Chapter 8: Where There's Smoke


After what felt like an eternity of running to Matthew, he finally reached the end of the street, Kumajirou barely at his side. He had tried to image what disaster he would find waiting for him, but nothing he had concocted was as horrible as reality.

He stood, out of breath, in the midst of the burning building. The store stood broken, flames protruding through the windows, now just cavities for the blazing infection to breathe through, the glass shattered and covering the pavement beneath the frames. The smoke was thick in the air around the withering shop, making it extremely difficult for him to breathe. Stifling a cough, he forced himself to focus on the flames for a moment. They seemed to be churning into themselves, and Matthew could see parts of the ceiling and walls crumbling into the inferno. The building was going to collapse. Soon.

Three of the shop workers were outside, on the opposite side of the street from Matthew and the burning building. The eldest girl was darting around, collecting scraps of things that had escaped from the fire's grip, holding them in her arms, her long black hair coming out of its ponytail. The other girl, wearing a pink quipao smudged with black ash, was tending to the only boy, who appeared to be unconscious, laid out on the sidewalk. There was a bad cut on his forehead, which looked rather worrying. Yao, as well as the other shop worker, Kaoru, were no where to be seen.

The girl in the quipao, Mei, noticed Matthew and came stumbling over, pale as a ghost. Her eyes were frantic and pleading.

"Y-you have to help! He's still inside!" she cried, shaking Matthew's shoulder, as if to make sure he was real.

"Help who?"

Mei choked a sob. "Kaoru. He's the one who started the fire."


The firecracker-boy was good, Poltergeist thought as the building around him crumbled, fire at his every side.

The boxes that the host had sorting had held explosives and all sorts of things.

Deciding it would be fun, he had set them all off, but was careful not to burn the firecracker-boy- he hoped to play a little longer.

Matthew wasn't sure how to enter the building, since the windows were spitting flames a had broken glass still stuck in the frames. The door still stood, but looked as if it would turn to dust if he touched it, bringing the rest of the wall down with it. Which left the windows.

He gave as best a sigh as he could in the smoky air, pulling his hoodie so it covered his mouth and nose, and repositioning his rifle strap on his shoulder. He stepped back, lining himself up is his entryway, and broke into a run, shielding his face with his arm as he hurdled over the window's sill, Kumajirou right behind him.

The inside of the building was unbearably hot. If his sweater hadn't been protecting from the flames, and suffocating, he would have taken it off.

He stumbled through the ruined building, barely able to see anything from the terrible brightness of the flames. In the middle of the main room was a dark blotch amongst all the light- squinting at it, Matthew found it was shaped like a person.

"Kaoru?" He yelled. "Is that you?"

Suddenly the person disappeared into the fire, Matthew beginning to carefully pick his way through the debris, trying to find whoever, or whatever, that had been.


Poltergeist stared at the new human. They didn't like the fire- he could see that by how they were squinting and holding part of their shirt over their face.

"Kaoru?" the new human called, nearly drowned out by the debris burning in the shop. "Is that you?"

Poltergeist ran around and behind the new human, who was walking towards where he had just stood in the flames. He grabbed the back of the human's sweater, pulling them towards his borrowed body.

"Peek-a-boo." He sang, a malicious grin growing on the firecracker-boy's face. "You're it."

The human's eyes widened, in a mix of confusion and fear. "Kaoru?"

Poltergeist opened his mouth to say 'no, it is Poltergeist', when a beam fell from the ceiling, landing on both Poltergeist and the human.

Kumajirou watched as Someone and the demon were attacked by part of the ceiling. The beam hit the ground with a crash, but it also dragged Someone and the demon down with it. Kuma rushed over, as fast as he could make it over the flaming debris that littered the floor, going up to Someone. Thankfully, he was still alive.

"Who?" the bear thought, but Someone didn't say anything in return. Kumajirou looked over to the demon, who appeared to be in the same state as Someone, trapped inside Kaoru's body, under the beam. Its smell had weakened, as if it were sleeping, but it was still putrid. Kumajirou instincts told him that the building was going to fall any moment, and took it upon himself to save Someone.

Grabbing hold of Someone's hood with his teeth, he dragged him towards the door. His progress was tediously slow, and he smelled that the demon was coming to already.

Suddenly, behind Kumajirou, the front door crashed to the door- along with part of the wall and roof. After a sputtering coughing fit, a familiar voice yelled "Mattie? Kaoru?"

Kuma let go of Someone's sweater to turn and see who it was that had just destroyed the door. Someone's brother stood in the midst of the flames, looking over the burning shop. Finally, he saw Kumajirou.

"Mattie's bear! Where's… Oh!" That other guy half-gasped when he saw his twin's body, lying unconsciously on the floor. "What happened? Oh, wait, you're a bear."

"Who?" Kuma thought, although That other guy didn't hear.

"Look bear, just get him out side! Arthur'll help him! Go, I'll find Kaoru!" That other guy coughed again, before saying, "I'll be the hero!"

Kumajirou did as he was told, dragging Someone out, back to the street, where Arthur was, in fact waiting. Moments later, That other guy emerged from the building, Kaoru slung over his shoulder.

That other guy stunk like the demon, but no one seemed to notice, too busy tending to Kaoru and trying to get each other's attention, to call for help and other things. That other guy, or, the demon, went straight to where Someone had been laid out, next to Yong-soo. Kumajirou growled at the demon, but it just chuckled at him.

"Silly familiar," the demon said, patting Kumajirou's head.


Matthew came to, just long enough to see Alfred sitting beside him, patting Kumajirou's head. It would have been a nice sight, had Kuma not been growling threateningly at Al, and Al not grinning maniacally, the same way Kaoru had been grinning before he had blacked out.

He passed out again before he could say anything, the image of his brother wearing someone else's smile haunting his fevered dreams.


A/N: Hello all :D back with another chapter of Fighting the Shadows!

Incase you were wondering, Kumajirou is calling Canada "Someone", and America "That other guy" xD My headcanon may or may not have taken over there haha.

Just curious, but are there any particular demons you'd like to have pop up in this story? (That mens anything like vampires, werewolves, gremlins, banshees, etc.) I'd love to hear and have some suggestions and/or ideas from my lovely readers!

I apologise for the lack of hilarity in the recent chapters, but don't worry, it'll return in due time!

Thanks again; reveiws are fabulous!

- Kat xoxoxoxo

PS. By the way, if you guys are interested, I have a collabaration account with my friend The Similar! Please check it out (especially Food for Thought- I'm sure you'll enjoy that one ;) )- I'd love to hear from you guys there too!

*ends self advertisment xDD*

Thanks again!