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"As you wish, I will tell you what I know," Keine said," What you wish to do with that information or what to make of it is entirely up to you."

The teacher once more crossed her arms as she begun to retell, her tail swaying under her, due to it being kept in place by her dress. "I noticed a bit of how Miss Hinarasu had various marks on her arms, going from there I retraced her apperance in the village and a bit farther back, on rumors. I seem to have heard she worked in mines, being that Gensokyo has not had many mines in the past. This is not very important, what is important is that no mine has records of her working in their sectors. Its is safe to asume, that she told but a lie," Keine paused momentarily," I then took to looking through any sort of underground working or legends. What I found immidiately was a record of various disapperance in the vicinity of Youkai mountain along with the surrounding forests. Remains of said missing persons where found, yes, one was found alive. This man, who said survived by mere luck, spoke of twi youkai. One fitting Miss Hinarasu's description, and of another more stout youkai who had lured them into the cave in the middle of a storm promising shelter. The man told of how his colleagues where murdered and robbed, he somehow managed to escape. I believe he was allowed to do so, being as how systematical the killings where. Clean, quick, and planned."

The teacher paused to let the facts sink in, and to look at the floor with her brow furrowed in thought. "The description of the other Youkai... it was like nothing I had heard of in Gensokyo. A stout lady, short compared to Ibara, with a fanged grin, pointy ears, and dark glasses she only took off in the cave. It is safe to assume this Youkai is old, much older than Ibara, and knew the tunneling of the cave quite well."

"My best guess is that if you wish to know more, you seek out this youkai, and get her to tell you everything," the horned-beast said," I hope to be wrong, and that this is all some misunderstanding."

"Its is quite hard to believe that Ibara would kill anyone."

"I recall so quite well," Keine nodded," Its very well known that oni are very well at playing word tricks. We can say she did work in a mine, but rather, a more... Private one. Mining for her own purposes, if you do know what I mean."

"That youkai..." The teacher seemed to think about it trying to remember,"I can tell you little about her, on the more personal level; nevertheless, she has still been sigthed at night in the forest surrounding the mountain, and some have even recorded that they have seen her go into a specific cave. Everytime, with a shovel and on some ocassions dragging a victim along. Though it seems her surfacing has become a rare occurance, it is not too far fetched to think finding her in the cave at daylight is certain, and finding her roaming the forest or mountain at night is just as likely. Almost seems like a bat, if you ask me."

"Perhaps that is what haunts our oni."

"This is a cave youkai, I doubt the refined dwellers that are by the vampire would stoop that low." Keine scoffed.

"Whatever you are going to do now," she warned," Be careful, Miss Kazami, imI cannot heed any advice in facing this Youkai, it goes without saying that despite your strenght, you should try to be careful."

"The night is young, this is no problem, I hope the information Infound is of use," the hakutaku nodded," And Byakuren, I am still open to whatever you were hoping to get from my visit today."

Keine watched Yuuka take her leave, turning to the now, more down looking monk. She shook her head," I did not find anything, but, like I said, I found only what was recorded and passed on as History. It maybe that Ibara's exile was never passed on, aside fromm the locals who took notice to the incident."

Keine put a hand on Byakuren's shoulder," I missed many parts of Ibara's past, many parts where not recorded, and this might all be a misunderstanding. Don't let it get you down."

((*NINJA APPEAR* ninja BE SATORI! You know you wanna~ ninja *NINJA DISAPPEAR*))

((How do you people know who I'm thinking of being eek GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!

Just kdding, but I was actually thinking of being either Satori or Komachi since Satori is probably the calmest person in all of Gensokyo, she's cute and creepy, she can read minds and hearts, and she isn't agressive. And Komachi because she's a shinigami, she's cute, she's large (you know), and... because she's Komachi.))

Byakuren nodded. "I'll ask her in the morning, perhaps." She looked at Keine as she spoke, and when she said that she'd try to find more history on Ibara, Byakuren said, "Thank you, that would be very helpful. And, even if Ibara did do all the things you said," Byakuren sighed, holding her fist over her heart. "I wouldn't want to hurt her. People can change..." Those last words even Byakuren was unsure about. But she had to keep faith in people... right?

"Yuuka," Byakuren began, "really cares for Ibara... It's quite strange, actually, to see this in her, of all youkai..." Byakuren was wondering, if Yuuka actually felt something towards Ibara, or was it something else?

"I'll try to act natural when I see her." Byakuren confirmed. "I don't want to offend her or anything."

((I think I'll take Satori and make a Shinigami myself))

"I'll pray things won't end up like that." Byakuren said. "For both of your sakes. And I don't think she'll be a threat, at least I hope she won't..." Byakuren wondered if she knew the real Ibara, or if she was jsut some ploy, but she would act like she knew the real Ibara next time she saw her, at least the version Ibara showed her.

"I'll speak to Selkie tomorrow morning. Goodnight, Ms.Kamishirasawa. I'll see you later." She knew Keine would probably show herself out and she walked to her room, getting in her bed, feeling warm and snuggly.

Suddenly, she felt the bed moving around around her. Byakuren gets out of her bed and throws up the blanket to see several bnnies in her bed staring at her. "Don't you have your own beds...?" she sighed, they all nodded. "Why aren't you in them?" she asked, and she was answered by the rabbits all curling up and going to sleep in her bed. Byakuren sighed; how could she get mad at such cute little things? She fit herself in her bed with them and fell asleep with them snuggling her.

Byakuren slid open the hallway doors when she heard Ibara enter, hundred of bunnies poured out when she did, all smelling food and running full srpint at Ibara. "Oh, Ibara!! Welcome back- Look out!!" Byakuren called as she noticed the bunnied were sprinting at Ibara.

suddenly, Selkie slid on her side from the other hallway and caught most of the bunnies as she went, but there were still about twenty going after Ibara. "Look out!!" She too called as her feet touched down on the wall adjacent to the hallway she had come from.