Haru's hand hovers near her face, fingertips ghosting through a stray lock of dark hair, unphased by her flatness and the hefty, bitter weight of her words. He simply drinks in her image, gaze soft and devoid of the judgment she too often directs toward herself.
When Rin asks why everyone else just goes along with it, a small, almost imperceptible shadow of melancholy darkens his visage. Haru slowly lowers his hand, keeping his proximity close enough to offer warmth without being intrusive. A long, pregnant pause follows. He has her answer pending on the tip of his tongue, one he has known for a long time, but rarely dares to examine.
"Because it's easier to surrender than it is to stand up. The rest of us, we bow our heads and believe that the world is exactly as it's meant to be, rather than facing the pain of trying to change it."
His words taste like acid in his mouth, because he was speaking of himself as much as anyone else.
The realisation churns uncomfortably in his gut. He loved Kyou like a brother and yet has never once truly fought against the cruel fate awaiting him at the end of the Zodiac's curse. He'd always found reasons to assign the burden to someone else. Kagura would do something. Shishou would never allow it to happen. Anyone but Hatsuharu himself.
And Yuki...How many times has he watched as Akito tore him apart piece by piece with psychotic glee? How many times had he stood by, helpless and silent, convincing himself there was nothing he could do?
He was a coward, plain and simple.
In a way, they all were…Except Rin, and her overt, ceaseless suffering only served to convince them all time and time again that they were right to lay low. It was easier to look at her and call her reckless than to admit she possessed the courage they lacked.
"But you…You're not like the rest of us, Rin. You’re fighting because you haven't given up on the idea that things could be different, that makes you strong and it makes you brave, so don't you ever think otherwise."