The Catalyst

The room was dark, the only light coming from the flickering screen of the large TV mounted on the wall. Tsuyomi Kotowari stood frozen in place, her breath caught in her throat as she watched the scene unfolding before her. The room was eerily quiet, the usual hum of activity in the Coffin Company's headquarters stilled as everyone gathered to witness the battle being broadcast from Japan. But for Tsuyomi, the world had shrunk down to a single point of focus—Endeavor, locked in a desperate struggle against the monstrous Nomu known as Hood.

Her heart pounded in her chest, every fiber of her being screaming at her to do something, to reach through the screen and pull Enji to safety. But all she could do was watch, helpless and terrified, as the man she had known since childhood fought for his life against a creature of unimaginable power.

The battle was brutal, each blow exchanged between Enji and Hood shaking her to the core. She could see the toll it was taking on him—the way his flames sputtered and flared with desperation, the way his body strained under the relentless assault. And yet, Enji kept fighting, kept pushing forward with a determination that both awed and terrified her.

"Enji, please," Tsuyomi whispered, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes. "Keep going. Don't stop. Don't you dare give up."

The room around her seemed to fade away, the faces of her colleagues blurring into the background as all her focus remained on the screen. She watched as Enji unleashed everything he had, his flames roaring with a fury that shook the very air. But Hood was relentless, a creature born from nightmare, and Tsuyomi could feel her fear growing with every passing second.

"Fight, Enji," she urged, her voice breaking as she grounds her teeth together. "Please, keep fighting. You have to stay alive. You have to."

She could see the exhaustion in his movements, the way his body shuddered with the effort of holding on. And yet, despite everything, despite the overwhelming odds, Enji refused to fall. He pushed through the pain, through the despair, through the darkness that threatened to consume him, and Tsuyomi could do nothing but watch in agony, her heart breaking with every blow he took.

"Stay with me," she pleaded, her voice cracking as she called out to him, as if he could somehow hear her through the distance, through the screen. "You can't die. Not now. Not before we..."

She couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't voice the desperate hope that she held in her heart even after all this time. They had been apart for so long, their lives diverging in ways she could never have imagined. But the bond they shared, the connection that had been forged in their youth, had never truly faded. And now, watching him fight for his life, that bond felt more real, more vital, than ever.

The battle raged on, a blur of fire and fury, and Tsuyomi felt her knees weaken as the terror clawed at her heart. She couldn't lose him. Not like this. Not without a chance to see him again, to understand what had happened and why. She needed him to survive, to come out of this alive, so that they could finally reconcile. She wanted her best friend back. She wanted the life he had promised her.

"Enji..." she whispered, her voice lost in the chaos of the fight, tears welling in her eyes. "Please, just stay alive."

And then, finally, mercifully, the battle came to an end. Enji's flames burned brighter than ever, a last, desperate surge of power that consumed Hood in a blaze of fire. The Nomu fell, its body reduced to ash, and Enji stood victorious—but barely. His body swayed, his flames flickering weakly as the exhaustion overtook him.

Tsuyomi's breath caught in her throat, a sob of relief and terror mingling in her chest as she watched others rush into to catch him, ushering the wounded hero away. He was alive, and that was all that mattered.

Before she even realized what she was doing, Tsuyomi was moving. She tore her eyes away from the screen, her heart pounding in her chest as she bolted from the room. She couldn't stay here, couldn't wait any longer. She had to get to him. She had to see him, to make sure he was okay, to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be alright.

Her legs carried her swiftly through the hallways of the Coffin Company, her thoughts a blur of panic and determination. She needed to get home, needed to pack, needed to be on the first flight to Japan. There was no time to waste.

As she reached the exit, her boss caught sight of her, his expression serious but understanding. "Tsuyomi," he called out, his voice stopping her in her tracks. "We're sending you to Japan as a liaison. You'll assess the situation, see what needs to be done. But I know there is more to this trip for you. I remember what you told me about him, about the two of you."

Tsuyomi's breath hitched, her eyes wide with gratitude as she nodded. "Thank you," she managed to choke out, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you so much."

He gave her a small, encouraging smile. "Just go. Take care of what you need to. We'll handle things here."

Without another word, Tsuyomi darted out of the building, her heart pounding in her chest as she made her way home. Her mind was racing, replaying the battle over and over again, each scene more terrifying than the last. She knew the damage had been worse than it looked, knew that Enji was in more pain than he had shown. And the thought of him lying there, broken and alone in some cold hospital, was more than she could bear.

She reached her apartment in a blur, her hands shaking as she packed her bags with a frantic urgency. Clothes, essentials, anything she could grab—she stuffed it all into her suitcase, her mind already in Japan, already at Enji's side.

The next thing she knew, she was at the airport, her ticket in hand as she boarded a red-eye flight to Japan. The plane took off, and as the lights of Australia faded into the distance, Tsuyomi sat back in her seat, her hands trembling as she clutched her phone to her chest.

She couldn't lose him. Not now. Not when so much needed to be said. She needed to see him, to hold him, to tell him that everything was going to be okay. That they were going to be okay. She wanted them to be okay.

The plane soared through the night sky, and Tsuyomi closed her eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks, her heart aching with a desperate hope that Enji would still be there when she arrived. The fight replayed in her mind, the images seared into her memory, but now, there was only one thought, one prayer that filled her entire being:

Hold on, Enji. I'm coming.