A Fighter Bound In Chains
Chapter 01
Force

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Even things that should rightfully be given away are sometimes taken by force.
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Darkness flooded Soubi's vision as the whip struck his back for the first time, tearing away the pale skin. His hands, pressed flat against the wall, wanted more than anything to curl into fists and have his nails dig into his palms.

Ritsu-sensei noticed the split-second twitch of Soubi's fingers. "Soubi-kun," purred Ritsu. "I'm still seeing signs of your pain. Your fingers…" Again the whip snapped against Soubi's back, more forceful than before. Soubi's fingers remained very still. His ears, however, flattened back.

There was complete silence for the next ten seconds as Ritsu evaluated his pupil's reaction. Soubi remained still and tense, waiting. Dissatisfied still, Ritsu cracked the whip again. When the dark red liquid gushed from Soubi's back, Ritsu smiled.

Inwardly, Soubi winced. Inwardly, Soubi cried out. His shoulders wanted to shake, but Soubi held them still. His legs wanted to fold into themselves and collapse, but Soubi determinedly held them steady.

"I think I've found the problem," Ritsu cooed. Soubi's cat ears flattened even more against his head when he heard those words.

There was still a problem? But… Soubi was doing absolutely everything perfectly. His body was not showing any sign of pain, despite the warm blood that ran down his back and soaked the waist of his pants. What could possibly be the problem?

"Your ears…"

Soubi's heart sank right into his stomach. He suddenly became aware of how flat his cat ears were, almost hiding in his blonde hair. And then, he felt his tail was lowered and between his legs like a wounded dog.

"No matter how still you hold your body, your cat ears always show your true feelings. They press flat against your head every time they know another attack is coming. While your ears being flattened and your tail between your legs is not a sign of pain…" Ritsu ominously ran his fingers along the length of his whip. "…They are undeniably a sign of fear."

Well, Soubi debated inwardly, of course he was afraid. What if Ritsu-sensei went too far one day? What if he was unable to bear the pain? What if he died before he was able to meet his destined Sacrifice? How were you supposed to hide something as instinctual as fear?

A flurry of hand movements sent the whip ruthlessly attacking Soubi's back. "Never be unprepared," Ritsu said calmly. "Never let your guard down. If your Sacrifice dies, it is your fault."

Soubi couldn't take it anymore. His hands clawed desperately at the wall as he cried out in agony, slowly sliding down onto the floor. "A Sacrifice who is alone has no power. A Sacrifice cannot cast spells. If you die, Soubi, then your Sacrifice dies as well."

One last powerful blow made Soubi tightly wrap his arms around his waist. If he was too weak, he would die. If he was too weak…his Sacrifice would perish with him. Soubi hated himself. If he could not even bear a mere whip, he would never be able to bear powerful spells. Why did he have to be so weak? Why couldn't he be stronger?

Ritsu continued to whip him for several minutes, his lips forming a lopsided smile. Finally, it seemed that Soubi understood and became silent and still, seeming to be able to ignore the pangs of intense pain that rushed through his body. Then, Ritsu suddenly twisted Soubi around to face him and stared down at the thirteen year old. "Worthless," he spat. "Why do I even bother wasting my time with you?"

Soubi didn't know. All he knew was that his back was burning intensely, it was as if it was on fire. Secretly, he wanted that fire to consume him and save him from his own failures as a Fighter.

"You're much too adorable to be a Fighter, Soubi," said Ritsu quietly. "I'm telling you, it's those ears." His hands stretched out and gently pet Soubi's ears. They were silky and soft, just like Soubi's hair.

Soubi remained frozen on the floor. When Ritsu uncharacteristically began to scratch a sensitive spot behind his ears, Soubi became confused. Was…he supposed to let Ritsu know he enjoyed being scratched there? Or was he supposed to contain that emotion, just as he should with fear?

"Does this feel good, Soubi-kun?" Ritsu wasn't smiling.

Soubi debated his answer for a few seconds, deciding to offer a small nod. "Yes, sensei. It feels nice…"

When Ritsu did smile again, it was strange and unnatural. "Good." Ritsu stopped scratching behind Soubi's ears. "I'll be taking your ears, now."

Soubi blinked, unable to comprehend the words fast enough. Ritsu thrust Soubi to the floor, pinning his arms down with his knees. "If you're very still, maybe it won't hurt so much, Soubi-kun."

Soubi didn't want to lose his ears. He had always thought that his cat ears were something to be given away when he was ready, not forcibly taken away. Maybe… Maybe he didn't want to give them to Ritsu-sensei.

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Perhaps he had always been juvenile about the matter, but Soubi missed his ears and his tail. Especially his ears. He had always childishly thought that when his ears fell off, there would be a bald spot or something; it was as if he had never had ears to begin with. There wasn't even a mark on his lower back where his tail used to be. Soubi's childhood was gone, and Ritsu was the one with the keepsakes.

Soubi sighed and stared up at the ceiling. It was comfortable being able to lie on his back without his tail being in the way. Still, his back ached from Ritsu's whip, and the rest of his body ached from Ritsu taking his ears.

Without his ears and tail, Soubi was an adult now. A very young and still slightly naïve adult, but an adult none-the-less. Did this mean he was ready to meet his destined Sacrifice?

Soubi closed his eyes and he thought about the person that he would be bound to for the rest of his life. He had dreamed of this person for so long that he had all the features memorized. A young, handsome male, with black, unruly hair… A beautiful face with violet eyes… He didn't know this person's name, but Soubi was absolutely positive this would be his Sacrifice, and from the moment they met, Soubi swore he would protect his Sacrifice no matter what.

That night, Soubi's dreams were not only full of his mystery Sacrifice, but of great blue monarch butterflies that refused to let him be. He woke with a start as the door to his bedroom swung open and loudly hit the wall. Ritsu stared down at him, smiling, blatantly rubbing Soubi's fallen ears together with his fingers.

"Hurry and get dressed. I have someone waiting to meet you. Come to the second floor meeting room." Ritsu tossed Soubi's ears into the air and skillfully caught them again. He pocketed them.

Heart beating much too fast to be even remotely healthy, Soubi hurriedly changed into fresh clothes and ran barefoot from his room and down the hall. He struggled to button up his shirt as he ran up the stairs and rounded the corner. He stopped in front of the closed double doors, his chest heaving, his back burning. With a decorous expression on his face, he pushed open the double doors, knowing what was waiting for him.

He could feel it in his heart. Beloved… His mind knew what the word meant, and it awed him to be in the presence of such a beautiful creature. Beloved… To be loved. And that was exactly what Soubi would do.

Beloved sat on a stool in the middle of the room, his legs elegantly crossed and his hands folded neatly in his lap. Soubi concluded that Beloved was only one or two years younger than him. And he still had his ears.

Ritsu-sensei stood behind Beloved, a stoic expression on his face once more. "Do not think that your training is over, Soubi-kun." Even in the presence of others he used the affectionate suffix. Ritsu walked slowly to the middle of the room. "Seimei, this is Soubi, your Fighter. He is, of course, disposable. If you tire of him, feel free to return him."

Disposable? How could Soubi be disposable? Fighters were meant to exist for their Sacrifices. If one of them died, they both died. The bond was almost magical. Why would anyone want to break it?

Soubi took an uncertain step towards Seimei... His Sacrifice... "Semei," he breathed. It had an addicting sound to it. "Beloved…?"

Seimei's handsome face and eyes turned to look at Soubi. A smile blossomed on his lips and he nodded. "Yes, that's correct. My name is Seimei Aoyagi, and you are my Fighter." The fact that Seimei was claiming Soubi as his was disturbing to Ritsu. They had only just met and their current bond was very fragile.

Soubi nodded obediently. Yes, this was his mysterious Sacrifice. This was his master. This was Seimei, and Seimei would be his life.

Ritsu cleared his throat. "Seimei, until Soubi's training is finished, he will continue to live here. But don't worry, in a year or two, Soubi will be the perfect Fighter."

Seimei momentarily frowned, but then his face was full of childish happiness. "Then I suppose if Soubi will become perfect, there is no need to dispose of him."

For a moment, no one moved. Then Ritsu firmly grasped Soubi's shoulder. "You know how a Fighter should act. And if, per chance, another Fighter and Sacrifice pair come your way, you had better win."

"I will win," said Soubi affirmatively. "For Seimei."

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Author's Note: Well, this is my very first Loveless fan fiction. What do you think? Please tell me your thoughts in a review? Ah, and also, no, this is not a one-shot.