Title: "Making Memories"
Authoress: Sasukez
Anime/Manga: Loveless
Pairing: SoubixRitsuka
Rating: K+ for: mild, flirtatious scenes and mild language.
Occasion: Valentine's Day 2010
Disclaimer: The anime/manga "Loveless," and all objects coinciding belong to Yun Kouga and their respective owners.
A/N: This is my first attempt at writing for the "Loveless" fandom. I haven't finished the series yet but, I came up with this idea after I read the first manga. I'm not sure how this'll turn out but, I'll give it my best shot. I hope you'll all enjoy.
Set: Somewhere between the first and second manga.
"Why do you always come through the window? Isn't that kind of dangerous?"
"Nonsense Ritsuka. It's not that far of a climb."
Ritsuka sighed and didn't bother trying to argue with the man. Soubi would just end up scrambling his brain to the point where he didn't know up or down anymore. The man was so confusing. He seemed to always be speaking in riddles and Ritsuka never knew whether or not what he said was honest or from old orders.
"What are you doing here anyway?" the boy sighed, abandoning the sliding glass door and resuming his original seat in front of his computer.
"I didn't want you to be alone," Soubi answered simply, pulling the glass door shut behind him.
There he went again, saying things that made Ritsuka feel all warm and tingly. Said twelve-year-old briefly shut his eyes and took a short breath. Soubi didn't mean the things he said. He only said such loving words because Seimei had ordered him to. Ritsuka had been trying to train himself to ignore such things from Soubi's mouth. He was just sick of getting hurt all the time. Unless Soubi was honest when he said he loved him, Ritsuka wouldn't here it.
"Do I dare ask why I can't be alone tonight?" Ritsuka sighed, not looking at the man, wandering around his room.
"It's Valentine's Day," Soubi stated.
"Yeah? So?"
Ritsuka was well aware of the date. He'd been dreading its arrival for quite some time. The last thing he wanted to do was watch everyone express their "undying love" to one another. He was honestly starting to think love didn't exist.
"No one should be alone on Valentine's Day," Soubi clarified, turning to look at his Sacrifice.
"Plenty of people are along on Valentine's Day," Ritsuka mumbled keeping his eyes transfixed upon his blank computer screen. "That's because plenty of people have no one to love."
"You're not one of those people though," Soubi said, eyes narrowing slightly at Ritsuka's bitter response. "I –"
"Don't you dare!"
Ritsuka whirled around in his chair and glared at Soubi. This surprised the Fighter and he blinked in confusion, waiting for the boy to go on.
"Don't you dare say that you love me," Ritsuka growled. "You only say that because Seimei told you to. If you don't mean it then don't say it!"
"But, I do mean it."
"Only because Seimei told you to!" Ritsuka repeated, angrily.
"You don't know that," Soubi said, quietly.
"I do! You told me yourself!"
This was getting him no where, Ritsuka thought. Sometimes, he thought Soubi enjoyed getting him emotional. Stupid, sadistic man. Ritsuka closed his eyes again and tried to regain control of his feelings again.
"If it bothers you so much, then why don't you order me to stop?" Soubi suggested, lightly.
"Fine!" Ritsuka snapped, yet again catching Soubi off guard. "I order you not to say you love me."
With that, Ritsuka turned back to his computer and began to busily type some random…thing. Well, crap, Soubi thought as he watched the boy stoop over his keyboard. He had never expected him to take that seriously. It was an awfully conflicting order. He kind of had to love him, no matter what he said. Well…he had only said to not say he loved him. Ritsuka hadn't ordered him not to love him entirely. Okay; he could live with that.
Silence fell over the room aside from Ritsuka's frantic typing. It was kind of awkward, really. Soubi was beginning to think he should just leave when he spotted something on Ritsuka's bedside table.
"What's this?" Soubi asked, smirking when he recognized his name written on the pink piece of paper.
Ritsuka stiffened in his seat, fingers halting over the keyboard. Oh crap! He'd forgotten about that! Damnit!
"Nothing!" Ritsuka said, bolting from his seat and rushing over to where Soubi was seated on the edge of his bed, reading the words scrawled on the heart-shaped paper. "It's absolutely nothing!"
"It's a valentine," Soubi corrected him as the boy jumped on the bed beside him, face flaming in embarrassment. "A valentine that you made for me."
"D-Don't get the wrong idea!" Ritsuka stammered, unable to maintain his bitter exterior. "I'm not hopelessly in love with you or anything! It's just…you're supposed to give a valentine to someone you care about and…"
"I'm well aware of the tradition. Does this mean you care about me Ritsuka?" Soubi asked, smiling pleasantly.
"N-N-No! It's not like that at all!" Ritsuka struggled to say. "It's just a way of making memories! I just didn't want you to forget about me, is all."
Well that was lame, Ritsuka scolded himself, blushing furiously. That didn't even make sense! Soubi had caught him. Great. How embarrassing.
"How could I ever forget about you Ritsuka?" Soubi chuckled, quietly, reaching up and ruffling the boy's hair. "You're so adorable."
"Knock it off," Ritsuka grumbled, keeping his gaze averted.
"Thank you Ritsuka. I will cherish it always."
"No you won't," Ritsuka sighed. "Every valentine ends up in the trash somewhere along the line."
"Not this time," Soubi murmured, giving the boy a kiss on the head before rising to his feet to leave.
"Wait! W-Where are you going?"
"It's getting late," Soubi said, nodding to the clock on the computer screen. "You need to get some rest. You have school tomorrow."
"I guess you're right," the young boy sighed, begrudgingly.
"Good night then, Ritsuka."
Soubi was gone before Ritsuka could do the same. He blinked once, dazed at the man's hasty exit. He was so strange…
Down below, outside, Soubi retreated from Ritsuka's home, a content smile on his face. So he couldn't say he loved Ritsuka. That didn't mean he couldn't write it down. The valentine from Ritsuka, safe in his pocket, was one of the best gifts Soubi had received in a long time. It was the first thing Ritsuka had ever made for him. He went home that night with the full intention of making him something in return. Something so Ritsuka would never forget about him either.
Author's Review: I hated it. And here I thought I was on a roll. Sorry.