The link between Keru and I was amazing. In the back of my mind I could see memories that Keru had when she had lived with her parents, which had allowed me to negotiate the palace as if I had grown up there, myself. It also allowed me to read what had been the set of notes that I had found, though that discovery also frightened me a bit. The diagrams and 'schematics' of Kitsune and Human anatomy was interesting and showed that there wasn't too much that really differed Human and Kitsune forms. A Kitsune's brain was in the skull, it had one heart and two lungs in its chest behind its rib-cage, one stomach, a liver, two kidneys, small and large intestine, and the other internal organs that humans had in their abdomens. In that, Kitsune and Human anatomy was identical. The differences only came in their skeletal structures. Kitsune obviously had a skull that was a greatly enlarged version of a Red Fox's skull, they had small claws for finger and toenails, and their feet were longer than human feet to allow for a digitigrade stance while in "fox-form." The other big difference was the tail or tails that Kitsune had. The vertebra were identical to that of a Red Fox, but Kitsune had nine growth plates at the end of their spines, which fit what Keru had said about the growth of additional tails as Kitsune aged. The only other difference was a set of organs that looked sort of like the Human lymph system, but attached to the brain, the hands and feet, and any and all tails that Kitsune had. I assumed this system were the organs that allowed Kitsune to practice or use their magic.
It was interesting, but the fact that it was attached to another set of notes and a picture of me made it somewhat frightening. The notes read: "transformation through merging powers and spirits of deceased Kitsune will enable human to emerge far more powerful than a standard Human to Kitsune transformation. Estimated that deceased Kitsune spirits MUST be multi-tailed and preferably using as many Nine-Tails as possible. Subject must be brainwashed prior to transformation to ensure loyalty and obedience." It didn't say whether or not Keru's parents were involved in this, though with them potentially killed, their full involvement couldn't be known, but that didn't mean that I wasn't afraid. Now, it wasn't like I was entirely opposed to the idea of being powerful, but much of that had been about getting stronger, not becoming an inhuman creature that could attain near god-like levels of power in magic, and the fact that the notes also encouraged "brainwashing" me first, meant that the transformation wouldn't be simple Human to Kitsune. They wanted me for something, and something that surely couldn't be good. Whoever was behind this, be it Keru's parents or whoever killed them, they wanted me specifically, if the picture was correct.
"This is truly troubling..." came Keru's thoughts in my mind, "truly... be careful. If need be find a weapon and prepare yourself should you be attacked."
That was the beauty of the link that Keru had created. She had left to report to the Council of Nine-Tails about the murder of her parents and the violation of her ancestor's spirits, but thanks to our link, we could each see what the other saw. She was moving rapidly through the forest and I could see a rush of trees moving past her as she ran, and to my great surprise, I could feel some worry in her thoughts. She had said that she wanted me to be careful because she didn't want to go through the work of burying me, but through our present link, I was getting the sense that she did care about me to a degree. It wasn't quite at the same level as a long term married couple and was closer to that of a couple that had just started dating. In a way, it was the same way I felt about her. She was interesting, smart, beautiful, and interested in many of the same things I was. She was someone I'd be interested in dating.
"Save that for when this is all over," Keru's thoughts then scolded me, "there's a lot we need to do... and that whoever is or was behind all this has plans for you... we cannot afford to be that distracted."
"Sorry," I thought back, knowing that Keru had been given a clear view of my own thoughts and feelings through the link as well. "How far away are you from your Council?"
"Not too terribly far, though it's getting late, they may not be in session by the time that I arrive," Keru answered.
I watched again through Keru's eyes as trees blurred past her. She had to be running far faster than we had moved at when we made our way to her parent's palace. But then, I supposed that I had slowed her down then.
"Has anyone followed you?" I asked, "I was kind of distracted by my own search to fully pay attention..."
"I've not noticed anything," Keru answered, "though, with what you've found... our opponent may not have much interest in me..."
I felt her shudder.
"They want you and used me as a means to draw you in," she finished.
"I don't think they know I'm here," I assured her, "no one's been in the palace but me."
"Good," Keru answered, "Find a weapon and keep yourself safe. Once the Council hears my report, I will return to protect you... maybe even find that One-Tail and see if his investigation could help ours. He might be working for the Council."
I nodded in agreement. I carefully put what I'd found back into the folder and put it inside my shirt. It felt a little odd, as the folder itched my skin a little and the corners poked into my skin as well, but as it was evidence of what this bad guy was doing, I wasn't about to let Keru's and my present adversary to recover and hide the evidence of what they were doing. The palace wasn't designed for military uses, but I figured that even such a residence had to have some means of protection. After all, rich humans either had security guards or potentially owned firearms of their own. Would Kitsune be that different?
"What do Kitsune use for weapons, outside of magic?" I asked.
"Define outside," Keru answered, "Kitsune can be skilled with bladed weapons and bows and arrows... typically styled after the weapons of Feudal Japan... but a Kitsune's weapons have typically been charged with magic... commonly to reject those with different magical charges or to enhance our own magic."
"Would that mean that I can't touch YOUR family's weapons, if they have any?" I asked.
"No, our marriage was legal, as such the magic in those weapons will recognize you as a member of my family, if by law," Keru answered.
"Do you know if your parents own any weapons?" I asked, "owned any weapons?"
"I would believe so," Keru answered, "though... once Kitsune begin to get closer to growing their ninth tail and their powers grow... they begin using weapons less and less as their power is sufficient to deal with just about anything..."
"Could a weapon kill a Nine-Tail?" I asked.
"Yes... but given that Kitsune would use bladed weapons... how would you get close enough to use it?" Keru answered back, "You'll need a weapon for defense and defense only. Don't go looking for trouble, understand me?"
"Yes, I do," I answered as I moved through the palace again, looking for where a likely armory would be.
"Good," Keru answered.
Our mental discussion through our link began to quiet down as I continued. I could still see/sense Keru's movements, and I could see what looked like street lamps in the distance ahead of her. Eventually I came to a small room that was near the back gate to the palace. Keru and I had initially come through the front gate. It was small and rectangular, and I'd initially thought it'd be a storage room for cleaning implements, but when I opened the doors, I found a modest armory there. The weapons were all from Japan's feudal era, but the ornamentation and decoration also seemed to carry a rather "fox-theme" to them. There weren't any guns, but I figured I could hold out for quite awhile there. I slowly reached for a katana that was on a set of wooden pegs sticking out from the wall. I felt a slight buzz of energy as I touched the handle, but it caused no pain. In fact as I picked up the weapon, I felt my strength increase along with my reflexes.
"Oh... wow," I said aloud as I felt the sword's energizing me.
"See, I told you it'd help," Keru's thoughts chuckled.
"It does," I agreed and looked through our link again and was slightly in awe by what I saw.
Keru had come up on another palace-like building, but far larger than the one I was in at the moment. It was circular, and unlike the palace that Keru's parents owned, it seemed to be made out of smooth crystal. It seemed to glitter with light and magic.
"Is that...?" I began.
"Yes, that's where the Council of Nine-Tails meets," Keru answered, "Every Nine-Tailed Kitsune is a member, though they aren't always here and their votes and participation are done through other means... "
"Magic?" I asked.
"Of course," Keru answered, "Hopefully one of the members is present, though."