• “So, you’re saying that you’re an ancient Chinese demon? That you’re here looking for your lover, and that you have to find her before the demons of fire and water?” I asked, my arms folded across my chest, and my eyes closed.
    “Yeah. You catch on quick,” Hui Ka mused, leaning on the pole beside me.
    “I’ll believe that. Along with flying pigs and the tooth-fairy!” I blurted loudly, ignoring his compliment.
    An old lady looked at me in annoyance, and I grinned sheepishly.
    “After what happened earlier, you won’t believe me?” Hui Ka hissed.
    I winced slightly at his tone, and turned my gaze to the darkness outside the train window. He had a point. The flaming ball on First Street was one thing, but Hui Ka appearing out of nowhere with dark shadows flying out of his hands was another matter altogether. Add to that the way he got us to the Memorial Drive station, there was no way he could be human. I shuddered at the memory of the dark, shadowy tunnel with the skeletal hands reaching out towards my neck.
    “What I don’t know, is why Chu attacked you,” Hui Ka continued, interrupting my thoughts.
    “Who?” My brow furrowed in confusion.
    “The Great Demonness of Fire,” he shook his head, “You weren’t listening, were you?”
    I slumped down in my seat, curling up slightly. God, my cramps were killing me. Longingly, I thought about my nice comfy bed, with a bottle of ibuprofen and a mug of water beside me, and sighed. Hui Ka glanced at me and exhaled sharply.
    “Which station are you getting off at?” he asked, eying the other passengers on the train suspiciously.
    “Why does it matter to you?” I snapped back. Okay, I hadn’t really meant to snap at him, but I was cranky.
    “Obviously because I’m going with you,” Hui Ka replied, his voice filled with contempt and annoyance.
    “Excuse me? You’re following me?” I shouted.
    The old lady glared at me again, along with Hui Ka.
    “Do you come with a volume control? You’re being much louder than necessary. Yes, I’m coming with you. Chu attacked you, and I want to know why,” he hissed, leaning over me, making me feel very uncomfortable. Up close, he was actually really cute.
    “Rundle Station,” the annoying female robotic voice chimed, startling both of us.
    Automatically, I jumped up, and pushed past Hui Ka, trying to get to the door of the train. I heard him sigh, and follow behind me. The train finally stopped, and I tore out the door, and up the escalator, trying to get to my bus before it left.
    “Are you trying to lose me?” Hui Ka whispered, almost teasingly, in my ear.
    “Depends, is it working?” I replied, trying to recover from the shock of him suddenly being beside me again.
    Hui Ka rolled his eyes, and climbed onto the bus behind me.
    “Are you okay?” he asked, watching the bus driver get off, and walk to the station.
    “Yeah, why?” I replied, untangling my mp3 player from the mess of my purse.
    “You’ve been bleeding all day. Did you get hurt or something?” he explained absently, looking at his nails.
    I froze and turned red. “Excuse me?”
    “I’ve been smelling blood on you all day,” he pushed.
    I looked down, turning redder with each passing second. He noticed my silence and turned to look at me.
    “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” I replied, completely flustered.
    Hui Ka shook his head muttering something about humans, and I slid my ear-buds into my ears, and turned on my music, allowing Daisuke Namikawa to distract me from the question.
    After around 10 minutes, the driver finally got back onto the bus, and pulled away from the stop.
    “So, you live nearby the bus stop, right?” Hui Ka asked, after passing the first three stops.
    “Hardly,” I replied harshly. “I live outside the city.”
    Hui Ka growled slightly, and slumped into his seat with his eyes closed. I glanced back at him for a moment. Generally speaking, I didn’t like guys with long hair. Most of the guys I knew who had long hair didn’t take care of it, and they looked like wanna-be rockers. Hui Ka, on the other hand, looked really good with it. It framed his pale face perfectly, making it hard to believe that he was a demon.
    Hui Ka must of felt me watching him, because he cocked his right eye open. “What?” he asked tiredly.
    Blushing I shook my head and turned my gaze back out the window.
    We finally got to my bus stop, and I sulked off the bus. Hui Ka followed behind me, and I could hear him inhale deeply, taking in the ‘fresh’ air. I scowled slightly, but quickly transformed my expression into a broad grin.
    “So, you’ve got me safely off the bus, so now you can go home,” I pushed brightly.
    Hui Ka looked at me like I was an idiot, which, to be perfectly honest, isn’t too far from the truth.
    “I’m not leaving you now. What happens if Chu attacks you while you’re driving? I’m coming with you all the way,” he retorted.
    I frowned and stalked back to my car, Hui Ka following close behind.
    “What good is you following me around going to do? I could get attacked at home,” I complained, tossing my bag into the back seat.
    Hui Ka blinked and looked through my windshield weighing my observation. I grinned smugly as we drove off. There was no way he’d be able to come up with something to counter me.
    Out of nowhere, Hui Ka grinned evilly. “I’ll live with you. Problem solved.”