Ahhh! This is the last chapter! So sad... I loved writing this story. :D
Same warnings as always and I apologize if you don't understand what's going on.
If you don't please PM or leave a comment and I will try to explain it to you.

Hope you enjoy and THANK YOU TO MY REVEIWERS!! I love you all!!

"Replacement ears…?" I muttered, looking at him incredulously. "You actually expect me to wear these?" I was sure my face looked like I wanted to rip his throat out. 'He thinks he's being funny…'

"Well, are you going to go to school without your ears? Surely people are going to talk," he smirked, looking innocently at me. Silence hung in the air, smothering me as Soubi waited for me to give him an answer; one he probably expected. Feeling the little pride I had go down the drain, I ripped open the package and slowly pulled out the fake ears and tail.

I had to give him props; they were pretty good quality and looked surprisingly like the ears I had before. "You just clip them in and the tail attaches to almost anything you want to wear," he explained. "Here," he stood up and walked around the table to me, taking the ears from my hands. "I'll help you."

"Of course you would be experienced in putting them on… just how many people have you had to do this for…" I grumbled angrily, low enough so he couldn't understand what I was saying. Or so I thought. "You're the first," he said seriously, his voice completely serious.

"But…you don't have your ears." I paused, confused by his statement. "I know," he clipped the fake ear on. "I meant you're the first time that I've wanted." He sounded like he was remembering something painful so I didn't say anything, waiting patiently as he clipped the other ear on. "There, you're all set," he patted the top of my head before pulling me gently off the chair. A blush spread across my cheeks as he reached around me to clip the tail to my jeans.

"Thanks…" I muttered, picking up my plate and setting it in the sink. "Hey, can I skip school today?" I asked hopefully, quickly glancing at the clock. It was already two anyway; it would be pointless to go for just an hour.

"I don't mind, what do you want to do then?" He leaned against the wall; half of his tall frame was blanketed in the sunlight streaming in from the window. I thought for a moment, studying the strange man in front of me. Last night flashed back into my head and I winced, remembering that he was hardly a friend to me. It was hard to remember that while staring up at his handsome face and piercing eyes.

"Um…" I mumbled, slightly dazed from staring at him for too long. "Anything is fine," I looked down at the counter, fidgeting with a stray strand of my hair. Immediately he smiled, reaching out to wrap his slender fingers around my wrist and pull me out of the kitchen.

A little while later I found myself in his car, driving to the university he was enrolled in. Soubi had suggested that we go and look at his art and I agreed, somewhat eager to see his work. The same strange feelings of hate and love stirred up inside of me as I sat beside him while we raced along the road.

The ride to the school was short; we reached it in less than ten minutes. "Just follow me," he instructed, opening the car door for me and walking towards the big front doors. I complied, staring at his back the whole time. After we had walked through a few hallways and up the elevator, we reached a room labeled: 'Extra Students Show Room.'
I followed him into this too.

The room was pretty empty except for a few canvases that were covered with huge, blindingly white sheets. I watched intently as he strode over to the nearest covered canvas and ripped the sheet off, letting it float to the ground. What was underneath the sheet was a breathtaking picture of a butterfly emerging from a dusty looking cocoon. Different shades of blues and purples swirled together to make the insect's wings, while the palate of colors noticeably got darker as your eyes travelled closer to the broken cocoon.

Just as I was getting over the beauty of the first picture, I heard him whip the sheets of three other canvases, just as beautifully painted. I stood in the doorway, staring at all the intricate paintings with my mouth slightly agape. From my peripheral vision I saw Soubi lean against the wall, a small and contented smile playing on his lips. I stood, my legs feeling weak, for a good few minutes before my face was turned towards Soubi's by his thin fingers.

"Do you like them?" He breathed, his breath fanning across my face. I shivered, reacting to his touch. All I could do was nod. "I painted them for you," he said, looking like he was ready to cry. With a start I realized that I had tears streaming down my face. He wiped them away, cupping my face in his hands before leaning in to kiss me.
At first I tensed up, standing frozen as his warm lips met mine. But soon I found myself kissing him back, with my arms wrapped tightly around his torso, handfuls of his jacket in my fists. The kiss seemed to last forever but I was still distressed when it ended.

"Ritsuka," he murmured happily, his voice loud against my face pressed up against his chest. "Last night…" he stopped, taking a deep breath, "Last night I had to do… what I did. You and I are very special, in the way that we were destined to be together since birth…. But I hadn't found you until it was almost too late. Normally, when a bond is formed like we have, the two people will already be together to nourish the bond, which in turn, makes them strong and healthy. Because you had been born late, my bond's yearning had only started when you had turned eight. By then, I had already lost contact with Seimei. That's when I started trying to find you. But, for you, you had twelve years of your bond loosing strength, which made you sick. You may not have felt sick physically but emotionally… If I hadn't of done what I did you would've died. We both would've died without each other…"

I listened to him breath as he waited for my response. A part of me was screaming that he was lying but I couldn't hear or listen to it. I knew he was telling the truth. I felt complete and whole now with his strong arms wrapped around me. Pulling away from him, I smiled wider than I had in a very long time and stood on my tippy toes to close the space between our lips.

He picked me up and held against his chest, walking over to a desk and pushing everything off before gently laying me on it. I watched, with happy tears in my eyes, as he climbed on top of me and whispered, "I love you, Ritsuka." And then, for the second time in my life, I lost my ears… sort of.