Nuki's Note:
Okay, two new things in general here. First of all, this is a collection of 'side stories' that are still relevant to Headset, but aren't included in the actual story. I can't fit everything in there, so this is for holidays, and other things I may think up later are all oneshots by the way.
This first piece is my Halloweenu Specialu, which was written way too late. You're going to notice that the characters are a little different, because this actually takes place several months later from chapter 10. (Headset's current time is in April, whereas this jumps ahead all the way to October). Lastly, I don't know if Japan actually does celebrate Halloween the way American's do, but by the time that thought actually occured to me, I had already promised this. So . . . enjoy, hopefully. It's a little sloppy :c
OH and a quick note. If you're reading this, and you have not read Headset and Hemophobia, you won't understand much unless you do, because the stuff here goes along with that.
Halloweenu Specialu
Today I am going to be narrating the story's opening scene because I couldn't think of anything to write, and this is supposed to be slightly funny (not really). Anyway, this Halloweenu Specialu begins at lunch time on the day before Halloween. Because I am lazy and only managed to just introduce Momoko before writing this, you probably don't know that the characters push their desks together for lunch like I've seen in all the other anime shows. While I am giving away spoilers, it's also fair to give another warning for you folks who don't read author's notes. This actual moment in time takes place several months later after the current time in the story, meaning that character relationships are more developed. Also, Momoko's personality is far more . . . different from what you've seen. She has definitely warmed up to the other five, as you are about to read. Basically putting it, there are spoilers in this piece that I cannot avoid. They aren't really big, but if you don't like spoilers, then just wait patiently for chapter 11 (which is on its way, I promise). That being said, let's move on from this paragraph that is frighteningly similar to a second author's note, and actually begin the Halloweenu Specialu. As stated earlier, it was a lovely day and the characters were eating lunch . . .
Momoko sucked on the straw thrust in her milk carton. She dangled her feet over the chair, swinging them like a child as they were not long enough to touch the floor. When she drew her lips away from the straw, she tilted her head to the right. "How do you guys celebrate Halloween?"
Her question triggered a rift in the once quiet atmosphere. Everyone looked up at the same time, but Ayaka was the first to answer.
"In my old neighborhood, my mom would take a group of my friends and me to houses for candy. But then she'd get really mad because everyone always took mine since I was so willing to give them away . . ."
"Kano and Kanto always go to a bar with Ryo-san, so I usually just stay home and hand out sweets." Reika joined in thoughtfully.
Momoko rested her hand on her fist. "My brother used to take me to a party that he and his friends put together, but once I got old enough to realize how dirty their 'games' were, he wouldn't let me go anymore. So now I stay home and watch movies with Grandma."
"But don't you like that kind of stuff?" Reika prodded shyly.
"Well he doesn't want me there because he knows I'll try to participate in them." Momoko's lips curved upward into her if-you-ask-anymore-questions-I'm-going-to-give-you-a-naughty-answer-without-hesitating smirk.
Akashi kicked Reika's chair before she could open her mouth to (unintentionally) pry anything more out of the girl who was all too willing to give a detailed response. She turned to him in her customary dazed manner.
"You guys probably don't do anything."
Sakio shrugged. "It's a dumb holiday. We just put out a bowl of candy with a note that says 'take one'. And then we'll hose down any smartasses who try to take more than one."
Ayaka and Reika flinched. "Th- that's a little . . ."
"It's what they'd do." Momoko leaned against Sakio and close her eyes. "I guess it's safe to say we couldn't beg you into dressing up with us."
"No way in Hell." The male blonde snorted rudely.
"Oh! Oh! No, we should all go!" Ayaka perked up at Momoko's suggestion and Reika nodded in agreement.
The three boys objected and the girls begged. After minutes of arguing and pleading, it seemed as if things were turning auspicious for the females, but quick exchange of words put an end to that.
"Fine we'll go with you. But we'll go naked." Akashi snarled, sneer morphing into grin.
Once again the two girls with the innocence flinched, but Momoko's smile only widened.
"Would that be to show off down there?" Her comment immediately doused out the obnoxious fire the boys had been getting at, as well as took a large chunk off their self confidence. Aggravated silence slipped by before Momoko spoke again.
"Well what if we went to a haunted house? Those are fun."
It was Ayaka's turn to jump. For a moment the atmosphere flipped away from her favour when Reika wholeheartedly agreed.
"Nah, I'm not allowed in those things. I end up punching anyone who jumps out at me." Kaito objected.
Ayaka's relieved sigh was cut off when Reika thought of Plan B.
"What about a movie? They've got a lot of thrillers out now due to the season."
To Ayaka's misfortune, the rest of the group agreed on that. She felt uneasy, almost left out, as they decided to meet tomorrow evening and picked something that was undoubtedly gross and horrifying, based on the boys' now enthusiastic attitudes. Call her a baby, Ayaka didn't like horror films. One would probably think that hanging around with actual murderers would rid her of any sort of fear like that, but it didn't. All throughout the rest of the day she was trying to think of a good excuse for not showing up tomorrow. She'd need one because Kaito easily saw through her lies, and using something like illness wouldn't satisfy him. Even if he did buy it, Reika being as selfless as she was, would more than likely suggest watching a movie at Ayaka's house and there was a plentiful bounty of slasher films in the boys' home. No, faking sick or a broken leg wouldn't cut it.
Once home and feeling frustrated with herself, Ayaka wondered if she could try actually going with them. It was just a movie and people always complained about how blood and other things always looked so fake on the screen. To test herself, Ayaka switched on her computer and looked up the trailer online for the movie they had picked. It was a start, and it could help her prepare herself for tomorrow.
Ayaka kept her hand in front of her face for more than two thirds of the minute and a half long preview. She was shivering, much to her own embarrassment. Determined, she hit play again and this time tried to watch without looking away or placing her palm over the screen. Now that she knew what to expect from the trailer, she was able to watch a little more. A third time she clicked play and was now able to watch all but one scene of the trailer. Feeling slightly more confident, she closed out of the page and made the decision to brace the movie tomorrow. After all, how bad could it be?
Outside of the theater, Ayaka found herself shaking uncontrollably despite the fact she was dressed warmly and the air was not at all very cold. She clung to Kaito's arm as they waited along with Sakio, Akashi, and Reika for Momoko to show up. Kaito took notice of Ayaka's panicked state.
"What's wrong with you?" He grumbled, annoyed.
"Scary movies . . . scare me . . ." The female blonde admitted and didn't dare to look up at him.
Kaito nearly jerked out of her grasp. "Then why the hell didn't you say anything when we were talking about it yesterday?"
Ayaka gaped. She hadn't been expecting him to be so defensive on her side. It was too late for her to give a response as Momoko appeared.
"You can just . . . hold onto me or something . . ." The brunette growled so low that Ayaka barely heard him as he turned to enter the theater with everyone else.
Ayaka latched onto his arm and did not let go for the rest of the movie. After stopping at the snack stand, they took their seats. Thanks to her small figure, Ayaka was able to comfortably sit in the same chair as Kaito. She rested her head near his collarbone and still wrapped and arm under his. He must have been able to feel her heartbeat increase rapidly once the opening scene displayed on the screen.
"It's just a stupid movie. It isn't real, so don't be so freaked out. It makes me uncomfortable." He hissed and now pulled his left arm around her back.
Immediately Ayaka was able to sink into his mildly latent, but existing concern. She snuggled against him, only stopping to wonder if her public display of affection was a little too affectionate right as the woman on the screen went upstairs to find a man with a dagger and distorted face. She squeaked and buried her face into Kaito's chest as the killer decapitated the woman. Whoever said a movie is never as scary without sound was right. Even if she couldn't see anything, she could still hear the blood squirt and rain over everything. She could hear the corpse fall to the floor, still leaking blood. And she could hear the terrified screams of the woman's children who had run up the stairs.
As the movie played, Ayaka could not bring her mind off of the noises. According to the events, the plot seemed to involve a house haunted by a ghost that possesses people and forces them to kill. What the movie lacked in quality, it made up for with the amount of gore and blood. It seemed as if every ten minutes, someone else was chopped up, cut open, or brutally murdered in one way or another.
Around what she hoped to be the end, Ayaka looked up just in time to see the actual ghost, a sickly, dripping phantom figure, shove its stick thin fingers down the possessed man's throat to pull his heart out. Stomach performing all sorts of acrobatic stunts, Ayaka turned away and desperately searched for a happy place.
After what seemed an eternity, the credits began to roll. Kaito brought Ayaka out of a world created from chocolate when he gently stood up so as not to knock right off him. Knees jelly-like, Ayaka still held his arm and stumbled out of the theater behind the other four. When she looked up, she realized Momoko was glaring at her.
"You didn't enjoy it."
Reika paused. "Ayaka-chan, did you not want to do this?"
Ayaka felt guilt charge down her throat and land in the pit of her stomach, causing it to sink all the way to her shoes. She tried to dig back into the memories of yesterday and figure out why she hadn't said anything. She didn't want to be a drag, that person in the group people were always complaining about because they always brought everyone down. But the explanation wouldn't be voiced, it stuck to her tongue and she could only hang her head in shame.
The others let the subject drop but Ayaka inwardly kicked herself. She was so weighed down with the disgust at herself that she couldn't even hold Kaito's arm. It wasn't fair for him to provide her comfort when she had brought this on herself. On the way home, she kept in the very back of the group, dragging her feet.
Kaito stopped abruptly and yanked Ayaka's wrist back and away from the others. His glare was condemning and harsh.
"You're being stupid and you're pissing me off. So stop it." He spat heatedly.
Ayaka rubbed her arm and kept her gaze on her feet.
"God Dammit Ayaka, it was a damn movie. Get over it before I lose myself and beat the shit out of you." He blew up at her, fuming now.
"Sorry." Ayaka mumbled dejectedly. She knew Kaito would probably just yell at her again, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.
There was nothing but the hushed sounds of nighttime in a neighborhood for a long time. Ayaka was beginning to wish she had faked sick in the first place. She was so overcome with embarrassment that it weighed out most of the spooked sensation lingering from the movie.
"You shouldn't do something you really don't want to. I mean how many times have I said no to you and I didn't care at all what you thought about that? Really . . . if you live trying to please others, but never yourself, you'll . . .die, or something." Kaito's speech gave out near the end and he cast a glare over to bushes on the right side of the sidewalk.
Flushed, Ayaka took a step forward and let her weight shift against him. "M'kay." She mumbled softly. If they'd forget it, she would too. She had made a mistake, a blunder. She knew better now and she wouldn't let it happen again.
Although Ayaka still held a pang of morose in the back corners of her head, she didn't have much time to think over it when Kaito was demanding food despite having eaten a bucket of popcorn that he had refused to share with anyone else. Once at the boys' house, Ayaka and Reika spent time in the kitchen baking sweets as Akashi and Kaito sat at their table. A door slammed upstairs, startling the four. It was followed by some bumping around.
"Momoko is trying to molest him again." Akashi concluded indifferently.
As the four ate, doors slammed upstairs and there was the constant thumping of feet running around and objects banging. After ten minutes of enduring the racket, Momoko and Sakio appeared from the living room and sat down at the table.
"What were you doing up there?" Reika asked curiously.
Both Momoko and Sakio frowned, each exchanging a glance. "What do you mean?"
"You guys were making all this noise." Kaito snapped, annoyed he had to re-state the obvious.
Momoko was quiet and tranquil for a long period of time before answering cautiously, an edge in her voice. "You guys . . . Sakio and I weren't up there. Nobody was."