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"Commander." Akira snapped a salute as he entered the room. Shiki acknowledged the greeting with a nod, closing the door behind him. The door shut with a heavy click.
"Are you taking a break?" Shiki asked with amusement in his voice, lips quirked in a slight smile. Akira was standing by the window rather than sitting at his desk. Quite the rare sight.
Akira lowered his hand from the salute, head tilting slightly down, almost as if he was hiding under the shadow of his cap. "…Yes. My apologies, sir. It was only for a few minutes." He sounded a little bashful; it was a slight inflection in his voice that Shiki wouldn't have caught were he not so accustomed to Akira's stoicism.
"I'm sure you've been working hard. Rest as you need to," Shiki murmured, beginning to shrug off his overcoat. Akira looked like he was ready to assist him with that task; his limbs moved as though intending to take a step toward him, but he stopped the moment he saw Shiki already hanging it on the coat rack.
Akira steadied himself into a rigid standing position once more. "…Yes," he replied.
The room was dark, lit only by a few candles on the vintage candelabra set atop Akira's desk along with some candles in various parts of the room. The flames were small but illuminated the room decently enough. Yellow light glowed around the tiny flames, the tails of the flames flickering slowly. They almost appeared to be floating on top of the white candlesticks.
On the desk where the light from the candles cast a faint glow over the polished, mahogany surface, a pile of papers was stacked neatly near the corner. Next to the papers were a rubber stamp, a feather pen, and an ink bottle.
Shiki's dress shoes clacked over the marble floor as he made his way toward where Akira was with steady strides. Akira stood perfectly still, back straight and shoulders squared as he waited for Shiki. When Shiki reached him, they were both standing in front of the window.
Shiki turned his gaze to the large, arched window, looking out of it. The rain and thick, gray fog obscured most of what should normally be visible, but with his enhanced vision, he made out what seemed to be a row of flowering shrubs in the garden. They had yet to bloom, petals still closed up in the form of narrow cocoons, but it was nearing spring, as evidenced by the increase in rain showers lately. The storm's wind shook the shrubberies hard, leaves whipping back and forth.
The rain hit the window with a barrage of patters, the glass pane dotted with droplets that ran downward in jagged trails. Outside, the ground was completely wet with ripples that overlapped each other.
"Quite the heavy rain," Shiki commented. The wind rattled against the window. "It's been a while since it's rained this hard."
Akira said nothing, only dignifying the statement with a nod of agreement that Shiki saw in his peripheral view. Akira hadn't turned his head toward the window to share the view with him; instead his gaze had remained directed at Shiki. Shiki could feel that icy blue gaze piercing the side of his face. He continued to stare out the window, looking into his own faint reflection on the glass.
"Has the interrogation been concluded?" Shiki inquired.
"Yes. The bodies have been disposed of, and the torture chamber has been cleaned and is ready for the next batch of prisoners. I've just finished compiling the reports from the interrogation."
"Good work." Shiki turned his head and tilted his chin in Akira's direction. "Have the reports sent to my desk by tomorrow morning."
Akira cast his gaze down to Shiki's tie, avoiding his eyes. "Yes, sir."
With a pleased nod, Shiki turned his head back to face the window. The storm crackled and rumbled with heavy thunder. It almost seemed to reverberate within the room. Shiki's gaze sharpened on Akira's reflection in the window.
"Are you afraid, Akira?"
A pause. There was a slight shift at the cuff of his sleeve. Then, Akira replied, "I'm not sure what you mean by that question, sir," his voice flat and unaffected.
Shiki's eyes trailed over to Akira's form, lips tilting up at the edges.
"You're trembling."
His eyes caught the gulp that slid down Akira's throat, the way his neck muscles contracted and expanded. Still, Akira did not come up with a deflection toward that statement, nor did he attempt to give any excuse. He simply stared at Shiki with that steady blue gaze that had mastered the art of stoicism, just like what the rest of his body language indicated. How commendable.
Shiki returned his gaze to the window, staring into the rain. It still didn't seem like letting up anytime soon. "There's no need for you to extend your pity toward them, Akira," he said. "They suffer because they are weak. They have no pride nor power. They cower in fear, believing they have strength in numbers. But when left to fend for themselves, they succumb easily to their weaknesses and beg to be spared.
“Those who are strong will always endure and prevail no matter the hardship or suffering. That is why they are strong. You cannot expect the weak to survive in the same realm as them. Death is a mercy for the weak in a world where the strong rule."
"…I understand," Akira replied after a few beats of silence. But Shiki wasn’t satisfied with that answer.
"Akira," he murmured.
Akira stood alert at the sound of his name. Like a true soldier. "Yes."
"Do you swear loyalty to me?"
Akira's eyes dilated slightly at the question. He still did not level his gaze with Shiki's, however.
"Of course. I will follow you wherever you go. I wish for nothing more than to be by your side."
The storm rumbled.
"You're not speaking truthfully," Shiki said in a low tone, eyes locked on Akira.
Akira's jaw tightened at the accusation, his white gloves creasing from the way his hands curled into fists. He was still standing straight, no longer with the poise of an excellent soldier, but now with tension stemming from fear.
"Akira." Shiki regarded him with unrelenting intensity in his gaze. "In the future, the day will come when we will have our last war. There will be a moment when our last enemy falls, when we will stand victorious on the bloody battlefield over thousands of corpses. The moment when our glory is secured; when the world falls into my hands.”
Shiki turned to face him fully.
“You will be by my side when that time comes, and I won't have it any other way."
He waited for Akira’s answer.
"It would be an honor to witness that moment with you,” Akira murmured.
Shiki was pleased with those words. “Anything you wish for, anything you desire, just say it and I’ll grant you whatever it is that you ask for, so long as you pledge your unwavering faith and loyalty to me in return.”
“My only desire is to be by your side. I wish for nothing else,” Akira declared.
“Then stay by my side. Forever.”
“Yes, sir.”
After a beat, Shiki gestured to him. "Come closer. There's something I want to give you."
Akira stepped closer to him. Shiki reached around to the back of his own neck and unclasped something. Then, with the silver chain in his hand, he held it out toward Akira, the cross pendant dangling from the chain.
Akira's eyes widened immediately, and various expressions played across his face: surprise, disbelief, confusion, to name a few. Shiki almost smirked at the genuine and raw reaction; it was not often that Akira lost grip of his emotions and let something other than impassivity display on his face, but that was why Shiki appreciated these rare moments all the more. It was fascinating to see him make such honest and open expressions.
Akira steeled his expression once more. "What is the meaning of this?"
"This is proof of my trust in you. I'll only allow you to stand by my side."
Akira still made no move to take it even after that explanation. "I can't possibly accept something so important—"
"This is an order. Take it," Shiki commanded, his voice leaving no room for objection.
Akira struggled for a moment, looking like he wanted to say more. But in the end, he swallowed and said, "Yes."
Akira lifted the palms of his hands and accepted it. Shiki lowered the chain, and then the necklace was entirely in Akira's hands. Akira held it and gazed at it with all the reverence and grace one would show toward a holy relic.
"Put it on," Shiki ordered.
Akira slowly grabbed the necklace by the ends of its chain, being careful not to move the cross too much, and then lifted it to his neck. He fidgeted with the clasp, and then let out a restrained but audible breath of embarrassment after fumbling around with it for a few seconds. It appeared that he couldn't properly close the clasp.
Shiki chuckled. The gracelessness of his inability to put on the necklace was a sharp contrast to his usual flawless conduct, but no matter. This was a sight that only he was allowed to witness, and Shiki relished in that knowledge.
He stepped closer to Akira, closing the distance between them. "Lower your hands," he murmured, raising his own hands to the back of Akira's neck.
Akira did as he was told, letting Shiki take the ends of the chain. He lowered his head, shielding his expression from Shiki's view with his cap, but Shiki could still perceive the shame and unease radiating off him, even as Akira was trying his best to hide it. Shiki smirked, finding his disconcerted demeanor quite adorable. Another rare expression that he didn't see often from Akira, but one that he enjoyed witnessing.
Shiki closed the clasp of the necklace and withdrew his hands. Then he stepped back and looked at the necklace now hanging from Akira's neck.
"Beautiful," Shiki murmured, eyes drawn immediately to the cross. The chain was the perfect length around his neck. He didn't doubt Akira would later hide the necklace under his shirt in accordance with their military dress code, but Shiki hardly cared. This was a secret exchange between the two of them, and knowing that Akira was in possession of his necklace was enough for him.
"Thank you for the present, commander," Akira said, a bit breathless, sounding as mesmerized as him.
Shiki lifted his gaze from the necklace back to Akira's face. He slid his gloved hand over Akira's cheek, cupping it, and murmured, "Say my name."
Akira looked at him with eyes full of determination and resolve; the eyes that Shiki had come to adore so much, not a single speck of fear tainting their blue beauty.
"…Shiki."
He truly was growing more beautiful day by day.
"I'll ask you this once more. This time, I expect to hear your true answer."
His thumb traced Akira's lips. Akira's gaze remained fixed on him, almost entranced.
"Do you swear loyalty to me?"
Akira breathed in, and after a few seconds, lowered himself to one knee on the floor. He reached for Shiki's hand, taking it into his own, and Shiki allowed him to hold it.
"I will follow you, wherever you may go, until the end of time. Every part of me belongs to you, both my body and my soul. My life is yours to do as you wish with. I will devote all of myself to you and your commands."
There was a light to his eyes that not even the darkest shadow could smother. In the faint glow of the candles flickering around the room, he looked absolutely divine. The unwavering conviction in his eyes was more beautiful than any jewel in the world.
"I will remain by your side forever, so long as you allow me to. I swear it upon this hand."
He raised Shiki's gloved hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it, sealing his vow.
Shiki's lips curled into a smile.
"Good answer."