The afternoon sun beat down on the empty stretch of highway, the humid heat settling like a quilt. As far as Derek could see, it was just flat land and clear skies. There was something about being the only car on the road that made him feel uncomfortable, like he shouldn't be there. In the distance, he saw a figure on the side of the road. At first he dismissed it as a mirage, it was just the heat that was causing him to see things, but as he got closer, he could see that it was a girl. Her long, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she had a button-down tied around her waist. She was carrying a backpack that looked like it was over-filled. He slowed down and pulled up beside her. "Do you need help?" He called through the open window. "Did your car break down? Do you need a ride somewhere?"

"Where are you headed?" the girl asked as she approached the car, leaning over so she could get a better view of Derek.

"I'm going to California," Derek answered, studying the girl's face. She had to be in her late teens or early twenties, he thought.

"Me too," she replied. "Want a travel buddy? I can pay you for gas," she offered. Derek agreed and unlocked the car door, watching her closely as she sat down and threw her backpack in the backseat. "I'm Kira," she told him as she put on her seatbelt.

"Derek," he responded. He didn't know what he was doing. He had never picked up a hitch hiker before, and he'd never intended to. Usually he just pretended he didn't see them when he drove past, so why had he stopped this time? Maybe it was because it was a girl, or maybe it was because of the blistering heat, but either way, it was a new experience for him. "So…" he started.

"You want to know why I'm hitch hiking to California, don't you?" Kira guessed.

"Yeah… I mean, you're young and pretty… couldn't it be dangerous?" Derek went on, "What if I was some kind of murderer?"

"Well, Derek, are you a murderer?" Kira teased. "And besides, the situation I was in was just as dangerous." When Derek gave her a questioning look, she continued, "My parents got involved in with some pretty sketchy people a few years ago. When my dad skipped town, they came after my mom and me, threatening to kill us if my dad wasn't back soon. So my mom told me to run and never look back, so that's what I'm doing. I need to get as far away as possible. I'm just hoping they don't come looking for me."

Derek sat in stunned silence, trying to figure out something to say. "Wow… uh, that's intense," he finally managed. "Are you going to a specific town?"

"Yeah, I think it's called Bacon Hills, just wait," she dug around in her pocket for a while. "Oh, Beacon Hills, not Bacon Hills," Kira laughed.

"That's where I live… Are you looking for someone in particular?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, I forgot to write down the name, but I'm pretty sure it was Erik Hale. Or maybe it was Drake… I really shouldn't trust my memory," she sighed.

Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that he'd stopped for this hitch hiker. There were no other Hales in Beacon Hills. "Kira, I think you're looking for me, Derek Hale…" he said cautiously.

There was a moment of tense silence. "Well, you're definitely not what I expected," she laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean? And why are you looking for me?" Derek's eyebrows were drawn together in confusion. What could she possibly want from him?

"I guess I was expecting someone a little more… intimidating, I guess," Kira answered. "You seriously don't know why I'd be looking for you?" She squinted at him, trying to read his face.

"Hey! I am intimidating," Derek protested. "And no, I have no clue why you were looking for me," He added, noticing the look of surprise that flashed across her face. "What do you know that I don't?"

"We should maybe talk about it when you're not driving. It'll be a lot to take in," Kira warned. "Why don't we stop for food in the next town and have a little chat?"

Derek agreed and they drove in silence. He just wanted to know what was going on. He hated being out of the loop, and it made him nervous that the stranger he just met knew something about him that he didn't. They finally reached the next town and stopped at a small diner. Derek got out, eagerly waiting to hear whatever it was Kira had to say.

They chose a booth in the far corner of the diner and after they had ordered, Derek looked at Kira expectantly. "So?"

"I'm not entirely sure where to start," Kira laughed nervously. "I always assumed you would know about this, but I guess you didn't find the letter… My mom's name is Noshiko Yukimura. She was a close friend of your mother, Talia. You and I are both rarities. I am a Thunder Kitsune, there are only three of us in the world. I always assumed you'd know why you were special, so I didn't really bother to remember it. I'm sure it's in your letter. Anyway, our mothers knew there would come a time when they couldn't protect us any longer, so they agreed that once that happened… we would need to protect each other. Individually, we're both powerful, but together we're practically invincible… Do you get what I'm saying?"

Derek stared at her for a while, trying to absorb what Kira just said. He didn't know anything about a letter, he didn't know that he was special in any way other than being a werewolf. "So, our mothers wanted us to be a team?" He finally managed.

"I guess that's one way to put it," she shrugged. "Basically, our moms arranged for us to be married."

Derek choked on the water he'd been trying to swallow. "Married?" he sputtered.

"I can't believe they didn't tell you about this," Kira shook her head. "My mom gave me the letter when I turned fourteen." She pulled a folded envelope out of one of the pocket of her backpack and handed it to him.

He carefully removed the yellowing paper from the envelope and unfolded it. "We're 'destined for each other' and can be 'the greatest force on Earth?' I… but… wh… I guess we'll have to look for my letter when we get back to Beacon Hills," Derek finally managed. No one in his family had ever mentioned anything about an arranged marriage or him having some sort of special ability, but his mother's signature was on the bottom of the letter. Just because they were supposed to get married didn't necessarily mean they had to… maybe it would be okay if they were just really good friends.

After they'd finished eating, Kira and Derek both agreed that they should try to put this out of their minds until they were in Beacon Hills and could find the letter Talia had left for Derek. The rest of the drive, he found himself stealing glances at Kira. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, and she seemed like someone he'd like to be around, she talked enough for the both of them, babbling on about different things nearly the entire ride. Her voice was pleasant to the ears and she was interesting enough that he actually paid attention to what she was saying.

When they finally turned onto the exit towards Beacon Hills, it was late. Derek could tell that Kira was exhausted. It had been a long day for both of them. "Do you just want to go to my place and find the letter and everything tomorrow morning?" Derek asked, glancing over to make sure Kira was actually awake.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Kira mumbled. "I'm pretty tired. Would you mind if I took a shower? I feel a little gross from being in the sun for so long."

"Yeah, no problem," he replied. He grabbed Kira's backpack from the back seat, his bag from the trunk, and opened the passenger door for her. He led her to his apartment and dropped the bags on his couch. He motioned towards the bathroom, "If you want you can take either a bath or a shower. There are towels under the sink. If you need anything, just let me know."

After Kira had shut the door, Derek let himself sink down onto his bed and rubbed his temples. This was one of the weirdest days he'd ever experienced, and that was saying something. He wasn't really sure how he was going to explain this to Scott and everyone else, especially when he didn't even understand it himself. He changed into comfier clothes and grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Hey, Ki…" he'd looked up when he heard the bathroom door open, not expecting Kira to come out in no more than a bra and underwear. He gulped, "Why aren't you wearing clothes?"

"I didn't pack anything to sleep in… would I be able to wear one of your t-shirts or something?" Kira explained. Derek stared for a minute before snapping out of his haze and getting her a t-shirt.

"Uhm, here you go," he handed her a light blue t-shirt. "You can sleep on the bed. I'll sleep on the couch," he offered.

"You don't have to do that! There's plenty of room on the bed for both of us." She laughed when she noticed his apprehensive glance, "Don't worry, I'm not going to try anything. It'll be more comfortable than the couch."

"Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything," Derek protested.

"Yes, Derek, I'm sure. It doesn't make me uncomfortable," Kira assured him. She went back into the bathroom and brushed her hair back in a ponytail. "So do you want the side near the wall or the edge?"

Derek let Kira choose first, so she chose the side closest to the wall. They turned out the lights and lay down. They weren't even laying that close together, but Derek could feel the warmth of Kira's skin, still dewy from her shower. She felt like a magnet, drawing him towards her. He'd never met someone like her before. They both felt so comfortable around each other, like they were already best friends.

/

The next morning, when Derek woke up, he had Kira wrapped up in his arms, her head against his chest and a slight smile on her lips. He didn't want to wake her, so he just closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but he was interrupted by someone yelling, "Derek! Time to wake up! We were supposed to…" Scott stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Derek. "What are you doing?" he dropped his voice to a whisper.

Derek was about to answer when Kira stirred. "Oh good morning, Derek," she smiled and sat up, noticing Scott. "Oh. Hi," she said before quickly running into the bathroom.

"Okay, who's that?" Scott asked, staring after her.

"She's… a friend," Derek answered. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Well, she looked like more than just a friend," Scott replied, eliciting an eye roll from Derek. "And we were supposed to have breakfast this morning, but obviously you had other plans."

"Look, can we do this later? This really isn't a good time," Derek sighed.

"Okay," Scott agreed. "Dinner tonight, and bring your new friend."