Please Remember

Chapter One

AN: So I watched and fell in love with the anime Ai no Kusabi. I found the characters of Iason and Riki to be both fascinating and quite lovely to watch. That being said I couldn't help but wish for a better ending for the tragic pair, and so I decided that I would write a story in which I plan to give them one. I have no definite ideas yet about this one; my muse seems to be inspiring me as I go so we shall see where it takes me. It will of course be an Iason/Riki pairing, if that is not to your taste then please feel free to hit the back button. I own nothing other than the plot along with any of my own characters I may decide to introduce along the way. I hope that you enjoy the read as much as I am sure I will enjoy writing the story.

Pain, the likes of which he had never known before seized his body. He could feel the blaze of the flames licking at his skin; taste the acrid burn of the smoke in the back of his throat. Everywhere sang with agony and heat, his body so wracked with it that he couldn't expend the energy needed to scream out. His eyes blurred with moisture and his lips worked around silent sobs…then there was nothing but a bright light and then darkness.

Riki gasped and bolted upright, memories assaulted him and a whimper left his lips. An arm wrapped around him to comfort him but it felt wrong, if anything its presence distressed him more. Turning he locked eyes with his old partner Guy and he wrenched away from the hold.

"Where is he" his voice was hoarse and disbelieving. He knew that he had died; he remembered the burn of the cigarette, remembered feeling the pain of the fire before its poison had done its job and pulled him through white light, and then there was nothing. But he was standing here, in his old apartment, his body completely whole…all of his body completely whole and his heart pounding a mile a minute.

"Riki" Guy's voice was a rush of air, the one word laced with a thousand different emotions he couldn't process just now. His so called friend reached out to him again and he recoiled, his body tensing and he seriously didn't know if he was going to attack him. Anger burned through him, Guy had hurt him, in ways he had never thought the other man capable of. It didn't matter that what he had done had been fixed somehow; all that mattered was that he had done it in the first place.

"Where the hell is he?" he ground out, ignoring the sadness that washed over Guy's face. In that moment it didn't matter, not when he could close his eyes and see blood soaked pale skin and the soft fall of impossibly long blond hair over piercing blue eyes.

"Please Riki, sit down and try to calm yourself. I'll tell you everything that you want to know, but please just take a seat first" Guy sounded resigned now, gesturing with his hand towards either of the two couches or the bed. It was then that Riki noticed his other arm, secured in a sling across his body…hadn't he lost it?

Deciding if he wanted answers it would be best to do as the taller man said, he sat down. He glanced impassively over Guy's body, he remembered how he had loved his long brown hair and his dark hooded eyes, even his athletic build had been appealing to him once. But now he felt nothing, the attraction had died, probably when he had and he found to his hidden surprise that he did not mourn the loss of it.

His main concern however was finding out what had happened, he'd died and yet here he was. He remembered being held securely in strong arms, remembered how peaceful he had felt at last with the one person he had fought so hard not to feel anything for. The one person he'd realised he loved when it was too late to do anything about it.

Iason Mink.

The name brought an image of the elite Blondie to his mind instantly, his casual grace, his pale flawless skin, and his cold blue eyes that could warm if one knew how to look for that warmth. The sinful lips that could curve into a smile that could make your heart skip a beat, the long elegant fingers that knew how to play Riki's body as easily as a musician could play an instrument. The man who'd sacrificed his pride in order to save someone who meant nothing to him but had done it anyway because he was dear to Riki…then he'd saved Riki from the falling debris losing his legs in the process.

If he hadn't asked Iason to save Guy they would have made it out ok and the thought caused a pain to constrict his chest. But it hadn't been within him to leave his ex-lover behind, and proving himself a man far better than Riki had ever openly given him credit for Iason had hefted Guy up and over his shoulder and proceeded Riki down the corridor without even a word of complaint.

Shaking himself free of the memories he watched his ex-lover seat himself on the couch opposite his own, his trembling hand reaching out for the glass of water that Riki hadn't noticed on the coffee table between them.

"Was I dead?" he asked at last, the question caused Guy's hand to jerk and water sloshed over the rim of the glass. Setting it back down he shook the moisture from his fingertips, Riki recognised the movements for what they were…Guy was stalling. Folding his arms gave the brunet a pointed glare until finally with a soft sigh Guy closed his eyes and began to speak.

"Everything you can probably recall really did happen. I really removed your pet ring, Iason really pulled off my arm, he then lost his legs during our escape and you went back to be with him until the end…I'm so sorry Riki…I didn't know you had come to care for him so much." Guy's voice was earnest in his apology and Riki softened his glare, he hadn't realised he'd cared for the blond that much either until the end.

"Katze, he was there when I woke up, his face…god it was a mixture of incredible rage and incredible grief. I thought he was going to hurt me, instead he told me that my arm had been replaced…never told me why though." Riki frowned at this; it was strange indeed that Guy's arm had been replaced.

"Then I found out that you were to be rebuilt completely whole, again they didn't tell me the why of that either. It took them eight months to bring you back and it only took them so long because finding your body had been difficult. Both you and Iason were still sort of intact when they eventually found you, in a cocoon of rubble I believe Katze said and they had you both extracted."

He took a deep breath before forging on.

"When you were completed they immediately sent you here, both Katze and myself have been watching over you and now you're awake" Guy finished, his body slumping back into the couch as though he had apparently finished what he wanted to say. Riki frowned and waited for Guy to say more, but he didn't say anything else just did his best not to make eye contact.

"Iason…what of Iason...where is he?" he asked at last when the silence continued to stretch on and on. He knew he didn't imagine the way Guy shifted uncomfortably at the question, or the way he continued to avoid his stare…there was something he was holding back and Riki wanted to know what. Slamming his hand down on the coffee table he resisted the urge to overturn it, surging to his feet he made towards the door only to find the brunet had moved with surprising speed and was now blocking his path.

"Move" he gritted out pushing the midight black hair that had fallen into his dark eyes away with a rough hand. When he made to step past the taller man it was onlt to find he'd countered the motion and was once again blocking his exit.

"You can't see him Riki, please you need to let this go" Guy's voice was desperate and his eyes pleaded with him. But he would not be deterred; using the reflexes he'd always been renowned for he managed a quick movement that saw Guy on his backside and the pathway between himself and the door blessedly free. He took a step only to halt in disbelief as Guy's next words crashed over him.

"He doesn't remember you Riki" they were quietly whispered but he heard them as though they were as loud as a thunderclap. He whirled about, his jaw slack and his eyes wide, searching Guy's face for any sign that he was lying when he repeated them more loudly. There was nothing but honesty in his eyes and sadness laced within the words he'd said that almost caused Riki's knees to buckle.

"Iason doesn't remember who you are, when they'd rebuilt him, before they woke him up, they removed every trace of your existence from his mind."

Knowing that there was nothing but truth within those words Riki finally sank to his knees as the reality of it all washed over him. For him to have overcome his own fear, for him to have finally accepted everything that Iason had said would happen had indeed come to pass, that he was finally ready to give himself to the blond elite in the way Iason had always wanted. Only to find that Iason didn't remember any of it…how was that fair?

Lifting a shaky hand he covered his mouth to muffle his sob before finally letting the tears that burned his eyes fall freely.

Lifting an elegantly pale hand to his temple, Iason Mink massaged the dull ache that had formed there with practiced ease. Since his release from the medical centre Jupiter had been keeping him incredibly busy, he of course rose to each task she set beautifully and without complaint, but he'd found sleep eluded him of a night and so fatigue was beginning to sink in.

It didn't help that neither his confidante and long-time friend Raoul Am nor his ex-furniture Katze were around him much since he'd returned to work. The former unable to meet his eye as he offered some excuse to leave his company and the latter claiming that work within the Market was keeping him too busy to talk or visit with him for anything other than business related meetings at the moment.

Sighing he called for a glass of wine, excepting it greatly when his furniture Daryl offered him a glass within seconds of his request. He sipped at the sweet liquid, closing his eyes to savour the taste as he swirled the glass in silent contemplation.

Something was not right.

He had been well informed as to what had happened when he'd died, he'd been told he had been at Dana Bahn and that an explosion had happened when he'd been there. He'd lost both his legs just above the knee when the debris had fallen which is why he assumed he had been unable to escape. That same debris, he'd been told, had also cocooned his body when the explosion had occurred which had made it possible for him to be rebuilt.

He crossed one leg elegantly over the other, even if he were to remove his clothing there would be no evidence of what had happened to them. There was no scarring from the attachment of his new limbs and if he had not been told of their loss he'd have never known he'd lost them both in the first place.

What puzzled him though was why he had been in Dana Bahn.

It was an odd place for someone of his status to visit, but he had been advised that they had been looking for development opportunities and he had gone to see various locations with Dana Bahn being his final destination. The rest of course was clearly documented in his medical file, but the whole story did not sit right with Iason…he had never questioned Jupiter or his fellow Blondie's before, why should he have reason to do so now.

Taking another sip from his glass he did his best to put the thought from his mind, picking up the data-pad with his free hand he surveyed the images that scrolled across the screen with nothing more than a passing interest.

Katze had suggested he needed some companionship; he had then compiled a suitable database of pets for him to look at. But as he eyed the familiar and predicable poses on the screen he dismissed each candidate in turn until finally he had looked through them all and found none that satisfied him. Flinging the data-pad back onto the table he sank back into his chair, his head titled and his eyes closing once again.

A flash of a defiant stare whirled before his closed lids but before he could grasp the image it was gone and he couldn't recall any features or such to help him place it.

Rising he placed the empty glass on the table then he made his way towards his bedroom, stripping casually as he walked. He paid no mind to the clothing that fell about his feet as he moved; Daryl would pick them up in time. Bypassing the bed he headed straight into the en suite, walking into the open shower that started as soon as its sensors picked up his body beneath it.

The warm spray was a welcome distraction, letting his head fall back the water washed over his face, plastering his long blond hair wetly to his back in the process. Muscles he hadn't realised he'd been tensing uncoiled, a lethargic relief settling in the wake of the aches they had caused. Washing his hair was a routine task as was the clinical way he washed his body, but when it came to his groin he found himself lingering, his hands stroking and cupping in movements he never usually bothered to make.

He felt the ghost of something hot and tight constricting around him and he threw his head back on a gasp as climax unexpectedly tore through him. His knees uncharacteristically shaky and his head blessedly free of the pain that had been building behind his eyes.

He didn't know how long he stood there under the cooling spray, his body slack in the aftermath and his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. His composure slipped effortlessly over him as he exited the shower, his skin not even prickling as the cool air breezed over its wetness. He went through the motions of drying his long hair, then his body before finally donning a pair of sleep pants and his dressing gown.

He was missing something, something that seemed important but he just couldn't place.

Frustration was not an emotion he felt often; he'd never had an occasion to feel it regularly. But he felt it now, felt it settle in him as he tried to find what it was he was missing until at last he convinced himself he wasn't missing anything at all. Perhaps he was just feeling the fatigue more keenly, perhaps Katze was right and he was beginning to feel the need for a companion or he was indeed working too hard.

Deciding that it would be best to try and get some sleep he hung up his robe and slid into bed, however that single defiant stare was chasing him into unconsciousness. It's image just as fleeting as it had been the first time...he sighed.

For the first time since his release, Iason slept.

AN: Ok, so chapter one has finally been completed. I do apologise if I have made any mistakes, I don't have a beta but I do try my best to proofread before I post anything. To me Iason has a strong mind so I doubt that any tampering could affect him for long. I have just finished watching the remake of this anime and god damn the new version is stunning, the original of course will always have a special place in my heart but this new version…I feel it goes into more detail, if you haven't already done so I'd recommend anyone to go and watch it. So yeah I hope you enjoyed the start, I know not much is going on at the moment but hey every story needs to start some way. So anyway, thanks for stopping by and we shall see when I am able to get the next chapter up and running.