Author's Note : Hey all, Bephy here. I know, it's been a while. Biggest break I've had actually, and after saying the chapter was coming soon too? I'm sorry. Between getting hit with some personal issues the last month and a half, and general confusion about how this chapter was to go down, it just got away from me. I did buy and complete Kuro no Kiseki in that time though, so if you're a Trails fan, maybe someday I'll do a fic on that series as well? Who knows.

Anyway, I know it's a weird time for Halloween to be brought up, but I'm still trying my best to follow the timeline set up by Raising Project, and right now, October is hitting in the world of Evangelion. Now, Raising Project doesn't have a Halloween event, to my knowledge, so this is entirely my creation, beginning to end.

I hope you enjoy. I'm not going to make any promises about the next chapter either, to save my self the trouble of apologizing again, BUT I am in a writing mood lately, so we'll see what happens. Peace!

Somehow, I ended up being the errand boy.

It was a sudden explosion of festive passion from Asuka that set today's events in motion. Such passion was surprisingly enough to infect Misato as well, and they used it as a means to craft a small, Halloween-themed party in Major Katsuragi's apartment. With all the hustle lately, a party to relax and regroup was just what we needed, and I could hardly disagree with the sentiment. Everything had been going on track until just now, shortly before the party was to start, Asuka and Misato had come to the realization that they were expecting each other to pick up the "scariest film" as the bang to end the night on.

Thus, here I found myself, walking towards the only video store I was aware of in the district. I don't find myself watching too much TV, but from what channels we have access to at the apartment, I've never found myself wanting for anything to watch a movie on anyway. I haven't been to a theater since that time before either. They should've sent Shinji, honestly, or heck, his friend Kensuke seems to be up on these sorts of things.

Maybe it's the fact I have no idea what I'm really looking for that the duo of ladies thought might result in the best, scariest outcome… or maybe I was just the easiest target. As I entered "animate" I briefly sighed at that thought, however, I quickly came to notice why this store was called "animate".

The walls were lined with anime products, DVDs and figures, wall to wall, aisle to aisle. Dang, I should've known it wouldn't be so easy. Strolling to the back desk, the young man with unkempt hair that sat behind it looked up from his phone.

"Uh, hey, you wouldn't happen to sell any horror movies here, would you?" The young man's brow dipped down.

"Like, live action? Nah, we don't have any of that here. I'm sure you could find some scary anime movies though, if you look hard enough." His attention went back to his phone, leaving me feeling a little disjointed.

I couldn't waste time visiting every store in the area in hopes I could find something, I needed answers! "Well, do you know where I could find any? Er, live action horror, I mean." I assumed that's what would be the more appreciated of the two. I doubt Misato would be too interested in watching anime, though… it's possible she'll be too inebriated to care regardless. Maybe I should just start looking around for something here…

The young man gave me a hard look for a few seconds as I weighed my options. "Look man, I don't even live in this district, so I'm not on the up-and-up, you know?" He scratched his stubbly chin for a while, before quickly tapping something into his phone. "...actually, my boss mentioned a new place opened up a few blocks from here, a spot called… Moviech? It specialized in more… underground and oldie stuff, I believe. That was months ago though, dunno if it closed down since or what, given all the commotion lately, but that's all I got for you."

It wasn't much, but it was something. I gave him my thanks, though I got the feeling he was just glad I was leaving him alone.

Time to go searching for Moviech!

…and that was not quite what I was expecting. It was a tad unsettling, seeing such a small, rundown shack that was nestled in this alley, sitting tightly between an abandoned liquor store and a hobby shop that probably hadn't seen a customer since I was a toddler. Yet, in dull grey letters above the entrance, "Moviech" stood clear. To my surprise, a dimly lit "OPEN" sign sat in the single window.

As my hand reached for the door's latch, the thought of getting mugged crossed my mind. Surely this wouldn't be some money laundering business, and I'm about to be unlucky enough to walk into a dangerous meeting or something heinous like that, right?

I slid the rickety door open, at the same time fruitlessly trying to swallow the newly formed knot in my throat.

Well, color me surprised.

Inside, another man (a bit heavier-set than the last), sat in a reclining chair reading what seemed to be a gag manga just a few feet from the entrance, behind a very modern looking cashier's counter. He didn't notice me coming in, as was prevalent from his soft chuckles whilst enjoying his book.

Turning to look at the rest of the store, it was surprisingly similar to "animate" in layout, albeit with far less anime influence. A sleek setup of aisles, a monitor coming down from the back corner playing a random movie, and from what I could tell, the dim lights weren't a product of the store's age, but instead an atmospheric choice for the holiday. Having a brief look over the films on offer, I noticed many of what was put out in front were… well, horror. In fact, the more I listened to it, the movie playing in the back of the store seemed to be a scary movie as well. It was all a little… overwhelming.

My unfortunate position of not knowing what exactly to be looking for crept back into view. I began scratching my chin, surveying the goods. Kaiju movies, slasher flicks, martians, zombies, exaggerated folklore, psychological horror, gore fests, and that was only the tip of the iceberg! A majority were imports, and I could tell some shouldn't even be on shelves in this country. That's probably why the shop itself is so out of the way. It hides things like this under its roof.

Regardless of how I felt about the store itself, this was still the perfect place to solve the party's dilemma, so my immediate instinct was to grab the first thing I see that stands out and just be done with it. The options were too numerous otherwise, if I tried to pick one out specifically for everyone's tastes, I'd be here until Christmas!

Slowly but surely, the unease grew around me. What if I accidentally pick the one movie here that isn't a horror? What if I pick some stupid B-movie? Like I care if a bunch of teenagers laugh at me for a bad movie choice… is what I would say if Asuka wasn't one of them. Damn it.

In my befuddlement, I failed to notice the hand slowly approaching my shoulder. A light touch was all it delivered, however, the atmosphere of the store and my engagement to the visages of horror splayed out across the shelves before me resulted in my sudden release of a sharp, totally 100% masculine yelp.

An embarrassed chuckle was all I could muster as I turned to the cashier, who returned it with a laugh of his own. "Sorry, guy. Didn't mean to make you jump out of your skin like that." I straightened myself up and cleared my throat.

"It was really my fault for getting so… absorbed in what you have on offer here." The man smiled a toothy grin, a sudden sparkle coming to his eye.

"Looking for a classic, blood-curdlingly excellent experience to enjoy on this hallowed night, are we?" I nodded sheepishly in the face of his enthusiasm, but before I could explain my situation, he put a single finger up towards my face. "You have found yourself an incredible opportunity, my friend. This store isn't just your average movie den, it's my own personal collection of masterpieces that I happily divvy out to whoever dares enter through that door! Give me just a moment to examine you, and I will lay into your hands the PERFECT movie for your horror pleasure, and that's my guarantee!"

I stared at this man with the most blasé expression I had. He immediately picked up that he had gotten a little too far into character and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Look, this movie is less for me and more for a party. A teenager's party, that is. I'll be honest that I don't really know what kind of movie'll be well received, but something that fits my tastes is a box that doesn't really need to be checked, you know?" He nodded.

"Ah, I see where you're coming from. Gimme a sec." He puts a finger up to his lip and starts pacing the aisle, looking to be deep in thought. After a couple minutes, he continues. "A party, you say? How many people are we talking?"

Mentally, I tally off the people Asuka said were going to show up, plus Rei (since I knew Misato was going to be inviting her, even if Asuka didn't sanction it). "Including myself, that should be…. eight people." His smile returns, although for just a flash, this one felt more… sinister.

"Very good." His tone was suddenly very low, breathy. "...and these people. You're looking to scare them, right?" A chill ran down my spine.

"W-Well, not like… scare scare, but I'm sure they'd be looking forward to a movie that would provide a fright or two…?"

As my words trailed off, he disappeared around the corner of the aisle, leaving me once again stranded amongst the horrific movie covers. What the hell was happening here?

The man reappeared in front of me just as quickly as he had left, now holding a movie case in his hand.

"This is the film that spoke your name loudest."

"...I didn't tell you my name."

"You didn't need to."

This creepy schtick was a little much, but hey, now the movie is chosen, at least. His hand extends towards me, and I accept the case from him.

"So how much is that?"

He scoffed. "I don't require your money." As he slowly walked back to his counter, his voice eerily echoed throughout the room. "Just enjoy the film."

A bit of a weird business practice, but again, the less hassle for me, the better. I checked my watch briefly, just to see how much of the party I'd miss, and luckily, it wasn't going to be too bad. I gave the man my thanks as I exited the store, and he held a single hand up to me with another one of those strange smiles. Pushing whatever bad vibes I had accrued into the back of my mind, I started jogging towards the apartment complex.

Curious as to what exactly I had just received, I finally looked down at the item in my hand as I moved. The cover was chilling; a planet that looked to be cracking in the middle, revealing an indescribable monster leaking out through the opening, as the main cast of characters had their portraits lined underneath. My brow raised in slight unease.

"Yuusei Kara no Buutai X"

As soon as I opened the door to Misato's apartment, I was met by the sounds of heated argument.

Joyous.

The entrance to the place itself looked the part of a haunted manor, with torn sheets and stretched cotton bordering the doorframe into the kitchen. Though, turning the corner, I was met with the source of the commotion. As Misato slept soundly at the table, surrounded by beer cans, Asuka and Toji were up to their usual antics of being at each other's throats.

Shinji, who was sitting next to Misato, noticed me first, and waved me over. Unlike the others he wasn't wearing any costume, which I'm certain Asuka would've chewed him out for had she not been engaged in fighting her current opponent.

"So, how long has this been going on?" I whispered to the boy, as we watched the battle unfold.

"...mmh, well, about 10 minutes." Shinji took a sip of his drink, his expression unchanging from a seeming mild interest in the chaos. "You want to know how it started?"

"Probably with something mundane, I bet."

He chuckled. "Toji brought a pumpkin. That was all." I waited for Shinji to continue with the real reason but… he just explained further. "Actually, Toji didn't even bring it; it was Hikari's idea, Toji was just holding it when they came in, and then…" He motioned towards the two.

"...really?"

"Really."

I scratched the side of my head in confusion. That seemed like an egregious overreaction, even for Asuka.

"Uh, well." Shinji looked at me quickly like he remembered something. "I guess she did say 'why the hell is it green!?' or something to that effect, anyway."

Ah.

Maybe I should've told her Japanese pumpkins don't look the same as their orange western counterparts before now... It was during this brief remorseful(?) thought that Asuka managed to take heed of my presence.

"Finally! Hurry and tell this malignant oaf that the only pumpkin acceptable for Halloween is an orange one!" The redhead yells at me, contempt practically leaking from her expression. The visual of her angry face underneath a large witch's hat made me crack a smile before I could say anything, however.

Toji, wearing an obvious quickly thrown-together zombie outfit, huffed. "Talk about typical, you blow a ton of hot air at me and then run to your precious Lieutenant to back you up when I start making sense! You're just mad our pumpkins are better!"

The glare Asuka shot back at him? Well, if looks could kill, Toji'd be a disturbingly realistic decoration on Misato's wall right now.

I cleared my throat to forcibly drive a wedge between the two before it could escalate any further. "The subject of whose pumpkin is superior isn't really that relevant to the party, is it? Now come on, I got th–"

Asuka's voice instantly cleaved my train of thought in twain with ease. "Not relevant!? Are you insane!?" It seems I stepped out of the frying pan straight onto a landmine. "Lieutenant, need I remind you how integral the pumpkin is to Halloween? It's like saying 'oh a decorated tree doesn't matter that much to Christmas'. I mean, what are you, some sort of idiot? How could you say something so absolutely imbecilic? It's like you know nothing about Halloween, even after all I've explained to you! Ach du lieber Himmel!" At the end of her assault she gives a deep sigh and puts a hand up to her head, visibly exasperated with my… imbecilic ways.

After the running around I had to do on such short notice was given zero attention despite its purported importance, and my ideas of relaxing during a quiet party with a lame movie playing now seemingly dashed, I squeaked out a defeated "Okay." and made my way into the hallway towards the den. I hoped I'd be able to get even a short moment of respite there.

Inside, I ran face first into a patch of tense air. Kensuke and Hikari sat on either side of the table in the middle of the room, their attention towards the TV, and behind them a short ways, sitting in front of the couch, was Rei. Besides the low volume of whatever show was on, the room was practically dead silent, and felt like it had been that way for some time. The view was made even more surreal thanks to Hikari's very loud dress, looking straight out of some fairy tale, next to Kensuke's appallingly authentic military fatigues. Rei, much like Shinji, wasn't dressed for the occasion. Or maybe she was, just here as a student wearing a school uniform? Ah, who knows.

Without wanting to disturb this… scene, I quickly took a seat on the couch and laid my head back on the cushion. Despite the loud silence, I was able to relax a bit, somehow.

"Oh, hey Lieutenant." Hikari's voice snapped my eyes open. I didn't even realize I had drifted off, it was that quick. "Are the two of them still fighting?" Kensuke also turned to look at me now, and gave me an enthusiastic salute, as if my military rank wasn't practically in name only. In any case, I awkwardly responded to Kensuke with a salute of my own, before answering the class president.

"Last I heard, yeah." I winced. "Well, after I got my own earful, I decided to let them sort it out on their own."

Hikari groaned, and I felt herself and Kensuke were in my exact position. "They're always like that. It has to be because they're so similar! Neither wants to back down once a challenge is made, even if the challenge is as stupid as what color looks best on a pumpkin."

"If Asuka heard you say that, she'd probably have words for you too." I chuckled. "Though, I guess that's just part of who they are. Don't hold it against them."

A soft blush appeared across Hikari's cheeks. "Oh no, that's not what I… I mean, I wouldn't have them any other way. Asuka wouldn't be Asuka if she didn't try to get in every dig she could, and Toji…" The young girl trailed off, seeming to reminisce about something or other, before quickly frowning. "Toji is just a blockhead!"

"Enough about that!" Kensuke butted in, nearly erupting with the interest he had been holding back. "So, so, what movie did you get, Lieutenant!?" Figuring he would know more about it than myself, I tossed him the case I had been holding since I left the store.

As he scanned the cover intently, I tried listening back to the hall, and noticed that there wasn't much of any noise coming from the kitchen now. They must've sorted it out? Actually, I don't even think I heard any loud speaking after I left at all.

"I can't believe you actually got your hands on this movie! It's a classic… or so I've heard!" The bespectacled boy interrupted my unsuccessful eavesdropping with his sudden exclamation.

"So, it's a pretty well known movie, then?" Interesting. Here I thought the guy from Moviech had handed me some schlock.

"Oh, of course! A cult classic, from America! I've always wanted to see it, but who knew it would end up in my hands now, of all times! This is part of a universal movie buff's bucket list, I'm certain of it! What a joyous occasion! "

His enthusiasm was a little hard to react to, in all honesty, but at least someone appreciates the fruits of my labor… er, not that it cost me any money or real effort, but those details are irrelevant. As Kensuke's musings caused Hikari more and more annoyance, I noticed Rei was still staring in her usual blank manner towards the TV, between the other two teens.

"Uh… how's your day been, Rei?" I attempted to make conversation.

"I'm not really sure why I'm here." She responded flatly. I gave a sheepish chuckle, feeling the awkwardly tense air begin to descend upon the room again.

Almost as if she could sense that, Asuka stormed into the den in a frantic huff. Actually, if anything, that made the atmosphere worse. After taking a few seconds to look around at the heads in the room that had all turned to look at her (aside from Rei), she straightened her back, lifted her chin, smoothed out the skirt of her witch dress, and sat down on the couch beside me.

She didn't say a word.

"So, did you get everything sorted out, Asuka?" Hikari asked innocently enough. The redhead's jaw clenched suddenly before relaxing.

She let out a deep breath before continuing. "After the Lieutenant left, I realized there was only one solution to the whole problem, so I dealt with it, yes." A small smirk grew across her lips. "Of course there was only one solution. I mean, you were right after all, Lieutenant!"

As Asuka gave me a curious side-eye look, I felt a tad confused.

"I was right…? About what?"

"About the pumpkin being irrelevant!" She giggled sweetly. "Green pumpkins, that is. An orange pumpkin would've been worth everything to today, but something as disgustingly un-Halloween as a silly green malformed squash doesn't deserve to be in the presence of such holiday themes."

….huh?

Hikari turned fully to face Asuka. "So, wait, what do you mean? What happened to my pumpkin?"

"Well, duh, I threw the cursed thing over the railing. It made such a satisfying splat on the ground after falling, what is it, eight stories? Ah, and idiot Toji's screams were the icing on top! He and idiot Shinji ran all the way down to see what happened! What a couple of losers!" Asuka nearly had to keep herself from bursting into laughter as she recounted the senseless murder of an innocent pumpkin. Hikari looked like she was about to say something, but realizing that this meant the ordeal could be put aside for today, she just nodded silently with a forced smile and turned back towards the TV.

Not exactly the outcome I expected, but honestly I'm just glad she tossed the pumpkin down onto the apartment parking lot, and not just Toji himself, and then Shinji for good measure.

After Shinji and Toji returned from mourning the death of the sacred kabocha squash, and another ensuing argument was cut incredibly short by an awoken, groggy Misato, we were all finally ready to get the snacks that had long since been prepared, and sit down to watch Yuusei Kara no Buutai X.

Of course, Misato fell asleep again as the opening credits began, having drank herself into a stupor while prepping for this party. I couldn't say I was surprised.

Rei and the three boys sat by the table, with Kensuke's eyes glued to the screen for what he assumed was about to be one of the greatest movie experiences of his life. Meanwhile, next to Misato's passed out self on the couch, Hikari and Asuka sat together, with me pushed right to the opposite end of where I had been earlier. I couldn't tell how any of the others were feeling about the movie, just that the atmosphere in the room was still as tense as ever.

As the opening credits came to an end, however, Asuka turned to look at me. She didn't speak for a minute, as the movie opened to a dog running across some snow. She just stared, her lips pursed.

"Something wrong?" I whispered to her as quietly as I could. Asuka looked away, and let out a breath. It was obvious something was bothering her, but…

"I'm sorry."

Her words hit me like a shovel.

"...huh?"

She leaned towards me and whispered. "I said I'm sorry, okay? For yelling at you about the pumpkin. I just… I don't know…" She trailed off, leaving me kinda stunned. Asuka had been acting a little weird lately, but the way she looked right now, I had never seen her so… genuine, with an apology of all things.

As the sounds of a helicopter flying after the dog on the movie screen increased, I patted her head. "I didn't take it personally, Asuka. This holiday meant a lot to you, so of course you'd be upset."

"But you went out and got the film for us, even though you're an idiot when it comes to movies." She didn't need to say it like that, but her point was made. "You did that and all I did was drag you into something else as soon as you got back. So, I just wanted to make sure you knew I didn't mean to involve you."

"It's settled now anyway, yeah?" She nodded. "Then no harm done. Well, to me anyway. The pumpkin, on the other hand, is toast." Asuka giggled softly.

"You should've seen it, it made such a–"

Gunfire from the TV immediately got everyone's attention towards the movie.

"Are they shooting at the dog!?" Hikari nearly yelped at the sudden change of the movie's direction.

…and for some reason, I no longer had a good feeling about the film I was given…

As the door to my apartment swung open, the silent darkness that awaited us inside could only feel foreboding after that experience.

I was… fine. I think. The movie shook me up a bit, but not because of the visage of the nightmarish creatures that pervaded its runtime. No, that was actually an interesting aspect to me, given how often I think about the Angels and how they each had looked.

The claustrophobic feelings, mixed with dread and uncertainty, however, were quite heavy things to just wear on my sleeve. It was a bit of an exhausting watch, with all the shapeshifting and impostors, monsters and gore. I was honestly just ready to head to bed now.

Asuka, however, seemed much more… unwell.

As I turned on the lights in the kitchen and den, she followed me, step for step, like a puppy.

I regretted bringing that movie back. I regretted going to that store. I should've just picked up the first somewhat scary looking anime movie I came across and told Asuka 'sorry, they didn't have anything good'. She would've called me a fool, I would've laughed it off, and the day would've played out the same.

It would've been exactly the same, just without making me watch as every kid in that room deflated more and more with every minute of the movie that passed.

…well, Kensuke and Rei were fine afterwards, but that shouldn't shock anyone. Toji, on the other hand, is now sleeping at Misato's apartment tonight because he didn't want to go home alone.

I pinched my glabella and sighed. It was just a long day.

"Hey… Lieutenant?"

Asuka's wounded voice came from directly behind me. A chill ran up my spine, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"...yeah?" I responded, beginning to walk into the hall. Asuka's footsteps had stopped.

"...you'd tell me, right?"

Huh?

"Tell you what."

She hesitated for a brief pause and I turned around.

"You'd tell me, if you weren't you, right? You'd let me know, right?" Afterwards she shook her head lightly, like she thought it was stupid to ask.

For a second, I was about to respond with a quip. Something like 'how could I tell you if I wasn't me? I wouldn't be me, silly'. Though, when I saw how on edge she was, I realized what she was asking wasn't a serious question. She just wanted me to say yes. To abate her fears, all she needed was for me to say yes.

"...Asuka…" I patted her head again. "Of course I'd tell you, dummy. You'd tell me too, right? If you weren't you?"

As I chuckled, I could see her expression become more reticent compared to how timid she looked a second ago.

"Idiot Lieutenant." Her voice shook a little, but like another shovel to the face, she continued.
"If I wasn't me…"

.
.

"...you'd already be dead."