az: Hina's side of Ankh's Death piece.

Selfish

Written by Izzu

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"What's wrong about desiring more? Eiji... Ankh-chan... your brother, you should want them all to come back! You really should be properly selfish!"

Was it really all right? Could she really allow herself to do what she wants? Because she did not want to hurt Eiji, because she did not want to hurt Ankh... because she did not want to abandon her brother, was why she had repressed herself. Enough sacrifice has been made by all of them, just for once... allow herself to also take up the burden held by them! There was no need for her alone to be the only one protected.

"It's all right. Hina, you... You should just do what you want."

Hina looked down towards the medal holder in her hands. That was why you left this to me, right... brother? Ankh was so distraught. In such situation, would it not be possible for her brother to control his body back in that split chance available? Knowing her brother, he would also want her to continue looking out for Ankh as well. Right now, compared to Eiji... Ankh was all alone by himself. In this situation, she should not let Ankh continue being alone to fend for himself.

And also... there were several other things. She needed to clear everything between her and Ankh. So that she would not regret not doing anything later.

Hina opened the holder as she took out a cell medal. She inserted it into the Machine Vendor before pushing the Hawk button. A Hawk can came out as Hina took it out and activated it.

"Please... find Ankh for me?"

xxx

The hawk candroid lead her deeper out of the city and into the forest areas. So far out away from any obvious residential or business areas, Hina had a bad feeling about this. Why would Ankh be in places like this? Did something happened to him?

When she finally found him, Hina's heart skipped a bit. Ankh had been lying against a tree, he did not looked so good. In addition, those cell medals trailing away from him...

She gasped.

"You... why did you come here?"

Ankh's voice sounded so weak. It was as if he had barely the strength to even talk.

"I was looking for you. Seeing as to how things been happening to Eiji lately..."

Ankh asked why, so she said the closest reason she could think off. Even though truthfully, she had not come here to just talk. She wanted to apologise for earlier, to tell Ankh what her real wish was... a lot of other things she never could tell before. But she did not want Ankh to push her away immediately so...

Those cell medals on the ground gave her some ominous feelings. Ankh would never had allowed those medals lying around messily like that normally. They were important to him. If those medals were like blood, this much amount... could it be—she knelt and picked some up.

"This... did something happened?"

"It's nothing—" Ankh paused, as Hina noticed how he seemed to be hiding something. Have Ankh... been attacked by someone earlier? Did Eiji—but then why would he not tell her anything?

"This body is fine. Don't worry about it."

Don't worry? Seeing as her brother had miraculously cured of his injuries the other time when Ankh had been forcefully taken away, Hina had a feeling that Ankh had the ability to not just speed up the healing of her brother's body but also allowing the body to be able withstand injuries normally would have been fatal to her brother. Considering that Ankh did not seem to have shown any obvious injuries aside from the cell medals around him, it must be that... it was not her brother's body that was weakened...

"I was asking about you... Ankh."

Ankh had slowly gotten himself up again. What she suspected was correct, there was something wrong with Ankh. It was not just his voice that seemed so weak, he could barely even stand... yet why was he trying to act like there was nothing wrong with him?

"Soon, you can have him back."

Those words seemed to have a strange effect on her. A part of her was glad that Ankh no longer want to press her about the issue, yet another part—it sounded as if Ankh was going to go to a place far away.

She did not want that!

xxx

"—Dying... huh?"

She could not believe what she was hearing. Just now... Ankh was saying that his core—was it breaking or not? Why did Ankh acted as if it was okay if he truly disappeared for good? Was he giving up on living? What was that phrase... just piles of medals? Ankh was not just piles of medals to them—not to Eiji, her brother, Date-san... Gotou-san. Not to Chiyoko-san, and especially... not to her.

Even if Ankh was still a Greeed, to them he was still someone important. He existed. Certainly his loss would be mourned.

Ankh kept on walking as Hina followed him.

"Ankh, where you're going?"

"I'm going back. As long as I'm not by his side, he'll keep on getting into a lot of mess … would he? That useful blockhead."

Hina stopped in her tracks as she continued watching Ankh's retreating back. Wondering... if her wish of wanting everyone to return out of this battle alive could be granted.

Hopefully it does.