I win

Senzo, Shou whispers, Sore wa chigau yo.
Senzo, Shou takes a seat on this bench for no reason, even though there was an empty bench a few steps away.
Kurumi, Taiga ||

Upon her visage is a set of lifeless optics, restraintful in their gaze and whimsical in their partition. Her lithe hands lay delicately but loosely at her sides, with a lack of strength that can be mustered to even bring them up to her lap. Light's absence in her eyes juxtaposed her mental disposition; there was very little she had to offer in conversation for Shou due to the day's events, for she felt a guilty burden weigh heavily upon the scales of her moral compass, debauched by the blood of a fellow comrade at her fault and her inability.
Senzo, Shou blinks, looking over Taiga as she..looked..not unlike him up until recently. Loss, was unfortunately, something he himself had to deal with as well. If there was one thing he learned from his experience, it's that other people helping you out softens the blow, even if it's not by much, the little things do help. While he wasn't all that close to Nimura, he actually felt quite upset himself. Nowhere near as upset as her and the others, of course, but he at the very least understood what she was going through.

However, the hard thing about consoling someone, was finding the right words to say, doing the right thing. He understood that she wouldn't get over this instantly, literally no one does. That was just human nature. After a few moments of thinking it over, Shou clears his throat and speaks up, making it seem like he wasn't talking to anyone in particular.

"..When..she passed away..I isolated myself from others, I refused to let others help me out, I was stubborn." He lets out, as he just looks up at the sky. "..At some point, I even blamed myself for a little bit..Yet, there was something I didn't realize. I had no way of knowing what was going to happen, no one did. Yet, I continued to blame only myself, and kept telling myself that things happened because I wasn't good enough."

He takes a deep breath and just shakes his head, before he continues on. "..That wasn't the case though, and while I didn't realize it at first, if it wasn't for other people who cared for me, I'd probably still be sulking. Getting over these things takes time, as much time as one needs, but I've learned that friends should come together in times like these. That, the departed, while gone, are never forgotten. That they continue to live on through the people they love, people who live on for their sake, to honor their memory in their name."

He stops once more, taking his hat off as he looks over to Taiga now. For someone who didn't wish to fazed by anything, he could get pretty emotional. "So if you need someone to talk to, to mourn with, there's always going to be someone here for you, you're not alone. Remember that."
Kurumi, Taiga ||
Silence follows Shou's words. Many of these phrases she'd heard before. How truly close she'd brought them. Renounced were her previous virtues, replaced by guilt-ridden vices that she could not expel from her person. Comforting words would they be, but words nonetheless; action speaks louder and so do pictures. And she fails to picture herself able to stand on her own two feet.

". . Sometimes. . people search for the strength to stand up by their own accord and on their own two feet. They can't always rely on their friends. . because humans are selfish. They desire physical contact and reassurance both mentally and physically. I'm nothing different. I can keep leaning on my friends, the very same friends who I promised and failed to live up to, and then lean on the ones who are still alive after failing the ones who've fallen, but in the end, that's a domino theory. Self-destructive on its own accord." She speaks, no one in particular, assuming the position of Shou's voice.

"Losing the moon. . . it must've meant a lot to you. The moonlight is gone, but you have the sunlight. I haven't lost neither my moonlight or my sunlight. Selfishly, I lost part of myself instead. A part of Earth. A part of my own light." She comments. She does not know Shou that well. However, this in-depth conversation has revealed to him much of her vices, much of her inner thoughts, and much semblance to Tsukihime's true nature. A single tear rinses the corner of Taiga's eyes, causing her facial appearance to become puffed, reddened by her exasperation.

"So why is it that when I understand everything, can console myself logically, am unable to withhold myself emotionally?" She replies to Shou directly. "I thought myself as a battlehardened veteran. I finally drew a sword --- a real sword, ready to take a life for another, and I failed in taking that life quick enough to prevent the stealing of another from this world."

" . . . When all of my friends are dead, am I going to be alone? Or am I going to sympathize with myself and tell myself that they live on through my memory?"
Kurumi, Taiga says, I thought I was seasoned, but it appears I'm still fresh out of the water.
Senzo, Shou remains silent, listening to Taiga as she responds to him, mimicking his tone as she seemed to speak to no one in particular at first, before eventually addressing him directly. He never believed that it'd go over perfectly, because..it wouldn't. Emotions are what made people, well..people. It's after that first part, that he just shakes his head. It's clear that their points of view were different, but that's also because emotionally, she had just taken a big hit, and while emotions were truly what made humans what they are, they could get the best of anyone.

"..Some may say it's a domino theory, that's true. Leaning on others will only lead to their inevitable fall, that once one falls, the rest will follow soon after." He says, as his attention shifts back up to the sky, as he once more, began talking to no one in particular. "However, some may liken them to pillars of strength, that without them it's difficult to stand, that it's harder to get knocked down when you have their support. That in turn, they'll lean on you, as well.  Though that's all dependant on the way said person views things. Perhaps that way of think is just..too optimistic for some." He lets out, realzing that his words weren't going to anything to help the girl.

He was about to go on, before she brought something else up, changing the topic so they were talking about something precious to him, when he had lost the moon. "..Honestly? There isn't a day I don't think about her, but..." He mumbles, as he continues looking up at the sky, letting out a sigh as he just stared at the moon. "The moonlight may not be shining anymore, but I will never lose the moon." He states, shifting his attention to Taiga. She may think he's completely delusional for that statement, but he meant it. He refused to let himself be dragged into despair, especially when that's not something she'd ever want for him. She was a part of him, or so he convinced himself.  Was it just a way to cope, or was there some truth behind his words? Who knows?

After that last statement, Shou takes a deep breath, rubbing the back of his head as he tries to respond to the last of what Taiga said to him. "..Why? Because regardless of being able to console yourself logically, emotions get the best of everyone. Some show it more than others ,but everyone, even the ones who bottle it up, are overcome by their emotions. That's what makes you human." He says, as cliche as it is, it was still true.

Once more, he takes a deep breath before he goes on."..No one lives forever, which is just a fact. Everything must come to an end at some point, that's just how things are. That being said, are you going to continue blaming yourself for the actions of others, for things that could have been  Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, especially given our professions, but I'd like to have faith in my friends, faith that they won't just perish one after the other."

"Even so, I realize that tough times are ahead of me, that some of those friends may pass..That doesn't mean I won't do everything in my power to fight against those odds. There will be times when I'll blame myself as well, but you have to realize..Nobody's perfect, that carrying the weight of these things can't possibly be good for you." Finally, he turns to her, and says something that may be considered a little dark. "If you shove others away because you think you're responsible, because you carry that weight on your shoulders. Aren't you already alone?"
Kurumi, Taiga silently contemplates the gravity of Shou's diction. His selected word-choice is all but framed in Taiga's mind, every single word reaching her soul. She forces a smile on her face. It's a weak, but earnest smile, one that comes from the sincerity of her soul and gratitude towards Shou for his words of wisdom.

"Thank you, Shou. For you to provide me a little bit more light, it means a lot. I . . . I'm sorry I didn't get to know Tsukihime. I never gave her the chance. That's my fault. But. . I know that with someone like you, Tsukihime would've been forever grateful and happy. You're a good person. You remind me of Levi." She whimsically laughs, albeit weak. "Being human. I'm glad that I get reminders of it. It's as though I don't get enough reminders."

She solidifies her mental footing now. "You know. You're right that no one lives forever. How much I'd want that to happen, it won't happen. But, now that I think about it, my logic has never changed. My true reasoning. You're right. People live on in others. We'll live through memory. And we'll never die as a result." She sums up her strength, musters up her courage, and painfully smiles, retreating from the negativity that haunted her so and progressing forth into a shower of positive radiance.

"Yes. Thank you." She stands up at this point. If Shou chose to stand up, she'd hug him. It's a gesture of friendship though, not one of romance. "Thank you. For spending some time with me to comfort me. Shou-san, I hope that. . . we can hang out some other time. We can train together or something." She requests.
Senzo, Shou blinks, did his words actually get through to the girl? He was honestly expecting her to be a bit more pessimistic, to continue fighting him on the subject. After all, she seemed very adamant about it. That being said, he's glad his words actually got through to someone, he was tired of people being ridiculously stubborn, even if he wouldn't exactly give up on people, it did make things a bit difficult, especially if they insisted on being so hard-headed.

Regardless, when Taiga speaks up, he just listens, nodding his head in response to literally everything she has to say. Despite the circumstances, he was glad to help out a friend, even if he didn't really know said friend all that well. In response to her statement about Tsukihime though, he looks up once more, getting a nice view of the moon. "..I'm sure you two would've gotten along just fine. You're..actually a bit like her in some ways."

He says, before looking back down at Taiga, giving the girl a light smile as he places his hat back on. Once again, that went surprisingly well, he hoped she wasn't actually just faking it so that he'd stop talking and being well..a bit overly optimistic. Though, he chooses to believe otherwise. why cloud his mind with those kind of thoughts, after all?

Once Taiga rises up from her seat, Shou does the same, getting ready to part ways. However, he wasn't expecting the girl to hug him. For a few seconds, he stood there before eventually reciprocating the gesture, taking a step back after she pulls away. "I'm only doing what others have done for me, Taiga. We're friends, right? It's what friends do for each other. I wouldn't mind hanging out with you, or any of the others either."

After that, he takes a step forward, closing his eyes as a breeze goes by, letting out a sigh of relief. "..I really do love this village." He lets out, somewhat randomly. "Of course, that means I also love its people as well, which is why I'll keep my chin up, for their sake."
Kurumi, Taiga grins cheekily at this moment. She brings back her normal personality. It's her old, teasing, rather smart-assed personality. Even though she acted very formal regularly, towards her friends, she poses a playful attitude; teasing retorts were thrown here and there rather casually.

"We love you too, Tamago-kun." She winks at him. She knows that nickname like the back of her hand. She's heard it so many times, and Shou to her, can be Tamago-kun. Hopefully though, this doesn't give rise to too much similarity between Taiga and Tsukihime. She cannot be bothered to be in a triangle much less a square. As a result of this, she brings her arms back behind herself, and heads elsewhere.

"Thank you, for your time, truly, Shou. Good night. Don't gaze at the moon too long." She knows the meaning of the moon to Shou. How ironic.

If you think about it, an egg is a sun encapsulated inside of a moon. The yolk, the yellow, and the nutrients, which is what the sun provides, is stuck within the white; the white is the enjoyment, the pleasure of the nightlife, and the rhetorical symbolism of taste. Perhaps she was thinking too deeply into this subject though. .

"This village. Let's work together to protect it."
Senzo, Shou blinks, looking over to Taiga as she refers to him by that name. While he started off hating that nickname, he grew to love it, as in a way, it showed what he meant to Tsukihime. He wouldn't mind another person calling him that name, especially when he knows that she's just saying it to be nice to him. In fact, it was actually nice to be called Tamago now, he embraced it, just like when Tsukino started addressing him by that name.

"..Thank you, Taiga." He says, smiling in her direction before she makes her way off. There were parts of Taiga that did remind him of Tsukihime, for sure, but that didn't mean she was Tsukihime, and he knew that. There were other factors in there as well, but for the most part, it didn't seem like he felt anything. He just considered her a friend, a friend who needed help in a time of need. She wasn't the first person to need help, and she wasn't going to be the last either.

"..Right, I'll try not to stay up for too long..I should probably get going soon anyway, have some..hard-boiled things I need to take care of..." He mumbles, as he returns his attention back to the moon, looking up at the night sky.

"..It's a promise, yeah. I'll do my best for this village, and I'll expect the best from you too, Taiga."

Finally, he adds on one last statement before he gets ready to depart, saying it out loud, but no really to anyone in particular.

"..The moon looks beautiful tonight, doesn't it?"
Kurumi, Taiga thinks, It does.
Kurumi, Taiga says, Take care. Good luck with those . . .'hard-boiled' things.
Senzo, Shou says, ..Thanks.
Kurumi, Taiga thinks, I want to go get imagawayaki....but it's so late. Ah, with Levi later.