Ritsuka was floating around on the edge of consciousness where everything was a fuzzy gray around him. He did hear something that sounded vaguely familiar. It actually sounded like... like Seimei.

No. That couldn't be right. Seimei was dead...or was he? No! Seimei was alive! Seimei...was alive.

But the next thing he heard was the voice of Soubi. Now that voice was familiar. But then what was the last voice? It sounded so similar yet not. But he could tell who it was from by the electric shock it caused. 'Yuki.'

He stayed not moving, wanting to hear what they had to say.

"...n't care what you have to say, Soubi!" There was a resounding high pitched sound and after a second he realized that someone must have hit him. "I ordered you to watch after him and keep him safe! Look at what happened!" There was another smack. The sound made Ritsuka want to wince, but he refused to move.

"Master, I'm sorry. I should have kept him safe, but I couldn't."

"Stop. I don't need for you to explain it to me Soubi!" There was a shuffling of feet that meant that someone had turned or moved around. "What is your name fighter?"

There was silence and Ritsuka felt pressure on his palm as he realized that Yuki must have been holding his hand. What Ritsuka really wanted to do was to break off the fingers of his hand for touching him. He was surprised at such a thought, but saw it as the truth. No one loved him and he was strong. He didn't need or want anyone to touch him.

Silently gritting his teeth against the urge to shove a hot poker up his fighter's ass, he kept silent.

"Answer me fighter!" Seimei practically growled.

"I don't take orders from you." Yuki seemed to spit out. He was acting as if Seimei was nothing. And that is exactly what he was to Ritsuka now. A liar, a pretender. Seimei was nothing to him.

Ritsuka almost laughed. He could practically feel his brother's urge to challenge Yuki to a fight for disrespecting him, but no. That would mean that he would have to fight his little brother. The little brother that he 'loved.'

That thought made Ritsuka so mad, and even madder that his brother was ordering his fighter around. It made him so angry that his eyes shot open and he glared at his brother. "Seimei, stop it. He is not your fighter. He won't listen to you."

Seimei stared at his brother in shock. When he quickly recovered he said, "Ritsuka, are you alright?"

Still glaring he answered, "I'm fine Seimei. But...What exactly...are you doing here?"

Slightly smiling- to the shock or Soubi- he walked over to him and put a hand on his brother's head, slightly ruffling the hair between his two cat ears. "It's difficult to explain Ritsu." Oh, so it was nicknames was it?

"Well Seim why don't you try."

Sighing he said, "I really don't know. But I think that the spell used to kill me wasn't executed right and so it only held me captive until now."

Surprised, Ritsuka turns to Yuki and asked, "Spells can go wrong?"

"No, no usually. They have to be done correctly and that in itself is easy. The power behind them is what counts. They seemed to have messed up the spell in wording though I don't see why...unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless it was intentional."

Seimei's head shot to Yuki's. "What do you mean 'Intentional'?

Narrowing his eyes at Seimei, Yuki replied, "I don't know how powerful Beloved is when they are together, but by my guess, they saw Loveless as more of a threat and saw that you would give your fighter to Ritsuka, ending up splitting up the true Loveless. But it would seem that they overestimated the strength of your fighter. I didn't have to do anything to get my sacrifice back."

Absorbing the information, Seimei was shocked to hear that his brother actually had a fighter. He was too young. And more then that, to be more powerful. Of course it wasn't true as Beloved was to strong, but he was still surprised.

Again he turned to Yuki. "You name fighter, I demand it now."

At this disrespect, something unknown to Ritsuka snapped. He would not have his brother ordering his fighter around! How dare he think that Loveless was so far below them! His purple eyes turned a deep and violent violet and his inner power came out into his words as he demanded, "Stop ordering my fighter around Beloved." Some how he knew that addressing a person by their true battle name was a sign of challenge and disrespect, yet he still did it. "Loveless does not answer to you or to anyone. As for my fighter, he is none of your business."

Against his better instincts-that had been on high alert since the moment he had found his old supposedly dead master hovering over his present master- he stepped forward, about to grab Ritsuka into an embrace when he harshly jerked away. "You are no longer allowed to touch me Soubi! You are no longer a part of Loveless. You are no longer my fighter...no longer mine."

The words hurt Soubi more then he would ever say. He would always be Ritsuka's whether he believed it or not. He was held captive for his heart still belonged to the young boy. "Ritsuka...I..."

"Don't... Just...please, don't." The last part sounded like a plea that he didn't understand.

"Rits-"

But he was cut off when Seimei pulled him back towards him and kissed him full on the lips.

What Ritsuka saw was different that what Soubi felt. Soubi felt what is was. Seimei did not love him. He never did. The kiss was a mere reaffirmation of their bond. The mere process of his chains being put once again into place by his master. His legs buckled under the power and force of being again Beloved's fighter.

Ritsuka saw his brother kissing the only person he had ever felt anything for. And against all that he claimed still cared. Yes, he knew that none of them ever really loved him, but he had fallen for Soubi's trick before he had his eyes truly open and in so, still had a piece of himself, his heart that felt something towards the older male. And it broke at the sight. The last part of him that was vulnerable tore itself to shreds.

The boy would have cried, but didn't. He never cried any more. Not since...that day. He was not weak. And even though the part in him that was hurting beyond imagination, he didn't show it.

The last straw, the last rip in the thread was when the scar on Soubi's neck began to glow and they were surrounded by a ball of light mush like the ball that was the shield he had seen Soubi use in their first fight. But instead of protecting, it was destroying him.

The light grew in brightness before finally fading out. And Ritsuka would swear that as he saw the last of the blinding white light fade so did an outline of chains the apparently surrounded Soubi's neck.

Beloved was back.

Ritsuka couldn't take it! It was so much! He could feel the intimidating strength and power flow off of fighter and sacrifice onto him. It was a force that was crushing him. With a look at Yuki, he knew that his fighter felt it too. But as they stood there in all their glory, all their closeness, Ritsuka lost it.

He took off up the stairs of his house and into his room. Locking the door he slumped against it and frantically pulled back the sleeves at both wrists. Shoving his hand into his pocket he was rewarded with a razor that glint in the eerie moonlight that shone threw his balcony windows.

Putting it at his wrists he dug in deep, deeper then he had before. He would not feel this way. He would not be weakened.

He did the same to the second. And only then did the pain in his chest start to reside even if only slightly.

He sighed loudly and let both bloody hands fall to the ground around him as he thought. He needed to get away. His Loveless mind told him that Beloved was a danger to him and Yuki and that they had to bond completely to be stronger. Ritsuka of course refused the idea. He would not loose his ears to Yuki. Or to anyone. Seimei still had his ears and look how strong he was- though that didn't help much. But he did agree that they had to get stronger.

His part of his mind that was not new and about hate was agreeing but only because he had to get away. He had to leave. Now.

Looking down at his wrists he sighed. Getting up, he went to the sink in the bathroom and washed off the blood. Before applying wraps on both wounds and unrolling his sleeves, he calmly put the razor in his pocket once again and made his decision. Unlocking his door he saw Yuki, Soubi, and Seimei waiting at the threshold for him.

He revealed nothing but a cold, calm, expressionless look. Turning to Yuki he said, "Come here Yuki."

Following the order he walked over to his master and looked down at him, waiting for his next part. "We're leaving." As he said that, Ritsuka glared at Soubi with nothing but pure hate, making the man want to show the boy how much he truly did love him, but all he could do was flinch at the intensity of it.

He passed Seimei with out a word and reached the door before he spoke up.

"Wait Ritsu! Where are you going?"

"Away." Looking over his shoulder he pinned his brother- No. His rival- with a hard look. "Loveless will not fall to you Beloved. I am not weak and whatever you all think, I love none of you, just as you all don't love me."

"I do love you Ritsu. Your my brother. Haven't I always protected you?"

Clenching the doorknob, he said, "Where were you when I was attacked with fighters? Where were you when I didn't know what to do in this world? Where were you when mom beat me every night? When she blamed me for my death? When I..." When I fell in love? Soubi. When I lost the only person who supposedly cared for me? You. But instead of saying that, he said, "When I was almost raped?"

He heard a gasp and saw Soubi's hand covering his mouth in shock. "Ah. Yes. Where were you Soubi when you sacrifice was in danger? Hmm? Not that it matters. My fighter was there. He protected me just like he was suppose to. None of you truly care. It's all fake and pretend. I hate you all. And I will come back. When I do, you will pay for your lies. All of you." His gaze lingered on Yuki before he walked out the door with his fighter following silently.

That was the last anyone saw of Ritsuka or of Loveless.

The last time that is, until two years later.