There is a character death here. It isn't too horrid in the way of gore or anything, but the way it's shown may be a bit too twisted for some people. Just a warning. I don't think it's that bad at all, but just to be safe…
For the next few days, things continued on as they were. The Academy began to fix itself up and classes resumed as normal. Only Breathless, Zero, Nagisa, Soubi and Ritsu were truly affected by Ritsuka's absence, though Nagisa's more sullen mood had an effect on everyone. She wasn't as loud and obnoxious as usual, but still just as angry.
For the Aoyagi brothers, life continued on as normal. Well, normal for them. One day, Nakahira was awake earlier than normal, and Ritsuka was intrigued. When Seimei announced they were going out, Ritsuka perked up a bit. He liked being outside sometimes, especially with his Beloved. The two had grown closer and thus, though Ritsuka didn't know, stronger.
The trio walked out of Chiyako's house and waited until they could hail a cab. The ride was quiet. Ritsuka trusted Seimei and if he wasn't informed of a destination, it was to be a surprise. Soon the surprise ended. The cab pulled to a stop outside Ritsuka's home. The trio got out and walked to the door, Ritsuka bouncing on his feet a bit. When Misaki opened the door, she gasped.
"Ritsuka? S-Seimei?" She didn't even notice Nakahira standing to the side. She grabbed her boys and hugged them tightly. Ritsuka teared up and the group went inside.
"Mother, I'm back. And I've returned with Ritsuka." The brothers sat on a couch across from their mother, while Nakahira stood unnoticed just inside the door. Misaki was still smiling at her boys. She was in utter disbelief that they were here. Seimei had been dead and Ritsuka had been gone for so long. "Could we perhaps have some water, mother?"
Misaki nodded and stood, walking quickly out to the kitchen. When she was gone, Seimei turned to his brother. "Ritsuka. When she comes back, there is something you must do." He paused, just long enough for Ritsuka to get interested. "Kill her."
Ritsuka's eyes went wide in disbelief and he scooted back a bit from his brother. "Seimei, no. I can't do that… it's my- our- mother…"
Seimei's gaze hardened. "Ritsuka, if you do not do this, I will hate you." He let this sink in before going on. "I will leave you here, kill her myself. Is that what you want, Ritsuka?" The younger boy shook his head slowly until Seimei forcefully grabbed his chin and made him make eye contact. Seimei stared straight into his eyes. "Ritsuka. When she comes back, kill her. You can do it. Take this knife, and kill her."
Nakahira stepped forward and gave Seimei a knife, which he passed to Ritsuka. I was a simple pocket knife with a short, sharp blade. Ritsuka fearfully took the knife as tears came to his eyes. He closed his eyes tight and wiped the tears away, hiding the knife under his leg. When his mother came back in, she gently set down a tray on the table.
Seimei smiled and took a glass of water, sipping it gently. He gave a look to Ritsuka. The boy slowly stood, hiding the knife behind his back, as he stepped towards his mother and embraced her. Misaki smiled and hugged her child. "Don't be upset, Ritsuka. We'll be happy together, a family again…"
Seimei coughed once and Ritsuka closed his eyes tighter. He raised his hand behind his mother, shakily holding the knife in his hand. After a second of hesitation, he brought the knife down in the middle of his mother's back. He instantly stepped back from her, stopping near Seimei. Seimei wrapped his arm around Ritsuka and smiled.
Ritsuka began to cry as his mother fell to her knees, gasping. Blood was running freely from her wound and she was gasping. She looked up at the brothers in confusion and pain. "Ritsuka… I knew that you weren't really back… but Seimei?"
Seimei grinned maliciously at his mother and held his hand out towards her, palm down. "You are of use to us no longer. Leave this world. Look upon us in fear as you depart." Ritsuka hid his face in his brother's side as his mother's gasping breaths reached his ears. After a few more seconds, they stopped.
He dared to sneak a look at his mother. She was lying on her side, the knife still in her back. The blood pooled around her limp body. Her eyes were open, glaring up at them, shining with pain and betrayal. Her mouth was slightly agape, as if her last breath had forced it open. He wished he hadn't looked.
Seimei looked down at his brother with pride, a hint of malice still shining in his eyes. "Ritsuka, you did well. Exactly like I said." He looked over to Nakahira. "Get the knife and we'll clean it later. No one saw us come here and no one will see us leave. Everyone around here sleeps late." He gently took Ritsuka's hand and headed for the door, locking it before pulling it closed behind him.
The trio got into the cab again and headed back to Chiyako's house. The entire way, Ritsuka was still as a stone, staring at the floor. His eyes were wide and his arms were wrapped around himself, trying to be of some comfort. Nakahira was in the front, lounging comfortably as the driver headed back. Seimei leaned gently against the door, his eyes trained on Ritsuka's face. Gently, he reached over and touched his brother's shoulder. "Ritsuka. Do not be upset about this. It had to be done. She would have just worried about us, and she was just suffering in this world. By releasing her, you truly blessed her, Ritsuka."
The young boy looked up fearfully at his sibling, a glaze over his face. He wasn't all there at the moment but he nodded slowly. His voice was quaking and quiet. "I-If you say so, Seimei…" The rest of the ride was quiet, but slightly less unpleasant. When they reached Chiyako's house, the trio piled out and Nakahira quickly paid the driver. Seimei quickly muttered a few words to make him forget where he had taken them. They walked inside and locked the doors gently as Nakahira headed off to his room.
The brothers remained in the kitchen. Ritsuka seemed to be locked within himself from what he had just done. It could be seen by some as justifiable revenge on his part, just a way to let out the built-up stress within himself from all the times his mother abused him. To him, however, he just felt sort of… hollow. He now only had Seimei. This fact alone made Ritsuka walk to his brother and hold him tightly. Now, there was no way he could ever leave his brother, even if Soubi found him. Now, he would do whatever Seimei said to keep him close and happy. Unbeknownst to the innocent boy, this was exactly what Seimei wanted. Everything he did just further ensnared him in his brother's masterfully subtle web.
Seimei wrapped an arm gently around his brother's shoulders. "Do not worry, Ritsuka. You will be safe and loved here." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Ritsuka's head. He whispered quietly into his hair, "Forever."
Soubi continued searching for Ritsuka every chance he got. He asked around about him, claiming that he was Ritsuka's old babysitter and had come back after a long absence to find that the family had moved. It gained him weird looks, but it was better that saying, 'Hey, I'm a fighter unit and I'm looking for my sacrifice, who happens to be 9 years younger than me. Oh, and he was kidnapped by his dead brother. Have you seen him?'
After a few days, news reached the Academy by way of Soubi returning after hearing it- Misaki had been killed in her home. It appears that she was stabbed from behind, but no one heard anything about it. One neighbor had seen a taxi leaving the area on that morning, but no taxi drivers remembered anything about that, or denied being there. No evidence was found, so it was given up on after a while. Soubi, however, took a renewed attempt at searching.
"His mother wouldn't have wanted Ritsuka to leave… Seimei would have had no use for her. Perhaps he killed her as a precautionary measure?" Soubi was musing to himself quietly as he stood against the wall in Ritsu's office, the others talking loud enough to hide his voice.
"What should we do now? Give up?"
"How could no one have seen the murderer? It was broad daylight, wasn't it?"
Everyone was arguing about what to do regarding Ritsuka, and it was starting to get very loud. Soubi then sighed and spoke quietly and deeply. "This murder only proves that Seimei is somewhere around here. That means that Ritsuka is also around here, meaning that we cannot give up our searching." Everyone hushed as he spoke, turning to look at him. Ritsu paused and then slowly spoke.
"I knew Seimei, as did you. I agree with you on the matter of his location. However, they may be hiding because they know you are searching. I suggest that you give up for a while to see if he shows himself."
Soubi growled slightly at this suggestion, but the others all nodded in agreemet. With a sigh, he nodded himself. "Alright, I will give it 3 days. At the end of that time, I am setting out and not stopping until I have scoured every corner of this city for my Ritsuka."