Vil had come to pick something Rook had left behind in the garden that Trey had picked up so that it didn't get lost.

He was not expecting to run into Riddle with pigtails, a skirt and having obvious breasts.

Rather than say a word, Vil hid discreetly to observe further. Imagine his shock when he found out that this was the Alyssa-hime that the other students had become so enamored of last year.

Once he retrieved the item in question, Vil waited a few days before confronting Cater.

"So...the mysterious Alyssa is really Riddle's feminine side?"

Cater flinched for a second, before he laughed sheepishly.

"How did you find out?"

"It's rather hard to miss when your dorm openly calls your housewarden Alyssa-hime while he's wearing a skirt."

"She," corrected Cater absently. "It's easier to use gender neutral pronouns when you're not sure which one they are at the moment."

Vil raised an eyebrow.

"Wait. So those old stories of kitsune beastkin switching genders is..."

"Very much true," said Cater cheerfully. "Alyssa is a total himedere."

Vil remembered what Cater said about Riddle's homelife being complicated. Considering he had heard rumors of something happening at the beginning of the year that had the headmage absolutely furious about something, he was starting to understand why Cater had summed it up as 'complicated'.

Rather than make things awkward, Vil smirked. He had been quick to notice that Alyssa was lacking in 'support' in certain areas, and likely didn't have any feminine undergarments to speak of. He wasn't going to comment on his fellow housewarden's quirks.

"Want some ideas on how to dress your Queen up?"

Cater's eyes gleamed.

Alyssa was later surprised (and delighted) when Cater came back from Pomefiore armed with two entire boxes full of new things for her to play around with. Including some skirts that only needed a few minor adjustments to properly fit Alyssa, since Cater had to special order off Sam for the modified female bottom of the housewarden's outfit.

Vil had made an offhand comment (after getting an invite to the special server) about Cater trying his hand at the fashion industry as a serious photographer. Considering the number of candid photos and later the posed shots, he had a real knack for that sort of thing.

Vil later had a very amused and rather pleased expression on his face seeing the properly coordinated outfits Alyssa soon sported on the server, as well as the many, many accessories. Especially since he spotted Riddle trying out a few during housewarden meetings.

~*~*~*~

Riddle was absolutely furious. Floyd, being the pest that he was, had come into the dorm to deliver something from Jade to Trey. Normally, he could have forgiven that. Annoying, but still permissible.

Floyd had been harassing him since last year, as he had become fascinated someone so small had managed to kick his ass shortly after the initiation ceremony. Cater had half-joked about Floyd having a serious crush on him.

This time however, Floyd had gone too far. He had presented a rose to Riddle, as it was no secret that the red head was a fan of the flower, in any color. However closer inspection revealed that the idiot had broken off one of the precious roses from Heartsabyl's own maze. Riddle's ire only grew upon finding out that Floyd had damaged the bush he had stolen the rose from.

Riddle's face was redder than his hair from absolute rage.

Something inside him snapped, as Floyd seemed to sense he had royally screwed the pooch. He took off, his longer legs quickly giving him a slight upper hand in avoiding the outraged housewarden.

You could imagine the shock everyone had on their face when the petals from the rose fell off...before becoming a long, thorny whip.

Floyd almost made it to the entrance before the whip snagged his leg, causing him to fall flat on his face.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

Trey was the unfortunate soul who had to go to the Octavinelle dorm and get Azul.

Riddle had Floyd wrapped up with the odd whip, as the taller teen sulked at being caught so easily. However there was a glint in his eye that said his interest in Riddle had only gotten worse.

Azul came and was less than amused at what Floyd had done. While the damage was fixable, the fact he had done this to another dorm irritated him greatly.

He eyed the bindings on Floyd with mild interest. It took something strong to keep Floyd or his brother bound when they didn't want to be.

Once Azul had collected an unrepentant Floyd, Cater looked to Riddle.

"Since when can you do that?" he asked.

Riddle looked flummoxed.

"I... I didn't know I could," he admitted. "It simply clicked."

It took Alyssa a few days to get the hang of her new trick, and to discover she could also turn her new whip into a sword of sorts. Since she didn't have the first clue how to use a sword, much less a whip properly as a weapon, she did the most sensible thing she could think of.

Riddle went to one of his club mates in the Equestrian club and asked if he knew anyone who could train him in how to use a sword. Silver not only knew someone who could train him, it was the vice housewarden of his dorm.

Riddle was not surprised to learn that Lilia Vanrouge was also Silver's father.

With Lilia

Lilia had an inscrutable expression on his face upon seeing Riddle form a whip from a simple rose. He didn't mind showing the younger teen how to use a sword properly.

Lilia waited until was in the dorm before he shot off a rather short, but to the point e-mail to a third party well outside Sage's Island.

He somewhat wished he could have been there to see the reaction the other party had once they got the message.

~*~*~*~*

Out of all the ways to find out what happened to his kit, getting a random e-mail from an old rival was not one of them.

It took very little fast talking with Koenma to get permission (and a lift) to Sage's Island. Normally he'd be on probation, but he had made a deal with the demi-god regarding his current pet project. Namely he'd come in and help Yusuke in his detective work for at least five years in exchange.

Getting into the college was easy, as they had an open campus for the inter-house tournament. It took him all of ten minutes to catch a scent that caught his full interest, and to start following it.

Only to be stopped rather quickly by a man he immediately identified as dangerous.

"Why is a youkai in my school?" he asked, rather annoyed.

Kurama wanted to sigh, but knew this was a necessary headache.

"I received an e-mail from an old...acquaintance...regarding something I lost due to circumstances," said Kurama calmly.

Crowley stared him down, not believing that for a second.

"I'm not letting you reacquire any...treasures...from the school."

"From what I was told, my missing kit may very well be one of your students," Kurama shot back.

Crowley's expression changed in an instance. It was clear he knew exactly who Kurama's kit was and which dorm they belonged to.

"I cannot allow you to wander the school without supervision. Particularly considering your...history. However I can arrange a meeting with the student in question after the tournament," said Crowley.

Kurama had no issue with this...he had waited seventeen years to learn where his kit had gone after the attack, he could wait a few hours. The temporary pass Koenma had given him was good for a solid week, and his mother thought he was scouting colleges with a few friends.

The tournament was interesting, even if he had to be chaperoned by one of the teachers. Professor Crewel was an absolute delight to chat with, as they both were rather fond of alchemy.

With Riddle

He knew there was someone important at the school, but at the moment his only thought was to crash on his bed and sleep for several hours. Maybe cuddle with the stuffed fox Che'nya had given him shortly after his true nature was discovered.

All thoughts left his head the second he came within range of the empty classroom. He wasn't sure why Professor Trein had waylaid him after the tournament, but now his only thought was of that familiar scent.

His pace quickened, his heart beating faster than he could ever remember. Almost by instinct, he switched to his kitsune form and all but bolted for the partially opened door. Professor Trein didn't attempt to chase the small fox, but rather followed at a moderate pace.

When he reached the room, it was to the sight of the normally stoic housewarden acting like a happy child, clearly delighted at the presence of the much older kitsune.

The red head looked to Crowley with bemusement.

"I believe this proves it," he said calmly, cuddling with the smaller kitsune who was wagging his tail with contentment.

"We'll still need to do some formal testing for official purposes, however I see no issue with you staying within range of the school. Unfortunately, we do not have any guest accommodations."

Riddle was just happy to be cuddling with the older kitsune.

In Heartsabyl...

Cater couldn't help but stare at the stranger that Alyssa was practically glued to the side of. It wasn't romantic, as the stranger had a somewhat maternal expression on his face. Which was weird, because this was a guy.

However there was no mistaking the fact that the guy was related to Alyssa.

The fact Riddle had switched to his female side the second they were past the mirror entrance said volumes of the level of trust Alyssa had in this guy.

Cater could be forgiven for jumping slightly at the fact Che'nya chose that moment to announce his presence.

"So Alyssa finally found her mama fox," he said grinning.

"Mama fox? Wait, that's Alyssa's actual mother?" said Trey in shock.

The stranger laughed at that.

"Kitsune are notorious shapeshifters, and her father happened to catch me at an awkward time. Not that I regret it in the least," he said, rubbing her head affectionately.

Cater decided to ask, since this was the best opportunity he was likely to get any time soon.
"Question...was Alyssa born a guy or a girl originally?"

"This is her natural state. I have no idea why she learned to switch genders so young, especially since most kits don't learn how to do so until they're fifty at least."

"I have a better question...why didn't you come for her sooner?" demanded Trey. Alyssa had suffered entirely too much from that woman, and it was somewhat suspicious this guy showed up so soon after Dr. Rosehearts had been arrested for kidnapping.

"There's a reason I only look seventeen," he said with a scowl. Alyssa looked at him. "The day I lost her, I was attacked by a demon hunter who got a lucky shot in. I had no choice but to use what most would consider an illegal magic just to survive, and I was effectively powerless for seven years. I was essentially a newborn with the memories of a three hundred year old kitsune."

It was clear he wasn't going to say much on the matter, so Cater tried changing the subject.

"So if you're the mother, who's the father?"

"Her father likely has no idea she exists. We only reconnected recently and he's currently on probation. I was lucky to get permission to see if my old acquaintance was right about where Alyssa was, in exchange for a major favor."

Che'nya could tell Alyssa was beyond happy that this guy was here.

"So if you had to reincarnate early, then what was your old name?"

The guy gained a very mischievous glint in his eyes, as he allowed his youki to flow through him. Ever since learning his kit had survived and was safe, he had been working on regaining even a partial transformation of his old form.

While his full power was still out of his reach, he could at least shift forms again.

"You might know me better as Yoko Kurama," he said pleasantly, his form shifted to that of a much older kitsune.

Chaos insued.