He left them both sputtering as he raced towards the gardens, blood pounding between his ears in a way he'd never experienced before.
There had been that split second when his brother had first transformed, and when Rin had stopped breathing in the underworld, but the fear he'd felt then was nothing to what he felt now.
He was already imagining the miko's mangled body lying strewn amongst the grass, lifeless blue eyes staring up at him. She had given him so much, a lifetime of debt he would never be able to repay, and all because he'd grown lax in his duties.
Because he hadn't been able to protect her.