Chapter Twenty-Six

Iizuka read the message on his phone almost out of the corner of his eye. Although he was alone in the lab, he was constantly aware of the cameras recording his every move. This was not the first time he had sold classified or sensitive information to a third party. He didn't like to brag, but he imagined himself to be quite skilled. The trick was to convince everyone around him that was harmless, but not incapable.

The message, however, was not one he had expected, and a slight frown marred his features. The strong grip of his hand fisted in his lap, but he kept his red eyes focused on the monitor in front of him.

Seriously? You forced me to hide nearly everything, and now you want me to reveal it all? I shouldn't have taken this job.

Typically, Iizuka never felt impatience or irritation with a client. It was always best to keep a level head and respond naturally to any given situation. Unless, of course, his client wished something that would place him in danger. Iizuka was not the kind of person that did well with violence, and preferred to avoid scenarios that put him at a disadvantage. It was shameful for an ogre, or so his family had told him. Ogres feared nothing. Iizuka was not as large as they were, though, and had learned at a young age that if he wanted to survive, he had to be much more underhanded than anyone else.

It'll seem strange if I suddenly know exactly what's going on. I'm going to have to create a distraction to keep the attention off me.

Honestly, it was getting tougher to hide the origin and purpose of the seals on Kaoru's body. He could only play dumb for so long. Not to mention, blocking Genzai-sensei's emails and messages would not last for much longer. He had placed himself at too much risk for this job. He needed to finish it quickly, and leave. The money he was earning from this job alone was enough to disappear, and it was time to move on.

And if I just take a little bonus on my way out, who's going to stop me?

"What are you still doing here?" While the words weren't quite snappish, they were slightly annoyed. Turning in his chair with a smile, Iizuka relaxed his tense hands and indicated the screen now behind him.

"Forgive me, Megumi-sensei. I got a little absorbed in my research and lost track of things. It's not evening already, is it?"

The five-tailed fox crossed her arms, and one of her dark, orange-tipped ears flicked. For a moment, she considered him, and then spoke to him slowly.

"There's a typhoon about to hit the city. You haven't heard?"

"W-what?" Genuinely astonished, Iizuka grabbed at his phone and brought up the news. A shocked laugh pushed from his chest. "Are those two fighting again?" When he glanced back up, the fox's eyes were still locked on him. "Is it too late to leave?"

"'Fraid so. I've had the lab shut down for over an hour now. I was sure I sent everyone a message. No matter." A breath sighed from her mouth, and she stood tall from her relaxed position. "I have some cots for overnight employees on the seventeenth floor. Looks like you'll be staying the night."

She turned to walk back out, and Iizuka stood.

"I uh, noticed something…" Megumi turned, but the bored expression on her face had not changed. "The seal in Kaoru's mouth appears to be connected to something else I'm not seeing."

"What do you mean?" She was skeptical, but scientists were naturally skeptical.

"This portion here." He stepped to one side and pointed directly at the screen. "I've been able to separate out the different segments of the seal, and this one here isn't grounded in actually sealing anything, or binding. It's linking this seal, either to another one, or another portion of her body. As far as I can tell, it's not connected to the four seals on her arms and legs." Even if his client wanted all to be revealed, Iizuka knew he had to feign some ignorance.

"That seems a bit farfetched. Seals only work on what they are directly set to, and this one seems to follow that logic. When the metal pin was in her mouth, it only sealed her words, which were already hampered by the pin. She could still make sounds at that time. Once the pin was removed, the seal returned to where it was originally placed, over her vocal cords. Which is why she can't even hum now."

"Correct, but, the link itself doesn't necessarily have to transfer the seal's influence to whatever it's touching. It could instead activate another seal once this one is removed. Or it could only transmit a portion of the power from this seal to wherever it ends. You said she can't remember a lot of her past, except for bits and pieces at random, right?"

Now Megumi was frowning. "You think it's also sealing her memories?"

"Or at least a specific memory. It may be that she knows something that she shouldn't, or has seen something that someone else doesn't want anyone to know about. Of course, it could just be that having no memory made it easier to control and manipulate her, and her amnesia has nothing to do with this seal. For now, I'll keep studying it."

"We shouldn't eliminate any options at this point." Finally, she was starting to fully participate in his analysis. "Wasn't Genzai-sensei working on something for memory viewing?"

Iizuka nodded eagerly. This was exactly what he had wanted her to mention. "Yes. It's still very much in the testing phase, but it has a high success rate."

"Hmm." Megumi appeared to think about it for a moment, and then dismissed him with a wave. "Nice work. Make sure to get some sleep."

Thrown off by her sudden change in demeanor, Iizuka bowed his head hesitantly. "Yes, Ma'am."

Megumi left, and Iizuka turned back to the monitor to fake continuing his study of the seal. A few minutes after the door to the lab closed, he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. Though he wanted to, he hid his smirk.

That fox would never suspect someone working for Genzai-sensei. He's an authority in her field and kind.

Standing with a stretch, Iizuka grabbed up his phone and turned for the exit. Hopefully he would be able to scrounge up something to eat from the vending machines. Having skipped lunch, he was hungry. Through the open rec room door, a left-over hint of Kaoru's aroma drifted across his nose, and a primitive instinct within him reacted to it. The flare of his nostrils pulled wide, and his chest heaved as his lungs worked hard not to lose her scent. Like a wolf seeking out prey. A single line of saliva dripped from the side of his lower right tusk, and he wiped it away quickly.

Kaoru had been, and still was, the largest wrench in his plan. He had never smelled such a delicious creature like her before, nor anything that had made him feel quite so ravenous. Such a phenomenon made her an unknown variable. Iizuka hated unknown variables. They made things tricky and resulted in impulsive actions. Luckily, he had been able to curb his innate appetites, for the most part. It was hard, though, when he was face-to-face with her. Especially knowing how rare she was, and how little chance he would have of coming across one of her kind again.

Unfortunately, fighting the hunger roaring within him had distracted him from the truth. As a result, Iizuka had missed what he should have guarded against from the start. The most dangerous part of her. Even as he left the lab, her hidden influence lingered in the back of his mind, with even greater power than her scent, but with more subtlety. Like mysterious glowing orbs dodging capture, but at the same time luring unsuspecting victims down wayward paths, her eyes had already ensnared him. While struggling not to succumb to his true nature upon their very first meeting, he had instead fallen unknowingly into the trap of her alluring blue irises.

Standing in the elevator, Iizuka assumed he had a choice to make. Either he could play it safe and stick to his plan like the cowardly ogre he was, or prove to the world that he was a real ogre and take what he wanted. What he didn't understand, was that he never had a choice from the beginning.

X

It was still dark and gloomy when Kaoru woke the next morning, and it took her a few minutes for her brain to fully process that she was awake. As she lay in the warm bedding and stared at the ceiling, she smiled absently at the smell of breakfast cooking. Sitting up with a yawn, she stretched her arms high over her head in snug satisfaction. Kenshin's apartment was ten times more comfortable than the lab. The lab smelled sterile and was always slightly cold. Kaoru preferred to be warm, and loved more natural fragrances like freshly cleaned linen, rice paper, and wooden beams.

Letting her arms drop back into her lap happily, she flickered her eyelids open and looked lazily around. Only then did she finally notice that she was no longer near the glass barrier that separated the loft from the open air of the main room. In fact, she wasn't even on the small bed pushed up against it. Jerking her head around quickly, she blinked to find herself cuddled instead into the same futon that Kenshin had said he would use. However, the fire demon was nowhere to be found.

From the noises below, she could rightly guess that he was the reason for the wonderful aroma filling the apartment. Rubbing one hand up and down her opposite bicep nervously, she wondered first, how she had ended up in the futon, and second, if that meant they had slept together. Sheepishly, it occurred to her that climbing into bed with Tomoe had become somewhat of a habit after the last year, and sleeping snuggled up to her was now natural. No doubt, this was how she had ended up in the wrong bed. Nevertheless, while she trusted Kenshin, and it in fact didn't even cross her mind to imagine he had or would do something unwanted or perverse to her while she was vulnerable, her heart still fluttered and stumbled out of control.

I-I've never slept with a man before.

What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to act? More importantly, how would this change things, if it changed anything at all?

Should I make him bring me breakfast in bed? Isn't that what they do in the movies?

Shaking her head roughly, she pushed herself up to her hands and knees, and then forced herself to her feet. Movies weren't real, after all. At the bottom of the loft stairs, the sounds from the kitchen became clearer. Biting her lip and clasping her hands behind her back, she made her way to the half-wall separating the small kitchen from the main room. Once she came into sight, Kenshin's violet eyes looked up immediately, and her heart did a funny flip when his gaze connected directly with hers. The messages between her brain and limbs seemed to cross, and at the same time she thought to quicken her step, her feet tried to skip, and she faceplanted straight into the floor.

"Miss Kaoru!"

Before the worried exclamation could fully leave his mouth, or he could move to check on her, Kaoru had bounced back to her feet in embarrassment. A flush of blotchy red spotted her face, and she looked up and to the side before baring her teeth in a forced grin. Nothing less than flabbergasted shock creased his features, and then he laughed nervously.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded hastily to assure him, and watched as his tense body relaxed a little. Then he too smiled. A taut, fake smile that closed his eyes.

"Breakfast should be ready soon."

Kaoru gnawed her lip. His eyes had dropped back to the stovetop. Waving a hand to get his attention, she signed her question quickly.

"Can I help?"

"Uh… sure. Can you sit out the rice?"

Jumping on the task with more enthusiasm than necessary, Kaoru went to work setting up the small, foldable table in the main room, and then doled out ample portions of rice into two bowls. For a few minutes, both were distracted by busywork until it was time to sit and eat.

With chopsticks in hand, Kaoru pouted as Kenshin continued to avoid looking at her. The meal was nearly finished, and not one word had passed his lips for the duration of it. The expectant flutter of her heart began to sink slowly into her stomach, and the tender excitement from earlier turned to apprehension. Something was different about him this morning, and it frightened her.

I must have done something wrong.

Casting her gaze sadly out the high wall of windows, the whistle of wind and pound of rain did little to lift her spirits. A quick glance back found him staring straight down into his rice bowl.

Look at me.

Sitting down her chopsticks, she instead twisted her fingers together in her lap.

Please.

But he wouldn't look at her. Biting her lip hard, she wrestled down the turmoil rolling around her breakfast, and came to a conclusion that was contrary to her own emotions.

It's because I climbed in the wrong bed, and now he's upset.

Strangely, thinking he was upset by it, upset her. Somehow, she had imagined it to be a pleasant thing. A small frown scrunched her brows, mouth, and nose. No matter how she felt about it, she needed to apologize, especially if he was unhappy. Again, she waved her hand for his attention, and he hesitantly gave it to her. Although, his eyes kept darting to and then away.

"I'm sorry."

This time, he frowned.

"What for, Miss Kaoru?"

Pointing a finger up to the loft, she tried to indicate the sleeping arrangements. Kenshin had picked up most of the basics of sign language, but still didn't understand complex signs or explanations. His eyes followed the direction of her finger, and then his mouth opened on an inhaled breath.

"Ah…" A nervous chuckle. "Don't worry, Miss Kaoru. We just switched places, nothing more. It wasn't a problem."

Kaoru's mouth pursed to one side.

Then… we didn't sleep together.

Tilting her head, Kaoru wasn't sure if she was relieved by the knowledge, or disappointed.

I guess… I'd prefer to remember the first time.

Shrugging, Kaoru grinned, but Kenshin looked away guiltily.

Then… does that mean he's upset because we didn't sleep together?

The assumption lifted her mood instantly, and she cheerfully helped him clear the small table. Afterwards, he seated himself cross-legged with his back to the glass, and she sat with her knees in her chest next to him. When the silence stretched for too long, he began to ramble.

"The typhoon alert was downgraded to a tropical storm this morning, but there are still high winds and heavy rain predicted for the remainder of the day and into tonight. It should start to clear tomorrow, but…" She observed him carefully, and smiled when he glanced at her. "I'm not sure if I'll be working this afternoon or not. Tomoe-san and Enishi-san are still stuck at their beach house, but plan to come back as soon as the trains start running again. I can take you to the lab. I'm sure Megumi-san would let you in, even if the lab is still officially closed."

Kaoru thought it through, but ultimately shook her head.

"Can I stay here?"

Kenshin shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Well… I don't mind, but… I'd worry. We still don't know… where Sojiro is, or if or when he'll show back up."

Reaching for the back of her head, Kaoru grabbed the end of the red-braid looped around her ponytail to remind him how protected she was, but he only sighed.

"I know, but I'm not really confidant it could protect you from him."

There was thick doubt in his words and countenance, and it forced a frown onto her lips.

"I am."

The forcefulness of the hand sign finally brought his eyes up to hers where they stayed. She continued hastily while she had his attention.

"I feel safer here with you than with anyone or anywhere else."

Pink flooded her cheeks now that the confession was in the open, and it was her turn to look down. She wasn't quite sure why she felt so shy. What she had said was true, after all, and had been true since their very first meeting. Through the thick length of her lashes, she caught his mouth twitch on a gentle grin.

"Very well. Stay as long as you like."

Joy filled her, and she leaned forward abruptly to grab his hand. Overbalancing, half on purpose and half on accident, she shifted and wriggled her weight against the floor until she ended up with her head resting on his knee. Sprawled now on her back and grinning up at his perplexed expression, pressure in her chest warned of rising happiness when the stiff line of his shoulders softened. The hand still captured in hers stroked against her cheek affectionately, and his burning violet eyes were as gentle as usual. However, there was something a little more intense about his current gaze that set butterflies off in her insides, and a much more selfish desire took root in her heart.

Don't ever look at anyone else like this. Only me.

X

Deep inside the government facility, a wizened nine-tailed fox stood with five contained seals hovering within a 3-D space in a half-circle before him. Pieces of the seals had been pulled apart from the whole, and scribbled notes floated in the air around those pieces as identifiers. The seals his old apprentice had sent to him for study were intricate and powerful. Not just anyone could have set them, especially inside of another's body without causing even a hint of damage. What was most telling about them, however, was they were ancient.

Forbidden.

The grey fur on the nine-tailed fox bristled with anger and indignation, but he kept the emotion in-check so as not to disturb the young ones under his care. No matter the age of his assistants, they were all young to him. A few even called him Grandfather, though they shared no relation. He enjoyed their youth and vigor, and watched over them carefully. Children were meant to be cared for and guided, to protect their future. Placing such seals upon any of them was an abomination, and roused a burning hatred for the sick mind responsible.

"Genzai-sensei!" His senior personal assistant pushed himself sideways through the still opening door, and stumbled over his own feet as a result. Dark wings shot open at his back to gain balance, but the abrupt movement caused a red mask with a long nose to fall from its precarious perch on top of his head and it clattered across the floor. Watching him right himself, Genzai shook his head at the natural clumsiness of the crow demon. Akira had earned the title daitengu years before, but insisted on remaining under his instruction.

"Calmly, Akira-kun. What have you brought me?"

"I found her." Holding out a piece of paper in one hand, he bent to retrieve his mask and ended up half-bowed before the nine-tailed fox. "It's like you said. I had to pull the files from storage. No one outside the government would have been able to find her."

Collecting the single sheet of paper between his claws, Genzai's yellowed eyes studied the picture and nodded.

"There she is. Miss Kamiya Kaoru. And only seventeen. So very young."

X

A/N: Kaoru is pretty clueless and innocent, lol. I kind of love writing her this way right now. She's very genuine and true to her own emotions and desires, but she doesn't quite get it all just yet. Which is understandable considering her lack of experience, and her amnesia. Poor Kenshin. I imagine she's going to unknowingly torture him for a bit.

I got to a lot in this chapter! I imagined the first part a bit differently to begin with, in a way that was much grosser, but I guess I'm okay with this as well. It fits Iizuka's character a bit more, but I think he might be underestimating all of his opponents. And finally! I got to properly introduce Genzai. Yay! As well as another. Squeeeee!

Things should get really tense in the next couple of chapters, and I'm really looking forward to it. (I hope I can pull it off well enough.) Send good vibes for Kenshin. Thanks so much for the reviews! They inspire my motivation!