"People say that, that their lives don't have to influence our lives if we don't want them to. But what does that actually mean? We have no power to stop these memories from coming, or to keep our bodies from being changed to match theirs, or to keep from gaining abilities that could be blessing or curse. We have no control over that, so how can we say their lives don't have to influence ours if we don't want them to?"

Tatsuo stares down at his glass.

"I don't mind remembering his memories. And I don't mind some of the skills I've gained because of him. But if I don't keep a certain mental distance from him, I don't know if I'll be able to keep from reacting to something the way he does one day. And that's something I can't risk."