[It's soft, vulnerable - but it's the truth. He swallows hard, drawing Akira closer to himself, even as his wounds bleed and scream in pain.
He doesn't want to leave Akira either - to leave him alone here, so close to the end, when both of them were so tired, leaning and relying on each other to be their points of light in this place, their hope -
But there's no choice. The only other outcome is him winning, and that's an outcome he refuses to accept. He will never allow himself to be the winner, not at the expense of everyone else there including the person in his arms, who's breaking and grieving at the future and this tragedy.
And Ichigo is nothing if not self-sacrificing.]
I'm...sorry, Akira.
[He doesn't even know why he's apologizing, but in the moment? It feels like he should. To apologize for leaving him behind? For not being able to escape his attacker or injure them non-lethally? For the fact that they're both trapped in this game, unable to escape, unable to be happy together and be the young adults they both are?
Maybe it's for all of them, but he can't say. He places his lips on the top of Akira's head - not moving for a long moment, silently thinking of everything to come.]
no subject
[It's soft, vulnerable - but it's the truth. He swallows hard, drawing Akira closer to himself, even as his wounds bleed and scream in pain.
He doesn't want to leave Akira either - to leave him alone here, so close to the end, when both of them were so tired, leaning and relying on each other to be their points of light in this place, their hope -
But there's no choice. The only other outcome is him winning, and that's an outcome he refuses to accept. He will never allow himself to be the winner, not at the expense of everyone else there including the person in his arms, who's breaking and grieving at the future and this tragedy.
And Ichigo is nothing if not self-sacrificing.]
I'm...sorry, Akira.
[He doesn't even know why he's apologizing, but in the moment? It feels like he should. To apologize for leaving him behind? For not being able to escape his attacker or injure them non-lethally? For the fact that they're both trapped in this game, unable to escape, unable to be happy together and be the young adults they both are?
Maybe it's for all of them, but he can't say. He places his lips on the top of Akira's head - not moving for a long moment, silently thinking of everything to come.]
I'm sorry.