It had happened again. He had been staying with the Mugen-Tenshin clan for a few days, regardless of the gossip spread, and the nightmares of Irene had come back in full force. So here I am again, he thought bitterly. On top of the roof. Why don't I just go back to my own clan? They probably won't be too impressed about me helping a runaway shinobi, but it's not like they can do anything to me because of it. At least there, I have no chance of being assassinated, I don't think…

I wonder if Ayane is having a peaceful night now that she has been reunited with Hayate again, he thought suddenly. He hoped so. For some reason, the lavender-haired kunoichi had found a place in those people he could trust to some extent, and he cared for her. Did he… love… her?

What about Irene? What would she say? How could I even think of Ayane like that?

A chill swept through him, even though it was a fairly mild night. Not for any reason in particular that he could think of. He sighed. He had fulfilled his destiny. So now what? What else was there for him to do? Perhaps Kasumi had been right, maybe he did need a goal so much that he had resorted to being Hayate's little obedient puppet. The thought concerned him.

He heart footsteps, and realized that he wasn't alone. Hayate was walking towards him. He couldn't read the expression in his eyes, but his facial expression was clearly confusion and concern, to some extent. He turned back away from his friend, to avoid the glances.

"To think…" Ryu started, not bothering to turn around again. "…that the last time I did this I was thinking about you and where you were, except you really weren't that far away. It just seems almost ironical,"

"Did what? Sit on the roof?" Hayate asked. Ryu nodded mutely. "Why are you sitting out here, just out of curiosity, anyway?" he asked, sitting down next to his friend. Ryu muttered something incoherent and stood up to leave, but Hayate grabbed his arm.

"Hang on a second, Ryu. What's up?"

The ninja shook his head and pulled his arm away from Hayate's grip. Hayate frowned, before grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him down again. Ryu started, before glaring at Hayate with a severe intensity which Hayate decided to ignore.

"Nothing has changed, Ryu. I'm back and everything's just the same," he protested lightly.

"Don't fool yourself, Hayate,"

The cold words started the slightly younger ninja. How was it not? Sure, Kasumi had left, but other then that, everything was okay, wasn't it? Well, nearly everything… but even still, why did his friend have to be so touchy? If it was Kasumi or even Ayane, he could have attributed it to 'that time of the month', although with Ayane it could just as well have been her deciding to be aggravatingly cold. Ryu however… he had his moments. Oh, yeah. Lots of them.

"Stop being such a pain and tell me what's up. Sure, maybe not everything is the same, but how boring would life be if it was always the same?" Hayate asked, glancing across at his friend who seemed to be examining every inch of the tree which was located roughly in front of them.

"It would be predictable. There's a difference," Ryu said emotionlessly without taking his gaze off the tree. Hayate suddenly twigged. Of course. Irene. How could I forget?

"Ryu, she's dead. I'm sorry to be the one who has to say this to you, but get over it," Hayate said bluntly. The lack of reaction proved to him that his friend had not listened to a word he had just said. He didn't bother to repeat it. He could repeat it until he was blue in the face and not get a reaction if Ryu wasn't listening.

He just doesn't understand. Ryu thought bitterly. How daunting it is not having a goal, something to do. He's clan leader now. He's going to have everything to do. That and the fact I don't know whether I want to talk to him. He still doesn't seem himself yet. And after beating him when he had no recollection of who he was fighting, yet to have him sitting here now demanding to know what was bothering me… I just don't like it. And even Ayane… what is it I feel for her?

"…it," Hayate said. Ryu started again, missing most of the sentence. "What did you say?"

"Get over Irene. She's dead. Moping will do nothing," Hayate said bluntly. Ryu flinched at the forthright tone in his friend's voice. He knew that Hayate was right, but that didn't stop him from getting angry about it.

"I'm going. I'm not putting up with this, or you," he announced flatly, standing up and checking that his sword was holstered. "Until I see you next, Hayate,"

With that, Hayate could only watch, dumbstruck, as his friend disappeared in a swirl of leaves. He reached out and grabbed one of them, examining it in the moonlight. The same bright emerald green that they always were. No different from what he remembered.

"Ja matta ne, Ryu-sama," Hayate whispered into the night.

*

He placed the note next to her bed, admiring the way her hair fell down over her eyes as she slept. No use leaving without an explanation, at least to her. He thought. Wait a minute. Why am I doing this…? As if she cares. If not, she can give the note to Hayate. Or throw it away. I don't mind. Goodbye, Ayane.

The super ninja disappeared again, as the girl of his current thoughts sighed and rolled over, still deeply asleep.