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Minako hugged her knees as she sat on their bed, smoothing the skirt of her black dress with the ruffled sleeves against her legs as she thought about what to tell Nick. I keep trying, but… Nothing’s working… What if I can’t ever make the barriers like Brian can? What would I do in Emeradotouhou anyway? I just want to stay with you and find Renee, but… I might not even be able to help Howie and AJ... I’m going to be so useless. But I can’t disappoint you… If I could fight like you, then I could help… If I asked you, would you agree?

The door opened and she glanced up to see Nick smiling as he stood in the frame. After shutting it behind him softly, he closed his hand around a small parcel and clutched a pile of clothing against his chest.

“Hi, Nick, welcome back.” She stood up and swallowed.

“Thanks, I missed you. Howie said you wanted some pants because it’s harder to walk in your dress. Too bad he couldn’t find you a shorter skirt instead.” His smile turned into a frown as he set the clothing and the small parcel on the low shelf. “You changed already?”

Minako smoothed out her skirt again as she stared at him. But when she tried to answer, the words caught in her throat and she hurriedly glanced at the ground.

“Are you okay?” As he reached her, he held her shoulders gently, peering at every inch of her as he bit his lip -- concern washed over his face when she refused to look at him.

“Teach me how to fight.”

For a few moments, he remained silent and she dreaded looking up to see his reaction. After several deep breaths, she built up the courage to look at his face. At first, his only response to meeting her gaze was to cup her jaw in his hand and lock his gaze with hers, as though he begged her to say something more. She remained silent, so he finally spoke.

“Minako… I’ll definitely protect you. Don’t worry.” He ran his thumb along her cheek as he smiled, but his eyebrows remained pinched. “But... Why do you want to learn?”

I can’t tell you that Brian shot a barrier at me. It wasn’t meant to be malicious, but you’ll be upset. I can’t tell you that it’s not going well. Because you’ll… She brushed her hair behind her ear.

Nick frowned again. “Minako, you’re worried. Just tell me.”

She glanced at the floor as tears welled in her eyes, despite his gentle touch, she remained stuck in her sadness and guilt. But it’s not what you were hoping for…

“I… worry more when you don’t say anything.”

I wanted to help, but I’m absolutely useless. I can’t… A couple of tears trickled down her cheeks as she swallowed forcefully and pulled away from him. I can’t do it anymore...

“Minako…” He grabbed her hand. “Say something.”

She glanced back at him, then flung her arms around his neck and buried her head against his chest. “I can’t do it! I’m trying so hard, but I just can’t!”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly against him as he leaned his head on hers.

Within his warm embrace, every thought bubbled to the surface of her emotions. I didn’t want to tell you like this. I wanted to surprise you with everything being great. I wanted to see your huge grin. I wanted to celebrate. But now it’s only disappointing. She swallowed, nuzzling against his tear-soaked tunic as she continued to cry. I don’t want you to be disappointed. I want to carry all of these bad feelings for you, but it’s exhausting. I’m tired… I can’t…

Continuing to choose action over speaking, he brushed his fingers through her hair gently as he embraced her.

I want you to say something too, but I’ve needed this. I’ve needed you. It’s hard trying to hold everything by myself and disappointing Brian. He keeps pushing and I have to keep going if any of it’s going to work, but it’s… Tears streamed down her face as she finally forced the words from her lips. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Nick!”

He inhaled audibly and leaned his head against hers again, pulling her closer. “Tell me what you need. I love you.”

“I love you too. I didn’t want to disappoint you.” She held his shoulder tightly and tried to unsuccessfully sniff back her tears as she continued hiding against his chest.

You are never disappointing. If something is disappointing, we’ll handle it together. Just you and me, just like always.” He kissed her head as he continued to hold her tightly. “I was trying not to be involved because Brian asked, but I’ll do whatever you need instead of what he wants. I’m sorry if it felt like I wouldn’t be there for you.”

“It’s not… Today…” She swallowed, even more exhausted after finally breaking down into tears. “Can we sit down?”

“Yeah, sure.” Nick released his hold on her and sat on their bed, then pulled her back into his lap.

Minako stared at her hands as she leaned against his chest. Where do I start? What’s the most important thing I can say? “I’m trying my best… but… it’s not going well… I guess certain things are okay, but… It’s hard to make the barriers bigger than my body. And then today Brian tried to hit me with one of his barriers and we couldn’t get them to connect unless we were standing right next to each other.”

“Brian attacked you?!” Nick’s arms tensed around her.

Convinced that holding her would only be his first reaction to that news, she hurriedly explained, “It was just a test. He wanted to see if I could make a barrier without preparing for it. I think he waited to do it until Kevin was there in case I couldn’t. I did, so nothing bad happened, but… it was still pretty scary.”

“I hate that.” Nick frowned and leaned his head on her shoulder. “But AJ did the same thing to me and he’s right, we can’t always take time to prepare. I’m glad you’re okay.”

As she nestled against his chest, his arms relaxed around her, returning to their comforting embrace. “It made me think about Ashley doing it too… And… more than not being able to make the barriers or be with you… I’m most afraid that I’ll be a liability if I go with you, Brian, and Kevin. And we’re assuming Topazuseihou is safer, but what if it’s not? Then I’ll be a liability for Howie and AJ too.”

“You’re not a liability. Minako…”

Tears dripped from her cheeks again. “I was useless when we went to the castle. Brian and Howie died shielding me. And AJ died in his own fight, but only because Renee was using me as a hostage to keep you all from helping him when he needed it.” She glanced away from him. “I can’t let that happen again. It broke my heart.”

“Minako, you did plenty for us too. You were always willing to stand in front of us. You’re more important than things. We’ll all do our best to support each other.” As he spoke, he ran his hand through her hair.

“But I’m not more important than AJ, Brian, and Howie! They’re important too!” She hid against his chest as she gripped a fold in the fabric tightly. “I can’t lose any of you again! You’re all my family too. And I know that you always say that you’ll protect me, but… I don’t want you getting hurt because you’re protecting me.”

“I’ll always protect you. That’s the first promise I ever made to you.” He spoke in a calm, comforting tone as he wrapped his wings around her shoulders.

“I want to protect you too, but staying away or making barriers like Brian won’t help all the time. I want to be close to you…” She ran her fingers along his chest as she glanced up at him.

“I want that too. I’m sorry I asked you to go to Topazuseihou. I just wanted you to be safe.” He bit his lip, then pressed a kiss to her head.

“I want you to be able to focus. It’s… okay. I want to do anything I can to help and make sure that you’re all safe too...” She gripped his tunic. “But I’m not as good as Brian. I don’t think I can ever be as good as Brian, even if we had years to practice and even though Brian is where the barrier power comes from.I think what we really need for it to work is another Brian… or maybe for Howie to make something…”

“Minako… something that could hurt you, Howie, and Brian seems really dangerous.” He frowned.

“I know, I don’t know if I want to do that either if it could hurt them... But we don’t have years or multiple Brians and we’re running out of options.” Her heart beat loudly as she stared up at him. She swallowed and held his arm tightly. “That’s why I want to learn how to fight. It’s what our family does to stay safe and I can protect you all better if I fight too. I thought about asking Howie to teach me how to use a sword, but I’d rather--”

Nick hurriedly embraced Minako against his chest, his quick and shallow breaths brushing against her ear. “Swords are dangerous!”

“You’re afraid of me being stabbed...” She held his shoulders tightly and leaned against his chest.

“Of course I’m afraid of you being stabbed!” His wings arms tensed around her tightly, as though he was shielding her body at the thought.

Minako smiled up at him and fluffed his hair. “That’s why I want you to teach me how to fight. So it’s something we share and because… it’s clear Brian’s powers aren’t going to be as effective as I was hoping… Something else might waste them and make them even weaker, so I don’t want to use them unless it’s to help give him a connection point to get you all out… if I can even learn to do that before we have to leave.”

“I won’t hit you.” Nick grimaced, then frowned again.

“I don’t want to hit you either, I just want to learn. Please?” Minako ran her hand through his hair, hoping that her touch would help convince him.

“I won’t hit you. It’s easier to learn if you can spar to practice.”

“I just… want to help. I think I can be more helpful if I can fight instead of watching. I trust you not to hurt me. I don’t think Madeline would want to learn and you wouldn’t want any of the others to practice having a fight with me…” She glanced at the ground, slowly pulling her hand from his head.

“I don’t want anyone to hit you, including me.”

“Please?” Minako peered up at him through her eyelashes, fluttering them slightly. I really thought he’d say yes…

He glanced away quickly as he unwrapped his wings and loosened his embrace around her. “Minako, stop.”

“You’re right, that was unfair. You said no. I’ll... stop asking. I just wanted to help and keep you all safe with any little power I do have.” She tried to blink back the tears in her eyes, but they spilled out like the disappointment in her voice.

“I know you do.” He sighed and pulled her close again. “I know it’s hard when everyone is fighting and you… don’t have the same kind of strengths…”

“Just say that I’m comparatively squishy since I’m a human.”

He laughed quietly. “I love you exactly this way, even if you are squishy.” He leaned his head on hers. “I meant that… and also that… I get it. I… also felt useless in the castle. I was sure I had real demonic powers somewhere, but… they were never a thing I could call or control, not like everyone else. And now I’m only starting to figure it out, but I’m constantly worried that it’s never enough. I don’t want you to feel like that too. You are always enough.”

“Nick… So are you.” She held his cheeks with her hand gently. “It’s not your fault that you didn’t have the right people around to teach you.”

He inhaled, then exhaled deeply. “I’ll teach you… I’ve never taught anyone before, so I can’t promise it will be any good, but I’ll do my best. Just like what you are Brian are doing though, it will probably be hard and it takes time.”

“I didn’t think I’d be able to beat you anyway.”

“Maybe in a few years.” He grinned. “Let’s go outside. I like the fresh air better.” He pulled her up, then grabbed the small parcel from the low shelf before pulling her toward the door.

“What’s that?”

“I’ll tell you soon.” The broad smile continued to dance on his lips, as though he enjoyed holding the secret.

~*~



When they reached the outside of the cavern, Nick trotted toward the tree across the path. For a moment, he paused to gaze at the moon, then smiled at her broadly.

Beside the entrance, Minako watched him in silence then lowered her head. This is another thing I don’t think I’ll be able to learn in time, but… Every little thing will help. I have to get stronger for all of them. I have to be more dependable. I have to… When she glanced back up at Nick, calm washed over her. He’s still smiling at me. I don’t know what I was so worried about...

As she walked toward him, he set the small parcel down beside the tree. They met in the middle of the path and he grabbed both her hands, running his thumbs across them gently.

“You always asked me what I thought was fun back in the beginning… This is what I've always had fun doing. It keeps me calm.” He smiled sheepishly. “I thought about teaching you back then, but I didn’t think you’d be interested… And then everyone else said they enjoyed things that had nothing to do with fighting and I thought maybe I was weird for practicing all the time…”

“I would have done it with you if you wanted.” After pulling her hand from his, she brushed his hair back from his forehead. The soft strands of hair caressed her fingers as her hand lingered against his head. “Anything to see you smile.”

“I’ll add it to the list of things to go back and do differently.” He laughed quietly. “Ready?”

“I’ll do my best.” She brushed her hair behind her ear, then grinned. “Teach me how to knock someone out who’s bigger than me.”

“Okay.” He smirked. “Let’s run.”

“I thought you were teaching me how to fight?” Minako swallowed and cocked her eyebrow, but Nick’s expression remained the same.

“I am. Let’s run.”

“Nick, this sounds like gym class…”

“Huh?” He wrinkled his nose, then laughed. “It’s just easier on your body to practice when it’s already doing things, like running.”

“That’s what they say in gym class.”

“Then they’re telling you the right things? I’m going to run. If you want me to teach you, you’ll have to catch me before I get back here.” His lips curved into a large grin, then he sprinted down the path away from the tree and the cavern, back toward where they had found Erik originally.

A tiny pout formed on her lips as she realized he refused to relent, but after a brief groan, she ran after him. Like her pounding feet, her thoughts raced through her mind. This is just like gym class. It’s like all I’ve been doing lately is exhausting gym class. But… I want to help. I can’t keep relying on them to protect me anymore. And Ashley showed us that words might not be enough to solve our problems. This is what our family does, it fights to protect. I have to do the same thing to really support them. That’s what I want, to be a really strong member of this family. I don’t want them to feel like they always have to protect me first. I want to protect them too, with everything I have.

While he gritty rocks and dark night sprinted by her, Nick leaned against the rock with his arms crossed like a beacon further down the path. A light breeze danced along his hair, picking it up and tossing it against his horns, making it look as though she had repeatedly ran her hands through it. Though he stared into the distant night sky, he smiled gently at the sound of her footsteps beating against the ground.

When she reached him, Minako leaned on her knees, catching her breath. “These aren’t the right shoes for sprinting.”

“This might hurt then, because now we’re running back.” The same smirk grew on his face.

Minako groaned, then gulped in several breaths of air. “You’re teasing me.”

“I would never tease you.” He leaned down to kiss her head, but a playful grin formed on his face. “Stretch and then I’ll teach you some basics.”

First she flashed him the largest pout she could muster, then Minako quickly stretched out her arms and legs in all the positions she could remember that could be completed while standing. After a few minutes, she bent over to touch her toes. This feels like gym class. Thankfully, the position hid her grumble.

“If you’re tense, it’s easier to get hurt.” The sensation of his fingers tickled down her sides, then he held her hips gently with one hand and pressed against her lower back with the other.

“Now you’re definitely teasing me.” Minako giggled, grateful that his hands only felt her hips and not her quick pulse. Yet, the gesture, clearly intended to distract her, actually succeeded in calming her. Slowly, she raised from the stretch then turned over her shoulder to smile at him.

Hands still on her hips, he leaned forward until his face was mere inches from hers. After letting his breath fill the space between them, he flashed his lopsided grin again. “Yup.”

After brushing his hair back, she kissed him. “This was your plan all along. Distract me so I’d forget about wanting to learn.”

He laughed quietly. “No, I just thought you’d feel more relaxed this way. If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.”

She kissed him again, letting her flirty grin linger against his lips. “What if I just keep kissing you?”

“Just don’t disarm all your opponents this way.” For a moment, Nick’s quiet laughter filled the minuscule space between them. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then pulled back to explain proper stances during a fight. While he used simple words and descriptors to explain the positions of various body parts, the detail in each position indicated his rarely spoken expertise. As he guided her movements, he continually emphasized three things: strong core, bent knees, stable feet.

Depending on the position of her legs, he lingered his hand on her hip or thigh between each stance, causing her head to spin with dizzying ecstasy. More than fighting with him, she preferred kissing him. Especially this new facet of Nick -- someone who remained assuredly confident in everything he did and knew. She leaned against him, pressing another playful kiss to his lips.

“Straight through my heart.” Nick grinned as he ran his hands down her arm. “But if you really want to get me, you should make a fist, pull back, and strike.” With a whisper of a touch, he gently adjusted her fingers and thumb, closing them toward her palm. After placing her thumb on her first two fingers, he pulled back and scrutinized her stance.

“What do I do with my other hand?” Minako cocked her head, but kept her body perfectly still.

“Keep it ready to block, usually.” He quickly moved his forearm up to block his face. “I like to keep my fists closer to my chest, but Ashley always kept his fists closer to his hips. Whatever makes you happy as long as you can move both quickly when you need to.” After a quick demonstration of a punch and a block, he smiled. “Why don’t you try? I’ll keep an eye on your form.”

“I’m sure you will.” Minako winked. After he laughed, she attempted to copy his movements, though her hips rocked with her quick jabs.

“You’re moving your hips too much.” Nick held them again, motioning to her core as he spoke. “Keep this part really stable so you don’t get hurt. Try it again.”

She repeated the motions as he held his hands against her hips. This time, her stance remained flexibly solid. “Oh. That does feel better.” An excited smile lit up her face as she held her hands against his. “Is this how Ashley taught you too?”

“No. I guess it could get things fixed faster, but I’d ask anyone else first and let go sooner. This is a lot more physical correction because it’s you and me. I’ll stop if you don’t like it.”

“I love it.”

Nick beamed, clearly loving each moment of closeness as he taught Minako something he enjoyed. Before releasing her again, he described and demonstrated the proper stance for a basic kick. When he finished explaining, he held his hand flat. “I’ll hold my hand there, practice hitting it, then push your foot back to the ground behind you.”

Following his instructions, Minako pulled her knee up to his hand a few times, bouncing against it lightly.

“Try the full kick without me.” He pulled back, scrutinizing the slow and methodical kick she produced. “Good. Accurate form’s really important. Do it again.”

Though she appreciated the praise, her heart sank and she frowned. “This is easier than the barriers, but I know it’s not easy either.”

He held her shoulders, kissing her as he pulled her closer to his chest. “It can get harder when things get more complicated, but you’re doing great.”

She relaxed in his embrace. I just needed to be close to you again. You always know what to do to make me feel calm. She held his cheek gently. “I just wish it could go better.”

“You’re probably right... You’d need to be more like Brian if you wanted to make those hard things easier. This is all basic stuff. Did you have any trouble with Brian’s basic stuff?”

“No? Or at least, not until he wanted me to hold them for a long time or make them bigger.”

“Stamina is hard, but I’m not trying to get you to go a whole fight with me right now. I’d win because I have more practice and you’d get tired faster.”

“And because you’re bigger and stronger than me.” Minako giggled quietly, running her hand along his chest.

“That too, but that matters more if everything else about us is the same. Speed, accuracy, and stamina are more important in a fight. If you were better at those things and skill than me, you’d probably still win even though I’m bigger.” He glanced at their surroundings. “Since nothing else here is soft… Try to hit me in the same spot twice.”

“I don’t want to hit you.” Minako swallowed, then frowned again.

“I know, but I don’t want you to practice on rocks like I did just because they were the only thing there. It would hurt your hand.” After a quick glance at the ground, he pulled away from her and patted his chest with a grin. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Minako hesitantly bopped her knuckles against his chest twice. Though accurate, it dealt little damage.

“Ouch.” Nick’s smirk complimented his deadpan monotone. “That looked right. You can do it faster and harder, so I can see what it looks like then. Throw in a kick too. I’ll be okay.”

After a deep inhale, she punched him quicker then threw out her foot, wobbling as she sped through the motions.

Luckily, he caught her hips and pulled her closer. “The arm was better, but you’re moving your hips too much again. Do you want to go back and do something else? Maybe with less punching and more hip holding?” After he kissed her, he brushed his hand against her cheek, locking his gaze with hers. A mixture of concern and quiet longing filled his eyes.

“Maybe that’s my problem with Brian.” Minako frowned and stared at the ground, avoiding being lost in his eyes. “I just want to keep getting better, so I keep pushing ahead. But that could be dangerous in a real fight.”

“You’re going to be okay and we’ll figure it out.” He tilted her chin up to scan her face before pressing another kiss to her lips. “Do you want to keep trying?”

“No, let’s go back.” She swallowed, forcing away the gnawing feeling inside. I’ll focus on you instead. “Also, what’s in that little package?”

Nick grinned, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “If you want to find out, catch me before I go back inside.” He kissed her one more time, then pulled away and ran back toward the cavern entrance.

Just like the first time he sprinted away from her, Minako groaned and chased him. Of course you’re faster when you get a head start! She smiled as her heart beat with the dizzying excitement from his flirty teaching. But, it makes me happy to see you feeling so playful. You always say that you’ll try your best, even though you’re worried. Trying your best is enough for me, so maybe I should start accepting that from myself too. I should tell you that so that you stop worrying too. Trying your best is always enough, no matter what happens.

At the end of the mountainous racetrack, Nick leaned against the tree holding the small parcel as he stared up at the moon. When she reached him, he hurriedly emptied it into his hand and quickly hid his clenched fist behind his back.

“You could have gone inside. You’re faster than me.” Minako leaned on her knees, breathing heavily between her words.

“I was always going to wait for you.” He bent down beside her and grabbed her hand, then pulled her back toward him. “Anything for you. Anything you ask.”

Minako brushed her hair behind her ear, then Nick laughed quietly and cupped her cheek.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.” She glanced at his hand behind his back. “So what’s this big secret?”

“Hold out your hand.”

“Okay?” Minako pressed her lips into a quizzical expression as she held her palm toward him.

“When I went with Howie and AJ, they were busy getting ready for Topazuseihou and I went to get some supplies they wanted. Do you remember when Howie gave us money at our wedding?”

“Yeah?”

“He gave it back to me, so…” He pulled his hand from behind his back and dropped a small envelope in her palm, but kept hand tightly clenched as though it contained more surprises. “Take the rest with you if you need it for something. Food. Clothing. Shelter. Whatever. Or just keep it safe for us.”

“Okay? What if you need it?” Minako frowned, still curious about whether this was the big surprise or not.

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” He smiled. “I did spend a little of it and I got you something… Here.” He held out his hand and slowly opened it to reveal two small, golden hair pins resting in his palm. Each pin featured two slender metal prongs protruding from a fiery half crescent reminiscent of the sun. The center of the crescents contained an etched word.

“Nick, they’re pretty. Thank you.” As Minako stared at them, her pulse raced, filling her with warmth from fingers to toes. She brushed her hair behind her ear again.

He laughed quietly. “I know you don’t normally wear anything in your hair, but…” Slowly and methodically, he brushed a second chunk of hair behind her ear. As he lingered, his fingers caressed her ear and neck sending a shiver of pleasure through her. “I started doing this because it was something you always did when you were worried or nervous. I thought if I could do it for you, then you wouldn’t have to feel those things and that maybe I would make you smile.”

“Nick…” She cupped his hand as he continued to hold it in her hair. I’ve always loved it, but I didn’t know you noticed that.

“But once I started doing it, you would also do it when you wanted me to touch you.” He flashed his lopsided grin at her, clearly hoping to woo her. “And since it made you smile, I kept doing it then too.”

“I don’t…” Though she frowned as she considered it, her expression quickly became a bright smile. “No, you’re right; I do that.” She giggled quietly. “Nothing I do is subtle to you, is it?”

“I told you, I’m always paying attention to you.” He leaned closer to her.

Minako giggled again, brushing her hand through the hair at his forehead before kissing him. “That’s yours. Every time you get close to me, I know you want to be held, which is big for someone who always wanted their own space.”

He laughed quietly. “It’s okay if you say that I hated being touched. I did back then, because I wasn’t sure what was coming. But with you, it was always gentle and loving… I didn’t hate that at all.” He frowned. “Since we... won’t be close for a little while… I didn’t want you to be worried or nervous and then miss me too. I thought if your hair was already pulled back, it would be like me being there and supporting you.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb lightly as a small smile tweaked at his lips. “And I always wanted to be able to get you an actual gift, something you could hold and see instead of just my words and feelings.” He tapped his ring with his thumb. “Especially since you gave me this.”

“Nick!” She flung her arms around his neck and leaned against his chest. “Just knowing you love me has always been enough!”

His smile grew as he brushed her hair back and pinned it with one of the hair pins, then kissed her temple. “That’s always been enough for me too. I love you.”

“I love you too.” She kissed him gently, then picked up the other pin and ran her thumb across the etching. “What’s written on this?”

“Saiai. It means… beloved.” He smiled sheepishly as he took the hair pin from her hand and pinned it into her hair. “Just in case you forget that you are.”

“I would never forget!” She pulled him closer to her, pressing a heated kiss to his lips.

“I know,” he whispered, then kissed her again. “I was hoping this would be your reaction, so I could have you all to myself when I got back today.”

”Definitely! Let’s go! All the hip-holding you want!” She started pulling him toward the cavern.

“Good. Then I can make sure your form is right.” He laughed quietly.

“Nick!” She giggled and pulled on him even harder. “Maybe I’ll make sure your form is right.”

“I hope you do.” He flashed his lopsided grin at her as they entered the cavern.

Chapter End Notes:
I took inspiration for the feel at the beginning of the chapter from a conversation I'd had with my husband around the time I wrote this (obviously we weren't talking about training to make barriers or fighting the forces of evil or anything like that, lol). I changed very little about the beginning of the scene from when I originally wrote it. It still feels like a good conveyor of Minako's emotions and also Nick's support even though they don't say much to each other at first. And that's pretty beautiful.

I did change more in the middle portion of the chapter. The longer I go on editing this, the more I realize that I forgot how to novel over the years. It's cool. We're back and things are getting better around this point. Hope you enjoyed this week's chapter! See y'all next Wednesday!