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“Lotta people here,” Labrys commented, taking in their surroundings with wide crimson eyes.
Sho, fighting down the instinct to reach forward to snatch her hand and barely winning, offered her a nod. “Yeah,” he murmured, working past the lump in his throat. “Sure is.”
Labrys turned her head to the side to examine him, her ponytail falling over her shoulder. “You gonna be okay?” she asked quietly, concern evident in the slight frown she wore. He hated seeing worry drawn across her features, especially when it was directed at him. He wasn’t weak – and besides, she looked way better with a smile. And with her axe in her hands.
“We’ve been to Tokyo before,” he said in response, scratching at the back of his head to busy his hand. While he would much rather grab his swords and feel their reassuring weight in his grasp, they were currently doing undercover work. … Which would probably go poorly, considering how easily they stood out. His height and bright red mop of hair did him no favors, and his girlfriend was quite literally a robot.
She furrowed her eyebrows, as if she were watching for his guise to crack. After a long moment, she turned away from him with a huff. “You don’t gotta act all tough,” she chided gently, her face hidden from his view by the curve of her bangs. “I know you ain’t a people person.”
“That’s an understatement,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms across his chest. Feeling a slight nudge from his uncharacteristically quiet tenant, he sighed, “I’ll be fine, seriously. So don’t fry a circuit worrying about me, will ya?”
“I always worry aboutcha,” Labrys admitted with a pout, probably dejected from his dismissal. It wasn’t her fault, not really. He never did well with people worrying about him… or doing anything for him in general, to be honest. In a lighter tone, she continued, “And my systems don’t overheat that easily, Sho-kun. I got a long way to go if I really wanted to blow a fuse for ya.”
He raised an eyebrow, words failing him for a moment. Finally, he found his voice and said, “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Huh?” she asked, turning back to look at him, genuine confusion painting her features. “I was just talkin’ about my systems…”
Sho shook his head with a small groan. “Forget it. … We need to actually get work done and not stand here the entire night.” To emphasize his point, he reached into his pants pocket, retrieved his phone, and flipped it open to check the time. “Ice Queen’s expecting a report from us in less than an hour.” He snapped it closed and returned it to his pocket, allowing a small smirk to tug at his lips. “Wouldn’t want to freeze her plan, now would we?”
“Right,” she affirmed with a nod, brimming with determination. This was the Labrys that stood on top of the nightmarish tower and single handedly took down Hi-no-Kagutsuchi last year – all she was missing was her gigantic axe.
His smirk faltered into a small pout. “I fuckin’ hate undercover missions,” he grumbled as he began walking out of the alleyway they had been taking refuge in and into the loud hubbub of the city. “I miss my swords.”
She caught up with him with ease, matching his stride. “Hopefully you won’t need ‘em,” she said reassuringly, always the optimist. “We’re just scoutin’ out the area. And besides,” she offered him a knowing look, “I have a feelin’ you brought a knife or two.”
Sho turned his face away from her, training his eyes on passersby on the opposite side of the crossing. “And what’s wrong with that?” he asked tersely, fingers itching to snatch one of them. He always felt better with a weapon in hand. Safer. Not having his katanas made him feel on edge, and being completely empty handed was enough to send him into disarray. He’d be vulnerable–
“I never said there was anything wrong with that,” she answered immediately, and he felt her hand slip into his. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, she continued, “I know it’s tough. But you’re pretty strong, ya know that?”
The Tokyo nightlife swelled around them, the crisp July air electrifying against his skin. Bright lights and loud sounds filled his senses – a far cry from the white walls of his childhood “bedroom” and the silence between tests – and Sho interlaced his fingers with hers.
He breathed a sigh, turning to face forward and averting his eyes to the sidewalk before them. “I’m sure you know better than anyone else,” he murmured. Adding a small hint of humor to his voice, he said, “Takes one to know one, doesn’t it?”
He felt Labrys’ shrug as she said, “I guess so.” She tapped her fingers against his knuckles, steel fingertips light against his skin. “Ta be honest… I’m feelin’ a little nervous, too.”
“You’re strong,” Sho asserted without missing a beat, moving his gaze to meet her side profile. “You’ve had a fuckin’ awful life and gotten through it. Hell, you slept for like... ten years, woke up, and were able to kill a god all by yourself!” he huffed a laugh, tightening his grip on her hand to stop his from shaking. “I was in a coma for a while, too, but Kagutsuchi clocked me out like that.”
Even under the fluorescent lights of neon signs in shop windows, Labrys’ blush was evident. “I had my friends cheerin’ me on, I wasn’t alone – but this ain’t about me, mister,” she rebutted in her fluster with a shake of her head. “You’re actin’ like your life wasn’t just as tough.”
“It sure as hell was,” he grumbled with a frown, “but yours wasn’t much different.” Ugly emotions churned messily in his gut at the mention of her friends, and he turned away from her again. Working past the growing lump in his throat, he lowered his voice, shame tainting his words. “So how come you ended up with… with...”
‘How come you ended up with everything I always wanted?’ Minazuki finished for him, breaking his self-imposed silence. That is what you are wondering, is it not?
Labrys was accepted by the Shadow Operatives and the Investigation Team after she and her Shadow had caused them so much strife. She had tried to kill them – and they had welcomed her into their group of friends with open arms, no strings attached. Hell, she had been incorporated seamlessly into the Shadow Operatives and become one of their core members despite it all. And he–
Labrys skittered forward to stand in front of him, stopping him in place. Taking his other hand into hers, she stared up at him, crimson eyes gleaming with a determination he envied more than he was willing to admit. “I don’t know what you’re thinking,” she began, tilting her head slightly, “but I’m sure you’re bein’ too hard on yourself, right now.”
While he could have easily cussed her out, pushed her away, and abandoned her here, Sho shut his eyes and ducked his head with a sigh. After a long moment, he said, “We had pretty similar upbringings. I just…” he opened his eyes and found her gaze still on him, “How come we ended up so different?”
Labrys shook her head, giving both of his hands a light squeeze. “I don’t think it really matters,” she answered earnestly in a way only she was capable of. “I like this you. You don’t hafta change yourself, either.”
“... You’re way too forgiving,” Sho sighed, gently tugging her hands forward and moving his own to pull her into a hug. “Can’t believe you’re wasting your kindness on the guy who tried to kill you last year.”
She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to the base of his neck. “You’ve grown a lot since then,” she said, voice caught in the space between their bodies. “The guy who tried ta kill me last year wouldn’t be admitting to these things and huggin’ me right now, now would he?”
He thought of standing at the top of his nightmarish tower, a beaten and bloodied Adachi at his feet, and Labrys opposing him. At the end of the world, she had stood against him with an outstretched arm and an offer for friendship. The Sho of last year had abandoned her, even after she had single handedly taken down the malevolent god he had been manipulated by. The Sho of last year was more willing to ditch the only people who had tried to understand him than to attempt to form a bond.
But… the Sho of last year wouldn’t have returned to Inaba. The Sho of last year wouldn’t have joined the Shadow Operatives.
And the Sho of last year most certainly wouldn’t have rested his chin against the crown of her head, lips quirking up into a small smile, and murmured, “No... I don’t think he would be, either.”
A surge of pride rose up within him, and it took him an embarrassingly long moment to realize it was coming from Minazuki. While he stayed silent, the warmth coursing through Sho’s veins was enough of a reminder.
Eventually, Labrys pulled away from him – and instinctively, he reached to take one of her hands into his. She blinked in surprise at the sudden contact, but after a beat of silence, the shock melted into mirth and she laced their fingers together.
The world froze around them, and they stood unmoving for a while, as if moving a single muscle would shatter the delicacy of the moment. And really, bathed in the neon lights of Tokyo, Sho couldn’t take his eyes off the girl in front of him. How could he even think of leaving her side?
Labrys gave his hand a small tug, and the city was reborn in the space around them. “As much as I’d like to stay here all night,” she said remorsefully, “we still have a mission ta do.”
Still half-entrenched in his stupor, Sho managed a small nod. “Yeah…” he murmured, mourning the moment that had just slipped out of his grasp, “the mission.”