Hokay, here's chapter 7 everyone. Thank everyone sooooo much for your lovely reviews! I'm glad that people actually like my writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Loveless but, I do own my wacky mind which I'd sell on ebay if the price was right...

----------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7

"Ritsuka-kun!" Yuiko ran to catch up with the dark-haired boy.

He looked up at her as she caught up and walked beside him.

She smiled broadly at his cheerful expression. "You look much happier today than you did yesterday. Is it because you made up with Soubi-san?"

"Ye- uhh...what are you talking about?"

"Come on Ritsuka-kun, you seemed really out of it and sad yesterday. If it wasn't about him, then what else could it have been?" She questioned. "Now come on, I'm sure that your 'protector' is waiting for you." She pulled his arm with a giggle.

Where had she heard that?

---------

The two met Soubi outside of the school standing in his usual spot.

"I'll be going now, bye you guys." Yuiko said, turning to leave.

"Yuiko." Soubi said cooly.

She stopped, "What is it, Soubi-san?" She inquired, tilting her head.

"I wonder if you'd like to come over to the apartment with Ritsuka and I." The man not so much asked, as stated.

Ritsuka looked up at the man, confusion on his face.

The girl's face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. "That would be wonderful, but I can't stay too late."

"Of course." Soubi said, as they walked.

---------------------------

The three walked into the apartment.

Yuiko looked around the room. "This place is so cool." She breathed, taking in the paintings scattered about. One in particular caught her eye.

It was a blue butterfly, being carried by a breeze over a field of lovely violets.

Ritsuka took advantage of the distraction. "Soubi, can I talk to you for a second?" There was a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

"Of course Ritsuka. Yuiko could you excuse us for a moment?" She nodded.

Ritsuka closed the door behind them as they entered the room that they shared. He turned to the older man. "Soubi, why did you invite Yuiko over here?"

"Why?"

"You must have some reason." The boy persisted.

"No, I just thought that since she's always stuck in her house alone for a few hours before her parents come home, that perhaps she might want to spend some time with friends. I'll happily cook dinner for us all."

The sacrifice scowled at him.

----------------

Youji stuck his head out of Kio's room.

The older man hadn't come home that night so that gave he and Natsuo some more time alone than they'd expected. After Soubi yelled at them, that is.

"Loveless brought home a girl." He said quietly into the room. "Well then, let's go get acquainted with her." Natsuo said with a glint in his eye as he pushed him out the door.

Yuiko looked up as she saw the two boys walk into the room. They walked over and sat on either side of the pink-haired girl.

"Pretty cute, isn't she?" The sacrifice asked.

The fighter nodded in reply. "How old are you?" He asked. "Umm...twelve." She replied nervously. They were sitting very close to her.

"What a coincidence, so are we, Loveless too." The burgundy-haired boy said.

Youji poked the side of her breast. "You're breasts are huge, are you sure you're in elementary school?"

"Hey, are you Loveless' woman?" The other asked. "Who?"

The two grinned and Natsuo shook his head, "Rit-su-ka." He said, deliberately emphasizing each syllable.

She blushed. "Umm...I..."

---------------

In their room, somehow Ritsuka had lost all semblance of authority and was now being backed into a corner by his, much taller and stronger fighter.

"Sou- Soubi...Yuiko is just out in the living room what if sh-" He was cut off by Yuiko screaming his name.

---------------

They burst through the door and saw Yuiko in-between the boys of Zero. When the three looked up, Soubi glared at the other fighter-sacrifice combo.

Yuiko ran to Ritsuka's side. "Ritsuka-kun, they were being mean and really weird." She whined.

"Tell me that you boys weren't dumb enough to do anything to this girl." Soubi stated, a warning tone to his voice.

"Of course not." They replied in unison, feigning innocence.

"Apologize for causing her distress." The man stated sternly, folding his arms.

"Sorry." Natsuo said. "Yeah, sorry...but it's her fault flaunting those things at her age." The sacrifice mumbled the last part.

"Where were you guys anyway?" Ritsuka asked. "We didn't see you when we got here."

The pair snickered, but didn't answer.

Soubi glanced at them, he could guess what they had been doing. How had they managed to retain their ears with all that they did? "Well then, Yuiko-chan, how about I introduce you to these two miscreants? This is Natsuo and Youji." He gestured to them in turn.

"I guess I'll get started on dinner, you kids should really eat better anyway." He walked into the kitchen and began to take out items with which to make a meal.

"So Ritsuka..." Youji began teasingly. "...is this girl your woman?"

"If you tell us we might not...get to know her better." Natsuo said with a smirk, twirling the bottom of one of Yuiko's pink pig-tails.

"No, Yuiko is not." He replied taking her hand and leading her back to the couch, making sure to seat her at the end.

The girl's heart felt a twinge of sadness at his words. She wished that she could be his girlfriend...

"It's an easy mistake to make the way that you're keeping her all to yourself. I wonder...is your fighter jealous?"

Ritsuka's cheeks turned a slightly rosier shade.

Soubi smiled to himself as he heard the object of his affection stumbling over his words as he searched for an appropriate answer.

Things are definitely interesting having those two here...

Yuiko only added to the fun because Ritsuka had to be cautious of what he said with her around (although Youji and Natsuo didn't seem to care the way that they called him Loveless and spoke of fighters and the like.)

He thought that he'd end the torment for at least a little while. "Dinner is almost ready, you four should go and wash up."

"Should but..." Youji started, a smart tone to his voice. He stopped himself when Soubi turned and locked his blue eyes with green ones. The boy grabbed his fighter's hand and dragged him into the bathroom.

The older fighter knew that it wasn't the best idea to leave them alone, but it got them out of his hair for a while. Over the past few months, he had come to find that certain things could get those boys to do anything he asked, namely threats, especially ones that involved grabbing them by their tails and leaving them at the Septuple Moons .

No, they didn't particularly care for that one at all.

"So, you live here now?" Yuiko asked, surprise evident in her voice. "Yeah."

"What's it like? I mean, doesn't Soubi have a roommate too?"

"You mean Kio? Well, he's okay, a little weird, but he's almost never here. It's nice here, Soubi cooks for me even if I tell him not to." Ritsuka said with a laugh. "...He takes care of me."

Surprisingly, the Zero boys came out of the bathroom a little while later. Albeit their hair was a bit more messed up than it had been, Soubi noticed.

"Come and sit everyone." He said, pulling out a chair. "Yuiko-chan, you sit here."

They sat down at the small table and Soubi brought out dinner. The meal consisted of: steamed carrots and curry.

"So Yuiko, what time do you have to be home by?" Soubi asked. "5:30, any later and my parents will think that I've been kidnaped." She answered with a smile.

Good, the boys won't be able to do anything particularly mischievous in that short amount of time...hopefully...

Zero flashed each other smiles. "We'd be happy to walk you home Yuiko-chan." Natsuo said innocently.

The girl, as naive as she is, nodded. She had already forgiven them for freaking her out just a little while before.

"Thanks that would be very helpful. It's really not too far from here." She said, taking a bite of carrot."Soubi-san this is really delicious."

Soubi shook his head. Sometimes he worried about that girl...

He glanced across the table at Ritsuka. The boy was busy dodging suggestive glances from the other boys that it took him a second to notice. He looked up and seeing blue eyes gazing at him in such a way brought a blush to his cheeks, he smiled at the man.

Soubi smiled inside, all was well. Ritsuka and he had made up, they were enjoying a lovely dinner together (though, there were a few other people there) and he, once again was graced with that enchanting smile he loved.

Yuiko's voice caused him to come back to reality. Ritsuka broke their gaze and, for a moment, wished that pink-haired girl wasn't there...

Where had that come from?

He had felt his heart speed up when his eyes locked with the older man's he couldn't help but smile. Soubi had always had a way of awakening confusing feelings in him...

"So, Ritsuka-kun, what subject are you going to do your science project on?" Project?...oh yes, the one that their teacher had mentioned today. Now what was it supposed to be about?

"You two have a project? What's it about?" Soubi asked. He wasn't really interested but, just wanted to know more about his sacrifice's school life.

"Oh, it's about animals!" She said with glee, causing the man to innerly cringe. "We have to research any animal that we choose and make a report about where it lives, what kind of food it eats..."

Natsuo furrowed his brows.

Jeez, this girl is way too happy, at least we can have some fun with her when we walk her home. I'm bored...I know...

Natsuo began to twirl his hair 'supposedly' absent-mindedly. He knew what he was doing.

Youji watched his fighter twirl his hair. To anyone else, it just looked like he was bored, but to him, it was torture. The way that he sighed, the light pink color in his cheeks, how he twirled his burgundy hair around his finger...

The green-eyed boy began to shift in his seat.

Out of the corner of his eye, his fighter saw this, it was just the reaction he was hoping for. He licked his lips, his tail swishing behind him.

Ritsuka was looking at, and then quickly away from Soubi, as confused as ever about the butterflies in his stomach. Likewise Soubi was looking at Ritsuka, his gaze unfleeting. He was thinking, of course about his young sacrifice, not the reaction he was causing in him but, many questions that were flowing through his mind and Yuiko was...Yuiko.

The pink-haired girl dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin and looked at her watch. "Oh, I have to go." She announced.

"Well then, if everyone is finished, I'll take the dishes." Soubi said, standing up.

"I'll help." Yuiko said, standing as well.

"Nonsense, guests needn't help clean up. You've already given us the pleasure of your company." The older man said warmly, placing a plate in the kitchen sink.

Yuiko smiled brightly, "See you tomorrow, Ritsuka-kun. Thank you very much for having me Agatsuma-san."

Ritsuka waved as she walked out the door with the Zero boys. He picked up his plate and joined Soubi in the kitchen. "Do you think that she'll be alright?" He asked worriedly.

"...Don't worry, Ritsuka, the boys wouldn't do anything too bad to her." He hoped...

Soubi placed a reassuring hand on the dark-haired boy's arm. After a moment, Ritsuka turned. "I-I'm kind of tired, if you don't need any help here, I'll go to bed."

"I'm fine, I'll get Natsuo and Youji to finish up when they get back."

-----------------------------

Giggling, the boys opened the door and walked into the apartment, their hands intertwined.

"You two are home awfully late, you did leave about...two hours ago." The flaxen-haired fighter said from the couch, placing his cigarette in an ashtray.

"We didn't do anything to her, if that's what you mean." Youji stated. "Yeah, we dropped her off, just like we said we would..." The younger fighter said.

Soubi arched an eyebrow.

"...and then we played in the park." He finished with a smile.

"It's a bit late to be playing, don't you think?"

The boys just looked at each other and giggled. "We're staying in Kio's room tonight, if that's okay." The mint-green haired boy said. The older fighter just leaned back on the couch.

The boys took this as a 'yes' and left the room.

He didn't care what they did, as long as he didn't hear any of it. Right now, he was just happy to have some time to think without any distractions.

------------------------------------------------

Yay, another chapter out of the way. I hope you liked it.

Please review!