Ritsu carefully pinned the butterflies wings down with a delicacy not many males knew. To him, the butterfly was a specimen of pure beauty that needed to be preserved to ensure that beauty never faded. He remember the way Soubi would watch in disgust. He remembered the boy had always loved butterflies.
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Soubi puled a face and looked away. "What is it Soubi? Do you not like butterflies?"
"I love butterflies."
"Me too."
"Then why do you do this to them?"
Ritsu blinked and then put down his pins. "Because someone needs to make sure that their beauty is immortalised."
"Can't you do that some other way? Like, paint them or something?"
"Its not the same Soubi." he said with a note of finality in his voice that silence the boy who looked away deliberately as he continued his work.
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He wondered if maybe he had been to hard on him. He knew Soubi would be nothing of the fighter he was now if he hadn't been, but he was only a child. At the time it seemed the right thing to do, but now he doubted his actions.
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"You are mine Soubi, what's wrong with showing everyone that? Twelve isn't really so young, you are the most mature twelve-year-old I have ever met" he said as he played with the ears that in the hours to come would disappear.
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"You need to learn to bear the pain Soubi, pain is not something to fear." he said as he bought the whip down on the boys back once more.
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He sighed and leaned back in his chair, noticing his phone out of the corner of his eye. Maybe he could call Soubi and they could talk their way through it. Maybe then the blonde would return to him.
Just as his fingers closed around the cool metal, he let go again. It was never going to work. Soubi had long since moved on and it was about time he did too.