6Luca was met with a dream… unsure of anything…
Did he still live? Hypothesizing did nothing, one cannot measure time from the length of a dream; he had no way of knowing and so Luca walked on endlessly.
He was clothed in a sarong of Wrath's Red, and surveying the landscape around him, Luca found he was very near Satan's palace walls.
Yet, as he entered the palace he found none available...
The entire palace seemed vacant; however, something told him to walk on, and so he did, searching for something he couldn't name.
He found it at the arching window of the palace gardens.
His Angel, Aries, stood staring up at the green moons...
The boy still wore Luca's clothing, as always the black silks of hung low around the boy's waist dulling his skin with their drab color.
Hesitantly Luca paused, wondering if the Angel could hear him in this strange dream.
"Aries…" he called out uncertainly, surprised at the sudden high pitch that overtook his voice, Luca covered it with a gruff cough.
Though instantly, the Angel's had head snapped in his direction, and like the ember the Angel was to Luca's soul the boy's face lit up, smiling brightly at Luca.
That smile he dared to wish for... to see once again.
The Angel ran to him seemingly overjoyed, something Luca had never seen he realized with a pang of regret in his chest.
Yet, all the while, Aries had jumped into Luca's arms, the boy straddled Luca's waist eagerly giving him a long kiss in a manner his Angel would never dare.
"I've waited so long," the boy complained, sulking with a pout of his lower lip.
This dream child was so unlike the Angel he knew... but regardless he found the creature endearing, for whatever it was worth he would play along.
If only so he could see Aries happy in this strange dream.
Luca pressed his hands on either side of the Angel's face, forcing out the air the boy used to blow up his cheeks and exaggerate his pout.
They laughed together, and Aries climbed down from him impatiently pulling him out to the gardens Satan so admired... they were his pride.
Bells was the Royal's only son, but Satan had many daughters all of who loved flowers.
The doting father could never refuse his children, and had an entire country leveled and turned into a garden for his daughters' enjoyment.
"You promised to show me the source of the moon's light," Aries demanded.
Snapped from his thoughts Luca glanced over at the bubbling Angel.
The boy enthusiastically spread his wings, almost jumping from his excitement.
He waited for Luca to do the same, and was discouraged when Luca stared at him dumbly.
Once again the Angel began to scowl, "You ask me on a date, and forgot didn't you…," the boy accused harshly, instantly angry at Luca.
He had seen the boy angry before... but never with such hurt eyes.
Panicked, Luca thought quickly about what the Angel had said, and where he would possible take the boy from Wrath's palace…
The only place near here was the mines… What type of childish outing would that be? Luca wondered to himself, but regardless he spread his own wings.
Without answering the boy's accusation, Luca leapt from the ground.
Soaring upwards he waited for Aries to catch up with him before speeding farther.
The sky around them was beautiful four of Hell's green moon glowed above them in their full state; it wasn't as beautiful as the Jade of the Night Dragon, but it was certainly sight to behold.
Grabbing a hold of the boy, Luca soared higher and the then began to free-fall.
Spinning downwards, controlling the rate of decline with his wings, Luca smirked as his Angel yelped in shock at their speed.
Miles from the ground he broke their fall, enjoying the way his Angel clung to him in fear.
Pulling the boy up to straddle his waist, once more Luca reclined back as if laying on thin air.
He was happy to see the boy's eyes had changed back to normal from that previously hurt look.
Deciding to tease the boy even more, he willed his wings away, and instantly they began to drop.
Aries cried out, and dug his claws into Luca's forearms.
The Demon winced slightly as he grabbed one Aries' delicate hands.
He kissed across Aries' knuckles, covering his satisfied smirk at seeing having seen the tear-filled look of horror that had crossed the Angel's face.
In only seconds they had fallen to the point they were at the ground, and Aries vividly flinched waiting for the impact as he screamed.
However, they were met by nothing, and the boy looked shocked as they continued to fall even after reaching ground level.
To his wonderment, they had dropped into a mouth of a mine, and suddenly Aries cries disappeared along with Luca's smug smile… for even he was amazed at what they saw.
All around them, glowing as if alive, the cavern walls of the mine shone like a kaleidoscope of brilliant shades of emerald green.
The precious stones of the mine's cavern walls were reflecting the green-lights of the moons shining above the mouth of the cave.
Though easily explained, it did nothing to quell the awestruck feeling of gazing upon the beautiful scene before them...
He'd never thought of how the mines would look at such a time, but apparently his dream-self had planned for such a night.
Seeing the wondrous smile lit up upon Aries' face, Luca felt pleased with himself... or whatever self it was that had planned this date...
Too caught up in the moment Luca forgot about their descent, and before he could react they crashed into the water-filled bottom of the mine's cavern.
The water was as cold to the touch as a tundra's dry wind, and they both came up sputtering the freezing cold mineral water that surrounded them.
His Angel cried aloud, his hand searching beseechingly through the water for help as he flailed around, his wings weighing him down.
Catching the boy by the wrist, Luca pulled Aries to his chest, giving the Angel a moment to calmly will away the heavy attachments.
The Angel sighed as he straddled Luca's waist once more and curled into the crook of the Demon's neck to stare up at the glowing shades of green above where they swam.
"That was beautiful…" Aries murmured, still staring up at the reflecting lights.
"... at least until the water part…" he finished sourly with a snide glare in Luca's direction.
Aries wrapped his arms around Luca's neck, sitting together nose-to-nose the Angel shut his eyes and whispered breathily against Luca's lips.
"... After all this time, you still find ways to amaze me."
As if someone else had control over him, Luca answered.
"Does it mean you'll stay for a hundred more years?" he kissed Aries between each word tenderly.
"Well…," the Angel murmured again thoughtfully not meeting his eyes, and suddenly Luca's gut filled with dread as he waited for what was surely to be Aries' final words.
Yet, Aries kissed him hard, and answered in a panting breath, "You promised me a lifetime of surprises... so, I have to see what you'll show me next."
He could feel his endearment for the Angel grow even stronger... his heart seemed to soared at Aries' words, and once again his tongue moved with another's words.
"Aries…" he kissed.
"... how I love you, I want you to stay with me always."
"Promise, promise you'll never to go… "
Luca was shocked, words he could never say so easily rolled from his dream-self's tongue.
"Like the full-moon fills this dark cave, you're the ember in my dark world," Luca's dream-self began to spout poetic lines of love to Aries.
Lines he felt in his heart, but would never say.
'Why would a moon care for the cave it's light fills; furthermore, why would an Angel of light wish to be with someone as dark as he…' Luca thought aimlessly.
His Angel smiled at the words his dream-self ushered, and for a painful moment Luca thought he would laugh... but instead the boy's eyes filled with tears.
"In a world that blinded me with all its light..."
".. you alone offered me the solstice I needed to see my path."
Once more the Angels lips pressed against his own, and Luca found even his dream-self had no words to say, for they were both so stricken from Aries' words.
He was a Prince of Pride, yet that title was shattered with that singular line.
With all his heart he hoped this dream would come true… that he lay in a deep slumber, not at death's door, how long had this dream lasted?
He wanted his own Angel, not this dream-Aries…
He wanted those words to be meant for him, not his dream-self…
Most of all... he wanted to live... to live and see this dream become reality.