Shibuya Shinto Shrine

Sera had shifted to leaning on the spirit's back some. Okuri perked his head as Sera recalled the friends he'd had over the centuries of being a Starvader. He'd almost forgotten Sera wasn't human. Or at least originally wasn't. Haruka had told quite the story about that at the beach side cafe. Sera ended with a request that Okuri not disappear on them. He curled back up and began openly sobbing again as the tears which had almost stopped came rushing back.

"That's the problem..." he struggled to say, he was breaking up a bit here almost like his mind had figured out how to handle everything he was feeling and needed to express it. "I'm never the one who disappears." he stammered out through the irregular breathing that accompanied the crying.

"I can't keep fighting," he began again as his emotions kept building up trying to escape. "Every fight's just going to end in death. Every death's just some other connection I stupidly made and will have to grieve over." he continued through all the crying and sobbing.

"I'm tired of breaking. Tired of grieving... Jessie... he had such a life left to live... why am I still here instead of him?" and from there the spirit's words if he was still trying to speak weren't comprehensible. It would take a bit to get him to really start coping with what he was feeling. For now it just needed to be expressed. And so he cried and made other associated sounds and just simply openly grieved all the people he'd ever loved.

The audio of Haruka's speech was playing aloud on the Reality Bangles wrapped on Sera and nearby Okuri. He kept his eyes closed, listening closely to the miniature eulogy Haruka had been giving, then to his premise to keep fighting. Sera lightly nodded, his cheek against Okuri's fur. He eventually stopped petting the oversized dog and gave him a hug. It was kind of weird hugging a giant dog at a shrine, but Sera didn't really care. Okuri might not either.

"Nobody wants to break... Why am I still here instead of Tsubasa? It should've been me. I tell myself that every morning and night, every time I go to talk to him at the Outskirts. It should've been me, not him. He shouldn't have had to be that way... had to die."

Sera pressed his face into Okuri's fur, taking in a deep breath.

"You're right. It isn't fair... But what really is fair?"

Haruka's words carried through the reality bangles as Okuri continued crying. As the apparently new commander of the Resistance spoke Okuri's emotions were winding down. The loud sobbing calmed gradually until by the end of the speech he was mostly just softly whimpering, not unlike a normal dog. Then Sera did something unexpected and hugged him telling him of similar thoughts he'd had concerning some person Okuri hadn't ever heard of.

Haruka's words resonated with Okuri. Haruka should have been grieving more than any of them. The love of his life taken from them. Yet he'd determined that if he couldn't have a future then he'd fight so others would. Okuri could do that much couldn't he? He didn't know if he could. It was one thing for Haruka to say it but for Okuri to do it might mean an eternity of connecting to and losing people. But surely that much was worth the futures he could give them. His heart wasn't ready. Not yet anyway. As much as the thought of losing another one he cared for scared him what his heart was ultimately telling him was right now he wanted to be with them. There was still time. He didn't have to bring himself to fight right now but he wanted to be by their sides. The others were hurting too. He thought of Bashiro who no doubt was suffering deeply for the loss of his brother.

With a tiny spark of will restored Okuri turned and nuzzled Sera some before struggling to his feet, lifting the boy into the air some. "Thank you Sera... I don't know what I'll do just yet but... I want to be with the others for now..." he managed to say, his crying and whimpering appeared to be over for now. All four legs were wobbly and all three tails hung low. Okuri was emotionally spent and physically as well. The stress and grief had been taxing on his body. But he was determined to walk back to the slums and join the friends he'd made.