Discalimer: Don't own Katrina Kon, or YYH story and characters. I only claim onto this current storyline.

Thank you, for reviewing, smiles4100. Truth is, I have another story planned that is a lot along the lines of your review, so I don't want to use the same idea twice. And think about it, why would her boyfriend be her brother? But don't get down yet, (I sound so stupid) there might be romance in this yet, I just need to work it in somehow, okay?

Chapter 5: Warning - Panther Demon on the Loose! Do Not Feed!

Well, once again, I'm waiting in the parking lot. Once again, he's late. Probably got lost. He has the worst sense of direction...

I am losing track of time. I feel like I have waited here for hours. I mean that seriously.

"Kurama, you imbecile! I WANT MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED!" I yell pointlessly into the morning, not expecting anything.

To my great surprise, he actually runs from the other side of the building. Yep. He was lost.

"Sorry about that. I---"

"---got lost," I say, synchronizing my voice with his. "Again. You're a fox demon and you get lost." I shake my head. "Okay, I've got some real news for you---"

"---and I have some too. But you can go first."

I take a deep breath, and tell him all about last night's events. "Also, she said she worked at the Okonomiyaki Palace and she was delivering for them, but she had no Okonomiyaki Palace uniform! And she seemed to know that I knew you. She wanted you badly---"

"Her name was Beauty?"

"Yeah, would you know her?"

He actually shudders. "She has been stalking me for I don't know how long. She is a crow demon, which only allows her the ability to fly. It's a very weak, ugly demon form, and Beauty has never been satisfied with that. She knows that I am a powerful fox demon, and seeks that power."

So that's whyI got that vision, I realize. Beauty, the crow, wants to kill him, the fox, for his power!

"Apparently, she created an energy-leeching machine. While there are plenty more vulnerable demons that she could suck energy out of, she wants me. I don't know why. It could be that she knew our father, who was the best demon of his time---"

"---Kurama, there is something I need to ask you now. About Dad."

He looks a bit miffed at being interrupted, but quickly recovers. "What about 'im?"

"Why..." This is so hard. "Why did I never know my father?" I'm surprised to realize that I am almost ready to cry.

He looks away, as if embarrassed.

"Why?" I persist, stronger this time. "Who cares about that pizza-chica muy fea wannabe. I need to know now. It's been killing me."

"Okay, I wasn't going to bring this up, but..." he pauses.

"BUT?!" Now who's getting miffed?

"ALL RIGHT! Your father left. He wanted a life...a different life. He couldn't stand being tied down, so he left with me. Even when my human body was 5 years old, he knew I was special, and not who I seemed. So he went to the Spirit World, and became a great detective to save the Spirit World and Human World. I was his partner. Then he was captured, and I had to seek out the only one who could ever match his power."

"Me." I couldn't believe it. My dad had abandoned me and my mom, taken our son/brother, and what did he trade it for? A life of exhilaration. Rage is pounding via the blood in my skull, flooding me with every bit of hatred my body can withhold.

"Yes. You," is all he says.

I force myself to speak calmly. "S-so, my mom and me weren't enough, huh?"

I see, with grim satisfaction, that I have never seen Kurama look scared. Until now.

"No, it wasn't that, Katrina. It was---"

"---and he expects me to help him?"

"No.....please just let me explain...there were other reasons too---"

"---he.....abandoned.....me....." Now I know what a heart-break feels like.

"Wait..."

"I WON'T WAIT!" I scream. "HE LEFT THIS ENORMOUS HOLE IN MY LIFE AND MY MOM'S LIFE AND I WANT IT BACK! HE HAD NO RIGHT TO LEAVE ME HERE, TO THROW ME AWAY! HE BETRAYED MY MOM AND ME! I'VE SEEN HER CRYING AT NIGHT---" I stop. Something is happening to my body. My fingernails are lengthening and turning into curved claws. Black hair is sprouting like grass all over my body. I can feel my teeth growing. I feel as though something that I have kept bottled up inside of me, some emotion, has been released. Primitive emotions are corrupting my train of thought...

A terrible snarl escapes me. I am rapidly losing control of my brain and free will. I am drowning in an evil, insane, irrational joy. I'm not happy, but I am. Vaguely, I see Kurama looking thunderstruck. "Impossible," he whispers. Everything goes dark.

"Oh my god." somebody whispers.

"She's stirring."

"Thought she was a goner for sure."

I painfully open my eyes. The effort is incredible. "Flomizi-miki.....Mie.....Ka-Kaner...? Wha...am in the .....hospitamittle.....wig?"

"What are you trying to say, Kasumi? You're talking nonsense."

I really concentrate. "Why am I in the h-hospital wing?"

"Oh," says Flomiki. "That cute red-haired guy from before brought you in. He told us he found you

like that. You..." Her face screws up. "You looked like you'd been through a war. Your clothes were ripped, and you were bruised everywhere. Can you remember what happened? Was it that darn Shizuru again? If she did all that, I swear I'll get her..."

"Not Shizuru..." I say thickly. "It was---" I cover my mouth with my hands. And just in time. "I don't remember." I had to lie. None of them would believe me if they knew I thought I had taken the form of a panther demon. They'd only think I was losing my mind, which I really wonder about myself as it is.

A bell rings distantly. They look at me worriedly, concernedly. "We have to get to class," Mie says. "We'll come back and see you again, okay?"

"Sure..." They leave me, and I stew in my thoughts. There was no other explanation. Kurama was telling the truth. I had become the panther that I am inside, that I got from my father. Father? A nasty part of my angry brain hisses. You have no father.

It wasn't long after that when my brother-Kurama-came in. He had a look somewhat between wonder and fear on his face when he looked at me. I notice he has bloody slash marks on his hands.

I get right down to the point. "No messing around, Kurama, no beating around the bush. I want to know what happened out there and I want to know now."

"Just promise you won't interrupt."

I nod my head eagerly.

"All right then. Here is the story. During your....." he checked to see that no one was listening, "panther transformation.....we both learned things that we didn't know. You found out that I was not joking around with my story, and I found out that you, a half-demon, are actually more powerful than your father. Rage is at the bottom of every demonic transformation, and you were angry enough to fuel that shape. I am going to tell you in detail of why your father abandoned you and his other family in pursuit of adventure and.....other aspects. Do you understand?"

Again, I nod quickly. "Why am I all bruised and banged up though?"

Kurama looks sheepish. "Weeeelllll, I kinda had to stop you from hurting someone, so I kinda...heheh....knocked you out. It wasn't easy, bringing down a full grown, very pissed panther. Sorry, but you just refused to faint. But once you did, you turned back into a girl. Sorry..."

I shrugg. "Well, I guess that's fine. Wait...did I do that?" I indicate his scratches.

"Yes, that was most certainly you. You were a hard one to tackle."

"Sorrrrrry...I'm just glad you managed to take me out. It's better me banged up then a panther attack in Japan listed front page in the newspaper. How would we explain that? Everyone would have found out..." I notice him laughing. "What, if I may ask, is SO FUNNY?!"

He laughs some more. "It's nothing, just that you have a very funny way of looking at things, you know that? Not many 14 year old girls will see the silver lining in these situations."

I roll my eyes. "ON WITH THE STORY!"

"Oh, heheheh, right. Here it is, all out in the open. Basically, a few months preceding the time that my father and I left you and my mother, the Spirit World had been corrupted with demons. These demons posed not only a threat to the Spirit World, but indirectly to the human world as well. For if the Spirit World falls, dead souls will have nowhere to go and they will haunt the Earth..." he took a deep breath, "and slowly destroy it. This was something your father could not ignore, avoid, or overlook. A no-way-out type of situation. It was either stay with his family, or save the world. He was the only one with the power to do so. He took the selfless route, and decided to lose all contact with his human family. He figured it wouldn't raise such awkward questions if she, that is to say our mom, didn't know where he had gone. In retrospect, he should have told her who he was---"

"Hold it. Sorry for interrupting," I say worriedly, noticing his look, "but are you telling me that my mom didn't know she married a powerful demon?"

"That's correct. Your father loved your mother dearly, and he was terrified she would desert him if she knew the truth."

"My father, the master of all cats, the Superman of the Spirit World, the incredibly powerful demon, afraid of losing his wife?" I say dryly.

"I do not lie. She was everything to him---"

"---hold up...again. Why didn't he take me with him? He should have known I inherited all that strength. Why did he just leave me?"

"Nothing against you, sis, but half-demons often are very limited in power. They are constricted in their human bodies...usually anyway, like me. I'm stuck in this body. Today, you have disproved that theory hugely. There is no way he could have known. I---" I noticed a small hint of jealousy. "I'm a full demon, and I can't get my true demonic form back no matter how angry I get. But there was another reason for his leaving you behind as well. He wanted to leave you for your mother. He didn't want to hurt your mother any more than he had to, so he left you to keep her company. Now do you see that he loved her more than anything?"

I ignore that. "But, Mom told me my father died when I was old enough to know. Why?"

"Katrina, think about this," Kurama said. "How many mothers want their children to know that their father deserted them? Seriously."

"Oh." My crazy rage was vanishing, but my confusion remained.

"I can show you how to fight it, you know."

"Nah, I'll be fine." I suddenly remembered something. "What was the news you were going to tell me? We got really carried away on my part."

"Oh, nothing much. I just received a letter from one of my dad's messengers, and it basically says that they are all right. Here....." He rummaged through his cloak, and pulled out a wrinkled envelope with the most tidy scrawl I had seen. "You can keep it, if you want."

I open it with shaking fingers. My father wrote this, was all I could think.

Dear Suuichi,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. My captives treat us surprisingly well, almost as though they are afraid of what I will do to them if they are unkind:) I am kept chained, and my fingers are impaired, and so I cannot use them. The chains are getting mighty stuffy, so I can't say I am happy, but am well for the time being I hope you found Katrina all right.

Sincerely,

Dad

"Thank you for showing this to me, Kurama, I appreciate it. But, what are all of the stars for?"

"That signals a code word. Chains mean binds that will not let him excercise his powers, and fingers mean powers. Stuffy means he has tried to break out but can't, so he needs my help. Our help."

At this point, I am still angry at my father. But, I can understand why he needed to leave. I just think he could have left in a better fashion. But, I am more relaxed.

Afterwards, we just talk about normal things, like what is our favorite stuff and different bullies and adventures. We cover everything this night. He said he was 15 in human form, but over 200 as a yoko. (a demon) I remember that well. I am really disappointed when the nurse shoos him out for the night. It is also the first time I really think about him as a brother. I like the feeling.

Maybe having a demon brother won't be so bad. I think, and drift off to sleep. The threat of Beauty has been completely wiped from my mind.

A/N Okay, tell me how you liked it! Yes Cassie, I am talking to you! I included how the dad deserted them and all that stuff you told me about! Blablablablablablablabla.....Oh, I almost forgot.....REVIEW!!!!!!

(P.S. Pizza-Chica muy fea means, in Spanish, very ugly Pizza Girl:)