I've FINALLY posted my follow up to 'The Picture of Innocence'. Sorry it took ages! But I think you'll like it…oh, and I'll take this time to say

Warning: this fic may cause fangirls some or all of a number of symptoms, including fainting spells, babbling uncontrollably, screaming fits, rapid or uncontrollable breathing, nosebleeds, etc.

You have been warned.

Ok, that was a lie. Though if it causes any of those symptoms I will be very happy.

The Picture of Broken.

'Soubi.' Came a stern sounding voice from the man's bedroom doorway. He looked up to see Ritsuka standing there, looking displeased.

'Yes?' He asked calmly, looking at the boy. Ritsuka was wandering around in one of Soubi's shirts, buttoned up loosely, and his underwear. His scruffy hair brought a smile to Soubi's lips. He must have slept right through the night. The blonde felt his face light up at the utter cuteness of his little sacrifice…

'You lied to me.' Ritsuka hissed. 'Again.'

'What do you mean?' Soubi asked, the warm and uplifting feeling disappearing at the venomous tone in Ritsuka's voice. He tried to sound sincere, but knew why the boy was annoyed with him. He hadn't even thought of a decent lie to tell him.

'My ears.' Ritsuka said, holding one to prove they were still there. 'They're not gone! You lied!'

Soubi hung his head. 'I'm sorry, Ritsuka.' He said. 'But I told you. You're not ready, and I love you too much to do certain things with you before you are ready.'

'So if that wasn't sex, what was it?!' Ritsuka asked, his voice escalating.

'Half-sex.' Soubi said calmly, keeping his voice at a respectable level.

'What?!' Ritsuka continued to yell. 'So half my ears should be gone? Or one of them? Or just my tail?'

'Please don't shout.' Soubi said calmly. 'Believe me. Your time will come. Whether it's with me or not, you'll lose your ears eventually.'

'It's not even that anymore!' Ritsuka screamed. He thumped a small, taught fist against the wall. 'It's that you lied to me! Again! And you'll never stop lying!'

He breathed heavily, panting and trying to choke back angry tears. Soon enough, they began rolling down his cheeks, and Ritsuka was powerless to stop them. Soubi sat up and made towards the boy to hold him, but Ritsuka took a defensive step back out of his reach. Soubi paused, looking and feeling hurt, and studied the boy.

'How do I know what other things you lie to me about?' Ritsuka asked, his voice now barely above a whisper. 'You could be lying when you say anything…' His eyes dipped to the floor, causing a few further tears to drop onto his feet.

'Ritsuka, I love you…'

'Like that!' The boy exploded again. Soubi was taken aback slightly.

'I'm not lying…'

'Shut up.' Ritsuka hissed. He disappeared back into Soubi's bedroom, reappearing a couple of short minutes later wearing his own clothes and holding his manga. He made for the front door, a huge frown creasing his forehead.

'Ritsuka…' Soubi whispered, but the door had already been slammed.

0000

Soubi flicked through a large stack of 'memories' that he and Ritsuka had created over the years they had known each other. Stacks and stacks of photos sat before him – some digital, some printed, and some Polaroid.

'Look how young you are there, Ritsuka.' Soubi commented. He threw the picture at the teenager, who lay on the floor on his stomach, flicking through a magazine. He lazily picked up the photo. In it, 12 year old Ritsuka and Soubi were smiling, and had Soubi's scarf wrapped around both their necks. Soubi had one of Ritsuka's cat ears between his fingers, and was stroking it. Ritsuka almost felt the sensation as he looked at the photograph.

He looked at his own face. He found it hard to believe that four years ago he had been so naïve and girly-looking. That he had changed so much in four years…

He smiled and threw it back to Soubi, who arranged it where it had previously sat in the stack. Ritsuka sighed and flicked to a new page.

'Hey.' He said casually. 'Do you wanna go get something to…'

Suddenly, he was flipped roughly onto his back by Soubi, the magazine flying from his hand. He backed against a wall, but the man advanced. Soubi sat on Ritsuka's legs and leant painfully close to him. Ritsuka could feel his breath against his nose.

Soubi carefully shifted his position, "accidentally" putting more pressure on Ritsuka's crotch. He moaned as a dull pain started.

'Ow!' He shouted. 'Get the hell off of me!' He said to Soubi, who was sliding his face ever closer to Ritsuka's. His eyes were glued to the boy's mouth as he spoke.

'My balls really hurt n…'

Soubi silenced the 16 year old by pressing his lips firmly against Ritsuka's. When they finally parted, Ritsuka opened his eyes and stared at him.

'So you wanted to go get something to eat?' Soubi asked, as if they had just had a conversation about the weather. Ritsuka frowned at his reaction.

'I love you, Ritsuka.' He said with a smile when the boy didn't reply.

'You sure do pick your moments, Soubi.' Ritsuka said. The man smirked. He gently took Ritsuka's cat ears in between his fingers and tweaked them playfully. Ritsuka closed his eyes and lay his head back against the wall, relishing in the comforting and familiar sensation.

0000

Ritsuka and Soubi stumbled recklessly towards Soubi's bedroom, shedding clothes on the way. This task was made all the more difficult by the fact that they were fused together at the mouth. Ritsuka cried out as he crashed into the bedpost. His leg throbbed. Soubi didn't seem to care in the heat of the moment, and silenced him with a firm kiss.

Ritsuka tripped and landed face-up on the bed. He smirked and watched Soubi with a playful glint in his eye, wondering what he was going to do to him.

'Are you sure, Ritsuka?' Soubi asked, his eyes darting momentarily to the ears on Ritsuka's head that twitched nervously – or anxiously.

'Yes.' He said firmly. Soubi thought he picked up a slight hint of impatience, which pleased him. Ritsuka lay back on the bed. Soubi seemed happy with this answer, his icy blue eyes glittering excitedly as he crawled up the bed, an air of seduction surrounding him.

He leant in slowly and kissed the younger boy, but the slow kiss soon erupted into a full-on, passion fuelled attack. Ritsuka didn't care. He knew that Soubi had wanted this insane hunger satisfied for so long, just as he had. He was just happy that the man had finally caved and accepted that he was now "ready". Besides, there would be plenty time to go slowly later. For now, he would let Soubi have his fun.

Soubi smothered Ritsuka's body in frenzied kisses, his hands scuttling over him madly until he reached his crotch, where he seemed to suddenly get ahold of himself, and he slowed down.

'That's better…' Ritsuka thought.

But apparently, Soubi didn't want to waste Ritsuka's energy on touching. He roughly flipped him onto his stomach.

'Be gentle.' Ritsuka whispered.

'Is that an order?' Soubi breathed.

'Well…I'll let you work that one out.' He sighed. More sudden than he had expected, Soubi's hands were gripping his waist tightly, and they had started moving in time to an invisible rhythm, that only they could feel. Ritsuka immediately cried out, and felt his eyes begin to water.

He felt one hand on his waist, the other stroking his ear for the last time. He would surely miss waking up every morning, startled to see and feel Soubi next to him touching his ears like that.

Another small, muffled moan escaped Ritsuka's mouth and he gripped a pillow, burying his face in it and biting down hard.

'You shouldn't hide it when you're excited.' Soubi panted between groans. 'You know I like to hear those cute little noises you make.'

Ritsuka let out another noise, louder. Almost like a shout, that turned into a gasp.

The pain he felt gradually subsided, and was replaced by a tingling pleasure, caused by the faint tickle of Soubi's hair on his back. One of Soubi's hands snaked it's way under Ritsuka's body, and he felt a jolt of energy pass through him when the older man's hand lightly brushed over his torso, moving slowly downward. His hips involuntarily jerked upwards into Soubi's advances.

'That's what I like to see.' Soubi panted. Ritsuka could not see his face, though he was sure he could feel that grin on him…and those eyes scanning his body…

'Soubi…' Ritsuka panted exhaustedly, and it came out sounding rather frantic. He immediately felt Soubi's body tense.

'What, Ritsuka?' Soubi asked. 'Are you alright?' Ritsuka could hear the faint trace of panic in his fighter's voice, which comforted him. From this he knew that Soubi would stop immediately if he said the word.

'I just…'

'Are you ok?' Soubi asked again. Ritsuka felt him withdraw slightly, and groaned loudly half in pleasure, half in pain.

'Slower…' He managed to mutter at last, grasping the bedsheets between his fingers. Soubi's smile returned, and the pain disintegrated.

Now Ritsuka could handle it. After all these years of waiting, it had paid off. He was now ready. Soubi knew he had picked the right moment.

Soubi obeyed Ritsuka's feeble command, and the rhythm slowed down.

Several minutes later, Ritsuka let out a loud moan, and went limp. Soubi however, didn't give in until a couple of minutes after that. When he did, he fell exhaustedly on top of Ritsuka, after withdrawing. They both panted in unison, and lay in the comfortable silence that now hung in Soubi's room. Soubi kissed Ritsuka's head, letting his lips linger a few seconds before lifting himself off of the younger man and lying face up on the bed next to him instead.

Ritsuka did the same, and lay on his back next to the blonde. He suddenly felt that he wanted…needed…to be closer to him. He lay his head on his fighter's chest, taking in his scent and pounding heartbeat. Sweat ran in delicate rivers from both of them. Soubi grasped Ritsuka's shoulders and pulled him closer still into a tight embrace. Ritsuka sighed deeply, inhaling in a futile attempt to regain some of the oxygen his lungs were screaming out for.

Soubi looked down at him and smiled. He reached up a hand and stroked Ritsuka's hair, watching his ears. They would be gone by morning…

'Get some sleep.' Soubi instructed. 'So your ears can disappear in peace.'

Ritsuka groaned in protest when Soubi stood from the bed and prepared to walk from the room. 'Soubi, stay.' He said quietly, pleading for his fighter to sleep next to him. Soubi turned around and surveyed the new adult in his bed, standing in silence with a small smile across his face.

'Soubiiiiii…' Ritsuka tiredly moaned. 'Can I have some painkillers?' He asked.

The smile Soubi wore widened. 'Yes, Ritsuka.' He said, going to leave the room. He paused in the doorway and turned back. 'I love you.'

By the time the blonde returned with the pills and water, Ritsuka had fallen asleep with one of his pillows between his arms and his bedsheets draped loosely over his body.

0000

Ritsuka rolled over drowsily, and hit something to his right. It's warmth and comfort told him it was Soubi.

He nestled up to the bare chest of his 26-year-old lover. When they had first started getting more intimate, Soubi had outstood Ritsuka when it came to experience, but now 18-year-old Ritsuka, thanks to Soubi, was vastly improving.

'I'm cold.' Ritsuka stated, almost like a command. Immediately Soubi, though still half asleep, brought his arms around his lover and drew him closer to his own body. One of Soubi's hands ran itself through Ritsuka's sleek raven hair. Even though it was two years ago to the day Ritsuka had lost his ears to Soubi he still occasionally felt a pang of dark surprise when his fingers passed through the hair uninterrupted.

'Are you still cold, Ritsuka?' Soubi asked, opening his eyes at last and looking down at the boy.

'Mm.' Ritsuka uttered, snuggling closer to the source of comfort and warmth. He didn't attempt to sweep away the strands of silvery-blonde hair that now tickled his face and neck. He looked up into Soubi's piercing violet-blue eyes, and Soubi into his. They shared a long, soft kiss.

'I had a dream just there.' Ritsuka informed Soubi with a smile.

'Oh?' Soubi asked, pretty sure it was the one he so often had. 'Why don't you tell me?'

'Later.' Ritsuka said, allowing the moment to live on, so it could become a part of the next night's dream.

Hey! Aaaaaahhh, the fluffiness!!! XDXDXDXD!!!

Well, sorry I took AAAAGES to post this…I've been really occupied and well…here it is! Let me know what you thought please :P

Yamashita Miharu xxx