"If I had, it would have nothing to do with you," Yuri says. "What happens to me is none of your concern."

"That's how it should be, right? But I just… can't," Kotetsu shakes his head. "You've done a lot for me. As Yuri and as Lunatic. You've been hurt - shared how you've been hurt with me even! How could I just leave it?"

"You're nosy," Yuri says, and nothing more.

"I guess I am, I always have been," Kotetsu says. "...Mom said it got worse after Tomoe passed, but I dunno. I just can't stand the idea of sitting by and letting someone get hurt when I can be there."

Yuri says nothing, just looks at him. Kotetsu wonders if maybe he's pouring his heart out a bit too much. Yuri doesn't even know if he likes him, and here Kotetsu is just unloading this all. Trying to explain why he can't just sit by.

Why he can't just come back to another corpse.

He squeezes his hands together, takes a deep breath. He's already in this deep, right? No reason to stop now. He wasn't the type to stop when he was ahead, no. In fact, he was the type to never stop if he could.

Unhealthy? Maybe. But now wasn't the time to think about that.

He sucks in a breath. "I already messed up, letting you jump like that. Not trying to stop you."

"You would have burned if you tried to stop me," Yuri replies, as if trying to excuse his inaction for him.

"Better to burn trying to help you than to just stand idly by," Kotetsu cuts off the excuse. "You might call that crazy, but that's just how I am."

Yuri looks away from him. "You should save that pity for someone who deserves it."

"It's not pity!" Kotetsu snaps. "It's just compassion and you deserve it as much as anyone else!"

"Your sense of justice really says a murderer like me deserves compassion?" Yuri sighs. "...I don't understand you."

"I don't agree with what you did - I don't believe in ever taking a life like you did," Kotetsu admits. "I never will, but that's all the more reason I want you alive. You deserve to heal from the scars that made you like this."

He reaches out, fingers brushing against the hand-shaped scar on his face. Kotetsu still doesn't know where it's from, doesn't plan on asking. Yuri can tell him when he feels ready, or never tell him, really. Whatever worked for him, so long as he healed, was fine by Kotetsu.

But he has a feeling there's a history to it. Something connected to Lunatic and the look of the mask. The handprint mirrored on both faces. Surely, Kotetsu thinks. It means something, something horrible.

Something that tethers Yuri to his sense of justice. To his want to die.

Yuri doesn't flinch away. He simply looks down, refuses to meet Kotetsu's eyes. He supposes he doesn't blame him for that. Kotetsu bets he's a bit scary right now.

Pulling away, Kotetsu scratches his cheek. Where does he go from here? He feels like he'd just shoved his foot in his mouth badly. Ugh, he was kind of the worst at this! If only Nathan was here. They would know what to do.

"Scars don't ever go away," Yuri finally says, pulling Kotetsu from his thoughts. "They remain forever. Shape you into what you are."

"But that shape isn't ugly or evil," Kotetsu says. "You can heal, still. Sure, you won't be like you were before… But you're still worth it, still beautiful. Even if it's hard to see."

"You put more faith in me than I put in myself," Yuri replies. "This isn't something you can heal from."

"I think it is, it just isn't easy," Kotetsu's voice is soft. "But that's what help is for - what I'm here for. To make it just a little easier, if I can."

"And what if you can't?" Yuri asks.

"Then I'm here to help pick you up when you fall," Kotetsu replies. "I needed picked up a lot when my abilities first started declining, you know. My family is good at the picking up part, though, so I was able to stand again. I wanna help you stand again."

Yuri takes a deep breath and lets it out, and Kotetsu notices the smallest bit of shaking in his body. "Even if I continue to fall?"

"If you fall a hundred times, I'll pick you up a hundred and one times," Kotetsu says. "Even if you get fed up with falling, I'll be there picking you up."

Yuri closes his eyes. "...You're stubborn."

"It can be a blessing or a curse, really," Kotetsu admits. "But I like to think it's a blessing this time."


The conversation with Kotetsu had died, eventually, the original topic of if Yuri even wanted to be here long forgotten. Yuri lays awake that night, staring at the ceiling and thinking about it. Unable to get the words out of his head. The way Kotetsu refused to give up on helping people.

How Kotetsu knew what being a hero truly meant. In a way his father and he himself never had.

Flames play at his fingers and he considers them for a moment. Considers allowing them to engulf himself once more. To finally finish what he had started, now that there was nothing tethering him down.

His mother was gone. The visions ailing him were gone. He was alone. Or, he supposes he had been alone. Now an annoying feral cat had found a way to wiggle into his life. Bringing older cats and even a kitten along with him.

Of course, only that first feral cat had made it into his home, so to speak. But the others were sure to follow soon enough, if said cat had his way. And Yuri isn't sure how he's supposed cat-proof his house or himself.

The flames lick at his fingers and he looks to where Kotetsu sleeps. Snoring peacefully. He snuffs out the flames for now, and tries to join him in sleep.