[Heyo, finally updated oh bOY.

All-Region orchestra competition is coming up soon. So is Halloween. And Voltron season 4 ("season 4") haS COME OUT AND MY PUS IS POPPI—.

Ahem, uh, yeah, I'm excited.

BTW, an honorable mention to GingaAkam. One of her babies which I so highly adore has made an appearance, and I hope I did him some justice.

Music in MM is the Furusato lullaby (I'd suggest you listen but ehh, ya feel me?).

Enjoy the chapter!]

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 40

Ao's POV

"Usagi oishi kano yama,
kobuna tsurishi kano kawa,
yume wa ima mo megurite,
wasure-gataki furusato..!"

Okaasan clapped for me for singing along to the lady on stage. She sat on the edge, surrounded by other children singing along while a man played the keyboard behind her as accompaniment. I stood by my parents, singing along on my own, holding Okaasan's yukata in one hand and holding ChiChi's hand in the other. I was still a bit nervous about spending time with the other kids at the festival. This is my first Obon, as well as my first trip to Japan to visit ChiChi's hometown for the summer, Kyoto. It's pretty daunting to be some place entirely new. But it was comforting to know Sam was with me to share my mixed feelings of awe and insecurity.

Sam continued the folk song along with me, pronouncing the words as best as he could.

Ikani imasu chichi-haha,
tsutsuganashi ya tomogaki,
ame ni kaze ni tsuketemo,
omoiizuru furusato.~

"Kokorozashi o hatashite,
itsunohinika kaeran,
yama wa aoki furusato,
mizu wa kiyoki furusato...!"

I finished, feeling the huge smile on my face. My parents cheered gently and clapped for me, as everyone else around us clapped for the singing woman and the gang of children she amazed. I giggled and bounced on my feet, being careful not to fall over in my slippers.

Together my parents and I walked along through the crowd of other citizens. Many lanterns and sheets of paper were hung overhead, zigzagging above the streets we strolled through. All around I heard music, and chatter, and laughing, and the smells of food were amazing. Afternoon sunlight shined beautifully through the trees where the cicadas were chirping and singing along to the joyous atmosphere of the summer festival.

I glanced up at Okaasan, who was waving her fan in her face to keep her cool. Then I looked at ChiChi, who observed everything around him with the same awed eyes that I probably have. He must be so happy to be back home. All the way through the trip here on the airplane and in the car we rented, he told me all his stories about Kyoto and growing up. Festivals were always a favorite of his because he was able to eat all of the delicious foods and see so many people. Ever since moving to America, he's celebrated his culture less and less. Now that he has a chance to attend another festival, I'm happy to see him in such high spirits.

"Ao, would you like some takoyaki?" ChiChi asked me, pointing to a vendor up ahead (his Japanese was growing easier for me to understand). I nodded eagerly, feeling the beads pinned in my hair tap against my ear. He grinned happily as he led me forward to the food stand, and we left Okaasan behind.

Behind the counter, a man stood with a welcoming smile. He leaned over to look at me and waved hello. "Hello, kodomo," he said.

"Hello, ojisan...!" I greeted politely, waving my little hand back. He seemed a bit surprised that I spoke Japanese and laughed. I've been getting that a lot. It's because of how I look, my parents told me.

ChiChi ordered takoyaki for him, Okaasan, and I and picked me up onto his shoulders so that I could see the food being made. With wide eyes, I watched the man make our takoyaki, with the batter and the pieces of octopus inside. And with the combination of veggies too. And more batter! All I could smell was that sizzling takoyaki.

"It looks so tasty...," I murmured in English, already feeling my mouth water.

Be careful not to drool on your father's head there, Blue.

I giggled and covered my mouth with my yukata sleeve just in case.

When the food was done, it was put in three containers, and ChiChi paid the man gratefully. He put me down and kneeled in front of me to allow me the first bite of takoyaki. I practically inhaled the little bread ball whole and my father laughed amusedly. To say the food was delicious was an understatement, and I bounced on my feet again out of excitement.

While ChiChi and Okaasan ate together on a bench (sometimes feeding each other with smiling faces), I sat next to them and kicked my legs. Carefully, I picked at my takoyaki with a toothpick and told Sam, "I wish you could eat with me."

It's alright. You should enjoy that all on your own anyway.

"Do you ever get hungry?"

Nope. I don't need to eat.

"Why?"

Well, it could be because I don't have a stomach. I'm a spirit, remember?

"But spirits get hungry. ChiChi said so. That's why we celebrate Obon, to make them happy. He even says people set tables of food in their houses for the dead. So that means they get hungry....!"

Haha, well, maybe some of them do.

Chewing on another takoyaki, I asked, "What's your favorite food?"

I don't need to eat, Ao.

"But you must have eaten before when you weren't a spirit. Did you have a favorite food?"

...I did actually.

Perking up, I chimed, "What is it??"

...Pumpkin pie.

"Oooo, I love pumpkin pie too!"

My...mom used to make it for me a lot. Pumpkin was something we grew the most.

"You grew your food? That's so cool!"

Yeah. And I liked goose too.

I stopped kicking my feet and grimaced. "Goose?"

Yeah. Those big birds you don't like.

"You ate goose??"

Yeah.

"Why??"

It was food to me.

"But they're so...goose-y..."

Sam laughed brightly at my awkward remark.

Well, next time when a goose bites at your hair again, maybe I can snatch 'em up and eat them. Nom, nom, nom..!

I giggled and started kicking my feet back and forth again.

When we finished eating our food, Okaasan, ChiChi and I continued our stroll through the festival to see everything it had to offer. Eventually, we came upon an open area like a town square, where a huge platform was raised in the middle and people danced and chanted along to the taiko and shakuhachi.

"ChiChi, what is that?" I asked my father in his language, pointing to the big platform where the musicians were.

"That's the 'yagura'," he answered.

"Yagura," I repeated to myself. The 'tower'. A new word!

Then I placed my attention on the many people dancing around the tower, sometimes in sync with the music and sometimes not. Again, I asked ChiChi, "Why are they dancing?"

"They dance to welcome the spirits of the dead," he explained knowingly, waving his hand across the crowd of people. "We celebrate and dance along with our ancestors' spirits."

"Can I dance too?" I questioned, intrigued.

ChiChi nodded and led me into the open area to dance along with the other people. Okaasan decided to stay behind so she could record us on her new camera just for this trip. I waved at her briefly before following my father's movements as best as I could. Every now and then I would slip up, and even almost trip on my wooden sandals or yukata. I'd brush off whatever mistakes I made, and soon enough I was following along with ChiChi and the dancers on stage perfectly.

"Sam," I called, "does this mean I'm dancing with you?"

Haha, I guess so.

Smiling, I asked, "Do you sense any other spirits here?"

Unfortunately, I can't. It's just me, as far as I know.

"So...there are no other spirits at all...?"

There may be, but I just can't sense them. I don't belong to their side, nor do I belong to yours. I am just bound to you, and only you.

"Hehe, cool," I said, feeling a bit smug. I've got my own spirit friend and no one else does!

After a few minutes, ChiChi and I stopped dancing so that we could move on. The sunlight was growing faint and there were still things I had wanted to see, like the temple my father always visited, especially for his exam days when the stress would be high, and the temple would be filled with equally anxious students praying to their ancestors for guidance.

On this day the temple should be packed with visitors going to pray to their gods, blessing themselves or blessing the spirits of their ancestors in the afterlife, and writing their wishes and ambitions on shrine paper to pin to the board that hangs in the front. I wanted to write a wish too. After we arrived, and used the cleansing well, and kneeled to pray for a bit, I was able to write my wish so that the gods would see it.

It was difficult for me to choose between writing in English or Japanese, so I did both, which took longer. In the end, I smiled and happily handed Okaasan my paper so that she could hang it on the wooden board for me. Amongst the hundreds of wishes, past and recent, short and long, was mine which all but wished:

'I want to see Sam so we can eat pumpkin pie together.'

Quite a bold wish you have there.

"Do you think the gods will let you eat with me?" I asked him. "Do you think someday you can be right in front of me, in person?"

He was silent for a moment, contemplating what to say, or maybe he didn't want to say anything at all. But he did.

Maybe someday. If the gods allow it.

"I hope so. I'll ask Okaasan to make the best pumpkin pie ever!" I chimed as I followed my parents down the shrine steps and towards the gate, or the torii. And there we took yet another picture to commemorate this first trip of mine to my parents' beloved home country.

When the evening sky cascaded above with a dark blue illuminated by the city lights and lantern light, it was time for us to walk back to the car to leave. We were staying at ChiChi's mother's home—my grandmother—and we were to have a big meal in celebration of Obon. The smells of street food surrounding me as we left had me eager to experience whatever Obaasan had to offer.

But first, when we arrived at the house, we had to make the lantern that ChiChi said would guide the spirits back home. While Obaasan was finishing cooking, my mother and father sat with me on the porch facing the garden. Okaasan held the lantern taught for me while I carefully painted kanji in ink with my finger: home. ChiChi made sure that the string used for the lantern would be strong enough before he helped to install the electric light at the bottom of it. According to tradition, he said, families have to go out to the cemetery with the lantern and carry it back home to guide the spirits safely. Unfortunately the nearest cemetery was too far from the house, and the Kyoto streets would probably be too busy to drive now that it was nighttime. Instead, ChiChi assured me we could hang the lantern outside of the home for the night.

When the lantern was hung above the house's gate, radiating its warm, welcoming yellow glow, I stood to admire it for a little bit. My messy kanji for 'home' stood out darker as the light was illuminated behind it. I was proud of my work, and Sam praised me kindly along with my parents.

Dinner was incredible. Obaasan served shōjin ryōri, a hallmark food to be served on Obon, and everything seemed intricately planned. Knowing my grandmother, I'm sure she made the rice pile up in our bowls in the perfect way and the veggies must have been scrubbed clean to excellency before being prepared. And just as it looked amazing, it all tasted amazing, and I couldn't help but lift my bowls with enthusiasm each time. The kids at my school in America say it's weird when I pick up my plate, but my parents always told me it was a compliment to do that, so I still do it even if I'm given funny looks. Obaasan kept smiling at me the entire time seeing me eat so excitedly, cradling the ceramic bowls the entire time. I think I'm starting to figure out why she started calling me kobuta (piglet) when I first got here.

At the end of dinner, I was stuffed, and Okaasan had said nothing helped to relax the stomach than to enjoy the fresh air. So that's what I did, and although I didn't feel a significant change to my stuffed belly, I still enjoyed the cool, night air. The shōji screens were open behind me so that ChiChi could keep watch while he rested. My mother and grandmother went out to run last minute errands for tomorrow. It was just me, my father, and Sam.

"Today was a good day," I sighed contentedly.

You ate a lot.

"I did. And I can't wait to eat more," I chimed.

Don't get too excited there, Ao. You just had dinner..!

"But I really like food."

Your expert munching doesn't stand corrected, but still take it easy.

"Alright, alright." I began kicking my feet back and forth over the edge of the porch. Once my stomach didn't feel tight anymore, I hopped off to take a walk through Obaasan's garden. Many of her flowers were bright and beautiful and ripe from the summer season. They seemed to beam their colors so vibrantly even in the night, with only the fairy lights hung along the wooden fence being the source of light to allow me to see.

In between the flowerbeds, I would see stone statues of Buddha, or a fortune cat, or a frog with a top hat (that one was picked by me and ChiChi helped send it to Japan). A little bamboo fountain was placed in the corner, gurgling softly as water streamed along its natural tubes and back through. The wind was a gentle whisper and made the flowers and trees dance timidly. I felt at peace being in this garden. Maybe I should tell my parents to make one at home too. And we can put lilacs in them. I saw them in a book once and they look so pretty.

As I treaded lightly to gaze at each kind of flower, my eyes were caught on movement on one of the orchids. Slowly, I leaned closer and was pleasantly surprised to see the petals moving—but they weren't petals. It looked like a mantis. And it looked like the orchid.

"Wow," I awed, crouching to observe it. It's white and pink exterior perfectly blended with the equally beautiful plant it sat on. I've never seen a mantis like this, it's only ever the green ones I hear of. Out of curiosity, I reached my fingers towards it, wanting to hold it.

Be gentle, Ao. You don't wanna make it mad.

"Will it bite me if I do?" I asked.

Maybe.

"Does it hurt?"

I don't think so.

I paused for a moment, thought, then finalized. "I'm still gonna touch it."

Of course you are.

Heeding Sam's words, I made sure to be as delicate as possible. Surprisingly, the mantis didn't hesitate to climb onto my fingers and I couldn't help but giggle happily. It was big, about the size of my entire little hand. From its back, its gorgeous wings expanded and I 'ooh'ed instinctively. "Showing off I see! You have very pretty wings, miss mantis. I have a pretty yukata! I hope you like the colors on it too."

I wasn't sure how long I had spent watching the mantis crawl over my hand, returning my gaze at times, and petting it with a finger. Realizing how long I was taking, I glanced back at the porch to look at ChiChi, but he wasn't there. He must have gone to the bathroom. I'll wait until he comes back so I can show him my mantis friend..!

Suddenly, a voice spoke up, in Japanese, and in my mind I translated, "How cute."

To my right, away from the house, there was a rustle of leaves and branches. I turned my head to be greeted by a slim figure standing by the fence. Cautiously, I stood straight and backed a step away. The slim figure, almost a shadow with the black clothes it wore, stepped forward, bearing a mask on its face. From what I could tell, it looked to be a man. A black and white scarf swayed in front of him, wrapped comfortably around his neck. Although he wore a mask, it portrayed half of a smiling face on a black side, while the white side was left untouched.

His voice was soft, playful, and I could tell he was amused. "An adorable girl all alone in this pretty garden. Hello there...!"

Carefully, I asked in his native tongue, "Who are you?"

He pressed his hands against his chest and leaned forward a bit. "Surely you must know. The lantern is a beacon for spirits to find their way home, and I just answered the call. I am a spirit."

A spirit. One I can actually see? No way!

"What's your name?" I questioned.

The black and white spirit stepped closer before taking a seat on the well-kept grass. "Kagekao. Just Kagekao."

"I am..."

Be wary of what you say to him, Ao. This guy seems funny.

Gulping for a split second, I finished, "I'm Ao. Just...Ao."

He chuckled. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Ao."

"Pleasure to meet you too..."

With a flourish, he stretched his arms up and groaned aloud. "Ah, a wonderful day Obon is, yes? It's nice to be welcomed so lovingly. Honestly, you're the only human who's talked to me out of all the ones I've visited. I'm a bit lonely, you see..."

"You mean this isn't your home? You're not an ancestor?"

"Ancestor? Hahaha! No, no. I'm just a passing spirit, come to pay thanks to the respect of a human."

"Where is your home?" I inquired.

He was silent for a moment, a moment that felt unnerving somehow. Even the mantis held still with observant eyes towards the spirit. Then, he finally answered, "I...have no real home. As I said, I'm just a passing spirit. It gets quite...tiring to visit these homes only to be disregarded, or even shooed away. For some reason, people don't like how I look. They think I'm spooky. Tell me, am I spooky looking?"

Hesitantly, I murmured, "A little bit."

"Ahhhh, how sad," he moaned. "I swear I'm not bad! My mask just doesn't seem to fit in. Even when I put this smile on it! I make sure it doesn't change—like this, you see."

To my astonishment, the half smile transformed into a frown, and then into a pout, and then into a poker face, and back to a smile; these expressions shifted from the black to the white sides of the mask, back and forth, back and forth. I couldn't help but breathe, "Whoa..."

"So, see, I try to look cheerful, but people just don't like me. I even do tricks for them! Watch."

The masked spirit raised his gloved hands and began to move them about in such a way where it was mesmerizing. They swirled and twirled, swayed and waved, twisted and danced like they were their own separate being. And as I watched his tricks, I started to notice that his joints would seemingly bend in any direction he chose. Even as I thought he was about to tangle his fingers, he snapped everything back in place and waved his hands enthusiastically.

"Ta-da! Did that look cool?"

I nodded excitedly, still trying to work out how he did it in my head.

"And I have another! This one's the one people don't like too much, but give it a chance! Ahem..." The black and white spirit took a moment to prepare, and even his mask briefly changed to a half-mien of concentration. Then, to my surprise, he said, in an exact copy of my voice, "Hello, my name is Ao! Pleasure to meet you! Lalala!~"

"Whoa! You sound just like me!" I awed.

"So you don't find it weird?" he said with a normal voice.

"I think it's cool," I complimented.

"Haha, you understand me, unlike everyone else," he said wistfully.

Tilting my head, I wondered, "Is it your mask? Maybe if you took it off?"

"No," he stated blatantly, detracting from his playful tone of voice. The masked spirit cleared his throat and continued, "Uh, no, I can't take it off. It is a part of me, and I wish not to."

After a pause of silence, he scoffed and perked up in his spot. "I see you have a little creature there. An orchid mantis. Beautiful things. Your yukata almost looks just like it."

Looking down at myself, I smiled. "Yeah, it kind of does."

"I'd say you're a little mantis yourself," he jested.

"Hehe, I'm not as pretty as miss mantis here," I said, glancing at the insect in my hand, which was grooming itself with a pincer like a cat.

"You have your own charm, as does everyone else! What matters is that you enjoy your charm, right?"

"Yeah. Right," I agreed.

"Yes, right it is, little mantis! Mind if I call you that? I'm gonna call you that. Little mantis. Little mantis..!"

I giggled, delighted by the nickname.

Kagekao sighed and leaned back on his hands. "Ah, all of my walking about has me spent. I'd sure love a drink. Wine is my favorite. You wouldn't happen to have wine, would you?"

Thinking about it, I said, "I might have seen some in the fridge the other day."

He pressed his hands together eagerly, his mask shifted to pure glee. "Oooo, could you give it to me? I'm so parched, little mantis. Really parched. I'd appreciate the delectable drink."

"I don't know...," I murmured.

"Please?"

After staring at his kneeling figure, hands clasped together and stretched to me as he begged, I reluctantly said, "I'll see if I can find it."

"Thank you!~"

"Wait here," I said, and walked to the porch, placing the orchid mantis on my shoulder.

At the porch, I removed my shoes and quietly padded across the floor to the kitchen. As I made my way, I spotted ChiChi pacing around in a separate office room. The door was opened just a crack but I could still hear him talking with someone on the phone. Was it Okaasan? No, he doesn't talk to her like that. Must be work. Sometimes his scientist friends will call him to discuss work and he'll be on the phone for hours (sometimes I don't like when they call).

My father was distracted by the phone call so it was a bit easier to shuffle to the kitchen in search of the wine bottle my parents bought. I opened the fridge and spotted it on the very top shelf, laying down.

"Sam?" I whispered.

Ao, I don't think we should take it.

"But Kagekao is thirsty."

If he's thirsty, he should drink water. It's healthier.

"He's a spirit. I don't think it matters."

Well, I don't think he's a spirit.

I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean?"

N...Nothing—look, you might get in trouble.

"He'll just have a little sip. I'll bring it right back," I assured him.

After being left in silence, and listening to ChiChi talk on the phone in the other room, Sam removed the wine bottle from the fridge shelf. I smiled, closed the fridge, and cradled the bottle carefully in my arms. Quietly, I made my way back outside to a waiting Kagekao.

Upon seeing the wine bottle, he practically jumped with joy and sang, "Yay! Wonderful! Thank you so much, little mantis."

As soon as he had his hands on the bottle, he pulled out the cork on top, and raised it to where the mouth on the mask was. Somehow, a hole appeared and he drank through that, downing the wine greedily as if he hadn't drunken anything in months. I raised my hands, trying to get him to stop, but it was too late by the time he listened. He tossed the empty wine bottle to his side and sighed joyfully. "Oh my god, that's sooooo good!~"

"Y-You weren't supposed to finish it," I murmured awkwardly.

He cocked his head to the side. "I wasn't? You should've said so. But then again, wine is best enjoyed in one go, hehe."

You should've listened to me...

I ignored Sam's chiding remark and uttered a light chuckle. "I-It's okay. I'll figure it out..."

"Good girl, little mantis. I appreciate your offering! Speaking of mantis, where is the other, littler mantis?"

At his question, I searched for my mantis friend and found her hanging at my front, blended in to the colors of my yukata. Gently, I grabbed her and held her in my hand.

"Ah, there it is. Would you mind if I hold it too? It's just so pretty."

I stepped closer to the masked spirit and held out my hand for my mantis friend to cross over to his. At first, my mantis friend didn't move at all and merely stared at the gloved hand before her. Kagekao, growing impatient, moved his fingers closer, and suddenly she reared up her front legs, expanding her wings outward, and attacked. The black and white spirit withdrew his hand out of surprise and I was unsettled to see that his mask had donned a half-frown.

"That's a bit mean," he muttered. "Why did it attack me?"

"I don't know," I said, petting her to calm her down. A few seconds passed until her wings and front legs went down and she was back to normal.

Kagekao huffed and said, "Such a pretty creature yet it won't come to my hand. I've grown tired of things not liking me. It's becoming...boring..."

All of a sudden, he grabbed onto the mantis and she jerked erratically in his hold. I was too taken aback to reach for her before he mercilessly crushed the orchid mantis in his hand. The sickening crunch of her exoskeleton seemed as loud as thunder in my ears and my skin crawled from the horror.

"You...You killed her!" I exclaimed, gaping.

Kagekao shook the remains of the once beautiful insect off of his hand and muttered, "'Her'? Well, her sex doesn't matter now."

"Th-That's not okay!" I scolded.

He cocked his head and his mask shifted to a grin—but this one didn't seem cheerful. "Don't tell me you're going to cry? Over a bug? Now that'll just ruin the fun, won't it? I was enjoying my time with you, but if you're going to whine like that..."

Swiftly, he stood to his feet and towered over me. With his arms crossed over his chest, he shook his head and tsked at me. "It's just a silly, little mantis. Then again, maybe you're just as silly, little mantis. And if you're just going to snap at me like the other, then I don't see a reason for you to stick around to bore me..."

To my surprise, he revealed one hand to me, now with the addition of long, black claws for nails that pierced through his white gloves. Waving one claw in front of my face, he purred darkly, "Are you going to bore me like all the rest, Ao? I hate being bored. I hate it. I hate it!"

I gulped and tried taking a step back, but Kagekao was quick and raised his hand to slice his claws into me within milliseconds. But he was unable to bring his hand any closer than a few inches to my face. He was puzzled (his mask expressed that briefly) and tried to push through whatever halted him. Finally, as he growled with annoyance and readied himself to pounce, a rock from the garden was flung right at his head. He stumbled back, disoriented for a moment.

"I knew it!" he hissed. "I sensed something special in you, little mantis. A spirit is bound to you—bound in you..! I guess you are interesting after all!"

Run!

Immediately, I followed Sam's order and I whipped around to run into the house. As I did, I called out to my father, "ChiChi! Help me! Hel—."

A black and white scarf was suddenly wrapped around my neck while I ran and I was jerked backwards hard. My back hit the ground, my intricate braided bun made by Okaasan coming undone, and I lost some of my breath. Kagekao appeared above me with a mask scowling intensely, teeth so jagged they looked real, and he reared his hands up to sink his claws into me.

Once again, Sam protected me and shot a few more rocks at the masked spirit's head. The attack didn't affect him as much as the first time, but this did give me time to get up and scamper to the porch. Just as Kagekao snagged his claws into the bottom of my yukata, tearing the beautiful fabric, my father came out and landed a kick to the spirit's chest.

"ChiChi!" I gasped and leaped into his arms. On the porch, he stood and held out a piece of red paper. No, not paper—a charm. An omamori.

Kagekao chuckled malevolently, looking at my father now instead of me. With a coy tilt of his head, the masked spirit said, "Well, if it isn't little Tetsuya. Ah, but not so little anymore now. It's been too long since we last met!"

My father sneered at the black and white spirit, and growled, "I had hoped not to see you, Kagekao."

"It is Obon! A day for the dead! For the spirits!"

"You are no spirit! You're a demon! Prohibited from even the least blessed of shrines!"

"You flatter, Tetsu-kun," Kagekao teased. "And what is that little scrap of trash you're holding going to do? Hmmm? If I recall, it certainly never worked for your brother."

ChiChi's body tensed considerably and he tightened his grip on the omamori.

The demon standing before us took a step closer, head still tilted to feign friendliness. "Oh, poor little Hiroshi. Even at age four he was so spirited, ambitious! And so imaginative too. How pitiful little Hiroshi was to claim me as his imaginary friend. How pitiful little Hiroshi was that his thirteen-year-old brother, the one entrusted with his well-being, could not save him. At age four he had so much passion! All gone so fast with one fell-swoop of my hand! Hahaha!"

"ChiChi," I started, "what is he—?"

"Quiet," he commanded softly, pressing his hand against my head.

Kagekao went on, oblivious to the seething rage expressed by my father, or he didn't care at all. "It would be intriguing if you were reunited with the spirit of Hiroshi on this day of Obon. What words would he say? Would he say....?"

And then he pulled one of his tricks again, using a voice vastly different from his own, a voice of a child I couldn't recognize. "Tetsuya! Tetsuya! Why didn't you save me? Why didn't you come to help me?"

"I did..," ChiChi muttered gravely.

"Tetsuya! My big brother! My idol! You failed me! You failed me! You failed me!!!"

"I did my best," my father whimpered, the hand holding the omamori now trembling.

"Can't you see," Kagekao continued in his normal voice, "that you will never be enough? Even after all of these years you are still such a horrible brother. You abandoned your home, this home, to a better place without Hiroshi's memory haunting the very air you breathe. On this day of Obon, I like to visit the graves of the dead, and poor Hiroshi's is absent of his big brother's flowers. Maybe his spirit will be appeased instead with his big brother lying beside him in the soil!!!"

With the speed and grace of a ferocious wild cat, the black and white demon lunged forward with his claws drawn for my father. Quickly, from his back pocket, ChiChi pulled out a vial and threw it at Kagekao. It shattered on his mask and water splashed into his clothes. It sizzled and formed thin wisps of smoke while the demon hissed and cried out in pain. Did ChiChi throw blessed water?

Hurriedly, my father shoved me towards the house and ordered, "Run, Ao!"

"I can't leave you!" I cried as I snagged onto his yukata at the last minute. The both of us stumbled for a second, and it was a second too long for Kagekao to recover from the blessed water and attack again. ChiChi instantly hugged onto my small body, shielding me from the demon I once thought was kind, and my eyes were powerless against my tears.

But when the both of us expected my father's screams of agony and his body to be shredded to bits, no such thing came. Instead, I witnessed Kagekao struggle in place, seemingly frozen just before the porch's edge, his claw barely centimeters from ChiChi's head. He grunted, cursed, and hissed, yet everything he did yielded no results. Something held him back once again, and I smiled with relief.

I think this 'spirit's' visit is long overdue.

Sam didn't restrain himself and Kagekao was tossed back far into the tree whence he had come from not too long ago. The branches rattled, leaves fell, and the air seemed to grow stagnant, as if it was holding its breath in awe.

ChiChi finally raised his head and turned to look at the demon who was close to killing him. The black and white entity groaned and struggled to stand. Once he did, he growled, "How pathetic...that it is the child protecting the guardian! Your spirit is much stronger...than I thought, little mantis. Oooh, I can just feel his rage."

Feel this.

From the garden, the Buddha statue—the largest of all the others—was hurtled at the demon's face and I heard the sharp sound of a crack. Kagekao screamed and gasped wildly, holding the black side of his mask, while the white side held an agonized expression. Through his erratic breaths, he cried, "M-My mask! No! Nonononononono! It's...! Aaaagggh! NOOO!!!"

And it was then that Kagekao was bested by Sam, made a panicking, sputtering mess so pathetic for a demon. He stumbled away against the fence before climbing over it and disappearing in the shadows altogether. The garden was silent save for a few crickets come to sing their night's song. It wasn't until I exhaled did I realize I was even holding my breath to begin with.

ChiChi turned to me, gazed into my emerald eyes, then hugged me tight—so tight I thought he'd squeeze Sam out of me. I felt his body tremble from the adrenaline of the standoff, or maybe it was his emotions running wild, or both.

My father cupped my face in his clammy hands and placed a kiss on my forehead. In a hoarse whisper, he asked me, "Are you alright?"

I nodded. The only thing I gained was the torn hem of my yukata.

"Good," he whispered, even softer. "Good."

Hesitantly, I asked, "ChiChi...what was Kagekao saying?"

He shook his head. There was still sadness in his eyes but he responded sternly, "You do not need to pay any mind to what that demon said. You are too young."

"Did he...Did he...to Hiroshi?" I mumbled.

My father glanced down at the floor, his eyes gleaming at a memory that must have been tender. "As I said...you don't need to worry. Okay? And don't tell your mother or grandmother about this. I'll handle it. Okay?"

"Mmm." I nodded.

He brushed his thumb against my cheek and said, "I'm so sorry for putting you in danger. I should've been watching over you. I should've just ignored that call from work. I'm so sorry..."

This time, it was my turn to hold his face in my hands and comfort him. "It's okay, ChiChi. As long we're safe. I'm glad you came to my rescue, too."

For a moment he was silent, some confusion in his eyes, but he shook his head to be rid of the feeling. Then, he bore a firm expression and said, "From now on, I'll work harder to keep you safe. I'll be better, you hear? So I can protect you from any monster—human, spirit, or other—that tries to harm you. I swear on my life's blood none shall come close to grazing your skin. None shall remain. I will not lose you. I will not lose anyone."

Again, I nodded and flashed him a big smile. "You can do it, ChiChi!"

He smiled genuinely for the first time since he intervened Kagekao, and wrapped me up in a big, bear hug. And then he started tickling my sides and nibbling at my cheek as I giggled wildly, unable to escape his loving arms (not that I would want to anyway).

The rest of that night no one stepped one foot outside and the shōji doors were secured by my father's order. In bed, Sam sang lullabies to me to calm my apprehensive heart from the recent brush I had with death. One such lullaby being Furusato:

Usagi oishi kano yama,
kobuna tsurishi kano kawa,
yume wa ima mo megurite,
wasure-gataki furusato.~

Late into the night and in the morning after, ChiChi had an emphatic argument with my grandmother, urging her to move to another house and leave this one behind. Of course, Obaasan thought he was crazy to suggest such a thing. She had had this home for over 20 years, and to give it up so suddenly? It seemed like sin to her.

But her mind was changed by force when, about a year after that first trip to Japan where I had met the demon Kagekao, she had an 'accident' that left her off her feet for more than 3 months. And 'accident' is what reports said, because her story didn't seem plausible: that she ran out into her garden when she heard the voice belonging to her long lost child call for her, and upon setting foot off the porch, a masked demon of shadow attacked her, cackling with the child's voice. ChiChi, benefitting from his job at TIRACorp, helped pay for Obaasan's new home, along with the expenses of moving all of her belongings—even most of the garden.

That long lost child, the younger brother of my father, has burdened his conscience long after the hell had passed. That long lost child, Hiroshi, became the inspiration for my father's strong paternal instinct to protect me and guide me towards the right path, so that I would not be long lost as well—so that my voice would not be the voice of someone long gone and stolen by a demon.

My father kept his promise to protect me from monsters. But at what cost?

At what cost did he keep his promise when I have—in a sense—become the very thing he sought to hunt?

...

When I woke up, I was gasping and sheen with cold sweat. The colors of dawn were barely showing in the sky beyond the bedroom window. Beside me, Jack lay still and quiet. For a few moments I sat unmoving, completely quiet, staring off at the wall ahead.

And suddenly I was crying. I tried to hide my sobs as best as I could but they sounded so loud in my ears. My head ached from trying to hold back my profuse tears. My chest heaved with every breath I struggled to take in past my cries. My heart ached at the dream of a time I had long forgotten, of a time when my family was still together, of a time when I still had Sam.

And my heart ached for him most of all. It's only been a year since he left me, but it feels like an eternity. Sadly enough, it feels like the life I lived before when he was with me was the dream, and not the life I live now with everyone at the mansion. His voice, his memory, his influence, his very essence, seem so far from me now, and yet he left his mark on my skin for me to bear. These tattoos are his reminder of what he sacrificed for me, of the life we shared together. They are his eternal mark, and I am the legacy of his being that he entrusted to carry on. And as much as my very soul aches without him, I will endure and nobly continue his legacy. He has done so much for me; this is what I shall do for him.

After sobbing grossly for only a couple of minutes, Jack stirred from his slumber to comfort me. "Hey, what's wrong? Nightmare?"

Sniffling, I muttered, "Sort of."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he queried.

I shook my head against his chest as I hugged onto him. "Not right now. I need some time to...think."

He nodded and leaned his head against mine, cradling me close. His breath was warm against my scalp, his heartbeat was pleasant to my ears, and his grip was tender with love and concern. I'm so glad he's here for me. I'm so glad he loves me so much despite my downward spiral into overwhelming anxiety.

"There's one thing I will say though," I began in a soft voice.

"What is it?" he asked.

Hugging his waist tighter, I inhaled deeply, then stated, "I think I know someone who can help us."

...

Elizabeth's POV

Zazel and Sudryl came through with the task I gave them of locating Dr. Matsukochi. I wasn't sure how they did it, and I didn't find it was important to know yet. All that mattered was that they did what I told them to, and I'll handle the rest.

Caedis and I stood across the street from a large gothic house, looking as if it was about to fall apart at any second. Despite its frail appearance, it must have been spacious indoors. From my place I could sense bodies inside, quiet and moving very little. I would assume they knew I was here, but I doubt that. How would anyone know I was coming here?

Matsukochi must be inside, doing what? I don't know. Hiding away for a year must not hold any eventful tasks. Or maybe he's still running SCP from the safety of a quaint office. And who else is with him? I might have to deal with them too. Hopefully they'll be smart and not do anything to make our meeting go...awry.

"C'mon, Caedis," I ordered, waving my hand forward, "Let's pay our dear doctor friend a well-deserved visit..."