Dlbn: Here's the conclusion to this fic! Merry Christmas, all! I'm in pain from my TMJ (the joint that helps your mouth open and closed. The muscles are inflamed from either stretching too wide or dislocating my jaw somehow) deciding to act up last, and on some pain killers and muscle relaxers, which means I'm too tired to blink, so I'm going to go to bed in a minute or two.
Nbld: No one cares about your problems. Besides, you're only over tired cause you played Murdered for six hours.
Dlbn: I admit to nothing.
Nbld: Time for Review Corner! Thank you to Promocat, The DarkCat, and Irymia for reviewing! Candy for you all!
Promocat: Loveless is going to appear in a few of my stories. This is just a little intro to him as a character. Hopefully Soubi can tell when Ritsuka is being Ritsuka versus someone else.
The DarkCat: Thank you! Yup, they're connected. Ritsuka has to do a lot of practice to be able to switch seamlessly, and it's up to Loveless to know how Ritsuka acts so he can copy him and fool people easier.
Irymia: I'm glad you're enjoying! Ritsu's "death" is in the second chapter (the one after the prologue) of my Halloween fic. Reading that may help. Yes, Ritsuka and Loveless can switch between themselves at will, though at first, they had no idea how to do so and Loveless just showed up when he felt like it. I try to make a fic for every Christmas and Halloween, and for the birthdays of Soubi, Seimei, Ritsuka, and sometimes my fan birthday for Nisei. A new year's one is coming out soon as well!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, Akira, and Loveless. Everything canon to Loveless belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off this.
Dedication: Happy birthday, Ritsuka! And Merry Christmas to everyone else! Hope you enjoy the conclusion!
000
Seimei was easy to find. His aura was as suffocating as ever as Ritsuka got a little too close to Minami's on-campus office. The gold plate labeled principal glittered as Ritsuka collected himself and pushed the door open. Zero was in the infirmary at the end of the hall, and Moonless as in a computer room a little way off from there. Loveless had agreed to activate their battle signature if there was trouble, they couldn't get out of alone to alert the others. Their proximity wasn't as comforting as it should have been. There was nothing to say that Nisei or Soubi couldn't see through their cloaking of their names. Ritsuka would have to act as if he didn't know they were around if Seimei brought it up. Being weak and untrained on his own, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he couldn't see through even a simple spell.
Seimei was going through papers from Ritsu's desk, but Ritsuka wasn't sure what he was looking for. Akame was playing on his phone as if he was bored and didn't expect a challenge from the director-less academy. Soubi was staring at a painting hung up on one wall of the office. Ritsuka recognized the style from some earlier paintings of Soubi's that he'd found lying around the apartment. Not much of a surprise that Ritsu would hang onto one of Soubi's paintings for so long, the blond had always been his obsession.
Seimei's merry band of miscreants. How lovely. Loveless chortled.
Ritsuka slowly and silently closed the door behind him, thankful that his aura was weak enough that it didn't attract attention. Still he couldn't help but be surprised no one had seen or heard the door open. He cleared his throat, making Akame jump and almost drop his phone. He fumbled with it for a few seconds before grabbing it firmly and glaring at Ritsuka from under a curtain of raven black too long bangs. Soubi turned quickly as if he expected a fight, but his shoulders relaxed when he saw who it was, and he smiled softly. Seimei's hand froze in between two pages he'd been looking through, but he didn't seem surprised that it was his brother who had interrupted him.
"Ah, Ritsuka!" He greeted cheerfully, flipping the pages so that they lay open where he left off. "I was wondering when you'd be here!"
"You…knew I was here?" Ritsuka wondered, wary of his own brother.
With everything he'd learned, he had a right to be.
"Of course!" Seimei chuckled. "Why wouldn't you be? It's a safe haven for you, isn't it? I mean, you're all alone now."
And who's fault is that?
"O-Oh…"
"And not to mention your little friends are here…Zero, right?" Seimei cocked his head to the side. "Though I'm surprised they don't have someone watching you twenty-four-seven to make sure you're not hurt…"
Ritsuka shrugged one shoulder. "Everyone's out looking for the intruders…I had a feeling it was you…it was you last time…"
"How perceptive." Seimei commented.
"Which means they know we're here, idiot." Nisei scolded his master, shrinking back when Seimei glared and holding his phone up like a shield. "There's no way he just assumed it was us again. Who would go after the same place twice?"
"You…?" Ritsuka wondered, earning a glare from the dark Fighter and a chuckle from Soubi that was quickly silenced by Seimei's stare. "A-Anyway…I came for the funeral…for Ritsu-sensei…"
"We were going to make an appearance, but I'm looking for something, clearly." Seimei gestured to the binder he was flipping through. "Come, have a seat! Relax a little. We have a lot to catch up on. How's school going?"
"School…? You want to ask me about school?" Ritsuka cocked an eyebrow, surprised. "But…Seimei…"
"But what?" He wondered. "Isn't it normal for a big brother to wonder about his little brother's life?"
"Well…yes…but not you…" Ritsuka paused. "I mean, yeah, you before but…not now…you're too concerned with…whatever you're doing…" His eyes landed on the book, trying his hardest not to look at Soubi.
He feared that if he did, his shell would crack, and he'd give too much away like he did with Kio and Akira.
"That hurts. You think I don't care about your safety?"
"You did take me from him…" Soubi paused when Seimei glared at him. "I mean…he's alone now, like you said…turning to the academy isn't the best idea…"
"I didn't turn to them." Ritsuka argued so Seimei couldn't yell. "Yoji and Natsuo are my friends, yeah, but we've got our lives in Tokyo…I want to stay as far away from this fighting stuff as possible."
"Because you're defenseless." Nisei chuckled. "Wow, Seimei, they're right. You don't care about his safety at all."
Seimei glared. "Shut your mouth, you know that isn't true." He sighed. "Ritsuka you know that everything I do is for you."
"How? How is it for me…?" Ritsuka looked away, feigning injury. "You…you faked your own death and left me alone with mother…gave me Soubi to protect me, then took him away and left me alone…" A pause. "You hurt Ritsu-sensei the first time you broke in here…you almost suffocated my friends in the library…how are you doing anything to help me? Everything you've done has only hurt me or one of my friends…"
"You consider Minami a friend?" Seimei cocked his eyebrow. "Surprising…I didn't anticipate that."
"Well…he's not really a friend…a friend of friends, more or less…"
"I see…" Seimei paused before smiling sweetly. "Well, be that as it may, I'm happy you're here. I wondered how long it would be before we saw each other again."
Ritsuka blinked. "I didn't think I would see you again…to be honest…I knew you were here and fought Moonless…I didn't know what happened…I…"
"You know he's faking it, right?" Nisei pointed out. "He knows what happened with Moonless. He knows we're not dead or he wouldn't have come here hoping the intruder was you. What are you after, Loveless?"
"What makes you think I'm after something?" Ritsuka glared. "I just want to talk…"
"Talk my ass."
"Nisei." Seimei scolded.
Soubi just shook his head and rolled his eyes, as if he was used to Nisei going off leash like that.
"Seimei, you can't be this blind, can you? He showed up for the funeral, the intruder alarms go off but no announcement as to who it is, he assumes it's you, and comes here? He's not just some innocent little kid roaming the school and just happened to come upon us. He's got to be up to something by now."
Seimei looked to Ritsuka. "Is he right? Did you plan on us being here?"
"I…had hoped." Ritsuka replied. "I mean… know you want to take over, right? That's what everyone's been saying. And now…Ritsu's…." A pause. "What a better time to come and try to overthrow everything? When everything is in chaos…"
Nisei cocked an eyebrow.
"Perceptive." Soubi muttered.
"Very." Seimei agreed, surprising the others in the room. "You just wanted to see me, hm? How sweet."
Ritsuka paused, unsure if he was going to say the right thing or not but blurted out anyway. "Not you…"
Seimei blinked. "I'm sorry? Not me? Then who…?" His and Nisei's eyes slowly went to Soubi, who flushed cherry red and stood stone still. "Ah, Soubi? You missed him, hm? More than your own brother? For shame…"
Ritsuka glared slightly. "The last time I saw you…you broke my heart…"
"Aw, how sweet." Nisei teased. "But last I checked, it was Agatsuma who ran off on you. After such a sweet moment, too."
Ritsuka glared. He didn't much like being made fun of and Loveless was getting annoyed as well. The last thing he needed was to shift personalities now and compromise everything. The entire ploy relied on Seimei believing his brother was alone and harmless. He couldn't know about Loveless yet.
"Quit it." Seimei ordered his Fighter. "He does have a point, though, Ritsuka. Soubi did leave you alone."
"Because you told him to." Ritsuka argued. "You know he doesn't have a choice when you tell him to do things…"
"Ritsuka…" Soubi paused. "I'm sorry…don't be so upset over me…it's not worth it."
"He's right, you know." Seimei pointed out. "Why be hurt over me taking back what's rightfully mine?"
"You act like Soubi's property…he's a person, Seimei, like you or me!"
"You really think that, hm?" Seimei chuckled. "They clearly haven't been teaching you anything in his absence. Fighters belong to us. We don't belong to them."
"We belong with them! We're supposed to be equals, aren't we?"
"Master and servant, at best!" Seimei argued. "Come on, Ritsuka, don't be so naïve. It doesn't suit you…"
Ritsuka didn't respond to that.
"But if you want to talk to him, go right ahead. I won't stop you. He won't leave, though, if that's what you're hoping." Seimei went back to looking over the papers he'd found. "After all, he's bound to me now. There's no changing that."
Soubi grimaced at that, but luckily Seimei wasn't paying attention and Nisei had gone back to applying on his phone, apparently finding the happenings of the rest of the room around him boring.
Gotcha. Loveless told Ritsuka. He's not bound to Seimei.
You can't tell that… Ritsuka responded. He might just be disgusted by the fact that he had to do it.
So, ask him.
And blow his cover we've worked so hard to forge? I can't.
Let me do it. It won't be direct. I'll ask in a way only Soubi would understand.
Reluctantly, Ritsuka let his other-self take over.
"Bound…?" Loveless asked. "What…what does that mean…?"
"If one dies, the other does too, really." Nisei spoke up, not looking away from whatever he was doing. "It's a bit more than a traditional bonding of a Sacrifice and a Fighter. You give your entire being over to your master. Blanks do it to solidify their bond. It's an act of desperation, really."
"Excuse you?" Seimei wondered, looking up for a moment.
"On the Fighter's part." Nisei glared over his shoulder at the younger male. "It's only needed when the bond between Sacrifice and Fighter is weak, breakable."
"You really think that of us, Soubi? I'm surprised." Seimei purred.
"It was your idea. What I think is of no consequence." Soubi responded.
Seimei glared.
The defiance…he's being rather bold with us here, isn't he? Loveless asked Ritsuka as Seimei started to lecture the blond. With us here, he's arguing with Seimei. How interesting…
He was like that when we confronted Seimei in the library the first time. He thought I was in danger and stepped in. Made Seimei mad. Ritsuka argued. He's being protective because…
Because he loves you.
"Seimei." Loveless interrupted. "You…you have two Fighters…you can't blame him for thinking you don't need him…you didn't when you were…you know…supposed to be dead."
Seimei stopped scolding the rather bored looking blond and turned to his brother instead. "I suppose you have a point. But clearly, I need him now. Since Akame can't handle a simple battle."
Nisei glared. "You made me fight alone, bastard." He argued. "I can't take on a Unit on my own."
"He's not wrong." Soubi pointed out. "Even Ritsuka and I defeated him before…"
"Quiet!"
"That's how you got caught here last time?" Seimei shook his head. "Pathetic…"
"Thanks, Agatsuma…" Nisei glowered, sinking further into his chair and popping in headphones.
Is he seriously acting like a scolded teenager?
"But what about me, Seimei? What am I supposed to do?" Loveless hugged himself and looked away. "I'm alone…if I get attacked…I'm defenseless…didn't you think of that when you made Soubi leave…?"
"No one is foolish enough to go after you, even if you're alone. There's no sport in fighting a Sacrifice on his own." Seimei shrugged one shoulder.
He really doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself…
"I've been attacked before…" Loveless bluffed. "If Yoji and Natsuo hadn't been there…"
"You weren't hurt, were you?" Seimei's brow knit together in false concern.
"Just scared…I don't like being alone anymore…I won't go anywhere without them or Yuiko…"
"I see. I'm sorry you went through that, Ritsuka. If I could have prevented it, I would have. But no one will hurt you again. I promise." He glared at Soubi out of the corner of his eye.
"What are you glaring at me for? I only left because you made me…I even asked you why you enjoy hurting him like that…" Soubi backed up a little as a glint came to Seimei's eyes.
"You're being rather vocal, today. I don't think I like it that much. Shut up." Seimei ordered.
"Don't be mean…" Loveless told Seimei. "Please…act how you want when you're home but…I…not in front of me, please…you're acting like the girls at school…"
"Girl trouble, really?" Nisei cocked an eyebrow. "I thought it would be more boy trouble for you…"
"Aren't you listening to music?" Ritsuka wondered.
"Switching songs. The Wi-Fi here sucks."
"Are you seriously attached to the Wi-Fi on your phone right now?" Seimei wondered.
"Yes…?"
The neko groaned as Soubi chuckled, hand politely covering his mouth, so he wouldn't piss off Seimei by being too loud.
"Idiot, get off that. They can see who's connected."
"It won't work without Wi-Fi. I'm out of data."
"And who's fault is that?"
"Yours! The Wi-Fi got shut off because I can't pay it, since I'm too busy doing shit for you for free instead of for clients for actual money to pay the bills. God knows you're not going to do it."
"There is no God here." Seimei replied.
Loveless took advantage of the distraction of the two fighting and got close to Soubi. "You really bound yourself to Seimei? Of all people?"
"It was an order." Soubi replied. "That's all…it means nothing…if I had had a choice…"
"You had a choice." Loveless answered softly. "Please tell me you didn't really choose my brother…"
"I can't answer that…"
"He can't hear you. They're too busy fighting…are they always like this…?"
"More often as of late…Nisei doesn't hang around Fearless anymore because Seimei said so."
"He misses his friend? That's not like him…"
"You're not like you either."
Loveless cocked an eyebrow.
"If you think I can't see through you, you're a fool…"
He flushed. "I'm Ritsuka…you know who I am."
"I'll answer when I get the real Ritsuka back. Thank you…" Soubi pressed his lips together and took an interest in Nisei and Seimei arguing, which seemed to have turned a little physical despite Seimei's distain for touch.
"It's like they're flirting." Loveless commented.
Soubi shrugged a shoulder. "Akame, sure. It's obvious how he feels. Seimei, on the other hand, will deny it until the cows come home…"
"I see. Pathetic…"
Soubi looked down at him. "I suppose it is…"
Loveless sighed and let Ritsuka take over.
"What gave it away?" He wondered, looking up at the blond.
Soubi smiled gently at him, seeming to understand that it was Ritsuka he was talking to once again.
"I know you." Soubi responded.
"Then if you know me, you know what I'm asking…did you bind yourself to Seimei…?"
"I can't answer that…"
"You said it would if it was me."
"Who was I talking to?"
"Loveless, my other personality. Don't make me explain further. Eventually they're going to notice we checked out…"
"I bound myself." Soubi responded.
"To Seimei."
The look in the blonde's eyes told him everything he needed to know. Relief washed over him in waves. Soubi hadn't bound himself to Seimei. He'd chosen Ritsuka. Not Seimei. He couldn't help but feel giddy.
Be careful. Don't blow it. Watch what you say. You don't know how well they're listening.
"Seimei…?" Ritsuka grabbed his brother's attention.
"Yes?" Seimei wondered, hand poised to punch Akame, who had a fistful of Seimei's hair.
"What are you doing…?"
"Huh? Ah…yes…" Seimei ripped Nisei's hand off and stood, brushing off his clothes. "Sorry about that…"
Ritsuka and Soubi just stared. The blond cocked an eyebrow. Nisei simply went back to his phone, playing on it again despite Seimei's orders to get off the Wi-Fi.
"You're acting strange…" Ritsuka told his brother.
"Am I?" Seimei wondered, seeming surprised. "I suppose it's just been that long since we've seen one another that you wouldn't recognize me if you tripped over me."
"I recognize you! Just…"
Soubi's hand tightened on Ritsuka's shoulder. The neko looked up at him.
"He heard us." Soubi stated simply.
"Told you he was up to something." Nisei stated. "You really picked the little brother. I'm dying."
"You will be if you don't shut your mouth."
"You won't do a god damn thing. You need me now." Nisei stuck his tongue out. "Agatsuma can't fight for you anymore. That's why Moonless ended the battle. They realized it before you did! That's rich!"
Seimei chucked a stapler at the dark Fighter's head, but he dodged it. "Shut up." He ordered. "I…had a feeling I was going to be betrayed one day…just…" The dark look in his eyes that landed on Ritsuka and Soubi had the ravenette stepping back in fear and letting Loveless come out, Soubi pushing Ritsuka behind him to defend him. "I never thought it would be either one of you…"
"Then who did you think? Me?" Nisei snorted. "Please."
"Yeah, doesn't make sense that the guy that's in love with him would turn on him in the end." Loveless poked his head out from behind Soubi. "Kind of narrows down the suspect list a bit."
Seimei cocked an eyebrow. "Ah, I thought you'd been acting strangely for a little there." He stated. "Who are you?"
"I'm Ritsuka, Seimei…you know me."
"Mm I would say that I know you, sure. But to claim you're Ritsuka…pardon if I sound as mad as mother for saying this, but you're not Ritsuka. Are you…Loveless…?"
He came out from behind Soubi, folding his arms over his chest. "And here I thought I gave a peak performance. You know how hard it was to learn to be like Ritsuka? Fooled Yuiko once or twice, I admit."
"Not very hard to do…" Soubi muttered.
Loveless rolled his eyes. "How do you know my name?"
"Let's say…I heard it in a nightmare."
Loveless cocked an eyebrow. "I see…I see!" he laughed loudly. "Those nightmares were your doing, weren't they? Only they got you as well…that's kind of funny. Your plan backfired."
Seimei glared. "I had hoped it wasn't true…that there wasn't a second soul inhabiting my brother's body…though I suppose I should have anticipated your betrayal…now it makes sense why Moonless retreated like they did…they knew I was beat. Covering for you, I must admit, is a new thing for the Executioner. She doesn't care much for people beyond herself and that useless Fighter of hers."
"Sounds familiar." Loveless' eyes landed on Nisei.
"Hey!" Nisei stood quickly. "Listen, you…"
"Enough." Seimei ordered. "What is your purpose here?"
"To protect Ritsuka from monsters in the dark…monsters like you." Loveless glared. "Don't think that I don't know all about you, Seimei. Even things Ritsuka kept hidden from himself, the stuff that didn't quite make sense back then…"
"Monster, me?" He put a hand on his chest, feigning injury as he took a step back. "How rude of you. Then again, you're not Ritsuka, so I'm not surprised, I guess…"
Loveless shrugged. "Your words don't cut me as much as they should."
"So, let me guess. You and Ritsuka came all the way here to confront me, knowing I'd come now that Ritsu is dead." Seimei commented. "But for what purpose? Hoping to get a little revenge?"
"I'm here for my Fighter." Loveless told Seimei. "What you do is of no importance to me."
"But Loveless, you can't think I'll just let you walk away."
"I know." Loveless stated. 'Why do you think I came out? I anticipated a battle, Seimei. You're not going to let go so easily, even now that you know that Soubi doesn't belong to you in the slightest."
Seimei chuckled. "You're perceptive. I just hate that it's my own little brother I have to fight."
"That's the thing, though, Seimei." Loveless chuckled, deep and dark. "I'm not your brother."
His battle signature lit up, joining in Seimei's and creating a crushing atmosphere. He tugged at his collar.
"Well, now, this is uncomfortable. I forgot how much alike we are." Loveless chuckled.
"I'm afraid you won't find me an easy opponent, Loveless. I'm not about to let you go without a fight."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Ritsuka, I doubt you can hear me, but if you can…I'm sorry it had to come to this. I don't want to fight you."
Loveless snorted. "He can hear you just fine and be believes your bullshit just about as much as I do."
Give it everything you got…we can't let Seimei win…just…please…don't kill him…
I'm not in the business of killing, you know this. I'm just going to subdue him. I won't lose to Akame. I'm not weak. Besides, we have Soubi. He can battle. I'll take the damage. When Seimei least expects it, he'll get a nice last hit from me.
"I declare a battle of Wordspell." Seimei snapped his fingers at Nisei.
"We accept." Soubi agreed before Loveless could do so.
Whether or not he knew that Loveless was a Fighter or not, at least he was going to step up to the plate. The air around them shifted until they were in a dimly lit battle zone, bright flashes of light swirling around every so often to give a haunting strobe-light look to their faces as they changed back and forth from greens to reds and blues. Loveless looked around. Was this Soubi's battle zone or Seimei's? Or some strange mix of theirs? He'd only fought once or twice against Yoji and Natsuo for practice, and Breathless once as well when fighting Zero became stale. Every fight was different. Maybe it depended on who initiated it. He'd have to ask Soubi when they were in a better position to talk.
"Who's going to start?" Loveless tugged lightly on Soubi's arm. "I've never…you know…actually had to fight before."
A ruse he hoped Soubi could see through but Seimei couldn't.
"Darkness, pierce the hearts of my opponent." Nisei stated.
"Okay, I guess it's your turn then. Cool. Glad we talked that out." Loveless informed.
Soubi chuckled as Nisei continued his spell.
"Force them to their knees so they no longer stand in my way."
Waves of darkness in spectral forms danced their way towards them lazily, obviously not well controlled by the dark Fighter.
"The shadows of Beloved shall not reach the light of Loveless." Soubi countered, the area around the duo filling with light. "Light penetrates the darkness."
"Shadows counter! Reverse the light and blind my opponent from their goal!"
Shadows danced around the light, trying to push through and turn it in on Soubi.
"The light has no effect on those who live within it, Akame." Soubi informed. "Damage is reduced to zero. Chains, bind my enemy to the ground. Do not let them escape your will."
Thick grey chains shot out from Soubi's palm when he held it up, shooting at Beloved like a targeted missile.
"Flames surround and protect. Chains cannot penetrate without being reduced to ash."
Flames licked up from the ground.
"Fire meets metal." Soubi laughed.
"Wow. Did you fail science, Akame? Fire doesn't make metal into ash." Loveless chuckled. "It just makes it hotter."
The tips of the chains glowed white hot as they pierced the flames, stabbing painfully into the wrists of the Beloved unit. Seimei cringed but looked more annoyed then hurt. Nisei bit back a shout, literally biting down on his lower lip. Using his silence as an opportunity, Soubi stretched his arm out, palm facing forward.
"Give up, Seimei. You're not going to win here." Soubi informed. "Neither of you are even trying. Where is the power of Beloved? Certainly not entirely within your Fighter. If you're going to win, you have to participate."
"Seimei's…?"
"he's not lending Akame his power like he's supposed to. He's making him fight on his own. Again."
"Poor little Nisei…" Loveless chided.
"Shut up!" Nisei glared. "I don't need his help. I can do fine on my own!"
"Excuse me?" The protest went unheard by Akame as he countered, another spell dancing off the tip of his tongue.
Soubi countered it quickly, shooting piercing arrows to latch to their ankles, dragging Akame down closer to the ground.
"Would you put some effort into it?" Seimei glared. "I won't lose to a traitor and whatever you call that." He pointed a finger at Loveless.
The Fighter's blood boiled, but he bit back the spell he was going to throw out. That was for the final act. Not for an act of desperation.
"I am not a that." Loveless argued. "I am the other side of Aoyagi Ritsuka, the side he keeps to himself."
And not a manifestation of his negative emotions, damn it. I'm me. Me!
Calm down! Don't blow this so early! Let Soubi win, deliver the finishing blow yourself. That's what we agreed on! He won't see it coming…
"Whatever you say." Seimei shrugged the best he could with his wrists and ankles connected by thick chains.
The battle continued for what felt like eternity. Soubi threw out spells, Nisei countered. Nisei failed, Seimei yelled at him. Nisei succeeded, Seimei ignored him. It was routine, boring and repetitive. Loveless tapped his foot, getting impatient with the show. Restrictions in the forms of thick chains and thin bandages wrapped almost entirely around the torsos of Beloved, the thick chains from the start binding their ankles and feet to the ground just enough to hold them but leave them in a standing position. A chain was wrapped around Loveless and Soubi's wrist, where dark roses and thorns from Akame had managed to penetrate their defenses. Akame was panting, one eye closed and blood dripping into it from a cut above his brow from one of his thorns backfiring. Seimei seemed bored, as well, just watching to see how the other two interacted so he could find a weak point to give Akame to stab at.
"He thinks we're weak still." Loveless observed. "Seimei's waiting for an opportunity to divide us."
"We won't let him." Soubi answered. "Our bond is too strong to be broken." He leaned down a little.
Loveless forced Ritsuka out and took his place to rest since he wasn't really needed yet. Ritsuka found himself lurching forward and unintentionally pressing his lips to Soubi's before the blond could make the first move. Though he seemed surprised, Soubi quickly melted into the kiss, wrapping his free arm around Ritsuka's waist. Ritsuka's eyes slid shut as a familiar tongue brushed his lip for entry and was granted the access. It was a spell from Nisei that socked them out of their kiss with a brutal lash from what felt like a whip.
Soubi reached up and grabbed the offending spell in his hand, not caring how it cut into his skin and caused it to bleed. Memories of training with Ritsu flooded back to him and he yanked on the whip.
"Nice try." He informed. "Fire. Destroy the offensive cloth in my hand. Reduce it to ashes!"
"Ah, there it is! That fire, that anger!" Seimei laughed. "As much as you hate to admit it, Agatsuma, you're still Beloved!"
"I renounce my bond with you." Soubi informed, the space around the bond he still shared with Seimei glowing white. "I am no longer Beloved. I fully bind myself to Loveless."
Loveless took that as his cue to return and took over again, stumbling a little as they shifted. "The bond…the bond of Beloved's Aoyagi Seimei and Loveless' Agatsuma Soubi is severed…knife, slice in two!"
The others seemed to be in a mix of confusion and awe as bluish light in the form of a knife slammed down like a guillotine and cut the bond between them in half. Seimei grabbed at his chest like it hurt, like a piece of him was being removed. Soubi grunted, brushing off the ashes of his side of the bond as they fell onto his chest.
"I'm impressed Loveless…" Nisei commented. "A spell…"
"You…?" Seimei wondered.
"That's right. I'm Loveless' Fighter." Loveless smirked. "And as of now…Soubi belongs to us. Soubi, end it!"
"As you wish." Soubi responded, almost robotically. "Fog, wrap my enemies in your embrace. Prevent them from seeing as their world crumbles around them."
"Stone, block…"
"No…Nisei…let it happen…we will lose tonight." Seimei informed his Fighter.
"You're not serious?" Spell forgotten, Nisei turned to Seimei, only to realize that his vision was becoming foggy and his Sacrifice was resigning himself to defeat.
Seimei's head hung low, all desire to fight being drawn out of him as his bond with Soubi flailed about and died as if he didn't want to let go. And he probably didn't. giving up control just wasn't in his blood, his nature. That wasn't who Beloved was. And yet, with everything seeming too bleak around him, he allowed the fog to place one final restriction. The battle zone dissipated and Loveless found himself and the others back in Ritsu's school office. Zero and Moonless were at the door, as if they had been watching the battle that they shouldn't have been able to see. They had probably mistaken the battle signature to be the signal for help instead of the start of a fight.
"Seimei…" Nisei nudged the blankly staring Sacrifice. "We…have company…they're not alone…"
Seimei shook his head to clear the fog that still possessed his mind, eyes still unseeing with wide pupils that blinded out the plum irises into thin lines.
"What…?" He rubbed at one eye and looked toward the door. "Ah, so we've been found. I admit, this is embarrassing. We shouldn't be so easily caught…"
"You gave up." Loveless informed. "You let us win…why…?"
"Ah, no point, I suppose." Seimei shrugged. "Why fight a battle you know you're not going to win?"
"Does that mean you're going to surrender?" Mikado sounded hopeful. "Is it all over, Seimei? Can we go back to our lives and throw yours away in the dungeons?"
The dark Sacrifice laughed. "My dear, it is far from over. In fact, the battle is only beginning." He nodded at Loveless and Soubi. "I look forward to seeing what you can do, Loveless…though I admit, I'm surprised you could conjure like that."
Loveless shrugged, resigning so Ritsuka could take over.
"I'm full of surprises, Seimei…just like you…" He rubbed at a cut on his wrist from the restriction. They normally faded within an hour or so, if that much.
Seimei snapped his fingers and gave his brother a small grin. "Akame. Get us out of here."
"R-Right…" Nisei opened his mouth to produce a spell.
"Let them go." Ritsuka ordered Moonless. "It's not their fight anymore."
"You think after everything he's done, that I should just forget?" Moonless gave him an incredulous look.
"They know they've been beat. There's no reason to fight again just for them to leave…"
"A true pacifist." Seimei bowed slightly. "Thank you for your kindness, Ritsuka. Akame? What did I say?"
"Ah…yeah…sandman. Let your dusts of sleep cloud the minds of my enemies and bring them to your land of slumber." Nisei started to spout off a spell.
Tokino started to say something, but Soubi and Zero didn't bother. Ritsuka felt his eyelids become heavy as Soubi's grip tightened when his knees started to give away. They slumped gently to the floor. The last thing he saw before his eyes shut were two sets of feet walking away, Seimei leading his ever-faithful dog out of the room that may as well have been their downfall.
0000
"Where am I?" Ritsuka wondered.
"isn't it obvious?" Loveless asked. "Your subconscious."
Ritsuka turned to find his other half perched on a rock. They were in a woodsy clearing, nothing but a few pine trees, some tall grass, and scatter boulders taking up the space. It was a safe space Katsuko-sensei had helped him forge-so to speak-in his mind when everything got to be too much, and he just needed to escape to relax. Loveless looked just like him, though his hair was parted differently, and his eyes held some sort of darkness in them that mimicked Seimei's but wasn't as evil. He had a few scars on him from their battle with Beloved as well, and he looked worn out from shifting back and forth.
"Hope you don't mind the shift earlier. I thought it would be rude of me to steal your kiss. Soubi's your boyfriend, not mine."
"As long as we inhabit the same body, he's your boyfriend, too…"
Loveless laughed. "I believe that's called polygamy."
Ritsuka laughed back, the sound echoing off the space. Loveless' voice was slightly deeper than his, hardened by all the anger and hurt that he did possess and try to take from Ritsuka when things got to be too much sometimes. They rarely were able to inhabit the same space.
"We're going to merge one day." Loveless began, stretching out from how he'd been sitting on the boulder. "Do you want to wait, or shall we just do it now and spare us the pain?"
"It…would be weird to not have you around…"
"Oh no, you're getting attached." He threw himself back over the rock, being overdramatic as he tended to be at the worst times in the beginning.
"Shut up!" Ritsuka ordered, making him laugh. "Don't make fun of me, Loveless."
"Okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry. Look, we won." He sat up. "You have your boyfriend back, Seimei's admitted his own defeat…"
"For now."
"For now." He nodded. "We can go back to the dorm and tell Kio and Akira that everything is okay, and their worry was misplaced. We can go back to our normal lives. Soubi's bond with Seimei is no more. If you couldn't tell, Soubi feels no loss. Whereas Seimei…"
"He didn't want to give up control. I think there was a part of him that still didn't believe that Soubi had bound himself to me."
"Probably thought he was trying to placate you or some nonsense. He's so egotistical to think that no harm will ever come to him."
"That's Seimei for you."
A chuckle, then silence.
"It's almost time to wake up." Loveless informed.
"I know."
"I'll stay here until you need me." Loveless informed. "I won't interfere with your life while you and blondie get all familiar with each other again. Just don't chicken out when you get rid of your ears and expect me to take over for you, because I just may not let him have you back."
"Hentai! I'm not going to do that!" Ritsuka pouted, ears flat.
"Liar. One day you will. Accept it."
"Fine, when I'm older. But not now…"
Loveless nodded and stood, hopping off the rock and joining Ritsuka. "It was good to meet you in person, or not, but our time is up."
"I know. It's time to go back to the real world."
"You did it."
"We did it."
"Yes…we."
Loveless held out a hand. "Until next time, Ritsuka."
"You're not leaving me, are you?"
"No. I'm just going to take a vacation. We've been through a lot. I don't need our psyche splitting up again."
"I know."
"Did you know, Ritsuka? When we merge, the old you may come back."
"My therapist thinks you're not real."
"You know I am." Loveless growled.
Ritsuka took the hand and shook it. "Thank you…for everything, Loveless. I'll never forget this."
"And if you do, I'll be here to make sure you remember."
"Deal."
They shook their hands once, staring at one another as both realized they were looking back at themselves in the other's face. Ritsuka smiled.
"Goodbye."
000
When Ritsuka came to, Soubi was kneeling over him looking concerned that he'd bene out so long. Yoji and Natsuo were inspecting one another as if they'd hurt themselves on their fall into dreamland. Mikado was sitting on a desk, looking both pleased and annoyed as Tokino rubbed his one eye and yawned. For someone who spontaneously fell asleep on his own from narcolepsy, he was probably used to cycles of abrupt waking and falling asleep. The others, not so much. At least Soubi had protected his head before he went crashing down. He didn't need another accident to steal his memory away.
"Long time no see…" Ritsuka joked, letting Soubi help him sit up and hold him.
"I was worried. You were taking a while." Soubi informed.
"Loveless and I were talking."
"So there really is another you living in there then." Mikado stood. "I mean, I'm not as bold as your therapist to say that you're just making it up to save your own skin, but I'm not so certain I believe in the psychology of it all."
Ritsuka shrugged. "That's your business, then."
She stood, brushing off her skirt. "I think it's best we go our separate ways. Your friends are probably worried sick about you."
"Friends?" Soubi cocked an eyebrow.
"Ah. Yeah, I should have warned you about that…"
000
Kio almost knocked Soubi to the floor when the door to the dorm opened and Ritsuka shoved the blond in first.
"Kio!" Soubi complained, leaning on a wall for support while Ritsuka laughed and skirted around them.
"You idiot! I thought you were dead! You just left for no reason! How could you!" Kio punched his shoulder.
"Stop it!" Soubi complained, wrestling the other away from him. "Of course, I'm not dead! Why would I be?"
"You were with Seimei! That's as close to death as I'd ever be comfortable being!"
"He has a point." Ritsuka pointed out.
"Not helping." Soubi stated.
"I know."
"So Seimei let you go, hm?" Akira wondered. "I'm a bit surprised. From what I've heard of him, I can't imagine he likes letting things go."
"He has no choice." Ritsuka pulled up Soubi's shirt to show where his name was now placed. "Soubi's mine now."
"I've always been yours." Soubi admitted, kneeling to take Ritsuka's hand and kiss the knuckles. "I wouldn't have bound myself to you otherwise."
"I know that." Ritsuka huffed.
"Bound?" Kio wondered.
Ritsuka and Soubi shared a look. "Hey, Kio…" Soubi paused. "You never got to go to the hot springs, did you…?"
000
A month after all the chaos had died down, Ritsuka and Soubi returned to Gora to check up on Ritsu. He was still in the hospital at school connected to various monitors, but he was awake when they entered the room.
"I was murdered, hm?" Ritsu asked, thrusting the newspaper at Soubi.
"That wasn't my idea." Soubi huffed. "Ask the others."
"Sorry, sensei. We had to lure Seimei here."
"So, you faked my death?"
"He thought Soubi killed you. If he knew he didn't, he would have…" Ritsuka shook his head. "I don't want to think about how he may have reacted…"
"I suppose…if you used my apparent death to save Soubi's ass, I'm okay with it." Ritsu chuckled
"Get those perverted thoughts out of your head, old man, or I'll put you in a coma again." Soubi warned.
"My, my. Someone's gotten bold. Talking back, how rude." Ritsu frowned. "Where's that obedient little boy I grew to love so much, hm?" He caressed Soubi's chin.
"Don't do that." Soubi brushed him away, pulling Ritsuka close and wrapping his arms around him.
Ritsuka stuck his tongue out.
"Ah, I see. That makes sense, I guess." Ritsu cocked an eyebrow. "But Soubi, shouldn't you be with Seimei?"
Soubi lifted his shirt to show off his new name, Ritsuka doing the same to prove it was in the same spot. Ritsu cocked an eyebrow. "So, Mikado was right…you bound yourself to him."
"You figured that out?" Ritsuka wondered.
"If he hadn't, his name wouldn't be an exact copy of yours." Ritsu explained. "And you'd have to write it yourself."
"Oh…" Ritsuka flushed. "No one tells me anything around here…"
Soubi chuckled. "I'll explain when we're home. So, I can show you properly." He nipped lightly at Ritsuka's neko ear, making him push him away slightly.
"Stop that." Loveless' voice merged with his for a moment, surprising Soubi and confusing Ritsu.
"What in the hell was that?" The sensei wondered.
Ritsuka laughed. "I'll explain when you're older."
Ritsu glared, making Soubi laugh as Ritsuka snuggled into the warmth of his arms.
"Is Seimei gone?"
"Defeated for now, yes. But he'll be back. He all but said he was going to be." Soubi nodded.
"He let you go without a fight?"
"Oh, there was a fight."
"You won?"
A nod.
"Good." Ritsu sighed, laying back against the pillows. "So now I have to play dead."
"Can't be that hard." Ritsuka smirked. "After all, Seimei got away with it for three years. I'm sure you can, too."