When the child was born, they felt something was wrong. 

          "What's wrong with it?" Inquired the father.

          "I'm not sure." Responded the mother. "Maybe this was a mistake."

          "What should we do with it?" The father whispered. Then they looked at each other. This would not do. They would have to be rid of the child.

        "Alright, Atsumu went to practice." Osamu tells you. You nod, getting up and letting him lead you into the basement of the twin's house.

        "This feels sketchy." You comment as he turns on the light to the mostly empty area.

        "Yeah, but what we're doing is kind of sensitive." He goes over to get the element orbs. "Which one did you want to try?" 

         "Fire or lightning would be cool." You hum. He nods, picking them out before bringing them over.  

         "Let's go with fire first. I hear lightning is a bit more difficult." He hums, passing you the orb. "Even if you mess up you can use your water."

         "Alright." You move to the center of the floor, looking at the orb in your hands. You close your eyes, feeling the mana inside it. "Feels like a roaring beast." 

          "Does it?" Osamu's ears perk as he watches you from near the steps. 

          "Mhm…" You hum, trying to replicate the feeling with your own mana. Osamu straightens as a stream of fire flickers around you. After a moment you open your eyes. "I think I got it now." You tell him before setting the orb on the floor to work with the flames you conjure. 

          "Basic conjuration is usually easy. Turning them into spells will be different." He breathes. "Still, you're really good at manipulating mana… And I didn't know it had a certain feel."

          "Huh? You don't feel mana?" You blink in confusion. 

          "No, it just comes naturally, I can usually control the power of it… Never seen flames move like that though. Usually Atsumu catches something on fire or it comes off of him. You make it float and move like water." He puts a knuckle to his chin. "Maybe you're a genius? You can control it way better than him, and he's been using it longer." 

           "I don't know about genius." You shake your head as you pick up the orb again. "I am different though… Maybe I should stick with the two? I wouldn't want to accidentally get found out." 

          "... Do you really think that it won't happen if you don't? There's bound to be a slip up of some kind." He points out. "I mean even when I'm careful and focused while I cook, I still get burnt sometimes."

           "Then… What should I do?" You ask lightly, feeling unsure.

           "Prepare to run and hide?" He tilts his head. "Or transform." 

           "... That's…" You frown.

           "It's not great." He agrees. "Then why not learn all of them? If someone tries to mess with you it would be difficult for them to do anything if you're swinging six attributes at once." 

          "That sounds impossible." You blink.

          "But you get what I'm saying though, right?" He asks.

          "Yeah… I suppose that would help. But I don't want to hurt anyone." You frown.

          "Usually you'll have one of us with you. But not all the time." He comes over, putting a hand on your head. "So please, do this so you can protect yourself too."

           "Alright." You smile a bit, "You're my best friend Osamu." His ears perk before he blushes lightly.

           "Where did that come from?" He chuckles sheepishly.

           "Well, that's why I tell you everything. Even something as… Weird as this." You hum, looking at the orb.

           "Thanks for telling me by the way. I know this is big… So I'm glad you're not trying to deal with it on your own." He smiles thoughtfully.

           "Me too." You nod before your phone goes off.

           "I wanna read." He requests before you even pull your phone out.

           "It's probably Tendo." You hum passing it to him. "I want cake." You hum starting back upstairs. 

            "Sounds good… And it's not Tendo, it's Oikawa." Osamu says as he follows you up, reading the message. "Your guard dog is being so rude. Wish you were here." 

           "Guess Atsumu is giving him a hard time." You chuckle lightly. 

           "Probably. What should I say?" He inquires.

           "Hmm. No idea…" You think for a moment.

           "I'm sending an lol." Osamu decides.

           "That works." You breathe going into the kitchen as your phone pings again.

           "That one is Tendo. He says… It looks like gibberish." He tilts his head.

           "Does it have a curvy line at the end? I think he's still singing to me." You smile a bit.

           "Yep… He sings to you over text?" Osamu comments in amusement. "That's… Adorable actually."

            "Mhm. Sometimes he sends voice clips. It's a nice way to wake up in the morning." You comment peering about. "No cake?"

            "There should be some right…" He looks around before locking on a container in the sink. "There."

            "Aw… Atsumu…" You sigh.

            "I can make one if you want to go back down to practice." He offers.

            "No, it's fine… I don't have any spells to practice anyway." You shrug. "Let's go shopping." You breathe when you peer in the fridge. "I'm seeing too much pudding in here and not enough meat." 

           "Yeah… Mind if we go to the Dark District? Their meat is pretty good." He hums.

           "But wouldn't that cause you trouble if I go?" You frown. He pauses before going out, leaving you standing in confusion until he returns with a familiar hoodie.

         "Put this on." He says holding it out to you.

         "Isn't that Tsumu's favorite hoodie? Won't he get mad?" You ask with a small frown.

         "He won't get mad. It's covered with his scent so it'll be hard for anyone to smell you out." He smiles. You blink before taking the hoodie and putting it on, making him blink and chuckle at you. "You're so small in it…. Cute…" 

          "But this'll work. Right?" You ask, looking down at yourself. 

          "Yep. So let's go." He chuckles lightly starting out. You follow after him going down the road to the portal to the Dark District. Your phone pings and he checks it again. "Oikawa sends a pouty face."

          "Awe. Now I feel bad." You sigh. He stops and takes a picture of you with your phone.

          "I'm going to tell him to use this picture as blackmail." He informs before responding to the message.

          "But Atsumu is going to be mad at me." You murmur.

           "Trust me." He breathes simply as you reach the portal. 

           "Okay, you ready?" You breathe. He nods and the both of you go through. 

           "Alright, the market is this way." He breathes pulling up your hood. "Stay close."

           You peer at the creatures that pass by you. Now that it was just you and Osamu you felt a little uneasy. He hums, touching your back and peering about. He leads you into the market, starting to pick out ingredients and things for the house. 

            "You're right, this does look good." You smile up at him. He nods with a hum, something catching his nose.

            "Something smells great." He breathes, pupils dilating as he starts to wander off. 

            "'Samu?" You blink in confusion following after him. He doesn't respond as you near a crowded area. He soon slips out of sight as you hesitate. "Osamu!" You call again, becoming anxious as you go into the crowd after him, bumping into the creatures and apologizing. 

           You suddenly trip forward, getting caught by a silvery fluff. "Careful." A calm voice murmurs as your hands touch the fluff, following it to a familiar kitsune. 

          "Oh! I'm sorry! Thank you!" You gasp straightening up. He moves his tails back behind him.

          "It's not safe here for you to be alone." He breathes.

          "I'm with a friend but he's under some kind of trance." You respond, searching around for Osamu again. 

          "Is he kitsune?" He sniffs at you slightly.

          "Yeah…" You nod. 

          "I may know where he went. Would you come with me?" He offers his hand. You were uneasy, but he didn't seem bad and you were curious as to where Osamu had gone. 

          "Okay." You take his hand and he nods guiding you through the crowd. 

          "Did you know that there's a kitsune celebration approaching?" He inquires.

          "Mhm. The… Long Life celebration right? They gather to give offerings to the elders." You nod.

          "That's right. Do you know their favorite type of offering?" He smiles lightly.

          "I'm not sure… Something with Ember berries?" You offer.

          "Yes. Ember berry pie to be exact." He tells you thoughtfully, peering at you. "Unfortunately, baking them causes a crowd." He sighs softly, leading you away from town. Soon you catch sight of a pack of kitsunes peering into a house.

          "Oh wow." You blink. "How do we get them to leave?" You ask,spotting Osamu.

          "I have the answer right here." He breathes holding up a basket of dried petals. "This is lavender and swamp bloom. We hate the smell so much we'll be knocked from any trance by it." He informs before shaking it as you both near the crowd. Some of the closest kitsunes shudder and look back, swiftly moving away and starting off. 

          The crowd melts away until it's just Osamu, looking between you and the nice kitsune. "... Hi Kita." He greets.

          "You should be more careful. You nearly left your friend all alone." Kita tells him.

          "I'm sorry ___." Osamu's ears droop as he bows to you.

          "That's okay. You couldn't help it." You smile rubbing his head. 

          "Shinsuke." A sweet voice sounds from the house making everyone look over as an elderly kitsune comes out. You blink in surprise, swallowing at the feel of the mana that she radiated, even from this distance it pushed against you. 

          "Grandma, I brought the petals, the crowding should stop now." Kita goes to her. 

          "Good. Thank you." She pats his head before peering at you and Osamu, "Hello." She smiles. 

          "H-Hello." You wave awkwardly.

          "Ah… Hello, blessed one." She smiles coming over and cupping your face. "What a beautiful little creature." 

          "Grandma…" Kita breathes, moving to interject. 

          "Granny, your eyes are starry." You murmur, making her laugh lightly. 

          "It's the eyes of old age my dear. Come inside." She hums, taking your hand and guiding you inside. The two male kitsunes share a confused look before following along. 

          "You're baking the pies for the celebration?" You inquire, looking at her curiously.

          "Yes. I have been doing so for many years. Would you like a piece?" She hums. 

          "Could I?" You gasp in surprise. The twins had made the Ember berries seem sacred to kitsunes.

          "Of course dear. The Ember berry is a gift to Kitsunes from Mother Mana." She tells you, guiding you into the kitchen. A pleasant aroma swirled about the warm area. It smelled like a pumpkin/strawberry mix along with some mouth watering spices mixed in. 

          "Oh wow. I understand why you had a crowd now." You comment. 

          "It's lovely isn't it?" She agrees, going to a pie with a fiery glow within and starting to cut it.

          "You said the berries are a gift from Mother Mana?" You ask.

           "That's right, when she gave the creatures mana, she also gave them gifts to make them stronger. Though the gifts are no longer potent, we're still grateful and use it in all celebrations." She informs lightly. 

           "I see… Gifts to make them stronger…" You echo in thought. "What about the imps?" You ask. 

           "Mother Mana didn't create imps…" She shakes her head.

           "Then… Another God did?" Osamu's ears perk as he sits beside you.

           "Yes. The one that wanted to destroy everything, including the ones closest to Mother Mana." She says, setting a plate before both of you, touching your cheek briefly. 

           "The fairies…" You frown. 

           "Indeed. But let's not worry about that darkness. Please eat, and be happy." She smiles. 

           You nod and look at the piece of pie, the berry filling still holding a fiery glow. You take a piece onto your fork to look at it closer. "It's really pretty, do they always glow like this?" 

           "No. Actually it's because a kitsune cooked it, that's what makes them glow." Kita informs, sitting on your otherside. 

           "Really… Maybe I should start trying to make them?" Osamu breathes as you take a bite. You hum happily at the taste of it, for a moment a fox image flickering before your eyes, making you pause. 

           "You haven't baked them before?" You look at Osamu.

           "I have… With my mom. It's sort of a tradition." He rubs his neck. 

           "Your mom's coming home!?" You gasp excitedly. Your mom spoke so highly of her best friend it made you want to meet her. 

           "Yeah, she should be back sometime this week, along with my dad." He tells you. 

           "Him too? We should have a cookout!" You breathe in awe.

           "Heh… I don't know about that… My dad has a… Habit of making your mom cry." He says lightly. You gap at him at that, the statement shocking you. "Just… Trust me." 

           "Oh… Okay." You murmur starting to eat again. No more images flashing in your head as you soon finish the pie. "This was amazing. Thank you very much." 

           "I'm glad you enjoyed it. You're welcome back anytime dear." She hums, placing a key next to your hand. 

           "This is…" You pick it up, raising your eyebrows. 

           "For safer travel." She nods.

           "Oh, uh… Thank you." You hold the key to your chest, sparing a look toward Kita to find him looking rather lost and confused about what was going on. 

           "We should head home and put the food up." Osamu nudges you. 

           "Right. Thank you for the hospitality." You stand up giving a slight bow. 

           "Take care ___." She says after you as Osamu gives a bow and then leads you out. 

           "... Wait, when did you introduce yourself?" He murmurs as you both start back for Dark District. You pause, blinking a few times.

           "I didn't. But she seemed familiar with me…" You raise an eyebrow. "Did you feel her power though?"

           "Huh?" He sends you a confused look. 

           "Ah… Nevermind…" You rub your cheek, were you the only one that felt that? "That was kind of weird but she was nice so I think it was a good thing." 

           "Yeah. I don't think an elder takes sharing Ember berries lightly." He nods before peering at you. "You're really something special. You make people do surprising things." 

            "I don't see why but if you say so." You tilt your head unsurely. He smiles, shaking his head and patting yours. 

            "Nevermind then." 

            You both return to the twin's home, helping Osamu put up the groceries. His ear flicks back suddenly and you look toward the door as Atsumu and his team come in. 

            "Oi? You stealing my clothes now?" Atsumu comments to you with a rather amused look on his face. 

            "I'm just borrowing it. 'Samu said it would keep me undetected in the Dark District." You tell him.

           "Well I'm glad it helped." He smiles thoughtfully.

           "Hey ___, you can borrow my jacket next time." Oikawa chimes. 

           "Hey hey hey! How ya doing today?" Bokuto grins, patting your head.

           "This place is surprisingly clean." Kuroo comments.

           "Isn't it?" Another hellcat comments, he was much smaller than Kuroo with light brown hair. He glances over at you and pauses. "Ah, hello I'm Yaku." He greets, coming over to shake your hand.

           "Nice to meet you." You hum.

           "You brought the team?" Osamu sends his brother a look.

           "They said they were hungry. And I know you two will make more than enough." Atsumu chuckles.

           "Thank you for having us." Ushijima says, setting down a little red tomato as an offering. You blink at it, picking it up.

           "Is this from your garden?" You smile.

           "Yes, the first one so far." He nods.

           "Alright, let's see what we can do." You peer at Osamu.

           "Good thing we went shopping." Osamu comments in amusement. The team cheers at that, most of them going to the living room to watch some games on the television. Ushijima and Yaku stay behind to help in the kitchen- or try to.

          "So fast." Yaku comments.

          "I heard they compete, but is this okay?" Ushijima murmurs as you and Osamu bicker quietly as you both prepare and cook separately at surprising speeds.

           "Looks like it's fine… Maybe we should just go watch TV." Yaku offers. Ushijima nods and they both go back out.

           "Darn, we don't have any more basil." Osamu scoffs.

           "I'm sure there's some at my house, I'll go ask." You tell him, putting yours on hold to wash your hands and rush out. You trip just out the door, falling into someone.

           Something felt horribly wrong all of a sudden. A draining creeping feeling that brought tears to your eyes as you swiftly pull away, landing on your bottom and looking up at the raven haired kitsune. Tears left your eyes of their own will.

         "Ah… You're…" He blinks his purple eyes at you as he adjusts his thick rimmed glasses. 

          "Dad?" Osamu's voice sounds behind you as Atsumu kneels to help you up.

          "Ah, sorry boys, I wasn't paying attention. I didn't realize you had guests." The kitsune frowns softly, backing up. The feeling melts away as he distances himself. You dry your eyes, blinking at him uneasily.

           "That's your dad?" You murmur.

           "Yeah. He's an anti-mana host." Atsumu tells you lightly.

            "Hm? Something going on?" Bokuto peers outside.

            "Nope, just go back inside. I'll finish the food soon." Osamu tells him, exchanging a glance with Atsumu before heading back inside. 

            "You go get what you need, we'll talk later." Atsumu breathes to you. 

            "Alright." You nod, peering at his dad who was standing near the mailbox now. You avoid him as you quickly go home. "Mom? Do we have basil we can lend the twins?' You call when you enter.

            "We do." She calls back from the kitchen. You go there as she brings out a small container with fresh basil. "Hm? What's wrong sweetie?" She flutters over, touching your cheek.

            "I just ran into the twin's dad." You answer, taking the container. She pauses and frowns lightly.

            "I understand," She presses her fingertips together. "He's a sweet man, but the energy that leaves him is unbearable to fairies… And anything he touches for too long will turn black." 

            "Sounds like a curse." You frown. 

            "Curses can be lifted… This is just an unfortunate phenomenon. The hosts of anti-mana are usually secluded from everyone. I'm sure it's very lonely." She breathes. You blink at her, thinking it over. 

            "Okay. I'll go back now, I'll be back later." You tell her starting back next door. The twin's dad was already gone, making you pause before going inside. "We had some for you." You tell Osamu, setting it on the counter. 

            "Thanks… Sorry about that, we didn't know that he was coming back today." He frowns.

           "That's okay. I feel bad for crying though, I'm sure he must feel guilty for it." You respond, rubbing your cheek.

           "We understand, he has that effect on a lot of creatures." He shrugs. "Come on, let's finish this up and feed those guys."

           "Right."

           After they eat, the team takes their leave after helping clean up. Atsumu hums lightly, peering out the window. 

           "So Osamu already told you?" He guesses.

           "My mom did." You tell him. "Is that why he doesn't come back often?"

           "Yeah. He's worried about ruining things… He can't even have a cellphone, makes the whole thing go black. Kinda sucks." Atsumu offers a small smile. 

           "You miss him?" You guess.

           "Kinda. He couldn't be around when we were growing up but he always sent gifts and came to games." He shrugs. 

           "I see…" You smile a bit. "I'll go home now. He's waiting for me to go out so he doesn't make me cry again." You decide, looking out the window to see their father waiting at the mailbox again. 

           "Thanks. See you tomorrow." He pats your head.

          "See you tomorrow. And Osamu. I still want to try the cookout." You tell the other twin as you go out.

          "We'll talk about it." He calls after you. You leave the house, stopping to wave at their dad. 

          "I'm ___ it's nice to meet you Mr. Miya." You call to him. His ears perk before he waves back. 

          "It's nice to meet you ___." He responds lightly. You nod and head home, going inside. 

          "Hey Butterfly, did you eat with the team?" Your dad asks.

          "Yeah. We made a lot." You nod thoughtfully. 

          "Alright. I'll put up dinner then." He hums.

          "Hey mom, is there a way to make it easier to approach Mr. Miya?" You ask her. 

          "I'm not sure sweetie, it's more of an instinct I believe." She informs. You blink at that, thinking about Tendo.

          "So like with Imps." You nod. She pauses before nodding as well.

          "That's right." 

          "Okay, I'm sure it'll be fine, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." You tell them before going upstairs. 

           "Okay, sleep well." They call after you. 

           "There's an instinct response with Imps?" Your dad murmurs to your mom.

           "Yes but that's mainly if we're near them often…" She frowns in concern.

           "I'm sure if it was a problem ___ would say something." He assures.

           "Yeah…"

 ~~~

          A dream? A mountain path was before you. You walk down it, but something makes you leave the path to the sound of a sad whine. You find a fox with golden fur, crying over it's lost cubs. 

           'They poisoned the rivers. Horrible creatures… My babies are gone.' A voice rings in your head. You frown, hand reaching for the fox. For some reason your hand is white as snow, petting the fox's pelt. 

           'You want the power to protect what you love.' A voice sounds ahead, but when you look there is nothing there. A glow from between the lost cubs sprouts a plant, growing into an ashen bush with glowing, fiery berries. 'Eat my dear friend. Do not fear anymore.' 

            With that the fox ate the berries, growing and becoming almost human. Her hair was gold like the fur over her tail. She stands, pupils slitting as she looks down the mountain, the sounds of an approaching group reaching your ears. 

           "Thank you Mother Mana." She whispers before turning into a large nine tailed fox, disappearing down the mountain with a flicker of white and gold fire. You blink in awe before pausing as the fox cubs sit up, becoming humanlike as well, rubbing their eyes as if they had woken from a nap. 

            Then the dream fades to black.