Hikari smiled sweetly when Ryuu said the food was good. "Thanks! I'm glad you like it." she replied before taking a bite of her own. She really was glad that he enjoyed it. She liked to cook for others, to see them happy and smiling when they ate what she cooked. Unfortunately, she didn't often have the opportunity to do so. When she did have such an opportunity, though, she rarely passed it up. This had been a perfect opportunity Since she considered Ryuu to be a friend, she was glad she hadn't passed it up this time. It was nice when anyone complimented her on her cooking, but it was especially nice coming from a friend. It made her feel a bit of warmth inside. It was a feeling she'd pretty much forgotten until she'd met Kuro. Now... now she had a few people she considered friends, and this warm feeling inside, it wasn't so unusual anymore. It was nice.<br/><br/>"Alright, then. We'll split up." she nodded in agreement with his choice. Good. This made more sense and it would get the mission over more quickly. Not that she was in any rush to finish and get back, or to get away from him, so it wouldn't have hurt to stick together, but she didn't like to dilly-dally. She generally preferred to be direct and efficient, completing missions as quickly as possible, especially simple ones such as this. Besides, she knew he could handle himself. Regardless of her familiarity with him as a person, she'd done a little research on him as a shinobi, so she knew that he was a capable shinobi and she could trust him to go off on his own and complete the task without a problem. It was obvious enough that she was capable of handling herself, whether or not he knew anything about her background or abilities. She was a jonin, after all, so that alone should give away that she was more than capable. Thus, she didn't bother assuring him that she, too, would be fine.<br/><br/>She was a bit surprised when he reached into his pocket and pulled something out, holding it out for her. She stared at him, blinking wordlessly for a moment before she finally reached out her hand and allowed him to place it in her palm. She looked down at it, examining it briefly before looking up at him and smiling. "Thanks, Ryuu." she thanked him with a gentle smile, looking back at it again. "Did you... make this?" she asked curiously, looking back up at him. She wondered. Did he really make it? For her? Did he really like her so much? She supposed she knew the answer already, if she thought about it, but still. She wasn't used to people caring so much for her. Would she ever get used to it, she wondered? Or would it end, as it always seemed to? Would they eventually leave her? Or worse?<br/><br/>Fear crept up inside of her, exacerbated by her last encounter with Kuro, as well as the fact that she hadn't seen him since that night. Her mind went back to the same dark place, the same fear and doubt that she'd felt so many times in her life. Only this time it was worse. Much worse. She'd let herself get too close, care too much. Already it hurt. Her heart ached inside her chest, it beat painfully beneath the weight of fear and doubt, loneliness. How was it that she felt so alone, even now? She wasn't alone. She knew that. Ryuu was there, and he'd just given her a gift. He was her friend. She cared for him, he cared for her. So why? Why did he feel so far away? No. It wasn't Ryuu that felt far away. It was Kuro. And the reason why... she knew that, too, if she thought about it. It was because her heart... Was already gone. He carried it with him, even now. Even as he tried to avoid her, to keep her away, keep her out. Or at least she thought that was what he was doing. That was why everything else felt so far away. Because he did. Because she felt like she was losing him, and her heart with him. Did he know? She wondered... But how could he, when even she hadn't realized it until just now?<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Crap.</span>She snapped herself from her thoughts when Ryuu spoke, realizing she might have seemed distant and quiet for a moment.  She hadn't shown the things that boiled beneath the surface, but if he'd really been paying attention, he might have caught that, for a brief moment, her thoughts had been elsewhere. It had only been a second, though, so perhaps he hadn't noticed the brief distance. "Yeah. I agree. Once the sun sets we'll head out and take up positions just outside the village. Once it's fully dark, we'll begin." she explained. "I'll start on the north side of the village and you can start on the south side. Once we've both completed our objective, we'll meet back here." she continued, tucking the charm he'd given her away in one of her pouches for the time being. "Sound good?" she asked before she returned to eating her food, finishing it rather quickly and then tucking the small box away. She then looked up towards the sky. The sun would soon set and they would begin their mission. Good. She didn't know why, but she felt restless all of the sudden. She needed to move, to do something to distract herself from all of the thoughts and feelings she wished to avoid. She needed to focus.<br/><br/>She fell silent after this, although it wasn't really intentional. She was fighting a war within herself, trying not to let the thoughts and feelings break free. She was itching to move. In all honesty, she was itching to fight someone, but she couldn't very well hope for that, could she? She wasn't looking for trouble. It'd be better for this mission to just go smoothly so they could get back to Konoha. Then she could beat the hell out of something. Hell, she could spar with someone if that wasn't enough. For now, she needed to just keep calm, keep these thoughts from her mind, and focus on the mission.<br/><br/>Thankfully, the time passed pretty quickly and before she knew it, the sun was setting. As it sunk beneath the horizon she stood, raising her arms above her head and stretching before looking his way. "Are you ready?" she asked, collecting his food box and putting it away, not wanting to leave anything behind. Once she had everything tucked away she gave him a smile and held up two fingers in a peace sign. "Good luck! See you soon!" she said before leaping up into a tree. The moment she was in the trees, her expression changed. It was no longer a light smile, but a blank, cold expression that held a bit of darkness behind it. She pulled her hood over her white hair and headed towards the north side of the village. Once there, she waited for the sun to fully set and the darkness of night to cover everything before she began her work.