“Hey, don't cry….”
He lifted his hand, a little trembling as he tries to wipe the tears away from her face, only dirtying her cheek from his bloody hand. She quickly grab his hand and squeezed it tight, sobbing hard as tears pour out of her eyes, steadily falling down to his face.

“Daiki, you idiot! You should've left!”
“There's no way i can do that, can't I?”
“And risk yourself getting killed?! I told you i’ll be fine! Why won't you believe me!!”

He doesn't reply right away, eyes focused on her as Reo is taking care of his wounds.

“Ma’am, you need to be treated right away.” One of the medic team trying to bring her out, but she slapped his hand away and held Daiki's hand again.
“If your hands are free, then fucking do something about him!!”
“But Ma’am, you--”
“Forget about me!!”
“Hitaki.” Daiki return her grip around his hand, “Your wounds needs treatment too. Don't be stubborn and let them check on you.”
“Shut up!! If you still have energy to lecture me, then you should've used it to ran away!! The hell were you doing?!”
“....I promised the brats to take you home.”
“....”
“I promised to bring you back.”

She says nothing. Her sobs are getting heavier despite her body getting weaker. Her hand started trembling too, he knows she's been holding back her pain because of him, but if she didn't got treated right away, her condition will surely worsened. Bed rest a week or two won't help.

“Taki.”
“......”
“Please.”
She shook her head and hugs him, giving no fuck about the blood that's gonna dirty herself as well.

“Daiki, you idiot…”
“You're the idiot one here. Why do you think i go to such length to save you?”
“I didn't ask you to!”
“I told you i’ll do what i want if something happened to you, right?”
“.....”
“You're always saying you're okay, but both of us know that's bullshit. Who do you think you’re lying to? I’ve been here with you for years, you think i couldn't tell your crap?”
“......”
“Look, letting you go alone was my mistake. I believe in your skill, i really do, but that doesn't mean i’m happy to see you off to the war zone.”
“.....Because i don't wanna see you be the one going in.”
“Then what about the things i just said? You're stubborn as fuck, Taki, and you know that. Even if i locked you down, you're gonna slip out and leave anyway. Honestly, i’m tired of telling you to stop.”
“I just wanna fight together, Daiki! Why can't you understand that?!”
“Then why the fuck can't you understand that I DON'T want to see you go back to this side?!”
“.....”
“You said you wanna leave, right? Then get the fuck out and stop stepping in. You left for good, then don't ruin it. I’ll protect you, okay? I'm not that weak. But i can't do that if you keep jumping out right on my face.”
“......”

Daiki looks away, sighing in frustration as well as holding back the throbs all over his body. This kind of talk always ended up in an argument because of her stubbornness, and they can't seem to meet an agreement.

Even so, he knows what she did for him and their children. Just like him doing everything he can for them.

“I’m getting tired, you know. You won't settle down even when it's obvious you couldn't even stand. The fuck you think i am? Think i’m so fucking weak i need your protection?”
“.....That's--”
“I know. You don't have such thought, i know. But doesn't mean it won't occur in my mind.”

Hitaki doesn't answer. She doesn't want to, and doesn't know how to. She never think of him as weak, but it's true that she wants to protect him. She doesn't want to feel any regret from letting her past went free and took him away from her grip.

She hugs him tighter. Her sobs already subdued, leaving only her tears which hasn't stopped flowing. Seeing she has no intention of letting out a single word, he lifted his hand and caresses her hair.

“I get it, okay? You want to fight together, watching each other's back like we did in the past,but… Not like this.”
“.....”
“How can i watch your back if you keep jumping into the fire alone?”
“......”
“.....Look, just… Don't do it. Not like this, okay? If you keep at it, you’ll be driving me insane. Imagining something happening to you leaves bad taste on my mouth.”
“......Sorry, Daiki….”

Daiki says nothing and sighs again, hand keeps on caressing her hair as her shoulder trembles from her sobs.

‘Don't apologise.’ He thought to himself, without voicing it out. He wonders which hurts him more, hearing her apology or seeing her tears. Reo was already done tending his wound and now working on Hitaki. Even though Reo says nothing, he knew. Her condition is bad.

“.....Let's go to the hospital, Taki.”
“.....Huh?”
“Hospital. You need treatment.”
“Don't worry about me, i’m fine. You're the one--”
“You GOT shot far before i came to save you. Twice. Don't you dare say you're fine.”
“......”
“Don't make me force you.”
“I-i got it, but you--”
“I’ll be fine. I have this thing inside me while you don't. You know that.”
“......”
“I won't go anywhere.”

She doesn't respond, but her hugs loosened. Her energy is slowly depleted, he knows. Those poisonous bullets did the same thing to Miyuki even when it barely grazed her skin. There's no way Hitaki who got shot directly doesn't feel its effect.

“I don't mind if you give me the silent treatment, i’m used to it. But please, get yourself treated.”
“......”
“Please.”
“....If you don't have that thing inside you, does it mean you won't be alive by now?”

Now it's his turn to went silent.

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