"Kaze..."

Eld's gaze fell; there was no way he could argue with her conviction. It wasn't that she was willing to toss her life away to save him, but rather that she knew what she proposed was risky and was willing to take that risk for the sake protecting everyone from her brother, including him.

"It...isn't fair. This is my fault, if anyone should have to take the risks..." But it was only sentiment; from what he knew of Qi, there was no way he could do the reverse and give her his powers. Perhaps if she could use Qi herself it would be, but as it stood he was likely to end up hurting her more than helping if he tried.

"...but I guess we have no choice."

It made him uneasy; he didn't want her to disappear, to suffer the same fate as Oboreru, and he would never be able to forgive himself if she did or otherwise got killed.

It's hard to believe this is only the second day since we've met. And yet, he thought very highly of her; she was brave and selfless, and had a strong sense of right and wrong. He had the fleeting thought that if they had met under different circumstances her feelings might not have gone unrequited...

"Alright; what do I need to do?"

"I, um . . ." she trailed off, suddenly losing gusto.

It wasn't that she couldn't entirely remember, though. In this state of pain, she was remembering things. They were all lost eventually, but they seemed to come back from some time ago, stick around for a train of thought or two, and faded away as quick as they came back.

"I-- I don't know for sure . . ."

Akizets flattened her hands upon Eld's chest. Though she was in pain, she didn't feel as if she were going to collapse anymore.

"I just remember someone telling me that-- that--" she stopped briefly, halted by a wave of pain, one which receded soon and allowed her to continue, "I think-- I think it was my mother. Y-yeah! I think-- I think it was her."

Indeed, those memories were coming back. Soon, though, they'd be gone. Even if she still remembered that she could give her powers to someone, if only temporarily, she likely wouldn't remember who told her, or even how to do it. These memories . . . they were all fleeting, just like the wind. They were coming and going. It was a weird feeling. Usually, she forgot more and more as she tried to stick to one line of thought. Here, though, she was remembering as she stuck to one line of thought-- but forgetting anything three points behind it.

Unfortunately, the more she thought about it, the closer she came to a very disheartening conclusion:

"Sh-she said I just-- I just have to give my heart to someone, s-someone I'd be willing to anyways. U-um . . . someone that'd accept it," Akizets realized, then, the source of her doubt and loss of gusto. She intentionally averted her eyes from Eld. He wouldn't do that. She knew he wouldn't; deep down inside, she felt with the deepest contempt that Eld would not accept someone that barely existed to begin with. He had people, other girls, people who he was better off with.

It probably wouldn't work.

"S-sorry, nevermind, forget it," she whispered meekly.

For several moments Eld's only response was to turn red, though under the gloomy overcast sky it might have been hard to tell. A better indicator of his reaction was what he said when he finally decided to speak.

"W-Well...I-I mean...she d-didn't mean your actual heart, I suppose, just...y-you know, metaphorically speaking me, I mean, it's not like it would be practical to actually take your heart out and I'd never do that anyway, but...umm...I'm not sure where I was going with that."

Calm down, deep breath! She didn't even say what that means; it's probably nothing bad, right?

"S-So, what exactly...does that...mean? H-How would you "give me your" heart?" Despite being--well, really embarrassed, mostly--he rejected the impulse to turn away and look at the nearby trees, sky, or dirt. Instead, he made sure to look right at her. This situation was too important for him to get so embarrassed that he spaced out and missed something.

"M-my heart, my . . ." Akizets paused to think about it, ". . . my feelings, m-my loves and hates a-and passions and worries and-- and, I don't know."

For some reason, she felt sad. It was so strange. She knew there was something she couldn't forget, something Eld had done that was horrible, something that made her hate him for awhile, and it wasn't as though she'd forgotten that. Even if she couldn't remember the details, she remembered the feeling. There was one detail, though, one that screamed at her-- an incomprehensible scream, but she understood the very base concept it was telling her somewhere on the subconscious level. Maybe she could forgive Eld someday. Maybe she already had forgiven him, and just hadn't come to terms with it yet.

But beyond that, there were more concerns-- worries and woes about this one particular problem. She'd already been down this road with Eld, hadn't she? And then, she trekked to another place, met someone that upset her, and somehow found her way back here to Eld. She wasn't trying to, and she was extremely upset for awhile about what happened between her and Eld. There was some sense of jealousy for someone in particular, jealousy and envy of her position in Eld's life.

"There's not enough room in your heart for all that stuff," she declared bluntly-- not angrily or sadly, but as nothing more than an honest observation.

"I..." No--as much as he wanted to, he couldn't really deny it. That wouldn't be fair to her; whether or not she remembered it, she'd already bared her feelings for him, and he'd been unable to accept them. But...truthfully, he hadn't really known her then, either. It didn't change the fact that he was taken (at least in his mind, if not officially at the moment), but he had a lot more respect for Kaze now than he had then.

"Kaze...there is someone close to my heart already, that's true. I don't think I can feel for anyone else the way I feel for her."

He gulped--being honest with her wasn't the problem. Being honest with himself...that was much more difficult. "But...even so...I've come to admire you. You're...brave and kind, and you have a strong sense of justice, and...well...that even after all this, you still believe in me...it means a lot."

"I know...with my circumstances...and what I've done...it's really too late, and we...haven't known each other long...but...I think...maybe...in spite of all that...at least a little..."

He was completely red now, and every self-conscious nerve in his body screamed for him look away and get some distance between them. Facing down a giant killing machine made of water was far easier than this. "...I've started...to fall for you, Ka--no, Akizetsumei."

She tightened her hands upon Eld's shirt-- once flat upon his chest, now in loose fists on opposite sides of his sternum. She should have been so much more excited about this, Eld's admittance of his feelings for her. If she stayed there and lived with him . . . things would change, perhaps. They might grow closer. They might become lovers. Akizets half-smiled at the thought. What it entailed to be someone's lover, she didn't know; all she knew was that such an exclusive closeness would have been beautiful-- beautiful, just like the relationship of two of her friends.

Under other circumstances, though, she would have been happier. She would have giddily leaped into Eld's arms, hugged him around his neck, kissed his cheek repeatedly, and clung to him for the entirety of a day. Her excitement at such an admittance, however, was dulled by the seriousness of their situation. It did not, however, dull her feelings for him.

". . . a-and despite everything . . ." Akizets began meekly, clearly shaken-- though, of course, not in a bad way. Confused, perhaps, but not bad. ". . . I don't think I ever stopped, for you."

Not a stronger truth had ever passed her lips. Indeed, at one point, she'd started to fall for Eldridge Tsukimono. Over time, she continued to fall for him, even when it was evident that he did not feel the same way about her. There was a momentary pause in those feelings, when she learned of the unthinkable, but somewhere along the lines, she started to regain those feelings, little by little, only to return to what they once were at this moment.

"Y-you're a good man," she announced without even the faintest feeling of regret or internal disagreement; when she continued, though, she said something she didn't understand-- one small phrase amidst a brief speech, one subtle unconscious conclusion that let her feelings for him return, "Kind, and sweet, and gentle, and compassionate. You're only crime is self defense. You really would do anything for your friends. Anything at all. What's . . . what's not to fall for in a man like you?"

Akizets felt as if she needed to reason out her emotions, come to some rational conclusion about her feelings for her. It might have been a bit much to say that she was, at this point, head over heels in love with the man, but she felt strong emotions for him; she was falling for him; she could love him-- anytime now, she could love him . . .

At first he was too stunned to say anything. While it wasn't the first time someone had said something to the effect of him being easy to fall for, it wasn't that which caught his attention; it was a sentence somewhere in the middle, one she hardly seemed aware of saying.

"I...I..." But he could find no words to express how he felt from that; happy and guilty at the same time. Did he really deserve such forgiveness? "You're...really too kind. You defended me, can talk to me now...can have feelings for me, despite what I've done...you're an amazing person, Akizetsumei."

"You care about people you hardly know, you still care about your brother after he's tried to kill you...you have a bigger heart than anyone I've ever met. I...I'm just selfish. I don't want to lose anything. I don't deserve your feelings..."

"N-no," Akizets shook her head quickly, "You do."

For a brief moment, she looked away from him again. She felt for that moment a longing to be close to him, a returned longing from much earlier. The last time, he didn't wish for it. Now, did he? Would he really accept her? Akizets looked into his eyes again, searching for a sign to tell her to move closer to him-- and she found that sign.

"Y-you really do. All the affection I could ever give-- I'd give it all to you," she looked up to him at last, "Because-- because you're someone I could give my heart to-- someone I could love."

It was a truth she'd yet to let pass her lips-- until now. She'd thought that she could fall for him, that she could become extremely attached to him, but that was the cut-off. Falling for someone and becoming that attached . . . it had a meaning. There was a specific word to denote that attachment, a word she'd refrained to think of, be it consciously or unconsciously, for the duration of her attraction to Eldridge Tsukimono. It was a strong word akin to its opposite, hate, which she also could never claim to have felt for Eld.

When Akizets moved closer, she felt the sudden urge to shut her eyes. The moment was slow; it felt like it took forward. She'd only taken two steps forward, yet it felt as if she'd walked a marathon by the time she reached such a proximity to his person. This close to him, with such thoughts on her mind-- it made the pain in her body go away. She could almost forget about the circumstances of their concealment, or the very fact that she was injured at all. She took another step forward, closing the gap between their bodies, lifting her chin, and brushing her nose against Eld's.

This felt right. This felt like it was supposed to happen.

"Eldridge . . . Tsukimono," she whispered, speaking his name at last, unprovoked, unreminded-- and in just that moment, with a shortened pause between their lips, she leaned forward to break the last millimeters of distance between them, to place her lips upon those of Eldridge Tsukimono's for the second time--

Yet, in truth, it would feel like the first time. To her, and perhaps to him. Now was different from then-- then, their feelings differed. Now, their hearts were perfect mirrors of each other . . .

Eld truly didn't understand; Kaze had more reason to hate him than anyone he knew, and yet here she was talking about she could love him...how she probably did. And...rather than that making him uncomfortable or sad, it made him happy, which he also didn't understand, or rather he did and was confused by it.

He knew he should do something, say something to change the situation. But as she stepped closer his mind stopped being able to focus on all the various complications in his life that made this a bad idea; what had started out as simply attraction and become something more and filled his mind with a hurricane of thoughts that all cascaded into a not unpleasant buzzing.

And then on her lips was his name, which somehow maintained a presence in her mind which so easily let memories slip through its grasp, and then on her lips were his lips and everything that wasn't her simply ceased to exist.

It wasn't the same as the first time; before there had been just attraction and mild affection. She was cute girl whom he was helping out--and he was a just a kind stranger she felt attracted to. And now, somehow, everything that should have torn them apart pulled them closer together, and it was reflected in their kiss. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered being taught about kissed, and this was definitely not a "you're cute, let's make out" kiss...

Needless to say, he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her (gently, as her back was injured, he knew) and pulling her closer, lost in the sweet abyss of their feelings with no thought toward the future.

Akizets maintained the kiss for some time. She reveled in it. Eld's lips were softer than she remembered-- and warmer. Softer and warmer-- beautiful. The embrace, too, made everything feel that much warmer-- it made her feel that much closer to him. With her eyes gently shut, she held her hands in loose fists on Eld's chest. Their bodies were pressed almost as close together as they possibly could be.

This feeling, the sensation of mutually shared feelings, was one of the best experiences she'd ever felt. It gave her hope. It gave her a look into a brighter future.

There, they both lived in Hillcrest. There, they lived together. She didn't know what they'd do or how they'd make money, but they lived together. They were close. They shared intimate experiences every so often, but it wasn't the guiding hand of their relationship. They worked their individual jobs, and were relieved of stress each and every time they saw each other. Eld had his friends, and she wound up becoming close with them, too. They kept the dusk remnant under close watch, but never received any trouble from it.

That would've been a nice life.

But that's . . .

Through the warmth of Eld's lips, Akizetsumei felt a weakness in her legs. It crawled up from her toes, clawed at her knees, and climbed up her thighs. It numbed the butterflies in her stomach and the warmth in her heart. It tightened her grip upon Eld's chest, it furrowed her brow, and for a fraction of a second, tensed the muscles in her legs up to her neck.

. . . a future for someone real.

It was good, perhaps, that Eld was holding onto Akizetsumei. The unsteadiness in her knees threatened to drag her down to the ground. If Eld weren't holding her, she might not have been able to stop it. The tense feeling she experienced so briefly faded just as quick as it came, leaving behind an uneasy, weak feeling that laid claim to each muscle in her body, one by one-- and while it did not force her to break away from Eld initially, her neck eventually felt too weak to allow it anymore.

Her lips trailed away from his first. Her lower lip part from his, resting her upper lip between his lips, before that, too, shied away. Her head leaned forward, the tip of her nose brushed against Eld's lips. Her forehead soon touched the tip of his nose as her head continued, leaning forward, falling down, brushing her cheek against his jawline, and letting her chin fall limp against his shoulder. Her hands, barely holding onto his chest, too fell limp; they trailed down his chest slowly and collected by her sides, whilst her knees gave out on her, her feet found no further traction, and her whole body slipped forward in faint passivity.

Were Eld not holding onto her, she'd have brushed by him and fallen to the ground.

Akizets was breathing. Her heart, too, was still beating. These Eld would feel by their proximity with each other, but both were slower than before . . .

At first Eld wasn't sure there was anything wrong; she seemed to be getting weaker, but he certainly felt a bit weaker himself. Fighting for his life he could handle, but any kind of romance often made him feel overwhelmed.

But when she practically collapsed in his arms he knew something was the matter. "H-Hey, are you alright?" he asked, his embrace quickly becoming less emotional and more practical as he supported her as best he could.

His mind coming out of its daze, he recalled that there had been a kind of purpose that prompted all this--something about her transferring power to him. He also recalled that she hadn't known exactly what the consequences of doing such a thing would be.

But while she was clearly weakened, she seemed otherwise fine; so long as it didn't go further, she looked like she'd be okay.

"I'm . . ." she trailed off.

Weakness. For some reason, she felt too weak to talk. Straining, she lifted her head just enough--just enough to set her forehead upon Eld's shoulder. Until then, her head had brushed to the side of his shoulder, with Akizets simply having collapsed into him, too weak to stand on her own two feet, to weak to keep her head lifted. In the end, resting her forehead upon Eld's shoulder the absolute most she could do.

"I'm okay . . ."

Her voice felt heavy, raspy. It felt like she could barely talk. It felt like she could barely move. Just breathing had become a chore.

But to Akizetsumei, that didn't quite matter. She was numb all over; the pain in her back, the bleeding of her arms, the open cuts on her head that was soaking her near white hair with streaks of red-- none of them really mattered anymore. Weakly, Akizets struggled to lift her hand again, to place it over Eld's heart-- to feel the beating in his chest.

In the end, she couldn't feel anything at all, but as her hand fell back to her side again, she still smiled. Akizets knew his heart was still beating just fine.

Truth be told, the woman hadn't a clue what this meant for her. This weakness, all this unnatural numbness--she hadn't a clue what the future had in store for her, but it didn't matter. This meant that Eld might still have a future, and all those people he knew would too. If she just had to deal with a little bit of numbness and a paralyzing weakness, then that was fine.

"Y-you . . . you have it now, right?" she asked, her voice now meek, barely there--so small, in fact, that it might remind Eld of another girl's. "Y-you can-- w-we can-- we can stop . . . Oboreru, now . . ."

Ah...she sounds like... For a few moments it caused Eld to wonder just what he'd gotten himself into. However, now wasn't the time to worry about that; he had more pressing matters at hand.

"I...think I must." It was the only reason he could think of for her condition. He certainly wasn't a good enough kisser to make a girl go limp with a kiss alone. But he didn't have a clue how to tell if it worked or not, as he didn't know how Akizetsumei used her powers. It wasn't Qi, and that was the only thing he had any knowledge of.

"But...will you be alright? I don't want to just leave you here..." He wasn't sure if her condition was going to get worse or not, and he also didn't want one of Oboreru's shadows to sneak up on her while he was away.

Her smile, already weak, became that of a sad one-- before inevitably she hadn't the strength to smile anymore. Akizets stared down to Eld's shoulder with half open eyes. She wanted to speak to him more than ever, now. She wanted to be as close as she possibly could, emotionally, and she wanted to stay there. She wanted to force her body to move, hold onto Eld, and not let him go-- ever, for the duration of both of their lives. She'd felt what it was like to be close to his heart, and she wanted to remain there for as long as possible . . .

No-- we don't have the time for this.

And, for that matter, she'd felt someone else there. It did not serve to reduce her feelings, but she felt Eld's in that moment--perhaps . . . all of his feelings at once.

He deserves someone real, anyways. Like . . . that girl . . .

"Don't . . . don't worry about me," she shook her head; she was weak, and while her voice mirrored her current frailty, she still forced herself to command some sense of urgency. "J-just go! I-- I don't know how long . . . the wind will listen to you . . ."

"I..." He swallowed a protest; he wanted to stay with her and make sure she was okay, but the fact was that whatever happened--or was happening--to her was beyond his comprehension; there wasn't anything he could do about it right now. Oboreru could find them any minute, and as much he disliked the idea of leaving her there he was fairly certain that if he made himself known her brother wouldn't bother looking for her until he was dealt with. And if she was right and he didn't have much time...

"A-Alright." As gently as he could manage, he turned and set her down so she was sitting against the tree.

He turned to leave, but only made it a few steps before he paused. "You...better still be here when I return, alright?" he said over his shoulder. "Or...I won't forgive you..."

And then he took off running toward the lake, knowing that if he didn't hurry he'd simply turn and go back to her...