The sound of his own cries of pain have him flinching as he makes sure to keep his hands in place. He can feel her tremble beneath his palms and it has his gut sinking. He knows she feels responsible, and now all his secrets are on display. She's crying against his hands now, skin wet as he hangs his head, letting his forehead rest against her shoulder from behind. The weight of it all...it's crushing. He can't imagine what it's like for her.

She can't forget it, but he wishes she would. Why is any of this happening right now? Just when things were starting to look up, when he thought maybe, just maybe, he'd be happy again...

"It's human nature, Princess...when one group of people decides to blame another for their problems, it breeds unnecessary hatred. It happens on Earth all the time. Different races hate one another, different nationalities, men and women, the old and young...as long as people are different, people will hate one another."