"I am not wearing a dress!" Ritsuka snapped, only feeling slightly bad when he saw Yuiko's expression fall dramatically.
"But Ritsuka-kun!" Yuiko wailed, drawing out the last syllable of Ritsuka's name in a high-pitched voice, making him wince, and causing all the kids and adults in the auditorium to stare at them.
It was the beginning of the year play, a time where all the kids got dressed up and threw an enormous production that took nearly three months to prepare for. This year the play was 'Alice in Wonderland' and Yuiko was desperately trying to get Ritsuka to try out for the role of 'Alice'. They had just started a high school that was nearly as large as a college campus. Fortunately, Yuiko's grades had pulled up in the last quarter of eighth grade and she had made it into the same school as Ritsuka and Yayoi.
"Is something wrong, Ritsuka?" Ritsuka felt a hand on his shoulder and his kitten ears twitched in slight annoyance, though not because it was Soubi behind him, but because Yuiko just wasn't going to let up.
Soubi and Ritsuka had been together for two years, now. Their relationship had progressed greatly after what happened at Seven Voices Academy. Ritsuka made a promise to Soubi to never hurt him or leave him, and he was hell-bent on keeping that promise to him, no matter what. He was still quite confused on this concept of 'love', but he knew that he definitely felt something for Soubi, otherwise he wouldn't have made that promise.
Soubi's art class was helping with the decorations plans and the costume preparations, as it was the art class at the nearest university. The play was still in the beginning stages, so no one was putting decorations up just yet, but plans were being made. Ritsuka honestly thought Soubi had something to do with his class coming to Ritsuka's school. He didn't mind, though, since he was happy to spend as much time with Soubi as he could. Needless to say, the young man was really growing on him.
"Don't you think that Ritsuka-kun would make a wonderful Alice, Soubi-san?" Ritsuka groaned, knowing how Soubi was most likely smirking behind him.
"Why, yes, I do think he would. Ritsuka," Soubi gently spun Ritsuka around, looking at him with strangely serious eyes. "Can we talk alone for a few minutes?" Ritsuka just nodded, happy to get away from Yuiko.
"What's up?" Ritsuka asked Soubi once they exited the auditorium through a lesser known back door. Soubi was being oddly serious and the expression on his face was terrifyingly unreadable.
Soubi gave him the slightest of smiles and Ritsuka's worries let up a little. Unlike most of the kids in the theater, Ritsuka was very different. For one, he was Sacrifice. Not only that, but his loving, gentle, significant other was the young, outstandingly attractive college student he had just stepped out back with. Ritsuka's worries were more than who was going to get the main part in the Alice play, or if he'd be able to get to the next class before the bell rang. His greatest worry was whether or not Soubi was going to come back after one of his assignments, or if and when Seimei, his brother, was going to drop back into their lives and disrupt them.
The thought of Soubi's 'assignments' brought dark thoughts to Ritsuka's mind. "Soubi…" Ritsuka tugged the man downwards a little by his collar, Ritsuka matching his seriousness, now. "Please, please, don't tell me you got called for another assignment."
Ritsuka had learned not long after the incident at Seven Voices that Soubi worked as a mercenary for Septimal Moon. After the incident, Ritsuka had learned from Seven and Ritsu-sensei that Septimal Moon was like the government for Fighters and Sacrifices. Soubi had apologized excessively about not being able to tell him, but, by then, Ritsuka finally understood the power Seimei had over Soubi, even though Soubi didn't want it. Soon after that, Soubi got called away for three days, although he wouldn't tell Ritsuka what for, which had resulted in a huge fight between them. Three days after leaving, Soubi came back, extremely injured and half-dead. Ritsuka had taken him to the hospital, where everything had come out.
Septimal Moon only recruited mercenaries based on skill. Not just fighting skill, but also targeting skill, tracking skill, and, finally, intelligence and the ability to use it. Soubi perfectly fit all of those and he admitted that he was one of the top mercenaries they had. It paid very well and it was the only sort of job Soubi could keep for more than a month. He took weird, low-paying random jobs sometimes, but he usually got himself fired for having 'no people skills' or 'bad social skills', which Ritsuka thought was a little unfair. His most recent real job had been teaching art to little kids, which Ritsuka had not known until Soubi got depressed after getting fired yet again for his 'cold, antisocial personality'. It was probably a good thing that Soubi was an artist.
Soubi had gone away on mercenary work five times in just the past three months. His missions were to bring back a Fighter who had usually gone insane or one that had been on an unjustified killing spree. He was supposed to bring them back dead or alive, though, from the sound of it, Soubi unfortunately leaned more towards dead due to his temperament and since he was a highest level mercenary who was only hired to bring down great threats. Ritsuka greatly disapproved of his work, not because it was violent, but because he was never sure if Soubi would be coming home or not. When he did come home, he was usually badly injured. It was like having a family member away in the army. Perhaps it was even worse.
"Ritsuka…I did get a call."
Ritsuka's expression fell, just as Yuiko's had minutes before. Her greatest worry was getting Ritsuka to play Alice. Ritsuka's was his boyfriend coming back home and not getting killed by an insane Fighter who would murder anything in their way.
"Soubi, please," Ritsuka begged softly. "Don't take the job. Don't go. At least take me with you."
Having to not know whether or not Soubi was alive for weeks while he was gone was horrible, especially when they were the closest they'd ever been. Ritsuka spent all the time he could with Soubi, his protector and lover.
"Ritsuka, let me explain," Soubi had one of Ritsuka's hands in his own, holding it tightly. "I got a call about a threat in this area. Nobody can tell me anything except that they're after you. I don't know why, and I don't know who, but I can assume who they're working for and I'm sure you can, too."
Ritsuka nodded, hugging Soubi and pressing himself against his strong chest. He was a little taller, now, so he could reach higher on Soubi, though his head was still a few inches below the man's shoulders.
It was obvious that his brother was back. He had let them have two years almost, but now he was back. It was the worst time, just when Ritsuka was finally feeling fully comfortable with Soubi. Couldn't Seimei just leave them alone?
"It's alright," Soubi soothed, his voice quiet in Ritsuka's ear. "I'll protect you. If it's not…actually him, I can fight them." Ritsuka took comfort in him. As long as Soubi was going to stay with him and keep him from getting hurt, then it would all turn out okay. If he didn't leave Ritsuka, then the Sacrifice would keep on being happy.
"You won't leave?" Ritsuka needed to know, just for confirmation.
"I won't leave," Soubi promised, looking straight into Ritsuka's eyes.
The next day, Ritsuka was in for a surprise. The previous day had been ordinary, with the exception of what Soubi had told him. Soubi had taken Ritsuka back home to his mother and Ritsuka had gotten off with just a few slaps. He had gone to his room to find Soubi waiting for him, like usual, and he had helped Ritsuka with his homework and they had kissed when Soubi had to leave.
It happened when Ritsuka arrived at his art class, a class that he was forced to take by the school. Oddly enough, it was in a regular classroom. Their teacher had recently run off due to personal problems and they were supposed to meet their new teacher today. This was Ritsuka's least favorite class, the one he did the worst in and the one he had with none of his friends. The old teacher had hated him and given him low marks for bad artistic ability.
Ritsuka should have noticed something wrong when he saw the crowd of giggling girls outside the door, peaking inside and then whispering furiously. But, of course, he didn't and walked straight inside, wondering if this new teacher would like him better than his old teacher. Once he was inside, he glanced up before finding a seat and stopped, frozen.
Their teacher was none other than the tall blonde mercenary/artist Ritsuka knew very well. Soubi.
Please review it if you like it. Feel free to point out anything!