"Ha..." Sai breathed, bowing his head and closing his eyes as he attempted to settle himself. "In ROOT..." he began, voice slightly shaking, "there are no names. There are no feelings... There is no past... there is no future. There is only the mission..."

He turned to glance at the other man again, gaze barely unfocused. "This name... it isn't mine. I've become too attached to it." He swallowed. "There is no mission. Just... running back and forth trying to accomplish something that may not get us anywhere. And..."

One of his hands came up to clench at the fabric of his shirt, much like he'd done when he found himself confronted with his dead brother - apparently not so dead here. "Is it wrong, Okita-san? To want to feel something. I can't dismiss my emotions but I can't understand them. I'm a failure in both regards. Perhaps... Aidou-san was right."