Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Bye Naru-chan! Bye Ritsu-kun!” Mika called from the doorway, watching his two friends walk off into the autumn night.

The three friends had just finished a little get-together party. Arashi’s idea of course. It was fall season, and naturally Mika was getting excited for Halloween. He talked all his friends ears’ off about all the new spooky horror movies and shows coming out and how much he really wanted to watch them. His issue: Shu forbid all kinds of scary movies in his home. Although Mika loved spooks, it terrified him watching them alone. Shu himself hated these kinds of movies, calling them disgraceful displays of unnecessary gore and bloodshed. So every time Mika would watch one he’d end up crying to Shu about how scared he was. Shu grew tired of Mika sniffling in his bedroom doorway in the middle of the night, so the ban hammer came down.

Even though Mika was banned from watching scary movies alone, this didn’t mean he couldn’t watch them with other people. Ristu was the one to suggest it. On a night where Shu was gone, all three of them could go to Mika’s house and throw a spooky horror movie party! Mika was thrilled.

So they did.

Shu had business with his family and begrudgingly had to leave for the night. He had some late night dinner appointment that he was absolutely NOT looking forward to. Mika was tasked with making sure to eat dinner on his own, watch the house, and of course; take care of Mademoiselle.

Mika was sure that if he was careful, Shu wouldn’t even notice he had some friends visit for a night. He even placed Mademoiselle in the living room so she could watch the festivities. That counted as watching her right?

Everything went according to plan. The group of three had a blast watching scary movies and eating pizza and popcorn. At every jumpscare Arashi would squeal and hold onto Mika who would giggle and tell her he’d protect her (trying not to be scared shitless himself). Anytime a person was brutally murdered on screen Ristu would laugh and say he saw it coming. One particularly out-of-nowhere scare caused Mika to scream and jump, sending a whole bowl of popcorn flying into the air and raining down on the group like snowflakes. Of course everyone laughed so hard they started crying, completely forgetting about the rest of the movie.

Because the three had forgotten about the movie, Ristu decided it was the best time to pull out his secret weapon.

A Oujia board.

Arashi and Mika gasped, excited to play.

Ristu smiled deviously, “I stole it from my relatives last time I was forced to visit, so this thing has to be legit.”

The three messed around with the board, being taught how to play with it. They squealed and laughed as it “magically” moved around, telling them a curse had been placed on them, or that a demon had been summoned. The lights flickered and the planchette on the board began quickly moving again.

“Ah! Ritsu-chan! Stop moving it like that, you're scaring me too much!” Arashi giggled.

“I’m not doing anything- its a ghost!!” Ristu joked, making spooky noises to further scare his friends.

Mika kept laughing, it was one of the most fun nights he’d ever had. He didn’t even notice an extra voice of giggling among his friends.

It was certainly a night Mika was going to remember.

Just then an antique clock sounded, signaling midnight. Arashi yawned. Ristu looked wide awake. Mika suddenly registered the ringing noise.

“AH! Oshi-san is gonna be back real soon, we gotta clean up and say g’night.”

So the three friends worked together to quickly pick up every little piece of popcorn littering the floor, packed up their things, and headed out the door. The night was suddenly over and Mika was alone. He slimed gleefully, thinking of the events of his little party. Even after watching so many horror movies and playing with that Ouija board he didn’t feel scared at all.

Mika shut the door after many goodbyes and goodnights. He turned to the spotless living room. There was no way Shu would ever find out. Mika noticed Mademoiselle sitting on the sofa. He didn’t remember putting her there? Maybe Arashi had placed the doll there to make her look more comfortable? That had to be it. He flattened her dress and patted her curls, making sure she was in tip top shape or Shu would have his head.

Just then Mika felt a chill. The boy shivered as he looked around for its cause. Then he spotted it, the front door was wide open.

“Ngaah? I was sure I closed it?” He thought he was going crazy. Maybe it was too late at night. It was past his bedtime.

He closed the door, harder this time, his hand lingering on the knob. He heard a knock. He froze in place. Then the doorknob around his hand began to move, swiveling back and forth like someone was trying to get in. Mika jumped and screamed, stumbling away from the door and covering his eyes in fear.

“Ahem.”

Mika peeked through his fingers. Shu was standing in the doorway. His face painted in irritation, the dinner must have gone south.

“Oshi-san?? Oh thank god it's you. I thought I was ‘bout to be attacked by some monster tryin’ to barge right through the door.” Mika sighed in relief, his heart still pounding.

“What kind of monster knocks?” He huffed, walking into his home and taking off his jacket. "Seriously Kagehira what have you been watching that has you acting like this?”

“Ngahh… nothin’” he quietly mumbled, he didn’t want Shu to interrogate him about what he was up to. Shu could see through his lies, and being scolded was not something he needed at the moment.

Shu saw through him, looking at him with doubt.

“If you say so.” He sighed, his face falling into fatigue. Mika assumed dinner with family had drained Shu completely and that caused no further questioning on Mika’s behavior.

“Oh Mademoiselle!” Shu had spotted her sitting on the sofa. “You wouldn’t believe the night I had, I wish you would have been there to assist me though it- ah.” He stopped mid thought, noticing something amiss.

“Mademoiselle your hair! How did it become so disheveled!” He turned to glare at Mika. “How absolutely deplorable, Kagehira, did I not tell you to take care of her?”

“What- I did! We sat on the couch together the whoooole night.” Another lie- well it was somewhat true. She did sit with him through the night.

With a tired ‘hmmf’ and a turn of his heel, Shu walked up the stairs to his bedroom, ultimately retreating for the night. Mika soon followed, hoping his partner would be in a better mood after some beauty sleep.

—

The next morning Mika woke up to a very angry Shu standing above him. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up and waiting for the furious man to speak. He just knew a scolding was coming.

“Kagehira, may I ask why you decided to make a gigantic mess in my kitchen?”

“Huh?” Mika was still groggy from sleep, but he was sure he heard correctly. “I didn't make a mess?”

“Tsk, You have friends over for one night and you assume you may run wild in my home? For what reason did you feel the need to remove every pot and pan I own and litter them across the kitchen?”

Mika jumped at the mention of friends. “How’d ya know I had friends over!” He cried.

“I ran into them on my way back home. Did you really think Narukami and Sakuma would just be walking about our neighborhood at night for no rhyme or reason?” He sighed, “And don’t try to dodge the question.”

Mika should have expected Shu to find out, but at least he wasn’t mad about them coming over. But in all seriousness, Mika really didn’t remember having a need to touch any pots or pans in the kitchen. Sure they used the microwave to make popcorn, but the group had ordered pizza. But then again, Mika knew his scatterbrained self had a habit of just up and forgetting things, so maybe he did leave some stuff out in the kitchen?

“Sorry Oshi-san, I’ll clean it up then-“ he got out of bed to go handle the mess but Shu stopped him, his hand on his temple. It was so early in the day for a headache. Maybe the beauty sleep didn’t work.

“Don’t bother, I took care of it already. Just get ready for school, we’re already running late.”

Mika threw himself out of bed and quickly scrambled to get ready. Shu had walked off, leaving Mika to dress and prepare for the day.

All was going well until… his tie. Where did his tie go? Mika turned his entire room upside down looking for his school tie. He started to get nervous. He looked at the clock. It was almost time to go. The frazzled boy rushed into Shu’s room, thinking maybe he had misplaced it in there. He carefully tore apart the room, looking in every nook and cranny, just as he did in his own. Still nowhere to be found.

“Ngaahh…” he cried from atop the stairs.

“Oh heavens Kagehira. We haven’t even gotten to school yet and you’re already making those sounds. What has gotten you so troubled?” He joined Mika on the top of the stairs.

“My tie! I can’t find it anywhere! I swear Oshi-san! I looked everywhere for it!” He said, fidgeting with the end of his sweater.

“Can you not just go to school without it? It’s a tie Kagehira.” Shu signed, already exasperated by Mika’s shenanigans. He disappeared into his room to retrieve Mademoiselle. She was coming to school like always.

Then a disgruntled sigh echoed from the room, “Ugh Kagehira! Come here.”

Mika obeyed, shuffling into the room. He was met with Shu standing near the window, arms crossed, tapping his foot in annoyance. Mademoiselle was seated on the windowsill next to him. Shu grabbed something from beside her and held it up for the other boy to see.

Low and behold. A blue tie.

“Ngah? I swear I checked yer room and everything!” He cried. Mika grabbed his tie, fumbling to try and put on. Shu huffed again, ultimately helping the boy put on his tie. Mika nervously let Shu fold and tie it around his neck, neatly situating it on his uniform. Mika felt like he was being stared at, like eyes burning into his soul. But the only other person in the room was Mademoiselle.

—

The day continued on as normal. Mika skipped off to class. It was always a gamble whether or not Shu was going to attend his classes or not, so Mika was always left to wonder.

He didn’t have to wonder for long. Eventually the final bell rang and the students were free. Mika dozed through most of his classes, his mind wandering and dreaming of stage performances and sewn costumes yet to come. But when the bell rang, he was always the first to spring up from his chair and speed off to the handicraft room.

“Mika-chan wait!” A familiar voice called. Mika had gotten about two steps out of the door before whipping around to answer Arashi.

“No can do Naru-chan! If ‘m late to the club room Oshi-san’ll get all grumpy about it. Jus’ text me what ya wanna talk about! Sorry!” And with that, the hurried boy rushed off down the hall.

“That boy…” Arashi sighed, Ristu leaned over to her as she lamented. He had also just woken up from sleeping through class.

“You should know better by now.” He yawned, going back to sleep.

Mika excitedly burst through the door of the club room, loudly making himself known. Shu was already hard at work, engrossed in what looked like new outfits. Mademoiselle was seated right next to the machine, supervising as always. It seemed Shu did not attend class.

“I’m here Oshi-san! Oh yer already totally engrossed in somethin’. Ooo are ya makin’ new costumes fer our next live? I can’t wait to wear another perfect outfit made by Oshi-san!” Mika rambled on and on while taking a seat in front of the working man. “I wonder what kinda live we're gonna do this time? I promise I'll dance like yer perfect doll as always!”

Shu huffed, broken from his concentration. Irritation painted on his face, “Kagehira, if you want to behave like a perfect doll, then close that mouth of yours. Your insistent rambling is making it incredibly difficult to think.”

“Ah sorry Oshi-san…” It was one of those days where every little thing was an irritation to Shu. “I’ll just sit here and practice more of my needle work.”

“Yes, do that.” He answered, back in full concentration.

So the two sewed in silence for a while. Mika had his little needle and thread, practicing away at sewing straight lines into material. If he was going to ever be of any help to his Oshi-san he had to sharpen his skills. Eventually Shu had finished part of his outfit and took it off the machine to check his efforts. After inspecting every detail he decided it was imperfect and back under the machine it went. Except…

“Hah?” He questioned loudly, ripping through the quiet room and making Mika jump.

“What’s the matter Oshi-san?”

“What kind of rebellious phase are you in? For heaven's sake Kagehira, these pranks and jokes are not funny.”

“Pranks? Jokes?” Mika really was clueless as to what Shu was insinuating.

“You can drop the act now. It’s not comical to mess with my machine like that. Unthreading it and turning it off. You’re just causing extra unnecessary work for myself. Do you truly not want these outfits to get done?”

“I didn’t touch yer machine!” Mika cried. “Maybe it slipped out?"

“Ah yes because the machine unthreaded itself! Of course!” Shu shouted sarcastically. He began to rethread the machine and get back to work.

Little time passed as the two boy’s work continued. Shu had reached a point in his piece where he needed to start sewing sleeves. This meant turning away from the machine to grab the next parts of fabric. When he turned back around to pin in the sleeves, the machine was once again unthreaded and turned off. This time his garnet under the press foot was in a pile on the floor.

“Kagehira!” Shu furiously called. His patience was almost gone and he was tired of Mikas disobedience.

“Ngah?? Now what?” He lifted his head from the table, ready to be scolded.

“I demand for you to tell me why you feel it's necessary to pull such an asinine prank!”

“‘M not playin’ any pranks! I promise!” Mika defended himself. It was true, he wasn’t doing anything. He hadn’t unthreaded the machine, he didn’t even know how to do that! But Shu was insistent on it being his fault.

“I swear, if you keep this up I will throw you out and you can go home early. I will not have any of this nonsense in my club room.” Shu was serious.

Maybe it was out of curiosity or maybe it was paranoia. Mika decided to discreetly watch the machine the next time Shu turned away to see what was really happening.

And then it happened. Shu put down his work and turned away to find a new color of thread. Mika peeked over his shoulder to watch the machine. He had to stop himself from gasping.

Right in front of his eyes, the machine slowly unthreaded itself. The thread fell as the presser foot flicked up, letting the garment join the thread on the floor.

“Oshi-san! Oshi-san!” Mika cried, demanding Shu’s attention to the mystery he just solved. “The machine! It unthreaded itself! I saw it! I watched it with my own two eyes!”

“Kagehira that’s it!” Shu banged his open palm down on the table, then grabbed Mika to lead him to the door. “Out! Out! I will not tolerate this any longer. Your behavior better be changed when I arrive home.”

“Ngaaa! Oshi-san wait ‘m not lyin’! Wait!” But it was too late, Shu had led Mika out into the hall and began shutting the door.

The door shut with a harsh click, locking Mika out in the hallways like a troublemaking student caught by his teacher. Well to Shu that was exactly what had happened. Before the door was closed all the way Mika peeked in, trying hard to get Shu to listen to his pleas, he noticed something about the doll sitting on the sewing table.

Mademoiselle’s head was turned all the way around to face him, her forever frozen smile cutting deep into Mika. He felt a shiver go down his spine, he swore he saw wrong. But the door closed too quickly and he was alone in the empty hallway. The feeling of the doll's stare still lingering on him.

—

The strange feelings and happenings didn’t stop. Actually, they became more and more bizarre.

In the mornings Mika was to wake up and make his bed (he insisted it didn’t matter, the bed was going to just get used again. But Shu is Shu, and a perfectly made bed was important to the morning routine). He hated doing it every morning but taking the extra time to tidy his room was better than being scolded. However, every time he’d turn away to clean another part of his room, he'd look back to see the sheets and blankets tossed and messed up again!

Throughout his day, things continuously went missing. Not just at home like his tie, but everywhere Mika went he’d constantly be misplacing his things. His homework would be gone from his bag when it was time to turn it in, when he swore he had packed it. His shoes in his locker would sometimes end up on the floor, like they’d fallen out of their cubby. Even his little dolls and plushies he kept in the handicraft room would be swapped around from their regular spots. It was nothing malicious, but it was very annoying. And Shu never believed Mika when he would come crying and whining about how all of his stuff was always missing or misplaced.

“You’re just being absentminded and disorganized.” Shu would tell him. “Your head is full of the same stuffing as all those plushies you love so much.”

It was fine that misfortune had befallen Mika, he was pretty used to it. If anything he was pretty used to things not going his way, his luck wasn’t exactly the strongest. But he could definitely go without being blamed for everything. He really didn’t think he was THAT scatterbrained to move around his belongings and forget. There was also something going on with Mademoiselle. Mika thought he had seen her move by herself on many occasions. Not just that time in the handicraft room, but in the house too. Mademoiselle could speak, but she wasn’t supposed to move.

Of course there was the spook-loving part of his brain that always jumped right to ghosts, ghouls and demons. And while that would certainly explain the weirdly messed up bed or the mysterious unthreading machine, ghosts weren’t real. Even Mika knew that.

But the more Mika told himself that, the more difficult it became to believe.

—

Then things got scary.

Another morning (the start of the day was always the most unlucky huh?) Mika shot awake screaming. He jerked upward, breathing heavy and sweating like crazy. Like he had just awoken from a nightmare, but Mika couldn’t remember if had even dreamt anything. Regardless, his body was reacting like he had just escaped the worst nightmare of his life. He calmed himself down, hoping his scream of terror didn’t alarm Shu. He really didn’t want to have to explain, he didn’t think he even could.

He finally felt his heart calm, but not for long. He turned his head to his side table and there sitting atop it was Mademoiselle. Her head was once again positioned to stare right at him, as if she was watching him sleep. Mika leapt from his seat, scrambling backwards to press against the corner of the wall. He held a staring match with the doll until he noticed something in her lap.

It was the decapitated head of one of his stuffed teddy bears.

This time he did scream. And it was loud. And it most certainly alerted his housemate.

Shu burst into the room, half annoyed and half concerned.

“What on earth is all the screaming about so early in the morning?”

Mika sat in fear, just pointing a shaky finger towards the doll and bear head. “I woke up an’ Mado-nee was sittin’ there with one a my bear’s heads in her lap like she killed ‘em!”

“What?” Shu shook his head, confused by Mika’s words.

“Mado-nee, I swear she’s movin’ all on her own, takin’ my things an messin’ with my stuff!” Mika cried.

“Non! You must be still asleep. Mademoiselle cannot move on her own Kagehira. She is a doll.” He scolded, picking her up from the nightstand, the bear head was nowhere in sight. “And stop taking her and putting her in strange places. She has no business being in your room amongst your other.. interesting belongings.” He commented on Mika’s weird arrangement of plushies and trinkets.

“Dolls can’t move on their own but ghosts sure can!” After the words left Mika’s mouth the air in the room shifted. Shu was silent before sighing again.

“Kagehira. Mademoiselle is not haunted. Maybe I need to do a more thorough check of your condition, your eyes may be failing you if you’re seeing such things. There is no such thing as ghosts.”

“Ngaahh…” Mika whined. He trusted Shu.

Nothing was wrong with Mademoiselle. Something was obviously just wrong with him.

—

Eventually scary turned frightening and Mika's trust in Shu’s words began to dwindle.

It was a typical day in the handicraft room. Shu only spent his time in two locations, his club room or his home. So there he was, sewing away at his machine. With every day he grew closer and closer to finishing his newest look. Mika was buzzing around him, trying to catch a glimpse of the near completed outfit. And as always, Mika flittering about was a distraction to his work.

“I know it is very exciting that the outfit is almost complete, but if you could just sit still it could be completed faster.” Shu asked. It wasn’t a difficult request, but to Mika sitting still was practically impossible.

“Mmm okie Oshi-san, I can try but 'm just too gosh darn excited!” he squealed, flapping his arms about as proof, “Can I make us some tea instead?”

“I suppose that would be a better use of your time.” He answered back, giving permission and a task to preoccupy Mika.

Mika happily skipped over to the little kitchenette in their club room. It had a small counter space and a sink, with glass cabinets above it and wooden storage ones below. In the upper carinated were some delicate ceramic tea cups and decorative tea sets. Usually Shu and Mika used two very specific cups, but the rest were handy on the off chance they had visitors. Whether they were desired visitors or not, they still received the same treatment of tea and snacks. Shu took pride in his hospitality.

Mika delicately handled the tea cups, placing them on the counter as he prepared hot water. There was no stove in their room so instead they were forced to use an electric kettle. Still got the job done, even if Shu complained that it tasted different. The water was hot and ready for tea leaves and that’s all Mika cared about. So Mika carefully brewed the tea, he had perfected the way Shu liked it, down to every detail. He could at least impress the man with that.

So with his perfectly crafted cup of tea, Mika tip-toed back over to the sewing table. With slightly shaky hands, he carefully placed the cup down in front of Shu. In his peripheral vision he thought he saw a small blur of blue and turned to find its source. Before he knew it, the tea cup had gently touched down. Well gently is what normally happens. As soon as the cup touched the wood of the table it shattered into a million tiny pieces, the hot water splashing on Mika’s hands and spilling onto the work surface. He jumped back with a yelp, cradling his burned and cut hand. A few shards had sliced into him, causing small wounds on his fingers, thankfully only bleeding slightly. Mika winced, not from the pain, but from the fear of Shu's berating over his clumsiness. Instead Shu leapt from his chair and right over to the injured boy.

“Kagehira?? What happened?” True worry behind his voice. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine, the cup jus’ shattered in my hand- I don’t know what happened!” He cried, peeking at the mess of ceramic shards and spilled tea. Some of the liquid had seeped into Mademoiselle’s dress. Her head was turned, looking right at the mess below her.

Mika’s eyes teared up, feeling guilty for the mess he created and tearing his Oshi-san away from his project, “‘M sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing?” Shu took Mika’s shaking hands into his own, examining the damage done. “This isn’t your fault. Things become damaged and break, it’s only natural. We need to bandage up your fingers. Is your hand burnt from the water?”

“N-no… it wasn’t that hot.” Mika still felt guilty, but Shu’s words of reassurance made him a little bit better about the accident.

“Thank goddess.” He sighed with relief. Knowing Mika wasn’t too injured, he let go of the boy’s hands to retrieve their first aid kit. He reached down in the bottom cabinets of the kitchenette to find the familiar handle of the kit.

While his head was dipped down, the glass cabinets above him rattled. Mika stood by the table, awaiting Shu’s care. He noticed Mademoiselle, her dress stained with tea, the blue dyed a dark brown. He watched as her head jerked unnaturally and on its own, to stare daggers at Shu. Before Mika could scream at the sight, there was a sudden crash.

Every single teacup in the cabinet shattered.

Shu quite literally jumped into the air, scrambling backwards from the exploding noise above his head. It was unnatural, almost supernatural. Every teacup was destroyed behind the glass of the cabinets, just as the one on the table had.

“W-W-What happened?” Mika stuttered out, still holding his hand to his chest, not believing what had just transpired.

Shu, picking himself up from the floor, began muttering under his breath, “I-It’s the change in pressure from t-the weather. Yes, that explains it. The p-pressure in the air.” The unsureness made the statement feel less like a simple explanation and answer to Mika’s question, and more like he was trying hard to convince himself.

Mika wondered if it was a good time to bring up the haunted thing again. Ultimately he decided against it, but he just couldn’t forget the sight of Mademoiselle’s head turning on its own. Shu had left Mademoiselle in the room. Not even noticing her turned head and tea stained dress. The air in the club room was cold.

Shu took Mika to the infirmary instead, mumbling unconvincing lies to himself down the hall the entire way.

—

Their days were now filled with paranoia. Although Shu still refused to believe in any ghosts or anything paranormal, it certainly didn't stop him from flinching at every little noise. Even normal mishaps and accidents caused by Mika spooked Shu in ways it never had before.

Mika had become extra weary of Mademoiselle. She talked like herself, but she certainly was not acting like herself. He found himself watching her, waiting for her to move her head in unnatural ways and cause more chaos. But she never did. It was like she- or whatever was inside her- had gotten more careful.

But things weren't just happening to Mika anymore. Oh no. Shu had started to get a taste of the horrors Mika had been facing. It wasn’t something either of them could ignore.

And Mika was very very sure. They were haunted.

Now he just had to get Shu to believe it.

At the rate things were going it wasn’t going to take very long at all.

The start of school days for the Valkyrie pair were pretty consistent. Every morning they would drop their things off in the club room and head to class. Pretty standard. It was a rare day where Shu surprisingly wanted to attend class. He left Mademoiselle in the safety of the handicraft room and made his way to the 3rd year classrooms. Mika was happy Shu was actually showing interest in school studies, but leaving Mado-nee behind had a different implication.

Was he weary of her too?

A very thought that shook Mika to the core. He wasn’t able to tell what the doll felt. If anyone knew what Mademoiselle was thinking or feeling, it was Shu. They were one in the same, you didn’t see one without the other. So the two being separated meant something bad. And that’s what Mika feared the most.

The fear didn’t subside through the day. All through class, Mika could only think about something real bad happening to Mademoiselle or Shu. So much so, he didn’t even hear the bell ring at the end of the day.

“Mika-chan? Are you alright?” Arashi asked, watching her friend completely spaced out. It wasn’t until she nudged his shoulder that the boy came back to life.

“Ngah! Naru-chan? Didja call me?” Mika suddenly noticed the empty classroom. “Oh gosh, is class over?”

“Yeah it ended a few minutes ago, you looked so lost in thought, is everything ok?”

“Ah ‘m not so sure but I got this real bad feelin’ so I gotta go right now! Sorry!” He apologized for once again leaving Arashi hanging. And then he was out the door and rushing down the hallway.

Mika reached the door to the club room and Shu was standing in front of it, his hand frozen on the door handle. Shu must have heard the other’s hurried footsteps because he snapped out of his stare, turning to the boy. Shaking off whatever he was worried about to try and show Mika he was fine. As if Mika couldn’t see right through him. The events of the past day were still fresh in both of their minds.

“There you are Kagehira. I thought you were going to be late. Let’s go in and start working, I am extremely close to finishing as you know.” His hand was still unmoving around the doorknob.

“Yeah I know, but ya never wait fer me to go into the club room. Usually if I come late yer already super concentrated on yer work.”

“Are you trying to scold me for being curious and waiting on you for once?” He turned his head, not showing Mika his expression. Then getting courage from Mika’s presence, finally turned the handle and opened the door. “Well now that you’re here we might as well go in together. Remind me to never wait for you again then, if you’re going to complain about my kindness.”

The door slowly swung open. The room’s lights were off. Which was normal. What wasn’t normal was the pitch blackness. All the blinds were closed tight, not letting any light in. They never touched the blinds.

They both stared into the darkness, afraid of what they’d find when the lights flicked on.

Mika hid behind Shu.

“Don’t shiver behind me like a scared puppy Kagehira. Are you suddenly afraid of the dark? Mon Dieu, you are really like a child.”

“Ngahh Oshi-san ‘m not scared, yer the one shakin’ and shiverin’. Why don’t ya turn on the light then.”

He huffed as Mika teased him. He was not shaking, they both were. But to show off that he evidently was NOT sacred, Shu took the first step into the room and flicked the switch.

Bright lights filled the room for a second, then they immediately began to flicker on and off. When they finally flashed on in full force, the two were blinded, trying to adjust to the room.

Then their eyes laid upon the sight in front of them.

Their room was in shambles. Chairs were upturned, laying on their sides. Fabric from their shelves were unfurled and in piles on the floor. Mika plushies were thrown about the room. It was a mess. But the biggest thing was right dead in the middle of it all.

The mannequin holding Shu’s near completed dress was now empty. It’s intricate pieces and patterns were unstitched and scattered around the floor, like the garment had never been worked on at all. Weeks of hard work and dedication, undone. And who was sitting in the middle of it all? Mademoiselle, her face smiling her never-changing, peaceful look.

Shu’s face looked nowhere near peaceful. His expression was twisted in one of horror and confusion. How on earth did his work get destroyed? And in such a bizarre way. The dress wasn’t ripped or torn, there was no sign of scissor cuts or anything of the like. It was like all the thread had fallen out of the fabric, but that wasn’t physically possible.

Shu softly gasped, dropping his school bag, stuttering and struggling to get any words out. Still not fully registering the state his dress was in. He couldn’t decide if he was angry or upset.

Mika stared in disbelief too. He knew he wasn’t to blame, and he knew Shu would never blame him for it either. All the harmless “jokes” were one thing, but Mika wouldn’t DARE ever touch Shu’s art. This went above and beyond a silly prank. He wanted to say something, anything, that would make Shu feel better. But he struggled to find the right words to console the man.

Mika wanted to find the culprit. He would be boiling with anger if he found out it was the work of another student. But looking at the doll seated gently on the floor, Mika couldn’t help but want to place the blame onto her. He wanted to suggest it to Shu, beg and cry and convince him they were being haunted by some strange entity now living in their precious Mademoiselle. Would Shu believe him now?

He noticed how Shu was gazing down at the doll. Confusion. Maybe he had finally reached the same conclusion as Mika.

Shu let go of a long held sigh. Releasing his tight closed fists. He shakily crouched down to pick up the scattered pieces of his garment, carefully moving around the doll, as if knocking into her would cause more misfortune. Once collected he placed them on the work table. He closed his eyes, as if he was contemplating something. Then he swiftly turned back to face the doll, scooping her up and quickly deposited her into Mika’s arms. Shu grabbed his school bag, and without a word exited the room.

Mika stood in the empty room with Mademoiselle in his hands. The club room was eerily quiet. The same cold atmosphere from the previous day. He didn’t know how long he stood there, it could have been 30 seconds or 30 minutes. He recalled every situation thus far. When did it start? When did he notice it?

Then it dawned on him. The night Arashi and Ristu had come over. The Ouija board. They summoned something. A ghost? A demon?

Then the lights flickered again. Mika stiffened. He swore he heard someone giggling.

He bolted down the hallway after Shu.

—

“Oshi-san! Oshi-san wait fer me!” Mika called, running out of the school doors. Shu was almost out of the front gates when Mika finally caught up. He was out of breath, resting his hands on his knees trying to breathe. Shu waited for him to recover. “Y-Ya gotta listen to me!”

“Non! Kagehira I do not want to hear any of your ridiculous ghost stories right now. Do not even try, I do not want to hear a single peep from you on the topic.” He began to scold Mika, walking off and down the street towards their home.

“Mado-nee is definitely haunted! Listen! I think me and-“ Shu cut him off.

“Kagehira!” He finally snapped, “There is no such thing as ghosts! Everything that has happened to us has been a very long and unfortunate string of events. Everything you’ve misplaced is just your normal scatterbrained self. You put things in strange places and then forget! And because your brain is full of feathers you equate it to something supernatural!”

"Oshi-san-“

“The teacups breaking was the change in pressure caused by the weather. It always happens around this time of year. The dress-“ he faltered, “The dress was a work of sabotage, done by another unit to try and pull us down once again.”

Mika tried so hard to just believe Shu, to listen to his reasoning.

“Your brain is filling in the blanks of all this misfortune befalling us. Sometimes we get bad luck.”

“But- But Oshi-san this ain’t just bad luck- I’ve been seein’ things and-“

“There is no such thing as ghosts!”

A car’s blaring honk cut through the conversation. It swerved, almost hitting the two. Mika stumbled, almost dropping Mademoiselle. They had almost been hit by a car.

“See!” Mika cried

Shu said nothing. Speeding ahead.

—

They made it home without any more accidents. Shu entered first, with the other behind him. Mika gently shut the door but a force from behind slammed it, causing Mika to ram into Shu in front of him.

Shu turned around to scowl at him. “I’ve just about had enough of today’s ridiculousness.” He took his shoes off and turned to disappear up the staircase to his bedroom. Mika shuck his own shoes off and placed Mademoiselle on the couch, making sure to remember the exact spot she was sitting. Once it was committed to memory, he followed Shu upstairs.

He entered his own room and gasped. There was no end to the harassment.

Every single teddy bear in his room was decapitated. With a pair of silver scissors sitting on his bed. Before he could call out, he heard a shriek form downstairs. It was obvious who it belonged to. The lights flickered again. Another giggle.

Mika flew down the stairs rounding the hall through the living room and into the kitchen. Shu was freaking out in the kitchen. Mademoiselle was sitting on the counter with a large and very sharp knife stabbed into the cutting board just inches away from her dress.

“K-Kagehira…?” He stuttered out, trying to turn his head but too afraid to move his eyes off the doll.

Then the lights blew out. They both screeched.

The lights of a few surrounding candles lit on fire around them, dying the room in a deep red. The stove turned on, illuminating the room further. The TV flicked on from the living room, grey static buzzing behind them.

All the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen flew open, banging into each other amongst the chaos.

In like typical horror movie fashion, knives from one of the open drawers floated up into the air. Mika and Shu screamed, stumbling backwards and hitting the kitchen table by the wall. The knives flew across the room towards the pair. They ducked in time, and the knives made contact with the wall behind them, becoming stuck. Mika and Shu looked nervously at the knives above them.

“H-H-HAUNTED!” Mika cried. “I TOLD YA! HAUNTED!”

Then the same giggle. It came right from Mademoiselle’s spot on the counter. The doll lifted from her spot, levitating into the air and towards the two, picking up forks, knives, and other sharp kitchen utensils as she grew closer.

Another pair of screams, and the two sprinted down the hall to the living room, dodging all flying objects being thrown at them. They desperately tried to escape, if it was at all possible.

She continued to giggle as she followed them, picking up books and other objects to float menacingly around her.

“M-Mademoiselle! Why are you doing this?” Shu stuttered out. Mika was holding onto his arm in fear. They had been backed up against a corner of the living room, too scared to move. The possessed doll was closing in on them.

“That ain’t Mado-nee that’s a ghost!”

Then, from the doll, a raspy voice spoke. It was unlike Mademoiselle at all. “I am NOT a ghost!”

The two boys stiffened. Mika turned to Shu, burying his head into his shoulder.

“‘M sorry Oshi-san, this is all my fault! When I had Naru-chan and Ritsu-kun over without yer permission, we played with this spooky board and musta accident summoned a ghost and now its haunted Mado-nee!”

“I’m NOT a ghost!” It growled this time. “You dare speak to me, you little worm!”

“Ngaaah!!”

“If you want to know why I'm doing this so badly, I’ll tell you. At first I was angry about being summoned. But I found such a perfect host. Your little doll. Your home as well, it was comfortable, just my style. I was ready to give up haunting to live peacefully in this home and doll. All with you,” it turned to Shu, “You took such gentle care of me. Caring for me like I was your child. It felt nice, I was at peace for once in my demonic life... But there was one issue.”

“YOU.”

A handfuls of forks were thrown towards Mika. None of them hit him, rather they pinned him to the wall and away from clinging onto Shu.

“Oshi-san!” Mika cried out, scared and separated from him.

“Silence!” It screamed, “I had almost fallen in love with this pink haired mortal. His style, aesthetic, everything. It was perfect. But there was one little worm always in my way. I had assumed that he didn’t really like you all that much.” It said in an almost sorry tone, “The way he criticized you and scolded you, treating you like a broken, useless doll. If I made you appear as more of a failure then you already were then he would soon get rid of you. I was doing you both a favor.”

“What! Why me?” Mika called out, hoping Shu would pipe up and say something. Another fork was thrown at him, landing inches from his face. Mika shut up.

“Then he started showing compassion for you over me. I grew angry. Why? You're clumsy, disobedient, and overall a mess! You go against all of his aesthetics! Nothing but a thorn at his side, dragging him down.”

“That is enough Mademoiselle.” Shu had gained enough courage to get up from the floor and step towards the floating doll. “I won’t let you throw a fit like this, it is unbecoming of a lady like yourself.”

“What- I’m not-“ it sputtered out. “Did you miss the part where-“

“You do not need to feel jealous about Kagehira. You know I care for you and love you so much. You are my most precious person, Mademoiselle.”

“I AM NOT YOUR DOLL!” It grew angrier.

“She’s a ghost!” Mika said.

“I'M A DEMON!” Out of anger and frustration, it grabbed more loose items and silverware to circle around it, promising hurt to anyone defying it. Mika pressed himself closer to the wall, afraid he was going to be stabbed and pelted by flying objects. Even if this demon wanted both him and Shu dead, it seemed to have the most aggression towards him.

Shu didn’t have the same fear as Mika. He took more and more steps towards the doll, until he was practically face to face with her. Speaking right to her.

“It is okay to act up Mademoiselle, we go through phases of our life, we deal with new emotions and feelings. Just never forget I will always be here for you.” He grabbed the back of the doll's head, slightly caressing it. He planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Ah…” the demon quietly said, surprised by the action.

Then all the books and silverware and such dropped to the floor and Mademoiselle fell gently into Shu’s arms. The demon was calmed and had disappeared out of their lives. The lights finally flickered back on and the ordeal was finally over.

Shu had exercised the demon with a simple kiss.

Mika was freed from his fork-prison and could finally get up. Still shaken, but impressed by what Shu had pulled off.

“Wow Oshi-san! Ya calmed that demon down with just a kiss!”

“Non! Do not call Mademoiselle a demon. She was simply having a moment. Though I suppose you could call it something like a demonic tantrum.”

Mika’s eyes were wide. All this time and he still didn’t believe all that was the work of something paranormal. That was just like Shu.

“If she thinks she can get away with acting up in my home, I’ll have to scold her just as I do with you. I will not tolerate disobedient behavior.”

“Are ya sure that wasn’t just a ghosty demon of some sort? I mean she did say she was a demon, like a lot. She repeated it like 3 times. Also she was flyin’ around in the air and makin’ things float!”

“Non! How many times will I have to tell you? It's like your ears are blocked by stuffing. We’re going to have to do maintenance sooner than I anticipated.”

Well everything was back to normal so Mika guessed it was fine. Shu could believe whatever he wanted, even if that meant thinking Mademoiselle had supernatural-like powers to levitate herself and other things. Mika wasn’t going to complain, it wasn’t the weirdest thing about Shu. And he was just glad it was over. He had a lot of teddy bears to sew up. At least that meant busy work for him while Shu redid his garment.

“Eheheh,” Mika giggled, feeling the mood lighten. “Maybe next time ‘m actin’ up you can give me a kiss too!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It would take a lot more than just a kiss to quell a demonic tantrum of yours.” He sighed, it was probably true. “Don’t just stand around, start cleaning up this mess so we can begin dinner. All these nonsensical happenings have caused me to have an appetite for once. Chop chop!” He ordered Mika.

“Yeah yeah. Okie Oshi-san.”

Mika obeyed, picking up stray silverware around the floor, eventually making his way to the kitchen where Shu had placed Mademoiselle. He was closing drawers and cabinets while looking for the right pots and pans to start dinner. Mika grew closer still on his fork and knife hunt. He watched Mademoiselle’s head ever so slightly turn to meet him, her smile the same as always.

Mika jumped, sending his freshly picked up silverware clattering back onto the floor. He blinked hard, and once he opened his eyes her head was faced normal, looking right at Shu as she should be. He was definitely still spooked from everything. It was just lingering paranoia.

“Kagehira! I told you to pick up the mess, not make an even bigger one! Good heavens, I worry about you sometimes.” he shook his head.

“Ngaah, sorry Oshi-san! It wasn’t a ghost this time, just me bein’ clumsy as always!”

“Very funny Kagehira.” Shu sighed, finding the pot he wanted to begin preparing the rice.

“Ooh! Can we have curry tonight for dinner?”

“I suppose yes. We do deserve a treat after this rough week.” He chuckled to himself, putting all the misfortune behind them.

Mika giggled with him, the mood had certainly lightened. He felt better knowing everyone was back to being themselves, completely forgetting the sight of Mademoiselle moving on her own still. It didn’t matter, everything was as it should be.

But no one heard the extra voice laughing amongst them.