If a man habors any sort of fear, it makes him landlord to a ghost. ~ Lloyd Douglas


Ryou got down from the stool and inspected the scene before him.

He had put of fake spider webs in almost every corner of his house, even in the crooks outside his apartment door. Plastic spiders were nestled in-between the webs and he had even put a jack-o-lantern out in his window.

Halloween most certainly was a holiday Ryou appreciated. Occult had always fascinated him. The fact that the Celtics started the tradition of wearing costumes to blend in with the spirits and ghosts (and therefore protect themselves) that roamed Halloween night only added to that.

He didn't have a costume this year, though.

(There was no point; even the scariest mask wouldn't protect him from the spirit of the millennium ring.)

But in all honesty the decorations were just a way to keep him busy. It gave him something to do so he didn't have to think about the haunted day and the night that was fast approaching. (The spirit loved the night.)

The door bell rang and like the good host Ryou was, he answered it.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

A man emerged from the shadows with dark blue eyes and chocolate brown hair.

"Could I interest you in one of our many home cleaning projects?"

"I'm sorry. I have no need for whatever you're selling," Ryou frowned and as he tried to close the door, the man stuck out his foot to block it.

"I insist," the man said and his eyes narrowed.

Ryou felt the sharp prick of the tassels punching threw his skin.

Then, nothing.

The world came back to him in blurry pieces and with a sigh of relief the first thing he saw was the spider webs he had hung up. So at least he was home.

Still trembling a bit, Ryou stood to survey what had happened. As he always did when things of this nature accord, he checked his hands. (A silent prayer - no blood, no blood, no blood.) There was dirt underneath his fingernails.

Ryou cringed. The dirt wasn't dirt, it never was dirt…

That's when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the kitchen knives was missing. Ryou began to shake. Two words were written in a dark brownish reddish color above his window. It almost…it almost looked like the color of dried…

Oh, god.

(Unholy, deranged, sadistic laughter filled his head.)

Happy Halloween, my dear landlord.


A/N For all those celebrating Halloween, Happy Halloween! Update is quicker than usually because Halloween is my favorite holiday. Next update should be anytime between next Sunday - Tuesday.

As always, please review!