"Do you want to see what we got?" Kiki asked, her eyes shining. Damion shook the lingering thoughts of his memories away and glanced at Kiki and the pink bag she clutched in her hands.

"Sure." Damion replied, leaning in to see the contents of the bag. Before he could see inside however Kiki clamped the bag shut and drew it close to her, a wicked grin on her face.

"Actually not yet. I want your Yukata to be a surprise. I got it off the clearance rack." She murmured, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she strode on ahead.

"Gee thanks." Damion muttered as Miyuki caught up to him, a grin on her face as she held her own bag, no doubt containing her own Yukata. Glancing over at her he whispered, "What's a Yukata?"

"It's a kimono typically worn during festivals." Miyuki answered quickly before she rushed ahead to Kiki and they began talking excitedly about their Yukatas. With a sigh Damion decided to look around at the beautiful scenery, grimacing as his stomach started clenching.

"Why out of all the Kitsune did I have to get tortured by these two?" He muttered under his breath as he glanced at the cafes and stores across the uneven street. He froze as he saw two men in black suits come out of a cafe and saunter to the edge of the sidewalk, looking for an opportunity to cross the street.

Terror seized Damion and his heart beat out of control. With a deep breath, and without looking back at the men, he finally got himself to walk somewhat casually to the girls and squeeze between them. "Excuse you," Kiki growled, moving over so they could walk together in a row comfortably. Damion took a breath to steady his nerves and spoke.

"Now don't turn around but-" He began to say slowly, surprised at how calm his voice was when Miyuki's hair slapped him in the face as she whipped her head around, glancing behind them.

"Dang it. Run!" She cried, dashing ahead and around the corner. Loud footsteps from behind spurred Damion into action. He grabbed Kiki's arm and started running, ignoring her yelp of protest.

"We gotta get away from these guys." He shouted, barely catching a glimpse of Miyuki's long black hair disappearing around another corner a block ahead. He was starting to feel exhausted when Kiki grabbed the arm he was holding hers with and started running faster, dragging him behind her.

"I know where Miyuki is heading; come on," Kiki shouted over the wind rushing around them. Damion risked a glance over his shoulder and yelped when he saw five guys chasing them, the original two leading the group.

"I hope she knows how to lose these guys." He said, trying to speed up as Kiki whipped him around a corner. He glanced around and felt uneasy as he looked around the ominous alley they were running down. He glanced up and gasped as they arrived at a dead end.

"Down here," Kiki growled, pulling him down. He winced as he fell to the grimy cement, glancing up to find Kiki disappearing down a perfectly hidden manhole. He scrambled over to it and hurried down the slippery ladder, biting his tongue to hold back a scream as he slipped off the ladder.

"Be quiet." Miyuki hissed in his ear as she caught him. He nodded and stood up, trying to see in the murky shadows. His eyes adjusted to the dim light and he saw Kiki's anxious face and saw it reflected on Miyuki as well.

"Search the area!" Damion froze in fear as heavy stomping could be heard from above, junk being tossed around, and even the dumpster being tipped over. He felt dizzy and took a quick breath, suddenly realizing he had been depriving himself of air. He started to relax when he heard their steps retreating.

He flinched as Miyuki touched him and she held a finger to her lips and pointed towards the darkness ahead in the sewer. Damion nodded, glad to be moving again and turned to Kiki when she let out an ear-splitting scream. Miyuki jumped to action and clamped her hand over her mouth. Damion covered his own mouth in shock, standing completely still.

Everything was deathly silent. Then the manhole was flooded with light.

Chapter 8 - Tempers Flare:

 

Before he even realized what he was doing, Damion was sprinting down the sewer tunnel Miyuki had pointed down, not glancing back to see who was following him. He nearly tripped into the rancid water but he caught himself and continued running, putting on an extra boost of speed when he heard splashing behind him. He rushed down numerous tunnels, soon losing all sense of direction as he tried to escape his pursuers. His heart skipped a beat when he skidded into a wall at the end of the tunnel.

A dead end. He thought despairingly as he whirled around, looking around wildly for whoever had been chasing him. He felt terror seize him as he saw two forms moving slowly towards him. He tried to push down his crushing fear and draw some courage but his heart was up in his throat as he watched the two shadows step closer. Frantically he dug into his pants pocket and pulled out his cellphone, scrambling to get into the app he wanted.

"Stay back!" He tried to shout but it came out as more of a cry as he flashed the flashlight on his phone at the two figures.

"Augh! Turn that off! You're blinding us." Damion lowered the light as he recognized Miyuki's voice. He sagged in relief when he saw Miyuki and Kiki.

"I'm so glad to see you two. Did you lose the guys in black?" He asked, straining to see if he could hear any splashing coming towards them. It was eerily silent.

"Yep. With the tricks we pulled on them they'll be wandering the sewers for hours. Come on; our way out is right over here." Miyuki said smugly, then added, "I was shocked by how fast you took off. Almost as fast as me."

"It was Kiki's scream that scared me the most and really got me running," Damion admitted, then noticed Kiki scowling at the floor with her arms crossed. "Why did you scream? They were about to give up." He said, suddenly irritated now that he realized they could have avoided the whole chase if she hadn't let out that scream.

"That's what I would like to know," Miyuki muttered as she felt along the brick wall, her voice sounding just as annoyed as he felt. Kiki didn't answer but strode to the brick wall and pressed on a brick near the bottom of the wall. It groaned and then the wall shifted, bricks swinging inwards to reveal a tunnel lit with lanterns.

"I would've found it if you gave me some more time," Miyuki growled as she followed Kiki. Damion sighed as he followed, wondering if these two were always going to be bickering with each other. He jumped as the bricks folded back into place, sealing up the entrance.

"So where are we going now?" He asked, catching up to Miyuki and matching her stride.

"Well this tunnel will take us just outside of the city limits then the entrance to the Kitsune Village will be about a mile away." She answered, glaring at Kiki's back. Damion felt his legs nearly give out at the thought of all that walking but he knew it wouldn't help to whine so he just nodded.

"Will we get to eat sometime soon?" He asked, feeling his stomach growling for food and clenching for Honey root. He knew he could never taste the sweet tea ingredient ever again if he wanted to get over his addiction but he couldn't help salivating over it whenever he thought of its heavenly flavor.

"Once we get out of this rank tunnel we'll head to the forest and figure something out to eat." Miyuki replied.

"Okay." Damion murmured before falling silent again. Their footsteps echoed in the seemingly endless tunnel. He glanced up at the flickering lanterns, noticing that each one had an intricate design imprinted on it. The first one he saw was a mischievous fox poking its head out of a bush. The next was of a fox stealthily approaching a rabbit, ready to strike. He admired the delicate detail on each lantern, wondering how long each one took to make.

Eventually, the lanterns ended as abruptly as they began as did the tunnel, emptying them out into the brisk night air. He glanced back and gasped as the lanterns went dark and the tunnel seemed to vanish, leaving nothing but the side of a muddy ditch.

"The tunnel disappeared," Damion said, squinting to see if he could see some outline of the tunnel or the hint of a lantern's light or even the stench of the sewers. But there was nothing.

"Why do you think no one else has found the Kitsune Village yet except for Kitsune? Every path there is made especially by and for Kitsune." Miyuki answered with a smug grin.

"Well, we should eat and get ready," Kiki interjected, starting to dig into her shoulder bag. Damion nodded, his stomach rumbling. Miyuki scowled at Kiki and growled as she stepped forward.

"Not until you tell me why you screamed." Kiki froze, her face blank. Damion really wanted to eat but he also did want to know why she screamed as well.

"I agree." He shrank underneath the venomous glare Kiki gave him as she let out a huff.

"It's always me!" She shouted at Miyuki and Damion, her eyes lit with rage. "Whenever I go down there they're waiting for me." She said as she dropped her gaze to the ground.

Damion felt very confused as he stared at Kiki. Were the men in the black suits always waiting for her? Or was it something else? He glanced over at Miyuki and was kind of relieved to see a look of confusion on her face as well.

"What are you talking about?" Miyuki asked. Damion was watching Kiki, trying to figure it out.

Oh no. Damion thought with a groan as it suddenly dawned on him. Before he could say anything Kiki finally snapped her head up and yelled at them.

"The cockroaches! They're never there when anyone else takes the sewers but they always come out when I'm down there!" She was panting from her outburst before she took a deep breath and straightened up, smoothed her clothes, and sat down on a rock that jutted out from the ground. "Now, are we ready to eat?"

Damion massaged his temples, trying to keep his temper under control. He tried to put himself in her shoes but he couldn't understand how she was afraid of bugs. He liked bugs. He loved watching them scuttle across the ground and disappearing into cracks in the sidewalk.

"Are you telling me you nearly got us all killed because you saw a tiny little cockroach?" Miyuki said in a dangerously quiet tone, her eyes slits. Damion glanced over at her, impressed she hadn't blown up at Kiki yet.

"Well, it kept us on schedule. Can we just eat now and forget about it?" Kiki asked irritably as she began pulling supplies out of her shoulder bag. Miyuki gave a reluctant sigh and nodded. He watched her go to the farthest rock away from Kiki and sit down, scowling at the ground. Damion could feel the tension between the two as he sat down in between them, feeling awkward as Kiki and Miyuki both glanced up at him.

"Here; eat up." Kiki said, handing him a roll. He took it gratefully and breathed in the stale yet buttery scent. It was velvety soft as he took a bite and savored the slightly salty roll. He opened his eyes and glanced between Miyuki and Kiki.

Kiki busied herself with her roll, taking small delicate bites. Miyuki sighed and reached into her bag, grabbing a biscuit she had from the hotel room. She narrowed her eyes as she crunched on the biscuit, her gaze returning to the ground. Is this how it's going to be the whole time? Damion wondered as he ate his roll, wishing he knew how to stop these two from fighting. Before he knew it his roll was gone, leaving him to lick his buttery fingers.

"Is this all we're going to eat?" He asked, his stomach still grumbling. Miyuki grinned at him, her eyes gleaming once more.

"We don't want to eat too much before going because the festival is bursting with food. Delicacies that are saved for this month are only served now. Just imagine it, Roast Duck, Fried Squab, Crab Rangoons. . ." She started listing off on her fingers then paused, nearly laughing at Damion as she stared at him.

"What?" He asked, then realized he had been drooling. His face flushed as he quickly swiped at his mouth. His ears burned as he heard Kiki laughing at him.

"It's all quite amazing but there's one thing we need to do before we go," Kiki interjected, picking up the bag with her Yukata. "We need to bathe."

"Where?" Damion asked, looking doubtfully at the dark forest ahead of them. "I'm sure we'll be fine going the way we are if we just change our clothes." He said with a shrug.

"You reek like a sewer." Miyuki pointed out, wrinkling her nose.

"You don't exactly smell pleasant either." Damion shot back, grinning when he saw her face redden and a huff escape her.

"This is exactly why we need to clean ourselves," Kiki interjected, stepping between the two and shoving a bright pink bag at Damion. "There are two ponds in the forest. One on the right and one on the left. Miyuki and I will go to the one on the right and you'll go to the one on the left."

Damion went to peek in his bag when Kiki coughed. He glanced up and shivered slightly when he saw the dark look in her eyes. "If you dare come over to the pond on the right it will be the last thing you see." She said in a foreboding voice, then went back to smiling. "See you in an hour." She added as she started walking to the forest, veering to the right.

"Bye," Miyuki added, following after Kiki more slowly. Damion gulped and hurried over to the left side of the forest, shocked and terrified at Kiki's warning. He knew that no matter what he would not go to the right side of the forest.