Hikari waited patiently for Tsunade's response to her question and then gave a small bow. "Very well. We'll be going, then," she informed her before turning to leave. Tsunade opened her mouth as if she had just remembered something, but Hikari, having anticipated this, disappeared before the woman could make a sound. "That was close," she breathed out a sigh of relief once we reappeared outside the mansion. She was fairly certain that whatever it was the woman was about to say would not be crucial to the mission. Heck, it probably wasn't even related. With that, Hikari began walking back towards her apartment, where she would get changed and gather everything she needed for the mission.<br/><br/>It was not a long walk back to the apartment,  nor was it an eventful one, so she soon arrived unimpeded at the door. After unlocking it, she went in and grabbed a mission outfit, opting for an outfit that was a mix of black, grey, and dark blue, rather than the white she had worn last time. She slipped on a pair of black shorts, a blue tunic-type top, knee-high black boots with long black socks extending above her knees, long black fingerless gloves, and her belt. Once she had gathered her weapons and put them in their places, she finished the ensemble off with a black hooded cloak, although she kept the hood down. She then gathered a few other things she would need from her room and put together a few quick snacks before she headed out.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, Kakashi had continued following Kuro, once they had left the mansion, and had gotten himself into an interesting encounter. He had thought the boy may be starting to suspect something, but he hadn't expected him to actually confront him about it. He would not admit to his mission no matter what Kuro might say, although perhaps the young man knew that. He was preparing to give an excuse, a lie, if you will, when Kuro cut him off, continuing to voice his disapproval. Kakashi closed his mouth, which was hidden behind his usual mask and shifted uncomfortably.<br/><br/>It wasn't like he wanted to lie, especially when this involved Hikari, as would his lie, but he was a shinobi. His mission was a secret, though, even from Hikari, so he would not confirm the young man's suspicions. In that, he was somewhat thankful to have been cut off. This time, he simply chose to let the young Uchiha finish what he had to say, schooling his expression as he wordlessly watched him. He didn't speak up until Kuro said his goodbye. "Sure," was all he responded as he watched him disappearing from view, considering his options.<br/><br/>Kakashi chose to head home, rather than to the mansion and arrived back in time to find Hikari preparing to leave. She seemed to be preparing food for the road. When he entered, she turned her head towards him momentarily. "What's wrong with you?" she asked before turning her attention back to the food in front of her. "Hmmm? Nothing. I'm fine. Why?" he asked, earning him a quirked eyebrow and a knowing look. "Or we can go with that," she replied, shrugging. He knew she wouldn't pry further. She never did. "About to head out of a mission?" he asked and she nodded, "Yep."<br/><br/>"Are you going with him again?" he asked, not needing to name the one he spoke of. She glanced at him with an unreadable expression and nodded. "Yeah, " she responded before looking away again, although she listened curiously to see if he would have any more to say on the matter. "Just be careful, okay?"<br/>he added after a long pause. "Because I'm usually careless when I go on missions?" The question was only half question, half comment, but all sarcasm, despite knowing full well what it was he was actually implying. She was more likely to get the truth this way, she thought. She was right. "You know that isn't what I mean," he replied before he closed his mouth as if he shouldn't have said that and sighed.<br/><br/>"I got it," she replied as she placed the small containers of food into her bag before slinging the bag over her shoulder, "I'll be careful. You do the same," she replied before patting his shoulder as she walked by and out the door. She sighed lightly as she stepped out onto the streets. She might have traveled to the gates of the village much faster, but she thought that walking would be a nice change of pace. So she walked at a casual pace towards the village gates. She hoped that Kuro wouldn't be waiting for her for too long, but she had a lot on her mind and she thought it best that she get such thoughts out of her mind before she met up with him.<br/><br/>When she arrived at the gate, she was surprised to see not one, but two figures waiting. What was Ryuu doing here? She was curious, but she met them with a smile. As she should have expected, Ryuu seemed significantly happier to see her than Kuro did. She might have felt a bit of a sting from this if she let herself think about it, but she brushed it off instead, "Good morning, Ryuu," she greeted Kuro's younger brother with a kind smile. It was a gentle, amiable smile, not unlike how she often smiled when she was with those she cared for, but not altogether the same. It was, perhaps, a bit more friendly than how she might smile at someone like Kakashi or even Rin, yet it was not the same as how she might have smiled at Kuro when her mind was unburdened by her current worries. The differences were subtle, perhaps, and likely not noticeable, or at least she thought they weren't, not unless you had a reference for comparison.<br/><br/>She broke away from her own musings and was about to answer Ryuu's barrage of questions when Kuro stepped forward and passed her, asking if she was ready and saying he was going on ahead, but she could talk to Ryuu for a moment if she wished. She gave him a small nod and watched him for a moment as he walked about before turning her attention to Ryuu. She hadn't missed the way he had looked at her, the way he had smiled and blushed. She felt a small ache in her heart at knowing the likely reason, but pushed it down and began to answer his questions. "Let's see... Yes, we are going on a mission. Do we really go on that many?" she paused a moment as she thought, before answering the last question. "I'm doing fine, how are you?" she answered and then returned the question.<br/><br/>Her own answer was not entirely true, although it was not entirely a lie, either. She was glad to have been able to see Kuro again and to go on another mission with him, but she was not fine because there was much more to the story than a simple, happy reunion. It was a heavy weight on her heart, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she gave him a smile, allowing him the time to answer before turning the conversation away. "It was nice to see you again. Sorry, we don't have much time to talk. I should probably go, though, before he leaves me too far behind," she chuckled. "Maybe we can talk sometime after we return," she gave him a smile before she turned to leave, giving him a wave over her shoulder, "Take care!" she added before running off after Kuro.<br/><br/>She didn't have to run for long, as his figure came into view after barely a minute of running. It seemed that he had kept a relatively casual pace until now. Had he done this to keep from leaving her too far behind? She wondered but didn't dwell on it long. When she got a little closer she noticed the bird perched on her shoulder and a small smile on his face. She smiled at this, glad to see what seemed to be a true smile on his face once again. She stopped for a moment, watching him, debating whether or not she should interrupt his apparent peace.<br/><br/>After a moment, she opted to avoid barging loudly into his silence. Instead, she chose to remain close, but quiet, as to avoid ruining whatever momentary happiness or peace he had found.<br/><br/><dl class="codebox"><dt>Outfit | <a href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="var spoiler = this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('dd')[0]; if ( spoiler.style.display == 'none' ) { spoiler.style.display = 'block'; this.innerHTML = '-'; } else { spoiler.style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '+'; };">+</a></dt><dd style="display: none;"><a class="postlink" href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b0/cb/e3/b0cbe31f4a5be5c4f5cd056e8c0b99d8.jpg">Image</a></dd></dl>