Long hours later, the sun rose, its rays tickling Kakashi's face. The dew made him shiver.

  He finally woke up, slowly opened his eyes again, and saw himself at the bottom of a crater, which had pushed all flora and damp earth back several meters. He braced himself with one hand, regaining his mobility, but the ground beneath his palm was soft.

  He looks down.

  He was leaning against Tsukinoko's body, which was lying in a pool of dried blood. Tetanized, he abruptly withdrew his hand, still believing a few seconds ago that their fall was just a bad dream.

  In the ruddy puddle, two scrolls and the sword hilt were stuck to the viscous blood, unharmed. Without waiting, he stuffed his belongings into his pocket and took Tsukinoko in his arms, whose head was bobbing in the air.

  Transgressing the code in his turn.

  The sun was already well up in the sky when Kakashi entered a large city. His legs trembling with fear and exhaustion, he stumbled in the middle of an avenue but remained petrified on all fours. Tsukinoko, on his back, had still not given any sign of life.

  Panting, he set her down against the wall of a house, still trying to wake her up. He had to hold her head to keep her sitting up, eyes half-open. How long had it been, how many miles had he traveled, carrying his lifeless friend on his back.

  - Tsukinoko... Wake up!" he shouts.

  Passers-by gasped, silently watching the masked agents. Kakashi abruptly caught his breath and, in deep denial, took her back on his back as he sped away.

  Running haphazardly through the streets, fleeing the God of Death who was following them, his fingers clasped on Tsukinoko's shoulders with those of his dead friends, ready to take her to the other world.

  Rounding a large square, he comes upon a hospital. He rushes inside, calling for help, and doctors immediately take Tsukinoko from his arms and place her on a stretcher. One of them examines her immediately, placing his stethoscope several times on her ribs, on her chest, then straightens up.

  - Her heart stopped.

  Time stands still in the room as he rests his stethoscope around his neck.

  The ground collapses beneath Kakashi's feet.

  He hears people shouting at him, but can't make out whether the voices are coming from the doctors in front of him, or from the demons behind his back, stabbing him in the heart, screaming that he's broken his promise again.

  Suddenly, he felt a violent pain in his shoulder, like a blow, and regained his senses as K? barked at him beside Kimaru.

  - What happened to him?! We've been looking all over for you!

  The doctors were watching him too, waiting to find out what was going on, and the one who'd just put down his stethoscope checked him again, a doubtful look on his face

  Kakashi stammered, distraught, unable to explain the situation. Suddenly, the doctors left with Tsukinoko, leaving the three of them there.

  A nurse arrives and leads them to a secluded room. Kakashi collapses into a chair, shaking all over, his friend's blood on his hands.

  The nurse returns, realizing they were secret agents, and promises confidentiality.

  - Look, Agent Sato's chances of recovery are very slim, and I'd prefer to warn you. The doctors have detected cellular activity, even though his heart has stopped beating. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news. Who's in charge?" she asks, returning to the office. I'll tell him and the Chief, since you're special forces.

  - It's... me," Kakashi said shamefully.

  - Do you want to stay or go back to Hanamaru?" she asked the other two.

  - We're staying," they reply in chorus.

  She finished her paperwork and prepared the letter for the Chief, which she sent immediately to warn him of the situation. As she looked up, Kakashi had disappeared.

  Perched on the hospital roof, immersed in a nightmare, he sinks into despair. Reproaching himself for not having paid enough attention, for being responsible for her condition, for not having acted in time, neither this morning nor the day before, nor when he had seen her condition, for making the same mistakes as with his late friends, for not having kept his promise to protect her.

  He clutches his head in his hands, refusing to believe that she's dead, even though she was in his arms just minutes before.

  That evening, Kimaru and K? were still there, in the white room with its sizzling neon lights. The doctors returned at last, to announce that Tsukinoko had narrowly escaped.

  Without understanding how, his cells were still alive, although his heart was no longer beating, as if powered by an indiscernible energy. In a second state, close to a coma medically speaking, close to a miracle otherwise.

  Her condition was fragile but stable, and the doctors had managed to get her heart working again. They hurried to see her, but came across Kakashi, sitting on a bench in the corridor outside her room. Staring into space, he doesn't greet them. Kimaru approaches hesitantly.

  - Are you all right?" he asks gently. We were told you arrived just in time... She's out of the woods now," he smiles.

  He doesn't answer.

  - She's tough, but she'll soon get over it," K? reassures him. So what happened? Did Hebimaru put her in this state?

  - No. It's me," he answers at last.

  Kimaru and K? exchange shocked glances. Kakashi then explained that Tsukinoko had jumped in to save him. Although the mission had been accomplished, K? couldn't contain his anger.

  - With all your bullshit about team spirit, if she'd stuck to the Colony code she'd still be standing right now!

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  K? maintained his dark gaze despite Kimaru's attempts to calm him, caught off guard. It had been a hectic day, disturbed by the turn events had taken, and the tension could be felt all around them.

  - Because of you," he adds. She decided to trust you and this is the result. She'd have been better off letting you hit the ground like a piece of shit, you-

  - K?... Kimaru whispers to reason with him.

  - No, I won't stop! She was the best agent ever, and as her boss, you're dragging her down with you?! You've forgotten we're special services, there's no room for sentiment here. Well, you'll understand that now, won't you, when it's too late! If you can't do your job properly, you don't belong here, you-

  - This isn't the time... Kimaru laments.

  K? pushed Kimaru away in a huff, then snatched the scrolls from Kakashi's hands, before returning them to Hanamaru without them, his mask over his face. His mission was over.

  Kimaru gave Kakashi, who hadn't moved, a pained look and exclaimed uncomfortably.

  - It's true," he explains calmly. Apart from that, you... You seem to be losing sight of the Colony's ambitions a lot lately. It's not our role... Not at the Colony.

  Kakashi sighs, against the wall. He leaves the scene while Kimaru goes to see Tsukinoko quickly, before catching up with K?.

  Late at night, Kakashi finds himself outside Tsukinoko's room and hesitates, feeling out of place. He looks for a doctor to ask about her, but a small voice inside draws him out of his thoughts.

  - You're allowed to go home... you know?

  He pokes his head through the door and sees her sitting on a bed with bandages protruding from her hospital tunic, an oxygen mask over her nose, still smiling despite her condition.

  He grits his teeth and stands a few steps from the bed, unable to say anything. Suddenly, she removes her mask and her smile fades before she shamefully lowers her head.

  - I'm sorry..." she said in a small voice. I heard you earlier. It's not your fault...

  He looked at her in astonishment when it was he who had come to apologize, and almost took offense when he heard her. She'd almost been there, between life and death for endless hours, but all she'd cared about was the success of the mission when she woke up. Or rather, as an agent should

  He loses his nerve and doesn't know what to think, so happy to see her alive but overwhelmed when she feels sorry for herself and apologizes to him.

  - I'm... Sorry Kakashi," she murmured, lowering her head. Boss. This is the last time... I promise-

  - Stop!" he suddenly shouts curtly.

  She looked up at him apprehensively, thinking he was going to lecture her. He couldn't hold back, angry with himself to hear her excuses.

  She stares at him anxiously, ready to receive a reprimand as he strides towards her, hands in his pockets and glowering.

  - Stop apologizing. You've done nothing. It's all my fault. Stop acting like it's nothing. Saying nothing while you were dying! For hours Tsukinoko! he laments, losing control. "Rule n°18: A ninja must possess good mental and physical health", he quotes. You didn't have any of that!" he exclaims with a curt gesture. Stop thinking you're unbearable! That you always do everything wrong! That you're just an idiot who rushes headlong into everything! Stop thinking that you're the one who made the mistake when I should have been looking out for you! That you failed when you were mor- you were mor-... you're here now... he said sadly, catching his breath.

  Speechless, she didn't know what to say, then noticed more carefully that he had tears in his eyes. Lost and overwhelmed, he took her in his arms, squeezing her with all his strength before she could respond.

  She lets him, surprised, and gives him a squeeze of her own. He straightens up at last, but she loses her breath talking without stopping, and he comes to his senses when he hears her cough, snapped out of his thoughts.

  - Shut up and rest," he said impassively.

  She was about to reply, but conceded defeat as she caught her breath in her mask and glared at him.

  - It won't happen again," he says.

  She questioned him with her eyes, but he stared ahead, his face indistinguishable. She smiled tenderly, trying not to be alarmed by his downcast expression.

  - So... ? What won't happen again?" she asks, seeing him lost in thought.

  - You're the Colony's best agent, and I know you'll never let yourself be fooled, as long as you work on your side.

  With a grimace, she pretended to agree with him, trying to understand his undertones. He reaches into his satchel and pulls out the guidebook Tsukinoko had given him for Christmas, then places it on the bed beside her.

  - Did you get a chance to leaf through it? So, did you find anything that makes you happy?

  - Yes," he says, looking into her eyes, "but I've realized that I'd better stay away from it. From now on, you're off the Ro squad. The Chief will take care of you personally.

  Just before turning back, he imprints her face in his mind one last time, then heads out of the room. He starts to walk away with his hands in his pockets without looking back, and Tsukinoko crawls out of the thin hospital sheet to the door, restrained by the catheters in her arms.

  - What do you mean, struck off? What's wrong with this one... she murmured. But wait, Kakashi! she shouts.

  Suddenly she had a bad feeling in her gut that something was wrong.

  He walked away, leaving her standing there. She froze, the cold beige tiles freezing her feet, and watched him slowly disappear down the hall.

  Alone in her hospital room, Tsukinoko was drawing, lost in thought. Eventually, she fell asleep, the notebook resting on her lap. On the paper had been etched, in black charcoal, a valley filled with flowers, with a small wooden house in the center. The walls were dark, and there was a small garden at the back.

  Three silhouettes held hands in front of the house, abstractly drawn. The one on the left had long black hair and a broad build, the one on the right a slim figure with a braid, and the one in the middle, smaller than the other two, wore a big smile as she held their hands.

  A few days earlier, Kakashi had arrived at Hanamaru after K? and Kimaru. Immediately summoned by the Chief, he arrived in his office in the middle of the night. The latter was smoking his pipe, and launched without greeting him.

  - Hebimaru then fled.

  - He had a deal with Doro, but he betrayed them to keep the documents. I don't know what his organization intends to do with them," replies Kakashi, one knee on the ground and his mask over his face.

  - I'm going to keep an eye on them to find out what they're up to. They're becoming increasingly threatening.

  - Very good

  - Kakashi," he said in a serious tone, "I've noticed your deviations for some time. Let me remind you that, as leader, you're supposed to guide your squad through the mission. And that's all there is to it. You don't get to take the initiative whenever you feel like it. And for your subordinates to come and complain shows that it's gone too far.

  He listens without saying a word, accepting his sermon and acknowledging his faults.

  - If you don't want me to reassign you to a new squad or demote you, you'd better get your act together," he continues. Your behavior must not endanger your team. As for this mission... It's none of my business whether you're together," he says dryly, "but it mustn't get in the way of your work.

  Kakashi's eyes widen as he realizes what he's alluding to, but Haruo continues before he can reply.

  - This will never happen again. I won't let it happen again," he said, glaring at him, "don't forget your priorities and why you're doing these missions. Hanamaru's safety is at stake, and you're risking your lives for it. Come to your senses and take charge of your team.

  Kakashi didn't dare reply and looked down, terribly ashamed and guilty. Haruo rises to his feet and clasps his hands behind his back to conclude his call to order.

  - This is your first and last warning, Kakashi Shiroi. You will be expelled from the Colony immediately if you commit another offence and transgress the rules. Dismissed.

  He turns on his heel and heads for the door, dejected, but Haruo calls out to him again with a sigh.

  - Don't feel responsible for what happened. I'm relieved to have found her and that she saved you in time. But if you want to continue working with her without risk, learn to keep things in perspective. Anyway, I've been watching you for years. I've noticed that she's become the part of the light that keeps you from sinking into darkness," he smiles. You know, she's a lot stronger than you think," he says wistfully. She'll soon overtake me, and even the legendary trio one day, I'm convinced. So stop worrying about her and concentrate on yourself. I know you want to do well with your teammates. Tsukinoko will no longer be part of your squad.

  He stands there for a few seconds, puzzled, then leaves the office without saying a word. He drags his feet on the way home, ashamed, and thinks back to the horrible events of a few days ago, still angry at himself for having let this catastrophe happen, for still not knowing how to care for and protect his loved ones.