Never Let Go [Hiatus]

Part II, Chapter 17- Use

'NANI?'

Madara winced at the sharp cries of the others. He had braced himself for it, but not to such extent, especially when they all exclaimed their disbelief and shock in unison. How rare. Madara knew that what he had done was unforgivable, but their reactions made him feel a thousand times worse. He looked away and crossed his arms in defiance. Nope. He wasn't going to admit his mistake. Maybe a little. But he won't stand being judged and reprimanded by the likes of the others. Nope, over his dead body. He was indeed a proud man. 

Madara actually thought that they were over-reacting. After all, he had managed to pull it off quite well, for the princess didn't seem to suspect a thing. The only problem was the matter of revealing his name. Then again, Madara concluded that he could just as readily change his name if the situation called for it. There was really no big deal, right?

'Actually, what-' Madara started, hoping to explain himself but what cut off by another.

'Great work, Madara.'

Eh?

'Now it might be easier to gather information of the West Tower.' another followed.

Eh? He misread their reactions? They were NOT actually angry?

Kaede-sama stepped in, wondering what the commotion was about. The others quickly summarized and related Madara's encounter with the princess. Kaede frowned, brooding as he listened intently.

'I know what all of you are getting at, but it will be too great a risk.' Kaede stated.

'But Master, we have but only one week left. The West Tower is separated from the main castle. So far, Unit 4 hasn't had the chance to even get close to it. In fact, they do not even have the reason to, for their duties only lie within the main castle. It might arouse suspicion of they were to express interest in it.'

'I understand. Is the West Tower a crucial part of your plans?'

'Not really, Master. But we still need to have sufficient information about it. We never know if there are hidden traps around. Or if the main castle is actually a decoy. We also need to have ample knowledge of the whole compound for emergency and escape, no matter how insignificant it may seem. We cannot leave things to chance.'

Kaede-sama gave his usual low laugh. 'Well-learnt, well-learnt. I see my disciples take my teachings to heart.'

'Very well, then,' he continued. 'Madara, it is now of your responsibility to learn about the West Tower through the princess.'

'What? How am I supposed to do that?' Madara burst. Somehow, he had regretted wishing for action earlier. Now he had gotten himself a huge dose of it.

'Find your way.' Kaede replies, getting ready to stand.

GREAT! Thanks Kaede-sama! What a great help you have been! Madara muttered under his breath, loud enough for only himself to hear. Hide patted his shoulder sympathetically. Gin and Hanami cast him worried looks. They too, understood the new mission, but like Madara, they were not experienced in spywork of this kind.

'I guess you really have to use that charm of your for this,' Gin said.

'Yeah, but at the bright side, at least you get to speak to the princess! And also, it's only for a week. It won't be that tough.' Hide comforted.

'Good luck, bro!' they punched his chest. Their meeting continued as the members reported the information they had received from Unit 4 and of the sections they were responsible for. Madara studied the map that they had come up with, raising his brow. They had actually done an impressive job in figuring out the floor plan of the castle, given the time-frame and manpower. The part representing the West Tower remained relatively empty and Madara felt a weight on his shoulders.

Tomorrow... I'll have to start tomorrow.. time is running out.. But how should I begin?

'I sneak through a secret passageway I've found and ta-da! Freedom!' Akane's cheery voice came to his mind.

Secret passageway! Madara jerked his head up at the thought, but the rest were too focused to notice it.

We could use that...

Madara remembered her eagerness in sharing her adventures with him. The way she revealed information about herself unknowingly. So gullible and innocent.

This may not be so hard after all... Madara smirked.