Soubi had noticed Ritsuka wasn't himself lately. They had done all of Ritsuka's favorite things, went to the beach, got ice cream, played games, and even went to a rated R movie that Ritsuka had convinced Soubi to bring him to…nothing seemed to cheer him up.

Just a month earlier on Ritsuka's seventeenth birthday he finally confessed his love for Soubi and everything seemed to be going great until just a week or so ago Ritsuka just seemed so depressed.

It killed Soubi inside to see his young lover so unhappy so he came up with a plan.

Ritsuka had been wanting to loose his ears lately but Soubi kept saying no because he didn't think the teen was really ready. Maybe that's what he was up set about.

Soubi got up from his bed and started towards Ritsuka's house to finally grant his boyfriends wish.

Meanwhile Ritsuka laid in his bed crying uncontrollably.

He wanted Soubi to love him back so much but he didn't think Soubi did at all. Sure he always said "I love you" and kissed the raven haired boy but Ritsuka convinced himself that he was only doing that because Seimei told him to.

Soubi must not want to take his ears because that wasn't part of Seimei's commands and Soubi didn't actually love Ritsuka enough to do any more that was he was being forced to do from Seimei's orders.

Ritsuka looked up for a moment at the balcony where Soubi would enter almost everyday. At first he smiled at the fond memories but after the short happiness came the tears and doubts.

Ritsuka took the photo of Soubi and himself off the wall and looked at it. Through the tears he could see their smiles. They had taken that photo the first day they met and it meant the world to Ritsuka. It reminded him of a much happier time in their relationship when the doubts weren't there as bad and Ritsuka use to secretly believe Soubi was telling the truth when he said he loved him…

The hurt boy took the picture and threw it across his room in a fit of rage.

The picture landed on a long rope that was laying in the corner. Soubi had taught Ritsuka how to tie that rope to the balcony and climb up and down it just in case he needed to escape his mother and couldn't leave through the front door.

'Maybe that rope could come in handy tonight' Ritsuka thought…but he wasn't thinking of a quick temporary escape to Soubi's house, no, he was thinking of a permanent escape. An escape from all the pain, tears, regret, fears, bad memories, and doubts.

Soubi was turning onto Ritsuka's back lawn and as he got closer to the tree he usually climbed to get to the balcony he thought he saw something move on the balcony. He froze thinking someone was breaking into his lover's room. He didn't have much time to think, he climbed slowly up the tree and was about to jump on the burglar when the criminal seemed to jump…and them just float there?

Soubi's eyes adjusted to the darkness better and realized what he had just watched.

There was Ritsuka at the end of a rope only this time the rope was around his neck…