Dream
"All of your friends are dead, and now it falls to you. The last Uchiha, what a joke." My eyes scan the area, the lifeless bodies of Rias and her entire peerage resting in my view. "The end of two bloodlines has finally arrived. Uchiha, Himejima, once this is over nobody will remember anything of either clan."
"Come out of the darkness and show me who you are, unless you're too much of a coward."
"Simple enough." The silhouette comes into view, an armored figure standing before me.
"Vali, you did this?"
"You knew what would happen if you got in our way. I'm going to do what should have been done a long time ago." Without a trace, the wind is knocked out of me, and my knees crash to the ground. "Time to end your worthless existence, and once you're done, nobody will be able to stop me." His foot crashes into my jaw, everything in view immediately going black.
Dream Over
"Dammit!" I sit up in a cold sweat and examine my surroundings. The first thing that occurs to me is that I'm alive, and looking back at the bed I see Akeno peacefully sleeping next to me. I place a hand on her shoulder and gently shake her awake. "Hey, Akeno, wake up."
"What do you want Y/N?" She rubs her eyes and her face lights up. "Y/N!" She puts her arms around me and pulls me close to her. "I didn't know if you were going to make it."
"I guess someone healed me from the wound caused by Fenrir." I look down at my chest and see nothing indicating I had even been in battle. "I feel like shit."
"It's still the middle of the night, I'm sure you're just tired."
"No, that's not it. Remember when you asked what Loki meant?" Akeno's face turns to one of worry. "I hate to say it, but I don't think I'll ever be able to fight again."
"Why not?"
"You know how I was going blind from overusing my Sharingan, but that's not the only problem I have. My dad ended up passing down a rare disease to me that's been slowly killing me over the last few years. The difference between this and my blindness is that there is nothing that can be done about it. If I enter another battle like the one against Loki, or even at the same level of Kokabiel, I'll die." Akeno stays silent for a minute before responding to me.
"Why didn't you tell me before now?"
"I didn't want you to worry about me. I could have told you when we reunited, but I didn't want to force you into accepting me after what I did to you." I lay back down and stare at the ceiling. "You've never needed me Akeno. Not then, not now, not ever. I could have stayed out of your life for a hundred years and you could have lived with the solace that I was dead. I wanted to use the short time I had left to let you know that I still loved you, even if you hated me more than anything in the world."
"Everything I did was to protect you. Putting a large target on myself made you think I was completely lost in my power. You spent eight years without me, growing and becoming the strong young woman that I have the pleasure of calling my sister. No matter what happened to me, I know that if I never found you, you would be better off for it, but my selfishly took that away from you."
"Stop!" Akeno's cry catches me off guard as I see tears forming in her eyes. "Stop saying that I don't need you because I do Y/N! Do you think the last eight years were easy for me? You couldn't be further from the truth. I missed my older brother who would help me with my hair and remind me that no matter what I deserved to live. Whenever I had a nightmare I could wake you up and ask if you would hold me until I went back to sleep. I spent the most developmental years of my life without the only person who understood me 100%, and I hated almost every fucking moment of it!" I quickly sit up and embrace her.
"I had no idea you felt this way Akeno, I'm sorry." Her head rests against my shoulder as her tears drop onto my skin. "I know my life won't last much longer, but I'll be at your beck and call until that time comes." A few minutes go by and her crying begins to slow. "It's all going to be okay now. We should get back to sleep."
"Don't let me go Y/N." We lay down and she buries her head against me.
"I won't, I promise."
The Next Morning
"Y/N, are you awake yet?" My eyes flutter open as Akeno's voice sings into my ears.
"Yeah." She lifts her head and smiles when she looks at me. "Are you feeling better now?"
"I am. I guess I never took the time to vent to anyone and was holding that for too long. I wish I had said something earlier."
"It's all in the past now, no good worrying about it." Akeno sits up and hangs her legs off the bed.
"This is one of those mornings where I really miss Mom and Dad." She turns her head back to me. "I've been wondering, what do you think would have happened if the events of that night never occurred?"
"I've never bothered thinking about it. We never would have been able to escape this life that we're living now, I know that much. Whether it's the two of us or they were still here, we would still be in the middle of a lot of shit between the factions. Things would be different for sure, but it's not something I care to think about."
"I guess you're right." I stand and walk toward the balcony, taking in the fresh air of morning in the Underworld. As my arms begin to rest on the railing my head slumps down, the fatigue from the day prior still holding me back. Everything stays silent for a while, but eventually, it is broken by the doors behind me opening up.
"Breakfast is served Y/N."
"Thanks, but I'm not hungry." The doors close and I feel a hand on each of my shoulders.
"I figure I should let you know that I heard you and Akeno last night, including when you spoke of your disease." I turn around and face Grayfia. "I haven't told my husband yet, but I feel you should. Research and medicine here are much further beyond anything you'll find in the Human Realm."
"You think I haven't tried that yet? I don't have the energy to fight anymore, let alone go on an adventure for a chance that I find a cure. Besides, Sirzechs would rather me be dead anyway."
"That's not true," Grayfia responds. "Your actions have changed his opinion of you, quite drastically I might add."
"Is that what he told you to tell me?"
"I've no reason to lie to you Y/N. Since I first met you I've never had a problem with you, even if there were many reasons to have one." She leans against the railing next to me. "You're not the only one who has been on the wrong side against Sirzechs."
"I'm not going to marry him as you did though." The silver-haired maid laughs. "He has bigger issues to worry about than making sure I'm going to live."
"If you don't tell him then I'll tell Akeno the same thing I told you. She'll go to Sirzechs if I bring it up to her."
"I guess I'm not allowed to die in peace then." Grayfia walks toward the doors. "I'm going to stay out here and think about some things. If you don't mind, I'm still going to skip breakfast."
"If that's what you want." Grayfia leaves me to myself and I look back out over the Underworld. The luster begins to wear off and I return indoors, taking myself to the shower to try and clean myself up. Once the water hits my skin a deep exhale escapes my lungs as I think over what Grayfia said. While it goes against everything I believe in to trust Sirzechs to help me, she seemed adamant that he would help me if I reached out to him. Those thoughts get pushed away quickly as someone comes into the room. I hear clothes hit the ground and the shower door opens, revealing a naked Rias.
"I was wondering where you were."
"Akeno and Grayfia didn't tell you?" Rias shakes her head and comes my way.
"They respect your privacy, not like me." Her arms creep around my shoulders and she lays her head against me. "What are you up to?"
"Debating if your brother would save my life if I asked him to."
"Akeno said something was wrong with you when you were taken out last night, but she said she didn't know anything about it." I briefly explain my situation to Rias, making sure to let her know that I'll be unable to fight for the foreseeable future. "Would you feel better if I talked to him?"
"No, it's something I'll have to do myself." I turn the water off and lean my head down. "I've always hated asking for help, even if I'm going to die."
"You're only going to hurt yourself if you continue to be stubborn about it. The least you can do is bring it up and see what he says." Rias puts a hand on my cheek. "I know Akeno would want you to as well, so at the very least, you should do it for her. I'll leave you to yourself." Rias leaves the shower and closes the door behind her, leaving me to my thoughts once again. After getting myself dressed I leave the bedroom and head toward Sirzechs's office. Once I reach the door I hesitate to knock, but eventually my hand taps against the door.
"Come on in." I walk inside and Sirzechs looks surprised to see me. "Y/N, I can't say I was expecting to see you up so soon."
"A dog bite wouldn't keep me down for long." I take a seat at the desk. "Look, I'm just going to level with you. I'm dying, and you're the only person who can help me. Grayfia said you would be willing to help me, so I've decided to come to ask."
"Go on."
"I have a disease that was passed down to me by my father, and it's ultimately what ended his life. If I were to enter another fight that was anywhere near the caliber of that one, I would end up croaking before it ends." I put my hands on the desk. "I'm desperate Sirzechs, and I wouldn't have come to you if I had any other way to save myself."
"I see." Sirzechs stands up. "You know my opinion on you, that much is clear. That being said, I know that there are enough people who would be upset with me if I didn't go out of my way to help you. I'll speak with Azazel and Ajuka, and between the two of them, I think we'll be able to find something to help you."
"Thank you Sirzechs. What should I do while I wait?" He comes my way.
"Just take it easy, it doesn't do you any good to die before there's something that can be done about it." Sirzechs reaches a hand out and helps me stand up. "It's been taking me some time, but I'm starting to accept your relationship with Rias. You make her happy, more than you can realize. Once this is over, all I can ask is that you take care of her."
"If you save my life, then that's the least I can do." Sirzechs walks me to his office door.
"I'm glad. Now go get some more rest, I can tell that you're exhausted still."
Later That Night
"Y/N, come with me." I follow Sirzechs out of my room and he takes me to his office where Azazel and Ajuka are waiting. "Gentleman, tell Y/N what you've come up with." I sit next to Azazel.
"Here's the situation Y/N. We can help you, but there is a chance that there could be more harm than good. We can get rid of the disease, but we'll have to dig deep into your mind and body to get it all out. Your body would come out much better, but there's a chance your mind could be severely damaged."
"Just spit it out Azazel." The fallen angel sighs.
"You would have to relearn how to do everything. Your memories would stay intact, but as far as most physical actions, you would have to go back through that process to learn how to do all of that again."
"Is that it?" Azazel nods. "I'll take my chances. The only problem I have is that I might not get enough time to properly do everything that I need to before I die."
"I've given that some thought as well. If you're willing to take the risk, you can become the first human to have the lifespan of a devil. Your clan was given quite the blessing upon first being founded, and if I can tap into that, then you'll be able to live long enough to make relearning everything worth it."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Azazel smirks at me.
"You're ready to do this Y/N?" I nod my head. "Okay. You should tell Akeno what's going on, and once it's done meet us back here." I stand back up and walk toward the office door, but to my surprise, Akeno is outside waiting for me.
"You heard all of that?"
"I did." She comes my way. "I'm scared for you Y/N, but if you think this is the best chance you have, then I'm supporting you 100%."
"I have something I want to do for you, just in case this goes wrong." I activate my Sharingan and lock eyes with Akeno.
"What is this?"
"Just look around, you'll see." Akeno does as I instruct and looks toward an open door, a tall man walking through it.
"Baraqiel, you're home!" From the other side of the small house sits a woman resembling Akeno almost perfectly, that being her mother, Shuri. "We've been waiting for you all day."
"I'm not alone." From behind Baraqiel, I appear in the same way that I am now, just with no indication that there is anything actually wrong with me.
"I'm sorry I'm late Mother."
"Don't be." Shuri walks toward the other version of me and embraces him. "You've been away longer than your father has, I hope you realize. Akeno hasn't stopped bothering me about when you would be coming home." From a bedroom adjacent to us Akeno comes walking out, the versions of ourselves from the vision meeting in the middle of the room.
"What are you showing me this for?"
"This is what could have been if that night didn't play out the way it did. The four of us, all a happy family as it should have been." I deactivate my Sharingan and start to slump. "That took a lot out of me, but I wanted to show you that." Akeno hugs me and I kiss the top of her head. "I'll see you when the operation is over."
"Okay," Akeno silently answers. I head back into the office and give Azazel a nod, signaling him to stand.
"Alright Y/N, come with me and we'll fix you."
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The next part is going to be the finale. I was intending to do a little more, but I think this is a good time to bring the end. I'll be working on the finale shortly after posting this, so expect it in the next few days. This story was an experimental one for me, and ultimately it seems like it was a success. I'll probably be doing more like this in the future, but my next idea will be returning to my older format. Thank you for checking out my work, and until next time, have a good one.
-Coop