Amanda tossed her gun to the side and slumped against the trench wall next to Andrew. "This is my life now. I've walked this entire trench and now I will die in it."
Andrew rolled his eyes and checked his ammo. "Shut up. You've only been on watch for 20 minutes."
Amanda yawned. "But watch is boring."
"There's a reason for it." Diana dropped her medical satchel on the ground and sat on the other side of Andrew. "And you have to listen to reason."
" 'And you have to listen to reason'." Amanda mocked playfully. Diana crossed her arms and pouted, while Andrew quietly laughed. "Come on doc, reason is boring."
"I would've thought the military would change you sergeant, but I guess I was wrong." Diana replied clearly annoyed.
"Why? I'm lovely." Amanda grinned. This was lovely. This fleeting sense of normalcy something the three of them craved since the things started getting bad in the war.
"You two..." Andrew interjected. "Will never change. Still bickering like 5-year olds."
Amanda quirked an amused brow. "Let's be real Drew, of the three of us, you're the only one who hasn't changed."
"Agreed" Diana smiled.
Andrew frowned and looked over at his two best friends. "How so?"
"Still Mister Casanova." Diana stated confidently.
Amanda nodded her head. "Always the hopeless romantic looking for his soulmate. You've literally flicked rocks at every girl in our unit."
A blush reached Andrews face causing the two women to erupt in laughter. "And what's wrong with that!?"
Diana rolled her eyes. "What do you mean 'what's wrong with that?' You threw a rock at our commanding officer and left a bruise on her arm!" Amanda was having a hard time controlling her laughter as Diana spewed out the truth. "You're lucky she didn't find out it was you!"
"I needed to know!" Andrew defended.
"Ya know, have you ever thought that maybe your soulmate isn't a girl?" Amanda teased poking her finger into Andrews cheek. "Have you tried throwing rocks at the men too?"
Andrew's blush grew brighter. "Well…"
"Wow!" Amanda shook her head in disbelief. "You're really trying, huh?"
"Of course!" Andrew sighed. "Look… Just hear me out…"
Both Diana and Amanda looked over at their friend with concerned looks in their eyes.
"We spend so much time killing people, it'd be nice to find someone to love." Andrew's head swiveled between the two women, and Andrew rolled his eyes in frustration, but a small soft smile reached his lips at the thought of his reasonings. "Think about it... Having your wounds kissed by someone who doesn't see them as disasters in your soul, but cracks to put their love into, is the most calming thing in this world."
Amanda and Diana looked away. Andrew was right, but in the current situation of the world, it was hard to believe.
Amanda jokingly scoffed. "You shoulda been a poet."
Andrew hummed. "You can't tell me that doesn't sound like something worth getting in trouble for, or hoping for in the world we live in…"
There was a moment of lost thoughts between the three. Amanda believed Andrew's hopes to be something beautiful. She still had no idea what she was going to do after the war, and of course Diana had plans of continuing her medical career. She wanted something for herself as well, something to hold on to. But for now, her friends were all she needed to keep her grounded.
Andrew chuckled to himself, he was always good at shutting up the two women, even when they were kids. Slowly Andrew slipped his arms around the two and brought them in close.
"Anyways, there's nothing wrong with keeping somethings the same. I couldn't imagine you two being any different than you are now, and in the event, you decide to make a change I know it'll be for the better." He declared.
Diana smiled. "My sentiments exactly."
Amanda sighed in content and leaned into Andrew's half hug. Her friends really were the greatest. She couldn't imagine being without them.
Laying in her rack, it occurred to Amanda that the loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching their world fall apart, and there's nothing they can do about it. She expected to feel proud about catching the Crimson Demon, plus Diana hadn't told the brass about it, something Amanda was a little thankful for. But there was a void in her soul, something that nagged at her, telling her that although she wasn't doing anything wrong, she wasn't doing anything right either. She watched as the doctor seemed to be drowning in work, trying to rebuild their company moral. Something Amanda knew that she failed to do. She had no idea what kind of pressure the blonde was constantly under as an officer, and the moment Amanda got a taste of it, she folded, like a paper plate.
Nights ago, when the dust had settled and the last Nazi was killed, Amanda searched everywhere for blonde. Even though the doctor was back, just remembering when Diana pulled away from her during the attack, a wave of anxiety would come over her.
She probably wanted to try and save McGuire. Dummy… Always tryna save everyone. Amanda recounted.
Then the grenade blew up.
And Diana was gone.
Aside from Staff Sergeant McGuire's body, the only body they could find was that of a dismembered Nazi corporal. There was something missing though. Another body. The body of the Crimson Demon was also nowhere to be found at the time. Amanda had thought the worse. Images of the Crimson Demon hurting Diana still made Amanda's stomach contort. It fueled her anger, and her loneliness. She couldn't lose her best friend, not when she already lost the other one years before. Her friends kept her grounded, and level headed. Had it not been for Andrew and Diana, Amanda probably would have been tossed in jail for starting a bar fight, or something along those lines. All she knew was that if it wasn't for those two, Amanda wouldn't have made it so far in life.
Ever since Andrew's death, Diana willingly buried herself in work, while Amanda let herself internally bleed. They hardly ever talked about it, something Diana pushed for the both of them to do. But Amanda couldn't. It was still too hard for her. She still kept Andrew's dog tag around her neck, it was small, but it made her feel like he was still with her. Somehow watching over them. Anytime Diana and Amanda got into it, there would be a calming effect that would just show up and the two would end up laughing and joking again. Even now, as Amanda felt so much turmoil in her heart, she could still feel a little like how she used to be. Always the jokester, and the laid back one. But after the attack, she felt that her usual demeanor was the cause of so much death. Her lack of urgency and seriousness led to many of her comrades relaxing and being caught off guard. She couldn't allow that anymore, not just for her friends, but for herself as well.
However, yelling at shell shocked soldiers to clean up their dead and wounded turned out to be the worst thing Amanda could have done. But as an enlisted soldier, that's all she knew. Orders were orders. Her frustration only grew when some of them started slacking and crying, that's when she started hitting them, and mocking them. The other soldiers were terrified of her. She may not have been the brightest, but even a blind man to see that the others in their company were avoiding her. Plus, she hardly got the time to court Nurse England, she hadn't even get the chance to find out if the woman was her soulmate.
That damn Demon…
Amanda blamed everything on that soldier. Everything. Even though Amanda had a high degree of respect for the Crimson Demon. Through rumors, the Crimson Demon was the ultimate soldier. Ferocious, inspiring, dignified, and dangerous. The woman wasn't what she expected the Crimson Demon to be. Based on the rumors she's heard she thought the soldier would be…
Taller? No, that's not right.
She expected a blood thirsty, calloused soldier. She expected dead eyes, a dark aura… She expected the Crimson Demon to be a god of war! The epitome of hatred, the personification of apathy, and the text book definition of evil. Amanda expected the devil itself, however, what she got was a tired looking woman no taller than herself. Amanda hated it.
How could anyone like that woman be anything close to the rumors? Or even lead an almost successful charge against us with just a small company?
It was embarrassing. She refused to believe that this was the woman that whose killed more people than the world's militaries could keep up with. And as much as Amanda absolutely hated to admit it, the Crimson Demon was someone she looked up to. Of course, killing innocent people was out of the question, but regardless, the woman was what every soldier wanted to be. Successful. The perfect soldier. The world betrayed Amanda. At least that's what it felt like. Countless friends of hers were dead, her hospital attacked, and as it turned out, the Crimson Demon was just another washed out soldier. Everything seemed to be a lie, and if Amanda was being honest, she was taking it a little too personally.
Amanda hated that the brunette didn't die that night of the attack. She wasn't surprised that the woman didn't die from her bullet, but she expected the brunette to bleed out slowly. That was her intention. Amanda wanted the Crimson Demon to understand what it feels like to die, and she wanted to be the one to bring the Crimson Demon to a more human level.
I'll just have to try harder. Amanda thought.
She hated feeling like this. So angry all the time. But she couldn't help it anymore. She was hurting. Bad. And she wanted the world to be as pained as she was, starting with that damn brunette. If anything, it would end with that damn brunette. The only thing that seemed to be true about the rumors of the Crimson Demon, was that she truly seemed apathetic. Since capturing the brunette, Amanda saw little no change in the woman's demeanor. There was this strange light in the brunette's eyes that for some reason upset Amanda, but it was small. Amanda wished she could be that cold and indifferent to war. She didn't want to feel things so deeply. In Amanda's mind, she wasn't the soldier she needed to be for this kind of war. Even Diana seemed to be more cut out for being a soldier.
Amanda sat up in her rack. She needed to change. She was too weak in her current state.
No more…
She swung her legs out of her rack and began to dress in her uniform. She wasn't going to be the weak link anymore, and she was going to prove it. Amanda was wanted to be in the good graces of her friends again. She was going to do the greatest favor for the Allied military. Amanda decided she was going to be the one to bring the Crimson Demon to her knees. Then she would feel better.
Getting out of the hand cuffs wasn't Akko's problem, it was a simple designed cuff that anyone could find and maneuver around. But since meeting with Diana, that wasn't the case. When the brunette slapped the cuffs back on her wrist after their meeting, she made sure to secure it loosely enough for her hands to slip through. The real problem was the door.
Akko's eyes lingered to the giant wooden door. Sadly, she couldn't just break it down, by sheer will power, like usual. She needed to be discreet. Every time the nurse left Akko would hear a series of locks. A click, and clank, and chain rattling.
Door lock, a metal bar, and some sort of chain lock. She assumed.
Three different locks. That was going to pose a problem. She could pick the door, but if she couldn't even crack the door open, she couldn't reach the other locks. She would have to wait for a moment to catch the nurse off guard and escape. The problem with that was Akko didn't want to hurt the nice woman. But such was the brunette's situation, and Akko would have to knock out the nurse. But at the end of her plan, it was still an assumption, for all she knew there could be more locks, or more doors, maybe even a soldier standing outside her room.
Akko tapped her boot against a wooden barrel. She refused to sleep, not only because her nightmares were coming back, but because she didn't want to miss seeing Diana again, if the blonde ever came. It was a ruse, of course, Diana had to be careful. Otherwise people would wonder why their Lieutenant would insist on spending so much time with an already exhausted and seemingly silent prisoner. But neither of them could help themselves anymore to the other.
Akko smiled. The blonde really had tamed her. Diana was once nothing more than another soldier, just like a hundred thousand of other soldiers, and Akko was probably the same to the blonde at one point. Mere weeks ago, Akko still would have been a loose cannon, never giving a damn about the world or herself. But now, Diana was special to Akko. Important, in fact. Akko always hated the cold, but now whenever she was cold all she could ever think about was the blonde. And even though Akko hadn't seen the stars in a while, the stars were different. Everything was different now. Akko was sure that if hearts fell from the sky, she would never find one like Diana's.
All this time I've been saying I don't want to be the Crimson Demon… Well… What do I want to be then?
A question she desperately wanted an answer to.
Steps boomed down the stairs, breaking Akko's thoughts. Despite losing track of time, Akko was aware of the schedule visits from the nurse, and now was too early for the woman's arrival. Akko quickly pushed the bent dog tags to the side behind a barrel. The locks on the door quickly came undone, and a thought occurred to Akko.
Round 2? About time…
The sergeant burst through the door and briskly walked to Akko's side. The brunette expected some snide remark or a verbal assault, but was thoroughly surprised when she was being lifted off the ground by her coat collar.
"Good evening" The sergeant smirked.
Oh, so it's night again.
"You know, when that grenade blew up, we couldn't find our lieutenants body…"
Akko eyes slid to the side, trying to hide her amusement. I can only imagine why…
"Did you hurt her?" Amanda growled. "I swear if you did…"
Akko thought about it, she wondered what this sergeant's interest was in her soulmate. But despite being lifted off the ground from a pissed off soldier, Akko couldn't help but want to laugh at the question.
I couldn't hurt her if I tried…
"Still not talking?"
Not to you at least.
"That's fine, I'll make you speak." The sergeant lowered Akko to the ground and took a few steps back.
I can hardly wait.
There wasn't the off-putting feeling of the sergeant anymore, but Akko could still tell the woman was still a little unhinged. The sergeant wasn't as domineering anymore, but angry, and controlled. Something all the more terrifying. Now there was a goal to be reached, by any means necessary. Akko knew that the sergeant finally had something to take her anger out on, or at least someone.
Fuck… Akko's eyes widened. It's me isn't it…?
Her train of thought was cut off by wild hay maker to her stomach. Akko gasped for air as the wind was knocked right out of her.
"Big, bad Crimson Demon, is the perfect soldier. But I find it difficult to think that someone as pathetic as you can be the Crimson Demon."
Akko fell to her knees and crumpled to the ground before the sergeant. No matter how hard she tried to breath, oxygen seem to elude her lungs. She would have thrown up by now had it not been for the deep emotions beginning to simmer inside her.
"Look at you… This is Japans greatest soldier? Fucking joke…"
The sergeant delivered a kick to the side of Akko's head causing the brunette to fall over on her back. Akko managed to catch her breath, but was met with the thudding pain in her head again. Akko peaked up at the sergeant. An image flashed through her mind. The image of a certain man… Of the only other person in the world to refer to her as 'a fucking joke'.
You remind me of someone…
The sergeant stomped her foot in the middle of Akko's chest. Her rage grew as she was being disrespected by some degenerate bully. This wasn't who the brunette was, she wasn't someone's rag doll to be played with and toss around like they were nothing. She's worked too hard to be degraded to a simple toy, by someone who couldn't even knock her out on the first try. She was a killing machine.
Don't piss me off sergeant…
"Tell me… Demon…"
Akko was once again lifted off the ground and chucked across the room into a pile of empty barrels. Wood shattered about, and Akko felt splinters jab into her hands. For other's it would have been a stunning blow, but she wasn't like any other soldier.
You call that a throw, you wimp? She worked quickly trying to free her hands.
"In fact… Show me…"
The sergeant grabbed Akko's coat collar and slightly lifted it, causing the brunette to sit straight up with her back against the wall. Akko's eyes met the sergeants. The woman felt too familiar, like the echoes of a distant tune. The sergeant released her grip and punched Akko with her free hand.
"Are you really a monster?" The sergeant whispered darkly. Akko spat out blood to the side as the sergeant once again grabbed her collar.
Another punch.
Yes…
Another punch.
I am…
Akko could feel warm blood drip down her face. The metallic taste of blood gently graced her lips. Her body trembled, not from fear… But anticipation. Akko felt goosebumps line her skin. It was the adrenaline again. It's been a while since she felt it. That high. Always so intoxicating. Like a drug she couldn't quite ween off of. It was slow, but it began to fill her entire being. Akko smirked, she's never noticed it before, but she's been itching for a little violence. She's been waiting for this particular moment.
The sergeant began to speak again, but this time over the feminine voice of the sergeant, there was a slight overlap of a male voice. The voice of a maniacal man. A man Akko was hoping to one day kill if she ever saw him again.
"Or will your blood be same color as your eyes?"
Becker…
Another punch.
Akko's head drooped down, the sergeant pulled away and stood before the seemingly always bloodied brunette. Akko knew the cocky sergeant would brag. She would feel in control. She knew the sergeant would be so proud over her work. But Akko knew this was already beyond the sergeant's control. From the very beginning when the woman first decided to underestimate Akko's strength.
The sergeant went for another kick, aiming to smash the bottom of her boot against the brunette's head into the wall.
Big mistake.
Akko knew what was coming next, and she swiftly slid to the side just as the sergeant's boots collided with the wall behind her.
Gotcha…
Akko swung her leg around and swiped at the sergeant's standing leg, knocking the woman off her feet and onto her back. Akko sat back up. There was soft click of release from metallic hand cuffs. So soft, that only Akko would hear it, a small grin played across her face. Her hands were free, much like her demons. She was having a hard time holding back her pleasure. The pain was more than apparent, but the brunette felt numb. As if she was back to her old self.
The sergeant burst out laughing laying on the ground. "And here I was thinking you were just gonna take a beating…"
Akko stood up, and glared down on the woman, when a sly smile spreading across her face. Slowly she raised the handcuffs and let it drop to the side of the sergeant.
You don't even know the definition of a beating…
"Good that's what I want to see…." The sergeant stood up and took a few steps back, reciprocating Akko's feelings.
Akko didn't know what the woman was seeing, but she was happy to see that the sergeant didn't seem to want to back down. It would have been a waste to rile Akko up just to cower away. That would have been more than disappointing to Akko.
"You should learn to respect your superiors." Akko grinned wickedly. "Even they are from a different country, sergeant…"
The sergeant gasped sarcastically. "Oh ho! So, she speaks!"
Akko slipped off her coat and rolled up her blouse sleeves. Although a part of her craved this small taste of intensity and action, another part nagged at her to stop. This wasn't right, and this wasn't who she wanted to be anymore. But damn… Did it feel good, to feel so much power and in control. This sergeant had no chance, no idea who she was picking a fight with. Akko wanted nothing more than to bring the sergeant back to boot camp and reteach her proper military etiquette.
"Let's not let the high go waste, Demon." The sergeant rolled her sleeves, and put up her fists. "Show me who you really are…"
The sergeant was the first to move. Akko remained calm and focus, as the sergeants fist collided against her opened hand. Akko grinned, tightening her grip on the sergeant's hand. It was too easy for the brunette.
Akko pulled the woman in and smash her forehead against the sergeant's face. There was a tiny cracking sound and blood spurt from the sergeant's nose. Surprisingly, the sergeant stayed standing, as she stumbled back. Akko couldn't help but feel a little giddy seeing her opponent was a little strong.
"You're out of your league" Akko muttered as she let the sergeant composed herself.
"Fuck you…" The sergeant growled. Again, the woman lunged towards Akko and swung wildly. The sergeant fought like a boxer, Akko observed. She was quick, but the woman relied very much on strength. The brunette was well aware that if she were to be hit by a wild blow, she was going to be in a lot of trouble.
Akko decided to use her own speed for evasive maneuvering and effortlessly swayed side to side dodging each blow. As if she was dancing. She could feel the anger radiating from the sergeant, it was like fighting a child having a tantrum.
Akko ducked as the sergeant sung her leg at the brunette, instead shattering a group of bottles. Wine splashed everywhere.
A very strong child…
Akko mused as she quickly jabbed at the sergeant's ribs, slightly throwing the woman off.
But a child nonetheless.
The sergeant stumbled back a bit, but quickly grabbed a bottle shard. Akko grin only grew, even when she had just barely dodged a swipe at her face.
She was beyond fired up. A week without fighting made her bones itch for action.
Akko was so caught up in the high she almost lost focus for a moment, causing the sergeants make shift weapon to graze her cheek. She felt a slight sting across her cheek as she moved to the side, but it only urged her on. The endorphins in her screamed and burned her blood.
Predicable…
Akko spun around behind the sergeant and lightly pushed the woman from behind. Using little to no strength, but it was enough for the sergeant to lose her balance completely and crash into a shelf.
Uncoordinated…
The sergeant spun around and launched the shard at Akko.
"You can't beat me." Akko stated truthfully as the shard flew past her and shattered against the wall behind.
"Didn't look that way before." The sergeant pulled herself back up and glared at the brunette. There was a twitch in Akko's heart when she looked into the woman's green eyes.
Oh…
"Quit toying with me and fight!"
The sergeant kicked a piece of wood from the shattered barrel at Akko. The brunette smacked it away almost caught off guard by the sergeant's persistence. The woman roared as she swung another fist towards Akko's face.
Impulsive…
"What's got you so scared?" Akko asked blocking the blow with her arm.
"Shut up!" The sergeant yelled and jab a knee into her ribs. The brunette cringed feeling the bullet wound send a sharp pain through her body. It was almost enough to make her lose focus.
Akko gritted her teeth taking the blow. The sergeant raised her fist and slammed it against Akko's face. The brunette was right, she was going to be in a lot of trouble if she got hit, but Akko was also correct that the sergeant would be exhausted. Her movements clumsy and stupid/
Anger is tiring… Akko thought as she once again made eye contact with the sergeant.
"It's over!" The woman was about to punch Akko again when the brunette swung her elbow across the sergeant's face. The woman remained standing, but she still slumped over a bit.
"Say again, sergeant?" Akko growled as she drove her knee into the sergeant's face. However, before the sergeant could stagger too far away, Akko grabbed the back of the woman's blouse and tossed the sergeant into the wall.
Akko backed away as the woman rolled onto her back on the ground. The sergeants head listed lazily to the side and looked at Akko. The brunette's felt a lump in her throat as an image of herself laying on the ground flashed through her mind.
"What are you looking at?" Akko muttered as she looked down at the sergeant's defiant, but sad eyes. Akko felt her anger boil again. She hated that look so much. So much.
"Is this what you wanted!?" Akko shouted almost desperately at the sergeant. "Is this who you were looking for?!"
The sergeant's eyes widened, she opened her mouth to say something but it seemed she was having trouble finding the worlds.
"Go on! Say it!" Akko yelled out as she mounted the sergeant. Akko grabbed the woman's collar and sat her up, waiting for the woman's response.
"D-Demon…" The woman managed to sputter. Akko growled and swung her fist across the sergeant's face. She collapsed over the sergeant as momentum took her body.
"Is this what you want?" Akko huffed in between breaths. The brunette had been spent. It takes a lot of energy to hate "Is this who you want to be?"
Anger really is exhausting.
"Don't…" Akko sat up and picked up the sergeant again only to use gravity to punch the woman. It was like the weight of the world had collapsed on her shoulders, like that titan.
"Be…" Another lazy punch. But unlike the Atlas, Akko was dropping the world tonight.
"Like…" Akko was about to swing again, but stopped. Her fist floating in the air.
"Me…"
She didn't know what she was doing. She didn't know if she was trying to help the sergeant or punish the woman. She didn't know who she was. But that look only made Akko feel like her namesake. A monster. A demon. She wanted to set the sergeant straight, but only managed to confirm the sergeant's fears of her. As well as her own fears for herself.
Is this what I've become…? The question echoed in the brunette's mind.
The sergeant coughed out blood. "You… Really… Are the… Crimson Demon…"
Akko's mouth dropped. Her chest heaved trying to catch her breath. She stared at the bloodied soldier, as her stomach knotted. She wanted to throw up again. Her eyes lingered around the partly destroyed room, and then finally landed on her hands covered in blood. Akko felt a familiar stinging behind her eyes. She was horrified. Disgusted with herself for giving in to her demons. Yes, she was able to pulled herself together, but not before she beat the woman bloody.
Maybe I was better off dead…
The brunette stood up and took a couple steps back. She felt like she had her finger on a trigger and she was aiming at herself in the mirror. A twisted version of herself trapped in the cracked glass. For so long she had lived a particular way, it was hard not to go back to it. It was a comfort zone for her. The intensity, the heightened sense of things, the clarity, the feelings or lack thereof... It was an addiction that Akko let herself indulge in for a moment, and already she had caused so much damage.
"… The one and only…" She whispered sadly. It was nothing but words at this point, and they were beyond old. She had been too quick with the advice, she just wanted to be right. But when the sergeant began to walk in the brunette's shoes, Akko only tied them tight.
The was a moment of silence between the two enemies. A silent apology between the two, and everything they had done within their individual lives. A sense of understanding between soldiers, not as enemies fighting on different sides, but comrades of war.
"H-How can you do it…?" The sergeant broke the silence. Akko peaked up to see the woman's pained face. It was more than physical pain. It was a legitimate question, and a simple one at that. The sergeant didn't even need to say what 'it' was.
How can you still live?
Akko fell to hands and knees. "It might be an unpopular thought sergeant… But not everyone wants to live…"
Akko sat herself on the ground, the adrenalin finally leaving her body, and the emptiness returning to her soul. She didn't want to say that, especially with the happiness she found with her soulmate, but it was the truth now more than ever.
"W-Why then…?" The sergeant's voice broke, and she began to cry. "Why are you s-still alive?"
Akko sighed. For years, no matter how much Akko didn't care for her own well-being, her legs never gave out. She never gave up. No matter the death toll, no matter the horror, and no matter the heartbreak. The truth was Akko couldn't live with all of this. But her guilt, her grief, and her regret all were too great for her to take the easy way out. For her, crying wasn't enough, she needed to carry the burden, to feel the pain. She needed to live in order to be responsible for the things she's done. It may have destroyed her psyche, but she was never defeated by it. However, such burdens came at a price. Thus…
"What you must understand about me, sergeant…" Akko smiled sadly. "Is that I'm a deeply unhappy person."
The sergeant stared at Akko for another moment. "You're not what I thought you were."
Akko hummed. "Mm… That seems to be the issue now days."
"Now days?" The sergeant laid back on the ground and stared at the ceiling. "What changed?"
"I did." Akko smiled to herself, proud of her acknowledgement. "I'm tired of this… Tired of being a monster. I don't want to live a life that isn't mine anymore."
Akko answered honestly. Although she was scared of the truth, and she was scared to be anything than what she's been for the past five years. The fear was only a single iota compared to the kind of future she wanted to have, not just for Diana, but for herself.
The sergeant chuckled wryly. "Why? You're the ultimate soldier. Armies burn beneath your feet. You're practically invulnerable… No one can kill you, no one can even hurt you… Your life doesn't sound so bad to me."
"It's actually pretty lonely sergeant." Akko admitted. "One look and people run in fear for their lives. If anything, it's more than just being lonely. It's being outcasted. Being rejected day in and day out. I'd give up 'invulnerability' if it meant having someone next to me."
In hindsight it was terrifying. This world they lived in was empty and cold. The loneliness cut deeper into Akko more than any blade made, and it tortured her soul. For years Akko watched her world fall apart around her and all she can do is stare blankly. She would rather suffer if it meant suffering for the right people.
"I can tell… There's always been a home for you, right?" Akko continued. "A light left on for you to find your way back…"
The sergeant continued to cry quietly. Akko stood up and grabbed the pile of dog tags and set them next to the sergeant. The sergeant shut her eyes tightly and struggled to choke back her sobs.
"If you were anything like me, you wouldn't even know the names on these dog tags. You wouldn't have anyone to care about, or anyone who gives a damn about you. You're not crying because you're weak soldier, you're crying because you actually have something important. You're dumb it you want to be anything like me."
Akko sat next to the sergeant and silence ensued between the two again. The brunette waited for some reaction from the sergeant, anything to indicate that her words were really setting in the woman's mind.
"Do you have something great enough to die for?" The sergeant finally asked looking at the brunette. It wasn't so much the glare of an enemy soldier, but the sympathetic look of another human being caught in a shitty situation. "Someone to run to when the world beneath is gone?"
"Yes... I do." Akko smiled and grabbed the handcuffs. "She's some also someone I want to live for…"
It was a silly question, that seemed to have come out of nowhere, but the smile wasn't out of amusement, it was because of the first thing, or rather person, she thought of when she heard the question. Akko didn't know what it was, but she must've struck a cord somewhere with the sergeant, because all at once the woman began to weep.
Akko grabbed the handcuffs and clasped the metal on the sergeant's hands. "W-Wait!" The sergeant wailed.
"I'm sorry sarge, but I can't stay here." Akko grabbed her coat and slipped it on. It was time for her to go, while the odds were in her favor. And of course, being the reckless soldier, she was more than willing to push her luck a little more. "Actually, do you mind telling me where I can find the blonde lieutenant?"
Through her tears the sergeant narrowed her eyes at Akko. "I swear if you-"
"Relax." Akko urged. "I'm not going to hurt her. I want to explain that this isn't your fault, and that you'll never see me again…"
"Fuck you." The sergeant muttered. "Why should I trust you?"
"I understand." Akko sighed. The sergeant really had no reason to trust Akko, especially after being made a fool of in their little brawl. "It's ok."
The brunette wiped her face, she didn't want to Diana to see her looking so disheveled. Otherwise the blonde would worry and insist that Akko be treated. She didn't have that kind of time to indulge herself with the blonde, no matter how much she wanted to. Akko finished buttoning up her coat and dusted herself off.
"Really though…" The sergeant begged through her tears. "Don't hurt her. She's my best friend."
Akko walked towards the door and opened it. The thought of seeing Diana again made her heart swell and want to fly out of her chest.
"I promise I won't." Akko shut the door behind her and locked the knob leaving the sergeant behind. "I couldn't if I tried…" She muttered under her breath with a small smile.
This was hard to write, I can never get actions moments down. But I always wanted to write an all out brawl between Akko and Amanda. I've mentioned it before, but I still think Akko would win based on speed.