Disclaimer: No, I don't own Loveless.

This takes place after a time when Ritsuka gets Soubi back from Seimei.

Am I not selfish, feeling this way when I disobeyed Seimei?

A horrible fighter.

"Soubi?"

My sacrifice…

"Soubi, get in the bathtub." Blood had been tracked all over the tiles. "I… move your hair."

Ritsuka left to grab the white towel that was sitting on the counter, wetted it with water, and then went back to lean down against the tub. His glance was soft. "This…" He bit his lip. "This could hurt."

As if physical wounds held pain.

Ritsuka dabbed the cloth on the carved throat in front of him. It was quiet. Muscles full of adrenaline and fear slowly unwound from the knots they had formed. A catharsis, of sorts, began.

A pair of eyes drifted over Ritsuka's form. Thinking. Puzzling. Imagining. They tried the best they could with a muddled gaze. "Ritsuka, are you scared of blood?"

"What?"

"Your hands are shaking."

"I—" Ritsuka looked down, where his hand were, indeed, trembling. He felt outside himself, but he was needed, so he forced himself back into his body and taped down any parts that felt like floating away. "I'm fine Soubi. Hold still."

There was a moment of stillness. "Ritsuka?"

"What, Soubi?"

The rag seemed to burn where warm blood met cool tap water. It seared skin. "Ritsuka, are you afraid of knives?"

"Soubi, what kind of question is that?" The words were harshly said, but the hands against the bleeding neck were gentle.

There was a sigh. It was soft and barely perceptible, but it was there.

Could you do it, Ritsuka?

Could you claim me?

Two bodies curled around each other in a small bathroom. Two lungs breathed in time. The rag had bleed through; it was now a healthy red.

I really am… terribly selfish…