It was a quiet October day, cold, gray dismal. There was clouds hanging low over head and a chilly mist fog rolling through the neighborhoods, chilling everyone to the bone that it came in contact with as if it was alive. It was still a couple of weeks till All Hollows Eve so the really creepy things wouldn't be set out yet, but it seemed like Gaia was already having her fun with the lesser gods accompanying her with the pranks to the mind. A shadow here, the wind rustling that, something SOUNDING like it was scurrying over there, it was really starting to creep people out. They didn't know what was going on nor did they care, they just wanted whatever prankster that was doing this crap to stop. But it never did. It only got worse.
A week before hand two friends were walking down the street when they saw their other buddies across the street in the park making out trying to piss off the kid's mothers. "You would think Wu Fei would try to be the good one" Heero murmured to his massive friend, Trowa who just blinked with an 'oh boy' sigh as they watched Wu Fei's hand disappeared down the front of Duo's pants. Mothers were irate about the male on male spectacle, they didn't mind the kissing, it was when it became a porno did they have a problem. They covered and ran off with their kids trying to get away before the 'Mommy? What are they doing?' start up.
As that was going on Trowa and Heero jogged over as Duo finished and a white hand came out. "Oh come on guys, I don't care if you do your guy's thing where ever, but in front of the kids?" Trowa didn't seemed annoyed or miffed, just a little edged. Heero backed him up on that one. "You know, you both agree with us when we complain kids are corrupted and grow up way too fast, then you do that?" Duo just looked mortified as Wu Fei looked ashamed, the standing two friends were right and they knew it. They felt like they should do something for the park to make up for their blunder but right now their friends were there. As the group talked about the weather and how strange it was, Wu Fei's clean hand disappeared into one of his kimono sleeves and pulled out a wet nap cleaning himself up then threw it away in a trash, also inside of his Mary Poppins bag-like sleeves.
Just then the final friend came up "Like the new do?" It was wicked. It was faux hawked, black and his normal silvery white. How it was spiked and everything, one would wonder if he put his finger in the light socket, nope, just how it was cut did it stand on end nicely. Heero liked it and nuzzled his lover lightly "much better then that disaster they had you in." "Hey, I didn't ask for that mullet, okay? Crap happens...obvi...where is everyone?" "Don't ask." Heero simply shook his head. "You don't wanna know." "Got it...." Shu Yin clicked his tongue and pointed at Heero like his fingers were a gun.
Duo and Wu got up and the small group headed off, no one saying a word about Trowa's newest dumpee. They all knew she was no good for Trowa, hell he knew she was just wanting to get in bed with him, he just wanted something to call his girl, even for just a moment. But he couldn't string her along so he got the shortest girlfriend award for 15 minutes of togetherness in school...and even then they were on either sides of the school. Heero was glad it didn't drag out.
As it was they just walked, all bundled up in their thickest coats to fight the intruding coldness of the misty fog. "its getting colder" Shu Yin absent-mindedly commented while kicking a rock down the side walk. One could tell this wasn't the Americas as it was a cobble stoned road way. the five actually were all foreign exchange students from all over the world. Duo from America, Shu Yin from Russia, Heero from Japan, Wu Fei from China, and Trowa from Scotland. They were fascinated by this little town between borders and how it just kinda...existed. They became fast friends, even despite all the accents, and always toured the country side, today was no different.
They kept talking and for three blocks they didn't realize their anchor for any tug of war game, wasn't there. They stopped "Trowa don't ignore Shu Yin, you know how it hurts his gentle psyche." "Hey no it doesn't" Shu Yin ribbed Heero with his elbow. "ow...?" they didn't see him anywhere. "We gotta put a leash on him." Duo gruffed but laughed when Wu Fei produced a leash that would fit Trowa perfectly. Walking back they finally found him at the entrance to a graveyard...no a home with a graveyard in the front. "That's just creepy." Duo shivered, even though he thought it was pretty cool, Shu Yin had to agree, the concept was cool, but all the time? Not so much. He's seen enough oddities back home to know this could be rather dangerous. All the while they murmured to themselves and snuggled tighter in their coats, Heero and Wu Fei were waving their Asian hands in front of Trowa's nose trying to get him to snap out of his stare.
"Don't you hear it? The Music Box Music? The crying, she sounds so sad..." That got everyone to stop in a flash and look at him. "Um...big T? I think your loosing it..." "Shhh....can't you hear her? She sounds....THERE SHE WENT BY THE UPPER WINDOW!" He had seen a shadow of a tiny, but very proportioned, female in the upper right window, walking quickly away. It took the four of his friends to keep him out there. "Trowa, not your house man. You can't just go storming in there...." Heero grunted. "Duo do something!" "Like what?!" "kick him in his crotch or something" "Are you NUTS! Didn't you see what he did last time I did that!" he thought quickly then got a huge rock. Trowa had good boots on...that's what Duo kept telling himself as he launched it at the massive man's foot, instantaneously waking Trowa from his dayslumber.
"OW YOU SON OF A BI-" "I HAD TO!" breaking into tears Duo ran into Wu Fei's arms for comfort. Trowa blinked as Shu Yin and Heero told him everything that he did. "Sorry guys, I don't remember." They just nodded and all walked off.
It wasn't till Halloween did the boys return to the house, even still it was an accident. They had forgotten about it all. Trowa was a very dashing noble vampire of Celt decent. Heero was a pirate, stating there were not enough Asian pirates, got the group to laugh so he was happy. Duo was was a Jewish Rabi. He thought it was appropriate as he was giving Heero his props, Heero was touched. Shu Yin was a cow, female one at that. Said something about Heero milking the cow later...that and one of the utters looked, odd. Duo was proud. Then...there was Wu Fei. "WHY THE HELL CAN'T I BE A CHINESE MEDICINE MAN?!" Trowa simply put a massive hand on Wu Fei's shoulder and looked him dead in the eye. "One you are already a medicine guy and two, you would have to grow up and go through puberty to be a man." That got a swift finger jab in the ribs that made Trowa laugh and oof at the same time. Walking off holding his rib cage "LETS GO!" and they headed out for Trick-or-Treating.
Mind you this WHOLE time, Gaia has been being a bit mean with the earth and her pranks with the lesser gods. It was damn cold, Shu Yin had to put the real utter on as it was just too cold for the open hole. Heero was glad that he had the big heavy coat on, all of them were glad to have good costumes on, they were all built with some kind of insulation in them. They were glad their hands weren't cold and cramping as their bags of candy were also still getting very very heavy, even for Big T. He was amazed that he was having to actually flex to hold up the bag, he didn't want to know what the others were like.
But as the night was ending the group found that Trowa, once again wasn't there. "GOD NO!" dropping their bags and running back to the house they were too late as they saw him walking up the stairs and into the house "TROWA!" "TROWA NO!" they were screaming in vain at him. Shu Yin went running but stopped dead at the edge of the property. It was like there was a invisible wall there but he knew there wasn't. He saw the rock go through with ease and sit there like do do do look at me. Yet he couldn't force his body in it was in pure terror as he peed himself just a little bit in fear. "Oh Jesus..." Heero took him off somewhere and someone allowed them to use their bathroom to clean up. Going back Duo shook his head, "and there is nothing Wu Fei can do...Heero?" "No something like this isn't my department..."
Inside the door creaked open and a soft glow warmed Trowa's face as he entered a ball room, the back wall was all glass as it was a ballroom/green house. It was beautiful, over grown but beautiful. He looked around and saw the world map on the floor in the old world painting style almost water paint style from Da Vinci or someone. Looking up he saw a massive candle chandelier in the center, golden hue dripping with crystals, it looked like to him. The candles were fairly new, only a little dripage from them, but he slightly jumped when they all lit at once, then all the candles around the room, thousands of them lit up showing the grand hall, which was much much larger then he thought. "How can something so big be in such a small house? He just didn't realize the back went that far out in the back. The walls were glass but had some mars in the once perfect surface. There was no dust but things were old.
Just then another door creaked open and out came a girl running lightly doning a full face mask on. By this time he didn't realize he was in the middle till she was twirling and dancing around him like a fairy, flowing this way and that. Her violet eyes catching his attention the most as she twirled as they glowed beautifully even with the tears in them. "Why are you so sad?" He asked holding a hand out to her, wanting to touch her. She recoiled animated putting her hands up in front of her eyes and turned a bit, back of her hands towards her face. Turning her head back towards him, her eyes sparked as she danced around him again, as if to tell him she was excited to have someone there with her. Trowa spun lightly trying to keep an eye on her, but she was moving too fast and he was getting a bit light headed. Was there a strange smell in there? Falling on his but the girl leaned down and with the mask her lips touched his. He just held her tightly as she intrigued him, playing with her hair he just held her close to him.
The whole time that was happening, it wasn't so sweet on the outside as the four friends were crying. They were hearing their friend inside screaming in pain, and couldn't get to him. It sounded like he was being gutted as it started out pained then gargly. Duo was on his knees screaming and crying as that was the first guy in there that accepted him. Heero was white and wobbly as that was his best mate in there, Shu Yin was throwing rocks at the house trying to get whatever's attention to leave him alone because Trowa never made fun of him and Wu Fei was trying to dispel it all as Trowa was kinda their glue through the bad time and good.
They all stopped as all the sudden it was just gurgling noises that cut off suddenly. The minute it did the bad feeling went away and sure as a dog pees on a fire hydrant, they were in the house searching together, only to find the body all over the ball room and green house. Duo puked right then and right there all over Heero's boots, who just stepped forward and knelt down by the shredded face. Even the bones were not spared as they were twisted or broken.
Looking up when they got a weird feeling they saw two figures dancing in the far corner like they were meant for each other, one obviously their friend Trowanow dressed oddly with an odd mask The other must be the female Trowa was talking about earlier. She was so dainty in his arm but she seemed to fit perfectly. They just looked at each other quiet but when they looked back Trowa was gently lifting her mask showing her face.
"Why do you cry, Didn't you think I would come back to you?" "I didn't cry because I doubted you, my love, I cried because I love you and missed you." They kissed then he placed her tiny mask back on her. Turning they started walking through the green house but he forced her to stop. Turning "Do forgive me my friends." Never turning around "I lost my way when I was young and made a promise to return to my lover. I'm sorry you had to be here for that occasion but thank you for being my friends till I found my place. You will join us eventually. Until then, may you live your lives well." Walking again they disappeared through the glass. The guys ran up and looked out the dirty panes of glass only to see them floating in a boat, her leaning against him and catching up on the old time.
An old man with shaky hands smiled wearily as his time was drawing near to the end. "My great grandfather's friend told me that story and that if you listen really closely on Halloween night, you can still hear the music box like music, and the feet dancing, although, instead of only one pair dancing, you can hear three." He smiled and watch them leave. Rocking in the chair he sighed when they left "Okay one little white lie won't kill them." "Duo, quit picking on the kids." The old man stood up and the facade of old whisked away on the air. "Oh but why?" Duo laughed at Wu Fei and walked off. They had indeed joined the young couple like Trowa predicted, living out their numberless days in happiness with each other.
