Dlbn: Hey, everyone, I'm here with chapter two! I know chapter one was really long, but in order to make my deadline of the 28th, I need to have huge chapters. This one is shorter.

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to Promocat for reviewing! Birthday cake for you!

Promocat: I want to smack him sometimes, too, but in a way I can understand why he is the way he is.

Disclaimer: We do NOT own Loveless! Every character, place, location, thing, species, event, etc. that comes directly from Loveless belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing in this category.

000

It was morning by the time Ritsuka found it in himself to want to crawl under the duvet covers on the bed and go to sleep. He'd practically torn apart the room, taking photographs to use when he rearranged it to the way it was before. He hadn't come across anything more written from Soubi, whether it was another journal or just a note. Not even an old homework he forgot about. It wasn't really a surprise. Soubi wasn't one to leave cryptic notes and clues around, though his words were cryptic at times. The neko had almost gotten to sleep when a harsh pounding on the door to the dorm room rang throughout. He groaned and made his way to the bed. When he opened it, Seven was standing outside. There were bags under her eyes as if she hadn't slept either, but she was bouncing up and down excitedly on her toes at the sight of the raven haired preteen.

"Don't tell me…you're a morning person…?" Ritsukas asked slowly, yawning in between.

Seven grinned."I've been up all night. Candy and energy drinks to wonders to help out with that. you should try it sometime." She stated. "I've been asked to come and get you. Ritsu knows you're here and wants to talk to you."

Ritsuka almost growled at the name, remembering the disgusting entry Soubi had written about the day his ears were removed. But he remembered that Seven probably didn't know about that and he let it slide.

"Okay. I wanted to see him anyway."

"Excellent. Let's go."

She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the hall, kicking the door shut with her bare foot as she did so. Ritsuka felt himself stumble as he tried to keep up with the long-legged computer hacker. She pulled him out through a heavy set of steel doors and outside, where it was beginning to snow a little.

"Aren't you going to get cold?" Ritsuka wondered.

"I'm fine. That's pollen, not snow."

"Oh…"

She laughed as they continued towards an older-looking brick building at the back of the school campus. Ritsuka didn't recognize it, but he assumed it was the old schoolhouse where Septimal Moon resided. Nagisa's living quarters were on campus with the students, which made sense since she was the nurse on campus. But the others lived here. Though it seemed like Seven lived in the security lab on campus as well. Seven opened the door and ushered him quickly inside. The inside of the old school was a maze, which made it a bit more obvious why they needed a new schoolhouse. At the end of a long and rather twisty hallway was a door marked 'I. Ritsu' in gold calligraphy on a black name plate on the door. Seven opened it without knocking and walked in.

"Ritsu?" Nagisa asked the figure on the bed. "Ritsuka-kun is here to see you."

"I wish I could say the same thing." Ritsu's dry humor didn't bring about any laughter.

He turned towards Ritsuka, but the almost-teen knew that through the bandages around his head, there were just two empty holes where his eyes used to be. He was glad that Ritsu was bandaged up. There was no way in hell he'd be able to unsee that image.

"Leave us, Nana, if you will?" Ritsu wondered.

She shrugged. 'I have more upgrades to work on anyway. Excuse me." She left.

Though Ritsu was older, blind, and more feeble and/or delicate now, Ritsuka almost begged the blue haired woman to stay just so he wasn't left alone with him.

"You wanted to speak with me, I was told. So speak." Ritsu gestured towards an empty space to his left.

Ritsuka assumed he had meant to point to a chair at his right. "I'd rather stand." He folded his arms over his chest in defiance, though he knew the principal couldn't see it.

"To each his own. So what is it?"

"It's about Soubi."

"Soubi-kun? I'm afraid I haven't heard from him recently. Is he alright?"

"You know what he is, where he is, and who he's with, so don't play like you don't." Ritsuka ordered. "I need to know where he is."

"Why?"

"I'm taking him home." Ritsuka stated with finality. "I'm facing Seimei and leaving with my Fighter."

"Your Fighter?" Ritsu wondered. "Seimei-san is the one who named him. Who carved that name into the most sensitive of places. Soubi-kun is lucky that he missed any vital arteries and that he can still speak after that incident."

"I found Soubi's diary. I've read everything in it, and I know exactly what's been going on behind closed doors and everybody's backs at this place. He left I final entry directed at me, as if he knew that I'd find it. He was counting on me coming to this school, and going in his dorm. Meaning he's counting on being either nearby or on campus."

Ritsu sighed. "Yes, Soubi-kun was here recently. He even came to visit me. I know it was him because he didn't speak, but he left something here. Ritsu gestured towards one of the nightstands. I'm not sure who it's for, but it could very well be for you instead of me. Soubi-kun isn't really the type to get me gifts."

"Gee, I wonder why." Ritsuka practically snarled as he stalked over to grab the paper from the nightstand. It was an envelope with Ritsuka's name scrawled across the front in very messy handwriting that Ritsuka recognized. "It's for me."

"Figures." Ritsu sighed. "Can't even send a blind old man flowers."

"After the thing with his ears, I can't believe you still expect something nice out of him. You're lucky he doesn't hate you."

"He doesn't. He's told me so himself. Though, honestly, I can't really blame him. I suppose you hate me as well, no?"

"You're sick." Ritsuka accused. "Gomen, but that's the way that it is."

Ritsu nodded. "Nagisa said the same thing." He agreed. "I suppose you're both right. I don't know exactly what possessed me to do that…"

Ritsuka huffed, opening the letter. He pulled it out to read, noting that it was written in the same sloppy handwriting that had littered the last entry in Soubi's old journal. Unfortunately for the neko, it was in English. He groaned.

"What is it?"

"I don't read English."

"Give it here, I'm fluent." Ritsu made a 'give me' motion.

"You're blind, you idiot." Ritsuka snapped.

"Oh…I forget at times…" Ritsu sighed. "Well, I suppose you'll have to find someone else who's fluent in English to read it for you."

Ritsuka stared at the paper in silence until his head hurt. He recognized some of the smaller words from his English classes, but a lot of it he couldn't understand, more from his lack of fluency then the messiness of the handwriting.

"Who speaks English fluently around here?"

He could always ask Yayoi, as his friend was almost fluent by now, but he was certain there were parts of the letter addressed to him that he was certain he didn't want Yayoi reading; things about Septimal Moon and Seimei, or even just the love between Soubi and Ritsuka.

"Well, other then Soubi-kun, wherever he is, there's Nagisa. But she's not around." Ritsu stated. "All Septimal Moon members can read and write in English. I taught it to Soubi, myself, a while back. I'm surprised he's using it."

"Is Seimei fluent in English?"

"No."

"What about Akame?"

"I'm not certain, but I can't imagine so." Ritsu shook his head.

"That's why he wrote in English. So they couldn't open it and understand. He may as well have written in French."

"His mother could write and speak French." Ritsu commented, his voice sounding far off.

"Does Seven…?"

"Hai." Ritsu nodded. "She's probably the only one you're going to find around here, though, at this time of the year. Any students here will be studying it now, not be speaking it fluently. I suppose you could just use translation software on a library computer."

Ritsuka nodded. "I suppose that's what I'll do. I'm not sure how personal this is going to be…"

Ritsu smirked. "And you say I'm a pervert."

"Soubi has never touched me, and is not very likely to ever do so. He's not like you, Ritsu. You may speak alike and have a pretty similar haircut, but he will never be like you."

"I don't want him to be like me. One of me is too much for the world already." Ritsu sighed, chuckling dryly. "Look at me, Loveless. I was once a strong man. Working with the current members of Septimal Moon, with your father in Seimei's place, I took this school Septimal Moon from my father and had him shipped off somewhere, Memoryless, so he could never again interfere with myself or my plans. As far as I know, the old bastard's dead in a gutter somewhere. Serves him right. But I digress. A powerful Sacrifice reduced to…this…a blind Principal with attraction to the son of the woman he once loved." He chuckled a little more, as if he saw some kind of humor in the statement that Ritsuka didn't find.

"I hate to say it, but it's your fault, you know."

"My fault?"

"Soubi isn't your child, right? So his mother was with someone else…if you loved her as much as you claim, then you would have been with her. somehow, you drove her away."

"Agatsuma Hibiki is…was…my mortal enemy." Ritsu agreed. "And he managed to steal Iyani right out from underneath me…she and I had a bond unlike any I've found since. I refused to take another Fighter when she abandoned me for him."

"And now Soubi is left to suffer for her betrayal of you."

"Did I say that?"

"What you did to him, sensei, regarding his ears…he was punished for something his mother did. You can't force someone to love you, sensei, and you'd better learn that before you do something to push away Soubi forever."

"You think he'll come back? You're a fool, Aoyagi."

"I don't think that he will. I know he will. Because I'm going to take him away from Seimei. Once I find him, he's coming home with me by the end of that day."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He's leaving these clues warning me away from Seimei. But the more clues he leaves, the better the chances are that I track him down."

"You think he knows this…Seimei won't just hand him over."

"I have to prove myself to him first."

"You can't be thinking of agreeing to join him."

"Once I get Soubi, he has no guarantee that I'm going to keep my promise to him, does he?"

Ritsu smiled gently. "You're as manipulative as your brother, Ritsuka. I don't know whether I'm frightened, pleased, or plain old surprised."

Ritsuka shrugged. "Don't compare me to him." He stated. "I am nothing like my brother, and the day I become like him, I'll order Soubi himself to kill me."

"Do you think he'll do it?"

"It will be an order. He'll have to."

Ritsu paused for a moment before nodding. "I suppose this is true. But you're forgetting that Soubi still has Seimei's name on him."

"He won't have it once I'm through." Ritsuka said with a sense of finality, making his way towards the door. "I should go figure out this letter."

Ritsu nodded. "Oh, one more thing, Aoyagi, if you'll hear me out?"

"I guess." Ritsuka paused, hand inches from grabbing the doorknob.

"Soubi and Seimei are Fighter and sacrifice, a unit. Without breaking that bond between them, you have no hope of getting Soubi to go back with you. They fought Moonless together. Moonless defeated Akame on his own, and we have him held prisoner here, but Soubi and Seimei are a powerful team. If Seimei declares battle…"

"Seimei wouldn't do anything to put my life in danger."

"And you're going to bet your life on that?"

Ritsuka smiled, hand gripping the doorknob to Ritsu's bedroom door. "I already am."

000

In the computer lab about an hour later, Ritsuka had managed to translate the entire letter Soubi had written, copying his own version of it into a piece of scrap paper a librarian had given him.

My sweet, Ritsuka

I apologize if any of this isn't legible. I know English isn't a language you know, but in order to keep my intentions and message a secret, I need to write in a way that Seimei wouldn't be able to read without having to go through some length of trouble on his own. He doesn't like to do things for himself, so I'm confident my words are safe and secure. I won't make this long, though there is so much that I wish I could still tell you. You mean the world to me, Ritsuka. If you've gotten this, then I know you're at the Academy and probably will be staying in my room. If you haven't yet, please read my journal on the bookshelf. I want you to understand the events leading up to this day. It's been a few days since Seimei and I together fought Moonless. Akame failed on his own. Septimal Moon took him to the basements, where he was chained up last time when you brought him food. But I digress.

I know why you are here, and while I can applaud you for trying to find me despite what everyone else is probably telling you, I must implore you to not do this. Heed the warnings of what I can imagine belong to so many others, as well as my own. I know what Seimei has done, what he's made Akame and I do, better then anyone. I know what he's capable of. I can't let you be dragged into his world of nightmares. You mean too much to me for that. My Ritsuka, I miss you so. My only regret is that I had to leave with him. I did it to protect you. You may think that Seimei would ever hurt you or permit or order anyone else to do so, but Seimei will do anything and everything to get just what he wants; no matter who suffers. He was willing to betray Mikado and Septimal Moon. What makes you think he won't do the same to you?

I am not asking you to give up. I will come back on my own, when the time is right, I promise. But please, you are so vulnerable to Seimei. I cannot allow you to have any form of contact with him until this is all over. Let Septimal Moon handle it. Let me fight alongside Seimei as long as I can. When the time is right, Seimei will fall, and I swear on my insignificant life that I will help be a catalyst to that event. But for now, please lay low. Go back home to Tokyo. Go back to school and your mother and your friends. Go back to your normal life and forget about all of this. Do not try to find me. Do not try to find Seimei. Do not try to get between us or stop him. You will only get hurt.

I must go now, my time here is almost up. Sukidayo, Ritsuka, with all my heart. I wish I could be there to see how you're fairing and how much you've grown since I saw you last. It's been a good three months or so, has it not? You may wonder how I know that for a fact. How I know that it has been three months, no more, no less. It's because we are bonded, Ritsuka. The bond you and I have can never be touched upon by someone like Seimei. Our bond is not of name or power, but of love. The strongest bond to break. I promise you that I will return when the time is right. Stop looking for me. Forget me, forget all of this. I beg you.

Sukidayo,

Soubi

Ritsuka slumped back and down into his computer desk chair once he finished the letter. Soubi didn't want to be found either. The blonde was rambling like a madman, and Ritsuka knew he was doing this just to keep the neko safe, but he was curious. Curiosity killed the cat, he supposed. He was willing to risk his life to find Soubi, just as Soubi was willing to risk his life to try and scare him away. He wasn't going to go back to his normal school, his normal friends, and not so normal life. He could never do that; not with all he's seen, done, experienced. He can't just turn around, forget about Soubi, this school for Fighters, the people secretly governing the world, and his psychotic brother. He knew Seimei was dangerous. But it was a chance he'd just have to take. Now all he needed to do was figure out where he was…looked like it was time to visit someone who just may end his life.

000

The basements of Seven Voices Academy were dark and cold. There was a chill seeping through Ritsuka's clothes and every fiber of his being, but he was sure it wasn't from the atmosphere. Akame had before been holed up in the boiler room, chained to a radiator. When he was down here before, Ritsuka hadn't really looked around. He'd just wanted to give Akame his food and get out of there as fast as he could. Now that he had the chance, the basements looked like dungeons. There were bright burning torches on the walls, and cobblestone doorways and walking path. Ritsuka had a feeling that the dark red splotches along the floors and walls of various cells were blood. He tried not to vomit as he pulled his jacket tighter around him as he made his way around. Most cells were empty, but one was wide open with a wheelchair sitting in it. He wondered who had bene in there last as he passed, but the moment was fleeting. He heard some labored breathing coming from a cell on the far end of the basement and made his way to the door. It was a giant stone door with a slot for food and a slot on top to look in and out of. Ritsuka took the key he'd swiped from Ritsu's office at the old schoolhouse and opened it. Inside was a figure pressed up against the wall as if it was trying to get away from someone or something. It was who the breathing was coming from. As Ritsuka got closer, he recognized tell-tale raven black hair that hung around a delicate face as if it hadn't been washed in days. Just how long had he been in here?

"Akame…?" Ritsuka wondered slowly.

"If you're here to torture me for more information, I'm afraid I don't have any." He spat red onto the floor.

Despite himself, Ritsuka pushed black hair away to reveal porcelain white skin underneath. Chocolate brown orbs that didn't appear to be functioning were staring straight ahead.

"I'm not here for that…I do want information, though…"

"Playing good cop won't get you anywhere…"

"I'm not trying to. I'm not a good guy. I just don't want to hurt you. I'm a pacifist."

"Hmph." He huffed. "A pacifist within the walls of the Academy? You must be insane to think I'd buy that…"

"It's true. I have no desire to hurt anything or anyone. I don't even like fighting, but I don't really have a choice…"

"You're pathetic."

"So are you." Ritsuka huffed. "I thought you were some powerful Fighter. But Moonless stopped you…and now you're a prisoner…again…your finger healed, right?" Ritsuka went to grab the teen's arm, but he pulled away.

"Don't touch me." Akame hissed.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be."

"Why's that?"

"I could kill you."

"But then Seimei would kill you. He'd never hurt me. And he'd never let anyone get away with doing so."

Akame perked up a bit. His eyes seemed more focused, less glazed over. "Well, look what's come to see me. Little Loveless."

"Ritsuka. I hate being called Loveless." Ritsuka folded his arms across his chest.

Akame shrugged. "Not my problem."

He finally looked up, and Ritsuka wanted to vomit. He was missing a couple teeth, and blood was caked around his mouth and still dripping from one eyebrow. He had bruises littering his skin, and rather nasty-looking knife wound was gashed into his skin, but it was crusting over with a scab.

"You…"

"Too much to look at, Ritsuka?" Nisei taunted, chuckling at the boy's disgust. "This is what Septimal Moon does to people. Now you see why Seimei wants them dead? Sick bastards…"

"Seimei's not all that right in the head either, you know."

"Ah, I'm rather aware, but I wasn't aware of the fact that you knew that…"

Ritsuka shrugged. "People talk."

"You've met Moonless."

"Hai…"

Nisei nodded. "Whatever you want out of me, Aoyagi, you're not getting it, alright? Seimei has me trained not to give in."

"I know just how you and he operate, Akame. This worked to get back Kio, and it will work again now. If you tell me where my brother is hiding, I'll personally take you out of here and bring you to him."

Akame cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? And why should I trust you? Though I must admit, the idea is very tantalizing." He held his chin in his left hand, the right arm hanging limply as if it were broken.

"Because we both want something." Ritsuka stated.

"Shoot?"

"I want Soubi, you want out of here."

"Even if I get out of here, I have nowhere to go to. I've been disowned. Tossed aside because a fourteen year old brat and her Fighter got the better of me."

His emotionless mask began to crack, metaphorically anyway, and Ritsuka could see a scared, frightened teenager underneath it.

"Seimei wouldn't even help me. He set me up to fall…but Agatsuma…" The pathetic vision of Akame in front of the neko slowly morphed into a grinning madman. "He's not even his real Fighter, yet Seimei chose to fight alongside him instead of me? My own master tossed me to the wolves…"

Ritsuka could almost feel sorry for the little psycho. Almost. Nothing changed the fact that Akame had done terrible, horrible things, on Seimei's behalf and felt no remorse for it. He was just as bad as Seimei. Ritsuka would consider him to be the worst of the two if it wasn't for the simple fact that it was Seimei holding the leash.

"That's not my problem. I'm not interested in you or my brother I want Soubi."

"Aw, does the little kitten have a soft spot for the mindless slave?" Akame chuckled. "Rather pathetic, Aoyagi, you know."

"I love him. I don't care how pathetic that sounds or makes me look."

Akame raised an eyebrow. "Very telling…very well, Aoyagi…spring me from this house of death and I'll lead you to your brother." He held out a hand. "A deal?"

"Japanese don't shake hands…?"

"I've been out of the country before. Just humor me, would you? Or I'll make you pinky swear on it."

"You're insane."

"You know this already." Akame nodded once.

He stood up, albeit a bit shaky, but he stood.

"Can you even walk?"

"I'm not crippled. Yet. It's the one thing they haven't done to me."

"I'd lie if I said that you didn't deserve it…"

Akame shrugged. "I know that." He stated. "I'm not as dumb and narcissistic as you and the rest of the world seems to think that I am…"

Ritsuka shrugged. "Not my problem. Come on."

"What, we're going to just walk on out of here with no problems?" Akame smirked, huffing. "Don't give me that shit. They won't let us just walk out and you know that as well as I do."

"The school is relatively unpopulated right now. I've only seen a couple Septimal Moon members, one Unit, and a couple guards."

"That's more then enough to catch us. There's a security system."

Ritsuka sighed. "I was afraid that you'd mention that…" He reached into his bag and pulled out a laptop he'd swiped from the school computer lab.

"Well, little Aoyagi's a Klepto." Akame chuckled. "A psycho, a Klepto, a murderer, and a tool…what a family you've got."

"Considering how you are, I can't imagine yours is any better." Ritsuka huffed. "Look, I know you can hack. You wire tapped my house, too. Can you hack the school's system again? That's how you and Seimei got in here before, right?"

"That wasn't my work, but I'm familiar with the school's security system's structure enough that I can hack it." Akame opened the computer, not bothering to sit.

The ravenette's long nimble fingers-the one with his name on it bloody and crooked at the knuckle-danced excitedly across the keys so quickly that Ritsuka wasn't sure if he even saw what he was typing. It looked as though the finger once broken by Soubi had healed, but was broken again during the torture from Septimal Moon. Or they'd tried to strip him of his name somehow. It took a matter of minutes before Akame was finished and shut the laptop, handing it back to the neko.

"Don't worry about returning that to where it belongs. We only have twenty minutes. How do we get out of here without going up front through the lobby?"

"Follow me…"