Running Man Blood in Bandages 2: Survival

Chapter 20: Metronome

The dust settled in the wake of their awe-inspiring battle. As the other Running Man contestants departed from the Arena via the portals, the echo of their footsteps gradually faded. Soon, only the Runningman team and a few scattered Pululus remained.

Yuu, with his cloak torn in places across his body, revealing glimpses of pale skin beneath, approached Salena. She leaned against a wall, her face wearing the aftermath of their intense fight. The weight of exhaustion draped over her like a heavy cloak.

"Are you alright?" Yuu's voice, as flat and measured as ever, broke the silence. Salena shifted her gaze to him, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

"For someone who's been trying to act indifferent, you seem quite concerned, Bestie," she teased, her smirk evolving into a sly grin. "Shouldn't I be asking that to you?"

Yuu shrugged dismissively, "Thanks to my suit's ability to redirect electrical currents, I took far less damage than expected. But your transformation... What was that all about?"

Her grin faded into a more subdued smile. "You told me to unleash my full potential, so I did."

Yuu gestured upwards to the luminous display of Aurora in the midday sky, still clearly puzzled. "And the Aurora? The long tail? The shift in your appearance with those black eyes and twinkling irises? It's different from the form I've seen before."

Salena glanced upwards, her expression distant. "To deliver the surge of electricity you needed, I tapped into the zenith of my powers. It's an 'Awakening'—the pinnacle of one's abilities. The transformation you witnessed wasn't just manifesting the blue hues of lightning. It embraced all the colors that make up the Northern Lights."

"Awakening?"

Salena nodded, "Ruby, my teacher, named it so. After I reached this state, she crowned me with the title 'Lightning Empress of the Celestial Aurora.' She herself is known as the 'High Maiden of Golden Heaven.'"

Yuu raised an eyebrow, "All these grand titles? What's all that about?"

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Salena exclaimed, "I know Right?! Ruby says it's a tradition, though I never understood its purpose."

Yuu smirked, "Perhaps you just wanted to show off a bit after revealing your true strength?"

She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Perhaps... just a tiny bit."

Yuu released a soft sigh, extending his hand to Salena. She caught it, her smile a beacon as she tried to pull herself up. However, her drained energy betrayed her, causing her to slump against Yuu. With practiced ease, he supported her weight.

"My attack really took it out of me," she confessed, her voice faint. "Now I get a taste of your exhaustion. You know, when you get tired after using that power of yours?"

"Mine's a sharper pain, not fatigue," Yuu shot back, the memory of his searing eyes when he overexerted himself still fresh. With another sigh, he turned his back to Salena, "Climb on. I've got you."

A blink of surprise. Then another. Was she hallucinating from exhaustion? No, Yuu's offer was genuine. Her face split into a grin as she clambered onto his back, resting her cheek against his hair. "You really are my knight in bandaged armour," she chuckled.

He began to walk, heading towards their teammates. "Rest at the facility. And you better not be feigning exhaustion just for a free ride... Again..."

As they approached their group, who seemed engrossed with Pala's actions, Salena's arms gently snaked around Yuu's neck. Instead of her usual playful stranglehold, this time, her embrace was tender, a comforting squeeze. "Thank you, Yuu," she whispered, her voice quivering with emotion. "For trusting me back there."