Disclaimer: While I would love to take credit for this wonderful anime, Loveless is not mine. Never was, never would be. Also, this is based on just the standard anime (eps. 1-12) not the manga, prologue, or the extras, which were also released.

Chapter Five: Truthless

"It started three years ago, when Seimei told me I had to protect you…"

"Three years ago?" Ritsuka cut in. "He's been dead for five…" Ritsuka realized how stupid the comment was. Seimei hadn't been dead for five years. Couldn't have been dead for five years. He was still alive, had always been alive.

"Yes, I know. But he waited two years to send me to you."

Ritsuka pulled away from Soubi. Soubi let him go. "He sent you to me."

"You knew that Ritsuka. I've never made any secret of it." Soubi wasn't looking at Ritsuka. He stared straight ahead, his eyes focused on the curtain that guarded Ritsuka's window. "Rituska, I love you." He looked at the younger boy.

Ritsuka blushed. "Don't say that," he hissed. "If you loved me you would have told me…" Ritsuka cut himself off before he started on another tirade. He had had enough of yelling tonight.

Soubi put a hand up to Ritsuka's chin and looked at him. "I do love you, Ritsuka. In spite of everything, I love you."

Ritsuka felt his eyes water. Quickly, he lifted his left arm and wiped at his eyes before they could become full-fledged tears. He looked away from Soubi. "Continue."

Soubi dropped his hand from Ritsuka's chin. It lay on the bed between them. "Five years ago, the Seven Moons school tried to kill Seimei. They failed, but he let them think they succeeded."

"Why did they try to kill him?" Ritsuka looked at Soubi. He was once more staring at the curtain across the room. Or perhaps he was looking at something else, something no one but he could see.

"He wanted to take control of the Seven Moons. Together, we might have been able to. If we had you, victory would have been assured."

"Me?"

"You're special Ritsuka. 'Loveless- the one without love'. You have no fighter. You can act within any other pair, or alone. You can be both fighter and sacrifice and your strength remains undiminished."

Ritsuka lay back down on the bed and curled up into a ball, facing the wall, away from Soubi. "Go on." Ritsuka knew his voice was cold, but he couldn't muster the energy to put life into it.

"After you found your brother in your elementary school classroom, Seimei wiped your memory."

Ritsuka shot up. "What?" He stared at Soubi.

"That is the cause of your amnesia and subsequent personality switch. When one looses all of one's memories…"

"They change. I know." Ritsuka's voice was harsh.

Soubi continued, as if Ritsuka's words didn't touch him. "Seimei also visited here, before he vanished and modified your mother's memories. The strain of the memory loss was too much and your mother lost her mind.'

'Seimei left the memories of himself intact in your mind. And implanted memories of your mother…before she lost her mind, she was a good woman. She loved you very much, Ritsuka."

"Seimei…why? Why would he do that?"

"To make you more dependent upon him. So when he sent me to you, when he came back to you, you would join us. And we would take over Seven Moons."

Ritsuka turned and stared up at Soubi. He could follow Seimei's mind now. It was perfect, beautifully perfect. If Soubi wasn't telling him this now, it would have worked. He would have even been mad at Soubi for lying to him about Seimei, rather than at Seimei himself. He would have hated Soubi, severing the relationship they had. And Seimei would have had everything. The Seven Moons, Ritsuka, Soubi, everything.

Instead… "Why are you telling me this? Aren't you betraying Seimei?"

"I love you, Ritsuka. I am Seimei's servant, but I love you."

Ritsuka crumpled on the inside. For the first time in his life, he believed those words. He had to. Without them, he had nothing left. Not even his memories. "Soubi…" Ritsuka wondered what was going through the older man's mind right now. He sat up and grabbed Soubi's hand with both of his own. Soubi looked at him and slowly reached up with his free hand to cup Ritsuka's face.

"Ritsuka. You asked me once, who I would chose, between you and Seimei."

Ritsuka nodded. "You said Seimei." That wasn't what Soubi had said. Ritsuka didn't want to think about what Soubi had said. He felt sick.

"I said I would die before I had to make the decision."

Ritsuka swallowed passed the lump in his throat. "I'll join Seimei, Soubi, if you want me to. I won't make you…" Ritsuka hushed when Soubi placed his thumb over Ritsuka's lips.

"You wouldn't be happy, Ritsuka. How could I be happy when you weren't?"

How can I be happy if you're not here? Ritsuka didn't speak the thought out loud. It would only make the situation worse. If that were possible. "Soubi…" Whatever Ritsuka had been going to say fled from his mind. Instead, he simply said, "I love you."

Soubi's eyes widened, as if he had never heard the words directed at him before. "Ritsuka…" Soubi cut off at Ritsuka suddenly let go of his hand, grabbed his neck, and pulled him down for a kiss. Soubi resisted for the fraction of a second that it took him to realize what was happening. An instant later, he relaxed into the kiss and deepened it, opening his mouth to allow Ritsuka entrance. Ritsuka took the invitation. Without thinking he leaned back onto the bed, pulling Soubi on top of him.

Soubi pulled back for a moment. "Ritsuka," he said. "Do you want…"

"Don't leave me tonight. That's an order." Ritsuka reached up and pulled Soubi down for another kiss. Soubi complied, always more than willing to obey Ritsuka's orders, especially orders of this nature.

Afterwards, Ritsuka lay in bed, enjoying the feel of Soubi's warm, naked chest pressed against his back. He pushed thoughts of tomorrow from his mind. He would worry about that when tomorrow came.

He did wonder what Yuiko would think of his new earless look.

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

A/N: That was honestly supposed to be a lemon, but I'm afraid I chickened out. Sorry, if anyone was disappointed. I guess I just don't have it in me (maybe next time)

Nikkler: Thanks for the review! And I totally agree about Ritsuka needing to steal Soubi.