When they first felt it, it was just a light tremor. The lamp that hung overhead in the dining room swung gently.
The next was harder. Fubuki could see the water in his cup ripple and slosh around.
Finally someone had the sense to yell, "EARTHQUAKE! EVERYONE HIDE!"
Just as everyone scrambled for cover, a series of strong quakes brought a nearby wall crumbling to dust.
Chunks of cement dropped down from overhead.
Endou, Kazemaru, Kabeyama, Tsunami, Tachimukai, Kidou, Fudou, Sakuma and Kogure had reached the safety underneath the dining tables, while Hiroto, Hijikata, Someoka, Tobitaka, Toramaru, the managers and Coach Kudou found shelter under the desks.
That left Fubuki and Gouenji out in the dangerous open. There was no space for them to take shelter.
The ground gave another violent shake and part of the ceiling caved in with a deafening crash. And one of the cement chunks was about to hit Gouenji.
"Move!" Fubuki managed to gasp as he pushed his boyfriend out of the way.
"What- " Gouenji said hoarsely as he narrowly avoided the deadly piece of falling cement.
Fubuki threw himself on top of Gouenji, acting as a human shield as more rubble fell around them.
"No, Shirou!" Gouenji twisted underneath him.
"You must not die," Fubuki said softly, barely making himself heard over the scraping noises of cement against cement.
The shaking stopped abruptly.
"Fubuki-kun!" Hiroto called out from under the desk he was hiding under. "You okay?"
"Yep." Fubuki looked around. The lodge was reduced to a giant pile of useless rubble. Huge, irregular chunks of cement blocked the entrance and all the windows, trapping everyone in the dining room. It was dark. The only sources of light were small gaps between the cement blocks over the window, just enough to let some light to seep into the room.
"Is everyone okay?" Endou's voice sounded. His voice was shaking.
"Yeah."
"I think we should-" Endou hadn't even finished half of his sentence when the ground shuddered violently under them yet again.
More cement chunks rained down and the earth quaked more violently.
Fubuki pressed himself close to Gouenji, still shielding the flame striker from the fatal cement shower.
The earth shook terribly and the rest of the ceiling crumbled and caved in. One of the cement blocks fell down towards Fubuki.
To Fubuki, it was as if it fell in slow motion. Dust swirled around the chunk and it rotated as it fell, displaying all of its sharp corners.
His instinct told him to bolt and hide.
No, he argued with himself. I must protect Shuuya-kun.
A sharp jab of pain on top of his head and a sickening crunch told Fubuki that the cement had hit him. His head pounded and he felt blood pouring out of the deep wound, seeping through his hair.
There was a salty, metallic taste in his mouth. He coughed and blood came up from his throat, dribbling out of the corner of his mouth.
"Shirou!" Gouenji gasped when he saw the blood. Fubuki's vision swam, growing hazy. His knees buckled and he fell backwards. Gouenji's strong arms caught him and lay him down gently on the ground.
"Shirou! No! No! NO!" Gouenji was yelling. Tears streamed down his tanned face and his dark eyes were full of indescribable pain. "Why…!"
Fubuki knew he wouldn't last long. His skull was badly damaged and so was his brain. His arms and legs grew numb; his ears buzzed. His eyelids grew heavy but he struggled to keep them open.
"Shuuya." he murmured. "You have a sister to look after; a father to go back to. You deserve to live."
Gouenji was still crying. "No… I can't lose you. Inazuma Japan needs you! Hakuren needs you!"
"I know. It's too late."
Gouenji didn't say anything, instead wrapping his arms around him and hugging him closely.
"Promise me something." Fubuki forced his lips to move.
"Yeah?" Gouenji's voice trembled.
"When I'm gone, go on living. Have a happy life. Take care of Yuuka." Fubuki attempted to smile.
"Yes, I promise." Gouenji gave a small, sad smile through his tears.
"And remember, I will always love you. Not matter what." Fubuki closed his eyes. He could feel a welcoming warmth enveloping his whole body. He refused to let it take him away. Not just yet.
"I will always love you too," Gouenji said.
Fubuki smiled. "Farewell, Shuuya."
He felt Gouenji's soft, warm lips on his; a gentle hand running through his blood soaked hair. He could hear someone calling for him in the distance. He relaxed and let the warmth take him to the eternal life in heaven… where the rest of the Fubukis waited for him.