So sorry for the late update. I've been feeling like crap for the last few days.

CHAPTER 117

Mitsu followed Gen upstairs and into their bedroom. He didn't know what the other would say, but the slight smirk he had caught on Tomo's lips knew that he was either going to hate it or find it uncomfortable. When Gen closed the door behind them and leaned against it as he watched Mitsu standing there pretending he wasn't nervous about what ever the vice-captain had to say.

"Is Thursday alright with you?" Blinking a couple of times, Mitsu frowned in confusion. "What you talked about last night." Gen added hoping he wouldn't have to remind the other what they talked about. Suddenly remembering, the Seigaku captain nodded and looked away. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt really happy that Gen had excepted it and not just ignored what had happened last night.

"What time?" Mitsu asked trying to keep a straight face. He knew both of them still had school, so it was most likely going to be sometime in the evening. But it depended if they were going to stay in the hotel for the whole night or not.

"We're meeting at the hotel at 5 and we'll be having dinner there. It's up to us if we stay until the next day or not though." Nodding, Mitsu sighed in relief. He was now just wondering how he was going to get Ryoma and Syu to walk home before him. 'I'll just tell them I have student council work to do.' He thought and he sat on his bed.

"Thanks Gen." As Gen was about to leave the door swung open and Keigo stormed in.

"That brat!" He shouted in frustration. "He doesn't even know how to play the game and he's calling me a damn cheater. He's the one getting rid of and picking too many up. If anyone's cheating it's him." Hearing more footsteps Sei entered and looked to Keigo smirking.

"Kei, just admit that you were losing and you did use unfair means to try and win." Keigo was about to retaliate when they all paused when Mitsu approached Sei and brought his hand up to the others neck. Pushing the shirt that was coving his shoulder to the side, the Seigaku captain ran a hand over a reddish mark on the others collar bone.

"When did you get this?" Mitsu asked since the bite looked like it was done recently. Sei's face brightened up as he spoke.

"Ryo-Chan did it yesterday when we had to try waste some time at the temple. Why?" Without answering Mitsu grabbed one of Ryoma's jumpers from his chest before leaving the room. The three in the room all exchanged looks of confusion.

Mitsu looked into the lounge. "Ryoma put this on. We're going out." He stopped when he watched Ryoma's eyes widen. "Please. Nothing will happen." Nodding the cat stood and pulled the jumper over his head. Clipping it onto his head since his ears still hurt. He tucked his tail in as he walked to the door and slipped his shoes on. "Ready?"

Ryoma didn't know what to think when Mitsu had walked into the lounge telling him that they were going out. As much as he want to talk to the other he was still afraid to be alone. Agreeing, he reluctantly put the jumper over his head.

So now they were walking the streets going nowhere in particular. Mitsu looked down to the cat wondering after what he had told him yesterday meant anything to him. Well, it must of to some point. After all Ryoma's neck was covered in love bites. Walking for 10 minutes in silence Ryoma was about to ask where they were heading when Mitsu announced that they were here. Sure enough it was a little park that was abandoned. There wasn't much there only swings, a small climbing frame and a slide.

Mitsu walked over and sat on one of the two swings. Using his feet to gently push him back and forth. "Is this the place Syu and Sei met?" Ryoma asked as he ran a hand over the metal slide.

"Yeah, we walk this way to the hospital and Sei pointed this out to me." The captain never let his eyes stray from the boy. "Ryoma, you gave Sei a love bite." He watched the boy slightly falter in his movement before staring back at him.

"You saw that?" Mitsu didn't answer as he waited for Ryoma to say something more. The boy shuffled over and sat on the free swing next to the other. "Sei's like master." To say Mitsu didn't like that answer would be an understatement.

"How can Sei be anything like the man that tortured you and experimented using you and all those other children?" Mitsu tried to hold back his distaste for someone that he is learning to love more and more each day being compared to that man.

"I always like to believe there were two people in master. The nice one and the mean one. I hated the mean one, but nice one was my everything. He was always there. From me waking up after an experiment or even after my punishments. He would always apologize. Then one time he had left me with the other scientists. I would normally sit somewhere on the floor and just wait till master came back so I could greet him. But they tried to take me by force." Ryoma's voice quivered at the memory. Mitsu got off the swing and kneeled down in front of the cat. Placing his hands on his cheeks hoping Ryoma would carry on to open up. Eyes filled with tears as he started to speak again.

"Master came in just before... before they did that. He shot them without hesitation. After he got rid of them and he stayed with me. For two days straight he never left my side." Ryoma felt his wrist being pulled and a second later he was in Mitsu's embrace being comforted. "To me Sei has that same feeling of security. I know that if something happened he would be there. But I can't really explain it better than that." As he rubbed Ryoma's back, he was in deep thought. Finally he spoke.

"So do you love Sei or just see your master in him?" He felt as Ryoma rubbed his nose into the side of his neck.

"At first I hated Sei." Smiling slightly, knowing Ryoma was talking about when him and the blunette had first met. "As soon as I saw a look on his face when he called me beautiful all I could think that this person was going to be like master. He could be nice, but could snap and hurt me. He never did though, even when I tried being mean to him, he either brushed it off or left me alone to calm down. When Shan left it was then that I realized that Sei was nothing like master, yet similar in a lot of ways. I really love Sei because he was there when I needed him and he never once raised his hand against me."

"Why not tell him? If you love him as much as you say." Mitsu wanted to take the boy's hood off and run a hand though his hair, instead he kissed Ryoma's nose.

"I would, but he's ill." That was all the cat had to say in order for Mitsu to understand. Sei was ill. Meaning if Ryoma loves him, he'll die. The cat had never known someone to be ill and loved by him to live. So he was afraid.

"You were not only just shock, but you were also very happy when he confessed weren't you?" Nodding the boy wrapped his arms round the others. "You know you would make him so happy if you told him how you felt. Sei won't die. His stubborn when it comes to winning in tennis so I'm going to guess he going to be stubborn about death as well. It won't take him easily and he'll most likely die of old age first." It was a quiet moment which happened to be interrupted by a rumble. "Want to go out for lunch?" He asked knowing it was Ryoma's stomach talking.

"Yeah. Can we have cow burgers?" The cat asked as they both stood.

"You can have anything you want." Was all the reply he got as Mitsu lead the way to the restaurant.