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Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Japan.

Jason strolled along the street with his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket. Even though it was nearly midnight, the evening was still pleasantly warm and there was a buzz in the air. Wherever he looked, the shopfronts and buildings were lined with orange paper lanterns, the streets filled with people heading for the parks, bars and nightclubs.

I never knew that they celebrated Halloween in Japan...

He was snapped out of his reverie when he heard a scream, his head whipping round to see four figures moving through the crowd. The first of them was a slender woman with short black hair, dressed in a dark grey suit and high-heels. At first glance, she looked perfectly normal until he saw that she was holding a lantern, the pale light revealing skeletal fingers.

What the hell...?

Behind her were two men wearing white shirts and black trousers, one sallow-faced, the other wiry and gaunt. However, what caught Jason's attention was their limbs. The sallow-faced man had arms that stretched down to past his knees, while the other had legs nearly twice as long as normal. Next to them was a bald man, his face completely blank and featureless and a willowy woman with brown hair, pale-blue fire dancing on her upturned palm.

Instinctively, Jason stepped back into a fighting stance, raising his hands before his head kicked in as he realised that no-one else was panicking. As he watched, the long-legged man began walking over the heads of the crowds, while the long armed man reached out to tap people on their shoulders, making them spin round to see no-one there. The bald man knelt down next to two children, who gave a playful shriek, ducking behind their Father's legs. The willowy woman has drawn a small crowd and was juggling with her flames, the crowd watching or filming her with their phones. Taking a deep breath, Jason lowered his hands as the black-haired woman with the lantern approached him.

'Konbanwa,' she said, a flyer appearing in her hand. 'If you're interested, we're putting on a full show at midnight...'

'...okay,' Jason said.

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Jason stepped into the warehouse, to find that a crowd had already gathered. Easing his way through the press of people, Jason recognised the performers that he had seen earlier on the street, as well as some new faces. The long-armed man was sitting on the back of his long-legged companion as he waded through a tank of water, reaching down to catch fish and toss them into a smaller tank. Across from them, the willowy woman was standing with her hands raised, blue flames dancing around her. To her left, a tall, lanky man was shuffling cards near the crowd and he looked perfectly ordinary until Jason saw the eye on the palm of his hand. As he watched, he drew a card and handed it to one of the audience without looking at it. From where he was standing, Jason caught sight of a diamond and the number '7' in the top corner. Turning away, the man extended his hand towards him and Jason strained to hear what he was saying.

'Okay. Show me the card...it's the seven of diamonds...'

As the crowd applauded, movement caught Jason's eye and he glanced left to see a woman somersaulting across the makeshift arena. As she landed, Jason caught sight of her clawed hands and feet, as well as a tail that flicked from side to side.

...okay. Either these guys are really good, or there's something strange going on here...

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Jason slipped away from the crowds, heading towards a door at the back of the warehouse. Glancing over his shoulder, he pushed it open and skipped through, closing it quietly behind him. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he found himself standing in a dark warehouse filled with wooden packing crates and items hidden under tarpaulins.

'What are you doing here?' a gravelly voice said and Jason turned to see a bulky, muscular figure standing in the shadows, with what appeared to be horns on his head.

'Who are you?' he repeated.

'I'm not here to cause trouble...' Jason began, just as the figure lunged towards him, swinging a punch at his head. Jason dodged backwards, blocking the blow and landing in a crouch with his hands raised.

'Wait,' Jason said, but he lowered his head and charged, his horns aiming straight for him.

With a wordless shout, Jason dodged aside, slamming his forearm onto the back of his neck. His attacker grunted in pain and Jason grabbed his head and arm, twisting to dump him onto his back.

'I don't want to hurt you,' Jason said, as his attacker stepped forward with his fist raised.

'Hikozaemon!' A voice snapped and Jason turned to see the slender woman that had given him the flyer storming towards him. 'What the hell are you doing...?'

'This guy was snooping around and...'

'And what...? You were going to kill him? You idiot...'

'Sorry, Yori,' he said and she rounded on Jason.

'And, you. What the hell are you doing back here...?'

'I was...curious' Jason said. 'What you did in the show, they're not just tricks, are they...?'

'No...'

'What are you...?'

'We are Yokai,' she said. 'People fear what they do not understand or can't explain. That's why you came here, to see if we're a threat...?'

'I grew up in Angel Grove,' Jason began and Yori scowled.

'We are nothing like those monsters,' she said. 'All we want to do is be left in peace...'

'I'm sorry,' Jason said. 'I didn't mean to cause you any problems...'

'I don't care,' Yori said. 'I think you should leave...'

Jason hesitated before turning and waking away, shoving his hands in his pockets...

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.