Before note!

I just read through chapter one again, and found tons of errors, and places I'd like to fix. I will read through this chapter though! Please forgive all the errors and lenghtyness of the last chapter.

This one is a LOT shorter than the first chapter. lol Happened to be a good place to end.

Final Word Count: 3150

Thank you to everyone who is following the story, and reviewed, It really makes a difference (Hah. Look! I fixed the HUUUGE error I made! Thank you loretta537 or pointing it out. I completely missed that somehow.)


Onto the Chapter!

Ritsuka enjoyed the final few moments in the steamy bathroom, that was keeping him warm, before he faced the cold air that loomed just outside the door. Sighing he opened the door and shivered a little as a blast of cold air rolled through the doorway, causing the steam to quickly recede into some unknown place. Ritsuka ran his left hand through his hair, and exited his warm hideaway. Ignoring the unmade bed and partly opened curtains, he moved downstairs. The upstairs was kept much darker than the downstairs, which was flooded with the morning sun. Today was a half day at school, which meant most of the day would be for relaxing, and being with Soubi. He hoped it would be a quiet day, the last thing he wanted was more stress in his life.

Ritsuka's feet made a small noise as his soft flesh met the hard wooden flooring that lined most of the house. He made his way to where he was pretty sure the kitchen was. Soubi hadn't exactly given him the grand tour, and it was mostly observation and luck that would get him around until he knew the floor plan. He found the kitchen, which was larger than he thought.

The hardwood floor continues into this room, and the walls were hardly viable. The counters were some sort of black stone. Oak cabinets were found on the walls, and under the counter tops. Some had glass fronts, others were just wooden panels. Paintings and plants added to the welcoming draw of the room. An island stood in the center area, covered in the same stone from the counter tops. Soubi sat at the island, drinking something. Most likely some sort of tea, Soubi didn't drink coffee in the morning. Something about ruining his pallet for the rest of the day. He usually had some at some point in the day, a lot of times at night.

"Ritsuka, help yourself to whatever, tell me if there is something your looking for."

"Right, thanks." Ritsuka made his way into the kitchen. The window on the back wall light the room, natural light added to the warmth of the kitchen. Ritsuka found the coffee Soubi had made him, and smiled. It was a nice thought, and a nice start to the day. He picked it up and grabbed one of the bananas that sat with the rest of the fruit. Soubi always had fresh fruit out on a small plate, for quick snacks. Ritsuka found Soubi reading, it was the newspaper. There was always something interesting going on somewhere in the world.
Ritsuka settled himself on the stool next to Soubi, focusing on his coffee that was just begging to be drank. Soubi glanced over and smiled, seeing how the coffee he had made earlier had been found. Ritsuka had taken a pretty long shower, which gave him time to prepare little things such as his own tea, and a cup of coffee for his partner. Ritsuka found himself to focused in his own thoughts and his drink to even pay attention to whatever Soubi was doing. Soubi stood up, kissing the top of Ritsuka's head as he did. Ritsuka looked at Soubi, and smiled.
Soubi had gotten up to put away his plate from his earlier meal, and pour himself more tea. He was thinking thorough his plans for the day. Just as he began to open his mouth to ask Ritsuka if he'd like him to pick him up this afternoon, Ritsuka spoke.

"Hey Soubi, no pressure or anything, but are you picking me up after school today?" Soubi chuckled a little, and Ritsuka looked confused.

"I was just about to ask if you'd like me to. Would you?"

"Yeah, I mean, it doesn't seem too," he paused. "Little kiddish?"

"No, it's not little kiddish, but don't forget you have a date with your therapist this afternoon."

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that. I have been ever since we moved it to Saturdays." he offered a small smile, feeling silly at his own mistake.

"Don't worry about it."

"And it's not a date, I mean it's not like I'd be chea-" he stopped himself mid-sentence, realizing what he was about to say.

"Ritsuka, you alright?" Soubi was walking over, and was slightly alarmed by the abrupt stop in the conversation. He had a good idea about what was going to be said, but he wouldn't push it.

"Yeah. I-I'm fine." Ritsuka blushed a little, and was obviously flustered by what he had said, and what he hadn't.

'Shit. I can't afford another slip like that. It's not like we are together or anything.' Ritsuka thought to himself, sighing. Soubi sat down again, and looked at Ritsuka. He hadn't put on his glasses, and his hair was pulled back loosely, a sudden movement would knock it loose.

"So what would you like me to do?" Ritsuka took a sip of his coffee, and thought for a moment.

"What do we usually do?"

"You head over to her office after school, and I pick you up from the bus stop." Ritsuka nodded and paused again.

"I'd like for you to meet her at some point, I mean, your a big part of my life and all..." Soubi ruffled the smaller boy's hair, and kissed his cheek.

"Only when your ready for it. I'm not going to push you to do something your not comfortable with." Ritsuka nodded, and smiled. He looked over at this fighter.

"I'll arrange it for another time," Ritsuka said. 'Maybe when I finally understand just what you are to me.' Soubi smiled. Ritsuka went back to his coffee, and Soubi his reading.

"It's been a a long time since you've gone."

"Yeah, I missed the last session. Makes it a month since I've seen her." Soubi nodded, feeling guilty that Ritsuka had not gone because of him. "And don't pull that guilt thing on yourself. You were hurt, I had to stay." Soubi nodded in response, he didn't have anything to say. Not to mention, it was Ritsuka's way of ordering him around. Ritsuka glanced around for a clock, and upon finding it, he became alarmed.

"Shit. Soubi, I gotta run." He frantically began to move around the kitchen. Soubi looked at the clock, he still had about ten minutes until he had to leave. It only took a couple of minutes to walk there but, he knew Ritsuka, he had a reason, and probably didn't want to share.

"Anything I can do to help?" Soubi offered, trying to be useful.

"Not really, I'm pretty sure I know where everything is..."

"Alright. Let me take care of the kitchen, you go ahead."

"You sure?" Soubi nodded. "You rock, thanks. I'll owe you one." Soubi smiled, and headed over to Ritsuka who was washing his hands. Soubi wrapped his hands around Ritsuka's waist. Ritsuka turned to face his partner, looking a little surprised. He placed his hands on Soubi's shoulders, so he could push off if needed, he probably wouldn't though. At least he hoped.

"Soubi..." Ritsuka 'protested' in a small voice, not sure if he should be enjoying this, or be breaking all contact. Soubi sighed, and released his arms a little, knowing he shouldn't. Ritsuka was the one taking the next step. He looked up and kissed Soubi's cheek.

"Sometimes your too sweet for your own good," Ritsuka said walking off, sounding disappointed. Soubi stood there, still processing what had happened. The small boy had shown a sign of at least a little affection. That gave Soubi more of a reason to act again. He wouldn't do anything dramatic, but at least show that he wanted those little things. He wanted Ritsuka to do things like that. By the time Soubi began to walk out of the kitchen, Ritsuka was by the door, putting on his shoes, bag in hand. He walked over to the teen, who was opening the door to leave for school. Ritsuka, eyes closed turned to say goodbye, when his lips were suddenly caught by Soubi's.
Soubi moved his hands to the boy's back, pulling him in. Ritsuka, melted into the kiss, it was almost as if he had lost control of himself. His hands slid along his fighters neck, and hung elegantly once they had reached the back. It was a passionate kiss, filled with indescribable feelings. Ritsuka's heart raced, he let himself act without thought, it would end if he thought about it. He would leave that moment, that warm, safe, romantic moment that was shattering all hopes of him being able to focus through class. Soubi pulled off slowly, his face not to far away yet, and Ritsuka almost protested. Ritsuka opened his eyes to find his partner grinning, obviously proud of himself.

"Pervert." He muttered pushing Soubi off and walking out the door. Soubi chuckled.

"Have a good day at school, I'll see you about 3?" He ignored the comment that had come just before, knowing nothing good would come if he said something witty.

"Yeah, don't be late."

"Love you, work hard."

"After that I don't think I'll be able to focus on anything else, thank you though." Ritsuka waved as he walked off, he was smiling. Soubi leaned against the door frame, the grin was now his warm, gentle smile. He watched until Ritsuka was out of sight. Sighing, he looked around. He would get to cleaning, and then try and get some unpacking done. The studio was yet to be set up, and he still had some paintings to get done. Muttering something in disgust at how much work had to be done, Soubi promptly began his endless list of things to get done.

Meanwhile, Ritsuka was walking off to his high school. Trying to pay attention, but also think. Why had Soubi let go in the kitchen, he had stopped himself, it's not like Ritsuka was struggling or anything. His fighter had been like that recently, he had avoided a lot of contact. Whenever he was around that is. For some reason, Soubi had just stopped seeing or talking to Ritsuka.

It was abrupt, and Ritsuka still didn't know why all of the sudden he had stopped. And even before that, Soubi had stopped holding him, stopped kissing him, little things Ritsuka was beginning to enjoy. He would ask later but right now he had to stop thinking about Soubi, he was taking over, flooding the teens mind. It was welcomed, but it needed to have a point where Ritsuka could think and not be reminded about his fighter. He reached up and touched his lips, in memory of what had happened in the doorway.
He blushed a little. Ritsuka thought back to some of the moments Soubi had kissed him before, none of them could compare to what had happened just a few minutes ago. It begged the question, why all of the sudden? Was it because of what he did in the kitchen...oh god. Not only what he almost said, but what he had done. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it probably wasn't good either. He almost wished he could skip school and go talk with Katsuko-sensei. He had a lot on his mind, and needed someone he could trust to talk to.

"I could talk to Yuiko," Ritsuka muttered to himself, approaching the school. It then dawned on him what he had said. 'Bah, not Yuiko. She'd be crying right after I told her. She's no use in this situation. Though, Yayoi might be glad I did.' Ritsuka thought, keeping his opinions in his head this time.

"Morning Ritsuka!" Yuiko called with her usual grin plastered on. Ritsuka shifted his gaze from the sidewalk to the high school girl. She had gotten very pretty in the last few years.

"Morning," He said, smiling. He had to be pleasant with her, even if his mind was on other things. He walked over to her, trying to keep his mind of of anything that would remind him of Soubi. To his surprise, it was actually really hard.

"How are you?" Yuiko asked.

"I'm alright, a little tired. How about you?"

"I'm great! I had the best thing for breakfast today, I don't even know what it was!" She grinned, and Ritsuka chuckled a little.

"Well, you should find out for me, I bet it was good." Yuiko smiled, a ray of hope had opened again.

"Alright! Just for you!"

"Hey guys," Yayoi asked, making his way over to the others.

"Morning, you look tired." Ritsuka commented. Yayoi glared a little.

"Yeah you do look like you didn't get much sleep. You up late working?" Yuiko asked.

"I'd like to say yes, but this new game came out and I couldn't pull myself away." Yayoi dropped his head in shame. Yuiko giggled while Ritsuka smiled. They enjoyed the few moments when they were all happy, they were becoming more frequent, but just as special. The warm summer air stirred natural emotions of joy, which made everything seem...better.
The sunlight poured through the trees, creating patterns along the seemingly dull concrete. Ritsuka climbed up on the brick wall that surrounded the school. It wasn't too high, but it was off the ground, not to mention you could see the entire courtyard from there, and most of the sidewalk leading to the school. Trees lined the pathway, so that the other side of the street was hidden.

Ritsuka dusted off his hands, and noticed his friends were deep in conversation. He decided to let them talk while he enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his skin. The warmth was relaxing, and he closed his eyes and relaxed. The world around him seemed to disappear and become non-existent. His tail flickered a little, and settled out of the shade that seemed to be freezing compared to the sunlight. Luckily in the morning the heat wasn't hot, it was pleasant. It usually rained in the late afternoon, which cooled the blistering heat off.

Summer was a time for the beach, cold treats and hanging out with friends. Unfortunately they still had homework, which did get in the way a lot of times. It took a few days worth of time out of the schedule. Not to mention this summer might be interrupted by his grandmother's illness. He might be forced into traveling to Osaka for a funeral, or for visits. Maybe this would be a good time to introduce Soubi to his mother...but then again, maybe not.
His mother had been strange and more abusive recently. He was glad she was gone, and that he was able to feel safe at home. Home, not where is mother lived, where Soubi was. That's what he thought of when he thought of home. He loved being at Soubi's house. It smelled of paints, smoke and cooking. And his fighter, that was the best part of being there. There was something about that smell that just made him feel safe, and at home. Which he had recently been able to understand. His friends always talked about their homes in an optimistic view, in a way that he was unable to talk about, or even understand.

"Hey Ritsuka, you okay?" Yuiko asked.

"Hmm?" Ritsuka didn't quite hear her. He opened his eyes and looked down at the other two.

"Looks like you were spacing again," Yayoi remarked.

"Yeah, I seem to be doing that a lot."

"You wanna talk about it? If it's important to you, it's important to us Ritsuka.

"Let's see about next time, right now I wanna forget about it." Yuiko and Yayoi gave each other exasperated looks, as if they had been working for nothing. And they had. Gaining Ritsuka's trust was not easy, it had taken years to get where they were, and the trust was still lacking. They trusted him, but hesitation was present whenever he had to rely on anyone but himself. Which was almost completely true.

There was a trust Ritsuka had for Soubi, which very few people saw, or had even heard of. Kio and some of the other fighter pairs were the only ones who knew of their romantic relationship, which Ritsuka hardly admitted to himself (though over the last year or so, he began to question to 'almost more that friendly' actions of Soubi.'). There was another trust basis that few were able to experience, and Ritsuka was one of them.

A trust between a fighter and sacrifice. The sacrifice had to trust the fighter, to protect them, to listen to orders and to win battles for whatever reason. The fighter simply takes the word of his sacrifice. No questions asked. And when to two parts were put together, it created a whole, two people as one. The bond was formed before birth, and was always there, and was simply awakened once they found each other. It was amazing, and many took it for granted. With the bond came great power, that took discipline to control.

There were schools worldwide that found fighters and sacrifices and helped. They provided an environment to grow, mentally and physically. It was a place to attend school, find yourself and partner, and fight other pairs for experience and skill building. At each school, the skill level varied. Which creates room for competition between students. It was a confusing topic for Ritsuka, because he didn't attend one, and Soubi wouldn't talk about it. With what seemed to be good reason. He acted...different when talking about the past. They usually didn't talk about Soubi's past because it was a painful topic for him. Kio seemed to be able to answer most of the important questions however.

"Alright, if your sure," Yuiko said, sounding a little disappointed that once again Ritsuka denied her offer. Yayoi looked at Yuiko, seeing her hurt, and then back at Ritsuka, noticing the steps backwards that he was taking. He had started pulling back from them. Ritsuka was beginning to be more open with them, being able to tell them more about himself. And now, well, he just seemed to be so out of it which was normal in class, but outside of that it wasn't normal at all.

"Thank gosh for half days." Yuiko muttered, trying to find something to talk about. She was hurt, and Yayoi wanted to comfort her.

"What's everyone doing after? We may be able to go hit some arcades if you want, and go for ice cream or something," Yayoi offered.

"I'd love to! That'd would be super fun!" Yuiko giggled.

"Have fun guys, I'd love to but..." Ritsuka said. "I've got an appointment. Though that does sound like a lot of fun."

"Boo!" Yuiko whined, "Alright, then it'll be just us two then," Yuiko said, trying to keep up her cheeriness, to some success. Yayoi smiled, and the two walked off, discussing plans for this afternoon. Ritsuka smiled, and hopped of the wall. He picked up his bag and noticed a red light on his phone. Smiling a little, he flipped open his phone.

'Ritsuka

Have a good day at school, Love you'

Ritsuka grinned, closed it and shoved it in his bag and proceeded into the school.


A/N:Please forgive me for the really long space in between chapters. I'm soo lazy! Guess it can't be helped. SO I'm sorry about the horribleness of the last part, I was running out of ideas. What do you think so far? Because I'm still not completely happy with it. I hope this chapter had less errors. If you spot any, you should tell me, I don't have a beta for the story, because I like to edit my own writing. I probably should though. Anyway! I hope you enjoyed reading!

Thank you for reading :3 I will have the next chapter out within the week. It shall be better. (Lies! I will have it up soon! I know it!)