dying and idiotic

by NiNA_eN

This is the least she can do. –hints Chrome Dokuro/Yamamoto Takeshi. TYL/TYE.

warnings: possible character death.

She is dying.

She knows it in the rupture of her bones, the bruises across her face, and the blood that pools copiously from her ragged frame and continually forces itself through her lips in explosive torrents.

She is dying.

Matchstick legs venture fourth, and she winces.

She has twisted an ankle.

Breathes shallowly, ignores that one of her broken ribs is pointing inwards, scratching dangerously against a lung.

Swings wide, trident sparking streams of white-hot flames from its tip, wrists click.

Bares her teeth, one arm is fractured, in a sling and useless.

She's not going down without a fight.

Screams echo and real flames lick at the sky. The floor judders, dust falls and she has not the energy to even curse.

Someone is going wild in the floor above and she fervently hopes her family on the winning side.

Leaning heavily on her trident, she coughs lightly and surveys the surroundings.

Heart pumps, lung contracts and that bone is digging in viciously.

She's nearly done here, distracted the enemy enough that Boss can make it to the top floor and the stolen documents stored in the vault up there - there are no more streaming from the many doors, as they all lie at her feet: burnt flesh, contorted expressions, hollowed eyes that have seen the depths of her hell.

If she's going to die, she can at least do this much.

oh you have got to be -

Her gaze is hazy; she falls, catches herself by pushing the trident further into the ground, legs spread wide and planted firmly.

Pain careens through her veins at the added pressure to her ankle, grits her teeth.

- this is ridiculous.

She topples.

She blinks, a thin film of red over her vision.

Soft grass tickles her from beneath, through her thin and torn clothing, and the sky stretches clear, blue and endless, before her. Gone is the sound of explosions, roaring flames and shouts; it's frighteningly silent compared to before. A gentle wind blows, rustles the leaves of the trees through her peripheral vision and the wayward strands across her one blurred eye.

Footsteps suddenly near and she tenses.

"D-Dokuro?"

Ah, that voice.

Barely has enough strength to, but she tilts her head.

She is right.

Yamamoto Takeshi - a younger one, than she's used to - stares at her in frozen shock, is by her side in a second, hovers. Her blood seeps into his uniform.

Ignores that, smiles gently.

She's suddenly ten years in the past, it seems, but she doesn't care what-why-how-only-

Unbidden, one hand slowly catches his sleeve, fingers curled slightly.

He looks confused, horrified, terrified; rips his gaze away and shouts and shouts.

More pounding footsteps; a younger Hayato-san is taken back for a moment, a younger Boss stumbles, their mouths dropped open and gaping like goldfish - and she almost wants to laugh, a sort of morbid humour at these otherwise comedic actions at this woman's deathroll.

Then -

"H-hey, idiot, what the fuck happened?"

Eyes flash, voice mobilizes, rings out stridently.

"Hayato-san."

They all freeze: such a firm voice for someone so near dying.

Hands, so strengthless a moment ago, reach up and cup his face; he still hovers at her side.

"He may be an idiot –"

Pulls his face down, kisses him; he's frozen, her blood pressed to his lips.

"- but he's my idiot."

She smiles, eyes close.

Murmurs, a quiet apology, for most probably scarring the hell out of him, for slipping away and staying behind in the chaos, when he'd expressedly forbade her to -

This is the least she can do.

- Takeshi is going to kill her.

Because i wanted Chrome to be badass/say that single line against Gokudera lol. Was meant to be longer but ran out of inspiration halfway... so yeah, a short, pointless piece, I guess :P

An experimental writing style.

Edit* to Blue Quartz Foxy: main plot elements are TYL!Chrome's sense of backbone/selfsacrifice (slipping away to stay behind to fend off enemies alone and her future relationship with Yamamoto (having always wanted to defend him to Gokudera.) It all just comes down to the summary really, "this is the least she can do."