There was pain in her fighting, coursing alongside the strength, pitching and rising like storm waves with each stroke of her sword. She was in agony, and it was his fault. He had never meant to do this to her, but with each defensive step back, he only seemed to make it worse—and he couldn’t bear it. In her growl, he heard his father’s bitterness, his mother’s tears. Mamoru boiled from her eyes.
