Chapter Five

"I haven't been able to find a personal phone number for him, but there's been some noise about a red-haired fire demon working at a restaurant in the ward over." The tengu police officer dropped the address and phone number of the restaurant onto the desk of the dog demon. "I'm sure it's just some overblown paranoia about the fire-demon part, but he fits the description. Want to check it out?"

Stuffing the remaining piece of a pork bun into his mouth, the dog demon snatched up the paper and stood. "Le's go." Grunting, and swallowing the half-chewed food with a cough, he slapped a hand against the shoulder of the missing-persons officer on the way out. "We got a lead on that missing girl."

"Great! I'll come along." Pretending he had not already been eavesdropping on their conversation, the grass demon half-stood from his desk.

"Nah, we got it. Just wait here."

Watching the dog and tengu demons disappear through a far door, the grass demon slowly lowered himself back into his chair before pulling his personal phone from his pocket. A quick dial later, and the phone was answered almost immediately.

"It's Cho… Yes, sir, we have a lead. There's a rumor she's with a fire demon… I know… but if it's true, she has to be the unluckiest girl in the world." Amusement thickened his voice, but the person on the other line was less amused and more fascinated by the prospect of the fire demon being real. "You want to meet him? I'm not sure if that's wise, sir… Sure, whatever, if this lead pans out we'll arrange a meeting. Just don't piss him off if he is a fire demon. I like living."

X

After packing up his small apartment, and finding somewhere to store his things, it ended up being much later than Kenshin had anticipated it would be. The last train had already run and he didn't have the money for a cab. Not to mention he already knew that when the lab shut down, it shut down hard. Not only to make sure no one could get in… but also to make sure no one could get out. In the end, he had been forced to find a cheap hotel to stay at for the night. A quick call to Tomoe had explained his situation, and she had agreed to stay with Kaoru so she would be more comfortable. As he had hung up the phone, he again wondered why he was so worried about this small demon he didn't even really know.

When he arrived at the lab the next morning, he found a guest badge waiting for him at the front desk, like Tomoe promised. Once on the eighteenth floor, he easily navigated the hallways to the out-of-the-way laboratory that Kaoru was being kept in. As he made his way, he amused himself with thoughts of how Kaoru would react when he finally reappeared. Would she throw a tantrum, or would some form of petulance rule her actions since he had not returned as he had promised? As long as she did not react with fear, he was discovering that he was quite glad for any of the emotions she showed. Subsequently, he was less than pleased when she immediately stumbled her way out of her wheelchair and latch herself to his torso where she clung to him and shivered pitifully.

Instantly suspicious, Kenshin frowned over the top of her head at both Tomoe and Megumi, who was ignoring them all as she worked away at one of the computers. "What have you done to her?"

The barest crease formed between Tomoe's brows, and she folded her arms, almost defensively. Her voice, however, stayed patient and soothing. "Nothing has been done to her, Himura-san. She's simply happy to see you."

With both arms held out to either side of her, Kenshin glanced down and Kaoru looked up. Sure enough, she was grinning quite happily, and he realized that it was her legs that were having a hard time holding her up. Her quivers were due to imbalance and not fear. Imbalance and pain. The frown on his face stayed, but his frustration switched targets.

"Why are you out of your chair, Miss Kaoru? You need to stay off your feet so you can heal." Scolding her gently, Kenshin wrapped one arm around her shoulders and helped her to back up to the forgotten wheelchair. Once she was settled, Kenshin looked up at Tomoe and ducked his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Tomoe-san." Again, his voice softened in that way that could not be helped.

"It's alright." Oddly, there was the lightest touch of amusement in her voice.

Returning his attention to Kaoru, who was pulling demandingly at his shirt, Kenshin smiled and held out the bag he had brought along in his other hand. "I got this for you." Surprise widened her eyes, and the boldness from moments before disappeared as her hands reached and then withdrew uncertainly. "Go on. It's yours." Eyes such a wonderful shade of blue stared at the bag longingly, then glanced up. They looked deep into him, as if attempting to read his intentions, and it only solidified his suspicion of the kind of treatment she had become accustomed to before he had found her.

Kneeling on the ground in front of her, he settled the bag onto the floor and then pulled from it a large sketch pad. The hesitation in her eyes melted into excitement, and this time she reached for the gift with a little more certainty. With the spiraled pages now held tight to her chest, he withdrew next a box of multiple-colored pencils, which she accepted at his insistence with a shaky hand.

Smiling encouragingly, Kenshin turned her towards the rec room. "Now you can add some color to your drawings." She finally smiled. A smile full of suppressed joy, and though she hugged the presents protectively, her eyes looked only at him.

Tomoe intervened as Kaoru jerked on Kenshin's fingers for him to come with her. "We will join you in a moment, Kaoru-san." Gentle tones and the soft brush of her fingers over her hair seemed to calm the young demon immediately. She nodded, though with a slight air of reluctance, before rolling herself into the other room.

"Did you find something else on the full body scan?" With a sinking heart, Kenshin watched the soft line of Tomoe's mouth firm.

"We found… a few things."

"A few quite interesting things." Now that they were on a subject that appealed to her, Megumi pulled her attention from the computer, and swiveled around in the rolling chair she was seated on. "By the way, Ken-sama, where's my apology?" A sweet smile tinged with a small amount of derision curled her lips.

Closing his eyes for patience, Kenshin forced a smile in return and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Megumi-san."

"For what?" Now her voice feigned innocence as she urged him to continue.

"For assuming you had harmed Miss Kaoru."

A light chortle dismissed his apology just as easily as she had demanded it, and Megumi reached behind her to click a few buttons on the keyboard she sat in front of. Multiple images revealed themselves on the computer screens in the room, and her voice switched to a more no-nonsense tone. "The girl has five additional magic symbols: one on each limb, and the last at the middle of her sternum. As you can see, these sigils are different from the one in her mouth. In fact, I don't think these are seals at all." Cinnamon irises looked up from her chair at the highest computer screen near the ceiling. "Unfortunately, they are as unfamiliar and foreign to me as the seal in her mouth is. It's going to take some time to decipher them and what they are meant for."

"And if you were to guess?" Kenshin had suspected since the day before that Megumi was feigning ignorance on how much she had deduced about Kaoru and her situation. She never would have given in so easily if there wasn't something specific she was expecting out of having her here.

A red-tinged gaze glanced at him thoughtfully, and her ears twitched as she grinned. "You were always sharp, Ken-sama. I suppose those instincts of yours are what has kept you alive all this time." Standing from her chair, Megumi turned her back to him and fluffed her five dark tails. "If I had to guess, this girl was going to be used as some kind of pawn, and not just for something small. Or she's already been used as one. I can't imagine she's much use now, what with the state she's in."

"What makes you think that?" Kenshin wanted specifics, and Tomoe had been right. Megumi was the best.

"The sigils are much too intricate and powerful. Without even knowing what they mean, I can tell that they were placed carefully and with intent. They won't fade anytime soon, and removing them would require a no doubt specialized incantation or ritual. No one goes through this much trouble if they do not have a specific goal in mind. Pinning her tongue to the floor of her mouth, and then sealing it in place, means that whoever did it wanted to make sure she had no way of betraying them. Say, if she was captured or tortured, or even if she escaped. They've even hidden her demon-type, which is curious on its own. The blood work I drew yesterday after you left is inconclusive. I haven't been able to find a single match in our system. Which means she's either extremely rare, or…"

"Or?"

"I'm not sure." Megumi shrugged. "That will take some time to figure out. My final clue, at the moment, has to do with her internal organs. Or rather, a missing internal organ." Another key was pressed, and a new image pulled up on the main screen. "As you can see, they removed her uterus."

The startling revelation shot Kenshin's brows into his hairline. "Removed…"

"We made sure to eliminate the most obvious reason for its removal." The soft tones of Tomoe's voice were somber. "Her cervix remains intact, but there is no internal scarring to suggest trauma. When I questioned her, she reacted the way an innocent girl might: with confusion at first, and then with shy embarrassment once she understood what I was asking. As far as we can discern, no one has touched her in such a way. It makes sense, as she is most comfortable with you, despite you being male."

"Which means it was a tactical decision. Without a uterus, she is not handicapped by the problems a woman can have with one. That means, if she is not a sex slave, and the sigils make her much too valuable to be used as a mere servant, then she must be meant for something much larger." Gracefully her arms crossed and she turned once more to lean against the metal table. "Of course, this is all just speculation at this point, but finding the truth is what I do."

Kenshin thought on everything for a moment, and then asked softly. "If she's so important to whoever did this to her… then why have they all but starved her?"

"Yes, that is a curious contradiction. Could be that the pin in her mouth has something to do with it. We also are not certain how long she has been on her own." Once Megumi started speculating, it was easy to keep her talking.

"It could be that she is no longer of any use." Again, Tomoe's subdued voice spoke up, and there was something just a touch sad about her countenance.

Megumi sighed. "How boring. I hope that's not the case. I would really like the chance to discuss a few things with whoever did this." Foxy eyes slanted a look at Kenshin, and her next statement was carefully crafted to make him uncomfortable. "While he's strapped down, of course."

A shiver raced up Kenshin's spine, and he turned his head away to hide any distress his face might show. The gentle nudge of Tomoe's calm words diverted the conversation towards something more important.

"Will we need to consult with someone else about the sigils, Megumi-sensei?"

"Hmm, yes, I believe so. Genzai-sensei is the most knowledgeable person I know on sigil magic. He's usually kept busy by the government, but he may be able to spare one of his assistants to act as a go between."

As the two began serious discussions on matters Kenshin did not understand, he found his attention drifting to the rec room and Kaoru's hunched over form. Once more, she was intently scribbling away, now within the sketch book that he had brought for her. Now that her picture would be in color, he wondered what it would look like. Would it bring any clarity to her subject, or would it confirm that she simply liked covering the pure white of the pages with something other than emptiness? With a last glance at the two women in front of him, Kenshin snuck away to sate his curiosity.

Over her shoulder, Kenshin blinked to find the page covered in red and oranges and gold. As before, with the lead version, two portions off from center were lighter than the rest of the drawing, but now they were golden and a sharp contrast to the surrounding shades of red. The vision of what he was looking at became suddenly clear, and he was shocked to realize what it was she had been trying to recreate.

"Kaoru." Kneeling next to her, he placed his fingers on the sketch pad, and the hand that was vigorously scribbling in the leftover white sections with orange, paused. Curiously, she tilted her head to meet his gaze. "Have you… met another fire demon?" Slowly her brows creased. "Besides me. Have you met another fire demon besides me?" He couldn't keep the excitement from his voice, but it was held in check by more than a little anxiety.

Her nose scrunched as she thought on his question. Barely a second later, she nodded enthusiastically. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe.

"Where?"

The colored-pencil was settled on the sketch pad, and one of her hands lifted to point at her temple. Confused by her answer, Kenshin shifted his weight.

"In your mind?" What is she trying to say?

Another nose scrunch, only this time it was exasperated. Shaking her head, she tapped her temple emphatically, then closed her eyes and pillowed her cheek on her hands. The tension in Kenshin's body released.

"In your dreams?"

Happy agreement was his response, and Kenshin let out a long breath. Was that why she followed me that day we met? Did I remind her of her dreams? Then he remembered her nightmare.

"Are they scary dreams?"

She seemed undecided this time, as she both nodded and shook her head.

If she's been dreaming about a fire demon… she may have met one before and doesn't remember. "How long have you been dreaming about this fire demon?"

With no way to answer through signals, Kaoru pulled a scrap piece of paper closer to her and struggled with the correct katakana. Squinting at first as he deciphered her reply, he swallowed and then returned his gaze to her bluer than flame irises.

"Forever."

Or at least as long as she remembers. It occurred to him then that the seal in her mouth had little to do with her divulging secrets. After all, she could still write and mime a response to questions. Perhaps instead it completely removed her ability to recall certain details. It was even possible that the placement was meant to be misleading. But that still does not explain why they forcibly muted her with a metal pin.

"Miss Kaoru." Broaching the subject slowly, he made sure to hold her gaze so that he could observe every shift in her emotions. "Why did they pin your tongue to your jaw?"

Tiny tremors jerked at her bottom lip and chin, and her eyes dropped in shame.

"It's alright. You can tell me. No one's going to hurt you."

Trembling harder than ever, she took up the pencil again, and scribbled out the answer.

"I was disobedient."

With three small words, Kaoru confirmed that the metal pin had been a punishment and not a planned course of action. Forcing himself to smile gently in the face of her overwhelming terror, Kenshin lifted a hand to comfortingly stroke one over-pronounced cheekbone. The nervous quaking of her body was jarring under his touch, but she quickly accepted his offer of solace by wrapping both of her hands around his one. Twin sapphire globes vanished behind the thick crescent-moon of her dark lashes, and she turned her nose into his palm like a cat might when scared and wanting to hide.

"You're safe now, Miss Kaoru. I promise you're safe."

Beneath his smiling façade, anger burned slow and dangerous. If he ever met the person responsible for such a thing, Kenshin had already decided that they would deserve no kindness.

X

"So, he lied when you interviewed him and claimed he was just a small spark demon?" The dog-demon officer jotted down the information faithfully, before looking back up at the restaurant owner again.

"That's right. He said he couldn't do more than warm the air and start cook fires. I let him stay since it lightened my utility bills, but I had no idea he was an honest and true fire demon. I swear I would've never let him work here if I had known."

"And he lived in an apartment upstairs, you said?" Next to him, the tengu demon spoke up as he looked around the interior of the currently closed establishment.

"Yes, sir."

"What about a young woman? Did you ever see him bring a young woman back to his apartment?" A picture of the missing girl was pulled from the back pages of his small notepad, and he held it up for the owner to have a look.

After a moment of study, he shook his head, "Can't say I have. He was a real loner. Never saw him with any friends the entire time he was here."

"And could he have brought anyone up to his room without you knowing?"

"Well, sure. The back stairs are a separate entrance. I used to live up their myself, until I got a bigger place down the road for me and the wife."

"This is the most current contact you have for him?" The tengu demon held up a card with Kenshin's number and the address of the apartment.

"That's right. The phone number should still be good, but I had him pack his belongings and leave last night. You're free to take a look up there, if you like, but there isn't much to see. He wasn't one to keep much, and he was clean."

"Thanks for talking with us." Returning a short bow, the dog demon stood and handed the owner a card of his own. "Give us a call if you think of anything else."

"Of course, officers."

The door shut behind them as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. "You want to give him a call now, or set up a trace first?"

"No need for that. That old man said something about him burning a couple of kids the other day. I'll get him down to the precinct to settle that, then we'll have him in custody to question about the girl."

X

A/N: So much info in this chapter, lol. I'm really having a lot of fun with this story when it comes to the interactions between the characters, and I'm looking forward to finally introducing Kaoru's "brother". Kenshin's interaction with him is going to be fun. Especially with the mood I left him in, lmao. Reading everyone's reviews is also really fun! I'm so happy you're sticking with me on this little adventure, and I hope you continue to enjoy!