AN: Ah, I couldn't private message that wonderful guest reviewer who wrote he/she was checking every day to see if I wrote any more. I was so busy these past few weeks and freaking out watching the days go by thinking,"AH! Someone somewhere is going another day checking and waiting for the next chapter to come out, and I can't do anything about it! AH!" But that's just the motivation I needed to crank out this baby. To know a reader cares that much about my work means so much to me. :)

So sorry for the delay. A lot of crazy things have been happening and certain priorities had to take precedence. I also went back and polished up pretty much all the previous chapters. No major changes, just stylistic type things. This was a difficult chapter for me to write. I don't claim to be an expert on Japanese history by any means, so I was trying to make this as accurate as possible based on the limited research I had at my disposable. There are plenty of other RuroKen writers who are clearly more well-versed in Japanese history than me, so it was definitely a challenge to integrate it well into the story. Plus, this is obviously a very sensitive and profoundly important issue I'm writing about, so I took great care in making sure I handled it to the best of my ability.

The product is this wearily strung together and utterly fluff-less yet vitally important chapter. Just a warning, I will definitely be MIA for the next few weeks. Got a lot of things I have to devote my full time and attention to right now, but I am still fully committed to this story and I can promise the fluff fans that plenty of dramatic romantic goodness is just around the corner in the next chapters. Thanks again to all my reviewers and ... oh. Oh my gosh. If you haven't seen the trailers for the new live action Rurouni Kenshin movie, look them up NOW. I am so, so, SO excited, I can't even tell you. AHHHHH!

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Glossary:

Bokken: A wooden sword

Yukata: A casual summer kimono

Chapter Five

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Misao

"Almost there, Ami-chan. Hang on tight."

"H-h-hai, Misao-san."

I feel Ami tighten her frail arms around my neck as I carry her on piggy-back through the back streets of Tokyo. We're careful to take paths where we wouldn't be seen by too many people, but I can feel Ami's body quivering against mine as she presses her face deep into my shoulder as if to hide herself. Poor thing. I wish there was something more I could do to comfort her.

Sanosuke-san and Aoshi-sama walk just a few feet behind us, and I imagine the sight of Aoshi-sama's icy glare is warding off the stares of any of the few curious passerbys. I'm certain he's also on high alert for that sleazebag Chong Zou or any other crook who may be watching.

I let out a sigh of relief when we finally reach the dojo. Through the open gates, I spot Yahiko practicing in the courtyard, brandishing his bokken against some invisible enemy. Dang … that boy's gotten so much stronger over the past couple years. I watch, awestruck, as he leaps around, slashing the air in swift, deadly circles.

"Hey! Yahiko!"

The teenage swordsman spins about and the furious blaze in his eyes shrinks back when he catches sight of us. "Oh, there you guys are! What happened, did you stay the night at the clinic?"

I nod and carry Ami in past the gates. "Yeah. Himura and Kaoru-san weren't too worried about us, were they?"

Yahiko crosses his arms and gives me a funny look. "Nah. Though they were really curious as to why both you and Aoshi were gone …" His eyes grow big. "All. Night. LONG."

If I had less presence of mind I would have dropped Ami right on the ground and Monster-Bird-Punched this kid right through the face. "What are you implying, you little brat?"

He shrugs. "Oh nothing. I'm just saying I heard from Kaoru that you followed Aoshi to the riverbank last night." His eyes get big again. "And never. Came. BACK."

"YOU – !"

"Misao-dono?"

Himura's voice breaks through my fit of rage and I glance up to see the surprised-looking ex-rurouni step onto the veranda with Kaoru-san peeking over his shoulder.

"Aoshi, you're back too," Kaoru says, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she surveys our little crew. "But Misao-chan, who are …"

"Kenshin! Little Missy!"

It's at this moment that the roguish-looking "stranger" in the back rushes to the front with his arms outstretched. For a moment, Kaoru and Himura just stare at him with perplexed looks on their faces before I see the recognition suddenly slam into them both like a bolt of lightning. "S-S-S-SANO?"

"Hey, you two! How are you guys doing?"

Kaoru-san snaps out of it first, letting out a squeal of delight as she rushes forward with her arms outstretched. She doesn't get far before Himura grabs her gently by the waist, halting her from leaping off the edge of the veranda. I hear him whisper an apologetic, "Careful Koishii,"as he pulls her back slightly, but I can tell by the wide smile on his face that he's having a hard time containing his own excitement.

I hear Sanosuke let out something between a bark and a gag and turn to see that his arms have dropped suddenly to his sides, as if in shock. From behind I can see the edge of his jaw fall wide open as Kaoru-san steps down carefully from the veranda … her bulging pregnant belly now in full view beneath the sun.

Ah … oh, that's right … Sanosuke had no idea that Kaoru-san was pregnant. She and Himura couldn't send him an invitation since they didn't know where he was.

I nearly jump out of my skin as Sanosuke throws his head back and begins howling like a lunatic.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh good Kami, look at THIS! So you went and knocked up the Little Missy, did ya, Kenshin! I knew you had it in you. Hahahahaha!"

"Oro!" Himura blushes scarlet at his friend's remark while Kaoru-san breaks free of her husband and races towards her friend.

"C'mon, Sano!" she squeals. "Quit being so crude and give me a … a …"

Kaoru-san's just two feet away when she suddenly stops and her face turns as sickly green as wasabi paste.

"What the …" She chokes suddenly. "Holy …!" I watch in alarm as the wobbling pregnant woman stumbles back, her cheeks bulging out like a chipmunk's as she slaps both hands over her nose and mouth.

"Koishii?" Himura rushes up behind her, grasping her gently from behind. "Kaoru-koishii, what's …"

And then the former rurouni's nostrils grow wide and his face turns the exact same color as Kaoru-san's.

"What?" Sano exclaims. "I thought you two wanted a hug!"

Himura narrows his eyes, his expression that of the utmost seriousness. "Sanosuke, friend … we most certainly would embrace you after all this time, except …" He backs away slightly, Kaoru-san in tow. "Except that you have come here smelling like a two week-old manure pile."

Oh Kami … Crap, it's all I can do to contain my sniggers of laughter as I watch Sanosuke turn red all the way to the tips of his ears.

"Wha- it's not that bad!" He steps forward. "C'mon, after two years, you aren't really gonna act this way over …"

"NO!" Kaoru shrieks, scurrying away with her equally panicked husband clinging to her side. "No, stay away. Stay away!"

Sanosuke just stands there making choking noises at them before he suddenly swings around … thus flipping his long, shaggy mane and sending an overpowering waft of his stench straight into me and Yahiko's faces.

"Gahhhhh!"

"Oh, ack! Ewww! Ugh!"

That did it. After gaping at us for a good ten seconds, Sanosuke finally let out an angry snarl before stomping his foot into the ground.

"FINE! I'll TAKE the frickin' BATH! No need to point the way, Kenshin. I STILL REMEMBER WHERE IT IS!"

And with that, and muttering out curses the entire way, Sanosuke marches off towards the bath house while the rest of us gather together and give up a round of applause behind him.

XXXXXXXXX

"Here, Ami-chan." Kaoru-san's smile is warm as she kneels down next to the prostrate girl and sets a neatly folded kimono on the edge of the futon. "You can change into this after your bath. I'll show you where it is after Sanosuke's done in there. I already asked Yahiko to start warming up some water for you."

"Ah…" Ami-chan lowers her eyes shyly. "A-arigato, Himura Kaoru-san."

Kaoru lets out a little laugh. "It's no problem, Ami-chan. It's not like I'm going to be fitting back into those clothes any time soon, anyway." With a little effort, she stands up and waddles over to the doorway where Himura and I are waiting. "You just let us know if you need anything, okay?"

"H-hai …" Two glimmering brown eyes meet mine. "You'll … you'll come back … won't you, Misao-san?"

I smile reassuringly. "Yes. I'll just be a few minutes, Ami-chan. I promise."

"Ah …" The girl nods and shifts slightly on the futon. "A-arigato."

I give Ami-chan a small wave before I slide the door closed and follow Himura and Kaoru-san down the hallway. We step back out onto the veranda and take our seats, with Kaoru-san leaning against the pillar and Himura wrapping one arm about her shoulder. When the former rurouni turns to face me, his violet eyes are grave and apprehensive.

"Alright, Misao-dono … tell us about Ami-dono …"

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"I grew up on one of the islands of the Amakusa. My family was very poor. We tried farming sweet potato to survive, but it was next to impossible. Almost nothing we planted seemed to grow. Our shack was just one of hundreds crammed together on the hillside, and everyone went hungry. So much of the land was barren. Sometimes I would go whole days without any food. Just a bowl of water to drink. There were nights when I would curl up on the floor feeling like my stomach was eating itself from the inside out, and I would fall asleep praying that I would live through the night.

"Chong Zhou first came to the village about two years ago. He and three other men were going around asking for girls who wished to make good money for their families. One night, Chong Zhou came into our shack and he spoke to my father and mother. He told them of a country across the seas overflowing with riches and prosperity. He said a new Japanese district had been erected in Singapore and that there was a demand for pretty girls to work in the shops and restaurants there. He said that these girls were paid more in a week than our family could make in a year.

"He offered me a job. He said a girl with such a 'pretty face' and 'delicate manners' would make a fortune in Singapore. He said the money I would send back home to my family would make them so rich that they would never starve again. That I could buy them a real house and enough food for them to last a lifetime.

"I was twelve years old. I didn't know what to think at first. I desperately wanted to help my family. I hated having to listen to my little brother moan and cry in his sleep because he was so hungry. And yet … I was also afraid. I was terrified at the thought of crossing the ocean. I also couldn't bear the thought of leaving my family, my village. I didn't want to leave my home.

"But my father …"

Ami stopped speaking for a moment, her eyes pinched tight with pain and her lips pressed together and trembling. I squeezed her hand and met her gaze with what I hoped was an encouraging smile. Ami squeezed my hand back and drew in a shaky breath before she continued.

"My father loved me. He really did. But … in the village, a daughter was little more than a burden. We could not carry on the family line. We were just another mouth to feed. But here was a chance for me to do something that could be of use to them. To save my family when we were barely surviving as it was …" She swallowed. "My father pressured me to go. He said my brother would surely starve to death if I didn't do this for them. We needed the money or else we wouldn't last another year. And so … I agreed.

"I let Chong Zhou take me to the ship the next morning. It was me and two other girls who lived in the village. He just dropped us off at the dock and told us he was going to move on to another village to find more girls to join us. I never saw him again … until today …"

Ami's eyes squeezed shut as the tears slipped down her face, and I wrapped both hands about her trembling fists. We were both shaking, she and I together … the both of us sharing in that awful dread of what we knew was coming next in this story …

"It was terrifying, being on that ship. A month crammed in a dark room below the decks without a single breath of fresh air. I spent most of those days weeping for my family. I missed them so much. The only thought I could cling to for strength was that by doing this for them I could give them a better life and rescue my brother from starvation.

"But when we finally got to Singapore …" A sob finally broke through and the poor girl covered her mouth with the back of her fist as if to stifle it. "By then it was too late, when we realized … that the place where they brought us to work wasn't a shop or restaurant. It was … a brothel!"

Oh … oh Kami …

Anguish and revulsion clawed at the back of my throat as I watched Ami fall forward, her body wracked with agonized sobs. Not knowing what else to do, I leant forward and embraced her huddled form, holding her as tightly as I could as she wept. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Megumi-san turn her face away in horror and Sanosuke staring grimly at the floor. As for Aoshi-sama, he was leaning with his back against this wall, his eyes closed and his expression dark.

"I …" Ami swallowed hard, her voice thick with tears. "I refused to do it at first. But the brothel owners beat me and taunted me and called me a disgrace. I screamed and begged for them to let me go. To bring me back to my home. They just laughed. They said I could never go back to Japan. They told me that fate had brought me here and I should just accept it.

"A-A-After that … that first … night …" The words came out in fractured pieces, finally shattering upon the last. I knew to give more words to what she had suffered then would be unbearable. Even to imagine it was twisting at my own stomach like a steel coil.

"I … I wanted to die. I curled myself up in the corner and I refused to move. I wouldn't eat. I was determined to starve myself. I decided that I would rather die there alone in Singapore than have to sell my body.

"But then the brothel madam barged into the room where I was laying. I … I thought she was going to beat me again. But what she did was something much, much worse. She screamed at me. I can still remember the words she said. She called me a worthless, selfish girl. She said, 'Do you care nothing for your family? Are you just going to let your brother die in his own filth back in Japan?' She said … 'You parents sold you here. This is your duty to your family now. They're depending on you for their survival. By refusing to do your work, you're casting them off to starve to death!'"

My heart tore as Ami's words fell off into painful gasps. "I … I couldn't bear to hear those words! They were so cruel. So horrible. But … but she was right! My family was depending on me. I thought of my brother, clutching his stomach in pain. My mother, shrinking into a skeleton because she's so hungry. My father, slaving away on the hillside and in the end not reaping a single crop …" She swallowed. "And then I realized … I couldn't go back. I was trapped there in Singapore. I had nowhere else to go. And if I let myself die there rather than do this work, then … then I was dishonoring my family and condemning them to die as well."

Her eyes closed. Reopened. The trails of tears ran their course along her cheeks, leaving only gray clouds of desolation in her eyes. She suddenly looked so much older than her fourteen years.

"And so in the end I chose to accept my fate. And for the next two years, I worked as a prostitute of the Malay Street in Singapore."

I shut my eyes, blocking out the passage of tears that burned like fire behind my eyelids. I wanted to scream. I wanted to weep and rent my hair and vomit right there on the floor. Instead, I tightened my grip on the deflated-looking young girl leaning over the edge of the bed.

"It …it wasn't always so horrible," she whispered. "The brothel owners did not treat us so badly as long as we did our work. And I had the other girls to comfort me, on those days when it became unbearable. Like … like Mayu-san …"

My ears perk up at the name. "Ah … your Onee-san?"

Ami nodded, a sad half-smile stretching her mouth thin. "Mayu-san isn't my real sister. Not by blood, anyway. She was one of the older girls at the brothel. When I first arrived, she told me she was brought over from a village near Shimabara and that she had already been there for three years. I … I wasn't looking for a friend, but somehow Mayu-san chose to take me under her wing. After that first night, she slipped onto the futon beside me and wrapped me up in her arms until I cried myself to sleep. We were inseparable since then. She truly became my Onee-san. She was the kindest, most loving person I ever met." She glanced up at me, studying my face closely. "She looked so much like you …"

Aoshi-sama's deep voice rose up quietly from across the room. "How many other girls were kept with you?"

Ami's eyes fell to her lap. "There were about seven of us in the brothel where they kept me. There was another Japanese brothel on Malay Street as well. But there were dozens more Japanese girls selling themselves on the streets, unchecked. And over the past year, we've heard that there were more Japanese brothels being built … and more girls being brought in by ship almost every month."

I turned my face away, scarcely able to contain my revulsion.

"I became numb to it all, after I while …" she continued softly. "I felt so dead inside. There were nights when the pain would come crashing over me like a wave again, but … I guess over time I just let my emotions die off inside of me. So that I couldn't feel anything anymore. I guess it was the only thing I could do to keep myself from going mad.

"But then I got sick …" The tears returned, dripping slowly and silently. "I hardly noticed it at first. I thought it was just a little stomach ache. That it would pass. But then the pain got worse. It was horrible. There were some days when I couldn't even get out of bed because my stomach hurt so much. Mayu Onee-san stayed with me and comforted me when the pain was too much to take, but she wouldn't tell me what was wrong with me, no matter how much I begged and pleaded. Because I could see it in her eyes. And I could see it in the eyes of some of the other older girls. They knew. They knew what it was. When they looked at me, their eyes held so much fear. So much sadness. I knew they were hiding something from me and were too afraid to tell me the truth.

"And then there was one night when the pain was at its worst. It felt like my whole stomach was ripping itself apart. I was screaming for someone to help me, to make it stop … Mayu Onee-san held me that whole night. She held me and soothed me until she thought I had fallen asleep. But I was still awake when I felt her climb off of the futon. I heard her walk out into the hallway, and then … and then after a few steps I heard her stumble and fall the floor. She was sobbing …

"That … that was when I knew. That's when I knew I was dying."

I couldn't stop the tears from breaking free if I tried. When I wrapped my arms around Ami-chan and held her tight, I was just as much seeking to be comforted as she was. I felt her tears soaking into my shoulder as my own fell down her back. I heard a sniffle somewhere to our right and knew that Megumi was weeping silently as well.

I couldn't even begin to describe this torrent of emotion. I felt sick. Hideously sick. It surged up from somewhere deep within my gut and tore my insides to shreds in its wake. Any words I could assign to it were swept away into nothing. Only one word broke through, echoing through my mind like the death chimes of a gong …

Why?

Why why why why why?

I clung tighter to Ami and buried my face into her silken hair. "I'm sorry …" I whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry Ami-chan …"

We held each other for a long moment, crying silently. And then I felt Ami squeeze my shoulder gently in gratitude before slowly pulling away. When I looked into her face, her eyes downcast and her expression caught somewhere between deadness and relief.

"I didn't want to die there," she whispered. "I couldn't bear to die there in that brothel. If I was going to die, I wanted to be with my family. In our home. In Japan. But … but I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how I could escape.

"But then I met Sanosuke-san …"

I followed her gaze to the other side of the bed, where the wandering traveler had stationed himself behind Megumi, his hand resting firmly on her shoulder as she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

"I had already found myself a ship that could take me to Tokyo," he explained, his face bleak. "Thankfully they had room for just one more passenger. Once she recovers a bit, I … I plan to take her down to Amakusa so she can find her family …"

"HOLD ON JUST A MINUTE!"

I was very sorry for screeching so suddenly into Ami-chan's ear, but my tears were momentarily forgotten the moment that Rooster-head opened his mouth.

"YOU!" I screamed, pointed my finger straight at his scruffily baffled face. "AND JUST HOW DID YOU HAPPEN TO 'MEET' AMI-CHAN, ANYWAY?"

The idiot just blinked at me. "Huh? What's with that crazy face, Weasel?"

It was Aoshi-sama who answered for me. "Misao is asking, Sagara … how it was that you had come into contact with a fourteen-year-old prostitute in Singapore."

Ah. Ah. Now Sanosuke got it.

"It … what … NO! No no no no NO!" he roared, his eyes wild, blood bursting through the popped vessels in his face. "IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!"

Aoshi-sama's eyebrows lifted slightly. "No? You are saying that you were not one of Ami's customers … ?"

"NO! I'M NOT A FRICKIN' PEDOPHILE!"

Sanosuke shook violently as he swung from Aoshi, to me, back to Aoshi, to me … everywhere but at Megumi-san. "Ami-chan came to ME for help! I'm not some PERVERT who buys sex off of women. Quit jumping to your frickin' stupid conclusions!"

By now all of us (excluding Aoshi-sama) had backed away slightly as Sanosuke stood there snorting and glaring down at us like an enraged bull. It was a long while before Ami-chan timidly spoke up.

"Y-yes. It is true as Sagara-san says. He was not one of my customers."

Aoshi-sama lifted his chin slightly. "Then how was it that you came to meet him?"

Ami sniffed, the saddest of smiles creeping across her face. "It was Mayu Onee-san. She … she said she found Sagara-san in the marketplace … and saw the Japanese character on his back. Mayu … she has this gift for sensing people's inner character. She said she could sense that Sagara-san was a good man. And then later that night she came back to the brothel, picked me up off of the futon and snuck me out to the docks where Sagara-san was waiting …" She closed her eyes and whimpered. "She begged Sagara-san to take me …"

A much calmer Sanosuke stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the two of us. "When Mayu stopped me in the street, I thought I was hallucinating 'cuz she really did look a lot like you, Weasel. But then she told me about Ami-chan … and … all the other girls …" He paused to collect himself, gritting his teeth in disgust. "I would have taken her too, if it were possible. But she just told me not to worry about her, to just take Ami back while there was still time …" He shook his head. "I wasn't too sure at first, but … once I saw Mayu come back to the docks with Ami-chan in her arms … I knew I couldn't just leave her there."

I nodded. Dang, now I felt absolutely horrible for accusing Sanosuke like that. I hoped I could convey with my eyes the depth of my respect for him, having done this for Ami.

"It was so hard …" Ami-chan's voice shook as she spoke. "Leaving my Onee-san behind. I … I pray that she is alright. And that … she too might be saved …"

I thought about that brave, selfless young woman left on the docks in Singapore ... who is probably at the brothel now, selling herself once again at this very moment. It hit me like a dagger through the chest knowing how improbable Ami's wish for Mayu truly was … how impossible it would be for all those girls …

I gasped as Ami suddenly gripped my hand fiercely, her eyes wide with terror. "But now Chong Zhou is here!" she gasped hoarsely. "I don't … I don't understand … how could he have found me!"

Ami … I could hear she was crumbling toward the brink of hysteria. I quickly wiped my face free of tears and grabbed the girl firmly by the shoulders, forcing her to meet my gaze.

No … I cupped her trembling cheeks firmly in my hands. I wasn't about to let her lose it. Not again.

"Listen to me, Ami," I whispered. "He's not going to get you. I swear to you, no matter what, we are going to protect you. I swear it."

"Misao-san …" Her beautiful brown eyes swam with a multitude of fears and doubts. I wiped a stray tear away and smiled gently.

"There's no need to be scared now, Ami. I mean, look! You've got a kick-butt kunoichi, a grand master Okashira and an iron-fisted Rooster-head on your side! Plus the toughest lady doctor in the country to boot." I let out a snooty little laugh. "That Chong Zhou doesn't stand a chance!"

Ami stared at me for a long, long time. And then, slowly, the softest glimmer hope finally emerged from the whirlpools of her eyes.

"You ... you will protect me?" she whispered.

"Hai," I answered with all the confidence I could muster. "We will protect you."

The tears that fell from Ami's eyes now were those of relief as she threw herself into my arms.

"A-arigato. Arigato … Onee-san …"

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I had my eyes closed the entire time I was relating this story. When I finally open them now, I see Kaoru-san staring silently at the floor, her lovely face shiny with tears as her husband holds her tightly. Himura's expression beside her is dark and grave. I can see the faintest tints of anger and despair glinting in his violet eyes.

I clear my throat. "We … we thought it would be safer if Ami didn't stay at the clinic. Just in case Chong Zhou tries to come back. I … I really hate to impose since you're already hosting Aoshi-sama and me, but … but Ami-chan could share the guest futon with me and … and I could help Himura with ..."

"Misao-chan." Kaoru-san's voice silences me gently, a warm smile spreading across her face. "Misao-chan, of course we'll let Ami-chan stay here with us."

At her words, I let out a breath of relief and throw my arms around this generous woman – this loving soul who never once hesitated to open up her heart and home to others. Just to be sure, I sneak a glance over at her husband and see that he too is smiling, though somewhat nervously.

"Hai, Misao-dono," he says. "We'll be happy to do whatever we can to help Ami-chan."

I nod gratefully. "Arigato."

The sound of loud, trudging footsteps catches our attention and we turn to see a now scrubbed down Sanosuke march his way towards us. He's clad in a clean white yukata and his long mop of a hairdo hangs sodden and dripping down his back.

"Alright … NOW can I get my hug?"

Himura and Kaoru-san grin widely as they rush forward, laughing, into the arms of their long-lost friend.

XXXXXXXXX

Megumi

Sigh … what a long day.

It's already dark by the time I shoo my final patient out the door and close up the clinic for the night. I was supposed to be at the Himura's house for dinner half an hour ago, but this poor old fisherman stumbled in at the last minute with gout on his foot the size of a grapefruit. Ugh … definitely not one of the most pleasant cases I've had to deal with in my career.

Well, at least that greasy-faced Chong Zhou hasn't shown up again. It's a relief knowing Ami-chan is safe at the dojo. I know Ken-san and Kaoru will be treating her with the utmost care and attention while she is there with them. Speaking of which, I should pack my medical kit to take along to dinner. Might as well give Ami another check-up as long as I'm …

BANG!

The sound comes so suddenly and I whirl around only to find myself slammed up against the wall, two bruising hands crushing my shoulders as I stare straight into the eyes of a bearded giant. I open my mouth to scream only to be silenced by the sensation of a steel blade being pressed against my windpipe. And then the giant opens up his jaws, revealing a jumbled mess of yellow teeth as the stench of his breath wafts over my face.

"Where is the girl?"