Work Text:
keiji couldn’t stop running. he knew bokuto was somewhere, injured, bleeding, possibly dying. the idea was hard to take in. it was almost as tough as the cold air burning through his lungs, the slippery nature of the damp grass under him, the cold, suffocating, drops of water.
after all, what was a meister without their weapon. what kind of meister would LEAVE their weapon. he couldn’t think of that now, especially not with the way his soul was aching. akaashi had to find bokuto. he couldn’t leave him. even if that’s what the older wanted.
the jungle had gotten thicker, the leaves not-so-gently hitting akaashis arms. he could barely see in the darkening wood. just a faint glow of bokuto’s dwindling soul— a sharp, haphazardly, pointy golden orb that was filling by the second. akaashi could feel it, just barely.
keiji wasn’t being chased anymore.. or, if he was, it was an after thought. they had been fighting a gnarly looking kishin egg— it was at least three times their size. had eyes the size of the sun and a gross, slick, wet, slime that burned anything it touched. the mission was supposed to be so much simpler— a mid grade kishin egg. it had been terrorizing the locals along the coast of the amazon rainforest.
akaashi and bokuto were sent to eradicate it.. and they almost did.
the issue was, the kishin egg (name still unknown) looked nothing as the local described. keiji thought they had been searching for a humanoid looking man, eyes red as blood and limbs as many as a spider. though, when the stories began to get mixed up, keiji couldn’t stop the suspicion from growing. he wanted to go back to the DWMA, or, call lord death at least once, but kōtarō had stupidly convinced akaashi otherwise.
keiji should’ve known. he should’ve trusted his gut and not his stupid brain and heart. the male always struggled when it came to bokuto, who really showed him there was more to life than being stressed and borderline angsty. it was bokuto who akaashi could proudly call his weapon, a life long friend (and quite possibly lover).. but that could all be ruined because of this very, very, stupidly dangerous mistake.
his head frantically looked around, eyes unable to fully adjust to the dark of the jungle. keiji wasn’t safe, he wouldn’t be until he had kōtarō. his legs burned, he was cold, but he didn’t stop running. by now, akaashi was calling for his weapon, hoping that his voice would carry over the sound of the pounding rain and creatures that lurked around him.
bokuto could be dead. he could be on the floor dead and alone. it would be all akaashi’s fault! a weapon should give their life for their meister. whoever thought of that was a sadistic jerk who hated everything. keiji searched for bokuto’s soul again— his concentration was bleak, making it that much harder to sense anything. the golden glow was losing visibility, sending shivers down akaashi’s spine.
please, please, please. lord death, god, anyone. i need something, anything to show kōtarō’s alive.
keiji wasn’t above begging, especially not when it came kōtarō bokuto, probably the only person deserving of a gods kindness. he just wanted him to be alive, to be okay. to be not dead. anything. just for a little longer, just so keiji didn’t have to level a forest to find him.
there was a searing bolt of lightning, making the sky glow it’s heavenly yellow, hitting a place akaashi couldn’t see. there wasn’t an immediate boom of thunder, just a long, anticipated silence. long enough for akaashi to see it— with much difficulty— a dull, not so golden glow. kōtarōs soul. he pushed forward, his body and mind near collapsing— wounds he had yet to process beginning to sear.
kōtarō.
keijis almost there, the ferocity of his own soul taking over, ready to do whatever it takes to make sure he gets to him.
kōtarō.
he was alive. keiji hoped he was unconscious, in a place where he wasn’t drenched in bloody water.
kōta—
the roar of thunder snapped akaashi out of his trance, almost too well. his footing slipped, his body finally going into the sweet serenity of motionlessness. he was weak, weaker than his years of training could have ever suggested.
keiji couldn’t give up. he couldn’t. he promised kōtarō they would be fine, that he’d make him a death weapon, that maybe one day they’d save the world together. or something silly like that.
right now, akaashi needed to save his world. so he forced his head to lift, his aching arms and tired fingers finding the mushy jungle floor. keiji’s bloody, overused legs fighting to support his own weight. kōtarō was so close, his dim soul glowing only seconds away. keiji could—would— make it. he wouldn’t forgive himself if he didnt.
so, he walked. it was agonizingly slow, his body feeling anchored to the floor. “kōtarō..” his voice was rasped, ready to give out after hours of yelling. keiji wiped his eyes, acting as though it would help him. nothing budged in this darkness, he had to rely on seeing souls.
and.. there he was, laying in the thick of the forest. his head looked to be somewhat covered, akaashi couldn’t make a little more than bokuto’s shape. he was alive. kōtarō was alive. they were alive. that’s all that mattered.
keiji stumbled, falling to his knees as he cupped his weapons face. bokuto’s breathing was labored, his injuries were impossible to make out— keiji was in no condition to move him, either. with the help of the rain, kōtarō could be losing blood at a horrifyingly fast rate. he felt ill just thinking about it.
“kou..” keiji whispered, tears burning his eyes, moving to rest his forehead on bokutos. “..i couldn’t leave you.. i’m so sorry.. i.. i tried, but.. i couldn’t let you die here. not alone. we’re a team.” his hands were shaking, he was so much colder than he realized.
this may as well have been a death mission. the two weren’t cut out for tropical storms and temperate weather. they usually worked in more local areas, taking few international excursions. why did they have to choose one now of all times? especially when life was finally going well.
keiji felt the male shift under him, it was a subtle, painful movement. “don’t” akaashi warned, his thumb rubbing kotaros cheek. “please don’t move. please.” though kōtarōs labored breaths continued, keiji knew they were going to die here. if not from wounds, from the climate. from the rain. from hypothermia.
it was hard, extremely hard, to not yell and scream and curse everything. they were there, but at what cost? kōtarō had a full life ahead of him, he was barely eighteen. and akaashi? he just wanted for it to be over. he just wanted bokuto to be happy, not in pain. if that meant dying then they’d die together.
“‘kaashi” bokuto gasped out, using the nickname keiji pretended to hate, his golden eyes fluttering open in the darkness. “..why..” keiji knew he wanted to say more, kōtarō always had a way with words. but he couldn’t speak, not in this condition.
now the tears didn’t stop spilling. “because.” akaashi sobbed, hands and body shaking. “i cant..i..” his voice is trembling, his heart racing as he began to feel lightheaded. “..i won’t.. live in a world.. w-without you.” keiji wouldn’t be able to face anyone at the DWMA if he showed up without kōtarō. he wouldn’t be able to face kōtarōs friends or family. he would be the reason there was one less star in the sky.
with trembling hands, keiji is letting go of bokuto’s face. just for a moment, so he could try his distress beacon one last time. from the moment they started losing, keiji had pressed it up to a hundred times. by now there could be someone looking for them.. or, as keiji suspected, absolutely no one. he reaches into his pocket, fingers holding onto a flat bottle cap sized piece of metal. surprisingly, it wasn’t utterly destroyed in battle.
he’s holding it between his fingers, pressing down with all his strength. there was no click, no light, nothing to indicate that it worked. was keiji stupid enough to trust his teacher had his best interest in mind? especially not at a school that often threw students to the wolves.
“‘m sorry.. i..” kōtarō muttered, his pained breaths growing shallow by the second. keiji now had to make a choice— make this stupid tracking device work or comfort his weapon.. it wasn’t much of a choice. the younger drops the stupid device, his hands going back to kōtarōs face. “couldnt.. protect you—“ kōtarō coughs, rain, blood, and tears getting the best of him.
frantically, he moves to a more comfortable position, one where he could feel bokuto’s cold skin against their heavy, wet clothes. a position that was just as muddy and dirty as keiji felt. he’s leaning to rest his head close to, bokuto’s, hand moving to lay on his chest. “don’t apologize” he uttered out, voice shaking as he shivered. “you did everything right.”
akaashi was exhausted, he could just barely feel the slow beats of bokuto’s heart. his mind racing with everything he failed to accomplish. “so please, hold on, just a little longer, okay?” keiji’s eyes closed as the rain continued to fall on them, shifting as close as his body began to shut down. he was tired, so so so tired. his head was pounding, his arms burned. keijis heart ached. he wanted to die, or, perhaps, he wanted to stop suffering. whichever came first.
“i love you.” akaashi thought he whispered, but he was falling darkness at a rate he couldn’t keep up with. “i love you” he tried again, blacking out.