AUTHOR NOTES:

Awesome possum questions ( Just a girl)! Actually had this chapter already finished before I read your review - so it makes me super excited to see where your mind is going. Hoping you see why in this chapter.

For the rest of y'all:

As many avid anime viewers know, episode 10 is usually very important to the plot line for whatever reason. In FMA Brotherhood, someone dies. In Gurren Lagan, someone dies. Etc. Now I know you're thinking, 'wait, are you going to kill someone?!' Well, you'll see. (*evil smirk*)

Disclaimer:

Don't own Mai Hime or anything I'm writing about.

Encouragement:

Please review!

Plea:

GrimaThanEvil: Please update! Love your work!

Chapter 10

Work

Shizuru let herself have a moment to admire the sleeping beauty in front of her - so full of youth and vitality. Someone with a spark that could light her world on fire. A strong and gorgeous creature. But also kind, if a little cautious.

And it was there for the taking. The tea-drinker let herself give a real smile to her thoughts. No matter how much Natsuki questioned it, the bluenette belonged to Shizuru now. Nothing would deter her from possessing the girl.

Of course, there was the question of for how long she could keep her Natsuki to herself - before something else tried to take the girl. There were far too many predators out there. Ghouls and doves alike.

Best to repel such thoughts and bask in the joy of the present.

She really is such a cute sleeper. Shizuru thought with happiness. She would have loved to stare at Natsuki all day, but she had work to do.

Time to begin.

She started by throwing-up the pasta she had consumed into the trash and washing down the retched after-taste with the rest of her tea.

Once done, she checked the sleeping Natsuki's pulse. After assuring herself that she hadn't accidentally overdosed her patient (couldn't be too careful), she rolled the wheel chair bound girl back to her room to lay her back in bed.

Shizuru had intended to quickly get this next particular task over with, but paused as soon as she picked her charge up into her arms.

She could feel her hunger increase tenfold at the close proximity. The girl just smelled sooo good.

It was intoxicating. Mouthwatering.

A trial, for sure, to hold this girl without indulging in her more primal instincts.

Usually, Natsuki would already be in bed (this was the first time she had eaten in the kitchen since coming here) so Shizuru wouldn't have to deal with this temptation. However, the older woman let her dramatic side get the best of her. It really was a joy to see the girl's reactions.

And that last comment... It might be too much to wish that it was the truth - that the girl really had missed her. A dangerous notion. One that made her feel giddy inside. Hopefully, she hadn't shown that emotion on her face when confronted by the girl.

Gently, the tawny haired woman placed Natsuki back in her own bed. She fought her hunger but let her hands linger over the strong (though soft) body. Fingers trailed up to hold the younger's face.

This girl was too defenseless. It was almost shocking that no one else had been lucky enough to get a taste of her.

Shizuru's hand brushed over the girl's chest - to her stomach - to her left leg. She felt the bone there. Felt how much it had healed in the last several days. Despite the drugs she constantly fed Natsuki, the girl's body was still healing. Far too quickly for Shizuru's taste.

Either she was giving her patient too much in the way of nutrients, or the girl's body was gaining resistance to the medication. Or maybe Natsuki was far stronger than she had anticipated.

Whatever the case, Shizuru couldn't afford to let the bluenette out of her care.

Ruby eyes looked back to the peaceful face of the sleeping bluenette. This is for your own good, my dear.

Shizuru went through the routine of tying the girl's limbs to the bed to keep the body still. The bruising from the restraints always healed by the next morning, so she had no fear of Natsuki noticing what she was doing.

After further restricting part of the legs in a wooden vice-like contraption of her own making, Shizuru prepared herself for the next step by retrieving her supplies.

Another drug - an injection for the legs this time.

And a sledge hammer.

John Smith's life had been full of misfortune and woe.

However, right now, Smith was elated.

Yuuichi had refused to accompany him to look for the ghoul's car, saying that he had to check in at headquarters for some nonsense or another. Foolishness! What could be more important than the hunt?

Really, the young man was probably just cooling off his head after being used as bait. Smith had expected the other inspector to be used to his antics by now but he couldn't really fault Yuuichi for being angry.

It had been quite the last minute set-up.

Smith had truthfully been late this morning to their meet-up. He had planned for them to meet at the park and then confront the ghoul together. However when he had seen the lad conversing with the monster, weeeelllll, Smith just couldn't pass up the opportunity.

And the plan was a success! Which is all that really mattered.

Which was in part why he was so happy. But really, he was quite excited at what he found afterwards in the ghoul's car. The small grey vehicle was parked close to the area where Tate was attacked - not at all hard to find after a little leg work.

Inside of the car looked pretty normal (well, except for the body part remains in the trunk). The seats were worn and used but everything seemed tidy, much like the old man himself before he lost his head (hoho). However, underneath the seat lay a precious clue. A receipt from a gas station located in the mountains nearby - one of the directions where Kuga had been suspected of fleeing to.

And it was dated yesterday.

Certainly something to follow up on. If he knew where the Red Skull had been heading, then he might find something in relation to the missing Kuga girl. And, if his guess was correct (and if she wasn't dead already), this Natsuki Kuga would be the piece that led him to a beast that needed slaying.

As the editor, Irina Woods, had said in her interview that Kuga often retreated like this to write her books, Smith suspected she had a regular location she visited. Right now he was combing through lists of building in the mountainous area outside the city on his computer at First District Headquarters.

He had recently acquired details of all the properties that Woods or her lawyer had ever invested money into but hadn't found anything. So now he was narrowing his search to any small private homes in the suspected area bought after the year that 'Kuger' first appeared. Only two matched the condition.

Smith also looked up the handful of hotels, motels, and inns in the area to include in his search. He would go door to door if he had to.

In fact, after a bite to eat, he would head out straight away.

It would have been nice to include his partner in this, as it would increase the search's efficiency, but he couldn't wait for the young man to get back. Yuuichi was off on some minor case at the moment. He took care of those things while Smith worked on the initial details of their larger cases - for which Smith was grateful as it let him concentrate on his work. They always took down the ghoul together (a requirement of the First District to never confront a ghoul alone).

Best to keep that relationship going.

Smith would have to apologize for his earlier unorthodox method when he got back. He supposed the role of bait wasn't that auspicious when it wasn't planned.

Now, though, time to work.

ED NOTES:

Mwahahaha! Nope, didn't kill anyone. Hope you didn't sweat too much!