Waking up to the sudden feeling of someone being in his room wasn't anything new to Albert Silverberg. He frowned slightly, but in the end, he didn't bother opening his eyes. Had that someone been hostile, Albert would have cared more, but this was a feeling he was quite used to. He knew who had entered his room in the middle of the night.

He turned to his back slowly, mentally prepared. He usually calculated things correctly and was right this time as well. Someone slipped into the bed, and Albert found the person who had entered his room lying on top of him just a moment later. Even in the darkness, Albert could see that there was a feral grin on the black-clad swordsman's face.

"Evening, Albert," the demon purred, reaching to grab the strategist by the hair abruptly. Albert didn't answer, not that he had been given any time to do so. The swordsman drew his head up a second later and pressed a fierce kiss on his lips.

Albert didn't resist, but scowled as he let Yuber kiss him. He couldn't help but notice a metallic scent on the demon's clothes.

"There's blood on your clothes," he stated in an imperturbable voice as soon as the demon broke the kiss.

"So there is," Yuber answered with a wide grin on his face. "You can probably guess it's not mine... They'll have to do better than that to get me to bleed. Although I supposed that happening wouldn't be such a bad thing either; I don't really care whose blood it is."

The strategist shook his head. He pushed the swordsman off of him and stood, then moved away from the bed and lit a candle on a nearby desk. After he got some more light into the room, he turned to face the demon again.

"Take your coat off," he ordered coldly. "I don't need you bloodying my bed sheets."

Yuber laughed, his amusement obvious. He did, however, move off of the bed and began to remove his coat. "But you know, my little strategist," he mused as he got his coat off. He took his twin blades and placed them away before he handed the coat to the redhead. "If I wanted to get your sheets bloodied, there are other ways... these ways being something that I would personally find a lot more interesting than just showing up in your bedroom fresh from the battlefield."

Albert took the coat, his expression unconcerned even though he had quite good idea what the demon meant with 'other ways'. He had ended up experiencing a few of those ways a few times before. "You know I would prefer if you didn't show up in here covered in blood."

"Why?" the blond answered, grinning like a maniac. "Ah well, not that I didn't know. Strategists. You wouldn't want to get your hands bloody, would you now...?"

The redhead shook his head shortly as he turned to put the coat away. "You should know better, Yuber. My hands are more bloodied than any of the men fighting out there."

Yuber stepped closer, behind the redhead, and wrapped his arms around him. "So they are," he whispered as he drew Albert closer. "Soaked through, in a beautiful shade of crimson. What a lovely sight it is indeed."

"I would prefer not seeing it. Bloodshed is crucial in war, but I'd rather avoid it."

"That's what you always say," the demon said, his hands wandering on the younger man's body. "But you'll allow it. Order your men to kill, knowing you stain your own hands while doing so. And you'll feel nothing about it, just because it's necessary..."

The redhead lowered his face a little as he felt the swordsman's lips caressing his neck. "Sometimes there are other ways. Sometimes there simply are not. Some wars can be won by simply negotiating about matters, but I'm afraid this war isn't one of those. What is done must be done, and blood will be shed. Not that it bothered you for a bit... Or would it, Yuber?"

The Black Knight laughed again. He grabbed the strategist by the waist and turned him around, his mismatched eyes staring into Albert's green ones. "I love it and you know it. If you command me to kill, I'll be more than happy to follow the order. I'll turn the ground crimson for you."

"That's what you're here for," Albert stated, his expression as stony as ever. "I'll have your coat washed tomorrow morning. You'll get it back by the afternoon, so you can stay here until then. Unless you feel like going back out there."

Yuber merely grinned as a reply before he drew the strategist closer for another violent kiss.

Author's notes:

Just a random thing. Yeah. I sure like having Yuber show up in Albert's room in the middle of the night, don't I?

- Lady Harken (May, 2004)