Not long after Zuikaku fled, Tenryuu had quickly grown sick of the constant bickering or long periods of stony silence that lingered throughout Nagato's office on an almost daily basis. It had seemed that ever since the conclusion of the competition, Nagato's attitude had deteriorated with every passing day. Frustrated, Tenryuu had discussed her increasing frustration with Tatsuta for a long time one night. They had both decided to resign from their positions as secretaries, finding the job too stressful with little recognition or payoff.
The next morning, Tatsuta had gone over to Nagato's office early, before she had a chance to come completely unhinged. Nagato had shot Tatsuta a hard glare, but allowed her to explain her and Tenryuu's decision to resign. Mutsu, while standing with her sister, did not appear too worried to see the younger girl . Tatsuta had been tempted to abandon the plan when she saw Nagato's face, but had forced herself to meet Nagato's foreboding eyes.
Tenryuu had been quite worried to think about her sister standing alone in front of the two most powerful girls on the base, but restrained herself from walking over and intervening. She stood and walked outside, intending to stand outside Nagato's office and wait for her sister there, but as she made her way up the dirt path that led from her and her sister's personal rooms to Nagato's office, she couldn't shake the feeling that even the trees that Tenryuu usually found comforting with the darkness they provided were against her now. She shivered as a slight breeze passed thorough the leaves. The sun, which hadn't been out much at all that day, dipped behind a cloudbank again, casting shadows that also caused Tenryuu to shiver. She stopped walking. The trees seemed to close in on her. The shadows seemed to deepen, and Tenryuu shakily walked over to a fallen tree and sat down. The expanse of woods behind her gave her the chills, and upon glancing behind her, the darkness appeared much closer than it usually did, and much more foreboding.
What is this? Tenryuu thought. She wasn't afraid of the dark, just the opposite. She thought back to the last time she'd had night battle training with her sister and Sendai, another character whose obsession with night battles was well known. She'd felt more relaxed and in tune with her partners than she ever did when training during the day. Something about being out at sea at night invigorated her and seemed to give her more energy. Tenryuu loved it, yet now it seemed the very thing that fueled her and calmed her was now having the opposite effect.
Yet just as quickly as the feeling had set in, the breeze died away and the sun appeared for the moment. Tenryuu looked around, She realised she was still standing in the same spot as when she'd stopped a few minutes ago. Tenryuu shook her head, trying to focus. "That was weird. I must be tired or stressed. I'll have to remember to get some extra rest tonight," she said to herself. As she was deciding whether or not to continue to Nagato's office or turn back and try to get some sleep, a twig snapped from further down the path and Tenryuu froze. Silently, she stood, drew her sword and called out, "Who's there?"
"It's me, Ryuu," called a familiar voice. Panting slightly in relief, Tenryuu lowered her sword and hurried to meet her sister. Tatsuta looked a bit flustered, but otherwise she seemed fine. As she came around the corner, she saw Tenryuu with her sword drawn. "Uh, Tenryuu? Is everything ok? You don't usually draw your sword just for the fun of it."
Tenyuu noded. "Yeah, I'm fine. How are you though?" She looked her sister over, and seemed to relax slightly.
Tatsuta shrugged. "I'm alright. We should get back. We've got some work to do." She looked back towards towards home, and began walking.
"Agreed, Tat. Something happened while I was heading to meet you as well. I'll run it by you once I've gotten a drink and maybe some rest." Tatsuta raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She clapped her sister on the shoulder and walked with her back towards home. Tenryuu shivered slightly when Tatsuta touched her and she felt a slight breeze on her back again. Turning around, she looked back at the trees. The shadows had faded, but the gloom still lingered farther in. Tenryuu frowned. She would have to get some sleep for sure. As Tenryuu listened to her sister's explanation of her encounter with Nagato, she knew they would need to lie low for awhile, until Nagato could be dealt with. Tenryuu had explained her own experience to Tatsuta already, and the two had agreed to get some rest later. "So Nagato actually agreed to let us leave?" Tenryuu couldn't hide her surprise. Tatsuta nodded.
"Wow. Alright then," She grinned. "I guess that means we'll be able to catch a breath once in a while now." She stood, stretching. Her sister nodded. "Oh, one last thing we need to sort out-What are we going to do in the meantime? While we wait for Kaga and Zuikaku to hopefully deal with Nagato."
"If it were me, I'd try to get a job doing cleaning or the like." Seeing her sister's reaction, she went on. "It'll be something that keeps us busy and all, but also keeps us out of the spotlight." Tatsuta smiled. She stood and headed for her
room, motioning for her sister to follow. "Let's get some rest, eh?" Tenryuu yawned, and stood to follow her sister with no hesitation.