Purotekuta

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

I hold Akio in my arms, his blood covering my hands as I desperately try to stop the bleeding. Tears are streaming from my eyes, landing on Akio's motionless face.
          "Akio! No, please don't leave me!" I sob over his body, my arms coated in his blood. I lift a hand, pushing the hair back from his face. "Akio, please!" I sob and cry, my heart shattering in my chest. I lower my ear to his heart and listen. I listen to the final beats of his dying heart, the last beat coming all too quickly. All the tears I have been holding back from this moment come flooding out as I scream in agony. I hug him close to me, squeezing as hard as I can. "You said you wouldn't leave me! Akio, please!" A sob escapes my throat, followed by many more. I hunch over his body, my clothing smeared with his blood. Nobody comes near me as I cry and sob over Akio's dead body. "Akio, please come back to me! You mean the world to me, please! Don't go... I love you, please! I love you so much, Akio! Please don't leave me! I love you too much, please! I'm begging you, don't leave me!" "Akio!" I yell hysterically. I yell, scream, choke, out of control. I know he's dead, but I refuse to admit it. My classmates just arrived on a bus, stepping out just to see me like this. I wrap my wings around Akio's body, pulling him even closer to me. I can barely pick up Akio's scent, almost all of it covered in the sharp, metallic tang of blood. My tears mix with his, swirling together. I beg, and cry, and sob, and suffer as I hug Akio's dead body to my chest. I clutch him, holding the back of his head in my hand as I cry into his shoulder. The warmth that surrounded him before is gone, all that's left is a cold, pale corpse in my arms. I lay him on the ground, putting him in a comfortable position. I tangle my hand in his and try my best to smile. His last words to me were I love you. "I love you too, Akio." I lean down and kiss him. My lips touch his, cold and unmoving. I pull away and place a single kiss on his forehead. I can't help myself as more tears flood over and land on his face. I push the hair off of his face and just collapse next to him as I cry. I hug him tightly as I lay there, my worst fear having come true. My classmates are confused why I am crying, but they will find out soon enough. Akihiko walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

          "Hajime, what's wrong?" I cry even harder as I unwrap my wings from around Akio's body. Akihiko gasps and falls to his knees, his tears falling to the ground as he covers his mouth with his hand. Everyone else comes over, all reacting with varying levels of horror. I don't think I've ever seen Ikari cry before. Akio was like a little brother to everyone, but until now I never knew what he was to me. Akio's blood is all over my chest when I pick him up, my left hand underneath his neck and my right hooked underneath his knees.
          "Let's go..." I start walking towards Mamoru High School, everyone else following. I don't bother to put a blanket over Akio; He needs to be recognized for his bravery. Mr. Kaze walks next to me as we walk towards Mamoru High, carrying Akio's body in my arms. My father is being carried on a stretcher right behind me, the spike still protruding from his stomach. It's a long, slow walk to Mamoru High School, but I don't have any sense of time. After I stopped crying, everything felt numb. There isn't a single recognizable emotion in my heart other than grief, my mind darker than it's ever been. Akio always said that my mind felt warm and welcoming, but as I walk his dead body to Mamoru High, I imagine he would say it is cold and dark. My feet feel heavy, my breathing uneven as we walk. Amai is walking beside me as Mamoru High School comes into view above the treetops. We got numerous looks as we walked down the road, but I didn't care; I just kept on walking. Now that Mamoru High is visible, I have a single, very familiar thought. Home. I quickly correct myself before the thought sets in. No, not home. Not anymore. I continue walking, more tears threatening to overflow. We push through the front doors of Mamoru High, everyone's attention turning to us. There are gasps throughout the school, and the sound of tears falling to the floor are unmistakable. Akio was beloved throughout the entire school, not a single person hated him. Now that he's gone, everyone's devastated. We walk down the halls of the school, Akio's body still in my arms and Father still on the stretcher behind me. Everyone else waits outside of the nurse's office door, their tears coming like rivers as Amai, Mr. Kaze, and the ones carrying my father walk through the doors into the nurse's office. She doesn't know yet. She comes rushing out into the lobby where we stand, a smile on her face. As soon as she lays eyes on the corpses in front of her, her eyes start flooding with tears. She brings us to two empty beds, and I set Akio down. My father is placed next to him but I pay no attention, all of it focused on Akio. One last tear falls from my face as I kiss his forehead for the last time. I turn away from the bed where Akio lies, walking away and out the door. Everyone who is outside the door looks at me as I walk out, but I don't meet their eyes as I shake my head. I walk past everyone, the sound of tears hitting the ground sounding like a storm to my ears. Appropriate.