A pair of rolled white eyes were what greeted that remark. "Of course not, given that we are at the Hokage's beck and call I'm sure Arakaki-taichou can find you work painting the walls of the palace a fetching new shade of indifferent blandness. But if you try using chakra to scale the walls instead of a ladder you're going to fall and crack your head open like a cantaloupe."

He straightened the collar of his lab coat and knocked his hair back away from his eyes. At least he was feeling a bit better as the minutes wore on, but he needed to go sit somewhere at least. Drink some coffee. Close his eyes. Resist the urge to crack into the pharmaceuticals and self-medicate himself away from a stress-related episode. The regular thing.

Haruichi glanced at Kuromaru and Tsume. They looked so much more like themselves now, and he could see it in every way. His own eyes were half-lidded, showing the strain he'd put them (and himself) through, but behind the sarcastic sheen there was relief.

He hadn't realized he hadn't felt that for weeks. Not about anything; until now. The medic shook his head a little, clearing the thought until later, and paced - only a little unsteadily - for the hidden door. "Come on. You probably want to go home."

The words were out before he thought about them and felt a sting at the fact that they still had one. After all of that Haruichi would have given nearly anything to be able to walk back to the Hyuuga Compound and sit in the courtyard while he listened to the peaceful and ordered calm of his clan going about their business. Away from the uncontrolled chaos he'd let sear through his chakra paths, and free from any concern that he wasn't being watched over. Safe from the horrible idea that he was alone, and everything was his responsibility alone.

He suddenly missed them all like an empty echo in his chest, and even though he knew it was because he was tired and stressed and weakened it didn't change the fact that he wanted to see a pair of white eyes just like his. Tsume and Kuromaru had their chakra connections; once upon a time Haruichi had had something that made him part of a whole as well.

Not anymore, he reminded himself sternly, pushing hard on the door. His sensei had never allowed him a moment's self-pity and at least she could still have that tiny glimmer of satisfaction in him over the fact that he refused to indulge himself in it either, all these years later.