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"Soubi... is that... you?"

Soubi looked at the small frame in Ritsuka's hands. He smiled.

"Yes."

PORTRAIT OF INNOCENCE

He knew what Ritsuka was thinking. It was a picture of him when he was younger, moreover to say a picture of when he had ears. He watched as Ritsuka's indigo eyes flashed from the picture to him, then the blush that meant he had been caught looking. Soubi smiled again.

"Handsome, wasn't I?"

Ritsuka looked up sharply, almost dropping the picture. He hated that placid smile on Soubi's face that he wore when he was trying to embarrass him. Hated it.

"...Sure."

Soubi's smile turned to a smirk. "I wasn't much older than you in that picture... you know, we could have been good friends."

Ritsuka didn't answer. He looked back at the picture, his finger absentmindedly tracing the outline of an ear, forgetting that the boy's older, living counterpart was standing right next to him. He heard Soubi's chuckle. Ritsuka shook his head, ashamed at himself for thinking what he was. Soubi was an adult. He had every right not to have his ears.

And still... it bothered him.

Could he say that he wanted Soubi to still have his ears? But... why?

"It's not as though I want them," Ritsuka thought to himself, blushing again. "They... they were his to do what he wanted with them."

"What are you thinking, Ritsuka?" Soubi's voice brought Ritsuka out of thought. He slowly looked up at Soubi.

"Nothing... really."

Soubi smiled at him. "You know, one day, you'll look back at a picture of yourself when you get to be my age."

"I know." Ritsuka handed the picture to Soubi. "Except I can't imagine not having ears."

Ritsuka turned his back on Soubi and walked into the kitchen. "Damn," he thought. "Why did I add that last part?"

"Ritsuka?" Soubi came up beside him, still holding the picture. Ritsuka looked away. There was something about that boy, something about his eyes... his ears...

'I... I wish you still had your ears, Soubi." Ritsuka froze in shock. Had he really just said that? It had just come bursting out of him. He stood by the refrigerator, his eyes closed, feeling Soubi's prescence next to him.

"Well, Ritsuka..." Soubi was silent for a moment. "So do I."

Ritsuka turned his head, and recieved a shock at how close Soubi's face was to his.

"I... what do you mean?" You shouldn't have had sex if you had wanted to keep your ears, Ritsuka thought.

"Come here," Soubi said, his hand sliding within Ritsuka's palm. "I'll show you."

"What?!" Ritsuka pulled his hand away. "Show me what?" Soubi couldn't possibly mean...

"What I mean. About my ears." He smiled. "Nothing like that, now."

Ritsuka, feeling relieved, and embarrassed, followed Soubi out of the kitchen, staring into the eyes of his younger self in the picture dangling from the man's fingertips. He stopped in front of a cabinet, and handed his picture to Ritsuka as he rummaged through a box.

Ritsuka had to fight not to look at the younger Soubi. There was just something so appealing about him, Ritsuka couldn't explain it.

"Here." Soubi handed him another picture, this one of himself and an older man. The man had no ears, but he was an adult, Ritsuka reasoned. The young Soubi had his, and the man's arm was held loosely around his small shoulder.

"That man," Soubi said, and Ritsuka thought he heard contempt in the silken voice. "Was my teacher. His name is Minami Ritsu. He taught me everything about being a Fighter."

"But Seimei..."

"I had not met Seimei yet."

He handed Ritsuka another picture, his fingers gripping it a little more tightly this time. Ritsuka looked at it, and gasped.

There was Seimei, slightly younger than when he died, with his ears. And there was the young Soubi, still looking the same age as he had in the picture with Ritsu, without his ears. He saw the careful distance Seimei kept from Soubi, the disgrace hidden on his brother's features. And he saw the resigned look in Soubi's eyes as he stood firmly at his Sacrifice's side.

"Your brother was... disappointed in me." Soubi said, setting his eyes on Ritsuka again. "He wanted a Fighter that was whole and pure. I must say I did not please him."

"But..." Ritsuka was putting two and two together. Why on Earth would Soubi have lost his ears at such an age before he met Seimei?

"Ritsu was my only companion," Soubi said, and this time, Ritsuka was sure he heard it: fury. "Up until the time I met Seimei."

"But..." Ritsuka was thinking hard. He watched as Soubi bowed his head. "If you were only with him, and when you met Seimei you had... no..." His voice dropped as the sudden understanding sank into his mind like a stone. He looked up at Soubi in an instant, his eyes wild.

"Soubi...!"

The man's head remained lowered.

"You... gave them up to your teacher?" His voice was stricken with disapproving disbelief.

"I had no choice in the matter," Soubi's hands gripped the sides of the wooden table which the cabinet was perched on. 'He... ordered me."

"Sou... Soubi!" Ritsuka was in shock. The picture of Beloved was clutched in his shaking hand. "You... could have resisted! And... I thought you only took orders from your master!"

"He was my master," Soubi spat shortly. "Until Seimei came along."

"Did you... like it?'

Soubi raised his head and turned to Ritsuka. "No."

"Then... he did it against your will!" Ritsuka dropped both pictures. "He did it... against your..."

He wrapped his arms around Soubi's waist, holding the man as tears came to his eyes. "I'm sorry, Soubi, I... I never... I never knew..."

"That's quite alright, Ritsuka." Soubi returned the embrace. "I can understand."

Ritsuka ran a hand across his eyes. "But..."

"Hmm?" Soubi released him as he knelt to pick the pictures up from the floor, giving them one last look before he dropped them back in the box.

"Was that..." He blushed. "Was that your... only... time?"

Soubi chuckled softly. "Yes."

"So you'd... you'd still have your ears then?"

"Well..." Ritsuka watched as the smirk returned to Soubi's lips. 'I'm sure that if I had had them, that would have changed things between Seimei and I."

Ritsuka took a moment to let that sink in.

"Soubi!" he shouted reprimandingly. "That's my brother you're talking about!"

Soubi laughed. He watched as Ritsuka's eyes turned sober again.

"Since I'm your master now..." Ritsuka fought back waves of crimson. "Not that I would, but if I... ordered you to..."

"Ritsuka." The boy looked up. "I doubt you could anyway." Smirk.

"Well," Ritsuka said, now blushing furiously despite his attempts to prevent just that. "You know what I mean..."

"I do. And I would. You are my master."

"Huh?"

He smirked yet again. "Only I would enjoy it more this time than I did with Ritsu."

Ritsuka stared into those sincere blue eyes.

"You are my master. Once you order me, I can only obey."

"Well... I'm not going to!"

"I know." Soubi seized Ritsuka for another hug, kissing the boy's forehead as he went. He smiled.

"Mmm..." Ritsuka sighed, his voice muffled into Soubi's shirt.

"Ritsuka, why do you wish I still had my ears?" Ritsuka knew the smirk was there without even having to look.

"I don't know..." Ritsuka buried his face deeper to hide the red returning to his face. "It wouldn't be... as weird."

"Who says it's weird?" There was that amused tone again.

"Hmph!" Ritsuka pulled himself away from the man. "Soubi! You're so... you're so... STOP SMIRKING!"

At least Ritsuka knew Soubi was back to his normal self.

OWARI

Description
"Soubi... is that... you?"

Soubi looked at the small frame in Ritsuka's hands. He smiled.

"Yes."

PORTRAIT OF INNOCENCE

He knew what Ritsuka was thinking. It was a picture of him when he was younger, moreover to say a picture of when he had ears. He watched as Ritsuka's indigo eyes flashed from the picture to him, then the blush that meant he had been caught looking. Soubi smiled again.

"Handsome, wasn't I?"

Ritsuka looked up sharply, almost dropping the picture. He hated that placid smile on Soubi's face that he wore when he was trying to embarrass him. Hated it.

"...Sure."

Soubi's smile turned to a smirk. "I wasn't much older than you in that picture... you know, we could have been good friends."

Ritsuka didn't answer. He looked back at the picture, his finger absentmindedly tracing the outline of an ear, forgetting that the boy's older, living counterpart was standing right next to him. He heard Soubi's chuckle. Ritsuka shook his head, ashamed at himself for thinking what he was. Soubi was an adult. He had every right not to have his ears.

And still... it bothered him.

Could he say that he wanted Soubi to still have his ears? But... why?

"It's not as though I want them," Ritsuka thought to himself, blushing again. "They... they were his to do what he wanted with them."

"What are you thinking, Ritsuka?" Soubi's voice brought Ritsuka out of thought. He slowly looked up at Soubi.

"Nothing... really."

Soubi smiled at him. "You know, one day, you'll look back at a picture of yourself when you get to be my age."

"I know." Ritsuka handed the picture to Soubi. "Except I can't imagine not having ears."

Ritsuka turned his back on Soubi and walked into the kitchen. "Damn," he thought. "Why did I add that last part?"

"Ritsuka?" Soubi came up beside him, still holding the picture. Ritsuka looked away. There was something about that boy, something about his eyes... his ears...

'I... I wish you still had your ears, Soubi." Ritsuka froze in shock. Had he really just said that? It had just come bursting out of him. He stood by the refrigerator, his eyes closed, feeling Soubi's prescence next to him.

"Well, Ritsuka..." Soubi was silent for a moment. "So do I."

Ritsuka turned his head, and recieved a shock at how close Soubi's face was to his.

"I... what do you mean?" You shouldn't have had sex if you had wanted to keep your ears, Ritsuka thought.

"Come here," Soubi said, his hand sliding within Ritsuka's palm. "I'll show you."

"What?!" Ritsuka pulled his hand away. "Show me what?" Soubi couldn't possibly mean...

"What I mean. About my ears." He smiled. "Nothing like that, now."

Ritsuka, feeling relieved, and embarrassed, followed Soubi out of the kitchen, staring into the eyes of his younger self in the picture dangling from the man's fingertips. He stopped in front of a cabinet, and handed his picture to Ritsuka as he rummaged through a box.

Ritsuka had to fight not to look at the younger Soubi. There was just something so appealing about him, Ritsuka couldn't explain it.

"Here." Soubi handed him another picture, this one of himself and an older man. The man had no ears, but he was an adult, Ritsuka reasoned. The young Soubi had his, and the man's arm was held loosely around his small shoulder.

"That man," Soubi said, and Ritsuka thought he heard contempt in the silken voice. "Was my teacher. His name is Minami Ritsu. He taught me everything about being a Fighter."

"But Seimei..."

"I had not met Seimei yet."

He handed Ritsuka another picture, his fingers gripping it a little more tightly this time. Ritsuka looked at it, and gasped.

There was Seimei, slightly younger than when he died, with his ears. And there was the young Soubi, still looking the same age as he had in the picture with Ritsu, without his ears. He saw the careful distance Seimei kept from Soubi, the disgrace hidden on his brother's features. And he saw the resigned look in Soubi's eyes as he stood firmly at his Sacrifice's side.

"Your brother was... disappointed in me." Soubi said, setting his eyes on Ritsuka again. "He wanted a Fighter that was whole and pure. I must say I did not please him."

"But..." Ritsuka was putting two and two together. Why on Earth would Soubi have lost his ears at such an age before he met Seimei?

"Ritsu was my only companion," Soubi said, and this time, Ritsuka was sure he heard it: fury. "Up until the time I met Seimei."

"But..." Ritsuka was thinking hard. He watched as Soubi bowed his head. "If you were only with him, and when you met Seimei you had... no..." His voice dropped as the sudden understanding sank into his mind like a stone. He looked up at Soubi in an instant, his eyes wild.

"Soubi...!"

The man's head remained lowered.

"You... gave them up to your teacher?" His voice was stricken with disapproving disbelief.

"I had no choice in the matter," Soubi's hands gripped the sides of the wooden table which the cabinet was perched on. 'He... ordered me."

"Sou... Soubi!" Ritsuka was in shock. The picture of Beloved was clutched in his shaking hand. "You... could have resisted! And... I thought you only took orders from your master!"

"He was my master," Soubi spat shortly. "Until Seimei came along."

"Did you... like it?'

Soubi raised his head and turned to Ritsuka. "No."

"Then... he did it against your will!" Ritsuka dropped both pictures. "He did it... against your..."

He wrapped his arms around Soubi's waist, holding the man as tears came to his eyes. "I'm sorry, Soubi, I... I never... I never knew..."

"That's quite alright, Ritsuka." Soubi returned the embrace. "I can understand."

Ritsuka ran a hand across his eyes. "But..."

"Hmm?" Soubi released him as he knelt to pick the pictures up from the floor, giving them one last look before he dropped them back in the box.

"Was that..." He blushed. "Was that your... only... time?"

Soubi chuckled softly. "Yes."

"So you'd... you'd still have your ears then?"

"Well..." Ritsuka watched as the smirk returned to Soubi's lips. 'I'm sure that if I had had them, that would have changed things between Seimei and I."

Ritsuka took a moment to let that sink in.

"Soubi!" he shouted reprimandingly. "That's my brother you're talking about!"

Soubi laughed. He watched as Ritsuka's eyes turned sober again.

"Since I'm your master now..." Ritsuka fought back waves of crimson. "Not that I would, but if I... ordered you to..."

"Ritsuka." The boy looked up. "I doubt you could anyway." Smirk.

"Well," Ritsuka said, now blushing furiously despite his attempts to prevent just that. "You know what I mean..."

"I do. And I would. You are my master."

"Huh?"

He smirked yet again. "Only I would enjoy it more this time than I did with Ritsu."

Ritsuka stared into those sincere blue eyes.

"You are my master. Once you order me, I can only obey."

"Well... I'm not going to!"

"I know." Soubi seized Ritsuka for another hug, kissing the boy's forehead as he went. He smiled.

"Mmm..." Ritsuka sighed, his voice muffled into Soubi's shirt.

"Ritsuka, why do you wish I still had my ears?" Ritsuka knew the smirk was there without even having to look.

"I don't know..." Ritsuka buried his face deeper to hide the red returning to his face. "It wouldn't be... as weird."

"Who says it's weird?" There was that amused tone again.

"Hmph!" Ritsuka pulled himself away from the man. "Soubi! You're so... you're so... STOP SMIRKING!"

At least Ritsuka knew Soubi was back to his normal self.

OWARI