Well, he'd managed to make a little time in his schedule, and needed a bit of a break from the constant meetings and such going on regarding the.... incident, that would be announced later. For now, it was being checked as quiet as possible, with gag orders issued over the mainland villages that could see what had happened, and all visitors being well warned that gossip would not be allowed. A formal announcement would be made soon enough; that would have to tide the people over for the moment.

In the mean time, he was going to follow up as he had said; do a little one on one time with his newest students. He knew from their first meeting that they'd be doing a significant amount of therapy sessions at first; it was his job as both their teacher and their Kage to make sure they where in the best of shape, mentally; and he was uniquely suited to that job via his training and clan abilities. First off, in the quiet of the late evening when the people would be at the markets and such, and the building and tree would be nearly empty, Zeich; the asylum seeker from Makkura. As far as Hiroyuki was concerned, he'd done right in granting the boy the chance to stay in the village, there had been no reports of problems; if anything he was almost too quiet. Hiro had sensed plenty of darkness and fear in the boy, so that was understandable; adding in his... special condition, didn't help much either. He'd have to work with building the boy's confidence, and getting him comfortable around humanity; or as comfortable as a canine could be with them. Hiroyuki wanted to believe he could place himself in Zeich's shoes, or paws, as it where; but Hiroyuki at least looked human, whereas Zeich lacked that advantage. It would take far more for him to fit in then the common place Inuzuka, that was for sure.

Hopefully though, Hiroyuki could here there; or at least find some coping mechanisms that would work for him; so that he could foster some semblance of a social life in the village. If his timing was right, the boy should be arriving any moment now; he'd sent the note along with Shiroi hours before, giving a general time to meet in his secluded office so they could talk and whatnot. Keep it simple, and far away from anyone or thing that would make him more nervous, beyond Hiroyuki himself.

The dark of night was one of the few times in which Zeich felt comfortable. Though he still did not walk among the people, and in going out of his home he was still dressed in the cloak and mask that he normally hid behind, the Genin felt as though the darkness was a second shroud about him, hiding his unusual features futher. It created a sense of comfort, of relaxation; though he was no less wary of others discovering his secret, the half-wolf no longer felt the need to check if his mask was firmly in place every few minutes, no longer felt that every eye on him was searching beneath the physical barriers to expose the secret hidden within. As a result, Zeich made good time in traveling through Niwa, crossing the streets as he made his way from his home at the outskirts of the village towards the Shinboku, the enormous tree that sheltered the entire area.

The reason he was out tonight was not the usual chance to get some fresh air while there were fewer people around to notice him. Instead, Zeich had received a summons earlier that day, delivered by the Hakage's own ninken. Why Hiroyuki wanted to speak to him was somewhat of a mystery, but the half-wolf could narrow down the possibility to a small handful; either the Hakage wanted to speak with him about how he was adapting to the village, wanted to discuss future training after their squad demonstration not long back, or else it was some form of reprimand. The last seemed unlikely, but Zeich, having lived among wolves almost as long as he had humans—not including the time that he had spent in suspended animation—was still prone to fumbling over cultural issues or else simply not understanding some human rules that were fundamentally different than the ones he had learned among the Tsukikage pack.

Well, whatever it was, Zeich was not terribly worried. Hiroyuki was the type to be very understanding, so if he had made a mistake somewhere and was being scolded for it, the half-wolf was sure that the Hakage would listen and explain for him so that he would not do it again in the future. If it was anything else, there was unlikely to be any tension; for once, Zeich actually found himself looking forward to the meeting. No squadmates to hide his face from, and with Hiroyuki both knowing his secret and understanding the half-wolf's fear and paranoia, the Hakage would be just about the only human that Zeich would be comfortable around. And, if the meeting was suitably private—as private as an audience with the Hakage could be; ANBU eyes weren't worrisome, as his description had been circulated among them when he had first been discovered—then the Genin might even be able to take off his mask, and interact with another person face-to-face. Without fear to stifle his emotions, Zeich was as happy as a pup in spring; he could just be himself, for once, without worry.

As he arrived at the office that he had been told to meet at, Zeich paused to glance at the sky out of habit. Unfortunately, the Shinboku made it difficult to tell the time by the position of the moon, so there was no sure-fire way to tell if he was on time, or even a little early, given his enthusiasm for this visit. Oh well; if he was a bit early, he was sure Hiroyuki would allow him to wait outside until the man was ready to speak with him. For once, he didn't even have Haiiro with him, so it would be a quiet wait. Lifting a gloved hand and knocking lightly a few times, Zeich stepped back to wait for a response.

Gentle knocks, to soft to be most of his usual visitors, and too obvious to be an ANBU. Zeich, then. Good, good. For a moment, his hand brushed against the seals carved into the desk, activating the one the corresponded to the seal that locked the door when he wanted it to stay closed; in doing so he caused the seal to reverse and allow the door to open on it's own; just the force of the gentle air currents enough to cause the massive slab to move, it was so well balanced and the hidden hinges so well maintained. That was the signal for the boy to enter, whenever he was ready. There was little to no rush in the air; and Hiroyuki was game with dragging things out to enjoy the break. That, and he had a suspicion that working with Zeich would require time, something he was happy to offer to the boy, as he so far rather liked him; even with their limited interactions.

"Come, sit. Anywhere you like, dear. Relax, if you can; this is informal, and nothing serious. I wish to talk, nothing more."

The door swung open in a moment, and Zeich paused, expecting a person to be on the other side. He was surprised to see that there was no one standing by the door; it was as though it had opened on its own. Perhaps some jutsu, or a mechanism that he didn't understand; whatever it was, the Genin didn't question it. There was no threat in visiting the Hakage, and so the half-wolf stepped through the now-open door with little hesitation. Shutting the door behind him out of habit in order to create a closed, concealed room—a habit that he had grown accustomed to in his own home, making sure that all of the windows were covered and that his doors were locked—Zeich paused for a moment to glance around the room. Seeing that it was just the two of them, at least that he could detect, the half-wolf gave a polite nod at the request to be seated, though he first removed his mask.

It was rare that the half-wolf ever felt comfortable enough to remove his disguise. Unless he was at home, or out in the wilds away from the village, Zeich kept himself hidden at all times to reduce the risk that the wrong person would see him. Yet here, only a glance to assure himself that no one else was immediately present was enough for the boy to relax; it served to show that he had placed a great deal of trust in Hiroyuki, willing to find security and confidence in the Hakage's presence. So the mask, the ebony covering in the shape of a wolf's face that was designed to reflect Zeich's true face, was pulled free and set aside, along with the cloak that was pulled from Zeich's shoulders and folded neatly before being placed aside as well.

Gray fur and golden eyes, neither belonging to a human face, were revealed as the mask was removed. Zeich's face was hard to tell apart from a normal wolf's, and though the curve of his eyes and the slightly squarish shape of his muzzle did mark him as slightly abnormal, these details were hard to spot unless you knew what you were looking for. Hiroyuki probably would, being around canines as often as he was, but they were minor differences, hardly standing out. Long black hair, a remnant from Zeich's human life, was tied back in a long ponytail that ended at the base of his neck, while the bangs in front framed his golden eyes. The only known—currently—success from the Makkura experiments to improve their use of Kuchiyose techniques by creating a middle figure between human and summoned beast, Zeich had traits of both worlds, though the wolf side was clearly the most evident.

“Thank you for the invitation, Hakag—er...” Fumbling for a moment, Zeich remembered that it was an informal meeting, and it would be rude to ignore that request. Rude still to not call a distinguished figure by his title, but not nearly as much so. “Ahem, sorry. Um. Thank you for inviting me, Hiroyuki-san.” A concession to moderate formality, the best that Zeich could muster given half of his upbringing. Pulling up a chair, the half-wolf considered it for a moment before settling down into it, tucking his long, bushy tail through the opening in the back of it so that he would not sit on it. “I appreciate the personal meeting, though I have to wonder what it's for.”

Ah, that hiccup of formality; he couldn't blame the boy for defaulting to that, given who and what he was. Maintaining proper formality was key to surviving the world of the wolf; far less so humans. Better to be safe, though; or so he was assuming the boy believed. There wasn't much on his desk, or in the room in general; on a peg on the western wall hung the robes of his office; untouched for long weeks and seeming dusty for it. Hiroyuki wouldn't touch the robes unless he had to, although he would wear the hat for meetings with the elders and such. Screw uncomfortable robes; even the insanity that was the formal wear that the old Hanagakure people wore was nothing compared to those heavy robes. He'd take buttons and straps with breathing cloth over the heavy, dense armor that was a Kage's robe; any day. A small stack of paper, blank to the untrained eye, sat sorted in a bin that was normally overflowing, a pen and a few pencils in a cup, the usual office supplies. The only stand out feature of the office where the walls; covered lovingly in paw prints, paintings, and the general idle doodles of children and dogs; years of work at this point covering the walls of the office. The personal touch of his tenure; the mark of his family and his loves; he was a family man first, a Kage second.

"I believe I mentioned at our last meeting that I would be touching in with my students individually; a progress check of sorts. That, and a chance to talk without any formality or barriers. In your case, I wanted to discuss how you've been adjusting, and any issues you've come across." He reached for one of the blank papers, which when a flash of chakra washed across it, revealed the detailed information contained. It was a more detailed version of the ninja info cards many of the sensei carried; having access to all manner of normally locked records meant he had plenty of information on his squad; power rankings, fairly recent training details, etc, etc. Zeich's was... somewhat empty, but that was a given as he was new to the village; it was a major work in progress. "I could lie to you, and say this is a combat check or something too; lure you into dropping your guard so I could dig into your mind... however; I find tactics like that to be distasteful, and they tend to backfire badly. I want to have earned your trust, not your fear, child; so I will be as open as I can be with you. More so than how you are adjusting, I want to try and help you reconcile your identity issues. The inner conflict has created a darkness within you; one that could well swallow you whole one day. I don't want to see such a rare soul as yours lost like that. So I want to offer you a place to safely vent, as it were. Full confidence, not a word spoken here will leave this room obviously. I want to help you as much as you will allow me; both as your sensei, and hopefully as a friend."

Zeich listened quietly as Hiroyuki spoke, observing his actions to try and learn what little he could about interaction while he had an opportunity to speak to someone face-to-face. A glance around the room had revealed little, and yet at the same time revealed so much. The room was fairly bare, with only the desk and chairs, a robe on a peg, and little else in the way of furniture. However, what drew Zeich's eyes were the walls. To most, they'd see doodles, smears of color and indistinct shapes. The half-wolf saw much more though; he saw the love of family that lived in this room, the touch of children in the scribbles that lined the walls. He saw paw prints, big and small. The room spoke of family, not just immediate, but to all those who had occupied the chamber. Something about it was just... awe-inspiring. It created a sense of home in a way that the silent walls and empty rooms of Zeich's current living space couldn't begin to compare to.

But that feeling had to fade as Zeich focused on his teacher's words, listening to Hiroyuki's explanation of the meeting and what he was attempting to do. The open honesty in it was refreshing, but Zeich was only so willing to believe because of who he was talking to. The Hakage had taken him in with only a little consideration given to his unusual form, as well as the fact that he was an escapee from Makkura's laboratories. For no other reason than Hiroyuki's unquestioned support, Zeich trusted the man, and listened carefully as he explained his distaste of mind games—something that the half-wolf might have been wary of, in other circumstances—and mentioned that he wanted to earn Zeich's trust. Earn it? He had it!

Still, the point of the meeting was now evident, and Zeich considered his response. Before now, he had sort of “known” what the problem was; he couldn't define it in words very well, as the way he thought of it was in terms of feelings and sensations. To put it into words on such short notice would be difficult, but perhaps possible. “Before we speak, Hiroyuki-san... please understand that you do not need to earn my trust. It was already given, the day you took me in.” He remembered that day well; scared and alone, as Haiiro was not with him at the time, the half-wolf had nearly collapsed in a nervous breakdown when the ANBU had taken him captive. Taken before the Hakage, not knowing whether he would be allowed to live or executed for his unusual nature, he had been surprised not only when his plea had been heard, but when he was given sanctuary in the village. From that day on, Zeich had looked up to Hiroyuki as someone who could be respected and trusted.

“As for... my issues.” Zeich paused; he had long been told by the Tsukikage wolves, Hanshou in particular, that his state was not a curse, an affliction, or even worth considering a “problem;” to them, it was a gift, a place that stood close to wolves while allowing him to still be human, standing between both worlds and enjoying the best of each. Treating it as an “issue” went against that. “Sorry, I meant... the difficulties that arise with my unusual form...” He paused again, hunting for words; with how limited his interactions were with others, his social skills were somewhat undeveloped. “I'm just... I'm afraid. That's all it is, I suppose. I'm scared.”

Pushing himself back away from the desk and standing, Zeich strode across the room towards one of the walls, gently placing a hand over one of the larger pawprints. The pads on his fingers and palm were similar in shape, albeit differently placed due to having human digits. The palm print next to it was similar in shape to his, but missing key features, like the pads. It was a reminder that he was of neither world, but of someplace in-between. “I'm scared. That's truly what the problem is for me. You've seen me at our squad meetings; I hide beneath my mask, I talk little, and I get jittery whenever there's so much as a stiff breeze that could blow my cloak open. No, scared isn't the right word for it; terrified is closer.”

Turning, Zeich raised one hand, examining it in the light. “Every time I leave the domicile you gave me to live in, I'm scared. Fear rises in me as I consider 'what if someone sees me.' Questions arise constantly; 'Did that person see my hand?' 'Did my mask slip?' 'Why are they looking at me strangely?' The list goes on and on, and builds up as I remain among people. When I get back to my dwelling, I shut and lock the door, and have to spend a few minutes catching my breath, reassuring myself that another day has passed, and that my secret is safe. I have to tell myself that I'm safe. That I'm not in danger. Haiiro helps; having my brother out with me gives me a sense of security in knowing that there is one being I am not threatened by. He's very good at distracting me too, whether it's through annoying me or drawing my attention elsewhere.”

Realizing that he was babbling, the half-wolf paused, momentarily flustered. He quickly caught up with his train of thought, though. “So... I'm scared of people seeing me. Why? Because... I'm different. As much as I've been taught that my form is a blessing, that I have a special and unique point of view that none can share, I see it as a curse. Or... at least the human half of me does. Humans fear things that are different. They fear the unknown, they fear the strange. That side of me does so too, and fears what happens if people should see that I'm different. Even I acknowledge that I'm different, and not in a positive light; no human is covered in fur, has teeth like mine. No human is inhuman, like I am.”

“So what happens? What happens if they see me? It's very possible that many will be like you, accepting and understanding. But what about those who are not? What about those who are filled with fright at my appearance, thinking me a monster? What about those who, thinking that they are defending their loved ones and neighbors, attack me? What about the hatred that arises when people encounter something different and alien? These are the questions that make me nervous, uncomfortable, edgy... and make me wish that I were not burdened by this form.” Sighing, Zeich let himself slump back into his chair, resting his head in his hands. “There are days where... I just want to be normal, something I don't think I'd ever be...”

"Hmmm..." He was sitting quietly and listening intently; his attention was entirely focused on the boy, but not in a way that would be overwhelming. If he'd been able to rotate his ears, they'd be facing forward to catch all the sounds of the younger's voice, but his mental ears made up for his; while strong; still rather weak human hearing. There was the essence of perfect truth mixed into the various emotions brought to bare with the words; Zeich was far more self-aware than most his age.

"Fear, then. A common fear, in some ways. The fear of rejection, the fear of the unknown from a different side of the coin... yes, I was almost certain that was what I was feeling in your mind before. Unfortunately, the 'fix', if you could call it that; is rather... difficult, in many ways. I shouldn't call it a fix; as that implies that you are broken in some way; and as far as I am concerned, that is the farthest from the truth. You are your own type of normal; the illusion of normality of the crowd is strong enough to hide this from you, just as it does many other people of your rough age. Something you learn as you experience the world; what is normal to one, is chaos to another. I believe the original adage was "What is normal to the spider is chaos to the fly.""

Hiroyuki shifted some, leaning back into his chair, head tilting back and teeth chewing softly on his lower lip. He was thinking, contemplating what to say next. He didn't want to sound condescending, or offer some bullshit that everyone repeated over and over; that would be an insult to his student. "Tell me, what do you remember from before you where bonded with your wolven soul? How much do you remember of when you where entirely human?"

Zeich's eyes closed as the question was asked; it was one that had been asked before. Hiroyuki had not been the one to ask it, though; Hanshou, the leader of the Tsukikage pack, had asked the same thing. What was his human life like, what did he remember of it? For a while, the wolf had thought that perhaps knowing who he was would help Zeich deal with the internal struggle between man and beast. But a problem had come up in the discussion, the same problem that would come up as the half-wolf spoke with his mentor. “...My time as a human? I remember almost nothing of it, save for the last few minutes of my humanity.”

“I know a little about my past, but it's not the same as remembering it. It's what I was told, the stories from the other 'test subjects'... and I know they're true, because in a way, I remember them. I have no vivid memories, no images or anything to relate to them, but I know it was the truth.” Zeich paced back across the room absently, his eyes distant as he struggled to pull up the memories that he knew weren't there. Try as he might, he had never been able to recall anything before one particularly vivid event. “But... yeah, I was apparently an orphan on the street. It was common, those days; we were in a war, and parents died frequently. Mine were no exception, and I don't remember any names or faces. They were just 'Mom' and 'Dad'. They might as well have been statues for all that meant to me.”

“They took us off the streets, back then. It gave us a home, a place where we were given food and shelter from the cold. We knew the cost, we knew that we'd be test subjects, guinea pigs to further the war efforts, to discover new abilities that could be used in Makkura's favor. Most of us didn't care. We were tired of just surviving.” Zeich paused for a moment in his pacing; it was obvious from his body language that he was suddenly tense. In this case, it was because of a painful memory for the unusual Genin. “...I don't remember anything vivid except the feeling of hunger, of desperation. I would have given anything to make them go away. I did give up everything.”

“The first thing I remember, the earliest thing, was being strapped to a table. I remember the seal being performed, and placed on my body.” A hand rested gently on Zeich's chest, right over his heart, where the Yaseishin seal was burned into his body, hidden beneath the fur that had grown over it. “It hurt, yes, but more than that, I felt as though something were invading my body. I suppose that another soul being forcibly melded with my own would feel like that.” Pacing again, he was back at the desk; he seemed to have a lot of restless energy as he spoke about such an uncomfortable subject. “From there, that's when the changes started. My teeth grew sharper. My face started to change, the muscles and bones reshaping themselves. I grew fur, and my body's structure shifted. From the third day of my month-long transformation, I was a freak. I was a monster. I was... well, to the scientists I was simply Subject Fifty-Eight. But to everyone else, I was no longer human.”

Zeich quickly turned away, though he knew in the back of his head that Hiroyuki could probably sense the sudden pain in his heart. He remembered those days all too well; the half-wolf had suffered in that month of transformation, and for a short time after, until he had been packed away, forgotten for nearly half a century. It was that time before, however, that had created a wound that had eternally festered. Wiping away the tear that threatened to escape from his eye, Zeich was suddenly vulnerable, remembering all too well the torment. “I was a monster. The other test subjects, they looked at me in horror, revulsion. The scientists saw me as a new pet, a project they could examine. I couldn't even look in a mirror without fearing what I'd see. I spent a whole month in that in-between nightmare. And every day, all I could see was the reflection of my inhuman nature in the faces of those around me.”

Zeich took a deep breath. “...That's enough about that for now, please. It's... a rather painful time, if you can't tell. I... um... I don't know. Tell me more about yourself. I need to catch my balance. If that's okay, I mean, Hiroyuki-san.”