[center][i]Now I lay them down to bed.
I pray to God for flesh that’s shed.
And when He comes to wake the dead,
I’ll point to Him and scream,
Off with your head.[/i][/center]
[hr]
“Shh! Keep quiet or it’ll hear us!”

“Are you sure it’s even there? I don’t see it and I can’t sense anything else around…”

“The rumors say it only appears at midnight, right? We’ll wait a few more minutes before getting the jump on it.”

“But it’s half past midnight already!”

“I said keep quiet!”

The gathered trio of Youkai kept their distance from the looming mansion that seemed to glow crimson, the home of a great and terrible monster. One was a raven, the other a frog, and their leader was a wolf. Humanoid in appearance, each of them had powers that could far surpass that of the average Youkai, or so they liked to believe. Of course, none of them seriously considered winning in a fight alone with their target for tonight, the aforementioned monster that was said to roam this very palace.

Ordinarily, all of them would be spending the time scaring each other silly with pranks and stories of Youkai much greater than themselves. But tonight was different for the fourth member of their happy group had been kidnapped and stolen away by the Monster of the Grave. A Youkai so dangerous that no one dared to challenge it, be it Chaser or fellow denizen of the Crimson Sky. But the bond of their friendship held strong and true and they would do anything to save their friend. So now they lay in wait for the time to strike, each of them having a set of binoculars in hand.

“Since I’m obviously the strongest out of all of us, why don’t I cause a distraction? That way you guys can have enough time to search for Yoshida,” the wolf suggested.

“Are you insane?” the frog put in. “The Monster will tear you apart before we even get the chance!”

“So you’re saying that we give up? That we just quit? We can’t do that idiot! We have to be strong for Yoshida!”

“Hey, guys? I think one of the lights is turning on. Maybe the Monster is already inside? Er, doesn’t that mean that we’re practically screwed if we try an invasion now?”

[color=1a7b30]“Oh I don’t know about that. The Monster might just be using it as a decoy. Don't you think?”[/color]

“Right! Of course! We’ll charge in full force-h-hey wait. Who’s voice was that?”

All three Youkai turned to see a [url=http://i.imgur.com/vaWDpgp.png]girl[/url] crouching right next to them. She had a matching pair of binoculars with her, scanning the mansion just like them. When she noticed that she was being stared at, she placed the lens down and gave them all a happy wave. The sound of terrified screaming soon pierced the air as they dispersed almost immediately away from the girl.

“R-Run! Abort the mission, abort the mission!”

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!”

"Fuck, we're all gonna die!"

The girl only laughed at their panicked fleeing, comparing the helpless trio to that of headless chickens. She had pranked this particular group of Youkai in a similar manner twice now and would continue to do it for another five times.

[color=1a7b30]“You kids are no fun,”[/color] the girl called out, bright smile never leaving her face. [color=1a7b30]“Ah, but the spark of youth never does fizzle out. Maybe I’ll pick off the raven next.”[/color]

Humming to herself, the Monster of the Grave glanced up at the scarlet moon high above. The Crimson Sky was such a beautiful place with such a beautiful color. Summoning a green parasol in her hand, the girl gingerly opened it up and began to trek back to her secluded home. It would serve as a quick rest before her search began anew for the one that interested her the most.

[color=1a7b30]“I wonder how long it’ll take for them to realize they were standing on their friend's remains,”[/color] she mused softly to herself. [color=1a7b30]“Perhaps I’ll let dear Yoshida greet them herself next time. Yes, that does sound wonderful.”[/color]
[hr]
[color=0072bc]“Hello again Zane,”[/color] Kusanagi said boredly, not even sparing him a glance from the magazine she was reading. Frankly, his whole mad scientist vibe was a little too cliché for her tastes, not to mention the creepy obsession he seemed to have over their resident, popular, and robotic guest. Her attention was more focused on the article she was reading, the topic discussing the rising popularity of that accursed tea shop down the street.

Some rumors floated around about the shop secretly being owned and run by some top notch ninja vampire maid. It was as ludicrous as it sounded but it was still making more money. Narrowing her eyes, the pawnbroker sighed as she placed the magazine away on her counter. Maybe she should have invested in more than just tea.

[color=0072bc]“You guys just gonna stand there or are you gonna move us along?”[/color] she called out to the people gathered at the mission board. [color=0072bc]“Pick one already so I can run a business here.”[/color]