[When Cliff suddenly pulled back and looked him right in the eyes, Souji was a little stunned. It wasn't often that he found himself on the opposite end of such an intense gaze and he'd never been told things like what Cliff said. Wild animal aside, of course. He'd been called that, but never in a good way and Souji could barely hide his wide-eyed surprise at how Cliff was opening up to him.

He was wrong about one thing though; Souji wasn't strong. He was barely holding together enough to make himself seem normal, and yet Cliff was calling him strong. But Cliff was smiling and Cliff didn't know about how Souji spent his early mornings or what happened to books that would never interest him. It was a small part of his life that he couldn't really share because no one would ever really understand. It was insanity - even the Hijikata from the other world had called it that.

But Cliff didn't know, and so Souji smiled back, raising a hand to touch the Klausian's cheek.]

You think too highly of me, Cliff-san. But thank you.

I wish I could tell you all the reasons why, but there are so many and I've never been very good at this. [He turned his hand around, running the back of his fingers down Cliff's jaw slowly.] But you are important to me, more important than I've let anyone become since I left home. I would fight by your side and die for you, if you asked it of me. In our own way, that is how samurai define our affections.