"So..did your father ever explain why you couldn't sleep near the tree?"

"Of course he did. Father's always looking out for me. I think he's just a little bit insecure about the tree. I don't believe in the story anyway." Yuyuko said, sighing lightly. "But..Father's word is word, so I have to listen to it."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. He'll let up! So, where's your gardener and his granddaughter?"

"They went out for a bit. Mother and Father are out also. So..I'm alone here until they come back." Yuyuko sighed. She slid her fan out of her kimono's sleeve as she always would and opened it, begging to fan herself.

"Bored eh?"

"Yes...not too many people visit us due to our status. We're not the richest or the smartest, but we're still among the upper crust, so it's hard to find people that are 'friends' and not just servants or such."

"But what about Youmu? She's taking a liking to you."

"She'll be my family's gardener when Youki cannot be it anymore. So..it'll be the same way, more like a servant than friend." Yuyuko explained.

"Well...you got me."

Yuyuko smiled a bit. "You're right. Thanks." Yuyuko said, hugging the person she's been talking to.

"Anytime, anytime." She replied.

"So..how did you know about my family, Yukari?" Yuyuko asked.

The blond haired girl, now around the age of two hundred, equivalent to that of a teenager in their late years, giggled lightly. "Simple. I just asked around. Mainly if there was a family that had a well known daughter."

"So, they told you to find me?" Yuyuko asked, fanning herself still.

"Ah...not really. They kinda ignored me." She chuckled nervously.

The black haired girl giggled. "At least you tried."

"True. I just kinda...well..wandered here. Very nice place though." Yukari said, looking around. The two were outside in the fields.

"Thank you. I'll tell everyone you said that." Yuyuko said. "Well, um..what about you? Can I know some things on you?"

"Huh? Oh! Of course of course! I'm Yukari Yakumo, but you knew that. I'm not really from here...uh..what else." She said, trailing off. "You know about the youkai and stuff, right?" she asked, seeing Yuyuko nod.

"Of course. Youki and Father tell me stories about them. They say that there are many actually alive...I just never met them."

"Well, you did today. I'm a youkai. Two hundred years old." She said, seeing Yuyuko blink.

"What?"

"It's true." The youkai said, standing up. "I'm one of those youkai." She said, opening her parasol. "Watch..." She said, holding out her hand. A large, magical border opened on the ground, a symbol spinning and glowing. It soon flashed into a pool of light and vanished, leaving behind a small figure, a fluffy tail flicking about. It looked around, rubbing it's eyes, standing about three-forth's as tall as Yukari. "Yes Lady Yukari?"

"Nothing Ran, I just needed to prove to a friend something. But I'd also like you to meet her." Yukari said, walking next to the kitsune. "Yuyuko, this is my Shikigami, Ran."

Ran bowed. "Nice to meet a friend of my master." She said, the hat she wore flopped off.

Yuyuko's eyes quickly shifted to the two fox ears that twitched about in a large mess of golden brown hair. "Is..is she a youkai too?" Yuyuko asked.

"But of course. A kitsune is a fox spirit youkai. Ran is very loyal though, she won't harm you, right?" Yukari said, seeing Ran, dusting off the hat and putting it back on.

"I wouldn't do that to anyone...well, unless Lady Yukari ordered me to." Ran explained. "You see, I'm bound by a summoning contract to follow her bidding until I am to gain my own divinity."

"In about 1,400 years." Yukari giggled.

"What um..what do you two mean?" Yuyuko asked, very confused.

"A kitsune is born with one tail, that shows age and strength. Every hundred years they gain one tail, up to nine. Then, they lose one every hundred years until they reach four, which by that time, they reach an extremely powerful divinity." Yukari explained. "Ran here is only 79 years old. She'll be getting her second tail anytime soon."

Ran smiled, her arms in their sleeves and crossed over her chest. "Yes, yes, very soon Lady Yukari."

"Well..I guess you are a youkai then..but...don't youkai eat humans?" Yuyuko asked, worried now that she remembered that fact.

"No, no, that's a myth! There are a few who joke around, but none of us actually eat people." Yukari quickly replied.

Yuyuko slowly got up and smiled a bit. "Well..I guess it can't be that bad. Why don't I show you around?"

The Yakumo's smiled. "That would be great, thanks Yuyuko." Yukari replied, her and Ran following Yuyuko as she started the tour of where she lived.