The dust cleared, the air was still crackling with red and green sparks of energy all around.
Dacchi fell to the decimated battlefield, his thoughts immediately running to Hinasuke, who was in the blast zone.
There was no way she survived that. It wasn't possible.
It shouldn't have been possible.
Unless she—
Dacchi's eyes widened as he saw a set of pale legs rooted to the ground in front of Genju.
"No way... you're... you're kiddin' me."
When the dust settled, Genju's eyes landed on the pale, freckled beauty in front of him. Her head hung between he shoulders—heavy and defiant. The blood trinkled down her nose. She could taste the iron in her mouth as her breathing slowed.
How?
How was she even alive?
Slowly, she lifted up her head. She groaned a little, hand grasping her head. The air was fuzzy. Her ears were ringing. Her lungs were burning and yet...
She struggled to stand upright. Her eyes twitching as she glanced at the titan in front of her—big and impressed. She blew her nose, blood splattering on the scorching dirt. Her lips curved a little—a smirk forming on her lips. She rasped, "Damn. Even with experience, that move of yours almost one-shot me."
Genju lifted his feet, the earth crumbling apart. His back tensed as steam shot out, veins radiated a darker, more sinister scarlet as his huge arms lifted to the sky.
"You are annoying, girl."
"Still breathing, Tonika-san." She murmured, barely able to keep herself from collapsing.
His eyes darkened, patterns of faint scars illuminating a deep crimson as the ground began to tremble, "Da. Now, let's see if strong girl will survive this next attack."
The air screamed into his grasp, dark sparks of essence building up from his feet as the rumbling intensified.
With a loud roar, the colossal man bound both his arms together, veins popping to the surface of his skin—bloodred and humming—as he prepared to crush her with one swing, "You are strong, girl...but I am stronger..."
_______________________________________________
"Titanic Juggernaut: METEOR SMASH!!"
_______________________________________________
Akira's eyes dilated, her breath falling short to the pressure of the incoming downpour of raw, animalistic force.
She wasn't gonna survive this.
She'd never even seen it before.
But just before he swung down on her skull, Dacchi stopped him, hand on his shoulder, "Stand down, Big Guy. You've smashed enough."
The air paused for a minute. Then Genju's head turned ever so slowly.
The blazing death glare the juggernaut gave Dacchi was bone chilling. It was like he was staring at a man who'd been possessed.
He felt his blood pressure spike, heart skipping a beat. And when his hands shivered for the briefest of moments, he closed his eyes.
He needed to remind himself that he wasin charge. Hence with a deep breath, he steadied his breathing, and met Genju's glare, fixed and calm,
"Stand. Down. Genju."
Genju glared a moment longer, before he finally huffed—steam flaring out his nose—his blazing eyes reverting to normal.
Akira let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, however she wasn't out of the woods yet.
Genju's previous attack had cleaved clean through half her body, leaving gaping hole where her right lung and part of her arm was supposed to be.
But she wasn't dead. In fact, her body was already weaving itself, slower than it did at first, but still, that alone was impressive...and impossible.
That's what puzzled both men.
"Kid, you mentioned how you knew how and where I was gonna attack you back there," Dacchi said, staff dissolving into black mist, "...how?"
Akira's exposed body reminded her of what pain was when she tried to move. She hissed shakily as she felt the tears prick at the edges of her eyes. She blinked, voice shaking as she tried—and failed—to maintain her composure, "Huh? W-Well, because I've seen you do it before..."
Dacchi tilted his head, "Huh, how? You gotta be more specific..."
Her body was half done as she smiled painfully, "Yeah, yeah, got it."
When her body had finally repaired itself, she sat on a rock and began to explain:
"Well, as far as I know, the other me got into some crap with you guys and then she signed me and the rest of us up for Ayanaki about half a year ago. Since then, you guys have been training with her and all that. Though...kinda odd, I thought you guys knew about my condition..."
Dacchi's head tilted further, "Wait, hold on just a minute. You said we've been training you and your friends for 6 months now?"
"Mhm. Pretty much...Hehe, with the way you're reacting, it's almost as if you guys have D.I.D and I don't." she laughed softly.
But then—
"What?"
She turned, "Ah, bab—I mean—Hina..." she corrected, "You're back. Glad I didn't kill you." she chuckled awkwardly.
No one laughed.
Hinasuke wasn't smiling, his gauntlets were still shimmering as he growled, eyes still painted a deep red, "What the hell did you just say?"
Akira's faint smile faded, brows furrowing in frustration, "Jeez, you asshole, you break up with me by trying to kill me and now you pretend like you don't know about my condition? What the hell's wrong with you!?"
His massive transparent gloves lunged around her neck, "Akira never hadany condition." he snarled deeply.
Her tears fell as she got lifted from her feet, toes barely touching the ground as her voice cracked, "So what? You're just going to throw me away..." his grasp tightened, she barely gasped above a whisper, "... You're gonna throw me away like the shit that I am, is that it?"
His eyes shone as his grip crushed around her throat, "Shut up...you're not Akira."
"Hashibira, hey, cool it..." Dacchi tried to intervene, but then he stopped when he heard her rasping, just barely above a whisper.
"If you wanna kill me...fine. Kill me." she tapped the energy construct that was denying her air, "...but don't let the last person I see...wear the face of the one I love."
That hit him somewhere tender. Somewhere vulnerable. His eyes shimmered as his jaw tightened, grip crushing.
Her voice barely made a sound as her hands began to slip, slumping at her sides, "P-Please...not when it's...you."
"Hashibira." Genju said, raising his voice.
Hina's eyes shut as he threw her to the ground, breath heaving as he muttured, "Dammit."
Akira lay on the hot earth, gasping and coughing, grasping her throat.
Dacchi sighed, letting a breath he had no idea he was holding before he scratched the back of his head:
"Listen. I hate to be the one to stop these kinda things, but we've got bigger fish to fry, right now." His eyes landed on Akira's bare figure, weak and trembling, "Clearly whoever you are, Hashinada, Hashibira doesn't know you. Not only that, you know parts of him and us that we've never even experienced or known, but...you do."
"My D.I.D—" she croaked through tears.
"No...this isn't just D.I.D, this is something else. Something far much bigger than that."
"Dacchi. Buzzkill's calling and he does not seem happy." Genju said, the choker on his neck showing a holographic image of encrypted text.
"Shit. And the Choimatsu are gonna be here soon. I don't wanna get the receiving end of that mouthful when they get here. We better get going."
"Da, Last clean up, they made me spare five UltraTons of energy. That's absurdity at its finest." Genju said, walking away.
Dacchi turned, "Hashinada, you're coming with us. Same for you, Hashibira, we gotta find out what's going on here and figure out why Hybrid girl here is knows stuff about us that we don't even know about.."
"I'll stay here, Yano and Yoshida will be looking for me." Hinasuke muttered beneath his breath.
Genju chuckled ahead, "Those firecrackers fight like little children back at base! You should've seen it, hilarious!"
Hina's eyes widened, "They're at Ayanaki HQ?"
"Everyone is, now let's go, you grown man!"
Hinasuke sighed before he walked behind Akira, grit his teeth and removed his jersey and shirt, "Put some damn clothes on..."
"Thanks." Akira said simply, wearing the clothes then said nothing more.
{ Meanwhile }
The air stilled.
Akira's fist smashed against Yano's palm.
"Stay away from my man, Akira."
Yano had her teeth bared at her, her body coiled up and ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Akira's eyes began to pulse a deeper violet, tears streaked on her cheeks. She wasn't gonna let up, but the pain of her bleeding hand was too much to ignore.
"A-Akira, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay, Yoshi." Hinasuke muttered, walking behind Akira.
He sighed, hands resting on her tense shoulders and muttered her name behind her ear, voice soft and warm, "Akira, calm down. Yoshi didn't mean to piss you off, okay? Let it go."
Her eyes darted, her voice trembling "Some of the things he says go a little too...too far."
Yoshida's expression softened. The way her voice cracked in the end hit him a little bit too personally.
Yano's eyes, though still piercing through Akira's skull, eased up a little, her body no longer coiled.
Hinasuke squeezed her gently, "I know. He didn't mean it, Aki. Let it slide, okay? Calm down."
Her breathing stuttered, glaring at Yoshida then Yano.
With a shaky breath, she pulled back, letting her arm slump, blood dripping down her fingers, the pain a testament to her weakness.
That on its own was a sign to all three of them. Something wasn't right with Akira. She wasn't supposed to get hurt from punching Yano's palm so easily.
Regardless, they continued on with their journey to the restaurant in Shibuya as planned and though the walk there was a bit tense, they eased into her attitude, trying to accommodate her feelings as well as her comfort.
On the way there, Akira needed to get herself some Ohagi, hence whilst the others waited for her outside the store, she was inside getting herself a few treats.
"Something's wrong with Aki, dude."
Hinasuke sighed, leaning against the entrance wall, "I know, it's just...you guys know her condition, okay? She's not stable."
"Either way, I can't just overlook what she pulled back there," Yano murmured, "She... she's not the only one hurting too, y'know?"
Yoshida wanted to say something, but he knew that expression on her face, she rarely showed that side of herself.
"Yeah, I know... I'm sorry, Yano. I'll... I'll talk to her."
His eyes slid to the side, watching her through the glass as she stared blankly at the two confectioneries in her hand, "I'll get our Akira back."
"Somehow..."