"So you've been chased by these exterminators before? It's now just a common thing for you?" Damion asked, trying to work this out in his head as they rounded the corner.

"Yeah, it's not as bad as you think it is. You just have to be quicker and smarter." Miyuki replied, her eyes gleaming triumphantly in the yellow light of the street lights.

"Why did you drag me into this?" He asked, feeling a headache coming on. She narrowed her eyes, turning to look ahead.

"I didn't; the moment you found out I was a Kitsune you became a target for the exterminators. So, it's your fault." She said simply, quickening her pace.

"Wh-what!" Damion sputtered, his face flushing to a bright red. "I don't under-" He started but was stopped by Miyuki's quick hand covering his mouth. He was tempted to lick it to make her remove it but then decided she probably covered his mouth for a good reason.

"Be quiet and wait here." She whispered as she ducked into some large, leafy bushes. Damion blinked and curiously peered around the bushes, trying to adjust his eyes to the bright white lights in front of him.

Once his eyes had adjusted he saw a large green overhang with several golf carts parked underneath it. Bright LED lights shone brightly from each corner of the overhang, lighting the whole area around it. Beside one of the golf carts that wasn't parked entirely under the overhang was a boy with brown hair and freckles. He yawned as he climbed into it and put his key in, just about to park it under the overhang when something rustled in the bushes.

The boy turned and squinted at the moving bushes, his hand reaching for a can of pepper spray. Damion gasped in time with the other boy as they both saw a beautiful red fox poke its head out of the bushes. The fox's taunting green eyes locked on the boy by the golf cart and then tilted its head in an almost mesmerizing way. The boy, seemingly drawn to the fox, ran towards it; following it as it disappeared into the bushes. Damion held his breath as the bushes shuddered then went still, the smell of pepper spray filling the air. Finally, Miyuki leaped out of the bushes and jumped into the golf cart, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Hop in!" She called as she started it up. Damion hesitated, not sure he wanted to follow this crazy Kitsune anymore. For all he knew he could be the next boy getting lured into the bushes and have whatever she did to the boy done to him. A gunshot in the distance quickly changed his mind.

When he had just barely sat down in the seat she stepped hard on the gas pedal, pushing it down all the way. Damion slammed against the back of the seat and was thrown against Miyuki as she cranked the wheel to the right. 

"Hang on!" She yelled as she shoved him off her. Damion huffed in annoyance as he braced himself, his nails digging into the seat cushion.

"What did you do to the guy back there?" He asked as she got onto the main street. She cast him a mischievous glance as she sped up.

"I ate him." Miyuki replied cheerily as she changed lanes.

"WHAT!?" Damion exclaimed, clinging to the far edge of his seat. She laughed as she starting going faster.

"I'm kidding; he's just having a nap. He'll be fine." She told him once she had recovered from laughing.

Damion didn't think it was funny. His hair was now whipping wildly around his face as the wind rushed around them. "How fast can this thing go?" He couldn't help asking, feeling like it was going impossibly fast for a golf cart.

"I'm manipulating the engine so it can easily surpass any sports car." She replied with a smirk.

"I want an explanation now! Or else." He shouted over the howling wind, terrified at how fast she was going. The bright lights of vehicles zooming past dazzled him as she weaved between and around the traffic.

"Or else what?" Miyuki replied evenly, casting him a sidelong glance as she narrowly passed a minivan. Cars honked and brakes screeched around them as she raced through the streets.

"Or else I'll jump out." Damion replied, glancing at the blurred ground with a queasy feeling. He gulped, hoping it didn't come to that but he was pretty close to thinking about it. He would survive if he jumped. Wouldn't he?

"Okay, I'll give you an explanation, just don't jump," Miyuki answered quickly as sirens filled the air. He glanced behind them and saw red and blue flashing lights racing between the traffic towards them.

"Great; now the cops are on us. Not only did you steal a golf cart but you don't have a license." Damion grumbled, sinking down in his seat. If he got caught his parents would despise him more than they already did.

"It's fine! I've got it under control!" She shouted at him, her eyes wild. He held on for dear life as she cranked the wheel hard and the golf cart started tipping. He looked at her in utter terror as she grabbed his arm and jumped out of the rolling golf cart, tugging him out along with her.

Damion closed his eyes as they hit the ground. He felt Miyuki release his arm as his body hit the ground hard, driving the breath from him. His eyes flew open as he tried to recover and he saw Miyuki already on her feet and reaching toward him. 

Quickly she pulled him to his feet and dragged him to a dark alley across the street. He took a swift glance behind him and saw the golf cart tumble into the river, then sink below the surface. The sirens grew louder as the cops drew closer to the river, red and blue lights announcing their arrival.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Damion murmured as a wave of nausea swept over him. He leaned against a brick wall, scrunching his eyes shut as he willed his lunch to stay down.

"Well be quick about it; we need to keep moving." Miyuki said as she studied the alley. Damion opened his eyes, glaring at her back.

"You're very inconsiderate of others, you know that?" He grumbled at her, his nausea forgotten. She turned to him, her face unreadable.

"I don't want to be caught by the cops. If you want to deal with them then go right ahead but I'm getting out of here with, or without you." She growled at him and then began to climb the pipes running up the side of the brick wall.

Damion glanced around the dirty alley, wrinkling his nose at the smell of rotting vegetables and fish. He walked over to the pipes where Miyuki was climbing and watched her climb to the top and on to the roof. The sirens were alarmingly close now and with nowhere else to go he gave a reluctant sigh and started climbing the rusty pipes. Damion risked a glance toward the river and saw the police investigating the nearly submerged golf cart, flashlights dancing over the dirty surface. He finally reached the roof and flung himself onto it, sprawling himself out as he caught his breath.

Why did this have to happen to me? Now I'll be known as a criminal and I'll have to go to a life of crime. Maybe I should look for a different place to live. Take on a different name and maybe change my hairstyle. Damion thought, his exhaustion clouding his thoughts.

"About time you got up here. Ready to go?" Damion opened his eyes and scrambled to his feet, glancing around until he saw Miyuki leaning against a chimney.

"I thought you had ditched me." Damion grunted as he watched her warily. She grinned, tossing her hair as she stepped to the edge of the building and looked down at the street they had been on just moments ago.

"Well, it's more fun to have you around. If you follow me I'll explain everything to you." Miyuki said, glancing back at him with a sparkle in her eye.

I really don't want to follow this psychopath anymore. But I do really want to know about the exterminators and the Kitsune, and if I can get out of this mess. Still, I don't want a repeat of last time. Maybe I should leave now before things get worse. Damion's thoughts argued until he finally made up his mind.

"Alright; I'll come as long as I get an explanation." Damion said reluctantly as he came up beside her. She nodded and walked along the edge until she came to the corner.

"Then we have to jump over to that building." Miyuki told him as she cracked her knuckles and jutted a thumb at the bright building next door. Damion came up next to her, his stomach flipping as he saw the great distance between the two buildings and the drop to the ground below.

"Isn't that the most expensive hotel in the city? Are you planning on robbing it?" Damion asked incredulously as he stepped away from the edge.

"I don't rob anyone. We're staying there tonight. That suite up there." Miyuki replied evenly, pointing to a room a story above them.

"So, why don't we just go through the front door like a normal person instead of acting like outlaws?" Damion asked but he already knew the answer.

"Because right now we are outlaws. Don't worry about it though. It'll be easy; watch." She said as she swung off her book bag and reached in, pulling out a grappling hook.

"Great; now we're secret agents." He muttered but still watched her carefully as she expertly swung the hook and sent it sailing across the gap between the two buildings. It scraped the roof and caught onto the edge.

"Ready?" Miyuki asked as she tugged on it to make sure it was secure. Damion gulped but nodded, keeping his gaze on the window and not on the drop below. She tied the end into a slip-knot and put it around Damion. He noticed that she didn't tie anything around her small waist.

"What about you?" He asked, gripping the rope tightly as he peeked over the edge again. She rolled her eyes as she tightened the knot, making sure it wouldn't come loose.

"I know I won't fall. You probably would fall and you would die." Miyuki replied as she placed her hands above his, gripping the rough rope tightly. "Ready?"

"On second thought maybe this was a bad idea. Let's find a different way across." Damion stalled as he tried to figure out another way across. He squealed as she shoved him and their feet left the rooftop, swinging over the gap between the two buildings.

"Brace yourself." Miyuki told him as Damion thudded against the wall of the hotel. He gasped as the air was knocked from him, hanging onto the rope tightly despite the pain pulsing through him from hitting the wall.

"Couldn't you have warned me sooner?" He grunted as Miyuki started ascending the wall, leaving him hanging there. He was about to shout in protest when she held a finger to her lips and he hesitated. Quickly she continued scaling the wall until she reached the window.

With an agile leap, she perched on the edge of the window and reached into her backpack to retrieve what looked like a file. He couldn't quite see what she was doing but he soon heard a click and watched helplessly as she slipped inside.

Why do I keep trusting this girl? I'm usually smarter than this. Damion thought to himself as he hung there, waiting for Miyuki to return. He glanced down at his white button-up polo shirt and grimaced at a stain that stood out right on the front. What's taking her so long? I bet she forgot about me and is already in bed asleep. Damion thought sourly before he let out a yelp of surprise as he felt a tug on the rope from above.

"Use your feet and climb up!" Miyuki growled through gritted teeth as she began pulling him up. He tightened his grip on the rope and walked up the side of the hotel until he was right under the window.

"Grab my hand." She ordered and he did, clutching it tightly as she pulled him through the window and onto the floor of the room in one fluid motion.

"Thanks," Damion gasped as he laid on the plush carpet, trying to catch his breath. She smirked at him before she closed the window and turned the latch so it was locked. He got to his feet slowly, wincing at his bruised side. 

"What do you think of the room?" Miyuki asked, gesturing to the room with a triumphant look on her face. Damion looked around in awe at the luxurious room.

It was definitely a suite. The main room they had climbed into had mahogany flooring and wine-red walls adorned with ornate paintings fit with expensive frames. The room itself was filled with Victorian furniture, a large fireplace, and a little kitchen with everything one might need. Three doors, each on a different wall, led to bedrooms and the hall outside the room.

"This is incredible." Damion breathed, then scowled at Miyuki. "But this is still technically stealing and trespassing." He told her as she wandered around the main room, her long fingers trailing over the small dining table.

"If no one is using it I don't see why we can't." Miyuki shot back as she studied the old fashioned teapot on the counter. Damion sighed, too exhausted to try and argue with her, and sat down on one of the large chairs, kicking off his tennis shoes.

The chair felt very comforting after the crazy day, causing Damion to drift off. A sudden hissing that turned into a loud squeal in the air snapped him back to attention, making him glance back over at Miyuki.

"What are you doing?" He asked irritably, smothering a yawn. She didn't answer but pulled two cups from the cupboard above her and continued whatever she was doing. With a sigh he laid his head back on the chair, feeling completely drained.

Maybe this is all a bad dream. I'll wake up in my own bed, go to school, and have my normal life back. Damion thought as he started drifting off to sleep again. 

"AHEM!" Damion opened his eyes as Miyuki cleared her throat loudly. With his body protesting, he sat up as she set a tray down on the coffee table and took the seat across from him.

"Can't you just let me sleep?" He asked as he felt his eyes droop. Miyuki picked up the tea kettle and poured some golden liquid into the two porcelain cups she had pulled out earlier.

"Don't you want an explanation before you go to bed?" She asked, a smile playing on her lips as she set the kettle down and put some sugar into her cup.

His exhaustion instantly vanished at her words and he leaned forward in eager anticipation. "Yes; tell me everything."