Author's Note: Unfortunately, the sequel to PFC won't be debuted until at least the end of July. Things came up and I've had to push the deadline back. Even then, it might take longer but I am shooting for the very last days of July.

Halloween
Kotone and various
Theme 04: Illusion

"I'm so sick of being dragged to Ningenkai," Kotone moaned, walking irritably beside Kuwabara. The male was grinning wildly, holding a few bags of things up. Hajime had come along as well for the trip, but he was waiting for them at Kuwabara's new house. The lug had bought it for the wedding, which had already passed and was living with his blushing bride.

They arrived in no time, Kuwabara rambling about something called 'Halloween', finding Hiei, Yukina, and Hajime lounging around the apartment. Yukina was smiling, pulling the bags from her husband and mate before scurrying into another room with Kotone. One of the bags had been passed off to Hajime before they left.

"What are we doing, Yukina?" Kotone stares hard at her little friend as she begins pulling things out of the bags. "What are those?"

"Costumes, Kotone! It's Halloween and we are dressing up!" She hands off a black ensemble. "Kazuma thought you'd make a cute devil."

Kotone pulls on the strange red leather bodysuit and corset, followed by a pitchfork with fake horns on her head. Her pointed ears stuck out from her hair and the fangs in her mouth were showing. She actually kind of liked this outfit, but hearing it called a costume was ludicrous.

"And what are you supposed to be?"

Yukina's outfit was sparkling and a whitish blue, covered in strands with a set of wings on her back. "I'm a fairy. I had it ordered last week. What do you think?"

"I think we look like polar opposites." Kotone laughed to herself. "What do we do on Halloween?"

"Well, people dress up and go to haunted houses. Children collect candy, but we are far too old to do that," Yukina explains, dragging the smirking demoness from the room. Hajime was wearing some ridiculous costume that made him look like InuYasha, Kuwabara in a set of monk robes like Miroku. Hiei was the only one not participating.

"Why aren't you dressed up, spit-fire?" Kotone quirks a brow.

"I don't celebrate foolish ningen holidays like this one," he grumbles, glaring at her. He did take a moment to appreciate just how tight the outfit she wore was.

'Contain yourself, Hiei.' The fire demon bit back the urge to leap at her.

"Let's go to a haunted house! We'll meet up with everyone else later." Yukina claps her hands and the group head outside.

They avoided the car.

::{ Illusion }::

"You aren't supposed to brutally hurt the people that jump out at you, squirt!" Kuwabara was laughing regardless, Kotone's fist clenched in the air with a vein protruding her head. "That's the third haunted house we've been kicked out of. Oh well, look there's another one!"

This one seemed more ominous than the last few. Graves were littered around the grounds, a spooky mansion decorated in rolling fog and cobwebs. It looked as ancient as the theme of things, so Kotone felt herself wondering if actual ghosts lived in the establishment.

"Try to contain yourself this time," Hiei sneered at his mate, earning a harsh punch to his shoulder. "Watch it, woman."

"Oh shut the hell up. I don't see you stopping me from all this," Kotone hisses, ambling in front of the group. As soon as they stepped in, eerie moaning resonated around the entire mansion. "This is getting old."

"Let's go out to the backyard! It's supposed to be a real graveyard!" Who would have thought Yukina would actually love such a gruesome holiday. She had reveled in the fear from each jumping, mask-wearing individual.

They enter the backyard to find, as promised, a real graveyard. It was excessively quite, earning a twitch of Kotone's eyebrow. She stuck close to Hiei, finding this scene all too familiar from a horror movie she had watched with Kuwabara many, many months ago.

They were about halfway through the haunted graveyard when the first perpetrator attacked. Kotone stared in horror at the creature, that of a zombie from those frightening movies.

She was actually afraid.

"SHIT! LOOK OUT!" The woman throws her leg out, slamming the foe to the ground unconscious. More and more started coming for them, moaning and snarling. "Kuwabara! This isn't funny!"

"It's all a joke, Ko! Calm down!" Kuwabara, needless to say, was dying of laughter, swatting away the hands of the wicked creatures. One lashed out and bit him, but no blood was drawn and it all seemed more fake with each passing moment. He even heard the one to pretend to sink his teeth in laughing.

Kotone did not think it was funny.

"DIE!" She was mercilessly beating down the undead foes, trying to escape their clinging grasp. She was shaking, scared half to death, and clambered on top of a tomb.

Hiei even laughed.

"Kotone, stop hurting the workers!" Yukina, smiling wildly, swatted away a few of their false attackers. Most of the attention had gone to the frightened demoness, all reaching up towards her and a few brave- stupid- men crawling towards the top of the tomb.

The fell off unconscious simultaneously.

"Okay, this is getting old. I quit." One of the zombies righted himself, stalking off with the rest following. Kotone could only watch them leave, clutching to the stone like a pissed off cat.

"Woman, get down." Hiei was beside her in a moment, prying her claws from the indentations she made in the stone. He almost chuckled again when he felt her shaking and still snarling. "They were fake."

"I hate zombies. I hate Halloween. Take me back to Makai so I can go kill something." Kotone glared at her mate. "I mean it!"

"I think it's time we go home for some ghost movies," Yukina mumbles, still stifling her cute giggles. "Kazuma?"

The man stares at her blankly, reaching his arms out. "Braaaaiiiinnnnnsssss~!"

"K-Kazuma?" Yukina backed away from him. "A-Are you alright?"

"Braaaiiiiiiiinnnnnssss~!" He limped forward.

"Kazuma, this isn't funny!"

"BRAINS!" The man leapt towards his wife, his mate, gnashing his teeth.

Kotone struck him down without any more hesitation, knocking the brute to the ground and stomping the back of his head fiercely, making him eat dirt.

"Die zombie! DIE!" She was definitely unaware that Kuwabara was joking.

"KO! KOTONE! STOP! I WAS KIDDING!" At last, the fierce beating stopped and Kotone backed away with a wild shiver, right into Hiei's arms.

Kuwabara sits up, his face bloody and bruised. Hajime, who had been silent the entire time, finally could not help it. He doubles over, laughing so hard his wig well off and he pounded the ground. Tears were leaking down his face.

"Oh if Mizue could have been here for this!" His laughter was monstrous.

"Great to know, if the zombie apocalypse happens, I have you to keep anyone from devouring Yukina," Kuwabara grumbled, almost unable to be heard through the grotesque mess of his face. "Really Ko? You would kill me?"

She huffed. "If you were a zombie, yes. I don't like zombies."

Everyone face-palmed.

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