The train rumbled beneath Shino Inuzuka who sat next to his adoptive brother Sosuke Inukawa, across from them sat Genpachi Inukai and Kobungo Inuta. They were on their way to a town north of the Imperial City to investigate a series of murders that weren't of the norm. Shino stared at the passing scenery as he allowed his mind to wander back to the conversation he had with Rio Satomi.

Flashback

"Recently there have been a series of murders these past three months occurring within the northern region." Rio pointed at the areas on the map that was marked, "All five of these villages suffered a death count between 15-21."

Shino and Sosuke stared at the map in curiosity before the forever 13-year-old stated, "This sounds like police work for Genpachi. Why are you sending me there?"

Rio was silent and stoic as he pulled out a manila folder and opened it to reveal pictures of the victims before and after their murder. "The serial killer we are after targets females, young girls specifically. But what's jarring are the fang marks of their bodies along with-" Rio cut himself off as he swallowed the bile in his throat, "...perverse actions taken upon them. This is no doubt a work of some blood drinking demon with an appetite for women. You are to take Murasame and destroy them without hesitation."

Shino glared at the photos in disgust when Rio mentioned the heinous crimes inflicted upon these young girls. "What about their families? Are they still alive?"

Rio sighed quietly, "Their families were unharmed. Only their daughters were taken."

"What's his next target? Where am I going?" Shino demanded like a petulant child. While this side sometimes irritates Rio, he understood why Shino would be angry at such atrocities.

"This past week alone, three girls from Kanade Village were drained of their blood in the same manner." Rio pointed at the spot on the map that had the most recent murder cases. "You will leave immediately. I already informed Genpachi, he and Kobungo will meet you at the train station at noon sharp."

Flashback End

"-ino...Shino?" Sosuke's voice pulled him out of his memory.

"Uh, yeah, what's up?" Shino asked as he looked away from the window.

"We'll arrive at any moment now." His older brother informed him with his ever gentle smile.

Shino nodded, "'Kay."

"Where'd you go kid?" Kobungo asked, sitting across from Sosuke.

Shino looked down slightly, "I was just thinking about those girls, the victims in this case."

Genpachi nodded, "It's hard to stomach. Humans also commit these heinous crimes, and not all of them are brought to justice."

"Guess demons and humans aren't so different from each other." Shino commented then looked out the window. "Those girls were around Hamaji's age. If something like that should ever happen..." He paused and sighed regretfully, "I should've checked in on her before we left."

Sosuke laid a gentle hand on Shino's shoulder. The smaller Inu looked up at the former's blue eyes, "Hamaji's in safe hands. She guarded at her school and Kaname's five foxes are watching over her."

Shino was silent then nodded, "Okay." He said, feeling a little better as they felt the train come to a complete stop.

Genpachi and Kobungo made their way to the middle of town where the murders took place while Shino and Sosuke went to the coroner to check the bodies for themselves. They agreed to meet up at the inn once they were done with their own investigations.

Sosuke knocked on the door to the coroner's building with Shino just behind him. The door opened to reveal a withered old man with a cross hanging from his neck.

"Are you Sosuke Inukawa? The one Rio Satomi sent?" His graveled voice asked as he took the young man and boy.

"Yes, and this is Shino Inuzuka." Sosuke introduced the boy behind him.

The coroner eyed Shino, "I don't think this is a sight for children."

Sosuke turned to Shino who looked at the building with mild discomfort. He never liked the sight of dead bodies or anything related to working with dead things because they remind him of the trauma from five years ago.

"Shino, why don't you wait out here until I'm finished?" Sosuke gently offered to the young boy.

Shino hummed before he nodded, "That's fine, I was going to explore the town anyway."

Sosuke didn't look the least bit surprised and smiled, "Just come back to the inn before dark okay?"

Shino walked away with a simple, "Sure, got it."

He walked down the streets where the smell of food filled the air. Not one to resist such temptations, he went to where the steamed buns were and ordered what his allowance could cover. He walked around with Murasame perched on his shoulder as they ate their lunch. The wind blew in their faces, making Shino shiver slightly as his red scarf flapped behind him.

There was a church coming up on his right, and he contemplated going in to offer his prayers to God. He paused just outside the gate when he felt a strange aura coming from inside the church. It was mournful and held a great deal of loneliness. After a few minutes of staring at the building, he decided to enter. The closer he got to the church, the heavier the aura became. It wasn't threatening, but it wasn't exactly pleasant.

He opened the door and saw someone kneeling before the alter in prayer. Their back was to him, but he could tell that it was a kid, probably around twelve by his estimate. He felt that painful aura coming off them, it practically drowned him, but he managed to breathe through it.

The figure gasped then glanced behind them, their light brown hair covered their eyes. "Who is that?" They whispered, their voice soft like wind on a river, but Shino heard it all the same.

"Hi, sorry to scare you, I didn't think there would be anyone in here." Shino explained as he watched the person shiver slightly before the tension left them.

They released a sigh that sounded like relief. "I see. The priest isn't here today." They whispered, as though afraid to make a sound any higher.

"That's fine. I'm from the church. In fact, my brother is a clergyman, so he does service on a regular basis." Shino said as he walked closer to the alter. He saw the figure tense up, as though expecting some kind of attack.

Shino knelt before the alter that was freshly wiped clean and glanced at the person who had their head bowed and beautiful rosary with a reddish-pink gem in the middle clasped between their fingers. Upon closer inspection, he saw that she was female and realized that her long hair was braided and draped over her shoulder to gather in her lap. He looked at her eyes, but they were closed in prayer, so he couldn't tell what color they were.

He glanced down at the scrapes and bruises on her knees. "How long have you been in here?"

She slowly opened her eyes to reveal sherbet-pink gems that held sadness. "Since dawn." She whispered, her voice cracked and full of pain.

'It's already close to mid-afternoon though.' Shino thought as he stared at the marred skin and wondered how she can handle such pain of staying in that position for so long.

"What are you praying for?" Shino couldn't help but ask since most of the people of faith he's seen pray for hours on end for their loved one to return to them or for someone to live a little longer.

"The families that lost their daughters here." She said, her voice filled with sadness and sympathy for the people left behind. "I'm praying that God welcomes their daughters into His kingdom and keeps them safe. I also pray that they heal from this loss."

"That's a very selfless prayer." Shino praised with a soft smile. "Did you know those girls?"

"Sanade. I volunteered to help her at her father's shop when her mother got sick." The fringes of her hair fell over her eyes, "She was kind to me, but most of all had a pure heart." A tear streamed down her face in remembrance for that girl.

"You two were very close, weren't you?" Shino asked when he saw how her hands clenched the rosary tightly.

"I'm a stranger in this town, and she was the first one to show me kindness. For me, genuine kindness is one of the rarest treasures humans take for granted. Then someone took her away." She sniffled as more tears streamed down her face as she mourned the gentle girl who was too pure for this world.

A hand covered hers, causing her to gasp at the warmth that radiated from the skin. She turned to see Shino's green eyes stare at her with compassion and sympathy. "I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure Sanade was happy to have you as her friend." He gently said to her as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Her eyes were downcast, "I didn't get to know her long enough to have that chance at friendship."

"Doesn't matter how long you knew her, because you cared about her enough to pray for her soul to rest peacefully. If that doesn't prove you're her friend, then I don't know what else can." Shino's words surprised her as she turned her wide sherbet eyes to his green gems. His eyes held determination and resolution, not one bit of anger or deceit like she is used to.

'Those eyes of his, they've experienced pain.' Her thoughts screamed at her before she looked down at her hand and noticed a difference in complexion. His skin had more of a tan compared to her pale color.

"Can I still be her friend, even if she's not here?" She asked as she gripped her rosary tightly, one of her few anchors in this world.

Shino smiled at her, "She'd definitely appreciate that."

She wiped away her tears, "Thank you."

"My name is Shino by the way." He introduced himself to the girl. "Can you tell me your name?"

She looked surprised by his question. "My name?"

"Yeah."

She looked uncertain, as though she was afraid to say it out loud. "My name..." She paused, battling her conscious for a long moment before she spoke again, "...Yui. My name is Yui."

"Yui. That's a pretty name." Shino complimented.

Yui looked away with a blush dusting her cheeks, "Um, thank you."

The moment was interrupted by the sound of a growling stomach. Yui's blush deepened at the embarrassing noise that came out of her traitorous stomach.

Shino pulled out a steam bun and gave it to Yui, "Here."

Yui's eyes widened and she almost drooled at the mouth watering aroma. "But that's your food." She protested, unwilling to take another person's lunch without payment.

"It's fine, I already had some myself." Shino said as her stomach growled in agreement. Yui blushed even more before she took the still warm bun and brought it to her mouth. She shivered at the taste as she chewed on it, reveling in the feel of food in her belly.

"You were really hungry weren't you?" Shino commented as he gave her another one.

"I just forgot to eat is all." Yui said, ducking her head in shame as she nibbled her morsel.

Shino chuckled lightly until he noticed the sun going down. "It's almost night, my brother is expecting me."

Yui glanced outside and swallowed the rest of her food. "Yeah, I should go as well." She said as she slowly stood up, only to stumble at the loss of feeling in her legs.

"Woah, careful!" Shino thankfully caught her in time, his arms around her waist and Yui's hands reflexively gripping his red and white jacket. Her head was in his chest, his heart echoed in her ear. She looked up and they both blushed at how close their faces were to each other.

"Um, s-sorry about that." Yui apologized as she stepped away from his embrace, holding onto one of the benches to steady herself as she felt her heart thump against her chest.

"No it's fine. Are your legs okay?" Shino asked, concerned for Yui's knees since she's been kneeling and praying for a while.

Yui nodded, "Yeah, I just need to walk it off." She said as she shook her legs out to get the blood flowing again before she took and experimental step towards the church doors.

Shino walked beside her as they stepped outside. "Do you need an escort home?" He offered like a gentleman.

Yui smiled at his offer and answered, "No thanks, it's not far from here."

A strong gust of wind hit them in the face, causing Yui to curl her arms around herself from the cold. She wore only a single layer blue sweater, white knee-length skirt, and scandals.

Something warm gently wrapped around her neck. She looked up to see Shino standing close to her and wrapping his red scarf around her neck. "Here you go. That should keep you warm." He said as he tied the knot and stepped back.

Yui blushed as she touched the woven material. "Why are you giving me your scarf?" She asked, confused by his humble gesture.

Shino smiled, "Didn't want you to get cold."

Yui smiled as she ducked her head into the scarf the way a turtle would retreat into its shell. "Thank you. I'll give this back to you I promise."

Shino waved her off, "Nah, it's fine. I'm warm enough so you can keep it." He started to walk away and bid farewell, "See you around."

Yui watched his retreating back as she eyes the church symbol on his jacket. "See you around." She whispered before she started making her way back towards her temporary residence.

Platinum blonde hair swayed within the water as she sat on the bottom of the river, unbothered by the current as she gazed up at the blurry half-moon.

"That boy, he's different. He's not like other humans." She whispered as she touched the red scarf that tried to flow with the current.

"Yasashi, could he...be like me?" She asked as a long scaled body curled around her protectively as she leaned back into the gentle embrace of her companion.

She sighed as she relaxed against her friend's scales. "I wonder, is it possible for him to be my friend?" A purr became her answer as she smiled sadly, "You're right, it's better this way."

Her eyes closed as she slowly drifted off to sleep in the river's bed, her red scarf swaying within the water's current.