Mist 13
The click of the door, the creak as it closed. A loud thud. That is what woke Ritsuka from his sleep. 'Soubi must be back..' He thought with shut eyes. But several minutes passed and Ritsuka didn't hear anything else.
"Soubi?" He asked opening his eyes and seeing nothing through the dark unlit room. After Soubi left Ritsuka decided to take a nap and had shut off the lights before crawling back to bed. "S-Soubi?" No answer. 'I'm positive I heard the door open.' Ritsuka switched on the lamp next to him, he scanned the room, and he sat up.
And then he found Soubi.
Panic raced through his body, his stomach flipped and cramped up.
"SOUBI!"
Tears spilled out of his eyes immediately.
He jolted out of bed running to the heap on the floor. He tripped over blankets that had been wrapped around him, as he tried to rush over. "Soubi.. Soubi.. No!" He yelled helplessly.
Soubi lay on the floor in a puddle of blood, eyes closed, body limp and cuts all over him.
Ritsuka was stunned. He almost heaved from anxiety, from seeing Soubi in such a scary state.
"What happened. What happened.. Soubi! Soubi!" Ritsuka fell to a kneeling position next to Soubi's body. "I won't lose you too! You can't leave me!" Ritsuka had no clue of what to do, he had no clue what was happening. Why?
'Why? Why is Soubi so hurt?' "S-Soubi!" Ritsuka hiccupped between sobs. His breathing was rough. He felt his throat constricting on its self, causing his breathing to hitch. He could barely suck air into his body but he didn't even notice, all he could sense was Soubi. Soubi. Soubi.
"Soubi open your eyes!" He grabbed Soubi's bloody shirt and shook the man. He was limp, still bleeding.
"Soubi.." Ritsuka whispered the name, repeating it and repeating it. He paused, his rough breathing was all he could hear. His eyes noticed the only motion in the room, Soubi's chest rising and falling slowly. His chest rose and fell. "Soubi!" Ritsuka realized he was still alive. 'He is alive. He's breathing. He's alive!'
"Soubi...!"
x
Soubi's eyes flickered open, 'What happened? I feel so dizzy.. Is Ritsuka okay?' Once his vision focused he realized his Sacrifice was leaning over him. Tears falling from his closed eyes, crying and calling out Soubi's name. 'Don't cry Ritsuka, Don't cry.' He was crying so hard. Ritsuka's hands were gripped tightly to Soubi's shirt. Soubi spoke up, his voice hoarse, "D-don't touch me.. Ritsuka. Get away, I'm filthy."
Ritsuka opened his eyes. Soubi, he spoke, he's awake. "Soubi..!" Ritsuka started crying harder, still upset but much more relived that Soubi was awake as well as alive.
"Don't touch me!" Soubi repeated trying, but not succeeding, to move away.
Ritsuka gave him a confused look, tears still cascading out of his eyes. "What are you talking about Soubi! You're hurt!"
Soubi tried to fight past the fatigue washing over him, tried to focus his eyesight, he had to get Ritsuka away from him. "Don't.. look at me, you shouldn't.. see me like this."
"Soubi! I don't care! Tell me how to help you Soubi!"
"Don't look.." Soubi pleaded.
"Shut up!"
Soubi sighed in submission, he really couldn't do anything by himself right now.
"Ritsuka help me sit up.." He gave in.
Ritsuka let out his breath, he wiped at his wet cheeks and lifted Soubi up from under his arms the best he could and leaned him against the wall.
"The first aid kit, Ritsuka.." Soubi felt terrible. Lightheaded, dizzy, he wanted to heave, he was so tired but mostly, worst of all, he hated looking so pitiful in front of his Sacrifice, and he hated Ritsuka to be so worried and upset because of him.
Ritsuka went and grabbed a first aid kit. He began to unbutton Soubi's shirt. Fumbling over each button trying to slip them out of holes that seemed impossibly small.
"How did this happen?" He yelled, the tears started to come again.
Soubi didn't answer, he looked at the floor.
"You fought without me! Didn't you? You promised Soubi! Promised.."
"I'm sorry Ritsuka.." Soubi apologized. He wasn't sorry that Ritsuka hadn't gotten hurt. Why were these new teams so powerful? He had been able to beat them, but not without gaining so much damage. No one else had damaged him like this before, with Seimei they beat everyone in their path, and he and Ritsuka were also unbeatable when they were determined to win.
"No you're not! You are just saying that!" Ritsuka paused, collected his thoughts. He sighed. "It doesn't matter.." He mumbled. "What matters is you're hurt.."
'Ritsuka is so caring, so sweet.'
Ritsuka slipped the shirt off revealing blood dripping down from his neck, cuts on his upper arms, and a few cuts on his upper torso. "Soubi.." Ritsuka pouted. His ears flattened down on his head, his tail wrapping around his body.
'Ritsuka is so adorable. That tail. Those ears. His cute face.'
"What do I do first? You're bleeding everywhere.."
"Neck.." Soubi mumbled. His neck was feeling so painful, Seimei's voice was still echoing around in his head. 'Make him stop talking, ordering. Get out of my head.'
"Your neck.." Ritsuka repeated solemnly. He removed the bits of cloth bandage that had managed not to fall off. 'Beloved', the letters were carved into flesh and bleeding profusely. 'Seimei, he did this..' Ritsuka cleaned the blood off and put new bandages, with cotton under them on.
'I have to stay awake, conscious for him, Ritsuka.'
Ritsuka moved on to the cuts on Soubi's chest. Soubi noticed the silent tars falling from his eyes. Soubi hated to see Ritsuka's tears, "Please don't cry Ritsuka." He wiped the tears away from his cheeks.
Suddenly Ritsuka hugged Soubi, clinging to him for comfort. To assure he was there, he was alright.
It was too late to bother about Ritsuka being covered in his blood so Soubi hugged back, he ignored the pain biting through his body and he wrapped his arms around the boy. "It's okay." He whispered into Ritsuka's hair.
"It's not! You're hurt! That's not okay.." He yelled out between a sob.
Soubi squeezed him tighter, "I love you Ritsuka.."
Ritsuka hiccupped in reply.
x
As Ritsuka cleaned out the cuts on Soubi's face Soubi spoke up.
"Rootless." He said
"Huh?" Ritsuka was a little startled, and the word 'rootless' didn't make much sense. He looked down into Soubi's eyes. Soubi leaned up and stole a kiss. Ritsuka's eyes opened wider and Soubi smiled at him.
"Rootless, they worked by ways of a special attack as well. Botanicals."
"Soubi.." Ritsuka pouted, "Why didn't you come get me? I'm your Sacrifice I'm supposed to take the damage.."
"Ritsuka's cute face would be hurt then." Soubi rubbed his thumb along Ritsuka's cheek.
"Soubi!" He pulled away with blushing cheeks. "But /your/ face is hurt!"
"You think I have a cute face, then?"
"Soubi! Not what I meant!" His blush grew deeper. He pressed one last band-aid onto Soubi's forehead, "Go to bed!"
"Will you join me? You still need your rest."
"No." He said stubbornly.
"Ritsuka." Soubi said. He leaned over and kissed Ritsuka's cheek. "Thank you for this." He was referring to the bandages Ritsuka had placed on all of his cuts and the blood he cleaned off of him.
"Mmn." Ritsuka looked down at the ground.
Soubi wobbled up from his place on the floor, steadying himself with the wall. His vision faded out when he moved, he stared at blackness for a moment before light bubbled back and he could safely walk over to the bed. He walked slowly, with very little energy and as soon as his body landed on the bed he was asleep.
Ritsuka peeked at the man from his spot on the floor. He blushed, looked away and picked up the first aid kit. Soubi had put it back together before going to bed. He scuffled away from the pool of blood that was drying in the floor.
After putting the kit away on a shelf he gathered some dishcloths and paper towels and started scrubbing the blood away from the floor. The red pool soaked into the towels but left behind a maroon stain on the wooden floor. A memory.
Ritsuka walked over to the bed and sat down next to it, Soubi's face lay on the edge with his flaxen hair draping off of the bed.
"Mmn, your hair is covered with blood." Ritsuka mumbled to himself. He got up and pulled some blankets over Soubi, who had just flopped onto the bed not caring about his warmth. Soubi curled into the blankets once they were placed over him. "Such a child.." But despite his complaints Ritsuka couldn't help but stare at Soubi. 'How close was I to losing him? I really couldn't stand that to happen..' Ritsuka sighed.
Ritsuka's stomach rumbled. 'Food..' he thought. 'Well I guess Soubi wasn't able to get anything, I wonder if he really did checked the cabinets properly? It couldn't hurt to check again.' Ritsuka headed over to the small kitchen area to look in the cabinets. 'Of course.. It's just like him to panic and not properly look for something. He really is such a child.' Ritsuka stood up on his toes to grab a carton of eggs out of the cabinet. He sighed at Soubi, or Kio who had done the shopping last, for not storing the eggs in the fridge. 'Well.. It doesn't matter but… those two shouldn't be outsmarted by a child when it comes to something like this..'
He got out some pans and began cooking.
x
The smell Soubi woke to was ambrosial. He was so hungry. "Mmn? Kio is that you?" He asked to the food-smelling room. Who else would be in his home cooking him breakfast?
The loud "EH?" He got in response definitely wasn't coming from Kio.
"You think I'm Kio now? Geeze Soubi! What is with you?"
It was a grumpy little Ritsuka. A grumpy, jealous Ritsuka. Soubi smiled and opened his eyes. As he went to sit up in bed and a jolt of pain rushed through his body and at the same time Ritsuka rushed over to him.
"Don't move! Stupid!" Ritsuka snapped at him. 'Such a short temper when he is worried..' Soubi mused happily.
"Ahhn.. Sorry Ritsuka I forgot." Soubi slowly lowered himself back to laying down. 'I was hurt.. Rootless. Ritsuka healed me. And.. made me breakfast?' Soubi looked up at Ritsuka suddenly scared and asked, "Ritsuka don't tell me you went out to get food?"
"Of course not! You didn't even notice there was still a half full carton of eggs in the cabinet. Stupid!" Ritsuka was blushing still.
Soubi grimaced. Of course.. He should've checked properly, Ritsuka must have been very hungry.
"Well I made you food.. So will you eat?" He blushed deeper.
"Of course I will, Ritsuka makes the best food." Soubi replied with his dazzling smile. Ritsuka turned away in embarrassment.
'That guy! Saying such stupid things.. He cooks much better than I do!' Ritsuka grabbed two just-made omelets from the kitchen and handed one plate to Soubi. Ritsuka glanced at the man across form him, 'Soubi is troublesome and annoying but I always can't help but want more of him..' He blushed.
They each took a bite into their omelets and smiled back at each other. Soubi's smile was hearty and beautiful, Ritsuka's was shy.
Soubi's omelet was salty.
Ritsuka's was sweet.