Disclaimer: Don't own nothing but Reiko, Keiko and my own creativity
Soon
Ritsuka opened his eyes, but it hurt to do so. His body hurt all over. He could feel soft woven bandages wrapped thickly around his head. One of his arms and legs were heavy and fixed in plaster casts. His chest hurt with each breath. Like someone river danced across his ribcage. He groaned and looked around.
Where is Soubi? Where am I?
What worried Ritsuka most is that he felt broken. He couldn't see his bondline or feel it or Soubi. Was it because he was so physically damaged. He didn't know. He started to panic.
'Soubi!' He cried forcing himself to sit up. Several people in white rushed in and forced a fighting Ritsuka back into bed and holding him down. He felt a pinprick and started to feel numb. He knew they had given him some sort of shot to calm him down.
Two more entered the room. They were talking to one another.
'It seems he has woken.'
'Sensei?' Ritsuka spoke weakly. All his energy had been drained.
'Ritsuka, you must rest. Especially, in this condition. Where is Soubi?'
'You don't know?!' Ritsuka panicked.
'Oh dear, we must find him. What if he is in the same state? Plus such injuries without help from your bond or fighter could take several months to heal.'
'Please we need to find him' Ritsuka begged struggling against the drugs to move again. He was held down.
'Ritsuka.' Sensei sighed. 'We will do what we can to find Agatsuma-san, you need to focus on recovering and regaining some of your strength.'
Ritsuka could not argue any further. They had all but left the room. With not much left in terms of options he simply fell asleep. Though he knew his worry would cause his mind to plague his rest with nightmares, there is nothing to do to help.
(Elsewhere)
'Soubi? Come on Soubi wake up.' He could hear the sound of Nisei and the violent shaking of his shoulders.
I'm alive?
He opened his eyes but winced and brought his arms over his face. There was a brightness that burned through his eyes and flamed into his skull making his head hurt. He could still see the bright light through his eyelids. Then a shadow loomed over him and relieved him of the light. It felt safe to open his eyes again without being burned through his broken spectacles. He groaned and opened his eyes, even dared bring his arm away to see Nisei's red tear stained face. At first Soubi was confused but then began to worry. Had Seimei not woken up?
'Nisei?' He grunted pushing himself up and rubbing his face. He pulled off his broken glasses, sighed and threw them down on the floor beside him.
'Soubi you're okay.' He said relieved.
'What's wrong?' Soubi asked.
'What? Oh this?' He said wiping his face, 'Don't worry it was just the pain from the straining of spell casting. It took more power than I thought.'
'Seimei?'
'He is ok. Too weak to move so I put him in the car and came back for you. I'm just glad you didn't wake up before I got back and wandered off. I tried carrying you but I wasn't strong enough so I had to wake you. Sorry...sort of. Come one we should back to the academy to see if it worked.'
Soubi only nodded. He didn't want to speak. He couldn't sense Ritsuka at all. Either the spell worked and he was sent somewhere too far to pick him up yet, especially in Ritsuka's weak state, he'd be harder for Soubi to detect. He hoped if the spell worked that it got Ritsuka to the academy and not lost somewhere in which he would likely die before he is found. Most of all, Soubi hoped, prayed and even wished that it wasn't because they were already too late which is why he felt this way. He felt empty. Lost like a child in a park who lost sight of his parents. No emotion left to feel. He spoke nothing the entire time he was in the car. Motionless. Senseless. Emotionless. He seemed like some sort of zombie. Seimei had even recovered and was back to normal. Between Beloved they reached the academy within the day.
'Soubi?' Seimei asked looking back.
'Can you find him?' Nisei asked.
Soubi ignored them. He didn't even seem to acknowledge that they had even arrived. His face was still straight and sullen. Beloved looked at one another beginning to worry. They knew that if Soubi had sensed Ritsuka that he wouldn't be acting like this. He would've gone running to find him.
I can't find him. I've lost him.
Soubi was silently distraught. He truly believed his Ritsuka was lost to him. He didn't want to live any longer. Without Ritsuka, he had nothing to live for. He opened the car and got out. As he did a pack of cigarettes fell out of the car door pocket. He picked them up. He wanted so much now to smoke all of them in one go. But he couldn't.
(3 Years before )
Soubi lit a cigarette as he watched Ritsuka tapping away at his computer doing some sort of coursework.
'Soubi, smoking is bad for you. Why don't you ever stop?'
'Worried about me Ritsuka?' He chuckled
'Don't assume anything like that. But yes.'
Soubi smirked and took another puff.
Ritsuka coughed on the dirtied air.
'Soubi. I want you to quit smoking. It isn't a nice taste when you kiss me. It'll be better for us if you were healthier. Especially, now I've noticed you getting breathless quicker in heated battles. Where will I be if you died from all that rotten smoking '
Soubi paused mid breath and took in what Ritsuka had said. He let his arm fall limp across his leg.
'Is that an order?'
Ritsuka huffed.
Why is it I have to give an order for him to do ANYTHING
'Yes, I order you Soubi to stop smoking.' Ritsuka said bluntly.
'Yes, master.' He said immediately stubbing out the one he was smoking.
Stopping smoking was hard, even for Soubi. His fingers would be tapping on his paintbrush as he felt the withdrawal symptoms kick in. Itching for a cheeky smoke. What Ritsuka didn't find out wouldn't hurt right?
No I can't Ritsuka would be mad if he found out
Within a couple of months Soubi was completely clean of cigarettes in his life. He threw all of them out. The withdrawal was getting easier to ignore. And within half a year. Soubi was a non-smoker. He truly did feel better for it, healthier and happier. Just like Ritsuka said.
Soubi stared at the box remembering that time. He tilted his hand and watched the box slowly slide off and fall. He stepped on the box on his way into the academy. Nisei and Seimei stared after him.
'Let's follow him. Maybe someone here knows where Ritsuka is or how to find him.' Nisei said optimistically getting out to follow Soubi inside. Seimei was unsure but followed anyway. Soubi walked through the halls mindlessly. He was moving on autopilot. He didn't even react or apologise to the several students he bumped into. Suddenly Soubi felt something. He shrugged it off. He saw some men and women in white coats and aprons rushing towards the infirmary. He heard a familiar voice calling to them. It was Sensei.
'Come on hurry it up with the antibiotics before we lose him to this infection. Move it!'
She caught sight of him.
'Soubi?!' she called staring at him.
Soubi's expression didn't change at all. Not until he knew who was fighting infection in the infirmary.
'Soubi, hurry please. Ritsuka needs your strength.'
Soubi did a double take.
Surely she isn't talking about my Ritsuka. I would have felt him if I was this close surely.
Nonetheless, he hurried toward the infirmary. Everyone was crowded round one of the beds. Soubi couldn't see who was in it. He panicked. What if it was Ritsuka? What if he is too late?
One of the nurses stepped to one side to rush through the IV drip. The face he now saw was sunken. Skinny. Dark.
'But...I don't understand...'
Seimei and Nisei walked towards the infirmary. They turned into the pristine cream and white room. One of the beds was surrounded by doctors and nurses. They couldn't see the patient. Soubi was standing and staring at them all working.
'Seimei you don't think that's-' Nisei said gesturing to the bed, daring not to finish his sentence.
Seimei became completely enraged. He grabbed Soubi by the back of collar and yanked him back harshly. Soubi fell hard onto his back. Seimei clambered on top of him and struck him again and again. Soubi did nothing but let his face swing from side to side each time his face was met with a fist. He didn't even need to grit his teeth. He couldn't feel pain anyway at this time. Nisei pushed against Seimei trying to stop him.
'Seimei stop you have both misunderstood.'
Both ignored him. Soubi felt weightless and let his mind drift from the place he was.
Sensei and several doctors fought to break them apart.
'No wait you have misunderstood please stop and let me explain' they tried individually to talk to Seimei as others pulled him. Each hoping that they next can be more persuasive. Only one succeeded.
'Seimei please stop?'