Kori didn't speak at first.
She came in with the usual click of her shoes and sat in the chair by his bed - the one Hikari always pulled close and left a little crooked. She straightened it with a small gesture. Her hands settled on her knees, then watched the monitor for a breath, then the window, then nothing in particular.
Silence made the room seem larger.
Raizen shifted a little against the pillow. His ribs tugged like a warning string. He waited. Kori didn't seem to be searching for words - more like she was letting the ones she had settle into the right order.
They started at the same time.
"Raizen -"
"I'm sorry -"
They stopped. For half a second, neither of them smiled. Then Kori's mouth tilted, small and real.
"You first" she said.
Raizen let the breath go slow. "I'm sorry" he said. "For all of it. For putting everyone in danger. For not retreating when I should've. For throwing my life at it because it felt like the only way."
