Tyki shrugged faintly and returned the smile. "Go ahead and ask, Hakuba," he said.

He thought Hakuba was right, about understanding. And yet he and Zechs had seemed to find such a deep understanding so fast. It wasn't complete, but it was so much more than he had ever experienced.

That Hakuba also wanted to understand him touched him deeply, as well, though he wasn't as sure of Hakuba's motives for that. He felt it was more clinical, more like a detective's need to ferret out the truth.