The Bureau Files: Series 3

by Catsafari

When magic is accidentally released upon the world, new Creations spring to life, causing chaos wherever they go. Now it's up to the Bureau to mend their mistakes before it's too late. But as the year comes to its end, time is running out for Haru Yoshioka. Cover art by Angie/drawerofdoodles.

2. The Komainu Guardian (Part 2)

The Bureau Files: Series 3

ooOoo

Episode 2: The Komainu Guardian (Part 2)

"Listen to this, Haru." Hiromi leant over the kitchen counter towards Haru. She had a broadsheet newspaper spread before her, weighed down at the corners by the remains of breakfast and one half-drunk glass of orange juice.

"Readers may recall that last week four students were found grievously injured at an abandoned shrine on the outskirts of town; today has added another notch in the mystery as a local was found dead in the vicinity this morning. People have been warned to avoid the area until the matter has been cleared up. The first case struck newspapers across the town last week due to the animalistic wounds that appear to be typical of some kind of large predator. Officials are looking into the possibility of feral dogs..."

"While this is fascinating, is there any reason for telling me all this?" Haru asked. She finished up the last of her tea batch and made a mental note to start on a soothing ginger blend next time. "I've already promised you that I have no intention of going anywhere near that area; why would I? It's halfway across town."

"Tsuge wrote this piece! That's why!" Hiromi beamed, shamelessly proud of her boyfriend. "Isn't it a great piece?"

"To be honest, it's kind of like most other articles," Haru admitted.

"Oh, shoo. You're no fun."

"What was I meant to say? 'Oh, Hiromi, it's like poetry of old; it flows off the tongue like sweet honey; please, read it again so I can bask in its beauty'?"

Hiromi gave her flatmate a long stare. "Drink your tea, Haru."

"Already done."

"Don't you have a shift at the pet store this morning or something?"

"Nope." She emptied out the remnant tea dregs and swung her bag over her shoulder. "I'm meeting up with a few friends today instead."

Hiromi's head abruptly lifted from the newspaper. She feigned shock. "You mean you have other friends other than me? How could you betray me like that?"

"Oh, I know, Hiromi; it's hard to believe I have a social life outside the crazy times we have here, but try not to be too downhearted. After all, for some reason or another, I'm still friends with you." She ducked just in time to avoid the jacket thrown her way.

"What have I ever done to you?"

"Do you want the list alphabetically or chronologically?"

"For someone who claims they're not a morning person–"

"I'm not."

"–you've got an awfully smart mouth for this time of day."

"It must be a result of living with you."

"Hilarious. Look at me; I'm splitting my seams from laughter." However, as Haru started to leave, Hiromi reached out and caught her flatmate's arm. Her expression was suddenly serious. "Haru... Please be careful."

Haru hesitated, and then gently eased her arm free. That was twice in as many days that she had received a warning of that sort. "Don't worry. I have no plans on going anywhere near that abandoned shrine. What kind of crazy idiot do you take me for?"

ooOoo

'I should really learn to keep my mouth shut...'

With a sinking heart, Haru looked over the all-too-familiar newspaper Baron had just spread before her. She wasn't even going to ask how he had acquired or shrunk down a human newspaper – thievery and magic respectively, probably – but the reason why was all too obvious.

"And you really think we have a case here?"

"I still say it's just dogs," Muta grunted. He leant back and dumped his hind paws onto the table between them, obscuring part of the article. "Some idiot's probably bred a nasty one and now it's gone feral. Is this really worth our time?"

"I think you're just scared, puddingbrain. It's exactly what I would expect from a fat cat like yourself."

"So I don't like dogs – sue me. Why don't we just let the humans deal with this, Baron?"

"I have a feeling that there may be more to this case than meets the eye."

"Right. Is that just a gut feeling or is it something with actual, you know, evidence? 'Cause I ain't dragging my butt out to some forsaken shrine to deal with a dumb dog."

"I guess you'd know all about gut feelings, fatso."

"Hey, I'm just saying. Intuition is great and all, but it gets us into as much trouble as it gets us out of."

Haru paused, and then leant back into the armchair. "You know, he's got a point."

Baron looked to her, and he appeared mildly hurt by her betrayal. "Miss Haru, are you doubting me also?"

Haru grinned back at him. "Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, are you trying to guilt-trip me into agreeing with you?"

"Ugh. Forget it," Muta moaned. "Alright, I'll go to this stupid shrine if it gets you two to shut up. Geez. And I used to complain you were cheesy before."

"Well, now that's settled–"

"Wait. You still haven't said what this might be," Haru interrupted. "I mean, just what do you think we're dealing with here? The last time we had animal attacks was nearly two years ago... It can't be the same thing again, can it?"

"I don't know," Baron said. "If this is merely a case of feral dogs–"

Muta scoffed. "Merely," he echoed sceptically.

"–then they are still causing a danger and it is the Bureau's responsibility to help in whatever way we can," Baron smoothly continued. "If there is something more... supernatural fuelling this case, then it is all the more reason for us to become involved. As for whether this is somehow linked to Doctor Moreau... I hope not."

"Isn't he, ya know, dead?" Muta pointed out unhelpfully.

"As always, fatso, you never fail to amaze."

"Well, at least I don't have a birdbrain–"

"When are you going to give up on that, you imbecile?"

"Yes, well, I am quite aware of Doctor Moreau's deceased state," Baron interceded. "This realisation has not passed me by. However, the rise of animal attacks is somewhat similar to the incidents we encountered in the case of Doctor Moreau–"

"We've had one animal attack," Muta interrupted. "That ain't exactly a rise so much as a blip." He waved a paw in the air as visual aid to just how insignificant he perceived this 'blip' to be. "Or are we going to jump to attention every time someone's pet gets loose? 'Cause I'm not budging from this seat for every stupid wayward mongrel that decides to make its owner play runaround."

"Muta, five people have been attacked in the last week," Haru said. "Even if this is just a dangerous dog, surely we should do something to help."

"Hey, I already said I was coming. Just, if this turns out to be a wild goose chase then Baron owes me cake."

"I made a cake only last week," Haru said.

"Yep." Muta patted his stomach. "And it was great."

Haru groaned and pulled the newspaper towards her, tugging it out from beneath Muta's paws. "Right. I'll take the bus to get to this shrine – it shouldn't take more than twenty minutes – while I presume you guys will be flying?"

"Do I have to carry the lardball all that way?"

"Fine then," Muta said. He slouched back into the sofa smugly. "I guess I'll just stay here then."

"Muta, you know the buses allow cats," Haru prompted. "Don't think you're getting out of this that easily. You can come with me. Who knows? Perhaps even walking to the bus stop will do you some good."

"Who says I need the exercise?"

"Your poor stubby legs that are almost hidden under all that fat, that's who," Haru retorted flatly.

"I can still outrun you, Chicky."

"Oh, please. You outran me once."

"Ya wanna go again?"

"Bring it on."

Baron coughed politely from the sidelines. "And here I was, Miss Haru, hoping that you were above such petty rivalries. I see I stand corrected."

"Fine. We'll behave." Haru smirked at Muta. "I'll race you to the bus stop."

ooOoo

"Told you."

Muta gave her a begrudging glare and settle himself down on the bus seat. The bus was otherwise empty except for the two passengers. "Yeah, yeah. I'm not as young as I used to be."

"When you put it like that, you sound so old, Muta," Haru teased.

"Ageing gets the best of all of us, Chicky."

"Not everyone," Haru murmured.

Muta raised an eyebrow. "Who're ya thinking of? Baron? I don't think being a doll counts."

"Actually, I was thinking of my father."

"I guess your old man ain't so old, eh?"

"Very funny." She sighed and leant back into the bus seat, glancing out the window at the town speeding by. "It's still weird to think about sometimes."

"Yeah, but what can ya do about it?" He paused and then, when Haru failed to reply, added, "Look, Chicky, yer father made his choice long ago, and there's nothing you can do about it. Yer can't beat yourself up over this."

"I'm not. I just..." She glanced down to the fat cat by her side. "Do you ever wish you hadn't got involved with him and his magic?"

"Look, kid; I don't need you feeling sorry for me. I did plenty enough of that when it all started out."

"So you did regret it."

"Yeah, I did. Past tense, though. I don't need anyone to throw a pity-party for me. I got stuck as a cat; I dealt with it. Worse things have happened. For one, I'll never need to do taxes or anything like that ever again."

"I would never have pegged you for an optimist, Muta."

"Twenty years as a cat will do things to a person."

The bus trundled along its way, and their conversation lapsed back into silence, save for the tinny audio of the radio playing throughout the vehicle. As they came towards the edge of town, Haru mentioned something that had been playing on her mind.

"Baron's trying to find a way to turn human. Temporarily," she quickly added. "Did he tell you?"

Muta grunted, and Haru took this to mean he did.

"Have you ever thought that...? I don't know, maybe...?"

"About being human again?" He snorted. "Don't ya remember what happened last time I had a stint playing human? What part of that wasn't a disaster?"

"It wasn't all bad," Haru mumbled. "Anyway, who says that would happen again? Surely, if it was done under controlled conditions..."

"I'm not interested."

"But–"

"Baron already talked to me about it. I told him the same thing I told you. I'm fine being a cat. Anyway, what's left for me to go back to? The world's thought me dead or missing for the past twenty years."

"Didn't you have a family? Friends? There must be people out there who–"

"Didn't ya mother ever tell you it's rude to pry?"

Haru snapped her mouth shut, closing off the other questions she longed to ask. "I... Sorry. I just thought... Sorry." She couldn't believe that Muta could have simply disappeared without a single person raising questions. Somewhere, there would have to be someone who would remember Renaldo Moon, the young man who had vanished one day and never turned up again.

It wasn't really her place to ask questions, however.

"Anyway, I don't have any reason to be human, like Baron does."

"Baron doesn't really have a reason either," Haru noted.

The bus rumbled to a stop and Haru gathered her belongings, nodding to the driver as she and Muta filed out. The stop was stationed at the remains of an old graveyard and, further along the road, the entrance to the shrine.

"He has more of a reason than I do," Muta said.

"He says it's to help with cases, but he's been doing fine for the past fifty or so years–" Haru was a little hazy on Baron's timeline; the Creation had never been particularly forthcoming on his past "–so it seems... I don't know, sudden?"

Muta snorted and hurried along the pavement. "Chicky, if you think he's doing this just to make cases easier, then you don't know him at all. Do you really think that would be the only reason?"

"I'm not stupid, Muta," Haru retorted. She mumbled her next words. "I know how he feels about me."

"Could've fooled me."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying, you two have been dancing 'round this ever since you returned."

"It's... It's not as simple as you might think–"

"Let me guess... the boy?"

Haru scowled. "Michael. His name is Michael."

"Why can't ya just dump him? You like Baron. Baron likes you–"

"And I like Michael," she interceded. "I can't have them both–"

"Technically you could..."

"No thanks. Look, I made my decision – and I chose Michael."

"But why?"

Haru paused at the shrine gate, overrun and forgotten as it was with only a single komainu statue still standing. The only thing new to the scene was the marking of police tape, to signal the recent dog attacks that had taken place there. She ducked beneath the yellow tape and stepped onto the shrine grounds. "Because I like him," she repeated simply. "He's a nice guy, he makes me laugh, and, in the end, it's my decision. Are we really going to have this conversation now? As I recall, you were the one worried about this rogue dog."

"Just thought we'd better have it while the others are away, that's all. So are you saying that you really do prefer the human kid over Baron?"

"It's not a case of prefer," Haru sighed. "I like them both, but in different ways. Talking of Baron, shouldn't he and Toto be here by now?"

"Don't change the subject, Chicky."

"No, I mean it. The bus might be quicker, but it still took a rather round-about route to get here. Toto flies as the crow – to use the phrase literally – so I would have thought... Never mind. Perhaps we can start to look around. Muta, what are you doing?"

"What d'ya think? Looking around, like ya said."

Haru hurried up the uneven steps which had long been worn away by the elements and, when the shrine was once in use, by the feet of its visitors. With disuse, moss and wayward plants had grown their way over the stairs leading up the hill to the main section of the shrine. Haru took her time to avoid slipping, and arrived at the top to see the fat cat disappearing into a side building.

"What have you found?"

She tried not to unhinge the ajar door upon entering.

"Just a well." Muta had his front paws on the rim of the well, and was sniffing at the air above the hole. "Seems like it's been dried out for years." He dropped back onto all fours. "Unless you count the rubbish that's piled up there. It smells like people have been dropping stuff down here for years."

Haru joined him and tried to peer down into the well's depths. After a metre or so, the darkness cut in to swathe the bottom in black. She fumbled for her phone and switched the torch option on.

"See anything?"

"Yes. Lots of monsters."

"Really?"

Haru snorted and switched the light off. "No. I can't even see the bottom – the light on my phone isn't that good."

"Do you think it's deep?"

"Hang on – we can check." Haru looked around and identified an empty beer can dumped nearby. She hoisted it up and dropped it into the well's depths. There was a second or so before it could be heard to rattle into glass bottles and beer cans already littering the bottom. "Not too deep," she concluded. "Just don't go jumping in. We have better things to do than dragging you out."

"Wasn't planning to."

She pocketed her phone and exited the building. She was pleased to see they had been joined by the rest of the Bureau; she was especially relieved that they had picked up the bag she had foolishly left back at the Bureau. "What took you guys so long? We were starting to wonder."

"We've been here ages," Muta complained as he stalked out behind Haru. "Obviously you're not as fast as you think you are, Birdbrain."

"I'm faster than you and that's all that matters." Toto smirked and hid his beak behind his wing for his next comment. "Although that's not much of an achievement."

"We decided to scout round the area," Baron said in response to Haru's original comment. "Also, we realised that you had forgotten this." He motioned to her bag. "We thought you might need it."

"You're a lifesaver, Baron."

"Whatcha even need it for, Chicky? It's not like we need much stuff for these kinds of cases."

"I always say it's better to be prepared," she replied. "First aid kit, water, torch... those sorts of things. Speaking of which..." She dropped a hand into the bag and fished out a heavy-duty torch. "Now we'll really be able to tell how deep that well is. Plus," she added, hefting the torch in her hand, "it makes for a good makeshift weapon."

"What well?"

Haru pointed behind her to the building. "The one in there. So, what's the plan? Split up and look for clues?"

"It would hasten the process of our search. Haru, you take Muta round these smaller buildings; Toto and I will scout out at the main shrine. Find us immediately if you come across anything even remotely suspicious."

"Don't worry; we will."

"You'll hear the screaming loud and clear," Muta added sarcastically.

"Muta."

"What?"

Haru rolled her eyes and slung her bag over one shoulder. "Meet up back here in ten minutes if we haven't found anything?" she offered. "Not that it'll take that long to search round but... I guess we better take our time."

"Agreed."

Now armed with the torch, Haru returned to the decrepit building and shed some literal light over the situation. The building was made up of a single room and the well was centred in a lowered portion before them. The interior had been only dimly light by the open doorway and the sprinkling of holes in the roof; now Haru could appreciate just how forgotten this off-the-beaten-track shrine was.

"Geez, this place is a dump."

"That's maybe not the word I would have used... but, yes," Haru weakly agreed. "This place could do with some looking after." She stepped down to the well and this time spotted that one raised side of the well was already on the verge of caving in on itself. She was careful to lean on the edge that looked most stable as she shone her torch down.

"Are we still clear on the no-monsters front?"

"As clear as a summer's day."

Muta gave her a disgruntled look and, now the possibility of danger was ruled out, raised his paws to the well's edge and looked into it. "Baron's rubbing off on you," he muttered. "Ugh, I'll say it again – this place really is a dump."

"It's a shame. I bet this place was beautiful when it was in use." Haru scowled at the rubbish that had accumulated over the years. The remains of the well's wooden cover littered the bottom in a selection of pieces, also joined by bottles, cans, and even the rusted remnants of a bike. She leant further over as something seemed to move in the depths. "Wait – did you see that?"

"No."

"I thought I saw... Hang on..." She lowered the bag and started to retrieve a rope.

"Really?"

"Are you saying that to the fact I have rope, or the fact that I'm about to climb down there?"

"Uh, both?"

Haru tied the rope's end to the wooden stairs leading down to the lowered portion of the room, tugging at it to reassure herself that it was secure. "Relax; I know what I'm doing. Anyway, there's only so many places we can explore in this shrine. The place looks pretty deserted to me."

"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving," Muta muttered. He watched as Haru lowered the rope over the well's side and, with her backpack still slung over one shoulder, began to descend. "And just so you know," he added loudly, rushing to the well, "I still think this is a bad idea!"

"Any particular reason?"

"No. I just don't like it."

Haru paused in her decline. "Muta, no one blames you for being scared."

"Who said anything about being scared?" he said gruffly.

"It's okay to have something you're afraid of. If you want, you can go and join Baron and Toto, rather than being left alone up there." She continued to climb down.

"No fear. For starters, I'm not giving featherbutt a chance to mock me and, secondly, Baron would just spend the entire time worrying about you being on your own."

"Really, it's just a dried-up well," Haru murmured. "I don't see how Baron could possibly worry about that." Her feet found uneven ground and she dropped down onto the bottom. "See? Done."

"Is there anything there?"

Haru reclaimed the torch from the bag and started scouting the restricted space of the well, trying not to catch herself on the half-decayed bike. "Um... Not much. It's just like what we saw earlier – rubbish." She raised her free hand to her nose. "Except this time up close. Ugh, this place stinks."

"And that's surprising, why?"

"Thanks for the support," Haru muttered through her hand. She kicked at the cans, eventually finding what had caught her eye in the first place. "Great. I came down here for a broken mirror. Fantastic." She drawled the last word out even as she started to look back for the rope. She spared a glance up to see Muta suddenly drop away from the well's edge.

There was the recognisable hiss of Muta and then the growl of something much bigger.

"Muta? Hey!"

She heard Muta again, hissing sharply back at their visitor. For once, he had no snappy comebacks, no deadpan comments – there was only the hissing of one very scared cat.

And then there was a thud.

Haru stopped scrabbling for the rope and suddenly became very aware that she was trapped down a well with a very dangerous... something prowling the building above. Muta was now silent and she could only hope it was the silence of unconsciousness... and not of anything more... permanent.

The light filtering down the well became draped in shadows as something peered down. Down towards Haru, who had still – stupidly, so stupidly – left her light on. It was too late to do anything about it now – it had seen her. All she could see was the silhouette of the creature's head, but it was easy enough to register the change in the creature's stance as it spotted her.

Well, diplomacy was always worth a shot.

"Uh... Hello? Nice, um... nice well you've got here..."

"In... Intruders..."

On a good note, it apparently could understand her. Bad note: It obviously had no interest in listening to what she had to say.

"No..." Haru said slowly. "Not as such. Just... you know... visiting. I guess you don't get many visitors around, do you?"

"Intruders... beware..."

"Oh drat."

"Intruders beware – intruders beware – intruders beware!"

Haru felt the thud as the creature drove its feet into the semi-collapsed well-edge, all while manically repeating that lone mantra. Its voice was raw – gravelly would have been a fitting word – and the frenzy occupied both its words and its actions. It slammed against the elevated side again, and this time a few rocks came loose.

"Wait – no – stop! Don't do this–" 'Don't bury me. Please... don't bury me.'

She dove for the rope – no matter what kind of creature it might be, she would take it any day over the alternative option – and tried to haul herself up. The rope creaked and lost a few inches. She dragged herself up another few feet, and this time there was a definite snap. The rope came tumbling down with the remains of the stairs it had originally been tied to – stairs that had been rotting away for years.

Haru collapsed back down and landed awkwardly amidst the rubbish. She tried to push herself up. Pain shot through her leg and she fell back again. This time she saw the broken bottle that had sliced into her lower leg.

"Baron? Muta? Toto? Is anyone out there?"

"Intruders beware!"

"Not you!" Haru retorted. She had to push herself against the well wall to avoid being rained upon by the stones unsettled by the creature's antics. She dragged the bicycle towards her and used it as a first line of defence against the onslaught.

It really did mean to bury her...

With the well beginning to fill up with dirt and stones, Haru was running out of options. If it wasn't for the broken bottle, she would have tried to keep above the layers of dirt raining on her, but her injured leg was having none of it.

She pulled the bicycle closer towards her and propped a little more of the well's debris against it to create a barrier of sorts. If she could give herself just enough breathing space, she might be able to wait the attack out...

If she didn't suffocate first.

"Baron! BARON! BA–"

Her breath caught in her throat and strangled off the words.

'No. Not now. Please...'

Her breathing was coming faster now – but it felt like she wasn't breathing at all. She wasn't breathing enough. She couldn't fill her lungs enough to satiate the thirst for air. Instead she was left gasping, hyperventilating, as the panic set in. She couldn't move; she was paralysed and she couldn't even feel the steady trickle of blood running down her leg.

The barrier of the bike stayed in place even as the well began to fill in around it... leaving only a little breathing space for Haru. She barely registered it, save for the steady darkening of her surroundings. All she could feel was the thudding beat of her heart, and the rush of dusty air rocketing through her lungs. It wasn't enough. She couldn't breathe. It wasn't enough. She couldn't... She couldn't stop it. She couldn't call out anymore.

All the while, the air was slowly thinning in her ever-filling grave.

ooOoo

"And nothing in here either..."

Toto glanced round to his companion. "It looks like it's all clear. Perhaps we were mistaken."

"Maybe. But it's always better to be safe than sorry."

A scream rippled through the air. It was distorted, but there were two things Baron could be sure of. Firstly, that it was Haru' voice, and – secondly – it had the distinct ring of a cry for help. At that precise moment, Muta skidded into the room.

"Not. Dog," he wheezed. He waved a paw towards the door. "Lion-dog. Thing. Haru–"

That was all Baron needed. He leapt back onto Toto's back, and the two took to the air.

Muta watched them, still gasping for breath. "Right. Sure. I'll just... stick around..." He sat for a moment and tried to convince himself that it was all going to turn out fine. Another moment passed; he cussed under his breath and started a tired run after the rest of the Bureau. "I wonder what the acceptable retirement age is for this sort of mess. Some of us don't have the benefit of immortality!" he yelled after them.

Baron and Toto had already left the main shrine behind them and were well on their way to the well. Toto flew up and through one of the many holes in the roof, where they finally laid eyes on their target.

"Is that...?"

"Yes. It looks like one of the komainu guardians. It seems to be a Creation of sorts."

"What's it doing?"

"Digging, I believe," Baron answered. There were many things he didn't like about the culprit. For starters, it was large enough to be very dangerous. For another, even though the komainu statues had been around for years, this creature looked like it had been carved only yesterday, with claws and fangs now real and far too sharp for his liking. "Where's Haru?"

After a heavy pause, both Creations' eyes settled on the well which was steadily being filled by the creature's antics.

"No..."

"It can't have..."

Baron's grip on his cane tightened. "Toto, I need you to attract that monster's attention, while I free Miss Haru. She is our first priority."

"Roger that."

"If Muta catches up, get his help. This is more important than your little feud." He leapt from Toto's back and landed lightly on the ground, one hand gripping his hat.

"Hey! Rockhead! Have you looked in a mirror yet? Because you are u-gly!"

The komainu roared and went for the bird. Toto flew out of reach and escaped through the door. There was a crash as the creature followed after him, now intoning a rather intimidating "Intruders beware" mantra.

"Thank you, Toto," Baron murmured. He ran over to the side of the well, climbing up the side that had previously collapsed and was now in even more ruins thanks to the beast's doing. Another jump, and he landed on the layer of earth that now filled the well. "Haru! HARU! Can you hear me?!"

He dropped an ear to the ground and waited.

"No, no, no..." he whispered, unaware of the words slipping through. "No, please no. Not on my watch. Not when I could have protected her. No..."

But there – his ears picked up the barest whisper of a breath. He focused on that single sound, and now he became aware of a series of rapid gasps. Panicked and uncoordinated, but very much alive. He rummaged through his pockets and dragged out the spell he had discarded the week before. He had almost forgotten about it, and yet, here it was.

'I don't need to be human. I just need to be able to save her.'

He skirted his fingers over the sheet, activating the spell, and suddenly he was human-sized; cane, coat, and all. The spell – now tiny in his hands – was roughly pocketed and now he began to furiously dig.

"Just hold on, Haru. Please... just stay alive..."

His hands tore through the dirt, casting it all aside in pursuit of the buried brunette. In pursuit of his friend. His gloves began to become stained with dirt and blood as his hands caught against the bricks and rocks caught in the beast's chaotic digging, but with every handful of earth, he was getting closer.

His hands smacked into the wheel of an aged bike. He started to pull it away and found himself dragging a wall of stones and rubbish that had been piled up against it. The next thing he knew the hole had opened up into a hollow in the ground and – huddled against the edge – was Haru.

He dropped down into the hole and knelt beside the shivering women. She was curled tightly in on herself with only the sound of her shallow, but rapid breathing escaping from her still form.

"Haru..."

His hand only brushed her shoulder, but the effect was immediate. She snapped out of her ball and shoved herself further against the well's side. Tears, mixed with the dust, marred her cheeks in brown streaks. When she tried to talk, all that came was the gasping instead.

"Haru, you're safe now," Baron murmured. He slowly raised a hand to her shoulder, and this time she leaned into the contact. He could feel her shaking. After a moment's deliberation, he pulled her into his lap and let her drop her head onto his shoulder, his arms drawn tight around her. "I'm sorry. I should have been more careful. I don't know what I would have done if..." He shook the thought away and began searching through his pockets again. He located an old-fashioned pocket watch and clicked it open to reveal the ticking face inside. "Focus on that. Only that. Watch the time pass."

It took minutes, but eventually her breathing began to slow and the panic attack showed signs of subsiding.

"I... I'm sorry," Haru gasped. She hiccupped, and began to pull at her pockets for a tissue. A moment later, Baron produced a handkerchief. She sniffled into it. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I just... I just panicked and I... I've never had it that bad before..."

"You've never been buried alive before," Baron reminded her. He located another handkerchief and dabbed at the dirt-streaked tears across her face. "That would have sent many people even without a phobia panicking. You have nothing to be ashamed of." That done, he folded the handkerchief into his breast pocket.

"I hope I didn't endanger anyone–"

"Not at all. Toto should be more than a match for the komainu." Baron hoisted Haru into his arms, picking up her discarded bag and torch in the process, and started to climb back out of the hole. "In fact, you're the one who managed to find the beast."

"I think it found me. Oh! Muta! I think the creature attacked him!"

"Do not worry. He is very much alive and complaining. But we shall check after this is all done." Now out of the well, Baron lowered Haru gently onto the now-broken steps. He smiled weakly as he released Haru from his hold. "This reminds me of old times."

Haru leant forward and retrieved the tear-stained handkerchief. "Not quite like old times," she said. "At least this time I know you won't leave me stranded on my school roof."

"Stranded?"

"It was six in the morning?" she idly reminded him. At the reassuring memories, a weak smile chased away the worst of the fear. "The school was completely locked up."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh."

"How did you...?"

"Very carefully."

"You didn't climb down from the outside, did you?" Baron asked, scandalised at the mere thought that his actions had led the young Haru to try something so reckless.

"What else was I meant to do? By the time I realised, you and the others had swooped off into the sunset." She paused, and brought out Baron's handkerchief to dab at the dried tears matting his fur. "I guess it could have been worse," she added quietly, a glimmer of humour breaking through. "At least you dropped me off at the right town. You could have chosen somewhere much more remote... a lake, a cliff-edge, the wrong country..."

"I'm insulted at the very thought that we leave you quite that stranded."

"Stranger things have happened." She leant back to admire her work, frowning a little. "Baron... are these tears?"

"You ask only now?" he replied weakly.

"I thought it was just mud. Baron... is everything okay?"

"I thought you were dead. What part of 'okay' could that possibly entail?" he asked hoarsely. He leant towards her until their foreheads touched; his eyes were closed as he relived the memory. "I should have been more careful."

"Actually, I'm the one who's probably guilty of that mistake," Haru said. "It was stupid to climb down that well in the first place."

"You don't understand. If you had... If something had happened..." His voice gave way and Haru found she was suddenly staring into his startlingly green eyes. "Don't... Don't ever do something like that again."

"I can't promise I won't be in danger ever again," she said. She moved back, putting a little distance between them – in truth, being that close was making her dizzy – but curled a hand around his ruined glove. "I can't go through life wrapped in cotton wool... but, yes, I'll do my best not to die. Trust me; dying is the very last thing on my bucket list."

"You have a bucket list?"

"No, but I probably should put one together some day. Not all of us get to live forever, you know."

"Immortality is only worth the people you can spend it with." He smiled. "And for the time being, it's that little bit sweeter."

"Jeez, and I thought you were cheesy before." This was accompanied by a disbelieving snort from Muta, who was standing in the wreckage of the door. "When you've quite finished staring longingly into each others' eyes, perhaps you'll remember that the birdbrain is still flying circles around that monster?"

"Oh, the komainu!" Baron rose abruptly to his feet, coughing awkwardly at Muta's comment. Haru grinned at his obvious embarrassment. "Haru, please, stay here until we've dealt with it." He shrugged off his jacket and draped it around Haru's shoulders.

"It's okay; I'll just watch from here," she said, waving it away. "Anyway, I don't think my legs are capable of any orders more strenuous than 'sit'." She tugged at the jacket. "What's this?"

"It's a jacket; you may be familiar with it as a piece of outdoor clothing that generally serves as an outer layer designed to maintain warmth." He laughed when Haru gave him the deadpan look his teasing comment thoroughly deserved. "You'll still be in shock, Haru. You need to keep warm."

"Oh. Good to know."

"Baron..."

"Alright, I'm coming." The Creation glanced back to ensure that Haru was still okay, and then stepped out into the midday sunlight, dappled by the forest encroaching on the shrine's borders. And, in the middle of the shrine's courtyard, was the lion-dog hybrid, still being led on a wild goose chase by Toto.

"Eh, Baron... What are ya doing?"

He stalked past Muta and started to approach the creature, regardless of the fact it was twice his size and had paws as big as dinner plates. "Given recent developments, I am finding that I have very little patience for this dog today." He continued to walk into the fray, the cane tapping irritably on the worn cobbled courtyard as he went.

The guardian saw the newcomer and, having somewhat tired of the futile chase, turned on the feline Creation.

"Baron, I really don't think–" Toto began.

"I know what I'm doing."

The komainu started into a dash towards Baron, jaws wide and claws curled. One bound. Two bound. Three bounds and it would surely tear apart the Creation. But Baron merely smiled with a sharp glint in his eyes.

"SIT, BOY!"

There was a scuffle of paws as, just about to take off onto its final bound, the half-dog skidded to a halt.

Haru, who was watching from the safety of the well building, could be heard to snort. "Oh, are you kidding me? That WORKED?!"

"I'm very glad it did," Baron muttered. He raised his head and tried to make eye contact with the large creature. "Well," he said, oozing every ounce of disapproval he could into that single word. The komainu's ears drooped. "I hope you're proud of yourself. Look at the mess you made. You are a very bad dog."

"What would he have done if the creature was more lion than dog?" Haru whispered to Muta, who had edged back towards the building.

"I dunno. Got a laser-pointer or something?"

"Yes, you should be ashamed of yourself," Baron continued. "Bad dog! Go to your room!"

"Baron, I don't think it has a room," Haru hissed. Regardless, the komainu seemed to translate the order into something understandable, because it guiltily started in the direction of the shrine gate. Haru pulled herself up so she could watch it step slowly down the stairs. "We really should follow it. Otherwise you might discover that you've just set a magical creature loose on Japan."

"I doubt it. I think I know where it is going. How are you feeling?" Baron returned to Haru's side.

"Calmer. I can probably walk, although I doubt very fast."

"There's an easy remedy to that." He lifted her up into his arms, earning a squeak of surprise and an onslaught of half-hearted protests. He paused and raised an eyebrow at the brunette. "Are you quite done, or would you rather stay here while we go and investigate the komainu without you?"

"Fine. But this better not become a habit."

"Of course not. I'm merely helping an injured young woman, like any respectful gentleman would. Now, if it's returned to where I think it has..." He started to carefully descend the steps leading back down to the roadside. "Aha."

"Aha? Aha what?" Haru shifted in his grip to see what had caught his attention, and her eyes fell upon the shrine gate. Now, where there had once been only a single remaining komainu guardian, there were two. Both of them stone, except one seemed far newer than the other. "Oh." She poked at Baron's arm. "We're here, now. You can put me down."

"What if it attacks again?" Baron offered.

"I'll take my chances."

He complied, setting her down on the bottom steps, seated right beneath the Torii gate.

"So now what do we do?" Toto asked. "We can't just let it carry on like this. Even if it's back to being stone now, it won't be forever."

"Also, it seems kind of weird that the Creation would start causing havoc only now," Haru pointed out. "What's changed?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a theory," Baron said. He approached the now-inanimate statue. "We try to keep tabs on all Creations in the locality, if not further out as well, but we have no records of anything like this in the area. It's... new..."

"How can that be?" Haru asked. "I mean, sure, it looks new, but it must have been around for... years... This place is... old..."

"Yes, but it only recently awoken as a Creation."

"That can happen?"

"Yes. There are things known as almost-Creations; these are things that were made by artisans who put their heart and soul into their creation, but it wasn't quite enough. As such, it can often take a little push, usually in the form of outside magic, to bring an almost-Creation to life."

"Okay, but where would the magic – oh..."

"Yes, Haru. Oh." Baron sighed. "I believe we now know what happened to the magic that was released from your friend. I suspect that the damage was done when it intermingled with my Creation magic, thus becoming attracted to almost-Creations, since Creation magic is generally drawn to potential vessels. As such, I wouldn't be surprised if there were quite a few Creations waking up for the first time currently."

"That may be," Toto said, "but what if the Creations start to attack people, like this one did? They're not all going to be roses and sunshine."

"Creations became shaped by the world around them and their artisans when they are first Created," Haru recalled. "Perhaps, if we can find the Creations when they wake up, we can help them."

"Okay. Okay," Muta interrupted. "So what do we do about this beastie? It's killed people!"

"We have, however, discovered that it does respond to commands," Baron said. "It may be possible to teach it some manners."

"So what? You gonna be its babysitter for the next fifty years?"

"The alternatives are to let it continue to run rampage until it is captured by the humans, or to destroy a new life," the feline Creation retorted. "I do not think I am capable of carrying out the latter, and the former would be purely irresponsible."

"So, dog-walking it is then," Haru said. "Just for the record, I've never had a pet, so I don't know the first thing about keeping a dog. Cat. Dog-lion... thing."

"You work in a pet store," Muta pointed out slowly.

"Sure, I know the theory, but I've never had to put it into practice."

"It's simple. First rule of dog-lion-thing-keeping: Don't get eaten."

"Thank you, Muta."

There was a long pause as the Bureau watched the sleeping Creation, trying to come to terms with what kind of new responsibility they had just accepted. Haru twiddled her toes awkwardly in the silence, tired and aching and – most annoyingly – rather muddy.

"Um... if that thing's not going to come alive any time soon, can I head back at least? I need a shower."

ooOoo

Inspiration: To be honest, the inspiration was drawn upon from a wooden eagle-lectern that my church has. The original new Creation was the lectern, and Haru was going to be buried in a grave (yes, I'm morbid; deal with it). However, then I felt like that wouldn't take advantage of the Japanese setting or culture, so I did a little research and came up with this instead. Also that gave me the entertainment of the ending. (With some inspiration drawn from InuYasha and Doctor Who: The Empty Child.)

Also, sorry for the fact that this case probably felt like two very different incidences. I didn't expect the setting-up of the plot to take so long, and anything shorter just felt rushed. I hope this ending didn't feel too hasty; the main point of this case was to set up the story arc for the rest of the series, while also having a little fun.

x

Next story: The Living Gallery

Teaser: "An art gallery?" "Well, I was thinking it might be a nice change. You know, no running around, no crazy Bureau business and, hey, unlike the pet shop it's not going to smell of animal food or bird poop." / "You and the rose are unified," Toto read from the sign. "You must know the weight of your own life." / "So... what happens if all the petals fall?" "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." / "It's the Ladies," Garry said. "They come to life." / "Yeah, sure," Muta grunted. "Just follow the creepy instructions pasted over the walls. Can't see how that can go wrong."