Ren was briefly worried he was getting himself lost in the warrens of lower Tock-Yo, but just as he was considering a hop onto a roof to reorient himself, he recognized an intersection. Dr. Takemi's clinic was nearby and the route was well-known to him. In moments, Ren brought his horse to a skidding stop outside the clinic. It was visually unremarkable. A storefront on a street of slightly run-down storefronts. A small, subtle sign with a single word Physician.

A gas lamp glowed somewhere behind the windows, indicating Dr. Takemi was likely still at work on something. Ren swung down from the horse and strode urgently to the clinic door. The doctor being awake was a stroke of luck on an unlucky night.

Ren turned the door handle and pushed. Wood snapped like a gunshot in the quiet night, the iron locking mechanism splitting from the hardwood.

Oops. Ren realized he forgot to check if it was locked. And to check his own strength at the door, and now it was destroyed. But too late now! The portal was already opening.

In the office's small clinic, a drowsy Takemi was sitting up on the lobby's small couch. She'd made it up like a bed; a creased pillow- now empty; A white sheet, falling from her surprised arms; Her surprisingly voluptuous form then only thinly veiled by a gossamer shift. Ren was surprised by Takemi's nigh-nakedness, and in any other situation, he would be embarrassed to see a woman in this state of undress. But tonight's urgency was far too great for schoolboy reactions: women had bodies and that was that.

Meanwhile, Takemi's look of waking shock melted back into a sort of sleepy satisfaction.

"Mr. Amamiya…?" said Takemi, her voice slightly dazed. "You've come for me?"

"Yes," said Ren. "I need you."

He expected Takemi to immediately get up, dress, gather the tools of her trade, and come with him. Takemi instead smiled, lay back down upon her pillow, and eased the edge of her shift further up her thighs.

"Then take me, my guinea pig," purred Takemi.

"What?" said Ren.

Takemi started to giggle, then stopped, then her body froze for a moment, then she sat up like a shot, her face a mask of embarrassed horror. She snatched up her discarded sheet and covered herself.

"M- Mr. Ammaiya! You're actually here! This isn't a-"

Ren realized Takemi might not have been fully awake until this very moment. "Lady Niijima and Ms. Sakamato are grievously injured, Doctor. I need you."

Takemi blinked again, seeming to become even more awake. "God!" she said, leaping from the bed, the sheet again forgotten- but now she was behaving as Ren had expected: frantically taking up her discarded work dress, asking questions as she pulled it down over her body.

"Was it the hunt? It went bad?!"

"Yes."

"What happened to them?"

Ren's mind instinctively recalled in chronological order: "Ms. Sakamoto was- uh- mauled."

"Mauled? God! Where?!"

"The side of her torso," said Ren, knowing that unlike most humans, Takemi was exceedingly well-versed in human anatomy- being a physician and all. "Her kidney was torn."

"What!?" said Takemi, turning to stare in horror at Ren. "And she's not dead?"

"No," said Ren. "Not yet, anyway. We need you to keep that from happening."

"But- a torn kidney," murmured Takemi. "I'm not even sure what could be done… and Lady Niijima?"

"She was shot."

"God! Where?"

"The heart."

"What?!"

Ren assured Takemi that no, no one was dead. He waited quietly (and agonizingly patiently) as Takemi managed to gather up whatever implements she felt she needed. Ren was beyond anxious to get moving, but he didn't want to rush the woman and have her forsake some essential instrument. Though her search, Takemi murmured and mumbled to herself; but finally, with bulging black bag, Takemi followed Ren out of the clinic where the horse waited with the endless patience of an inactive mechanism.

"Wait, Mr. Amamiya," said Dr. Akemi, eying Ren's mechanical horse with fearful trepidation. "I- I've never ridden a horse before."

"It's mechanical," said Ren, thinking now that Takemi couldn't be trusted to stay on behind him. New horse riders somehow managed to fall off. And if the doctor fell and hit the cobbles: who would physic the physician?

"It's still a horse isn't-" began Takemi's rebuttal.

Ren had already devised an easy solution. He grabbed Takemi's waist (("Wha? Wait?!")) and then tossed her shapely rump up onto the saddle like a sack of grain, the rest of her body following in natural course. Dr. Takemi let out a womanly squeal as she flew through the air, then she squeaked as the momentum of Ren's throw began to carry her over the other side of the saddle. Ren had anticipated this, however; so his own mounting leap included a supporting hand for the small of her back and his other arm pulled Takemi's hips sideways between his legs where he could secure her position with his thighs.

The brief glimpse of damsel-like behavior vanished from Takemi's demeanor. She gave Ren an exasperated and perturbed look. "Um… Mr. Amamiya.. I don't think I can-"

But Ren's mind was already on the route from Takemi's office to the Niijima estate, so he didn't give a moments thought to the ramifications of a woman between his legs nor her general proximity to his groin. He needed her to not fall, and this was the best way. Ren kicked the horse into drive and impassively held onto Takemi as she experienced her first full-tilt horse-ride in his lap.

Takemi proved more easy to manage than a panicked cat. But only just.

Ren kept the horse at a full gallop through the dark lanes of Azabu district, the graveled road dark in the half-moonlight, the lights of passing mansions blazing like earthbound stars. Takemi seemed to have gotten used to the ride, or at least found a secure enough perch by curling herself as tightly as she could between Ren's arms and legs- she'd stopped clutching and clawing in fear of falling off, at least.

Finally, the threshold of the Niijima manor was before them, and the open gate was just beginning to close. A speeding carriage was already making its dusty way up the manor's drive.

"Halt! Rider! Halt!" cried out a small but authoritative female voice.

It was one of the two diminutive gate guards. She was raising her rifle, and the other was already taking aim. Ren generally held a dismissive attitude towards rented security, but these two… they seemed different. He could very well get shot.

"I've the physician!" shouted Ren, not slowing the pace of his horse. "Let us pass for the sake of your Lady!"

Ren saw the two guards look at each other, their rifles lowering, and then he was past them and through the the gate. He overtook the carriage on the right side, horse hooves tearing up the lawn, and he saw a glimpse of a grim and pale Yoshida glancing out the carriage window as they passed. Ryuji, similarly grim and tight-jawed in the driver's seat, didn't spare Ren a glance- he was utterly focused on the manor steps just ahead: the finish line and symbolic rescue of his imperiled sibling.

Then Ren was at the porch step, skidding to a stop, the horse's hind-quarters dropping in the effort. Takemi let loose one final squeal into Ren's chest as they both leaned backwards with the movement of the horse's body. When their momentum was spent, Ren took hold of Takemi's hips and plopped her down onto the ground, her hair disheveled and a sort of haunted look in her eye. Meanwhile, the carriage came to a hasty but gentle stop nearby.

The carriage door burst open quickly, and Yoshida's rotund rear lead the way as he carefully backed himself out and down the steps. The front door of the estate opened and members of the staff began to hastily assemble for the ritual of the Lady's return.

"Taito! Mitsuki!" shouted Yoshida. "We have injured. Bring the roast boards up from the kitchen, we'll use them as stretchers!"

The gathering staff halted in their routine, surprise blooming on every face.

"What are you staring at?" roared Yoshida. "Go! The rest of you! Prepare the Green Room for the care of two wounded. Strip the beddings! Then bring pails of water and-"

Staff began to return to life, some beginning to move towards a task while half-listening for the continuing instructions- others waited, wide-eyed for Yoshida to finish. The two groups bumped into each other in cross purposes.

"Not pails," interrupted Takemi. "The water and its vessel must be perfectly clean. Boil it."

Yoshida stammered a moment, then said: "You heard the physician! Her requests are my orders! Tell the kitchen to boil water in the soup pots! Bring it to the Green Room, pot and all. Anyone else-… just- just think of something useful and then do it!"

The staff sorted themselves out and scattered back into the manor.

Yoshida staggered into the porch railing, breathing heavily, sweating profusely. Takemi took a step toward him, but he waved her off. "Don't mind an old man. Help the girls."

So Takemi climbed into the carriage. Ren, Ryuji, and the puffing Yoshida all anxiously watched her from outside. Takemi's hands first explored Makoto, then Ann- she was facing away from the men, so Ren couldn't see her face- but she didn't seem to grow in alarm. She actually seemed to relax slightly.

After some tense moments, Takemi sighed and climbed down the carriage steps, leaving the unconscious women alone. Her brown eyes were intent on Ren, her expression grimly serious.

"Well, c'mon!" said Ryuji.

"They're stable," said Takemi. "I'll clean their wounds and dress them, but that seems to be all that's needed. That and rest and time."

"How-?" huffed Yoshida, "How is that possible?"

Takemi's eyes were boring into Ren. "How, indeed?"

Yoshida and Ryuji's gaze followed Takemi's stare, so they, too, stared at Ren. There was an obvious question in the air, and while Ren usually didn't like to offer information to humans (they freaked out over strange things, sometimes)- this situation was just too awkward to endure. And Ren was tired, and he didn't particularly like being stared at.

"It was Morgana," said Ren. "He can… augment the healing ability of a body."

"For real?!" said Ryuji, "That rules!"

"Who?" said Yoshida and Takemi.

"It's like a cat face that lives in Mr. Amamiya's hand," said Ryuji, holding up his own left hand in case they were not sure what a hand was.

"….What?" said Yoshida and Takemi.

But the return of some of the servant staff rescued Ren from further explanation. Four men with two large boards hurried down the manor steps. Ren and Ryuji carefully transferred Ann and Makoto to the boards (a much more precious cargo than the roast boars the boards were intended for). Then they all paraded into the manor, leaving the carriage and its tired and hungry horse team to the estate grooms.

The atrium was brightly lit and every staff member was gathered, watching the arriving procession with wide-eyes. Even Chef had left her stoves and ovens to come see the spectacle.

Yoshida's hackles rose and he took on the air of an offended lion. "What is this?! Our Lady is on death's door and you all don't have anything to do but gape?!"

Most of the staff jolted into immediate motion, scattering in various directions- some jogging ahead of the stretcher-bearers; others perhaps heading for the kitchens or who-knows-where. Chef and the Housekeeper seemed of sufficient rank to be above Yoshida's anger, so they remained but hissed specific orders to their fleeing subordinates.

Satisfied, though his figurative tail still twitching in annoyance, Yoshida followed the departing stretchers down a side hall, assuredly towards the aforementioned Green Room. It was a parade of bodies, what with all the additional servants rushing to and fro with linens and other items- Ren decided he would only get in the way. He remained in the Atrium alone as even Chef and the Housekeeper strode off in separate directions on some mission of their own design. He could wait for things to calm, and for Morgana to wake up, and then go the Green Room and have Morgana's assessment of Makoto and Ann. Takemi could only see the outside. Morgana could see it all.

"Yoshida? Is that you?" called a female voice from above Ren. "What's happened?"

Ren looked up to the atrium balcony. A shapely woman in trousers and white blouse was looking intently down at him. For a moment, Ren reacted as if Makoto was staring at him, so alike were this woman's crimson eyes. But this woman's hair was silver, and… damp, like someone just emerged from water. Their eyes locked. The woman's expression changed from mild curiosity, to utter surprise, then to a vicious expression that sent a thrill of impending doom running through Ren's body.

The woman's arm twitched, an enormous pistol appearing with lightning speed. It was a gun as large as Makoto's, and it was pointed right at him! Flat-footed and surprised to be attacked in this place, Ren's muscles twitched. He lunged airborne into a sideways leap, but the first bullet struck him in the center torso.

KOOM!