Herro! Thank you all again for baring with my slowness! I swear I'm trying to be better!

Thank you all so incredibly much for your reviews! I absolutely love to hear all your thoughts and it really helps to motivate me forward! So thank you a million times! It really means a lot to me!

Enjoy!

-Shuichi77

The halls of the Seven Moons Academy were still dark and bare as Riku bounded through them at a determined pace. Once he was sure that Nagisa was well out of commission and far behind, he finally stopped to lean against a locker for a moment to catch his breath before standing back up straight with a serious look.

"Ritsuka…you ready to take back over?"

"Yeah; I know I can find him quickly."

"Alright."

With that, Riku took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he let himself fade away slowly, to make the process a bit more seamless, until Ritsuka came gasping back up to the surface. Ritsuka let out a little sigh of relief to be back in his body but didn't wait long before darting back down the quiet halls, using his bond to get a lock on Soubi and make a bee line for his location, fearing the worst. He soon arrived in front of the small door that he knew Soubi was behind and violently flung it open with a scowl. His eyes went wide though when he saw that Soubi was bound firmly to a chair with Ritsu slowly unbuttoning his Sentouki's shirt, a whip clutched in his hand and a hungry look in his eye.

"Soubi!" The blondes' gaze shot to the door in panic at the sound of the voice calling to him, fearing greatly for Ritsukas safety around Ritsu.

Ritsu gained a very sour look when the boy so rudely intruded on him and his business, giving a long aggravated sigh as he stood up straight and crossed his arms in an annoyed fashion.

"That useless woman…she couldn't even handle a little boy…how sad."

"Ritsuka! Get out of here!" Soubi exclaimed in a worried and pleading tone, only making Ritsu crack a smirk and give a little chuckle.

"No! I won't leave you, Soubi!" Ritsuka then dashed over towards the chair that confined his partner, planning on freeing him himself, but was stopped by the very sudden and painful feeling of a whip cracking across his cheek, leaving a small cut that immediately began to trickle some blood down his cheek.

"No you don't."

"Nngh!" Ritsuka gritted his teeth at the pain before backing up and turning a fierce scowl over to Ritsu as he balled his fists in anger. "You let him go! We are leaving!"

Soubi let out a deep growl in response to his Sacrifice being struck and he lunged fruitlessly against his restraints once more to try and get at Ritsu. Ritsu on the other hand, chuckled more at the boy's bravado, finding it rather naïve of him to really try and challenge him while Soubi wasn't able to come to his rescue as he always did.

"If you turn back now…I'll let you leave. Soubi on the other hand, stays with me. He will be my Sentouki now, as I always intended." Ritsuka let out a growl at the very arrogant statement before fiercely barking his reply.

"Like hell he will! I'll never let you take him!" Ritsu gave a mocking scoff to that as he moved to be standing behind Soubi, running a hand along the blonde collar bone and chest possessively.

"I'm afraid you don't really have a say in the matter Ritsuka…no one will be leaving here with Soubi. In fact…the only way he will be leaving here now…would be in a box."

"Don't you touch him, you bastard!"

Ritsu was wildly amused with the foolish bravery and was more than happy to show the boy just how set he was. He then took his whip in both hands before suddenly wrapping it tightly around Soubi's neck, slowly cutting off his air flow and making him gasp and start to choke from the pressure

"You really shouldn't underestimate or doubt me Ritsuka Aoyagi…your dear brother was the last person who tried that. Look how that worked out for him." Ritsuka's eyes went wide once again in panic to see Soubi struggling for air, heart racing and mind reeling as he desperately tried to think of what to do, and so went with his knee jerk reaction of taking a few steps forward towards Soubi.

"L-Let him go Ritsu!" Ritsu only smirked as Ritsuka came closer and tightened the leather whip around Soubi's neck in response.

"Ah ah…don't come any closer or I will simply snap his neck and be done with it."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh? Soubi is no good to me if I let him leave with you…so he might as well be dead in that case. His life doesn't hold that much value to me, just his power."

Ritsuka's heart began to beat at a painfully quick rate as panic fully set in, knowing now that he was stuck between the impossible choice of turning tail and running or trying to fight his way past Ritsu, which he didn't think he could. Tears even began to roll down his cheeks as he groped desperately in his mind for a solution, but was soon snapped out of his almost frozen state by the voice inside his head.

"Ritsuka! You have to do something! He is going to die if you don't!"

"I-I know I know! But what can I do?!"

"We have to think of something!"

Ritsuka then watched on in panic as Soubi's face began loose its color and his eyelids started to flutter, clearly losing consciousness. Riku was just as panicked at the sight and in that state he quickly and suddenly acted on an instinct that not even he knew he had. Riku abruptly forced his way back into control of Ritsukas body and shot a fiery gaze to Ritsu as he commanded in a near growl.

"Ritsu Minami! I will control this name!" Ritsu's eyes actually shot wide in shock to hear the Sacrifice somehow successfully cast a spell, his muscles immediately failing to respond as he tried to tighten his hold of the blonde.

"Wh-what…? How in the hell….?" Neither Riku nor Ritsuka knew the answer for that themselves actually, but weren't in a position to try and figure it out now and so Riku just went to trying to get them all out of there as fast as possible.

"Now let Soubi go and back away from him!"

Ritsu let out a deep growl as his body reacted against his will, his hands dropping his whip and his legs backing him against the far wall. Soubi gasped loudly and panted for air once he was released, and Riku quickly darted over to untie his restraints. The second that he was freed, Soubi turned a scowl to Ritsu as he landed a swift and very hard punch across the man's jaw.

"If you ever touch my Ritsuka again, I will kill you…that's a promise." Riku would have loved to stick around and let Soubi rough up the sadistic blonde but he had no clue how long the spell would last so then tugged firmly on Soubi's arm to try and coax him towards the door.

"Come on Soubi, we have to go while we can. I'm beyond sick of this fucking place."

For once, Soubi agreed with the boy whole heartedly and happily followed him out the door, slamming it angrily behind them. The two then made a very hasty exit from the Academy and made a bee line straight for Soubi's car in a tense silence, simply trying to focus on getting out of there before things got any worse. They stayed in silence for a little while until they had put some distance in between them and the academy and once Riku was sure that they were out of reach, he turned to Soubi with a softly serious expression to break the silence.

"Hey blondie, pull over a second. I'm gonna switch back with Ritsuka and he really wants to talk to you." Soubi was indeed more than anxious to have Ritsuka back after what felt like an eternity, so gave a firm nod before pulling over onto the side of the road and putting the car in park. Once they were stopped, Riku gave a small smile before letting himself slowly fade away once again and let Ritsuka snap back into his body, his eyes watering immediately as he whipped his head to look over at Soubi with relief written all over his face.

"Soubi! Are you alright?! You shouldn't have let yourself get captured! I was worried!" Soubi absolutely melted at the level of concern the boy had had for him and suddenly reached over to gently pull Ritsuka over to be seated across his lap and cradled snuggly in his arms.

"Ritsuka…forgive me. I should have been there to protect you…I'm so sorry…" Ritsukas heart raced from the affection and he gave into his feelings much more than normal, wrapping his arms around Soubi's neck and nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck.

"S-Shut up…you were just trying to find me after I got lost…I'm sorry I didn't come back after that battle…I tried…but I couldn't find my way and got lost somehow." Soubi's heart fluttered wildly at the return of his affection, still not at all used to it but loving it all the same.

"That's because I used the substitution spell under Rikus' order…it severed our bond temporarily while you weren't the one inhabiting your body…it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. I don't think we would have won if I hadn't done that and they would have just taken you from me then… or tried at least."

Ritsuka had been totally knocked out through all of the battle really so he hadn't realized what had happened until now. He thought on it for a moment ad really wasn't sure if he was more upset at Riku for the reckless move or thankful for ensuring they won the battle, but eventually decided to not be either and just be happy that it was all over. He was quiet and still in thought for a moment, really just enjoying the feeling of being wrapped in Soubi's arms, until he eventually pulled his face from the side of his neck to look up at him with a deep blush and a bit of a bashful expression.

"Well…I'm just happy it's all over, for now at least. Thank you Soubi…for going through so much to help me find my way back…I love you." He said softly before leaning up and catching Soubi's lips in a warm and tender kiss. Soubi happily returned the kiss, clutching Ritsuka tightly to his chest, before breaing free with a soft smile.

"I love you too. Now, let's get you home." Ritsuka simply gave a firm nod before crawling his way back into his seat and buckling up, more than ready to get back home where he belonged.

Soubi and Ritsuka soon arrived home and the very first thing Soubi did was tend to Ritsuka's wound across his cheek before insisting that he just relax for the rest of the evening, wanting him to just unwind a bit after the ordeal. Ritsuka actually happily agreed and spent the rest of the evening just lounging about, after taking a nice long bath to unwind, until dinner was ready. Ritsuka was easily intoxicated by the smell wafting from the kitchen and made his way into the kitchen just as Soubi was sliding a large bowl of mixed veggies and various meats onto the table, wanting to make sure Ritsuka kept his strength up. Ritsuka gave a wide grin at the sight and smell as he slid into a seat at the table, looking to Soubi with a bright expression.

"Looks great Soubi!" Soubi gave a warm smile as he moved into a seat opposite Ritsuka and started to load up a plate with food before sliding it over to Ritsuka and then working on his own.

"Well make sure you eat up, you've been through a lot and I want to make sure you stay healthy." Ritsuka blushed just a bit at the doting behavior before easily moving past it to dig into his food with a happy little hum.

"Its really good Soubi! Thank you!"

"You're most welcome."

The two then each went to focusing on their meal, both a bit famished after everything, until Ritsukas mind began to wonder back to something he had been thinking earlier. After a few minutes, once he was just about done with his meal, he finally spoke up softly as he pushed a few vegetables around his plate.

"Hey Soubi…" Soubi had just finished his own meal and began to clear plates from the table as he responded in a calm and even tone.

"Yes?"

"Riku and I were talking earlier…and we can't really seem to figure something out."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"Neither one of us can figure how he was able to cast a spell earlier…I know it was just a name possession spell, but it was still a spell none the less. It just doesn't really seem to make sense…if he is my alter ego and I'm a Sacrifice, would he be also? He even took all the damage in that battle when he took over." Soubi had also been pondering most of the evening on that exact matter and had come up with a few possible options at least to offer the boy. He finished clearing all the dishes first though before moving back into his seat to answer.

"Well…a Sentouki can take damage as well in a battle so that doesn't really factor in as much. As far why Riku was able to do so is a bit of a mystery. I think it may actually be possible for him to be a Sentouki instead of a Sacrifice but until we test it out, it's hard to say for sure."

"Ok yeah but how would that be possible? I'm a piece of you and you are a Sacrifice. Tell him it doesn't make sense!"

"Riku is right, it doesn't make sense still. How exactly could Riku even be a Sentouki?"

"I'll admit that it's a bit odd, but the only solid thing I can think of is that it might be because since he is a fractured piece of your personality, and soul, that was created as a separate entity it's possible that he took on all aspects of you that you wished were different. So just like how he embodies all your brutal honesty and self-preservation, he also embodies your protective nature and so thusly took on the Sentouki role."

"Hmm…that doesn't sound totally stupid. He may be right Ritsuka…I know more than anyone how much you wish you were more able to protect Soubi and the ones you love." Ritsuka still wasn't incredibly keen on being reminded of all his insecurities so very simply ignored Riku's last interjection.

"Well I suppose that might make sense. We will definitely have to test out the theory sometime soon."

"We certainly should…but for now, I think its bed time." Ritsuka gave a little smile to that, actually really just wanting to be close to Soubi. He had been a bit lost in his feelings all evening as well as his thoughts and he had realized many times over that he had come far too close to losing Soubi today and had found himself wanting nothing more than to be in his arms and cherish it.

"Yeah. I think bed sounds good."

Soubi then smiled warmly as he stood from his place and walked over to scoop Ritsuka gently up out of his chair, clutching him to his chest. Ritsuka was washed over with warmth once more to be back in Soubi's arms and nuzzled against him as he was so sweetly carried off into the bedroom. Once inside, Soubi gingerly laid Ritsuka down onto the bed before peeling out of his shirt and jeans, leaving him in just his boxer as he usually slept. Ritsuka had changed into his cotton sleeping shorts and tank top after his bath so crawled under the covers of the bed and settled into a comfy spot as Soubi climbed into the bed beside him. Once Soubi had gotten in, Ritsuka scooted his way a little closer to rest against the blonde strong chest and let out a long sigh of content as Soubi wrapped an arm warmly around him. Ritsuka then simply let himself relax in a comfortable silence before his calm state was shattered by the familiar voice in his head.

"Ritsuka…remember what we talked about? Don't back out on me now…" Ritsuka gave a little nervous grumble as he remembered far too well what he and his alter had discussed earlier in the evening while Soubi was cooking. Ritsuka was still wildly nervous about they had talked about but knew that Riku wasn't really going to give him a choice to back out anyway. He took another moment then to gather himself before leaning up to look at Soubi with a soft expression as he placed a tender but brief kiss on his soft lips.

"S-Soubi…there is something I wanted to…tell you…" Soubi raised an eye brow curiously to that as he tightened his arm around the boy for support, sensing how tense he was about whatever he wanted to say.

"Alright. You can tell me anything Ritsuka."

Ritsuka gave another little nervous grumble as he averted his gaze a bit and pressed his ears flat against his head as he tried to think of the words he was trying to find. It took him a moment but he finally just took a deep breath to calm himself and perked his ears back up in determination before looking deeply into Soubi's eyes with a soft but serious expression.

"I want…I want you to take my ears."

TBC

What a twist! Stay tuned for the next chapter where I will finally earn my M rating! Woo!

Thank you again! I look forward to your thoughts! XD

-Shuichi77