Thank you once again for the wonderful reviews!!! The opinions are much appreciated! ^-^ Well, here's chapter 4, and hope you like it!

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

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Kazuma nearly collapsed against the bridge stretching over the pond of the Kannagi estate. To think that he'd been here with Ayano just hours before was unreal.

He'd been looking for hours now, and now it was already 8 p.m. He had looked everywhere that she could have been hidden: in alleys, in subways, in tunnels... But she hadn't showed up in any of those places. It seemed that every time he turned to look at a clock, another hour had already ticked down...another hour of Ayano's life gone.

Dammit! Kazuma slammed his fist against the wood of the bridge. He had looked everywhere he could think of! Was there a certain place--a place with a certain meaning--where Kenichi would have hidden her? What was he supposed to do?!

Kazuma clenched his teeth together tightly to keep himself from yelling furiously. The image of Ayano earlier that day came into his eyes, filling him with pain and anguish. Seeing her face, frustrated and angry, as she hurled rocks into the pond he could easily call cute. It was too hard not to.

Looking over the pond, though, it also reminded him of the day he'd promised that he would always make sure she was safe. Once again, he had broken a promise--once again, he had failed to keep the person he loved the most safe.

Kazuma tightened his fist in anger and stared into the water; the stars from the sky dancing on the liquid surface. What was he going to do? After all this time and after finally choosing the present over the past--choosing Ayano over Tsui Rin--how would he ever be able to go on if he lost Ayano?

A sudden presence beside him made him look up to find Ren standing next to him. "Ren?" Kazuma said quizzically. "What are you doing out here?"

Ren was silent for a moment and just stared into the water. Then he looked up with tears in his eyes. "Something happened to Ayano, didn't there?" he choked.

Kazuma's eyes widened. "Uh," he said, not really knowing what to say to his little brother.

"Kazuma, please bring her back!" Ren cried, flinging his arms around Kazuma's stomach. "Please save her!"

Kazuma stared down at his little brother as sobs racked the boy's body. He wished fervently that he would be able to do what Ren believed he could...for the sake of them both.

"Don't worry, Ren," Kazuma murmured, putting his hand on Ren's head. "I'll get her back."

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But two hours later, Kazuma was no closer to the answer than he had been before. He found himself standing on top of a tall building, overlooking the bright and hurried city below. Ayano could have been anywhere in the city.

Kazuma's soul began spiraling down into despair, and he quickly looked at a mental picture of Kenichi. Whenever he began to get dejected, all he had to do was recall the sight of the maddening boy who had taking Ayano and then he was ready to go again. Anger was always good for fueling him on.

"I enjoy taking away everything that matters to you...the things that matter to you the most. I love to strip them away like blossoms from a cherry blossom tree."

Kazuma snarled in disgust and closed his eyes. Anyone who hurt people with a horrible reason like that was disgusting. He found himself wishing that Kenichi would never have been born.

Wait, he thought, suddenly stopping and not thinking about anything but the case. There's something about that sentence Kenichi said... He ran it through his head once more, paying close attention. It was connected to everything somehow--he knew it.

"...like blossoms from a cherry blossom tree."

Kazuma snapped his head up and stared over the city, his eyes widening. The sound of the city below him faded away, and he was suddenly absolutely sure he knew where Ayano was. He just hopped that Kenichi would stick to his 'rules' and release Ayano if he found her...

"...like blossoms from a cherry blossom tree."

Kazuma hurried as fast as the wind could carry him back to the park. He let the wind drop him a few feet from the sidewalk and hit the ground running. He was positive--no, sure--that he was right! Ayano would be here!

Kazuma came to a stop under the tree where he had been talking to Kenichi. He flew at the trunk, and began to scale the tree; ignoring the pink petals that floated lazily into his face.

When he reached the middle of the tree where all the branches came together, he cautiously put his hand out to test the area surrounding it. Sure enough, he felt a disturbance of air under his hand. He pushed it away with his magic, and there was Ayano: unconscious and sleeping in the tree. Kenichi had put some kind of barrier around her to keep Kazuma from sensing her there.

Before Kazuma could reach out to wake her up, though, a voice came from below him.

"This is impossible!" Kenichi snarled. "How did you find her?!"

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Sorry again for the short chapter! This chapter is probably a little boring, sorry! I just wanted to kind of elaborate on why Kazuma was so upset, as requested by ! Promise and SWEAR a lot more action in the next chapter! Sorry, I'm also trying to build up suspense a little too!!! ^-^