Chapter 4

Ritsuka stood, shifting nervously in a black suit. His dark eyes glanced around the room as he tugged at the edge of his suit jacket. Yayoi stood next to him, wearing a similar outfit and looking just as uncomfortable. The two boys looked at each other, Yayoi seeming excited, and Ritsuka seeming bored and annoyed.

"Listen Ritsuka. I don't want you to make Yukio cry tonight. Got it? She really wanted to come to this thing, and spend time with you. I'd rather she wanted to dance with me...but it can't be helped. Since she won't dance with me, you better keep her happy!" The shorter boy was glaring at Ritsuka, trying his best to appear commanding and intimidating, and he was failing.

Still, Ritsuka had promised Soubi he'd try to have fun until the blond showed up. The dark haired boy nodded at Yayoi, then let his gaze wander back toward the door. He knew that Soubi wasn't going to be there for a while, the man had told him so, but he still hoped that if he stared at the door long enough, the blond man would walk in.

"Um...hi..."Ritsuka glanced over at the source of the voice, a very pretty, and blushing Yukio. The girl was wearing a strapless evening gown; far more elegant than the pink dress she'd been showing Ritsuka earlier. The ivory colored material sat flush along her breasts, accenting the curves she'd had longer than most of the girls in the room The princess seamed waistline hugged her body before spreading out around her hips, and trailing down to the floor. Her hair had been pulled back into a Pollyanna's knot at the back of her head, instead of the pigtails she normally wore. She was also blushing a light shade of pink, and glancing between the two boys.

Yayoi seemed awe struck, and Ritsuka glanced between the two of them for a second. True, she looked beautiful, but he was no more attracted to her than he had ever been. Yayoi on the other hand, looked like he was about to die in pure bliss. That is, until Yukio smiled up at Ritsuka, obviously hopeful, "What do you think? It's not as frilly as the other dress was..."

"I like it, it's more sensible." Ritsuka nodded a bit to show he was pleased with her selection, then impatiently checked the cell phone in his pocket. Soubi hadn't felt it necessary to tell him why he would be late, he simply assumed that knowing he would be late should be enough for Ritsuka. Somehow, that made Ritsuka feel alone and unimportant. He wrinkled his nose a bit, silently promising himself that Soubi would pay later on.

Yukio was pouting a bit, because Ritsuka seemed unimpressed with her appearance. When Ritsuka caught the small frown on her lips, and Yayoi's warning glare he quickly tried to think of something to say, "um...I...I like the color on you..." He honestly had no idea what colors did or didn't look good on the girl, but it sounded like a nice thing to say. He was rewarded with her innocent smile, as she bounced up and down, clapping her hands together excitedly.

Ritsuka sighed inwardly; relieved he'd managed to keep her from getting upset just yet. Unconsciously, his eyes drifted back towards the door again. Stop it. He shouldn't be worrying about Soubi. "Um...Yukio...I'm not feeling well, why don't you dance with Yayoi for a bit?"

The two people looked at Ritsuka, surprise on their faces. Yukio, tilted her head to the side a bit, "Are you okay?" She seemed worried, as she looked at the dark haired boy, waiting for a response. Next to Ritsuka, Yayoi was looking suspiciously at the boy. Even as Yayoi was obviously wondering what Ritsuka was doing, the boy questioned his motives himself.

"I'll be fine...I...I just need some fresh air." Ritsuka patted Yayoi on the shoulder quickly as he turned to head towards the door, "Keep her company."

Ritsuka hurried outside, leaning against the outer wall of the building. He could still hear the sound of music, but it was much fainter and seemed more like a gentle hum, rather than the loud pounding it had been inside. He sank down against the wall, letting his body slide down to the ground. He stared up at the dark sky, feeling somehow empty inside. Why wasn't Soubi here? Was he playing with Ritsuka?

It wasn't fair. Ritsuka had never thought it was. Soubi and Seimei had both been beloved, and yet, he was loveless. Unlike Soubi and his dead brother though, his name never appeared on his body. He had been terrified that his name really did hold his fate, and that if it ever did appear, his fate as loveless would be sealed. He found himself longing for Soubi, wishing it was that man who kept his name from appearing. Right now he wanted desperately to be told he was loved. He felt like something inside of him was breaking. He didn't only want to be loved; he wanted to love someone back. He couldn't ask Soubi to love him though; he wasn't even sure how he felt about the man.

Besides all that, Soubi was probably only humoring Ritsuka. He had no reason to care for the boy. The only reason he had been fond of Ritsuka in the first place, is because Seimei had told him to love Ritsuka and care for him. If it hadn't been for Seimei, Ritsuka might not have anyone right now. Still though, he feared that someday, somehow, it would be Seimei that stole Soubi away. The boy laughed at himself, running fingers through his dark hair as he shook his head.

"...What's so funny? I thought the suit looked decent..." Ritsuka's head snapped up to see a curious looking Soubi. The blond stood in a traditional black suit, his hair falling loosely around his shoulders. "If you think it looks that bad, I can take it off..." He smiled a bit at the last, glad Soubi could always make him feel better, even without trying.

"Your clothes better stay on. You would get arrested if you undressed in public." Despite himself, Ritsuka looked away, still feeling that painful twinge in his chest at the thought of being without his friend. Almost instantly, Soubi was kneeling besides Ritsuka, a hand on his chin, forcing the boy to look up.

"Oh God...what is it? What's wrong?" Soubi's light eyes were staring intently at Ritsuka as he leaned forward even more. When he was only a few inches from Ritsuka's face, Soubi stopped, and lowered his voice to a whisper, "I told you I was coming...I wouldn't break another promise to you Ritsuka."

The dark haired boy nodded in silence, a few tears find their way onto his cheeks. He laughed at himself again, sounding more like a pitiful attempt to hide his own embarrassment over doubting Soubi. Trying to hide his misty eyes, Ritsuka quickly wrapped his arms around Soubi's neck, hiding his face in the man's shoulder. "Soubi...promise you won't ever leave me...please?"

Soubi's gaze fell downwards as he gently wrapped his arms around Ritsuka. His cracking voice was barely audible when he spoke, "...I promise..." Soubi cleared his throat, and pulled back from Ritsuka, gently pushing the boy off of him, "Ritsuka...this...isn't the best time or place to have this conversation..." He glanced away again, "...We can talk about it later...but right now..I said I'd dance with you...so..." Soubi stood up, brushing his knees off before reaching out a hand to Ritsuka.

How'd he do it? Ritsuka hadn't even said anything about 'them' and Soubi knew what he was thinking. It's not right. How can that man understand Ritsuka's mind so well, while the boy had no idea, himself, of what was going on. Still, it was comforting to know someone understood what was happening. Ritsuka grabbed onto Soubi's hand, letting the man pull him to his feet. "Um...Soubi...I don't want to go inside...poeple...people may..." He trailed off as his mind considered the questions he'd have to answer next Monday at school.

Soubi smirked a bit, pulling Ritsuka towards the door, "Let them wonder." The dark haired boy turned bright red, but refused to actually protest more as they moved into the darkened building. Maybe no one would see them together. Maybe no one would recognize that it was Ritsuka dancing with another man. Maybe Yukio and Yayoi would completely miss the scene they were about to make.

Soubi stopped in an area with less people, so he'd have room to move. Turning, he grabbed Ritsuka's hand again, and pulled the boy close. Ritsuka closed his eyes tightly, afraid to look into Soubi's face. The blond was already wrapping his arms around the boys waist. Without thinking about it, Ritsuka's own arms slid around Soubi's waist, mostly for comfort as his heart started to beat harder and harder. His head felt light, and they hadn't even started to move yet.

Ritsuka leaned into Soubi's chest, listening to the man's heart beat just as hard as his own. Slowlly, they started to move, with Soubi leading, since Ritsuka still had his eyes shut to the world. Soubi kept the steps simple, nothing more than a box step, but he kept his arms wrapped tightly around Ritsuka's body. Even though he figured his heart would calm down after a while, Ritsuka's heart continued to beat harder, until he was sure those around him could hear it pounding.

"Ritsuka... You can open your eyes...no one's looking at us even..." Soubi's voice was soft and oddly gentle, prompting Ritsuka to look around. The dark haired boy slowly opened his dark eyes, glancing around at the people near them. It was true. No one was even looking at them. Smiling, Ritsuka looked up at Soubi. Suddenly feeling a bit more secure, Ritsuka laid his head against the blond's shoulder, this time smiling to himself all the while. He felt his face turn red again when Soubi's lips brushed against his forehead.

As the music drew to an end, the dark haired boy remained clinging to Soubi, "...Thank you..." He looked up, his dark eyes dancing. Slowly, he leaned forward, until he pressed his lips to Soubi's. He closed his eyes slowly, pressing into Soubi and his warmth. The blond pressed back against Ritsuka. When the boy started to pull back, Soubi gently ran his tounge along Ritsuka's lips, getting a moan in response from the boy. Ritsuka opened his mouth slightly, letting Soubi press inside, his breath sweet on the dark haired boys lips. Getting an idea, Ritsuka bit at the tip of Soubi's tounge, enjoying the sound of the man's gasp.

He pulled backwards, blushing fiercely, and smiling ear to ear. The dark haired boy laughed a bit, and bit his lower lip. "Soubi...can...can we go now?" Oh no, this is all wrong. How could he do that where everyone might have seen? How could he want more? Soubi was leading Ritsuka towards the door now. Was this really happening? Ritsuka followed, silently like a shadow, hoping no one would spot him. Surprisingly, he made it outside unnoticed.

"Come on...I'll take you home..." Soubi smiled at Ritsuka, climbing into his car. The boy quickly climbed in on the other side. Nodding his thanks.

HELLo HELLo People! Chapter four, finally! I apologise for the wait...I had a bit of writers block...and I was kinnda busy with school stuff. But hey, you all know how that is, right? Good. So...in this part...I really wanted to further their relationship, and show you a bit more of what Ritsuka's been thinking about the whole 'relationship thing'. I also wanted some more fluff, because seriously...what's a loveless fanfic without fluff? ..It's...almost a CCS fanfic...sorry to any CCS fans...it's a joke. But I'm starting on the next part...which will have"The Talk" ...and lots more fluff. So, that one will be fun..lots of fun. Hope you enjoyed, see you next time.