This is my Halloween fic which I'm starting early because I know where its going and it might take me a while to get the story there. So anyway Happy Halloween! and enjoy.

-Horror Shouldn't Be So Sweet-

Prologue : Number Forty Nine

"Thanks for coming last minute like this" the father said ushering the teenage girl inside as he hastily put his tie on. He was late for a important meeting and the usual watcher was on vacation (permanently after a freak and totally unexpected accident involving a stormy night, the kid's cell phone, and ketchup).

"Its no problem" the girl said with a smile, nervously looking around for the children. "Are they already asleep?"

"No there upstairs playing hangman" he said and with a quick goodbye and brief guide over the rules and emergency phone numbers was out the door. Briefcase in hand as he mumbled to himself about how late he was going to be.

She let out a sigh, this was not what she had been expecting to do on a Friday night that was for sure. But with pay like she was being offered it would be insanity to refuse.

Tiptoeing up the stairs she decided to peak in on the children. There were three of them, a girl and two boys if she remembered right. There were four doors upstairs but luckily the children's bedrooms were labeled, a name tag hanging on each. She peeked into the girl's first but found it empty before going over to the boy's. Frowning at the police line warning signals that were taped on the door she slowly walked in.

A boy and girl were drawing on paper sprawled out on the floor neither looking up as she entered too absorbed in their work. She was about to ask where their brother was when she saw something in the corner that made her honey golden skin turn to ghost white.

Hanging from a rope was a child, a old fashioned hangman's noose attached around his neck as he slowly swung from the ceiling. The soft creak the only sound coming from the limp figure.

The blond headed girl looked up with a smile, "we were playing hangman... want to be next?"

The whole neighborhood heard her scream but when they realized it was coming from the Subaku house just shook their heads with a sigh. This made the count forty-eight. That was how many babysitters had passed through those doors and left in a weeping mess. Forty-eight.

Those kids would have a promising future in the horror film making business but besides that they were a real terror to be around.

That night when the father came home from his meeting he found the babysitter in tears, bawling and going on and on about something before quickly running from the house in fear. He sighed, looking over to find the little culprits giggling at their joke while hiding beneath the kitchen table.

He lifted up the table cloth and scowled, "you know one of these days one of you really will get hurt and no one will believe you."

His daughter let out a scoff as if he had just insulted her with his presumption. "That babysitter was too easy besides we're waaaaaay too smart to get into real trouble."

"So what was it this time?" He asked a little afraid of the answer when even his youngest Gaara let out a small smirk. That child would need serious help when he got older.

"We took that life size dummy that looks like Gaara and hanged it from a noose in our room. It was dark inside so it looked really real you know" Temari said, puffing out her chest at the ingenious idea. Kankuro just let out a yawn as Gaara continued to eye his father with that same mischievous devil eyed stare that made other children his age wet their pants in fear. It was no wonder only his siblings would play with him, he terrified everyone else. Even adults went still with fear around him sometimes.

Their father narrowed his eyes in anger at his children, "you know this means your going to be grounded right?"

Kankuro nodded, "of course." His sister pouting at what was to come.

"No more horror movies for two weeks."

Three small screams rose up in unison. Another day in the life of the Subaku family.

After the children had been put to bed, their father collapsed into his chair with a sigh. What was he going to do? That was the forty seventh - no forty eighth babysitter they'd scared off. Word was spreading around town of the kids little hobby and pretty soon no one would look after them. He had to find someone good, someone who wouldn't scare easily. Someone brave...

Then he smiled as he realized who the perfect candidate for the job was.

"Baki this is my children I was telling you about" he said, nervously watching as his old friend surveyed the kids with disinterest. It had taken everything in his power to get the man to come and watch them and even then it was only for today that he accepted.

"Hope you have fun, goodbye!" he said and dashed from the house before the other changed his mind. For the first time in a year he was going to get to a meeting on time, yes!

The man didn't look like the children type in fact he didn't look like the people type at all. He wore a weird type of hat that hid the left half of his face in shadow and had a expression that looked like his entire face had been turned to stone.

"So you're the urchins I've been ordered to guard" he said finally after having surveyed each of them passively. The youngest one was interesting, eyes outlined darkly with bruises as if he'd never slept a day in his life. Besides that the boy didn't say a word, didn't smile, didn't even blink just stared at him. It would be unnerving to the normal citizen but Baki hadn't been trained as a killing machine for nothing.

"Who are you calling urchins stinky man?" the girl piped up with a glare almost appearing to be cross eyed at the effort. (Remember she's only six here she doesn't become cool till later).

He squatted down, sticking his finger on her tiny button nose and giving it a flick. "You of course, urchin girl."

"Now let me lay down some ground rules. You'll eat what I cook you and like it. You'll do what I tell you to do and like it. You'll be quite when I say and like it. And lastly you'll go to bed when I say and yes that's right, you'll like it. Any questions? No, good now scram."

Temari let out a huff and stormed upstairs with her arms crossed in indignation, Kankuro slinking behind her one of his precious puppets in the crock of his arm as he put on a resigned face. He may go along with his siblings pranks but that didn't mean he liked it and now they were being punished.

Gaara was the only one to stay behind, continuing to stare emotionlessly at Baki who stared right back. He was not afraid of some four year old boy.

Finally the child spoke, his voice creepy and lifeless but still childish nonetheless. "Do you know this house is haunted... my mom died here. Sometimes she visits me. Have you ever seen a ghost before?"

Baki would admit the kid could pull off scary, hell he was better then some movies he'd seen but behind that he was a boy who just wanted attention. "Yes. I've killed a man have you?"

"Yes."

The answer took him back a second. That was unexpected but he couldn't tell if the kid was lying or not so simply shrugged it off.

"Do you like the taste of blood?" Okay that was really unexpected.

"Have you ever heard the sound of a person trying to claw his way out of a coffin? Fingernails tearing off. Air growing thin. Screams being heard but no one knows where its coming from. People thinking its just the graveyard ghosts calling out into the night." The child was smiling now, a strange morbid glint in his green eyes that made Baki wonder just what the hell this kid was. He'd have to try harder then that to scare him though.

"Go play with your siblings" he said and Gaara slowly backed out of the room, eyes fixed on the man the entire time until he was around the corner. The last thing to see were the haunting emerald eyes.

"So did he break yet?" Temari asked her younger brother as he came into the room, shaking his head no. She let out a thoughtful sound, "he's going to be harder to crack. A challenge I willingly accept."

"For once can't we just watch cartoons and eat junk food like all the other kids our age" Kankuro whined but bit his lip at the look his sister gave him. Most people considered Gaara scary and he was but Temari was scary as hell too even though not many realized it.

"Do you have any ideas Gaara?" she asked, smiling as she saw the look on his pale face that confirmed the question. "Okay lets get down to business."

Kankuro groaned, "here we go again. This time I am not doing the dirty work though, okay. I'm not. You can't make me." However his siblings didn't hear his vow too busy conspiring against their newest babysitter so he sank down to the floor in a sulk. Oh well he'd tried this time at least.

Baki knew the children were planning something but didn't know what. It could be anything if his old friend's stories were right. The only thing consistent with their pranks was the realness of each one. They were well pulled off and flawless. Really their father might want to look into a director career for those three from what he'd seen and heard of the trio.

A noise came from the kitchen, Baki begrudgingly getting up to inspect the source. Of course nothing was there by the time he entered the kitchen, just the refrigerator door opened a crack to let out a stream of light. Cold creeping out so that his feet felt chilled when he stepped over to close the door.

As he did this the television he'd been watching stopped in the other room. Baki rolled his eyes, if this was the best they could do they would find he wasn't as easy to fool as their previous caretakers had been.

Going back into the living room he just redeposited himself in his chair and turned the television back on. So when a noise came from the kitchen again Baki found himself not frightened but irritated. He'd tie the children down if that was what it took to get them to stop this stupid little game.

Returning to the kitchen Baki once more closed the door this time noticing the puddle of dark liquid that was dripping from the counter, a butcher knife cleverly placed there to give the appearance of a weapon that had been used.

Scooping his finger into the substance Baki brought it under his nose taking a whiff and blinking in surprise. It was blood alright. What were the children up to?

Turning around to confront the children himself Baki stepped back in surprise to see Gaara standing behind him. In the dim light of the kitchen the creepy little child was even more - well creepy. The pale skin and shadowed eyes enough to put any horror film star to shame.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to die?"

A deep bump resounded downstairs in the basement, Baki looking at the floor for a second and looking back up to find the boy gone. Not a trace of him left.

Thunder crackled outside, lightning flashing through the window as rain pelted down on the house from all sides. Baki shook off the unease in his stomach and slowly walked to the door leading to the basement. Hesitantly he opened the door, flicking the switch only to find that the bulb was broken and no light would come. Another boom this one louder because of his closeness came from the darkness below. Luckily he remembered seeing a flashlight in the kitchen and going to get came back this time swearing he was going to punish those little brats for putting him through this.

Downstairs he felt a trill of malaise. Baki as strong as he was and fearless couldn't help but feel discomfort in his almost completely dark surroundings. He liked being in control and this was definitely the opposite of control.

Scanning the area with his flashlight Baki stood up straight when a eerie music began playing. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere and he couldn't pinpoint the location to shut the damn thing off.

"Children's swings and broken cries.

Shadows dance and thunder sighs.

Remember, remember this voice of mine.

Because someday you will die."

Baki growled into the darkness. These children were fucking with him and he didn't appreciate it one bit. When he got his hands on them -

"I'm a ghost, haunting this home.

Curtains blow with no wind, whispers heard but not known.

A floorboard creaks, the clock stops.

I died here many years ago, forget me not."

A breath stirred the back of his neck, something made of metal running smooth against his forearm. Taunting. Spinning around Baki felt nothing but air seeing no one where someone had just stood. This would drive him insane. Suddenly a pain shot through his leg, not intense but annoying. Reaching down Baki cursed as he felt a tack had been logged into the tender flesh of his calve.

"How I died is a tale you see.

A murderer came looking for me.

Sliced my pretty neck in two.

Now I'm dead and haunting you."

Baki shivered as he heard footsteps sounding behind him, too heavy to be the children's. His breath caught in his throat as the song began its last verse.

"I used to be human but life is all gone

Now I'm a lonely ghost with no rest to be known.

I died right here many years ago,

if you don't run you'll be the last to know."

Turning around sharply Baki let out a scream as he saw the ghostly woman before him without a head. Blood dripping down the glowing white dress as the arms reached out for him. And then he tripped over something and fell. Darkness and silence filling the basement with stillness.

"Did we get him?" Temari whispered excitedly as Gaara reached over to turn the working basement light on. It was a dim thing but worked. They stared in shock at the unconscious man lying on the basement floor. Uh oh.

Scrambling from their hiding place they raced over, Kankuro coming out from behind the headless puppet that was wearing a dress that he'd been ordered to maneuver since he was the only one qualified to deal with puppets.

"You killed him!" Temari exclaimed pointing a accusing finger at Kankuro who gulped, "I-I didn't even want to do this stupid thing, oh man Dad's going to kill us for sure."

Even Gaara was shocked that their prank had gone so far as to kill the babysitter. It was the first time that had ever happened to them. Bending down around the prone body they tried to come up with a way to make it seem like it wasn't their fault.

Suddenly the man lurched upward with a roar making all the children scream in fear and take off running up the stairs. He chuckled to himself. Maybe they'd stop doing their pranks now that he'd given them a dose of their own medicine.

Looking at the puppet, splattered with what was probably chicken blood, he smiled at how clever the children were. They even had him going for a little while there. Even he had barely heard the tiny footsteps behind the adult one's coming from the puppet. I he hadn't Baki might not have been able to fool them like he had. Instead he'd be the one screaming and running. Yes these kids had a gift... not a very good one but a gift nonetheless.

For the remainder of the night the children tiptoed around him like he was a zombie and Baki smirked basking in the victory of his accomplishment.

When his old friend came home the man stared in astonishment at how docile his children were being. He'd been right to appoint the man as their babysitter, it was already doing wonders for them.

"So how were they tonight?" He asked choosing to ignore the malicious smirk that spread across Baki's face and focus on the fact that the children were behaving well for once.

"They were fine. We had fun right guys" Baki said the older two cringing as Gaara gave him a nasty look crossing his arms. "Will have to do it again sometime."

"So does that mean you'll become their babysitter?"

"Gladly" Baki said with a smile.

Kankuro's eyes watered with tears at the thought of the man coming back, Temari's eyes went wide in horror, and Gaara vowed revenge on Baki for humiliating him so horribly. Yes, he was glad the man would come back, he would repay him for this someday.

And that was how number forty-nine became their official babysitter. Now the screams that were heard everyday were from the children when their many pranks backfired. But someday they would get him... someday.

TBC

song is copyrighted by mwa a.k.a. see you at the movies and yes I do realize how lame the song is but I'm no good at poetry or songwriting and it couldn't just be any old song it had to be specific. So yah, no need to tell me how much it sucked because I know but I'm sticking by my choice 99.9 percent of the way... Oh and did I give you guys enough hints about what their future career is, hehe.

by the way anyone know the name of the Kazekage? If you could tell me that'd be great thanks.

This is going to be a M rated fic in the future. This is just the prologue of what the Subaku siblings are like. I think its amusing anyway so yah... but the next chapter introduces - Naruto Uzumaki! So stay tuned.

R&R