[center]


[youtube] https://youtu.be/Avl3A--8xYU[/youtube]

====



[img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/18/04/4d/18044d4c2ef9c92c02fe70ba53173e44.gif[/img]


====


[/center]



The rainfall added a somber depth to Jin’s confession. It was as if the entire world cried along with her, and Ishawari was caught within the eye of its storm. It hurt to know that she carried such a heavy burden, that her warm smiles were haunted by a tragedy that visits on stormy nights like this.

He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the warm sorrow of her face against the crook of his neck, and gently said in her ear: “Had I the power of the gods, I’d smite the Thunder Maidens themselves for ever hurting you.” 

Overwhelmed with emotion, all Ishawari could do was hold her tight, hoping it was enough to keep her from getting swept up by the storms of sorrow. In her vulnerability, he felt exposed by the grim brushstrokes painted on his own canvas, allowing for a moment of clarity on the path they currently tread, as the words from Jin’s father echo in his mind.

[i]‘When people are in need, you don’t look away’[/i]

Ishawari gently released from her, allowing enough space between them so he could look into her eyes and say: 

“Perhaps it’s destiny, that we, who mourn for our parents, guard the boy who mourns for his.” Ishawari smiled. “I can’t speak on the pain that clutches at your heart, or pretend to know the sorrow of a child who was loved by their parents. Lightning casts itself onto you as a haunting reminder of loss, but in time, I hope the fear of its arrival becomes a jolting embrace, one that kisses your forehead before you drift to sleep. Just know that you are not alone, Jin. You will always have my shoulder to cry on.”