Nothing but sobs, snickers and cracks echoed in Kumo's head. He stumbled off the swing gaping at the scene like a fish just plucked out the water. The four children continued to kick and snatch hair and scratch at the boy while Sachiko sat on her 'throne' with a smile.

Kumo couldn't speak, much less intervene. When he tried to touch them, his hand passed through their bodies. Something forced him to merely observe―and that he did, albeit reluctant. The baku's balled fists trembled until his knuckles were whiter than paper. Stop it, stop it, stop it, he chanted in his head, wincing every time the boy cried out.

Yet they continued to terrorize him until he couldn't respond. No, that wasn't true―his words were just drowned out by coughs and groans. The boy was in fetal position, digging his snot-and-tear-soaked face into the ground.

"All right," Sachiko said, hopping off the swing, "I think the piggy wants some mud to cool his wounds. How bout it, Pig?" She smiled down at him. "Want some dirt?"

His reply was muffled by the soil coating his mouth.

Sachiko sneered, pushing her foot on his head. "What was that?"

He looked up to send her a glare. "Go fuck yourselves."

Blood rushed to her cheeks and she stomped her sandal harder. "I was just about to let you go, but your attitude ruined it. Suit yourself." She stepped back and looked to Taka and the rest. "Do whatever you want with him. I don't care."

The boy could only watch her walk away before they dragged him off. His broken screams and cries for help only received laughter or feigned ignorance in response.

Kumo attempted to chase them, but they disappeared the second he blinked. "Wait!" he called, stretching his arm to the children who vanished. He dashed in their direction, passing the playground and trees. With his throat cleared, the baku yelled to find them before they could hurt the boy even more. However, any sign of them being in the park, or anywhere in town, was gone without a trace. Yet Kumo refused to falter. He looked in every corner he thought they would be.

After spending almost an hour searching, he gave up. His lungs strained to take in air and his stomach growled. The sky was colored orange by the time he returned to the field of grass he previously rested in. He flopped down and looked around while catching his breath, but his companion was nowhere to be seen. She must still be with Lady Tsuki, the baku concluded.

Kumo spent the rest of his day watching the sun set until Suna arrived.

"Welcome back," he uttered without turning to her.

Suna swirled around him before nudging his cheek. "You didn't do anything while I was away, did you?"

"Nothing bad. I just explored a little."

The sand cloud moved in front of Kumo, who held his knees to his chest. She suspected he was telling a fib, but decided to give him the benefit of doubt. "I see. Well, children are beginning to nap at this time. You're hungry, no?"

Kumo shook his head. After what he'd witnessed, he didn't think he had the will to eat that night. "I'm not. I don't want―"

Before he finished protesting, his stomach rumbled once more. Suna chuckled at his resistance, making the baku lift his head up to look at her with reddened cheeks. "...Fine, let's go."

"Good, good. I won't have you starving on me now." Once he stood, she expanded her body. Kumo climbed on, unable to reject the softness of Suna's sand.

"What did Lady Tsuki say?" he asked to change the topic.

"Well, we won't be punished for changing locations. Due to Ren's circumstances, Lady Tsuki allowed us to remain here for a while."

"How long is 'a while'?" Kumo didn't like it here; there were less nightmares to eat. Plus, that scene from the park still made his skin tingle. Tokyo never made him feel chills like this place did. He wanted to go back.

"She didn't specify. Why? Is something wrong?" his sandman questioned as they floated above the suburban area.

"No, I guess not." He didn't want to worry Suna either, so he smiled. "Just curious."

"Ah, look. It's starting." Suna looked at the puffs of black and white smoke seeping from darkened windows.

The fowl scents of fear lingered in Kumo's nose, although they were faint. He smelled darkness, death and creatures of the night. All were normal for the children's naive minds, but one stench caught his interest. The nightmare was poignant enough to overshadow everything else. "Found one," Kumo muttered, casting his golden eyes to the largest veil of black gas.

He noticed human faces etched into its features when they came closer, frozen in a terrified state. Their eye sockets empty while their mouths stretched open to let out howls.

Once Suna was above the mass, Kumo gripped the bottle attached to his belt and rose. He bit off the top, letting his sandman protect herself from the fumes. The last of Suna's body kept him floating on his tip-toe before he jumped off. It then quickly returned to the bottle. "Get ready," she warned after he pushed the top back on.

The baku held his breath, squinting past the gaseous faces to see six children playing in a forest. He frowned once he dropped a bit closer, staying airborne to get a better look. His eyes widened, recognizing one of them. That's the boy from before!

Five boys ran around him, giggling while holding hands. They wore the same clothes: checkered suspenders clipped onto black shorts, paired with a white button-down shirt.

"Kagome, kagome," one sang, "The bird in the cage,"

"When oh when will it come out?" another cooed.

"In the night of dawn," the third boy cried out.

"The crane and turtle slipped," a fourth one whispered as the child in the center cried.

They stopped spinning, letting go of each other to point at him. "Tell us," they ordered in unsion, "who's behind you now?"

"I know―I know it's you, Yuu!" the one in the middle yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The multitude of 'Yuu's shook their heads solemnly. "Wrong, wrong, wrong, Idiot Souta."

Behind them, the trees laughed. They ruffled their leaves with every chuckle, amused by the boy's misjudgement. "Guess again, guess again," they pleaded, causing the quintlets to smirk.

They then looked up, staring at Kumo while blood oozed from their hollow eyes. "What about you, baku? Will you play with us?"

A cold shiver waltzed up Kumo's legs. He froze, unable to look away. Not because of the game they played, and not even because of the trees whispering curses, no―the baku was stilled in place when he noticed how similar he looked to the haunting boys.