Hello again! For this next track, we have fast forwarded nine years and young Ritsuka is now 21 (making Soubi 29).
Disclaimer for this short: If you aren't up to date on cannon then there are some spoilers in this short, so read at your own risk!
Rating: M
Song: "The Westerner" By Falling in Reverse
Enjoy!
-Shuichi77-
"Hello?"
"Soubi, come get me."
"Ritsuka?"
"Yeah, now come get me."
"Right away. Where are you?"
"I'm at the clinic still."
"I'll be there right away."
"Good."
*click*
The, now not so small, cat eared boy roughly flipped his cell phone shut before leaning back against the cool stone of the large wall outside the clinic, and slowly slid down it until he was sitting on the concrete with his feet pulled in tight and his arms resting over his knees. He then let out a long sigh before letting his head droop down to stare at the ground, giving the appearance that he was deep in thought when in reality he was using a lot of energy to keep his mind completely blank as he waited for the tall blonde to arrive. His efforts were in vein however, as he found it increasingly difficult to keep his mind from wandering off into his memories of the previous four months. Ritsuka truly hated where he was now and had equally hated where he was and where he had been for those four months. The more he thought on it, the more frustrating it became until he was grinding his teeth slightly as memories and thoughts drifted in and out of his mind. Just as his thoughts became almost unbearable, much to his relief, a sleek black sports car pulled up right in front of him and the tall elegant blonde quickly stepped out to greet him with a wide smile and outstretched arms.
"Ritsuka! It's so wonderful to see you. You look great." As the blonde quickly approached, Ritsuka grabbed his small duffle bag before standing to his feet just in time to be caught in a warm embrace which he returned halfheartedly.
"Hey." Soubi then released the boy to look into his eyes with a joyous expression.
"I've missed you."
"Yeah…I've missed you too." Soubi was then a little hurt by Ritsuka's indifferent tone, but quickly dismissed it as stress from his long stay at the clinic.
"Well, are you ready to go home then?"
"Yeah."
"Alright then." Soubi then gently grabbed the duffle bag from his partner and carried it to the car before putting it in the trunk.
The duo then climbed silently into their respective sides of the car before Soubi started it up with a smile and began the drive home. The drive home, although completely silent, seemed very short to them both and it was no time at all until the car was rolling to a stop in front of the moderately sized one story home that the two had shared together for the past six years. Once the car had come to a complete stop, Ritsuka slowly stepped out of the car and took in a very deep breathe of the cool night air and then exhaled slowly with a great deal of relief that he was once again a free man. He was soon followed by Soubi, who already had his bag in hand, and they walked side by side up the drive way and through the front door of their home. Once inside, Ritsuka quickly slid off his shoes in the doorway before making a beeline for the small couch in the middle of their living room and plopping down into it, letting out a long sigh of relief as he did. Soubi couldn't help but to chuckle slightly at this sight, earning him a somewhat annoyed glare from the smaller boy.
"What's so funny?!" This annoyed outburst only made the blonde chuckle more.
"Sorry, you're just as cute as ever. It seems you're glad to be home though." Ritsuka fought off a slight blush at the blonde's first comment and simply closed his eyes and went back to relaxing before replying in his more normal calm tone.
"You have no idea…" Soubi then gave a small smirk at this before creeping over to the couch to place a sneaky kiss on his lover's forehead, causing him to open his eyes with a small smile.
"Would you like me to make some ramen?" This caused Ritsuka's smile to grow much to Soubi's pleasure.
"That sounds good."
"Alright, I'll get it started right now."
Soubi then sauntered away into the kitchen, leaving Ritsuka to relax on the couch. Ritsuka was in fact very much enjoying the sounds of normality that now surrounded him: the sound of his own shallow breathing, the quiet rumble of water boiling and the scattered shuffling of Soubi's graceful movements as he prepared their diner. It was these small things that brought Ritsuka back into a feeling of true comfort that he hadn't felt in months. This peaceful state was short lived however as the sound of Soubi's voice broke the peace.
"Ritsuka! Diner's ready!"
"Ok!"
Ritsuka then took one last deep relaxing breathe before sluggishly pulling himself from the couch and heading into the kitchen where Soubi had already placed two steaming bowls at opposite ends of the kitchen table. They were both rather quick to sit down, having not eaten in a while, and dug in almost immediately.
"Mmm…this is really good Soubi. It feels like forever since I've had a decent meal." This caused a large satisfied grin to cross Soubi's face.
"I'm glad you like it."
The room then went silent as the duo continued eating peacefully. After a few moments however, Ritsuka's mind again began to wander; this time so much that he had stopped eating altogether and became trapped in his thoughts.
"I believe it's your turn Mr. Aoyagi."
"I'll pass thanks."
"Now you know that that isn't how this program works. Everyone has to share; this is a safe space and nothing said here will leave the group."
"Ugh….fine…"
"Thank you. Now, please, go ahead."
"My name is Aoyagi Ritsuka. I am twenty one years old and…I'm a drug addict."
*silence*
"Go on Mr. Aoyagi."
"Does all this really matter?"
"Yes it does. In order for your healing to begin, you must confront your past to find the source of your addiction."
"Alright alright. Well…my father left us when I was very young; my older brother and I were raised by our mother. She wasn't really much of a mother though…she was always distant. When she was with us though, she was usually very violent, but only towards me. I remember always going to school with cuts or bruises that I had to hide from my classmates."
"And how did you deal with that?"
"I just did…my brother was always there for me. He was the one that raised me and cleaned my wounds. He always told me to run but I never did; I'm not a coward."
"So you and your brother were close?"
"Yeah…he was the only source of stability in my younger years but…he died when I was twelve."
"So how were things at home after that?"
"More or less the same. Mother was more distant and more violent, but I always just accepted my role as her outlet for most of my teenage years until I moved out six years ago."
"Why do you think you allowed yourself to endure that instead of seeking help?"
"Well…I guess…I guess somewhere deep down all I wanted was her love…so I accepted what I could get from her."
"Is that what made you turn to drugs? Your mother's abuse?"
"No…it wasn't just that…"
"Do you think you know what else may have triggered your drug use?"
"Yeah…"
"Please, share with the group."
"…My…my brother…"
"Your brother?"
"My whole life…I had looked up to him. I trusted him and I loved him. He was the only one that was there for me and loved me when no one else did. Then he died…how…how could he…"
"Ritsuka…people come and go from our lives, it is inevitable. You can't continue to harbor anger towards him for that."
"No! You don't know anything!"
"Well please enlighten us."
"It's not that he died. When I was twelve…I met someone. He was weird and always said weird things, but I became very close to him and he brought me into a whole new world that I never knew existed. He taught me so much about myself and my strange world but…in my new world I learned who my brother truly was…"
"And who was he truly?"
"A monster…my brother hurt people all around him. He raped, beat and even killed people. I then learned that he had even faked his death all those years before and when he returned…he hurt me, physically…emotionally. On one occasion he actually left me locked inside a school building for days. Once I entered my new world, I learned that the brother that I knew and loved was a complete lie…everything about him was a lie."
"How did this make you feel Ritsuka?"
"Betrayed, hurt…alone…"
"And how do drugs make you feel?"
"Numb, like the lies don't hurt anymore."
"And what made you come to rehab Ritsuka?"
"Pride, ego, desperation….Soubi…"
*silence*
"Ritsuka? Ritsuka….? Ritsuka…?"
"Ritsuka?"
"Huh? What?" Ritsuka was finally suddenly snapped out of his unwanted flashback by the sultry sound of Soubi's voice, but was slightly embarrassed to see the worried and confused expression on his face.
"You stopped eating…and you weren't answering me."
"It was nothing Soubi, just don't worry about it. I'm sorry." Ritsuka's tone had now switched to a slightly irritated and detached one that only worried Soubi further.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine Soubi."
"Alright…"
Soubi was still worried, but upon seeing Ritsuka return his meal, he did his best to brush it off and continue eating his own meal. All seemed like it was back to some sort of normality as the duo continued their meal but the peace was short lived as Soubi suddenly stood quickly from the table, rattling his bowl as he did. The sudden movement took Ritsuka by surprise and he was quick to respond.
"Soubi! What's wrong?" Soubi was silent for a short moment and Ritsuka noticed that his gaze was fixed firmly at the large bay window of their living room.
"Someone is close by." Soubi's tone was a very serious one and he spoke in a quiet voice, sending Ritsuka into an alerted state and he quickly stood from the table as well.
"You mean a battle pair?" Ritsuka had now also shifted into a very serious tone.
"Yes."
"Can you tell who it is? Or if it involves us or just something happening nearby?"
"I can't make out who it is…but their battle systems have just been engaged. They have also stopped moving less than a mile away. It is only one unit." This caused Ritsuka to calmly walk to be by Soubi's side before speaking in a calm manner.
"What should we do?"
"Well I believe someone might be challenging us, but it is your call." Ritsuka then remained silent in thought for a short moment.
"How powerful?"
"Very." Soubi then turned his gaze from the window to await his master's command which came in a stern tone.
"Let's go." Those words were all Soubi needed to make a bee line for the door in full defense mode.
"Right. I've pinpointed their location; they are at the park."
"Alright; let's go see what this is all about."
"Understood."
With that the duo abandoned their meal and were out the door in a matter of moments, fully prepared for anything they might encounter. It was only about ten minutes before Soubi's finely tuned senses led them to a large clearing in the woods of the park nearby their home. Once they arrived, they were both fully on their guard and each looked around in all directions for the source of the energy flowing all around them. Ritsuka quickly became irritated when he couldn't see any other person around but, due to his now heightened senses, he could sense the energy. They continued to wait in absolute silence, listening for any tiny sound, until an eerie laughter followed by a familiar voice finally rang through both of their ears.
"So…the rumors are true then: Loveless is back on the map. How was your little vacation?" This snide comment riled Ritsuka up even more and he called out to the voice that hid somewhere beyond the tree line.
"Show yourself coward! If you intend to challenge us, then do it properly!"
"Fine, have it your way." Ritsuka and Soubi both then watched on as two figures emerged from the darkness. Soubi then gritted his teeth in anger when he saw the tall, slender, dark haired man that he had come to loath with an incredible passion, followed closely behind by a slightly shorter light haired man that he was also not so fond of. It was Ritsuka whoever, who was the first to address the duo with an irritated and slightly condescending tone.
"Nisei…Yurio…I wasn't aware that either one of you were still alive, let alone battling together." Ritsuka then gave a small smug chuckle at the sight causing Nisei to sneer and spit an angry reply.
"What's so funny you damn brat?"
"Oh I just find it ironic that you, one who was so disgusted by a fighter taking a new Sacrifice, have now yourself taken a new Sacrifice now that Seimei is dead." Nisei then changed his sneer into a cocky smirk before replying.
"Well you now…no reason to stop fighting if I don't have to."
"I see…well to each his own I suppose. But I must say…the name Beloved is so unfitting for you both, especially you Yurio." This caused Nisei's smaller partner to let out a small growl before spiting his retort.
"You know nothing."
"You're right I don't. So why don't you enlighten me a little huh? What happened to your last fighter…? Hideo was it?"
"That's none of your damn business!"
"Fine fine. No need to shout. Let's just cut to the chase then shall we? What do you two want?" Nisei was the one to answer this in a bold tone.
"We are here to make sure that you are wiped off of the face of the planet for good this time." Ritsuka let out a condescending laugh at this.
"Oh really now? You really think you can beat us?" Nisei then shot Ritsuka a nasty glare.
"I do actually. After all…you are just an addict whose name doesn't even match his Sentouki." This comment truly infuriated Ritsuka, but he would never let it show, and instead simply smirked confidently.
"Well…bring it on then." Neither Nisei nor Yurio was pleased with Ritsuka tone and Nisei scowled at the boy before stepping forward slightly to close the distance between them by a few feet.
"We declare this to be a battle of spells!" Soubi then quickly stepped forward to be slightly in front on Ritsuka.
"We accept!" With those words spoken, a large battle radius quickly expanded all around them, encasing them in a large bubble of sorts. As soon as the battle radius had expanded, Soubi sent words flying at lightning speed.
"Shatter! Rip! Tear our enemy to pieces!" These words manifested hundreds of glowing shards to hurdle towards Yurio at incredible speed; so fast in fact, that the attack landed before Nisei could utter a single syllable, causing a large glowing restraint to shoot up from the ground and clamp down firmly onto Yurio's neck. This unexpected turn of events caused Nisei to scowl in disgust as he called out to the tall blonde opposite him.
"How did you do that Soubi? You've never been that fast!" Soubi stayed completely silent and instead allowed his Sacrifice to answer with a cocky smirk.
"You're right…he wasn't; but what you don't know Nisei…" Ritsuka then paused for a moment to give Soubi a silent affirming look. Nisei then watched on curiously as the opposing duo simultaneously rolled up the left sleeve of their shirts to reveal a matching name in elegant cursive letters running up their forearms: Loveless. "…is that Soubi is truly my Sentouki." This came as a complete shock to both Nisei and Yurio; and Nisei was almost speechless.
"W-what…?" Ritsuka was truly reveling in the expression on his enemies face and that expression alone was enough to make him completely forget his sordid past and damaged ego, and now only fueled his pride and enthusiasm.
"That's right…Soubi is stronger than ever because of me. Seimei could have never taken Soubi to this level…he was a failure."
"Shut your mouth brat! Don't you dare talk about Seimei that way!" This only caused Ritsuka to chuckle smugly.
"Oh did I hurt your feelings? It's time to face the facts Nisei, Seimei is dead and gone and all he left behind was a foul reputation and a broken Sentouki." Nisei was now completely silenced by his rage and Yurio finally spoke up to snap him out of it.
"Nisei! Don't listen to him; he is only trying to rile you up. Show him what we can do!" This seemed to finally snap the distraught fighter out of daze and he was quick to send words flying with a furious anger.
"Rupture! Rip the enemy to shreds!"
"Resolve! Nothing can reach us!" Soubi's defense was lightning quick and blew away the oncoming attack before it even came close to Ritsuka. This only angered Nisei further, so much so that he continued on the offensive in a blind rage.
"Shred! Crush! Absolute Destruction! Leave absolutely nothing left of my enemy!" As if to add insult to injury, Soubi remained still and silent for a brief moment as a large wave of pulsating energy came hurdling towards Ritsuka. He waited patiently and calmly until Ritsuka gave the command at exactly the right moment.
"Now Soubi!" As soon as the command was given, Soubi raised a defiant hand toward the attack before speaking in a firm voice.
"Reflect! Intensify by one thousand and return to our enemy!" Then in the blink of an eye, before he knew what had happened, Nisei saw his attack stop dead before glowing brighter and transforming into a wall of crackling flames and begin flying back towards his own Sacrifice.
"D-damn it! No! Defense and Solidify!" Nisei's defense was easily flattened by Soubi's overwhelming power and the attack hit its mark perfectly. It was then only a matter of seconds before Yurio was completely restrained, causing the battle radius to burst and dissolve away, leaving Yurio barely conscious on the ground.
"Victory." With Soubi's final word, Nisei fell helplessly to his knees in shock, completely ignoring his injured Sacrifice. Nisei remained there, completely speechless, until Ritsuka finally walked over to look down at him triumphantly.
"How does it feel? To be the one beaten and alone."
"Just shut it already…"
"No I won't. I want to know Nisei. You must be jealous…now I'm the one holding all the cards, I'm the one with a true partner of my own, and I'm the one that will take away the things you love…" This finally caused Nisei to look up from the ground to look up into Ritsuka's sinister expression with wide eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Ritsuka then put on a devilish smirk as he turned his gazed to the gasping man on the ground only a few feet away. He then began to slowly walk towards him as he continued to speak to Nisei in an eerie tone.
"Oh you don't remember? That night all those years ago, when you and Seimei ambushed me right here in this park…and took Soubi from me." Nisei then watched on with a bitter scowl as Ritsuka took Yurio by his blonde locks and lifted him up onto his wobbly legs, causing him to groan in pain as he did. This sight was enough to send a chill of fear down Nisei's spine and he quickly rose to his feet; even though Yurio was not his true Sacrifice, he still felt the bond that ties a Sentouki and a Sacrifice.
"Ritsuka…I was acting under Seimei's command, you know all too well how he influences people. Now…please just put him down." Ritsuka ignored this request and instead wrenched the injured man's head backwards causing him to cry out slightly.
"I was a child! You knew what you were doing! Besides…I know it was Seimei that took Soubi from me…but it was you that took great care to stay behind and revel in my pain…you're just as sadistic as he was." Nisei let out a deep growl at this and attempted to step forward and take his Sacrifice from the boy holding him, but he was quickly stopped when Soubi grabbed him by the collar of the shirt, holding him in place. This earned Soubi another deep growl and an angry glare from the dark haired man before he returned his attention to Ritsuka.
"So what is it that you want Ritsuka? What are you trying to prove?!"
"Oh I have nothing to prove to anyone. All I want is for you to feel the pain that you have afflicted on so many others…" Ritsuka then gave a very sinister smirk as he moved his free arm to coil tightly around Yurio's neck causing him to gasp for air. "…I want to take something precious of yours away from you."
"No! Stop it!" Nisei was now desperately trying to break free of Soubi's grasp as Yurio began to grab and claw at Ritsuka's strong arm that was tightening even further around his wind pipe; Ritsuka laughing slightly all the while.
"It doesn't feel so good to be the helpless one does it Nisei?"
"No it doesn't ok! Please don't kill him!" Ritsuka then gave one last smirk before dropping the blonde to the ground, who began coughing and gasping for air.
"I'm not going to kill him…I'm not my brother. I'm better than him and I'm better than you." Nisei let out a small sigh of relief before quickly returning to a slightly panicked and confused state.
"What the hell do you want you crazy brat?! Why are you doing this?!" This caused a very scary expression to cross Ritsuka's face as he began to walk towards the man that Soubi was still holding hostage, until he was only inches from his face.
"Why…? You…you have no idea what I have been through…what Seimei has put me through. Even in death he haunts me and his words nag at the back of my brain. That man…that monster, has brutalized me and everyone that I have ever loved…and you have been the tool of his atrocities." Nisei then watched on in horror as Ritsuka's expression turned into one of pure madness and he was suddenly let go by Soubi, only to be caught by the collar of his jacket by the boy in front of him. "But you know what the funny part is…even though I am the one that paid the price for everything that Seimei has ever done; every single thing he has done to me has only made me stronger. My time in rehab taught me that."
R-Ritsuka…I-I'm sorry for everything…" This pitiful sentiment only caused Ritsuka to burst out in a sinister laughter.
"You can drop the act Nisei, I'm done with your games." This did indeed cause Nisei to return to his usual snide sneer.
"Fine…but are you done with the lecture yet?"
"Oh I'm just about finished. There is just one last thing that I need to do…" The tone in Ritsuka's voice snapped Soubi out of his obedient silence to try and get through to his Sacrifice, who he could see was slipping into a dark place.
"Ritsuka…I think you've made your point. Let him go and let's go home. He isn't worth it." Ritsuka was none too pleased with this interruption and shot his Sentouki a fiery glare.
"No Soubi! This is something I need to do."
"No you don't. I thought that your time at the clinic dealt with all these feelings." Soubi's tone was now a very pleading one.
"It did…but some things can't be forgiven. You know far too well what he has put us both through."
"Ritsuka please…don't." The look in Soubi's eyes caused Ritsuka to let out an angry sigh before releasing the collar of Nisei's jacket, letting him fall to the ground. Ritsuka then walked over to be right by Soubi's side.
"Soubi…do you remember what you told me? What it was like being used by Seimei. Don't you remember how they both treated you? Holding you captive and using Seimei's influence over you at will." These words sunk deep into Soubi's heart and memories of the past quickly came flooding back, one in particular.
"I do remember all that Ritsuka…but I have put all of that in my past…"
"But Sou-" Ritsuka's words were quickly cut off by the blonde who now looked at him with a fierce spark in his eyes.
"But I will never forget the day I was taken from you…" Ritsuka was then slightly surprised to see Soubi take a few steps before taking Nisei's collar into his large hands, pulling him up to eye level. "It was you that sent me that picture…I'll never forget the sight of Ritsuka alone and crying. You did that…and I'll never forgive you." This quickly caused Ritsuka to return to his darker side and he stepped forward to be standing next to Soubi and looking into Nisei's frightened eyes with a wide sinister smile.
"So what shall his punishment be Soubi?" Soubi replied with a calm tone and a stern expression with his eyes never leaving Nisei's.
"I have an idea…" Soubi then once again dropped the now genuinely frightened man to the ground before extending a hand and placing a single finger gently on his forehead.
"Suffocation…steal every breathe from these lungs." Ritsuka was more than pleased to hear these words from his Sentouki and couldn't help but to add a snide remark.
"Now don't you see…I'm the best at what I do." Nisei's eyes then grew wide in panic as it slowly became harder and harder to breath. Yurio could only watch on and call out to his Sentouki from his own place on the ground.
"Nisei!" Ritsuka and Soubi both completely ignored the man's cry and kept their eyes fixed on their victim. Ritsuka watched on happily has Nisei gasped desperately for air and his face grew pale. He then waited until Nisei was taking his final few breathes to lean down to whisper to him in a sinister voice, the last words he would ever hear.
"When you see Seimei, tell him…I'll see him in hell."