Every time Frau went to bed with Castor he remembered why he'd sworn the last time would be the last.

Ayanami turned away from where he stood at his window, and Hyuuga stilled abruptly at the icy distance in his eyes. Something very close to panic sizzled through him as he looked into the bottomless gaze of Verloren's memories. If he were alone, he could tease or coax or yield, whatever it took to get Aya-san back from the depths of the past, but he wasn't alone today.

One of Hyuuga's great entertainments in life was to tease his commander. Aya-san spent way too much of his time being serious, and Hyuuga felt it was his solemn duty to make sure Aya-san's face didn't freeze like that.

He knew that the regular forces also thought he was crazy for the way he talked to the Major. But it had been obvious as the sun in the sky, right from the moment they'd met, that Hyuuga would never respect fear. So Konatsu never showed it. He wasn't really sure he'd ever even felt it--not fear. Stunned amazement, fierce delight, genuine respect, incredible frustration, all of those, but not fear.

"What's so surprising?" Jiraiya asked, brows arched. "You're the student of my student. That makes you my grand-student, so it's part of my job to look out for you." While Kakashi was blinking at this line of logic, he rubbed his chin. "Hmm. You're also Sasuke's teacher, so you're my teacher-in-law also. Two significant bonds! I don't see what you're startled by."

Sometimes, when Aya-san brooded for too long, he lost himself a little, and when he lost himself to memories of pain or anger it wasn't good for anyone. Not unless there was something on hand he could kill to regain his equanimity.

When there wasn't, well, that's when getting him back out became Hyuuga's job.

No moment of Rufus' presence had been without a faint glow, ever since they'd come back to Midgar, but the new year had fanned that fire, and their journey itself had stripped away the dimness from Tseng's sight. That light pulled at him, like the desire to mark the paths of the city's life only far stronger; it closed over him like water as Rufus stepped past him into his home.

Alarms were ringing through Konoha's night, hurrying the civilians to the shelters, raising the lights in the village center, calling the close patrols in to defend their homes. Shinobi of the village ran to guard the wall and ranged through the training grounds beyond, searching for the attackers.

Castor didn't always ask for what he needed. Personally, Frau thought he'd taken the whole abstinence and penance thing way too seriously. This evening, though, Castor made a thoughtful sound and took a sip of his wine, eyes fixed on Frau over the rim. "There's something I think I want to try," he said at last.