Hello again! Thanks for the nice reviews, and thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

~I do not own any rights to Kaze no Stigma~

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"Thank you for coming, Kazuma," Tachibana said as they took a seat at the table in the restaurant.

"No problem." Kazuma leaned back in his chair, watching detective Kirika Tachibana. "So, what's this case that you wanted to see me about?" he asked.

Kirika took a sip of her water before beginning. "Our organization has been presented with a problem. Lately girls have been disappearing, all in the same pattern, seemingly because of the same person. Unfortunately, we have no pictures of this person and only descriptions to go on. But you know how it is--there's a lot of people with blond hair, and a lot of people with blue eyes."

"What's the pattern of the disappearances?"

"It seems that the girls are always having an emotional instability when they disappear. Some have been really upset, and some really angry," Kirika explained. "Anyway, they disappear. Witnesses who saw the victims right before the time they disappeared have all said that they were seen with a young man of about 17 with short blond hair and blue eyes. One of the victim's friends was actually with the victim when the girl disappeared, and she said that as soon as the blond-haired boy started talking to her friend, she agreed with everything he said and seemed completely safe talking to him. The victim went off on a supposed 'date' with him, and she never met her friend back at her house, and never called her back."

Kazuma folded his arms, narrowing his eyes a little. "So we're dealing with a magic user?" he asked.

Kirika nodded. "It appears so."

"And I'm assuming you didn't call Ayano on this case because she's at risk, right?"

"Yes. That's exactly the reason." Kirika took another sip of her water.

"Okay. She gonna be pretty pissed when she finds out about this." Kazuma chuckled in amusement. "Well, is there anything else to the pattern that I need to know?"

Kirika hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Yes, there is. It's probably the worst part," she murmured.

Kazuma just looked at her and waited.

The detective sighed heavily. "Every time the victim disappears, a note is suddenly found in the apartment of the girl's boyfriend, or the person that she is in love with."

"So what does the note say? Is it the same every time?"

Kirika nodded in assent. "Yes, it is. Here, I have a note from a past incident." She reached into her purse and pulled out a small piece of paper, reaching out to hand it to Kazuma.

He looked down, unfolded it, and read it.

"Congratulations. You and your friend, Fuyumi Sakamoto, have been selected to participate in my game of Hide and Seek.

You will have an hour and a half to look for your loved one. Look fast--her life depends on it.

Please meet at the local park at the pond at 4:30 p.m. for further instructions.

Good luck, and see you soon.

P.S.-If you should tell ANYONE of this or try to harm me, you will bring immediate harm to your loved one. Think hard before making rash decisions."

"Wow. This guy's serious," Kazuma said darkly, peering down at the message.

"So you can see our problem," Kirika said with a nod.

"What do you want me to do?" Kazuma asked, passing back the paper.

"Ask around, look around," she said as she folded the paper neatly and placed it back in her purse. "Just stay alert and keep watch. We would appreciate the help."

Kazuma looked at her pointedly.

The detective sighed. "And yes, you will be paid."

"Thank you," Kazuma said with an arrogant smile. He pushed back his chair and stood up. "I'll be on my guard.

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Kazuma unlocked his hotel room and pushed open the door. He tossed the key on the dresser, intending to just go in and relax on the couch, when a paper caught his eye. Quizzical, he walked over and picked up the neatly folded paper to look at it.

"Congratulations. You and your friend, Ayano Kannagi, have been selected to participate in my game of Hide and Seek.

You will have an hour and a half to look for your loved one. Look fast--her life depends on it.

Please meet at the local park at the pond at 4:30 p.m. for further instructions.

Good luck, and see you soon.

P.S.-If you should tell ANYONE of this or try to harm me, you will bring immediate harm to your loved one. Think hard before making rash decisions."

Kazuma froze, staring down at the paper. It took a moment for him to process this, seeing the same printed font as the note that Kirika had showed him not an hour before. When he realized what was going on, his heart plummeted in dread. He yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Ren, wishing for an answer that he knew he wouldn't get.

"Hello?" Ren said.

"Ren. Have you seen Ayano lately?"

"Earlier today I saw her in the city with some guy. She said they were going on a date."

Kazuma's fist tightened around the phone, and his lip lifted in a silent snarl. "What did the boy look like?"

"Oh! Um, uh!" stuttered Ren, sounding confused. "He looked like he was about the same age as Ayano. He had blond hair and blue eyes. Why?"

Kazuma gave a quiet growl. That bastard! he thought lividly.

Ren gave a nervous laugh upon hearing Kazuma's growl. "Kazuma?" he asked timidly. "Is something wrong?"

Kazuma's mind whirled. He couldn't tell Ren what was going on; it would freak him out. So he settled for hanging up his phone without saying another word.

Stupid jackass! Damn this guy to hell!

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