Terrak Nor (O/A)

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Ricky hugged Mirror back. "You won't be alone again. You got me and Mike. And others too, if you let em in." he said softly, worried about Mirror and coming up with what he thought was an obvious solution. "And Mommy and Daddy'll like you too, right Mike?" he asked, cheering up a bit, now that Mirror had woken up. He turned his head a bit to look expectantly at his brother.

Michael chuckled. "Yes, they'd love to have a daughter to adopt." he said, running a hand through his hair, rather relieved that things were calmer now.

"See?" Ricky said, looking back at Mirror with a bright smile.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Mirror nodded a little and clung to Ricky, trying so hard not to cry. "Sure." She replied barely able to smile. That was the first time Rabbit had vanished from her dreams. She still couldn't see, but she didn't need it.  

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Ricky smiled before frowning a bit. "Mirror . . . that boy . . . in the dream. He's your brother right? Why was he saying such mean things to you?" he asked softly. "It wasn't right . . ." he added after a moment of thought.

Michael took in a sharp breath. "You were in her dream Ricky?" he asked.

Ricky looked up at his brother. "I didn't mean to. I just . . . she was hurting . . . I wanted it to stop. So I took a power that could help me make it stop. I was just trying to help Mikey. Please don't be mad. I didn't mean to take your power too. It was just sorta . . . there . . . and I got angry." he said, on the verge of tears.

Michael sighed and ruffled his brother's hair. "I'm not mad . . . but you have some explaining to do." he said, nodding in Mirror's direction.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

"I broke a promise." Mirror replied trying to soothe her little friend. "The thing I did to help you, last time I used that ability I. . . I nearly died trying to save the person. Rabbit was so mad at me that I promised never to use it again, but I did." She added and stroked his hair. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I. . .You weren't supposed to see it." She didn't want to cry.  

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Ricky frowned. "I'm sorry." he said, taking the blame on himself. "I didn't mean to make you break your promise." he said softly.

Michael sighed and shook his head. "You did no such thing." he said, noogying his brother lightly. "Mirror chose to help you, and that was her choice. Not your fault. And . . . sometimes, there are promises that just can't be kept." he added, 'looking' straight at Mirror.

After a moment, he started speaking again. "Ricky is an empath magi. At least that's what we've called his powers. He tapped into your powers and used them to go into your dream. Or at least to see it. He's the only magi we know of with his abilities. The Emperor himself knows about Ricky. In fact, we got him out just in time. The Emperor was supposed to be there to collect Ricky the next day. He was in the most heavily guarded cell. Gods knows what they did to him to realize what his powers were . . ." he said, trailing off as he noticed Ricky shaking a bit. He reached out and rubbed his brother's back comfortingly. "But it doesn't matter now. You're safe kiddo. Far away from the Emperor's reach. You won't ever go back to one of those places. I promise." he said softly.

Ricky was still shaking slightly, trying to push the memories away, but he was feeling calmer thanks to his brother's reassurances. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to remember what they did to him . . . or what they had planned for him. He clung tighter to Mirror, trying very hard to keep the memories out.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

"The Emperor classed me as a 'shield type' Magi." Mirror replied stroking Ricky's arm. "Rabbit was useless to him but I would have been useful, to listen out to see if there were any Magi trying to sneak in ans murder him. When I refused he threw me to the scientists. I don't know how. . . I don't know how they find out or classify us. but once you're classified, you're on the register and they can track you. They don't dare cross the border."  

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Michael looked at Mirror. "Ricky's a weapon." he said softly. "According to their logs, he's . . . the ultimate weapon. I don't know why. I only was able to read that much before the fight started and . . . I lost my eyes." he said softly, reaching up to touch the cloth that covered his eyes.

Ricky was shaking even worse now, and that had Michael worried. "What's wrong, Ricky?" he asked softly, deciding to put his remembered pain aside to focus on his brother.

"He wants to use me." Ricky choked out. "To hurt people. To win. They said . . . they said they're gonna channel my powers. Make me do things. Because I can tap into everyone's powers . . . They can make me . . . they can make me . . ." he started crying. "I destroyed people!" he sobbed out, burying his face into Mirror's side. "I connected to their soul and destroyed it! I felt the pain as they were erased! I knew them and I destroyed them! I didn't want to! They made me!" he bawled, the repressed memories breaking through.

If Michael still had his eyes, they would have widened. As it was his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Ricky . . ." he murmured, reaching out to try and comfort his brother.

"But I stopped it." Ricky murmured, his voice shaky. "I stopped it. They can't use me if I'm trapped inside. I'm safe there. It's safe. Michael didn't come . . . Where's Mike?" Ricky's eyes began glazing over again, the shock of his repressed memories too much for the young boy to bear.

Michael panicked as he realized what was happening and he was quick to grab his brother and pull him towards him. "Ricky! Ricky I'm here! I did come for you! You're with me, and Mirror! What happened wasn't your fault Ricky! Don't shut yourself off again! Reach out! Feel around you! You're safe here! No one's going to hurt you anymore!" he said, desperate not to lose his younger brother again. What had he been thinking?! Speaking about what happened to Ricky right in front of him!  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Mirror reached out to Ricky again shutting off the memories from him keeping the happy ones up front the ones they made together. "Ssh." She whispered holding him protectively in her arms. She even gave him some of her happy memories with Rabbit. She started to sing a song for him. The song she always sung for Rabbit when he was sad and couldn't sleep.  

[chibi_blue_mouse]

With the memories shut away, Ricky slumped over, causing Michael to panic even more until Mirror took the situation into her control. Ricky slept through the good memories, slept through the lullaby, but he snuggled into her, which was a relief to Michael. Because he hadn't snuggled when he had shut himself off. "Thank you." Michael murmured, relieved.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Mirror smiled softly and nuzzled him inhaling his scent. "Ssh little one." She whispered. She smiled in Michael's direction. "Any time." She said to him reaching out and squeezing his shoulder.  

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Michael sighed. "I was an idiot. Bringing up the Emperor" he scolded himself. "Damn . . . I never knew what he went through . . . I just assumed he'd been tortured but . . . having been forced to kill other magi? Probably other resistance members that he'd grown up knowing . . . No wonder he shut himself off from the world . . ." he said, before placing his head in his hands, clutching his hair tightly. "I failed him . . . He never should have had to go through that. He was too young to be on a mission. I knew better but I still thought I could protect him even if things went wrong!" Now Michael was the one having a panic attack. He was filled with guilt.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Mirror sighed softly and used her power to try and soothe him best she could. "Michael, listen to the sound of my voice and know it's okay. Your brother is safe now, he's with me, with you." She used her power again to help soothe him. "Please," She whispered. "Don't lose hope, he's back. He's with you."  

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Michael smiled sadly. "I know. But I'm terrified of losing him again. And I'm so scared that I'm going to screw up again and he'll be taken from me again." he said softly, staring at Ricky's sleeping form.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Mirror smiled softly and just stroked his hair, like she'd just done with Ricky. "Don't be, you have me now too, I can be your sibling conscience." She poked her tongue out a little. "I can pull you up if I think you're about to do something silly. I'm here for you both now. I'm not going anywhere."  

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Michael smiled a bit. "Thank you Mirror." he said softly. "I think Ricky has the right idea." he said, resting a hand on his younger brother's hand, lightly feathering through his brother's hair. "Heh. It's odd. He woke you up to help you . . . and it was the two of us who wound up needing your help." he said with a small chuckle.