Chapter Text
“Woaaaa!! Guys, look, look! Nene-chan, Tsukasa-kun, Rui-kun!!!” Emu called her troupe-mates over to the corner the squad had never checked before in SEKAI.
Halloween was only a few weeks away, and they had come up with a Halloween show. They had a nice plot, they’d mastered their roles, and mostly memorized their lines—but they had no costumes, and Mizuki was unavailable due to something going on with their music group. But…here was four perfect costumes. And they all fit the roles.
See, Tsukasa was going to be a werewolf, Rui was going to be a vampire, Nene was going to be a siren, and Emu was going to be a witch. Tsukasa and Emu were the protagonists while Nene and Rui were the antagonists, although Emu and Rui were only Tsukasa and Nene’s assistants. So, here was a vampire costume, a werewolf costume, tail and ears, a siren tail and top, and a witch’s hat, wand, and costume. In a shady corner behind the stage in SEKAI.
What the fuck? Nene first thought.
“Ah! They’re perfect! Emu-kun, it’s so wonderful that you found these for us,” Rui praised Emu before showing Tsukasa the costumes. Tsukasa looked shocked. Like, his underwear, both socks and underpants fell off shocked. Then he looked disturbed. Nene too, but she looked more disappointed than anything.
“Are you sure there isn’t like…drugs laced on them or anything?” Nene asked suspiciously, folding her arms with that exasperated look she always gave when the trio had a bad idea. Tsukasa frowned at her, despite agreeing. “Nene, that’s pretty unrealistic.” He put his hands on his hips, furrowing his brow.
“Sure, but SEKAI is literally like a fantasy land…” Nene rolled her eyes as she retorted. Rui pouted at her before inspecting the costumes for two seconds each. He picked them up with the tips of his fingers for a second (which would’ve given Nene and Tsukasa a heart attack out of worry if he didnt have gloves on) and stared at it for another.
“Nope! These are fine, Nene! Quit being so pessimistic…” he teased the diva, which had earned him a flick on the forehead. Nene may not be very strong, but damn, her nails were long and sharp. Rui winced and whined a bit before leaving her alone, although Nene seemed a bit less suspicious. Tsukasa, trusting his girlfriend’s judgement, also believed in the costumes a bit more.
“Nene-chan! Rui-kun! Tsukasa-kun! Let’s just try these on, okay?” Emu said nervously, trying to break them up. The other three agreed, thankfully, and they found themselves in a vampire costume, werewolf costume, mermaid costume, and a witch costume.
”Huh. It’s oddly comfortable. Like, it’s not tight or itchy or loose…like it’s just for me…” Nene mumbled, feeling the tail on her costume. Usually, it was hard for her to walk when she had the tail on, but…it almost felt natural at the moment. Tsukasa, Rui, and Emu nodded.
”The hat fits my head perfectly!” Emu smiled brightly, adding onto what Nene said. Rui decided to join in as well, his costume seeming perfect to himself as well. “I agree. The fangs fit my teeth perfectly.”
Is it just me or is Rui a bit pale…?
Tsukasa nodded, feeling the soft ears and tail on his head and at his rear. “Indeed! I could howl at this moment!”
Nene and Rui stared at him blankly as Emu gave Tsukasa (what she was trying to make) an encouraging smile (although it looked more concerned).
”What? What’s wrong?” Tsukasa asked, frowning as he felt his face worriedly. “Nene! Rui! Emu! Why’re you all looking at me like that???!!!” He got loud with nervousness clear in his face and voice.
”…weirdo,” Nene mumbled, looking down at herself nonchalantly as Tsukasa’s jaw dropped dramatically. Rui kept himself from laughing, although it was obvious he was struggling at the task.
”Wh-what??!!! NENE!!!! I AM NOT!!!” Tsukasa defended himself, although his argument was equivalent to, “nuh-uh.” And to match Tsukasa’s “nuh-uh”….
”Yes you are.”
…Nene fought back with a “yuh-huh”. Rui giggled like the little 12-year-old at heart he was. “Nene…that’s not a very nice way to treat your one and only love, is it?” He teased, smirking at the pale-green-haired girl. He in return received a glare. “You’re both annoying as hell.”
Emu gasped. “Nene-chan!! Be nice to Rui-kun and Tsukasa-kun! That was extra mean!” She pouted, although Emu herself found the situation funny. Nene sighed exasperatedly, folding her arms again as she tapped a foot on the Wonder Stage’s floor.
Eventually, their banter had stopped and the squad agreed that the costumes would be perfect to wear for their show. Each took their own costume home.
___:)____
In Nene’s bathroom, there was a very doubtful Nene looking at herself in the mirror after taking a shower. She brushed her wet hair as she talked to herself.
”Were we meant to find those? What if we weren’t…? But if we weren’t, then why were they so perfect? It’s probably coincidence, but it’s a very unbelievable one…” she sighed, putting on her shirt as she overthinked.
“I’m probably thinking about this too much, but still…jeez, why am I like this? Even Tsukasa wasn’t…” she mumbled, beating herself up mentally for being such a worrywart. Nene put on a pair of socks before putting on some shorts.
Nene took a look at herself again as she washed her face with a yawn. Her skin felt weird. Nothing happened to it, it just felt weird. What if that stupid costume did have some sort of disease? Wait, no, she shouldn’t just blame the shady costume…
Either way, her skin seemed fine. It just felt weird. Maybe it was the unfamiliar face wash Nene’s mom had bought for her recently. Who knows. Nene didn’t want to go to sleep thinking so much (because she wouldn’t be able to), so she wasn’t about to start trying too hard to find out why.
”Hnngh,” Nene grumbled as she stumbled over to her bed, plopping down on it as soon as her knees hit the edge. She groaned softly before passing out right there.
____XD_____
Emu was trying the witch costume on again. She loved it. A lot. It made her feel magical! Like an actual witch! The hat fit so perfectly it never fell off, even with all of her energetic bouncing.
”Emu! Get some sleep! Everyone can hear you…” Shousuke complained, before adding, “plus, you have school in the morning, and if you don’t go to bed now, you’ll probably be up all night…” he sighed.
“Okaaayyy!!!” Emu called to him, making her voice nice and loud so that he could hear her. Shousuke heard Emu alright—and he didn’t like it too much. He grumbled, although the pinkette didn’t hear.
Emu reluctantly took off her hat and put down the wand. She slipped off the witch dress and sighed as she stared at the wand placed at her feet.
She felt like it was calling to her.
Emu shook her head and picked the wand up again, but only to put it down in a spot where it wouldn’t be broken by any feet. Emu didn’t want to let go of it again, but she was able to.
She put on a set of comfy and warm pajamas to be the heat of the night’s cool October temperature. Emu eyed the wand and hat before furrowing her brow and shaking her head again.
What is wrong with me? Emu sighed.
She slipped into bed and grabbed her phone to say goodnight to Tsukasa, Nene, and Rui.
_____
Emu: goodnight guys!!!
Rui: Goodnight Emu ( ^ω^ )
Tsukasa: 𝖌𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙
_____
Tsukasa texted back a few minutes late, but it was whatever. Nene didn’t say goodnight at all. She didn’t even see the message. Emu assumed she just fell asleep before she saw it.
Emu yawned as she rolled onto her stomach to sleep, her face turned to the side so she could breathe without the pillow challenging her.
Soon, Emu was snoring loudly. The Ootoris couldn’t have quiet, even when Emu was asleep, it seemed.
____>:D_____
Tsukasa was repainting his nails a green color as he yawned. He felt…a bit strange. His nails suddenly seemed longer, too, and sharper. Almost as much as Nene’s! And hers were SHARP!!
He yelped, much alike a dog, when his sister entered the room. “Onii-chan, have you even taken a shower yet? It’s so late…why are you painting your nails?” Saki gasped. “Wait, can I join? Mom told me to tell you to get to bed, though, so we have to be quick.” She joined her brother on his bed, which left Tsukasa confused, but he was willing to help his sister paint her nails.
”Damn! Your nails are so long!” Saki exclaimed, impressed. Tsukasa shrugged and nodded, filing her nails. He applied the nail polish onto four of her fingers before putting them in a blue light.
“You want green too, right?” Tsukasa asked. Saki nodded enthusiastically, grinning. Tsukasa put her thumb into the hot blue light next, painting the other hand with nail polish as they waited.
Once they were done with the nail painting, Saki smiled and got up. “Okay, Onii-chan…take a shower now and go to sleep, or go to sleep now and take a shower in the morning. I don’t care, but go to sleep!!” Saki closed the door as Tsukasa sighed.
He turned on his phone to next Nene. Every night, the two would exchange their own “goodnight”s and “I love you”s, even if the Wonderlands x Showtime group chat said goodnight anyways.
_____
Tsukasa: GOODNIGHT NENE!!!
Tsukasa: I love you!!!!!!
_______
He didn’t get anything back. He didn’t even get left on read!!! He got left on…
DELIVERED!!!!
What if Nene was dead? What if there really was drugs laced on the costumes that had killed her? What if, on the way home, she’d been separated from Rui and kidnapped? What if she didn’t love him anymore? What if Nene hated him now? What if Tsukasa accidentally pissed her off? What if she was actually with his sister? What if—
Oops. Most of those were very unlikely, so Tsukasa shook the thoughts away, although he was still worried as hell, like the pathetic man he was.
He realized that while he was overthinking about Nene not responding or reading his message, Emu and Rui had said their goodnights in the Wonderlands x Showtime group chat. Nene wasn’t responding in there either. Huh.
He texted back before setting his phone down and trying to sleep. Although…Tsukasa ended up sleeping in a curled up position that was not far from the way a dog would sleep.
(Little did he know, Nene’s mom had her phone and was going through Nene and Tsukasa’s messages.)
_____:3_____
Rui yawned, his head on his desk. “Mmmm…” he mumbled sleepily. Rui tried to pick up a paper to continue writing the script (the printer he usually used was out of ink) but got a papercut in the process.
”Ow…” he whined, looking at his bleeding finger. It was kind-of deep, for a papercut anyways, and there was quite a bit of blood.
Rui…Rui drooled. He drooled at the sight of the blood.
He licked his finger, sucking on the blood. It tasted oddly good. Of course, blood had a peculiar flavor that Rui kind-of liked, even before, but now…? It tasted better than soda candy.
Rui mumbled at himself disappointedly for liking the taste so much, although he was still biting at his finger for more blood. Rui caught himself and stopped, focusing on rewriting the script on paper again. He had to rewrite it for himself because, well…Rui may or may not have lost it on the way home. It was pretty late, and he was eepy. Very eepy.
Rui yawned before looking at the fangs he left in his mouth. He spit them out onto his hand before setting them to the side. Again, Rui resumed rewriting his script. He’d have to finish it before the next day…
”Nnnghh…” Rui groaned, trying to stay awake. His phone lit up with a notification from Emu on the Wonderlands x Showtime group chat.
He replied with a “goodnight” before falling asleep. Right then and there.
______________
The four were going to wake up to a not-so-pleasant surprise.