-Oxford - Wednesday: Part 43-

Kyoko looked towards Reino she wasn't exactly sure why that mattered but it was clear he was not going to budge on his own question first. It didn't help that Ren grasp around her was once again tighter and the aura around him seemed to be taking in all the light around them away. Reino's eyes had trailed towards the man's as well and she knew he was starting to get worried as well. 'I really wish Keiji was here' her eyes trailed towards Ren's for a moment 'I feel like a bloody shield at the moment' she placed a hand against his leg and felt his eyes move towards the simple touch. Yet as she suspected it relaxed him slightly 'No more like I'm dealing with a large wild animal and I'm the zookeeper and their the meal... or maybe that's the other way around' she really didn't know anymore and really hadn't studied all that much about wild animals either but was starting to think maybe she should. The worse part was she could understand why Reino felt he was dangerous and perhaps he really was, she looked down at his hand fell upon hers. 'He confuses me, sometimes I swear he looks at me like he'll eat me but at the same time I know I'm safe. Be a lot safer if Ruto was here though' she wasn't sure if her father could actually fight the idea of him fighting anyone just seemed so odd to her. The man was all about love but how else would he be able to keep Ren calm? She turned looking at him questioningly for a moment 'I'll have to ask Daddy. Just to make sure he can protect himself' her eyes dropped 'more so if Ruto isn't around to protect him or Maria.' The thought that someone had entered their room once more caused pain to shoot through her heart.

Her phone went off and she pulled her hand free from Ren's as she looked at the text message from her father: Don't go back to the room until I say it's safe. Stay within the family or General Brown.

I'm with Ren right now. - K

Good. He will keep you safe, but if you leave it must be with family or General Brown do you understand Kyoko?

Yes, Daddy. I understand. - K

She placed the phone down in her lap her eyes narrowing slightly as she thought. She could go looking for them but without anyone there to follow her, it would be almost pointless. She had to stick to the plan, doing something like putting herself in harm's way would be useless. That and she really wanted to learn how Reino could make the pain disappear. It would make things much easier when... she closed her eyes tight. 'Not now, don't think about that now' she took a deep breath. 'Let's focus on Reino's question instead' her eyes turned towards him. "He seemed kind and nice to me."

Reino rested his chin in his hand as he leaned against the armrest, he wasn't sure who to watch more. Kyoko who he wanted information from or Ren who all he could feel was a very dangerous aura from. There was a difference between him and his cousin. Tomi, you couldn't see that aura, perhaps because he didn't fight his urges where this man seemed to be doing just that. 'So who is more dangerous a man who fights himself or the one who doesn't?' His eyes turned back towards Kyoko 'Or is it the one that lures them both?' It made sense he supposed, Natasha was beloved by both Vas and Boris more than his own mother was. "Is that all?"

"No, not really." Kyoko eye's narrowed slightly as she looked at him. "I was attracted to him, almost as if it was love at first sight."

Ren closed his eyes bitterness washed over him at those words. He couldn't understand why it hurt to think that she would find someone else attractive and yet he himself was lacking. He opened his eyes 'Well she is only a childhood friend' he pulled his hand free resting them between his legs as he leaned forward 'It's just been awhile' he felt Reino's eyes on him but he wasn't really paying much attention anymore.

"That's not uncommon," Miroku said looking up slightly "Kiyora and Dasuku are always going on about some woman they saw that they fell head over heels for."

Kiyora "I'm just appreciating their beauty," he said shooting a glare at Miroku who just smiled at him slightly.

Dasuku threw his hands up in a slight shrug "I'm a young healthy man." He leaned back crossing his legs as he rested his hands behind his head. "I would never force myself on anyone though." His eyes turning towards Shizuru. It was clear between them they were thinking about what happened. They had been informed by Miroku and Reino about the man Sho Fuwa and what he attempted to do.

Reino noted that Ren didn't seem nearly bothered by this information at all. 'So she didn't really tell him' he thought as he looked towards Miroku for a moment who shook his head. It was clear that the man agreed with the single thought he had about it.

Kyoko shook her head, "It might be normal for most people." She said standing up as she began to pace back and forth. Her phone went off as she looked down at the message from Keiji: Where are you?

I'm with Mister Tsuruga in his room. She waited for a moment but when he didn't respond back she figured that he was just checking in on her. Which made her wonder slightly how long before Amanda and David would do so. She mentally shook her head.

Shizuru stared at her "You said for most people." Her eyes darted towards him before nodding slightly.

"Yes for most people. I am not drawn to people" no when she gave herself to someone it had always been about that person, no one else had mattered. When Corn had left her as a child she had cried alone for months. After a year she realized he would never return and she had to focus on keeping the Fuwas from sending her away. Seeing as her mother had put her in their care. Then after the old man, the man who was now her Great Grandfather had died. Her heart had been moved by Shoutaro but between those two. There had been nothing she didn't fawn over anyone. There were no other crushes between the two. She understood she was promised to Shoutaro so there had been no reason, no point to crushing on anyone. Now? She had no reason either, she wanted nothing to do with romance, to give her heart to anyone? That would just be stupid but should she find herself promised to someone through an arranged marriage, then well she supposed she would just deal with it. Accept her fate so to speak. Not that she saw her father doing that, but perhaps Aunt Mary wanting to even the sexes. She placed a hand on her forehead not wanting to think about that.

Miroku "You never been drawn to someone?" he stared at her in shock "Never looked at someone and thought wow?"

Kyoko smiled softly "Not since I was six years old." her head turned as she felt Ren grab her hand stopping her movement altogether, she supposed her pacing while she thought was making him restless but she found movement held her process things. Not that she couldn't do so sitting still but it was easier to do so when she could move somehow. More relaxing. Sighing softly she looked back at Miroku "Like I said once when I was six years old. Yet not since then... it's not that my heart can't be moved."

Reino understood fully well, he was like that with the living. He wasn't drawn to them but hadn't he been drawn to her after he caught sight of her with that Ling man? "I get it." He said with a slight wave of his hand, "It's just not in our nature." He said thinking about it more, no it was safe to say that once we opened that door to let someone in become attached to them it was near impossible for us to give them up. That was perhaps why from all he had seen when they loved someone enough to care about them in any length, they went out of their way for them. 'So that means that the man that Tomi is hunting because he hurt that boy' he leaned back looking upwards at the ceiling 'Might very well be the first person that Tomi really loved and cared about, so he can't let it go.' His eyes turned back towards Kyoko 'Which means that if she gets hurt in a way he doesn't like or accepts.' he sighed. "My turn it seems..." there was a knock on the door cutting him off.

The man who was called Officer Jia Mianju was staring off in the distance. Anyone who looked at him would assume he was worried about his casework as anyone else in the office late at night. Yet they would be wrong he had no worry about the files that were laid out in front of him. 'A flower with thorns that needed fewer thorns and a fake flower in their place.' His eyes slowly trailed to the several files all of the women with light color hair, hazel to brown eyes. None of them fit though. 'Lady Kyoko has golden eyes' he thought thinking about the girl. He found his pants tightening at the thought of her, he closed his eyes he could not allow his urges to get the better of him. He worked for Straw Sandal, he was the man's snake. The Young Master had asked him personally to help deal with Heth, the Master's favorite little Spider of the Paper Fan. His eyes opened as he sighed.

A dark-haired man with hazel eyes placed a hand on the back of his shoulder. "Hey Jia, you look down. You alright old chap?"

The officer looked up the man, "Sam" he said looking at the man who he knew was Officer Patterson before he looked down slightly at the files as if troubled by them, "Just some missing person reports. I'm troubled by them, they're so similar..." he ran a hand behind the back of his neck, "Sometimes I wonder if I'm really up to this job but I've been doing it for so long." He said sadly.

"Want a hand?" Patterson asked him and the officer slowly smiled up at him before giving a slight nod. He handed him the files on the missing girls. "So tell me a bit about what I'm looking at here."

"These are all girls between ages 15-19 years old have gone missing. Only one has ended up dead but not sure if she's one of the girls she fits though. We just don't have a name for her yet." He said shaking his head sadly. "They all have light hair, hazel to brown eyes. About 5'2 to 5'4 in height, they are about 8 stone. All girls that wouldn't likely be to missed. Broken families or no families at all. That's why we have this Jane Doe."

Patterson shook his head, "They remind me a bit of my daughter. She fits everything but the hair color." He said sighed with relief. He moved to sit from him, "This case would hit home for me. Bet it does for you too?"

The officer smiled some, "Yeah I'm just glad my girl doesn't live anywhere near this." Patterson nodded his head as he watched the officer pull out his wallet he smiled some as he showed a picture of a young woman, the photo showed Ella but her hair and eyes were different colors, instead of the black hair she had blonde hair framed her face with steel-blue eyes, "That's my little Cinderella" he said with a smile, but anyone who looked into his eyes would see that wasn't the case. "A beautiful rose isn't she?" What wasn't known to anyone was that this girl was no blood relation to him, actually the closest one could say relationship wise he had with this girl was that he brought her in and that the Young Master had found her of interested. What had believed would have become a broken little Rose, turned out to become so much more. Even her name was a play on her Rose name. Not that she liked it anymore, he mentally chuckled at the thought of how she was once called the Cinderella Fairy Tale rose.

Patterson smiled "Yes she's beautiful" as he passed the picture back to the man. Patterson reached into his own pocket pulling out a picture of a young woman with black hair and brown eyes that seemed to have hints of gold to them, not like Kyoko but she was close that's what the officer noticed as he looked at the photo, He could even see the oriental in her and that perhaps had been the biggest thing missing from all the others. "Alice, she just turned 17 can you believe it? They grow up to fast" he nodded his head some.

"Yeah, they really do. Before we just had to worry about them scrapping their knees now..." he shook his head before handing the photo back to him. "Now we got a whole different set of worries." He shook his head and Patterson patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry we'll find them. We'll bring them home." He nodded his head and Patterson looked towards the clock some, "Have you eaten yet?" He shook his head no and Patterson gave a friendly smile towards him, "Let me go grab you something. Won't be anything grand but it might help us think on how to find these girls."

"That's really kind of you Sam. I'd like that." Patterson stood up and nodded his head before turning and walking out. The Officer watched him go before looking around once, before pulling out his phone. The one thing nice about technology was that he could access information as long as he had access to the internet, he pulled up the record for Patterson. Getting his ex-wife's name and address was easy after that. Then he turned to his own contacts.

I have a new target for you, a girl name Alice Patterson. - O

Where is she? - ?

Sending you the information now, this phone is burnt. I'll get a new one soon. - O

He pulled the battery out turning it off completely. He would destroy it soon enough. He shoved it in his pocket.

A/N: 8 stones [weight in the UK] - about 50 kgs [Japan] or about 112 pounds [US]