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kaiser-dracon · 4 years

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Alternative Berseria The X: Chapter 42 - The Valley of Kings Sneak Peek

Flash forward one thousand years later, Emperor Dorian’s Mansion, Pendrago the Blessed Capital

The air was tense with suspense around Sorey and Mikleo, no one batting an eye in anticipation. What felt like an exciting notion a few minutes ago, it was now a lump in their throat, preventing them to breath until they know the answer. The moment passed like an eternity.

The emperor's expression was unchanging in spite of the weight of his words. “That person’s name was Avernus Diphda.”

Sorey’s mind raced as it tried to comprehend the emperor’s response. He and Mikleo both had the same reaction. “Avernus… Diphda?!” Sorey released a pent up breath, narrowing his eyes as he focused further. “As in the Hyland’s royal lineage?”

The emperor let out a faint hum, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again and seemingly avoiding Sorey’s question. “Shepherd, in truth, all I wanted was to put an end to the conflict. It doesn’t matter how many wars you win, there is always one that follows. But they are also two sides of the same coin; for every action, there is an opposite reaction. Every lasting peace will inevitably be challenged by a new conflict.”

Sorey’s eyes widened in confusion as he glanced quickly at Mikleo before turning back to the emperor. “But what this has to do with the legend?”

The emperor picked up where he left, again dodging what Sorey wanted to hear. “Both war and peace situations must be dealt with when they come around, but the actions we take are going to be different each time. That’s what we’ve learned from history.” Emperor Dorian slowly rose up, sighing as he shot a thoughtful glance over the window into the rainy weather.

Sorey and Mikleo’s gazes followed the emperor, expecting a more relevant answer, but at the same time, they felt it would be rude to push the matter.

“I think you know the sensitivity of the subject. I’m afraid this is all I have to offer.”

Sorey stood up, bowing at the Emperor. “Thank you for your hospitality, your majesty.”

The emperor raised his brow slightly, turning to Sorey. “Leaving so soon?”

“Yes. We have to gain access to the church and meet with the Cardinal. The situation in Pendrago must be resolved as quickly as possible.” Sorey insisted.

Emperor Dorian beckoned at the door. “Then let me offer you transportation. It is only fair that we’d provide means for cleansing malevolence for the Shepherd, especially in this weather.”

Sorey and Mikleo nodded, following the emperor through the exit. Lailah, Edna, Rose, and Dezel joined them mid-way in the hallway. Sorey and Lailah exchanged a heavy and meaningful glance, before resuming their walk. Lailah merged with Sorey and he followed the emperor to the carriage.

As they got on the wagon, Rose spent a few moments probing Sorey’s face. For her, staying in her ex-fiance’s mansion was one thing, watching her friends’ silence was another uncomfortable feeling.

“Alright, what did the Emperor tell you?” Rose asked Sorey, breaking the stillness.

Sorey shifted his attention to her for a slight moment before returning his gaze to the window. “The emperor knew of malevolence and an old legend from a Mayvin.”

“A storyteller spilled some beans?” Rose leaned back against the seat. “You know how I hated to be blind to everything. That’s why I decided to be your squire. So tell me the whole story.”

Sorey put up his determined face and explained what the emperor told him in full detail. After that, Rose trailed off, staring into the rainy weather. “A Diphda, huh? I don’t know if I wanted to lose my emotions, but it’s understandable why he chose the girl instead of the savior.” Rose grinned.

Sorey darted his brows in surprise and confusion. “What do you mean?”

“It is simple; Justice for the boy and the girl,” Rose waved her hand. “Witnessing such an act would want me to put the savior down too. He was a Shepherd after all, wasn’t he? And most importantly, just look at Alisha; that’s expected from a Diphda.”

Mikleo shot as a blue orb from Sorey’s body and materialized beside him. He looked annoyed and frowning. “How can you easily say that? Didn’t you hear what Sorey said? He took the side of a Lord of Calamity. Who knows if he did the right thing or not?” Mikleo argued, uncertainty clear in his tone.

Suddenly, Lailah’s fiery orb exited Sorey and appeared next to Mikleo. “Rose is right, he was moved by the sense of justice at first,” Lailah said, prompting the rest to turn to her in shock. “Why and what he decided to do to, was not easily relatable. At that time, that was the right thing to do.”

“You’re saying that you knew him?!” Sorey inquired, now every piece of the puzzle was falling into their place in his mind. “But I thought you swore an oath.”

Lailah unexpectedly smiled. “For me, it was just a promise.” The fire seraph cocked her head proudly which was totally unexpected of her. “He wasn’t going to put his sister through an oath.”

Rose, Sorey, and Mikleo all jolted in their places, eyes widening in surprise.

“Sister…?!” Sorey mumbled, seeing Lailah associating herself this close to a human was odd but seemed amazing.

Lailah nodded, wearing a kind smile and eyes beaming with joy as a flood of heartening memories washed over her mind. “Yes. Avernus was the first human I encountered and he was the one who gave me my true name. Like you, he was also raised by a seraph.”

The moody atmosphere changed drastically. Now, Sorey, Mikleo, and Rose leaned in towards the fire seraph. Sorey scratched the back of his head. “I feel like I’m kind of left out a lot of things when you put it that way, Lailah.”

Lailah raised a few of her guardian cards and hid her smile behind them, cheeks turning pink. “It’s nothing to worry about. Avernus and his struggle is something that belonged to a different time and place.”

For a brief moment, the moon shone through a batch of clouds, flaring up old memories in Lailah and encouraging her to glance at it through the window. Her face radiated with hope as the ageless moon watched over her. “Know this, Sorey; war and conflict have existed since the world came to be.” Lailah’s face toned down to seriousness but still had that calm expression. “...For land, for resources, for social status, for love, and even for happiness. Doing your best to live is a fight, however, how you and others conduct conflict is all another matter and what’s left in the wake of that conflict will end up defining your legacy.”

Mikleo leaned back, absorbing Lailah’s sentences. “The shepherd’s legacy…”

Lailah titled her head to the side slightly and faintly giggled. “No, it wasn’t purely his legacy all alone. In fact, without her, none of it was possible.”

Sorey’s sharp wit caught her intention. “The lord of calamity,” he said confidently. “There is definitely more to it, isn’t it?”

Lailah nodded, turning to Sorey. “Yes. But before I tell you about them, you need to know a lot more, Sorey; just because you want to be a perfect Shepherd, doesn’t mean that’s all you have to be.”

Sorey remained intrigued, focusing on the Lailah as she continued. “Humans hold beliefs. There is no room for progress when you fanatically believe in something. The nature of it is black and white, rigid, sound and unchangeable. Yet because humans learn through experience, the beliefs they hold will inevitably change as well. What was once the right thing to do doesn’t always stay that way or applies to every single situation.”

Sorey heaved a breath. “Laws don’t always suit every scenario…”

Rose crossed her arms, closing her eyes as she dwelled on Lailah’s remarks. “And what you hold to be true can mean nothing to another person who doesn’t adhere or conform to your perspective. Ignoring that will make you…” Rose opened her eyes, glancing at Lailah. “... a fanatic.”

“Correct.” Lailah acknowledged. “You cannot solve a lot of issues if you’re not willing to go far. That’s the burden I told you at first about being a shepherd. Even though, you thought that you can’t be two opposing things at once, a pacifist and a warrior.” Lailah turned to Sorey once more. “Because shepherds labeled themselves as one or the other and these labels, had been confirmed by others, the burden of upholding them became heavy for them to bear. However, many people had to make sacrifices, and the hardest part for the shepherds was realizing when their turn had arrived. Ultimately, how they conduct themselves afterward, would inevitably define them.”

“But there is an element of choice in all things,” Sorey added, which in turn, Lailah nodded.

“It’s the most important assurance in times of struggle. It is inevitable; no matter how dark things become, something good will eventually be around the corner.”

Rose chuckled, seemingly eager to hear more. “Alright, I hope you have a good story after sprinkling all these philosophies around.”

“Not now,” Lailah said, turning into her fiery orb and melting back into Sorey. “Alisha needs to hear this too. Besides, it is a little bit soon for you, guys.”

Rose scowled and rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on!”

Mikleo grunted in irritation. “Then why did you go through all that just to keep us waiting?”

They heard the disembodied voice of Lailah giggling as it echoed in their minds. “Patience. Good things are worth waiting for.”

Sorey intuitively smiled. If Lailah was happy, then it was indeed a good thing.

Sorey could not wait to hear more.

#toz #tales of zestiria #tales of berseria #lailah (toz)#fanfiction #fanfic #story

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masiah · 5 years

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“Your smile is breathtaking”

compliment sorey (meme) / accepting *

Being with Suzaku feels natural. They have something kindred in common, maybe it’s the shared responsibility they feel as both seraphim and Shepherd towards guiding the world towards a better path. A gentler world. Just as much as Sorey feels Suzaku personally aches for other people, something he also has in common, and frankly? The traits were very appealing as a friend.

He’d long thought of him as a friend ever since he’d joined him, becoming yet another one of his trusted Sub Lords and those that had yet to unveil their intentions, like Dezel. All the same, he is precious to Sorey, and he wonders if he knows that.

The Shepherd’s white clad figure sways softly in a transient breeze; the sun is in his eyes, his hair, his bright and wide smile as he inhales a breath and exhales it. As if slowly letting the Atlas weight of his burdens and dreams lay by the side for a bit.

As if letting the world curved around his neck and shoulders, sleep peaceably if only out of mercy’s sake for the Shepherd who was not chosen, but chose. Yes, Suzaku was a partner, a friend, an ally, someone he directs a nigh blinding smile towards —

‘ your smile is breath-taking ‘ .

– and promptly finds the words are doing the breath-taking.

❝…i-is it! I…I um, h-had no idea….really. ❞ Half-choked, barely able to feel the ever gentle, but piercing gaze on his, yet another thing they shared. A harsh swallow coats a suddenly dry throat; this wasn’t their usual banter, what should he do?

Accept it? Well obviously but he realizes he’s been pointedly averting his gaze from the Fire Seraph for at least the span of a human’s breath. Which he was. Which wasn’t the point – !

Fingers gloved in the Shepherd’s crest ghost his cheek; rubbing at flaming heat with awkward scratches, the blinding smile in all its radiance fading into something shy and boyish.

❝ …did you mean that? I-I mean!❞ He turns to look at him; waving his hands frantically as if to take them back but the expression on the other’s face is almost like one of awe, like one staring into the sun. Funny, that’s kinda how he felt, staring at the gentle, ever faithful expression of kindness on Suzaku’s face.

❝ I’m…not very good at being complimented. Aside from….well, I-I don’t know! But…you’ve never…really said something like that to me before. I don’t think anyone has said anything like that to me.

It…feels different than usual. Between us, I mean. Is…that bad? It’s good right? Do you mind if…I tell you something back?❞ Sorey takes a step toward him, cape swaying gently around his ankles, purity and tender mercy becomes him, even as the sun tucked behind the cloud, it remained standing, right in front of the man of fire.

❝ I think your eyes are …really pretty. And when you smile? And you don’t fake it but you really, really mean it?

I feel happy. I think it’s a really nice smile. It’s all the good words you can put in a sentence, when you smile, Suzaku. A really…pretty smile. That you trust me to see it sometimes? Means a lot. A whole lot. ❞

Cheeks flush further, humbly stating what he felt was the truth and something kind and sincere that his friend who…at this moment felt different, really deserved to know. Far more than Sorey being venerated for his own graces.

❝ Do you mind if I come up with ways to keep you smiling? I-if you don’t mind, that is. A smiling Suzaku and a sad Suzaku…I care about both equally. I just want Suzaku to come as he is, always, because with me at least he’s safe.

But y’know…I’m going to believe in a day where you can smile from the bottom of your heart maybe not all the time, but a lot. Those days, that dream, will come one day. ❞ Whether I’m here or not, my dream will, and I’d feel at ease with this.

❝ S-So we’re uh, b-both pretty to each other! Huh! G-Great…I-I mean…I’m not complaining at all!❞ He blurts out; red-cheeked and the innate wisdom that somehow co-existed with sheltered origins fading in an instant into a constant purity.

❝ But I mean it. I think you’re the one who’s a lot more…um, breath-taking? Obviously not like your breath is being stolen ha..ha…more like, it just makes me stop and look at you. Differently, for some reason.

So…is it okay if I work towards my own dream for you, Suzaku? I hope that isn’t too selfish. I hope you don’t mind me getting in your business…❞ From a boy who was unselfish to the core, it was almost laughable. The awkward fumbles fade into something gentle and sincere as his hand reaches to squeeze his arm; a gentle, innate tenderness inlaid in the grip of every pad of his fingers.

❝ Suzaku? I …. ❞ You’re the breath-taking one, not me.

He extends his hand, crinkling eyes and fading cheeks, rose-tinted.

❝ Let’s go.❞ Let’s head towards the days where we’re smiling from the heart, more, much more, much, much more —

#knightsterror #☀ IC┊: to carry a passion for life and dreams; to carry the world’s as if your own.#☀ ASKS┊: never confessing to knowing everything; instead each day i learn.#head-tilts like a bird: IS THIS A CRU-CRU-CRUSH?!!?!?

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lady-byleth · 6 years

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Hope

Note: I was trying to take a nap but instead this happened...I just have a lot of emotions about these boys okay?! Also this isn't proofread so if y'all find any mistakes send me a pm or something

~*~*~

Though few people would believe him, Zaveid had actually only been in love - truly, deeply, completely in love - twice in his long life.

The first time was Theodora and it had hit him like a boulder to the stomach. Her love for all living things and her generosity, her surprising strength and stubbornness, her determination to help those who couldn't help themselves...she had been a brilliant light for someone adrift in a world where barely anyone could see him.

So when Theodora had finally succumbed to the children's malevolence it had been enough to nearly break him. He had tried to bring her back any way he could think of but nothing had shown even the slightest chance of success.

Around that time he also met the Malak - Seraph - who would become his second love.

With Eizen it happened slowly. Eizen was everything Theodora was not; he was rough and cold, prone to violence and rained death down upon his enemies. He didn't much care for the people outside his inner circle and collateral damage was just something that happened.

They had clashed horribly, and if not for Aifread and Eizen's stubborn insistence to kill Theodora, Zaveid would have been happy to stay as far away from the grumpy first mate as possible.

Until he learned just why Eizen was so adamant about everything he did.

The constant threat of becoming a dragon let him see Theodora's fate with different eyes, let him understand it on a deeper level than Zaveid, and that in turn showed Zaveid a side of Eizen he had never expected to see: the merciful grim reaper who carried suffering souls into the light.

The promise to kill him when the time came was an easy one then.

Zaveid should have known that it wouldn't stay easy. Just knowing the burden Eizen chose to bear alone kept bringing Zaveid back to him, to drink, to travel, to let off steam by throwing a few good punches...really, he should've seen it coming.

Still, when one day he followed a way too enthusiastic Eizen into some ruin or another, it hit him that at some point the memory of Theodora's smile had been replaced by that of Eizen as his source of warmth and strength.

Which made his promise all the more ironic and so, so hard to fulfill.

He would never tell Edna this but...he'd had every opportunity to kill Eizen when he turned and just...hadn't. His finger couldn't pull the trigger, his heart wasn't done bleeding yet.

First Theodora, now Eizen...sometimes he wondered if he wasn't the one who was cursed instead of Eizen.

So he did what he'd done when Theodora had turned so long ago. He flirted with everything that had legs and pretended that he wasn't suffering from an old wound torn open by someone new. Because everything was better than remembering the two people he'd lost his heart to only to have it returned in pieces.

He was so tired of hurting.

Maybe that was why he agreed to the little Shepherd's request...maybe that was why he didn't try harder to fulfill his promise. He was tired and hoping against hope for...well, hope.

Yeah, that must be it. That must be why he was here now, sitting next to Edna before a campfire, watching Sorey and Mik-bou pour over that dumb book of theirs, Rose and Lailah chatting a few feet away.

He sighed through his nose and ignored Edna's questioning look - he ignored a lot of her looks, too much like Eizen's to not hurt like a burning blade - to shove a hand into his pocket.

The cold metal of a single golden coin pressed into his palm, a nostalgic weight between his fingers that reminded him why he wanted to trust this kid so desperately.

Maybe...just maybe he could be the one to...

Maybe this Shepherd could do what Zaveid couldn't and save someone who actually deserved to be saved.

For that, Zaveid the Oathkeeper would become an Oathbreaker faster than the northern wind could blow.

For that, Zaveid was willing to wager everything.

Because even if he knew that Eizen had been right, that death could be salvation, one stubborn part of himself clung to any straw it could find.

One stubborn part of himself still believed in hope.

#zaveid x eizen #zaveid #eizen (tob)#eizen #tales of berseria #tales of zestiria

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leconcombrerit · 6 years

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Lloyd made me love Sorey.

He really did, going through Symphonia again. I’ve been in a ranting mood recently, and there might be spoilers for Zesty and Symphonia ahead. You’re warned !

Lloyd gets on my nerves. At times, at least. And far from enough to keep me from enjoying the game, but I still rolled my eyes and sighed a goddamn lot throughout Symphonia. It was quite the contrary with Sorey, and seeing them side by side makes me realize how much I love our kind Shepherd. Let me explain.

Lloyd is such an idealist. Other characters point this out, in case anyone hadn’t noticed. Not that I have anything against idealists. I’m quite cynical, so I tend to find them annoying most of the time, but I recognize that we need people like that too. Idealism can be nice, if paired up with empathy. Otherwise, the character just becomes a self-righteous brat that makes people facepalm hard enough to lose all the remaining neurones their cheesy speeches hadn’t killed yet. And Lloyd had the empathy of an especially unsensitive duck. Okay, maybe not that much. But you get the idea.

Arguable? Maybe. But how did he treat Dorr, when he learnt that he hadn’t stepped up to the Desians? Colette had to stop him and kindly remind him that not everyone was strong enough to stand up to their tormentors. Same with Mithos. A little piece of me died when he told him that he could live anywhere he wanted. “Not everyone can be strong”, as he said. Not everyone feels and reacts the same. “You don’t understand anything”, well no, he doesn’t. But Lloyd insists that he does. Despite their experience and hearts being entirely different, Lloyd feels entitled to tell him how he should feel and react. In that sense, the main antagonist of the story, the very one who wanted to make everyone the same, acknowledges difference better than Lloyd. Ironic much. You could argue that the thing with Dorr happened at the very beginning, but the fact that he acts the same with Mithos at the end (minus the anger, he gained some tact) shows that this peculiar trait of character remains.

He sees the world in black and white, probably because of his idealism again. Mithos points yhis out very clearly too, referring to a “game of good and evil”. This lack of nuance makes him the right guy with right answers for everybody. “The Desians are bad guys, let’s kill all the Desians, regardless of their condition and why they were treated like that”. Well, my bad, he does wonder why they do that. For a split second, before casting that aside to focus on his killing spree. “Kratos betrayed us, he’s a traitor, a bad guy, let’s not even wonder why he did this, we just have to stop him!”, “the Cruxis is horrible, let’s kill them”. I mean, yeah, they’re bad, same for the Renegades at first, but he killed many guards? Who mentioned, in Triet, that they had kids?

This statement isn’t absolute. He learns a lot during his journey, and that’s for the best. But he still assumes that his strength and values should be shared by everyone. He’s like a stubborn kid who’s ready to play dice with the world’s fate, the entire damn world’s fate, just so that he can save everyone, postponing the regeneration over and over to do stuff, and saving Sheena against all advice, and manages through his shining plot armour to survive and. I just can’t. I’m not saying he’s cruel or anything. You could even say that he has a sh*t ton of empathy for the people in the farms and the world as a whole (that he quickly dismisses to save Colette), but even then he mostly says “not another Iselia”, so… His feelings again.

Sorey on the other hand starts off as this young, innocent and sheltered boy. He’s naïve and tries to help too, but when Lailah (who gets Raine’s role in the sense that she warns him of the consequences of his actions times and times again) talks to him, he understands. He does say he’ll save Eizen. But he also understands when he can’t. He’s focused on his task but doesn’t forget what’s important to him. He chooses to make a huge sacrifice to save the world instead of being a kid and say “I won’t sacrifice myself or my friends, who could die if we do this, we’ll find another way”. The whole concept of malevolence makes it obvious that people can be “weak hearted”, and Sorey doesn’t yell at them for that. He understands, or tries, or acknowledges that he can’t understand. That’s extremely mature for a 17-year-old boy.

People call him bland, and I can somehow get why. He’s not all that expressive. He doesn’t say things, they’re implied, and I would have liked to see more of his emotions on display too. But it makes his fists of fury even more impressive.

They’re entirely different characters and comparing them might be as stupid as comparing a spoon with a fork, complaining the latter isn’t useful for soup. This is just my opinion and interpretation of the characters, to each their own.

Tl;dr : to me Lloyd is a self-righteous kid who can’t take no for an answer and forces his own emotions and strength onto others. Sorey is more reserved and grows an awful lot, and puts so much efforts into understanding other people and finding what’s the best thing to do is. Which is why I love him more. But I still like Lloyd.

He’s just way more of a kid to me.

#tales of symphonia #tales of zestiria #toz #tos #this rant is so long and useless but I needed to write it down #it's clearer in my mind when I write it am I the only one #lloyd irving #sorey #sorey (toz)#shepherd #video game #rant #character developement #tales of series #I can never make things short #I still love Lloyd but #Sorey appreciation post

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mistbow · 1 year

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[Translation] Tales of 20th Anniversary Tales of Taizen 1995-2016 - Sorey

Sorey’s page from the 20th Anniversary Taizen book.

The pure white Shepherd who purges the darkness of calamity

Under the tall sky, Gramps was my whole world.

The one who saved me from the brink of death, as I was born less than a month after my mother died in a war and left me on the scorched ground. The one who gave me more than enough love from both a father and a mother that I’d never had. The one who taught me and my friend, who were born as different kinds, a friendship that transcended the boundaries between humans and seraphim. The one who allowed me to leave my home in the morning glow, as hoped for in an old book.

He did not impose anything on me. But I felt entrusted. The parting gift of a pipe, as if gnarling fingers, was as warm as ever in my hand. That’s why I believed. The world that has nurtured me could be fulfilled by becoming the Shepherd. That’s why I wished. I wished to purge the Age of Chaos and see a shining era, as the Shepherd has done.

The boy of water went beyond fear and dread, exchanging vows of a lifelong, unchanging friendship.

The goddess of fire invited me to the legendary Sacred Blade, anticipating and guiding me on my journey, exchanging words of celebrations.

The girl of earth turned her head and embraced me with her giant arms, exchanging resolve.

The young men of wind, one recited penance, exchanging atonement, the other, drenched in blood, exchanged fortitude.

With the girl who led me into the world, I exchanged a fleeting parting as we took on each of our duty, and with the girl who pushed my back, we exchanged the swords of determination to put our lives on the line.

The fate of Shepherd was to be toyed with, and I was forced to use the might of the divine, which no arrows or exploding gunpowder could match, to fight. The power to help others was met with frightened eyes and a step backward. I was not allowed to lament my emptiness or shed a tear for someone else, and I walked as if my heart were an armor. In the withered desert, in the temple locked in the water, while standing helplessly over and over again, this body remained untainted because it was also protected by the promises made to my companions, and by the face of great kindness that awaited me back in the distant forest of Elysia.

Walk the path you believe in and live your life to the fullest, a hoarse voice echoed. I remembered the feeling of the hand that never got tired of patting my head, telling me to grow big, to be kind. This sword of purification, the one that gave life, that I pointed at the origin of calamity, where all malevolence was born, the Lord of Calamity, who was consumed by the curse through his own despair, was the one to pierce that life.

#tales of #tales of zestiria #mino translates

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cdrart · 7 years

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Art by me Writing by @bloomingednae

Day 7: Camlann (Family/Fate) Late

“There’s so much time, to figure out the rest of my life And you’ve already got me coming undone, And I’m thinking two, is better than one.” ~ “Two Is Better Than One” - Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift

“You have to catch me!”

His legs were burning. He felt like he could pass out any minute now as he kept running, and that voice that just kept calling to him-

“Come on, you slow poke!”

Mikleo finally gave in and broke into a Windstep, clearly exhausted from having to keep pretending to not be fast enough to catch the individual (In fact, he realized that he was no longer pretending and actually could not catch up to said individual because he was just that slow).

He finally caught up to the small child and easily carried them into his arms, a light squeal of laughter emitting from their throat with orange eyes full of joy. Once he began to calm down, Mikleo placed the child back down on the ground and the child looked back up at him, hands on his hips.

“You cheated! You used an arte to get to me!”

Mikleo playfully mirrored the child back. “Well, who’s the one that also used Windstep to get away from me?”

The child stuck his tongue out. “But I’m a child and that’s fair!”

Mikleo shook his head. “No mercy, even to the old people like me?”

The child looked up at Mikleo and laughed. “Oh come on, father, you don’t look a century old!”

Mikleo gave a light tap on the child’s forehead and laughed back. “And you talk as if you’re a century old.”

The child began to furiously move his arms about and pouted. “I’m gonna tell Papa that you’re teasing me real bad today!”

He stifled a laugh; smiling instead, he mused the child. “That was a compliment, not an insult!”

There were footsteps behind him as he heard the grass rustle lightly. Accompanied with a light laugh, the individual stopped right behind him before speaking.

“What’s this, with all this century talk?”

Mikleo turned around to face the source of the voice, only to have the light of the sun suddenly blind him-

But before he was completely blinded, he saw a glimpse of an all too familiar orange feather-

He jolted awake and immediately regretted opening his eyes quickly. Squinting, he realized that the sun had moved its position as it got later in the day and what had been a good, cool spot underneath the tree was now an area blaring with sunlight. Mikleo slowly attempted to shield his eyes with his left arm, but realized it was a lot heavier than what he remembered until he quickly looked in that direction. Sorey was lying face up, quietly napping as well with the shade of the tree completely engulfing him. Mikleo smiled at seeing Sorey in such peace and he slightly laughed when he forgot that his hand was intertwined with Sorey’s. Sorey didn’t seem to wake up from Mikleo’s accidental movement, and he sighed with relief. As quietly as he could, Mikleo shifted closer towards Sorey to escape the sun’s rays and he lay back down once more in a comfortable position, fingers still interlocked with Sorey’s.

“Have an interesting dream?”

Mikleo visibly shook at the sound of Sorey’s voice and he quickly turned to him, only to see his eyes still closed, a smile on his face. Sorey laughed lightly at Mikleo’s reaction, and Mikleo squeezed his hand hard in response. Sorey slightly grimaced at the sudden grasp, but he quickly recovered. He cracked one eye open to Mikleo and grinned.

“Oh come on, just curious.”

Mikleo looked back up towards the branches and pouted. “You didn’t have to pretend, you know.”

Sorey placed his free arm behind his head and he sighed. “I was gonna let it pass, but I dunno, something felt off with the way you were shifting about.”

Mikleo huffed. “Sorey, the sun was in my face.”

He heard Sorey laugh a bit, but there was an undeniable serious tone underneath his words. “Yeah, but. I dunno, I just felt it, you know?”

Mikleo just rolled his eyes at Sorey’s typical lack of description, but didn’t respond. He closed his eyes and listened to the wind in the trees, a relaxing sound that he had not heard in a very long time. Out of all the locations they decided to relax in was the town of origin, the place that started it all; their very birth location, the village of Camlann.

Internally, Mikleo felt both astonished and slightly unimpressed at how ironic it all was. Camlann, where they were both born, where the Age of Chaos began, where they were found by the people of Elysia, and where they were ultimately separated. Granted, it was still a mile or so from where Sorey had awakened, but it was close enough.

Now, here they were, merely resting at a site that had become an iconic location in terms of the many stages of their lives. Camlann was now considered a sacred site of the now awakened previous Shepherd, and had turned into an area full of foliage and peaceful wildlife. There was no one there except the two of them and Mikleo couldn’t tell if it was fate or not that was dancing all around them and toying away at his emotions, pointedly remarking at all the previous experiences they had here before.

Especially with that insanely odd dream he had just now. Was that Sorey, or...?

Mikleo shook his head. He concluded that, one, he couldn’t assume it was Sorey just because he saw a feather, and two, he didn’t even want to take care of a...child.

...Of course, if it was someone in need, that would be a different story and he would welcome the individual completely and raise them as his own.

Mikleo realized what he was thinking and shook his head even more furiously and decided to just let the thoughts go and be done with it.

Just as he decided to cast away the thoughts and drift back to sleep, a low hum came from Sorey along with a gentle squeeze on his hand. Mikleo didn’t open his eyes to this, as he just wanted to fall back asleep.

“Not planning on telling me, hm? You know, I don’t look much, but I do worry about you a lot.”

Mikleo just laughed. “Sorey, you don’t give yourself enough credit.”

Sorey turned to Mikleo and he smiled. “Alright. Then give me some.”

Mikleo groaned, realizing he just dug himself a hole right into Sorey’s trap. Sighing, he opened his eyes but continued to gaze at the branches, noticing the sun’s rays filtering through the leaves. His thoughts floated towards the individual covered by the sunlight in his dream, and it dawned on him that he forgot how the person’s voice sounded like. He concluded it wasn’t relevant and tried his hardest to explain what he saw.

“I really...don’t know how to explain it. Actually, I don’t even think I want to talk about it.”

He heard Sorey sigh and stare back up at the trees, just as Mikleo was doing. There was a silence between the two of them before he began to speak again.

“Why not?”

Mikleo shifted uncomfortably. “Because...it’s embarrassing,” he faced away from the trees in the opposite direction of Sorey. “It’s just weird, alright.”

Sorey noticed Mikleo’s actions with a quizzical look. It suddenly began to dawn on him.

“Wait...are you blushing?”

Sorey heard Mikleo mumble something and Sorey sat up, trying to see Mikleo’s expression. When Mikleo realized what he was doing, he turned to Sorey, his face a shade of red and averted eye contact with him. Sorey just sat, patiently waiting for Mikleo to explain his story.

“What’s so embarrassing about it? Dreams are images that depict small moments we’ve seen and thought of in our heads while we sleep, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.”

At this, Mikleo glanced at him with a deadpan expression. “I shouldn’t be hearing that from you, of all people.”

Sorey scratched the back of his head and sheepishly grinned. “Okay, well. I’m a different case of sleeping and dreaming, so I’m an outliner that shouldn’t even be considered.”

“But really,” Sorey squeezed his hand again (this was starting to become a habit of theirs), “it looked like it at least bothered you somewhat. Or it made you curious of something.”

Mikleo glanced up at Sorey, which he knew was a bad idea; the moment he locked eyes, Mikleo couldn’t avoid not telling Sorey, especially with the patient expression that he so often held. He sighed, and realized it would probably do them less harm if he was just straight out with it. Inhaling, Mikleo blinked once and stared at the branches above again.

“...I dreamed I was taking care of a child.”

Silence fell between both of them as a gentle wind came by and flowed through Sorey’s ponytail. A noticeable shade of red was forming on Mikleo’s face again, but Sorey couldn’t help but want to grin; he held it back. He tilted his head in thought, feigning confusion.

“Um...okay? That’s-”

“I’m about ninety five percent sure it was my child,” Mikleo interjected, still avoiding eye contact with Sorey. “I’m also about ninety five percent sure it was his child too-”

Mikleo’s eyes widened, realizing his slip up and he quickly glanced at Sorey, who evidently noticed his shocked expression and mirrored a similar demeanor. He tried to quickly recover by looking away from Sorey and clearing his throat.

“I-I mean-”

Mikleo couldn’t find any words and fell silent, face still completely red, if but a darker shade. He couldn’t tell how Sorey was taking it, but he didn’t want to find out and kept himself busy by counting the branches above him.

When Mikleo got to branch number seventeen, Sorey just laid back down wordlessly. What Mikleo failed to notice was the undeniable smile that formed on Sorey’s face; a mix of shock, joy, and hope. Sorey spoke, a slight crack in his voice as his tone was lower than his normal volume.

“I’m sure you’ll look as if you’re still not a century old by the time you’re a ‘father’, Mikleo.”

At this, Mikleo couldn’t tell if he was distraught, embarrassed, surprised, or relieved; he turned his head quickly in Sorey’s direction, who still was looking up. It was as if he was purposely avoiding eye contact with Mikleo, and before he could stutter out anything relating to the dream, Sorey suddenly turned and locked eyes with him. There was a look in his eyes that Mikleo had never seen and it stopped him so suddenly as a surge of mixed feelings began to form. Sorey, on the other hand, opened his mouth to speak; the sight of Mikleo flustered, surprised, serious, and so beautifully and consciously there beside him was beyond anything he could ever ask for, and he felt his heart bursting with a number emotions, which fueled him even more to speak. He smiled once more, and grasped Mikleo’s hand firmer, locking their intertwined fingers even more.

“Marry me.”

The words that came out his mouth flowed smoothly without hesitation and so suddenly that Mikleo wasn’t even sure if he heard correctly. His mouth was slightly open and he felt too stunned to speak; maybe it was adrenaline rushing him forward because he automatically sat up and took noticeably deep breaths before finally facing Sorey again.

“I...wait, this is...so sudden...we’re seraphs...isn’t this-”

Mikleo began to curse at his own clumsiness, but the amount of emotions he felt along with the pounding of his heart in his chest was so much to bear in itself. He kept stumbling on enough words that gave Sorey time to finally sit up, expression unreadable as far as Mikleo could tell. Taking a deep breath, Mikleo finally caught his breath.

“Okay, wait, isn’t this like...mostly a human tradition - I mean, it’s also in seraph culture, but - what I’m basically saying is that, I’m a little confused-”

Mikleo could’ve sworn he saw Sorey choke back a laugh, but he didn’t take the time to notice nor reprimand him. Once his words became somewhat clear to Sorey, Sorey began to stand up, unlocking his fingers from Mikleo’s. Before Mikleo could even speak again, suddenly missing the warmth of Sorey’s hand in his, he noticed Sorey deftly pull out a small box from his pocket and turned to Mikleo, still standing. He laughed as Mikleo just stared at him with eyes still in shock and he shook his head a little as he sighed. Mikleo watched as Sorey finally knelt on one knee, propping open the box while doing so.

“You know,” Sorey started, “I was going to go the old, simple, plain route just now, but since you insist that it’s merely only a human tradition, I guess I can revert back to my human genes for just a second and propose the ‘correct’ way, am I right?”

“Regardless,” Sorey continued, “I did want to go about it this way too, but since we were just laying there, it felt just right. But, let me restart and take it back a bit,” Sorey spoke, voice as light as it always was, and he continued to lock eyes with Mikleo. With a firm tone, he smiled at Mikleo, green eyes slightly glistening against the rays of the sun filtering through the trees.

“Luzrov Rulay, my one and only Mikleo, will you marry me and spend the rest of our dream together until eternity?”

Since Sorey had begun to move, Mikleo had not moved one inch. He was still in the same position when he sat up and (he gave a good guess) that his expression was still the same throughout the whole process. He didn’t even know if was still breathing, but by the looks of Sorey’s happy expression, he bet another guess that he very much still was.

Mikleo finally took a breath and decided to slow down his thoughts, grounding himself in the situation while doing so. He took a look at the box before him and he smiled; the box itself was nothing significant. It was covered in cloth of a dark brown hue with hints of dark red imbued, but the exterior itself was worn with some of the corners seemingly tattered. It was lined with a gold trim that wrapped itself around the box; from what Mikleo could assume on first glance, it was something that more than likely dated back from several centuries ago and probably held some importance back in its era. It was no easy find, that was to be sure. Yet another discussion that he and Sorey could get into much later.

However, what caught Mikleo’s attention was the ring itself; it was a very simple gold band with very small pale blue and orange crystals lining the middle. Each crystal was tiny, but had varying sizes and Mikleo could tell it was handpicked and added to the band, adding a sentimental touch to it. He also fathomed another guess that this was also the combined work of Lailah and Edna who probably figured their previous Shepherd would be too oblivious to know how to add it directly on the band (he could only imagine Edna rolling her eyes as she told Sorey which crystals were safe to pick and Lailah happily humming away while sealing the crystals within the band with fire artes). He knew, though, the design itself was Sorey’s idea over all.

He realized that he was inspecting for so long that the silence between them started to become unbearable. The sudden question still echoed in his mind; it reverberated in his ears, mind, and heart and had him feeling emotions he couldn’t explain. Looking at Sorey, he realized that Sorey hadn’t moved one bit; his expression still waiting patiently completely unreadable other than the same surge of determination he had noticed earlier when Sorey first asked.

As if suddenly welling within him, Mikleo had the urge to laugh; but, try as he might to hold it, he found himself nearly doubling over much to Sorey’s confusion. The normal ‘confused yet intrigued’ expression rested on Sorey’s face once more, replacing his earlier demeanor. Despite that, his posture was still the same, much to Mikleo’s amusement.

By all nature of everything, Mikleo knew it was rude to laugh; in fact, it was probably distasteful given the current situation they were both in. However, he couldn’t help but sum up the events before him: his previous thoughts on Camlann, where it had led them, and how it resulted to this one moment, ending in unity together for an indefinite amount of time. He concluded that fate did indeed play its hand in their lives and intertwined their experiences into one, no matter how divergent their paths were at one point; and the stronger that one bond became with the two of them. Like the red string of fate, their lives always crossed into each others’ with the passing of time.

Mikleo recomposed himself, and smiling, he sat up and stared at Sorey, this time with a similar expression which Sorey had demonstrated earlier. He gently held the hand which Sorey was holding the box with and nodded.

“I’ll be more than honored to spend forever with you. Yes...so yes, I’ll-”

He suddenly began stumbling on his words, and an unexpected quiet sob escaped his lips instead, tears streaming down his face. As if all the adrenaline from earlier began to wear off, the surge of mixed emotions suddenly erupted into uncharacteristic tears. He began to wipe his face quickly, confusion in his demeanor as tried to hide his face.

“I-I’m-I’m fine, I just...what in the world...”

He felt Sorey’s arms encircle him and at once realized how embarrassing it was to suddenly breakdown. First laughter, now tears...Mikleo knew he was a mess and recovering it at this point was probably pointless. His usual serious character was clearly broken down into his vulnerable state, but he found that he couldn’t have it any other way being in Sorey’s arms.

He pulled away and glanced up at Sorey who was completely wordless, but upon looking at his expression, Mikleo knew that Sorey needed no words to explain how he felt. He looked purely content and at peace and he knew that was enough for Sorey.

And he knew it was enough for himself as well.

Clearing his throat, Mikleo coughed and crossed his arms, trying to regain his composure. “...just saying, seraphs can get married too; it’s not just a human tradition.”

Sorey was caught off guard for a second before recovering, his usual competitive expression taking over. “Oh, yeah? Then why hasn’t there been any proof-”

“Mason and Natalie were married; I hope you knew that, especially all these years,” Mikleo interrupted, feeling triumphant as Sorey’s expression turned into surprise.

“W-wait, what? Gramps never mentioned it, so I thought they were just two people living in the same house-”

Mikleo rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, they were just casually living in the same house-”

“Just like we were!” Sorey interrupted Mikleo this time, eyes wide. Mikleo just shook his head and stared back.

“That was only when we were kids. Why do you think Gramps had me move out when we were eleven? Well, mostly to have you get ready for the world outside, but...” Mikleo trailed off.

Sorey hummed in response to Mikleo. “Whatever, I still think it originated from human tradition that seraphs eventually developed.”

Mikleo raised his brow, a smirk suddenly forming on his face with a familiar hint of competitiveness. “Do you really want to test me?”

Sorey laughed, and he leaned over to Mikleo, placing a light kiss on his forehead. Pulling away, he smiled and continued to hold Mikleo.

“I’ve got all the time in world.”

#sormikweek2017 #sormikweek #soremiku #sorey #mikleo #Sorey (ToZ)#Mikleo (ToZ)#epilogue mikleo #tales of zestiria #toz #tales of #digital art #fanart #sketches #friend collab #writing #art project

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tmariea · 7 years

Text

By Any Other Name

Loveless AU

A name is central to the relationship between a fighter and sacrifice pair. It is a symbol of their bond, and a source of their power. For Mikleo and Sorey, a blank fighter with a name from a previous sacrifice, and a sacrifice missing the other half of his given name, it’s the one thing they lack.

WARNING: for mentions of violence, blood, and injury

Read on AO3

So much thanks is also due to @defragmentise, for putting the idea in my head, and encouraging it, and reading this over!

Mikleo could feel them waiting as soon as he got out of school. They weren’t at the gates, which was some small blessing, but close enough that he picked up on the teeth-shuddering vibrations of another pair’s domain. It made his ears and tail twitch with discomfort. Given the way just about everyone and anyone had sought him out, to test Enforcer’s fighter now that he was with a new sacrifice – a sacrifice who had a different name – he doubted this pair had any better intentions.

He was halfway decided to go deal with the situation himself when a weight collided with his back, nearly pitching him forward onto his face. A pair of arms wrapped around his waist to steady him, and a voice said happily in his ear, “Mikleo! I missed you!”

“You saw me at lunch,” Mikleo said, wiggling his way out of the hold and turning around to face Sorey. One hand came up to his face to try to hide some of the redness there. “And do you have to be such a sap in public?”

Sorey’s ears were perked up, and his tail – much more puppy-like than Mikleo’s – practically wagged despite the scolding. He planted his hands on his hips, and said, “Well, of course! Now, I thought we could go to the museum this afternoon. Coming?”

Mikleo shook his head. “I would like to, but we have a situation. What are your orders?”

Sorey’s tail stopped wagging, his face suddenly much more serious. “Where?”

“I think they’re in the park down the road; at least they picked a convenient spot.”

“Let’s take care of it, then.” The way Sorey spoke didn’t smack so much like an order, the way a sacrifice was supposed to behave towards his fighter. It was more like a suggestion. The higher-ups back at the academy would have scolded, but Mikleo didn’t mind. It felt like more even ground between them this way.

Mikleo nodded and said, “We should get going, before they come looking for us.” He started to walk in the direction of the park, taking note of how the vibrations shifted in the air.

Sorey fell into step with him and took his hand. Mikleo flushed red, for the second time in a matter of minutes, and turned away, cursing his traitor cheeks. He was smiling, though.

Mikleo had always known, more as a matter of fact than any sort of personal experience, that the bond between fighting pairs could be exceptionally close. He hadn’t known, until he’d been introduced to the boy who would become his new sacrifice, that it was possible to fall for someone quite that fast. And yet, here he was.

The walk towards the park was outwardly uneventful. To any other observer, they looked no different from any other pair of young sweethearts. It was the sort of thing which would have given Mikleo pause, if he wasn’t too busy sounding out their opponents’ domain. It was strong, but there was something rather slippery about it, too, and hard to hold onto. He had an idea who it might be – he’d heard of a pair with a domain like this before, but he’d never fought them himself. But, any knowledge at all would be an advantage.

Sure enough, as they turned onto one of the gravel paths into the park, he could see two girls in the distance. They were identical in every aspect, from their faces and matching bored expressions, to their orange flower hair ties, small black shorts and sheer purple shirts. Mikleo subconsciously gave a squeeze to Sorey’s hand.

“That’s them?” he asked.

Mikleo nodded. “The Symonne twins. No one knows their first names, outside of themselves, but that seems to suit them just fine.”

“I’m guessing they’re tough, then, if they’ve got a reputation?”

Mikleo nodded again.

“Man, I really was hoping to go to the museum today,” Sorey said with a sigh. But he squeezed Mikleo’s hand one more time before letting go and sweeping it out in a dramatic ‘after you’ gesture. “I suppose we should.”

They kept going until they stood ten feet from the twins, and then stopped.

The girls gave a disdainful hum in tandem, and then said, “We are Void. We are the crushing darkness, the terrifying unknown, a nothingness that will steal your breath and rip you apart.” As they spoke, ripples flowed through their domain from between them, strengthening their connection on every beat. Mikleo could feel it thrumming against his chest, but he stood his ground. Incantation complete, one twin stepped back, the one whom he assumed was the sacrifice.

“And you are Enforcer. And Shepherd,” the sacrifice drawled. She sounded bored.

“Shameful, really,” added the fighter. “Taking a new sacrifice. How can you possibly live with yourself?”

Mikleo saw Sorey rock forward on the balls of his feet from the corner of his eye, and brushed a calming hand along his arm. He didn’t care too much about the comments. Enforcer wasn’t even truly his name. He’d never had one bestowed on him, only carved into his skin with a knife when he had become useful. And then Uncle Michael had died, but Mikleo was still useful anyway. Too useful to be left in peace.

“I see no need for preamble. Shall we begin?” he asked. The annoyance that flitted across the fighter’s face when he didn’t react how she had wanted made the corners of his lips twitch.

“So be it. Battle systems initiate!”

“Accepted.”

Void’s fighter wasted no time in starting. “Hit. Strike. Pierce,” she called rapid-fire. The casting was fast, on par with some of the better fighters Mikleo had faced, but the spells were simple. They didn’t require finesse in response, just matching speed. He had the feeling she wasn’t doing much more than sounding him out.

“Guard. Defend. Shield,” Mikleo snapped back, and felt the force of the spells dissipate against a barrier of his own power. Then, before she could start again, he said, “Spectral Cloak.” It was a barrier spell of his creation, meant to protect the outside world from the effects of a spell battle.

“You’re no fun,” griped Void’s sacrifice. “I like it when things break.”

“That’s unkind,” Sorey said from beside Mikleo. Unlike most sacrifices, he hadn’t taken a step back when the battle began. The practice of hanging back behind his fighter had never sat well with him.

The twins both shrugged their indifference. Mikleo used the pause to retort, “Aqua Serpent – bite, drown!” A torrent of water rushed from the air in front of him, roaring into jaws and fangs as it rushed for Void’s sacrifice.

“Nothing passes through void. It leaves nothing. It swallows, it rends.”

Most of the water vanished, but a thin trail darted through and found its mark. The sacrifice hardly twitched as it scored her hand.

Mikleo had no chance to celebrate the small hit. He scrambled out, “Defense!” Far too simple for the complexity of the offense, but he slammed raw power behind the word. Threading a new spell so seamlessly into the end of a defensive spell took skill, and it had caught him off guard. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. Especially as Sorey gasped as shards of the spell broke past.

After the pause of his messy defense, weaving another spell out of the twins’ last wouldn’t be as effective as if he’d caught it right away, but any advantage was worth taking. “Vortex swallows sure as void. Drag to the depths.”

“Nothingness is untouchable,” the fighter insisted, but the sacrifice staggered, her back bowed. A cuff clapped around her wrist before she had the chance to stand again.

Mikleo didn’t give her the chance before whipping out the next spell. “Then fill the nothingness. Twin flow.”

Still reeling from the landed hit, it was Void’s turn for a messy protective spell. Matching snarls contorted their faces. Mikleo braced for them to turn the words of his spell as he had done, but they changed tactics. “Rend. Rip. Divide. Separate. Tear apart.”

The spells were simple, but aimed this time at the biggest weakness between Mikleo and Sorey. Without a name, their bond was fragile, open to attack. Almost as instinctively as any spell, Mikleo reached for Sorey. A warm hand was there to meet his halfway and squeeze tight. “Unity. Bond. Strength. Indivisible,” Mikleo returned, but he knew they did not have the shared power to back his words. He held Sorey’s hand tighter and promised they would not break apart. But he knew they would take damage.

The power of the spell was like needles in his skin. They dragged it open across his arms and his face. The fabric of his sweater shredded, but took the majority of the damage. Beside him, Sorey grunted hard and sudden, the air rushing from his lungs under the power of the hit. Underneath, sounded the clink of chains. A shackle each at their clasped hands, and when Mikleo looked over, another at the hand Sorey had clenched to his side.

“Sorey!”

“I’m alright,” he hissed through his teeth. His voice was laced with pain, but he stood straighter and stared down the twins with determination in his eyes. “Keep going.”

Mikleo nodded and called, “Rain of ice. Tearing wind. Violent storm.”

The wind picked up and screamed in their ears. The fighter had to yell to be heard as she countered. “Void is cold. It is violence. Our nature does not harm us.” But rain and wind were not of the void. Another shackle closed around the sacrifice’s wrist.

They were slipping, and it made Mikleo smile. Void seemed to notice it too; something worried crossed their faces, before it was replaced with something far more devious. “Deprivation of the void – take sight, take sound. Then give it back.” The fighter’s grin as she spoke was vicious.

The spell was wicked fast; before Mikleo even had the chance to speak, his senses vanished, and then flickered back into being. It was as if a veil had been placed across his vision; he could still see the twins, but they were blurred behind a wavering stream of images – the faces of those he’d known and loved, gone pale and dead; Sorey turning away from him, to face a man with ‘Shepherd’ inscribed on his arm; a flash of Michael’s smile and the timbre of his voice in Mikleo’s ear, which tilted upward into a shriek. Mikleo felt his heart speeding up and his breath coming shallow. All of it would choke him, or perhaps that was the collar forming around his neck. Behind it all, the twins were giggling.

“Best attend to your sacrifice,” said the fighter. “Looks like he’s taking the worst of it.”

That’s right, he could still hear the twins, still see them. It wasn’t real, he was okay. But, Sorey… Mikleo shook off the indistinct illusion and glanced over in time to see Sorey sink to his knees. One hand tugged as his own collar, and the other was stretched out in front of him, searching.

“Mikleo?” he said, his voice frantic and choked with tears. His ears lay flat in his hair, and his eyes stared forward, wide and sightless. “Mikleo!?”

“Freeze,” Mikleo commanded, and tried to channel the fear in his heart for Sorey into the strength of his spell. “Carve safety from ice, from snow, from frozen time.” He didn’t wait to see the twins stutter and slow in their movements before he dropped down before Sorey and took his hand. It lay limp and unresponsive in his palm. He had to squash down his impulse to panic; it would do no one good.

Snow was starting to fall around them, in tiny cold pinpricks on his skin. Sorey’s breathing still came too fast and too loud, but he took his hand away from the collar and held it palm up, as if to feel the snowflakes. His other hand twitched, and then clenched around Mikleo’s. “Mikleo?” he said again, but this time he sounded more confused than panicked.

“I’m right here,” Mikleo continued. “You can feel me, they didn’t take that. I’m right here, and you will stay with me.” Even if Sorey couldn’t hear him through the illusion, hopefully the words of the spell would hit. He grabbed Sorey’s shirt in his free hand and dragged him forward into a kiss.

Sorey gasped and wrapped his arms tight around Mikleo. He broke the kiss and buried his head in Mikleo’s shoulder. “You’re okay.”

“Yes, and I’m right here.” Mikleo held him for a second more, and then pulled away. As he did, he saw that Sorey’s eyes were clear, if a bit watery. He twisted on his heels so he was facing the twins, but still left his own body as a shield between them and Sorey.

“What are your orders?” he asked. Looking out at the twins, who were laughing – laughing – at Sorey’s pain and fear, he was brimming with rage. He wanted to grind them into the dirt.

“We should finish what we started,” Sorey said. His voice was firm despite his scare only moments ago, and Mikleo couldn’t prevent pride from welling up in his chest. It was a much better feeling than so much anger.

“You got it. By ice and frost and freezing winds. Your fate has been set. Rime Slaughter.”

A geometric pattern in glowing blue formed at the twins’ feet, slipping past their front-facing defense. From it, burst wicked sharp shards of ice that whipped about them in a strong wind. Even as the ice sought its target, frost flowers bloomed on the twins’ skin. Mikleo knew from experience that it was cold enough to burn. The sacrifice shrieked in pain and anger, as strap after strap of leather bound her arms and legs together, rendering her immobile. Half a moment later, it was over.

“I call your defeat,” Mikleo stated in a voice that betrayed none of his emotions. The effects of both pairs’ spells melted away, along with their bindings. Mikleo wouldn’t have minded letting the twins hurt a bit longer, but he knew Sorey wouldn’t have approved.

The feeling of the domains melted away, along with all of Mikleo’s energy. He had been crouching still in front of Sorey still, and he ended up sitting down hard, with a groan. A short distance away, the twins were groaning, too, as they tried to recover.

“Mikleo, are you okay?” Sorey hastened to ask. His arm came up around his shoulders to support him in case he toppled the rest of the way over.

“We did it,” Mikleo said, and then held up a closed fist. Sorey complied and their forearms together, but then waited for an answer. “I’m fine, just tired.” He brought a hand over his mouth to cover his sigh. He didn’t really need Sorey to hold him up, but oh if he didn’t lean back into that hold just a bit. It was so warm, and even if his ice spells wouldn’t hurt them, there were still goosebumps up and down his arms. “But what about you?”

“Ah, I’m alright!”

“No, don’t try to pull that one on me. I know you’re not okay. I should rephrase – what hurts?” Mikleo turned around in time to see Sorey sheepishly trying to cover up the fact that he’d been holding his hand to his side. He got a glimpse of a red palm before it was tucked away.

“That one I guess you can see,” Sorey said, and went to reach up and scratch the back of his head. He only got about halfway there before he winced, and dropped his arm again. “And I was scared,” he admitted, looking down and away, “scared you were gone.”

Mikleo crossed his arms and turned away with a fake pout. “As if you could get rid of me that easily.” He only held the pose for a moment before letting the corners of his mouth twitch up. When he glanced back at Sorey, he had managed a small, relieved smile, too.

“I guess I should have known better.”

“Yes, you should have,” Mikleo said, still rolling with the teasing. But then he let his expression turn more serious, and added, “But, I won’t be going anywhere. Now, should we head home?”

“Yeah, sounds great. Gramps won’t be home until late tonight, so we can go to mine. It’s closer.”

Mikleo nodded, and began to pick himself off the ground. Easier said than done with limbs that felt like jelly, but he managed with only minimal groaning. “Can you stand?”

“I think so,” Sorey said, but he still took the hand Mikleo offered, anyway, and let him sling his arm across his shoulder.

At some point, the twins had slunk off. That was probably for the best. There was absolutely no need for anyone to witness how much this fight had reduced the two of them to a wobbly mess. Mikleo wrapped an arm around Sorey’s waist, when he saw that he was having even more trouble. His tail came up just below his arm, to reinforce his position, and the end wrapped protectively around Sorey’s wrist.

“Cute,” Sorey murmured, which made Mikleo blush. He curled his fingers up so he could just barely brush Mikleo’s fur, which sent a tingle of sensation up his back, and made him blush even more.

“I’m going to leave you here if you’re just going to be sappy.”

“I can stop if you really want me to.”

Mikleo turned away, so he wouldn’t have to look Sorey in the eyes, when he said, “No, you don’t need to stop.”

“Thank you,” Sorey said, contented as could be, and didn’t let up with his tiny pets for the whole, slogging walk.

By the time they made it back to Sorey’s house, he was leaning heavily on Mikleo. His hands fumbled with the key in the lock, until Mikleo took it from him and opened the door.

“How are you doing?”

“Tired,” Sorey grumbled, and pressed his forehead into Mikleo’s shoulder. “And I have a headache.”

Mikleo gave a comforting squeeze with the arm wrapped around his waist. “Alright, shoes off and up the stairs then. We’ll get cleaned up, and then you can nap.”

“Alright,” Sorey echoed, drawing out the syllables of the word.

“That means you’re going to have to walk.”

Sorey made a noise somewhere between a grumble and a whine, but he did move to follow as Mikleo shuffled them into the house and closed the door behind them. Thankfully, Sorey had never been good about keeping his shoes in top condition, which made them easy to kick off. The trip upstairs was slower, with Sorey dragging his feet, and weighing Mikleo down. As soon as they made it into Sorey’s bedroom, Mikleo pushed him down to sitting on the bed. “Don’t lay down yet, unless you want blood on your sheets,” he called over his shoulder as he made his way into the bathroom. An affirmative grumble sounded behind him.

The first aid kit was in the cabinet under the sink, and would need restocking soon. They’d been in this situation often enough that these were details he knew. There should be enough supplies for today, though, if he was remembering correctly. He filled a glass with water from the tap and carried everything back to the bedroom.

Sorey was slouching where he sat, and his eyes had fallen nearly shut. It was a great opportunity to sneak up and press a kiss to the top of his head. A smile crept slowly across Sorey’s face.

“Here, for your headache,” Mikleo said, and held out the water, and two pain pills he’d fished out of the kit.

“Thanks.”

As Sorey swallowed down the pills and a big gulp of water, Mikleo rummaged in the kit for antiseptic, cotton balls, and bandages. “You’re going to have to figure out how to explain this one.” He brushed the edges of the tear in Sorey’s shirt; blood had soaked into the fabric in a ring.

“I’ve gotten pretty good at washing blood out of things by now,” Sorey said with a sheepish grin.

“That is not a comfort.”

“Yeah, I figured it wouldn’t be. Do you want me to take this off?”

“Here, let me.” Mikleo slid his hands under the hem of Sorey’s shirt, and gently lifted it away, so that it wouldn’t catch on the cut. He sucked in a breath once it was revealed; it was deeper than he had originally thought. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

Mikleo sighed. “Because I’m your fighter. It’s my job to serve and protect you, and you got hurt.”

“I know I’m fairly new to this, but isn’t my job to take damage for you so you can fight? We have an equal hand in protecting each other here. I’m not letting you take all the blame.”

“Neither of us is going to win, huh?”

“Nope. So, I order you to not to feel guilty about it,” Sorey said, and turned his nose up and away from Mikleo.

“I shouldn’t have taught you that trick, should I have?”

“No, you really shouldn’t have.”

While they spoke, Mikleo had set out his supplies and soaked a cotton ball in antiseptic. He laid his right hand just under the gash, warning Sorey that he was going to start. Sorey nodded, and preemptively clenched his hands into the sheets. As soon as Mikleo touched the cotton to the wound, he hissed in pain and then clamped his teeth onto his lip. Even around his teeth he murmured, “Ow, ow, ow – shit – ow.” Mikleo stroked his thumb along the still-intact skin beneath the gash, as a silent apology.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much cleaning needed; the wound had bled enough to wash out any particles of dirt or grime. So Mikleo just did a cautionary pass against infection. It had clotted, but began to bleed again as he worked, so he wiped away the new blood with a piece of gauze, and then held a clean pad of it over Sorey’s ribs. “Here, pressure for a moment,” he advised, and waited until Sorey’s hand came to replace his own before starting to wrap bandaging around his waist to keep it in place. Once it was wrapped and fastened, Mikleo leaned down to kiss the top of the bandage. He kept his touch feather-light, to not cause any more undue pain, and then placed another just above, so this time Sorey could feel it.

“What’s that for?” Sorey asked, sounding both amused and fond.

Mikleo flushed and glanced away. “That one’s a thanks, not a sorry. For taking damage for me. So no objecting.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

The rest of the cleanup was easy by comparison. Sorey had a number of cuts on his arms and a small one just above the corner of his jaw. Mikleo cleaned them all out carefully, before covering them up with smaller bandages. His wrists and neck were pink and irritated from the cuffs and collar, but massaging a strong lotion into the skin would have that cleared up in a matter of hours. By the time he was done, Sorey looked about ready to drop.

“Alright, you should get some sleep,” Mikleo said, while he stood and moved to discard the used cotton balls in the trash. Then he turned to rummage in Sorey’s drawers for a clean shirt, one which wasn’t stained by blood. He paused for a second, and then pulled out a second for himself, a light blush dusting his cheeks. His own shirt was truly shredded though.

“What about you?” Sorey asked. Every syllable was drenched with exhaustion, and it looked as if he was only still sitting up on sheer force of will. Even if he wanted to help, Mikleo half expected him to fall asleep partway through the process.

“I don’t have much.” A cut on the back of his hand, and a few on his forearms. Nothing like Sorey’s impressive collection. “I can manage.” He turned back and handed the shirt to Sorey.

Sorey took it and put his arms through the holes, which Mikleo worked on changing out of his own ruined clothing. Dragging it over his head made Sorey wince just a bit, but he managed. Once his head emerged from the collar, he looked at Mikleo with a frown. “I want to return the favor.”

“And I think you’ll just fall asleep and drop all this nice, sterile first aid stuff on the floor.” Mikleo shot back. But, he did shift his pile of supplies and sat on the bed next to Sorey. He scooted closer until their sides were pressed together, with Sorey just slightly behind. He took one of Sorey’s arms and guided it around his waist. “Now, you can put your head on my shoulder and fall asleep there.”

“Seems more like you’re just helping me again.”

“No, I am definitely being selfish.”

Sorey hummed, and tightened his arm before doing as Mikleo asked and resting his chin on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Mikleo replied, before getting to work on his own clean up. Despite the fact that it only took a matter of minutes to sanitize and bandage himself, by the time he was done, Sorey had started snoring lightly in his ear. “Well, I did invite this,” he grumbled to himself, and then set aside the first aid supplies before nudging Sorey’s uninjured side gently.

“Wha?”

“I win. I knew you would fall asleep.”

“Ah,” Sorey paused for a jaw-creaking yawn, “Guess so.”

“Wow, you must really be tired if you’re conceding. Anyway, I’m done, so let’s sleep for real.”

“Sure, sure.”

The two of them scooted up the bed, and Sorey was out again the moment his head touched the pillow. That left Mikleo with the job of trying to coax the blankets out from under him, and finally covering them up. He tucked his head into the crook of Sorey’s neck, and settled in for his own nap.

By the time Mikleo stirred again, the he could see the sun starting to set through the windows. It fell just right to gild the tips of Sorey’s hair in light gold. He reached up a hand to stroke through it, and scratch at the backs of Sorey’s ears, watching the way the light shifted.

Sorey hummed faintly and snuggled up closer to Mikleo for a moment before his eyes opened. “Good morning,” he said, voice still fuzzy with sleep.

“We didn’t sleep that long,” Mikleo said, and continued petting Sorey’s ears. He leaned into the touch. “How are you feeling for the rest?”

“Better, thanks. The headache is gone at least. Although, I could go for some dinner.”

“Sure, but in a little bit.”

“Yeah, of course,” Sorey said, recognizing even if it wasn’t said that Mikleo just wanted to hold him longer.

He didn’t want to say it out loud, but the fight had shaken him. It had been a hard one, and try as he might the illusions were still in his head. Worse, the sight of Sorey so broken under their weight. His hands trembled just a bit even as they kept moving in Sorey’s hair.

“How are you feeling?” Sorey asked, the look on his face saying that he already knew.

Mikleo sighed and ducked his head so he could hide his face in Sorey’s collar. “I will be fine.”

Sorey hummed an acknowledgement. “I wish,” He started, and then paused to sigh, “I wish I could have your name.” He encouraged Mikleo to look back up at him, and then gently tugged down the collar of Mikleo’s shirt, just enough to see the spot where ‘ENFORCER’ was carved into his skin. He ran his thumb across the old scar; Mikleo inhaled as he did, and his tail twitched where it was curled over his hip.

“It’s not even my name. But we could still share a name. You could give me yours.” He wished Sorey would. He wanted it so badly, and not just because it would help them in battle. ‘Enforcer’ was cold and strict, whereas ‘Shepherd’ spoke to leadership and gentleness, and Sorey himself. If it was Sorey, he would allow himself to be claimed.

But Sorey was shaking his head, his ears flattened down into his hair. “I don’t want to hurt you like that!”

“It only hurts for a moment.” It would hurt less than the old claims and memories. “And then, we’ll be a named pair.”

“I-I don’t know if I can do it. What if my hands shake?” His hands were already shaking a bit as they traced down Mikleo’s arms.

“I trust you.”

“That sounded almost like a compliment. You must really mean it.” Sorey laughed, and it was a bit shaky, too. But the wrinkle in his brow looked less like worry and more like he was thinking.

If he was willing to consider it, Mikleo figured that maybe he just needed a little push. He reached out to take Sorey’s face in his hands, and pulled them together for a kiss. Lips parted, and tongues pressed together. Sorey’s arms wrapped around his shoulders, and held Mikleo closer. When they moved away for a breath, Mikleo kept eye contact with Sorey and said, “I want this, too, and not just to make battles easier. I want your name.”

Sorey was silent for some moments, thinking. Mikleo left him to it. He didn’t speak, but instead lifted his hand to Sorey’s head to scratch at his scalp and ears again. The tension flowed out of his body under the touch, and, only a moment later, he bit his lip and nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

Mikleo’s eyes widened; he had half expected Sorey to still refuse. But he hadn’t. “Thank you,” he said, with a tremble in his voice.

“So, what do I need to do?”

“There’s a small knife in the first aid kit. And you should bring a towel or a rag; I probably shouldn’t bleed on your bed,” Mikleo directed. The last bit had been an attempt to lighten the situation, but by Sorey’s face, it hadn’t really worked. He climbed off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom anyway.

Mikleo raised a hand to his forehead and smoothed it down his face with a shaky exhale. Nerves and excitement were swirling in his gut, but for Sorey’s sake he would have to stay calm and collected.

Sorey returned a moment later, and set a hand towel on the nightstand. He opened the kit, pulled out the knife, and used an antiseptic-soaked cotton ball to wash it down before putting it aside. “Where should I – ?” he asked.

Mikleo lifted an arm and held it out towards Sorey in the same way as their handshake. Sorey brought his own arm up and touched them together, but he shook his head. “You already have to wear high collars, I don’t want you to have to wear long sleeves all the time, too.”

Both of them paused to ponder for a moment, before Mikleo suggested, “My side, then?”

Sorey breathed out a long breath, before he said, “Okay.”

Mikleo sat up so he could pull off his shirt and let Sorey spread the towel under him before laying back down. Sorey then sat on the bed, eyes skittish with nerves and hands curled into the fabric of his pants. Mikleo swallowed down his own nerves and twitched his tail up to wrap around Sorey’s wrist. “Hey,” he said firmly, “it will be okay. This is something we both want, right?”

Sorey gave a sharp nod and took another deep breath. “Right. So, what next?”

“You write your name. And while you do, think of what the name means to you, and what this bond will mean to you.”

He nodded again, and reached out to lightly brush his fingers down Mikleo’s chest, to the top of his ribs. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mikleo couldn’t help his face screwing up in an attempt not to laugh. He could see it cross Sorey’s face the moment he noticed, and then wiggling hands danced across his sides. Mikleo fought to stay quiet, and lost, while his muscles twitched under the onslaught.

Sorey stopped once Mikleo was well and truly red in the face. He waited, then until Mikleo caught his breath, wearing a goofy grin all the while. Mikleo glared, but without much force behind it; he would have to get Sorey back for that later, but for now, if it helped him feel better, it was okay. Sorey didn’t even blink at the glare, but instead leaned down to kiss his side and rub his thumb gently across the skin, before reaching back to the nightstand for the knife. “Ready?”

Mikleo closed his eyes and tightened his hand in the sheet. “Ready. And remember, only think of what you want the name and the bond to mean. Whatever thoughts we bring will be woven between us.” He had never known what Uncle Michael had thought, when he inscribed his name on him, but Mikleo couldn’t help but wonder if that hadn’t been where some of it went wrong. If Michael had thought of grief for his old fighter, or fulfilling duties which were necessary but unwanted, perhaps that would have explained some of the hardness in their relationship. Hardness which hadn’t been there when they had only been uncle and nephew.

“I’m going to start,” Sorey warned, and then Mikleo felt the cold touch of the knife.

He peeled his thoughts away from Uncle Michael. He wouldn’t let that come between them. This was about Sorey, and him, and the name they would share.

The knife bit into Mikleo’s skin. He took deep breaths, and did his best to relax his muscles, knowing that the pain would be worse if he was tense. It wasn’t as bad as he expected, or remembered, really. It was sharp, yes, and dragging, but not piercing or forceful; he’d felt much worse in his days of fighting, and he suspected Sorey was using a careful hand.

To his thoughts, Mikleo decided the name would be the easiest place to start. He had already thought about Shepherd as something with evoked gentleness, kindness, leadership and a connection to living things. A Shepherd must have the patience and serenity to care for their flock or for others, and the strength and cleverness to protect them.

By the shape of the stinging, Mikleo felt that Sorey must have finished the ‘s’ and the ‘h,’ and he turned his thoughts to the boy himself. The first time they had met, Sorey had smiled so brightly and warmly, ready to welcome this person he didn’t even know into his life with open arms. He had drawn him out with their shared love of books, and history, and learning, and then drawn him close with tiny touches, and the way he never hesitated to show just how much he cared for every person he knew. This boy with his sharp mind, and penchant for cheesy poetry, and insistence that they were supposed to stand on equal ground, who never once was willing to stand anywhere but at Mikleo’s side.

Onto the second ‘e,’ and to their bond. This was a hand in his, an arm around his shoulder, a wrist to tap against his own in support and congratulations. The way his tail always seemed to want to wrap about Sorey’s wrist. It was the opportunity to hold him tight, to kiss him, to protect him. Sorey made Mikleo think, made him laugh, made him blush, made his heart constrict in his chest in the best ways. Mikleo wanted to become a stronger, better fighter for him. He wanted to build a life where they could be happy and at peace.

Mikleo’s head was swimming with dreams of what they could someday become when Sorey said, “done.” He rose from his trance slowly, blinking Sorey’s green eyes into sight. They were looking at him with something that struck rather like love.

“Thank you,” Mikleo whispered, rather hard pressed to find any other words to describe everything he was feeling.

Sorey set the knife aside, and leaned forward until he could bury his head in the pillow beside Mikleo’s, his hair brushing lightly at his cheek. He was careful to hold his body up so that it wouldn’t press on the name. “That was so scary,” he breathed into the fabric, releasing the tension in his voice with it.

Mikleo lifted a hand to gently run up and down his back, and asked, “Scary? How so?”

“I was so afraid I would mess up, or cut too deep and hurt you.”

“It’s okay. You did well. It hardly even hurt,” he reassured. Then he paused, a somewhat morbid curiosity getting the better of him. If Sorey had been afraid… “What did you think of?”

Sorey straightened up, and waved his hands in front of him, as he hastened to say, “I didn’t let myself think of how scary it was. I thought about you; how I trust you, and don’t want you to hurt. I thought about how much I love you.”

Mikleo drew in a breath, eyes wide. They had said as much before, in gestures and different words, but never quite so directly. “Me too. I love you, too.”

Sorey grinned, so wide and bright that the edges of his eyes crinkled. “I’m glad, because I really, really love you, Mikleo. Now, let me clean you up.”

While he turned back to the nightstand to collect the bandages, Mikleo tilted his chin down to his chest and pulled his shoulders just up off the bed so he could look. He winced; it doing that hurt just a bit, but he was determined. It was difficult to see the name clearly with the way it was bleeding sluggishly, but what he could make out was simple lettering carved with a precise hand. He smiled; for all Sorey’s worries about his hands shaking, they had been steady.

“Ah, don’t do that!” Sorey exclaimed when he turned back. “Lay back down! You can look in a mirror later, alright?”

“Alright.” Mikleo lay back with a sigh of relief and let Sorey tend to him. Warm hands cleaned away the blood with some wet gauze and then swabbed it down with stinging antiseptic. His face tensed with pain for that part, but then relaxed again as a pad of bandaging was laid over the wound. In the end, Mikleo did have to sit up again, to let Sorey wrap more bandages snuggly around his waist to keep it in place. While he was up, Sorey handed him a painkiller and a glass of water to drink it down with. He did so, gratefully.

When Mikleo settled back onto the pillows, he laughed. “Now we match,” he said, using gentle fingers to brush across the bandaging around Sorey’s own torso.

“I guess we really do.” Sorey hesitated, a mix of excitement and something just a bit unsure on his face. “Can we try it?”

“We will need to work on a battle incantation, but for now, just say our name.” Our name, our name. Mikleo didn’t care that his side still stung; he was giddy. Before Sorey could speak, he placed a hand on his cheek and drew him down until their foreheads touched. The other hand laced their fingers together. Then he nodded.

Sorey took a deep breath in, and together they said, “Shepherd.”

Mikleo gasped as his whole body flooded with the cool tingling sensation of magic. Before, it had always been so cold, almost enough to freeze his blood in his veins. But now it was thrumming, alive and strong. Their hearts fell into sync, and Mikleo clutched Sorey’s hand even harder. He could get drunk on this feeling.

But, they were both still magically exhausted; it wouldn’t be good to maintain the link for too long. He sighed and let the magic flow away. It left him feeling a little bit empty, but that was okay because he still had Sorey’s hand in his, and bright green eyes looking at him with so much wonder.

Mikleo felt wetness gathering at the corners of his own eyes. They widened in surprise; he couldn’t remember the last time he had cried. Mikleo buried his face in Sorey’s shoulder before he could see.

It wasn’t quick enough. Sorey poked his cheek and asked, with teasing in his voice, “Are you crying?”

“No, shut up!”

“Hmm whatever you say. You really are amazing, though, Mikleo. Is that what it feels like every time?”

He shook his head against Sorey’s shoulder. “It never has before. So I think it’s you. You’re the amazing one.”

“And you complain about me being sappy.”

“Oh yes, and I am definitely going to continue.” He felt a little better for the teasing, though. Comfortable enough to move back and look at Sorey again. As soon as he did, Sorey swooped in to kiss his nose, and his cheeks, and then finally his lips. “You’re not doing anything to disprove my point.”

“I don’t want to. I just want to kiss you.”

Mikleo liked this proposal. He reached a hand up to tangle his fingers in the hair at the nape of Sorey’s neck, and pulled him down for another kiss. It started sweet, just like Sorey’s tiny kisses, but it didn’t take long at all for it to shift towards something heavier. Even though they’d ended the name spell, Mikleo’s veins were still singing.

He smoothed his hands down Sorey’s neck and to his back. He curled his fingers against his shoulder blades with gentle pressure. Sorey hummed contentedly into his mouth, and Mikleo pressed up further, kissed deeper, wondering if he could taste the sound on his tongue. At the same time he tightened his arms, trying to pull Sorey closer.

Sorey got the message. He pulled away from the kiss so he could climb fully onto the bed. He paused for a moment to look down at Mikleo, eyes hazy but full of adoration.

Instead of returning to Mikleo’s mouth, he leaned down to kiss at the curve of his neck, and then work his way down. The kisses were soft, almost too light to feel, as Sorey moved across a collarbone and down his chest. Once he reached the bandage at Mikleo’s side, he kissed that, too, the same way Mikleo had kissed his injury earlier in the afternoon.

Sorey tilted his head up to look at Mikleo again, and said, “I’m so, so glad I gave you my name. I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to share this with.”

Mikleo smiled, and turned away the thoughts that tried to insist that there was someone else out there who Sorey shared his name with. In that moment, it didn’t matter; Sorey had chosen him. “Me neither,” he whispered.

Sorey grinned, as brilliant as anything, and moved to kiss the bandage again. Then, he started to work his way back up Mikleo’s chest. With each kiss, he got bolder. First, just a bit more pressure, then small flicks of his tongue and a light graze of teeth. Mikleo’s knees bent, toes dragging against the sheets, and he fought to keep his torso still; it felt like all of him was straining to curl up under the sensation.

Sorey’s mouth made its way to his collarbones, and Mikleo could feel his pulse fluttering under his tongue as shivers of sensation ran up and down his spine. His hands made their way back up to tangle in Sorey’s hair as he began to suck, and his tail flicked around his wrist like an anchor. There was a litany of tiny sounds that spilled from his mouth at the touch, which only increased in volume and insistence as Sorey abandoned his spot in favor of finding a new one on Mikleo’s neck.

There were more ways for two people to come together than in a spell, Mikleo knew. And in that moment, he wanted all of them with Sorey. Some small, logical part of his brain said this was a bad idea regarding both of their injuries, but he squashed it down with vehemence.

“Hey Sorey,” he started, and then paused to swallow and gather his voice so it wouldn’t stutter or crack. His hands made their way up to the base of Sorey’s ears to scratch, and was satisfied with the heated hum against his skin. “How attached are you to these?”

Sorey moved back so he could meet Mikleo’s eyes, and there was wanting swimming in his gaze. “Oh, not nearly enough,” he said. He lifted his hand, to do what, Mikleo didn’t get to find out. He stopped the motion halfway through and brought his arm up to his own face instead, so he could place a kiss on Mikleo’s tail. “I will miss this, though.”

Mikleo could feel the heat in his face and his vision threatening to blur over. It was all he could do to drag Sorey down for another kiss, with the press of tongues, and teeth on lips, and a struggle for air when they parted again. “I’ll wear fakes, if you want,” Mikleo finally gathered himself enough to say.

“Won’t be the same. You’ll have to hold my hand a lot instead, okay?”

“Anything. I’ll do anything you want.”

Mikleo suspected that Sorey would have come up with something to say, or do in response to that. It probably would have even been sexy, or at the very least cheesy. Certainly nothing like what did occur, which was Sorey’s stomach growling loud enough to wake the dead.

There was beat where they met each other’s eyes and stared, neither quite sure what to do next. Sorey moved first, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head, while his face took on a sheepish expression. “Well, I think my stomach wants food,” he said with a small laugh.

It took a moment for the absurdity of the situation to overcome Mikleo’s lingering surprise. When it did, he began to laugh as well, spurring Sorey on into even more mirth. “I – I really – think it does,” he managed breathlessly though the continuing laughter.

“S – Sorry,” Sorey wheezed, “I really – ruined the moment – didn’t I?”

“No, it’s – good. It’s okay. We should probably – have something to eat.” Mikleo’s sides and lungs were starting to hurt from laughing so hard. Which in turn made the name hurt even more, so he concentrated on taking deep, steadying breaths, and not looking at Sorey’s face. If he did, he knew he’d start laughing again. Once he had himself under control, and it sounded like Sorey was approaching that point, too, he said, “I have a suggestion.”

“Oh?”

“Why don’t we go and get some food. And then we can come right back here and finish what we started.”

Since Sorey hadn’t let out a laugh through this whole statement, Mikleo decided it was safe to look back at him again. His face was red and tiny tears glistened at the corners of his eyes. But he nodded emphatically anyway. “I like this plan.”

Instead of making any moves to get out of bed, Sorey ducked down to nuzzle his cheek against Mikleo’s. One of his hands moved to the top of his head to pet Mikleo’s ear, his finger just barely rubbing against the outer edge.

Mikleo gasped at the sensation. He was torn three ways, between wanting to nuzzle back because it made his chest feel so warm and tight, to be responsible and get dinner, or to just throw that responsibility right out the window and pick back up right where they left off. Responsibility won out. “Alright, stop that,” he chided gently, “before your stomach growls again.” Internally, he added, and before I get so distracted that I pick option three instead.

“If you insist,” Sorey said, amusement in his voice. He did sit up, and let Mikleo up, too. He was even good enough to let Mikleo pull back on his shirt, but he did take a moment to blush and comment, “that’s my shirt.”

“Yes, yes it is,” Mikleo replied, voice casual, but blushing too.

Almost immediately after the top was back on, Sorey wrapped his arms around Mikleo’s waist, ever careful to not touch the name. Standing up like that was a struggle, but one that they managed. It would be less manageable to accomplish anything else given the way that as soon as they were up, Sorey had taken to nibbling and lipping gently at the soft tip of Mikleo’s ear.

Mikleo did his best to keep his composure, and started shuffling them in the direction of the door. Sorey followed, and hung on for all he was worth. “I am not going to be able to cook anything if you keep distracting me like that,” he said, trying to sound harsh but failing around the fondness that seeped through. One of his hands came up to cup the back of Sorey’s where they rested on his stomach.

“Hmm, that’s okay.”

“You’re resigning yourself to burnt dinner.”

“I’m sure I’ll love anything you make. And then, right back up here,” Sorey reminded.

“Yes, yes, of course,” Mikleo agreed with an exasperated tone. But he was smiling. He turned his head for a kiss, just to make sure Sorey knew it. Sorey obliged, squeezing Mikleo tighter and tilting their heads together. Just before their lips could meet, Mikleo murmured, “Love you, Sorey.” He didn’t need to see Sorey’s face to know that now he was smiling, too.

#tales of zestiria #sormik #surmiku #mikusure #tmariea writes #loveless au #sorey #mikleo #symonne #blood mention #injury mention #violence mention

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capell0 · 7 years

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The Reason Why

A Tales of Zestiria fanfiction

Summary: Another day spent on their lively journey with their friends, Mikleo comes to realize that something is off, different. Trying to figure it out would be the next logical step, but are things really that simple? (SoreyMikleo)

Genre: Romance, Humour

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Zestiria or any of its characters. Tales of Zestiria belongs to Bandai Namco. All I own is the story as you see it written below.

A/N: Please shoot me... Regarding spoilers, anyone who´s been to Pendrago once should be safe enough to read this. Really, I don´t think there´s anything in here that could serve as a spoiler. I hope you enjoy reading!

The Reason Why

They had been travelling across the Pearloats Pasture for the better part of the day and the sun was slowly crawling towards the horizon, but whichever way they turned, the scenery hadn´t changed much. The group had passed countless wheat fields, walked up hills and treaded over fields of green grass, fighting hellions on occasion. But, although the Pasture was vast, it offered little shelter from the night winds or rain, so their quest of finding a place to camp any time soon got more and more difficult the further the day progressed. With no other choice, they would have to continue their marsh until they found somewhere proper to rest for the night.

Wandering for another hour, the blue of the day sky gradually turning deeper shades, Sorey and the others came across a pair of merchants transporting their goods on a wagon. Or at least that was what they tried to accomplish, had they not gotten stuck in a slope on the side of the road. Taking a closer look at it, Sorey and Rose offered to give them a hand and with some added effort, they were able to lift it back onto track. Gratefull for the help, the merchants asked them where they were headed and after Sorey explained their predicament, the merchants told them about a small traveler´s inn that was supposed to be a little ways ahead and offered to take them there on their wagon. At the prospect of getting to rest their weary feet and bones, they happily accepted.

And so it happened that Sorey and Rose found themselves sitting in between cargo bags and crates of boxes, enjoying the slow but restfull ride. “I´m sorry it´s so cramed back there but we received a pretty large order the other day. I hope there´s enough space for you two to sit somewhat comfortable”, Maggy called to them after they had finished introducing themselves. She sat in the front next to her partner, Leif, who was charged with maneuvring the horses.

“Oh please, don´t worry! This is plenty”, Rose chirped, more than satisfied to finally not be walking anymore. “Thank you for letting us hitch a ride in the first place.”

Laughing, Maggy waved a hand at the younger girl. “Don´t mention it. If it weren´t for you two we´d probably still be stuck in that slope!” In a much gruffer voice but playfull all the same, she added: “Thanks to a certain someone here.”

At that Leif turned to her with a grumpy expression. “Hey! Is it my fault the road´s in such bad shape? I´m not in charge of Rolance´s maintenance work I´ll have you know!”

Giggling in return at their antics, Rose leaned back against the bag behind her and stretched her arms leisurly as she let the two fellow merchants alone with their bickering. She yawned heartedly. “Guess Rolance´s lack of street work was right in our favour this time.”

“And just at the right time, too!”, Sorey nodded backing into the box behind him. “...Though I feel kinda bad for admitting that”, he added in a smaller voice.

“Ever the gentle Shepherd”, Rose sighed flatly.

“That´s the naive Shepherd for you, alright”, Edna stated inside Sorey´s head, which earned her a high pitched shriek and an angry retard from the red haired Squire.

“Uuuh, I told you not to do that anymore!”

“I think it would spare you a lot of trouble if you just got used to it”, Mikleo offered, appearing next to Sorey while he said so as to not scare her even more. Following his example, Lailah´s form materialized beside her a moment later.

“That would certainly be most opportune”, she agreed, but the small, forced looking grin on her face said it was something far easier said than done. Mikleo didn´t doubt that for a second.

“Can it!”, Rose yelled angrily. “What´s wrong with being scared of bodyless voices in your head?! Also it´s getting way too crowded in here”, she said and crouched back to make some space for the two seraphim to sit, anyways.

For someone who´s always so straight forward she sure is contradicting her words a lot, Mikleo thought with a smile, thinking it wiser not to mention that.

“You sure are contradicting sometimes”, Sorey commented a heartbeat later. Well, there went that theory.

Just as expected, it didn´t make Rose happy. “Like you´re one to talk”, she fumed. Continuing their arguement for a while longer, it soon died down as the conversation started being filled with more yawning than actual words. “I think this whole voices-in-my-head business got me more worn out than walking and fighting hellions all day...”

“For that you were arguing pretty energetically”, Sorey teased, before a yawn escaped him as well.

Rose crossed her arms in front of her chest and flopped back. “I was making a point, there´s nothing to argue about!”

Lailah laughed. “And quiiiite a point”, she said, imitating the red head´s manner of yawning half-way through.

Rose couldn´t help but break into a grin. “Whatever, this is it for me. I´m taking a nap until we get to that inn.” And with that, she closed her eyes and dozed off.

Sorey laughed warily at that. “That sure was fast...”

“Well, it does remind me of someone”, Mikleo commented not bothering to hide his grin.

“Looked in a mirror recently?”, Sorey countered, rasining an eyebrow.

“Checked that logic of yours recently?”

“Like–“

But before either of them could continue, Edna´s voice echoed in Sorey´s head, sounding profoundly annoyed. “If you two are the next to start an argument I will send the ground beneath us rumbling and trembling until it´s cured you both of your stupidity. Rest. Sleep. NOW.”

And without further ado, both of them were quiet.

“Edna-san...” Grinning sympathatically at the two boys, Lailah couldn´t help but laugh weakly. She cleared her throat. “I don´t quite agree with the wording”, she said, “but it is a good idea. Why don´t we all rest up while we have the chance?”

“...Guess sleep does sound like a good plan.” Obviously deciding not to argue and risk being at the mercy of Edna´s wrath, the brown haired youth sat back silently, resting his back against one of the larger wooden boxes. Either that, or he was just genuinly tired from the way he less leaned but slumped against the crate. Mikleo almost laughed at that.

“What about you, Mikleo-san?”, Lailah asked as she noticed he was still outside. It wasn´t necesarrily that he had to return into Sorey´s body to rest but he and the other seraphim had made a habit of it since it was the way that put the least burden on him. At night they´d all stay outside to sleep, anyways, although seeing as space was something of an issue at the moment, the latter was probably not very ideal.

“I think I´ll stay outside just a little bit longer”, he aswered regardless. A little longer wouldn´t make the difference. When he saw the critique in her eyes, very possibly fearing the two boys would start another argument after all, he motioned for her to look to his side. Following his gaze, Lailah looked relieved as she found Sorey with his eyes closed and fast asleep.

When her mind was put at ease at last, she gave a long yawn herself. Not having to worry about being toppled out of the wagon during one´s sleep took the edge off, after all. “Alright. If something comes up, do not hesitate to wake us”, she said, lowering the sleeve she used to cover her yawn with. Lailah´s form desintegrated into a small ball of light, floating back into Sorey´s body.

And with that, he was left alone.

Relaxing against the boxes behind them, he looked outside the wagon and watched the scenery go by. It had been some time since they´d passed through anywhere this peacfully, not to mention that since they usually had to walk everywhere, merely sitting here and getting to observe the shining green grass sway in the winds and still progress onwards, Mikleo thought it was a moment he should enjoy while he could. The water seraph grinned when he thought of how Sorey would agrue that he and Rose were actually the only ones who had no other choice but to walk since everyone else could simply seek refuge in him if they got tired of it. Well, that is true, Mikleo mused, grin broadening. Though Mikleo didn´t think Sorey even really minded that. Long as they didn´t rub it in his face every opportuninty they got.

After some time his gaze drifted upward to watch the blue sky above, nostalgia washing over him for a moment. Its blue was radiant with barely a cloud to be seen. Much like in Elysia. It was in moments like this in which Mikleo realized just how much it reminded him of home. Often a time, when they took a break on the road or stopped somewhere for the night, Mikleo would sit there and look up into it, becoming lost to his thoughts and the world around him. It was strange, but even so far away from the village they grew up in, so far that it almost seemed like another world completely, the sky was still shining in the same bright blue on a sunny day, the same bright stars glowed down on them at night and became covered by the same cold grey when it rained. Looking up into it, even if only for a moment, it felt to Mikleo like he and Sorey were still home and never left, exploring ruins and managing their daily lives together with their family. As if nothing at all had changed.

And yet, so much had changed.

There was no denying that ever since he and Sorey embarked on their journey, things had gotten... a little out of hand. They had set foot into the world outside Gramps´ domain and with that into a world where most people couldn´t see or hear seraphim, something they were so used to being a given, despite being the told the opposite numerous times. But after travelling for this long, they had come to know it as a world filled with people as colourfull in character, personallity and desires as the seasons, mysteries that had yet to be unravelled and with a lot of its history yet unknown, even to the two of them. Mikleo didn´t think it was too much to call it a world of tales both tragic and wonderous. And somehow they had ended up in the fight deciding its very future. He sighed at that, shooting a glance at the certain someone responsible– alright, mostly responsible to be fair. So looking up into a sky that looked the same no matter where their travels turned them, was somehow reassuring. To him it was like a reminder that, however dark and uncertain the way before them, somewhere it was still light. And that there were some things that never changed, no matter the circumstances.

Like this guy always mumbling in his sleep, Mikleo thought with a sigh when he heard Sorey´s voice sound next to him. More than the sky or the ever reoccuring seasons, Mikleo thought it was Sorey who changed even less. Be it his love for ruins or his inability to tell a lie even if it were to save his life, his childhood friend had kept to all those quirks and notions he–

Mikleo frowned. Well, the way he tended to mumble stuff in his sleep that not even he could tell what it was supposed to mean, how he got lost in his thoughts whenever he came up against a wall, the ferventy with which he believed in their dream of finding a way together for humans and seraphim to live alongside each other, all that hadn´t changed one bit. And his thickheadedness still stood unrivaled. A light laugh escaped Mikleo. Well, maybe not so unrivaled anymore. He was pretty sure Rose came in at least close second to his childhood friend.

“Like you´re any better!” ...and he was pretty sure that would be Sorey´s answer if he ever were to tell him how he thought about it. The seraph couldn´t help but laugh again. No matter how chaotic and weird things had gotten, he could at least say it was never dull. Even if he had to admit their lives had changed a lot in this short amount of time, Mikleo was glad he was able to say that despite the many trials they faced on their travels, they were never alone; and he and Sorey remained the same people in their hearts. Be it exploring ruins or what was weighning down on his mind, thanks to growing up together, Mikleo was usually able to tell what was going on in Sorey´s head as if reading a well studied history tome. But, if truth be told, the knowledge that it worked the other way around, too, did annoy him to a certain extend. Though he´d bite his tounge before admitting that in front of Sorey. The other had enough ammunition to tease him with already and he was not about to help him gain more on him, thank you very much. Especially when–

He was startled out of his musing when the wagon was lifted a good distance into the air with a sudden surge. It came crashing back down onto the ground a moment later with a loud rattle. Mikleo jumped in his place, alarmed, his eyes darting around as he tried to spot the source of what just happened. He couldn´t find anything that would have served as an explanation at first, but when the wagon moved along a couple of meters, Mikleo´s sight caught on an unusually large rock just by the side of the road. For a moment he thought it might have been Edna´s doing but had to withdraw his accusation as he noticed it had not been created by a seraphic arte. It seemed Leif had thought the rock safe enough to drive over and not anticipated to be rattled through by the shock.

Man, no wonder they got stuck in that slope before, Mikleo thought grumpily.

He heared a soft murmur. Turning his attention to the girl in front of him, Mikleo had actually expected Rose to be awake, her daggers drawn in an instant at the sudden ruckus, but the usually so stealthy and ready to act assassin was still cold out, a goofy and content smile on her lips. The young water seraph had the urge to face palm but his feelings on this were just too mixed to make up his mind. Was she just so out of it that she didn´t notice or could it be that–

Before he got around to finishing his thought, he was interrupted as his ears picked up on a small, almost inaudible thud next to him, followed by the feeling of a heavy weight pressing into his side. Mikleo turned his head to look down his right shoulder, already fairly certain what awaited him.

And sure enough. Although he hadn´t woken up from the commotion either, Sorey´s body had tilted to the side and, balance lost, dropped onto him, his head bumping against the seraph´s shoulder. Since they were little they stayed up late reading book after book until they literarily dropped asleep, be it at home or in the ruins they wandered around in. Even now, it wasn´t like they were walking around carrying blankets and pillows, so they made due with what they had. So it wasn´t like this was the first time he had fallen asleep leaning on him like that. His childhood friend simply happened to be a klutz like that. And just like all those times before, all he had to do to fix it was reach over and put his friend into a proper sitting position. If Maggy or Leif were to turn around now, they´d see Sorey sleep in a pretty... odd position, after all. And at first, it had been Mikleo´s intention to do just that.

At first. Yet, here he was merely sitting there, frozen in place. It was like all noise around him had suddenly ceased existens as he watched his friend´s shoulders rise and fall with even breaths.

It wasn´t like he minded, really. Just, lately, things that used to be so natural to him until now, seemed... different somehow, outlandish even, and he couldn´t even tell why. He didn´t remember when he first noticed, but Mikleo was aware of something being off for quite some time now. Even though they were the same age, Mikleo had grown up to be the more composed and rational of the pair, so it frustrated him all the more when he couldn´t figure out how it had come to this. In the past, if there was a riddle that needed solving, he could think it through, no matter how long it took. He could search for the answers in books and scrolls who were always ready to help with their insights. But usually, two heads were better than one, so unless they had a competition going, he had Sorey to talk to about a solution. This time, though, he was utterly on his own with a problem he had no clue how to go about.

Mikleo was no fool. He knew full well that life meant change, and change was mostly inevitable. But, somehow, Mikleo had believed that the friendship between him and Sorey was one of those few, rare exceptions. Had he been in a different state of mind, he might´ve had the spare thought to feel embarrased at his naivity. Mikleo was a very observant person, so knowing Sorey like the back of his hand the water seraph found himself puzzled at all the small, really trivial things he came to realize, as if they´d shown themselves but a little while ago. For instance, how many of Sorey´s habits Mikleo was so used to suddenly seemed so familiar yet managed to catch him off guard even though he´d anticipated them all along. Be it when they were walking through ruins theorizing, a town to gather information or just sit somewhere reading a book, they were all situations that had occurred time and again on their travels together but for some reason, Mikleo couldn´t help but feel like there was something different about it, about them, although things should mostly have stayed the same. It was the small things that happened along the way that had him wondering. Take for instance his predicament at hand. He had no way of telling how many times he´d merely reached over in the past when Sorey´d slumped onto him and just pushed him to the other side, there was nothing much to think about. But now, he´d come to find himself hesitating to even reach out his hand and pat the other on the back at times.

In the beginning Mikleo thought it was simply his mind playing tricks on him and tried to shake it off. Sorey hadn´t shown any sign of noticing anything being different between them either, so he hadn´t paid much heed to those little discoveries and left them as they were. However, among all those trivialities, there was the one change Mikleo had not been able to deal with quite as efficiently.

He closed his eyes for a second, letting out a deep sigh, breath rustling trough Sorey´s hair as he tried to will all those unwanted thoughts and emotions that swarmed his mind back into submission. The pounding of his racing heart was more than enough to deal with.

His face heated up as if he had gotten too close to one of Lailah´s fire artes when he noticed how he´d been staring down at Sorey without intending to. But he didn´t turn away. Contrary to Sorey, he was easier to pick up on such things but never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that of all things he would fall in love with Sorey. No matter how many times he mulled over it or tried to find a different explanation, it was always the same conclussion Mikleo came to in the end.

He crossed his arms with a heavy sigh. He made sure he didn´t move too much so he wouldn´t accidentally wake the other now. Sometimes Mikleo was gratefull of how oblivious Sorey could be. Because, although Mikleo– dispite his efforts– had had a hunch about what it was that changed for far longer than he ever cared to admit, the young seraph didn´t have any intention to share it with the other. Mikleo had long since decided to stay ignorant to his own feelings and was of no mind to reconsider now.

Say if he told Sorey how he felt – given he´d be lucky enough to manage up the courage and find a good moment to do so – what would happen to them? All their lives, he and Sorey had been best friends and rival scholars. They were always together since they were little kids; it didn´t matter if it was going out to hunt with the others in the boars woods, exploring the Mt. Mabinogio ruins or reading books in gramps´ library; they were inseperable.

But if Sorey knew he thought of him as more than a friend and family, would Sorey accept it? Could he? Would he be angry at him for suddenly feeling this way? Would he be too shocked to give him a proper answer? He knew Sorey was too kind hearted to ever hold something like this against him but he also knew Sorey would beat himself up if Mikleo should end up hurt over it. To Mikleo, his friendship with Sorey was too important to risk because he didn´t give things enough thought. But most of all, he didn´t want to hurt Sorey.

Another possibility kept bugging Mikleo. If he only thought Sorey was oblivious and yet, the other knew how he felt all along and simply decided not to say anything for the same reasons? They could usually tell when something was bugging the other, so the idea wasn´t far fetched... And yet so unlikely. Mikleo almost snorted at the idea. Now that was his brain grasping for straws to reason with itself. If the other knew about it Mikleo would have noticed long ago. Compared to him, Sorey had a hard time keeping things a secret.

But that didn´t change the situation. Although Mikleo had tried his best, he was barely able to stay unconcious to this feeling much longer.

His mind was finally eased a little after thinking more and more about the same things he´d been worrying over for weeks now. He noticed how his fingertips had started digging into his arms. Looking down at them, he released them from his iron grip and rested them lightly atop each other now. He´d thought about this so many times now that he had no idea what to think anymore. But continuously listing all his worries had so far been the only way to keep him from talking to Sorey. He knew no amount of pondering the same things would change that he was still hung up on them. It would only draw out the inevitable that much longer. Now they fought and travelled alongside their friends day after day, trying to struggle against odds they couldn´t have imagined before in their wildest dreams, but here they were.

“But here we are...”, he mumbled to himself. Not entirely sure if he should, he looked back down at Sorey anyways. Eyes firmly shut, he still showed no intention of waking up. Though, he didn´t mind. A break was rare enough to come by and like this, he could at least avoid Sorey seeing him red faced like that. Like this, he could look at him sleep and did not need to be cautious to make sure his true feelings wouldn´t show. There was no need to fight his blush or the small smile tugging at his lips. Now, there was something he´d really rather avoid having to explain. Relaxing against the weight against his, Mikleo closed his eyes, feeling at ease at last. So what if the two merchants turned around and found Sorey sleeping in an odd position? Seraphim existed. He was living proof of that and they might as well start acknowledging it.

A yawn finally escaped him and suddenly there was a new thought that started to form in his mind. For now they were fighting and struggling alongside their friends and each other. But maybe one day, when they found their answer and the battles ahead were fought, Mikleo might reconsider. Perhaps when all this was over, he could see past the worries and fears and be honest with Sorey and tell him how he felt. But that was for him to think of another day. For the time being, he´d listen to the soft rattling of the carriage, the whispers of a warm breeze, the even breaths next to him and the pounding of his heart lulling him to sleep.

A/N: First off, thank you to everyone who has read this story to its end! It means a lot to me. And I so hope I was in character enough. Then some, I guess, editorial (?) notes. I know, some might have been confused why I had Lailah add -san to everyone´s name. I played the game in Japanese and hence I´m just used to it; also, seeing as she´s always so formal it felt right and translating it into the equivalent of “Mister”, “Misses” felt odd as well not adding it alltogether. As too why I worte in the beginning “Please shoot me...”. Well, first off all, I actually try not to ship Sorey and Mikleo. So this is actually one out of the only two stories I ever plan on writing about them in a romantic setting. Call me a hypocrite if you want but I actually like their dynamic as is. Last but not least, I think I owe a massive apology to everyone who´s played through the game. (Or maybe I´m overthinking?) I´m so sorry! Again, that´s why “Please shoot me...”, too. Alright, that was enough babbling from me! I hope you guys enjoyed reading and if you have any critique or thoughts on this or my writing in general, point out mistakes, feel free to tell me. Much appreciated! Capell0

#Tales of Zestiria #Fanfiction #Tales of Zestiria Fanfiction #Sorey #Mikleo #SoreyMikleo #SoreyxMikleo

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