A/N- I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who decided to continue with my story! Oh, yea, I forgot to disclaim my story, so here goes, "I do not own Loveless, nor do I plan on doing so in the future." Now, on with the story!

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Recap

Ritsuka stood up and headed in the direction of the door, when he felt a large hand reach out and grab his small wrist. He spun around to find Soubi latching onto him via wrist. The more Ritsuka tried to get free, the tighter Soubi held on. "Don't leave. I want you here. No, I need you here."

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Chapter 2- A Stormy Night

Ritsuka was surprised to hear the words coming from Soubi's mouth. Hadn't they just met? Soubi saw the look of discomfort in Ritsuka's eyes and felt a bit ashamed. He let go of the boy's wrist, and turned to continue on with his painting. "I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me. We just met, and that last statement probably just freaked you out. Stay or go, it's your choice." Ritsuka could hear the sincerity in Soubi's voice, so he decided to take a chance.

All his life, Ritsuka had been pushed around, and never made a decision for himself. If there was a problem, the answer was already decided for him. He never had any say in the matter, not with his mom, and not when he was at-No; he was NOT going to go there. He promised himself that he would never bring up that part of his past again. Realizing that he had no where else to go, Ritsuka decided to trust Soubi.

"Ok, but don't try anything!" Soubi was amused by Ritsuka's 'tough act', and thought that the young neko boy looked cute. He knew it was wrong to think that way about minors, but Soubi somehow felt connected to Ritsuka. He also knew that if anyone else found out about these feelings, they'd never let leave him alone about it, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Um, Soubi, can I watch you paint?" Ritsuka looked up at him innocently while his tail swished back and forth. Soubi paused his painting to look up at Ritsuka and give him a smile. "Of course, you may stay as long as you wish. I just ask that you keep your talking to a minimum so that I can concentrate." As Soubi continued, Ritsuka failed to notice the shady character creeping outside the window.

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By the time Soubi finished his artwork, it was 10 PM. A storm had started outside and thunder was booming after every bright flash of lightning. Each bolt lit up the apartment and the illumination was what kept Ritsuka up. He flinched from the roaring sound of thunder through his delicate cat ears as he curled up into a ball and tried his best to fall back asleep. After 30 minutes of trying, Ritsuka gave up and headed into the kitchen. On the way, he walked into the bookcase, a coffee table, and a wall. He still wasn't used to the new surroundings and it was even more difficult to maneuver in the dark. Granted he had the bolts of lightning to help show him the way, the time between each flash was the problem. When he finally got to the kitchen, he opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. He also managed to find a saucepan and the stove. Ritsuka proceeded to heat up some milk, when he looked out the kitchen window to find a man staring back at him. Ritsuka dropped the pan, creating a mess everywhere, and gave a loud yelp, causing the stranger to disappear back into the night.

As Ritsuka was trying to clean up the milk, the lights flipped on to find a very flustered Soubi. His hair was in disarray and his clothes were disheveled. He wore a worried expression on his face while trying to find out why Ritsuka was screaming. "What happened?" Soubi slurred, still trying to wake up (it was 3 in the morning). He found Ritsuka cleaning diligently, even using his tail to finish as quickly as he could. Soubi went over to Ritsuka and bent down to see what was wrong. Tears adorned the young neko's face and Soubi brushed them away, making room for new ones to fall.

"Ritsuka", Soubi asked gently, almost a whisper, "what happened? Are you alright?" Still getting no response, Soubi carefully picked Ritsuka up and carried him to his bed/couch. Since the couch pulled out into a queen size bed, Soubi placed Ritsuka down and sat next to him, leaving some space between them. It was 10 minutes before Ritsuka calmed down some and stopped crying. He curled his tail around his ankles and flattened his ears, in more of a sad motion than angry one. Soubi came back with a mug of warm milk, since Ritsuka dropped all of his on the floor, and handed it over to him. Ritsuka gingerly took the mug and noticed the butterfly outlined handle. It was a little awkward to grasp, but Ritsuka kept a firm grip on it. He graciously drank every last drop of milk before turning to Soubi, who took Ritsuka's mug and placed it on the coffee table. "Thank you Soubi. That was really good. Did you add something to it?"

Soubi turned and gave Ritsuka one of his 'true' smiles. "Yes, I added some honey. It was something my mother used to do for me when I was feeling a bit down. I guess I picked it up from her. But now that you're calm, will you please tell me why you were up at 3 in the morning?" Soubi looked at him concerned.

Ritsuka squirmed in his seat as if scared that he was going to be punished. "I'm sorry, please don't be mad. I just couldn't sleep because of the storm, so I thought I'd try some warm milk to help me sleep. I didn't mean to make a mess, but I thought I saw someone in the window and it scared me. I really am sorry…"

Soubi saw the discomfort in Ritsuka's face and posture. He didn't know what happened to the kid before, but he had to make sure that Ritsuka wouldn't be afraid of him. "It's ok Ritsuka, I was just wondering. You're not in any trouble, but did you say that you saw someone?"

Ritsuka was relieved to know that he wasn't going to be punished, and he nodded his head. "Yea, he was right outside the kitchen window. It was dark, so I couldn't really see him, but he had a dark trench coat on and a hat. He also had an umbrella because of the rain. The umbrella was what covered his face. When he heard me scream, he ran."

Soubi got up and headed into the kitchen. As he thought, no one was there, but he did have to wonder if that was the same presence he felt earlier on when he was painting. He didn't want to say anything to Ritsuka, but there was definitely someone sneaking around outside his apartment. It started today, so Soubi could only assume that it was because Ritsuka was here. "Well Ritsuka, I checked outside and no one was there, so I think that whomever was there, is gone for now. Do you think you can sleep?"

Ritsuka felt a bit calmer to know that he was safe, and he settled under the covers. "I'll try and Soubi thanks again. Good night."

"Good night Ritsuka." Soubi tucked him in and shut off the lights as he walked back to his bedroom to get another hour of sleep before he had to wake up for class.

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A/N- I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that reviewed and especially those who gave me some pointers to make my story better! I'm glad that I have the support behind this story and I hope that you keep reviewing, it encourages my writing! Hopefully the next chapter will be longer!

Much luv,

XOiHeaRTMiLoOX