, slowly. He felt Iasons shivering under his fingers. Even if he tried to not show it, he was very tense. Was it really possible that Iason was currently as afraid as he was? Or even more?

“You may be human now, but you’re still too tall. Go on the bed.”
“Oh, so you ask me to lower myself to be at your level.”
“Just shut up and do it already!”

And Iason did it. Unbelievable. A miracle. He always had this entertained look in his eyes, as if he was most interested in observing Riki’s next move than in his own pleasure, but he did. Well… he didn’t seem as self-confident as he usually did either. It was clearly a new situation for him too.

Riki followed him and began to kiss him on the mouth before going down. On his neck, and then on his chest, which was lifted by the quick rythm of his breath. He was taking his time. He let his hands exploring the man’s upper parts to complete the kisses. He could feel Iason’s body reacting and hearing the man’s silence. It had never happened during their lovemaking before. Iason had always have some unkind things to say.

Still kissing his chest, he let one of his hands going more down and began to play with the most sensitive part of a Iason’s anatomy. Which may have not been before, but which was clearly now. It was already hard. He could feel Iason’s breath accelerate again and felt a kind of urge himself.

He stood up, spread the other’s legs and places it to be able to get easy access to the entry of his more intimate part. Looking at his expression, Iason clearly didn’t like to be exposed like that, but his curiosity was probably stronger, since he just let him do as he wanted. A sadistic part of Riki’s mind thought that the time of revenge had come. But an other one didn’t want to see what was going on this way. He didn’t want revenge. All he had ever wanted was peace and respect. Even if he had tried to make war to achieve it.

Still, the mongrel didn’t take a lot of care when he penetrated him. Iason never had taken a lot with him. He even felt a kind of satisfaction when he saw him trying to hide a painful reaction. But the pain seemed to let the place to pleasure quickly enough and Riki began to move inside of his master. Or former master. Was it important?

As strong as their will were, Riki had been trained and Iason didn’t know anything about how to control himself yet. They came at the same time, and Riki rolled to lie down on the bed and catching up his breath.

But as human as he had become, Iason was still Iason and the mongrel quickly felt him pressing against his body again.

“Well… it was interesting. But I haven’t had enough yet. Neither do you.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Am I used to don’t be? And I thought you would be more honest with yourself now.”

Riki felt the man’s hands going to his penis and between his bittocks as to prove his claim and he felt excited again.

“Beside, I still prefer to be on the top.”

Riki thought : “So do I”, but he kept it for himself. His pride would still not allow him to say anything like that. Still, Iason was right. Fucking him had been good, but that alone would have let him frustrated. And even if he would never admit it, it would be foolish to think that Iason wouldn’t have seen it by himself. As annoying as it was, he always saw this kind of things.

Obviously, becoming human didn’t have decreased Iason’s sexual appetite at all. Riki felt asleep after Iason took him several times, feeling less ashamed than he used to be. Was it because he could have acted and felt as if the other one would let him doing it again? Or because he had really chosen to be here, not to answer some kind of balckmail but because he wanted to? Or because Iason had finally begun to open his heart to him, allowing him to see a more vulnerable part of himself? Or because himself felt almost ready to open his heart to him?

Anyway, he was finally back home.

Chapter 28: Kouji's return

When Kouji opened his eyes, he was alone in an hospital room. The last thing he remembered was the light while he was lighting his cigarette, waiting for Takuto to win his match. Apparently, the fireworks didn’t go well. Where was Takuto?

As he raised up, looking for his lover, he saw a letter put on a pile of clean clothes on his bed table. He took it and read it.

“Here are clean clothes. I’m waiting you home. Don’t try anything dangerous in your way back. Takuto.”

Simple, but it made Kouji feel happy. He stood up and put his clothes on. He didn’t feel as if he had just woke up in an hospital bed. The nurses just said him goodbye when he saw them as he left. So simple.

The streets were quiet when he went home. The sun was already here but it was still the morning. He was eager to see Takuto, but he felt well.

When he pushed the entrance door, he wasn’t ready for the confettis.

“WELCOME BACK!!!”
“Woof!”

Did he know that much people? He knew the dog. He knew Riki. And Iason. Did they get along now? And a guy he had seen talking with Riki once or two times. And some of Takuto’s colleagues from his football team. And, of course, Takuto himself. He was too surprised to speak.

Quickly, people began to chat and eat and his lover went to him. He didn’t look as smiley as at first sight.

“You’ll never try something like that. Ever. Again. I’m not pleased at all, so forget about it. Just stay by my side, in one piece. It’s all what you need to do to make me happy.”

Enough words to make Kouji feeling like an happy idiot. There was just one thing he could say:

“Sure. I’ll always stay by your side. I’m happy that you don’t want me to be hurt.”

The suspicious look in his lover’s eyes made him wonder if he really believed him.

“It’s really nice of you to have organized this party for my return.”
“Oh, it’s not only for your return. Riki get his memory back. It was to be celebrated too.”

Kouji was a little disappointed. Then, he saw that Riki and Iason were holding hands while speaking to Riki’s colleague.

“Looks like they get along pretty well together finally.”
“Yes. Riki had decided to go living with Iason. We moved his stuff yesterday.”

It was excellent news.

“Oh. So we’ll be back together, just the two of us?”
“Just the two of us, with Kouji, yes.”

For a moment, Kouji didn’t understand. Then, it came to his mind:

“Oh, yes, the dog.”

Things promised to be more simple and beautiful in the future.

Notes:

And so it's finally the end!
This is my first fanfic written in English (or fanfic in general, even if I had already played on role play forums) and even if it hasn't been always easy, I hope you have enjoyed it! Anyway, thank you for having following it to the end!
I still don't know if I'll come back to it later to improve it or not... but I'm already happy to have done it from the begining to the end.
Cheers o/