Rider: Konbawa Minna-san! I hope everyone is well.

Star: I can't take this anymore! No more papers! I don't wanna do any more stupid papers!

Wraiths: And I can't stand listening to you complaining anymore! So shut up already!

Star: Don't push me right now you gothic wannabe! (hovers off the ground, her fists starts to glow with white aura) I have no patience for your garbage right now!

Wraith: (shifts into shadow form) You think I'm scared of a pop princess like you! Bring it on!

Rider: (sweat drops as explosions begin to fill the room) Anyway…Not to many reviews this time, so well do mail quick.

To KylaranAeldin, if Wraiths wasn't so occupied with his stupidity right now he'd probably say something like he's glad you appreciated the blood as much as he did, but he's busy, so I'll say it on his behalf, and he can say it later if Star doesn't break his jaw off during the fight. Glad you liked the blood, and everything else. And thanks for the spell correction.

To watanuki, glad you're enjoying the story. As for your question, Atreyu is a metal group, I'm not sure if their death metal or not though. I'm not sure how much you have to talk about vivisection to qualify for death metal status. Anyway, there's lots of heavy guitar and screaming barely understandable vocals. But the music is still really good, so I encourage you to try them out.

To Keitaro's clone, glad you like everything so far. See above for an explanation of the music. As for Inari's little vision things, that will be explained in a later chapter.

Rider: I hope that… (ducks as debris goes flying)

Wraiths: (looping around the room in shadow form) You'll have to do better than that!

Star: (flying after wraiths) When I get my hands on you, you are dead!

Rider: It's not even worth trying to stop them at this point. I'll meet everyone at the end.

ooooo

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina in any of it many incarnations. It's Ken Akamatsu's, TV Tokyo's , Tokyo Pop's, and…did I forget anyone? I don't know. OC's are mine though, please don't steal them.

Change of Hearts

Chapter Ten: Visit From the Past

Aijou walked slowly as she headed to school. It had been almost a week since Shinichi had been found in the Yakuza warehouse. She looked back over her shoulder, and sighed.

Shinichi also walked to school slowly, but while the others all walked together in a group, he walked alone a few yards back. His eyes, hollow and haunted, couldn't seem to lift their gaze from the ground directly before him.

Aijou looked forward again and continued to walk. Shinichi had been like this since the ambulance that had treated him had taken them home. She hadn't been able to get him to speak more than a few words to her during that entire time. His normally voracious appetite had all but disappeared and he rarely ate more then a few bites of whatever Mai cooked. Even those few bites had happened only because Mai had made Shinichi feel guilty about not eating her "bad" food. When you combined that with the fact that he had redoubled his training exercises, Shinichi had lost a lot of weight already. Aijou was scared for him.

"Sis?" Kam called. "Sis? Sis!"

Aijou snapped her head up. "Nani!"

"You've been twirling your locker combination for a while now." Kam looked worried. "You ok?"

Aijou looked back and forth between her brother and her locker. "I don't even remember getting to the school." She whispered. She looked around the crowded hallway. "Where's…"

"He went to class already." Kam handed Aijou some books. "Don't worry about him so much. He's tough, he'll bounce back."

Aijou frowned. "This isn't something you can just 'bounce back' from Kam." She closed her locker and walked away. "Not everyone is able to keep an optimistic attitude like you can."

Kam watched her go. "What was that supposed to mean?"

"She just scared for Shinichi." Hana walked up to Kam. "She doesn't know what to do for him, so she's angry."

"And she has to take it out on me?" Kam demanded.

Hana gave Kam a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I know you can take it, and I think Aijou does too. Don't hold it against her. Please?"

"Hana?" Kam looked around the hallway. "Could you let go of me? You're causing a scene."

Hana looked around and saw that some of the students were giggling at them. "Oh, my. Do I have something on my face?"

Kam face faulted. "You just…" He started to yell, but stopped when the few people in the hall who weren't staring turned. He took a deep breath. "Maybe you could keep the PDA to a minimum."

Hana nodded. "Ok!"

Kam sighed and walked away to get to his class.

Hana also turned to get to class. She paused and brought her finger to her lip in thought. "What does PDA mean?"

ooooo

Toshi bowed and left her supervisor's office. She walked quickly to her own, much smaller office and shut the door. Once secure behind her four walls, the obscenities flew from her mouth at an alarming rate. Ten minutes later, she slumped in her chair. Her head snapped up a moment later, her eyes narrowed, and her jaw clenched.

"Someone is trying to make a fool of me." She riffled through her desk and gathered some papers into a folder. "I am not a fool, and I refuse to be treated as such." Securing her sword to her back, she exited her office. She ignored the confused and terrified looks of her fellow officers as she left the building. "He's already taken me off this case, and now he's so scared of the political ramifications he's removed me from active duty. I'm not going to let it all go. I've put to much time into this case to let someone else finish it."

She boarded the bus and sat towards the rear. Once she was sure she had some measure of privacy, she opened her folder and took out the crime scene photos. She studied the photo carefully. The first three murders were nothing special, simple hack and slash jobs really, notable only for the brutality with which they were carried out. "And the fact that it happened right under the noses of Tokyo's finest." She flipped to the next photo.

"Mishima." Toshi knew of him, again, nothing special. He worked his way up through the Yakuza ranks over the past few years, but he didn't have enough power to make him worth killing. "Perhaps that was why he was killed." Toshi murmured. "I've been looking at this like it was a Yakuza hit, but it's all wrong. Someone else was responsible for these killings. They used Mishima as the messenger because they knew he'd be expendable, that the reaction from the Yakuza wouldn't be as bad as if they hit a mark higher on the ladder." She shook her head as she wondered about this new theory and flipped to the next photo.

It was a close up of the dagger in Mishima's chest. Forensics and the photo lab had found a message carved into the wooden handle. "Too slow Hajime. Read up on your history." She sighed. "Who have I put away that's been paroled recently?" Her brow furrowed in aggravation. "No one who'd go up against Yakuza, even if it was a low mark like Mishima." The photos were returned to her folder and she left the bus. She walked to the Hinata-sou, lost so deep in thought that she didn't even hear Inuki growl at her as she went to her room.

Toshi stripped out of her uniform and began to pull her civvies from the closet. She stopped as she saw her reflection in her mirror. She studied her body, tracing her gentle curves with the back of her hand. Her frown deepened. She undid the wrap around her chest and then began it again, making it tighter than before. She smiled as she saw the curves that had been barely noticeable before were now completely gone. She dressed quickly into a pair of baggy jeans and gray sweat shirt. She looked back at the mirror and tied her hair back into a tight, simple, boyish, ponytail. "Much better."

She moved on to Keitaro's and Naru's room. She sat and began to sort through the remaining file folders. "Now lets find something useful today."

ooooo

Aijou looked around the hallway as she prepared to leave school. "Mai-chan? Where's your brother?"

Mai shook her head. "I don't know." She looked down at the ground. "Maybe he went to get help studying again…"

"Like he did last time?" Aijou asked angrily. She sighed as she saw Mai's upset face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's ok." Mai assured the older girl, weakly. She looked up as she came to the front door. "Kamali? Hana-onee-chan? Have you seen onii-chan?"

Kam shook his head. "He took off right after gym class."

"I haven't seen him either." Hana informed them.

Aijou looked around, and her eyes narrowed as she realized something. "Where's Inari?"

Kam looked around nervously as well. "Not again…"

Aijou started to run out the door when a tan foot was stuck out from around the corner, tripping the running girl. "Falling…falling…fallen." Her face collided with the pavement. She looked up to Erika running from the scene of the crime.

"I'm going to find Shinichi-kun first!" Erika leapt and landed on the wall that surrounded the school ground. She pulled out her cell phone and pressed a few keys.

"Anybody else feel the ground shaking?" Asked Kam as he held onto the door handle. He extended his hand to help Mai keep her balance.

Mai looked up as something came bounding down the street. "It's a robot?"

Hana pulled out her camera and began taking photos at a rapid clip. "It's not everyday you see something like that."

"I don't believe this." Aijou muttered.

Erika laughed as at large, metal, dog stopped behind her. "Behold the Mecha-Inuki Version One!" She looked up as the metal canine leaned down and swallowed her whole. She slid along the transport tube until she landed in the mecha's cockpit. "I'll see you later!" She called over the speakers.

Aijou stood up and glared as Erika ran off in her contraption. "Oh, it is so on."

ooooo

Inari entered the little café and knocked on the countertop. "Anyone here? Yukimura?"

"Be right there!" Yukimura came out from the back kitchen and stopped cold. "Inari-san…"

"Hey Yuki." Inari nodded in greeting. "Is Shinichi around anywhere?"

"No…" Yukimura looked away. "I…I…don't know where he is."

Inari blinked. "You're his boss and you don't know where he is?" Her eyes narrowed. "What are you acting all weird for?" She sat down on the bar stool at the counter. Inari frowned as the café owner mumbled a response. "Yuki, spill, now."

"I'm not his boss anymore!" Yukimura yelled as she turned away.

"Not his boss anymore?" Inari frowned. "Why the hell not?"

"I…kind of…fired him." Yukimura shrank away as Inari stood and slammed her hands on the counter.

"You what?" Inari demanded. "Shinichi nearly died trying to help you keep your stupid restaurant!" She leaned over the counter. "He's the only reason your not staining sakura petals right now!" She reached over and grabbed the other woman's shirt. "Whatever he thinks he owes you he paid back a thousand times over, and you fired him?"

"I know that I owe him a debt I can't repay!" Yukimura yelled back as she pulled away. "I know that, but…" She started to cry.

"But what?" Inari demanded.

Yukimura looked away. "I've never seen anything like that Inari…and I don't want to see it ever again." She lifted her eyes to meet the younger girl's. "He scares me."

Inari released her grip on the manager's clothes with a shove. "You're coward for not getting over your fear. And you're a bitch for how your treating him." She turned and began to storm out of the restaurant. She turned at the last moment to look at the crying woman, she gasped as she thought she saw someone else in the other woman's place, before regaining her composure. "Your food sucks too." She slammed the door and didn't look back.

ooooo

Sarah looked up as the door to the Hinata Tea House opened. "Hey kid."

Shinichi grunted and sat down at the table in the corner.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Nice to see you too."

"Sorry." Shinichi's voice was monotone and lacked energy of any kind. "Rough week."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, I'll bet. Need an ear to listen?"

Shinichi shook his head. "Nah, I'm just going to work on my homework for a while."

Sarah nodded and returned to her work.

Shinichi opened his text book. He worked in silence for some time before he turned to the sound of something settling on the table beside him. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry."

The woman pouted. "Oh come on. You're the only other person that's been in here all day beside that slave driver." She pleaded with him. "You're not going to make me eat alone on my lunch break are you?" She pushed the dish closer to Shinichi.

Shinichi's stomach growled as he smelled the spices in the curry. He looked at the woman. She had short, pitch-black hair and pale skin. Her blue eyes reminded him of his sister's eyes. The woman didn't look much older than his mom, and she seemed nice enough. "Sure, I don't see any harm. May I ask your name?"

The woman nodded. "It's Amaya. How about you?"

"Shinichi." He took a bite of the meal, and made a face. "It's smells better than it actually tastes."

Amaya laughed nervously. "Yeah, I never really learned how to cook. My brother was the one with the culinary skills." She took a bite of the curry. "God that's awful."

"I was trying to be nice." Shinichi took another bite. "Still…"

Amaya smiled. "School lunches must be real bad now a days if your still eating."

Shinichi didn't respond at first . "Something like that…"

Amaya nodded. "So what has your face hanging so low." She laughed lightly as Shinichi clammed up. "Sorry, I saw that look on my brother's face a lot, so I get nosy when I see it sometimes."

"Well, whatever his problems were, I'm guessing they're not nearly as bad as mine." Shinichi answered slowly.

Amaya turned to the boy a bit more. "I can't say if you don't tell me what's bothering you."

Shinichi turned to the older woman. "Your brother ever almost kill someone?"

Amaya nodded. "Actually, yes." She forced a smile as a look of shock came across Shinichi's face. "Bet you weren't expecting that, ne?" She pulled away from the table. "I'm going to get us some desert."

Shinichi watched as Amaya left the table, noticing for the first time that she was in a wheelchair. He looked up as she came back to the table. "Were you…I mean, did…"

"Was it my brother who put me in a wheel chair?" Amaya smiled and passed him a slice of cake. "Is that what your trying to ask?"

Shinichi took a bite of the cake and looked down as his face flushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

Amaya smiled again. "It's ok." She sampled her own cake. "It was sort of his fault, but it was sort of mine too. I didn't think for myself and I got hurt for it."

Shinichi laid his fork down. "Don't you hate him for hurting you though?"

Amaya blinked. "Hate him?" She rested her head in her hands. "I supposed I did at first. Waking up in a hospital to find your whole world has changed is…frustrating, to say the least. But, no. I don't hate him, not anymore."

"How come?"

"It's in the past." Amaya replied. "It's history. And no matter what I do, I can't ever go back and change what's already happened."

Shinichi looked down. "But what if it happens again? What if I…I mean, your brother, tried to hurt you again. What if it didn't stop the next time, and someone actually got killed?"

"I won't let that happen." Amaya finished her cake. "I can't change the past, but I can revisit it. I can learn from it. I can make sure that I don't allowing to happen like that again." She smiled, though if it was happy or sad, one couldn't tell. "Even though the…incident, took one brother from me, it gave me another. I'm also closer to my sisters now. I don't hate my brother, I can't say I love him either, but…I'm thankful for him. In his own way, he helped me to see the parts of me that weren't all that nice, and I've done my best to change so I can help my family and friends when they need it."

Shinichi stared at the empty plate before him. "Change to help others?" He whispered. He looked up. "Did your brother change too?"

"I don't know." Amaya admitted. "We've fallen out of touch."

Shinichi nodded. "I see." He looked up and smiled brightly, brighter then he had in the past week. "I'm going to revisit my past. I'm going to learn from it, and I'm going to change too." He stood and bowed deeply to Amaya. "When I do, I'm going to come back and show you how much I've changed and thank you properly." He smiled again and ran out of the tea shop, up towards the Hinata-sou.

Sarah came out of the kitchen. "So what do you think?"

Amaya flipped Shinichi's notebook around to study the work. "It's hard to say. His ki is very well developed, as is his chi." She paused. "I can't say what the status of his rei is though."

Sarah sat down in the little booth. "How come?"

Amaya flipped through the pages of the notebook. "He takes after my brothers quite a bit…to much perhaps."

Sarah turned and looked out the window as she saw Shinichi running back to the Tea House and entered again.

"I forgot my books." Shinichi grinned sheepishly as he collected his books and left again.

Sarah nodded. "I can certainly see Ken in him, and the way he puts himself on the line is definitely from both his parents."

"But he is darker than Ken ever was." Amaya looked out the window at Shinichi's disappearing form. "He reminds me of my other brother, but even that is wrong. There's something else too, something I can't identify."

Sarah shuddered at the memory of what Amaya's other brother was capable of. "You think Shinichi could be a danger to the others?"

Amaya smiled. "No. He may be darker, but he's still the son of my brother." She paused. "Have you called him yet?"

Sarah shook her head. "I can't find him. I called Shinobu, but I hung up before she answered. I don't want to worry her any more than she is already."

"Her kids are missing, as far as she's concerned." Amaya began collecting the plates. "I would think that knowing where they are would bring some relief."

"You know how Shinobu gets." Sarah reminded her. "She's likely to do something stupid if she finds out Shinichi and Mai are here."

"She's a mother." Amaya replied. "Sometimes that's what you have to do."

Sarah looked away. "I wouldn't know…"

Amaya nodded slowly. "I'm going to go wash these dishes." She turned and rolled herself back to the kitchen, leaving the blonde alone with her thoughts.

ooooo

"Kamali?" Mai knocked on the door to the boy's room with one hand while holding her book in the other. "Are you in there?" She cracked the door open a bit when she got no answer. "Kamali?" She looked sadly at the empty room and shivered as she felt the cold breeze. "He left the window open?" She entered the room with the sole intention of closing the window against the fall winds. She stopped as she looked up into the tree just outside the window. "Kamali!"

Kam startled awake in his little perch just in time to see Mai easily leap from the window sill to his branch. His jaw fell a little bit as he saw her land with the practiced grace of a martial artist. "How'd you…"

"What are you doing out here?" Mai yelled at him. "It's cold and you don't even have a coat! You'll get sick and die out here!"

Kam blinked. "Aren't you being a bit over dramatic?"

Mai brought her hand's to her lips as she realized what she was doing. Her face fell a little bit and she bowed her head. "Gomen nasai."

Kam looked on dumbfounded. Then he saw Mai shiver. He was used to this weather, but she was only dressed in her simple, white, dress. He held out his hand to her. "I'm sorry too. Let's get you back inside where it's warm."

Mai took his hand. "Hai."

Kam started to climb down the tree trunk.

"Wouldn't it be faster to jump?" Mai asked nervously.

"I guess, I didn't think you could make a jump like…" Kam stopped as he remembered what he had just seen Mai do a moment ago. "Yeah, come on." He pushed off of the tree and jumped toward the window. He blinked as Mai let go of his hand. He turned as he landed in his room, alone. "Nani?" He looked up to see Mai clinging to the tree branch for dear life. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Mai yelled down.

Kam blinked. "Sure doesn't look like it. Just jump."

"I'm making my preparations!" Mai squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she looked down. "I'm making my preparations!"

"You said that already." Kam raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You sure you're all right? We both saw you can make that jump."

"That's cause…I was jumping…up." Mai didn't yell this time, but it was loud enough that Kam could hear her. "Jumping down…" She looked down and felt her stomach roll.

Kam sighed. "You're afraid of heights?" He shook his head. "Then why'd you jump up there in the first place?"

"I thought you'd frozen to death up here!" She yelled back.

Kam blinked again. "It's not…that cold." He sighed. "Hang on, I'll come get you."

"No!"

Kam stopped.

"I…I can get down on my own." Mai stood slowly and did her best not to look down. She looked at her landing point, and quickly looked up again. "I can do this." SHe whispered. She looked down again, this time at Kam. She bent her knees and jumped.

Kam panicked as he saw Mai heading straight for him. He tried to catch her and slow her stop, but wasn't ready. They tumbled across room together.

Mai sat up and rubbed her head. "That could have gone better." She looked over at Kam. His nose was bleeding and he was pointing as though shocked by something. "Nani?"

"P-p-p-pan…" Kam blushed brightly and turned around. "Fix your clothes!"

Mai looked down and gasped. The rough landing had caused her dress to ride up, giving Kam a perfect view of her teddy bear panties. She quickly pulled her down her dress. "Gomen nasai."

"You should be!" Kam turned and yelled at her. "That was a completely reckless jump! And do you know what your brother would do to me if he found out I'd seen you like that?"

Tears began to form in Mai's eyes. "I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Kam sighed. "Great. Now I made her cry." He muttered so only he could hear. "Sorry I yelled Mai. I didn't mean to." He handed her a tissue. "Dry your tears, ok?" He waited until she had done this. He leaned back a bit where he sat. "Did you need something from me?"

Mai looked down at the floor. "You don't have to help me if you don't want to." She picked up her book from where it had fallen to the floor. "I was hoping that you could help me with my homework."

Kam nodded and looked through her assignment pad. "Oh, I see now." They spent the next few minutes going over the different problems until Kam was certain that Mai understood everything. Then they sat in silence for a while. "How'd you make that jump before?"

Mai's eyes went wide and she began to wave her hands franticly. "What jump! I didn't jump! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Kam fell over. "What the hell are you talking about? I know what I saw." He blinked as he saw Mai about to cry again. "What's wrong?"

"Please don't tell onii-chan!" Mai begged. "I'll do whatever you want, but please don't tell!"

Kam was surprised by the panic in her voice, and nodded. "Ok, I won't. But, why not?"

Mai looked down. "Cause it will make him sad."

Kam blinked. "How?"

Mai fidgeted in her seat. "Onii-chan ran away for the first time when Papa refused to train him. I heard them fighting about it. I knew how angry onii-chan was, and I was scared that he would never come back. I followed him, it was a stupid thing to do." She paused and took a deep breath. "China was so big, I could have gotten lost so easily, but he ended up just walking around the next town over, so it was easy to follow him even though it was a long walk. That was the first time I saw him."

"Him?" Kam pulled up a loose floor board and pulled out a couple sodas. "Who?"

Mai took on of the sodas. "You keep secret snacks in your floor?"

"Yes." Kam sighed. "Don't get distracted."

Mai jerked a bit. "Hai." She sipped her drink. "I didn't get a good view of him, but he and onii-chan talked for a long time. He was the one who started to train onii-chan." She paused again. "Onii-chan started to sneak out a lot after that with out telling anyone, not even me."

Kam fidgeted nervously in his seat as he saw a few tears in Mai's eyes. He remembered how Mai had clung to Shinichi after her nightmare. And how Shinichi had calmed down when Mai took his hand at the warehouse. He sighed. Shinichi and Mai didn't seem to keep any secrets from one another, so this betrayal of that trust, by not telling her, must have really torn her up. He lost the chance to say anything as Mai began to talk again.

"After a while, I couldn't keep up with onii-chan anymore." Mai looked down at the table. "He was to fast, and so agile." She laughed. "I remember the first time I saw him jump from the street to the roof of a high building, I wondered if he might be an alien from another planet." Her smile faded. "When onii-chan would come home, I would spy on him to see what he was doing. I saw him training, and began to imitate him. Slowly, I got stronger, and I could keep up with him when he snuck out."

"You must have been really determined to do all that." Kam saw Mai in a whole new light now. "But is still don't understand why we shouldn't tell Shinichi."

"He's always been the strong one of us." Mai explained softly. "And I was the smart one. If he finds out that I can be strong like him, it will make him sad."

Kam remembered the first night that Shinichi arrived at the Hinata-sou. "And even though he tries so hard, he's not as good at school as you are."

Mai nodded. "If he finds out that I can be both, while he can only be one, he'll be really sad." She shook her head. "I don't want any of the people I care about to ever be sad."

"But what about you?"

Mai's head snapped up. "What about me?"

Kam smiled. "Aren't you sad that you have to hide a part of who you are to make someone else happy?"

"I…I've never really thought about it." Mai looked away as she replied.

Kam let out and agitated sigh, but let her lie go. "Well, I think it's great that you can do both. And I think your brother would be happy with that too, and if he's not, then it's his problem to deal with. Not yours. You shouldn't have to make yourself unhappy to please someone else."

"Maybe…" Mai whispered. She looked up directly at Kam. "But you still won't tell, right?"

Kam nodded. "Yeah."

"You promise?"

"Yakusoku."

Mai smiled and collected her books from the table. "Arigatou Kamali." SHe rounded the table and crouched next to Kam before leaning in.

Kam stared as Mai left the room, while placing his hand on the cheek that she had just kissed. He fell back and lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. "Two kisses in one day, plus the one from Toshi the other night. Each kiss from a different girl." He rolled to his side, his face scrunched up in thought. "I wonder if this is what the other guys at school meant when they were talking about 'players'?" He sat up again and went back to his homework.

ooooo

Aijou looked over the table at Shinichi as he worked on his homework. "You look better today."

Shinichi looked up from his work. "You think so?" He looked out the window. "Maybe…" He looked back down at his papers and went back to work.

Aijou resumed her work for a while in silence, before her head came up again. "You've never talked about what happened at that fight."

Shinichi didn't look up. "Nope."

Aijou's cheeks puffed up. "You're avoiding the subject."

"Yep." Shinichi nodded.

Aijou grabbed her book and bashed Shinichi over the head with it. "You are such a guy! Stop with the monosyllabic answers!"

Tears streamed from Shinichi's eyes as pain registered on his face. "That really hurt."

Aijou dropped the book. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…I mean…"

Shinichi smiled and slapped a bandage down over his bump. "It's ok."

Aijou stared, he had let that go way to easily. She lowered her head and went back to her work while she tried to figure out what was going on in his head. She came up with nothing and looked up again. "How are you doing?"

"I still don't understand DNA replication…"

Aijou hit Shinichi again. "I mean about you and the fight! Not the stupid homework!"

Shinichi placed another bandage on his head. "I…I don't know how I am."

"Don't know?" Aijou blinked. "That doesn't make sense."

Shinichi smiled. "There are a lot of things about me that make no sense. You should know that by now."

"I'm trying to be serious here Shin." Aijou pushed a few strands of her bottle blackened hair from her eyes. "I'd really like an answer."

Shinichi laid down his pen. "I don't have an answer Aijou." He leaned forward and let his head rest on the table. "At least not one I understand."

"Tell me then." Aijou insisted. "Maybe I can help you understand it."

Shinichi leaned back a bit and reached into his pocket, but didn't pull it out again. "I met someone in Aunt Sarah's Tea Shop earlier. She told me about her brother. About how he went through some stuff similar to what I did."

Aijou nodded. "Ok."

"I don't know the full story, but he ended up putting her in a wheelchair." Shinichi pulled his hand from his pocket, but didn't open his hand. "I'm scared that the next time I lose control I may do that to Mai. Or you. Or Inari. Or Kam. Or…"

Aijou watched as Shinichi listed the members of the household. With ever name, he squeezed his fist tighter. By the time he reached the final name, she saw a small rivulet of blood dripping onto her kotatsu. "Shin! Your hand!"

Shinichi looked at his hand, and brought both his hands under the table quickly. "Sorry."

"Don't hide it!" Aijou started to rise. "I'll get you a bandage."

"It's ok." Shinichi raised his hand again, no cut was evident. He smiled sadly as he saw the shock on Aijou's face. "Just one more thing that makes no sense, ne?"

Aijou sat down again and took his hand. "There's not even a scar. How'd you do that?"

"My sensei taught me to use my ki to heal faster." Shinichi's weak smile faded. "The woman I met said I should revisit my past and learn from it so that I don't have a repeat of that…day at the warehouse. But, the reason that happened was because my sensei is dead now. He was the one person in my past that might have had an answer to how I can control this thing inside me."

Aijou held onto Shinichi's hand and gave a gentle squeeze. "I may not be a sensei at anything, but I'm from your past too."

Shinichi smiled, and nodded his thanks to Aijou's silent offer. He brought his other hand out from under the table.

"What's that?" Aijou focused on the small object that Shinichi held. "A razor blade?"

"I'm not sure what it is." Shinichi admitted. "Sensei gave this to me." He held it out to Aijou. "The only thing he's ever given me, well, tangible anyway."

Aijou studied the small object. At first glance, it seemed like a simple razor, but on closer inspection, it clearly wasn't. It was black and oddly shaped, as though it had been made with multiple facets. It was also jagged on some edges, like it had been broken from something larger. To her it was a simple, useless peace of scrap metal, but to Shinichi… "This must be very important to you."

Shinichi nodded. "When he gave it to me, he told me that this would be very important to me. That it was going to be key in me becoming the man I will be for the rest of my life."

Aijou started to hand it back. "Better hold onto it then." Shinichi balked at taking it back. "What's wrong?"

"I've been thinking." Shinichi looked out the window. "What if that thing I became at The Cage is the man I'm going to become?"

"I…" Aijou looked down at the little, metal shard. "Do you think your Sensei would do something like that to you?"

"Sensei was…an honest man, who taught me that there are many roads to walk in life." Shinichi replied. "Perhaps he saw the demon in me. Perhaps he thinks that is my path, and I need to walk it for some larger picture. Or maybe, that little shard is what will be what keeps that part of me hidden." He let his head fall a bit. "I just don't know. I have to find out more."

Aijou studied his face, she wasn't used to seeing Shinichi this anxious. "You'll figure it out."

"Maybe, but not yet." Shinichi let his head fall again, his eyes hidden by his long, blue, bangs. "I'm scared of what I might find out, but I will face it."

"Than you should take this." Aijou held out the metal shard again.

"No." Shinichi laid back.

"What do you mean no?" Aijou demanded. "I though you said this was very important to you."

"It is. That's why I want you to keep it." Shinichi brought his hand up so that he could look at it.

"I don't understand."

"Until I'm sure just what it will do to me, I think it's better this way. The answers I need, I can't find here."

Aijou swallowed hard. "So…once you get over your fear?"

"I will probably have to leave for a while." Shinichi replied sadly. "That's why I want you to hold on to that."

"Nani?" Aijou blinked.

"If it is what will save me, it's one more reason to come back." Shinichi was still on his back, his hand over his face. He closed it into a tight fist. "And if it's what will condemn me, that's also another reason to come back."

"Another reason?" Aijou asked. "What's the other?"

Shinichi sat up, and gave a wry smile. "We should finish our homework. It's getting late.

Aijou stared as Shinichi took his pen and began to work again. "How can you just leave me without an answer like that? And why do I get stuck watching your little keep sake!"

Shinichi smiled. "The same reason I do everything else in life, because I don't need a reason. I just do what feels right."

Aijou shook her head and rubbed her temples. "Baka."

"Ahou." Shinichi shot back playfully. He looked down at his books. A small smile hidden behind the bangs that fell over his face. "And the other reason of course…" He whispered.

"Did you say something?"

Shinichi shook his head vigorously.

Aijou blushed a bit as she saw Shinichi's eyes dart to her for a moment. She looked down and began to work on her homework again. She couldn't stop her little smile though as it spread across her face. "Take that Erika." She whispered.

Shinichi lifted his head a bit. "You say something?" He tried to dodge as Aijou's text book came down at his head again, he failed, miserably, and fell face first into the table.

Aijou grimaced. "Damn it."

ooooo

Hana finished loading her pictures on to the computer and formatted her memory card. She looked around the dense foliage in the room. "It was certainly nice of Eri-chan to let me use her computers for my photos." She set her camera aside and began to put them in order in the folders. As she did this she saw another icon on the screen. The modified photo of the person following Shinichi. "That reminds me…"

She opened the web browser and the corresponding e-mail programs. She quickly entered the address and attached the picture file. She then paused as she considered the message to be sent. She typed the letter as she whispered the message aloud to help her maintain focus. "This is from the picture I took of Shin-kun on the day I met him. I thinks she might be dangerous. Do you know this person? Is this why we went on vacation?" She signed her name to the letter, and paused again. "P.S. Don't reply to this e-mail. This e-mail is used by other people as well." She sent the message and then covered her tracks by deleting all traces that the short communiqué ever took place. Once everything was complete she let out a small sigh of relief.

"Whatcha doing?" Erika asked as she dropped down from the trees. "Oh! More pictures of Shinichi-kun for my screen saver?"

Hana startled as the other girl appeared. "Eri-chan! Where did you come from?"

Erika pointed to the hidden ceiling. "I just got back from searching for Shinichi-kun." She pouted a bit. "Even with Mecha-Inuki's advanced sensors, I couldn't find him anywhere in the city."

"Could that be because he has been in Aijou's room studying for the past few hours?" Hana asked.

Erika's face went blank. "He's been where?" It was hard to see because of her tan skin, but there was a faint, red, flush as Erika got jealous. "That's not fair! He's my fiancé! She can't just take him away from me!"

Hana watched as Erika ran out of the room toward Aijou's room. She smiled. "She is so cute sometimes." She brought her finger to her lip in thought. "Maybe I shouldn't have told her that though?" She shut down the computer and left the room. She sniffed the air. "Mai-chan must be making dinner."

"Erika!" Aijou's scream echoed through out the house. "What the hell are you doing barging into my room!"

Hana sweat dropped. "Maybe I'll go help Mai-chan with the cooking." She turned and continued to walk away. She couldn't help but listen to the verbal warfare that echoed through out the house.

"You keep your hands off my fiancé!" Erika's yell followed shortly after. "He's mine! You can't have him!"

"What make's you think I want him!" Aijou shot back. "I know he doesn't want you!"

"Nani?"

"That's right!" Aijou's yell carried down the hall triumphantly. "He took off out the window as soon as he heard you coming down the hall!"

"That's a lie!"

Hana turned just in time to see Erika running down that hall toward the steps. "Eri-chan?" Hana looked on a bit sadly at the tears on Erika's face. "She's so upset she's actually using the stairs like a normal person rather than the secret tunnels." She whispered.

"Shinichi-kun doesn't hate me!" Erika sprinted headlong down the stair toward the front door. She screamed as she crashed into Inari and the two girls down the remaining flights.

Inari rubbed her head. "That… was… not… fun." She glared at Erika. "What's the rush?"

Erika looked up, her eyes watering as she tried not to cry anymore. "I was…Aijou said…Shinichi-kun…"

Inari stood and helped Erika to her feet. "Speaking of that ass, where is he? I have to talk with him."

Erika started to cry again. She turned away and started to run towards the front door. "Not you too Inari!" She opened the door and crashed into another person. She groaned as she rubbed her head. "Why is this day going so badly?" She looked up to see who she collided with.

Mai came out of the kitchen to investigate the sound of the crashes. She saw Erika sitting on the ground staring at the figures in the door way. She also saw that the tan girl's skin had suddenly turned bone white. "Erika? What's wrong?"

Erika scurried backwards away from the door. "What are you doing here! You're not supposed to be here!"

"Who is it?" Mai went over to the door.

Erika grabbed the little girl and hid behind her. "Make them go away!"

Mai looked back and forth between Erika and the two people in the door. She also looked around and saw that the other tenants had been attracted to the door thanks to Erika's yelling.

Aijou stepped forward. "Ok, who are you? And What do you want?" Her eyes went wide. She then grinned as she looked over at Erika. "Oh, I get it now."

ooooo

Shinichi opened the door to the Hinata-sou and immediately reconsidered going back up the mountain path as he felt the tension in the house. "Maybe I can train for another few…years." He sighed and entered the house to find everyone in the living room, along with two guests.

The man looked like a double of Keitaro, except that he had Shinichi's skin tone and hair color. The woman looked like an older version of Erika, right down to the purple eyes and long, silver hair.

Shinichi turned to Aijou. "Who are these guys?"

The man turned to Erika. "This is the man you ran away from home for?"

Erika nodded. "Yes sir."

The man looked over Shinichi as though he was a bug. "I do not approve. Gather your things daughter, we're going home."

Shinichi ground his teeth. "Hey! Buddy! Bad enough you eyed me like a piece of meat! But now your order Erika around too? What's…" He stopped suddenly and looked up to the ceiling in thought. "Wait. Did you just call her your daughter?"

"That is correct." Replied the man.

Shinichi's eyes narrowed. "So you must be the Lamba Lu the old man spoke of." After the man nodded, Shinichi turned to the woman. "And you must be Amalla Su."

Amalla nodded. "I am. It is good to see you again Shinichi-kun."

Shinichi blinked. "Have we met before?"

Erika gasped, and hung her head slightly. "I'll go get my things…" She stood and slowly headed for the door.

Lamba nodded. "Good, it is time for us to leave here."

Erika nodded sadly, defeated. "Yes sir." She stopped as she felt someone grab her arm. She looked up to see Shinichi and locked eyes with him.

Shinichi studied her eyes intently. "Is this what you really want? Is this how you want to leave? Do you even want to leave at all?"

Erika looked at Shinichi and then down at the ground. "I…"

"Speak up." Shinichi insisted. "Don't let him decide your future." He lifted Erika's face with his hand. "You can't change the past later. Make the decision you feel is right now."

Erika turned to her parents, her eyes on the floor. "I don't want to go home yet."

"You don't have a choice." Lamba began. "You must…"

"I don't want to go home!" Erika yelled loudly at her father. "I don't want an arranged marriage! And I don't want to leave my friends!" Her voice dropped a bit. "I don't want to leave Shinichi-kun."

"This decision is not up to you young lady." Lamba took a step forward. "I have decided, and you are…" He stopped as Shinichi stepped in between Erika and Lamba. "You would prevent me from reaching my own daughter?"

Shinichi nodded. "You say you've decided, but so has she. You may be a hot shot king on your own turf, but this isn't your house."

"It's not yours either." Lamba pointed out. "Now get out of my way you dirty little half-breed."

Shinichi blinked. "I'm not even sure what the hell that means to me since I'm all Japanese, but I'm not moving. This is Aijou's and Kam's house, and they invited us here." His eyes narrowed. "You showed up uninvited." He looked over to Aijou, and saw her nod. "So I now invite you to leave."

Lamba took another step forward toward Shinichi and Erika.

"Alone." Shinichi added as he felt Erika clutch at his shirt.

Lamba faced off against Shinichi. "I will tell you once more, get…"

"Put up or shut up old man." Shinichi taunted. "I don't listen to my old man, what makes you think I'm going to do what you say." His eyes locked on to Lamba's. "Now get out." He didn't have time to react as Lamba backhanded him across the room where he crashed through the wall.

"Oh hell…" Inari muttered.

"Onii-chan?" Mai called.

The others groaned in unison.

Shinichi stood and glared at Lamba. "I also don't let my father hit me either. Last chance to walk away."

"I decline." Lamba replied.

Shinichi grinned. "Good, I hoped you'd say that. You're going down."

ooooo

Rider: (watching the fight) They are still at it…(Turns to readers) Alrighty then. You guys all know the set up now, please leave a little something if you get the chance. So, until…(ducks as another explosion rocks the room)

Star: Get over here so I can kick your ass!

Wraiths: (sticks out tongue) Bleh! Catch me first if you can!

Rider: That's it! (brings his fingers to his lips and whistles, a large silver dragon and slightly smaller red dragon descend) Oh! A friend Ginryuu? (pauses, listens to roars, raises eye brow) I see. (bows to new dragon) Nice to meet you Tatsu-chan. Please take good care of him. Hey? Would you two mind killing them both for me? (Smiles as the dragons fly off) Now then, until the next, live well all. (Kicks back and watches the new show, then frowns) Even my damn dragon has a girlfriend now…I hate being single…

Special Note: Inari's comment about Yukimura staining sakura petals comes from a something I heard about Yakuza hits. Hit men would sometimes bury victims with a cherry tree atop the unmarked grave as a warning to others what would happen if they went against the Yakuza. I don't know if this is true or not, but I wanted to put the note out just in case anyone wondered what it meant.