Rider: Ohiyo Minna-san.

Wraiths: Uh, dude, it's still dark out.

Rider: Yeah, but it's technically morning.

Starfire72: Do you have any idea what time it is?

Rider: Go back to sleep Star. Wraiths and I got this. (turns to readers) We introduced Bio to the show Teen Titan, and she has since changed her name to starfire72, just in case you're wondering who that was.

Wraiths: Answer the questions and get this started so I can go back to sleep.

Rider: Well go back to sleep then, I told you I could do this solo. Anyway…

To HinaGuy749, sorry I forgot your questions on the last go around. Let's see what I can do here. The "especially" comment was because there is one girl more important to Keitaro than the others, but I ain't telling who! Not yet any way. . As for the amber stone, hints on that later this chapter. The "her kind comment", hints on that in this chapter too. Next up, I've looked through the manga and anime, and I myself can't find anything to prove one way or the other if Kuro is guy or girl. (Unlike when Naru goes and stares at Tama's…ahem! Anyway, since this is my own little AU, he's a guy. The "for what you did" comment, hint's in this chapter, as well as Kuro and Ice's past (indirectly at least). I hope that covered everything. But just to tease your brain, you seem to have missed an important question. Just in case you want to go back and look.

To KylaranAeldin (kami-sama I hope I spelled that right), sorry I made you cry.

Wraiths: And you're not freak for liking sexy, goth, demon girls! You're simply ahead of the times like myself!

Rider: Go back to bed. (turns back to readers) And now on with the story. Enjoy people.

In Search Of Her Place

Chapter Five: Truths? Or Lies?

He sat in silence. Not total silence, but it was quiet enough. He opened the old book that he kept hidden from all eyes other than his own. He smiled at the contents, and began to sing a song he had heard on the radio some time ago. "Well I've got some scattered pictures, lying on my bedroom floor. Reminds me of the times we shared, makes me wish that you were here."

He continued to flip through the pages of the book as he hummed the song softly. At last, he reached the final page of the book, and the most recent photo. He traced the face on the paper with his fingers. "Open the past and present and the future too. It's all I've got and I'm giving it to you." He closed the small book and returned it to the hiding spot beneath the floorboard. He then lay down in his futon and fell asleep.

---

"No!" Kanako turned and threw wide the door to her room, inadvertently ripping it from it's track and hurling it down the hall way. "I don't believe you!"

Kuro summoned his magic and began to hover in the air. "Kanako-chan! Wait!" He attempted to fly after her, but despite his best efforts, found he wasn't moving at all. He looked back to see Lillith was holding his tail. "Let go of me!"

Lillith shook her head. "I had a feeling she would react this way. Give her some time to sort this all out for herself." She leaned against the broken doorpost and sighed heavily. "Poor thing, it's not easy to find out you are something other than what you always believed yourself to be."

Kuro stopped fighting Lillith's hold and landed on the woman's shoulder. "Guess you're right." He paused. "Speaking of being something other than what you are, can you do something about this form of mine?"

Lillith studied the cat for a moment. "The binding is very well done." She shook her head. "I can't reverse the work that was done, but I can modify it a bit." She smiled nervously. "No guaranties on the results though."

Kuro nodded, and the two walked off towards Lillith's room. "Hey, how come the girls didn't come running when Kanako started breaking stuff?"

Lillith entered her room. "I put up a small barrier to prevent interruptions, the girls aren't aware of anything we're doing at the moment."

Kuro looked back at the broken door. "Then how're we going to explain that?"

Lillith sweat dropped. "I hadn't thought about that."

---

Kanako ran. She crashed in to people blindly, knocking them to the pavement. She didn't stop to apologize, didn't even holler back to them. She just ran. It didn't matter where to as long as it was away from Lillith and Kuro and their lies.

After nearly an hour of non-stop sprinting, Kanako's muscles refused to go any further without a rest. She spotted a nearby park and headed for the nearest bench. She fell into her seat, but while her body found relief, her mind was a turbulent as it had been an hour ago. She could escape Lillith. She could escape Kuro.

"But I can't escape what they told me, the words are stuck in my mind." She looked up into the pale blue of the afternoon sky. "But what should they matter, they're only lies after all." Yet even as she said this, the words rang hollow. Deep down, Kanako knew the truth. Her head fell in defeat and she stared at the ground. "It's so obvious in retrospect. Everyone's always told me I'm a freak. I mean, come on, I own a cat that can talk! I can bend my bones to look exactly like anyone I choose! How could I not figure it out!?" She sweat dropped as she saw other people in the park looking at her strangely. "And there's the final blow." Her shoulders sagged, and she could feel the tears at the corners of her eyes. "I'm a god damned demon." She whispered to herself, her tone that of a completely beaten spirit.

She stood and walked over to where one could look out to sea. She watched as the other people in the park went about their activities, completely ignoring her as she passed them. She watched as children ran around the playground. She could see the parents in the distance as they talked quietly, occasionally pointing to their child for the other parents. She turned and saw a seemingly endless line of young couples holding each other close and whispering to each other. She hurried on to try and escape the sight.

She reached the railing and stared at the ocean in the distance. The tears began to break through Kanako's normally stoic visage. "I won't be able to experience any of it now." She whispered. "Love? Children? A family? I may not know much about demons, but I've never heard of the caring type before." She rested her arms on the railing and placed her head down. "Onii-chan…" She whispered. "I can't go back to him now. I could end up hurting him. I'd rather let Naru have him than risk hurting him." She looked down over the railing, just now realizing that she was quite a distance from the ground below her. Her world was gone now, turned to dust, this would be a nice and easy way out.

She stood and swung her legs over the railing. She now stood on the wrong side of the protective barrier. She took one last look at her journey's end point, and let go. Instantly, she could feel gravity take hold of her as she began her headlong decent.

---

Naru looked at the broken door of Kanako's room. "I notice that Ice isn't here either. Anyone else think this isn't just coincidence?"

"Give it a rest!" The rest of the Hinata-sou residents all yelled at once.

Naru huffed. "Fine."

Keitaro studied the door intently. "I don't think Ice did this."

Motoko kneeled down next to the landlord. "How can you be so sure?"

"Look here." Keitaro pointed to where there appeared to be finger marks pressed into the wood of the door. "The fingers are too small for Ice's grip size."

Naru walked over and kneeled down to look at the door. "Since when are you a forensics expert?"

Keitaro smiled slightly. "I'm not, but I am an archeologist." He scratched his head. "Or I will be once I finish my classes. I had to take a class on site observations and preservation. You just kind of notice little things more after a class like that."

Naru raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Ok…so, what else can you tell?"

Keitaro began to inspect the door more closely. "Thrown open from the inside, narrow fingers suggest a woman's grip. I'd say it was Kanako, except she shouldn't have the strength to mar the door like this."

"What if she was running from someone?" Kaolla asked from up the hall in Kanako's room. "I scanned the room and the computer says there was evidence of a struggle." She looked up from her screen. "Hate to say it, but Naru may be right. Kanako could have made the mess, but Ice may have been chasing her."

Shinobu shook her head. "But Ice was the one who made Kanako well again. He wouldn't hurt her."

Sarah also shook her head. "We don't know that for sure though."

The silence hung heavy in the air for a moment. Keitaro stood and headed for the stairs.

Naru followed close behind. "Where are you going now?"

Keitato picked up his coat and quickly put on his shoes. "I'm going to look for Kanako."

---

Kanako suddenly stopped. "Am I dead?" She looked up and saw that someone had caught her ankle and was now lifting her back up single handedly. At last she was able to see his face and gasped.

Ice blew a cloud of cigarette smoke into Kanako's face, causing the woman to cough. "You a such a friggin' pain in the ass. Do you know that?" He pulled her over the railing and let her fall back onto the ground. "First you make me run. Then you get all weepy and make me want to off myself. And then you try to kill yourself and I have to save your pale, skinny ass." He took another drag of his cigarette and tossed the butt over the railing. "What a waste of a day." He turned and began to walk away, only stopping when he realized that Kanako wasn't following him.

Kanako watched as the man stood there waiting with his back to her. She sat and stared at him unsure if she should be happy or angry that he saved her life. After a few minutes like this she stood and walked around to look at him face to face. She stared at him a moment, then slapped him. "I didn't ask you to do anything for me!" He hit him again. "Why couldn't you let me die!?" She continued to hit him for the next few minutes, taking her frustrations of the day out on him.

Ice stood and allowed Kanako to use him as a punching bag. After nearly a half-hour, Kanako fell to the ground completely spent. "You done now?" Ice asked as he pulled out a cigarette and lit up again and stared at the woman before him. She was a mess, on the verge of both a physical and metal break down. He reached down and grabbed her by the arm. He hoisted her off the ground and brought her to a bench where he placed her down again. "Wait here until I come back." He turned and began to walk away.

Kanako began to try and stand.

"Sit your ass down!" Ice yelled back. "Do not make me chase you again."

Kanako sat. "What do I care any more…" She waited for a few minutes and Ice returned carrying what looked like noodle cart containers. "You went to get food?"

Ice placed one of the containers in Kanako's hands. "Shut up, and eat." He sat down beside Kanako and opened his own meal. "So? You want to explain what the hell you were thinking?"

Kanako opened her container and began to eat. "Go to hell. I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Hell? Lead the way and I'll follow." Ice chuckled as Kanako gaped at him. "So what did Lillith tell you anyway?"

"How do you know about that?" Kanako demanded.

Ice chuckled again. "I know, let's leave it at that. So?"

Kanako took another bite of her noodles. "I take it from your attitude you already know. Plus I saw you kill all those demons last night."

"Hey, I only cracked three of them. Kuro got the fourth." Ice replied. "Now, spill."

Kanako was silent for a few minutes as she ate. "I'm a demon too. You going to kill me now too?"

"You're a friggin idiot." Ice shook his head. "Why would I save you, twice no less, just to kill you? Anyway, you're not a demon."

Kanako blinked at him. "Nani!?"

Ice nodded. "There's a lot of other crap you don't need to know about, but the short of it is you're not a demon." He took another bite of his noodles. "Not a full-blood anyway."

Kanako felt her head spin. "What does that mean?"

Ice shook his head. "How do I explain this?" He turned to Kanako. "You are unique.  There have only been a few hand full of your kind over the ages."

"My kind?" Kanako asked uncertainly.

"Children of the forbidden." Ice continued. "A result of the union of a demon and a mortal."

"Forbidden? I don't understand." Kanako insisted.

"You don't need to understand. You just need to shut up and listen." Ice crushed his empty container and tossed it into a nearby garbage can. "There are forces at play in this conspiracy that I haven't had time to uncover yet, but any way you put it…" He turned to Kanako. "You are at the center of the plot. So keep your head down, and if something like last night happens again you tell me right away. Got it?"

Kanako swallowed hard as Ice's eyes turned from hazel to the most striking blue. "Hai…" She turned away from his gaze. "So, what are you? A demon slayer like Motoko? Or maybe a demon yourself?"

Ice shook his head. "I'm…"

"Kanako!"

Both Ice and Kanako turned as Keitaro's voice.

Kanako stood and began to move towards her brother. She stopped as Ice called her one last time.

Ice turned back and was looking out into the park. "Keep what I've told you to yourself."

Kanako nodded and ran off. "Onii-chan!"

Ice continued to watch the people in the park. "Sorry Kanako, seems I'm no better than Lillith." He sighed. "Truth is, you'd be better off if you were a full blood. Half breeds are even more dangerous." He frowned. "And your fate is one unlike I've ever seen. Just like your lineage."

---

Kanako sat alone at the back of the Hinata-sou. "This entire day sucks." She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms over them. She laid her head down on her knees and tried to remember who she had pissed off in life to have all this dumped on her now. Her head snapped up as she heard someone sit down beside her.

Keitaro grinned at her. "I knew I'd find you back here. Any time you got into trouble with mom you'd always hide back here." His smile faded a bit. "You ok?"

Kanako looked down at the ground. "I don't even know anymore."

Keitaro looked on in wonder at his little sister. Kanako had never been one to get emotional around others, but this was withdrawn even for her. "What's on your mind?"

"So much has happened today." Kanako whispered. "But I can't talk about it."

"I don't understand. We've never had any trouble talking about anything before." Keitaro pointed out. "Why now?"

"I just can't!" Kanako covered her mouth quickly as she realized who it was she was yelling at. "Gomen nasai onii-chan." She whispered.

Keitaro nodded. "It's ok." He stood. "If you change your mind, you know I'm here for you." He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!"

Keitaro turned again. "Hai?"

Kanako fidgeted in her seat for a moment. "Maybe you could just sit with me for a little while?"

Keitaro smiled and nodded as he took his seat once again.

Kanako sat there in silence for a while, debating on what, if anything, she should tell him. "Onii-chan? If you found out something about someone, would you hold it against them?"

Keitaro shrugged. "I don't think so, but I suppose it would depend on what I found out." He leaned back. "No, I don't think I would hold one little thing against someone."

"What if it wasn't just a little thing?" Kanako pressed. "What if someone had lied to you for as long as you had known them?"

Keitaro shrugged again. "I'd like to think I'm a good judge of character. I guess I'd just kind of wait and see what happens."

Kanako nodded and turned up to look at the stars. "I see…" Kanako couldn't tell him now. With an attitude of 'wait and see' she could just as likely lose him completely as bring him closer by telling her secret now. She fought not to cry, but failed. Tears began to fall from her eyes. She started as she felt Keitaro drape an arm over her shoulder.

"Don't cry Kanako-chan." Keitaro smiled as he wiped her face. "Whatever trouble your in, I'll help you."

Kanako rubbed at her eyes and turned away. "What makes you think I'm in trouble?"

Keitaro smiled. "You either have an unbeatable poker face, or you're an open book. You don't want to talk right now and that's fine." He gave her a gentle hug. "But you're family and I'll stick by you regardless of whatever you think you lied about."

Kanako smiled at his words. "Arigato onii-chan." She leaned over and gave Keitaro a kiss on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

Keitaro waited until he heard the gentle sound of Kanako's snoring before moving. He gathered Kanako into his arms and headed down toward her room. He gently placed her into her futon and pulled the covers up over her. "Good night, Kanako-chan." He leaned down and gave her kiss on the forehead before he left the room.

Kanako rolled over in her sleep, a smile on her face. "Onii-chan…"

---

On the floor above Kanako and Keitaro, another couple seemed to watch them with keen interest.

"Kawaii!" Lillith squealed.

Ice rolled his eyes. "Gag me with a spoon."

Lillith glared at him. "How can you not think that scene was cute?" She watched as Ice turned and began to walk away. "Just because you can't find happiness and move on…"

Ice spun and glared at Lillith. His hazel eyes shifted to light blue. "Don't talk to me about happiness or moving on!"

Lillith groaned as an unseen force struck her, but managed to stand her ground.

Ice glared at her. "You know nothing about me. Stay out of my way."

Lillith watched as he walked away. "We used to be good friends." She whispered softly. "Then the Great War happened, and you lost so much. How I wish I could help you." She glanced down the empty hall. "But you're right, I don't know you any more."

---

Ice entered his room and sat before the large amber crystal on his table. An image moved back and forth slightly within it. In the safety of his room, Ice let his disguise fall away. He stared into the image for a time before he closed his eyes. "I will avenge you. I just need to find a way to break the bonding. Somehow, the girl is the key. I will avenge you beloved, and then I will join you."

---

Wraiths: Wait, I'm confused now.

Starfire72: When are you not?

Wraiths: Shut up!

Rider: (chuckles) I'll answer your questions later. (turns back to readers) Hope you enjoyed that. As always, questions, comments, concerns, and yes, even flames are welcomed since I want to know what you think. So please take a moment and drop me a line. Till the next, live safe and be well all.

Wraiths: So, what…

Rider: I said later dude, I need some z's before work.

Starfire72: Me too.

Wraiths: (left alone in dark room) But…