Chapter 2

"Ritsuka, are you awake?" Soubi whispered, crouching by the bed in the dim room. The lump of sheets mumbled, shifting a little. A mussed head poked out, ears twitching sleepily.

"Hngh?" Ritsuka murmured, rubbing his eyes. He checked the clock, which said it was two in the morning. "What is it, Soubi?"

"I just got back from the hospital. As I predicted, he didn't have anything truly useful," he lied, ignoring the crumpled envelope in his back pocket. He had opened it, standing outside of the small dorm they shared on the Septimal Moon campus, dread swallowing him up at the words he read. No, he had to protect Ritsuka. Not bring him more grief, with such dead truths.

"Oh," Ritsuka said, disappointed, but understanding that these people built their life around a game. "You look a bit stressed," he commented, drawing the blankets around his shoulders.

"I don't like having to see him," he said softly, stroking the other's ears.

"How come?" Ritsuka inquired, dark, solemn eyes regarding him carefully. He fidgeted a bit, trying to get comfortable again.

"It doesn't matter," Soubi said, hugging him lightly. After Seimei had broken into the school, nights were hard to bear for the both of them. All Soubi wanted at that moment was to just curl up around that small, warm body, but he was just grateful Ritsuka didn't hate him after what he did.

... And now he was lying about the information, knowledge that would put the other in grave danger. He knew Ritsuka would chastise him later, but for right now, if he could give the boy a little peace by keeping him in the dark, so be it. 'Maybe Ritsuka will punish me for once', Soubi thought jokingly, waiting by his side until the boy fell asleep again. Only then he allowed himself make his way to his own bed, adjacent to the other, collapsing into sleep.

The envelope burned in his pocket.
--

Before he knew it, the sun was beating down upon his eyelids. He opened his eyes, surprised to see the other bed empty. Panic filled him like a balloon as he sat up quickly, scanning the room from Ritsuka.

"Oh, you're up," a familiar voice called behind him. Ritsuka was dressed, putting a tray of food down on the table behind him. Soubi exhaled in relief, anxiety fading.

"Breakfast in bed?" Soubi said teasingly.

Ritsuka scowled. "I thought you were really tired, so I went ahead and brought food," he huffed.

"Thank you, Ritsuka,' Soubi said, sitting down beside the other, surprisingly hungry. Of course it was the standard cafeteria fare he had subsisted on for most of his life, but there was a sort of nostalgic tinge to the dry bread and lumpy fruit. At least they had eggs.

"I was thinking," Ritsuka said, sipping his juice. "I should go back home today... to get some things before we go get Kio," he said quietly.

"What do you need?" Soubi asked, reluctant to let him go back home. He didn't want to let Ritsuka near that woman again, who couldn't decide whether she wanted to kill him or love him. In the end, her indecision was wearing down her son, leaving a battered, broken boy in her wake.

"Just some random stuff," he said vaguely. He didn't really need anything that wasn't here in the school, but he wanted to check up on his mother. He had no way to call, and realized time passed here faster than he expected. The thoughts of what she might have done, or gone while he wasn't there made him fret, twisting his napkin to shreds. Without him, she really had no one else. He told himself that whatever she does to him will be OK, and he'll accept it quietly as long as she's all right when he got home.

"I see. I'll get a car to drive us back," Soubi said, ruffling the boy's hair. "I'll come with you, is that okay?"

Ritsuka nodded, realizing he was terrified.

--

"Misaki. Misaki, wake up."

She was cold. So cold, yet the fire behind her eyes wouldn't let her rest. The kitchen walls buckled and warped from the heat. Seimei. Standing in the midst of the flames was her lost son. Her first son. Her beloved son.

"Oh, Seimei, you're back! Finally, you're back!" The relief spilled from her lips, as she held her eldest, anxious fingers running through the black hair that curled like Hell, and those somber, sympathetic eyes. Finally. Dimly she wondered why Ritsuka wasn't back and then remembered. If he came back, Seimei would leave.

"Seimei, we have to go quickly. If Ritsuka returns-"

"Shh." The other hushed her, smoothing out that long, matted hair. Corpse silk entwined between his pale, slender fingers. "It's all taken care of, Mother."

Those words temporarily cooled the fire in her head, leaving her drowsy and limp. The moonlight drifted lazily through the kitchen window, leaving pale shafts of light on the floor.

"Good boy..." she murmured, drawing him close. She knew her Seimei would come back. Always. He loved his mother, like a good son should. Not like that fake child, the changeling everyone thought would fool her. No, her real Ritsuka wouldn't abandon her. Her real Ritsuka wouldn't forget her. Now that Seimei was back, she was sure he would help her find the real Ritsuka. Seimei loved Ritsuka too. Such a good boy.

"Now, Mother, tell me, where is it?"

"Where's what?" she mumbled, wincing at the sharp pain in her head, almost like a spark.

"You know what I'm talking about. You wanted to surprise Ritsuka on his birthday, so you hid his present."

"Threw it out," she said thickly, the pressure increasing beneath her eyelids. What was Seimei talking about, that was years ago.

"Misaki." That voice chilled her bones, mouth moving silently as that piercing gaze when right through her skull, oil spilled across the flames. "Tell me where it is."

"I don't know!" she babbled helplessly, fingers catching in her long hair as she clawed at her scalp, trying to beat down the fire. Strong hands pinned her arms to her side, as the anguish was held back by nothing but those cold eyes.

Seimei sighed in exasperation.

"Here, Mother, take these," he whispered, uncapping the bottle that rattled like a child's toy in his hand. He shook out a handful of little white tablets. "Doctor's orders."

She swallowed the first, sighing with relief as suddenly the fire died down, like a freezing gale had swept through her head. She swallowed the second, then the third, and a fourth, and soon she lost count. The cold began to seep into her body, numbing the pain and fire. But in that brief lucid moment, she discovered something. Cradled by her eldest son, she realized her body wasn't moving anymore. But strangely, that was all right. She also noticed his expression- pleased and content. Well, that was all right too.

"Good boy," she mumbled one last time before her eyes slid closed. Finally, she was at peace and the fire died in her chest, stopping at the same time her heart did.

Seimei looked down at his mother, screwing the cap back on that bottle of clever pills. She didn't need anymore now. He knew what he was doing, but it was fine with him since it seemed fine with her. He briefly entertained the notion it was what she wanted in the end, and then dismissed the thought, washing his hands in the kitchen sink. And really, wasn't it her fault for being too stupid to notice she was being poisoned by her own son?

He waited. He waited a long time. He waited until the sun was up and he heard the low rumble of a car engine, and then left.