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The good thing about keeping an ear to the ground, a paw on the pulse of the Negaverse, listening to the corrupted-grapevine... what was Hiro saying? Oh yes. The good thing about listening to all the rumours in the Negaverse was that Hiro often got correct information before people would otherwise have given it to him. He'd heard a disturbing rumour today about one of his precious senshi. They said Alunite was injured (he ignored the rumour that said Alunite was dying, clearly wishful thinking on the part of the white moon senshi), and badly so.

It could have been a false rumour. But Hiro couldn't detect Alunite's energy signature anywhere he looked. Clearly, something worth looking into. If it was true, Hiro rather doubted that anyone had been going to tell him. What, just because Hiro was all grumpy face and liked to yell during training? That didn't mean he didn't want to know when his students were injured. Perhaps someone was worried there would be more yelling? Hiro was very nice to his injured students - just ask Gently. Well, unless they'd done something stupid.

If there'd been monologuing, after Hiro's warning and everything, then Hiro might just have to yell a bit after all. But it would be for Alunite's own good.

So here Hiro was, sneaking into yet another apartment. Hiro thought that if he ever tired of the Negaverse (or once they eventually won) he had a great future at a cat burglar. The window in front of Alunite's civilian energy signature wasn't the only one open in the complex. If Hiro wasn't such a dedicated cat, he could easily have cased several other apartments. But no, Hiro was concerned for his student.

Fire escapes were the great aid to cats everywhere. Hiro trotted easily up to the second floor. It was a short leap over to the open window, and then Hiro was slipping into what he assumed was Alunite's bedroom.

He waited for his eyes to adjust, then looked around. Ah yes, there was that wild lion's mane of purple hair sticking up all over the place. Not even bed covers could hide the subject of Hiro's attention.

Taking careful aim, Hiro jumped onto an empty space on the bed, not wanting to risk landing on any limbs when rumours hadn't been clear about what had been injured or broken. He stepped delicately over lumps in the covers, making his way up to the purple lion's mane.

Hiro paused. His head shot down, whiskers tickling whatever they could reach under that wild hair. "Are you awake?" he demanded.

Hiro stared down at Alunite - well, the civilian version of Alunite, who admittedly Hiro didn't know. Hiro wasn't sure who or what a 'Sebby' was, but he doubted this Sebby could be anywhere as magnificent as Hiro himself, so it was definitely an unflattering comparison.

"You got hurt," Hiro said, entirely redundant. There might have been just a hint of petulance in that tone, as though Hiro's trainees weren't allowed to be hurt (by anyone other than Hiro and his training).

He nosed at the boy's face - it was still cold from the journey over. Matthew should consider himself lucky that Hiro hadn't been able to find bare skin with it before Matthew awoke.

Just in case there was any confusion as to how Hiro had found the injured senshi, the cat drew himself up. His sole eye gleamed in the light (charging lasers!) as he announced, "Hiro knows all secrets~! Mwahahaha!"

... Actually, he'd followed the siblings home from their last training session. From a distance. Completely non-stalkerly, thank you very much - he wasn't one of those weird human-sexual deviant cats. (He'd made the mistake of asking the Internet once just what on earth a human and a cat would do together - scarred for life. For. Life. ...He did approve of cat macros, though.)

Hiro was not happy. People daring to hurt his senshi-! Hiro would make them pay. His teal eye narrowed.

"Who did this?" he demanded. He needed to know who to go after. Perhaps he could even use his own information-targets to get more information on whoever was responsible. There was no reason he couldn't get some info for himself while he was feretting out what Tanzanite and the Negaverse needed to know.

"And where was Fluorite while this was happening?"

Logically, Hiro knew the siblings wouldn't always be together. But he couldn't help but feel that it was Fluo's job to look after her brother. Alunite was one of Hiro's few senshi - he needed them all to stay alive through this war, and Fluorite was meant to be helping with that in Alunite's case.

Hiro frowned during the recounting of the battle. Painite was one of his best trainees. Alunite had been with her and this had still happened? His eye narrowed. The Page with the shield... Camelot. That old guy had done all this? Hiro was beginning to think the talkative Page was more trouble than his information was worth. Certainly Hiro was very Not Happy with the Page.

"This isn't the first time he's hurt one of mine," Hiro growled. "Maybe it's time someone went after him..."

An Eternal in a black coat rang no bells. Apart from making Hiro wonder if someone in black shouldn't be on their side? It seemed the senshi at least switched from mostly-white to mostly-black after corruption.

"You need to run from Eternals," he advised Matthew. "Not only are they more powerful than you, but if they have an offensive power on top of that, against your own..." Well, it wouldn't be pretty. Alunite's attack was very useful, but not once a senshi had him in their sights and was whipping out an attack.

Still, he would have to investigate, find out more about this blonde Eternal with glasses and a black coat. There would be revenge!

Hiro forced himself to calm down. Getting all riled up and angry wouldn't help Matthew any. Hiro turned in a circle, before lowering himself to the bed and snuggling in to Matthew's shoulder. (Not the most comfortable of places, but much less likely to nudge a rib this way.)

"Painite did well to get you out," he said softly. "We'll train harder once you're well again, and then get back at those who hurt you."

Hopefully Hiro would have two names for Alunite by then, not just the one.

Hiro added the unusual cavalry to the mental file he was building on Camelot. The old man had some interesting - and very powerful - allies already. And he wanted to further organise the Pages or Knights or whatever they were? Hiro saw that ending badly - for the Negaverse.

"I'll have to chase your sister down and have a chat with her," Hiro agreed. Splitting the work would make things faster, and sharing information would mean they were all better prepared. There was no sense holding on to his knowledge if his trainees were the ones going up against the enemy. This was already more injured than Hiro liked to see his soldiers.

"We'll get them. You rest up and get better." Hiro let out a reassuring purr.

Hiro's purr grew louder at the ear scritch. What wasn't permissible during training was a whole 'nother kettle of fish during downtime. It was always nice to discover a good ear-scritcher. Hiro deserved some form of reward for all his hard work, too!

"We really need to recruit a doctor or something," Hiro pondered aloud. The amount of his trainees who'd been injured - seriously - lately, it seemed the Negaverse could do with it's own dedicated medical attention. They didn't have any magical healers, unlike the senshi. And enough repeat visits to a civilian hospital for broken ribs or stab wounds, and human organisations began to stick their noses in.

Hiro frowned. Zinkenite was the brainy General, the one assisting Hiro in picking out targets to leech information from. If he wanted Alunite for a mission, it was a very specific, very strategic reason. Hiro didn't want to let the General down, but he worried over throwing Alunite back into the field before he was properly healed.

"If they clear you for field work in time for it, be very careful," Hiro eventually settled on a warning. "You don't want someone to rebreak your ribs right after they heal."

A chirp momentarily interrupted the purring, Hiro startled by Matthew's suggestion. "That... is a very good idea," he said. His one eye half-closed in consideration. It might be worth asking Zinkenite if the General knew of any senshi with healing abilities. They would be a boon to both the regular officers and the Negaverse senshi.

Hiro picked the smartest humans, really! He settled back down, purring thrumming like a small motor.

"He'd better not," came the dark grumble. Hiro would have Words with the General if any of Hiro's precious senshi got injured for no reason.

"We'll work it out," Hiro reassured Matthew. The last thing someone with broken ribs needed to be worrying about was recruitment. Not that it was Alunite's area to begin with. But a good idea and Hiro would pass it along. Anything to avoid more of these bedside visits where Hiro could do nothing for his injured trainees except purr and keep them warm.

For now, that would have to be enough.

Closing his eyes, Hiro settled in for a power nap. They could both use the rest, and be ready to fight back another day.