With all has happened with Tereko, Akagi just sat numbly over the couch, staring up at the ceiling, without any physical respond, letting the drugs calming his system from the massive panic-attack he had few moments ago.
*Knock*
While the room was silent, a knocked appeared at Akagi's door.
"Maybe It's Tereko."
Akagi mumbled, stood up, answer the door,
"Grab him!"
"What the fuck!? Hey!?"
When Akagi unlocked, couple of trained Imperial Soldiers barged in, first put a Mutant Restrainer on Akagi's neck, pinned him tight on the ground, put a hood over his head then took him away in a very professional manner.
'What a familiar situation. But different prospective and scenario.'
Akagi thought, while been dragged by the Brittonia Imperial guards, remember about the situation when he was abducted by The Spectres many years ago. Like that time, Akagi had no plan to counter, too tired to think, wavering about the future, he knew he fucked up, Ichiro made his move, decided have Akagi executed for better and that exactly what he'd predicted.
The Imperial guards moved out from his penthouse to a firing squad, tied to a pole, blindfolded.
Imperium Brittonia's form of capital punishment, firing squad. The method is often the supreme punishment or disciplinary means employed by the Imperium's military courts for crimes such as cowardice, desertion, espionage, murder, mutiny, or treason.
Lastly, when Akagi's nothing to hope for, waiting for the gunmen to fire couple of bullets into his chest, he mused, represent his point of view about his cruel, heartless world within his rational brain,
'For all these years I thought my life is a cluster-fuck now I realise it's a big fucking joke. Leaving me with two choice, either die like a fucking loser or make my own destiny that I be remembered for centuries. Then again, I wonder, who we to decide what's wrong and what's right? We're all nothing but matter and energy and eventually the universe is going to die as if we never existed, so what's the point in trying to hope and fantasize in a world full of suffering and destruction where morality is dictated by force?'
When fighting squad just about to pull the trigger, the time begun to slow down.
Within the dripping nanoseconds Tereko interfered, cut off the head of the executioners, free Akagi and evacuate him, slowing all in her path using her Hikaru-Eye.
"W-what? Tereko?"
Akagi extremely bugs out, when his eyes were open, been carried by Tereko's shoulder,
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think? I am getting you out of here."
"Hey stop her!"
"Open fire!"
As the other Guardsmen realise what is happening, they prepare to ambush them, cornering them with gun blazed at every direction. Tereko Hikaru-Eye activates again, easily evaded every pending bullets.
"Don't use your Hikaru constantly, it could—"
"— I know.... But I have to get you out of here."
Tereko's Blue Hikaru's limitation whenever she uses to slow time, her heart raises two times than usual, constant use of her ability could cause a cardiac arrest, she didn't care less.
"But why me? I... I was lying for the whole time."
"Maybe It's true but I refused to believe what you'd says."
Despite Akagi's protests, Tereko uses the Hikaru constantly, slicing up every enemies that came across.
Uses it to such an extent that it overtaxes her heart, managing to escape their pursuers.
When the relentless pursuit was over, Tereko drops Akagi down in an alley, extremely exhausted, her eyes went dry, constantly panting, tightly gripped around her chest.
"Why did you do that for?"
"Because you were angry back then, sorry for the delay but there is something you need to know."
Tereko replied, slowly leaned back to the wall, finally resting, dark shades appeared behind her eyes, nevertheless she intends to tell Akagi about she'd recently knows,
"Athena... Athenaeum's leader Misaki 'Athena' Mayumi, Imperial Military Police knows her location, they send Nobeshiba and armed squad to hunt her down in Imperium Museum while she is vulnerable."
"That's enough, you need to rest."
Akagi said, his hand cradles her cheek it's hard for him to expression sympathy, nevertheless he is grateful what she'd done.
"Thank you for saving my life. After what I said, what I did to you... I am sorry."
"It's all our nature, telling all that bad stuff when you're upset, but never truly meant it, like you never meant it when you said those to me..."
Akagi went speechless, oblivion what to answer as Tereko states that she refuses to believe that, although Akagi meant what he said back then.
"Yes, you got me, maybe I overreacted it, scorning you is not right, you deserve much better."
Watching her sleepy eyes, about to shut, Akagi told her that she's right, recognizing in his thoughts the lie he'd just told even then.
"Ha-he, don't make me laugh at this grim situation."
Tereko chuckled for a while then went quiet for sudden, slowly leaning forward towards Akagi's lips and whispered, her warm breath was felt to Akagi,
"I still love you Akagi Shinsuke even you didn't, I do."
And kisses him, cradled his neck, despite content in the knowledge that the time she spent with Akagi was real and, while she may have been used as a tool by everyone around her, possibly even Akagi himself.
Akagi stayed quiet embrace the kiss, let his lips comfort her,
When the kiss ended, Tereko took her last breath, died in a corner of an allay.
"Goodbye, Shiori, Tereko."
Akagi murmured, closing Tereko's eyes after death, stood up gazed upon the sky and thought,
'Maybe I am a complete monster who wants to destroy everyone in the story, has to be killed to stop his destruction spree, that led to his tragic end, though it is thinking of a loser, a real winner always thinks, overcome the obstacles to make the world what it truly needs. Misaki, I am coming for you."