Duran-kun and Kiyo-chan's Omake Theater

(featuring the Yuuki family pet)

Natsuki, you are an idiot.

She didn't think too hard about what it meant that her chastising inner voice sounded a whole lot like Nao.

"Kuga, you are an idiot."

Her chastising external voice, on the other hand, did actually belong to Nao.

"Look, I know that already. If I wasn't all too aware of it, I wouldn't be here on your doorstep asking for help from you," she ground out between her teeth.

"And yet here you are." Nao sighed heavily and stepped back. "Fine, come in already. I can't stand seeing you standing there looking like a whipped puppy."

Natsuki wanted to protest, but she was getting inside the door, and uncomfortably she had an idea that Nao had truth on her side.

"Love what you've done with the place," she commented. "It's really fitting for the season." Indeed, approximately three-fourths of the available surface area was covered with elaborate draperies of spiderwebs. From high in the corner, Julia chirped smugly. The drider had for two years carried an ongoing battle with Nao's roommate, Aoi Senoh, who would diligently dust away any web she could see. But Aoi had graduated from high school and unlike Natsuki had not gone on to Fuuka University but had instead accepted a scholarship to pursue a degree in maidcraft in England.

"I can't tell if you're trying to butter me up or being sarcastic and that's just sad, so how about we skip the polite stuff and move on to you telling me what screw-up you need me to bail you out of this time."

Natsuki ground her teeth, then sucked it up and said, "I need a Halloween costume."

"So go to the costume shop."

"I did. All they had left was a fluffy duck."

Nao smirked.

"Well?"

"It was pink."

The smirk turned into a guffaw.

"Oh, that's great! Do you need the money to rent it? I'll give you a loan. Hell, I will straight up pay you to wear that to Mai's party tomorrow night."

"Are you going to stand there laughing all day, or are you going to be helpful?"

"I vote laughing at you. But let me see if I have this straight. You left it to the last second to pick out a costume, by the time you got around to shopping all the shops had left were ones you wouldn't be caught dead wearing, and it's too late even to order one online because it's Sunday. So at this point you're kind of stuck. Is that pretty much it?"

"Uh-huh."

"So what about dressing up as something you could make out of normal clothes, then?"

Natsuki sighed.

"I don't just want a random costume. I want something that's going to knock Shizuru's eyeballs out."

Nao blinked.

"What is it with you and Halloween costumes? I mean, life conspires to make you half-dressed in public whenever it can, but this time of year you do it on purpose."

"Shizuru and I had a big talk about that before last Halloween. And…I don't know; once a year it's kind of nice to go against type, don't you think?"

And if Shizuru, despite her love of big, splashy romantic gestures could give Natsuki a break more often than not on Valentine's Day and anniversaries, then Natsuki could return the favor. Besides which, the previous year she'd actually loosened up and had fun with her slinky magician's outfit. Maybe it was the whole idea of costume parties, of becoming something that she was not. Or maybe it was having dated Shizuru for over two years now and the sense of confidence and security that brought.

Heck, maybe it was just that having been over and done with the whole "revenge on the secret evil organization" thing for an extended period of time was causing her to lighten up.

"No, I think I'm still going to pretty much be me. Which means that you are going to owe me for this one."

"No murder," Natsuki immediately said.

"…Seriously, I start talking about favors and that's the first thing you think of?"

"You raise funds for the church by pretending to be an underaged prostitute and mugging the sleazebags who try to molest you."

Nao shrugged.

"I like to think of it as showing sinners the consequences of their misdeeds and helping them to express the virtue of charity."

"I think Yukariko may need to give you a refresher on how some of those Christian teachings actually go."

"The question here is, do you really think you ought to be standing there criticizing the person you're asking for help? And by 'help' I of course mean 'bail you out of the consequences of your procrastination.' Seriously, Kuga, this wouldn't happen half so often if you just bothered to keep a calendar."

"No murder, and no major felonies."

"What?"

"I live with Shizuru. I can tell an amateur's attempt to play on my sense of guilt from a mile away by now."

"…Damn it."

"Well?"

"Fine," Nao sighed. "The favor won't get you arrested or hurt anyone you wouldn't agree deserved whatever they got."

"Okay, I think I can live with that."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going out. The soup kitchen's going to need another hundred thousand yen to cover expenses for the holidays. Kids need treats, not just a square meal, after all."

Natsuki grabbed her arm as she walked past.

"Hold on a second. Leaving aside any possible accessory-before-the-fact issues, what about my costume?"

"Do I look like a seamstress, Kuga? Let the professional do her work."

A chittering chirp made Natsuki turn her head. Julia was holding up a tape measure.

~X X X~

The Kuga-Fujino house was dark and still as Shizuru Fujino pushed the door open. There was no patter of feet, no slither of scales rushing to greet her.

"Kiyohime? Duran?" she called.

"They've gone over to Midori's," a voice came back from the living room. "She's taking all the CHILDs trick-or-treating tonight, and then they're playing hyaku monogatari and having a big sleepover."

"Natsuki? I didn't know you'd be home." She turned on the foyer light, set aside her purse, and stepped out of her shoes. "I thought we were going to meet at Mai's for the party. Your text said that you wanted to surprise me with your costume."

"I know, but I changed my mind. I wanted to give you a private preview."

"Well, well." Shizuru felt her lips curving into a smile. "I certainly would not say no to that."

"I didn't think that you would."

"So what kind of costume is it?"

"Why don't you come in and see?"

"Ara, so Natsuki wants to play games, does she?" She shivered a little with the anticipation. Her girlfriend in a teasing, playful mood was a rarity to be savored.

Once she had her house slippers on, she headed for the darkened living room and reached out for the light switch. As her fingers touched it, she felt a wisp of something soft brush her palm, and when she switched it on, a silk noose pulled tight around her wrist. The cord ran up to a hook mounted just under the ceiling; Natsuki held the other end and a tug pulled Shizuru's hand up to full extension above her, the click of a ratchet wheel keeping it from sliding back.

"Well," Natsuki said, although purred might have been a better verb, "look at what stepped into my web."

She stepped out from the dark hall that led to the bedroom, and Shizuru felt her tongue grow thick and her knees start to have trouble holding her upright.

Natsuki was wearing a sleeveless dress in shimmering black that threw back the light. From below her breasts across her belly was a stylized hourglass the color of a blood ruby, the central point right at the dip of her navel. The theme was emphasized by a grid of glittering silver threads that covered the whole in an intricate webwork. The slit sides showed off black stockings that rose to self-gartered tops patterned in lace; black silk gloves of equally translucent material rose to past her elbows. A black domino mask teased instead of actually providing mystery, her lips were a brilliant ruby red, and high black heels turned each step she took towards Shizuru into a swivel-hipped fantasy.

Shizuru licked her suddenly dry lips.

"And what does the black widow intend to do with her trapped prey?"

Natsuki stepped close to her, so near a wisp of lace could not have passed between their bodies.

"Don't worry," she said, tracing Shizuru's jawline with a gloved fingertip. "Our reputation is exaggerated by artificial laboratory conditions." Her hand closed around Shizuru's free wrist and lifted it, pushing her hand through the noose so that both were tied. "We're not dangerous to our mates." Her mouth closed hard on Shizuru's, kissing her firmly and deeply. Shizuru arched up into the kiss, trying to press her body up against Natsuki's, but Natsuki leaned herself back just out of reach, so that her hands and lips were their only contact. When she finally broke the kiss, Shizuru let out a little whimpering moan at the loss.

"Not dangerous?" Shizuru pouted. "If you keep this up I may die of frustration!"

"I hope not, Shizuru. We're just getting started. But…seeing as it's Halloween, I'll give you a choice." Natsuki grinned. "Trick or treat?"

"Ikezu. Why must Natsuki be so cruel as to make me choose when I want both?"

Chuckling, Natsuki took two steps back. Reflexively, Shizuru moved to follow, only for the sudden tug on her wrists to remind her that she was still tied.

"Well, in that case…"

Her fingers went to her collar, where she did something to a pair of tiny knots concealed just under the edge. She undid one, then the second…

…And the black-and-red panels slithered out of her dress in one long ribbon of silk that pooled at her feet, leaving nothing of the dress but the silver webwork,

Natsuki bent, picked up the ribbon, and advanced towards Shizuru with a length extended between her hands.

~X X X~

Mai Tokiha threw a good party. She had a good sense of space and how much her guests would need, the food at the snack bar was categorically great because she'd made it herself, and if breaking out the karaoke machine was inevitable she was at least a fine singer. Good advance planning meant that she could do her duty as a hostess, belt out a half-dozen songs, keep an eye on Mikoto, and dance with both of her boyfriends without feeling rushed to do any of it.

The party was nearly into its third hour, therefore, before its one sour note began to bother her. Disengaging herself from setting out a fresh tray of homemade snacks, she made like the Little Red Riding Hood she was dressed as and hunted down the shorter of the two black wolves at the party.

"Nao? Hey, Nao, could I talk to you for a second?"

"Huh? Oh, sure. By the way, sorry for wearing the same costume as Kanzaki."

"Don't worry; I can tell you apart easily enough."

"Well, obviously; I've got much better legs. But what's up?"

"It's Natsuki. She said she was planning on coming, but I don't see her or Shizuru anywhere. Do you know what might have happened?"

"You know Kuga. She gets involved in something and little things like letting people know she'll be late go right out of her head."

"That's true, but Shizuru is usually meticulous about that kind of thing."

Nao shrugged.

"Maybe, but if I'm right, Kuga's got Fujino pretty well tied up with what she's doing right about now."

The stylized muzzle of Nao's wolf mask made it impossible for Mai to actually see her mouth, but the smirk was so plain in her tone of voice that Mai decided she'd be better off not asking any more questions.

~X X X~

A/N: Happy Halloween, everyone!