Eight months passed since I adopted Kesshō, not much else having happened in that entire time. I occasionally left for certain missions, but not for long durations, mainly to be able to keep an eye on her wellbeing. It did not take long for nearly everyone to get used to her and accepting her as part of the family.

Fi and Kristine did well to take care of any of her needs, while Sapphire and Crystal did their best to be great older sisters and friends, Sapphire always having wanted to be older than someone. The two included her in their shenanigans and split the loot equally, along with any punishments.

The punishments were usually to do a handstand for a half a minute or a minute, a good but hard exercise, perfect for a punishment. While the two still struggled with it even after having done it several times, Kesshō did it with no difficulty, staying like that for several minutes till I decided to lift her up and place her back on her feet, not wanting her to stay in that position for longer than is good for children.

She still did not speak, leading me to the conclusion that she was incapable of speaking. She still understood everything that was said luckily, and took great interest in reading novels. After completing all the books Fi kept in her bookshelf she simply sat there and checked the books again every so often, seemingly hoping for new ones to magically appear from the looks of it.

It took Fi a couple days to realise that it was boredom and not just her liking that spot. After finding out, Fi decided to give Kesshō a more thorough tour of the less visited areas of the mansion, a part which even Sapphire and Crystal were not aware of due to not having shown a similar interest as Kesshō, though she still took them there as well. Near the back of the mansion, which happened to be almost at the opposite corner of the mansion from their room, was a library with all sorts of books neatly stashed in many cabinets and bookshelves.

Kesshō instantly took a liking to the place, spending hours in there, in Fi's company, who also really liked to read. Sapphire and Crystal also liked to read books, mostly fictional or related to animals, but not to the same extent as Kesshō and Fi. The two did succeed in dragging the two bookworms back to their room or the outside to play, having received my help in doing so many of the times. It was much easier for me, as I simply needed to carry both mother and daughter outside, both of them being light enough for me to lift with one arm.

At the end of the eight months, I took Kesshō out of the mansion again, something she refused to do in the past eight months. Fi, Crystal and Sapphire went outside many times with me, sometimes just for a walk through the nearby woods, all three of them being familiar with them. While Kesshō did take many walks through the surrounding woods, she never went to the city with us, preferring to stay in the library. I allowed her to stay, as I did not wish to force her to do something she did not want to.

This time however, I needed her to come along. She did not resist me carrying her to the car, or even question it as I drove out of the mansion towards the city. The reason for me needing to take her along this time, was her admission in a school, which Fi suggested to do. While she did not think her guess of her age to be wrong, Fi still started to doubt it as she spent more time with Kesshō. The reason she didn't explain to me in detail, just informing that she was smart enough already for second or third grade, perhaps even higher.

I did doubt it, till she gave the entrance at the school. Luckily for me, on my request, the school was willing to inform me if she was accepted or not just then. It was already August, and school was about to start in just two days. The school seemed happy to inform me that she was accepted, afterall, they wouldn't possibly deny a kid that got a hundred percent on the entrance exam with relative ease.

I informed them of her past, just so they could be extra careful to make sure she doesn't get bullied by other kids due to her oddly colored hair. It seemed necessary to me as I won't be there to watch over her, and I did not feel like trusting Sapphire and Crystal with such a task, largely because the two were also kids. The two were in the same school, and the same grade, but different classes, so it did not seem like a good idea anyways.

I left not long after being done with my work as Kesshō seemed very anxious outside of the mansion. As a reward for her being cooperative, I bought her an ice cream, a chocolate cone one as she really liked chocolates. She enjoyed it as we returned back home, only looking relaxed once we entered the mansion's gates.

Fi was waiting at the entrance, taking Kesshō with her just as she got out, completely disregarding my existence as she usually did to tease me. She was only being mischievous, so I decided to disregard her existence as well and check my phone, having received a message while driving which I was yet to check. The message was from Flash, telling me to call him. Standing near my car I called his number, the call being accepted near instantly.

"What is it?" I questioned.

"We have located a ship, docked at a port in the USA. We suspect it's related to human traffickers." Flash informed, his focus divided between me and something else.

"Shouldn't this information be directed to the FBI? Why are you telling me this?" I inquired, not understanding his objective.

"It's related with the girl from my guess," Flash informed. "This ship has been at the port of the city where you found the girl many times before, and it is not registered as a cargo ship there, and it was also in the records recovered from your mission eight months ago. You might be able to find out something about her from them."

"Sure, I hope they stay there till I arrive." I sighed as I looked at the mansion, not liking the fact that I won't be here for a few days.

"Don't worry, if they are leaving before you get here the FBI will get them, I have already informed them as well and they are on standby, just observing them." Flash replied, some clicking sounds audible in the background. "Should I book a flight for tonight as usual?" He inquired.

"No, not tonight, in the morning, around ten in the morning if you can find one," I requested.

"That's unusual," he mumbled, "but can be done. I will send you all the details by tonight, see you soon." Flash sighed before hanging up.

I walked into the mansion, making my way upstairs to my room. It was already evening, just a short while before sunset. Unlike other times, I did not feel like going, but I needed to. This time it was not to save people, as the FBI could also do that just fine, but to gather information about Kesshō, anything about her past.

I sat down on my bed with a sigh, trying to focus my mind and plan about what to do after reaching there, though my brain did not cooperate with me this time, a rare occurence for me. While I was focused on that, Fi came and sat beside me, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me before I even realised she was there. She simply seemed to be wanting attention, a very common thing for her. Having lived with me for fifteen years she knew me better than anyone else, and could easily tell when I needed to leave without me having to inform her about it.

Wrapping my arms around her I lied down, causing her to let out a yelp in surprise. She edged closer to me, resting her head right in front of mine with a smile on her face. I felt a weight on my shoulder as a head rested there, watching with a smile on her face. Feeling the lack of attention Sapphire rolled over me, landing right between me and Fi, causing us to make space for her as she giggled in triumph.

Feeling left out Crystal did the same, making space for herself by pushing Sapphire to the side. Kesshō simply sat behind me, too nervous to try and interfere, something noticed by all four of us. Getting up I lifted her and placed her right between Sapphire and Crystal, the two of them already having made space for her. As she nervously lied down both Fi and I wrapped our arms around the three sisters, Sapphire and Crystal smiling peacefully as Kesshō glanced around, still nervous, but a slight smile of happiness visible on her face.

While I did wish to stay, I left the next morning, hoping to get the work done without much trouble and as soon as possible. The ten hour flight got me to the USA at night, the FBI already having moved in and arrested all personnel involved with the concerned ship while I was on the way. I headed to the prison the people were held in, not needing an escort as it would draw a lot more attention in this sort of a country.

When I reached the prison, two FBI agents involved with the operation welcomed me and led me directly to the criminals, not wanting to waste my time. There were twenty four arrested, many others having died during the operation.

"We also found a girl at the ship, who went missing just a few days ago. She has been safely returned to her family." One of the agents informed as he led me to the interrogation room.

In the interrogation room, a room with all white walls and a table set in the center with three chairs, sat two people before we entered, on the opposite sides of the table. The police officer stood up and saluted on seeing us enter, moving to the side to allow me to interrogate the man.

"He is their leader, we thought it would be better to question the boss directly so we had him here before you arrived." The FBI agent informed as he turned to the police officer. "Has he revealed anything?"

The police officer shook his head. "I have tried the basic tactics but he refuses to say anything."

"If you are thinking not saying anything will keep your sentence to a minimum, then you are gravely mistaken." I informed him as I sat down on the table.

The door to the investigation room opened as a guy walked in, easily recognisable due to his blonde hair. He handed me a file, a file of the basic background information of all the arrested people. He stood beside the FBI agent, seeming to be somewhat nervous.

"First time meeting in person, I thought you would be louder." I sighed as I slowly flipped through the pages.

"Just trying to have a good first impression, might prove to be helpful for me." Flash replied with a shrug.

I folded eighteen of the twenty nine pages in the file before handing it back to Flash. "Bring those people here," I commanded Flash.

He left with a nod, taking the police officer with him.

"Should I assume I am allowed to do things in my own way?" I inquired the FBI agents, just to be nice enough to ask, even though it mattered very little how it did the work due to my contract with the UN. As long as innocents weren't harmed, I could do whatever I wished with the criminals.

The two of them nodded simultaneously, though they seemed nervous, not knowing what I planned to do in the slightest. Flash returned after a few minutes, eighteen of the criminals following behind him, all handcuffed. They all stood in a single file behind the leader, none knowing what was going on, looking at their boss with a look of desperation.

"Remove his cuffs." I pointed to the biggest of the criminals, his strength easy to guess from his muscular and big build.

Being well over six and a half feet tall he dwarfed me in terms of height. I barely reached six feet, and anyone looking at me while I wore a coat would assume my arms to not be muscular in the slightest. I pointed my pistol at him as the police officer removed his cuffs, making sure he doesn't try to hurt the officer. The police officer stepped away after removing the cuffs.

Getting off the table I took a few steps towards him before gesturing him to stand away from the other criminals, the rest of them grouping up to the opposite side of the leader, who also seemed confused. The guy stood where I told him to, not trying anything as my pistol was still pointed at him. Standing there he glanced around, not knowing what to do now.

As I took a step forward I dropped my pistol on the ground, seemingly slipping out of my hand. It was more on the criminal's side, the drop of the pistol startling everyone in the room and causing them to freeze. The guy instantly pounced forwards as he bent down to grab the pistol before anyone else could react. The FBI officers grabbed their pistols to shoot the guy, but stopped before they could.

Before the guy grabbed the pistol, I drove my knee right into the guy's face, causing him to collapse on the ground as his nose broke and started bleeding. Everyone looked on in shock, not having expected that to happen. The guy still attempted to grab the pistol, to stop which I stomped hard on his back, causing him to yelp in pain. He attempted to grab my other foot and trip me, but failed to move it. He stopped his pointless attempts as I drove the heel of my shoe into his spine

"Normally, this would not be allowed for interrogation." I informed as I removed my foot from the guy's back, leaving him on the floor and walking to the others. "Normally, but I don't think someone who doesn't care about human rights should get all the benefits of it either, and so, it would be better for you to answer my questions, lest your condition becomes worse than that guy."

As I heard a click from behind I turned around in an instant, grabbing my other pistol, and shooting the guy in his hand, causing him to scream in pain and drop the pistol. Walking to him, I picked my pistol and placed it back in its place along with the other one, leaving him writhing on the floor.

"Now then, let's begin, shall we?"

----------------------------------------

There were several things the criminals knew, one of which leading to the extension of my task. From what could be found, they were not the people I was looking for, but they did have a lead as to who would know. Luckily for them, they had left the port just a day before I arrived there last time. This time however, they were caught due to their rising confidence. In any case, this group did not need much of my attention apart from the questioning, which led to me finding my next target, a man living in a coastal area in Morocco, a fisherman by the name of Adel Naas.

I reached there in the afternoon, along with four other undercover agents. Finding the man did not seem to be the hard part, he did not live in secrecy afterall, and we were just pretending to be tourists. He lived in a small hut by the beach from what we discovered, spending his days fishing. After some discussion with the other four I decided to go talk to the man myself while they kept watch outside, making sure the man doesn't escape and no one enters.

"Hello." I greeted as I nonchalantly walked to the man, simply sitting near the water and fishing from the looks of it. He nodded his head in acknowledgement, attempting to make it seem like he does not speak English. "I am not someone who likes small talk so let's cut to the chase." I sighed, drawing my pistol just enough for him to notice. "Now, would you prefer the easy way or the hard way."

"Take whatever you want, I don't have anything valuable here." The man pleaded as he flinched away from me, dropping the fishing rod on the wooden platform above the water.

"I don't need your wealth, matter of fact, I might just be willing to pay you some money if you answer my questions." I replied, concealing my pistol under my shirt again. Luckily for me, I got the time to buy lighter clothes when I got here, wearing a red half-sleeved shirt with white pants.

"I will answer whatever you want, just please don't make a commotion, I have my daughter and my wife inside." The man pleaded, his worry for his daughter seeming very genuine.

"Alright, for starters, have you seen this girl?" I inquired as I showed him a picture of Kesshō. His eyes widened for a moment before he regained his composure, slowly shaking his head as he inspected it. "I feel like I gave you the choice, and I don't remember you choosing the hard way." I sighed as I inched my hand close to my pistol.

"I have seen her, I have seen her before," The man sputtered.

"Good. See? If you co-operate just like this my work would be done very quick and I will be gone before you know it. Now, tell me everything you know about this girl," I commanded.

"She is the devil." The man cried out, clearly not wishing to elaborate on that statement.

"What do you mean by that?" I questioned, put off by his strange remark.

"This girl is the reason I left those people and ran away. I am very sure she killed my entire crew or something, otherwise they would have hounded me for deserting," The man explained, not even trying to make it easy to understand.

"Why would they have hounded you?"

"They forced me to join by threatening my daughter and wife, if I didn't join they would have taken both of them. I spent about two years with them, and I wanted to quit, every single day, that ship was a hellhole," The man explained, shuddering from fear. "I did not have the courage to escape, or you can say I did not feel scared enough to, because when that weird doctor offered us that girl I knew I needed to quit."

"Do you know this weird doctor's name?" I questioned, trying to find any reliable links.

"No, he did not live long enough to tell his name. The man offered the girl for five hundred thousand dollars, our boss did not have that much money, but he thought they would be able to sell the girl for a lot more than even that. After the negotiation did not go anywhere he killed the doctor and took the girl. The two weeks I remained on the ship after that were the worst two weeks of my life, it felt like I was being watched every second, I felt like that girl would kill me at any moment. She scared me beyond belief and I did not understand why, I took my fear as a warning from God and ran away." The man recounted, breathing heavily and shivering as he remembered past experience.

Heavy exaggeration, I sighed. "Well, do you have any clue as to where this 'devil' of yours came from?" I inquired, having found barely little more about her past than what I already knew or guessed.

"From Hell," the man answered, "there must be a path to Hell in America, maybe she crawled out of there."

"So you found her in America?" I questioned.

"Yes, that is where the boss met the doctor and got her, that is where they went very wrong, much worse than what they already did." The man cried out, his eyes teary as he clutched his face.

"I will leave you to your thoughts." I sighed, turning away and leaving without wasting any more time. I called Flash right after, not bothering with the other four agents for now, all curious as to how it went. "Find the records of every single doctor who went missing or died in the past five years and send them to me." I ordered before hanging up, too tired to keep up long conversations.

"How did things go?" One of the agents inquired, hesitant and nervous.

"Nothing worthwhile, it was a doctor who tried to sell her to them is all I found," I replied. "The four of you are free to return now, you are dismissed, if you have free time remaining you may do as you wish." I commanded as I left the four, making my way back.

After much travelling I finally got to go back home from this somewhat worthless mission. While the fisherman was involved with the criminals, he did not do it off his own free will, the reason I chose to spare the man. The people seemed to find him a pleasant person and he cared for his daughter and wife, something I can understand, and can not bring myself to take away from the guy.

This did raise the question however, just why did a quiet little kid like Kesshō scare the man to that extent. In the entire time I observed her, not once did she seem scary or murderous, not in the slightest. The only emotions she seemed to know were kindness and generosity, along with nervousness and shyness, trying her best to help anyone she found in need of help.

That reminded me that she just started school, her first couple days in a completely new environment and around complete strangers. It would have put me more at ease if Sapphire and Crystal were in the same class as her, but they were in a different one. I could only hope all three were doing well, and I could also buy them something.

Due to the long flight, and the long delay in its arrival, I reached back at my house just around evening of the next day. This time to my sadness, I did not get to surprise Fi as she stood in the garden. Or so I thought at the very least, while she did stand in the garden, she seemed to be lost in thought and did not even notice as I walked up behind her.

I stepped in front of her from behind, startling her. She attempted to back away and tripped, falling in the short grass of the garden. "Do you have to scare me everytime you return?" She sighed, not angry at me, but not very happy to see me either.

"Did something happen?" I inquired, easily able to tell her reaction normally would have been more energetic.

"Yes." She sighed after a few moments of silence as she stood up. "I know I should have told you just yesterday, and maybe I shouldn't have even let Kesshō go for school today, I just didn't want to disturb you during work and wanted to solve it before you returned, I was just–" she sputtered.

Holding her face between my two arms I looked directly in her eyes, resting my forehead against hers. "You know I am there for you and our daughters before anyone else, you should've just told me. Still, it's not your fault, I know you would prefer for me to help people." I sighed, gently kissing her right after. "Okay, now tell me what the problem is."

"I don't know, Kesshō can't talk and she doesn't write it out for me even when I asked her to. She has been sad, and I could tell she was crying when she was alone in her room yesterday. I just don't know how to get her to tell me, it's most likely bullying so she should have just told me," Fi sighed. "With how I look I am sure no one would even question me if I punched a kid in the face, I look like a kid myself afterall."

"You look young but not that young either," I replied with a nervous smile. "Do Sapphire and Crystal know anything?" I questioned, returning to a serious tone of voice.

Fi shook her head. "I asked them but they don't know anything, even today they tried to investigate but failed to find anything. I even talked to the teacher and she says that none of the kids in her class could've done it."

"Classic teacher thing to say," I sighed, receiving a nod of agreement from Fi. "I will go to the school tomorrow myself, you can rest easy, and where is Kesshō?"

"She is with Sapphire and Crystal, she looked like she was having fun so you don't have to worry about her for right now at the very least," Fi reassured.

"Good then, I will be taking a short break with you for now then." I replied with a smile, pulling her closer.

----------------------------------------

It came as a surprise to me in the night, in the form of a mail, that the school announced a holiday for lower grades due to an "accident" in school. The older grades still needed to go as usual, which meant there will be teachers there, which happened to be just what I needed. With Kesshō being as cooperative as usual, I reached the school around ten in the morning, where the the surprise of the holiday only got worse.

"What even happened here for them to call the police." I sighed as I glanced at the police car in the parking lot, before making my way towards the reception area with Kesshō.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The reception inquired as I stood in front of the desk.

"I would like to talk to the class teacher of grade one 'c'." I requested, my hand resting on the desk.

"I am sorry sir but she isn't available currently," The receptionist replied.

"Can I ask when she will be able?" I inquired.

"We can't say for sure, a police inspection is going on so it might take a while," The receptionist replied.

"A police inspection? Why, did something bad happen?" I questioned.

"No, nothing of the sort, it's just to check the security of the school for younger kids today, they will be inspecting the higher grades tomorrow," She responded.

"Okay, is the principal free right now? I will only need two minutes of his time," I requested.

"Wait a second, let me check." The receptionist requested as she looked at her computer screen. "Yes, she is free currently, should I direct you to her office?"

"No requirement, I know the directions, thank you for the help." I responded before leaving towards the office with Kesshō, who stood quietly by me the entire time, a very devilish act. *Why is that even on my mind?* I questioned myself, somehow not being able to remove the man's statement from my subconscious.

I knocked on the principal's office, entering when I heard his voice. "Oh, nice to meet you again." The principal stood up from his seat.

"It's completely fine, you should sit." I suggested with a smile, taking a seat myself with Kesshō sitting in my lap.

"What brings you here today?" He inquired. "Is it regarding your daughter or on some other business?" He questioned, glancing towards Kesshō.

"She knows about my work, nothing to hide, you don't need to be so secretive, by turning off the cameras you already did enough. As for why I am here it's mainly regarding her, but I am also curious why the police is here."

"I planned to call you personally about that, I called at your house in the afternoon too, I think your daughter picked the phone, she said you were away for work so I decided to just call the police for this," The principal explained. "As for what happened, four first graders were found badly injured, nothing serious though. Five third graders too, with broken bones and stuff."

"What?" I gasped, finding it hard to believe.

"They will all survive, I can't say the same for the two eight graders though, they were found dead in the unused janitor's closet, a janitor found their bodies when he noticed that the door was not locked like it usually is." The principal explained, a grave expression on his face. "Whoever did all it was smart enough to avoid the places with cameras, and also seemingly injured them based on how old they were. The younger kids got off with minor injuries, while the teenagers didn't even survive. The police is questioning the teachers and janitors, and we declared a holiday to make sure more kids don't get injured."

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"Do the kids not know who injured them?" I questioned, not understanding why they didn't just ask the kids.

"They know, but they are too scared to say it. We even tried roundabout ways to find out who it was, and all we got from them was that it's a guy," The principal sighed.

"Can I question one of the kids, the one in the best mental state preferably," I requested, hoping to get the issue sorted quickly.

"Yes, I will give you the address of the hospital and the parent's number right away." The principal replied, grabbing a pen and a notepad. Writing it down quickly he ripped off the page and handed it to me. "By the way, what did you come here for? What about your daughter?"

"From what Fi told me, she cried the day before yesterday after coming back home, and has been very sad since school started. Even right now, she seems a lot closer to how she was when I first found her, her improvement over the months seem to have just disappeared." I explained to the principal, pocketing the page after glimpsing the address.

"Your wife did talk to me about that the day before yesterday, I even checked the security footage but no one bullied her even once all throughout her time here," The principal replied.

"I would like to request you to check again, I can tell that something happened at school, and I don't know what. If it's related with the person who injured the kids then I will know soon enough, but I would still feel more at ease if you could just check once again, just for good measure, she has already been through a lot." I requested as I got up from my chair and walked to the door, Kesshō following beside me as I set her down.

The principal nodded thoughtfully. "I will check it right away and tell you if I find anything, you also do the same."

Taking my leave from the school I headed to the hospital, just a twenty minute drive. Having talked with the parents on the phone during the drive and informed them that I wished to question their kid, I headed straight to the room the kid was in, leaving Kesshō to sit in the car. Undoubtedly I left the car on with the air conditioner, and locked, for safety purposes.

"Is this Richie Mayfield?" I inquired, peeking in the room from the outside.

"Yes, it is, are you the officer?" The man, seemingly the father, questioned.

"Yes, I have taken over the investigation of the case, my name is Kurai, nice to meet you." I held out my hand for a handshake after entering.

The father shook my hand, a worried expression on his face as he turned to his son. From what I could tell, the kid belonged to third grade, easy to tell as the only ones with broken bones were in the third grade. The kid's leg was plastered, the femur cracked according to my somewhat educated guess. The mother sat on a chair by the kid, deeply concerned, nothing out of the ordinary.

I sat in front of the kid, barely receiving a cursory glance from him. Before I could ask him anything the kid already stated his verdict. "I won't tell." He mumbled, turning away from me, his voice shaky.

I dropped my convincing look and let out a sigh. "Seems like the easy way won't work."

"What do you mean?" The mother questioned, turning to me.

"Have you tried bribing him?" I inquired turning to her, receiving a much expected nod. "Guess that leaves me no choice." I sighed, getting up from my seat. "Hey, why are you so scared to tell me the name of whoever did this to you?" I questioned. "Is he that strong? You think he is stronger than me? I will let you know, officers are stronger than criminals." I lied, very clearly, more naturally than I breathe, a clear but efficient lie.

"He beat up two eight graders in school, he knows karate and stuff." The kid mumbled as he turned to me.

"What's the big deal in that, even I know karate and stuff, I have known that stuff since I was younger than you." I replied, trying to get a heated conversation going.

"Even his name is scary, everyone in his class is scared of him, it will even scare grownups like you," the kid muttered, not believing my claims.

"I will have you know, nothing scares me, not some second rate name at the very least." I informed the kid with grin.

"Einar Solace," The kid mumbled, "feel scared?"

"Oh, oh, oh, that's some scary stuff right there." I replied with a shiver. "You know what's scarier?"

"What?" The kid questioned.

"Your skill, you just solved a case without even trying, even Sherlock Holmes would be scared." I praised, truly meaning none of it, simply trying to draw his attention as far away as possible.

"Who is Sherlock Holmes?" The kid inquired.

"The best detective ever, you should read some books about him, they are fun." I suggested as I walked to the door, knowing my plan went smoothly. "Anyhow, as the case is almost solved, I will be taking my leave for now and contact you both after the culprit has been caught." Walking out of the room I closed the door behind me, returning to my car as I dialled the principal's number.

"Hello?" He inquired.

"Yes, I just wanted to let you know the case is almost solved, and I have found the name of the culprit." I informed him, making my way through the hospital.

"That's good and as expected of you, I also found a kid I suspect might have bullied her, or said something to her, do you want me to call his parents?" The principal inquired.

"Is that kid still in school?" I questioned.

"Let me see," the principal replied. "Yes, he is still in school, he came here today to submit a project with a note from his parents, his name is Einar Solace, you want to talk to the kid directly?" The principal inquired.

"Oh yes I do, what grade is he in?" I questioned as I exited the hospital.

"Second," The principal answered.

I stopped in my tracks, shocked at the answer. "Are there two students with that exact full name in the school?" I questioned.

"No, just one, he is a troublesome kid, not the kind who would hurt anyone though," The principal sighed. "I didn't mention him when your wife asked because I didn't think he could have done something, but I decided to mention him to you just in case."

"Keep that kid waiting, don't tell him about anything though, I just want to have a talk with him," I requested.

"Okay, I will." The principal responded before hanging up.

What kind of fourth grader is strong enough to kill an eight grader? I wondered as I made my way to my car. "You good?" I inquired after opening the door, glancing at Kesshō, just quietly nibbling on a choclate bar. She nodded as I sat down, holding her hand out towards me. I smiled at her before starting the car and preparing to head back to the school. "Just a bit longer, I will get you an ice cream as well later, okay?" I requested to her, gently patting her on the head.

Retrieving her arm to herself she sat back down at her place, still quiet, and still nibbling on the chocolate, barely making any progress. It was just a medium sized chocolate bar, and still somehow she managed to just barely finish nibbling on it when we reached back at the school. The very opposite of Sapphire and Crystal who would make a bar of chocolate disappear in seconds.

I made my way back in the school with her, planning to head to the principal's office right away, but he stood right at the reception in wait. He gestured me to follow him and I did, carrying Kesshō in my arms, guessing she would be tired by now, even though she sat in the car most of the time. Apparently she has the tendency of getting tired, or simply lazy, when she sits around for too long with nothing fun to do. She even loses the will to walk and requests to be carried around, something no one minds doing.

The principal led me to a parent-teacher meeting room at the ground floor. He opened the thick glass door, revealing the inside. White walls marked with flowers on two sides, with one side a thick glass wall and the last the glass door. Inside were kept a table with three chairs, one by itself while the other two were on the opposite side, with the table attached to the white wall. The police officer most likely called for the case sat in the room, having been talking with the kid before the door opened.

The kid in question, did not seem to be interested by the conversation or our arrival. He wore a plain face, neither annoyed nor bored, but not happy either. His appearance however, seemed a lot like mine. The same black hair and blue eyes, though his were slightly brighter, closer to Sapphire's than mine. He did not seem very tall for his age either, just around four feet. His body did seem somewhat well trained though, not usual for a child that age, along with his eyes that scanned the room every few moments like a trained military officer, things which would go unnoticed by untrained people.

I entered the room after the principal, the officer standing on the side as we did. I set Kesshō down as the principal sat on the seat close to the wall, planning to let her sit on the other one, not realising she already made plans for herself. Right after I set her down she walked right to the other kid, attempting to cling to him. He nervously smiled at her before glancing at me, lifting her up and helped her sit on the chair, right beside him, when she continued to attempt to cling to him.

This is an even interesting development. I observed, a smile creeping onto my face.

"Are you two friends by any chance?" The principal inquired, still unaware of what the kid did.

"Maybe," Einar replied, glancing at Kesshō nervously.

"Do you know if someone bullied her? I am her father, so I am just worried about her, she has been sad lately," I informed.

"Oh, I didn't know about that." He responded, again glancing at Kesshō.

"Did you know there were some kids who got seriously injured in the school yesterday?" I questioned.

"Yes, and two of those idiots died," Einar replied, his tone changing to a more serious one. "If you already know then stop beating around the bush."

"That's a good idiom for someone so young." I remarked, enjoying getting on his nerves for no apparent reason.

"Cutting to the main topic," he sighed, "you somehow figured out I am the culprit and want to question me about why I did it?" He inquired.

"Just about right," I replied, the principal and officer too shook to participate in the conversation.

"Okay, I confess to my crimes, I killed those two and beat up the other nine, lock me up in prison." Einar commanded holding both his hands out in front of him.

"Oh no, no, you seem to have the wrong idea here, for such a terrible crime, prison would be too kind a sentence, only the death sentence suits you." I responded as I pointed my pistol at him.

As I expected to happen, Kesshō put herself in the line of fire, shaking her head violently. "What do you think you are doing?" Einar questioned, pulling her to his side.

"Well, whatever, I will be borrowing the kid for a while, if his parents ask about him give them my number." I said to the principal as I opened the door. "Now, do you want to carry her or should I?" I inquired turning to the kid.

----------------------------------------

"Why did you not shoot?" The kid questioned, glancing slightly at Kesshō. As it happened, he carried Kesshō to the car, her arms wrapped around his neck. While the kid wasn't tall for his age, he was still much taller than her.

"You want me to kill a kid? No thanks." I chuckled as I stood with my back against my car, sending the mail to Flash to dig up the kid's entire family background. "Why did you injure and kill those kids?" I questioned, turning my attention to him from my phone.

"I just felt like it," The kid shrugged.

"Yeah, sure, just woke up and decided, 'oh, it's a good day for a nice double murder, don't mind me, just killing'," I mocked.

Kesshō giggled slightly at my action, a smile appearing on the kid's face too. "They bullied her and made her cry, they weren't good people so I decided to not be good to them either." He replied, glancing at Kesshō. "Can you get off now?" Kesshō shook her head, to which he only sighed.

"At the age of seven I doubt you know enough about the world to judge good and bad," I sighed. "What do you plan to do next? Fight Odin?"

"Yeah, definitely, I just plan to stroll in tomorrow and throw a golden cup at him," The kid replied, imitating my style of talking from the looks of it. Kesshō chuckled at us both, enjoying herself between our supposedly serious conversation.

"You are smart for your age, strong too, why throwing your life away by doing that type of stuff?" I questioned.

"It's nothing, just family problems," The kid mumbled.

"If you do that type of stuff because of it then it's more than a family problem," I replied. "What type of family problems make you decide to stroll in on Odin and throw a cup at him, he must be old by now what if he gets hurt."

The kid burst into giggles along with Kesshō, his mood seemingly lightening a bit. "It's... Complicated," He sighed.

"Okay, Kesshō?" I called, her attention turning to me instantly. "Can you request your friend to tell me?"

Kesshō nodded and turned to him, poking his face with her fingers. "Stop it, will you?" He sighed, to no result. "Fine, I will tell him, I will tell him, stop poking me, or I will bite your finger like you bit my hand." She retrieved her hand, placing it back around his neck with a pleased smile. "Did you teach her to do that?"

"No, she wouldn't have done it to anyone else even if I asked her to." I replied, observing the two with a smile.

"Am I special or something? Why is everything weird happening to me?" He sighed, his head hanging low. Kesshō tightened her grip around him, resting her head beside his.

"Maybe you are, I will decide after learning about your family problems," I responded in a serious voice.

"Is this a good place to talk about all of this?" He inquired as he turned and looked around. "No choice, huh?" He sighed as I glared at him. "My younger sister, a year younger, went missing two weeks ago, or so I thought at first. That day when I asked my parents about where she was they answered she went to our aunt and will return in a week. After a week they said she will return after another week, so I called our aunt. She said the last time she saw my sister was three years ago. I confronted my dad about it the day before yesterday, he is a bit of a coward so I figured I can find out about it from him easily. He did not tell me anything even after I asked nicely, so I threatened him with a knife, and he told me that my sister was 'unneeded', so they gave her away. I was very angry about it yesterday and I saw her crying, with those two eight graders standing in front of her making fun of her. So I killed them, they were frail and weak so it was easy, if it was an average eight grader I wouldn't have even tried. After that, I found her other bullies and took out the rest of my anger on them."

"So you took out the anger from one source on another," I observed. "Why not take it out on the source? You definitely seem psychopathic enough to do that."

"I might be a murderer but I am just a kid, without parents I won't survive for long," The kid sighed. Kesshō gently patted his head, seemingly trying her best to lighten up his mood.

"Well, get in." I ordered as I opened the door for him and walked around to the other side. "The back seat, don't think of sitting in the front, kids sit in the back."

Einar nodded and got in after Kesshō, sitting beside her. As much as she seemed to dislike being around people in general, she did seem to enjoy his company, more than Fi's from what I could tell. While I did not know what led to this, I did not mind it as long as she stayed happy, for which I also needed to make sure the kid didn't become a sociopath.

I drove back home, having called Earl along the way to stay prepared. The kid seemed to be fairly fascinated by my car, even more so by the destination. He stared wide-eyed through the window as I drove through the entrance and stopped the car inside, getting out right after.

"You stay here." I ordered the kid as I carried Kesshō out, taking her to where Earl stood. "Take her to her mother, I have something to do, also tell her the problem is solved." I commanded before heading back. "Also, tell Kristine to make her some sweets, I forgot to buy her an ice cream in the hurry."

"Will do." Earl bowed to me before leading Kesshō to the mansion.

"So–" I sat back in the car– "let's pay your parents a visit, shall we?"

"What? Why?" The kid questioned, startled.

"Just to confirm your story, and pay them my respects if needed." I replied as I turned the car and drove back out, heading to the kid's address which I received from the principal before leaving the school. The kid sat quietly the entire, not saying a single thing. His expression told me he did not lie to me, I simply waited for Flash to confirm it for me so I wouldn't need to waste my time with the parents.

The house was fairly nice, a two story fairly modern house, a garden to the side and a lot of greenery all around. "I already want to leave." The kid sighed as he got out of the car.

"I am sure you do. Just wondering, do you know how to shoot a gun?" I inquired.

"You pull the trigger," He answered, confused with my random question.

"Are you mad at your parents?" I inquired, my attention on my phone as I glanced through Flash's report of the major things about his family.

"For my sister, yes, I really cared for her and she was a nice person." He answered, kicking a rock around.

"Good." I replied as I pocketed my phone, having seen all I needed to. "You think you can handle trauma?"

"I don't know why are you asking but I would assume so, I think so." The kid answered, glancing at me with suspicion and curiosity.

"Let's find out." I answered as I walked to the door of the house and rung the door bell. "How many people live here?"

"Two, my mom and dad," The kid answered.

"Have you thought about killing them before?" I inquired.

"Yes, I don't understand why you are asking." He replied just as the door swung open.

The woman standing at the door glanced between the two of us, wide-eyed. "Who is he?" She inquired turning to the kid, glancing at me as she did.

The kid's eyes widened as his mother fell to the ground right in front of him. He stood where he was, his breathing heavy as he stared at the blood and his mother writhing in pain.

"Sorry–" I said as I shot her again, in the head this time– "I didn't mean to waste two bullets on you." I sighed as I turned to the door, shooting the man who appeared through the hallway in the chest. He stood there for a few moments in shock before stumbling around and falling. "Well, atleast that was just the waste of one bullet."

"What are you?" The kid gasped turning to me, his voice shaky.

"A monster who kills other monsters. They say if you kill a murderer the number of murderers in the world will stay the same, just why I kill thousands of them, that way their number reduces by a decent amount." I replied as I entered the house, stepping over his mother's body.

"Still... You believed what a kid said and killed them just like that?" He questioned, staring at me, still in shock.

"No, I confirmed your claims before reaching a verdict, I only handed them the sentence for their confirmed crimes." I replied as I looked around. "You have a nice house," I complimented. "Come on in, get your belongings, we will be leaving soon."

"But..." The kid mumbled, looking to the bodies of his parents.

"Didn't you say you have thought about killing them before? Why so shook then?" I questioned, just spraying acid on the wounds, something I was well aware of. "You killed those two kids, didn't you? They were also close to many people, a part of many people's lives, don't you think there are people who felt just this because of you, even if they were bad people."

The kid continued staring at the bodies, very much in shock, a reasonable thing. This at the very least ascertained he wasn't quite mentally unstable, yet, might become after witnessing his parent's deaths. Which left two choices, deal with him how I usually would with kids who have witnessed traumatising things, or simply test him.

"Do you want some time or are you alright?" I inquired, deciding to leave the choice to him.

"I am fine." the kid answered, entering the house and walking past me, rushing straight upstairs.

"Make it quick," I called after him. "Maybe I shouldn't have done that, but as a father I just couldn't bring myself to not do that to someone who sold off their own daughters." I mumbled to myself as I started looking around.

There were several framed photos around the house, none containing the daughter, as if they attempted to erase any clue of her existence entirely. I failed to find anything useful to me as I looked around the house, not touching things or looking inside things, leaving the crime scene untouched for the police to search it properly.

Around twenty minutes passed as I waited downstairs, and the kid still seemed nowhere near done. "I probably should go check, just in case." I mumbled as I climbed up the stairs.

There were three rooms upstairs, the door of each closed. This raised suspicion, but I found it hard to believe the kid would do anything reckless. I opened the closest door, slowly, not making the slightest of sounds. It looked like a bedroom, most likely belonging to his parents, the balcony visible from the windows and the open door connecting all three rooms. I opened the second room, only to find it completely empty, not even any furniture. It seemed as if everything inside was moved out just a couple days ago.

"His sister's room," I mumbled. Only one door remained, locked, from the inside. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Why should I trust you?" The kid questioned, his voice sounding somewhat strange

"Because I am not giving you a choice now, open the door kid," I replied, not trying to sugarcoat things anymore.

"Why should I trust you?" He questioned again after precisely half a minute.

I walked away from the door, walking back to the parent's room. Opening the door in an instant I shut it behind me, turning to it right after. "So, what's the big idea?" I questioned.

The kid stared at me in shock, not having thought that I will realise he hid behind the door in his parent's room. He did not speak even when I asked him, clearly somewhat scared to now. "How did you know?" He mumbled after a few moments.

"Its easy to tell the difference between a recording on a phone and someone speaking right in front of you. The fact that you probably taped the phone to the door only made it worse. Didn't even do the hard work of using another phone or record a longer message, what did you even do these twenty minutes?" I questioned.

"I packed my bag, but I don't trust you, and I wouldn't want someone like you to adopt me anyways, a cold blooded killer, you don't seem like police." The kid mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"I am not police, and I don't plan to adopt you either, I already have three daughters I don't need another kid. Consider what I am doing returning a favor, because of what you did for my daughter, so I don't plan to just leave you in an orphanage."

"Shouldn't have killed my parents in the first place," The kid mumbled.

"Your parents were involved in human rights related crimes, to put it simply, they were some of the worst people out there, and they sold off their own daughter, your sister, to some equally horrible people who do unspeakable things to people you are better off not knowing about right now. Want another reason I would've killed them regardless, this is the third daughter they have sold off, you are safe because you are a boy."

The kid stared at me, surprised, and confused. "I have an older sister? Two older sisters?"

"Well, who knows, they might be dead by now, not like your parents cared," I shrugged. "Because you want to be so difficult and uncooperative when I am trying to do something good for you, learning more about your parents seems like a small punishment, don't you think?"

"Why would they even do that?" The kid gasped.

"Some people care about money way too much, nearly everything your parents owned was bought by money they earned from ruining lives," I sighed. "So, want to go now? Or do you want to learn more? I would prefer if you don't, because despite everything you have done, you are still seven."

"If you are not planning to adopt me why do you want me to come with you?" The kid questioned, having somewhat calmed down, surprisingly.

"There are several reasons. Firstly, you killed eight graders as a seven year old, I don't care how frail or weak they were, you should have been punted like a football across the hallway, even if you did use weapons. Basically you have a fair amount of potential in my field, so I would like to train you, so the potential does not go down the drain like it normally would in such a case. Secondly, your parents are dead, and I killed them, I would feel guilty for leaving a kid in an orphanage after killing his parents right in front of him," I explained. "Lastly, I don't know why, I don't know what you did and how you managed it, but Kesshō seems very relaxed and happy around you, more than even around Fi, so I am doing this for her, that is the most important reason, so I would recommend you to consider my offer."

"I have a condition then." He said, almost instantly, as if waiting to get one reliable leverage in this deal.

"What is it?" I questioned.

"You will tell me everything you know about her past, don't try to leave even small details," The kid answered.

"What if I lied? How will you know?" I inquired with a shrug.

"I will just leave after telling Kesshō I hated her," He shrugged.

It took much self control to not punch the kid's face right, and instead punch the door, right above his head. While the door did not survive and got a hole punched through it, the kid survived, though frozen in fear. "Let me also tell you this much, if you hurt her in any way, emotionally or physically, I will kill you in one of the most painful ways I could think of, and I would not care that you are a kid in that case." The kid nodded. "Good, let's hold our ends of the deal, would be better for both of us." I smiled at him, knowing it would take much time for the kid to get over being scared of me, not that it mattered much for now.

----------------------------------------

"You are telling me this kid killed an eighth grader?" Fi laughed, lying down on the sofa.

We sat in the living room, five sofas placed in front of a tv with a low table in the space between them. Two large sofas were lined up with the wall, with a large one at one side, and two small ones on the opposite side. Fi sat on the large sofa in the very center, next to me, the kid sitting on one of the smaller ones.

"I don't think you should make fun of a kid just because you are jealous you can't do that even as an adult," The kid replied, a grin on his face.

Fi's laughter died off instantly, the look of shock on her face as she stared at the kid. I barely managed to hold my laughter, surprised the kid could come up with such an insult. "He is not a seven old, he is so mean." Fi sobbed, clinging to me and burying her face in my clothes.

"As much as I should be mad at him, you started it, even though you look like you could be in sixth grade," I replied, patting her head gently.

"I am five feet tall, and I am twenty five, there is no way a sixth grader is five feet tall." Fi complained, headbutting me as she did.

"I feel like you are more childish than him," I sighed. "Regardless, you don't need to pay much mind to him if you don't get along, Kristine already said she is fine with taking care of him."

"Rich people really can order people around," The kid mumbled.

"Sadly for you, Kristine doesn't get a salary, so the matter of money doesn't come into play here," I replied to him.

"Huh?" I questioned, tilting his head.

"You can think of her as his friend, he pretty much saved her around twelve years ago. She wanted to return the favor so she picked the job of a maid here, and refused any salary he offered to her," Fi explained. "Still, because she is like an older sister to me, I do let her buy anything she wants to with my money, basically she is like a part of the family.

"More like my money," I corrected, "but because Fi also earns Kris just thinks of it as Fi's kindness."

"She doesn't minds taking anything from me because we are close like sisters, but she would absolutely not accept anything from Kurai, it's actually adorable. Still, sadly because of how highly she holds him, she lost to me when it came to stealing hearts." Fi explained with a smile.

"Don't you think you shouldn't say all that in front of her?" The kid questioned.

"I know it already and I don't mind it, Fi isn't someone who likes to hide things from people," Kristine sighed, setting a plate filled with cookies on the table.

"Did you bake those?" Fi questioned, picking one almost instantly.

"No, I only helped your daughters, Crystal did most of the work as she is the oldest," Kristine explained.

"So, in your professional opinion, how did they do?" Fi questioned, taking a bite. "Tastes good to me, you want one Kurai?"

"I will pass for now," I replied.

"They did pretty well, all three listen well and try their hardest when they put their mind to something," Kristine answered.

"That's great," Fi smiled. "Want one?" She inquired, pointing a cookie at the kid. "What's your name by the way?"

"Einar Solace, and no I don't want it," The kid answered, showing no interest in the cookies.

"Each used a different shape right?" Fi inquired. "Sapphire the flower shape, Crystal the diamond shape, and Kesshō used the heart shape." She mumbled, holding a heart-shaped cookie in her hand, taking a bite from it right after. "These are really good, you should try them," She suggested the boy.

"No thanks, I don't want any." The kid replied with a shake of his head.

"Kesshō would be so sad if she found out you declined the cookies she made," Fi sighed, the mischievous smile easily visible on her face.

"Won't work, she wouldn't even mind something that small," The kid replied.

"Oh? You think you know her better than me?" Fi inquired, taking the kid's words as a challenge.

"Considering how you are, I am certain I know her better," The kid replied.

"This is not going to end well," I sighed.

Kristine smiled nervously, backing out of the challenge. "I will go and watch over the three." She bowed before leaving.

"What is her favorite thing to eat?" Fi questioned.

"Chocolates, that's the easiest question there is." The kid answered with a shrug.

"And wrong answer, you are out." Fi announced with a laugh.

"Don't lie," The kid grunted.

"Why would I? She definitely likes chocolates a lot, but it's still not her favorite," Fi replied with a smirk.

"What is it then?" The kid questioned.

"Rose petals, she likes how they taste, something I can relate to," Fi answered.

"That's weird," The kid mumbled.

"Want another question, what shape are her pupils?" Fi questioned.

"Circles? Ovals?" The kid answered, confused by the question.

"Wrong again, her pupils are heart shaped, just why I suggested the heart shape for her cookies," Fi replied.

"Are you done competing with a kid?" I questioned, knowing if let be she wouldn't stop anytime soon.

"He started it," Fi mumbled with a pout.

"As for you, I hope you can handle the large amounts of responsibilities I will be shoving onto you so I can do my work without worrying," I said turning to the kid.

"I figured as much," the kid mumbled.

"His vocabulary is good," Fi whispered in my ear.

"Do you like writing?" I inquired the kid, having thought of a good idea.

"Not really, I only ever read academic books because I need to, being prepared in advance is a good thing," He answered.

"Smart, what was your name again?" Fi questioned.

"Didn't I just tell you?" The kid sighed. "Einar Solace."

"Hard to pronounce and hard to remember name, from my guess it's a Nordic name, and I am not Nordic, or even European, I think at the very least," Fi replied with a shrug. "I will be calling you... Dark, suits you well."

"How does that suit me even?" The kid questioned.

"Kurai, explain to him," Fi commanded, resting her head against me.

"Fine," I sighed. "To put it simply, she is very dumb."

"That's mean," Fi mumbled.

"She doesn't remembers names almost at all, she only remembers the names of people close to her, and even among them only the very simple ones," I explained. "As for why she chose the name Dark, it's because you look somewhat similar to me, blue eyes and black hair, and my name translates to 'dark', she would be able to draw a connection easily and remember that way. As for me, I will continue calling you 'kid' till I find you worth remembering."

"You both are very cruel, you know, more so because I am just a kid," The kid sighed.

"You all want dinner right now or later?" Kristine questioned, peeking out from the corner.

"What time is it?" Fi inquired.

"Eight a.m." Kristine answered.

"Are you hungry right now?" Fi asked the kid. The kid shook his head. "Right now, you did save some cookies right?" Fi replied to Kristine, getting up from the sofa.

"Yes, why?" Kristine inquired.

"Give some to the kid after dinner, he can eat them whenever he wants." Fi commanded, walking past Kristine.

"So she can be considerate," the kid sighed.

"You should really stop insulting her," I suggested the kid.

"I am not really scared of you, I think you should have known that," the kid replied.

"I am not threatening you, I am giving you a suggestion, she isn't someone you would want to hurt," I responded, getting up from the sofa. "Again, not threatening you, only giving you a suggestion."

"What will happen if I did hurt her?" The kid inquired, following behind me.

"She will get sad, then she will most likely cry, and that's pretty much it," I answered. "She wouldn't do anything to you, she is too kind to even think of that."

"She seemed not so kind back there," the kid mumbled.

"Yes, because you are going to living with her three daughters, all of whom she loves more than anything else in the world, so she is just testing you."

"Testing?"

"Your patience mostly, which you failed in back there. You have to be very patient with kids, and if she feels like you might get mad at them, she isn't even going to let you near them."

"I messed up then," the kid sighed.

"Don't worry, you have been through a lot in this day, she isn't going to make any decisions today. While she was trying to test your patience, she mainly tried to get your mind off everything else, which she succeeded in."

"And you just reminded me of them, very supportive."

I laughed at the remark. "Yes, like forgetting about your problems will fix them. It's good for getting some relief, but forgetting about something is never the right thing to do, accepting the reality is the best option, which is best done with a clear and calm mind. No need to think too hard about all of that for now, just keep yourself calm and think about it another day when you feel better."

"Didn't you say you aren't going to adopt me?" The kid questioned.

"I am not adopting you, I am simply hiring you."

"That's not very legal," the kid pointed out.

"Yes, so is killing people, but you have already done it so you don't get a say in this. Your job is simple too, just look after my daughters when I can't, basically at school. That also reminds me, why were you at school today?"

"To see how things were going, I made the excuse of being there to submit a project with my parent's permission. I was caught though, by the police officer moreover, and he decided to lecture me for ten minutes till you came in."

"Any clue why Kesshō likes you so much?"

"No idea, I just met her yesterday in the hallway when she was getting bullied. I don't think it's because I beat up the bullies either, she doesn't even know about it. That reminds me, you haven't told me about her."

"After eating, all I can tell you now is that she is a weird but adorable kid, protect her, that's your job."

"I will even without you telling me to," the kid sighed.