Write date: 07-31; 08-09
Inspiration for this chapter: Three Days Grace- It's all over; Diary of Dreams- Rumors about angels
Hope you enjoy.
-X-X-X-
- a week before Minami Ritsu's incident-
"I'd rather watch you take away my life than anyone else... Please, Soubi-kun, give this filthy beast salvation."
Quiet followed for the next moment, as Soubi's jaw remained parted. While he gazed straight into the determined pupils of his teacher.
"What are you talking about? This is absurd, sensei." Soubi finally stammered, unable to say anything else. He continued to peer at Ritsu, who's pale hands shook for a while, clutching at the blonde's elbows. The silver-haired man sighed, before slowly moving away.
"Should've known..."
X X X
The blonde stood near the entrance of Ritsu's dorm, suddenly running a hand through his hair...
That wasn't his fault. Yet Soubi felt guilty of his rational words. It was not like he could've killed Ritsu on the spot back then. Regardless something deep inside of him had flared, when his teacher's pleadings of death had been uttered - that was an excitement. Soon the rush of adrenaline diminished. It was replaced with a feeling of regret and sadness, as Soubi declined. Those emotions still lingered in the young man's psyche, making him gloomy.
That was the thing, that scared the blonde. Yes, Soubi knew, that he despised Ritsu. But to hate a person to the point of murdering him, wasn't expected at all. The young man hadn't perceived, how much he detested his teacher until now. Or was that just the irrational mind speaking and luring him to vent his rage out?
Soubi suddenly clenched his fists, when his brain began pondering, how nice it would be to actually beat his sensei up for all the things, that he had done.
The blonde shook his head. That was a stupid idea, tempting, but stupid. With those thoughts flooding, he soon started to doubt his own mind. Was that even his true emotions speaking of a want to kill Ritsu? Or was it just the spur-of-the-moment event, caused by the adrenaline? Maybe the gruesome wish was created by his teacher's psychological pressure, that pushed Soubi to regard his hatred as the truth?
He had to stop... Sensei wasn't that bad... He grimaced all of a sudden, taking back those words. No. Ritsu was still a horrible person and it was hard for Soubi pinpoint any good feature about him. Especially, when his brain recalled the memories of his horrid childhood. On the other hand, sensei had saved Soubi from suicide a few weeks ago, took him in, when the blonde was bare and wounded, gave him hope to live on, even putted up with his ramblings about Ritsuka and so on...
His teacher sure changed over the years... And Soubi still had to repay him for it, by helping Ritsu for once. Probably that was the reason, why the young man searched for the culprit.
'Just go in and act like nothing happened.' He finally instructed himself, landing his hand on the knob. At that moment he heard a loud rumble outside, accompanied by the patter of rain. A storm was on it's way it seemed. Great, just what Soubi needed for this night.
When the young man opened the door, he found Ritsu writing on the coffee table. The blonde knitted his brows, as his mind attacked furiously. 'For God's sake, it's midnight already, stop pushing yourself to work.'
"Uhm. You're still working..." Soubi uttered the obvious, whilst walking closer. Ritsu seemed unfazed, in so the eerie quiet continued to reign. He added after a few more minutes." Do you need help with those?"
"No..." A hoarse answer came finally, along with a blackout, as the lights of the room shut off.
"A power outage?" Soubi whirled around in confusion. Then he heard the man beside him stand up. The former student could only scarcely make out Ritsu's form, whilst the figure shivered to maintain his posture.
"I don't think, you should be going anywhere." Soubi motioned his head. In the meantime a phone's light illuminated Ritsu's face for a second, before everything got dim again.
"No phone service and a black out... What luck."
"It's not luck. There's a storm outside." The blonde explained in an irritated voice, crossing his arms below his chest. The sarcastic tone, that his teacher used, was picking at Soubi's nerves, probably the last fibers of what was left by now...
"What are you doing?" Soubi suddenly grunted, planning to help Ritsu straighten up, because the silver-haired man was doing quite miserably, as he pushed his weight on the leaned hand. However Ritsu receded for an inch, preventing the blonde from reaching him.
"I'm going to find some people, who could fix the electricity."
"It's night, if you haven't noticed, sensei."
"Since Septimal Moon is surrounded by forests, this kind of thing does happen from time to time. I just need to find a place, where the phone service is available... Hm... Don't know why the signal is troubled though."
Ritsu finished his speech and somewhere in the middle of it, Soubi started holding his sensei's shoulders again. Since the talk was ended, his unawareness was dead as well. The silver-haired man laid his irritated eyes on Soubi again, was that hurt hiding in them, betrayal perhaps? Soubi couldn't make out, for as long as he was staring. Soon the teacher gently pushed off his hands.
"Well, maybe you're not suppose to go..." Soubi blurted abruptly, his arms still lingering in the air. Then he stammeringly fixed his statement, when he felt, that those words could be interpreted in too many wrong ways." I-I mean... Perhaps somebody else called already. So, you can go to sleep."
Sleep? Ritsu cocked an eyebrow at his frantic student.
"Don't mock me, Soubi-kun."
"Oh. Right, sucks to be you, huh?" The former student maundered his ridiculing thoughts. Although the headmaster's expression remained cold, with a slight raging flicker from the healthy eye.
Those words were a huge contradiction, to Soubi's original plan, of not letting Ritsu wander at night. It wasn't safe, concerning his condition and knowing, that someone was after his life. Damn him, if Soubi just made things worse.
Ritsu lips curved into a bitter smile after a quiet moment. His mind probably registered the sentence. Without a single word he exited his dorm, leaving his student alone.
And just after few good minutes, the blonde decided to sit on the couch, clenching his hair, arms prompted on his knees. The guilt finally laid the the seeds in the heart...
Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut? That rage was really unneeded. The man continued to examine the reasons of his outbursts for a little, until his brain became a mixture of dreams and past. Nothing was in order as if scattered books.
Somewhere between those thoughts, Soubi's body got overtook by fatigue, in so the man slumped on the sofa without much resistance. The young man hadn't even took notice of his eyes blinking then. They preferred to stay closed, only to be lazily forced apart by the man's drained will, it was unknowingly losing the battle with every second past. The drops echoed outside, then pattered and gathered in puddles. But Soubi's ears didn't mind the noise anymore, neither did his body cared about the chill coming through the partially opened window.
X X X
"Sensei?" Soubi slurred, while parting his eyes... He sat up suddenly, seeing, that he fell asleep. The man straightened soon, taking in the view of the darkened dorm around him. The clock on the wall proved, that he slept for more than an hour. A decent amount of time. So Ritsu should be back by now. Maybe he was already in bed? "Sensei?"
Soubi raised an eyebrow to the silence, that answered. Then he went to the bedroom. Well, the drugs on the nightstand stayed untouched and the sheets were made, as much as his eyes made out in the dimmed room. Soubi's fingers glided through the wall for the switch. No brightness sparked up, when he pressed it...
He emitted a tch soon, unable to hide the uneasiness, that clambered up like a spider. More than an hour passed already. Where was Ritsu? Did something happened to him again?
The young man speedily strode out of the dorm. Soubi hurried in his steps, scrutinizing every turn of the corridor, which was empty and quiet, except for the rain symphony, as the drops collided with the glass, if you could call that company...
He went straight for the cement stairs at the end of the hall. Better search in the new school building rather than the old one.
The Septimal Moon mostly resided in this part of the structure while the new school was left for the classrooms and student dorms. Although in a few cases, when the student count would get to big, a few lucky pupils would have to reside in the old school building. Some kids even joked, that it was a privilege, because even in if the rooms of the new school would be full, the authorities would most likely try to find ways to cram the students together, to spare the old Septimal Moon's meeting place.
In Soubi's case, it had been different... He had gotten, what would be called, a privileged one person room without competition. Was that Ritsu's doing? Regardless, that felt more like a curse than anything to Soubi. The loneliness stang.
The blonde ran outside through the back door, the main one never worked, as he remembered. The garden greeted him, with a blurred view, that the heavy rain created. Soubi just exhaled, burying his head low, as he ripped through the pouring curtain. While splashing the muddy puddles, he munched on his lip, that was a sign, that a new surge of unexplained anger evoke.
Damn it... Why was he risking so much for Ritsu? He should have fought like that for Ritsuka, ignoring his own health or life... What was the reason of searching for sensei, if he will spit out his famous phrase. Seriously, someone should have those words imprinted in golden drobe: 'I don't need your help, get lost!'. Ah, just perfect for losing friends, killing off the loved ones hope and making the honest helper feel like shit.
Soubi breathed out heavily this time, starting to shiver a little from the cold. He then gazed around the path, he was walking. The bleak horizon of quivering bushes and a huge black metal fence looked back at him. There were no signs of human life. The swaying huge trees followed far in the distance, concealing and isolating Seven Voices academy from the outside world, as the forest went around the whole school. Now it seemed to Soubi like nature would want to engulf this place, take back what's rightfully her's. Those leaves echoed threateningly, quieting down for a short moment, before yelling out with a demanding and powerful rustle.
'Go back. There's no point in searching for him.' The blonde's psyche ordered, when he found the arbor, that housed the piano. He leaned at the wooden wall then, bringing his palms to his lips to warm them up, though his soaked body still shook. Soubi slowly positioned his head against the wooden surface.
He hopefully gazed back to where he came from, the storm wasn't letting up just yet.
Soubi narrowed his eyes to see better. For a minute the young man thought, that he saw someone walking near the pedestals, which held the second floor in place. However that vision disappeared after an instant. Soubi scanned that area sideways, before the figure emerged a few steps away. The blonde kept his eyes peeled, thinking he was seeing ghosts. No sane person would be out in this weather... Save for one - Soubi.
'Maybe they are searching for something?' Soubi raised an eyebrow, when the stranger bent down and vanished behind the pedestal.
'I wonder who would that be? But that's not my business to intrude.' With those thoughts he shrugged it off, peering at the same spot for a few minutes. Again his eyes began to seek for their companion of entertainment.
Nothing rose up anymore. Maybe he just missed that human and the stranger went back to the academy? Suddenly something convulsed Soubi's body, his posture even tensed up.
'What if that's the culprit? It's a far blow and I don't have any evidence... But Ritsu-sensei's not back yet and this man's roaming around.' Soubi dug the fingers into his palms, not letting his eyes fall from the pedestals in the far end.'I don't even know who would be taking their revenge on Ritsu-sensei in that hideous way... Neither do I know is it someone from the academy or an anonymous person.'
The young man clenched his teeth, the eyes going wide with anxiousness. He looked around the empty garden. Until Soubi eventually ran back to the the old school building, his mind filled with various thoughts and worries. The sparked curiosity was hard to put down.
The blonde paused, panting for a minute. He stood on the dark tiles, that were guarded from the rain by the second floor structure. Again he viewed the scene, searching for any signs, that the mysterious person might have left. However soon his interested face turned into a frightened agape.
Blood marks decorated the tiles ahead and someone was laying in the far end. It probably wouldn't strike Soubi that much - a drunken Takehito was a possible event. However the barely visible silver hair made the young man's heart sink.
"This has to be a joke..." Soubi whispered out of breath. The laying man was indeed Ritsu. Soubi ran to him then, beginning to shake the man's shoulders a little. "Can you hear me? Sensei, please say something."
When no answer came, the blonde's eyes lowered to inspect Ritsu's body for any blood, or signs of injuries. He probably was wounded, from where else would that red liquid be. Soubi turned the silverette around by the shoulder, hearing a small wail coming out of the latter's mouth. Well, he seemingly regained consciousness, Soubi sighed in relief, that was good. And soon the blonde felt Ritsu grab his shirt by the side, while moaning and shaking his head in pain.
That caught Soubi's further concern, until he finally gazed to his sensei's leg. He had no shoes on. And his fingers were bleeding. The younger man bit his lip in disgust, when he saw that Ritsu's toenails were ripped off from his right foot.
Soubi gently scooped the older man up, leaning the teacher's back on his prompted knee. He wailed out harsher, shakily gripping at his student's shirt. The worst thing was looking at him and knowing Soubi couldn't do a thing to ease the agony.
"Please tell me, that Yune-chan's somewhere in the academy.."
"T-two..."
"What?" Soubi was surprised Ritsu could muster out a word in the state he was in. The silverette raised a finger, pointing at the wall of the building. He opened his mouth to speak further, but it took a few minutes of groaning, to continue.
"Nine. S-six.."
"2. 9. 6. Y-you mean that's Yune-chan's dorm number?" Soubi watched Ritsu slightly nod his head. The blonde swallowed and stood up slowly then, leaning the other man's weight on himself, to support him. Ritsu still seemed in pain, barely touching the ground with his injured foot and clenching Soubi's arm weakly.
"Alright, we're going..." The younger man breathed out, starting to stagger forward.
The walk was quite difficult for the both of them, but thankfully after a long while they reached the awaited room.
"Yes?" The mentioned girl dressed in a green night robe peeked out after probably ten knocks. Soubi turned his eyes, seeing Ritsu wail and shiver. Yune whispered bashfully at the sight.
"W-what happened here?"
"Please, he needs help..." Soubi murmured out, pointing his head to the bleeding foot, which looked even more dirty than before. They probably smeared parts of the first and second floor with blood, but Soubi didn't mind that now. The man's thoughts were anxious about the whole event. What was even worse, that the wounds hadn't coagulated one bit.
"Ah... O-okay. Come on, we're going to the infirmary." Yune stammered after a second, uncertainly taking Ritsu's other arm and looping it around her shoulders.
X X X
Finally the white-haired girl laid the headmaster down on the infirmary bed in the new school building. after that she began to set a few lit candles on the desk, to bring a little radiance to the gloomy room.
In the meantime the blonde stood by the door, biting his lip. His eyes were stuck on Ritsu's fatigued, weakened face. The silverette's blank pupils scrutinized the wall as if seeing something interesting and unseen in the white color. His lips remained parted...
The teacher seemed lost, maybe not even living in this very world anymore... Soubi noted this state of being torn between two worlds. There were two sides of Ritsu's mind, that never came together, seeming dead, but still living on, being in so much pointless pain and never knowing, when will it cease. Will this state let this man live? Or will it slice him open, rupturing Ritsu's soul from the body? Eventually this prolonged pointless suffering could rip and eat a person from inside out, tear everything, that Ritsu regards and believes.
No wonder the headmaster wanted to die, if he couldn't live normally anymore. He wished to end this endless pulling from one road to another like a clock's pendulum, that never stops at one destination.
Soubi still thought that, it was a rather irrational decision... That said, the blonde didn't wished death to his sensei, neither did he enjoyed seeing him suffer...
"Get some sleep, Soubi-san, I'll take care of this." Yune nodded at the blonde, while taking some bandages and a small bottle of water. Soubi didn't reply, he slowly dragged his feet away from the door. The sulky mood returned to his face. Regardless the man paused in the hallway, beginning to think.
Alright, so Ritsu went out to get someone, who could fix a power outage. He left way before midnight. And Soubi found him in the garden, with ripped toenails after first in the morning. That meant, the culprit had approximately an hour and a half to do the crime.
The worst thing was, that if Ritsu had staggered from god knows where to the garden, the young man didn't even knew, when or where someone plucked those nails... Well, Ritsu was walking from the old school building, so perhaps the crime had taken place there. On the other hand, it was possible, that the culprit specifically placed the headmaster near the pedestals, to get off suspicion... That would be easy, as the headmaster himself remembered nothing about the torture. Soubi had tried asking Ritsu not once, usually his sensei just shrugged and looked back dumbfounded. The silver-haired man himself didn't had any recollection.
Soubi pinched the bridge of his nose abruptly. This was getting nowhere. The fastest way, that he could get some information would be to snoop around the people living in the old school building, see if someone doesn't have an alibi...
It was the best chance, at the moment. Though the plan was not perfect, if the culprit would be a student, for a chance, (Soubi won't go stalking some children) or even worse someone from the outside...
So Nana seemed to be sleeping and claimed, that she went to bed at eleven o'clock. Next was Nagisa's dorm. However, when Soubi knocked, a grinning Takehito greeted him.
"Ah... What are you doing here?" Soubi looked at the other skeptically.
"Playing chess, wanna join? But be careful, Nagisa's quite furious. She's losing to me for what seems to be the tenth time. No one beats the game master, you see."
Soubi ignored Takehito, taking a peek into the room. Indeed he spotted the twin-tailed woman sitting on the couch.
"Mhm..." The younger male mused after, he wasn't convinced."How are you playing with the lights out?"
"Candles, buddy! A totally different feeling." Takehito motioned his hands as if wanting to grab the blonde, while holding a wicked grin. The latter receded a little." It's like we're calling spirits or something sinister. You should try to!"
He took Soubi's hand, wanting to lead him in. The light-haired man still tried to stand his ground, getting a hold of the door frame. He dug his nails into the wood like a cat. Despite the blonde's efforts his body leaned to Takehito, from the harsh pull. Seeing that the younger one was holding his ground, the dark-haired man started whining.
"Come on! I need a new partner, Nagisa's not interesting anymore. To tell you the truth, I figured out her repetitive tactic."
"I can't." Soubi frowned, tugging at Takehito's arm, to get him to let go. Finally he broke off."For how long have you two been playing?"
"Two hours, if I recall... it all started, with a long chat..."
"Have you seen Nana go out somewhere? Or at least someone walking?"
Now was the time to clarify if Nana's alibi was truthful. Soubi saw Takehito narrow his eyes for a minute, before he smiled warmly again, shaking his head.
"No... You see we weren't playing so silently. Nagisa blows a racket. I'm quite surprised how her windows are holding."
"Mh..." Now that sounded like her. Soubi blinked, thinking for a minute. " Do you know anyone else, who would be still at the school?"
"I don't understand why you're asking this... Well, let's see. The nurse should still be here somewhere, the guards... Wait a minute..." Takehito paused, putting his hands on his hips."I... Think, I saw Hisho's car in the driveway, opposite from the school. So he's probably in the academy. I wonder why?"
"Thank's." Soubi motioned his head a little, before saying a quick goodbye. He had to inspect that weird friend of Ritsu's as well.
Once more the pouring rain scratched his body, as Soubi strode to the new school building. He swiftly searched the receptionist's desk, eventually finding a small safe below it, where all the keys were hung.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance. All that Soubi knew, was that Utura Hisho's office was suppose to be somewhere on the third floor. Without much thought he grabbed a few sets of keys. He'll figure out which one was right on the way.
However to Soubi's further confusion, when he finally reached the awaited door, he noticed, that it was unlocked. Hisho's office door was partially slid opened. The blonde took a small look around, before slipping in. So Takehito was right, the psychologist was lurking near.
'That means I don't have much time to go over this place.' Soubi's mind announced, as he saw a widely parted window in the office. The storm tore the fluttering curtains and threw drops of rain on to the chairs and desk, at least the table was cleaned of any papers, it even seemed to be unused.
The blonde walked closer, intending to close the window, but stopped in his motion. It was not worth the trouble, it would be better to leave no traces behind.
In so the blonde ignored the chill, that scratched at his back, beginning to rummage through the first drawer. He got out books and huge folders, that related to work. Maybe it would be wise to skim them over just in case, though Soubi didn't had the time for that. First things, that actually caught his attention, were a stack of old pictures, tied with a golden ribbon. It was not because, he saw some blood marks or any other evidence, it was just simple curiosity.
Besides, a smiling virgin Ritsu stared at him, holding Hisho by the waist. The other boy laced a hand on the silverette's shoulders. The two friends stood by some sort of a fence. While the view of the city was their background. They looked like teenagers then, and Hisho hadn't had his glasses and his brown hair had a few golden strands. Ritsu looked nearly the same, save for a longer hair cut.
Soubi smirked, glancing at the photo. In all his years, the blonde hadn't seen such a pure and tender smile out of his teacher. Nowadays most of his smirks were either ridicule or sarcasm.
Even if it was odd, but Ritsu's smile reminded him of whenever Ritsuka would be this happy with him. It was such a similar atmosphere, that his teacher's face portrayed. Perhaps that was just purity, adolescence... Or young love?
It made Soubi wonder. Even though Ritsu described Hisho as a friend, perhaps there was more to the story. What if they had been lovers, that broke up? Ritsu did say, that Utura Hisho had a civilian family. Then it would mean, that their relationship had been destroyed by Utura himself. Unless it was a forced marriage, but Soubi didn't had any information to back that theory up. Besides, that didn't explain why would Hisho want to torture Ritsu.
There was nothing interesting in the remaining drawers. Nothing, that Soubi could've seen as suspicious. He straightened his back after he finished. The blonde felt tired of bending for so long. How much time had passed, while the man was searching in the office, thirty minutes?
'I should go, better not push my luck. I didn't find anything anyway. ' The light-haired man thought bitterly, as he gave a final glimpse, making sure he put everything back. He exited the room right after.
"Who are you?" A sharp voice echoed through the hallway, making Soubi suppress a shiver. A dissatisfied Hisho came from behind, giving Soubi a malicious side-glance. The younger male stood like a statue, before parting his mouth to gulp. While his mind panicked... Did he saw Soubi snooping around? Who was this person?
"I don't think we met before..."The blonde cleared his throat again, speaking in a dry voice. It seemed his heartbeat weighed a tone, cracking through his chest from fear. "I'm... Agatsuma Soubi. I was a student here."
"Oh. I think I know you, Ritsu used to talk about you on and on. You poor thing. I'm Utura Hisho." Utura released a soft hum, masking his previous glare, while bringing his fingers to cover his lips. Soubi wondered what was that last part about. But before he could gather his thoughts, Hisho walked past the blonde, voicing out warily.
"Well, I hope we'll meet again someday, I have to go."
"Wait. Never thought Septimal Moon would force psychologists to work so late." Soubi faked a concerned look, turning to him. He had to get Hisho to talk. And thankfully the other paused for a short moment, hissing out.
"I wasn't working. I... I just have to get home, alright?"
After that forced sentence, Hisho hadn't gave a second glimpse to Soubi, disappearing out of view. Well that was a weird encounter. Odd friends Ritsu carried around. Now the blonde saw, what Nana meant about the psychologist acting strange. Besides he was the only one not having an alibi...
X X X
He saw Ritsu sleeping for once, as Soubi returned to the infirmary.
The rain kept lashing out on the windows as if attacking the thin glass. For how long has it been raining? the blonde thought, that he lost the track of time between everything that had happened, it was draining him. These weeks had gone repetitive, yet still held Soubi's heart dreadfully beating every time, he saw Ritsu-sensei get wounded. It happened too fast, though ended up with the same consequences, leading to the same future...
"Oh, Soubi-san, you're back already... " Yune marched in from another room, nearly colliding with her chair. She straightened up suddenly, giving a framing eye to her office chair, standing out of place. Well, she did left it there. The girl soon smiled at Soubi like nothing happened, continuing to step toward the bed.
"I fixed up Minami-san's wound and gave him a sedative drug... He's quite peaceful for now." Soubi gave an eye to Yune's explanation, releasing a hum in response. Before the blonde set his eyes to Ritsu. She tilted her head, to his companion's quietness. "You shouldn't worry about him that much. You know it's not healthy to be so gloomy all the time."
She then ruffled Ritsu's hair, before regretting that action, as she hid the strands away from the man's eyes. After that Yune turned to the blonde and shrugged her shoulders with a weak smile. Soubi didn't mind the teen's charming though, it seemed pointless to him.
"The way you talk to him... You've probably known Ritsu-sensei for some time." Soubi stated absentmindedly, prompting his arms on the edge of the bed's railing. He noticed her, caress the silver strands again. Yune soon nodded in response, while kneeling near the bedding and playing with Ritsu's hair.
This was quite amusing to Soubi, once his brain went over the barrier of being crept out. She was still a teenager, probably an immature one at that. So how did she got this job then? That was another thing, that kept bugging the blonde, beside her closeness to Ritsu. Though he set that question for another time.
"You could say that..." Yune mused, twirling the silver strands in spirals and tying them together." He's my guardian."
"What?"
"Mhm... My parents died, not long ago and Minami-san took me in... He gave me a shelter, and... handed me a future here."
"Oh. Sorry."
"No. It's okay, well not okay... I still miss my mother and father." Her voice got lower, as Yune's fingers finally left Ritsu's hair alone, letting them cascade on his face in a mess.
Soubi frowned, standing on the other end of the bed. His mind continued, what he didn't dare to respond. 'I'm worried about your so called future living near that man, not about your parents.'
The nurse crouched in silence for a few more minutes, before suddenly addressing the young man.
"You'll be staying here, right? So if anything just call me again. The painkillers are in the first drawer if Minami-san will need them. Okay?" She stood up, pointing at her desk. The blonde motioned his head weakly. Meanwhile the girl yawned, stretching her arms.
Yune paused abruptly then, checking her wrist, that had a few scratch marks. Soubi cocked an eyebrow at her, however she explained, once the teenager noticed his interested glance.
"Curious about that? It's nothing. Nagisa's cat scratched me, as I tried to feed it."
The blonde wanted to ask further, but the girl waved to him, leaving the office in a hurry, her shrilly voice followed after.
"Goodnight, Soubi-san!"
So he was left alone again. And so Soubi's attention traveled back to ogling his sleeping teacher.
Well, on the good side, Ritsu's face appeared to be calm and peaceful, as Soubi came close to it. The silver-haired man seemed like a different person now. So frail. If Ritsu could talk in his sleep, perhaps sensei's subconsciousness could tell Soubi, why was he so depressed nowadays. Maybe his inner mind would open up to to the former student.
The blonde soon sat on his heels, placing his head on the edge of the mattress, while his hand caressed the teacher's fallen in cheek. This act was never transmitted this way. It was always Ritsu, who gave the sick, selfish affection, which was meant for someone else long past. Soubi's fingers trailed their unknown path on Ritsu's lips, his nose, finally reaching the wounded eye. His hand didn't linger on it, continuing to grace the pale skin.
'...Tell me, Soubi-kun, how long had you carried that hate for me?...'
His mind recounted the words spoken just a few hours ago.
'...Didn't it hurt, when I took your ears? Or when I would whip you?...'
Why was Ritsu saying that? Was that the psychological pressure, that secretly ordered Soubi to comply and kill? Did those words even held meaning? Or were they just a tool to be used to get that salvation that his teacher prayed for?
The blonde snuggled closer on the bed, wanting to be swallowed up. This answer less pit was annoying, just why did sensei dragged him into this mess? Why did he pushed Soubi to solve his own problems?
'Those regrets, mistakes. I've done so much... Too much... '
What if those sentences were Ritsu's way of apologizing? Could it? Soubi's eyes twitched. Was he regretting the past? No it wasn't possible. Sensei was too prideful for that. But those words:
'Give this filthy beast salvation.'
What was wrong with him... Why was his teacher like that? Would he ever explain his reasons for this ridiculous change of attitude?
The blonde's fingers halted on Ritsu's forehead, once he noticed a shiver wreck the other's body. Soon the silverette's head turned with a groan and Soubi fearfully pulled his hand away.
"Agh... Soubi-kun?"
"I'm here." The blonde responded, as Ritsu looked at him with half parted eyes. They seemingly wanted to fall back to slumber. The older man forbid it, sitting up slowly. Though he froze, staring ahead in fright with peeled eyes.
"Sensei, are you feeling alright?" Ritsu's shuddering body didn't went unnoticed by Soubi, as he spoke up. The silverette's tensed fingers grappled the blanket as if wanting to rip it apart.
"Why?... W-why is... She here?" Ritsu's voice was hoarse, while Soubi took a hold of his agitating shoulders. Ritsu suddenly tore away from his hold, getting a grip of the railing and pulling himself into the corner.
"Sensei?"
"Please. Go away. Go away!" He cuddled his shaking form, while his blank eyes were glued to the door. Soubi was taken aback by this behavior. Was Ritsu's mind replaying a dream?"Please, stop staring. Stop, make it stop!"
"Sensei, there is no one here."
Yet Ritsu muttered, feeling engulfed in fear. Soubi embraced him suddenly, pushing the other man to lay down. He tried to break free from the unwanted force, so the blonde clenched Ritsu's shoulders, leaning on him.
"No. Go away. Stop..." The silver-haired man shook his head. And Soubi noted, that his way of putting Ritsu to bed wasn't working. He began to work on a spell. His teacher won't be pleased, when he'll wake up. But that's only when he'll wake up.
"Sleep deeply. There is nothing for you to see here. Fall to slumber."
"Don't..."
"Fall to slumber!"
"Don't... P-please do.n't... Sou..."
The spell was taking effect it seemed. Ritsu's lips still mustered something, even though his eyes gave up, closing lightly. The blonde emitted a sigh, lifting himself from the teacher's sickly body. He eventually overheard his sensei's heavy, slurred phrase. It kept escaping on repeat and drowsily lingering in the air.
"Don't... Bring me back there..."