A/N: For anyone who has read any of my other fics, I need to put this note in here so no one gets confused. Even though the fic does feature some of my usual OC's (Himizu, Ryouko, and Risu), this story doesn't take place in the same universe as my other fics. So even though the same basic personalities are there, the OC's don't know each other, don't know the other fictional characters, don't have a mansion in the fifth dimension… in other words, I have transported the basic character outlines to this new world that I have drawn up around them. So that is why Himizu does not know Risu or Ryouko and this takes place in a completely different setting than previous readers may be used to.

Also, in case you weren't paying attention to the rating, this fic has been rated M for Mature… for a good reason. Risu is my muse, which frankly is a fantastic choice to get me to write things, but a terrible choice if you don't want to read innuendos and sex jokes every few pages. It starts out pretty light, but it does get a bit more graphic, especially around chapter 15 or so, and I ended up deciding to change the rating from T to M to save myself…which Risu then took as permission to become an even bigger pervert. Not that I should complain since I have a pretty bad moment myself around chapter 25 or 26 or something... So I'm warning you right now that this happens. The characters also curse A LOT. Like, epic amounts. So there's that small problem with rating too… Furthermore, if you are offended by Sasuke (from Naruto) being portrayed as gay and also having frequent implied sex with another guy, just leave. Just leave right fucking now because it happens a lot, and people will probably want to kill me, and then I'll get pissed because I put this warning here so it shouldn't be a surprise, okay? Also, don't flame me about the way that Pengin is portrayed. He is the incarnation of one of my real-life close friends and I am not exaggerating his character in any way. Just about everything has been pre-approved by Pengin himself, so any messages you send regarding how I treat him will be laughed at with as much derision as I can muster because if he's not offended, then you shouldn't be offended for him.

Now, for the two people that are left reading these warnings and haven't been scared off, prepare to enjoy yourselves! There is mystery! Action! Suspense! Romance! And lots and lots of humor! Have fun reading this, and please review! I had a lot of fun writing this fic and it's nice to know when my work is appreciated. Or when it's not, that's fine too, but just keep in mind that I did warn you.

Chapter 1: Introduction

The light was fading into a dusky sort of twilight when Himizu arrived in one of the many little towns populating the Midwest. With her worldly possessions next to her on the seat of a Greyhound bus and the memories of a half-finished college degree and an empty bank account hanging over her head, she was trying to "find herself" as young people are wont to do when things aren't going quite right. She had gone as far as she could on what was left of her money and now she needed a job if she wanted to go any further. Stepping off the bus, her eyes darted about, searching for a source of cheap food. But before food could be found, her eyes stopped on that most holy of stores: Borders. Like a person in the desert who had found an oasis, she moved quickly towards the store, fingers itching to caress the covers of new books. But just as she reached the door, a fat ancient man with a long beard and a wicked grin stepped out and locked the doors behind him. His nametag said that his name was Kuma.

"What are you doing?" Himizu cried, running up to him.

"What's it look like I'm doin'? I'm closin' fer th' night!" the old man said.

"But… but… you can't do that! It's only seven!" Himizu exclaimed.

"I can do what I want! 'S my store!" Kuma yelled.

"Well…well… then I'm going to that bookstore over there!" Himizu cried, pointing to an old rickety building across the street. It looked as though it might collapse if there was a strong wind and the windows were streaked and grimy. The faded sign announced that the store was called Dusty Pages.

Kuma's eyes widened. "Ye don't wanna go to that there store! It's haunted!"

"Poppycock!" Himizu exclaimed, choking back the more profane word that had first sprung into her mind. Best not to give the senile old geezer a heart attack, she decided.

"Don't say I didn't warn ye…" the plump 90-year-old man growled. "Come on then. I may 's well pay a call on Miz Risu."

Himizu followed excitedly. A supposedly haunted bookstore might prove entertaining for a little while at least. Long enough to forget the dull ache in her stomach, and the even duller one in her brain whenever she tried to think about what had gone wrong in her life.

Kuma walked up to the door and pushed it open. A bell rang softly above them, announcing their presence to the store. A woman at least as old as Kuma came running out from behind a nearby bookshelf wielding a giant mallet.

"Kuma, now you die!" she yelled, beating the crap out of him with the mallet. Himizu ignored the noise and flying dust as she stared around the store. Dust motes danced delicately in a faded sunbeam that peeked through one of the dirty windows. The whole place seemed to radiate peace and happiness. Himizu had never felt so safe, comforted, or at home. The old woman kicked Kuma's battered form out the door, ignoring his shouts of protest, then dusted off her hands and turned back to Himizu. "You like it here?"

"I could LIVE here!" Himizu gasped.

"Would you like a job?" the woman, who Himizu had guessed must be Risu, asked with a smile. Was that a hint of malice in her smile? But the store felt so safe… Himizu suddenly heard herself say 'Sure!' Risu's smile widened and Himizu felt just a bit of foreboding.

"Excellent. Are these all your things?" Himizu glanced down at the two small traveling bags and laptop case, and gave a half-hearted shrug. Risu gestured for her to leave her things behind a desk and follow her. "I provide all my employees with food, lodgings, and anything else they happen to need," she began.

"That's very generous of you!" Himizu said, delighted.

"Well, your salary won't be very high to compensate, but in the end I think you'll come out ahead. Come on, I'll introduce you to your coworkers. You know, my family has owned this store for generations and I'm the first one to need to hire outside help…" she mused sadly. "Oh well, c'est la vie." With that, Risu led the way to the inevitable coffee shop that all bookstores are required to have (except Half-Price, but they are still wonderful!). Manning the register was a guy with black hair that was long in the front and poofy in the back, and with piercings in his lip and nose. He wore tight black clothes and an abundance of gothic-looking silver jewelry. Despite being very emo-esque, he was still the best-looking guy Himizu had seen in months.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"That's Pengin. He's the gay guy that runs the coffee shop," Risu replied.

Cue Anime fall.

"Oh come on, is it really that surprising that he's gay?" Risu asked.

"Good point…" Himizu said, looking again at the VERY tight clothes, the carefully styled hair, and more jewelry than she'd ever worn in her life.

"Ryouko's upstairs. They're my only employees besides you. Your job is to help customers find books, movies, a quiet place to read, whatever they need."

"Okay… how is everything sorted?" Himizu asked, fully expecting the tour to continue.

"You'll see." The old lady suddenly turned and walked away. Himizu collected herself and tried to follow her, but Risu had vanished. Himizu looked around, thinking she would go to the coffee shop and pry some information out of Pengin. But the coffee shop was gone too! Confused, the girl turned, looking around the store. Suddenly the three floors lined with rows of books didn't seem so friendly. Spotting the stairs, Himizu dashed over and hurried up them. A quick glance confirmed that the coffee shop was nowhere on the first floor. Panicking, Himizu turned and started running between the rows of shelves and ended up crashing straight into another girl who was carrying a stack of books.

"Oh! Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I… I wasn't paying attention! Are you okay?"

The other girl looked at her. She was a friendly-looking girl with a messy blondish brown ponytail and she didn't seem too perturbed about being run over.

"I'm Ryouko," she said. "You must be new here."

"How… how did you know?" Himizu stammered. She realized at the same moment that she'd known as soon as she saw Ryouko that the girl was a fellow employee.

"I dunno… I just know, you know? So Risu roped you in too, huh? Well, it's an easy job. The store's pretty empty a lot of the time, and the free room and board and everything is cool. I'm glad there's someone else here now. You can't talk to Risu for any length of time and Pengin can be annoying. Wanna go get some coffee?"

"Um… I guess… but I don't really have a lot of money…"

"Free food, remember? And that includes the coffee shop. Come on, it's on the third floor."

"But… it was on the first floor when Risu showed me around…"

"Yeah, well it moves, just like everything else around here, except the employee area. That's always on the third floor, right in the center of the store.

"Excuse me, I don't think I heard you right. Did you say that everything moves?"

"Yeah. You might want to move, that bookcase is going to crush you."

Himizu hesitantly took a few steps, then froze as she felt the bookcase brush against her back as it changed locations.

"What the hell?" she yelped. Ryouko shrugged.

"Don't worry, it doesn't usually do this while regular people are in the store. This place is just special. In a day or two, you'll know when something is going to move. You'll get used to it. Come on." She led the bewildered Himizu to the staircase heading to the third floor, and when they reached the top, there was the coffee shop in all its 'glory', and there was Pengin wiping down tables. He looked up as they approached.

"Ryouko! Hi!" he exclaimed. "Hey, you're the new person, aren't you? What's your name?"

"Himizu…" she said faintly.

"Risu didn't tell her that everything moves," Ryouko explained.

"She told you? She never told me… crazy old bat… My first day on the job, I'm just making coffee, minding my own business, and then, whoosh! Suddenly I'm on the opposite side of the store. But I'm used to it now. Want a cookie? Something to drink? Anything?"

The girls sat down and Pengin hurried to get treats. Placing drinks in front of the girls, he helped himself to a cookie and started talking shop with Ryouko. After a few minutes, Himizu asked, "Why aren't you having any coffee?"

Pengin and Ryouko exchanged glances. "I can't drink anything," Pengin told her. "It's my curse."

"Your curse?" Himizu repeated in disbelief, visions of witchcraft and devil worshiping dancing through her head.

"Yeah. You'll find out what yours is within a week. The store will find the perfect curse for you."

Himizu's blue-gray eyes widened behind her glasses. Incredulous, she looked to Ryouko for confirmation.

"It's true. My curse is that I can't watch the TV in the break room. It always looks off to me. I haven't seen any of my shows in months! I miss Lie to Me! Wahhhh!" she started crying.

Himizu stood up. "This is insane. I'm outta here," she said and walked off down the stairs. Pengin and Ryouko followed her to the top of the stairs and watched her go. As Himizu reached the first floor, a young child of about five jumped out in front of her. The child slapped Himizu with a rubber chicken.

"You're not allowed to leave!" the child exclaimed, laughing maniacally.

"What do you mean I can't leave? The door is right there," Himizu protested, fending off another chicken attack.

"I didn't say you couldn't leave, I said you're not allowed to leave," the child told her.

"Uh, whatever you say…" Himizu said, forcing her way past the child.

"Want to know what happened to the last guy who tried to leave?"

"No… not really…"

"Well, too bad! Shotgun!"

At the child's word, a shimmery silver figure materialized, slowly forming a young man dressed in a baggy sweater, with thick glasses and shaggy hair. The ghost looked at her, opened its mouth to speak… and Himizu was running away just as fast as she could, hitting the door at a dead run. Then, as though she'd run into a giant slingshot, Himizu was catapulted back into the store, momentum carrying her up the two sets of stairs, and colliding her into Pengin and Ryouko. The child cackled again.

"I told you!" she shrieked devilishly, then turned back to the ghost. "Wedding." The ghost vanished and the child ran off, still laughing.

Himizu pushed herself to her knees as Pengin and Ryouko sat up. Himizu was trembling. "Who was that guy?" she whispered.

"The ghost? His name was Wasser. He worked with us, and he was always obsessed with breaking the curse," Ryouko said, her voice hushed.

"What happened to him?" Himizu asked.

"We don't like to talk about that…" Pengin muttered. "Would you rather hear a joke? Two gay guys walk into a bar…."

Ryouko slapped her hand over his mouth. "Will you shut up? Tell some new jokes once in a while, I've heard them all thousands of times."

"Can we talk to him? Does he know how to get us out of here?" Himizu asked, feeling a surge of hope.

"We can summon him, but every time Ryouko and I try to communicate with him, Risu shows up and banishes him again," Pengin explained.

"What? How is that possible? How does she know?" Himizu demanded.

"She knows everything that goes on in the store. It's creepy," Ryouko said.

"And who was that little girl?" Himizu asked.

"That was Risu," Ryouko told her. "You didn't know? She can change her age."

"That's not possible."

"It's her curse. Her ages changes spontaneously. Mostly you see her as a 20-something, but we've also seen her as an old woman, a little girl, or a middle-aged woman."

Himizu sat back down on the floor, looking as though her legs would never support her again. "So I'm stuck. I'm stuck here in this creepy store where things move around, I can't leave, there's a ghost of a former employee wandering around, and we're all cursed?!" she cried, her voice reaching a hysterical pitch.

"That about sums it up," Pengin said. He looked at the clock. "Omigosh! It's ten till three! I gotta get to the coffee shop!" he yelped, hurrying off. Himizu looked quizzically at Ryouko, and was surprised to note that the girl was quivering with excitement.

"Every weekday at five minutes till three, this guy comes in. He's the most gorgeous guy on the face of the earth and he comes in, buys some coffee and a pastry, and leaves. But it's the best five minutes of our day!"

Himizu blinked. Ryouko grabbed Himizu's arm and dragged her to the coffee shop. Himizu didn't bother to resist, but she was beginning to wonder if they would ever do any work…

At precisely five minutes till three, they all heard the distinctive 'ding' of the door being opened. Moments later, HE walked into the coffee shop. Himizu was impressed, for the young man was everything advertised. He was like a Greek god with short blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and such a perfect figure. He was most certainly one in a million and Himizu quickly realized that she would join Pengin and Ryouko in worshipping this man.

The Greek god walked up to the counter. Pengin smiled at him. "Hi! Can I help you?"

"Large coffee and a croissant," the Greek god responded, barely glancing at Pengin. His beautiful eyes swept the room briefly, scarcely caressing Ryouko and Himizu. Then, without acknowledging either girl, he turned back to Pengin, staring right through him as he took his croissant. Pengin poured the coffee and handed it to the Greek god. Their fingertips touched and Pengin seemed to perk up, but the Greek god didn't react at all.

"See you tomorrow," Pengin said brightly. The Greek god nodded and left, barely glancing at the girl standing at the entrance to the coffee shop. She was short with brown eyes, glasses, and a pixie haircut. She looked at the Greek god, then walked into the coffee shop and up to the counter.

"You know, he's got a wedding ring," she told Pengin. He started strangling her.

"Shut up you idiot! You so did not have to tell me that! Now you've killed my fantasy!" he yelled.

Himizu's eyes widened. "Should he be doing that?" she asked.

"Why not? Nezumi is pretty much an employee here… she knows almost as much about this place as Pengin and I do. She wandered in here one day to buy a book and she's never been able to find her way out. She's pretty much stuck in here."

"What do you mean 'she's never been able to find her way out'? The door isn't that hard to find!" Himizu exclaimed.

"How is it that everything in the store moves and all the employees are cursed? Don't ask questions, you'll just make your brain explode. Anyways, it's not so bad. Come on, I'll take you on a tour. Risu may not care, but you'll be more useful if you know your way around." Ryouko grabbed Himizu's wrist and led her off to explore the store.

A/N: So the Greek god… is based on a real person, shockingly enough. Risu, Nezumi, Pengin, and I were at a chocolate store getting drinks and chocolate when this guy walked in and he was HOT! So hot… I could never do him justice by trying to describe him. We were all standing there checking him out for several minutes. And of course, Nezumi had to point out that he had a wedding ring and Pengin got mad at her for killing his fantasy… and now it's in the fic! What do you know? Oh, and yes I know Borders doesn't exist anymore. But it was still around when I started writing that fic and I loved that place so I'm not changing it, even if the one by my house is now a fucking DSW… seriously, we got rid of an amazing bookstore for a bunch of fucking shoes? (No, I'm not a normal girl… why would you ask such a retarded question?)

Also, yes I'm aware that I haven't introduced any characters from TV shows/books/movies/animes/manga/etc. but believe me when I say that this setup chapter will make it all worth it and that there will be PLENTY of characters and encounters that will more than make up for this. Remember, introductions are important!