The first time they met, she hated him and he was intimidated by her. In the time that passed, between their meetings and partings, they learnt to let down their masks, look past each other's walls, and stand side by side to face the future.
(Thirty...
As the train started moving, Akira looked out the window.
Seeing the scenery, nobody would have guessed that Tokyo had once been on the brink of destruction, with mere hours left before the death of every living being in the vicinity.
The city had changed too completely. So had she, Akira mused.
She couldn't believe that woman of three years ago, that lonely woman with only revenge on her mind, had been her. She thought she envied that woman, just a little bit. She at least had her life planned out, her goals straightforward and sure.
Akira was still empty. She didn't know what she wanted to do, or where she wanted to end up.
She was still afraid too, of a life without a purpose, of being unchained from everything, of freedom.
But she had Amon and Maris Stella with her, and that meant she wasn't alone.
Her cat was in the pet carrier, playing with a fish toy. Akira had worried that long-distance travel might not agree with her but Maris Stella seemed just fine, unbothered like she had been while staying with Goat or at the CCG during the war.
And Amon... he had fallen asleep, slouching on the seat. She wasn't surprised by that; he had been bustling around last night to make sure that they hadn't forgotten anything, rechecking twice and thrice. They had been planning it for six months at this point, and yet he was just as much, if not more, nervous as her about their journey.
She didn't wake him up until they reached their destination, an hour and a half later. It took a few shoves to his shoulder before he startled awake.
"Akira...?"
"This is our stop, come on."
They took their luggage—two suitcases and a bag, plus Maris Stella's carrier—and left. The chilly wind was all that greeted them when they stepped into the station, and Akira fought the urge to shiver.
They were finally away from Tokyo, in a place where nobody would know them or think of them as anything more than two strangers in a crowd. But... would they fit here? Could she truly start anew?
As if Amon could listen to her mind, he looked at her, and she felt naked under his gaze. He was one of the few people who could make her feel like that, in front of whom she could never hide her thoughts no matter how hard she tried.
"It'll be fine," he said, and there was nothing but confidence and determination in his eyes, in the curve of his lips.
She let those emotions sink into her, her worries slowly melting away for now. No matter what they faced, she knew she would always have him by her side, and that more than anything else gave her courage. Returning his smile, she held his hand in hers, and the two of them faced ahead again.
With every step they took together, they moved towards a new life.
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And that's all, folks! Thanks to everyone who read and commented. A special thanks to gaby_cravo for being one of the sweetest readers I've ever had and for being here from the start.
