I apologize. Since I wanted it to feel authentic, I decided to release this Halloween Chapter on Halloween. However, I was unable to, due to time constraints, so I settled for as release as soon as I could.
Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos.
At long last! It's Halloween day! The IS Academy has prepared many activities and places for the students to have fun all day long! The gang dress up in all sorts of costumes to celebrate!
However...Something's wrong.
Chifuyu and Alex go missing, and it appears that their disappearance wasn't scripted.
On top of that, strange, viral behaviors begin affecting students! Something's lurking in the dark halls of the Academy! And whatever's going on, Thomas, Elias, and Ichika need to get to the bottom of it before something worse happens!
Will they survive?
Or will they discover what happened to Chifuyu and Alex?
It was Halloween Day!
Students all dressed up in Halloween costumes and prepared for the festivities.
The Representative Candidates all began to gather in Class 1.
Ichika was wearing a classical Slasher outfit, consisting of knee-high motorcycle boots, gray pants, fingerless gloves, a Jason Mask and an orange jacket with black accents. Despite how scary he looked, his bright and cheery demeanor outdid the dark appearance.
"Ichika!" Called Elias, "Do I look...Knightly enough?"
Elias dressed up as the Earlcumber from Knight's & Magic, with store-bought costume pieces and props. However, it appeared that Elias put effort into making the costume almost identical to the Earlcumber with his own work thrown into the mix. In his arms, he carried a prop sword and shield.
"Sure do!" Assured Ichika.
"Ichika!" Called Lingyin.
Elias and Ichika looked...
...Only to find a massive dragon upon them.
"Holy crap!"
"Dear Lord!"
Lingyin lifted up the upper-half of the dragon, giggling mischievously.
"Gotcha!"
The dragon was shaped after that of a traditional Chinese Dragon, designed so that a single person could wear it.
"Wow!" Admired Ichika, "Didja make that all by yourself?"
"Uh-huh!" Cheered Lingyin, "I got some advice from Tommy, since he knows most about this stuff!"
Cecelia had entered the room.
Cecelia wore a lovely Princess Costume, her costume itself had reminiscent design to Blue Tears, with blue arm warmers, and two "wings" attached to her skirt, with her tiara shaped identical to Blue Tears's headgear. She wore blue high-heels, and had something close to a cape-skirt, revealing she was wearing gray and black stockings. In her arms she held a Sniper Rifle Prop.
Elias was simply enthralled by the sight.
"Oh my!" Swooned Cecelia, her eyes laying upon Elias, "What fortune! Just as I have dressed as a princess, you've become my dashing knight!"
"I-It was coincidence..." Elias stuttered, blushing.
"Come now," Encouraged Cecelia, "We'd best make the most of this."
"Ichika!" Snapped Houki as she barged in, "How do I look?"
Houki was an elegant Samurai Princess. She wore a cherry-red robe, with a pair of crimson butterfly wings on her back, exposing her belly, and a sturdy but fashionable breatplate over her chest. outfitted with crimson armor plating around her legs to form a skirt. She also wore shoulder loose arm pads, which stretched down to her arms and exposing her shoulders. She wore a tiara shaped like the Akatsubaki's headgear. In her hand she carried a prop katana.
"Holy..." Ichika marveled.
"Well?" Houki said impatiently, "Say something!"
"You look...Dashing."
Houki blushed.
"W-Well...Of course I do."
Laura and Charlotte entered.
Laura blushed, looking as though she'd regretted her decision for her costume, a very cute Black Cat.
Charlotte, on the other hand, was dressed up as a cute Witch, and was enjoying herself.
"Wow!" Complimented Ichika, "You two look great!"
"Why thank you!" Said Charlotte.
Laura's blush went even deeper as she tried doing something Charlotte suggested.
She struck a cute, cat-like pose and made a very timid "Meow."
Everyone squealed with delight, making Laura beyond the point of embarrassed.
"C'est adorable!" Squealed Charlotte.
"Just like your PJ's!" Commented Ichika.
"Wha?" Inquired Lingyin, ready to fire away with teasing.
"Yeah, she has this onsie black ca-ACK!" Ichika was interrupted as Laura decked him.
"Zhat ish confidential!"
"U-Um...Ichika?" Said Kanzashi, "How do I look?"
Kanzashi was dressed as a Water Spirit, which had relative features of a dragon.
"Wow..." Whispered Ichika as he laid eyes upon her.
"Please...Don't stare, I'm getting nervous..."
"Oh, sorry." He apologized, "It's just...You look really pretty!"
"Really?" Kanzashi perked up, "Thanks!"
Nana entered the room.
She was dressed up as a Mecha Pilot, with a very down-scaled and compact version of the Production Revive she'd constructed from cardboard.
"Incroyable!" Complimented Charlotte, "A near-perfect replica of the Dunois Corporation Production Model Revive!"
"Y-Yeah...My Step-Mom's company did a quick joint project once, and the Dunois Corporation gave them the frame design specs, so my Step-Mom allowed me to study them if I ever decided to mod the Geargaia."
"I remember. I never had any association with the project, so they never told me about the details."
"Say," Noted Nana, "Where's Thomas?"
"Still in bed last I checked." Said Ichika.
"And you didn't wake him up?!"
"Uh..."
Suddenly, a gradually increasing sound of a trumpet began to echo into the classroom.
The students all looked around, visibly confused.
Without warning, a skeleton with a trumpet and a brass-colored vest bust into the room!
"What the hell?!" Shouted Houki.
"DOOT DOOT!" Shouted the skeleton, throwing his head about his shoulders like a maniac.
"Thomas," Deadpanned Ichika, "Take the stupid mask off."
"Coulda led 'em on longer..." Whined Thomas as he removed the skull hood mask from his head.
"What're you supposed to be?" Inquired Houki.
"The Doot Revenant."
"Really?"
"Dear God..." Groaned Nana in embarrassment.
"You laugh now..." Said Thomas.
"Hello class!" Greeted Maya, dressed in a cheap witch hat and cloak.
"Good morning, Miss Yamada!"
"Has..." Maya's face turned serious, "Has anyone seen Miss Orimura or Scott's father? Neither of them have been seen since last night..."
"No...We haven't." Hesitantly said all the students.
"Mind sharing, Ma'am?" Inquired Thomas.
"Oh," Answered Maya, "It's...Nothing. Nothing at all. Okay, who's ready to party?!"
The class erupted with agreement.
Thomas instantly knew something was wrong.
Ichika knew something was wrong because Thomas's suspicion was written all over his face.
Minutes Later...
"Elias!" Called Cecelia, "Let's go to the Haunted House production the Second-Years are putting on!"
"O-Of course, Milady..." Elias said, timidly following her lead.
Thomas would've indulged his childish nature more, if it weren't for Maya's strange behavior earlier.
"So," He said, quickly burying his curiosity, "What's going on around the school?"
"Well," Said Ichika, "The Second-Years are putting on a Haunted House in their hallway, the First-Years are hosting open parties in their classrooms...And, from what I heard, the Maintenance Department is trying to do some big event later..."
"What of the Student Council?"
"Sorry, Tatenashi wouldn't say."
"That terrifies me."
"You and me both."
The class had put on music and set up a dance floor. Lingyin was dancing around, waving her dragon costume all over, with an elegant wave of the costume moving like a ghost.
"I'm not the only one concerned about Chifuyu and dad, right?" Said Thomas.
"Same." Said Ichika.
The music had changed to slower, ballroom music.
"Ichika!" Called Houki.
"What's up, Houki?"
Houki looked away, as though she was about to talk about private matters.
"W-Would you...Dance with me?"
"Sure!"
Houki took Ichika's hands, and the two began to dance.
Houki never felt happier.
Lingyin, Charlotte, and Laura stared daggers at he as she danced away with Ichika.
"I got this." Whispered Lingyin.
She pulled out a marble, and rolled it towards the couple.
"Nobody gets ahead of me!" She snickered.
Houki stepped on the marble, and kicked herself off-balance!
But before she fell, Ichika caught her, as though they were performing an elegant dance rather than fall victim to a prank.
The girls were stunned, their mouths agape.
Instead of stopping the two from getting closer, they'd only brought them even closer together!
Ichika realized what he was doing, straddling Houki, and quickly backed away as she got on her feet.
"S-Sorry!"
"It's...Fine." Houki said, blushing.
Thomas did his best not to giggle as he watched.
Cecelia and Elias returned from the Haunted House.
That is, Cecelia had been carrying Elias back. Elias had fainted.
"Lemme guess," Predicted Thomas, "He freaked out?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Said Cecelia, "I'm just glad he didn't wet himself...But I still wish he'd show more spine, like his rematch against Charlotte. I do admit I'd rather be the one in his arms rather than have him in mine."
"Well," Theorized Thomas, "If that's what you're thinking of, then it'd be best to treat Elias's sudden boost in bravery more of a situational matter: It only works, should he be in certain situations, like intense pressure."
"D'oh, drat...One day, I'll be in his arms..." Muttered Cecelia as she set Elias down in a chair.
Maya was currently looking around nervously.
"No doubt, it's about earlier..." Thought Thomas.
"Miss Yamada?"
"Hm?! Oh, Scott."
"Was there any word from my dad or Miss Orimura?"
"No. Not since last night."
"Hm..."
"It's probably nothing!" Said Maya, "You shouldn't worry about it, maybe they went out for the day."
"...Right."
Thomas left, and explained the situation to Ichika.
"She's obviously lying." Deadpanned Ichika.
"Dad n' Chifuyu would never." Agreed Thomas.
Suddenly, mist began to fill the room.
"Oh no..." Groaned Thomas.
"Not like we could stop her..." Said Ichika.
The mist condensed, swirling up into a solid mass. The massive cloud sucked all the attention in the room.
With a small boom, the cloud dispersed, revealing none other than Tatenashi.
"It is I!" The Student President declared, "The Mist-Bearing Lady of the Lake, Lady Tatenashi!"
Tatenashi wore a very risque Lady of the Lake costume. She wore a very thin aqua gown, exposing her belly and back. There were a pair of wings on her hips. She wore a tiara designed identical to the Mysterious Lady, as like the other girls.
"Well well," She giggled, looking to Thomas and Ichika, "If it isn't my two favorite boys!"
She strutted up to them, making sure to display her legs as she walked.
"Well?" She said, "10 out of 10?"
"Uh-huh." Thomas deadpanned, unamused.
"Well," Tatenashi huffed, "It's not worth it if you won't react!"
Ichika, on the other hand, was flustered.
"Well now." Tatenashi said in a sultry voice, purposely displaying her body to Ichika.
"C'mon, big guy," She whispered, "You know you likey~!"
Thomas and Ichika looked to each other, and nodded.
They grabbed Tatenashi by the arms, and dragged her out of the room.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" She pleaded.
"Sorry..." Apologized Ichika, his fortitude strengthened by Thomas's presence.
"...But we're members of the Thot Patrol." Finished Thomas.
"Wait! I'm not a Thot! I'm not a Thot, I swear!"
Thomas and Ichika dumped her outside the classroom.
"Jesus himself said it once," Said Thomas, "'If she breathes, she's a Thot.'"
The boys returned to the classroom.
Elias finally woke up.
"I...I failed." He muttered.
"Don't be," Consoled Thomas, "All you need to do is remember: It's not real, and they can't touch you."
Out of nowhere, the Class could hear a boom echo from outside.
The boys raced to the window to look and see.
A trail of smoke was rising from a building. The smoke was not only rising, but spreading out over the IS Academy.
"Aw shit!" Said Thomas.
"What in the..." Trailed Elias.
"Looks like it came from the Maintenance Department. We need to go check the scene!"
The three boys raced out of the room, as all the students were still distracted.
Thankfully, they weren't alone.
Cecelia, Houki, Nana, Laura, Charlotte, Lingyin, and Kanzashi all trailed behind them after a minute.
"Wait up guys!"
"It could be dangerous!"
"We know! That's why we're following!"
The Maintenance Department...
The boys had quickly reached the area.
It was covered in purple smoke.
"Okay!" Concluded Thomas, "Welp, we need some sort of gas filter, that's obviously hazardous!"
"Hang on!" Realized Ichika, "Deploy the Thrusters of your Units, we can blow away the stuff!"
"Oh!" Added Elias, "I bet if we use our Units to circle around the smoke, we can create a wind tunnel to blow it into space, where it won't harm anyone!"
"Good idea! Let's do it!"
The boys quickly took off their costumes and deployed their Units.
Thomas had gone back to wearing the old-fashioned two-piece Pilot Uniform.
"Hey!" Pointed Ichika, "What happened to the new Undersheath Uniform you had, Thomas?"
"That got screwed back during the Tag-Team Tournament," Recounted the American, "I've been trying to design new uniforms for the three of us, so I sent to Undersheath back to the Maintenance Department so they could fix it."
"Oh..."
"Doesn't matter right now, let's focus on getting rid of this stuff.
The boys began to circle the cloud of gas, flying faster and faster around it to condense it.
The girls caught up, and quickly realized what they were doing.
"Oh...I get it!" Said Nana.
"What?" Inquired Houki.
"They're spiraling all that nasty stuff into space, like a coil gun!"
"We oughta help!" Suggested Charlotte.
"Right!" The other girls agreed, quickly removing parts of their costumes so they could deploy their Units.
The girls quickly took flight, and helped the boys.
"Good to see you know what we're doing!" Said Thomas.
"Alright!" Said Ichika, "Now, lift!"
The students began to fly higher, drawing the cloud higher with them.
The girls breathed, only to accidentally draw small bits of the cloud into their lungs!
The students coughed a little, but continued in their pursuits.
It wasn't long before they led the cloud up into the sky, and dispersed it.
"Should be harmless now," Concluded Thomas, "it'll vaporize and die as it reaches the upper parts of the atmosphere"
"That's good." Agreed Ichika.
Elias quickly took notice of the girls.
They were all dazed, staring at the boys with a little bit of drool in their mouths.
"Is something the matter?" Inquired Elias, "You're all confused!"
The girls quickly snapped out of their daze.
Cecelia suddenly moved over to Elias, and began to get uncomfortably close, examining his body.
"I'm quite fine!" She said, "However, we ought to check you boys. After all, you were the ones who were exposed the longest to the clouds, you could be poisoned!"
Cecelia gasped, as though she was in shock.
"What's wrong, milady?" Elias realized just how close Cecelia was, and blushed.
"You were exposed for so long!" She cried, "You poor thing! You might be getting sick! Quickly, allow me to bring to the Infirmary to get you checked. Don't worry, I'll be very thorough with your examination myself~!"
Her tone changed from concerned, to very sensual.
The other girls quickly followed suit.
"Thomas, she's right!" Said Nana, quickly grabbing him and looking him over, "But I'll be more gentle while inspecting you~!"
"Ichika!" Cried the rest of the girls, quickly crowding around him, "We'll all examine you! Let's hurry up, we can't wait~!"
"Alright," Said Thomas, "How 'bout us guys go down to the Infirmary, while you all go report to the Instructors?"
"Fine..." The girls all grumbled.
Thomas could tell something was wrong.
The girls were acting bolder than usual.
Later at sunset...
"Okay, something's up." Said Thomas.
"Agreed."
"Most certainly." Said Elias.
After they'd gotten rid of the cloud, the boys changed back into their costumes and surveyed the rest of the Academy.
The students all looked ready to use the restroom, and the Instructors were giving the boys very naughty looks. Any of the women they approached all had very sensual tones, and acted as though they were ready to pounce.
The boys sat in silence, quickly moving to Elias's dorm room to convene and discuss the situation.
Elias's room was very well-maintained. His bed's standard covers had been replaced with ones he'd brought from home, a stack of books were neatly placed on a shelf, and much more.
Ichika and Thomas were a little embarrassed how their room seemed to pale in comparison.
"Could that smoke have something to do with everyone's strange behavior?" Pondered Ichika.
"Most likely." Concurred Thomas.
"What was the Maintenance Department doing?" Said Elias.
"From what I could gather," Explained Ichika, "They were trying to make a whole Halloween prank, and decided to create a smoke bomb with some weird materials. I guess something must've gone wrong, because this is going around."
"That would imply we're dealing with some kind of viral element," Theorized Thomas, "But in order to know exactly what, we need to know the symptoms."
"Everyone was acting...a bit clingy. I mean, more than normal." Said Ichika.
"And we can count that whatever's going on, it's kind of like...Zombies."
"Zombies? Don't be so cliche." Said Elias.
Thomas flinched.
"What's up?" Ichika asked.
Thomas stood up, and went to the door.
He slowly reached for the handle.
He gently clasped the doorknob, and threw it open, quickly looking outside the dorm room.
"Nothing." He said slowly, closing the door.
"What's gotten you so cautious?" Inquired Elias.
"I have a feeling we're gonna be in for a very long night."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well," Explained Thomas, "Not only is everyone getting thirsty all of the sudden, but..."
He looked back at the door, as though he were expecting something to happen.
"...We have figure what's going on."
"Shouldn't be that hard." Assured Ichika, "I mean, doesn't seem too bad-"
There was a loud knocking on the door.
"ICHIKA!" Houki shouted from behind the door.
"What's made her so mad?" Ichika wondered as he walked up to the door to open it.
He opened it, to find Houki had changed her costume a little.
Unlike before, Houki had removed the breastplate, and exposed a very lovely black bra. She'd also removed the front two armor plates of her skirt, exposing her legs.
"Well?" She asked sensually, "This gets you off, doesn't it?"
Ichika saw her, jumped back, and blushed deeply.
"W-What're you doing?! The chest-piece was perfectly fine!"
"Oh shut it and give me what I want!" Houki said, drawing her prop katana.
Thomas decided to test a theory.
He marched up, and slammed the door shut.
"What was that all about?!" Ichika cried in dismay.
Suddenly, a katana blade had pierced through the door between the two boys.
Thomas and Ichika quickly stepped back.
After the katana pierced through the door several more times, Houki's face appeared through the hole she'd made.
"Heeeere's HOUKI!" She declared in a scary voice.
"Fuck!" Thomas said, punching Houki's face through the hole.
Thomas had noticed a very defining feature of Houki's face.
Her eyes were naturally purple, but the purple color had suddenly darkened, and began to seemingly glow.
"Why did you hit her?!" Ichika stuttered, thoroughly confused.
"We need to go!" Said Thomas, quickly searching for another exit to the room.
"Let's use our Units!" Suggested Elias, "Like before, we fly down the balcony."
"I'm sorry," Said Thomas, "But d'you wanna ditch the costume in this situation?"
"...No..." Elias groaned sadly.
"Then we'll have to scale down the balconies."
"Are you insane?!" Cried Ichika, "It made sense to use our Units, but doing it by hand?!"
"We'll be fine as long as we're smart."
"Ugh..." Grumbled Ichika, "Fine, let's go."
Houki grabbed the door, attempting to pull if right off its hinges.
"LET ME IN!" She shouted, "LET ME IIIIIIIN!"
The boys got onto the balcony, shutting the door behind them.
Houki bust through the door, and smashed into the balcony door, stuck on the other side.
The boys quickly began to jump from railing to railing as they prayed not to fall.
One by one, the boys touched the ground, and began to jog away. The sky had become quite dark, as it was nighttime. Quickly, the boys connected to one of the walkways, and began to run right for the Maintenance Building.
"C'mon!" Led Thomas, "We need to get to the Maintenance Department!"
"Why?!"
"If we can find a trace sample of whatever that-let's call it "Smoke" for time-We can analyze and figure out what the girls were up to with their smoke bomb prank!"
"Wait!" Cried Elias, "What of the other students? We can't risk this!"
"Notice how we were unaffected when the other were to direct exposure? Sure, but you're right, we can't risk getting overwhelmed!"
"Uuh, guys?" Ichika said, "We might have a problem."
The boys stopped in their tracks.
All around they heard the sounds of moaning and groaning.
The boys look all around, only to find hordes of girls coming from all sides.
They staggered and stumbled along, with the same mysterious glowing purple in their eyes.
"I take it back," Confessed Elias, "Zombies it is."
"They're not enemies, they're students," Muttered Ichika, "We can't deploy our Units and take them down...What to do..."
Thomas scanned the sky.
"I got an idea."
"Feel free the share." Ichika said, as the boys began to go back-to-back as the hordes of girls closed in.
"Remember that move I did to Laura? the Just Shield?"
"What about it?"
"We can use that."
"Really? How?"
"Do as I say, not as I do."
Thomas stepped forward, and deployed the Revive's legs.
He launched into the air, and quickly recalled the legs as he neared a lamppost.
He redeployed the legs, and launched off the lamppost, flying right over the horde.
Ichika and Elias looked at each other, and shrugged.
They both did the same.
The boys flew over the crowd, landing several meters away from the back of the horde.
The boys recalled their Units, and ran for it.
"That's genius!" Said Elias.
"Well," Said Thomas, "We're the first guys of the IS Academy, we gotta find new things to bring to the table!"
"Right," said Ichika, we need to get our bearings, and get to the Maintenance Building-?!"
A knife whizzed by Ichika's head, burying itself into the ground.
"At last," Laura said, breathing heavily, "You vill be MINE!"
Laura pounced upon Ichika.
He could feel her hot, heavy breath on his face as she suddenly began to removing her clothes a little.
"Laura, wait!"
Thomas suddenly snatched Laura by the back of her collar with his right arm, and deployed the Revive's right arm.
Laura was sent flying back, but quickly recovered.
"Aw man! Everyone's gone psycho!" Said Ichika, as the boys turned and ran away.
"Well, we weren't exactly tidy with the smoke..." Said Thomas.
"By the way," Inquired Elias, "How did you think of that?"
"Saw it in a marine life documentary once," Said Thomas, "Dolphins used that technique when hunting for prey."
"Nifty!"
"Won't do us much good now, let's hurry before another RC finds us."
The boys quickly entered the building.
"C'mon! They're right behind us!" Said Ichika as the boys did their best to barricade the door.
Sure enough a barrage of thumping from behind the door confirmed Ichika's caution.
The boys quickly went to the site of the incident earlier that day.
"Alright...Damn, my nostrils burn..." Thomas muttered, quickly rummaging through every object he could with a light.
"What now?"
"We need some sort of residue, something we can use to pinpoint the substance."
"Right."
"Somebody stand guard." Suggested Thomas, "I have a feeling that barricade won't hold for too long..."
Elias stood guard, his prop sword and shield at the ready.
Though he didn't feel the courage to actually swing.
Ichika was the first to hear it.
It sounded like a quiet growl, with repeated clicking.
Ichika whipped around...
...To find that nothing was there.
He then looked up.
Sure enough, a humanoid figure with female shape was clawing on the ceiling above him.
Thomas and Elias heard him scream.
Elias raced out of the room, to find Ichika being chased by a strange creature.
With a mighty swing of its right arm, she knocked the two boys down to the floor.
"Thomas?" Elias called, "Thomas!"
The only thing that made a sound was the woman, towering over the two boys.
Out of nowhere, the monster was knocked down by the loudest trumpet blare the boys ever heard. The boys looked, only to find that Thomas had blown a trumpet as loud and hard as he could right into the woman's ear.
"Nice!" Said Ichika, as he and Elias got up, "Where'd you get the trumpet?"
"Swiped it from the Band room when no-one was looking."
Ichika and Elias gave Thomas disapproving looks.
"What? I was going to give it back after the day was over." Thomas defended.
"Anyway," Interrupted Elias, "Were you successful?"
"Not exactly-" Thomas was cut off as the woman got back on her feet.
"We should go." Said the American.
"I'LL STEAL YOUR INNOCENCE!" Screeched the woman as she lunged for the boys.
Elias jumped away, yelping in terror. Ichika ducked under the woman letting her hit the wall instead.
"Let's roll!" Said Thomas as the boys ran for their lives.
"Who was that?!"
"Might be Chifuyu." Said Thomas, "Had the same vocal mannerisms."
"How the hell're you so calm?!" Questioned Ichika.
"I'm absolutely terrified." Admitted Thomas, "I'd be flabbergasted if I wasn't! How d'you think I got this unkempt hairstyle?"
"Touching," Said Elias, "But how will we escape? It's too dangerous to search for another exit, and we've sealed ourselves in!"
"We use the windows on the ground floor!" Said Ichika.
"But they know we're here, how will we escape without getting swarmed?"
"Leave that to me." Said Thomas.
"That's right," Remembered Ichika, "What did you mean by 'Not exactly?'"
"Well," Said Thomas, "I roughly know what we're dealing with, and we don't have to do anything other than hide the night out."
"What's this mystery substance?"
"Some sort of Aphrodisiac." Deadpanned Thomas.
The boys all blanked.
"You're kidding."
"I'm not."
"Why-HOW would the Maintenance Department get an Aphrodisiac?!"
"Dunno, but this would explain why my nose burns. I can smell that disgusting shit. They must've laced the smoke bomb with it. When it went off, the stuff spread to the air, and dosed people."
"But we're unaffected..."
"We'll figure that out later."
"So," Inquired Elias, "What do we do now?"
"We hide out 'till the stuff wears off. I recommend we sit in the Third Years' Haunted House, plenty of places to hide."
The boys reached the ground floor, and jumped out a window.
"Right, now let's-wait, where's Thomas?!" Cried Ichika.
"Thomas?!" Called Elias.
"Did he get caught?"
"He was with us..."
"Damn..."
The boys turned, only to find they were trapped.
Girls had them cornered.
"This...Might be it." Said Ichika.
"If it helps," Said Elias, "I want you to know you and Thomas were my best friends."
"Me too!"
The girls all crowded in.
It was over.
Or so the boys thought.
They closed their eyes.
(Song-Knee-Deep in the Doot.)
The horde of girls all looked behind them...
...To find Thomas standing on a bench, playing the trumpet at the top of his lungs.
The girls, somehow, were much more attracted to the music, and began to crowd towards Thomas.
"GO!" He shouted in between notes, "I'LL BE FINE! SAVE YOURSELVES!"
Ichika and Elias looked to Thomas one last time, saluted, and ran for their lives.
They could hear Thomas's trumpet echo all over the island.
They did their best not to look back.
It was hard for them not to, especially when the Trumpet suddenly stopped playing.
In the Classrooms...
"So," Said Elias, "Should we really hide? If what Thomas says is true-"
"Do you want to get caught by them like this?"
"Point taken."
The boys raced to through classrooms, holding onto the childish hope that Thomas had found a way out.
"But what was that woman?"
"Thomas could be right...I don't know, would Chifuyu really be affected by...Whatever we're calling this?"
"I hope not." Said Elias, "Nothing would be able to stop her."
"Alright..." Ichika began to look around, "Where can we hide?"
"Thomas suggested the Haunted...House..."
"Don't get cold feet now, nobody's there to scare you!"
"But..."
"Thomas is gone, you have to be brave, dude!"
"Right...Promise you'll stick with me? I...I'd rather there's someone there to catch me should I fall."
Ichika rested a hand on Elias's shoulder.
"Always." He said with a smile.
Ichika and Elias slowly and cautiously walked through the Haunted House.
The students and faculty who managed it were long since gone, most likely part of the horde outside.
The boys were so distracted by the sights...
...That they didn't realize they were already drifting away from each other.
Elias walked into a room.
The theme of the room was a dungeon room.
Elias heard the door behind creak, and slam shut.
"Ichika!" He cried, desperately trying to open the door.
"I thought you'd come here eventually..." Cecelia's voice echoed.
Elias whipped around, to find Cecelia with a sultry look on her face.
"Lady Cecelia..." He said nervously, "I don't want to, but if you try to force yourself..."
Elias took up a fighting stance.
"...I'll react accordingly!"
Cecelia giggled.
"I mean it!" Said Elias, "This behavior is unbecoming of you, even at the cusp of womanhood!"
Cecelia's smile dropped.
"Does..." Cecelia's voice trembled, "Does that mean you don't want me?"
"I...I never said that..."
Cecelia had backed Elias into a corner.
She came near.
"I'm scared." She said, drawing closer and closer, "I know much has changed since we were separated, but how I felt for you never changed, despite how much I thought I saw the last of you."
"Milady...Please..."
Cecelia had gotten close enough.
She pounced, and ended up knocking Elias onto his rear, and draped herself over him.
"I tried to forget about you because of it. But...I never felt right in doing so. And when you came back, I was frightened. At first, I was furious at myself, trying to chase you away out of fear for and of you, but you showed me you were most capable..."
She took off Elias's helmet, revealing his rose-red face.
She then brought him in for a tender kiss on his lips.
Cecelia suddenly slumped, and her lips sloppily parted with Elias's, and her head fell onto his shoulder.
The rush Cecelia had gotten from her bold deed had overwhelmed her to the point she fainted. However, Elias was also overwhelmed by the moment, being frozen in his position as he processed what had just happened.
He then fainted as well.
Elsewhere...
Ichika had realized he and Elias had gotten separated.
"I hope he's found a good hiding spot." He muttered to himself.
"Ori...Mura..." Whispered into Ichika's ear.
Ichika jumped forward, spinning around as he touched the ground to get a look at his attacker.
It was the woman from before!
"You don't scare me!" Ichika said boldly, his breathing beginning to speed up.
The woman stepped forward, and Ichika stepped back.
"I'm not scared..." Ichika said, his voice beginning to falter.
Ichika then tripped, and fell on his rear.
"Crap..." He muttered.
The woman towered over him.
"C-Chifuyu...?" Ichika asked, one last lingering hope in his voice.
The woman came closer, and closer to Ichika's face.
Suddenly, the woman ensnared him with a power hug!
"HELP!" Cried Ichika, "HELP ME! SOMEBODY!"
He then received a bop on the head.
"It's just me," Said Chifuyu, taking off her mask, "Dummy."
"Chifuyu?!"
"Are you so afraid of your big sister? You're so hurtful, Ichika! You know I'd never do anything to hurt you like that!"
"I'm sorry, it's just..."
"Everyone's getting all aroused because the girls in the Maintenance Department tried to play a stupid prank. I know."
"Where've you been?!"
"Out drinking with Thomas's dad. We both decided to take time off. But when he and I found out the situation here, I decided to throw a prank of my own."
"Have you seen Thomas?"
"Nope."
Oh crap..."
"He's probably fine. You boys should go back to your dorms and lock the doors, this'll all be over in the morning."
She gave Ichika a tender hug.
"You must've been scared, all those naughty girls coming after you."
"I was..."
"It's all fine now, Big Sis is here. But this is going to be a one-time deal, me letting you call me 'Chifuyu' on school grounds."
"Thanks!"
"Now go to bed. I'll take care of this."
Ichika raced back to the dorm room, and fell asleep without any more worry, knowing his older sister would sort everything out.
The Next Day...
The students and faculty all had a widespread hangover-like slump that morning. Even so, they still had to clean up all the Halloween stuff they'd used yesterday. And so, the classes were filled with whining, groaning, and severe headaches.
"Ugh...I'm gonna puke..." Groaned Lingyin.
"What the hell happened yesterday?" Murmured Houki.
Laura was far too out of it to even speak coherently.
"Me and Laura slept heavily last night," Groaned Charlotte, "A bit too heavily..."
Nana was the very first to actually vomit in a trash can.
"Has anyone seen Thomas? He didn't come back last night..."
It was only the very beginning of school, but Thomas had been missing ever since his trumpet solo last night.
"You mean Scott wasn't there when you came back to your room?"
"No..."
"He should turn up soon."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Well," Chifuyu said cryptically, "I don't know for sure, but I believe he managed to locate a safe place."
Thomas suddenly walked into the room, wearing a very crisp and clean IS Academy male student uniform.
"Mornin'." He said casually.
"Thomas?! you're okay!"
"Sorry for being late, I had to return the trumpet, and clean the mouthpiece. Man, cleaning one of those things takes so long..."
"What happened?! We all thought you got mauled!"
"What d'you take me for, dude?" Questioned Thomas, "'Course I escaped."
"Where were you?"
"Slept on the roof."
"WHAT?!"
"Wasn't that bad actually. I think might sleep there again sometime..."
Elias entered the room.
"Oh! Lady Cecelia. What happened last night? I woke up in my costume, but I don't remember how or why..." Inquired Elias.
"I'm not so certain..." Groaned Cecelia, "Everything's a blur..."
"Don't think too much of it, I'm certain nothing irrevocable happened."
Cecelia lied.
She did remember one thing, a very specific thing that happened last night. Her kissing Elias. She didn't even think she could do such a thing in her right mind. But, since she wasn't, she never expected to do something so bold, let alone to Elias.
It appeared that Elias was so shocked, he'd forgotten entirely.
Was this how she truly felt?
If so, she wouldn't mind doing it again...
Ichika was trying to figure out how Thomas managed to get to the roof.
Thomas's lips were sealed.
"But I'll say this," Said Thomas, "Not the worst Halloween ever, but it was certainly the most interesting one yet."
"You're probably thinking about making next year even more bat-shit crazy, aren't you?" Deadpanned Ichika.
"You read my mind, Ichika."
The boys laughed, blissful.
But neither of them knew of the danger soon to come.
A/N: And done! I'm sorry, I wanted to release directly on Halloween, but time constraints for the previous chapter ended up putting me further back than I wanted. Nevertheless, the second Halloween Chapter is here!
I'll talk about my choices for the Halloween costumes.
Ichika is a typical Slasher, Elias is the Earlcumber, Thomas is the Doot Revenant, Houki is a Samurai Princess, Lingyin is a Dragon, Laura is a Black Cat, Charlotte is a Witch, Cecelia is a Princess, Nana is a Production Model Revive Pilot, Kanzashi is a Water Spirit, and Tatenashi is the Lady of the Lake.
I really enjoyed trying to come up with the costumes for each of them. I wanted to go with a sort of theme, and try recreating costumes respective of their IS Units, like symbolism. The only reason Ichika isn't doing that this time is because I did that with his Samurai Costume back in Chapter 13.
However, unlike the slightly lighthearted chapter this was, things are going to get real in the next chapter.
Because next chapter, Phantom Task makes an appearance.
Next Time: A Trip to Kyoto.
The First Year Class is going on a field trip to Kyoto!
The Representative Candidates all get excited as they can finally have fun as they see the sights, take pictures, and play around!
However...There's more danger behind the scenes. Phantom Task is lurking about, no doubt another attempt to abduct Thomas! But Thomas isn't one to stand for such things without getting the final say!
Unfortunately, Thomas will quickly discover his incredible abilities might not help him this time...
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