In the morning Damion awoke with a start, his eyes roving around the room in confusion. Sunlight peeked through a crack in the curtains to shed light upon the dark room.

How did I get here? He thought as he looked around the expensive room. He sat up in the luxurious bed & gasped at the sharp pain in his side. The events of the night came flooding back to him & he fell back with a groan.

"Well, I said I would help her so I should probably get up." He murmured after laying there for a while.

Swinging his legs out of bed he stood up, despite his body's protests, stretched, & strode to the door. As he reached for the doorknob a heavenly smell wafted in from the main room, causing his mouth to water. He threw the door open & saw what the source of the smell was.

"It's about time you woke up. I was going to start pounding on your door soon if you didn't get up." Miyuki said from the little dining table as she set down two plates. A huge stack of pancakes sat in the center, still steaming from the pan.

"Well, it was kind of a long night." Damion replied as he walked over to the table & sat down, his stomach rumbling. He reached eagerly for a pancake, the sweet aroma filling his nostrils.

"Not so fast." She said, slapping his hand away. Damion scowled at her but waited as she brought over the cups & the tea kettle, settled in her chair & poured the tea. He hesitantly reached his hand out again & she nodded.

"How did you find the ingredients to make pancakes in here?" He asked, loading five pancakes onto his plate. She smiled at him, taking a sip from her tea before she answered.

"This isn't a five-star hotel for nothing. They have enough food for someone staying here for a week." Damion shoveled a huge bite into his mouth as she talked, his eyelids fluttering as he enjoyed the velvety texture on his tongue.

"I wish I had enough money to stay here for a week." He murmured dreamily as he swallowed his massive bite & washed it down with a gulp of tea. The honey-almond flavor of the tea was even brighter & more aggressive today, causing him to greedily chug the drink.

"Who says you need money to stay here? We're staying here & we're not paying a single cent." She said, smiling slyly as Damion sighed.

"I don't count this as an official stay." He replied, taking another huge bite. Miyuki rolled her eyes as she pulled out a newspaper from under the tea kettle. 

"Where did you get that?" He asked suspiciously as he poured another cup of tea, making sure it was filled to the brim.

"What if it's none of your business?" She answered after looking at it for a while before she set it down in front of him. Standing up she took her plate to the sink & rinsed off any excess pancake that clung to it.

"I'm trying to find our Kitsune that knows about the map's location." She growled, pacing back & forth in the small room. Damion glanced over at the paper and picked it up, his eyes sweeping over the front page.

"Why can't you go to the Kitsune village & ask around?" He asked, glancing up at her.

"I've asked nearly everyone in the village & they said the Kitsune that knew didn't live in the village anymore. Do you know how hard it is to find a Kitsune outside of the village?" Miyuki asked, pausing in her pacing.

"I don't know." He murmured, his eyes alighting on an interesting picture.

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack! I know I'm not the only one outside of the village but they disguise themselves from everyone. I'm not even sure whos human or whos Kitsune up here anymore." She ranted, continuing her pacing once again. But Damion wasn't listening anymore.

"I think I may have found our Kitsune." He whispered & Miyuki stopped & glared at him.

"If you think I know where that dumb map is-"

"No; look." He said, standing up & bringing the paper over to her.

"I looked that paper over inside & out. There are no Kitsune that would ever allow themselves to be revealed in the paper. I was hoping one had messed up but it's just humans." She murmured, pushing the paper down.

"But look at this photo; doesn't this part look strange to you?" Damion pressed as he pointed to a large picture. It was a black and white image of the city's orphanage, showcasing the brand new playground the president had donated.

His finger hovered over a small six year old in a beanie chasing a big bouncy ball. The shadow beneath the girl looked as if it was mutated or blurry, making it look unnatural. Of course, it could just be the angle of the picture & the lighting that gave it that look but it didn't seem right. 

"Wait a minute," Miyuki muttered as she peered closer at the image. She snatched the paper out of his hands & pushed her face closer to it, her eyes widening in surprise as she turned to Damion. "Looks like someone did mess up." She said, a grin twisting her lips as she spoke. "Let's go find our Kitsune."

                                                                                            *

"Are they out yet?" Damion called up into the tree as he glanced up at Miyuki. He watched as she balanced perfectly on a swaying tree branch, her gaze focused on the doors of the orphanage.

"Not yet. Time?" She asked, keeping her eyes glued to the doors. He checked his phone and read the time.

"It's one twenty-nine. They should be out in a minute." He told her, tucking his phone away and rubbing his hands together. A cold autumn wind blew around them, causing him to shiver.

"Can we find some different clothes for me to wear when we're done? I don't want to mess up my school uniform any more than it already is." He glanced down at his wrinkled shirt and pants, noticing a couple of stains here and there.

"They're out!" She cried, standing up on her precarious perch. He sighed at being ignored and instead looked for the Kitsune. Dozens of kids raced from the doors, heading to the pristine playground.

"Over there." He said, pointing to the left side of the doors. A short girl with an oversized beanie was walking alongside the brick wall of the orphanage, clutching a big bouncy ball to her chest.

Damion jumped and fell to the ground as Miyuki leaped out of the tree and landed beside him. She helped him up and they walked along the chain-link fence, watching the little girl as she continued toddling onward; completely obliviously to the two people following her.

"Aren't we being kind of creepy, stalking a six-year-old?" He asked her, feeling kind of weird and somewhat ashamed, following this possible Kitsune.

"If she's a Kitsune I highly doubt she's six. If she's not I'll figure something out." She said, pushing her skirt down as a sudden gust of wind blew from behind them. He still felt pretty awkward as they watched the girl go into a little plastic yellow playhouse at the edge of the fenced-in area, the pink door closing tightly behind her.

Miyuki waited until the door to the little playhouse closed then swarmed up and over the fence before he had even started climbing. He struggled up the fence and dropped to the other side, grateful he landed on his feet.

"C'mon slowpoke." She hissed back at him as she strode towards the playhouse. He followed her, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them. This side of the outdoor area was vacant aside from the little house. Only the ecstatic squeals of children from the other side reminded him that there were others here. When he reached Miyuki she was already knocking on the pink plastic door.

"I think she's ignoring us." He murmured after a couple of moments of silence. She raised her hand to knock again when the door flew open, revealing the little girl standing in the doorway.

"Hi there!" The girl said sweetly, her voice high and innocent. "Do you want to play with me?" She asked curiously, her large brown eyes begging them to say yes.

"We wanted to talk to you. Can we come inside?" Miyuki asked softly, crouching down to the little girl's height. The little girl nodded enthusiastically, waving them in.

"I'm not sure we can all fit in there," Damion whispered as the little girl disappeared inside. 

"Then you can wait outside." Miyuki quipped with a sly grin as she ducked into the plastic house. Reluctantly he followed her inside, careful not to bang his head coming in.

He was surprised he was able to stand up normally in the tiny playhouse, his brows furrowed in thought as he tried to remember how high it had looked on the outside. He glanced around, noticing there were no windows but it was still bright with sunlight.

"Why don't you take a seat mister?" The little girl asked him, gesturing to the teeny chairs with her long sleeves, her hands lost in the huge sweater she wore. He glanced down at the tiny chair and tried not to laugh when he saw Miyuki sitting in one of them.

"I think you should sit down before I force you down." She growled at him, her green eyes blazing. He quickly plopped down, his knees coming to his chin as he sat in the tiny chair.

"Would you like to play kitchen?" The little girl asked, holding up a plastic fork and plate. Damion started to regret thinking that this sweet little girl was a Kitsune and was about to tell Miyuki they should leave when she spoke. 

"This is a nice place for a little girl to play but it is definitely a strange place for a Kitsune to live. Don't you agree, Damion?" His eyes widened as he saw the look of shock and fear cross the little girl's face. She buried her face in the arms of the oversized sweater and started shaking.

"Look at what you did! You made her cry!" Damion growled at Miyuki, feeling awful as he saw the girl shudder.

"It was your idea." She retorted, although a hint of guilt edged her tone. She turned her gaze on him with a huff. "Well, do something. Comfort her!" He sighed as he got up from the tiny chair and shuffled towards the girl.

I'm such an idiot. He thought as he noticed her shadow was as normal as his. What was he thinking? A Kitsune would never hide in a place like this. He crouched beside her and was about to pat her on the back to console her when she suddenly dropped her hands.

A horrible noise emanated from her, causing Damion to fall back in shock. He glanced over and saw Miyuki wearing an identical look of shock on her face.

Is she . . . laughing? He wondered as he saw her double over, a huge grin on her face. It didn't sound like the sweet laughter of a child but more like the cackling of a witch.

"Never in my life have I had someone see through my disguise so easily!" The little girl, whose voice was now creaky with age, said. She wiped her eyes and removed an earring from under her mess of honey blond hair. 

Damion gasped as he saw her shadow distort to that of a fox right in front of him. He glanced up and saw that the little girl had changed into a small yellow-white fox.

"So you are a Kitsune! You were right Damion!" Miyuki exclaimed as she looked at the little fox, it's huge ears pinned back. The little fox turned her brown eyes on Damion, a look of disgust in her gaze.

"Please don't tell me this human saw through my disguise. I must be losing my touch." She spat, lashing her five tails in unison.

"This human is very educated on Kitsune. He was the one who noticed your little mess up in the paper." Miyuki said, giving him a thumb's up before she turned back to the little fox. "Now tell us; are you a secret keeper?"

"I may be, but may I ask who it is I'm talking to before I reveal myself?" She growled, jumping up onto the table so she was a little taller.

"I'm Miyuki Zang and this is Damion Hawke. He's helping me in my mission to find the mask." Miyuki replied, sitting down on the little chair again. Damion opted to remain standing, not even sure if he would be able to sit on one of the tiny chairs comfortably. 

"You're Hisashi's child, aren't you?" The small fox asked with a twerk of her brow. Miyuki nodded in confirmation and the fox sighed. "I should've known one of your kind would soon come to haunt me but I didn't expect one to come so soon." 

What does she mean by that? Damion wondered, desperately wanting to ask but deciding it would be better to wait as the Kitsune continued speaking.

"My name is Kiki Jikan, one the of last of the secret keepers of Lady Mori." Kiki announced in a grave tone. Her sharp gaze turned to Damion."I suppose I must congratulate you on discovering my true form. I've been at this for quite a while so it's rare when anyone discovers me. When they do though, I'm afraid they're not as lucky as you are." She explained, a dark look on her face as she finished her sentence. He gulped and nodded, his eyes wide.

"So now that we're all introduced can we move on?" Miyuki asked eagerly, drumming her fingers on the table impatiently.

"Wait," Damion interjected, ignoring the annoyed look Miyuki gave him, "I want to know something. How did you hide your shadow? I swear just a minute ago it matched the little girl perfectly."

"This is the reason." Kiki announced as she held up the earring she had removed earlier. Light reflected off the black stone, revealing flecks of gold and silver within.

"Is that what I think it is?" Miyuki asked, her voice quiet. Damion was quite perplexed, not remembering anything like this in any of the books he read.

"It's a Shadow Shifter. It allows the wearer to change their shadow to match their current form. They are very rare, so rare in fact that I received this one from my mentor when he retired." Kiki explained as she hooked it back in her ear, growling slightly as she struggled to put the back on with her paws.

"I thought I saw one inside the ball in the photo." Miyuki murmured with a nod as her gaze lingered on the stone. 

"Yes, I hid it in there so none of the reporters would become suspicious, however not having it on me did strain its connection." She said, examining her paw and chewing at a nail. "Now about Mori's map. There's a complication." Damion leaned forward, not liking the sound of that.

"What is it?" Miyuki asked. He watched as Kiki met her gaze, the fur on her neck rising. 

"Well it is in Village and now is not the best time to go looking for the map but it's also the only time we can go look for the map." She said vaguely, her gaze unreadable. Miyuki frowned as she tried to figure out what the problem was. Damion knew he couldn't be of any help; he had no idea where the Kitsune Village was. If any human knew where it was it wouldn't exist because the government would've swiftly destroyed it.

"Dang it!" Miyuki exclaimed as it finally dawned on her, scrunching her eyes shut in frustration.

"What is it?" Damion asked as she started massaging her temples. Kiki sighed and turned to him, her five tails dancing behind her.

"It's the month of the Mori festival; Kitsune from all over the island gather in the village for a month-long celebration. And-" She added as she pointed at Damion. "No humans are allowed."