#spookengan

[aneenasevla]

Spookengan 8 - Haunting Memories

Previous/ MasterPost

Made in Collab with @useless-bi-otch

Ohma looks at the skull ornament. "How weird, putting skulls to decorate a party…", he was about to hang it when Kanami says from the kitchen: 

"No, no Ohma, the skull ornaments are not for hanging, they go in the table…"

"Oh, okay" he says, putting the bag somewhere else "And what do I put up here?"

"Look for the bone strings or the pumpkin strings, whichever looks nicer in this corner" Kazuo intervenes, holding the said strings. One had leaves and miniature pumpkins, the other a bunch of little bones hanging like a Christmas ornament, only in a different way. The Halloween-like way.

"This is even weirder", he points to the bones "What are these things for, Yamashita Kazuo? Aren't bones for dogs and, like… for cemeteries?"

"Ahaha, it's kinda weird, isn't it?" Kazuo laughs a little at his confusion "But Halloween is a festival adapted from a very old custom. Some cultures believed that at this time of year, spirits returned to the world of the living to visit them. What's better to represent this than bones and skulls? … And yes, I read this in a magazine to find out more about the subject" He admits, pouting "The boys like these Americanized celebrations, it doesn't hurt to know more about…"

"I can answer that too, Mr. Yamashita", Kanami smiles "And yes, that's pretty much it."

Ohma nods, but still grimaces at the bones "Okay, but the pumpkin is at least edible. Bones remind me of empty plates and garbage.” He picks up the string with the pumpkins.

"Good choice, these pumpkins are cute", Ryuki comments while holding a very confused Dorobo in his arms "Put the bones near the cats, Mr. Yamashita. Then it'll look like they just ate a monster."

"Ooh, like they're protecting the house or something?" Kanami gets excited, looking at the boy holding the cat "Sounds cool! I bet that'll scare off evil spirits!"

"Is this really that scary?" Ohma raises an eyebrow "I think it scares the living, at best."

“The objective is to scare the shit outta everybody, man. That's the fun of Halloween" Koga smiles sharply "Just wait 'till you see the costume I got, then you'll know what a real scare is."

"Please don't" Kazuo groans "I'm too old to be scared like that. You don't want to take advantage of the month of the dead to make me join them, do you?"

"Don't say stuff like that, Mr. Yamashita!" Kanami shivers.

"If you do join them, can you please let grandpa know I'm fine?"

"Ryuki!", Koga and Kanami exclaim at the same time. Ohma chuckles.

"I'm sure the Old Man is with my master, since he was also his master. But old Yamashitakazuo has better things to do here, right?" He taps the old man on the shoulder, smiling mischievously.

"Ahaha, I- I sure do!" Kazuo, who had turned a little pale, smiles nervously and raises a thumb "I want to live long enough to see Yasuo giving me a daughter-in-law, and maybe a grandchild. And to see the two of you tying the knot..."

Kanami's eyes widen, her face turning red. Ohma, on the other hand, only smiles more.

"Nah, you need to put more goals in there, Yamashita Kazuo, our knot is already tied enough..."

"Ohmaaaa!" Kanami whines, mortified.

"What? I live here, and so do you. What's more tied than that?"

Ryuki smiles, looking at the kitten in his arms "And they also have two kids!" he shouts while lifting Dorobo by his armpits.

"You mean Ohma and Sis are 'pet parents'? That's so freakin' cheesy, hahaha" Koga chuckles.

"Have some respect, they're a piece of work just like kids!" Kanami exclaims, pointing the meringue-full whisk at him "I was already a 'pet mom' even before Ohma brought Dorobo home!"

"So you were always cheesy and he got infected just by living under the same roof, hehe… hey, calm down, sis, it's a joke!" Koga starts running when Kanami drops the whisk and threatens him with a wooden spoon instead; a much more effective weapon. Kazuo just watches them, smiling tenderly. He really missed that laid-back atmosphere, the silly, familiar banther, which felt as natural as breathing. It reminded him of when Kenzo and Yasuo were little, when his wife was still with them, when they were a happy, functional family…

The thought brought a cold, unpleasant feeling to his chest, and he tried to distract himself as he arranged the skulls on the dining table. He hated when that melancholy came to disturb him at the most inopportune moments…

"Hey, Yamashita Kazuo" Ohma calls for the old man "Relax, we were joking' about the bones, but you aren't supposed to join them. They are for Kanami's birthday."

"What? Oh no, Ohma, it's not that'' He shakes his head quickly "I was just thinking, reminiscing a few things…" He tries to smile "Seeing everyone getting together like this just brought back some bittersweet memories, nothing more."

"Hnmm… Kanami said that she also has bad memories of her birthdays" he looks at the decorations "She said that everyone got bummed after a while, with the parties lookin' the same every single year. Then I said I wanted to see it… and she replied with something very interesting."

"Oh?" Kazuo adjusts his glasses "And what was it?"

“It will be nice to make new memories with you.” He smiles sideways, watching Kanami guide the two younger men while Koga decorated the cat tree and Ryuki made meringue bones on a platter.

Kazuo can only stare at him, eyes wide. Ohma had a very simple line of thought, and it was in that simplicity that he managed to express a wisdom worthy of a philosopher. He'd always done that, as long as he'd known him...

And with that thought, the old man ends up smiling. Ohma had really changed his life, hadn't he? He helped him reconnect with his sons, taught him to be more confident and assertive, to persevere even when things seemed too difficult… his family had even grown thanks to him. When you had someone like him always encouraging you, making brand new memories sounded marvelous.

"New memories, eh…? I used to think I was too old to make something like this. But apparently there isn't an age limit for that" he concludes.

"You bet. Come on, there's more bones to toss around the house, and they're not yours" Ohma jokes, nodding.

"Hahaha, and I'm glad for that!" Kazuo shivers, but still laughs in the meantime "As I said, I still want to live for a very long time."

And he really hoped he still had a good few years ahead. He didn't want to miss out on any more new memories that Ohma and he would create, alongside the little family they'd formed.

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[aneenasevla]

Spookengan 7 - Monsters in every Corner

Previous / MasterPost

Made in Collab with @useless-bi-otch

"Hey, boss, we’re heading out", Koga announces to the old man, while he was in the kitchen.

"Oh, are you two leaving already? Don't you want breakfast before?", Mr. Yamashita cranes his neck towards the door, where the two boys were packing to go out into the cold morning.

"We'll stop at sis's bakery on the way", Ryuki answers, while fixing his scarf around his neck "We have free croissants to eat there."

"The food here is also free", Yasuo, Mr. Yamashita's son, huffs while squinting his eyes, also craning his neck towards the entrance "And you'll get fat if you eat too much bread."

"Nah! The fat always goes to the right places around here" Koga tightens his biceps, smirking "You can basically eat whatever you want if you exercise regularly. Consider this a tip, hehe."

"Hehe, okay, you guys are young, afterall" old Kazuo laughs a little, going back to eating. Yasuo just rolls his eyes.

"See you later" Ryuki waves as he leaves right after Koga, closing the door behind him "We'll go to the costume store first, right?" he asks his friend.

"Yep! You've never been on one of these before, have you?", Koga smiles sideways as they both cross the entrance gate, stepping out onto the sidewalk "You'll have a great time, I'll even help you choose one if you want."

"All right… So for us to participate, we have to go undercover?" When Koga nods, he looks at his friend, confused "Why do we have to hide if it's a party and everyone knows us?"

"It's not hiding, man, it's dressing up!" Koga gestures agitated "You never did pretend play? Never imagined yourself being someone or something else when you were a kid? The principle is almost the same-"

"No", Ryuki answers immediately with a blank face, still confused.

"Uh..." Koga, who wasn't expecting this, pauses to choose his next words "Damn it, how am I going to explain...you know how Sekibayashi, Jose, Haruo and the guys from SJPW sometimes take on others names when they fight? Like they're pretending to be other people? That's basically dressing up."

"Ohhhh, I see..." he nods "I got it now. But how are you going to be the 'Fist Eye'? I'm the 'Dragon King' so it's easier for me, I guess..."

"No, it's not like our fighter epithets" Koga shakes his head "But you can be a “Dragon King”, if we find a dragon costume available… anyway!" He makes a brusque gesture with one arm "To dress up is to put on an outfit that references someone or something, and then you pretend to be that someone or that thing. For example, if we found a cat costume, you could pretend you were one of these cats imprinted on your dumb shirts!"

It was a very simplified, child-like example, but it was Ryuki he was talking to. Someone who until two years ago had no idea what living in society entailed. And it was easy to forget that, living under the same roof as him.

"My shirts aren't dumb…" he "and I like the cat costume idea, then I can play with Medeyami and Dorobo" he nods "Oh, but what you'd be?"

"Me? I can be a shitload of things!" He smiles excitedly "A vampire, a werewolf, a pirate with those classy sixteenth century clothes… or an anime character, like Goku. I already have the hair for that, hahaha!"

"As long as it's better than what you use now, I don't see why not" he laughs a little, already walking away before the blonde boy understood what he meant.

"What…? Argh, fuck you!" Koga yells, going after him while stomping hard "I don't want to hear that from the guy who wears clothes with teddy bear prints like it's the ultimate fashion trend!"

"At least I don't pretend to be Goku!" Ryuki scoffs "You even said you have the same hair!"

"I don't! I wear it like this because it's stylish!" Koga turns very red "You know what? Forget Goku! I'm going to stick with the classics. Some monster, maybe from a horror movie."

"Hnm… sounds nice! That chainsaw guy is cool, but it’s kind of dangerous…" he scratches his head "It'll be hard to find a chainsaw, and you also could hurt someone…"

"You mean Leatherface? He's hella cool, but the chainsaw thing makes it too complex. No, I was thinking more like Jason, or Michael Myers. Much simpler and more efficient… hey, if I go as Jason, you can go as Freddy Krueger!" He suggests excitedly "​​Then we can pretend to fight, just like in the movie! Wouldn't it be awesome?"

"Oh, but he's ugly" Ryuki grimaces "The other one at least covers his face with a badass mask… I think I'm going with some monster, like the trashy ones from the movies you made me see. You can see that it's some idiot in a costume…" He then stops and stares hardly at a corner of the street, almost causing the other to bump into him.

"C'mon, you don't even have to paint your face like Freddy! Just put on his clothes and hat, these costumes even come with fake claws and- jeez!" Koga stops in time to avoid bumping into the other, stumbling backwards before straightening up "Shit, man, you almost knocked me over here! What is it?"

"Hm?" he stops looking and seemed to wake up from his trance, speaking more seriously "It's nothing. Let’s go, before the store gets crowded and we miss breakfast time at the bakery…" he holds his friend’s arm and quickens his step "I think I'm going as a dragon. A dragon that crushes monsters. What do you think?"

"Aah… okay, sounds good enough! We better run then, that kind of costume usually sells out fast around this time" Koga nods, still a little confused, looking over his shoulder one last time before quickening his pace to follow Ryuki. Whatever it was, it couldn't be that important, if he lost interest quickly…

Koga had no idea, but there were far worse monsters around every corner, spying on them. And Ryuki would crush them all.

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[aneenasevla]

SpooKengan 1 - Halloween Birthday

Back to Masterpost

Made in Collab with @useless-bi-otch

The weather was cooling down, autumn approaching fast, and the leaves on the oak trees were already turning yellow. Early in the morning, the Buff Couple was doing their usual cooper routine, and this time they were a little more bundled up.

“You look upset”, Ohma comments when he sees her scowling at the scenery around them for a moment.

"Oh… no, it's nothing," Kanami replies, hesitating a bit, but under his gaze, she gives in with a sigh "No, really, it's silly. It’s just that seeing this environment reminds me of my birthday, at the end of autumn. That's it, no big deal…"

"Ohh yeah", he nods and looks at the leaves "but why'd that be silly? It's a good season to have a birthday party..."

"Yeah, the atmosphere is really great, and so is the food", That's when she goes back to making a sour face "But that's the problem. My birthday is very close to Halloween. They practically happen at the same time. And because of that, my birthday always ended up being kind of sidelined, you know? And when it didn't, it was always with the same theme, the same food, it was almost always a costume party... every now and then it's fun, but every single year? I dunno, there were times that it got tiring."

"Hmmm… yeah, that's a lot of birthdays," he says half engrossed, half not thinking about the implications of the comment. She stares at him with a mixture of indignation and hilarity.

"Are you calling me old? Huh? Seaweed-head monster."

"Huh?" He raises an eyebrow "No, I'm older than you. I just said that that's a lot of supposedly boring birthdays" he shrugs "So you're kinda bummed about that."

"Not necessarily. I just don't have much patience left for this same ol' dance, over and over again..." She sighs.

"Hnn, that sucks. I wanted to know what it's like. I've never went to one of your birthday parties before."

That made her shut up. She turns to him, blinking, surprised to realize what his words had implied.

"Oh… it's true. You've never experienced these things before… gee, Ohma" She scratches the back of her head, embarassed "Sorry about that. I've been just complaining non-stop about having it all, when you never had the chance to have this kinda experience..."

"I don't really mind" he looks around, his poker face matching the calm atmosphere  "you said you don't like it, so we don't have to do it. Why should we, if you wouldn't have any fun?"

"I didn't had fun anymore because it was always the same thing, with the same people, the same itinerary, the same food and the same costumes..." She tries to explain, still embarrassed "After some time, everyone just seemed to be on autopilot, doing these things because it was expected at the time, you know? So I kinda went with the flow. But you… you've never experienced these things. You still don't know what it's like to dress up for halloween, to see the kids going trick or treating, to make some jack-o'-lanterns… and I bet you've never had a pumpkin pie before" She gives him a shy smile.

"Pumpkin pie?" he repeats, genuinely interested, looking at her. Talking about food was always the easiest way to get his attention. It was kinda unbelievable.

"Yea! It's basically the only seasonal food that I haven't gotten sick of yet. And… I would love to bake one for you" She blushes a little "I'd love to make you dress up, to show you some halloween decorations… these things weren't fun to me anymore because they also weren't fun for anyone close to me. But this will be your first time doing any of that. And I think that, with you, I can experience this as if it's new for me too" She holds onto his arm, smiling brightly "So? What do you say?

He looks at her as if analyzing her, and then smiles "It sounds nice. You look happy again… so yeah, we can do that."

She smiles more, leaning the side of her head against his shoulder. Maybe if she saw autumn through Ohma's eyes, she'd stop finding it so repetitive and boring. Nothing had been repetitive and boring since he'd come into her life, after all.

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[aneenasevla]

Spookengan 6 - Cold Shoulders

Previous / MasterPost

Made in Collab with @useless-bi-otch

After the night shift, when the sun was up, she would go home from the bar, but she decided to walk to her “friend’s” house. Well, if she could call him that. He was a guy she knew and, as much as she liked him, he wasn't interested in anything more than a friendship with benefits. She respected that, but that didn't stop her from wanting to see him. Maybe, at that time of day, he was training in the park near his place, and, as she'd guessed, there he was.

There were no people around at this time of the morning, and all she could think was that the park's most frequent visitors were missing out on a very interesting spectacle. Despite how cold it was, Himuro wore nothing but sweatpants, the muscles in his arms and chest clearly visible, tense and sweaty as they flexed. He was shadowboxing, apparently, punishing the autumn air with his quick, precise jabs, also topping it off with a few kicks, his eyes intense and focused.

She leans against a wall, enjoying the view. It wasn't news to anyone that this guy was quite handsome, his tanned skin almost glowing in the weak morning sun, his short white hair bouncing with his movements. She was just a little upset that he wasn't hers, but she didn't mind sharing. That man was too much of a catch to keep him from the rest of the world. And she had come to get the little piece of him that was her due.

Himuro stopped his morning training, breathing in and out to slow his heartbeats, when he finally sensed her presence behind him. His tension is quickly replaced by exasperation. He doesn't turn around as he walks over to a bench, picking up the towel he'd left there earlier and wiping the sweat off his skin, his eyes closed.

"I thought assassins were more stealthy than that", He grumbles as he dries his hair "How long have you been there?"

"Good morning, Ryo" she rolls her silver, abyss-sunken eyes, smiling sideways "And if you don't know how long I've been here, then I was stealthy enough. I could've stabbed you while you're distracted" she puffs out the cigarette smoke, and it looked like a dragon's breath on the cold autumn morning.

"I'd like to see you try", He grunts, dropping the towel back on the bench and stretching his limbs "Anyway… you're way ahead of your usual schedule. Got bored and decided to look for me?"

“Actually, I just wanted to see you. And according to my usual schedule, I'd technically be late, but now that I have a job, this is the only free time I have", she throws the cigarette butt into a garbage can nearby after putting it out on the wall she was leaning against "And besides, do I have to make an appointment to hang with my friends now?"

"It would be the polite thing to do, but if we haven't started like this before, we're surely not gonna start now" He rolls his eyes and turns to her, still stretching "And you're already here, anyway, so screw it. I've finished my morning training routine. If you'd come earlier, I'd have invited you to a sparring session…"

“That's fine. I'm kinda tired today” she shrugs. And them looks at him when he stares at her "What? I get tired too, y'know. Or did you forget that we finish our “horizontal spar sessions” with me always asking for a break first?", she laughs when he widens his eyes with surprise, but he recovers quickly with a smug, if embarrassed half-grim.

"Heh. That's what usually happens to anyone who sleeps with me. I always give my best and end up ruining men for you all. But if you're tired, I imagine you didn't come for that either, right?" He looks to the side, trying to play it cool "It’s too early, I was planning to head back to my place and get back under the blankets..."

"Heh, cocky bastard… and what a coincidence, I thought the same thing", she smiles, a little mischievously, getting closer when she felt she'd been given carte blanche "But in your place instead of mine. I've been wondering if I should buy a body pillow and print your face on it..."

Himuro didn't know whether to be flattered or creeped out by that thought. But maybe he should tell her to do just that, then she wouldn't bother him so much if she had an inanimate substitute always on hand…

But if that happened, he'd kind of lose a bedmate. And as annoying as she was, this was going to be a cold, dreary autumn, and having company under the warm covers was always nice…

And speaking of the cold, it had his full attention now that he wasn't moving around so hard anymore, biting him on his unprotected arms, torso and face. He shudders involuntarily, trying to cover it by saying: "Do as you wish. I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't even the first to do that..."

She watches aKure Youko lit a menthol cigarette while walking down the empty street at five in the morning.

s he shivers, and her smile fades.

"Yeah…" she sighs a little "I don't think I'm your first on pretty much anything" she says in a playful gesture. And then she takes off her coat, covering his shoulders with it "Come on, it's getting cold", she nods in the direction of his apartment complex, and doesn't wait for him to answer, walking slowly towards the building.

He shivers again, but for different reasons, as he feels the terry cloth covering him. He looks up and sees her walk away, startled, registering her voice tone, her words…

Fucking hell, why was he feeling guilty now? She had brought that on herself, damn it! Chasing him down, invading his apartment, his personal space, his life, all without even asking…!

And yet, the warm feeling of her coat around his shoulders didn't bring him the sense of revulsion he used to associate with her. On the contrary. Its scent even soothed him…

She hears him quicken his pace to keep up with her. There's an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, until he finally says, in a low, contemplative voice "You're the first to crash at my place like that, though."

She smiles a little, without showing her teeth "Heh. Not because you wanted to, anyway" she laughs softly, a little embarrassed "But I'm happy about it. Thanks…" she taps her hip lightly against his "Breakfast’s on me, Mr. Gigolo."

He rolls his eyes at the nickname, trying not to smile and failing miserably.

"Yeah, I didn't, but when in hell, embrace the devil. Isn't that what they say?" He arches an eyebrow at her "I can do just that later, as a thanks for the food."

"That's exactly what 'Gigolo' means", she laughs at his face when he frowns "I'm kidding. I'd love it."

He almost responds with a ’me too’. Almost. But he manages to hold it back, limiting himself to give her hip a tap of his own.

He needed to be careful, or else he would start to really enjoy this routine with her. He desperately wanted the warmer months to come back soon, then he wouldn't miss the warmity of her body as he did now.

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