[ No one should have to deal with this, Kaoru thinks, just a little ways from her sunken figure. The initial advertisement belied her hopes, probably, that something within this cave is safe and worth exploring and wouldn't snap one's confidence right in half. He'd tried to hold her hand to be reassuring on their way back ( for his sake, too ), but well... not everything went as planned.

A lot of this is beyond him, really, beyond a guy who's rarely serious and

The guilt of not knowing, of not being able to warn her before all of this could happen sits heavy in his stomach the longer he watches, but he holds in those clumsy feelings as he approaches her while twirling a stray dandelion between his fingers — a piece of life untouched by ]

I don't blame you. I don't think anyone will, really. [ Like, did you see that place? ] So don't beat yourself up too much over it, okay? Hmm... I know we went out here together and I still don't really know all that much about you yet, but it's not like you have to have it all figured out from the get-go.