Broken Wings - BokuAka

Chapter 16

(I don't normally suggest songs, but the one above is called Memoria by Eir Aoi. It's from Fate Zero and pretty as hell, and it just really fits with this chapter. I can imagine Bokuto and Akaashi singing this song to each other, just read the lyrics. Anyway, back to the story!)

- Akaashi

Everything was cold. I was still in that wretched cage, trying to ignore the throbbing in my wing. My head was pounding from the lack of water in my body, and my stomach was sinking in on itself.

"Kōtarō," I mumbled, thinking of my owl-like mate. I wondered what he was doing, and if he was ever going to forgive me.

"You still alive?" a soldier asked in a gruff voice, and my eyes flicked to him meekly.

"What do you want?" I muttered coldly, giving him my best glare.

"Good, I wouldn't want to kill a dead man!" the soldier laughed, walking off. I turned my head to look at my wing, which was very hard to move with the bone visible. It had stopped bleeding, thank the gods, leaving nearly half my wing covered in dried blood.

"Kōtarō, what do I do?" I asked quietly, even though I knew there was no way that he could hear me. The metal around my wrists cut into the skin painfully, and I could feel something warm dripping onto my fingers. It was most likely more blood. Great.

My ears suddenly perked up, the sound of footsteps coming closer indicated it was probably a soldier come to either taunt me more, give me a little food and water to make sure I don't die, or to kill me. I really hoped it wasn't the third option.

"Hey, freak. It's time for your execution," the soldier said, starting to unlock my cage. Damnit. . . I thought.

"After we cut you up nice and small, I heard that they're gonna fed 'ya to the dogs," the soldier laughed, and I shivered in fear. He entered the cage, grabbing my arm and forcibly pulling me up. I let out a yelp of pain, making the soldier smirk.

"C'mon," he urged, tugging me in front of him to make sure I didn't do anything funny. Not that I could, anyway.

"Get on your knees," the soldier commanded once we were a good distance from my cage, and I complied as fast as I could, lowering my head.

"This brave young man is going to be the one to deliver the finishing blow," the soldier said, clapping a boy on the back. I hadn't noticed him before, but I was too dizzy from the pain to notice much of anything. I brought my head up, studying him. He seemed young, maybe even younger than me. His soft brown eyes were terrified, and he had smooth brown hair.

"You would make a boy do it. . .?" I questioned, honestly curious. "He's too young to get blood on his hands. Make someone else do it."

"Shut up!" the boy yelled, his voice betraying the fake confidence on his face. "I'm going to do it, and then I'm going to be a hero!"

"So that's what they told you," I mused to myself. "Boy, I know you have no reason to listen to me, but do you really want to do this?"

"Yes, I do!" the boy shouted, making me flinch at the loud noise. Why does he have to yell? I'm literally right here.

"Then do it," I said softly. If I died, it would make things easier for so many people. The boy took a sword from the soldier, taking it out of its sheath, the metal gleaming wickedly in the moonlight. He raised it over his head, but I didn't miss the way his hand trembled ever-so-slightly. He hesitated, and I could see the truth. He didn't want to do this.

"Do it!" I yelled, the suddenly action making the boy jump. He brought the sword down, and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the pain and then silence that awaited me.