The reaper pulled his arm away just so he could straighten up and look Watanuki in the eye. His brow was furrowed, a mixture of worry and disbelief in his eyes. "Course I was ruddy well worried!" he replied, gripping his hand before letting out a breath. "If you di--"

And then it hit him.

The weight of a life -- it was the lesson all reapers were taught before they left training. The weight of a life was a lesson they had to learn since they'd taken the weight of theirs lightly. It wasn't a lesson Ronald took too seriously. But after that school and this encounter, he had started to understand just what exactly it meant. The weight of a life and the loss of it was heavier than he ever thought. With that realization in his mind, he shut his eyes, his arm hugging Watanuki tightly.

"Dunno what I would've done if you died..." he finally said, a soft choke finally coming from his throat.