"Soubi, what's going on?"

Ritsuka was agitated, pacing about the room. As soon as he had heard that piercing scream and the crash, the security protocol was triggered. Reinforced steel doors had slid over the handsome oak entrance, effectively sealing the pair inside the vault. Ritsuka took to pacing, straining to hear the faint voices outside. "Soubi!"

The other man was sitting cross legged on the plush carpet, eyes closed, a still pool on the surface, fighting the terrible currents underneath. They were safe for now, and obviously the Zero team had confronted Seimei outside, but their safe haven would quickly become a steel trap if the young pair loses. Finally, he opened his eyes, answering his frantic master. "Yes, Ritsuka?"

"What's going on?" the young boy repeated, crouching down in front of Soubi.

"It appears there's a battle going on outside," Soubi replied serenely, the frayed edges of the battle system interfering with his own concentration. Two immense forces were tearing at each other, charging the air with an electric quality.

"Between?"

"Zero and Beloved," he murmured, noticing how Ritsuka's small hands tightened into fists at the last name, brow furrowed.

"Who's winning?"

Soubi shook his head. "Hard to tell. Beloved's Sacrifice is not participating"

"You mean Seimei, right?" Ritsuka asked anxiously, oblivious to the discomfort the name caused the other, even now. "He's here though, isn't he?"

Soubi sighed, simply pulling the other into his lap, his long arms easily securing the other against his chest. "Just be quiet and try to listen."

"Listen to what-" he tried to protest, before the older man shushed him.

"Close your eyes, and try to feel for the edge of the battle system."

Ritsuka complied quietly, lost in the sudden darkness behind his eyelids, recognizing the other's steady heartbeat against his ear, soothing him a little. Aside from that, he couldn't feel much of anything, until instinctively he felt the edge of a stillness he had only known in the midst of an engagement. It was like a cold breeze on the back of his neck, raising the hair along his skin rather unpleasantly.

Focusing, he could feel two colliding energies- the merciless solidarity of the Zeroes, and the feral anger of the Fighter who must be Nisei. Entranced, he looked deeper, making out the vague outline of three figures, and then suddenly jolted out of Soubi's arms by an explosion that shook the entire room.

--

Outside of that sealed vault, blood had already been drawn. Nisei was clutching his right arm, the sleeve darkened with blood, while the Zeroes shifted to an offensive stance, preparing a spell.

"We who fear nothing and feel nothing will reduce you to nothing-!" they incanted together, sending cruel chains at the other to end the match.

"Things that are nothing cannot hurt me," Nisei countered, grinning and grimacing as both spells deflected off each other. The pain in his arm was edging into numbness, though the bone was most likely broken. He couldn't afford to fall here though; there too much at stake- for one, Seimei's punishment would be far worse than any damage inflicted by these pups. Nisei could tolerate any sort of physical reprimand, but the comparisons were always the worst. Every gasp and frown had to be pointed out against that abhorrent dog- Soubi's- perfect record. The rage flared in his chest, as he was caught off guard by Zero's spell.

"Brutality! Strike at old wounds, twist the bone and rend the flesh!"

Nisei screamed, the pain returning again like a fire, wiping the counter spell from his mind completely.

"Restrain where sleeping dogs should lie!"

"Oh dear. What are you doing, Nisei?" Seimei inquired in that aloof tone of his, as the tight leather straps bound Nisei's wrist and throat.

"I apologize," he spat, still managing to stand under the weight of three restrictions. Raising his bloodied arm to them in defiance, he shouted, "Blood of life, negate the loss of feeling!"

"Let the life blood drain, and leave those who oppose us reeling," Natsuo countered, smirking as they could both feel the victory at hand.

"We feel nothing, Seimei. You'll never win, even if you helped your half dead fighter," Youji said mockingly.

Seimei appeared to consider this, before smiling slightly, perfectly benign if not for the unsettling look in his eyes. "You're right," he said calmly, jerking Nisei on his feet by the back of his shirt, surreptitiously wiping his hand after. "Nisei, we're going to use 'that'"

Nisei nodded grimly, already beyond reason and rage, possessing only the simple and feral urge to destroy. "Blasphemous cries, fuel the flames to consume my enemies. This bond will be the 'sacrifice', for an even exchange." he grinned, clutching a glimmering thread in his hands, pulling it taut as a ring of flames rose, effectively cutting off a chance for retreat.

"Monster!" Nagisa screeched, realizing what they were about to do. "You'll kill your own Fighter to win?! You're-" she bit back her words in disgust.

"He's mine. I'm sure you, the creator of the Zeroes, understand what it means to be 'dispensable'." Seimei shot back, hands in his pockets. "Now do it," he commanded.

"Youji, Natsuo, stand down!" Nagisa ordered.

"There's nowhere to go!" Natsuo shouted, trying to shield his Sacrifice, words of power and pain forgotten in the instant he seriously considered that Youji- and he would die, when that thread was broken. Watching those cruel hands pull at the ends like the wings of a helpless insect, he looked away, clutching Youji to him as a sharp and terrible pain struck him, knocking the breath from his lungs, before vanishing as quickly as it had struck.

Natsuo looked up, his view obscured by Nagisa's back as she had stepped in front of them, clenched fist held out to the opposition, as if in protest. She swayed, before crumbling, the front of her blouse stained with a crimson blossom. Youji and Natsuo rushed to her side, trying to staunch the blood.

"Sensei!" Youji cried, as her fist uncurled, revealing her seal that had been sliced neatly in two halves.

"Tsk," Seimei murmured, stepping over Nisei's motionless body, brushing past the three to stand in front of the vault door. "So, she invalidated that battle. It was pointless, I don't need her anyway." He cleared his throat, knocking on the door. "I know you're in there, Soubi," he said with a twisted grin, his next words offering no room for refusal. "Now, why don't you open the door."

---

It was happening again. The words cut through the heavy vault door, reaching into his chest and ripping out his free will. Soubi found his hand already on the key pad, ready to tear out the circuitry and force the door open.

"Soubi! What are you doing?!" Ritsuka shouted, pushing the older man's hand away, placing himself between the door and his Fighter. He wasn't going to let this happen again- he couldn't afford to.

"Stand back, Ritsuka," Soubi said, jaw clenched.

"No!" Ritsuka protested vehemently. "You don't have to- you said you didn't want to anymore-"

"I'm sorry."

"Soubi!" The young boy pleaded.

"You have to move."

"Or what? Are you going to kill me? Because of his order?!" He fought to keep his voice steady, eyes stinging with tears.

"Please, Ritsuka," Soubi was actively fighting the terrible compulsion to obey, to fulfill his duty, at all costs according to the letters emblazoned on his neck. "Don't make me do this."

"You don't have to do anything, why can't you understand that?!" The incensed boy tried to explain, arms spread out defiantly.

"Ritsuka-" Soubi panted, hands seizing those slim wrists, pinning them above the boy's head, against the wall. "Please-"

Those black eyes widened in surprise, breaking his heart. Everything about his Sacrifice looked frighteningly fragile, and in that instant he despised himself and his extensive and unwanted knowledge of exactly how much one can take before breaking.

Ritsuka looked back at the eyes of his Fighter, refusing to break down, forcing himself to fight back against those blank eyes, the other's body much to close to his, Soubi's entire existence threatening to smother him in an unstoppable wave of warmth.

"Geez, we're out there putting our lives on the line and you two are just getting it on?" A familiar, insolent voice demanded, as they both turned to see Natsuo standing by the open entrance.

"What...?" Soubi murmured, the rest of the world coming back into focus, that painful pressure on his chest lifting.

"Where's Seimei?" Ritsuka cut in, slipping out of the other's slack grip.

"He was waiting for that useless guy to open the door, but didn't count on us having these," he explained, holding out a half of Nagisa's seal. "Sensei's hurt pretty badly, they just got her to a hospital. Youji went with her," he explained, pocketing the metal shard. "So yeah, we don't know where he went. He took Nisei too, so my guess is that guy is still alive. Unfortunately." he finished venomously.

Ritsuka nodded, slipping his hands into the pocket of his sweatshirt, before walking out into the blazing sun, where time seemed to resume again, cars speeding and people walking, filling the dead silence with life.

Soubi nodded gratefully to Natsuo, before leaving to follow behind the young boy until they reached the door to his own residence.

"Do you want dinner?" Soubi offered as they entered, slipping off his shoes in the entryway.

"I'm tired."

"Do you want a bath?" he persisted, masking his anxiety.

"I'm going to sleep." Ritsuka replied, leaving his jacket on the back of the kitchen chair, climbing into bed wearily.

"If that's what you want," Soubi whispered, kneeling by the one, one hand in his hair, stroking those soft black ears. Ritsuka moved over, out of his reach.

"There's room for you too," The young boy mumbled from under the covers.

"Thank you," Soubi said with a sad smile, lying down beside him. "For forgiving me," he added silently to himself, as they fell asleep in the darkness.

A/N: I typically don't do author's notes, but I just felt the need to apologize to anyone still reading this for the erratic updates. I'm working on consistency, because I really would like to finish this story before I graduate. One can dream, right?