Rating: T+ (so far, apparently)

Warnings: OOCness, OCs, inconsistent updates, death, pain, grammatical errors and no beta.

Disclaimer: Whims of Anime does not own No. 6 or the Vocaloids Kagamine Rin and Len or the song Trick and Treat, only the plot and the OCs. They belong to their rightful owners. Please support the official release.

Dedication: To spooky-time. Because October is perfect for horror stuff. And to whoever waited a whole year for me to update this horror story. Thank you.

Anime: Hey, guys, this was a long span between updates. Oops? I decided to write Trick and Treat primarily during October during the horror fest that is this month but I wasn't able to finish this short fic last year. So, this year, I hope to finish it before the next October rolls around. So, let's recap a little before we begin. If you still remember, skip the recap.

~~~TAT~~~

Story Thus Far:

Safu received twin dolls from her grandmother in her fifth birthday, the dolls resembling the twins of the kingdom of No. 6. One day, a witch (?) decides to give the dolls life after Safu expressed a desire for companionship. Things take a dark turn when the dolls - that name themselves Shion and Aster - kill three children that were harassing Safu. Horrified, her mother takes the dolls to a priest, that seals them inside the forest near their village. However, the demonic twin dolls continue to kill, luring children and teenagers into their home with their mellodious voices.

The Hosoya family moves in seven years later, a family composing of the parents, their adopted daughter Inukashi and their biological children Nezumi and Eve. Nezumi is disturbed by the atmosphere in the town and tries to investigate - especially after strange occurences happen - before he enters the forest, meeting the twins. After losing a game of Kagome Kagome, Nezumi becomes their prisoner. What happens now?

~~~TAT~~~

3: Third Time's A Charm

West Town always looked as if it was dead and that was a fact that everyone that lived in said town knew. Nowadays, though, it seemed it was darker and gloomier than before. Perhaps it was because their splash of color and light had vanished when the Hosoya family had also fallen victim to the twin demons of Lucifenia.

In the only high school in West Town, two desks were missing, one having an excused absence because of an illness while the other just reminded them of the small joy they had once when they could finally talk to someone that hadn't been sapped of their happiness.

Megumi Rosenfield – one of the quietest boys in town – was even quieter. He had stopped speaking again and ate his lunch alone now. People missed hearing his voice and missed the person that had allowed them to hear Megumi's voice. Alas, they knew that person was gone.

Outside the school, a distraught mother and father continued on their fruitless search while two lonely sisters stayed at home, praying and wishing for the knowledge of their brother's whereabouts.

Inside that now quiet house, a single room lay untouched, for it had the semblance of a room that would soon be occupied by its free spirited and sarcastic owner. Besides, Nezumi never did like it when people moved the things in his room.

Outside that home filled with sorrow, near a forest that felt as if it was evil, a young girl could be seen walking towards it before stopping, yelling something that was lost to the wind. The young girl – who had faked an illness to investigate here during school hours – was none other than Safu.

Safu tried to run into the forest only to be rebounded from it, as if they – glowing orange eyes, white hair, "This time you lose", cold fingers, two dolls – were rejecting her entrance. She gave out a growl before launching herself again, only to be thrown into the air as shockwaves passed her body.

"Why?" She asked, picking herself up from the floor and looking angrily at the barrier that kept her from going inside, "Why don't you let me save Nezumi Hosoya?" The forest was silent, as she knew it would be.

Eight months had passed since Nezumi's disappearance, since the night he had gone into the forest. His parents were obviously distressed, pleading in vain for the police to help them find their missing son. The police – just like everyone else – knew that Nezumi had been taken by Shion and Aster and was most likely dead.

Of course, that was not something they wanted to tell the poor Hosoya family, who was still searching in vain for their son when they didn't know that he was so close – the Hosoya's lived fairly close to the forest – yet too far away for them to reach him. Most likely, they'd never see Nezumi again in one piece or alive.

However, Safu still had hope that Nezumi lived. In all these eight months, the twins had not caused any disturbance and none of Nezumi's body parts had appeared to his parents, which was something common on those the twins killed. Not to mention Safu would receive nightmares of how the twins killed their victim and she hadn't had a nightmare in eight months since Nezumi disappeared.

As long as there was a small chance that Nezumi was alive, Safu was willing to take it.

"Why?" She whispered, looking at the road that led into the forest while reaching out for a person that was gone from this world, held in the hands of the wicked and corrupted dolls that she still loved despite all that had happened. She wasn't even sure what she was asking anymore. Words just didn't stop coming out of her mouth.

"Why?!"

~~~TAT~~~

Nezumi opened his eyes to see Aster humming a very familiar tune, Shion running his gentle fingers through his hair the way he did to make Nezumi relax or for him to go to sleep. He smiled up at the twins, Aster opening his eyes and seeing him do so while Shion had not done so, too interested in Nezumi's long hair. He yawned, sitting up on his bed, "Good morning!"

"Morning, prince Nezumi," Aster greeted.

Shion helped Nezumi get out of bed, "What do you want to play today, Nezumi?"

Nezumi yawned again, rubbing his eyes and blinking, looking down at himself, "Have I always looked five, Shion?" If he had been looking at the twins, he would've seen Aster's frown and Shion's concerned gaze. When he looked up, the twins were smiling down at him gently, looking like the kind friends Nezumi knew they were.

"Of course, silly." Aster laughed, ruffling Nezumi's hair, "How old do you think you are?" He began to brush the little boy's hair, Nezumi squirming as he didn't like his hair to be brushed. Aster and Shion insisted that he looked better with tame hair, though.

"Sixteen." Nezumi replied as Shion began to look through a small toy chest for games they could play. Nezumi held his head, "I had a really funny dream. About a lady and mister that called themselves my mom and dad. They were crying, too."

Aster tsked, looking at the back of Nezumi's head in annoyance, "That is some crazy dream you got there, prince." He got the boy's long hair in a ponytail and fixed the boy's clothes so they could look presentable.

"A dream?" Nezumi shook his head. He could see the outline of a woman calling out to him and crying, a man holding the crying woman. Their faces were blurry and their voices were fading away as well. Aster must be right. It must have been a dream. If it was real, he'd remember who they were.

"Now, let's play checkers!" Shion said, pulling out the board. Aster groaned while Nezumi cheered. He loved playing against Shion because Shion went easy on him. Aster was brutal when playing checkers, something that did not appeal to Nezumi.

"I'm going to get us some candy from the kitchen." Aster said, leaving the room while Shion and Nezumi prepared to have their game. Shion smiled at Nezumi, the two starting their game.

~~~TAT~~~

"Kimi wa ouji, boku wa meshitsukai. Unmei wakatsu, aware na futago. Kimi wo mamoru, sono tame naraba. Boku wa aku ni datte natte yaru." Aster sang while Shion hummed along, brushing Nezumi's hair calmly as he smiled gently down at the sleeping boy. The two were inside a rundown looking building that only had a bed and a toy chest in the room.

The two were sitting on the bed, tending to the unconscious Nezumi Hosoya. The human was sprawled on the bed, a black blindfold covering his eyes. He was dressed in the clothes that he had been wearing when he had been taken eight months ago, as the two didn't want to dress him up.

Nezumi was surrounded by stuffed animals that they had gotten from the children that had come into their lair, pulled in here by their hypnotic songs. The stuffed animals were all eyeless with a knife stuck in their stuffed stomachs. The one that wasn't – a small stuffed rat – looked handmade and looked as if it had been created by a child.

"Aster?" Shion interrupted his brother, although they both knew that wouldn't bring Nezumi out of his hallucination. His twin looked at him, not voicing his question out loud. Shion looked down at Nezumi and sighed, "I don't like this. It doesn't feel like before."

"What do you mean?"

"The last times, I was fine with just being close to him. Now, it doesn't seem to be enough." He muttered, Aster's eyes widening a fraction before looking down at the unconscious male. Shion closed his eyes, "Am I being selfish?"

"You two promised, long ago, to reunite in whatever era you were in." Aster said, holding one of Shion's hands tightly, "So I don't think you're selfish, Shion." He ruffled his twin's hair with his free hand and smiled at him, "So stop having your doubts, my very cute little brother." Shion smiled too and the two turned to Nezumi, Aster resuming the song from their past.

"Will you remember in this lifetime, Nezumi?" Shion asked, brushing Nezumi's hair once more, "Or will I be the only one with the memories of our promise?"

~~~TAT~~~

Safu knew exorcisms wouldn't work on getting rid of Shion and Aster. Father Miyamoto had tried hard to do that but ended up failing, horror filling his eyes when he said that the best course of action was to keep the two demons inside the forest.

Safu's thoughts wondered back to the witch from that day, no doubt the one that had started this mess in the first place. She had said to not seperate the twins due to their sad past life, the past life that Safu wondered had something to do with the ancient monarch of No. 6, the model for the dolls.

Over the years, she had researched over the Son of Evil that had been executed at three o'clock generations ago to know more about the demons that plagued Lucifenia. The Son of Evil had a short reign of three years but had distinguished himself as a cruel tyrant by starving his people while he lavished himself with gifts and luxury. He started a war with the neighboring country of No. 5 to kill a peasant girl after he had been spurned by a prince. He ordered his servant - known only as the Servant of Evil - to kill so many people so it was a blessing when the Son of Evil died and the Servant of Evil vanished soon after.

Shion, the red-eyed twin that she always saw as the more wealthy twin, had to have been the Son of Evil while Aster must have been the Servant of Evil, a person they said resembled the Son of Evil greatly, even likening them to estranged twin brothers. The theory didn't seem so far-fetched to Safu.

"Son of Evil!" She yelled at the forest, the sun setting already. She paced in front of the boundary, knowing how dangerous it was. If they wanted to, they could easily pull her in and she'd be dead, "Son of Evil, come out! Face me!"

"What a ruckus you're making."

Safu jumped, turning to see one of the twins behind her, eyes glowing orange so she didn't know if it was Aster or Shion. She forgot about that when she realized that Aster/Shion was three feet out of the boundary. She froze, "How?!"

His eyes stopped glowing orange, turning green and Safu tensed. If it had been Shion, she could've handled it since the albino was less likely to kill her. Aster, however, was more dangerous, especially if he was the Servant of Evil.

"Does it matter to you, traitor?" He asked in a singsong voice, chuckling as she moved away, away from the barrier. He chuckled, "Scared? You should be. The seal on us is weakening and we'll leave soon."

"What have you done to Nezumi?" She finally asked. Aster's gaze wandered away from her and smiled, placing a foot in the new boundary. He smiled, tilting his head to the side and he almost looked like any ordinary boy.

"Nothing. Shion and he are having fun together." He answered before his shadow began to dance, disturbing Safu greatly. Aster waved before his other hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She screamed and he threw her against one of the trees. She cried out in pain, almost whimpering.

"Don't call my brother that name again." Aster said, crouching down next to Safu, orange eyes appearing once more. He ran a hand through Safu's hair, the girl feeling the pain on her back. The white haired boy stood upright and Safu thought he was going to leave until he began to drag her into the forest. She panicked and Aster's cruel gaze was the most terrifying thing Safu had seen at the moment.

He placed her spread-eagled on the ground and crouched down to grab one of her arms. He smiled but there was no mirth or warmth to it, "Remember never to call us Son of Evil ever again."

Safu's screams were probably heard in the town, unable to help herself as she felt her left arm break at the pressure Aster had put on it. She sobbed and Aster laughed, his eyes turning green once more, "Don't call for us using those names ever again. I won't be so merciful next time, okay?"

He kicked her out of the forest and Safu cried there, holding her broken arm while the rest of her body ached. Aster's laugh mixed with her sobs and she hoped desperately that Nezumi was safe and unharmed, wherever he was.

~~~TAT~~~

Nezumi woke up to see a room illuminated by a single candle. He could feel his arms and legs were longer so he wasn't a five year old. He had been right; he really was sixteen. Where was he? He wasn't home, that much he knew.

What was real and what wasn't?

His family? Real. He still remembered the annoying Inukashi who smelled like dogs and the loud Eve that always wanted to be in his room and talk about random things. Those feelings had to be real.

The memory of a boy talking to him overlooking a city? Fake. The boy looked too much like one of those demons that dragged him into the forest and it was unlikely he'd ever be friendly with the boy.

The cakes, candies and games he played with Shion and Aster? Illusion. He had been five in that illusion so it had to have been fake. Man, his head hurt just thinking about it.

"-remember anything. What will we do?" A voice asked, breaking into his train of thought he blinked and saw the blindfold that the twins had made him wear had slipped. He could see and he decided to do just that, the uncovered eye taking in the twins.

Shion was sitting down next to Aster, looking a bit worried. Aster was fixing the string of a harp. Thanks to the shadows of the single candle, Nezumi could notice that his eyes were glowing, as if they were emitting a light of their own. Shion's eyes were doing the same, except Aster's eyes seemed to produce a brighter light.

"What is there to do, Shion?" He asked, looking at the fixed harp with a slight smile, "The memories don't immediately come back, right? We still remember our past lives but no one else does. Does it really matter that much, though?"

"I suppose. I just can't wait for us to achieve our goal." Shion leaned on Aster's shoulder and whispered something to him Nezumi didn't catch. He finally noticed the shadows on the walls and turned to face them. He would have wished he hadn't.

The Aster and Shion in the shadows were dolls. They didn't even look like porcelain dolls or lifesized dolls, though. They were simple rag dolls and seeing them standing upright was horrifying. If that weren't creepy enough, they were holding hands and not doing the same actions as the Aster and Shion that were humans.

Nezumi took in a sharp intake of breath.

It was a mistake.

The candle flickered, an unseen wind causing it to do so. The twins turned to him, their unnatural glowing eyes now looking surprisingly normal. Aster smiled at him, even though the smile did not reach his eyes. He stood and made his way slowly to the bed, Shion following suit. Nezumi laid down, frozen in place for some unknown reason.

Aster giggled and it sounded so unnatural, as if two people were doing that action. He finally spoke as Shion sat down next to Nezumi, "My, my, what a bad kid. How dare you wake up so early."

Shion laughed, eyes crinkling up and closing while he smiled, "If your blindfold comes off, then should I blind you instead~?" He reached out his hand and Nezumi's blood went cold. Before he could scream, Shion grabbed the blindfold and yanked it off.

Nezumi remembered how the demons of the forest were feared and he knew the reason why. They were really demons. There was no trace of humanity left in them. He wished he could've said goodbye to his parents and sisters if he knew he would've been killed by the two white haired beasts.

"Hey look, Aster!" Shion said suddenly and used two of his fingers to lift the corners of Nezumi's mouth in a pale imitation of a smile, "He's smiling! Now isn't that the cutest sight?"

Aster nodded and the two albinos chuckled, the sound being distorted once more. Aster sighed, closing his eyes, "Cute as he is, he broke our rules. He looked and saw what he shouldn't have seen."

"You saw us." Shion whispered to Nezumi, running a cold hand through his long hair, "You shouldn't have done that." His voice was cold, no longer holding an ounce of mirth, "I'm afraid you have to be punished."

"No." Nezumi whispered hoarsely. Aster helped him sit up and Nezumi briefly wondered how long he had been under the illusion the twins had cast. Had it been days? Weeks?

"You see, we're kind of bored and angry. Not the best combination, Nezumi-chan." Aster said, resting his chin on Nezumi's shoulder and giving him one of the scariest backhugs because he could see the boy's - the demon's - shadow and the rag doll had tendrils coming out of him like Slenderman.

"We'll give you a punishment and we'll let you play a game." Shion said, laying down on Nezumi's lap. He looked up at Nezumi, his eyes betraying the light tone he had. They were sharp, cold and emotionless, the eyes of a demon.

"What game?" Nezumi asked, trembling a little as the two began to hum softly.

"Hide and seek." Aster answered.

"You have to hide and run from now until the sun rises." Shion said, his green eyes shifting slightly to orange, "The whole forest is fair game. Your priority is to escape from us and make it to the town before we can get to you."

"If you lose," Aster paused, thinking it through. Nezumi tried to turn his head to face him but his cold hands enveloped his eyes, "you're dead meat, okay? I can keep your eyes and your parents will have the lovely surprise of finding your eyeless, heartless and completely mangled corpse hanging from their front door."

It was a horrible image. Nezumi could imagine his mother's horrified screams while his father tried to avoid Inukashi and Eve from seeing his corpse. He gave a start when Aster took his hands away from his eyes and he was face to face with Shion's eyes. When had the white haired boy left his lap?

"Let's see if luck is on your side, yes?" Shion asked before leaning in and placing a kiss on Nezumi's lips. His cheeks burned - he was being kissed by the guy that was going to try to murder him - and Shion pulled away, his orange eyes glowing menacingly.

"You have until the count of ten. One." Aster chirped. The duo released him and Nezumi, despite his sleeping limbs, rushed to the door. This was his only chance.

"Two."

Nezumi crashed out of the house - a run-down cottage that the demons had been occupying since their exile - and ran. He had no shoes on so the foliage of the forest dug into his bare feet but it didn't matter. Not at this moment. His life was at stake.

"Three."

Nezumi almost tripped on a tree root. He'd seen horror movies before and had groaned at how stupid the protagonists were for tripping on things. Now that he was living his own nightmare, he didn't feel like criticizing those people.

Faltering slightly, he began to pick the pace once more.

"Four."

Nezumi felt a branch catch on his hair and he yelped in pain. He fought against the branch before he managed to untangle it. He didn't have enough time. He had to get to the end. Where was the end?

"Five."

He looked around, seeing no road or sign of being near civilization. He ran a hand through his head, wondering how much time he had left before the twins began the chase.

"Six."

He looked up at the sky, hoping to see stars. There was a trick to it and he vaguely remembered it. However, the trees that seemed to reach up the heavens obscured the night sky. How could he tell if it was near sunrise like this?

"Seven."

"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Nezumi hissed, feeling horribly claustrophobic in such a big place. He didn't know where to go and he felt like yelling for help. Doing so, though, would give away his location.

"Eight."

Fuck it, he decided. He decided to trust his instincts and ran.

"Nine."

He wouldn't stop unless he needed to. He had to keep running. He had to get away from these demons if that was the last thing he ever did. He had to go home. He had to survive.

"Ten."

Two pairs of glowing, inhumane orange eyes pierced through the darkness. The two boys grinned, holding hands, before walking towards the direction Nezumi had taken.

The game had begun.

~~~TAT~~~

Anime: Nezumi, ruuuuuuuuun. Things are about to get hectic. There will probably only be about two more chapters left before the end. Please run far away now, dear Nezumi.

**The song Aster is singing is Servant of Evil. The rough translation of Kimi wa ouji, boku wa meshitsukai. Unmei wakatsu, aware na futago. Kimi wo mamoru, sono tame naraba. Boku wa aku ni datte natte yaru is: You're the prince/king, and I'm your servant. We're a pitiable pair of twins, seperated by our fate. For the sake of protecting you, I will become evil for you. The only difference between this song and Servant of Evil is that oujo (meaning princess or queen) was changed to ouji (prince or king) in this version.

**When Safu called for the Son of Evil, she didn't realize that the twins switched places. Shion was never outright called the Son of Evil or was executed, Aster was. The Son of Evil that she was calling for, the Son of Evil that was executed, was Aster. That's why he appears and not Shion.

**Trick and Treat is part of the connected universe that is the Story of Evil and DRAMA Is Now In Session! In the timeline, it is between Re_Birthday (SOE) and DINIS.

**The huge time skip in here is to kind of parallel the long gap between this chapter and the previous one.