Something I think about a lot is how in the anime before Mondo’s execution, Taka was screaming take me instead.
As ishimondo shippers we put a lot of focus on this, that Taka was willing to die so Mondo could live. That Taka would rather die than live without him.
But we never really talk about how Mondo wouldn’t do the same. If he didn’t get found guilty then all the others would die, including Taka.
This is something Mondo definitely felt horrible about, he didn’t want this to happen, but he still didn’t do the right thing and confess to save the others.
It’s hard to blame him for this, he was afraid, he was afraid of dying. But Taka wasn’t, Taka was willing to give everything to save Mondo even after knowing everything Mondo did.
And I think that tore Mondo up inside. I think that might have even been worse than the execution. Once again he has someone willing to die to protect him out of pure selfless love. Love Mondo thinks he doesn’t deserve.
At the end of that trial Mondo was forced to contend with the fact that Taka was right when they argued earlier, he is a coward. And that didn’t change just because Taka fell in love with him.
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