Mist, Act 6

Steam wafted up from four bowls, infused with a rich smell. Lots of meat cut into small pieces danced around the bowls along with the vegetables Ritsuka was fond of. It was all contained in a thick broth. The soups smelled great. And just like everything else Soubi cooked, it tasted great too. 'How did he learn to cook so well?' Ritsuka wondered as he sipped the warm broth. 'I wonder if he cooked for Seimei. Or if that would even be allowed...' Ritsuka recalled how Seimei always made his own dinner at home, separate from the ones Misaki cooked, and how he always gave a legitimate sounding reason for it. Now Ritsuka knew, from what Nana had told him, that Seimei was just a clean freak, he thought he was too good to let others touch him, or his things, everyone but Ritsuka. Once Seimei and Ritsuka had baked cookies together, Seimei had eaten those. 'What about Soubi though?'

Ritsuka's thoughts trailed off when the Zeros announced they had something important to say. Ritsuka and Soubi both wondered if it really was something important or if the two were just joking around again, but the looks on Natsuo and Youji's faces were very serious.

All four of them were seated around Ritsuka. Soubi had helped Ritsuka sit up in bed, handed him his soup, and sat across from him on the Zero's bed. Soubi didn't care where the Zeros ate. But he was a bit surprised when they plopped down next to him, questioning about the soup temperature. Once Soubi assured them it was warm but wouldn't scald them they too began eating. Youji noticed the vegetables in the soup, the ones he and Natsuo had helped cut up, were not necessarily his favorites. When it was just the Zeros and Soubi, Soubi added lots of potatoes for Youji and lots of carrots cut up small for Natsuo. The Zero contemplated complaining to Soubi about it. But the vegetables in the soup also were not the ones he presumed Soubi favored. Soubi was cooking for Ritsuka. 'Of course.' Youji thought. 'Well, if I had been cooking, the soup would have been full of what Natsuo likes, not to mention seriously burnt.'

Youji's auburn haired twin spoke up first, jerking him out of his trailing thoughts and into what was really important. "Seven Moons has lost several Fighter-Sacrifice teams. Powerful ones, it seems."

Ritsuka choked slightly at the news and then calmly swallowed down the information along with what was in his mouth. 'How do you lose people?'

Soubi voiced his question for him, seemingly thinking the exact same thing. "Lost?"

"Yup," Youji replied, picking up the explanation. "Five prominent units have disappeared with no explanation as to why."

Natsuo spoke again, "One of then you have met and disappeared first, Bloodless. The others are..." He rattled off some mostly unfamiliar unit names quickly. "And," He finished, "Moonless." He said the last name coldly and with a shudder.

Only one of the names Natsuo said was familiar, aside from Bloodless, and Ritsuka repeated it thoughtfully, "Desolate..."

The twins gave Ritsuka a questioning look and Soubi answered their thoughts. "We have... met." He said coldly. Immediately Natsuo and Youji knew who had caused Ritsuka's wounds. 'We..' They thought simultaneously. 'So Soubi was there...' If such damage could be caused with a Fighter like Soubi around, these units were very dangerous.

"It seems," Youji continued, "New fighting techniques have been taught to the teacher's pets, since the years Soubi attended."

Soubi shivered, 'teacher's pet' meant something totally different to him. Then he remembered back to a few nights ago.

x

VrrrVrrrVrrr.

Soubi's phone vibrated and he went to pick it up. Dropping his paint brush, he hoped it was Ritsuka.

Ritsu-sensei, the caller ID said. Soubi let it ring a few more times before reluctantly picking up.

"What?" He growled.

"Ah, Soubi-kun! It's been a long time. Have you thought about paying me a visit?"

Soubi almost hung up at that but his former teacher continued talking, in more serious tone.

"Come back Soubi. I have things to teach you. Things you need to know."

Soubi ignored his words. "I have nothing more to learn from you." Soubi insisted. He didn't add all of his thoughts, 'because, you abandoned me. Rejected me.'

"Fine... though you ought to think about it. After all I miss you deeply, you were my cutest student."

'Like hell you miss me. If you miss me why would you give me away in the first place?' Soubi thought furiously. He left Ritsu's words hanging and closed the phone, wondering, why it couldn't have been Ritsuka that called.

x

'Maybe I should have gone.' Soubi thought, after recalling the phone conversation, 'Maybe he could've said something useful for once. Now it's too late.' Ritsuka was already hurt.

"One of the pairs missing, Bloodless, joined Seimei." Natsuo said, reinforcing what everyone in the room was thinking, Ritsuka reluctantly so.

They left Seven Voices to join Seimei.

"We came," Natsuo said.

"to warn you." Youji finished his brother's sentence seamlessly.

The atmosphere couldn't be more dramatic. But Soubi quickly broke it.

"Well, looks like you were a little late. We've had all the warning we could possibly need. And more warning then will ever happen again." Soubi growled.

Words from his past echoed in Soubi's head, Ritsu's words.

"Never underestimate your opponent, Soubi. But it's key, not to overestimate them either."

'Well,' Soubi thought, 'I certainly didn't overestimate them.' He sighed and left the group, collecting his and Ritsuka's bowls with a bitter face. 'The Zeros can do their own damn dishes.' Irrationally Soubi's anger went in the direction of the twins.

Soubi stacked his own dish on top of Ritsuka's as he was arriving at the counter.

"Ah..." Soup spilled over Soubi's hand and dripped to the floor. Quickly he removed the bowls from each other and set them inside the sink. Peering into the bottom one, he found... soup. It was more than half full if you counted what had spilt. Soubi dried his hands and looked over at Ritsuka.

"Ritsuka was the soup bad?" Soubi questioned looking concerned. He thought he made it the way Ritsuka liked, did he mess up?

Ritsuka shook his head furiously, "No it was really good." Ritsuka looked pale. The Zeros were laughing at how Soubi spilt soup all over himself as they brought their dishes to the sink and started sopping up the soup on the floor.

"Then why didn't..." Soubi's words trailed off as he came to a bad realization. He pushed past the Zeros, "Hey!", and ran over to Ritsuka's bedside, whipping the blanket off.

"You know," Youji said with a handful of wet paper towels, "when I did that, I got yelled at."

Soubi saw that Ritsuka's bandages were covered in a lot of blood. The color drained out of his face at the sight.

Ignoring Youji's smart-ass remarks, "Get out. Now. Go hang the laundry or something, don't come back until I say." Soubi pointed out to the balcony where the clothes line was, ordering them to do the first thing that came to his mind, just anything to be alone with Ritsuka.

Youji sneered and started protesting, but his twin saw how concerned Soubi was and went to fetch the clothes, then dragged Youji with him to the balcony. The chance that they were actually planning on doing chores was slim, they might just slink off to cause mischief, but that didn't really matter.

"Ritsuka.." Soubi breathed. Ritsuka held Soubi's hand in his own and squeezed it, wordlessly reassuring Soubi that he would be okay.

Soubi began a repeat of the day before. He tore the bed sheet off on the side Ritsuka wasn't laying on, and pushed it to the middle. He laid towels on this side and walked back over to Ritsuka. Carefully he picked the boy up and moved him to the other side of the bed on the towels. Like he had thought, the sheet was blood stained. He took it off fully and threw it in a corner. Soubi blinked. He looked back to the corner he threw the sheet in, Ritsuka's bloody, cut up shirt was still there. Soubi was disgusted. He needed to remember to take care of those later. Looking back at the bed Soubi saw that the mattress was bloody too.

Ritsuka apologized for staining the sheet and mattress, but Soubi said it was fine. "I've done it before..." Immediately he regretted his words. Ritsuka grimaced. 'Soubi... why had he bled so much? Who hurt him?'

Soubi grabbed a spare cloth and pressed it onto the mattress and left it there hoping it might soak some blood out. He fetched the first aid kit from the side table where he had left it and went to remove Ritsuka's bandages. They basically fell off, the bandages were so damp with blood that they came loose easily. Sill Soubi had to cut through them to avoid unwinding them around the boy.

'I'm helpless.' Ritsuka thought.

Soubi threw the bloody bandages in the trash, along with the cotton that was underneath them and the blood had first seeped through. He helped Ritsuka go to the bathroom again, saying he didn't want the boy to move until tomorrow if possible.

'So dependent.'

Back on the bed, Soubi poured water on him, wiped him, cleaned the wounds again. Cleaned the blood. Last night, even though his love was so close by, Soubi dreamed of blood. Blood, everywhere. It was haunting. Briskly he pushed the blood out of his mind. He needed to concentrate. Ritsuka wasn't getting better. It wasn't so bad that he absolutely needed to go to a hospital but most people would've by now. But what was Soubi to say, 'Why yes Doctor this child is my master and he was slashed with a magical spell made scythe by a couple of Death-god-wannabes.'? Soubi sighed. That definitely wouldn't work. He could cast spells on the personnel. But maybe that wasn't necessary. The cuts just need to heal. Soubi inspected one of the newly cleaned cuts up close.

Ritsuka drew in a breath as Soubi's head came down close to his skin. The hot breath tickled, but it felt nice. 'I'm pathetic.'

Did they need stitches? "…Why didn't I think of this stuff earlier..?' Soubi questioned himself.

"Ritsuka," Soubi asked, "Are you afraid of needles?"

x

x

A/n:

*Edited 10/4/11- Grammar

*Edited 2/26/12- Writing