Alrighty folks, if you haven't already noticed, the sequel to this fic IS already up, and it's called Nothing is Hopeless! Now, some of you may have been looking for it and haven't been able to find it because it's not under my penname – it's under DesertThorns. So that may help a bunch of you out, and just to make it easier, I'm going to give you the link. So here it is!

now you have practically no excuse to not read it! SO GO NOW!!! It's really good, I promise! I'm currently working on the second chapter of that one, and it's going to be INTENSE! I'm excited…

And if for some totally obscure reason you're not convinced, I'm going to leave you with an excerpt from it! So enjoy, then GO READ THE REST!! And don't forget to reivew!!

--blizzy

The older man's harsh gaze was distracted from the madwoman and turned his head to his love. Pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, he looked upon his Sacrifice confusedly.

"Ritsuka, you can't me-"

"Ge… Get…Out. That's what I say and that's an order!" Ritsuka screeched, his voice cutting across the other's discordantly, small chest rising and falling rapidly. As shattered as his heart was, he knew it still beat, albeit fragmentally, for one person - Soubi. So why should someone he loved suffer for him? With face hidden from the man before him, he twisted his hand in his shirt until the knuckles whitened, sobs escaping his delicate mouth between quick, ragged breaths. The woman he called mother probably knew of Soubi from his brother, and he finally understood why she loathed him so. He had taken all both of her sons from him now and her husband was gone… she had no one left to turn to.

Soubi almost looked like he was about to refuse, but when he glimpsed his Sacrifice's face his mind changed instantly. Gone was the fear of moments ago, instead replaced with anger and confusion, hardening those once soft eyes. But again he switched sides, realizing that he was the only thing separating mother from child, the only shield. What would happen if that one shield was removed?

"Ritsuka, I…I will no-"

Again, action from his Loveless halted his train of thought. Ritsuka now stood firm, some pillar of strength dredged up from some hidden void inside the boy. His dark lilac orbs stared, emotion swimming through them, concealing as much as could be blocked from the man, but not all of it. Soubi smothered his surprise; he knew Ritsuka's body language said he was fine, but his mind still murmured the question: did he even matter to his young lover anymore? What was he shielding himself from? The boy with cat ears looked so confident there in the middle of the room, the moon casting shadows on the carpet, reflecting off his ebony hair, standing tall, arms at his sides… Soubi looked to him with translucent, pleading eyes. However, the Aoyagi child ignored him altogether; instead, his mouth curved slowly upward into a smile Soubi recognized with dread. A smirk. Soubi's heart plummeted, blood turning to ice, eyes widening fractionally. He was just like Seimei.