So, here is where the plot actually starts. Sorry for the long intro. Hopefully you like it.

The Find

Kenshin walked into the base in a foul mood. Everyone could tell and stayed out of his way. He was thankful for this, because the last thing he needed was for someone to ask him how the search was going. He slammed his fist into the wall. Two months, they had been searching for two months and still nothing. His talk with the gang boss was still fresh.

After Karou and the kid had left, he and Sano had jumped down and waited for the gang boss to wake up. Sano had eventually gotten bored and dumped a bucket of water on the man. What followed was shock and then apologizes once the man figured out who was standing over him. They had quickly silenced the man and gotten to the point. That's when this had all started.

The man looked up at them with a strange glint in his eyes, "Are you interested?" He asked. "I would be happy to give you the next shipment free of charge. Although, I'm not sure when the next batch will be here, the training process can take some time," The man said the last part more to himself but loud enough for him and Sano to hear.

Kenshin's eyes widened in shock as what the man was saying sunk in. He was talking about selling people.

They had known there was slavery, but they hadn't realized just how large the slave trade was until they started digging into it. How had they not known? How had they not heard of the number of people going missing? It was frustrating that they were just learning about this and were yet to be able to do anything. They had spent most of the past two months looking for where the slaves were being kept. They were closer than they had been, but they still hadn't found anything.

Part of him wanted to go and ask Karou if she knew where to look. But the other part of him quickly pointed out that she had left this up to him, probably because she didn't know where to look and she had guessed that, with his resources, he would have more luck. Which lead to the other question he had been asking himself, how had she known? She didn't live on that part of town. How did she know that gang was involved in the slave trade?

He was also concerned. Since meeting Karou, he all the sudden wanted to go to her with all his problems or just to talk. He barely knew anything about her. In this world, you didn't trust someone that quickly, which is why he wanted to avoid interacting with her for a while.

"Are you done with your temper tantrum?" Master Hiko asked, coming to stand next to him.

"I am just angry we haven't made any progress."

"We know now, and we are slowly finding out where they are not, that is progress."

"But how many more people will be hurt because our progress is so slow?"

Master Hiko just glared at him, "And how much slower will our progress become because someone keeps getting angry and losing his focus."

Kenshin's anger slowly faded, Master Hiko was right, as usual. Getting angry wasn't going to get them anywhere. None of the others had been very successful. They had found traces of the slave trade, but nothing that gave them a direction or a place to look. All they had found was that it was larger than any of them had suspected.

"I think I found something," Aoshi said, breaking them out of their conversation.

"What?" Kenshin asked.

"We weren't having much luck, so I went and talked to Karou. She told me that most of the time people unknowingly give their children to the slave trade because they are desperate, so they believe the men who come to their homes and promise to find their children employment. Once I learned about that I looked around for gang members who were going house to house. It didn't take long to find them. Then it was just a matter of following them."

"Can anyone tell me why we didn't just ask this woman in the beginning?" Master Hiko said as they all moved to get ready. Kenshin decided it was best not to answer.

"Lead the way," he told Aoshi when they were all ready.

They moved silently through the streets. Even in a large group no one noticed them. Aoshi took them towards the port where there were a bunch of abandoned warehouses. Kenshin could tell Sano wanted to make a remark about bad guys and warehouses, but he was holding himself back.

There were no visible signs from the outside that anyone was there. Aoshi took them to the roof of one of the middle warehouses. Glancing inside, they could see a couple armed guards and a group of women against one wall.

"What's the plan?" Misao asked. Kenshin's brain was moving through different possibilities when Aoshi cleared his throat.

"Might I suggest calling the police?" he said.

"Why the hell would we do that?" Sano asked.

"Because we don't know the first thing about dealing with slaves," This caused Sano to shut up.

"That is probably for the best," Kenshin said. It was disturbing to watch the women. They were being guarded but none of them were tied up. They willingly went where ever the men told them to go. If he didn't trust Aoshi, he would be questioning if this was really what they were looking for. Granted, there weren't that many here, but it was a start.

"Misao, you call the police," Kenshin instructed. She nodded and disappeared. "We will stay and see what they do, so next time we won't have to call them." Everyone nodded. None of them were happy about relying on the police, but Aoshi was right.

The police arrived quickly. It was amazing how they could get somewhere quickly if they actually wanted to, Kenshin thought. The women stayed where they had been placed, not reacting at all when the police showed up. Once the guards were secure, one of the officers went outside and made a phone call. Then they all just sat around and waited, none of them went near the women. Kenshin and the others were very confused by this but just stayed and watched. Not long after a car pulled up and Karou got out. So much for avoiding her, he thought.

Sano let out a soft chuckle, "The little miss just keeps showing up." This identified her to those who didn't know what she looked like.

"What was that about?" Yahiko asked her once she hung up the phone.

"It was Saito, they just found a den," she said grabbing one of the large jars from the top of her cabinet.

"We're going there?"

"No. I'm going there. You are going to stay here."

"Stop treating me like a child."

"Yahiko, you are twelve. You are still a child. At least let me protect you from this. You might know what a den is, but you don't know what goes on there."

Yahiko gritted his teeth but didn't argue, "Why are you bringing that with you?" He indicated the jar.

"It helps counteract the drug they use to break people. I worked with a doctor from the hospital to develop a treatment for it. This is the first step, it is best to administer it to people as quickly as possible before they are transferred to a facility that rehabilitates them. It takes about an hour to take full effect."

"Is there anything I can do?" She knew better than to tell him no. If she did that, then she risked him following her all the way there.

"Yes, you can go to the hospital. Find Dr. Megumi and help her get prepared for the influx of new patients."

They both left the apartment and went their own ways. Yahiko seemed content with his job, since he was still helping. Saito was waiting in the road to give her a ride. He quickly informed her of what they had found.

Once at the warehouse, she greeted the other police. Most of them just knew her as the woman who helped deal with this problem. They directed her towards the group of about ten women. It took a glance to tell her they were already fully trained.

"They are trained," she told Saito. "How long until transport gets here?"

"They should be here soon," he said and moments later two large vans drove up.

"Alright, let's get them loaded up," she said handing him the jar. He nodded and gave some orders. They had been working together for many years, it was how they had become friends. She knew she could trust him to get his men doing the right things which gave her time to look around. This was a den, though she doubted any of them realized that. They probably just thought it was a transition place. But the number of men they had arrested told her it was a den. Which meant there was a basement full of people that she needed to find.

Moving towards the back of the warehouse she stepped behind some crates and looked up towards the Battousai and his friends, who were sitting in the rafters watching. She waved and motioned for them to come down. Only Kenshin did.

"I need to know if there were any oddly placed guards," she said before he could ask any questions.

"What do you mean?"

"Guards that seemed to be guarding an empty space of wall."

"There were two men over there," he pointed to the back wall.

"Show me exactly where they were standing," He hesitated before showing her. The police were too occupied to notice them. Kenshin pointed to where the guards had been, and she set to work feeling around the wall, looking for a lever.

"Why are you here?" Kenshin asked, unsure what she was doing.

"I worked with the hospital to come up with a way to counteract the drug they use. I'm usually called in to administer the first part to the captives before they are taken to rehab. Its herb based so I make it."

"Drug?"

"You think they become like that just because of a sound beating," she indicated the women who were slowly being lead to the van. The police couldn't speak or touch the women for fear of accidently imprinting on them as a master. This made the whole process take a lot longer.

"I guess I didn't think about it. What are you doing?"

"This place is a den. Which means it is a place where they train slaves. Which means there is a basement full of people who are not fully trained yet, got it," she said as her fingers finally found the lever. The door swung open revealing a narrow staircase. Pulling a flashlight out of her pocket she headed down the stairs. Kenshin followed her.

It was comforting to have him there. She could tell he wasn't coming because he thought she couldn't defend herself. He was there to help and because he was curious. This part was never easy, so it was nice to have him there. The kind, handsome man with the uniquely beautiful eyes would definitely help distract her, her brain pointed out before she could stop it. Shaking her head, she forced her brain back to reality and continued down the steps.

It didn't take long before screams and moans of pain started to reach them along with the smell. Karou hated this part, but someone had to do it and she at least knew what to do. At the bottom of the stares they found three large cells. There was no way Kenshin wasn't shocked, but he kept it to himself. The only sign of his discomfort was in his ki and how he gripped his sword more firmly.

The women in the first cell stood silently, their eyes were vacant. The drug had broken them and now they were ready to be trained for whatever they were going to be used for. The second cage was the most violent. Her flashlight showed bodies writhing on the ground while others were fighting each other, acting more like animals than humans. This was theirs brains last ditch attempt to fight the drug. The first cell was where the crying, screaming, and whimpering came from. Bodies were huddled on the ground not moving. This was the first stage of the drug.

"What happened to them?" Kenshin asked. Moving towards the first cell. She knew he was planning on breaking down the door. She grabbed his arm and shook her head, pulling him towards the third cage.

"How long would you last if you were stuck in a never-ending cycle of your worst memories and fears?" she asked him.

"Karou?" Saito called, coming down the stairs. Kenshin quickly tried to disappear into the shadows but there wasn't a lot of room. Saito glanced at Kenshin but didn't say a word, turning his attention back to her. Kenshin was rather surprised at this but she wasn't. Saito was one of the few who though it was a waste of effort trying to catch the Battousai. Their focus on the slave industry and common thoughts on the Battousai were what had made them such close friends.

"I told you it was a den."

"I never doubted you. Neither did Megumi, seeing as she sent two more trucks."

"Good, we will need them. Did you bring my jar?" Saito handed it to her. She took it and headed to the third cage. "You can open this one, and only this one," she told Kenshin. His sword made quick work of the lock.

Saito helped her roll the women over, so she could find their faces. Then she made them drink half a cup of the liquid, rather forcibly. The drink would help make them more lucid, so they could move on their own. After a few women were sitting up and looking slightly more aware, Saito looked at Kenshin.

"Switch places with me so I can start getting them upstairs," Saito said. After some hesitation, Kenshin nodded and moved to help. Saito helped one of the women up and slowly led her up the stairs. The others would be waiting to take her from there. They knew the drill. Karou didn't like having a lot of people in the basement because they tended to get their own ideas and open the other cadges too early, which would be a disaster, so she and Saito worked in the basement and everyone else waited above.

"Why can't I open the other cages?" Kenshin asked her.

"Because they will attack you. The ones in here have only had two or three doses of the drug so they haven't completely lost their minds. It's more like they are in shock. The others are different. Once we get these guys out we will gas the place before opening the other cadges. It's safer that way."

"This is what the drug does?"

"Why spend time breaking the person when you can just destroy them. Then you have an empty shell that you just have to train. Then you don't have to worry about slaves running away and it is a lot less messy."

"Why do you know so much?"

"I've been helping the police for a few years now."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Technically it does, but you know the answer to your question so why do I need to say anything."

"How long ago?"

"When I was 8."

"Were your parents one of the desperate people they prey upon?"

"No," she said tossing her hair over her shoulder. They had two more people before they were done. "My parents were tired of dealing with me and they were offered a fair price for me."

"And the drug?"

"I was one of the first batches they used the drug on. It didn't work on me."

"Why not?"

"I was a child. My world was a little more black and white. I faced my fears every time I came home, and I didn't really have any good memories, so reliving bad memories wasn't that bad. Children's minds are also more resilient. That's why there aren't any here now. They quickly found that it was hard to break a child's mind. So, they took children and had them work until they were old enough for the drug to work."

"Like the pick pocket?"

"Yahiko, and yes. Had he been three years older, we would be finding him down here."

Saito came back down to help with the last two, "Wait two minutes and then come out," he told Kenshin. "We will all be busy getting all of them settled before gassing the place. No one will see you."

"Why aren't you arresting me?" Kenshin asked. Saito looked at her, she shook her head. No, she hadn't told Kenshin. She didn't want to say anything without Saito's permission. Saito just shrugged, telling her he didn't care either way. Then he just turned and headed up the stairs. Saito wasn't big on conversation.

"He is like me when it comes to you," she said slowly coaxing the last woman up. "You would be dead if it weren't for him."

"What do you mean?"

"He helped me get you across town."

"I owe him a debt," Kenshin said not sounding pleased.

"He will never hold it over you. He is a good man. But, if you want to repay the debt then promise me something," Kenshin nodded for her to continue. "If the police ever find out he has helped you, they will kill him. If that ever happens, promise me you will try to help him."

She didn't wait for a reply as she stepped out of the stairway and slowly helped the woman towards the awaiting vans. Saito was true to his word. No one was near the basement entrance, giving Kenshin time to get out before they dropped the gas. Whether he made the promise or not was up to him, but she knew he would. He wasn't the kind of person to turn his back on someone who was good.