This chapter is...Fully dedicated to my love and my darling Soubi...hehe...no not the anime one, though that'd be pretty cool too! Sou you all but Forced me to write this chapter with your godly powers so I hope you like it
When Ritsuka returned home everything seemed so eeirly normal. His mother was sitting on the couch watching the air before her, the faint sound of cooking reaching his ears. As he stepped through the door he chimed his normal greeting and Misaki immediately looked over her shoulder, rising and hurrying over to embrace him.
"Oh, Ritsuka, I knew you'd come back. I was worried...but...i'm making you lunch." she was acting too nice, her sentence seemed...stressed and cut off...she was beginning to sound like a broken record. A few moments later she released him unharmed and he made his way up the stairs. He had school tomorrow and it wouldn't be good if he didn't sit down and study some. But when the door to his room opened he simply stared in horror...She'd never gone this far before...she'd never invaded his room like this.
Pictures caked the floor, shreddd by ill intented hands. They were the memories he'd made with Soubi when they met...how could she do this?! It wasn't just the pictures either, his bed was messed as if she'd been searching for a secret he may hide and his computer monitor was on its side. Upon further examination he noted with relief that it wasn't harmed...Hard as it was through teh tear clouded eyes he righted the monitor and started to pick up the remains of his precious pictures from the floor. He'd have to print more copies out later tonight...so much for studying...
Meanwhile Soubi was putting his latest masterpiece in a safe place to dry, grinning with satisfaction at the way it had come out. Stippling usually wasn't something he used more than in moderation...but...this picture had Called for it and it turned out nicely. Deciding he was happy with how things were he pulled his phone out and flipped it open to check for messages, but he barely saw the flash of '1 new message' before Kio was attempting to snatch the phone from him. "Soubi! You should pay attention to what's Around you! not that Kid!" he explained in a voice too whiney to be taken seriously.
The taller of the two frowned, pocketed his phone, and promptly left the building with his things...he was still peeved at Kio for how things had happened before. Smothering his kitten on a picnic table like that...how could he stand for it? Kio broodingly watched him out the window, walking down the street, and a grin tugged at Soubi's lips since...not two minutes into his walk home...his phone had started ringing. Without bothering to check who it was, since it was either Kio or Ritsuka and he didn't mind talking to either, though he preferred the latter, he pulled the phone to his ear. "Hello." he'd state in a moderately friendly voice, but all kindness died hearing the tone that responded. This was not Kio, Ritsuka, or even Ritsu...in fact it was no one he knew that did or didn't have his cell phone number.
His former carefree attitude bled away in a heartbeat and he took on the cold, stoic personality of the fighter he was "Who is this?" he demanded to know in a harsh tone, even though he felt that he already knew. In return a teasing one reached his ears "Who am I?...Who are You?" then a pause before the voice picked up again "Wait wait, don't answer that. I know who you are...you're the liar...the liar fighter who can't protect his little kitty." By now Soubi's teeth were gritted in anger, was this person talking about Ritsuka? And he knew about the fighter status...so he must be from the same place as the others. "Who sent you?" he hissed into the phone and in reply, "Why, Nagisa sensei of course! But...we're not Zero." he'd explain in a taunting tone.
Soubi hated to be baited and led along like this, he needed to be in control of the situation, so without wasting a second he went to click the phone off. Then the voice boomed, cutting the night with it's words "Did he tell you?!" it asked and then "Don't hang up if you want to know." But the fighter wouldn't take another second of it, there wasn't anything this idiot knew that he couldn't find out elsewhere on his Own terms. So he hung up...finishing his walk home wondering over everything.
It was near midnight when Ritsuka was finished reprinting the pictures, cleaning everything up, and calming himself down. He didn't like to stay up this late, especially on school nights and he knew that he'd be sleeping in class tomorrow. Even so...he was laying in bed with his phone in hand...staring at it longily, his eyes only left it to snatch a glance at the window. Both remained unmoving and his eyes were just beginning to close despite his mental orders...although the chime that indicated a call was enough to have him sitting up in bed in seconds.
Flipping the phone open and raising it to his ear "Soubi!" he'd declare frantically, it seemed he wasn't the only one that had been restless...what he didn't know is that it was probably for the very same reason. "Hello, Ritsuka" chimed the pleasant voice he knew to be Soubi's, the man had taken his time calming down and thinking things through before risking to call his sacrifice...now he had a plan...so it was safe. "How are you feeling?" he'd ask calmly. Ritsuka took a deep breath and his ears pinned slightly...he was so happy...so happy to hear his voice tonight. "Oh...okay."
Soubi ran through some more verbal formalities before he finally got to the question he Really wanted to ask "Has Sekkaku disturbed you lately?" The question took the boy by surprise and unfortunately for himself he took a couple staggering seconds before responding. "No! Of course not..." The older of the two's worst fears were confirmed...this person...this fighter...must have contacted Ritsuka again before tonight.
So...he told Ritsuka goodnight and turned the phone off for the night, but he knew that even though he Said he was going to bed, he wouldn't get any sleep tonight. Should he camp outside his kittens house? Just in case? He didn't like not knowing how his enemy operated...what strategy they'd use. Before he sat down for the night with a drink he logged the phone number that had called him earlier in his phone book as '?' and then plugged it in to charge. If he was right then this person would call him again soon...and he'd want to know it was him if he was using the same phone...which he'd have no reason not to do.