Night shrouded the room where she lay.

Mika was not asleep. She couldn't sleep; not then, after everything.

Thoughts churned in her mind as she silently watched her brother sleep. Her eyes had long ago adjusted to the limited light, and she guessed it was well into the hours of early morning.

She felt dirty and unclean due to the knowledge that came with the day. Her body had done a vile thing, and yet she was certain she would repeat it's mistakes.

It unnerved her to think of how much she'd changed over the past couple of days.

The red alley still haunted her.

Reflecting, she supposed incest wasn't the worst sin she'd committed, and she found it doubtful it'd be the last.

Suddenly restless, she needed to get out. The large space was suffocating her.

As silently as possible, she slipped out of the covers and padded across to the wardrobe, pulling on random items of clothing. This time, she noticed a section of distinctly male clothing.

After spotting and grabbing a feminine-looking wallet, she picked up a pair of boots, quickly running out the room.

Her brother's keys lay on the coffee table near the door. Unable to remember where her own were, she grabbed his.

The night air made her shiver, yet she revelled in it. The chill cleared her mind, and some of her frantic energy was already being dispelled. She stole deep breaths and exhaled slowly as she began walking.

Automatic lights lit up the porch and past that, there was a large expanse of gravel. Small lights outlined a road connecting to the substantial gravel driveway. The road stretched away from the house, guarded by a dense barrier of trees. The trees shielded it either side and most likely acted as a privacy barrier of sorts.

Mika didn't feel like exploring the grounds, so crossed the driveway and started following the road away from her home.

Mika had not yet dug up any memories, other than those brief flashes earlier that day - no, the day before - so had no clue where she was or where she was headed. She didn't care though, and there were no signs of anxiety telling her she was making a mistake.

The initial calming effect was wearing off, however, and the troublesome thoughts that had kept her awake were quickly resurfacing.

With a deep sigh, Mika decided she'd have to employ other methods to fully relax.

The gravel driveway intersected with a lone road, uniform streetlights spaced evenly along the road edge. The woodland continued as far as she could see to the right, but appeared to clear a ways away to the left. Twinkling lights let her know that there were people in that direction.

An idea popped into her head as she watched the delicate lights sparkling in the sea of blue and black. Her mind itched where an old habit lay, patiently waiting to be found.

Her feet carried her towards the lights, protecting her from the numb monotony of her surroundings.

For once, she had a shield between her and the cruel, vile world. Her shield was her love, and her shield had protected this body since she was very young. She could tell as much even without memories.

The thoughts of her love lifted her spirits slightly. She wanted to turn around and run back to the warm figure under the covers, but the itching in her brain continued.

Yet again, the relief vanished, pulled beneath her by gnarled hands.

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Her step faltered.

Thoughts seeped like poison onto her lips.

"Loving him is vile, so I cannot love." she chanted, reciting a long-engrained message.

For a moment she wondered how her body's previous owner managed to make it so long.

She continued along the road, heading left, completely unaware of her surroundings as she stumbled through the maze of her mind.

In an instant, she found herself at the city edge. Bright lights struck her eyes as she emerged from both the dark lane and her daze.

There were no signs of people, which she found strange for such a seemingly large city. She was at the city edge though, so dismissed any suspicion.

On the far side of a small stone bridge, bright lights shone before her, each of varying colour.

A certain red light caught her attention; 'LIQUOR'.

Her brain itched again.

She walked to the neon sign that seemed so familiar. Her feet took her through the door unconsciously, and she didn't attempt to stop them. She did stop, however, when a certain bottle caught her eye.

Her fingers reached for the bottle, before clasping around the glass neck firmly.

Walking idly through the store, she took her time reaching the counter. She knew that she was familiar with the store, but it frustrated her to no end that she still had barely a handful of memories to cling to.

At the counter, the clerk gave her a warm smile as she placed the bottle down and pulled out the wallet from her pocket, where it had been unceremoniously stuffed before she left.

"Going for the usual I see." the clerk said in a friendly tone.

She replied with an absent hum of agreement, handing over her money. The clerk gave her her change and waved her off as she exited, bottle in hand.

Once outside, unsure where to go, Mika began to walk back towards home.

The walls either side of the bridge extended past the water edge, and as she passed she found herself pausing alongside the gentle stream.

It seemed as good a spot as any to exist.

She turned, propping her arms up on the wall and leaning on them. The water was reflecting the various lights, causing a beautiful collection of colours to sway gently before her.

A sense of serenity settled over her like a thin veil, her thoughts flowing out of her.

Her gaze meandered to the bottle in her hand. The top was a screw-cap, which meant she could easily open it there and then. She decided to do so.

Once the bottle was open, she placed the cap on the bridge edge and raised the bottle rim to her lips.

"Hey."

Mika jumped harshly, choking on the alcohol entering her throat. The shock caused the burning liquid to enter the wrong hole, and she coughed violently in an attempt to prevent the alcohol from reaching her lungs.

"Fuck!" she spluttered, turning her face to meet the eyes of the figure standing at her side.

Lucifer sneered, snickering at her pained form.

"You know, a certain someone back home, luckily asleep, helped you break your drinking habit. I doubt brother dearest would be too happy to find out you started again." his deep voice rumbled.

Mika frowned at the bottle in hand, hesitantly placing it on the bridge wall.

"What do you want anyway?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she avoided his gaze. Her eyes refused to meet his while her cheeks still burned scarlet with shame.

"Well." he spoke, sounding as if he either didn't know or couldn't remember.

Lucifer eyed the now-abandoned bottle and decided he was devilishly thirsty. Mika watched the elegant wave of his hand as he claimed the bottle by the neck, along with the small swoop of bringing the bottle to his lips. She watched in mild awe, intrigued in how he made the simple act of drinking appear sinful. She also couldn't help but appreciate the plumpness of his lips as they wrapped around the top of the bottle. It was almost saddening to see those lips detach again.

"I have your first task." he said, punctuating his words with a cheeky grin. Mika did not trust the ever-present mischief on his face, but wasn't sure whether it was due to the upcoming task or the person.

"Two creatures will visit you in a few hours that I need you to watch over; an incubus and a demon's child. You are to give them rooms and take care of them for the foreseeable future. Do you understand?"

Mika nodded, earning a smile.

"Good girl."

Lucifer patted her head lightly, as one would to a dog or child, but it didn't feel condescending. Instead, the gesture radiated genuine gratitude, which surprised Mika.

Lucifer pulled back, straightening his suit jacket, bottle still firmly in hand.

"I must be on my way now, but if you ever need me I'll visit. Have fun~"

Mika blinked, and he vanished. The words on her tongue quickly died, the thought of her task quickly filling her mind.

She felt very curious about her to-be guests. How did you even go about taking care of a demon anyway?

Armed with a purpose, Mika returned home feeling more anxious than when she had left. Her mind remained busy for the duration of her return journey, right until she reached the softly lit driveway.

The front door didn't creak, thank god, and there was no sign of her brother. She carefully returned the keys where she had found them before sneaking upstairs. Opening the bedroom door, she let out a slight puff of relief when she saw her brother was still fast asleep. As quietly as possible, she returned herself to how she'd been before leaving and slipped back under the covers.

Snuggling up to the warm body beside her, Mika closed her eyes and released the tense breath blocking her throat.

The day was sure to be interesting.