Bloodless

by S.J. Kohl

Something is wrong with Ritsuka. Can Soubi figure it out before it's too late? RitsukaxSoubi

Bloodless
By S.J. Kohl

Pairing: (Ritsuka/Soubi)
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Something's wrong with Ritsuka.
Warnings: There's some definite blood-spilling in this one.

Disclaimer: If this were mine, Ritsuka would have some definite trouble holding on to those ears...
A/N: Written for jenovasboy. I hope this is what you wanted. grin

Something was wrong with Ritsuka. Soubi could feel it thrumming through his veins, pounding at the back of his skull. He could always feel Ritsuka. They were bonded, after all. Sentouki and Sacrifice. There was a connection between them that could be severed by nothing but death. Ritsuka was always with him, a bristling kitten worrying at the edges of Soubi's mind. But something was different now, had been different since their battle with Bloodless three days before. Ritsuka felt sharper now, wilder somehow. Desperate and dark. The feel of him was almost painful as it twisted through the very core of Soubi's being. And it was getting worse.

Frowning, Soubi stood and walked over to the window of his small apartment. As he stared out into the dark street, lit only by the orange glow of a couple of streetlamps, he flipped open his cell phone and punched in Ritsuka's number. He waited. And waited. Then he snapped the phone shut and frowned. No answer. Soubi hesitated for a moment, his mind arrowing back to Bloodless. That was when this had started, just before he'd ended the battle with a Spell of light. Dazzling light, blinding light that had driven the Bloodless pair far away.

Soubi lifted his fingers to the glass of the windowpane. Bloodless had been strong, the strongest pair of fighters he and Ritsuka had fought against in the entirety of the four years they'd known one another. And they'd been ruthless. They had wanted nothing more than to bleed Ritsuka dry. All their attacks had been intended to cut, to slice, to stab. They hadn't wanted to bind or constrict. They had wanted to destroy. And they almost had. The light had been a desperate move, the unthinking action of a fighter who had nothing left to give and everything to lose.

With a soft huff of air, Soubi spun around and seized his coat from the back of a chair. Shoving his arms into it, he walked out the door of his apartment, barely remembering to lock it behind him. Bloodless. He and Ritsuka had beaten Bloodless, had sent them spinning back on a blaze of light to the godforsaken place they'd come from. But the victory had not been without a cost. Bloodless had done something to Ritsuka. They must have. Soubi's lips thinned into a sharp, narrow line, and a furrow formed between his pale brows. Whatever it was, he would make it right again. He had to. With that resolve held firmly in his mind, he stepped onto the street and set off toward Ritsuka's house.

---------

Ritsuka shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders. He was cold. It didn't seem to matter what he did or how warm the room was. He just felt…chilled. Like his blood was swimming in ice. It was all inside. His skin was hot to the touch, his temperature completely normal. But he just couldn't seem to shake the frost from his bones. He couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't even open his curtains in the daytime, since even the earliest light of dawn sent flares of fire through his eyes. And he felt…starved. Not for food. Just the thought of rice or ramen sent waves of nausea coursing through his stomach. No, what he wanted was something else. Something…hot.

With a soft groan, Ritsuka threw himself facedown on his bed and buried his face in his blanket. What the hell was wrong with him? His mouth was dry and cracked, and the urge for a drink—just one drink, just one sip—of something, anything warm and wet, was almost overwhelming. But Ritsuka knew from experience that even the smallest sip of tea would make him violently ill. Ritsuka whimpered. His tail twitched and he flattened his black ears against his hair in abject misery. He was just so damn thirsty.

The shrill beep of a ringing cell phone shattered the silence of the bedroom and Ritsuka shook his head wildly. He didn't even have to open his eyes to see the damning red light that would mar the darkness. He knew it was Soubi who was calling. Ritsuka's fingers trembled, itching to reach out and grab the phone from the little table beside his bed. He wanted to tell Soubi to come over, to make him warm again. If anyone could help him, Ritsuka knew, he knew it would be Soubi. No! Ritsuka bit down hard on his lower lip. He couldn't answer. He couldn't let Soubi see him like this, not when he was weak and pathetic and… And thirsty. He gasped as the image of blond hair and pale flesh flitted across his mind, of warm skin pressed against him and the soft beat of a pulse beneath his lips.

"No!" Ritsuka screamed in denial, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

The phone's shrieking beep shut off abruptly and the room was plunged into an oppressive, ringing silence, empty but for the ragged whisper of Ritsuka's breaths.

---------

Soubi stopped on the street beneath Ritsuka's window, a shrill of apprehension throbbing through his body. The curtains were closed, and the room seemed engulfed in darkness. Not even the smallest shred of light peeked out from beneath the heavy drapes. Yes, something was definitely amiss. Even this late at night, there was always a light on in Ritsuka's room, and the curtains were almost never closed. Soubi licked his lips and began to climb.

Moments later, he slipped over the balcony railing and reached out with one long-fingered hand to knock softly on the cold glass. "Ritsuka?"

No answer.

Soubi knocked again, louder, but still there came no answer from inside the room. Sucking in a deep breath, not certain what he would find inside, Soubi pushed open the window and shoved his way through the curtains, letting them fall back into place behind him. It took several long moments for his eyes to adjust to the utter blackness inside the room, and even then, he thought at first that Ritsuka wasn't there. But then something caught his eye. The very tip of a soft black tail peeked out from under the edge of the snarl of blankets on the bed.

"Ritsuka," Soubi whispered, his voice as soft and non-threatening as he could possibly make it. A twitch of the black tail was the boy's only response. Slowly, Soubi approached the bed, his caution overruling his desire with no direction from his conscious mind. What he wanted to do was rush over and pull the youth—no longer a child—into his arms, keeping him forever shielded from the rest of the world. But his feet would only creep softly across the faded carpet, and, when he reached the bed, his hand would only stretch out to touch the very edge of the thick blanket wrapped tightly around his Sacrifice's body.

"No!" The shout was harsh and desperate, ripped from a throat that was obviously raw and swollen.

Soubi jerked his hand back. His tone, when he spoke, was uncertain. "Ritsuka?"

"Go away," Ritsuka croaked, his voice cracked and muffled beneath the covers. "Get out of here, Soubi!"

"What's wrong, Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka shivered and clutched the sheets beneath him with a desperation that was almost violent. He couldn't see Soubi. He couldn't. His teeth ached. The thirst was pounding in his skull, and he knew what it was he wanted now, what it was he'd been craving for the past three days. Blood. Hot and thick, a warm, iron salt singing over his tongue, wetting his throat and soothing the sore, swollen flesh of his mouth. Creamy flesh parting smoothly beneath his teeth. Heat rushing to cloud his senses. Blood. Hot and exhilarating. Soubi's blood. Ritsuka moaned and shook his head. No! He couldn't, wouldn't hurt Soubi. Soubi had been beaten, pushed around, and controlled for nearly all his life, and Ritsuka had sworn to himself a long time ago that he would never make Soubi feel like the worthless dog Seimei had thought him to be. Not Soubi. Anyone but Soubi. But that wasn't right either. He didn't want to hurt anyone, no matter who they were. And the thought of touching his lips to any body but Soubi's, of connecting with a stranger like that… No! His body belonged to Soubi alone, and no one else was going to come near him! But not like this. He couldn't have Soubi like this. With a furious growl, Ritsuka threw back the blankets and surged to his feet. "Soubi!" He thrust his arm out toward the window in a commanding gesture and glared defiantly up at his Sentouki--truly his now that Seimei was gone forever. "Get out! I want you out NOW!"

Soubi stared down at Ritsuka, his eyes widening as he looked, really looked, at the young man standing livid and trembling before him. Ritsuka was taller now than he'd been when they'd first met, his shoulders wider and his muscles more defined. He'd grown up a lot in the four years Soubi had known him, had waited for him. But right now he looked more ghost than man. His black hair was tangled and practically soaked with chill sweat; his ears pressed flat against his skull. His skin was pale, almost glowing in the darkness of the room, and his eyes seemed to gleam with hints of red. He was shirtless, his chest gaunt and heaving with his labored breaths, and his black pants hung loosely from his hips, seemingly ready to fall at a moment's notice. Soubi frowned. Ritsuka had lost a lot of weight in the last three days. Slowly, Soubi shook his head. "I can't leave, Ritsuka."

Ritsuka snarled, pulling his lips back to reveal a set of gleaming white teeth. "It's an order!"

Again, Soubi shook his head. He couldn't leave, order or no order. Ritsuka was hurting and scared. There was something…off…about him. What had the Bloodless Sentouki done to him? Soubi's eyes narrowed. There had been a Spell, just before he'd Called the light to banish Bloodless. What was it the woman had said?

The rough shove of a hand—capped with sharp, diamond-hard nails—against his chest tore Soubi from his thoughts. He looked down even as he moved backward with the force of Ritsuka's push. "I won't leave. A Sentouki's first duty is to protect his Sacrifice."

"I don't need your protection! I don't want you here!" Ritsuka's eyes flashed with uncontrolled anger. "I hate you, Soubi!"

Soubi flinched. But he didn't move. He couldn't leave, not until he figured out what that Bloodless bitch had done to Ritsuka. He took a step forward.

Ritsuka gasped and scrambled backward, stumbling and falling to his knees to crouch in the corner of the room. Nowhere left to go. His mouth was sore and aching, his teeth practically throbbing at Soubi's measured approach. Why didn't Soubi just leave? Why didn't he understand that he couldn't be here now? Ritsuka tried to choke out another command, but his throat was dry, so very, very dry. "Please," he whispered, his voice a bare sliver against the darkness. "Just go, Soubi. You can't be here."

"Why not?" Soubi asked softly as he knelt before Ritsuka, watching the nervous flicking of the tail across one black-clad thigh.

"Because I'm thirsty!" Ritsuka nearly sobbed, his voice young and exhausted, sounding much like the twelve year old boy he'd been not so long ago.

Soubi gasped, his mind reeling as the pieces all clicked into place. The darkness, the pale skin, the gleaming eyes, the rasping voice—it all made sense now. Bloodless…they were unique among the Sentouki, and Soubi should never have forgotten their special gift. "Dark Life."

Ritsuka lifted his head, a shiver of recognition thrilling through him at the sound of those words. "What?"

Soubi's eyes grew cold and angry. They'd cursed him. They'd cursed Ritsuka to live as they did, not really alive, feeding off the blood of others. Stealing human life in order to survive. A wave of nausea shot through his stomach. He'd failed. He had failed Ritsuka, had been unable to protect his Sacrifice against the Bloodless pair's attack. And then he realized it. Bloodless hadn't lost after all. The light may have driven them away, but they had accomplished their goal. There was no way to reverse the Dark Life Spell, no way to draw the cursed back into the light, back to true life. Ritsuka had not been born to the darkness. He didn't have a chance of joining with it, of becoming one with the night like Bloodless. He couldn't give in to the curse and still retain his true identity. No, either Ritsuka would fall to the curse and become a dark, twisted thing, or he would continue to fight it and would destroy himself in the battle. Either way, Loveless would be gone. Dead.

And it would be Soubi's fault. No! He couldn't lose Ritsuka, not the Ritsuka who loved him, who trusted him and cared for him. The Ritsuka who respected him as no one else had done. He wouldn't allow it to happen. Soubi surged forward and threw his arms around Ritsuka's shoulders in a fierce grip.

Ritsuka hissed and shook his head, his mind reeling at the overpowering heat of Soubi's touch after so many days of relentless cold. His head twisted to the side, his teeth gnashing and snapping at Soubi's arm, aching to bite into muscled flesh and feel the blood spurt beneath his tongue. But he pulled back as sanity flooded back to him, ducking his head and biting down hard on his lip. Blood leaked from the deep split, trickling its intoxicating hint of iron between his liquid-starved lips. Ritsuka moaned, his eyes rolling back in his head as all thought fled and he just sucked. It was life surging down his throat and through his veins, rejuvenating him, reviving him, damning him. It was hell and it was bliss. It was…

Not enough.

Ritsuka could feel himself crumbling, could feel his body starving even as the blood in his veins thinned and faded. The slight trickle dried within moments, refusing to rise to his call no matter how hard he pulled. The life within him was fading; he no longer had the power to sustain himself, and he knew…he knew that if he didn't find someone else to keep the blood pumping through his fragile body, he would die. And there was nothing he could do to change that. Ritsuka growled. Let him die then! He would never raise his hand against another person! Never! He pushed against Soubi's shoulders, futilely trying to force the larger man away from him. "Go now…" His voice was weak and soft, almost silent. "Please, Soubi…"

Soubi shook his head. He would never leave Ritsuka to suffer alone. Would never leave Ritsuka. And then he had it. There was one thing, one simple Spell that might help. It was dangerous. It had the potential to destroy them both, and, even if the Spell succeeded, neither one of them would ever be the same again.

But it could save Ritsuka.

Soubi moved, pushing Ritsuka back to arm's length and staring down into the young man eyes, bright with ruby glints in the darkness. "Do you trust me, Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka wanted to scream at Soubi, wanted to hit him and shove him away. He wanted to tell him he hated him, to tell him anything, so long as it would make him go home where he would be safe. But he could see. Even in the utter blackness of the room, he could see, and what he saw was Soubi staring down at him, his blue eyes shining with anxiety and desperation. With love. Ritsuka had never seen anything like that before in anyone's eyes. It was exhilarating. Intoxicating. "Yes," he breathed, his fingers clutching at the fabric of Soubi's shirt.

Soubi didn't answer. Everything hinged on Ritsuka's not knowing what he had planned. He slid his arms up the length of Ritsuka's, gently unwinding those clutching fingers from his shirt before pulling it off over his head. Ritsuka's loud gasp cut through the heavy silence, his breaths coming in pants as the thirst spiked in his veins. "Shh," Soubi whispered, reaching out to run gentle fingers across Ritsuka's pallid cheek in a long-desired caress. "Not yet."

Ritsuka whimpered. "Not ever. I can't, Soubi. Don't you understand? I can't."

"You told me you trusted me." Soubi glared down at his Sacrifice, his eyes narrowed in stern disapproval. "Making you hurt me would hurt you, Ritsuka, and I could never hurt you. Trust in that if nothing else."

"But..." Ritsuka licked his lips, unable to deny the cravings Soubi's moon-silver skin stirred within him. It was more than hunger, more than the pump of blood beneath Soubi's skin that thrilled him. He felt desire.

"Tch," Soubi chided. "I'm not inviting you to bite me."

"Then what--" Ritsuka's raw voice cracked. He cleared his throat. "What do you want from me?"

Soubi smiled then, a soft grin bright with unfeigned desire. He could show none of his fear and apprehension, could give no hint of just what it was he was planning. If he did...well, they would both be damned. "Your ears."

Ritsuka's tail twitched convulsively, his silky black ears flattening against his skull in frightened confusion.

"Listen to me, Ritsuka." Soubi took a deep breath. Bait the trap. Carefully, carefully. "What you're feeling is a Spell set by Bloodless. It's killing you. This need for blood you feel is just a symptom of an illness." He paused. "I'm sorry. I didn't protect you well enough."

"But...my ears..."

"Those ears mark you as a child, Ritsuka, and as a child you are vulnerable. That's the only reason this Spell affects you so. You are old enough to become an adult. If you give up your ears, the Spell will fade."

A long silence. Then, "I'll be normal again?"

Soubi took a deep breath and told the lie that might save this child--this man--who meant so much to him. "Yes, Ritsuka. You wil be normal again."

"I...Soubi..." Ritsuka's voice was barely a whisper in the darkness of the room. "Do you love me?"

"Yes." Soubi's chest tightened painfully. This, at least, was no lie.

"Then take them." Ritsuka didn't really have to ask anymore. Things had changed between them over the years, and he knew now, had known for a long time, that Soubi loved him. For himself, and not for some half-baked order of Seimei's. But that didn't mean he didn't want to hear it. Especially now. How could he do this, give himself to Soubi like this? It was selfish. It was something he needed to make him well again, not something he wanted. Well, he did want to give Soubi his ears--one day--was it something Soubi wanted to take from him? Ritsuka didn't know, and he was afraid to ask. His hands trailed up Soubi's thighs and up over his hips. They traced a warm path up Soubi's chest to lock around his shoulders. Ritsuka pulled himself forward, drew himself right up against Soubi, straddling the older man's thighs and gasping at the warmth that flooded his chilled flesh. He bit down on his lip, struggling to control the hunger that burned within him at the touch of Soubi's skin. "I love you, Soubi."

Soubi sucked in a sharp breath. In the four years he'd known Ritsuka, the boy had never spoken those words to him. He could not let Ritsuka die. Sliding his hands beneath Ritsuka's thighs, he shifted the young man higher up against his waist and rose to his feet. Ritsuka would have protested under normal circumstances, and Soubi swallowed down a surge of impotent rage that he said nothing as Soubi literally carried him across the room to the bed. Ritsuka had never been too weak to maintain his furious independence. Setting Ritsuka down on the edge of the mattress, he knelt on the floor between his lover's knees--from the moment they'd met, Soubi had known that this child, this stubborn, infuriating child, was destined to be his lover. He'd only been waiting for the right moment to shift connection of the soul to a connection of the body.

Soubi smiled. This was that moment. He would not allow pain and despair to cloud Ritsuka's first experience with sex. He looked up into Ritsuka's confused, anguished eyes. "Ritsuka. Why so sad?"

Ritsuka shivered, the cold setting in again now that Soubi wasn't pressed against him. "You don't want to do this."

Soubi quirked an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I?"

"But...you're just doing this because of that damned Spell!"

Soubi laughed. "So selfish, Ritsuka? It's not always about you, you know. Yes, I'm taking your ears now because it'll help you overcome the Dark Life Spell. But that means nothing. I told you when you were twelve that I intended to take your ears one day."

Ritsuka snarled.

"That's more like the Ritsuka I know." A grin crept across Soubi's face for a moment. Then he sighed and allowed the smile to drift away. "I want to do this, Ritsuka. I...there was only pain when I lost my ears. I had no choice, felt no pleasure. I want it to be different for you." As he spoke, his fingers gripped the waistband of Ritsuka's too loose black pants. Glancing up at Ritsuka for permission, he slid them from beneath the young man's hips and off over his legs. Soubi's gaze slid up the length of Ritsuka's body, feeding hungrily on what he'd never before been blessed with viewing. His legs were long, and he'd grown tall. He was still slender, but his chest was well-formed, and a thin trail of hair drew a path from just beneath his navel to the still-slack mound between his thighs. He was soaked with cold sweat and he was far too thin. But he was beautiful. So very beautiful. Soubi licked his lips, his hands stretching out to trace the edges of the soft ears that would soon disappear. Too soon. A wave of sadness rippled through him at the thought--how could he destroy Ritsuka's innocence?--but Ritsuka loved him. Ritsuka needed him, and, if he didn't do this, Ritsuka would lose more than his innocence.

Leaning forward, Soubi pressed their lips together in a soft, gentle kiss. Ritsuka whimpered, and Soubi placed comforting, stabilizing hands on his not-so-thin shoulders, giving him strength. Restraint. Soubi leaned back and smiled into Ritsuka's scarlet eyes. "Don't worry, Ritsuka."

"But..." Ritsuka shook his head. "Soubi...you feel so...hot...and I'm so thirsty..."

"I trust you. Ritsuka."

Ritsuka breathed and closed his eyes, nodding slightly. He wouldn't hurt Soubi. The thirst would ease when this was over, and then he wouldn't have to fight anymore. Soubi had said so. This time, it was Ritsuka who leaned forward to draw Soubi into a slow kiss, Ritsuka who slid his tongue along the line of Soubi's lips and sought entrance. Their mouths mingled, lips and tongues caressing one another, Soubi lending his moist heat to Ritsuka's dry mouth, sharing everything he had to give. Soubi's hands drifted down Ritsuka's arms as their kiss lingered and deepened, Ritsuka's questing tongue becoming almost desperate in its explorations. Finally they broke apart, panting and breathless.

Soubi rose to his feet and gestured for Ritsuka to lie back on the bed. He drew his pants down over his hips, pulling something from the pocket before dropping them to the floor. Fiddling with it for a moment, he tucked it beneath the edge of Ritsuka's pillow before sitting down and running his hand firmly over Ritsuka's chest, tracing the muscles and trying to ignore the press of ribs against his fingers. He met Ritsuka's eyes, watched as arousal and confused need joined the thirst that swirled within in them. He smiled. "We need something to ease the way, when we're ready. Do you have anything like lotion or oil?"

Ritsuka frowned. "All I have is the antibiotic cream I use for..."

Soubi shook his head. He wouldn't make Ritsuka tell him what he needed the cream for. He knew, anyway. "Where is it?"

"In the top drawer of my desk."

Wordlessly, Soubi rose to get it, smiling as he turned away from Ritsuka.

Unconsciously, Ritsuka stared at Soubi, his eyes eagerly watching the play of muscles and tracing the scars that stretched across his back in silver lines. He'd seen the scars from Soubi's training before, so they came as no surprise. What did surprise Ritsuka was the desire--to touch, to taste--that the bared flesh called up from deep within him. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. Newly awakened desire gave his white skin a false flush of color, and the warmth of arousal mingled with the ice in his veins, making him feel feverish. "Soubi..."

Soubi shut the drawer with a soft click and spun around, clutching the tube of antibiotic ointment in one hand. "Ritsuka."

"I...I need..." He trailed off, frustrated. He didn't even know what he needed.

Soubi seemed to understand though, because he nodded and strode back to the bed, setting the tube on the mattress beside them and lying down to half-cover Ritsuka's shivering body. Finally, he allowed his hands to touch and explore as they'd longed to do for years, his every caress drawing a hiss or a gasp from his young, inexperienced lover. The barest hint of a touch along Ritsuka's collarbone, the trace of soft lips and teeth scraping against a sensitive nipple. More, harder, rougher as Ritsuka's gasps and soft moans demanded, the desperate touches breathing life and heat into his starved body.

Ritsuka writhed and whimpered as Soubi's teeth clamped down hard on the inside of his thigh, marking him. Claiming him. He hissed as Soubi's hand closed around his length, hard and hot. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but feel--heat, cold, arousal, pain, thirst, desire, pleasure, and hunger all twisting together within him, making his body a quivering well-spring of desperate need as Soubi's hands tortured him and did things to his body he'd never imagined were possible. Ritsuka threw his head back and moaned as Soubi's hand tightened, drawing up the full length of his arousal. "Soubi."

"No worries, kitten," Soubi murmured, slicking Ritsuka's length as he flipped them over, spreading his thighs and settling Ritsuka between them. He pulled the boy down against him--chest to chest, skin to skin--and whispered into one pale, delicate ear. "Claim me. Ritsuka."

Ritsuka was drowning, lost in a maelstrom of sensation, in a storm of pleasure and hunger. Soubi's breath was hot against his ear, Soubi's strong arms locked around his shoulders. His lower body throbbed, and he felt like he was drawn tight, ready to shatter. He didn't think he would mind it if he did. With Soubi's shifting hips urging him on, he pressed forward, hissing as his body was engulfed in tight, unimaginable heat. With a whimper, he stilled himself, struggling to control the white fire building at the base of his spine. Not yet. I'm not ready for it to end yet. He thrust, pushing himself deep into Soubi's body, feeling the older man's strength, reveling in the connection between them. He'd never been this close to anyone before, had never had anyone want to be close to him before. With a low, desperate moan, he thrust again.

Soubi bit down on his lip against the urge to hiss. This burn, this aching pain would fade. It didn't hurt. Not really. But he knew if Ritsuka even thought he was hurting Soubi, he would stop, and Soubi did not want Ritsuka to stop. Allowing his eyes to close for a moment in long-awaited pleasure, he shifted his hips, rising up to meet Ritsuka's every thrust. He could feel his body tightening with the thrum of intense arousal, could feel himself slipping closer to the edge, but he held off, knowing his release would trigger Ritsuka's.

Ritsuka's eyes were closed, his body tensed and trembling. He could see nothing, could feel nothing but Soubi's body beneath his, Soubi's heat surrounding him, and the everpresent thirst that never faded. It made his teeth ache, and it swirled within him, coiling with the pleasure and the desire to empty his mind of everything but the need for fulfillment. His breathing became ragged, his thrusts harsh and unsteady, and his hands tightened, fisting themselves in Soubi's long, silver-dusted hair. He could feel his release shivering just beyond his reach.

Soubi snapped his eyes open when Ritsuka's thrusts became desperate, uncontrolled. Slipping one hand under the pillow beneath his head, he pulled out his pocket knife, the sharpest blade already open. Placing the blade to the delicate skin of his already scarred neck, he allowed the tension to build within his body, moaning softly as the pleasure rose within him. Release slammed into him almost unexpectedly, and he bucked upward. Whispering a single word--a single Spell--he sliced a deep line across his neck and pulled Ritsuka down against him.

Ritsuka tried to cry out as Soubi's muscles clenched around him, as a wet heat exploded against his stomach, but Soubi's skin was pressed against his lips, and all he could feel was a red, liquid heat searing his tongue, wetting and soothing his aching throat. Ritsuka bit down hard, sucking in the hot, life-giving fluid as a blinding climax overtook him, spreading icy fire through his body, flooding him with heat and cold. As blood surged through his starved, shriveled veins, as a new, darker life replaced the old one, Ritsuka fell away into darkness. And for the first time in three days, Ritsuka slept.

Soubi sighed and wrapped his arms around his young lover's shoulders. He didn't bother to stop the bleeding in his neck. It would heal well enough on its own, and, besides, Ritsuka would be hungry when he woke up. Soubi frowned. His Spell had worked. Ritsuka would not die. But neither would he be the Ritsuka Soubi had known and loved. He was changed. Soubi sighed again. And so was he. Well, there's nothing to be done about it now. With a determined nod, Soubi shifted them so that they were lying on their sides, Ritsuka tucked tightly against him for warmth, his small, now-earless head pressed against Soubi's chest. Brushing the hair gently, lovingly, from Ritsuka's face, Soubi pulled the blanket over them and allowed himself to slide away into sleep.

---------

Ritsuka snuggled closer to the warm, solid presence at his side, his mind drifting in a red fog of satiation. He liked it in the fog. He wasn't cold there, or thirsty. He felt full, content, and warm. He could feel the slow, dreamy flickering of Soubi's mind next to him, and he knew the older man was sleeping.

Ritsuka frowned and opened his eyes. What? No light filtered in around the edges of the heavy curtain, so it must have still been dark outside. Soubi was sleeping, which wasn't all that surprising, considering how much energy they'd burned doing... Ritsuka's hands flew to his head, and his eyes widened. His ears were gone! Slowly, he lowered his hands. He took a deep breath.

And smelled blood. Soubi's blood. And hunger spiked in his veins. He moaned low in his throat and clutched at Soubi's shoulders, trying to brace himself against the older man. What had happened? What had Soubi done? You said you wouldn't hurt yourself. You promised! "Soubi..."

Soubi snapped into full wakefulness all at once. He could feel Ritsuka's anger, a vibrant flood deep inside his mind. He opened his eyes. "Ritsuka."

"What did you do, Soubi?" Ritsuka's voice was hardly more than a whisper, but fury tinged it black. He remembered now. The overwhelming pleasure, the tight heat of Soubi's body, and the connection drawn between them. The high of orgasm, the hot smell of blood, and the pumping flow of boiling red between his lips. He remembered it all. "Why, Soubi? Why?"

"You would have died, Ritsuka. I could not let that happen. And..." He hesitated.

"And what?"

"It was necessary. For the Spell."

Ritsuka's eyes narrowed. Soubi wasn't talking about the Spell Bloodless had put on him; he could tell that much from the shakiness of the man's thought patterns as they shivered through his mind. "What Spell? You told me it would go away once I was an adult."

Soubi sighed. "That wasn't...quite...true. There is no way to reverse Dark Life. The victim can either succumb to the Spell and become a demon, or he can fight it. And die. But there was a way for me to save you, to give you back your life, Ritsuka. I had to take your ears to do it, because you had to give me part of yourself, just as I had to give part of myself to you. You gave me your virginity. And I gave you my blood. To feed the Spell."

Ritsuka snarled. "What Spell?"

"A Spell of Binding. A bond far closer than that of a Sentouki and his Sacrifice, or even a pair of lovers. We are in a sense one being, you and I. Our Bond has transmuted the Dark Life Spell. You share my life now, Ritsuka. And...my soul. You will still hunger, but my blood will be enough to sate you. You will not kill, will not lose yourself to the darkness that possesses Bloodless. But neither will you be a normal 16 year-old boy."

"Your blood?" Ritsuka whispered. He stared at Soubi in horror. "You should have just let me..."

"Die?" Soubi narrowed his eyes. "You forget, Ritsuka. You are my Sacrifice, and when a Sacrifice dies..."

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "His Sentouki dies."

Soubi nodded. "I would never have let you die, Ritsuka. I would give my life to save yours a thousand times over, but if you must have a justification for my actions, would you rather take a bit of my blood every once in a while or let me die because you could not stand the thought of causing me--as I know you would say--even that much pain?"

Ritsuka closed his eyes and rested his head against Soubi's chest. He swallowed thickly, clenching his hands into fists and struggling against the urge to slam them against the too solid body supporting him. He could feel the tears--tears of anger, of grief, of resentment and guilt--rising within him, and he fought to force them down. He couldn't do this. He loved Soubi. How could he live with himself, knowing he was the reason Soubi suffered, living half a life, owning half a soul? Then a slight huff of breath fell against his face and the gentle brush of mental fingers caressed the inside of his mind. Ritsuka's eyes snapped open. What?

Soubi chuckled. No worries, little Ritsuka. I gave you nothing I wasn't prepared to give.

Ritsuka's eyes widened. He could hear Soubi's thoughts?

I told you. We're connected now. My body is yours. Yours, mine. We are one, Ritsuka, and I didn't give you anything I didn't want to give. I lost nothing, you understand?

"But..."

"But nothing, Ritsuka. A little bit of blood is a small price to know you're mine."

Ritsuka bristled. "Yours?"

Soubi chuckled. "Then again, perhaps you haven't changed so much after all. But yes. Mine." His eyes gleamed. "After all, you gave me your ears, didn't you?"

Ritsuka flushed and tried to flatten his ears against his head in indignation. But they weren't there, a silent testament to the truth of Soubi's assertions. "Maybe. But I wasn't really myself at the time."

"Are you saying you would give them to someone else, if you could do it over again?"

A long pause. Then a grudging, "No."

"I didn't think so. So--" A sharp, phantom pain rippled through Soubi's belly. He glanced down at Ritsuka. Then he shifted his head, baring the long, barely closed gash on his neck that cut across the old 'Beloved' scar. "Eat."

Ritsuka looked down, a sullen stubborness coiling in his gut to fight the thirst. "No."

Silence.

After several endless moments ticked past with no response from Soubi, Ritsuka glanced up. Soubi's lips were thinned into a tight, pained line, and his eyes were closed. A crease had formed between his pale brows, and a single tear was tracing an accusatory path down one creamy cheek. Soubi... Without thinking, Ritsuka leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to Soubi's lips. Then he sighed. He was acting like a child. And he was hurting Soubi.

He couldn't change the past, couldn't take back the Spell Bloodless had put on him. After all, if Soubi couldn't reverse the Spell, no one could. And, yes, Soubi had lied to him, but if he'd told Ritsuka the truth, would Ritsuka have gone through with it, knowing he would be literally taking Soubi's life from him? No. I wouldn't have done it. And they would died. Soubi would have died. Ritsuka swallowed around the lump in his throat and the tears that were threatening to rise again. Soubi couldn't die. He wasn't like mother or father, or even Seimei, who all wanted to change him, to control him. Soubi just wanted him. For me.

With a low, needy whimper, Ritsuka threw himself forward and locked his arms around Soubi's shoulders. Burying his face in Soubi's neck, he opened his mouth and bit down, gently at first, on the gash Soubi had opened earlier that night. His hunger sharpened as the scent of blood filled permeated his senses and Soubi's arms came up to wind around him, holding him tightly against the older man's body. He dug his teeth in sharply, allowing feral satisfaction to whisper through him as the skin separated beneath his touch and the hot liquid welled up between his lips, staining them anew with iron scarlet. Ritsuka moaned into Soubi's neck, fierce pleasure suffusing his mind as he fed, his nails digging almost desperately into the flesh of Soubi's shoulders as his teeth held his partner firmly in place. He drank, and drank deeply, and when he finally pulled back--reluctantly--and met Soubi's dark, shimmering eyes, his own were gleaming with animalistic satisfaction. Ritsuka licked his lips and kissed Soubi, a deep, lingering kiss, and he felt desire awaken between his thighs.

"Ritsuka," Soubi whispered.

Ritsuka nodded, staring up into Soubi's eyes. There could be no secrets between them any longer, no lies. There was only trust. He licked his lips again. And hunger. And even as he pushed Soubi onto his back, he knew what he had to do. He couldn't change his own fate, that was true. But he could keep Bloodless from damning anyone else to face what he had so narrowly escaped. "Soubi," he murmured, running a gentle hand across Soubi's belly. "We have to kill Bloodless."

Soubi nodded, breathless. Leaning up, he pressed his lips to Ritsuka's, tasting his own blood on his lover's reddened lips. "Tomorrow. For tonight..."

Ritsuka nodded. Yes, Soubi. Tonight's for us.