Tobirama walked down the safe path of the fabled forest, feeling weak and exhausted from his injury.
His fight with Mu Lei of the Arutimetsu had given him a fatal injury to the head, which occurred when he clashed with the great wall of the city during her attack.
He did not know who she was but felt it was not the right time to get curious about it.
After getting overpowered by that stranger, he didn't need anybody to tell him that he would die at that rate.
So he did what even he never thought he would be able to do—he ran away, without even thinking of what Master Drey would approve.
He never thought he could be this selfish, especially when it came to Master Drey. He abandoned the mission without hesitation, along with his comrades.
But that didn't mean he felt no guilt about it; it haunted him for the few hours he had spent walking these woods after his defeat in the city.
His mind was filled with voices of his master and comrades calling him back to the city, calling for him to die with them, and even blaming him for the failure of the operation.
He was so deep in thought that he was oblivious to the real trio calling out his name from behind.
"Tobi!!, Tobi!!, Tobi!"
The voices in his head gradually became so loud and real that he swung his fist backwards angrily, hoping to hit the source of the noise.
"Leave me alone!" he yelled out right before he felt a hand catch his fist in time to avoid getting hit.
"Get a grip, Tobi. We are on your side. ", said Yuri, who countered with a kick to his gut that sent him flying several feet away.
Enji and Genta looked at Yuri with a stare that non-verbally asked,
"Was that necessary?"
Tobirama struggled to get up, groaning in pain from the kick.
"I had to escape... "She was going to kill us both!" he said, trembling.
"What on earth are you talking about, Tobi?" asked Yuri, "Why are you acting strange?"
"You don't understand, Yuri. I ran away; I abandoned Urahara; I abandoned the mission; I abandoned Master Drey, just to save my skin... I'm worse than scum! I don't deserve to live!" he said, still trembling—so much so that he fell to the ground again.
Yuri scratched his head.
"What a drag... is that why you are so messed up?" "Get a grip, Tobi."
Tobirama buried his face in his hands, sobbing heavily,
"You don't understand. You will never understand, Yuri. You would never abandon a comrade when the going got tough. "But I did—I abandoned Urahara to fight against an overpowered enemy just to save my skin, and now I will never have the chance to make up for it," he said, and it made Yuri furious.
So he went to Tobirama, grabbed him by the cloak, and slapped him.
"You think you're the only one who had to abandon the mission and his comrades to survive?" I abandoned Izuku to fight against an overpowered enemy as well, and I almost left these children to fend for themselves alone in the fabled territory! So stop trying to paint me as a saint, you scumbag!" he said as he raised his hand again to hit Tobirama.
Right on time, the children stepped between them, giving Yuri a look that made him too weak to do anything.
"Damn it!" Yuri swore as he let go of Tobirama to look in another direction as his eyes shed a tear, trying to hide the fact that he was about to cry.
For over a year, the Enforcers had gone on numerous conquests for the Empire and had grown from a band of selfish criminals and outcasts to a team of comrades and companions who always looked out for each other, despite their stark differences.
He had just come to realize this, and it hurt him to realize the current state of things.
"The Enforcers," as they knew it, were over, finished, and done. With all the other members either dead or missing in action, most likely the former,
Yuri took a deep breath and looked at Tobirama after wiping the tears from his face.
"We have to move on and survive." "We were survivors before we became enforcers, and that is not going to change simply because we failed an operation," he said before walking to Tobirama and grabbing his cloak again.
"So I'm going to say it one last time: Get a grip, Tobirama!"
Tobirama's eyes widened as he realized himself. Somehow Yuri's talk reminded him of all the difficulties and trials he endured as a child and how he defied all the odds and survived.
Yuri was right; neither of their lives hung on being an enforcer; they were survivors, and that was why they were chosen in the first place.
So he looked right at Yuri and gave him an assuring nod.
Yuri was curious about what had happened during the invasion. Things seemed to be going well until an "overpowered" enemy came around, and that wasn't just true for them but also for Tobirama and Urahara as well.
But thinking about that wouldn't be of much help right now, as neither of them would be willing to attempt a second invasion of Langford anytime soon. So he shrugged it off his mind and instead focused on Tobirama, whom he was talking to.
"Good!" Yuri remarked as they noticed the sound of hoofsteps approaching.
Someone was coming, but they were not sure who it was.
Immediately Yuri gave them a sign, which made each of them run to hide in different spots behind the trees to avoid being seen.
Yuri did this because he remembered the overpowered, air-manipulating enemy that was after them hours ago and did not want to take chances, even though he hadn't been seen with a horse earlier.
Less than a minute later, it was revealed to be a carriage bearing the flag of the Empire.
The carriage stopped at the spot where they were barely a minute earlier, and a beautiful red-haired woman in the Empire's silver armor stepped out of it.
From the prowess of her armor's design and the flag on her carriage, one could easily tell she was a high-ranking member of the Empire's military and therefore not to be taken lightly.
She looked around and gave an angry smile, as she brought forth her long sword, which was also made of silver.
"Come out, you Fable-Bastards! "I know where you are hiding!" she said, eager to cut them down on sight.