Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. My laptop had to get upgraded from Windows Vista to Windows Seven because of some glitch. But, now that my Winter Break begins Wednesday afternoon (and lasts until the day after Martin Luther King Day), I'll be able to make up for lost time.
Disclaimer: Eichiiro Oda still owns One Piece.
Ch. 42: "Night at the Haunted House."
"Congratulations! You have won a free night's stay at this island's famous haunted house for you and your family!"
Yuki-Rin gasped. While out shopping with Kartik, Matsu, and Heathcliffe, Yuki-Rin thought it would be a good idea to enter in a lottery for a chance to win a prize.
"Thank you," Yuki-Rin said as she grabbed the four tickets.
"Cool! How did you manage to snag us a night at a haunted house?" Heathcliffe asked Yuki-Rin, who shrugged.
"I dunno. It was just luck," Yuki-Rin said.
"Hold on, Yuki-Rin, Heathcliffe. You don't know if Hana will approve of this," Kartik said.
"Don't worry, Kartik, it'll be us four, and we'll be armed through the night. We'll be fine," Yuki-Rin said.
"Absolutely not," Hana said, giving Yuki-Rin the answer over whether or not she could stay the night at the haunted house. "I mean, you JUST got amnesia and almost ended up on another – more unsettling, I might add - pirate crew."
Yuki-Rin sighed.
"Look, Hana, I'm the captain here, so let me decide on this," Yuki-Rin said.
"Do you want to end up kidnapped by another pirate crew, or, worse, the Marines, a World Noble, or even Roscoe Delacroix?" Hana asked Yuki-Rin, who turned a bit pale at the mention of Roscoe.
"Hana, I'll be FINE. Kartik, Matsu, and Heathcliffe are coming with me," Yuki-Rin said. Hana sighed.
"Fine, you can go! But, don't have Heathcliffe, Matsu, and/or Kartik come crying to me when you get kidnapped," Hana explained. Heathcliffe grinned.
"Alright! Thanks, Hana!" Heathcliffe said. Hana rolled her eyes.
"Also, Heathcliffe, don't come crying to me if something happens to Aki while you're gone," Hana explained.
"Got it," Heathcliffe said.
"Have fun, guys!" Hana said.
"Oh, Hana, please don't tell Karin where I'm going. Matsu and I REALLY need to get away from her," Kartik said.
"Okie dokie," Hana said before the four left the ship.
"So, this must be the place," Heathcliffe said as they arrived at a Victorian-styled house outside of town. Yuki-Rin looked down to the map that led to the haunted house.
"Yep! This is the place!" Yuki-Rin answered.
"It looks lovely. I don't understand how this house could be haunted," Matsu said sadly as Kartik unlocked the door.
"Such a shame that a lovely house like this is haunted. A happy family could be living here right now," Kartik said, shaking his head as they entered the house.
"I agree. I hope whoever was living here comes back soon," Matsu said.
"You know, in today's world, that's probably not gonna happen," Heathcliffe said as he placed his guitar down on the floor.
"Heathcliffe, what are you saying?" Matsu asked Heathcliffe, who pointed to the wall behind her. Matsu turned around, and she saw the words "Dinner's ready" written on the wall in red ink.
"That reminds me, I should be the one who makes dinner," Matsu said before she turned and walked down the hall toward the kitchen. But, Matsu tripped and fell over something.
"Matsu! Are you okay?" Kartik asked, running over to Matsu to help her up.
"I'm fine," Matsu said before picking up the item she tripped over, which was a head of lettuce. The four sweatdropped.
"Now I can see why people don't live here. Writing on the walls and heads of lettuce randomly appear," Yuki-Rin deadpanned. Over on the Hyperion…
"Hey, Hana, you know how Yuki-Rin said that she, Kartik, Matsu, and my bro got mistaken for a family when they won that raffle, right?" Soren asked Hana, who looked up from the map she was drawing.
"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Hana asked Soren.
"Well, if they did get mistaken for a family, then that would make Yuki-Rin and Heathcliffe the brother and sister, and Kartik and Matsu… The parents," Soren exlplained. Karin banged her fists on the table.
"This is unacceptable! Kartik is not allowed to start a family – real or not – without me!" Karin cried. Z.G. shook his head and sighed.
"Should I tell Karin that Kartik would be more likely to start a family with Matsu, or should I distract her?" Z.G. thought to himself. "It's moments like these that make me wonder…"
"You say something, Z.G.?" Karin asked Z.G.
"No, Karin, I was talking to Drusilla," Z.G. said, pointing to the loli standing next to him. Karin sighed and left the room.
"Well, whatever may be the case, it looks like they may have to pose as a family to either get out of danger or to get us out of danger," Soren said.
Back at the haunted house, it did seem like the four Capricorns were an actual family. Matsu cooked dinner, Kartik read the paper, and Yuki-Rin and Heathcliffe were playing a card game.
"Is this… What motherhood is going to be like?" Matsu thought to herself. "But, then again, I'm decent at cooking and I can sew. Plus, raising a family with Kartik would be nice. Except, he still hasn't said anything about our relationship."
Matsu was too deep into her thoughts to notice that a force took hold of her hand she was using to chop vegetables almost sliced a finger off of her. "Huh?"
Kartik looked up from his paper.
"What happened?" Kartik asked Matsu.
"I almost cut my finger. I guess this house really is haunted," Matsu said.
"You never know," Heathcliffe said as he put his cards down on the table. After dinner, Kartik sat in front of the fire reading as Matsu was working on her sewing. The room was silent, save for the burning logs in the fireplace and Kartik occasionally turning a page in his book.
"Maybe I should be the one to say something to Kartik about taking our relationship from a close friendship into something more romantic. But, then again, there's Karin AND the chance he'll say no," Matsu thought to herself. "Kartik?"
"What is it, Matsu?" Kartik asked Matsu, who thought for a second.
"Never mind," Matsu said, nodding her head. Kartik smilied.
"It's okay. I'm sure what you had to say wasn't that important," Kartik said. Matsu got back to her sewing work, to hide her face that turned red from guilt. Over in the other room, Heathcliffe was playing his guitar as Yuki-Rin read some manga.
"You know, Yuki-Rin? You're just like the cool, kind sister I never – and couldn't have," Heathcliffe explained as he set down his guitar.
"Really? Why, thank you," Yuki-Rin said.
"And, you know, I wish Matsu was my mom sometimes. She's the perfect mom – kind, loving, and looks out for everyone, which would make her the opposite of my mom," Heathcliffe explained. "Plus, Kartik's the loving dad I've always wanted but never got. Maybe Kartik and Matsu should just adopt me and my brothers already."
Yuki-Rin laughed.
"Really, Heathcliffe? They're, like, five or six years older than you are," Yuki-Rin said.
"They're THAT YOUNG? I wouldn't know that! They act like they're older!" Heathcliffe said in disbelief.
"They come from money, Heathcliffe," Yuki-Rin pointed out. "Come to think of it, Kartik and Matsu would make good parents. We shall see how their fates play out."
"Matsu, Heathcliffe, Yuki-Rin, why is there tartar sauce coming from the shower faucets?"
Ending Note: If you thought that you had your fill of Kartik x Matsu unresolved sexual tension, just wait until Water Seven.
Review, not flame, this fanfic. All flames will be used to flame Akainu. (Who I hate even more because of the latest chapter)