Chapter Fifteen... Alright, confession time... I wrote this the same day I posted chapter fourteen. I've never been able to wirte something so easily before, so I'm fairly happy with what I've done. I don't want to post this chapter in the same day, so I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow... Sweatdrop. This is so sad...

I wanted to say, for those who get on my case about a certain someone (Actually, several people, but only one will really matter to you POT fans.) is out of character in this chapter, but, hey, love changes people, they say.

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Kiri seemed frozen as well for a moment. Then regained her composure. She opened her mouth, then shut it again.

"You're right," Ales smiled, "People like us never do anything without a reason." She stood up. "You're restless, I know it." She held out her hand, "I've never stayed in one place for long. And I know for a fact that you hate being stuck here. What's it been… I'm sorry, I don't remember how many years it's been."

"Two years in Kyoto, eight years here in Tokyo," Kiri said.

"Eight years in one place? I know you're not enjoying it," she said, "Just look at you. Tennis? When did that begin?"

"Ten years ago."

Ales laughed, "Are you really that bored! There are so many other things you could be doing! If you're half as intelligent now as you were then, then you could be going to college, or inventing a better internet or something. Heck, you could find a way to own the internet!"

"I'm not bored," Kiri said, but Ales continued to smile.

"You don't sound very sure of yourself," Ales said, seeing the hesitation even those who watched had missed.

"I-" Kiri was cut off as someone came inside the door.

"Kiri," the voice proceeded it's owner as Hiroyuki, Kiri's older brother, entered the room. He raised an eyebrow at Ales, "Company?"

Kiri nodded, "Ales, this is Hiroyuki, my elder brother. Hiro, this is Ales my… friend."

"Ah, ab tum? (From then?)" he asked and then smiled at the slightly shocked expressions on the two girls' faces. "What, you don't think I'd realize what my little sister was studying? You obviously don't know much about older brothers." Kiri smiled in that odd way of hers, and the girls watching were happy to see something familiar from their captain. Canti quickly translated for them again.

"Ita, (Yes)" Kiri answered, but no one needed Canti's translation this time.

"So many interesting people today," Hiroyuki sighed, "That reminds me, you have another visitor." The girls watching through the vent all looked at each other. Everyone was there, and they hadn't even known where Kiri's house was before this anyway. They looked back up as Hiroyuki continued, "Yeah, Kunimitsu-kun is here." Ales raised an eyebrow at Kiri, but her face was straight and un read able.

Kunimitsu walked into the room, said hello and waited. Ales smiled, "It was nice seeing you again, Kiri, but I'd better go. You have a tournament tomorrow, right? Good luck!" She looked Kiri in the eyes, "I velle pro tuus benign respondere tum. (I will wish for your favorable answer then.) Bye!" She waved, nodded to Kunimitsu and Hiroyuki and then walked out. Hiroyuki close behind.

"I'm going to get my term paper done," he said, then looked to Kiri specifically, "Just yell if you need me." She nodded and he walked out. Kunimitsu looked like he might take a step forward, then thought better of it.

"I heard… you left immediately after practice with some strange person," he said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kiri said, shaking her head to clear it, "I'm just… nervous about the tournament tomorrow." Now Kunimitsu did take a step forward, lifting up ther chin so that she looked into his eyes.

"Don't lie to me. Hiroyuki-san and I were listening for a moment before he came in," Kunimitsu said, "I know everything. I always have." Kiri's face went blank, the way it always did when she was afraid to show emotions.

"How…?" Kiri asked.

"Hiroyuki-san told me sometime ago. He said that if I wanted to make you happy I would have to know, and except, everything about you. I do and have." He looked into her silver eyes, and smiled a small smile. Still, it was enough for Kiri and she smiled back in a way she hadn't for a long time. Kunimitsu moved even closer, lowering her face to hers, but she took a step backwards.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "We can't do that now… besides, we're being watched." Kunimitsu's smiled faded, but he had trouble keeping a littlehumor from his normally emotionless tone.

"And you suddenly think I care?" he asked, "I told you I've been here for a while; I saw them go in."

"Really?" Kiri smiled in her usual way, but the girls weren't relieved this time. They were dead scared, "Maybe we should invite them in?" Kunimitsu shrugged and Kiri bent down next to the vent. "Sachi, be a good girl and bring Raina, Christine, Cara, Aine, Shira, Sharr, Canti and Shia up here please." Each girl twitched as they heard her say their name and Sachi was on the verge oftrembling as she led them out into the open and then through the front door to the room Kiri was waiting in. She was sitting down now, Kunimitsu left standing alone in the same place he had been in before. If he was annoyed with their interruption, he didn't show it.

"Sit," Kiri said, motioning to the other couch and some chairs. "Oh, except Sachi, she should go to her room before 'You-know who' shows up and get s her in trouble." Sachi's eyes widened at the mention of her father and she dashed out of the room. Everything was silent for a moment.

"I'm… sorry, Kiri," Raina said, "It's just…"

"You never talk about yourself and…" Shira murmured.

"We were curious and…" Sharr muttered.

"We don't know anything about you, Kiri," Shia finished. Kiri smiled.

"You're one to talk, Shia," She said, but quietly, so none but Kunimitsu (who was obviously closest) could hear. "And you feel that you're all entitled to know?"

"In a word: yes," Canti said, "At least Raina, if no one else." Kiri kept silent for a moment and Kunimitsu put a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to tell them anything," he reminded her quietly.

"What does it matter anymore?" she asked. "It might be best to tell them the truth instead of letting their imaginations think something up."

"There's something worse then the truth?" the voice came from the doorway. They all turned to see a smiling Aiyoshi Yamatashi. "What's the occasion that we have so many visitors?" He thought for a moment, "In fact, the only visitor I've ever seen Kiri have is Kunimitsu-kun here, and he followed her home because she wouldn't take him. Hmm… I don't know, could something be up?" He smiled again, "Hello, Kunimitsu-kun, life been treating you well?"

"Quite, Yamatashi-san," Kunimitsu said, nodding.

"Is it story time, Kiri?" Aiyoshi asked and Kiri nodded. "Very well," he said, sitting down in his favorite arm chair, his face serious, "Why don't you begin?" Kiri did, telling her friends the condensed version of her childhood. Aiyoshi kept silent, but he was proud that Kiri felt she could now share what had been such a tight locked secret for so long. She finished by telling him what had happened that day. "Are you going to leave us, Kiri?" he asked, but she had no answer for him. He stood up, "I have to write a report about this, you know. I'll check in on you all later." He walked out, leaving Kiri alone to wrap up what she had begun.

"… You… were really a street kid?" Cara asked, finding it hard to take it all in. Kiri nodded, and the others put in their two cents. Anei was the only one to stay silent, but her face showed an emotion the other starters had never seen there before. Sadness.

"You…" she started, but paused for a long moment, "… You really don't remember, do you?"

"Raina," Cara whispered, "Can you hear that? Aine's talking again!" Raina frowned, but didn't respond, she was watching Kiri.

"I was hoping… You'd remember," Aine said, and then stood up, walking out.

"What.. Was that?" Cara asked, and Shia moved quickly out the door after Aine.

"If you'll excuse me," she said, not stopping even as she bowed and was out the door.

Aine didn't know at first what was forcing her to stop. It was almost as if two invisible hands had grabbed her shoulders to hold her back. She sighed, "Shia…"

"Correct," Shia said from behind her and Aine turned around slowly to face her kopai. "Tell me, Aine, what do you wish to have her remember?"

"Everything," Aine said, realizing as she did that she had said more today then she had in the last week.

"Oh?" Shia asked, "Like that you were in the same situation?"

"Hai," Aine said, "She doesn't remember."

"Why would she remember? She doesn't even know her given name," Shia said, "Why would she remember?"

"Because you don't forget things like this," Aine said after a moment, "You never forget family." Shia smiled sadly.

"Oh, but they do," She said, "They forget who you really are so easily." Before she knew it, she was crying. She hadn't meant to get emotional herself, she had only wanted to get Aine to talk. Aine was talking, as if she couldn't see Shia's tears. Shia felt thankful that the older girl was leaving her dignity intact.

"She was my little sister," Aine told her, "We were born exactly nine months apart, on the day. A side effect of our mother's profession, I'm afraid. We have different fathers, but both of us have the same eyes." Shia noticed for the first time that it was true, Aine's eyes were indeed the same silvery color as Kiri's. She wondered why no one had pointed this out before.

Because the look behind them is normally so different, she thought.

Aine continued, "We always lived on the streets, but sometimes we got to stay in a hotel for the night, off of Mother's… pay checks… Then she died when I was a year old. That would make Kiri three months old, by the way. After that I cared for her on the streets and we got by on scraps a kitchen boy sat out for us each night. They were just big enough to feed us, but not so big that they attracted the older kids' attention. I think he was probably a street kid himself at one point." (Disclaimer: That last part was inspired by Bean's story in the book Shadow Puppets.)

"And then," Aine looked sad, "we got separated one day when Kiri had turned two. I found her again a year later, but she had changed so much and… I knew I couldn't approach her then, she had suffered to much because I wasn't there for her. For the next year and a half I watched out for her. I left food where I knew she would find it, and kept the major bullies away from whatever area she was in. Then I lost her again, and she nearly starved to death when those people found her. I heard she had gotten out, and I got myself out as well, but never though I would find her again.

"God must have smiled on me, because I met her again in the seventh grade, and she was playing tennis. I took up the sport then, and worked hard to be at her level so I had a reason to be near her, to talk to her. I looked out for her then, as well, but there was little that she needed me to do." She sighed, "I've never been one to talk much, and even if I was, I could never tell her. I wished though, I wished…" (Isn't it amazing how different people can be when they're saying things they've kept pent up for so long?)

"That she would remember you," Shia said, "My question, though, is how do you remember all of this?"

"I've always been intelligent, just like Kiri," She said, "However, my intelligence is more practical then Kiri's, so my memory is better than hers, but I don't think quite as quickly."

"Then you would know Kiri's real name?" Shia asked.

"I would," Aine confirmed.

"What is it?"

"Kiri Yamatashi," Aine said, and Shia sighed, "That is, and will always be, her true name."

"You know that's not what I meant!" Shia yelled, but couldn't help, but smile as she watch Aine walk away. Then she wondered if Kiri would ever know that she had an older sister out there, watching over her, waitingto pick her up if ever she should fall. That almost sounds poetic, she laughed at herself, then headed home. She knew her protector would be waiting.