Dlbn: Hello everyone, and welcome to another chapter of Tell it to Maury!

Nbld: Sorry about the long wait. We hadn't had time to start writing until a couple days ago, so that's why this is so late.

Dlbn: We'll try to get them done quicker in the future.

Nbld: Now, time for the Review Corner! Thank you to 777angeloflove, and Ritt-chan for reviewing! Candy or caramel apples for you both!

777angeloflove: I kind of feel sorry for Misaki. I mean, they mention in the manga that she may have been abused as a child herself. And it's shown in the manga that she tries to stop herself but can't. As for Aidien, he's just a jerk. The idea of him doing this comes from messages between my friend Airgid-Chead and myself, actually. Hehe that would be awesome if Soubi had Ritsuka all to himself 24/7 ;)

Ritt-chan: We don't know what caused it, but I think it was most likely an accident. It's not like Ritsuka chose this, after all. According to the manga, Ritsuka changed before his brother died. I wonder when it's going to be revealed what happened…Glad you're enjoying! Aw, thanks! I love the show. I watch it every day before I go to school (Or I did until I started my at-school job this week). ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Ritsuka Aoyagi or Soubi Agatsuma. They belong to Yun Kouga. Maury belongs to himself. I don't own him either. I do, however, own Tarahan Akame, and Aidien Aoyagi. They're mine. I make NO money off of this non-canon work.

Dedication: This is dedicated to the release of Loveless volume 9 by Viz Media! I bought it as soon as I could. Other then a few translating errors, I have no issue with it. I can't wait for ten and the 2-in-1 that they are releasing. But I digress.

000

Once again, Maury sat on the left side of the stage, smiling at the audience. The camera glued onto the man's face; keeping him the only thing on the screen. In the chair next to him, a tall, young blonde man sat. His legs were crossed one over the other, but his hands were clenching onto the denim of his jeans. He appeared agitated, though it appeared as though he were also trying to hide that fact. His navy blue eyes were hidden behind narrowed, rounded glasses.

"Everyone, this is Soubi." Maury greeted the audience and the camera. "Soubi is here because he has been accused of being involved in a…rather controversial relationship. Soubi? Would you mind telling everyone what's going on?"

"I haven't done anything wrong." Soubi informed Maury.

"I'm sure you haven't. But please, give us the details?"

Soubi sighed in irritation. "My friend's father saw us spending time together once and assumed some things that he shouldn't have, as they're not true." Soubi said.

"Which are what?"

"That I'm in a sexual relationship of some form with his son…"

The audience broke out into cheers.

"I'm not!" Soubi barked an argument. "I wouldn't do that to him."

"There's more to the story, Soubi." Maury looked to the audience. "Because, you see, the boy in question…is twelve."

The audience gasped as a collective.

"And how old are you, Soubi?"

"…Twenty-one."

The audience started making a lot of noise. It ranged between catcalls, booing, and gasping.

"I'm not doing anything to Ritsuka!" Soubi informed. "We're friends, and that's all…"

Maury smiled at Soubi. "Well, let's watch the tape of what you have to say, hm?"

A tape of Soubi began rolling on the video screen behind Maury. The camera made it take up the entire screen. Soubi sat on some sort of stool, but he was only visible from the chest up.

"My friend's father saw the two of us hanging out around his house, taking pictures, and jumped to conclusions." Soubi said. "He came over to us and said I had to get lost or he'd call the cops to report me. But we weren't, and we haven't, done anything wrong. Of course, I left to make him stop. If he had stopped being blinded by his suspicions, he would've seen the horrified look on poor Ritsuka's face…"

The audience booed.

"I'm here today to prove that I have never touched Ritsuka in an inappropriate manner. I have no, and I will not." Soubi said. "And once this lie detector proves it, I'd like Ritsuka's father to back off and go back to dealing with his own issues."

The tape ended and Maury came on the screen. He looked at Soubi with an eyebrow cocked.

"You'd like his father to deal with his own issues?" Maury asked. "What issues?"

"You had him on here a few minutes ago, so you should know that already." Soubi informed.

"Tarahan or Aidien?"

"Who's Tarahan?"

The audience gasped and booed at the thought.

"So the boy you're talking about is Aidien's son?" Maury wondered. "Not the one that Misaki injures, I would hope? You wouldn't have…failed to report that, would you have?"

Soubi looked away. "Ritsuka said not to." He said.

The audience booed.

"A twelve year old told you not to report his abusive mother to the police, and you listened to him…?"

"Well…yes…" Soubi muttered.

"I…I find that hard to believe…"

"Seimei said not to, either."

"Who?"

"Ritsuka's brother."

Maury paled. "The deceased brother?"

"Yes."

That made the audience let some confused sounds escape them. Even Maury looked unsure of what to say.

"Before he died, I hope?"

"Of course."

"And you listened to him as well?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Soubi shrugged. "I have to."

"Why do you have to?"

"Seimei's word…" Soubi said. "I can't go against that…"

"You can't go against him? Why not? Who is Seimei to you?"

"…Seimei is…my God…"

The audience let out confused noises again.

"Would you stop saying that?" A timid voice asked from the stairs. "It's getting really tiresome, Soubi…"

The camera panned to the stairs to show a young boy with black hair, who still had his ears and tail. His ears were flat against his head in irritation, his tail twitched to further show his irritation, and his arms were folded across his chest. His plum colored eyes fixated on the ground as he walked down the stairs. Soubi immediately stood to greet the boy as he walked over. Maury stood as well.

"Are you Ritsuka?" Maury wondered.

"Yeah." Ritsuka looked at Soubi and smiled a little bit, his eyes lighting up. "I am."

"Um…welcome to the show…" Maury looked at a loss. "Would…um…you like to share your side of the story?"

"That's why I'm here." Ritsuka hugged Soubi before sitting in the empty chair at the elder male's left.

Soubi sat down as well, followed by Maury.

"Well, go ahead. What happened that day?" Maury wondered. "The day your father saw you two together?"

"Soubi picked me up from school, like he always does, and we went to make memories. Like we always do."

"Memories?"

"Photographs." Soubi correct.

Ritsuka nodded. "If you don't have pictures, you'll just forget. So I take a lot of pictures." He pulled a digital camera from his pocket. "See? I always have this with me." He turned on the camera and aimed it at Maury. He snapped a picture and shut it off. "Sorry…if I don't have the picture, I'll forget again…"

Soubi put a hand on Ritsuka's knee to comfort him, making the young boy blush.

"Stop, Soubi…" He muttered. "You know I don't like being pitied…"

"I'm not doing this out of pity." Soubi shook his head. "I just hate seeing you upset."

The audience 'awed' in response. Ritsuka flushed and pushed Soubi's hand off of him.

"Anyway…we were taking pictures at the park near where I live, and my dad happened to be around…doing something." Ritsuka shrugged. "I didn't see what…but um…he saw us before we saw him, and just ran over. He started accusing Soubi of things and assuming he was doing something to me…but we were just making memories." Ritsuka's eyes narrowed a little. "He never cared about my wellbeing before, so why did he start caring then, huh? Soubi has never touched me, other then hugging me or holding my hand so I won't get lost in a crowd…" Ritsuka looked away. "I'm mad at my dad for even thinking that about him…Soubi's a good guy…"

More 'aw' came from the audience.

"Well, let's see what your father has to say about this, okay?" Maury wondered.

Ritsuka nodded. A tape of Aidien, from the last story, speared on the screen.

"I don't know what in the world an earless adult, no matter how old, would be hanging around a twelve year old just for fun." Aidien informed. "He's got to be up to something. Or has done something. Ritsuka might think he's harmless, but he's twelve. He doesn't know how cruel the real world is." He shook his head. "When the evidence comes back that something has happened, I want him prosecuted, and out of my son's life, for good!"

The tape ended. Ritsuka was wide eyed on stage. "But…" He started. "But…but…"

As he started stammering, Soubi leaned over and pulled him into a hug. Ritsuka let the elder man hold him, but didn't respond otherwise to the touch.

Maury gave them a scrutinizing look, but stopped when Soubi pulled away from the younger of the two males. "Well, once again…here's Aidien."

Aidien walked down the stairs to the stage as the audience began booing. They were either moved by Soubi's attempted protection of the boy, or still remembered what Aidien had been revealed to be doing behind his wife's back.

Maury greeted him on the stairs and shook his hand. "Welcome back, Aidien." He greeted.

Aidien paid no attention to him. "If I ever see you touch my son again, I'm getting the cops on your ass!" He threatened Soubi, stalking towards where he was.

Both Soubi and Ritsuka were up out of their seats instantly.

"It was just a hug." Soubi informed the elder male, who was still slightly shorter then he was.

"I don't care what it was!"

Ritsuka quickly got in the middle of them and put his hands out to stop his father. "Dad, stop!" Ritsuka ordered. "Soubi didn't do anything wrong!"

Soubi grabbed Ritsuka by the wrist and pulled him back, stepping in front of the boy protectively. "It's alright, Ritsuka…" He muttered to the boy.

Aidien glared at him. Guards got in between the two blonde males and separated them. Ritsuka sat quickly, pulling on Soubi's sleeve to make him do the same. Once the twenty-one year old sat, Aidien took a seat on the left of Ritsuka.

"Ritsuka, sit closer to me, please." Aidien said.

"I don't want to." Ritsuka shook his head, gripping the front of his chair.

"Ritsuka…"

"You never cared about me before, so why start now?" Ritsuka turned his head sharply to glare at his father. "I'm not moving over there. I'm staying right where I belong."

"And where is that?"

"With Soubi."

The audience blew up into cheers at that.

"Welcome back, Aidien…" Maury began to speak.

"Yeah, hi, Frank." Aidien ignored the host. "Ritsuka, I don't know what he's told you to make you trust him, but he's lying to you."

"He didn't tell me anything to make me trust him." Ritsuka said. "He proved I could trust him." The neko looked at the blonde at his side. "He protects me, and keeps me company. He makes me feel better when I'm upset, and he makes me smile…and he cares about me."

"He's lying, Ritsuka; it's all an act to gain your trust so you won't see it coming or report it when he does whatever he has planned for you."

"I have nothing planned for him." Soubi denied, shaking his head.

He was ignored.

"You don't know what the real world is like. You have no life experience."

"Oh, I don't?" Ritsuka sneered. "My brother was burned to death in my school desk when I was ten years old, and I found him there. I lost my memories when I was ten and did a complete 180 in personality, causing my mother to go insane, and me to have to go to therapy." Ritsuka's tail went stiff as a board. "You leave me home alone with my abusive mother when you know she attacks me in fits of blind rage, to go off and be with some other woman and have a kid with her." He glared at his father. "I'd say I have enough 'real world experience' for an adult, let alone a twelve year old."

The audience erupted into cheers.

"How did you know about…?" Aidien trailed.

"I've been here the whole time, you realize that, right?" Ritsuka rolled his eyes. "I mean, our story's on the show, too." He looked at Soubi.

The blonde smiled at him, making Ritsuka flush and smile as well.

"You flush a lot when you're together, do you realize that?" Maury wondered.

"Yeah, I know…"

"Why is that?"

"Because something's already happened between them." Aidien accused.

"Nothing has." Ritsuka glared at his father before turning to Maury. "Because…no one's ever been nice to me before…"

The audience awed in sympathy for the young boy. Soubi took one of Ritsuka's hands in his own and kissed the knuckles.

Maury chuckled. "So, Aidien, why do you think they're doing something? Or should I say, why do you think Soubi has some sexual plan for your son?"

Ritsuka flushed and his eyes went wide. "Dad!" He scolded, making the audience laugh.

The neko flushed darker and looked away.

"Because there is no reason in the world that a twenty-one year old male should or would have anything to do with an unrelated twelve year old boy, unless he wanted something." Aidien said.

Soubi glared at him. "What could I possibly want from Ritsuka?" He growled. "I only want to see him happy."

The audience cheered at that.

"Sure, that's all you want."

"He's Seimei's friend." Ritsuka said.

"What was that, Ritsuka?" Maury wondered.

"He's…he was friends with my brother before he died…" Ritsuka said. "Seimei told him to find me, so he did. And we're friends…" He looked at their linked hands, which Soubi squeezed in response. He doesn't want anything from me, and he wouldn't do anything to me. Especially not that."

"You don't know that. What's to stop him from, when you're alone, forcibly taking your ears, hm?" Aidien wondered.

"Because when I was fourteen, my ears were stolen by a pervert." Soubi growled. "I would never put Ritsuka through that. I don't think I'd consider sex with anyone, after what happened to me."

He got sympathetic awing from the audience.

"Soubi…" Ritsuka squeezed the elder's hand and looked at him.

Soubi leaned down and kissed his forehead in response. "I'm fine." He said.

"Are you sure?" Ritsuka wondered.

Soubi looked away and shook his head, before looking back at Ritsuka and nodding. "Yes I am."

"No you're not." Ritsuka said. "Don't lie to me, Soubi…not about this."

"I promise, I'll be okay…"

"If you say so…"

"Let's get onto the lie detector results, shall we?" Maury asked.

The audience cheered as he took a manila envelope from a man in the audience.

"Anything to say before I read the results?" Maury wondered, taking out the results.

"When it comes back that I haven't done anything and have no intentions of doing so, I want an apology, and for him to leave me the hell alone." Soubi informed.

The audience cheered as Ritsuka smiled and nodded.

"And…I want him to stop treating me like a little kid. I'm more of an adult then he is." Ritsuka glared at his father.

More cheering came from the audience.

"Ritsuka, you seem like a pretty smart kid, who just may have had to grow up too fast." Maury informed. "Let's get onto the results, shall we?"

The three on stage nodded as the audience cheered.

"Soubi, you were asked 'have you ever had any inappropriate sexual contact with Ritsuka in the past two years that you two have known one another'. You answered no. The lie detector determined…you were telling the truth."

"Told you!" Ritsuka said to his dad.

Aidien folded his arms and sat back in the chair.

"You were then asked 'do you have any plans to use Ritsuka for sexual means'."

Ritsuka flushed.

"You answered no. The lie detector determined…you are telling the truth."

More cheers came from the audience. It was clear that they had decided to side with the two friends.

"And finally, you were asked, 'have you ever considered using Ritsuka for your own sexual gratification." Maury read. "You said no. The lie detector determined…you are telling the truth."

The audience was on their feet and cheering at that.

Ritsuka quickly turned on his camera and snapped a picture of his surprised father. "Told you!" Ritsuka smiled as he turned the camera off again. "Soubi would never do that to me!" The neko turned to his older friend and smiled at him. He looked back at his father. "Apologize!"

"I won't." Aidien shook his head.

He stormed off stage before anyone could stop him or say anything more to him.

Ritsuka's ears flattened and his eyes showed that he wasn't happy that his father had just walked out on him again. Soubi smiled and pulled the boy close for a hug from behind. Ritsuka's ears and tail shot up in surprised, but he soon relaxed into the other male's touch and they lay down again. "I knew it…" Ritsuka smiled softly.

He looked up at the blonde. Soubi leaned down and pressed their lips together in a brief kiss that made the audience fall silent. Once they separated and smiled at one another, the audience cheered again.

Maury smiled at the camera. "And we'll be right back!"