The door creaked open slowly, as though the weight of Tatsuya's hesitation had seeped into its very hinges. His hand trembled against the wood, pushing forward inch by inch, his breath held hostage by fear.
The moment the door opened wide enough to allow the lamplight from the main room to bleed in, the scene inside struck him harder than any wound he had ever taken.
A single lantern flickered in the corner.
And in that corner—curled up against the wall, half-shielded by shadow—sat Luna.
She didn't look up.
Her body was small. So small. Her shoulders shuddered with each breath, as if the act of crying was something she tried and failed to restrain. Her long brown hair was unbrushed, a disheveled curtain hiding half her face, and her clothes were wrinkled, clinging damply to her arms.
Her left leg was wrapped in thick white bandages from thigh to shin. Though it was no longer broken, the swelling around her knee was visible even from where he stood.
A small wooden stool beside her held a damp cloth, and the remnants of a healing salve glistened faintly in the low light.
But it wasn't the wound that broke him.
It was the sound.
Luna was crying.
Crying the way someone does when they've run out of strength to scream.
Her head pressed lightly against the wall, tears streaming silently from her eyes. The kind of crying that seemed familiar, like she had done it for hours—maybe even before Tatsuya had arrived. The kind of grief that didn't ask for attention, only space to exist.
"Luna…" His voice left his lips like a prayer.
She flinched.
Only then did she slowly turn her head toward him. Her ruby eyes, normally sharp and mischievous, were red-rimmed and tired. She blinked once, and her mouth opened as if to speak—but nothing came out.
Tatsuya stepped into the room, his footfalls light, reverent.
His heart ached. He wanted to run to her. To hold her. To apologize a thousand times. But even as he stepped closer, some invisible barrier kept him back—a wall of guilt, of failure, of knowing that he had caused this.
"Luna, I…" he began.
Her lip trembled.
"I was scared," she whispered, her voice breaking like thin ice underfoot.
Tatsuya's chest tightened. "I didn't. I—"
"I know!" she cried suddenly, voice rising. She wiped her face with her sleeve, then hit the floor with her fist. "I know, stupid. But I thought you did. I thought everyone was going to leave and I'd be the only one left behind…."
Silence again.
Tatsuya knelt down slowly, lowering himself to her level.
Her legs were drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. She was trying to look strong. Even now, when everything about her said fragile, she wore that stubborn, childish bravery on her sleeve.
He reached out.
His hand hovered near her shoulder, unsure. Would she pull away? Would she blame him?
But she didn't.
She leaned forward and collapsed against him.
Her small frame pressed into his chest, her hands grabbing the cloth of his kimono like she was afraid he'd disappear again. Her tears soaked through the fabric, hot and shaking. Tatsuya closed his eyes, wrapping his arms gently around her, the knot of guilt tightening until he could barely breathe.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should have protected you."
Luna said nothing.
But the way she clung to him said everything.
Thud.
Thud.
Each blow was light. Not even enough force to sting. They landed softly against his chest—her small, trembling fists striking with the weakness of someone whose strength had been wrung out by sorrow.
But even so, each one cut deeper than any blade ever could.
"Why…" Luna said, her voice barely audible, as though the question had to claw its way up from the pit of her stomach.
"Why…?" she repeated, quieter still, her arms shaking as the next fist fell.
And then, louder.
"WHY!"
The word broke the room like glass shattering in a silent chapel.
She struck him again, her forehead bowing low against him, her breath ragged.
"Why didn't you listen to me?" she cried, her voice cracking on the edge of a sob. "Why did you leave me behind when I needed you the most?!"
She hit him again. The motion was more of a collapse than a punch.
"I told you not to go…" Her voice faltered, the words disjointed. "I begged you to stay. I—I was scared. I said everything I could think of to make you understand. I didn't care if it made me look weak or desperate—I was desperate!"
She shook her head violently, her brown hair falling into her eyes, sticking to the tears running down her cheeks. "And what did you do? You smiled. You smiled and told me not to worry. You said you'd be back soon. And then you turned your back on me."
"You turned you're back to me…"
Her body began to tremble, her words pouring out faster, losing coherence like a dam giving way to a flood.
"I thought.. I thought if I just said the right thing, if I asked with all my heart, then maybe… maybe this time someone would stay!"
Her fingers clutched at his kimono, balling it up in her hands, twisting the fabric like she was afraid he'd vanish again.
"You didn't listen. You didn't see how scared I was. How my hands were shaking. I thought.. I really thought you'd understand. That just this once, someone would stay when I asked them to."
"But you didn't. You left, just like everyone else. You left me in that stupid forest, like I was nothing—like I didn't matter."
Her voice was gaining speed now, like an avalanche of emotion that had been held back too long. Once it started, there was no stopping it.
"But you left. You just left me there! Do you have any idea what that felt like?!"
Tatsuya tried to speak—to say I'm sorry, to say I didn't mean to, to say I only wanted to protect you—but the words felt like lies in his throat. Because none of them could undo what had happened.
"I thought I was strong," Luna whispered, the fire in her voice dying into a tremble. "I thought if I smiled, and I joked around, and I pretended I didn't care, then people wouldn't leave. But they do."
Her hands curled into fists again, pressing against his chest, pushing at him—not to hurt him, but because the pain inside her needed somewhere to go.
"It's always like this. Every time I reach out, people walk away. I tell myself it'll be different. That this time, maybe someone will care enough to stay. But it's always the same! I must be doing something wrong!"
Her voice cracked.
"I must be too needy, too much, too annoying, too everything. That's why people leave, right? That's why you left too, isn't it?"
Her hands slid down from his kimono, falling limply at her sides.
"They always leave…"
She stared down at her bandaged leg, the blood having long since dried. The pain wasn't physical anymore.
She spoke again—so quiet it could barely be heard.
"Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm the reason. Maybe there's just something broken about me that pushes everyone away. If I'd been different—less clingy, less annoying—maybe then…"
"Luna, stop—" Tatsuya reached out.
"I'm so tired of pretending I'm okay…" she whispered through her sobs. "I thought if I just kept smiling, no one would notice how scared I was. But I was so scared, Tatsuya. I didn't want to be alone again."
Tatsuya wrapped his arms around her gently, holding her like she was the most fragile thing in the world.
But she was already falling.
Not physically. But emotionally, completely. Like all her thoughts, all her self-hate, all her guilt had weighed her down until she couldn't stand beneath them anymore.
"I don't want to be left behind anymore…" she sobbed. "Please… I don't want to be alone…"
"I'm not strong like Sora or Misuki. I… I just wanted someone to choose me for once. Someone to say, 'I'll stay with you.' That's all I ever wanted."
He felt her tears soaking through his clothes. She was crying so hard it hurt to hear.
"You didn't even look back…" she whispered, her voice small and haunted. "When I called out to you. You didn't look back. When I called out to you."
Tatsuya held her.
No words. Just arms wrapped tight around her.
There was no apology strong enough. No justification that would make what he did okay. But he could be here now. And maybe, just maybe, that counted for something.
He gently placed his chin atop her head, feeling her tears soak into his shirt again. His eyes burned—but he didn't cry. Not because he wasn't sad.
But because Luna deserved someone strong right now. Even if he had to pretend to be.
Part 2
You could be surrounded by a dozen faces, caught in the warmth of laughter, and still feel like you were screaming underwater. That's what her life had become: one long breathless scream no one could hear.
Why doesn't anyone see me?
That question had nested itself so deeply into her soul that it no longer needed to be asked aloud.
It lingered with every smile she faked, every joke she told, every time she forced herself to shine bright enough so no one would look too closely at the shadows she carried.
Tatsuya's arms felt warm now, but would they still be there tomorrow?
Would he still see her when she wasn't smiling?
Would anyone?
She buried her face deeper into his chest, the scent of dried blood and forest dirt mixing with the damp warmth of her own tears.
She hated how familiar it felt. How right it felt—like this was something she'd always been waiting for, and now that it was here, she didn't know what to do with it.
If I disappeared… would anyone notice?
She thought of Ruza's smile. Of Misuki's soft eyes. Of Sora's quiet judgment. Of all the times she had laughed with them around the dinner table, pretending everything was perfect.
But lately—even that laughter had started to feel thin. Like their joy was happening just a little too far away. Like she was the only one still pretending.
Maybe I said too much once. Maybe I annoyed them. Maybe they realized I'm not worth the effort.
Her mind spun.
I talk too much. I ask for too much. I always want to be seen because I'm scared of being invisible.
I'm scared of being left behind again.
The tears flowed faster.
Because she had been left behind before.
Not by Tatsuya. Not by Ruza. Not by anyone here.
By the ones who created her—and decided she wasn't worth keeping.
Her parents. Her real parents. They abandoned her without a word, they left her in the streets alone, vulnerable, without so much as a glance over their shoulder.
And even now, even years later, that wound hadn't closed. It had simply changed shape.
She had learned to hide it under makeup, laughter, bright clothes, bold words. She had learned to be the one who brought joy to others because somewhere deep inside, she believed that was the only way anyone would want her.
But the cruelest part?
Loneliness feeds on time.
The longer it stayed, the more it convinced you that love was just a phase. That kindness always expired. That no matter how hard you tried to hold on, people would slip through your fingers like water.
"I didn't want to be alone…" she whispered, her voice hoarse now. "I didn't want to be left behind again."
Tatsuya tightened his embrace, and she felt it. The sincerity in his silence. The guilt.
But part of her couldn't believe in it yet. Not fully.
Because even now, the voice whispered in her head: He'll leave too. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But he will.
That's what she had learned from life. That's what her own blood had taught her.
Part 3
Tatsuya held her close—his arms around her felt more like a sanctuary than limbs. Luna's sobs had quieted into hiccups.
What do I need to do? He questioned to himself, I want to help her but how?
He remembered what Ruza had said to him, how she made him see the light in the darkness.
Tatsuya wanted to do that too, he wanted to be the light for Luna like Ruza was for him.
But could he do that? Could he who was also broken pick someone's else's pieces up?
I just have to believe in myself, just say what comes to mind. And try to imitate what Ruza had done for me.
His fingers gently moved through her hair, and he began to speak—not as someone with answers, but as someone who, wanted to understand what it meant to be needed by someone who was afraid.
"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay, I'm here with you."
Luna didn't reply, but the tiny tremor in her shoulders paused for the first time in minutes. The sound of his voice, calm and unwavering, chipped away at the wall of her panic.
"Just stay in my arms."
Her fingers, which had been clenched into fists against his chest, slowly unfurled. She gripped the fabric of his kimono instead, as if anchoring herself to something real.
"Try to calm down."
She tried but her breath hitched, shallow and strained, as if she was afraid to let go of the panic that had become a part of her survival.
"It's okay. Everything's okay. I feel your pulse going so fast."
Tatsuya felt it—her heartbeat, racing like a trapped bird. It stirred something deep in his chest, a helpless tenderness he hadn't expected to feel for someone he barely understood until now.
"Just breathe okay?"
He rocked them gently, slow movements meant to soothe her back to earth. He had no magic. No great strength. But he had arms, a voice, and a promise. Maybe that could be enough.
"Everything's okay now. You're safe, okay? You're safe with me. I'm with you."
Something about the way he said it—like he needed her to believe it just as badly as she needed to hear it—reached her.
"I'm not going anywhere. Okay? I'm right here. I'll stay here with you for as long as I can."
Her breath hitched again, but this time it wasn't from panic. It was disbelief. No one had ever said something like that to her and meant it.
"Shh, shh, it's okay."
Her tears returned, not in violent sobs, but quiet streams that soaked into the hollow where his neck met his shoulder.
"I'm sorry that I made you afraid that I'll go away? I'm so sorry."
Luna's lips trembled against his skin. Words failed her. But her body clung tighter.
"I won't do that again. I'm right here with you, and I'm not going anywhere. I promise. And I'll stay here with you for forever, okay? I'll be yours forever, I'm not planning on going away anytime soon."
She wanted to believe him. She needed to believe him. The warmth of his body, the steady rhythm of his breathing, the sincerity in his voice—they were like torches in the darkness she'd lived with for years.
"You won't be rid of me that easily."
She let out a small, breathy laugh through her tears. It wasn't joyful, but it was real.
"I know that you have abandoned issues and some people haven't held up their promises to you."
His voice dipped lower, softer, like he was afraid the truth might hurt—but he said it anyway. Not to wound her, but to hold her pain with both hands.
"And I know that you've probably had bad past experiences and things that didn't go well and people that let you down. I can relate to that."
Tatsuya thought of his sister. Of the emptiness. Of how he had come into this world already broken, already reaching. And now Luna was reaching too.
"I know how much you struggle with that but I'm not gonna leave you like they did okay? It's their loss, it's completely their loss. There's so many wonderful things about you that they're missing out on right now and you know that—that's on them, not you."
Luna squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to believe him—but his words were slipping past her defenses, staining the fabric of her grief.
"You didn't. You didn't do anything wrong. Not at all. You're such an amazing person. You have a big heart. You have an infectious smile. Your laughter always brightens up the room."
She hiccupped again. It was almost surreal—he remembered things about her that even she had forgotten. Was that really how he saw her?
"I'm going to be by your side no matter what. I want to be the one you share your life with. Cause I want to share mine with yours."
Her fingers gripped tighter around his shirt, a muffled whimper escaping her.
"Let all those thoughts just melt away. I'm not gonna abandon you. I promise. Shh. It's okay."
It was like a spell—his voice, his presence, his warmth. She hadn't known how desperately she wanted someone to say these things… until he did.
"You can always talk to me about it if you're ever feeling scared or worried, even if you think it's irrational or that you're a burden on me. You're not."
Tatsuya meant every word. Every syllable felt like a vow etched onto the air itself.
"I want to reassure you. I want to comfort you when you're upset. Whenever you fall, I'm gonna be there to catch you. You're not gonna drive me away. Unlucky for you, you're stuck with me from here on out."
Another small laugh slipped out of Luna, but this one had warmth—fragile, raw, but real.
"I don't want you to worry about if you'll be alone tomorrow. Okay? Cause I'll be with you."
She wanted to believe that. She wanted to take that sentence and hold it inside her chest like a precious ember.
"When you fall asleep and when you wake up. I'll be there, watching over you."
Her breathing had begun to slow now, no longer ragged. She pressed her face against the hollow of his neck.
"I won't go anywhere. Okay?"
"Okay," she whispered, barely audible. But it was the most honest thing she had ever said.
"Even with your faults and your imperfections, and everyone has those. There's no such thing as a perfect person."
She tensed—then relaxed.
"I care for you with all of that, not despite. I mean, your faults are valid. And not that I'm saying you're flawed, but with all your quirks and everything that makes you you, I care for you with all of it and you don't need to change your behavior because of the people around you."
Tatsuya felt her tremble—because the mask she wore every day was finally cracking. And she was starting to believe… she didn't need it with him.
"They love you as you, and you're good enough as you are. And, again, I promise that I'm not going anywhere."
"You're not going anywhere, I'm not going anywhere. We can stay in each other's arms forever."
Luna's tears had stilled. The ache in her chest was still there, but now it had a name. It was hope. Fragile, desperate, terrifying—but still hope.
"You need to try to go to sleep. Get your strength up. I'll be here with you when you wake up, okay?"
"Okay…" she whispered.
"There's no place in the universe that I feel more comfortable in than right here, right now, with you."
The pain in Tatsuya's chest felt almost unbearable. She needed this. He needed it, too.
"Do you understand? I need you to answer with a yes. Yeah. Yes, I understand."
"…Yes," she murmured. "I understand."
"Yeah, just like that."
"You don't have to worry about if I'll be there, because I always will be. You can always come back to me all the time."
She nodded weakly against him. Her breaths were soft now.
"Just come see me and I'll be here waiting for you. My arms are open for you all the time. I would hold you for all of eternity."
"I wish you would," she whispered, half-asleep.
"Yeah, there's only so much of me someone can handle in one shot."
Tatsuya smiled gently, brushing her hair away from her face.
"Let's go to sleep."
"Yeah, you can just fall asleep in my arms."
Part 3
Luna had long since drifted off in his arms, her tears dried along his tunic, her body slack with exhaustion. The rise and fall of her chest pressed gently against him.
He should have stayed there.
Anyone else would have.
A better person… would have.
But the warmth didn't reach the hollow in his chest.
Because beneath all of it—Luna's tears, her trust, her pain—there was a thought that clawed inside his mind like a feral animal:
She tried to kill me.
She looked at me like I was evil.
She didn't listen. She didn't care. She tried to kill me.
Sora's voice echoed inside his skull. That venom. That hatred. The judgment in her eyes.
Cultist.
Demon.
Was that really all he was to her?
He remembered the pain.
His body broken. His vision stained in red.
The pond.
The cold.
The death that whispered his name as it pulled him under.
Sora had pushed him off it. She had made that choice.
His fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into the skin.
Just like them.
Back on Earth. In that bathroom stall. In the halls between classes.
The bullies.
The monsters in school uniforms.
They laughed. They hurt him. And no one listened.
Not until he made them stop. Not until he silenced them himself.
He thought he had left that world behind.
But Sora reminded him that monsters didn't need uniforms.
They wore smiles. And sometimes… they wore the face of someone you wanted to be friends with.
You can treat cancer to keep it at bay but unless you completly cut it out it wont go away.
He had heard that somewhere before but he couldn't remember where.
I have to take care of this, otherwise she'll hurt me like they did….
Tatsuya's eyes looked cold, his breath steadied.
He looked at the girl who still laid collapsed against him.
"I won't let anyone hurt you." He whispered."I will be back, I only need to take care of something. Sleep well, okey."
Tatsuya slowly peeled himself away from Luna's embrace. He did it carefully, gently, so as not to wake her. The way someone would move from under a broken piece of glass—afraid of shattering something beyond repair.
Sora is a threat to me, she'd hurt me and she need to pay for that. I can't let anyone hurt me again.
Tatsuya noticed something glimmering in the faint light of the lantern.
It was his katana, Tatsuya's eyes widened, she took it with her..
Tatsuya left out a soft smile, I will keep you save Luna. People like Sora I'll kill everyone who can became a threat to your feelings.
He grabbed his katana and walked out of the room.
"I'm going to find Sora, And I'm going to kill her."