Charmed Kitsune
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NarutoxPhoebex Prue x Piper x ?
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''Normal Speech''
Inner Thoughts, Dialogue, or reading passages from books and scrolls
(Quick Notes and Messages or Echoes.)
(Dark over lapping echoes)
''Boss Summons, Demons, Dark beings speaking, Demonic/Angry characters Speaking as well as extremely Dark spells and Magic.''
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Story Start
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In the middle of the night with the moon hovering overhead a figure began moving along the attic of the mansion. Picking up a scroll he undid it. Doing a series of hand seals and placed it against the scroll unsealing a massive urn. For a brief moment eyes could be seen with Red eyes with black sclera around them.
Prue and Phoebe were currently in the Occult shop owned by fellow witch Tanjella. The two sister witches were currently shopping, unaware of Tanjella's unease, as she kept glancing over her shoulder and reading the time on the clock, reading 11:55 pm. Her eyes flickered to land on the two sister witches that were still looking through her merchandise. "Excuse me, but I'm getting ready to close now." Tanjella announced, causing Prue to look hurriedly down at her watch in surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were open until one." Prue apologized, appearing confused as any other night they shopped in Tanjella's shop they were able to stay until one in the morning.
"Normally, I am, but not on the eve of Friday the Thirteenth." She explained, "In fact, I kind of wanna to be closed by midnight." Tanjella added pointedly.
Prue nodded quickly and spun around to face her younger sister that was still shuffling through some charms. "Well, we won't be much longer, will we, Pheebs?" Prue pressed, subtly hinting.
Phoebe rolled her eyes quickly and held up two different charms. "Okay, okay. So, input?" She prompted.
Prue's eyes flickered over the small objects in her sister's hands. "They're nice. Let's go." She offered with a slight shrug as Tanjella again glanced over her shoulder at the clock.
"They're nice?" Phoebe quoted uncertainly, her eyes narrowing in thought. "That's it? Maybe I should pick another one…" Phoebe murmured, turning her back on her eldest sister and toward the charm tables again.
Prue raised her eyebrows, not really seeing the point of the whole excursion. "Phoebe, Tanjella wants to close." She reminded her softly.
Phoebe nodded in understanding, bringing around another couple of charms for Prue to look at. "I know, I know, but choosing the right good luck charm is a very big decision." She pointed out.
"If they all bring good luck, what's the worst that can happen if you choose the wrong one?" Prue asked with a small smirk at her sister's answering face.
"Alright, you know, this is why I like shopping with Piper." Phoebe returned, pushing Prue toward the cashier's table. "I'll just get them both." Phoebe said, dropping both charms down on the cashier's desk. Prue nodded silently, not understanding her younger sisters' fascination with good-luck charms.
Tanjella reached out and picked them both up. "Okay, do you want me to put this on Piper's order?" She wondered, ringing the charms up.
"No, I'll pay separately." Phoebe answered immediately.
"Cash or charge?" Tanjella questioned.
Phoebe bit her lip slightly and slowly turned to face Prue. "Uh, will you put it on a credit card for me?" Phoebe asked apologetically. She hastily continued as Prue pulled her credit card back out of her purse. "I will pay you back. You know tomorrow I have a job interview…"
"…And the good-luck charm is gonna help you get the job." Prue finished with a short laugh. She passed the credit card to Tanjella, who quickly swiped it through the machine. "How much?"
Tanjella looked down at the numbers on the cash register. "$25.50 plus tax." She read.
"Okay."
Tanjella started to turn away but turned back and pointed to a list of names beside the cash register. "Oh, but you get 10% off if you sign the mailing list."
Phoebe grinned and picked up the pen. "See, good luck already." She announced cheerfully, writing both of their names down.
Tanjella studied Prue and Phoebe for several moments as she turned back with Prue's credit card. "If you're interested, we're having a Wicca gathering for the spring equinox." She explained, passing them a flyer.
Prue bit her lip ever-so-slightly. "Will have to see. You know, making sure no Warlock is trying to kill us or steal our powers that day.'' Prue commented while signing the receipt copy and gathered their bags together.
Tanjella froze suddenly as the clock struck twelve. "Could you please hurry?" She pressed nervously.
Phoebe and Prue hesitated and looked up at her in concern. "Is there a problem?" Phoebe wondered.
"I told you, I just, I want to be closed by midnight." Tanjella explained, hastily grabbing their stuff together for them and glancing worriedly over her shoulder.
Prue's eyes were narrowed thoughtfully. "Wow, you really take this Friday the 13th stuff seriously…" She observed.
Tanjella nodded swiftly. "Yeah, and you should too, especially this one."
Phoebe tilted her head to the side quizzically. "And why is that?" Phoebe questioned.
"Because once every thirteen hundred years, there's a universal convergence of negative energy on Friday the 13th and this is the year." Tanjella explained.
Prue was about sarcastically remark 'of course it is' when she remembered Naruto's lecture about arbitrary skepticism. ''We'll keep that in mind.''
The clock struck one last ring and Tanjella closed her eyes, mentally calculating. "Did you hear that? The clock struck thirteen. It's starting already." She announced, standing still for several more moments.
Prue and Phoebe exchanged a third glance before Phoebe hesitantly reached out for their bags. "Goodnight, Tanjella." She offered and hurried after Prue to their car. Prue hopped in the driver's seat and Phoebe in the passenger side.
They drove off and a cloud of smoke appeared from the sewer they had been parked on. The smoke swirled until an older demon appeared. He took a deep, refreshing breath of air before slowly turning to the building Prue and Phoebe had just left.
In her shop, Tanjella was finishing up closing for the night. She carefully blew out the candles that lit the room and flicked the light off. She passed by the door, but turned back as the demon knocked on it. "Sorry, we're closed." Tanjella called, turning away from the door only to turn back as the demon knocked more forcefully. "I said we're closed." She repeated, louder this time, automatically assuming it was a late-night customer. As she watched the demon stepped forward, moving through the door until he was just in front of her.
"Not to me, witch." He retorted while Tanjella paled visibly, her eyes widening in realization.
"Oh my god." She whispered, reaching out desperately for an amulet that lay beside her.
The demon smirked. "Amulets don't work with this demon." He told her before slowly waving his hand over her face. His eyes watched his hand as if reading something. "Your greatest fear is being buried alive… in an earthquake." He continued. As he spoke, the whole building began to shake. Objects fell off their shelves, the lights flickered ominously and Tanjella began to shake as her worst fear became real. She screamed in terror as a large cabinet full of trinkets almost fell on top of her. The demon smiled and held his arms out as if reveling in his power and her screams. "Yes… you can't run, you're frozen… in fear!" He yelled. The shaking grew more violent until Tanjella fell to the ground, lifeless. Everything stilled immediately, objects lay where they had fallen, light fixtures broken, and Tanjella's body in the middle, her hair white and her eyes wide with fear. Satisfied, the demon stepped around her body and approached the signed mailing list. He waved his hand over it and the names of witches, including Prue's and Phoebe's names disappeared from the page. With one last look around at the chaos, he turned and left.
The next morning at the Halliwell manor Piper ran down the stairs, slightly anxious for the day ahead. She'd never been a fan of Friday the 13th, having terrible luck on a normal day. Now with the demons popping in every week she was worrying even more. Piper grabbed the box of trinkets that Prue and Phoebe had bought for her, following her request of course, from the nearby table as she passed through the Conservatory and into the Solarium. She placed the box in front of her and looked hopefully inside Rabbit feet and several necklaces that supposedly brought good luck. She pulled them all out and finally chose her favorite to wear. The others would be put to good use in her pockets or around her wrist.
"Think about it. When has she ever said it to you?" Phoebe pressed, making her way toward one of the tables from behind Piper.
"Well, I don't exactly keep track of these things but I'm sure she has." Piper eyebrows furrowed in thought.
Phoebe rolled her eyes slightly. "I'm serious. Just think of a time. Just one." She insisted, "Whenever I say it to her she always says something like 'same here' or 'me too.'" Phoebe quoted in a bad imitation of Prue.
Piper appeared thoughtful as she realized Phoebe was actually justified in her reasoning. "You know, you're right." She realized, sounding surprised.
There was a pause before Phoebe continued. "Anyways, the girl cannot say the words 'I love you.' It's like some weird…" Phoebe broke off abruptly as Prue walked in. "Good morning!" Prue announced cheerfully, earning several confused glances from her sisters as the eldest Halliwell joined them with her cup of coffee.
Prue looked over at Phoebe with a wide smile. "Oh, that outfit looks great on you." She complimented enthusiastically.
Phoebe smiled gratefully in return. "Thank you for giving it to me."
Piper's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, you gave her that outfit? Are you feeling okay?" Piper wondered, teasingly reaching out with her hand to touch Prue's forehead as if checking to see if she was sick.
"It was an early birthday present." Prue explained, swatting Piper's hand away from her.
"For the next three years." Phoebe joked.
'In fact, I had a wonderful dream about Mom. "The atmosphere between the sisters immediately changed. Phoebe leaned forward eagerly, Piper tilted her head to the side in a prompting manner. "What about?" Phoebe finally prompted.
"Um, I was about four or five and I was reaching up, holding her hand, and she was taking me someplace. I don't know where, but it felt so safe." Prue explained a little wistfully.
"I wish I had dreams like that." Phoebe murmured.
Piper grinned mischievously. "Mom would have to knock before she came into your dreams." She quipped.
Phoebe swung a hand at her sister, while Piper merely giggled softly at Phoebe's look of dissatisfaction.
Prue started to say something to end the squabble when Phoebe raised her hand again but the elder Halliwell suddenly yawned instead. She jumped when Piper's hand flew over her mouth and she hastily pushed it away. "What are you doing?" She demanded in confusion.
"You have to cover your mouth when you yawn or you might let the devil in." Piper explained, earning two looks of amusement from her younger sisters and narrowed eyes of suspicion from her elder sister. Piper irritably slammed her hands down on the table for emphasis. "Especially on Friday the 13th!"
"Is that why you have us buy all those good-luck charms?" She asked, nodding her head in the direction of Piper's collection of trinkets.
Piper nodded. "Yep." She answered, poking at a stone, a rabbit foot, and her other amulets. "We're having a superstition themed fundraiser at the restaurant today. I'm going to need all the help that I can get." She continued.
"Don't you think you're overdoing it just a little bit?" Prue prompted gently while Piper shook her head frantically.
"With all the demons and warlocks running around? I don't think so." Piper argued.
''You're going to need better trinkets then that.'' Naruto remarked as he entered the kitchen. ''Morning ladies.''
''Morning Naruto,'' they chimed.
"Oh, Naruto! I almost forgot. I got you something." Phoebe announced, suddenly jumping to her feet and running to a drawer where she pulled out a charm she got from the Occult shop with Prue.
''Really?'' he bemusedly asked, taking the charm Phoebe passed to him. It was almost identical to Phoebe's. ''A large golden coin. I feel rich...'' he happily said.
"Piper, listen. Demons and warlocks… they're real. Superstitions are like old wives tales told to explain somebody's misfortune." Prue tried again until Naruto song out, 'Arbitrary Skepticism.'
Piper still didn't look convinced. "Statistics show that more bad things happen on Friday the 13th than any other day. I met Jeremy on Friday the 13th."
"Really?" Phoebe asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.
"Yes, and he tried to kill me. Afterwards I find out there's a superstition that any relationship started on Friday the 13th is doomed." Piper added dramatically.
Prue giggled, neither sister swaying their stance. "More bad things happen on Friday the 13th because people put energy into believing bad things will happen." She offered. ''Or is there another reason we are unaware of?'' Prue challenged, sending Naruto a pointed glance as he balanced the gold coin on his finger.
''Certain demons and such are powered by this day and can only attack on this day. Maybe the barriers between dimensions weakening and super natural killers who exist in their own movie verse cross over because some magical fuck up think it would be cool or they can control the creatures. The usual shit for a Halloween theme event.'' Naruto casually listed off as he bounced the coin up and caught it in his palm.
Phoebe shrugged. "Actually, I prefer the upside of superstition. Good fortune, which is what I hope this little honey brings me at my job interview with the real estate agent." She spoke up, holding her charm up while getting to her feet. "Hey, will you give me a lift? I'm running late." Phoebe pleaded, turning toward Piper.
Piper grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. "Sure." She allowed, following Phoebe toward the front door and leaving Prue at the table.
"Okay, well, have a great day, Naruto, Prue, I love you." Phoebe called pointedly over her shoulder.
Prue was opening up the newspaper and didn't realize the hidden intention behind her words. "Yeah, me too." Prue answered.
The two sisters exchanged a glance, which went unnoticed by the eldest Halliwell, before Piper and Phoebe, with Naruto joining them, proceeding in leaving the Manor. Piper pulled her jacket on as she followed Phoebe down the hall to the front door. "I wonder if she knows she does that…" Piper murmured thoughtfully.
Phoebe shrugged and pulled the front door open revealing Andy on the other side of the threshold. His hand was up as if just about to knock when the door was pulled open.
"Hey, Andy." Piper greeted cheerfully.
Andy smiled and quickly put his hand down at his side. "Hey, Prue in?" He asked, looking around Piper and Phoebe as if expecting to see Prue, coming face to face with Naruto.
''Inspector.''
''Uzumaki.''
They both casually greeted, but both sisters picked up on the underlying under tones of what they classified as the male ego. ''So, we have to go.'' Piper butted in, grabbing Naruto and leading him way.
Phoebe gave a slight nod and turned back toward the inside of the house. "Prue, there's a policeman here to see you!" She yelled loudly, slipping out as Andy slipped in.
Andy waved farewell and shut the door behind him. He looked around for any sign of Prue but upon hearing none proceeded to walk into the Conservatory, nearly running into her as she came around the corner.
"So, this must be bad news." Prue decided, glancing at Andy in a calculating manner.
Andy chuckled softly. "What makes you say that?"
Prue raised her eyebrows and looked toward the clock. "A little early for a social call." She pointed out, moving around him to sit down on the couch.
"You're right." He allowed with a slight nod. Andy followed her around the couch and sat down in the seat across from her. "We've had three suspicious deaths since midnight. All single female, all under thirty, one was a bookstore owner. Credit card company records show you were her last customer." He continued seriously.
Prue's face fell quickly at the news. "Oh my god…" She whispered, her thoughts invariably remembering Tanjella's warning.
Andy's eyes watched her intently. "You remember anything out of the ordinary? Suspicious characters hanging around?" Andy asked.
Prue looked back up at him, thinking his question through carefully. "No, Phoebe and I were the only ones in there. In fact, she was locking up when we left."
"Was the place in order?" Andy questioned.
Prue frowned in confusion. "Yeah, why?"
"Well, when we found her, her body was half-buried in debris, but the coroner said it wasn't her injuries that killed her. It was a heart attack." He explained. His blue eyes flickered over Prue and there was a hint of worry in his voice.
"A heart attack?" Prue repeated in disbelief.
Andy nodded slightly. "Yeah, her hair had turned shock white; her face was contorted in terror just like all the others." He paused a moment, watching Prue closely. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were literally scared to death." Andy suddenly smiled faintly. "Do you visit Occult book stores at midnight often?" He wondered teasingly.
Prue rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "No, of course not. Phoebe needed a good luck charm for her job interview today. It was very last minute."
Andy studied Prue silently for a moment before slowing standing up to leave. She'd given him all the answers that he'd come for, but he couldn't leave without warning her. "These killings look like some weird ritualistic thing. You might consider shopping somewhere else." He offered softly.
"Meaning?" Prue prompted, tilting her head to the side.
"Just be careful." Andy whispered, slowly turning away from her and toward the front door.
Prue glanced down at the open page. "The Demon of Fear appears once every 1300 years on Friday the 13th. He feeds on the fears of witches for his survival." Prue read, trailing off as she noticed something. "Mom's handwriting." Prue mumbled, running her hand across the pages.
At Quake things were going per usual for Piper. The days were busy and the people were numerous, the latter being a good thing. "Okay, we need a table for taking the tickets." Piper ordered one of the restaurant's waitresses. The waitress nodded and left Piper in the middle of the room. Prue noticed a cute, blonde guy who was shooting glances at her sister.
Piper apparently didn't notice the man, nor her so she was startled when Prue approached her from behind, causing her to jump in surprise when she suddenly asked. "Who's the guy?"
"Lucas Devane." Piper answered slowly as she turned to face her elder sister. "He's chairing the fundraiser for the children's hospital."
Prue nodded thoughtfully, her eyes flickering back to Lucas. "Mmm, right, I saw his picture in a magazine. Wasn't he named one of the Bay Area's most eligible bachelors?" Prue teased. ''Has Naruto tried to be him up yet?'' of course Prue was joking. She would never encourage such bull headed machoness.
Piper frowned, "It's not funny you know. It's not like I can say I'm going out with the guy over there making out with my big sister while fondling my little sister." She mumbled.
Prue frowned slightly. ''No need to be so crude Piper.''
''Well it's the truth. ''
Prue glanced toward Lucas again to find him staring back at Piper. She smiled and nodded slightly. "Yeah." She decided, linking arms with Piper pulling her in the direction of the less crowded room of the restaurant where they could talk their witch related duties seeing as Naruto wasn't there to cast a genjutsu. "He's undressing you with his eyes and he's down to white cotton." She continued.
"I haven't worn white cotton since high school." Piper retorted with a roll of her eyes. Prue was definitely spending too much time with Naruto.
She suddenly pulled Prue to a halt just before the two sisters walked under a ladder. "Whoa!" Piper exclaimed, pulling back and causing Prue to stumble slightly. "Humor me." She added before Prue could complain. Prue just rolled her eyes. "Anyways, sorry I had to rush you off the phone. What's with the Demon of Fear?"
"Well, I found a page on him in the Book of Shadows… in Mom's handwriting." Prue explained softly.
Just like Prue before her, Piper immediately appeared more interested. "Mom's? Are you sure?" She pressed.
"Yeah, I'm sure. We checked it against the handwriting on the back of the spirit board." Prue replied, slipping into a seat along the bar while Piper did the same next to her.
"Wow, this is the first time we've found anything Mom's written in the book." Piper commented, frowning thoughtfully at this new revelation.
Prue sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, she must have known that this demon would appear in our lifetime and she wanted to warn us against him." She decided with the slightest of shrugs.
Piper's brow furrowed nervously. "I don't like the sound of that…"
"If he can kill 13 unmarried witches before midnight, he will be freed from the underworld to wreak his terror every single day." Prue quoted the book.
"Unmarried? Like things weren't hard enough when you were single, now their bringing marriage into this?" Piper ranted with another dramatic roll of her eyes. Prue giggled softly but was cut off by her younger sister's question. "So, how can we stop him?" She demanded.
Prue shrugged again, a little frustrated by the vagueness in the book. "I don't know, but he does kill by turning a witch's greatest fear against her." She offered.
"Meaning?" Piper prompted.
"The book doesn't say, but Mom wrote that in the face of our greatest fear, our powers are paralyzed." Prue continued, a hint of worry in her voice.
Piper nearly jumped from her seat at the news. "Wait! We're on the most wanted list and we're defenseless?" She exclaimed in disbelief. Prue's expression was answer enough to her question. "Didn't Mom say anything about how to get rid of him?"
Prue shook her head. "Just to release our fear."
Piper rolled her eyes. "How do we do that?" She wondered aloud. Cryptic. She hated cryptic.
"I don't know. That's all she wrote." Prue explained. There was a moment of silence before Prue spoke again. "Look, I know you're afraid of flying…" She began.
Piper's eyes widened at the thought and she looked away, biting her lip. "It's not really a fear… I just prefer buses." Piper mumbled nervously.
Prue smiled faintly. "Well, as long as you stay in a crowded restaurant, you'll be fine. And since Phoebe's afraid of being trapped in an elevator, I'll tell her to take the stairs. Maybe we get our resident guardian's opinion on this? I'm pretty sure with him around the bastard won't try anything.''
"I'll tell him, in the meantime you'll stay away from pools." Piper finished, a tense silence falling between the two. Piper sighed softly, understanding Prue's reluctance to admit her fear ever since Mom drowned Prue had been terrified of the water. Piper knew that was the reason Prue never took swimming lessons with her and Phoebe.
"Yeah, well, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Prue insisted, a little sharply as she slid out of the bar stool. "I've gotta go." She explained suddenly, beginning to walk away.
"Call me when you get to Bucklands." Piper called after her.
Prue hesitated and slowly turned back to face Piper. "I'm not going to Bucklands. Mom warned us, but there are others." She started nervously.
Piper glanced around them to make sure no one was listening before replying. "Well who do we know off the top of our heads besides Aviva?" She pointed out mildly.
"No, see, Tanjella gave me this flier for a Wicca gathering and there's a woman named Zoe listed as a contact. I'm hoping that she can help." Prue continued, holding up the flier that Tanjella had given her the night before. "So, just call Pheebs and tell her what's up, okay?"
Piper bit her lip, not liking the situation. "Fine, but don't go yet . Naruto's in the kitchen, it won't take me long to get him.'' Piper decided, her voice leaving no room for argument. Prue gave a slight nod and started to walk away. "I love you!" Piper called after her departing sister.
Prue didn't glance over her shoulder and just waved her hand in Piper's general direction. "Yeah." She responded, walking under the ladder on the way out of the restaurant to her car.
Piper blinked and rolled her eyes before turning back to work.
At SWA Properties Phoebe was waiting for her big chance. "As you can see, we're a small firm but we've built a very successful business." The young woman conducting the interview, Susan, was saying. Phoebe sat in the chair across from the desk with Susan behind it.
Phoebe smiled and tightened her grip on her good-luck charm, willing it to help her. "Oh, well, size doesn't matter to me. What does excite me, though, is the chance to work with a successful woman. I mean, if I want to be a success, who better to learn from, right?"
Susan laughed, fixing Phoebe with an interested look. "Oh, I like that." She looked down at the papers in front of her for a moment. "I've heard all I need to hear. When can you start?" She asked eagerly.
"Are you serious? I got the job?" Phoebe demanded enthusiastically and a little surprised.
Susan shrugged slightly. "I can spot talent when I see it." Susan replied, appearing thoughtful. "Can you start today?"
Phoebe nodded quickly, hardly believing her luck. Damn good charm. "Uh, yeah, yes, of course." She stammered.
Susan started to say something but trailed off as a man walked in, motioning for her. "Hi, honey, give me a second." She greeted, giving him a hold-on-a-minute gesture. The man nodded and walked back out leaving the two women in the office. Susan hesitated a moment before reaching for the keys that were in front of her and passing them to Phoebe. "Here are the keys, Louise is out of town, I've got…" She stopped with a pointed glance toward the door that the man had just left through. "… I'll be in Calistoga for the rest of the day, so all you have to do is answer the phones." She finished.
"Taking a romantic mid-week break?" Phoebe teased lightly.
Susan suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, yeah." She allowed, leaning forward to Phoebe slightly and lowering her voice. "Um, which reminds me, there is one special task I'll need you to handle from time to time. If my husband calls, I'll need you to cover for me."
Phoebe's eyes widened in understanding and her eyes flickered to the door. She laughed nervously and glanced back toward Susan. "Oh, right, uh, sure…" Phoebe offered uncertainly.
"Our little secret?" Susan pressed.
Phoebe offered a fake smile. "Oh, of course!"
"Well, you have my pager number. Have fun." Susan continued, standing up from behind the desk. She quickly walked around Phoebe and toward the door.
"Okay." Phoebe replied with forced enthusiasm. She turned as she heard the door close, leaving her alone in the office. "You too." She added, her smile immediately falling.
Naruto and Prue arrived to the hotel.
"Room 412." The receptionist replied, handing them stickers with the lone word 'visitor.'
Prue nodded a thank you and she and Naruto hastened toward the elevator that would take them to the floor Zoe lived on. ''Are you sure this demon isn't familiar to you?'' she asked, noticing the uncertain look on Naruto's face as it strained and he paused.
''I...it all runs together after some time.'' the blond remarked, shaking his head. ''But if this Barbas indeed only shows up every thirteen-hundred years and considering how hard it is to keep facts straight for a century, let alone thirteen centuries it is curious on how your mother was able to recount the information she knew.
Up in Zoe's apartment, Zoe stood in her room in front of a table where she was carefully trimming one of her plants. She felt a light breeze and heard a faint swoosh and she paused in her work. After a moment she sat her scissors down on the table and slowly turned around. Her eyes held no surprise as she looked over Barbas, the Demon of Fear. "I thought you might come." She commented with a half-smile. "There is nothing for you here."
"Oh, you couldn't be more wrong, witch. You're all alone. That is all I need." The Demon of Fear retorted from where he stood just in front of the door to her apartment.
Zoe smiled and took several confident steps toward him. "You have no power over me. I have evolved to a place where I have released all mortal fears." Zoe returned. She watched as Barbas turned his attention to his hand before continuing. "My inner strength will destroy you." She warned, a dangerous edge to her voice.
Barbas didn't answer, but watched his hand as he slowly waved it over her. His dark eyes looked around her to the candle that stood behind Zoe on the table. The candle flashed and the small flame shot up and hit the floor, quickly catching the carpet on fire.
Zoe jumped and tried to stomp the flame out but it only grew worse.
"You didn't release your fear of fire. You only repressed it." Barbas finally answered. The flames spread in a circle around her, encircling her in fire that rivaled her height.
She gasped in fear and tried to back away only to find the flames behind her as well. "No, please!" Zoe pleaded.
Barbas raised his arms, reveling in her fear. "Save it! For another lifetime! You are frozen… In Fear!"
Naruto's body moved on instinct. As if following commands programmed in the past. For a brief moment fear ceased him as he didn't realize what was going on. For a brief moment blue eyes met soul less black ones. A young woman, presumably Zoe was on the floor with most of her hair turned white.
''You again!'' the demon hissed before shimmering away.
Naruto clutched his head in pain as he dropped down to his knees. A brief flash, an image of black and grey with a frightened young woman in his arms, as the demon he just saw shimmered away was presumably vanquished in a flash of fire. Naruto and Prue watched from across the street as Zoe was loaded onto the ambulance. Police were swarming the place.
Andy walked around the small crowd of investigators as they looked around the apartment. "Sorry I'm late." He apologized softly, his eyes scouring over this latest victim. "So what do we have?"
"The victim was hysterical. We had to give her a sedative to calm her down. We got a description of her attacker though. An older gentleman about fifty to sixties with short white hair, wrinkles and soul less black eyes. That last part she kept repeating." Darryl filled him in, trailing off as he looked at Andy and noticed his shoes. Tacky, ugly, dirty serial shoes. Darryl rolled his eyes and nodded toward them. "I can't believe you're wearing those serial shoes again." He muttered.
Andy smiled and glanced down at his shoes fondly. "They're my good-luck charm." He countered lightly.
Darryl shook his head, stealing another look down at them. "They're embarrassing." Darryl retorted.
Andy gave a slight nod in acknowledgement of Darryl's feelings before letting the subject drop and pointing down at the victim. "This is the fifth woman with ties to the occult, but unlike the others she managed to survive with confirmation that there is in fact some serial nutcase behind these killings." Andy challenged.
"I can't…" Darryl allowed. He smirked slightly and continued. "… but it still doesn't mean those shoes aren't embarrassing." He pointed out, receiving an eye roll and another nod from Andy.
"The doorman keeps a visitor's sign-in log. Wanna guess who the last person was to see the victim?" Darryl asked.
"I'm gonna guess the killer." Andy answered, crossing his arms expectantly.
Darryl hesitated a slight moment. "Prue...and well, that Uzumaki guy."
Andy's face fell immediately and he drifted off in his thoughts.
Prue and Naruto met Phoebe and Piper at Quake where Piper had saved the four of them a table upon receiving the most recent update on their current demon predicament. Prue was unusually silent, although thankful they were able to save their fellow witch in time. Piper's eyes were narrowed in concentration as she tried not to let fear overcome her and becoming a living beacon. Phoebe was looking between the others as even Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet and somber.
Finally, Piper rolled her eyes and decided they needed to figure something out before the Demon of Fear came looking for them. "So what did you guys tell Andy?" She asked nervously.
"We didn't talk to any cops.'' Naruto answered.
"I didn't want him to know we were anywhere near there so I called 911 and Naruto shushined us out." Prue explained, picking at her nearly full plate of food with her fork.
Phoebe's eyes were narrowed in concern and reached out hesitantly to her eldest sister, whom appeared to be taking it the hardest. "Are you sure you're okay?" She pressed sympathetically.
Prue sighed, dropped her fork on her plate, and nodded slightly to Phoebe. "Yeah, it's just, uh, I can't imagine what she must have went through.'' she then turned to Naruto who hung his head and sighed.
''That bastard knows me...and I don't even have a clue beyond a brief glance of a memory. You again? When and how? 1300 years ago? That's not possible, I know for a fact that I never live massive jumps between times or stuff like that, especially with amnesia.''
"So what are we going to do?" Phoebe asked.
"We avoid any place he can use to terrorize us." Piper replied confidently.
"And what about all the other witches?" Phoebe wondered with a slight frown as Piper's plan clearly left out a huge chunk of San Francisco.
Prue glanced up thoughtfully. "Well, I took Zoe's day runner. Some of the names in there have got to be witches. I can start making phone calls." She suggested.
She reached across the table for the salt which she accidentally knocked over. She sighed softly, having to reach farther for the salt shaker.
Piper nearly jumped from her seat with wide brown eyes. "Quick! Throw some over your shoulder!" She ordered in mild hysteria.
Prue stared at Piper in disbelief for several moments. "Don't be ridiculous."
"It's bad luck. You could be attacked by evil spirits." Piper argued, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest.
Prue rolled her eyes and quickly shook some salt over her food before turning her attention back to her younger sister. "Piper, we have been attacked by plenty of evil spirits and they had nothing to do with salt…" She returned, her voice resonating with her disbelief. Phoebe and Naruto exchanged an amused glance as Prue continued her rant. "…And considering our powers. I can't believe you want to rely on this for our protection."
''All skepticism aside I have to agree,'' Naruto agreed.
"My feeling is you can never be too rich or too safe." Piper retorted.
The two elder Halliwells were broken from their sisterly banter by an exclamation from Piper. "Ooh! Piper, look." Phoebe was pointing excitedly at the decorative plant on the table in front of them.
"Oh, a lady bug!"
Phoebe grinned, gingerly reaching out for one of the leaves to better show the lady bug to her sisters.
"Is that bad luck?" Prue quipped with a pointed glance in Piper's direction.
Piper started to say something but was interrupted by Phoebe.
"Actually, Grams once told me that whatever direction it flies in, you can find your ideal mate." Phoebe explained, suddenly looking excited. She straightened up in her seat, moving closer to the plant. "We've gotta try it." She decided, flicking the leaf with her finger. Apparently unaware of Naruto's raised eyebrow and his feeling rather unloved at the moment.
The lady bug, dissatisfied with its new moving company flew up into the air and around the table until it landed on Naruto's nose. Its small, buggy little legs quickly scampered across his nose, causing the blond to toss his head back, yank out and grabbed a napkin and promptly sneezed into it.
Prue chuckled, shaking her heads as she asked. "So, does a positive superstition cancel out a negative one?" She asked teasingly.
Piper rolled her eyes and lightly slapped Prue on the arm. "I don't know." Piper remarked with a shrug of her shoulders. Having to catch herself from looking in the same direction of Lucas praying that good luck would have mercy on her until one of the waiters placed a drink for her on the table complements of said man. A subdued growl came from Naruto's throat.
A waiter started to walk by the sisters' table, but tripped and sent a wave of ice cold water over Prue who was about to say something, only to end up half-jumping away from him.
Piper yelped in surprise but was up and carefully grabbed some napkins to soak up some of the excess water. "You should have thrown the salt…" Piper started.
"You know what, Piper? Don't even say it." Prue ordered, hastily standing up from her seat. "I'm going home to change." She muttered in irritation before stalking off toward the front door.
"Be careful, I love you!" Phoebe called after her.
Prue glanced over her shoulder and gave Phoebe a quick wave. "Yeah."
Phoebe frowned and crossed her arms in disappointment as Piper slowly slipped back into her seat.
"I think she's afraid it'll make her look too vulnerable. Ever since Mom died, you know, she has to be the strong one to take care of us and everything. It's probably just all part of that." Piper offered with a shrug.
Naruto wasn't sure what to say. What could he say? His thoughts were so consumed by this mysterious fear demon he could hardly focus. ''I'll be heading back to the mansion as well. Maybe there's something in the Book of Shadows that'll jar my memory,'' he said as he went over and kissed Piper's cheek. ''See you girls later.'' he went over and kissed Phoebe as well before heading out of the restaurant.
Phoebe watched after Naruto thoughtfully before slowly getting to her feet. "Maybe, but I gotta get back to work."
"How's the new job?" Piper wondered curiously.
Phoebe's smiled faltered as she turned to grab her jacket. "Great… except my boss wants me to lie to her husband about an affair that she's been having." Phoebe explained with false enthusiasm.
"How nice…" Piper agreed sarcastically. "What are you gonna do?"
Phoebe shrugged at a loss. "I don't know. I'm just hoping it never comes up." She answered before smiling slightly at catching sight of Lucas staring in their direction. "Hey, good luck." She added with a pointed nod in his direction.
At SWA properties Phoebe sat at her desk, watching as another worker retrieved his papers that had just come out of the printer next to her. She waited until he had disappeared into the next room before turning her attention to her good-luck charm that she held in her hand. "Okay, heads- I tell him the truth. Tails- I lie." Phoebe decided softly. She tossed the coin into the air. As it came back down it rolled off the desk to land on a filing cabinet in front of the desk. "Oh, that helped a lot." She muttered sarcastically as she saw it had landed on its edge, neither heads nor tails. Phoebe grabbed her coin and turned to the phone that had just started ringing. "Oh." She exclaimed as her elbow knocked over a bottle of water that was sitting next to the phone. "Hold on please." Phoebe told the person on the other line while hastily sitting the phone down. As she picked up the bottle she was thrown into a premonition.
Prue was fighting to get out of the shower while the water filled higher and higher to the point that it was well over her head.
"Prue…" Phoebe breathed her mind racing as she put pieces together. Prue was going to drown in the shower- Prue was deathly afraid of water and drowning- The Demon of Fear was going to attack Prue. Phoebe suddenly remembered the person on the phone and picked it back up. "Uh, no one's in, call back later." She answered and hung up the phone before frantically dialing the number to the Manor.