Hey guys!!! I'm back!!! Sorry for such a long delay, school has been very hectic and I've been getting sick a lot recently.
Thanks to my fantastic reviewers klagana1, Carabel, Vampirelle, kykatie122fog, xXMewzikLuverXx, NoelleisParadise, inuyasha-horse-lover, 777angeloflove, and Chibi Hime Hakujou-chan!!! You guys are amazing!!! (9 reviews for this chapter, HOLY HOBGOBLINS!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Loveless, Kouga Yun does.
Make sure you drop by my profile and vote on whether or not Soubi and Ritsuka should pass the exam, their fate it in your hands.
Ch. 8: New Found Connection
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Soubi stayed frozen on the ground, weeping to himself, unsure how to act. His Ritsuka was missing, but he didn't know where he was, they weren't fully connected yet, and Ritsuka was under a spell. The only thing he could do was search the entire mansion, Soubi stood, a new form of determination in his eyes, and began thinking of what the child had told them during their battle, "I came here to get stronger, they were mean though. They hurt me, and did bad things to me. I was left alone here to die, while they continued living like the pigs they were."
Before Soubi could come to a conclusion, the door burst open, revealing two familiar figures.
"Hey perv, what are you doing here?" Youji smirked.
"Where's Ritsuka?" Natsuo asked.
Soubi looked at the ground, and the silence was all the answer the Zero pair needed.
"She took him didn't she?" Natsuo questioned.
"She?" Soubi inquired, confused.
"We've been gaining info the majority of the time here, tons of people have been weirded out by a ghosty chick; you seen her?" Youji raised an eyebrow.
Soubi nodded, not quite believing that the lost soul of someone had taken his sacrifice away.
"Tsk, well you aren't gonna get your boy toy back by staying here, let's go look for him." Youji stated, headed back out the door.
"You're helping me? Why?"
"Not you, we're doing this for Ritsuka's sake. Besides, we already got our scroll, and we're bored…nothing better to do…" Youji shrugged.
Soubi nodded once more, "I think we should look in the lowest level first."
"Why? If she just took Ritsuka, should she be somewhere close?" Natsuo asked.
"She mentioned how she was tortured and abandoned. If the rest of the house gives off this aura, then I can imagine that the basement is even worse…" he stated apathetically.
The Zeros simply nodded, both shocked that Soubi was being so forward and well, emotionless, but then again, he hadn't really been separated from Ritsuka before.
With that, the three sprinted out of the room, searching for the Loveless sacrifice.
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They had reached the last door on the first floor and so far there had been no entrance or any hint that a basement existed. Soubi opened the door carefully, realizing quickly that, just like all the other rooms, it was empty. Soubi's face dropped, his eyes extremely sorrowful and empty; they had searched every room on the first floor and the day was almost ending.
"Soubi, come on, let's search the room, maybe we can find some clues." Natsuo comforted, knowing that he would act the same if Youji was taken from him.
Soubi nodded, and the three began their search. The room was slightly different than the others; it contained the typical candle lighting, bookcases, old artwork, and dusty furniture, just as the other rooms had, but this room also had a toy chest in the far corner, as well as a long mirror.
Natsuo and Youji had started their search in the bookcase, probably hoping a cliché hallway would appear if they pulled out the right book; but Soubi had been drawn to the toy chest.
"Why would a toy chest be in only this room? It seems so out of place."
Soubi unlatched the chest, opened it, and almost went into shock. The blonde backed up several steps, hand over his mouth, staring wide eyed at the trunk.
The Zero team looked over at Soubi with concern and followed his gaze. They both walked over to the toy chest to see what had caused Soubi so much dismay, and couldn't believe their eyes.
"What the hell?" Youji and Natsuo said in unison, incredulously. Inside this small box, were multiple human bodies, pale, lifeless, and dressed in clothing similar to that of a doll.
The Zeros looked at one another, a new sense of urgency in their voices, "You don't think that ghost chick did that?" Youji asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised?" Soubi stated, still slightly shocked, he couldn't allow Ritsuka to end up this way, he had to find him.
Soubi then straightened up, locked the chest back up, and continued searching the room, leaving the Zeros slightly worried about Ritsuka. They did love to torture and make fun of the kid, but this seemed, just too cruel.
The adult ignored the two boys in the room with him, his full attention on finding Ritsuka as soon as possible. He continued to search the corner of the room that differentiated itself from the rest of the house, passing the mirror as he rummaged around, the blue-eyed man stared at it, once again confused. He was standing directly in front of this reflective object, yet there was no reflection given, just a glassy, silvery tint.
The blonde raised his hand and slowly reached toward the "mirror", lightly brushing over its surface. He then put slight pressure against it, only to have his hand go through it. Soubi, unsure of how to deal with this action, put his master's safety before everything else and waltzed through this "portal", leaving his destination up to chance.
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Natsuo and Youji had kept searching the room, finding no leads.
"Hey Soubi, there isn't anything here, let's move on to a different floor." Youji stated.
No response came, both of the Zero pair looked about the room, realizing that they were alone. Confused, they headed over to the corner of the room Soubi had previously been, searching for some form of an exit the fighter may have taken.
"Tsk, this is what we get for doing our good deed, he abandons us." Youji complained.
"Who knows, maybe he's lost it again? When he starts repeating the word "no" we'll know for sure." Natsuo giggled.
The Zeros then burst into a fit of laughter, remembering what Soubi was like, and how Nagisa-sensei kept arguing with him the night Seimei had returned.
The two shook with laughter until their stomachs hurt, Natsuo leaning on Youji, causing Youji to reach out toward the nearby "mirror" for support, quickly falling through the mysterious device, going wherever it may lead.
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Soubi had been sent to a long corridor, lined with portraits and other chotchkies (one of the best words ever, almost as good as shenanigans) that seemed to have collected dust for at least the past century. The adult speedily walked down the long hallway, unsure of what was at the end, but willing to risk his mind, body, and soul for his precious Ritsuka.
Soubi continued walking down the hallway, minutes passed; distance was traveled, though it seemed as if he wasn't getting anywhere. Releasing his anger, he slammed the side of his fist into the nearby painting on the wall, allowing crusted on dirt and dusk to fly free, scattering and mixing with the air. The fighter coughed violently until the dust cleared, and looked up to glare at the direction the grime had come from, only to be, once again, for what seemed like the thousandth time that night, shocked and confused.
Underneath the formally unturned dust bunnies laid a portrait of the girl that had taken Ritsuka. Though she was not alone in the portrait, a man, looking in his thirties at the time, was standing next to her, hand place gently on her shoulder. Tsuihousha and the man both had stoic facial expressions on, almost as if they were bored, but their poses were not what was the most odd of this painting. Soubi's gaze lowered the plaque at the bottom, 1689.
Soubi crinkled his forehead, at this rate he would get lost before saving his sacrifice. He was alone, the hallway seemed continuous, and he still hadn't received a scroll. As a last resort, Soubi sunk to the floor, closing his eyes and focusing intently on Ritsuka, hoping that some form of a bond was traceable between them.
"Ritsuka…Ritsuka…Ritsuka…Ritsuka…"
A tingling pulse of energy shivered the adults being; opening his eyes to find a small thread like substance, the connection he shared with Ritsuka. Soubi stood in awe, staring at where Ritsuka's end of the string lead. The glowing fabrication of a bond was coiled around the fighter, and went straight through the painting.
Soubi raised his eyebrows in thought, but soon gave up, coming to the compromise that in a haunted house, the ghost picked what laws (gravity, conservation of mass, nature, etc.) actually came into effect. He then raised a hand toward the painting, and just as he had done previously, traveled through the figment of a solidified object.
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This time around, Soubi was sent to room that had seemed to be the location of the bad aura the Loveless pair had previously felt, though by it appearance it contradicted itself. It had the presence of death all around it, but the décor consisted of flowering walls, and princess-like bed with draping, multiple dolls, as well as tea sets scattered about small tables. Soubi followed the connection he had recently discovered, and found his sacrifice among the dolls.
Ritsuka was seated at one of the small chairs around the tables, a tea cup placed in front of him, dressed in a checkered dolls dress. Normally, Soubi would find it cute, and adorable of his sacrifice, but his concern overwhelmed him, and the fighter ran toward the raven-haired boy, hoping to rescue him while the girl/ghost was nowhere to be seen.
The blonde took in the appearance of his sacrifice; his skin was pale, his eyes still glazed, his body still nonresponsive, just like the bodies in the toy chest.
"Ritsuka!" Soubi shook him gently, "Ritsuka!"
No response came, not even a flicker of recognition, and Soubi feared that he had failed Ritsuka.
"Ritsuka! It's Soubi, I'm here. I came for you. Please wake up." Soubi pleaded, a new desperation in his voice as he held his sacrifice close.
Nothing came from his sacrifice, just the still emptiness that chilled Soubi's bones, though soon enough the disturbing silence was broken by a high-pitched female voice.
"Ritsuka! Let's have a tea par…What are you doing here?" Tsuihousha shrieked upon finding the adult in her room.
"I'm taking him back."
The girl giggled, as if highly amused, "I've made him better, he's my toy, he doesn't want you anymore."
Soubi glared at the girl as he cradled his sacrifice, and she continued to giggle (or to be more accurate; cackle).
"If you want him back so much, let's play a game. Winner keeps." She smiled
Soubi knew that with his mind clouded with worry, he had no chance of winning whatever form of a "game" she wanted to play, but he had no other options.
Soubi opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a familiarly irritating duo, "Hey ghosty! You wanna play; we're game." Youji smirked.
The girl giggled, and then agreed, "This will be fun, but if you lose, then you get to become my playmates forever."
"Deal." Youji replied.
" Battle system expand!" Natsuo shouted as a black atmosphere filled the area, leaving Soubi alone in his attempts to bring his sacrifice back from whatever spell he was under.
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Once again, sorry for such a long wait. Sickness, School, and the fact that this chapter refused to write itself held it up. I am currently sick, so this chapter isn't my best, but I felt I needed to get another chapter out, so here you are.
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!
Please Review!