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He had closed his heart. He had to. If he didn't, it was just going to hurt more. He had failed so much. He didn't want to bear anymore hurt.
There was no way he could let it happen again. He wasn't going to get attached to anyone. Wasn't going to risk anyone helping him. This was his mistake. He had to fix it.
And yet...
Tsurugi couldn't help but find his thoughts wandering to Lucky. That man was something. Something he hadn't seen in a long time.
Despite how he presented himself, the words Lucky said to him were getting to him. How? How could some random man who barely had a plan in place speak anything worth listening to?
Was it truly a bad thing to let them in?
Tsurugi quickly shook that thought away. He couldn't. This was his responsibility. He wasn't putting anyone else's life on the line again. He... couldn't fail more people.
It was his job. No matter what those Kyurangers said, this was his sole responsibility. He started this fight, he was going to finish it. Even if it killed him. Even if he had to push away anyone from trying to help him.
He wasn't letting his failures catch up to him in this future. He knew realistically it was not going to be an easy feat to accomplish on his own. But... at least if he died, he couldn't be responsible for anyone else dying because they chose to fight alongside him once more.
Would that ease his guilt in the end?
...
And yet, Lucky got to him in the end. Tsurugi didn't know how he had let himself be drawn in to the man before him, but somehow he had.
But just because he was willing to work with everyone didn't mean he was going to bond with them. His heart was staying closed. He wasn't going to let it break more than it already had if God forbid one of them got hurt like that.
Tsurugi still found himself drawn to Lucky. There was just something about him. Something that called to him.
What did he see in Lucky? Why did he feel so weird?
Why did the stone he turned his heart into not seem to be enough?
...
So, when Lucky got hurt, he was in turmoil. This was the first one that he felt this way around in ages. The first one who gave him the desire to push on. A breath of fresh air after suffocating for so long.
It was barely a decision for him to decide he had to do something about it. He just hadn't expected to have to confront why he felt so strongly about this in the end. He had too much time to reflect on his decision and it made him realize a lot.
But after they returned to the present, Lucky had come to talk to him. He didn't seem to want to let him push aside what had happened between them.
"Are you feeling alright?" Lucky asked first.
Tsurugi kept his gaze ahead at the outside around them. "I'm fine."
"You sure? You're avoiding me now."
He noticed? It had barely been any time since that. How did Lucky realize he was keeping distance?
"I'm not avoiding you."
"You are. Look at me."
Tsurugi hesitantly turned his head.
Lucky met his gaze. "You save my life and then turn a cold shoulder to me. What gives?"
"I told you-"
"You're not getting out of this."
Tsurugi sighed and then faced the window again. "I don't know what you're expecting me to say."
"Why are you avoiding me?" Lucky repeated, grabbing onto Tsurugi's arm. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No. I'm just not in the mood to talk."
"What is with you? You're closing yourself off again. Like when we first met."
Tsurugi sighed. No matter what he tried, Lucky wasn't giving up. He hadn't wanted to face the realization he had made.
"I don't know." Tsurugi said, his voice quiet.
"What do you mean?"
"I've not known what's wrong with me for a while."
Lucky just gave him a confused look at his words.
Tsurugi took in a deep breath. "You've made me feel weird. I don't like it, honestly."
"How am I responsible for this?" Lucky didn't seem to know if he should be offended or not.
"Just by being you, I suppose." Tsurugi replied, glancing over at him. "I thought I'd never open myself to someone again but yet... it feels almost too easy to talk to you."
Lucky stared at him, caught off guard by his words. He opened his mouth, but then closed it, not seeming to know how to reply to that.
"I don't know how to feel about this." Tsurugi continued on. "It's weird."
"It's good to have someone you can rely on like that." Lucky finally said. "I... maybe you've given me a similar feeling. You've given me even more of a reason to push through this and win."
"We've... affected each other the same."
"Maybe it was fate we met then."
"Fate..." Tsurugi let out a small laugh. "Perhaps it is. Though... I never wanted to open my heart like this again. Fate is being a bit pushy."
"Come on. You can't stay like that forever." Lucky nudged him.
"You almost died. What if... next time someone isn't able to... be saved?" Tsurugi asked quietly.
This entire situation had just showed him that he had a right to keep his feelings close to him. Don Armage had almost killed Lucky. If he managed that in the past... who was to say it couldn't happen again?
He didn't want to let himself get hurt like that again.
"I believe in us. And you should too. We've come this far. We have new power. We aren't going to let this happen again." Lucky stated in determination.
Tsurugi couldn't help but crack a smile. Lucky was always able to so easily find a positive in the situation.
"I guess maybe I'll let myself believe if you do."
Lucky smiled. "Alright, lucky!"