Xana: Wahahaha! I am here with the second chapter! Yeah, yeah, I know I took forever…but Word's Processor was having issues with saving my work, and then kept giving me errors when I would try to upload a chapter. Strange, but oh well. What can you do, right?

Ritsuka: ah huh.

Xana: Well, anyways, I would like to thank promocat, xxxMatryoshikaxxx, SilverChaosfan, darkwaterwolf, Xpgtfo, and CanYouSeexILHARVESTMOON. OMG and everyone who favorited/alerted this story, and not only this story, but me as well! Waah! You all rule!

Ritsuka: Yeah, can we just get onto the chapter now?

Xana: Fine. So, story of my life, I have no beta. Expect mistakes, 'cause I can guarantee there are some. Now, disclaimer!

Ritsuka: Xana is a loser who fails because she doesn't own Loveless.

Xana: Heeeeey! I'm writing you a sequel, damn it!


He didn't really know how long he laid there, wishing Death would come and claim him already. He didn't know how much blood he lost, or if some horrible, evil creature would come and eat him. What he did know was that he was finally blacking out.

And right before falling unconscious, he remembered seeing a blurry, small figure lean over him, raven hair framing a breath taking face, big violet eyes gazing into his.

Then everything went blank.

Icy blue eyes snapped open as a throbbing pain thudded in his skull, giving him a fuzzy, light headed feeling. Gazing around, he found himself in some sort of cave. Shifting his gaze to his body, he was surprised to see himself laying on a pile of fur pelts, as well as one covering his lower bare body.

Wait…lower bare body? What the hell!

Bolting upright into a sitting, he immediately regretted the action as soon as he felt pain rocket through his body, his ribs incredibly sore as well as his back. What in the world had happened to him?

The throbbing in his head intensified as memories of what had happened between him and Seimei flooded his mind, and his heart clenched painfully. That bastard had done this too him!

"Oh! You're awake!"

Turning his head sharply, he felt a sharp stinging in his neck, as if he had just been pricked by billions of sharp, tiny needles. Letting out a small gasp of pain, his hand immediately flew to his throat, only to feel bandages.

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't move my head too much if I were you. The cuts were pretty deep. But I managed to clean them out carefully!"

Opening his eyes, the blonde Sylph nearly yelp in surprise when he noticed a face no more than three inches from his, bright violet eyes penetrating his gaze, as if staring right into his soul. The stranger was bending towards him, their eyes leveled.

His head snapped back on instinct, trying to put a bit more space between his face and the strangers, while ignoring the stinging pain in his neck. His eyes darted all over the face, from the beautiful violet eyes outlined in stunningly long, thick black lashes, to the plump, cherry lips, to the petite nose. Flawless skin with soft, rosy cheek that were complimented by beautiful, silky raven locks that framed the stranger's face. The face of an angel, so perfect and…feminine. Yet instinct told him this stranger was in fact a boy.

Unable to help himself, he let his gaze wander lower, taking in the long, elegant, forest green kimono that pooled at his feet. Eyes snapping back up, he barely held back a shudder as he realized those amethyst eyes were still staring at him intently. Such an innocent, angelic face did not suit these eyes. Eyes full of old, long forgotten knowledge.

Tearing his gaze away, he looked down at his bare chest, slightly wincing at the bruises that littered his ribcage. Refusing to meet eyes with the boy, he stared at the pelt that covered his lap.

"Where am I?"

"You're in my home. I found you on the ground, bleeding all over the place..."

Soubi swallowed, letting the words wisp around him. Even his voice was angelic.

"Who are you?"

The blue eyed Sylph immediately wanted to smack himself. He couldn't believe he just did that in Such a blunt, rude way. Especially when this stranger had basically just saved his life.

"I am the Kodama, Ritsuka."

Eyes widening, Soubi's head snapped up, staring in surprise at the boy who had taken a seat on the pelts right in front of him. "You are the Kodama?"

"Yep! Is it weird for you?"

"Er…no, I'm just surprised. You are so…" he trailed off, unsure if he should really finish that sentence. Ritsuka, apparently, read his mind.

"Young?" he offered, a smiling tugging at his lips.

"Yeah…"

The forest spirit let out a tinkling laugh that bounced of the cave walls, echoing around them. Soubi liked that laugh. He liked it a lot.

"I guess I do look young, but my spirit is as old as time! I am Kodama for a reason. I created this forest, I gave it life. I gave you and the other spirits a place to call home."

"Then who created the swamplands? Or the Oceans that surround the forest? Who created the sky?" Soubi asked, watching the thoughtful look that crossed Ristuka's face.

"Hmmm, honestly? I don't really know. I only remember being born, and turning a desert wasteland into the magical, green paradise that is our home now." he replied with a smile, standing up and making his way across the dim cavern, where Soubi noticed a small indent in the rock, serving as a shelf.

He listened to the sound of glass tinkering against each other as Ritsuka sorted through some small vials and bottles. Watching the small boy turn back to him, he noticed several of the glass objects cradled in his arms as he took his spot back in front of the tall Sylph.

Icy blue eyes watched warily as the small raven set the vials carefully on the pelts before turning his piercing violet gaze onto him once more. "It's time I cleaned your wounds again."

Soubi simply stared at him, a sudden thought clicking in his mind. "You know what, I just noticed something very unsettling…"

Ritsuka blinked, cocking his head childishly. "Like what?" The blonde simply narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"You look disturbingly similar to him."

"Him? Him who?"

"Seimei!"

Ritsuka frowned in confusion, his nose scrunching up slightly, which was, in Soubi's opinion, very adorable.

"Who's that?"

Soubi gaped at him. Surely he was kidding? Right? "You don't know who Seimei is?"

Ritsuka tapped the tip of his finger against his chin as he glanced up at the roof of the cave, a look of deep thought upon his face. 'Damn it…he looks even more adorable!'

"Hmmm, nope, sorry. Can't say I do."

"Seimei is the man who did this to me!" Soubi snarled, gesturing towards his beaten body. "He is the sick, disturbed Incubus who takes nothing but pleasure out of torturing me!"

Ritsuka's gaze ran down Soubi's body, his childish face holding an empty expression as his eyes took in every bruise, cut, and muscle closely. Soubi couldn't help but feel a little self conscious under such an intense. He held his breath as the Kodama's gaze snapped back up to his, violet clashing with icy blue.

"Did you say Incubus?" Soubi gave a quick nod.

"And….he lives in the swamps right?"

Another nod. Ritsuka suddenly huffed his cheeks out, a pout forming his lips. "I know who you mean. That really rude man who thinks no means yes."

Soubi hesitated, "You know his…perverted ways?"

"It's hard not to when he doesn't leave you alone."

Soubi's jaw dropped just the slightest. If he understood correctly, Seimei had treated this boy the same way he was treated? The demon had enough balls to disrespect The Kodama?

He snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed that his lap (which was, ahem…bare under the single pelt covering him from the waist down) was suddenly full of the small boy that had moments ago been sitting in front of him.

His entire body tensed out of reflex, and he couldn't help the chill that ran down his body when Ritsuka stared right into his eyes. "Relax, I'm only going to clean out the gashes on your neck."

The blue eyed Sylph gave a stiff nod, which caused Ritsuka to smile. "It's okay….I'll be gentle." he said softly, reaching up and gently brushing some of Soubi's hair out of his face.

Soubi willed his body to relax, and he closed his eyes as the small brunette carefully unwrapped the bandages around his neck, hissing softly as the cool air stung the cuts and gashes engraved into his skin.

Ritsuka peaked up at him before reaching out and gently dabbing at his wounds with a damp cloth, the stinging turning to a searing hot pain. He grunted loudly, grabbing the smaller male's wrists out of reflex.

The young Kodama stiffened, his gaze locking onto Soubi's now open eyes. They stared at each other in silence, time seeming to slow down around them as they lost themselves in each other's gaze.

Soubi wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, but he suddenly found himself leaning toward the raven in his lap, their faces coming closer. Ritsuka didn't make an effort in trying to move away. He just sat in the blonde Sylph's lap, silently watching him.

The air elemental took this as a sign to continue, so he closed the distance between them and gently brushed his lips against the smaller male's soft, plump ones. Electricity seemed to burst through both their bodies as their lips lingered on each others, giving them both a sensation of pleasure.

"Riiiiiiiiiitssuuukaaaaaaaa!"

The forest spirit yanked back from Soubi, tumbling backwards onto the ground before rolling up into a sitting position, eyes wide and heart beating violently. Soubi blinked slowly and turned to look at the opening of the cave, just in time to see a blur of pink shoot through the air and slam into Ritsuka forcefully.

"GYAH!" Ritsuka cried out, crashing onto his back as a small, pink haired fairy pinned the boy down, her white kimono rustling with every move.

"Ritsuka-kun! You missed our lunch date!" the girl exclaimed, shaking him violently.

"Yuiko! Stop…shaking…me!" he ordered, forcefully prying Yuiko's fingers from his upper arms and sliding out from under her body. "You can't keep attacking me like that!"

"But Ritsuka-kun! You promised to have lunch with us today!" Soubi could only raise a curious eyebrow as he watched the amusing scene before him

"Yeah, Ritsuka. What gives? You so bailed on us!" came a lighter voice. Turning his head, Soubi saw two boys, no more than five years his senior, walk in. He immediately recognized them as water and fire elementals by their appearances.

The tallest of the two had long, teal colored hair that fell to his hips, light lavender eyes shining brightly as he watched the small raven haired boy get mauled by Yuiko. He assumed this boy was an Undine. He wore a long, sky blue yukata with an obi that matched his hair.

The other he guessed was a Salamander, what with his wild, red hair that fell in waves to his shoulders, one vibrant green eye sparkling in mischief as he joined in on harassing Ritsuka. Soubi's eyebrows shot up as he noticed that the boy was wearing a very short yukata, one that barely reached his thighs, a bright green obi wrapped around his waist. He also noticed the red head had an eye patch over his right eye.

While he was staring at the Salamander's choice of clothing, the teal haired male suddenly snapped his gaze onto the blonde Sylph and narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

Looking back at the water elemental, he opened his mouth to reply, but Ritsuka beat him to it.

"Youji, be polite! He is my guest." Ritsuka frowned, shoving Yuiko and the red head off of him.

Standing up, he dusted off his long kimono and shuffled back to Soubi. Kneeling down in front of him, he set back to his earlier task of cleaning his wounds, you know…before Soubi kissed him.

The fire elemental peered over Ritsuka's shoulder, watching the tall blonde hiss in pain as his cuts were cleaned. "So, what's your name? I'm Natsuo!"

Soubi gave a strained smile as he flinched slightly at the burning sensation in his neck

"It's very nice to meet you, Natsuo. I'm Soubi-" he let out a low hiss as the burning doubled.

"Soubi. Hmmm…" Natsuo tapped his chin thoughtfully, gazing up at the ceiling before grinning. "I like your name! Hey, hey! Are you a Sylph? You look like one!"

Soubi studied the red head as a smile pulled at his lips. He definitely liked him. "Yes, I'm a Sylph."

"What happened to you?" the pink haired fairy, Yuiko, asked. Before Soubi could answer, Ritsuka cut him off.

"Nothing. He was attacked by a Homunculus." Ritsuka snapped angrily, glaring at Soubi's neck.

Yuiko let out a gasp. Homunculus were human like creatures that attacked and ate elementals and animals that lived in the forest. It was rare that anyone ever escaped and survived. Though Soubi knew if he truly had been attacked, he wouldn't be alive.

He began to wondered why Ritsuka lied, keeping Seimei a secret. He was sure the forest spirit had reasons, which he was curious to know. But he wouldn't ask.

"Really, I didn't know there were any nearby." Youji commented, staring at the back of Ritsuka's head.

"Yeah well neither did Soubi, and look at what happened to him." Ritsuka replied, wrapping bandages around the tall blonde's neck.

It was obvious the discussion had ended at that. Youji looked away as Natsuo placed his hands on his face dramatically.

"Oh you poor thing! You're so lucky to escape and have Ritsuka care for you! You could be dead right now!" Yuiko nodded enthusiastically, hand over her heart just as dramatically.

Soubi gave a small smile. "Yes, I'm very lucky. Ritsuka has been very gentle with me." He noticed, rather smugly, the blush that crept onto the violet eyed male's face.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't just leave you out there to die in my forest, now could I?" He grumbled, picking up the small glass vials and crossing the cavern to return them to their original spot.

"I think it's sweet!" Yuiko gushed out, giggling.

Youji tilted his head in thought. "Well then, if there's a Homunculus on the loose, I think it's best we spread the word and warn everyone in the forest, don't you think?"

Ritsuka shook his head. "No, leave that to me. I'll get rid of it, so there will be no need to warn anyone about anything."

"But someone could get attacked before you deal with it." Youji argued, eyeing Ritsuka. Soubi could tell Youji didn't believe anything Ritsuka said.

Turning, the dark haired Kodama stared at the Undine. "I will handle it."

"Fine." Youji snarled, turning towards the opening of the cave. "Let's go Natsuo, Yukio."

"Okay! It was nice meeting you, Soubi!" Natsuo exclaimed happily, saluting Soubi as he ran after Youji. Yuiko waved at Ritsuka and bowed slightly to Soubi before running after the Undine and Salamander.

Soubi gave a wave before flicking his gaze to Ritsuka. Just exactly what was going through the small male's mind?

"Why did you lie?" he asked curiously, watching as Ritsuka came towards him, once again sitting in front of him.

Ritsuka cocked his head to the side and stared into nothingness as he thought. "Honestly, I don't know. I just had the feeling to lie to them. Maybe I don't want to worry them about Seimei."

"Don't you think they should know? Because Seimei is, in all honestly, like a dog. He'd hump anything. And I mean that quite seriously."

He watched as a strange expression crossed Ritsuka's face. He was about to ask him if he was alright, but was stopped as Ritsuka gave a soft, tinkering laugh that bounced off the cavern walls. Soubi really, really liked that laugh.

"I have never heard Seimei be compared to a dog." He giggled, placing a small hand in front of his mouth as he continued to laugh.

Soubi smiled. He was happy he could make the forest spirit laugh. Especially if it was a disgusting topic such as that crude Incubus. He was pulled from his musings as Ritsuka scrunched his nose.

'How adorable…' he thought.

"Now comes a very important subject to discuss." He said, a very serious expression on his face. The blonde Sylph raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"And what would that be?" the blonde questioned.

Ritsuka lifted his violet eyes to stare into his blue ones. "I'm hungry." he complained childishly.

Soubi just laughed.


Xana: I think this turned out well! But it's not what I think, it's what you think. So let me know your thoughts, opinions, and even suggestions in a review!

Ritsuka: OMG we kissed. OMG.

Xana: Yeesh, calm down Ritsuka. Gawd. *eye roll*

Ritsuka: shut up, Xana! Just because I have a love life and you don't.

Xana: *sulks in emo corner* you're so cruel. Review please! See you all next chapter!

.:.*†XanaSentiya†*.:.