A/N:A note to all of my readers, I am only writing this story to try and defeat the writer's block that has suddenly taken me over. I know I said I'd just be writing one-shots, but then this idea came along. Anyways, I had just recently been watching Loveless, and I decided that this would be the perfect anime to base this on. Of course, you will notice that this is story is based in an alternative universe, meaning that the characters will have different attributes and the storyline will also have changed (e.g.: in my fanfic, there is no "Seven Moons", or Fighters and Sacrifices). The idea of this story came to me in different ways... Firstly, I noticed how Soubi's friend Kio always called Soubi a "pervert" and a "masochist". I was also aware of how Ritsuka was always beaten by his mother, but also didn't have a father, so I tried to imagine what his father would be like if his mother had a boyfriend. I also figured, if Ritsuka's was constantly being abused, that he would be a rather emotional and physical train wreck. But, the main idea for this story came from the movie "40 Days and 40 Nights".

NOTE:A very OOC Ritsuka here, boys and girls.

Summary: AU. Kio makes a bet that Soubi can't go without sex for a single month. However, when Kio introduces him to his "temporary lover" Ritsuka, a weak and abused boy attending their school, will Soubi give into temptation, or will he change for the better? SOUBIxRITSUKA

Disclaimer: I don't own Loveless or any of it's characters. I also don't own the plot line for "40 Days and 40 Nights".

---

"Hey, Natsuo," Youji said casually with a smirk, pulling his red-headed lover to his side.

"Youji!" Natsuo whined as the other kissed his neck aggressively. "Not in public," he said, shoving Youji away harshly.

Youji only laughed and grabbed Natsuo's hand as the two began to walk towards the school entrance.

"So, Natsuo... How was your summer alone, hm? Did you miss me?" Youji asked suggestively, giving him a sly wink.

Natsuo raised an eyebrow. "Not as much as you missed me, I bet," he stated. "I can already tell that you want it bad."

"And it's a damn good thing that we decided to share a dorm together this year, 'cause I got sick and tired of sneaking back to my room after curfew," Youji said irritably. "Do you know how many times I got caught last year?!"

Natsuo giggled slightly and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by another voice.

"Still as ambitious as ever, I see," Kio said with a grin. "I think summer vacation only brought you two closer," he stated, referring to Youji's rather... affectionate manner.

The pair only smiled.

"I wish Soubi could find someone to settle down with. Then maybe he would stop surfing for sex all the time. That pervert..." Kio's tone was dark and laced with hatred as he spoke.

Youji and Natsuo looked at each other wearily, exchanging knowing glances. Soubi, Kio, Natsuo, and Youji had been very close friends all throughout elementary and junior high. However, once the boys had reached high school and had developed, Soubi had girls flocking around him like hens to the morning feed. Although Soubi had refused them at first, in the end he had given into the temptation of sex and the opportunity to lose his ears, sleeping with everyone who had offered him a place on their bed. He had even slept with their twenty-four year old Japanese teacher, Miss Hitomi Shinonome, who had still had her ears until she hooked up with Soubi last semester.

Throughout the years, Soubi had slowly distanced himself from his friends and become the school's most popular man, making new friends and new lovers every day. He still occasionally spoke with Kio, Natsuo, and Youji, but he refused to hang around them for too long for he feared his popularity would decline. However, they all still cared about Soubi, and believed that his "casual sex" phase was becoming a big problem. It wasn't just about having sex anymore. He was completely and utterly addicted. He thought and talked about it all the time -- even when he didn't want to have sex, he did because his body and ego desired it.

And Kio was getting more worried every day.

"Well, speak of the devil," Youji said in a monotone voice, placing his hands on his hips.

Kio looked down the pathway and caught a glimpse of someone approaching them. That someone had long dirty-blonde hair and stunning blue eyes that hid behind a pair of frameless glasses. He carried himself with an egotistic strut, his hands in his pockets and his head held high, a dimly lit cigarette pursed between his lips. The only thing missing was the group of horny school girls that usually followed his every move.

"Soubi..." Kio said softly.

Soubi Agatsuma stopped in front of them, only stealing a single glance at Kio before directing his gaze towards the red head.

"Natsuo," he said in his deep, masculine voice. "Your book," he stated, holding out a novel in his hand. Romeo and Juliet.

"O-oh..." Natsuo said, blinking. "Right, I forgot you still had it," he finished, taking the book from the other and putting it in his sling bag.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it. I can't believe Miss Shinonome made us readShakespeare over the summer holidays... Whatever, I didn't even do the report. Couldn't understand a fucking word of it, anyways," Soubi said, taking a drag from his cigarette before stomping it out underneath his dress shoe. "See ya," were his final words before stalking off, the three boys looking after him silently.

"What an ass," Youji started. "That report is worth fifty percent of our first-term grade, and if he wants to fail --"

"Doesn't matter," Kio butted in. "Miss Shinonome won't fail him. Not if he keeps giving her what she wants." Kio narrowed his eyes and began walking towards the school, leaving the two lovers behind him.

It wasn't fair. Soubi didn't have to do any homework or even try in any of his course classes to get a passing grade. As long as he continued to sleep with the teachers (besides their math professor, who was male and heterosexual), he would be at the top of his class each and every year.

"Still... He must be pretty good in bed if he gets A's on everything he does..." Kio said silently, blushing slightly. Kio had had a crush on Soubi since junior high, and even today wondered how good Soubi was in the sack. He hated having to hear it from those stupid sluts; there were times where he just wished Soubi would take him so hard that he wouldn't be able to get out of bed the next morning. It wasn't impossible, Kio knew, for Soubi slept with just as many men as he did women. But Kio just couldn't bring himself to tell Soubi, for he feared that the other would distance himself even further from him, and Kio wanted to keep whatever little salvaged relationship they had left.

Yet still... Kio blushed harder until his face burned red and closed his eyes. "Oh, stop it Kio, it'll never happen!"

Kio's eyes opened wide as he was suddenly knocked to his feet, a flurry of papers and books strewn around him.

"Ouch..." came a tiny voice from in front of him.

Kio blinked and glanced at the small boy in front of him, who was trying to gather his things that had been scattered as the two collided. But instead of getting up to help, Kio just sat there for a moment, simply staring at the other boy in front of him. He was so tiny and fragile looking, and Kio had to wonder if he really went to this school that was for high school students. He certainly hadn't seen him here before...

Kio shook his head in embarrassment and quickly got to his feet. "Sorry, I didn't see you there," he said kindly and with a smile.

At the sound of his voice, the boy gasped and jumped back, accidentally dropping the things he had just finished gathering.

Kio only stood there in shock as the boy looked up at him with scared, violet eyes. He was breathing heavily and had a terrified expression on his face, his body trembling ever so slightly.

"O-oh... Th-That's alright," the boy said suddenly, recovering and quickly getting on his knees to pick up his belongings.

"Here, let me help you!" Kio said apologetically, helping the other with his books.

"S-sorry for bumping into you like that..." the boy said softly, not daring to look at Kio -- his gaze remained intently focused on the ground in front of him, as if his feet were a point of keen interest.

"Um..." Kio began, confused by the other's strange actions. "It's alright, really. It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going."

The boy lifted his head a bit to look at Kio, his tiny arms clutching his books to his chest tightly. He said nothing.

Kio smiled and gave a small laugh. "I can be so clumsy sometimes... But really, I am sorry for running into you. I was just a little distracted."

There was no response.

"...I'm Kio," said the blonde, tilting his head. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you knew?"

"Er...Yes..." said the boy quietly, looking away shyly.

"Hm... What's your name?" Kio asked curiously, putting his hands on his hips as he observed the other silently.

"Ritsuka..."

"Ritsuka... That's a pretty name," said Kio, flashing another smile.

Ritsuka blushed a light pink at the comment and Kio couldn't help but think of how cute he was being.

"We've got some time to kill... Come on, I'll show you the way around the school!" Kio said energetically, grabbing the boy's hand gently. "Then we'll go see if we're in any classes together."

Ritsuka gazed up at Kio with wide eyes in disbelief, but continued to give him the silent treatment.

Kio stood, confused, wondering if he had done anything to upset him. "Is something wrong?"

Ritsuka looked away, his eyes becoming soft and full of sadness. His spoken words were almost inaudible to Kio's ears. "It's just... I've never... had anyone want to be around me before..."

"Well, I want to be around you," Kio said as-a-matter-of-factly, wondering why no one would want to be around such a sweet person.

Ritsuka glanced up at Kio shyly, unsure of what to say. He wasn't used to such kind gestures; only beatings and abusing words from fellow peers.

Kio only continued to smile at the boy. "Let's go!"

---

"So where did you take off to, Kio? We didn't see you all this morning," Natsuo inquired as he and Youji sat with Kio for their lunch break.

"Yeah," Youji started as he stuffed a bun into his mouth hungrily. "Where were you?"

"Hm...? Oh, I was just showing a new student around the school," Kio stated casually as he picked at his salad, absently adding ranch dressing and croutons to the meal.

"New student?" Natsuo asked curiously. "Who?"

"His name's Ritsuka Aoyagi," he said, chewing on a forkful of lettuce.

"Ritsuka?" Natsuo and Youji said simultaneously, exchanging glances with each other.

"...Yeeeaaah," Kio replied suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. Did they know something about Ritsuka?

"Ritsuka isn't new, Kio," Natsuo said, chuckling slightly.

"Haha, yeah. He's been going to school with us since we were in Junior High! He's only new to this school, since he's a year younger than us..." Youji added with a laugh. "Where have you been?"

Kio blinked repeatedly, thoroughly confused by this sudden information. "Huh? But he said..."

"Hehe," Natsuo started. "He probably didn't want to say 'Actually, I've been going to school with you for five years, you've just never noticed me.'"

"Yeah, but who can blame him? No one even notices him, he's so shy. I hear he gets picked on quite a bit." Youji and Natsuo laughed together. "Must be true that people don't like him. He hasn't even lost his ears yet!"

"Hey!" Kio started angrily. "Be nice to him, ok? Just because he's still a virgin doesn't mean he isn't worthy enough to have friends. Don't make fun of him--" Kio said, pausing, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits as his glared at the two lovers. "...for having a little bit of dignity." Kio stood up and walked out of the lunch room, his half eaten salad still sitting on the table.

How could they be so cruel? Ritsuka was a sweet, lovely boy from what he'd gathered so far, and he deserved to have friends just like everyone else. And if what Natsuo and Youji had said before was true, Ritsuka probably didn't have many friends that he could trust. And if everyone acted just as Natsuo and Youji did now, he definitely wouldn't doubt it. Kio frowned and turned down the hallway that lead to his dorm room. He didn't have any classes this afternoon, so he figured he might as well take a nap, and perhaps visit Ritsuka later on if he had the time. At least he could have one faithful friend...

"Oof!" Kio let out a sharp gasp as the wind was knocked out of his lungs.

"Hey, watch where you're –" Kio started, frustrated that this was the second person he'd bumped into today.

"How about you watch where you're going, ditz? I'm not the one with my head in the clouds," came a strong tenor voice.

Looking up, Kio came face to face with Soubi, the lust of his life and former best friend. Kio only glared, completely and utterly disgusted by Soubi's presence.

Ignoring the other man's choice of words and brushing off his harsh demeanour, Kio looked around almost expectedly. "So, Soubi... Where's the posse of horny and desperate women?"

"Hmph," Soubi started, spitting out a wad of chewed gum into a nearby water fountain. "Jealous much?"

Kio growled slightly at this. "Jealous? Of what? The last thing I want is to become likeyou!"

Soubi only chuckled and brushed passed him, making his way down to the lunch room without so much as a good bye.

"...You disgust me."

Soubi stopped dead in his tracks, glancing back at the other male over his shoulder, yet still refusing to converse.

"I bet you couldn't go a single day without sex!" Kio yelled angrily, wanting once and for all for this to stop.

Soubi laughed heartily as he turned to face his former friend. "Is that a bet?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, curiosity and humour laced in his voice.

"Yeah! It is! I bet that you can't go... one month! One month of being with someone without having sex with them."

"Hm, is that so?" Soubi started.

Silence.

Soubi narrowed his eyes. "Fine, I accept your challenge... But if I win, I get your car."

Kio's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" Kio's car was a Mercedes Benz convertible, imported from America. His mother had bought it for him when he made in into the private school a few years ago and he knew how expensive it was.

But he also knew how important Soubi was to him. This addiction was ruining their friendship and ruining Soubi's life, and it had to stop. No car was worth more to him than Soubi.

"F-fine. But if I win... You have to stop sleeping with the teachers to get your grades. You will have to work to get your own marks."

Soubi didn't hesitate to answer. "Deal."

"Good. I'll pick the person. Meet them after school at 4:00 near the stables."

"Fine... Be prepared to have that car ready for me, Kio, because I won't be losing this bet," Soubi said with his trademark egotistical smirk.

"We'll see about that," Kio replied darkly before stalking off in the other direction.

He knew just who he was going to pick.

---

A/N:I know, a pretty uneventful chapter, but it's essential to the plot. Gee, I wonder who Kio's going to pick for this mission, eh? ;)

Review please!