in the winds of time | kaedehara kazuha

chapter five

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it's a perilous walk back up to camp, filled with the silence and your hard breaths. you don't have the heart to even look down at kazuha's injury, but gorou's promise to send kokomi keeps your hopes high enough. the only thing that keeps you going up the hill is the shaky breathing that reaches your ear, showing the man's telltale signs of life.

when you reach the main rendezvous point of the resistance camp, you can't help but stumble to a stop. not even you are accustomed to carrying the weight of two bodies at once. looking around desperately for the pink-haired strategist, your heart drops when you notice that the area is completely empty, devoid of life.

"kazuha," your voice shakes as you turn your head to peek at his expression. fear seeps through your veins as you realise how low his eyes droop, and how slow his reaction time has become. "kazuha, please."

abandoning your plan of waiting for kokomi, you lower him to the ground where you stand.

crawling delicately over his torso, you settle over his waist before adjusting your temporary wrap -- the fabric of your jacket has been dyed a gruesome red almost completely through. sobs wrack your body as your mind goes blank, searching for a solution that you do not have.

"___...?"

your eyes shoot open at the quiet utter of your name. kazuha's chest comes to life once again with fast breaths, eyes opening suddenly to hold yours.

chest freezing in shock, a lonely cry leaves your mouth as you lean forward to cup his cheek. "oh, kazuha. kokomi is on her way, you only need to wait a bit longer. is it... uncomfortable?"

you try to motion to where your jacket winds around the arrow tightly, but you can barely stand the sight of it. a knowing smile quirks at his lips as an unsteady hand comes up to lay over yours, brows knitting with pain.

"it's enough for now." he reassures, voice breathy.

lips thinning in an attempt to stop the tears that threaten to burst, you quietly admit, "kazuha, i can't accept that."

intermittently deciding to search for something else to cover him with, you take off another layer with a silent huff. it leaves you only in an undershirt, but any loss of your dignity is well worth kazuha's life.

tying it slowly around the parts that seem to ooze, kazuha watches you with care.

"kazuha," your lips thin into a line as you fingers weave through the knots, anxiety raising into your throat. "i love you, and i'm sorry that i can't do more for you. but, i won't lose you again."

an uncharacteristic smile spreads across his lips, his forearm lifting to cover his eyes. but, despite the action, it is a sad smile; one devoid of expectation or hope. and it breaks your heart to look down at the wrapping over his collar and know exactly what kazuha is thinking.

"do you--" he stops himself, "do you know why i asked you to come along with me that day? in inazuma city?"

"no." you shake your head.

the offer had seemed sudden, but rather than anything else, you had always thought to pin it as a reckless decision made after his friend had met an unfortunate end. seeing you in the uniform of the very god that had taken a life close to him, it was more than enough of an excuse to warrant such a thing. but kazuha's shadow of a smile now suggests otherwise.

"...i only couldn't figure out another way to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me." he admits, a sob lining his voice. softly, you shush him as your tears spill respectively. "all i knew was that i didn't want to lose you to the shogun. we were only kids, but i loved you. and in some way or another, i have never stopped."