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Tartarus
Walking into Tartarus, Akihiko glanced around with a thoughtful expression
"You ok Aki?"
"Oh- yeah." He responded, snapping from his thoughts with a small frown and looking over to her. "It just seems.. quiet- empty with just the two of us here." He then proceeded to smile. "But I can't say I don't enjoy it." Hamuko smiled in return.
"Is this the first night you were planning to come alone?" She questioned, worry edging her words.
"Of course!" He laughed nervously as she raised an eyebrow.
"And you?" He asked.
Her faced presented a slight show of discomfort,
"Well, I ahh, I've been coming every other night over the last two weeks." Akihiko looked away disapprovingly before looking back at her, she could feel his words about to erupt as the atmosphere thickened,
"And what if something had happened to you whilst you were here!" As he scolded her she could see the worry behind the anger in his eyes. "You could have been injured and trapped here-" His rant continued, "What if you had been injured on a floor with Death, we only just escaped it last time- " HE tok a breath, "And what if-"
"I'm sorry if it worried you-" She cut in, "But look" She signalled herself with her hands, "I'm fine! And now you're here, there's nothing to worry about right-"
Akihiko gave an exasperated sigh, bowing his head to look away before slowly looking back up at her and locking eyes. His lips pursed, still clearly annoyed by her dependant action. Hamuko bit her lip, eyes on Akihiko. Then he moved closer with those eyes that stared so deeply into her own,
"Don't do it again." He spoke pulling her into a tight embrace. She nodded in silent response.
Releasing her he spoke, voice its usual timbre,
"Let's go."
As Hamuko turned a corner a group of three shadows caught her off guard, she quickly readied herself and gripped her naginata.
"Found one!" The boxer sharply followed around the same corner, out of breath from running. He raised his hands ready to fight. In that frozen second between stand off and fighting she could see their eyes flick from herself to Akihiko, expressions unreadable, no fear, no invitational smirk. Immediately one of the shadows launched at him. He dodged but not as quick as he should, not as quick as he would. Hamuko could tell from his delayed movement he was tired from running and still sustaining pain from his injury. She blocked an attack attempt from another shadow and struck back, landing a critical strike. Turning she could see that despite how eager he had been to come, Akihiko covered his ribs with one hand in discomfort, while defending himself with another. She thought he could handle it for now, until she saw a larger shadow charging at him ready to swing a sharp strike. It took no thought, as the shadow inched the final distance between itself and Akihiko, Akihiko striking a final blow to the other shadow. Hamuko instinctively threw herself in-between, resulting in a heavy knock back against a wall and a deep laceration on the right side of her waist. A string of curses unravelled from his tongue, like yarn unfurling, as the creature advanced.
She winced and grasped at her side with her left hand. Akihiko flashed an expression of panic that quickly changed to anger, finally using Ziodyne to finish off the larger shadow.
He hastily ran to Hamuko who was slowly standing up, still gripping her side. Gun pointed to her head as she cast Dia to heal. The strike had gone deeper than she anticipated and Dia had only took the sting away at best.
"Are you ok?" He quickly asked in a hastened panic, helping her up. She looked up with a furrowed brow.
"Yeah I'm fine.. I'm sorry-" Avoiding his eyes she looked away, feeling idiotic. It hadn't been a strong foe, but yet she felt as though she had failed, she hadn't thought and acted rashly. Akihiko placed his hand on top of hers to slowly move it from the wound so he could see. His heart sank as he saw the blood, his thoughts stuck that he hadn't protected her, that again he couldn't protect what was precious to him. It was she protecting him and paying the price for it. Finally looking back to him she saw it and she knew it.
She knew exactly what he was thinking.
The blame.
His weak point.
His burning need to protect.
That sad look in his eyes was there again.
She placed a hand on his face and smiled,
"You're ok?' He looked up at her. Looked her in the eyes and nodded. Her smiled widened, with a slight curl in her lips from the pain. She began to speak,
"Then let's get some more training in before the dark hour ends" Akihiko stepped back and shook his head,
"Hell No!" Her eyes widened in shock.
"Excuse me?"
"There's no way I'm letting you fight on injured!" He growled, Hamuko's expression turned irritated,
"Says the injured one who was sneaking out to come here on his own." She frowned.
He opened his mouth as he began to speak, to tell her just how ridiculous staying here would be, to chastise her recklessness. His eyes widened as he felt her hand cover it. Unsure of what was going on he started at the back of her turned head waiting for a response until he heard.
"JUNPEI! GET BACK HERE, YOU'RE TOO EXCITABLE AND TOO FAR AHEAD!"
Yukari.
Akihiko's eyes widened into a wave of alarm, before thinking to himself,
'If Yukari finds us here she's bound to tell Mitsuru-' He heard another voice, but this was much closer. Maybe too close for comfort.
"Yuka-tann, pick up the pace, I'm itching to crush some shadows." Junpei responded.
Hamuko noticed that the only coverage for them was the corner they were around. Worried that they would be seen she grabbed Akihiko and pulled him close. Their bodies tightly pressed against each other and Akihiko could feel his face heating up. He couldn't tell if it was the danger of being caught, or Hamuko's shorter body, her soft front, pressed heavily against him. But he could feel his heart racing, not fear, but excitement. The excitement soon dispersed when he felt her body against his feel heavier, unsupported and slipping. He cursed as he noticed she had lost consciousness.
'How much blood has she lost before healing? She must've been straining with the pain to stay awake..' He thought to himself, slight smile tweaked his lips, "Typical.." Taking a deep breath in and releasing a sigh, he picked her up bridal style, carefully avoiding her wound with his hand.
"Here we go." He prepared as he rounded the corner to see Junpei and Yukari finishing a shadow.
"I'm da mann!" Junpei exclaimed loudly, confidently, as Yukari dusted herself off. The two turned to see their senpai standing there with Hamuko in his arms. They responded in panicked unison.
"S-Senpai?"
"Ham-tan!"
Yukari was the first to speak up.
"W-what are you d-doing here senpai?" She stuttered in a panic.
He just glared sternly,
"Probably the same as you two."
Yukari's face went red with embarrassment, eyes wide in the sheer horror of being caught. She didn't usually feel comfortable sneaking around unless it was necessary and to get caught by one of her seniors-
Akihiko began to address them sternly,
"We need to go back to the dorm, Hamuko's been hurt." Junpei and Yukari held worried expressions,
"Senpai-" Akihiko began to walk away, and with a slight zest of bitterness in his voice he turned his head,
"If you don't tell Mitsuru we were here, we'll do the same." The junior classmen nodded, as Akihiko continued walking.
"You two are coming back too!" he barked and they followed obediently in silence.
Finally reaching the Dorm, Akihiko stood silently outside, waiting for the juniors who were still dawdling behind.
Junpei walked by Yukari's side, grumbling, scuffing stones across the pavement with his shoe.
"Why's Akihiko-senpai so— moody tonight, what an asshole. I mean.. why'd we have to come back too?!" Yukari scowled at Junpei.
"We had to come back because we weren't supposed to be there in the first place idiot!" She hissed looking ahead to where she could see Akihiko waiting, "And- senpai's probably tense because of Hamuko " Junpei just continued to grumble to himself,
"Yeah but they weren't meant to be there either."
They neared the scowling senpai and Junpei sighed.
As they reached him, he seemed more relaxed and his scowl had dissipated.
"I'm taking Hamuko up to her room, I'll sort out her injury and stay with her till morning" He glanced at Yukari who looked uncomfortable.
"Please don't tell Mitsuru I'm with her in the morning, and please neither of you mention tonight.."
Yukari and Junpei smiled with relief, realising they had dodged trouble and an angry scolding.
"Don't worry senpai, our lips are sealed." Smiled Yukari.
"Yeah man, no worries." Junpei grinned.
Akihiko returned a smile and walked into the dorm. Junpei left on the second floor, grinning at the idea Akihiko would be in Hamuko's room all night.
'Heh- let the tormenting begin.'
Yukari continued tip toeing up to the third floor with Akihiko, feeling slightly awkward with the whole situation, 'Maybe' She thought to herself, 'I should offer to stay with her..' Glancing at Akihiko she pushed that idea down, the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know about how that suggestion would go. Quietly, she helpfully opened the door for her senior and wished him good night before leaving for her own room.
Immediately laying her on the bed, Akihiko began, gently lifted her angora sweater with a slight blush, he had never done anything with a such delicate intimacy as he began to gently attend to her would. Hamuko's top had was slick and sticking against raw pink flesh and was spotted with blood. One thing was for sure, it was going to be very painful to clean. He was relived to find a first aid kit stashed away behind the mirror above her sink and quickly got to work.
It was 1:30 Akihiko noticed after finishing applying first aid to his companions injury, her features were much softer in sleep, the lines that usually creased her brow whilst fighting shadows or studying replaced by the youthful appearance that matched those of others their age. She looked peaceful. Wanting nothing more than to curl up into the curve of her body he lightly ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek smiling gently as he did so. Akihiko had never felt so comfortable in his life. Feeling his need for sleep creeping in, he climbed up and lay beside her. Closing his eyes he held her close, remembering the feel of her body pressed against him in Tartarus, he cracked open an eye for one last look before softly kissing her forehead and falling asleep.