Night had long since fallen and all was quiet. Most people are probably in bed, he thought to himself. Which is where I should be, but I…

It was almost embarrassing to himself to admit why he was awake at past two in the morning, sitting on top of the roof of the building that everybody else was asleep in with the moon shining over his head. Nightmares. Irene… was dying again. I don't want to go back to sleep. Not with another nightmare awaiting me if I do. I don't want to relive seeing her body scattered through the room. I don't want to see any more blood, nor shed it! Is that too much to ask? To live a normal life?

Pathetic. The other half of his consciousness scoffed. Now that is cowardice. And you call yourself a ninja, buddy? She's dead. There's nothing you can do. Do you think that she would like seeing you moping about like the languishing brooder you've become?

Hayabusa stared at the tops of the trees blankly, still absorbed in thought. Things must have been bad if his own sub-consciousness had managed to outsmart him like that. But what was normal? He thought moodily. Killing, for him, had been accepted as normal. A rather pitiable type of what one called normal, but the blood staining his hands had by far and large not been unusual. Not saying that he didn't regret it, though.

"Hayate, where are you?" he found himself exclaiming angrily. "Why did you have to go away? Why did you leave me with your sister who I know has never liked me, and expect me to get along with her and protect her while I have to fulfill my destiny to the human race as well? Why can't you do your own dirty work for once?"

He immediately regretted the words. Hayate had done what he thought was the best thing to do, and although everybody could see now that it perhaps wasn't the wisest thing to do, nobody knew so at the time, and would say so to Hayate himself anyway. He found himself suddenly desperately missing Hayate, all the times that they had been together as children and teenagers, bitterly longing for the friendship they once had.

"And will probably not have again," He said to himself softly. "One of the side effects to the Project Epsilon is memory loss, is it not? If I ever see him again he will probably not remember his sister, his family or myself. It is probably better for me to let go of the friendship now before somebody gets hurt,"

But in his heart he knew that it wasn't that simple. He and Hayate and formed a deep friendship, not severed by childish arguments or the passing of time. Hayate had been the exception for him, the one person he had let himself get closer to as a child, excluding his parents, and he couldn't just let that valuable friendship dissipate into thin air. It was worth more then that. Wasn't it?

As a child, he had envied the seemingly easy life that Hayate had, the way that he was so easygoing to the people around him, although he had never let Hayate himself know that. People had thought that him as a child was simply antisocial from upbringing, but he had been somewhat shy as a child. Hayate had ventured closer to him, and they had become friends.

Being the sort of person that he was, he wasn't going to let go of the firmest friendship that he had ever had.

"Oh, Hayate…" Ryu murmured as the clouds shifted, covering the moon so that he was shrouded in darkness. "Why… for everybody that cares about you, why did you do it? And now you'll never be able to tell me… my friend…"

The darkness falling over the land was nothing compared to the darkness that the young ninja felt in his heart as he sat silently on the roof of the tall building, longing for his best friend to return.

More moaning over Hayate. Ryu seems to do that a lot, doesn't he? Please tell me if you think I'm going out of character, although it's hard to get Ayane in character while still being 'soft' if you know what I mean. Anyhow, next chapter has more Ayane, and then the tournament starts! (Yippee) Hope you enjoy, as always and thank-you to those of you who review and who have!