Loveless Fan Fiction ❯ Flawless ❯ The Under-City ( Chapter 2 )

“Ritsuka-kun?” The tone was sweet enough, but since Haruka had snuck up on him, Ritsuka was surprised; he hadn't known Haruka owned a motorbike and so he hadn't anticipated her dropping by his school. It also helped that the vehicle was nearly silent; she had a good muffler and a performance engine, it seemed.

“Aah! Don't do that, Haru-chan!” Growling at his Sentouki, he was about to walk onward until Yuiko grabbed his arm and asked a question.

“Who is this, Ritsuka-kun?”

“Yuiko-san, this is Haruka-chan. She's staying with Soubi until she finds a place around here.”

“Oh! I get it! So Soubi and Haruka and Ritsuka are all friends!”

“Yep,” Haruka replied, grabbing onto Ritsuka's arm and hoisting him onto the bike in front of her. “Nice to meet you, Yuiko-chan, I'll take you for a girls' day out sometime, okay? We can go to Shibuya.”

“Anou… alright! See you guys! Have fun and tell Soubi-san that I said hello!” Waving in what could only be described as Yuiko-esque, the pink-haired girl bid them farewells.

“Seems like she really likes you, Rit-chan,” Haruka said when they were out of earshot. Turning a corner at breakneck speed, she laughed at the wind whipping in her face and ruffled her sacrifice's hair - he was sitting in front of her since he had never ridden a motorcycle before. “We're almost there, don't worry.”

“Where are we going?” He was irritated at her rather abrupt lifestyle, but really, it was impossible to get really mad at his new Sentouki. She was just so carefree and relaxed that it seemed to affect other people.

“The first part's a secret, but then I'll treat you to dinner. It'll be really good,” she promised, smiling as she made a sharp turn into a nearly unnoticeable alleyway.

“Whoa!” Jarred from his comfortable position on the seat, he grumbled imperceptibly and shifted back.

“It's not much farther now…” Steering the bike through several sharp curves in the maze of an alleyway, Ritsuka realized that they were now underground. “Yellow ribbon, yellow ribbon, yellow ribbon- here we are,” she murmured to herself, taking yet another turn in the brick tunnel. “Ta-dah!”

“It's just a door, Haru-chan,” he replied, annoyed.

“Key in the following numbers: 18034-75632. Then you'll see that it isn't `just a door',” she replied, grinning.

“18… 034… dash… 756… 32. Done,” he sighed, waiting for the door to open.

“Enter name,” the machine suddenly requested.

“L-o-v-e-l-e-s-s,” Haruka responded, typing it in as she rolled the syllables off of her tongue.

“Are you really Loveless?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a hint of laughter, hitting the `Y' on the touchpad. “As if I'd be anyone else,” she snorted.

With that, the heavy metal door swung inward, revealing the best-kept secret in all of Japan - the Under-city.

—-loveless—-

“So Sou-chan never brought you here?”

“No,” Ritsuka replied.  “I guess that I never asked him to, so he didn't.”

“Huh. Well, sucks for him. That means that I get to register as your Sentouki,” she grinned. “Don't you get it yet?”

There were various doors leading to condos with decks, all of it in a straight line around a rail system. Below the condos were shops and such, catering to any and all needs or desires a person might have.

“I don't understand,” Ritsuka replied with a frown. “It looks like an underground city.”

“That's exactly what it is! But it's only for sacrifices and fighter units. I lived here too, once… I still have a place here.”

“What's the point of having a city only for people like us?”

“The main purpose is living arrangements. Think about it; a couple - male and female - living together in a small apartment isn't much of a problem, right? Think about two girls or two guys in that same apartment. That raises questions, and more often than not, pairings are same-gender. Plus, you can get a lot of sparring practice in.”

“Sparring practice?”

“Remember how the machine at the entrance asked for our names?” At Ritsuka's nod, she went on. “It pairs you up with a random named duo and automatically texts your phone with the location, time, and partner. It's considered really bad manners to not show up and/or to cancel your battle, so most sacrifices go to their fights rather than cancelling.” As she spoke, her phone buzzed in her pocket. “And what do you know? We just got matched up with…” She trailed off, flipping her cell open and reading it. “…Dreamless. Area 4, 6:30. It's a half-hour ride either way, so we can eat there - plenty of restaurants around there anyway.” Grabbing Ritsuka's hand and running onto the train, she explained. “The ride's free. Actually, this is like a bullet train, so if you have to ride for more than an hour, the servers will also provide you with refreshments and light meals.”

“Oh.” The twelve-year-old remained quiet for the rest of the trip.

—-loveless—- 

“Rit-chan? I hate to interrupt your soul-searching and daydreaming, but we're here,” Haruka said suddenly, poking the still boy in the ribs and laughing when her young sacrifice slid off of the seat to get away from the unexpected contact.

“Sorry,” the boy apologized, hanging his head.

“Don't be. In fact, as an apology for surprising you, I'll take you to the best restaurant here.” Grabbing the grade-schooler's hand, she rushed him through the crowded streets, into a side street, and then through a well-lit doorway with a sign engraved with the word “Rikki's” in fancy lettering.

“What is this place?”

“It's a restaurant. They serve a lot of Western-style food here, and they're the best place to eat in Area 4. We're actually under Shibuya right now.” Laughing happily at Ritsuka's surprised expression, she got a waitress's attention and more or less dragged the young boy to a table. “Order whatever you want. Tonight's on me, Rit-chan.”

“I think I'll get pizza. Is that okay?”

“Sure, I said to get whatever you wanted, didn't I? I'm not going to get anything, though. I'm really not hungry,” Haruka replied with her infamous half-smile. “Tonight's about you.”

—-loveless—- 

“It seems that we've generated quite the controversy, ne, Rit-chan?”

She was right - the stands [that could seat well over 100] were filled and overflowing. Even Dreamless seemed amazed.

“Is it normally packed like this?”

“Hell no,” Haruka replied. “`Scuse the French, by the way.” Looking around, both of them failed to notice the one guest that had slipped in uninvited. Said guest was her former partner, Kain Lafayel - a Zero who not only had been her sacrifice, but had all but worshipped the ground she walked on.

“Fighter units, prepare yourselves,” the speaker in the publications box called out. She then turned her attention to address the general public gathered there. “Today's match features the following: the Dreamless unit - male Sentouki Togashi Kenta and male Sacrifice Yorisuo Kenichi, and the Loveless unit - female Sentouki Gokuraki Haruka and male Sacrifice Aoyagi Ritsuka. This is a freestyle-battle match with no time limit and no restriction, ending in serious injury leading to unconsciousness, forfeit, or death of the sacrifice. At the mark… set… match!” Nearly everyone cheered as the systems engaged, the lights dimming as the entire arena was engulfed in the darkness of the two units' realms.

“We are Dreamless! Sleep in a night so dark that you cannot dream!” Entwining their hands, the pair's name appeared on their bare arms.

“We are Loveless; we are the darkness in the heart of mankind.” Kissing the top of Ritsuka's forehead gently, she raised her hand to begin the series of attacks.