Shunogai

His chest heaved. His vision swam. His arms trembled.

Because he was here.

But his mind was still there.

Still kneeling on that bloodstained floor.

Still staring at her.

And now—

Now she was standing right in front of him again.

In the depths of the fallen King.

Like she had never left.

Shukan's breath came shallow. His lungs burned, but he couldn't focus.

His vision still flickered—between now and then.

Between the dead house.

Between the blood-stained floor.

Between Akira, standing there like nothing had happened.

"You're late again, little brother."

The words crashed through his mind like an avalanche.

Shukan flinched. His body twitched like it wanted to react. Like it wanted to run.

But his hands?

They curled into fists.

Yurei saw it first.

His trembling fingers—but not from fear.

From anger.

From something older than fear.

"Shukan?"

He didn't answer.

His golden eye burned. His heartbeat was too slow, too forced—like his body wasn't sure if it should keep running or collapse.

Jikan pulsed inside him.

His energy surged, fighting against itself.

Akira simply tilted her head. Watching. Studying.

Like she had already seen this before.

Like she already knew what he was going to do.

"You're struggling."

Shukan snapped.

His voice tore out of his throat, hoarse and sharp.

"What the HELL are you doing here?"

The air tightened.

Aetheron's wings flared, light curling around his fingers. His expression darkened, glancing at Chronos. "I don't like this. At all."

Chronos hadn't moved.

But his circuits burned.

Golden veins pulsed at rapid speed, running calculations too fast for even him to process properly.

Because this wasn't possible.

Akira shouldn't be here.

She shouldn't be alive.

And yet—

"What, no 'I missed you'?" Akira smiled, but her voice was empty.

Like she wasn't even trying to sell the joke.

Shukan gritted his teeth. "Cut the shit, Akira."

Her expression didn't change.

Her eyes flickered.

And then—

"Why are you still running?"

Shukan froze.

Because she didn't mean physically.

She meant mentally.

She meant—

"You still don't want to know, do you?"

His chest felt tight.

Yurei took a sharp step forward. "What is she talking about, Shukan?"

He didn't answer.

Because he didn't know.

Because his mind was still stuck.

Still replaying that night.

Still hearing her voice in his head.

"If you knew the truth, you'd die too."

Truth.

The word lodged itself in his throat.

Aetheron's fists curled. "Chronos, back me up here—what the hell is she saying?"

Chronos' circuits flickered too violently. His voice was sharp.

"Shukan. This isn't the time."

Shukan's breath hitched.

Because Chronos knew.

He knew something.

His golden circuits weren't just running scans.

He was analyzing Shukan.

Because Shukan was breaking.

And if he broke now—

If he let the past win now—

He wasn't going to walk away from this.

Akira saw it.

Her smile widened.

"I told you before, little brother."

Her voice was soft. Almost gentle.

"If you knew the truth, you'd die too."

Shukan's mind snapped.

And before anyone could react—

His hand moved.

Faster than thought.

Faster than instinct.

He grabbed his dagger—

And lunged.

The dagger hit the ground with a metallic clang.

Shukan's breathing was uneven.

His golden eye flickered, unfocused. His mind was still catching up to what just happened.

Akira had stopped him.

Not dodged.

Not countered.

She just slapped the weapon away.

Like she couldn't bring herself to hurt him.

Like she didn't want this fight to happen.

And now?

She was still standing there.

Still grinning.

But that grin—

It wasn't real.

Shukan could see it now.

It was stretched too wide. Too forced. It didn't reach her eyes. Didn't even try to.

Her red eyes were shaking.

Not from fear.

Not from rage.

But something deeper.

Something she was trying desperately to hide.

She was about to cry.

Shukan's fingers twitched.

His mind felt like it was fighting itself.

This wasn't how this was supposed to go.

She wasn't supposed to react like this.

She was supposed to laugh. To taunt. To mock him like she always did.

Not this.

Not—

"Damn, Shukan."

Her voice broke the silence.

It was light. Playful. Fake.

"That's the first time you ever tried to kill me. What took you so long?"

Shukan flinched.

Because it wasn't just a joke.

It was a question.

A real one.

One she actually wanted an answer to.

Shukan's heartbeat hitched.

His body locked up. He felt trapped inside himself.

He could feel the others watching.

Yurei, her ice-arm still tense, still ready to intervene if necessary.

Aetheron, his wings dimmed but his fists still clenched, not trusting this at all.

Chronos, his circuits flaring golden, running calculations too fast even for himself to keep up with.

But none of them spoke.

Because this?

This was between Shukan and Akira.

"That's the first time you ever tried to kill me."

The words echoed.

Not just in the present.

In his mind.

Years Ago.

Bloodstained floors.

Akira, standing there. Waiting for him to react.

And Shukan—

He had just stood there.

Shaking.

Fighting to breathe.

Fighting to process.

Fighting to understand.

His fingers had twitched back then too.

Like he had wanted to grab something.

Like he had wanted to attack her.

But he hadn't.

Back then—

He had hesitated.

He hadn't hesitated this time.

He had actually tried.

And she knew it.

Shukan swallowed hard. His body still hadn't caught up to the reality of what had just happened.

He had moved on instinct. On rage. On something deeper than thought.

And if she hadn't stopped him—

Would he have actually gone through with it?

Akira watched him, waiting.

Still smiling.

Still pretending.

Like she wasn't on the verge of falling apart herself.

And that?

That messed him up more than anything else.

Shukan's breath came sharp.

"You're lying."

Akira blinked. Her fake grin didn't fade.

"About what?"

Shukan's fists tightened. His voice was hoarse, cracking.

"You're scared."

Akira laughed.

Soft. Short. Wrong.

"Me? Scared?" She gestured at herself, head tilting. "Come on, you know me better than that."

Shukan's breath hitched.

"I thought I did."

For the first time—

The fake grin wavered.

Just slightly.

Just enough.

Shukan's hands were shaking. His whole body was shaking.

"Why are you still here?"

Akira's expression froze.

Her fingers twitched.

For a split second—just a second—

She looked trapped.

Like she had been cornered.

Like she had no answer.

Then, just as fast—

She pulled the grin back up.

But her voice?

It was too quiet.

"Where else would I go?"