BEFORE YOU READ ON: This one-shot was inspired by 's "1 Month of Writing Ideas for June" found on their Instagram and takes place after the story, "A Thin Line between Lust and Love". Therefore, this entire piece is a spoiler. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please click away. If you're a glutton for spoilers, by all means, read on.


Halloween season in Tokyo. A time where all the self-identified freaks come out to play. Since demons were able to roam the streets in stronger and larger numbers, humans were warned to be careful when out at night. One of those demons had better plans and didn't need an audience to do it.

While diligently working on a new compound for some herbal medicine, Shuuichi noticed a distant Kiyoni standing near a window of his lush greenhouse that sat as the botanical attic of his church dormitory. Kiyoni kept her eyes on the skies as a thin streak of clouds cruised across a yellowish, waning, October moon with a couple of planes tagging along in opposite directions. Kiyoni looked a bit regretful the way she stood and hugged herself as if there was something missing in her life.

"Something the matter," Shuuichi inquired.

Kiyoni remained silent and focused on the outside. She was having another daydream, one of which she floated and glided underneath the watchful eyes of her sky goddess, Nwt, as her former self; a succubus. Her wings were opposite of the angelic kind but had the same purpose.

"Kiyoni," Shuuichi inquired again, "Hey."

"Hm, what?"

"Welcome back. Are you alright? You look a bit down."

"Yeah…" Kiyoni replied with a remorseful sigh, "I'm good, Suu'chi."

"Are you?"

"Yeah, baby. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you look like a child who's upset that she lost a toy that was near and dear to her with a scent to match," Shuuichi took a break to play counselor, "What is it?"

"Can we light up, first?"

"By all means," Shuuichi grabbed two perfect strains for the two to share and rolled two perfect joints which were simultaneously smoked and shared.

"I think I'm starting to feel some regret," Kiyoni admitted after taking the first hit of one joint.

Shuuichi started the other, "About?"

"Me becoming a human. I think I'm regretting it."

"How?"

The couple exchanged joints. Kiyoni's attention returned to the skies.

"The first year as a succubus was embarrassing. I felt so awkward. I thought about sex more times than the average human, I went through so many bonnets and head wraps because I couldn't control my horns. I masturbated every five seconds during my PMS days and I couldn't wait to feed from my clients. I mean, puberty was less stressful. However, it did have its advantages."

"I would say so. You met me."

Kiyoni giggled a little, "Well, yeah. I did come across a cutie like you about a couple years later but no. I meant other things."

"Like?"

"Well, I had wings and…obviously I was a rookie in terms of flying. Same for my brother. You know, we taught each other how to fly."

"Really? How? I mean, since you were both new and everything, you would have to ask a veteran to help you."

"We didn't want to. We both walked into the game together so we wanted to see what we could learn on our own together. Flying was one of them. We were so scared. It started from the ground floor. Lift off, gliding. Yes, we did crash and fall a few times and yes, it was embarrassing and hilarious. From there, it was from the balcony and windows. Getting acquainted with higher heights, maintaining speed, perfecting the landing. Then from the rooftops of buildings and houses. We kept going higher and higher, eventually making things competitive. Finally, we launched from the tower. Shuuichi, it was…I don't know if I can describe it. Of course, it was frightening but it was also…liberating. It was…enlightening. The change in the…air temperature and speed. It could be warm and calm from the ground but strong and cold from above. The smell from up there. You'd be surprised how smelly Tokyo is as a whole. Especially from the river. The way the wind sounds and moves. Shuuichi, I never felt so free. Especially when…" Kiyoni pointed, "when I made it that far up. The clouds."

At this point, gears were turning in Kurama's mind, "What was it like…up there?"

Kiyoni shook her head trying to come up with the right words, "It's…surreal. An entirely different world than down here. Up there, you are completely free. Up there, you have no limits, no obstacles, no rules. The only things to worry about are…when, where, and how to land. If there was anything to be jealous about in terms of being an angel, it would be the ability to fly. That's what I miss, Suu'chi. That's where my regret is."

Shuuichi could clearly see the sadness in Kiyoni's eyes and it tugged at his heartstrings. He figured Kiyoni would miss some bits of her former life. It's understandable. There were times Kurama wished he could go back to thieving but was just fine doing what he loved which was his greenery. On the other hand, the subject discussed reminded Kurama of one thing he used to do back in his day and it gave him an idea.


The holiday had arrived and Tokyo wasn't going to sit this one out. While people flocked to areas such as Shibuya and Harajuku to show off their costumes, Kurama decided to take this opportunity to make tonight a holiday date night in another part of town. His costume was that of an European vampire fox complete with a cape, a rose-tipped cane, and clothing that could rival the cast of the tv show, Bridgerton. His companion decided to take three characters and put them into one, Disney princesses Jasmine, Tiana, and Mulan. She wore a 1920s-style gown, inspired by the New Orleans native, that was the same color as Jasmine's classic outfit and accented by a white faux fur jacket. Her hair was styled in sleek finger waves that flowed into a low ponytail that draped over her shoulder. Her makeup featured winged eyeliner and suitable red lipstick of the Chinese maiden and a bejeweled cherry blossom attached to a headpiece to adorn her crown. Shuuichi adored her sense of style.

"Thank you," Kiyoni said as the pair walked through the streets of downtown Tokyo.

"My pleasure. I really like the hair. How does that…how does that work?"

"A lot of time, effort, patience, practice, and mousse," she giggled, "Suu'chi, why are we here?"

"Don't you remember, love?"

"Remember what?"

"Well, let's just say…I wanna celebrate the anniversary of our first meeting."

"Sounds like an unusual flex but I'll buy it since it's you. Very sweet of you to remember though. What's the plan?"

"Well…" Kurama looked up for an opportunity, "let's just say I wanna take things…a bit higher."

"Higher? How high?"

"You'll see."

Near Tokyo's most famous structure, Kurama managed to stealthily get him and his date on the roof of one of the area's highest skyscrapers. It was considerably windy and open which only heightened Kurama's idea. As Kiyoni admired the city like the jewel that it was, Kurama secretly recorded her from behind and out of her view. He posted his reels on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram with the caption, "She has no idea what I'm about to do. 😈 "

"Hey," Kiyoni discovered, "Suu'chi, what are you doing?"

Kurama tucked his phone away, "Nothing just…documenting a moment."

"Suu'chi, let's go to Shibuya. Since it's our anniversary, let's go back to where we first met."

"Not tonight, princess."

"Then what is it? Why are we here?"

"Know of the movie, Aladdin?"

"That was a dumb question. Of course I know of the movie. This dress is in Jasmine's colors."

"And it is indeed beautiful on you. Matter of fact, it's perfect for what we're about to do."

At that moment, Kurama draped his cape around Kiyoni and positioned himself on the railing in front of his date. Quickly alarmed, Kiyoni went into panic mode.

"Suu'chi, no! No, no! Shuuichi, what are you doing? Get down from there!"

Kurama sadistically giggled as he intentionally toyed with his life while maintaining balance. Japan has an unfortunate history of suicides so in some twisted way, to catch one live would be quite impactful and devastating in Kiyoni's case. Especially on a holiday like Halloween.

"Remember the balcony scene from the movie," Shuuichi asked.

"Yes, yes. I remember. Now will you get down? You're making a scene. Suu'chi–"

Kiyoni was met with a kiss. One that made Kurama get off the railing much to the relief of his girlfriend.

"Shuuichi, you idiot," Kiyoni exclaimed, "What the hell was that about? You almost gave me a heart attack. Those things are not fun!"

"I apologize. That wasn't in my plans."

"Praise Ra. Suu'chi–"

Shuuichi swept Kiyoni off her feet before she could finish her sentence.

"Whoa! Shuuichi, what is this?!"

"This is what I wanted to do," Kurama leaped off the railing with Kiyoni in his arms.

Her high-pitched, frightening screams became the background as on-lookers watched in horror and excitement.

"Shuuichi! Are you crazy?! We're gonna fucking die!"

"Trust me, Kiyoni. Trust me in three…two…one!"

On cue, giant flower petals that formed the shape of butterfly wings escaped from the back of Kurama's hair. The pair was significantly away from the crowd before they swooped up and headed for the skies. Kiyoni cried and hyperventilated within the crook of Kurama's shoulder thinking that she was going to meet her end by the time he called out to her.

"Kiyoni? Kiyoni, open your eyes. It's alright. Open your eyes."

"Are we…are we dead?"

"No, princess. We're not dead. Look and see."

Slowly, Kiyoni broke away, showing off the eye makeup running on her face. By the time she paid attention, she noticed the pair coasting over the city lights of Tokyo with sites such as the big wheel, Disneyland, and the rainbow bridge in the distance. In fact, the bridge was where the couple was headed.

"What do you think," Kurama asked, "Anything look familiar?"

"Suu'chi, you…you never told me you could fly. I thought foxes were land animals. Holy shit, what are those?!"

"I never said I could fly. You assumed I couldn't. I swear that is such an adorable character flaw of yours. But yes, this was in my plans. These are the leaves of a plant I discovered during my old days. Helped out greatly during outings."

"Why? Why would you do this?"

"Because it's what you missed…and in a way…what I missed as well."

"You used to…to fly?"

"Kiyoni, you're not the only one who has some regrets about a past life. You know of some of mine. It's perfectly normal and acceptable. However, it's the way those regrets are dealt with that determines the character you become in the play of life. In my case, if something like this helps you feel better, then it's enough for me. Because of you, I'm learning that not everything I can do is for nefarious reasons nor should it be. What could be said about you?"

Kiyoni was in shock and it wasn't because of the cold that the pair was flying through. It was because of what Kurama was doing for her. Tonight, he was the Aladdin to her Jasmine. It may not have been a whole new world to Kiyoni but it was different since it was through Kurama's eyes. And it was a very exciting way to celebrate their meeting anniversary.

"I'm learning…" she confessed, "that I gained more than what I lost when I became a human again. I'm learning that I should be more appreciative of the things I do have. That includes you."

"How do you feel?"

"Cold…but better. Can we…can we find somewhere to land now?"

Kurama answered with a smile, "Let's cross this bridge first. Never got a chance to see from below."


Finding an open alleyway, the wings Kurama used disintegrated like the leaves of autumn. By the time he noticed, Kiyoni was already asleep and shivering from the open air. If she catches a cold from this, Kurama would be more than happy to take care of her. He's done it before.

Sensing an increase in body temperature, Kiyoni awakened to find herself still in Kurama's arms, "Suu'chi?"

"There's my sleeping beauty. Enjoyed your nap?"

"...Yes. So long as you don't scare me like that again. May I make a suggestion?"

"Sure."

"The next time we do something like that, could we do so during the summer? It's warmer."

Kurama laughed. This was a good night for him as well.

"Summer, it is. Until then, let's go home and get some rest."

"I'm for that. Happy Halloween, Suu'chi."

"Happy Halloween, princess."