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They had burst through the doors to the Vault's airship landing strip together, the rescued-but-injured Aymeric trailing just behind with Estinien and Lucia on either flank. Before them, Archbishop Thordan and one of his shite-headed Heavensward Knights were just about to board an airship and escape.
"Father, please!" You could hear it in Aymeric's voice that even as he cried out, he knew what Archbishop Thordan would rebuff him. Still, Meiko was surprised to hear him call the man father so openly after all the emphasis on his secret parentage. Regardless, though, Thordan did pause.
"For a mercy, we were not too late," Estinien said to A'kihiko, who nodded beside her. She could tell both were raring to rush forward, but would give Aymeric a moment to plead his case.
"Why must you do this, Father?" Aymeric demanded, clutching an injured arm. "Nidhogg is fallen! There is no need for further deception! Now is the time to renounce the lies which led us down this path, to start anew!"
Of course, Thordan only shook his head. He turned back towards them, tone a mixture of disappointment and dismissal: "And tear down the very pillars of our society -- our history, our values! -- everything we have built over a thousand years?" He turned away and continued on towards the last few steps towards the airship, "A fool to the last."
Aymeric wilted, and Haurchefant shared a glance with A'kihiko -- who nodded.
"We'll get him -- we're missing one o' his knights, so stay back," He hissed to the group. And then he and Haurchefant broke into a run, arms drawn. Hiko could be so bloody fast when he wanted to, but Haurchefant in his padded chainmail tunic managed to mostly keep pace.
But before Meiko could do any twisting around to even seek out this missing Heavensward fucker, there was a flash of light that came from somewhere up above them -- on the roof.
"Look out!"
Haurchefant had seen it, too. His shout stopped A'kihiko in his tracks, allowing the Miqo'te to turn just in time to see the vibrant spear of magic hurtling towards him.
But it was stopped. It was blocked. The sigil of the Fortemps family gleamed brilliantly, standing in defiance against the assault -- but only for a brief moment. The noise that followed would haunt Meiko for years to come: the grinding, piercing whistle of what began as a pinpoint, and then rapidly expanded to an entire hole shredding through refined metal. And then through leather and chainmail. And then through flesh and bone.
The beam evaporated before it could reach A'kihiko, who had frozen in horror even as Haurchefant collapsed to the ground. Meiko let a horrified scream. She could hear the others shouting, too, but her mind couldn't process what they were saying.
The bastard who had attacked them now dropped off the roof onto the landing, and A'kihiko let out a guttural howl as he brought up his gunblade to seek revenge. Estinien was rushing forward to support him, and Meiko -- Meiko couldn't even remember running over with the rest.
Alphinaud practically threw himself to the ground in his haste to heal him, Aymeric joining in to prop him up. Meiko stood there, a useless bloody mess, gaze flicking back and forth between her brother and Estinien's fight and Haurchefant's body. She wanted to help. She needed to help, but what could she do?
And then Alphinaud's trembling voice broke her out of her thoughts: "It's no good -- the wound is too deep. It refuses to mend."
Refuses to mend? Meiko had never heard of that before. Couldn't magic, healing magic fix anything? Couldn't it -- couldn't it --
Haurchefant took a shaky breath and looked up at her, one hand raising towards her as Aymeric tried to prop him up. Meiko dropped to her knees, tears already spilling over as she grabbed at his hand with both of hers.
"Haurche, I --" What could she say? There was no time! There was no -- no words that could properly convey everything she felt --
"Is...is A'kihiko unharmed?" Haurchefant managed, smiling like a fool despite his predicament. "Forgive me, I could not bear the thought of..."
"Aye! Aye, he's fine, and he's gonna proper kill the fucker who did this," Meiko managed out, nodding frantically. "You're goin' t'be all right, I promise -- we'll -- I'll --" False platitudes. Desperation. If one were to observe the two by dialogue alone, one would have thought Meiko was the one dying. Dying.
Like Moenbryda. Like the Scions and poor wee Noraxia in the Waking Sands.
Beyond them, there was a swear -- a shout. The other Heavensward Knight who had boarded the airship with Thordan had sent a blast of magic towards Estinien and A'kihiko, disrupting their fight with the other.
"Zephirin! Do not waste time!" Thordan called out. "Azys Lla awaits!"
At the Archbishop's command, the airship began to take off -- and the murderer, Zephirin, leapt to join him at the last minute. A'kihiko stood there, swearing and firing off a round of enchanted bullets in the airship's direction -- but it was too quick, and soon it was gone. He only stopped when Estinien reminded him of Haurchefant's condition. Then he came running.
"Meiko," Haurchefant choked out.
"S'fine! It's fine, I promise -- Hiko's comin', just hold on," she held his hand tight, in denial of its ever-weakening grip. "Stay with us, Haurche," Pleading. Sobbing. This wasn't fair. This wasn't fair! How could she be so damned helpless every time?!
A'kihiko was steps away.
"Please," Haurchefant continued anyway, insistent. "Please do not look at me so. A smile better suits a hero."
She looked back down at him, unable to think of how to respond and certainly not able to muster up anything but a whimper. Haurchefant had always been so kind -- a selfless, noble man despite how cruel his world had been to him. Trusting of them when no one else would take them in. Protective of them until the day they were permitted to stay in Ishgard, in his family home.
As A'kihiko skidded across the landing strip on his knees to sit beside her, she watched that kind light in Haurchefant's eyes flutter away like a candle in the wind.
His eyes fell shut before A'kihiko could even manage out his name.
