Before You Get Comfortable

[AN: I really needed a romantic resolution for one of the original OTPs.]

Makoto huffed as she placed some old wretched boxes on the ground. 'Before you get comfortable,' she reprimanded Yotsuya, 'I have something i need to ask you?' He swerved around, interested and grinning, his arms were spread out and shadows dramatically ran across his face serving as an eerie mask for his bright, white teeth that seemed pointed like fangs.

'Yes?' Yotsuya said.

'I want to be the one who tells the first horror story on record for this club of ours.' Makoto stated in a matter of fact tone.

'Oh?' Yotsuya said, dragging out the simple phrase maniacally before dissolving into chuckles. 'Shouldn't we wait for Himano?'

'I'd rather if it were... just us.' Makoto said.

She took a step backwards and closed the door. 'We won't be a long... And Himano is, um, having a bad day if you catch my drift. She'll be longer than usual.'

'Entertain me, Hachiko!' Yotsuya said and he flopped onto a chair.

'Don't call me that!' she protested.

'But you are my loyal Hachiko. Besides, you've outgrown the nickname Tomashima Kanako.' Yotsuya reasoned. Makoto huffed again.

'Please, go on.' Yotsuya says. His fingers soon find something on the shoddy desk in front of him to fidget with. He played with a marble and watched as Makoto squirmed. She clearly hadn't thought that Yotsuya would allow her such an honour. They were starting a society within the school that aims to collect horror stories. Yotsuya wanted to try something new even though he's still technically a middle school student. He wanted to have a new identity that separates him from his previous existences as the illusory student. Makoto could understand. Everyone wants to start afresh after the embarrassment that is middle school.

'Okay.' Makoto said and she stopped leaning on the door. She cleared her throat. 'You're running late for the train. It's dark and you can't see past your nose but you hear it: the click-clack of hurried high heels on cement. Click-clack. Click-clack. It doesn't bother you because clearly, some office woman is in the same predicament as you: she had too much to drink and now she's late getting home. You pay mind to it.'

Makoto licks her lips. Yotsuya stares into her soul. She continues, she's used to it. A little too used to it some opinions. 'But then the sound of high heels is accompanied by panting. "Wait! Please, wait!" a sweet voice sings out. You can smell liqueurs on her breath and you turn around, she's right behind you – when was she right behind you? The first thing you notice about her is her hands, coarse and bloody, her fingers linger on your shoulders. Her grip on you is ghostly. Then your eyes wander, and you find that she's slipping to pieces and is only held together by her nice clothes but she isn't in the uniform of an office woman but rather, a lilac kimono and you realise that wasn't her high heels she was wearing but the bones protruding from her legs that have been hacked to will dull strikes. But it's her mouth that you can't look away from. Her mouth is roughhewn and goes from one side of her cheek to the other.'

'Her eyes pierce you. They're deranged and lopsided. Her lips pucker and bleed, puss festers along her mutilated chin. "I have something important I must ask you" she begs. "Do you love me?" she asks. Her voice is deceptively beautiful. Her form is heinous and gored.'

Yotsuya points at Makoto. 'I'm going to stop you there.' he says sharply and she stops in her tracks dumbly.

'Huh?' Makoto said. She had been utterly engrossed in her story. Yotsuya reaches for something else on his desk and pulls out a bag. He digs through and grabs a handful of its contents. He fluidly throws what he has Makoto who can only blink in shock as hard boiled lollies and chews scatter across her front and make click-clack noises on the floor.

A strange look crosses Yotsuya's unkempt face. It was completely unknown to Makoto because it was gently intrigued rather than grotesque and intrigued. 'You tried. You failed but you have a good mentor because you were decent for some parts. The story of the Kuchisake Onna can be countered by throwing candy at her.' Yotsuya lectured. 'I like the Tomashima Kanako twist on it though, that could be useful in the future. I believe you've christened our society well though... An in-progress story for an in-progress event.' Yotsuya said.

Yotsuya muses and bounces his foot against the floor. 'May I ask something?'

'Yeah.' Makoto said.

'What inspired this story?' he asked as he chose a pink lolly to eat.

'...You... Me...' Makoto sheepishly admitted.

'The truth comes out... Elaborate.' Yotsuya said.

Makoto squirmed even more and Yotsuya relished it. It was becoming harder and harder nowadays to get a good shriek out of Makoto because the scariest thing Yotsuya could put her through was his absence and he wasn't that cruel. Makoto had a scream in her throat right now; it just had to be stolen from her neck with the right language.

She swallows and fidgets with the hem of her skirt. 'In the story... You are the Kuchisake Onna... I'm the second person perspective...'

'But why would I want to know if I love you?' Yotsuya says the words as though foreign. Makoto's hear flutters when he spoke the "L" word.

'But I'm also the Kuchisake Onna and you're also the second person perspective.' Makoto continues.

Yotsuya screws up his face. 'First word of advice for you story: quit muddling things too much. Keep to one path.'

'In actuality... what I'm trying to do is impress you. I thought that would be the best way to go about things...' Makoto murmured.

'What things?' Yotsuya asked; completely oblivious to the message Makoto was trying to convey.

'Things like me confessing to you... I thought you would be impressed if I asked you out by referencing a horror story or something.' Makoto said.

Himano was going to be here soon. Surely.

'If you wanted to impress me to confess to me, a love letter would have worked much, much better. There's something perfect about that classical love story that I – we – could have warped into a horror story.' Yotsuya said.

Makoto sighed and sat down, crestfallen. 'Na-ka-shi-ma Ma-ko-to... would you like some candy?' Yotsuya asked. He chose another for himself, another pink one, and then offered the packet to Makoto.

'Thank you.' Makoto said and she chose a liquorice flavoured lolly.

'Would you like to eat candy with me every day from now on and share horror stories forever then?' Yotsuya asked.

'That would be... nice. I feel like you're cooking up a very scary story now.' Makoto mumbled with a smile.

'Nothing as scary as your first attempt at telling horror stories. The only thing scary about your Kuchisake Onna was the poor language she is trapped in.' Yotsuya said.

Makoto took another sweet from Yotsuya. 'So, I've been thoroughly rejected?' she asked.

'Whatever gave you that impression? I just asked to marry you. And more over, you accepted said proposal.' Yotsuya said simply and Makoto choked on her lolly.

'Wait? What?!' she exclaimed and forced down the lolly.

'Most people ask if their lover could make them miso soup every day for forever but that's too boring for an unusual couple like us.' Yotsuya boasted.

Makoto screamed and Yotsuya relished it with a keen grin. Perfect.

:

[AN: Little bit of trivia, the most used form of marriage proposal is "Will you make miso soup for me every day until we die?" because "Will you marry me?" is considered too direct and rude.]