Unlike the usual morning in which Hikari would have woken up before the sun after having gotten only a few hours of nightmare-ridden sleep, Hikari slept until the sun began to filter through her window, bathing her in the soft glow of the early morning sun. She'd actually slept most of the way through the night, only waking up once with a nightmare. Her nightmare had resembled the second nightmare she'd had during her mission with Kuro, the nightmare in which her first squad was killed. Unlike the nightmare she'd had then, however, this one had been more true to actual events. The previous one had been the story that anyone who knew about the events had been told. Only a handful of people knew the real story. Tsunade, Kakashi, and the ninja who had found her.<br/><br/>In this nightmare, rather than shielding herself behind a barrier of ice until help arrived, the beast inside was released for the first time. She'd sprouted a large pair of blue wings and a tail and destroyed the remaining enemies, and the surrounding landscape, with relative ease. Once the enemies were defeated, she managed to regain control and suppressed the beast, however, her squad was still dead and the reality of the loss hit her once the danger was eliminated. She fell to her knees, tears falling from her face, and then the nightmare ended and she woke up in a cold sweat.<br/><br/>Unlike usual nights, however, she managed to fall asleep again within minutes and slept through the night without another nightmare. Actually, for the first time in a very long time, she had a dream, one that she actually hoped might come true. She'd slept so well and so peacefully that she only awoke when the sun shined on her face. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, stretching and staring out the window for a long moment before she finally slipped out of bed and made her way into the kitchen, staring at the food she had before deciding she wasn't in the mood for any of it, opting to eat a little fruit instead.<br/><br/>Just as she finished her fruit she saw a bird land on her windowsill with a note tied to its foot. She tilted her head slightly before opening the window and taking the note and watching the bird fly away before she unrolled it and read it. "You sure know how to keep a girl busy, Tsunade." She said to herself after reading the note, which informed her that she was to go ahead with the mission she'd been assigned prior to being taken off and sent on the mission with Kuro. It wasn't surprising, really. After all, it was a mission that was uniquely suited for her skill set. Not to mention the fact that it was a mission involving Kirigakure, where she had some ties after her stay there years ago. She was more surprised that Tsunade had allowed her the day off yesterday rather than sending her off immediately. At any rate, she was to leave as soon as possible, so she decided to go ahead and get ready to go. She changed into her usual mission attire and put her swords, as well as her other weapons and pouches in their places and then gathered anything else she might need.<br/><br/>Once she'd made her preparations she left the apartment and made her way towards the Uchiha compound. She didn't need to check in with him or anything, and he might not even be home. For all she knew he could have already left on a mission of his own. Still, she had told him she would stop in, so that was exactly what she planned to do, even if just for a moment, and even if he wasn't home. Her own mission was a secret and was something that would otherwise have been assigned to Anbu, but given the circumstances and her suitability for the mission, it was given to her instead. Regardless of whether or not it was a secret, she didn't plan on discussing mission details with him, just letting him know she'd be leaving. And if he wasn't home, she'd simply ask them to let him know she stopped by and then be on her way. She was sure someone would be home, even if it was only Ryuu or one of his parents, and they could convey the message to him. If they didn't, it wasn't that big of a deal, but one way or another, she had to do it, if not for his sake then for her own.<br/><br/>Before she knew it she was standing in front of his door. For some reason she hesitated before finally knocking on the door. Perhaps because she normally would have simply left for the mission straightaway, or perhaps because the memories of that night ran through her mind. It wasn't as if she felt awkward or anything, or as if she expected anything to be different, she didn't really. She didn't know what it meant, really, but she had no intention of trying to read more into it than she should or trying to rush him into anything. She didn't want him to feel pressured or rushed or uncomfortable. Nor did she want to get her hopes up if it didn't really mean anything. Still, the thoughts slipped through her mind in an instant, causing her to hesitate for a fraction of a second before she reached up and knocked on the door.<br/><br/>As expected, it was his mother, rather than Kuro, who answered the door. The woman told her that Kuro had left not long ago and Hikari had thanked her, asking her to let him know she'd stopped by, whenever he returned. After this she used the body flicker jutsu and appeared at the front gate. She let the ninja there know she was leaving and then did just that, heading out the gates and taking to the trees. She focused her mind on the mission before her, banishing all other thoughts from her mind as she leaped through the trees, going over the information she'd been given when she'd originally been assigned the mission, and formulating a plan for the mission.<br/><br/>-------<br/><br/>The mission had taken less time than anyone had anticipated. She'd truthfully almost spent more time traveling than she spent completing the mission itself. Of course, it probably would have taken anyone else a lot longer, but her particular skill set had decreased the time significantly, so that she returned barely a week later. Lady Tsunade hadn't had any missions that warranted sending her out, so she'd been given the day off. And that day turned into several long, boring days. She almost missed the nonstop missions she'd been going on before. She would have been grateful for the time off, except that Kuro had yet to return from his mission and she hadn't had much to do other than train and read and play music to herself.<br/><br/>It was now the weekend of the festival and she found herself walking towards Kuro's house once again. He probably wasn't home yet, and even if he was, he hadn't seemed too interested in going to the festival when she'd asked him before, but regardless, her feet carried her there nonetheless. It wouldn't hurt to check. If he wasn't home yet, she supposed she'd go train or something. If he was home and didn't want to go to the festival, perhaps he'd still be interested in hanging out. Even if he was too tired and wanted to just rest, at least she could say hi. One way or the other, it was worth a shot. That's what she told herself as she found herself standing in front of his house once again, trying not to get her hopes up as she reached out and knocked on the door, waiting patiently for a response.