I Shine Bright When You Cover My Light

The clock strikes 12 and I know its time. My fingers tremble and shake as I clench the soft covers and pull them higher and higher, slowly exposing my toes and covering my flushed face. A cold draft fills the room and I curl my legs into the blanket, the shiver passing through my body. My eyes track his shadow, my ears perk with each of the swishes of his cloak as I breathe in his warming scent. 

"Wake up my dear, I'm here" His melodious voice seduces my hands to release the blanket clutched so tightly in my dark fists. This is the time we have, though short. 

"Hello, darling." He whispers when I finally pull the blanket away from my face.

"Hello, Sir Aku." I snap as I stand with a flourish, turning my back on the man.

"Ah, my beloved. why must we have such technicalities?" He sighs as he wraps his pale arms around my waist. I smile and allow him to turn me around. Then I press my face into his black cloak as he buries his face in my hair, slowly blocking out my glow. Now is our time.

To the mortals below us, he blocks out my light for seconds. But, to us, it's a blissful century of stolen hours, unrequited love, and tender moments.

Its never truly enough, a century to make up for the thousands of years of separation. This time, I won't let him go, if I must sperate myself from my love again I may never glow as brightly. 

I feel his presence behind me as I sit at the table, my fingers worrying the table in circles, wearing away the polish. 

"You can't leave me again." I turn to look at him, his eyes are dark and hard to read. He sheds his cloak and comes over to embrace me, his upper body draped over my wooden chair.

"My light, it is our duty to Him." His reply is seamless and robotic. 

I slam my fist against the table making him startle and let go of my shoulders. I spring up and wrap my own around him.

"I'm sorry to startle you, I can't live like this anymore, I miss you. Just seeing you paint the sky every night but not being able to speak to you, to have you hold me, to love you, is not enough anymore. I don't want to share you with Him or the mortal world, no one. I can't anymore Aku!" A single glowing tear drips down my face, he catches it in his thumb and holds my face as more fall. He wipes each one away until I am calmer, purely from looking into his pale face.

"I would love nothing else my beloved, but..."

"Let's run" I cut him off, an idea taking shape. He releases my face and begins to talk again, I don't let him, "We can run somewhere far far away from here, He would never find us!" He begins to shake his head but I grip his shoulders. He pushes them off.

"We can't leave Mars, he can't continue without us".

"I don't care! You are my husband! Not his lackey. I want to be with you always. We can find somewhere else, where it doesn't matter if you block out my light. Where we aren't the moon and sun, where we're just a couple, partners, husband and wife." I murmur the last part as I finger my moonstone ring. I look to him and see him look down at his matching gold ring. 

"Darling... I don't know..." Tears pool in my eyes and I drop my head, ashamed of my pathetic tears, his finger drops below my chin and he tugs my face up to look at him. "Ok," He says with an uncertain smile. 

We both fly into action packing, making plans and finding a place to hide. He sheds his black cloak and dawns mortal clothes and I rid myself of my gleaming gowns and find an old mortal shawl. 

Sneaking past the guards seated at the gates is the hardest part, any slip and were back to where we started, possibly chained to our posts. 

Yet, we make it and we run and run and run. Never looking back to Mars, the friend we left for dead. Never realizing that we would end up killing an entire planet. 

We never truly got the chance to regret it, either way, He followed us.