Nori felt herself slowly come down from what seemed like a dream and back into the world she belonged. For the briefest amount of time, she was able to see Sigmund again. She knew it wasn’t real. That was what she told herself. But it felt so real to her. She had found herself tempted to reach out and touch him. Even if it was just his hand or his face. She wanted so badly to believe that he was really in front of her. But he faded just as quickly as he appeared. Just like he did that day. When her glazed over eyes settled into their normal shade of emerald green, a tear spilled down each of her cheekk as her knees buckled underneath her and she fell to the floor. She sat there on the cold ground. Her body drained. Her eyes stared down at the ground for a brief moment before she was quick to shut them. Nori brought up an arm and quickly shielded her eyes into the crease of her elbow to wipe away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks.

However, her arm slowly dropped and her eyes took in the hand in front of her. She remembered the hand he had offered her, telling her to come to his side but she rejected it. She told him no. She couldn’t betray her friends. But...she couldn’t betray him, either. Although it...felt like she had. She wanted him to come back. To save him. To protect him. But...could she do anything of that? Could she do any of that and...and not betray her friends? Her family? Her village? Would she choose him over doing what was right in the end? She clenched her hand into a fist and held it against her chest. Was this the test? To see if she would fall prey to her emotions? Of course she would do what was right over what she felt...right? It was what had to be done. Even if it hurt her to do it. But part of her wanted to believe there was still good in him. If he came back... was there coming back from this? She knew he awaited a harsh punishment if he did, but... if that was the case, would she want him to come back to live out his punishment? Or would she go with him and never come back to save him from receiving such a punishment? It made her heart pang painfully  as she clutched onto her chest. Sigmund...

Nanami was exhausted both mentally and physically "Whew, that was a pain, but a good experience." She sat down near the rest of her team. She wondered what their training had been like, and understood why she wasn't included. She thoroughly enjoyed her training with Tsukiko, and learned a great deal about combat tactics, and relying on oneself. It had a different feeling then her training before. It caused a greater sense of accomplishment to be felt. Like the training meant more than a lot of her previous training. Nanami glanced at Sarada and smiled. Then looked at Nori.

"Nori how was the mental training? I am curious about it." She takes out a canteen, drinking some water, and offering to Nori and Sarada "Should I start on making dinner? I am sure after that we are all a bit hungry." She looked around, still wary that someone might be watching. But there was little she could do at the moment. Being exhausted and all. Even though her chakra reserves were at its max. Nanami showed the signs of battle. Mostly bruising. She was looking forward to putting on another concert. The last one was amazing. It was one of those things that got her thinking about different types of jutsu for the future.

She stands "Thank you Sensei!" Nanami bows, and unless stopped goes about making food for everyone..

Nori had been enclosed within her own thoughts that she almost hadn’t heard Nanami speak to her. She blinked her eyes open and shut before her head turned and she looked at her friend that had taken a seat beside her without her knowing it. She looked worn out. Beaten. Yet seemed to be full of enthusiasm. She couldn’t understand why, but...maybe she had a good experience. Unlike her. She only had more questions rather than answers. “I don’t...know how I feel about it,” she said in a low voice. “It leaves me with more questions than anything else. I’d rather not...think about it anymore today. I just want to rest.” She got up to her feet and looked over at Sarada before she bowed her head slightly to her. “Thank you for today, sensei. Have a good rest,” she told her before she walked off to one of the tent’s and unzipped the zipper. She climbed inside and zipped it back up before she plopped herself onto her back. She closed her eyes and the memory of seeing Sigmund played through her mind. Nori brought up her arm and shielded her eyes with it.

As exhausting and draining as that training was, she was somehow thankful for the fact that she went through it. If the purpose of that training was meant for her to not think with her emotions and think logically, she could see why Sarada had placed Sigmund in that Genjutsu. There was no doubt that Sigmund was, indeed, one of her weaknesses. If not her biggest weakness. Could she overcome that weakness? Could she overcome the emotions she felt when she saw him? If he really had asked her to, would she go with him? Would she let the emotions she felt for him come overcome her and cloud her judgment? Was Sarada trying to test her strength? Nori turned on her side as she let her arm fall from her eyes. That was another question she had yet to find the answer to, but it was an answer she knew she needed to figure out for herself.

It had been quite a day. Exhausting was the only word that came to mind as she wiped away the remaining blood from her eyes. The worst one who seemed to have been effected the most out of the training was Nori. Sarada has used her weakness for Sigmund to challenge her mind and emotional involvement. She felt bad but she wanted to know that Nori would do the right thing as oppose to jeopardize everything she knew. The Sigmund Sarada has manifested trough her jutsu was just a figment of the person she thought she knew.

The boy definiately had a grip on this poor girls heart and it was a scary thing that such a bond could create such a complex cloud of emotions. Sarada went as far as trying to get Nori to side with him and she still simply refused but Sarada could see she struggled with all her might to not want to accept his offer to join him for his unrealistic idea of power and domination. Sarada simply nodded her head as Nori excused herself before Nanami went on her way as well to cook the group food after today.

That left Sarada and Shiroma to themselves yet again. Before Sarada had even ended the jutsu, she was sure to release Shiroma’s other half as promised. The situation that Shiroma had discovered was one of pain. She relived the happier times with her old squad and even had to relive moments that were out of her control when she was under the possession of this darkness that clouded her for over a year. It was revealed that Shiroma was the source of Sarada’s PTSD and the reason why Sarada had gained her mangekyo sharingan from a past battle.

It had been one of the secret missions of the ANBU that Sarada had taken to investigate the rumors of the lingering darkness that began surfacing in the land Shiroma resided in. Sarada and her team had managed to break through the land’s defenses with such stealth that she had believed her team and her could accomplish the mysterious black aurora however Shiroma and her land of controlled shinobi were always a step ahead of them. Shiroma’s team ruthlessly took down Sarada’s team and even her best friend that caused her outrage of pain. The rest was history.

Sarada experiences the great loss that caused her mangekyo to surface and she slaughtered every single one of them with rage and Shiroma had miraculously conquered the battle and left with her freedom and disappeared, retreating with the remaining army she commanded. Sarada returned to the land of fire with her dead comrades and the lifeless body of her childhood best friend. Due to her PTSD she was forced to retire and take on a more calm position within the land of fire and here she was now.

Sarada knew there was much to discuss with Shiroma and she did not know how their relationship would play out at this point. Sarada had a unique attraction to the girl and couldn’t bare the thought that she couldn’t have the gorgeous girl. She sighed as she thought over the day’s events as she realized her stomach had begun to growl. She smirked at herself as she looked up and it began to snow again. It was quiet and dark and the only source of light was from the ship. The cold air began brewing in which gave her some chills.

Shiroma had been kneeling through the whole test just sitting in calm quiet pose just letting things unfold.  Her two inner selves, one bound to just observe, the other forced to relive the life she had. The last moments of her life as herself childish and easy going even to the other members of her team that always picked on her.

Reliving her turning had been one of the hardest things she had ever done up to that point. Watching it all the burst of fear as she realized she had been separated from her team, the lash out of her ice to try and save herself, it had worked just not the way she had hoped it would. The ice was effective against some of her attackers but others had easily overcome or bypassed it entirely. But it was that lash out that had brought her to the interest of him...

She shuddered and the jerked as though she had been touched on the shoulder, which she had just not in the world people could see.

'It's okay it's just me.'

'Get away from me!'

'Kinda hard to do love.'

'Well try, god after what you did to her you are lucky Sarada released the binding, if I hadn't been in such shock I would have told her not to!'

Another of those timeless pauses that seemed to take forever and no time at all.

'You didn't notice it did you? you think that was me there in that battle.'

'Of course it was you! There is no one else here!'

'Alright...I will just stay back, you will be in full control. When you feel like it ask Sarada to take your through that battle again but as an observer.'

'Make her relive it again? Never there is no reason for it I could see perfectly well what you made me do!'

'Love, they weren't my eyes.'

The second part of her pulled back into that place in her mind that yielded all control to the other self allowing them full access to each other's chakra and total control of the body with no chance of interference. It was where they normally went to sleep or during battle so they didn't step over each other.

Shiroma was alone again in her own mind feeling that loss again of her other self after the binding that happened. Her pale blue eyes looked around as she shuddered realizing just how long she had been kneeling there and winced as she forced herself to stand.  She looked around seeing everyone else had already left to their own thoughts and retreats. Her pale eyes fell on Sarada sitting off to one side and she sighed. She stepped over closer so her soft voice could be heard only by Sarada or those eavesdropping. "I'm so sorry..." her words caught in her throat and she didn't know if she could more out.

Sarada had been too occupied with the falling snow to realize Shiroma had been out of it. However the soft words of “I’m sorry” caught her attention as the words seemed broken off. She looked over at Shiroma, a guilty expression on the poor girls face over a past that seemed to link them together even before their destiny now. Sarada sighed, knowing that Shiroma had no control over what had happened to her and her former team. She had wished sorry was enough to change the things of the past...all the death, her newly acquired sharingan, and the PTSD illness she felt afterwards.

But Sarada couldn’t change it and neither could Shiroma. She was a tad relieved that she was sorry but there was nothing more that could be done about it. ”I debated whether or not to show you. I knew when I first met you that you were familiar but couldn’t remember how or why,” she explained as she looked down, twiddling with her fingers. ”When I had my episode here on the land and hurt Master Fujii, it hit me. I connected the dots and it settled in,” she explained further as she glanced at a Shiroma with her dark raven colored eyes. ”And despite it all, I still want you,” she added.

”It was out of your control. I cannot hate you for it. I cannot seek revenge or look to avenge because it won’t change anything. All I can do is fight for our land; fight for a better world to prevent other disasters from happening. It’s apart of war,” she added. ”War brings such death, pain, and suffering and we can either stand by and watch it happen or do something about it. My friend...her sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Her death will have meaning one day when this is all over. I will not rest until we stop this man and his darkness,” she finished as she softly smiled at Shiroma. ”You have nothing to be sorry for,” she whispered softly before extending her hand out towards Shiroma, in hopes of enlightening the mood.

Nanami had intentionally left Sarada and Shiroma together. Her little slip previously was really nothing more than that.. A mental slip. While Nanami did care greatly for her and Nori. She knew it was better this way. Her mother always said avoid getting involved with teammates, and looking back at history. The most successful couples were ones born from interest and separation. It left Nanami wondering about that. Though her mind didn't dwell on such things for long, as she was humming and making food "Hmm, mm, hmm m, m, hmmm." Nanami seemed happy as she boiled potatoes. Then went about making rice, and the various other parts of the curry.

It took everything about an hour to cook, stew, and such. She didn't mind the minor pain from the intense training with Tsukiko. Nanami hoped she would be able to train with her again sometime. She knew she needed to increase her taijutsu abilities if she was going to make her personal fighting style usable in actual combat.

Nanami would serve up four servings and leave the remaining curry for the crew to have. She walks down and over to Shiroma, and Sarada "Here you two go, eat up!" She says in cheerful tone. Handing them each a plate. She walks towards the tent Nori went into "Knock, knock" She says jiggling the tent "Nori, got some curry and rice with your name on it. Is it alright if I come in?"

Nori had managed to get a little rest in that hour dinner was being done and it had been inevitable that her dream within that time involved Sigmund. She remembered exactly how he looked. Every line. Every hair. Every finger. Everything. She could still see the way he looked at her and smirked at her as he offered his hand out to her. She could remember how she felt at that moment he asked for her to join him. She could see herself opening her mouth to speak, but when she did, a voice woke her up. Her eyes opened and she found herself staring at the wall of the tent that sheltered her from the cold outside. She said nothing at first. She merely sat up on the ground as she pushed a hand through her burgundy hair and tilted her head down. “Yeah. Come in,” she said in a low voice.

Tsukiko's training had been far more brutal than the woman had let on. Though her little test had primarily been a means of gauging Nanami's skill level and tendencies, by the time she began training taijutsu and kenjutsu, the Ronin had upped her punishments quite a bit. She still made sure to hold back so as to avoid breaking bones, but each failure to execute a proper block or attack earned another welt, another bruise to mark their training together. After a certain point, the woman's devil-may-care attitude had faded to a certain point, where her suggestions were less condemning and more focused on seeing the genin improve.

Once they'd stopped, though, even Nanami would have been able to tell Tsukiko's style of fighting. Aside from rapidly closing distance with what, normally, would have been devastating attacks, her fighting style seemed more focused on counterattacks, redirecting blows and striking in the same movement. With Nanami, the psychological psyche-out of an enemy that charged and seemed intent on forcing her opponent to disengage would be experienced several times over. Though, whether that was preference or her chosen mode of training was yet unclear - the Jonin-level shinobi purposefully avoided ninjutsu and seemed more focused on getting Nanami acclimated to defense and the reach and utility of her new weapon rather than showing off her combat prowess.

Once things had settled down, though, and the others had completed their training, the woman found herself a spot by the cooking fire, plopped a bedroll down, and laid back, relaxing and staring up at the stars. With little miss cook off to visit her teammates, and their jonin getting some alone time, she seemed to just content herself with lazing about.

Once she got to Konoha, there'd be quite a bit of explaining and politicking to do.

Nanami unzips the tent. Then enters sitting and zipping the tent back up. She hands Nori the plate of food "You sound really down, everything ok?" The tone of voice she heard from Nori, was concerning. It wasn't one she heard often, thinking back only on the mission with Sigmund, did she hear it often. This was kind of alarming. The training must have been a lot harder on them then she thought. It made her feel more concern for Shiroma as well. Then she paused her line of thinking, she patted Nori on the top of her head "You don't have to tell me what's bothering you. I'll be happy if you eat."

Nanami slowly began to eat. She was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted "Mmm, this is actually really good for ship quality ingredients." Nanami says with a positive tone. The bruises could be seen dotting her arms, legs and neck. She says nothing more and eats, giving Nori time to respond if she wanted to.

Nori could instantly smell the food that Nanami brought into the tent and it overwhelmed her senses. Her eyes shifted over to the plate that her friend was extending out to her and for a moment, she didn’t take it. She shifted herself slightly and reached out a hand to take the food from her. “Thank you,” she said and picked up the plastic fork that was on the plate before she began to shift the food around on her plate. When she heard that question posed to her, she knew it was because Nanami has been concerned about her. Her head turned slightly and she looked over at the other before she gave her a once over. She could see bruises on her arms, neck, and legs. Her fair skin had made them more prominent to see. She must have been hurting somewhat, right? Yet she wasn’t showing it. Fuma must not have taken it easy on her. Then again, Nori knew her friend wouldn’t have settled for anything less than a person’s best effort. It was just like her to be in a cheerful mood after facing someone that put her in that kind of condition.

Nori turned her head away from her and said nothing. She merely took a bite of her food and began to chew before she swallowed it. “Sigmund,” she said suddenly and poked at her food again. “He was my test. Sarada-sensei showed him to me and I think it was to test my emotions. He asked me if I would join his side and even though I knew it wasn’t real, I...hesitated.” She bowed her head slightly and took another bite of her food and began to chew on it. “It made me think if I would play into my emotions and the feelings I have for him. It made me think would I be willing to give up everything for him. Betray my family. My friends. My village. Everything I’ve known to be at his side. Ultimately I resisted, but if it were to really happen, what would I do? Should I have even hesitated to tell him no? That’s what scared me.”

Nori turned her head and looked over at Nanami. “As much as I don’t want to, I fall into my emotions too easily. I let them overwhelm me. I just do what I feel is right instead of thinking logically and I can’t do that anymore, Nanami,” she told her in a solemn voice. “But when it comes to him, I...don’t know what to do. If it were to come down to it and he asked me that question, would I really tell him no and stand my ground? But if I did that, would I also not be betraying him? I vowed that I would always stay at his side. I want to be at his side. Even now he...he overwhelms me.” She closed her eyes and thought back to before Sigmund turned into the person he was now. She could feel his hand in hers. She could see that cool smirk playing across his lips. She could feel his gaze on her. She could feel his breath on her lips. She could hear his voice telling her he didn’t hate her. That he loved her. Nori set her plate down on her lap and slid a hand down to cover her face. “I...still love him, Nanami. As crazy as that sounds, I...still do. I know it’s foolish, but I can’t help it. Even though he sees me as an enemy now and even though he hates me...I still feel this way.”
This message was last edited by the player at 05:35, Wed 20 Feb 2019.

Shiroma had tears burning in her pale blue eyes as she shuddered slightly looking down as Sarada explained as she had worked out who she was and what had happened. She was glad that Sarada had shown her even though it hurt like hell now it told her a lot of things she didn't know.  Not to mention some of the abilities that she had seen her other self use while under the sway of that man had sparked some ideas in her.

The white haired girl shuddered as she listened and then knelt down on the beach turning her head to kiss Sarada's hand as she leaned her cheek against it. "I know I had no control...but part of me still alive did..." she paused for a moment frowning and then looked up at Sarada sighing again. "I still want you too, though I have no place to say that considering everything I put you through. I thought if I could get rid of that part of me somehow...maybe you just leave her bound next time." She paused looking back over her shoulder and blushing slightly as Namani brought them food and Shiroma turned and sat with her back against the log near Sarada.

She took a thoughtful bite before looking back at Sarada. "Sen...Sarada..." she sighed before looking at her eyes carefully. "You can remember things much better then I can. And I was in my body for this revisit so I couldn't see myself. Could you see my eyes? Just something my other self said made me wonder."

Sarada had felt guilt showing the poor gir things she had no control over. She couldn’t imagine witnessing events she couldn’t physically stop. Whatever jutsu has had been under, it either was incredibly strong with the darkness enhanced or it was more than just that. Her cheeks flushed slightly when Shiroma places a gentle kiss upon her hand. Sarada allowed her fingers to lightly caress Shiroma’s cheek for a brief moment as they continued their conversation.

”Your other self did not agree being put away the first time. I doubt she’d allow me to do it again,” she joked before going quiet as Nanami had made her way to them. She handed them food on the cold beach shore, the waves crashing slightly against the snowy sand. Sarada didn’t dive into her food right away though. Shiroma asked a bizarre question that it stopped her midway from a delicious bite of food. She lowered her silverware back on to the plate as she pondered over her answer.

Sarada had experienced this event many times before whether it was an episode or even the reoccurring nightmare. Shiroma was right though: Sarada had attentive eyes that made her attention to detail so great she almost could see at a cellular level like her father. She remained quiet for a bit as she replayed the memory several times over in her head. ”Your eyes?” she questioned as she took a moment to remember the final detail. Shiroma’s eyes were not hard to remember, considering they were beautiful like crystal, shined like a diamond in the sun. As Sarada realized those beautiful eyes weren’t the ones she remembered, it was concerning. They were neither the pale blue hue or even the darker sapphire shade her other half possessed.

”Your eyes...there were like mine...” she uttered. Red was a distinguished color to recognize for her as she possessed her own set of crimson colored irises and took notice when she encountered anybody with such a similar color. The only difference between the ones she remembered Shirkma having and her own was the missing tomoes that would’ve indicated she had Uchiha blood. ”Red...very dark red,” she described as she looked down at Shiroma as she came to the realization that it wasn’t really Shiroma would she encountered that day. ”It wasn’t you...” she added in disbelief.

Nanami smiled and was quiet listening, taking in everything Nori was saying. While having an attraction for another. She couldn't say she had ever been in love before. Nobody had really entranced her like Sigmund had somehow entranced Nori. She knew familial love, and love brought on by bonds. She reached over with a hand and patted Nori's head "Every time you face him, I will be there. Every time you have doubt, I will be your rock. I will help you stay the course. You are like my sister. While I want the best for you." She pauses not sure how to word her next words "I can't say I understand your feelings at all, even after experiencing them." Nanami lets out a breath..

She didn't understand why it was such a difficult choice, then again she had never experienced that type of undying love "I don't understand, it's not something I can understand.. Without experiencing it..." She wasn't sure where to go with the topic "You know the first weeks I knew Sigmund. He was actually normal, I even had casual talks with him. When our Sensei went missing, and we were left to train on our own. Sigmund changed, not just changed. I didn't recognize who he was, even more so after the Chunin exams, and the way he treated you. I hated him for that, I never really questioned why you loved him. It wasn't my place to. But I still hated him, but not. I guess it's like how a sister hates her brother."

Nanami stops talking and looks down "Know, if you ever did switch sides. I would come for you, and I would bring you back." Her head looked towards the tents wall "I should say we would come for you."

Nanami decided it was time for a change of subject "So remember I am planning on having another concert after we get debriefed. Hopefully you will sing with me, like last time." She says with a bright smile. Nanami takes another bite of her food "You shouldn't dwell on the negative.. Thinking about it will only create more doubt in yourself. We need to train and steel ourselves against such things. Even if it means becoming emotionless.." She says looking up and making a fist.

Shiroma waited watching Sarada as she thought over the question. Shiroma could see the older girl working though the memories again for the second time today and she hated herself for having asked Sarada to do this yet again.  There was a moment as Sarada started talking that Shiroma just held her breath expecting the worst.

"Red..." she whispered at the revelation frowning as she just sat there and blinked slowly thinking over what was said. She looked back up at Sarada at the next comment and shook her head. "No it was me I was there now that I relived it I remember...I think. There was no doubt it was me those powers were mine. Augmented and charged with darkness but they were mine." She swallowed and leaned back against the log the food forgotten by her side. "But...I have looked at my eyes they are pale blue and she showed me hers they are a darker blue right?" she had only been able to see her alter's eyes through the other's control so it was possible that she was being lied to. "Where, did the red come from?"

Sarada lost interest in her own food as she set it down on the ground, the delicious meal either going to waste or turning cold. Shiroma looked to be shocked but in denial about the revelation of a different set of eyes. Sarada couldn’t figure it out but she was positive she saw red eyes in her memory of that event. Red eyes and a familiar Shiroma. ”Yes, that’s correct,” she confirmed. ”When I sealed your other half, it was just her. I didn’t see anybody else. I didn’t feel a presence of another person. She was alone...” she trailed off before it hit her.

”Wait...” she uttered. She remembered seeing something earlier that day. The black pillar that she glanced at before her attention had been given to Shiroma’s other dark-eyed self. ”Earlier today, when I used my sharingan to seal your other self, I remember seeing something there,” she started before she remembered the entire thing. A black pillar with unusual seal markings that had been about fifty feet away from where Sarada had entered the mind-scape. It was pulsing darkness energy, the same that these rogue shinobi used and it wasn’t hard to miss when Sarada had been there briefly. ”It was this pillar far from when I entered your mind. I didn’t get the chance to actually look at it but...it was pretty large and from afar, I remember it pushing slowly and it had unusual sealing markings...” she started to explain. However that didn’t confirm whether the source of the red eyes had anything to do with the mystery mind pillar inside her head. Sarada was fully prepared to investigate it now and she knew the only way would to be back into Shiroma’s mind-scape.

Shiroma shuddered and blinked thinking over what this might mean what the situation might actually be inside her brain and just shuddered. "I...what if she isn't my other half..." she whimpered softly and then pushed up standing there and starting to pace. She blinked hearing about the pillar and looking down at Sarada. "What pillar? there was no pillar there." She tilted her head slightly. "I was there too and so was she but..." she trailed off.

'You didn't see a pillar did you?'

'What where?'

'You weren't listening in?'

'I was asked to keep away remember?'

'Right sorry, here...'

The pale eyed half gave her the sapphire blue half access to her recent memories and the conversation with Sarada was replayed at the speed of thought.

'Wow...no I didn't see a pillar either.'

Shiroma looked back to Sarada. "Neither of...me saw this pillar you are talking about." She looked around at the snowy beach and sighed biting her lip. "Here in the middle of the enemy lands might not be the best place to look into this. Even though I want too."

To hear Shiroma saying she didn’t understand what Sarada may have seen was troubling. When Shiroma got up pacing, Sarada felt the distress in the air. What if Sarada was wrong then? Maybe she imagined the whole thing. As Shiroma continued to pace and talk to herself, which sarada could only assume she was likely having a conversation inside her head. Sarada just watched her silently as the snow continued to fall, their meals completely covered now.

”I could be wrong but I’m positive I saw it. It was behind the both of you,,,” she trailed off as Shiroma suggested they’d have to wait to investigate the matter once they returned home. ”You’re right though. I promise we’ll get to the bottom of this, Shiroma,” she stated as she stood up and pulled Shiroma into a warm embrace, a thing Sarada didn’t do very often. ”Let’s focus on the now and focus on this when we get back to Konoha,” she whispered and she lightly kissed the top of Shiroma’s head.

Shiroma had been a bit lost in the thoughts that were consuming her at the moment even as she was trying to focus on the now and sighed softly.  The sudden feeling of Sarada wrapping her arms around her frame made Shiroma gasp and then she pressed closer sighing and just relaxing against her friend...and maybe more just enjoying having the support.

She nodded and sighed. "Yeah for now but when we get back I...we need to know." she turned looking up at Sarada, "Sarada...do I trust her for now? she has offered to stay in a place in our shared mind that we used when one of us is sleeping. She didn't even listen into our conversation. Do I trust her till we know more? she has done nothing to be untrustworthy since I have known her." The way Shiroma was talking about her other self now was different before she had always treated her like herself just another part now she was using language that distanced them, said they weren't the same person.

She gave Shiroma a quick squeeze before she answered. ”I’ll do everything in my power to help you; you have my word,” she cooed before she took into consideration the way Shiroma was referring to her alter ego. ”She’s never been a problem before. She’s apart of you. She hasn’t done anything that would have me even consider sealing her away again. She’s a great asset to you and the team as well. Treat her as you have before. You have nothing to worry about,” she commented before hugging her again. ”We should probably head back now. I’m sure the others are coming to assumptions over here,” she joked before kissing the top of her head again.

Shiroma nodded and poked her second self to come out of the shell before she hugged back into Sarada and sighed before laughing. "Yeah probably. Best if we go back over near them." She smiled and stepped back sighing before moving over toward the tents that had been set up by the group and sitting down near the fire not yet ready to head into the tent to sleep. She had things she had to think of and didn't know what they were exactly. She was just silent for the moment not starting conversations but would respond should anyone talk to her.

In reply to Nara Nanami (msg # 259):

Nori didn’t know what to expect when she told Nanami all this. What did she expect? But to feel her place her hand on her head and tell her that she would be there for her, she let her hand fall from her face and her head turned to look up at her friend beside her. She wanted to be her support no matter the circumstances she may face whenever she saw Sigmund. If she were to ever go astray, she would find a way to bring her back all because...why? Nanami saw her as more than just a friend, but as a sister. Someone worth saving should she ever turn her back against her. Just like how Nori wanted to save Sigmund and bring him back, Nanami wanted to do the same for her. Somehow that did sound like something she’d do, but would her efforts be enough? Would she want to be saved?

 “You...while I know you haven’t really experienced the type of feelings I have, the type of love you feel for me. For Shiroma. It’s a powerful thing. To say you don’t understand what it is...I think that’s where you are wrong. I know you would protect both Shiroma and I with your life. You don’t have to experience love to know that you want to protect the people you care about. To help them. To know that you would do anything for them. All of those things... they are just something you feel. You don’t really understand why because it is just something natural you want to do. When it comes to loving and caring for people, logic doesn’t really play a part,” she explained and turned slightly towards Nanami.

“If anything were to happen to me. If I made that difficult choice, just know that it had nothing to do with you, Shiroma, Sarada-sensei, or anyone else. It was my decision alone and if that time should ever come, while I don’t expect you to understand why I made that choice, let me come back on my own. Don’t persuade me or chase after me. I know that you would have good intentions in doing so, but coming back...that is something I have to decide for myself. Not you. And that...that goes for any decision I ever make,” she told her solemnly. “There are many things I want to experience with you and Shiroma. I want to look towards a future where I don’t have to decide between people or the things on my life. I want to live a life without any regrets. I know it can’t be done completely, but I can do as much as I can to make sure I live a fulfilled life.”

In reply to Tsuna Shiroma (msg # 266):

She let go of Shiroma and they walked back towards the main encampment of the group. Shiroma had taken a place near the fire. Sarada knee today was exhausting for her. Finding out the truth about Sarada’s past and Shiroma’s mysterious new issue; she felt a bit guilty knowing she had something to do with it. Sarada knew it was best to let the poor girl allow herself some alone time. She needed it to collect her thoughts.

She couldn’t help but admire Shiroma’s features within the flames light. Sarada smiles to herself for a split second before she walked over and unzipped her tent. ”Good night. Try to get some rest. Everything’s going to be okay,” she tried to reassure her before stepping into her tent, zipping it close. It wasn’t long before Sarada changed her clothing into something more warm. Plopping herself into her sleeping bag, she finally laid down, exhaustion severely hitting her as her head hit the pillow. She was more mentally exhausted than she thought. She stared at the ceiling of her tent, finally letting out the sadness that had she stored away today. Several tears had rolled down her cheek before she closed her eyes and allowed herself to finally sleep.

Nanami looked at Nori for a long while "You are right in so many ways." Though being told not to chase her, if she made that choice. She did know Nori was right, and that it was her decision ultimately "We have a lot to do. So let us not dwell on this. Its kind of depressing." She punches Nori's shoulder playfully "The curries good right?" She decided the topic as an entirety was off the table for now "So what to do, what to do?" She said thinking aloud "Hmm, oh!" Then she went back to thinking realizing that wouldn't be much fun.

This process took a few minutes, many exclamations and nothing really coming of it. Inside she was just acting silly to help Nori get out of the mood she was in. Nanami slowly starts humming. It was the song she had hummed when she displayed her ability to control a wind and fire jutsu, while water walking, the first day they were a team. Then something expected happened. Nanami by this time had finished her food, and set her plate down. Her head falls to Nori's shoulder or back whichever is facing her. It seems Nanami was more exhausted then she led on..

Time skip:

24 hours.

Proceed to post in 5.0 thread.