Damion got out of the pond shivering, his teeth chattering as he slipped on his undergarments. He pawed through the bright pink bag, hoping no one saw him out here in his underwear. "She got me shampoo, shoes, and a Yukata but not a towel? She said mine was the cheapest." He grumbled as he shook himself to get rid of some of the droplets that still clung to his skin. He pulled the Yukata out and held it out in front of himself to see exactly what it looked like.

By now the moon was high in the sky but was hidden behind a layer of clouds which didn't help as he tried to determine what color it was. Blue? Or maybe green? I sure hope it's not pink. Damion thought as he slipped it over his head. The material was slightly rough but not terribly like sandpaper. Maybe my phone can shine some light on it. He reached into his sloppily folded slacks and pulled out his phone. He groaned when the empty battery sign flashed on the screen. He slipped it back into the bag and pulled out the odd sandals she bought him. They were wooden with straps over his toes and over the bridge of his foot.

"I hope I don't look weird," Damion muttered as he looked himself over. A gust of wind tugged on the long sleeves as he picked up the bag and started up the trail he had followed to get to the pond. He cast one last glance back at the grey pond, cattails waving farewell as he left. A roll of distant thunder set Damion on edge as he found himself outside the forest once again. He wandered over to the stones where they had eaten the rolls and sat down, looking to the right side of the forest.

I hope they come soon. It's freezing out here. Damion thought as an especially cold wind rushed past, causing him to wrap his arms around himself. He considered going into the forest for some relief from the constant wind but then discarded it, knowing he would probably wind up on the right side and Kiki would be waiting.

"Why are they taking so long?" He muttered, shivering as ice-cold droplets from his hair dripped onto his shoulders and neck. Tired of waiting he closed his eyes and tried to remember if he had read anything on Kitsune festivals.

"Damion!" Damion's eyes flew open and he looked around for the source of the voice. Flickering lights at the edge of the forest caught his eye and he stood up, squinting in the direction of it.

"Come on Damion!" Kiki called, waving two flickering lights on poles. Damion jumped up off the cold stone and ran towards them, glad they were finally ready to go.

"I thought you guys were never going to be done." He panted as he reached them. He let out a sigh of relief as the wind quieted and his shivering ceased.

"We needed enough time to make ourselves perfect," Miyuki said, holding her lantern so she was bathed in the golden light.

He sucked in a shocked breath as he stared at her. She was wearing a beautiful yukata that was printed with intricate flowers in bright pinks and soft purples surrounded by a pastel blue. Her hair was in a partial updo with glittering flower clips adorning her shining hair. He stared at her face that seemed to have its own glow in the light of the lantern.

"Do I have something on my face?" Miyuki asked, making Damion flush and quickly look at the ground. He glanced up and found her grinning cheekily at him.

"You, ah, look great." He mumbled, feeling like an idiot. He jumped as he felt something whisk across his back. "What was that?" He asked, glancing around and then pausing in awe. Two scarlet fox tails with white tips waved in the breeze behind Miyuki. As he looked he noticed two scarlet fox ears poking out of her hair.

"This is how we can identify each other at the festival. It's against the rules to hide your tails and ears at a festival." Kiki explained, handing Damion a lantern. He felt his heart sink as he realized it was going to be a lot more difficult to get into the village. He glanced at Kiki and saw her five small sandy-colored tails peeking out from her spring green Yukata.

"How am I supposed to get in? I'm not a Kitsune." Damion asked, puzzling over it as he tried to find a solution. He could put some fox ears and a fox tail on but they would be able to tell that they were fake.

"That's where I come in," Kiki said, interrupting Damion's thoughts. He glanced up irritably at her, his eyes widening as she pulled out a small vial that gleamed deep purple in the lantern's light.

"What is that?" He asked, studying the strange liquid. She grinned wickedly as she held it out to him, causing him to hesitate as he reached out to grab it. When he hesitated too long Kiki shoved it into his hands and stepped back.

"It's a potion of my own creation. If you want to come into the Kitsune Village you have to drink this." Kiki said, twitching one of her large fox ears. Damion stared at her, knowing he shouldn't drink it but also really wanting to. He popped off the cork and caught a whiff of the potion.

"There's Honey Root in this." He stated, glaring at Kiki.

"Yes but it's necessary in order for the transformation to work. If there was any way to leave it out I would have but I couldn't." She explained, holding tight to her lantern as a strong gust whooshed by, a foreboding roll of thunder following after it.

"We kind of need to hurry before the storm comes," Miyuki said nervously. Damion nodded and held it up, about to tip the syrupy liquid into his mouth when he paused.

"Just what exactly will this do to me?"

"It will turn you into a Kistune for forty-eight hours before wearing off," Kiki answered, taking his lantern from him. "I don't want you to drop this." She added as she held both lanterns.

"Okay; here we go." He said anxiously, taking a deep breath and then tipping the vial into his mouth. He was secretly excited that he would get the heavenly taste of Honey Root in his mouth once again but the minute the violet liquid touched his tongue he gagged.

"You have to swallow it all or it won't work," Kiki growled and Damion snapped his mouth shut with an involuntary shudder. It was the worst thing he had ever tasted.

It felt like his tongue was burning wherever the liquid touched and as he swallowed it threatened to come back up three times before he finally got it down. The taste was awful like spoiled milk and warm orange juice mixed together with a handful of overwhelming ginger.

"That was awful." Damion gasped out, trying to calm his stomach. It still lingered in his mouth and he had to use all his willpower to keep it down.

"Here; try drinking some of this." Miyuki said, handing him a bottle of water. He took it gratefully and started chugging the crystal clear water. He polished off the bottle in seconds and sighed happily.

"I am never taking anything you make ever again," Damion muttered, glaring at Kiki.

"That's fine but look, the potion is working," Kiki answered, ignoring his glare as she pointed at his shadow. He glanced down and gasped in shock as he found himself staring at the shadow of a fox.

"Wow." Damion breathed, posing as he watched his fox shadow try and match his poses. "So how do I have my fox ears and tail out?" He asked, finally looking away from his shadow.

"You need to focus on your true ears and tail because you're a Kitsune now so this isn't your true form anymore, or at least for forty-eight hours," Kiki explained, then closed her eyes.

Instantly her fox ears and tails disappeared, leaving her to look like a normal human again. She opened one eye and shot a look at Damion before she closed it again and took a breath. Her fox ears and tails reappeared just as quickly as they had disappeared. Damion realized she wanted him to do the same so he quickly matched her stance, closed his eyes, and took a breath. It felt very calming after all the craziness of the past few days.

"Now focus on your true form." He nearly jumped and opened his eyes at Kiki's voice breaking through his serene thoughts. He nodded stiffly with his eyes still closed and tried to focus on his new form. Damion was surprised as he began to see an image appear in his head of a small mottled brown fox with warm amber eyes. He focused especially on the ears and tail. . . wait, two tails! 

"I have two tails?" Damion asked, opening his eyes. He saw Miyuki staring open-mouthed at him, snapping shut when she noticed him looking at her. He glanced questioningly at Kiki but saw her studying him with a troubled gaze.

"It would seem so. You must be especially intelligent for a human." Kiki murmured, walking around him. She stopped in front of him and handed him a small hand mirror. "You might as well see how you look."

Damion reached for it hesitantly, suddenly afraid to see himself. He held the mirror up to his face and gasped. Two brown pointy ears poked out of his hair. He focused his gaze on them and tried to move them. They swiveled around like satellite dishes, catching all sorts of noises he couldn't hear before. He was amazed at how many ways they could move as he let them settle into a comfortable position.

"Pretty neat isn't it?" Miyuki said although Damion thought he detected a hint of jealousy in her voice. He gave the mirror back to Kiki and glanced behind him to see two mottled brown tails waving behind him. 

"This is so cool." He said, grinning at Miyuki. She shook her head and walked past him. 

"Well we need to get going; the storm is nearly upon us." She called back, her lantern waving behind her. Kiki handed Damion his lantern, walking by him as they trailed after Miyuki.

"Did I do something?" He whispered to Kiki, shifting his lantern to his other arm. She shrugged, smiling at him.

"She's just jealous of your level of intelligence," Kiki replied, with a wave of her hand. "She'll be fine, don't worry about it." Damion nodded, but couldn't help staring at Miyuki's back ahead of them.