A Future Without You is Soon |Mikey x OC|

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Shiho stands, but she finds herself struggling more than Takemichi. She never thought she'd see this. Takemichi being stronger than her like this. It makes her feel strange.

"Why would you stand up...?" Mikey asks. "You're both beaten... Do you think you stand a chance?"

"I made a promise," Takemichi says. "To you both in the future. I can't stand down now."

"I've told you, Jirou," Shiho says. "You're stuck with me, no matter what. I'm going to help you whether you like it or not. I didn't want to fight you...but I guess I'll have to."

"We made a promise to Baji~kun!" Takemichi says. "I made a promise to Draken! That's why...we can't lose!"

They both run toward Mikey. Takemichi gets there first. Takemichi tries to punch him, but Mikey kicks around it and hits his chin. Shiho swings her fist very similarly to Takemichi, and Mikey swings his other leg around. Shiho leans back and dodges Mikey's leg. Barely.

Shiho jumps and kicks her legs out. Shiho flips around and shakily lands on her feet. There's a spot on Mikey's chin. Okay, so she hit him.

He pays it back though. He punches Shiho is the nose while she's still recovering. It takes a lot out of her to stay standing.

Shiho spins around and raises her heel to temple height. Mikey grabs her ankle. He spins around and throws her. She lands on all fours, but the force flips her all the way around. Her knees dig into the ground. The rocks and dirt sting.

Takemichi stands and rushes him, but Mikey kicks his temple. He flies away again.

Shiho tries to force her legs to move, but she can't anymore. She's given everything she has. But she's too tired. Shiho holds back a sob.

"I'm sorry!" She shouts. Mikey and Takemichi look back over at her. "I...I need a minute! I can't move!"

"It's okay!" Takemichi says, sprinting toward Mikey again. "I can handle this."

Tears flow down Shiho's face. "Go! Micchi!"

"Only I...can save you both from this," Takemichi says.

Shiho isn't sure how many times Takemichi stands and gets thrown back. It's almost painful to watch. But she can't do anything to help. She can only sit there.

"You really should be dead," Mikey says. He spares Shiho a glance.

Maybe it's the way she looks. Maybe it's the whole situation. Shiho hopes he looks at her because he feels sorry. Because he cares.

Even if Mikey does, he won't now. He likely wouldn't even later. Shiho isn't sure what he would feel now.

Shiho isn't even sure Mikey still cares about her.

They had never broken off their relationship. They had technically been dating for a little over two years now. When they originally started Kantou Manji, Mikey was still...him. The one she fell for a long time ago.

She knew Mikey had a darkness in him. At least, that was how Mikey had always discribed it. Shiho claimed to understand, but she knew she didn't get anything like his. Not until recently. He had got his very quickly into their new gang.

When Shiho got her own dark impulses, she finally understood. She got what he meant. But...she got much more than that. Much more than she wanted to get.

Mikey doesn't love her.

He doesn't feel anything.

Shiho had tried her best to forget about it. She really did. She had tried to act like everything was normal. But she quickly realised how much Mikey had been going through the motions of a relationship. Because that's what she had started doing.