[ instinct has him blanching at the contact. the blood is old and stiff, but it smears along his skin anyway, and for a moment he feels the rise of bile threaten to spill out of his throat.
when she speaks, though, his disgust is easily replaced by a flare of alarm. her voice is quiet, but shaky, and there is something — too empty about it to feel right. without thinking, his hand curls around hers, smearing that old blood further, but this time he doesn't hesitate to step even closer, to reach out and lay a steadying hand on her arm. ]
Don't be stupid, [ he whispers harshly, sharply. as if the tone itself might be enough to snap her out of whatever's happened. he can put it together now, after all. but as far as he recalls — no one's ever walked out of that hide and seek game until days after. ]
[There's gratitude, real gratitude on the lilt of those words, but it's automatic. Against his hand, she trembles a little. He's not incredibly warm but the contact is enough to jolt her, put some life back in her expression.
And it pinches in frustration and pain.]
I'm not stupid. [A weak protest and she grips his hand harder. It's real, she can feel it. A living person. Someone who's talking and not bleeding. Bleeding all over her.
Her head lifts marginally and she looks at him in confusion.]
[ he sighs briefly. he could explain it to her, but he has a feeling that words aren't really registering to well with her right now. not that he holds it against her — he thinks he can understand.
so instead he just shifts his hand around in hers, mimicking an action they'd once shared quite a while back. ]
Squeeze as hard as you want, [ he tells her quietly, meeting the gaze of her eyes meaningfully. ] I'm not going anywhere.
[That meaning causes her eyes to widen. Then the light makes her eyes ripple. Before any tears fall, she ducks her head so her bangs hang in front of her face.]
You don't owe me for that.
[Her voice cracks a little but the tears she won't show him go into how she grips his hand harder.]
[ the sound of the sword falling jolts him in his place, startling him enough that he very nearly loses his grip on her. but once he feels her weight against him, his hand tightens, arms coming up to wrap around her smaller frame and hold her close to his chest. ]
S-Senpai? Senpai!
[ he isn't weak, but he isn't particularly strong, either, and the unexpectedness of the sudden weight on him has his knees buckling a little, and soon he's lowering them both down to the ground, her head pillowed gently against his chest. ]
[No, not hurt. Just empty. So empty. She was running on fumes, her personal processor feels like it's been overclocked for the last...
How long was she in there? Actually, she doesn't care. She doesn't care about anything anymore. If she dies, that would be fine. She fought her hardest, she won Hide and Seek so it should be fine. Now that she's back home, in 3-D, this is where she would want to stop existing.
Nothing is ever easy, but she listens to Nisaka's heart beat like it will keep hers doing the same.]
I'm not hurt. [Physically. Oh, she gets it. Her clothes...
[ not physical pain then, he surmises, though his grip never fully releases her.
they're huddled on the floor now, but thankfully he's got a wall to his back, helping to ease some of the worries of vulnerability that position leaves them in. ]
Do — you want to talk about it...?
[ he doesn't know what else he can do, what else he can offer her. ]
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when she speaks, though, his disgust is easily replaced by a flare of alarm. her voice is quiet, but shaky, and there is something — too empty about it to feel right. without thinking, his hand curls around hers, smearing that old blood further, but this time he doesn't hesitate to step even closer, to reach out and lay a steadying hand on her arm. ]
Don't be stupid, [ he whispers harshly, sharply. as if the tone itself might be enough to snap her out of whatever's happened. he can put it together now, after all. but as far as he recalls — no one's ever walked out of that hide and seek game until days after. ]
I owe you, remember?
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And it pinches in frustration and pain.]
I'm not stupid. [A weak protest and she grips his hand harder. It's real, she can feel it. A living person. Someone who's talking and not bleeding. Bleeding all over her.
Her head lifts marginally and she looks at him in confusion.]
You owe me?
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so instead he just shifts his hand around in hers, mimicking an action they'd once shared quite a while back. ]
Squeeze as hard as you want, [ he tells her quietly, meeting the gaze of her eyes meaningfully. ] I'm not going anywhere.
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You don't owe me for that.
[Her voice cracks a little but the tears she won't show him go into how she grips his hand harder.]
Can we please go inside?
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Then consider it repayment for all the food you stuffed in me, [ he responds easily, trying not to think about how watery her voice sounds.
once they're inside, he starts to lead her towards a quiet corner they can tuck themselves into. ]
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You don't owe me for that either. [It's a murmur against his chest, stifled in his shirt.]
I'm senpai so I have to look out for you. [Even if she doesn't feel like much of anything right now.
Asuna follows, keeps her face in his chest. Once they're in the classroom, her sword clatters to the floor and she wilts, legs giving out.]
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S-Senpai? Senpai!
[ he isn't weak, but he isn't particularly strong, either, and the unexpectedness of the sudden weight on him has his knees buckling a little, and soon he's lowering them both down to the ground, her head pillowed gently against his chest. ]
Senpai — hang on — are you hurt—?
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How long was she in there? Actually, she doesn't care. She doesn't care about anything anymore. If she dies, that would be fine. She fought her hardest, she won Hide and Seek so it should be fine. Now that she's back home, in 3-D, this is where she would want to stop existing.
Nothing is ever easy, but she listens to Nisaka's heart beat like it will keep hers doing the same.]
I'm not hurt. [Physically. Oh, she gets it. Her clothes...
There's a small tremor that shakes her.]
It's not my blood.
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they're huddled on the floor now, but thankfully he's got a wall to his back, helping to ease some of the worries of vulnerability that position leaves them in. ]
Do — you want to talk about it...?
[ he doesn't know what else he can do, what else he can offer her. ]
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It's over, it's over. Nisaka is fine. He won't die, he won't die in front of her. He won't bleed.
Asuna trembles again and shakes her head.]
No. [That's a nightmare she doesn't want to relive so soon. And definitely not something she wants to drag Nisaka into any more than she already has.]
Just stay. I just need you to stay here...