...
Pledged
...
They were eating dinner while Nagisa and Ritsu were tending to the unknown pair.
- I don't get it – Nisei was jabbing his fish with chopsticks furiously – Why would they run away?
No one was able to provide a sure answer.
- Maybe they got frightened? – Ritsuka suggested, playing with his rice.
- Right – Soubi snorted – They were strong enough to hope to handle him.
- Exactly – Seimei sounded as cool as always – They were strong enough to *hope* to handle him, but not enough to be *sure* of it. It suggests they were more afraid of giving us an opportunity to measure their power than to learn their name, because they fled without killing the other pair.
- How weird! I'd take the challenge if I were them – Nisei's fish was in a pitiful state.
- I don't doubt it – Seimei didn't appear to be happy with that – You have that pathetic need to prove yourself whenever an opportunity arises.
The fighter's cheek got pink and he choked back a retort, conscious of Soubi's mocking smirk.
- It only means you're not capable of having an ulterior motive – Seimei continued with his unfair accusation, for Nisei was very capable of having an ulterior motive – And you act on your instincts – the sacrifice was so exhausted with the trip that made him so afraid for his fighter's well-being that he did what was his natural defence in such cases: he took it out on Nisei.
- Seimei – Ritsuka called his brother softly – I think you're unjust. His actions probably saved their lives – he tugged at his sleeve – It's normal for him as a fighter to crave challenge – he stopped under Seimei's hard glare.
- It's my personal affair how I treat my fighter – he spat – You'd better take care of yours.
- I do – Ritsuka shot back hotly – And I dare to claim I'm far better at it than you are – he grasped Soubi's hand under a table.
Seimei laughed spitefully:
- You're perfect at spoiling him. The thing is, animals need a strong hand.
- Soubi's not an animal – Ritsuka stated calmly but with emotion – He's a human being and I see him as such. That way I get more than a blind devotion from him in return – he finished quietly, a little embarrassed.
- How thoughtful, little brother – Seimei folded his arms behind his head – Only I don't suppose it makes a difference to him.
- Shouldn't you rather ask Nisei whether it makes a difference or not? – Ritsuka turned to the dark fighter.
So did Seimei.
- I don't care how I'm treated – Nisei answered indifferently – I have no need for feelings, so why should it matter to me?
- See? – Seimei snickered and Ritsuka bit his lip – They don't truly feel, they only feign it sometimes.
- That kind of talk bores me – Nisei stretched – I'm going out for a smoke – he stood up, stretched once again and exited the room.
Ritsuka looked devastated and Seimei smiled triumphantly.
His smile faltered when he remembered Nisei had quitted smoking years ago because of a lungs illness.
...
Ritsuka lost his appetite completely as his mind was in turmoil.
Sure, he hated his brother's fighter: he was sick, cruel, cunning, sneaky, had no morals, killed without the slightest hesitation and usually spoke gruesomely. But in the last few hours, he'd noticed Nisei was also intelligent, had a sense of humour and his supposed mental illness was most probably a bipolar disorder, making him friendly and outgoing at one moment, only to change to malicious and withdrawn at the next. And when he finally found enough courage in himself to look him in the eyes, the black orbs turned out to be full of a myriad of emotion carelessly masked with a cold indifference. Nisei may be an appalling person, but he felt, and felt extremely strongly.
There was something else Ritsuka had spotted too: how Nisei made everything to brighten Seimei's mood, how desperately he yearned for a praise, how betrayed he'd been when Seimei had proposed to work with them, how much he loved his brother. It was different from what Soubi felt for him – Nisei didn't love Seimei as his fighter, he loved him as a lover would. In return, Seimei treated him like trash, beating him into believing he was a dog deserving every punishment his owner administrated.
Ritsuka no longer loved his brother like he used to, there was no chance for that blind feeling to ever reappear. But he still wished him everything best and maybe, unfortunately, the love of that twisted creature was the best that Seimei could ever get.
...
Nisei dashed out of the Academy building without paying any attention to where he was going. He came to a halt under a big oak, throwing himself to the ground, pulling his legs to his chest and leaning on a firm old trunk. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
He'd almost lost his cool back there. Had almost let himself crack.
He tried to focus on his heartbeat, a gentle breeze, a swoosh of leaves to distract his mind from thinking about Seimei.
As usual, his mind didn't cooperate with him.
He had managed to convince himself Seimei's treatment of him was right, was how it was supposed to be. His Sacrifice had repeated thousands of times fighters were animals, inferior to their sacrifices. He understood it: his mind was warped, his body weak and sickly, his soul empty and his heart…
He shook his head. He wasn't going there, his heart always betrayed him, attacking him with urges and emotion he wasn't meant to have. Seimei had once told him it'd been a mistake a fighter's power had been deposited in him. It may have been true. It may have been destined for his older brother.
He saw so clearly how inferior to that Agatsuma bastard he was. He couldn't control himself, even though he tried, always losing his temper spectacularly. He wasn't able to sit still, fidgeting and shifting, despite his best efforts to learn to assume an aloof exterior. He constantly wished for some action, whether a violent fight or a long research didn't truly matter to him, and he wasn't able to wait for Seimei's orders, he caught himself doing something on his own times and times again. Finally, he was losing to Agatsuma again and again.
It could mean only one thing: he was a worse, weaker fighter and Seimei was going to discard him. The cooperation with Loveless was only going to make this decision faster.
He was obviously doing something wrong to be constantly scolded and punished. Soubi hadn't been disciplined a single time during their stay here and Ritsuka was rather kind towards him. Must be because Soubi was bright and he was… Deranged.
He whimpered, hugging himself. His thoughts were getting fuzzier with every passing second, blending into pictures of himself being slapped, being yelled at, being defeated, ridiculed… Of himself dying alone in a dark padded room, big feverish eyes on a thin pale face closing for eternity.
...
Nagisa stepped into the room, looking immensely tired:
- They should be waking up soon – the scientist sunk onto a chair.
- Are their states serious? – Seimei readjusted his glasses.
- Not really – Nagisa straightened her hair – That is, more messy than serious. Apparently their opponents' goal was to completely drain them of their energy rather than cause physical damage, so it shouldn't take long for their bodies to restore the lost strength. The sacrifice's condition is a little bit worse, he had a slight concussion, but nothing to fret about.
Seimei nodded and Ritsuka sighed with relief.
- Do you know their name? – Soubi asked, putting his chopsticks down neatly.
- Oh yes – Nagisa smiled – It's Pledged.
...
- You may talk to him now – Nagisa smiled at Ritsuka, opening the door to a room where the Pledged pair was resting – But I must warn you, he's awfully shaken.
Ritsuka nodded in understanding and went in. The sacrifice had not yet regained his consciousness, but the fighter was awake, propped on three pillows in a way that enabled him to observe his sacrifice.
- Hello – Ritsuka softly alerted him of his presence – How are you feeling?
The fighter didn't even turn to face him.
- Hey, it's me, Ritsuka – the boy sat down on a chair next to a bed the other was laying on – What's your name?
- Makoto – the fighter provided in a faint voice – Takahashi Makoto.
- Nice to meet you – Ritsuka smiled widely – Do you need anything? I'll get you…
Makoto sent him a heart-breaking look:
- I need to be punished.
- What? Stop saying such nonsense – Ritsuka's ears flattened in irritation – Why would you need *that*?
Makoto ducked his head:
- I failed my Sacrifice.
- Failed? – Ritsuka tried to stay calm – He's alive, you kept him alive through a battle with a much stronger opponent…
- I was weaker – Makoto interrupted – I wasn't able to match that other fighter's power.
- It's normal, I mean, there are always fighters who're stronger and weaker than you, you have no choice but to face them – Ritsuka's tail was twitching.
Makoto had tears in his eyes:
- I disappointed him so much, I should think first… I'm so sorry, how can I be forgiven if I'm not punished? – he wailed.
- Please, calm down – Ritsuka hesitantly patted his hand – I'm sure he'll be proud of you when he wakes up.
Makoto shook his head sadly:
- How can you know…
- I'm a sacrifice myself – Ritsuka said gently – I will never punish my fighter for protecting me as well as he could.
- Then you're a weird sacrifice – Makoto decided, turning his back on Ritsuka, crying into a quilt on his sacrifice's bed.
Ritsuka sighed and quietly left them alone.
...
- How it went? – Soubi caught him the moment he closed the door – Did you find out anything?
- No – Ritsuka bit his lip – He's despairing he failed his sacrifice, it's impossible to talk with him in a sensible way…
- Hmm – Soubi lit a cigarette in such a unconcerned manner that it made Ritsuka angry with him:
- The guy's convinced he has to be punished! – he waved his hands madly – He's obsessed with that thought!
Soubi leaned on a wall, crossing his legs at his ankles:
- Well – he exhaled some smoke – He's right.
- The fuck!
- Ritsuka, a fighter's duty is to protect their sacrifice – Soubi explained softly – When their sacrifice is hurt in a battle, it means a fighter didn't perform correctly.
- But – Ritsuka stuttered – It's normal for a sacrifice to take damage, that's their role!
- A sacrifice's role is to command a fighter – the blonde corrected – A good fighter would never allow their sacrifice to experience pain in a battle, it's a sign of their failure.
- So you actually think you should be punished whenever I get restricted during a battle? – Ritsuka's eyes narrowed.
- Of course, I deserve it – Soubi didn't even blink – Whenever a fighter disappoints their sacrifice, they should be punished hard enough to never dare to repeat their mistake.
Ritsuka felt his vision going blurry:
- It's awful! It's awful and totally unfair! – he choked out – Why should a sacrifice hurt the person who's the closest to him? It's wrong to think like that!
Soubi looked a little sad:
- But it's necessary. A fighter would never learn how to perform unless properly trained and treated.
- I don't want to hear about it from you!
- Is that an order? – Soubi eyed him evenly.
- It's a request – Ritsuka snapped – Do what you want.
- I want what Ritsuka wants – Soubi replied and Ritsuka wanted to punch him:
- Alright. Then I want you to talk to that guy – he said instead, thinking it may be a good idea.
Soubi nodded and Ritsuka pushed the door-knob before he could change his mind. It seemed the Pledged fighter hadn't moved a muscle after his exit.
- Hey, Makoto – Ritsuka plastered a happy smile on his face – I'd like you to meet my fighter.
Makoto turned to them reluctantly.
- I'm Agatsuma Soubi – Soubi introduced himself plainly, no emotion colouring his voice.
Ritsuka gritted his teeth.
- I've heard about you – Makoto frowned – They say you're a perfect fighter.
They fell silent after that. Well, what answer could they give?
- I wonder – Ritsuka drawled, quickly checking Makoto's posture – If you could possibly tell us who were you fighting with when we arrived.
Makoto's expression didn't change:
- I can't.
- Don't you know it? – Ritsuka pressed.
- I'm not allowed to tell who and why – Makoto stated, clutching his sacrifice's hand – He told me to keep it secret.
Ritsuka felt a headache coming his way:
- But it's very important – he begged the fighter to realise it – Those guys are murderers, they can't be left loose…
- I see – Makoto nodded solemnly – But I still can't tell you – he folded his arms.
- Soubi, tell him – Ritsuka was close to tears. How could people be that unreasonable!
Soubi pressed his lips into a thin line:
- I'm sorry, Ritsuka, but he won't tell anything even if I tortured him. Do you wish me to, though?
Ritsuka wanted to shout at him but Makoto looked indifferent, tilting his head slightly.
- Of course not! I want you to see reason – he pleaded Makoto, to no avail:
- I'm being reasonable.
- Soubi! – Ritsuka was nearing despair.
- He is, Ritsuka – Soubi assured – He's loyal to his sacrifice.
- One more word – Ritsuka clenched his fists – One more word about fighters and sacrifices and I'm going to explode! Why can't you see it's a murder and serial killers we're talking about? Stop this fighter and sacrifice nonsense!
Both fighters gave him a confused look, so he simply turned away and fled from the room, furiously rubbing his eyes. He could hear Soubi exit after him, so he speeded up, not wishing to face him just yet.
...
He ran down the corridor and to the garden. He turned at a corner of the building, crashing into a person behind it. He lost his balance, but a pair of thin arms hoisted him up before he could flatten his nose on a narrow pavement.
- How clumsy, Rit-chan! – he heard Nisei's voice – What a careless child, not looking where he's going!
Ritsuka let himself be steered up and straightened his shirt, huffing:
- I'm hardly a child, I'm sixteen.
- Well – Nisei tapped his cheek – Still six years younger than me, so you're a child.
- Weird logic. I'll always be six years younger, even when you'll be fifty.
Nisei seemed to consider it:
- Probably – he then added – What an angry face!
- Just leave me alone – Ritsuka pushed him away, even though Nisei wasn't exactly trying to get near him.
- Hey, hey! – the fighter protested at the rough handling, lifting his arms up – Do I sense a fight with a certain blonde here?
- Don't mention him – Ritsuka's ears twitched with agitation, making Nisei laugh.
- I knew it!
Ritsuka angrily strolled past the dark adult.
- Oh, Rit-chan, such a fiery temper! – Nisei caught up with him, snickering – I wonder what has he done…? Are you planning to punish him?
Nisei certainly didn't anticipate being smacked by the younger Aoyagi quite that hard.
- Not. A. Word. About. Punishment! – Ritsuka exploded, kicking some pebbles – What's with fighters and punishments?
Nisei gave him an odd look.
- Oh, forget it – Ritsuka turned away, only to swirl on his heel to face Nisei again – Do you think it's a fighter's fault when a battle's lost, too?
Nisei looked at him questioningly, then tilted his head left:
- Is that a serious question?
- Of course – the boy huffed, swishing his tail – The most serious one.
- Then – Nisei's tone changed to a business-like one – I'd say it depends.
- Really? – Ritsuka's eyebrows shot up as he didn't expect that kind of answer.
- Yes – Nisei scratched his neck thoughtfully – I mean, it depends on the circumstances. It may be a fighter's fault, if he or she forgets or is careless about putting up defences or gets distracted during an attack of an opponent. It's also their fault if they experiment too much with their spells, making them unclear or easy to deflect.
Ritsuka's ears flattened:
- So it is their fault when they lose a battle after all?
- No – Nisei smiled, pleased that his answers were being considered – It can be a sacrifice's fault, too. A sacrifice may be distracting their fighter or give contradicting orders as well as forget to give the command to fight. They may sometimes be reluctant to take damage or even participate in a battle, leaving their fighters to take all the injury on their own.
Ritsuka looked at him with surprise:
- So orders are that important in a battle?
- You don't know? – it was Nisei's turn to be surprised – Of course they are! Each fighter has a very specific approach concerning orders. Some of them literally can't fight unless being constantly commanded and some prefer to be given a free hand. Your Soubi, for example, requires to be ordered rather frequently, or at least be told clearly what result of a battle is desired by you. I guess he also needs to be assured of your trust in him and of that you're not badly hurt.
Ritsuka nodded, it sounded very like Soubi:
- What about you?
- Me? – Nisei grinned – You'd like to know, Rit-chan! – he laughed, causing Ritsuka to glare at him – Vale, vale. After all, Soubi could probably tell you anyway – he shrugged – So, I don't like being commanded. Sure, I can handle an order or two, but nothing more. It's awfully distracting to have a command thrown at you when you already have a plan of your course of action. I guess it has something to do with my pattern of thinking – a mild way of saying 'me being slightly insane' – I don't seem to grasp Seimei's concept behind his words and, therefore, I fail to carry the order out.
Ritsuka nodded again, fascinated. He also realised it may be what made Nisei such a dangerous fighter – his opponents couldn't use his sacrifice's commands to predict his next spells.
- So – he said lightly – It may be both a sacrifice's and a fighter's fault when a battle is lost?
- Yes – Nisei frowned – But then, I don't believe it should be, uhm… Divided like that – he started to play with his long hair – After all, a sacrifice and a fighter make a team, a unit. They both strive for the same, at least they should and if they not something's dreadfully amiss. We're one soul split into two bodies, just like Plato said – his gaze became slightly unfocused – Blaming only a fighter is like blaming a goalkeeper for a lost match, while the whole team was playing. In a fighting unit, those two persons should complete each other, like a perfect puzzle. When they lose, it's because they were *both* too weak, not because one of them failed. It's unfair for a sacrifice to demand from their fighter more than from themselves, as well as the other way around… - Nisei fell silent.
Ritsuka felt something weird overwhelming his body. Soubi had never talked like that…
- Who taught you that? – he asked in a small voice.
- Taught? – Nisei frowned – I can't be taught – he automatically replied and Ritsuka was sure they were his brother's words – It feels true – it was also true that his believes were crushed again and again by his own Sacrifice.
Ritsuka, on the other hand, wished wholeheartedly that Soubi would think this way, too. He itched to know what Nisei thought about punishments, but somehow he didn't suppose he'd get a straight answer. So he chose to say instead:
- Nisei, will you help me? – he ducked his head in embarrassment.
- Why, Rit-chan, I'm already helping you! – the teasing fighter was back.
- Not that. I mean something more particular – Ritsuka worried his lip.
Nisei measured him suspiciously, but didn't reply.
- Well – Ritsuka continued, afraid of himself – Tell me. If Seimei forbid you to share some information with anyone, but that order endangered his life greatly, would you betray him, revealing the secret to save him?
- Is it a purely theoretical question?
- Yes, it is.
- Then – Nisei sighed heavily – I'd betray him – apparently the sole possibility made him feel guilty, but he sounded sure – I'd betray him to save him and face the consequences later. Besides, if my actions truly saved him, I think I'd make him see I was right.
- You're weird – Ritsuka commented a little out of blue and Nisei shrugged.
- That's why we're having this conversation. So, what do you need my help with? – the fighter finally asked.
- There's a big problem with the Pledged fighter – Ritsuka didn't know if he'd made a right choice, but desperate times called for desperate measures – He refuses to reveal the name of the pair that battled with them as well as the reason for it. There is a reason, though, because he says he's been forbidden to talk about it.
- And? – Nisei quirked his black eyebrow, his trademark smirk forming.
- And I've already tried to convince him to trust us with it, but he vehemently disagreed. So I've called Soubi for help, but he claims he understands the other guy and proposes to torture him if I wish for that, but also warns that the guy isn't going to break – Ritsuka was still mad at his fighter – It's unimaginable to torture a person you're trying to help so we need a different approach.
- And that's where you need me, to make him see reason – Nisei smirked.
- I don't want you to hurt him – Ritsuka warned sternly.
- Claro. You want me to scare him.
- Kind of – Ritsuka was already experiencing conscience pangs but ignored them – I hope he's heard about you – the guy had heard of Soubi – And that you can make a person speak without hurting them uhm… Physically.
- Oh, Rit-chan! – Nisei laughed, clapping his hands – You don't even begin to suspect how similar you and Seimei are! Haha… 'El fin justifica los medios'.
- What? – Ritsuka snapped, uncomfortable with the thought of being like Seimei.
- 'The end justify the means' – Nisei giggled.
- I don't like Machiavelli – the boy's cheeks flared – We better hurry, before I change my mind.
...
A/N Reviews, please :)