No he doesn't do that. NO TB CYOA... he catches his breath after a minute--or, well. He would, except now he's crying, wordless for now, reaching out and pressing his hand to Kashuu's stomach--checking, maybe. As if he's the one who came back injured.
It's probably not that surprising, since, in reaching for Kashuu, he drops the pieces of metal he'd been holding; the sound of them hitting the floor is familiar to both of them, now.]
[HONESTLY THAT'S LITERALLY WHAT I WAS EXPECTING. I AM MORE STARTLED THAT IT WASN'T A TB CYOA!!
But oh, hm. Yeah. That's an even more familiar sound to him than the coughing, which he only experienced in retrospect, years and years after the fact. This has him seizing up almost automatically, a sound that has reflexive horror tearing through his core like it hasn't been centuries on centuries since he'd last heard it.
It's hard not to panic, between that and his already frayed nerves and the way Yasusada reaches out for him so strangely - but it's his turn to be the support, now, isn't it?
Heedless of the CAKE AND BLOOD YA NASTY, he leans over and bundles Yasusada up into his arms, a half-hug and half-hold. He doesn't look at the ground.]
[The only real mercy is that they're small pieces--as if whatever blade this came from shattered like broken glass, rather than the proper ("proper") breaking of a blade. Still, the metal is undeniably real, and so is the way Yasusada clings to him, sobbing as best he can while his throat is still so damaged.
He does, eventually, settle--though it takes a long time, and he doesn't try to speak right away. When he does, though, his voice is raspy.]
[Kashuu simply holds him for as long as he needs to, for as long as it takes Yasusada to cry out whatever's gotten into him to twist up his insides so horribly. It's like he's trying not to actively put the pieces together, like he's funneling all of his focus toward Yasusada so he doesn't have to think about the implications he's picking up on.
Soothing his partner comes easily to him, at least - as easy as being a terrible bully. He gently rocks Yasusada, rubbing his back and petting his hair, saying nothing save for the occasional soothing sound.
He frowns at the sound of Yasusada's voice.]
--Shouldn't that be my line? I'm not the one who went and disappeared, y'know. [None of the bite is there.]
...Sorry. [That hurts, too. Now that he knows he's the one who left Kashuu behind, even if it was only temporary.
(If they hadn't found him quickly enough, would it still have been temporary? What, exactly, will happen to them, if these bodies get injured beyond repair here?)] Just... at the end, you...
[He reaches out, pressing his hand to Kashuu's stomach again. It's probably enough of an answer--there aren't very many reasons he'd be making a gesture like that, when it comes to spirits like them.]
Su-sensei... said you were okay, but...
[But it took seeing him for himself, being able to touch him like this, to be sure it was the truth.]
[There's a part of him for a second - that ugly, temperamental, wildfire part of his core that's more human than anything else - that feels a sudden and sharp fury against this prism. They still don't know what it is, and he's not sure what he thinks of the things they've found that might explain it further, but... whatever it is, whatever is behind what's happened here today, he finds it inexcusable. Unforgivable. A hateful, horrible thing.
He reaches for Yasusada's hand - the one at his stomach, and grabs it in his own. It's probably uncomfortably tight, like he's trying to keep Yasusada anchored to the reality in front of him, or maybe trying to curb the way he wants to reach into the prism and strangle whatever lifelike thing might be inside of it.]
...I dunno what you saw wherever you were, but I'm here. I've been here the whole time.
[He doesn't tell Yasusada not to apologize, either; it's not his fault he left, but Kashuu is too selfish to turn words like that away right now.]
My text bounced after you sent me that stupid message earlier and I didn't really think a lot about it at first, but then people started popping up outta nowhere, super injured...
[The idea of Nagasone being here without either of them being aware of it... isn't impossible. But Kashuu is the type of person who refuses to face the things he doesn't like to consider head-on, so his logic is much the same. Clearly, it must all be some sort of sick game played by whatever has cornered them here.]
--Yeah. Whatever was going on with you guys, some of it definitely wasn't real. Whatever hurt you was, but I'm fine, so he's gotta be, too.
[Giving Yasusada's hand a squeeze, like he isn't already squeezing it.]
[Yasusada has, arguably, made some good progress, when it comes to how he deals with painful things. Over and over, he's had to face the loss of the Shinsengumi--Kashuu's death, and Okita's, and Kondou's, and Hijikata's.
But Nagasone is different. Nagasone's always been their backbone, and seeing him break... that's not a hurt Yasusada's ever braced himself for. It had been so horribly shocking. So Yasusada clings to denial, too, because doing otherwise is too reminiscent of the crushing panic he'd felt in that room.]
...Yeah. [His voice is still weak, and probably muffled in the fabric of Kashuu's clothes.] I don't know... who the other people were. But I think it was the same... for Vax and Damien and Atsushi.
[Watching people they loved break before their eyes.]
[He's getting cake and blood all over him and he DOESN'T EVEN CARE!!!! This is how you know he truly loves Yasusada no matter how much he bullies him.]
...Well. If that note thing they found earlier is actually legit, then this prism knows more about us than we'd like, anyway. That's probably as good a sign as any that it was behind whatever the hell happened to you.
[It's easier like this, to have something to blame that he wasn't even extremely fond of in the first place. To have something solid to look at and point and and say "it's because of this that Yasusada got hurt". He raises his free hand again, petting his fluffy pompom head for the second time.]
I dunno why it would do that, though. Why to you guys.
Coincidentally, Kashuu also hates it here! He hates the strain in Yasusada's voice, and the softness to it - the way it gets soft when he's dealing with too much weight. He's quiet for a few seconds longer before he sighs, finally easing back just a little. Just enough to be able to look Yasusada in the face, though he keeps a steady hold on him. He doesn't want to think about what it is Yasusada saw; this version of himself that was struck terrified and speechless.]
Hey - whatever it was you saw, it wasn't real, okay? Maybe it's... just a worse version of what the prism was trying to do earlier. Scare people.
[But, like. Perhaps not without some sort of maliciousness this time. It's so hard to imagine something doing this without a desire to harm.]
[Yasusada definitely doesn't look cute right now--not with tear tracks streaking through the scratches and cuts on his face, and certainly not with the red in his eyes, from all that crying.
Still, for him, it's good to see Kashuu's face. It means he can look into his eyes--and they're that normal shade of red, no horrible glow. It means he can watch Kashuu's lips moving, assured that he can speak, that he's not trapped in some horrible spell of silence. Right now, he doesn't care much about what did this to him, or why. He's just glad to be back with Kashuu, to have tangible proof that the broken bits of metal on the floor were nothing more than a cruel trick.
He thinks, briefly, of saying--you know I'd always let you kill me, right? Of saying I could never bring myself to break you, even if I should. Kashuu will probably see, in his eyes, that there's so much more being left unsaid.
But for now, he presses it back. He stares at Kashuu's face a little longer, then nods, dropping his head to rest against his shoulder instead.]
[He sees it, all of those unsaid things. He sees them and he wants to reach out to pull them to the surface, but doesn't, at the same time.
Good thing he's got a nice distraction here, in the shape of a partner who has been badly, badly shaken. When Yasusada drops his head against his shoulder, he reaches up again, placing his palm against his shoulders and then ruffling his stupid, poofy ponytail.]
Yeah, everyone else is okay. A lot of you guys came back looking real bad, but enough people were around and on guard that we got everyone here pretty fast. Nothing really happened to the rest of us while you guys were gone, either. The prism's been acting up, but that's it.
[His poofy ponytail... I think about how he has hair missing but it's not even noticeable. Very funny.]
...That's good. [He doesn't know what he'd do if he'd come back, realized he was alive, learned that the Kashuu he'd seen was an illusion--only to then learn that Kashuu and Buzen had gotten hurt for real in the meantime. He'd mcfreakin' lose it!!!]
Ah--[He shifts, then, not pulling away, but pulling something out of his clothing. It's a golden earring; he holds it out for Kashuu to see.]--do you... know whose this is?
Kashuu will probably notice eventually, but for now he's too busy trying to soothe a pompom. There's just a little hum, a tiny affirming noise at the "that's good", because so many people got hurt anyway and "okay" really only covers the bare minimum here.
He'll shift when Yasusada does, though, looking at the earring with a furrowed brow.]
Huh? ...Did you find it back there? Wherever you were.
[Okies I got permission for uno description congrats Kashuu you are the secret keeper... anyway it's a gold earring that's a cross of two arrows, and probably isn't from claire's. We just don't know.]
Maybe... I think so? There was one, but... it's hard to remember now. [...] I mean, my memory is... okay. Just... a lot happened after.
[He didn't exactly analyze it before they got swept off to watch everyone they love DIE
He's quiet for a minute, thoughtful.]
Do you think it's like... the hot springs...? [Panties.......2!]
Well, he does not recognize this earring, at least, and i aki am not going to sift through everyone's icons to see if someone has a two arrows crossing earring just in case, so he just shakes his head.]
... [Hm. Yasusada says "my memory is okay" but Kashuu looks at him (as best as he can from whatever weird position they're pretzeled into) anyway, frowning.] --Yeah, I'd guess so. It might be? You could take it to Himawari or something and see if they recognize it... Maybe it's all one person's stuff?
[WHO'S GOING AROUND LOSING THEIR SCARF AND EARRING AND PANTIES.]
You can worry about that later, though. Rest for now. [Leaning back a little, just enough so he can lift Yasusada's little pompom head and look at his face again. How gnarly are these cuts and scratches...]
[Streakers in chroma... TERRIBLE. He nods, though, tucking the earring away again. He doesn't want to get banned for 500 years, so he will not ask about clothing and accessories on the public network...
He lets Kashuu look at him--and though he's been treated, they're definitely not great. The scratches look as though someone dragged their nails down his face, and he's littered with the cuts from sword shrapnel (though they fortunately missed his eyes, which is only because I just thought of that now, damn).]
I'm okay. [Not completely, obviously, but--well. He probably could be in much worse shape, all things considered.
After all, There are some enemies that you just don't fight.]
[It'd be funny if he did... 500 year ban for an earring...
Can't believe you missed a chance to blind this sweet pomeranian though HAHA!! Suffer. Kashuu will look over them carefully, though, with that expression he wears sometimes that's somewhat hard to read. One of his hands rests against the side of Yasusada's face, but he's trying not to touch any of the cuts or scratches.]
...Was that - from the illusion?
[The illusion of himself? He can't imagine Yasusada letting anyone close enough in a dangerous situation to scratch him across the face like this, unless it was someone he didn't have his blade turned against.]
[yams should be banned preemptively honestly. ALSO STOP MY BLINDNESS... next time.
Yasusada stays obediently still, though, simply watching Kashuu's face. It's a look he knows he won't be able to decipher, but he tries anyway, unable to help himself.
He probably should've expected the question--but Kashuu can be so unpredictable, sometimes, with what he dodges and what he faces head on. And caught up as he'd been in his desperation to know that Kashuu was safe, that he hadn't been left behind again, he hadn't put much thought into how much Kashuu would care about these nonfatal wounds.
He nods, just once. Not enough to dislodge Kashuu's hand from his face.]
[pokes you in your little demon eyes instead :\ binch
There's a little flicker in his expression, there and gone in a blink. This time, he can't help himself - one of his hands raises, a finger lightly, so lightly, touching the raised surface of one of the scratches and following its path down.
It could only ever be you. A sentiment that warms him to his core, just as much as it makes him nauseous with anxiety, if only for this moment. These are non-lethal injuries, but what else could this place do to Yasusada through him, if it so chose?]
...Geez. [Out on a sigh. He leans forward, resting his forehead against Yasusada's and closing his eyes. Softly:]
I should have been there.
[The real him, and not some haunting mirage. He doesn't say "I'm sorry", but the apology is clear, nonetheless.]
If there was any doubt lingering, it'll be erased by the fact that the scratch line matches Kashuu's nail exactly. They're long, and relatively straight--no indication that Yasusada had struggled against it in any way.
Rather than physical wounds, though, it's the damage to his heart, as always, that's affected him the most. So, predictably:]
I'm glad you weren't. [This wasn't like a regular mission, where they know the dangers they face even before they set foot on the battlefield. This was designed to inflict harm, there's no other way around it.] I don't want to see you hurt.
[How many times does he have to watch Kashuu die? How many times can he stand to fail to protect the people he cares about the most? Is watching over him all that I can do?
Still, it's not like he doesn't understand. He'd be doing the same thing, if their positions were reversed, and he knows it. Kashuu doesn't have to apologize, but he will.]
[He breathes in, breathes back out, knowing that he would be saying the exact same thing in Yasusada's position. That he was glad Yasusada wasn't there. That it was a painful thing. No one else needs to know this.
They really are reflections in any way that matters, aren't they?]
...When the others started showing up, I was really freaking out, you know. When I tried to text you back, it didn't go through.
[He doesn't say it accusingly, though - more like he's letting Yasusada know that he knew about his absence pretty early and had reason to worry more and more over the course of the day. Whoda thunk, being left behind really sucks!
With a hand raised to press against the side of his face:]
But you're back, and that's what matters.
[...The hand drops in the next second, though, to touch the front of Yasusada's neck, and he pulls away a little.]
[Even if it's not an accusation, it makes his mouth twist in misery to hear nonetheless. No matter the tension that resulted from Okita's decision, at least he'd known when Kashuu was leaving. Kashuu hadn't even gotten that much. Yasusada had been there one moment, and gone the next, completely unexpectedly.
What is he going to do if something like this happens to Kashuu?
What if, once again, Kashuu doesn't come back?
It's a terrifying thought, and Kashuu's proximity is the only thing keeping him calm.
This, too? he asks, and--well, it's not like Yasusada's going to lie. He nods again.]
...You wouldn't hurt me for no reason. [Even an illusion. Kashuu had looked confused, terrified, but not... not like he had no idea what he was doing.] You must've thought it was the only way.
[Although, that doesn't explain... what came after. That, he has no answer for.]
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No he doesn't do that. NO TB CYOA... he catches his breath after a minute--or, well. He would, except now he's crying, wordless for now, reaching out and pressing his hand to Kashuu's stomach--checking, maybe. As if he's the one who came back injured.
It's probably not that surprising, since, in reaching for Kashuu, he drops the pieces of metal he'd been holding; the sound of them hitting the floor is familiar to both of them, now.]
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But oh, hm. Yeah. That's an even more familiar sound to him than the coughing, which he only experienced in retrospect, years and years after the fact. This has him seizing up almost automatically, a sound that has reflexive horror tearing through his core like it hasn't been centuries on centuries since he'd last heard it.
It's hard not to panic, between that and his already frayed nerves and the way Yasusada reaches out for him so strangely - but it's his turn to be the support, now, isn't it?
Heedless of the CAKE AND BLOOD YA NASTY, he leans over and bundles Yasusada up into his arms, a half-hug and half-hold. He doesn't look at the ground.]
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He does, eventually, settle--though it takes a long time, and he doesn't try to speak right away. When he does, though, his voice is raspy.]
You're--really okay...?
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Soothing his partner comes easily to him, at least - as easy as being a terrible bully. He gently rocks Yasusada, rubbing his back and petting his hair, saying nothing save for the occasional soothing sound.
He frowns at the sound of Yasusada's voice.]
--Shouldn't that be my line? I'm not the one who went and disappeared, y'know. [None of the bite is there.]
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(If they hadn't found him quickly enough, would it still have been temporary? What, exactly, will happen to them, if these bodies get injured beyond repair here?)] Just... at the end, you...
[He reaches out, pressing his hand to Kashuu's stomach again. It's probably enough of an answer--there aren't very many reasons he'd be making a gesture like that, when it comes to spirits like them.]
Su-sensei... said you were okay, but...
[But it took seeing him for himself, being able to touch him like this, to be sure it was the truth.]
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He reaches for Yasusada's hand - the one at his stomach, and grabs it in his own. It's probably uncomfortably tight, like he's trying to keep Yasusada anchored to the reality in front of him, or maybe trying to curb the way he wants to reach into the prism and strangle whatever lifelike thing might be inside of it.]
...I dunno what you saw wherever you were, but I'm here. I've been here the whole time.
[He doesn't tell Yasusada not to apologize, either; it's not his fault he left, but Kashuu is too selfish to turn words like that away right now.]
My text bounced after you sent me that stupid message earlier and I didn't really think a lot about it at first, but then people started popping up outta nowhere, super injured...
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...I saw Nagasone-san too. In--in a different room. Before you. [He draws in a shaky breath.] But if... if you're okay, then...
[Then he probably is, too. Safe, at home, at the citadel. He has to believe that.]
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--Yeah. Whatever was going on with you guys, some of it definitely wasn't real. Whatever hurt you was, but I'm fine, so he's gotta be, too.
[Giving Yasusada's hand a squeeze, like he isn't already squeezing it.]
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But Nagasone is different. Nagasone's always been their backbone, and seeing him break... that's not a hurt Yasusada's ever braced himself for. It had been so horribly shocking. So Yasusada clings to denial, too, because doing otherwise is too reminiscent of the crushing panic he'd felt in that room.]
...Yeah. [His voice is still weak, and probably muffled in the fabric of Kashuu's clothes.] I don't know... who the other people were. But I think it was the same... for Vax and Damien and Atsushi.
[Watching people they loved break before their eyes.]
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...Well. If that note thing they found earlier is actually legit, then this prism knows more about us than we'd like, anyway. That's probably as good a sign as any that it was behind whatever the hell happened to you.
[It's easier like this, to have something to blame that he wasn't even extremely fond of in the first place. To have something solid to look at and point and and say "it's because of this that Yasusada got hurt". He raises his free hand again, petting his fluffy pompom head for the second time.]
I dunno why it would do that, though. Why to you guys.
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I don't know either. It was okay, at first. And then... [And then horrible things kept happening.
He falls quiet; when he speaks again, his voice is soft, still weak with strain.
The scratches on his face throb. It's an odd sensation.] You couldn't speak... you looked so scared. I didn't... know what to do.
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Coincidentally, Kashuu also hates it here! He hates the strain in Yasusada's voice, and the softness to it - the way it gets soft when he's dealing with too much weight. He's quiet for a few seconds longer before he sighs, finally easing back just a little. Just enough to be able to look Yasusada in the face, though he keeps a steady hold on him. He doesn't want to think about what it is Yasusada saw; this version of himself that was struck terrified and speechless.]
Hey - whatever it was you saw, it wasn't real, okay? Maybe it's... just a worse version of what the prism was trying to do earlier. Scare people.
[But, like. Perhaps not without some sort of maliciousness this time. It's so hard to imagine something doing this without a desire to harm.]
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Still, for him, it's good to see Kashuu's face. It means he can look into his eyes--and they're that normal shade of red, no horrible glow. It means he can watch Kashuu's lips moving, assured that he can speak, that he's not trapped in some horrible spell of silence. Right now, he doesn't care much about what did this to him, or why. He's just glad to be back with Kashuu, to have tangible proof that the broken bits of metal on the floor were nothing more than a cruel trick.
He thinks, briefly, of saying--you know I'd always let you kill me, right? Of saying I could never bring myself to break you, even if I should. Kashuu will probably see, in his eyes, that there's so much more being left unsaid.
But for now, he presses it back. He stares at Kashuu's face a little longer, then nods, dropping his head to rest against his shoulder instead.]
Is everyone else... okay?
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Good thing he's got a nice distraction here, in the shape of a partner who has been badly, badly shaken. When Yasusada drops his head against his shoulder, he reaches up again, placing his palm against his shoulders and then ruffling his stupid, poofy ponytail.]
Yeah, everyone else is okay. A lot of you guys came back looking real bad, but enough people were around and on guard that we got everyone here pretty fast. Nothing really happened to the rest of us while you guys were gone, either. The prism's been acting up, but that's it.
[Just some bees in the closet, no big deal.]
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...That's good. [He doesn't know what he'd do if he'd come back, realized he was alive, learned that the Kashuu he'd seen was an illusion--only to then learn that Kashuu and Buzen had gotten hurt for real in the meantime. He'd mcfreakin' lose it!!!]
Ah--[He shifts, then, not pulling away, but pulling something out of his clothing. It's a golden earring; he holds it out for Kashuu to see.]--do you... know whose this is?
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Kashuu will probably notice eventually, but for now he's too busy trying to soothe a pompom. There's just a little hum, a tiny affirming noise at the "that's good", because so many people got hurt anyway and "okay" really only covers the bare minimum here.
He'll shift when Yasusada does, though, looking at the earring with a furrowed brow.]
Huh? ...Did you find it back there? Wherever you were.
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Maybe... I think so? There was one, but... it's hard to remember now. [...] I mean, my memory is... okay. Just... a lot happened after.
[He didn't exactly analyze it before they got swept off to watch everyone they love DIE
He's quiet for a minute, thoughtful.]
Do you think it's like... the hot springs...? [Panties.......2!]
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Well, he does not recognize this earring, at least, and i aki am not going to sift through everyone's icons to see if someone has a two arrows crossing earring just in case, so he just shakes his head.]
... [Hm. Yasusada says "my memory is okay" but Kashuu looks at him (as best as he can from whatever weird position they're pretzeled into) anyway, frowning.] --Yeah, I'd guess so. It might be? You could take it to Himawari or something and see if they recognize it... Maybe it's all one person's stuff?
[WHO'S GOING AROUND LOSING THEIR SCARF AND EARRING AND PANTIES.]
You can worry about that later, though. Rest for now. [Leaning back a little, just enough so he can lift Yasusada's little pompom head and look at his face again. How gnarly are these cuts and scratches...]
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He lets Kashuu look at him--and though he's been treated, they're definitely not great. The scratches look as though someone dragged their nails down his face, and he's littered with the cuts from sword shrapnel (though they fortunately missed his eyes, which is only because I just thought of that now, damn).]
I'm okay. [Not completely, obviously, but--well. He probably could be in much worse shape, all things considered.
After all, There are some enemies that you just don't fight.]
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Can't believe you missed a chance to blind this sweet pomeranian though HAHA!! Suffer. Kashuu will look over them carefully, though, with that expression he wears sometimes that's somewhat hard to read. One of his hands rests against the side of Yasusada's face, but he's trying not to touch any of the cuts or scratches.]
...Was that - from the illusion?
[The illusion of himself? He can't imagine Yasusada letting anyone close enough in a dangerous situation to scratch him across the face like this, unless it was someone he didn't have his blade turned against.]
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Yasusada stays obediently still, though, simply watching Kashuu's face. It's a look he knows he won't be able to decipher, but he tries anyway, unable to help himself.
He probably should've expected the question--but Kashuu can be so unpredictable, sometimes, with what he dodges and what he faces head on. And caught up as he'd been in his desperation to know that Kashuu was safe, that he hadn't been left behind again, he hadn't put much thought into how much Kashuu would care about these nonfatal wounds.
He nods, just once. Not enough to dislodge Kashuu's hand from his face.]
It could only ever be you.
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There's a little flicker in his expression, there and gone in a blink. This time, he can't help himself - one of his hands raises, a finger lightly, so lightly, touching the raised surface of one of the scratches and following its path down.
It could only ever be you. A sentiment that warms him to his core, just as much as it makes him nauseous with anxiety, if only for this moment. These are non-lethal injuries, but what else could this place do to Yasusada through him, if it so chose?]
...Geez. [Out on a sigh. He leans forward, resting his forehead against Yasusada's and closing his eyes. Softly:]
I should have been there.
[The real him, and not some haunting mirage. He doesn't say "I'm sorry", but the apology is clear, nonetheless.]
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If there was any doubt lingering, it'll be erased by the fact that the scratch line matches Kashuu's nail exactly. They're long, and relatively straight--no indication that Yasusada had struggled against it in any way.
Rather than physical wounds, though, it's the damage to his heart, as always, that's affected him the most. So, predictably:]
I'm glad you weren't. [This wasn't like a regular mission, where they know the dangers they face even before they set foot on the battlefield. This was designed to inflict harm, there's no other way around it.] I don't want to see you hurt.
[How many times does he have to watch Kashuu die? How many times can he stand to fail to protect the people he cares about the most? Is watching over him all that I can do?
Still, it's not like he doesn't understand. He'd be doing the same thing, if their positions were reversed, and he knows it. Kashuu doesn't have to apologize, but he will.]
But I'm sorry for leaving you behind.
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They really are reflections in any way that matters, aren't they?]
...When the others started showing up, I was really freaking out, you know. When I tried to text you back, it didn't go through.
[He doesn't say it accusingly, though - more like he's letting Yasusada know that he knew about his absence pretty early and had reason to worry more and more over the course of the day. Whoda thunk, being left behind really sucks!
With a hand raised to press against the side of his face:]
But you're back, and that's what matters.
[...The hand drops in the next second, though, to touch the front of Yasusada's neck, and he pulls away a little.]
...This, too?
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What is he going to do if something like this happens to Kashuu?
What if, once again, Kashuu doesn't come back?
It's a terrifying thought, and Kashuu's proximity is the only thing keeping him calm.
This, too? he asks, and--well, it's not like Yasusada's going to lie. He nods again.]
...You wouldn't hurt me for no reason. [Even an illusion. Kashuu had looked confused, terrified, but not... not like he had no idea what he was doing.] You must've thought it was the only way.
[Although, that doesn't explain... what came after. That, he has no answer for.]
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