Naoto's whole world was an ocean away. Normally she would be getting ready for Dziady, and still was, but she felt she had numerous other things to do. The first was helping host a Halloween party at Junes, because Yosuke evidently had no clue what Halloween even was.

"Dad said it's for the foreign families here, they want to do stuff, but I haven't the first idea what to do! He threw a list at me and told me I could figure it out!" He explained when they all arrived. "I just know it's a Western holiday."

"Leave that to me!" Rise stepped up. "I attended many Halloween parties in England and America, I can help! I'll get costumes and you help with the food," She pointed at Yu. "Yosuke-senpai sets up the decorations and games. Come on!"

Naoto knew she would be there for only an hour, if that, but still wanted to humor her friends. So, she dressed as the first thing she thought of, Likhoradka, and headed back to Junes, keeping a very vacant expression on her face purposefully. She wore a long white robe and black pants and shirt underneath, with a very long, thick white veil in front of her face, and her face painted to be red, blue, and white, like a corpse. It was unexpected, perhaps, but it was a reference to a childhood event and so she found it fit her just fine.

The entire entryway and first area of Junes had been completely transformed into a fall paradise. Pumpkins and corn decorated every corner and orange and black paper and streamers were everywhere as well. There were spookier motifs, spiders and ghosts and moons and broomsticks. Tables covered in the night sky were put out, and Rise was dictating to the others where to put everything. Naoto stepped closer, wanting to help, realizing she didn't recognize any of her friends at first.

"You're just in time!" Yukiko praised, setting out a big wooden bucket of water with apples floating in it. She wore a sheer golden gown with yellow streaked through it and her hair down with more golden streaks and a huge crown on her head of a glowing sun. When she stretched out her arms, she became a sunbeam, with yellow paint on her lips and eyes. "We have a few more minutes before it officially begins. Do you recognize any of this?"

"No. Halloween isn't a thing where I'm from." She peeked into the bucket anyway. "You guys put this all together really quickly."

"Most of this stuff was out, Dad just needed help putting it in its proper places," Yosuke wore a striped brown suit with bright orange cufflinks and a tie, with huge raccoon ears and matching bushy tail, both in grey and black. "Since some of this stuff he has no clue about." He and Yukiko switched places, him manning the bucket while Yukiko sat at a red-covered table with a stack of Tarot cards. She idly shuffled them.

Yu and Kanji both worked together on a game where you roasted nuts, setting fire to a contained area and setting out a small table of nuts. Yu, unsurprisingly, looked the same as always, in a vintage white and grey kimono and hakama with a sword by his side. His own face was painted white and grey like a shadow. Kanji, on the other hand, wore a rich silk Mandarin suit of gold with green dragons on the top, slippers on his feet and silk gold pants.

Chie was in another corner, close to the entrance, putting the finishing touches on her game, which Naoto admittedly had trouble figuring out. On a low-hanging roof hung several sticks, and under them were unlit candles and ripe apples. Naoto had never seen so many apples before. Her costume, however, was pretty obvious. Her hair was pulled into an elaborate twist she wore a small tiara and veil on, the veil pulled around her mouth. Her top was very small and showed off her body, same with her silk voluminous teal harem pants, same color as the tiara and veil. She wore gold shoes and a bunch of gold jewelry and looked like a dancer from back home.

Rise, however, was the clear stealer of the show. She wore a dress with an extremely wide skirt, falling ever so slightly above her ankles to show off her shoes. One side of the dress was yellow and pink with butterflies and flowers embroidered in, looking ready to pop off and fly away. A large stuffed white dove was on her waist. Her left shoe was pink and so was her fan, sporting another flower. Her makeup was light and airy, with pink and purple butterflies in her twintails.

The other side, however, was all black and blue, decidedly much more elegant than the left. On her waist was a silver moon, with stars and bats stitched into that side. Lace and beads dripped from every part of the dress. Her makeup on that side was smokey and dark, with silver and blue stars in her hair. Her shoe was blue and her fan spotted the night sky in dark blue. She was the star.

She finished helping the other employees set up the food table, filled with cider, coffee, hot chocolate, a bowl of fruits and nuts, a vegetable salad, candy apples, buttered rolls, fried fish and oysters, and a huge bowl of chocolate and candy. She spun around and saw everyone else had finished and grinned.

"You all look so amazing! This night is going to be so much fun!" She beamed just as the party started, the families wandering in while their children ran in, darting around from game to game. Raccoon was there as well, disguised as a creaky suit of armor.

"Try your luck! Try bobbing for apples!" Chie called, waving people over. Only boys seemed interested in that game, and soon she had a group of rowdy teenagers, all dunking their heads in looking for apples.

"I got one!" A werewolf shouted, pulling his head out of the water and falling backwards, almost choking as the apple fell out of his mouth. His friends all laughed at him. Naoto walked over, staring.

"Whoa, that you, Shirogane? Didn't recognize you in that costume!" A knight commented, looking at his friends. "Remember us?"

"Sorta," Nikolai, William, Theodore, and Mary, who was just now joining them, dressed like a butterfly.

"Yeah, long time no see! You look scary! Whatever it is you're meant to be," Mary chimed in.

"I'm a…" She hesitated, seeing their faces. They were eager to know, but she knew their expressions would change the second she said what she was, and they'd fall entirely when she tried to explain it. They were good English children from England and America. Yes, even Nikolai, for his mother was Russian but his father was British and the father's culture dominated always. They didn't understand a thing about her, despite how nice they normally were. "...an evil spirit."

"Oooh, spooky!" William showed off the fake fangs in his mouth, being the werewolf. "Well, see you around!"

She awkwardly waved to them.

Bored, the others left their stations and started to play some of the games themselves, interested in what they were. Kanji, Chie, and Rise started playing the stick game, and Naoto watched how it was done. They tied an apple to one end, and the other had a lit candle. They then spun the stick around really fast, trying to catch the apple with their mouth.

"Let's go! Grab it!" Other people who were playing cheered. Chie jumped up and tried to grab it, just barely missing and groaning. Rise missed it entirely while Kanji got hit with some wax from the candle, groaning as he rubbed his cheek.

"May I try?" Yukiko piped up from her table, doing a reading.

"You're immune to fire, it won't be fair!" Kanji yelled back.

"Speaking of things that aren't fair…" Yosuke downed some cider. "Raccoon pestering me all day,"

"How could I not?! You're dressed just like me! You really do think I'm sexy!" Raccoon grinned.

"Do not! It's just what I had on hand!" He drank more cider.

"You wanna play something?" Kanji asked nervously. Naoto looked at the games and shrugged.

"They all seem too daring." She got a simple cup of coffee and drank it.

"Yeah, but ain't that part of this party? Pretending to be who you're not?"

The wind blew a cold breeze past her. She couldn't stay here forever. She had other things to do that were more important.

Rise and Raccoon were handing out candy to children. Chie went back to being in charge of the apple game, seemingly unaware of how most players were just there to stare at her costume. Yu and Yosuke were playing the candle game together, while Yukiko read fortunes. Kanji was getting something to eat. Even her old classmates were all dancing, doing a fast twirl and arguing over who got to have Mary for their turn. Everyone was distracted, nobody would miss her.

She slipped into the growing shadows of night.


Naoto was worried over how Dziady would fare in a foreign country, but Grampa promised he had everything under control, and Naoto trusted him.

"You're home early. You could've spared some more hours there, you know," He tsk'ed at her when he saw her in the hall.

"I wanted to be sure I had enough time to prepare. I can't be wearing this, after all," She started to pull away her veil.

"I got the servants started on everything. Oversee them, okay? Normally I would, but…this is entirely your domain, Naoto-chan."

"Yes."

She pulled off her costume and got dressed in the outfit she first arrived in, a green sarafan and embroidered blouse, and her kokoshnik despite not having a braid for it anymore. The servants silently set up the table for her, leaving out a meager but comforting meal of porridge, eggs, honey, and vodka. The lamps were dimmed and fires were lit instead, leaving open the door to their private bathhouse.

"Naoto-kun!" Yu said suddenly, almost jumping on her as she carried a tray of food with her. She gave him wide eyes and violently shushed him. The others were behind him, still in their costumes and looking confused.

"What are you doing?" Chie asked.

"Oh, are you her friends? She's preparing for a Russian festival. Would you help her? She'll explain everything to you." A servant bowed, ushering them into the dark dining room. Naoto kept her head up, knowing they were confused and awkward, being out of their elements. She was dressed different and had servants and needed to do a holiday they had no knowledge or context of. But, it was something she had to do.

"We must eat silently so we don't scare the spirits away. My parents will be eating with us," She motioned to two spots set up with food at the head of the table, picturing Father and Maman there, dressed in their own embroidered clothing and smiling at her as they dined. She bit her lip and sat up straight, eating her food calmly. She didn't know what the others were thinking, but they ate the unfamiliar food in silence as she said, staring down at the bowls.

Once she finished eating, she left all the food there and left, feeling a familiar touch on her shoulders before it vanished.

"What's…today?" Chie asked softly, afraid of speaking.

"Dziady. Honoring the dead by inviting them in to eat and bathe, then seeing them off. It's my first one away from home…" She trailed off. Could her parents even find her across the sea? Did they know? The calendars were different, maybe she missed it back home, or it wasn't time yet, and their spirits would rise and never rest properly again-

"You don't have a shrine to them?" Kanji cut into her thoughts. "I want to show you somethin'. Only if ya want to, but…"

"Their graves are back home in Yekaterinburg." She started to leave. "Stay as long as you need, but I have to go to bed."

"Wait! It's nearing the end of Halloween, right? And you have a kitchen! Oh, I know the perfect thing to do!" Rise dragged the three other girls into the kitchen, ignoring the bustle of the servants around them. "Dumb Cake! If you follow all the directions, you'll see the spirit of your future husband!"

Both Chie and Yukiko faltered at that, but nodded still. Naoto felt the idea was stupid but felt like humoring them anyway. Tasked with getting water, she got some from the pond close by the manor, thinking anything from a river was risky but not having a well close by. The girls kneaded the cake in silence, making a tough dough they fried on the stove, waiting impatiently for it to bake.

Afterwards, Rise cut it up into four even slices and each girl grabbed a plate and stood on either side of the room, holding out their plates.

Is it working? Yukiko wondered.

Ssssh! Chie shushed.

Hey, the rules say no talking, but surely this can't count.

..Good point.

An apparition started to appear and the girls leaned forward eagerly, wanting to see what would happen. The image formed and was of a woman towering over them, a woman who looked unfamiliar and familiar all at once. Her kimono was very old-fashioned and torn on her, revealing pieces of her bones. Her face was a rotted mess of flesh, maggots crawling out of every orifice and nesting in her remaining chunk of hair.

Yukiko covered her mouth, looking nauseous.

"Whatever you're planning….stop it. I've worked too hard on this for it to be ruined by some idiotic teenagers!" The voice hissed, stepping closer to the girls.

Chie screamed and dropped her plate, shattering it. They ran out in a panic, colliding with the boys.

"Don't go in the kitchen!" Rise cried, deathly pale. "There's a monster in there!"

"A monster?" Yu asked.

"Yeah! It was really scary! It had rotting flesh and disgusting maggots!" Chie added. "And it was trying to tell us something!"

"You seriously expect us to believe that on Halloween?!" Yosuke scoffed. "You're just trying to pull a prank on us again!"

"I swear, it's not a prank!" Yukiko insisted.

Kanji wandered in, looking around. "Uh, I see a bunch of broken plates,"

"We're not lying." Naoto pleaded, knowing what she saw. The boys just shook their heads at them.

"Try again some other day," Yosuke said.

The girls looked at each other, distressed.


Naoto did end up going with Kanji briefly to see what he wanted to show her, surprised his house and the store were both empty. He led her through his house, eventually stopping in one corner of the living room, kneeling. She followed his cue. He pulled open gold doors to reveal an extremely ornate Butsudan covered in gold leaves, an intricate bowl of fruit, bells on one side that rung lightly, and in the center, an extremely old illustration of a proud man. There were three sticks of incense inside beside the picture, burning and tickling her nose.

"Dad died an ungraceful death. Hacking in a hospital room. This is basically what I have left of him." He said softly. "I…I don't think he would be proud of what I've become. He raised me to be gentle and observing, not…..this."

"It's not too late to change though. Look at what I'm going through." She pulled her locket out of her blouse and pulled it open, showing him the pictures. "Father and Maman died of cholera. It was a nasty disease but both had it before so they thought they would be fine. It killed the entire village except me." The memory was somehow still too fresh for her, still too painful.

"Almost like…divine intervention."

"I think that's my line."

"Oh, right, Europeans are Christians."

"I'm Orthodox. We believe anyone can be a saint, provided they lived a just life. I think…Maman and Father and your father….they all got to become saints. And we need to make them proud now,"

"Yeah."

They sat there in silence for several more minutes, the pictures of their parents looking back at them.


Back to the monotony of everyday life. Naoto ate breakfast before school, Grampa sitting at the head, not eating but reading from a newspaper where one of the pages had a school portrait of an elementary class. Their four servants were busy bustling around them, but with how much they worked it felt like they had way more. Naoto took a carriage to Inaba before walking the remainder of the way to school, running into Rise, who perked up and ran beside her.

"Wasn't that fun? Halloween, Emperor Meiji's birthday, even your holiday? It's nice to relax once in a while." She spoke in English, glad for the chance to exercise her foreign tongues, as the others weren't polyglots the way these two were.

"Yeah, despite everything that happened." She said back in English.

"Also, it's supposed to rain tonight. You know what to do," Her voice dropped to a whisper, and Naoto nodded.

After an uneventful day at school, she wandered around the manor looking for a suitable portrait, unsure of what would work. She thought pictures would be the most effective, but had trouble locating any in Grampa's house. She had her locket portrait of Maman and Father, but it was way too small.

…This was ridiculous.

And yet she had to do it. People's lives depended on it.

She finally found a painted portrait, done in the Japanese style, of a crane by the river. Would that work? She leaned forward and scanned the entire picture with her eyes, finally finding a blurry figure. Extremely blurry and sparkly, so much so that she couldn't even make out who it was. She frowned.

Do you guys know who that is? Yosuke asked in her head, in all their heads.

I can't make anythin' out! Kanji protested.

And nobody has gotten famous lately, have they? Yukiko wondered.

There was a government official who was going around interviewing schoolchildren about the fog we've been getting lately, but he returned to the city afterwards. She sighed outwardly.

I can't sense anyone! So there's nobody there! Raccoon chimed in.

I guess we'll just have to keep looking and waiting, Rise had a frown in her tone.

It made sense. They had no leads and nobody was in the news. But if that was the case, who could the person be? She pulled out her locket and just quickly glanced at the photos it contained within.

"Here I thought things would make sense in Japan. I wish you were still here, Maman. You would've gotten a kick out of this,"

"Chin up, Naoto-chan," Grampa said upon seeing her, looking quizzingly at the picture. "I saw in the news earlier about this little girl. She reminds me of how I think you were at her age. She's very cute, with an updo. They released a picture of her, evidently they've been interviewing her-"

"What?" She felt numb. "There's a picture of her?"

"Yes! Would you like to see it?"

"Oh no…."


The next night, Naoto anxiously paced around the manor, staring at every picture and painting she could find. She needed to know. How could she have been so foolish? That interview with the kids was what everyone was talking about! The rain turned into a strong thunderstorm, pouring wind and rain everywhere.

Everyone! Yu-kun got detained! He's at the police station!

Her heart froze.

What?! Yukiko cried.

I'm trying to head over there now. He says he got another threat letter and his uncle saw it, got suspicious, and took him in for questioning. He's not allowed any form of contact with us and he's been there since last night. You guys keep watching for something suspicious!

It's Nanako-chan! It has to be! Chie shouted in all their minds. It's a little girl, who else could it be?!

Naoto relayed to them all she figured out. She grabbed an umbrella and took down the streets, her fear and adrenaline fueling her run to the town. How could she have been so foolish?! Why did she wait so long?! Nanako could've been in real danger!

She kept running, her feet slipping on the mud and her heart pounding, panting as she ran inside. "Nanako-chan?! Nanako-chan?! Where are you?!" She pulled apart every piece of bedding and dug through the chest of toys, looking for something, anything, to prove her hunch was wrong. She kept panting as she groaned, running to the station instead, finding nothing.

She had been kidnapped.

It made her feel small and useless, just as much as she had when everyone in her manor died and she had adults decide her fate for her. She kept running, heading to the station and bursting through the door in a flurry.

"Shirogane! What is it?!" The secretary yelled at her, seeing her disheveled appearance. The station was very tiny and really only had a secretary and a few rooms for interrogation and holding, really primitive.

"I need to get into a room!" She darted off with no explanation, knowing she was allowed to go wherever she wanted anyway. She ran and collided with the group, gasping.

"Naoto-kun!" Yukiko said. "We were wondering where you were!"

"She's not at the house, I checked everywhere." She said. The group looked terrified and checked the doors, finally forcing their way into the only one with a heavy lock, Kanji breaking it and shoving through.

"You can't be in here-!" Dojima started to shout as Yu stood from the table.

"Your daughter is missing! We think she's been kidnapped!" Yosuke interrupted.

"What?!" He looked at Yu. "So…everything you said…" He shook his head.

"We have to hurry!" Yu said.

Dojima nodded and headed into the hall, shouting professionally. "We have a kidnapping case! I want everyone to be searching for my daughter!"

"Wait!" Adachi frowned, hiding his face under his hat. "I can't just let you all be in here, since this is a restricted area, and he's technically under questioning."

"But we have to save her!" Yukiko cried.

"I was at the house earlier. There was no sign of any struggle, and even the door was left wide open. Maybe it was someone she knew? Clearly he went right up and knocked on the door," Naoto said, her mind working through everything. "And he must have a picture with him, or a camera even, because even though we were all from different areas, we were shoved in instantly, and it must not have been any kind of suspicious vehicle…"

Kanji snapped his fingers. "We got a delivery that day! You know, those delivery bicycles?"

Everyone's heads snapped up at once.

"Of course! Nobody questions those bikes! They're really inconspicuous." Rise nodded. "But aren't they rather small?"

"You can get a bigger basket depending on what you're delivering." Chie said. "So the kidnapper is a deliveryman! But do we know anyone like that? My parents never get delivery for anything."

"Well, I think Dojima-san was looking into restarting the case, and found a suspect, because he found the whole thing fishy, but anyway! Let's just say, I wasn't here, and whatever happened is thus out of my control!" Adachi rushed out, and they noticed a sheet of paper on the desk. Yu picked it up and read it out.

"'Originally working a government job, he was fired and came back to the city to work for his family's company. His wife is the famous folk singer….Namatame Taro!'"

"Your uncle is probably on his way there now, let's go!" Yosuke ran and the boys and Naoto ran ahead, leaving the girls in their kimono and big bustle behind. Naoto knew they would catch up eventually. They ran from the station and through the streets, trying not to slip from the mud pooling up due to the storm. As they ran into the center of town, they were aware of sudden tracks spiraling out of control and followed those, coming across Dojima laying in the mud, a wrecked bicycle and a horseshoe left, the owner nowhere in sight.

"Uncle!" Yu rushed over to him, noticing Adachi was there as well.

"What happened!?" Chie cried as the girls arrived on the scene.

"I got a horse and tried….to pursue…I saw him pedal by and thought….but the mud….the horse was spooked and we collided…" Dojima groaned. "Please…just find her for me…"

"I've already told one of the nearby shop owners to get to the clinic," Adachi said. "But you guys really shouldn't be here! This is a crime scene, and-"

"And if it rains, it'll be ruined regardless." Naoto snapped to attention, trying to find her zone. "The bike likely has clues." She adjusted her gloves and pulled aside the curtain on the bike, finding a large blank canvas alongside discarded camera parts. Chie gasped. Naoto looked further and pulled out a worn journal, holding it up. "This must be his…"

"That canvas…that's why we entered the world so quickly!" Rise gasped.

Naoto started reading. "'Today, I have discovered this new world. I shall use it to save people." She turned a page. "These are the home addresses of everyone! Even the ones who were rescued…like Tatsumi-kun and Amagi-san."

"Whoa…that settles it," Adachi whistled.

"He was the killer this whole time! Pretending to be a deliveryman, then after he knocked on the door, he'd knock the victim out and throw them into the canvas!" Yosuke yelled. "We have to go save her!"

"But if we use this, there's no way to know where we'll end up!" Raccoon cried. "We could be in danger!"

"Nanako-chan is in danger!" Chie snapped back.

"And if we get hurt, who'll save her?!" Rise yelled, making all of them silence.

"Saving her is our top priority," Naoto stared ahead at nothing, even as the doctors finally reached them and scooped Dojima up. The rest of the group walked away, but Yu remained, staring at her.

"I have to go check on him. Will you come with me?" He asked. Naoto nodded.

"Of course." She wondered why he didn't ask a guy friend, or Rise, but didn't question it. Maybe he needed her expertise still. Or maybe he assumed having a coworker would be more comfortable for Dojima.

Whatever the case, the storm raged on, forcing the two to wander through the tiny clinic, spreading mud everywhere. He was kept in a room near the back where more critical patients were who couldn't be taken back to their houses, and the two stared down at him, wrapped up in blankets.

"Please…find Nanako. She's my reason for living. If you don't…" He coughed hard.

"I promise we will," Yu gently held the hand of his uncle with a nod. "We'll do everything we can."

That night, the rest of the group confirmed it mentally.

She's definitely in there. The fog won't come for a while. Let's go! Raccoon nodded.

We can do it! Chie said.

Naoto just needed to have the same confidence as they did.


-Likhoradka is a female spirit in Russian and Slavic mythology, often said to be an agent or creation of Chernobog. She represents disease, fever, and plague, infecting people she touches. Usually portrayed with a pale face, wild disheveled hair, and a white dress. Doesn't what that priest said about Naoto in her flashback make sense now?

-Halloween was just starting to become more recognizable to modern eyes by this period in America and England. Parties were most popular, where people dressed up and played games. Every game seen here is taken from real how-to holiday guides from the 1880's. The roasted nuts was a game where you roasted them over the fire with someone special. If the nut broke and flew everywhere, your relationship would fall apart. Back then, bobbing for apples was seen as an activity only for boys to play. The food is taken from a real Victorian Halloween party menu.

-Rise is dressed in Worth's 1885 Day&Night costume. Can you guess the costumes of everyone else?

-Dziady is a Slavic death day performed on Halloween night. It's for honoring and remembering deceased relatives as you welcome them into your home. You make dinner for them, open the bathhouse, and leave out lights so they can find their way back. There's a lot of rules to be observed, such as being silent so the ghosts don't become spooked, or leaving out the food so they can finish.

-The Russian Empire famously used the Julian calendar, which was thirteen days behind the Gregorian one used by most countries.

-Dumb Cake was a popular Halloween superstitious tradition from the UK where if done right, would show the image of your future husband eating your slice. If even one thing was messed-up, it wouldn't work. Four girls, never speaking a word throughout the process hence the name, on Halloween night at Midnight, cooked a cake with four ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, and water that wasn't from a natural source like a spring. Each girl took an evenly-cut slice and went to each corner, holding out her slice.

-A butsudan is a shrine dedicated to both Buddha and deceased family members in Japanese Buddhist families. They're noted for their opulence and grandeur, often decorated with gold and having religious items such as bells and plants inside.

-Naoto is technically correct, but not fully. While anyone who lived a holy enough life can be a saint in Orthodoxy, they'd only be recognized on a local level. To be recognized more regionally or nationally, you needed a specific amount of followers/worshippers and permission from a priest.

-Deliveries have existed in Japan since the Edo period, being done on bicycles. They were almost exclusively used to deliver food from stands and shops in the area.

Happy (late) Halloween! I wanted this to be released actually on Halloween, but schoolwork prevented me from doing so, so you guys get it late. But isn't it cool how now the season and days are matching up with real life? At least where I am.