A/N: Thanks for the awesome feedback on the last two chapters. This is a final update before my first exam on Tuesday; wish me luck, I'm gonna need it, hehe. Much shorter than the previous chapter, but I wanted to include it as a direct companion to Chapter 3.

You know the drill; jump on me if you see any errors.

Title: Vincent (by Don McLean)

Summary: Third time's the charm. (Uber spoilers for October fullmoon)

His gloved fist smashed against the tout surface and his other fist followed suit as he rained quick, merciless blows onto the punching bag, sweat pouring down his face and body, stinging his eyes everytime he blinked. He ignored any discomfort he felt. His heartbeat pounded in his ears and even as his stare fixed onto the swinging training equipment before him, the only image in his head was a puddle of red on the ground. He couldn't hear the thud, thud, thud of his punches or his ragged pants—just someone's quiet, final breath; the sound of a heavy form crashing onto the ground…

Akihiko readied himself for one final, powerful strike on the punching bag, almost as if he was trying to expel all the energy he had in himself. He stopped and stood by, breathing hard, watching the swaying object before him—forwards, backwards, forwards, backwards…

He pulled off his gloves and flung them onto the floor, bending down to pick up the bottle of energy drink and taking a long swig. He reached for a nearby towel and was dapping his face when he suddenly caught sight of someone sitting on the bench just by the door. It was a part of the gym that was rather dim, but it didn't matter. The crossed arms and hint of red hair were the only things he needed to see to know who it was anyway.

He took another drink, slinging the towel by his shoulder and walking towards her. "How long have you been here?" His voice was raspy, as if his throat was parched dry even though he had just downed a few gulps of water.

"About five minutes," she answered in a tone similar to his. "You weren't in the hall, so I checked here."

He set himself down beside her, his skin flaming and pulse slowly decelerating, but still hearing the beating of drums in his head. He wiped away more sweat, taking in a deep breath.

"How are you doing?" There was a sort of stiff formality in her voice, but the moment his eyes met hers, he saw just how far from normal she really was. He smoothed back his damp hair and shrugged. "Been better," he replied truthfully.

"… It's alright to grieve, Akihiko. You and Shinjiro were very close—he was like a brother to you." She paused and then added very quietly, "As he was to me…"

He exhaled loudly, fists tightening. "I know that," he said in a low tone. "I know, Mitsuru. It hasn't even been a day, but I've grieved—I'm done with that now. It wasn't his time to die yet, but he faced it head on anyway." Akihiko turned to her, a small, unexpected smile on his lips. "I'm gonna be just like him. I'll face this and anything else fate throws at me head on—no grumbles, no looking back, no regrets. Just head on."

His words made her raise her eyebrows, but she nodded understandingly in the end, inwardly proud of his sudden maturity. "No more dwelling on the past, huh?" she whispered.

"Exactly." He flexed his fingers, rubbing a slightly bruised part of his knuckles before getting off the bench, walking aimlessly around her for a moment. "You know… we'd known each other since we were kids, and he was everything Miki and I could ask for in an older brother, but…" Akihiko paused, absent-mindedly coiling the towel around a hand, a frown on his face. "After that incident with Ken's mother, Shinji was... different from who he used to be. When we hung out for lunch, sometimes I felt as if he was turning into someone else. He'd talk about some pretty dark things; really intense stuff. He'd get me really worried at times."

"He wasn't the only one who had changed," she said quietly, brushing away a flock of red hair. "You and I did as well. After something like that, who wouldn't?"

Akihiko bit his lower lip at her words. She was right, of course. Who could be the same after watching someone get killed by your teammate's actions? Who wouldn't change after watching your mother die in the hands of a stranger?

… Ken. The name brought along a sense of emptiness in him. "Is Ken alright?" he voiced his thoughts.

She shook her head. "Yamagishi said he isn't at the dorm. He might not have even been back after school," she answered. "We need to talk to the others tonight about him… With the way things are now, it's highly probable he'll want to leave."

"… I'm not too sure about that," Akihiko disagreed. "I haven't known him long, but he's a tough kid. He'll do the right thing, and this time, he won't be alone. I'll stand by him, the way Shinji wanted me to."

When he turned back to Mitsuru, she was staring at him so intently that he suddenly felt a little uneasy, as if he was completely defenceless against a Shadow. Her expression seemed like one of pride and quiet satisfaction. He raised his eyebrows and raked a hand through his hair. "What? Have I got something on my face?"

She closed her eyes and smiled. "It's nothing," she replied with a shrug.

"… You know something strange? Do you remember that night, after we walked Fuuka home just before she joined us? We talked for a while near the pier."

Her forehead furrowed slightly and she blinked for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yes, that's right…" she mumbled.

"You told me that I couldn't protect everyone; that sometimes, things wouldn't go the way I want them to. To be honest, what you said made me a little angry then. It was as if it didn't matter how strong I became, because everything might be useless in the end. I remember thinking how wrong you were back then. I thought if I trained hard enough, no matter what happened, I would still be able to protect the people that matter to me." He heaved a heavy sigh and gave her a watery grin. "But I guess you were right after all. I had trained as hard as I could but still couldn't do anything for Shinji in the end."

"Akihiko, I..." she started in uncertainty, her face troubled. "I didn't mean to—"

"It's alright, Mitsuru," he cut in. "What you said made me realize now just how stupid and naïve I was. Back then, the only thing on my mind was training, training and nothing but training. I was so obsessed with getting stronger that I forgot about all the other important things in my life—important people, like Shinji, or you…" The last two words were said under his breath, but one look at her eyes told him that she had heard him anyway.

"Akihiko…" Mitsuru murmured in a strange tone.

"Sorry." He grinned good-naturedly. "Didn't mean for that to come out sappy."

She shook her head at once. "No, it's not that," she slowly said. "It's just… well…" Another smile touched her lips.

Her uncharacteristic ineloquence and almost coy behaviour made him raise his eyebrows quizzically. She was looking at him again with that same expression as before and once more, he couldn't read it.

"What is it?" he prompted, but she merely exhaled softly, amber eyes turning away. "Nevermind, it's not important," she said. From her mysterious smile that still lingered, he somehow sensed that she wasn't being entirely truthful. Nonetheless, he didn't pursue it.

"It's almost dinner time," Mitsuru remarked, glancing at her watch. "We should get back to the dorm. You weren't planning on staying here late, were you?"

"Actually, I was," he replied, pausing to take a gulp of his drink. "Thought I'd blow off some steam, but I feel much better now, after talking to you, so I'll leave in a bit."

Her gaze moved to his. "… I'm glad I could help," she said softly.

"I'll see you at the dorm. I'm gonna go take a shower first before heading back." Akihiko began to walk to where he had left his stuff just by the punching bag.

"I'm taking the train, too," Mitsuru said. "I'll wait for you and we can go back together."

He turned to her in surprise. She was walking over to a brighter spot in the gym, already taking out her Chemistry notebook from her bag (Ever the hardworker, he mused) and flipping it open. "You didn't ride today?" he asked.

"… I… wasn't in the right state of mind for that," she answered laconically, not looking up.

He decided not to say anymore, dropping his drink onto the boxing gloves on the floor and rummaging through his bag for his towel and a change of clothes. As he kicked off his shoes and peeled away his socks, he couldn't help glancing over to her again. She was reading intently, frowning slightly in concentration, one leg elegantly over the other.

He watched her for a while, an unfamiliar emotion stirring within him. He may have been too late to reach Miki and Shinji, but with the both of them watching over him now, he had all the reasons to continue fighting. He didn't know what the future held for him or the others, but right then he wasn't too concerned about that, because regardless of what Lady Fate tossed into his path, he was going to stare it straight in the eyes and charge it down, not looking away.

The one thing Akihiko did know, though, was that there was still someone else he needed to protect. And this time, even if he might not be strong enough in the end, he was going to put up one hell of a fight for her.

As they always say, third time's the charm.

A/N: The next chapter will be the second to last one for this entire collection. Be prepared to wait about... a few months for it, perhaps? :P And what was it that Mitsuru wanted to say to Akihiko? Take a guess.