Soubi stared sadly at the second most beautiful thing in the world. Ritsuka's mark. And it was on someone else. He spoke softly to the first and most beautiful creation that ever existed in his world, Ritsuka himself, "Your mark. He is your true fighter."

Ritsuka barely registered what he heard from Soubi because he was so engrossed in what lay before him. He couldn't help what happened next. He just went with the pull of his instincts. He leaned forward and licked at the blood on Yuki's wrist.

Yuki gasped, and Soubi hissed when Ritsuka started to kiss at it, drawn by an unnamed force. The feel of the now scarred flesh felt odd against his lips, yet it sent an not totally unpleasant thrill threw him.

The sounds of the others were enough to bring Ritsuka out of the pull that called- no, demanded- that he continue to touch this stranger, this man. He snapped his head and hands away from Yuki, his mouth covered with Yuki's blood. Even as some of it dripped down his chin, she was surprised to only just now recognize the taste of iron in his mouth. He licked his lips, scared and nervous, casing his lips to be stained red.

Staring at the two men with fear and confusion in his eyes, Ritsuka stuttered, " I-I-I didn't m-mean to do t-that!" He was looking frantically back and forth between the two. Yuki's eyes held hunger and desire stronger than before, while Soubi's were of shock, hurt, but yet the same hunger. The tears were coming now. He was just too damn scared and confused for them to NOT come. "No!" He yelled at them threw his tears. "Stop looking at me like that!" Soubi was the only one who tried to cover up the emotions in his eyes.

He took a step forward and reached out for him. "Ritsuka…"

Yuki acted on is own instincts and as faster then lightening he grabbed Soubi's wrist and twisted it until it was at an odd angle. "One more move, and I snap it," He all but growled. 'How dare he try to touch my sacrifice?' To prove his point, he put a bit more pressure on his hold.

Soubi knew that his wrist would break if anymore pressure was added. But he ignored him and looked to Ritsuka, who was staring at them with wide eyes.

"Stop it! Just stop it! That's enough!" Ritsuka did his best to put all the dominance of the sacrifice into those words.

Yuki turned to him, hand still on Soubi's wrist. He tilted his head slightly to one side and observed his master. He was scared, that was easy to see. But under that, one could see that he was also mad. Very mad. He nodded before he let go.

Ritsuka sighed in relief again. 'Thank god.' He looked over to Soubi. "Can you take me home now?" He just wanted this all to end.

Yuki growled again. He opened his mouth so say something but was cut off.

"Yuki, what is your problem with Soubi?" He yelled out of exasperation-ignoring a weird feeling that saying his name caused. God! He just wanted to go home. What's wrong with that? He looked up into Yuki's face and saw burning in his eyes. There was a heat that the fires of hell couldn't match. And Ritsuka had no idea why it was there.

"What? What did I say?" Yuki didn't seem like he could answer so again Soubi did. Soubi always was there for him, Ritsuka realized. Either when he needed him or something.

"You spoke his name Ritsuka. It is the first time he heard his name from your lips. It is the first everything for him from you. Everything is powerful when it's the first," Soubi explained.

Ritsuka thought about it. He remembered everything with Soubi. He remembered how he reacted to his name being said by the adult. And the first touch, fight, ...kiss. He blushed and glanced up at Soubi who smiled. Yeah, Soubi knew where his thoughts had brought him. But then they brought him down a more depressing path that Soubi would have liked him NOT to have touched. 'Wait. If that was because it was our first...then does that mean everything I've felt was because of the relation of sacrifice/fighter?' His eyes grew wide. Then an even more depressed though came to mind. 'Yuki's-' He refused to give into the shudder that saying his name caused- 'reactions are more intense then mine were. Is that because we are the true Loveless? And that must mean that...' He started to cry fresh tears. He didn't want to say it but he knew he needed to know if it was true, even if the feeling in his stomach already told him it was.

"Soubi...were your reactions to...Seimei the same as Yuki's are to mine?" He couldn't look up to see the answer that could possibly be in his eyes.

Soubi didn't want to answer, but he had to. He could feel how bad that Ritsuka needed this. "Yes," he answered simply.

One word. That one word changed everything for him. Every good thing in his life fell apart at that moment. He broke. And he did the one thing that he could.

He ran.