The ground beneath Miki's feet passed like a blur, and with each step she took, the more it felt like her legs would suddenly buckle beneath her – still, she kept running.
Stopping wasn't an option, and she knew it. She knew that the moment she stopped, it would be the moment they would catch her.
At track, she often joked that running was her life – now, that statement held a terrifying accuracy.
She could hear a man running behind her now; he was fast, too. Or, perhaps, she was slowing down. Neither were good; neither were thoughts she needed right now. She shut the thought out, and she kept running.
She didn't care if she wouldn't make it – making it had never been why she ran in the first place.
Running was her life, and it would only stop when she was ready to let it.
In her heart, she knew those words were just her own unwillingness to die; it was going to happen, no matter what. It always was.
And yet, when she finally felt something press down on her back, she did not feel the cold, unfeeling sting of a knife's blade.
Her mind snapped back to reality, her head turning back to look at the thing on her shoulder. Immediately, her eyes went wide in surprise.
It was the hand of a beast, powerful and clawed; for the second time in her life, she felt relieved to see a devil's face.
Before she could even speak, a strange sensation overtook Miki; there had to be a word for it, and yet, as the devil's hands hoisted her up off the ground, it failed to come to her. Only once they were well and off the ground, the riverbank almost a hundred feet beneath them, did it come to her.
Weightlessness.
She felt like she was as light as a feather; she knew she wasn't, and that her current situation was all thanks to the devil now flying off from the river with her clutched carefully in its powerful hands, and still, she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter in wonder at the peculiar experience.
She'd never even told Akira that she'd always wanted to fly like a bird.
Lucky for her, it seemed he could afford her that luxury now.
Looking up, Miki saw the night sky above; a dismal, foreboding red as the sun crept out of view. She looked away quickly – she'd seen enough red today to last her a lifetime.
Instead, she looked to the devil currently carrying her away; she knew its face, and both of its names, but in this moment, there wasn't a single thing that came to her mind that she'd rather focus on right now.
She had perhaps the best view of the city in the entire region, and still she chose to look at Akira.
Their flight, exhilarating as it was, was brief – soon, Akira began to bring them back down to the ground, his giant leathery wings flapping as they came in for a steady-enough landing, Akira landing in a crouch before rising slowly to his feet, wings folded behind his back. Nearby, the crackling of a flame could be heard; Miki glanced toward it, surprised to see a bonfire alight a few meters away – from the looks of it, it had probably been set up earlier, but had since become abandoned in the chaos overtaking the city streets below.
Carefully, Akira set Miki down on her feet; almost immediately, she fell to her knees, grunting as she felt the aching in her legs finally catching up to her. A feeling like fire coursed through them, throbbing with every motion she made. She winced hard as she forced herself to stand, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Are you okay?"
Akira's voice, even warped by his bestial form, gave her a feeling of reassurance. Slowly, she turned around, taking a moment to look at the devil standing before her; he towered over her like a behemoth, his head silhouetted against the night by a pair of bat-like wings, and as their eyes met, she could see a raw power, feral and addictive, which he strained even now to control. His twisted lips pulled into a concerned expression, and to his surprise, hers curled into a smile.
"I am now, Akira."
Slowly, she walked herself over to the bonfire, the heat which emanated from it quite welcome compared to the biting wind she'd faced running along the waterfront. She sat with a sigh, clutching her arms and trying to warm herself; the cold was not the only reason she was trembling, however, and Akira knew it too. Somehow, she figured he knew the feeling all too well.
After a moment, he joined her; not Devilman, but Akira Fudo, his devil form suppressed, his human body completely exposed to the night air as he sat down beside her, watching the fire as it raged on before them.
For a moment, all Miki could think about was the miracle that had just occurred; she had known it to be false hope with which she'd cried out for Akira earlier, and now, she found herself sat beside him, alive where she was almost certain she should have died. She was scared to ask of whatever fate befell the man chasing her – he hadn't made even a noise when Akira had swooped down on her, and so she could only assume that his death was quick.
Mercy, considering what she knew Akira was capable of.
After the initial rush of her fortune wore off, however, all that was left was a feeling more bittersweet than she'd anticipated. She had survived; but, she and Akira were the only ones who did. Looking to the fire, Miki's lips pulled back into a somber frown.
"Wamu.." She spoke softly, her hands joining in a sort of prayer. "Gabi...M-Miki.."
Tears rolled from her cheeks, landing in heavy drops on the grass beneath her – she didn't even need to look at Akira to know the same tears were coming from him as well.
"Akira.." She mumbled, her hands resting in her lap, eyes drifting to her sole remaining friend. "Akira, they all gave their lives to save mine." Her lip quivered, more tears rolling down her cheek. "Because I survived, they-"
"Would do it again any chance they could.." Akira sniffed, trying to not let his tears interfere with his speech. "If it meant saving you, Miki, they would put their lives on the line again and again...just like I would."
Nodding slowly, she looked back to the fire. "...You're all I have now, Akira..and I don't even know if I can protect you.."
Before Akira could even reply, Miki's face seemed to lift in revelation.
After a moment, a closed hand reached out to Akira; looking to her in confusion, he found that the brunette now had a hopeful smile across her face.
"Actually," She nodded, "I have a good luck charm for you."
Slowly, Miki's fingers opened, and in her palm laid the charm in question; a small, silver earring, glinting in the light of the fire.
"Wamu gave it to me," she explained, watching it roll around in her palm, "and told me it'd bring me luck. I don't know how much I believe in that sort of thing, but..." She looked into his eyes. "You found me; there was no chance in the world of you finding me, and still.."
She trailed off, sniffling again, her hand shaking once toward Akira. "Take it." She insisted. "I don't need a good luck charm anymore; I've got you."
Blinking in surprise at the gesture, Akira's hand hesitated for only a moment before carefully taking it from her. Looking at it in the palm of his hand, Akira flashed her a gentle smile before carefully reaching for his ear, wincing as he pushed the hook; with his regenerative abilities, the flesh quickly fused shut around it, locking it in place. Turning his head to show it off, his smile grew wider. "How do I look?" He mused.
"Like you lost your other earring." Miki's lips pursed themselves together in amusement.
The two stared at one another in silence, neither saying a word, before they both erupted with laughter, Miki leaning against the other as her eyes fell shut, her heart racing as a new, profound energy found its way through her body, once again making her feel lighter than air. Looking down at her, Akira smiled; it was a small smile, but infinitely sincere.
"Miki.." His voice broke the silence. "I love you."
Miki didn't respond, simply remaining close to him, feeling his warmth as the fire continued to bathe the area in its light.
In time, Akira's own eyes fell shut, an arm wrapping itself around her.
She didn't need to say she loved him back; she always had.