The young, dark-haired boy continued to turn the cellular phone over and over in his small hands, occasionally flipping it open and glancing at the butterfly background. He was waiting for an incoming call or text message, but none came. He had been waiting several hours and he wasn't sure how much more of the silence he could take. If there was anything he despised with his entire being at that very moment, it was the damned silence that surrounded him. Ritsuka slammed the phone down onto his desk with an aggravated sigh, allowing his head to drop. Where was Soubi? Why hadn't he called, or at the very least, answered Ritsuka's calls? He had promised to always answer, no matter what. He must have called twenty times . . .

Lifting his head up slightly, Ritsuka slid his hand under his chin, resting it in his palm and curving his fingers over his lips. He turned his gaze to the bulletin board hanging on his wall, every inch of which was covered with a littering of different photos. He skimmed each one quickly until he saw one in particular. He scanned it carefully, taking in the sight of the man smiling back at him. He remembered the day it had been taken well. The sun had been shining, the leaves were a beautiful scatter of colors, and he had been all alone with Soubi; free to make as many memories as they liked. And they had made many.

In this particular photo, Soubi was crouched down behind the dark-eyed teen, arms wrapped around his waist protectively with a smile on his face. In front of him, Ritsuka was smiling also while he flashed the camera a peace sign. For some reason, this picture was very high up on his list of favorites. Should he ever forget everything he knew again, he would be satisfied to just have that picture.

He stared at the photograph a moment longer, mesmerized by the beautiful blue eyes that stared back at him. He doubted that he had ever seen such beautiful eyes . . . Ritsuka quickly looked away from the photo, mumbling sheepishly, his face slightly flushed.

With another soft sigh, he leaned over and rested his cheek against the cool desk top, staring irritably at the silent cell phone.

"Why won't he call . . . " the boy grumbled as he crossed his arms under his face. He clenched his dark eyes shut tightly and gritted his teeth. What did he care? It's not like he missed dumb old Soubi anyway! But . . . then again . . . it would be so nice to hear that voice for a while . . .

"Ritsuka." The boy immediately jerked up and whipped around, facing the direction of the voice. He paused long enough to take in the image of the man standing before him. Same purple coat, same entrance through the window, same beautiful eyes behind those glasses-

"S-Soub . . . " He was caught off guard momentarily but it took only a second for all the feelings to come rushing back. The first one he felt make itself present was anger. "Soubi!" He yelled, jumping up and storming over to where the older man stood. "Get out!" He shouted, pushing his hands flat against the man's chest in a vain attempt to force him back out the way he had just come.

He was stopped abruptly when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves securely around him in a warm hug. Ritsuka struggled for several seconds, trying to shove the elder of the two away. When he didn't receive results, he sighed and gave in, relaxing into the embrace.

"What's wrong, Ritsuka?" Soubi asked softly.

"You didn't answer my calls again! You promised you would!" The young teen vented his anger and willed away the tears before they even came.

"I'm sorry." A genuinely loving voice said in apology as hands rubbed soft circles behind Ritsuka's neko ears.

"Whatever. . ." The boy sighed with faked annoyance. He turned his face and pushed it into the man's chest, breathing in his scent as his lips curved into a small hidden smile of relief.

"Did you miss me, Ritsuka?" The velvet voice asked in a way that made the teen sure Soubi was smiling as well.

"Of course not!" He barked in response, waiting a few seconds before adding a whispered, "maybe a little . . . " Who was he kidding? Of course he had missed Soubi. He had missed him desperately, like a child misses their favorite stuffed toy. He couldn't fool himself. He always missed Soubi.

The teen pulled his face from Soubi's shirt and stared up at him in controlled joy. Silver blue eyes stared back down at him, the previously predicted smile in its place. After a few seconds, the same smile faltered and slid into a frown. Ritsuka raised a curious eyebrow at the man's sudden change in demeanor.

"Soubi what's wr-" the boy started but was cut off.

"Your mother hurt again." Soubi stated quietly, running his finger gently down the teen's cheek, stopping to carefully peel away the cream-colored band-aid.

"Hey! Don't! Let go of it!" Ritsuka tried to back away but was held in place. He felt the bandage come away from his skin as cool air washed over the stinging flesh. Soubi ran his finger tip along the fresh cut, a twin scratch not far from it hidden beneath a band-aid of its own.

"Soubi! Don't touch!" Ritsuka hissed angrily, reaching for the bandage while he squirmed to get free from the man's hold.

Soubi slowly leaned closer and Ritsuka wondered what could possibly be so interesting about a simple cut. Then he felt the air soft lips connect with his cheek and he was stunned into complete stillness.

"Feel better?" Soubi purred and the teen felt heat course through him. Soubi smirked as Ritsuka turned a bright red and clenched his eyes shut.

"S-Soubi!" The boy stuttered as he managed to grab the band-aid and jerk away. Soubi let him go and allowed only a small smile. 'How adorable,' Soubi thought with inward satisfaction. He reclined against the wall and watched as Ritsuka padded over to a mirror and reapplied the bandage back in its original place. The younger of the two frowned and rubbed his fingertips over the band-aid lightly.

"If it still hurts, I can kiss it again." The man offered in a 'more than willing' tone of voice.

Ritsuka cringed and the blush came back full force. "Soubi! Go home!" The teen shouted.

"Just order me to and I will." Came a calm reply from somewhere to Ritsuka's right.

"No!" The boy yelled, whipping around with his fists clenched.

"Command me." The voice was soft, almost pleading.

"No!" Ritsuka shouted again. "Why don't you just do it because I said so? Why do I have to order you?" He asked irritably as he strode across the room and slumped down into his computer chair. "Now, I'm busy so go." The teen moved his mouse in circles as he waited for the screen to wake up. When there came no response after several seconds, Ritsuka slowly turned around and looked behind him. An empty, quiet bedroom greeted him.

Soubi was gone. And he left the door open.

Ritsuka stood back up and walked across his room as calmly as he could force himself to, stepping out onto the small balcony. He looked below him into the dark street, his eyes searching every direction. Soubi was long gone. He slid his hands into his pockets and stared up into the starlit night sky with a small smile.

"Soubi. . .You idiot." He whispered, closing his eyes and breathing in the chilly air that still held a trace of Soubi's scent.

From back in his empty and silent bedroom, a small red light blinked. The dark-haired teen had a new text message.