SORA

"So...how've you dealt with that? Like," I rubbed the back of my neck as Miroslava stood in one of the guest rooms, adjusting her armor, "how do you live holding all of who you are inside of you?"

"You get used to it eventually," Miroslava hummed as she traded out her heels for a pair of black combat boots, tilting her head to the side before nodding in satisfaction before she began to lace them up. "I've made an honest living in the sense that I fight for what I know is truly right. It hurts knowing that not everyone is able to understand the difference between doing what you're told is supposed to be right and doing what's actually right, but that's why I have to do it. If I don't do it, I don't know who will, and that's my destiny. I chose it for me. Nobody else did."

"What about your brother?" I asked hesitantly. "What does he think?"

"My brother..." Miroslava pursed her lips before she leaned back, placing her foot down on the floorboards after lacing it up on the edge of the bed, her eyes flickering over to me. "If I'm a demon, my brother is a devil."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my skin crawling at her words.

"My brother wishes for the world to be balanced," Miroslava started. "He wants justice for all. He's an advocate for good, the perfect picture of an angel— but his wings are made of blood and his crown of nightmares. My brother walks the line between what is good and what is evil, able to create and able to destroy. He holds no mercy for anyone or anything. He simply follows his view of what makes the world right."

"Is his view always right, though?" I questioned.

"He likes to think that it is," Miroslava said.

"But, do you?" I asked, Miroslava's expression slipping into a frown.

"That," Miroslava sighed deeply, "I cannot say."

"Sora?" Isabella asks, a frown forming on her face. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I shake my head and force a smile, bringing myself out of my thoughts. "I'm okay. Are you?"

Isabella looks taken aback for a moment before she smiles softly and nods.

"Yeah," she says. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Hey," Shae smiles and claps his brother on the shoulder after he walks up to him, having noticed his gaze lingering worriedly on Kit. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

"You better," Sander glances over at his twin and attempts a teasing smile before his eyes flicker back over to his girlfriend, his worry still getting the best of him. "It's not that she needs protection from anyone. It's just...she pushes herself much more than she needs to. One day, I worry it may get the best of her and..."

Shae's hand grips a little harder at Sander's words and Sander trails off with a sigh.

"Don't worry," Shae assures him softly. "She'll be fine. I promise. She may push herself to her limits but she knows those limits. That's what makes her, well, her."

"Yeah," Sander smiles softly, his gaze flickering back over to Kit as she gets ready to head out with her team. "You're definitely right about that."

Shae claps his brother on the back before he wanders over to Kit, Clea, Gambit, and Sekai, Isabella motioning with a nod for us both to head over to them as well.

"I want to clean up our information that we left behind at the cabin before we head out in search for the runestone, just in case," Gambit says and the rest of us nod in agreement. "Once we do, we can immediately head for the runestone. Isabella can transport us to and away from the cabin, so it won't waste much time."

"Are we ready?" Isabella asks, glancing around for confirmation.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Clea says.

With that, Isabella whisks us away as I send one final worried glance in the direction of the others.

***

Turns out, cleaning up took longer than expected because a snowstorm blew into the cabin when one of the windows cracked due to damages from said storm. Thus, papers and snow were strewn all throughout the living room. On the plus side, the other rooms seemed to be more untouched. However, most of Gambit's equipment was set up in the living room, which posed as sort of a problem.

Thus, we've been cleaning for a few hours until it turned nightfall. Clea has been keeping a spiritual watch on the runestone to ensure its safety and that we still have time to get to it, since we've been taking longer than we expected to in Gambit's cabin. With that being the case, Clea also said it would be best if we were to stay for the night and that she would stay awake watching over the runestone because the area it's located in is far too dangerous to navigate at night. And that's how we ended up a day behind schedule, much to all of our dismay.

I sigh as I stand inside Gambit's cabin, listening to the snow fall while the others sit around the living room or try to sleep in one of the two bedrooms the cabin has to offer, besides Clea, who sits meditating and watching over the runestone in the attic. It's around two in the morning when I hear a beeping noise come from Gambit's somehow still working computer, my eyes flickering over to the open screen to see someone walking up to the cabin on the now damaged monitor with a fuzzy picture, a fur covered black hood over their head.

My eyes then flicker over to the cabin door and I prepare to summon my longsword as I quietly make my way over to the door. Taking a sharp breath in before I quickly open the door and draw my weapon, the door opens to reveal the stranger reaching for the handle at the same time, their brown eyes widening. My breath hitches and my weapon fades away as I mirror the surprise of the man standing in front of me, his hood blowing back with the wind to reveal his red hair.

"Merrick..." I breathe out, my blue eyes wide.

"Sora?" Merrick's eyebrows shoot up in surprise before guilt quickly creeps onto his face. "Listen, I—"

I quickly step forwards, cutting off whatever he has to say by cupping the side of his face with one hand and placing my other hand on his waist as I swoop down to kiss him deeply, a noise of surprise escaping him in the process.

"Sora..." Merrick breathes out when I finally pull away, raising my other hand so that I'm cupping both sides of his face, his cheeks flushed.

"I missed you," I breathe out, moving to pull him into a tight hug.

"I missed you too," he admits, swallowing thickly, his arms winding just as tightly around me as mine are him.

"You were about to explain to me why you were gone, right?" I breathe out. "But I don't need explanations. I need you."

Merrick's breath hitches and I pull back to look him in the eyes, emotions that I can't quite place swimming in them.

"Are you sure? You deserve—" Merrick starts, but I silence him with another deep kiss.

Merrick's protests soon die off with each kiss that I give him, his will melting as he locks his arms around my neck and I pull his hips in to meet mine. I drag us both backwards into the cabin, not caring if anyone sees or hears us as I push Merrick up against the wall and his legs wrap around my waist.

"Sora...we'll wake the others," Merrick whines as I kiss underneath his jawline.

"I don't care," I breathe out, my eyes locking onto his. "I want you, Merrick. Please, say you'll be mine."

Merrick's eyes widen slightly and he nods weakly before he starts to cry.

"I want you too. I've missed you so much. You're my everything, Sora," Merrick confesses before we share a soft kiss, one full of love and commitment.

Merrick puts his arms around my neck and I move us over to one of the bedrooms where Merrick pulls me down into the bed and clings to me, wrapping his arms around my neck as we kiss. I hastily throw off his coat and he whines when one of my hands slides under the fabric of his shirt and along his abs.

I pull out of the kiss to rest my forehead against his before I smile lovingly as I lean back and go to take his ring off my finger and place it back on his, but he shakes his head and grabs my hand, effectively stopping me.

"Keep it," Merrick blushes, his eyes affectionate. "It's yours now. After all...you're mine now too. And besides, my ring looks better on your hand."

I don't miss the implications of a promise ring behind Merrick's words and I grin widely before I swoop down for another loving kiss, his one arm going back around my neck and his other hand carding through my hair.

"I love you so much," I exaggerate between kisses, Merrick smiling against my lips at my words.

"I love you too," Merrick says warmly whenever I pull back, his hands moving to frame the sides of my face, and I nuzzle my cheek into his right palm. "And...Sora?"

I raise my eyebrows at Merrick's sudden sheepish expression and how he turns his head to the side, red flushing across his cheeks.

"Please...don't hold back," Merrick says as he looks back to me, his eyes searching mine, and static fills my brain for a few split seconds as my flames suddenly burst around us, and I groan as I crush my lips to Merrick's.

It would seem that Clea won't be the only one not getting any sleep tonight.