Shortly after Hikari caught up to Kuro, the bird took to the sky, captivating both of their attention for a short time. She returned her gaze to him just as he looked back over his shoulder at her. He smiled, but she couldn’t help but feel that the smile was forced, especially after having watched him truly smile only moments before. She wondered briefly if her presence was that much of a bother to him, but she quickly dismissed the thought.<br/><br/>As he looked ahead, he commented about how Tsunade must think that they worked well together. “Do you disagree?” she asked curiously as she came up next to him, matching his pace. She directed her gaze his way as she spoke but quickly looked ahead as she walked. It wasn’t necessarily that she thought that he hated working with her or anything like that, it just seemed like the natural question to ask after his statement.<br/><br/>He went on to explain that he didn’t like when people interfered with things that were not or should not be any of their business. She gathered that he was referring to Tsunade and Kakashi, who were both interfering in things, albeit for different reasons. Kakashi was interfering in more ways than one she gathered, although this was not something she expected that either of them were aware that she suspected. She did not disagree with him, though. She wished that they would just let things be. In all honesty, she thought that their actions were hurting more than they were helping. She knew that it was likely that both had good, or at least noble intentions, but intentions only go so far. “I can’t say that I disagree with you,” she replied with a light sigh. “It is definitely frustrating.”<br/><br/>After this, they were both silent for a time before Kuro spoke up once again, breaking the silence. It was somewhat unusual for him to talk this much, or for him to be the one to spark conversation. It was definitely a change from their first mission. Her face took on a pensive look as she thought about his words. “Yeah, I know,” she replied without looking his way. She felt bad for him, truly. She didn’t want to hurt him. And yet she knew it was likely inevitable.<br/><br/>“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she agreed, knowing that he was definitely right. It was obvious enough to her how Ryuu felt. For all his strengths, he definitely did not hide his feelings well, although she wasn’t sure if this was intentional or not. She hated the idea of hurting him. She did care for him, but not the way he probably wanted her to. “I wish he didn’t feel that way. I don’t want to hurt him,” she admitted with a somewhat conflicted expression. “But I don’t see it ending any other way. No matter what, he will get hurt in the end,” she continued, “He probably knows that, though, doesn’t he? And yet he still won’t give up,” she couldn’t fault him for that, though. After all, wasn’t she doing basically the same thing?<br/><br/>She fell silent again, letting the silence hang in the air for a short time before finally voicing her thoughts again. “Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder…” she paused, as if to brace herself for what she was about to admit. “Do you feel that way about me?” she wondered, her voice was gentle and thoughtful, tinged with the smallest hint of sadness at the idea that it was indeed true.<br/><br/>If she were being honest, she would have to admit that she was a little afraid to look at him at that particular moment. If she did, what would she see? Would his gaze tell her that her fears were true, that he wished she didn’t care for him the way she did, that she would just give up on him and let him go? Or perhaps tell her that he thought she was ridiculous for thinking something like that, let alone voicing it? Or would it be something else entirely? She was afraid of the answer, and yet her gaze still drifted his way, looking for a sign as to what he was thinking, how he was feeling.