Chapter Text
[Kiryuu's POV]
Kiryuu Kazuma was not prepared to wake up. The feeling of consciousness was gradual, but hardly smooth going as he felt random aches and pains all across his body. Not random. As he calmed his breathing he used the unpleasant sensations to remember. The worst was the torso, two gunshots. First, a loss from behind after a victory, and second, shame looking him right in the face. But more than that, he felt every bruise and he could recognize Ryuuji's determination in every single one. And he remembered his own, later mixed with sorrow and fear, looking at the late dragon's too-late-found sister, knowing the time was running out.
In the end he had not been prepared to lose consciousness. He had been prepared to die ten times over that day, the last time in her arms, exploding to tiny pieces. But with her soft voice of relief, after the timer has stopped... The resignation had turned to hope and he had desperately wanted to hear more, feel more...
He felt something warm between his fingers and next to his cheek. Among the stabbing pains in his chest his heart was beating fast.
"But I've never been so warm before..." the memory of her words echoed through his head.
"Kaoru..." he whispered without opening his eyes. He heard an uneven breath near his right ear, the warmth in his palm shifting slightly. He held it tighter. "I'm not going anywhere."
He heard a soft, shaking groan, and he turned his head, moving it closer to the sound.
"You better," her voice was tired but sharp, and he opened his eyes to see hers, staring right into him. They were frozen like this for a while and Kiryuu could only feel his heart beating faster and faster.
"You're going to be okay. I'm not going anywhere either," she said suddenly with conviction. He realized that his heartbeat was getting steady again. He smiled.
"I know. Thank you."
And after she returned the smile, he engraved it in his mind and closed his eyes again.
[Sayama's POV]
"Kaoru..." a voice resounded in the darkness, among the neverending beeping and smell of blood and sweat. Sayama Kaoru felt a light jolt of wakefulness as both the noise and smell subsided and she shrugged her shoulders slightly, feeling an uncomfortable sensation in her back and neck and her sore arms. As she shifted slightly, she also became aware of the hard chair she was sitting on and groaned quietly.
"I'm not going anywhere," a deep, soft voice, warm breath on her cheek and tightening hold around her palm reminded her of the reason for the uncomfortable position. She opened her eyes. He was there, alive and conscious, and that knowledge sent another wave of relief over her. First when the bomb hadn't blown. Second when he hadn't died from his wounds on the way to the clinic. And then he was awake and she suddenly wanted to squeeze him. But she stopped herself, remembering his wounds.
"You better," she answered sharply, she had had enough of important people showing up in her life just to be gone seconds later. In just a few days she gained and lost a father and a brother. She also gained Kazuma and she wouldn't lose him so easily.
He opened his eyes and they stared into each other for a good while and she saw tension clearly growing on his face. That and his hand was squeezing even tighter. She understood the sentiment. "You're going to be okay. I'm not going anywhere either," she reassured him just as he reassured her and he smiled, calming down somewhat.
"I know. Thank you," he said and she couldn't help but smile back. He closed his eyes again.
Sayama kept looking at his face releasing the tension for a while still, until her back reminded her why she had really woken up in the first place.
She held her breath for a moment and turned her head upwards, changing the position of her spine slightly and released a long, silent breath shortly after. However, this didn't help much and soon, when the hold on her hand was weaker, she gently moved her palm from between Kazuma's and stood up from his bedside and stretched. She looked at him for a moment still, but he only slightly shifted, not opening his eyes. Sayama was glad he could keep resting and hoped that in spite of everything he could have pleasant dreams.