Micro glanced at Thomas nervously, who was leaning against a table and rapidly cleaning his glasses. He leaned over to Nicolette, whispering, "He looks scared. Should I talk to him?"

Nicolette sighed and whispered back, "Don't know if that's such a good idea. You know how easily he snaps."

"... Maybe there's something that makes him do that.." Micro mumbled.

Nick raised a brow. "What do you mean by that, Mikey?"

Micro pressed his lips together, thinking hard. "Maybe he's like me, you know? Something ticks him off or gets him worried and he snaps." He looked at Thomas again, a little softer this time. "And not only that, but he probably regrets every word after that. I- I know I do..."

Nicolette hugged him. "Hey, it's okay. We all have our faults here, you know? You're doing fine."

She pulled away and smiled a little. "Now it's time to get this meeting in order." She turned to the five other people in the room, counting heads. "Good, we're all here. Now, I know that all of us have experienced a... tremendous amount of power this week, far beyond our skill level. We've all had different experiences, but we all share one common agreement; our parents know something's up."

Ebony nodded. "That's true. Eddy and I noticed my dad and his mom were pretty freaked out after our sparring practice. You guys saw the whole thing- it was intense. Edward almost..." She shut her eyes and huffed. "Something really bad could have happened."

"They looked so surprised, but like, not in a good way." Edward chimed in. "Like something was wrong, but then they just brushed it off. It was weird and a little upsetting. It's like they're too scared to reveal anything to us, if there is anything, that is."

Micro spoke up. "It was the same thing for Nick and I during our mediation. It was all in our heads, and yet, it didn't feel like it was all a daydream. It was terrifying. I felt so out of control a-and lost."

The others listened to him silently. Nicolette, as usual, broke up the stillness of the room, but this time, speaking quietly.

"I was so scared, but it felt like they didn't care. Or... they do care, but..." She looked down. "It just doesn't sit right with me. My dad is super protective of me, and he'll do anything to keep me safe. But now, I feel like I have to keep this from him. Like he'll just walk away, too scared to tell me what it is I'm feeling. What I'm experiencing."

The others nodded in unison, murmuring in agreement.

Micro turned to Amaya and Thomas. "Did you guys have shit like this happen to you too?"

Thomas shifted uncomfortably and Amaya gave a little shrug.

Edward turned towards Amaya. "Amy, didn't you tell me something was going on with your dreams? Like you were experiencing the same stuff as I was, only in nightmare form?"

"... guess so.." Amaya mumbled. Nicolette rose a brow at her, sighing.

Thomas put a hand on Amaya's shoulder. "We... We've both experienced these nightmares. They're haunting and almost too real... they're exactly like what the rest of you have been experiencing... feeling overpowered and a threat to the ones you care about. A-An embarrassment to your parents, to yourself, to the cause you've trained towards for so long, only to have it destroyed by the darkness slowly consuming you that is your inner turmoil-"

Thomas suddenly realized what he had said and quickly bit his lip to shut himself up.

The others stared at him worriedly for a moment before Micro quickly walked over to him and hugged him.

Thomas blinked in surprise. Micro was freezing cold and had such a strong hold on Thomas that he could crush his spine in an instant. The hug, however, felt so genuine and wonderful that Thomas immediately began to cry. In front of everyone.

Micro let a few tears slip before he too began to sniffle and choke back sobs, rubbing Thomas' back protectively.

Amaya was the next one to cry. She didn't know what it was exactly, Thomas' nightly suffering, her own visions, or being so close to the two already crying that she couldn't help but share their emotions. Her tears fell in silence, which led to all but one person not noticing her cry.

Ebony watched Amaya and covered her face in shame for what she did to her. Her jealousy, her anger... she just couldn't escape the guilt. She cried out loudly, clutching her stomach as the anxiety and anger twisted her core.

Ebony's loud sobs shook up Nicolette. She noticed Amaya's tears right after and felt her lip quiver. She had been so selfish, desperately seeking for attention, and now... She hugged herself and shook her head. For once, she cried in silence. Now was not the time to be dramatic.

Edward was the last one to be hit with tears. He watched the people he cared about slowly crumble. His sister, his cousin, his crush, his teammates... no, his friends. He looked up at Nicolette and immediately noticed that she was holding back, hiding her emotions. Edward wandered over to her and hugged her, not as the guy with the huge crush on her, but the friend who would support and care for her well being. Her teammate. Her fellow ninja.

She hugged him back after a moment, her body shaking from holding in her tears. Edward felt his eyes water as he held her close, feeling her body quiver as she sniffled.

Micro loosened his grip on Thomas once they had both stopped crying. Thomas wiped his eyes and looked down at him. "Micro... I'm so sorry..."

Micro hushed him. "No, I'm... I'm the one who should be sorry. I started this whole fight between us."

Thomas shook his head and placed his head on top of Micro's scrappy white hair, rubbing his back. "I haven't been a good leader... I've been selfish..."

Micro took a deep breath, inhaling Thomas' scent. "Thomas, no... you were just scared. It's okay. I understand how you feel." He rested the side of his face on the taller male's chest, feeling his heart boom into his ear. "I know what it's like to feel... the way we do. You know?"

Thomas nodded, watching the others slowly recover from their tears. He pulled away gently from Micro and faced his team.

"I'd like to apologize to you all. I have not treated any of you fairly." He stood up straight and pursed his lips, looking at everyone carefully. "From now on, we are a team, through thick and thin. These hardships we are facing are nothing compared to what we will accomplish together. Staring today, we are friends... we are family... but most importantly..."

He glanced at Edward, who had his arm around Nicolette protectively, Amaya and Ebony, who were sitting together and holding hands, and dear Micro, who was looking up at him longingly and full of hope. Beautiful Micro...

Thomas smiled proudly at all of them. "Most importantly, we are ninja!"