[ in this moment, raiden has reverted back to a 26 year old man, eyes clouded with doubt — or the 31 year old man, the one who was desperate and tearful and searching for something, for anything to keep him tethered to this world. there are traces of those men present in his features, ghosts of the past reanimating as he listens in silence.

raiden's jaw shifts and clicks. his brows cinch and his eyelids squeeze shut before his head raises as snake is about to leave. ]

Because of you.

[ his voice is strained and high, practically on the verge of giving out. he has to say this now. he doesn't know if snake has any object permanance, if he's going to fade and wither into dust the second he's left this room. ]

I changed because of you, Snake.

[ a beat. ]

I've got my own things to take care of now. But you're always going to be one of them.