The characters may be a little OOC, but this was an idea I had and finally managed to put it in words. I've read numerous fanfics about the Anime/Manga Loveless, but I did no find many that showed a soft side about Soubi, not always the powerful and annoying fighter, but as a human being with fears and doubts about life like anyone. As well I did not find many that focused about his life with Ritsuka when both of them are older. I tried to show this in this piece or work so please, be gentle, and helpful comments are always welcome.

I am not an English speaker, so, forgive-me if there is some misspelling, wrong-written-words or the text is a little hard to understand in some parts.

I love him

oOoOoOoOoOo

She did it again.

Ritsuka sighed, wincing while trying to seat on his bed without causing more pain to his abused body. He knew now that it was not his fault that his mother was indeed crazy, his sixteen-year-old mind had been capable to finally accept this, but still, it hurt to hear his mother scream like that to him, and yet he could not bring himself to leave her alone. He looked at the floor of his room and sighed at the mess he had done while walking back to his refuge, trying to escape from his mother before she could do something worse.

He was capable now to avoid her when those occasions happened, but today she had catch him unaware and managed to nail a knife on his knee. The blood was now the new decoration on his room and he did not look forward to later clean the mess. He was sure the corridor and the kitchen looked like this too. He sighed again and hissed when unconsciously he moved his leg a little and the pain shot back at him.

Swearing in a whisper while trying at all cost to not scream, he thought that perhaps he would have been insane like her now if he were completely alone in his life. But he had his friends with him, sometimes they were annoying but still, they are his friends. And even if he were completely alone of friends and family, he would not mind that if the blond stayed at his side as always. His eyes looked longing at the phone form lying on his desk.

Soubi…

He did not know when the blue-eyed man had became so important to him to the point of him, Ritsuka Aoyagi, or LOVELESS like some people liked to call him, had fallen in completely and blissfully love with the fighter. He did not know if it was the 'I love you's' the blond had annoying repeated while he was just a boy, or the strange relationship they had started to grow after all the things with Seimei and his true fighter did finally over.

Maybe during that time he was just afraid of saying those powerful words and someday Soubi would abandon him when the LOVELESS fighter appeared. He could not describe the relief he had felt when some weeks after his thirteen birthday, the name had appeared in both their inner arms in the night he had reluctantly ripped out with a knife the word BELOVED from his fighter's neck to finally free the man from his brother's control.

Both of them after some minutes started see those invisible lines that connect a fighter to his sacrifice, and when finally the names appeared on their skins, the boy had admitted he was in love with the fighter. Ritsuka snorted, he did not know how had he started to think about that time in the situation he was at the moment, but he still remembered clearly that the man had almost killed him with a powerful hug and had let the boy out of breath with the kiss he had given after. Not just the little pecks at the lips like before, the teen chuckled. That had been his real first kiss and he had not been disappointed.

Ritsuka could still remember like if it was just yesterday, the beautiful and unique shine that had make itself present in those blue eyes after that night. He had never seen the man with eyes like that before, and he was glad that he was the one who had make it possible for the blond to smile for real after years. He was glad, because every time he looked at those eyes now, Ritsuka could see they silent whispering the love the fighter felt for him, and he knew that his own dark eyes would whisper the same back to the man, because when the pair locked eyes, Ritsuka would see that beautiful smile again, and the teen couldn't help but smile back.

After that night three years ago, if possible, Soubi had looked more beautiful and alive than before.

Ritsuka sighed, the damn phone now seemed to scream to him go and pick it up. Annoying and idiot blond! Even the phone he had given to the teen is annoyingly like him! But he don't care, Soubi was his annoying and idiot blond!

The teen cursed, when did he become possessive of the fighter like that?

Perhaps it started when both of them with Kyo and his school friends where walking in the park, not much time after that especial night, and this lady showed up asking for directions to one certain street. No problem with that, there is always someone new at the city who asks for directions once in a while. The problem was that the annoying bitch was completely ignoring them in order to corner Soubi to a tree while at it, and was too close to the blond man for the boy's comfort.

It was completely obvious the blond man's discomfort while he was trying to push her away without being rude. Ritsuka, after some minutes, had practically screamed at the woman that the bloody street was in that way and to back off because she was fucking disturbing them! She had gone way whispering how rude he was, and when he had come back to himself, the whole park was staring weirdly at him.

The damn phone seemed to be staring knowingly right now.

Then, when he turned fourteen, he and his fighter had encountered the ZERO and BREATHLESS pairs in a walk and the group decided to go to a restaurant and eat something for dinner. Then, after the waitress had take their choices, she winked at Soubi before disappear in the back of the restaurant with a certain dark-eyed boy glaring at her retreating form. When she had come back, she served the dinner for them, and Ritsuka saw a number written in a paper discretely tucked with the paper that held together the fork and the knife being given to the blond man, with the waitress again annoyingly winking at his fighter.

The teen saw red.

Coldly Ritsuka ordered a cup of cold water that the woman, muttering to herself, had gone back to look for his request. And while Soubi had found the paper with the number and was staring stupidly at it, the waitress had come back and gave the cup for the teen, who merciless had innocently drop it's content into the woman's breasts with theatrical cries of "Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" And while the woman was running crying to god-knows-where-because-he-himself-didn't-care, the whole restaurant was staring weirdly at him, with the ZERO pair smirking knowingly.

Ritsuka was staring at the phone, swearing that the annoying object was smirking at him!

The bitch deserved. He thought, nodding.

Then, last year when he was fifteen, Kyo decided that it was time for Ritsuka do something that many boys in the world at his age do: Drink. The teen had asked if it was not illegal, the man had answered that he knew a place where it was fine if the parents are also there and the teen in question is at least fifteen. And so they had gone, Soubi accompanied to make sure that his friend would not make the boy go much far with the drinks in this… place. Kyo acted like the responsible father, and the boy had choose to drink only one cup of beer before stopping to say he did not liked the drink and would prefer do stay sober for the rest of his life, thank you very much.

That place had a stage where a woman was singing on it, and deciding to pay some attention, the teen looked at the singer and started to listen the song. It had only take one minute to Ritsuka notice that the music was a romantic one, about a woman who loved a man and both of them kissing under the moon's light. The teen, however, had noticed that the woman was looking at someone while singing it, and he thought that this person, whoever it was, was very luck to have someone that could express her love in this beautiful way. And when he looked at the direction the singer had her eyes fixed, Ritsuka found his dark eyes on a familiar blond man who, noticing his stare, smiled at the teen, who looked incredulous back at the singer.

This time he didn't see red. He saw blood.

After the song was finished, everyone in the place went crazy trying to tell the woman how good she was, there was even some people throwing flowers at the bitch! She went down from the stage in the middle of the crowd formed by people and tables and started to walk in his fighter's direction with a hungry glint on her eyes. Ritsuka came running to her, his eyes shinning adoringly with a 'Congratulations! That was beautiful!' coming from his mouth, the people saw the innocent teen go in her direction and the singer was so distracted by something that the two bumped into each one in the way.

The teen had been stopped in his fall by a gorgeous blond man who seemed to know him and was asking worriedly if he was all right. The singer fell on top of a table; her face sank into the cream cake that had been put there previously. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" The teen apologized with a strange malicious aura around him, while the whole place was staring weirdly at the teen and the retreating back of the crying woman.

Ritsuka narrowed his eyes at the annoying cell phone while continuing with his thoughts to try to forget the constant pain on his leg.

But the worst of all was the past week. Yuiko had an accident in her bike and ended up with a broken arm. Ritsuka and Soubi had gone to the hospital to see her, and there they found Yayoi seated at her side, the two lovebirds talking in whispers. It had been a year since both of his friends had finally started a relationship. The four talked calmly for about an hour when a nurse entered the room to check on her patient. It was okay for him, until the moment the bitch looked in that way at his fighter and 'suddenly' missed a step while she was walking back to the door.

Soubi just happened to be close to her, and tried to grab her arm, but the bitch didn't want just that! She happened to fall in his arms and burying her stupid head on his chest! And noooooooo, she didn't immediately came off him with an apology, she just stayed there! Touching him!

This time, Ritsuka did not see red, purple, blue or any type of liquid like blood or water. He saw the bitch buried seven feet under the ground. The nurse after some time finally had let go of the blond man and apologized, running out of the room blushing and giggling like a school girl, unaware of the murderous glare on her back.

If she had seen it, she would have been running for the hills on the instant.

After some time a doctor entered the room and told them the girl was free to go home. The LOVELESS pair offered to accompany them, and together they made their way in the hospital corridors to the exit. On the way, Ritsuka saw the same nurse, still, like a statue in the middle of the crowd, openly staring at Soubi. Behind her, a man was discretely trying to light a cigarette in the forbidden place.

The idiot, even Soubi stopped smoking when he had entered the hospital! And he barely saw the man without a cigarette on his lips these days. But still… He smirked deviously. The teen started to run in their direction while trying to 'warn' the woman about what was happening behind her. But sadly she was occupied, still staring at his fighter, and did not see him until when was too late.

He bumped into her and the woman fell on the man, who surprised, lighted the woman's hair than the cigarette, and the whole hospital stared in panic while the bitch was running around like a crazy chicken screaming "MY HAIR IS BUNING!!!!!" In the end she did not die, but he was still satisfied. This will teach her to not touch anyone, especially his fighter, again.

After that Yuiko had asked if anything was happening between he and Soubi, and Ritsuka confirmed that both of them were together. And next day it was the whole school staring weirdly at him.

Still glaring at the damn phone, that now seemed to be openly smirking knowingly at him, he could swear! The teen sighed. At least his mother stopped to try to bring his room's door down now.

Accusing his loss of blood for the cause of the suddenly replays of his life; the teen pressed his wound down, cursing silently the new shot of pain while gritting his teeth. He knew he could not take of the knife still on his leg alone for fear of cutting something he should not; he was still blinded with pain and could not take the object in a straight line and faster like it need to be done.

Leaning over his bed, he took the phone in his hands and immediately pressed the speed dial number. It did not take long for him to hear the beautiful and familiar voice answer on the other side.

"Ritsuka?" The teen in question could hear the smile on the older man's voice, and unconsciously, he smiled too.

"S-Soubi…" He cursed his voice for sounding trembled and immediately showing that something was not right.

"Ritsuka? What's wrong?" He sighed; he liked to hear that smiling voice too. Now, it was completely dived with worry, and with his temporary lack of answer, it became desperate. "Did something happen? Ritsuka? Please, answer me!"

"Soubi…" He said again, stronger this time. "Please… can you… come over here now? I need your help."

"Ritsuka…" The blond stopped when he heard the teen hiss with pain after doing another unconsciously and unpleasant movement. "That woman…! She did it again, didn't she?"

"Soubi, please…" Ritsuka sighed after hearing the barely hidden rage in the voice's tone.

Every time his mother find a way to hit him to the point of his fighter's help was necessary, Soubi would came and take care of his injuries, then they would start a discussion that only ended after he ordered the older man to not try to do anything to his mother and to forget what happened. Those occasions started to became rare now that he was older and stronger, but still… Tonight, he knew that one of those discussions would happen. In fact, he was sure, now that his injuries were worse than before.

"Stay there. I'm coming right away." The call ended.

Like if I could go to another place. Ritsuka thought sarcastically.

The teen sighed and painfully slowly he lied down on the bed, the cell phone still grasped firmly in his hand. His head was pounding and his fingers went to his forehead to massage the sore place trying to stop the cursed ache, not that it would make a difference, not only his head, after all, but his whole body were a completely and painful mess.

He was tired and Ritsuka did not remember if he was simple dozing off or already sleeping mercifully when in one moment he suddenly felt a warm hand caress his cheek. His dark eyes flew open with surprise and his body tried to move in disorientation, but something was pressing both of his legs down, and the pain that suddenly came to life on his ribs were enough to make him stop and stay still.

"Ritsuka! Don't worry, try to stay still." The familiar voice calmed him immediately, there is no way the teen could not recognize it. Ritsuka waited for the confusion to leave him and his eyes to adjust, and soon he could see perfectly his fighter's silhouette against the darkness of his room and the pale light of the moon coming from the window.

"Soubi?" The man turned to look at him, blue eyes locking against his dark ones, and even if they are showing deeply worry for his condition and a bit of fury against the teen's mother, Ritsuka could still find that special shine in them. Oh God, did he already said how much he loved those eyes?

"Yes, I'm here." The man answered softly, one of his hands caressing the teen's head, his fingers played gently with the dark hair and the cat ears his lover still had. He loved those ears, and it was hard to think about Ritsuka without them, even now, that the small and cute boy had changed into a quite handsome young man.

Both of them had talked about it once, and the fighter had promised that he would wait until his little master was ready to lose them, and he would wait gladly, because in some way, he also liked to see the beautiful and pure innocence Ritsuka still had in his sixteen years of life. He saw the teen's cheeks turn into a gentle shade of pink with their continuous stare, and for some reason the man remembered the times he turned somewhat jealous of anyone closer to Ritsuka when the sacrifice was just a little boy, something that should never have to been necessary, especially after those strange and amusing… occasions… that started to happen after the night the LOVELESS name had finally appeared on their inner arms.

Soubi could not resist anymore and kissed those lovely pink and soft lips belonging to his master with tenderness and great passion for the first time in hours. Not only because even after they had done this simple gesture for many times before he still missed the feeling, the fighter was trying hard to discretely stop the sudden amused smirk that begged to appear on his own lips after remembering those… occasions… again. His Ritsuka, even now older, still is so cute!

When both of them separated, Ritsuka could see the older man better than before; the moon's light had reached his bed and now illuminated Soubi's face with the pale and soft light. The fighter's eyes for a moment had lost the worry and currently were shining with tenderness and love, long strawberry blond hair falling like a beautiful cascade on the man's back. The teen moved his hand to touch it, but he winced with a new shot of pain and the spell that had been created between them ended.

Soubi's eyes turned from Ritsuka's face to the teen's body and the adult started to inspect the injuries that the mad woman had done this time, and every time he found another spot or wound, the sacrifice saw those blue eyes harden even more, until finally they stopped at the knife still fixed in the leg. The fighter started to shake with barely concealed rage. That blasted woman had not only broke two ribs, dislocated a shoulder, caused several cuts on his arms and chest, but had to literary nail an entire knife into the teen's leg, and he knew that to take that off would cause a extreme pain to Ritsuka, more than what he must be feeling now. It had been a miracle the teen had escaped from the woman before she had made something worse. The sacrifice winced when Soubi's hard and furious gaze had fallen on his face, but still, his voice stayed soft and gentle when he spoke again.

"Ritsuka, we need to get you immediately to a hospital." The teen blushed and looked at his leg with a frown. He didn't want to see any white walls or nurses anytime soon, but something was telling him that this time Soubi would not listen to him, even if the teen ordered the fighter to take him to his apartment stead, like many times before.

So, mutely, Ritsuka shyly nodded to the blue-eyed man, who started to search for something to maintain the teen's leg in place so to not hurt him much while carrying the sacrifice out of the house by the window. After he tied Ritsuka's leg with some ribbons from old cloths and two small pieces of wood the man found hiding in the closet, taking care to not touch the knife or press forcefully the wounded area, Soubi gently, with great care, took the teen on his arms and both of them exited the house by the room's window.

Outside, the fighter carefully managed to put his master into his car, and immediately Soubi took the seat next to Ritsuka and started to drive them to the closest hospital in the city. The teen in question had his eyes closed, his teeth firmly pressed together in an attempt to not scream or mutter any sound with the car's movement. He had almost bitten his tongue while at it in one particular moment.

The sacrifice did not know how many minutes had passed since when Soubi had taken him from his house, but the first time he opened his eyes after that, he noticed that once more he was in his fighter's arms, and they were surrounded by with walls and many unknown faces. He soon felt his body being placed in a comfortable stretcher, and his tiredness started once more to take control of his body. The last thing the teen did before he lost his conscious was look directly in those beautiful and unique blue eyes, filled with worry, and silently whisper to them his gratefulness.

Thank you, Soubi.

oOoOoOoOoOo

The days passed fast for the teen, and he was thankful for that. Ritsuka wanted to get out faster as possible from the cursed place, but the annoyingly and stubborn doctor who was taking care of him managed to make the teen stay for one more day. He was bored, extremely and completely bored. If he had not been receiving his friends and Soubi's visits to pass time or sleeping, he was sure he would be insane by seeing every holy day white walls, doctors and nurses running around. Maybe even more crazy than his mother already was. Ritsuka sighed. Remembering his mother brought another important subject to his mind.

He was extremely worried about Soubi.

First, this was the first time the teen was forced to come to a hospital because of the injuries his mother gave him, and before the LOVELESS pair always, always, would enter into a discussion about what happened. This time Soubi had made no comment about it, not even said a single word mentioning his mother, and frankly, it started to scare him. When Soubi visited him, once per day after his work, they would talk about how the teen was, or how Soubi's career as an Arts Teacher was going. When Yuiko and Yayoi were there also, the fighter would be seated in a chair in the room's corner and stay silent for the entire time, diving deep into his thoughts.

Second, the way Soubi was acting makes him remember the way the blond man was when he had learned that his lover's brother were still alive. Ritsuka shuddered when the memory of what happened in the library, and the way his fighter had been there and after, came back into his mind. Soubi's blue eyes now had a shadow that would make almost impossible to see the beautiful shine the teen had come to love, and the real smiles had turned into a rare thing to be seen.

It was obvious that something big was worrying Soubi and Ritsuka was afraid of what it might be. The teen wanted hopelessly to ask his fighter what was bothering him, if there was anything he could do to help, but he didn't want the whole hospital to know those private subjects. Those damn white walls had ears, after all.

Next night Soubi had come to the hospital, and the doctor finally freed the teen from the torture white chamber and evil nurses with their sweet and false smiles, putting the sacrifice's care into his 'uncle' hands, as the doctor had referred to the fighter seconds before disappearing into another white corridor. Soubi had raised an eyebrow while Ritsuka was staring incredulous at said corridor.

It was completely obvious that both of them are more than uncle and nephew for the way their arms were laced on each other's body; Soubi's left arm holding him by his shoulders a little close than necessary while both of Ritsuka arms were clinging the older man by the waist in a what appeared to be an possessive way. That and the fact that the whole place were staring weirdly at them while they were walking to the hospital's exit.

The trip at the car happened in absolute silence. Ritsuka wanted to ask his questions, but chose to wait until they finally arrive to the blue-eyed man's apartment. Kyo last year decided to move to another place, something about his family if he remembered well, and every while he would enter into contact to exchange news. So, now the LOVELESS pair had the amount of privacy they wanted.

After the minutes of waiting had passed, Soubi carefully helped Ritsuka out of the car and into the apartment. The fighter had asked if the teen was well once the sacrifice was comfortable seated in the couch, and after receiving his answer, the man mutely disappeared to another room. Ritsuka was left confused and worried, staring at the now closed door that separated him and the man he loved. He could practically feel now through the bond they shared between fighter and sacrifice that something was not right, it was practically screaming at him to get up from that couch and go after the blond.

But, before he could do anything, the door opened once more, and there stood Soubi, dressing a simple white shirt and black pants, with his right arm leaning on the wall, and long blond hair beautifully falling like a cascade on the man's back, bringing back the breath taking memory of the night a few days ago to the teen's mind, those same gold threads bathed by the moonlight. But the moment Ritsuka had reached Soubi's face, his dark eyes widened, shocked.

The fighter was completely different from the calm posture he had showed minutes ago. His once sky blue eyes now were dark and filled with deep agony and despair, his face twisted in sorrow, ghostly and unhealthy pale, his breathing fast and irregular. The way he was gripping the wall showed a great amount of tiredness, like it was taking him great strength just to keep himself from falling to the ground.

The teen and the men stared at each other, until finally the fighter slowly started to walk in the room, closer to the sacrifice. Ritsuka just accompanied him with his eyes, silently and wondering, Soubi was looking at him like if he were a dream or an illusion. Soon he stopped in front of him and suddenly dropped to his knees.

"Soubi…?" The teen whispered, the man didn't look up at him, but put his arms around the sacrifice and sank his face into his lover's thighs, hugging hard his master's waist.

"Ritsuka…" The teen heard in a whisper, and Ritsuka immediately put his hands around the fighter's head and started to caress the long blond hair. The man continued in a broken tone. "Please… Please… Ritsuka… You need to get out of that house… Away from that woman!"

He was confused, why was Soubi acting like this? It was then when he felt it, some wet thing on his thighs, and to his horror he realized… His fighter…

Soubi was crying…

This is impossible! He thought, staring at the man. Never in the four years they had been together, never Soubi had cried. Not during any battle they had fought, not during any degree of pain, not when Seimei had come back, nor when his brother had died for real. But tears continued fall on his thigh, and he felt the body beneath his hands shake with sobs.

"Soubi? What happened? Please, tell me, Soubi!" The teen asked in panic, but the man only hugged the sixteen-year-old body harder and sank his face further.

"Please, Ritsuka… Don't let her touch you again…"

Ritsuka was at loss. He didn't know what to do, or what was happening to the fighter. The more he tried to talk, seemed that it made the man more desperate with whatever left him in this mess before him. The teen felt tears in his eyes, even if Soubi shared his name, even if they had the bond between sacrifice and fighter that once people told him that if you could see this bond with your fighter, it means that you can completely understand him, but he was completely lost at the moment, he could do nothing to help the man, and it frustrated him.

When Ritsuka thought he would pull his hair out, something weird started to happen to him. He saw the bond's lines encircle him, and the apartment started to disappear before his eyes, like some kind of dream or nightmare. He saw his sixteen-year-old self enter his house and immediately being greeted by his mother who not even waiting for the teen change into a regular attire, started to throw test after test at him, looking as always for her 'Ritsuka'.

His other self did not had luck during one time, and his mother once again turned into an insane monster. It saddened Ritsuka to see one of those cases happen before his eyes, before when the real 'him' were at the receiving end of the woman's rage, he would be more preoccupied to escape at the moment than to look at his mother's face and see it twisted into a deformed thing.

Ritsuka saw what had almost been exactly what happened at the night several days ago, him making a mistake while trying to escape and being throw at the table filled with plates and cups, were he dislocated his shoulder and broke his ribs, then, his second self started to go to the stairs, but the pain were enormous and was reflected in the teen's dark eyes. It was difficult for him to walk, let alone run, and his mother caught him and with the knife in her hand, shocked, Ritsuka saw the woman nail the object, not in his knee, but this time into his chest.

The other sixteen-year-old self stumbled backward, horror written in his eyes, and in agony screamed at the top of his lungs when the pain started to burn him alive. The woman in the dream just looked as the teen fell to the ground, lying in a puddle made of his own blood. The door to the kitchen opened and Ritsuka saw Soubi enter and stop at the sight that had meet his eyes.

The fighter's face then had gone extremely pale, and despair filled the sky blue eyes. Soubi screamed his name in panic, and immediately rushed at his master's side, cradling carefully the wounded body into his arms. Ritsuka saw the fighter trying to make the teen open his eyes, or respond in any way possible, and after every second becoming more and more desperate than before, but the sacrifice never opened his eyes again.

Ritsuka saw himself die in Soubi's arms.

The man's face assumed a broken expression, his tear-filled eyes staring at his blood hand that was pressed against the teen's heart; he couldn't feel it beat anymore. The man started to repeat in whispers his sacrifice name, his arms embracing the body closer to his own, burying his face into the teens neck, not caring about the blood dirtying his white shirt, his face or his hair.

Ritsuka closed his eyes, putting his hands to his face, feeling his own tears streaming downs on his cheeks. He didn't want to see it anymore, this dream, this nightmare…

Dream…

The teen had asked what had happened to his fighter, and a moment after he saw the bond's lines surround him and show him this… Ritsuka opened his eyes and his vision drank the familiar sight of Soubi's apartment, the sacrifice's dark eyes immediately found his fighter, still crying in his lap. Dream… It is possible that the vision was one of the man's dreams? Was Soubi having those kinds of nightmares while the sacrifice were at the hospital?

Even if the teen had chose to keep it a secret, Ritsuka had discovered years ago one of Soubi's greatest secret fears. The fear of being left behind by everyone. Left completely alone. Had his choice of staying living with the risk of his insane mother, and the accident that happened, created those kinds of dreams to terrorize his lover's mind? Looking again at Soubi's pathetic form, Ritsuka felt guilty for causing such distress at the beautiful man who became everything in his life.

He, who once believed that he could not love anyone or be loved by no one, had received the most precious gift he could've whished in this man's form, and Ritsuka regretted having putting aside the fighter's pleas for the teen move to his apartment, saying that he needed to take care of his mother, when in truth he did not wanted to be a bother to the man invading his private space, and still in school he could not help with the expenses for having no job, and it embarrassed him the fact the he would be living at his fighter cost being capable of doing nothing.

The teen for the moment forgot those thoughts and, Ritsuka did not know if it was the years that made him grown up almost as big as Soubi's height or the situation at the moment, but when he looked at the fighter again, dark eyes shining with love and tenderness, Soubi seemed like a child lying there on his lap, and the teen couldn't help but smile while remembering everything this man felt for him, and the way he had gently, with a great amount of patience, showed that to him with the years.

Ritsuka gently touched Soubi's head and managed to make the man look up from his thighs, the teen then took off the wet glasses and put it carefully in a shelf, then, looking back at the reddened face, Ritsuka observed with fondness the man who had his unique blues eyes closed against the world. The sacrifice looked at the tear's marks, and leaned forward to kiss both the wet cheeks, removing any traces of the salty liquid. Ritsuka then deposited a third kiss on the fighter's forehead, staying there for some seconds before slowly move away to look back into clear blues eyes that were staring at him with worry, embarrassment and fear in them.

And Ritsuka knew that the fear he saw was the fear Soubi had of losing the teen, and the sacrifice knew that if the fighter asks one more time for him to move into his apartment, he wouldn't be capable of saying no one more time.

"Get up Soubi, it is not comfortable the way you are lying on the ground. Here, let me help you." Ritsuka said in a soft tone, also getting up from the couch and putting his arms around the older man waist and chest in order to stop him from falling back o the floor.

Soubi was exhausted, emotionally and physically; he needed the sleep he had lost during the past days with urgency. After he turned the lights off, Ritsuka practically carried the blond man to the dark bedroom and lying down on the bed, he pulled the fighter down on top of him and cradled with gentleness the older man's body with his arms after covering both of their bodies with a blanket.

Ritsuka started to caress the man's hair, his jaw resting against his fighter's head, and after some minutes, he could feel Soubi start to let go of the blind despair the nightmares provoked to his mind, and little by little he started to succumb into a peaceful sleep. And only after staying awake for about an hour, making sure the nightmares would not try to disturb his fighter's sleep for the night, did Ritsuka also succumb to unconscious.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Next morning when Ritsuka woke up, Soubi was still sleeping in his arms. The teen wanted to talk with the fighter, but he did not dare to wake him now after a probably week filled with nightmares and insomnia. The sacrifice used that time to stare at the bedroom walls while thinking about his decision to finally leave his mother to be taken care by his father, and step fully in his future direction, without having to look for a while into those caring and love-filled sky blue eyes.

Perhaps he could find a half-time job somewhere around the city, not far from the apartment. This way he could help Soubi and still have time to finish school. Then he could start do pursue a real career. Now that Ritsuka thought about it, he didn't chose yet what career he would follow in his adult years for the rest of his life. Perhaps he could be a writer; recently he started to write in details everything what happened in his life until now. Surely he could create some kind of novel in his mind and put it into a piece of paper?

But then it would take time to write an entirely book; maybe he should start it now then before finish school. He could also have another job while writing. Yes, he would definitely do that! But still thinking about it, he could be anything in the world, so, maybe he should give it a little more time to think and ask Soubi some advice too! Anything would be just fine if the blond man in his arms stays with him and always, and anything but a doctor of course, he did not have a good experience in hospitals and nurses, in fact, he should be grateful that at least no woman tried to go to all-crazy-giggling-and-clingy way at Soubi while the teen was an prisoner in that damned bed!

Imagine if that happened! It would be a disaster!

It was then when the teen felt Soubi stir. Slowly awareness came to the fighter and he tensed when the man sensed he was not alone in the room. Ritsuka took advantage of his position and his arms around the fighter, and began a gentle caress on the man's back.

"Good morning, Soubi." Ritsuka whispered, and the man immediately relaxed. "How do you fell?"

"Ritsuka…?" The fighter got up just enough to look at the teen's face. The sacrifice smiled while looking at his lover's blue eyes. The shadow he had saw yesterday disappeared and was once again clear as the morning sky. But still, they didn't show yet any sign of the beautiful shine he learned to love more and more with the passing of years.

"Why didn't you tell me about those nightmares?" Ritsuka asked with tenderness, stroking one of the blond man's cheeks. Soubi averted his eyes from the teen.

"How…?"

"Our bond showed me one of them." Ritsuka answered, and a blush covered the man's face in embarrassment.

"I didn't want you to see something like that." The fighter's reply was whispered so low that if Ritsuka were not paying attention, the teen would not have heard it.

"Soubi, I wished to see what was wrong with you, because you didn't answered me when I called you several times yesterday. I was worried and the bond just answered my desperate call." The teen answered, his voice never losing the gently and caring tone. Every time Ritsuka thought he had know all the things about his lover, there was always something that would surprised him in the next second.

"I was scared." He had almost believed the fighter had not really said that, but when a lonely tear fell on his fingers, Ritsuka stared surprised at Soubi's blue eyes. They were looking deeply into his soul, trying to show him how much true the words were. It was the first time also the teen had heard the fighter say aloud he was afraid of something. "I am scared every time I let you go back into that damned house again. That the next time I won't get to you in time to stop that mad woman from doing something that even god himself could not repair."

"Soubi…" The teen whispered, and the blond man hid his head into Ritsuka's left shoulder, embarrassed, trying in vain to stop the next words from coming out of his mouth.

"I am afraid of losing you." Came the weak whisper against his ear, and Ritsuka could not stop the tears from streaming down on his face. Closing his dark eyes, the sacrifice hugged the man close to his body with all the strength he could muster.

"You know that I would never let my mother go that far. I have much care for the world where I live… I would never dare to let her take me away from you, away from our bond as the LOVELESS pair or away from the love you showed me, just to go to a cold and dark place where madness and death reign together." The teen with his hands, moved his fighter's head away from his shoulder, and with tenderness and great care, Ritsuka kissed the man lips slowly and gently.

"I love you Soubi." The teen said without any hesitation after they had separated. "I don't want you to suffer any longer with nightmares or worries about me, or fear that I shall lose my life at my mother's hands. That's why I decided that I, if you will have me, shall accept your offer to move into your apartment. I didn't want before because I was ashamed of the fact that I would be of no help fo-!"

The teen could not use his mouth to continue his speech, because for the next moment it was occupied by a certain fighter's lips upon the teen's own, kissing him breathless.

"S-Soubi!!" Said teen cried out angrily when he got the chance. "I was talking to y-!"

Said lips once more were busy.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka looked away, trying in vain to hide the deep blush that decided to make a permanent stay on his young face.

"How could I say no when after three years you finally for the first time said yes, Ritsuka?" The man whispered, and a great weight seemed to have been removed from the man's shoulders. The teen could see the fighter's face completely relieved from the darkness that had been haunting him for the past week, and looking into Soubi's eyes he could once more see that beautiful shine whispering endless love and adoration for him.

No one moved from his position, choosing to stay in bed, talking in whispers about the new life they would have from now on. They talked also about the teen ears and tail, and when Ritsuka asked for Soubi to take it in the night of his seventeen birthday, the fighter asked if it was what the sacrifice really wanted, and his answer was:

"I want you to take them, because what they represent are yours and always will be. I've denied you for far to long already, and I will always be grateful and remember with care your wait and patient Soubi. I shall deny it no more."

And when sleepiness started to embrace both of them, the LOVELESS pair were in completely and blissfully happiness, just for being able to share one more moment together, one of the many that would come with the passing of years.

"Ritsuka?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too. Go to sleep, idiot." The teen said with affection. Long had gone the time when those words had caused him confusion or embarrassment, because the man in his arms loved him for real, and he couldn't help but say those words back to the fighter, meaning all of them with all of his heart and soul.

They can be called the LOVELESS pair before the world, but in their eyes, their love was strong than anything, even stronger than BELOVED himself.

The sacrifice, now, thought that maybe in some part of his heart he missed those embarrassing and repetitive comments that his lover made to him when he were just a boy with twelve years old, at the time when he and Soubi had first meet in their lives. Perhaps it had just disappeared in the years when Ritsuka started to believe them to be true.

"Ritsuka…?"

"Hmm?"

"… Can I have our babies?"

"…"

End

Well… If Soubi was just joking or really meant what he said… I shall leave that to your perverted minds ^-^'

oOoOoOoOoOo

The final was something I could not resist to write. It was based in a manga image where shows Soubi's chibi smiling face and the back of Ritsuka's head with a big drop in it. In the only speak balloon on the image, it shows Soubi saying "Make me babies" on it, so I just HAD to put it there or something similar.