Chapter Six

"While you're out, would you mind picking up a few things?" Tomoe walked with him as he exited the building, and he automatically shortened his stride to accommodate her more graceful steps. Even though she was just a hair taller than him, her gait was dainty and smooth. His own natural pace was swifter and more fluid than graceful.

One of her folded hands slipped into the pocket of her lab coat, and she pulled out a piece of paper. "I added quite a bit to the list you made." Amusement curled her lips just slightly. "Unfortunately, Himura-san, the rest of us require a bit more attention to hygiene than you do."

"Ah, right." Accepting the paper with an embarrassed grimace, he flipped it open with one finger and blinked at the number of items she believed Kaoru needed. "And all this is necessary?" He failed to hold in his incredulity, despite his best efforts.

The softest huff of air pushed from her nose, and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. It was rare for Tomoe to laugh. I'm not sure I've ever seen her laugh. It was pleasant, he realized. For most of the time he had known her, she had always been reserved. As if she could not allow herself to react with any other emotion but calm patience. He appreciated that patience. How could he not after all she had done to help him? However, over time, that reservedness made her appear more sorrowful than soothing in his eyes, and the part of him that was ready to leave his sorrow behind recoiled from her as a result. Now, just being near her made him feel awkward and guilty.

This, though, was relieving.

"Is my ignorance amusing?" Despite himself, he smiled, but kept his gaze forward.

"A little." Softly, her hands came back together. "But it's not unexpected. Ladies generally require more products. I admit I added a few things. Kaoru-san has such pretty features, it would be a shame not to take care of them properly."

Kenshin purposefully avoided responding to that observation.

"You've grown attached to her."

"Perhaps." The front doors loomed large before them, flooding the lobby of the building with sunbeams. "Her personality is so warm… like sunshine." Even Tomoe's normally low tones were muted with awe. "I can't imagine the strength she must possess to be so warm despite…" Her words trailed off as the doors slid open and the heat from summer hit them both like a wall. Kenshin enjoyed the heat, but Tomoe's body conducted it a little too well. Too much heat made her uncomfortable, and they stopped just outside.

Deep black eyes lifted upward to the blue of the sky. "She climbed in my futon the other night to cuddle with me. Do you remember the way she reacted to my presence only the day before? It's truly frightening, how easily she trusts."

"Hmm." Agreeing, Kenshin looked away and thought about her shivering hand clasped in his after her nightmare. She had only known me for a few hours, and still trusted me enough to fall asleep in the same tiny room.

"I won't keep you, Himura-san." A smooth bow bent her body forward. "If there is anything on the list you have trouble with, I will pick it up later." She turned to reenter the building, and Kenshin bowed at her retreating figure before descending the concrete steps.

A message had been left on his phone the day before, requesting his presence at the local precinct in the ward where he had burned those two boys. It was not unexpected, but it was strange that it had been delayed. Stranger still that he was being called in after Yutaro-kun had made his scene at the restaurant. When he had returned the call that morning, the voice of the officer was actually shocked, and he wondered if they had thought he would attempt to avoid them. He did find it strange that they were so intent on making sure he physically came in and as quickly as possible. While he certainly wanted to get it out of the way so that he could focus on more important things, such as finding a new job, a home, and taking care of Kaoru, he could not shake the feeling that something was off.

His arrival at the precinct found him face-to-face with a tengu officer who waved him through the doors and followed him down a far hallway at the back of the building. If nothing else had felt suspicious about the situation, this would have tipped him off. The greater the distance they put between them and the front entrance, the harder it would be to leave when he wished.

The tengu officer settled him into a private room that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. It was well lit, but had only a single table and four padded chairs. There was a double window on one wall, however, and it relieved him of any notion that he was to be held against his will. At least, he saw no bars.

"Officer Inu will be with you shortly. Please make yourself comfortable." Kenshin returned a polite bow before seating himself in one of the chairs facing the door.

They made him wait a full thirty minutes before a dog demon squeezed his broad shoulders into the room. Keeping his body relaxed, he smiled to show nothing but patience, and was rewarded with a small frown. I recognize this officer. He's the one who approached Kaoru and I outside.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, officer." Standing, Kenshin bowed a little lower than normal, and carefully observed the dog demon's reaction to his immediate greeting. He expected me to pretend as if I did not know him. Why?

"Yes. I would rather it be under different circumstances." His voice was gruff to create distance between them. "Unfortunately, it was brought to our attention that you burned a couple of boys the other day. Would you like the chance to explain yourself?"

Violet eyes studied the officer, then sat back in his chair to fold his hands in his lap. The polite smile stayed in place on his lips. "Is someone pressing charges?" Ever so slightly, the officer's mouth firmed. "If so, I would like to press charges myself." Kenshin was certain Yutaro was not behind this, but he was almost as certain that the other two boys were not as well. "Two young men were harassing my cousin before I found her. When I confronted them, they came into contact with my hand. Unfortunately, my body becomes quite hot in the summer time. I have already committed myself to paying for their hospital bills, but was assured that the burns were not severe enough to scar."

"Your cousin." The abrupt shift spoke of true intentions, and Kenshin's chin lifted. Ah, here it is. "She made it home safely, I presume."

"Of course. Her mother was quite upset with her."

"And where does she live? I'd like to get her statement of the event as well."

Something's not right. Kaoru's refusal to enter the police station or request their help jumped to the forefront of his thoughts. For some reason, she did not trust them, and for someone that trusted easily, as Tomoe stated, there had to be a damn good motive behind her cynicism. While Kenshin believed that this specific officer had good intentions, he was going to trust Kaoru's intuition.

"I'm afraid that would be a waste of your time, Officer Inu."

"And why is that?"

"My cousin does not speak. She has not since a… traumatic incident robbed her of the ability."

"How convenient." There was sarcasm in the officer's voice, but Kenshin's smile softened sadly.

"Not really. I would like nothing more than to hear her voice." The smile returned to his features after a moment, and he closed his eyes. "Besides, I would rather not involve her in my affairs, as it was my own fault for burning those two boys. I'm willing to cooperate, if charges are being pressed against me. Do you know if they are willing to settle? I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of assets, but I'm sure we can come to some form of agreement on the matter. Especially since they were the aggressors in the confrontation."

"No one has pressed charges against you." The statement was pulled from him begrudgingly.

Red brows lifted happily. "That's good. May I leave?"

"No."

A double-tap on the door alerted them to someone on the outside requesting attention, and the dog demon stood with a scowl to crack the door. Whispered words were traded, and then the scowl was thrown at him.

"Don't move." The officer disappeared into the hallway, and Kenshin was once more left alone in the small room. Five minutes later, he returned but with two others in tow.

One was dressed like an officer, but was much taller and thinner than the dog demon. Impossibly yellow hair stood straight up from the top of his head, providing even more height to his already lanky frame. Each strand was as thick as a finger and sharply pointed, but their weight bowed them near the top, like tall grass in a field. Whenever he moved, they rattled and rubbed together with a gentle rustling noise. A thicker band, about the width of a hand, wrapped around his forehead and kept the strands of hair upright. He smiled amiably, but there was something a little insincere about his expression. As if he was laughing at the world, and not with it.

The second presence was smaller in contrast to the officers, and wore civilian clothes. Strangely, Kenshin found it hard to look at him, as his outline appeared hazy and unclear. Something dark hovered around him that was not dispelled by the sunlight pouring through the window. When he moved, his body flickered and almost jerked. It would have felt awkward, but he was sitting down across from Kenshin before he was even able to register that he was no longer standing in the doorframe.

Startled, Kenshin sat up, and it was hard to keep his smile in place. Especially with this new presence smiling unwaveringly at him from across the table. Both of his eyes were closed, but his face was directed at him, as if he were staring intently. Deep black hair fluffed about his ears, and his fingernails, when he clasped his hands together on the tabletop, were just as dark. Now that he was closer, Kenshin also noticed that the air surrounding him seemed to shimmer, like perverted glitter.

The grass demon bowed before seating himself next to the smaller presence, and the dog demon, while still frowning, pulled the chair next to Kenshin away from the table completely to sit near the door.

"The name's Cho. I work in the missing persons department of the precinct."

The smile on Kenshin's face froze, and his eyes swung back to the small demon sitting before him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Officer Cho." The words were forced and distracted as he practically burned his gaze into still closed eyes. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm glad you asked. You see, we've been looking for this young man's little sister for three weeks now. We were hoping you might recognize her." His hand dug into his shirt pocket for a picture, but before he could get it onto the table, the small demon next to him shifted in his seat.

"Why didn't you call me when you found her, cousin?"

The grass demon turned a strange frown on the unintroduced demon with a single lifted brow, but the dog officer dropped his crossed arms in unadulterated surprise. Kenshin's observation became a bit shrewder. He had no way of knowing if this was the demon responsible for Kaoru's torture, or merely a pawn to get her back. For now, he would focus on why he was playing along with his tale of being Kaoru's well-meaning cousin instead of fully committing to Kenshin having kidnapped her. Just what is he playing at? Letting his smile widen, Kenshin propped his own crossed hands onto the table.

"Don't you call your mother anymore… cousin? She's been quite safe from anyone who would wish her harm."

"Sorry, cousin. I must have lost her number when I changed phones. Would you remind me?" His voice sounded falsely helpful, like a customer service agent pretending to be nice. Even though his tone matched his smiling and slight pretty features, his aura was… non-existent. Kenshin felt nothing from him, and it was as unsettling as his flickering form.

"But you surely haven't lost her address." A convincing chuckle hummed against his chest. "Come now, cousin, have you stopped visiting as well? It's no wonder you thought your 'sister' missing."

There was a pause, and then the man across from him sighed in perfect, faked resignation. "You're right. I may have overreacted. We fought recently." His chin tilted downward, as if feigning sorrow. The smile remained. "I'm strict, and she was rebelling against the rules of my home. I was worried that she may have run away after I was forced to…take away something she enjoyed." Dark lashes finally parted, and the steel grey of his irises were as dead as his deficient ambience. The look was purposeful, to observe his reaction, but Kenshin was helpless to his response.

Kenshin's vision wavered, but he saw in clear detail the metal pin causing Kaoru such grief. The smile on his face vanished for only a moment, but the change in his expression was noticeable when it finally returned.

"It's a bit hot in here, ain't it?" Cho fluffed his shirt out, but his dog demon colleague talked over him.

"Wait a minute. So, you really know this guy?" Officer Inu stood incredulously from his chair by the door, and there was a bit of a growl in his voice.

Steel grey irises closed once more, and he stood to bow his apology. The motion was sudden, and felt more like a splice in old movie film than a physically possible movement. "Forgive me, Officer Inu. I was not aware my cousin was in town. It's entirely my fault for not keeping in touch with dear mother."

"If this is a family matter, then keep it in your family. You shouldn't waste police resources with this kind of ridiculous infighting." The door was yanked open. "Show them out, Officer Cho, and get someone in here to fix the A/C."

Cho laughed uncomfortably, and glanced at Kenshin. Waves of heat were pouring into the room, and he could already feel his skin starting to shrivel from it. "You're welcome to use the room, if you would like to talk some more." This time his eyes glanced at the demon next to him, but his dark head shook slowly.

"I think not, Officer Cho. My cousin and I should continue this conversation elsewhere. We do apologize for wasting your resources." The air around him warped as he shifted toward the door, but his smiling face stayed aimed at Kenshin. "Would you like to join me for a walk?"

"Definitely." The drop of his normally tenor voice to baritone rumbled against his chest tellingly. It was hard to keep the harmless smile on his lips now, but even though it felt unnatural, he forced himself to retain it. Standing, he realized they were nearly the same height. Despite that, his naturally fluid gait had a hard time keeping up.

Cho saw them all the way out of the station, and frowned after them as they continued up the sidewalk. Kenshin was more certain than ever that Officer Cho was connected to this dark demon he was now following, and probably the main reason Kaoru had refused to look to the police for help. Luckily, it wouldn't be hard to remember his face.

About a block down the street, and the demon walking in front of him paused. He smiled over his shoulder, but his eyes remained closed. "You'll have to forgive me. I have a hard time reducing my pace for others slower than I." The insult was a bit obvious, and Kenshin brushed it off easily. The man turned to continue walking without fanfare. "I'm a shadow demon, you see. Hiding from the light is what I do best, and the summertime makes it especially hard for others to… catch me."

"My name is Sojiro, by the way. And you?"

They stopped under a tree, and the shadow demon faced him with his still empty but smiling expression. For a moment, Kenshin was tempted to test his claim that he could not be caught.

"Kenshin."

"Kenshin." The name repeated, as if committing it to memory. "And do you truly have my sweet little sister safely in your custody, Kenshin-san?"

"I don't know. Do you truly have a sister? Perhaps you have a picture of you together?"

"Ah." A fake chuckle huffed from his nose. "I'm afraid I lost my phone. I do believe I said that before."

"No problem. I believe I have a photo." Pulling out his phone, Kenshin held it up and blatantly snapped a picture of Sojiro's face. "That should do. Wouldn't you say?" Turning it around to show the very clear photo to him, Kenshin's smile looked more like a snarl. "Perhaps you're not as hard to catch as you thought, Sojiro-san."

The smile finally disappeared from his face, and his lashes parted once more to tiny slits. Nothing was said for a long time, and then air sucked past his teeth. "Ahh, that's it. Himura Kenshin, correct?" A small crease formed between Kenshin's brows. "Yes, I know you. Your father was the fire demon murdered by the humans. Such savage beasts they were. Did you ever catch his killer? Or was there more than one? I heard they sliced him into multiple pieces and used him to enhance their bombs. Do you think that was true?"

Humans. Standing face-to-face with the demon responsible for Kaoru's pain already boiled his blood, but piling an old, well-worn rage on top of it turned the very air pushing from his lungs into tiny licks of fire. The sane voice in his mind was chanting that he needed to keep himself calm, but there was an inferno now loose in him. One that was hard to control, and responded easily to his hatred for that race of beings responsible for his father's death. Its flame was too hot for the world to survive, and too savage to be tamed by half-hearted attempts. It was the reason his own kind had been forced to contain him after the war.

"You seem upset, Himura-san. Forgive me. Our meeting was about my sister, not the tragic death of your father." His words were hollow and muted by the building roar in his ears, and Kenshin even failed to realize that the wall he had placed on his expressions had crumbled completely. Sojiro, however, seemed unfazed, even when his features shifted to mimic different emotions. "Is she still mad that I took away her voice? She knows I don't tolerate disobedience. Refusing my commands are detrimental for her. I had to show her that, for her own good. If she can promise to do as I say, I'll remove the pin for her. Her singing has been missed by the house."

Golden eyes blazed behind red lashes, and the leaves of the tree they were standing under withered and smoked on the branches nearest to him. The already warm summer air scorched and warped around him, and the shimmering darkness surrounding Sojiro seemed to quiver in excitement. But he could not speak. If he spoke, the world would surely die.

Glancing at his watch, Sojiro bowed. "I must leave now, Himura-san. Please give Kaoru-chan my regards. She means the world to me, so be sure to keep her safe."

Beams of light filtered through the leaves, and Sojiro vanished without a trace.

X

Loud and shrill, the weather alert sounded from Tomoe's phone as a warning to everyone in Southern Japan. Glancing at the notification banner glaring red against her muted background, Tomoe sucked in a breath and stood. Beside her, Kaoru glanced up and curled a hand into her lab coat in question.

Within only minutes, the temperature had jumped ten degrees above the predicted high for the day, and was steadily on the rise.

X

A/N: Hope no one will be upset about my antagonist, lol. It actually occurred to me that Sojiro's original backstory made him more of a psychopath than love interest. I suppose it could be argued that it's a bit different since he was pretty well ruined from all emotions as a child. Anyway, I liked him for this story, as he is cold and calculating and unconcerned by the judgment of others for his actions. Also, while Kenshin had trouble fighting Shishio in the manga, I always felt like the fight with Sojiro was more challenging since he was faster and was able to completely erase his presence (since he felt no emotions).

More interactions in the next chapter as Kenshin's instability becomes a problem. I hope you're still enjoying, and stay safe!