Chapter 15: Happy Halloween

Kotori POV:

The time of ghouls, witches, and ghosts is here again. People are preparing their costumes, trying to be the scariest monsters roaming the street. Me, I'm in the kitchen filling up the bowl with different kinds of candies preparing it for the trick or treaters that will come knocking at the door later tonight.

Outside the house, I already placed the decorations like cobwebs, jack o lanterns, spooky skeletons, and paper bats. Just a simple decorations to celebrate Halloween and not too spooky for the kids.

While doing some chores in the kitchen, I glanced at the clock on the wall and it's now 5:00 PM.

"Amai, are you ready?! You're going to be late for your Halloween party if you don't hurry!" I called out, but I received only silence.

The Halloween party is held in my brother and sister in law's house. It is just a few blocks away and we will arrive there by 15 minutes of walking. However, I need to get my daughter prepare because time sure fly fast.

I sighed and left the kitchen to go upstairs to check on my daughter.

"Geez, what is that kid doing?" I wondered. I stop dead on my track when I saw pure darkness upstairs.

"Amai, what're you doing there?!" I yelled but no one answered.

I gulped before putting one foot on the staircase and another one over. As I making my way upstairs, the wooden floor emitted a creaking sound and it feels it is just getting louder and louder as I get closer to the abyss. When I reached the top, chills suddenly spreads throughout my body.

"A-Amai?! Why aren't you answering me?!" I tried my best to hide the shakiness of my voice.

As I walk deeper into the darkness, my soul nearly left my body when I thought someone walked passed behind me.

"Q-Quit messing around! You're going to be late for the party!" I exclaimed.

I can feel my heart about burst out of my chest as my breathing becomes heavy like the atmosphere around me. My head darted left and right and around the dark hallway and suddenly, I came face to face with a figure with long black hair, white long dress, and face full of blood with eyes darker than the room itself. My whole body trembled and my face goes pale as I let out a banshee like scream that could wake the whole neighborhood.

A few minutes later~

I stood there in the living room with my arms crossed while glaring and raising an eyebrow at my kneeling daughter wearing her ghost costume from the movie we just saw last night.

"So, what're you gonna say about yourself almost giving your mother a heart attack?!" I scolded.

"Oh c'mon mom, it's Halloween! Everything should be scary!" The little girl replied eyeing me with her dark eyes that sent chills up in my spine, making me almost lose my composure.

And she added. "Is it even possible for you to have a heart attack?"

"I know I have a powerful healing powers Amai, but we spirits are people too! So, there is a possibility I could have a heart attack lately!" I argued which I just received an eye roll from my own daughter.

Before I could argue with her more (which sounds very childish of me) I sighed and said.

"All right let's move on."

I look at the clock and was surprised when I saw my daughter is almost late on her Halloween party.

"Oh would you look at the time, we need to hurry!" I said.

I pick up Amai's bag from the couch and help her stand up. Both of us went outside the house and we got a full view of the beautiful and mysterious spooky decorations of the neighborhood while the children all trick or treating on each houses. I look at my daughter and she looks at me back with an excited smile on her face which warms my heart since this is her first Halloween.

"Are you ready for the party?" I asked while smiling at her which she quickly nodded.

As we walk by the side walk, we met two familiar faces.

"Ohhh heyyy Kotori-san and Amai-chan!" The bunny puppet from the left hand of the girl with blue hair greeted.

"Aunt Yoshino and Yoshinon!"

My daughter quickly attacked them with a tight hug.

"Hello Amai and Kotori! Hey nice costume Amai." The girl complimented.

"Thank you aunt Natsumi!" My daughter gave her a tight hug too.

"Awww you are so cute!" Natsumi laughed before breaking the hug. My daughter returns back to Yoshino and they started having a conversation.

Natsumi approached me with a grinned on her face.

"This is the first time I saw you outside Halloween Kotori, you never liked scary things." The girl with green hair laughed making me growled.

"Ha Ha Ha, that's funny. Anyway, are you both going to the party?" I asked.

"We'll be going there later, both of us just gonna help Tohka out with her costume." She answered.

This got me curious, this is the first time Tohka attending a Halloween party.

"What kind of costume she's wearing?" I asked out of curiosity.

Natsumi chuckled and said. "She's dressing up as a werewolf, hopefully it will go well with her."

I also chuckled. Imagining all of my friends there like last time, I guess nothing ever changed in our life.

"Anyway Kotori, we need to go now. See ya later at the party!"

Amai hold my hand again and both of us waved goodbye to Yoshino and Natsumi. When we started walking side by side again, I felt my daughter tugged my hand lightly.

"Mom, is uncle Shido and aunt Kurumi going to be there?" She asked.

"Uh huh! So, if you saw them, I want you to give them a nice big hug." I answered with a warm smile which my daughter nodded happily.

"I will!"

After a minutes of walking~

Amai eyes glimmered when she saw all the other kids playing and eating candies while wearing their spooky costumes. What caught Amai attention is the girl with black hair, wearing a gothic princess style dress.

Amai looked at me with an eye asking for permission which I replied by smiling at her warmly and hugged her.

"I'll pick you up later once the party is over. Don't give your Uncle Shido and Aunt Kurumi any troubles now okay?" I remind her.

"Don't worry mom, I'll be a good girl!" Amai smiled brightly.

"Very good. Now, run along now and have fun!" I told her as I let go of the hug.

"Aunt Kurumi!" Amai runs up to her surprising the dark spirit.

"Ara! Amai you're here!" Kurumi smiled warmly as she hugged the little girl.

"Where's your mother?" Kurumi asked which the little girl pointed at the doorway.

When I'm about to leave, I heard Kurumi's voice from behind.

"Kotori-san leaving so soon?"

I turn to face her and said. "I'm sorry Kurumi wish I could stay, kids gonna be trick or treating at the house later."

I looked at Amai and saw her playing and having a conversation with the other kids.

"And I'm sure Amai will be having a lot of fun here." I chuckled.

I added. "By the way, where's Shido?"

"Oh, he's in the backroom practicing his introduction. Wanna check him out?" Kurumi replied and giggled.

Imagining seeing my brother practicing some corny catch phrase making me cringe from where I'm standing. I don't think my sanity could take it seeing him in person.

Shido's POV:

I make my most awesome pose in front of the full body standing mirror. Dark robs covering half of my face and red eyes staring menacingly.

"Ghostly greetings kids and parents! This is your menacing and frightening blood thirsty vampire Itsuka Shido and welcoming you to our spooky Halloween party! HA HA HA!!!" I let out my best evil laugh.

My eyes glimmered. "Nailed it! That was awesome!"

While I was celebrating, I heard a slow clap and a giggle behind me. When I turned around, I almost shriek and my face turned red as a tomato when I saw my wife trying to hold her laughter by clamping her hand over her mouth and my sister wearing a smug smile on her face.

"I'm impressed big brother, you almost surpassed Kurumi for being menacing." Kotori teased. That's when my sister and my wife filled the room with their laughter.

"Don't you two know how to knock?!" I exclaimed as my face gets redder and redder.

"Oh don't get to embarrassed from your own sister!" Kotori laughed.

In the situation I'm in, I have no choice but to join them in laughing.

"Hehe, it is quiet silly to be honest." I chuckled.

And then I asked excitedly. "Sis, where's Amai?"

"Oh she's in the living room playing with the kids, you should go see her she's very excited to see her uncle Shido again." Kotori said.

My eyes beamed. I look at the time and it is almost 6 o'clock.

"We need to get ready and start the party and meet my niece!" I said.

"Are you staying here tonight sis?" I asked.

My sister sighed and said in a sad tone. "No, I need to go home to take care the trick or treaters."

"That's alright." I gave her a comforting smile.

"How about Amai?" I asked.

"I'll be picking up Amai later after the party is over at 9PM. Big brother and big sister Kurumi, please take care of Amai please?" She said while eyeing us with a worried look. I can see tears already forming on her eyes.

My sister is really overprotective of Amai. This is the first time she leaves Amai to us, and trust us with her daughter. She never let Amai leave the house, she always get mad everytime sge saw a small scratch on her daughter, and she always taste the food that her daughter bought by the street. I can understand because she made a promise to Riku.

I hugged and her and promised. "Don't you worry little sis, Amai is like a daughter to us she is safe here. We won't let anything happened to her."

"Kotori-san, I will protect your daughter with all my life. We are a family and family protects each other." Kurumi stated as she also hugged my sister.

Kotori holds us tightly as she wept silently. After she calms down, I let go of her and said. "Can you at least watch your big bro and big sis open up the party?"

Kotori POV:

Minutes later, Shido and Kurumi starts the party by doing some introduction and tricks.

"Ghostly greetings kids and parents! This is your menacing and frightening blood thirsty vampire Itsuka Shido and welcoming you to our spooky Halloween party! HA HA HA!!!" Shido laughed menacingly as Kurumi summoned her shadows and clones disguised as vampire ladies behind the scene.

All of the people around except me didn't noticed anything fishy. They all think this is all just a cheap tricks. People cheered and awe as Kurumi ascended from the floor of her shadow and then her two clones decided to attack her.

"Aunt Kurumi looked out!" Amai cries out.

"Come forth! Zaphkiel!" Kurumi calls out her angel and a large clock appeared behind her with a flintlock pistol on her hand.

On the clock, the seventh hour glowed a bright red. Kurumi then shot the clones that are charging towards her and Shido, making them freeze on their place. People gasped and they are on the edge of their seats.

"Holy molly!" The other kid blurted out.

Suddenly, Shido jumps in the air and yelled out.

"Haniel!"

Haniel, Natsumi's angel. A broom appeared on his hand and the sweeper of the broom turned into a mirror. He pointed it towards the two other Kurumis and in a puff of smokes. Both clones turned into a cut tiny black kittens.

"Meow!" Both kittens meow in confusion.

The people went silenced in a few seconds and they roared out in cheers very loudly.

"That was awesome!!!"

"Hooray!!!"

Shido, Kurumi, and the two kittens bow down as the curtains fall. I clapped my hand loudly for the amazing show they've done, I never seen anything like this. Using spirit powers as a props, great idea but also dangerous.

I glanced at my daughter and spoke. "Amai?"

"Yes mom?" Amai glanced back.

"Mommy will be going home now, remember what I said earlier." I told her.

She nodded happily. "Don't worry mom, like I said I'll be a good girl!"

"I know you will." I gave my daughter a peck on the forehead.

"I'll pick you up later at 9PM okay?" I stood up and went outside the house.

I told myself. "I wish you were here to celebrate with us Riku..."