Her heart ached, to see him this way.
“Don’t look at me like that…” She murmured quietly, casting her glance away to prevent him from doing so. “To think of losing you, in and of itself, grieves me to the core as it is, and…you would have me go on in a world where everyone else was lost? A world where-” Her voice faltered fearfully, “-where I’d be all alone…”
She was frustrated with herself suddenly, for having not impressed sufficiently upon him the importance of his survival, to this, where she was finding the most desperate and base of reasons within herself true as they were, and she realized-
-did she want him to feel guilty?
Maybe.
He deserved so much better than this.
She let go abruptly,
and ran.
Leaped from the rooftop to that of their next-door dorm and ran inside, downstairs, found her room.
She did not know if she wished to dream tonight, but she would sleep, if anything.
Minato was stunned for a moment before he yelled out. “Aigis! Wait!” it was no use. “…please. I love you.”
Why he thought that would do anything, he didn’t know. Maybe he just wanted to say it one more time.
It was so crazy. What did most people who cared about each other at this age fight about? Parents? dates? TVs shows? Here, he was asking a robot designed to protect him not to do just that.
It was stupid, incredibly stupid even. Aigis was probably their best fighter and bringing her along would no doubt increase their chances of survival.
But…
Minato’s mind flashed back to that battle. She had been lucky then, but what if she had become irreversably damaged? Even worse, what if she became damaged in such a way that she lost her heart? What if winning meant losing her.
Regardless, he had to find Aigis. To make things right somehow. He didn’t know how. She couldn’t stand to see him hurt and he couldn’t stand the exact same thing. But no matter what, he didn’t want to spend what could be his final days with Aigis hating him.
It took him awhile to get down from the rooftop (The fire escape did not feel particularly safe) but he finally got to his dorm. To Akihiko’s usual ‘where have you been?’ which felt like it had a conspiratorial wink to it this time, he only asked if Akihiko had seen Aigis. He had, of course, not.
Maybe she went in through a window or something. Minato briefly entertained fears of Aigis running away, never to be seen again. That was stupid though, even if he were to ignore the very reason they were fighting. She needed to come back here to recharge.
Finally he came to Aigis’ door. “Aigis?” he said, knocking on her door.
No answer.
“Aigis?” he asked again, another knock.
No answer.’
The door across creaked open for Yukari to look out and when Minato’s eyes met with her, Yukari’s gaze only said I know you did something wrong.
Harsh, but fair.
Minato supposed the only thing left to do was to wait for her here. So, as Yukari closed the door. He leaned against the wall from Aigis’ room and waited for her to either come through the hall or out of the room.
And waited.
And waited.
God he had had a stressful day.
That was probably why he eventually fell asleep while looking out for Aigis.
"Minato! Minato!" She shouted his name again and again, shaking his shoulders with increasing urgency, "Please, don't-" She didn't know what to do, what was happening, why it was happening, "-don't close your eyes!"
His body was warm and sticky with blood, his bangs plastered to his forehead with a layer of grime and sweat that did not belong.
Minato should be clean and comfortable and warm,
not this.
Not covered in the red life of others, of himself, not sprawled halfway over the unforgivingly hard ground and what little comfort her lap could provide,
and most of all, not so cold, icy to the touch-
"Ai...hhs..." His voice is so weak but the word is enough to break her heart, how his eyes are looking at her (but not really) and all of a sudden he just
stops
Aigis screamed.
Her fingers dent the armrests of her maintainence chair as a single, protracted, guttural scream escapes her lips, her throat, her body, seizing and shaking as liquid electricity crackles down her spine before she stills, eyes wide open, lips parted.
