Happy Halloween
-
Mai sighed contently into her tea cup as she stared out of the window. She bet it felt nice and cool outside with the sudden change of temperature.
Halloween would be coming up in a few days, though it was kind of upsetting when your friends all have plans and you're stuck at work fixing tea for your narcissistic boss.
Mai wished she could go trick-or-treating like she did when she was little, but times change. She was 'too old' to go trick-or-treating, now. Really, if anyone should be asking random people at their door steps for candy, then, in her opinion, it should be the older kids who know what they're doing so if they get molested by some 40 year-old man, they could beat him into a bloody pulp and call the cops…
Right?
But nowadays, they world is filled with more violence. Parents see that letting their children go out on one of the creepiest nights of the year asking people for candy is a mistake and that they should have a guardian with them.
Poor Mai had never had the privilege of going trick-or-treating with parents. But now she has a family–SPR.
Maybe she could invite everyone over so they could watch all of the good old classics like Carrie and Amityville Horror?
Just then, our good friend Takigawa decided to stop by, poking his head into the office. "Oh, Mai! I was just looking for you!"
"Where else could you look for me, Bou-san?"
The monk chuckled at his 'little sister's' bluntness as he closed the door behind him. Leave it to Mai to tell it how it is. "Well, I was wondering if you were doing anything on Halloween. If have job at six, so if you want to come hear us play…"
Mai's face lit up like a Christmas tree–
"Of course! But…I have work. Naru's keeping me captive until seven."
–And then deflated like a balloon.
Takigawa smiled. "Don't worry; I'll persuade Naru to let you have some time off."
An uncertain look crossed the girl's face, but only for a second. "Okay, just make sure you come back alive."
"Don't have to tell me twice. I wouldn't want to miss spending Halloween with you, now would I?"
"Right!"
-
Mai licked her burnt finger gently. Stupid kettle. Stupid Naru. Stupid tea.
Why does he need to have ten cups of tea a day, anyway? Mai concluded that she would never understand her boss, and that she would never try.
She glanced at Naru's office door silently from the kitchenette. It was awfully quiet in there. She was worried for Bou-san. Maybe he'd go missing and she'd find his head in one of her boss's desk drawers? A real eventful Halloween that would be.
Mai finally picked up the tray, carefully balancing the cups as she opened his door. "Uh, your tea, Naru," she said, trying to control her shaky voice. Bou-san was hunched over Naru's desk, who was leaning pleasantly back in his chair.
Glaring at the monk, Naru motioned him towards the door. Takigawa left without a word, only a smile towards Mai.
The said girl almost shivered in fear of the aura Naru was giving off.
"So," her boss casually started, "you want off early on Halloween, do you?"
Mai noticed the seemingly predatory stare he was giving her. "Well," her voice trailed off, afraid that he was going to go sporadic on her.
Naru nodded for her to go on. He couldn't help but smile. She looked like a kid who was caught stealing cookies from a cookie jar.
"Yeah, I mean, Halloween is like a holiday. I at least deserve to get an early let off, right? You're always so uptight; maybe we should all take off and rest…"
"Uptight, you say? Well, maybe I'll take your advice. Why don't you call everyone up and tell them to take Halloween off," his smile broadened. Mai looked as if she was under cardiac arrest.
The girl worriedly took a few steps back, unsure of whether or not she was dreaming. "W–What?"
"Well, I guess if you won't do it, than I will?"
"N–No! I'll do it…" Mai said nervously, having already made her way to the door.
"Oh, and Mai?" Naru started again, making sure to catch his assistant's attention. "Will you go get me some more tea please? Thank you."
But before he could thank her, Mai was already out the door. And to tell the truth, she really didn't want to go back in.
Bou-san, who was lying on the old SPR couch, jumped with a start at the sound of Naru's office door being slammed closed.
"I'm scared," Mai said, latching on to the monk's shirt and shaking him as if there were no tomorrow (which for Mai was quite possible).
Takigawa stared at her with a confused face until he couldn't help but grin. "So, he let you off early? Good for you–"
"No, he let everyone off."
Insert shocked monk.
"For the entire day."
Insert very shocked monk.
"And…"
What more could there possibly be?
"He said please and thank you."
Takigawa fell off of the couch. "What?!"
Mai nodded at the latest gossip. "Seriously. And he even offered to call everyone and tell them himself!"
"Just when I thought I'd seen it all."
"I know, right?"
"Mai. Tea. Now!" Mai heard her boss yell from within the confines of his room.
-
Mai smiled breaking into a fit of cheers the moment she found Takigawa backstage. "You were awesome, Bou-san!"
Her brotherly figure looked down at her as he started to pack up his equipment. He smiled as well, patting her on the head. "Thanks. I could see you cheering in the crowd."
"I know! I made sure I screamed extra loud for you," she replied.
This had to be one of her best Halloweens yet! Only she didn't get to spend it with the rest of her 'family'. And Naru…
"Well, Mai, I should probably bring you back home. It's getting late."
"Okay," she laughed, trying not to show her sadness. She was never a fan of a public display of depression. She also wasn't a big fan of people worrying over her, which seemed to happen quite a lot.
-
"Come on, Mai; bear with me, will ya?" Takigawa frowned glancing towards the half asleep girl, then back at the road. He had to make sure not to hit any of those pesky trick-or-treaters.
"I'm not carrying you out of this car, you hear me?"
"Yeah," she mumbled back, not caring whether he heard her or not. She was exhausted after that concert. Her throat was hoarse, too.
Takigawa parked outside of her apartment. "Come on, Mai!"
"Ah," she sighed, ramming her head into the car's window. Bou-san huffed in frustration. Women.
"Fine," he said. Walking around the front of the car, Takigawa opened her door and supported her weight on his shoulder. It was only 8:30 P.M. and she looked like a zombie come back for revenge.
After a moment of silence, the monk attempted to begin a conversation. "You got any scary movies?"
The brunette suddenly became a lot livelier. "Of course, you want to watch some?"
"Sure," he laughed as she was revived from her moment of the living dead. Girls were so mood swingy.
"I'll run ahead and unlock the door!" And without another word she zoomed up the stairs, allowing Takigawa to take his time.
"Hmm," Mai hummed as she searched in her bottomless pit (purse) for her keys, but soon realized she didn't need them.
The door was already unlocked.
Panic had overcome her and she contemplated on going inside. A robber? It was possible. It had happened to the person's apartment below hers, after all.
She flipped the light switch and found that nothing was awry. Everything was just how she left it except her…entertainment center?
She warily crept over to the open drawer. Why would someone want to steal her movies? Looking closer, she wondered what movies they had stolen, noticing that, in fact, two of her movies were gone.
"Wha–?"
"Boo," said an eerie voice from behind her.
Mai's heart stopped for the briefest second.
"AHHHH!"
Muscular arms wrapped themselves around her waist as she was pulled into someone's chest. The person behind her attempted to calm her down. Spasms wracked Mai's body and she withheld tears until she finally broke from her kidnapper's grasp. Turning around, she lifted her arm to slap her assaulter only to find that the person's whose arms were wrapped around her was who she least expected to be visiting her in the middle of the night.
"Naru?"
Said predator took Mai's hand and brought it down to her side. "N–Naru, what on earth are you doing here?" Mai gasped, shocked.
Naru smirked. "I just wanted to wish you a Happy Halloween. I brought you a gift."
"A gift?" the stunned girl just blushed. What could he possible have gotten her? But before this thought could fully register in her head, John, Masako, Ayako, and even Lin popped out from behind her couch.
Mai choked back tears. "Guys?"
Ayako grinned ecstatically and held up Mai's missing DVDs. "Which one do you ant to watch first?"
"Carrie or Amityville Horror?" Takigawa said appearing in the doorway to the apartment. Mai smiled widely.
Suddenly a disturbing thought came to Mai. "But…How did you guys get in here in the first place?"
Naru took Carrie, putting it in the DVD player. He turned around and threw her a malicious grin. "The world may never know…"
-
Pi-chan's Note: So, was it a total disgrace of a Halloween fanfic, or what? I still haven't figured out what I'm going to be. Any suggestions? Maybe I should be one of the psychotic chicks from Battle Royale? That would be nice…