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It's been a rough couple of weeks since Kamyuhn's death.
Tsubasa knows Nozomi desperately needs something to cling onto not to lose hope, not to get drowned by the weight of that choice that broke the Rebellion apart and plunged Futurum into deep and utter chaos. She wants to pick up the pieces and give back to the planet, to the people, like she tries to make up for humanity's sin.
Building the school near the village seems to be the first step into that direction. Tsubasa isn't an architect but she helps wherever she can. The boys are fixing the walls and the roof and the rest of them craft furniture and decorations to build a place of education for the remaining children of Futurum.
It's one of those days when Nozomi and Tsubasa are at work to discuss the heating system that Nozomi suddenly starts looking unwell. The season is getting colder and work has slowed since the days got shorter, but Nozomi would stay late to prepare classrooms and books from the library for teaching.
"I'm sorry... What did you say?" Nozomi wheezes.
Tsubasa furrows her eyebrows and presses the back of her hand against Nozomi's forehead.
"You're burning up, Kirifuji-san. You should probably take a break."
"No! I'm almost done. We can't risk any more delays..." She tries to grab the papers scattered across the desk and sways.
"Kirifuji-san!"
Tsubasa is barely able to catch her before she collapses. She whimpers and weakly resists, and Tsubasa sinks to the floor to properly prop her up in her hold.
"No... Why now... I wasn't done yet..."
Nozomi sounds delirious. She groans and tries to rub her eyes but it looks more like she's trying to swat away a fly.
"Kirifuji-san... Are those rejection symptoms?"
Tsubasa barely dares to ask the question. She knows what this would mean. There aren't any commanders left anymore. There's no telling what would happen if Nozomi wasn't treated.
"I'm fine... I can still go on..."
Nozomi tries to get up but her body denies her. She grimaces and Tsubasa can tell she's in a lot of pain.
"How long have you been like this already?" Tsubasa asks. She knows those symptoms didn't just appear five minutes ago.
Nozomi blinks slowly and sighs in resignation. "Two or three days... I hoped it would just be a cold. It's gotten colder and I've always been prone to catching the flu with my immune system..."
Her eyes flutter shut and it seems she's struggling to breathe. Tsubasa feels her pulse quicken. It's not looking good for Nozomi.
"And... Hemoanima is the only thing that'll help?" Tsubasa cautiously prods.
Nozomi drags in a deep breath and nods.
"Should I call Omokage? Maybe he'll have an idea..." Tsubasa continues. It's not like Yugamu would have any quick fix for this. But she can't leave it like this. They have to do something.
"No! No. He can't know. Sumino-kun can't know either, please..." Nozomi pleads.
Tsubasa chews on her cheek. It's been so long since they killed the last commander and they haven't seen one since, and even if... They shed far too much blood on this planet already.
"Does it have to be commander blood?" Tsubasa suddenly blurts out.
Nozomi frowns. The heat practically radiates off her and it feels like she's getting worse by the minute.
"What are you suggesting? It's... far too dangerous to..." She trails off and squirms. She's wracked by tremors and sweat pools over her forehead.
"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Tsubasa tries to sound confident even though her stomach flips at the thought.
"But Kawana-san..."
"Please, Kirifuji-san. Let me do this or I'll have to call Omokage and Sumino."
Nozomi pulls a face. It looks like a pout and she struggles to force her eyes half open. "You're putting me on the spot... You're more reckless than I thought, Kawana-san."
Tsubasa doesn't feel reckless. She feels desperate. But there's no other way.
She quickly pats her pocket for her multitool. She opens it to the tiny sharp knife within and swallows thickly. Her hand starts to tremble and she grits her teeth. This is no time to be scared. Nozomi's life is on the line.
She takes a deep breath and presses the blade against her wrist. She whines when the pain surges through her brain and blood starts pooling from the cut. Exhaling shakily, she sets the tool aside and brings her bleeding wrist to Nozomi's lips.
"Don't hold back", she whispers. Tears silently run over her face and she bravely blinks them away.
Hot cracked lips meet her skin and Nozomi weakly sucks on the wound. She hums and sucks again, and again and again and with each gulp she makes a soft noise in the back of her throat.
Tsubasa starts feeling dizzy. The pull of Nozomi's blood-drinking feels strange, like a rope tied to her heart that's being pulled harshly.
Nozomi cradles Tsubasa's hand with her own, whimpering and moaning quietly. It's intimate, like a kiss, and Tsubasa's eyelids flutter. Her mind slows into a pleasant lull.
The pull gets more intense. It starts to cloud Tsubasa's vision more and more until she's sure she's seeing stars. Her heart is pounding and her body suddenly feels light.
It doesn't hurt anymore. Nozomi's tongue caresses the cut and she thinks she might be on her way to the heavens.
"Kawana-san."
Tsubasa blinks. The room comes into focus again and along with it Nozomi with wide starry eyes and a mouth full of blood.
Tsubasa barely wastes a second to think. Nozomi must've had the same thought. They meet half way, teeth knocking and noses bumping and Tsubasa has the taste of copper on her tongue, Nozomi's lips hungrily sucking on hers. They push and pull against each other for a second, the blood mixing with saliva until they part, breathing hard, collapsing against each other.
"Ah, Kawana-san... You're still bleeding..." Nozomi tugs a handkerchief out of her pocket and wraps up Tsubasa's wrist.
It's not bleeding that hard anymore. It was just a small cut and Tsubasa's own hemoanima has been at work to patch up the injury already.
"Are you feeling better?" Tsubasa asks. She feels tired. Her entire body is sore.
"Much better", Nozomi breathes out with a small giggle. That sounds much more like her again.
Tsubasa huffs in return. "Well... Now that we know this, feel free to come to me... Whenever you need to."
Tsubasa stills. Brushes a strand of silver hair out of Nozomi's face. The blood has mostly dried now, smudged like messy lipstick.
She's beautiful.
Tsubasa almost wishes she needed more of her blood.
"I will." Nozomi stares at her.
Neither of them move.
"Let's just sit for a couple more minutes", Nozomi adds.
Tsubasa nods. She can still feel Nozomi's warmth. She's not burning up anymore but she might as well be on fire.
Because she doesn't want to imagine leaving the room right now.
Or at all.