"What do you think we'll find?" Kota sounds upbeat as always, running a bit faster to catch up with their leader. "I bet it's some kind of new-type aragami."
"Maybe," Akira answers. She's a bit more distant than usual. Kota can't help but notice. After all, they're friends. They've only known each other for a few months, but they've grown to know each other through hard battles and constant trials. Plus, she ran right into a building right after answering him. Definitely more distant than usual.
"Are... you feeling okay, Akira?" Sakuya tries not to laugh as Akira picks herself up, dusting off her dark clothes. She has a feeling that the younger girl is letting her bright red hair fall in front of her face to hide her embarrassment.
"I'm fine." Her voice is a bit sharper than usual. But she clears her throat and stands up straight, pushing her hair away from her dark eyes and plastering a smile on her face. "I was just spacing out a little bit. Nothing to worry about. Let's just get this done and get out of here, okay?"
She tries to hide the glance she throws back at Soma, but Sakuya notices. The other team member has been quiet the entire time, trying not to be noticed. But Akira always notices him. It's almost painful to watch her look at him like a lost puppy, but Sakuya doesn't say anything. She has her suspicions of course, but she'd never voice them. Her own relationship with Lindow is... difficult. Akira had of course noticed, but hadn't said anything. The least Sakuya could do was return the favor. Besides, for all she knew, the girl could just be trying to get Soma to open up, worrying about his inability to make friends. She was a kind person, and worried too much about other people. It wouldn't be a surprise. Sakuya looks over at Kota, who has apparently been thinking the same thing. He turns red for a second before clearing his throat and turning away from her.
Sakuya shakes her head, trying to rid herself of those thoughts. It doesn't matter. Right now, they're on a mission. They can't afford to have two distracted people on a four man team. Akira straightens her skirt, adjusts her grip on her God Arc, and continues forward, keeping her head high. But Kota can't help but notice a slight droop in her shoulders. When he looks back at Soma, the other boy just gives him a small shrug and follows their leader. Too much thinking, not enough doing. Pushing worries out of his head, Kota shouts to the other two to wait for him and picks up the pace, giving Akira a hearty pat on the back when he reaches her side. Sakuya just laughs and follows along behind them, trying to keep her thoughts focused on the mission.
They don't expect to run into Alisa and Lindow on their mission. Two teams sharing the same target seems a bit shady, but none of them voice that thought, even though they all think it. Sakuya and Lindow share a look and both of their faces heat up for a second before she looks away and he clears his throat. Distractions seem to be running rampant today.
"Alisa, Akira, and I will go inside and eliminate the target. The three of you stay out here and provide back up just in case other aragami are attracted to the area. Understood?" Lindow sounds a bit more commanding than usual, but everyone simply nods their heads. "And one more thing. Don't die. Got it?"
They split up, Akira resting her hand on Soma's arm and whispering something to him before she runs inside. Sakuya is a bit intrigued as to what she could have said to him, judging by the way Soma is standing straighter than usual, but decides not to bring it up. The three of them remain silent as they scan the area for any sign of trouble.
Shortly before reaching their destination, Lindow orders Alisa to wait just ahead and pulls Akira to the side. She knows what he's going to say to her even before he utters a word.
"About what I told you earlier today, about the Ark Project-"
"I won't say anything." Akira interrupts, giving him a small smile. "Better to forget about it for now, right? It's not going to hinder me during the battle, I promise."
"Are you sure?" Lindow is searching her face, trying to find any doubt that might be lingering just beneath the surface.
"I'm sure. You don't have to worry about me all the time, you know." She laughs and gives him a gentle punch on the arm, a crooked smile lighting up her face. "I'm not gonna break your one rule. I mean..." Her smile falters for a second. "It did take me by surprise. Everything you told me. And honestly, I'm not sure why you told me instead of Sakuya or Soma. But it's not important right now."
"Good girl." That's his only response, and he reaches out to muss up her hair. She protests and punches his arm again, but they're both smiling. "Now let's go get this over with and celebrate with some rationed beer."
They catch up to Alisa, who simply gives them a confused look, but doesn't ask what they were talking about. Together they walk into the central room of the ruined cathedral. Akira wanders a bit ahead of them, taking in the crumbling marble columns and fragments of stained glass littering the floor. It crunches beneath her boots with every step and she almost feels guilty, as if she's somehow tarnishing the beauty of this ruined place even further. Sunlight is filtering in at an angle, and she figures it's almost sunset. She doesn't have a watch on, so she can't really be too sure. But the light filtering through the remaining glass creates beautiful shapes and colors on the ground, illuminating the dust that hangs in the air. Even with all of the ruin hanging over it, the cathedral struck her as beautiful in that moment, a tragic piece of art that stood as a memory of what humanity had once been.
But her thoughts are dashed as an aragami she has never seen before leaps into the building with a roar, its strange mane standing up and framing its head. It looks oddly like a vajra, but with the face of a woman instead of the face of a beast. As she swings her God Arc up into a fighting stance, Akira makes a mental note to look it up in the Norn database later. It leaps towards her and she leaps out of the way, sliding backwards as her boots fail to find a proper grip on the floor. As she struggles to regain her balance, Lindow rushes forward and slashes the beast in the face, dark blood splattering the ground. Finally finding purchase on the dusty, slippery floor, Akira runs forward and jumps up, slashing at its tail and allowing a small wave of pride to wash through her as warm blood mists in the air, splattering her face and clothes. She lands gracefully as Lindow takes another swing at its face, cursing when it jumps out of the way.
"Dammit Alisa, what's wrong?" Lindow's voice booms through the ruined chapel and Akira risks a glance back at the other girl.
Alisa simply stands a distance away, fear clear on her face even from far away. Her hands are shaking, her aim wavering between Lindow and the creature he is fighting. She's saying something in Russian, but Akira can't understand. But when her aim turns up towards the ceiling, Akira feels like time freezes. If the ceiling collapses, Lindow will be stuck alone with the aragami, and she'll be crushed if she doesn't step back and out of the way. But if she runs, she might have time to shove him out of the way. She makes her decision. Screaming at Lindow to get back, she rushes forward and puts herself between him and the aragami, shoving him away with all of her strength. He hits the ground and skids a good distance away before Alisa screams and shoots and the ceiling falls down in pieces between Akira and the others.
The agagami is stunned, pinned under some rubble, and Akira takes her chance. Pressing herself between the rubble blocking her off from her friends, she coughs and fights to speak loud enough for Lindow to hear her.
"Lindow, get out of here!" Her voice is hoarse from the dirt and dust hanging in the air, and it hurts to talk, but she has to get them out of here. She can hear other aragami coming, attracted by the noise.
"Are you crazy?" Lindow sounds pissed. "I'm not leaving you behind. You're not going to die, you hear me? Just... just give me a second, I'll get the others and we can break through and get you out."
A low rumble rises from behind her, and Akira knows the aragami they were fighting is starting to recover. She doesn't have much time.
"Look, we don't have time. Get Alisa out of here and I'll join you later." It's a lie, and they both know it, but she is trying her best to get her friends out.
"Akira!" She can hear Sakuya scream her name, and the sound of her gun firing. But the rubble doesn't budge one bit. She can hear Kota coming too, and Soma. ... Soma. A deep ache fills her chest and she leans against the wall of rubble separating them.
All she had wanted was to get Soma to open up. He had fascinated her, and saying she wasn't just a little attracted to him would have been a lie. It hurt her to hear him shouting about the aragami rapidly closing in on them, that they needed to get out. He is willing to abandon her. But she shoves the ache in her chest aside and speaks again, just loud enough so that Lindow, who she knew would be pressed up against the other side of the barrier, can hear her.
"Listen to me." She is overstepping her bounds, giving orders to her leader. But she has to. "Get out of here and keep researching the Ark Project. Find out what all of it means. Break into Aegis if you have to." The rumbling is growing louder, and she fights to keep panic out of her voice. "You have to figure it out and stop it. Tell the others if you have to. But if you die here today, no one will find out what's going on until it's too late. Please, Lindow. Go."
Silence is her answer and she knows she has to give that final push. She has to speak deeper to him, to his heart.
"Besides, you have to keep living for Sakuya." The dirt in the air is making it harder for her to breathe, her voice cracking as she strains to be heard. "You've got someone to love and live for. I don't."
"Fine." Lindow finally answers, but only after a long pause. "But we'll come back for you, Rookie. I promise."
"Take care of Soma." Akira gets no answer back this time, and she can hear their voices fading away in the distance. She can only hope Lindow heard her. Pushing away from the wall, Akira turns and picks up her God Arc again, facing the recovered aragami standing before her.
"Well. Looks like it's just me and you now."
The sun is setting, and the light in the old chapel has grown dimmer. Akira sits propped up against the wall of rubble, dirt and blood streaking her skin and clothes. She's worse for wear, and if she doesn't get back and get medical attention, she's not sure she'll make it to another day. But she takes a moment to rest, closing her eyes. She can feel blood trickling down her face from the gash just above her right eye. She can feel the deep, burning pain of the cracked ribs she's sustained. And she can also feel her injured wrist, although she's not sure if it's broken or sprained. Everything hurts, but in a dull, distant sort of way. It's strange, different from the pain she's felt before. Maybe it's the blood loss setting in, or the fatigue that feels like a heavy haze closing in on her mind.
But her eyes open when she hears a low growl and looks up to see another aragami. It looks like the one she just killed, but different. Stronger. More dangerous. There's no way she can win. But she still stands up, lifting her God Arc and letting it switch back to a sword, the dull blue metal gleaming in the dusky red light filtering through the windows.
"I might as well go out fighting, huh?" She's speaking to no one, and her voice is barely audible, wheezy and hoarse. But Akira figures those are good last words and rushes towards the aragami standing before her.
It jumps out of the way, much faster than the one she just devoured. It roars, the volume of the sound making her ears ache and her head pound. Akira stumbles backwards just a bit, but it's enough. The aragami lunges forward, its jaws closing around her wrist. She screams as its teeth rip off the armlet that had embedded itself in her left wrist, her God Arc disappearing into the creatures jaws as well. Blood spurts onto the floor in rhythmic pulses, and her legs give out. Tumbling to the floor, she can't help but stare in horror as shadows envelop her wrist and hand, blood pooling on the floor as a great, ripping pain fills her left arm. Everything is beginning to fade, and she's sure the aragami is going to eat her.
But then it's gone. No ominous presence, no great lurking shadow above her. Just silence. As her vision fades and darkness blankets her consciousness, Akira makes out the form of a girl standing above her, the moon shining behind her head.
And then everything goes dark.
A/N: Tense is a harsh mistress, let me tell you. Also, just as a warning, things are going to get darker from here on out. The next chapter is gonna be mostly in the past, just so I can get some relationships established and flesh Akira out. R&R apprecated. c: