Azusa doesn't volunteer her story when Marie comes back. By the time the other weapon comes into the Death Room the crossbow is over what was mostly a bad fright and is alert enough to be relieved that Marie has successfully brought Stein back. She's looking at the blond when Death Scythe startles with relief at Stein's return, sees Marie not-quite flinch at Stein's reaction. She would feel bad on the hammer's part were it not entirely, infinitely better that she finally know.

Azusa tries to give Marie space, but when the sky clears and the sunlight floods in through the hole in the roof she only holds back for a few minutes before her feet pull her toward the other woman like they are connected on a line. Marie is standing with Crona, a hand against the child's narrow shoulders, but she is looking at Stein with an expression that screams of the years of pining if there were anyone looking but Azusa.

"It's better that you know," Azusa offers as she draws closer. Marie keeps watching the meister for a moment longer, then pulls her gaze away with visible effort and smiles at her friend. Her lips are trembling and her uncovered eye is liquid gold with unshed tears, but the smile is genuine for all that.

"I didn't know," she says unnecessarily. Crona glances at Azusa and slides away; Marie lets him go with a last lingering pat against his shoulders. Azusa is impressed with his reading of the situation; he's already better than Marie herself has ever been. "I had no idea."

"It wasn't you," Azusa offers. The blue sky is catching off Marie's hair and the liquid in her eye and she is sparkling, it is really absurd but very beautiful.

Marie glances at her. "Did you know?"

"No," Azusa starts, then pauses to clarify. "Not at first. I thought he was just a sociopath until I saw them together when we were called back to the Academy."

"You saw it then?"

Azusa does not give Marie a pitying look. She does congratulate herself on her restraint in not doing so, though. "Of course. I'm sorry you didn't. Would it have helped?"

"Yes," Marie starts, then glances back at Stein and sighs. "No. Maybe. I don't know. It might have."

"When did you put it together?" Azusa asks. It comes out cold in spite of her best attempts at sympathy, but Marie laughs and shrugs like it was the most delicately phrased inquiry.

"I was in his head, back with Medusa." She is looking at Stein's back, standing close by Death Scythe, and Azusa is watching her watch him. "He had this radio, a hallucination of course, but it was playing Spirit's voice on repeat, all these things I've never heard Spirit say but it was definitely his voice, and the fact that Stein was listening to Spirit's voice as the sound of his sanity…" She sighs and that's when she looks back. "It just...explained a lot that never made sense to me. Like the answer to a riddle, you know?"

Azusa does know. She nods without speaking and Marie continues.

"It just all fit together and it seemed very beautiful for a minute, Stein loving Spirit and me loving him and fixing him so they could be together again, even though it was the end of hope for me." She laughs. "But I didn't have any to begin with. I guess that was kind of the point." She glances back at the two men, where Spirit is struggling into his black jacket and Stein is looking at the weapon like he is fragile and precious and perfect. Azusa has to look away. Watching Stein is too much like looking in a mirror.

She clears her throat. "What did he do?"

"Nothing." Marie smiles and looks back down at her hands in front of her. "I don't know what he would have done if he had. Apologizing wouldn't really be his style."

"No." Azusa would look away if she could but she can't make herself do it.

Marie looks at her and Azusa can see the moment her eyes focus on the other weapon, the moment the meister leaves her thoughts.

"You're hurt." She reaches out to touch the rumpled collar of the crossbow's shirt. It's not romantic, just the casual closeness of a friend. It's still hard for Azusa to keep from jerking backwards like Marie is threatening her with an open flame. "What happened?"

Azusa doesn't meet Marie's gaze, looks at the curl of golden hair across her head instead, the way it catches under the strap of her eyepatch. "Kishin Asura attempted to kill Kid and I." She tips her head in the direction of Death Scythe. "Lord Death and Death Scythe intercepted the hit, but it did some damage regardless. I got knocked out briefly."

"Are you okay?" Marie looks up into her face. Her hold is still on Azusa's shirt, her face is very close.

"Yes." Azusa looks up and away, away from Marie's hair, and carefully reaches up to pull the hammer's hand free. "I'm fine."

Marie reclaims her hand and takes a half-step back and Azusa can look at her again. The blond sighs and there is the weight of years of futile dreams in the sound.

"I have a huge favor to ask of you." She swallows. "I'm still living at Stein's lab right now. I'll start looking for my own apartment right away but...I don't really want to get in his way, you know?"

"And you don't want to be around if Death Scythe comes over."

Marie laughs and there is some real humor in the sound. "Yeah. That too. But I don't have anywhere else to go right now and -"

"Stay on my couch." Azusa is speaking before she has really thought it through, but she can't take back the words after she's said them. The offer is entirely valid, if the desire underneath is not, and the way Marie's face lights up is worth the self-imposed silence.

"Really?"

"Yes." Azusa shouldn't agree so fast. Marie deserves to know how she feels first; there's a certain guilty sense of taking advantage of her friend in the agreement if she doesn't know. But that's been present their whole relationship,and Azusa doesn't want to tell her, and Marie needs her help.

She recognizes it as justification but recognition is as far it goes. And really that's been the premise of their whole friendship, and Azusa can't find it in her to regret that.