[Somehow, that didn't make the burning sensation in his throat any less, his red eyes boring holes into the cement as they walk. Despite having to swallow a lot of it, his pride was still very close to his heart, and he'd managed to keep a hold of just a small part of it after God Eden. Seems like he kept quite a few things from those times--the books he'd read over and over to keep himself sane from hearing the screams in that 'training' arena. The soft want for friends like Tenma and Raimon had...the ones Tsurugi got so easily and yet he seemed to be trudging through quicksand.

Another thing he has to learn to take. Build up a different kind of pride. But no one said it would pop up overnight, and so he follows, looking up finally to make sure he was heading in the direction Midori had pointed out.]

They never tell you the harder parts in those stories. A hero's journey, they never talk about the training he had to go through, or the hardships the princess [-es] had to endure from their captors. [Is Aoi's imprisonment still on his mind? A little, despite being okay in her books.]

It's nice to see something that's just like it, is all.

Makes you believe there's some truth to it.

[That whole 'happily ever after' shlock, probably not. But small things like a quiet town, a sunrise, a gang of friends that overcame an entire evil organization.

There might be truth to it.]