“He made it into the tower just like you knew he would.” hide reported to his boss and friend.

 

“See you had nothing to worry about. And we didn’t even hurt him that much.” Yoshiki gloated from behind his desk. “You worry too much.”

 

“No more than any of your other men. Toshi wouldn’t be happy if you hurt Mike,” the pink haired man replied.

 

“Rainie wouldn’t be happy if I hurt Mike… then Yuuki would be sad and I’d have to hide in my office.”  Yoshiki replied sorting through the papers on his desk.

 

“So he’s safe but Rui had to suffer because he doesn’t have the favor of your daughter?”

 

“Rui volunteered and anyway Mike doesn’t transform the way we do. So he couldn’t get in the tower. One of your team was the only way and Yuuki isn’t ready for a mission like that.”

 

“And of course Rui volunteered, yes I know. That doesn’t mean I have to be happy about having to hurt one of my men,” hide replied crossing his arms and leaning against his bosses desk.

 

“You know we have to help that girl.”

 

“It’s just a bonus that it will hurt Kozi?” hide supplied smirking.

 

“There’s that. He has gotten in my way one too many times.” Yoshiki huffed.

 

“And he probably isn’t even aware of it.”

 

“I wouldn’t be very good if he knew about me would I?”

 

“Perhaps, I would like to check on him at least once a week.” hide mentioned.

 

“Of course, as often as you want. If you didn’t how would we get reports,” Yoshiki responded.

 

“I want you to take Ino while I continue to train Yuuki. I don’t want him anywhere near that man.”

 

“He hasn’t been near the tower since we’ve started staking it out.”

 

“I know… I just… what if he appears unannounced and he… no… no! It’s better that Yuuki stay here with me than go anywhere near that city or that tower.”

 

“Of course, Yoshiki, Ino and I will go within a few days and check on Rui.”

 

“Just be careful. We should be able to navigate around the premises without chewing up the wires all the time they’ll get suspicious.”

 

“Animals live in the woods what person would they have to suspect us. Like you said you wouldn’t be very good if he knew about us.”

 

“Still sometimes we’ll need to rely on stealth. You and Ino can manage.”

 

“Yes, boss.”

 

“Send Toshi in we have much to discuss about our plan.”

 

“Our plan?”

 

“Just go hide.”

 

~~~*~~~

 

Rui sighed as he finished his transformation. It seemed like he had been in his cat form for weeks. He had to get comfortable with Hizaki’s routine. As far as Rui could tell he was a very deep sleeper he barely moved when Rui snuggled against him in his sleep. No one entered the room when the young mistress was sleeping. He spent so much time alone after supper. Rui still wasn’t sure if it was by choice or if it was forced. He was just glad that he was able to help the poor dear.

 

When he had seen the poor dear sitting on the top of the tower gazing out of her window he had felt drawn to the dear. When Yoshiki told them he wanted someone inside the tower Rui had been the first to volunteer. He had wanted to know the damsel locked in the tower. He wanted to know why someone would want their supposed child to suffer.

 

He had laid with Hizaki when no one else was around. He listened to everything she told him from his entrance into the tower to when his mother left and his existence in the tower afterward. Rui’s heart cried out for the poor girl.

 

He looked at his sleeping mistress once more. One should not have to go through so much pain. Recently he told Rui he had talked to a man outside the tower. Rui would have talk to hide about this person skulking around the tower. It sounded like he was starting to like the man. It was possible that they could go to him and use him in whatever plan Yoshiki and the Generals came up with.

 

Rui turned toward the door and took a step toward it. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get outside the room, but he had to try something. He moved the handle of the door gently so as not to disturb his sleeping mistress. The knob turned but the door didn’t move. He had to get out of the room. How could he report on the inside if he couldn’t get around the tower. Rui checked his mistress sleeping on her bed before he looked around the room. He could try the window and make the jump to another window, but that was risky.

 

He brushed a hand over his hair as he examined the room with human eyes for the first time. It was almost like he was in a whole new room with human eyes for the first time. It was almost like he was in a whole new room he almost had to reevaluate. The only other door was the bathroom from what he could tell there was no way out of there.

 

His eyes caught sight of the air duct… it was older probably not held in with screws if he had to guess. He moved quietly to the vent and knelt in front of it. He pulled on the grating and was relieved when it slid out of the vent. The space was large enough for him to fit through in human form, but he thought it may be faster in cat form… then again he tended to be quitter in human form… and he was still … He looked back at his sleeping mistress one last time before he knelt down and crawled into the unknown duct system.

 

It took him what felt like hours to find an opening when it was really probably only a few minutes. He crawled out of the opening and stood up carefully. The outside of the room was decorated in the same fashion as inside the room. The hallway was small, rounded and dimly lit. He could see the staircase at the end of the hallway.

 

He walked toward it and made his way down the stairs. This tower seemed bigger on the inside then it did from the outside. The next floor was full of rooms Rui moved to the door closest to the stairs. He opened the door slowly revealing a kitchen beside the door was a long white jacket that Rui took and wrapped around his body. The kitchen was bigger than he had been expecting considering the fact that they only ever talked about having one cook. He moved further into the kitchen taking in the view. It was designed in the same Gothic style as the rest of what he’d seen of the tower. This was unlike any of the properties Yoshiki owned. Yoshiki was fond of white and bright colors and everything was modern. Yoshiki had to have the newest thing whether it was fashion or technology Yoshiki was on top of it.

 

Everything was dark in here from what Rui could tell. The stove was cast iron and claw footed. There was no microwave or food processor the newest looking thing was the fridge and it was still black and looked old fashioned. Rui felt bad for the cook he had to cut and clean dishes by hand. Rui moved slowly further into the kitchen taking it all in when he heard something behind him. He turned to see someone who had never entered his mistresses bedroom standing in a fighting stance.

 

“Who are you and what are you doing in Master Kozi’s tpwer?”

 

“Ahh…” Rui was unprepared for a confrontation. “I-I… I saw your mistress in the tower… and my heart cried out to her. We just want to help her.”

 

“We? Who do you work for?”

 

“I work for Yoshiki under his highest General hide.”

 

“You work for Yoshiki? Hayashi Yoshiki?”

 

Rui looked at the older man confused. They had constantly spoken about how Kozi was unaware of his leader’s existence, but here was this man that lived under him speaking the name of his boss. “Yes Hayashi Yoshiki. Under his highest General. You’ve heard of him? They were sure Kozi didn’t know about him.”

 

“I don’t think Master Kozi does. I have a… friend away from Master Kozi who has heard of him. But how did you get in?”

 

“Oh… um…well that servant Teru  carried me in…”

 

“Teru?” Takanori was even more confused. Not only did this boy work for the mysterious Hayashi Yoshiki, but Teru carried him in? “But…”

 

Rui sighed and took a breath, “How much do you know about my boss?”

 

“Well, not very much, I have to be very careful with what information comes into this tower.”

 

“He’s a shifter… My boss can change into a cat and so… His highest General hide has a team of shifters that change into housecats.”

 

“So your Hizaki’s new pet?”

 

“Yes… my name is Rui we only want to help Hizaki achieve happiness. Yoshiki feels terrible about her situation.”

 

“Rui’s your name? How did Hizaki know?”

 

“There may have been suggestions planted as best I could in cat form. Are you going to report me to your master?” Rui would feel foolish if he had misjudged the cook and told him too much. He would have no one to blame but himself if he died. He was too trusting…

 

“I could especially with everything you told me, but our goals are the same. Hizaki is miserable and if something isn’t done… So I assume you are the one’s responsible for the cables being cut.”

 

“hide… he… protects me. He doesn’t… yes…” Rui responded.

 

“We need… There has to be a way for you to maneuver around the woods without being caught on tape. I can talk to Masashi and tell you about where the cameras are placed. We wouldn’t want Master Kozi to come before we were ready…”Takanori said, “Not again…” he said the last part softly.

 

“You’re right so…”

 

“You want the layout of the tower right? That’s why you are sneaking around? I can get that for you as well.”

 

“Your awfully trusting.”

 

“Maser Kozi is slowly and unintentionally killing his daughter. If you say you work for Hayashi Yoshiki I know you won’t hurt my mistress. My friend has told me about Yoshiki he’s not involved in the crazy things Master Kozi seems to be involved in.”

 

“Yoshiki would never leave his children alone for too long…  No matter what he needed to do for work…” Rui told him.

 

“I will tell you, if you do hurt Mistress Hizaki, Teru, or Masashi I will not hesitate to make you suffer.” Takanori warned.

 

“I have no doubt.”

 

“Now would you like a snack?” The cook offered making his way toward the refridgerator.

 

“I haven’t had human food in so long… and Hizaki raves about your cooking. He wonders about you and why you never meet…” Rui mused.

 

“That was my fault. If we are able to get Mistress out of the tower then we’ll meet soon. It’s time I honored my promise… I owe them that much…”

 

Rui watched the cook as he went to work. He could hear the sadness in the man’s voice. It wasn’t his place to ask what was wrong, but whatever it was Rui suspected it troubled the older man deeply. Rui could feel it in everyone here. He would do whatever it took to help these people.

 

~~~*~~~

 

“Where’s Hyde?” Wataru asked approaching his friend sitting alone in their favorite café near their work building.

 

“Probably working. Why are you asking me?” Zin asked looking up at the red head.

 

“You mean your little guard dog actually does work?” Wataru asked chuckling.

 

“He has to do something for his money despite what he wants us to believe. As much as he’d like he can’t just sit around and look pretty. Do you miss him?”

 

“No! You’re little yappy dog won’t let me near you. He hasn’t let me talk to you since the camping trip.”

 

“He is strangely possessive. We should take him out.”

 

“Maybe… I’d rather talk about you, right now.” Wataru mused watching as the younger man seemed to get lost in his own head for a minute.

 

“Why?” He asked looking up surprised. “There’s nothing happening with me.” Zin said looking back down at his lunch.

 

“I’ve seen you looking off into the distance losing your train of thought.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“Is that what you wanted  to talk about? When would I have time to meet someone? Kamijo gives me all the work he doesn’t want.”

 

“When did you start lying to me? I bet Hyde knows about this person.”

 

“It’s just… I’ve barely talked to them. I hardly think it counts… it’s complicated. I’ve…”

 

“It is fine just remember to talk to me, too! You’re my best friend and I know Hyde doesn’t like me for whatever reason…”

 

“He thinks you are trying to steal me. You’re both my best friends. I’ll remember to tlak to you if anything big happens.”