"Have you ever given a thought on how others might have felt?" Kiana asked, her voice calm, but it still felt like she was accusing Sal.

"I did." He replied nonchalantly. His sea-green eyes gazed at the golden ball over the horizon, slowly dipping into the ocean of white fields. "But even then, that was the only way."

"Only way?" Kiana held herself; she wanted to push this idiot down and give him a nice beating. But she had promised Fu Hua that she would hear him out. But if he was going to continue to not accept his mistake. She was sure she might break her promise.

"Yeah," He said, his hands clasped together as he closed his eyes. He could still remember how furious Kiana was when she saw him wield a Herrscher's power back in Kolosten. Her usual joyful sapphire eyes were filled with rage and a tinge of worry as she pushed him down using her own powers. And then and there, she gave him a piece of her mind. "I said it back then, Kiana, and I will say it again. If I hadn't made a deal with the Herrscher of Binding-"

Before Sal could have completed his sentence, Kiana had quickly turned to his side. Her slender arms were around his broad shoulders as she transferred all her body weight over him, pushing Sal downwards.

No longer in control of his body balance, Sal frantically tried to free his hands, but Kiana held them tightly. She knew he would try to cushion the fall and then slip away from her grasp again. But this time, she wasn't going to let him.

With Kiana on top of him, Sal sighed. He was expecting something like this, but now that he was in her grasp, there was nothing that he could do. No one spoke for a while; there was a comfortable silence that was soon swept with the sound of a heartbeat. At first, Sal had suspected it was his, but when he tried to focus on the sound, he could hear two. They were in sync, so much so that he could swear he would have confused the sound for one heart if he wasn't hyper-focused.

"Why do you always have to be like this?" Kiana spoke first; she let go of Sal's shoulders and then placed her mitten-covered palms on the chilling snow field, using it as a support to push herself up.

"Even when we had ended up in Arc City. You had engaged with World Serpent all by yourself. Then in Nagazora, you fought Mei-Senpai after I was defeated fair and square. And then during the fight against Herrscher of Sentience, you tried to harness the power that I had asked you, not to," Kiana spoke, her voice no longer calm and composed as the dam of emotions she had been carrying for months finally broke. Sal, who had his eyes closed, opened them as he felt warm liquid touch his cheeks. Kiana was crying.

"Why can't you understand that I am worried about you." Kiana continued, "Why can't you understand that whenever you put yourself in pain, I feel that too. Why Sal? Is it because you don't trust me? Or Is it because you are an Apocalypse, and you feel you have to carry the burden of your father? What is the reason you always put yourself in danger."

Sal averted his gaze; he could no longer look into her rageful yet sincere and sad eyes. He didn't want to break now. After holding his emotions inside for so long, he just can't. Now that he was so close to finally setting everything right for the girl he loved, he couldn't break. If he breaks now, all his efforts to ensure Kiana Kaslana lives a happy life would be in vain. Yes, this is how it is supposed to be, Sal Apocalypse becomes the very existence that threatens humanity, and then Kiana Kaslana, the hero, slays him, ending the story. And by doing so, she will finally set the world right. She will end up with Mei living a happy life, and Sal Apocalypse, a mistake in this universe, will be erased from existence.

Sal reasoned with his conflicting emotions; his entire being screamed at him to hold her, apologize to her and then tell her how much he loved and cared for her. But he couldn't. If he became selfish right now, then Kiana Kaslana would once again follow the same tragic path of sacrificing herself by making a deal with finality, which would ultimately lead towards her death. Humanity will survive thanks to her, but she, the hero who made this sacrifice, will never be able to live the life she desires. And all because of him. An existence that was a mistake. An anomaly that was never supposed to exist. And yet it did, and to make matters worse, that anomaly not only became close with Kiana Kaslana but also fell in love with her.

"Say something!" She punched his chest, her expression that of immense sadness and anger. "Say something, Sal." She sobbed as she lowered her head to his chest. This was no longer a silent cry like before. Now, Kiana was letting out all her pent-up emotions. As Sal silently held himself back, he could feel his conviction crumble. Then, the walls that he had spent more than a year solidifying finally broke down as Kiana whispered with pain, "Do you still hate me for Himeko?"

"No." He replied firmly as he felt his own dam of emotions about to spill. "I would never hate you for that. As a matter of fact, I am incapable of hating you." He whispered the last part, but Kiana still heard it.

"Lies." Kiana retorted. "You say that, but you always go on and do the exact things I warn you about."

"This and that are different."

"How are they?"

"Because if I agree to everything you say, you would end up dead!" And the dam finally broke; Sal gazed into her eyes as he blasted. "You are no better, Kiana; ever since Arc City, you have been jumping into a fight one after the other with little to no thought on how your body might be feeling or how the people who have been around you might be feeling when you push yourself to the limit. Heck, even Mei had to beat sense into you at Nagazora. And even after that, what did you do? You went into the theatre of domination alone, and then in Kolosten, if I wasn't on time, you would have also entered whatever dimension Dad had made on your own. Have you ever thought about how everyone might have felt if you hadn't returned?" He stopped as he slowly whispered the last part. "How I would have felt? Did you even think about it for once?"

For the first time since the two of them had become a team, both Kiana and Sal were butting heads with each other without holding back. Ever since Kiana and Sal had left Arc City, there had been a wall around them that both didn't realize was pushing them apart. And before they knew it, they were no longer communicating like they used to.

"I always do!" Kiana retorted with the same force as Sal. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have made those choices."

"What choices?! The one that ends up with your own demise!" Sal gritted his teeth. "What good would it do if you saved this beautiful world like you say but were not around to experience it?" He stopped to bring more significance to his following words. "And don't you dare say it's your mission."

"But if I won't do it, then who would?!" Kiana aggressively tried to reason. "Is there anyone else powerful enough-"

"There you go, getting in your mighty high horse," Sal clicked his tongue. "Yes, you are powerful but don't think for a second that your allies are weak. If you don't rely on them for help-"

"You don't get to lecture me on that, " Kiana furiously held him by his collar as she glared. "You are the one who had no faith in his allies. Because if you had even an ounce of trust then you would have never inherited the gem of chaos and then creation from Otto. You would have listened to me when I said you are plenty powerful to stand by my side. But no, you had to go and get those because you don't trust me enough."

"It's not that I don't trust you." Sal tried his best to hold himself back. He didn't want to say it, but like Bronya had once told him, no logic seems to work when it comes to emotions. "But I know for a fact that if I can't stand in the same place as you, you will slip away from my grasp. You would go to a place which I can never reach. And I don't want that. Kiana Kaslana, I don't want to lose you. I always want you by my side, and that is why I don't listen to you. That is why I take those risks because I know if I don't do it, you will carry the burden of the whole world on your shoulders, and then, one day, you will go to a place I can never reach. That is why no matter how much you get angry or frustrated with me, I will always be fighting by your side. And if my power isn't enough, I will tap into the power of Herrscher bestowed upon me."

Kiana was quiet for the first time in their back and forth. Her eyes were wide open as the words he had just uttered registered in her mind. He didn't want to lose her; he wanted to keep her by his side and ensure she didn't slip away. Kiana could feel her face heat up as her heartbeat started to rise.

"Sal," Kiana whispered; all the anger and rage from moments ago had dissipated. What was left was an understanding expression that reassured him that she understood what he was trying to convey, but accepting it was a different question. "I have said this before, and I am going to say it again, I am not going anywhere. I am not leaving your side." She slowly unfurled the muffler that Sal had gifted on her birthday; she then wrapped it around Sal's neck without warning, pulling him close and not allowing him to escape her. "And just like you don't want to let me slip away, the same is true for me. I, with all my being, want you to know. Sal Apocalypse, you are not getting away from me. And if you try to pull another stunt like Kolosten without talking with me first, you will feel a wrath you wished you didn't."

Sal gulped, but there was no anger in him anymore. It was as if the wall that was between the two had vanished after the two had butt heads.

"No promises," He replied, giving her a small smile. "But I will try."

"Good," Kiana replied as she stood up and stretched her hand out for him to get up, which Sal happily took. "Now, let's go back to our dorms. This place is too cold."

"I thought your Hersscher powers kept you warm," Sal replied in part curious and part teasing fashion.

"Normally, it would," She shot him a dirty look. "But thanks to a certain someone's stunt recently, most of my power is depleted. And thus I have to rest to recover."

"Sorry."

"You should be."

As the two started walking back to their new dorm on the Shicksal campus, Kiana stopped. Her back towards Sal as she started; "Also, next time, I would prefer if you could simply tell me your feelings from the start." Kiana sighed, as she murmured the last part. "It would be nice if we didn't have to fight each other."

"That wasn't me." He smiled sheepishly. This action got him another glare from Kiana, who despite her momentary anger sighed and smiled back.

"I don't even want to get into it again." Kiana took a deep breath as she gazed into his sea-green eyes. "And as for my answer to your desires, just as much as you don't want to let me slip away from you." Kiana stopped, her rosy lips curled into a warm smile. "I feel the same way regarding you."

Sal quietly nodded in return.

"Good," Kiana held her arms together. "Also why is it so cold today?"

Sal chuckled, before walking up to her. Using his right arm he quickly removed his brown overcoat and then draped it around her.

"You don't have to do that," Kiana tried to resist. "What if you caught a cold?"

"Well, at the moment, you require it more than me," Sal smirked. "But then again, if you are that worried about my health. Then race me to the dorm."

"You are on!"

And with that, the two of them ran through the snowy field. Their worries are mended for now, but their genuine emotions are yet to be communicated to each other.