An Experiment with the Wolves

"Sannan-san, is that really you?"

He gave me a sad smile. "Were you expecting someone else?"

I shook my head. This whole time I thought he was held captive. Well, that's what Kazama had stated. "How did you escape?"

He stopped at the barrier line between Mibu forest and the crossroads. "It wasn't really that hard."

I crossed my arms, deep in thought as to how he escaped. "Did you go somewhere afterwards? I see you're wearing a lab coat from the states."

He chuckled and pushed his glasses up. "Actually, I escaped a while ago and decided to pay a visit to your father: Yukimura Kodo."

My eyes widened. "My father? Is he okay?"

Sannan smiled. "Of course he is. I just had to pick something up from him. That's all."

I tilted my head to the head. "A new experiment of his?" Father has been working on this new kind of potion that was supposed to grant you immortality.

He stepped into the barrier. "Correct. Now, are the other men still around?"

I nodded slowly. "They are at the dens."

He acknowledged me and took a few paces forward. "Well aren't you coming?"

I stood my ground, hands clenched into fists. "You go on ahead. I'll..." I swallowed and looked back at him. "I'll catch up."

He smiled again and went on his way.

I stared at the barrier which was a passage way back into the normal world. What's wrong with me?! I can't go back and face them after what I've done! No one wants a killer living with them...

I held out a hand, hesitant about touching the barrier and seeing if I disintegrate on the spot. My finger was only centimeters away and I could feel the electricity boiling from it.

"Being rash again I see."

I quickly pulled my hand away and turned around. Kazama was just as how he looked like a day ago when he was trying to kill Hijikata-san. "Wha-what are you doing here, Kazama-san?!"

He smiled. "So I'm not permitted to this area? Even though I was the one who put up this barrier."

I looked away. I heared a chuckle escape his lips. "Anyways. You must know why I came here."

I gritted my teeth. "Isn't this act getting a little old?" I felt a hand rest itself on my shoulder.

"But I've noticed that you enjoy it. Me kidnapping you and then your handsome wolves come to save you, am I right?" I blushed and pushed his hand away.

"Th-that's not true!" I turned to face him. "But you already know that I won't marry you." I'm too young to be thinking of marriage!

He sighed. "You say that, but I know one day you will have the hots for me."

I stuck my toungue out out at him. "In your dreams maybe." Hopefully not in mine.

Kazama grinned. "Now lets get back to why I'm here. I've heard you killed the other Chizuru."

I held my breath. The memory of her screeching out in pain huanted me. "How did you know?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "News travel fast when you're a demon."

Tears began to stream down my face. "It's not like I meant to kill her! It was an accident!" I covered my face with my hands and started bawling. What did I do to kill her? Could I do it again? What if I accidentally killed one of my friends? Questions swirled around my mind like a tornado, smashing one question to the other.

Suddenly I felt drawn into the arms of Kazama. He had one arm wrapped around my shoulders and I lowered my hand from my face.

"Kazama-san..."

He didn't look at me but had a grim expression. "Killing happens when least expected. She would have been killed sooner or later." I looked up at him. "Heh. But I never liked her anyways." He gave a small smile.

I wiped the tears away. "If you're trying to cheer me up, then just forget about it." I don't think that a murder will be something that I could forget even if I tried to.

I clamped my hands together and prayed that her ghost will leave me alone. Or rather that she will never come near me. I've been to busy worrying that I almost forgot that my head was resting on Kazama's chest.

My ear pressed against it and I heard the sound of his heart beat. "You say your a demon. But you have a heart." I heard a chuckle escape his lips.

"I think you're the one acting cold now. Of course we have hearts. What do you take us for? Zombies?"

I stifled back a laugh. "I... I didn't mean that..." I flinched as I felt him lay his chin on my head. "K-Kazama-san..."

I could hear my heart thumping deep in my chest.

"I know what you really want to do."

I swallowed. "Re-really...?"

I felt him smile. "You want to get out of Mibu forest and back into your normal life. Right?"

My eyes looked down. Did I want that? Maybe once when I first heard about that I would be trappe here, but now I'm not so sure. All the memories I've made with the wolves were fun and enjoyable moments. I still wanted to help them break the curse, or did I care more about me then them?

"I... I..." I didn't know what to say.

I felt his head lift up and he released me from the embrace. "How about I make you a deal."

I stared at him. "A deal?"

He nodded. "If I take you outside of the barriers for one whole day, you'll have to spend that day with me."

I clenched the fists together. Did I want that? But it's only just for an entire day, that couldn't hurt... Right?

"I... accept your deal."

I saw him smile and held out his hand. "So, shall we go then?"

My eyes widened. "Right now?"

His eyes bore into mine. "Of course. Or would you rather not accept that opportunity?"

I shook my head. "No. I just thought that it was too soon." I didn't have anything ready yet! But I accepted his hand and to my surprise, his hand was warm. My hand fitted into his large hand and that made me more at ease for what was coming.

I saw him mutter some words I didn't catch, and the barrier started to waver, like ripples in a pond.

"W-wow..." I stared in awe at this scene. I felt him tug at my hand and I followed him through the barrier, back into the life I've had before this all started.

"Well, this is my house."

We stood in front of the place that I had previously lived in with my "father" Yukimura Kodo. "It's smaller than I would have imagined." Kazama rubbed his chin.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Well not everyone was born into a rich family."

I heard him laugh. "Hardly. But let's take a look inside..." He began to walk towards the door. My hand shot out and grabbed onto his.

"You... You shouldn't just barge into someone's house before being invited! That's bad manners."

He looked at me in surprise and then did something unexpected. He went down on one knee and held onto my hand. "May I kindly visit the home of my future wife?"

My face grew hot and I jerked my hand away and turned around. "Idiot. Stop acting like the gentlemen that you are obviously not and I'm not your future wife!"

I heard his footsteps retreat and I spun around. He was already at the door. "Hey! Kazama-san!" I ran up to him.

He was back to his uncaring self as he opened the door and walked in first. I rolled my eyes and followed him in. The musty odor of home hit me as I remembered the time I was taken in by "father". I gasped as I stared at the empty house.

Everything was gone, taken, not a single item was present. It was like walking into a huanted mansion. Dust was littered on every surface, the floorboards creaked as we made our way in.

"Well... Nice place you got here. Where do you sleep, outside where it's much cleaner?" Kazama made his snarky remark. I sucked in a breath. The house seemed like no one even entered it before I left.

"What had happened here?" I muttered.

I made my way down the hall and stopped in front of a door. Kazama followed me.

"My room." I addressed. I twisted the handle and it creaked opened. Like in the living room, everything wasn't here. I walked towards the one window in my dust ridden end room and knelt down. I brushed away the dirt and sneezed.

"Heh. Your sneeze is quite cute." Kazama commented. I rubbed my nose and sighed. What a flirt.

I began to hit the floorboards with my knuckles, trying to find that hollow spot... Ahh here it is. I pushed at one end of the board and the other end lifted up.

"Hiding secrets are we?" Kazama looked over my shoulder. I stuck my hand down the compartment.

"We'll see..."

I felt the pile of papers and picked them up. Thankfully, it wasn't covered in dust like the rest of the place. "These are the notes of my fathers latest experiment."

I shook the papers until something flew out of it and landed on the ground next to me. "What's this?"

The photograph -what I think it is- was in black and white form, probably taken a few years ago. On it was a man that looked like my father, but in his younger years and next to him stood another man with circle-rim glasses. He was holding a tiny vile of some sort of liquid in it. But what scared me the most was that while the rest of the picture was black and white, the vile with the liquid was red.

"I thought that there wasn't anything left in this place." He leaned against the wall in front of me. I looked up to meet his gaze.

"Before my father left, he told me that he was going to work on some sort of potion that could grant immortality. The very idea scared me, since it has never been done before. He had these very notes containing secrets that could very well be the end of man kind. I stole the notes and his them here, although I never actually read anything on it."

Kazama frowned. "I never thought you would be the type who would rebel against her own father." He then smiled. "But I guess I could live with that."

I rolled my eyes and stared at the picture again. The man with the glasses somehow looked very familiar. A glare was shone on one side of his glasses and then it hit me. "Sannan-san..."

Of course! It all made sense! Him going to the states to meet my father. The red vile... Sannan-san was helping my father to create it! But why was he suddenly back? I frowned. All this doesn't add up.

"The more you frown, the more likely you will get wrinkles when you're older and that will not be pretty."

Kazama was suddenly in front of me. He surprised me so I dropped all the papers and they bounced off my knee, scattering on to the floor. "Kazama-san?"

He leaned closer and instinctively I moved my head back. He lightly pushed me and I was soon sprawled on my back with Kazama looming over me. His hands were on either side of my head and my hands were also sprawled out.

"You do not know how hard it is to keep myself from kidnapping you."

I blushed and averted my gaze from his. I heard him chuckle and flinched as he moved his head towards my neck. "S-stop it. Kazama-san..." I hope he didn't hear my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

I felt his hair tickling my face and I shut my eyes. He took in a breath and then pulled away. "I'm just teasing you."

He got off me and I sat up, my face still a pink color. I began to gather up the files and the photograph. "Now where shall we go next?" Kazama asked me.

I stood up and dusted the dirt off my shorts with my free hand. "Umm. Lets try the mochi stand! I haven't had their mochi in forever!" I saw him smile and he followed me out of the house.

"Please come again!" The shop owners voice came from inside the tiny shack.

I held the box of nine mouthwatering mochi and went over to the bench. I placed the box between me and Kazama and placed my hands together. "Thank you for the food!"

I picked up the seseame mochi and popped it into my mouth. "Delicious! Huh, Kazama-san aren't you going to have one?"

He stared at the peanut flavored mochi that was in his fingers. "I do not know what these are or if they are safe to eat."

I stared at him. "What? Dont be silly! Here!" I took the mochi from his fingers and held it up to his mouth. He looked at it and then grinned. He opened his mouth and I put it into his mouth. Unfortunately, my fingers were in his mouth and he licked them.

I jerked away. "What are doing?!"

His tongue flicked out and licked his lips. "I wanted to see how you taste like."

I blushed and looked away. A few women walked past us and I heard them whisper.

"Look at that young couple over there."

"I know, couldn't they do their business somewhere else?"

My head lowered as I tried to hide embarrassed face. Kazama, however, gave a satisfactory grin and looked at me out of the cornor of his eye.

We quickly finished the mochi and were now just taking a stroll around town.

"Are you thinking of them?"

I looked up at Kazama. "Who?" It was a dumb question and I already knew who he was talking about. But I didn't want to admit it.

"You know, those dogs." He retorted. I refocused my attention on the road in front of me.

How were they doing, I wonder. Did they realize that I was gone yet? "I guess so..." This is what I called lying to myself. I couldn't stop thinking about them! Ever since I left one of the wolves would pop up in my mind and that was that.

But I had another reason for worry about them. A feeling that I couldn't shake off my mind.

"Is that so..." Kazama picked up his pace and turned a corner, I quickly followed. At the end of the alley was an abandoned well.

I think it is abandoned since the rope was gone and the paint was peeling. He stood at the edge and beckoned me closer. Confused, I went up to him.

"What is it?" I asked. I looked down the well. Water was still in there which surprised me. He flicked his hand over the surface of the water and a picture began to form. Mibu forest appeared and my eyes widened. "How'd you do that?"

I saw him shrug and he flicked his hand again. The picture dissolved and then faces appeared. I saw every one of the wolves in their human form, walking around the forest calling for something or someone.

But what really stood out was their hair. They all cut it short, just like Hijikata. I blushed slightly as Heisuke's face appeared with his hair cut. He looks more manly like that.

I quickly covered my mouth with my hand to hide the ridiculous grin I was putting on. I heard Kazama sigh and waved his hand again. The image shivered and then I saw all of them backed up against the edge of the lake. But wait. One of them was missing: Kondou-san.

"Hey, where's Kondou-san?" Kazama said nothing as the image shifted once again. In front of them was Sannan-san holding what seemed like a clear vile. A drip fell from the mouth piece and on to the ground. Where I saw Kondou-san laying in a pool of blood.

I jerked back and began to shake. "Wha-what the hell... Happened..."

Kazama frowned. "It seems like this Sannan person drank that vile and killed Kondou." I hugged the stack of papers close to my chest. What was father trying to do with his experiment?

"I... I have to get over there to help them!" I panicked. I have to get over there fast, or who knows what may happen if I wait.

"I figured you'd say that." I glanced at Kazama, his face back into its uncaring mode. "You're a good woman who sticks with her ideals. I respect that."

Does he? I still don't know much about Kazama-san, what his purpose is, if he is someone I can trust. But I know that someday everything will be revealed to me.

Kazama took my free hand into his. "Don't let go." The flames came next, it engulfed us and whisked us away.

It dropped us on to the ground and I landed on my bottom.

"Ow..." I rubbed my butt and looked up at Kazama. "Are we really back?"

He said nothing as he stared ahead. I followed his gaze and saw the entrance of Mibu forest, the same sight as I first came into contact with it.

"I'm home..."

I flinched. Did I just say home? I gripped the papers tighter, maybe I'm going crazy but after two months living with the wolves, I feel like I have a meaning here. A purpose even. They are my family, and family don't abandon one another. I wiped away an incoming tear and stood up.

"You really have the intention of helping them, huh?"

Kazama had his back turned to me but I knew that he wasn't happy. I walked up to him.

"They mean the world to me. All the times I've spent, both fun and sad, I feel as one with them!" A breeze came and went, blowing at my hair.

He said nothing as he turned around and planted a kiss on my lips. My eyes widend and I gingerly touched the spot where he made contact with. I saw him smile.

"I'll make sure I attack you, next time." He raised a hand and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

My heart did not slow down, but kept on racing. I guess Kazama did have a good intention after all. I smiled and made my way towards the barrier.

My family was in there, I need to get to them! The familiarness of the forest hit me as I carried both my feet through the barrier.

I was back in Mibu forest.

Trees flew paste as I summoned my demon powers and ran at a speed that normal humans couldn't even compare to.

I've seen Kazama and Hijikata grow horns and a tail but I still haven't seen any sign of mine. I shook my head as I continued forward.

Focus Chizuru! We're here to save the wolves!

I clutched the papers tighter, hoping that they won't fly off. As the lake came into view, I couldn't help but think that if I did come face to face with Sannan-san, would I have to fight him? The end of the road came up ahead and I leaped.

If I don't have a choice, I guess I will fight him. Anything to protect my family! I landed on top of the big rock and stared down at the men.

"I'm back guys!"

Heisuke was the first to greet me. "Chizuru?! Oh man I was worried sick about you!" When he relized what he just said he blushed and looked down. The other men made sly looks at the brown haired fighter. I also blushed and leaped down.

That's when I noticed Sannan-san was gone, also with Kondou's body. I immediately reacted to the pool of blood in front of me and stepped back. I tripping on my own feet and fell backwards, only to be caught by Saito. I

looked over my shoulder and noticed that he had also cut his hair. "Th-thank you, Saito-san!" I stuttered and re adjusted myself. He said nothing but gave me a small smile.

I turned around to look at the wolves. Each one had cut his hair short and wore a western uniform like Hijikata-san. But I couldn't help but blush at the sight of these handsome men.

"Chizuru, what's that in your hand?" Hijikata's voice snapped me back into the present.

"Oh! These are the files that pertains to that vile that Sannan-san drank!" I held them out and gave them to Hijikata. He accepted them and began shifting through it. "I'll look at them later."

Okita walked up to me and grinned. "So where were you? I missed you." I stiffened as he brushed away a strand of hair from my face.

"I... I was..." How could I tell everyone that I wanted to leave this place before I realized that I actually have a home here? I was about to answer when I heard a shout from behind me.

"Hey! Everyone!"

Nagakura and Harada came up to us and was shocked at my arrival home.

"Chizuru?! When did you come home?" Nagakura picked me up and spun me around in the air.

"Wah! It's good to see you to Nagakura-san!" I laughed until he gently set me down.

Harada came over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Good to see you back." I smiled at him. "It's good to be home."

Nagakura started to speak. "We didn't find any trace of Sannan-san or Kondou-san. All we found were droplets of blood that led out of Mibu forest."

I blinked. Blood, at the entrance of the forest... How come I didn't see any? Surely Sannan-san left before I came back, so what was going on?

I opened my mouth to spill out the whole truth when a voice was heard atop of the hill.

"Heh. All the wolves are together. This is going to be easier than I thought."

We turned to the direction of the sound. I gasped. "Y-you..."

She smiled. "I'm back~" she said in a sing songy voice.

Indeed, my -supposedly dead- evil counterpart: Yukimura Chizuru was back and she had the look of a crazed demon.

Sorry I havent updated in like two weeks, but i had my first Cambridge exam and i had to study for it. Im having a few more for the next two weeks so i wont be able to update in a while... But dont worry! i'll be sure to update A.S.A.P!

A reminder: May 24 is coming up so the polls for "Love Potion" will soon be over, Dont forget to vote for your favorite guy! 3