Slowly I woke up. Y/n was still here but, she was so much closer than I remembered her being. I looked at the clock "eight thirty huh" I could smell the freshness of her new clothes, and the rose scented wash she used still lingered, especially on her hair. I felt my fingers interlocked with her own. She was shorter than me by a lot more than I first thought. Come to think of it, she's about the same height as kuon. I sighed and rested my head on the back of hers for a while, hearing everyone slowly waking up.
Eventually yuri came around the corner seeing us both. Oh god I feel embarrassed, that's so uncool. "Eeee oh my god, I knew it" she giggled. I put a finger to the lips on my mask to signal that we should let her sleep. She covered her mouth and nodded slowly creeping away. I held her with a protective grip. It wasn't strong, I was barely touching her, but I need to protect her no matter what. Maybe we were friends, maybe more than that, hell maybe we were engaged... but that's wishful thinking.
My hat fell off of my head. "Whoops" I reached to stop it from rolling off and succeeded but that came with a drawback. "Huh? Y-Yu?" Y/n had stirred quite a bit in her sleep just then. I gotta be more careful in future. "Yeah?" I waited for a reply only to notice that she'd rolled so that she was facing me and was still asleep. Wait ... does that mean that she was talking about me in her sleep??
I felt a little flustered and I don't know why, I can always keep my cool in any situation so why not now? I sighed putting my hat behind me and letting go of her hand wrapping my arms around her waist to hold her closer to me. It was at this moment I vowed to protect her. She can't die. She never will. Because I won't let her.
—the group move on and start walking towards the railgun building—
Regular PoV
I stretched my arms behind my head reaching one arm at a time up to the sky and taking a deep breath in, then back out. "The air is so fresh up here, don't you think kuon?" She simply nodded. "Mhm" is she ok? What's going on? "Psst hey kuon, are you alright, you've been weirdly quiet today, you look kinda sad, can I help?" I whispered, I more than anyone else knew that sometimes you keep these things between two people.
We entered a building complex looking for masks that could converse and kuon led me to a bathroom, telling the others we were both just going to pee. "What's up? Can I help in any way? I already told you I'd pay any price for you saving me" she sighed. "Any price?" I nodded with a determined look in my eyes, but to tell the truth, if it was this important, to randomly pull me aside, I was terrified. A single bead of sweat rolled down my cheek. "Any price at all, name it and... I'll do it for you" she sighed. "Well, I don't mean to sound rude when I ask this, and I want you to give me the full truth, ok" I was tense, but nodded. "Do you.... have feelings for mr mask at all?" I froze in place.
Why would she ask this? Was there something I wasn't getting? Was romance forbidden in the group or something? "I- uhhh..... I think I do" I mumbled looking at myself in the large mirror that covered the wall next to us. "I remember something, I can't see what we were doing clearly but I know we were holding hands, we were teenagers, and we were on the beach I think? I just.... I know I have a special connection with him, I just don't know how to act on it, or wether the feelings are real, or wether they're reciprocated" I covered my mouth. "Sorry I'm rambling, was there something else you neede-." She looked more devastated now. "So.... you do" I held the tie he'd given me and sighed. "Yeah... I do"
She chuffed. "Well then, this is what I want, I want you to pay back your debt to me here and now" I stepped back a little. "Huh? Right now? It's not combat? Or life? Or... sacrifice?" I was gripping the tie loosely. "You'll still be sacrificing something... you're not the only one who has feelings for... for mr mask, so I ask you this one thing..... sacrifice your life with him and leave him be" she looked hurt that she was even saying it to me. Like she'd pondered it for a while and didn't want to. "Wait kuon you're not saying I shou-"
"Y/n.... I want you to be a complete stranger to the sniper mask" I gripped the tie much harder weary that I'd tear it in two. "But kuon, you know I can't" I breathed my heart thumping, I knew that if I couldn't persuade her by the time she left this bathroom, then I'd be a complete stranger to Yu for the rest of time itself. "You said you'd do anything right? I didn't want to make this happen but.... I can't stand it, even if he hates me for it I can't stand whenever I see you two being intimate with eachother... do that one thing for me, and your debt is paid" I was frozen in place. "Kuon wait!"
...
It was too late... she made her decision... i was going to be a complete stranger to the one I cared about most... I was going to leave behind the one I wanted to protect... I had to leave everything I'd remembered about us out the door... was that it? We're we over?
I have to say goodbye to the one I love
Tears spilled from my eyes as I stared blankly at the bathroom door, hoping to god that kuon, the one who saved me, would come back in, and apologise, withdraw her statement, I don't want that to happen, I'd have to ignore him, every time he talks to me I feel so much love inside me... I'd have to be a complete stranger.... I'd have to be alone...
Again
My head started to hurt from suppressing my sobs of anger, of self hatred, of love, and of heartbreak.... I couldn't go agains it. Not only because I owed her so much... but because since she sealed away my powers....
She dominated me...
She controlled me...
I have to do what she says...
I have...
No choice
I gulped down the lump in my throat and wiped away the tears still breathing heavily as I accepted it... he'd be happier right? With kuon... she's stronger than me... she's out of my league... I can't beat that... I can't compare to her. This is my fate with the sniper mask... I have to leave him alone... I have to ignore him... and I have to join the group again, a complete stranger to him.
I took a deep breath adjusting my hat to cover my eyes from everyone's gaze opening the door and rejoining the group following Ein back to them.
"Hey y/n are you feeling alright? What's the matter?" Just his voice was enough to make my heart break ten times over. I grabbed the pistol from one of the masks yuri had beaten and asked her if I could keep it, of course she said yes, she's nice, so nice...
I completely ignored Yu- the mask behind me and carried on walking adjusting my hat again and stuffing my hands in my pockets as I walked, fists clenched behind the fabric. That was painful enough, not being able to turn around and laugh it off with him, let him know I'd always be there to protect him, no... I had to "ARGGH" I fell to the floor grabbbing my head. "Son of a bitch" Yuri and Y- the mask had rushed over to help. "Y/n are you feeling ok? What just happened?" Yuri asked "I, I'll be fine" I groaned again, what's happening to me? "Mask defect detected, hibernation initiating in three hours" everyone gasped yuri holding a hand over her mouth. "Hibernation?" I asked. "What's that? What's happening to ARGGH"
"Miss y/n l/— — —, you have experienced extreme emotions, the mask cannot regain complete conscience controll, suicide command, kill command, anger command, and Despair command have all been disabled and cannot be recovered. Hibernation will begin in the hours" I held my head throbbing from the pain. "Damn" I pressed my eyes shut and regained my senses. "Son of a fucking bitch, that hurt" I took a deep breath opening my eyes and shakily standing up. Stabilising myself against the wall. "Y/n are you alright?" Yu asked holding my shoulder, I could feel the cogs of kuons command turning in my brain. I shrugged off his hand. "I'm fi- nngh. I'm fine" I started limping forward leaving everyone slightly behind. "We should keep moving, it'll be getting dark soon"
My brain felt woozy, what's happening to me... and all at once... damnit dealing with this debt command was bad enough. Now this? I don't even. Know what's going on. "Y/n, stop" I turned to mayuko. "Huh?" She looked worried, I don't know mayuko too well, why was she so worried. "We need to stay here for the night, me and Ein will go patrolling, you yuri, sniper mask, and kuon will stay in a room ready for your hibernation. I glared at the floor. "Right, fine. But what does hibernation do exactly?" She let out a small sigh. "If you're not saved from your masked self in your mind by one that's close to god you.... hibernation will shut down all your bodily functions until you die.... both me and sniper mask went through it, let us do this for you"
I gave a huge sigh. "Right, let's find a room then" I spared a short glance at Yu he was just staring his hands in his pockets, I couldn't see his face but the gaze I could see from his eyes, it was a mix of sadness and concern. I looked away from him without a word and followed mayuko and yuri to a room with a sofa and some other comforters like beanbags and single chairs. Still in pain I let myself fall onto a beanbag and held my head. "Let me get you some water" yuri offered, I nodded and let her bring me some, drinking it all at once. I still felt woozy. Everything was fading in and out but that damn pain in my head wasn't.
It was getting worse. "God someone just knock me out already" I mumbled holding my head "we're not doing that!" Sniper called from the next room. I rolled my eyes knowing I couldn't make a single remark back. "Nngh fuck" the pain got worse.
"High teir emotions detected, defective mask termination protocol installed, hibernation will begin in five minutes" I cursed the world. "Damn you, stupid brain" I took off my hat laying it down on the floor next to the water glass and put a hand on my forhead. "I have to trust you all to save me.... again" I mumbled feeling a fever crawl over my body like a crashing wave as my limbs went limp and I fell unconscious.
"Fuck Y/N!" was the last thing I heard from him.. from Yu.