"Alright, but first; how much sugar would you like in your tea?" Miyuki asked as she handed Damion some sugar packets. He glanced down at the steamy liquid that sat in the cup in front of him, smelling heavily of herbs & exotic spices.

"I don't like tea. Plus, you're stalling." Damion replied, his brown eyes narrowing at her.

"Have you ever tried tea?" She shot back sharply at him before she took a long sip from her cup & lowered it with a contented sigh. "It's really good. Also, I don't want to have to slap you every two minutes just to keep you awake the whole time."

"Fine; I'll try your leaf water. Only if you'll start explaining." Damion said reluctantly as he ripped open two sugar packets & emptied them into the cup. She handed him a spoon & took another long sip from her cup before she began.

"According to the information I gathered you seem to be rather knowledgable on our country's history, the true history, thus I believe you know the story of Seishin's founding; correct?" Damion nodded as he brought the warm cup to his lips, allowing the amber-colored tea to spill into his mouth. His eyebrows rose in surprise & he tentatively took another sip of the drink.

"Well, let's see. Felix Ongaku was a respected general and diplomat in the Human Kingdom of Lucinica & Mori Suzue was the daughter of the Inari Clan Chieftain, which at the time was the largest clan of Kitsune in the world. Their nations met to discuss a peace treaty when the two first spoke to each other. I know this is super cliche but the books said that Felix always referred to it as love at first sight. When people discovered the two had romantic intentions they were quite opposed to the idea until Felix suggested something quite unbelievable. He would establish his own nation where Kitsune and Humans could live together happily without fearing discrimination." He explained between sips, feeling rather addicted to the tea.

Miyuki nodded & took over. "Yes, & they succeeded. Felix was able to persuade his King to give them an island from his territory for their new experimental country & Mori was able to convince her father to join them in the endeavor. Together they spread the word of their democracy ruled country and Humans and Kitsune alike jumped at their offer, excited at the freedom this new world offered. Once there Felix asked Mori for her hand in marriage & she accepted; their marriage becoming the unifying symbol of the new country" She paused, her eyes darkening as she continued. "But no one could've anticipated that the new country of Seishin would have turned on itself just two decades after it's founding. On that fateful day Felix Ongaku, the beloved founder and president, was murdered. The country was thrown into chaos & do you know who they blamed for the assassination?" 

Damion choked on the last sip of his tea & felt goosebumps crop up on his arms as he looked into Miyuki's blazing eyes. "They blamed Mori, his wife." He answered quietly as he set his cup down on the tray.

"Suddenly Kitsune were the enemy. With rational thoughts thrown out the window, the humans didn't hesitate to turn on the Kitsune. Friends, coworkers, family; those words meant nothing to them anymore. All they wanted now was revenge." She explained, fury rolling off her in waves & increasing in intensity as she continued.

"With ease, the Humans killed & drove out the bewildered Kitsune. They tried to hold out against the Humans but they were outnumbered and lacked the technology the humans had, putting them at a disadvantage. Once they had crushed the Kitsune's small army they took over the island for themselves & even to this day they continue to hunt us like animals. My people are dying because of you humans!" Miyuki spat as she stood up & pointed an accusing finger at Damion.

"But it wasn't my fault!" Damion exclaimed, bracing himself to run in case she tried to do something. Miyuki stood there a moment, chest heaving & eyes burning with rage until her anger slowly subsided. Her green eyes flashed with embarrassment as she slumped back down in her chair, her black hair drifting over her face & obscuring her expression. 

"I know. But what do you think the Kitsune back then thought when they were being hunted?" Miyuki finally said as she swept her hair from her face, exposing her unreadable emerald gaze once more. 

Damion held his breath, trying to decide what to say. He couldn't imagine how terrifying that must've been. One moment you're talking happily with your human neighbor & then the next that same neighbor is trying to kill you in the name of justice. Luckily for him, she continued without waiting for an answer.

"Since then there is only a small handful of Kitsune left compared to all of the humans that still populate the island. I just want to help save my people. This is where you come in." Miyuki said, her normal sparkle returning to her eyes. Damion let out his breath he'd been holding in a big whoosh. 

"What do I have to do with this?" He asked as he crossed his arms & leaned back in his chair. "Unless it's more historical knowledge you want I don't really have anything else to offer."

"As a matter of fact yes, that is what I need. Since we've interbred with the humans our race has changed than that of what we used to be. But the biggest change is our tails. We can no longer just grow nine tails; only our leader can have nine tails. But we no longer have a leader and the only way we can get one is by receiving the power from our former leader." Miyuki explained, the moonlight streaming through the window turning her already pale skin white.

"Which was Lady Mori." Damion stated & Miyuki nodded.

"Correct. But instead of transferring her power to another she placed it in a mask and hid it away, fearing the possibility of it falling into the wrong hands. She hid it so that when the time was right an heir of her blood could retrieve it & gain the powers of leadership. My people believe that now is the time for us to find it & finally have a leader again that could reason with the Human leader so we could have a chance at equality again."

"Wait, wait, wait. You want to try and find Mori's Kabuki mask? You do realize all the books I've read on the subject say it's been lost to the sands of time." Damion said, remembering his crushing disappointment when he hadn't found anything on its location.

He had had a real fascination with Kitsune culture for several years when he was younger but it ended swiftly when he got in trouble for finding out stuff he wasn't supposed to know.

"That's what most people say but I happened to uncover a useful bit of information that will help us tremendously. Before Mori passed she created a map & gave the location of it to three Kitsune that are known as secret keepers. In order to keep their secrets from both humans & Kitsune alike, they disguise themselves & live in different cities, constantly moving so no one can discover them. But, if we find one of them, they can tell us where it is." She replied with a smug grin.

"Well even if we find one of these Kitsune & find the map & somehow manage to find the mask you still need-"

"A descendant of Mori. I know that already. Everything you know I know; & more." Miyuki interrupted, picking up the tea kettle and pouring some tea into her cup and then pouring the last of it into his cup.

"Well," Damion said, irritated with her interruption. "If you know so much then why am I here?"

"You're here because I need a human to help me." She answered, staring intently at him. He took a long sip from his cup before he looked at her.

"Why me then?" He asked, looking into his cup with disappointment as he realized he had already drunk it all.

"Because you're the only human who really knows what happened, who even cares about what happened. Everyone else just thinks we're pests that need to be exterminated because the government keeps them in the dark. But you know that it was wrong; that things need to change." Her emerald eyes fixated on him, pinning him to his chair.

"I used to care," He sighed before he continued. "I used to be so enraptured with your kind and what used to be but the government swiftly crushed that passion and has made my life miserable since."

"You say you don't care but you came with me. You could've have left at any time, could've called the cops on me, but you didn't. Are you sure you don't care?" She asked suddenly, catching him off guard.

Damion flinched at her words; she was right. He could've done that; could've avoided the whole mess if he had stayed back at school. So why didn't he? 

"I don't know." He finally sighed, still trying to figure out why he hadn't stayed back & called the officials "I just, don't want to get into trouble anymore."

"Listen, if you help me with this I can get you your old life back, if that's what you really want." She told him as she stood up & carried the tray with the kettle and teacups off the table.

Damion was silent, his eyes focused on the table & not on Miyuki who was still hovering nearby, her eyes boring into him. Is that what he wanted? To have his life turned back to what it used to be before this chaos settled in? He wasn't sure.

He glanced up as he heard Miyuki let out a sigh as she set the tray on the counter before sauntering back over to him, a hazy look in her eyes. "I know this is a lot to take in & if you don't want to do it I have ways to make this night appear as though you were never here. The only reason I came to you was because I saw a light in you; the light our land needs in order to be reunited." She turned away from him & he turned in his chair as she walked back to her room. Her steps paused as she laid her hand on the doorknob and she spoke in a low tone that sent shivers down his spine.

"I don't know what you believe in Damion but I believe that the Creator has led me this far for a reason & I'm not about to give up, whether you come with or not I will reach my goal." With that, she entered her room & closed the door behind her with a click.

Damion stared at her closed door as he pondered her words. It was all so crazy, so unbelievable what had happened today that he wished it was all a dream, but he knew it wasn't. He rubbed his eyes in frustration as he tried to figure out what he should do. Should he try and help Miyuki find the mask, while most likely getting killed along the way or should he leave now & report her to the government in hopes that they would reward him and that maybe, just maybe his parents would love him then.

He shook his head wearily as he forced himself out of the chair & over to Miyuki's door. With a brief moment of hesitation as he made his final decision, he rapped his knuckle quietly on her door.

"Yes?" Her muffled voice came from the door. Damion shuffled his feet & cleared his throat.

"I'll help you find the mask." He replied, his heart pounding. It wasn't the smart choice or the safe choice, but it was the right choice & he couldn't pass up this chance to finally experience the Kitsune world he had always read about. 

"Excellent. We'll start first thing in the morning." She answered, the light under the door going out. 

"Um, Miyuki?" He asked quietly, wondering if he was too late.

"Yes?"

"Could you make more tea tomorrow?" His face burned as he heard her soft chuckle from the bedroom.

"Yes; I'll make more tea. Now go to bed." She replied, falling silent. Damion crept over to his door & opened it, wincing at the creaking noise it made. He closed the door behind him & surveyed the mostly dark bedroom.

Everything was cloaked in shadows, making it hard to see anything at all. Feeling too tired to even try & find a light switch he stumbled over to a large shadow he assumed was the bed & fell onto it, falling asleep instantly.