Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I own Loveless.
Chapter Nine: Riceless
"I don't like the breakfast, Soubi-kun. The rice is too sticky." Ritsuka-sama pushed his bowl away. He smirked at Soubi.
Without hesitating, Soubi stood up from his position at the foot of the table, took Ritsuka's bowl, and walked into the kitchen. He mechanically started re-making the rice for the second time that day. He would make it until Ritsuka-sama was happy with it.
And what if he was never happy?
Soubi pushed the stray though from his mind. If he could not make Ritsuka-sama happy with food, then he would offer himself up as punishment.
"By the way, Soubi-kun." Ritsuka-sama's voice came from directly behind Soubi. He must have followed Soubi into the kitchen. "I want the other two that are living here out."
"As you wish, Ritsuka-sama," Soubi replied. He wasn't surprised. Ritsuka-sama hadn't been happy when Zero had woken them both up this morning with their loud banging. They had left for school amidst giggles at Ritsuka-sama's sleepy orders to make them shut up.
"Oh, and that blond boy- the one that was just leaving as I came in. Don't see him again."
Kio. Damn. He hadn't realized Ritsuka-sama knew about his friendship with the boy. Soubi started to reply, but the words stuck in his throat.
"What's this, Soubi-kun? Hesitation about following an order?" Ritsuka's mocking tone was all too familiar. It reminded Soubi of Seimei.
"No, Master," Soubi whispered. He would not see Kio again. Soubi felt a pang of loss. Kio wouldn't understand. He would be furious. Rightly so. How would Soubi explain it to him?
Simple, he wouldn't. He wasn't to see him again. Was no explanation worse than a poor one? Soubi didn't know.
"The rice is burning." Ritsuka-sama sounded smug. Soubi quickly removed the rice from where it was cooking. He heard Ritsuka-sama pad back to the table in the other room of the small apartment.
Soubi put the rice into a bowl and walked back out to where Ritsuka-sama was seating himself. Without meeting his Master's eyes, Soubi placed the rice on the table, bowed, and resumed his seat at the table's foot. He kept his eyes on the wood of the table. Ritsuka-sama had already been forced to scold him once already today.
Soubi hadn't eaten yet. He hadn't received permission.
"After I finish eating, you will teach me this business of Fighting."
"Yes, Master."
Ritsuka-sama finished eating quickly. He ordered Soubi to wash the dishes while he got dressed for the day. Soubi did so without complaint. Afterwards, the two walked to the park by Soubi's house and spent the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon training.
It was almost three in the afternoon before Ritsuka-sama declared himself bored. He ended the mock-battle and told Soubi to give him some money so he could go out. Soubi-complied, giving Ritsuka the last of the money in his possession. He would have to make a stop at an ATM before he head home, to ensure that he had money the next time Ritsuka-sama needed some.
Soubi slowly made his way back to his apartment.
What had changed about him? Why was he so depressed? Ritsuka-sama was no worse than Seimei, but Soubi was finding it hard to swallow orders, to become the obedient slave he knew he should be.
Had belonging to Ritsuka changed him so much?
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Ritsuka walked into the soda shoppe, ordered a coke and took a seat in a corner, his back to the cool glass where he could watch the comings and goings in the place. It was about the time students were getting out of school- at least the ones that weren't headed to cram school. Dorks were boring anyway.
He sipped his soda and watched as children about his own age started filing into the store. Heh. His own age. He was fifteen. It was occasionally a giddy feeling, occasionally a disconcerting feeling.
Either way, he found it remarkably easy to slide into his new life. At least now that he had lost the dorks yesterday. Having a completely malleable adult to obey his every whim wasn't hurting either.
Ritsuka wondered what Soubi-kun did for a living. He had an apartment and Ritsuka, so he must do something. Ritsuka would have to remember to ask about that when he went back to the apartment. After all, they would need money, which meant Soubi-kun would have to work his hours.
Ritsuka stretched and leaned back into the seats. The crowd here looked boring. They were all properly dressed in skirts and slacks. Uniforms on some of the students. Those were the high school students. Next year for him, Ritsuka assumed.
He should probably find out where his school was and head back there at some point. Before the school called his mother.
Ritsuka smirked at the thought. The old bat couldn't even tell that he was her Ritsuka. She was completely gone.
Just like Seimei.
He would fucking kill whoever had finished off his brother.
"Loveless."
Ritsuka jumped as the two boys from yesterday- Youji and Natsuo- sat down, one on either side of him. He hadn't seen them come in.
"Did we scare you, Loveless?" Natsuo asked. He slung an arm across Ritsuka's shoulders and grinned.
Ritsuka shrugged out from under the red-head's arm. "What do you two want?" he asked them. He didn't like the unholy gleam in their eyes.
"Nothing much, Loveless," Youji said. "So, how long until we're kicked out of Soubi-san's house?"
"Today," Ritsuka said flatly.
The two boys looked at each other and cracked up laughing. "He sounds so serious," Youji told Natsuo.
"He doesn't realize that he's not going to live through today."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ritsuka asked, suddenly alarmed. He tensed his muscles. If they wanted a fight…
"Nothing, Loveless." Natsuo's grin was feral.
"Stop calling me that."
The two boys looked at each other and cracked up laughing again.
"So, did you two want something or were you just coming to give me death threats?" Ritsuka's voice was a growl in his throat. He stood up to go. If it came to fight now, he would be outnumbered and outclassed. He would be better to get Soubi, then finish this.
"Leaving, Loveless?" Youji's voice was mocking.
Ritsuka walked past him calmly. Don't let them sense fear. "I told you not to call me that."
"I guess he doesn't want to know who killed his brother then," Natsuo said to Youji.
Ritsuka stopped in his tracks and whirled to face the two boys. They smirked up at him.
"Thought that would get your attention," Natsuo said.
"Who killed my brother?" Ritsuka asked, taking a step closer to the two boys.
Natsuo and Youji stood up side by side, they're hands outstretched. "We did." They spoke as one. "We declare a spell battle."
Ritsuka felt a chill rise on his neck and adrenaline surge through his system. "Accepted," he said. As the word fell from his lips, the world turned to blackness.
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A/N: This was a hard chapter to write- I kept getting distracted by absolutely nothing. On the bright side, I have the rest of the story planned out.
Thanks to all reviewers.