Okay, this is just a quick one-shot for Thanksgiving, but there's a contest-type thing at the end, so read the author's note at the end before you review for rules! I know it's a couple days early, but here it is anyway!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except Arlua, Tania, Malcolm, and Supai.
Arlua tried to ignore Shinra's pouting and focus on troubleshooting Celty's laptop.
"No, Shinra. It's a stupid idea. No one in their right mind would do that." Not that Shinra and some of their mutual acquaintances could be considered "in their right mind."
"But Arlua, everyone else has already done it!" the underground doctor whined. Arlua rolled her eyes.
"Define 'everyone else'," she muttered to keep him busy for another few minutes. She was only half listening until she realized who he was listing. "Hold up, start from the beginning again." Shinra complied happily, knowing this meant she was interested now.
"Well I did it obviously, and my darling Celty did it. And Shizuo, and his girlfriend -she was scary!- and her brother and some kid who looked kind of like Izaya. Those three Raira kids. And Kadota and his gang did it. And Izaya, and he made his secretary do it, too. You're the only one who hasn't!" Shinra insisted. Arlua sighed as she found the virus that was causing the trouble and erased it as thoroughly as she could.
"Fine."
The thing Shinra had just succeeded in persuading her to do was writing something she was thankful for on a paper leaf to be taped on the wall of his apartment with the others already there, around a paper tree trunk.
The doctor called it a "thankful tree."
Ten minutes later, as Arlua was taping her own leaf next to the others, she glanced over the leaves and the things written on them.
"My only friend."
"People who accept me and don't think I'm a monster."
"My brother."
"Anything that hurts my cousin."
"Being here, in this city."
"People who don't call me Dotachin."
"My friends."
"My brother, my friends, and Shizuo."
"Girls with big boobs."
"Days no one damages my van."
"Fellow otakus."
"Living here, being content with who I am."
"Good material to use for extracting information."
"My lovely humans."
"Celty."
"Challenges, however impossible they might be."
Arlua smiled. She knew most of these people, and could tell whose leaves were whose for the most part.
These people colored her life, made it enjoyable and frustrating and fun. Celty and Shinra. Kadota and his friends. Shizuo and Tania and Malcolm and Supai. The other three Raira students, whom she had only met once. Izaya.
Arlua smiled to herself. Maybe this particular idea of Shinra's wasn't so stupid after all.
Okay, so everyone notice the things everyone is thankful for? here they are again, numbered.
1. "My only friend."
2. "People who accept me and don't think I'm a monster."
3. "My brother."
4. "Anything that hurts my cousin."
5. "Being here, in this city."
6. "People who don't call me Dotachin."
7. "My friends."
8. "My brother, my friends, and Shizuo."
9. "Girls with big boobs."
10. "Days no one damages my van."
11. "Fellow otakus."
12. "Living here, being content with who I am."
13. "Good material to use for extracting information."
14. "My lovely humans."
15. "Celty."
16. "Challenges, however impossible they might be."
There are 16 characters you can choose from: Shinra, Celty, Shizuo, Tania, Malcolm, Supai, Izaya, Namie, Arlua, Kadota, Erika, Walker, Toguso, Kida, Anri, and Mikado. Match them to the correct number of things-they're-thankful-for in your review (or PM me with your guesses), and whoever gets the most - and/or the first three to get them all right - will get a prize!
Rules: you can only enter once, it must be a signed review or PM (no anonymous reviews will count), contest will close 12/8/13
Prize: ficlet for you, with prompt of your choice