Kitsune - A race of Japanese origin; said to have magical abilities such as shape-shifting. Power and age are symbolized by the number of tails. Extremely dangerous; do not approach. Call authorities for extermination if you meet one. If you're not sure it's a Kitsune check their shadow; if it is it will have the shadow of a fox. Again, be sure to contact the authorities. They will kill you.

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Damion stormed down the hallway, a scowl on his face. He wanted to kick something, punch something, or even just scream, just to vent his frustration. He felt as though school was going to be the end of him, especially this year, his sophomore year, because he had Mrs. Akata as his teacher. He was okay in most subjects, he excelled in English and History, but he was absolutely useless when it came to Algebra.

And his new teacher loved to highlight his weak subject.

No matter how hard Damion tried to avoid her searching eyes she would see him and call him up to solve an especially difficult equation. He never knew how to solve them and would then have to listen to Mrs. Akata scoff and that would cause the class to drag on for an extra five minutes. This made the other students despise him for making them late for their next class and usually led to bullying during lunch period. It made it hard to get any better in the subject and he wasn't exactly motivated to try better so the vicious cycle continued.

Obviously, I would be the one to go get the newbie and show them around the school. Mrs. Akata will do everything she can to make this year as bad as it can possibly be but I won't let her get to me. Damion thought as he walked into the school office. The door creaked noisily, announcing his arrival.

"What happened this time Damion?" Cheryl, the secretary, asked. She was a tired woman with messy auburn hair and pale blue eyes with permanent dark circles around them. He sighed, knowing he usually came here because he had been involved in a fight and had been blamed as the one who started it.

"Mrs. Akata wanted me to give the new student a tour of the school grounds." Damion replied as he glanced down at the secretary's messy desk. Coffee stained papers littered the surface, barely contained by picture frames of her kids, candy wrappers added bright pops of color to the clutter and an old white mug that was precariously close to falling off the edge. He nudged it in a bit, just to make himself feel better.

"She's in the principal's office." She said as she gestured to the principal's door with a tired wave of her pen.

"Thanks Cheryl." Damion called over his shoulder with as he entered the principal's office. He stopped short in the entry, shocked at the sight before him.

A beautiful girl with a slender build and long, glossy black hair sat in a chair in front of the principal's desk. Her eyes were a dark green but as she stood up and walked over to him he noticed they were several shades of green, like emeralds glimmering among the deepest greens of the forest. She was about his height and brimming with energy. He had never seen a girl like her.

"Are you Damion?" She asked. Her voice was melodic, lulling him into a stupor. Damion snapped out of it and scrambled for words but he was mesmerized by her beauty. 

"Yes." He finally said, wrenching his gaze away from her to look at the principal's empty chair. It appeared she was the only one in the pristine office. "Where's the principal?" He asked, thinking it was odd the man wasn't there to greet the new student. He was a rather responsible man and loved by all th students.

"There was a dispute outside that he needed to help sort out. He said you should show me around the school and then take me to homeroom." She explained simply, her eyes gleaming. Her eyes were. . . Dangerous. He felt he could easily get lost in them and never find his way out of their shimmering depths.

"Well, I guess I should show you around now, uh, what's your name?" Damion said quickly as he tried to get his usual, cool demeanor back. He didn't typically get flustered but then again he didn't usually talk to many people his age. She grinned at him as they walked out of the office.

"My name's Miyuki." She said, her voice bubbling with excitement. She was practically buzzing with energy and Damion was rather taken aback by it. He didn't know someone could be so ecstatic about school.

"I'm Damion; although I guess you already knew that." He replied as he ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair, trying to calm his nerves. "Let's start outside; it'll be easier to show you around." He said, heading towards the door. He pushed it open and held it for her, a cool breeze welcoming them.

"Okay." Miyuki answered as she followed him out the door, her long hair swishing behind her. Damion took his time and led her around the whole school, pointing out the various buildings and their purposes. The school grounds were rather expansive and it was easy to get lost so he hoped this might help her find the classes a little easier. He glanced over at her as she gazed around the school yard in awe.  He was starting to really like this new girl and he began hoping that maybe she could be his one friend in this nightmare of a school. Finally, when they were back at the front he turned to her, an idea striking him.

"Before we check out the interior of the school do you want to see a cool place?" He asked with a grin, his brown eyes flashing mischievously. Algebra would start soon and if he could avoid homeroom during it the day would go a whole lot better for him. She held a finger to her lips as she pondered his question, making him wonder if he pushed his luck.

"As long as our teacher won't mind." Miyuki replied as she adjusted the ribbon on the shirt of her school uniform.

"She won't mind at all." Damion lied, leading her near the exit of the school before taking a sharp right so they were behind the hedge that went around the perimeter. "Follow me." He said as he ducked down and went deeper in. It was cool and damp in the greenery here and twigs tugged at their clothes but he pressed on, knowing it was worth it. After five minutes of trudging through dead leaves and sticks, Damion turned right into an opening in the hedge.

"Here it is; the best place to hide ever." Damion announced, moving aside to let Miyuki into his secret place. He watched as she glanced around the small grotto with a little sapling growing in the center. He had discovered it at the beginning of the school year when he had been trying to escape from bullies. It was a small space but the perfect safe haven for him. He oftentimes ate lunch out here and even sometimes worked on schoolwork, reslishing the peace and safety it offered.

"Why would you need to hide?" Miyuki asked with a tilt of her head, a look of confusion on her face.

"Well, not everyone likes me here and would love to beat me up if they had the chance." Damion answered with a shrug, like it didn't matter, even though he hated having to admit he wasn't brave enough to face his bullies. He got in enough trouble as it is and he definitely couldn't beat up most of the guys that chased him. 

"I would rather beat them up than hide." She murmured quietly, glancing up at the grey sky above. A ray of sunlight streamed through the leaves, making her hair shine like polished obsidian. Her hands were balled into fists and her eyes were narrowed, as if she was deep in thought.

What a strange girl. Damion thought as he dropped his gaze to think about the possibility of fighting back. Maybe if he was bigger and stronger he could but with how scrawny he was there was no chance. His eyes suddenly focused on the ground in front of him and that's when he noticed her shadow. When he saw it he froze, not believing what he saw.

Instead of a copy of her body, it was the sleek shadow of a fox. He stared at it, trying to decide if his eyes were playing tricks on him when suddenly someone knocked him to the ground and he felt something cold press against his neck.

"You can't tell anyone about this!" Miyuki growled in a dangerous voice, a voice nothing like the sweet innocent one she had been using. He tried to move his arms but she had them pinned tight to his sides. Damion glanced down at his neck and saw her holding a sharp throwing knife to his throat.

I did not see this coming. Damion thought as he tried to figure out how to not get killed.