Promise

Nobu held Himari's cold body in his arms, the silence around them deafening.

The ocean roared and the wind whispered, but Nobu didn't hear any of it. All he could hear, all he could feel - were echoes of the past. Himari's stubborn little scowl. Her relentless determination. Her unprovoked bravery. Her laugh and smile began to haunt him already. The way her eyes looked into his. What he wouldn't give for just a moment longer with her.

Nobu fondly recalled his memories over the past five years with Himari. 

He remembered the first time she held a sword - too big for her hands, her stance all wrong, and too heavy for her to lift for long. How she tripped trying to copy his form, landing face first into the dirt. How he laughed until she poked him with the wooden blade in his ticklish spot, and then they'd both laugh until they couldn't breathe. 

He trained her in martial arts and the way of the sword for hours, days, months. She was not any good so he was strict on her hoping it would help. Instead, they had many petty fights. She had cursed him, thrown rocks at him, refused to eat until he apologized. But the next day, she came back, more determined than ever. She always came back.

Nobu could still feel the rush of wind in his wings as they soared about the islands together. How her arms clung tightly around him in the beginning but as the more time went on, the more her grip loosened as her faith in him grew. Himari loved to fly just as much as he did. 

He remembered the way they used to sneak into villages to steal food and water, all the nerves and adrenaline. How her eyes would light up like the night sky every time she got away with something. He didn't know when it started, but at some point, she started working in a village tavern to earn an honest wage. He would frequent the place and watch her mingle with the other guests, but she always came back to check up on him.

He could still feel the fire during the nights in the cave. Just the two of them curled up in their cave, the world shut out by the crackling flames. She used to hum under her breath - off-key and out of tune nonsense. He would get so annoyed every night, but on the nights, she didn't hum, he couldn't sleep.

Nobu's tears landed on Himari's pale face. "I told I would get stronger and protect you... That I'd keep you safe... That I would find a way to fix this... I promised..."

The cave felt so far away. The skies so distant. The village a faded dream. The fire, long extinguished.

But the memories burned bright, fierce, and agonizingly alive.

"I promised you I wouldn't let you die... I-" Nobu's voice halted as his mind came to a realization.

'I need to give her back only her life energy to take back my magic. If I give her back her energy with even a little bit of mine, then it'll make the exchange unbalanced...' 

Nobu recalled his own words. "But what if... What if it's not an exchange but instead a gift...?" If I give her my energy, then there would be no need for me to separate the energies and worry about balance. Only issue is if her body will accept it...

Nobu looked at Himari's lifeless figure. "I have nothing to lose..." His voice finding determination. "I made a promise after all, and I intend to keep it."

Nobu created a magic circle around them. The circle glowed faintly. He continued to hold Himari in his arms and hold her hand tightly as he concentrated on the core of his magic, the core of his being. The circle pulsed and his power flared. Nobu's dark crimson powers began to glow, wrapping his body. Nobu gazed upon Himari with hope in his eyes as he pushed his energy into her body.

Nobu's dark crimson energy entered Himari's still body through a faint golden light, threaded with sorrow and love. Her body started to glow a warm light in response. Her veins lit with Nobu's power, reaching every part of her.

The more Nobu's energy poured into Himari, the more her body responded. The warmer her body began to feel in comparison to his own growing cold. Her skin gained its color back as his started to fade. Her heart that had once stopped, finally started to beat again. 

Himari's hand twitched, giving Nobu hope. Her body wasn't rejecting his powers, and she was showing signs of life again.

Himari's body began to convulse, forcing the water that was trapped inside to spill out of her mouth. She coughed violently and gasped for air desperately. Nobu dare not let go even for a moment.

Himari's breaths were shallow as she weakly looked around. "Nobu..."

Nobu chuckled, somehow this seemed familiar to him. "It's Nobutoshi."

"That's too long..." Himari mustered a frail smile.

Nobu continued to pour his energy, his strength, his soul into Himari. His body began to fade.

"Nobu... What's happening...?"

"I found a way to fix it. Everything will be okay now. You'll have your life back."

Nobu's body grew transparent.

"Nobu stop... This isn't right..." Panic reaching Himari's voice.

"This is my choice, Himari. Please let me do this for you."

Himari gripped Nobu's hand tighter. "Well, this isn't what I want. Undo it now! Please don't leave me!"

"I can't undo it. And even if I could, I wouldn't." 

Himari's voice broke. "But I don't want to lose you. Please don't do this..."

Nobu smiled, lowering his lips to meet her forehead to give her a gentle peck. "I made a promise to you and I'm a man of my word."

Himari's tears welled as Nobu's form flickered. His skin losing color, becoming translucent, the edges of his body dissolving into motes of light.

"No... No. No-" She choked on her sobs, clutching his hand in desperation like it was tethering him to her. "You can't leave me, Nobu. Please. I can't-"

Nobu's hand slipped through Himari's fingers. Himari stared in shock. "You were never supposed to save me like this..."

Nobu's smile never faded. It was soft and peaceful as though all the weight he had carried for years was finally lifting.

"I'm not saving you." He said calmly. "I'm giving you back what I accidentally stole."

She shook her head violently. "There must be another way. We can find something else. Please undo it."

"There is no other way. Not this time."

The glow from the magic circle began to dim, its work nearly complete. The ground stilled. The power ebbed and with it, so did Nobu.

"You're going to live Himari - for the both of us."

Himari fell forward into his chest, wrapping her arms around what little was left of him. He felt warm. Real. Solid. For all but a fleeting second.

"I don't want to live in a world without you in it, Nobu. Please... There's still so much I want to tell you and-"

"Thank you for giving me something to fight for. You did more for me than you will ever know..."

Light burst from the circle one last time before disappearing. When it faded, the ocean had calmed, the wind had stopped, and the magic had vanished.

And Himari was alone.

"Nobu...?"

Himari noticed in her hand was one single black feather. Her hands shook as she brought it to her chest in an embrace. Lip quivering and breathing shaking as the reality set in. 

"Nobu... There was never a moment I regretted meeting you... I hope you knew that..." Her voice broke as her tears overflowed.