[He doesn't deserve this. He knows he doesn't deserve this. Begging Kashuu not to leave him behind, when he knows he'd left both of his swords behind him, abandoned them because he wasn't strong enough? Selfish, that's what he is. Always asking for love and admiration and then failing to pay back what he's owed.

But those are black and ugly thoughts, too much like self-pity for Souji's liking, and so he swallows them down with the ever-present taste of blood. Deserved or not, Kashuu seems to be giving him a second chance even now, and Souji just has to do his very best to make it worth it.

Leaning back a little bit, he fusses for a moment with Kashuu's hair, which had gotten a bit mussed as Souji had clung to him. It's really just an excuse to touch that he doesn't really need, and it soon turns into slim fingers gently tracing the contours of the other's face - as if a short period of relative separation has him afraid that maybe he'll forget about them. Finally, he leans in and presses a soft kiss to Kashuu's cheek, breathing out a little bit more tension against his skin.]

I'm sorry, too. I wish I knew how to help. It must be... hard, getting reminders of it all thrown in your face like that. [One hand goes to Kashuu's neck, resting there as if Souji wants to keep him from fracturing once more.] I don't want to make it any harder for you, see? It's just... I've come to rely on your strength for so much. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what this place would've done to me by now.