A/N: So...I'm super deep into Tales of Zestiria right now, and now Sorey/Mikleo is one of my many OTPs, and I don't even consider myself a shipper! I was lurking around Tumblr and I found this adorable fanon explanation for how a baby Sorey saw a baby Mikleo for the first time and gained the ability to see seraphs, and the image that played in my head was just so cute and sweet that I'm getting brain cavities even thinking about it now! So, inspiration struck me and here I am writing this diabetes-inducing fluff. Get your insulin shots out, because this contains dangerous quantities of sweetness. By the time this one-shot ends, you're probably going to have died from having your senses overloaded with undiluted sugar and cuteness. For your safety, I recommend seeking treatment for diabetes after reading this.
Credit for the headcanon idea goes to Tumblr user ph0enix-ashes.
With that pointless warning out of the way, enjoy!
"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness." William Arthur Ward
In the days of old and myths, seraphs, magical beings with powers no one can imagine, coexisted among humans. Helping each other out, both humans and seraphs flourished. But as war and chaos waged, the parties separated, and humans lost their reverence for seraphim. In turn, seraphim lived far above the corrupted human world, isolating themselves and staying safely away from human influence. In the world of seraphim, there is no such thing as darkness, corruption, or malevolence.
Elysia was one such home for seraphim. The skies above were an endless, pristine blue, with fluffy white clouds always aimlessly floating right by without a care in the world. Fields and meadows brimming with flowers in a rainbow of colors, sprouting from grass a striking shade of emerald, with remnants of morning dew glistening in the sunlight. A pure, untouched arcadia far from human eyes...or was it?
A small, humanoid seraph man, his face a whirlpool of wrinkles and hair white as snow, carried a bundle wrapped in a crimson blanket. The bundle squirmed in his weak arms, and the squeaks it made were soft, almost inaudible. But the day was oddly quiet, with only the sound of a fresh breeze making the grass whistle. The squeaks and cries stood out despite their subtlety. Soon, the old seraph stopped as a younger couple, a man and a woman, came bounding down the hill.
"Zenrus! We heard about what happened in Camlann!" A green haired woman exclaimed, stopping to catch her breath.
"Was it bad?" A red haired man asked. "Was everyone…?"
Zenrus nodded. Terrible images raged in his mind. The human village of Camlann stained with blood. Roaring fires consuming everything in their path. Humans falling to the ground. Spears and swords clashing, cold steel falling right down. The crimson bundle stirred in his arms once more.
"We did all we could," Zenrus croaked, his aging voice growing more hoarse with each day. "But...it was a hopeless fate for everyone involved…"
The trio of seraphs hung their heads down in silence. That is, until the bundle in Zenrus's hand let out a soft, squeaky cry.
"What is that?" The red haired seraph asked.
Without a word, Zenrus pulled back a piece of the crimson fabric. The two younger seraphs' jaws dropped. Swaddled in the deep red cloth was a small, chubby baby of about a few months old or so, with a full head of chocolate brown hair and rosy red cheeks. But the baby's most striking feature was its eyes. A beautiful, lush green color, just like the grass draped meadows the seraphs stood upon.
"It's...a human infant!" The green haired woman's hands almost covered her mouth.
"This little boy was one of the few survivors of the massacre," Zenrus explained. "I wasn't going to just leave him to die."
"But you hate humans," The red haired seraph countered. Seraphs and humans hadn't interacted in centuries. Nothing had changed since then, and recent events hadn't endeared humans to the seraphs. "They bring nothing but trouble."
"Indeed, that is true," Zenrus looked down at the baby in his arms. With a charming, enthusiastic smile, the tiny boy let out a soft coo before closing his eyes and falling asleep. "But perhaps...some good will come of raising this child. It is selfish to just leave someone to die. Do you not think so?"
Even though Zenrus's eyes were closed, inside they shined with a wisdom beyond anyone's waking years. The two younger seraphs averted his gaze, looking down at their shoes, guilt weighing heavy in their hearts. He was right. Even if humans did cause most of the problems in the world down below, that didn't mean they should close their hearts off to those who are innocent.
"The baby can't see us, can he?" The red seraph guessed.
Zenrus wasted no time answering. "No, he can't. Not yet, at least. He probably thinks he's floating," Seraphs were beings unseen by human eyes. People down below could walk right through them, phasing through their invisible forms, and not even know it.
"Does he…" The green haired woman stammered. "Have a name?"
The older seraph looked down at the sleeping baby. So small, so fragile, so innocent...just looking at this baby made him want to protect him with all the power he had. "Sorey. I heard a human call him that. In our ancient tongue, Sorey means 'he who brings light to a world of darkness.'"
Perfectly fitting, like the Shepherds of legend, he thought. Maybe Sorey would become a Shepherd. Maybe he wouldn't. No one knew. Still, little Sorey needed to be cared for, and Zenrus wasn't going to let this little baby die.
"There's something else, too," Zenrus continued. "Sorey isn't the only baby we saved."
On cue, a male seraph clad in deep blue robes came strolling down the meadow. Piercing wails echoed from the white clad bundle in his arms. "Shhhh. Shhhh. It's okay. It's okay," The blue clad seraph kept whispering and cooing to the crying infant. Unfortunately, any attempt at pacifying the baby in his arms was all for naught.
Unlike little Sorey, the baby in the other man's arms exuded the aura of a seraph. A full, round head of aquamarine hair crowned the baby's head, his tiny body draped in turquoise and white, robin's egg robes. To a new parent, just looking at the small baby would have made their hearts melt, as the baby could have resembled a newborn angel. He would have, had he not been crying the whole time.
"An infant seraph! How?" The red haired man couldn't hide his shock.
"I'll handle this," The green haired woman took the seraph baby and cradled him in her arms before bouncing him up and down as gently as she could. "There there, don't cry. It's okay, sweetie…" She cooed in the softest voice she could manage. After all, as far as she knew, babies preferred soft, gentle voices. Gradually, the seraph baby's cries lessened into soft whimpers.
A smile tickled Zenrus's aging lips, making his wrinkles all the more prominent, not that he cared. "Another life saved. Good. They say it takes a village to raise one child. It looks like we have two."
"We can raise them together," The blue clad seraph noted. "Their families were friends before the massacre. Perhaps we should keep them together. Sorey's resonance can grow, and he will see us eventually, right?"
Sorey and the baby seraph becoming friends...already, Zenrus could picture the future in his mind. The two babies sleeping in the same crib, playing together. Sharing food, sitting in a play room with all of their toys, learning words and discipline, having stories read to them before bed...it looked so right to Zenrus.
"What's the seraph child's name?"
The green haired woman hoisted the baby into the air with a bright smile on her face. High in the air, the infant seraph could only giggle and coo as he spread his tiny arms out, like the wings of a bird that hadn't learned how to fly. Clearly, the delight on the baby's face was unmistakable.
"Mikleo," The blue clad seraph answered. "That was his human name before...we changed him into a seraph."
The smile on Zenrus's face grew in length. "Mikleo...in our ancient tongue, it means undying devotion."
At that moment, when cradled into the green seraph's arms, little Mikleo stole a glance at the baby in Zenrus's arms. Little Sorey's chest rose and fell with every breath he took, his peaceful sleep undisturbed. Soon, everyone gathered around to get a closer look, which allowed Mikleo full access.
"Ahhhh ahhhh," Innocent curiosity seized him. Mikleo extended his short, tiny arms outward, his small hands phasing right into Sorey's shoulder.
"Now now, Mikleo. Don't fall," The green seraph tightened her grip around the baby in her arms, taking care not to let him fall. "Sorey can't see, hear, or feel you yet."
He would in due time. Humans can't perceive or converse with seraph, but they can learn how. Zenrus knew this all too well. But this wasn't such a bad thing. Perhaps having a human live among seraph might have some benefits.
It's no surprise that babies can't comprehend the world around them just yet, as their brains were too small for complicated matters. They need to constantly be protected from any danger, and are helpless by themselves. Although the seraph did their best to care for Sorey, what they said was true. Little Sorey couldn't see them at all, nor could he hear or feel them. But that didn't bother him much. After all, babies mostly just accepted everything around them.
To Sorey, having nobody around him was normal. Sometimes, he would float through the air, swaddled in a crimson blanket, taking in the fresh breeze and warm sunshine. He would always be floating through the air, and then wind up back in the house. Other times, he would wind up in a little room, surrounded by toys such as wooden blocks, dolls, pretty ropes, and animal shaped carvings. Even his diapers floated, like they were changing themselves. At one point, Sorey would try to shove a block in his mouth, only for the toy to suddenly pop out of his hand and float far away, where he couldn't reach it.
That was the first time he was truly confused. Why did the block fly away, and how? He had no answers, and was deprived time to think about it. Dinner was afoot, and Sorey found himself sucking a bottle of milk, taking it all in. Satisfied, he would then fall right asleep, and be put in a crib that could fit two babies rather than one. That was his routine. Babies can't calculate how long things go on, and Sorey had no understanding of time and time duration. But that was all right with him. He was just happy to be able to eat, sleep, and play all the time.
On one day, however, something changed. As he was floating in the air, drinking milk like usual, he heard a sound he had never heard before.
"Don't drink too fast, Sorey," An old, raspy voice told him. "You'll get sick."
Sorey's emerald eyes flickered open. What was that sound? He kept drinking, as the meal was very filling, but the sound was so strange, so new, that the baby just couldn't find it in himself to ignore it. Once his meal was over, Sorey moved his head left and right, searching for the source of the sound.
"What's this? Can he...hear us?" A womanly voice asked.
Another voice! Sorey looked toward the door, extending his tiny, chubby hand outward.
"Goodness! He can hear us!" A younger man's voice exclaimed in surprise.
"Hmmm...so his resonance is growing," The old voice from before wondered aloud. "He might be able to see us yet."
"Ahhhh...uguuu…" A very small, higher pitched voice came right after the old man's. A tiny baby voice, just like Sorey's.
"Mikleo, come here, please," The woman's voice cooed. "Don't worry, sweetie. Sorey will see you soon, then you two can play together."
"I guess keeping Mikleo with him all the time was a good idea."
Sorey had no idea what was going on. But he liked the new sounds he heard. They sounded nice. With a goofy, gummy smile, little Sorey let out a hiccupy giggle.
The days went by without changing, but accompanying them were the new voices he heard. Strange, new, yet so warm and welcoming, so stimulating to his tiny, growing ears. Even the other baby voice he heard was pleasant to listen to.
"Uguuu...ahhh...buuu...da!"
"Mikleo, don't eat Sorey's food. That's not nice."
"He can't see you, Mikleo."
"Don't cry, Mikleo! Shhhhh, don't cry. It's okay…"
"These are your toys, Mikleo."
"Aww. Mikleo wants to play with Sorey so bad. He's always trying to touch him."
"Is this such a good idea? Mikleo's always sharing Sorey's space, and Sorey can't even see him."
"Or us, for that matter."
Who was Mikleo? Sorey didn't know, and didn't develop the communication skills needed to be able to ask. Ultimately, he had no interest in figuring it out. Knowing all these strange voices were here, soothing him, comforting him, and showering him with love, was pleasant enough. The days were still peaceful and lazy, and little Sorey still ate, slept, and played, like usual.
One day, little Sorey found the answer to who Mikleo was.
It started off like every other day. Sorey was in his crib, all by himself like usual, closed off from the rest of the world, tapping one block with another. Tap tap tap. Clack clack clack. The clackity, tapping sound was enough to make Sorey laugh his usual, hiccupy laugh. Babies enjoyed simplicity, after all. But when he looked up, away from his beloved blocks, his smile immediately faded, and his normally enthusiastic, cheerful green eyes donned fear.
A little clay doll that was in his crib was floating. Moving all by itself, up and down, back and forth. One of his beloved blocks was moving up and down as well, with no effort.
Sorey had seen things float before. His blanket, his diapers, his food, but never his toys. Why were his toys moving? His toys never moved. Sorey had no answer, as the sight of the doll moving was scary to him. The boy's chubby, rosy cheeked face scrunched into a frown and sobs escaped him. All alone and unable to communicate his fear, there was nothing else Sorey could do but cry.
Piercing, high pitched wails broke the silence of the quiet playroom. Loud and passionate, little Sorey cried and cried, unable to comprehend why his toys were floating. Even babies could be frightened by the unknown. No one heard his cries, nor did anyone run into the room to hold him or console him.
Actually, scratch that. Sorey wasn't alone.
"Uuuuh!"
A little whimper made Sorey open his eyes. Soon, the green eyed baby's wails gradually went down to a whimper, and then silence. Instead of seeing floating toys, the very things that frightened him so, sitting right in front of him was another baby boy, the same size as him. The block and the clay doll were clutched in the other baby's tiny hands, right in front of his chest. Clad in turquoise and white clothes, the baby's purple eyes were, like Sorey's, wide and scared, watering, on the verge of tears. Aquamarine hair with subtle blue tips crowned the other baby's head.
Never before had Sorey seen another person, much less this baby in front of him. The sight of this new person, this strange, magic friend, was enough to push all his fear away. His green eyes wide with curiosity, Sorey stared and stared at the other baby, wondering...who was this? How did he get here? Of course, being too little to understand, Sorey couldn't possibly articulate any of his thoughts or find answers. Still, innocent curiosity seized him. Using his tiny hands and legs, Sorey hoisted himself up, crawling towards the baby that magically appeared in front of him. A desire to touch this strange new creature and see if he was real spurred him to crawl.
The purple eyed baby didn't move a muscle. Keeping his fearful, wide-eyed stare, he just watched as Sorey crawled closer. Closer, closer, closer...finally, Sorey inched close enough to reach a tiny, shaking hand outward. The soft, dainty fingers caressed the baby's warm, tear stained cheek and stroke his cheekbones. The other baby didn't move at all. Yes, this strange, new friend was real. Really real!
Satisfied, Sorey smiled a big, gummy grin, letting out a cute, hiccupy giggle. In that moment, the other baby's fear and anguish dissipated. That sweet, bright, toothless smile, almost bordering on radiant, stirred something inside him. Unable to resist, the baby smiled right back with his own toothless smile. They could see each other. Feel each other, talk to each other, sense each other...it all felt so right.
"Buuuu!" The aquamarine haired baby bounced the doll in his hands. Gleaming with delight, Sorey grabbed a block and joined in. The two infantile boys sat in the crib together, playing with their toys like nothing had changed.
Standing at the entrance to the playroom, Zenrus and two seraphs watched them from close by, their faces beaming. "So...Sorey can see Mikleo now," Zenrus noticed, a warm smile moving his wrinkled face into solemn joy.
"Us too," The green haired woman added.
"They're going to grow up together," The red haired man said. "It's inevitable at this point."
It was here that both Sorey and Mikleo turned to the entrance. To Mikleo, the sight of the adults wasn't anything new. On the other hand, little Sorey's jaw dropped, his green eyes wide with surprise. Where had those people come from? Zenrus wasted no time scooping Sorey into his arms and holding him close, their cheeks making contact. Once again, Sorey giggled his hiccupy laugh. Another friend!
After that, Sorey found the answers to why everything around him was floating, and when he would float. It was really the grown-up seraphs carrying him around and holding him. They were the ones who fed him, clothed him, changed him, made sure nothing bad happened to him...it all made so much sense. Why he couldn't see them before, Sorey wouldn't know until he grew older, as Zenrus concluded. Sorey and Mikleo were far too little to know how all of this transpired. Nonetheless, the fact that Sorey could see the seraphim now was a boon to everyone on Elysia, especially little Mikleo. Now, Sorey had family and friends who would raise him and Mikleo together.
He had never been alone after all, and never again would he be alone.
After all, he had his family, the seraphim. He and Mikleo were Elysia's little treasures, always and forever.
"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love." Max Muller
A/N: Hope you haven't died from cuteness overload, and hope you enjoyed it!