Purotekuta

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I have what seems to be an endless amount of ideas whirling around my head. We could do something that includes flying, a wall of fire that Akio flies through, a diversion move, or something that has immense power. Maybe with Akio's affinity, he can mess with someone's mind while I come up when they're off-guard and then strike! I don't wanna put Akio in that kind of danger though... As I sit there thinking some more, I slowly eliminate the options to narrow them down. Akio is doing the same, and once we have our main Idea, we will decide on the most effective one. I got it!
          "Akio, I have it! I know what we're going to do!" Akio looks up at me, excitement growing on his face. "I know you haven't used your affinity in over two years, but just hear me out." The excitement that was on his face before dwindles but is still lingering. "If I'm not mistaken, your affinity does have some combat power." Akio looks confused, his head tilting slightly to the side.
         "What do you mean? It doesn't have any combat power to it at all." I grin and stand up, offering Akio my hand to help him up.
          "Yes it does, Akio. You can transmit words and sounds to one's mind as long as it's from your mind, correct?" He nods but still looks confused. "If you transmit a sound that is High enough and loud enough, they won't be able to ignore it, dropping their guard and allowing others to take their chance." Akio's eyes widen, realization hitting him. That realization quickly disappears and is replaced with doubt.
          "That's a great idea, Hajime. The only problem is that I can't use my affinity; I can't remember how, and I don't think I actually have the ability to use it anymore. It has been too long." I smile at him, and the confusion on his face grows.
          "I believe in you, Akio. You already have mass amounts of physical power, passing the entrance exams in second place with the most points. At that time, you were beaten nearly to death, and you didn't have your affinity to rely on. If that doesn't say that you can do it, I don't know what does." Akio thinks about it for a while and eventually gives in.
          "Alright, Hajime. Just... please don't get mad at me when I can't do it..." I smile wider, my face lighting up with pure joy on my face.
          "Oh, Akio. You just don't get it, do you? I will never be mad at you, I will only be happy for you! I vowed to protect you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." The doubt that once cast a shadow over Akio is gone, and has now been replaced with a look of whole and true relief. Akio relaxes and closes his eyes, focusing his energy on his affinity. That's it, Akio. I know you can do it.
          I need to focus on my affinity and speak to Hajime with my mind. I focus all of my energy on the words I want to transmit. It has been so long since I've used my affinity, so I have a little trouble connecting our minds, but with practice, it will be effortless. I stretch out my consciousness, trying to connect it to Hajime's. I don't dare to open my eyes out of fear that I will lose concentration, but I can feel my consciousness stretching thin. Come on, almost there! It starts to fade and I panic, trying desperately to keep it moving forward, but my attempts are futile. The theoretical line that almost connected us is gone, and I can't get it back. I open my eyes and stand up, trying my best to contain my rage. I walk over to the edge of the cliff inside the gym we are standing on, and do my best to take deep breaths. I hear Hajime's footsteps come up behind me, moving to put his hand on my shoulder. I whirl around and knock his hand away before he can touch me. He takes a step back, shocked. I need to get control of my emotions, or I will explode on him. My expression doesn't change as I face him, and he stares worriedly into my eyes. It's almost like he's staring right into my soul. Normally that calms me down, but I can still feel the raging fire of anger and frustration swirling around my chest and in my stomach. My breathing is heavy, stance staggered as I stare him in the eyes right back.
          "Akio-"
          "No!" Hajime recedes farther away from me, taking a step back. A look of shock appears on his face, but his aura never changes. He still has that black aura mixed with all the different colors that are there whenever he's around me. All the rest of the time, it's like a black hole; a burning house burning black smoke. "Don't. Say. Anything." My words are slow and far apart as I speak to him with a word of warning in my voice. "Don't say you understand or try to tell me that everything is alright, because it's not!" A hint of the anger raging inside escapes, and when that happens it all gets let out. Hajime doesn't react to my words, he just stands there; listening to every single word I have to say. It frustrates me how he could be so calm when I'm having a breakdown. "I know you vowed to protect me, but you can't protect me from myself." I look away from him and turn back to the edge.
          "You're right." I look up from the edge and turn to face him once more, his words catching me by surprise.
          "What-"
          "You're right, Akio. I can't protect you from yourself, but what I can do is be there for you when you need me." Tears form in my eyes, but they disappear as quickly as they came.
          "No. You're wrong, Hajime. You won't always be there, because everyone leaves me eventually. Everybody gives up on me, and nobody truly cares for me." The tears reappear, my eyes swimming. This is childish. I can't stop myself from speaking, even though I want to. Please, STOP! Hajime comes up and hugs me close. I so badly want to hug him back ten times tighter, but I resist the urge and push him off of me. The look of hurt that's on his face when I look at him once more is almost unbearable, so I turn away again. I'm already quite close to the edge, but instead of taking a step backward, I take a single step forward. Please, stop! No, I don't wanna die!