#auhalloween

 Kazu had enough of the Ghosts. He watched the boats try with their hardest to get back across the lake, with no avail. The haunted waters pushed them back harder than they could come forward, and there was no other way to cross the river.

 "Dammit," the former blond muttered, folding his arms. There was definitely no way to get across. He sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. This was insane...

 The fox sighed and prepared to head back to the mansion when he felt a strong force push him. At first, he thought it was the wind - that was, until he fell backwards...into the lake.

 Now, falling into the lake shouldn't have been a huge problem for someone, but it was for Kazu: the Flame King couldn't swim.

 It took him a moment, as the water swallowed him with a loud, swish! and the fox was successful submerged a good few feet underwater. He kicked wildly, trying to set himself straight again, but with no avail.

 Kazu, in the most panicked and pain-stricken thoughts, was drowning. For a moment, he just held still, eyes shut. His body, without his permission, opened his lungs and tried to breathe for air, but only found water to fill itself with.

 He grabbed his throat and kicked again, trying to find the surface. His heart slammed against his chest like it was trying to escape. His lung burned like fire, never ceasing.

 Finally, he slowly lost any and all energy to continue his struggle for his life. He floated for a moment, just letting the darkness of the water drag him deeper and deeper into the depths of the lake. The red dye from his hair slowly rinsed from golden strands, flowing like blood to the surface of the lake.

 The former blond opened his eyes and saw a beautiful, silvery light above him; the moon. With what little energy he still had left, he reached his fingers as close to the moon as he could. The red dye washed between him and the moon and it's light filtered red to his eyes.

 His sapphire eyes flickered a dying, red light as he sunk deeper, unconsciousness finally settling in. Slowly, his fingers began to fall with his body and his diamond eyes shut.

 But, before he felt himself pass out, a warm hand took his that reached to the moon and pulled him from the darkness, into the light of the red moon.

 ...

 The dark clouds pulled away and a silver light fell upon his eyes. He laid still for a moment, unmoving, unbreathing, lifeless, as though he had died. Then, the half-blond sputtered and coughed, turning onto his hands and knees, throwing water up from his lungs and gasping for air.

 Kazu panted for a moment, the burning in his lungs and the pounding in his heart and his head subsiding to a minimal for the moment. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky, watching the moon glide across the sky like he was moving in slow motion and the world was moving faster than he ever could.

 He waited, until his breath finally matched with time and everything felt normal, except that he was freezing, wide awake, and laying on the side of the road, not too far away from the river. He leaned up and glanced at the docks. No one was there.

 Everyone was...gone?

 He felt too weak to stand on his own, so he crawled to the nearest tree and used that as support to stand. He glanced to the mansion, all the lights out and the house appearing dead. He could see a few things move on the corner of his eye, but nothing that could hurt him potentially.

 Kazu turned and looked down the long road that would bring him back to Bunkyo. His hair was mostly blond, but the ends of his hair were still a blood red, as though most of the dye had just packed there instead of washing off in the lake.

 He wondered for a moment who had saved him and brought him back to the other side of the river. He pondered all the possibilities, until he saw a small, red fox jump out from the bushes. It turned to him, watched him with bright red eyes, then turned and ran down the long road.

 The half-blond paused for a moment, then he smiled. It was strange. He didn't believe in Spirits, but what had happened in the mansion back there... It was the only explanation. He chuckled and smiled to himself. Who else was the red fox? Or, more so, the Kyuubi?

"Am I getting any closer to the top...?" Ririchiyo asked aloud.

She sat for a moment, hoping to rest. It wasn't that she was fatigued already. She just had to brace herself. Ririchiyo understood there were unseen horrors on this island, and she hoped not to encounter any beasts, but she knew that if she did, she'd have to fight. The fact she was powerless and weaponless didn't reassure her though. Uncertainty clouded her thoughts as she leaned back against the rock face behind her.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone wandering up the path as well though. When she stood up, they knocked heads, and she fell back.

"Ouch..."

After she'd regained her composure, she looked up again and remembered everything that had happened. Her selfawareness rose again, and her eyes widened.

"Who are you?"

Ririchiyo stared up at the moonless night sky.

What am I supposed to do?

Suddenly, a harsh gale hit her full force in the face, knocking her mask to the ground. However, when she bent down to pick it up, she couldn't find it. She followed the direction the harsh wind had went, and stared at the person who'd been hit in the back of the head with it. He seemed to be alone, so she deemed it safe to speak. She plucked the mask off the back of his head.

"I apologize," Ririchiyo blurted out.

As Ririchiyo had expected, the soiree that this aristocrat was holding was a much more elegant affair than the homecoming held at Spica. After Ririchiyo had adorned herself in the 'costume' she'd prepared, her true yokai form, and the mask that had been so gratuitously forced upon her by Kagerou, she'd set off on foot through the winding forest path towards the party. After reaching the small dock at the end of the path, like most, she'd traveled by boat to an isolated manor, where she'd been greeted by jesters and pranksters. Amused, she'd made her way towards stone steps leading towards the house, careful not to bump into the jokesters that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She approached the shisaa guarding the entrance warily though, cautious due to the fact they might regard her an intrusive spirit attacking their realm-- which of course, she was not. However, when she'd finally entered the grand hall, she'd been amazed. The decor was quite befitting of a rich man of high status such as Mr.Hotoke, and the dim lighting created a nice atmosphere for the partygoers-- young and old. They were all dressed out appropriately, wearing fine costumes and masks. Light music reached her ears, and her eyes were greeted by the sight of people dancing and chattering about. It was all so tempting. Ririchiyo wished to indulge herself in joining in on the conversation, swirl on the dancefloor, and snack on some of the appetizing food that was layed out before her. However, she'd seemed to have came at quite a late time, as it was almost midnight, and even if the event was in full swing, something seemed to be amiss. She danced for a moment, her mind off wandering, and she hardly took notice as she was passed on to another partner. This repeated twice more before she stopped dancing altogether, moving off to the side. She must have been hungry-- yes, that was it. But as she reached the table, the lights flickered, and the music that everyone had been enjoying ceased to play. Her instincts went on high alert, especially as she tried to weave through the crowd towards the doors, bumping into a figure clad in costume and mask, but devoid of any emotion, their eyes dull and melancholic. She paused momentarily, but she should've continued towards the doors. Shrieks erupted from the crowd behind her, followed by horrifying screams and pleas for mercy. Ririchiyo dared herself to look back, and froze when she saw the figures with the morose eyes transforming into horrific monsters, creatures from nightmares. She backed into a corner, her thoughts of escape as fleeting as the light that vanished in that instant. Something was extremely wrong. Party-goers started to flee, some heading for boats, others simply seeking refuge away from the main hall. It seemed as if several people injured themselves as they ran, ran away from the frightful creatures behind them. Ririchiyo put her hands over her head, attempting to protect herself from any unnecessary harm, and feeling that there were no horns on her head. Her blade seemed to be missing as well. Had she dropped it weaving towards the doors? That was impossible though; she was aware it had been with her! In the midst of all her panicked thoughts, Ririchiyo hadn't noticed a figure by her, seeming to protect themself as well. As people rushed out, the two individuals stayed hidden in the dark nook, seemingly unnoticed by the creatures and the refugees. When they'd all poured out or split up outside though, she began to take notice of her surroundings. She felt paralyzed for a moment as she heard the ragged breathing of her companion. Knowing she had no means of protection, she hesitantly spoke up.

"H-hello? Who are you...?"

Shinichi existed the main house to explore the forests. The ballroom was getting too crowded anyways. Shinichi was glad he brought his watch that had a built in flashlight in it. He made his way through the forest, mindful of the roots and rocks. Wasn't there supposed to be a house somewhere around here? Maybe he should try a different direction...However, just as Shinichi was about to turn around, he saw one of the walls of the house. A smirk spread slowly across his face as he thought about the interesting things that could be there. Hopefully it wouldn't be a disappointment. Then again, Hotoke hasn't disappointed him so far.

He made his way over to the house. It would have been so much easier if he was in regular clothing and not in something that could get caught so easily. Oh well, he was still able to move swiftly enough. Once he reached the house Shinichi turned off his watch light and opened the doors. The house was dimly light, enough to see but not enough to make out every detail. Shinichi thought about using his watch again, but he decided against it. Might as well save the battery just in case. He made his way through the first floor, trying on different doors and finding some locked. Shrugging it off for now, Shinichi made his way to the second floor.

So far nothing really caught his eyes. There was the court room, a bathroom, balcony, but nothing really impressive. Shinichi hasn't bumping into anyone either. But, there were more locked rooms on the second floor than the first. Some rooms were even boarded. It was starting to prick his curiosity. Should he pick one of the locks? Just to take a peek...Shinichi remembered packing a lock pick, just in case...Then again, this was Hotoke's private house. He might just have rooms that were for personal use...But it really made Shinichi curious. What could Hotoke be hiding in so many different rooms? Shinichi wanted to know...

Resisting the urge to pick one of the doors, Shinichi made his way to the third floor. If there were more locked rooms then he would pick one of them. Just one. To see what Hotoke was hiding. It could just be nothing, but Shinichi still wanted to find out. After all, those rooms must be locked for a reason, right? Shinichi reached the third floor and just as he was about to turn a corner, he bumped into someone. "Ah...sorry, are you alright?" He asked, he didn't know who he bumping into, the other's face was covered by the shadows. Was it a worker here at the mansion? Or was it even Hotoke himself? Hotoke being here would be unlikely, since he should be tending to the guest, but who knows...? Shinichi was just glad he wasn't caught picking a lock. That would have been bad...

Shinichi looked around and glanced around all the people. It has gotten pretty full. Understandable, since it seemed like both Ouran and Spica was invited. Shinichi sighed. This was one of the things he disliked most about parties like this. It always got too crowded.  Shinichi was by no means claustrophobic, but with all the body heat from people moving around, the noise from them talking, it really was too much. Making his way out of the ballroom, Shinichi breathed a sigh of relief as he was able to reach the almost empty hallway.

He looked around before making his way downstairs. Might as well explore for a bit. They were pretty much allowed to explore wherever, excluding the locked rooms of course. Shinichi walked into the pool area and looked around. There wasn't many people swimming, though a few did bring swimming wear and were in the pool. Mostly people were just dipping their leg in the pool or sitting on one of the chairs relaxing or talking.

He might as well stay here for a bit. It wasn't as crowded and it seemed like a good place to rest for a while. Shinichi looked around, not paying attention to where he was going and accidently bumped into one of the waiters that were walking around handing out drinks and assisting with anything the guests would need. A glass cup slid off the tray the waiter was holding and smashed onto Shinichi's foot. Shinichi's whole body went tense but he didn't cry out in pain. The waiter immediately started to apologize and bent to help take the pieces of glass off and away from his foot. Shinichi quickly assured that he was fine and that the waiter shouldn't worry about it. People were starting to look their way and whispered, wondering what was going on. When the waiter still fussed over him, Shinichi asked him if he could go and get a dust pan or something to clean the glass up with. That got the waiter to leave, thankfully.

Shinichi bent down and carefully removed the glass from his foot. It wasn't that bad. The cup didn't break into too many pieces. His costume didn't allow any real shoes. It was basically just fabric with a wooden piece at the bottom of his foot. So the glass was able to piece through and cut him. None of the piece were deep though. It just stung a bit. Once Shinichi was done taking everything out, he picked up the piece of glass carefully and placed them on the table. The waiter could dispose of them when he got back. For now he just needed to sit somewhere because his foot was throbbing. But, not at the pool. People were staring. Shinichi existed the pool room and looked up. If he recalled, the infirmary was to his left...but he didn't really want to go there. His foot wasn't that bad. And he never really liked getting treated and besides if the waiter tried to look for him, he would look at the infirmary first. Shinichi didn't really want to deal with that. So instead he turned to the stairs and slowly started his way up, being mindful of his right foot.

Shinichi sighed. This party was getting pretty boring. Well, that was to be expected. Parties really wasn't his thing. But he thought that maybe this one would be different. Spica itself was a pretty interesting school and with the students and teachers it had, it was hard to say that it was boring. Sure classes were dull but there was no helping that really. And it was better than his last school. Well mostly. His last school had FBI teachers but that was besides the point. The lessons were still dull and simple and just plain boring.

Shinichi yawned and got up from the chair he was sitting on. He should move around a bit or he will surely fall asleep. His costume at least was comfortable enough. It was pretty tight fitting, but it was about as comfortable as one of his more fancy suits. He would be just fine for a night. The helmet wasn't all that comfortable, but he was used to it by now and he could deal with it. He sort of wished something about what he was wearing was bothersome so it could keep him awake at least.

Shinichi made his way to the kitchen to see if they could make some coffee for him. He thanked them when they said they would have it ready for him in a few minutes and leaned against one of the counters. He stayed up late the night before finishing up a couple of cases. "Maybe I should have stayed home today after all..." Shinichi mumbled a bit sleepily, though his real voice was disoriented by the voice changer he had equipped.

Shinichi looked around the room. He has met up with a couple of people already and he has figured out who a couple of people were. But, he still hasn't seen the one person he wanted to see most. Shinichi was sure that Kazu would be here. There was no way that Kazu would miss this. Unless something involving his Air Treks came up. But, Shinichi hasn't heard of anything like that. He frowned and scanned around the room. He didn't know what Kazu was dressed up as. But he was sure he could have found him by now...

Hmm...where was the one place Kazu would go? This house was huge...would be go and explore? ...No...Kazu wouldn't do that. Not alone at least...Then where? Or maybe he was with someone else? Possible. But...where could he be? Shinichi then facepalmed. Of course. Why didn't he check there before? Wasn't that where Kazu went to during the Prom? The food table. Shinichi chuckled to himself and made his way over. He couldn't believe he didn't think of this before.

There was a few people at the food table, Shinichi glanced at them all before he approached the one in the fox mask. He seemed to be about Kazu's size. And their eating habits sure was similar. Shinichi tapped Kazu's shoulder. "You'll get a stomach ache if you keep going at that pace." Shinichi spoke, but not with his own voice. The voice changer he got from Agasa helped disfigure it. Of course there was nothing to do about his body, but it would be something easily dismissed. Because of all his cases, Shinichi has gotten into the habit of memorizing people's body size and he is able to notice easily the slightest difference.