Note: Welcome to MSAHolidaySpirits2019 prompt! This year's gift goes to Backuppixiedust of T(um)bl r, who requested: "fluff and/or the Mystery Skulls gang investigating something?" Well I know I have a reputation to uphold, and my two writer settings are "angst" and "crack", but goshdarnit I'mma try my very hardest to fluff for you!

"You're sure this is going to work the way you want?" Lewis hovered over Vivi's shoulder. "This is real life we're talking about, not Harry Potter."

"Yeah and I'm not actually trying to cast Riddikulus like some idiot. What I want is a whole lot more complex than that. Pass me the—" she glanced up as a Deadbeat swooped in with an empty glass bottle. Someone had sharpied Eye of Newt on the smoked glass. "Very funny. Actually I just need sugar, thanks. Gotta make this palatable."

"Okay, but even if this works the way you want, is it a good idea?" Lewis drifted across the kitchen and opened a cabinet marked REGULAR INGREDIENTS in an eye-searing shade of pink. "Let's say nothing goes wrong with this potion—and, granted, the books you dug up have truly lessened the, erm… number of incidents—but even if nothing goes wrong, isn't it better to ask Arthur first?"

Of course it would be better to ask Arthur first. If—no, when—he found out what she'd done, it would be a huge blow to his trust. He wouldn't see that it was for his own good, he would see it as wresting control away from him. Plus he was smart, so she gave it two to four days tops before he figured it out. Vivi knew exactly how this would go if she dosed him against his will.

On the other hand, asking him meant opening up a whole can of worms that might lead to her having to admit…

"I'd rather surprise him." She forced a grin. "Besides, it's not like it's a love potion or anything that robs him of free will. It's just… y'know. A little tweak to his fear levels. Pretty sure he'll like that. Thanks, Lew." She accepted the sack of sugar and measured out three teaspoons into the beaker she'd been working with for three and a half hours. She had to believe Arthur would get past being mad and see the good turn she was doing him. Maybe this could be his cure in a cup from now on. She'd gladly make as many batches as it took to keep things manageable.

"I'm just tired of seeing him wracked out over every case, y'know? He's so twitchy all the time. And he keeps trying to drag me away from whatever I'm looking at. I know what I'm doing, and when I get in over my head, I have you and Mystery to look out for me."

Lewis leaked an echoey sigh from the depths of his ribcage. The two of them had already gone several rounds on this argument. Arthur had divulged full details of his experience in the cave only once, in a re-grouping meeting that had been mediated by Mystery. Since finding out what really happened, Lewis put great stock in Arthur's fearful instincts. Secretly, Vivi agreed with him that Arthur's wariness served as an excellent early warning system, but if she had to drag him, raccoon-eyed and trembling, on one more mission where he dropped everything and ran for the van...

She shook herself. She had to get Lewis on board with her. "Besides, he's still scared of you and Mystery. I see it, so you must have noticed." She hunched over the beaker, swirling it clockwise. "Don't you just… want that to go away?"

Lewis' skull sank part-way into his suit, and Vivi felt another twinge of conscience as Lewis mumbled, "That's… a lot of that's my own fault, Vee."

"Yeah, and Mystery was just doing what he had to. I know all that, and so does Arthur, but he's still flinchy. I'm sure he doesn't want to be either. I really can't have him this jumpy on the trip. Not when we finally have a shot at the big leagues."

Never in a million years had she thought they'd get this kind of opportunity. Vivi had submitted the Mystery Skulls to DMU for grant consideration in the yokai research division, and they'd been selected. Vivi figured she'd gotten the edge by mentioning the "friendly yokai teammate". If they came back with enough new observations, then they had the attention of a sponsor. Someone who could catapult them into the spotlight and outfit them with proper gear and manage the minutiae of paperwork and marketing their team while they actually went out and did the stuff they were good at. Stuff they enjoyed doing.

She gave one short nod. "Yeah. Plus, we'll be attracting a lot of supernatural attention on purpose, not laying low, so I need us all to be at the top of our game. It's just a little nudge. A drop into his tea or energy drink or whatever at the start of each day. He'll thank me later."

They started in the northeast region of Honshu, Japan, laden with hiking and survival gear for two. Lewis carried the bulk of their supernatural research equipment. Mystery kept his nose in the air, sniffing from time to time as they set off into the countryside.

Arthur took one coffee, black with a spoonful of sugar, before they set out.

It wasn't quite evening when they entered a forest, heavy with gloom that shut out the day's fading light. An hour's walk in, the trees around them began to growl. Several large, black, growling dogs slipped out from between the trunks, blocking all paths with raised hackles and bared teeth.

Vivi's excitement spiked as she set her pack down. She could handle this. These yokai could be placated pretty easily if she was right about what type—

"Look at all the good boys!" Arthur exclaimed. "Are you seeing this, Vivi?"

Vivi owl-eyed him as he plunked down on his rear and threw his arms wide. "Who wants scritchies?"

Oddly enough, this did not end with a dismembered Arthur. Indeed, the pack quickly pressed up against him on all sides, a different head butting him every two seconds as each member struggled to get a share of Arthur's affections. Tails wagged in every direction.

"Who's a good boy? You're a good boy. Or a good girl. Yeah, you are, you! And you! Awww c'mere, you look left out. Special hugs!"

Mystery tilted his head up at Vivi, eyes narrow. "You wouldn't, perchance, have dosed him with something, would you?"

Thrown off-balance, Vivi answered with all the eloquence and persuasion left to her. "Um… well..."

"Because that's not a normal reaction to a pack of Okuri-inu. And it's most certainly not Arthur's normal reaction to danger."

"W-well that's lucky he didn't pull his usual, right? They flip out if you're afraid." She kicked herself for the slip, mouthing along with Mystery's imminent correction.

"No, Vivi. They 'flip out' if you trip on the road or attack them. If you lie down and surrender, they'll protect you on your travel through their territory. Surrendering was the plan if we encountered them. Not… this."

"Right! But Arthur would have run because… because he's Arthur. And he probably would have faceplanted and gotten attacked, so this… this is good!" Vivi nodded vigorously. "Be-because they probably haven't had this kind of attention… ever. I mean, look at how happy they are. Wow… we're probably the first, huh?" Her eyes lit up. "We're the first, oh holy flabcakes, Lewis!"

"Well, he's the first." Lewis shook his head, digging out the camcorder. "This will be something new to bring back for sure."

"Hey, hey Lewis!" Arthur called. "Do we have anything like a dog treat? Or extra ration bars, something? I wanna see if I can teach them tricks!"

"You definitely dosed him with something," Mystery muttered, but he wriggled his way into the pack, shoving his muzzle forward to receive some petting.

That night, the pack stayed with them, huddling close. Vivi felt thoroughly justified by the sight of Arthur sleeping like a log with three watchful Okuri-inu nestled close.

The next morning, Arthur took coffee again, with two spoons of sugar and less yawning. The pack escorted them to the edge of the forest and received equal measures of respectful thanks and parting head scratches. Vivi had pages of notes and video footage already. She couldn't wait for their next encounter.

That evening's trek took them around the base of a minor volcano. Mystery took the opportunity to run ahead and scout the area. As the sun slipped behind the foliage-rich slopes, Lewis froze mid-conversation like rigor mortis had caught up with his soul. He spun around and his hair guttered like a dying candle. Vivi grabbed the handle of her bat as she twirled to face a most unwelcome sight.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Arthur sprawled in a prickly patch of brush, holding his stomach and howling. "HOW EVEN, WHY?"

Vivi's stomach clenched. Lewis took a jerky step toward their visitor, but his torso leaned back and away. Another step forward, his foot dragging through the dirt.

Arthur flailed, unable to draw enough breath to stand. "It's a head! A HEAD INSIDE A WHEEL! ON FIRE!"

Said head broke eye contact with Lewis, who staggered backward. It turned to Arthur, its mouth half open and brows draw inward.

Arthur gasped for air, slapping a hand over his eyes. "What do you even do?"

"He steals souls to take back to hell. That's Wanyūdō," Vivi slowly loaded the bat onto her shoulder, hoping Grandma Yukino's charms would be enough. This was not a yokai to interview. "Don't look him in the eye and don't piss him off!"

Arthur fairly shrieked with laughter. "And how does he steal anything? He has NOOOO HANDS! PFFFTAHAHAHAHA!"

Wanyūdō stared at Arthur, its mouth opening and then closing over half a word each time. They'd obviously long since passed the point of mortal offense, so Vivi took the opening and charged forward, swinging the bat with all her might.

"Ancestor's strength!" she cried, connecting with the edge of the wheel. The bat flashed as it hit and the wheel spun wildly uphill, vanishing over the lip of the volcano.

"Come on! We've got to get out of here before it comes back!" Lewis grabbed Arthur and slung the man over his shoulder.

Vivi led the charge, making for the nearest stand of trees. Mystery could pick up their scent, he'd follow later. She could hear Arthur, still wheezing, "And… and… and… how does it… how does it find hats that fit? Lew… Lew… do you think he ever did part-time work as a spare wheel for execution carts? HHHHHAAAAAAAAA!"

Vivi kept a firm hold on the handle of her bat, but it was no longer up on her shoulder. She rested the tip on the ground, staring in awe at the fifty foot skeleton that crouched over Arthur and his tent. By all rights, the Gashadokuro should have bitten off Arthur's head and drunk his blood straight from the jugular. Instead it stared at him, its head tilted to the side. Its eye sockets didn't glow like Lewis' did, but she felt sure it tracked every movement of Arthur's animated re-enactment.

"And then, just when it looked like he was going to lose to the Estonian Thunderfrog, Uncle Lance did the biggest step-up enziguri on record and toppled him like WHAM!" Arthur attempted to showcase the wrestling move and ended up on his back, laughing. "I can't do it like him, but it was awesome! And then he locked on with a chicken-wing-over-the-shoulder-cross-face! Frog had to tap out. The crowd went wild!" Arthur flung his hands up, cheering.

The Gashadokuro rumbled appreciatively, lifting its hands in mimicry of the cheer.

Vivi studied Arthur's face, realizing just how much she had missed this. The mile-wide grin. The enthusiasm he used to bring to every explanation, whether a retelling of his Uncle's wrestling antics or a demonstration of his latest innovations. He could whirlpool anyone in with that enthusiasm, even if they had no idea what he was talking about, because he just lit up from his toes to the tip of his hair with excitement. Why did it have to take a potion for her to see this again?

Her grip on the bat tightened. Arthur was smart. There was no way he wouldn't call her on what she'd done, and it would be soon. For now, she carved this moment into her memory: Arthur, alive and alight in the pre-dawn chill, regaling a bloodthirsty ghost with wrestling play-by-plays. And this was just the third day.

"Yeah I thought you'd like that!" Arthur grinned up at the skeleton. "Vivi said you were like a whole bunch of fallen warriors all together who didn't get buried. Really sorry that happened and all, but when I heard that, I got the idea that you might like a good battle story. You want another one?"

Its head bobbed vigorously and it thunked down cross-legged on the ground, settling its chin in a skeletal hand. Vivi surreptitiously pulled out her phone, snapping a few photos.

"Okay. This is the tale of Uncle Lance versus Lightning Mike Quackenbush, and how he nearly became Chikara's grand champion. Let me tell you, it took every submission tactic the Master of a Thousand Holds had to retain the title. Picture this: the bell rings…"

At dawn, the skeleton offered them a waist-deep bow and vanished. Arthur sat in front of his tent, staring off after it, as Vivi and Lewis put breakfast together. When Vivi brought over his coffee and a plate of eggs, Arthur took it from her with a little quirk at the corner of his mouth. She held her breath as he looked down at the coffee.

After another moment of contemplation, he offered her a half-hearted smile and scooted back into his tent with his breakfast. Vivi traded looks with Lewis, but Lewis shook his head. Vivi bit her lip. It would probably look suspicious to check in on him.

She exhaled a slow breath. It was going to be fine.

Packing up took a little longer than usual. It took seven tries to fold her tent. She had to repack her bag after forgetting to put "quick retrieval" items toward the top. Still no sign of Arthur. She kept glancing at Lewis, but now he wouldn't look her in the eyes.

After about an hour, Arthur finally emerged. He handed Vivi his empty travel mug and tin, mumbling his thanks and rubbing his eyes.

Vivi rolled the tension out of her shoulders. Obviously he was just a little tired from getting up so early. Everything was going to be fine.

Twenty minutes and one distracted apology later, Arthur shouldered his pack and the group set off.

Now Lewis was trying to catch her eye, but Vivi kept her face forward and shook her head. Arthur was fine, so they were fine as a group. For one more day, they were fine.

That evening, the harionago appeared at their campsite.

Several minor warnings of a dark visitation preceded her appearance. Insect chatter and evening bird noises died. The temperature dropped a few degrees. There was no breeze, yet when a woman stepped out of the darkness, her ankle-length black hair rippled.

The woman looked at each of them in turn. A passing glance for Vivi. A raised eyebrow for Lewis. A startled stare at Mystery, who stuck his tail out and growled at her. But when she turned to Arthur, her lips immediately pulled back in a dazzling smile.

Vivi stifled a cry, reaching for her bat. If Arthur smiled back, he'd be murdered by this yokai's hair. Stabbed or strangled for greeting her back, and Vivi had dosed him this morning! She had to be quick and get the drop on the harionago while its attention was on Arthur. Vivi and Lewis and Mystery together would surely be enough to drive her off!

The blood drained from Arthur's face and he immediately did a stellar imitation of a boulder. His eyes locked onto the harionago, unblinking. Not a ghost of a smile on his face. Vivi wasn't sure if he was still breathing.

Vivi glanced back to the harionago, pulling her bat free as Lewis' hands burst into flame. The woman still watched Arthur, her smile fading away. When Arthur showed no signs of changing up his act, she pursed her lips, then lifted her chin and turned away from the campsite.

Before she could take a step, Arthur's hands shot out. "Hey!" he blurted. "Hey, um…" He swallowed hard as the harionago turned back to him, the same inviting smile on her face. "H-hey, um… are… are you…"

Vivi watched him struggle with his words, her gut sinking to new lows.

Finally, he blurted, "Areyoucold?! It'sgottabeprettycoldoutthere!"

The only sound was the pop-crackle of the fire. It was the harionago's turn to imitate a statue, her smile frozen at an awkward angle.

"Yeah you look cold so you should join us we've got plenty of room," Arthur rattled off a stream of words like he'd forgotten how to inhale, "and I don't know if you eat Vivi would totally know if you do or not but if you can eat then you shouldn't pass up Lewis' stew 'cause he's a fabulous cook even if he's dead and you two might even have stuff in common with him being a ghost and all so why don't you come hang with us by the fire?"

His hands were shaking. Oh gods. Oh gods. Vivi's knuckles whitened on the bat-grip as she glanced back at the harionago. The yokai pivoted, taking in each member of the group once more. She took a step toward the fire. Then another. Then she was sitting next to Arthur, eyes narrow as she continued to assess him close-up. Mystery stationed himself not-so-subtly on the other side of Arthur, watching their visitor.

Arthur, on the other hand, stared straight into the campfire and Vivi saw sweat beading on his forehead. "Yeah welcome to our camp this over here is Vivi I'm sure she has all kinds of questions if you don't mind and all we're really interested to know what you have to say if you talk I mean maybe you don't talk at all and that's okay too you don't owe us anything so what's your name? IMEANIFYOUTALKWHATISYOURNAME?"

Everyone was staring at Arthur, now. In the silence, his adam's apple bobbed several times. He was definitely inhaling now. Panting, really, his eyes still drilling the flames.

The harionago flicked her gaze to Vivi, then shook her head ever so slightly.

Taking that as a cue, Vivi hedged, "You don't talk."

A miniscule nod.

"That's… that's fine. Welcome to…" Vivi glanced down, realizing she still had a death grip on her bat. She released her hold, clearing her throat. "Welcome to the Mystery Skulls' camp. We're just passing through."

Following her cue, Lewis extinguished his hands.

Another small nod, then the harionago returned her attention to Arthur, who had begun to fiddle with his armbands. Her hair pooled around her on the ground, coiling and uncoiling like a thousand tiny snakes. The rustling was like scales sliding past each other. A vein in Arthur's temple twitched and his prosthetic rattled.

Vivi blanked. Was there even protocol for hosting a harionago at your campfire? Should she push her luck and ask yes-or-no questions of their guest? Suggest a rousing game of twenty questions? Should she find a polite way to get the harionago to leave? Should she find a violent way to get her to leave? Was it safe to go to sleep with her present?

Arthur's eyes darted up to Vivi's, pupils dilated so wide she could barely see his irises. His face was dead white, but as he met her eyes, his jaw squared. Turning to the harionago, he blurted, "Heyyourhairisreallyprettywouldyoulikeabraid?"

For the first time, the harionago's eyes widened.

"I mean," he gulped, "It's very pretty and it's dragging on the ground and I'm pretty good at this 'cause Lewis has little sisters and Paprika always asks whoever's nearest to help so I've had practice and it'll keep your hair off the ground."

Vivi was pretty sure everyone was in stabbing range of that hair. She wondered if she'd become a ghost, like Lewis, or if she'd turn into some kind of yokai. What a joke, leaving to research yokai and coming back as one.

The woman stared at Arthur for a few more seconds, then slowly turned away so her back, and the full length of her hair, was toward Arthur.

For a moment, he wobbled like his bones had dissolved. He shook himself hard, then whispered something to Mystery, who nodded and trotted over to Arthur's tent. He returned, dragging Arthur's sleeping bag. Arthur laid this behind the harionago, lifting her hair and splaying it along the length of the bag.

It was like a river. A black river rustling and curling in little whorls on the sleeping bag. Starting from the bottom, Arthur placed his fingers in the dark river, running them through short stretches of hair to tease out any knots. His fingers slipped through easily, finding nothing, but the woman's features softened. Her eyes closed, and the frantic rustling slowed to a gentle whisper against the fabric.

And as he worked through her hair, his shoulders dropped away from his ears and his head sank forward. Color began returning to his face. His chest no longer pumped like erratic bellows. He worked with her hair for about half an hour in silence, until he could drag his fingers all the way from top to bottom without encountering a snag. He wiped his forehead with one arm, then separated the hair into three sections, each thicker than his forearm.

Arthur glanced at Vivi, narrowing his eyes at her. He jerked his head once toward the harionago, then began weaving the sections with large, awkward motions.

Vivi was still blank. Was that supposed to mean Clonk her over the head and run or Ask her something you dumb dumb or Isn't this awesome?

Probably not the last one, come to think of it.

But questions for the harionago were the last thing on her mind because Arthur knew. He had to know, because he was obviously terrified which meant he hadn't drunk the coffee today. Or maybe he dumped both the coffee and the eggs, not sure what she'd drugged. Come to think of it, he'd begged off the hiking snacks and said he'd eat dinner tomorrow…

Numb, she watched as he progressed, slowly but surely, down the length of hair, like watching a countdown timer to a horrible ending she couldn't avoid.

Finally, he reached the end. Slipping off an armband, he stretched it as wide as it would go and collected it around the end of the braid. He took a deep breath. "All done."

The harionago picked up her new braid, examining it, then poked the armband at the end and peered into his face.

He flushed, stammering, "I-I don't need it, I can get another one."

She blinked once, then gently tapped him on the nose with her index finger. Standing, she wrapped the braid around her waist twice, then nodded to each member in turn and walked out into the night.

Arthur said nothing. He just turned and crawled into his tent, zipping it shut behind him. The sound of his muffled hyperventilation kept Vivi awake long after his gasps faded to silence.

Vivi couldn't find a shred of hunger to match the beautiful breakfast Lewis offered her the next morning. She set it in front of Mystery, apologizing with a weak smile, and picked up Arthur's portion and his potion-free coffee.

Arthur crouched over his pack, half-way through assembling his gear, his jaw set. The bags under his eyes, recently subsided, had returned in full force. His lips stuck together in a tight line.

"No thanks, don't need it." Arthur chopped a hand in the direction of the cup Vivi held out. "Not hungry either. What's the plan for today?"

Vivi was used to being the shortest human in the group, but today she felt smaller than Mystery in his doggy guise. Dully, Vivi registered that Arthur was waiting for an answer. What was the plan today? The plan… she couldn't focus on the plan. There shouldn't have been a plan in the first place. They shouldn't even be out here. She was an idiot grasping at straws.

Arthur lanced her with a glare, then the anger startled out of his face. "Vee?" He stood, taking the plate and cup from her hands, still outstretched, and set them aside. "What's the matter with you?"

Her face felt hot and her throat wasn't working right. Large hands, warm and comforting, folded over her shoulders and pulled her into Lewis' lap where heat surrounded her entirely. Arthur immediately took two steps back as Lewis enfolded her. Vivi shut her eyes.

"Vee, look, if it's about whatever you've been slipping me… just forget it, okay?" Arthur didn't sound like he was ready to forget anything. "It made for an interesting couple of days. Let's just keep it at that."

The dam broke. "How do we keep it at that?" The words came out ragged. "Do you even look at yourself? You're so—"

"Pathetic? Cowardly? Yeah, I get it. My fear is holding everyone back. You'd all be in the big leagues if it wasn't for me. You'd be world-famous paranormal investigators and hell, maybe Lewis would even be alive if it wasn't for me. Of course I look at myself."

Vivi shook her head hard, trying to gather the words that had scattered all over her brain. "You're tired. You're scared all the time. The first time I saw you laugh in over a year just the other day. I want… I miss…" She buried her face in her hands. "And I screwed up… all of it. All of it, me. Even the cave… my idea. And I thought maybe you'd be better off if we weren't anymore… if we didn't do it…" Her breath came in jerky gasps. "If you were just a mechanic, and I was just an assistant manager for antique books, and and and and," Vivi jabbed an index finger toward Arthur, "if Lewis and Mystery could just exist nearby in peace and there just wasn't any more Mystery Skulls it would be better for you!"

Arthur's eyes traveled down to Vivi's pointing finger, then back up behind her head, and down to her right. "And you all knew about this? And that's how you all feel?"

Lewis' locket beat a steady rhythm next to her head as he mumbled, "No, that's not how I feel, but I knew she was doing this. I… have been the cause of a lot of your fear. And. This. I." His voice trailed off, but Mystery picked up the sentence.

"We miss you, Arthur. You can barely tolerate proximity with Lewis and myself. I think I can speak for both of us when I say we understand why and do not blame you, but that does not lessen the sting." He pawed the ground, ears drooping. "We may have looked the other way in regards to the potion."

Lewis gently tugged Vivi's hands from her eyes. "I didn't know you were thinking about dissolving the Skulls. You didn't say anything."

Vivi dragged a sleeve across her nose, hiccupping. "I'm just just just hurting him, and putting you all in danger, and I love every second of it but I did this to him and I did this to you, Lew, and he should be more scared of me than of you because I'm the dangerous one here. Fearless leader, ha-ha-ha, maybe I should make sure everyone in the group is totally brave and ready to charge into anything and not so scared they can't even sleep at night. Maybe I should drug my best friend so I don't have to stop doing what I love doing because I'm scared of losing…" she gestured wildly around her.

"What are you scared of losing, Vee?" Arthur's voice was much softer.

"Us." She scrubbed harder at her face, then pulled off her glasses and tried to dry the tear-spots with her shirt.

Arthur inched forward half a step at a time, then carefully lowered himself across from Lewis. "Hey… um, Lewis, could… I?" He gestured at Vivi.

Just as cautiously, Lewis unfolded himself from around Vivi, easing out from under her. A moment later, Arthur was sitting next to her. Tentatively, he extended an arm, and she dove in, clinging to him.

He had a different kind of warmth, limited to the edges of his own living flesh, like the heartbeat in his chest still solidly thumping away. His sigh didn't echo, it just hung there for half a second as he held her.

"M'sorry," she said into his shirt. "M'sorry everything messed up. I'm selfish."

"Yeah, a little," he said, but he didn't sound angry anymore. "But I thought…" he paused, then tried again. "You didn't do this because I'm holding you back?"

She shook her head, still hiding her face.

He gave her a little squeeze. "It… it does make a difference, y'know. The reason. It's still lousy you didn't ask, but it matters. And Vee, you don't have to shut the Skulls down."

Her head popped up. "But you're a wreck all the time!"

He lifted an eyebrow, a small grin on his face. "Gee, thanks, Vee." The grin faded as he looked over to Lewis. Down to Mystery. Back to Vivi. "I thought it was just on me. I didn't know my problems… they were just supposed to be my problems, you know? And if it went beyond me at all, all that meant was I wasn't trying hard enough and I was holding you back. I didn't think it actually mattered to us as a group. So."

He lifted a shoulder and dropped it. "Of course this isn't my favorite thing to do. Not by a long shot. But you're my favorite people." His eyes flicked back to Lewis and Mystery. "You… are… and I need to know you haven't disappeared. You think I'm a wreck now?" He gave a weak laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Try keeping me out of the group. Watch me fall apart, worrying what might have happened to you. I'd tail you guys into hell to be sure I didn't lose you again."

This time, the all-enveloping warmth of Lewis' embrace wrapped around both of them. Arthur stiffened, but he didn't push Lewis away. A moment later, Mystery nosed his way into the middle of the hug, licking Arthur's chin.

Arthur's body sagged against Vivi, and he rested his head over her shoulder onto Lewis' chest. He smiled at Mystery. "I missed you guys, too."

The view from the top of the volcano was truly something else. From where they stood, Vivi could see down the slope they had spent a day and a half climbing. Past the incline, a blanket of mist stretched for miles. Here and there, tips of trees poked through, swaying. The mist would burn off soon enough, but for the moment she soaked in the landscape's eerie beauty.

It was hard to pay attention to the surrounding area with the situation going on inside the dormant volcano.

It looked like the basin of the volcano had a lush ecosystem going, but it also had walls that curved hard as if three quarters of a sphere several miles in diameter had vanished from the mountain. As there was no way to get out, there would be no going down.

Mystery smirked up at Vivi, wagging his tail. "Nice hit. The locals would probably deify you if they got wind of this."

Arthur wheezed. "Wanyūdō. You. You trapped freaking Wanyūdō. In a volcano. Like. He's like a hamster ball. Hamyūdō. Vee, you're a legend."

Wanyūdō roared, hurtling toward the nearest incline at the speed of thought. He tore up the side quite a distance before slowing, stalling, and helplessly spinning back the way he'd come. Burn tracks scored the greenery in every direction, but none came anywhere close to the edge.

Mystery lifted a hind leg to scratch his ear. "I'd bet on at least a couple hundred years before he wears a weak spot out somewhere, or some fool stumbles on a way to release him. If he spends all his energy before he manages to create a weak spot, he'll have to wait even longer for nature to take its course with the volcano."

Arthur sagged to the ground, holding his stomach and hooting. Lewis nudged Arthur in the ribs with his toe. "I thought we agreed no dosing anyone anymore, Vee."

Vivi threw her hands up. "Don't look at me! I corked it and put it away like I promised."

Arthur turned away from the yokai's futile efforts, putting a hand up as he tried to catch his breath. "It's…" he coughed, pounding one fist on his chest. "It's safe. Obviously he can't get out, and given that we're not in imminent danger, he is still one of the stupidest things I've ever seen."

Vivi grinned, tossing him the camera. "Well, I don't think we're going to get any new information out of him, but how about you document the containment of Wanyūdō by the Mystery Skulls?"

He caught it, matching her grin. "It would be my pleasure."

Note: DMU may or may not stand for Dib Membrane University. I swear I tried for fluff, and I think I got fluff, crack, and hurt/comfort all mixed up. Cover image Image by Yvion from Pix (a)bay. My thanks to R5h for beta-ing and helping me brainstorm the fluff balance especially. Once again, merry Christmas to all! And if that is not your cup of mocha, then I hope you have a warm, safe, gentle end to the year.