The Golden Heart (Yuno Grinberryall x reader)

Chapter 52 - Kaito's Wish and Yuno's Resolve

Kaito's POV

"Y/n! Y/n! Y/n!" I roughly shake her body to try to get her up but to no avail. I step back, my entire body shaking at this point, but as I gaze at myself, I calm down.

'I'm not.....disappearing. She's alive!'

I pick up her body carefully, letting out steady breaths before beginning to sprint away from the area where Dante lays unconscious. Her body doesn't feel cold, yet it's not warm either. There's not much I can do for her since there's no physical injuries on her body that are connected to this, yet by getting her away from everything and everyone, I can protect her.

While in spirit dive, I felt my blood run cold when I realized what she was planning to do, and I got scared

I still don't trust 100% of what Nacht said, especially when he started talking about Lady Evangeline, but I heard her voice before she went into mana queen

"Kaito...I'm sorry, but I need you to be patient with me. She will not fail you like I did, so do not worry"

"Where....there it is"

Something a lot of people don't know about is a place called Elysia, a secluded village just outside of the heart kingdom in the neutral zone, protected by Dryad, a friend of mine. Nowadays, since the elves have decided to stay here, the only way in is to be brought by the elves. However, I am the exception.

"Dryad!" I stand outside, Y/n laying unbothered in my arms. She appears before me, a soft smile on her face, which quickly turns to one of panic. "This is her. She used the spell and now she's like this. She's alive though. I just need her to be away from the battle until she wakes up or she really will die"

"Come with me. Some other mages were here not too long ago actually." Some of the elves stared at us as we made our way through, looking for a place to keep Y/n. "Here should be good. This place will help her recover from any physical injuries, as well as restore her mana. She's in good hands now"

"Thank you, Dryad"

I leave just as quickly as I came, making sure to hurry back to the battle area. Without Y/n here, my power level has significantly lowered against the devil hosts, but I also can't just sit around and do nothing. She wouldn't, after all.

Being that Dante is now out of the picture, that takes a huge load off everyone's shoulders, meaning there are two of the devil hosts left. We do also however, have to worry about the gates opening and the powerful devils beginning to get out. According to Nacht, it will take 7 days for the gates to fully open, meaning we have 6 days to defeat the devil hosts, devils that get out, rescue the captains, and destroy the tree. Y/n being out of commission puts us at a heavy disadvantage right now, but I'm certain everything will work out in the end. Reaching their headquarters once again, I take a deep breath, mana flowing through my body and adrenaline rising quickly.

My wish has and always been to protect the people I care about so they can be happy, and that wish still lives on to this day. Only now, it is to protect Y/n and protect her future, just like she tried to protect everyone else's.

My wish, is to see her smile once more, to hear her laugh once more.

God, please...let me save her

~Yuno's POV - before the attack~

By the time I got outside after the captain's meeting, Y/n was already gone. Though, that is my fault. I waited for that.

I don't know why I didn't go see her right away, I was happy she was alive and well, that nothing had happened to her.

Maybe though, that's not true. Something did happen. She was different. She seemed, on edge, serious, and angry.

The feeling of her mana was different, and I didn't know what to do.

Kaito wasn't nearby, and Belle was hidden away, so there was absolutely nothing stopping me from talking to her, except myself.

I bit my lip as she walked out of the room, first to leave, then looked back at Nacht who simply wore as smile at her departure.

What happened between those two, I asked myself. After I got outside, Belle came out for a bit, staring in the opposite direction then we were supposed to go. I stopped, waiting for her to come, but she stayed still, unusually silent.

"Belle-"

"So the time has come...." She whispered, catching my attention. "Kaito..."

"Belle. Do you know something?"

"According to Kaito, Mana queen killed the last holder" My eyes widened at her statement, her eyes still not reaching mine. "Now Y/n has to use it. Why would he allow that?"

"Belle what are you talking about. Is she going to die?" I spoke, a little to loudly

She finally turns, biting her lip. "I don't know. There's a chance, but I don't know how much of a chance. Lady Evangeline, the previous holder, also had a fight with a devil host, and of course, died using that spell in the fight. That's all i know about that from what Kaito told me in the spirit realm. I'm guessing her power plays a huge part in this, but I don't know Yuno."

I turned away, biting my tongue and beginning to walk into the forest to train. Belle returns to her hiding place, continuing to store mana as I begin to train on my own.

Now, I regret not seeing her. There's a chance she won't even make it out of this battle, and I didn't even say anything to her. Pathetic.

I stood in the line as we waited for Nacht to arrive, Y/n at the end of the line, Kaito next to her. I gulped down the growing knot in my throat and turned my attention away from the two of them, down to the palm of my hand.

This mission requires every ounce of concentration, but I can't shake Belle's comment.

"I don't know. There's a chance, but I don't know how much of a chance."

I'd be lying if I said that simple fact didn't make me nervous. I close my eyes as Nacht appears, the same smile on his face, reassuring us that although Asta isn't, he'll be there when we need him. I feel the mana coarse through my body, Belle finally making her appearance as we race through the hideout, hunting the devil hosts.

I can't shake the uneasy feeling I have however

Part of me didn't want to ignore it, but I knew I had to

For captain's sake

Former vice captain Langris and I raced to find Zenon, which didn't take that long, and sprung into action as quick as we could. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, jumping straight into spirit dive with Belle, piercing through Zenon's body.

That wouldn't dare be enough, however. That much was obvious.

I close my eyes, mana being drawn to my body, feeling an odd sense of peace despite the situation.

That day, I made a resolve

Of course, that I would be the one to rescue the captain, that we would get him back no matter the circumstances we would have to go through.

But also, if by chance she was alive, that I would protect her

Sometimes, standing by her side, I realize how different we are, not just personality wise, but magic wise as well.

A lot of the times, she's the one protecting me.

So my resolve is not only to save the captain, but also to save and protect y/n, and finally be honest with her.