A SMILE GENTLE & touched by warmth does not fade, lambent eyes shining gently at him; he was certainly too kind. Far too kind. Blood stained hands, flesh still ripped & shown leaned against the metal table, pushing them off of it & onto wobbly feet.
Small feet brought them close, albeit a bit slowly, their head turning to let flames meet violets, a gentle fire touched the color of their eyes but, it did not burn, their gaze instead just echoed a warmth like a fire place. Though his words twisted their heart, pulling it apart & causing a sorrow within them, they still smiled. It was not forced; not at all but, it was a smile created by the desire to implant hope within their blade.
Small arms, stained in carmine as deep as night, gleaming red in the bright light of the room, reached out as they wrapped their arms tightly around him, pulling him as close as they could with weakened strength. Pain echoed within their body, within their mind, within their palms but, still, they wanted so to give him hope for a brighter tomorrow.
This was no time to falter, to fall to weakness, to relinquish strength; this was the time to encourage it, to stand & fight, regardless of the pain that slammed & crushed their body. Crimson tainted fingers grasped onto green fabric, leaving a stain, leaving a memory for tomorrow, unintentionally.
This was his home, this was the place he was summoned to, the place where his master whom held their hand out upon the first moments of meeting resided, the place where his bonds were forged, more powerful than any storm; they would never let him go, not until the moment when the war was over & freedom rightfully rained upon the bladed souls.
❛ This is your home… You are welcome to stay here as long as you want & when the war has ended, you may return to where your heart takes you. Don’t worry, Ishikirimaru… I don’t hate you, you’re my family, I could never hate you. ❜
Watching as the other walked toward him tore at his own heart, lower lip quivering a bit as he, again, did his best to hold his composure. It was difficult, he realized now, to keep calm when someone as important as your master had been torn open by you. Is this what Imanotsurugi had felt in his past? He wondered, though his thoughts cut short as arms wrapped around him, completely catching him off guard.
Wrapping his arms around them in return, he does his best to not break down again, his body trembling as he kept his breathing as even as possible. He couldn’t help resting his head against the Saniwa’s, however, as he almost curled around them protectively in the embrace. It was hard not to-- he felt every bit guilty even though they spoke of still caring for him, still wishing that he felt welcome to stay here.
“Aruji-sama... I... Th-Thank you... Thank you for allowing me to stay, despite burdening you with my own inability to prevent this.” There’s a shaky breath as he held them more firmly, finding it harder to allow himself to cry again when he was holding them tight, though not too tightly given their wound. Once he had recomposed himself just enough, he recalled that he still needed to cleanse himself, and that using the hot bath of the Citadel would be no good. A pure lake lay nearby, and he could sense its presence, would be the only correct solution to completely cleanse him.
“Would... Would there be a chance you would be able to overlook my cleanse in the nearby lake...?” Pulling away enough to look toward them, it was clear he was nervous to leave the Citadel after what had happened, though he supposed having them overlook his cleanse was also an effort to be certain nothing reentered him once he had finished with the cleanse.
