The truck rolled into the village at late morning, stopping just in front of the clinic. Maria exited from the driver's side of the cab and immediately headed into the building. The other three Hanagumi were taking their time.

"This place is becoming a familiar sight," Kanna remarked, dismounting from the back of the truck.

"It would help explain the appeal a lot more if it were just a little aesthetically pleasing," Sumire complained.

Kanna shrugged. "Aw, poor little rich girl's delicate senses been violated?"

A patented laugh, and Sumire said, "I just happen to have a more refined eye for such matters, Kanna-san."

"Let's just go in," Sakura said, more for the need to defuse a loaded situation. Sumire declined, preferring to stay outside.

The nurse greeted them warmly, saying that Maria was already inside talking to Tamiko.

"How is Hiroshi-san?" Sakura asked politely.

"Oh, the doctor's already allowed him to go home," the nurse replied. "He seemed to be recovering quite well, especially after Tamiko-chan was found, and Dr. Yamaguchi decided that he didn't need to stay in bed all the time anymore."

Kanna looked impressed. "That was pretty quick," she said.

"And Tamiko-san?" Sakura asked.

"She's recovering as well, though she seems to be in poorer shape than Hiroshi-kun was. Dr. Yamaguchi's in the room with her and Tachibana-san."

Both Sakura and Kanna headed for Tamiko's room. Maria was seated beside Tamiko's bed, while Yamaguchi waited nearby. They looked up as the two came in.

"... So you don't remember anything at all?" Maria was saying.

Tamiko shook her head. "I'm sorry, Tachibana-san," she said. "I was unconscious most of the time. It was all so sudden. Hiroshi disappeared, and when I was running home to get help, something grabbed me." She coughed slightly.

"I see." Maria hid the disappointment well. "What's the first thing you can recall after being taken?"

Tamiko sighed, distressed. "I can only remember waking up in this room. Everything before that is... a blur." She trembled.

"Tachibana-san...," Yamaguchi started.

Maria nodded. "Thank you, Tamiko," she said.

Tamiko gave her a weak smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't do much to help."

"You've helped us more than you know," Maria assured her. She stood. "Forgive me for disturbing your rest. Please get well soon," she said, then excused herself.

Outside of Tamiko's room, she waited until the doctor came over. "Will she be all right?"

Yamaguchi nodded. "In time. She's been scared pretty badly by what's happened," he said. "The gaps in her memory might be her way of dealing with it." He looked at her closely. "What are you going to do now?"

"I want to speak to Hiroshi again," she told him. "Can you tell me where he lives?"

Yamaguchi said, "Just follow the road to the eastern part of the village. Hiroshi's is one of the last houses that lay near the edge of our boundaries. It's the one that's most in need of repairs," he added, smiling. "You can't miss it."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Don't mention it. Just remember what I told you."

"'Don't distress him too much'," Maria quoted. "I won't."

Sumire straightened up as they left the clinic. "Is everything done yet?" she asked.

Maria shook her head. "One more piece of business," she told her. "We're headed for the young man's house."

Sumire shrugged. "I suppose I can't accuse you for not being thorough..." She paused. "Oh? Where's Sakura-san?"

"She said she's gonna stay with Tamiko for a bit," Kanna replied.

"Is something wrong?" Maria asked, but the martial artist shrugged and said, "She didn't say why. Guess she just felt bad for the girl, y'know?"

Maria frowned slightly, but decided to leave it be for now. "Let's go."

Just as Yamaguchi said, they found Hiroshi's house easily enough. The domicile was probably the least maintained building in the whole village. It wasn't run-down enough to be thought of as dilapidated, but it came dangerously close to it.

The three of them stood outside the house a small distance away. Kanna whistled softly. "There's someone actually living in there?" She peered closely at the building. "I'm surprised it's still standing."

Sumire raised an eyebrow. "Everyone said that Hiroshi-san wasn't well off, but they never said that it was this bad."

"Who said?" Kanna asked.

"I spoke to a few of the villagers just now," Sumire said, "while you were all in the clinic." She smiled slightly. "Tamiko-san's the foreman's niece and Hiroshi-san used to work for her family. Everyone was surprised when they found out that the two were sweethearts. Naturally, her parents weren't very happy about it."

"So that's why everyone first assumed that the two had eloped when they disappeared," Maria mused. Sumire nodded.

They approached the house. Now that they were closer, they could see that there was a fair bit of repair work being done on the building.

"Looks like the guy's trying to make the place look a little better," Kanna remarked.

Absently, Sumire said, "I wonder just how badly the house looked before Hiroshi-san had started work on it."

Maria started to reproach the two when a loud cry from inside the house ripped through the air. The three of them stood frozen for a moment, caught off guard by the terrible sound. It seemed to go on forever, each moment of it rising in a crescendo of pain. Snapping herself out of her inactivity, Maria darted forward and pulled open the door. She ran in, closely followed by the other two, heading for the direction of the cries.

"Hiroshi!" she shouted, barging into one of the rooms. What she saw stopped her cold.

Hiroshi lay twitching on the floor amidst an ever growing pool of blood and torn flesh. There was an obscenely huge hole in his chest, exposing his faintly beating heart to the rest of the world. The look on his face was horrifying.

Behind her, she could hear Sumire choking at the sight. Just like before, Maria felt an almost palpable feeling of dread around them.

"God...," Kanna whispered. "What the hell...?"

A soft creaking sound brought them all to attention. One of the sliding doors that led to the outside was hanging limply, having been torn off its fastenings. There was a trail of bloody marks leading from Hiroshi's body and out the room. Kanna burst into a run, following it.

"Sumire!" Maria said, running after her comrade. "Tell Ootani and Yamaguchi!"

Maria crashed through the undergrowth, trying hard to keep Kanna in sight. The martial artist ran in a strange loping gait, periodically checking the ground for the trail. They ran for some distance before Kanna finally slowed. Maria came up beside her, breathing hard.

"What is it?" she said.

Kanna growled, "The trail's gone. I can't find anything else." She cast her gaze about on the forest floor. "It's like it just disappeared... whatever it was."

They searched cautiously, and were eventually joined by the foreman and several of the village men. Ootani immediately demanded to know what had happened.

"We don't know," Maria told him as the others searched. "We found Hiroshi dead in the house and a trail that led up to this point."

"That's all?" the man asked, his face grim.

"I'm afraid so. Whatever did... that to Hiroshi is probably long gone by now."

Ootani hung his head. "What am I going to tell the others...?" he muttered. Then, in a louder voice, he told everyone to head back to the village.

There was already a crowd of people around Hiroshi's house by the time they got back. More people were streaming in to find out the cause of the commotion despite Ootani placing some men around to make sure that nobody else could see what had happened inside. Kanna had no problems at all in pushing her way through the throng and Maria quietly followed in the large woman's wake into the house.

Sumire was waiting outside the room with Sakura. Both wore relieved expressions upon catching sight of the others.

"We lost it," Maria told them quietly.

They nodded. "Dr. Yamaguchi's inside with Hiroshi," Sakura told her. "We made sure that no one else besides the doctor and Ootani-san's people got inside." Her voice lowered, she said, "I'm getting that terrible feeling again, Maria-san. It's much stronger here than before, though."

"All right. Thanks," Maria said and went inside.

Yamaguchi was knelt beside Hiroshi's inert remains. He was deathly quiet and bore a stern look. He looked up as Maria approached.

"An animal," he stated simply. "Nothing human could've done this."

"I agree," Maria said, kneeling beside him. "But what kind of animal attacks a full-grown man in his house in broad daylight?"

Yamaguchi grunted. "I don't know. Never had this sort of thing happen here before. Look here, though." He indicated Hiroshi's gaping chest. "There seems to be a cavity there."

"Cavity?" It was hard to tell, since just about all of Hiroshi's diaphragm was a cavity right now.

"Maybe that's not such a good word to use," Yamaguchi admitted. His voice started to take on a clinical tone, as if he were addressing a student in a lecture hall instead of describing the gory details regarding the gruesome death of a man he used to know. "See this? Like a little hollowed-out chamber? I think something had been lodged in there."

Maria looked, but, frankly, couldn't see anything there beyond the obvious. Yamaguchi shrugged. "Anyway," he said, "just take my word for it."

"Something lodged inside...," Maria repeated slowly. "Any idea what it was?"

The man shook his head. "I can't tell you anything more about this than I already have. I'm not really trained for this type of work." He got to his feet. "I can't do anything for him, obviously," he said, "but what should I do with his body?"

Maria stood. "There're some people I need to have take a look at Hiroshi," she told him. "Could you gather him up and have his remains kept safely somewhere until they can get here?"

He looked at her grimly. "That's a pretty tall order. I'll do what I can, but your friends better get here quick." He sighed. "People aren't going to be happy to hear about strangers poking and prodding at the dead."

"Then it'd be better if the people didn't hear about it at all, doctor."

He definitely wasn't happy about that, but he nodded, anyway. "I'll do what I can," he said again.

Maria left him to it and joined the others outside the room. After making sure that nobody else could eavesdrop, they listened patiently as she softly recounted what Yamaguchi had told her.

"This is terrible," Sakura said after she was done. "What could have done this?"

"I think the more pertinent question is: what was inside Hiroshi-san?" Sumire said. "And how did it get in there?"

"Maybe it was something from the cocoon," Sakura suggested.

Maria nodded. "It could be. I wonder if that was what his attacker was after."

"Or was that what killed him in the first place?" Kanna countered.

"That's just as unappealing to think of, Kanna-san," Sakura said. She was about to say more when Ootani and the doctor passed by.

The foreman paused for a moment. "I'll be discussing this matter with Dr. Yamaguchi and several of the villagers at my house," he told them. "We need to decide on what to do. I would appreciate it if you could come and lend your voice as well, Tachibana-san."

"I'll be there," Maria said.

Ootani looked despondent as he turned away. "What am I going to tell poor Tamiko-chan?" he asked, leaving.

Sumire started. "Maria-san," she said.

"What is it?"

"Do you think that Tamiko-san might be in the same danger?" she asked. "She was taken captive by something as well."

"That's a bit of a leap," Kanna commented. "But then... I was thinking along the same lines, myself."

If anything, Maria's demeanour got even more serious. "I want the three of you to keep an eye on her. She'll be asking, but don't let her know how Hiroshi died."

Sumire looked somewhat put upon. "Of course, we won't do something so unthinkable to the girl," she sniffed. "Being a victim of abduction is bad enough without having this added to the experience."

Maria looked slightly apologetic. "Sorry," she said. "You'd better get going. You know where to find me if there's anything wrong."

She had somehow expected a shouting match between Ootani and the others when she walked into the house but the dead silence that greeted her was unnerving. They had then gone through what happened and every single one of them was clearly not relishing the thought of having to deal with it.

"We've never had something this terrible happen before," said one of the men, a miller who had been introduced as Kobayashi. "It's just unthinkable that even a wild animal could have done this."

"Just because something's never happened before," another man, Abe, retorted, "that doesn't mean that it can't ever happen."

"True," said a third. "This just might be the handiwork of that culprit that's been preying on our livestock recently."

"Whatever it may have been, Mori-san," Ootani said, "we need to decide on what to do about it. We can't just leave it running around the forest after what it's done to poor Hiroshi-kun."

"So, what can we do?" Abe asked.

"Set up some men to patrol the village," Kobayashi suggested. "Those who know how to fight."

Mori snorted. "There're only three men here that actually qualify for that duty, then. I say we hunt it down. Get the hunters and trappers working with several of the village men and go after it."

"That's worth a try," Kobayashi admitted. "But does anyone actually know what it is that they'll be hunting?"

No one had an answer to that. After a few moments, they turned to Maria, who had been sitting quietly all this time. "Tachibana-san," Ootani said, "what do you suggest?"

"I agree that this thing can't be allowed to run loose," she said. "However, the fact that we have no idea of what we're up against is a major stumbling block."

"That's not entirely true, though," Yamaguchi spoke up suddenly.

"What do you mean, doctor?" Ootani asked.

Yamaguchi transferred his gaze to Maria, a knowing look in his eyes. "I suspect that you already have some ideas about what killed Hiroshi."

The others turned to her again. "Is this true?"

"I have my suspicions, as Dr. Yamaguchi said, but no definite proof," said Maria.

"Then what are your suspicions pointing you to, Tachibana-san?" Abe asked.

Maria's reluctance was visible, but in the end, she told them, "Demons."

Their reaction was predictable. "Demons?" Kobayashi repeated. The others shushed him. "Demons?" he said again, less loudly. "What makes you say that?"

"As I told you, I have no definite proof that this is the work of demons," she said patiently. "However, based on the past experiences my comrades and I have had, we feel that we can't dismiss the possibility that they are involved."

They blinked. "Past experiences?" Ootani said. "You've dealt with demons before?"

She nodded.

A pause. "What branch of the military did you say you're from?" Mori began asking, but he was interrupted by Yamaguchi, who said loudly, "What course of action do you suggest we take, then?"

"Patrols around the village would help," she said. "Most demons won't approach if people are watchful."

"That's all well and good," Abe said, "but can you do anything to eliminate the demon? If indeed it is a demon," he added quickly.

Maria looked at Ootani, who had a slightly pleading look on his face. Having served in an army during her time in Russia, Maria was well familiar with the adage that no soldier should ever volunteer for anything, but just like before, she really couldn't refuse.

"If you'll allow it, my comrades and I will try to ascertain if the problem is truly demonic in origin," she said. "If it is, we'll do what we can to stop it."

"And if it isn't demonic?" Kobayashi asked. The others leaned forward, waiting.

The Russian knew what they were so eager to hear. The frustrating thing is they know I'll say it. "We'll still lend our assistance in putting a stop to it," Maria said, wincing internally.

With the exception of Yamaguchi, the men smiled. It wasn't like the villagers had anything to lose, after all. She had, effectively, promised that the Hanagumi would handle everything.

"Well, that settles it!" Mori said.

"A couple more things," Abe said, holding up a hand. "First, we'd like to be kept abreast on any kind of progress your investigation yields." Maria nodded. "Secondly, there should be no mention of demons involved in this to anyone else in the village. We don't need to start a panic."

"I agree," Maria said.

"Then, we'll just say that Hiroshi was attacked by a wild animal," Ootani said.

"For all the good that will do," Yamaguchi muttered, drawing Maria's attention to the doctor. Fortunately for him, no one else heard his remark.

The decisions made, they went to it. Maria decided that it was time for her to speak to the other Hanagumi. Inwardly, she dreaded having to relay the news. I know that some of them aren't going to like this one bit...

And some of them didn't like it, but then, they knew that they couldn't refuse to help, anyway.

"Aah," Kanna said, trying to offset Sumire's steaming, "at least we're off the training detail now."

Maria had come into the clinic to find both Sumire and Sakura waiting outside Tamiko's room. They could hear the sounds of sobbing coming from inside the girl's room. Evidently, she had found out about Hiroshi's death and Kanna was in there consoling her. After a while, the martial artist exited the room, saying that Tamiko had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep. Maria had then related to them what had happened.

"Sakura," she said, turning to the swordswoman. "I want you to go back to the training facility and get on the phone to Colonel Yoneda. He and the others should know what's going on here. Kanna, Sumire and I will be staying in the village to keep an eye on things."

"Think the old man'll want to send in some people, too?" Kanna asked.

"I'm almost certain he will," Maria said, "especially after hearing about the cocoon and egg." To Sakura, she said, "I've asked someone from the village to drive you back. Get some rest and then come back here in the evening with Orihime and Kohran. We'll need you to bring our weapons and some equipment over, too."

Sakura nodded and was soon on her way.

"What now?" Sumire asked. "What do we do?"

"For starters," Maria said, "we'd better find a place to stay. I don't think Dr. Yamaguchi would appreciate it if we took up residence in his waiting room." She looked at Sumire with a little smile. "You said you made a few friends among the villagers here this morning," she said. "Maybe you could get one of them to allow us temporary lodgings."

"What about me?" Kanna asked.

"Stay with Tamiko," she was told. "We shouldn't leave her alone. I'm going back to Hiroshi's place."

Hiroshi's was cordoned off from entry by several of Ootani's men but they allowed her to go in. She took a roundabout way to the room where Hiroshi had died, taking her time to check up on the rest of the house. Nothing came of her search, but then, she had expected that.

Upon entering the room where Hiroshi spent his final moments, however, she was surprised to find Yamaguchi there. The doctor was standing quietly near the torn doors, looking out into the edge of the village. He made no move as Maria approached, careful not to startle him.

"You knew him well," she stated, when she arrived beside him.

Yamaguchi nodded. "Sweet kid," he said. "He used to help out at the clinic when I first opened." He looked over his shoulder. "He really didn't deserve this."

"No one would," Maria said. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier; about examining Hiroshi's remains. I know it hurt you to hear that." She paused, then said, "I wasn't the only one to suspect that this might be the work of demons."

"No, you weren't," he agreed.

"You knew it, too, didn't you?"

"Yes." He gave her a shamefaced look. "I'm sorry about what I did back at Ootani's. It wasn't fair to force you to step in."

"It doesn't matter," Maria said. "My friends and I would have wanted to take care of this even if no one had asked us to." Trying to steer the conversation back to her previous point, she asked, "How did you come to suspect that demons were involved?"

He shrugged. "I had a feeling about it." He turned around. "When I was still in Tokyo a few years ago, I started getting odd premonitions whenever the demons would come out. It was... uncomfortable, to say the least. I left the city shortly after and came here. I figured that this would be the last place to have hellish invasions happen."

Maria listened silently.

Finally, Yamaguchi sighed. "I'd better get back to my patient. Tamiko's not handling any of this very well." He stopped as he was halfway out the door and said, "Thank you for helping us."

"You're welcome, doctor."

Maria returned to the clinic, having left strict orders with the men at Hiroshi's house not to allow anything to be disturbed there. As she passed by a house just a couple of buildings away from the clinic, however, she heard Sumire's voice calling out to her. Puzzled, she turned and found the aristocrat waving at her from the doorway.

"Is this the place?" she asked as she neared Sumire. The other woman nodded.

"It belongs to some of Ootani-san's relatives," she said. "I was having a damnable time finding anyone who would let us stay, but Ootani-san came and told me to use this place."

"Where are the people who live here?"

"They're leaving until everything settles down," Sumire said.

Maria frowned. "Did Ootani tell you that?" At Sumire's affirmative, the frown turned even nastier.

"Is something wrong?" Sumire asked.

The blonde let out a breath and shook her head. "No. Don't worry about it." She looked the house over. "This will do fine. Good work, Sumire."

Sumire looked at her in concern for a moment, but decided not to pursue the matter. "What do we do now?"

"You can rest up. Sakura will be back here in the evening with Orihime and Kohran. You can help them keep an eye on Tamiko and the rest during the night."

"Are you sure?"

"I doubt anything is going to happen right now with all this activity going on," Maria said. "Kanna and I will be able to handle things for now." She looked around. "Is she still with Tamiko?"

"I believe so," Sumire replied. "Not even Kanna-san is reckless enough to leave the girl all by herself. Aaah," she sighed, "I suppose it has been a long day. I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep in a place like this..."

Maria hid a smile as Sumire complained. "I'm sure you'll manage despite the odds."

"Naturally, Maria-san," Sumire said with a toss of her head. "Let it not be said that Kanzaki Sumire allows adversity to triumph over her."

The rest of the day passed without trouble. Maria spent most of the time patrolling the village and the area immediately surrounding it with a few of the villagers, dropping in to check up on Tamiko. The girl had woken up from her fitful slumber but was still in a shock over her love's death.

When evening started to fall, the sound of a vehicle coming into the village stirred Maria from her thoughts and she rose from her seat to walk outside. She waited near the clinic until the vehicle pulled up to a halt; Sakura and Orihime stepped out.

Maria looked around. "Where's Kohran?"

"She got a call in from Colonel Yoneda earlier," Sakura explained. "He said that he's sending some people and equipment in to help with her tests. They're arriving later tonight, so she has to wait at the facility to meet them."

"We thought about bringing Iris or Leni with us instead, but the Colonel said he wanted them to stay and keep an eye on the facility," Orihime added. "Problems?"

"No, that's all right," Maria assured them. "We're staying at one of the houses down the street," she said. "Let's get over there and unload the stuff you brought with you." She glanced at all the things in the back. "Orihime," she said, amused. "You'd better go in and take over for Kanna. We're going to need her to carry most of this stuff in."

Starting point | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4