I wrote this for pretzelsnake the other day because she wanted somebody to talk shinkido to her. I figured I owed her a favor since she introduced me to these life ruiners. It's only September but I don't give a damn I'll shove Halloween candy so far down my throat I can''t talk for weeks.

Kido had gotten out. That sounds strange, that a person had gotten out like an animal, like I say Kido got out like I would say Tono got out, but on Halloween there's this certain feeling that makes the whole thing seem animal.

So she had gotten out. Really it was Kano's fault. He was the one that had scared her badly enough to make her run away. Seto had taken the others trick-or-treating, partly because Mary had never done it before, partly because Hibiya was too embarrassed to go by himself. It was our job to hand candy out, and I honestly didn't mind. I had never really much cared for Halloween anyway, even as a kid, and it was nice to hear Kido and Kano talk about what Ayano used to do for them. Konoha had taken my phone. It wasn't like I had much of a choice.

As it was getting later and later, less kids came to the door, less kids asked me where my costume was, more kids asked why we weren't giving out good candy. Kano had gotten the bright idea to cater to Kido's fears. At first it was little things, making her jump as he came up behind her while washing the dishes. I would tell him to cut it out, but Kido remained mostly quiet. I always half expected her to stand up for herself, but for once I felt like the hero. Then it got out of hand, Kano beginning to distort his face, Kido shrinking back into corners. I tried talking them into telling more stories, but Kano was bored of those. What else could I do?

And then she broke. Something Kano did that last time, some face he made, some face I couldn't see; it made her snap. She disappeared where she stood, and then we heard the door open and slam shut as she ran out./

"God, Kano, what was that for?" I yelled "Why do you have to be such a jerk?"

"Sorry," he tried fighting back.

"Sorry doesn't cut it. Stay here. I'm going to find her." So I ran out the door and into the street, among the ghosts and goblins, still wearing what I always do. I ran. I ran for the first time in years, I ran like I was running from something, yelling "Kido, Kido!" like she was dying somewhere. For all I knew, it was like I was trying to make it up to her. That scared me like the ghosts scared Kido.

I kept running until the streets dead ended, the stitch in my side hardly bothering me at all. I stopped in the darkness to catch my breath. From somewhere out of the darkness, there came a faint sobbing.

"Kido?" I said, still panting. "Is that you? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Shintaro?"

"Yeah."

"I'm okay," she said as I sat down beside her. Kido wiped tears from her face. "He just scared me."

"I was worried."

"I was going to come back eventually. I just didn't want him to see me so upset."

"Can you tell me what he did? It's fine if you don't."

"He turned into nee-chan."

"Oh."

"Yeah." She put her head on my shoulder. "He hasn't done that in a while. He likes to act like he isn't upset about anything." I put my arm around her.

"It's okay now, though. Do you want to see if Seto and the others are back?"

"Yeah." I helped her up, and hand in hand, we walked back home.