She stretched and looked at him for the first time. That was about when her face went pale.

“Y-you’re awake?! But I can only take on my old form when you’re asleep!?”

“Old form? What?!”

He jumped out of the shower, quickly wrapped a towel around his waist, and rushed back into his room, locking the door.

Trying to process what just happened would take more than a couple minutes of thinking. First there was the light, well before that was all the energy he felt… Maybe that energy drink was dangerous or something, it might make you hallucinate. Not that he wasn’t used to that sort of thing.

He was distracted as hell and didn’t even notice the still naked fox girl watching him from across the room.

“How are you awake?”

Hearing the same voice again, he froze and looked in her direction. There was absolutely no way she was actually… real?

She walked over to him and poked him on the head.

“You are awake right?”

“Yes I’m awake! What the hell are you!”

“Wait. You don’t know me?”

“What?”

“You’ve never seen me before.”

“I’ve seen some shit, but never anything like you before.”

At that she looked a little let down, and sat in his computer chair, spinning in it.

“But you were trying to use the pin. You must know.”

“The pin? Where is it?!”

“There was a leecher inside of it. If you used that thing anymore you would have been in danger, so I destroyed it.”

“You destroyed it… why…”

On the energy front he seemed to back at square one. God knows he wasn’t going to use that energy drink ever again.

“Nevermind that now, but can you still see the others?”

“The others?”

“Have you ever seen… um, shadows which, when focused on, are animals or strange looking people?”

Considering the frog and the boar he had seen in the past few days he could safely say yes to that question.

“I’m not going insane then?”

“Insane? No, those are Youkai obviously.”

“What are you then?”

“I am also a Youkai. I’m from a forest somewhat far from here, maybe."

“Maybe?”

“I haven’t been there in quite a while, you forget these things when traveling.”

“Then why are you here.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“If I had a way to separate from you I would gladly do it.”

“Separate?”

“I suppose this is the first time you’ve seen me since… eh, I will tell you the story of what happened.”

“Alright.”

“Do you remember going to a forest with your family? Years ago? An accident there in which you were attacked by a bear?”

“Only vaguely. My parents say that the trauma made me forget most of what happened.”

She sighed but kept talking.

“That was no bear, it was a powerful Youkai that would eat humans roaming through the forest. It was powerful enough to even make itself seen by humans, at least in its bear form. I swept in and saved your life, however, before it could kill and devour you. Sadly, the paw of the beast gave me a terrible swipe, and extremely weakened me. I could not even maintain a spiritual form, and was forced to gather my spirit energy into the nearest living thing. That was you. That little irregularity on your heart? That’s me.”

“You saved me?”

“I did.”

“If you knew the danger, why would you do that?”

“Something I ask myself every day, I’m afraid. Anyways, at night when you are using the least amount of energy possible, I am able to manifest, using your energy, and walk around and go out to parties and such.”

“You go to parties using my energy?!”

“What else am I supposed to do! I have no idea how to re-manifest myself without sticking to you!”

“If you can only manifest when I’m asleep how are we both here right now? And what was that light?”

“The light is just what happens when my spirit manifests out of you. For the first question, I have no idea. I simply felt the overflowing energy as it usually is when you are asleep, so I manifested. I honestly thought you were asleep.”

He held up one of the five hundred minute energies to his face. There was no way this stupid drink allowed them to both be there at the same time. It was literally impossible.

“That could do it.”

“What?”

“That drink in your hand? I can feel it. It has overflowing energy inside of it. Were you to drink that we would most likely have enough energy between us for me to manifest.”

He looked down at the stupid three dollar energy drink in his hand. She didn’t seriously expect him to believe some sugar water could make their spirits split right…

“Anyways, now that we can finally be awake at the same time, you’ll need to return me to the forest.”

“Do what?”

“If you set foot in that forest, my spirit will be able to take refuge there, and I can heal in my home. I won’t have to make you tired daily anymore.”

“That was you! Do you know how much shit my life has become thanks to that? I used to be so...”

“Yes, and I am sorry for it, but I couldn’t make contact with you otherwise.

“Couldn’t you just write a note…”

“You wouldn’t really believe something like that would you?”

“Good point but I can’t return you to a forest that far away during first semester.”

“Hmm? It’ll only take a few days c’mon!”

“I can’t just up and leave during school.”

“But!”

“No buts! We can go during winter break.”

“Winter!?”

“Or perhaps you'll be able to wait till next Summer?”

“No! Winter is fine!”

“That’s what I thought. For now, I’m going to catch a few more minutes of sleep before class. If you go to another party tonight I will be… angry with you. Angrier than I am right now at knowing you are the reason I’m tired every day.”

“Angry. So?”

“I won’t buy any more energy drinks.”

“Alright alright you win! I won’t go to the party….”

“Good-bye then.”

“Ugh.”

He laid down to sleep, then heard a noise. It was his alarm.

“Wait…”

That was about when he realized that it was nine A.M. and a class started in about ten minutes.

Oops.

He threw some clothes on, giving Oku a set as well, and chastised the fox for not letting him know the time. She grumbled, but put them on and soon was laughing as they ran down the stairs together.

“By the way, my name is Oku.”

“What… the hell does that… mean?”

He said as he wheezed down the stairs. If only the elevators weren’t shot.

“Most Youkai have ancestry in the east. I am no exception, so I am Oku.”

“Oku is eastern?”

“In the eastern countries Oku means Oak, yes.”

“Guess that makes sense. By the way, mine is Lawrence.”

Luckily there was a bus, and he hopped on, recovering from his sprint down the stairs. At least he had the energy for it thanks to the drink. Once he'd found a seat he realized a glaring possibility.

“Won't other people be able to see you?

He whispered to Oku, but she shook her head.

“I’m in spiritual form at the moment, they can’t see me unless I change to human form. Like this!”

In a puff of smoke she looked like a normal girl. With a few exceptions. Her eyes were deep vermillion, and the pupils were a bit smaller than normal eyes. She was cute though, no doubt about that.

In fact, the other guys were looking at her. It seemed that they were fairly concerned about someone suddenly materializing right in front of them. They exited the bus to the whispers of about four guys, and he began walking to his first class of the day at a brisk pace. Once he entered the classroom he noticed she was still following, in human form at that.