Soubi

"Soubi."

I look over at him, the only him I am able to feel for. He sat at his desk, not looking at me with those enticing what a regular person would call evil violet dark eyes. Instead, he gazed intently at the photograph in the frame he was holding.

"What is it, Seimei?" I asked as I made my way over to the seventeen year-old's desk.

Aoyagi Seimei is the head of the quickly gaining popularity Aoyagi Mafia. He is believed to be dead by his violent mother and drunken son-of-a-bitch (His words, not mine) father. He can have anything in the world that he wants

-Except the one person he truly loves.

That would be his little brother, Aoyagi Ritsuka, who also believes him to be dead. I don't really mean much to him but he means a lot to me. He is the person I consider to have had some definition of a 'relationship' with for the past four years.

I'm Agatsuma Soubi, Seimei's right hand man. I met Seimei four years ago, when I was sixteen and he was all but thirteen. He often talked about his plans, and I quickly became a part of them. I hadn't had the best past. When I was twelve, my teacher chained me to a bed and raped me for hours. I became distant then, and I switched schools to avoid it happening again. My parents were dead, though, so I had no source of income. That is, until I had joined Seimei's mafia.

Seimei dominated me, something I needed. He told me what to do and punished me if it was done incorrectly. That was the way I needed it. We lived in the headquarters, though in separate rooms. I don't know any other life than this.

Seimei set the picture down, and placed his hands together. His blackish-blue curly hair reached down to his shoulders and his mostly un-needed glasses rested high on his nose. He looked unemotionally dark, as always, and his voice held a low almost demeaning tone, "You are carrying, correct?"

I was. Seimei needed somebody to pull a gun on someone suspicious if needed, especially if that person was quite trigger-happy like me. That doesn't mean that I like it though. What I would prefer would be to use my fists instead, but that doesn't get you far against someone with a gun.

"I am," I responded, my voice holding the highest respect for him.

"Very well then, let's go," Seimei stood and headed towards the door, snapping for me to follow him as he went. And so I did, I followed him like a puppy follows its master.

As a cover-up, Seimei and I both attended the nearby college. I majored as a fine arts student, and he majored in business of course. I was his personal protection. When he calls me, I have to come right away or the consequences could be fatal. There have been some incidences where I've actually had to protect him from somebody, so it's a necessary technique.

But, as I find out on the way there, we're not headed to the college today. In fact, Seimei has me drive right past it. I glance over at him questionably and he yells at me to keep my eyes on the road. I might've gotten my license at eighteen, but I'm still not a very good driver. Seimei just doesn't trust anyone else as much.

"Where are we going?" I ask after he seems to calm down a bit.

At first, he looks like he's going to A, kill me, or B, shoot me, but then his face actually softens. What was that in his eyes? Was that… some sort of emotion… something like care? This must be about his little brother, Ritsuka, who he has tried to steal away undetectably many times. All attempts at the heist have failed.

"We're going to save Ritsuka."

Ritsuka

I didn't know much about the way the world worked… I didn't care. All that existed in my life, at this point, was pain.

"Ritsuka!"

I cringed, knowing it was my mother. I knew she would probably want to beat me again. That was all she ever did, ever since Seimei had died. She blamed me for his death. And that wouldn't be so bad except… Except I really did feel guilty for it. I felt like it was somehow my fault he had died.

I accepted my punishments willingly. I deserved it for what I had done. Besides, I was only thirteen… I had no way out of this place. This was my life, and it wasn't going to end any time soon. If it did, I would only be too grateful.

With my head hung low, I walked out into the hall outside my room, where she was waiting for me. She immediately shoved me down onto the floor, and began kicking me.

"Misaki, what are you doing?" My father walked up the stairs, on his way to their room.

"Just giving the boy his punishment. I'll be done in a minute."

I made the mistake of looking up at my Dad. I wanted him to help me, not just let this crazy woman hit me! She couldn't keep doing this… People were starting to notice the bruises, the marks she left on me so purposefully. I knew they were there to remind me of what I had done… I'd let Seimei die. And I would never be forgiven.

"What the hell are you looking at, you brat?!" She slapped me hard across the face. I could feel her nails digging into my skin, as she held onto me, not letting me escape.

My father took another sip from the glass he was drinking from- I recognized that scent; alcohol. He probably didn't even know what was going on. He just nodded and stumbled away from us.

This was normal, to me… It was all I knew.

"Mother, what are you doing?" My eyes got wide when I saw the weapon she was holding. It was a knife. She usually didn't use weapons, just her hands… "Don't-"

It was too late. I saw red, as my whole body was wracked with pain. Not only had she cut me, she did it again and again and again… Until I was soaked with blood. I was crying now, my pleas becoming gradually more incoherent.

"It's your fault… Seimei is dead because of you!" Strangely, her words hurt me more than her actions ever could. They cut me more deeply…

She had something else now; I couldn't see what it was. I was beaten over and over with it. My back felt like it was ready to break. And the cuts from where the knife had torn into my skin didn't help any. I wasn't usually this afraid, I knew she didn't want to kill me. She only wanted to make me feel pain; for me to hurt. But she had become greedy. It was never enough for her.

"Shut up! You have no right to complain! You've made me feel a thousand times worse… And what about your brother? What would he say?"

The room was starting to spin. The more she beat me, the harder it was for me to hold on… I tried to call out for help, but I couldn't even understand myself. I heard her telling me to be quiet, and then…

My whole world was tilting, and falling… No, I was falling. I fell down the stairs, when she pushed me. I saw my mother standing at the top of the staircase. There was something new in her this time, something I had not encountered before. She was going too far.

"Get out! Get out of my house! I can't stand to look at you anymore! You're not my son! You're not him! Get out!"

I was frantic to escape. She was running after me with a knife! I had no choice but to leave. I couldn't get up. I tried to bring myself to my feet several times, only to fall down each time. She was getting closer, I didn't have much time… I was almost to the door, though.

"Just… a little… farther…"

I managed to pull it open, just as she made it to the bottom of the staircase. Desperately, I crawled outside. I heard the door close behind me, but I didn't know if she was locking me outside alone, or locking herself outside with me so she could pursue me.

With nowhere to go, I just got as far away from that house as I could. I didn't even know if I could walk. I was still afraid she would come after me. But when I didn't hear her behind me, I relaxed a little…

And that was when I collapsed.

Hello everyone! This is a collaberation between Chey Wolfe and Kaline Reine. Chey writes Soubi and Kaline writes Ritsuka. Review, please!