Iason grasped onto his precious partner, horror in his blue eyes as he examined the battered and bloodied body. "Riki, Riki!" he panicked, calling to his unconscious lover. "Love, please, open your eyes! Riki!"

He lowered his head down, pressing his ear against the soaked clothed chest, his advanced hearing picking up the sound of a heartbeat past the roaring storm. "Please, hold on, Riki! I'll get you help, just please, love, hold on!"

Riki opened his eyes, his vision blurry at first before it cleared to reveal he was in the bedroom. He shifted his body slightly, alerting Iason who was resting next to him and he looked up into worried blue eyes. "H...hey..."

Iason let out a sigh of relief and planted a gentle kiss upon the quivering lips. "Riki...do you have any idea how worried I was?" he breathed.

"S...sorry," Riki answered in a whisper.

"I have felt that feeling before, and I was hoping to avoid it again," Iason sadly reminded, planting a kiss on the tanned hand he was holding as he sat down again.

Riki felt tears well up in his eyes. "I...I can't go...back..."

There was a flash of hurt and regret in Iason's eyes, before it was masked. "I understand," he agreed softly.

Riki winced as he tried to move, then panicked as he couldn't feel his lower half and his left arm. "What happened to me? What happened?" he gasped.

Iason gently pushed the mongrel down, who was on the verge of hysteria. "Riki, Riki. Calm down. Riki, please!" He pressed his forehead to the now sweat covered one. "Shhh, love. You are going to be all right." He kissed the tear covered cheeks. "You are all right."

"M...my legs...can't feel them...!" he choked, trying to look down, but only saw the sheets.

"Calm down, love. Breathe slowly, breathe slowly."

Riki tried to copy Iason's imitation, but his heart was racing and his chest was aching. "Haa...haa...haaa..."

"Breathe, Riki," Iason soothed, lovingly caressing his face. "Breathe..."

After a moment, Riki managed to recover, but fear still gripped his heart.

"The doctors gave you a pain relief shot," Iason explained. "You bruised your hip bones very badly, but they are not broken. You have been numbed until the pain subsides, as your hips were still sensitive before." He stroked the dark locks. "You broke two ribs and your left wrist though..." He ran his hand over the mongrel's forehead. "And you hit your head very hard. But you will recover."

Riki felt relief flood over him, as he had feared his limbs had been amputated. "I'm...sorry..."

Iason shook his head softly. "You should have let me explain, Riki..." he scolded softly, grasping onto the mongrel's face gently. "You know I love you, do you not? You know I would never hurt you."

Riki felt his throat tighten, and a lump form within the constriction. A sob shook his body, causing a dulled pain in his chest. "I—I...!" he sobbed. "I know—that now...!"

Iason gently wrapped his arms around Riki's upper body, avoiding his hurt areas. "I will always love you, Riki," he promised, kissing his face in several spots. "I will never hurt you. I only want you to be happy."

"Lo—" Riki sobbed, grasping onto Iason with his good hand. "Love you—hic—so much...!"

A sharp, but warm feeling punctured Iason's chest as he held his crying mongrel close, murmuring loving phrases to him to sooth him. He did not stop even when Riki fell asleep from crying and was deeply unconscious due to the pain relief.

Raoul watched as Katze winced, finally. "Ah...there it is! The moment I have been waiting for!"

Katze shot a glare up at the Blondie. "You sick bastard, what did you do to me!" He struggled against the examination table straps, his body spasming in response to whatever drug had been administered to him. "U...ugh..."

"What does it feel like?" Raoul inquired, his digital observation screen open and ready to record the data. "Does it hurt? Is it pleasurable? Is it a stinging pain, a burning pain? Tell me!"

"Uu...ughhhh!" Katze screamed, throwing his head back in agony.

Raoul scowled as he glanced at the heart monitor, which showed a severe incline. He reached out and touched Katze's neck, feeling the rapid heartbeat under the trembling skin. "Katze!" he called, giving the face a slap. His heart jumped as Katze's eyes rolled back in his head. "Don't you dare!"

Riki relaxed in Iason's arms, resting his head against the blonde's chest. His head was muddled, but he was certain that whatever was happening felt really good. "Hmm..." he sounded, leaning into Iason's touch as he stroked his hair.

"Are you hurting?" Iason whispered, stopping his caresses.

"Mmnm," Riki sounded, giving his head a shake. "Feels...good..."

Iason smiled softly, continuing his touches. "I love you, Riki..." he whispered, leaning down to the young man's ear.

Riki craned his neck upward, catching the lips with a gentle kiss and murmuring a soft reply.

The Blondie felt his chest melt at the very soft response and continued to sooth the black locks as his lover drifted back into unconsciousness. "I will never not love you, Riki..."

Raoul pressed the panels to the redhead's chest, shocking him and then glancing to the monitor to see if it worked. "Damn you!" he hissed, upping the voltage and repeating the action. "If you die on me, I will rip your brain from your body and transplant it into a pet and sell you to a brothel!" He glanced at the monitor, seeing that there was a pulse detected and threw the paddles aside. "Katze, Katze, wake up!" He slapped the cheek, watching as the eyes within the face opened drunkenly and then closed before reopening. "How dare you almost die on me!"

Katze struggled to focus on the Blondie, but when he did, he frowned. "Who are you?" he asked softly.

Raoul blinked, looking the redhead up and down. "Katze?" he called, concerned and reached out to the forehead, amazed there was only a thin sheen of sweat on it.

"...Who...are you?" Katze repeated, his eyes piercing the blonde in confusion.

To Be Continued