AN: Sorry for the lack of updates. I had a busy couple of weeks, but here's chapter 4. It's not too action-packed, but I need it to bring the story into the action :P So, enjoy!

Damon sat in his bedroom. He was researching. However, he hadn't realized that research could be so boring. He'd been looking up "kitsune" for hours. Unfortunately, there wasn't much about them online. He'd found a Wikipedia link, but it had only had minimal information. Something about tails and star balls. They already knew most of it. But, he'd found a few interesting points. He planned to share with the group later. Now, though, there was something else clouding his mind. Stefan and Sage were out by the woods. Damon desperately wanted to go with them. He couldn't stand sitting here alone. Okay, Elena, Meredith, and Mutt…Matt, were researching, too. But, Damon didn't want to be compared to them. Elena, he wouldn't mind, but the other two bothered him. And, the stupid cast was becoming a problem. He could feel his wrist getting stiff quickly.

Bored, Damon decided to venture out of his bedroom. He, once again, made his way into the living room area. There, he found Elena on her laptop. She seemed to have followed the same link, but she'd only just found it. Damon closed her laptop and chuckled.

"No need, princess. I was just coming to tell you what I found in the same article." He looked around the room, realizing that all of the humans were there. Now, he should really have been out with Sage and St. Stefan, hunting down bad guys on their turf. But, here he was, human and stuck in the house. He sighed. Oh, there was the broken wrist, too. That was a downer. It looked like things wouldn't be picking up anytime soon.

"You already read it? Wait, you actually did some research?" Bonnie sounded surprised. Damon was a little hurt by her lack of support. He wasn't that bad. He had helped them plenty of times! Honestly, it was as if she'd forgotten it all.

"Yes, I'm not completely useless, you know. I may be human, but I'm still the same guy! And, I'm somewhat trustworthy." He'd never felt the need to defend himself before now. But, he figured that he needed these humans to like him. They would be protecting him in the battles to come. And, he needed Elena to know that he was trustworthy. Damon couldn't bear it if she couldn't trust him.

"She knows that, Damon. She was kidding. Relax. Why don't you take a seat?" Elena patted the spot next to her on the couch. Damon sat down. He decided that hormones were a bitch. Now that he was human again, his body was producing hormones. They were making it extraordinarily difficult for him to sit next to Elena and do nothing. But, he managed. She was looking at him expectantly. He realized he was supposed to be telling the group what he'd found in the article.

"Oh, right. So, once you get rid of the possessor, the victim won't eat any foods preferred by foxes, like tofu and stuff-" He was going on, but Elena interrupted.

"Damon? That's not really very helpful…"

"I wasn't done yet! As I was saying, there was also a section on hoshi no tama, the star balls. Basically, the stories say that they're either fox fire or jewels. Now, this part might interest you. It says that, when a kitsune takes human form, the star ball either holds a portion of their power or their soul. They're not really sure. But, if it represents the kitsune's soul, they can't be away from it for too long or they'll die." He told the rest of the group.

"That makes me think it's more likely to be the soul. I mean, did you see how angry Shinichi got about us having it? If it was only a portion of her Power, I don't think he would have been so mad. That's not necessarily a good thing, though. It means that we need to use it quickly. If Misao dies, we lose all hold we have over both of them." Meredith put in helpfully. Damon nodded. He'd been thinking the same thing. It was strange that their minds were so in tune. Usually, Meredith went out of her way to oppose him.

"But, wait, there's more!" He said dramatically. "It also says that, while the kitsune isn't in human form, they carry the ball in their mouth or on their tail. I guess, if they're human, they leave it somewhere."

"So, if they're human most of the time, Shinichi has hidden his. We should probably work on finding that." Matt said. Damon agreed. If they had the star balls, the kitsune would do anything for them. Maybe he could have Shinichi whip up another flower for Stefan. Of course, Stefan would change Damon before he smelled it. Then, everyone would be happy. Suddenly, this was no longer a mission to save the town. This was a mission to reconcile the brothers. Damon decided to tell Stefan of his plan as soon as possible.

Damon was growing restless. He hated being cooped up like an animal. He decided to take matters into his own hands. He wouldn't sit back like a lump while everyone else did the work. Nor would he stay home while Sage and his little brother had fun. Damon stood up.

"I'm going out." Before Elena could tell him, he added, "Don't worry. I'll be careful." And, with that, Damon left the boarding house. He had no protection of any kind, but he didn't think about that. The only thing he could think of was doing something helpful. He wanted everything to be like it had been. He wanted to be powerful, capable, again. Damon could think of no better way to prove himself than to go out with the real men. He would show them all. He would show them that Damon Salvatore wasn't weak. He would prove to them that he was still the strongest thing out there. Damon didn't notice, then, the golden eyes watching from the trees.

AN: Cliffhanger! Sort of...lol. Um, you know the drill. Review because it makes me want to write more.