Author's note: I'm sorry, but I've got to have another one of these, because I forgot to do it in the last chapter. I meant to answer Wolf's question a long time ago. This fic starts when the main four, as I've come to call them, are relatively young. Ryu and Hayate should be on the cusp of adulthood, like 12 or 13, placing Kasumi and Ayane at around 6 or 7. I wanted their growth to appear gradual, so their ages are deliberately vague in the following chapters. Mostly this fic showcases how such an unusual childhood affects these four.

From now on, to reduce these dumb "author's notes" let's direct questions about the fic to my blog, found on my bio page. It's a joint journal, and I would be on the right hand column. Just click the small number by the date to leave a comment. That's where I'll answer questions.

Warnings for the chapter: this chapter contains no action (boo!) and a lot of talking. It's kinda like Kill Bill 2.

Standard disclaimers apply.

Red. There was just so much red. Even in the pitch darkness, he could see it clearly, running down and gathering at the knife's point before forming a dark drop that detached and disappeared with the weight of gravity.

Hayate shifted his grip on the knife hilt and tried his damnedest to control his face when he felt the unmistakable stickiness covering his palm and fingers. His stomach turned violently, but other than the profuse sweating, he was doing all right. Only after he felt his stomach settle did he feel brave enough to glance over at the body he knew was lying at his feet.

The bloated oval of the man's face stood out in the darkness. Bathed in the pale moonlight, the flesh already turning blue (what was this man's name?), veins visible beneath iridescent skin. Below his chin was the gaping gash that (why couldn't he remember his name?) Hayate's knife had mercilessly—almost clinically, if he thought about it—(but his name!) torn open. The wound was already festering (he was sure he knew it a while ago) and the beneath the man's (goddamn, what was this bastard's name?!) neck and head, the blood from the wound darkened the earth.

It was only after he got a good look did he finally turn and stumble away. He didn't manage twenty steps before finally collapsing onto his knees in front of a tree and vomiting. He continued to wretch for what seemed to him like a very long time, even after he felt a comforting hand gently pound him on the back. When he finally got himself under control, he looked up at his father. He didn't trust himself to be able to stand yet.

His father's face was stern, despite the sympathetic shakes of his head. "The first one is always the hardest," he said gruffly. "You'll get used to it."

At the moment, Hayate couldn't even begin to fathom how he would ever get used to this, but he dutifully said, quietly, "Yes, sir." Then he lowered his head so he wouldn't have to look at the older man anymore. He was too tired to make a fuss.

His father, obviously slightly disconcerted that his son hadn't yet risen, waited a few more moments before hesitantly reaching out to give Hayate an awkward pat on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you, boy. That was perfect." Except for the clenching of his fists, Hayate didn't stir. The man just looked down at his son, incredibly unsure what to do. It wasn't a feeling he was used to nor one he enjoyed. So he settled for one that he was the most comfortable with.

"Listen, boy," he said, the shinobi clan head in him said, "this is our lot in life. This is the Mugen Tenshin. You're not the only one who's done this, and you won't be the last. You're going to have to grow up and accept it. And so will Kasumi." And then, not knowing what else to do, he turned and stalked away, so that he didn't see his son desperately shaking his head in flat denial, and he didn't hear the words coming out like a litany under his breath:

"No. No."

Standing outside in the hallway, Kasumi took a deep breath to calm the nervousness. Which was ridiculous, she chastised herself. Why should she be nervous, after all? This was her very own brother. So, she shifted the food tray in her hands, and forced herself to clear her throat and call out: "Nii-san? I've brought some lunch for you." She was not surprised when she received no answer.

Lately, it seemed like Hayate was starting to withdrawal from others—from her. It had been such a gradual process, that Kasumi couldn't pinpoint an exact moment when she noticed it, but if she had to guess, she'd say around the time he got back from his first mission. It wasn't as though he was noticeably different, that night he got back. In fact, she hadn't had time to talk to him that night since the instant he got home he hit the showers and stayed there so long that eventually Kasumi ended up going to bed first. And the next day, he had seemed cheerful enough. But that was when the odd behavior had started. For one thing, he hadn't talked about his mission at all. Well, not directly, at least. When she had asked—the one and only time—he had merely gave her a tight smile and made some vague comment. But something about him then made her instinctively avoid the topic in the future.

Looking down at her reflection in the cooling bowl of miso soup, she realized it was probably his eyes. Now that she thought about it, he got that look when someone mentioned Mother around him. Or maybe it wasn't the look so much as the feeling…? Oh, it was so confusing. She had just known it was something taboo with Hayate. And then he had started staring off into space more often than not. And whenever he had received missions, he started to go silent and spend more time in his room.

Like now. He hadn't shown up for lunch again, and frankly Kasumi was getting tired of it. She was sure he fed himself during the week sometime, she just never saw him do it. And she was sure whatever he was eating wasn't a good, square meal. "Nii-san?" Kasumi tried again. "Aren't you hungry?" Still no answer. If he was ignoring her on purpose, well, that just wasn't going to work today! "Nii-san? I'm coming in."

She slid the door open, and scanned her eyes around the vacant room. Odd, but at least she had a reason why he wasn't responding. Her eyes soon landed on the sliding doors opposite her leading out to the verandah. Walking through those, she soon spied him sitting atop a rock in the middle of the meditation garden. He apparently hadn't heard her, as he made no movements to acknowledge her presence.

Now she was really worried. Since when had he started taking up meditation? "Nii-san? Are you all right?"

Hayate snapped out of his trance with a start. "Kasumi? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question. When you didn't come down to eat, I thought you might be hungry, so I brought up a tray for you."

Hayate nodded his thanks. "Just leave it there. I'll eat something when I'm finished here."

A dismissal if she ever heard one. She dutifully turned to leave, but then stopped and turned back around. "Nii-san? Is there something you want to tell me?"

He seemed genuinely surprised by the question. "No. Why do you ask?"

Kasumi fidgeted. "I don't know. Lately, it seems like you've got something on your mind."

"Thanks, Kasumi, but it's nothing."

"But," she still persisted, "if you have something you want to get off your chest, you know you can talk to me, right?" She felt crushed when he only gave her that tight smile again. Defeated, and terribly lonely, Kasumi went back into the house.

Dusk had fallen by the time she had returned from training. It had been a particularly grueling session, and she winced as she shifted the bag of equipment on her injured shoulder. Hayashi, walking at her side, was quick to notice and offer his services: "Let me carry that for you, Kasumi-san."

"No, it's all right. I've got it."

The pair made their way up to the dojo to drop off their loads in the storage room. As they set the bags up on the piles, Hayashi took the moment to look at Kasumi out of the corner of his eye. How lucky was he to get paired up with such a partner! Not only was she the daughter of the clan head, her blooming body was the stuff of which his dreams were made as of late. He knew he was the envy of a lot of the guys; several already had their eyes on her, and it was even rumored that she was the reason that Hayabusa kept coming around. But considering he was her sparring partner, he also knew he had the best chance with her. Taking advantage of their positions, he deliberately brushed his body up against hers until everything was in place and he no longer had that excuse. And as he saw Kasumi get ready to leave, his mind scrambled to find some way to make conversation or something. "Kasumi-san?" he questioned, in what he hoped was a suave voice, until she turned and faced him, "I'll walk you home."

"No, no thank you. I was thinking of going over and seeing if my brother was done training. I'll go back with him."

"But Hayate-san should still be on his mission."

Kasumi started. "What?"

Seeing that that stopped her from going, Hayashi nodded vigorously in confirmation. "I saw his squad leave this morning."

Kasumi bit on her lower lip. He didn't even tell me this time….

The two walked up towards her home in subdued silence, mostly because Kasumi was too lost in her thoughts to attempt conversation.

She knew he had come in at night. She had heard the door to his room sliding shut some time past midnight. But he had apparently left before dawn since by the time she took his breakfast tray up, the room was already empty.

"Your brother was called away on a reconnaissance mission," came a gruff voice behind her, startling her into turning around so fast she spilled the miso on the tray. Kasumi stared up into her father's disapproving frown, not really registering the dripping soup more than the thought that she hadn't even felt him coming.

Nor did she have the presence of mind to properly greet her father. "But—but, he just got back from one!" she protested.

"The clan's needs come first," he stated, "and this is an excellent opportunity for Hayate to learn stealth techniques."

Kasumi nodded, knowing her cue of when she was supposed to at least show she accepted her father's words. But she nearly dropped the tray when she heard him say: "Kasumi, I want you to stop pestering your brother so much."

At first all Kasumi could do was gape. When she finally did manage to work her tongue again, she managed to ask, "Did—he say that?"

"Of course he didn't. But I know. Hayate has this way of spoiling you, and I want that to stop immediately. It's harder for him to concentrate on his work if he has to keep babying you, and so far you haven't succeeded nearly as much as you should have as a shinobi. I won't have you holding him back. You just concentrate on your own training. Until you surpass Ayane, you aren't to disturb him. Do I make myself clear?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But, Father--!"

"Just do as I say!" It wasn't a request. It was a command: as clan leader to his subordinate, as father to his daughter.

Kasumi bowed her head, and mumbled a beaten, "Yes, sir."

"I will not be questioned," her father stated flatly. "Clean this up," he added, gesturing to the spilled soup, before turning and leaving his daughter standing alone in front of the empty room.

Ayane just blinked, and said, "What?"

Kasumi swallowed her impatience and repeated for what seemed like to her the umpteenth time and asked again, "Can we train together today? Just you and me?"

The younger kunoichi just repeated the blank blinking motion a few more times before finally saying, "That's what I thought you said. But there was no way I could have heard that correctly, right?"

"No, I'm serious! Please, Ayane? Train with me?"

Ayane's eyes instantly narrowed in suspicion. "What are you planning?" A list of past offenses—harmless pranks, really—Kasumi might be plotting revenge for scrolled through her mind. Nothing to get worked up over. But this was Kasumi, and Ayane had no idea what she went on in that twisted little mind.

"Nothing!" Kasumi insisted. "I just want to train with a stronger sparring partner, for a change."

"Flattery will get you no where," Ayane said flatly. "I don't trust you any…" any more than I can throw you is what she was planning on saying, but now that Ayane thought about it, that was pretty far. "…anyway, I don't trust you," she finished.

Kasumi wanted to rip her hair out in frustration, but there was no way she was going to give Ayane that satisfaction. At any rate, now was the time to swallow her pride. "Please? I'll do anything you want."

Now there was a tempting offer. Ayane's calculating eyes glinted. "Anything?"

"Anything," Kasumi confirmed, nodding her head vigorously.

Well, if that was the case, at least it meant she wasn't planning revenge. Not that Ayane did anything that warranted revenge, mind you. But one never knows. Ayane made a great show of considering her offer, before saying, overly gracious, "Oh, all right."

"Thanks, Ayane!" Kasumi cried in relief. "I owe you one!"

But Kasumi's relief was short lived when she saw Ayane's feral grin. "Yes. Yes, you do." And with that, Ayane led the way to a training clearing, practically skipping all the way.

Silently, Kasumi was wondering if this was worth it. I'm going to wipe that smirk off her face, Kasumi growled darkly to herself as she followed.

They had been pummeling each other into the ground for quite some time before Ayane popped the question: "So why did you really ask me out here?"

Kasumi grunted as she dodged a punch and answered as she volleyed one of her own, "What do you mean?"

Ayane attempted to use Kasumi's punch against her by grabbing her arm and using it to throw her, but Kasumi twisted out of the grip and backed off a few paces, out of reach. "Come off it. You and I both know there's no way you would train with me unless you needed something. So say what it is already."

At that, Kasumi broke ready stance, and looked at the ground guiltily. Ayane, seeing her opponent drop guard, decided this was a good opportunity to strike, and started to rush at Kasumi when the other girl asked, "Ayane, does Nii-san talk to you?"

Ayane stopped in her tracks. "What?"

Kasumi raised her face, and Ayane was actually surprised to see the desperation written there. "You've been on missions together, right? Do you guys ever…talk?"

Ayane snorted in contempt. "Idiot. Who the hell talks during missions? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"I wouldn't know. I've never had one yet," Kasumi said quietly.

"You wouldn't be able to handle it," Ayane scorned. "It's not some kind of picnic, Kasumi. Missions require focus and concentration. Stupid actions like that could get someone killed."

Kasumi chewed on her lower lip and nodded. "How is Nii-san? During the missions, I mean."

Ayane blinked. She wasn't following this conversation at all. "What do you mean? Hayate-san is the best. No one even comes close."

"So, he's good, then."

"The best, I said." Ayane lifted her chin haughtily. "He's already surpassed those in his group who've been on the squad longer than he has, and the elders are talking about making him captain of a squad soon." She sighed dramatically. "I guess all the Mugen Tenshin children can't be geniuses."

Kasumi didn't even seem to hear her. "Ayane, I think something's wrong with Nii-san."

"What?" There was a pregnant pause. Mentally, Kasumi fumbled for the right words.

"He's…not himself. He doesn't eat. He doesn't sleep. He's starting to meditate for hours."

"Well…what's wrong with that?" Ayane protested, although it sounded half-hearted even to her ears.

"He doesn't even talk to me any more," Kasumi said, with tangible sadness.

"You're just jealous because he doesn't have time to baby-sit you anymore! He's growing up and leaving you, and you can't bear it, that's why you're saying this," Ayane shouted, trying to will it to be true by saying it. But it was no use. The seeds of anxiety were already planted, and Ayane's mind already was starting to wander away from the conversation. Now she was preoccupied with Hayate-san's past behavior. When had she last seen him? How did he behave? She honestly couldn't remember. Up until now, she had thought he was perfectly fine. Silent, perhaps, but she had just passed that off as his being focused. So, was he not all right then?

Damn Kasumi for bringing this up.

"Ayane, I have a favor to ask."

"What?"

"I need you to go ask Hayabusa-san to talk to Nii-san."

"And what good is that going to do?" Ayane snapped impatiently.

Kasumi sighed. "It's no good. Nii-san isn't going to talk to either of us. But he might still talk to Hayabusa-san. Please, Ayane. Please, ask Hayabusa-san to come."

"Why don't you get him yourself?"

"Father says I'm not allowed out of the hold until I start missions. Please do this, Ayane." Under normal circumstances, Ayane would have laughed to hear the little princess getting grounded. But as it were, Ayane just nodded grimly, and started to walk away, when she heard Kasumi's voice call after. "Ayane!"

"What?"

"How—" Kasumi said, "how did you get so strong?"

Ayane considered the kunoichi standing in front of her for a few moments in contemplative silence. Then she turned and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "I pretend my opponents are you."

She met him by the gates of the village. He had been in the middle of intensive training, but when he heard the kunai[1] lodge into the woodwork of a nearby tree trunk, and after he saw whom the note was from, he slipped away as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," Ryu said congenially in greeting. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Ayane's stoic face didn't even acknowledge the playful barbs. She immediately gave him a low bow. "Ryu-sama."

"Hey," Ryu said, raising his hands defensively. "Just 'Ryu' is fine."

"You are a squadron leader and heir to the Dragon clan," Ayane stated. "It wouldn't be proper."

Ryu brushed it aside. "I doubt you came all the way out here to talk to me about titles. Is there something you needed?"

"Ryu-sama, please come and see Hayate-san."

"Hayate? I haven't seen him since the New Year's. Why? Is there something wrong?"

Ayane nodded. "I think something's bothering him. But he won't tell me what it is."

Ryu didn't like the sound of that. "Have you talked to Kasumi about this?"

Ayane again confirmed, stiffly. "She's tried talking to him as well, but has failed."

He chewed on that for a while. So, maybe he wasn't exactly surprised that Hayate appeared standoffish to his comrade-in-arms, but to Kasumi? "…all right, Ayane. I'll be by as soon as I can."

Ayane nodded her thanks, before disappearing into the night.

Kasumi was in her brother's empty room, cleaning up the untouched dinner tray when she heard the unfamiliar, heavy step on the verandah. She only had an instant to react to it when the sliding door was flung open, revealing the form of Ryu Hayabusa. His surprise at seeing her was evident on his face, and vaguely she got the feeling that it must resemble something of her own expression.

For a moment, there was only surprised silence as the two just stared at each other.

"Ha—hayabusa-san! How—when—what are you doing here?" she finally said.

Fortunately for Kasumi, Ryu was finding it equally difficult to speak coherently. "I, er, well that is—you see, Ayane—"

Recognition flashed through Kasumi's mind and she jumped up, hope exploding in her chest. "You came! Oh, I'm so glad!" she exclaimed, cutting him off. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon," she confessed.

"I hurried over. It seemed important," Ryu said, now somewhat sheepish and belatedly wondering if he overreacted somewhat. "I wasn't expecting to see you in here. Otherwise, I wouldn't have barged in."

"No, no! It's all right," she was quick to assure him. She gestured to the otherwise empty room and said, perhaps redundantly, "Nii-san isn't home right now. Um…do you want to sit down and wait for him?" she offered, a proposal readily accepted.

"So, what exactly has been going on with Hayate?" Ryu asked, as he accepted the cup of tea offered to him. And as he sipped, he thoughtfully listened to Kasumi relate the entire situation. When she was done, all he said was, "I see" as he stared down into the teacup, trying to compose what he should be saying in his head.

Finally, he said, "Kasumi, listen. Different people react to…stressful conditions, well, differently. What Hayate's going through happens to a lot of people. And it might not necessarily be a bad thing," he ventured.

Kasumi's reaction was instantaneous. "Not a bad thing? How is this not a bad thing?"

"Calm down, Kasumi," Ryu said. "What I'm saying is that this might be Hayate's way of coping. He's under a lot of pressure right now, and he's probably doing this to help him concentrate."

For a while, Kasumi didn't say anything. But Ryu could tell what he was saying wasn't exactly reaching her, from the way her eyes blazed as they regarded him. It wasn't a feeling he enjoyed.

When she spoke again, it was in a flat and disappointed tone of voice: "You've changed, too."

"Me?" Ryu was not prepared for that. "How so?"

"You haven't smiled once since you've been here."

"I—" Ryu stopped to think. "I…didn't realize."

"It's true," Kasumi said, her voice brittle in a way Ryu never heard from her before. "Not once. And your eyes have changed too. Like Nii-san's. Distant. Cold. Focused," she said, stressing the last word in caustic sarcasm.

"Kasumi…"

"Oh, don't!" she said, choking back a sob of frustration and anger. She continued her tirade, her voice rising as her words gained speed. "I thought you could help! But you're not any different!"

Ryu stared. This was the first time Kasumi had ever spoken to him like that. Seeing her like this, it was starting to bring home how much around him was changing. Like the way she said Hayate had. This person she was describing sounded like a lot of shinobi Ryu knew, but was a stranger to the memory of his friend he had. All of this was making him begin to wonder how he must appear to Kasumi now. And his sympathies to her opened up.

"This must've been hard on you," he said, softly.

At his gentle words, her face crumpled, and she buried her head in her arms. "I'm losing both of you," she said into the table.

"Come on, Kasumi," Ryu pleaded, "you know that's not true."

"It is!" she insisted, lifting her head up, anger returning to her countenance. "I may not know much about these all important missions, but if there's one thing I do know it's my own brother! And that," she said, emphatically gesturing in the direction of Hayate's empty room, "is not Hayate! I've lost him to—to whatever it is he's become."

"Kasumi," Ryu interjected, trying to reason with her, "you know you mean more to Hayate than anything or anyone. But he has duties now to attend to. Responsibilities…." But then his voice trailed off as he realized what he was saying. "Oh, God," he muttered, rubbing his temples in a semblance of trying to regain control over himself.

"Hayabusa-san?" Kasumi said, concerned.

"It's nothing," Ryu said. "It's just that I realized I've heard this speech from my father before."

"I see. 'Responsibility' seems to be a big thing with clan heads."

"It is," he insisted against the contempt in her voice. "I wouldn't say this if I didn't believe in it myself. You'll see when you start going on missions. And as daughter of a clan leader yourself, you'll start to feel it, too."

"That I doubt," Kasumi countered. "Let me ask you this, Hayabusa-san. Is duty worth sacrificing everything for?"

"I…yes."

"Is there nothing you would abandon your duty for?"

"Kasumi…"

But Kasumi continued as though she hadn't heard him. "I, for one, know for a fact that I would give up anything for Nii-san."

"Even at the cost of your clan?" Ryu challenged.

"Even at the cost of my life!"

Ryu leaned back heavily. He had no idea what to say to such an impassioned statement, and he said as much.

"Hayabusa-san," Kasumi said, gently this time as if to make up for her previous belligerence, "I know what we've been taught. Duty is important. But there are things more important than duty. That is what I believe."

He didn't respond right away. At first she was afraid that he was offended. After all, she probably said a lot of hateful things. Guilt was starting to catch up to her, and shame. Why on earth possessed her to shoot her mouth off like that? "I'm sorry, Hayabusa-san. I was way out of line."

"No, it's all right," Ryu said, slowly. "Besides, you might be right."

"You're agreeing with me?"

"Yeah."

There are things more important than duty. It was such a simple sentence. But it was amazing how such a simple thought could make Ryu think so much. And he looked at her, this girl who was changing, too, and changing him right before his eyes. And he grinned. I want to believe it, too.

When Kasumi saw his lips curl up in the first smile she had seen on his face since he got there, she couldn't stop the relieved tears from forming.

When Hayate came home, he had at first just walked right by Ryu, which made Ryu feel pretty annoyed. "You know that I'm not a garden statue, right?"

Hayate blinked and said, intelligently, "Ryu?" After confirming it was indeed not a trick of the light or something, he asked, "What do you want?"

"Oh, nice greeting," Ryu snorted.

"Sorry," Hayate said, rubbing his temples, "it's been a long day. How's it going?"

"Funny you should ask. I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Huh?" When his friend didn't move to explain himself, Hayate sighed and sat down heavily on the deck. "Look, I'm not exactly in the mood for guessing games tonight. I just got back from a mission, so I'm kinda beat. Can you just tell me what you came to tell me and get on with it?" The only response he got was a critical look. "What?" Hayate finally exploded, exasperated.

"So," Ryu continued conversationally, unfazed by Hayate's impatience, "do you want to talk about it?"

"About what? Talk about what?"

"Why don't you tell me."

"Will you stop that?" Hayate shouted, jumping to his feet. "Just say what you came to say and get the hell out of here!" All Ryu did was stare impassively at his friend. If he was hurt or surprised by the outburst, he didn't show it.

When he did finally speak, his voice was quiet, low, and sympathetic. "The first…is always the hardest."

"Wha—what?" Hayate said, voice breaking a bit part from exasperation, part from exhaustion. But when the rest of his mind finally caught up with what Ryu meant, he sighed heavily and sat back down. "Oh."

"If it's any consolation…it gets easier."

"Oh, fuck you."

"I'm serious," Ryu insisted.

"I know. I know it, Ryu, all right? I've heard this speech before. Several times, in fact. And do you know the worst part of it, Ryu? Can you tell me that, O great super ninja? Well?" Ryu just met Hayate's gaze unblinkingly in response. In the silence, Hayate took a deep breath before continuing on his tirade, "The worst part is…they're absolutely right. It gets easier. It becomes so fucking easy as long as you just…."

"…focus," finished Ryu.

"Yeah," Hayate said. "Yeah. Focus." He exhaled loudly with a shuddering breath. "But I guess you already know that, huh?"

"You're not the only one who had to go through with it, you know," Ryu said. "It wasn't exactly an easy thing for me either."

"Yeah?" Hayate said, with a shadow of skepticism. "How'd you deal with it? No, wait. Focus."

"Focus," Ryu confirmed, but not without a hint of sarcasm. "The 'Super' ninja, remember?"

"I didn't mean—"

"No, forget about it," Ryu said, waving away Hayate's apology. "It's mostly the truth anyway."

Hayate flopped onto his back, while Ryu took a seat beside him.

"You know," Ryu said into the companionable silence, "Kasumi's worried about you."

"Kasumi? So that's why you suddenly brought this up."

"You're all she has, Hayate."

All Hayate did was give a noncommittal grunt in response while he continued to stare up at the sky.

"Hey, Hayate?"

"Yeah?"

Ryu's question was full of uncharacteristic uncertainty. "Do you think there's a way to have both?"

"What? You mean like a balance?"

"I suppose."

Hayate thought about it. But the only thing he could ultimately conclude was: "I guess I don't really know."

"Damn," Ryu murmured. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Hayate lifted one of his hands and stared at it, contemplating the immense power it was capable of. "I don't really see how. But I guess in the end it doesn't really matter. I've already decided, Ryu."

"Decided what?"

"I've decided. I'll bloody my hands, if it'll keep hers clean."

"Hayate?"

"I don't care what it takes," Hayate continued, his voice growing stronger as it gained conviction. "I'm going to regret the way I lived my life forever. There's no changing that anymore. That's the life I was given.

"But for her, it's going to be different. I swear it's going to be different. No matter what." Hayate suddenly sat up and turned to his friend. "Ryu, when the time comes, will you help me?"

Ryu regarded his friend's face, and wondered what he could possibly be planning. But the gravity of the oath was plain to see. Ryu gave a small grin. "Yeah. Count me in."

He prayed Hayate knew what he was going to get them all into. And he prayed that if nothing else, as Hayate had dreamed, at least Kasumi would come through to see its end.

And if he were lucky, he'd get to see her there.

AN: Wai! If you're reading this, thanks for reading through this chapter! I'll bet it was pretty slow, but I think it's necessary to set up the next events.

And now for some shameless pimping!! If anyone's interested in buying a fanart keychain drawn by yours truly, please stop by the website and check them out! Show the love, people!


[1] knife