The King's Maze (Yami x Reader)

Epilogue Part 4: The Kidnapping

The small goldfish was happily swimming in it's new fish bowl as the girls helped each other get dress in their costumes. Persona felt a surge of power and heard the commotion in the room. When she rushed inside Hiba and Mai were starting to clean up the mess.

It was just an experiment gone wrong; the girls had told her. But Persona saw Hiba's red eyes and didn't buy the story till Hiba explained that she was worried that their experiment had killed Sunny the fish. Thankfully, it hadn't, and the small pet was swimming around franticly in a bubble of water floating over the mess.

Persona wasn't a hundred percent convince but she couldn't think of what it was the two girls were up to. The evening ended with a trip to the store to get a new bowl for Sunny and a new plant to replace the dead one. After fixing up Sunny's new home, Persona made her daughters warm coco and tried one last time to get the truth out of them. Her strategy failed, she tucked them into bed, read their story and kissed them goodnight. The girls went straight to sleep without talking about what they had done. In the morning, however, they rose early to discuss what they planned to do.

The witch had tried to contact Hiba, but the little girl blocked out her words. When the witch tried again, Hiba told her that she didn't want to talk to her and shut the woman out. Mai praised her for listing to her dad, but Hiba worried that the witch would get mad. "But what could she do", Mai told her. It was not like Hiba told her where they lived, and Hiba felt better since she hadn't.

"Are you sure we shouldn't act sick today?" Hiba asked as Mai helped zip up her dress.

"Nah, it'll worry mom and she knows we're hiding something."

Hiba turned and handed Mai a red scarf she wanted to borrow from her. "But papa said to stay home with mom."

"I'm sure he meant at night Hiba, besides she still as to go to work and we need to go to school. I'm sure he'll understand."

"I guess," Hiba replied then picked up a bundle of beaded bracelets and slid them on her wrist. She smiled at the pretty blue and white beads and shook her wrist to hear their sound. "I like that we get to dress up for school today."

"Me too," grinned Mai as she tied on her belt.

Mai wore a pirate's costume with soft leather boots and a red scarf over her curly hair. Hiba chose to dress as a fairy princess so that she could show off her delicate wings. Mai would have gone as a devil, but she wanted something different this year. The girls looked themselves over in the mirror then left to show their mother. Persona squealed in delight and had them pose so she could take this year's picture.

"Just don't moved your wings so much in school sweetie," Persona said after taking their picture. " I know you girls get out early today, so Milda will pick you both up after school. We'll have an early dinner before trick or treating." Persona expected to see her girls excitement but the two looked at each other with concerned looks. "What's wrong?"

"Mommy," Mai spoke up, "is it okay if we don't go trick or treating?"

Persona looked between her two girls now completely confused. "You mean, no trick or treating at all?" Mai nodded and Hiba looked down at the floor so not to meet her gaze. In the past, Persona didn't mind celebrating Halloween, but she always acted on the side of caution ever since that day long ago. She now worried that she had frighten her girls with her caution and asked gently, "Is there a reason why you don't want to go out tonight? I know you girls look forward to this every year."

"We just don't want to be out with the weirdos," Mai quickly replied. Persona felt a twinge of a half truth and she smiled at them.

"Are you afraid of going house to house? It will be fine, there will be lots of people and I will keep a close watch on you both."