Dlbn: Hey, everyone! And welcome back to a much delayed update!

Nbld: Working on cosplay for an upcoming convention in Boston this week (Anyone going to Anime Boston? I'm gonna be Nisei one day and my boyfriend claims he might be Ritsuka…he better be. I'm going through all this trouble to buy him a cosplay for it -_-), trying to register my Nintendo games for Club Nintendo, but most don't have the codes ., getting harassed by creepy a guy in a bar when I went with friends (only two of us girls, and only two of us straight…me and the other girl XD), and just some general laziness on our part.

Dlbn: Sorry! But on another good note, two more new Loveless chapters (113/114) came out, and they both have to do with Nisei! It's awesome! Finally, a back story!

Nbld: Don't reveal too much, idiot! So my sister doesn't give out too much info, let's get onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Candy for you! *hands you some*

Yoitemichaelis: Well, you're in luck, because these two just scream 'angst' to me XD Aw thanks. I'm always worried my spell battles are lame. That means a lot! *hugs*

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or any canon characters. They belong to Yun Kouga. Iyani, Saichiru, any teachers, Hibiki, Hibiki's harem, Ryuunosuke, Katashi, and any other non-canon familiar characters are mine. I know there are a lot of OC in here, but since it's a past fic, it's kind of necessary ^^" I make NO money off of writing in this category.

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Ritsu stood in Saichiru's office, stunned by his father's words. His father was really kicking him out of the school? And not just a suspension, but a permanent banishment from school grounds?

"…a disgrace to the fighting world!" Saichiru was yelling at the two teens. "You have not won a single battle since you were paired up! And for such a failure to be my own son? Disgraceful."

"You're disgraceful!" Iyani accused, balling her hands into tight fists at her side. "You would kick your own son out of your school and banish him from school grounds because he doesn't live up to your ridiculous expectations!" She shook her head, blonde tresses blowing around her like a halo. "It's disgraceful! Horrible!"

"Ritsu! Muzzle your dog!" Saichiru ordered.

"Dog?" Iyani growled. "Did you just call me a canine?! Why, I never-!"

"Iyani." Ritsu spoke softly, lowly. "Stop it. There's nothing we can do."

She turned on her heel to face him. "Don't give up so easily! You can't let him do this to you! To us!"

Ritsu shook his head and shrugged. "He's the head of Septimal Moon." He finally looked off of the floor and up at her. "What can we do? His orders are absolute."

"Ritsu! Contest this! Don't hang your head and pout! Be a man! Step up! Ritsu!" She was even more agitated with him. More so then she was with his father.

"Hold your tongue." Ritsu told her. "That's an order."

"But…!"

"An order!"

Saichiru smirked and interlaced his fingers, resting his chin on them and turning his face down to hide his mouth with his fingers. "So you understand, do you?" He chuckled. "The two of you are dead as a team, and hereby banished from Seven Voices Academy. If you try to return without my consent, or if it reaches me that you are still fighting as a unit, you will be dealt with harshly. Understood?"

"Yes, father." Ritsu muttered.

"Both of you?"

Iyani said nothing, still staring at the floor with her hands in fists at her sides.

"I asked you a question, girl. Now answer!"

"Acknowledged." She scowled at the floor.

"Excellent." He leaned back in his chair. "I will give you until 9 PM tonight to get your stuff and vacate school grounds. A transport will await you outside the school. Be even one minute late, and you will suffer consequences. This meeting is through." He turned his hair to face the window and threw his left arm in the air, wiggling his fingers. "Go!"

The two of them slowly left the office together.

"Iyani, I'm sorry…" Ritsu told her, reaching for her hand.

She recoiled from his touch. He held out his hand, palm up and last two fingers curled in.

"Please…?" He asked. "We have to stick together now."

"We are no longer a unit and therefore have no further business with each other." She informed him. "Good day, Ritsu Minami."

"Iyani, wait!" He grabbed her by the wrist before she could flee. "Listen to me." He ordered. "I don't know how, I don't know when, and I don't know where. But one day I will find my way back to you. We will be together again and we will take him down. We will defeat my father."

She scoffed and yanked her arm free. "We can't even hold our own against amateurs like Mindless and Deathless." She reminded him. "How can you expect to take on the best sacrifice in the world?"

"Not the best. The most powerful." Ritsu corrected her. "And one without a fighter. We can take him. We just need time. Perhaps when we're a little older. More mature."

She smiled softly. "I suppose…in time…"

"We will be separated." Ritsu said. "But you are my fighter. I am your sacrifice. No matter what happens, we will always find our way back to each other. That is what it means to be connected."

"Connected…" Her chocolate brown eyes finally met with his. "Yes. That is what it means."

"Then you agree with me? No matter what happens? We will find our way back to one another."

"Agreed." She held out her hand. Her palm faced inward and her last two fingers curled in. "No matter how long we are separated, how far apart we are. We will be one again."

"One and the same." He shook her hand.

"Forever."

TWO YEARS LATER

Ritsu Minami sighed as he tried to keep awake in his third period class. Two years ago, a simple mistake had led to him being forced to trade in his third period "Battle Strategy" class for a third period "Introduction to Film" class. His classmates were all boring. None of them had any depth to them, and they hardly seemed to have personalities. Sure, a few people were nice enough to talk to him sometimes, but no one was really worth a long conversation. It was just like at Seven Voices, except that a couple guys had decided that Ritsu was okay enough to be accepted into their group. He now had a set of three friends, though they weren't the kind of friends he'd see outside of school.

"Minami-kun!" His sensei snapped. "It doesn't appear that you're paying attention to my lesson. Care to explain why not?"

Ritsu stood, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Sumimasen, sensei." He said, bowing a bit. "I got into a major fight with my father yesterday, and things are just not going well. I will try and forget about it and pay more attention in class from now on."

"I'm sorry about your home issues, but keep those at home." His sensei nodded. "Now…"

The bell rang, cutting the rest of the lecture short. His sensei sighed. "That's all for today. Have a good afternoon, everyone."

"Good afternoon, sensei." Ritsu and the others replied, all of them standing and bowing as they spoke.

Along with the rest of his classmates, Ritsu packed up his stuff and left the classroom. He didn't have any reason to stick around. He didn't like the artsy kids, and they didn't like him…whatever he was. "Loser" was probably the only label that would fit him, really. He hated to say it, but he missed Iyani. If she were with him…then maybe…he wouldn't feel so alone in a world full of normal people. He hadn't seen her since they were kicked out of the school. He wondered if she missed him, too. Probably not. He seemed to piss her off more often then he didn't. He knew that where his name was tattooed strained sometimes. Was she calling out to him? He'd never seen it glow, so that couldn't be it. Maybe she was hurt? Or in danger? Or…

Ritsu was snapped from his thoughts when he ran into something…or rather, someone. A startled cry broke out from both parties. Ritsu recognized the other voice as that of Hibiki Agatsuma. Popular kid and school pretty boy. Ritsu didn't like him very much. Sure, the guy was on the top of every girl's 'hot list', as one girl had put it. But he was really just a stuck up idiot who couldn't take care of himself, and was so insecure that he needed a harem of women at his side. Always. Sure enough, two of his usual escorts were kneeling down by his side, trying to help him up. Ritsu brushed his clothes off and offered Hibiki a hand, but he bashed it away like he was disgusted.

"I don't need your help, Minami." Hibiki informed.

"Just thought I'd be nice." Ritsu shrugged. "No need to be a jackass."

"Excuse me?"

Ritsu felt his body tense, ready to fight like he once used to. "You heard me, Agatsuma." He said.

Hibiki snarled, but didn't lunge like Ritsu expected. Instead, he flicked his bangs out of his vision and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're not worth my time." He walked past him, making it a point to rudely shove into him.

Ritsu growled a little and shoved back, making Hibiki spin a little.

"What the hell, Minami?" Hibiki cursed.

"You shoved me first." Ritsu said. "It's natural that I would take advantage of your attack and put it back against you."

"Attack?" Hibiki laughed. "You're not a soldier, moron, stop acting like it." He adjusted his school uniform tie. "Let's go, girls." He said. "We don't want to miss our buses."

The girls 'hmphed' at Ritsu before following Hibiki outside.

"Did you really just try and challenge Hibiki Agatsuma?" One of Ritsu's male classmates asked him. "You know that's suicide, right? He's got friends on every sport team imaginable, and not to mention himself and his harem of women."

"I've fought worse." Ritsu shrugged.

It's not like it was a lie, per say…

"Sure." His classmate rolled his eyes. "Just be careful."

"I will." Ritsu nodded, before leaving his classmate alone to go be alone with his own thoughts.

His father had been nice enough to have a place set up for him to live in. His mother had died when he was four years old, due to complications from a surgery, so he didn't have anywhere to go. Saichiru had hired people to keep watch over him until he turned eighteen, which only made them stay for a year. Now being eighteen, Ritsu still lived under his father's money and the roof he'd put over his head when he kicked him out. Iyani, however, was lucky enough to have both of her parents alive and willing to let her move back in. They were happy to have her home, since her boarding at the school had been an 'unfortunate circumstance of her enrollment', as Ritsu had heard Iyani quote a thousand times before. Sadly, however, they lived in Kyoto. She was nowhere near Ritsu in Tokyo, so he was virtually alone in the middle of a city he'd been to twice in his life. They were six hours apart and had had no contact with one another since they'd been removed from the school. Her parents seemed to blame him. Though he couldn't blame them, Ritsu was still annoyed. They had failed as a unit. That meant that it was neither her fault nor his. But it didn't matter anymore. He still had no way to see his other half. Until they found a way to meet up or contact one another again, they'd have no choice but break the promise they made to each other two years before.

"We will be one again…" Ritsu muttered to himself, shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts as he walked down to his locker.

He reached the metal container and spun his locker's combination, causing it to click. He opened it and started to put away his books.

"Hey, Ritsu!" Ryuunosuke, one of Ritsu's classmates, greeted him. He leaned against the locker to the right of Ritsu's.

Ryuunosuke's friend, Katashi, stood next to him.

"What?" Ritsu wondered, throwing his Japanese workbook into his locker.

"We're going to the arcade after school. Wanna go?" Ryuunosuke wondered, tilting his head up and to the side. He peered down at Ritsu with cold brown eyes.

"I have other plans." Ritsu lied.

He really didn't, but he didn't want to spend time with these morons either. They weren't going to the arcade just to play games. They probably wanted to hit on some girls, or force younger kids to hand over winnings or money.

"You sure?" Katashi wondered. "We can play games and crap. Get food. You know; the usual arcade stuff."

"You two just want to shake down some stupid kids or play games with some young girls' heads, and you know it." Ritsu spoke crossly. He slammed his locked shut. "I don't want any part in things like that."

They both looked shocked.

"How did you…?" Ryuunosuke started, but then stopped. "Whatever. See you around then. Let's go, Katashi."

"Sure thing." Katashi nodded once at Ritsu, flicking the latter's glasses up a bit, before following his friend.

If Ritsu didn't know better, he'd swear that they were a unit; Ryuunosuke the sacrifice and Katashi the fighter. However, neither of them had the aura of a fighter or sacrifice around them, and they were both to stupid to do any real damage; wordspell or otherwise. Then again, considering Ritsu's own track record, he wasn't one to judge. 'Clueless Careless', he'd heard people call himself and Iyani. Their real name was Careless, but they were so bad at what they did that they were considered 'clueless' as well. He hated the nickname, and had made a few units learn that lesson before he left the academy, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He wondered if Iyani put up with being called that. Probably not. She had a knack for getting into fights when insulted. She'd probably made more people learn the lesson of not calling her that to her face then Ritsu had. Ritsu shook his thoughts off and slammed his locker shut. Without another thought about Iyani, he left the school to start an afternoon of freedom.