Fall was in the air, and with it, melancholy. Leaves skittered around trudging feet as students headed home, another school year ahead after the holidays. The days were growing shorter, the grey sky steadily darkening. And some felt the fading of summer's cheer more than others.

Somewhere in the distance, notes from a koto lyre sounded. A melody in minor, that would have induced shivers, had its recipients been able to hear it. A couple walking down the street paid the song no heed as they bickered, but as the atmosphere turned thick with bitterness, their argument intensified.

A joyless laugh. Another eerie tune. Inside an apartment, a young boy's breathing sped up with anxiety as he pored over his homework.

Spectral fingers plucked at strings, the melody carrying through an unseen dimension. The figure wasn't alone. She danced past drifting forms, in and out of their earshot, their auras of malice growing as they absorbed the song's curse.

In the material world, shadows lengthened, and the streets began to quiet as people headed home for the day. When the public's activity decreased, that of the hunters would increase. The Onryo too, with their growing strength, would also relish the hunt.

---

"Well this was a waste of time and money. Nearly closing time, and nothing spooky's happened yet."

Overhearing the not-quite-whisper, Kasumi glanced at the group of teens gathered around the table. She bit the inside of her cheek. The rumours about Chiba Cafe being haunted had yet to subside. They'd been correct, but seeing people treat it as source of entertainment made her feel sick. She continued clearing the little rustic tables, reminding herself she couldn't blame them. They didn't know the full story.

She looked up from the tray as another comment piqued her attention.

"I sure hope we have better luck at the Fujiki. As far as haunted hotels go, I've heard it's quite something."

A girl leaned forward, nodding. "Ohh yep, as well as all those reports of weird chills in the night? Apparently a fight broke out the other day. Some guy even got arrested. That's been happening more and more often, out of nowhere. And pretty recently, a woman tried to jump off of the roof."

Kasumi's stomach clenched as she watched the other two teens' eyes shine. "Yeesh, there's gotta be something lurking around there," one of them replied. "No wonder hardly anyone stays there any more. Oh well, we can make up for that, if you're both brave enough."

A chuckle. "Yep, just don't snap and beat us up or anything... Hey!" The girl's eyes flicked to Kasumi. "What's your problem?"

"Eheheh, nothing!" Kasumi took a step back and bowed. "Sorry. Just, uhh... wondering if you wanted anything else?" She cringed, staring down at her tray. Considering the time, that excuse wouldn't fly.

"Nah, we're good." The customer scraped her chair back and stood, the others following suit. "Alright, ready for the fright of your lives?"

Laugher and banter faded as they left. Kasumi, hurrying from table to table to make up for her lapse just now, mentally prepared herself for her next task. Hotel Fujiki. This whole hunter thing still overwhelmed her, but she could do this. All she had to do was be more like the few other hunters she'd met...

"Aaah!" In her rush, she'd stacked too many glasses onto the tray, which wobbled and crashed to the floor in an explosion of fragments. Several customers turned. "S-Sorry!" Kasumi, scrambling to gather up the pieces, felt the weight of their stares. Was she really suitable hunter material?

...

Nonetheless, shortly after cleaning up the mess and consulting the Internet for research of the area, Kasumi was on her way to Hotel Fujiki. She gazed at the building's silhouette against the dusk sky. With its quaint design and hanging flower baskets, it looked like a pleasant little resort. The stories she'd found online, backing up the teens' words, said otherwise - as did the hostile presence emanating from it, growing stronger as she neared.

"Well, we're here," she whispered, reaching into her bag and taking out a small tea kettle. "Ready?"

The kettle's metallic tanuki head nodded, as if jointed. "Looks as good a place as any for a tea party," Bunbuku replied. "Ready."

---

On a bench under street lamps, a blonde teen sat, tapping at her phone.

Ghostlight: So! Any oogie-boogie activity going on tonight? Who's up for showing those ghosts who the real scary ones are?

With the group chat she and several other hunters had started up, Burabura couldn't accuse her of being disorganised any more. Well, the chochin-obake would anyway, but that wasn't the point. Solidarity and strength in numbers were important. After all, wasn't that how people in horror movies screwed up, by failing to stick together?

Wasn't that how she'd screwed up, all those years ago?

Ukiko sighed, refreshing the page - and looked up, a hint of cursed energy catching her attention like a whiff of smoke. A woman in a carer's uniform trudged past, face expressionless, the trace of corruption lingering around her.

"Hey!" Ukiko jumped up. "Hey is everything ok there?" The woman didn't reply, didn't even seem to notice her. She simply kept shuffling on like a sleepwalker. "Can you hear me?" Again, no answer. Worry souring to panic, Ukiko followed her to the outskirts, where a forest stretched ahead. She winced, goosebumps breaking out all over her skin. Forests weren't exactly her favourite place, but she couldn't afford to be a wuss about this. Especially as another figure drew closer, then another, in the same hypnotic state as the woman. Eyes darting from the scenario to her phone, she typed up a hurried message.

Ghostlight: Ok we've got a situation. People acting like zombies, heading to the woods on the edge of town. I can feel something in there, something BAD.

She pocketed her phone and darted after the hypnotised group, fumbling to open her bag. She didn't feel great about keeping Burabura stuck in there, but there wasn't exactly another way to hide her. The blue lantern floated out, lighting up with a ghostly gleam as her single eye opened. "Whoever's in there," Ukiko panted, "they're no match for us!"

"Be careful-bura!" The chochin-obake bobbed by her side, casting light over their surroundings. "Onryo may have been growing stronger lately, but this one's something else-bura! At least wait for other hunters to show up and help-bura!"

Fists clenched as she ran, Ukiko could tell Burabura was right. The aura of malice pervading the area was nothing short of oppressive, and the further she ventured, the more the temperature dropped. "There's no time," she said, breath rising as mist. "We can't let anything happen to these people. So let's out-spook whoever's doing this!" With a deep breath, she mustered her power and stepped forward, into another dimension.

In a flash of light, a frilled Victorian-style getup replaced her casual dress, her skin taking on the same pallor and blue-green glow as her clothes. She and Burabura were the only sources of colour, the trees appearing grey and misty, the people resembling vague silhouettes. Only when she drew close could she see their features. Shoulders squared in an attempt to quell her trembling, she stared into the distance. "Quit hiding and show us what you're made of!"

Kukiko Fujiwara

"You sure as hell are late."

Chiba and her companion would hear from nearby. Close by, on the side of the path leading to the hotel, was a bench and on that bench laid a woman mostly clad in ample black cloths and a modified version of the school's skirt as well as leggings underneath, slightly teared here and there. With a lazy grunt, she sat up and looked in Chiba's direction, stretching.

"I have been laying here for hours..." she said with a lazy tone.
"We been here for all of ten minutes, you lazy idiot!" The voice came from Kukiko's waist as the Obi around her unfolded just enough to raise one tip of it towards her.

"Shush, Obi." the girl answered, pulling on the garment and forcedly tuck it back onto itself.
"An' give me a proper name you damn witch. Hey, sto--" the muffled voice of Obi could be heard as Kukiko forced him back into being wrapped around her waist, sighing. "...Tsk, what a pain. As If I asked to be a Hunter."

In truth, Kukiko had arrived indeed only a few minutes before Chiba, who was well placed to know just how unreliable Kukiko was with time and meet-ups in general, so it was a surprise for sure that the black-haired hunter was here at all. The two of them had worked together at Chiba's work place before, but Kukiko was promptly fire for not being on time - if she showed up at all, that is. Despite this, the two hunted together before on a few occasions but Kukiko being Kukiko, her showing up even for hunts was hit or miss. It always depended on how she felt at that time or if something else caught her attention. Or if she fell asleep...

"So...do you have anyone else showing up? Because otherwise this feels like it'll be a pain..." As she said this, Kukiko walked up closer to Chiba and lowered her head closer to Bunbuku, the teal kettle, to better observe it. "Hey there, Bunbuku-kun. Still the little optimist, I see?" she said with a smirk as her gave the kettle a little tap on the 'head'. She then turned towards the hotel, folded her arms and threw her hip to the side as she tilted her head towards Chiba.

"So?"

clack clack clack tingle tingle clack clack

An odd combination of noise, all too familiar by now, woke Ren from an afternoon nap. He opened his eyes and was not at all surprised to see that his laptop was open on his bedside table, and Kagihime was on the keyboard, her (more literal) keys spread across the buttons a little like a hand, typing occasionally, then scrolling through web pages she had found.

"You better not be filling my search history with weird shit again. If I get put on some kind of list...

"I'll have you know that I'm looking for potential onryo sightings," she answered primly. The innocence in her high, jingly voice made Ren sure that she had done more before he had awoken.

"Yeah? They got message boards for that kinda thing?"

She stopped typing suddenly, and moved her biggest key to the laptop's track pad and started laboriously coaxing the cursor back to the search bar at the top of the browser. "Hey, maybe, good thinking!"

"Wait, hang on, have you actually found anything?

"Oh, lots of stuff! Some weirdness at an old forest. A hotel where people keep killing themselves, just so many haunted schools..."

"Tell me about that hotel," he cut her off, but when she saw that she had his interest, she obliged and scrolled back to where she had been. He read the article on the screen(glancing briefly at what other tabs the tsukumogami had open) and his frown deepened. He made a snap decision.

"Come on," Ren picked her up from where she was sprawled across the keyboard. "The internet will rot your brain, anyway."

"I don't have a brain!" She answered, brightly.

Ren laughed and stuffed the magical spirit unceremoniously in the pocket of his slept-in jeans, "You got that right." He threw a jacket over his artfully ripped t-shirt, pulled some chunky punk boots on, and left.

One convince store stop later, and Ren was approaching the hotel from the sidewalk, one hand deep in his pocket, the other holding a can of iced coffee. He was only mildly surprised to see other people on the street, but he was quite taken aback to recognize one of them. It was the girl who worked the counter at Chiba Cafe. Kasuma, or maybe Kasuni. She wasn't alone, either. There was also a girl who looked only vaguely familiar to him. She looked like she wanted to be here about as little as Ren pretended.

"Uh, hey Cafe Girl. What're you doing out here?"

"What are you doing?" Kagihime spoke up loudly from his pocket, "You know they're both hunters too."

Kaito laid down on his bed, watching the news. Normally, he hated watching the news. All they ever talked about was bad things that were happening in the world. He would have much rather been watching anime or something. Rilakkuma was the one who insisted on watching the news to look for onryo sightings. Were onryo responsible for everything bad that happened in the world?

There was a story about a hotel where people there kept kept killing themselves. Rilakkuma was interested immediately, Kaito was not.

The teddy bear bounced up and down excitedly. “onryo, onryo, onryo!”

Kaito put his hands over his eyes. “D-d-do we have to go there? It sounds scary.”

“Of course it’s scary! Onryo are scary! But you’re a Hunter, it’s your job! Don’t worry though, you have meeeeee! I’ll be there to protect you.”

Kaito whimpered quietly. He knew he had a job to do, but that didn’t make it any less scary. Of all the people in the world to be involved in this Hunter thing, why did it have to be him?”

——

Later on that evening, Rilakkuma and Kaito made their way past Kaito’s parents to the supposedly haunted hotel. Kaito was relieved that the place didn’t look haunted and scary, it actually looked like a pretty little hotel. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

What did concern Kaito was the group of people also gathered in front of the hotel. They too had a strange assortment of objects too. Were they Hunters too?

“Other hunters Kaito. Go talk to them.”

Kaito took a breath, and approached the group of people. He clutched Rilakkuma tightly in his arms. “Um… uh… um…” He stuttered. He avoided making eye contact with any of them and shuffled his feet nervously.

At this point, Rilakkuma jumped out of Kaito’s arms and spoke on the Hunters behalf. “Hiiii! I’m Rilakkuma! The cutest teddy bear you ever did see! The scaredy-cat over there is Kaito. Don’t worry, he’s really nice!”

Kaito’s face turned bright red from embarrassment.

Click Clack! Click Clack! Click Clack!

Li Suyin bounced and josteled as the rough rumbling of the old subterranean train carried her through the tunnels beneath the outskirts of Agawa City. Lights in the train car swung in random, haphazard motions, buzzing, and flickering each time the train bumped even slightly along the unkempt and seldom used rails. Deaf to the metallic groans of the beater of a locomotive, Suyin fixated herself on the abandoned stations as they scrolled by in her window. "Almost there," she sung, nervously, as she read the weathered station signs, awaiting her stop. As a sign reading "Odawara Court" came and went in the passing of the train, she clenched her left hand, crunching a fresh newspaper clipping from a week earlier.

Finally, the conductors voice crackled over a staticy PA: "Last Stop, Old Takeda Station. End of the line." Suyin, not missing a beat, pulled at the run of wire over her head, signaling for a stop and deboard. Ten tense minutes later, the train screeched and ground to a halt. Suyin exited, a rather large, leather case slung over her shoulders like a backpack. Moments later, the train was turned around and gone, and Suyin was alone, save for one companion.

"That train was completely empty. And so is this station." A voice spoke softly, but grumpily, from inside if the case.

"I'm aware, Kyo. Barely anyone uses the old subway lines; not since the new magnet trains were built." Suyin surveiled the Desolate platform of Old Takeda Station. It was one of the oldest in Agawa, and thus, one of the least used in the wake of the subway becoming so obsolete. The trains there only ran by appointments, and the further to the city limits a person got, the more likely they were to get involved in shady ordeals. Suyin clenched more tightly to the newspaper clipping. "Show yourself," she called out, her voice reverberating through the tunnels.

Almost on command, the air grew thin, and the temperature dropped. Suyin shivered out a foggy breath. She was starting to sweat, her heart was pounding like a bass drum in her chest. Still, she broke into a grin. She turned at the sound of something slapping against the concrete platform. She saw it immediately: a grotesque figure, wreathed in shadow in the vague likeness of a person, climbing up to the platform from the track below. It writhed and shrieked as it came to its feet, spotting the young hunter and charging with no hesitation or forethought.

"Perfect." A light, purple glow consumed Suyin. In a flash of radiance, she changed form in a serene, violet and white clad figure. With the Onryo mere feet away from her, she extended her right arm, moving her hand in a forceful halt signal. As though hitting a wall, the Onryo stopped suddenly, and painfully. In another move of her hand, Suyin psychically grasped the Onyro. With a mighty effort, she threw her arm out toward the wall on the opposite side of the tracks; the entity followed suit, sailing across the tracks, slamming head first into the wall and falling to the ground.

Drawing heavy breaths, Suyin faced the injured spirit, staring scathingly into its lifeless face. Once more, she grabbed hold of the Onryo, this time, her psychokinetic power focused on the head. A second push, and its head crashed against the wall, splitting open on impact. Broken and defeated, the Onryo collapsed and withered into non-being. Sensing the work was done, Suyin reverted to her normal form, and made a hasty walk to the stairs to the street, dropping the clipping, which read: "Woman Pushed Into Train at Old Takeda Station."

"Are we feeling better now that that's done?" Kyorinrin, it's dragon-shaped head of scrolls poking out from around the case, spoke, scolding the hunter.

A vibration and a ping in Suyin's pocket cut off a response before it could be made. She pulled out her phone to a notification on the hunter group chat. "Something sus going down over in the woods. That's not too far from here." She pointed to the treeline about one hundred yards away. "Sounds like there'll be plenty to go around." She was already running towards the woods as she sent her reply to Ukiko: "I'm nearby. On my way; this'll be cathartic."

"While I'm pleased to know that you're taking your role here seriously, must express my concern for your-" Kyorinrin started as Suyin trudged deeper into the brush towards an ethereal light a short way ahead.

"Quiet, Kyo." She hushed her Tsukumogami, and transformed as she approached Ukiko. "I'm here. Let's do this." She stood next to Ukiko, but a few feet away, glaring at the huddle of shadowed forms standing out in the small clearing before them.

Sora sighed, clearly frustrated. After a long day for her, the last thing she wanted to do was go out. However Senka had different plans. She wouldn’t stop chattering about a nearby sighting, and how important it was to go. Sora had never actually bothered to show up for many of the fights. Not out of fear really, oddly enough most of the time it never bothered her. Just the mere thought of having to put in the effort rather than going to bed or studying..that was a whole other story. She would much rather just focus on being “normal” and moving forward with school. Fate had other plans though, and fate just happened to be named Senka.

A small jingle played from the kitchen, prompting Sora to get up. It was the hunters chat, and she knew she probably shouldn’t ignore it. After a bit of searching she found it and opened up the text.

“Hmm there's some weird stuff going down in the woods just outside of town. Ukiko seems concerned, so it’s probably a good bet to head over there. Damn. I was comfy too.” She said, quickly grabbing her coat and shoes. It was a miracle she was even added to the group chat, but that's a story for another day. She was just thankful she got involved and added in something, even if she didn’t outwardly project it. She grabbed Senka on the way out the door, earning a small yelp from the fan.

“Geezus you could be a bit more considerate of how you treat me. I'm delicate, you know, you should treat me like a precious item.” Senka declared smugly.

“Maybe you should hush. Be grateful I'm going at all”

“You know very well you don’t have a choice in the matter do you? Thought so. Hurry up, we're gonna be late like always!” Senka chidded. Sora rolled her eyes, and hurriedly started off on her bike. Thankfully it wasn’t a far ride out from her place to the meeting spot. She already said that someone else had confirmed themselves for this particular mission in the chat as well. Senka was right, she was going to be late. Again. Like always. Groaning loudly she peddled faster.

As Sora approached, she saw the group of people gathered. Noticing them as the other hunters she rode up to them and waved. After getting off her bike she quickly noticed the line of sluggish people trudging off into the woods. Like a line of ants blindly marching where told. Ah. That would be what we're here to deal with.

Without wasting another beat, Sora transformed. Her normally blonde hair poofed out behind her into pink curling twintails. A very frilly blue white and pink outfit replaced her drab school outfit she hadn't bothered changing out of. She never got used to how...different she looked.

“I’m here too, hope I'm not super late. Let’s do this. Whatever this is. “ She gestured to the weird conga line of zombie people.

@FrogRFlowR @Stylobilly @Crimson Flame

As she neared the hotel, Kasumi picked up on another hunter's presence. She turned to see Kukiko lounging on a nearby bench, chiding her for lateness. "Ehhh sorry!" With a strained smile, Kasumi rubbed the back of her neck. Despite the call-out, the other hunter being here was a relief. Kukiko knew how to keep a level head in battle, and made everything seem so effortless.

"Uh, not sure if anyone else is turning up, but... We've got this!" The tremor in her voice sounded rather less than encouraging. At least Bunbuku did a good job of taking on the moral support role, even earning a little smile from Kukiko. Thankfully, two more presences drew near. Kasumi glanced over her shoulder as a familiar figure approached, a dark-haired boy in ripped punk clothes. A regular at Chiba Cafe. When they'd first met, she'd picked up right away that he was a hunter, but she hadn't had time to talk to him besides taking his order. Behind him, a younger, nervous looking boy in a bear beanie followed.

"Oh! Hello." She bowed, still in the habit of being formal from her cafe work. "We were just about to investigate the hotel." Her eyes flicked to the building, her fists clenching by her sides. Even from a distance, that aura of corruption from inside was palpable.

She turned her attention back to the boys, the teddy bear tsukumogami bound to Kaito putting a much-needed smile on her face with her introduction. "Nice to meet you. Uh, Chiba Kasumi, but ehh, you can just call me Kasumi." First name basis, she hoped, would help her come across as approachable rather than an awkward mess. She glanced towards the older one. "And your name is?"

---

@Wayward @Strawberry

A tingle ran through Ukiko, the telltale sign of a fellow hunter approaching and entering the world between. Looking over at Suyin, she grinned to mask her fears of the upcoming encounter. Suyin, with her psychokinetic powers, was a force to be reckoned with. Sora was next to join, the vibrant pink and blue of her outfit standing out from the grey surroundings. "Hey!" Ukiko pumped her fist in the air, in a deliberately over-the-top gesture. "Yep, let's go kick some onryo butt!"

She headed towards the clearing, from where that malicious aura seethed, only to whirl round as Burabura spoke up.

"Over there-bura!"

Eyebrows furrowed, Ukiko followed the lantern a short distance to the side. She gasped. One of the victims lay curled up by a tree, motionless. "Don't tell me he's..." Rushing over, Ukiko dropped to her knees beside him, close enough that his features sharpened into view, those of a middle-aged man. A sigh of relief left Ukiko's lips as she saw his chest moving, white puffs of breath rising above his face.

"He's alive," she called, "but he's in a bad way." He simply lay there, shivering from the unnatural cold, eyes unfocused. People in the living world couldn't see or hear hunters in limbo, but Ukiko knew he probably wouldn't notice her even if she stepped out. Glimpsing movement in the corner of her vision, she turned her head. Someone else in the spellbound horde stopped and slumped, sitting hunched on the ground. One by one, more did the same, as if waiting for the curse to claim them.

"Oh shit..." Jumping up, Ukiko dashed into the clearing, towards the source of the hex. "We're really gotta act fast!"

Intro Theme: youtube.com/watch?v=F4h2yIcYtW0

Xiahou Chong

A white cab pulled up at the hotel carpark which was behind the entrance. He got out of the cab and thanked the driver after grabbing his luggage. He walked to the entrance of the hotel to get booked in. His appearance was clean and stood out to most than the generic people. For he was a hunter, who could sense other hunters. He was a handsome man who almost looked identical to one of his ancestors, Xiahou Ba. He had short black hair with sharp facial features. He wore a long coat and a suit underneath with black cuban heeled shoes. He also had his companion, a Tsukumogami. who pretended to sleep in normal circumstances. Tsukumogami was always around his neck as if it was a scarf, but can give that illusion to normal people.

He checked into the hotel and was shown to his room. Inside he put his luggage and wasn't bothered to unpack them. He stretched his arms and let out a sigh of relief. "Glad to be back" He said as he looked through the window at the billboards.
"Man I am starving to kill some Onryo bruh!" the Tsukumogami replied to Xiahou Chong. "Oh by the way, you do know that your mother going to kick yo ass if yo don't call her. Kapeesh"

Xiahou Chong smiled at the Tsukumogami and covered his mouth as he laughed. "Well we will see her soon enough. I will surprise her. Seeing that she is popular in this part of the realm, I doubt that we are not further from the small little town she lives in." Xiahou Chong said said optimistically.

The Tsukumogami sensed onryos on the same floor as them. It has seemed that fate put them in this position to meet the onryo face to face. "Something fishy is going on here. Onryos....... They're here!" Said the Tsukumogami.

The air in the became dim and the atmosphere changed to a green and purple toxic mist that usually would make normal people hallucinate, but not Chong.

His appearance changed to that of a handsome man, with blue and white robes. Decorative pauldrons on both his shoulders and a few pieces of armor around his chest, waist and legs, all decorated with gold gilt.

His hair became long and flowed subtly complete with a bun and a crown and pin to conceal and hold it in place.
"Now the hunt begins. Time to rid this world of filth and evil by force. I Xiahou Chong, descendant of both Cao and Xaihou clan, will reign supreme" with that statement he rushed out of his room, meeting a few of onryo's running amok.

---

"You know, for a major disturbance, it sure is hard to find," An emerald-haired teenager groaned as he trudged through the forest. For all his tsukumogami's alarm, Naoto certainly hadn't seen any signs of onryo activity, and he'd been walking for at least the past twenty minutes.

"It wouldn't be if you'd listen to my directions and not wander off toward whatever catches your eye," The gnarled rag perched atop his shoulder responded, its tail end swaying like an agitated cat.

"But what if that light in the distance was an onryo?"

"It was clearly a street lamp, pay attention!"

How was he supposed to know he'd wandered too close to the road? Kabi had just given him a direction and told him to start walking, and Naoto didn't believe for a second that the shiro-uneri knew his way around town. Back in his day, this was probably all rice fields or something anyway. Case in point; if there was a street nearby, why hadn't he been told to walk here using that instead of trudging through the forest in the dark with only a phone flashlight and a nagging towel to guide him? He'd nearly tripped like three times now.

Fortunately, his woes seemed to be at an end (only to be replaced with entirely new woes of the supernatural variety) when the silhouette of a person shambled into Naoto's field of view.

"We're here," Kabi announced as he vigilantly perked up in search of the onmyo, "They're all heading for the source of the corruption. Follow the trail."

Naoto wasn't sure who 'they' were at first, but as he nudged his slipping glasses up and shined his phone light further along in the silhouette's path, countless others revealed themselves - ordinary people trudging mindlessly forward like zombies in search of a meal. Lucky him; everyone always said he'd be perfectly safe if zombies started eating brains. The enthralled masses didn't seem hostile to him, in any case. But beyond that, he felt something else, something that felt like Kabi but definitely wasn't, a tingle in whatever sixth sense linked him to the other side. Other hunters were already here, close enough to be felt but somewhere Naoto couldn't yet see.

He didn't bother waiting for Kabi's input, and instead took off running toward the subtle allure ringing in the back of his head. Naoto crashed through the threshold of limbo mid-bound, as if he'd simply dove into a wall of water before him. It washed over him much the same as a jump into any lake would, the cool dampness of Kabi's borrowed power replacing the familiarity of his own skin and clothes. The weight on his shoulder grew rapidly heavier and then subsided all at once as the tattered rag perched atop it expanded into a serpentine curtain and slithered off to take flight beside him.

The doe-eyed gaze he'd sported before sharpened into the scarlet glare of a predator as Naoto took in the scene again from a more spiritually-aware vantage point, not that he really would've needed to - the zombies were slumping over now, which meant whatever was feeding on them had to be very close.

"Wah! Creepy ghost girl eating the dead guy over there," Naoto yelped as he gesticulated wildly at a newfound figure hunched over one of the bodies. That was easy. The purple girl next to her didn't look like an onmyo either, so she clearly had to be the other hunter he'd felt. Looked like she already had it cornered. The pink one could go either way, though she looked more at home haunting a candy factory than a forest.

"That's a hunter," Kabi grumbled wearily, "And they're not dead yet, so stay on task."

Naoto deflated immediately. "Oh." Wind promptly stolen from his sails, the newly ashen-haired boy shuffled over to his fellow hunters with an apologetic grin and a casual wave. "Sorry about that. Um. Have you seen the ghostie yet?"

---

@LuckyBlackCat@Wayward@Strawberry

Peering through the thin, wispy veil of the ethereal plane, Suying observed the movement of dozens of zombified people. Her eyes flowed in succession with each body as they one-by-one dropped, slumped among the trees. The progression of bodies falling limp lead her gaze closer to the heart of the clearing...

"There's a presence," Kyorinrin whispered.

"I'm aware." Suyin spoke dismissively, transfixed on the energy pulsating out from the clearing.

"Something powerful enough to ensnare so many people isn't to be trifled with." Kyorinrin rose up, looking out over Suyin's shoulder. "Tread carefully... remember that you have--"

"--Allies. Yeah yeah. I know." Cutting across her line of sight, Suyin caught Ukiko running into the clearing, towards the source of the curse. She looked back over her shoulder, catching Sora and Naoto out of the corner of her eye. "You're just in time," she said, smirking. "The Hunt is just getting started." She flourished her arms prompting two large stones to gravitate towards her. Kyorinrin emerged fully, stretched nearly six feet long, flying around Suyin as though acting as a shield. "Don't fall behind," Suyin shouted to the two newcomers as she too ran, stones hovering along in her wake, tracing Ukiko's steps into the clearing.

---

"Relax, geez. It's only a cursed, haunted motel isn't it? Nothing new here." Kukiko said as she stood back up to look at the black haired hunter in front of her.

It was about that time the others showed up. Some Punk looking guy that seemed to know Chiba already and a... "No way...are you a kid?" she said out loud as Kaito introduced himself, probably cutting off Chiba. She looked at the Tea girl. "You invited a kid?"

There was worry on the Goth's face for a second as he looked over Kaito and for a second it might have seemed like she worried for the kid...but the truth would be revealed soon enough. With a deep sigh, she threw her head back, eyes closed, as she muttered mostly for herself; "...No taking it easy then, huh?"

"Would it kill you, just once, to not be an as--Hmph!" As Obi was once more quickly muffled in a tie around her waist, Kukiko crossed her arms and looked at Chiba.

"So, Kasumi-san...did you want to take point on this or...? Cause apart from me and Jacket over, here this team looks like it's about ready to run off at the first creaking of a floorboard - and I'm still hoping to wrap this up and get some sleep before morning..."

The onryo stopped in front Xiahou Chong as he apprehended them. He smiled. His smile. Behind his smiled lurked either benevolence or ruthlessness. The onryo couldn't tell as they were that stupid, or they didn't understand. Either way, Xiahou Chong's job was to eradicate them. One of the onryo who had a grudge against handsome guys, stepped forward. She had a broken neck, and because of this her head tilted to one side. There were rashes and bruises on her neck, face arms and even legs. Her hair draped and covered on part of her face. She wore a dirty and tattered kimono.

"Piss easy." The Tsukumogami commented and had a menacing smile on her face. He raised his left hand and shot out a cloth, from under his wrist, to cover the onryo who was foolish to step forward. "Burn" He commanded. The cloth that covered the onryo became tight and suffocated her. As she struggled it became more tight just like an anaconda that tightens it self around a prey before being devoured. The cloth then ignited. Fire travelled through the cloth and reached the onryo. She screamed as she burned cursing him and his future generation. He thought that nothing more than a hate crime to get back a handsome people. The Tsukumogami looked at Xiahou Chong and spoke "That bitch deserved no mercy. She controlled her exes' and couldn't retain them. She even threatened to murder their parents when the males decided to break up with her. She fell into a well, broke her neck in the process. And this explains her appearance.

The others that watched begged for his mercy as they were weaker. The surrendered to him and he accepted. "In order for mankind to know peace, you should stop what you are doing and assist those in need. Especially when they are caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time." He smiled and decided to walk away as the matter has been resolved. His outfit changed backed to a suit.

"We just got back from China and had to deal with this bullshit" the Tsukumogami said and put an angry face on. "It's our job to ensure that the people are safe and away from harm's reach." He walked back to his hotel room and awaited more Onryo.

"Aren't you gonna see ya mother?" The Tsukumogami asked. "Not yet. I sense more onryo. We have to deal with them before we leave" Xiahou Chong said as he waited patiently.

@FrogRFlowR @Stylobilly @Crimson Flame @Ice Reaver

Kasumi sighed. "Kukiko-san... Please don't judge them before you know them." Kaito's teddy bear beanie did give him a childlike look, but she found that endearing, and that didn't make him an actual kid.

Bunbuku gave Kaito a much warmer welcome, floating around his head. "Cute hat! Almost as cute as me!" With a giggle, he drifted into the middle of the group and chased his tail, trying to lighten the mood. "By the way, I'm Bunbuku. If you want to celebrate with tea after this, let me know!"

The corners of Kasumi's mouth twitched upwards. "That'd certainly be nice." She glanced from hunter to hunter. "But yeah, let's make a move."

Turning round, she stared. A figure stood on the hotel roof, slowly approaching the edge, freezing in hesitation. Kasumi's mouth went dry. "Oh no..." As she ran closer, Bunbuku returning to her hand, she recognised this person - one of the girls from the cafe. Behind her, a shadowed form lurked. Kasumi's mind raced. "W-What do we do? We've gotta get that onryo away from her somehow!"

---

@Wayward @Strawberry @Scribe of Thoth @bunni



Another hunter arrived on the scene, accompanied by a dishcloth dragon, announcing his presence with an accusing yell followed by an apology. Ukiko's transformed appearance had clearly given him the wrong idea. She gave him a reassuring grin. "It's ok, just proves I'm scarier than any ghost out there." A few seconds later, Hakurei joined them, Aguri's warm glow illuminating the forest along with Burabura's cold blue one. "Hey, fellow lantern-bearer Hakurei! We haven't found the spook yet, but..." Right on cue, a hunched-over figure emerged from the trees, into the clearing. "I stand corrected."

An elderly woman in a kimono, frost glittering on pallid wrinkled skin, reaching out a hand towards a group of spellbound people. They slumped, growing weaker, while the onryo's skin smoothed out, hair turning from white to black. Yuki-Onna, was all Ukiko had time to think as she darted forward. A snow spirit featuring in numerous folktales, known to drain the vitality of the living.

Raising her hand, she flung a spectral energy ball at the attacker. "Hey! Snack time's over!" Her stomach plummeted as the wisp simply glanced off of the yuki-onna's shoulder. Cold versus cold - not a good match-up.

The onryo sneered, eyes glinting with pure malice. "Hunters. You do-gooders are the worst." With a sweep of her arm, she sent forth a barrage of icicles at the team. "Pretending to care, when you don't give a damn!"

Ukiko acted right away. Several of the ice shards smashed against the lantern-like shield she put up, but she watched in horror as some flew past. She brightened her light, trying to redirect as many of the projectiles as she could...

Li Suyin

"OH goodie." Suyin cracked into a grin at the sight: just as she had been suspecting the whole thing to be a bust, a deranged figured emerged from the brush. She bore a stance ready for battle, prepared let loose the stones she had levitated along with her.

"Yuki-onna." Kyorinrin whispered to her. It was name Suyin was familiar with; she had read a brief bit of folklore explaining the snow spirit.

"Can it!" She spat at the Onryo's criticism. "You prey on the living when you should cross over."

At that, the fighting had begun. Yuki-onna formed icy spears from the fog, hurling them at the Hunters. Seeing Ukiko erect a barrier, Suyin made a beeline to stand behind her. As she listed to the side into the protected space, she lobbed a stone with a catapult-like arc at the spirit, aiming for it's torso. As the shards of ice passed by, she crossed to the other side of Ukiko's shield, firing the second stone in similar fashion.

---

”Ahh….Good ramen always hits the spot!”

This was Taiki Himaru; a six-foot tall, blonde, and fairly well-built, self-described “Bad boy” who was decidedly proving how far away he was from that with the pleased grin plastered on his face. Nothing like fresh food to get someone in a good mood, especially him. His clothing made him look a bit tougher, with his black jacket and ‘tough guy’ shades, but with his guard down among the company of his twin sister, it felt almost obvious that he didn’t have a harsh bone in his body.

Having stepped their way out of the fine (and decidedly cheap) Ramen Shop, the young man stretched out a bit, shifting the weight of the bag strung over his shoulder. It held some necessities, of course, but it also contained something more…Concerning. As soon as his mind drifted to it, however, he shook it off. He glanced to his side, where his beloved sister was. ”So, what now? I know we just ate, but uh, I heard about a mochi stand not so far away…” Not willing to say any more, on the chance it gave her an opportunity to tease him on his (admittedly shared with his twin) sweet tooth, he simply looked casually to her, trying hard not to expose his eagerness at the answer.

A knowing small smirk played on the corner of her lips, one she was desperately trying to hold back for her brother’s sake though her eyes glittered with mirth at her twin’s obvious eagerness with the suggestion to stop for dessert, one they both had a particular sweet tooth for. It showed a bit on how different they were. Where he suggested and asked, she would have just led them there without acknowledgment on where they were going. Taiki had worked to give off a certain vibe with his appearance but it ultimately failed when his true nature shined through which she thought was for the best. Seika was glad he didn’t turn out like her, guarded and struggling to show positive emotions in fear it would be used against her.

She ran a hand through her waist length ebony hair before tapping her chin, pretending to seriously debate on the suggestion for a time instead of eagerly agreeing straight away as she wished to do. She took a brief moment before dramatically rolling her eyes and sighing loudly as if irritated, ”Ugh, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”. Seika chuckled a bit with a light nudge to her brother’s side to let him know that she didn’t mean anything by the fake irritation and gave a soft smile. It didn’t last long though as someone roughly slammed into her shoulder while her attention had been on Taiki, making her frown with a growl of annoyance. ”HEY! WATCH WHERE…”, Seika started, planning to give the person a piece of her mind when her words died, stuck in her throat as she got a good look at the offender. The middle aged business man appeared ragged, zoned out, eyes glazed, life practically sucked out of them and while she might have just chalked that up to a job he hated….it didn’t seem that way. He didn’t stop in his slow walk forward and barely even acknowledged that he had run into another person and almost did so again to the couple walking hand in hand behind them.

A chill went up her spine, something feeling off, a dark sensation which caused her nose to scrunch as she had been trying to block out everything before then but now it caused her to focus on the others around them. There were actually quite a few people that were moving the same way and headed in the same direction. ”We might have to hold off on dessert.”

”NO!”, a voice within her backpack called out, making her quickly pull it forward off her back with a harsh shush as the cat spirit popped out. ”Y-You should c-continue onto the mochi! Y-Yeah, n-no need to investigate. It’s j-just one weirdo pfft…who needs that when mochi awaits!, Shinchuu trying their best to be convincing when he really wasn’t. She gave the cat an unamused stare before glancing at Taiki with a ‘I guess there is trouble after all’ look since her scary cat always gave it away by being so ready to backpedal from a situation.

When that suit-clad walking dead smacked into his sister, Taiki had half a mind to tell them off himself before his sister, of course, stepped up. Not like she really needed him to do that…Still, his anger gave way to concern as he watched the man painfully lurch off to the distance, clearly far out of his own head. Just like Seika, the young man could see something was off here, more than just a bad work shift. As per usual, he couldn’t stop that concern from reaching his eyes, if not his face, though it was broken when he heard a low, raspy voice creep from his pack.

”...You can sense that, can’t you, boy? Something malicious is afoot…” Hearing this, just as quickly as his sister had swung around her pack to speak to a certain companion of hers, he did the same, hastily unzipping the pack, and, well…He’s ashamed to admit it, but he found his voice caught in his throat seeing the gleaming eyes hidden in the dark recesses of the indigo kimono; this was Kishin, his partner….For better or worse.

In spite of his brief fear, he jumped back in, whispering in a harsh tone into the bag. ”H-Hey, watch it! We’re in public, ya know?!” His plea fell on deaf ears (...Did Kishin have ears?), however, as the ancient garb’s spirit spoke once more. ”We don’t have time for that, boy! If there is something unnatural threatening peace, it is your duty as a fledgling Hunter to face it!” Taiki couldn’t help but flinch at the harsh tone that the Koya-damashii took. I mean, sure, he pretty much felt the same way, especially if actual people were in danger, but…Well, couldn’t it maybe wait until they got mochi?

Ugh, his conscience wouldn’t let him live that down, no way. ”Sheesh…” He pulled his head from his back, quick to sling it over his back before they could get any looks (even if the street was relatively quiet tonight). His gaze turned over to his sister as she shared his glance, the two of them understanding in an instant. All he could do was sigh. ”Yeah, I guess you’re right…If the old fart can tell something’s off, then he’s prolly right. So, uh…We follow him?”

While it was horribly muffled, as Taiki awaited Seika’s response, one could hear the indignant voice of Kishin. ”Of all the….Old fart?! You rotten brat! Didn’t anyone teach you to respect your elders?! He was trying his best to ignore the aggravated cries of his partner, opting to put on his shades and give a confident grin to his sister.

Seika nodded with a serious expression, glancing at the man that continued to walk away from them. ”We follow him.”, she agreed, quickly changing directions to follow. She waited a bit until there were less people in view, still not comfortable with the whole transformation thing and hoping to wait till the last minute. Taiki might also follow her lead if she transformed that second and Kishin…well, let’s just say that spirit was best left for moments before a fight and not in the stalking a potential problem phase. At least if they were wrong (unlikely with both spirits speaking up) then they would have made sure the man got home safe.

With that, the pair wasted no time; luckily, subtlety wasn’t really required when you were trailing the equivalent of a walking corpse. Guy’s awareness was shot to hell, that was clear enough. It wasn’t long until the duo had made it to the edge of the forest, where they watched the man promptly collapse, with others seeming to litter the path forward. ”Whoa, you okay?!” Taiki darted forward, managing to catch the man before he made the hard collision, feeling for signs of life. Seemed he was breathing…Barely. Still, it was enough to give a sigh of relief from the young Hunter. ”Whew…Looks like they aren’t…Y’know. Not yet at least…” He trailed off, staring further into the darkened woods, and giving a brief glance to his onee-sama. Even beyond the path of barely conscious bodies, there was a faint miasma in the air, not dissimilar to what they’ve experienced before…But it was stronger, more focused…Hungrier. ”That’s a relief.”, Seika sighed, feeling tense as she stood from one of the victims she had been checking on.

It wasn’t the time to exchange words. Taiki took the lead, charging off further into the forest, closer and closer to that sense of malice the twins could feel; however, a ways through, he could hear a voice from his pack once more. ”Hold, boy! While you’re more resilient than most folk, getting so close to a spirit of this caliber from the side of the mortal realm is a poor call. It’s time to enter Limbo…” Crap. He was afraid he was gonna say that. Stopping for just the moment, he hastily pulled his backpack off, rummaging around until he could free Kishin. He stared at the cloth carefully, as the spirit within responded once more. ”...You know what happened last time, boy. I hope you have a better plan than donning me to start with?” He was right, of course; he wouldn’t be much good in the fight if he passed out from blood loss after a few minutes like the first time. Hm….

With a burst of inspiration, he took the kimono, tying it around his neck while not directly wearing it, smirking all the while. The Koya-damashii took a moment to take this in, then merely sighed. ”I…Suppose this will do. Now, focus and clear your mind…And take the step forward.” Taking the advice to heart, Taiki took this moment to take a breath, gathering his energy and clearing his mind, closing his eyes briefly…Before taking that step forward, now an almost entirely different man.

”Sheesh, this never gets less weird, does it?”

”It really doesn’t.”, was the quick response Seika gave as she stepped up next to him, her pink tail swishing back and forth as she felt on edge. The air was so charged earlier that she hadn’t been able to do much more than follow Taiki’s lead and it had only gotten worse the further in. Chuu-chan had been practically crying in fear at getting involved and had happily shoved the item in her hands to be a part of her braveness as the spirit put it.

Still, there wasn’t time to yap; the presence was close, and….Somehow it felt aggravated? Something must be happening, which meant the twins couldn’t afford to waste anymore time if they wanted to fix this. In a blind sprint, the two kept their forward charge up, eventually breaking into the opening…Just in time to almost eat a barrage of icicles.

Taiki was quick on the uptake, standing in front of his big sister with Kishin pulled in front, acting like an impromptu shield. To any onlooker, it’d seem ridiculous; the thin fabric of that kimono couldn’t possibly stop those sharp spires of ice. And yet they crumbled all the same as they collided into the Koya-damashii, fracturing into fragments on the ground, only leaving a faint frost over the cloth. Normally he might react to being attacked or even just charge forward on the offensive, but….

His eyes fell onto the others around here, seemingly confronting the same spirit. His jaw fell soon after, too, before he turned to Kishin still clutched in his fist from the defensive play. ”T-THERE ARE OTHER HUNTERS?!” The shouting and shock he displayed certainly didn’t fit his new appearance, and his Tsukumogami could only sigh. ”I don’t remember ever claiming you two were unique…”

As soon as he showed up, one of the Hunters called him a kid. She wasn’t wrong. From the look of things, it seemed like he was one of the youngest people here. Kaito just looked at the floor and shuffled his feet nervously while Rilakkuma spoke on his behalf. “Listen as far as I’m concerned all of you humans are kids. So, I suggest you be quiet young lady!” She patted Kaito on the back with her paw.

The tea kettle Tsukumogami gave Kaito a much nicer welcome. She even invited him to have a tea party. Kaito gave a small smile. “Um… t-t-thanks…

There wasn’t much time for tea right now though. A young girl approached the edge of the roof, with a shadowy onryo behind her. Kaito and Rilakkuma looked at each for a second, and then Kaito was the first to react, and transformed. He then summoned a bunch of teddy bears to throw at the onryo. Kaito puppeted the bears to hold the shadowy figure back as best they could. “Um… could you run please… It’s not safe up there…”

Rilakkuma was much more forceful about it. “Girl, Run!”

Xiahou Chong

@LuckyBlackCat @Wayward

Xiahou Chong yawned as he felt like it. He heard the commotion outside and turned around to watch from the window. He looked at the other hunters who are in battle with another onryo. He exited his hotel room made his way to where his fellow hunter's were. "Oh yeah baby, that is what I am talking about, brother." The Tsukumogami commented in excitement "Hey why don't you transform and help your fellows?" The Tsukumogami asked.

"I'm not your brother" Xiahou Chong responded and transformed dashed in front of the onryo. He turned his head to the fellow hunters "Allow me to help" he then faced the Yuki Onna and used the Tsukumogami to restrain her arms and legs so she wouldn't even dare move.

"This is easy" The Tsukumogami laughed.

"Now everyone, lets end her" He commanded as if Xiahou Chong was a charismatic leader. His flair and determination shot sky high about wanting to work with the other hunters.