Springkink prompt: Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Naoki/Futomimi: Weakness - There's only one person left he feels dutiful towards.

While Gazing Up Into the Abyss

"Are we going yet?" Dante's trademark loud voice rose in the general direction of the Tower of Kagutsuchi's ceiling as he lazily twirled Ebony around one of his fingers, his back against the wall.

Shura sighed heavily. "We're not going anymore than we were going 30 seconds ago, Dante." He nodded at Lilith, whose python was pointing to a nearby room with its head.

"Don't wanna take the chance of dying a virgin, huh?" Smirking, he watched Shura head for said room, where Futomimi had gone earlier to find refuge from the tension and the noise.

Shura looked at him haughtily, an eyebrow raised. Out of the two of them, Heaven knew which one of the two of them had the most chance of dying, and it was not Lucifer's all-powerful Demi-Fiend. "Do you need me to kick your ass one more time?"

Dante licked his lips, his predatory gaze locked with Shura's. "Come and get me then, hot shot." He didn't even bother getting up.

Shura was barely charging an attack when Futomimi came out of the room, looking as peaceful as ever, if only for his clenched fists. "Are we under attack?"

Relieved to see Futomimi was well, Shura let his attack disperse unused, his body reabsorbing the energy of it. "No, Dante's just being an ass. More than usual, I mean." Seeing the corners of Futomimi's lips rise slightly in response made his heart squeeze a bit.

"All is well then."

Squeezing his lips together, Shura couldn't help thinking that no, all was not well, but of course Dante voiced his personal opinion first. "Since when do you do sarcasm?" With a groan, he leaned more heavily against the wall.

Futomimi did not grace his question with an answer, knowing it was better to let the half-devil talk away than get involved in a verbal spar with him. Instead, he turned his attention back to the Demi-Fiend, who seemed to be looking... half-worriedly, half-expectantly at him. "Yes?"

It took most of his self-control to keep himself from fidgeting, but nothing Shura did could keep his palms from becoming moist with sweat. To be honest, he dreaded this. This was IT. He was at the door leading to a new world; his enemies, his fallen friends, all vanquished. He had a foot on the threshold of his new world where he'd fix everything that was wrong, but... he couldn't bring himself to step forward. It wasn't fear, either; it was guilt. Guilt over this Manikin, this man, the most beautiful soul he had ever met, the only thing that seemed uncorrupted in this hell of a world-in-waiting. It might just be teenage infatuation or hero worship, a flimsy scrap left of his humanity, but the pain of not being able to offer his Futomimi the only thing he had ever wanted despite all the power he had gained tugged painfully at his heart. "I..." he stammered as Dante laughed. The Great Hitoshura, Lucifer's Precious Creation, Commander of the Strongest of Demons and Gods, reduced to a nervous wreck before a mere Manikin. Hilarious, really. He looked up into Futomimi's eyes, and the serenity he saw in them was both soothing and painful. "Anything about our battle against Kagutsuchi?" he finally forced out.

In his gentle voice, Futomimi confirmed what Shura already knew. "The odds are in your favour, Shura."

Shura nodded, ignoring Dante's "Will you just kiss him already?" in the background, clenching his fists. "If... if you want to step down, I understand. You've borne more than your fair share of the burden." As much as he wanted to keep the Manikin prophet at his side forever, seeing him die in combat, or worse, seeing the disappointment in his eyes if he faded away with the Vortex when all would be said and done seemed even more horrible an event to contemplate than his departure.

But Futomimi shook his head slowly. "I will see this through the end. You will not have brought me back in vain. If the only thing I can do is assist you in your hour of need, then so be it." He smiled briefly, wider than usual, and Shura dared hope it meant "Despite everything, I'm glad to have met you".

"I..." he nodded hurriedly. "Thank you." As Nyx and Lilith ganged up on Dante to shut him up, he added quickly, "And... please forgive me."

Futomimi looked at Shura with gentle, knowing eyes, and did not ask why.