-Looks Like It-

Kano believed he looked just fine. After all, he looked like he normally did, right? Nothing had changed in the last while-Still joking, still lying. Giving out snippets of "Mary's Secret Poem Stash," finding ways to annoy the hell out of Kido, convincing Ene to wake Shintaro up with the loudest "error" noise she could cause without having the walls fall down, and finding himself being scolded by Momo every once in a while for "perving out."

The norm, right?

So, why did he feel different, then? When he looked in the mirror, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, so he must have been imagining things again-Something that had become a habit of late. The teen yawned, making his way down the stairs. The base, the place he called home, was strangely quiet. He furrowed his brows, finding the quiet a bit unsettling. Writing it off as he was just imagining things still, he went to the kitchen, determined to make breakfast.

So when he saw that there was literally nothing but a molding half-loaf of bread and an old pot of coffee, Kano decided to run to the convenience store. He opened one of the kitchen drawers, pulling out a sticky note and pen. The teen jotted down the message, put it up on the fridge where anyone would notice it, threw on his jacket and shoes, grabbed his keys and wallet, and left. He locked that door. He didn't want any robber to break into his house like when he was a kid.

No, that wouldn't do at all.

Yawning again, he felt tired. What time did he go to sleep last night? He couldn't remember, but what did it really matter, anyway? He'd buy some food, go home and eat it, and lay on the couch in the living room for a nice nap, where he was sure everyone would be gathered, talking and having fun like usual.

The automatic doors opened, welcoming him inside. Kano grabbed a shopping basket and made his way to the back to grab the milk, making sure to get 2%, just like Seto liked. Sleepily, he grabbed some random sugary cereal Kido was sure to kill him for- "We don't want to die from eating unhealthy, do we?"- and wandered over to the magazines. Lazily he flipped through a cooking one, put it down, and went for the next one, but stopped. He could feel his heart race.

Taking a deep breath, the red-eyed teen refused to look at the newspaper that sat next to the cooking magazine. He squeezed his eyes shut, and he was sweating. Wobbling over to the next aisle, he grabbed the shelf to steady himself. He stood, breathing heavily for a moment before grabbing two loaves of bread, heading up to the cashier, ignoring the obviously-horrified look he received as he payed. It was a common occurrence, now, whenever he left the house. People always stared, though he didn't know why.

His power was in check. No red eyes in sight.

Mindlessly, he thought of what he could cook everyone for Sports Day. It was five days away, and he still hadn't planned the meal. Something healthy, of course, since it was technically "Health and Sports Day," not that he ever really cared. He was sure to get a kick in the gut for that if Kido found out. It was a national holiday, something to be respected, she would undoubtedly tell him.

So why did he feel like she wouldn't?

He entered his home, and as he took off his shoes, shouted the regular 'tadaima,' but no one answered. Figuring they were still asleep (What had they done last night to make them all so tired?), Kano quietly put the groceries, leaving out a single half-gallon of milk and a random American cereal. He wasn't really one for Western foods, but food was food, right? He learned that his entire life.

With cereal in hand, he wondered what he should do with everyone asleep. It was seriously annoying. He wanted someone to bug! Maybe if he scared Mary awake he could have some fun. Grinning, he put his cereal on the table, slinking to said girl's room. Man oh man, would she be in for the shock of her life. Kano absentmindedly wondered why he hadn't played any trick like that recently. The smile he sported grew larger upon reaching the door. He laughed quietly, and one...

Two...

Three...

He slammed the door open, shouting "Boo!" at the top of his lungs. Suddenly, he froze, eyes sweeping the room. It was full of dust. He couldn't believe it. His breaths were ragged. There was not the scream he expected to hear. Instead, he began to shake again, and he fell to his knees, sobs wracking his small frame. He hugged his shoulders, curling into himself.

Of course, he thought.

"They died back in August."

A/N: This wasn't supposed to be like this. XD It was actually supposed to be about Kano's snake. You see how well that turned out. Sorry about that! Anyway...I'm posting this instead of a Halloween fic because every time I try it sucks way more than most things I write.

Anyway, if you didn't get what happened, well, lemme tell you!

The entire Mekakushi Dan- Excluding Kano- Did end up being murdered. Skip to October, Kano almost always find himself waking up with no memory of the ordeal, but having the feeling that something is off. He barely eats or drinks nowadays (Not that he rememebers that). I mean, think of it this way-Ever had a time where you were so deep alseep that when you woke up, you didn't remember yesterday? Exactly. So, he finds little food in the kitchen, and goes to the convenience store. The magazine next to the cooking one was covering an old event-The murder of the Mekakushi Dan, and Kano's mind willed him not to look, so he wouldn't remember (As a form of self preservation). The look from the cashier was in reference to the scar he sports form being shot in the head (The timeline may not make much sense, but it was what I had). He goes home, and decides to scare Mary awake. She's not there, and her room's covered in dust. He remembers that day all over again. Its a cycle that has little chance of breaking any time soon. So, he breaks down again.

Neee, I have a question. If any of you beta, would you be mine? I need a fresh opinion. I mostly do anime, with some Kingdom Hearts, Supernatural, and (Eventually) Fire Emblem in between. I would appreciate your help!

I beta as well, by the way, so if anyone needs one, I'm here. Though I can't promise how active I am.