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Cold.

It enveloped his entire being as he struggled towards the light beyond the edge of the tree line. 'City lights,' he thought, eyes nearly glazed over. 'I need to see them. Just one more time...' His breath shook with each labored step toward his goal, perhaps his last one in this lifetime, red dripping off of his body and trailing behind him as he went.

It wasn't long before he collapsed against the trunk of a tree, pale orange eyes gazing out onto the illuminated cityscape. The longer he stared the more of his life flashed through his mind, like a silent moving picture in sepia tones. His breathing began to slow as he looked on weakly, the smallest of smiles touching his lips as his thoughts finally fell on her and he closed his eyes.

"Acrucis…" he whispered. Her name had never left his lips since the last day they'd seen each other, but she was always in his thoughts. Even until he was captured and tortured for information he neither had nor intended to give, and by his "allies" no less. Thoughts of her, of seeing her again, were what kept him alive until now. And in that moment, as his breathing continued to become shallow, he let his mind flood with memories of her, memories of their time together however brief.

If he had a final prayer, it would perhaps be to see her again. Just one last time.

She had been on her way back to the Oasis with her gyroscope out when a beam of bright red light shot out to the north of where she was heading and in the center orb a familiar symbol lit up. “Staurolite”

Acrucis’ heart stilled in her chest. No, not him.

Why, why was he out this far away from the city? Tears blurred her vision as panic set in causing her knees to go weak. Several weeks had passed since they last saw each other as means to keep the other safe. She had to get to him, she had to get to him now.

The first few steps were taken on shaky legs as she took off running down hill. Senshi speed meant very little when she had trouble running in a straight line without tripping over tree roots or small shrubs.

“Staurolite,” she yelled not caring if anyone else could hear. There were no signatures that she could sense but that didn’t mean civilians weren’t out here either on patrol aiding the resistance or camping, that is assuming they were stupid enough to be out here with youma around.

A dry laugh escaped him as he leaned his head back, resting it against the tree with a soft thud. Did he wish to see her that much, that his mind would hallucinate her voice? He couldn't respond, wouldn't respond out of fear of using up the last of his energy on nothing more than just his wishful imaginings. When at last he opened his eyes they were glazed over with unshed tears, blurring the city lights in the distance. He could feel himself slipping away, and on a shallow breath he said her name again, as if simply whispering it would bring her to him.

“STAUROLITE!” The sound of his name rang with sheer panic.

As she got closer to where the beam of light pointed her, Acrucis could feel his aura; at least she truly hoped it was just his and not another non powered individual looming over him as well.

Not paying attention to her surroundings was never a wise thing to do, no matter how familiar she had become over the years of the forest area they were currently in; mistakes tend to happen and people, namely her, tended to get hurt. One root bowed out of the ground just high enough for her to slam her foot under it. Both hands released the gyroscope, de-summoning it into subspace, in a failed attempt to catch herself.

The ground beneath her was much farther than she had anticipated and soon found herself rolling down a small slope. Sharp rocks and jagged branches scraped against her arms and legs till her momentum was halted by a cluster of ferns about ten feet away.

Disoriented, Acrucis winced as she tried to rise to her feet not caring about whatever injuries she had sustained. I’ve got to find him… He was near, so near, just a few more yards… Hang on please. Hang on!

"It's a little cruel..." he said quietly, willing the tears not to fall. He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a chance; wishful thinking was probably all he had left at this point, anyway. He couldn't move, he could barely stay awake, and he didn't have much time. It wouldn't kill him any faster if he called out to a hallucination, though for a second he thought that it might actually call some unnecessary attention to him. So with a deep breath he closed his eyes, his voice catching, breaking, as he called back.

"Acrucis!"

The name brought fresh tears and he let them fall. The more he thought of her the more it dawned on him that he would never see her again. His only light in such dark times, the woman he'd come to love and the only person he'd willingly put his life on the line for. He sobbed quietly at the realization that he wouldn't be here to protect her anymore, that there was nothing more he could do.

Slowly but surely his consciousness slipped away; he opened his eyes once more to see the distant city lights. It gave him a moment to whisper her name just one more time before everything went dark...

Stumbling through the trees and low shrubs it felt like someone had punched her in the stomach by the way the air was stolen from her lungs at the site of the negaverse general. Motionless and unresponsive to her nearness, the lump in the Eternal Senshi of Prayers throat grew to a suffocating size.

Three steps forward before Acrucis fell to her knees beside him. In the dim light it was almost impossible to see the wound which stained his already dark colored uniform. With shaky hands she reached out to lightly brush her fingertips against his cheek. More than anything she wished to call out to him, beg him to open his eyes, anything to get a response from him. Desires which the heart begged her to do, something her mind venomously fought to combat with years of knowledge and training on how to deal with situations like this.

The Eternal Senshi hung her head causing twin trails of tears to slid down her pale cheek from red rimmed eyes. Both hands came together and from her cracked lips she spoke the words of her strongest spell “Prayer of Sanctuary”

Beneath them, the ground around them in a ten foot radius began to glow a light yellow color as magic flowed from her creating a pattern of a crux, the constellation her homeworld belonged to. So long as he still lived the magic would work as it always had, mending the minor injuries first while simultaneously closing the moderate wounds from the inside, pushing debris and foreign objects out.

As she sat at the circles epicenter, Acrucis could feel the magic working on herself. Dull aches from her tumble, and sharp stings from the scrapes on her body, began to fade the longer the magic remained in effect.

Mere seconds felt like excruciatingly long minutes till the glow dissipated and the only light left was that which the moon bestowed upon them when the clouds opened up. Through blurry eyes, the blood stain was more visible and she worried that even if her prayer had managed to close his wounds that he may have lost too much blood, something she didn’t know if her abilities could actually restore.

Acrucis reached out to him with shaky hands and took his in her own. Pressing his palm to the side of her cheek she drew in a shaky ragged breath. “Staurolite,” she paused. “It’s me, A-Acrucis. I’m here…” Her hand tightened around his in an attempt to draw him from his unconscious state. “Tristian… it’s me, Hannah, please - please open your eyes.”

“Lord please don’t take him from me too…” Acrucis’ voice cracked. The pain in her chest hurt more than any wound she had sustained since her parents passed away. A tightness like someone had sunk their hand inside her and squeezed her starseed in an attempt to shatter it into nothing more than dust.

She leaned forward then, resting her forehead against his shoulder. “Don’t leave me…” Acrucis whispered, praying her words would reach him as he walked the line between life and death. “Please - please don’t leave me.” She repeated once more.

There was no way for him to know how long he'd been out by the time he felt a familiar warmth taking him over, not enough to stir him entirely awake, but just enough to let him know that he wasn't dead yet. The pain that had numbed his entire body had started to dull and fade away, and he could vaguely sense the presence of the one responsible. He didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was, and he relaxed as a result. Simply knowing she was there...that was enough.

The healing part was a bonus, far as he was concerned.

When at last her magic faded away, though he was physically healed he still couldn't bring himself to move just yet. There was something about nearly dying that was mentally exhausting. He was getting used to breathing properly again; it'd been awhile since he could do that. When she leaned against him, only then did he make the effort to pull her closer, straight into his arms as he powered down and was just Tristan again.

"One hell of a risk you took just now," he said weakly, eyes still closed. He couldn't help but smile, though, as he held her. The thought of other agents finding them were quickly (but only temporarily) dismissed and he just stayed still, let the quiet fall between them for a while before he broke it with a quiet whisper.

"Thank you."

Still not quite calmed down from the ordeal, Acrucis followed his lead and powered down beside him. For now they could just simply be and hopefully by shedding their powdered forms youma and agents alike would leave them alone with their signatures now hidden within.

Hannah shook her head slightly, in part drying her tears on his outermost shirt. “Had I not of had my the item from my homeworld out, I don’t think I would have found you.” her voice was both hushed and broken, terrified by the knowledge she nearly lost him. It was only because he had allowed her to use the gyroscope to read his specific signature that she knew it was him otherwise the symbol which appeared in the center orb would not have shown her who it was that had been hurt.

"I meant you were a giant beacon to my nearby comrades for nearly a minute," he replied with a chuckle. Not that he wasn't grateful, so that was all he'd say about that. He'd opened his eyes by now, and looked down at her briefly before turning his eyes to those same city lights he was bidding goodbye to just moments earlier. There was a sort of clarity as he looked on, about where his loyalties lied. His priorities.

Ever since his family was taken from him it'd always been, and would always be, to Acrucis, but he kept his position in the Negaverse ranks in an attempt to keep her safe from the inside. Now that they'd left him for dead there was nothing tethering him to them anymore, which made things at least that much...simpler.

"They think I'm dead," were the words that left him next, and his gaze stayed steady on the cityscape. "I can't power up anymore, but I won't ask for a purification. It draws too much attention and you guys can't afford to have a royal out of commission for any extended period of time."

He sighed and rested his cheek against her hair. There was a part of him that wanted to just revel in being there, with her, in the quiet. How long had it been since he'd last seen her? Since he'd last held her like this? Since they laughed together over something stupid that only they would understand? That simple life had long since been out of their reach, and he knew that in the middle of this war no matter what they did or what they said there was nothing they could do that would change that.

And so he talked shop in the hopes of getting it over with quicker so he had at least that much more time to spend with her in peace, without worrying about when he would bring it up or what he would say or how he would say it. He spoke slowly, and with an even voice.

"In this state...I can't stay, Hannah. Civilian life isn't an option, and neither is staying in your camp. I've...made my share of enemies among those in your ranks. Worrying about dissension in the middle of a war won't do anybody any good, and I won't be the reason for that. So..." He paused and let the statement hang there, pressing his lips to her temple for a second before he let the silence fall again.

What he said was true, there would be no sanctuary for him in any of the hidden camps or the Oasis within the city. “Come with me” she whispered against the fabric of his shirt.

Though her grip was weak, Hannah held onto his arm as she lifted her head and gazed at him imploringly. “I know of a place you’d be safe. It is a few miles north east of here.” Worry and desperation draped over her like a veil, shrouding the one once warm and welcoming smile she use to wear when she visited the coffee and book shop his family once owned.

Safe.

It was a relative term, these day. Safe from what, exactly? Or rather, from whom? It was hard to believe there was any place the Negaverse didn't have influence over. And if any small groups of Order settled in any one place it was only a matter of time before the Negaverse reached out and swallowed them whole. Still, he wanted to hope.

So he did. And if there was anything he ever set his hopes on, it was only on the things Acrucis ever brought to his attention.

Tristan caught the look in her eyes and gave her a little squeeze, as if to say that he didn't want to leave just yet. They would, eventually, but for now he wanted to rest a little bit more. Just a little bit longer together, since he knew that once they arrived at this sanctuary that apparently existed under the radar of his ex-comrades she wouldn't be able to stay long.

"Just let me rest a bit longer," he said quietly, nuzzling into her hair. "And then we can go…"

Hannah had opened her mouth to object; he himself had said that there were other officers likely nearby. But when he held her close, there was little she could deny him; especially when deep in her heart she wanted to stay right where they were too.

Resigned to remain where they were for at least a little while, she settled more comfortably beside him. Periwinkle strands of hair flitted in the light wind yet neither of them paid it any mind.

Weary blue eyes slid behind closed lids and for the time being, till he was ready, she concentrated on steady beat of his heart and even breaths, finding comfort in the fact he was still alive. She had come far too close to losing him; and though he was still here, she couldn’t stymie the warm tears that silently spilled from her eyes which blotted his shirt with their saltiness.

Yes, because he asked it of her, she would stay beside him till he was ready.

I love you she mentally confessed, knowing that even if she were to try and speak those three words, the lump in her throat alone would keep her silent.