Warning: Dark. Violent. Forced mating. Grammatical errors, as always. You've been warned.

Disclaimer: VF belongs to YA.

Chapter 25 - 'Tis The Season of Giving

When we exited the Moretti's private jet, Suoh was already waiting beside a black Limousine.

The Moretti's Annual Charity Christmas Gala was always held in an secluded island nobody knew about. Not even Asami could pinpoint where exactly it was on a map because of all the hush-hush regarding its location. Considering it was nice and warm here in December, we were most likely not in the northern hemisphere anymore. That still left a huge range of possibilities, though. Apparently, only the pilot knew where to land the plane, which made me wonder whether resigning could ever be an option for him. The Morettis didn't seem like the type of people who would risk having a disgruntled ex-employee saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.

A dozen of Asami's men were standing at attention in a line to welcome us, looking sharp in their black suits and pants. The extra security seemed excessive for me. I couldn't imagine the cost to fly these many bodyguards to this private island. But, I supposed, this was also part of the show of power that Asami had told me about.

When I had asked why these people didn't just give the money they had paid to get a seat in this gala to the orphans directly, Asami had explained —rather impatiently, I must add— that nobody actually gave a fuck about some hungry kids in a third-world country. The families came here to show off their force to their rivals and enemies. If some poor children somewhere on earth accidentally benefited from that, it was nothing more than a coincidence.

The way I saw it, this charity gala was an insanely expensive pissing content. The price that the guests had to pay for a table alone was apparently enough to buy another private island. And, for anyone as wealthy as Asami Ryuichi, they could pay triple —yes, you read it right, triple— that price for a chance to win at the main event of the gala: The Mad Dogs Mating Championship.

I knew how ridiculous the name sounded.

Apparently, the Mad Dogs Mating Championship was the real reason why these crime lords and ladies were flocking the Moretti's Christmas gala every year. Each family who could pay for the fee would be allowed to send a champion to fight in a hand-to-hand combat. There had been a total of 8 champions this year. Two champions from different families would be paired to fight one-on-one. The match would only be over when one family yielded, one champion died, or both champions were unable to continue. On the surface, it didn't sound any different from a simple street-fight. But, there was a caveat here: the winner would 'mount' the loser, in the middle of the fucking arena, with everyone watching. Hence, the name.

Yes, these people were all qualified to be sent to an asylum. Or, preferably, straight to hell.

But, as the car drove through thick tropical greeneries —oh, it's somewhere close to the equator then— the morality of this whole gala didn't bother me as much as the worry that had bugged my mind since Asami had told me what to be expected from this weekend event.

"Are you sure we can't just skip the championship?" I asked Asami for perhaps a thousandth time, frowning.

Asami let out a frustrated sigh as if I was the devil who was testing his patience. But, as he had promised before I had agreed to come here, he still dutifully reassured me, "No, Akihito, we can't. I have always sent a champion every year ever since I could pay for it. Skipping now will raise questions and doubts about Sion Group's ability to win the war against Yakenonokarasu."

"But—"

He cut me off irritatedly, because I had actually asked the next question way more than the previous one, "No, I won't let Tao to continue fighting until he is dead. If it comes to that, I don't have a problem to yield. The goal is to show everyone that we can pay for such indulgence, which we did. It's not to get him killed. He will be fine. Don't worry."

That still didn't reassure me and I held Tao's left arm tightly as if I could protect him from harm myself. I had often wondered where he and Asami had always gone on the first weekend of December. I remember feeling annoyed that they had never told me anything about their secret trips. But, now that they had brought me along, I actually missed my days of blissful ignorance.

Tao gently patted my hand on his arm, placating me, "It's going to be fine. I haven't lost a fight in many years."

If he was hoping that the statement would calm me down, he was terribly wrong. My body turned cold when I realised what that could mean. I caught Asami glaring at Tao, like he wanted to cut Tao's tongue and fed it to the dogs. Real dogs, of course. Although, now, I couldn't be sure of anything anymore. In any case, that annoyed look from Asami had confirmed my suspicion.

Feeling sick with the thought, I asked numbly, "You have lost before, did you?"

"Stupid fucking dog," Asami muttered under his breath.

Annoyed, I hit the side of his ribs with my elbow. It was too bad that the asshole was made from steel. Asami didn't even budge.

Trying to placate me, Tao chuckled a little as he kissed the top of my head. "Only once, Akihito. My second year in the championship. I've never been beaten after that."

I didn't even realised that I had squeezed Tao's arm so hard until Asami commented sarcastically, "Can you not tear off our champion's limb a day before the fight? Trust me, if you are so afraid of him losing, missing a limb would increase that possibility exponentially."

Immediately, I let go of Tao's arm like it was a snake that would bit my hand. But, Tao only smiled at me, as if this was just another day and tomorrow he wouldn't need to risk being injured and raped by a stranger in front of everyone.

"Who—"

I couldn't even finish my question. The word was hanging in the air without any respond, until Asami shrugged and answered, "The Moretti's Ghost."

I whipped my head at him so fast, I almost felt dizzy.

Those golden eyes were watching my reaction as he continued carefully, "Tao fought too well during his first year in the championship. People wants entertainment and a newbie that has never lost is boring."

Anger began to boil within me. Ghost, that fucking dog! If I had known, I wouldn't have treated him so nicely!

"And you allowed that filthy creature to—to touch Tao like that?!" I asked Asami accusingly, nearly shouting in my fury. I couldn't even bring myself to use the word 'rape'.

Asami waved his hand in a dismissal manner. "Oh, don't worry, Tao returned the favour tenfold the next year. That filthy creature, as you called him, couldn't even walk after the mating."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe that he didn't even see what was so wrong with his statement. But, no, of course Asami wouldn't understand. To my surprise, Asami's voice had actually been tinged with pride, something that I rarely heard from him.

I was almost afraid to ask, "Will they—"

As if he could read my mind he said calmly, "No, they won't. They paired the two of them again the following year and it ended with a tie. Nothing can bore these people faster than having two champions that can't even fuck each other at the end of the fight. They have never paired the two of them anymore. Seriously, I don't know how many more times I have to tell you not to worry until you will actually listen to me, Akihito."

I fidgeted in my seat for a while before turning to face Tao. My voice sounded uncertain when I asked him again, for a thousandth time, "And, are you really, really, really, really, really fine with it?"

This time, he leaned down and kissed me deeply in the lips.

"Yes," he said breathlessly when we finally broke the kiss. "I am really, really, really, really, really fine with it. In fact, I want to be your champion. Please, Akihito. Let me show these people what I would do for my Master."

I knew I shouldn't blush. This entire championship was so fucked up that it would be so wrong to even feel flattered by that declaration. We are not living in the middle age anymore, goddamnit! And yet, my heart sped up in my chest and my face warmed pleasantly. Clearly, my body didn't get the memo that the gladiator era was long gone.

Or, perhaps, I should have gone straight to hell, too.

Then, Tao grinned and said candidly, "Besides, I truly want to get the reward this year."

I frowned. Asami hadn't told me anything about a reward.

"Really? You have enough money to last you a few lifetimes. How much money can the reward be that you want it that bad?"

Asami coughed, which suspiciously sounded like a barely-stopped laughter. Meanwhile, Tao blinked at me, before slowly raising a questioning gaze at my husband. Suspecting that my husband had purposely withhold a certain information from me, as usual, I switched my attention to Asami.

Keeping a neutral expression, Asami asked in a light, conversational voice, "Surely you have heard stories about how knights will fight in a championship to win a kiss from the princess?"

I grimaced. "So, now you said that he needed to kiss someone else, too?"

Although, now that I knew Tao would need to either fuck or be fucked by someone I might not know in public, kissing a stranger didn't sound so bad. Everything was about perspective, after all. I have a suspicion that Asami had purposely told me the worse news first so that I would be more receptive to the bad news.

"Well, kissing will be a part of it, I suppose," he said with a carefully schooled face. "The head of the family of a winner must reward their champion by allowing the champion to pleasure their partner."

And here I thought that nothing could surprise me anymore.

"I am sorry, what?"

Not my cleverest respond, certainly. But, my brain seemed to have stopped functioning after hearing too many depravity in the past few weeks.

Asami's tone remained suspiciously level, like he was trying to deliver this announcement in the most boring way possible.

"If Tao wins, I must allow him to pleasure you. That's the reward for the winner."

Okay. That didn't sound so bad, actually. I meant, we literally slept together in a single bed by now.

Observing my reaction closely, Asami asked with a knowing smile, "I assume that you have no problem with that, then?"

I shrugged. "Fine, yes. I can do that, I guess. I already promised you to be as supportive as I can be in this stupid pissing contest."

Then, something clicked in my brain.

"Wait a minute. If he has fought and won for you for years, who did he pleasure usually? Because sure as hell I didn't even know about any of this shit until a few weeks ago! Did you—"

Asami cut me off with a teasing smirk in his smug face. "Oh, is that jealousy I hear from you, Akihito?"

I growled, "Ryu, I swear to gods, if you tell me now that you have another partner hidden somewhere, I am going to fuck you with your own cock until you scream for mercy before leaving you bleeding to death somewhere in this fucking jungle!"

He laughed, "Such violence. And yet, you keep calling the championship brutal."

It was Tao who tried to pacify me, "The championship rule didn't state that the partner must be the wife or husband of the head of the family. Some head of families actually prefer to bring different partner every year. Asami-sama always paid for an escort to assume the role of the partner."

And before I began throwing another round of threats, Tao quickly continued, "And no, I can vouch that he has never touched any of them in the way that you are worried of. Some family heads like to participate as their champion receives the reward. But, Asami-sama always only sat aside—"

He paused and glanced at Asami. When Asami waved his hand to tell Tao to just go on with it, Tao added gently, "—to the disappointment of many."

I turned my gaze from one man to the other. "Why would they be disappointed? It's not like—"

I stilled. Because, of course. Of course everything about this gala had to be as perverted as possible. How could I expect anything less from the Morettis?

Turning my gaze upwards and praying for any deity out there to grant me the patience of a saint —otherwise I would have burned this island down, killed many people in the process, and most likely, made the world a much better place, which surely was bad for the cosmic balance and all that— I asked in a flat tone, "The rewarding is not a private event, isn't it?"

Asami smirked with a wicked glee in those golden eyes. "If it makes you feel better, Akihito, you won't do it alone. I am not planning to just sit and watch this year."

"Akihito, darling, you look absolutely stunning!" Carina Moretti exclaimed excitedly the moment Akihito caught her eyes.

Asami didn't even bother to hide the swelling pride he felt at the compliment. Akihito always looked like he had barely aged. That youthful look gave Akihito an innocent charm which always led people to believe that this kind and good looking young man wouldn't even hurt a fly to save his life. Well, at least until Akihito got pissed and started cursing with enough creativity to make a whore blushed.

But, the unusual smart casual outfit that Akihito was wearing today —an untucked well-fitted white shirt with rolled up sleeves, a stylish beige chinos, and a pair of high-end sneakers— suddenly elevated Akihito's innocent charm to a different level. Combined it with his messy hairstyle and those big hazel eyes of his, Akihito looked absolutely breathtaking. Asami didn't miss the way heads had turned as Akihito entered the courtyard barely fifteen minutes after him, Tao following closely like a dark guardian angel watching over his precious prince.

Akihito didn't seem to notice the admiring looks thrown his way, though. The younger man walked straight towards Asami, his eyes never stray even for a second. By now, it was more of an instinctive reaction when Asami immediately slipped his arm around Akihito's waist and kissed his husband lightly in the lips the moment Akihito reached his side. Asami couldn't even remember the last time he had greeted Akihito differently.

"All good?" he asked, even when he knew that Akihito had only stopped by the restroom before joining him.

"Of course, you silly man," Akihito answered easily with an enchanting smile that made Asami's cock immediately take an interest.

But, before Asami could drag his guileless husband to the nearest empty room in the Moretti's luxurious holiday mansion, Akihito had turned his attention to Carina.

"Carina, Antonio, it's always great to see you both," his husband said smoothly as he gave a light kiss on both their cheeks.

The casual greeting had the unexpected grace of someone who was used to mingle in upper-class society and Asami raised his eyebrows at the sight. Where the younger man had learnt it, Asami could only wonder.

Oh, don't get him wrong. Asami loved the usual Akihito —with his well-worn jeans and corny t-shirt— just fine. But, there was also something alluring in this posh version of Akihito. An air of aristocratic propriety that tempted Asami to ruin Akihito's fancy clothes right there and then, before fucking him so hard until the younger man could only chant Asami's name in pure pleasure. And from the way people were staring at his husband, Asami obviously wasn't the only one who was bewitched by Akihito's dazzling appearance.

"We're so happy you can join our christmas celebration this year, darling," Carina patted Akihito's cheek fondly. "Honestly, I kinda threatened your husband that I would sell his champion's ass to the highest bidder if he didn't bring you along this year."

Akihito cocked an eyebrow at him and Asami simply shrugged and pretended not to notice the knowing glare. Yes, he hadn't told Akihito everything about this gala. But, when had he ever done so? Surely Akihito should know better by now.

"Well, I am here now," Akihito finally said with a small smile.

"And you won't regret it, Akihito," Antonio claimed with a beaming grin. "We are determined to pamper you. All you have to do is just to relax and enjoy the show."

Akihito's smile tightened a little, but the Morettis didn't seem to notice it.

"Is there any new champion this year?" Asami asked just to distract their attention from his husband.

Carina tilted her head slightly as she tapped her forefinger against her chin. "Only one. The Takamiyas' champion."

Akihito was suddenly so still that the man looked as if he had stopped breathing. To be fair to Akihito, Asami was also surprised, although he wouldn't show as much to anyone else. The Takamiyas had never sent a champion before. The Takamiya Group might be big, but their operation generated far below the level of profit that Sion Group earned annually. It had been good enough that they could buy a table in the Morettis christmas gala and watch the championship. But, participating had never been a luxury they could have afforded.

Interesting, a part of Asami's brain said.

The other part, however, had started anticipating Akihito's reaction to this news. Akihito was careful enough to suppress whatever instinctive reaction the news had triggered. But, Asami couldn't miss the way Akihito's hand automatically reach for Asami's arm to seek support. Others might only see it as a gesture of affection, but Asami knew it for what it was. The news had bothered Akihito more than the younger man wanted to admit.

"Oh?" Asami said with a tone that was carefully crafted to display disinterest. "That's unusual."

Antonio nodded grimly. "Yeah," he said.

Then, in a whisper, he added, "Everyone is speculating about it. But, Takamiya claimed that he simply wants to donate for the good cause."

Carina quickly jumped in, "Oh, please. Nobody cares about the cause."

Akihito's scoff was so unexpected that they all paused to stared at him. The man simply stared back at them before rolling his eyes in disbelief.

"You assholes don't make sense to me sometimes," Akihito said with a grimace, not even bothering to hide his opinion on the matter.

In the past, Asami had brought escorts to this gala to act as his partner. None of them would be brave enough to even breath the wrong way in front of these people. These escorts knew by instinct that these were dangerous people. That annoying these people might cost them their lives. So, they would behave as if they were walking on eggshells the entire weekend.

And yet, here was Akihito, not caring even a bit to loudly voice out his disagreement. His soft hearted husband clearly thought that they were all assholes for not caring about some poor kids out there who couldn't go to school or whatever tragedy it was that befell them. What Akihito had never figured out was how refreshing his blatant dislike actually was. Not many commoners had enough courage to stand here and tell these people that they were all assholes. So, Asami wasn't surprised when the Morettis bursted into laughter, patting Akihito's arm fondly like they couldn't get enough of him. Even Tao —trying to remain as stoic as he could be while trailing behind them— couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Akihito, however, naive as he was, frowned. Then, he slowly shook his head and muttered, "I really, really can't understand you guys. Why do you laugh now? Which part of my sentence was even funny?"

"Oh, Akihito, darling," Carina sighed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I wish you will never change."

Antonio was still chuckling when he commented, "I sometimes forget how—"

He waved his right hand expressively. The man clearly struggled to find a non-offending way to say 'normal'. Asami almost felt worried that the man would use some words like 'naive' or 'innocent'. From his own past experience, Akihito wouldn't take kindly to those words, even when they had some truth.

But, Antonio finally settled with, "—kind you are. How you can tolerate us without losing your own charm always amazed me."

Carina nodded in agreement. "He's such a gem, isn't he?"

Asami gave them a smug smirk. If only he knew how good it was to have Akihito by his side like this, he would have done this much earlier.

Once the laughters died down, though, he asked, "So, who is Takamiya's champion?"

Sighing, Antonio answered, "Tanaka Haruo. His right hand man, I believe. And this year, he even brought his wife as his partner."

Now, that was unusual. Takamiya always preferred to bring whores almost a quarter of his age to this gala. Some of those young women were barely even legal. So why did he bring his wife this year? This was getting more and more interesting.

Antonio leaned closer then continued conspiratorially, "He will be paired with your champion and I certainly can't wait for the mating after that. That Tanaka has the eyes of the dead. I'm curious whether it will ever change. Nothing triggers a dog better than winning or losing a fight, eh?"

The tension exuding from Akihito's body was subtle, but to Asami who had known him for decades, it was becoming unmistakeable. If Akihito didn't pull himself together fast, others would soon notice it too.

So, when the Morettis finally left them to greet another arriving guests, Asami tucked a stray of brown hair behind that cute ear and peppered Akihito's jawline with tender kisses. He whispered, "Calm down, Akihito. These people will smell your anger faster than a shark detecting a drop of blood in the water. Tao will be fine."

Akihito flinched a little at the warning. But, a determined calmness quickly replaced the tension poring from him. Asami smiled proudly at the fine change of posture. His husband might be naive and innocent, but Akihito was also loyal beyond doubt. His kind husband would do anything —even if it was against his own nature— to be the partner that Asami needed at that moment, because Akihito understood that the moment these people saw fear, they would start pouncing.

Soon, people came to greet Asami and pay him respect. They had to be nice to the top dog after all, even when most of them were secretly looking for a chance to stab him in the back. Pretending he didn't notice the contempt, he graciously returned their polite greetings before introducing his husband to them.

And just like what happened with the Morettis, Akihito's innocent charm immediately mesmerised them. Akihito had no idea how quickly he had become a challenging enigma to these people. How he had triggered the primal urge to break and ruin such pure beauty. Asami was familiar with that wicked desire himself. Gods might never forgive him —although Asami couldn't care less about what any divine power might think of him— but he had tried to break Akihito too, back when they had just met. He had raped, tortured, and manipulated the young man, expecting Akihito to finally snap and shatter into thousands of fucking pieces, only to find Akihito bounce back every single time.

So, as these people stared at him with obvious envy in their eyes, most likely thinking that he had somehow managed to tame this wild creature for himself, he felt amused. By now, Asami had learnt his lesson: his husband was not a delicate china that could easily break. Akihito might have the innocent appearance of an angel, but it was iron will that run through those veins.

It was almost lunch time when Takamiya Kichiro finally came to them, Sakurako and Tanaka Haruo trailing dutifully behind him. Perhaps, the fat man finally realised that Asami would never be bothered to reach out first. Takamiya wasn't exactly in his level after all, even if they were allies. There was no way Asami would come to him to pay respect.

"Asami," the man nodded slightly. "I heard that you no longer hide that husband of yours."

"Well, Carina called me a criminal for hiding such beauty," he casually said with a proud smirk.

Takamiya glanced at Akihito, staring up and down as if he was assessing a cattle if it was worth the money. To his credit, Akihito didn't waver under such disgusting scrutiny. His husband merely looked Takamiya in the eyes and kept his expression neutral.

But, when Takamiya reached out to touch his face, pausing only to glance at Asami with a dirty "May I?", Akihito said icily, "Unfortunately for you, my husband doesn't speak for me, Takamiya-san."

There was a sudden silence after that statement. The wrong usage of honorific didn't slip the attention of anyone who understood its implication. The crowd were caught off-guard that this seemingly innocent and harmless kitten had suddenly shown his claws and fangs.

Asami couldn't help but smile. When Takamiya threw him a questioning look, he merely shrugged and tilted his head towards his husband, silently indicating, 'well, you all heard him'.

Unsettled, Takamiya returned his attention to Akihito, the tips of his fingers hovering in the air, barely an inch away from Akihito's skin.

Akihito's voice turned ruthless when he promised, "Touch me and my dog would bite your fingers off."

Takamiya sent a inquiring glance at Tao. When Tao gave him an evil grin full of teeth in return, he quickly withdrew his fingers. There were amused whispers and murmurs amongst the crowd now. More than a few admiring looks too, Asami had to say.

Letting out a shaky, nervous laugh, Takamiya asked, "Do you allow him to order your man around like that, Asami?"

Akihito scoffed, "I'm his husband, not his whore, Takamiya-san. I don't need his permission to do a lot more than ordering my pet around. Not that it's any of your business."

"Oooh, this one is fiery, Asami," someone shouted out, but the jealousy was clear in the tone.

Asami just gave them all a smug wry smile. Kissing Akihito's cheek affectionately, he said humbly, "Well, he keeps me on my toes."

Or, at least he attempted a humble tone. Being humble had never been his forte after all.

The Morettis' underground arena was fucking massive. It boasted state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment, rivalling renowned theatres , all 1000 seats were occupied. Now, envision that entire crowd screaming simultaneously. I felt as though I were on the brink of deafness.

While this might make me sound snobbish, but I was actually thankful that Asami and I were seated in a private balcony, away from the crowd. Apparently, being a benefactor to a champion gave us the privilege to sit separately from the commoner below. Located in the second floor, these balconies provided benefactors with a vantage point to watch the entire fight. Or the mating after, depending on which interested them more.

Despite the dimmed lighting inside, the center arena was well-lit, thanks to multiple spotlights directed at it. It was enclosed by a four-meter steel fence, with only one metal door for entry and exit. Initially, I had thought this arrangement was intended to keep people out. But, Asami explained that it was to keep the champions in. No one wanted a sour loser to escape their penalty.

When a loser tried to escape the mating —not that it had happened in the last few years or so, I was told— heavily armed guards would come in to secure them. With the cage, the guards could corner the rebellious loser easily because there would be no way out for both champions until the mating was completed. If the loser didn't cause the guards too much trouble, all their limbs would simply be restrained with a spreader bar. But, if they had been a pain in the ass, it was quite common for a few bones to break to prevent escape. Either way, they would still be mounted by the winner in front of everyone.

Asami had told me that there was not many rules here. No limitations where you could hit your opponent and no referee to stop a bout if a champion was knocked out. The only way for the fight to stop was if anyone was dead or if a family declared that their champion had lost. The fighters themselves didn't have any say on when —or how— their match would end. In fact, some families took pleasure in yielding right when their champion seemed to be at an advantage, for no other reason than to watch said champion being humiliated publicly.

Did you see now why I couldn't understand this people?

Like, who would even do that to someone who was willing to fight to the death for them?

These assholes, that's who.

I found that not all champions were male. There were two ladies among the fighters today and, wow, they really knew how to kick ass.

One of them actually defeated her opponent in less than five minutes. Like, one moment she was standing in front of her opponent, then when the bell rang, she moved so fast I couldn't even follow what had actually happened. Suddenly, she was sitting on top of the poor man —much bigger and heavier than her— throwing punch after punch like she wanted to remodel his face. It didn't take long for the male champion's benefactor to realise that their champion would die if they didn't stop the fight soon.

She grinned like the devil herself when she heard the annoyed voice of her opponent's benefactor —amplified by the top-notch sound system— declared, "Yield."

Spotlight was directed to her benefactor's balcony then, the one to our right. There was a young woman in it, standing against the balcony wall, exaggeratedly throwing air kisses to her winning champion. She was pretty, with cocoa skin and long black hair. Her colourful silk dress was flowing with her movement, as she jumped up and down in her excitement. She looked too young to be here, perhaps only a few years older than my own sons.

Behind the woman, a much older lady was sitting calmly, looking almost bored. When she glanced our way and her gaze accidentally caught Asami's, she gave him a little acknowledging nod. Asami politely returned the gesture.

I hadn't seen the two women during the meet-and-mingle at the courtyard yesterday, so I asked, "Who is she?"

Asami turned towards me with a sly smile. "Nobody you need to know," he said simply.

I sighed. Even after everything that I now knew, there were always more skeletons hidden in Asami's closet. It seemed endless. Like figuring out one truth only to discover many more questions. At this pace, I would die from an old age before I could really get to know my own husband.

"Well," I commented. "Her partner seems happy that their champion won."

Asami laughed.

"What?"

"The young woman who is jumping up and down and clapping her hands over there is their head of family," he said with surprising patience.

My jaw dropped. "She looks like a teenager! I will eat my own hand if she is older than twenty!"

My husband didn't seem to be bothered by that fact. Instead, the bastard shrugged and replied dismissively, "She is almost eighteen, I think."

"She can't even drink in some countries! How can she lead a criminal organisation?!"

"Ooff, I didn't know you are an ageist, Akihito," Asami teased with clear amusement in his eyes.

I wanted to snap back at him, but then, the crowd suddenly went silent. Back in the center arena, two guards were walking into the cage. They approached the two champions - one was standing tall and proud, enjoying her moment of victory, while the other was laying breathlessly on the ground, his face covered by blood.

"What are they doing?" I asked, alarmed. "No one is trying to escape, right?"

"They were fitting the microphones."

Rolling my eyes, I couldn't help but commenting dully, "So, it's not enough to watch him get humiliated, you guys want some sound effects too. Unbelieva—"

I stilled. Because the winning champion was now strapping a big double ended dildo. One end went smoothly into her own sex. She laughed as the guard kindly helped her with it and her voice now echoed through the completely silent area.

There was no preparation or foreplay as she started fucking him. It was pure brutality and the audience seemed to get drunk from it. Slowly, they began to chant, "Breed. Breed. Breed."

I turned towards Asami, feeling curious at the same time. Understanding the question that I couldn't really spell out, he explained calmly, "The mating needs to keep going until the winning family allows their champion to cum. Which, should they were real dogs, would have been done for the purpose of breeding, of course."

I wanted to cringe, but being here and watching the same event unfolding, it would make me a hypocrite. So, I tried to approach this situation from a journalist perspective, observing it clinically as if I was tasked to write an article about it.

The chanting grew louder and faster, aligned with the movement of her hips and the moans of the loser. I didn't even know how he could enjoy that, but the man didn't seem to be so against this forced mating. At a point, he actually moved his hips in rhythm with the top.

"Most of them don't actually hate each other, Akihito. For them, this is just a part of their job. They most likely talked about it as they waited for their turn, getting to know what will turn on the other should they win. After all, this is supposed to be entertainment."

Needless to say that I was speechless.

The young woman to our right laughed manically, dancing to the growing voices of people demanding the two champions to breed like animals. Then, after what felt like eternity, she finally stopped and leaned down to shout gleefully at her own microphone, "Cum, my champion!"

The crowd cheered.

Ghost appeared next. It took him a while to defeat his opponent. Clearly, they were more evenly matched. Then, the vulgar show of penalty repeated itself. This time it was ended by Carina's voice ordering Ghost to cum.

It was madness. With each fight, the audience grew bolder, their screams were louder and I could even see some rutting against each other around the arena. It was like each fight had brought forward the most depraved desire within these people. I began to fear Tao's incoming fight more and more.

When they finally announced his name, I felt sick to my core. But, Tao entered the arena like every other fighter before him, barely clothed but for a simple skin-tight shorts, jogging into the cage with a fist raised up high. He gave the audience a small smirk as the camera took his close up, and they all shouted his name in a frenzy. Apparently, his mating was quite popular, if what Asami said could be trusted.

At this point, everything just sounded too absurd to be real to my ears.

I was considering whether I could pretend needing the bathroom, but the announcer shouted, "Now, the final fight that everyone is waiting for! On the right, the Asami's dog, Liu Tao!"

And a sudden bright spotlight illuminated our balcony.

"Smile, Akhito," Asami whispered as he lazily nuzzled my neck, seemingly uncaring of what was happening in the arena below.

So, I faked a smile and waved weakly at Tao to signal my blessing. Tao kissed his fist in deference before directing it at me, a silent oath to bring me victory. I couldn't care less about victory. I just wanted an earthquake to happen and swallow all these depravity.

"And on the left, the Takamiya's dog, Haruo Tanaka!"

This time, it was the Takamiya's balcony that was spotlighted. Takamiya Kichiro was sitting with a grin, sweating and panting, his face red with obvious arousal. A young woman were kneeling between his legs, her face buried deep against his groin, which left no doubt of the kind of service she was currently performing for the much older man. His wife, Takamiya Sakurako, was sitting at the other end of the balcony, as far away as humanly possible given the limited space, plainly looking displeased to be there at all.

The bell rang to indicate the start of the fight. The two fighters rounded each other, two predators watching the movement of their opponent very closely, eyeing for every little weakness, seeking for an opportunity to shred the other to pieces. The scent of violence and arousal was thick inside the stadium, poisoning everyone within its belly. The audience stood with cruel glee in their manic eyes, shouting the name of their preferred champion at the top of their lungs. Their euphoria filled the air, like the most intoxicating aphrodisiac.

And yet, to me, the time had slowed down. The thousands of voices had faded into the background, as if it had come from a place very, very far away. Perhaps, from another universe, another world, and another time. The blinding lights seemed to dim, leaving everyone as silhouettes that moved in slow motion, like the shadow monsters in my childhood nightmares, waiting to grab my ankles and drag me to the netherworld.

"Breath, Akihito," Asami's commanding voice suddenly snapped me back to the here and now.

The thousands of sounds surrounding us suddenly returned in full blast. I was still standing in that damn balcony. The spotlight was still highlighting our small alcove. Gigantic screens surrounding the arena were still displaying the gruesome details of Tao's fight and our reaction to it and the audience seemed to get high on it.

I tightened my grips on the metal railing surrounding the balcony, seeking a steady support, lest I might crumble onto the floor. Asami had clearly sensed my distress, because he had left his chair to stand behind me, solid arms surrounding me with its warmth. Our bodies were plastered against each other, his front against my back, and the strength exuding from him gave me a sense of reassurance. An illusion of stability.

"Is it too much for you?" he asked, surprisingly gentle, fingers brushing my locks.

I leaned back, resting my head against his shoulders, grateful for the lack of judgement in his questions.

"It's ok. Close your eyes, Akihito."

"I can't. Everyone is watching. They will think I am too afraid—"

"They will watch us enjoying ourselves, which is exactly what we want them to see," he said firmly, his hands roaming all over my body. "There you go. Good boy. Close you eyes and focus only on my touch. Forget everything else. Think only of me."

I kept my eyes shut so tight as he sucked on the sensitive skin below my ear. The steadiness of his hands against my body grounded my mind, stopping it from spiralling down the path filled with moral crisis. Long, nimble fingers sneaked into my pants, seeking a path to touch the most sensitive part of my body, and instinctively, I lifted my hips, giving it space to caress my member.

"My Akihito," he murmured, his own voice husky with arousal and pride. "So beautiful. And all mine."

I moaned when he started to move his fingers up and down my cock. Warmth began to pool inside my groin, excitement building slowly but surely, like a fire that would only grow stronger as it was released into the air. He kept a steady pace, one that he knew would never give me full satisfaction. Just enough to keep me focused on his touch, but never enough to send me over the edge of orgasm. It was hell. A sweet, alluring hell where I could hide forever from my own reality.

Then, thunderous shouts broke my enchantment and I was brought right back to the stadium.

"A very nice side kick from Liu Tao," one of the commentator said, her voice booming inside the enclosed arena.

"Tanaka Haruo landed a few nice jabs of his own, but that was a nice revenge from Liu Tao," her peer agreed.

I was too afraid to ask, but thankfully, I didn't have to. Those commentaries were enough to ignite a renewed determination inside me. I straightened myself and this time, I kept my eyes open.

In the middle of the arena, Tao was viciously kicking Tanaka —who curled on the ground to protect his head— but my lover was a bloody mess himself. His left eyes was almost shut with swelling. A streak of scarlet painted one side of his handsome face. Dark patches were blooming across his torso. From his gait alone, I could see that he tried to favour the right side of his body.

For a heartbeat or two, it seemed to me that Tao had the upper hands. Then, in an unexpected move, Tanaka swirled around, grabbing Tao around his waist and pushing his weight forward with the desperation of a man knowing that he would face humiliation if he didn't fight back. His angle caught Tao off-guard, as Tao plainly couldn't see well with his swollen left eyes. Tanaka took the opportunity to seize his back, sinking the two of them in a rear naked choke on Tao.

Everyone held their breath. Tanaka's hold on Tao was so tight, I could see his face turned red, then purple, his arms desperately clawing the arm around his neck as he went into survival mode. I reached towards the microphone, ready to declare a yield before Tao run out of breath, but a strong grip stopped me.

"He won't lose," Asami said firmly, his arms around my waist the only thing holding me back.

"He is dying!" I hissed through gritted teeth and faked smile, aware of the eyes watching our reaction from the giant screens surrounding the arena.

"He. Won't. Lose," Asami repeated beside my ear, warning dripping from every word. "He knows what's at stake for him."

I laughed in my panic. "What? Your damn approval?"

"Yours," my husband answered curtly.

That wasn't the answer I had expected. Why would Tao even need my approval? I opened my mouth only to close it again, uncertain of how to respond.

Asami sighed, "If he lost now, you won't ever trust him to fight for you again. He knows that. If he wants to be your champion, your dog, your protector —or whatever it is you want to call him so you can still sleep at night— he needs to prove that he can take care of himself."

"But—"

"He is not dying," Asami insisted. "I know what he is capable of and I will tell you to stop it before it goes too far. But this is not it."

In the arena, as if knowing that his victory was close, Tanaka sneered mockingly. I could see his mouth moved on the screen right in front of me, but without any equipment to capture the sound, only Tao could hear what the other man was saying.

My fingers were itching to get the damn microphone but Asami repeated, "Not. Yet."

Tao's gritted his teeth at whatever Tanaka had said. Then, without a warning, he pushed himself to his side. With his feet bracing firmly against the ground he lifted himself sideways, along with Tanaka. With how battered he was, I couldn't even imagine how he could still find the strength to do that.

Knowing he needed to regain his control, Tanaka tried to get back into another holding position, but Tao caught him half-way and slammed him hard onto the ground. In a blink, Tao had sat on him, his legs trapping Tanaka's, before he pummelled his fists into Tanaka's face, over and over again. His black eyes had a demonic gleam to it. A maniacal grin curled his cracked lips. Tanaka tried to avoid the hits but there was only so much he could do with his limbs trapped under Tao. Blood was now pooling on the floor of the arena. It was vicious and the crowd was cheering in deranged ecstasy.

For a moment, I thought Tao would hammered the other man to death. But, a panicking feminine voice suddenly filled the stadium, loud and clear, "Yield! Yield!"

The image of Takamiya Sakurako was filling the screens surrounding the arena, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her usual composure and elegance were nowhere to be found, with locks of her hairs falling loose from their bindings. Behind her, her husband laughing cruelly, the young woman who had been sucking him was nowhere to be seen.

"We yield, you stupid dog!" she yelled at the microphone in panic. "Let him go!"

Tao, on the other hand, was drowned too deep under the haze of rage that he didn't even heard the request. His fists kept hitting Tanaka ferociously, one blow after another, as if the other man were nothing but a fucking punching bag.

"Let him go!"

The crowd had fallen into near silence as they watched the lady's desperation to salvage whatever left of her family's champion. But no one bothered to jump in and intervene. The protocol was clear for when a losing champion wanting to escape the mating, but obviously nobody fucking cared when a winning champion kept beating his opponent to death even after a yield.

Without thinking, I grabbed the microphone in our balcony, turned it on, and shouted, "Liu Tao, down!"

Like he had just been snapped out of a trance, Tao immediately stilled. His arms fell to his sides as he sat back on his heels, skin glistening with sweats under the spotlights, bare chest expanding and collapsing so fast as he panted. Slowly, as if he had just remembered where he was, he looked up towards me.

"Good man," was all I managed to utter in relief, nearly falling onto the floor myself if it wasn't for Asami's steady presence behind met.

Tao gave me a proud, bloody grin.

Like a puppy who was really pleased of himself.

Then, it was pandemonium, as the entire stadium cheered for his ultimate victory.

"Asami. Akihito darling," Carina Moretti said later that night, arms spread wide as she pulled Akihito into a hug. "Oh my, what a show!"

"There's truly a few things more thrilling than a great comeback!" her husband added with a wide smile. "That underhook escape really took my breath away."

"Carina, uhh," Akhito muttered, arms flailing, clearly uncomfortable with his face plastered against Carina's ample bosom.

Carina, on the other hand, was too excited to notice Akihito's discomfort. Continuing her praises, she squealed, "And when you commanding him to go down…"

She released Akihito to fan herself, as if she was feeling hot despite being in this fully air-coned ballroom.

Fluttering her lashes at a speechless Akihito, she teased, "Seeing that rabid dog immediately obeyed you just like that gave me butterflies all over. My, oh my, you have the heart of an angel but you certainly have a dominant streak in you, Akihito darling. I myself wonder how it feels to submit to such a Master."

Antonio laughed, "I am pretty sure you are not the only one wondering, my love. People have talked about nothing else since that fight."

Akihito looked like he was starting to hyperventilate, so Asami decided to step in. Having Akihito fainted now would defeat all the effort they had made so far.

"Told you the beast is more his than mine," he said casually, just to change the topic from Akihito's prospect as a Dom.

Antonio nodded, "We know. But it's the first time these people witness it, Asami. You can't fault them for taking newfound interest in your husband now that they see it themselves."

Carina shook her head in disappointment, "Too bad there was no mating at the end."

"Well," Asami said with a shrug, hoping that his reasoning would be enough to appease their hosts. Truthfully, Akihito had claimed that after that much brutality, he would leave if he still needed to watch a rape. "Watching a champion mounting a dog that's is too beaten up to react is boring."

Carina sighed, "True, true. Their reaction is what makes it fun to watch."

Akihito narrowed his eyes at the conversation. His husband clearly had an opinion or two about the topic, but for once, Akihito kept his thought to himself, most likely feeling that he had attracted too much attention to himself today.

"Oh, it doesn't really matter," Antonio replied cheerfully, his eyes lit up with renewed excitement. "We all look forward for your champion's reward after the dinner. I think some families even rescheduled their rewarding session so they can watch yours."

"W—wait—wh—what—," Akihito stammered, face blushing until he looked like he was about to explode in embarrassment.

"Oh, darling," Carina waved Akihito's panic in a dismissive manner, unaware of Akihito's real concern. "You have nothing to be worried about. You are beautiful and by now, everyone already adore you. Trust me, whatever you are planning to do, they will all drool over you."

She gave Akihito a peck kiss before moving away with her husband, leaving Asami finally alone with his —once again— panicking husband.

"Why—why do they even think that I'd want anyone to drool over me?!" Akhito grunted in frustration to no one in particular. "Seriously!"

Trying to hold back his laughter —no point in aggravating his innocent husband more than he already was— Asami schooled his expression and forced his tone to remain even, "Oh, don't be a Scrooge, Akihito. 'Tis a season of giving. Surely we can give them a little performance for charity. There're hungry children to feed, remember?"

Happy holiday, everyone!

It's been a while! 2023 was not an easy one for me, with some medical situation and whatnot. I hope 2024 will be better for everyone. :D

I purposely stopped the holiday special here before it went too long. But, if anyone is interested to read what happened during the rewarding event, do let me know so I can sneak in the piece I wrote and discarded previously. In the meantime, writing the last few chapters of the story.

Anyway, if you have been reading this story for a while, thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing patience. :)