WARNING: SPOILER!! The spoiler is from volume… umm… 7 or 8 (I have scans and translations) about Soubi, so if you don't want to know, don't read.

Title: Love (One-shot)

The dark-haired child surveyed the man in front of him, tail twining around his legs. "Soubi?" The man turned to him, looking through his glasses. Ritsuka blushed brightly, but didn't look away. "Do you really plan on taking my ears?"

The man smiled slightly and raised his eyebrows. "Well, I hadn't intended on taking them." Ritsuka's eyes immediately went down, his shoulders slumped, his tail went limp, and a look of disappointment covered his face.

"Then why do you kiss me?"

"You didn't let me finish," Soubi interrupted, sighing and shaking his head. The child looked questionably at him as the scowl began to slowly leave his face though he wasn't allowing himself to hope for anything yet. "I have no intention of taking your ears. I'm not going to force you to loose your ears; I hoped you would give them to me." Ritsuka avoided the blonde's gaze as he let Soubi pull him into an embrace, refusing to question the Sentouki's intentions. "I'm curious. What brings this question on?" The twelve-year-old wrapped his arms around Soubi's neck and leaned into him, pulling his head and shoulders down to his.

"A girl in my class lost her ears. I overheard her talking, and she said it was someone older from a different school. But don't get any funny ideas, Soubi." Soubi smiled at him, unfazed by his sacrifice's glare. "I'm not loosing my ears anytime soon. Mom would kill me."

"You know, Ritsuka, there are such things as fake ears. You could loose them and no one would ever know."

"Soubi, you pervert! I'm not wearing fake ears! I'm not loosing my ears anytime soon. You're going to have to wait." Ritsuka blushed as he realized what he said. Why was he always saying things that Soubi could twist?

"That's fine. I'm a very patient person." Soubi stayed at the child's eye level, gently tugging on his cat ears. Ritsuka took a tiny step closer, moved forward by a harder tug on his ear. Soubi smiled as Ritsuka placed his hands on his arms, but made no move to stop the gentle tugging on his cat ears. "The more you avoid my eyes, blush, and look down only makes you more adorable."

"W-what?" He started to move back, ready to rip out of Soubi's arms, but changed his mind after a couple of steps. He stepped forward, blushing furiously, but never moving his eyes from Soubi's. Their foreheads were touching, which sent Ritsuka's mind spinning. When had he decided he wanted to be this close to Soubi?

He realized why as he looked into the man's eyes. Soubi really did love him, honestly and completely. He loved him for him, not because he was ordered to, or felt obligated to. He accepted him for him.

Soubi was surprised, but very pleased, when he felt soft lips touching his own briefly. When had Ritsuka become so confident and affectionate?

"W-w-was that okay?"

Soubi smiled and pulled Ritsuka back to him until the preteen was sitting in his lap, looking up at him. "That was perfect." Soubi leaned down to place a chaste kiss on the child's lips. Ritsuka pulled away after about five seconds, once again blushing brilliantly. What was with him today? He had never wanted to be so close physically to Soubi before.

"OW!"

Soubi jerked his hand away from Ritsuka's upper hip, startled. Ritsuka wasn't looking at him to see the rare, sudden emotion flicker across his face. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Ritsuka's ears were flat against his head, tail taut.

"I'm fine. I just have a cut there that hasn't healed yet."

Soubi pulled Ritsuka back to him again, but carefully avoided the bandage he could feel beneath the material of his shirt. "I can talk to your mother, and-"

"NO!" Ritsuka spun around in the man's arms, furious. "You're not talking to Mom. I can handle her." Ritsuka glared for a few more minutes, lavender eyes flashing, but Soubi knew that part of his anger came from fear. He turned back around, but refused to lean back against Soubi.

Absentmindedly, Soubi began playing with Ritsuka's feline ears before he began scratching behind of them. Ritsuka thought about pulling away, still mad about Soubi even suggesting talking to his mother, but… it just felt so good. Soubi smiled as Ritsuka leaned back against him and practically started purring. "I found a spot, didn't I?" It took Ritsuka a few moments to answer.

"A spot?"

"A spot of pleasure." He switched ears. "Scratching behind your ears, you like it, so it's a pleasure spot." Ritsuka considered complaining about all the other implications that could have, but changed his mind. He certainly was enjoying it. After several minutes, Ritsuka had to say something.

"Soubi?" The man grunted to show he was listening. "Did you have your ears when you met Seimei?"

"No. Why?"

Ritsuka shrugged. "I was wondering. So you lost them when you were wrong?" The boy felt Soubi tense even more behind him.

"Yes, I was young. I was a child, and I would prefer if we didn't talk about this." Ritsuka was surprised at the university's student's quiet voice. He could almost detect sadness there. Even when they were alone, Soubi was still very guarded with his emotions.

"Okay, then what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't think you want to talk about what I want to discuss."

"Why?" Ritsuka asked suspiciously.

"That's not what I was saying, but we can talk about that."

"Soubi! I don't wanna talk about that. You get too many ideas!"

Soubi raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You're adorable when you're angry." Ritsuka glared more.

"Soubi! Why are you always saying things like that?"

"Because they're true. Getting angrier only makes it more true." Ritsuka slid out of his lap to sit on the floor several feet in front of him.

"You're hopeless."

Soubi considered getting up and making tea, completely ignoring the child's protests, but opted for coaxing Ritsuka back into his lap. Ritsuka moved backward the first time Soubi touched his head, determined to be pouty and huffy. He rarely had a chance where he could simply pout, and he planned to take advantage of the new opportunity to do so. The sixth-grader moved backward again when Soubi touched the spot behind his ear. After the third time, Ritsuka stood up and sat down at Soubi's small table. Soubi didn't think as he laughed loudly when he saw the expression on the other's face.

"What?" Ritsuka snapped, but they both knew there was no real anger behind it.

"You're," Soubi sat down next to him, "pouting. You're pouting like a five-year-old who isn't getting his way." Ritsuka stuck his tongue out at him though he made no move to stop Soubi's strong arms picking him up and placing him on his lap to begin scratching behind his ears again.

"Soubi… I know you said you didn't want to talk about it, but can I ask you something?"

"Yes, but I can't guarantee I'll answer."

"Did someone force you to loose your ears?"

"Yes."

Ritsuka thought this over for a minute while the golden haired man continued scratching behind ears before turning around and wrapping his arms around his fighter's waist. Soubi didn't expect this, but immediately wrapped his arms around Ritsuka's slim back.

Ritsuka laid his head against Soubi's chest, memorizing his scent of tobacco, sweat, and paint. "Soubi?" he asked almost mutely.

"What?"

"Can we stay like this until I have to leave?" Soubi smiled and hugged his sacrifice, his life, closer to him.

"We can stay like this as long as we want even if it's until the end of time."

Author's Note: Good? Bad? Reviews are always appreciated, and flames will be ignored.