"You're worthless."

"Get away from me."

"Don't touch me. Your touch is painful."

"Now you'll go home to your bed and be lonely and you will think about me and only me."

"You can't disobey me. You never will be able to."

"How could I ever love a disgusting creature like you?"

"I don't need you. I never did and never will."

"There's only one person I will ever really love. That is Ritsuka."

"You're nothing in my world."

"You don't mean anything to me."

"Being a blank Fighter means that any name can be written on you."

"I'd like for you to meet the eldest son of the Aoyagi house, Aoyagi Seimei."
"Hey!"

Soubi awoke with a start from the dream to the vaguely familiar voice. Ritsuka stood over him with a worried look on his face. Soubi sat up, trying to make sense of where he was and why he had fallen asleep. On Ritsuka's bed. Of course. Where else would he be?

"…Soubi?" Ritsuka was still staring at him with that look of concern.

"I'm sorry- what?" He was trying to remember what Ritsuka had been saying before Soubi had slipped into unconsciousness.

Then he remembered. It was that day. The day Ritsu-sensei had given him to Seimei. No matter how hard Soubi tried to forget something in his subconscious mind knew this was the day that had begun his life of hell with the devil himself.

He hadn't thought anything about it all day. It was better if he just kept his mind blank. But now, now, he was zoning out and falling asleep when he should be listening to Ritsuka. Soubi wished he had control over it even when he didn't.

And those dreams haunted him. Words echoed in his dreams where the world was dark. Every word hung in the air, painful and cutting to human ears. Everything that Seimei had said over the years and even some of Ritsu's words, too. Soubi could bear physical pain, but psychological pain, that was a completely different story.

Ritsuka's eyes were still on him even though he was seated back at his desk chair. He had to act like nothing was wrong, but Soubi could feel himself slipping again.

"Do you want to stay over?" Ritsuka asked rather hopefully.

Soubi tried to smile, "You wouldn't mind?"

He shook his head, blushing, "No I don't. You seem… I don't know… depressed today. What are you thinking about?"

Shit! Soubi thought as he fell into darkness again.

"What are you thinking about?" Seimei asked, acknowledging Soubi was looking at him with a far away expression on his face.

"Your ears," Soubi answered without hesitation. Then he wished he hadn't. He couldn't lie to him but Seimei would most likely snap at him now.

Seimei's hand abruptly flashed out and struck him on the side of the face. "Idiot!" He shouted. Soubi cringed but didn't make a sound. The pain wasn't physical but more emotional. All he had wanted was for Seimei to love him.

But that wasn't ever going to happen.

Soubi awoke the second time with a sudden intake of breath. This time, though, everything hit him at once. He was still in Ritsuka's room but it was dark. The small boy was cuddled against his side, his arm thrown around Soubi's middle and his head resting on his chest.

He looked so much like his brother but acted so little like him.

Or… did he?

"Ritsuka," Soubi said quietly as he nudged him awake.

Ritsuka sat up, blushing and obviously embarrassed that Soubi had caught him being more intimate than he usually allowed himself to be. "I-I got cold," He stammered.

"That's fine," Soubi told him. He pulled him down close to him and slipped his arms around him.

"What's wrong?" He obviously sensed something was wrong. That wasn't good.

Soubi sighed, trying to decide weather to tell him or not. "Ritsuka… I'm sorry. Really. Its just… today's been a bad day for me."

"Oh," Ritsuka said. "That's the reason you've been acting weird today." He laid his head on Soubi's chest again and closed his eyes.

Soubi waited a few moments before speaking again. He almost backed out. He didn't want to find out just how much the two brothers were alike but it was impossible for him not to.

"Do you love me?"

Ritsuka didn't seem very surprised at the question. He blinked his big violet eyes up at Soubi and shifted his position a little. "I don't…"

Soubi's expression dropped before he could finish. This was not unexpected but it wasn't expected either. They were more alike than he had originally thought.

"At least let me finish!" Ritsuka snapped. "I don't know what love is. Seimei led me to believe some messed up idea of love and that shattered. What I do know is that I like you. A lot. I don't like being alone any more and that's because of you. I think that I might…"

Soubi pulled him down a little farther and kissed him, shutting him up before he could say anything else. In all truth he was shocked. Ritsuka had basically just said that he loved him. That was just…wow

Soubi smiled after pulling away from Ritsuka.

The brothers were nothing alike.