A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this one came out a bit later than it usually does! I've been suffering horribly from a case of artistic ADHD. I had at one point three fics I was writing for as well as a bunch of artwork I was working on. I wanted too work o everything at once, but of course that's impossible. I am but one hyper-artistic person, and there aren't nearly enough hours in a day.

...

Sara's knees wobbled and she started falling forward, but her descent was stopped by an arm wrapping itself around her waist.

"Sara, stay strong!"

Tears streamed down the Italian maiden's face as she looked at her brother, cursing the day that had just played out in her brother's memories before her. She remembered hearing something about a guard that had gone 'missing'. He had gone to bed in his quarters one night and then simply vanished. No one had found any traces of him and at some point had assumed that he had run off in the middle of the night and started another life elsewhere. Sara had recovered from her illness, chalking things up to nothing short of a miracle. She knew now why she had survived. As Mickey's memories continued to play out in front of her, she saw how he had come in with some strange plants that he'd turned into a poultice. He cleaned and dressed her wounds faithfully three times a day.

He had mastered timing his work breaks with her bandage changes, painstakingly bringing water to her lips until she drank enough to satisfy him. Two days after she had fully recovered, a fire broke out in the slave masters' compound. It had spread unnaturally fast and the children had seized upon their chance for escape. Mickey had grabbed her hand and pulled her through the thick smoke, chaos and confusion. He had led them, inexplicably unobstructed, to freedom as if guided by some invisible force. Sara knew now that there had been a dark rationale behind their astounding liberation. The demon had guided Mickey through every single step.

The image of the slave camp shimmered and faltered and morphed into a barren landscape. The area was devoid of all living things, without a single tree or insect in sight. Rust-colored sand filled every corner of the vision, combining with the light from the setting sun to paint the atmosphere in a shade reminiscent of blood.

"What is this place? It's so oppressively desolate here."

Yuuko looked around trying to see if she could sense anything within the space. She felt the young male assassin's energy, but it seemed to be rapidly fading.

She took off running, shouting over her should at Sara to follow her. A dense mist suddenly rolled in and filled the landscape, making it impossible for them to see anything in front of them.

"The demon is trying to confuse us and prevent you from reaching your brother. It's not going to work, though."

Yuuko closed her eyes and held out both hands in front of her with the palms facing up. Her hands glowed a blue color before a bow appeared in the left hand and a quiver of arrows appeared in her right.

"The best part of being in a dreamscape is that you can make just about anything happen, as long as you're aware that you're in a dream. It takes a lot of mental power to be able to separate the reality from the illusion when your brain is effectively taking a timeout from reality."

The Hanyou Kitsune pulled the quiver strap over her head, sticking her left arm through the loop and then tightening the fasteners until it was comfortably snug against her body. She pulled out an arrow and notched it, pulling back on the string as the arrow began to glow as well. Once the arrow had grown bright enough, she released it, and it cut through the strange fog like a hot knife through butter. The swirling wake of the arrow's trajectory then further magnified the effect, spreading out widely behind it and dissipating the mist completely. Once the mist cleared, a cage could be seen up ahead. They approached it cautiously, unsure of what they would find. Once they were close enough, Sara could see that it was her brother in the cage. He was sitting on the ground, back hunched over and black energy swirling all around him.

"Mickey! It's me, Sara!"

Be gone, woman. You have served your purpose. His soul will be fully mine soon.

"Get your filthy demon claws off my brother, foul creature! I will not allow you to have him!"

What hypocrisy spews from your mouth, human! You fought your brother on those same thoughts your whole life, and yet now claim the same possessiveness over him! Delicious! I can see the impurities in your soul, woman. They have whet my appetite. Perhaps I shall have your soul next.

Sara opened her mouth to speak, but faltered. She felt a sudden tightness in her chest and her thoughts became muddled. She found herself thinking that perhaps the demon was right, and that agreeing him was the best thing to do. She wasn't allowed to feel that way for long though, Yuuko had taken one of her hands into her own and Sara felt a wave of clarity wash over her at once.

"Are you alright, Sara? You must stay strong, a demon will weasel its way into any cracks in your defense it thinks it can use to its advantage."

"I'm fine Yuuko, thank you. Being in contact with you keeps my head and heart clear. Please don't let go."

The fox woman nodded and stepped in closer.

"Sara, we need to hurry. Your brother is quickly running out of time. You must reach out to him and have him choose life over giving into the demon."

"How do I do that?"

Yuuko winked and smiled at the young assassin.

"You use the greatest and most powerful magic of all…love."

Sara nodded and the two women began walking toward the cage with purpose. A howling wind rose up from out of nowhere and pushed against them as they fought to keep walking forward. The wind picked up the red sand around them and whipped it right at them, the small grains acting as abrasively painful projectiles. Both women shielded their faces with their free arm and leaned into the swirling wind. The storm lashed violently and loudly at them and they had to shout over the sounds of the maelstrom in order to make themselves heard.

"Keep pushing forward! We have to do this last bit all on our own. If I let go of you to shoot another arrow, you'll be left open to the demon's manipulation. We can do this!"

"You know, for a dream, this sand feels painfully real!"

The wind grew stronger still and soon the women were forced to crawl on their hands and knees on the ground. Sara brought her scarf up to cover her mouth and nose to keep from breathing in the particles. Yuuko used her own tail to do the same.

"We're close! I can feel him…I can feel Mickey nearby!"

The two women crawled onward and soon Sara felt her hand come up against something solid. She looked up and could barely make out Mickey's outline in the swirling sand.

"Mickey! I'm here! Tua sorella è qui per te!"

Mickey's form remained as it was, and there was no reaction from the young man.

Foolish woman, you're too late! He gave up his love for you the moment you turned your back on him!

"Shut up! You don't know anything about us! I haven't given up my love for him, we're sibling twins…we disagree, we fight, we get upset and then we make up! I love Mickey with all my heart and will never stop!"

Mickey's head lifted and he swiveled it to look in the direction of her voice. His eyes still swirled with dark energy, but the storm seemed to abate somewhat.

"Sa…ra?"

Sara cried tears of joy, their wetness mixing with the sand on her face and creating a gritty paste that irritated her skin and eyes. She ignored the discomfort and slipped a hand through the metal bars, growling in frustration when she discovered that Mickey was just out of reach.

Ignore her. She turned her back on you, remember? The demon imitated Sara's voice as it spoke "…not even God can help you now…"

Mickey's face fell and tears rolled down his face.

"Sara…doesn't...love me?"

No, she doesn't. Only I love you. Give yourself to me, Michele. I'll love you forever and never let you go!

Sara was absolutely desperate. She could see that Mickey's resolve was faltering and that she was about to lose her brother to the demon. A sudden revelation struck her like a lightning bolt, there was one last way to reach Mickey after all. She cleared her throat, and began to sing.

Whenever I hear you, bands begin to play
It's a serenade for two

Mickey's head whipped up at the sound of the music, and swung around frantically to determine its source.

How do I forget you this feeling inside
I am always watching over you

Mickey looked in Sara's direction and the dark energy drained from his eyes. The storm died down instantly and the demon shrieked with rage.

She's trying to trick you, you useless sack of flesh! Don't fall for her deceitful siren song!

Whenever I see you, stars in your eyes
brighten up the sky for me

Mickey ignored the demon and crawled toward Sara's voice.

We're dancing in the moonlight
Tonight you will belong to me
Only you...

Mickey opened his mouth and his rich baritone voice joined Sara's smooth falsetto.

You mean the world to me, my lady

Mickey reached out, closed the distance between them and took Sara's hand. A bright light exploded all around the connected trio and the harsh desert landscape melted away, leaving them surrounded by tranquil whiteness. Only the sounds of the infuriated demon intruded on their serenity. Mickey and Sara were both locked in an embrace, clinging desperately to one another as they whispered reassurances to one another in their native tongue.

"Sara, you two need to stand up! I need to shoot the demon out of your brother's heart!"

Sara stood up, pulling Mickey up with her. Yuuko took aim and shot the arrow of blue light at Sara's back. It passed harmlessly through both of them, only causing harm to its intended target. The demon howled, screeched and cursed them as it was exorcised from Mickey's heart, and then made its escape into the real world. It's up to the guys waiting outside, now.

...

The crowd gathered outside as the ritual was taking place knew something would be coming forth soon. They could all hear the demon's screaming and prepared for attack. They watched in awe as the three bodies were enveloped in a white light just a few seconds before a demon was forced out of Michele's body. The demon screamed bloody murder as it made its exit, a shrill and high-pitched shriek that caused many of them to cover their ears. Squire Plisetsky was busy cursing demons and their blasted love of screaming when he suddenly notice it turning to look right at him. Shit! The young Squire tried to raise his bow to fire at the demon, but realized with horror that he wouldn't make it in time. The best he could do was position the arrow so that the demon would at least potentially end up impaling himself on it. Just before the demon got to him, it stopped, seemingly frozen in mid air.

The young Squire watched in awe as the demon slowly turned to ice right in front of him. He looked behind the demon and saw General Altin sheathing his sword. Once the demon was totally frozen, the young Squire poked it with an index finger, causing it to shatter into a million little pieces before dissolving into nothing. The General approached him.

"Are you unharmed, Squire Plisetsky?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You have the eyes of a soldier, young Squire. But you must not allow those eyes to wander nor take them so carelessly off your quarry. You may not have someone there to cover for you in the future."

Squire Plisetsky blushed fiercely with embarrassment as he found himself being humbled once again. He really wasn't enjoying being constantly reminded of his shortcomings these last two days. He swallowed his pride and bowed curtly toward the General.

"Thank you for saving me."

The General seemed a bit surprised at the expression of gratitude but simply tilted his head in acquiescence.

Unbeknownst to the Squire, a certain Ice Dragon King had witnessed him nearly get his ass handed to him (again) and had stalked silently up behind him. The next thing the Squire knew, his left ear was being viciously pulled in what appeared to be a blatant attempt to have it physically separated from his body. A quick glance out of the corner of his eye confirmed his suspicion that the King had finally caught up to him.

"Ow ow ow ow! Fuuuuuuuuck! That hurts! Let go, you old fucking geezer!"

The King smiled wickedly before tightening his grip and pulling harder and straight down. In an attempt to ease the pain, Squire Plisetsky followed the movement with his body, ending up on his knees before the King.

"My dear, ever-so-dear Squire Plisetsky, words cannot fully express how...thrilled...I am that you are well and recovered so fully from disobeying direct orders and having a near-death experience."

The young Squire gulped. That tone of voice may sound sweet to the untrained ear, but it was truly the stuff of nightmares. It meant that the King was absolutely livid, and he was going to end up paying for his transgressions in spades.

"I'm extremely thankful that you recuperated so well that you were able to assault the woman who saved your life and still had some energy left to insult the Emperor, too!"

The Squire was absolutely horrified. SHIT, how does he already know all that?! The young Squire turned his head a bit and was able to spot the Emperor standing nearby with his fan out concealing the lower half of his face, and shoulders slightly shaking. He's laughing at me! The man waved happily at him once he noticed the Squire's eyes on him. Squire Plisetsky groaned. I am SO fucked.

_terminology_

Tua sorella è qui per te (Italian): your sister is here for you!