1. Bed- They only had one bed, but this was fine since both boys loved the feel of each other's skin and warmth, the assurances of safety, and the late-night whispers of secrets.

2. Lullaby- It became their habit for Mikleo to sing them a lullaby until they both fell asleep since his voice was quitter and sweeter like watery waves while Sorey would pet his head in his own form of inducement.

3. Flower- While playing one day, Sorey plucked up a light pink gerbana and tucked it behind Mikleo's ear making him blink in question; Sorey said he thought it would suit him.

4. Architect- For a time Sorey imaged being an architect so that he would be able to construct humongous ruins of his own, ruins for him and Mikleo alone, where they could explore day in and day out.

5. Excitement- Sorey was such a bundle of excitement that even when Mikleo showed his own excitement at ruin visits, toys, or story time, it always paled in comparison.

6. Bunny- One day while playing a tiny white bunny came hopping near Mikleo whose face lit up with such excitement that Gramps reluctantly agreed that they could keep the little guy, who Sorey brilliantly named Whiskers.

7. Age- Even though they were nearly the same age, it was strange for Sorey to think about the fact that he was progressing at a faster pace, that Mikleo would live at least four times how long he would.

8. Fragile- Sorey was human—fragile—and Mikleo steeled his little heart and puffed out his chest knowing that he would need to constantly protect him or else he might lose his best friend in the entire world (an event he couldn't live with).

9. Fairytale- Fairytales were some of the stories they read most often due to their otherworldly allure, and sometimes they would even act the stories out; whenever they did Sorey and Mikleo would fight over who would be the princess since Sorey said Mikleo was the one between them pretty enough for the role while Mikleo claimed he needed all the practice he could protecting him.

10. Actuality- Sorey pretended to hate the way Mikleo would treat him like some fragile damsel in distress, but in actuality, he liked in just the tiniest bit because it showed just how much Mikleo cared for him.

11. Fearsome- Thunder was a fearsome thing to Mikleo, and he would cower and latch onto Sorey's shirt as if he were a saving grace, and Sorey would stroke his back and whisper how everything was alright, and Sorey actually welcomed these times since for once he was allowed to be the one protecting.

12. Truth- The boys were born with curious hearts, wide eyes, and eager fingers; they would read through every book in Gramps' library in the search for truth until their young heads would slump against the pages, worn out and lost to sleep, until Gramps would complain when the pages came lose or ripped, until their minds and hearts and souls felt, at least for a time, satisfied.

13. Goodbye- When they were a bit older—old enough for Mikleo to begin to wield his seraph artes—Gramps took him out for training sessions; the first time he did Sorey said goodbye a half dozen times (first gleeful jumps and waves, then mournful sounds in the back of his throat) before finally letting him leave.

14. Entity- The human is an entity governed by endless wants and motivated by the wars brought about because of those wants while the seraphim is an entity governed by endless days and disheartened by the detachment brought about of those days, or so Sorey once read.

15. Afterworld- It was inevitable that Sorey would die before him, but as sad as it was, Mikleo held onto the thought of an afterworld shared by seraphim and humans where he could find Sorey again centuries into the future as if no time had passed at all.

16. Strange- Sorey was the strange one, the hyperactive one, the hungry one, the sleepy one; he was the one who couldn't use seraph artes, he was the one given his own house when he turned 12, and he was the one people would gossip about when he passed; but he was also Mikleo's number one and that made up for everything else.

17. Pale- Sorey's breath caught as he stared down at the water seraph—pale as could be and chilled to the very bone, so against his element—and he vowed to never let him that far into the deep end of a lake again without constant supervision.

18. Mind- In his mind Mikleo watched Sorey leave him so many times—death, departure, disaster—and each time it happened his face would clam up with unshed tears, tears he was not ready to realize for the finality they would represent.

19. Horizon- The horizon above Elysia stretched beyond they had ever seen before, the sight as breathtaking and awe-inspiring as they had imaged it would be; staring out at the destiny that awaited them, Sorey found Mikleo's hand for he was truly grateful that he would be there with him to take the journey on.

20. Weird- People often stared at Sorey as if he were a weirdo—who wouldn't if they saw him talking to empty air?—but this never stood in Sorey's way; Mikleo was his best friend and he would not be ashamed of that fact.

21. Worship- Mikleo had known that some humans worshiped the seraphim, but hearing Alisha mention it, and later seeing humans bowing heads in pray gave him a weird feeling; he wasn't anything that special.

22. Entropy- Human society was entropy, a cycle running in only one direction, yet Mikleo tried his best to look through the optimistic lens that Sorey did, and maybe, just maybe, he caught a glimpse of a promising future.

23. Battle- Battle was never something they wanted, but was what they found because it was the only solution; so they fought—they battled with all they had, despite their natures—in order to fight for the world they sought for.

24. Mystical- Other humans viewed the seraphim as something mystical, something beyond their experienced realm, but to Sorey there was only one difference between the races, and that was that the seraphim just happened to exist on a slightly altered plain of existence.

25. Fortunate- Sorey always knew he was fortunate to have a friend like Mikleo, but by entering the world and seeing all the different kinds of people there were, he realized just how fortunate he really was.

26. Smile- Mikleo tended to reserve most of his smiles for Sorey, but when he did smile, it light up his face, and made his hair shine with light rays from the sun, and softened his eyes to crystal gems, and Sorey couldn't help gaping.

27. Warmth- There was a specific warmth they only felt when together; a warmth that spread from their chests and out to all their limbs, a warmth that filled their beings and calmed all their nerves, a warmth that assured them that everything would be alright, as long as they remained together.

28. Martini- Not long after joining the group Zaveid decided it was time Sorey had a night out at bar; the Shepherd tried a martini but little of it managed to stay down.

29. Erotic- Zaveid had an erotic way of talking, a way of talking Sorey could not really understand beyond the fact that it had to do with women and "pleasure;" these were both things that had never really crossed his mind before.

30. Apocalyptic- Mikleo is no longer scared of thunder, instead it is the images of apocalyptic disaster from a future in which they fail that has him shaking in the middle of the night; that is until Sorey's arm tightens around him and he is reminded of how much he believes in him.

31. Martyr- Mikleo understood that Sorey becoming Maotelus was the best shot they had; he knew, yet he couldn't help hating that fact that he had to be a matyr; why of all people had it had to be his Sorey?

32. Love- It wasn't until Sorey was gone—asleep—that Mikleo finally began to contemplate the idea of love and what it meant for him and Sorey.

33. Sacred- After the Shepherd Sorey fell into sleep saving everyone he became a sacred figure, not quite religious, yet not quite secular either; while everyone began to call upon him to answer their prayers or to send them guidance, only Mikleo would stare at his honorary statues and remember the real man, the flawed and goofy man, behind it all.

34. Depression- Mikleo believed Sorey would make it, that he would come back to him, yet depression still sunk its poisonous fangs into him, because even if he would be there with him again one day, that day was not today and he was still alone.

35. Awkward- Sorey's movements were awkward when he first woke up, stiff and tired from disuse, but he didn't let that stop him from rushing off to find Mikleo who's face he missed more than anything in the world.

36. Home- The first thing Sorey said to Mikleo once he was safe from the dangerous pit in the floor was "I'm home;" the second was "you're even more beautiful than I remember."

37. Emotion- Their reunion was a mass of emotion, more emotion than Mikleo could remember feeling for over a century, a time in which his heart had slightly frozen over, yet a simple glance at Sorey's heartfelt eyes had melted every drop of ice, leaving him a withering puddle.

38. Mirror- As soon as Mikleo has led the newborn seraph to his home Sorey's eyes widened in awe as he stared himself down in the mirror.

39. Ocean- Mikleo took them to the ocean, saying that he waited until he would be able to share the moment with him, and Sorey watched unwaveringly as Mikleo shown with the true breath of life in the source of his element, hair damp with beads of liquid, face relaxed and radiant, breathing quick and animated.

40. Magic- Sorey grinned like an idiot the time he first used his seraph arte magic, fire shooting everywhere in a blaze of light, and Mikleo couldn't help smiling endearingly as well.

41. Natural- It was natural for a seraph to feel most at peace surrounded by their element, so soon after Sorey had begun to wield his artes they build a large bon fire and watched as it blazed ember flames up into the sky until they sizzled into chard ash, nestled together the entire time.

42. Lovesick- At first they were lovesick in the only way they knew how to be, in casual touches, smiles, and assurances; it wasn't until much later when touches began to linger longer, mouths finally brushed together, and their mindsets truly shifted.

43. Cuddle/Embrace- They still cuddled, but it was different than the cuddles of their youth; this was more of a true embrace, legs intertwined, fingers woven, face pressed to chest or neck, deep inhalations of each other's odor.

44. Absorbable- Mikleo's knew that Sorey admired his absorbent clothes, made from special seraph water material, so for Christmas he got him his own pair of black and red garments fashioned from burning coals of flame.

45. Poetry- Sorey's new hobby is writing Mikleo poetry—silly, heartfelt, stupid—and at first Mikleo found it charming, but after a while, he couldn't stand reading lines like "your hair, the faintest of moonlight, is soft to the touch. I love touching it. May I touch it some more?"

46. Couple- Every so often they were questioned during meetings whether or not they were a couple, and each time Sorey would smile good naturedly, tug at Mikleo's hand, and ask, "Do you really need to ask?"

47. Passion- They passion may look mild compared to others, yet in their hearts it was as passionate as each could stand; theirs was a connection born together, nurtured together, and realized together.

48. Mechanical- They come across a gigantic mechanical wheel whose purpose they don't understand yet whose artistry they could admire with both eyes and brushing fingertips.

49. Scenic- When traveling, they tend to take the scenic routes; they aren't in any hurry—they have plenty of time to spare—and the added nature fuels their bodies for their adventures.

50. Endless- Their days seemed endless, and while alone that might have seemed overwhelming, even frightening, together it seemed like the biggest blessing the world could have bestowed upon them, especially for Mikleo who often found himself still crying over the beauty that was this gift of keeping Sorey with him throughout his long life.