Chapter THIRTY FOUR

Bath is relatively nice, and Sakura is pleased that Bianchi does not find the need to fill the comfortable silence with unnecessary chatter. I-Pin is rather quiet too, and they finish up feeling refreshed. They are about to head towards the dining room when they see Kyoko and Haru in the distance.

The two girls are sharing determined looks when they notice them approaching. "Bianchi-san! Chrome-chan!"

Sakura nods her head. "Hello."

"What are you girls doing here?" Bianchi asks. Sakura peers curiously at the signs they appear to be clutching.

"We-" Haru takes a deep breath. "We are going to boycott doing chores!"

Kyoko nods. "Everyone is hiding a lot of things from us, and we think we deserve to know."

Sakura does not know how she did not see this coming.

Bianchi closes her eyes for a moment. "Have you confronted the boys about this?"

Haru looks frustrated as she clenches her fists. "They always brush it off, or try to change the conversation," she says. "We will directly confront them today, and if they don't tell us the truth, we will proceed with the boycott."

Kyoko, on the other hand, looks worried. "You won't stop us, will you?"

"You figured things out on your own," Bianchi said. "I won't be stopping you."

Sakura is surprised when the two girls then turn to her.

"How about you, Chrome-chan?" Haru asks. Neither of them are able to meet her gaze. "In the big room with the bikes, you noticed we were there, didn't you? But you didn't tell?"

Sakura sighs. "What you do in your free time is none of my concern," she says. "There might be some agreement I am not aware of to hide things from you, but I didn't utter a single word. You found out. What you do with this knowledge is purely up to you."

The two girls brighten, determination once again flowing out of them, and Sakura cannot help but feel pity because she can see both sides to this. She understands the want to protect those one cares for, and she also understands wanting to be kept into the loop, so one is able to help.

This world is kind in that those who do not know of the Mafia are protected by this lack of knowledge. The moment one found out, there was no going back.

"Be careful," she finds herself saying. "Just like you've thought things through, I'm sure the boys have too."

She is pleased when the two girls look at her thoughtfully. Bianchi shoots her a look from the corner of her eye, which she pretends not to notice. The woman smiles and crosses her arms. "I'll come with you," she says. "The boys should be headed towards the dining room right about now."

Sakura frowns and looks down at the clothes she is carrying. She is rather hungry as well. Bianchi turns towards her. "What will you do, Chrome?"

Sakura sighs. She can feel herself being dragged into a mess. Kyoko and Haru are already walking off, and they will be out of earshot if she is quiet.

"I understand both sides, Bianchi-san," she says. "I am a fighter. I have always kept myself together. I think Kyoko-san and Haru-san have the right to know, but I do not know if that is worth the risk that comes with it. I can protect myself from the knowledge, I cannot guarantee anything for anyone else."

Bianchi smiles. "I think that acknowledgement in itself is a better step forward," she says. "The girls are confident they are strong enough, and the boys don't think they are. No one is trying to look at the alternate possibility."

Sakura looks at the woman. "Should you not be stopping them?" She asks curiously. "There is a war coming. The girls will listen if you tell them to stop. In the broad view of things, we do not have the time to deal with such childishness."

"It's a part of growing up," Bianchi says. "There is a reason Reborn is not stepping in either. He is betting that this happening will help them grow closer."

"Caring for others makes you stronger, but strengthening a bond makes them so much more vulnerable. People fight harder when they are fighting to protect those they care for." Sakura peers at Bianchi. "I wonder what exactly he is trying to achieve here."

"For someone who doesn't interact with people much, you seem to know a lot about it." It is a jibe, she knows it, but there is a new sort of understanding in Bianchi's eyes. Sakura lets it slide.

"I had friends before," she says instead, defensively.

Bianchi smiles. "Of course," she says. "Why don't you head over to the dining room first? I am sure Kyoko and Haru will understand. They are good girls."

Sakura bows her head as Bianchi walks off to watch up with girls.

What do you think, Nagi?

The girl stirs in her mind. 'There are no hiding things between us,' she says. 'I wouldn't know.'

Sakura huffs. I guess you're right.

Training continues. Sakura continues to be fed by Kyoko and Haru, and she watches with amusement and pity as the boys try to survive on cup noodles. She is entertained, but she is also aware that battle is coming. Sometimes, she feels that the people around her aren't aware of that.

She is quietly observing Takeshi pour hot water into the cup noodle container when she senses Reborn behind her. "Are you worried?"

Sakura turns to see that Reborn is still dressed in the cross-dressing outfit he had appeared in a few days ago. "We are trying to prepare for battle," she says simply. "Fighting amongst ourselves will not get us anywhere."

Reborn is silent for a moment. "Maybe they all need a push."

Sakura sighs and begins walking away. "I'll be taking that as permission to mess around."

"You've changed."

She pauses and turns around. "What?"

"Just around the time we came back to the future for the second time," Reborn says. "You've changed."

"Oh."

Reborn shrugs. "I think it's a good thing," he says. "The you before just appeared dead."

The Arcobaleno hops off the railing he had been perched on and vanishes.

Was I?

Nagi hums softly. 'You were.'

Sakura thinks back to the time. If she recalled, that was just when Nagi had begun talking.

Said girl goes silent for a moment, and then she feels the familiar warmth of being enveloped in invisible arms. 'You don't have to live for me, Sakura-chan.'

Sakura does not know what to say, so she does not say anything at all.

So, an update, friends!

Darque: Sakura's thinking a lot recently, and Nagi's got all these things she wants to tell her but she's going about it slowly.

Raven: The characters will continue to interact more, hopefully, so look forward to that!

Darque: I have more chapters written and queued, so updates will be steady for a while longer.

Raven: Wow. I never thought I'd see the day where you say 'update' and 'steady' in the same sentence without a 'not' in between.

Darque: Hush, stupid turnip.

Raven:...O.O

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