It hadn't been a big monster. It shouldn't have even been a difficult battle. Nonetheless, it was a fight that had gotten out of hand. With Alisha gone, the party was especially small with only Sorey and one of his faithful seraphs fighting, and the group had forgotten just how dangerous it was. A few too many trolls showed up, and Sorey was knocked unconscious before they had realized how much trouble they were in.
Mikleo fought valiantly on his own once Sorey went down, running to the edge of the battlefield and casting as fast as he could, but he didn't have the strength to armatize yet. If he could just get a few more hits in, then maybe...
"Freeze lancer," Mikleo shouted, shoving an arm out in front of him, and feeling the magics surge from his staff. He smirked as another troll bit the dust, but his victory was short-lived. He felt one of the trolls slam its club hard into his back, and he coughed weakly as the air was forced from his lungs. He collapsed onto the ground, lying on his stomach, and trying to urge his body to move, but the impact had been too painful.
He lay there with his eyes closed, silently pleading with his body to remain conscious, but it was tough when he could hardly breathe. His breaths were only coming out in tiny wheezes at the moment. His mind raced to the other seraphs. Without Sorey's command, they wouldn't know to jump in, and it wouldn't be long before the monsters put him and Sorey to sleep for good. Mikleo knew he was the only one who could save them.
"Sorey," he whispered, the word emerging silent and breathless. His hand pushed through the grass, trying to reach his Shepherd, who was only a foot or two away. He forced his eyes open, and stared hazily at Sorey's battered face. Dirt spots blackened pure, fair skin, and even in unconsciousness, his features twitched slightly with discomfort. A deadly combination of worry and rage swirled in Mikleo's stomach, and he forced his arm out a little further.
"Luzrov Rulay!" he shouted, relief shooting through him as he heard Sorey's voice in unison with his own. Time seemed to slow down for Mikleo, and he remained still as he was filled with both an energy and feeling of elation that only occurred when Sorey's power linked with his own. They sensed the familiar energy binding them together, water surging through their veins, and waves crashing over their skin. What seemed like ten seconds to them was actually less than a second for everything around them.
"Open the flood gates. Bubble arrow!" they called out together as their bow formed in their now armoured hand, ready and able to turn the tides, so to speak.
The remaining trolls were eliminated without problem, and once they were gone, Sorey broke the connection, sending him and Mikleo back into their own bodies, albeit a little reluctantly. Lailah and Edna emerged in beams of light from Sorey's body, Lailah looking dreadfully worried and Edna as unimpressed as ever.
"That was a little too close a call," Lailah said, hands pressed tightly together in front of her chest.
"You could have jumped in, you know. You should pay more attention when we're fighting," Mikleo frowned, folding his arms and turning slightly away from the group. Edna poked him in the back with the end of her umbrella. Sorey saw the twinge of pain flicker over Mikleo's face when she did, and he lowered his head solemnly, wondering what had happened while he was knocked out, and just hoping that his friend was okay.
"We could say the same about you. You could have ended up a troll sandwich back there," Edna mumbled.
"Now, Edna," Lailah lightly scolded, eyes giving her a warning glance, though her tone was melodic and gentle.
"We should head to an inn. I hate to admit it, but I'm beat," Sorey spoke up, folding his arms as well, though not as stiffly as Mikleo.
"I agree. We should get some proper rest so we're better prepared for next time," Lailah nodded, her laced hands falling in front of her waist now. Edna popped her umbrella open and rested it against her shoulder.
"I want my own room this time, cheapskate."
"Huh? You mean me?" Sorey raised a brow.
"Yes, you. I don't care how silly you look renting four rooms for what looks like only one person. Lailah and I need our beauty rest, and we can't get that with you boys snoring like a thunder storm," she said, sounding both monotonous and matter-of-fact.
"That's fine," Sorey smiled. "Whatever helps us better prepare for tomorrow."
"That's our kindhearted Shepherd. Always so considerate," Lailah grinned sweetly, as they headed for the nearest town.
After scarfing down a hot and delicious cheese risotto, the group settled down in their respective rooms, as promised. Even though the moon wasn't shining too brightly through the window, and the room temperature was perfectly comfortable, Sorey couldn't relax. He lay there with his arms behind his head, his thoughts wandering to his most treasured companion.
This journey hadn't been easy on him and Mikleo by any means—physically, emotionally, romantically. It had been Sorey's decision not to let the others in on just how close they were, so as not to lose their focus on the Shepherd's duties, but times like today when Mikleo was suffering, and Sorey couldn't show his concern... That devastated him.
With a sigh, Sorey got up from his bed, making sure to take his key with him as he left the room. He needed to see Mikleo, at least for a little while. With soft footsteps, he made his way down the wooden hall until he reached the next door. With a quiet twist of the knob and a gentle push, the door swung open; Sorey wasn't surprised that Mikleo had left it open for him. He probably did every night.
Sorey closed the door behind him and crept across the dark room, pulling up the bed covers and slipping under them with the seraph. They were both lying on their backs, and Sorey thought Mikleo was asleep until a hand found his under the covers. Sorey smiled at the contact.
"I thought we weren't going to act like this while we were on this journey," Mikleo said, though there was a teasing hint to his voice. Sorey scooted in a little closer so that their shoulders pressed together, arms warming each other all the way down to their linked fingers.
"Ah, it was too hard," he squeaked. "Thought we could have at least one moment of weakness," Sorey chuckled, lightly. They both fell silent, staring up at the speckled ceiling of the inn.
"Are you alright, Mikleo? Were you badly hurt today?" Mikleo's stern expression softened minutely at the sound of his ally's low, concerned tone.
"Not too badly. I'm just a little sore," he assured Sorey.
"You shouldn't strain yourself like that. After supper, I spoke to Lailah."
"Yeah?"
"She said you armatized when you barely had any strength left, but she was too late in noticing how dire the situation was. You saved me before she and Edna realized they should help, even though you were injured yourself."
"Come on, Sorey. You would have done the same thing," Mikleo argued, and Sorey smiled softly.
"Yeah. You're probably right."
He took in a deep breath, and Mikleo listened to it intently, soothed by the fact that Sorey was relaxing at his side. Even though Sorey's spirits never seemed to fall, Mikleo was starting to worry about his health lately. The zoning out, becoming lightheaded, the falling to his knees out of the blue... Was the seraphim's power too much for him? Or was there something else going on? Did all Shepherds endure this sort of pain?
"This whole hiding our emotions thing really is tough, huh? Today when Edna was teasing you, I could tell you were hurt. Things aren't like they were back in Elysia. When you got hurt, I could fawn over you as much as I wanted," Sorey chuckled again.
"I know what you mean. Like on the battlefield the other day? When you practically keeled over on us," Mikleo said, remembering the terrifying sight of Sorey on his knees, clutching his chest like he was his heart was failing him. "I'll admit I had a hard time not running to your side."
"Maybe we should just tell them," Sorey shrugged, but Mikleo turned his head towards him. Finally, their gazes met, Mikleo's stern, and Sorey's curious.
"No, Sorey. You told me from the beginning that you wanted to keep this a secret, and it makes sense. We don't want anything to skew their vision of the Shepherd, nor do we want any thoughts or concerns about our relationship hampering your judgment," Mikleo reminded him. Sorey stared into those violet eyes that still sparkled even in the dark, and nodded obediently.
"Once again, you're probably right." Sorey gave a tender smile before slipping his hand out of Mikleo's, and propping himself up on his elbow. Mikleo watched him curiously as Sorey reached a hand over and pushed his silver bangs back, revealing the gold circlet he'd worn since childhood. Gently, Sorey leaned over and pressed a kiss to his seraph's forehead, first on the green gem set in his headband, then on his soft, white skin.
"I sorta love it when you do that," Mikleo admitted with a small smile. His smiles were somewhat rare, and it only made Sorey adore them even more when they appeared.
"And I sorta love it when you do that," Sorey grinned, obviously staring at the upward curve of Mikleo's lips. Mikleo's smile widened slightly, and he raised his head to meet Sorey's lips in a soft caress that they hadn't shared in far too long. His hand wandered to the back of Sorey's neck, deepening the kiss enough to feel the tug of the armatus, trying to bind them together—like they should have been.
After a moment or two of that blissful pull, Sorey leisurely broke the contact, eyes drifting slowly open and a hand curling gently into the fabric of Mikleo's shirt, just over his chest. Taking in some much needed breaths now, they settled back down, staring up at the ceiling again, this time with a soothing calm drifting over them.
"Is it okay if I stay here for the night?" Sorey asked.
"Be my guest." Mikleo's voice was back to its usual monotony, but Sorey knew how much he wanted him here. He had felt it the moment their lips had connected. Sorey let out a relaxed sigh.
"Hope I can sleep better now," he said, voice as cheerful as ever.
"If you can't, try counting sheep."
"Why would I do that?"
"You are the Shepherd, aren't you?" Mikleo smirked. Sorey turned his head, staring at his friend with incredulous eyes, then he burst out laughing at the utter stupidity of the joke. There was no one quite like his Mikleo. There never would be.
A/N: I recently finished this game, and felt the need to write something for these two. They're just so adorable, I can't help it! I also needed to justify to myself why they weren't rushing to each other's aid all the time! :D Also, the minute I put that silly hat-style on Mikleo, and discovered his circlet, I got that perfect image in my head of Sorey pushing his bangs back all the time to see it. What cuties!