Ok, ok. Let me get this straight; do NOT listen to the summary. Senbei doesn't know what she's talking about. The main character's name is NOT Mukuro and she is NOT a boy. I originally wrote this story for school so I used English names but now I am going to change them! Real summary; Rie is caught in a terrible turn of events when all her friends disappear from existence. A man calling himself the Rakshasa blackmails her to come to his domain on Halloween night, only for her to be bombarded with yokai of all shapes and sizes, desperate for her life.


The crisp autumn air felt cool against my skin as I walked down the gravel path. My breaths came out in warm puffs of steam, disappearing into the darkness. Skeletons of ancient trees cast long foreboding shadows in the ghastly moonlight. I felt sick as I got closer to the dismal building, shrouded in gloom and painted with fear. An eerie light flickered in a distant window; a light that should've brought warmth but instead sent shivers down my spine. The legendary house of the Rakshasa and Corpses.

It all started last month, when Kai didn't come to school. At first, Kai's absence caused no alarm to us. Probably caught a cold, we thought. He didn't answer any calls or texts and his ever-changing Facebook status remained idle. Soon after his disappearance, the twins, Lin and Ren, also failed to come to school. But this time, as I grabbed my things at the end of the day, a note fluttered down from one of my journals. Ragged letters covered the page in a rushed scrawl. The contents were disturbing.

Over the next few weeks, my friends, one by one, ceased to exist; calls left missed, texts unanswered, Facebook pages untouched. And with each loss came another sickening note written in the same hurried writing.

I looked down at the final note, the note for Miko:

My patience has nearly run out. And my hunger for flesh has yet to be satisfied. But I've decided that food can wait. Entertainment comes first. Let's have a little contest, shall we? (And if you win, I'll let you have your scrawny friends back) But if I win...let's just say that they won't be of our world any longer. Come to my domain on the day of demons, All Hallows Eve. Come alone (but who's there to go with you anyway?). (Laugh) I'll explain the rules on that day. I'll be waiting. -the Rakshasa

I cringed at the signature. Rakshasa. A man-eating monster. My heart stopped as faint note of music floated on the icy breeze. The tune was unnerving, adding to the haunted atmosphere. Fingers trembling, I grasped the door handle, rusted and rough. The door moaned on its old hinges, the scent of mold and must hitting me in the face. A hint of malicious laughter echoed through the house. I heard a loud thump behind me, the floorboards creaking softly.

"I'm so glad you came, Mukuro," he hissed, stressing the Japanese word for corpse in my ear. I whipped around to see a young man with a smirk drawn on his face. His eyes were crimson, fading into a luminescent golden yellow, one eye hidden behind a curtain of pinkish blonde hair. Blotches of red speckled his orange clothing, painting his lips.

A wave of horror swept through me. "What have you done to my friends!" I screamed, my voice choked by tears. The man's smirk widened into a wicked grin.

"I haven't done anything to them," he said, stepping closer and closer to me. With each step he took, I took one step back. I wanted to get out of that place as soon as I could.

As if reading my thoughts, he said, "You can't go yet, remember? Your friends' lives depend on you. Which reminds me..." He jumped back into the shadows, his voice trailing after him. "Find me by sunrise, and you win." He cackled. "If not, say goodbye to your friends."

As his voice faded away, I ran through the foyer, frantically searching for the madman. I slammed open door after door, encountering nothing but darkness. After scouring through the first hall, I realized just how big this house was. It was a mansion. I kicked down another rotting door but instead of finding nothing, I saw Bryce held suspended in the air by gelatinous globs of glowing slime, a nine-tailed fox's jaws engulfing his head in sharp pointed teeth. Upon my entrance, the fox turned its gaze on me.

In seconds, the fox jumped back from Bryce's body and charged after me, teeth bared. I let out a shrill scream. I shut my eyes, waiting for death to take me. Suddenly, I heard a whoosh of air followed by a pained yelp. A warm substance splattered on my leg and cheek. I opened my eyes to find a man clad in black standing over the dissected nine-tailed beast, a beating heart in his hand.

The creature's body slowly evaporated as it said these words, each one covered in hate: "Damn you, demon! If you hadn't interfered, I would have two humans sitting in my stomach by now. Feel my curse for hundreds of years to come! Feel my hate for all eternity!" As it took its last breath, the fox's disembodied head wriggled towards the man and bit into his shoulder, dissipating into the air. The shoulder grew red-hot, then faded into black. The room grew quiet as soft blue orbs of fox fire flickered out and died slowly.