[ She can't suppress the twitch of shock that goes through her at his raised voice - Aqua's always been such a quiet boy, even when he was squabbling with his sister like all children do and even though it's different now, lower and deeper, hearing it crack and shake like that makes her heart clench tight and painful in her chest. Of course. Of course. Whatever shock she must be feeling faced with this can't be even half of what must be racing through Aqua right now.

He's seeing... maybe not even a ghost. But something surely long dead all the same. Something that shouldn't be here in front of him. ]

Aqua.

[ Her voice trembles around his name, even as she struggles to hold it steady - even in a situation like this, a mother shouldn't be the one needing her son to comfort her. She swallows hard to try and untangle the knot drawing her words so tight but finds that no matter what she does, it won't unravel. So she pushes on regardless. ]

You were so small. You were only a tiny thing, silly boy... it wasn't up to you to do that for me. And if you'd gotten hurt trying, I...

[ The idea is so horrendous that her voice thins into silence before she can speak it. Throat too tight for words for a moment, she reaches a trembling hand to push some of his loose hair back from his face before it settles on top of his head - a slow, steady stroke through his hair, the way she'd done it for Ruby a thousand times before. The way she so rarely did for Aqua, not wanting to push if she wasn't wanted.

Now she's wishing she had. ]

It's not your job to protect me. It should be mine to look after you two.