Shen stepped into the shower, sighing deeply as the hot water rushed along his masculine form and washed away the grime of the day. He thought about what had happened out in the gardens, and why his responses had caused Akali's reaction. Everything he said was true, was it not? It was perfectly reasonable and Akali should have understood his duties, but why had she acted so foolishly, so rashly at his words? Surely he was in the right. Surely there was a plausible explanation for why his fellow ninja had acted so immaturely. Shen's thoughts swirled in his head as he pondered these questions. He turned off the shower, wrapped himself in a towel, and stepped out into his bedroom. Sitting down on the bed, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He knew exactly why Akali was so upset. The memory of the night on the hill where they confessed their love to each other was never forgotten, and it began to resurface as he realized that he had been lost in his duties.
A wave of sadness washed over Shen as he thought of how Akali would see him after such a cold rejection, followed by a blaze of anger at himself for losing sight of what he had strived to maintain. He stood up angrily and threw a messy punch at the wall, splintering a hole in the wooden panels. Wincing as he pulled his fist out, he sat back down and began to pluck out the shards of wood in his arm. Shen wondered what he needed to do to reassure Akali of his love for her, after so long hiding it from the light of day. Putting on some shorts to sleep in, he lay back on his bed and sighed as he imagined the effects of his folly.
AN: Hey guys, I know it's been quite a long time and a lot of you really wanted me to update! I recently finished school for the summer so I'll have more time to write this and other stories. I whipped this chapter up in like 20 minutes so you guys could read a bit more, so it's not as developed as the other chapters. Rest assured, there will be more and longer chapters ahead of us.