Chapter eleven: Night

"Absolutely not."

"You have to let me," Soubi insisted, almost growling now as he followed Foreman past the nurse's station. "I'm the only one who can answer the questions. To get to him, you have to talk to me."

"I already told you, you are not going to sit in at a team diagnosis meeting!"

Soubi whirled on him, stopping Foreman dead in his tracks. "Listen to me; I am going to sit in on that meeting no matter what you say. The day you took Ritsuka in as a patient, I became a part of your team. I'm not the kind of idiot who stands around waiting for something to happen like a normal friend or somebody. I don't care what it takes to diagnose him. Hell, I'd do anything and if that means sitting in at this damn diagnosing meeting, I'm going to do it even if it means pushing some conceited doctor out of the way."

"You know, you're different from the people most patients have at their bedsides," Foreman stated, continuing to walk.

"Oh Really?" Soubi glared at him.

"I can see why House takes an interest in you and this case. Fine, you can come but I don't think House will be happy about it."


House capped the marker as Foreman entered the room. He had just finished writing the last couple symptoms, hyporeflexia and migraines. He glanced up to see Soubi standing at the back of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a particular expression on his face.

"What's he doing here?" House asked Foreman.

Foreman shrugged, "He wanted to come. We have to let him sit in."

"Alright. Take a guess. Let's see who's right." House motioned to the board.

"Um…" Chase started nervously, "Drugs… would explain everything?"

"No. There's no way." Soubi gave him a nasty look.

"For the record, you don't exactly know that."

"No," House shook his head. "Drugs are just stupid. The kid's what like twelve? Thirteen? We went through his room and found no traces of drugs. Plus, this guy's with him all the time. Wouldn't he know if he was on drugs? Next time, suggest something less idiotic."

"Crohn's disease," Foreman offered up. "Disease of the colon. It would explain the inflammation, the fatigue, the fevers, seizures, headaches, even the stroke."

"And the psychosis? We can't just ignore the fact that he tried to jump off a building," Chase argued.

"It would have to be something else with Crohn's disease."

"Keep guessing," House told them.

"Subdural hematoma!" Chase piped up suddenly. "His mother is abusive, right? He could have shaken baby syndrome. You know SBS."

"No," Soubi repeated. "His mother wasn't abusive until two years ago. Does subdural hematoma explain the dementia?"

"No…"

"He lost his memory two years ago. Nobody knows what from. He changed completely. Became a completely different person."

A completely different person. That meant something, probably another symptom. People didn't change, symptoms changed people. House's mind worked over this statement as he wrote down personality change as a symptom.

"House," Soubi said, "Cross that off."

"Why?"

"It was part of a spell, I'm positive," Soubi told him in Japanese. "I know a spell with similar effects. You can't say anything to Ritsuka, I haven't told him yet."

Disappointed, House put a single line through the last symptom and stepped back to analyze the board.

"What'd you say to make him do that?" Questioned a shocked Chase.

"I'll never tell," Mischief gleamed in Soubi's eyes, "Anyways, what else could it be?"

"Guillain-Barré syndrome," Foreman put out.

"There's no paralysis and that doesn't have anything to do with the delusions," House objected. "You were half right before. Think a little more obvious."

House's words were met with blank stares. Nobody said anything. They were all lost in thought, trying to think of what House wanted them to. Then, after a few minutes, a look of knowing came on to Chase's face.

"Multiple Sclerosis and Crohn's disease," He concluded. "That's got to be it."

House clapped mockingly, "Well it's about time! Do the MRI tomorrow. Watch for more symptoms. If it is MS other symptoms should present themselves pretty quickly."


It had been a horrible dream. He had been all alone, and had found himself running through the streets, trying to find someone. He went to Soubi's apartment, only to be forced to watch the man be brutally murdered.

He fought to wake up, and when he had he was in tears and tangled in the blankets. He wiped his tearing eyes and glanced over at where he knew Soubi would be. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him fast asleep and clearly alive. Ritsuka had apparently been asleep for over twelve hours since the digital clock on the bedside read 2:34 AM and Soubi was wearing different clothes.

Ritsuka smiled, observing that Soubi had fallen asleep while presumably sketching. The lamp on the end table next to the couch was still on and a black leather book lay open on his chest. He also was still wearing his glasses.

Ritsuka carefully lowered himself down from the bed and felt the cold floor brush against the bottoms of his feet. He shivered, feeling how cold it was without the warmth of the blankets and slowly made his way over to Soubi. He kneeled and peered closely at the sleeping man. He looked more at peace, instead of his usual worried, stressed persona.

Blushing lightly, Ritsuka pushed the hair out of Soubi's face and removed his glasses from his face. He was glad to have him in his life, even if he tried to deny it. Soubi had become a source of comfort for him. He was somebody that would remember him even if he disappeared. Sensei would forget, Yayoi would forget, hell, even Yuiko would forget after some time, but Soubi would never forget. Never.

As Ritsuka prepared to get up, Ritsuka's eyes caught the book on Soubi's chest again. Curiously, Ritsuka picked it up and flipped to the front page. The first page was clearly ripped out, but Ritsuka could see where a date and part of a name had been written. It was dated three years back with the letters underneath it read A-O-I and another line read S-E-I. It must have been a drawing of Seimei, Ritsuka thought with an odd pang of jealousy.

The next page was completely blank. After that Ritsuka found himself looking at a strangely accurate sketch of himself. Next to it was Ritsuka's name written in Soubi's neat handwriting. Along with it were a few notes about him like He likes the rain, He blushes whenever I touch him, and I'm actually falling in love with him. His face was beat red as he turned the next few pages to see a couple more sketches of himself. Others were of the different people that Soubi knew such as Kio or the Zero boys. The last few were of House, Thirteen, Foreman, Chase, and an American woman Ritsuka didn't know.

The last page written on was a letter addressed to Kio.

Kio-

As you know I've left Japan on a two-month trip to America. The way things are going right now there is a high chance I may never return. Ritsuka is sick and I am worried he is facing death (Ritsuka had to look closely to make that word out, as it had been erased many times). I am currently at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Four doctors, one of whom is one of the best in the world, are looking at Ritsuka's condition.

I figured that I should write this letter to you since you are my only friend. If I don't return it is because I have nothing else to live for in the occurrence that Ritsuka dies. It isn't that I have given up my own life. If you will call Doctor Gregory House at this hospital, he will be able to tell you where I've gone and he will explain everything. I ask you to take care of Natsou and Yoji and see to their well being for me. I apologize for the suddenness of this letter but it was needed. If you receive this letter it means I have made up my mind. Goodbye.

-Soubi

Ritsuka held the letter in his hands, tears falling freely from his eyes now. It was clearly a piece of paper that Soubi had never intended for him to find. It meant that Soubi understood that he was dying and the doctors couldn't figure out the unknown.

A whimper escaped the small Sacrifice's lips as he wondered what Soubi was planning to do. He was dying, he realized. He was dying fast. He wanted to live. Not more than a year ago, Ritsuka had thought there was no more point in his day-to-day life. He had thought life was a chore. Now, life was different. He had something to live for.

Or rather, someone.

"…Ritsuka?" Ritsuka was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Soubi's voice. His blue eyes were open and he was looking at him, but otherwise he hadn't moved from his previous position. Ritsuka was speechless, mainly because he'd been caught red-handed going through Soubi's notebook. "Oh," Soubi glanced down. "Is that my book? Could you give me my glasses? I can't see too well without them."

"Yeah, sure," Ritsuka said, wiping his eyes and handing Soubi his glasses.

"Are you crying?" Soubi took the book from his hands and looked at the page Ritsuka had been reading.

"No," Ritsuka lied, wiping his face with his sleeve again.

"You saw the letter I wrote, didn't you?" Soubi sat up and took one of Ritsuka's hands. "Do you want me to explain it to you?"

"Yeah…" Ritsuka answered, trying hard to keep from breaking out in tears again.

"There's a spell, Ritsuka. If I use this spell when you're about to die, you won't."

Ritsuka sniffled, remembering something he had learned in science class, "…Where's the catch? Something has to be transferred. Nothing can just be created. Not even in a spell." (1)

Soubi took a deep breath, "You're not going to like this."

"Tell me what the damn catch is!" Ritsuka snapped more harshly than he meant to. He was actually more desperate than mad.

Soubi grabbed him, hugging him tightly. "I die, that's the catch," He murmured into his ear, nearly crushing Ritsuka. The boy let lose a quiet sob and let himself be held for a moment before wriggling out of the other's grasp.

"You can't do that," Ritsuka told him firmly, "I won't let you."

"Why not? Ritsuka, you so much more to live for, and I don't."

No. This could not be happening. How could Soubi think that?! Was it really one of them die or the other?

"I love you, idiot!" Ritsuka yelled. "That's why!"

"R-Ritsuka?" Soubi was visibly shocked at Ritsuka's outburst. "Are you okay?" He leaned forward and felt Ritsuka's head with the back of his hand.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you for the past two days! I'm in love with you, dammit!" Ritsuka hadn't even meant to say it… it had just come out. He didn't regret it, though, since it was the way he felt, but he still felt wracked with nervousness.

And Soubi was smiling. Of all things, he was smiling. "I love you too, Ritsuka," He finally said, reaching forward and grabbing Ritsuka's hand, "I have from the very start."

Tears streamed down Ritsuka's face again, but this time it wasn't because he was scared. Instead he felt rather…happy. He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute and a blush spread across his face. For the first time, he was the first to wrap his arms around the older man. Soubi hugged him back, but then stiffened after a moment.

"Ritsuka!" He pushed the boy away and glanced at his arms. "Your heart and… What's that on your arms?"

Ritsuka glanced down to find his arms covered in different colored bumps. "H-Huh?" He stumbled backwards, feeling faint again, and crashed into the table. His head hit it hard and the darkness closed in on him.


(1) The first person who can guess that scientific law gets either a writing request or a sketch from me! Its extremely easy ;)

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