“So then,” Hiroto said, settling himself on a sofa in his office and indicating for the siblings to sit on the other. “You wanted to convince me to allow your brother to stay here despite the fact that he's human?”

 

“Yeah.” Enkai replied, seating themself on the sofa opposite Hiroto and fiddling with the fluffy end of their long tail. “Y'see, Yuki isn't like other humans.”

 

“Oh?” Hiroto's eyes ran over Yuki, who was sat next to his sibling quietly, staring at the coffee table between the two sofas.

 

“It's nothin’ you can see, he's autistic.” Enkai explained. 

 

‘That explains the quietness then.’ Hiroto thought.

 

“But it's more than that too.” His attention snapped back to Enkai. “I don't know how, or whether it's to do with his brain working different because of his autism but… he can see setsuzoku.”

 

“Can he now?” Hiroto was intrigued. “That's very interesting.”

 

Yuki glanced up at the tiger eared man and then hastily lowered his gaze back down to the table when he saw that Hiroto’s yellow eyes were fixed on him.

 

“See them, touch them, talk to them.” Enkai rhymed off. “I mean if not for the fact he doesn't have one of his own and no animal traits I'd think he was one of us himself.” Noticing Yuki's discomfort, they opened up a carrier that had been set on the floor next to them and handed a small black and tan dog to him, causing the quiet young man's face to break into a wide smile.

 

“And who's this?” Hiroto questioned.

 

“This is Ishi.” Enkai told him with a smile while ruffling the dog's ears. “He's Yuki's unofficial support dog. He helps him with his nerves and stuff. I figured pets wouldn't be an issue with the setsuzoku so…”

 

“Yes we allow pets, especially aupport animals, official or not.” The older man said with a smile, extending his hand towards the little dog slowly. “He's certainly a handsome little fellow.”

 

Ishi watched Hiroto with his soft brown eyes, sniffed at the outstretched hand then licked the man's fingers twice, making him chuckle.

 

A small smile tugged at Yuki's lips before he spotted something and tapped Enkai's arm “Ryutai's back.” He said quietly, pointing to the window where a small, sea green dragon was hovering. 

 

Enkai's gaze followed their brothers pointing finger before landing on the dragon in question. 

 

“Oh Ryu!” They smiled, getting up and letting the little dragon in.

 

Ryutai let out a happy chirp and flew in to land on his partner's shoulder, he was a sea green color with a pattern resembling waves on his wings, a long tail with a pale blue mermaid style tail fin. There were white swirls along his body, his horns and claws were the same blue as Enkai's, his eyes were a deep blue color and he had a sandy colored underside.

 

“How'd it go?” Enkai questioned.

 

“Chairo and Mazushi have returned home sir.” The dragon reported, settling himself down on his perch. “And nobody saw you come here. You're in the clear.” 

 

“Good to hear.” The HZ replied, stroking the dragon's head and handing him a piece of dried meat from their bag, having returned to the sofa next to Yuki. 

 

Hiroto’s striped tail flicked and his eyes narrowed. “Are you two in some sort of trouble?” He questioned. “Because I won't stand for my residents being in danger, if…”

 

“Depends what you mean by ‘in trouble’.” Enkai snorted. “If you mean being chased down because you were getting the hell out of a toxic household where your narrow minded, abusive, drunk, arse of a father locks you in a dome of darkness for over an hour because you don't wanna be called a ‘she’ or where your mother keeps telling your brother to ‘grow up’ and ‘stop being so stupid’ when she knows he can't because it's basically impossible due to a condition he was born with then yeah, we're in trouble.” The green eyed teen’s voice broke at the end and they bit their lip to hold in the tears that were building in their eyes.

 

Yuki put his arm around his sibling and, in a surprising show of boldness, glared at Hiroto. “I can deal with how they treat me, so I can leave if I need to.” He said, his voice was still quiet, but it had a firm edge to it. “But you can't turn Enkai away. Mazushi is deranged, he set Chairo on us the last time we tried to get away.” The young man continued. “Chairo is his setsuzoku, he's a big black bear. Luckily he chased us down but didn't hurt us, but that… that bastard was furious and punished him for it. He even…”

 

“Yuki quit it, I'm not letting you go back there!” Enkai protested.

 

“I'm older than you.”

 

“I don't care if you're forty freakin six I ain't gonna…”

 

“Settle down, both of you!” Hiroto said, raising his voice over theirs.

 

Enkai flinched and fell silent immediately, staring at the older man with widened eyes.

 

Yuki pulled his sibling close and also looked up at Hiroto.

 

‘Dilated pupils? Hmm, I see, this Mazushi seems to have left his mark on them, but they put up a front for their brother.’ Hiroto mused internally. “I don't remember ever saying you couldn't live here.” He pointed out.

 

“But you said…” Enkai protested.

 

“No, what I said was, I won't stand for my residents being in danger, I'm perfectly happy to let you both stay here. Hiroto corrected. “Just let me know any details you're comfortable with telling me and if someone is after you, we can have someone look into them and get this sorted out.” He explained.

 

The siblings exchanged a look of surprise. 

 

“Are you serious?” Enkai checked.

 

“Completely.” Hiroto assured them. “I would never turn my back on someone in need.”

 

“Oh thank god.” A look of relief washed over the teen as they flopped back against the sofa.

 

“Now then, I just need you both to fill out these forms for me.” He handed each of the siblings a clipboard, pen and form. “And Enkai, I'll need to see your birthmark once you're done, please, preferably activated.” He added.

 

Enkai frowned slightly.

 

Hiroto held his hands up. “I do trust you, it's just a formality at this point.” He assured the aqua haired teen. “I do like to give people the benefit of the doubt anyway but a couple of months ago some humans got in and started causing trouble. So now I ask to see the birthmarks of anyone entering.”

 

“I see, can't really blame you for that.” 

 

“Oh, and so we're even here's mine.” Hiroto said, lifting up his short sleeve and showing a roaring tiger's head mark on his shoulder in blue he formed a ball of light in the palm of his hand and the mark glowed.

 

Enkai nodded and smiled in appreciation and began filling in their form. 

 

The first part of the form was mostly generic stuff, name, any nicknames, age, birthdate, gender, preferred pronouns, setsuzoku type, setsuzoku name, magic type, emergency contact, allergies, disabilities, partners. Then it moved on to preferred living arrangements; Are stairs manageable? Big or small windows? Do you need wheelchair access? Single or double bed? Do you have anyone living with you? Do you have pets?

 

“You guys are pretty thorough here huh.” Enkai stated.

 

“We like to make sure our residents are as comfortable as possible.” Hiroto smiled.

 

Enkai raised an eyebrow at the tiger eared young man then continued with the form, handing it back to him when they were done. Then they stood up and rolled up the right leg of their pants to reveal an aqua colored birthmark in the shape of a dragon. They then held their hand up in front of themself and created a large bubble of water, moulding it into various shapes. This caused the mark to glow.

 

“Thank you for your understanding.” Hiroto said as he watched the teens display. “I don't like asking because it makes people feel like I don't trust them.” He sighed. “But in truth it's humans that I don't trust, you wouldn't believe what they come up with to trick their way in here.”

 

“Don't worry about it.” Enkai said, shaking their head. “You're cautious, that's a good thing in my book.”

 

Hiroto looked relieved. “Alright then, if you'll just give me a moment to check these over and then I'll show you to your rooms.”

 

Enkai and Yuki nodded and Hiroto flashed another smile and set about reading through their forms.

 

After a few moments he took out his phone and called someone, asked a few questions, hung up again, typed something on the phone, pocketed it and turned to face the siblings once more. 

 

“Ready to get settled into your rooms?”

 

 

“I've put you both on the third floor.” Hiroto explained as he led Enkai and Yuki up the stairs. “And your rooms have a connecting door that has a lock so if you ever need the other or you need space, both options are there.”

 

“Wow really? That's actually pretty perfect.” Enkai stated.

 

Hiroto’s already cheerful expression brightened even more and his tail flicked happily. “Good to know.” 

 

“Thank you.” Yuki piped up quietly.

 

The elder males ears pricked up, showing he had heard and he nodded towards the younger man. He clearly wanted to make sure to not make his new guest uncomfortable, something both Yuki and Enkai were grateful for.

 

After showing the two to their rooms and making sure they were to their liking, which they were, (Yuki especially appreciated the slanted skylight because he would be able to see the moon at night, something which helped him relax) Hiroto left them to settle in. Though he did pause at the door before leaving.

 

“I have some work to do now, but I've asked someone else to show you around the place, his name is Tantei, he's a bit quiet and a little rough around the edges, but he's nice enough.” He explained. “In any case, I daresay he'd be easier for you to deal with than one of the others.”

 

“Right.” Enkai acknowledged. “Thanks for the heads up.” 

 

Hiroto nodded. “No problem.” He said. “I hope you like it here.” Then he left, shutting the door behind him.

 

Yuki perched on the end of Enkai's bed, watching them unpack their bag. “So what d’you think?” He asked, scratching Ishi behind the ears.

 

“Manager seems nice enough.” The HZ replied. “And they're definitely dedicated to making people feel comfortable.” They paused for a minute. “Not sure about that cat guy though…what was his name?”

 

“Kiiro.”

 

“That's the one.” They plopped down next to Yuki after tucking the last few t-shirts into the draws. “Him I'm not keen on. Too…agressive.” 

 

Yuki snorted. “You're one to talk, I thought you were gonna dive over the desk and punch him.” 

 

“He was the one giving dirty looks out for nothing.”

 

“Oh yeah? And what about your permaglare huh?”

 

Enkai scowled at their older sibling. “Just go and unpack would ya.” They huffed, giving him a mock shove.

 

Yuki laughed and left through the connecting door. Enkai flopped back on the bed with a huff.

 

“Brothers.” They muttered.

 

Just then, they noticed a set of closed, floor length curtains on the far wall. The curtains on the other windows were open, so this was strange. Hopping off the bed in one smooth motion, the dragon HZ went to investigate. Pulling the curtains back to reveal a pair of glass doors leading to a balcony with a half wall topped with railings.

 

The balcony wasn't huge, but it had enough room for a small table and two chairs with space left over for standing against the railing. Enkai went over and did just that, taking a deep breath of fresh air and relaxing a little for what felt like the first time in forever.

 

Moments later though, something made hairs on the back of their neck stand up and they whirled around, swinging their tail with force, the fur on said tail transforming into scales in the process and the furry tip changing to more resemble that of a dolphin. 

 

SLAP

 

Enkai's tail made contact. Though not in the way they intended. A clawed hand now held the tail in place inches from the head of the young man that was now standing on the balcony with them.

 

“That's interesting.” The intruder said, his crimson eye narrowing, the other hidden behind his grey hair. “How did you know I was here? I was certain I made no sound.”

 

“Who the hell are you?!” Enkai snarled, wrenching their tail from the others grasp and lunging at him instead, sharp blue claws at the ready.

 

But once again, the red eyed young man caught them before they could follow through. “You didn't answer my question.” He said calmly.

 

“And you didn't answer mine.” Enkai snapped back. “Did Mazushi send you?”

 

“I don't know any ‘Mazushi’.” The crimson eyed stranger replied. “I was, however, sent to get you.”

 

Enkai's eyes narrowed and they growled.

 

“You are Enkai Katsuye are you not?” The young man checked. “And your older brother Yukimizu is next door?”

 

“What's it to you?”

 

“My name is Tantei, Mizubuki asked me to show you around.”

 

If Tantei hadn't still been holding Enkai by the wrists they would have faceplanted the floor right then and there. Instead they just stared at him.

 

“And you're only telling me this now?!” They exclaimed after a few moments of stunned silence.

 

“You attacked me before I could introduce myself.” Tantei pointed out, releasing the younger one's wrists.

 

“Yeah because you appeared out of nowhere!” Enkai countered.“What, you can't just walk up to the door and knock like a normal person?!”

 

Tantei frowned. “I'm not a normal person, I'm a hozei-zumi.” he corrected “And I came from the roof, not nowhere.”

 

“In this area, hozei-zumi are the normal ones.” Enkai reminded him. “And what the hell were you doing on the… you know what, never mind. Can…can we just start over or something?” They rubbed the back of their neck awkwardly.

 

“Yeah.” Tantei nodded. “Good idea.”

 

The two headed inside and Tantei took the lead in their do over. 

 

"Alright, so my name is Tantei Damasu, I am also a resident here and my setsuzoku is a black jaguar named Hisokana.” He raised a hand and pointed to a black jaguar with some unusual red markings, currently swatting playfully at Ryutai who was flying around it. “I was asked by Hiroto to show you around Pride Place.”

 

‘He calls that a proper introduction?’ Enkai thought. ‘He barely told me anything new.’ Deciding to shake it off, they took a breath and started their own introduction. “I'm Enkai Katsuye, I identify as non binary or demiboy, I use he/they pronouns, my setsuzoku is the dragon over there, his name is Ryutai.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Oh um, it's nice to meet you.” He held out a hand.

 

Tantei chuckled slightly and shook their outstretched hand. “The pleasure is all mine.” He flashed a small smile, showing off his sharp canines.

 

At that, Enkai felt their face heating up. ‘What the hell.’ They wondered. ‘Why do I feel warm all of a sudden?’ Frowning a little, the dragon HZ stood up. “I uh… I should go get Yuki so we can start the tour. He probably has his headphones on and didn't hear anything.” He said, hurrying towards the connecting door.

 

Sure enough, Yuki was sat on his bed, headphones on, in front of an empty bag. He was just placing a notebook on the small set of drawers next to the bed when Enkai walked over and waved a hand to get his attention.

 

After Yuki and Tantei were introduced (through Enkai as Yuki refused to speak) the tour began. 

 

Starting from the ground floor, Tantei took them through the entire building, the gym, kitchen, dining room, treatment room, (for minor injuries and illnesses only), games room, lounge, pool (Enkai was particularly fond of that one), utilities room, they even had a special area for HZ ability training. 

 

As they progressed Tantei pointed out some of the occupied rooms, including one with a fancy looking security system installed.

 

“Wow, that's some system.” Enkai stated.

 

“Oh, that's uh…my room.” Tantei told them without stopping. “I…like my privacy.” He reached the stairs, pausing with one foot on the first step. “Moving on to the last stop, the roof.”

 

“The roof?” The siblings exchanged a confused look before following the grey haired hozei-zumi.

 

Once they passed through the door, it wasn't so strange that Tantei had been on the roof before he landed on Enkai's balcony. The vast majority of the roof was taken up with a vast assortment of plants. Flowers, herbs, vegetables of all different kinds, in planters, their own patches or in a greenhouse in the far corner. There was a group of tables in the centre and trellis arches lined the path around them.

 

The siblings were in awe.

 

Seeing their stunned faces, Tantei chuckled again. “Quite impressive, no?” He flicked an ear, making the two earrings he wore tinkle as the hoop hit the stud. “Aijin made a project out of it, we grow most of our own vegetables and such here. Come, I'll show you around.” He beckoned with his tail and started along the path.

 

 

“Just checking in sir.” Dameda said in a hushed tone. He was standing behind a wall, talking on the phone, glancing around the corner every now and then, his tufted ears flicking back and forth, he and Kogeru, his setsuzoku, were on a tracking and reconnaissance mission, an important one.

 

“Dameda, how many times do I have to tell you, just call me Hiroto.” Hiroto’s voice chided down the phone.

 

“I know, I know, but doesn't it just doesn't sound as cool that way.” Dameda said a little sulkily.

 

Hiroto gave a resigned sigh. “Dameda, your report?” He prompted.

 

“Oh, right, yeah.” Another glance around the corner, good the target hadn’t moved. “The rumours are true alright, the target sets up shop wherever they feel like, they sell all sorts, magic items, crystals, regular human stuff, even things we don't usually have access to or information if the price is right.”

 

“Interesting.” Hiroto sounded thoughtful. “And you haven't been seen have you? We don't want to spook them.”

 

“Well…I'm not exactly sure…”

 

“What does that mean?” 

 

“Well…sometimes when I'm watching her she'll turn around slowly and sort of look right in my direction, with this creepy grin on her face.” He explained. “She'll stay like that for several seconds and then go back to what she was doing.” He shuddered. “And other times she'll be looking right at where I am, but then I'll blink and she's back to what she was doing before.” 

 

“And yet you're not sure if she's seen you?” Hiroto sounded dubious.

 

“Well…no sir.” Dameda shrugged. “Y'see I've seen her talking to someone that isn't there too. Like she'll talk to her setsuzoku and then turn and talk to thin air. As if there's someone else with them.”

 

“I see.” A pause. “So you're saying she could just be a few raindrops short of a shower.”

 

“I mean…it's possible.” The Bobcat HZ looked around the corner again, but there was nothing there. 

 

His target had vanished. 

 

The teen felt the color drain from his face and his ears flattened.

 

“Uhh, sir, I'm gonna have to call you back.” He said slowly. 

 

Not waiting for an answer, he hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He took another look around the corner, nope, still nothing. Dameda slid down the wall a little, face in his hands.

 

“How did I let this happen?!” He groaned.

 

“Lose something?” A voice asked. Female with a casual, airy tone and a hint of amusement that was almost, but not quite fully, hidden.

 

Dameda yelped, side hopping and slipping into a battle ready pose immediately.

 

“Pretty jumpy for a spy aren't you.” The girl remarked. She was younger than Dameda, from the look of her anyway, she had a medium build with slightly tanned skin, wore a black hoodie and sweatpants but her feet were bare swinging in front of her as she perched on top of a crate a few feet away from Dameda. A black snow leopard sat beside her, eyes fixed on Kogeru.

 

“So you did notice.” Dameda growled, ears flattened. “When?”

 

The girl laughed. “I've known you were following me from the start.” She told him, narrowing her deep red eyes and flicking her black, rosetted tail. “Now, tell me something.”

 

Dameda narrowed his own chocolate brown eyes. “Depends on what you want to know.”

 

“Oh that's easy.” The girl shrugged, a cat-like grin spreading across her features as she slipped off the crate, reaching for something behind her.

 

“Dameda, look out she's…” Kogeru began, but the Bobcat was too late.

 

In a flash the girl had Dameda pinned against the wall with the blade of a glaive pointed at his throat.

 

“Who are you, who do you work for and why were you following me?” Her curved black ears almost disappearing into the medium-long brown hair that fell freely across her shoulders as they flattened against her head.