"Hayate-sama?" a young trainee student had knocked on his door. "There are two people here to see you; I don't know who they are,"

"Whatever," Hayate said into the work he was doing. "Let them in,"

The door opened. In came a haughty-looking Ayane, accompanied by… gee, what's with the hair? He thought. It's longer then Kasumi's, even! He suddenly started. Perhaps it was the oh-so familiar emerald green eyes that did it.

"Ryu! Is that you?"

"Don't sound so surprised," his friend said coolly.

Hayate took a moment to recover. It didn't look anything like his friend at all! He didn't remember seeing him with his hair out when they were children and… oh, my god. I never realized that it was so long. Is it real, I wonder? … oh, Ryu… don't do that to me!

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Ryu!" he exclaimed.

"Shame he didn't," Ayane retorted bitterly.

The silence became thick enough to walk on. Hayate stole a glance at his half-sister who was pointedly not looking in his direction. Ryu's expression was as it always was, showing nothing, simply an emotionless, cool mask. Hayate was beginning to feel uncomfortable, and annoyed. Obviously she ran straight to tell him what I had said to her, he thought. Well, there's no point pretending.

"Ayane, can you go away for a minute?" Hayate asked pointedly, not bothering with any politeness. "I want to speak with Ryu for a moment,"

She did, but not before shooting him an icy cold glare. Hayate gestured to a seat, and Ryu took it. There was silence for a few minutes before Hayate broke it.

"Ayane told you everything, I assume,"

Ryu shrugged.

"I don't know what 'everything' was, so I couldn't really answer to that,"

"Don't be an ass," Hayate snapped. "She told you what I said, and you've come back because you don't believe it, right?"

"Believe what you wish," he said simply. "I don't, but I'm not disputing the issue. Not unless I have to. Did Ayane show you the note I left her?"

"You could have told me where you were going," Hayate said indignantly. "You tell my half-sister yet you don't tell me, and I'm your best friend. Of course I'm going to assume that something's going on between you two,"

"I wouldn't want anything going on," Ryu said softly. "I believe that I've spoken to her more in this last month then I have as a child or teenager previously, and I think that I'm beginning to understand her more then I ever would have before. But I've already failed one woman. I don't need another hanging over my head,"

"That's what your head says," Hayate responded, his anger dissipating into nothing the moment he looked at his friend. "But I bet that thing that pumps your blood everywhere is saying something else," he added, with a pointed look.

"It's there somewhere," the super ninja said simply, dismissing the subject. "Back onto what I came here for. I assume that you want to punish me for helping a runaway shinobi,"

Hayate started. "Don't tell me Ayane told you about my saying that,"

"Did you?" Ryu asked. "No, she didn't. I automatically assumed it. But to me, I was fulfilling my promise to you to protect Kasumi, not the runaway shinobi. She ran away for you, Hayate. The least I could do was protect her, even if that meant getting her out of the tournament," He sighed softly, and Hayate suddenly felt slightly guilty for seemingly putting such a burden onto his friend. "So are you going to punish me, or shall I go back?"

"No… I won't. Are you heading off back to your clan, or somewhere else?" Hayate asked.

"I have to go back there for a while, the Elder is becoming slightly suspicious, and I dare not arouse his suspicions after helping a runaway. No, I will go there for a while, before I go back and reopen the shop, I suppose. There's nothing else to do, really,"

Hayate looked his friend up and down, wondering briefly if he was being serious. He must have come here straight away, he thought. He's not even wearing shoes. He decided to change the subject. "What's with the clothes?"

"Must everyone question that?" Ryu sounded bemused and vaguely annoyed. "Simply there was no need for me to dress formally, so I didn't,"

"Whatever," Hayate said, brushing the comment away. "I want to ask you a personal question," he said instead. Now was time to find the truth about what was going on between his best friend and half sister.

"What?" His friend suddenly looked very wary.

"What exactly is going on between you and Ayane? You've suddenly grown very close, I have to admit. Usually she wouldn't get within walking distance of most guys, and she hasn't made one cutting comment about you. That means that something's up," Hayate said.

"Nothing is 'going on', Hayate," Ryu said, but Hayate noticed that his friend wasn't making eye contact, something extremely rare for him to do. "I have helped her during the course of the last few weeks, that is all. You need not suspect anything simply because of that,"

"You know you like her. It's obvious in the way you're acting," Hayate said flatly. It was true, at least to him, anyway.

"What do you want me to say?" Ryu was flushing slightly. Hayate raised his eyebrows. "She's most unlike I was expecting, and you know as well as I that she isn't an unattractive girl, but… she's your sister, and an assassin as well,"

"So?" Hayate scoffed. "Big deal,"

"I… I don't want to talk about it," Ryu said softly, dropping his gaze to his lap before shutting his eyes.