Another week passed by; more than enough time for Phoenix to decide that he had very mixed feelings about how he'd handled the situation with Diego. On the one hand, the older man addressed his search for an answer to Phoenix's transformation with astonishing fervor – a dedication the feline attorney had previously seen only in court, when Diego had tried to decimate him in legal battles. Which, of course, brought him back to why he should not have said what he did; Phoenix found that he got quite uncomfortable when he tried to imagine how Diego would react to learning Phoenix's true identity. But every time he contemplated explaining the truth of what had happened, he ended up on a warm lap, magic fingers scratching under his chin in the most wonderful fashion, and he would forget what he'd been thinking.

"Come here, kitten," Diego called from the living room, and Phoenix obediently trotted out, hopping up onto the couch beside Diego, and sighing when he was pulled onto the older man's lap. Phoenix looked up to see that Diego was holding a newspaper and eagerly set his eyes to the text as Diego pulled it open; Diego had readily taken to sharing the newspaper with his smaller companion when Phoenix had expressed an interest in reading it. No sense in falling behind on current events just because I'm not human.

Phoenix found his attention captured by an article near the bottom of the page detailing a particularly nasty murder. He briefly wondered if the man who was listed as the main suspect might approach him for defense, before recalling that he could hardly appear in court in his state. I wonder if anyone has noticed that I'm missing?

"Hmmm." Phoenix glanced up at Diego, wondering what article had caught the ex-Prosecutor's eye. Noticing the expectant look, Diego pulled the paper down, so that the article he'd been reading was at eye level for the little kitten in his lap. "You said you're interested in law, right? It would seem that a lawyer has gone missing," he filled in just as Phoenix's eyes fell upon the headline – Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright: Missing In Action.

That can't be good, Phoenix thought, cringing. He suddenly hoped that none of his friends were too worried about him as he realized, biting back the guilty lump that rose in his throat, that they didn't know where he was because he'd been too worried about what Diego might think if he told the man who he was. I gotta tell him, Phoenix thought glumly. He noticed that Diego was looking at him oddly and turned slowly to face the man.

"Do you know Phoenix Wright?" Diego asked suddenly. Phoenix forced himself to nod, swallowing hard. "Are you a friend of his?" Unsure of whether he qualified as his own friend, Phoenix hesitated before nodding again. Diego was silent for some time after that, face unreadable as he watched Phoenix. "I knew him once. We dueled across the courtroom many times. I considered him my enemy..." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Still, I hope he is well, wherever he is. And I hope he is found soon." His face darkened as he added, "Especially for the sake of his young friend, Maya Fey. She has lost enough of those close to her." He shook his head and let out a short, humorless laugh as he looked down at Phoenix. "I'm sorry. I'm thinking out loud."

Phoenix mentally beat himself as he realized Diego was right. How much had he put his friends through because of his cowardice? How much more would they have to worry about him? He jumped to the computer, resolving to tell everything to Diego, consequences be damned.

"Not now, gatito," Diego muttered, shrugging apologetically. "I'm not really in the mood to talk." He stalked into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him before Phoenix could follow.

The defense attorney stared at the door in confusion for several moments before returning to the computer. He spent several minutes typing before he jumped onto the windowsill, staring out the open window. He hesitated before leaping out, running down the street as fast as his kitten legs would carry him. I hope you'll forgive me, he thought as he glanced back over his shoulder, looking at Diego's apartment one more time.

An hour later, Diego emerged from his bedroom after a lengthy telephone conversation with Maya Fey. Though he knew that the gatito had been quite adamant that no one know of his plight, Diego couldn't help spilling the story to Maya after offering comforting words and assurances that Trite would be fine. After seeing how sad the news of Trite's disappearance had made the little kitten, Diego knew he had to help get him back to normal as soon as possible to help find the missing lawyer (despite the spark of jealously that had initially ignited within him), and Maya's assistance would be invaluable. He also suspected that the task might help distract the young spirit medium and prevent her from worrying too much about her friend, if at least for a little while.

Diego looked around for his little friend, hoping the kitten wouldn't be too upset by his decision, then frowned when he didn't spot him. Diego was about to start calling for him when he spotted the computer screen, a chunk of text that had not been there before catching his eye. He sat down to read.

diego,

i'm sorry to leave like this, but i think i might have hurt some people, and i need to set some things right. there's a lot that i have to explain to you, but i can't do it, not like this. what i need to tell you i want to say face to face, man to man. i know i'm a coward for it, but i'm hoping it won't be so hard to say when i'm me again. i promise to explain everything when i'm human again.

Less than five seconds after he finished reading, Diego was out the door.