Quick disclaimer before the newbies hound me: This is a bit of a crossover between the manga Black Bird and the anime/manga Blue Exorcist. Due to this mainly following the blue exorcist story line and mention/interaction with black bird characters doesn't come in until much later, this won't be moved into the crossover section until that time. For those of you who have never heard of Black Bird, it's by Sakurakoji Kanoko, and it's a highly entertaining read.

Blue exorcist and its characters belong to Kato Kazue.

Black Bird and the original 'senka' myth belongs to Sakurakoji Kanoko.

YuYu Hakusho and characters belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro. (Just for the slight mentioning of it here)

Any and all OC's belong to me. Any resemblance of an original character to a character of another anime/manga are purely coincidental.

I've always been able to see through those cheesy television shows about ghost hunters and fake exorcism.

"Huh, so Japan seems to be getting better with its CGI techniques."

"Huh!? How can you say that!? It looks soooo real!"

It's also plain to see that television producers and script writers have never seen true ghosts and spirits by their portrayal of them.

"Look, you can tell it's CGI, it almost looks two-dimensional."

"Dammit, senpai, can't you just enjoy the show?"

Of course not. Because ghosts and spirits aren't real.

"Look, look! His lips moved, he must have spoken! They'll get it all on the recorder!"

But monsters sure are.

I flicked the little creature off of my shoulder as it bit down, drawing a droplet of blood. A thin, elven-like being with skin the color of milky green tea and diamond dust wings that were only seen when it turned under the flourescent lighting provided by the art club's ceiling. Emi, Sakuya, and Ruki hovered around the small T.V. that only got about ten channels, most of which were the bogus news specials about ghosts.

Sakuya pushed his glasses further up on his nose, running a hand through messy curls the color of charcoal. Out of everyone in the club, a sad population of four, he was by far the most picture perfect. Higurashi Sakuya had a knack for photography, but never stepped in front of the camera himself. He looked very much like an American hipster model; messy hair, chunky glasses, and an ambiguous fashion sense. He was a sight that you didn't see often in a small town like ours, which made him all the more desirable. To normal girls, anyway. In my eyes he was just a smart ass. A very attractive smart ass.

He cleared his throat, throwing me a sideways glance. He stood from the stool and shook his head, managing to capture the other's attention. "She's right. Although it does look rather striking, the animators could easily use the camera angles to their advantage. Also, certain amounts of lighting and darkness could play into it. I don't believe it."

Emi pouted, springing up and throwing her arms back behind her head. It was easy to tell those two happened to be related. Both were tall and well-structured, with the same charcoal hair and swamp-green eyes. Emi, however, was the tanner of the two and had an oval face, where Sakuya was pale and had an angular jaw. People confused them for brother and sister often, which would earn a scowl from the taller of the two, and cause Emi to cry out in laughter.

"C'mon, you too? You always side with Mana-senpai on these things, you spoiled sport!"

Teasing grin, narrowed eyes, both of which we all knew well and knew exactly what she was implying. Sakuya only scoffed, turning his gaze to smile at me. I glared back, trying to redirect the heat rising in my cheeks to intensify my gaze.

"Fukunuma has a good eye, as well as a good mind. I only prefer to take her side because she has a good head on her shoulders. Fukunuma, also, is aware of this," Sakuya said, a semi-taunting tone squeezing its way in between his sentences.

I snarled out a laugh, leaning back against the desk only a few feet from the trio. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Higurashi. Oi, Emi. Don't press your face against the glass, you'll damage your eyes." I deadpanned at the silly girl, who pulled back blinking rapidly.

"I still don't see it, though!" Emi cried out.

Sakuya put a hand on her shoulder, leaning down so that their heads were level, while his other hand stretched out, poking the glass harshly. "Keep an eye on the next time they show the clip. look at the edges of the apparition and keep an eye on its basic texture. You'll see what I mean."

The sound of screeching and a camera being dropped repeated itself as the hunters revealed the clip to the owner of the temple. Emi released a sound of disappointment, folding her arms over her large bust. "Oh, damn! I really was hoping it would be a real one..." Sakuya stood, and she peered over her shoulder at me. "Senpai, you're always the first to pick up on these things. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you watch these shows more than you'd like us to know."

Ruki smiled, getting up and twisting the dial to turn off the T.V. His violet irises twinkling in their usual playful way. "Or, maybe, she can see real ghosts. Like a medium, or psychic."

Emi sprung from her chair, grabbing me by the arms and shaking me in a way that made my head snap back and forth. "Senpai! Is that true? Are you a Psychic? Tell me, will there be any scary encounters in my next life?"

I shoved her off, rubbing my sore neck. "Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!"

"Ah, then are you saying that I'll live a normal li-" Emi was cut off by Sakuya's hand clamping tightly over her mouth.

"Ugh... so noisy... Of course she can't see things like that. Only an idiot would believe it. Besides, you're not gonna get reincarnated. You only get one life, and after that, it's over." Sakuya cringed, wiping his hand on his pea coat. Emi frowned and continued to bicker with him.

Ruki strode up to me in all of his flamboyant glory, smirking at the scene. "Those two really do seem like siblings, don't they? The way they argue so often. Rather cute, if I do say so myself," he said, bringing his hand to his lips to stifle a giggle. I looked up at him carefully to follow his lingering gaze on Sakuya.

One of the things about Ruki was that he was never afraid to be his ever-girly self, or to speak out about pink being his favorite color or gossip about the hotties on the baseball team with Emi. He never had any secrets, because he always gave them away, and preferred to share everything about himself with everyone he knew, as if to say 'Yes, I'm gay, and I'm no different that you are'.

But there was always something about him that even the ever-perceptive Sakuya either chose to ignore or never fully grasped. And that was Ruki's infatuation for him. Stupid things like playful comments and sincere smiles, rarities for Sakuya that he only displayed around the three of us, always made Ruki shy and giddy. On the rare occasions that Ruki would space out, he did so watching Sakuya's back.

"That reminds me... why the hell are we even here? I have to go home and study for my math exam tomorrow morning and I'm wasting time with you guys watching a stupid ghost show," I said, taking my time to scowl at each of them. I was still in my baggy white T-shirt with the Domo logo in the middle, and my fuzzy pink pajama bottoms from earlier this morning. I hadn't even been able to straighten my hair, so it was waving in all sorts of crazy directions. Sundays were normally remedial school days, but I skipped to sleep in and catch up on my brother's copies of Yu Yu Hakusho. I had read the series a dozen times, but I never tired of it.

Everyone else, who had indeed attended the remedial classes and were thus still clad in their uniforms, eyed my ridiculous appearance and shared loud laughter.

"I didn't even notice. Sorry, Fukunuma. Emergency summons are emergency summons, though. Ah, by the way, your shoulder is bleeding," said Sakuya, grabbing a tissue out of the box on the window sill and handing it to me. I dabbed at the little wound, resisting the urge to swat at the smaller creatures that seemed to have gathered while we were talking. Ruki commented about my sporadic random cuts, but for the most part, I ignored it.

"I didn't call everyone here to goof around and watch a stupid television show. It has to do with our next project. You see, the drama club is planning a costume party and wants us to make murals and decorum to spook out the cafeteria."

"It's the middle of March, why are they having a costume party now?" I asked, noticing how Sakuya's expression changed from focused to exasperated.

"Who knows? I didn't bother asking because it didn't seem good for business and I probably wouldn't want to know anyway. But that's beside the point. Emi, you'll be in charge of centerpieces and party favors. Ruki, I'm putting you in charge of making sculptures and props. We might as well throw in something eye-catching. I'll focus on basic organization and taking photos from the party itself."

I cleared my throat, getting Sakuya's attention back. He raised an eye brow, urging me to say what was on my mind. "…And…?"

"…'And' what, Fukunuma…?" He asked, before realizing that he had forgotten about me and shaking his head. "Oh! Right, right. You will be in charge of making back drops and posters. Preferably of specters or basic monsters. Werewolves, Vampires, etcetera. You can balance that and your math homework, right?"

"Math exam, asshole. As in mid-terms. But, I suppose I don't see why I couldn't..."

"Excellent. Now that we have everything settled, a bit of homework for everyone. The party itself is in four weeks, which gives us just enough time to get everything together. They're going to be holding it in Nishinaka-san's family temple, so that should give you a general idea of how everything should look. I want you guys to bring me basic sketch ideas by Thursday at our regular meeting time, no later or there will be punishments. Am I understood?"

"Yeah, Yeah, we hear you! We'll probably have everything by tomorrow as usual, so don't get your panties in a twist, Saku-tan," Emi said, pulling on her jacket and messenger bag. Ruki followed suit, smiling reassuringly back at our club head. "Oh! I just remembered something! Mana-senpai, your birthday is the thirteenth, right?"

"Ah, Friday the thirteenth, if I'm not mistaken. The day of the party. I'll be sure to tell the drama club, I'm sure they'd be thrilled," said Sakuya, beaming as he rested his chin on his hand.

I looked to the far wall, glaring a hole in it. Damn that Emi. I'd get her back for that one. "What the hell should it matter? And anyway, what idiot would have a Halloween party in April, much less celebrate their birthday at one? I'd rather go Sakura viewing with my family, like every year."

"Why don't you loosen up and hang out with your friends for a change? This is the first time you'll have other plans on your birthday, right, Mana?" I frowned, looking under my lashes at Ruki, who pat my head affectionately. "Anyway, we have to get home too. It looks like it's gonna start raining out soon. I already know what I wanna do, so I'll probably have a few ideas to show you at lunch tomorrow, Saku. 'Till then." He waved and bounced after Emi down the hall, yelling after her to share her umbrella, to which she made a sarcastic comment about him being a sissy.

I couldn't help but smile a little at the two. They were too funny sometimes. Apparently, Sakuya thought so too, because he let out a chuckle as he stood up and began gathering the strewn items from his portfolio and placing them back in the black folder carefully. It was then I realized that we were alone.

"Um, yeah, I'm just gonna head out too-"

"You don't have an umbrella?"

He looked rather bored after making this statement, raising an eyebrow at my cotton jacket that obviously was far from water proof.

"No, it was partly sunny when I left my house so I didn't really think-"

"I'm walking you home, then."

…

"Um… say again…?"

He smirked slightly, shoving the folder in his bag and snapping it shut. "I have an umbrella, I don't mind sharing. And It would be rude to let a girl walk home alone, at night, in the pouring rain. In her fuzzy pink P.j.'s, no less."

I walked over to the window and groaned, resting my forehead against the cool glass. The clouds were a dark gray, but light enough that the street lights were only just starting to turn on. The rain was coming down as though someone were holding a hose above the windows while holding their thumb over the spray. The dirt roads had streams running through them that ran into the over grown grass on the sides.

I looked over my shoulder at his silly smirk and couldn't help but laugh. "Since when did you have a sense of chivalry?" He never really offered to do anything nice. He just did it without saying a word, or turned it around to make it look like it was a joke.

"I don't really know. Today feels like a good day to change the pace of things. What say you?"

There was something about the gleam in his gaze that made my heart flutter a bit. But, as per my usual performance, I put up an air of arrogance and snorted at him, ignoring the growing fire in my chest. "Sure. If you say so."

Let me know what you think thus far. I'll answer any questions you guys may have. Unless you're writing an unsigned review, then I have no real way of replying ._. I wouldn't want to give away important spoilers here.

~Rachael