"I don't... I don't want this..." Fuu fell on her knees as the tears pooled in her eyes. "I don't... Shisho..."

Seeing her apprentice in such a vulnerable state tugged on Mei's heartstrings. She and Fuu had not just been partners; they were also friends, roommates, a duo who shared joy and sorrow alike. Laughter and heartbreak, victory and failure, those were moments they shared together for the past few years or so. Despite their frequent little squabbles, they stuck together like glue; no conflict could separate them no matter how severe.

And despite that, Mei realized neither of them had found the opportunity to express how grateful they were for the other. They had taken each other for granted; even with the high-risk lifestyle of a kunoichi, they rarely thought of the possibility of losing each other. Maybe they did, but kept pushing it out of their minds day after day, mission after mission. And now, it seemed they could no longer run away from reality. They could no longer wallow in their complacency, in the white lie that they would be together forever.

Kneeling down, Mei held Fuu in a tight embrace. By now, the purple-haired girl was already sobbing, hot liquid streaming down her cheeks and onto her mentor's clothes. Mei shut her eyes tight as she felt her own tears beginning to flow as well.

Fuu was warm despite the cold around them. She was soft; she smelled faintly of lavender perfume; she was so small and frail and Mei's desire to protect her little kouhai was bursting forth once again. She knew she would never be able to appreciate Fuu like this again, one way or another.

One way or another...

No. There was only one way.

And as much as Mei dreaded it, it had to be done.

"Gomen, Fuu." Mei croaked out as Fuu continued to cry freely.

"I never got to say this, all this time... or rather, I should have said it, but I was an idiot and decided to push it back." Mei sniffled. "I... I want to thank you. I want to thank you for the joy you've brought me all these years. You... You were the best damn apprentice I could have ever asked for, and... and..." Her voice broke as the tears flowed, getting heavier by the second. Her heart stung with intense pain.

"I... I'm so sorry, Fuu... I've taken you for granted... I never imagined a day we would no longer be together... I..." She wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry for being a terrible senpai, risking my life and yours and those of other people..."

Fuu shook her head, her face buried in her mentor's shoulder. "It's o-ok... s-shisho..." She remembered the terror that gripped her heart that night; when Mei supposedly betrayed her and everyone else. She also remembered the intense relief when it all turned out to be a ruse, and that Mei was simply looking to infiltrate Moryo. All of that seemed so far away now, so small compared to what lay ahead.

For what felt like an eternity, the two girls lay nestled in each others arms, sobbing helplessly into each other. Mei blubbering out choked apologies, Fuu rubbing her mentor's back in a feeble attempt at comfort. Both of them knew this was the last they'd see of each other; they didn't want to let go of the embrace, they didn't want their time together to stop.

Even till the bitter end, neither was willing to fully face reality.