Through the Night

Later that night, Mirage sat huddled in the cave entrance, Victor's cloak pulled over his shoulders. The wizard himself lay fast asleep behind him.

Above, the stars twinkled in the night sky. It was the only sign of movement to be found, but Mirage refused to let down his guard. Who knew if one of those stars might turn out to be Ulrich's skycraft in hot pursuit.

Several times, Mirage caught his eyelids sliding downward. He always blinked furiously and sat up straighter, but it was becoming harder to stay alert in the increasingly chilly night. By now, his entire face had gone numb and his breaths escaped in icy puffs.

It didn't help that under Victor's cloak, he wore only the flimsy silk robe. He'd have liked to toss the damn thing off the cliff, but Victor insisted he could use as many layers as possible.

Oh, the sooner he got himself some proper clothes….

From where and how? And what would he do after that?

A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold raced down Mirage's spine. He didn't want to think about this, not now. The future seemed as impenetrably dark as the sky above.

'So don't think.' Right, he had a task to concentrate on anyway. But try as he might, the thoughts wouldn't stop swirling through his mind. A blur of images, sensation, memory. Hands on his skin. Steel-gray light. A strawberry the color of blood.

And a sound. Low and resonant, thrumming through his bones. Filled with a passion that even now made Mirage's soul ache.

Desperate, Mirage seized onto the sound like a lifeline. Though hours had passed, the cello music reverberated inside his head as if he were hearing it this very moment.

Victor had never spoken of his former career, but Mirage had pieced it together easily enough. Once, he'd tried teasing Victor with a copy of his debut album. It was the first time Victor had truly gotten angry at him, enough to snatch the album out of his hands and hurl it into the trash.

Mirage should've taken it as a triumph – at last, he'd gotten under that irritatingly stolid human's skin. Instead, he had made an unspoken vow to never bring it up again. Perhaps because for just a moment, he had understood Victor's feelings all too well.

Never had he imagined Victor would pick up the cello again. For his sake.

Heat blazed in Mirage's chest. He should have welcomed it in this chill, but he had no idea where it came from, whether this was embarrassment or shame or even...even….

Before he could stop himself, he blurted, "Why did you do it?"

A grunt from behind, then a quiet voice drifted toward him. "Do what?"

Mirage whirled around so fast his neck cracked. Sure enough, Victor was gazing at him with open eyes.

"Go back to sleep," Mirage said instantly.

Of course Victor didn't obey. "I've rested enough. I can take over the watch."

"No, you sleep. That's an order."

"What did you mean? Why did I do what?"

That damn fool! As if he didn't think Mirage would notice him changing the subject. Mirage opened his mouth to chastise him, but what came out was, "Why did you play the cello?"

The fire in his chest burned hotter. What the hell was wrong with him?

When Victor breathed in sharply, Mirage made to tell him he didn't have to answer. Before he could, Victor spoke.

"I had to get you out of there. It was the best plan I had."

"Surely you could've come up with something else."

"Are you displeased?"

Mirage snorted and shook his head. "Of course not. Just – "

'You didn't have to go that far for me.'

Even here, even now, he refused to speak such pathetic words. Not that what came tumbling out instead was any better. "It was quite nice, actually. I had no idea – I always assumed cello was a rather boring instrument. I didn't know it could...it could be so beautiful."

Embarrassed, he drew his knees to his chest. Silence filled the cave once more. Victor's Levia thrummed at the edge of his consciousness, taut and alert.

Then a voice broke the silence. "If...if you want me to play again...you can give the order."

"What?" Mirage whirled around, the blood thundering in his ears.

Victor had turned to the side, so all Mirage could see of him was the ridge of his back, his stiffly hunched shoulders. Something tight and unpleasant clenched in Mirage's gut.

Trying to lighten the mood, he said, "You know, you kind of left the cello behind."

Victor breathed out. "I know. But...suppose after this is over, and we return to Earth...if you wanted…."

"No," Mirage said. "It should be your decision. If you don't want to, then don't."

"Captain?" When Victor turned around, his eyes were huge. "What are you – "

"I said what I said, idiot."

"Understood." Victor's lashes fluttered. "Just...it's the first time you've ever said anything like that to me."

"I can say whatever I want," Mirage snapped. "Now go to sleep."

To his relief, Victor finally decided to obey the order. He shuffled on the ground, finding a more comfortable position, and before long his breathing settled into a calm rhythm.

Satisfied, Mirage resumed scanning the sky. Yet his heart wouldn't stop pounding.

~*~

When Victor woke up, the first thing he noticed was the heap slumped at the cave entrance. Alarm spiked through him and he quickly hauled himself upright, ignoring the aches that stabbed his joints.

Once he made his way over, he saw Mirage lying tangled in his cloak, eyes tightly closed. When a light shake didn't stir him, Victor decided he might as well take over the watch.

As gently as he could, he picked Mirage up and brought him inside the cave. He carefully arranged the cloak around the demon, wanting to cover as much as possible, then brushed the stray hair out of Mirage's face.

That done, Victor stationed himself at the entrance. The chill bit through his tunic, but he gritted his teeth against it. Outside the sky was still dark, though beginning to lighten at the horizon.

Soon, the sun would rise. They'd have to be awake and ready to go, though Victor supposed he could let Mirage sleep until then. And then…

Then what? Victor pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the coppery tang of blood in his throat. Well, they'd need clothing for Mirage and new supplies, as well as a new means of transport. He'd had no choice but to leave Pudding behind, along with all their saddlebags.

And after that? Their mission to steal the Star shard had failed, and Victor knew it would be unwise to try again anytime soon. So...didn't that mean their best course of action was to find the nearest Infernal Legion base?

Before he could stop himself, Victor's gaze darted back to Mirage. Curled up in the cloak, all he could see was a mop of pink hair. Just as well. Victor thought of the scratches on Mirage's chest and back, the bruises around his wrists, the bite marks on his neck, and a smoldering wave of anger rolled through him.

The anger only blazed hotter when he remembered dark bruises ringing Mirage's throat. They were gone now, but the memory had never quite left Victor's mind. Perhaps Mirage had already forgotten all about it, but….

If they returned to the Legion, the Infernal Lord would undoubtedly not welcome them back with open arms.

So why return at all?

The thought struck like a knife in Victor's heart. He stiffened, his spine locking tight.

What was he thinking? Of course they had to return. Victor had only joined Mirage to make use of the Infernal Legion's power, a power he needed if he wanted to protect Theo.

'Didn't you always hate the way Dad treated you? But now you're doing the exact same to me. Guess what, Victor: I'm done being your trained monkey!'

The voice burst from the crevices of his memory, a place he'd studiously avoided touching ever since arriving in Tielos. But he could hold it back no longer. A voice so familiar it hurt, yet twisted in unrecognizable fury.

No, it wasn't true. Theo hadn't known what he was saying. Even as Victor told himself this, the reassurances rang hollow.

The truth was he hadn't seen the real Theo. Battered by the homunculus knight's onslaught, Victor had finally understood: every single light-sword burned not with Zenith's power, but Theo's will.

Still, Victor couldn't just give up. Without Theo, what else did he have?

Once again, Victor glanced at Mirage. His hand curled into a fist, nails scraping across the stone floor.

Mirage was right. If Victor only wanted power, he would have abandoned the demon long ago.

Instead...instead….

'You belong to me. Don't ever leave me!'

Victor dug his nails into his palm until he felt the warm trickle of blood. He didn't know if he wanted dawn to come already, or for the night to never end.