Chapter 13: The Preparations Of Battle

Early morning light covered the sheets, oddly gentle compared to everything he'd struggled through. It painted the bedroom in soft colors. It was a relief, if Akihiko was being honest with himself. Something about sharp edged and black shadows left him feeling on edge. For Akihiko's part, he felt like he'd barely managed any rest.

'Maybe a few minutes between jolts and panics. Muscles going tense, heart going into overdrive. Stupid… But I can't forget. Keep seeing what almost-'

He didn't know what else to do with himself. Sleep only visited in fitful starts and stops; and often when he closed his eyes, he saw his Shadow leering back at him. Laying in bed and staring at the ceiling didn't hold much appeal either.

'What… Do you do now? How do you face her, after everything they said to you?'

One thing was certain: sleep and rest weren't an option for him, and his thoughts were only growing more messy and snarled as he slumped against the mattress.

Akihiko looked down to his hands, flexed them and balled them into fists. As much as his body ached, he knew that there was still one other option. An old standby of an outlet. So instead of laying bed, he rolled out of it and turned towards the other end of the hall. Towards the home gym.

Small surprise that Mitsuru had outfitted a room like this for him. It might've been a conference room or a business suite at some point, with floor the ceiling windows. The treadmill, weights, and punching bag dashed any images of business suits. As did the boxing ring taking up a full half of the room.

'Not that there's ever been any takers on that ring. But I've got to appreciate that she thinks of everything.' Akihiko fought down a twinge as he thought about Mitsuru… And thought about her pinned to the floor, under the foot of his Shadow-

It took him no time at all to pull on his sweatpants, and throw himself against the punching bag. Every single snap from his fists helped drive those images out of his head. Helped to muffle the panic and unease still trying to hook into his chest-

"…Akihiko. I think it's much too early for any of this." Mitsuru's voice stopped him short, and he barely had the reflexes to step away from a swinging bag. It still grazed his shoulder, stinging a little, but Akihiko barely registered the impact. He spun around to see Mitsuru in the doorway, watching him with narrowed eyes and a concerned twist to her lips.

"Mitsuru…? Couldn't really focus on anything else. It's… Need to do something about all of this." And of course she knew what 'all of this' meant. Especially with the way she fought to hide her flinch, shaking her head.

But that hint of pain only lasted for a moment. Her eyes snapped up to his, and there was a far more decisive light in them. She breezed past him, rummaging through an equipment closet before handing a cloth package over to Akihiko.

He took it by reflex, feeling two objects settle in his hands. Akihiko caught just one word from Mitsuru as she handed the objects off.

"Sparring." He stared down at the items; gloves of fine materials. And the word 'sparring' rang in his head.

"Y-you want to do WHAT?"

Akihiko stared at the gloves in his hands. Fingerless, padded around the knuckles, and made out of a leather he was pretty sure was several grades too fine for fighting gloves.

"I wish to spar with you." Mitsuru kept her voice calm, though with the way she frowned, he could tell she didn't like repeating herself.

"I heard you the first time!" He rushed to defend himself. "But I don't understand WHY."

"Because last time, we were clearly outmatched." Mitsuru grimaced at that; not proud to admit it. And Akihiko found himself frowning in turn. "We both know this won't be the last time we face those Shadows, correct?"

His heart was working its way back up to pounding… And he had to do something about it. Had to keep moving. So he settled for pulling his new gloves on.

"Yeah… And I hate the idea of hiding from them. Or running from a fight."

"Then you know we'll need to be ready. And sharp. And the only way we can do that… Well, no matter how early it is for this, I suppose you have the right idea after all." It was only then, that he realized Mitsuru was wearing leggings and a shirt; well embroidered and patterned, but still suited for a work out.

"You… You don't mind that it means I'll be in close contact with you?" He found himself asking, even as he stepped towards the ring.

"…I didn't mind yesterday. That hasn't changed in the morning."

"Y-yesterday-?" He started to ask, only to pause and feel his face burn bright red. "A-ah. The engagement ceremony. And the dance…" It all felt like it had been months ago, instead of a day.

But he still couldn't argue with her points. And maybe that was why Akihiko swung his way over the ring ropes, and held his hand out to help her up. It was a reflex, reaching out to her like that… Never mind that he hadn't put a hand on her since the prior day.

Not since his Shadow had touched her.

Before he had a chance to jolt his hand back, he felt a cool touch seep through the leather and cling onto him. He knew he was staring as Mitsuru took his hand… But he couldn't quite bring himself to stop.

-o-o-o-

The way Akihiko was looking at her, it was like they'd never held hands before.

And with the way her own fingers were trying to tremble… It was like they'd forgotten the past decades in the span of minutes. Like she'd also never held onto him like this before.

'Maybe because you've seen how easy it is to lose him. How you almost-' She didn't get to finish that thought as Akihiko found his strength and pulled her up and onto the ring. Mitsuru wasn't proud of the way her balance wobbled, or how she almost went face first into Akihiko chest.

This may have been one of her poorer ideas, particularly first thing in the morning. But she wasn't about to back out. She planted her feet in the ring and raised her eyes to Akihiko. The pressure on her hand released and eased up, as Akihiko cautiously stepped away… And kept his eyes trained to the ropes and the floor; everywhere that wasn't her face.

He was still skittish.

…And that wouldn't do. Not when she was on the verge of losing her nerve in turn.

"This won't work if we're like this…" Mitsuru sighed out. Akihiko just gave a murmured agreement, still pulling at his gloves. "Perhaps… A wager."

"A-A wager?" At least it got Akihiko to look at her, and stop fussing over his gloves.

"Whoever scores the most points will…" Her mind stubbornly decided to go blank just then. "Will...?"

"Agree to go on another date!" Akihiko blurted out. "Wh-wherever I… I mean wherever the person chooses to go. It'll be a dinner, and the loser pays."

"…Which would mean spending well over one hundred thousand yen on beef bowls, I take it. IF you win."

"When I win." Akihiko corrected her. He was already smiling, rocking back and forth on the fighting floor. He had his fists up and was easily settling into a fighting stance. Far be it for her to keep him waiting.

She went to the posts, drawing a sword she kept stowed there. The steel rang almost like a starting bell as she lifted the blade free. Mitsuru tested the heft the fencing foil, giving a quick swipe and stab. Almost too light. But no chance of leaving more than a bruise on Akihiko. He was shifting foot to foot now, and with a cocky grin in place. Like he doubted she could even get a hit on him.

"You're too confident by half." Mitsuru told him. She rushed forward in a fencer's lunge, her feet throwing her into a plunge… But for all that, she failed to land that first hit on him. Maybe it was because Akihiko had already gotten the early work out, and he was already sharp with well honed reflexes. Maybe he was already driven to improve. But either way, he was dancing past her rapier.

Akihiko kept going, slid past her arm and tapped her on the shoulder.

"One point for me?" He was enjoying this. It didn't take long for him to see this as a game, with how he was grinning.

"One point. Don't savor it." She whipped the sword around, and let the blunt edge catch him on the arm and slap his hand away.

"H-hey! Does that even count!?" Akihiko was already driven back, rubbing at his wrist.

"Have you ever known me to fight without a bladed weapon?" Mitsuru answered, and pressed the attack. "Either I cut with my strikes… Or force the enemy to give up ground. Any disagreement?"

In answer, Akihiko rolled his shoulders in a shrug… And kept step with her. Staying just out of range of her strikes, leading her around the ring, step for step, perfectly in rhythm… Much like it was a new addition to their dances.

"Though I will admit… Akihiko, you've gotten good at dancing and sparring alike."

"I told you before… I had a good teacher. And someone I always want to be a match for." He was still dancing at the edge of her range. Mitsuru tried to tell herself that the heat in her face was from the exertions, nothing more. Certainly not the odd praise coming off Akihiko's lips. "Though I still want to get those beef bowls-"

She decided not to let him finish that. Still too confident. She pressed forward, and let Akihiko dodge again. Let him think that he'd stepped in close enough to land another tap on her, before she could bring her rapier around.

'Maybe, but the rapier isn't all I use.' She snagged out with her heel, caught him on the ankle and set him staggering… And then falling face first onto the mat.

"Second point-"

She started to tell him. But Akihiko made up his mind that grappling was now part of the rules. And so was tackling her. He snapped a hand around her ankle in turn, swept her leg out from under her… And didn't quite account for the fact she'd be falling straight down on him.

Though he made for a surprisingly soft pillow, Mitsuru reflected, as she found herself straddling him and pressing him down on the mat. Despite her position, she found it difficult to move; there was that ever present heat to his skin that almost numbed the mind. That kept her pressed against him.

They'd been working too hard; that was why there was so much heat in their skin and flustered thoughts in her head. And it had nothing to do with the way Mitsuru was all but plastered over him… At least that's what she told herself.

She'd managed to completely immobilize Akihiko. He made no move to push her off, or scramble out from under her. Instead he lay there, mouth open before he could finally find the words.

"Ah… I'm not sure if this counts as a point or n-not…" And he still couldn't find the strength to move, or much coordination. In fact, all his attempts left them brushing together. Even though they'd both worked up a sweat, and she was almost drowning in that pesky heat of his body… There was still a shiver taking root in his limbs and running down his back. "…So I don't really know who won this-"

"…Call it a draw?" Mitsuru offered. At the very least, she'd gotten a few ideas from sparring with Akihiko. A few plans for battle… Though her head was also rushing to tell her a few other things. Like how surprisingly soft his skin was. How he smelled of electricity and metal, this close up.

Akihiko opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to answer her… Before finally dropping his eyes.

Slowly, Mitsuru pulled herself away from him. Trying to give him a little more breathing room, but her legs were oddly stubborn with actually lifting her up and away from him. Akihiko's breath was coming shorter than before, and she didn't want to put any more pressure on his sides. At least as she settled onto her knees, Akihiko finally managed a deep breath.

"Ah… Just give me a-"

Akihiko tried to sit up. But his arms were oddly shaky, like they wouldn't take his weight. He tried to rise up once, and then twice. Each time he ended up collapsed on the sparring mat. He gave a confused mumble, like his throat was also rebelling.

"My apologies." Mitsuru said to him. "I should have known that after everything, you would still be-"

"…Weak." Akihiko grumbled to himself, turning from her hand and glaring at the floor.

-o-o-o-

He hated the moments of weakness that kept rolling over him. It made him want to scream, or punch something… But with Mitsuru pinning him, neither of those were great options. And of course that was also when his limbs opted to turn to lead; too heavy to try lifting up. He couldn't even manage crawling out from under her.

His lungs also weren't cooperating. After he'd hit the mat all the breath had left him, and he couldn't seem to grab a clean lungful. Not without something hitching in his throat… Or catching a faint sweet scent from Mitsuru's hair. A collection of red strands had opted to fall over her shoulder, and it was almost tickling his throat and his face-

And he REALLY couldn't get the sensation of her out of his head. Not her scent, her weight, or how oddly brilliant she looked like this, looming over him. It chased any hurt out of his body. But it didn't change how it was also making his heart race.

"…Weak." He grumbled again. A lot of him was weak, from his body to control of his thoughts. If he was anything like Mitsuru, he should have been able to shut off his emotions and the odd longing stirring in his chest. But of course, he couldn't even manage that.

"I was weak. Again." That or he was being a sore loser. Neither of those sat well with Akihiko. "I should've… Been way sharper. Really pushed us both to the limit, instead of this."

'Except a part of you doesn't mind this, does it? Your Shadow wasn't spitting all lies, with how your heart is hammering.' He tried another deep breath. Instead he inhaled more of Mitsuru's scent, and had to contend with that odd thrill traveling down his back.

Somehow, this didn't feel entirely like losing.

"Akihiko… You're not weak." Just like that, Mitsuru stopped staring at him, and switched to frowning. She eased back, slowly working her way off of him. He also hated the way he missed that contact… Even as he wondered over how slowly Mitsuru was moving. Like she was almost loath to separate from him.

"So you shouldn't be so foolish.." Mitsuru still scolded him as she moved. "You've fought amazingly… Both today, last night… And during all our prior encounters."

"But it's not enough." Akihiko still grumbled. He almost wanted to be angry at this point, because that was better than all the weird emotions thrumming through his body. He wanted to look back to Mitsuru... But the morning light had shifted just a little, putting her face in a darker cast.

And he could feel the panic and dread from the Shadow fight seeping back into him.

"Mitsuru… If I can't win against you or even put up a good fight, then what are my odds against the Shadows?"

'What if we don't get Yukari or Junpei coming to the rescue next time? What if I can't…' The red of her hair was becoming distracting. And looked far too much like blood. But Mitsuru didn't seem to notice it, or be in much pain as she leaned forward. Her gaze was oddly soft as it swept over him.

"Is that what this is about? You're worried about being-?"

"About being weak!" He let that word snap out. "They showed me that I wasn't strong enough… That I was a… A damn coward and…"

'Still can't protect those you care about. Can't admit just how much you care about her, either.'

"They truly hurt you…" Mitsuru's voice was barely a whisper. But thanks to how close they were together, he could still hear the words clear enough.

"Just like they hurt you." Akihiko pointed out. "And I had to watch the entire time. Had to see you almost…"

Her hair still looked unnervingly like blood. Maybe that was why he finally found some strength in his hands. Enough that he could reach out and brush it back over her shoulder. It let him get a clear look at her face, and the odd look flickering across her eyes.

"Mitsuru. I've lost Shinji. I've lost Miki. Watched our leader die…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "I-I can't… Lose you too."

He wasn't imagining that soft look in her eyes. Akihiko was sure of that much now. She caught his wrist, even as he started to pull his hand away from her face.

"Akihiko… You won't." Mitsuru murmured to him. Her hands went to clutch at his, and he was surprised at how soft her voice had gone. Something in him had inspired some sort of honesty, it seemed.

…And it had also frozen Mitsuru to her place. Still half over him. In fact, she'd leaned forward that little bit further, and it was making his brain confused. He wasn't certain if his senses were becoming more vivid, picking out every detail of Mitsuru, every bit of pressure from her fingers and the way her legs framed him…

…Or if his thoughts were becoming all the more foggy, as he couldn't seem to figure out what he was supposed to do. It seemed Mitsuru had mentally stumbled as well, as she realized the position they were in. They were all the closer now.

"Mitsuru… I…"

'Why don't you just pick up where the Shadows left off-?'

His body went cold. And FINALLY Akihiko found himself moving. Namely his feet and his hands scrambling against the floor.

"S-sorry! Sorry. I shouldn't have… I was being stupid again." Akihiko blurted out as he scurried and wriggled part-way out from underneath Mitsuru. He tried not to think about how their bodies were pressing and sliding together.

"W-well. Guess y-you win. We're choosing whatever you want for dinner and-"

"…Wait." Mitsuru fixed him to the spot with just one word.

"Before you say anything else… Wait a moment. And give me a chance to… Do something about this." She looked down pointedly to where they were touching. To where their hands were still clutched together.

"D-Do something about… What exactly?" Akihiko forced himself to ask. Mitsuru didn't answer him all at once, or all that directly.

"This spar may have ended in a draw. However, it's helped me make a few plans. And… Perhaps learned that I need to be more honest with you. Now rather than later. Or at least…" Mitsuru finally peeled herself away from him, though the gesture was reluctant. "Directly after a shower."