This is just a simple story I felt like writing. It just made me happy to write about something so soft. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Much love.
M.M.
It was late at night. Everyone was softly tucked away in bed, dreaming of a better tomorrow. Everyone except Ritsuka. His eyes stayed open and tear-stained, showing no signs of nodding off to dreamland. Soubi had of course taken notice of this as he watched his young sacrifice freeze to the point of numbness. It had finally happened earlier that night; the fight with Seimei. It had shook the young sacrifice to the core, casting another round of mental scars on the young 15 year old.
"Ritsuka." Soubi said quietly, placing a gentle touch on the Neko-eared boy's shoulder.
"Leave me alone Soubi." Ritsuka shot back, curling himself further inward.
"Come, I want to show you something." Soubi said with ease as he picked Ritsuka up, cradling the boy into his safe arms. Ritsuka scrunched his face and burrowed it into the fabric of Soubi's black turtleneck. Soft gasps could be heard from the boy as Soubi made his way out the window and into the moonlit night.
"Where are you taking me?" Ritsuka whimpered against Soubi's warm chest.
"Some place." Soubi answered, knowing it would only cause more panic in the boy, but he wanted it to be a surprise. Soubi kept an even pace while walking, nuzzling into the young boy's black hair every once in while.
"I can walk." Ritsuka said, slowly lifting his head up to look Soubi in the eye. He got a slow nod as a response as the blond slowly left him down on his two feet.
"Are you ok Rit-chan?" The tall fighter asked, pulling Ritsuka's hand into his. Their pace was slow, letting the barefooted boy match the long strides of the much taller man.
"I hate magic." Ritsuka stated, looking down at the darkened pavement.
"Now why would you say something like that?" Soubi asked, letting his fingers curl a little tighter against Ritsuka's.
"It hurt you." The boy's soft words were barely audible in the soft summer air.
"You hate magic because it hurt me?" Soubi was slightly startled, he hadn't expected this answer.
"Yes. I saw how much you wanted to break from Seimei. It hurt you when you finally did. It made me hurt to see you like that." Ritsuka said plainly, like it was the most common sentence in the world. But to Soubi, it was music to his ears. It meant Ritsuka actually cared about him.
"I'm sorry I worried you like that." Soubi whispered. A clear blush ghosting onto his cheeks. If it wasn't for the fact that everything was covered in the warm night's shadow, it would have been as plain as day.
The two kept pace for a little while longer, letting the silence sing between them. Everything seemed to shift at night, giving it a calming yet phantom-esq presence. The sounds of little Ritsukas bare feet slowly tapped away at the concrete, sending off tiny echo's. To Soubi, it felt all the better to have his footsteps accompanied by those of his little loveless.
"Were here Rit-chan." Soubi said, pulling the boy through the opening of a rather large field. Ritsuka mumbled something along the lines of 'why are we here' but Soubi ignored the comment and pulled the boy along even faster. "Ritsuka close your eyes." Soubi commanded. The young boy sighed but complied non-the-less. Soubi lifted him into his arms before setting him down on a rather hard surface.
"You can open your eyes now." Soubi whispered into Ritsuka's cat ear. Ritsuka opened his eyes to only gasp.
The entire field was set afire by the dancing fireflies. Even the shadows seemed to flicker to life at the presence of the glowflies.
"Ritsuka, every time you think there is no good magic in the world, I want you to come here and look out. The fireflies are all the proof you need that magic can be pure." Soubi said, curling the boy into a hug.
"Thank you, Soubi." Ritsuka spoke quietly. The summer air nipping at him as the show around him flashed to life. "Soubi?" Ritsuka tilted his head back into the fighter, looking straight up at him.
"Yes?" Soubi said, slowly tearing his own gaze from the dance of the fireflies to look at the young boy in his arms.
"I love you. Thank you for showing me magic again." With that, Ritsuka lifted himself onto his tippy toes and kissed the fighter gently on the lips. Soubi started wide-eyed at Ritsuka. He'd yearned for so long to hear the boy he loved so much say those three words back. And it had finally happened. Just like the fireflies, Soubi felt his heart glow with such love he felt like crying.
"Anytime my dear Ritsuka. Anytime."