Celebrating Halloween

By Bashfulglowfly

Beginning of October

"Uncle Kashi?"

Kakashi looked up from the Sherrilyn Kenyon book he was reading. He'd rather be reading his Icha Icha but Obito only allowed him to read those in the privacy of their bedroom. He smiled at the little pink-haired girl who insisted on calling him 'uncle.' "Yes, Sakura?"

"Are we going to celebrate Halloween?"

Naruto's and Sasuke's heads shot up from the boardgame the kids had started playing. Kakashi could hear Obito freeze in the kitchen where he was cleaning up the remnants of the takeout they'd had for dinner. He marked his place with a bookmark and put the book down on the coffee table. Kakashi patted the sofa cushion next to him and Sakura sat down. Kakashi pulled her close. "Sakura, did you celebrate Halloween with your parents?"

Sakura nodded. "We did last year. For the first time. Daddy said I was old enough not to be scared."

"What did your mother say?"

"She didn't want to, but Daddy said she was being…" Sakura was clearly trying to remember the exact words. "…stupid and suppertishous."

Obito entered the living room and brushed his hand over Naruto's and Sasuke's heads. "It's okay. Go back to playing." The two boys looked at each other then went back to their game but it was obvious to the two adults that they were still listening. Obito sat down on the other side of Sakura. "Sweetie, do you remember what happened that night?"

Sakura's nose scrunched up as she spoke "Mama took me out 'cause Daddy had work to do." She beamed "I was a fairy princess!"

Obito smiled and tapped her nose. "I bet you were the cutest fairy princess ever!"

"That's what Mama said!" Sakura's smile trembled.

"What happened after you came home?" asked Kakashi.

"It was dark outside, and Daddy said that since nothin' happened Mama was being silly. Then the front door turned red, and someone knocked. Daddy got up to answer it, but Mama yelled 'Don't open the door!' and then I woke up in the hospital." Tears rolled down the little girl's cheeks. "An' they said Mama and Daddy were in Heaven."

Kakashi pulled Sakura into his lap and rocked her back and forth as she sobbed.

Obito found himself holding onto Naruto and Sasuke who were sympathy crying.

When she finally stopped crying, Obito spoke up, "Sakura, we don't normally celebrate Halloween."

"Why not? Aren't we supposed to be witches?"

Obito nodded. "We are witches. But we're a special type of witch. We're Hunters. We Hunt bad things that like to hurt people."

"But 'Bito and 'Kashi are retarded!" blurted out Naruto.

"Retired, stupid!"

"I'm not stupid!"

Obito stood up and dropped both boys to the floor. He didn't want to be their wrestling mat. "So that's why on Halloween, we stay inside with you kids because it's easier to defend you in here."

"What happens when we get old?"

"When you're older?" Obito wiped away the residual tears from her cheeks. "Well, if you want to, Kakashi and I will train you and we'll be out and about on Halloween protecting people from the things that want to hurt them."

Sakura smiled. "Okay, but what should we say at school if we're asked about Halloween?"

Obito and Kakashi looked at each other.

Kakashi spoke first. "There are those things called 'Trunk or Treat' that are held for those parents who don't want to take their kids out on Halloween?"

Naruto and Sasuke looked up from their fight "Can we do that?" asked Sasuke.

"In costumes?" asked Naruto, his blue eyes gleaming.

Obito smiled at the three children. "I think that can be arranged."

888888

Kakashi was typing away on his laptop when Obito came back into the living room after putting the kids to bed.

"What are you doing?"

Kakashi pressed a few more buttons then closed the laptop. "I sent an email to Baki. Since he lives in Suna, he'll be able find out what happened." He rubbed his hands over his face. "I can't believe that I didn't think to question anything about how Mebuki and her husband died."

"Neither one of us thought about it." Obito patted Kakashi's thigh. "Don't beat yourself up about it. Was Mebuki a Hunter?"

"I have no clue. I'm guessing that she had been one at one time but since my mother died, contact with that side of the family was rare."

Obito sighed. "Well, we'll just take things a day at a time."

"Yeah."

888888

Halloween Night

It had taken a couple of weeks, but Baki had found out what had happened to Sakura's family.

The official police report said that the Haruno's had been killed in a car accident that was caused by Mebuki's husband's employers out for revenge because Kizashi had turned whistleblower on some illegal things that had been going on at the company he worked for. Kizashi's direct boss and the two bosses above him had been arrested and charged with murder and arson as well as embezzlement and other felonies. Naturally, they denied they had anything to do with Mebuki's and Kizashi's deaths or the burning down of their house.

Baki, in his email, thanked Kakashi for writing because that explained why there was a terrible increase in paranormal activity on what had been a normally quiet neighborhood. Baki said that his clairvoyant was able to see what had happened to the Haruno's even though the City had removed the burned remains of the house.

Mebuki HAD Warded the house but because Kizashi opened the door, the Wards were broken, and demons entered the house. The Haruno's fled to their car and tried to escape but because the car was not Warded, the demons were able to attack the car.

Baki said that they couldn't explain why Sakura was not killed as well but his clairvoyant seemed to think that her costume may have been Warded but since the costume had been thrown away by the hospital, they didn't exactly know.

Baki thought that the demons may have lost Sakura's trail, not only because of the costume, but because hospitals are Warded, and the Wards are constantly being renewed since hospitals are cesspools of pain and anguish.

Over the weekend before Halloween, Obito and Kakashi took the three children to every Trunk or Treat they could find. Naruto dressed as Owen Grady from Jurassic Park complete with Blue the velociraptor plushie, Sasuke was a pirate and Sakura decided that she wanted to be a butterfly.

But now it was Halloween.

Kakashi and Obito began Warding the house early. They carefully showed and explained to the kids exactly what they were doing and why. They let each of the kids Ward one window (they went back later and strengthened the Wards).

But the sun was going down. Kakashi took the kids upstairs and helped them take their baths and get into their pajamas before dinner.

Obito pushed the dining table off to the side to provide room for the air mattresses he was placing on the floor. He made sure that the kids' bed had their favorite blankets and plushies.

The kids ran into the dining room, Kakashi followed a minute or so later. "All the lights upstairs are off."

Obito nodded. "Help me secure the covering." Kakashi turned off the lights in the living room first then helped Obito cover the opening that went from the living room to the dining room. After the four corners were attached to the wall, the family ate dinner. By the time they were finished, and the kitchen cleaned, it was fully dark.

Then the knocking started.

Sakura whimpered when the Wards began to glow. "That's what happened the last time!"

Kakashi sat down and pulled her into his lap. Sasuke and Naruto sat on either side of them and leaned against Kakashi. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Obito sat at the table with a bared sword and his shakujo close at hand.

Then the voices started.

Open the door open the door let us in we want in we will get in

Sakura Sakura let me in it is mommy let me in SAKURA SAKURA SAKURAAAAAAA

Kakashi quickly bespelled the kids to sleep.

Then the house shook.

Violently.

But the Wards held.

But the attacks were nonstop until Midnight.

Both Kakashi and Obito were exhausted. They had to replace the Wards several times over the hours.

But they were safe.

They had survived another Halloween.

They both prayed that their fellow Hunters had also survived.

They gave one last reinforcement to the Wards then joined the sleeping children on the air mattresses and fell into a rightfully earned sleep of their own.