Meanwhile… (13 hours ahead)
_{Tokyo, Japan…}

  Jules Guillot took hold of his attacker’s wrists, put his foot on the man’s stomach and leaned back into a half-roll.  His attacker went flying backwards into another man rushing up from behind. 

  He rolled over and got up to one knee, hands on the pavement.  His head brushed something from off to the left. He slowly lifted his head.  The barrel of a gun brushed against his left cheek.  He tightened his jaw in frustration.  “Konichiwa, monsieur.”

  The man sneered from beneath his ski mask.  “So which one is it, Japanese or French, asshole?”

  “Neither, reckon.  Creole is it’s own protected language.  Tha’s my bit.  Who’n the hell’re you boys and why yaw’ll attackin’ women?”

  “I’m going to give you one chance to walk away because you have nothing to do with what we’re doing here.  That woman around the corner is dangerous.” 

  “Tha’s not right manly of me, now, is it?  Leavin’ a woman to fend for herself ‘gainst the lot of you boys?  I’m a witness.  You jus’ want me to walk away so you cin shoot me in th’ back.  Tha’s not how I roll.” 

  “Christ.  You are a dumb hick, aren’t you?” He pulled the trigger but nothing happened.  “What the hell?” He looked down at a jam in the chamber.  The man put his hand on the slide of the weapon to clear it only to jerk his hand back.  The top of the gun began to glow orange.  As it got hotter, the heat began to transfer down to the handle.  The gunner threw the weapon on the pavement.  Seconds later a round cooked off, leaving the weapon distorted.  Another went off, followed by a third and fourth.  The handle burst apart.  A fifth round went off.  The weapon continued to grow brighter from the intense heat focused into it. 

  The gunman looked up, past Jules, and reached for his secondary pistol.  He put his hand on it then immediately threw it on the ground.  “God dammit!” 

  The redheaded woman came around the corner with a graceful saunter.  Her kimono shifted with her feminine gait.  She stopped, adjacent to Jules, glaring at the mercenary.  “My kind had a treaty with the Esoteric Community.  But we do not have a treaty with humans.  You, and the two men over there on the ground are all that is left.  I will not kill unarmed men so long as you cease your attack.” 

  “Retreat isn’t honorable, now is it?” The soldier said, favoring his right palm with his left thumb.  “And that’s what you believe in, now isn’t it?” 

  “There is no honor is loss, so long as you’ve learned something valuable from it.” 

  The man backed away, slowly.  The other two men were already on their feet, several feet away.  “I thought you Shinto bitches were supposed to be Japanese or something?”

  “Do you think I’m not?”  She lifted her hand in his direction, palm facing outwards.  “Now go.  Before my munificence reaches its end.” 

  The man turned to the other two mercenaries.  “Fall back to Safehouse Epsilon.”  He kept his eyes on the woman and the American southerner.  “They go first.”  The three remained at a standoff while the other two mercenaries retreated from the area.  Once silence returned, he began to back away.  “This isn’t over.”  He continued to back up until his back met a Nissan SUV.  He opened the driver side door, keeping his gaze on Jules and the woman, then slid into the driver seat, mashed his thumb down on the engine ignition button then floored the accelerator and drove out of the parking garage at a high rate of speed. 

  Jules glanced back at the Irish-looking woman with the long red hair.  “Well dang… I’ve never been rescued by a woman, afore.  They were afraid of you.  I’m impressed.”  He turned about to face her more directly.  “Bonjour, m’amie.  Pleasure’s all mine.  Jules Lenis Guillot.”  He offered his hand to her. 

  She lowered her amber eyes to his hand then smiled and reached for it.  “Konichiwa, Jules-san.  My name is Sinopa Crevan.”

  They shook.  Jules brought her hand to his lips, kissed her knuckles in a traditional fashion then released her hand.  Then, in a more customarily Japanese manner, he brought his hands to his sides and bowed.  She returned the gesture.  Jules straightened his back and said, “I heard ya’ refer to yerself as a kitsune.  I won’t lie.  You’re a foxy lady, for sure, but…” he trailed off and tilted his head.  “Sinopa?” 

  His conversation with the cop in the bar back in San Francisco rushed back.  He’d called the woman Sinopa.  And the more Jules looked at her, the more her face became familiar.  “Sacre-flippin-bleu, you’re her.”

  “Nani…?” She blinked at him and tilted her head.  Her luxurious red hair swept across her forehead, revealing a hint of something peaking out from beneath fine strands of ginger… orange, triangular, but matching in coloration.  “I’ve not been in Japan very long and have not met you since my arrival.  Yet you recognize me?”

  “Oui, I recognize you.  But everything is fuzzy, I’m afraid.  Do I not look familiar to you?” 

  “Ah… My apologies Jules-san but… no, you don’t look familiar to me.  But you do feel familiar.  Your presence.  Does that make sense?” 

  “It’s a start.  We should leave this area ‘afore someone else shows up.”

  “Hai.  May I inquire as to where you are headed?”

  “Well, I came all th’ way from California to find… well, to find you, Miss Crevan.  I din’ have plans beyond tha’.” 

  “Ah.  I see.  Would you care to accompany me?  I am in need of transportation to the very state from where you came.  I’m afraid I do not have much in the way of currency, but perhaps we can arrange a…”

  “Say no more, Miss Crevan.  I have so many questions that neither of us can answer… like, why are you so familiar to me?  I feel like I know you.  I feel like I cin trust you.  I feel like… some part of me knows, deep down, tha’ you’re special.  I just need t’ understand why, and fill in th’ gaps.  I cin pay for airfare back to California.  Any specific part?”

  “Where did you come from?” she asked.

  “San Francisco, ma’am.” 

  “Hai, that will be fine.  A place to start, for certain.  My mission is to find a man responsible for stealing an ancient artifact from the Emperor of Japan.  My direct superiors do not know exactly what the artifact does, because it was meant to be hidden away, handed down from Amaterasu-tenno to the first Emperor of Japan.” 

  “Reckon I follow.  Yer sent to find somethin’ tha’s way above yer paygrade.  Then, once you find it, either one’a two things’ll happen.  Either yer clearance goes up, or yer bosses will descend on yer location the minute you uncover whatever it is you’s lookin’ for.” 

  She eyed him for a moment then smiled inwardly.  “You sound as though you’ve met my kind before.” 

  Jules laughed and motioned for her to follow him.  They left the parking garage through an exit at the opposite end from where he’d came in.  “Naw, but tha’s how bureaucrats work, darlin’. 

  “Hai, you perhaps this world isn’t so different from my own.”

  Jules rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  “You really serious about tha’?”

  “Hai, you will come to understand in time.  Strange that I feel so comfortable allowing you to know my secret, Jules-san.  How shall we cross the ocean?”

  “Oh, darlin’, anyway you wish.  We cin’ go by cruise ship, but it’d be much quicker to fly, n’est-ce pas?”

  “Flight… ah, yes, the fact humans have mastered such has always been fascinating.” 

  Jules eyed her and an amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips.  “I do believe that you believe every word you’re sayin’.  But how crazy does that make me for encouraging it, oui?  Ah, hell, c’est la vie.  You’re too perdy to overlook, and I reckon I cain’t dismiss tha’ crazy fight we just walked ‘way from.  C’mon.  I’ll flag down a taxi and get us to th’ airport.  We cin’ prolly get a first-morning flight out.  I usually take melatonin and sleep through long flights.”  He led her back out to the street, opposite of the alleyway he’d come from to avoid the possibility of incoming authorities.  “Let’s go’n save heaven-knows-what for th’ Emperor than.” 

  “Hai, you have my gratitude for your aid.” 

X

X

A few hours later, 6:40 am, local time
_{Tokyo, Japan…}

     Jules Guillot settled on the airliner seat and sighed, loosening his tie. He closed his eyes and reached into his pocket, fishing out an iPod and two earbuds. He glanced to his right, looking out towards the airfield then he pushed one of the earpieces into his right ear. He began untangling the left side, keeping his eyes on the window.

"If I may be so bold," said Sinopa, "What are you putting into your ears, Jules-san?"

Jules swiveled his head left, looking up at the redheaded woman of slender build.

Again, she seemed oddly familiar to him. Her toned arms and hourglass hips caught his attention in the brighter lighting of the plane.  His gaze returned to her European visage, studying it for a moment, then they lowered over the sumptuous curvature of her figure. His eyes raked over her bosom then continued to lift again, stopping on her adorable facial features. She settled on the adjacent seat, hands folded in her lap. "And is this 'F-02' by chance?"

Again, his eyes lowered then lifted, drinking in her build. Voluptuous yet petite. She smiled in a way that caused goosebumps to tingle on his arms, hidden beneath his jacket.

"Mademoiselle, you are indeed in the right place.  But I thought the ticket lady couldn’t get us last-minute seating next to one another?" His dialect, a relaxed Cajun flavor, added spice to his creamy baritone voice. "Damn, Inspector Nevada would never believe my luck at findin’ you." He cleared his throat then added, "Oui, ma chère, comment t'appelles-tu?"

“I switched seats with someone.  They came in and said to the flight attendant that they were looking for F-02.  You let me have first class and were sweet enough to take business class for yourself… but I couldn’t resist switching with that person to sit with you.  And they were delighted to have first class.”  She looked at him for a moment then settled back into the chair a bit. "I speak fluent Japanese and English, Jules-san," she replied. Her faint Asian accent brought a smile to his face, which in turn brought a smile to her. "You liked something I said?"

"Just Jules.  You don’t need to honor me, Miss Crevan.  I’m a humble sort, ma chérie. Tu as de beaux yeux. As golden as th' sunset, ma chatte. I do declare, I reckon, I'm never this flirty. So, my apologies."

"Just Sinopa, then. What are you putting into your ears?"

He smiled and gave a tug on the wire, causing the bud in his right ear to fall to his lap. "Nothin' now. Something more interesting has caught my attention.  So if you ain’t Irish and you ain’t exactly Asian, then where you from, belle?"

"My French vocabulary is lacking but I do believe I know the term, 'belle.' So thank you. And, I am from Japan. I know, I don't appear Japanese, do I? It's a long story. And what of you? Where are you from that you speak English-mixed-French with such a strange accentuation?"

"I am from the Louisiana Bayou."

Sinopa tilted her head. "I'm unfamiliar with that province, I'm sorry."

"In the cockpit, people on th’ Ford called me Gambit, like the guy from the X-Men. That was my flight moniker when I flew in the Navy. It stuck with me, even though I don't play cards. Funny, n'est-ce pas?" He folded the little ear buds into the palm of his hand then stuffed them back into his jacket. "It's a state, darlin'… it's not too unlike France in many ways."

"Oh?" She smiled again, having heard that France was a city of romance and dreams. "And how is this 'Louisiana' like France, Mister Guillot?"

"Because," he said with a sly grin, "To the southwest, we have Spanish-speaking people who don't know a damn thing. To the north, we have English-speaking people who don't have a clue. If you look around, you'll find an assortment of the finest wine and if you look past a little dirt, you'll see a world of music, artistic beauty and culture. Just like France… only smaller."

"Are you always this pleasant?"

"Non, ma chatte, I can be quite reserved when the situation calls and to answer your previous question 'bout the earbuds… I love music." He lifted the iPod in his left palm.

"And for the sake of building our conversation, why don't you act like that small object is something I've never seen before?"

Jules offered her a strange look then smiled with a hint of confusion. "If it so amuses you, m'amie." He thumbed a button on the top and the device came to life. He then ran his thumb across the front of the glass surface and it displayed the home screen icons. Sinopa reached for the iPod and peered at it closely. Jules tilted his head a bit and asked, "Have you honestly never seen one of these before? Are you a missionary who worked in a remote area or shrine, far removed from technology or somethin'?"

"I'm a little 'out there' as the expression goes," she mused. "And so are you."

"Tu es mignon," he countered. "And if you think I am flirting with you, chérie, you're right… I am."

Her brows arched once more. "And why is that? Hasn't anyone ever told you…? Mythological or flesh-and-blood, a woman of any species is difficult to handle."

He noted her grin of challenge. "Touché. I never asked to sleep with you tonight, m'amie. I'm interested in gettin' to know ya' 'cause you are a classy woman. I have an eye for that sort of thing. And, if'n I may be so bold… something seems familiar about you."

“Hai, as you said earlier.”  She looked down at the iPod for a moment, not understanding the glowing glass-faced object. She handed it back to him then glanced sidelong at the human male. "You seem familiar, too. So where are the pithy, flirty one-liners white men are supposed to be known for?"

This time Jules was the one to cock an eyebrow, showing no further emotion on his face. After a brief pause, he stuffed the iPod and his hands into his jacket pockets and shook his head. "You wanted to hear tactless pickup lines?" His Cajun accent was gritty but smooth all the same.

"I'm not always classy. Sometimes, I want to be talked to like life isn't so damned serious all the time." She noticed the way he put his hands into his pockets and pondered to herself if she'd somehow made him feel uncomfortable.

However, his eyes softened and, before long, a grin spread across his lips. "You won't get cheap little one-liner pickups from me, ma chatte. I have no couth with that sort of thing. Besides, doing so is dabbling in disrespect, for I hardly know you. A little taboo, isn't it? Jiving tactless pickup lines with a woman you've only just met? It's not socially correct, after all. I wouldn't want you to think I'm bein' anything less than gentlemanly to ya', darlin'. You're a lady, after all."

"We're surely quite different. Then again, we're somewhat similar as well." She glanced to the side, watching him for a moment. Her eyes lowered back to the hands she had in her lap. Human hands – they were foreign to her eyes. "But I doubt you could do anythingforme, even if we were compatible or the same in any way."

He snorted in a mocking way then abruptly announced, "You could never be more wrong, chérie."

"I heard you have a saying in this day and age… Women are never wrong. It sounds like someone has figured it out after all this time. So I can't understand why men, armed with such knowledge, aren't a hundred times more advanced."

"Non, I'm saying you're wrong. If I told you otherwise, I'd be lying to you and I could never lie to a lady. You said I could never do anything for you, even if we were the same or compatible… I'm disagreeing with you."

Sinopa rolled her eyes, hiding her smile. She was enjoying the attention and his flirty advances. "Listen, 'Gambit'. I have yet to find a man who could satisfy my curiosities or sate my expectations. With that said, you couldn't do anything for me." She idly traced her fingers over bumps on a sign on the bottom side of her tray table.

He laughed in reply and shook his head. "You're wrong, chérie." Jules ran his fingertips over the Braille beneath his own table. "This is for the blind people who read the bumps with their fingers." He let her look over it closely; she glanced back up at him and shook her head. His grin broadened. "Did I ever tell you I know how to read Braille with my tongue, chère? How's that for crude one-liners?"

"O'ho!" She swatted him playfully against his bicep. "Not bad, not too bad at all."

"So you like my uncouth one-liners?"

She smirked and said, "I was talking about something else. Regardless, I have to say… flying, I hear, is something the human race has now mastered but you have to reach pretty high to understand me."She laughed softly with a shake of her head but his flirty offer was, in a sense, intriguing. "Surely you wouldn't find me all that interesting."

"Non, mademoiselle. Typically, I don't judge a book by its cover… but your cover makes me think you'll be a very interesting and entertaining read, ma chérie.”

"You like my cover, hm?" A grin tugged at the kitsune vixen's lips. Her eyes lowered then lifted, raking over his form and drinking in every little detail. For some reason, she felt drawn to him.

"Ma chatte, if a picture is worth a thousand words," he turned to face her directly. "Then, chérie, you must be War and Peace." He gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Trust me, it's a thick book." The two continued to exchange playful dialogue as the plane moved out to the runway.

Lettering illuminated on the ceiling and it caught her attention. She glanced up at it curiously then read the kanji. Her eyes flitted over to the strap across the man's body then she fastened her own and settled back into her chair. "This is my first time," she added.

"If your ears pop from altitude, just swallow and the pressure will subside a little bit."

"I learned that little trick on my own when in the mountains. This is thrilling, Jules-san. So, tell me more about your iPod? What does it do?"

He eased the earbuds back out of his pocket, unraveled it enough to free up one bud then wiped it on his shirt and said, "Put this in your ear, chère." He waited until she did as instructed. 

She hid the earbud somewhere in her thick red hair then put her hand down over the top of her head to hold it in place. He then thumbed the volume on the side so that it was set to 'half'. Next, he manipulated the user interface on the device while she watched. He opened up the music application, found something soothing, and played it.

Sinopa blinked. She slid her fingers into her hair again, pressing the earbud into her half-hidden triangular fox ears. "Music," she murmured. "That is incredible. You have one for each ear so that it sounds fuller, and to drown out the world around you, yes?"

"Oui, chère, I listen to a lotta types of music. I have the Dir-en Gray ‘25^th Anniversary’ album – all their best stuff, and new original tracks by the founding members.  Hard to believe two of those guys‘re gunna be fifty years old next year.  And still rockin’.  Best thing t’ come out of Japan… with th’ exception of you, of course."

She smiled at his words, then pondered the name ‘Dir-en Gray’ for a moment and shook her head. "I'm unfamiliar with that name."

"Wow, you really been out in the woods, Miss Sinopa… It's a Japanese band. They played a genre called, "Visual kei," then became more of a… well …aw hell, lemmie jus' play it for ya".

He changed the music by rubbing his thumb across the glass face of the object. Seconds later a strange sound filled her right ear. She vaguely understood the lyrics as Japanese but it was difficult for her to understand over the foreign-sounding noise behind the vocals. She'd studied the meaning behind modern music without ever listening to any of it. But, as alien as it sounded to traditional Japanese music, it was equally interesting and the nuances were exciting to her. Her right hand slid upwards, cupping the earbud into her ear firmly.

Jules looked her over then whispered, "I started listenin' to this band when stationed in Yokosuka. Been out of the Navy for a few years, now, though. Had the desire to come visit when I was lookin’ at my bills and saw that I’d spent time here and didn’t remember any of it.  In fact, the only thing I remembered was I’d met a woman with red hair.  And I’m thinking it might be you."

He noticed how high she had the earbud wire then tilted his head. "You'd hear it better if you moved the earbud down to your…" he trailed off, using his fingers to push her hair back but she appeared to have no ears behind her temple. He blinked. She cut her head to the right and their eyes met. "I'm sorry, chère. I din' know you had a birth defect. I din' mean to invade y'er privacy."

"I'm not defective," she replied in an equally hushed tone. "I'm superior." She smiled in reply. "Don't judge me, dear."

"I'd never think of it. And yer' right. Women're superior, darlin'."

"Not women," she returned with a grin. "My species." She gazed past him, looking out the window as the world began to pass by at increasing speed. She leaned forward against the sensation of pressure, which amplified slightly. The horizon tilted as the plane ascended into the air. "Marvelous. Simply marvelous," she mused with delight. Her eyes sparkled with mirth. "It's as incredible as this tiny device creating such a full sound in my ear."

"Oui, it's a marvel of human ingenuity, non? So what d'you mean by 'species', if I may be so bold?"

"Promise to keep a secret?"

"I flew for th' Navy. I flew as a test pilot for NASA and Sikorsky.  I’ve worked as a stunt pilot for action movies, and signed disclosure forms saying I wouldn’t talk about anything I saw.  I promise you, chère, I won't tell a lady's secrets any more than I would tell work-related ones."

"I'm not human, my dear. Keep that to yourself. It always excites people."

"So yer' an alien," he concluded aloud with an amused look on his face. "And you've come to study my iPod and an airplane first hand?"

"Alien? I told you I'm from Japan."

"I mean an 'extraterrestrial.' From outer space."

Sinopa replied with a dazzling smile. “Don't be orokana!”

“Orokana?  I know some Japanese, but not tha’ word.”

“Hai.  It means…” she trailed off to think about the English equivalent.  “Silly.  Don’t be silly.”

“Yeah?  How’m I bein’ silly about aliens?” He grinned.

“Humanity has yet to meet such beings on a public scale yet. It won't happen for years. Perhaps decades or longer. Silly boy." She glanced around the empty first class section then leaned close to him. "I'm a spirit fox. Inari calls us his Myobu Kitsune. The term comes after a court rank. It's appointed by celestial creatures that think they have some measure of importance. Perhaps they do, perhaps they don't in the great scheme of things."

"Kitsune?  Not as in a literal fox, like a hot chick, but you mean mythological-like?  As in the multi-tailed foxes of Japanese Shinto beliefs?"

"Hai, the very same. Now, promise you'll keep my secret, Guillot-san. I would hate to have a problem with such a nice human man."

"No one would believe me, especially since I dun' believe it, Miss Crevan."

"Sinopa. Just Sinopa." She drew her hair back and showed him her right ear, an orange furred triangle that disappeared into her scalp. She flickered the appendage without using her fingers then grinned at him.

"Oh, darlin', there are all types in this world. I respect surgically altering your…"

"Hush." Sinopa held out her right hand and used her left one to cup her right for privacy. "I'll create fire from thin air, then you'll…"

"Wait, ma' chère, because you don't want an open flame in a pressurized cabin. It'll set off an alarm and the pilot will have to land us. And I've seen a lot of magic tricks; you can show me when we land, oui?"

"I've never had to prove myself before. What has happened to humanity that they don't believe in the supernatural anymore? What has occurred, that mortals use science to disprove anything they don't believe in, simply because their mind isn't open. Fair enough." She shifted towards him, leaning against the seatbelt. She placed her right hand into his left then smiled reassuringly.

Her hand had a very light velveteen padding on her palm. She waited while he used his thumb to explore her palm. Finally, she guided his hand down, beneath the seat.  Using her left hand, she lifted the bottom of her kimono, discretely, and brought his hand to one of her tails. 

She saw his eyes widen somewhat, which brought another smile to her face.  Sinopa fluffed up her tail then flitted the tip from left to right. "I'm sure you'll assume this fake, too. I can transition fully at another time and place. But not here."

"I'm not sure how to reply t' this, madam renard. I know you're well spoken, attractive and amusing. But I look forward to seeing your so-called abilities when we land." He rubbed his chin for a moment then added, "This seems familiar for some reason. Like I half-way expected this or somethin'."

"It is the same way for me, Jules-san. I felt like you'd be able to keep my secret – like I trust you; not sure why, though. What are you doing when you get home?"

"Just Jules," he said with a grin. "If we're going to be on a first name basis, then… it should go both ways, non? I'll be staying in San Francisco until I figure out what’s going on with my life. If things don’t work out then I'll return to Louisiana, chère. It's tha' simple. And what has you goin' to California, again?  A mission for your bosses, involvin’ the Emperor or something, right?"

"I was instructed to go to California and intercept something of kami interest. Apparently a man there seeks things that do not belong to him. Objects of paranormal and supernatural status. I've been tasked with locating the man and stopping him from collecting these objects.  And yes, one of these artifacts belongs to the Emperor of Japan."

Intrigued, more by her appearance than her story and apparent magic tricks, he smiled and said, "Well hell, I got a free schedule. How about we have lunch or dinner and you tell me all about it?"

A soft ding, followed by a multi-language message played over the audio system inside the plane. She pulled the earbud out and handed it back to him. "Where can I go to freshen up?"

"The bathroom is at the back of the plane, chérie."

She looked at him with furrowed brows. "I need no bath. I meant 'freshen up' as a figure of speech, Jules-san."

"I know what'cha meant. And you're right, it makes no sense to call'em bathrooms, when there ain' no bath in'em. Either way, it's at the back of the plane, darlin'."

She unfastened her safety belt and walked to the back of the plane then stepped into the lavatory and shut the door behind herself. She glanced at the toilet and its plastic lid then at the mirror and sink. Sinopa put her palms into the sink basin but nothing happened. She then began to explore the fixture until discovering how to operate the faucet. Her eyes lifted to the mirror once more. "Why is this human man willing to help me? What does he gain; how does he benefit?"

A white fox pranced up to the reflective surface, standing on the other side as if it were a window. It settled onto its haunches and wrapped its numerous tails around its body. "Sinopa, he's taken by your kitsune charm. He's simply susceptible to your mere suggestion. Some humans are more resilient to our kind than others. This male is particularly easy to persuade. Perhaps you should keep him around until you learn more about the modern mortal world. You should have no trouble using him to benefit your mission. After all, I saw how impulsive you were with the Japanese man you seduced at the hotel.  I saw you frolicking and flirting at the teahouse.”

Sinopa frowned, feeling judged.  However, she said nothing to her sensei. 

“You are foolish to have told this American man about our kind. Perhaps I was mistaken to have sent you for such an important mission."

"This mumpsimus of hiding our nature is not going to help me," Sinopa snapped in a quiet voice. She withdrew her hands from the sink, turned the knob on the faucet then flicked water at the mirror, leaving little wet dots over the surface. The vixen's image became distorted. "You're right, I should have waited to tell him. But for some reason I felt like it would be okay. Almost like… a premonition but not as clear. I can't explain it. What's done is done and he knows now."

"You will return to the closest shrine forthwith and surrender yourself to…"

"Iie! I will finish my task. I will do it my way. And without hurting people the way you've done in this world's ancient history."

"My actions are considered mythology, not historical fact, Sinopa."

"I was sent for a reason. I feel that by finishing my assignment, I will learn something about myself and discover what it is that Inari-tenno sees in me. Not to mention I wanted to come to Earth because I think I've been here recently, despite what you've told me. Remember the two years of memories that I lost? The amnesia has spawned interesting dreams over the past few days, which have earthbound visions attached. Needless to say, Tamamo-sama, I was chosen and I will do what I can. You will not abrogate this expedition. If anyone is impulsive, it's you… for not giving me a chance." She smirked at the mirror.

The vixen on the other side of the glass snarled in reply. "This is not an adventure; this is an assignment of the utmost importance. The nature of its seriousness is beyond your comprehension! The only reason Inari-tenno chose you is because the rest of us have more important work here just in case the man from San Francisco succeeds with amassing the collection of artifacts. It will create havoc and it will be up to the circle of tribal leaders and assorted representatives to work together in order to…"

"You? Work together? If this world needs the lot of you to work as one then we're all doomed, should I fail. Tamamo-sama, please… I wish to know why I am taken with this human man.  I beg of your honesty."

"Weren't you also taken with the human man back at the teahouse?"

"Not like this. There is something about this one. I trust him, even though he doesn't believe in what I've told him. Why?"

"Perhaps your new vested interest in this man is because he has the same effect on you that you have on him. Do not lose sight of your objective, Sinopa-kun."

"No, there's something you're not telling me. I recognized him as soon as I saw him."

"Funny, the last time you met him, you didn't tell him about your kitsune heritage. You kept your secret for two years. Suddenly, you know him for five minutes and you divulge everything. Fool."

Sinopa's eyes widened. "I knew him before?" Her exclamation caused Tamamo-no-Mae to wince.

The vixen in the mirror sighed. "Yes. Perhaps the bureaucracy has a strange sense of humor. Perhaps it's that way with all governing bodies."

"Tell me everything," she growled at the image of the animal.

"It would take too long. The two of you dated for two years and you never told him you were a demigod until the very end. It was the reason Lady Kiko-tenno has been angry with you. She found out and pulled you from the mortal realm. It's why she's been treating you poorly as of late."

"Tell me what I don't remember. Just tell me the important parts if it's too long."

Tamamo grimaced. She knew she shouldn't have said anything but now it was too late. "You met him when he flew for his country's military. You were both severely injured in an explosion and, at the time, Inari-tenno felt that Earth had become too dangerous for his messengers. He recalled you home but you begged to go back. Inari-tenno is also a believer in love. And because you were so graceful with infiltrating the human realm, you were chosen to return to it and finish your mission. You re-befriended an elder human male with supernatural abilities, named Nathanial. Some time later, he was killed in an attack – he died in your arms. You flaunted your abilities and attacked people responsible for the old man's death. Kiko-tenno recalled you. Your memories were repressed. The bureaucracy summoned Kiko-tenno and myself to the celestial court.  They asked that you be returned to Earth. However, I cannot understand, for the life of me, why you would reveal yourself to that man after only a few moments, when the first time you met him you kept our ways secret for so long. It's aggravating."

Sinopa stared at the mirror for a moment as if sizing up the vixen. Finally, she offered a thin smile. "Fair enough. I will stay on task if you will stop watching my every movement on Earth like a little …to-to… a… a voyeur." She turned towards the door then stopped. Sinopa glanced down at the toilet with the plastic rim then gazed over her shoulder at the mirror once more. "What exactly is this strange knee-high device with the hole at the bottom?"

"Ask your human ‘toy’ how it works. Humans sometimes sit to do their business instead of squat, as you are accustomed to, Sinopa-kun."

She glared back at the mirror. "Sitting on a seat used by others? The skins of people's backsides all touch the same rim? That seems completely unsanitary."

"I thought you knew all these things about mortal beings? Their music and art and such? You threw it in my face when you noted you could see your tails, previously. Suddenly, it seems as though you know very little about them. You've lost all your memories of the two years you spent on Earth?"

"Quiet, you." She unlocked the door by turning the strange looking twist handle then passed someone waiting to use the restroom and walked back up the aisle. She swallowed to pop her ears then settled back in a chair adjacent to Jules. "Well, 'Gambit', I've decided that you may accompany me on my journey in San Francisco, if you're still interested in an adventure. But I need to know if things get beyond your comprehension, you will stick by me. I need to know if you're reliable. Can I count on you? Even if you begin to see things that you don't understand?"

"I wasn't sure before but now I'm curious. Fine, Miss Sinopa. Wha's your name mean anyhow, if I may ask?"

"I'm fascinated by other cultures," she explained. "Sinopa is a Native American word for the fox people. Crevan is an Irish word of similar nature. How long is our flight?"

"Oh darlin' it's over five thousand miles across the Pacific Ocean. About nine and a half hours."

"By the gods. …Very well. Did you know that little closet you sent me to… has a Roman style toilet, requiring you to sit where other people have to sit? I'm appalled."

"Ayup. If we hit turbulence, you can steady yourself by putting your hands …sorry, your paws on the walls and remain seated. If you used an 'N.P.' and we hit turbulence, you'd fall right over. Not my idea of a right sanitary situation.  Anyway, y' better get used to it.  Tha's all you'll find in America."

"What is… turbulence?"

"Pockets of atmospheric variance that cause a plane to tremble briefly."

Crevan narrowed her eyes. "Why did that idiot, Tamamo, send me to Japan instead of sending me directly to this… 'San Francisco' place…? You're flying there; surely I could have met you when you landed since we were already destined to meet. She and I will have further words at a later time, for sure. Now, Jules-san, I need to know I can count on you."

"You're a beautiful woman, chère, but you're also the strangest person I ever met, something fierce I reckon. I look forward to seeing what you have to show me when we land. And oui, I am trustworthy."

"Very good. For now, we should rest. We have a great deal of work ahead of us when we land."

"Work, hm? What kind of work?"

"We have to determine the location of this man and his artifacts. We have to explore the area and plan accordingly. He's stealing these artifacts from all over the world and they must be returned and properly hidden to restore balance."

Jules put the earbuds back into his right ear, and then he smiled at her. "I plan on sleeping. I even took some melatonin before we boarded th’ plane. We'll talk more 'bout this stuff later on." He put the left earbud into his other ear, changed the music on the iPod to something he wanted to hear then closed his eyes. "By the way, lady fox… when's the last time you remember being to Japan afore now, hmm?"

"They refer to the time period as the Meiji era. Japan was changing, and modernizing their weapons with automatic gunpowder-powered abominations that were rifled for accuracy and distance. The country was changing radically and instead of respecting or even fearing a kami, we were fired upon. A gunshot can wound our human body but when we flee as a fox spirit, neither sticks nor stones can hurt us no matter how they're slung." She leaned back in her seat and smiled at the American man. "You're not even listening anymore."

"I' va jamais te dire la vérité."

"Come again, Jules?"

"I say he neva' gunna' tell you th' truth. You know, the man you's after in San Fran. You'll see. Bonswa, chère." He rolled over towards the window, reclining the chair a little bit.

"You can be so difficult to understand for such a warm, charming man. Must be people from Louisiana, then."

Gambit smiled to himself. "Not everybody from La Lwizyann, nor ever’one that speak Kréyol is charmin'." His accent grew thicker as he let the melatonin relax him into a light sleep. Soon, he was breathing deeply.

She glanced back at him and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. 'Only a short time, mere weeks since I've seen you and I barely recognize you as someone I knew. I wonder how far our relationship went, Jules. What happened to us that Kiko felt my memories of you would be dangerous to me? I have so many questions.' 

She sighed with a frown. "Tamamo-no-Mae had no right to hide this from me." Her own soft voice startled her, not intending to speak her thought aloud.  She sighed and folded her hands then closed her eyes, attempting to meditate.