damned_institute | M31-M40 Hall

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M31-M40 Hall

Darman still wasn't pleased with the fact he had a new cellmate, but there was really nothing to do about it.

When the doors gave that telltale snick of the locks opening, he went for the closet under the pretense of getting one of the thicker overcoats, and fished about discreetly for his last remaining knife - it was almost lovingly wrapped in the remnants of the hand towel they had raided from the kitchen the night previous. Concealing it in his coat, and leaving Faust to decide what he wanted to do, Darman stepped out into the darkness of the corridors.

He should probably find Ordo, although he hadn't seen the other clone since that encounter in the courtyard, and knew that there was always the possibility he was being interrogated (good luck with that) or dead. Most beings, if they knew what a Null-ARC even was, also knew they were instant death on two legs...and that the best Null-ARC to them was a dead one. Brother or not, it was what Darman would do if he were in the enemy's place. Keeping Ordo alive and imprisoned seemed pretty suicidal, although it still begged the question how he of all clones had been captured. Ordo was supposed to be just plain better.

Sighing, and deciding to be optimistic - he still did have his knife after all - Darman set off down the hallway, following his mental map toward the main men's hall near the "bathrooms".

[Darman's moved here]

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"All that is valuable to me is right here in my arms."

Those words warmed his heart and, at the same time, they hurt like nothing else in the world. However much Ritsuka loved his mother, sometimes there was nothing there but obligation and strained effort. Being with Seimei was different - this was what it felt like to have a family again. It hurt to know he'd been missing this for so long.

Stepping back from his brother, he put on a brave face and smiled up at him. It wouldn't do to let Seimei see how much he'd hurt while he was gone. It was time to break the heaviness he felt in his heart.

"You always stayed up so late and got up so early, I wondered if you ever slept at all," he said with a laugh, as he took his brother's hand in his. It was time to recover all of their lost time.

He ducked into the room, still holding onto Seimei's hand and tugged him childishly toward the bed. He could tell which one was Seimei's right away - the food sitting on the adjoining desk had barely been touched. Crawling up onto the mattress, he motioned toward the plates. "You didn't like it?"

"I slept, listening to your breathing. I could never have a bed to myself, even if I'd wanted it."
Seimei sat down on the bed and pulled Ritsuka into his lap, smiling all the while.

A glance at the plates, a disdainful wrinkle of his nose. "No. Horrible food. Crawling with germs." He said, leaning down to rub his cheek against his brother's, planting a kiss on the other's skin a moment later. "I do not like that you are trapped here, the same as I, but I take much comfort from your presence."

"Together at last... now we may put everything behind us and start anew."

"I didn't think it was that bad - at least, the macaroni was okay." Pulled into his brother's lap with a kiss on his cheek, Ritsuka readjusted himself so he sat with his head tucked under his brother's chin. Here, with his head resting against the other's chest, he could keep listening to Seimei's heartbeat. "I'm glad you're here, Seimei... I missed you."

Now that they were alone, perhaps he could get answers to his earlier questions. He didn't want to think about it, but he had to ask. His brother was alive when he was supposed to be dead, but this place brought back the dead. Doubts about his brother's murder had been set in place by other Fighters, but he wanted to hear it from the other's lips. "Seimei? ...Did the Seven Moons really kill you? Did this place bring you back to life?"

Implicit in the way his voice wavered were the questions, "If we leave here, will you still be alive?" and "If they didn't kill you, why didn't you come home?" Ritsuka just couldn't bring himself to voice them. Seimei said he wanted to start anew, but Ritsuka had to know or the weight of those doubts would continue to sit between them.

"I'm not certain what the effect of this place is." Seimei said softly, stroking Ritsuka's hair. "I woke up here -- I'd been trying to get back to you, with everything in me... please believe that I didn't want to leave you alone."

A sigh. "I wanted to come home, but I ended up here instead. I do not know how or why."

"How did you come to be here? Did they kidnap you?" His fingers brushed again over the place where the boy's ears used to be. "Did someone force you, Ritsuka?" He murmured, looking for all the world sorrowful at the other's loss of innocence.

"I believe you." He did, too. It was the truth, the simple and honest truth he had always wanted to believe and Ritsuka had no reason to doubt his brother anymore. Just hearing the words coming from his mouth was enough to convince him. After all, he didn't know how he had gotten here either. Maybe Seimei was prepared for the eventuality of his death and had set things in motion, only for Landel's to steal him away.

"I don't know how I got here, either. I was in Kio's car and it was night. Kio was driving Soubi and me out to the Fighter school, but I don't know how I ended up here. I don't even remember falling asleep, but I must have." If he'd still had his ears, they would be flattened against his head. The very real fear of forgetting parts of his life and who was suddenly rushed back into his mind. He felt Seimei's hands brush his hair and he felt the familiar heat that came with shame and imminent tears. "...I don't know. I don't remember. I don't remember anything happening. I had them when I went to sleep and when I woke up--"

He stopped, biting his lower lip, his face burning with embarrassment. His hands moved up to his head, fingers twisting into his hair where the ears should have been. It scared him. He had woken up completely changed again, without any control or reason or memories of the event. Who had done this to him? Soubi was a jerk, but he wouldn't do this. He would never do this. "I didn't do anything. I swear it, Seimei... I-I didn't..."

"Shh." Seimei wrapped his arms around Ritsuka and rocked him slowly. "I know, I know. They did this to you and they're going to pay for it." He said with a dread certainty, his eyes darkening with anger. "I'll make sure they pay."

He was the one who owned Ritsuka's innocence, not some creep doctor with a leer in his eyes and a helpless boy at his fingertips. He was -family- and possessed of all the rights therein.

"It's all right now. I won't let them hurt you." He pressed tender kisses to the other's hair.

Taking deep breaths, Ritsuka forced himself to calm down. He couldn't let himself lose it like this or he'd be useless. After a few minutes, his grip relaxed and he moved his hands down, touching Seimei's arms lightly. "I-I'm alright..."

He frowned slightly, hearing the anger cutting through his brother's voice. He didn't want Seimei to do anything that might get him hurt. Moving back slightly, he finally brought himself to look his brother in the eye. "I don't want you to do anything that might put you in danger, even if it's for my sake. As long as we're together, I know it'll be okay. I just want to know what happened."

The kisses were reassuring and he closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly to lean into the comfort offered. It would be alright and this time, he'd try to help keep Seimei safe, too. He threw his arms around his brother's neck and hugged him close. "I love you, Seimei."

"I would gladly do anything for you. All I do is to make certain that you have the best life possible." Seimei said, with the dawning of earnest feeling in his eyes, his gaze widening slightly.

"My life exists for your sake." He replied softly, meeting his younger brother's gaze steadfastly. When he was embraced, Seimei let out a long sigh of relief.

"I thought I had lost all right to hear those words, but in here, I am redeemed." He returned the affection in full. "My love is yours, Ritsuka."

He felt guilty for telling Seimei 'no,' but he couldn't let his brother dirty his hands that way. Seimei was noble and strong and still pure in his eyes. Ritsuka didn't want to be the reason his brother stained himself with the idea of revenge.

Pulling back slightly to look at Seimei again, a puzzled and worried expression settled on his face. Why would his brother think he lost the right? Seimei could never do anything to lose Ritsuka. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you, Seimei. Nothing in the world could ever change that. There's no such thing as 'losing the right' - you're my brother - I'll say it as often as you want."

He curled up against his brother again and idly picked at the grey fabric of the shirt he wore. If Seimei had been here all along, then Ritsuka should have been looking here and not for the Seven Moons. "I'm sorry I didn't come find you here faster. If I had known, I would have come to get you."

Suddenly obnoxious laughter echoed down the hallways, the dullest traces of it filtering through the door. He knew who that was, only one person would be that idiotic this late at night when the bad things came out, but he ignored it. Aidou could go get his head eaten for all he cared.

Glancing over at the desk, he remembered that Seimei still hadn't touched his food. It wouldn't do to have his brother losing strength or getting sick due to lack of proper nutrition. "You need to eat something... Should we go check the kitchen? Maybe there's something there that's better."

"Ritsuka." His hands framed the other's face and he looked intently into his brother's eyes. "They will not get away with this. They have taken from you something you should have been able to give freely to someone you loved. That will not go unpunished."

Seimei smiled, softly, leaning down to kiss Ritsuka on the lips, a butterfly's kiss, barely there before the whisper of it was gone again. "I love you. You are all that is in my heart, all that I want in this world. As long as you are by my side, I can face whatever this place has to offer."

He drew back, then, with a slight shake of his head. "I am not hungry. I have not had much of an appetite."

If Seimei was set on exacting revenge -or was it justice? - on the people who did this to him, Ritsuka couldn't argue anymore. He just wanted to know who had taken them and why. It seemed his entire life revolved around that question of why. "Then what can we do?"

The kiss surprised him for a moment, but before he had the chance to think about it, it was gone. Instead, his brother's affectionate words wound their way into his heart and he smiled the sort of genuine loving smile only Seimei ever had the chance to see. "I won't be going anywhere if you're not there. Even if it means staying here, if you're not with me I'm not leaving."

If they were going to escape, they would escape together. If they couldn't do it together, Ritsuka would stay here as long as it was necessary. He couldn't lose Seimei again.

When Seimei mentioned that his appetite had decreased, Ritsuka sighed slightly. He wished he could cook, maybe then Seimei would eat it. Worry was evident in his voice as he picked at Seimei's t-shirt again. "I noticed - you're thinner than I remember."

Seimei smiled broadly and kissed that smile. He wanted to taste that sweetness, capture it within his heart and hold on forever. "Together, from now on. I won't let anything come between us. You are mine and I am yours, forever." The words had a weight to them, an import, and he playfully tackled Ritsuka to the mattress.

"Oh, I find myself suddenly famished!" He said, nuzzling at Ritsuka's neck. With one hand, he tickled at his brother's side, wanting to hear the other's ringing laughter.

He was about to reply to the heaviness in his brother's words when he found himself tackled against the bed, cutting him off. Ritsuka muffled a squeak of shock, but couldn't stop the laughter from spilling out of him. The sound of it bounced off the walls, clear and high, filled with the joy that only play could bring to children. The tickling was too much and he squirmed and rolled beneath his brother, putting up a mock fight of trying to get away. Hands batted at Seimei's attack while his giggling encouraged it.

"Seimei - jeez ha ha ha! Stop avoiding--" he tried to talk, but all words were lost as they dissolved into squeaks and giggles.

He enjoyed this, it brought back memories of younger years, the two inseparable, the boy always in contact with him, on his lap, in his bed, cuddled up beside him on the couch; he'd almost thought those days were gone forever, but perhaps... perhaps something good would come of all this madness.

"But I am hungry! You wouldn't deny your only brother a meal, would you?" Seimei pouted, then shifted down, pushing Ritsuka's shirt up and gave him a raspberry on his belly.

"Mmm, Ritsuka tummy. My favourite!"

He nearly shrieked when Seimei raspberried his stomach, laughing so hard tears were starting to form at the corners of his eyes. Of course he wouldn't deny his brother, but he wasn't going to roll over and take it either. Taking short quick breaths in between the giggling fits, he batted at Seimei's shoulders and wriggled about, trying to shield himself in jest.

"Eat real food!" he chided, without any real force.

Familiarity and fun and true happiness. These things he'd been living without for a year now were now returned to him. No matter what horrors presented themselves, he'd always be thankful for this.

"This is real food!" Seimei protested, then his fingers closed over Ritsuka's wrists and he pinned the flailing limbs to the bed, straddling the other with a grin. "Now you are trapped. Doomed."

He leaned down, nudging the end of his nose against his brother's, stealing a fluttery kiss or two from the boy's lips. "Love you. No one but you. Ever."

"I have no nutritional value!" he countered. Not that it really mattered, but he had to let that be known. Pinned to the bed now, Ritsuka gave a mock pout of defeat, but kept the playful defiance in his eyes. "I'm going to get you back for this, I hope you know."

Not that he had any idea how he'd do that or if he'd even remember his idle threat later, but it was not in his nature to just roll over to anyone. Besides, Seimei knew he wasn't serious.

At the kisses, he smiled faintly and laughed a little. "Love you, too. Even if you're trying to eat me."

"Ritsuka." Seimei looked down at him, expression suddenly serious, eyes intent. "You should take my ears." He murmured. "I do not want some doctor to be responsible for that. I would rather it were you."

He kissed the boy's cheek, the words heavy and warm with feeling. "If I have a choice in the matter, I want it to be you... do you understand?" A way to tighten the bond between them; and hell if he wanted to be raped by probably the same people who did Ritsuka -- or worse, experimented on in a way that resulted in the same outcome.

Of course, none of this he showed outwardly. "I want us to be the same."

At first he thought his brother was joking, but when he realized Seimei was serious, Ritsuka's smile fell away to shock. Take his ears? His brother's ears? Violet colored eyes widened, mouth trying to form sentences but failing completely. Even if Ritsuka qualified as an adult without his ears now, he wasn't ready for this request. This wasn't play - the weight of Seimei's request was tangible in the air and in the way he kissed his cheek. He loved Seimei, but could he take his ears?

"...I-I-- Seimei... You.. Wh-what?" he stammered. He frantically searched his brother's face for some clue that this was another playful remark, that he wasn't as serious as Ritsuka knew he was. This wasn't something you were supposed to ask your brother, was it? He was certain that it wasn't, but he didn't want to just blurt out 'no' and hurt Seimei. He couldn't answer and dropped his gaze, eyes flitting from side to side as he tried to think of what to say.

"Never mind." Seimei rose away from the bed, stood with his back to Ritsuka, arms clasped around himself. "I'm sorry. I've ruined it." He took a step toward the door as if he intended to leave, yet his hand never reached for the knob.

"I won't ask again." He murmured, playing the part of the injured party very, very well. "I just... I don't want their hands on me!"

Ritsuka sat up, taken in completely by the act. He was usually so clear-headed about these things, but when it concerned his brother... "No, Seimei- it's not like that."

Jumping off the bed, he ran up and caught the edge of Seimei's shirt in one unsteady hand. "It's just... I'm not..." His shoulders sagged and he tugged on Seimei's shirt hem pathetically. "Don't be sorry... It's just, I'm not ready to answer that yet. We're brothers, Seimei - I don't know if it's right..."

How to go about this now? He understood Seimei's feelings - the very thought of having the doctors being the ones who deprived him of his innocence sickened him. "I understand, but..." He tugged on the shirt hem again, pleading with the other to look at him. "Please don't be sad..."

"Is there anything right in this place? There's nothing right!" Seimei said, turning his face away so that Ritsuka couldn't see his expression.

"It's fine. It's only fitting that I suffer the same as you, after all. Whatever they did to you, they can do it to me too... if that's what's best."

He sighed and pulled away. "You said you wanted to look for your camera. Well, then, we should go."

He let go of his brother's shirt and stepped back as if struck in the face. He had hurt his brother. He'd just found him again and now he'd been the idiot to go and drive a wedge between them. "No! I don't want you to suffer - I don't want this to happen to you! I'd never let them do this to you!"

He felt like crying again. What could he say to make it better? He didn't want Seimei to lose his ears yet. He wasn't ready to be the one to take them. He didn't even know how to take them!

"Don't be angry... please, Seimei... don't be angry..." he whimpered, feeling the coldness and pain in his brother's tone seeping into him. What had he done?

"It's not right that it was done to you, either!" Seimei said, suddenly turning around and grasping his brother by the shoulders. "It's better that I suffer the same as you. We're together, aren't we?"

"Aren't we?" His brow furrowed, he suddenly sunk to his knees, tugging the other against him. "I am sorry I said such a foolish thing... I don't care if it is right or not... but I would rather you took from me than some stranger getting their kicks by playing with me."

"I'm... I don't want to drive you away... not after we have been reunited."

Ritsuka threw his arms around Seimei and held him close, trying to repair the damage his refusal had wrought.

"We are together - we'll always be together, Seimei. I just can't do that to you - not now. I'm not even sure it was done to me." Pulling back slightly, he took his brother's face in both hands, touching their foreheads together. He was too young, that's all he could think about. He'd refused Soubi how many times on that very same premise? He loved his brother, but there was just something that wasn't right about Ritsuka being the one to take Seimei's ears. He couldn't do it no matter how much he loved him. "I love you. I won't let them hurt you like that. I'll fight for you, I promise. I'll fight with everything I have."

He'd save his brother somehow. Even if it cost him everything, he'd fight to save him from sharing the same fate.

M31-M40 Hall

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