"Ritsuka! Are you out of the shower yet? Diner is ready." Upon hearing the blonde call to him from the kitchen, Ritsuka poked his head out of the bedroom door to answer.

"Yeah, I'm just getting dressed. I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright."

Ritsuka then tucked his head back inside the bedroom before shutting it softly. He then walked over to the tall dresser, wrapped only in a fluffy towel, to where he had placed his duffle bag earlier. He bent down and quickly rustled through the bag until he found a pair of tight black shorts and a loose fitting tank top. With his comfortable clothes in hand, Ritsuka walked over to the large king sized bed and dropped his towel before slipping into his shorts and tank top. Once he was dressed, he picked up the towel and took it back into the bathroom to hang it up to dry. Ritsuka then walked over to the bedroom door, placed his hand on the door knob and took a few deep breathes while he muttered to himself.

"I can keep control…I have to…I won't be controlled."

After this small self-affirmation, Ritsuka calmly opened the door and made his way into the kitchen. When he rounded the corner he couldn't help to blush slightly upon seeing that Soubi had already placed two bowls onto the kitchen table and was now seated there with a warm smile.

"Please have a seat. I made ramen." Ritsuka gave a small smile at this as he made his way over to the table to join the blonde.

"Thank you Soubi."

"No need to thank me; it's my pleasure." This caused Ritsuka to blush wildly and quickly turn his face down toward his bowl in an attempt to hide it, which in turn caused Soubi to chuckle slightly.

"Y-yeah but…I mean thank you for everything; letting me stay here and all. And I'm sorry about earlier…at mother's. I'm not sure what happened but I'm sorry to bring you in the middle of it." Ritsuka spoke in a soft and sorrowful tone as he simply pushed noodles around in his bowl. Soubi on the other hand, chomped a small mouthful of ramen before answering in a serious tone.

"Ritsuka…you really don't need to thank me. I enjoy having you here very much; and as far as earlier well, none of that was your fault. I know how your mother is and I'm sure you did nothing to deserve her treating you that way. I'm just happy that I could be there for you. Being the thing in between you and trouble makes me very happy." Ritsuka then looked up from his bowl with wide eyes and he felt his heart racing; he couldn't believe that anyone could say such things to him, let alone the one person from whom it mattered most.

"S-Soubi…I….I don't know what to say…" Ritsuka's heart then almost stopped dead when he heard a small chuckle.

"I do…." Riku's eerie voice threw Ritsuka into a panic and it very clearly showed on his face.

"Is everything ok Ritsuka?" The blonde's voice only made Ritsuka panic more and he suddenly stood from his chair, placing both palms firmly onto the table as he did.

"Uh um everything's fine! I just...um…excuse me!"

Soubi then watched on in utter confusion as Ritsuka quickly dashed from the table and toward the bedroom, very audibly closing the door behind him. As soon as the door shut behind him, Ritsuka pressed his back up firmly against it and let his seemingly heavy body slide down it until he was propped against it with his knees tucked tightly to his chest. He then buried his face in his arms as he prepared for oncoming internal battle that he knew was coming.

"Now why did you go and do that?! That was my perfect opportunity."

"Just shut up please…" Ritsuka whispered into his arms, doing his best to keep his voice down so that Soubi didn't over hear.

"And why should I? All I'm trying to do is help you get what you want…and I know that you want him."

"That isn't the point."

"Then what is the point smart guy? Why won't you just let me help you?"

"Because…it isn't just about…sex; it's more than that. I…I love him."

"Well what better way to show him that?"

"No…when I tell him, I want it to be me saying. I want to be the one to show him when that time comes. This is my body and I decide who to give it to and when."

"But this isn't just your body any longer Ritsuka, it's ours and there is nothing you can do about that."

"Just because you invaded my body doesn't make this our body, it makes you a parasite and I won't let you control me."

"Ow…that really hurts my feelings Ritsuka…" Ritsuka let out a small scoff at the dripping sarcasm in Riku's voice. "Don't forget that I came to be because you don't know how to express your true feelings and can't even stand up for yourself."

"Shut up…"

"You think if you just ignore me that I will go away?"

"No but it would be nice." This caused a sinister chuckle to ring through the boys head.

"All wishful thinking my friend…and if you keep this up then you really won't have any say in the matter." This statement caused Ritsuka to quickly jerk his head up with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed? Every minute that you fight me and deny your feeling and desires…I get stronger. That's how I am able to control your body more and more. Soon I will be able to take control whenever I please. At the rate you're going it won't be long at all before I can finally get your….our hands on that gorgeous man."

"No…you can't…."

"You see…it's that kind of thinking that is going to ensure that I get my way and make your every dream and desire come true…starting with the blonde."

"No! That's enough!"

Ritsuka then suddenly shot to his feet clutching the sides of his head in frustration. In the process however, he accidently bumped the dresser next to him causing a small lamp to wobble and then fall to the hardwood floor with a very loud crash. This caused Ritsuka to immediately panic and he quickly rushed over and back down onto his knees to begin to pick up the broken pieces with his now shaking hands. Before Ritsuka could even get to the mess however, the tall blonde came bursting through the door in a panic.

"Ritsuka! Are you alright?!" The sight of the blonde mixed with the faint laughter still echoing through his head, caused Ritsuka to shoot back to his feet in a jittery panic.

"S-Soubi I-I..I just….uh…" Ritsuka then began to falter and his head became incredibly fuzzy while the room began to spin.

"Ritsuka! What's the matter?!"

"I….feel….dizzy…." Ritsuka's knees then buckled beneath him and he began to fall to the floor. Before he could hit the ground however, the blonde swiftly caught him in his arms.

"Ritsuka!"

Ritsuka could no longer speak as his head continued to spin and his sight became increasingly dark and blurry. He tried with all his might to fight the oncoming feeling of losing control. His efforts were in vein however as the feeling quickly consumed him and the last thing he saw was Soubi's worried face before once again, everything went black.

"Ritsuka! Are you alright!?" Soubi was doing his best to retain his composer as the boy he loved remained silent in his arms. His panic was then quickly relieved when the boy opened his eyes slowly and gently rubbed his head. "Are you okay? I thought you fainted again." Soubi then saw a sort of spark shoot through the boy's eyes before he responded in a very healthy tone.

"Oh…I'm doing much better now."

"Thank goodness…are you sure you are feeling ok? I can take you to the hospital."

"No need. I really feel fine….thanks to you."

"What?"

"Well you caught me…and I feel so much better being in your arms Soubi." The boy then nuzzled softly into Soubi's chest, confusing the blonde slightly; Ritsuka had never been this way toward him, granted he wasn't very upset about it. In fact, this small action got the blonde thinking that maybe the object of his affection was finally returning his love. Soubi then held the boy tighter with a warm smile at this thought.

"I'm so glad. I was worried."

"You don't need to worry Soubi. I know that I will always be safe with you." There was then a short silence in this tender moment while the two remained together on the floor. Out of the silence, Ritsuka raised his head to look into Soubi's deep ocean blue eyes before speaking in a near whisper.

"Soubi…there is something I've been meaning to tell you…"

All of a sudden, Ritsuka opened eyes to realize that he was back in that dark place watching through his own eyes as his body was being controlled against his will.

"No! Give me back my body Riku!" Ritsuka gained no response but instead could only watch and listen to what was happening around him.

"What do you want to tell me Ritsuka?"

"No! Riku please don't! I'm begging you! Don't do this!" Again his cries fell on deaf ears.

"Soubi…I love you." This was not at all what the blonde was expected so suddenly out of nowhere and he almost couldn't believe it.

"Ritsuka…are you sure you are ok?"

"I'm very sure. I've wanted to tell for so long but I've been too afraid…but I love you Soubi."

"I…I love you too Ritsuka."

Ritsuka then watched on in horror as Riku placed his small delicate hands on the collar of Soubi's shirt and pulled the blonde into a deep passionate kiss, obviously much to Soubi's surprise. Ritsuka then felt an odd churning sensation in the pit of his stomach. Then out of nowhere he felt himself being pulled violently upwards and before he knew what had happened, he was back in his body. The sudden shift caused Ritsuka to gasp, forgetting for a moment that his lips were still in fact locked with Soubi's. Ritsuka then finally gave in and allowed his eye lids to flutter closed as Soubi took advantage of his confusion and slyly slipped his tongue into his mouth. The two quickly became lost in their kiss as their tongues battled for dominance in an attempt to explore every inch of the other. After another blissful moment, the two were forced to part for air and Ritsuka now found himself face to face with the object of his affection and his secret now very much out of the bag.

"Soubi…I…I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me." Ritsuka then saw a shimmer in the blonde's eyes as he looked at him a warm smile and slightly red cheeks.

"I'm not sorry…"

Soubi then caught the boy's lips in a tender kiss once again and Ritsuka couldn't fight his desire any longer and completely gave in. In that moment, Ritsuka forgot all about all his problems and it felt to him as if this moment was the only thing that mattered in the entire world. This bliss was disturbed however by the sudden intrusion of the familiar laugh in his head.

"You're welcome Ritsuka…."

TBC