"Can you tell me?" Clark asked. They were now sitting in one of Lex's cars, his contribution to the effort.
"Tell you what?"
"What we're doing here."
"You're not doing anything except driving."
"What are you doing here?"
"Taking care of something. Stop here."
"We're still a block from the school." he protested.
"I know. You can wait here, Clark." Clark jumped out of the car and gripped her arm.
"You're not going alone."
"I have to. You can't help."
"I bet I can." She shook her head and spoke quietly.
"You're fast, Clark, and strong, but this isn't a fight. I'm the only one who can do this." Clark blinked.
"You are not going in there without me."
"You're not going to give way on this."
"No, I'm not."
"You're very stubborn."
"Yes, I am." Kyrianna sighed.
"All right. But listen, Clark. This isn't the kind of fight you're used to. You must listen to me."
"I will."
"Shyeah, right. I'm serious. This is difficult and dangerous and…"
"Dangerous?" She rolled her eyes.
"Not for me, I know what I'm doing. Just…if you're gonna come, pay attention to what I'm saying and doing."
"Ok."
"I'm so dead when Uncle Heero hears about this." She turned, heading for the school.
"Tell me what you and your uncle said."
Clark was fidgety; he and Kyrianna had been sitting in the corridor for almost twenty minutes.
"When?"
"All of it."
"All right. He stopped in the door and I said, what? He said, someone's here." She was frowning in concentration. "I introduced you and then I said, uncle… he said what? I'm not doing anything. I said I'm glad. Don't. I told you I was multi cultural. Uncle Heero said, Kiri, don't spread secrets. I said. I understand, uncle. You're wrong, I wasn't. Why did you think that?"
"You remember this verbatim?"
"Good memory. He said, experience…I said my older sister and I…"
"You only said one word."
"Ane, it means older sister."
"What's younger sister?"
"Imooto. Not a word I use very often. Um, my older sister and I are two very different people, Uncle, just like your older sister and you. Now, English." She sighed and rubbed her face. "He said acknowledged. I talked to you for a bit and asked to go outside. He said No. Stay inside, Kiri. I said yes, uncle. You told me what happened, and uncle said Kiri. I said what? He asked what was going on and I said look, uncle, I don't know. I didn't go today. Don't worry. I'll take care of it. He said careful and I said always." She shrugged. That's it."
"No, it's no. Just before you talked to me about school you said something else. Groaning nosy." She laughed at his pronunciation.
"It's gomen nasai. If you're learning Japanese, learn that one."
"Why? What does it mean?"
"It means I'm sorry. It's used a lot."
"Why were you sorry?" She looked down. "I'm sorry, I'm prying."
"No, it's all right. My mother and uncle had a brother, a younger brother. He died a long time ago. My mother's the oldest but she's never called Heero younger since then…he hates to hear it. Everyone thinks he's the eldest because that's what she calls him. She never calls him Otooto."
"I don't…"
"I said your older sister. Not your younger sister or your sister. Although you can't say that in Japanese, you have to say older or younger…" Rising abruptly to her feet she crossed to the fountain.
"But why would that upset him?" She slammed her hand against the sink and whirled to face him.
"I'm not supposed to know, Clark! No one knows that, not my father who knows everything around him, not Heero's best friend, no one! They never talk about him!" Clark stood slowly.
"How did you know?" Kyrianna smiled sadly.
"I know your secret, Clark…"
"They've been gone a while." Lex said after twenty minutes of silence. Heero was non-communicative in the extreme when he wanted.
"Yes."
"Do you think they're all right?"
"Don't know."
"You're not much of a body guard, are you." Heero's gaze flicked up to meet Lex's.
"I'm not her body guard. She doesn't need one, come to that. Ojousan's more than capable of looking after herself." Lex sat for a moment.
"A friend's daughter? That's what you call your niece?" Heero just stared out the window. "Should we go after them?"
"No. They're fine."
"How can you tell?"
"Quatre hasn't called after them."
"Ah, of course. And Mr Winner always knows."
"He knew yesterday." Heero's face was unreadable, even to Lex.
"Yes, he did." Heero smiled faintly.
"They'll be ok."
"You're bleeding." Clark ignored what she'd just said, hoping he'd misheard.
"Yeah, I know." She rubbed gently at the mark on her hand where she'd hit the sink.
"I thought that wasn't supposed to happen."
"I bleed, Clark, I just clot fast. See?" She lifted her hand, revealing a scar. Running some water in the fountain, she wet a tissue and wiped her hand. "Did you hear me?"
"When?" Sighing, she sat down beside him.
"I know your secret, Clark. I know about you."
"What about me?" She hit him. "Ow!"
"That didn't hurt you. Not much will, unless you're around meteor rocks. You're very fast and strong, and sometimes you can see through things. Right?"
"How do you…"
"I always know, Clark. You see why Mr. Luthor doesn't like me? I always know everything."
"How do you always know?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me." Kyrianna shook her head.
"No. Come on, we can go now."
"Go? You didn't do anything!"
"We're done here, Clark. Let's go back to Lex's." He stepped into her path.
"Will you tell me what's going on?"
"Yes. Let's go, come on."
"You promise."
"Clark…shit! Duck!" She yanked him out of the way as the fountain ripped from the wall and flew towards them. It passed over their heads and shattered against the wall, showering them with plaster.
"What happened?" Clark asked, sitting up. Kyrianna's eyes were tracking something he couldn't see.
"It's ok, Clark. It won't happen again."
"It's not ok. What's going on?" She shrugged a little.
"Ghosts?"
"Ghosts." Clark said flatly.
"Uh-huh."
"Ghosts."
"Yes. Come on." Clark got to his feet.
"Ghosts?"
"Clark! Come on, Lex'll be worried. I'll explain when we get back, all right?" She stopped suddenly, looking away.
"What?" Clark asked.
"Nothing. Come on, we have to go now."
"Why?"
"Because. We have to. Come on, Clark!" She was getting worried now.
In Lex's mansion Heero sat up straight and looked out the window, at the same time as the phone rang. Neither man moved until a servant came to the door.
"Pardon me, sir, it's for Mr Yui."
"Thank you." Lex said, tossing the phone to Heero, who caught it easily and switched it on.
"Hai? Quatre…Iya…With the Kent boy, a while ago…Iya, Quatre, she didn't want…Hai. Don't worry. Aisuru." Lex's grasp of Japanese was basic but he could follow that. He looked up in time to catch the phone as Heero tossed it back to him.
"Where do the kids go here?" the Japanese man demanded.
"The Beanery, usually. Why?"
"Quatre wants to talk to Kryianna. So I'm going to find her. Where is this Beanery?"
"I'll show you. Is something wrong?" Lex got to his feet, pulling on his coat.
"Iya. I don't think so."
"Well, good." It was a fairly idiotic thing to say, but Heero had a habit of making people forget any sarcasm they normally would have used.
"Chloe." Chloe and Pete glanced up to find Lex and another man standing by their table. "Have you seen Clark or Kyrianna?"
"I haven't seen Kiri since yesterday," Chloe said, "and Clark since school. Is something wrong?"
"No, no. Kyrianna's father rang looking for her, and she hasn't got her cell."
"Oh. We haven't seen 'em." Pete said. "Sorry. Maybe Lana has."
"Maybe Lana has what?" Lana asked, stopping by the table. Whitney rolled his eyes impatiently.
"Seen Clark or Kyrianna." Heero said. Lana shook her head.
"Not since school today. Is something wrong?"
"School! Baka Yui! Come on, Lex." Heero said. Lex nodded, turned to go, and paused, looking at the teens. "Don't worry about it."
"We won't." Chloe said brightly.
"We won't?" Pete repeated as Lex left.
"Of course we will. What did he say? The school? Let's go."
"Lana…" Whitney protested.
"Come on, Whitney. You owe Clark. We all do." Pete said quietly. Whitney looked at Lana again before nodding reluctantly.
"My truck's outside."