Someone Else...

Ryu held onto Yaana tightly, and yet just gently enough that he wouldn't harm her. 

Tears. They weren't something that Ryu had shed ever since he awakened his memories. Nothing had ever been able to push him to such a point, nor did he think anything ever would. 

However, when he came across this battlefield and laid eyes on Yaana, something within him completely snapped. He had already been lowering the barrier between himself and his own emotions bit by bit, day after day. And this event just seemed to tear a hole through that dam completely. 

Ryu could see it clearly. It wasn't just Yaana's face. Her aura, her demeanor, the cadence of her voice, the Fate that hung around her, her karmic connection to him… It was all identical. This was the very same woman who had spent a lifetime protecting him. That he was certain of. 

It was just unfortunate that Yaana didn't share the same certainty. Her mind was taken hold of by confusion and hesitancy.