Author's Notes:

Before we get cracking, I'd like to give you all my sincerest thanks. With that last chapter, Before My Body is Dry became the most reviewed story for Kill la Kill! Thank you all so, so much for your support of this story. I've written for two other genres now, and without a doubt the KLK genre is my favorite. You all have been so nice and supportive of me and my writing, it warms my heart. Reading your kind reviews and chatting with you all has been amazing, and in many cases has made my day much, much better. It all only makes me want to write more, and to write better.

We're winding down now, with only maybe another few episodes left of the anime. But with that being said, I don't plan on stopping once the canon story ends. I have plans for some stuff after the OVA.

Anyhow, now onto the chapter. With this chapter, we'll get to arguably the most important chapter in this story. For many reasons, which you'll have to find out yourself. So, I hope you all enjoy it!

There's also a little Easter egg hidden in there. ;)

Now then, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kill la Kill.


The ship deck grew quiet, the only audible sound being Akio's labored, wet breathing.

"AKIO!"

Satsuki fell upon Ryuko, her blades aimed directly for her heart. However, Ryuko saw her before she could even hope to strike, and knocked her away effortlessly. Akio barely registered it, but with Satsuki out of the picture, things were looking even more grim for the boy.

Satsuki hit the ground and tumbled away, her blades scattering across the deck.

Ryuko turned her head back to Akio as he began to cough.

"...Why."

A few droplets of blood left his mouth, staining Ryuko's pure white Kamui.

Akio slowly looked down to the sword that now was stuck in his abdomen.

Well, that was certainly not a part of the plan.

Ryuko's scissor had ran clean through him, skewering his chest and going clean out the other side. The blade must have punctured one of his lungs, as he could feel blood rush into his throat, nearly drowning him. God knew what else it had hit.

Blood began to pour from his fatal wound, falling into a puddle on the floor.

Akio coughed again, more blood spilling from his mouth. Soon, he would drown in his own blood.

"Why."

He could feel tears well in his eyes, his ears only slightly registering Ryuko's words. In his final moments, his life flashed before his eyes. He had always thought that that was a load of bullshit, but it really wasn't. He saw his childhood with Aikuro, then his time at Nudist Beach, finalized with his time with Ryuko and Mako. He saw his short time with his birth family. Hell, even his time with Satsuki.

And in those memories, Akio realized something about himself.

Deep down, all of his life, Akio wanted to be a hero, as cliché as that sounded. The knight in shining armor that came in and rescued the hostage princess. The super hero that swooped in and stopped the bad guy while saving the lives of many. That had always been his secret motivation; to be able to help those in need. In the end, it seemed that those lofty ideals were for naught. How much did he really change? In the end, he would only accomplished what every other human being did: death.

It was a childhood daydream for many boys to be a hero, but one that rarely became realized. But that didn't stop Akio. He thought, maybe if he was quick enough, strong enough, smart enough, that he could make a difference. That he would be able to change one thing, be able to save one person.

Like Ryuko. To save her from killing someone that she loved.

It seems that he failed in that regard.

In the distance he could hear someone calling his name. Aikuro? Mako? He hoped it wasn't Akiko. At this point, it really didn't matter. It was too late for that.

"I asked you a question."

"...B-b-because," Akio stopped to cough out more blood. "I-I-I... had to... had to... be me..."

But it wasn't too late to make a difference. Just because Death was calling his name, it didn't mean that he was finished.

That was one thing about Akio Takahiro. He was a stubborn son of a bitch. Stubborn to the very end.

"That doesn't make any sense," Ryuko mumbled. "Why would you waste your own life for someone else? What does that ever accomplish? Do you not want to live? Do you not want to enjoy life's pleasures?"

Ryuko's words hurt his already fractured heart, but he kept on.

"Y-you... would have... d-done the... same."

Ryuko sighed, twisting her blade in his chest to elicit a scream of pain from the man. Blood began to drain more freely from his wound as it opened further.

"I suppose you can be Junketsu's first."

The darkness was closing in on him. His eyes were struggling to stay open, his legs struggling to stand. His heart fluttered in his chest, and his mind was moving at a snail's pace.

"Because you are interesting, I'll make this quick."

He couldn't move his feet, in this dark.

Ryuko tried to pull her blade from his body, but Akio's hands had grabbed a hold of it. His grip was iron. Despite the pain in his hands, he wouldn't let go.

He didn't want to be, all alone.

"What?" Ryuko growled, trying to pull her blade from his body once more but failing.

He couldn't feel the heat, in his blood.

Ryuko lashed out and took a hold of his neck, forcing his weary eyes to look directly at her.

"What are you playing at?!"

He could still remember what she said.

"Do you... feel the same?" He had asked of her.

"Yes," She had replied.

Using that love to fuel his heart, he would set her free from the cage she was trapped in.

Ryuko tugged harder on the blade, but it wouldn't budge. It was as if someone else was giving Akio strength unheard of, making it impossible for Ryuko to free her blade.

"Why won't you just die already?!"

He couldn't lose his way. They would never get a better chance than this. To have even a hope of success, the two would have to move as one. There were no do-overs or second tries.

The wind began to pick up between Akio and Ryuko, as if it was emanating from Akio himself.

"Don't... be afraid... sweetheart," Akio mumbled, his glare unwavering as he stared into Ryuko's eyes. The blood that was once flowing from his wound began to recede back into his body. "This is the only way."

His cloak fell from his shoulders, revealing the black and red of a familiar sailor uniform. It was as if Senketsu's unveiling had caused strength to flow back into his limbs, giving him the brief burst of energy to do what had to be done.

Ryuko's eyes widened as she unconsciously took a step back, only to be stopped when two black straps of cloth bound to her hands to keep her in place.

"You-!"

"Now!"

The cloak that had once covered Akio's body turned to shreds as Senketsu activated; except that the two of them had no intention of becoming synchronized, even if they moved like it. No, there would be no fight; this would be their final gambit.

There was no Life Fiber Synchronization. They wouldn't actually become one. He would not be worn by Senketsu, nor would Senketsu be worn by him. This was only two friends working towards a common goal, their love and determination fueling the fire in their hearts.

Several more black straps shot from Senketsu's body, wrapping around Ryuko's limbs to completely bind her and keep her in place.

Ryuko fought against her bindings, but it was getting her nowhere. The attack had caught her completely off guard, giving Akio and Senketsu just the opportunity they needed to deal the finishing blow.

"DO IT, SENKETSU!"

"Right!" Senketsu answered him before the words had even left Akio's mouth. After nearly a year of watching Akio fight, he knew exactly what to do.

The fabric that would originally become Senketsu's top snaked down Akio's arms, pooling at his fists.

As Akio raised his arms to the sky, Senketsu's cloth expanded outwards and hardened, forming two makeshift blades at the end of each of his fists. The sunlight reflected off of the blades, nearly blinding Ryuko.

"S-stop!" Ryuko screamed as she fought harder against her bindings. "You fucking idiot, stop it!"

Akio brought his arms down with force he never knew he had, the blades on his fists going in-between the groove of Junketsu's chest piece. Wrenching one blade up and the other down, Akio tore apart the Kamui.

"NO!" Ryuko screeched, but it was too late.

Akio rose his arms and brought them down once more, Senketsu's blades tearing into her skin.

Ryuko threw her head back and screamed in pain, but Akio ignored it. There was only one thing left to do.

"Senketsu, you know what to do!"

"You don't have to tell me twice! I'm coming, Ryuko!"

Senketsu's blades dissolved into her body, followed by the rest of Senketsu as his fabric snaked its way up Akio's body and down his arms.

Ryuko arched her back as she began to convulse as Senketsu was sucked into her wound, her screams of pain and surprise only increasing in ferocity.

With Senketsu no longer on him, Akio collapsed, only to be held up by the blade above his abdomen. His eyes were growing tired...

With the rest of the strength he possessed, he looked up to Ryuko.

"I... forgive...-"

Before he could finish, he felt his consciousness leave his body.


Darkness. Unimaginable darkness.

He was floating. He couldn't feel his body, nor could he see anything, but he was conscious. He didn't know if he was alive or dead, but he knew he was somewhere in between. In a realm nonexistent to both. Or at least, that's what he thought.

Wait... Akio frowned. How can a dead man be thinking? Wait a second. Am I even dead?

Well, if he was, he'd be lying if he said it wasn't a bit anticlimactic. He was expecting... well something! Anything, really. Floating around on a cloud would have worked. Shit, even some flames would have been more preferable than this darkness.

Or nothing at all, if that happened to be how the afterlife worked. He wasn't sure where he stood on that.

Akio's brow furrowed. It wasn't completely dark, on a second thought. There were red lines here and there, the glowing red color of it reminding him of... something. Something important. Why was it so important?

"Why is that color so familiar?" Akio said aloud to no one in particular. Who would be there, after all?

Akio blinked, trying to remember how exactly he got here in the first place. The only problem was that he couldn't remember a thing.

"Open your eyes," A startlingly familiar voice called out to him.

"What?" Akio murmured. Were they not open already?

"Come on, Akio. This is important."

He could swear his eyes were open. And who was this voice commanding him-

"Eyes, Akio. Open. Them."

As if that flipped a switch in his brain, his eyes opened. Solid ground materialized beneath his feet, stopping his free floating.

Akio blinked at the unfamiliar setting in front of him. A regal chapel stood before him, the bell in its tower ringing, signaling the beginning of a wedding. The chapel itself almost took his breath away. The paint that covered it was a beautiful shade of white, contracting with the shiny brown of its giant, oaken doors. A cross was centered in the middle of the brown door, but it almost seemed redundant with its placing. This building was clearly a chapel. Just the air around it could tell him that much.

Strangely enough, the air around the chapel looked grey, as if everything else was just worse in comparison. Looking up to the sky, Akio attributed the depressing grey tones to the thunderclouds.

"Go into the chapel."

Akio rose an eyebrow and looked down at himself.

He was wearing a two piece suit, his jacket and slacks being black while his undershirt was white. A red tie was tied around his neck, with a very intriguing design on the front of it. It almost looked like... an eye?

If he didn't know any better, he'd say that his tie was talking to him.

Looking around and shrugging, Akio walked forwards, deciding he had nothing better to do.

The minute his hand touched that door handle, a shock reverberated through his body. With that shock came every single memory of Akio Takahiro's life. And not just his memories, but Ryuko Kiryuin's as well.

Akio's mind began racing, as if his brain's previous emptiness had never happened.

Ryuko Kiryuin... a fake identity fabricated by Ragyo to ensnare Ryuko to do her dirty work.

It all made so much sense now. Ryuko would never willingly join Ragyo and Nui. It was because the framework of her mind had been tampered with, creating an entire fake life and replacing it with her real one. In that fake life, Ryuko lived happily. Her mother loved her, and she succeeded in everything she did. She went to school, met some faceless entity, and then got married. On the surface, it was a carefree and sweet life, but it was fake nonetheless.

No wonder Ryuko fought for her mother. If someone had tampered with his memories like this, Akio would be hard pressed to say he would do any different.

"Go inside."

Akio flinched, remembering only now that Senketsu was with him, and was in fact the suit he was wearing. If it were a different time and place, he might jump for joy at the prospect of finally being able to hear the Kamui.

Pushing on the handle, the door didn't budge. Frowning, he tried harder, but still got nowhere. Getting fed up with it, Akio raised his leg, opting to kick the door open.

The church doors flew open with the kick, even breaking off one of the handles and flinging it across the room.

"I'm counting on you, Akio," Senketsu told him as they walked in.

As the room became revealed to him, Akio's eyes scanned the area, finally landing on the bride at the end of the aisle.

"Ryuko," Akio muttered, his feet already moving towards her.

Ryuko turned to face him, her face twisting into a scowl. She looked just like she did when she had been wearing Junketsu; the bags under her eyes coupled with red eye shadow. Akio hated looking at it. It was so much different than the Ryuko he knew that it made him sick to his stomach just to look at this abomination.

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to bring you back," Akio answered automatically.

Ryuko's scowl deepened. Reaching into her dress, she pulled out her scissor blade and pointed it at Akio.

Akio winced, his stomach turning upside down at the sight of it, but it wouldn't be enough to stop him.

"I'll kill anyone who ruins my happiness."

"...Your happiness?" Akio mumbled before letting out a snort. "You call this happiness? This fake life?"

"Do not insult me!" Ryuko screamed, shaking her blade at him. "This is my life! It is real, damn it!"

"Bullshit," Akio disagreed as he began walking towards her. "This chapel is fake. Your groom is fake. This wedding is fake."

"Shut up! It's real, all of it is real!"

Akio shook his head as he came to a stop a few feet from her, his eyes moving to the building around him. He hadn't been lying when he said this entire thing was a sham. There wasn't even a single person in attendance. The groom didn't even count, because as far as Akio could tell, he didn't even have a face. This 'wedding' didn't even have a pastor. It almost made him sad to look at it all, because it was real to Ryuko. Right now, in this moment, this was what she wanted more than anything.

This fake life and this fake wedding.

Looking down at his chest, he became very aware of the fact that he was wearing a suit.

"Is this really what you want?" Akio whispered as he met Ryuko's eyes.

"It isn't fake!" Ryuko repeated, if only to reassure herself of that fact. "This is-"

"ENOUGH!" Akio raised his voice, his shout echoing through the church. "I mean... damn it Ryuko! Are you really this stupid? I can give you this! All of it! Everything to the last detail! The only difference would be that it'd be real! You don't need some faceless groom and some dead chapel. I can give you the real thing! Better yet, I'd be happy to!"

Ryuko's sword arm began to tremble, her angry scowl becoming mixed with a look of sadness.

"S-shut up!" Ryuko continued regardless, her emotions starting to get the best of her. "Just, just shut your mouth!"

Akio walked forwards and up the steps of the aisle, coming to a stop directly in front of her.

"No, I won't. I refuse to just lie down and die."

Ryuko swung her blade haphazardly at Akio, making it easy for him to counter. Grabbing on to the hilt of her scissor, he pushed the blade down to the ground and closed the distance between the two in a flash.

Pressing his forehead against hers, Akio stared straight into her eyes.

"Snap out of it. This isn't you, and you know it."

The rest of Ryuko's body began to shake, her lips trembling as she tried to speak.

"S-shut u-up," Ryuko stammered. "Your words are just empty promises."

"Oh?" Akio rose an eyebrow. "Well, I'll have to prove you wrong then. I don't plan on breaking any more promises."

Akio's hand moved down the hilt of her sword, eventually making it to one of hers. Her hand felt like ice beneath his fingertips; clammy and lifeless.

"If you're so intent on staying here, go ahead and kill me and give up on being the Ryuko I know. Kill me and prove me wrong. Prove to me that you don't remember the love you confessed to me that night. Prove to me that you actually want me dead."

Ryuko's eyes flashed with anger, her free hand pushing Akio away.

Akio allowed himself to be moved, his eyes never leaving hers.

Grabbing her now free scissor blade with both hands, Ryuko raised it above her head to bring it down and slash Akio through the chest.

Akio didn't move to stop her or to dodge it.

Senketsu moved to detach himself from Akio to block it, but stopped when Akio placed his hand over the tie. In the end, the blade would never reach him, and he knew it.

Ryuko's arms shook as she held the blade above her head, her body refusing to move any further. Her scowl had returned once more, but it now looked wrong on her face. Her mouth was contorted into an angry snarl, but her eyes shone with tears of sadness and regret.

Akio smiled warmly and reached up to take her hands in his, slowly prying each of her cold fingers off of the hilt of her blade. Warmth slowly began to flood back into her hand as her fingers closed around his.

"I knew you were still in there."

Tears began to stream freely from her eyes. Her other hand let go of the scissor blade, the sword falling harmlessly to the ground.

"A-Akio...?" Ryuko mumbled, recognition slowly dawning on her.

"Ryuko," Akio smiled, reaching a hand up to brush away the tears.

The ground began to rumble, interrupting whatever moment the two might have.

Akio turned to look at the doors behind him, raising an eyebrow. Somehow they had closed again?

It was almost as if-

The doors burst open as a river of blood flowed into the room, the bright red color of the liquid contrasting heavily to the grayish environment around him. The blood rushed directly towards them, completely enveloping the two and covering them in darkness.

But before that darkness took him, the life of Ryuko Matoi flashed before his eyes. Everything from her birth, to her childhood, to her teenage years. Everything from her time with Dr. Matoi, to her time as the Guitar Case Drifter, to her time with Mako and Akio. Even the month in which the two were apart was shown to him. He felt every emotion, every cry, and every scream. He felt her hope, her sadness, and her anger.

But most of all, he felt her loneliness.


Akio's eyes fluttered open, the dim light of the room blinding him.

It only took a few hours for Akio to return to the land of the living. His body, battered and bruised but not yet broken, required its time to heal. Rather he liked it or not, it was going to force its rest on him. It took a few hours for Akio to wake up, but to him, it felt as if he had just come from that chapel. It felt instantaneous, as if he closed his eyes in the chapel, and when he opened them he was in the infirmary.

He was most definitely in an infirmary bed. If nothing else, he could tell because of its familiar feel and the familiar smell. Hospital rooms always had that smell to them. He couldn't place what it was, but he knew it when he smelled it.

Looking around the room, he noted that he was the only inhabitant for the time being. Well, that was somewhat depressing, but it wasn't like someone could be here 24/7.

Turning down at his chest, he noticed that he was shirtless, but hopefully not pantless. His chest was covered in a bandages, and on his arm he could feel the rough, scratchiness of a cast. So the doctor must have already worked on all of his injuries. That was a relief.

Right. He was stabbed. Then he... what the hell was that thing in the chapel, anyways? He just did what his heart had told him to, like it was some sort of script laid out to him. It must have been something his brain imagined as he lost consciousness. He had heard stories about how people would 'see the light' or experience out of body experiences as their brain began to shut down. That was the most logical explanation. How could he have heard Senketsu, anyways? That didn't make sense. On top of that, he was a suit in that dream, not a sailor uniform.

And yet... he could vividly remember every detail. He could remember the feel of Senektsu on him, he could remember the feel of Ryuko's hand in his, and he could remember the feel of the blood washing over him.

Akio shook his head. None of it made any sense.

"Shit," Akio cursed to himself. He had been stabbed! How could he keep forgetting this?

He gulped as he lifted the blanket that was covering him, praying to the powers that be that it wasn't too bad.

Akio's eyes widened, his jaw falling to his chest.

There was no wound. There was a scar from where it had once been, but there was no wound. He winced when he reached down to push down on it, so he wasn't imagining things. There was just simply no wound. Somehow, someway, it had been healed.

He was weak though. Incredibly so. It felt as if someone had drained him of his blood. Considering events that had transpired, that was probably the case.

"Am I still dreaming?"

"No, I can assure you that this is no dream."

Akio flinched at the unexpected voice, turning his head up to see Satsuki walk in with a cup of coffee and wearing a fancy looking black trench coat.

"Coffee?" Akio blurted out. He always thought she was strictly a tea drinker.

"I need something a little stronger than tea today," Satsuki replied as she sat down in one of the vacant chairs placed beside his bed. As she got closer, he could notice her paler looking skin, as well as the bags under her eyes. No surprise. She probably hasn't slept in over a day. She had to be running on empty by now.

"It's good to see that you are well," Satsuki commented.

"Yeah," He sighed, running a hand over his face. "Thank god."

"I imagine you're curious as to what happened," Satsuki continued as she took a sip from her mug.

"That I am," Akio nodded, his interest definitely peaked now.

"After your... confrontation with Ryuko, you and Senketsu were both sucked into the wound you had created."

"That's..." Akio mumbled, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "That's..."

"Impossible?" Satsuki finished for him. "Apparently not."

Akio shook his head. So it really did happen...

"What happened next?"

"After a few seconds, you and Senketsu reemerged from the wound, and Ryuko ripped Junketsu off of her body. From there, she reunited with Senketsu, and the two of them were able to fight off Nui Harime together, cutting her arms off in the process. After Nui escaped, Ryuko brought you here."

Akio blinked, his ears slowly processing the words. So, he was sucked into Ryuko... that was a in itself made zero sense, but it happened. He was only in there for a few seconds, which also seemed crazy. It felt like he was in that chapel for longer than that, but it's not like Satsuki would lie to him.

At least Nui had her arms chopped off. It's what that bitch got for the torture she put him and everyone else through.

"And then?"

"Then we were able to recover several bodies from their COVERS, as well as recover a vast amount of Life Fibers, including the remains of Junketsu. A vital mistake on their part to allow such a thing."

Satsuki took a sip from her coffee, leaning back in her seat as she crossed her legs.

"And that's where we are now, licking our wounds. My Elite Four are resting and the Mankanshokus are running back and forth to treat their patients. Your brother and sister were in here not too long ago, but I was able to convince them to go get something to eat."

Akio rose an eyebrow. It was great that they weren't fretting over him and were taking care of themselves, but...

"Convince them?"

Did she really do that? Did Satsuki really do that for him?

"Yes," Satsuki nodded, her eyes distant. "I'm sure you remember the things you asked of me during our time together in that cage."

Akio frowned, averting her eyes. After everything that had happened, he felt guilty about his treatment of her during that month.

"One thing that stuck out the most was when you asked if I felt guilty for what happened. To put it simply, yes, I do... I feel guilty for much that has happened."

Akio glanced over at her. Just from the tone alone he could tell that she meant it, and from the look in her eyes she must have been thinking about the near-death experience he had went through earlier. She probably felt responsible since she didn't make it in time to prevent Ryuko from going through with it.

Well, he was still alive, and doing fine. Mako wasn't hurt, and Ryuko was back in her right mind again. As far as Akio was concerned, it was in the past.

"Is the great Lady Satsuki apologizing to me?" Akio smirked. "Again? Wow, I'm honored."

Satsuki's calm expression turned into a glare.

"Must you say it with such sarcasm each time?"

"Better get used to it now that we're on the same team," Akio replied with a grin. His grin faltered when he realized that Satsuki had purposefully left someone out with her retelling. "I noticed you haven't mentioned Ryuko. Where is she?"

"After our...-" Satsuki pursed her lips, pausing for a brief moment to think her words over. "-Agreement to join forces, she wondered off to have some time alone with Senketsu and her thoughts."

"How is she doing?" Akio asked tentatively. He could very clearly remember his experience in that chapel, and the memories and feelings he was shown. "You know, with everything's that's happened..."

"I believe she is still upset with how things transpired. I would imagine she feels quite guilty for how she acted when she wore Junketsu."

Akio ran a hand through his hair, wincing at the slight pain the movement caused. Well, of course she would. Hell, if she hadn't been stopped, she probably would have killed every last one of them. If one or two things had been different, that might have been what happened, too.

Sighing, Akio leaned back on the bed. It's not exactly like he could get up and go find her. And besides, it was probably best she dealt with this herself. She didn't need Akio there to hold her hand as she dealt with every single one of her problems.

"Thank you for being here with me, Satsuki," Akio said after a moment of silence.

Satsuki blinked, her lips hovering over her coffee as she stared at him.

"Of course, Akio. However, I'll have you know I haven't been the only one to visit."

Akio smiled. That was actually quite nice to hear. It was comforting knowing that even the likes of the Elite Four might start to see him as a friend. He'd like that.

"So... what now?"

"Well, there's a bit of a lull at the moment," Satsuki answered. "So we have time to catch our breaths, but I imagine it won't last long."

"What kind of time frame are you thinking?"

"Two days at the most," Satsuki shrugged. "A few hours at the least."

Akio sighed loudly. Well, that was disconcerting. He hoped it wasn't a few hours.

"Will we be ready?"

"Yes," Satsuki nodded and sipped from her coffee. "The sewing club is working tirelessly right now to construct a new batch of Goku uniforms, as well as patch together Junketsu. The rest of Nudist Beach are currently prepping for our next battle."

Satsuki paused, her eyes examining Akio closely.

"Iori has already created a newer version of your Goku uniform. If you want, I can-"

"No," Akio rose a hand to stop her. "I'm done fighting."

"You are what?" Satsuki blinked, taken back by his declaration.

"No more fighting for me," Akio repeated himself. "If I keep going down the path I'm on, there won't be much left of me, and I'm not even close to finished yet. I have a long, long list of things I want to do before I kick the bucket."

Akio turned to Satsuki, a smile tugging at his lips.

"So, I think I'll leave the heavy lifting to you and Ryuko from here on out while I assist from the sidelines."

Satsuki nodded, returning his smile, albeit very slightly.

"A wise decision, Akio. You can count on us."

His smile grew.

"I know."


The next two hours passed by in a blur. Satsuki had stayed with him for a short while before she left to go and do some administrative things. After she had left, Aikuro and Akiko had returned. He was expecting another lecture from Aikuro, but surprisingly, he didn't this time. Instead, he was just happy to see Akio safe and sound, the same as Akiko. However, Akiko's despair at seeing her big brother in this condition broke Akio's heart even further, only making him more resolved to stay out of future conflicts.

After that tearful reunion, the Elite Four had dropped by in one big group, all giving Akio their well-wishes. Hell, even Nonon. It was actually really nice. Once all of this was said and done, Akio would have to invite them out somewhere to repay them for their kindness to him and his family.

The last visitors he received were the Mankanshokus. They had fretted over him, of course. Mrs. Mankanshoku tried to force feed him croquettes, while Mako had hugged his arm the entire time, refusing to let it out of her grasp. It was funny, really. Just her presence alone gave him energy. He couldn't explain how relieved he had been to see her safe and sound.

Mr. Mankashoku was there as well, and had been able to give Akio a rundown on what was going on with him. The doctor had treated all of his previous wounds, but eerily enough his wound caused by Ryuko had healed almost completely. The sword itself had pierced through his left lung, missing his heart and spine, but still had did quite a bit of damage. If Ryuko's strike and been a few inches upwards and a few inches to the right, Akio wouldn't be here right now.

Mr. Mankanshoku was as baffled as Akio was at the fact that his wound had healed nearly completely. It would still be sore, and with a wound like this it'd be like that for a long time, but there would be no lasting damage. But to be on the safe side, the back alley doctor ordered him to stay off his feet for a few days. Stab wounds weren't exactly things to be taken light off. Akio had agreed, of course. He had no plans on hurting himself anymore. He'd use his wheelchair, and he'd use it proudly.

There was only one possible explanation that Akio could think of as to why his wound had closed so quickly... but to be honest he himself barely believed it. He was in Ryuko's body, and she did have incredible regenerative abilities due to her condition. Could some of it have transferred over to Akio during his time in there? He obviously had no way of knowing, but it was the only thing left that made a lick of sense. Even if it made no sense itself.

Speaking of which...

Akio glanced over at the clock, letting out a soft sigh. It was getting late.

"It'll be okay, Akio," Mako grinned at him, patting his arm. "I'm sure Ryuko will come around soon."

Akio's frown deepened. Honestly, he doubted that. If he was in her shoes, he could only imagine how difficult it would be to come face to face with the man you nearly killed. But still, he only wanted to see her. It's been a month now since he had event talked to her, let alone saw her. That fiendish, Junketsu wearing monster didn't count in his mind.

He just wanted to see her, and preferably before the final fight with Ragyo happened.

"Yeah, I guess," Akio exhaled slowly, letting his head rest on the pillow behind him.

Were things really going to be alright between the two? Akio couldn't help but wonder if they wouldn't. It wasn't an easy thing getting past something like attempting to kill your partner, even if Akio didn't blame Ryuko for it. It was clear as day that it was Ragyo's fault for tampering with her mind, but Akio assumed that Ryuko wouldn't think of it that way. She'd probably take it quite hard, and if anything blame herself for it.

Akio looked back to the clock. It was almost ten in the evening. The day was nearly over.

Mr. Mankanshoku walked over to his IV bags and fiddled with them before turning to Akio.

"Why don't we get out of your hair so you can get some rest?"

"What?" Akio's eyes widened. "N-no, you don't have to."

He protested, but the look Mako's parents were giving him was telling him that they weren't having any of it.

"You really do need your rest, sweetie," Mrs. Mankanshoku smiled at him, grabbing Mako by the arm and lifting her out of her seat. "Now more than ever."

Akio was ready to protest even more, but he could feel his eyes begin to grow heavy as if his body was trying to agree with them. While his wound had nearly healed, that didn't mean he was completely good to go. He had still lost a lot of blood, and partnered with the rest of the injuries his body had, he was completely exhausted from just sitting in a bed.

"Will you be back?" Akio mumbled sleepily, letting his head sink into the pillow.

"Of course, silly!" Mako giggled, giving him a kiss on the forehead before she skipped to the door. "We'll be back in the morning!"

The rest of the Mankanshokus nodded, each of them giving Akio a hug before they followed Mako out of the door.

Honestly, he'd rather they didn't leave, but he could feel himself getting very, very tired. He wished they had stuck around until he had fallen asleep, but that would have been selfish of him to ask. They had to be worn out too. Just because he was in a hospital bed didn't mean he had to keep other people awake.

Akio frowned slightly before he closed his eyes to drift off to sleep. There would be no more visitors on this night.


Akio could hear a door open in his sleep. He could feel a light hit the back of his eyelids, but he only grumbled sleepily and turned his head away from the source of it. Footsteps slowly approached his bedside, only stopping to take a seat.

The room grew quiet again, the only sounds being Akio's deep breathing and the almost restrained breaths of whoever was in the room with him. It was nice. Calming even.

He was nearly content to just drift completely into the realms of sleep, but he become fast aware of two eyes watching him closely.

Akio's eyes fluttered open and he turned his head toward the unknown presence.

It should have been obvious who it was, but his still sleepy brain wasn't thinking that clearly.

"Ryuko!" Akio gasped, his eyes widening. She actually came! He felt that she would eventually, but... seeing her now was a great relief. He'd be lying if he said a part of him wasn't worried that she wouldn't show up at all. He hadn't exactly been a part of many relationships, but this sort of thing- getting stabbed and all that, seemed like it might put a wedge in it.

Ryuko replied with a mirthless smile, her eyes moving to the ground as she nodded slightly.

"Sorry it took me so long," Ryuko whispered, her eyes purposefully avoiding him now. Honestly, she was probably hoping that he would stay asleep.

"You're here now," Akio smiled. "That's all that matters."

Ryuko nodded again, her eyes still on the ground as she scooted slightly further away from him. Things were not off to a hot start.

"..."

"..."

And just like that, the two fell into an unimaginably awkward silence. The air of the room was so thick with it that Akio could probably cut it with a knife. He could basically taste it at this point.

Akio frowned. He should have known it wouldn't be that easy. But by no means was he going to sit back and let it rule them. It had been longer than a month since the two had actually talked to each other. There was no way he was just going to sit here in an awkward silence.

Propping himself up on his bed, Akio looked at Ryuko with a firm expression.

"We should talk about what happened."

Ryuko looked up at him with wide eyes, then quickly looked away again.

"Yeah."

It was definitely easier said than done, something that Akio was becoming aware of very quickly. Well, if they were going to get anywhere, they'd have to clear the air, and get past the obvious elephant in the room.

He couldn't just go out and say 'Hey, you ran me through with a sword like a shish kebab, and then I got sucked up into your body where we had a moment in a chapel.' That would most definitely not work. By no means would that work.

But they had to move past it. One thing at a time.

"I don't blame you, you know," Akio whispered.

Ryuko finally met his eyes, her own eyes a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Why?" Ryuko asked of him. "Why won't you? What I've done... it's unforgivable. You should hate me. I'd even feel better if you did."

"But I don't," Akio reassured her. "That thing was not you. I know that better than anyone."

"Yeah, but this would have never happened if I didn't lose my head," Ryuko mumbled. "One way or another, regardless of what you might say, it is my fault."

That's one thing he's come to realize about Ryuko these past months; she often beat herself up over her mistakes. More than anyone else would.

"Ryuko," Akio sighed. "Give yourself a break. If Ragyo hadn't-"

"No!" Ryuko rose her voice to interrupt him. "I won't! I betrayed you! All of you! This isn't something we can just push aside, Akio! Stop acting like it is, damn it!"

Akio blinked, slightly surprised at her outburst.

"It isn't okay," Ryuko huffed, turning her head away. "A simple apology won't make things better. It won't take back what I did... I almost killed you, Akio. Nothing can change that."

Akio grimaced, turning his head away. How could he have been so dense? This wasn't just something you could push under the rug and be done with it. But it was something that Akio wanted to get past. He wanted nothing more than to get back to the way things were. He missed Ryuko's company, their banter, their talks. To put it simply, he missed her.

"Fine," Akio exhaled. "Fine. You're right, what you did was wrong."

Ryuko's shoulders slumped, a sigh escaping her lips. This was the reaction she had been expecting.

"But-"

Ryuko eyes widened as she turned her head back up to Akio.

"-That doesn't mean we can't move past it. We can't just push it aside and forget about it, but we can keep moving forwards. Tell me, does anyone else hold what happened against you? Does anyone hate you over what happened?"

"Well," Ryuko frowned. "...No."

"Right, because they moved past it. I don't see why we can't either."

Ryuko furrowed her brow. "You... you just want to move past the fact that I nearly killed you."

Well, when she put it that way...

"Yeah. Does that make me crazy?"

"Yes."

"I guess I'm in good company, then," Akio smirked at her.

A ghost of a smile flickered across her face before it was replaced with a deep frown.

"You're sure about this? You'd really get over what happened just like that?"

"Ryuko," Akio's smirk disappeared, his voice startlingly firm. "That is exactly what I want to do."

"I just don't... Why? Why can you so easily forgive me?"

Akio pursed his lips, his expression growing more serious by the second. She seriously wanted an answer from him before she would finally let herself off the hook. He had several answers he could give her, all of them more deserving than the last. If he had to, he could probably even construct a poem on why he felt this way.

"Because I said so, that's why."

But it was always better to be blunt.

Ryuko stared long and hard at him, her eyes searching his as if to make sure he was being truthful. Slowly, a smile began to tug at her lips, reassuring Akio that he had said the right things.

"Has everyone in our group always been this stubborn?" Ryuko mused.

"If it is it's because we get it from you," Akio returned the smile.

"Hey, don't pin that crap on me."

Akio's smile grew, the heaviness in his eyes evaporating.

Scooting over some, Akio patted the area of the bed beside him.

Ryuko's eyes widened, her pupils moving from the bed, to his hand, to him, and then back to the bed again, indecision written all over her features.

"Uh, I-I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Ryuko," Akio began, his expression softening and his voice dropping. Of course they didn't have to snuggle up to each other again, but honestly, Akio could use the comfort. He could use the physical touch of another person. He was only human, after all. "After everything that's happened, I... I could really use you right now."

Ryuko blinked, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. Looking around the room to make sure that they were in fact alone, Ryuko rose from her seat and tentatively sat on the bed spread.

"There, happy now?" Ryuko grumbled, nervously fumbling with her hands in her lap. With the way she was posturing towards him, it made Akio think that she was worried she might somehow hurt him again.

"I'm getting there," Akio said as he reached out to take one of her hands in his. He wouldn't push it.

Ryuko smiled and accepted the gesture, squeezing his hand in hers.

It was nice. It felt good to just be in her presence after so long apart, and to feel her hand in his without the situation being dire.

A logical man probably wouldn't forgive someone that had tried to kill them so easily, but as time went on, Akio realized that he was not a logical man. He was anything but. Just look at his life. Barely any of it was logical, and in that moment he realized he wouldn't have it any other way. Even with all of the struggles he had gone through, he was grateful for it. Each moment, each experience, each tragedy molded him into who he was in this moment. It lead him to this moment in time.

For the first time in what felt like such a long time, Akio felt a weight leave his shoulders. From here on out, his future was going to be bright. No more fucking around. No more risking his life. He kept talking about all of the shit he wanted to do, all the promises he wanted to keep, all the people he wanted to be with, but before it had all been talk. He talked the talk, but didn't walk the walk. He still did the things he wanted to do, regardless of the consequences. Sure, in most cases they might have been the right thing, or even the sensible thing, but that didn't mean he could just go and risk his life without thinking. Had he even apologized to anyone for his recklessness? If he did, he wouldn't have meant it. That was one of his flaws. Whenever he did something, he always believed it to be the right thing to do, even when people disagreed with him.

But there was one thing he had to realize, now sooner than later. You can do all the right things, do everything completely correctly without failure, and still lose. That was simply life. He had been lucky so far, but that luck would only get him so far.

How many second chances would he get? How many times would his life nearly end before he became more careful? There would only be so many times where he lucked out like he did today. If it were anyone else in any other situation, they'd be dead. He was lucky to be alive with the way he had treated his body, taking out checks that his body just couldn't cash.

Now, more than ever before, he realized that if he kept fighting the way he was fighting, even if he wanted to, it wouldn't be the right thing to do. His life meant more, especially to his loved ones. He was sure that they shared the same sentiment as he did; a victory wouldn't be a victory if someone died. Why did he think that his case was any different? They always talked about sacrifices, but it was wrong. They could win without any.

Well, he was done. He was going to survive this war, and he was going to do so by Ryuko's side. She was the ship, and he was the anchor.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

He tugged on Ryuko's hand.

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. So, he tugged again.

Ryuko rolled her eyes, finally allowing herself to be pulled down into the spot beside him.

"Are you always going to be this clingy?" Ryuko joked, playfully poking him in the ribs.

"I honestly don't know," Akio smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "All of this is new to me. Can't say I dislike it, though."

"I guess it isn't all bad..." Ryuko smiled as she wiggled around to get comfortable.

Akio laughed, the movement causing the bed to shake lightly.

With that settled, the two laid beside each other on the bed spread, Akio's good arm around her shoulders and her head resting on his chest.

"Are you sure this is alright?" Ryuko asked as she looked up to him. "It doesn't hurt?"

"I'm fine, really," Akio replied. It was the truth, too, and he probably had her body to thank for that. But that was a conversation for another time.

Ryuko nodded, her eyes moving to the rest of his chest.

"There are an awful lot of bandages here," Ryuko noted with a frown.

"Yeah," Akio mumbled awkwardly. "Ragyo and Nui aren't exactly the nicest of hostesses."

Ryuko's frown deepened, nearly turning into a snarl at the sound of their names. That was all she needed to know.

"They'll pay for that."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Akio grinned at her. "I'm sure you'll give 'em hell."

"Damn right," Ryuko growled, one of her hands tightening around the blanket that covered Akio's waist.

"...Hey, Ryuko, can I ask you something?"

Ryuko shook her head, clearing herself of her anger and looked up to Akio.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Akio bit his lip and looked away, his words fumbling around on his tongue.

There was still one, huge elephant in the room that they had seemingly glossed over. That conversation in the chapel had been huge, at least in Akio's mind, and it had been pretty much overshadowed by the other, more depressing stuff.

How would he even go about addressing it? He had said all of that in the heat of the moment. That didn't mean he didn't mean what he had said, but it was a different ballgame when his emotions and adrenaline weren't pumping through his veins.

And who's to say she'd even say the same thing? Shit, who goes around and vows to marry someone in exchange for their return to normality? No one, that's who. No one does that. Not a single person in the history of the world had ever put forth such a proposition.

What should he even say about it? Just continue going on as if it never happened? Well, that might have been smart, but he didn't know if he really wanted to do that. Should he confront her about it? Well, that didn't seem smart at all. Maybe he should-

"Stay with me?"

Ryuko tilted her head to the side, watching him with a curious look on her face.

"Well, yeah, that's kinda why I dropped by?"

"No, that's not what I mean," Akio shook his head.

Ryuko continued to watch him, urging him to continue.

Akio swallowed his insecurities. He could either live the life he wanted, or be too much of a coward and let it slip through his fingertips. And he was no coward.

"Stay with me," He repeated softly.

Ryuko's eyes widened, realization of the importance of his words slowly dawning on her.

He didn't mean just tonight. No, there was no length for his request. There was no 'just for tonight,' no 'forever.' There's no time limit for his request, just the request itself. To stay with him. Did she want that? Could she really give him that? Hours ago she had nearly killed him, and now here he was, saying these words. Could this really work out? Was this even something she wanted to pursue, after that?

Akio tried not to frown. What would she say? Did she even understand the scope of what he was asking? This wasn't a simple request. By all means, it was-

"Like you even have to ask," Ryuko scoffed and rested her head back on his chest. "Dummy."

Akio grinned and leaned down to kiss the top of her head, letting his own linger on top of it.

A lot went unsaid in their agreement, but sometimes it was best leaving those things unsaid. They didn't need everything laid out for them. Akio wouldn't tell her about how much he had wanted to see her during his time in the cage, how he had longed to hold her, longed to talk to her once more. Ryuko wouldn't mention to him her feelings of loneliness and despair when she awoke after the Grand Festival, and how she wanted him to be there with her. She wouldn't mention how she wanted to wake up and have everything go back to normal once again, with Akio watching over her as she awoke. Neither one mentioned these things.

Even when life tried to pry them apart, the two knew that they loved each other. They knew that more than anything.

In a sea of uncertainty and doubt, sometimes that's the only light you need to bring you home.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

For the first time since the night in Osaka, without accidentally letting it slip or having said it during a dire situation, the two stated their love for each other. It was said casually, with no feelings of nervousness or anxiety. It was said honestly, with no feelings of regret or worry. It was stated simply as a matter of fact.

It felt like they had been saying it all along. Maybe, in a way, they had been.


Author's Notes:

And there you have it!

Really all over the place with this chapter. Lots and lots of important stuff happens. Decisions about life, declarations of love, and beginnings of unlikely friendships. It's amazing what you realize is the most important when you nearly lose it, and with this chapter, Akio realizes that quite clearly.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as I did! I'll be honest, on some occasions the past couple of chapters, I teared up slightly writing it. After months of writing, and way over 100000 words, it just felt great to finally write these scenes that I had planned since the beginning, and scenes that had so much emotion in them. Hopefully I conveyed them well!

Thanks for reading everyone!

Until next time!