1

It really had been a good day for Ritsuka. He had gotten his report card and shown Soubi as soon as he got out of school. Soubi had hugged him and told him he did a good job. He had said he was proud of Ritsuka, which was more than his mother and father ever told him. He had then taken him out for ice cream and then a walk in the park as a little reward. Soubi had even let him take a short nap at his apartment and had woken Ritsuka up and walked him home before his curfew. It really had been a nice day—until he got back home.

Ritsuka kneeled before his own father, one of his eyes black, his nose bleeding, and a bruise quickly forming on his cheek where he had been slapped just seconds before. He coughed, trying to swallow the gross, thick liquid, some of it dripping down his chin, the white contrasting with the crimson blood. This was something that he would never let Soubi know, never let him see. Yes, he had found out about Misaki's beatings, but this was something he'd never find out about. Ritsuka would just go back to his room, clean himself up, and try not to throw up the semen that he had been forced to swallow. All this because he had tried to show his mother and father his report card, just to see if at least one of them would be proud of him like Soubi had.

Ritsuka's father gave him a hard kick to the stomach, glaring down at him, so obviously intoxicated out of his mind. He left and Ritsuka just curled up on the floor in the fetal position, wrapping his arms around his knees and staring at the torn up remains of his report card.

…

That was how Soubi found him that night. He had originally just came later to check-up on Ritsuka, just as he did every night, but when he had not found Ritsuka in his bedroom and saw the untouched made bed, he ended up searching the house. He found Ritsuka quickly, on the living room floor in the fetal position. At first, he thought it was just another case of Misaki's beatings, but then he saw the white substance on Ritsuka's chin, and he knew this was something different.

…

Soubi found him, even though Ritsuka had been praying that he wouldn't. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. He had just started crying and eventually fell asleep. He awoke when Soubi picked him up and carried him upstairs, telling him to just relax and go back to sleep. Ritsuka drifted off again, awakening then on his bed.

Ritsuka immediately panicked, searching blindly in the darkness for Soubi, who was always nearby after bandaging Ritsuka's wounds. He wasn't there, though, which scared Ritsuka even more. What if he had gone home and left Ritsuka? Would he really leave him all alone? What if…what if Soubi really never had been there and it had been Ritsuka's father who had carried him upstairs? Ritsuka reached up, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt his ears still there.

Ritsuka fell back onto the bed, curling back up into a little ball, clenching the sheets. He could feel the blood still there on his face. He could still smell his dad all over him.

Ritsuka didn't close his eyes, though, so he saw when the door to his bathroom opened and light from inside filled the room. Ritsuka drew back, scared that his own father, was coming back to hit him and force him to pleasure him again. He squeezed his eyes shut, hiding his face in his arms.

Ritsuka expected a slap or a blow to his head to come, but the person who had been inside the bathroom just sat on the bed and ran a gentle hand through his hair and then scratched his ears lightly.

"It's okay, Ritsuka. It's just me. Soubi. I'm not going to do anything to you, but I do need to take your clothes off. I ran you a warm bath."

It was just Soubi, not his father. Soubi would never do anything to him. He trusted Soubi. He hadn't left and he had been the one to take Ritsuka upstairs. Everything was going to be okay now.

Soubi helped him sit up and was soon pulling Ritsuka's clothes off, but not in the way Ritsuka's father would do it. Soubi was gentle and he didn't touch Ritsuka in the way that his dad had. He picked him up bridal style, holding him close as he carried the bruised boy to the well-lit bathroom, setting him down in the warm water. By then, Ritsuka's stomach was starting to churn and he felt like he was getting sick.

"Soubi?"

Soubi was looking in the cabinet underneath the sink for something, "What's wrong, Ritsuka?"

"I…I think I'm going to throw up…"

…

Soubi rubbed Ritsuka's back as the boy threw up into the plastic bag, tears running down his face as he did so. Soubi wished that Ritsuka was sick. He wished that this was just a case of the stomach flu. He tried to tell himself that it was. There was a bug going around, after all. He couldn't convince himself, though. They both knew that Ritsuka's stomach couldn't properly digest the semen that had been forced into it.

Soubi bathed Ritsuka, going slow as he did so. He didn't want to scare Ritsuka. Ritsuka stayed silent, but he would occasionally whimper and suddenly hug Soubi's arm. He did seem to enjoy it when Soubi washed his back and his hair, for he stopped frowning when he did and Soubi could almost imagine him purring.

It was past midnight when Soubi finally finished washing Ritsuka. The boy had a black eye and a bruised face, as well as some pretty bad bruises on his arms and legs and particularly his stomach. He drained the water and helped a weak, wobbling Ritsuka stand up. Soubi wrapped him in a soft, fluffy towel, hugging him tightly for a moment before picking him up again and taking him into the bedroom. To his surprise, Ritsuka didn't object when Soubi dried him off and pulled a pair of pajamas on him.

"You'll stay, right?" Ritsuka asked, sitting on his bed as Soubi disposed of his bloody, dirtied clothes. It was the first words Ritsuka had said since telling Soubi he was going to throw up.

"Of course," Soubi told him, looking at Ritsuka's wide eyes for a long moment. He wanted nothing more than to comfort him. He wasn't completely sure what had happened, but he had a pretty good idea. He wasn't going to leave Ritsuka when he needed him the most.

"Can we do something tomorrow?" Ritsuka's voice quivered and he picked at a loose thread on his comforter. "It'll be Saturday and I really don't want to stay home all day."

Soubi forced a fake smile, "We can do whatever you want."

…

When Soubi left just to go downstairs and get something to help Ritsuka sleep, Ritsuka couldn't help but to feel a little lonely. He laid alone in his bed, his stomach churning and making him want to throw up again. He felt sick, but he knew he wasn't. He almost wished he was. That way, he could have an excuse for throwing up and he would be able to tell Soubi it was because he had the flu.

He didn't know if Soubi knew, but he could only assume that he did. Soubi had been the one to find him and bring him upstairs, after all. He had seen the state Ritsuka was in. There was no way he couldn't know.

He wasn't supposed to find out. Ritsuka never wanted him to know about his father. If he just hadn't fallen asleep on the floor, then Soubi never would have found out. Now he knew. There was no way to change what he knew.

Soubi knocked once before entering the room. Ritsuka sat up, smiling, happy that Soubi hadn't left. He wasn't sure how Soubi would take this, which was why he didn't want him to know. He was afraid, afraid that Soubi would leave him. He didn't know why he thought this; he was just sure that that's what would happen. Soubi was here, though. He was taking care of Ritsuka and making him forget about his father's hands on him. All Ritsuka could think about now was the soft feel of Soubi's hands. He couldn't even remember anymore where his father had hit him or touched him. The only thing that mattered was that Soubi was with him.

…

Soubi found the reason of why this had all happened when he went downstairs to get Ritsuka some warm milk so that he could sleep better. To get to the kitchen, Soubi had to go through the living room first, where he noticed a pile of torn up paper. Distracted by it, Soubi looked at the scraps of paper until he realized what it was—the remnants of Ritsuka's report card.

The boy had been so happy when Soubi had told him he was proud of him and that he did a good job. He had been puzzled why Ritsuka had been so happy, but it all made sense now, and the reason nearly made Soubi's heart break. Poor Ritsuka. All he had wanted was some acceptance from his parents, particularly his father. Ritsuka had ranked first in his entire class and his parents still couldn't tell him 'good job'.

Soubi, on the other hand, was very proud of him. He understood that he had to a parenting role in Ritsuka's life, but he also played the part of his boyfriend and he tried to balance the two out effectively.

Soubi quickly returned to Ritsuka, feeling as though his heart really was going to break if he thought about what had happened any longer. He knocked before entering the room, not wanting to frighten the boy inside. Ritsuka's face lit up as soon as he came back inside and he smiled brightly, but that just made Soubi's heart ache more. He gave Ritsuka the glass of warm milk as well as some pills to help his stomach. He noticed that Ritsuka had turned the bathroom light on.

"How's your stomach?" He asked, going into the bathroom to change, but leaving the door open. He had begun bringing a change of clothes whenever he went over to Ritsuka's house, since the boy asked him to stay over a lot.

"I threw up again," Ritsuka told him quietly. "But I brushed my teeth, so you can still…kiss me if you want to."

Soubi nearly smiled, then, imagining the blush on Ritsuka's face.

…

That night, Soubi made Ritsuka feel safe. He let Ritsuka curl up beside him and wrapped his strong arms around him, holding him close. Soubi's scent replaced his father's and one of his hands had slipped under his t-shirt, scratching and rubbing his back gently. He was never supposed to find out about this. It was the first time Ritsuka's father had forced him to give him oral sex, but he had been hitting Ritsuka for nearly five months now. He hadn't wanted Soubi to find out, but now he was sort of glad he did.

…

The first time Soubi ever saw Aoyagi Kiyoshi was the next morning when he left to pick some things up for Ritsuka. He was in the medicine aisle, trying to pick out the best stomach calming medicine for Ritsuka when he caught sight of the middle-aged man.

Kiyoshi had stepped into the same aisle Soubi was in, looking at some hangover medicine. Soubi had to stare at him for a few long moments, seeing the resemblance, but not quite believing it. Aoyagi Kiyoshi had sandy brown hair and glasses, his eyes behind them violet in color, matching Ritsuka's color perfectly. He was average height and average weight, his face soft and having an almost feminine-like look to it. He was clearly Ritsuka's father, but they looked different enough that Soubi could have been mistaken.

Once Kiyoshi turned around and caught Soubi staring at him, Soubi was suddenly sure that this was Ritsuka's dad, the same man who had gotten drunk and hit and sexually abused his own son. Soubi felt the sudden want to punch him right in the middle of the store in from of everyone.

"Excuse me," Kiyoshi came forward, standing next to Soubi, studying him carefully. "Do I…Do I know you?"

It only took a moment for Soubi to realize where he would know Soubi from. The pictures. Ritsuka had photos of Soubi pinned up on his walls and a recent framed photo of him alone on his bedside table. Ritsuka never took the photos down, and most of them were of Soubi or Soubi and Ritsuka. If Kiyoshi had gone into Ritsuka's room, there was no way he couldn't have seen the photos, and Soubi had to admit that he stuck out quite a bit. Of course Kiyoshi would remember the tall blonde hugging his son in almost every picture.

"Who the hell are you?" Soubi snapped, unable to keep his anger at bay.

Kiyoshi just kept staring at him, not even flinching when Soubi nearly yelled at him. He supposed the older male was used to it. He was a lawyer. Probably a dirty lawyer, but still a lawyer.

"I'm Aoyagi Kiyoshi," He kept his voice calm, when Soubi was completely unable to. "I know I know you from somewhere." He paused, probably to think. Soubi tried to go back to trying to pick out something that would help Ritsuka's stomach. "Do you happen to know my son? He's short, about fourteen-ish…wait, he turned fifteen last week…anyways, he's got black hair and big blue eyes. His name is Ritsuka."

Soubi really had to restrain himself from starting a fight. First of all, Ritsuka was thirteen, not fourteen or fifteen. His birthday was in December, not the end of March. His eyes were violet, not blue like his mother's. This man didn't even pay attention to his son while he was sober. He didn't know his son's age or his birthday…hell, it surprised Soubi that he even knew Ritsuka's name.

When Soubi didn't reply, Kiyoshi went on, "He's got these big cat ears and a long tail. He…um…he likes to draw…and he's got a lot of friends. His grades aren't so good…but…oh wait…his grades are better now. He's real outgoing. He doesn't like to read much. So, do you know him?"

"Sorry," Soubi finally picked a box of medicine, angered by how much wrong information Kiyoshi had about his son. "I don't hang around with little kids."

He walked away, then, not paying attention to Kiyoshi calling after him. It shouldn't have, but it surprised him that Kiyoshi not only didn't see his son enough, but he didn't even know him. He was mixing the old Ritsuka and Soubi's Ritsuka up. Ritsuka hated drawing, he had little friends, he was shy, he loved to read, and his grades were the best in his class. How did Soubi know so much about him when his father knew next to nothing?

Soubi went into the food aisle, picking out some fruit that Ritsuka liked. He had promised to make him breakfast, but had found that Ritsuka hated almost all the food in the cabinets. It was no wonder Ritsuka was so thin. He barely ate. He wanted to make Ritsuka something he would actually like.

He was looking at an orange when he saw Kiyoshi again. He was pushing his cart into the alcohol aisle, his cart full with more food that Ritsuka hated. Without a second thought, Soubi threw the orange at Kiyoshi, hitting him right in the back of the head. Kiyoshi turned around, cursing loudly and rubbing the back of his head and looking around for the culprit. Soubi just went back to inspecting another orange. He tried to act completely innocent, but when Kiyoshi turned around again, Soubi hit him with another orange, this time drawing the attention of several others.

From there, Soubi started a little game. He would take his anger out on Kiyoshi by hitting him in the head with different things and then playing innocent. He eventually started taking things out of Kiyoshi's bag when he wasn't looking, effectively pissing him off by spreading the stolen items all around the store. Once he had spent about an hour in the store, Soubi decided he had everything he needed for Ritsuka. He had even picked up some make-up for Ritsuka so that he could hide his black eye and the bruises on his face. Ritsuka's mother usually stayed away from his face, but his father had hit him and slapped him there, leaving marks and bruises.

Soubi just hoped that Ritsuka would be ready to talk about what had happened the night before.

…

Ritsuka woke up when Soubi came back. He hadn't even known that Soubi had left, but he assumed it hadn't been long since he would've woken up if Soubi had been gone for more than an hour. He felt a bit better knowing that Soubi had just gone to the store. That meant that Soubi had just left for a little while and he hadn't left for good, like Ritsuka was afraid he'd do now that he knew about Ritsuka and what his father did to him. He had even left a note, detailing where he went and assuring Ritsuka that he would pick up the phone if Ritsuka tried to call.

"Sorry—did I wake you up?" Soubi set the plastic bags he was carrying down, immediately going over to Ritsuka and giving him a hug. He even kissed Ritsuka lightly on the lips, nearly making Ritsuka cry. How could Soubi kiss him, knowing that his father's dick had been in his mouth not twelve hours earlier?

Ritsuka held onto Soubi tightly, praying that he would never leave him. Soubi didn't seem like he was going to. Hell, he hadn't even yelled at him when Ritsuka accidently threw up in the bed the previous night. He hadn't been mad, either. He had just ushered Ritsuka into the bathroom and helped him wash up and brush his teeth again.

"Why'd you go to the store?" Ritsuka was just curious, not mad. Soubi did promise to make Ritsuka something to eat in the morning, but he had just assumed that he'd make something with what they had here. Sure, he didn't like most of the food they had, but he just thought Soubi would be able to make something with what Misaki had.

"I wanted to get you something for your stomach," Soubi put a little box of pills in Ritsuka's hand. "You should take those. I think they'll make you feel a little better."

…

A couple hours later, Soubi had Ritsuka sit on the edge of the bed. Ritsuka seemed to be feeling better since he had eaten and taken the pills Soubi brought for him. He was still scared, though, Soubi could tell. He was following Soubi around, reminding him of a lost kitten. Soubi didn't mind, but he did know that what his father had done to him had more of an effect on him than his mother beating him.

Soubi kneeled in front of Ritsuka, brushing make-up over the bruise on his cheek. He found that he had gotten the exact color of Ritsuka's skin, as well as a couple lighter and darker shades so that he could effectively cover up the ugly bruises on Ritsuka's face. Of course, he thought Ritsuka was still cute like this, but other people already stared at them enough. He didn't need to give them another reason.

"Close your eyes, Ritsuka," Soubi instructed, stealing a kiss from Ritsuka. Ritsuka had said that he wanted to go for a walk and Soubi was more than willing to take him to the park.

Ritsuka closed his eyes and Soubi started on his black eye, finding that being an artist really helped him make it look natural. It took him awhile to cover up the darkened, nearly black skin around his eye, but he eventually got it to look like Ritsuka's normal color. By the time he was done, Soubi himself couldn't tell the difference.

"I'm done," Soubi stepped back, looking at Ritsuka's now normal-looking face. "You can go look in the mirror, but don't touch it, okay?"

Ritsuka nodded, going into the bathroom to look at his face. Soubi pulled the first-aid kit from under Ritsuka's bed, putting the make-up in with the bandages and antiseptic, pausing to look at the note he had handwritten for Ritsuka, telling him what to do and how to treat his injuries. At the end of each of the sets of instructions, was the same sentence: No matter what, call me.

The only thing Soubi could think, then, was how a child shouldn't need a first-aid under his bed.

Here's the first chapter of something I've been working on for the past week.

Review please if you want more.

~Wolfie