Error, #9, Hero?

Chapter 1

"Look up at the sky,"

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find anything to say. All they could seem to do was lay next to their partner, Akasuki, and gaze up at the stars.

"Look.. I know that today's mission was especially hard for the two of you. I can only imagine the look on the child's face when we arrived on scene, but you can't get wrapped up in these kinds of things. You guys saved her. She might have not thanked you verbally but the tears of joy she had running down her face when the police took her into custody was all she needed to say."

It was getting colder as the night progressed, but still, Endo and Aoki weren't ready to go in. The comfort that the cool grass provided after a long day of work was far better than anything any bed could provide for them.

"I know that you're a part of this team as much as Ningyo and I are, Jun, but you have to understand that you don't see nearly as much as we do. I don't know about Ningyo but, I turned my glasses cam off. What we faced today wasn't really a mission about brute strength, but mental firmness," Endo explained.

"I agree. Those glasses we wear show you everything that we see, but the shit we see isn't meant for everyone. Just be grateful we spared you from those horrors," Aoki bit back at Akasuki. They'd sit in silence for what seems like forever before Akasuki finally got the courage to say something in retaliation.

"Well, you don't have to be so rude..." mumbled Akasuki.

Aoki sighed before clarifying, "Look, I didn't mean to come out so harsh it's just been a long day." The silence would take control of the situation until Akasuki decided to go and wait in the car for the other two to be done star gazing.

"Maybe we were too hard on her?" Endo said, sitting up after a few minutes had passed of Akasuki being in the car.

"Maybe? You know Akasuki; she wants the truth, but when it comes down to it, she can't handle it," Aoki said.

"Yeah, but as her teammates, and her best friends, the least we can do is tell her the truth in a more baby-like way. Her heart can't handle the gruesomeness of most scenarios so we might as well make it easier for her to accept," Endo replied, now hugging her knees visibly contemplating whether what they said was too harsh or not.

"She's an adult, we can't keep babying her," Aoki scoffed before continuing, "she has to learn to accept it and we need to help her with that. Not everyone knows that she can't handle the truth so she has to learn one way or another."

"That's very typical of you to say. I know you're all 'tough love' and shit, but maybe give your words a little bit more thought next time. It's something both you and I have to work on whether you want to admit it or not," Endo bit back. Aoki looked at Endo with raised eyebrows.

"You are the same way with the 'tough love and shit', Kaseki. We all know I have a sharp tongue sometimes, but don't think for a second you're any better, we are the same in many senses," Aoki responded.

"Don't spit facts at me when I'm trying to help both of us out. Jun is light hearted and we both go too hard on her," Endo snapped back before taking a deep breath and carefully choosing her next words. "Look, all I'm saying is that we all went through a rough mission. She was just trying to help and we pushed her away. Right now we need her more than ever."

Aoki tsked at Endo before stating, "And I understand that Kaseki. You know me after a long day, I prefer silence. It's something I'm trying to get better at and I realize that, but if you really want to help her, you wouldn't baby her cause' no one else will." After Aoki's remark, Endo sat in silence trying to look for a rebuttal, but she couldn't. She shouldn't baby her. That is what's going to help her in the long run.

"K,'" Endo said, standing up, knowing full heartedly that Aoki was right. Endo walked back to the car and
left Aoki there, in the grass, on his own. Aoki stayed in silence for a couple more minutes before taking a deep breath and heading towards where the others were located.

From an outsider's perspective, the relationship that the three of them had was rocky but, having conversations like these were normal for them. They were able to be themselves around each other. They didn't have to hide their feelings and it was always easy to come back and apologize from an argument they might have had. That's what made them such a strong team. That's why all of them ranked in the top 10. With Akasuki being ranked number 10 and Aoki and Endo sharing a rank of number 7, they were unstoppable.