If you guys didn't see from Another Tomorrow, basically I got a new laptop and lost all the information and research I had made for all the story arcs TvT it took a while, which is why I didn't update in forever

But I'm back! With a new chapter!

And again, for those that are curious, I will continue each arc, there are NOT one-shots. However, if you want to write your own story, go ahead and write it! Just send it to me, so I can read it too xD

With all that said, enjoy this second chapter of the Kitsune arc!

Kitsune

Chapter 2: Almost

Tadashi woke up early, ready to begin the regular morning routine he and Cass had every morning.

First, fold his futon and place it back in the closet. Hiro would no doubt still be asleep (blankets strewn everywhere, tails sticking out and snoring loudly), and Tadashi would usually give him a few more minutes before being forced to wake him up. Usually with force (such as ripping the futon out from under him, or dumping cold water on him, but last time he did that, it didn't end so well and he had to promise never to do that again.) He would then fold up Hiro's futons as well, while his younger brother sat by the wall, already starting to nod off and fighting to stay awake.

Then, he would drag his sleepy brother with him to the bathroom to splash some water on their faces to fully wake up (or in Hiro's case, dump him in the bathtub filled with cold water.) Aunt Cass would be up by then and she would be working to prepare breakfast for the two. Usually, Hiro would be chasing Tadashi to the kitchen, angrily yelling about the cold water while Tadashi laughed until tears streamed down his face. Aunt Cass would smack both of them, scolding them about creating a ruckus so early in the morning, before giving up and laughing along with them.

The makeshift family would eat their breakfast, Hiro would ramble on about some new idea that he thought about, and Tadashi and Aunt Cass would laugh and tease him about all his previous failed inventions. Then, Aunt Cass would prepare to open her café, Tadashi would wash the dishes and Hiro would dry the clean plates.

Today, however, was different. Aunt Cass had to travel to the nearby town to replenish on groceries (the traveling merchants hadn't had to much to offer the last time they came.) She had breakfast prepared on the table and some money placed next to it, in case she wasn't back by nighttime.

Since Aunt Cass was away, the café would stay closed. Tadashi decided to let Hiro have a day off, especially considering the amount of stress they had both had the day before. Instead of waking him up, Tadashi let his brother stay asleep.

He decided to spend the day cleaning instead. After finishing his share of breakfast, he got the broom from the storage closet and exited his home. It was such a beautiful day, so he decided to sweep out the dust on the doorstep first. Since it looked like it was going to be a slow day and nobody was walking down the road, he decided it would be safe to just hide his tail and ears. He honestly hated transforming into a girl, it was absolutely humiliating (Hiro would always end up laughing hysterically whenever Tadashi changed.) Hiro didn't share the same mindset, he just thought it was funny that Tadashi was so uncomfortable.

He breathed out a sigh of content, looking up at the bright blue sky. It was just so nice out today, he couldn't not be happy.

Compared to the weather on that day…

Tadashi shuddered, a chill going down his spine. Stop it, he chided himself. It's the past. Hiro's alive. You're alive. That's all that matters, nothing else.

And yet… the memories still started pouring back. The smoke, the screaming, the fire...

"Yo, is Cass in today?"

Tadashi was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts when a familiar voice interrupted his train of thought. Whipping around, he was shocked to see the group of people that had entered the café the night before.

Oh no. They were looking at him. Without his disguise.

"Who're you?" Gogo asked suspiciously. "I know the lady has two nieces, but she never mentioned a son."

"I'm… her cleaner," Tadashi made up on the spot. "She and Tomoe are out for the day and I'm here to clean up the café and watch Haru."

"Hmm" was all Gogo responded with, still squinting at him accusingly.

"Aww, she's out?" Honey Lemon sighed sadly. "We were gonna ask her for more information about kitsune…"

"W-what makes you think she knows anything?" Tadashi stuttered, panicking a little. There's no way they got this close from just one night.

"Well if we don't ask her, we were gonna corner the other little girl," Wasabi admitted, much to Tadashi's anger. "Haru, was it? She seems to know more than she's saying."

"Well, she's not here," Tadashi snapped defensively. "And Haru's still asleep. You can come back later, maybe she'll talk with you so you don't have to 'corner' her."

"I guess," Gogo growled. "But why are you getting so defensive? Do you," she pulled out the kunai from last night threateningly "know something?"

"No," Tadashi replied blankly. "Now I advise you to all leave, before I have to make you leave."

"Are you threatening us?" Gogo hissed, stalking forward to get in Tadashi's face.

"Enough!" Wasabi shouted, pushing the two people apart. "Gogo, stand down," he ordered, sending a glare back at his seething friend. He bowed to Tadashi and sincerely said, "I apologize if my colleagues or I insulted you. We'll leave you and Haru at peace."

"Good," Tadashi huffed, turning and walking back into the café. His perfect day was ruined.

"What was that?" Wasabi hissed, blocking Gogo's path. They had traveled a few yards away from the café, and he wanted answers. "I agreed to help you find those monsters, but I did not agree to terrorize innocent bystanders!"

"That kid knows something!" Gogo spat. "And I'm getting answers! Even if I have to push a few people around!"

"What proof do you have that he knows something?" Wasabi growled exasperatedly. "All you did was insult the guy, and now he probably won't tell us anything!"

"Maybe we should check out another city," Honey Lemon offered, "Lie low for a bit and wait till Cass comes back."

"Then we'll lose our only lead!" Gogo threw her hands up in frustration. "Come on guys, we've searched for months now! Both the girl and that kid just now know something! How much do you bet the older sister has something up her sleeves too!"

"I mean," Fred rubbed his neck nervously, "she's not wrong… That little girl might know something."

"Well, I'm not gonna go knocking on the door of an innocent family," Wasabi huffed. "If you still wanna do this, then we get out of here for a few days. Otherwise," he made an X with his arms, "I'm terminating our partnership."

"You wouldn't," Gogo snarled.

"Watch me."

"Whoa!" Fred quickly jumped in between his two arguing companions. "Guys, let's just take a step back and calm down a bit." Gogo huffed and turned, crossing her arms. "Gogo, maybe he's right," Fred tried to reason. "Maybe we should back down a bit. If we try to force the information out of her, she'll clam up. Be too scared to say anything. Plus, she has that sister and their bodyguard, so if we go barging in, she won't say a word to us."

"But-"

"We'll come back when Cass comes back," Fred said definitively. "Go back to that town we stayed in last night."

"Come on, Gogo," Honey Lemon looked at the other girl pleadingly. "If you are right about this, we don't want to go in recklessly."

"… I guess," she finally grumbled. "But we come back first thing tomorrow!"

"Fine," Wasabi snorted. "If they don't want to say anything to us, we leave, got it?"

"Yes, sir," Gogo muttered scathingly, grumbling as they (though in her case, reluctantly) trudged back they way they came.

"Morning, Dashi," Hiro yawned, sleepily shuffling out of their room.

"It's already noon, bonehead," Tadashi chuckled. "Aunt Cass is out for the day."

"That would probably explain why you let me sleep till this late," Hiro replied as he stretched his arms above his head. "When will she be back?"

"If it's anything like her last few trips, tonight probably," the older boy shrugged. "Latest tomorrow morning."

"What were you doing up so early then?" Hiro asked, brushing out the uneven fur on one of his tails. The fur, like his hair, was constantly a mess. Tadashi didn't know how many times he had to tackle him down to even out the chaotic tangles, only for them to reappear again after less than a minute. How Hiro managed to mess up his hard work, he still had yet to know.

"Cleaned a bit," he reported. "Did some sweeping in the front and inside the store. Did you fold your futons?"

"Yup," Hiro yawned again, trying (and failing) to flatten out his bedhead. "Why would you clean on a day off?"

"Nothing else to do, I guess."

"You're boring," Hiro decided. "I would've gone out and started working on my new invention."

"Oh yeah?" Tadashi snorted. "And what invention is that, Mr. Sleep-till-noon?"

"Can't tell you," was his answer. "But I'll tell you this much. It'll be quite a boom when I finish."

"Whatever you say, little bro," Tadashi chuckled. "Just don't come running to me when you need help."

"Of course not," Hiro huffed. Murmuring a quick "thanks" when Tadashi set up his breakfast/lunch, he looked at his brother and tipped his head to the side. "Something bugging you, Dashi?"

"What? Of course not," the older brother answered, a little too quickly.

Hiro raised a brow and stared at him. Tadashi was seriously going to keep a secret. From him, of all people. "You can tell me, you know," he stated casually. "Is it the questions I asked last night?"

"No," he replied forcefully. Sure, Hiro could be a headache sometimes, but to say that he bugged him was something else completely. Nothing his little brother says or does would ever annoy him. Make him freak out every once in a while, yes, but never annoy.

"Then tell me," Hiro demanded. "What's on your mind?"

"Those hunters from last night came back while I was cleaning the front of the store," Tadashi finally sighed. "They came by asking about us again. Something you did must've made them suspicious, cuz they came by asking for you."

"Oh," was all Hiro said. He ate in silence for a few seconds, before murmuring, "Sorry."

"It's not you're fault," Tadashi insisted. "We should've seen it coming. It's my fault for convincing Aunt Cass to let us work a day."

"If I hadn't reacted the way I did, they wouldn't be bothering us," Hiro sighed dejectedly, his ears drooping miserably.

"You were nervous, don't beat yourself up," Tadashi soothed. "Besides," he snorted, "you were a hideous waitress."

Hiro's twin tails puffed up in indignation. "I was not!"

"The old ladies that work at that udon stand in town look better than you," Tadashi scoffed, laughing when Hiro started throwing a tantrum. Mock fighting with his brother as though nothing were wrong almost made him forget about the situation from earlier that morning.

Almost.

Alistair Krei walked down the dirt road, angrily swatting a buzzing fly from his face. Usually he didn't go out on the field. He sent his foot soldiers to go instead.

But this time, he needed to see it with his own eyes.

Which is why he took the painstaking trip from Europe to Japan, enduring the rocking boat and the disgusting smells for weeks, almost months. When he finally reached land, he vowed to find a faster and less nauseating way to get to the small island.

The reason for his trip this time was simple, yet completely different from his usual reasons. Of course, the news of the Japanese working with monsters, gaining fame and fortune beyond any man's wildest dreams had traveled to his city pretty fast with the help of gossiping travelers. He usually cared little for such gossip, as gossiping was for the commoners and he, by no means, was a commoner. In fact, he was rich enough, and had enough companies built under his name to be called a king! Also, even though it was extremely popular in the upper class, he never liked dabbling with the supernatural. It was his belief that all the talk about spirits and ghost would bring him bad luck, and destroy his empire. However, the last time his informants reported back to him, he heard of a small shop in the middle of nowhere suddenly gaining great success.

All signs pointed to the kitsune, which should be impossible, seeing as his first order of business after learning of the treaty that had been made was to wipe out every kitsune village. He couldn't have any enemies possibly gain an upper hand on him, now could he?

It was easy tracking down each village. Despite all the work the kitsunes put into hiding themselves, he had gotten an inside source to give up each location. And with the recent appearance of firearms and cannons, the foxes didn't stand a chance. He even hired some rounin to cut down any that tried to escape. From what his soldiers told him, the monsters were all wiped out in an instant. All while he was sitting in his office, sipping on a cup of freshly made fine wine directly imported from Italy.

He never dreamed that letting the few that got away live would come back to haunt him.

Alistair Krei was not a heartless man. To be fair, he really did feel bad for what he had down. However, after having a meeting with his council, he decided that the best choice, for the benefit of the future of his company and the benefit of his wealth, would be to make sure that no one could stand in his way. It took him years to create the empire he has now, and he didn't want any monsters helping some lucky peasant strike it rich in one day.

And so, he was here, in Japan, completely and hopelessly lost. He had tried asking people for help (as he had learned some conversational Japanese before leaving on that boat and had months of practice with the returning Japanese citizens) but no one could point him in the right direction. They all said the same thing: "The shop just appears out of nowhere, no one knows the exact location." This may be mystical to some, but it was nothing but trouble for Krei. Those damn foxes must be hiding their tracks well.

He panted as the road started leading uphill. Dispite his muscular build, Alistair was a man meant to be in a nice, big office, not outdoors. He would already feel his silk robes getting ruined with dust and sweat. The large hat he had bought at the port did little to cool him down.

A group of people appeared in front of him, heading in the opposite direction. They were a queer group indeed. Two of them seemed to be from the same place he was from. However, one of them had dark skin, while the other was Asian, but not Japanese. They certainly stood out from the rest of the people in this country.

As he walked past them, he heard the short, Asian girl say, "What if when we go back, they bolt?"

The man with blond hair much like his own snorted, "If that's their home, I'm pretty sure they won't leave. Besides, maybe if we ask nicely, they'll tell us what they know about kitsunes."

Alistair froze. Did that young man just say what he thought he said?

The blonde girl sighed wistfully and said, "Oh, I really hope they help us. We've been looking for some signs of the foxes forever now!"

They did! These children know something!

"Wait!" Alistair turned and called back to them. All of the members of the group turned, looking at him quizzically. The Asian girl merely turned her head lazily and glared at him, as though saying "this better be good."

"Are you all hunters?" he asked.

"They are," the blond boy pointed at the Asian girl and the dark skinned boy. "Honey and I are just tagging along… for research purposes."

"Can we help you sir?" the dark skinned man asked politely.

"Yes, actually," he sighed in relief. Finally, he was getting somewhere! "Where was it, that you said you saw the kitsunes?"

"Well… we didn't exactly see them," the blond boy admitted, "but we think we found some people that could tell us something about them."

"And who are they?"

"This little family owned café down the path," the Asian girl jabbed her thumb down the path they were leaving from. "Two girls and a woman. She's out for the day with the older girl and the younger one has a babysitter watching her."

"Just keep travelling that way for a mile or two," the blonde girl also pointed in the same direction. "You'll see it. Hard to miss, it's the only stand you'll see for miles."

"Ah, it looks like it's gonna rain."

"What?" Tadashi looked up from the dishes he was washing. "That's impossible, there wasn't a cloud in site this morning!" That put a damper on his mood. He had set all the futons out to air out earlier that afternoon, and was planning on helping Aunt Cass get ahead on laundry later.

Hiro nodded towards the window. "There are clouds coming, see?"

"Huh," Tadashi peered out the open window. "Would you look at that… It was so sunny earlier."

"Hopefully none get in this time," Hiro mumbled through a rice cracker. "Last time it almost ruined Aunt Cass's tatami mats."

"Yeah, the wind blew the water past the eaves," Tadashi muttered. "Think you can invent something that'll keep that from happening."

"On it," Hiro shot up fro the cushion he was laying on. "After this one."

"The rain probably means Aunt Cass won't be back until tomorrow afternoon," Tadashi mused. "Shop's probably gonna be closed tomorrow too."

"Yes!" Hiro pumped his fists into the air. "Two free days."

"Oh, relax, you big baby, you've only worked one shift," Tadashi snorted.

"And it's tiring!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he laughed. "Come on, let's get the futons in before it starts pouring."

What rotten luck. Shortly after departing with the group of youngsters, Alistair felt extremely excited for finally getting a clue. However, as soon as he hiked up that slope, the bright, sunny sky suddenly turned dark. He looked up, cursing when the first drop landed on his face. He never once considered rain, and didn't bother purchasing an umbrella with his other purchases at the port.

Making a run for it, he couldn't believe his bad luck when the small drops turned larger with each stride, until it was an outright downpour. He was soaked within seconds. There was no way his silk robes would survive after this storm.

It was so dark that Alistair couldn't even see his own hands in front of his face. He was in such rural parts of the country that there weren't any lanterns lit to light his path. All he could do was charge forward and hope to either run into the café he was looking for, or at least a cottage with some sympathetic homeowners.

Suddenly, in the distance, he saw a faint flicker of light. It was faint, but it was something. Alistair ran faster, grimacing as his sandals slopped through the mud. Reaching the light, he realized it was a little café. There was a bench out front for patrons to sit and enjoy the weather with their tea with a folded up umbrella over it. The eaves were streaming down rainwater.

Quickly moving under the eave, he patted down his sleeves, cursing at the ruined silk. Knocking loudly on the door, he called out, "Excuse me, is anyone home?"

Nothing. Then, the door slowly slid open a crack. A small boy, no older than ten-years-old, peeked out at him. "Yes?" he whispered quietly.

"Hi," Alistair said as patiently as he could. He never liked children. He saw himself more of a businessman, destined to die surrounded by his wealth. He never thought he would need to make an effort to like the small parasites. "Is your mother or father home?"

The boy looked at him cautiously, then turned and called "Dashi!" Another boy, a lot older than the younger one that answered the door, showed up next to him. He leaned down and whispered something into the younger one's ear. The younger one nodded and disappeared into the room. The older boy crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Are your parents home?" Alistair tried again patiently. He was a businessman after all, the master of patience.

"No," the boy replied flatly. "How can I help you?"

"Well, as you can see," Alistair replied, losing some of his well composed patience, "it's raining quite a bit at the moment."

"I can see that," the boy replied sarcastically, eyeing the soaked robes he had draped over his body. This brat.

"And I was wondering," Alistair tried, "if you would be kind enough to let me stay for the night?" The boy hesitated, eyes shifting nervously behind him for a split second. "I only wish to room for a night, I'll be gone first thing as soon as the rain stops," he promised.

The boy sighed, then finally said, "Fine." He pushed the sliding door open a little further. "Hiro!" he called as Alistair carefully made his way into the room (he didn't want to drip too much water on his patron's floors), "Set up the futon in the extra room!"

"Got it!" came the faint reply from further into the building.

"Wait here," the older boy ordered, moving to close the door behind him. "I'll bring you some towels so you don't drip all over the floor."

"Thank you, Mr.…"

"… Tadashi," the boy replied, slightly reluctantly. "Just Tadashi."

"Well, Tadashi," the European man bowed slightly. "My name is Alistair Krei. I am visiting your country for a business trip."

"Aren't you a bit far from home, Mr. Krei?" Tadashi asked, murmuring a quick "thanks" when his younger brother brought in a stack of towels. "Don't you have people that do this type of work for you?"

"Usually," Alistair admitted, gratefully taking the towels, "But what's life without a bit of travel?"

"Well," Tadashi sighed, leading Alistair to the room he would be staying in, "I can't make you a meal, unfortunately, so if you're hungry you'll have to wait till you get to the next town."

"That's fine." He had eaten a little on the road, and the rather nauseating trip here had taken a little over half of his appetite.

"You'll be staying here tonight," Tadashi opened the door to the spare room. The futon had been neatly set, and nothing in the world looked more welcoming to Alistair. "And as you promised, as soon as the rain stops, you leave, okay?"

"Understood," Alistair chuckled. "Goodnight," he called out as Tadashi exited the room. Settling all his belongings down, he sighed and thanked anything he could think of for his luck. Thank god he had found this small home before being washed away.

"Um… excuse me," a small, timid voice called through the paper door.

"Come in!"

The door slid open, revealing the younger child that had answered the door before Tadashi took over. "I have extra blankets and towels for you," he said quietly.

"Thank you child," Alistair replied appreciatively. "And what's your name, little one?" he asked as he rubbed his hair with a towel.

"H-Hiro," the child stuttered.

"Well, Hiro," Alistair chuckled, "why are you and your brother alone in this part of the country? Isn't it dangerous to be this far away from civilization?"

Hiro looked behind him nervously. "Tadashi would be mad if I told you…"

Alistair smiled kindly. "You can tell me."

"Actually, he should be going to bed."

Hiro jumped a foot in the air before sheepishly turning around to look at his extremely enraged brother. Mumbling "good night," he scrambled away as quickly as possible. Tadashi gave Alistair a warning glare before sliding the door closed. The lights outside the room went out as well.

Alistair let out a breath and laid down on the futon. It had been a long day, and he wanted to get some rest before getting up and traveling again.

There was one thing he couldn't get out of his head. From what those kids told him, he should've either passed the café, or at least gotten some sign of it already.

They told him one woman, two girls and one boy. All he had right now was two boys. Nothing added up.

Unless…

The girl and the boy were one and the same.

What did the Asian girl say again? Something about the woman being out? And kitsunes do have the ability to shape shift. Changing their appearance to that of a female would be no problem. So, assuming the older boy and the older girl were the same person, meaning the younger girl would also be the same as the younger boy, that would make everything add up. Which could only mean one thing.

He was rooming with not one, but two kitsunes.

Grinning, he stretched his hands behind his head. This was going to be interesting.

"Don't talk to that guy while he's here, Hiro," Tadashi growled, aggressively setting out their futons for the night. "I've got a bad feeling about him."

"Sorry," Hiro sighed, lying down on his bedding as Tadashi seethed around the room. "What do you think he's here for?"

"I don't know," Tadashi snorted. "But it's nothing good." He sighed and collapsed onto his own futon. "With all the people that are coming by, I'm starting to think we should leave, get out of town and start traveling again."

"I guess," Hiro muttered. "But… then we would have to leave Aunt Cass, right?"

Tadashi didn't say anything. He didn't have to.

Hiro sighed. "We'll have to tell her tomorrow."

"It's not for sure yet," Tadashi reassured him. "Who knows? Maybe after this Krei guy leaves, everything will go back to the way it was before. We can go back to pretending we're normal. And no more working, since that's how this whole mess started."

"I don't know, Dashi," the younger boy sighed again. "I still want to stay with Aunt Cass, that hasn't changed. But if we have to leave to stay together, then I'm fine with that, I guess…"

"Wow," his older brother laughed. "You'd give up this comfortable life style just to stay with me?" He jokingly placed his hands over his heart. "I'm touched."

"Shut up," Hiro snorted, throwing his pillow at Tadashi. The older boy laughed and dodged, tossing the pillow lightly back to the younger. "You're the only family I have left," Hiro mumbled, catching the pillow. "I'd rather go on the run with you than stay safe alone."

Tadashi chuckled, ruffling his brother's hair gently. "Thanks bud," he laughed. "I love you too."

"S-shut up," Hiro stuttered, his face turning red.

"Alright, little bro," Tadashi moved over to his futon. "Time to go to bed."

"Yup!" Hiro climbed under the blankets, a large yawn breaking across his face.

"And remember," Tadashi said sternly. "Keep your tails and ears hidden if you get up in the middle of the night."

"Got it."

"Well then, good night, little brother."

"Night, Dashi!"

The light from the lantern in the room went off and the brothers were plunged into darkness. Of course, they could still see, but Tadashi fell asleep almost immediately. He was always the early bird, while Hiro was the night owl.

Said night owl sighed, folding his hands behind his head. He honestly didn't know what to do anymore. He knew he messed when he panicked in front of those hunters yesterday. In fact, that night, he could barely sleep because he kept thinking about what he could've done to make things different.

But could this really be a coincidence? That right after a group of hunters appears, another man that may be more trouble appears right after? He knew that Tadashi was right, the only way he could keep the only two people in his life safe was to leave. Get out of town and find another place to settle down. Asking Aunt Cass to leave with them would be asking her too much. After all, she had given up everything to start this café, and she wouldn't just leave it out of nowhere.

He, of course, did have another plan. It was beyond risky, but it would keep their "family" together. It did require some heavy planning, but Hiro was willing to go through all the trouble to keep Aunt Cass and Tadashi both in his life. However, even if he told Tadashi, he was sure that his older brother would just smile and not say anything.

Again, he didn't have to.

Thank you for being patient everyone! My other stories are getting updated soon (hopefully TvT) and I'll be sure to baCK THEM UP THIS TIME

Like, comment, review, all that good stuff