The part about Sanzou's attachments bringing him back to who he is get a glorious illustration in the arc with Kami. Gojou leaves, and the uh UNIQUE equilibrium the group has evaporates. Sanzou chain-smokes (which Hakkai points out), loses his lighter, is massively crabby - in short he acts like someone who's worried about a missing friend. Which he is.

Because he's trying so hard to pretend he's not, he is in unusually sucky form when Kami starts telekinetically pitching beads all over the place. Mind, so's everyone else - Gojou's exhausted and hasn't eaten, Hakkai doubtless hasn't slept since Gojou vanished, and Gokuu's borne the brunt of Sanzou's captain cranky act. And Kami cheats. XD; It's no one person's zomgfault that the first runaround with Kami goes so damned badly. The teamwork's been disrupted so everybody faceplants.

And then...THE MAHJONG GAME! This and its sequel cover it way better than I ever could. XD (I still giggle at the fact that one of Hakkai's hands is this type because I am a nerd) They snap out of it, realize that they need to do this as a group, together, dammit - and Sanzou smiles. It's a stealthy one - he's got his hand and cig obscuring it - but if you look at his eyes, it's very apparent.

...That had very little to do with the post at hand :B Oh well. I blame the weather being grody!