Catalyst

Thanks again for all of the reviews :) I love it when you guys tell me your favorite parts, haha!

[07. protect]

"I would die for you. I've been dying just to feel you by my side, to know that you're mine."

So much blood.

Shinji had lost so much blood. It had been everywhere. Later that night, despite his own resolution to keep pressing forward, Akihiko felt his heart closing, growing colder, more afraid, somewhere behind all of that bravado. How many times now had this happened? How many people had he lost, right in front of his eyes?

He refused to let it happen to her.

It was becoming an obsession. It started as something quiet, gnawing at the edges of his mind, but as they ventured deeper into Tartarus, as they fought fiercer enemies, it became worse, and worse, and worse. It consumed him, and it took all of his senses to resist the urge to recklessly dive in front of her any time something even looked in her direction.

And then Junpei got shot as well. He didn't die, sure - but the fact remained that if Chidori hadn't intervened, he would be dead. Maybe Akihiko wasn't particularly close to the junior, but they were still comrades, and it just added one more tic to his list of failures. Every time he looked at Arisato now, every time she smiled at him, there was a tremor of fear, deep inside his mind.

If he lost her, he'd lose himself.

It was in the higher levels of Tartarus that he got his chance to play hero. A Shadow had its sights set on them, and scythes of wind ripped through the hallways towards Arisato, who was already having trouble trying to stand. It was now or never. Without a moment's hesitation, without a thought to himself, he shoved her out of the way and took the brunt of the attack. Pain shot through him like fire, and he almost dropped to his knees; the effort to stay standing after that was enormous. Arisato had taken the second to launch one last attack and finish the creature off with Yukari, and then turned towards Akihiko, concern and... fear? ...overflowing from her eyes.

"Aki, I..."

He smiled at her through the pain, happy he'd saved her life... he was at peace even knowing he could, knowing he hadn't failed her like he'd failed everyone else. "You don't have to say anything." He stood on shaking knees, and the group went to work, healing both him and Arisato to press on. As the others moved forward, he stayed back with her a moment, and leaned down to quickly whisper in her ear.

"Tonight... just let me hold you. Please..."

She smiled at him, and it was all the answer that he needed.

[end]

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