She was pacing back and forth, muttering angrily, when he caught up to her in the infirmary.

"What's wrong?" He shifted his backpack higher on his shoulder.

"There's no one here." She gestured around the infirmary.

"No, I think the nurse is on an in-service day, or something. What's wrong?"

"I need…" she trailed off, frowned, and started again. "Part of my medication is injections. I have to take them every couple days. The nurse here's been doing them for me, and now I'm due another and she's not here." She paced the length of the room and back again.

"Is it serious?" She nodded without looking up.

"I need those injections. If I throw off my schedule this way, it can be very bad."

"Can you do it?" Kyrianna looked up now, eyes searching Clark's face, and he went on, "You've been getting them for years, right? Can you do it?"

"I…yes, I can. I have a syringe, but…" she trailed off again. Clark nodded.

"Take your time." He pushed the door closed and pulled out a chair. Kyrianna swung her bag off her back and opened a small pocket at the very front, pulling out an overnight bag.

"You don't have to stay."

"Yes I do." Nodding, she pulled out a strap and wrapped it around her arm, pulling it tight. Clark touched it lightly and looked at her questioningly.

"Makes it easier to see the veins." she said briefly.

"I thought you took this medicine…you know, like a pill or something."

"There's a pill, twice a day, and this." She winced as the needle slid into her arm. "Damm, you'd think I'd be used to that."

"And you'll have to do this…" Clark trailed off, and Kyrianna looked up briefly before gently pulling the needle out.

"Forever. Every two days, forever. On the other hand, if I ever want to commit suicide, all I have to do is skip a day." She rose and slowly made her way to the sink to wash off the bits and pieces.

"Are you ok?" Clark asked, watching her steady herself.

"Yeah. It just makes me a bit dizzy is all. I'll be fine."

"You've managed to miss nearly a whole class."

"So have you."

"I had study hall this period."

"I can borrow Chloe's notes."

"I don't have to have notes."

"You won't have your assignments done."

"Oh yes I will."

"Really? I always need study hall to get them done." She hesitated, closing up her bag and then just standing, staring at her hands.

"What? What's wrong?" Clark asked, standing.

"Nothing wrong. Clark…" she turned to look at him. "Thank you."

"No big."

"No, really. Thank you. No one…" she trailed off yet again, sighing. "People don't like to be here when I do that. And alone, it…thank you."

"I told you, it's not a big deal. The bell's gonna ring in a minute, are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine." They headed into the corridor; Clark pulled the infirmary door closed behind them and turned to head for his next class.

"See you later, Clark."

"See you, Kyrianna."

"What happened?"

Trust Lex to notice straight off, Kyrianna thought tiredly.

"Nothing happened. I nearly missed my schedule, that's all." Lex stared at her.

"That's all?"

"The nurse wasn't there, but Clark was, and he helped me."

"Clark helped you." Lex's voice was flat. Kyrianna studied his profile.

"Of course he helped me. What else would you expect from Clark Kent? The guy helps everyone."

"Are you ok?" She nodded, looking out the window now. "Your dad called."

"Might have known. Was he upset?"

"No…he wanted to know if you were ok. He was worried."

"I'm fine. I'll call him when I get in."

"Kiri…"

"I'm fine, Lex. Really and truly, I'm fine. I wasn't that late."

"But what if you were?" He paused, expecting her to answer, but she sat silent. "What if this happens again?"

"It won't."

"How can you tell?" Her answer was simple, and, in hindsight, obvious.

"Because now I have Clark."

Clark was sitting on the couch in his 'Fortress' when Lex arrived.

"Lex." He jumped up.

"Relax, Clark. I came to say thanks for helping Kiri out today."

"No big." He flushed slightly.

"It was. Very few people are willing to help her like that. For all you knew, she could have been taking heroin."

"But…she wasn't. It was just medicine." He looked out the window. "Is she all right?"

"A little shaken up. When I left, she was trying to persuade her father not to come out here."

"Her father?"

"Mr Winner takes care of his own. He called while she was in school today."

"While she was in school?"

"Time difference." Both men turned to see Kyrianna leaning against the rail behind them. She looked pale and Clark rose to his feet, offering her his place on the couch. She sat down, smiling a thank you. "I borrowed a car and driver, Lex, I hope you don't mind." Lex shook his head.

"Don't worry about that. Are you all right?"

"What? Yes…my uncle yelled at me for twenty minutes in Japanese." She smiled faintly. "I didn't even know he knew that much Japanese."

"What was he yelling about?" Clark asked.

"The nurse not being there. He wants to come out here so he can yell at her in person."

"In Japanese?" Lex asked.

"No, in English. Actually, it'd be kind of cool if he did yell at her in Japanese…" she trailed off for a moment, before shaking her head and turning back to them. "My Dad's coming out week after next. He thinks Bri might be free."

"Who's Bri?" Clark asked.

"My middle sister, Brianna. The only healthy one of the lot of us." Lex rolled his eyes.

"You know, your father's a very nice man, even if your uncle is scary. But his kids are so damm fragile!"

"All my uncles are scary."

"How many kids in your family?" Clark asked, interested.

"Three of us. Myra, my eldest sister, has a fluidic imbalance in her inner ear." Kyrianna said this in the manner of someone who's said this over and over. "It's not dangerous as long as she watches where she's walking, Brianna's perfectly normal except when she hit her growth spurt she hit her growth spurt, and you know about me."

"Yeah." Kyrianna blinked.

"Sorry. I get asked about my family so often. Dr. Reding makes me talk about them all the time."

"I didn't know you were seeing him." Clark said carefully.

"Oh. Yeah. Lionel Luthor thinks I'm mad. It's a condition of my staying here."

"He thinks you're mad? Why?" Lex broke into the conversation.

"She doesn't care much for my father."

"Not many people do." Kyrianna added.

"Why would that…" Clark asked.

"Because every time I see him I tell him things I shouldn't know."

"Things she couldn't know." Lex added. "It's fun watching to see how he reacts, though. My father doesn't care for surprises."

"What kind of things you shouldn't know?" Clark was fascinated.

"Things like…how many employees have died in his factories. Conversations he's had in private. Incidentally, did you know your castle's haunted, Lex?"

"What?" Lex looked surprised. Clark leaned back, losing track of the conversation completely.

"There's at least one ghost. There might be more."

"Ghosts." Clark muttered. "We get all sorts in Smallville."

"No, I didn't know that. How do you know?" Lex looked…mad, Clark decided. Kyrianna shrugged.

"We had a ghost at home. You get to know when they're around."

"Have you seen…" Lex trailed off.

"Her. No, I haven't. She's definitely around, though."

"Well, if you see her, let me know. Come on, I'll drive you back. Clark, I'll see you."

"See you, Clark."

"Bye."

"Did you have to say all that in front of him?"

"Clark's wrapped up in all this just as much as you are, Lex. I'm not sure why yet, but he is."

"Yes, but ghosts?" Kyrianna turned from the window to look at Lex.

"That bothers you."

"Yes."

"Why?" He didn't answer; Kyrianna stared at him for a long minute before nodding. "That's right, I forgot about Jeff."

"You know, that's truly unnerving."

"Sorry. I can't pretend I don't know what I know, though."

"Try." She made a face at him and looked out in surprise as they reached the Luthor mansion.

"That's one of Dad's cars. Who's here?"

"Your scary uncle."

"I told you, all my uncles are scary. Which one is it?"

"Mr Yui."

"Uncle Heero? Kakkoii! Thanks, Lex!" Grinning, she leapt out of the car and flew into the house.

"Have you guys seen Kyrianna?" Clark asked at lunchtime. Pete shook his head.

"She picked a good day to be out." Pete muttered.

"Why?"

"You didn't know?" Chloe asked. "Weird things have been happening all day. One of the classrooms was locked, from the inside. A computer in the la blew up."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No. One of the jocks swears he was tripped in the lunch room, even though no one was anywhere near him. A fountain started running in the corridor, but it shuts off when anyone goes near it."

"Jeff?"

"We checked." Pete said. "Jeff's still in custody."

"So what's the theory?"

"No theory yet." Chloe admitted. "Not enough evidence. No one's been hurt, so if it is on purpose, someone's being very careful…and if it's not, it's a whole lot of coincidences."

"I'll keep my eyes open." Clark promised.

"Kay. See you later."

"Lex?" Clark stuck his head around the corner of the door.

"Come on in, Clark."

"I was just dropping off your produce."

"And looking for Kiri."

"No, I…is she all right?"

"She's fine. He uncle came for a visit so she took the day off."

"Her uncle?"

"Yeah. She told her dad he wasn't to come out. So he sent his brother-in-law instead."

"His brother…" Clark trailed off as voices were heard down the hall.

"Oh, here they are now." Lex said, pretending to be surprised. A man came into the room and checked slightly on seeing Clark.

"Nani, uncle?" Kyrianna said from behind him. He said something in Japanese, moving further into the room. Kyrianna's uncle was perhaps a little younger than Clark's parents, and his Japanese heritage was strong.

"Clark. Uncle Heero, this is Clark Kent. Clark, my Uncle Heero Yui. Clark helped me in school yesterday, uncle."

"Yes?" Heero shook Clark's hand; Clark got the feeling he was being evaluated.

"Uncle…" Kyrianna's voice carried faintly warning overtones.

"Nani? I'm not doing anything."

"Yokatta. Don't." Smiling faintly, she turned back to Clark.

"I didn't know you spoke Japanese."

"Oh yeah. Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, bit of French and Spanish…" She grinned at the look on his face. "Multicultural household, remember?"

"Kiri." Heero said, adding something else in Japanese.

"Wakatta, uncle. Chigau, I wasn't. Why did you think that?"

"Experience."

"My ane and I are two very different people, Uncle, just like your ane and you. Now, English, if you please. Let's remember our manners."

"Ryoukai." he said with a faint smile. Kyrianna grinned and murmured "Gomen nasai," before leading Clark to one side of the room.

"What was that?" Clark asked quietly, glancing back at where Heero was now talking to Lex.

"Uncle's…old-fashioned. He likes family knowledge to stay within the family."

"Family knowledge?" She gestured.

"Things about family members. My illness, and especially Myra's. Our heritage."

"Oh." Clark thought about that. "You're not in trouble, are you?"

"No, Don't worry." She glanced back at Heero. "Let's go outside. Did I miss anything in school?"

"It's too cold to go outside." Heero told her firmly.

"Oh, Uncle…"

"Iya. Stay inside, Kiri."

"Hai, uncle." She sighed.

"You actually missed a lot. The school's gone crazy today."

"How?" Kyrianna asked. Clark listed some of the odd things that had happened that day.

"Was anyone hurt?" she asked.

"No, no one. We were all kind of thirsty, but that's about it."

"Thirs…oh, right, the fountain."

"Kiri?" Heero said from behind her.

"Nani?"

"What's going on?"

"Mitte, uncle, I don't know. I didn't go today." He nodded and she went on, "Aisuru. I'll take care of it."

"When?" She thought for a moment.

"Clark, do you trust me?"

"What? Yes."

"Good. I have to go to the school. Come with me?"

"Now? Why?" Heero growled slightly, and Clark threw him a startled look. Lex didn't seem fazed at all.

"It's…complicated. Please, Clark?"

"Sure." He gave up on understanding.

"Be careful, Kiri." Heero said quietly.

"Itsumademo, Uncle. Don't worry."