“I can feel the end, Mayumi.” He leaned into her touch. “It may not be today, or tomorrow, or even a year from now, but something could happen that will break it further. I am weakened, and I cannot bear knowing that if I bonded with you, I could destroy you along with me. I came here to protect your life, even if it is at the cost of my own. I won’t take even a single second that is meant to be given to you.”
