Alongside You
Title: Alongside You
Rating: PG
Fandom: Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
Pairing: Ian Yorkland/Rippuukan Souji
Summary: As time wears on, holding the fort gets more and more difficult, but at least he's not alone.
About ten waves of Zorima later, Souji realises his hands are trembling.
He’s not sure how much more there is to go, but he does know that he can’t take much more of this - he’s tired and his arm is bleeding and his swords keep slipping from his grasp. In front of him are another two hundred, with plenty more waiting to rush forward when needed. Souji isn’t even sure how he’s still fighting - he barely manages to stab an incoming Zorima and duck out of the way of a shot, but every muscle in his body is screaming in protest, and it takes everything he has to even hold on to the swords in his hand.
It’s almost funny, he thinks, how the weight of the world rests on his shoulders when his arms can barely hold up the weight of a sword.
By now, Souji knows, he’s tried every move in his repertoire, everything he’s ever learned since he was old enough to pick up a sword - yet they keep coming, wave after wave of enemy fighters, and for all the medals he’s won and his father’s teachings and his affinity with the sword, Souji’s struggling. He’s not even sure how long they’ve been fighting for - two hours? Three? How much more time did they have? - or how many he’s taken down. All he knows is that King and Amy are counting on him, Nossan and Utchy are fighting for him, Ian is fighting alongside him, and that he needs to keep fighting. If not for the world, then at least for them.
That doesn’t stop the desperation that wells up in him and the bile that rises in his throat when he looks up and thinks, oh god there’s still more.
Somewhere down the line, it goes from holding the fort for King and Amy to making sure he doesn’t die. His strikes are haphazard, his movements sluggish from exhaustion, and if the stray shots flying past his head are any indication, Ian isn’t faring any better. Now more than ever, Souji feels every bit the high school student he is - young, tired, afraid, completely unprepared to save the world.
As it is, he’s not even sure he can save himself.
Slash, roll, block, slash, dive, block - in the middle of the repetitive motions, Souji sees Ian stagger and fall. A Gaburevolver skitters across the dusty ground, the butt of the gun leaving dark red streaks behind. Ian’s fighting, but something isn’t right - he’s not attacking, Souji notices, but instead he’s trying to dodge the blows from a Cambrima, desperately throwing himself out of the way less than a second before the opponent’s mace thuds into the ground where he was. From where another Cambrima is bearing down on his sword, its club barely inches from his face, Souji can see a Zorima approaching Ian from behind, gauntlet in hand, and in that moment Souji wants to scream at Ian to get up, pull yourself together, what the hell are you doing, you need to fight-
As the Zorima raises its hand to strike, Ian still preoccupied with the Cambrima in front of him, Souji sees the pool of red forming on the ground by Ian’s left leg.
Throwing his weight into a kick, Souji sends the Cambrima stumbling away from him, and then dives for the Gaburevolver. A volley of shots reduces the Zorima to nothing more than a pile of slime, but Souji doesn’t wait to see it - he’s sprinting over to Ian even as the shots leave the barrel, and the sudden attack surprises the Cambrima long enough for Ian to fire at the same time as Souji’s sword comes down on it.
As the Cambrima collapses, Ian just laughs, taking Souji’s proffered hand and letting the other haul him to his feet. Souji doesn’t need to say anything, or even to ask - he can hear how shaky Ian’s voice is, see the way Ian’s putting his weight on his right leg, see the way Ian’s hands are trembling (and how both his palms are stained bright red), and he knows Ian has it as bad as he does.
Somehow, that’s comforting.
Ian takes the Gaburevolver from Souji. “You didn’t have to.” Souji glances down at his own two hands, both now bloody (only one covered in his own blood), and scoffs.
“Didn’t I?
The battle starts back up again, although now it’s different, with Ian firing to take out entire rows of Zorima in one go and Souji slashing at any that make it past. It’s not enough - the Zorima close in on them, and for only the second time in one day, Souji finds himself back to back with Ian.
”Think King’s made it yet?” Ian laughs at the question.
”Maybe.”
A Cambrima at the frontline raises its mace, and the roar of hundreds of Deboss soldiers fills the air. Souji’s grip on his swords tightens, but Ian just smirks and lifts the Gaburevolvers, nudging Souji in the ribs. “How about we finish this, then go see for ourselves.”
As the Deboss swarm closes in, Ian’s words echo in his head. Let’s finish this. Let’s. We’ll bear that burden alongside you.. We. The weight of the world seems lighter on his shoulders now, and for the first time since their battle began, Souji can actually breathe.
Then Ian fires the first shot, and all hell breaks loose.
Rating: PG
Fandom: Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
Pairing: Ian Yorkland/Rippuukan Souji
Summary: As time wears on, holding the fort gets more and more difficult, but at least he's not alone.
About ten waves of Zorima later, Souji realises his hands are trembling.
He’s not sure how much more there is to go, but he does know that he can’t take much more of this - he’s tired and his arm is bleeding and his swords keep slipping from his grasp. In front of him are another two hundred, with plenty more waiting to rush forward when needed. Souji isn’t even sure how he’s still fighting - he barely manages to stab an incoming Zorima and duck out of the way of a shot, but every muscle in his body is screaming in protest, and it takes everything he has to even hold on to the swords in his hand.
It’s almost funny, he thinks, how the weight of the world rests on his shoulders when his arms can barely hold up the weight of a sword.
By now, Souji knows, he’s tried every move in his repertoire, everything he’s ever learned since he was old enough to pick up a sword - yet they keep coming, wave after wave of enemy fighters, and for all the medals he’s won and his father’s teachings and his affinity with the sword, Souji’s struggling. He’s not even sure how long they’ve been fighting for - two hours? Three? How much more time did they have? - or how many he’s taken down. All he knows is that King and Amy are counting on him, Nossan and Utchy are fighting for him, Ian is fighting alongside him, and that he needs to keep fighting. If not for the world, then at least for them.
That doesn’t stop the desperation that wells up in him and the bile that rises in his throat when he looks up and thinks, oh god there’s still more.
Somewhere down the line, it goes from holding the fort for King and Amy to making sure he doesn’t die. His strikes are haphazard, his movements sluggish from exhaustion, and if the stray shots flying past his head are any indication, Ian isn’t faring any better. Now more than ever, Souji feels every bit the high school student he is - young, tired, afraid, completely unprepared to save the world.
As it is, he’s not even sure he can save himself.
Slash, roll, block, slash, dive, block - in the middle of the repetitive motions, Souji sees Ian stagger and fall. A Gaburevolver skitters across the dusty ground, the butt of the gun leaving dark red streaks behind. Ian’s fighting, but something isn’t right - he’s not attacking, Souji notices, but instead he’s trying to dodge the blows from a Cambrima, desperately throwing himself out of the way less than a second before the opponent’s mace thuds into the ground where he was. From where another Cambrima is bearing down on his sword, its club barely inches from his face, Souji can see a Zorima approaching Ian from behind, gauntlet in hand, and in that moment Souji wants to scream at Ian to get up, pull yourself together, what the hell are you doing, you need to fight-
As the Zorima raises its hand to strike, Ian still preoccupied with the Cambrima in front of him, Souji sees the pool of red forming on the ground by Ian’s left leg.
Throwing his weight into a kick, Souji sends the Cambrima stumbling away from him, and then dives for the Gaburevolver. A volley of shots reduces the Zorima to nothing more than a pile of slime, but Souji doesn’t wait to see it - he’s sprinting over to Ian even as the shots leave the barrel, and the sudden attack surprises the Cambrima long enough for Ian to fire at the same time as Souji’s sword comes down on it.
As the Cambrima collapses, Ian just laughs, taking Souji’s proffered hand and letting the other haul him to his feet. Souji doesn’t need to say anything, or even to ask - he can hear how shaky Ian’s voice is, see the way Ian’s putting his weight on his right leg, see the way Ian’s hands are trembling (and how both his palms are stained bright red), and he knows Ian has it as bad as he does.
Somehow, that’s comforting.
Ian takes the Gaburevolver from Souji. “You didn’t have to.” Souji glances down at his own two hands, both now bloody (only one covered in his own blood), and scoffs.
“Didn’t I?
The battle starts back up again, although now it’s different, with Ian firing to take out entire rows of Zorima in one go and Souji slashing at any that make it past. It’s not enough - the Zorima close in on them, and for only the second time in one day, Souji finds himself back to back with Ian.
”Think King’s made it yet?” Ian laughs at the question.
”Maybe.”
A Cambrima at the frontline raises its mace, and the roar of hundreds of Deboss soldiers fills the air. Souji’s grip on his swords tightens, but Ian just smirks and lifts the Gaburevolvers, nudging Souji in the ribs. “How about we finish this, then go see for ourselves.”
As the Deboss swarm closes in, Ian’s words echo in his head. Let’s finish this. Let’s. We’ll bear that burden alongside you.. We. The weight of the world seems lighter on his shoulders now, and for the first time since their battle began, Souji can actually breathe.
Then Ian fires the first shot, and all hell breaks loose.