Mist, Act 7

"Needles!" Suddenly Ritsuka's mind was racing. 'Am I afraid of needles? Why would Soubi be asking a question like that?'

Soubi looked up into his Sacrifice's eyes, and remorse filled his own eyes. He nodded his head.

"Uh.. Well of course I'm not afraid of them, but why would you ask a question like that?"

Soubi sighed and looked back at the cuts.

If the cut is longer than an inch and deep, it will need sutures.

Definitely longer then and inch…

"Ritsuka," Soubi said, his voice as full of remorse as his eyes, "Your cuts aren't going to heal like this."

Don't suture a small, uncleaned cut that is older than 14-24 hours. It may become infected.

Ritsuka wasn't sure what to think. Needles... Did Soubi want to give him some sort of shot? He wouldn't mind that, after all he had been through worse pain then a little shot.

If a cut is longer than an inch, do not suture it immediately. Wait for 3-5 days then properly cover it to avoid infection.

'At least I've done that much right.' Soubi thought, 'What is it? Luck?'

Ritsuka looked at his Fighter. Soubi was kneeling by his bed looking into his eyes but his mind wasn't there. He was deep into thought, very deep.

'Very deep, the cuts are deep, and long.' Soubi's mind was conflicted. It was obvious now that Ritsuka needed medical attention. Soubi wasn't a doctor by any means, but students of Seven Voices Academy receive more medical instruction than the students of a normal school. Ritsu-sensei had taught Soubi medical courses himself, much more detailed medical courses then the other students.

For emergencies.

'What counts as an emergency?'

It didn't matter, Soubi knew what he had to do. It was nothing new to him. He had practices countless times on dummy examples, and even sutured his own cuts on several occasions. Not to mention the Zeros. A few weeks ago he left them alone to cut up some apples, and when he came back Youji had a deep gash on his arm that he hadn't even noticed. But Youji couldn't feel the stitches. He giggled and said it tickled. When Soubi had sutured Youji's and his own wounds he hadn't used a numbing gel. His were a punishment, and you can't numb the pain from someone who already can't feel it. But with a numbing gel Ritsuka should be fine, it probably would ease most of the pain. Still Soubi was pretty uneasy about sticking a needle through the boy's skin.

"Soubi." Ritsuka said, trying to pull the man out of his thoughts. "Its fine, do whatever you need to."

"Are you sure Ritsuka? You trust me?"

Ritsuka shivered a bit when he heard the words. Soubi mistook it, or maybe he knew what Ritsuka was thinking and merely wanted to give him some space and he walked over the thermostat and turned the heater up a few notches. 'Trust?' The old radiators clicked and groaned. Ritsuka questioned himself, 'Is that what this is? I would let him do anything to my body… no.' Ritsuka reached up and rubbed his cat ear between two fingers. 'Maybe not anything... But if it's just something like this... I think he can heal me, Soubi is smart and he just wants to help. I'll let him do whatever he thinks is best for me.'

When Ritsuka didn't answer right away Soubi was starting to regret asking a question like that. Maybe Ritsuka would feel too pressured if he asked so directly, he shouldn't have phrased it that way. But before he could take it back Ritsuka spoke up.

'Who else could I trust if not him? Who else would take care of me this well?'

"Yeah, Soubi. I do trust you."

Soubi's heart practically leaped out of his chest. Trust, such a big thing. Ritsuka could never feel love until he felt trust. Could he? Hadn't that been what he struggled with all along? And after finding out his brother lied to him like that, it's amazing that he could ever trust anyone again. But of anyone Ritsuka could say he trusted, 'Me.' Soubi thought, 'Ritsuka trusts me.'

The Remorse slid out of Soubi's eyes and his mood lightened. He walked back over to Ritsuka and the only thing keeping him from smothering Ritsuka in kisses was the blood. Soubi placed a chaste kiss on Ritsuka's forehead and started getting out the supplies he needed. Ritsuka didn't try to stop the small kiss, after all he was happy too. It was relieving to say something like that out loud, to think it for the first time. Butterflies swirled around his stomach, a butterfly had kissed him. A beautiful butterfly.

Soubi pulled some things out of a pocket in his medical kit. Forceps, in some sort of plastic wrapper, a tube, presumably full of medicine and several plastic packets containing threads. Threads with a strange rounded needle attached to them.

"Huh? What is that stuff." Ritsuka had been expecting a shot when Soubi said needle. Slowly it was becoming apparent that that was not the case.

Soubi ripped open the packet of forceps, placing them on a small blue plastic sheet.

Always use clean tools, always.

Soubi answered Ritsuka as he picked up the next packet, "Sutures."

"Soo-churss." Ritsuka tested the word out and Soubi chuckled lightly.

"Stitches." Soubi explained.

Ritsuka's face paled. 'Soubi, is going to.. sew me?'

Soubi had already cleaned the cuts so he got the medicine tube. Pausing, Soubi walked over to the sink to wash his hands again before returning to Ritsuka's side. Then he squeezed the gel onto his finger. It came out of the tube in a round shape, smothering his finger. The long finger danced over a cut, barely touching the skin, but smoothing the medicine in all the same. Soubi started first with a scar running parallel to Ritsuka's body, slightly off to the left side of his body and crossing paths with another scar. All but one of the scars crossed over each other. The one that didn't was the deepest; Soubi would leave that one for last.

"Sou.. Soubi!" Ritsuka yelled, quickly Soubi looked up. Ritsuka's face was a lot paler then it had been before. Was he still losing too much blood? Soubi's eyes widened, he needed to hurry.

"What is it.?" He asked quickly but still concerned.

"Wha.. what are you going to do?" Ritsuka was shaking, was it from the blood loss? Or was he scared?

"Ritsuka," Soubi reminded him, "Trust me. I'll protect you."

Ritsuka calmed down, Soubi's low voice was comforting, it had a warm feeling that enveloped Ritsuka. He was swallowed by those words. Trust. Protection. 'I will be strong. I will be strong for Soubi.' Ritsuka nodded and stopped shivering. To Soubi's relief some of the color had returned to his face as well.

The needle was pulled from its wrappings easily. Soubi's fingers artfully handling its slender curve. He looked like an artist. He looked like a doctor. A God who could heal with the stroke of his brush. But wasn't he just a pawn? Not God but God's dog? He was tending to the one that God reigned upon. Worse, hadn't that suffering been caused by the pet? Hadn't he provoked the rebelling, that ultimately caused attacks? 'But hadn't it been for the best? He's safe now, I can protect him. I will protect him.'

"Ritsuka.." Soubi breathed the name again. Consonant, vowel, consonant, consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel, each letter rolling off his tongue. Infused with a sweetness he could never produce forcefully.

Ritsuka looked up. Locking eyes. Pupils met amongst the seas of color, and held onto each other. The lock bonding them was one that no one else could break. Love.

"Is this okay.?" Soubi's gentle words hung in the air, unsure of themselves. This was the right step, he reminded himself. He could heal, ease the pain that he caused.

Ritsuka nodded. Trust..' Over and over Ritsuka played with the word in his mind. Unlike in the past, when he played with the same word wondering if its meaning truly existed. Now he played with it to explore. Trust. How far did that run? How much did it mean? 'If I asked Soubi, he would say, however far you wish, however much you wish.' But now, unlike in the past, Soubi's unsaid, but predictable words seemed true. Trust was expandable. A world of possibilities. Ritsuka was not ready for all of it. But he knew the feeling inside of him was still small. Minuscule compared to the possibilities. 'For now, it's best that way.'

When Soubi asked such a strange question, wanting to know if he feared needles out of the blue, Ritsuka's head throbbed. But now, even with a needle poised to break his skin, he knew it was okay. He knew this is what Soubi had felt, 'This is what he had felt when I had held the ear-hole puncher against his skin.'

The rounded needle was set at an angle probing the skin lightly before it took the plunge and broke. Ritsuka could see it, pending at the edge of an angry gash, he couldn't feel it. "Numbing," Soubi had explained, "it's numbed."

And then it plunged, broke skin, and just before it pulled through, light caught the needle and forced a glint upon it. Steady hands guided the needle, precaution was evident but seemed unnecessary in such skillful hands.

"Don't look, close your eyes Ritsuka." Soubi had prompted. But curiosity nipped at the closed lids. Ritsuka peeped out at the scene, knowing it would cause him no harm to look. His head was propped up on a pillow, so he was able to see everything. The five gashes marring his once virgin skin. The needle threading in and out of the leftmost mark. But most clear in his vision, was the man.

Tensely, Soubi leaned over Ritsuka. Expertly closing a cut. A cut he had caused but now would heal. A glint mirrored off of the needle and caught Soubi's eye each time he pulled it through the skin. His hand rested at the side gently holding forceps to keep the skin in place.

Do not tug on the skin too much, it will cause necrosis.

The heat of Ritsuka's skin was stunning, to drive a needle into flesh was horrifying. The thought started to haunt Soubi but he realized that was not what bothered him. To drive a needle into Ritsuka's flesh. That bothered him immensely.

Trust rang through Soubi's head. Trust. Trust sent the needle through skin. Trust closed the gap.

Soubi finished off the first cut with a knot and moved onto the next once he had double checked his work. Ritsuka still sat silently, peering through half closed lids at his companion. The lean body worked over top of him, immense strength was being conveyed in an elegant, gentle manner. Elegance, that is what Ritsuka saw. A body not moving but flowing as it stitched him. No movements were wasted, no time was wasted. Every slight move of his body sent muscles rippling through Soubi's body. Ritsuka was entranced by the skin, flowing like water, under the tight shirt.

Soubi finished the second cut, placing a kiss on its knot, and moved onto the third, then fourth. When the fourth cut was sewn, knotted, and kissed, Soubi looked up at Ritsuka. The boy didn't even seem to notice Soubi had stopped to look up at first. His muscles stopped rippling, alerting Ritsuka that something had changed. He brought his eyes away from the man's body to his face. His face that was looking back at him. Soubi smiled. A sweet smile that encompassed joy. Ritsuka's insides ached, if only he could smile like that more often. 'Could I cause him to smile more?'

Soubi was filled with butterflies traveling up his stomach at the sight of Ritsuka, looking at him. But looking closer he saw pale skin where it should be flushed and shivers when it was warm, he still needed to hurry.

The last scar was bleeding when Soubi approached it. He grabbed a clean cloth and held it close to Ritsuka's skin, letting his warm connect with the cool body. Pressuring the wound with a gentle firmness, willing the blood to stop. All the pain Ritsuka was going through caused tears to nearly form in his eyes. Such pain. He wouldn't let them fall. Not in front of Ritsuka. Not because of this.

Ritsuka savored the warmth of Soubi's hand against his skin. He was so cold, he wanted to be covered with blankets but knew it was impossible for the time being, so said nothing. As the heat from Soubi's touch entered him, he imagined the whole room heating up as well. Like Soubi was the fire, a warm fire with flames licking at him to cure his icy state.

Soubi pushed back his tears, and feelings of regret. But suddenly he recoiled, his regret replaced with fear. The absence of warmth under Soubi's touch had gotten to him, his mind could only register fear when the chill sank in. 'Skin should be warm. Cold skin is dead skin.' That thought raced through Soubi's mind, repeating and repeating itself. Cold skin is dead skin. Terrified, he looked at Ritsuka's face, alive, breathing. Soubi let out the breath he unknowingly held. Lungs deflating with a major sense of relief. Ritsuka's gaze was questioning but Soubi ignored it. He pressed his hand back against the wound and did the only thing he could think of.

"Heal un-heavenly wounds with love." Soubi repeated himself, "Love." He had whispered the words through his body. Spells. Words with power. He didn't know if the spell would do much but at least the blood should flow out slower as it clotted some. With his spell words still dangling on his lip Soubi leaned down. Love. He pressed down onto Ritsuka's lips, filling with relief, Ritsuka was alive. Alive and in his grasp. Even if his skin was cool, his lips had a special warmth. With chastity, Soubi kissed sweetly. He didn't dig for more, lust deeper. He just connected. Love. His words commuting through his lips. Soubi broke off the kiss, sooner then he would've liked, but he had to say it. Love.

"Ritsuka I love you." His breaths were heavy from the kiss. It hadn't been overbearing and oxygen cutting. But it was mind dizzying and he forgot to breath. He wanted to do everything for this boy.

x

x

*Edited 10/4- Grammar

*Edited 2/26/12- Writing