Kazuma watched the scarlet haired woman slowly weaving through the crowds, his eyes glued to her back as he kept pace just far enough behind her so that the preoccupied woman didn't sense him. He knew something was the matter. Her steps lacked their authoritative stomp and her golden fire eyes did not spark at him when she said she was mad and didn't want him to follow her home. Based on their outburst before she had left to go fight the yoma on her own, he had expected her temper to be in full swing when he finally managed to break through the magic barrier and reach her. Instead, she had faked being mad at him and quickly ushered him out of the building. Which meant that whatever was bothering her was connected to the museum. He resolved to go back and investigate later, but first he wanted to see his princess home. He didn't know exactly when he had started thinking of her that way. If anyone asked - and by anyone he meant Ren or Jugo - Kazuma would empathically deny feeling anything for the Kannagi heir other than irritation and annoyance. And for that most part, that was true, though not in the way people assumed.

Sometimes he did get annoyed at Ayano for not using her head and rushing into things, getting herself injured. But mostly he was annoyed that she seemed to be immune to his charms and did not melt into his arms like most women did. He was annoyed that she wasn't afraid of him, and didn't respect him, annoyed that she challenged him and made him become human again, made him feel again. He was annoyed that he wanted her to awaken him more, until he fell into her embrace. Sometimes he got irritated when she pressed on old wounds, trying to help him by making him open up. But mostly he was irritated that he wanted to spill his secrets to her willingly. It irritated him that this girl who was so young was his main confidant, the one he trusted above all others. He was irritated that by talking to her, he would feel better and start to heal. The woman tied him up in knots and worst of all, she wasn't even aware that she was doing it. Her youth and naivety was the one thing saving him from total humiliation, since the girl didn't know how to use her power over him, giving him time to observe her and build his defences in case some day she did wake up. Thanks to his near constant observation, Kazuma Yagami knew Ayano Kannagi inside and out.

So when he had felt the almost somber edge to her energy, his senses had kicked into overdrive. He had already been uneasy, since powerful magical barriers that could make him pause did not appear out of no where, but Ayano's behavior coupled with his nightmares the last few weeks had made his discomfort and feeling of impending doom multiply. The princess had been quiet and appeared to be thinking, which sent shivers down his spine. When Ayano thought things usually were pretty bad, and she came up with extreme solutions, a recent example including jumping off a building in an attempt to get his attention and divert him from a task. Which had worked, but he didn't like that her answers usually involved placing herself in harms way. The girl thought she was indestructible. But she was fragile, human... irreplaceable should she ever be lost. Seeing her heaving a sigh that drew his attention - and a few male passers by's as well - to the soft chest she possessed, Kazuma frowned and slowed his pace a little as she did, dragging her feet instead of rushing. Something was truly wrong with his girl. She rarely if ever sighed or seemed pensive; her fiery nature just didn't allow for that type of behavior. Knowing that the Kannagi compound was just ahead, he stepped into a convenience store nearby and considered what to do. He had to investigate that museum before anyone could come in and mess up what evidence was left. But he didn't want to leave Ayano without a guard dog. She should be safe at the Kannagi compound, but... He pulled out his cell phone and made a quick call.

"Hey, Ren, I've got a favor to ask of ya." He said when he heard his little brother's voice on the other end of the line. Though he was loathed to admit it, the golden haired boy really had made him soften up a lot since his return to the city. Kazuma has always loved the squirt, though he would never, ever say it out loud. Luckily, Ren happened to be a lot more perceptive than his older flame haired cousin and was able to tell what Kazuma's feelings were without the man having to spell them out. So Ren happily went about his days secured in the truth that the two people he adored most in the world both loved him as well. "Alright, Kazuma, what is it?" Hearing Ren's sweet voice, Kazuma almost reconsidered, but he knew that only the boy could do the job. So he shoved a hand back through his hair and left the store, heading back towards the museum.

"Ayano should be getting back from her mission now. I need you to keep an eye on her and call me immediately if she does anything strange or unusual. Stick close to her, too. Try to prevent her from being alone. Can you do that?" He asked, knowing that if anyone could get away with hanging off Ayano, it would be Ren. His flame haired vixen treated the boy like he was her little brother, not his. Ren sent back a happy affirmative and hung up.

Kazuma kept walking and soon found himself outside the museum again. The place was closed, probably because he had blown the front portion apart in his frenzy to reach Ayano earlier. Which may have been caused by an overreaction based upon bad past experiences. Though he normally controlled his emotions tightly to the point that he seemed almost cold to those who didn't know him, he was originally a Kannagi. Loathed as he was to admit it, he was actually pretty similar to them in many ways, one of them being that his emotions were extreme and hard to control, lending to the extreme power the family wielded. When he'd left the family, he had started learning to manage his temper and his other emotions, and the control had only gotten stronger with the emergence of his wind magic powers.

However, a few things could set him off instantly. One of them, unfortunately for his sanity, was Ayano Kannagi. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kazuma allowed the wind to lift him up and cloak his presence as he flew into the museum. Walking lightly through the halls of stone, he sent his wind spirits out to the back room Ayano had emerged from when he'd blown the front of the building in. Instantly he could sense the flaming remnants that always remained behind from a fire magic user's attacks. He was especially sensitive to Ayano's energy. She was just so alive that he could go to a place she had fought at two days after the battle and still sense her powers. Sometimes when his past demons were riding him hard, he would just go and sit in the middle of her battlefields so that he could feel surrounded by her, the only thing he had found which could calm him down. Smiling at the riotous explosion of powers Ayano had left behind, Kazuma started sweeping them aside to sense what was underneath.

He got a whiff of something very foul and rotten. Furrowing his brow, Kazuma slowly walked towards the back room as his spirits kept swirling around. As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw what Ayano had tried to hide from him. The remains of the summoning circle were as visible to him as they would have been to her earlier, despite her efforts to purify them. Though it wasn't her strong suit, Ayano should have been able to cleanse the remains of such a small circle. The physical evidence was gone but the darker unseen aspects remained, not what he would expect from her. The Kannagi heir didn't like to leave things half done. It wasn't in her personality. But he could also sense the kiss of her crimson flames still in the air, a power that drained her of all energy, so if he put the two puzzle pieces together it meant that... His princess had been fighting a rather powerful monster, strong enough that she'd had to use her trump card, and been left drain of all power after defeating it, to the point that she couldn't do a simple cleansing. Kazuma felt the winds stir around him in response to his anger, but he drew in a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, searching for more answers. In the background he could feel the loss of life, so it had been a sacrificial summons.

His jaw clenched. That was why Ayano had been acting strange. She knew of his past with sacrifices. She knew he wasn't exactly rational when involved with them. And so she had tried to protect him by keeping him in the dark. Though he wanted to, Kazuma couldn't really get angry with the girl. She was doing to him what he was doing to her. He didn't like it anymore than she did. The summoning circle and the faint remains of death and foulness in the air explained why she had been acting strange, and why she was tired. Kazuma had fought yoma brought forth from circles like this before and they were not the easy monsters that Ayano was used to fighting. That she had defeated it without his help made him want to beam in pride and at the same time lock her up in her room until she learned that she shouldn't face such dangers when he wasn't there to protect her. But it didn't explain her the pensiveness and the unease she exhibited; it didn't explain why Ayano was thinking. As he turned and surveyed the room some more, a silver serving platter caught his attention. It was burnt, like someone had taken a torch to it. The circular burn was the size of one of Ayano's flame balls. He knew, because he was usually on the receiving end of them. Logically speaking, that meant that the girl had sent one at the artifact. But why would she burn the platter? Kazuma went over and picked it up, turning the piece under the faint light, trying to make sense of her actions.

"Hmm..." He muttered, not sensing anything abnormal from the platter itself. He called up some wind spirits and tested, but the only response he got was from Ayano's fire spirits still clinging to the surface. Still, something about the platter unnerved him. He set it back down and looked around. He wasn't going to be able to tell anything from what was left. But he had the magical signature of the person who had done the summons, picked up by his wind spirits. Who donated those articles to the museum, if I may ask? Ayano's words earlier made him think he may find out more if he went looking. The curator had said that the person was already gone, but it wasn't much trouble for Kazuma to fly to another country and back. Still... something was wrong and he didn't want to leave Ayano right now. His instincts were telling him that would be a mistake. But he needed information. After thinking for a moment, a smirk stretched across his handsome face. When in doubt, recruit a pixie. Lifting up into the air again, Kazuma flew off to find the wind sprite that he needed.