LoveMe

-LOVELESS-

MyBeloved

The paragraphs aren't all that long in this chapter, but I'm hoping it's longer than some of my other stuff. Probably not this chapter alone, I think it might be relatively short, but the story in general. I want it to be something. Oh, and don't mind the stuff above. I got bored and… It seemed like a fun thing to do at the time. It was fun. Whether I should've done it or not… Eh. I really don't care.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that pertains to this except… Well, the events in it, the idea that created it, blah blah blah. I don't, however, own the original plotline ideas. You know what I mean.

1

1A young boy, who had just hit that mid-teenpoint (thatnot a boy, not quite a man stage), walked down the hallway sulkilyHis violet eyes shonealmost black, that was how depressed he was. His black ears were almost flat against his head, both in annoyance and in hopelessness. He didn't walk with anyone; he generally tried to scare a good portion of people away. Normally, a hyperactive girl and often flushed, boy would accompany him. However, Yuiko and Yayoi had gone to a different school and moved on. It wasn't that they had left him behind, it was just that he had gotten accepted into a higher level school and no one would let him settle for less, even if that meant he would have to go through his life without anyone there beside him. So now, Ritsuka was alone and friendless.

Ritsuka was actually a lot of things that ended in ""-less"". He was friendless, brother-less, fun-less, and, as he had been called many times before, Loveless. Ritsuka didn't like being all these things, he just was. He was going through that stage in life where he thought, "You know what? I'm just going to try and stay depressed, because every time I'm not, something really bad happens to make me that way." It was the new trend for all of those super depressed teenagers. Unlike them, though, he had the self-control to keep all razors and blades away from his arms. He wasn't suicidal or anything, simply... Upset that he was left by himself.

He avoided the other students and only spoke when spoken to. In the two years he had gone to the new high school, he still hadn't made a single friend. He didn't desire to either. There were only two remaining people in his life from his younger years, and they were sure to leave soon, too, the way his life was going. It wasn't that his lifewas completely horrible; it was just moderately horrible, though he couldn't deny that it was certainly on its way down the drain.

Right after his brother, Seimei, had died, his mother had decided that she would go crazy on him. "Hey, you're my last son, why don't I just beat you 'til you drop, too? Oh, and… YOU AREN'T MY RITSUKA!" ––WHACK WHACK WHACK- That was the summary of his everyday life. It wasn't his fault he couldn't remember exactly what he had been like before Seimei's death. Plus, kids changed with years; didn't she figure that out with Seimei? Obviously not, because he still came to school with a fresh bandage on his cheek (and many underneath his clothes). Plenty of teachers had tried to do something about these frequent beatings, but seeing as he wouldn't give them a good enough argument (mostly because he'd rather keep the last family member he had) they could do nothing about it. Shinonome-san had tried to do something, but only got as far as helping the cuts he received heal faster. His mom was probably going to get him next for having lower grades than that of "her Ritsuka."

Thankfully he wasn't heading back home at the moment. Instead, he was walking towards a blue Honda Civic. The driver, Soubi, was missing his ears. He had been for a few years actually. Soubi was a full blown adult, physically, mentally, and age wise. Ritsuka's ears twitched in annoyance as he saw the two passengers in the back seat. Their ears were gone as well, although they were just about a year older than Ritsuka himself, if that; Natsuo and Youji. Also known as - in the fighter/sacrifice world - Zero. So he lied, there were four people who had stuck around. Natsuo and Youji didn't count, though. He didn't like them as much as everyone else. They were cruel and constantly pulling sick jokes. Unlike Soubi and his mother, who he cared for a great deal.

The passenger side door was opened for him and he climbed in to sit next toSoubi. "Soubi…"he said.

"I'm sorry, Ritsuka-kun," Soubi smiled weakly at him. "They begged me to tag along."

"What's wrong with us, Ritsuka?" said Youji, moving strands of light blue, almost green, hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, Ritsuka-kun, what's wrong with us?" Natsuo leaned around the side of his chair, rubbing his cheek against Ritsuka's; he found it annoying that he emphasized the 'kun'.

Ritsuka, uncomfortable with the close contact,pressed up against the window. Unfortunately for him, Natsuo wasn't about to give up, and followed him there, wrapping his arms aroundRitsuka's front. These boys were all about contact. Ritsukawasn't. He could see Soubi staring at them in the mirror, not wanting to make himself look suspicious. Besides, by now he had started driving and wasn't in the mood for crashing. Youji took up Natsuo's former position against his cheek. He was pinned where he was and being forced to speak. He didn't like talking to them - they tended to make fun of whatever he said - but in times like these, he had to.

"There's nothing wrong with you." He was lying, of course. He didn't want them here. This was him and Soubi time, not Soubi, him, Natsuo, and Youji time. That had been yesterday.

"Loveless, you're a horrible liar!" Natsuo smiled and his grip tightened, threatening to rob Ritsuka of all his air.

"Boys, sit back and leave Ritsuka alone."

Soubi wasn't looking at them, but he didn't have to be for the boys to know he was serious. The tone of his voice and the look on his face were enough.

Zero sat back and began to whisper and chuckle together. Chuckle heads belong in the circus, not in this car, Ritsuka thought, then pouted. Soubi promised they would do something alone, with no interruptions. It had been a while since the Seven Moons had last attacked and well… They weren't really anticipating one anyways. Whoot, woo hoo, and good for them.

All of a sudden they came to a screeching halt, causing all of their necks to snap forward (Whiplash anyone?). Youji was flung into the back of Soubi's seat and Natsuo fell onto the console between the chairs. Both Soubi and Ritsuka gave him a "that's why you wear seatbelts" look before turning back to the road to see the cause of their sudden stop.

There had been a multiple car accident and, as they soon realized, they were a part of it. Youji went to get out, but Soubi stopped him. Lucky he did, because in the next moment, another car was in the accident. People seemed to be going too fast and not really caring that there was something going on until it was too late. Three more cars hit theirs before they stopped feeling the major affects of everything. After that it was just tremors from other cars colliding. Ritsuka felt something warm running down his cheek and he realized it was probably blood. His head had collided with the door at one point in time.

Soubi seemed to be suffering from an injured arm, but wasotherwise okay. Not that he would pay much attention to it anyways. Natsuo and Youji were holding onto one another in the back seat, trying to pretend that they couldn't see the trunk right against the back window. It wasn't that they were truly scared, it was just that they didn't like the idea of getting injured.

Already, Soubi had a cigarette out to calm his nerves. Both he and Ritsuka were injured. This was a great time for someone to attack. They might actually take Ritsuka away from him!Luckily Soubi's prayers were answered and they weren't murderlized. What he wanted to know, though, was what exactly was causing all of this. Humans, as he knew, weren't quite this stupid. They would normally slow down once they saw a stopped car. Even he had noticed and attempted to stop. For some reason, however, his foot hadn't quite made contact with the pedal.

When he glanced at Ritsuka, he couldn't see the blood running down Ritsuka's right cheek. Despite that, he was well aware that his breath was beginning to get heavier. Natsuo and Youji had replaced their playful attitudes with that of concentration, like when they met the female Zero. That time had ended in tragedy, but now… Now they were faced with something different. Hopefully nothing fatal would happen.

"Soubi…" Ritsuka felt himself becoming dizzy and light-headed.

"Yes, Ritsuka?" Soubi saw what was causing Ritsuka's dizziness as the boy turned to face him.

"Do you think…?"

"No."

It didn't seem like something the Seven Moons would do. It seemed more like…

"Seimei…" Youji's tone was that of awe, as it should have been. But no, it didn't seem like something Seimei would do either. Youji just happened to… Spot him.

The car was silent, everything around them was silent. Soubi's attention was no longer on Ritsuka (were it he would have noticed his eyes beginning to close). Indeed it was Seimei walking towards them. In moments he had Ritsuka's door opened and was pulling him out. The only protest that was made was a slight groan from the boy. Soubi was perfectly fine with this course of action. Besides, it was his master, not much he could do about it anyways.

"He won't last much longer in there, wouldn't you agree, Soubi?" He had a smug smile on his face. "You aren't watching him very carefully now, are you?"

"I'm sorry, Master." Soubi hung his head in shame as Zero gasped. They'd never heard Soubi refer to anyone like that, not even Ritsuka. Then again, this was Beloved they were talking about, Soubi's real sacrifice, not Loveless.

That seemed to snap Ritsuka out of his daze momentarily. "Seimei… Did you…"

"Shh… Of course I didn't. I wouldn't think of hurting you. Whoever did, though, is going to pay for causing you pain, little brother."

This gave Ritsuka a reason to relax and he once again closed his eyes. He knew he couldn't fall asleep. There was a possibility that he had a concussion, and, well, if he had one of those he couldn't exactly fall asleep. He might fall into a coma if he did. So he kept himself awake by concentrating on the sounds around him. People were crying over their loved ones, others were yelling at nothing, and some were just calmly trying to get out of people exactly what was going on. He could hear birds chirping in the distance and hoped that the sweet sound of them didn't make him fall asleep. Seimei's heartbeat was doing a better job of that.

"Seimei how are you…?" Soubi wanted to know, but Seimei walked away from him, yawning. A look passed between them and Soubi's face lit up in realization.

"I think that I should save the explanations for later, don't you? That way I don't have to repeat myself. I'm afraid dear Ritsuka needs a doctor at the moment, and he's falling asleep."

"More like unconscious." Youji didn't seem quite so convinced by this "Beloved" that had shown up out of no where. All he got in return to his smart remark, however, was a smile.

2

Ritsuka woke to a bunch of chatter and rushing people. He wasn't moving like he had been when he'd finally fallen unconscious. He was instead lying in a bed with really weird-smelling blankets covering him. The last thing he could remember was the sound of Seimei's heartbeat, but… That couldn't possibly be. He'd seen his brother's torched body and… It couldn't be possible. Not that he wanted his brother to be gone or anything, it just didn't seem right. Nothing was making sense. That might have been from the pain in his temple, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he remembered it to be. The blood was also gone from his face, even if it did feel a little stiff. It had probably been crusted up by the time someone had been able to clean it.

"Beloved can't be alive!" It was Youji; he didn't seem all that thrilled either.

"Youji, please… He can;it just doesn't seem logical." Natsuo tried to console his friend andlover. "I know this is all a little much, but… He got Loveless to the hospital in time. None of us were thinking enough to move him. If it weren't for Beloved then Loveless might be gone now."

"But what's going to happen to Loveless? Soubi isn't going to just disobey Beloved and stay with Loveless...?"

"I'd much prefer it if you'd at least call me by my name while talking about me behind my back." Ritsuka didn't want to hear Natsuo's answer to that question. It would most likely be an "I don't know" or "He'll probably go back to Beloved."

"Sorry, Ritsuka-kun," Natsuo purred and hugged Ritsuka lightly. "We'll make sure to remember that from now on."

They sat there in silence, an awkward one at that. Natsuo and Youji didn't dare continue their conversation, knowing that it had upset Ritsuka. And Ritsuka… He just wasn't in the mood for talking. His head was starting to throb from all the colors and so he shut them. The hospital was cozy, if not a boring color, but it smelled weird. Sure, something strange to be worried about, but the smell was starting to make his head hurt even more.

"Little brother, you're awake." Ritsuka opened his eyes again to see Seimei standing there. All of a sudden he felt mixed feelings for his older brother. He didn't know whether to love him for actually being alive, or hate him for coming when he was finally starting to open up to Soubi. "How're you feeling? Mom's waiting to come in to see you. I explained to her what happened already and I'll tell you soon. Just as soon as a certain pair leaves."

Natsuo and Youji stayed right where they were beside the bed. They weren't going to move for anyone, and that included Seimei. He may be Beloved and a lot stronger than them (he must be if Soubi could beat them with Ritsuka, who didn't share his name), but Youji wasn't about to leave Ritsuka alone. He would only do that if…

"Youji, Natsuo… Leave us." That happened. Now that Soubi had said it, they would have to go.

"Why can't we hear this explanation?" Youji and Natsuo would argue, but only for a little bit. Only long enough to make sure that Soubi knew theycared.

"It has nothing to do with you, that's why." Soubi cringed as Seimei's tone became harsh. What would Ritsuka think of him for that?

Zero stood up and headed for the door. So they lied about not moving. Youji shot Ritsuka a "tell us later" look before running out the door. Natsuo blew him a kiss (much to Ritsuka's dismay) before following his lover. The room became quiet again and Ritsuka could see his mother's shadow just outside the door. She seemed to be unsure of whether or not to actually turn the doorknob. After a few moments, however, she did, and entered the room.

At first Ritsuka didn't know what she was going to do. She seemed a little pissed at first that he was even there, and then she looked relieved. Probably because he was alive. Next thing he knew she was all over him, kissing him, hugging him, anything she could possibly do that was appropriate for family members.

"Mother, please… I've got a lot of explaining to do and Ritsuka doesn't need to be killed when he just barely escaped death a few hours ago." Ritsuka could tell that his mother would be leaving soon and he would get a different version of that explanation than she did. "Can you leave us alone for a bit? We've got a lot of catching up to do."

His mother nodded and left willingly, unlike the Zero boys. Soubi shut the door behind her and turned back to face Ritsuka and Seimei. They both looked so much alike, especially now that they were side by side. The only difference he could see at the moment was that Seimei had lost all of his childishness and Ritsuka hadn't. He was still as adorable as ever. Seimei, on the other hand, was handsome. All of a sudden a sound broke his thoughts as Seimei began to speak.

"I realize you're probably angry with me, Ritsuka. You were finally starting to open up to Soubi and I came back." Wow, he could read minds! "It's probably for the best though. In the end, one of you would have been killed during a battle. Your names are more different than any other name of a pair could possibly be: Beloved and Loveless. Which means we're different too, you and I. That doesn't mean that we can't love you though. Both of us do, very much. Even though it was originally just an order that I wanted him to follow, it's become much more. Sadly, nothing can become of that. For one, he's far too old for you, so I wouldn't allow it, and for another, the connection of an actual pair is stronger than that of ones with different names. I don't fully understand why you don't have a fighter, Ritsuka. Even at fifteen, yours still hasn't shown up, but I'm searching. That's what I've been doing all this time.

"I suppose I should just start from the beginning, shouldn't I? I don't want to come off as the evil brother who's trying to take your boyfriend away. Heheh……"

Ritsuka blushed like mad, "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Of course not, but let me continue." He was smiling, something Seimei hadn't done in front of Soubi often. Had he changed toward him? Would he be more like the sacrifice he was?

Ritsuka nodded and almost pleaded with Seimei to explain where he was and what had happened. Not out loud, but in his head. Remember, Ritsuka isn't that much of a vocalist. He prefers to contact people with his mi- just kidding. He'd rather let them know through his eyes. And seeing as not many people could read eyes, he was screwed over. Only for a little while though, Seimei would fix his problem!

"Where was I? Right, I hadn't started yet. Well, my death was obviously faked and planned, by both Soubi and myself. I forbid him from telling you anything that might endanger you or my 'existence.' So naturally he couldn't tell you much about himself, the Seven Moons, or about the plan that we made. Obviously, the Seven Moons was after us. Apart we were nothing, so if I disposed of myself than they'd leave Soubi aloneand I'd be able to do what I needed to do in peace. You see, Beloved and Zero are different than all the other groups. Their names don't end in the traditional '-less', therefore it gives them power. They're the ruling groups and originate from the same place –– or person in this case –– but they normally fight. Luckily Soubi got them on his side; otherwise you'd probably be gone now."

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, letting Ritsuka stare at him like he was some pedophile (no offense, Soubi) that was about to molest him. He soon started up again, though, not wanting to give Ritsuka enough time to kill him. "So it took us a little while, but we came up with the perfect plan. I did have gasoline on me, and I did indeed set myself on fire, but Soubi cast one of his spells before I lit the match. Therefore, I was completely protected and what you saw in your chair at school –– I'm sorry about that by the way –– was a dummy made to look real, a mere illusion. I was present in the coffin during the open casket ceremony, but another spell was cast on me. Another illusion that made me cold to the touch and look charred, just as the dummy in your chair did. While in the funeral car, I slipped out of the casket and replaced my body with another dummy. After that I fled and left Soubi to take care of you.

"I heard he's done a decent job, keeping injuries to a minimum. It's only expected that you'd get a few. As I said before, different names cause you weakness. While you were going through that hell of a time during junior high, I was going through twice that, let me assure you. I'm going to take the time now to apologize to you, Soubi, for what I've done." He looked up at his fighter and smiled. "I'd rather you just call me Seimei now. I'll still give you orders, but… I'll respect our bond more than I did before. I went through a lot without you and I just had to deal with it. Now I'm sure… I'm really nothing without you."

Ritsuka didn't know if he wanted to gag or what. It seemed like Seimei was proposing to Soubi. Though he knew that all Seimei was doing was saying that he now wanted their fights to be more teamwork and love than force. Ritsuka knew that the only thing keeping Soubi and him going throughout their time together was how they felt about each other. Some day the same thing might happen to Seimei and Soubi. However, he wished that he was stillable to do that with someone.

"Another thing I've been researching is why the Seven Moons started targeting you, once I found out, that is." Ritsuka was snapped back to full attention as Seimei started speaking again. "Soubi and I sent messages back and forth, reports really, through reliable messengers. He told me your progress (and his) and I told him mine. Generally my letters were brief because I didn't get very far. Even now I haven't gathered much. I just know that the Seven Moons is planning something and Loveless is the key. Maybe it's because you're by yourself. I never found out whether Loveless has a fighter or not, but I'm thinking… That maybe you could hook onto whichever pair you'd like. The bond still wouldn't be as strong as the normal bond would, but it would be powerful. That's my theory anyways.""

"That's the dumbest theory I've ever heard." Everyone's necks snapped towards the window (More whiplash, anyone?) There, outside, stood Natsuo and Youji. "Awesome plan before, faking your death, but that last bit just killed the genius of it all." Seimei rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair beside the hospital bed. "I should've known you weren't actually going to leave that easily. You might as well sit here while I finish up."

"You mean, you aren't done yet?" It was Natsuo's turn and he didn't look amused. "I think you should save it for home. Ritsuka needs his rest and he can't get that if you're blabbing in his ear!"

Seimei glanced at Ritsuka and nodded, noticing he was beginning to fall asleep. "Alright, I'll come to pick you up later, Ritsuka. They said they'd release you then. Love you."

He kissed him on the forehead and stood up again. Then Soubi spoke, but quietly so only Ritsuka could hear as everyone else exited, "I love you too, Loveless. Your name means nothing about you. It just represents mankind." He kissed him on the forehead and left him to rest. They were going to have a long few weeks ahead of them.

/End Chapter 1: Friendless

A/N: Yeah, so that wasn't all that long, but I'm proud of the ending. The beginning was a little rocky, but I hope you like it! I worked really hard on this idea and I'll update as soon as possible! Please review and tell me what you think!