Frozen

On the way back to headquarters from a crime scene, Nobuchika glanced at his inspector out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't spoken to him since they left the site and he could tell that she had been subdued. That thought regarding her distress was solidified when her hands gripped the steering wheel before she switched the vehicle off of auto-control.

They turned down a quiet street that led them away from their original destination. Even so, he didn't voice any complaints or questions since it wasn't the first time she had behaved this way. Though he never verbally asked what was on her mind, he was certain he knew what it was.

A few minutes later, they pulled to a stop next to a small bridge which provided a narrow view between the tall sky-high buildings. Wordlessly, she cut the engine and stepped out. There was nothing he could do but follow her lead. After exiting the vehicle, he turned to glance at her as she had approached the railing of the bridge.

Gently closing the car door, he made his way to join her, but only reached the edge of the curb before his feet stopped. As he gazed at her, he could read the unwelcoming stance of her posture. Her right arm hung limply at her side while her left hand gripped her upper arm.

To the undiscerning eye, she seemed strong and capable, in total control. By now, he had been with her long enough to understand it was only a façade. Her strength lay in her ability to bounce back from anything without any repercussions to her psycho-pass, but she was still susceptible to the same emotions the rest of them faced.

She had been like this ever since that fateful day. Their team had been divided in half – the death of two and the escape of the third. Even now, he would face a sense of nauseating nostalgia where the events of the past overwhelmed him like a flood, dragging him back into the maelstrom of sensations it had created.

In retaliation against what he couldn't accept, he had wailed at the world for its injustices and raged at his own inadequacies. For it, he had paid the price by becoming what he had once despised and attempted to avoid for as long as possible; taking the path that both his father and good friend had been forced down.

As he watched her reliving those moments in her mind, he was there with her – a few feet away reliving his own. Despite the direct orders that he never let go of the perpetrator, Masaoka hadn't obeyed. As he had been helplessly pinned to the ground with a bomb being thrown in his direction, there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop the inevitable. His death had been prevented by the sacrifice his father made, giving up his own life.

He had cried many tears in the sanctuary of his room and the images burned into his mind invoked more that pooled in his eyes. For so long, he foolishly begrudged his father for the shame and suffering he had brought upon their family. They had finally been making progress down the path of mending broken fences. Then prematurely, he had been snatched away from them.

Blinking away the wetness, Nobuchika focused his gaze on Akane once more. He didn't know what had happened exactly, but he understood enough. There was only one possible reason for Shinya's necessary disappearance. The man they all wanted dead but was ordered to capture alive was truly dead.

This was her way of crying out her anguish, railing against the betrayal she had faced. The fact that she still succumbed to it meant it continued to weigh heavily on her heart. In spite of that, he had come to acknowledge that she was not the same as him. No matter how many times they found themselves in this exact situation, her psycho-pass and crime coefficient showed no change; probably as clear and clean as it had been the day of her birth.

Despite that fact, it did not diminish the intensity of her emotions. While he had disapproved of her closeness and easy camaraderie with enforcers, she had fostered a unique bond with the man. Each of them had taken to her with her continued time as part of their team. The same could be said for him though he had only recognized that truth after the devastation they had faced as a unit.

Isolated by the stillness of the noiseless street, he stood helplessly in the background; desiring to break through the barrier between them, but incapable of doing so. Her fingers clenched into a fist as her back was held ramrod straight. Physically, that was her stance, but he could picture it in his mind's eye; the way she slowly crumpled to the ground, inch by inch, broken and hurting.

His desire to step in and fill the void she felt was just that because he was unable to take action. They were both frozen in time and space, in the past that they could not alter. His relationship with her had been rocky from the start and improved somewhat with their new roles, but it had never been in his nature to try and support the people around him. Now that he truly felt the need to do so, he didn't know how.

Already, he had grown by leaps and bounds as he was able to reach his hand out towards her. It was his feet that refused to move, glued to the pavement by the fear that she might reject him. He was no Shinya. Yet unexpectedly, he felt his body move of its own accord like he had been pushed. Turning his head, his eyes widened in surprise as he thought he had a fleeting glimpse of two grinning faces that he would never again see.

Colliding with Akane, his focus returned to his reality. His outstretched arm instinctively curled around her shoulders while his other one shot out in front of them to brace against the railing. After steadying them on their feet, he released his hold on the support. Instead, he wrapped it around her waist, drawing her close. She felt much too cold.

Stiffening within his embrace, she didn't push him away and his hold on her tightened. Silently, he pleaded with her to accept what little he could offer. He was tired of being locked down by memories of what he couldn't change; he was positive it should be the same for her. Though it had changed them irrevocably, they were the ones who had survived.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed and it truly didn't matter because he would hold her as long as she needed him to. With their prolonged embrace, he could sense the icy core of their hearts begin to thaw. In time, her free hand came up to rest on his arm and he sighed heartily, his warm breath teasing her hair.

"We need to get back," he murmured, not releasing her.

"Mm…"

Though they both knew that, they remained as they were for a while longer. Akane was the one to remind them of their situation once more when she gave him a gentle squeeze. He reciprocated the action in a quick tightening of his hold before he slowly freed her. As he stepped back, she turned to face him, her expression truly relaxed.

"Let's go."

Nodding in response, Nobuchika headed to his side of the car. Though there was still silence, it was no longer that stifled atmosphere. Rather, they had taken a step forward out of the shadows of the past – together. Starting the car, Akane returned the system to its auto-pilot setting before settling back against the seat. It wasn't until they were safely on the main road that she spoke.

"Thanks."

"Anytime," he promised.

AN

A quick little story idea that had been fermenting in my head for a while now. It was supposed to be a song inspired story, until I realized the translation that I found (and liked!) was not all that accurate. So it kind of is one, but not really... (Supposed to be "Love in the Ice" by Tohoshinki)

Anyways, this is dedicated to the lovely DestiniesEntwined for being our geekend leader! We couldn't have done it without you. So how could I end things without posting this when it's something I was working on during the flights and internet-less week I just spent far, far away from home? XD It's also one of those projects I mentioned that wasn't posted on my profile.