Work Text:
Approximately six hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty-four more seconds.
Aigis forces her eyes back to the board. The lesson should provide a sufficient distraction, she thinks. She's proven wrong as the phrase being taught has something to do with apples and going to the doctor. The last word causes her focus to falter, and she finds herself glancing to the clock once again.
Approximately two hours, forty-four minutes, and fifty-eight more seconds.
There is only a handful of moments Aigis has had this much trouble sitting still. But today, without question, has been the most difficult. Classes both with information she knows and information she hasn't yet learned fail to keep her attention for long. Lunch hour somehow proved to be tedious as well, despite her friends' attempts to keep her entertained. Their efforts do not go unappreciated.
Approximately one hour, five minutes, and seventeen more seconds.
It feels as though there's something rattling and scraping at the inside of Aigis' chest. Something desperate to break out and flee the school, dragging her with it. She doesn't need to run a diagnostic check on herself to know this creature is imaginary. The feeling persists for the rest of the day.
Approximately three minutes and twenty-nine more seconds.
School is about to be over. Aigis is almost vibrating with anticipation, though she does her best to keep it to a low, unnoticeable hum. Her classmates are not oblivious to the tension she's been exuding the entire day. Except perhaps Kenji Tomochika. He never was what you would call "perceptive".
Approximately fourteen more seconds.
Surely leaving school fourteen seconds early wouldn't be the biggest offense. Aigis terminates the thought process before it goes any further and waits the rest of the agonizing duration.
The bell rings at long last.
"All right, class dis-" Ms. Toriumi begins before Aigis shoots up from her desk, grabbing everyone's attention.
"...Missed," she finishes. "Don't forget to clean up your-"
Aigis quickly and loudly clears off her belongings and shoves them into her bag.
Ms. Toriumi eyes her a moment, then continues. "Your work space...along with-"
She's interrupted again by Aigis grabbing a broom and dustpan seemingly out of nowhere.
"Aigis-san, do you need to leave early?"
"...Yes."
Ms. Toriumi sighs aggravated "You could have just told me...okay, you're free to go."
Aigis sets the broom and dustpan down on her desk and bows. "Thank you." And with no looking back, she's out the door.
"A-Aigis, wait!" Yukari calls to her in vain.
Junpei leans back in his chair. "Yeesh, I can breathe clean, relaxed air again."
"You can't blame her for feeling so impatient," Fuuka empathizes, packing her things up. "I've honestly been a bit antsy myself."
"Nah, me too, I don't blame 'er," Junpei says, standing up and stretching. "Ai-chan is just sorta...scary when she's all wound up like that."
Yukari stands as well. "So, come on! We gotta go after her!" Both Junpei and Fuuka look at her confused, and she smiles confidently. "You don't want her to beat us again, do you?"
Junpei tips his cap and gives a sly grin himself. "Heh, you got a point." He makes a start for the door. "Let's do this!"
Before he can even touch the handle, he feels something grabbing his collar from behind. He shrieks out of instinct, turning to see Ms. Toriumi with a not-so innocent smile.
"And where do you think you're going?" she asks. "Just because I was lenient with Aigis-san doesn't give you an excuse to shirk your duties."
Junpei sulks back to his desk. "Damn...we're really gonna have to gun it if we wanna beat her now..."
"What, are you afraid of a little running?" Yukari teases.
"Hell no! Have you seen her run?!" Junpei yells. "She's like some sort of robot!" A beat passes, then he waves his hands to the rest of the class defensively. "N-N-Not that she is some sort of robot! That would be ridiculous!" Junpei's awkward laughter only draws more stares his way.
Yukari rolls her eyes in secondhand embarrassment. Fuuka tries her best not to laugh at his slip of the tongue.
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Once she's crossed Gekkoukan's gate, Aigis comes to an abrupt halt. She thinks a moment, shifting her gaze back to the school. Perhaps she should wait for the others to catch up. It's common courtesy, and she would never want to offend her friends. But even so, she's unsure how much longer she can stand by.
Her inner deliberation is cut off when she hears a familiar bark. The source is a jovial Koromaru pattering toward her, only restrained by Ken's leash.
"Hi, Aigis-san!" Ken waves to her with a somewhat frazzled smile. His breathlessness indicates that Koromaru had been dragging him around a bit.
"Hello, Ken-kun," Aigis returns the greeting. "And hello, Koromaru-san." She bends down to scratch the back of his ears.
The dog excitedly yips up at her.
"What are you doing here?" she asks.
"Koromaru and I were out for a walk. I realized what the time was, so I decided to meet up with you guys before you left." Ken kneels to give Koromaru a pet as well. "Too bad they won't let dogs inside the hospital, huh?"
"Indeed," Aigis replies halfheartedly. Her thoughts have returned to her primary objective. Logic is overridden again by the unshakable and restless feeling that she cannot delay herself any longer.
"Yeah, I think the senpai might already be on their way there." Ken glances around, a bit puzzled. "Hey...where is everyone?"
Aigis turns her back to the school, readying her propulsion turbines. "Ken-kun, may I ask you a favor?"
"Uh...okay?" Ken agrees uncertainly.
"Give them my regards."
Before Ken can react, Aigis breaks into a dash so fast that she catches wind behind her. A draft whirls around the two she leaves behind, Koromaru barking wildly at her.
Ken gapes in shock. "Wow...I don't think I've never seen her run so fast before. Not even on a mission."
Koromaru goes from running in circles to tugging at his leash, his snout pointing in Aigis' direction.
"What is it, boy? Do you wanna see if we can catch up with her?"
Koromaru confirms with a loud woof.
"I'm not sure if we can make it...but why not? Let's give it a go!" Despite having little time to recover from his earlier walk, Ken sprints off as fast as his legs can carry him, with Koromaru by his side.
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"Ah, Miss Kirijo. Checking in for a visit?"
"Yes, we are," Mitsuru nods.
"And which patient is it going to be today?" the receptionist asks knowingly.
"Both," Akihiko speaks from the side of his friend.
"I see. Well, you know the drill." The receptionist pulls out a clipboard with a pen and places them on the counter. "Sign your names here."
As Mitsuru writes out her elegant signature, Akihiko wonders aloud "Y'think we can go to their rooms and let the others know we're here by calling them?"
"Classes were dismissed only a short while ago," Mitsuru says plainly, handing the pen over to him. "They shouldn't be much longer."
Akihiko sighs dejected. "I know, but...waiting isn't easy."
Mitsuru offers an understanding smile. "No, it isn't easy in the slightest. But staying together is important."
"Yeah...I guess you're right," Akihiko concedes.
"Hello, senpai," an unexpected voice catches them off guard. They step back in fright, Akihiko putting his fists up and Mitsuru giving quite the dramatic gasp. The older students feel a little silly when they see their android junior.
"Oh, Aigis. You...you startled us," Mitsuru breathes in relief.
"I'm sorry," Aigis apologizes, though she seems detached from the interaction. She steps to the front desk. "I am also visiting the same patients as my friends here."
"Y-Yeah, okay, please sign your name," the receptionist directs, a bit surprised at Aigis' sudden appearance as well.
"School just got out, how the heck did you get here so quick?" Akihiko asks.
"That reminds me;" Aigis fails to acknowledge his question after signing in. "I estimate that the others should be here within the next fifteen minutes."
Nonplussed, Akihiko's eyebrows knit together. "Hey, answer me!"
"I'm guessing you wanted to visit her as soon as you possibly could?" Mitsuru asks, though she already knows the answer.
This brings Aigis from her distant state, and she turns her gaze downward. "Oh, I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to leave anyone behind...Shall I await them with you?"
A brief, amused laugh escapes Mitsuru. "If it's that important to you...I suppose there's no harm in letting you go ahead of us one last time."
Aigis' head rises and her eyes light up. "...Thank you!" she beams. Sparing no time whatsoever, she hurries to the nearest elevator.
Akihiko slumps into a chair. "Why would she take the elevator if she's in such a rush...? I hope she didn't skip her last class or anything."
Mitsuru takes a seat next to him. "I sincerely doubt that. I'll make sure we all go as a group during our next visit."
"Seriously, she shouldn't get special privileges just because she likes her that way," Akihiko snorts.
His indignant tone makes Mitsuru smirk. "I recall a certain someone wanting to go in before everyone else only a minute ago."
This serves to fluster him even more. "All right, all right, I get it."
To apologize for her teasing, she offers "Do you want to go see him early as well?"
"Huh? You'd really let me?"
"Just this once."
Akihiko jumps from his chair, failing to hide his excitement. "Right. I don't want any special treatment either." Leaving just as promptly as Aigis, Akihiko half-jogs to the staircase.
Mitsuru puts a hand to her chin and sighs in disapproval. "Honestly, Akihiko. At least Aigis had the grace to thank me."
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Room 317. Aigis has arrived at her destination. But for reasons that escape her, she now feels more nervous than ever. She permits her rationality to take over, arguing that this is what she had been waiting all day for. Her anxiety will not cease until she enters and affirms what she needs to. Though she understands this as the truth, her hand hesitates one last time before giving the door a couple of solid knocks.
"Come in," a voice from the room invites.
Even without a human body, Aigis knows her heart would be pulsing at an accelerated rate. She reaches out and turns the knob. Sure enough, having the room's current resident in her sights soothes her uneasiness.
Minako lies in bed, her head propped up by a pillow cushioning the backboard. Her red-brown hair is tied in a looser ponytail than its usual style. It's grown out a little during her time at the hospital. She's reading a magazine, and her exhausted eyes widen when they switch from the pages to her visitor. But the surprise on Minako's face is the furthest thing from unpleasant. She smiles, giving Aigis the same warmth she looked forward to whenever she was with her. She's unbelievably grateful to experience that warmth again.
"Hi," Minako greets, voice a bit hoarse, but welcoming. "You're here early."
Her smile is too infectious to ignore, and Aigis approaches her bedside. "I had...difficulty waiting. I hope that's okay."
Nodding, Minako attempts sitting her whole body up. But she visibly struggles from fatigue, causing every bit of concern in Aigis to rebound at full-force.
"Please, don't strain yourself!" she implores, holding Minako's shoulders as gently as possible. "You must still be so disoriented..."
Aigis finds her own shoulders being grabbed, then the rest of her body brought into Minako's arms. The latter is pulled up by the embrace, and they stay almost motionless for some time. Aigis tries and fails to process a proper response, but settles down when she feels soft breathing steadily against her frame. The silence allows her to hear a heart beating at a normal pace, and her worries begin to fade.
"I was really excited to see you too," Minako murmurs into her shoulder.
Aigis is more than happy to return the sentiment, and holds her tight to confirm that she truly is in her arms.
Minako is alive.
The two refuse to separate from one another until the rest of their friends check in.