Author's Notes: Challenge from PrincessJaded. The idea for this came from BenignUser's review for the last chapter in my previous story "Of Popcorn and Pine-Sol". Here are the details:

Title: When the Air is Still

Main Characters: Whomever you want. Must use all 01 and 02 characters. Some Tamers and Frontier are allowed, but not as mains.

Genre: Suspense/Drama

Pairings: None of the following - Koumi, Jyoumi, Jyoura, Daikari. No yaoi or yuri.

Abstract: No one said that it was a good idea to spend the night in a cemetery. Even worse, this place was supposedly haunted. Or at least that's what the girls told the guys to get them to agree to this. But when it comes time to go to sleep… some disappears. And steadily they all do. But if it's not really haunted… who's the killer?

Quotes to use: "This was the dumbest thing your brilliant mind has ever come up with."

"What are you gonna kill me? Ha, I'd like to see you try."

"Told you so."

And without further ado, here goes nothing!

Chapter 1: Prelude to Disaster: Sacrilege

Excerpted from the journal of Ken Ichijouji:

Thursday August 19, 2004 11:33pm

To this day (even though it's only been three days) I am not entirely sure how the girls managed to pull it off. While I can be relatively certain that Miyako had a great part in this, I have learned not to underestimate the mental prowess of Hikari, Sora, and especially not Mimi. I swear, they hide behind their smiles and puppy-dog eyes, but at heart, they are a scheming and calculating lot. They are possibly – no, probably – more calculating and more manipulative than I ever was or could ever hope to be

I digress – as I mentioned earlier, this came about three days ago, when Taichi, Daisuke, Takeru, and I were cornered by the four girls. Hm… that's another thing that has boggled my mind: how did four girls, whose only real exercise consists of unending shopping sprees (Sora being a notable exception) – manage to corner four athletic, physically fit guys?

Anyway. They came up to us, and you could feel their evil intent from a mile away. As they neared, the leers on their faces became visible. I don't quite remember what my reaction was, but Taichi and Takeru immediately drew away, jaws dropping to the ground. Daisuke was a little smarter; he ran and hid behind Taichi. Upon arriving, Hikari wrapped her arms around Taichi and Daisuke`s shoulders and smiled deviously. Taichi tried backing away, but Mimi effectively blocked his only remaining escape route. Between Sora and Miyako, Takeru and I soon became trapped as well.

If, somehow, one managed to miss the leers and the utterly evil aura surrounding them, then the first words rolling off their tongues should be warning enough. Miyako's silky "Ken-kun" did nothing to alleviate my fears; in fact, it only served to strengthen my suspicions. Something was not right.

The rest of the conversation – if it could be called that – passed by mostly in a blur. Apparently the girls wanted to go to spend a night at the Rukon cemetery – the cemetery of Wandering Spirits. At first, the four guys (myself included) vehemently denied their requests, going as far as to call them an idiot orinsane for even proposing such a foolhardy and pointless adventure. Even Taichi and Daisuke, long accepted as the most daring and reckless of us argued loud and long with the girls.

Eventually, however, the girls won out. How exactly it was possible, I'm still not sure (as I've mentioned). One moment the four of us were attempting to dissuade our friends, then Mimi and Hikari (whose arms were still slung over Taichi and Daisuke) casually let it slip that the Rukon was supposedly haunted by the spirit of a sealed Taiyokai, or greater daemon. Within an instant all semblance of common sense dropped from Taichi, Daisuke, and even Takeru and they readily agree to this excursion. I remember smacking my head at this moment in sheer frustration and disbelief at their idiocy. Faced against a united front of grinning faces and shining eyes, however, I am forced to capitulate to their decision.

As I sit here now, writing my thoughts, I cannot help but shudder at the slim possibility that we might not all make it out alive. Not that I am superstitious, far from that. But I fear – for it is an insult to disturb the graves of the dead – that some calamity may befall us, may it be a vengeful relative, or perhaps a freak accident. Or, if one listened to the old tales carefully enough, the sealed spirit of the Taiyokai hungers for the feast of mortal souls and thirsts for the scent of their blood…

Ken Ichijouji put down his pen, sighing and rubbing his eyes. He had not had the chance to talk to any of his friends since that day. They had decided to meet Friday night at the Rukon cemetery, just outside of Tokyo, under the guise of a camping trip. Ken frowned. He could dimly hear his mother humming to herself, as she made sure he brought everything needed for a camping trip. Knowing her, everything consisted of five pairs of underwear (even though he's only going for the weekend), flashlights (two, in case one died), a couple knives, rope, and other ridiculous things Ken didn't even want to think about. He sighed. Mothers…

Friday August 20, 2004 6:17pm

I have decided to keep a record of our stay here, if only out of sheer boredom. Well, I suppose boredom isn't the right word. It is not that I am bored here; rather, I am fascinated about what will happen in this place tonight – and this entire weekend, I suppose. It's not everyday one has the opportunity to spend the night in a graveyard, and (despite my earlier misgivings) I have found myself rather drawn by curiosity.

I begin:

Covering 9 hectares of grassland, Rukon cemetery is a large, but mostly abandoned cemetery approximately 60 kilometres to the southwest of suburban Toyko. Which means that this place is pretty much cut off from civilization by at least half an hour's drive. The last body was interred here well over a century ago, just after the Meiji Restoration. I am not totally sure of the details pertaining to this matter, but what is evident is that the cemetery closed down. While some relatives of the deceased buried here exhumed the bodies and moved them to newer cemeteries, many of the bodies here remained. Caretakers ceased to mow the grass, or trim the bushes, and one would expect that nature would reclaim this place as its own. However, it never did. Some attribute it to the reckless and ignorant use of primitive herbicides, but even after a century, only thorns and weeds have made their claim to this deserted field.

Concerning the legend of the Taiyokai who supposedly lies imprisoned beneath this place: my research had largely turned out to be fruitless, but I was able to procure one obscure document dating from the 12th century. This daemon, which went by the name of Benihime (Crimson Princess), was supposedly the damned spirit of an unrepentant mass murderess. She was finally captured after a 6-year reign of blood by a specially formed task force of Daimyo samurai and hired ninja. She was apparently brought to this place and executed by being torn apart by five horses – a fitting end, I must say, for one as bloody as her. Her body (or what was left of it) was left in this field to rot, while her soul was dragged down to Hell for her crimes. The legend doesn't go into much detail after this, but I was able to glean that she somehow managed to strike a deal with the King of Hell, and returned to this earth as the greater daemon she now is.

A fanciful tale if you ask me, but – if I may use Daisuke's words here – pure bullshit.

"Ken!" shouted Miyako from across the field. "Help me with this!"

Ken looked up, dropping his pen. Miyako was dragging out… was that a barbeque? Ken ran over. "Now we're going to roast chicken and sausages in the presence of the dead too?" he asked, half-annoyed that his friends had such disrespect for ancestors, and half-amused at their antics.

Miyako grinned. "Why not? It'll be fun!"

Ken sighed. As he helped Miyako with the grill, Ken looked around. Taichi, Sora, Daisuke and Koushiro were playing a game of soccer, using two pairs of headstones as goals. As Ken watched, horrified, the ball sailed through the air and landed in a shrine. Several loud crashes could be heard from within, and Ken winced.

"Whoops," Taichi said. Koushiro ran in to get the ball and came out with several fragments of a copper statue.

"I think we destroyed someone's grandfather," he reported. At this, the other members of the soccer game burst into laughter, rolling on the ground. Ken sighed again. Camping out here was borderline disrespectful. This… this was outright sacrilege. He would be surprised if Benihime didn't come after them that night.

Hikari and some friends she brought along – equally demented friends, Ken thought – were playing a cross between hide-and-seek and tag, running and laughing, ducking under headstones and tripping over grave markers. A blonde-haired girl – Zoe, Ken remembered – and a little kid with a goofy looking hat – Tommy – were "it". As Ken watched, Tommy bounded over a rotting grave and tagged Yamato, who sank into a bed of moss. The blond regained his footing and began to chase after Hikari and Takeru.

"Ken?" Miyako's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Hm?" Ken blinked.

"You were kinda spacing out there for a minute."

Ken shook his head. "I'm fine. Where is the barbeque going?"

Miyako pointed to a headstone. "How about right beside it?"

Ken nodded, and together, they set the grill beside the remains of a random "Ataski". Miyako giggled. "Looks like Ataski here will get a whiff of all the wonderful things we cook tonight." Ken merely nodded, and went of to sit with Jyou and Iori – possibly known as the "party-pooper corner". The two nodded a greeting as he drew up beside them.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Ken said. Jyou nodded in agreement.

"My grandfather told me about this place," Iori whispered. "People have gone in at night… never to come out again. Some say it's the work of Benihime, others say that the very atmosphere robs a person of his will to live. Whatever it is, something's going to happen tonight… and all they can do is defile this hallowed ground."

"They're still our friends," reminded Jyou. "Though this is perhaps the dumbest idea I've ever heard. Even Taichi could never come up with something like this."

"…And then," continued Yamato, his face twisting into a horrid sneer, "the dead man rose out of the grave and snapped the Nari's neck and dragged her down with him!"

Zoe and Tommy screamed. Kouji, who sat a little ways from them, stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned his face to the sky. Taichi, Jyou, and Koushiro were locked in a group hug, holding on to each other for emotional support. Mimi and Sora were likewise entangled in each other.

"I-I-I think that's enough for tonight-t-t," stammered Taichi. "M-maybe we should j-j-j-just go to b-bed."

With no vehement objections, the group agreed to turn in for the night. They wandered into their tents – four of them – and promptly curled up in their sleeping bags. Soon, only snoring and nightmares filled the room. Ken himself, heart pounding, soon fell asleep, lulled by the warm summer air. His eyes closed…

…And opened. It was still dark, Ken could tell. But Ken could tell that something was amiss. Feeling wetness in his fingers, he raised them to his eyes. Blood. Fresh blood. Checking quickly to make sure it wasn't him, he turned to whoever lay beside him. A truly gruesome sight met Ken's eyes.

Tommy's eyes were open, but stared blankly at the roof of the tent. In the dim light provided by the stars above, Ken could make out an expression of pure terror etched on the boy's features. Looking down, he saw a gaping hole in Tommy's chest. Blood ran in a steady trickle, dying the uncovered sleeping bag, the tent floor, and part of Ken's pyjamas. Ken gasped. His heart had been removed, he realized. His senses overloading, Ken did the only thing he could. He screamed.