The alarm was as monotinous as ever as a lump moved sluggishly under the covers. He let out a moan, and a hand whacked the alarm clock off the bedside table. A small bit of blonde hair peaked from beneath the covers. The man sat up, and rubbed his brown eyes sleepily. He looked next to him, to find the bed empty...again. He didn't even know why he looked anymore. He remembered the day when he lost his ears, and slapped himself in the forehead.

"Now isn't the time! You've got three paintings and one still life to do before 3:00 today! Baka!" He flopped back onto the bed, and slowly began to drift back to sleep, the looming assignments far out of his mind. "S...Sou-chan..."

"...Ah..." Two bodies moved in unison, moans and pants echoed throughout the dark room. "Soubi!" He winced as he tore crimson lines of passion down his lover's back. Could he call him his lover now? They were losing their ears at that moment. All thought vanished as his whole body tensed, and he let out a small sob, cumming on himself and his partner. Soon his lover came...

"R-Ritsuka!"

"WHAA!" The man shot straight up, gasping. He held his head in his hands, sobbing quietly. Suddenly, the door swung open and two boys walked in, one with purple hair, and one with aqua. They grinned, then dashed over to the bed, flinging themselves at him and clinging to him.

"Ne, Kio! It's four in the afternoon! You've been sleeping all day!" Kio let out a strangled cry and threw a five minute fit, then sighed.

"Alright boys...I'm gonna take a shower...then I'll make you two something to eat." He said, defeated. Now he'd have to give his professor yet another excuse. He quickly rid himself of his garments, and slipped past the shower curtain. Afterward, he walked over to his closet to find an outfit. Maybe if he wore his cute apron, and Soubi came home...hee. He grinned and quickly put on some boxers, then pants, then his shirt. But as he buttoned his pants, he noticed a strange mark on his groin. It was faint, but he could make it out. It was a broken heart. "I don't remember getting a tattoo there." He said. Then he looked at it closer. "Hmm...but that looks more like a birthmark to me." Then, something flashed into his memory. It was the day Soubi had told him about Ritsuka...

"His name is Ritsuka Aoyagi." Soubi said with a content smile, a smile he'd not seen in a long time.

"Aoyagi? What is his real name?" He had asked half heartedly.

"Love-"

"...less. Oh GOD NOO!" He sank to the floor holding his head in his hands. "Not him...NOT HIM!"

"Kio?" The man's head snapped up to see Soubi.

"Sou...chan..." He tried to force a smile, but it was too much. He quickly stood up, and turned away from Soubi, buttoning his pants. "I'll...be out to make dinner in a minute an-"

"No need to trouble yourself Kio, Ritsuka and I brought home some food for us to eat." Soubi said with a smile, which instantly faded. Kio had a crazed look in his eyes. "Kio?"

"It's him...It's all his fault!" He said harshly. Ritsuka walked in and froze as Kio's gaze shifted to him. "You..." Ritsuka backed away slowly.

"Kio...that's enough, you're scaring him." Soubi scolded him coldly, wrapping a comforting arm around his Sacrifice. Kio suddenly lunged forward and Soubi stopped him in his tracks, pinning him to the tile floor. "Kio! What's wrong with you!"

"I'll kill you for this...I don't want ANYTHING to do with you! GET OUT!" He screamed, trying to fight Soubi off. "GET OUT NOW!" Ritsuka dashed out of the room, and all Soubi heard was the door slam.

"Kio! Why the hell are you acting this way!" Soubi asked. His friend, now helpless, began to sob uncontrollably.

"I don't want...to be that little brat's Fighter, Sou-chan...I want NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM!" He screamed, thrashing about, but Soubi held him firmly against the floor.

"Kio...you're not making any sense. Now calm down." Soubi was answered by a kick in the shin, causing him to let go. Kio quickly stood and unbuttoned his pants, causing Soubi to flinch and blush. His face then looked somewhat horrified.

"You...are no longer...his Fighter." Kio said sorrowfully. "I am. My real name...is...Loveless..." Kio sank to the floor and cried. Everything he had worked so hard to get was crashing down upon him, and there was nothing he could do. "I'm Loveless..." Soubi looked at him sadly. Everything he had...his love for Ritsuka...was now over! Kio was his fighter now, and soon, very soon, the word would get out to Septimal Moon, and they would come for him...to dispose of him. But then he realized: What would happen to Kio? When he was "trained", they tortured him until he almost bled to death. Kio acted all macho and strong, but he wasn't "that" strong. When Soubi had cried out for them to stop, they hurt him more. Kio wouldn't stand a chance! He had sprained an ankle once tripping and falling on the stairs. The doctor told him that he would take longer than normal to heal, because the truth was, he was very frail. He put up a tough guy act so people wouldn't want to come near him. But Septimal Moon would break him, and most likely kill him. Only the strongest would survive.

"Kio, you can't do this." He was cut off when Kio abruptly slapped him, hard.

"WHY! BECAUSE I'LL BE TAKING YOUR PRECIOUS RITSUKA AWAY FROM YOU!" He growled, his whole body trembling. Soubi frowned, and then embraced him tightly. Kio fought him frantically, but soon lost, sobbing into his shirt. "Sou-chan...I don't want this...I don't want to do this..." Soubi only held him closer.

"Kio, maybe it's just a birthmark, if Ritsuka doesn't have it in the same place, then it's nothing." Kio glared at him.

"Soubi! You can't just walk up to a kid and tell him to drop his drawers!" He said growling. "No wonder the kid always seems so annoyed...he's got a pervert for a fighter!" He said laughing. Soubi just smiled. Kio seemed a bit relieved to hear it.

After about an hour, Ritsuka returned back to Soubi's apartment. He went into the bedroom when Soubi asked him to. Kio sat on the bed, arms crossed, and he looked nervous. Ritsuka stood as far away from him as possible. Soubi sat down on the end of the bed and smiled at him.

"Ritsuka, I need you to drop your drawers for m-" He was cut of when he was bombarded with pillows.

"SOU-CHAN! YOU PERVERT!" Kio shouted, hitting him over and over with a pillow. He sat back down on the bed. "Ritsuka...a mark appeared on my body today...and I'd like to know if...any strange marks have appeared on your body...right here." He said, pointing to his groin. Ritsuka blushed.

"I...haven't seen any...but, if I could...use your bathroom, I could check." He glared at Soubi. "By myself..." Kio nodded an led him to the bathroom. Ritsuka took off his pants, and looked at himself in the mirror. He came out a few minutes later. "Nothing...there's nothing there." Kio let out a sigh of relief, and flopped back onto the bed happily.

"Thank god!" But meanwhile, a dark figure stood outside, grinning maliciously.