Suzuya Juuzou's POV

I sat perched on my chair in front of my computer. Today was my birthday, twenty-two. I stared down at the piece of cake in front of me. It reminded me of Shinohara-san. I frowned remembering all the times he had treated me to meals. My gaze turned to the ceiling. My eyes followed a spider skittering across the white tiles. Where is it going?

"Suzuya, we have a special case coming in. I think you will get along with them quite well." one of my collegues say. I stare at him with wide eyes and a blank expression. "The chief asked me to tell you to meet them down in the lobby in a few minutes." He finishes. I nod once then go back to staring at my piece of cake. "They're here." He says closing his phone. "You should head down too." I pull a napkin over the cake then tilt my head to the cieling looking for the spider once again. Do spiders eat cake? None the less I pick up the plate and pull my keyboard out of it's slide and place my cake on it then tuck it back in. My collegue watches me balance the keyboard on top of my flat screen monitor before I head to the elevator. I shakes his head at me in confusion as the elevators doors close.

"Say, spiders are like ghouls, right?" I ask.

"I guess you could see it that way." He replies.

"Cake ghoul." I whisper, pictureing the spider crawling all over my cake, tearing into it the way a ghoul would flesh. I clench my fist and purse my lips. It better not be on my cake. I look up at the elevator cieling, thinking of the fourth floor where my cake sat unguarded. I should have ate it. Then the doors opend with the chime of a bell.

"Ah Suzuya,just the person I wanted to see." The chief said standing next to a girl who had his long coat drapped over her shoulders. Her hair appeared to be a reddish brown. She kept her face hidden, gaze fixed on the floor. "From this day on, she is your responsibility." He said pushing her forward.

"Mine? Why?" I asked squating down in front of her trying to get a peek at her face. "Don't want." I tell him as she turns away.

"We found her in Big Mama's possession." Upon hearing that name my head snaps up in his diection with a glare on my face.

"Mama's pet?" I ask looking back to her.

"We assume." The chief replies. "Her name is Shinohara, no first name. She was either never given one, or completely forgot it. She doesn't know her birthday either, we guess that she's between the ages of seven-teen and twenty."

"Sh-shinohara?" I stutter, looking at the girl wide-eyed.

"Yeah, no blood relation to your former partner." He says turning to her. "Shinohara-chan, this oni-chan is going to take care of you." He said motioning to me. I watched as she lifted her head to look at me. What I saw suprised me. Her eyes were the same shade of red as mine and just as traumatized. A mask that covered her mouth like a muzzle and a menacing smile behind it's bars "We're assigning her to you because you are the only person who would be able to understand her and what she's been through." I nod listening to him but not taking my eyes off the girl. Dried blood and dirt covered her face and matted her dirty hair. Upon closer inspection, there was really no way to tell what color her hair and skin really was. So many different scents were coming from her that I couldn't pick up her scent.

"I accept." I say now looking at the chief as I stand up straight. "Chi is mine." I tell him, placing my hand on her head.

"Chi? Is that what you're going to call her? It's fitting." He said looking down at all of the blood stains on her.

"Chi needs a bath." I say to him holding out my hand. The chief nodds in agreement then pulls out his wallet and places a small stack of money in my palm.

"That should be enough to get her a few things that she needs. I'll file for assistance when I get to my office." He says then turns to the girl. "Shinohara Chi." He says under his breath before walking away. I watch him closely as he gets into the elevator and disappears behind the doors.

"Chi." She says pointing down to a blood spat on her cheek.

"Chi." I repeat, poking her forhead. "Come with me." I tell her, as a grab her hand to make her follow me. She stumbles forward and the chief's jacket falls from her shoulders. She sits on the floor completely naked, looking at the coat sitting just out of her reach. Her entire body is covered in cuts, sores and burns. Some infected, some not. Two feet of thick chain dangled from the back of her mask. That must have been how Mama had kept her still while she tortured her. I dropped her hand and wrapped the coat around her again, then lifted her up in my arms, each arm supporting her back and legs.

"Is Chi going to play?" She asks looking up at me with a big smile.

"No. Chi is going to bathe. Chi is dirty." I tell her as I carry her to my house. I'm going to have to clean the bath tub. I look down at her and see her feet lightly swinging back and forth as we walk down the street.

"After bathe is Chi going to play?" She asks.

"No. Chi is not going to play that game any more. That game is over. Chi already won." I explain to her. For the first time her smile fades as she looks up at me.

"Chi is bad girl?" She asks.

"No, Chi is..." I pause trying to think of something to tell her. "Chi is new girl. Chi...will never have to play that game again. Chi will play new game with Juuzou." I tell her.

"Juuzou?" She asks. "Juu~zou~." She repeats carrying out the vowels. "Juuzou is new Mama?"

"No, I'm Juuzou." I say, climbing up the stairs to my house.

She studied my face as I set her down on the bathroom floor and pulled out one of my knives. Her face lit up upon seeing the blade as she gasped in happiness, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Do I have enough good girl points?" She asked turning her back to me. I looked at her wide-eyed, remembering Big Mama's point system. She had used it on Chi. My line of sight wandered lower to her back. It was covered in scabbed over cuts and puckered pink scars. "Go! Go!" She urged pulling her long matted rust colored hair over her shoulder. I eyed my blade remembering a time when this would have brought me enjoyment on either end, giving or recieving.

"No. I said we won't play that game." I scream at her in a firm voice as I swing my blade with all my strength. Just as I do she turns her head. Her mask goes flying off revealing a fresh cut on her cheek from my blade. I watch the blood closely as it flows out and drips down her skin. For a moment I'm too shocked to move or say any thing. For a moment I'm taken back to the times when I would frolic in the blood of others. Play with their intestines as if they were mushy toys. Then a memory of Shinohara-san comes to me. How he had saved me those years ago giving me a second chance at life.

"Juuzou?" She asks crawling closer to me. Her voice pulls me back as a single tear falls from the outer corner of my eye. Before I knew it she was hovering over me and I was laying against the floor holding my head. I must have fallen back when I swung my knife. "Juuzou?"

She calls again looking down at me from above. My eyes wander to her face that's drawing closer by the second. Then she does something that catches me completely off guard. Her warm wet tongue travels up my cheek as she licks up my tear. "Juuzou, is this how we play bath game?" She asks laying on the floor next to me. I cover my eyes and smile. I had completely forgoten that she was naked and was supposed to be getting a bath.

"No." I say sitting up. "Go sit on that." I say pointing to a stool. She perches her self on top of it the way I usually sat in my chair at work.

"Like this?" She asks tilting her head back to look at me standing over her.

"Ah." I nod as I grab the shower head and adjust the water temperature. "Hold still." I instruct and I begin to rinse her off and bubble up a body sponge. She watches the foam come out of the sponge in amazement.

"Poison?" She asks keeping her eyes on it.

"No." I shake my head and take her arm, begining to scrub the blood and dirt away from her skin. She gasps looking down at her pale white skin with her mouth hanging open.

"Magic!" She exclaims holding her arm up to show me as a scrub her back and gently as I can, trying not to take any scabs off.

"Yeah. Here, you try." I say handing her the sponge. She takes it from me and begins scrubbing her legs as I grab the shampoo. "Get everywhere." I tell her, messaging shampoo into her hair.

"Magic in hair too?" She asks now looking down at her belly as she spreads bubbles across it.

"Yeah. Magic every where. It will make Chi clean." I explain.

"Clean?" She repeats still scrubbing.

"Uh-huh." The shampoo in her long hair turns the color of rust. I look at it confused then grab the shower head and begin rinsing it out. Once again, to my surprise, her hair is as white as mine with out the blood stains and dirt in it. Chi squeezes the bubbles out of the sponge and rinses it off then rubs it against my arm.

"Juuzou play bath game too? Use magic." She says then looks down at my arm and stops. "Magic isn't working." She pouts. "Was Chi bad girl? Is that why it stopped?" She asks sadly.

"No, Chi was good. Chi used all of the magic up and everythign is clean now. Don't need magic any more." I tell her as I wrap a towel around her and dry her off. "Wear this." I say as I pull the tucked in part of my button up shirt out and unbuttin it, then had it to her. She slowly puts her arms in the sleeves the stands up.

"Like this?" She asks. I roll my eyes and button it for her.

"Like this." I correct. "Now it's time for sleep." I begin to explain. The next minute I turn around and she has her mask back on and is standing right behind me. "You don't need that." I say before slipping my fingers through the wire and try to pull it off.

"It's mine!" She yells and nips at my finger tips. I quickly put my hand back and look at her in shock.