Hikari could tell that Ryuu was worried about her,, which told her that she wasn't hiding it quite as well as she should have. That was very unusual, considering that generally when she tried to hide something, it was hidden. From everyone. But perhaps she wasn't really trying. Perhaps her subconscious felt comfortable with him, like she could open up to him. Still, it was a bit of an inconvenience. The last thing she wanted was for him to worry about her and get distracted. Oh well. It couldn't be helped. She'd just have to hope that wouldn't be the case. He would just have to have faith in her. She'd handled herself on much worse missions than this, alone, and come back without a scratch.<br/><br/>As she hopped through the trees, she cleared her mind. Once she took up a place on the north end to wait for the cover of darkness, she took the time to rid herself of all that weighed her down. She took a deep breath and relaxed her body, allowing all of the tension to melt away. At the same moment she rid herself of all of the emotions and thoughts that had plagued her heart and mind moments before. She was blank, empty, cold. No more distractions. It was something she'd been exceptional at during her time in the ANBU. Something she'd been known for, actually.<br/><br/>As she stood there, her face now emotionless, her eyes cold, she pulled her hood back down and tied her hair back before replacing it. Best not to risk it getting in the way. Once the sun set, she dropped from the tree she'd been perched on and headed to her first stop. Her eyes turned purple as she ran, giving off a soft, faint glow. This was all that may be seen as she moved swiftly and undetected through the shadows cast by the buildings looming over her. She ignored all of these buildings, as well as the people she could detect inside, and headed straight for her destination. Once there she leaped up and slipped in through a window on the second floor. There was no one inside, or even anywhere around, but she still kept her guard up. Her senses constantly searched her surroundings as she went through different documents and scrolls, her eyes reading them and her mind memorizing them more quickly than most could ever comprehend.<br/><br/>Before it was said and done, there was a stack of documents and a stack of scrolls next to her. She'd found what they were looking for, and more. "Lady Tsunade isn't going to be happy about this." she whispered to herself, her voice too quiet to be carried through the still room, even if there were others around, which she was certain there were not. She took care to replace every single scroll and document exactly as she'd found it, whether it was organized a certain way or left sitting haphazardly on the desk for anyone to find. Everything was exactly the way it had been, and then she disappeared without a trace. She appeared back at the spot to the north where she'd waited for the sun to set and then headed back to the camp.<br/><br/>As she leaped through the trees, she wondered how Ryuu was doing. Had he found anything? Had he run into trouble? She guessed he probably hadn't run into trouble, considering the complete lack of any activity in the village even now. Good. She was glad. Then again, she'd known he was capable. Even if she hadn't, she would have assumed so. After all, his father was enough for most people to assume he'd be a capable ninja. And then his brother, on top of that. Of course, most people probably would avoid making the latter connection, given the things she'd heard them saying so many times, even when he wasn't around. They were lucky she hadn't been in the mood to start fights with idiots. Still, even now it made her blood boil, the way people treated him. She'd been treated badly herself, laughed at, made fun of, treated as some kind of monster that should be avoided at all costs. Yet that didn't make her half as mad as hearing them say those things about him. Why was that?<br/><br/>She guessed that she knew the answer. She didn't care what people thought of her. She'd long ago given up on wasting her tears on them. But she was still very protective of those she cared for, and she cared more for him than anyone. She didn't think that would ever change. It didn't matter what he did. It didn't matter that he ignored her now, that he had told her he'd be around, that they'd hang out again, that he'd keep being the puzzle in her life, and despite all of this he'd not made a single effort to get in touch with her over the past few months. It didn't matter that she'd used what little free time she had to make those packages for him, to write those letters for him, only to have her efforts bear no fruit. Deep down she knew that it would never matter. No matter what he did now or what he did in the future, she'd never stop caring about him or thinking about him. She'd never stop feeling this way. He'd always be there, in her heart and mind, even if he wasn't there physically. She'd never give up on him, she'd never let go of him, even if he broke her heart. Even if he did unspeakable things. Even if he became the monster everyone seemed to think he was. Somewhere inside she knew that none of it would matter. Maybe that was wrong. Maybe it should matter. But it didn't.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Damn it!</span>she cursed as she twisted herself to the side just enough to avoid a kunai that flew her way. She spun around and materialized a mix of kunai and senbon, which flew straight at the enemy who had just thrown the kunai her way. She then shot his way with such speed that no one short of a dojutsu user could follow the movements. She slid beneath him and kicked him straight up before disappearing and appearing above him. From there she gathered chakra in her right leg as she twisted mid-air, releasing the chakra the moment her foot came into contact with the body, sending the ninja careening to the ground with such force that it not only left a crater, but it shook the ground enough to be felt all the way back in the village. She then drew her twin blade and shot down towards her opponent, landing on top of them with both swords driven through the ninja's heart.<br/><br/>She could sense another five ninja around, but she chose to focus on the one who approached her, ignoring the others, who were currently too far away for a physical attack, at least. This wasn't her style. To be quite honest. It was nothing like her. But she had a lot of pent-up emotions that she was dying to get out. This, of course, was dangerous for many reasons, besides the obvious change in her fighting style. Her eyes were no longer the purple of the issekigan, but a darker blue than usual, with long, slit-like pupils. Her face wasn't cold, but dark and angry. Her chakra, likewise, seemed a bit darker, more ominous than usual.<br/><br/>She stood from the crater she'd created, sliding the blades back into her sheaths before she leaped backward, flipping as she did, and landing on the edge of the crated. She then turned her attention to the ninja she'd chosen to focus on. The woman rushed her way but she easily dodged the attack, stepping to the side, spinning, and kicking her right in the abdomen, sending her flying backward, through several trees. She then leaped after her, landing in front of the woman who had just managed to stand up. She gathered ice around her hand, creating a sort-of knife out of her hand, which she then plunged through the woman's chest. Rather than punching right through to the other side, however, she took hold of her heart and pulled it from her chest.<br/><br/>She watched the body of the woman drop and stared down at the heart, her eyes wide. "No..." she mumbled, dropping it to the ground next to the body, the ice that still coated her hand disappearing, leaving no traces of blood on her. She took a staggering step back away from the body and then grabbed her head and shook it. "Stop it. I don't need your help." she seemingly spoke to herself as she fought back the beast that threatened to rise inside of her. As she fought her internal battle, however, the battle outside continued. One of the enemies got close to her while she was distracted and the next thing she knew, she was paralyzed. Of course, she wasn't entirely defenseless against this technique, one she'd mastered herself during her time in ANBU. She wasn't able to fully defend against it, however, she did manage to keep it from taking its full effect. She could still move her left side. It wasn't enough to allow her to fight back, but it was enough to give her a defense until the paralysis wore off.<br/><br/>She lifted her hand and did the hand signs with her left hand. Moments later a barrier of ice sprung up around her. She could hear the sounds of the shinobi attacking the barrier. It was futile, of course. There was no way they'd break it. Which meant that she was safe. She'd just have to wait until the paralysis wore off and then she could finish the other four. This time, of course, she'd use her usual style and take them out quickly, rather than taking the time to take them out one by one, using taijutsu, as she had been doing before. Of course, there was also a chance that Ryuu would show up and take them out before the paralysis wore off. She wouldn't hope for that, though. Not because she didn't think it was likely, but because she hated the idea of having to be rescued or protected.<br/><br/>She hated having to be saved. Having others put their lives on the line to save her. Certainly not because she made a stupid mistake and allowed herself to get distracted. She'd worked hard to be the one to protect her friends, to save them, not the other way around. It had been a long time since she'd been in the position of the one needing to be saved. She wasn't exactly itching to break that record. And she certainly wasn't interested in watching someone else she loved die protecting her, or because she wasn't strong enough to protect them. It wasn't like she had anything against a comrade aiding her in battle, but she didn't fancy being in a position where she couldn't do the same for them in return. Oh well, there was no sense worrying about it. All she could do now was wait, either for the paralysis to wear off, or her comrade to show up.