Akihiko prides himself on the ability to protect others. That's why he'd always cringe a little bit at himself when he spent too much time in Tartarus.

He finds himself getting fatigued too easily, even though he's uninjured. He's been keeping up on his training too, or rather, trying to. It's unbearable. He doesn't want the team to take a break to drop him off just because he's lost his energy...

Before he had known it, the words, "I don't want to be a burden," had become an overused phrase.

The others never seemed to hold it against him. After all, they're still new, and they know about his previous injuries. They usually weren't going to last much longer, themselves.

Still, he can't help but beat himself up over this. He needs to get stronger.

The same routine would happen tonight. Climbing floors of Tartarus with the rest of the group, fighting Shadows, getting exhausted.

He had lasted a little longer this time, but it still didn't quite feel like enough. Nothing ever does.

When the Leader had called it quits, he was prepared to mentally beat himself up again, but his thought process was interrupted when he saw you. You were just as tired as he was, it seemed. It didn't even look like you could hold yourself up for more than a few seconds. As he walked out the entrance, he started speaking to you. "Hey, are you sure you can still walk—" He would interrupt himself with his own yawn. There probably wasn't a point in asking... It's not like he can carry you, since his knees were feeling quite weak themselves... How embarrassing.