Regardless of how much he missed her, Hakuba couldn't' found the words to answer her. He ran is long fingers lightly over her face and lifted her gaze, held eye contact for a moment, and he felt the connection in the pit of his stomach. The boy felt the urge to touch her more so he moved closer so that he was hugging her carefully.

Her breath was a little uneven, more than he expected. "I'm sorry," he says, softly. "....you get hurt because of me."