[The lack of energy in his tone of voice makes her heart clench uncomfortably. That he can't even muster up his usual bravado... well, she can't blame him. In such a short amount of time, he's lost so much. His men... the pain of losing them must have been excruciating. And he'd been forced to take her along with him. He'd had to watch her take blows that were meant for him, and undoubtedly that stung at his pride as a warrior and a man. And now he'd had to make compromises, to drink something that he was so vehemently opposed to...
It isn't fair. It isn't fair. It's all so unfair that Chizuru wants to scream from the sheer frustration of it all, because Shinpachi deserves so much better than this. He worked so hard to keep his spirits up to boost everyone else's morale, and this is what he got for it.
And he's even taking the time to worry about her and ask her about her wounds, as if his own situation wasn't so much worse...! Even having been dealt such a horrible hand, Shinpachi is still Shinpachi.
It's not fair to him.]
...I'll recover.
[She is a demon. She's tried to keep the accelerated healing hidden, but it's something she's lived with her whole life, and she knows that the next morning or maybe the morning after that, depending on how much time she has to rest (if the wounds keep getting aggravated before they've had the chance to fully heal, this could go on for ages), it will be as if never happened.
For her body, at least. She'll never forget the sight of Shinpachi fumbling for the vial of ochimizu, never forget the sight of him standing before Kazama with snow-white hair and blood-red eyes. She'll never forget what he sacrificed to save her... and she can't see how she'll ever be able to repay him for it, either. That's something that will stay with her forever, even after these wounds heal and any bruises or scars fade away.]
But you... [Her voice trails off. Undoubtedly he knows - knows that when you become rasetsu, there's no going back, knows that while her wounds will heal he has been forever changed by all of this. It seems cruel to remind him of it. She looks down, her hold on his arms tightening a little.] ...what are we going to do now...?
[We, because there's no way she's leaving his side, not after what he's done for her. He only took the ochimizu because he had to do it for her sake. She can't - can't - abandon him now, not for anything.
(She never intended to in the first place, which is why she was so glad for that promise.)]
no subject
It isn't fair. It isn't fair. It's all so unfair that Chizuru wants to scream from the sheer frustration of it all, because Shinpachi deserves so much better than this. He worked so hard to keep his spirits up to boost everyone else's morale, and this is what he got for it.
And he's even taking the time to worry about her and ask her about her wounds, as if his own situation wasn't so much worse...! Even having been dealt such a horrible hand, Shinpachi is still Shinpachi.
It's not fair to him.]
...I'll recover.
[She is a demon. She's tried to keep the accelerated healing hidden, but it's something she's lived with her whole life, and she knows that the next morning or maybe the morning after that, depending on how much time she has to rest (if the wounds keep getting aggravated before they've had the chance to fully heal, this could go on for ages), it will be as if never happened.
For her body, at least. She'll never forget the sight of Shinpachi fumbling for the vial of ochimizu, never forget the sight of him standing before Kazama with snow-white hair and blood-red eyes. She'll never forget what he sacrificed to save her... and she can't see how she'll ever be able to repay him for it, either. That's something that will stay with her forever, even after these wounds heal and any bruises or scars fade away.]
But you... [Her voice trails off. Undoubtedly he knows - knows that when you become rasetsu, there's no going back, knows that while her wounds will heal he has been forever changed by all of this. It seems cruel to remind him of it. She looks down, her hold on his arms tightening a little.] ...what are we going to do now...?
[We, because there's no way she's leaving his side, not after what he's done for her. He only took the ochimizu because he had to do it for her sake. She can't - can't - abandon him now, not for anything.
(She never intended to in the first place, which is why she was so glad for that promise.)]