Chapter 12

Three days. Three painful days of waiting to find out what Kurama's sentence was. I didn't even know HOW they planned to contact me. Hell I might not even find out at all. But waiting in suspense, not knowing, was KILLING me. I huffed and tapped my pencil impatiently against my notebook while the teacher droned on. I was ready to pound my head on my desk. This was my last class of the day, just give me freedom, for god sakes!

A folded piece of paper plopped in front of me, nearly causing me to jump. I looked over to find the person who had thrown it and I was shocked to be looking at Kaoru as the culprit. We did share this one class together but she never bothered me here. Likely because she didn't want to be caught by the teacher. But she didn't look angry or vindictive this time. I looked suspiciously at the note but opened it. Afterall, there wouldn't be anything dangerous inside.

"Hey can you meet me on the roof after school? We need to talk."

That made me even MORE suspicious. Suddenly she wants to talk to me? Were there people lurking on the roof, waiting to throw me off or do horrible things to me? My brow furrowed. Kaoru had been more quiet recently. I hadn't even so much as seen a glare from her. Not since she came to guilt trip me into talking to Kurama. This could be either good or bad.

I decided that I would talk with her. It couldn't hurt to hear her out and if there were some punks on the roof ready to do something awful to me, I'd kick their asses. I compete in tournaments for Judo, I can handle some barely turned teenagers. I scribbled down my response on the paper.

"Sure."

Then I tossed it back to her. Kaoru looked relieved when I agreed to this meeting. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign or bad. But I had already decided that I would speak with her, I wasn't going to back out now. Once the school day was finished, I headed to the roof. Kaoru was already there and when she saw me she smiled awkwardly. When I did not return the gesture, it melted off of her face.

"Look…" She shuffled uncomfortably, "I know that…I was totally acting like a bitch…"

"You don't say?" I drawled.

"Hey!" Kaoru snapped, "I'm trying to apologize here."

"And what did you want in return?"

"Nothing!" she exclaimed, "I…I was out of line and I was horrible and bratty. I'm really sorry. I was the worst!"

A small smile came across my face then, "Well, not the WORST."

"Shut up."

The weak grin across her face told me she wasn't serious with that statement.

"So what brought this on so suddenly?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Well…there's this guy in school who really likes me. I mean REALLY likes me. But I don't like him…and he's been pushy and clingy. Even when I've asked him to stop. And he's even been mean to some of my guy friends. I…"

"It made you realize that this was similar to how you had been acting and realize that you are not entitled to someone's affections." I finished for her.

She nodded then. I noticed the crease in her brow, the bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face and how now her pupils had dilated after talking about this boy.

"Kaoru…" I said seriously, "Has this boy been following you?"

She teared up then and nodded. My heart ached at the sight. While I never had a full blown stalker in my first life I did have a few male friends who developed feelings for me and did not know how to take "no" for an answer. One had even taken to constantly texting and calling some of my friends and showing up at their house unannounced to try and keep an eye on me or watch me after I cut off our friendship. He had even shown up at my doorstep a few times and stood in the rain waiting for me to answer when I tried to ignore him. And another had once said to me over text "You know I had a dream recently that went along the lines of 'how far are you willing to go to get what you want' and I woke up feeling like a monster afterwards." Needless to say, after that text, I cut him out as well.

Just those two had really scared and unnerved me. I could not even imagine what this girl was going through. Seeing her tears roll down her face, I could no longer help it, I lunged forward and pulled her into a tight hug. Kaoru could not hold it back anymore and she began crying into my shoulder and I let her. I could feel her shaking and I couldn't help but wonder if this boy was watching even now. The individuals at this school were very intelligent and if this boy was truly delving into stalker behavior, then he most certainly could have a way to monitor her.

"What has he been doing?" I asked her quietly.

She sniffled, "He started off with flowers. Then I started getting flowers on the desk of my first period. After a few weeks I started finding flowers in my locker." Kaoru hiccupped, "Last week he showed up at my house. I don't know how he knew where it was! A-a-and –hic- a few days ago my best friend Ryuu was hospitalized because he was shot! And-and this happened the day after he warned this guy to stay away from me!"

My heart dropped in my chest. This boy was very dangerous and it would seem he was already set on Kaoru. I held her even tighter. Sure she had been a bitch but she was fourteen, I'm pretty sure it's a prerequisite to act like a bitch at least once. Plus she did not deserve this.

"Have you told anyone?"

She shook her head, "He-he sent me a note once saying that something unfortunate may happen to them if they know."

I pulled her away from me by her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

"Do you still have the note?"

"Y-yes."

"Was it hand written?"

"Yes…"

"Listen to me…" I told her very seriously, "You take that note to one of the teachers of this school so they can prove that it is his hand writing. Then you tell the police. That note alone is enough to get him in trouble as it is threatening. You may not be able to nail him for shooting your friend if he wasn't seen but you CAN get him for the note."

She nodded.

"And do not go ANYWHERE alone! But you really need to go to the police about this. Also record EVERY incident you have. If you see him ANYWHERE, write it down and document when and where. And do this with any call or form of contact he makes with you or your friends, ok?"

"O-ok…"

Kaoru had calmed down but she was still very frightened. I don't like seeing people in pain at all so even though she had not been the greatest to me, I still felt my heart hurt at seeing her so afraid.

"You can get through this. Just stay strong. Do you want me to walk you home?"

I thought she was going to cry again after that sentence. Not from fear but from relief. The expression she had, it made me fear that she had been walking home by herself while this was happening.

"Yes. Thank you."

Xxxx

I plopped down with a sigh onto my couch. Turns out Kaoru lived on nearly the opposite end of town from me. It took me nearly two hours in total to walk her home and then back to my house. The distance was tiring on my sore muscles but not enough to wipe me out. I rubbed my temples as my brain mulled in its troubled thoughts.

A part of me regretted helping Kaoru, as horrible as it sounds. The poor girl was terrified but by helping her, that would mean that this guy would consider me a threat and make me a target. Any of the aggressive behaviors that I had been on the receiving end of from other teenagers had been just the threat of a beating with someone's bare hands. But this guy had already shot someone. As trained as I am to handle confrontations, someone armed was not something I could easily do.

'I hope I didn't just make a big mistake.'

Stalkers could get quite dangerous and just from what she's told me, this guy was VERY serious about Kaoru. I also was acutely aware about how I had not thought to ask his name until after I got home. So he could be anyone at school and I would never know. That bothered me. This was sad. I was nearly forty years old and yet I did not think this through. A sigh escaped my lips and I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"What's troubling you?"

The sentence made me jump in surprise, heart leaping with me and I screamed. Out of reflex, I grabbed and threw the nearest object. Which happened to be the remote for the Tv. A hand easily snatched it out of the air and I was greeted with a familiar smile. The surprise that I received was quickly replaced by a surging of joy and I tackled the intruder with a big hug.

"Kurama!"

My size was not enough to even make him stumble. As corded as I was with lean muscle from Judo, I was TINY and that was not going to even knock Kurama off balance. It's kind of funny how things go. In my first life I had wished I was smaller in frame and had wanted to lose weight. Now I wish I had a bit of a bigger frame. It would be more practical in the long run with this life but there's no changing that.

I pulled away from him and punched his arm playfully, "I really think you are trying to kill me because you seem determined to give me a heart attack!"

He chuckled, "I assure you, it is not my wish to end your life. And I certainly would not go about it in that manner."

"I know." I deadpanned at him completely undermining my joke, "I was kidding. It was a joke. You know what that is right?"

"I believe I've encountered one every now and then."

I laughed then, "So Spirit World let you out, huh?"

"Yes, released on good behavior."

"You?" I raised my eyebrows with a smirk, "Good behavior? Not a chance."

"I can be well mannered and charming enough." Kurama replied.

"Really? So when am I going to see this?"

"As soon as you stop making it so easy to tease you."

I huffed but grinned nonetheless.

"So what is it that was on your mind?"

Kurama's question brought all of my concerns slamming back into me. I ruffled a hand through my hair.

"I…may have just done something without entirely thinking it through…"

"I never would have guessed." He replied smoothly.

"Hey!"

A smile quirked at the corner of his lips then, "So what did you do?"

"Well….I talked to Kaoru today. We've worked things out. However…there's a boy at school stalking her. I offered to walk her home but…This boy knows where she lives. And according to Kaoru there's reason to think he's hospitalized one of her friends."

The smile slipped from his face, "Did you know about this before or after you walked her home?"

"….before…"

"Midori…" he sighed exasperatedly.

"I know!" I exclaimed, "but the poor girl was terrified and this guy is serious. I couldn't let her walk home by herself! I did tell her to speak with the police."

"Do you have any idea how much danger you could be in now?"

I rubbed my forehead, "I know. But I really couldn't just let her walk home alone. She's fourteen and has a stalker for gods sake."

He gave a sigh but smiled at me as if I were a child, "No, don't do that. I know you acted first and then realized the consequences after. You couldn't resist helping her."

I grinned sheepishly, "Spot on, as always. But now there's a problem, I –ehehe- didn't exactly remember to ask the kids name. All I know is that he's in the same school."

Before I thought Kurama had been exasperated but his expression and sigh now told me I had clearly been mistaken. Honestly, his reaction here alone was enough to make me feel embarrassed, nevermind the fact that I was technically a grown woman.

"Midori…how could you not get this boy's name?"

"God, I was kind of worried about Kaoru at the time. So I didn't think it through, sue me!" Kurama continued to stare pointedly at me, "Look, I'll ask her at school tomorrow."

"And if she's not there?"

"We'll figure something out! I'm a reasonably intelligent woman and you are a fucking genius, I think between the two of us we can handle it!"

"I hope you are right."

Xxxxx

Kaoru was not at school the next day. Or the day after that. Now that the weekend had arrived, I decided that I would take matters into my own hands. I went to Kaoru's house. It was a very nice home, large, which was unusual here since Japan is an island, they only have a certain amount of space so most homes are small as a result. That meant that her family had some money. When I knocked on the door it was answered almost immediately by a woman in her mid to late forties.

This was a woman who seemed to be the type who always had everything about her appearance impeccably arranged. The suit she was wearing was nice, the kind that people tended to press but hers was rumpled and clearly worn. Her hair hung limply around her face, but had been curled a few days previously. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles and her gaze was sparking with hope. And then it vanished, crumpling under the weight of intense worry and sorrow.

"Is…" her expression made me hesitate with grim realization, "Is Kaoru home?"

Tears sprung to her eyes and it became apparent to me that this was her mother.

"And who are you?" she snapped, angry that I had been the one to get her hopes up only for them to be dashed.

"I'm…a friend from school."

"Oh…Kaoru…my baby girl is missing. She never came home Wednesday after school."

My heart stilled in my chest.

"That's…that's not possible…" I croaked weakly, "I walked her home myself."

"Well you didn't do a good job!" she burst out, "Did you watch her go inside?! It's your fault! My baby…My baby…."

She slumped against the doorframe, crying hysterically. I left feeling a dreadful cold in my heart. It was clear that I wasn't going to get anything more out of her and I wasn't sure I wanted to talk anymore to her. I just kept walking, not once looking up, feeling a heavy guilt weigh more and more on my shoulders. I thought I was going home but I found myself on Kurama's doorstep.

"Midori…"

I looked up at him, valiantly holding back the tears I wanted to shed.

"Kaoru's gone…"

His eyes softened a moment, "Come in."

I did so, blinking slowly. Shiori appeared in the hallway. She still looked weak and very tired but much better than she had before. A bright smile came across her face when she saw me. I was enveloped into a warm hug, one that I gladly and tightly returned. The embrace was comforting even if she did not realize it.

"Midori, it's so nice to see you." She pulled away.

"Nice to see you too M-Shiori."

"I'm glad you came over, I was going to ask Shuiichi to invite you over for dinner."

"Thank you. Are you sure you're well enough to be cooking?" I asked skeptically.

"She won't be. I will be responsible for dinner tonight." Kurama answered, "Mother, if you don't mind, Midori and I will be in my room. There's something we must talk about."

Shiori smiled, "Of course, dear. I'll be in the living room if you need me."

Kurama led the way upstairs. It was the first time I had ever been into his room actually. Unsurprisingly it was meticulously neat although the bed was still unmade, which came as a bit of a shock. Kurama was so organized and methodical that I expected EVERY aspect of his room to mirror that.

"She never made it home on Wednesday." I blurted as soon as he closed the door.

"Didn't you-"

"Walk her home? Yes!" I interrupted, "How could I have been so stupid?! I didn't walk her to her door, I didn't watch her go in. I was right there, Kurama! Right. There."

"Midori."

"I could have done something. I could have stopped him. But I didn't…I didn't think that he would take her literally from her doorstep."

The guilt, panic and sadness was boiling over. I was vaguely aware of warm, wet trails down my cheeks.

"She's fourteen, she doesn't deserve this! I've been stalked before and that shit is terrifying and now this psychotic boy has her and I could have stopped it."

"Midori."

"Damn, her mother was right. It is my fault. I'm nearly forty years old, I should have known that I needed to wait until she was inside her house before leaving. My own mother taught me that and I didn't do it. Now she's gone and-"

I suddenly stopped speaking when Kurama gently pressed his fingers to my lips to stop my rambling.

"Midori…" he said, pulling his hand away, "You cannot blame yourself for this. This boy would have found a way to her regardless of timing. Don't do this to yourself."

"But-"

"No." Kurama said more firmly, "This was not your fault. Even if you had stayed, he still would have taken her… You are not to blame."

I sniffled and wiped at my eyes, suddenly very self conscious that I had been crying in front of him. I hated crying in general and it was worse when I did it in front of people. Still feeling guilty, sad and worried, I lunged forward and hugged him tightly. I buried my face into his chest, trying to reign in my emotions. Kurama's arms slowly raised so they encircled me as well, but very lightly, like he was only going through the gesture.

"We're gonna find her, right?" I whispered.

He was silent for a moment.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you…"

I pulled away then and rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. I just hugged Kurama out of the blue like that when I'm fairly certain he didn't like physical contact. It was a bit embarrassing. Ready to change the subject, I plopped down on his bed.

"So, why am I not surprised that the great Shuuichi Minamino can cook as well?"

"I never said I could cook WELL." He chuckled.

"Oh hush. You have been around for more than a thousand years, I'm pretty sure you have mastered the art of cooking."

Kurama laughed softly but he suddenly stopped and looked up. Behind me and his bed, is a window where sunlight filters in onto the bed. And the red-head was looking-no glaring- out that window. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle, not just from the sudden realization that someone must have been watching us but also from the cold expression on Kurama's face.

"K-Kurama?" I stuttered quietly, "What is it?"

The look disappeared and he looked back down at me. I was too nervous to turn around.

"It would seem Kaoru's admirer has already taken to following you."

A/N: Whew! It's been a bit! Sorry about that wait guys. It's kind of funny how things work out, actually. This chapter is entirely different than I had intended, with my original plan being diving right into the Saint Beasts but this just evolved! I was going to put more into this chapter but you can blame my friend (for her safety I'm keeping her anonymous) for the cliffhanger. But I've already started on the next chapter so hopefully I'll have it your way soon!