Three chapters in three days!

And in case any of you are wondering, the main reason I put out the other two so quickly was just so I could release this one today! Halloween after all!

The sun was setting, bathing the sky in its dull orange glow while leaves rustled in the trees and blew across the ground. The street was quiet, as if preparing for all the merry haunts to come tonight.

Izuku walked down the street shivering, not with fear, but with excitement.

It was Halloween.

He arrived at Erma's house in his costume, All Might as a zombie. He'd made it with the combination of a regular All Might costume and his mom's make-up kit. Down the street, he saw Yanagi coming next to someone in a dinosaur costume he was pretty sure was Tokage.

The dinosaur waved at him. "Yo Midoriya! Nice to see you here! Neat costume. Is that…All Might falling into cannibalism?"

Izuku shuffled on his feet. "No, it's All Might as a zombie!"

"Oh. Not bad with the zombie make up."

"Thanks." With Mom's help Izuku had covered his skin in grey make up and drawn fake blood near his lips. Tonight he would Detroit Smash™ the living and devour their brains!

"Your costume is indeed well done Midoriya," said Yanagi. "Ill met by moonlight it seems to be." She had her skin covered in white make-up which made it sort of resemble Erma's. She had a white dress with a large poofy wig of black hair with a white streak on each side.

"Yours looks cool too Yanagi," Izuku said. "What is it?"

"I am the Bride of Frankenstein."

"Oh, cool!" Izuku said. He and Erma watched the first Frankentstein, but not the sequel. Maybe he should ask her about it?

"Hey Midoriya!"

Izuku turned as Tetsutetsu skidded to a stop in front of him. "All Might as a zombie. Cool look."

"Thanks Tetsu!" Izuku said. "Yours is cool too!" Tetsu was dressed as a werewolf, with a fur suit and gloves to make him look transformed, along with fake fur on his cheeks to make him look scruffier.

"Now that the gang's all here, let's go inside," said Tokage turning toward the house. As she di, she whistled. "Erma's family's been busy this Halloween."

Indeed, the Williams' had spared nothing in their preparation. The yard was covered in creepy cobwebs while emanated from the bushes around the house, with shapes darting to and fro among them. The porch lights flickered, giving the porch a haunted look, while next to it sat a large witch's cauldron with steam pouring forth.

Izuku knew better than to check what was in said cauldron.

The kids walked to the front door and knocked.

Erma's dad opened it. He was dressed as a pirate. "Hey kids! Come on in." They stepped inside and saw they'd been as thorough on the inside as they'd been on the outside, with low lighting, creepy noises, and a bunch of strange knick knacks (several of which Izuku recognized from Erma's room).

Mrs. Williams was standing on the side of the room with no costume (then again her regular look was Halloween enough), next to a teenager with white hair and red streaks. Mrs. Williams waved at the kids. "Hey kids."

"Hi Mrs. Williams," said Izuku.

"Who's that?" said Tokage.

"I'm Fuyumi! I'll be taking you out today," the teenager said. "What are your names?"

Izuku told her his then began looking around as the others introduced themselves. Where was Erma?

"Erma will be down in a bit Izuku," Erma's mom said with a smile. "She's just finishing getting ready."

"Ok," said Izuku.

"What do you think her costume's gonna be?" said Tokage.

"Probably something really creepy!" said Tetsu.

"Maybe it will be Sadako from the Ring?" said Yanagi.

"Too easy," said Tokage. "Maybe she'll be the Bride of Frankenstein like you?"

"Or Mrs. Voorhees."

"Or that guy with the hockey mask!" said Tetsu.

"Or Lillith the creepy Hero!" said Izuku.

They were broken out of their debate by a noise upstairs.

The friends looked upward just as Erma bounded down, dressed as…a regular girl.

In contrast to her regular look, Erma was dressed in the sort of dress any girl their age would wear, without even a bloodstain to liven it up. The only thing remotely odd about her current clothing was the bear trap holding most of her hair in a ponytail, leaving only a single tuft on her forehead.

Despite her complete lack of scariness, Erma got into a monster pose and let out a childish roar.

What? thought Setsuna.

Odd, thought Reiko.

Didn't see that one coming, thought Tetsu.

Cuuuuuute! thought Izuku as his face went aflame. Izuku hid his face in his arms while Erma continued to pose as if she was actually dressed like a scary monster.

"Um, where's her costume?" said Ms. Fuyumi.

"Watch," Erma's mom walked up and held out her hand. Erma immediately pounced on and began biting it.

"Oohhhhh," said Ms. Todoroki.

Behind him, Izuku heard Tokage murmer, "Hey Mrs. Williams, what's with the bear trap?"

"It's to hold in her hair. It…doesn't like to be constrained," said Erma's mom.

"Can't she just control it into a ponytail pose?"

"Not for the whole night."

Izuku made a mental note to add that detail into his "Erma Analysis" notebook.

Erma walked up to Izuku, looking his costume up and down. Izuku felt his stomach begin to turn at her scrutiny. What if she didn't like it?! However, he ignored his anxiety and struck an All Might pose with a bit of zombie mixed in.

Erma gave him a thumb's up.

Izuku felt an ocean's worth of nervousness leave him.

"You know Midoriya, it looks like you really like Erma's costume…" Only for Tokage to bring it right back.

"Y-yeah! I-I think it looks cool! Not what I expected, but still cool!"

Erma seemed very pleased to hear that. In fact, at his comment her cheeks became rosy red. (How could her skin stay so white with red blood underneath? Was it opaque? But if it were, how could he see her blush? Was there just not much blood near her skin? Or maybe it was just weird Yokai magic like a lot of other stuff about her?

"Midoriya!" said Tokage. "You coming, or are you just going to sit there analyzing all night?"

Izuku looked up to find all his friends already by the door. "Sorry! Coming!" He ran over to them.

Tetsu turned his fists to iron and banged them together, "Let's go!"

Izuku turned to Erma who gave him an excited smile while practically bouncing up and down. This was her favorite holiday after all. Izuku lightly tapped his fists together like Testu.. "Y-yeah! Let's go!"

The four friends stepped out into the night, Ms. Fuyumi following closely behind.

Emiko turned to Sam. "You got a picture of Izuku's reaction to Erma's costume right?".

Sam gave her a sly grin. "Better, I got video. Shall I send it to Inko?"

"Of course!" she said. "They look so cute together…"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, they sure- Where are you going?"

Emiko stopped at the front door. "What I always do on Halloween."

Sam smiled at his beautiful wife. "Lurking in the shadows and creating some little frights for the kids?"

"And bigger frights for the vandals! It's the best part of Halloween!"

"I'll pass out the candy then," said Sam. "Don't forget to film the best scares. I might even put one in my book!""

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

Various costumed kids prowled the street, dressed in everything from monsters and ghosts, to Heroes and villains. Night had fallen, making the doors practically glow from the porch lights standing watch over them. Sounds of cackling and howls of joy filled the air. Erma savored them.

This was Halloween. Where the dark and macabre were finally given free rein to let loose and have fun for one. This would be her first Halloween outside of Blairwood, but she still had friends to enjoy it with.

She couldn't wait to see what came this All Hallows Eve.

They'd barely started, but this already had to be Izuku's best Halloween ever!

No mean jokes from Kacchan, no worrying about being alone at night and having actual friends to hang out with?! It was perfect!

In fact, he was even starting to learn how fun Halloween pranks could be!

For instance, Reiko scared some kids by floating the candy in front of them when they tried to steal a bowl. The kids ran off in terror shrieking that there was a ghost (though they came back and each grabbed a piece of candy before running off again). Meanwhile Setsuna twice detached a hand and used it to tap other kids on the shoulder. Their faces were so funny!

Usually Izuku would have a problem scaring other kids, but this was Halloween! Everyone wanted to be a bit scared.

Speaking of which, there was one among their group who was having trouble scaring people. Ironically, it was Erma.

While her normal self could be…well terrifying, right now she was…not. Despite looking and acting like something out of a horror movie in regular life, right now Erma looked like a regular girl with no Halloween costume. But she didn't seem to know that, instead fake-snarling at every house and expecting people to be scared.

Naturally it didn't work, much to Erma's displeasure. The girl who could scare an entire room in everyday life without trying was getting quite annoyed at being unable to scare anyone, and on Halloween of all nights.

The group walked up to yet another house and knocked on the door. When it opened they all (barring Erma naturally) said "Trick or treat!"

"Oh what nice costumes" the old woman said. She dropped a piece of candy into each of their bags while each kid acted out their costume. Setsuna roared, Reiko let out a freaky screech, Tetsu howled, and Izuku declared "I am here! For braaaains!"

"How sweet," said the old woman. Finally, she came to Erma, who was giving the same cute playful snarl she'd been giving all night. "Oh dear, did you not have a costume? Here, have an extra."

She dropped two pieces of candy in Erma's bowl. Erma looked like she'd prefer a rock at this point.

Izuku was concerned. With each door, Erma seemed to be getting more and more frustrated. As the night wore on this shifted into her looking flat out depressed. Izuku didn't like his friend looking like that! He wanted to help her!

Then an idea came to him.

Izuku stopped up onto a nearby box and gave his best All Might-smile, which he'd honed from hours of practicing in front of the mirror, and declared "I am here…to the eat the living's-WHOA!"

The box Izuku was standing on gave out, sending him falling flat onto his face.

Erma reached down and helped him to his feet, shaking with what Izuku recognized as barely suppressed laughter.

Izuku broke into a fit of laughter of his own, and for several seconds the two just sat there giggling together. When they were done, he and Erma got up and walked with the others in much higher spirits than before.

His plan had worked. Not in the way he'd expected, but it still worked.

Then Kacchan came.

"YOU DON'T GET A DAY OFF BECAUSE ITS HALLOWEEN GHOST FREAK!"

Then Kacchan left.

"I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME GHOST FREEEAAAAKKK!"

Kacchan landed on a nearby house's front porch. When the confused homeowner opened the door, Kacchan let out a delirious "Trick or treat…"

Izuku made a mental note to write about Erma's ability to use her ponytail as a whip in his notebook when he got back.

Moonfish stared at the approaching group of kids in his hiding place among the trees.

Prey

Five small children. One teenage babysitter. They would be helpless against him.

He craved their flesh…

Izuku and the others passed by a wooded area. Erma stopped, then started walking toward the trees. She narrowed her eyes with a curious expression.

He'd go for the pale one first. The one with no costume.

Moonfish stepped toward her. The girl noticed, regarding him with a curious expression. Then she got into a snarling pose, as if he was just another child she was trying to play with on Halloween.

It would be the last thing she ever did.

Moonfish opened and mouth, "Trick or treat…"

His teeth lashed out to skewer the girl. The pale girl moved aside, evading all of his teeth but one, which managed to slice off her ponytail.

The girl looked at him and…laughed?

Moonfish retracted his teeth. The girl smiled at him, like he hadn't almost killed her. Then Moonfish blinked.

She was gone.

Moonfish looked around, trying to find her. He finally noticed her standing next to him, as if she'd been standing there the whole time.

The girl gave him a friendly wave.

A man dressed in a weird spiky suit came screaming out of the undergrowth, followed by multiple tentacle like tendrils of hair which wrapped around him and pulled him back in, like an eldritch abomination dragging a helpless soul to his doom.

Moments later, the costumed man spat out of the trees and landed on the street several yards away, apparently unconscious. Erma skipped out from the undergrowth, quite happy to have finally scared someone.

She just had to unleash her eldritch horror side to do it.

Izuku handed Erma her bear trap while she lifted her hair back into a ponytail. She put the trap back in, grabbed her bag, and tried to keep walking, but before she could Ms. Fuyumi grabbed her.

"Are you ok?! Did that man hurt you? Should I call an ambulance?"" Ms. Fuyumi said looking Erma over.

Erma waved it off like almost being stabbed was a perfectly normal Halloween prank and walked further down the sidewalk.

Ms. Fuyumi stared after Erma slack jawed, not moving until Tokage helped push her along until her brain could start again.

As they left the unconscious body behind, Izuku could have sworn he heard a local Hero saying, "I found the Villain Moonfish! He's unconscious by the park! I don't know how, I just found him this way!"

Izuku decided he did not need to know.

The next few houses just left bowls out front, but the one after them had a nice old couple handing out candy.

The couple complimented Erma on how cute she looked, and how real the fake blood splatters on her outfit seemed. At their comment, Erma checked her shirt and noticed said blood for the first time while Izuku and the others kept their mouths shut.

That was the last house in the neighborhood, meaning it was time to start walking home.

"You know, I think next year I'll go as the Headless Horseman," said Setsuna.

"Where're you gonna get the horse?" said Tetsu.

"I don't know, I'll probably make one out of paper mache."

"I think next year I'll dress as Sadako from the Ring," said Yanagi. "It will be easier since I can just borrow one of Erma's dresses."

"Yeah, you're right," said Tokage. "Hey Erma what do you…" Tokage trailed off as she noticed a mysterious standing figure in front of them.

At first glance, it looked to be a normal kid in a scarecrow costume, a burlap mask covering his face. However, something felt…odd about that kid.

They turned to Erma, who stared with surprise and recognition.

Izuku and the others tensed.

Erma smiled and waved at the kid, then ran up and showed him her trick or treating basket.

The kid nodded at her loot, then showed her his bag, which had the name "Sam" written on it. He examined her costume as if confused. Erma gave her same cute un-scary snarl she'd been giving all night.

Sam nodded and waved before walking away from her, passing the other kids as he went. (Izuku wasn't sure but it almost looked like one of the kid's hands was covered in blood.)

Erma waved goodbye before walking the other way.

"Did anyone else notice the blood on his hands?" said Tetsu.

"Probably fake," said Setsuna. "Just a cheap costume gimmick to fool us."

"Looked real to me," said Reiko.

"Smelled real too," said a slightly older girl who'd come from the other direction. She had blond hair and golden eyes and was dressed as a witch.

They looked amongst themselves. "Let's just go," said Tokage.

"Seriously?!" said Ms. Fuyumi as they walked away. "You're just…walking away?!"

"Just keep going and don't question it," said Tokage. "It's probably just an Erma thing."

"You have a name for it?!"

"Yep. Now come on, it's getting late and I want to get back and count my candy!"

"B-b-but…" Ms. Fuyumi sighed, then threw her hands up and joined them, apparently deciding to give up trying to understanding the weirdness that surrounded Erma.

They reached Erma's house just as a group of teenagers fled in terror.

"Hey kids!" said Erma's mom as she stepped out of the bushes. "How was your night?"

"Good," said Tokage. "What was up with those guys?"

"Oh, they just wanted to TP the house, so I decided to show them a little Halloween mischief!" said Mrs. Williams with a friendly smile.

Izuku almost pitied them.

The kids said their goodbyes to Ms. Fuyumi and made their way inside. Izuku stopped by the door and looked back.

"So Fuyumi," Mrs. Williams said as she pulled out her wallet, "How was the night? Were the kids ok?"

"It was mostly fine," Ms. Fuymi said. "But there was some strange stuff that happened and-"

"Great! Here's your money!" Erma's mom quickly shoved some bills into Ms. Fuyumi's hand, then backed away.

"O-ok?" said Ms. Fuyumi as she stood awkwardly on the path to the house.

"Have a great night!" said Erma's mom, before muttering "Just glad we don't have to pay damages this time."

"Damages?" said Ms. Fuyumi.

Erma's mom was silent for a several seconds. "Don't worry about it. Give your parents our regards."

"My mom's in a mental hospital."

"Oh." Silence again. "Well then glad you're doing ok, thanks-for-watching-the-kids-bye!" Mrs. Williams slammed the door closed. "Whew."

"That was awesome!" said Tetsu. "Coolest Halloween ever!"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, it was really fun!"

"A true delight of spookiness," said Yanagi.

Erma gave a thumb's up.

"I'd say tonight was a success," said Setsuna. She opened her candy bag. "What'd you guys get?" She pulled out a pack of gummies. "I got gummy dinosaurs!"

"I got Recess Pieces," said Tetsu.

"Sweet tarts," said Yanagi.

"M&Ms," said Izuku. "What about you Erma?"

Erma pulled out a rock.

The others stared.

Erma however shrugged and bit the rock, easily taking a chunk out of it. She smiled, evidently savoring the taste. (Izuku made a mental note to add that to his notebook.)

Izuku didn't think he'd ever had a Halloween this good. He'd gone trick or treating, gotten delicious candy to eat, and had had the time of his life with the best friends he could ask for.

"Midoriya!" said Tetsu. "We're watching a Halloween special right now! Hurry and help us pick one before Reiko and Setsuna do!"

"Oh! Coming!" Izuku ran toward his friends.

This truly was a happy Halloween.

As he passed, Ms. Fuyumi said, "Hey, um, are your parents around? You seem a bit young to be out on your own aren't you?"

The kid stared, saying nothing.

Ms. Fuyumi frowned. Erma pushed a piece of her candy into Ms. Fuyumi's hand and motioned toward the kid. Ms. Fuyumi held out the candy, which the kid took before walking on.

Ms. Fuyumi tried to say something, but the others pulled her further forward. Which was probably a good thing since Izuku was pretty sure one of the kid's hands was covered in blood.

Hope you enjoyed! This was a blast to write (and a bit of a pain to edit, but that's on me)

Reviews bring me joy!