The human world and the Spirit World have always been parallel to one another, even before the beginning of biological life. But for the most part, they were untouchable to each other. Only the most powerful spirits and shamans could leap between the two worlds.

               A decade ago, a strange phenomenon occurred. The transcendental membranes that originally separated the two worlds began to fade away. No one knew why, it just happened. Due to the thinning membranes, spirits were able to cross to the other side and vice versa. The good spirits kept to themselves; they seldom to cross over to the human side unless they have to. The evil spirits, on the other hand, used this as an opportunity to cause havoc in the human world.

               Demon sightings have risen exponentially over the past few years, especially in China. This was the reason why she and her Nanna moved to Changsha, Hunan, to start a demon-hunting business two years ago. She couldn’t let the demons invade her world and terrorize her people. Earth was her home, she had to protect it.

               For the most part, she had everything under control. Demons irked her but not as much as a certain fox that had been showing up in her dreams recently. He wasn’t a demon. He was a hú shén, a shape-shifting fox spirit.

               She didn’t know his name. Whenever she asked him, he would either dodge her question or say “names have power”. She had no clue what that meant. Her best guess was that it was spirit talk for “mind your own business, human girl”.  

               Nonetheless, she recognized his presence by his aura and the way he talked. Although he always draped himself in a hooded black cape, his aura wasn’t dark at all. He might look like the Grim Reaper from a distance but his aura was pure and welcoming. Whenever he was around, she felt protected. He would always look after her and make sure she stayed out of harm’s way. Maybe that was the reason she “hated” him. She wanted to fight her own battles; she didn’t want him to save her every single time. She wasn’t a damsel in distress; she didn’t need to be rescued.

               Secretly, she liked his honeyed voice and dimpled smile. If he wasn’t in her way of hunting demons, she might like him after all. Unfortunately, they were now under the same company, and that meant they were each other’s competition.

***

                The lipstick looked brighter on her lips than in the tube. Cursing herself, she frantically tried to wipe the bright crimson off with the back of her hand. The red stained her skin but she didn’t care. It was all good as long as the red wasn’t on her lips. Damn it, damn it, damn it. Most of it was still on her lips. Making a beeline to the bathroom, she dipped a paper towel in water before blotting it over her lips. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when the color began to lighten. She didn’t want him to think that she was putting on makeup for him…even though she was.

                Nanna chuckled loudly, “You’re more gimmicky than usual. Nervous about meeting your new partner?”

                “No. Why should I be?” she asked, crossing her arms in denial, “And Nanna, do I really have to work with him? Why did you pair me up with him of all people?”

                “Because it’s important.” Nanna gave her a wry smile but didn’t explain further.

                She was about to ask why it was important the front door creaked opened. A strong gust of wind rushed in from between the cracks, sending chills down her spine. Her heart leapt when she realized the hú shén had arrived. Black cape, dimpled smile, the whole nine yards.

                Noticing the goosebumps that prickled her skin, the hú shén immediately closed the door, “Good morning, xiăo jiě.”

                “It’s noon, you stupid fox. And my name is not xiăo jiě.”

                “Technically, it’s still morning since it is 11:58 A.M. right now. We haven’t reached noon yet.” the fox spirit smiled wider as he slinked closer until their bodies were only a hairbreadth away. In a low voice, he added, “And save your insults, xiăo jiě, you’re just making yourself more irresistible to me.”

                She raised an eyebrow, “So you like people calling you stupid?”

                He laughed. His white teeth gleamed as his body shook from laughter. She could feel the vibrations on her skin and it made her tingle. “No, I don’t like people calling me stupid but I’ll make an exception for you.”

                “Are you going to take off your cape?” she asked, changing the subject.

                “No.” he pulled the hood closer to his face, concealing more of his face.

                “Why? Because you’re ugly?” This had to be a reason. A beautiful person wouldn’t have anything to hide. She pursed her lips as she thought about his cute smile and smooth skin. Only the bottom half of his face was revealed but she could tell he wasn’t hideous. Maybe he was trying to mask his identity from predatory spirits.  

                “Because you will fall in love with me if I show you my face.” He said matter-of-factly. It wasn’t a haughty claim. He said it as if he meant it…and that scared her. Was he really so beautiful that she wouldn’t be able to resist his charms if she saw his real face?  

                Compelled by curiosity, she found herself taking a step closer to him. Her hands reached out, ready to push his hood away from his face. But he caught her wrists before she unmasked him.

                “When the time is right, I will show you who I really am.” the hú shén whispered against her lips. He didn’t kiss her even though she was anticipating it. She knew he wanted to kiss her too but he decided to by pulling away. Fire alit in her eyes. How dare he taunt her! He smiled as he changed the subject, “Anyway, what case are we working on today?”

                 “A demon kidnapping case.” Nanna slammed a large beige folder onto the wooden table. Loose sheets of paper slipped out from the confines of the folder and landed on the carpeted floor.

                Bending down, the fox recollected the papers and quickly read over them. His lips twisted into a frown as he skimmed through the pages, “All of them are children. Young children under the age of eight.”

                Nanna nodded and pulled out two photographs from the folder. The first one was a black-and-white photo of a deserted toy store. Considering the yellowing edges of the photo, the photo had to be taken decades ago before the invention of colored ink.

                 After closer inspections, she realized it was a specialized kind of toy store. The window displays were all dolls. Human child dolls in lavish outfits and hats. A gasp escaped the pit of when she connected the puzzle pieces together. This wasn’t an ordinary toy store! This was a soul-collector’s hoard! Those dolls were once human child.

                “Let me guess, the children write their names on the blackboard outside the store and the demon absorbs the children’s identities, entrapping them in the store forever.” the hú shén looked up from the second photo, “This demon likes young, innocent souls.”

                 Nanna nodded solemnly, “Unfortunately, yes.”

                 “Let’s go now and rescue those poor children!” she was about to stand up when the fox held her wrist and pulled her back into her seat.

                “We can’t.”

                “Why?”

                “We’re not children. That demon only likes young children.”

                “What is he? Pedobear?” she asked, cringing. Her response caused the fox to crack up laughing again.

                “Not exactly. The demon doesn’t see them in a ual way. But in order to get into the store and slay the demon, we need a child…”

                “Forget it! I’m not risking a child’s life even if it is to save other children! It’s wrong.”

                The hú shén gave her a knowing smile, “I’m a shapeshifter, remember? I can turn into whatever I want.”

                She gaped at him, her body frozen in motion, “You’re going to pretend to be a child.”

                “Yes.” He cocked his head to one side cutely, “Let’s do this.”    

Author's Note: I'm so freaking busy this week...but I tried to update anyway.

Oh yeah, the demon dollhouse case is inspired by Alma (a short animated film, about 5 minutes long).

Yi Xing's name will be revealed soon. But for now, he'll just be known as the fox or the hú shén.

And I know it is confusing since I didn't give the main heroine a name. Sorry >_<