Watanabe was waiting for them in front of his house in the morning. He looked them over curiously as they approached. Next to him, an old dog lay napping, not even acknowledging the presence of newcomers.

"Watanabe-san?" Maria asked. "My name is Maria Tachibana. My friend here is Kirishima Kanna. Thank you for taking the time to see us."

He motioned them to take a seat. "The doc said that you have something to talk to me about."

"Yes, we do," Maria said, sitting opposite him. "I'm told that you're a trapper."

"I am."

"I'm also told that you have a good hunting dog."

Watanabe placed a hand on the dog lying beside him. "That's her," he said fondly.

Maria looked closely at the canine, observing its continued inactivity. Its muzzle was almost completely white, and there were more than a few old scars over its body.

"She got those tangling with a wolf several years back," Watanabe said, noting her scrutiny. "She's old, but she's still got what it takes to track down any beast you put her to." He gave them a pointed look. "That is why you're here, isn't it?"

Maria nodded. "We'd appreciate it if you could loan us the use of your expertise -- and your dog -- to track down the thing that's been causing all the recent havoc."

"There's already a lot of stories going around about the thing you're looking for," he said, conversationally. "Most of 'em agree that it's a killer."

Maria hid a smile, knowing what he was heading for. "Naturally, we'll be along for the hunt and make sure that no harm comes to any innocent bystanders."

"Do you have anything to put her to the scent?"

"We do."

He grunted. "How much are you offering me to help you?" he asked bluntly.

Kanna made a noise, but Maria put up a hand to forestall the martial artist's protests. "We'll pay you enough to justify your services," she said, "plus extra if we find what we're looking for."

The man was quiet, mulling it over. Finally, Kanna added, "You can get the glory of being the only one who got the idea of using that dog of yours to track it down. Think of all the bragging rights that gives you."

Watanabe gave her an icy glare, which the woman returned in spades. "Will I get to claim the kill as well?" Watanabe asked.

"They're yours," Maria said. "Do we have a deal?"

Watanabe nodded. "When do you want to start?"

"In a couple of hours," Maria said, getting to her feet. "Meet us in front of the clinic. We'll have some of the money for you then."

"I'll be there."

Kanna waited until they were out of sight before she finally gave in and vented. "Aargh! I can't believe that jerk!" she snarled. "Acting like some big-shot mercenary...!"

"He's putting himself at possible risk," Maria countered coolly. "It's understandable why he'd want to make sure he's compensated for that."

"But to want the kill rights, too?!" Kanna shook her head, disgusted. "He's just gonna leave us with the hard work while he laps up all the glory."

"It doesn't matter," Maria said. "If he wants to be able to brag about killing a demon, that's up to him. All we need from him is that dog."

Kanna snorted. "We're not even sure that'll work. Did you see that mutt? It's old enough to be a fossil!"

Maria smiled. "I know it's a long shot, but we might as well give it a try. If we don't find anything, it'll only set us back a bit of cash."

"Heh, and where'll that jerk's 'kill rights' be then?" The large woman seemed to enjoy the thought.

"If the situation does come to that, I hope you won't sound half as smug as you do now," Maria said, amused.

"Maria," she groused, "you really oughta get yourself a sense of fun."

"Fun is one thing; needling other people is another," Maria pointed out.

"I dunno," Kanna said. "You should try it on Sumire once in a while. I mean, that always brightens up my day."

They took Watanabe and the dog over to where the demon body was being kept under guard. The dog moved with considerable slowness, strolling rather than anything; Watanabe matched its pace comfortably. By the time they reached the demon body, a couple of the more action-oriented Hanagumi were about ready to scream in frustration.

Once they were within sight of the body, however, the dog's entire demeanour seemed to change. It stiffened and became more alert, its steps more cautious and deliberate. The look in its eyes honed into one of intense focus, and it never once took its gaze from the covered mass in front of it.

Watanabe had a hell of a time getting the dog to approach the body. In the end, though, he managed to set the dog to the scent. They let her move back and forth, attuning her to the trail. Just as they were about to move out, however, they heard the distinct sounds of vehicles entering the village. Telling the others to wait there while she checked it out, Maria headed for the noise.

She found Kohran waiting in front of the clinic with a couple of people she couldn't recognise. Kohran quickly spotted Maria and waved at her cheerfully.

"I'm finally here, Maria-han," she enthused. "Sorry about being so late, but we had a hard time moving through all those people on the road." She took a good look around. "So, everyone knows what's happening, huh?"

"Isn't that sorely obvious?" Maria replied wryly. "We tried to keep it quiet, but after last night, well..." She quickly filled her in on what they were planning. "The one thing I'm worried about now is that all this activity might cause the demons to go into hiding."

"Well, the way I see it," Kohran said, "that's actually a better thing to hope for than the demons going on a killing spree now that they've got so many potential victims to choose from."

Maria conceded to the point. She threw a look at Kohran's companions and the stuff she'd brought along with her. "We have the demon body stored back there," she indicated the direction, "in one of the buildings nearby. You can set up shop there."

"Okay." Kohran turned and instructed the two men to quickly set up her equipment. Then, drawing the blonde away, she said, "I got another call from Yoneda-han earlier this morning. He'd spoken to the committee about what's been going on. They're sending in some more people from the military base twenty miles from here. They want to contain this entire area."

"Contain?" Maria repeated.

"A total quarantine," Kohran explained. "They're already setting up blockades around the area. No one's allowed to come in or leave here no matter what."

"Not even us."

"No."

"But why?" she asked.

"The incubating demon, Maria-han," Kohran replied. "They don't want to risk any more of those things hiding inside more people and getting out to infect the rest of the countryside."

"I see. Anything else?"

"The commander of the military forces is on his way to the village," Kohran said. "They're going to set up their base of operations here."

"Hmm. ETA?" Maria asked.

Kohran pulled out her battered watch. "I'd say in about a couple of hours. They were already on their way when Yoneda-han called me, about two hours ago. We were about to leave the facility then."

Maria looked at her in surprise. "Two hours? It took you that long to get here, even in the truck?"

Kohran nodded. "There're a lot of people on the roads today, Maria-han." She chuckled weakly. "When they find out about the blockades, I'll bet some of them will not be very happy."

"That... would be an understatement." Maria sighed. "Come on," she said. "I'll take you to the others."

Watanabe and the others were waiting with obvious impatience by the time Maria and Kohran arrived. They took the news of the coming soldiers reasonably well.

"So... what's the plan?" Kanna asked. "I mean, we're still ready to go here."

Maria looked at Watanabe who knelt beside his dog, waiting for her decision. "Kanna, Sumire and Sakura will go along with Watanabe-san while the rest of us will stay here. You have a communicator with you," she said, turning to Sumire, "keep in touch with us."

Raising her voice slightly to include Watanabe, she went on, "The four of you are only going out there to track the things down to their possible whereabouts. So, even if you do find them, I don't want you fighting. Not unless you have to."

"Hey!" Watanabe protested. "What about my claim?"

"You'll get it," Maria assured him coldly. "But not right now. Is everyone clear on their orders?" Acknowledgements of varying degrees of enthusiasm greeted her question. She turned to Kanna. "Kanna, I'm counting on you. If anything looks suspicious, let me know at once."

"I'm in charge?" Kanna's face split into a wide grin. "Cool!"

Sumire made a face. "I can see how enjoyable this expedition is going to be," she muttered.

As the two exchanged baleful glares, Maria turned to Sakura. "Keep a close eye out there," she said. Sakura smiled reassuringly in response. "Move out," Maria told them. "And good luck."

She watched them as they left, then turned to Kohran and Orihime, only to find the Chinese woman already busily examining the body of the demon.

"This is great!" Kohran exclaimed. "I've never had a chance of seeing something like this up close before!" She made an odd noise, part frustration, part ecstacy. "Oooh, I wish I didn't have to wait so long just to set up all my stuff right here!"

Maria and Orihime glanced at each other in shared amusement. "No doubt we've still got a lot to do here, Maria-san," Orihime said. "I hate to be the one to have to drag Kohran-san away from her new toy, so I'll just be on my way."

"Let me know if you see the military coming in," Maria called after her, then took a deep breath. "Kohran," she said, coming up to the inventor, "see anything interesting?"

Kohran didn't even spare her a glance. "Plenty to see, Maria-han," she said, darting about here and there like a hummingbird. "So little time for everything...," she lamented. Pulling out a notepad from one of her pockets, she frenziedly jotted down her observations. "Too large to be the usual wingless demons... Head's a lot smoother. Not nearly enough ridges."

A sound from behind them drew Maria's attention, and she saw Kohran's companions finally coming about with her equipment. They began setting everything up around the still-engrossed scientist.

"Hey, Maria-han?" Kohran asked suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"There doesn't seem to be any sign of decay on this body," Kohran observed.

"Isn't it a bit soon for that?" Maria asked. "I mean, we did just kill it last night."

"There should still be some early signs of the decaying process underway," Kohran stated. She looked at the large canvas sheets that had been used to cover the body, noting the numerous acid-scored holes on them. "Acidic blood. Very acidic..." She turned to look at Maria. "Sumire-han's weapon was what killed this thing, right?" Maria nodded. "That's strange. I'd think that acid this strong would normally have melted the naginata into a puddle."

"It's like with the real demons," Maria said. "Their blood doesn't seem to be able to pass through our spiritual barriers once we've built them up. Maybe this is the same thing here."

Kohran hmmed. She spoke to her companions. "All right. Get this thing up on the table. I'll be gone for a while, but I want to see everything ready by the time I get back." She stood. "Okay, Maria-han," she said. "Let's take a look at the victims."

Kohran gave an extra long "Hmmm" as she looked up from her examination of Tamiko's body. "This hollow here is exactly like the one in Hiroshi," she said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "They're definitely from the same cause."

Beside her, Yamaguchi nodded sagely. Upon their first meeting face-to-face, both Yamaguchi and Kohran seemed to regard each other critically for a moment before suddenly launching into a long conversation filled with medical and scientific terminology. Maria stood quietly nearby, letting the tongue- and mind-twisting debates fly over her head like an artillery barrage over a beleaguered city. They fanatically exchanged arguments, ideas, innuendos and compliments for an untold period of time before finally getting down to the actual reason Kohran was there.

Hiroshi's and Tamiko's bodies had been carefully stored, as Yamaguchi had promised, and they were currently occupying a room in the clinic that the doctor had set up as a quick operating theatre (though 'theatre' itself was too grand a word to describe the place). The two victims lay side by side, each on a long table. Whether by accident or design, their hands lay close, almost touching, like some macabre parody of a happy couple. It was a disturbing picture to see the bodies lying beside one another like this.

Kohran made a few measurements of the open wounds. "They're kinda small, though," she remarked. She looked at Maria. "Even if we take into account an accelerated rate of growth," she said, "it might be a bit too much of a stretch to say that the demon we've got came from Hiroshi."

"So, assuming that there aren't any other demons out there besides the two we know about," Maria said, "then that may have been the one that kidnapped Hiroshi and Tamiko in the first place."

"That's it in a nutshell, Maria-han." Kohran placed her hands on her hips, not caring about the bloody smears she was getting on her white coat. She stared at the two for many long minutes. "It's a terrible way to die," she murmured.

Maria was silent. The door to the room slid open and Yamaguchi's nurse poked her head in. "Um, Tachibana-san?" she called timidly. "There're some army men who want to see you."

"I'll be right out," Maria said.

"We'll take care of things at this end, Maria-han," Kohran told her. "The doctor and I will be finished here in a while, and then I've still got that beast to go over, not to mention taking a look at Hiroshi's place."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

She found the military commander easily enough. He was at Ootani's house, supervising the setup of his command centre. The village foreman hovered close by, wringing his hands anxiously as he watched the activity.

"Ootani-san," Maria greeted him.

He turned to her in dismay. "This is... a lot more severe than I thought was possible," he said. "I mean, the army... coming in here like this and not letting everyone leave?"

"Those are necessary precautions, Ootani-san," she said. "They just don't want those demons to get away."

"I understand, but..." The man trailed off, sighing.

"You there!" a voice barked out, drawing Maria's attention away from the villager. A tall man dressed in army fatigues strode up to her. "Are you from the Teikoku Kagekidan?"

"Yes. Maria Tachibana," she introduced herself.

"Lieutenant Shinagawa Mamoru," he said, saluting. "I was sent here by the orders of the security council to contain the people in this area from leaving."

"So I heard," Maria said. "How large an area are you to contain?"

"Ten miles, radiating from this village," he said, motioning her inside. "I already have a squad of my men set up in your training facility nearby."

In Ootani's living room, she saw that they had already put up a large, detailed map that depicted the radius of the containment area. Several marks were drawn on it, indicating the roadblocks and sentry points they had already established. The Hanagumi's training facility fell easily inside the area of containment.

"My superiors have already briefed me," Shinagawa told her, "but I would appreciate any additional information you and your party may have."

Maria nodded and quickly outlined what they had so far found out on their own. "Currently, I have three of my people out in the forest, trying to track the beasts down. I've left them with orders not to engage if they do find them," she said.

"I understand, and thank you," Shinagawa said. "My men will make sure that nothing gets out while you and your people eliminate the demons."

Maria gave him a harsh look. "You're not going to assist us?" she asked.

"My orders are only to keep this place in quarantine, Tachibana-san. I have specific instructions not to interfere with the execution of your duties," he said. "I have only a limited number of men at my disposal and almost all of them are already deployed out there. Besides," he added, "I'm to understand that conventional weapons won't harm the demons."

The Russian listened in silence. Finally, with great reluctance, she conceded.

"I'll need to see the body of the demon that you have stored," Shinagawa told her before she left.

"One of my people is studying the body," Maria said, "but I'll inform her to expect you."

"Good luck, Tachibana-san," he said.

And we're probably going to need it, she thought wearily.

"... Maria-han?"

Kohran's voice snapped her out of her reverie. Straightening up in her seat, Maria asked, "What is it, Kohran?"

Kohran gave her a sympathetic smile. "Still no word from the hunting party?" she asked.

Maria shook her head. "It's still early," she said, shrugging it off. "What's up?"

"We've done a little more work on the demon body, and I've told the guys to take a short break before we go in some more," Kohran said, sitting down beside her. "Interesting stuff... We've finished our early tests on the demon's blood. It turns out that it isn't acidic at all, which is kinda strange considering the acid holes on the canvas. I'm guessing that it loses its acidity once the thing dies. It's sorta good news, anyway. I thought at first that it might be a real pain having all my tools melting into goo every time I cut into it, but it looks like I worried for nothing." She threw a glance at her leader's face.

Noting that her quip didn't quite have the desired effect, she went on. "Anyway, we think we found another argument to support the non-demon hypothesis here."

"Which is?"

"For starters, the body didn't disintegrate when Sumire-han's and Kanna-han's powers touched it. Even after it was dispatched, the body's still corporeal." Kohran leaned back. "Since Sumire-han's weapon didn't melt when it touched the blood, I can only say that it's because she poured in so much of her spiritual energy into it. If this really was a demon, getting touched by anything with as much power as Sumire-han's naginata was carrying that night would have been more than enough to reduce it to dust."

Maria made a thoughtful noise, but otherwise kept quiet.

"Closer examination also show that this demon is... physically different from the demons we've seen. More than we first suspected."

"How different?"

"Well, its overall build and bone structure reminds me more of a dog's or a cat's than anything else. The usual demons we have on record have builds that are very distinct from this one. Also," she went on, watching her carefully, "it's most definitely male."

Maria levelled a look at the younger woman.

"Really," Kohran said.

"Are you," Maria hesitated for the barest of instants, "sure?"

Kohran raised an eyebrow, somehow managing to look serious and amused at the same time.

The Russian kept silent for a few moments. "You're pretty sure that this is not demonic."

"That I am."

"Sure feels like a demon, though."

"I'm sure it does." Kohran sighed. "Demon biology isn't exactly the most well-documented subject around since every specimen just ends up disintegrating before anyone has the chance to look at it closely. But even taking into account all the differences and all the strange things we're getting here, it's still very, very similar to the demons we're familiar with." She shrugged unhappily. "And that's what makes it difficult to say conclusively if this is demonic or not. I mean, for all we know, it could just be a new type of demon that's just come up, or some weird animal species that happens to resemble the demons."

"There's still something else you want to tell me," Maria observed.

"It's about some... interesting points that the cocoon, egg, and gender issues bring up," Kohran said. "We have two more of these things out there. One came from a human male host, the other from a human female. If these demons even remotely take on some characteristics of their hosts, or at least take after their genders..." She trailed off.

"You're suggesting that they may actually be able to breed?" Maria asked, astonished.

The bespectacled girl nodded. "The part about taking on the hosts' characteristics is a stretch," she admitted, "but the thought just won't leave my mind. I mean, where there's a male of the species, there's bound to be females. And we've got those things coming out of eggs. That alone is a pretty sure indication of biological reproduction. I don't know how long it may take for them to attain sexual maturity, but either way, it's not a good thing for our side."

She noted her commander's expressionless face. Attempting to lighten the atmosphere a little, she gave a weak chuckle and said, "I'm sorry to be the bearer of so much bad news, Maria-han."

Maria shook her head and gave her a tired smile. "No need for that," she told her. "Even bad news is better than no news." She hesitated. "Did Lieutenant Shinagawa come to take a look at the body?"

Kohran nodded. "Pretty uptight kinda guy," she commented.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing much. Just came in, looked at it a couple of minutes and left in a rush. Didn't seem all that interested in the thing at all, actually." She inhaled deeply and sprang to her feet. "Well, I'm going back in. See you, Maria-han."

"Good work, Kohran," Maria returned, "and thanks." She settled herself in to wait.

Like a godsend, the radio crackled to life. "Hey, Maria," Kanna's voice rang from the communicator. Can you read me?"

In a flash, Maria brought the device to her ear. "I'm here. What do you have to report?"

"We followed the dog all over the place," Kanna said. "It took us back to that spot where we found the cocoon at first. Nothing much left there now; big surprise, huh? Anyway, we didn't spend too much time there and went ahead. A couple of times, we came in sight of the training facility."

Maria tensed, but Kanna's next words calmed her somewhat. "Didn't find anything there other than a few unfriendly military goons. Man, what's their problem?" she complained.

"... nna-san," came the sound of Sumire's voice, "... to the point!"

"All right, all right!" Kanna snapped. "Just leave me alone, willya?" Various muttering, then, "Anyway, we're at this rock face by the hillside. Looks like there's nothing moving around here, but we found this... well, a crevice or something leading inside the rock. The dog just stopped cold and won't go any further. So..."

"Did anyone go in to check it out?" Maria asked, walking quickly towards Ootani's house.

"Naw," Kanna replied. "It's too small for any of us to fit through. The dog's the only thing that could get in, but it's not going anywhere." Some more muffled arguing on the other side, then she returned to the radio. "... tried looking inside, but we couldn't see that far in at all. Too dark to make anything out."

"Okay." She walked into the house and made her way straight to the map. "Where are you right now?"

"Umm, hang on a sec." Kanna signed off for a couple of minutes, then came back on again. "Watanabe says that we're at lower end of the line of hills about three miles northwest of the village. There's a... um, there's a pond or something about a quarter of a mile west of here. Does that help?"

Maria scanned the map, then marked the spot. "Yes, I've got it."

"So what d'you want us to do now?"

"Wait," she told her. "Don't do anything and wait for me to get there."

"You sure?" Kanna asked. "There might be other places we need to check..."

"That's fine," Maria said. "Just don't wander off too far from where you are now. I'll be there in a short while." They signed off. She turned to Shinagawa, who had been listening in. "Lieutenant, I have a small favour to ask of you."

Sumire huffed impatiently beneath the shade of the tree. "Maria-san is taking her time getting here," she complained.

"Keep your shorts on," Kanna said, scowling, though she herself was pacing up and down the edge of the clearing.

Sakura sighed as she listened to the others. She was also starting to feel frustrated at having to wait, but at least consoled herself with the thought that she wouldn't have to be confronting the thing that killed Tamiko anytime soon. While Maria's words last night were taken to heart, she still couldn't banish the fear that memories of Tamiko's final moments conjured within her.

Watanabe was seated a short distance away from everyone. He was most obviously unhappy about the delays. The fact that his dog had been acting on edge the entire time they were in the vicinity of the rocky face of the hill was another point that made him even more unpleasant to be with.

"Such words of wisdom from our esteemed leader of the expedition," Sumire muttered in the meantime, in a voice too low for Kanna to hear. She moved out from beneath the cover of trees and stood out in the middle of the clearing, gazing straight up into the sky. "It's past afternoon already," she said idly, one hand held up to block the glare of the sun.

Kanna grunted. "All this and we haven't even eaten yet..."

Sumire sighed almost theatrically. "Ah, I'd give anything for even a portion of the rations back at the facility."

"Really?" Kanna grinned. "You must be hungrier than me if you want to eat something that bad."

Sakura was so caught up in the surprise at discovering that both Sumire and Kanna could actually speak to one another without having it descend into an insult-hurling match that she only half paid attention to the dog's growling as it increased in volume. It was only when Watanabe hissed at them to stop talking that she realised how quiet the place had become. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She slowly got to her feet, tightening her grip on Arataka.

The others also sensed the suspicious quiet and visibly tensed. Sumire stayed where she was, panning her gaze about slowly.

"See anything?" Kanna asked.

"Nothing, Kanna-san," Sumire said. "But something's definitely out there."

Kanna took a step towards them, pulling out the communicator. "All right, just let me call-- aaack!" A loud crash, and she was gone.

"Kanna-san?!"

They stared at the empty spot where the martial artist had been just a moment ago. Only the radio and one of her tonfas lay on the ground. Behind, a rather large trail of parted foliage and uprooted grass marked her passing. The two women sprang into action, going after their friend. Sakura paused in mid-stride to scoop up the radio.

They barrelled their way through the underbrush. Ahead, they could hear the sound of Kanna's voice. A couple of times, they came near enough to make out what she was saying; it was enough to make anyone's ears turn red.

Sakura and Sumire raced onwards, keeping on the trail until it just stopped. They paused for several moments, panting. The whole area was silent.

"Where in all the hells did she go?" Sumire demanded.

On a hunch, Sakura looked up and saw the deep talon scores on the tree bark as well as a couple of well-placed bootmarks. "There!" she cried out, pointing. "They went up!"

Sumire bared her teeth, furious. "Damn it," she growled and started to follow this new lead.

"Wait, Sumire-san!" Sakura called out, but it was already too late to stop her. Left with no real choice, she ran after her, trying hard to keep her comrade in sight. It was difficult, as Sumire could move like greased lightning when she was motivated enough.

She heard Sumire's voice rise in a loud cry, and then the only sounds she could hear were the racuous crashing her own movements were making. Sakura slowed to a halt, totally alone.

"Sumire-san!" she called.

This is not good, she understated. All around her, the feeling of something lurking nearly overwhelmed her other senses. Forcing herself to relax, she tried to extend her senses out as far as they could go in the hopes of locating the source of all this uneasiness. It didn't help much.

"Watanabe-san!" she shouted, but it didn't carry very far in the thick forest. She wasn't even sure if Watanabe would actually come to her aid at all.

Her hand clenched, and she suddenly remembered that she had the radio. Raising it to her mouth, she activated it.

"Maria-san?" she said. "Maria-san, are you there?"

"Kohran here," came the crackling reply. "What's up, Sakura-han?"

"Kohran!" She never knew relief could come so great. "Kohran, listen! Something's happened to the others. Kanna-san and Sumire-san have both disappeared."

"Where are you?" the inventor demanded right away.

"I-I'm not sure," Sakura said. "We ran after Kanna-san and... Sumire-san just vanished into thin air. I can't find either of them anywhere and there's... there's something out here."

There was a moment of silence, during which Sakura thought that the radio had gone dead, but then Kohran's voice spoke up once more. "Maria-han's already left to meet you guys," she said. "She should be there by now. Can you make it back to the rendezvous point?"

"I don't know where I am!" she gritted. She swallowed thickly, telling herself to calm down. All right. She turned around and was very happy to see that her headlong rush along the woods had cleared a visible trail. Following it would be easy enough. "Kohran?"

"I'm here."

"I think I can make my way back to the meeting point." She took several cautious steps forward.

"That's good," the other woman said. "Stay calm and you should make it just fine."

Sakura started her way back, warily casting her eyes about for any sign of an enemy. Her danger senses were screaming like crazy, but they couldn't tell her anything beyond the fact that she was in trouble.

She didn't get very far before something grabbed her and lifted her into the trees.

Starting point | Chapter 4 | Chapter 6