[OP: "Thus Always to Tyrants" -- The Oh Hellos]

Day 89:

Despite letting Bakugo off the hook, technically, for what he did, Shine didn't hesitate to throw him under the bus and tell Wally and Gaara what happened.

Gaara was not so easy to persuade and said that the idea had been terribly reckless.

In fact, he was probably more appalled by it than either of the adults were. [But that is the way, teens take everything so seriously and you learn to have a little humor about it when you're older.]

Shoto also told the others what he'd told Mabui...he only realized afterward that he could have been a little too reckless about sharing those details with her.

Dabi said that he'd walked away for 5 minutes and Shoto had given her an entire history of Sasuke's life.

"I guess you shouldn't have walked away then," Shoto cold roasted him.

Sasuke wasn't that happy about it. He said that he didn't want pity.

But, Bakugo said that it didn't matter.

"That chick is going to find out stuff about us anyway," he said. "And Shine said to make sure it wasn't anything like what they wanted to find out. And it wasn't. None of that's gonna make any difference. Itachi is dead, and Oreo-man is dead, so there's no chance you're still working with them, and knowing that they pushed you into what you did is nothing that will hurt us."

"Is that really what you think?" Sasuke almost hadn't had time to react to that part yet, but he was angry about it. "That I'm just some puppet?"

Stares.

"This is gonna sound harsh," Camie said. "But uh...isn't it better if we think that?"

"Indeed," Sai spoke up. "If we thought you did all that deliberately and without any outside influence, it makes you a much worse person."

"Sai..." Ino said uneasily.

She'd never talked to Sasuke once about what she saw inside his head. She'd tried not to think about it. It had been such a terrible experience that she'd wanted to bury it deep down and never examine it closely.

But since she knew something of what it felt like to be under that genjutsu...she didn't think they should talk about it lightly.

Sasuke had almost forgotten Ino had even done what she did and only now did he remember it.

He wondered suddenly what she'd seen. He couldn't remember much of her interference...had she seen the past?

[For the chapters that explain this, you can read the Way through Stone Village 61-62, if you skipped that book.]

Sasuke clenched a fist. "All of you can't just talk about my personal life like that."

"Why not?" Sai was confused. "You do."

"No, I don't," Sasuke said.

"I'm sorry," Shoto said. "I've been told I overshare and I didn't think of it being personal at the time."

"How did you not think of that?" Sakura was astounded. 

"Well, since ninjas really don't talk about this stuff," Temari said. "I'm sure she was shocked by what you said and that you said it, really Shoto...sometimes your head is not there."

"Temari!" Momo said.

"No, she's right, I'm a space cadet sometimes," Shoto said. "I never knew that about myself before."

"Hmm, sucks doesn't it?" Camie said. "But it's okay, people like you better if you're a little dumb, it humanizes you." [Which is why the show made him dumber.]

That didn't make Shoto feel better

"Shine, Wally, do you want to weigh in here?" Kankuro called.

Shine and Wally were sitting at the dining room table while they were all arguing, and they and Gaara had just finished discussing it.

"It's nice to hear you all having a natural sounding fight for once," was Shine's helpful comment.

"Oh gosh that was cold," Wally said. "But in a funny way. It's kinda true though, usually you're all arguing about something really weird and at least now you're arguing about...well it's still kinda weird; but still, Sasuke ,voicing your concerns in a healthy way, that's progress."

"Don't patronize me," Sasuke wasn't that progressed.

"I think he's right actually," Sakura said. "And don't get started on me about that--" assuming he was about to make a comment on it. "But Shoto had no right to tell her all that without his permission. It's Sasuke's life."

"That's a fair point," Shoto said. "I wish it wasn't though."

"Maybe it's kinda my fault for starting that conversation," Dabi said. "but, I walked away, so...mostly it's on you...so how did that Dragon lady take it?"

"Actually, she wasn't really that bad about it," Shoto said. "She just seemed surprised...Do you think she'll tell Ay?"

"That's what I'm worried about," Shine said. "Mabui is one thing, she really doesn't seem like she'd care too much about it, but, I can't say if Ay would take that all as some kind of bad sign or not. Still, at some point I suppose she should know that there is more to this than meets the eye, since they're so adamant about judging us."

"As if making us look weaker helps," Sasuke insisted. "I don't want them to think I have no free will."

"No one is saying that," Momo said. "Right?"

"No, that's not it," Wally said. "It's just that it's not fair to blame one person for something so complicated... is that okay, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't like being asked if was okay, like it was up to him to decide.

"How should I know? You're the one who talks about it all the time!" he snapped.

He hadn't been this angry in a while. The others were surprised.

"I suppose the calm streak was too good to last," Shikamaru muttered.

Sasuke gave up. "You know what? Do whatever you want, it's not like it matters anyway!"

He stalked out of the room.

"That was such an unusually passive aggressive thing for him to say too," Camie said. "Normally he's more...aggressive aggressive. So like...what's his damage? Doesn't it make him look better?"

"Sasuke is not interested in looking better," Shine got up. "And everyone knowing that he was so weak as a younger person embarrasses him."

"But it's not weakness," Momo said. "It's not weak to be...I mean, when you're so young, how could you help it?"

"Yes...we all know that," Shine said. "But is that what it feels like to him? And was it what Itachi led him to believe? Even if he logically knows now that that's unrealistic, the impression of it sticks with you when you're a child. I've had the same problem myself before. Children assume that adults are right about them."

"Adults are often wrong," Shoto said darkly.

"Shut it! Half N' Half," Bakugo said. "You started this with your big mouth."

"It seems I have yet again made a mistake where Sasuke is concerned," Shoto said.

"I suppose it's nothing that we all haven't done," Shine said. "Let's focus on how to move on from it. I would like to know if Mabui passed it on to Ay, I wonder if she would own up to it if she did."

"Not likely," Dabi said.

* * *

After the "meeting" was over, people went to get a late breakfast.

Notably Mabui hadn't checked in yet. She seemed late today.

Sai went outside to feed Zoe, who was restless and wanted to leave the village, from the impression he got.

(Even when Jugo wasn't around to translate, Sai could understand Zoe fairly well. It was intuitive.)

He made some sketches of other birds for her to "play with" but wasn't sure how long that would keep her busy.

Several people in the village had already wondered who the giant bird was, but, every time they came close enough to see her, they realized it was the team's house and left--and Zoe scared them too.

Ino said she would help with the feeding, since she was bored, and at least it was outside the house.

But on her way out side, she was startled when Sasuke grabbed her arm, he was lurking around one of the corners.

"I have a question," was all the explanation he gave her.

Ino had nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Can it wait?" she tugged free.

"I'd rather not," Sasuke said, as imperiously as he usually spoke.

It got on her nerves a little, She was getting too used to being treated with more respect by the others to take this as much.

"Look, Sasuke, I was actually busy at the moment, so if you want to wait--" she began.

"Is he bothering you?" Sai had followed her quicker than she expected after going to get more seeds.

"I..." Ino wasn't sure if he was or not. "I don't know. I was just--"

"What's it to you?" Sasuke said, hostilely. "It's none of your business, Sai."

Sai frowned at him. "It is if you're bothering someone for no reason."

Ino felt this position was kind of awkward for her. At one time she might have enjoyed it, but she was too used to Sasuke being violent now for her to want Sai to provoke him.

Also, Sai seemed to have the wrong idea, she didn't think Sasuke was going to fight...right?

Maybe this was about earlier, she guessed. Maybe he'd thought the same thing as her.

In that case, it might be better to handle this as soon as possible.

"It's all right," she said aloud. "I suppose we can talk, if you want...for a few minutes."

"Privately," Sasuke didn't want Sai to hear this.

Sai didn't like him saying that, it seemed as if he was being awfully pushy for no reason.

"It's fine, Sai," Ino said hastily. "I'm sure it's nothing concerning. Just a question, right?"

"Yes," Sasuke's tone didn't bode well.

Sai wasn't convinced, even without being able to read it that well.

But he didn't know what else to do, so he headed outside.

"Nice bodyguard you have now," Sasuke told Ino dryly. "You seem to have won him over."

"He's sweet," Ino said defensively. "And he actually cares about his teammates."

That burn didn't miss Sasuke, but he didn't choose to acknowledge it. "Come on," he said, moving into one of the side rooms of the house.

It was like a sitting room, but they were using it to keep their extra supplies in since they had no need of it.

It was smaller than the bigger one they used for gathering in, but plenty big enough to give Ino enough room to sit out of Sasuke's reach, just in case.

Sasuke noticed how nervous she was, and he wouldn't have been likely to before. Everyone was afraid of him, he thought.

He didn't know the first thing about reassuring anyone, so he ignored it.

"Remember when I fell ill in Rain Village?" he said, with no other preface. "And you..."

"Yes," Ino said.  She put her hands together. "I wondered if you would ever ask me about that, I kind of hoped you wouldn't."

"I just want to know what you saw," Sasuke was afraid of the answer, but he didn't like to be exposed either.

Ino had not wanted him to ask that, but she drew a deep breath. "It's not a nice thing to talk about. Do you really want to know?"

"Didn't I ask?" Coldly.

Ino swallowed down her discomfort.

"I saw...what I was told later was the Mangekyo," she said. "Red, black, streaks. And images, but they weren't very clear ones. Places, maybe. And I heard sounds too, like screaming, or like birds. And also I felt claws or fingers digging into my skin. It was all very real." She shuddered at the memory and it made her feel a little sick just going back to it.

Sasuke had some memory of what she said, now that she put it into words...he thought he remembered feeling that, and flashes of other things, things he'd rather not remember at all.

He remembered Ino vaguely, but it was faint, as if only the smallest part of his conscious mind had known about it.

"You talked to me?" he asked, still flatly.

Ino had gotten lot better at noticing how people felt lately, and she perceived that despite how stoic he seemed, this was more the behavior of someone who was nervous and trying to hide it.

That made her feel calmer, even Sasuke was human, right?

So, softening a little, she said carefully: "I did, a little. Not for long. Did you want to ask me what you said?"

Silence.

Ino took that as a yes. "It wasn't a lot, but, I was asking you if you wanted help. And you thought I was a trick of the... nightmare itself at first. But after I slapped you, you seemed to believe I was real."

"You what?" Sasuke was so surprised he actually reacted with emotion.

"I had to, you weren't listening!" Ino defended herself. "Anyway, it was in a dream, not real life. It helped at least. Then the dream tore me away. I almost was trapped in it, but the others pulled me out."

She put a hand to her throat. "I could feel it choking me, at the time. I remember thinking that was how you'd felt the entire time you were in it and being surprised that you were still alive. Perhaps it's different for you, since you have the jutsu, but for me, it was almost too much."

Sasuke didn't choose to say that he was so used to nightmares and horrifying things that it had only been more of the same for him, for the most part--but that experience had been unusually difficult even by his standards.

He was surprised that Ino had never brought this up--but then he realized he shouldn't be. If he didn't want to talk about it, why would she?

He always assumed other people were different about this than he was, but it was possible that if he found it too horrifying to discuss, they did too.

Ino looked nervous enough.

"Was that all you wanted to know?" she ventured.

Sasuke shrugged. "I take it then that all the info they knew about me didn't come from that."

"No, it never does," Ino said. "I didn't get anything clear from that, just...emotions. They knew the facts already, the rest of us haven't talked about them at all amongst ourselves that I know of. The heroes feel more at ease than we do. Maybe they're too far away from it."

Likely enough...

Sasuke was curious about how Ino had really reacted to all that...he'd never actually really spoken to any Leaf ninjas about his experience other than Sakura, and he hadn't really spoken then much, she'd just alluded ot it..and until this trip, he'd been very laconic about what happened.

But he didn't like to ask.

The silence was real.

"I feel like there's something else..." Ino ventured again. "Does it bother you that I saw that? It was a last resort."

Silence still.

How to say it did but that you knew it was necessary, you just didn't like it?

Sasuke wouldn't have thought of just saying that, outright, he was too reticent to discuss his feelings.

Ino could kind of guess though.

She cleared her throat. "Look, Sasuke, I don't know if this will offend you, but since we're on the subject... I really....none of us knew any of that. Maybe if we had, it would have been different."

That got a reaction.

Sasuke just looked at her bitterly. "You really think that would have made any difference?" he said, just as resentfully. "People avoided me and Naruto because they knew about the past, not because they didn't."

He didn't intend to sound so upset there, but it came out.

Ino, much more emotionally intelligent  than Sakura had been when he alluded to this, didn't just look at him in confusion.

"I see," she said, quietly. "All those years, no one ever talked about it and they all stayed away. Our parents and the others told us not to mess with the Uchiha... I think we all knew not to go into that part of the Village, and after....I think the habit was still there. I reached out to Sakura back then because it was safer to reach out to someone no one else knew or cared about, but I didn't have the courage to reach out to someone like you, or Naruto."

She folded her hands. "I see why you hate us for that."

Sasuke didn't expect her to get it.

It was...weird to hear this.

She wasn't even making excuses, that was the strange part.

Curious, he asked. "What did your family tell you about...the Uchiha?"

"I think the worst part was that no one actually explained anything," Ino said, remembering it, now with shame. "One day, they were just gone, and you were alone, and no one told us anything except that they were all dead. And that it was Itachi...and that was it. Until recently, I never knew anything else about it. I didn't know he was ordered to do it...if that is the reason for it. I didn't know about Danzo...I do now. And I hate the idea of the Foundation. I guess he ruined more than one person's life."

Sasuke hadn't considered that Sai was in very much the same position as him in that regard...so were all those ANBU Black Ops.

True though, that Sai had never expressed any anger that Danzo was dead and had even told Sasuke he didn't blame him for that part.

It was truly bizarre how even in Leaf, there were other people with the same griefs against the same people.

But Sasuke finally started to understand why Shine had told him so many times that blaming all of Leaf was a mistake. He had lumped them all in together, and assumed that was fair, but, clearly some of them were victims of the same people as himself, and some of them, like Ino, just had no idea what to do or what had truly happened.

Resenting them for not knowing better, if no one would have told them...

Well, what did he expect? he realized. He was the only one other than the elders who could have told them the truth, the elders wouldn't do it themselves. And he'd never spoken of it. It was truly unfair to expect Leaf to understand when they didn't know.

It was as if Itachi had convinced the entire village when he did what he did.

Sasuke sat down suddenly, thinking of that.

He wondered now if the entire Village would have supported that...did he want to know the answer?

He glanced back at Ino.

"Your clan is important, right?" he said.

The change in subject surprised Ino and made her a little uneasy. "In some ways..."

"Do you think they supported the massacre?" Sasuke asked.

Ino stiffened. "Sasuke I can't...I mean that's..."

"I'm not asking so I can destroy them," Sasuke understood her hesitation for once. "Just to know."

"Can I believe that?" Ino said, nervously.

Pause.

That hurt because it was too true.

"Forget it," Sasuke stood up.

Ino felt bad.

"Wait," she stood up also. "I don't know okay? I could guess...listen, my clan is...very proud. I suppose most of the clans are. I do know that Shikamaru's father never saw any sense in the way people treated Naruto, he's told me that before...and my father and his were close, just like Choji's father. I'd like to think that they would have agreed. But, Mr. Nara also never did much about it... maybe Leaf are cowards, sometimes." She tugged her hair. "Maybe that's our true flaw as a village, every village has something, right? But I can't really think they were all supportive of that. I'm sure at least they never would have conferred with the elders about it."

Sasuke knew this was likely. They probably didn't have enough power.

He clenched a fist. "And is that really enough to just forgive the Village for it? Because they were too weak to stop it, but didn't mean any harm?"

Ino swallowed. "I know I can't possibly understand what it must have been like," she said. "I already know how little I understand, actually. My life has been easier than yours, and I suppose everyone's has."

"I don't want pity," Sasuke said sharply.

"It's not pity!" Ino said more strongly. "It's just acknowledging the facts... the truth. Isn't that what you wanted?"

It was, so why did it make him angry? Or maybe it wasn't that she was saying it, maybe it was what happened itself still made him angry.

Still, he lowered his voice. "Then what is it?"

"I don't know, I guess I just wish I could help," Ino said. "But, what can I do, right? You don't want my help, I know that. None of us...maybe we deserve that. Maybe our village did fail you and your clan."

It was strange to hear someone from Leaf finally admit that.

Sasuke almost was too surprised to even feel angry or sad.

"It's just this," Ino said slowly. "All of us here are hoping to make a better future than the past was. In our own way. I'm not sure how we will, but I think we've seen that the past is not going to work...I just think, if you gave us a chance, maybe we could make it so that kind of thing wouldn't happen anymore...maybe that would...bring a little peace. Even if it doesn't change the past."

Sasuke was angry at her again...maybe because it sounded too simple.

Still, he had the feeling that Ino was simply saying it because she had nothing better to offer, and maybe he could understand that feeling better than he used to. So he wasn't as harsh as before.

"Even if you mean that," he said. "I don't have any better ideas about the future than anyone else does. Punishing people for the past was as far as I went. I guess that's what was exposed by the DJs, that I'm not any smarter than anyone else."

"But none of us were," Ino said. "Well, maybe Gaara...maybe Naruto...but they're different...the rest of us are just ordinary people who don't usually do anything other than what our parents teach us. And I loved my father and I want to carry on his legacy...but I wonder if I want to do everything the same way he did."

"What did he do that was a problem?" Sasuke had no idea what Inochi had been like.

Ino hesitated. "Oh it wasn't really anything he did outright, but, more like what he didn't do. There were things we never talked about, like I said. Things we never acknowledged. And he wanted me to do everything the clan always did. So he didn't support the medical training thing that much...it's nothing, really, to be that upset over. I'm lucky he taught me things and cared, I mean, not everyone likes it when the females of the clan are the ones who learn the combat jutsu, but that never stopped my father. He said I was strong enough... But I think I could go beyond just what the clan does. I've learned more about our jutsu ever since this mission started, and I'm seeing that it's not as safe as we thought...and it wasn't that safe then. But it's also capable of doing more than we thought. I'm not sure I ever want to see things the way I did through you again, but the implications of it are interesting. We just think so small."

She tugged her bangs. "Maybe that's a small change, but it's something."

Sasuke couldn't help but think those words sounded like something Shine would tell him. A small change, but something.

But a small change had never been enough for him. Was it enough now? He didn't think so.

He had thought maybe all this would stop bothering him after he made his decision in Stone Village to dedicate himself more to their faith...but it hadn't.

And he wasn't magically able to tolerate all the Leaf Ninja either...though it was less difficult than it had been, maybe, but only slightly.

Only enough to have a conviction to not want to start hurting one of them...but he was still frustrated.

"Was it cruel of me to talk about that?" Ino didn't know why he wasn't answering.

Sasuke had almost forgotten she was talking.

"What? No... it just doesn't really make much of a difference," he said. "One thing I've always thought is that the kind of things I've seen done aren't ones that get forgotten about. Not by people who've seen them. I really had no friends outside the clan before it was... so why would that change now?"

Ino sighed. "I think I see that, actually...the Ino-Shika-Cho clans aren't that different. I feel as if people group up even in the same Village and just stay that way. Well, that's the way it was set up in Leaf, wasn't it?"

"Tobirama did it on purpose," Sasuke had by now put this together. "To make us isolated. Because the Uchiha are cursed, did they tell you that?"

"Yes, I've heard about that now. I'm sorry about it..."

"The curse?"

"Well, yes that, and that Tobirama made it difficult. I never criticized any kages before, but it seems hard to ignore it," Ino fidgeted a little nervously. "Though, I'm sure he meant well..."

Maybe he had, for all Sasuke knew. He seemed to just genuinely believe that the Uchiha were past hope. He'd had one as his student, but never changed his mind.

"Your clan doesn't have that," he said. "You know, I used to envy the other clans, and wonder why they were allowed to live."

Ino winced. "Confidentially, Sasuke, the others have voiced a thought to us once or twice (or maybe we just had it ourselves, because of them), but, if one day someone decides our clan is a problem, what would really stop that same thing from happening? The favor of the Village can be a fickle thing. I've always thought we were safe, but maybe not...and if we'd sided with Uchiha, I wonder how fast the Yamanaka clan would have been wiped out too."

Sasuke hadn't thought of this before.

That did paint a grim picture.

"How can you stand to live somewhere like that?" he said.

"There's nowhere else any different," Ino replied with the hard truth. "Everywhere you'll find people who will hate you for no reason other than who you are, where you're from, and your family. People have attacked our clan and tried to steal our power too...every big clan...Hinata's too. But the Nara, Yamanaka, and Amajiki clans banded together to try to protect each other from that happening. It's hard to take on 3 clans at once. That's what I was told a long time ago. We're like family...not by blood, but...loyalty can be stronger sometimes than just blood. Maybe we're a little proud at times because we're so well established, but it's a survival tactic as much as anything else. I think we all know that. Ask Shikamaru and Choji the same. We just don't talk about it."

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not sure my clan had the option to unite with anyone else."

"No...maybe not," Ino sighed again. "I'm not saying it's fair...just that the risk was always there...I mean, I wish it wasn't. I guess that's the kind of world Gaara want sto make. I think our best chance is doing it his way."

Then she laughed a little.

Sasuke gave her a weird look.

"Sorry, it's just...this is the only real conversation we've ever had," Ino said "And it's about something that we're never supposed to talk about. I feel like I understand you better, now. I think I could have before, if I was willing to talk about this stuff. I wasn't though."

Sasuke glanced around to make sure no one was listening...though, in fact, Sai had been listening for most of the duration of this conversation, since he didn't trust Sasuke.

But Sasuke didn't notice him somehow.

"I suppose if you at least can admit that, you're still better than most of the Leaf," he said, grudgingly. "But that doesn't mean I like you."

"I didn't think that's what this was about anymore," Ino said.

Sasuke hadn't meant that kind of like and almost got flustered. "That's not what I was--"

"I was kidding," Ino said. "I had to break the tension there, sorry." She laughed weakly. "I suppose that made things awkward. Did you even know who I was back then?"

"Not really," Sasuke was only too glad to have a chance to get back at her after that. "I'm not sure I knew your name till this mission, actually.

"Well, that does sting a little," Ino said. "But I shouldn't be surprised. I'm glad I'm completely over you now, or that would have hurt my feelings."

"I don't know why all of you even thought..." Sasuke began but then stopped.

"Ah well, girls you know," Ino was cool about it now that she was past it--  as if it had been for years instead of months. "We like odd things when we're young. But I hope we learn a little better with age. And I think all of us made stupid decisions back then, so..."

The implication being that Sasuke's were worse than hers so he couldn't talk. Which was true.

"I suppose I should be glad not to have to hear about it anymore," Sasuke said, rudely.

"You don't have to keep on about it," Ino replied a bit more warmly. "I wasn't going to bring it up till you did. Just because you're conflicted about Sakura right now doesn't mean I have to be part of it."

"Sakura? Are you kidding?" Sasuke reacted to that more than he should have if he was trying to disprove her point. "She's an idiot."

"She's not that much of one," Ino said. "Just when it comes to you, but who's smart when it comes to those kinds of feelings? You know you could be a little nicer to her. She's had to put up with a lot over the years because of you."

"Something, I never asked her to do," Sasuke didn't know why he was even talking about this with Ino of all people.

"That's what makes it meaningful," Ino said. "If you had to ask, it would show she didn't notice on her own...Well, I know Sakura can be a little annoying about things..."

"'Why even defend her, didn't she ditch you?"

Ino frowned. "Yes...you ditched them, what's your point?"

Sasuke frowned. "But I never understood why they didn't get the message. And why don't you?"

"Well, I know Sakura and I are not the same kind of friends we were before," Ino said. "But I guess I thought just because she stopped being mine didn't mean I had to stop being hers. I mean you don't just take care of someone and then forget about them, it's not possible. I think that's why they didn't give up on you. Maybe it seems foolish...and it might be foolish to keep trying even if someone tries to kill you, but I never had that problem with Sakura, so I think it was all right....Maybe she'll never be grateful for it, but I don't regret saving her. Or helping her. I guess I'm glad she's gotten stronger now. Aren't I allowed to be?"

"I just don't understand it."

"Maybe if you'd ever tried to do that for someone else, you would," Ino roasted him pretty badly.

But it was true, Sasuke had never remotely tried... unless he was counting competing with Naruto and that was the only time he'd ever been proud of anyone else too.

"That's not what I do," he said blandly.

"Sasuke, you probably don't want my advice. But since we're here, you know...I think that what helped me the most was just making new friends...  it took me years to really try, but, it's much better now. Maybe if it doesn't work out with one person, you just find someone it does with. That's just life, I bet. Maybe part of feeling better is just trying to help someone else. You don't do it, you say, but what's really stopping you from trying to? Maybe it would help."

"I don't think it would," Sasuke wasn't ready to hear that yet.

"Fine..." Ino went to the doorway. "I guess it's not my place, right? I hope you do find something that makes you happy though...just...I think everyone should. If they can."

She went out.