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defensive stance. The fox jumped from its position, and Elisa had to twist to avoid its claws, which still managed to tear into her jacket. The fox landed and immediately turned around, its feet touching the ground only momentarily to provide a surface to spring from.  
    Elisa dropped to the ground herself, sliding along as the fox soared overhead. She used her feet to stop herself and sprung back at the fox, who had just landed and she drove one of the kukri into the fox's back, between its shoulder blades. The fox howled in pain and turned its head, snapping its jaws at the myth hunter. Elisa forced the fox's head down to the ground with her free hand and raised the second kukri, prepared to drive it through the animal's skull.
    “Sorry about this, but it looks like it's come down to you or me, Foxy,” she said.  
    The fox seemed to smile and the necklace it wore began to glow even brighter. “It's not over yet,” came a soft, sultry voice and Elisa was blinded as the glow flashed. She pulled away and blinked several times, trying to get some kind of a bead on what happened to the fox. Spots dotted her field of vision and it took a few more blinks before she could see at least a little clearly. The fox stood there, albeit slightly blurred. And then Elisa watched in surprise as the fox padded towards her then slowly rose to its hind legs. As it did, its appearance seemed to change. The fox began to walk more like a human being and less like an animal. The reddish-white fur darkened, the hairs growing shorter.
    By the time Elisa's vision had completely cleared, she saw not a large fox but a beautiful young woman with a narrow face, close-set eyes, thin eyebrows and high cheekbones. Her hair was long and dark, spilling down her shoulders but despite her Asian features, her eyes were more of a copper color. The woman wore a black suit with white pinstripes and a dark red tie. Around her right wrist was a bracelet with white, soft-glowing orbs that resembled the fox's necklace. Her head was topped off with a matching fedora hat and the edges of her lips curled into a slight smile.  
    “Just what the hell is this?” asked Elisa.
    The Asian woman's lithe fingers balled into a fist and connected with Elisa's jaw. “It's called a punch.”
    Elisa's head rocked to the side and she struck back with a swift kick striking the nameless woman in the chest. The woman stumbled back and snarled at her opponent and muttered something in another language.
    “Watch your mouth, some of us understand Japanese.” Elisa reached into a pouch on her belt and hurled several shuriken at the woman. “Bitch.”
    The woman weaved through the projectiles. She reached behind her back, pulling free the kukri dagger that had still been lodged in there. Her face contorted in pain as she did. She jumped towards Elisa and let the kukri fly from her fingers. It was too fast and it went into Elisa's shoulder, causing her to grimace.  
    “How does that feel?” asked the woman.  
    “Okay...maybe we should take a break here,” said Elisa. “I've got a lot of questions that need answering and at the moment, many of them revolve around you.”
    “Funny, I could say the same.”
    “So what do you say, pause on the cat fight?”
    The woman stood upright and crossed her arms over her chest, carefully eyeing the myth hunter with her copper eyes. After a few seconds, she sighed and nodded.
    “Good, but first things first.” Elisa gripped the kukri and pulled it free from her shoulder. “Nngh...much better. Now, just who the hell are you and what's with the Lon Chaney routine?”
    “Asami,” she said. “And the transformation? I've been able to do that since my hundredth birthday.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “I'm a yokai, you moron,” said Asami.  
    “You mean you're a Japanese spirit?” asked Elisa.  
    “Kitsune to be exact,” she said. “And you're a myth hunter, aren't you?”
    “How did you know that?”
    “Those weapons and the fact that