Saviors [GiyuShino] [Apocolypse AU]

Chapter Twelve: Heartbeat

"Why?" I murmur to myself, pressing a hand to my chest forcefully. "Why does my heart beat so fast when I'm with her?"

I've been wondering for a while now, and I don't know if its just my obliviousness, but I'm unable to find a reasonable answer. I sigh quietly and return to sharpening my blade in a quiet corner of the cellar. The sound of metal scraping fills the space and I let myself fall into a steady rhythm. One, two, one, two.

Soon, I realize that I'm sharping in time to the beating of my heart. I treasure the silence and the stillness of my little sanctuary, and I find that I'm able to relax my shoulders for the first time in a while. The atmosphere is almost peaceful, save for the fact that I'm polishing a dagger used to fight and kill.

And to protect, I remind myself. My mission is to protect, not slaughter for once and I will do it gladly. It's been so long since I was given a bodyguard mission. And this time, my charge isn't a stuck-up millionaire who believes that their life is worth a million sacrifices. It's a welcome change.

My mind wanders and my hands continue sharpening as if with a will of their own. I think about my colleagues, what kind of missions they are on, whether they're alive or dead. Some of them may be trapped in abandoned building right now, dehydrated and starving, surrounded by the undead. But all of us have been through similar things before, surely my comrades won't be defeated so easily.

I'm almost glad that I don't have any family left. The quick deaths they had are merciful compared to the fear and agony of those who get turned into zombies.

"Captain?" Deep amethyst eyes look up at me.

One, two, two, one, two, two.

I continue to sharpen to my heartbeat, which has sped up significantly. Luckily, Kocho seems to think that I'm just rushing so that I can finish my task faster, and doesn't give my frenzied sharpening a second thought.

She blinks at me slowly, her long lashes brushing her cheeks. I blink back at her dumbly, not understanding what she's waiting for.

Shinobu sighs and shakes her head exasperatedly. "You really can't read people at all, Captain." She observes, closing the distance between us.

My breath catches in my throat as she bends over and reaches her hands over to my chest and-

She pulls a sheet of paper out of my pocket and looks it over. "It's still legible. That's good." She nods to herself, turns on her heel and leaves with a quick 'thank you'.

My brain short-circuits. What just happened?

A/N: Sorry for the late update!! And Happy New Year!