Midnight

But first – while he’s Stillhere – we ought to do something about Shinichi."

"You’re in no condition to do that now, dear Stefan,"Mrs.

Flowers said, shaking her head. "I’m sorry, but the truth is that we have been very, very lucky. That wicked kitsune was off guard back then. He won’t be now."

"I Stillhave to try,"Stefan said quietly. "Every one of you has been tormented or had to fight – whether with your fists or your minds,"he added, bowing slightly to Mrs. Flowers. "I’ve suffered but I’ve never had a chance to fight him. I have to try."

Matt said, just as quietly, "I’l go with you."

Elena added, "We can al fight together. Right, Meredith?"

Meredith nodded slowly, taking Stefan’s poker from his fireplace. "Yes. It may be a low blow, but – together."

"I say it’s a higher blow than letting him live and go on hurting people. Anyway, we’l take care of it…together,"Elena said firmly. "Right now!"

Matt started to get up, but his motion was frozen in midair as he stared in horror. Simultaneously, with the grace of hunting lionesses or bal et dancers the two girls closed in on Stefan, and simultaneously they swung their separate pokers; Elena hitting him in the head and Meredith hitting him squarely in the groin. Stefan reeled away from the blow to the head, but simply said, "Ow!"when Meredith hit him. Matt knocked Elena out of the way and then, turning as precisely as if he were on the footbal field, got Meredith out of "Stefan’s"way too.

But this imposter had obviously decided not to fight back.

Stefan’s form melted. Misao, green leaves woven into her scarlet-tipped black hair, stood before them. To Matt’s shock, her face was pinched and pale. She was obviously very il , although Stilldefiant. But there was no mockery in her voice tonight.

"What have you done with my star bal ? And my brother?"she demanded feebly.

"Your brother’s safely locked up,"Matt said, hardly knowing what he was tel ing her. Despite al the crimes Misao had committed he couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. She was clearly desperate and il .

"I know that. I was going to say my brother wil kil you al  – not as a game, but in anger."Now Misao looked wretched and frightened. "You’ve never seen him really angry."

"You’ve never seen Stefan angry either,"Elena said. "At least not when he had al his Power."

Misao just shook her head. A dried leaf floated from her hair.

"You don’t understand!"

"I doubt we understand anything. Meredith, have we searched this girl?"

"No, but surely she wouldn’t have brought the other one – "

Elena said crisply, "Matt, take a book and read it. I’l tel you when we’re done."

Matt was reluctant to turn his back on a kitsune, even a sick one. But when even Mrs. Flowers nodded gently he obeyed.

Still, back turned or not, he could hear noises. And the noises suggested that Misao was being held tightly and searched thoroughly. At first the sounds were al negative murmurs.

"Huh-uh…huh-uh…huh-uh…huh- oops!"There was a rattle of metal on wood.

Matt only turned when Elena said, "Okay, you can look. It was in her front pocket."She added to Misao, who was looking as if she might faint, "We didn’t want to have to hold you and search you. But this key – where in heaven’s name did you get keys like this, anyway?"

A pink spot showed on Misao’s cheeks. "Heaven is right.

They’re the only two left of the Master Keys – and they belong to Shinichi and me. I figured out how to steal them from the Celestial Court. That was…a long time ago."

At that moment they heard a car on the road – Stefan’s Porsche. In the dead silence that fol owed, they could also see the car through Stefan’s window as it swung into the driveway.

"No one goes down,"Elena said tersely. "No one invites him in."

Meredith shot her a keen glance. "Shinichi could have tunneled out like a mole by now. And he’s already been invited in."

"My fault for not warning you al  – but anyway, if it is Shinichi and he’s done anything to hurt Stefan he’s going to see me when I’m angry. The words Wings of Destruction just popped into my head and something inside me wants to say them."

There was a chil in the room.

No one met Stefan, but in a moment they could al hear running footsteps. Stefan appeared at his door, burst through, and found himself confronted with a row of people al looking at him suspiciously.

"What the hell is going on?"he demanded, staring at Misao, who was being held up between Meredith and Matt. "Misao – "

Elena took two steps toward him – and wound herself around him, drawing him into a deep kiss. For a moment he resisted, but then, bit by bit, his opposition col apsed despite the roomful of observers.

When Elena final y let go, she just leaned against Stefan, breathing hard. The others were al crimson with embarrassment. Stefan, flushed as he was, held her tightly.

"I’m sorry,"Elena whispered. "But you’ve already ‘come home’twice. First, it was Shinichi and we locked him in the root cel ar. Then it was her."She pointed, without looking, toward the cowering Misao. "I didn’t know how to make sure that Shinichi hadn’t escaped somehow – "

"And you’re sure now?"

"Oh, yes. I recognize you. You’re always ready to let me in."

Matt realized that she was shaking and quickly stood up so she could sit, for at least a minute or two, in peace.

The peace lasted less than a minute.

"I want my star bal !"Misao cried. "I need to put Power in it or I’l go on weakening – and then you’l have murdered me."