The first time I saw him, he was only a brat of about fifteen. I don't usually pay attention to people younger than me, and I was sixteen at the time, but Virus couldn't take his eyes off him. So I looked again.

I really don't know what Virus saw in him that first time; the boy was cute, I'll give him that, but nothing else: skinny, a bit short, hair dyed in a brilliant blue. Ordinary. Our usual prey around the Rhyme grounds. I shrugged and let it go, thinking that Virus would lose any interest in the boy very soon.

Of course, I still hadn't seen him playing Rhyme. Damned brat. There was anything ordinary in his way of playing. In the game, he was powerful, brilliant, beautifully evil… We asked around, and it turned out that the boy already had a name, and it was a name that was starting to be big in Midorijima: Sly Blue. I liked it. I didn't like how Virus' eyes lit when he heard the name, though, but I followed him all the same when the game finished.

Sly Blue was smoking, leaning against a wall, watching the current Rhyme game from afar. He frowned when Virus reached him a pill, with his usual charming smile.

"What's that?" he asked, suspicious.

"Something that will make you feel good", Virus winked.

"How much?"

"It's on the house". Sly seemed slightly annoyed, and for a moment I thought he was going to throw the pill and leave, but Virus added, with his best velvet voice: "It's a gift. You were awesome in the game. Right, Trip?"

"Yes, really awesome!" I hurried to add.

The boy's eyes searched me and he finally ate the pill, without saying "thank you" or at least giving us a grateful smile. What a brat! I would teach him manners, if Virus allowed me to do so.

But the pill was one of the best quality in our catalogue, and in a while Sly had relaxed and laughed at every joke Virus told him, even the bad ones. I gritted my teeth, but smiled pleasantly every time Virus turned to look at me. I put my best show as a gentle, charming man, thinking that, if Virus wanted the boy, the sooner he had him, the sooner he would be out of his mind.

"I like that hair colour, it really suits you…" Virus reached out and stroked the long blue bangs. Sly took his hand off, frowning again.

"Don't touch."

My friend insisted. He wasn't tall, but he was older than us after all, and had finished his growth, so he looked tall and strong compared to Sly. He cornered the boy against the wall and took a long lock between his fingers.

"Why not? Don't you like it?"

"It hurts… a bit."

The boy seemed embarrassed, and Virus wisely changed the topic and let him some space.

"What you did at Rhyme was amazing, Sly… And besides we've heard that you have never lost! You seem to be unbeatable!" The boy relaxed visibly. He even gave us a shy smile again. "Tell us, please… which is your secret?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, eh?"

"But we won't tell anyone, Sly… We are your number one fans."

Sly laughed, a genuine crystalline laugh, and then someone called him and we were suddenly surrounded by people. Virus and I made a discreet exit.

We started to watch him and to follow him around. It turned out that my first impression was wrong and he was interesting after all. For one, he was truly unbeatable. His style at Rhyme was a sight to behold; the skinny ordinary boy seemed to transform into a powerful beast, and Virus' eyes drank the sight of the winner every time. I sighed, acknowledging defeat.

The boy lived with his grandma, and his true name was Aoba Seragaki. We already knew, but Virus was patient enough until he succeeded in being told the name by Sly himself. It tasted like triumph for Virus, achieving that. Day after day, the blue haired boy started to think of us as "friends". If he only knew.

The important part for us, of course, was finding out the key to his success in Rhyme. His allmate was a rather outdated model, one without armour or a shield, although it was evident that it had been through minor customising (so Sly wasn't as simple minded as he looked, it seemed). No, it was obvious after watching him during some games: the boy himself was the key. He had a hidden talent, something special. We needed some months until we caught it: there was a special trait in his voice, a trait that was only activated during Rhyme, before the critical blow that would destroy completely his enemy's defences. But how?

I wouldn't say that Sly Blue's talent was our obsession, but it became somewhat like a hobby for us. We attended our own business, which was never too far from the Rhyme grounds, and sometimes we did a bit of research in our free time. We never missed a game when Sly was playing, of course, and we congratulated him afterwards and offered him some of our goods for free. He looked suspicious the first months, but he never said "no". However, he was almost always in a bad physical shape after the game, looking exhausted and suffering migraines. So he usually shrugged off the bunch of mates and girls who surrounded him after the games and took his leave. It was a bit frustrating for us to be dismissed along the rest of admirers, but we contented ourselves with keeping tabs at him.

Some years passed, and Sly Blue looked more and more worn-out, with ever present dark bags under his eyes. It was a disturbing look for a young man under twenty, and Virus and I started to ponder how much time would the boy last at that rate. Rhyme, the drugs and the lack of sleep and healthy habits were taking their toll in Sly Blue, and if we didn't stop him soon he would be useless for us in no time. We were still lacking information about his talent.

We met him one night at one of our usual routes. There was no Rhyme game that evening, so everybody was just drinking and hanging out in the alley. Sly was chattering with a group of boys and girls around our age (he was nineteen by then, and I was twenty), and he seemed to be in a good mood, something less and less frequent now. We called him and he came closer, leaving his friends behind.

"Hey! Do you have something for me?"

Virus seemed to consider his words for a moment.

"Well… there's no Rhyme tonight, so we can't give it to you as a winner's trophy…"

Sly's face felt.

"Oh. I don't have any money, sorry. Could you give it to me as a gift in advance? You know, for next game."

Virus and I shared a slow glance and smiled. I passed my arm around the boy's narrow shoulders and started walking, pushing him onwards.

"Let's go for a walk."

He still seemed a bit suspicious, after all those years working to earn his trust, but as always Virus managed to sooth him with his best business manners. He winked at Sly and whispered.

"We can't be seen giving you our goods without an exchange of money in front of everybody, Aoba…"

Sly relaxed and allowed us to take him to an empty, dark inner alley. Once there, Virus showed him a pair of pills. The boy reached to take them, but my friend closed his hand with the pills inside of it.

"Wait a sec. I didn't say they were for free."

Sly clicked his tongue.

"Oh, come on! I already told you I have no money!"

"You sure can think of another way of payment", Virus said, sliding his hand around the slim waist of the boy.

Sly frowned. He didn't seem as angry as I thought he would get, but it didn't matter. What Virus wanted, Virus always had, and he had been extremely patient with Sly Blue. I was okay with it; it was about time Virus took the boy out of his system.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going to prostitute myself for a pair of pills", he said.

But he still had Virus hand on his waist, so he could talk as much as he wanted: it was useless. He just needed a bit of convincing.

"Of course not", Virus whispered in his lowest, velvety tone. It wasn't fair, the effect that voice had in me: I had to readjust my crotch. "We are not some unknown dealers, we are your friends, Aoba. You sure like to fool around with friends from time to time, right? Nothing wrong with that."

"Not with male friends", Sly answered, averting his gaze.

"Nobody will see us here… and if someone sees, they will only see a group of friends having fun. Don't you think it will be fun, Aoba?"

Virus had stepped into the boy's personal space and was talking to him so close that his lips almost touched Aoba's hair. With his final words, he sneaked a hand inside of Aoba's trousers, and started to open his belt and unzip him to have better access. The boy tried to wriggle and put some space between then, but Virus had him against a wall and the only way out right then would be an outright rejection. I was sure he wouldn't choose that option, though.

Sly looked around, and when he was at last convinced that simply running away wasn't an option any more, he sighed and stared at us with disgust.

"Alright. What exactly do you want?" he asked, almost spitting the words.

Virus chuckled.

"Not too much, don't worry. Get down on your knees."

Virus removed his hand from Sly's trousers and undid his own belt and zip. Sly did what he was said, and stared at Virus from below, visibly annoyed.

"You know what to do, right?" Virus said, with a gentle smile.

Sly nodded. He fished my friend's dick out of his pants, and it was only half hard. I was a bit surprised, after all the time he had been dreaming of this. I was rock hard just from watching the way Virus played with Sly the same way that a boy plays with a fly before tearing its wings apart. Sly started to work the cock with his fingers, clumsily. Virus watched him with a blank face.

"Put it in your mouth", he ordered.

The boy got closer and licked the tip and the sides, working the length with his index and his thumb circling it. It had achieved a nice full erection, but Virus' face was still expressionless. Sly had lost his upset look and seemed very determined and focused on his task. After some light nibbles to the underside, he started to suck on the tip; Virus let go a weak moan, at last, and started to pet that blue long hair. Sly interrupted his work and pushed Virus' hand away.

"Don't touch my hair."

Virus seemed about to object, but the boy came back to his task quickly and all objections were abandoned when he engulfed the whole length in one go. Virus closed his eyes and placed his hands on Aoba's shoulders instead. I know he was fighting to keep his breathing even, always the control freak, and he only let go a low grunt when he finally came. Sly withdrew and spat on the floor, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Virus opened his eyes and gave me a sweet, sedated smile.

"Your turn."

Without needing to be instructed again, Sly crawled on his knees closer to me, and opened my fly. My eyes were still fixed on Virus, his eyes gazing into mine, and I knew I was so close that I would need barely any input from Sly to achieve my orgasm. His sucking on my dick was nice, though, and his clumsy grabbing hand and tongue movements had their own charm. I put both hands on his head and pushed myself deep inside his throat. He flailed his arms and did some protesting sounds, but Virus gasped and reached to lower the boy's trousers and underwear. He grabbed Aoba's dick and started to work it with skilled movements. Watching his task, he raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"So your hair isn't dyed after all…" I glanced at Aoba's groin, and indeed, his hair down there was bright blue as well. "How curious."

I let my fingers wander by his locks, and he tried to protest at once, but this time I simply pushed his head harder and he had to drown his protests out, too busy trying not to gag. I just needed some forceful thrusts more to climax. He tried to withdraw, but I kept him pinned in place until I felt all my cum going down his throat. The only thing that spoiled that perfect orgasm was the fact that Virus wasn't looking at me at that very moment, too busy working that brat's dick.

When I let go of him, Sly fell back on his bum, coughing, and Virus kept on stroking his erection. Because yes, the boy sported a massive boner: he could deceive himself and complain as much as he wanted, but he was enjoying it, the dirty little shit. Virus had kneeled close to him and started snogging him while he wanked him, swallowing his laboured breath and his dribbling saliva. Sly opened more his mouth to give Virus more space, and soon started to moan loudly. My just tucked in dick started to throb again. The boy came with a strangled cry, and I wondered how many people would be already peeping at the scene from their windows. We better buggered off before someone decided to come down.

Virus gave Sly a last sweet kiss on his forehead and helped him stand up. He cleaned his hand with a handkerchief and took the pills out again. He put them inside Sly's mouth with great care, and the boy, despite looking still completely wasted, swallowed them at once. Virus chuckled, amused. But then we shared a glance, and he turned serious again, with a well-known glint in his eyes.

"Aoba, there's another thing we wanted to ask from you."

Sly turned to look at him, alarmed, and then at me.

"Not that", I said, reassuring.

"You know, we have always been curious about your talent…" Virus explained. "I know, it's your little secret, but we have already found out, eh, Trip?" I nodded, smiling. The boy seemed lost. "There is something special going on with your voice. Our request is, would you show us, Aoba?"

"Show you what?"

"Show us how you do it."

Sly smiled, and it was a wicked, crooked smile. The same he showed when he was at the Rhyme game, before the final blow to his opponent. I wanted to crush that smile on his face.

"Do you really want that? You two could end up in hospital, are you aware?"

Virus's grin widened.

"You would never hurt us, Aoba… Why would you hurt your number one fans?"

Sly's smile faltered, and he looked into Virus' eyes trying to find out his intentions. It was like staring at a bottomless pit, I knew. It was like that for everybody but for me. Virus had worked on his expressions for years, and he was always in control of what he was giving away.

"You don't have to say anything." Virus added. "I just want you to imitate the tone of voice you use when you are attacking in Rhyme."

Sly clenched his jaw, and I wondered if he was going to refuse after all. We were so close to our goal… But suddenly he grinned and said:

"It will cost you two additional pills."

Virus raised his eyebrows and looked at me; I shrugged.

"Alright, but take it easy and leave them for another day: four pills are way too much for your weight."

As soon as he gave him the pills, Aoba chuckled and ate them. Virus sighed, shaking his head, and put his fingers carefully on the boy's throat, trying to find his vocal chords.

"OK, do that voice now."

Aoba emitted a wordless muffled sound, and I felt my mouth open. My feet moved on their own accord and I started to stroke his arm. He glanced down at my hand, clearly annoyed, and stopped the sound. I retired my hand, feeling a bit stupid, and turned to look at Virus. There was a tear on his cheek! That was so… unexpected, and weird, that I felt at a loss for words.

All of a sudden, a great clamour arrived from the main alley, where all the Rhymers were. I questioned Virus with my eyes. An unscheduled Rhyme game? Well, that wasn't unheard of, but still uncommon. Sly's eyes lit up and he hurried to go back to the Rhyme grounds.

"Wait!" Virus called out. "You shouldn't play with so many drugs in your system; you should better go back home and lie down for a while."

As expected, the boy didn't pay him any attention, and kept going. Virus sighed and didn't insist. He seemed deep in thought.

"Is his talent similar to Sei-san's, as we thought?" I asked.

"I think so. His vocal chords vibrated in an unnatural way, and I'm sure you felt the effect, too". I nodded. "And he didn't even talk…"

"But Sei-san's power was engineered before his birth… How do you think Sly Blue is related to that?"

"Hmmm… It seems further investigation is required."

We strolled slowly back to the main alley, now well lit by Usui and the virtual playground. I couldn't see Sly, but there were already two opponents ready to fight.

"Do you think our boss will be interested?" I asked after a while, my eyes fixed on the game, but not paying much attention.

"Certainly".

Virus was biting his lower lip, thoughtful and… also concerned, perhaps? I waited until the game finished and both rivals left the ground. Usui announced the next match, and Sly stepped in the spotlights with his usual Rhyme persona, lopsided grin plastered on his face and looking somewhat taller and powerful.

"He really shouldn't fight now", I commented to Virus. He hummed in agreement. "Do you intend to hand him in?"

"Obviously not."

"The boss is going to find out one of these days, with or without our help. And the boy is not going to last much more at this rate."

"Well, then we should do something about it, don't you think?"

I nodded, and kept watching the game. Aoba's opponent was strong, and he had a huge amount of followers among the crowd, it seemed. But Aoba looked looser than usual, his laugh almost maniac, and it was evident for us that the effects of the drugs were hitting him at full power. Already in his third turn, he ignored his allmate and used his voice against his opponent. We all saw the man kneeling and starting to scream in agony, and the crown started to fidget and protest. Sly Blue kept laughing without a trace of sanity. Someone from the public shouted, asking him to stop it, but Sly ignored it. The durability bar of his opponent reached zero, and Usui declared the game finished. A group of angry supporters of the loser entered the Rhyme ground and Usui disconnected it, and suddenly all of it was gone: Usui, the lights, and the whole virtual playground, leaving only a rather dark alley packed with dozens of people. Two girls were holding the loser opponent, sobbing. The young man was unconscious, and a dribble of saliva went down his chin. One of the girls requested that someone phoned an ambulance, and then most of the bystanders started to slip away from the alley. The injured man was in a team, though, and about ten young men stayed, starting to taunt Aoba, while the two girls took care of their friend. Aoba seemed aloof and cool, but we knew that, in fact, the drugs didn't allow him to be really aware of his surroundings right then. Two of the team members grabbed him by his arms, and the others started to punch him and kick him. He did feel the pain, but it was too late by then to react and try to skulk.

Virus and I watched the scene from the other side of the dark street. I turned to my friend to ask him:

"Should we intervene?"

"Nah. Enjoy the show."

And so we did. They beat him up until we could hear the ambulance's siren; then they retreated and took their friend out to the main street. We walked slowly towards Sly Blue, our steps resounding in the empty alley. Virus crouched next to him and grabbed his chin, turning his bloody face to one side and the other. I thought the boy looked good all bruised and bloodied. It would be interesting to make him bleed in different ways, red and rich blood against his creamy pale skin.

"Aoba", Virus called. "Aoba, wake up."

He opened an eye; it was puffed and it hurt him, but he was conscious and tried to look at us.

"Tsst, tsst… I told you, you shouldn't play Rhyme having taken so many pills… We will take you to hospital, don't worry. You will be fine in some days. Your opponent, though, will have it harder to recover. But we will take care of you, Aoba. This won't happen again. You are going to forget all about Rhyme and your power. You will come back home to your grandma and become a good boy, eh? Let all this Rhyme issue be a little secret between us, sssshhhhh…"

Virus looked at me, and I nodded and gave him another pill. It was our best finding, and it had nothing to do with the shit we sold to the Rhymers. This came right away from our lab. Virus put it inside Sly's mouth and closed it, moving his jaw as if encouraging him to swallow. Sly opened his eyes wide despite his injuries and tried to cry out, but I put my hand against his mouth, muffling his sounds. I knew the effects of the drug would be quick, but I had never seen them with my own eyes. At least not in a human. Aoba lost his consciousness in less than two minutes. We stood up and Virus sighed and brushed his trousers off.

"Goodbye forever, Sly Blue. We will take care of Aoba from now on. Come on, Trip, help me here, let's put him on that ambulance as well."

Four years later, many things had changed. For once, we left Midorijima and Japan and moved to the United States, where our business was full steam ahead. We had some savings and no boss, and we could afford a nice house surrounded by a garden and a high fence in a residential neighbourhood. And, most important, we were still together. We, and our pet.

I stepped in Virus' bedroom without knocking first, too busy taking off my suit jacket and my tie. Job was done for the day, thanks Heaven, and I was tired and just wanted a drink and some rest. Virus had finished some hours ago, and he was lying on his bed with his laptop, while stroking lazily the long blue hair of our pet. Aoba was sitting on the floor, naked, his back resting against Virus' bed, and his gaze was low and empty. He didn't think of complaining about his hair any more.

He had been hellish at first, of course; he took the coming back of his memories badly after those four years of blissful memory loss. We stole his memories and we gave him back in its due moment. He was angry with us for both things. He was rebellious and stubborn, and needed to be chained and punished most of the time. But, after some months, he finally acknowledged that he was never going to regain his freedom and gave in. He broke. I knew Virus missed the Aoba he became after Rhyme, sometimes, that dull smiling idiot who was fond of his ordinary job and his ordinary friends. I missed more the punishments of his training period.

He was completely trained by then: he didn't complain, fight back or tried to escape. He barely talked, either, but I didn't mind. I have never liked talkative people. Virus sometimes told me that he missed his laugh and his voice, but he seemed completely happy at that moment, petting Aoba's hair absently. He raised his eyes from the laptop and smiled at me.

"Ah, Trip, there you are! I was wondering when you would arrive home. Everything OK?" I nodded. "I know it's your turn today, but I wanted to enjoy Aoba before you arrived; I hope you don't mind."

And he turned his eyes towards our pet, smiling sweetly, and I swear I could see adoration in his eyes. I felt an unexpected sharp pain inside my chest. I rubbed the spot on my chest that seemed to cover the painful point and faked a smile. He didn't even see it. He put the blue bangs carefully out of Aoba's face and kissed his forehead. Aoba didn't react. His face was blank and his eyes had lost any glint of life. I reached his hand, still smiling, and helped him to stand up. I commented some business with Virus, still holding Aoba's hand, and then I said good night and retired to my bedroom along with our pet.

I told him to lie down on my bed and opened my closet. That damned pain was still there. Virus' face when he looked at Aoba. Not once had he looked at me that way. Not once. Not even in bed. I checked that my smile was in place before turning again towards our pet. I took my time to show him the riding crop.

"Let's have some fun now, right?"