Vamps & Ghosts - A DL Halloween

Hey guys, hope you enjoy this holiday one. Theme: What would happen if ghosts came in to disturb the vampires daily lives? Would they run them out?

I do not own Diabolik Lovers, all rights go to it’s creator Reject. *Important - Anything you may recognize from other shows, movies, books, etc. I do not own, is not related and it comes from my imagination. It may be inspired, but is my own work.

Please enjoy!

It is early evening, just as the sun had set. The moon half full with light shone over the land of autumn Japan. There was a chill in the air as the wind howls softly about the trees, swaying. Bats fluttering from their perch to go off and feed. A strange atmosphere was in the air, something of mischievous intent and strange horror about.

Over in the Sakamaki mansion, life was as dull as it ever was. A grandfather clock tolled throughout the home, an eerie chime for each hour. It was time to wake up and go off to school for the bored little vampires. Shū, of course, was the last to leave as everyone piled into their limo and headed off. The vampire brothers were feeling ready to feed on any ‘bride’ that will soon drop by. However, there was no human to be dropped off this month, just a few bags of blood here and there. Enough to sustain their thirst, but not enough to drink daily. Even so, it would seem their troubles were just beginning.

The Sakamaki siblings arrived at school, filing out, they headed off into their respective classes. They were careful to walk around any decorations left out by the day time classes. It was October, the month of spooky stuff and Halloween. The vampires didn’t care too much about the holiday. Heck ghouls, monsters, zombies, they didn’t even exist to them. Especially ghosts.

...

“Oi I heard something in my last class. Apparently, this school is haunted.” Ayato says between chewing his lunch. He sat with his twins and Reiji in the cafeteria. It was rare they got together, much less in school.

“Mhm, we are haunting this school,” Raito replies while sipping his drink.

“No, I mean like ghosts and stuff.” Ayato insists.

Reiji adjusted his spectacles. “Ayato, there are no such things as ghosts. Must I remind you of that?”

“Yeah yeah. But they’re dead. We’re dead. So maybe we are the ghosts.”

“And we’re back to my comment.” Raito points out.

“Shut up perv.”

Reiji sighs, “Ayato, ghosts are dead humans. They don’t exist but we do. Vampires are real but ghosts are myths. End of story.”

“Geez, you’re such a buzz kill. If ghosts aren’t real, then how are people killing themselves by speaking names in a mirror? Playing cards?”

“Suicide maybe?” Raito speaks up. “Or it is something creepy.”

“Raito, please stop trying to fill his head with more brainless ideas.”

“Yes sir.” He replies nonchalantly.

“All of you making such a fuss over fairy tales. Even Teddy knows they’re not real.”

Ayato huffs, “Says the kid who thinks the Nutcracker is a thief of toys.”

“What do you know Ayato! Shut up before I gouge out your eyes!” Straight away Kanato starts yelling at the top of his lungs. Most of the other students were used to him throwing a tantrum at least every week, so they simply moved away from the four siblings to sit in the distance.

“Quiet little brat! I’ll rip your tongue out before you get the chance!” Ayato counters, standing up as he shouts.

“Enough!” Reiji pushes Ayato back in his seat and sets down a plate of sugary confections in front of Kanato to block his view momentarily. “We’re in a public place. Behave yourselves.”

The twins gave a sound of forced agreement before settling back into their lunches. ‘This wasn’t over yet’, Ayato thought to himself, he still had ideas to make them believe ghosts were real. Even if it was just a harmless prank.

...

Ayato walks around the school, skipping his next class. No big deal. Trying to think up ways to fool his siblings, especially Reiji. He’d love more than anything to see his older brother shriek in fear or show some sign of fright. He walks down the hallway until a flyer on one of the school’s bulletins catches his attention.

“New Members of the Occult are Welcome! No Experience is Required. If you are Interested Please contact Fudoki, Mio of class 2-2 for more information. Ghost summonings are on Friday Nights at Midnight in the old Radio room after school.”

Ayato pulls the flyer off the board to read. He would go ask this ‘Mio’ person but he was in that class. Though Ayato doesn’t remember anyone by that name. “Must be a day-time student. Sucks.” He crumples the paper and drops it before walking off. Walking a few steps, he paused, ‘Wait so tonight’s Friday right? It must be since everyone has the weekend vibe to them. Crap so where’s the old radio room again? What time is it?’ He glances down the hall to a clock on the wall. It was ten after twelve. Ayato picks up the crumpled flyer and pockets it, he races off to find the radio room mentioned.

Once he arrived, barely a couple of minutes had passed. He barges through the door. “Hey is this the ghost club summoning?” Ayato calls out. In the dark, candlelit room, a handful of students jumped from his arrival. The leader of the group, a senior who was acting medium, stood from her seat.

“Uh yes. Aren’t you a night student? Shouldn’t you be in class?” She asked tentatively.

“Why? You day time students won’t let a night class as members?” Ayato asks defensively. He looks the upperclassman up and down. She was of average height, long black hair tied in a braid at waist length. Pale face with soft pink lips, her eyes were light brown. Ayato glances at her breasts, average B cup. Boring, she was not his type.

“No, but we were granted this permission to be here if we didn’t disrupt the night students in any way.” She carefully explained.

Ayato grew annoyed. “Too bad. I want to see this so-called ghost summoning. Is it true you can summon the dead?”

The senior looks at the group before her uncertain. All were hesitant to answer. Finally, a male student with dark brown hair and brown eyes stood from his seat. “If you want to know, please sit. You can find out on your own.” The boy points to an empty seat beside him.

Ayato cautiously walks over. “How do I know this isn’t some trick?”

“Just watch or rather feel for yourself.” Ayato looked confused for a minute. “My name’s Fudoki, this here is our medium, Soleil.” Fudoki introduces himself then points to the senior girl.

“That’s a weird name,” Ayato comments as he sits, scooting his seat a little distance from the male student.

“It’s my witch name. It is what I’ll ask the ghosts to refer to me as in this séance. As it is a rule, never to say your real name.” Soleil explains calmly.

“Se-what?”

“A séance is a ritual to communicate with spirits.” Fudoki simply explains.

“Why can’t I say my real name to ghosts?”

“It’s a rule to never break. Tell a spirit your real name, they’ll attach to you and may cause harm or malice to you or to those around you.”

“Oh.” Ayato didn’t really get it. “So can we start?”

“First, what is your name newcomer?” Fudoki asks politely.

“Hmph. Tremble in fear, because Yours Truly is here!” Ayato exclaims proudly. A silence fell about the room.

Soleil clears her throat. “Your actual name please.”

Ayato slumps a little disappointed these humans showed no fear, nor acknowledgment to his self-proclaimed name. “Sakamaki, Ayato. But the girls can call me Yours Truly.”

Soleil forces a smile in acknowledgment. “Thank you Sakamaki-san. Now, remember everyone, summoning spirits is not always successful. Most of the time you would end up with wild imaginations. But on a rare occasion, a spirit may answer the call.”

“Does it have something to do with experience or how strong a person’s spiritual power is?” A student asks.

“No. Mostly it’s a chance of luck. Also, the spirit that may be summoned can be good or bad. A bad spirit you don’t want as they can cause harm to you or those you care about. It’s best to ask them to please leave. If not, then shut down the séance at once by properly doing an exit ceremony. Now is everyone ready? Come close, let’s close this circle, leaving no gaps but breathing room.” Soleil finishes her explanation and prepares the table by rubbing a bit of sage across. Then onto a wooden board with letters and numbers on it.

“What is this?” Ayato asks out loud.

“An Ouija board. It’s a ghost summoning tool.” Fudoki explains.”

“Okay but what about that weird wiping stuff on it earlier?”

“It’s for protection from the bad spirits.” Soleil answers. “I’m adding a mixture of dried Bay Laurel and Rowen to all corners of the cardinal directions.” She places pieces of both plant leaves in each corner. She also made sure the candles placed around the board were lit.

Soleil took a deep breath before speaking. “I call upon you wandering souls, would you please grace us with your presence? I have with me here, a way of communication. Please use it to your wishes.” She pauses before motioning everyone to stay quiet.

Ayato waits, briefly thinking he was wasting his time. A female student beside him shivered.

“Is something wrong?” Whispered her friend. “It’s nothing. I got the chills all of a sudden.”

“Creepy.” Her friend replied.

Ayato sighs. Big waste of time, he had hoped this would have been a little more interesting- “The hell!” He jumped, startled. A breeze just flew down his neck. No wait, it felt like warm air, as if someone was breathing down his neck for a moment. He looked around but didn’t see anything, even with his vampire senses.

“Everyone please calm down,” Fudoki states in a calm voice. “Please sit Sakamaki-kun, it would be bad if anyone disrupts the circle.”

“Sure if someone closes the windows first.”

“The windows are closed. We’re in the old school building, the windows have been boarded up for years.” Fudoki explains, pointing to where the windows were located.

Ayato glances, even with his excellent eyesight, he could see the windows were boarded uptight. There wasn’t even an air conditioner in the room. “Che. Fine.” Ayato sits, keeping his guard up from now on.

Fudoki nods to Soleil to continue. She calls out again. “Spirits from the beyond, please use the items on this table to communicate with us, please. We won’t harm you, you are safe here.”

Once again it was all silent. A minute had passed, Ayato was becoming irritated. The student beside him shivered again, then at the same time, a candle in front of her flickered. Both Fudoki and Soleil shared a small smile, the lights flickered a couple more times before snuffing out.

“Is someone here with us tonight?” Soleil calls out. The candle-lit in response. “Alright. It seems we have a spirit. It seems to like the light. Very well. We’ll ask the spirit a question each. As for you spirit, I thank you for answering our call this evening. You may respond with the candle. Lit for yes, snuffed out for no. Is that acceptable?” The flame flickers before solidifying as a yes.

“Okay, now we commence with the questions. Please ask yes or no questions only, remember to please be respectful at all times. Now, who wants to start?” Fudoki asks, looking around.

The group went around in a circle three times, everyone getting a chance to ask three questions. So far Ayato was enjoying it. This was fun. After about fifteen minutes, Fudoki decides it is time to close the session.

“Hold up! Let me ask it one more question.” Ayato interrupts.

“Sakamaki-kun, it’s best if we don’t -”

Ayato ignores Fudoki. “Okay, this is very important. Are ghosts as immortal as vampires?”

Everyone looked shocked at his random question. Soleil looks stunned for a moment before addressing the spirit. “Well, will you please give us an answer spirit?” She asks politely.

The group awaits the spirit’s reply. A few moments passed before the flame flickered for a good minute before becoming a steady flame once more.

“Okay. That was our last question.” Concludes Soleil.

“But it didn’t give a solid answer,” Ayato complains.

“Well, we’re out of time either way. Now humble spirit. We are grateful you could come and spend some time with us. Thank you very much.” She then proceeds to blow out the remaining light source. “I hope you can find peace on the other side.” A cool breeze flows around the room, startling a couple of students, then disappears as quickly as it came. The room becomes quiet once more.

“And there ends our midnight séance with a spirit. I hope you all had fun and learned a little something.” Fudoki tells the group, turning on several flashlights, passing them to everyone. “Be safe on your way home everyone.” He bids them goodnight. “Now shouldn’t you head back to class Sakamaki-” Fudoki turns to see just Soleil beside him.

“Huh. I guess he left already.”

“Yeah. Hey did you move the board after my back was turned?” She asks him.

“No. It should be on the table.” The two Occult members look over at the table but saw nothing. The Ouija board and candles were missing.

...

The school was finally over for the night. Five of the Sakamaki siblings piled into their limo. Reiji noticed Ayato was missing. Adjusting his glasses, he addressed his brothers. “Where is Ayato? Another detention he forgot to mention?” Raito shrugged, Kanato stared at his teddy, bluntly ignoring him.

“He left some time ago.” Shū sleepily replies.

“Home or to play in town?”

“Dunno.” He sighs, not really caring.

“Well wherever he rushed off to, he’ll come back when he gets hungry. Or bored.” Raito points out. Everyone mutually agreed before leaving school for home. The ride was deathly quiet, save for a few giggles shared between Kanato and Teddy.

After arriving home, the five siblings headed inside to part ways for the upcoming morning. However, in the entrance hall stood a grinning, proud idiot. “Finally you’re all back. Yours Truly is pleased.”

The vamps paused, with empty expressions on their faces. They then turn to leave to their personal destinations, uninterested in what their nonsensical brother of theirs was up to.

“Hey wait! Yours Truly has some great news.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s something stupid.” Reiji comments.

“It’s something fun.”

“Oh~? A new sacrifice perhaps?” Raito asks, intrigued.

“No, but better.” Ayato states.

“Please tell us then Ayato.” Raito waits for his twin’s surprise with slight interest.

“I’ll tell you guys if you come into the drawing-room.”

“Hm. Okay then. Kanato do you want to come with us?”

“No. Teddy and I have plans.” Kanato disappears right after.

“Oh well.” Raito shrugs.

“Che. Reiji’s gone to his room already and Shū’s disappeared to who knows where.” Ayato notices.

“Well, their loss. That just leaves one person, Subaru.”

“Hah?”

The twins look over at Subaru, who now thinks it’s a good idea to leave the hall.

...

“Why the hell am I here?” Subaru grumbles, his attempt to leave ended up with him being dragged to the drawing-room. He sits down in front of a table with Ayato in front and Raito on his right.

“Because everyone else said no. You’re the only available one.” Raito replies smoothly, sitting down as well.

“Who says I don’t have plans?” Subaru interjects.

“Watering flowers, as usual, every day? They’ll die quicker that way.”

Subaru folded his arms, turning away. “Tch. Whatever.”

Raito leans over to put an arm around Subaru. “Besides, just think about it as a way to spend time with your older brothers.”

“Hah?” Subaru shoves him off his person. “Quit talking nonsense. Oi Ayato! The hell we doing here anyway?”

“One sec! Making sure I have everything.” Ayato calls back, checking a bag full of tree leaves, sticks, and weeds for his plans.

“What does he need with a bunch of junk?” Subaru mutters, confused.

“To build a bat trap?” Raito suggests.

“Alright.” Ayato slams a wooden board in front of the two.

“What is this horrendous thing?” Subaru asks, looking at the weird board with carvings of letters and numbers.

“It’s a board to summon ghosts. A spooks club summoned some this evening. Now I’ll be able to prove their existence.” Ayato explains. Happily setting everything up. ‘Now I’ll show them who’s right.’

“The hell are you talking about?” Grumbles an annoyed albino.

“Ah, he thinks ghosts and vampires are similar beings. So you found a club that deals in the supernatural. They play some magic tricks now you want to show us what you learned?” Raito concludes.

“That’s just a load of crap.”

“I’ll prove you wrong. Just watch! This witch girl summoned a ghost, I asked it a question and it didn’t give me a straight answer. So I’ll bring them back and prove their existence to you.” Ayato sets up the candles he stolen around the Ouija board, lighting them.

Taking the bag of leaves, grass, and sticks, he dumps them on the table and spreads them around the board. “There, that’s to ward off any mean spirits. Now sit back and watch. You just call them and they come.”

“Like little bitches.” Mummers Raito. He sits back and watches as his twin chants unintelligible things.

“What are you saying?” Subaru questions, not seeing the point in all of this.

“Chanting is an extra safety precaution,” Ayato said, continuing his speech of mixed words. “Now spirits, I command you to come. I have questions for you.”

“This’ll be crap.”

“Now now Subaru, let’s just hear him out for now. Not like we have anything better to do in our immortal lives.”

“You’re just waiting for some pervy female ghost to do something nasty with.”

“Hm, that’s not a bad idea…”

“Gross!” Subaru cringed. Scooting his chair further from his older brother.

The trio waited a couple of minutes but nothing came. Ayato brushed it off. “So shy. Come on spirits, Yours Truly commands you to come forth and reveal your presence to these nonbelievers.” He raised his arms high like a priest giving a sermon. Nothing. They waited another five minutes, growing impatient.

“Ayato, I think it’s time to give up. We waited long enough. Maybe what you saw with your spooks’ club were some illusions?” Raito said, tired of waiting for nothing.

“Hah? No way! It was real! Those damn cowards. How dare they make a fool out of me, Ayato.”

“Yeah yeah real fun. Can we go now?” Subaru asks, annoyed at the redhead’s antics.

“Che. Those fools. Wait until I see them again on another ghost summoning night. I’ll kill ’em!” Ayato swears, swiping at the board, knocking it and it’s contents to the ground. The board breaks in half on impact.

“Well, that was fun. Nee Subaru, wanna go shoot darts until supper?” Raito asks the albino.

“Why?”

Raito shrugs. “Ayato can come too, loser buys lunch at school for the next two weeks.”

“Hm... Fine.” Subaru agrees. Not that he had anything better to do, free lunch sounds okay.

“And Ayato? Hm.. looks like he’s gone. Oh well.” Raito bends down to blow out the candles before the two leave for the game room. After the door shuts, the ouija board lay still on the ground. A fine shadowy mist forms from the shadows under a window nearby. It creeps up on the board. Covering the two halves in darkness before swallowing it whole. Then the mist slithers away into the shadows. Nothing left where the ouija board sat but grass and sticks.

…

In the early morning hours, rain started with a calm pitter-patter. Quickly brewing into a rolling storm with thunder and lightning crackled and roared. It was enough to wake each Sakamaki in the manor from their slumber for a moment. Hearing the howling wind outside, the lights dancing in the sky, it was a moment of worry. As the storm continued, some went back to sleep while others looked out, hoping for a break in the downpour.

Nevertheless, the thunderstorm seemed enough to wake the dead. Before the day ended, one stray bolt of lightning hit an unmarked tombstone, out in the Sakamaki’s graveyard. Leaving a large scorch mark in the center before the tombstone crumbles to pieces. After which, the wind blows violently around the area before disappearing with the storm shortly after. Evening comes and the storm finally left at nightfall.

Clouds still scatter in the sky as evening falls, the moon shines between them. Morning for the vampires come with a chilly atmosphere, and heavy mist lingers. Each sibling wakes in time for meals at their own pace, in time for breakfast. A couple sleeping in late after the storm awakened them from slumber. As a morning person, Reiji was up before the rest. Prepping his chores and breakfast for everyone. He made his way to the dining hall in silence. As he passed a window, the vampire paused.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a figure in the distance. It looked like a young girl was standing out at the front gate. The gate doors were open, the girl, so pale, stood in the middle of the open gate, her hands to her side, looking out to the road. Reiji turns his head for a better look at the intruder. Just as he adjusts his spectacles, the figure vanished. He peered out into the mist for any signs of what could have been out there. He couldn’t see anything but the mist and an empty driveway.

“Oi Reiji.”

Reiji turns to the owner of the voice, Ayato stood behind him, hand on hip. “How long are you going to keep us waiting for food? I’m starving. Mostly for blood.”

Reiji closes his eyes with a sigh. “Learn some patience. Breakfast will be ready shortly.”

“Finally.” Ayato exclaims exasperated. The two vampires leave the hall. Outside in the mist, the figure returns. Returning as a young girl in white, she stares inside the manor. She moves towards the front door, vanishing on the way.

…

“That storm during the day was terrible. Must be a tropical storm we weren’t warned about.” Raito presumes. Walking down one of the manor’s hallways with Reiji and Kanato after breakfast.

“I highly doubt that. If it were a tropical storm we’d be hearing a few more days of rain and wind.” Reiji explained to him. “It was entirely rain for the dry season these past few days.”

“I hope it never comes back then. Teddy couldn’t sleep well last night.” Kanato grumbles, holding his stuffed bear tightly.

“Mm. Weather like that would keep prey from leaving. If we ever get any more.” Raito exhales, longing for another female victim to play with. Adjusting his spectacles, Reiji was about to scold Raito for complaining, then warn him to not get any ideas to go find his own, a soft rattling sound interrupts them.

“Hm? What’s that?” Raito asks. The trio pauses to listen. A soft sound of wood being dragged across a surface was heard. It sounded as if someone was moving something across the floor. “It’s coming from one of the upper floors.” Raito notes.

“Indeed. One of the others must be moving somethings around.”

“It’s so noisy. Teddy wants the noise to stop.” Kanato glares at the ceiling annoyed.

“We could always go up to investigate.”

“Waste of time.” Reiji declines before disappearing. The twins stay behind, looking to where the sound was coming from, they moved to where they believed it was. The two appeared before a small storage closet. The sound had changed from a rattling to scratching sound.

“Ugh it’s so annoying. It’s probably Ayato.”

“Excuse me brat?”

The two turn to see their triplet sibling behind them. “Well, there you are. I was under the impression you were still sulking about what happened yesterday?”

“Shut up. I don’t sulk.” Ayato snaps.

Raito shrugs. Kanato, tired of waiting, opens the door. Letting it creak open loudly as it opened. “Whoever’s making that insufferable noise, stop it before I make you!” He shouts into the room. A loud shrieking was heard along with a loud thud. The triplets look towards the back corner of the room. A panicked bat takes off out an open window. Leaving behind an old radio.

“What was that about?” Ayato questions out loud.

“A low class familiar. I swear when I find him, I’ll squash him.” Kanato vows, watching as the bat flies off into the night.

“Now now, let’s not be hasty. We found the cause of the noise and stopped it.” Raito calmly states as he walks towards the object of the bat’s attention. “Hm. I don’t recognize it as one of Shū’s items.”

“We should throw it out,” Ayato says. “Reiji would have a fit over more junk in the manor.”

“You’re right. You can take it out Ayato.” Raito says.

“Why me?”

“You’re closer to the thing.” Raito points out.

“Che.” Ayato moves towards the radio. He picks it up from its spot the bat dropped it, not realizing he accidentally turned it on in the process. The box glows on before a crackling sound was heard.

“Ayato what did you do!” Screams the little vampire.

“Shut up! It’s not my fault.” Ayato argues back, placing the radio on top of a box.

“Shh.” Raito shushes them. “Listen, something’s coming in.”

“Why should I listen to a heap of garbage?”

“Listen,” Raito repeats, turning up the volume dial.

‘This week’s Midnight Story Hour comes from the United Kingdom. The Yellow Spector of Windbridge Castle.’

“Great a lame tale.” Kanato grumbles.

“A spector?”

“Another name for a ghost Ayato.”

“Oh.”

“Idiot. Even I know that.”

Ayato turns to snarl at his siblings when an ear-piercing scream cuts through the tension. The triplets look back at the old radio box which made another sound, a female cackling. Captivated momentarily, they waited until the narrator started telling the story. Adding sound effects in the background during the radio show, to further state that it was a ghost tale being told.

“In the early thirteenth century, Windbridge Castle was owned by a prosperous lord of the region. Lord Kyme was a zealous man, he had an overbearing personality. His wife, Dame Athaliah Lleweellyn was very supportive of her husband and managed to run the home with little effort, despite having five daughters and a son. For many years, the couple lived happily. Until their son, Caius died young at the age of seven.′

‘Lord Kyme was devastated. During his time of mourning, Lord Kyme fell passionately in love with another woman. A noblewoman by the name of Cassia, whom the couple had known since she was a babe. He courted the young miss in secret but Dame Athaliah would have none of it. She let her husband know that she would always be by his side and that a younger woman wouldn’t make him as happy as she did. Lord Kyme did not take kindly to this. Several weeks after, Dame Athaliah fell ill and soon died.’

‘Dame Athaliah was reportedly locked in a small room of the castle. She was kept isolated, the servants gave her little food and water until she eventually starved. On the day she died, it is said Lord Kyme paid her a visit, impatient with how long it has taken for her to perish. The servants overheard the pair having an intense argument before a scream was heard. Dame Athaliah fell out of her window and died upon hitting the ground.’

‘A month had passed since her death, Lord Kyme soon married Cassia. The newlyweds were full of joy and happiness. Because of Lord Kyme’s position in the country’s hierarchy, his actions were never questioned. Neither was the suspicious death of his previous wife. Dame Athaliah however, wasn’t about to let the happy couple forget about her.’

‘That night, the newlyweds bed together, until they heard a soft wailing sound out their window. Lord Kyme got up to check, assuring his bride that it was only the wind. However, once he approached the window, the sound stopped. He opened the window to see that there was no wind. The night was calm and still, no person was anywhere near the castle grounds. He closed the windows and went back to bed. As they settled in, the wailing began again. As the night wore on, the sounds became louder and more human. They began to sound like a woman in despair. Slight scratching sounds on the outer castle walls were heard. The eerie sounds continued until dawn.’

‘In the morning, the young lady Cassia cautiously approaches the window, opening them to then step back with a gasp. In horror, she found inscribed in the stone of the window ledge, ’D. ATHALIAH LLEWEELLYN‘. The window was atop the highest tower of the castle. No human could ever reach that high on their own. The noblewoman cried out in fear, slamming the windows shut and running from the room.’

‘To this day the inscription is still there on the ledge. Athaliah has now been dubbed the Yellow Spector by the caretakers of Windbridge Castle. She freely roams the halls of the castle, appearing occasionally to spook visitors and the caretakers of the castle. Appearing in a faint yellow dress, the spector leaves behind a faint scent of rosemary in the rooms she appears in. She rarely does harm to anyone in the castle.’

As the narrator wraps up the story, the connection starts to fade. Static comes in slowly between every few words as the narrator reads off his credits list.

“Arg, the hell’s wrong with this piece of junk?” Ayato grumbles, annoyed with the static interruptions.

“I agree, it’s irritating. This is worse than that story.” Kanato complains.

Raito shrugs. “Losing connection maybe? Time to turn it off.” Ayato goes over to switch the box off but as he moves closer, the static becomes louder, drowning out the announcer. He looks back at his siblings momentarily.

“...aah…haa…”

“The hell?” The three look confused. Listening carefully, they could hear a voice coming in from the radio, distantly.

“...aay…aah...toe...kun…”

Ayato stands frozen, did he just hear his name off an old box of junk? No, it must be something else.

“...aay...aah...toe...kun…” This time the voice was growing louder within the static. Hard to say whether it was male or female.

“...I...love...you...I...love...you…”

“Okay if you don’t turn that thing off right now Ayato, you’ll be sorry!” Kanato yells at his brother. The noise was weirding him out. He did not like it one bit.

“...shh...shh...aay...aah...toe...Aya...to...kun-” Click. Ayato hurriedly turns the radio off but the light still glows. “...Aya...to...kun…play...with...me...” The voice continues to repeat.

“Ayato turn that blasted thing off!”

“I did! I swear!” Ayato fiddles with the switches. Trying to change channels, lower the volume, even turning it on and off repeatedly.

Crash! Kanato slams the box against the wall, smashing it upon impact. “...will...you...be...my...friend…” The voice asks in a high pitched voice, as the radio’s signal dies, the voice fades to silence. The triplets wait, expecting something else to happen.

“Well, that was interestingly creepy.” Raito comments.

“How did it know my name? Why?” Ayato questions.

“Who knows.” Raito replies. He makes sure to separate the pieces of the radio and dumps them into separate boxes. “Hope that’s the last we hear of that, especially from the bats.”

“Definitely.” Kanato agrees. One by one the trio leaves the room.

Ayato, last to leave, glances back at the boxes. “Weird.” He mumbles. Disappearing as well, closing the storage room door. The door locks itself back.

…

A few nights passed, things seemed to get weirder for the Sakamakis. A couple of times a night, items will appear in random places. Subaru’s school jacket found on the gate outside; a few of Kanato’s lesser dolls in a tree, on the roof of their limo, or even in the oven Reiji found Teddy. Luckily the oven wasn’t on at the time. Tension between the siblings rose, each thinking it was a prank against each other.

Another strange thing, a couple of the vampires felt uneasy. Almost like something was watching them, following. In Ayato’s case, he felt like someone was following and laughing at him. It was weird when he couldn’t find a misplaced item, he could hear someone giggling. If one of the others yelled at him, a snicker was heard. “Oi! Whoever’s out there, come out! Face me!” Having enough, the redhead vampire stopped in the middle of an empty hallway, calling out. “Face me and we’ll see who’s laughing still.” Child-like giggles were heard.

Using his senses, Ayato was confused. He couldn’t see or smell anyone, but he knew his hearing wasn’t wrong. He could sense them but no one was there. It was very unnerving for him. It became apparent to him that he was dealing with something not natural after several days. Coming home from school early, the laughter was worse that night, the sound was booming in his ears. Ayato couldn’t take it so he ran until he reached the pool room.

Big mistake, the laughter echoed throughout the room. “Shut up! Stop laughing!” He cries out, covering his ears to try and block out some of the noise. Then he felt a hand push him then he felt wet. Something had pushed him into the pool. ‘Cheap trick. What the- why can’t I get out?’ As he attempts to swim out, it felt like something or someone was forcing him to stay under. He looked up towards the surface and saw shadows standing around, pointing at him.

Using his strength as a vampire, Ayato escaped the hold on him and swam up. Ready to beat up the shadows, only to find silence as he surfaced. No one was around, not even the giggling voices. Ayato was stumped. He relished the peace and quiet until the next time they came back. ‘What is going on around here?’

Another vampire was also hearing voices, Reiji kept hearing someone calling for him. Normally he would ignore the calls of his name from others. But these calls, they were sad and frantically calling for help. Occasionally, the cries would sound like a young girl wailing. The female’s voice would sound familiar, but as quickly as they come, they fade. Reiji would try to ignore them, but the cries would grow louder and louder. Screaming around him the empty air. He couldn’t ignore it, so he’d just vanish from the room to another empty room for some quiet. Until the voices found him again.

A scream once a night was becoming common from one vampire. Seeing a rather large swarm of roaches crawling the emerald silk sheets, Raito lets out a scream in fright. Vampire or not, bugs were not his thing. Especially during his beauty rest, waking up to find something crawling around his room, terrifying. When he goes to fetch help, the bugs vanish without a trace. The most horrifying moment for Raito was just six days after the radio incident.

Coming home from school, he collapses on his bed from exhaustion. Slowly he falls asleep. A strange noise wakes him from his slumber, looking around in the dark to find the source of the noise. He could see nothing. However, he kept hearing a scratching noise. Waking up fully, Raito notices his room was rather dark. ‘That’s odd. It should be daytime. So why am I not seeing any sun from my window?’ He goes over to his window the check, the scratching noise getting louder the closer he got.

Curious, he opened his curtains to find a black mass over his window. A moving mass of black spiders. Yelping in fear, he backs up as the swarm of spiders moves from the window heading his way. Letting sunlight blind him for a moment before Raito runs out of his room screaming in terror. The spiders were gone when he brought back help. However, since then, he would sleep with Ayato if he found another creepy bug in his room.

For Kanato, the boy was getting fed up with his stuffed animals being moved around, the same with his sweets. Even Teddy was moved, which infuriated him. Kanato would call out his siblings, especially Ayato and Subaru, displeased when they deny moving his stuff. All of his candy were replaced with crackers. Not one piece of candy was found throughout the manor, Kanato was enraged. The most frightening moment for Kanato was finding pieces of Teddy in his dinner soup. Luckily for the household, it was only a nightmare for the boy. Kanato took the dream to extremes and taped every last doll in their spot, even tapping Teddy to his person for extra precautions.

Shū was having troubles of his own. His music player would suddenly switch tracks often. Mostly switching to tracks with screams of pain and maniacal laughter. For someone okay with hearing his victims screaming as he bit them, the screams of children dying was not his forte. It became worse during his sleep. Hearing children crying was not the only element to his nightmare, being trapped in his room as it is engulfed in flames. Mostly being chained to his bed, watching the embers devour everything in sight. Let’s just say, Shū hasn’t had a good restful sleep in a long time.

Shū isn’t the only one having bad dreams on a regular basis. Poor Subaru was stuck in an endless hallway with no way out of his dreams. Each night he wakes in a cold sweat, more exhausted than when he was sleeping. After a few nights of walking in his dreams, he comes across a door leading to what seemed to be a church. High arches, beautiful stained glass windows of white roses were displayed. The building was empty, nothing but a coffin in the middle of the altar.

Subaru carefully approaches the coffin. The lid was open slightly, Subaru could smell death from the coffin. As well as a familiar scent of rose. Alarmed, he rips off the lid of the coffin before trembling with fear. Inside the box lay a beautiful woman dressed in white, headless. The woman’s head lay securely in her folded arms with a white rose flower crown on her temple. Subaru backed away in horror, seeing his mother’s body made him uneasy.

Unable to wake up from this nightmare, he watches as Christa’s eyes slowly open. Then suddenly he gasps for breath. His throat felt on fire, his lungs hurt, he couldn’t breathe. After some time, Subaru regained a sense of serene. The image from his dream vanished. However, it wouldn’t be the last time this nightmare came about.

...

Reiji was becoming fed up with these strange things happening around the manor. Dealing with Raito’s fake bugs, finding Kanato’s dolls everywhere but his room, Ayato’s constant complaint of hearing things; it was becoming bothersome. Adding to the troubles, several of his books will fly off their shelves when he is out of his room. Reiji would find several books lying open on the floor, yards from the bookshelf. Bunsen burners would light up randomly, steam would appear in empty flasks. This was getting out of hand for him.

The activities seemed to get worse each night, the paranormal events kept happening, more frequently than the last. Dreams becoming real hallucinations. Soon it was Halloween Eve. The vampires were beginning to feel fatigued and exhaustion. Tonight though, Reiji put up his dangerous equipment in a locked closet. Just as he goes to sit down, his bookshelf starts to rattle. Sighing, Reiji walks over to stop the shaking but dodges instead as a book comes flying off the shelf. Several more follow. Some land on the floor, others hit the wall before flying around again. Pages turning, paper flying. It was too much and Reiji’s patience was at an end.

“Enough is enough. Whoever you are, stop and show yourself.” Reiji demanded, standing in the middle of his room, now a mess. The books stopped falling off the shelves. Everything paused. Reiji scanned the room for any signs of who caused this. A creak was heard behind him, he glanced behind at his wardrobe. The door of the wardrobe creaked loudly as it opened, a soft thud was heard as an object flew out. The vampire steps over to the fallen item. It was a soft pink towel. Nothing special about it he thought. He puts it back in the wardrobe to have it slip back out onto the floor. This time the bottom of the towel felt wet as he picked it up.

Flipping the cloth over, it was damp. ‘This is peculiar. Why is a dry old towel wet? Wait why do I even have this?’ Holding the towel close, he sniffed to find a long-familiar scent. ’This is her scent.′ The vampire looked at the towel before making the connection. “What have I told you about making trouble for me, Sashi-san?” Looking around, the chairs that were normally placed around a small side table were set as if two people were sitting in them to dine. He walks over to them and sits in the furthest one from the table.

“Well then, is this actually you? Knock once for yes.” He waits, a soft knock was heard. “So you finally come back after disappearing? Such a bad girl, I would punish you harshly for leaving without notice. You are dead, correct?” A knock responded. “By whom?” Silence came. “Answer me, girl.” Reiji demands, the ghost girl didn’t respond. “By chance, you have no recollection who killed you, correct?” A knock sounded, loud and clear. “So it seems.”

…

Shortly after, Reiji gather his siblings in the sitting room. He sat in his chair, so refined and patient as they came in. After all, six were in the room together, looking worn out but alert, Reiji cleared his throat to begin the gathering. “Well, I see everyone’s here. That’s good.”

“What’s this Reiji? It better be important.” Ayato responds, impatient.

Adjusting his spectacles, Reiji calmly replies. “As you all know, we have some uninvited guests with us for the past couple of weeks-”

“Just say ghosts Reiji, it’s not going to kill you.” Raito interrupts. A few snicker in response to their realistic brother. A sharp glare in response quickly quieted the room.

“Very well, unusual activities have occurred. To my understanding, only summoning these phantoms is the reason for the occurrence. So, does anyone know how this happened?” He asks, looking around the room. No one responds. “Did anyone bring in a mirror with magic or a board or something?”

A hand was raised in question. “Would a board with letters be a problem?” Subaru asks.

“Yes. A spirit board.”

“Then punish that idiot.” He points to Ayato. “He brought a strange board home then did some crazy garbage before breaking the thing in two.”

“Oi! I’d think twice about pointing this on me!” Ayato jumps up and yells at the albino.

“Well, you did say you wanted to talk to spirits Ayato.” Raito says.

“Ayato.”

“What is it now four-eyes? Gonna blame me too?” The redhead turns to him, riling up.

‘Not currently but later.’ Reiji makes a mental note for a later date. “Where is the board now?”

“Why?”

“Just bring it here.”

“I don’t have it.”

“Ayato.” Reiji sternly repeats. “Where is the board?”

Ayato shrugs, sitting back down. “I dunno. Went back for it a few days ago and it was gone. Maybe one of the familiars found it during cleaning or took it.”

“Why would a familiar need a spirit board?” Shū inquires.

“Well, the last one wanted an old radio from the storage closet but left after Kanato threatened to kill it.” Ayato states, remembering the time with the radio.

“Well, it was annoying! Kept dragging that damn thing around and making irritable noises!”

Reiji turns to Raito, “The same noise we heard the other night?”

Raito nodded. “Yep. Then it turned on and started telling ghost stories. Though it was hard to switch off, with the static and voices calling for Ayato.”

“Excuse me? That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s true,” Raito said. He looks over to Kanato, who agrees. “Ayato was there too. It kept flirting with him.”

“It was not!” Ayato yells, starting a mild argument with his twins.

Reiji sighed. This wasn’t going anywhere fast. “Enough. So, Ayato used a spirit board, lost it, a radio told tales and spoke with its audience. Ayato I believe you messed up big time.” He summarized before continuing to explain why.

A crash was heard nearby, a candle stand fell over. As if agreeing to the vampire’s words, following the crash were giggles and screams heard in the room. Lights flickering, cackles and cries filled the room so much, each vampire covered their ears best they could to block out the sound. The room temperature suddenly started decreasing, then a shadowy figure appeared near the windows. Everyone froze, they could sense it wasn’t one of them nor alive, the vampires watch as it drifted towards them.

“Who~...” A deep raspy voice was heard from the figure. “Who is responsible for the death of a young girl?”

They were all quiet, none of them moved or spoke. For once the fearless vampires were all unsure of what to do. The shadowy figure grew impatient with the silence. “Who is responsible for the sudden death of a young girl?” It demands in a louder voice.

“Oi, you’ll have to be more specific than that!” Ayato calls out, stuttering at first. “We’ve killed many girls in our thirst. Who you’re asking for was probably a nobody anyway.” The figure turns to Ayato. A sudden chill crept down his spine. Swallowing, he looks away.

“I must agree with our foolish brother here. Please specify the name of this young woman you speak of.” Reiji states to the figure.

The figure turns to Reiji, who also felt discomfort from the strange visitor. “... Hisashi… a young girl who was brutally murdered in this home was named Hisashi…” Raising a shadowy appendage, a white mist swirled around behind it. A young girl in white appeared long black hair covers half her face. She steps forward and stands beside the shadowy figure.

“We don’t know anyone by that name.” Kanato states. At the sound of his voice, the ghost girl looks at him. One amber eye staring into his amethyst eyes. He scowls right back at her.

“We will give you this one chance to give this lost soul a chance at peace.” The dark figure states. It motions for the girl to speak.

In a soft voice, the girl discloses her story to them. “My name is Hisashi, I was dropped off here after being kidnapped by a hooded stranger. He messed with my memories and left me outside the front gate. I came here for shelter. My time here felt like I was trapped in a cage with no wings to fly. Still, some of it wasn’t bad. I made a mistake one day and it cost me my freedom. I was imprisoned, chained with only one meal a day, beaten for my error. One night, feeling sick and weaken, I settled for some sleep. But I never woke up. Instead, I remember feeling immense pain everywhere and hearing laughter. Now after I was awoken as a spirit, all I ask is to know who killed me and why. Please, I would like to rest now. Please, will anyone help me?”

The room was quiet for a moment. The six took the information in, trying to figure out the story they just heard. Shū stood up, walked over to the ghostly figures. “You are Sashi to us, at least that’s what Richter told us when he dropped you off here.”

“Sashi-chan? Well, that takes me back. At least three decades ago you were so deliciously pretty.” Raito states, tipping his hat to get a better look at the girl. “Oh, the times we could have had.” He sighs in a wanton tone at his thoughts.

“As I recall, she chose me. So dead or not, she is still my property. Back off Raito.” Reiji interjects.

“Great we identified the dead girl. I’m out of here.” Ayato gets up to leave only to be yanked back into his seat by a powerful force.

“No one leaves until they confesses to killing Hisashi.” The figure affirms to the brothers.

“Hah? And why should we?” Subaru asks.

“For now all the malicious spirits are being kept at bay by us. We can not hold them for long so please can I have the name of my killer? It’s all I ask of.” Hisashi tells them.

“Che. Big waste of time.” Subaru mumbles.

“You, sophisticated one, you claim this girl belonged to you. Do you deny killing her?” The strange guest asks Reiji directly.

Adjusting his glasses, his response is clear. “I do deny. She was my food however I did not kill her. I merely locked her up for a time.”

“So she was locked up by you, why?” Raito asks with slight curiosity.

“This girl had broken one of my special porcelain plates. A high-quality item, so I don’t deny locking her up as punishment. However, I did not kill her over such a trivial thing.”

“Oh, that serving plate. It was horrendous so I gave it to Kanato.” Ayato apathetically claims. A death glare from Reiji was shot his way, the redhead shrugged.

“I agree. Between the plate and that girl, I much liked the sound of broken bones than a smashed plate.” Murmurs Kanato with a slight giggle. “Teddy did too, right Teddy?” He asks his bear.

Five pair of eyes turn to the smaller vampire. “Hey Kanato, do you know what happened to the lovely Sashi?” Raito asks carefully.

Freezing, Kanato glares at his siblings. “No! I didn’t do anything! It’s her fault! She ruined our picnic by smashing our plate of cookies.” He points to her, yelling angrily.

“Kanato did you do something behind our backs?”

“The little twerp probably did it. Such a mama’s boy.” Subaru says with distaste. Ayato and Raito stay quiet, they wanted to say something, but now wasn’t the time.

“YOU BASTARD! Just because you’re the unwanted one doesn’t mean you can say whatever the hell you want! That stupid wrench didn’t deserve what four eyes gave her. She deserved her death and that’s what she got! She should stop complaining and suffer for what she had done.” Kanato spills his confession, enraged at Subaru’s comment. “Her blood wasn’t worthy to be drank. All spoiled and sour. Her dying was a good thing. Even Teddy agrees, she became good friends with him afterwards.”

“Kanato.. is she one of your wax dolls now?” Shū asks.

“Why? You can’t have her.” Kanato screams.

“Well, there you have it Sashi. Kanato is your killer. This child likely left your organs in a box since he only wanted your body for his doll room.” Reiji calmly explains.

Hisashi nods. “Thank you. I am truly grateful.” With that, a bright white light glowed around her. Her appearance changed to that of a young girl in a white satin gown, her dark brown hair up, bright amber eyes meet Reiji’s deep red ones.

She gives a humble bow before smiling. “Thank you. I want to confess before I go. I am very sorry for breaking your antique plate, I just wish I could have told you how much I love you before I left.”

“Forget about the plate, it is none of your concern commoner,” Reiji responds, he gives a small huff.

Hisashi smiles gently before her face becomes serious. “I wish to give you a warning. Because Ayato made the mistake of not closing the spirit gate after using an Ouija board, there has been some malicious spirits and demons crossover. It would be best to exercise them before things get worse.”

“Hah? So what? Can’t your friend do that for us?” Ayato asks, not understanding the situation.

“My friend is a Reaper of Death. The only purpose of the Reaper being here was for me. I asked to know who killed me, now I must go. Goodbye.” Shortly after, the Reaper slinked back into the shadows, bring Hisashi with him. The two vanished before their eyes.

“So we get an exorcist to purge this place? How ridiculous.” Reiji notes. “We just ignore everything and those things will leave on their own.”

“I doubt it.” Shū comments, making Reiji scowl in response. “We’ve been ignoring this problem for so long now it’s getting tiresome.”

“Then how do you propose we go about it?” Shū shrugs in response. Reiji scowls at the elder’s lack of a solution.

“Hey maybe if we leave, they’ll go too?”

“Ayato can you use your brain for once.”

“Che.” A giggle was heard. Everyone froze except for Ayato, who recognized the giggle. “Not again, stop laughing at me!” He yells. The giggle became louder until more sounds of laughter joined in. Cackles, child-like giggles, deep maniacal laughter filled the whole room, growing louder and louder. The lights flickering, items nearby started being thrown around the room.

“What the hell? How do you ignore all this Reiji?!” Kanato screams as he dodges books flying about.

“How do you ignore… how to ignore… hehe...” A loud, child-like voice asks sarcastically.

“Shut up! Don’t talk to me!” Kanato shrieks. Giggling followed, making the already ill-humored vampire even more peeved.

“Hey.. Ayato… hey…” A familiar voice was heard behind Ayato and Raito.

“Crap. It’s back again.”

“Hey… hey…” The static voice from before continues to call out.

The twins turn to find the radio from before just a few feet away. “Hey, I thought that thing was destroyed?” Ayato asks Raito.

“It was. We both saw it break.” He agreed, carefully watching the repaired radio with shock and confusion.

“Hey.. Ayato~... play with… me… be my… friend… play with me…” The static voice repeated. The radio inched closer to the boys, dragging against the wooden floor.

“Yeah no. I’m out of here.” Ayato shouts. Disappearing with Raito following shortly, after seeing a large, globe sized spider crawl over the radio, looking him straight in the eye.

Kanato, having enough of being laughed at, grabs his stuffed bear and disappears. Subaru grabs a chair and throws it at the radio and spider. Everything breaks, the spider dies but not before letting go of an item wrapped up in its thread. The item rolls out of the threads, stopping in front of the albino. Backing away in horror, Subaru quickly decides to follow his older brothers and leave. Seeing his mother’s lifeless head once more, this time crying from her eyeless holes was enough to send him fleeing.

Reiji, being stubborn decides to stand his ground. “Enough! I don’t know what you are trying to accomplish, but it ends now!” He calls out. The windows behind him rattle loudly before shattering. Glass flying everywhere, he fails to see a large metal pole fly in from outside.

“Move it.” Yanking Reiji aside to avoid an accident, Shū heads towards the door.

“Let go of me.” Reiji demands, attempting to free his arm from Shū’s grasp. Instead, Shū holds on tighter.

“We’ll regroup in the Demon world. Let go of your stubborn pride already. We’re leaving.” Shū urges his brother before they both disappear from the room. Outside the manor, the six regroup and head to the Demon world.

Against Reiji’s insistence, they called for several exorcists to rid the manor of their paranormal problems. The cleaning of the manor had to wait until after October thirty-first, so in early November the siblings were allowed to return home. A strict punishment and scolding was settled for Ayato to never mess with ghost-related items again. And Kanato’s doll room had one less wax figure. The body of Hisashi was burned along with the box containing her organs from the small grave Kanato had constructed. A new headstone was erected for her, Reiji made sure all the arrangements were taken care of swiftly and efficiently.

“Ah, it’s good to be home. Now maybe we can have a better restful days.”

“Just as long as you don’t bring home any more summoning objects.”

“Yeah yeah, trust me I’ve had plenty of ghost stuff to last me centuries.”

“I don’t trust you. However, that better be true.”

“Shut up already Reiji.” Ayato groans.

The six head to their respective rooms to catch up on some well-deserved rest. As their doors close, a chilly mist slinked around the entrance hall. Nearby, a mirror, reflecting the mist suddenly cracked. A deep snicker came from the mist before it recedes from the view of the mirror.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN~!

Hope you all enjoyed. I’ll do the other two families next two Halloweens.

Please leave a review if you want.