Someone informed me that Volume 7 was not, in fact, the last volume. I haven't heard any rumors of a volume 8 (I wonder if it's even in production yet...). I hope to hell there will be a volume 8; seven's ending drove me crazy. Anyway, ending or not, this contains spoilers after volume seven. Enjoy.
one: pointless
Dawn spilled over the edge of the windowsill, pink and orange fingers reaching across the sky, chasing away what remained of the darkness. The light did strange things to his surroundings, running rivulets of sherbet colors across everything in the room and dying Soubi's thick hair from blonde to a pastel coral. Ritsuka was amused by his sentouki's sprawling pose, his arms thrown unceremoniously across the sheets. Good damn thing we invested in a bigger bed; I'd wake up black and blue the way he tosses around at night were we on one of our twin-sized mattresses.
The younger boy kissed the sleeping form beside him (gently, so as not to wake him), then stood and stretched, rising out of habit with the sun; his first stop was the bathroom, washing his face and dunking his disheveled hair into the sink. He brushed his hair, wincing as the comb caught the tender skin under his right ear; he watched in the mirror as it flicked curiously of its own will, twitching and managing to look annoyed.
Imagine, living with Soubi for almost a month, and I still have my ears, Ritsuka rubbed at the sore ear distractedly, watching his face distort with emotion in the mirror. Never trusted him; never had a reason to trust him. But he's proven to be more virtuous then I'd imagined. The thought made him smile ironically. I'd have given these a long time ago, if he'd ever offered.
But Ritsuka worried about pushing his sentouki; Soubi would follow orders regardless of whether he wanted to or not. Oh the irony... I cannot ask him; even if he seemed to say yes of his own accord, it would still smack of rape.
He looked tired, even to himself, his lively black hair grayish and waning. Not that this last month has been exactly conducive to rest. Nothing has gone right, since Seimei returned...
Nothing's been right since Mother died.
Soubi was his official guardian now, since Ritsuka's father left for work one day two months ago and never returned. Just my luck too. Two hours after Mother's wake, an eviction notice shows up at house; bastard stopped paying the rent. I guess he stopped caring.
Soubi had been more than willing to not only take Ritsuka in, but to move into a larger apartment to accommodate the two of them. Since then, he'd taken small, side jobs on Sundays to help pay the rent; Ritsuka had learned early that Soubi made quite a bit of money off of the paintings he sold, but he still wanted to donate something to the upkeep of their shared living space.
A whole year since Seimei "returned from the dead," and he's done nothing but ruin both our lives. Through the open bathroom door, Ritsuka could still see his sleeping roommate, who had stretched over onto his side of the bed. Popping up out of nowhere, driving Mother crazy... Where did the Seimei I loved go? A small part of Ritsuka blamed Seimei for her death; Mother had always like Seimei more. Seeing him "alive" all the sudden again... well, she had never been quite right to begin with...
He muddled over that for a moment, alternately hating Seimei then feeling guilty for it. He pulled on some clothes: jeans and a button down with his favorite jacket, carefully dressing to avoid irritating the abused skin of his back. A smile came to his lips, poking its way through his sour mood as he pulled his shoes on. That poor tattoo artist had no idea what to think of the two of us, getting matching tattoos like a couple. The air was still incredibly cold as Ritsuka stepped outside, his chuckle puffing into the wintry, post-dawn.
It would be a short walk to the market, and Ritsuka could lose himself in the morning bustle of the crowds; since school was out for the month, he had little else to do. Either that or watch Soubi sleep. Not that I haven't spent any time doing that, Ritsuka thought, nodded at a vaguely familiar woman who waved in his direction; the way he mumbles in his dreams is so amusing.
A side of him Seimei probably never saw.
Seimei...
Ritsuka tried to turn his mind away from his brother, and back to the present, trying very hard not to ponder over the future. Trying not to remember...
Even if I try to forget, you are always around to haunt me, aren't you, Seimei? Trying to forget, it's so pointless. He mulled over the purchase of some fresh fruit, picking through a stand thick with red apples.
"Oba-san, how much for these?" Ritsuka pulled out his frighteningly thin wallet, sifting through the coins there after the old woman mumbled the price. Too much. Everything is so expensive...
"He'll take the batch, Oba-san." A hand slammed down three bills onto the wooden stand, shaking Ritsuka's carefully constructed calm. A vague, familiar face grinned wolfishly, grabbing the bundle of apples and Ritsuka's hand in the same moment, shouting something inaudible to the woman at the fruit stand.
"Let go of me, you freak!" Ritsuka pulled his hand from Nisei's, wrenching the older man around to face him with the movement. They'd run past most of the market, and into the beginnings of a small park.
Nisei was closer to Seimei's age (he was what, eighteen now?), and he stood taller than Ritsuka, his lengthy black hair thin and running down his shoulders like a midnight waterfall. Secretly, Ritsuka thought he was beautiful. He fair glowed with the cold, his cheeks reddened and his smile glittering in the depths of his eyes.
Ritsuka wrenched the apples from Nisei's fingers, "What the hell do you want now?"
Dammit! Why can't they just leave Soubi and I alone?
"I'm not going to fight with you, Loveless. I merely have a request." The older boy's voice was deep, belying his soft, boyish features. "Just a quick question."
"I don't owe you anything." Ritsuka turned on his heel, heading back where he'd come.
The hand that settled on his shoulder was gentle, unrestricting. "Fine, then; a gift." Nisei shoved an envelope into Ritsuka's jacket, smiling, sliding his hands over Ritsuka's shoulders. "Good day!"
He pulled the envelope out of his pocket and frowned at it, watching as the shimmering black hair disappeared around the corner. Just what I needed... Ritsuka fiddled with the paper before returning it to his pocket, continuing slowly on the road back home, the long line of his tail twitching angrily in time with his steps.