Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go or Loveless.

"xxxxxxxx" Character's talking

xxxxxxxxxxxx Character's thoughts

Chapter 8: Our name is…

Outside Room 555,

"Oh, it's Soubi!" Natsuo danced around him, "Soubi, Soubi, Soubi!"

"Stop it, it's annoying." Soubi growled. He was far from being in a good mood. It was about to get really really good in there, but now, thanks to them, he was kicked out.

"Sorry, Soubi, I hope that we didn't disturb you." Ai apologized.

"Well, you did." Soubi said honestly, not caring a bit about her feelings. "What is this all about? Why are they having a Sacrifice meeting in there while I'm stuck out here with you guys?"

"You-you see," Yuiko spoke up, "Ritsuka-kun wants to talk with Shindou-san."

"Yeah, but he's too shy so Youji volunteered to go with him." Natsuo added.

"But Midori fears that Youji would say anything stupid so he volunteered as well." Ai finished the story with a sigh.

Soubi looked at the book in his hand – it was a Go book. It is so… Hikaru. "Perfect timing," he muttered in annoyance, "just when we're about to—"

"Ohhh, what were you going to do?" Natsuo bounded around him. "You were going to do it, weren't you?"

"Eh?" both girls didn't quite understand.

Soubi didn't respond and began reading the book as he had been told to.

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Natsuo hit his fist against his palm. "You were about to make love with Hikaru, weren't you?"

"WHAT?" both girls cried out, blushing a deep tomato-red and looking as if they were about to explode in any minute.

"Why not?" Soubi shrugged, "I love Hikaru. Plus, it will make our bond stronger." he smiled.

Inside room 555,

"Phew," Hikaru wiped his forehead, "That's embarrassing. It's one scene twelve year-old children like you shouldn't have seen." he walked back and sat on his bed, "But thanks anyway, you guys are life savers. Really, that guy is such a pervert." Ritsuka was looking down at the floor. Too embarrassed to look at my face? Damn you, Soubi! "Did he ever do something like that to you?" he wondered. Nah, he's too young, even for Soubi.

"Well, he kissed me a couple time." Ritsuka flushed.

"What?" Hikaru gawked. He kissed a sixth grade boy? Oh my god, he's a real pedophile! Just like Ogata-Sensei! God, what the hell was I thinking when I accepted him?

"Errr, ano," Ritsuka shifted awkwardly on a chair, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You already asked." Hikaru's smirk disappeared when a thought hit him… hard. Damn it! I sound like Touya!

"Errr,"

"I'm kidding." he waved his hand. "Go on."

"Ano, I'm wondering if-," Ritsuka started, "if you know my big brother."

Oh, no, no, no. Please don't ask me that – anything but that.

"Are you Seimei's friend? He asked.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. Now, he's said it. He glanced at Ritsuka who was looking at him expectantly. He sighed and replied in a hard tone. "No, I'm not his friend." Like I even want to befriend him out of all people.

"Oh, is that so?" Ritsuka stared down at the floor again, looking completely disappointed.

"You said you aren't his friend, then what are you to him?" Youji questioned, "An enemy?"

At that, Ritsuka's head snapped up. He gazed at Hikaru, hoping he would deny it.

But Hikaru didn't.

"I—I know that Brother did many bad things..." Ritsuka trailed off. He clenched his fists until they turned white.

Hikaru ruffled his hair. How was he supposed to tell this little boy that his only brother was a murderer?

"He even killed people."

Well, it seems that he's already known that. "I've never met him. I've only heard of him." He spilled out the truth. "He took away the life of my dear friend."

"Ha! Just like I thought!" Youji clicked his finger.

"Youji!" Midori scolded.

Ritsuka bowed in regret. "I'm sorry!"

Hikaru studied the poor boy and gave out a sigh, "No need to say you're sorry. It's not your fault."

"Ne, ne, what are you gonna do when you find Seimei?" Youji jumped onto his bed, "Kill him? Let's kill him! No, no, let's torture him first then kill him!" he suggested. His eyes burned with excitement.

"Youji!" Midori chewed him out, "Why don't you just shut up?"

"What did you just say to me?" Youji rose from the bed and started quarrelling with Midori.

"Shin—Shindou-san, about that, you will… my brother?" Was all Hikaru managed to hear from the young Aoyagi.

"I'm not planning to kill him, if that what you wanna know." The Go pro declared.

"Really?" Ritsuka asked.

"Yes."

The boy sighed with relief and bended his head down to thank him. "Thank you, thank you very much."

"What? Why not?" Youji clearly opposed the idea.

This kid really scares the hell out of me. Hikaru moved a bit further from him. "Because I don't want to lower myself to his level," he turned to a guilty-looking Ritsuka, "and that is the only reason why I will not cut him into pieces, even if I have the chance to, so you don't need to thank me. It's not that I forgive your brother or anything. I'm not that good." I'm not Sai.

With his arms crossed, Youji pouted. "Man, this is so boring."

"Why do you always say something like that?" Midori shook his head tiredly.

"What? I didn't do anything wrong!" Youji retorted.

But Midori ignored him. "So, how did you become Soubi's Sacrifice?" Obliviously he tried to lighten the mood.

"Ritsu-san recommended me to Soubi," Hikaru answered with a shrug, "so, here we are."

"I see." Midori nodded. "You must be pretty good then." he added.

"Huh?"

"Ritsu-Sensei loves his Soubi-kun very much." Youji hugged and kissed Hikaru's pillow. "If he chooses you for his Soubi, you must be good too! Ne, Let's fight sometimes!"

Something's definitely wrong with this boy. "Yeah, righhhht," Hikaru turned his attention to the murderer's brother, "By the way, can I ask you a question too?"

"Ha—hai!" Ritsuka straightened his back as if he was about to report to a general of the army.

Hikaru lifted his feet up and rested it on the bed. He put his elbow on his knee and rested his chin on his fist. "Kio says that you're a good kid – kind and considerate. Those were his exact words," Ritsuka's cheek blushed pink, "And I happen to believe him," he gazed idly at the boy and uttered the question that he had been wondering for so long, "So, tell me, Aoyagi Ritsuka, why did you leave Soubi?"

Outside room 555,

"Rit—Ritsuka-kun misses you a lot, Soubi-san," Yuiko started fidgeting nervously, "He, he becomes so quiet. I, I," she stammered, "I mean, Ritsuka-kun isn't the talkative type but he has never been this quiet before. I, I know, he feels so lonely without you, Soubi-san. Why, why didn't you visit us after class again? I miss you. Ritsuka-kun misses you. It hurts to see him being like this."

Soubi flipped through the book before saying in a monotone. "Because Ritsuka doesn't need me anymore since he has you now."

"Sou—Soubi-san, I didn't mean to take Ritsuka-kun away from you!" Yuiko burst out in tears. "Please believe me! I didn't mean to!"

I know you didn't mean too but…

Inside room 555,

"What else can I do then?" Ritsuka asked. "Yuiko is Loveless' Fighter, my fighter."

"Yeah," Youji agreed, "The truth is that the girl didn't steal Ritsuka away from Soubi, it's the other way around. It was Soubi who stole her Loveless Sacrifice in the first place."

Midori looked at the back his palm where the scar reading "Breathless" was there. "Our name and our pairing were formed by fate. It cannot be changed. If I were Ritsuka, I would have done the same."

"Yuiko, she's destined to be my Fighter. She can't live without me." Ritsuka let out a long desperate sigh. "But Soubi isn't the same. He's the Blank Fighter. He'll be fine even without me, that's what Ritsu-Sensei said." his voice became quieter and quieter, "So I thought…" he sighed again.

"So you thought it was okay to dump him?" Youji finished it for him. "It's a right decision though since he seems happy with Hikaru now."

"I can't say that he's like that from the start." Hikaru told them. An image of a lost-looking Soubi appeared in his mind. "Well, at least, everything's okay now."

"Soubi must hate me a lot," Ritsuka whispered.

"Nah, he doesn't hate you, never." Hikaru assured the boy. "He was sad at first but, no, he doesn't hate you. He's just…" there was a pause. "angry at you," there was another pause, "A bit," he added. He took a deep breath in and out. "Anyway, he's okay now ever since he'd met me and he knows that you feel guilty for leaving him so he's playing hard to get as a revenge." What a childish game!

"You think so?" Ritsuka's eyes lit up as if he had met Buddha in hell. "He doesn't hate me?"

"Yeah," Hikaru nodded. At least that what I think. "The two of you should have a talk and get over it – a real talk, I mean."

"Okay," Ritsuka nodded.

"Man, this is not fun." Youji crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled. "No one hates anyone! No one wants to kill anyone! What kind of freakin' world are we living in?!"

"Youji!!" Midori and Ritsuka scolded.

"What?" Youji protested.

"Errr, I'd better go to find Soubi." Hikaru rose from the bed. "Without me around, only God knows what kind of trouble he's getting himself into." The boys followed him to the door. Once he opened it….

"I'm going to make you regret that you were ever born into this world!"

Less than five minutes ago, in front of room 555

"Please believe me! I didn't mean too! Soubi-san, please believe me!" Yuiko wept. "Can't we just be friends like we used to?"

The fact was Soubi had stopped listening to the whining girl for quite some time now; he was busy trying to understand a Go problem in the book he had received from Hikaru.

Ai sighed in dejection. "Soubi, Soubi, you need to do something with that attitude of yours."

Soubi shut the book closed.

Natsuo nodded vehemently. "She's right. Especially when you have that hey-I-am-the-strongest-Fighter-ever-step-aside-you-are-not-worthy-to-be-in-my-presence look, it's very frustrating."

"Plus, many people hate you already for having more than one Sacrifice." Ai added. "They brand it as an unforgivable scandal."

"Really?" Soubi was amused by the idea, "Hmm, it's never occurred to me before that people may dislike me, considering that I'm a very amicable man."

"Liar!" Ai and Natsuo shouted at him.

"Eh? Isn't Soubi?" a female voice called.

Soubi made an irritated face. "I'm sick of this line. It's getting lame." He turned to his right.

A woman, around her thirties, in a nurse uniform Gothic-Lolita style was walking towards them. This woman was Nagisa Sagan, another teacher in this Academy. She claimed herself to be Ritsu's rival and that she absolutely despisedhim. However, it was a common knowledge among the students, teachers, security guards, literally everyone in this school that she was madly in love with Ritsu. She was the one who created and took care of the Zeroes. Judging from her personality and her taste in clothing, Soubi wasn't surprised why Youji and Natsuo turned out to be abnormal.

Behind Nagisa, there were a boy and a girl. The boy was around eighteen. He had dark skin and long fair hair. The girl was probably at the same age as the boy. She was the opposite of the boy. She had pale skin and long black hair. Despite their contrasting appearances, they did share a familiar trait as they both had a haughty aura surrounding them.

"We meet again, Soubi." The dark boy drawled.

The girl was playing with a strand of her hair. "So you're here. If you had told us in the first place that you would finally come here by yourself, we wouldn't have wasted our time fighting with you."

Soubi glanced at them with the corner of his eyes. "Where I go, and when I go is my business. I've no obligation to tell you."

"Why you little—" The boy gritted his teeth.

"Most importantly," Soubi studied them from head to toe, "Who are you?"

"What?" The girl roared, shaking with fury, "You're telling me that you don't remember us? We fought you before! We are the Sleepless!"

Soubi sniggered. "I'm sorry. I don't have time to remember the weaklings."

"You! How dare you look down on us?" The boy thundered.

"My, my, still despicable like always," Nagisa spoke up. Soubi could tell that she truly enjoyed watching him getting into a fight.

"And he says he's an amicable guy." Natsuo chuckled. Ai and Yuiko merely sighed as if they had expected things to turn out this way.

"Hey! I'm asking you a question here!" The tanned-skin boy bellowed crossly.

Soubi gave him a naive look. "Oh, really? Sorry, I'm not aware of that."

"You!" the boy hollered, "Arrz! I can't take it anymore! Ginka!"

The girl nodded. "Alright, Kinka!"

"I'm going to teach you a lesson!" Kinka, the Sleepless-boy, declared. "I'm going to make you regret that you were ever born into this world!"

Then the door of room 555 opened.

Hikaru came out from the room and looked around the surroundings. There were three Fighters whom he knew and another three people whom he didn't. He glanced at the boy with tanned skin and the girl with black hair. Both of them looked furious. Although he didn't know what was happening exactly, he thought he got the main idea of what was going on. With a hand on his hip, he looked at his trouble-making partner with an accusing expression. "What did you do again?"

Soubi shrugged. "Nothing."

"Oh, Soubi-kun," Even Ritsu joined the scene too, "There you are."

"Nothing my ass!" The fuming unknown boy yelled. "With this spell, I will start the battle!"

"Huh?" Hikaru exclaimed. Eh? What? Wait a minute, battle? No way!

"I accept." Soubi replied calmly.

"What?" Hikaru turned to his Fighter. Before he could voice out any protest, a dome of darkness appeared and enveloped them all.

Hikaru found himself standing behind Soubi. His Fighter stood in front of him possessively, trying to shield him from the opponents.

"Can't leave you for a minute, can I?" Hikaru rolled his eyes in boredom. Soubi just smiled in response.

"What the-" The girl frowned. "He's not Ayogaki Ritsuka!" she exclaimed in shock.

"You changed your Sacrifice again?" The boy demanded. "You disgust me! You have no honor left! Ginka!"

"Let's do it! Kinka!"

So, they are Ginka and Kinka? Not quite creative names, if you ask me. Hikaru smirked before shaking his head forcefully. No, Hikaru, this is not the time for sarcasm!

"Our name is Sleepless. We share one name. See the darkness of a sleepless night!" Ginka and Kinda cried.

The chant of their true name, it means that they're taking this seriously. "Soubi…" Hikaru didn't want to admit it but the truth was… he was scared.

Soubi, being his Fighter, was able to sense his feeling. He gave him a confident smile, "Don't worry, Hikaru," he took his glasses off and reassured him, "It'll end before you know it. Swords of light! Descend from heaven and destroy the evil before me!" Hundreds of shining swords appeared the Sleepless pair and fell down directly at them.

"Kin-chan!" Ginka shouted, "Counter attack!"

The girl gives orders; she must be a Sacrifice.

"Same trick won't work twice! Swords of darkness! Rise from hell and protect us!" Kinka cast the spell. Black swords emerged from the ground, they took off to the air and clashed with Soubi's white sparkling swords.

The moment the swords collided with each other, Soubi raised his hand toward his opponents and said. "Transform into needles! Descend from heaven, excruciating silver rain! Pin down these dirty creatures before us like butterfly specimens on the wall!" The pieces of the broken sword turned into small sewing needles and poured down from the dark sky.

Like silver rain, so this is the power of words that Soubi's been talking about?

Ginka, the girl screamed. Many needles stuck on her arms and her legs.

"Ginka!" Kinka cried out in worry.

"I'm okay!" Ginka shouted in reply.

"Damn it!" Kinka, the Sleepless Fighter swore, "We are going to lose again?"

"On the contrary," Ginka's lip curved up into a cruel smile, "Ne, Soubi, I'm wondering," she brushed the needles off her shirt and her skirt as if it was dirty, "Why didn't you two chant the incantation of your name?"

Both Soubi and Hikaru froze at that.

"Is it possible that," she paused for a brief moment and continued, "your bond isn't that deep?"

No answer came from either Soubi or Hikaru.

"Ha! How can you create a bond when you keep changing your Sacrifice!" Kinka mocked. Without warning, he threw a curse. "Sleepless night, restless night, swallow them into eternal darkness!"

Then Hikaru and Soubi were plunged into darkness.

Damn, this is really uncomfortable. Hikaru puffed heavily. I can't breathe.

"Hikaru," Someone called him, "Hikaru, are you alright?"

I know this voice.

He tiredly opened his eyes. "Soubi," he panted, "I can't breathe." He was about to lift his hand to touch throat, when he heard a 'Click' sound. "Eh?" He looked down to check himself. His twists were fastened with black leather handcuffs. Around his neck, there was a thick leather collar – this was the reason of his suffocation. Heavy chains from the handcuffs and the collar reached down to the floor. He scanned around. He couldn't see anything except Soubi. The older man knelt before him, holding him loosely. Great anxiety reflected in his blue eyes. "Soubi, where are we?"

"The Sleepless team captured us in their darkness." Soubi hung his head down in shame. "I'm sorry, Hikaru,"

"Huh?" Hikaru scratched his head in puzzle, "For what?"

"I'm distracted." Soubi didn't look up from the floor. "Last time, they used a psychology game against me too. And again, I allowed them to." he bit his lip angrily.

Seeing blood on Soubi's lip, Hikaru cried out worriedly. "Soubi! Stop it!" He tilted Soubi's chin up. "Doesn't it hurt? Are you hurt? Are you okay?" The man gave him a sad smile. He hated that smile. He preferred Soubi's arrogant smile rather than this current one. "Soubi."

"I'm fine." Soubi answered, his fingers trailed along Hikaru's collar. "And you, Hikaru? Are you hurt?"

"No," Hikaru shook his head, "It's difficult to breathe but it doesn't hurt."

"That's relieving." His Fighter kissed his forehead. Hikaru wasn't sure if he tried to comfort himself or him. Under normal circumstances, he would smack him for that. However, since this was obliviously not a normal circumstance, he would let it go this time.

"What's next?" Hikaru inquired.

"We're getting out." Soubi spoke with determination. "I'll break this cage."

"Then what?"

"We go out, fight and win." He said as if it was an easy thing to do.

"Then what?" Hikaru pressed on.

Soubi didn't understand what he was trying to say. "What do you mean, Hikaru?"

"I've been intending to ask this for a long time," Hikaru looked around and sighed, "I can't believe that we're having this discussion here."

"Hikaru?"

"Tell me the truth, Soubi," he ordered, "Tell me if you're ever jealous of Sai?" The other man said nothing but it was more than Hikaru needed. There were times when silence was more than enough and this was such a time. "Tell me if you're still thinking of yourself as Sai's replacement?"

Again, no answer.

To Soubi's surprise, he laughed. "Soubi, Soubi," He shook his head, wearing a wide grin on his face, "Sometimes I wonder which one of us is the adult."

"Hikaru…"

Hikaru smiled gently at him. "Let's settle this once and for all, shall we?" He said, "Listen carefully, Soubi. I loved Sai."

"Listen carefully, Soubi," Hikaru spoke with his unusually serious look, it was the look he had witnessed only when the boy played Go, "I loved Sai."

Soubi bit his lip again before looking away. It hurt too much. He couldn't take it. He didn't want to hear it. Why did Hikaru have to tell him that now?

"No, Soubi," A warm palm touched his face, "Soubi, look at me."

What other choice did he have? He was Hikaru's, even if Hikaru's wasn't his, even if Hikaru loved others, and even if Hikaru spared no place in his heart for him – he was still Hikaru's.

Soubi reluctantly looked back at Hikaru. Tenderness reflected in his lord's eyes. "Soubi, I loved Sai."

Please don't say it.

"The time we spent together, the memories we shared together, no one can change it or take them away from me," He spoke softly.

One of the many reasons why Soubi was deemed as the perfect Fighter ever was because he could endure pain more than anyone could. Ritsu's whip or Seimei's knife was nothing to him. But right now, he felt as if someone was ripping his heart into pieces. Please stop it.

But Hikaru didn't stop, "Sai is unique. In this world, there is only one Fujiwara Sai. No one can replace Sai."

"Hikaru," Please, stop it. I can't bear it anymore.

"Soubi too,"

"Eh?" Soubi blinked. What did he just say?

"Sai is Sai. Soubi is Soubi." His master reasoned. "No one can take Sai's place and no one can take Soubi's place either. Both of you are important to me. Yes, that's right. Just like how important Seimei and Ritsuka are to you."

"Hikaru, I don't—"

Hikaru snorted. "Oh, cm'on, do you think that I'm that oblivious? That I'm that stupid?" He moved his hand in the air. "Or do you honestly think that I don't know how much you loved Ritsuka for his kindness? Or how much you respected Seimei for his leadership?"

"Hikaru, I, I…" Soubi couldn't say anything any further. He couldn't deny that it was not true; after all, he did hold affection for Ritsuka and had a high regard for Seimei. A servant who had feelings for others than his master! What kind of a Fighter was he?

"Listen, Soubi," Hikaru cupped his face with his hands and smiled softly, "I don't want to forget Sai and I don't want you to forget Ritsuka and Seimei either, even if Seimei is a bastard." He added with a bitter laugh, "Just because we're together now doesn't mean that we have to throw away our past, right? Especially the happy memories that we cherish."

"Hikaru,"

Hikaru shrugged. "It's like Go, you know?"

Huh? Go? Are we talking about Go?

"We live in the present, heading to the future while carrying the hope and the dream from the past." The Go Pro enlightened him.

Soubi simply stared at the boy in amazement. It was a long moment before he could utter any words. Finally, he hugged him tightly and spoke in a whisper. "Hikaru,"

"Yes?"

"You really are a Go player."

Hikaru laughed at that. "I'll take that as a compliment then."

Soubi, the perfect Fighter, was back. He gathered Hikaru in his arms and helped him get up. "We have to get out of here." He stated firmly. "The longer we stay, the more power you will lose." He raised his hand as if trying to reach someone in the darkness in front of him. "Fire burn,"

"Wait!" Hikaru shouted out, "Wait a minute, Soubi!" Just a bit more…

"Eh?" Soubi looked at him questioningly, "Hikaru?"

Hikaru reached the back pocket of his jean and brought out an object. It was a cutter.

"Hikaru?"

"I have been carrying it with me for a while now." he said.

"Hikaru, are you saying that," Soubi stared at the cutter with wide eyes. Was it because he was shock? Surprise? Or happy? Hikaru wasn't sure.

"I think," Hikaru inhaled a lungful of air, "I think it's time," Holding the cutter firm in his hand, he looked up at his Figther, "What do you think?"

"Let's do it,"

"It's gonna be painful." he warned.

"I like the pain." Soubi said.

Hikaru shook his head in amusement. Out of all the only-God-knows-how-many-Fighters-are-out-there, he had to get a masochistic one.

Outside the barrier trapping Soubi and Hikaru,

"We did it!" Kinka yelled triumphantly. "We beat Soubi!"

"Now all we have to do is wait." Ginka combed her long black hair. "When our darkness eat up all of that kid's strength, they will be released."

Ritsuka was trying to arrange his thoughts in order. First, Soubi and his new Sacrifice had been fighting the Sleepless pair. Then, the Sleepless pair casted a spell on them. Now, they were consumed by shadow. Hovering in the air was a huge black orb. Inside it, Soubi and Shindou Hikaru were trapped in the boundless empty space. "Don't tell me that…" Ritsuka couldn't continue on. He feared that it would become true if he actually said it out loud.

Ai chimed in. "Soubi lost?"

"How boring!" Youji pouted, "The real fight hasn't even started yet!"

"Soubi is strong. It must be Shindou-san who is holding him back." Midori voiced his speculation.

"Hikaru is just a newbie." Natsuo pointed out. "It can't be helped."

Hiding behind Ritsuka, Yuiko was trembling, too afraid to speak out her opinion.

"Poor Ritsu, looks like your precious Soubi isdefeated now." Nagisa laughed at him, "So much for the perfect Fighter."

Ritsu merely sniggered. "Soubi-kun hasn't lost yet." he stared at the orb. "Soubi-kun will never lose, especially when he's with Shindou-kun."

"The boy cannot do a thing." Nagisa disagreed. "He's completely useless."

"Didn't I tell you that before?" Ritsu inquired. "That I always choose the best for Soubi-kun."

"Haha, when they're out, I'm going to make Soubi realize who's the boss here!" Kinka declared. "I'm going to make him crawl on the floor and bark like a dog!"

"There is no way that we'll lose to a pair who doesn't share the same name." Ginka stated.

"Who said that we don't?" A voice spoke out.

"What?" Ginka turned around. Rays of light were piercing through their orb of darkness. The light was getting brighter and brighter. Then, there was an explosion. The light was too bright to look at. Once the light had faded away, there were two people standing in the middle of the battlefield.

Soubi's new Sacrifice was standing there with Soubi behind him, with his arm encircling his master's waist. They didn't even bother to take a look at their surroundings, their eyes were fixed to their opponent, the Sleepless team. The two-color haired boy lifted his hand over his shoulder. "Soubi,"

Soubi took his hand and kissed it. "Yes, master,"

The light shone brightly around them as they spoke in unison. "God blesses us who walk along the noble path that has no end. Endless power with no limitations, we are Endless. We shall send you to the depths of an endless nightmare!"

"Their incantation?" Kinka exclaimed, "Impossible!"

"Endless?" Ginka echoed their name.

"Please give me your guidance," said the Endless Sacrifice with a smile.

Suddenly a wave of pressure spread out all over the area. It was so intense that Ai and Yuiko weren't able to stand on their feet.

"Ai!" "Yuiko!" Midori and Ritsuka cried as they saw their Fighters crumble to the ground.

"This is Soubi's true power?" Ritsuka whispered. He knew that Soubi was strong but the current Soubi was even stronger than when he had been with him.

"No, it's not Soubi's." Nagisa differed. "It's because of that kid."

"Shindou-san?" Yuiko asked.

"Didn't I teach you all in the beginner class?" Ritsu asked his students. "No matter how strong or how good a Fighter is. When he fights alone, his power is limited. But Soubi isn't alone anymore, he has Shindou-kun."

"How could they chant the incantation in the first place? Isn't Soubi Loveless? Beloved? Whatever!" Kinka yelled.

"No, I'm Endless now." Soubi answered.

"What?"

"Kin-chan! Look at his neck!" Ginka pointed at their opponent.

"Those wounds," Kinka gawked at Soubi's neck. On his collarbone, they barely saw the word 'Beloved' since it was striked through numerous times. His shirt was unbuttoned; revealing the still-bleeding wound could be seen as "Endless" near the heart.

"Soubi can be paired up with anyone. Now that Shindou-kun marked him as Endless, he is no longer Beloved. The fact that he could chant the right incantation without having Shindou-kun to tell him the spell is the proof that their contract is completed and that they have become the Endless pair." Ristu explained.

I can feel it…Raw powerful energy running through my vein. Just like when I'm with Seimei… but something is different... This strength, too, is powerful but it's not cold and filled with hatred like Seimei's. "Hikaru," Soubi called his young master.

"When I fight, I show no mercy." Hikaru told the Sleepless. "And I didn't teach Soubi to do so either. So, I must apologize to you in advance for the pain and loss that you will suffer."

Hikaru…

"Tsk! Don't get cocky just because you can chant your incantation!" Kinka roared.

"Yeah!" Ginka joined her Fighter, "Like I'll ever let it happen! Kin-chan!"

"Servant of Darkness, attack the enemy!" A bird-shaped shadow appeared. The giant crow blasted off directly towards them.

"Burn them down." Hikaru ordered.

"Yes, my lord," Soubi responded, "Sacred fire, rise and burn that low life creature into ashes!" A wall of flame flared up before them, blocking them from the black bird. The bird crashed with the fire barrier, blew out into pieces and fell to the ground. Once the blaze burnt out, it revealed the Endless team. Hikaru didn't even have a scratch – no damages at all.

"Air around us! Turn into smoke!" Kinka commanded. "So thick that nothing can be seen!"

Seeing the black mist start to build up, Hikaru gave an order. "Blow it away."

Soubi chanted. "Wind! Circle and become a storm! Propel such light gathering fog!" With that, the storm raged and cast away the smoke by its driving force.

"Hmm, he's good, man." Youji noted.

"You mean Soubi?" Ritsuka wondered. "He's always good."

"Stupid Ritsuka," Natsuo song, "He means Hikaru."

"Shindou-san?"

"A Sacrifice instructs a Fighter, that's how things work." Midori explained. "Soubi may be good in creating an effective spell but the one who controls how they fight is Shindou-san. He observes the fight. In seconds, he decides whether to attack or defense and give instruction to Soubi."

"The desire for glory and the focused concentration of a Sacrifice will increase his Fighter's power," Ritsu began his lecture.

Ginka gritted her teeth angrily and shouted out. "Tell me, Soubi! How many times did you change your Sacrifice? You are not Beloved, nor Loveless, nor Endless! Simply an abandoned puppy! A dog with no master!" She turned to Hikaru. "And you, kid! I bet your real Fighter is dead or something? So you have no choice but to take Soubi, right?"

Silence served as the best answer, confirming that her assumption was correct.

"I'm right, aren't I? Ha! It's like getting old car's parts and putting them together to make a new one!" She made fun of them.

They're doing it again. Soubi observed Hikaru from the corner of his eye, worried that her words might hurt him.

But his Sacrifice only smiled in amusement. "Back to psychological warfare again, are we? My, my, you guys are so easy to read."

"And the vigilance of a Sacrifice will lead his team to victory," Ritsu continued. "As a Go player, Shindou-kun possesses all of these qualities." He looked at the said boy.

The rest followed his gaze and noticed something different about the boy. His green eyes were narrowed like a hawk's, and his predatory face was emotionless.

It was then they realized that standing in front of them wasn't Shindou Hikaru.

It was Shindou-2-Dans.

"What did you just say?" Ginka demanded.

Hikaru just gave her an annoyingly casual shrug and pointed out the details. "You keep using on the same pattern. When you see that your enemy is stronger than you, you will start this mind game of yours to distract him."

The statement offended the Sleepless Sacrifice greatly. "Are you saying that you two are stronger than us?"

"Are we not?" Hikaru asked back. "From the start, even when Soubi fought alone, he still had the upper hand. When we fought together, not only couldn't your little crow penetrate our shield, it got burnt down. And when you tried to hide, Soubi's wind blew the fog away. Now, tell me, are we or are we not stronger than you?" He inquired. "Of course, you know this too. That's why you tried to sidetrack us. The same trick won't work twice – aren't you the one who said that?" He asked Kinka. "A psychological game against me of all people? You're trying to belittle me? Who the hell do you think I am? For your information, that old raccoon is much better than you!"

"Rac- raccoon?" Kinka repeated, confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't waste time chatting with him, Kin-chan!" Ginka was ready to continue the battle, "Let's hide now!"

"Thick dark clouds hang over! Protect us! Veil us from the enemy's eyes!" With that a dense mist started to gather around them.

"Wind," Soubi started.

"No," Hikaru held his hand up gesturing him not to throw the spell.

Seeing that, the blond man stopped. "Hikaru?"

"Remember what I taught you about Go? "Hikaru gave him a meaningful look. "About what you will be able to do when you're good enough?"

It took him a moment before he could summon up the conversation from his memory. "Understood." He didn't know what Hikaru was going to do but he was certain that the boy had a good plan in mind.

I believe in you, Hikaru.

My Sacrifice…

My master …

My everything…

Flashback started

About 5 minutes ago,

"Endless," Soubi gently touched the name that had been craved on his skin. The wound was still fresh; he could feel some dampness from the blood staining his fingers. "I have a name now."

"Yes," Hikaru said, "and it's my name too."

"Our name,"

"Yes, it's our name."

"Hikaru,"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." I'm not alone anymore.

"If you kiss me, I'm gonna kick your ass." He warned. "Now get me out of here."

"Roger," Soubi nodded, "Light dispel darkness,"

"Soubi," Hikaru interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Sai is my friend." He stated. "But you are my one and only Fighter."

This was the first time Soubi had ever smiled from the heart.

Flashback ended

"What are those guys doing?" Ai wondered. "Soubi! Attack! Don't let them hide!"

"Hey, you! Stop giving him advice!" Natsuo scolded.

"Yeah! It's their fight!" Youji backed him up.

"But they're letting the enemy getting away!" Ai protested.

"Their duty is to fight this battle! You have no part in this! If they make mistake, it's their fault. Then, they'll lose, simple as that!" Youji argued.

"What?" Ai looked at both Zeroes in disbelief, "How could you be so cruel? Soubi is our friend!"

"It's called a sense of responsibility!" Natsuo retorted.

"What?"

Midori patted her shoulder. "Ai, stop it."

"But Midori!"

"They won't lose that easily." Ritsu was positive. "Soubi-kun has no flaws and Shindou-Pro is…"

"Ha! Now you can't see us!" Kinka's voice came from inside the heavy black smoke. "But we can see you!" They were definitely inside the cloud, but no one could tell exactly where they were.

"Soubi," Hikaru called.

"Yes?"

"Don't you have anything to ask me?" he asked.

"No."

"No?"

"If you think we shouldn't attack, then I won't." Soubi spoke with a firm tone. "I live to follow your orders."

Something never change, does it? Hikaru chuckled. "Although I'm not quite fond of that idea, I must confess to you that it feels great to have someone who completely believes in my ability."

"I completely believe in you." Soubi vowed.

So Hikaru instructed. "Make their cloud thicker then."

"Understood," his Fighter acknowledged and immediately threw a spell, "Strengthen the thin fog, become a greater cloud of darkness." With that, the black mist hazed over, making it even more difficult to pinpoint where the Sleepless pair was.

"What a fool!" Kinka taunted, "You're helping us build up our shield!"

Hikaru ignored his insult. "Make it so thick that they can't see a thing." he instructed.

And Soubi obeyed. "Dark shadows, no light shall pass through this endless night. Everything gets lost in the maze of darkness." Upon his words, the dim cloud spread wider and got denser. The whole area was now consumed by darkness.

"What the!" Ginka exclaimed, "Kin-chan! I can't see anything!"

"Damn it!" her boy Fighter cursed, "We can't lessen the darkness either! What's next, Ginka?"

"Capture the Sacrifice with ice," Hikaru whispered, "From the ground." He added.

"Silently, a thousand year-old ice crawls on the floor. Creep up on my enemy," Soubi spoke. A thin ice emerged from the ground and dashed toward the Sleepless pair.

"Cold! What is this?" Ginka cried out, "What's going on?"

"Take away her freedom, confine her and freeze her in the overlasting ice cube," Soubi continued his spell. No one, not even Soubi himself, saw what was happening.

"Ginka!"

"Cold! I can't move!"

"Damn it! I have no choice!" The Sleepless Fighter swore. "We control darkness. Obey us! Disappear! Reveal the truth to our eyes!" Then the cloud vanished, revealing two figures standing not far away from them.

Kinka, the Sleepless boy was perfectly well. Ginka, the Sleepless girl, was a different story. Although she had no physical injury, she couldn't move as she was frozen in a small iceberg from her feet to her shoulders.

"Ginka!" Kinka cried out at the sight before him.

"…Shindou –Pro is very perceptive," Ritsu chuckled before adding, "Not to mention that he's one of the most manipulative Go players of his generation."

"Nothing can be more satisfying than succeeding by using your opponent's stone as one of your own." Hikaru said to himself.

"What?" Kinka exclaimed.

"This is also your weak point, apart from using the same pattern as I told you earlier." Hikaru pointed out. "You cling on your name too much. Because you're Sleepless, you didn't consider using other things than darkness as your weapon. Your fighting style is so predictable, it allows us to gain even greater advantage. In Go, it's alright to have a favorite hand but to use that hand everytime you play is suicidal."

"You—" was all poor Ginka managed to speak, yet malice was in her voice.

"Speaking of Go, actually, talking during a game isn't what Go pros are supposed to do." Hikaru stated. "Soubi, cut all escape routes. Make sure that the opponent's stones are cornered and finish them off."

"Yes, master," Soubi responded.

"Kin-chan! Break the ice!" Ginka shouted.

Before the Sleepless Fighter could say anything, Soubi attacked. "Like a stone on a board, your life is in my hand." The ice gradually reached up to the girl's neck.

Seeing that, Kinka yelled. "Hammer of darkness, destroy!" Huge black round steely-look pendulum appeared out of thin air and flew directly to Ginka. It was about to hit the iceberg then…

"A mere stone can't move by itself," Soubi chanted. Upon his spell, the pendulum froze in the air.

Kinka hollered frantically. "I refuse! Break that small ice cube into pieces!" With that, the pendulum began to move.

Soubi cried. "I command thee to be gone!"

"I refuse!" Kinka didn't give up either. The pendulum couldn't take this much power from both fierce Fighters; finally it exploded.

"Soubi, now!" Hikaru ordered.

Soubi held his hand forward, "Your life is now in my hand," he clenched it into a fist, "Restraint!" Kinka screamed as the ice quickly reached up to her head, freezing her alive. Seconds later, the iceberg burst out. Small pieces of ice transformed into thousands of blue butterflies as if they were in a butterfly garden.

Looking at his opponents who were now lying on the ground, Hikaru said coldly, "Thank you for the game."

And that was how the Endless team ended their first battle.

Words: 6850

AN: Finally, it's done! (The next chapter is the epilogue). Thank you for all reviews!

For more Gothic Lolita costume: www(dot)metamorphose(dot)gr(dot)jp(backslash)English(backslash)index(dot)html

Special Thanks: sany, Rickaz, Noemie

japanesenut: "And I hate yuiko!" Me too! Hope you like this chapter :)

CrazyNut: "You have a way of bringing characters to life" LOL, thank you. The secret is become a character while writing. Still, hypnotizing myself to be Soubi isn't a healthy thing to do :P

Peony-chan: "Poor Soubi!…Remember to lock the door next time." If Hikaru hadn't threw him out of the room, he would have continued doing IT even those kids were there! LOL, Soubi, you pervert!