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leave you three to argue about it,” Toya stated. “I’m taking Kyoko over to the children’s section of the festival, so we can do our part.”

      Toya put his arm around Kyoko’s shoulders and steered her away from them. They froze however when Kamui’s voice came back over the earpieces.

      â€œUm, people… we got a problem.”

      â€œWhat is it pipsqueak?” Toya asked, his voice changing tone at the seriousness Kamui was emitting.

      â€œThat drain leads into the house alright… through the basement. It also leads to the local cemetery about five blocks away. Apparently, the tunnels were dug during some kind of revolution. Local legends say it was an underground ‘highway’ for demon activity.”

      â€œDamn, I’m glad I’m not you guys. Totally sucks to be you right now,” Toya said with a smirk. “Hey, Shinbe, Tasuki, think you can come over and help these ladies out?”

      â€œI do humbly apologize Toya,” Shinbe said over the radio. “But Tasuki and I are on the other end of the square and unfortunately, we are currently preoccupied with our own work.”

      â€œYeah,” Tasuki stated then screamed.

      â€œTasuki?” Kyoko asked. “Are you okay?”

      â€œHe’s fine,” Shinbe said trying not to laugh. “He just got the life scared out of him by an old man and a teenage zombie wanna-be. Hey Tama, love the costume.”

      â€œWe changed our minds, we’re coming,” Tasuki growled. “Damn old man, always scares the crap out of me.”

      Kyoko giggled along with Suki. It seemed Grandpa Hogo had found Tasuki.

      â€œTell Grandpa hello for me and I’ll call him tomorrow,” Kyoko said.

      â€œI’m not telling that old geezer shit!” Tasuki exclaimed sullenly.

      â€œTell him or else,” Kyoko warned, as her emerald eyes grew stormy.

      Kotaro, Yohji and Toya took two big steps back from the auburn-haired woman. When Kyoko got that expression on her face, there was only one alternative… run.

      â€œUm, we’re gonna go ahead and check out the inside.” Kotaro said hesitantly. “We’ll keep you posted at what’s going on.”

      Yohji didn’t even need prompting. They took a couple more steps back as though Kyoko might attack them once their backs were turned before hastily making their way to the house.

      â€œKyoko,” Toya said wonderingly. “You’re scary, you know that?”

      Kyoko smirked, “It runs in the family.”

      â€œTell me about it.” Tasuki mumbled in her earpiece.

      Suki could be heard laughing again, “And you guys all wonder why I love working with you.”

      â€œSuki dear,” Shinbe said softly. “You can be scary all you want… it only makes me want you more.”

      â€œShinbe, shut up,” Suki said in frustration.

      Chapter 3 “Haunted Houses”

      Darious stood in the shadows, watching as the small group went in separate directions. He hadn’t even bothered with invisibility because, tonight of all nights, he would blend in just fine. His eyes narrowed on the fact that Toya had thrown his arm over the woman’s shoulder. Why was it that they were so accepted within the human circle… when he had always been rejected? What made the guardians so damn special?

      His brooding gaze caressed Kyoko’s face as she smiled and he knew she did not fear them, but instead, stood among them as if she belonged. What would he give for her to smile at him like that… like a man instead of a monster?

      Something tightened in his chest, but Darious shrugged off his melancholy as his attention returned to the two cops that were entering the makeshift haunted house.

      He could sense the demon activity inside but he was more interested in the source of the demonic activity. The master controlling the peons is what he needed to find. Destroy the master and you destroy their underlings. It was a simple concept that most found a bit too easy to overlook… until you actually faced a master in combat. Only then did it not seem so easy.

      First and foremost, he needed to find the master demons and kill them. The Guardians could handle the rest of the vermin loose tonight… the easy targets. He slowly turned his head and gazed in the direction of the graveyard before vanishing from site.

      Kamui slurped loudly on his blueberry slushy then chewed for a moment on the straw. He saw the disappearing act of the man that had been stalking Kyoko since she and Toya had arrived and it made him smirk. Turning to another one of the laptops open next to him, he scanned the frozen frame of Darious.

      â€˜So, you have finally found us,’ Kamui thought to himself, making sure to keep that particular thought locked away from Amni and Yuuhi. He had often wondered if the dark angel was still stalking the lands.

      He enlarged the photo and his smile died as he noticed the lonely look that haunted Darious’s eyes.

      *****

      Kotaro and Yohji approached the woman standing at the entrance of the House of Screams and started to make their way in. They immediately noticed a sign outside that indicated no one under the age of eighteen was allowed, which meant ID’s were being checked.

      â€œWhat’s the big deal with the age limit? They have naked zombies or something?” Yohji joked, secretly hoping he was right.

      â€œI’m sorry gentlemen,” The woman said. “It’s a ten dollar entry fee to go in.”

      Yohji choked. “Twenty dollars? That’s highway robbery.”

      Kotaro showed her his badge and smiled. “You don’t want our money and it’s time for you to go take a break.”

      The badge caught the woman’s eye and she followed it with her gaze, unable to look away as it glowed a soft blue.

      â€œI don’t want your money,” She repeated in a dazed voice.

      Kotaro glanced over at Yohji, his smile gone. “Let’s go.”

      They walked inside, leaving the woman at the entrance shaking her head in confusion before she glanced down at her watch deciding it was time to go grab a bite to eat.

      The front door closed behind them and the two men looked around. The front room was in a hexagon shape, with small round tables set into each corner. In the center was a larger round table with wilted flowers and fake rotten fruit in a bowl, all of which had been covered with sawdust and fake cobwebs.

      Both men went on high alert as they noticed the sign that had the word ‘Enter’ scrawled in crooked letters next to a curtain-covered door and no tour guide. Creepy pipe organ music was playing over the speakers, giving the room what they assumed was supposed to be ambiance but it only came off as cheesy.

      â€œLooks like a funeral parlor,” Yohji muttered. “They even have a coffin here.”

      Yohji walked over to the coffin and, out of morbid curiosity lifted the lid. It was a decision he instantly regretted and wrinkled his nose at the smell.

      â€œKotaro… tell me this is fake and I’ll be your best friend forever,” Yohji begged softly as he cringed.

      Kotaro had already started heading toward the curtain covering the next door. He backtracked to look inside the coffin and instantly turned away. The half-eaten human was laying on the now bloodied

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