Soubi read somewhere that orphaned baby animals should be given clocks because the rhythm sounds like their mother's heartbeats. In that case, at least, he can't judge. It didn't work for him.

He remembers nights curled under unfamiliar streets, drawn in close, and the clock seemed so close to his ears. Endless. The more he concentrated on it, the louder it became until it was invading, inside him, and he would lie awake with his eyes wide open staring at nothing tick tock tick tock TICK TOCK TICK

In Ritsu's office it was there, more, the constant ticking and his teacher's voice were almost one. "Belong," said Ritsu. And the clock agreed. He sat in the cold hard room surrounded by butterflies and thought, this, more than anything else, this will drive me mad.

And then he couldn't hear the clock over the noises Ritsu was driving out of him but in his mind they were one and the same, the ticking and the thrusting; he clenched his fingers in unfamiliar sheets and felt his heart beat against his ribs.

"Belong", said the clock, and Soubi agreed.

/FIN