Magic within the city of beasts
Here's the next chapter of the story.
Chapter seven
Tomorrow soon came around as Mayor Rose returned to the cooperative in the afternoon to take a blood sample from Kagami. For the young teenager, she was not looking forward to it, even though she agreed to let Mayor Rose draw some blood from her. We find Kagami sitting in her human form on the red couch within Shirou's study. Kagami was wearing a blue short sleeved T-shirt with a white edging around the neckline, grey shorts and the same sneakers. She sat silently as Mayor Rose prepared a needle and evacuated tube. Shirou was standing near the couch as he kept a sharp eye on Kagami, who sat on the couch with her gaze cast down towards the floor. He saw her hands curled up into fists as they gripped at the leggings of her shorts. The wolf beastman also saw that Kagami was shaking like a leaf while catching the scent of fear and anxiety wafting off of her body.
"Will you just relax?" grumbled Shirou in annoyance. "The mayor is only getting a blood sample from you and nothing else. So quit being such a baby about it already."
Kagami flinched when she heard Shirou talking to her before she turned to glare at him nervously.
"I'm not a baby, you stupid wolf!" shouted Kagami in denial as she continued to sit in a tensed position upon the couch.
Shirou only gave her a look that said he didn't believe her one bit. Kagami gave the man her own glare before looking down at her clenched fists that rested upon her lap. Even though she denied being a nervous wreck, Kagami still couldn't help feeling scared about being poked by a needle. She had gone through hell when the scientists on Midchilda experimented on her with multiple tests that nearly tore her body apart. That also included being punctured by many needles when the scientists injected her with different serums to see how Kagami reacted to them. The young teen remembered how some of those serums burned within her body, and caused her to go wild with pain.
'But it's not going to be like that now,' thought Kagami firmly within her mind. 'The mayor is only going to take a blood sample from me and nothing else.'
But even when she mentally told herself this, the memory of what happened to her long ago still remained fresh within her mind. After a minute, Mayor Rose came up to Kagami with a blue tourniquet band within her right hand.
"Alright, now I want you to straightened out your right arm so that I can tie this tourniquet around it," said Mayor Rose as she instructed Kagami on what to do.
Kagami gulped before she slowly lifted her right arm up to present it to the mayor. Kagami sat perfectly still as the mayor tied the tourniquet around her right upper arm. Mayor Rose then walked back over to the table to grab an acholic prep pad before coming back. She began to wipe it on the spot where she will draw out a sample of Kagami's blood. When that was done, Mayor Rose picked up the needle that she had prepared, and got ready to push the needle into Kagami's arm.
"Now, you're going to feel a slight pinch, so make sure to stay still," said Mayor Rose as she warned Kagami about what's going to happen.
Kagami, not trusting her own voice, only nodded her head before closing her eyes and turning her head away from the sight of the needle. She sat tense as she prepared to feel the needle pierce into her skin.
'Relax,' thought Kagami fiercely to herself. 'Just stay calm and don't move a muscle.'
Kagami felt the mayor gently pull the skin on the surface of her arm down as the needle started drawing closer. As it did, Kagami felt her magic starting to flare up inside her. The teen tightly clenched her teeth and fists as she tried to suppress her magic from acting up. Suddenly, the memories of her past started to appear within her mind. Kagami grew tense as the images started to form, but they quickly faded away when she suddenly heard Shirou's voice speaking up beside her.
"Take it easy," he said in a low voice. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Just relax and try to think of something that can help distract you."
'That's easy for you to say,' thought Kagami quietly to herself. 'You haven't been poked by twenty or thirty needles when you were a test subject for scientists.'
Still, Kagami did what Shirou had suggested to her and tried to think of something that could distract her. But no matter how hard she tried, Kagami still winded up seeing flashes of her past appearing within her mind. She was starting to see an image of her being strapped down to a table as a group of scientists stood over her. They were all covered in shadow and were glaring down at her with tools that they would use to cut into her. That image nearly caused her to lose control on suppressing her magic when she felt a large hand gently grasp her clenched fist. Kagami then felt herself being pulled into something soft and furry before the familiar scent of pine tree and wild mint floated up into her nose. After catching its scent, Kagami started to slowly calm down and the terrifying image of the scientists faded from her mind. It was replaced with her lying underneath the pine tree that she had sat under after escaping from the lab, along with the wild mint growing near the tree's roots. When that scene appeared within her mind, Kagami began to relax as she remembered how peaceful it had been sitting underneath that large tree. The mixed smell of pine and mint became her favorite scent ever since that day. Kagami pressed her face closer to the softness as she concentrated on the pine tree and wild mint scent before Mayor Rose spoke up.
"There, all done."
Kagami blinked her eyes open in surprise when she heard the mayor's voice. She then noticed that her face was pressed up against the familiar white fur of Shirou's mane. The teen's eyes widened slightly before she looked up to see Shirou in his beastman form. He was gazing down at her with his usual stoic expression, but his eyes were softer than they had been a moment ago. She then looked down to see Shirou's left hand resting over her own hand, which had unclenched after she had relaxed. Kagami was a little confused by Shirou's action of being so close to her before realization came over her.
'Shirou just wanted to make sure that I didn't lose control on my magic, and hurt Mayor Rose.' Kagami thought before she let out a quiet sigh.
"Are you alright?" questioned Shirou in a low voice.
"Yeah," replied Kagami with a nod of her head. "You can let go of me now."
Shirou replied with a low rumble of satisfaction before he let go of Kagami's hand and pulled away from her. Kagami pulled back to sit up straight on the couch, and sighed before looking down at her arm. She saw a white gauze tapped to the spot where the needle had prick her.
"The gauze will help keep a hematoma from forming on your arm." Mayor Rose explained as she took off her gloves and stood up before looking down at Kagami with a reassuring smile on her face. "So make sure to keep it on your arm for at least several minutes."
"Okay, thank you," said Kagami with a small smile as she looked up at Mayor Rose in gratitude.
Mayor Rose nodded before speaking once again: "You were really trying your hardest by not panicking at the sight of the needle. I'm guessing this is another thing that you're not to fond of either?"
"Y-yeah," replied Kagami in small voice as she looked down at her arm again. "I didn't really have a good experience with needles either, but at least it'll keep me from going into Medical Centre."
'At least…I hope it will,' thought Kagami quietly to herself.
Kagami watched as Mayor Rose gathered up her things, and the sample of Kagami's blood before turning to look at the young teen: "I'll call you when I finished examining your blood. Until then, remember what I told you about practicing with your beastman form whenever you shapeshift into it."
"Yes ma'am," replied Kagami as she looked up and gave Mayor Rose a firm nod.
"Good," said Mayor Rose.
After that, Mayor Rose picked up her medical kit and walked out of the study. Once the door of the study was closed all became quiet within the room. Kagami sat on the couch before looking over to her side to see Shirou, who had shifted back into his human form, sitting a centimeter away from her on the couch. He was leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. He also had his right leg crossed over his left as he sat with his usual stoic expression upon his face. Kagami gazed at Shirou for a moment before looking down at her lap with her hands now resting flat on top of her legs. After a moment of silence, Kagami was the first one to speak.
"Thanks for…you know, helping me to keep control of myself."
"I only did it so that you wouldn't lash out at the mayor," said Shirou without looking at the human beside him.
Kagami gave Shirou a side glance before asking him a question: "So…how long have you known Mayor Rose? I mean, have you two met each other when Anima-City was just being established or after the city was built?"
Shirou opened his eyes and turned to look at Kagami with a light frown: "Why are you suddenly curious about that?"
"Well…it just seems like you and Mayor Rose have a close connection with each other," replied Kagami as she turned to look at Shirou straight on. "I was wondering how you two have met and became friends. But if it's something you don't want to talk about then I won't press."
Kagami then started to get up from the couch before Shirou spoke: "We met each other before the establishment of Anima-City."
Kagami looked at Shirou in surprise before sitting back down on the couch again: "So I'm guessing you two met when you were both teenagers and decided to work together in making Anima-City."
"More like when I was a young teenager and she was an adult," corrected Shirou.
Kagami stared at the beastman in confusion: "You met her when she was an adult? Are you saying she's older than she appears to be?"
"That's right," replied Shirou without looking at Kagami.
Kagami frowned as she turned her eyes upwards towards the ceiling: "The mayor doesn't look that old to me. I'm guessing that she might be within her thirties or mid-forties."
"She's actually near her nineties," said Shirou in a blunt voice.
Kagami's eyes widened as she stared at Shirou with a shocked expression upon her face: "She's that old!?"
"I'm surprised that you were fooled by her appearance," said Shirou as he turned to look at Kagami with a raised eyebrow.
"W-w-well for someone who is near her nineties she certainly doesn't look her age!" exclaimed Kagami with a stuttered in her voice.
"Which goes to show that you shouldn't base things on what they appear," spoke Shirou in a blunt voice.
Kagami turned and closed her eyes as a blush of embarrassment appeared on her cheeks, while a anime sweat drop appeared on the side of her right head. Her embarrassment quickly turned to annoyance when she heard Kuro, who was sitting on his metal perch, caw out something that sounded suspiciously like 'moron' to her. Kagami turned to give the bird a sharp glare, which caused the crow to turn his back towards her and coo innocently to himself. Shirou couldn't help letting out a huff of amusement as a small smile appeared on his face. Kagami turned to give Shirou a glare before noticing the small smile on his face.
'Huh…so he does know how to smile,' thought Kagami in quiet amusement.
Shirou noticed Kagami looking at him as his smile was replaced with his usual stoic expression: "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," said Kagami casually before adding with a smile. "But you should smile more often. It'll make you look less scary around other people."
Shirou only huffed as he turned his head away from the young teen. Kagami chuckled before she stood up from the couch, and walked towards the large window within Shirou's study to look out at the city. It had been four days now since her house arrest and Kagami was starting to feel a little on edge.
'I really want to go outside and see what the city is like,' thought Kagami quietly to herself as she stared out through the window to gaze upon the outside world. 'But I can't do that, even though I did find a way to disguise myself as a beastman. There's still the problem of who will accompany me through Anima City. I can't ask Melissa or Gem to come with me on a walk around the city. Otherwise I might have to explain to them how I'm suddenly able to change into a beastman. So the only one who can take me outside to walk around in the city would be…'
"You already starting to get bored by being stuck in this building for only four days?" asked Shirou suddenly when he noticed Kagami staring out through the window of his study.
Kagami turned to look at him with a sheepish smile on her face: "Yeah…and I have to admit that I'm running out of things to keep me occupied. Also, the kids keep asking me when I will be able to walk around the city with them. So…since I can't ask Melissa and Gem to accompany me, because of the risk of them finding out about my magic. I was hoping that you would accompany me and the kids around the city for a bit of the day."
Shirou looked away from Kagami as he closed his eyes with frown appearing on his face. Kagami notice his expression before she lifted her hands up and pressed them flat together in front of her face. She then closed her eyes and began to speak to Shirou in a pleading voice.
"Please? I promise not to ask you for any more favors again after this."
The room was quiet as Kagami waited to hear Shirou's reply while not opening her eyes. After a moment, she heard Shirou standing up from the couch and walking across the other side of the room. Kagami opened her eyes and lowered her hands. She watched Shirou walk towards the wooden stairs that led up to the second floor of his study. He began to climb up the stairs before disappearing from Kagami's sight on the second floor. Kagami cocked her head to the side in confusion before she started to walk towards the wooden stairs. She only got about six steps when a black shirt was suddenly thrown over the railing of the second floor. Kagami was caught off guard when the shirt landed on top of her head. She quickly grabbed the shirt and pulled it off her head before glaring up at the second floor. Kagami was about to shout up at Shirou when he appeared over the railing to look down at her.
"You can borrow that shirt for today," said Shirou as he called down to the young human below him. "Hopefully it'll hide your scent while we're walking around outside."
Kagami gazed up at Shirou in surprise before looking down at the shirt in her hands. She lifted the shirt up and gave it a quick sniff. Her eyes widened when she caught the familiar pine tree and wild mint scent that came off it. Kagami looked up at Shirou again in astonishment before a small smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you," said Kagami in gratitude.
"Whatever," grumbled Shirou as he looked away from Kagami. "Just be ready in five minutes or I'll leave without you."
Kagami nodded before running out of Shirou's study and headed towards her bedroom. Once she was in her bedroom, Kagami quickly changed out of her blue shirt and put on the back shirt that Shirou gave her. But when she put it on, Kagami saw in the mirror that it was a little too big for her. The sleeves nearly covered her hands and the shirt felt a little lose around her body.
'Well…he is taller than me so it would make sense that he would have shirts that are in his size.' Kagami thought as she gazed at her reflection with a light frown upon her face.
An idea suddenly came to her before she started to do some adjustments to the shirt. Kagami rolled up the sleeves of the shirt to where they sat just below her elbows. Then, she tucked the right side of the shirt into her shorts and left the rest of the shirt to fall free. Kagami looked back at the mirror and smiled in satisfaction.
'That should do it,' thought Kagami with a nod. 'Now I just have to get the Kaito and the twins ready. Not to mention tell Mrs. Melissa and Mr. Gem that the kids, Shirou and I are going out.'
Kagami walked out of her bedroom and headed towards the family room where she knew the kids would be hanging out. When she opened the door she saw the kids, who were in their human forms, gathered around Gem as he once again read the 'Tale of the Silver Wolf' to them. The kids were wearing the same clothing that they had worn yesterday. Kagami couldn't help smiling at the sight of Kaito and the twins sitting attentively as Gem told them the tale of Ginrou. It had become their favorite story to hear as it gave them hope and belief that someone would always be there to protect them. After a minute, Kagami sensed Shirou coming up to stand behind her. She turned to look up at him and saw that he was wearing his trench coat. She nodded at him in greeting before turning back to look at the kids. Gem soon finished reading the story of the silver wolf as he gently closed the book. Kiki then spoke as she gazed up at Gem with a large smile on her face.
"That was such a great story Mr. Gem. I really love how kind and caring Ginrou-sama is to the beastmen who look up to him."
"Yeah, he's so cool!" exclaimed Kaito with an excited expression upon his face. "I bet he's not afraid of anything!"
"Have you ever seen him Mr. Gem?" asked Akira with a curious expression upon his face.
"No, but I have faith that he's real and is watching over all the beastmen within Anima-City," said Gem with a chuckle.
"Can you read that story again Mr. Gem? Please?" asked Kiki in a pleading voice.
"Well he could," spoke Kagami as she made her presences known to the children, who quickly turned to look at her. "Or…we could go outside to walk around and explore the city together."
Kaito and the twins looked at Kagami in surprise before cheering with large smiles upon their faces. Melissa, who had been in the kitchen making tea, walked out to look at Kagami with a smile.
"Finally decided to go out today, huh?" asked Melissa.
"Yeah," replied Kagami with a sheepish smile. "No offence, but I'm starting to get a little stir crazy after being in your home for four days."
"It's fine," said Melissa with a reassuring smile. "If I were in your shoes, then I would want to go out and walk around to stretch out my legs as well."
"So what will you five be doing within the city?" asked Gem out of curiosity as the kids ran up to Kagami and attached themselves to the teen's legs and waist.
"To be honest with you I'm not really sure," replied Kagami with a shrug. "I was thinking that we'd just sort of wing it as we walk around."
"You don't really come up with the best ideas do you," stated Shirou with a raised eyebrow.
Kagami turned to give Shirou an angry pout before replying: "Well I haven't really been walking around the city to know the best places to visit."
"How about we go to the park?" suggested Kiki with a smile. "Mrs. Melissa and Mr. Gem took us there two days ago. It has a playground there and it was really fun."
Kagami looked down at Kiki in surprise before smiling: "Then we'll go to the park today."
The kids let out another cheer as Melissa walked up to Shirou and Kagami with a look of concern on her face before she spoke.
"Just make sure that you'd be careful out there Kagami. Remember, some beastmen aren't too friendly with humans."
"Don't worry Mrs. Melissa we'll be find," said Kagami with a reassuring smile on her face. "I'll make sure to keep my head down, while staying close to Shirou and the kids as much as possible."
"Also be back around dinner time," spoke Gem as he wagged a mocking finger at Kagami and the kids. "Otherwise you and the kids will be grounded for life."
Kagami could tell that Gem was only joking around with her and the kids: "We'll make sure to be back before supper comes around Mr. Gem, promise."
"Let's get going," said Shirou in a flat voice as he turned and began to head towards the door.
Kagami glanced after him before turning back to look at Gem and Melissa. She bowed politely before straightening up again.
"We'll be back soon," said Kagami before she turned and started to follow after Shirou with the kids walking close beside her.
"Oh before you go. I have something that I should give to you," said Melissa before she walked over to a table that stood between two china cabinets.
Kagami, Shirou and the kids paused as they turned to look at Melissa curiously. Kagami watched as Melissa stood in front of the table that had a long purple cloth that hung over the front edge of the table. Golden patterns were marked on the surface and edges of the cloth with a four star shaped symbol imprinted on the front. Standing on top of the cloth were two candlesticks with candles, and a figuring of a wolf with its head thrown back in a howling position. The statue was made in a white stone with red swirl markings painted on the surface of its neck and tail. Its front legs stood on a small stone box with a tiny wooden offering tray in front of it. On top of the tray was a small pile of green bamboo leaves.
Kagami had noticed the figuring a few days after she came to stay in the Beastman Co-op. Gem and Melissa had told her that it was a shrine to their god, Ginrou. Kagami had never really seen a shrine, much less a shrine as small as the wolf figuring, back on her home world. The city that she had lived in only had tall buildings and roads, so Kagami had didn't know what shrines really looked like on this new world. She watched as Melissa stood in front of the shrine with her hands raised up with her pinkies, index fingers and thumbs pressed together and her head bowed towards the shrine. After a moment, Melissa lowered her hands and took five of the bamboo wrappers from the tray. She then handed them to Kagami, Shirou and the kids.
"Here you go," said Melissa with a smile.
Kagami looked down at the bamboo leaf wrapper in her hand in confusion: "What are these?"
"They're good luck charms to keep you safe," answered Melissa. "If you ever need help from Ginrou-sama, you just give this to him."
"I see," muttered Kagami before looking at Melissa with a smile. "Thank you for the good luck charm Mrs. Melissa."
Kagami tucked the charm into the pocket of her shorts before Shirou, the kids and her turned to walk out of the apartment building.
"Have a good day!" called Melissa.
"We will!" echoed Kagami and the kids.
The group of five soon walked out of the building and started their trek down the street with Shirou leading the foursome to the park. Kagami easily kept stride with Shirou despite him having longer legs than her. The children had to run to keep up with Kagami and Shirou, but they didn't seem to mind the speed they were going at. Kagami could tell that the kids were full of energy and wanted to get to the park as fast as possible. She also saw the large smiles upon their faces as they trotted close beside her. Kagami couldn't help smiling herself as she gazed down at the innocent faces that beamed up at her. Kagami remembered how she had once been like Kaito and the twins. Young and innocent, oblivious to the terrors that the world held within it.
'I hope that I can protect them from having to experience these terrors until they're old enough to understand them.' Kagami thought sadly to herself as she let Kiki grab onto her right hand.
Kagami had been growing used to the touches that the children were giving her. She still flinched once in a while when she is suddenly touched without warning. But it wasn't as bad as when she had first came here to Anima-City. The thought of touching suddenly made Kagami remember how Shirou had held her to help calm her down, while the mayor took a blood sample from her. Kagami frowned in thought as she wondered why she didn't flinch when the wolf beastman had touched her.
'It was probably his scent,' concluded Kagami. 'After all, he does smell like a mixture of two plants that I came to love a long time ago. But after being under the same roof with him for four days I know he's not one to touch someone very often. And he doesn't seem like the touchy-feeling type of guy that lets his guard down around anyone.'
Kagami had to admit that Shirou was one mysterious beastman. She couldn't help feeling curious about him and wanting to ask the wolf about his past. Yet the teen knew that getting him to open up about his past was like trying to pull teeth out.
'I think it's best that I don't stick my nose into his buisness,' thought Kagami as she looked up to stare at Shirou's back for a moment. 'After all I'm a human and he doesn't really trust me. Though I guess it's the same for me when it comes to trust issues. I know that I can't really open up about my past to anyone I just met. And talking about my past isn't something I'm too fond of sharing with anyone either.'
Kagami let out a quiet sigh before looking down at Kaito and the twins, who continued to trot close beside her. She smiled down at the kids before looking up again to see Shirou looking over his shoulder to glance at her.
"Don't worry. I'm making sure that I stay close behind you," said Kagami as she reassured the beastman walking in front of her.
"Just make sure that you keep an eye on the kids," said Shirou as he gave Kagami a firm look before looking ahead again. "They're your responsibility, so you need to make sure that they don't wander off. Even if you're still just a kid yourself."
Kagami frown at what he said, but decided to hold her tongue and not get into an argument with him. She wanted to enjoy the day without spoiling it for Kaito and the twins.
It wasn't long before they came to the park that had the playground equipment. Kagami sat herself down on a park bench that stood near the playground equipment, while keeping a watchful eye on Kaito and the twins. Shirou stood near the bench, while leaning up against a tall tree that stood beside the bench Kagami was sitting on. He also kept a close eye on the kids, who bustled about on playground equipment together. Kagami and Shirou watched them for a while before the young teen decided to speak.
"Shirou…I've been wondering about something that caught my attention recently."
"And what's that?" questioned Shirou.
"Well…Anima-City is supposed to be a place where beastmen can be themselves, right?"
"…Yeah."
"Then why do you and all the other beastmen walk around in your human forms all the time if you all despise humans so much? I mean…isn't it a bit uncomfortable for you and the rest of the inhabitants to be walking around in human form all the time?"
"Not really. The beastmen had to learn to adapt throughout the centuries, and in that time we've learned to take on human forms to keep our true forms hidden. It was the only way to live within the world without humans finding out what we really are."
"I see…but now that you all live in this city, aren't you free to walk around in your beastman forms?"
"We only transform into our beastman forms if we challenge each other over dominance or territory. In this city, if you change into your beastman form then that means you're looking for a fight. So it's best that you don't practice morphing into your beastman form when walking around in the city, unless you're looking for a fight."
"I'll take your word for it."
Kagami watched as Kaito showed off in front of the twins by swinging to the other side of the monkey bars. She watched closely to make sure that Kaito didn't hurt himself before she spoke again.
"So…what kind of work do you do in Anima City? Are you part of the police force or something?"
Shirou glanced over at Kagami with a suspicious glare: "Why do you want to know?"
"Well…you seem like the type of serious person who would be part of the police force."
"Well you're wrong about that."
"Then what do you do?"
Shirou looked away from Kagami before he curtly answered her question: "I'm a social worker. That's all you need to know."
Kagami turned to glance up at Shirou in surprise when he told her that he worked as a social worker. She was about to ask him why. But decided to save that question for another time when she saw that Shirou was growing tense with her questions. Kagami turned her attention back onto the kids, and saw that they were playing tag with each other. She watched in silence for a while before she heard the sound of something being unwrapped. Kagami turned to look up at Shirou, and saw him opening the good luck charm packet to reveal a piece of bacon inside it. She watched as Shirou began to eat the offering before the young teen spoke up.
"You know…I don't think your god would appreciate you eating his offering."
Shirou swallowed the piece of bacon before he spoke: "There's no way that a god would refuse to help you. Just because you refused to give it food."
"So what you're saying is that Ginrou is more likely to help people by judging if their lives are worth saving?" asked Kagami with a raised eyebrow.
"He only saves the lives of beastmen who have done no wrong," corrected Shirou as he looked down at Kagami with a frown. "So don't get your hopes up that he'll risk his life to save yours."
"I don't really expect him to," said Kagami with a frown of her own as she turned to look down at her lap. "After all I'm just a pathetic little human to him. He only protects beastman and sees humans as the enemy to his kind. So why would he want save the life of one of his enemies? Especially when she's…"
Kagami paused in her words, while biting down slightly on her bottom lip to keep the last few words from flying out of her mouth. Shirou noticed this, but decided not to press her as he remembered what Mayor Rose had just said. Instead he continued to eat the bacon good luck charm, while Kagami was given time to collect herself.
'You idiot!' thought Kagami as she scolded herself inside her head. 'What were you think? You nearly revealed your biggest secret to this guy! You need to be more careful, otherwise you'll wind up making the biggest mistake of your life!'
Kagami let out a soft sigh as she turned her eyes upwards to see Kaito and the twins still climbing around on the playground equipment. A sad smile appeared on her face as she silently watched them. For a while, Kagami and Shirou quietly observed the kids before the wolf beastman spoke again.
"Yesterday, when we talked in your bedroom, you said that you had to learn to survive on your own. How old were you back in your old hometown?"
Kagami glanced up at Shirou for a quick sec before she answered Shirou's question with a sigh: "I was fourteen years old."
Shirou glanced at Kagami with slight surprise when she told him how old she had been when surviving on the streets of her homeworld. He soon became curious as to how Kagami had survived on the streets of Midchilda.
"And how did you survive back in your hometown, human?"
Kagami hesitated for a moment before answering: "I found work by mostly doing odd jobs like helping store owners stock up on groceries, or helping home movers with furniture."
"So transporting weapons and selling them to the black market was a first for you?"
"Yeah…and as I said before. I'm not proud for doing what I did back in my hometown."
The two became silent for a moment before Shirou spoke again, and what he said caused Kagami to twitch slightly.
"That wasn't the only thing you did back in your hometown was it?" questioned Shirou as he looked down at Kagami with narrowed eyes.
Kagami hesitated for a moment before finally answering: "Well…the things I did back in my hometown weren't exactly jobs. But it did earn me some money to survive on the streets for a while."
"And what exactly were those things?"
"…Street fighting and cage battles," answered Kagami softly as she clenched her hands into fists on her lap.
"And how old were you when you took up fighting against other humans?"
"…I started taking up street fighting and cage battles when I became fifteen."
Shirou's eyes widened as he stared down at Kagami in astonishment before they shifted into an angry glare.
"Are you insane? Why did you take up such a risk like that?"
Kagami became tense with anger before she turned to glare up at Shirou: "Well I didn't have a choice back then. If I wanted to survive, then I had to either fight to become stronger or die on the streets. I knew what I was getting into when I fought against people who were stronger than me."
Shirou stared down at Kagami with unwavering eyes before he spoke once again: "It was still a stupid and reckless thing to do, human."
Kagami let out an annoyed growl and was about to say something when a scream caught her attention. Kagami and Shirou quickly turned towards the playground equipment and saw a man grabbing Kiki. The man was tall with short shaggy black hair, pale skin and brown shifty eyes. He was wearing a grey shirt underneath a black leather jacket, blue jeans and brown shoes. Kaito and Akira had quickly climbed up to the higher platform on the playground equipment. They watched in fear as the man started to run away with a struggling Kiki in his arms.
"Kiki!" shouted Kagami as she stood up from the bench and started to run after the man.
The man barely got about five feet before Shirou, who had shifted into his wolf form, appeared in front of the man to block him. The man let out a startled yelp before Shirou slammed his right fist into the stranger's face. That action caused the man to loosen his grip on Kiki, who fell out of his arms before a blur of midnight blue and white grabbed her. The blur came to a stop before revealing itself to be Kagami in her wolf form. Kagami held Kiki within her arms as a concerned expression appeared on the female wolf's face.
"Are you okay?" asked Kagami as she looked down at Kiki in worry.
Kiki responded by nodding her head as the young beast-child wrapped her arms around Kagami's furry neck. Kagami smiled in relief before turning to glare at the man that dared to lay his hands on Kiki. The man let out a groan as he slowly sat up on the ground, while Shirou stood over him with a hard look upon his face. The wolf beastman then glanced up at Kagami with a serious expression.
"Take Kiki back to Kaito and Akira," said Shirou in a voice that held no room for argument. "I'll deal with this scumbag."
Kagami let out a sigh before nodding her head at the wolf. She just started to turn when the man suddenly shouted something that caused Kagami to pause in her steps.
"Give that kid back to me you bitch! My client wants her for his experiments!"
Kagami's form tensed suddenly when she heard the word 'experiment' as her visible eye narrows slightly in anger. She then half turned her head to look over her shoulder at the man behind her.
"What did you just say?" questioned Kagami with a dangerous edge to her voice.
Shirou quickly noticed Kagami's change of mood as he stared at her suspiciously. The man was completely oblivious to what he was going to face as he answered Kagami's question.
"You heard me, bitch! My client wants that little girl for one of his experiments!"
Kagami was quiet as she stood still for a moment before kneeling down to place Kiki on the ground. Kagami quietly whispered something into Kiki's ear. The little girl looked up at her in confusion before nodding her head. Kiki then quickly ran back over to the playground equipment where Akira and Kaito were waiting for her. The man quickly stood up and was about to chase after Kiki. But he was suddenly tackled, and pinned to a nearby tree by a single sharp clawed hand encircling his neck. The man instinctively shifted into his beastman form, which was a weasel with black fur. He glared down at the one who had him pinned against the tree before flinching in fear. The one who pinned him to the tree was none other than Kagami, who was glaring up at him with a dangerous glint within her visible eye. Kagami's lips were pulled back to show her sharp fangs as she firmly held the weasel against the tree.
She then spoke in a sharp voice: "What does your client want with that little girl?"
The weasel shook as he looked down at the female wolf that held him: "I...I don't know! All he said was that he needed the kid for something!"
"And who exactly is your client?"
"I...I don't know who my client is!" exclaimed the weasel nervously. "I never saw his face when he asked me to kidnapped the kid!"
Kagami glared up at the weasel distrustfully before she closed her eye and called upon her magic. Time seemed to come to a standstill as Kagami used her magic to look into the weasel's mind. An image appeared within Kagami's mind as it showed her the weasel talking to another person that stood in front of him.
She saw that the man was in a white lab coat with a grey shirt underneath. Along with the shirt and lab coat, he also wore brown slacks and brown shoes. The man was tall and skinny with shaggy brown hair, dark brown eyes with a disturbing look within them and pale skin. The man had an unsettling grin upon his face as he began to talk to the weasel beastman.
Kagami listened carefully to the conversation before her eyes widened in shock and anger. The memory quickly ended as Kagami threw the weasel beastman down to the ground. The weasel let out a whimper of pain and fear as he stared up at Kagami, who was glaring down at him in rage.
"You slimy, son of a…" started Kagami before she was cut off when Shirou grabbed the weasel by the front of his coat.
The wolf then slammed his fist into the weasel's face, thus knocking the beastman out. Shirou then slung the weasel over his right shoulder before turning to look at Kagami with a serious expression.
"I'll take him to the police station," said Shirou in a firm voice. "You and the children wait here for me. I'll come back to collect you and take you all to the Beastman Co-op. After that...you and I are going to have a serious talk."
Then, before Kagami could say anything, Shirou took off in a blur as he was took the weasel beastman to the police station. Kagami stared in the direction that Shirou had went before letting out a frustrating sigh. She then felt a light tug on the left legging of her shorts before looking down to see Kaito and the twins staring up at her in worry.
"Are you okay Ms. Kagami?" asked Kiki in a small voice.
Kagami instantly calmed down at Kiki's question before lowering herself to the ground to be at the children's eye level. She raised her right hand up and gently placed it on Kiki's cheek as the young teen gave the little girl a gentle smile.
"I'm alright," answered Kagami in reassurance. "I just lost my cool for a second that's all."
"Where did Mr. Shirou go?" asked Akira curiously with a hint of worry in his voice.
"He's taking that weasel to the police station," answered Kagami with a soft smile. "He'll be back in a minute or two."
"Really?" asked Kiki in a hopeful voice.
"Yeah," replied Kagami with a nod. "Despite him being a grump most of the time. I can tell that Oogami is the type of guy who keeps his word. We just have to wait for him and not move from this spot, alright?"
Kiki and Akira nodded their heads before Kaito spoke up in an angry mutter: "I can't believe our day got ruined by a weasel. Just what did he want with Kiki any ways?"
Kagami sadly looked at Kaito before answering him: "I'm afraid that I can't tell you that...not until you're a little bit older."
Kaito looked up at Kagami and was about to protest before Kagami gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a gentle, but firm expression as her visible eye held a serious glint within its depths. Kaito's anger cooled down when he gazed into Kagami's eye. He saw that whatever answer he wanted from her was not something he was going to like.
"Alright," said Kaito in a defeated voice.
Kagami gave Kaito a sad smile of gratitude before taking her hand off his shoulder, and stood up to her full height again. Kagami then changed back into her human form and let out a sigh as her body relaxed once again. Kagami was once again seated on the park bench as she watched Kaito and twins climb on the playground equipment. Kagami observed them for a moment before she began to let her thoughts wander a bit. The young teen frowned in anger as she went over what she had discovered from the weasel's memories. Her hands clenched tightly into fists as the memory of that crazed man's face flashed through her mind.
'That man…' thought Kagami fiercely to herself. 'Even here there are people who would do horrible things to innocent children.'
Kagami watched Kaito and the twins play with each other with large smiles on their faces. As she watched them a new resolve took root within the depths of Kagami's heart.
'I won't let Kaito and the twins experienced what I went through. I won't let anyone who seeks to harm them lay their hands on the ones I need to protect.'
Kagami was so intent on watching the children that she didn't sense someone silently walking up to her. She continued to watch Kaito and the twins before she was brought out of her unfocused state by a familiar voice speaking to her.
"I delivered the weasel to the police station," said a male voice.
Kagami blinked before looking up to see Shirou in his human form standing beside her. He held his usual stoic expression while his hands rested within the pockets of his coat.
"Oh, hey," greeted Kagami in a surprised voice.
"Come on. It's time to head back to the Beastman Co-op," said Shirou in a low voice.
Kagami let out a sigh as she nodded her head in agreement. She turned her attention to the playground equipment, and called out to the children.
"Kaito! Kiki! Akira! It's time to head back!" shouted Kagami.
Kagami was rewarded with a groan or whine of protest from the children, which caused her to smile slightly. Kagami stood up from the bench before stumbling slightly when she felt a dizzy spell pass over her for a moment, but it quickly went away a second later. Yet her stumbling didn't go unnoticed by Shirou as he looked down at Kagami with a raised eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" asked Shirou in a curious voice.
Kagami looked up at Shirou and gave him a reassuring smile: "Just felt slightly dizzy for a moment, but I'm alright."
Shirou frowned slightly before he spoke in a low voice: "Does this sometimes happen whenever you…?"
"Yeah," replied Kagami quietly with a nodded. "But it doesn't happen very often, so there's nothing to worry about."
Shirou didn't looked convinced, but he decided to let the conversation go for now. He didn't want anyone who might be eavesdropping to over hear them. Then, after some reluctance from Kaito and the twins, they all started to head back to the Beastmen Co-op. Kagami was quiet as they walked back to the apartment and only talked when the children asked her silly questions. Shirou noticed this and couldn't help feeling that Kagami was hiding something that she didn't want the children to know about.
It wasn't long before they returned to the Beastmen Co-op and were greeted by Mr. Gem and Mrs. Melissa. Supper that evening was calm and Kagami only took part within the conversations at the table when the Horner couple would ask her about how the day went. Kagami made sure not to tell them about how Kiki was almost kidnapped for she didn't want Gem and Melissa to go into a panic attack. Supper came to an end after that and Kagami got the children ready for bed. She had been surprised when Kaito and the twins asked her to read 'Tales of the Silver Wolf' to them. Kagami was a little hesitant on reading the book at first, but soon relented and began to read them the story. It wasn't long after Kagami finished reading that the children went to sleep. After she tucked them in, Kagami quietly left the room and closed the door silently behind her. She let out a sigh before turning to see Shirou standing a few feet in front of her without his coat on. The wolf beastman motioned with his head for Kagami to follow him before he turned, and started walking down the hallway. Kagami quickly trotted after him as he led her to his study. The two entered the study before Shirou closed the door behind him. He then turned to look at Kagami with a serious expression upon his face. Shirou was about to open his mouth to say something before Kagami quickly stopped him.
"Let me put up a sound proof barrier first before we talk about what had happened," said Kagami in a low voice.
Shirou frowned before nodding his head at her. Kagami closed her eyes as she focused on her magic, and called up a sound canceling barrier so that nobody would hear them from outside the study. After that was done, Kagami sat down on the red couch and waited to hear what Shirou had to say to her. Shirou stood an inch away from Kagami with his arms crossed over his chest before he began to question her.
"What exactly happened back there in the park? One minute, you were pinning that weasel beastman to the tree. Then a second later, you threw him to ground in a fit of rage."
Kagami sighed before answering Shirou's question: "I used my magic to look into the weasel's memories to find out what his client wanted with Kiki."
"You can look into the memories of people?" questioned Shirou as his eyes narrowed slightly at the information.
"Yeah," replied Kagami softly. "But I don't use it very often, because it uses up a lot of my mana. I only use it if it's absolutely necessary. Today I used it because I wanted to find out what the weasel's client wanted with Kiki."
"And what did you find out?"
Kagami's visible eye narrowed as her hands clenched into fists within her lap. Her body began to shake with rage before she answered Shirou's question in a trembling voice.
"The weasel's client wanted to use Kiki in an experiment that could give humans a longer lifespan. And the only way for him to do that was to…"
Kagami paused as she swallowed a lump within her throat before forcing the words out from her mouth: "…Was to make Kiki go through extreme testing procedures, while dissecting her in the process."
Shirou's eyes widened at Kagami's words before a fierce growl emerged from his throat as his teeth became sharp fangs. The thought of a young beastman being used as an experiment for humans was unforgiveable. It took all of Shirou's will not to shapeshift into his wolf form before he spoke in a sharp and angry voice.
"Were you able to see the face of the client within the weasel's memory?"
"Yeah," replied Kagami as her voice also held a deep anger within its tone. "But I was also able to get the name of the man as well. The man said that his name was...Jiro Nakamura."
At the mention of the man's name, Shirou lost control and shifted into his wolf form before snarling out in rage: "That man again!?"
Kagami looked up at Shirou in surprise before standing up from the couch as a firm expression appeared on her face: "You know him?"
"He's a human that's been a plague to the Anima-City since it had first been built. He has been a threat to all beastmen for over four years now," said Shirou in a dangerously calm voice as his fur bristled to make the beastman look even bigger in front of Kagami. "He is part of the anti-beastmen group that has a deep hatred for my kind. But unlike other humans who want beastmen dead, Nakamura captures beastmen and uses them for his experiments. What those experiments are no one knows, but rumor has it that he uses beastmen as to extend a human's life span."
Kagami's visible eye widened in shock before it narrowed in anger and disgust: "That monster…"
Shirou noticed how Kagami clenched her hands tightly into fists after she said those words. He also sensed a deep anger rising up within her body that was was similar to his own. The wolf beastman relaxed as he stared at Kagami in befuddlement, and wondered why she was displaying this much anger towards a human hurting beastmen. He had only ever met humans who wanted to destroy his people, so this was something that was completely new to him. Kagami then took in a deep calming breath before she looked up at Shirou with a determined expression upon her face.
"We need to catch this man before he experiments on any more innocent beastmen," said Kagami in a strong voice.
Shirou frowned at what Kagami had just said as he gave the human a questioning look: "We?"
"That's right, 'We'." Kagami replied firmly as she stared straight into Shirou's eyes. "I can't just sit around waiting for this mad man to be captured. Not after what had almost happened to Kiki today. I want to help capture this man, and bring him to jail so that he doesn't cause any more trouble for the people of Anima-City."
"That's out of the question," said Shirou as he glared down at Kagami. "You can't just wander around Anima-City without having a clue as to where this human is hiding, and it's not your responsibility to protect the beastmen of the city."
"But it is my responsibility when it comes to protecting Kaito and the twins," argued Kagami fiercely. "I can't ignore this danger, not when their lives are in danger."
'And I can't let other beastmen go through the same thing like I did,' thought Kagami silently to herself.
"I still can't let you go," said Shirou firmly. "You'll only be getting in my way, and you'll wind up getting into a situation that I will not be able to save you from."
Kagami continued to stared straight into Shirou's icy blue eyes before speaking: "I've been looking after myself on the streets of Midchilda for five years. I know how to defend myself against people who want to fight me. Please, let me help in putting this Nakamura person behind bars once and for all."
Shirou gazed into Kagami's visible eye as he tried to find anything that might tell him that she was lying. After finding no deceit, Shirou let out a defeated sigh before he finally spoke his answer.
"Fine, you can help. But you're to stay out of my way when we find that Nakamura human."
"Deal," replied Kagami with a nod before adding one more thing with a smirk on her face. "Just try not to tear him apart to the point where the police aren't able to recognize his face."
Shirou blinked at what Kagami had just said before raising an eyebrow up in amusement: "It seems you're becoming more like a beastman the longer you stay here."
Kagami stared up at Shirou in surprise before looking down in embarrassment, and quickly got back to the subject at hand: "So, what time do you think we should start looking tomorrow?"
"In the morning," replied Shirou as he shifted back into his human form before he turned, and began to walk over to the wooden stairs of his study. "Make sure you wake up early tomorrow."
"Alright," said Kagami as she looked up and a nodded of her head.
Just as she was about to dismiss the sound proof barrier, Shirou added one more thing that surprised Kagami even more.
"Also, make sure that you wear that shirt that I gave you. We don't want any of the beastmen catching your scent." Shirou said when he pause on the top step of the stairs to look down at her.
Kagami stared up at Shirou for a moment before nodding her head: "Um…okay."
Shirou only huffed as he turned and continued on his way to his bedroom. Kagami watched him disappear to the top floor of his study before shaking her head and dismissing the sound proof barrier. She then walked towards the door and opened it, but paused to look up at the second floor for a moment before smiling slightly.
'Goodnight, you grumpy wolf,' thought Kagami quietly to herself before walking out of the room.
Kagami quietly closed the door to Shirou's study behind her before she headed back to her bedroom. As she walked towards her bedroom, Kagami couldn't help thinking about tomorrow. The thought of searching for the man who was harming innocent beastmen made the young teen's blood boil. It wasn't long before she made it back to her room. Kagami opened the door before quietly shut it behind her after entering the bedroom. She then leaned against the door as she let out a tired sigh. Kagami then lifted her right hand up to look down at it with a determined expression appearing on her face. The memory of Kaito and the twins smiling at her flashed through her mind before it faded. Kagami then clenched her hand into a fist as if holding tight to the image of children's smiles within her grasp.
'I swear upon my life that I won't let that mad man lay a finger on Kaito, the twins or any other beastman within or outside the city.' Kagami thought fiercely to herself.
Kagami pressed her fist up against her chest as she firmly etched the vow she made deep within her heart.
To be continued