He remembers the look in his eyes.
The searing defeat clashing with the fury of determination created a dense atmosphere of dignity.
He seen the shadow's movements from two blocks away as it crushed and swung at the unseen target below. When Akihiko had arrived, the shadow had dissolved into a cloud of smoke which was dissipating silently above. Below were the remains of a neck-to-neck battle, a few tipped over flower vases and a dying soldier.
He had rushed to the canine's fallen form as his heart-wrenched at the tragic sight. Akihiko's hands hovered over the dog's bloodstained fur, and as he went to give the dog a reassuring pat on the head he was greeted with a soft warning snarl.
Akihiko's eyes widened as he looked into the dark crimson orbs of the dog below him.
Immediately, Akihiko heeded the message and retreated to his haunches, keeping a close eye on the injured dog without touching him.
Without skipping a beat, Akihiko had summoned Fuuka and S.E.E.S to the scene of the incident, and was encouraged when they had urgently replied to his request.
The hardest part came next, for if there was one thing Akihiko Sanada didn't have, it was patience.
As the dog's fierce expression dissolved into a relaxed acceptance, Akihiko couldn't help but gnash his teeth in frustration. Victory remained sweet and succulent to the injured entity below him, and it was clear that if the soldier was going to die, he was ready to die alone.
Just as Akihiko was sure the light was dimming in his eyes, S.E.E.S arrived at the scene. The dog immediately reacted to the presences of Takeba and Yamagishi, causing Akihiko to snort in disdain. Obviously, as demonstrated by his wagging tail and efforts to pull himself up, the dog had a soft spot for the female sex. Nevertheless, Akihiko reasoned, a warrior in turmoil should be given every last drop of honored attention, no matter the outcome.
After they speedily rushed him back to the dorm, Akihiko assisted Mitsuru in rushing him to a Kirijo family friend, who happened to be a veteranarian. They had left him there with the resolve that his fate was now in someone else's hands; something Akhiko was never okay with.
After he learned from Mitsuru that Koromaru's condition was stable, Akihiko ceased to be uncomfortable. While passively listening to the worried clucking of Yukari and Fuuka, he slept well knowing Koromaru to be a formidable warrior, and that a such warrior would not simply give out under a few serious wounds.
When the warrior returned and began to live with them, Akihiko felt a strange emotion.
Envy.
Was it the way Mitsuru fondly cooed to him as she attached his evoker enabled collar?
Hmpth.
Was it the way he felt unbridled joy at the mere drop of a noodle or piece of chicken?
Uh. . .
Maybe it was his smoothness with the opposite sex, something Akihiko seemed to lack.
Tch.
Whatever it was, it was petty and not worth Akihiko's time.
So he petted him when he was there, fed him table scraps when Mitsuru wasn't looking, took him to Naganaki shrine, and covered his tail in Tarturus.
Akihiko sat hunched at his desk with his hands folded in his lap. His eyes watched the dimming light outside of his window with a helpless frown. He glanced down at his open books half-heartedly before looking back out his window.
The funeral was tomorrow.
A soft and precise knock intruded on Akihiko's respite.
Akihiko turned to the door with mild annoyance before he grunted to the trespasser to enter.
"Akihiko-san." Aigis said delicately. It's strange, though she was a machine, her voice was laced with the most delicate sympathy Akihiko had ever heard. Akihiko waved it off as he looked belatedly down at the canine at her heels.
Koromaru was biting down on his plain leather leash and looking at Akhiko expectantly.
Akihiko looked down at him with a bored expression.
"Akihiko-san, Koromaru is upset." Aigis explained.
"Huh, funny. He doesn't look upset."
Aigis looked down at Koromaru.
"He is very upset that you neglected to walk him."
"Tell him I'm sorry, but I have some other things on my mind right now." Akihiko said tonelessly, turning back to his book and pretending to read his open books.
A soft growl made Akihiko slowly turn around with widened eyes. Koromaru's crimson orbs were squinted in impatience, and Akihiko could almost see the holes his sharp teeth were poking through the leash.
"Can't someone else do it?" He whined, looking desperately at Aigis.
"Akihiko-san, I would advise you to take Koromaru for his walk." Aigis said darkly, furrowing her brow.
"He says that he will not allow you to skirt your responsibilities without tearing you open and ripping out the contents of your innards one by one with his jaws. If you still refuse, he will ignore your futile pleas for mercy and commence to bite off your nose, lips, and eyes. He says he will leave your ears so that you can hear yourself scream-"
As Aigis translated the images Koromaru sent her, she gazed down at him in listless fascination.
Koromaru was looking at Akihiko while happily wagging his tail and retaining a slight squint.
"Furthermore, he will intentionally leave your vital organs so that you may feel him naw off your leg-"
"All right!" Akihiko relented in a high voice, looking at the furry animal with unbridled horror.
"Geez!" He added, wearily letting his head fall unto his hands without taking his shocked expression away from Koromaru.
Aigis suddenly seemed relieved.
Akihiko wore a distinct pout as he shuffled alongside a jovial Koromaru. The dog walked him effortlessly to Naganaki Shrine, where upon arrival, Akihiko scoffed.
Normally, he didn't mind taking Koromaru here since the latter likes to play and Akihiko got a kick out of watching his frolicking.
This week is different.
Akihiko didn't like superstitions, traditions, myths, or any of the like. Especially when someone, his brother, had just left the confines of this world. Maybe there was a heaven, but even if there was, Shinji would beat Akihiko to a pulp if the latter participated in any of that bullshit for his sake.
Fuuka and Yukari had kept asking Akihiko to go to the shrine to pray or meditate over their loss of their comrade, and now, after all of his hard work politely grunting out 'no's', Akihiko couldn't help but feel deceived by the small furry dog.
Koromaru yapped happily as Akihiko let the leash slip out of his hands and the cheery animal pranced and jostled about him in a merry fashion. Akihiko ignored Koromaru's joyful demeanor and plopped down on a nearby bench wearily.
Koromaru was rolling in the sanctity of the grass when he noticed that Akihiko was not wrestling with him or chasing him. Koromaru gave an annoyed grunt as he rolled up off of the ground, shook the excess grass off of his back, and made his way over to the bench where Akihiko was sitting.
Koromaru panted and looked at Akihiko with a hopeful wagging tail. When Akihiko's eyes looked past Koromaru's and into some indiscerible dimension lying just beyond Koromaru's figure.
Koromaru gave a distinct yap at Akihiko, and his target jolted up in surprise.
Koromaru merely looked at him expectantly.
Akihiko sighed.
"Sorry." he muttered awkwardly, bringing a hand nervously over to Koromaru's head and patting it momentarily before retracting it and folding his hands.
"It looks like rain." Akihiko thought aloud, gazing emptily up at the sky.
Koromaru's eyes narrowed.
That. Was. It.
The last staw had finally been pulled, and the extremely patient Koromaru (who could handle three year olds pulling his ears and spilling sticky ice cream on his fur) lost his patience with this dawdling fool.
Letting off a low growl, Koromaru ignored the look of moderate surprise on Akihiko's face and firmly nipped the latter's folded hands. Akihiko let out a satisfying grunt of surprise before pulling back in confusion.
"What's your problem today!? Damn!" Akihiko yelled, shaking his hand loose.
Koromaru replied by lowering himself on the ground in a clearly aggressive stance. He let out another warning snarl at Akihiko before giving a powerful leap in his direction. Akihiko's reflexes, dulled by grief, were slowed so much that he felt Koromaru's teeth drag on the ends of his sleeve as he flew up out of his seat.
Akihiko hit the ground rolling and he looked down at his shoulder to find four neat lines ripped open on the shoulder of his shirt.
"Tch, dammit! What the-"
Akihiko's eyes widened as he saw the shadow of Koromaru swiftly emerging from the open sky above him. Without any time to recover from the suprise attack, Akihiko rolled quickly to his left and shot up off of the ground just in time to escape a brutal pinning by the dog.
As Akihiko's knees slid back on the playground and kicked up an impressive wave of sand, he could hear the dog huffing and snarling heavily.
When the sand from the playground settled and Akihiko stopped skidding, he was once again met with Koromaru's eyes. The eyes differed from the dying warrior and the playful companion, however. These eyes were ablaze with some sort of unseeable resolve.
Koromaru was once again posed in a pouncing position, waiting eagerly for Akihiko to come.
Akihiko could feel the slight sting of his fingers against the harsh grains of sand as he pondered his current situation. Obviously, he had done something to instigate this, but there was little to no point in determining that now.
The sky rattled off a clap of thunder and an onslaught of water began to pour down.
Akihiko furrowed his eyebrows and gave a dark smirk as the rain matted his hair to his forehead.
"You wanna go? Then LETS GO!"
Koromaru gave a robust bark and Akihiko sprinted up off of his knees and began to charge the dog. What he was going to do when he approached him or how to attack, Akihiko wasn't sure. He was just a dog after all-
Shit.
Akihiko fell the ground in a heap and looked down at his mid-thigh, where Koromaru had torn past the fabric and sunk his dulled fangs into his flesh. A modest portion of blood was quietly seeping out.
Koromaru let off a fast tempo of harsh and low barks.
The rain began to beat down harder on Akihiko.
Too damn slow!
Akihiko balled up a fist and shook the excess rain water from his brow.
"Not done yet!" He cracked out as he ordered his legs to get up once again.
Koromaru snarled as he launched once again in a fly by style attack. Through the rain, Akihiko could barely gauge his opponent's rampant speed.
A flash of white seared by him.
Akihiko extended an arm and firmly pulled a leg out from under his attacker. He flinched when he heard the resounding yipe, but his regrets were short lived. A sharp pivot allowed Koromaru to curl his noble head under him and solidly butt Akihiko in the stomach.
Akihiko's body had surely become hardened and calloused after years and years of taking hits. His speed and reflexes were honed to a point. There was no lack of strength in his hits.
However-
Akihiko folded over as he soared back onto the hard pavement. The ground welcomed him with a crack and a rough skid.
He froze on the ground with his arms and legs sprawled out defenselessly.
Get up, Sanada Akihiko – resonated something buried in Akihiko.
Akihiko purposefully ignored it.
All he could focus on was the wide open heavens above him and the rain that was persistently hammering his bleeding forehead. Out of his peripheral vision, Akihiko saw his rain-drenched opponent slowly siddle up to Akihiko.
Akihiko remained entranced by the rain, which was intensifying by the second. He did not feel Koromaru climb on top of Akihiko's heaving chest, nor did he hear the dog's soft whimper.
"Shit," Akihiko said simply.
He remembers the look in his eyes.
A few muffled droplets of blood dripped down to his feet as he stumbled away, his back to S.E.E.S.
". . . This is the way it should be." He said simply, looking back at Akihiko for just a mere moment.
Shinjiro stopped, and then dropped dead.
A dying warrior. . . dies alone. . .
"Just like you were ready to, huh." Akihiko murmured down at the lying Koromaru, who had placed his paws on Akihiko's collarbone and was resting his head patiently between them.
"Well you know what I think of that!? I think that's BULLSHIT, DAMMIT!" Akihiko screamed to the listless rain, which continued to pour down despite Akihiko's outcry.
Koromaru remained still, waiting.
"Fuck dying alone! Fuck that! I don't give a shit about honor and a respectful way to die! I won't let anyone, anyone die like that!"
Akihiko's sobs escaped his lips while the feeling of the drenching rain mingled with his own blood and tears.
Koromaru remained perched on Akihiko's chest as the boy sobbed and sobbed.
Slowly, the dog began to wag his tail.
Akihiko cautiously opened the door and ambled in behind a wet and yet still jubliant Koromaru. Thankfully, the lounge was vacant and Akihiko gave a sigh of relief as he wearily unhooked Koromaru from his leash.
"Koro-san. You have returned. I am glad."
Akihiko turned around to see Koromaru happily greeting Aigis as she stiffly patted Koromaru on the head.
Akihiko nodded at her briefly before limping his way toward the stairs.
"Akihiko-san?"
He stopped and looked over his shoulder half-heartedly, still drenched in rain.
"Koromaru says you envy his resolve, and says that's all right as long as you find your own. He may have been able to beat a little out of you, but he has not the time nor the patience to babysit you as such. Akihiko-san, Koromaru knew you were a stalwart warrior the moment he saw you. He wishes only to see you become greater. The rest is up to you."
Akihiko's eyes darkened, and he continued up the stairs without saying a word.
It was only after the birth of Caeser did Akihiko realize that it was his unawakened persona's voice calling out to him to get up after his defeat by Koromaru.
At Tarturus, Akihiko unsheathed Caeser before Koromaru's eyes and was met with a quaint wagging tail. Satisified with this reaction, Akihiko was about to leave the tower after they had finished, when Aigis stopped him.
"Akihiko-san. Koromaru wants to know if you 'get it' now."
Akihiko looked down at the panting dog with a serious smile.
"Yeah. Yeah I get it."