A/N: Lemon Warning (Get used to seeing these)

A/N: Yuri Warning

"What was the first thing I taught you?"

"That all power comes from the soul, mistress…"

"And how does one reach the soul?"

"Through the heart… through the mind… and through the ego…"

"Indeed… in order for the Dark King to return to us, the world must also be dark… the light of the soul is the strongest of all lights. In order to claim power over it, we must prove that such light can be turned to darkness. That darkness is divine… unspeakably potent… and all consuming. For a picture to be bright, the negative must be dark."

"What must I do?"

"I have taught you everything you need to know now… you must now find a victim and make them yours. Spread your own coven of darkness and extinguish as much light as possible…"

"I will, mistress."

"I release you from my control… now you must become a Mistress as well… go forth… and corrupt…"

Archdruid Sephiroth Presents

Part Four of the Symphony of Shadows Saga

Of Lust and Wrath

I: Dark Pact

Her dream was shattered by a sound that could only be described as grating to the extreme. Without taking her head from the pillow, her arm lashed out and slammed the snooze button on the nearby alarm clock, silencing the annoying device. Silence did return, but the woman knew it would only last a minute. She usually didn't have time for a proper snooze, so this clock only delayed the alarm a further minute before triggering again.

Groaning, she slowly pushed herself up, a cascade of purple hair prevented her from seeing past her pillow, but she did hear distant thunder and noted there was less light than normal.

"First day of my fucking vacation, and it's gonna pour," she grumbled, pushing her hair away. "Why in the blue fuck did I set an alarm… oh, right… don't want to screw up my sleep schedule. I'm only on vacay for a week after all."

She got up into a kneeling position and reached over to shut down her alarm clock. It went off again as she was about to touch it.

"Alright, I'm awake!" she snapped at it after silencing it for good this time. She took another moment to gather herself, looking down at her tank top and shoving her left breast back into it. It always seemed to pop out. Was she already starting to sag? She didn't dwell on that question.

A few moments later she looked at herself in the mirror and began to scrutinize her reflection for a few moments before finally looking down. The reflection that had stared back told her the story only too well.

"Fuck," she whispered. "Laugh lines… gray hairs… and I think I'm starting to get crow's feet already." She knew she wasn't physically old enough for such changes, and concluded that the stress of her life, especially her current job, was finally starting to show on her physically. Though her pay likely would afford cosmetic adjustment to smooth out her imperfections, and hair dye could hide the grays, she knew it was time to face the fact she had been ignoring for the last year. This job was killing her… slowly.

"I'm getting old," she concluded. Her best years, thanks to how stressful her life has been, were likely behind her now. "To hell with that," she snapped at herself. "If I am getting old, I need to do something to feel young. So… fuck it; rain or shine, I'm going to do something I haven't done since college… I'm gonna go clubbing."

Which ones she'd visit she didn't know yet. As she entered her living room, she grabbed the remote turning the TV on and went to the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge. She barely registered the news report about the ongoing investigation into the office building collapse last week as she slammed down the entire can in one go. While in better days, she would let out a healthy war cry, she hadn't done that since she started living alone after the war was over.

"Shinji," she whispered to herself, thoughts of how her life changed in such a way inevitably led to her missing ex-ward, and ally. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

What little information she had on what was happening behind all the smoke and mirrors told her little. She knew Shinji was somehow involved in the strange happenings in the city, that Asuka was likely involved, and that she was now down three of her top operatives after Mari apparently turned into a monster.

"Damn it, Misato, get your mind off of your work already," she yelled at herself. "Besides, you know Shinji is tougher than he acts… he's fine…"

"He just has to be…"

By the time night fell the oncoming storm was reduced to a light rain. Wearing a close-fitting dress, she ended up in the Takama Nightclub in the Iwaki District of Tokyo-4. It was close to 11pm already and this was the third club she'd been to. So far it seemed her best bet for some real action; it was a club that catered to not just the young crowd, but the thirty-somethings and even forty-somethings that were still "young enough" to enjoy themselves in such a place. The music was different from what Misato remembered, but she never-the-less found the atmosphere of the club to be agreeable, and at least the beat was catchy. But so far, her visit to this, her fourth club of the night, was just as filled with disappointment. Nobody was flirting with her despite her being obviously alone, and it made her wonder if it was that obvious that she was worn. Was she undesirable now?

"More like damaged goods… Maybe this was a mistake after all…"

"Hi there!" a young and beautiful sounding voice came. Misato turned on her bar stool and came face to face with a young woman.

Misato was almost speechless… the girl was beautiful beyond words. Her face was cute but at the same time her eyes held seemingly infinite allure. They were brown, but in this light, there was almost a reddish tone in them and it made them look alight with energy. Her hair was raven black and long, reaching down her back with the bangs cut in a similar style to a shrine maiden, but it was almost supernaturally shiny. To top it off, she wore the perfect little black dress that accentuated her gentle curves and made her absolutely perfect in every way. Her makeup was minimal as her beauty seemed to radiate naturally.

"She's… stunning… Guess with this kind of competition, it's no wonder I'm not getting any bites."

"Hello," Misato replied back politely.

"You look lonely," the girl noted. "Want some company?"

Misato looked into those deep eyes for a moment and smiled back at her. "Sure. This night seems like a wash though."

"That bad?"

Misato just smiled sadly. "I'm Misato." She immediately chastised herself for using her first name. "Why did I do that?!"

The girl held out a hand with her fingers pointed down. "Octavia," she replied. "As we seem to be informal. I'm okay with that, I hate standing on ceremony."

Misato took her hand briefly, noting like everything else on her, her fingernails were perfect. It was as if someone sculpted this girl from a perfect piece of clay and somehow breathed life into her.

"You're… not from around here?" She noted the obviously non-Japanese name.

"No," Octavia admitted. "I'm only half Japanese."

"The other half?"

"Georgian."

"Oh!" Misato replied with surprise. "I never met someone from Eastern Europe before."

"First time for everything. New experiences are always the best kind."

"You speak Japanese quite well," Misato complimented.

"Thank you," Octavia replied. "My family insisted we speak both Russian and Japanese at home."

Misato took another sip of her drink… a fruity cocktail with a high rum content. This place it seemed, didn't water down the drinks at all, and considering the horrible time she had had so far, the alcohol not being skimped on was sadly her high point so far.

"I'm shocked a beautiful girl like you is spending time with a washout like me."

Octavia gave an amused expression. "You are too hard on yourself… you're not over the hill by any means. I can tell you're in your thirties still."

"Surprising…"

"You must have a difficult life," Octavia noted.

Misato paused before replying, sighing. "You could say that. Never the less, I'm sure any guy in this place would give their left arm for a chance to be your date."

Octavia chuckled seductively. "Oh, I'm sure they would. Unfortunately for them, my appetites are… unconventional."

Misato knew immediately what that meant. Octavia wasn't talking to her to make her feel less lonely, she was talking to her because she wanted to see if Misato was also interested. She mused that much like being in a club, the last time she was with a girl in such a capacity was also during college.

"Yeah… but that was fun… Rits sure had no complaints…"

"I see," Misato replied, not one to waste an opportunity. "Well, I think I know where I went wrong tonight then."

"How's that?" Octavia asked.

"I was looking at the wrong menu."

Octavia smiled seductively. "Dance with me," she nearly ordered.

"Thought you'd never ask…"

Misato had no idea how late it was… was it two A.M.? Three? Even if she wanted to though, she wasn't getting that answered, especially not with a beautiful girl doing her best to shove her entire tongue down Misato's throat.

The tongue duel was intense, made all the more potent by the smaller Octavia having somehow managed to pin Misato against the wall. With the older woman's short coat already abandoned, things were only going to escalate… and Misato found herself unable to resist what was happening. Their mouths broke from each other allowing Misato to get her breath back, but only found it harder as Octavia was attacking her collar bone with tiny kisses and bites, setting off all the right nerve endings.

Seeing as the last time Misato had sex with anyone was before the angel war ended, and hadn't even so much as touched herself since then, her sensitivity was higher than it had ever been in her life, and she knew her panties were already soaked. Was this her place, a motel, Octavia's apartment? Her emotions and firing nerves obfuscated any stimuli that would reveal the truth to her. She didn't even know how she got here, only remembering stairs, roaming hands, and passionate kissing before finding themselves in this dark room.

Even here, the eyes of Octavia seemed to glow, but that was when Misato could even see them. The young woman's lips and tongue passed over a sensitive areola and Misato just realized her dress was already down to her waist. Her hands plastered to the wall… her back arching to push her beast forward, dress and panties abandoned in one swift pull of the younger girl.

"You should shave this," Octavia briefly noted before pushing the hair out of her way and diving into Misato's neglected slit. Misato's legs spread, and she almost slipped off the wall but somehow managed to stay on her feet. That skillful tongue was now deep inside her most sensitive places. Misato cried out, feeling her body gush with what felt more like energy than any liquid. The sound of cloth moving and the sudden feeling of more skin contact on her legs told Misato that Octavia pulled her own dress down.

Misato opened her eyes to find that gorgeous face returning to hers again. Their lips sealed, their tongues danced, and for the first time in a long time, Misato tasted herself on someone else's lips. She felt a hairless slit slide up her thigh, prompting her to lift that leg slightly to increase the pressure, as the smaller girl's other leg pressed against Misato's own apex. The sudden contact caused Misato to moan hard enough to break the kiss. A seductive chuckle from her new girlfriend only pushing the pleasure further for her.

"You're so intense, Misato-chan," Octavia whispered seductively. "Has it been so long?"

"Too long," Misato breathed out between moans. "Years…"

"You shouldn't torture yourself like that." Octavia lightly bit her in the neck triggering another orgasm and causing Misato to lose a little more strength in her legs. Octavia chuckled seductively after that.

The older woman soon found herself on the bed, face up... Octavia on top of her kissing and pressing against Misato's larger breasts. When they broke their kiss, Octavia slid up.

"Now do me," Octavia commanded as her legs went past Misato's shoulders. Obediently, Misato's hands reached up to grab Octavia by her pert rear and position her target above her mouth. Without preamble, the soft folds fell upon her and Misato began to lick and drink, bringing the cutest sounds from the girl. Her taste was sweeter than any fruit she could think of. Octavia leaned back, angling more of the slit towards Misato, and the older girl slid her hands up her back to support her.

"So good," Octavia moaned out. "You're so good at this!" Misato listened to the moans getting louder and higher and it encouraged her to keep pushing deeper into the girl. She seemed shallow to Misato but realized she was just really tight being so small, and wondered if she had ever been with a man in her life. "Right there!" Octavia cried out as Misato hit a very sensitive spot. The feeling must have been more intense than the girl expected as she suddenly curled forward. Misato's head tilted back in time with her movement and her hands slid up Octavia's front, grabbing the girl by her breasts now, and forcing her tongue into that same spot, refusing to let her back down.

"Gods it's too much!" Octavia cried out, yet unable to pull herself away.

Misato's thumbs rounded the girls fully erect nipples causing Octavia to nearly scream in ecstasy. She tasted the nectar as it flowed and decided she never tasted anything better in her life. Octvaia rolled off her and slid down the bed to line up with Misato better, shaking and quivering from her own orgasm.

"That good?" Misato asked, holding the girl as her nerves continued to fire and she kept twitching in Misato's arms.

"The best," Octavia whispered as she finally calmed down. "Wow… You've done this before… no first timer is that good."

"Only once, believe it or not."

Octavia chuckled. "I almost don't." She nuzzled into Misato's chest, now calmer.

They lay together like that for several minutes, basking in the afterglow before Octavia sat up and grabbed a bottle of sake from the nightstand. She took a full-on swig before handing it to Misato, who propped herself up and also began to drink. The warm alcohol seemed to extend the afterglow.

"Who was it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"College roommate," Misato replied. "We ended up working together at the same place."

"But you never did it again?"

Misato sighed. "No… kind of wish I did though." She took another sip. "I wasted my energy on a man who didn't appreciate me the same way…" she stopped… remembering the last time she even saw Kaji…

"Why?" Misato had asked, holding back tears.

"The same reason the scorpion stings… it's who I am…"

BANG

Misato jolted slightly out of her thought, leaving Octavia to look at her with concern.

"Too many regrets," Misato whispered. "So little life."

"But you're not old enough to have regrets… at least not as bad as I think you're trying to convey."

Misato laughed briefly, seeming to startle the younger woman. "I may be in my thirties… but my body thinks it's closer to sixty." She chuckled again… this time, obviously lacking mirth. "My job is killing me… slowly… but not so slow that I don't see it."

"So why not do something else?" Octavia offered.

Misato sighed, shaking a little. "There is nothing else… my entire life revolved around an ideal… a goal… but even after that goal was fulfilled, I didn't feel like I could move on. This… career… it's all I know now… I can't imagine doing anything else and yet… I know what it's doing to me, I see it in the mirror, I feel it in my bones…"

Misato laid back drinking one larger swig, almost coughing after before handing the bottle back. She was surprised Octavia wasn't protesting how much of the bottle she took. The look on the girl's face said everything though… she was more concerned for her new lover than the drink.

"My life… is slipping away…

"I wish…"

"What?" Octavia asked softly.

"I wish I could have my youth back… I wish I had the power to control my life… I just wish… I had more time."

Octavia was silent upon hearing this, and Misato was convinced she managed to ruin the mood. She was just about to apologize when Octavia said something she didn't expect.

"What if you could?"

Misato blinked. "What?"

"If you had that option? Would you really want to take it?"

Misato thought hard about it… She didn't know if it was the alcohol fog, the afterglow of sex, or just desperation bleeding to the surface like oil in water, but she came to a conclusion she never would under normal circumstances.

"Yes."

"Let me make you feel alive then," Octavia replied. "I only ask one thing of you… you be mine forever."

Misato smirked. "We only just met," she pointed out.

"And I've never met anyone like you. I know it's crazy but I can make you feel the way you want to feel. Be mine… and I will give you all you desire."

Misato thought a moment but was unable to do so as Octavia rolled on top of her, sat up with one leg sliding folded beneath her own. She gently reached over and pulled Misato's shoulders forward, bringing her into a kiss. As the kiss deepened, Misato gasped as she suddenly felt the girl's soft folds pressing against her own, their juices mingling. The feeling was incredible, even beyond what she had felt with Octavia before. Never breaking the kiss, the continued to rub their bodies together.

"I'm yours…"

Misato shivered slightly but felt warmth suddenly surround her. She couldn't tell if it was a blanket, only noting it was very warm to the touch. It never connected in her head that Octavia's arms never left her shoulders and back as this was happening…

Misato began to cry out as orgasm after orgasm rocked her in quick succession, and with each she felt her strength ebb further as if each release was costing more and more of her vitality. Misato's eyes opened for only a moment, seeing Octavia's eyes were actually glowing now, but never did that fact register in her mind. In the midst of another hard orgasm, Misato fell unconscious, surrounded by gentle warmth.

Misato awoke to a pale light coming through the sides of the curtains. She slowly rolled on her back, noting she was alone.

"Did I dream that?" she whispered aloud before opening her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. She sat up taking the room in and realizing it wasn't her bedroom. It looked more like a motel.

She let the covers drop and rubbed her face.

"Loved and then left… typical," Misato noted. She could barely remember last night but she remembered the face… the feelings… it was coming back, piece by piece. She saw her phone was on the nightstand and reached for it, also finding an empty bottle of sake.

"That much I remember," Misato noted, staring at the bottle. "No hangover though. That's odd. I always get one when I drink this stuff."

She got out of bed and walked into the motel bathroom. Her feet padded soundlessly across the cheap carpet. Once in, she switched on the light though she didn't look up at the mirror. Misato really didn't want to see her imperfections again. After a few long moments, she relented, knowing she couldn't stay there forever. Her face raised and her eyes locked on her reflection.

Immediately her heart began to race…

"How…" was all she could manage. Her hair was radiant purple, the way it looked when she was just starting her career as the Operations Director at NERV. Her laugh lines, crow's feet, even the barely noticeable blemishes that came with age were all gone. She looked down at herself noting her breasts weren't sagging like they were lately, and her scar from Second Impact was completely gone… not even so much as a discoloration was there. Her eyes drifted even further, noting despite never having shaved that part of her body, she no longer had any pubic hair… in fact any signs that she ever had hair anywhere on her body save for her head, eyebrows, and eyelashes were completely gone.

Her body was perfect… It was like she was in her 20's again.

"Impossible…" she whispered. "People don't reverse age."

"I wish I could have my youth back…"

What if you could?

Misato's heart began to race… She thought it was just Octavia musing and seducing her… Did she do this to her?

"Octavia… Who are you?"

You let me violate you

You let me penetrate you

You let me desecrate you

You let me complicate you

-Nine Inch Nails, "Closer"

"One night… all it took was one night… and a bottle of sake… and a beautiful nightmare… what happened to me? Can I go back to what I was? And… would I even want too…"

Next Chapter: Vigor