[OP: "On The Mountain Tall"--The Oh Hellos]

Day 93:

Once Ay knew they were accepting the compromise, he reviewed the details with Gaara.

There wasn't much to tell. No discernible pattern in the kidnapping victims. Most of them were girls or women, but there were boys too. None of them were older than 20.

This was disturbing enough to Shine, who knew about this kind of thing.

However, the ninjas had no theories beyond that maybe they were wanted for some cult ritual. They couldn't think of any other reason to kidnap people who had no jutsu.

"Let's hope it's an open and shut case," Wally said, "that they will be easy to find, and we can rescue all of these poor guys."

"Should we split up between the different villages or go all at once?" Momo asked.

"While we certainly could efficiently cover more villages at the same time," Shine said, "I'm inclined to think we should stick together. They will not expect a large fighting force."

"We can't hide a large fighting force either," Temari objected.

"We can't hide anyway. Villages this small will know anyone new," Shine shrugged. "Might as well intimidate them as look naive. We can split up later if necessary. Maybe the first village, at least, we should all learn about this together."

Gaara agreed to that plan.

Karui was sent for and told about it.

She didn't have a problem with helping them. She appreciated the clout she'd get if they succeeded more than Mabui did. She didn't have the same feeling that she was just earning back the Village's trust.

Mabui managed to get out of the Kage house without any more incidents other than Shi snidely saying to her that she "should be careful not to disappear" while she was away from Cloud.

However, he didn't seem to have the nerve to get too close after the other day. And he had clearly not told Ay what happened--after Ay learned about the attack on Mabui's person, Shi would not have wanted to own up to anything that could link him to them.

Mabui still believed that he hadn't orchestrated the physical attack, but she worried that his attitude would be interpreted as condoning it if anyone else heard it. Hopefully he'd keep his mouth shut for a while.

Getting back on the road, again, was the last thing Team Zoe wanted to do after less than 2 weeks, but there was nothing for it.

No one would be staying behind, either. They didn't trust the Village if they left people vulnerable. And they all needed to help for it to count.

They exited Cloud using the northward mountains instead of the western entrance they'd used before.

The walk in this altitude was brutal on them, even if they were adjusting to the environment slowly.

Karui was fine; she was used to it, chasing Bee everywhere.

"I've never been on a kidnapping case except for Lord Bee's," she told them. "This will be new for me."

"Oh, great, another newbie," Suigetsu said.

Karui frowned at him.

"I just get mad thinking that Tsunade gets to do actual work in the Village, and I have to do this," Sakura grumbled.

"Would you stay with Tsunade?" Sasuke said blandly. "This is the important mission out of the two."

"Just because it's more controversial doesn't make it more important," Sakura said. "I'd rather be working at the hospital, but, I chose this team, and I have to stick by that decision. I suppose I'd be tainted by association even if I did stay behind."

"Sakura, are you ever not going to complain about anything new we do?" Ino asked, rubbing her head.

"If we ever were doing anything not dangerous, maybe," Sakura said.

"You're a ninja," Shikamaru said. "What do we do that's not dangerous?"

"I must say that our leaders love to stack the odds against us," Sakura said. "Rain, the Poison Mist Island, the bandits--we do things that no normal team would think of doing."

"We're not a normal team," Sai said helpfully. "And I think it's been very educational to have so many unusual opportunities."

"You would," Sakura said.

"Gosh, girl, eat a Snickers," Camie said.

Sakura didn't understand that joke, but Bakugo laughed, so she reddened.

"Why don't you lay some teaching on your rookie protegee?" Dabi called at Bakugo. "Give her something else to do."

"Actually not complaining is part of being a hero," Bakugo said. "And embracing the challenge of a new thing, so she's already failing."

Sakura glared. "I can not complain if I want to. Why does it matter?"

"Attitude," Camie said. "Attitude is everything."

"You complain all the time," Sakura said.

"Eh, but only about stupid things," Camie said. "Not about doing cool mission stuff."

Sakura went quiet after that.

"Hard to believe that their teamwork might be working on Sakura," Shoto said to Momo, after hearing this.

"I'm quite surprised that she accepted it," Momo agreed. "Yet, in a strange way, it seems like Bakugo was born to take Sakura on. They have some odd similarities, considering their many outward differences. And Camie's methods of persuasion somewhat seem to balance out Bakugo's lack of subtlety. I don't quite understand it, but somehow they're a solid team, no matter what they do."

"I didn't really get why they wanted to date," Shoto mused. "But I guess they do somehow work. And I'm glad Bakugo is happier. And Camie is...well...herself, but she is a little less ditsy with Bakugo. Maybe there's something in that opposites attract thing."

"I would say that we are not opposites," Momo said. "But we still attracted." She took his hand.

"Gag me." Suigetsu saw. "The couples have to keep being couple-y even while we're setting off for another dangerous side quest? The inconsiderateness. At least Likstar and West don't act like that while we're working."

"I think that's more because they always are on different ends of the group to monitor us," Karin said. "But now that we're not really fighting anymore, they probably won't care. They should get a chance to be lovey dovey too--they're engaged after all."

"Didn't ask your opinion," Suigetsu said. "Just like a girl, too. Always more focused on relationships than on actual work."

"Relationships are work." Shine passed him and glanced back. "I coud always sing a song instead."

"You know what? Go ahead. Anything is better than the sappy crappy stuff," Suigetsu huffed.

"I swear, love is like his kryptonite," Wally said. 

"I have one you'll like," Shine told Suigetsu. She cleared her throat.

"Been down the broken road, now. I been through that fire.

There's angels holding onto, both sides of the wire.

I'm lacking what I need to carry you through it. Stay back or get on track, 'cause I can't have you ruin it.

Saying: Hold on but don't hold me back (x3) Just hold on.

(I had it rough. I had to move for a while, lock down the house and chained it up with denial. I'm coming home, and everyone is invited, saying, 'Don't bring that trouble with you.' (x2)

I found the way around you, gonna take me higher. Last time the way I loved you, just wound up tired.

I'm lacking what I need to carry you through it. Stay back or get on track, 'cause I can't have you ruin it.

Saying: hold on...

https://youtu.be/3V8Zkx-mCtg

[NEEDTOBREATHE--"Don't Bring That Trouble"]

Some of the teens joined in on the chorus.

"Sounds like old gospel music, kind of," Wally noted.

"Something like that, mixed with modern," Shine said. "Cool, right? NEEDTOBREATHE is a good band."

"Why are you signing?" Karui asked them.

"Just what they do," Choji said, not troubled. "It's how they entertain themselves."

"I almost don't hear it now," Shikamaru said.

"Pick up the pace!" Temari called. "We need to get there today!"

"Easy for you to say," Hanabi panted. "You breathe easier than we do up here."

"I hate to say it, but I think she's right," Shine called. "This mountain is killing me."

"Perhaps we're just not adapted to the terrain," Gaara said. "We should speed it up by helping each other again."

"Sheesh, it's been ages since we had to do that," Kankuro said. 

Shoto nodded at Momo. "I can just use ice."

"Are you sure you want to use your energy for that?" Momo said.

"I didn't think we planned to fight today," Shoto said. "We have to find them first. That could take days, according to Sakura...if she's right. So it's fine."

"I hope so," Momo said.

"I think we do need to speed this up," Camie said. "I mean, check out the slope here. We've barely made it a third of the way over this mountain."

Bakugo was huffing.

"I can get us over." Sai held up his pen and scroll.

Zoe, who of course had come with them, flew up and chirped at them.

"Zoe says she can carry a couple people," Jugo said.

"At least that saves some ink," Ino said weakly. 

"I'll carry a few people on my sand also," Gaara said. "Dabi-san? You can't hold onto the birds so easily, so I'll take you, Camie, and Bakugo."

"Okay," Camie agreed.

"I don't need your help," Bakugo said. "I'm fine."

"Just me then," Camie said. "No offense, Bae, but I didn't want you carrying me up a mountain. even if you would."

Bakugo didn't say that likely he'd never do that without passing out. Not using his quirk.

"Miss Mabui, I can also carry you," Gaara said to her.

Mabui had been keeping up with them, but she wasn't used to this kind of strenuous exercise anymore, and it showed. She was slower than Karui.

She didn't want to say yes, but Gaara was the Kage, and she thought it would be rude to refuse, so she climbed onto his sand.

"But Gar-kun, do you have seat belts?" Camie asked.

"I don't know what a seat belt is, Camie-senpai, but I can use the sand to hold you in place," Gaara said.

The sand wrapped around their ankles.

"Oh, great, I always wanted to be carried in sand by my feet," Dabi said. 

"Well, you were struggling," Temari said, not very tactfully. "I could tell, so just shut up and be grateful."

"Oh, gee, thanks, Fan Girl," Dabi shot back.

"Eichi, we can help you," Hinata offered. "I know you're still getting used to using your chakra to help you run and jump things."

"I can handle it," Eichi said.

"Don't be so stubborn," Hanabi said. "It's hard to get it down at first. Trust me, a mountain is not the place you want to test your limits of chakra control... Found that out on the way to Stone."

She held out a hand. "I'm a lot better now than I was then."

"You are talented." Hinata smiled. "But still, be careful. Young shinobi usually have less chakra reserves. Don't push yourself. We can carry you if you need it."

"I'll be fine," Hanabi said. "If I get tired, I'll just get on one of the super ink drawing things."

"Suigetsu, better use one of those," Karin urged him.

"Why me? I'm fine," Suigetsu said.

"Because it's hot and humid here and also the altitude," Karin said. "You could get dehydrated really easily and pass out. Even a normal person could."

"I've been drinking water," Suigetsu said. "Since when do you care anyway?"

"How can we drag you up the mountain if you turn into a puddle?" Karin replied.

"It would be wise to do as she says," Jugo said. "You're more susceptible to environmental changes than we we are."

"Oh, thanks for chiming in, Bird Boy," Suigetsu said. "Just go talk to that giant, flying pigeon."

Zoe made a hissing sound.

"She doesn't like being called 'pigeon'," Jugo said.

Mabui glanced back.

"The bird understands speech?" she said.

"Only too much." Dabi rolled his eyes. "At least she doesn't talk. That's a plus."

"I think it'd be cool if she talked," Camie said. "Like a movie."

"Talking animals is a dumb trope," Dabi said. "It's too weird already that she's basically able to read Sai's mind."

"I just hope that the bird stays away from me." Karui moved farther from Zoe.

"Did you name the bird after the team, or the team after the bird?" Mabui asked.

"The first one," Dabi said. 

"She's like our mascot now," Camie said.

Gaara had to raise the sand more as they went around a cleft and jutting out edges in the mountain.

The altitude itself was enough to make them breathless. Though as long as they got down quickly, they shouldn't have gotten sick from it.

The sand shifted as Gaara adjusted.

"Whoa, this is a little less fun than it sounded at first," Camie said, looking down. "We're so high right now..."

Dabi felt a little sick from the motion but was trying not to think about it.

He noticed that Mabui was pale and perspiring, however.

"Hey, you don't look so good." Camie noticed it too. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Mabui was staring straight ahead.

"Oh, are you afraid of heights too?" Camie said innocently. "Like Ino?"

"I don't know what you mean," Mabui said, in a tone that sounded pretty unconvincing.

"It's cool, yo, everyone's afraid of something," Camie said. "But Gaara's got us locked in here, so we're fine."

"I'm aware, and I'm hanging on anyway," Mabui said. "I'm not afraid. The air is thin, that's all."

"Shouldn't you be used to that?" Dabi knew BS when he heard it. "More than we are? I think you are afraid of heights."

"Don't be embarrassed," Camie said. "Dabi gets motion sick. And I...huh, well, I don't really have any phobias other than FOMO--and bugs... Bugs are gross. There was this cockroach in our room in the Stone Village that was so big--"

"Camie, I don't want to hear about this," Dabi cut in.

"Wait, are you afraid of cockroaches?" Camie said.

"No, but let's just say thinking about bugs while you're trying not to throw up is not the best meditation trick!" Dabi said sharply.

"If you puke, you do it away from me," Camie said. "That's one of the other things I don't like, I just remembered."

"Just so you know," Mabui said, "this conversation is not helping me either."

"Gaara!" Wally called. He was below them by several meters on the path of the mountain, carrying Shine. "Can you give us a lift too? I don't like the look of that decline ahead of us for running."

"Of course." Gaara lowered part of the sand.

He accidentally let go of them while he was shifting it--this kind of precision control was always difficult for people with large chakra amounts, and lowering sand and keeping it formed simultaneously was hard, period.

Camie lurched a little, but she had good balance and righted herself.

"Hey!" she called.

Dabi, not nearly as well trained as Camie, lost his balance, but thankfully he lost it towards the sand and fell on the lifted part.

Mabui could hold herself in place, but the sand shifted under her, and she lost her grip and fell quite against her will, hitting Dabi's head and landing partially on top of him.

Camie thought that was funny and made no attempt to hide it.

"That was so awkward," she laughed. "Like an epic fail moment."

"Get off me," Dabi complained.

"That was an accident." Mabui struggled to get off without slipping off the sand.

Gaara finally righted the sand and apologized to them for losing control.

"Usually I don't carry this many people. It was careless of me," he said. "Are you hurt?"

"My head hurts." Dabi rubbed it.

"If I had a camera, I'd be posting this right now." Camie was not helping anything. "Caption: Don't Ride The Sand... Get it? Like, 'the wave', but it's sand instead?"

"Is that supposed to be funny?" Dabi asked her, all snippy.

"I don't think this method of travel is efficient." Mabui had finally got herself back to an upright position and was rubbing her shoulder.

"We're almost there," Shien and Wally were finally able to get on the sand. "I don't much like this either," Shine went on.

"Shine, this ride is wild," Camie said. "Like, don't look down--you might faint. I almost did,. and I'm not even acrophobic."

"It's strange to me how often that comes up on this mission," Shine said. "I've never ever climbed so many mountains on any other one I've been on."

"If you start singing a song about it, I'll throw up for real," Dabi warned.

"Someone's not in a good mood," Wally said. "Motion sick? Y'know it helps to stare at a fixed point, I hear. I don't get motion sick, so..."

"Me neither," Shine said. "But I've heard that too."

"I'll stare at a fixed point when I knock you off this sand, West," Dabi shot back.

"Want us to hold you in place?" Shine offered.

"What? No!" Dabi didn't realize she was kidding.

"Wow, he's sick all right. I would've thought he'd know that was sarcasm," Wally laughed.

"Are you sure it's prudent to make fun of someone for getting motion sick?" Mabui surprisingly said, sounding testy.

Maybe she was worried she'd be next.

Shine and Wally stopped.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant." Shine held up her hands. "We're just trying to take his mind off it by ragging on him. I get afraid of heights myself--everyone knows it. We didn't mean to be cruel."

"Yeah, sorry, Dabi," Wally said.

"Why are you apologizing to me? I don't care," Dabi snorted. 

Mabui shrugged, as if to say she wasn't going to press the issue.

"You don't have siblings, do you?" Shine guessed.

"I...no... Why?" Mabui said.

"If you did, I think that would--well, I won't say that. Not all siblings are the same. But a lot of us are like that... Mine can be." Shine shrugged. "Are you okay, by the way? You look pale."

"She's afraid of heights too," Camie said. "I never realized that was, like, so common."

"I hope I don't develop a fear of heights." Wally looked down. "I'm not a huge fan of them since I can't fly, but I was never really scared of 'em."

"It's ironic that someone from the Village Hidden in Clouds would be afraid of heights," Camie said.

Mabui glared at her.

"Maybe she thought that also," Shine said. "Camie, please. We can't help our phobias. We can control them, but things like that are hard to kick, trust me. I jumped out of a flying--uh... Well, anyway, that didn't cure it. Did make me never want to do that again though."

Mabui, now that she saw that they weren't making fun of her, relaxed a little more.

"It's as you say--it's ironic for a Cloud shinobi to be afraid of heights," she said. "If you would keep this to yourselves, I would appreciate it."

"I'm not in the habit of telling people's fears to anyone," Shine said.

"Yeah, no big deal," Wally said. "Just don't tell anyone that I'm afraid of ice. Shoto's on this team--I can't lose my street credit."

"Or the cockroach thing," Camie added.

"Stop saying 'cockroach'." Dabi had his eyes closed.

"You know, Touya, I think closing your eyes actually makes it worse," Shine said. "Try watching the top of the mountain. Motion sickness is mostly in your head anyway."

"So is a fear of heights," Dabi shot back.

"Not exactly," Shine said. "While being in motion does not necessarily mean you're in danger, the problem with heights is that they are dangerous. They only bother me if I can see how far I can fall, never just being on a high thing. I think it's typical for most people. All of it is about the danger of falling and the inability of the mortal body to hold me in place if I could. Frankly, I can't understand why anyone likes heights at all. Some people must not fear death."

Wally laughed. "Or we don't have time to think about it."

"True, the only time I don't feel it is when my adrenaline is high enough to embrace danger," Shine mused. "Isn't motion sickness the same?"

"The problem is that you can still throw up," Dabi said. "And acrophobia isn't like that, is it?"

"If it's severe enough it might be. Mine is mild. I tense, but I don't freeze." Shine looked down and then shuddered. "See?"

Wally put a hand on her shoulder. "I got you anyway."

"That does help," Shine said.

"But he can't fly either." Dabi wasn't helpful.

"Shut up," Shine said.

Camie tugged her hair. "Didn't you say you're afraid of heights because of your portals, Shine? Like, that's not a normal reason. Why does it work that way again?"

"I can't say if it's just that, but one thing I noticed after using them for a while is that I hated small places too," Shine shrugged. "Before, I didn't mind that. Tight spaces actually felt comfortable for me, but the spacial awareness of portalling must change how you feel about it...I guess because now I worry about hitting walls in a tight space. Also, I hate ground that doesn't have a lot of traction on it, so not a huge fan of ice either. Hard to land on. That could be a portals thing, but high, thin ledges, also not good to land on--and much more dangerous if you mess up, even if you don't hit a wall."

"This time I wanted her to portal to the top of the Eiffel Tower," Wally said, "to save time? She wouldn't do it. Said if we landed on the wrong side, we'd fall to our deaths. I didn't think she'd make that mistake, but she wouldn't change her mind."

"I stand by that decision," Shine insisted.

"I think you lost me at how privileged it makes you to portal to the top of the freaking Eiffel Tower." Camie crossed her arms. "No fair."

Mabui had only listened to this partially, but she glanced at Shine. "Did you say that you don't like enclosed spaces also?"

"Yeah...small ones," Shine said. "Underground doesn't bother me."

Mabui looked perturbed.

Wally tilted his head. "You don't like them either?" he guessed.

Mabui didn't deny it.

"Starting to see why she does office work," Dabi muttered.

"Big talk from the guy who's going to be sick over a car," Shine said.

"Wait, so...is it because of the thing with teleportation?" Wally asked Shine. "That would be kind of cool, similar symptoms--but I don't have--well, to be fair, I don't like enclosed spaces either, but that's probably more with my speed."

"Which isn't so different from the portals, fundamentally, if you think about it," Shine reminded him.

"Oh...true," Wally admitted. "What about your other friend like that?"

"I'm not sure. I've never asked, but I assume the same," Shine said.

"Wait, will I catch that?" Camie asked.

"No, no, you have to be the one using them," Shine said. "It's the imagination part of it that makes your brain hyper aware, I think. Hey, that could be why Wally hasn't developed the acrophobia yet--he doesn't make portals that often."

"Both of you can do that?" Mabui wasn't missing this.

"Uh...well, not that well," Wally said. "I prefer to just run places, easier and safer. But in a pinch, I can. Shine is better at it.

Dabi thought they should be more careful. Mabui wasn't spacey enough to not sooner or later notice that all this didn't match shinobi powers very well. Likely she'd never guess the real reason, but the Village already thought they were freaks. Why add more to it?

They were too trusting, letting their secret out at all to a team this size. He wouldn't have shared something like that unless he thought he was going to die before someone could use it against him. He never had understood why they told anyone at all. [This will all become ironic later, I have a feeling.]

* * *

At last they were over that set of mountains, and the walk to the village in question wasn't that far after that.

The village that had last reported the kidnappings had the name "Seresu", keeping with the theme, Momo told Shine and Wally, because it meant "Ceres", as in the kind of cloud.

[Image of what Ceres clouds look like.]

"Does it seem patronizing that the small towns always seem to name themselves like the ninja Villages?" Wally asked. "I mean, they could go with something more Lightning themed, since it's the Land of Lightning."

"They'd run out of names sooner with lightning than with clouds," Shine said. "But come to think of it, 'Rai-kage' must mean Lighting Shadow. That's much cooler sounding than the other names."

"Of course it means that. What else would it mean?" Mabui asked her. "It's not code."

Shine glanced at her in confusion for a second before remembering that she, of course, only heard her repeat herself in Japanese.

"I see," she said, shrugging.

"You really should be more careful," Dabi warned her in a low voice.

He was still a little nauseated, and that made him more surly than usual.

"I'm sorry, I'm used to her being around now. It's harder to remember what she doesn't know," Shine said.

"That's what Ay was counting on," Dabi said. "And even if you like him--which I still don't get--I don't trust him."

"That's quite clear. But I wonder if part of the reason you don't like Ay so much is because he reminds you of your father."

"What?"

"I see some similarities," Shine said. "The fiery temper, loud and forceful...but they're not the same. Ay does care about his constituents. He sees them as people. Not unlike Shigaraki, despite his...absurdities. If I can like that about Tomura, then why not about Ay? And why should you judge him? He's a decent leader."

"A decent leader who still, on record, tried to kidnap a child. More than once."

"It's tricky to judge someone by our own standards and not their own moral ones," Shine said. "While we think ours are better, we should remember that we were once just as lost as they were about what is right. Don't be a Jonah to their Nineveh, Touya... I had this conversation with someone on our last mission, before your world. Whatever your moral high ground is, God does not take delight in punishing the wicked, and He doesn't like it when we do either. We should hope for them to change more than anyone else does... Also, didn't you kidnap a child too?"

Dabi looked down. "I'm not saying that was good. I'm saying that that's what we're dealing with...and they defend it. I'm not doing that."

"You must forgive yourself for all those things if you're going to forgive someone else for them," Shine said. "But it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes we can learn to forgive ourselves by trying to forgive someone else first. Sometimes it's easier to believe other people can be forgiven but not ourselves. Perhaps if you tried to show Cloud the kindness you would wish people would show you..."

"But that's where you're wrong. I don't wish people would be kind to me. Never did."

"You mean you stopped wishing it because you thought it would never happen." Shine looked at him intently and then put a hand on his arm. "Touya, I know that it's because you were a more sensitive child that you became such a hardened adult. It's always the way. To feel more to begin with means you try to dull your feelings because the world is harsh on them. I was like that too, remember. It took me a while to learn to even cry when something sad happened to me, I was so used to ignoring it. I know you couldn't cry for a long time, literally... Now that you can again, maybe you need to let yourself be vulnerable again."

"Don't." Dabi didn't like hearing this and pulled his arm away. "Stop shrinking me. We're not the same. Maybe you had issues, but I destroyed my conscience. You just had problems."

"Don't minimize my experiences just because yours were more intense," Shine said. "We all have a struggle. And the funny thing about sin that I've noticed is that it latches onto us regardless of whether we've suffered greatly or suffered lightly. If we're disposed to sin, we'll make anything our excuse. Some people will take a playground bully and use it as their reason to become the same as someone like Itachi--to hate the world. If you need a smaller excuse to hate, it may say  more about you than the world. Which is what makes Itachi and Sasuke so different as individuals, despite their heritage."

Dabi frowned. "What does it have to do with me?"

"You've compared yourself to them... The difference between them is simple enough, at bottom. It took simply knowing the Uchiha would rebel against Leaf--for valid reasons, in some ways--to turn Itachi against them all. And whatever remorse he might have claimed to have, I don't buy it. No one who truly felt what he did was evil would have done it. That's not how it works. He made a choice to side with Leaf out of some kind of internal hatred for his own people. Maybe it was just the Uchiha curse working through him in some way... It certainly seems to destroy its own hosts. The point is, it took only a little for him. The Uchiha weren't purely evil--they were oppressed and they reacted to it poorly but not all of them, yet he still went to that extreme. That shows how small a shove it took for that monster."

She clenched a fist. "By contrast, Sasuke didn't turn into a killer until after he lost everyone in his family, was tortured, and then poisoned by Orochimaru. Even then, it took 4 years for that poison to run its course enough for him to decide to kill his own friends and allies. That is why I thought it was so unfair. Granted, he made his mistakes, but some people jump off the edge--others are pushed off it. If it took that much to break him, he was already stronger than his brother was."

"Are you saying this is like me and Shoto?" Dabi bristled.

"Not exactly," Shine said. "I think that you think it is. However, where you feel Iike Itachi in this situation, like it takes only a little to push you over the edge, I would that it took many more years of suffering to make you turn than it really took for Shoto. Shoto naturally goes to extremes--it's in his character. You hesitate more... You had to go mad for a long time to get that bad. This is not me saying that Shoto is worse than you. We all have our own temptations. He's simply more daring about doing the right thing, while you still hesitate."

She shrugged. "I believe that if you embraced your strengths and fought to control your weaknesses, you could be just as good, if not better. But the thing is, that's just by human standards. In God's eyes, all of us are guilty, and all of us can't be innocent. So while we should try to please our society's standards, if we can do it honestly and without betraying our true convictions, they are not the judgment on our life. Remember that God will not ask either you or me, when we face Him, if we were good Americans or Japanese, or if we were good at our career, or if we agree with our family about everything. He will ask us if we did His will. That's all there is to it. You can do that as much as anyone else."

Dabi was staring straight ahead.

"And God shows kindness," Shine said. "Some time, you should let it all out. This time so you can heal, not just to feel bad. Just to Him, if no one else. I have many times. He's a kind listener."

"I get what you're trying to do," Dabi said roughly. "But I don't want to talk about this. Drop it."

"Fine, for now... We'll be there soon anyway." Shine tugged her hair. "But think about it. "

"There," Temari said. She was looking from higher up on a rock. "That's it. Seresu."