Chương 97: SS (A) - To The Pyre

"Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love." -William Shakespeare Melina watched her Lord look around for another vict- another participant in his newest scheme. She ignored the Phoenix's desire to approach and be the one Mikael targeted. Her time with the man told her that when he was in one of these moods, she'd end up swept along at his pace if she approached. As far as eccentricities went, this one was more harmless than most.

In celebration of this 'Christmas,' a festival her Lord was using as an excuse to keep everyone home and together for the day, Mikael had donned a cap to which a branch was affixed. At the end of the branch was a bushel of small fruit. Melina didn't know why those who stood under this 'Mistletoe' were to kiss, but her Lord took great delight in chasing down his various wives with his ridiculous hat and covering them with affection. Melina watched her Lord turn himself invisible to the eye.

The combination of spells and miracles that had allowed him to lay Starscourge Radhan low was now being used to appear behind Robin, reappear to give her a long kiss, and then disappear again with a mischievous giggle as the former pirate tried to steady her suddenly shaky legs. Tsunade, who had been talking to the brunette, just smirked. Once more, the Pheonix Force's desires welled up, and Melina fed the burning jealousy the force of nature felt to her inner fire with the ease of long practice.

It was much easier now than when she first started to distinguish what emotions were being magnified by the psychic entity. The Pheonix Force knew that any jealousy would be counterproductive to its desire to become one with Life- with Mikael, but it couldn't help it. It was like a child with its emotions, knowing their outbursts were wrong but unable to control them properly due to how new they were. It wasn't that its emotions were wrong, so Melina couldn't fault it.

For one, the Phoenix Force could only magnify what was already there, unable to create emotions out of nothing. And there was a portion of Melina, the one that had been Mikael's sole romantic interest for over a decade of travel, that did feel jealousy every time she saw him lay his affection upon the other women of the Family. But Melina knew she wasn't alone in that feeling of jealousy.

Baring Yoruichi, Scathach, and Emma, everyone in the Family felt a desire to monopolize Mikael's attention, to one degree or another. The Phoenix Force needed to learn that, while emotions could be beautiful, momentary satisfaction did not mean the greatest happiness in the long run. The Family was not exempt from the darker emotions others faced. They just choose to come together, put aside jealousy and envy, and keep the Family whole and together. A sacrifice of momentary pleasures for long-term happiness.

Within Melina, the Phoenix Force calmed. Just in time, too, as Mikael decided his next target would be Pride, who was trying to play a fighting game with Priscilla.

'Trying' because the demon lord was not very good. But, as each loss affected her pride, Raven's demonic side doubled down and rechallenged the crossbreed. Or she would have if Mikael hadn't decided to take Pride's most recent loss as the perfect opportunity to tackle the demon to the couch, kiss her thoroughly, and then disappear in a flash of teleportation. Raven reabsorbed her clone with a smirk before the demon lord could go dragon hunting. And get a spanking for her trouble.

"Have you decided who you shall give your spot to tonight?" Glynda asked, handing Melina a cup of an off-white viscous liquid of some sort as they both watched Mikael reappear in the air above Scathach. The Lancer seemed to expect it, and she twisted her body away. Undeterred, Mikael turned his fall into a roll, and a chase around the room ensued as her Lord attempted to entrap the woman and seize her lips while the Queen of Shadows did her best to evade.

Cheers and jeers filled the room as the other women watched, either egging Mikael on or trying to trip him up as he and Scathach jumped, flipped, slid, and bounced around the room while barely touching anything or anyone.

"I have not," Melina answered, sipping the drink. It tasted decent, even if a bit too thick in texture for her palette, like drinking stew. It clung oddly to her tongue and the roof of her mouth.

"Then I'd recommend Artoria," the former huntress said, waving her hand and using her Semblance to move a couch just enough that Mikael tripped. She hid her smirk at his over-exaggerated look of betrayal behind her own drink.

"Not yourself?" Melina asked, taking another sip of the odd drink. The taste was growing on her, but the aftertaste was a bit odd. To keep things civil, a schedule of sorts was set up on who spent the night with Mikael. It wasn't anything concrete, and not once had the entire two weeks passed without some kind of deal-making, betting, or change of plans leading to disruption in the rotation. What was odd was that it really was only 'nights' with him.

Anyone in the Family could pull him aside if they were in the mood at pretty much any time, and he did the same, so it wasn't like sex was regulated. They were all too spontaneous for such a thing, and if they tried, it would kill any sort of surprise or romance. Because of the lack of need to sleep, a 'night' was better described as the time set aside for privacy rather than an actual nighttime. Nights with Mikael had taken on an almost form of currency in the Family.

An odd economy and exchange rate had started to form. A full-day date was worth two whole nights, for example. Or two women could pool their time or something other of that nature to extend their time. The system only really worked because everyone had no problem going against it if a whim seized them, knowing they could pay it back later for others. It also allowed those who were increadibly busy, like Diana, Artoria, and Glynda, to not feel left out even if they were gone from home for weeks.

All time they missed could be traded for more time later. That and Mikael wasn't the only option for sexual partnerships within the Family for many of the women. Yoruichi still spent two or three nights a week in Tsunade's bed or Glynda with Schathach or Diana. Pride was rampantly sexual, trying to sleep with every member of the Family, to mixed success, in some sort of effort to 'establish dominance.'

Sometimes, Melina felt she should try to chart the exact nature of the relationships in this Family to understand it better, but every time she tried, she just got a headache. For example, Medea was bisexual but would only be with other women if Artoria or Mikael were there as well. Emma was similar, only engaging with someone else with Mikael present or on his explicit orders. Robin, on the other hand, was exclusively interested in Mikael sexually but enjoyed spying on the others when they got together.

Melina had long ago realized why her Lord called it a Family, rather than a harem. Because while he was the catalyst that brought them together and a sort of central nexus of relationships, even if Mikael disappeared, they would all stay together as one Family. A heartbroken family, perhaps, one that might lose a few members, maybe, but they would have each other. And, slowly, Lady Ranni and Melina were becoming part of this odd Family. A big, dysfunctional Family of misfits that just happened to have sex.

A lot of sex.

"I owe her a favour for last time," Glynda explained.

"This is the most efficient way of paying her back."

"What sort of favour?" Mmmmm, would this drink make her breath smell odd? Melina hoped not.

"She gave up her last turn so Diana and I could have ours back to back," Glynda's face was a bit red but nowhere near as flush as it had been when she first started experimenting with Diana and Mikael.

"We were, um, trying something new. I am merely trying to pay her back." Was her Lord's perversion infectious? It was an interesting thought. Certainly, Melina had experienced the degeneracy of the man, as well as said and done things she had never imagined under Mikael's skilled touch. Whether it was Glynda's sex dungeon, Yoruichi's new collar, Diana's leather cuffs hidden under her bracers, or how Robin would sometimes act in ways that hinted at using her powers for more... indiscreet activities.

Were the Family losing their sense of shame thanks to spending so much time with Mikael?... Perhaps.

"Unfortunately for Artoria, I will not be giving up my place tonight," Melina said, taking another sip of the curious drink.

"You have enough control now," Glynda asked, looking over Melina curiously.

"I believe so," the Kindling Maiden nodded faintly.

"My recent efforts with Emma, Lady Ranni, and Scathach in coordinating the infected have been good practice." Since becoming the Phoenix Force host and gaining her Element in the process, Melina had been unable to lay with her Lord. Not for lack of trying, of course. Merely that the mercurial entity within her, unaccustomed to emotions and physical sensations, tended to respond powerfully to 'joining' with Li- Mikael. Said responses usually involved a copious amount of fire.

This wasn't a problem, per se, as Mikael was undeterred, and it was not the first time he and his lovers destroyed a room, or three, with their passion. Except as the Phoenix host, Melina was also affected by its excitement. To put it in her Lord's words: 'The Phoenix Force is a quick shot, and every time it cums, it goes supernova, and you pass out.' While it felt good, more than good, for the Maiden, it provided remarkably less satisfaction to her Lord.

She could not even relieve him with her touch, her mouth, or the rest of her body, as the Phoenix's hypersensitivity would reduce her to a quivering mess. No matter how he tried to reassure her, it was a shameful failure as her Lord's woman. Not even being able to perform her duties had Melina more determined to gain control than ever, allowing the more qualified woman of the Family to take her 'turn' until she could resume her role as her Lord's Maiden.

Sometimes, Melina regretted becoming the host of the Phoenix Force. It seemed to be more of a hindrance than aid. Then Mikael would meet her eyes as she practiced, and Melina saw the hope in them. The hope that she, with the Phoenix Force, could purge the Old Blood from this world. Mikael was buying time, time for her to master her new power. He was delaying the inevitable long enough until she could burn everything that hurt him from this world. The Hunt was affecting him. They all could see that.

In the way his bouts of silence were becoming more frequent. In his efforts to deal with the worst outbreaks before they ever learned about them. But, no matter how low he got, Mikael would never give up, no matter how much Life hurt, because that was who he was. The least Melina could do was match that effort. That was what tonight was about, more than anything. A chance to relax and laugh and play, even as the world slowly sank into madness. Melina watched Mikael catch Scathach with a trap of crystal.

The Lancer shattered the confinement instantly, but it gave enough time for her Lord to dangle his absurd headwear over her head. Under the cultural compulsion of the 'Mistletoe,' the Queen of the Land of Shadows was forced to concede. Despite the loss, Scathach didn't look in any way put out as she ravished her Lord's mouth in a passionate kiss. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Congratulations," the former huntress gave the Phoenix host a small smile.

"Though, I shall just be down the hall if you need me. I still can't fix anything burned to ashes, though."

"Ideally, we shall not, but I cannot make such a promise," Melina sighed, finishing her drink. It was a bit uncouth, but she smacked her lips lightly to disperse the remnants of the drink.

"By the way, what is this concoction?"

"Eggnog."

"How odd. I was unaware that eggs could be turned into such a drink. It is also unlike Mikael to choose such a sweet brew."

"From my understanding, it is a tradition for this holiday. But yes, you are correct. He's not drinking that. That's the unaltered drink. He, Scathach, and Medea created a more alcoholic version that is less sweet."

"I shall try this other brew then. And..." Here, Melina paused, unsure how to voice her next point.

"Yes?" Glynda prompted.

"Is there a traditional garb for this holiday?" Melina asked, gesturing to the lights and tree.

"For tonight, I mean." Grail Knowledge gave her an overview of what 'Christmas' was and a few cultural notes so she could fit in, but it was not a source of all knowledge.

"I..." Glynda paused, giving the idea some thought.

"I do not know. We had celebrations for winter in my home, but it is different here. Maybe Medea has something appropriate." Melina nodded in agreement with the idea. Just because nobody here followed the religion this holiday was based on did not mean Melina did not wish to aid her Lord in his efforts to make it an occasion to come together as a Family.

"Now, this is a nice Christmas present," her Lord said with a raised brow and a smile as he beheld Melina sprawled out on his bed. Melina was unsurprised by the look of lust in his eyes. Her Lord was always a deviant of the highest order, constantly craving new and stimulating experiences. More than once in their journey together, he had clad her in various outfits for his pleasure.

It was because she had known his preferences that Melina had asked Glynda, and then Medea, for some manner of clothing that would befit the season that would be appropriate. This led her to wear a red 'Santa' hat, weirdly similar to those of the wandering merchants, and a large ribbon tied in a manner that covered her breasts and groin. And nothing else.

"Will the bird brain be a problem," Mikael asked, removing his own headwear. Then, the rest of his ridiculous outfit. He said it was 'festive.' Everyone else just appreciated the way his open red shirt framed his abbs.

"I have it under control," Melina said simply, enjoying the sight of her Lord's body for the first time in... too long. Mikael noticed her attention and, with his customary lack of shame, grinned as he started to slow his disrobing. Melina rolled her eyes but watched with bated breath as inch after inch of skin was exposed, heat pooling in her loins. This was the body she had watched slay the greatest of the Demigods. Those arms had hunted dragons to extinction.

That was the waist she had held for years as they rode across the Lands Between atop Torrent. That back had given Melina the sole source of safety in her long years. That was the chest Melina had laid her head against, the hair she had run her fingers through and the lips that had whispered sweet words into her ears.

"Are you sure you can do this," Mikael asked as he finished his impromptu strip show.

"Your hair is on fire."

"A side effect," Melina didn't even blink at the accusation.

"The Phoenix needs an outlet. There shall be damage, but I shall fulfill my duties, my Lord." Mikael sighed, sitting on the bed beside her. Then he pulled her into a hug, and they fell back against the mattress. His touch alone sent shivers down Melina's spine, but she fed those feelings to the flame in her core. The Phoenix was to be an aid, not a hindrance.

"You know there's nothing wrong with taking more time, right? I'm in no rush. I won't think any less of you." Indeed, for all his lechery, her Lord would only inflict it upon the willing. Should Melina demonstrate even a hint of unwillingness, he would either try to asway her concern or, failing such, leave her be until such time as she was comfortable. Such had been the case in Caelid, where the miasma of the Scarlet Rot permeated the air, rendering it a significant detriment to their usual nights of passion.

T'was only in locations free of the affliction that they could become one once more. It led to months without physical contact, as Melina remained in spiritual form as Mikael wandered the land. Still, this was not such a case, and Melina knew how to assuage her lover's concern.

"And..." Despite her commitment and the feelings welling up within her, Melina couldn't help but pause in momentary embarrassment at the words she needed to speak.

"It has been too long since I have felt you within me, my Lord." Mikael's sympathetic smile slipped back into the grin of lust. Only a deviant such as him would enjoy seeing a lady speak in such an uncouth manner. Amid passion, Melina had no such reservations, but before? Shame welled up in her breast, and that shame further fuelled the pit of longing need within her. What had this man done to her? Melina had gone from a woman who had never felt the touch of a man to a wanton degenerate who would beg for sex.

All because of the terrible influence of this fiend. Melina fed the lust that those thoughts brought to her flame as well, lest the room be consumed by the Phoenix's fires. The psychic entity aided her, trying to channel its own rampant emotions into her core. It desired this even more than Melina. If only the touch of Life was enough to bring it such tremendous pleasure, what would a joining be like? That was why Melina had such confidence now.

The Phoenix was now very aware that Mikael would keep his threat of not touching them if it impeded Melina.

"I've missed you too. Tell you what," Mikael said, trailing a finger along her side. Melina shivered.

"We can give it another shot, but if you pass out again, we're waiting till you have full control. I'd rather not fuck an unconscious body."

"If I pass out before you release," Melina countered. There had been many times her ability to remain conscious had failed because of her own weakness, well before becoming the Phoenix host.

"Deal," Mikael grinned and, with a flick of his wrist, untied his 'present.' Melina luxuriated in the way his eyes roamed her naked body as the ribbon fell to the bed. She was nowhere near the beauty of the rest of his concerts, but not once had she felt undesired by her Lord. With the air of a man touching glass that could shatter at any moment, Mikael took her breasts in hand, cupping them gently. His rough thumbs ghosted over her excited nipples gently as he kissed her.

Melina leaned into the kiss, pressing her body against him, urging him to touch her more. This was where things had started to unravel last time, but seeing as the only effect was Melina's hair glowing brighter, Mikael continued with more surety. It wasn't that the Phoenix was any less sensitive to his touch than before; it was just that Melina was burning all outside effects away as soon as they came.

Her Lord's lips left Melina's, and she whimpered as he trailed kisses down her chin, along her neck, and to her breasts. His lips, his touch, and the press of their bodies together were almost overwhelming. Mikael's every touch was like fire, blazing hot for an instant before being doused in her own flames, only to flair again a second later. It was enough to drive a woman mad, the feel of him thousands of times more potent than Melina remembered.

Only her long experience with Fire allowed her to keep her reactions to groans, moans, and whimpers that Melina did her best to muffle. Mikael took that as a challenge. And, being the petty and competitive person he was, her Lord redoubled his efforts to draw out her voice. One of his hands left her breasts, trailing downward. It made stops along the way, pressing and squeezing in places he knew Melina to be most sensitive. Here, he grasped her lower side, where she was usually ticklish.

There, he pressed below her navel, on the point right above her womb. Then, he ran a fingernail along the inside of her thighs, sending her shivering and clenching. Mikael was a fire, all-consuming, all-devouring in its hunger for her. No part of her body had not experienced his touch before, not been trained to respond, and he knew it. He turned that knowledge, gained over a decade together, all for the purpose of answering Melina's unspoken challenge. As Melina knew he would.

Just as Mikael knew her own body better than she did, playing it like an instrument in the hands of a master bard, so too did Melina know how to engage her Lord and bring him pleasure. To Mikael, sex was as much a mental challenge as it was a physical one. He was endlessly creative and experimental, constantly trying new ideas and positions. All in favour of his greatest fetish: his partner's pleasure. Early on, Melina had considered it romantic.

Now, after truly knowing her Lord, she understood that it stemmed not from kindness or romance but rather from Mikael's unique form of egotism. Mikael worked incredibly hard to ensure he was the best lover possible because he needed to be the best. Out of sentimentality, pride, jealousy, kindness, and inferiority. Egotism, where there was only one person you could control, and thus only one person you could blame.

It was in these moments, when Mikael tried his best to bring his partner to pleasure through any method he could imagine, did Melina glips below the first layer of Mikael's mask. Below the cocky assurance, the laughter and puns, the arrogance and showy displays, was the fragile layer. The coward who feared death. The man bursting with inferiority that did everything he could so he would not be forgotten. Underneath the battered armour of bombastic extroversion was the frightened introvert.

The man who craved solitude yet couldn't stand to be alone. Who, in the dark of night when they were alone together under the stars, had confessed his deepest fears and showed Melina his most pathetic side. Seeing her quiver and give in under his touch brought such a pure smile to that man's face that Melina felt her release. That damned smile. The smile that was entirely too self-satisfied. A smile born from seeing the pleasure he could bring. In the affirmation of his worth, in his existence, through others.

Egotism born from the lack of ego. Superiority born from a sense of inferiority. Sadism born from pain. As Mikael brought Melina to her first orgasm of the night, he could not know that it was as much to see his pleasure as it was from his touch. Melina was Fire. She was born for Fire, been shaped by Fire, and had returned to Fire. But she was never the Fire born to destroy, but the Fire that warmed and comforted.

And the man before her, the one who had kindled that fire in her breast, who had nurtured it and fed it, who had shaped it with every touch and directed it with every word, was who Melina burned for. Mikael found joy in bringing Melina to the cliff's edge of pleasure and pushing her over. Melina's greatest pleasure was grabbing his hand to see his smile as she dove willingly into the abyss as they fell together. Fire with purpose. For the first time since their union, the Phoenix and host were in perfect sync.

They needed this. They needed Mikael. They needed to peel back every layer of sediment, every armour and defence he had erected, to lay him bare of all that the cruel world had forced him to wear and reach his core. They needed to become one with him in the only way he would allow.

"Woah," Mikael said with a grin as he allowed himself to be pushed onto his back and Melina to straddle his waist.

"Someone's pent up." He had no idea. He couldn't. Mikael had given them Purpose. Mikale had given them Life. They rubbed themselves back and forth along his member. They were already wet enough, but they had learned in their decades with the man that there was no such thing as too prepared. Eventually, when his erection was slick with their arousal, they lifted their hips and lined his tip up with their entrance.

"Wait!" Mikael ordered, and they froze. Had they done something wrong? This was their first time; they didn't want to disappoint him. Already, they had failed their duties for weeks. They didn't know what they would do if they also failed here. They should have known their Lord/Life would not deny them. Mikael placed the red hat on their head, moving the white pompom so it was behind their head and lay back down with his arms crossed behind his head.

"Continue," Mikael ordered with a smirk. They knew what these actions truly meant under his arrogant facade. Mikael could not be passive. He could not simply receive pleasure. He needed to contribute somehow, to be in charge even from the bottom, because if he wasn't if he didn't have input, there would be no difference between him and some other man. It was so ridiculous, so pathetic, so sincere, so domineering, so Mikael that they could not wait even a moment longer.

Their waist lowered, their lower lips parted, and he was in. They were one. Unable to feed everything to their core, for there was just too much sensation, firey wings burst from their back. Their Lord/Life watched them with concern, but they met his gaze with one alight with flames. They were awake. They were still in control of themselves. He nodded. They lowered themselves down completely, filling themselves with him until he kissed their most sacred of places, and the wings grew. It was so much feeling.

Too much. They felt like they were going to burst. Mikael was the only one they had ever been with, so they had no comparison, but he must be on the larger side, they were sure. If not, they feared for those who tried to take in more. Surely, they would burst. They sat there, connected to their Lord/Life in the second most intimate way possible, wishing they could become even closer, yet knowing it wasn't possible. Yet. Then they began to move, raising their waist slowly, for that was all they could do.

It was a struggle, for every movement widened the void within them, yearning to once more feel him, but they knew it was for his pleasure and theirs, so they continued until only his tip nestled within their warmth. Where it belonged. The wait was too much, and they crashed back down, filling themselves again. Stuffed full, they luxuriated in the feeling, now knowing the emptiness they had been missing their entire lives. It took all the effort and will they possessed to do it again. Then again. And again. Again.

Again. Over and over, the void grew only to be filled once more. Pleasure, like none they had ever felt before, overwhelmed them with even the slightest movement. Pleasure of the flesh, that rippled and squeezed. Pleasure of the heart, at the look of rapture on his face. Pleasure of the mind, as they felt his thoughts swirl around them. Pleasure of Fire, of the heat of his body and of the heat of their core.

So much pleasure that it was less that they were having repeated orgasms and more that they were having one continuous release that never ended. And then their Lord/Life gave up his passivity to fuel the blaze. Once more, his burning touch left scars of heat along their skin as he sought to bring even more joy. He sought to tease a reaction from them, to hear them sing. And they sang. Moans that echoed with bird song. Cries that trilled. Chirping whimpers.

A cacophony of sounds that were so alien and yet so human that any who heard them would swear, to their dying day, that it was the most beautiful music they had ever heard. He knew the pyre, this body, better than any other. He had cultivated these flames until they were the inferno they were now. Under Mikael's touch, they were at once his goddess and his slave. For them, there was nothing he would not do. For him, they would burn everything to ash. Together, they would transcend even Death.

Their Lord/Life released, adding another wonderful source of heat to their core. They Burned Together.

In the remains of what was once the master bedroom, lying in the ashes of a once great bed, they gathered their breath. Gone was her sense of unity with her passenger. In its place was a sense of contentment from the force of nature that Melina had never felt before. She definitely still needed practice in control, though.

"Congratulations," Melina snarked, laying her head on her Lord's chest.

"That was the Phoenix Force's first time, and you blew its mind." Mikael snorted at the pun, just as she knew he would.

"I'm sure it's had hosts that had sex before," Mikael denied with a chortle, pulling her closer and giving her butt a playful swipe. The Phoenix Force's presence within her stirred once more at the sensation.

"It has," Melina acknowledged as her hair again glowed with dancing flame.

"But not once was it entirely one with its host during it. It watched instead of participating. Not this time. So... Congratulations, you took the Phoenix Force's virginity." Mikael laughed at the absurdity of that statement but was more than happy to help the 'virgin' explore sensations it had never truly experienced before.