Disclaimer: This is a piece of fanfiction. That means that I don't own it.
Chapter Six: Crushless
"…And that's what's been happening. That's why Ritsuka-sama has changed." Soubi was surprised. He had made it through the explanations with relative ease. His eyes were burning, but dry. His throat was tight but his voice was steady.
"Ritsuka's not Ritsuka anymore?" Yuiko sounded heartbroken. She clung to Yayoi's hand as though it were a lifeline.
"Technically, kid," Natsuo said, "Ritsuka's more Ritsuka than he's been since we've known him."
"So, what's this new Ritsuka like?" Kio asked.
Soubi fixed his blue eyes on his blond friend. Kio's question hadn't been idle curiosity. He had noticed the changes in the way Soubi talked about Ritsuka-sama. Soubi suspected Kio knew exactly how much Ritsuka-sama had changed.
"Ritsuka-sama is…" Soubi trailed off at Kio's sharp glance.
"A complete bastard," Natsuo finished. He yawned. "I don't like him much."
"Only because he's too much like you," Kio told the red-headed Fighter.
"That sounds like fighting words to me." Natsuo grinned viciously. Youji placed a hand on his arm and shook his head slightly. Natsuo growled but obeyed his Sacrifice's unspoken command.
The two had a good chemistry, Soubi noted absently. Natsuo was nearly completely under Youji's control. Of course, a perfect Fighter would had sensed his Sacrifice's desire for peace without the physical contact, but they were still young. Natsuo still had time to train himself to surrender his will completely to Youji.
"Is there anyway to get Ritsuka-kun back?" Yuiko asked.
Soubi tore his attention away from Zero. With Ritsuka-sama, they would be no match, if it came to a fight, as Soubi suspected it would soon. Ritsuka-sama would want to experiment soon and Zero would make a perfect target.
"Didn't you just hear what Soubi-san just said, Yuiko?" Yayoi asked. He sounded tired. "This is Ritsuka. The one we knew never existed."
Exactly what Soubi had been trying to convince himself of all night. Hearing someone else say it…
"So? There may be a way to get the old Ritsuka back…"
"Is that even ethical?" Youji asked. "I mean, if this is the original personality, then its good…"
"Sou-chan? You alright?" Kio's voice cut through the others at the table. They shut up.
Soubi frowned at Kio. "I'm fine."
"Soubi-san…you're crying…" Youji sounded awed and a little afraid.
Soubi raised a hand to his cheek and was more than a little surprised when it came away wet. No wonder the burning in his eyes had stopped without him noticing. This was different than the sobs that had shaken him earlier in the day. After Ritsuka had left. "Its just been a long day."
Kio stood up from the small table rather decisively. "Good point." He turned to Zero, Yuiko and Yayoi. "All of you, out. I'll be out in a minute. We'll go somewhere else to finish this conversation. Soubi's going to bed."
The four children looked at each other across the table. Natsuo was the first to stand up. He stretched his back until a loud pop was heard in the silent room. "I'll be outside." He tugged on Youji's arm until his Sacrifice rose with him. Silently, Yuiko and Yayoi followed Zero out the door. The cold night air filled the room after the door swung shut behind the black-haired boy.
Kio rounded on Soubi. "Its bedtime for you, Sou-chan," he said.
Soubi blinked at him. "If you are going to continue the conversation, I should be…" Soubi trailed off when Kio roughly pushed him to the bed.
"I said, you're going to sleep. As you said, you've had a long day. I'm taking the kids out and then taking them home. You're staying here. End of story."
Soubi started to stand up, but Kio's angry blue eyes stopped him. Instead, Soubi just stared at Kio. "Why? What are you angry about?" Soubi frowned. He was the one who had lost his Ritsuka, who had lost his entire world. Why would Kio…
Kio shook his head. "Aoyagi fucked with you and it seems like Ritsuka is going to do the same now. I'm not going stand by and let that happen, Soubi." Kio's voice was rough with emotion. "You're too important to me. This time, whether you like it or not, I will protect you. I can't see you…" Kio cut off and turned his back to his friend. There was a pregnant pause. "Nevermind. Just… go to sleep."
Soubi watched in stunned silence as Kio stalked to the door and left. The door slammed shut creating a loud bang in the sudden silence. The cold air brushed against Soubi's skin, sending goose bumps up his arm.
Soubi lay back into his bed, his thoughts whirling. He thought Kio had outgrown his crush on Soubi…that it had vanished in the face of the reality of his relationship with Ritsuka. Apparently, it had grown and deepened to something more than a crush. Kio must have been...
The door opened with a loud bang.
Soubi sat up in bed, startled to see a familiar, small, black-haired boy standing in the doorway. For a second, he looked like the helpless boy that Soubi had been ordered to seduce. Soubi's heart leapt, then fell again, when the innocent, lost look faded. His violet eyes hardened as they fixed themselves on Soubi. "I can't stay with that idiot my mother has become. I'm staying here."
"As you wish, Master." Soubi rose from the bed, certain that Ritsuka-sama would not like to sleep on the floor.
Ritsuka-sama grinned. "You know, I think I like you," he told Soubi.
"My purpose is to please you, Master."
Ritsuka-sama's grin deepened into something else. Something almost…lustful. "You're the one who took my ears, right?"
That was not technically correct… "I was the one you gave your ears to, Master," Soubi corrected.
"But I don't remember it," Ritsuka-sama's voice deepened, took on a huskier tone. "So, I believe we should repeat the experience. For my own, edification." His violet eyes roved over Soubi. "Strip for me, Soubi-kun."
Without hesitation, Soubi complied. He squelched the piece of his mind that wanted to protest that this was not how it should be. This was no different than what he had done for Seimei and wasn't this fulfilling Soubi's desire, his need to be controlled?
If so, then why did Soubi lay awake long after Ritsuka-sama had finished with him and banished him from the bed crying silent tears into his pillow? Why did he long for his Ritsuka to return to him?
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A/N: Once again, sorry about the long delay. The excuses are varied: no music for Lent made it hard for me to want to write; I had my wisdom teeth removed and didn't want to try to write something coherent while drugged up on narcotic painkillers; and a mild case of writer's block that this chapter may have cured.
Due to the number of reviews since the last update, I'm not going to respond individually, but I do want you to know that I appreciated each and every one of them. Nothing brightens my day more than getting a review.