AN: Honestly not sure how I feel about the content of this one....what do you guys think?

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After Roland left the two boys in their care, Mephisto and Aries went to a bar. They cast a simple spell on the boys' minds so that they would be a bit more....malleable. Just somethnig to help the two calm down. It was somethnig they needed, the two having looked at Mephisto and Aries as if they were wild animals.

But they weren't allowed to freak out. Mephisto and Aries would be damned if they let these brats and that bastard friend of theirs ruin their good time! So they just made the boys kind of relaxed, just a bit.

Neither Aries nor Mephisto bothered with hiding their appearances since no one would mess with them unless they wanted to die.

After they arrived at a building that caught ther attention, the Drunken Stag, they chose a relatively quiet corner and had some drinks ordered for all of them, even the boys.

Probably most if not all the people inside recognized who Areis and Mephisto were, but there was an unspoken rule in the room as soon as they had entered: Don't talk about it.

The people inside all thought this was for the best. Pretend you don't know, act natural, don't piss them off. These were the three rules that they currently lived by.

The waitress brought several differing types of drinks, among which were four large glasses filled with a bright red concoction. Saren took a swig.

....You could almost see the fire coming out of his nostrils as they flared up. His face went nearly as red as the drink he had in his hand.

He coughed several times. " W...What the hell....is that...." He took several deep breaths to recover himself. His brother James wisely put his own drink to the side. He was suspicious of the thing from the start and used his brother as a unknowing taste tester.

Mephisto laughed at him. "That, my dear boy, is the aptly-named Dragon's Piss. Really burns on the way down, eh?" He took a long drink and blew out a small stream of smoke.

Aries snickered. "Here, try this. " He gave him a glass that had an ice-blue liquid inside.

Saren took the thing and hesitantly drank from it. The blazing sensation in his mouth cooled instantly.

"This here is supposed to have been mixed with that first one to make it more mild. Apparently there were some pansies who couldn't handle the Dragon's Piss by itself. But we wanted to see what face you would make. " Mephisto informed with a small smirk, his eyes glittering a bit.

Saren was aggrieved but couldn't do anything about it. To the side James chuckled and mixed the drinks together, making an orange liquid out of the two. He drank with satisfaction. Saren glared at him. His brother ignored it with little effort.

Then, after around thirty minutes, Aries noticed something.

He grinned, poking a finger at James. " Hey, brat, don't move your head but shift your eyes to the pretty blonde over there." Aries discreetly pointed the girl out.

The boy followed his order. After some time, he asked, " Um, Lord Aries, is there a reason why--?"

Aries snorted with disdain. " Boy, that woman had been sneaking glances at you for some time now. It's obvious she's interested in you. If you're a man, go and seduce her." Aries said.

James let his mouth fall while Mephisto looked amused and Saren laughed quietly to himself.

"Oh? And why're you laughing, brat? You're just as dense. See that girl to the first one's side? Look at her undressing you with her eyes." Mephisto looked pointedly at the girl in question.

"Good eye, didn't notice that one." Aries commented.

"Thank you."

James and Saren looked a bit awkward.

After a short exchange Saren and James slowly moved to get up.

Mephisto stopped them. " Where do you think you're going?"

"To talk to them, of course." Saren said as if it were obvious.

Aries groaned. " Just like that? Buy them a drink first, at least." He almost scolded them.

"But you said--"

"I was just joking, don't take what I say so seriously. There is an order to things, boy."

" Alright, but how, then? Neither of us have any money." James stated.

"Worry not." Aries told him. " I'll take care of it."

They called over the waitress.

After a few minutes the two girls held a glass of pinkish liquid in their hands while the waitress smiled and pointed towards James and Saren.

The boys considered. Why was the man doing this? He had to have some motive....

But they would worry about that later. Never let it be said they were cowardly in the face of something of this level. As one, the two rose to converse with the ladies.

Again, they were stopped. "Yeah...dont. Look at those glasses there, those two must have been getting free drinks since they got here. Obviously some poor fools must have gone to talk to them. But they were shot down, else two ladies of that caliber wouldn't be alone. Do something different. Wait for them to come to you. Don't even look at them until they do. Trust me."

Aries offered some advice.

"That seems a bit rude?" James was uncertain.

"How?" Mephisto asked.

"...." James wasn't certain, really. If the two showed interest then should they really be playing games like this?

Aries saw the looks they gave out and waved them off. " Don't worry, this is all just for show. Believe me, soon you two will be having a pretty good time." He laughed. " Those two already singled you guys out. Right now we're just...going through the motions." He finished vaguely. "As for myself..."

He looked at a pretty brunette from across the room who quickly averted her gaze with a small blush.

"...I think I'll help myself to an early dessert." The man stood up.

Mephisto saw out his retreating back with a sigh. " Truly no restraint. Well, I suppose that's one down at least." He muttered.

He watched with disinterest as Aries chatted with the woman, leaning in and whispering a few words to her before he smiled and led her out the doors of the establishment.

The girl had a faint redness to her cheeks all throughout.

Well, this was to be expected. Most of the women, despite their fear, also showed interest in Aries or Mephisto but were too scared to approach. However, if one of the two approached them....

With Aries and Mephisto present it was a bit of a surprise the two boys were getting some attention as well. In fact, it was more than they knew. Mephisto counted at least four others that were interested in one of the boys, if not both.

Soon enough the two girls from before showed up at their table.

Mephisto smiled and acted cordial but mainly allowed the two boys to talk. He did, of course, lend them a subtle hint or two. Sometimes even steering the conversation a bit.

At times the girls would glance at him but move it again to Saren and James as they noticed Mephisto was completely uninterested. It was something that couldn't be helped, really. Mephisto was a "higher existence" than the girls, which unconsciously attracted them to him, made them look at him. It wasn't anything they had much control over.

He hid his presence as much as possible.

As Saren and James interacted with the girls Mephsisto spoke up suddenly.

"Hey, why don't we take this to someplace more private?" He stood up and patted the boys on the shoulder as he asked the two girls.

James looked at him. "I really don't think that's a great idea--"

"Sounds good" Saren butted in easily.

James spoke quietly to his brother. " We only have one place to go to, and it's not something we ourselves paid for. We can't just bring back two girls we barely know!" He hissed. "I really don't think Roland would like it if--"

"That guy wouldn't give a damn. Lighten up, enjoy yourselves. " Mephisto assured him. Roland, that guy, really wouldn't care.

"Great, let's go!" The blonde spoke enthusiastically, immediately grabbing onto James' arm. " Come on, let's have some fun. This place is a bit stuffy, I think we all need some fresh air."

The other girl joined in. " So, where you guys staying?"

The girls knew the two boys weren't locals. Neither were they, but they could still tell.

As they led the girls out of the doors Mephisto followed a bit behind while the boys once again got absorbed in talking with the girls.

Once they were back at the place the boys were staying at Mephisto handed James a jade-green card.

"If you guys need to pay for anything, just use this. Go wild. Buy the entire goddamn hotel if you want to. " James accepted it after a pause.

" Uh, thanks...." James, as he realized the meaning of the words fully, looked at the thing covetously and opened him mouth to thank the man again.

But Mephisto was already gone.

As the man left behind the two brats he strolled along the streets as if he owned the place.

That bastard. Roland, leaving us to babysit. As if I would be reduced to that. And that Aries....leaving me behind like that....Well, i'm doing the same but at least the boys will be having a bit of fun, you can't say I don't deliver. Still, me, taking care of two brats....How laughable. You haven't paid me enough for something so troublesome. Let the boys enjoy themselves for a bit, I'll be doing my own thing

He nodded to himself, whistling idly as he sauntered throughout the city in search of entertainment.

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"Daddy, look at that! Let's go for a ride!"

Grace pointed to a giant wheel-like structure that housed multiple compartments to allow passengers inside. Roland had seen something very similar, though smaller, on one of the planets he and Loki once visited.

What was it called....Ferris Wheel, was it?

He wasn't sure if it was something unique to that planet or not, though he hadn't seen anything else like it on the other places he visited. Roland saw this thing last time he was here but he hadn't found much interest in it.

The place they were at had many such constructs. The smell of popcorn and other treats drfted in the air. Numerous people were out and about having a good time with their significant others.

" Sure, come on." He followed after her.

Morrigan was still by his side, as always. He felt a bit uncomfortable. This wasn't entirely caused by her, but....she could move away a bit, couldn't she?

As if sensing his thoughts, she smiled and wrapped her arms around one of his. " Something like this is expected of couples, you know. Learn to live with it."

Roland understood that, but he really wouldn't know what couple's usually do. For that matter....could he be said to have ever had a real girlfriend? A person that he would take on dates and the like?

He couldn't remember.....

He didn't think he ever had such a person, at least in this life. Alhough there were females he took out, those times were simply for fun and they weren't going steady or any such thing. No, he had lovers before but not anything more stable. Most of the time they were too busy doing....other things.

So doing something like this with a woman who wouldn't be leaving anytime soon was a bit new to him. Doing casual things like this, locking arms, enjoying the sights, the sounds, simply being together....Not to mention having a young girl along with them.

It was simply not his area of expertise.

And Morrigan wasn't simply a random girl he picked up, but his wife! Grace, too, was his own flesh and blood, his daughter! For Roland, everything about the current situation was a bit....surreal.

He explained as much to Morrigan as they slowly followed their daughter.

"So i'm your first?" She asked with a light in her eyes.

"Regarding something like this....yeah."

"Somehow...that makes me a bit happy." She mused.

"How so?"

"Well, because it means that no other women has really done this with you. When we first met, and even after, there wasn't exactly time for things like this. To simply slow down and enjoy ourselves. We were always busy. People who coveted my powers were without end, and the amount of people who chased us were too many to count."

This surprised Roland. He hadn't ever been told things from their past together. " You could have simply killed them. I can't see how that would take up much time at all."

She smiled bitterly. " Due to various reason, I was left helpless. If you hadn't come at the right moment I would have had everything stolen from me. I truly wouldn't be a god anymore but simply a helpless mortal. Hell, I was too weak to even defend myself. But you were the one who always did that for me. In those early days, it would have been best if you cast me aside. Yet you never did. "

Roland couldn't help be somewhat astonished by her words. He had no idea they had such a history together.

"...It was quite some time until I regained a bit of my former strength, but before that you took care of almost every one of my needs. I depended on you to an extent I never had to with anyone else. It was humiliating, pathetic, but I had no other choice. I lashed out at you constantly."

She admited. Morrigan felt intense guilt as she said the words. Truly, the start of their life together had not been easy. Not for him, at least. She hadn't meant to have said so much of their past, had felt that something like that was pointless to tell him.

In the end he wouldn't remember the words she said today, wouldn't remember their past together. But the words, she found, couldn't be stopped. They gushed forth from her mouth ceaselessly and she she couldn't keep them in.

As she spoke, she felt her throat go raw, her eyes starting to feel pinpricks of heat as she remembered the things she had done, the pain she had caused. They weren't things that could be forgive so easily.

"I was cold, harsh, sometimes I even thought you might simply be playing a game with me. Trying to earn my trust before smashing it to the ground. I scarred you, too, once. Tried to kill you in your sleep, even. Later, I had resolved to kill myself. I felt it would be better than to wait for an eventual end that was far worse. It was the second lowest point in my life because I was a shadow of my former self. All my powers were gone. I used to be a god, but I was no long anything but a mortal with merely a small spark of what I once was. Even that aside, you were still in danger from those who sought whatever I had left in me.

You shouldered everything for me despite the toubles I brought, despite all the pain and suffering I personally caused you nearly everyday." She suddenly had a faraway look in her eye. Roland said nothing, not wanting to disturb her. " I once asked why, and you said that since it was something you decided to do that you would see it through to the end. I, even now, don't understand how you could say or do that for someone who had until then never said any real word of thanks. It truly wasn't easy for you, you see. The you of that time didn't reach your current level of power until later in your life. It's strange, but you're much more powerful now than you were then."

She looked at him, as if trying to solve some riddle. Even Roland wouldn't know why this was. He assumed he always progress this fast in terms of power. However, this was not why Morrigan looked at him in this way. Her last words were a fleeting thought in her mind.

No, she simply wondered why, even after seeing how ungrateful Morrigan had at first been to him back then, he was still willing to go out of his way for her. The thought was always a mystery to her. The things she had done to him....she acted like a spoiled brat. She had been cold and arrogant towards the only person who seemed foolish enough to want to keep her around. She had ridiculed him, had fought with him at nearly every corner.

...Thinking of it now, she felt deep shame and regret, wanting to berrate her past self for being so stubborn and hateful towards somone who had only ever tried to help.

After all that, once she began to warm up to him, she had always half-expected he would walk out of the door and leave her behind. It eventually grew to be one of her greatest fears in those days. But she knew that she couldn't be able to blame him if he ever did. The things she said just now didn't cover even a tenth of all she had done to the man whom she now loved.

Morrigan felt another wave of guilt now. Really, how was it he had ever been able to love her? She hadn't ever done anything to deserve it. Far from it.

She continued. " In any case, because of that we never had too much time to simply idle about like we are now. This could be considered a first for both of us. Spending time together, with Grace, simply having a good time....This is one of the things I always dreamt about." Her voice thickened, growing emotional. " That time when you rejected me, the time Grace talked about that night, was when I had begun to fear something like would never be within my grasp. I felt...frustrated, alone. Abandoned. It was something I never had any experience with, never felt before. And that was the lowest point in my life. That was the only time I can remember myself crying. Even in my mortal life I don't think I had ever been in a state like that where the tears simply didn't seem to stop."

Roland had not said anything all throughout. But her words made his heart clench. He understood well what his past self's words meant: He said he would take care of her, gave his word. And no matter what she did, said or what trouble she brought, he would continue to protect her. Given his nature, it wouldn;t have mattered how many harsh words or actions she took against him.

He would have understood why she acted like that. Having reached such heights and fallen to that extent, who wouldn't be resentful towards everything? It was like the universe was playing a cruel trick on you. Even her trying to kill him was negligible in his mind. Being reduced to that state, how could she so easily trust someone she had never met before? And having that person seem willing to bear all that burden with seemingly no complaint? That was too suspicious, too unbelievable.

But this is not what made him feel this way. No, if was the mere fact that because of his words she considered that time the lowest point in her life. The only person who was there to console her would have been the young Grace who couldn't have fully understood Morrigan's pain. Of course he remembered the short story Grace had told him not long ago when they first met. How could he forget?

But he truly didn't until this moment, know exactly how Morrigan had felt at that time due to his callousness. Once again he scolded himself for it, wishing he could take it back. If at that time he simply listened to her....If he only gave her some room to talk....Then he, Morrigan and Grace would already have become a family in truth. Grace would be spoiled rotten, Roland and Morrigan doting on her endlessly.....

So much lost time....

He wasn't able to truly make up for it. He only had a few years left to give them before he would have to leave them again. He needed to make the best of what he had left.

Feeling a sudden urge, without any warning he stopped Morrigan and reached out with a hand to pull her face towards his own.

As Morrigan was busy thinking back on her past she felt her husand's hand on her chin, a gentle tug. Giving her no time to prepare or understand what was happening, she only knew that her head was tipped back and moments later her lips met his own. It was long, deep. She could feel the heat from his body, so familiar that she could drown in it. His rich scent wafted through her mind, as intoxicating as any drug.

The kiss wasn't of a mere erotic nature, it was more meaningful than that. It felt warm, inviting, like she was finally home after a long absence. For a moment she simply leaned on him, surrounding herself in his smell, breathing him in and enjoying his taste on her tongue.

When he finally broke away she couldn't help feeling a sense of loss, but was still no less content. Although to her it ended too soon, she knew that in the following days there would be many more to come.

"Mommy, daddy, hurry! Come on already, after this we still have so much to do!" Grace reappeared in front of them, tugging at their arms while the white fox pushed at their legs.

At the young girl's urging the two of them nodded and picked up the pace.

After that they didn't bother to talk. Right now, words weren't needed.

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Loki was currently in the highest level of the ship, standing in a large chamber that was brightly-lit and reeking of a not-quite-unpleasant sickly-sweet scent. In the center was a long bed, and in that bed were several beautfiful women currently giggling as they messed with the young man who was also laying down on it as well....but unlike the women, he was tied up and gagged.

"Yo, Oracle, enjoying yourself?" Loki grinned.

The man called Oracle narrowed his eyes and started wiggling about in anger.

"Eh? Sorry mate, can't hear you. " Loki said. " You know, you really should stop being so....so rigid! This would all be so much more comfortable for you if you relaxed a bit!"

More angry, muffled sounds.

"Some people really have no appreciation for all I do for them. Look at you, beautiful women waiting on you hand and foot, never having to leave the bed, that's the dream of all men! And you seem unsatisfied even still!" Loki sighed. "Honestly...." He glanced at the Oracle. "Oh, and I'm sure that by now you understand this, but don't try breaking those. They're crafted from the same material my daughter's chain is made of, practically unbreakable!" Loki had, until recently, forgotten that the man kept here. Luckily he was taken care of by the girls.

"Lord Loki, come and play with us. It's been such a long time since we last met, we're so bored! Come now, you know you want to~" One of the girls beckoned.

He laughed. "Sorry, my dear, but I have to check up on sleeping beauty."

He then made his way to the side door. Beyond it was another room, much larger, with a glass ceiling. Light rained down the small pond in the room's center.

And within that pond was a certain golden-haired youth whose thick locks of hair seemed to radiate it's own inner light. He was tall, but slender, almost frail. Like a young boy not quite yet a man.

He was floating upon the surface of the pond, tranquil, at peace, completely unconscious.

A large red bump could be seen on his forehead. The properties of the pond's water kept the boy's body in the exact state he entered it, frozen in time. Obviously this wound wouldn't have healed even after such a long time.

"Apollo, my old friend, how have you been? Ah...sorry I kinda commandeered your lovely ship. And that I forgot about you after your first year here. However, nevermind that. I'm here to set you free!" He proclaimed.

"But, you know, it really is weird." Loki mused. "I had thought you would've broken out by now. So how are you still--?"

With no warning, a smooth hand found its way around Loki's throat.