The freezing night wind whipped across the plaza, carrying the sharp reek of destruction.
Hide stood with his head bowed against the crook of Sora's neck, his broad shoulders trembling. He braced for her to pull away. He waited for the fear, the recoil, the look of horror that anyone would give a boy admitting he was fighting off urges of wholesale slaughter.
Sora didn't.
She didn't let go of his bloodied hands. Instead, her grip tightened, her warmth seeping directly into his cold, torn skin.
"I don't care," Sora whispered into his ear.
Hide's breath hitched. "Sora... did you hear what I said? I am too dangerous, I don't know when I might kill every-"
"I heard you," she cut him off, leaning back just enough to look directly into his eyes.
Her eyes shone brilliantly beneath the thin, dusty silver of the moon. Her fingers released his wrists, moving upward to frame his jaw, gently wiping away the sweat and powdered concrete from his cheeks.
