To Be A Sacrifice

by Dlbn

Meeting your Sacrifice was supposed to be a blessed thing. For Soubi, twice it wasn't. But the third time, it was.

Dlbn: I'm back! With a very special fic!

Nbld: That's right! This fic is dedicated to….

Dlbn: Ritsuka-kun's birthday!

Nbld: According to the Loveless wikia, he is 23 today.

Dlbn: Hehe we're the same age.

Nbld: Yup! Anyway, let's get o with the fic!

Both: Happy birthday, Ritsuka! *throw confetti*

000

A Sacrifice, a Gisei. One who takes the damage in a battle of spells and commands the Fighter doing the damage to another team. It was a general term and definition, a blanket to cover everyone within it. Sacrifices take on various combinations of ages and genders, of occupation and education, of location and heritage, amongst other characteristics and traits that define a human being. Both eared and non-eared Sacrifices came from almost everywhere to find their Fighters; their soulmates, their other halves. While Fighters waited and trained and longed for the day their master would arrive, Sacrifices took their sweet time appearing, both with and without their true name showing. Becoming one with your Sacrifice was meant to be a magical experience. It was something that you would remember for the rest of your life as the single greatest day in your life; the day when you found your purpose, your calling, in life. The day you became whole. For Soubi, two times, it was not that. But then it was.

-Ritsu Minami-

Soubi had only been six years old when he met Minami Ritsu for the first time, formally. The man confronted the boy at a hospital after his parents died and took him in to raise him as his own. Though he was a child at the time, the memory was burned into his skull. Ritsu was not a kind hearted man, and he certainly wasn't gentle with anyone; let alone a grieving six year old. He had called Soubi stupid for not understanding that his parents had died-which he did, but wanted them back so badly that he didn't really care-and continued to yell at him about his sniffling as they walked the halls of the hospital to the exit to go to the local subway to take home. Ritsu didn't have a license, so they had had to resort to the stinky subway as a means of transportation. Soubi had tried to lean against Ritsu and fall asleep, but the man chastised him every time and pushed him to a sitting position. He had ignored disapproving glances of a few older ladies sitting across from them and instead buried his nose into the newspaper. One of the ladies offered Soubi a tissue and a caramel, which he had accepted graciously and thanked them for.

000

It would have been one thing if Ritsu had just been a complete jerk to him that one time. After all, it was a kid he didn't even know and didn't want to get burdened with, and he was probably bitter over the death of his Fighter; Soubi's mother, Iyani. But it was another thing that Ritsu was that way twenty-four seven. After the funeral, Ritsu stayed behind with Soubi. Once even the priest had left the burial site, the silver haired man turned to the frightened orphan and offered for him to get into the grave, as well. The grave was meant for his family, so Soubi had to get in, so as not to offend Ritsu; who had begrudgingly paid for the whole thing. The elder male was annoyed when Soubi didn't hop right in with his parents, but happy at the same time that Soubi stood his ground. As a child, Soubi had been afraid of the dark. But did that matter to Ritsu? He couldn't have cared in the slightest. He refused to put a nightlight in Soubi's room to keep away the shadows and the monsters, and refused to let him stay in Ritsu's own room to keep him comfortable enough so he could sleep. When the day came for training to begin, Soubi was subjected to long hours of studying in school with the other Fighters. Lessons continued at night in the apartment Ritsu owned and they shared. After an eight hour class schedule, Soubi was subjected to three extra hours of schooling, two hours of homework, and possibly an hour of free play if Ritsu was feeling generous or he didn't have a lot of homework to do. Other then his lunch, one art class, and one reading class in school, Soubi didn't have much time to relax like the other kids did. Most students went back to their dorms or to their homes-if they lived close enough to stay at home during the year-to rest, relax, unwind, and enjoy themselves. They got to have friends and socialize, to discover their own personal interests and get fresh air. The only fresh air Soubi got was an attempt at a gym class, walking to and from school, and the few times Ritsu had taken him to the woods to practice spells or permitted him to sit on the porch while doing homework. The blonde didn't have any friends and was often picked on by the other students for being a 'teacher's pet'. Ritsu being the Principal did not help things, and Soubi kept the bullying secret so the elder male wouldn't lecture or punish the students. Other teachers hardly paid any attention to him or let him answer questions in class; knowing that he was getting grade-A education from the Principal outside of school. On the rare school field trips, Soubi often kept to himself and finished the activities before the others because he had no chance to goof off with a friend like the others did. The day the whippings in Ritsu's office began was probably one of the worst. Ritsu wanted to teach him a lesson in handling pain, but ended up teaching him a lesson in never trusting the slate haired man when he took the boy's ears at age fourteen. The only time he could recall Ritsu being gentle with him was when he patched him up after a couple other students had gotten into a fight with him and scratched his nose and lip up pretty badly. The kindness didn't last, however; because as soon as Ritsu was done patching him up, he was back to scolding him and making him feel inferior. He did, however, take the time out of being a jerk to compliment Soubi on his artwork and how much he looked like his mother once he got older. Soubi hadn't known whether to be thrilled or appalled at the idea that he was going to be Ritsu's new Fighter. He grew into the idea over time, and was quite delighted by it. However, his hopes and dreams were dashed the day that Ritsu announced that he would not be the one to name Soubi, but rather that he would go to a young boy by the name of Aoyagi Seimei.

-Seimei Aoyagi-

Soubi would have taken Ritsu's jerkiness over Seimei's abuse any day. The day they met, Soubi started off not liking him for how he was listening in on his conversation with Ritsu, as well as how rudely he was treating the older male. But Sensei knew best, and when Seimei held out his hand for Soubi to take, declaring that he needed him, Soubi didn't hesitate to say yes.

000

It was his own fault that it hurt. The blood that glistened and glimmered and stained Seimei's nice, pristine school uniform, his polished, silver pocketknife, and Soubi's own creamy pale neck and collared shirt and vest was his fault. Seimei had asked if he wanted it to hurt. He had given Soubi the option of being hurt or feeling good. And what had Soubi stupidly done? He stupidly said he wanted it to hurt and tilted his head back to give the eared psychopath access to his neck. The moment the ice cold tip of the blade first pierced the sensitive skin at the base of his neck, Soubi knew he made a terrible decision by accepting Seimei's hand.

000

As a master, Seimei was no better then Ritsu. In fact, he might have even been worse. Ritsu was a neglectful, abusive, rapist with an ego the size of Jupiter, but Seimei was a neglectful, abusive, self-centered, psychopathic, sociopath who showed no remorse for anything, no care for his Fighter in the slightest, and a general dislike of anything that wasn't himself or his little brother. He'd give Soubi harsh orders to follow, and then ignore him for days; only to come back with an even bigger laundry list of orders for him to follow. The first three months that they were a unit were a combined hell of malicious orders and a hard to please Master. It was in their fourth month as a Unit that Seimei gave the order to kill. Soubi longed to report the murder he'd been forced to commit to authorities (mostly Septimal Moon because they wouldn't have him thrown in jail for it like the police would), but he kept his mouth shut in fear of what his Master would make him do to himself in retaliation for said order. By the one year mark of their unity, Soubi had been forced to commit six murders. By the fourth one, he didn't care anymore.

000

They had only been together two years when Seimei announced that if anything were to happen to him, that Soubi would not kill himself like any respectable Fighter would. Instead, the blonde teenager would have to seek out Seimei's little brother and serve him instead. Though he would still bear the name 'Beloved', he'd serve and work under the name of 'Loveless'. Despite his anger at Seimei for not allowing him to do his true duty as a Fighter and end his own life, and his anger at Ritsu for giving him up to this psycho, Soubi happily agreed to serve a new Master. After all, Seimei wouldn't die, right? He was a powerful Sacrifice and, with the equally powerful Soubi at his side, he was undefeatable. That was what he thought, until a broadcast for the local news concerning the murder of a seventeen year old male in an elementary school declared that the victim was Aoyagi Seimei.

-Ritsuka Aoyagi-

There was one day in particular that Soubi would cherish forever. And that was the day that he met not only the love of his life, but the new boy he would call his Sacrifice. Ritsuka was a clone of his older brother, Seimei; starting from inky black hair, continuing to vibrant plum eyes, and ending at a happily twitching inky black tail. He was a bit on the short side, but so was Seimei when they had first met. Five years younger then his brother, Ritsuka was definitely more mature. He cursed when he felt it appropriate, yet retained an air of innocence that suggested that he didn't really mean it or completely understand just what he was doing. Used to the abuse form those powered above him, Soubi was surprised when Ritsuka gently took him by the arm and invited him to go make memories. The hours they spent together went by too fast for the blonde's liking, but he enjoyed every moment of it. It was an annoyance that Breathless had shown up to battle right before he could completely connect with Ritsuka as Fighter and Sacrifice. It was intended to be a kidnapping of the confused Sacrifice, but Soubi's presence at the scene prevented it and kept the boy safe from whatever harm they would've brought upon him.

000

Ritsuka had been rather angry about Soubi vanishing for a few days after the second confrontation with Breathless, which took place in a science lab on the second floor of his own school. When Soubi's absence was better explained by Ritsuka's new friend, Hawatari Yuiko, the inky haired neko backed down. Soubi expected him to get mad later for not warning him or picking up his phone when he called. But to the blonde's surprise, Ritsuka let it slide and didn't mention it again. The boy often got angry at him for small things, but was quick to forgive and forget. Ritsu would have scolded, whipped, and intimidated him, and Seimei would have yelled at reprimanded, and made him feel inferior. But Ritsuka yelled, forgave quickly, and acted like the blonde hadn't committed any transgressions. It was heaven with Ritsuka as a Master, because Ritsuka was not like Ritsu or Seimei. Even with his name of Loveless, Ritsuka showed nothing but compassion and mercy for Soubi; even going as far as to clean his wounds and bandage them up when he became injured. The boy treated Soubi like a human being. Not a tool or a Fighter or an object. He treated him as a real human being with real human emotions and real human feelings. Treated him like a person who deserved to be loved and respected and treated well; instead of disrespected, belittled, abused, and neglected. The boy would reach to Soubi for comfort instead of pushing him away. He would pull him close to comfort him, not scoff and call him a fool. The boy was a Saint and a Pacifist through and through. He hated violence and would never use it, and fought back valiantly when it was used against others. He even showed compassion for Units that they fought; urging Soubi to stop when he felt the female Zeroes had had enough and stopping him from beating the Sleepless Fighter to a pulp. While he wanted on find and get revenge on the people who had allegedly murdered Seimei, he didn't want to kill them. He simply wanted to know why and stop them from harming another. He was a noble little boy, though he was only twelve. He had the intelligence of an adult Soubi's age, the maturity of someone of Ritsu's age, the innocence of a sixth grader, the love of a teenager, and the nobility of royalty. He was loyal to the core and would always step in to protect and save his friends or anyone else he saw being hurt. Soubi constantly heard from others how Ritsuka was a 'good boy' and didn't deserve the hellish live he'd been forced to endure since his memory loss two years prior. Though weary of Soubi's affections and his true intent, despite Soubi's claims and proof that he had no malicious intent towards him, he did accept them and, on occasion, return it. He'd give Soubi the space to do what he wanted or needed to do to keep his own life in order, but wouldn't hesitate to call upon him if he needed help himself or was lonely.

000

Ritsuka was everything that Seimei and Ritsu were not. He was kindhearted, gentle, caring, compassionate, loving, passionate, sweet, concerned, understanding, patient, and protective. He'd give his own life to protect those near and dear to him, and wouldn't even let Soubi harm his mother; although his mother harmed him on a daily basis with her fists, words, or anything she could get her hands on to strike him with. He would get mad at Soubi and yell at him or ignore him for periods at a time, but he'd never hurt him and would always come back with an apologetic look on his face. He wasn't anything like Soubi's former Masters, and it made the blonde's heart soar.

000

Soubi supposed that he didn't really hate Ritsu or Seimei as much as he first thought. Most of his hatred for Ritsu stemmed from the abuse. But the majority of it came from the block on his memories that Seimei had forced him to put in place to keep out good thoughts of the sensei Seimei was secretly jealous of. He still hated Seimei for the scars on his neck, the abuse he was forced to endure, and the murders he was forced to commit. But in the end, he couldn't truly hate either one of them. If it wasn't for Ritsu giving him away to Seimei like some prize at a county fair, he would never have escaped Seven Voices Academy and the dead-end life he'd have in Gora as Ritsu's Fighter and pet. And if it wasn't for Seimei pissing off enough people that there was a death warrant placed on his head, and then giving the order to find and protect his brother after he died, Soubi would have ended his life when he heard that Seimei's had been ripped away from him so early. If it wasn't for Seimei having to fake his own death to escape the wrath of Septimal Moon, then he never would have found Ritsuka. In essence, if it wasn't for either of his bastards of former Sacrifices, he never would have met the boy that made his whole and gave his life a true meaning.

000

There were only a few things in this world that Soubi genuinely hated. One of them was butterflies. The poor things were captured and pinned so easily to the cardboard backings of the photo boxes in Ritsu's office. They were beautiful and could take flight and leave whenever they wanted; to come and go as they please and just enjoy soaring and being their own creature. He hated the look on his Ritsuka's face when Seimei returned at Seven Voices Academy to try and get Ritsuka to bind himself to him. He hated the betrayed look in Ritsuka's eyes when he succumbed to Seimei's order to help him leave the school. He absolutely hated the hurt tone in the young boy's voice in the days that it took to recover from both Seimei's arrival and their need to save Kio from Seimei's allies, Bloodless, in exchange for Seimei's new, true Fighter; Akame Nisei. But most of all, he hated the tears streaming down Ritsuka's face when Soubi followed Seimei's order to join him and didn't once protest or look back. He hated the control that Seimei had over him that made him leave Ritsuka alone in the first place.

000

He had ripped the wings off of his perfect angel and tossed him aside by succumbing to Seimei; by leaving him alone with no rhyme, reason, or explanation. Septimal Moon's number Four, Gomon Mikado, would have considered it a sin for him to not even give a reason for why he was leaving and abandoning him, so that Ritsuka could understand. And he would have to agree with the powerful, earless fourteen year old. Although a little naïve of the real world and the fact that a reason wasn't enough to explain everything in the world, she actually was highly intelligent and did bring up a good point. But there really was no real reason for him to leave Ritsuka alone. Seimei had complete control over him and he couldn't fight it, even though he hated it with a passion. Still, he couldn't wait for the day where he could finally go back to Ritsuka and beg for forgiveness. Couldn't wait for the day where he could fall to his knees and beg and plead with the Sacrifice to take him back and to not hate him for what he did. The day he could beg for a second chance, to be allowed to give a reason to try to explain it all, for a chance to prove his worth and his love for the neko.

000

The day would come where Seimei would decide he was no longer useful or simply grow bored of him and toss him aside; leaving him free to pursue his own life and get back the Sacrifice he loved from the bottom of his heart. And on that glorious day, he would return to Tokyo, to his Sacrifice, and attempt to glue back together the wings he had ripped apart feather by feather from his perfect little angel.