Loveless Mirage

Rioki stalked angrily from out of Loveless’s prison. That damn Beloved; Rioki could still feel his feint pulse of life echoing across the void between life and death. He shuddered as sweat slid down his chest and the heat from Loveless’s small body slowly drained from Rioki’s aroused being. A surprised gasp caused him to spin around, his naked body heaving before the fuming features of Lust-full. Her gaze was directed into the room to the unconscious body of Loveless as the door swung shut. Her blue eyes turned slowly to Rioki’s face, a disgusted look upon her features. She closed the short distance between herself and Rioki, and then back handed her small fingers across his face. The bite from Loveless on his lip split open once again, trails of crimson dripping down his bare neck and chest.

“How dare you!” She hissed, once again rising her hand to slap Rioki. He easily clasped onto her hand and pressed her against the wall. He pushed hard against her, breathing deep into her hair. His eyes narrowed at a familiar sent wafting up to meet him.

“What? You never cared about any of the other play things that I tortured.” He whispered into her ear. She glared at him and then turned her head, small pointed ears flicking in annoyance and anguish.

“Why couldn’t you just kill him?!” She yelled. “Why did you have to…have too…” Her face was flushed and she turned her gaze away from Rioki’s harsh face. In a voice hardly above a whisper she continued. “… You took his ears before you took mine.”

Rioki released Lust-full’s hand in surprise and looked towards the dark battle room.

“Why would I ever take a pathetic female’s ears?” He hissed. “I have no need to break you. You have no bond to me. You are nothing.”

Lust-full’s eyes filled with hot tears as she stood with her back to the only man she had ever wanted. The only man she would have died for.

“What would you have me do?” She whispered quietly to the silence.

“Finish what you started.” Rioki spat. “Kill him; break the bond so I can finally have a name. Loveless is the only person I have found who has not been intertwined with the other half of his soul. He is truly loveless, lonely, and nothing. It would have been so easy to steal his soul’s name. But then Beloved had to step in and bind Loveless’s soul to his. If you kill Beloved, I will have a name. I will become Loveless.” Lust-full nodded silently in response and then snapped her fingers, a dark portal appearing beneath her. As the darkness engulfed her body she looked towards Rioki and sighed.

“If you become Loveless, what will happen to the other half of your soul, Nameless?”

~------------------~

Ritsuka slowly opened his eyes, breathing in the smell of blood and sweat. His body was cold and stiff. He gradually flexed his toes and fingers, his mind fuzzy and slow. What had happened? Where was Soubi? Ritsuka moved to sit up and felt shards of glass press into his body. The pain brought back waves of memories. He covered his mouth to stop himself from being sick. He ran his hand through his tangled hair, but then gave up as his fingers snagged on knots. He felt so alone and hurt. Was it his fault? Had he done something to deserve that? Ritsuka attempted to push all thought from his mind but flashes of Beloved’s body assaulted his mind. He could feel the residual pain still pulsing in his body, causing him to curl up and wrap his tail around his naked body. In the back of his mind, he wondered why he still had a tail… Each time he breathed in, he could feel the man's phantom member thrusting into his body and his nails scraping down his soft flesh.

Ritsuka gently sat up and licked his cracked and bleeding lips. He had to get out of here. He had to save Soubi. Ritsuka had difficulty feeling his Fighter’s soul on a good day, and with his mind clouded over with fear, he could not even sense Beloved. He prayed it was not because Beloved had died... No! He would not even think that. Ritsuka focused on finding his clothing to push his mind from his dark thoughts. Amidst the broken glass he felt the edge of his pants. As he slipped them on he winced in pain as the rough jean pressed against his bruises and gashes. He felt so weak, and truly Loveless.
Flashes of his mother’s face surfaced into his mind. The wounds on Ritsuka’s body reminded him of the pain that he had endured after Seimei had died. He remembered blocking out the painful memories; making himself numb to all emotion. Ritsuka did this now, calming himself. He breathed in, thinking of how to escape from his dark prison when his slender fingers moved across a long jagged shard of glass. He gasped, surprised at the size of the slice of glass. He trailed his finger along its surface, feeling the sharp edge cut into his skin. He quickly slipped his cut finger into his mouth to dull the sudden pain and then grasped the shard of glass. He would get out of here. He would not let anyone hurt his Beloved.


~-------------------~


Agatsuma Soubi lay face down in long grass, the morning’s rays filtering through the clouds to illuminate his still features. The only sign of life in the fallen fighter was the slow rise and fall of his breath, and the drops of blood that slid down the stiff blades of grass.

“Soubi!”

The voice of his sacrifice echoing in the Fighter’s mind caused him to open his eyes in anguish. He could feel the pain and fear that gripped his sacrifice. Soubi gasped as Ritsuka’s emotions bombarded him through their bond. Each terrified moment, and every pained movement resonated throughout his mind. There was something wrong. Someone was trying desperately to break the link that had formed between himself and Ritsuka. Soubi’s body remained motionless in the flowing wind as he lived through everything that was happening to his sacrifice. He knew that what he felt would only be a small portion of the pain that his Ritsuka was going though. This knowledge fed the silver haired man’s anger as he slowly attempted to move. He managed only to flip himself onto his back. His glazed eyes looked into the brilliant sky in misery as his body defied his will to rush to his love’s side. Agatsuma breathed in heavily, forcing his body up onto his forearms. Dark rain clouds were forming above him, chilling the air and sparking his worry for Ritsuka to a new height.

Just as Soubi managed to move into a sitting position, a dark portal opened in front of him. His eyes widened in surprised as he attempted to move closer to the portal and his Sacrifice. He wouldn’t lose another person that he loved. He could not abandon Ritsuka. Soubi continued to crawl closer to the portal, but was stopped as a slender woman emerged from the black abyss. Soubi’s eyes widened as he recognized the fighter who had taken Ritsuka into the portal.

“Where is Ritsuka!” He hissed with all his strength, pulling himself into an uneasy standing position. The woman moved closer to him, her eyes saddened, which puzzled him.

“If I bring you to him, will you promise to take him away? Will you promise to keep him far from my Rioki?” She whispered, her face turned away from the other Fighter. Soubi’s mind, still fogged with pain had no response.

“What?” He questioned confused. The woman turned her back to Beloved as a slow drizzle of rain began to fall from the now darkened sky. The water washed the dried blood from Soubi’s body, and helped to clear his mind. As he looked towards the woman he saw the name ‘Lust-full’ carved into her back. She turned to face him, her eyes wild with emotion.

“Do you have any idea what it is like to be a Fighter without a name?” Soubi looked at her confused as she continued. “If you have no name, how are you to find the second half of your soul? The one person who makes you complete. Without a name, what is there to bind you to your soul mate?” Lust-full moved over to Soubi and looked deep into his eyes. “Both Rioki and myself are Nameless. I want to have my soul mate back.”

Lust-full turned once again from Soubi in the dark light and then turned her face to the rain falling from the sky. The drops washed the make up from her face and down her cheeks. Soubi looked towards the now unguarded portal, but then stopped his advance when he looked back at Lust-full. She was slowly running her hand over her soft skin, to the base of her hair line. She then slipped her fingers into her blond locks and her long cascade of golden hair fell to the ground. Soubi’s eyes widened. Messy brown short hair covered her head, and rain began to drip down her now unprotected back. The words “Lust-full” began to soften, reminding Beloved of a pen on wet paper. The scar then began to run down her bare shoulders, leaving her back bare.

“I thought he would not accept me as I was. When Lust-full attacked me, and I felt Rioki, I knew. Rioki did not even realize I had killed Lust-full.” The woman whispered and then turned to face Beloved. He narrowed his gaze upon the other Fighter. She was certainly not Lust-full. And she certainly was not female. The brown haired Fighter set his blue eyes upon Beloved.

“I never thought Rioki would accept me as I was. He isn’t even a Fighter… As Lust-full I would initiate the battle system. He eventually made a room in which it would be in a state of battle that would allow him to be in control. He hates Sacrifices. He thinks they are weak, and are not able to fight for themselves. How would he accept me, being the other half of Nameless, when I am the Fighter? I could never do that too him.”

“A sacrifice is not weak.” Soubi whispered, thinking of the times when Ritsuka had protected him and endured so much for his sake. The strength of Ritsuka’s love and trust. No. A Sacrifice was perhaps even stronger then the Fighter. Nameless seemed to not have even heard Soubi’s words.

“I was content to love Rioki in the shadows. Yet when he stole that Loveless’ brat’s ears…” His words were cut short as Soubi grabbed the Fighter’s shirt angrily, his eyes wild.

“He did what?! Bring me to Ritsuka NOW!” He yelled his body tense with frustration and fear. Now he knew why Ritsuka’s feelings had bombarded him so. How could he have ever let something like that happen to his Loveless? Nameless looked frightened and then motioned towards the swirling dark portal. All traces of weakness seemed to have been erased from Beloved in adrenaline and anger. Soubi shoved Nameless into the portal and then followed close after, the portal closing behind him.

~-----------------~

Beloved was lead down the dark hallways, his body coursing with pain every step he took, but he urged Nameless on. He had to find Ritsuka. He had to protect him, and tell him he loved him. Nameless finally stopped out side of a heavy metal door and pointed to into the darkness. Soubi leaned heavily against one wall, his breath coming in gasps.

“Take him away. I will find my Rioki. You had better be out of here before he comes looking for Loveless. You better hope you have enough strength to carry the boy out. He did not look so well when I last saw him.” Nameless hissed then turned away from the wounded fighter. Soubi did not wait to see which hall Nameless turned down. He instead pushed his way into the dark room and looked around for Ritsuka. The smell of blood wafted around Soubi as his footsteps crushed shards of glass and echoed in the room.

“Ristua?” Soubi whispered, narrowing his eyes as he saw movement out of the corner of his vision. He turned to face his Sacrifice, and to embrace him when he suddenly felt a long blade of glass slide deep into the side of his chest. Soubi’s eyes widened in surprise. He could feel every movement of the glass blade in his body, and at the entrance, Ritsuka’s small fingers were wrapped around the blade.

“That was for Soubi!” Ritsuka hissed as he released the blade and the man standing before him collapsed upon the ground.