Akiyama Mio hated her job. She absolutely loathed it.

Mature, responsible and diligent academic-wise, and not to mention her high ranking in the looks and popularity department; Mio was admired and envied throughout her whole school life.

She had just graduated from high school and was currently looking for a part-time job before she started university in a couple of months.

Alas, somewhere along the line of job hunting, Mio was accidentally tricked into signing a three-month contract for a certain company. Despite her strong protests, Mio was helplessly unable to back out.

The raven haired beauty had tried to suck up her fear and just cope as best as she could− which was much easier said than done.

Her friends and family had tried to be as supportive as they could. Indeed, although the pay wasn't very high, it was worth it considering that the job was relatively easy. They had also persuaded her that taking this job would be a good opportunity to get over her fears.

But Mio knew that her family and friends were more amused than anything else.

Suppressing a shudder, Mio tried not to seem too suspicious. Her robotic yet unsteady gait raised a few curious eyebrows, but no comments were made.

Noticing several gazes directed at her, Mio kept her eyes to the floor as she stiffly walked into her workplace.

Which was…

A haunted house located at a large theme park.

Chapter 1: Troublemaker.

"I know you're no good but you're stuck in my brain."

Disclaimer: K-ON! BELONGS TO KAKIFLY.

Warning: Unbeta-ed and isn't considered as a serious project. Read at your own risk.

Mio sighed unhappily at her misfortune.

Her very first entry into the building had traumatized her beyond repair; and the tourists ended up carrying her unconscious body out.

Although she wouldn't confess this openly, Mio had inwardly admitted to herself that it wasn't as horrifying as one of the staff. The only sole factor of this was that she wasn't at the receiving end of her colleagues and the insanely realistic props.

Now, her colleagues were genuinely friendly people. Mio had absolutely nothing against them. She was the youngest among them; and majority of her colleagues were just a few years apart from her.

However.

Just the mere sight of her unrecognizable colleagues in their role-playing outfits; and Mio could barely resist taking off with her eyes tightly screwed shut and her hands clamped over her ears as she crouched in a corner.

She was nearing the end of her first month; and Mio still wasn't faring as well as she had hoped for.

Her manager had generously gave her a relatively simple role in the house of terror− which was to quietly stay in the shadows and stealthily creep after the tourists who were brave enough to enter; and emit a hair-raising groan or a bloodcurdling shriek when least expected.

"Yo," her manager greeted. "Your costume's waiting in the usual room. Our newest batch just went in, but you should be able to catch up if you hurry."

Mio nodded and turned to leave. Before she could completely exit the room however, her manager called out after her, "Try not to faint again, okay?"

Mio groaned softly, able to sense him chuckling to himself without even turning around. "I won't!" Why is he still stubbornly refusing to forget her little incident ages ago?

After collecting her respective attire and changing in the room open for the staff only, Mio strode over to the make-up station. She shuddered lightly as she recalled how she had almost fainted again when she cracked her eyes open after the make-up lady was done with her.

Luckily for herself, Mio had gotten the hand of it by the second session. She requested to do her own make-up from then on as it was less frightening that way.

It wasn't that hard. She just had to add thick eyeliner, scarlet lipstick and powder her face stark white. This was much simpler compared to several others who had to endure hours while receiving professional make-up.

Now clad in a custom-made, tattered wedding dress, Mio was breathtakingly beautiful. Even with the large bloodstain at her stomach area too (which her manager had repeated assured that it was just red food dye). Her jet black hair contrasted with her bloody gown and overly powdered white face, making her a truly heart-stopping sight in the dark.

With her hair mysteriously covering her pale, moonlike face, Mio still preferred to avoid all mirrors until she was out of the horrendous dress and her face was completely make-up free.

Mio sighed again. She didn't know if she could last another sixty-two days. Yes, she had been secretly counting down the days of torture she had to endure.

There were secret passageways and shortcuts throughout the whole building. This was convenient as the staff could use this to their advantage by disappearing among the darkness and reappearing somewhere else.

The house of terror was basically themed after a large, Victorian-era mansion. Every room had an unsuspecting surprise. Mio had memorized the entire floor plan by her fourth day and knew every single room and corridor by heart.

Her colleagues were amazed at how quickly she had adapted and memorized the entire building. But Mio knew better− she had the floor plan hardwired into her brain so she could steer clear and avoid as many traps as she could.

As she approached the hallway, she heard several alarmed yells and girlish shrieks. Easily, Mio had caught up with the newest group of tourists, who were a bunch of teenagers. She slowed her walking pace as she noticed the petrified expressions of their newest customers.

The corridor was dim. The only sources of light were the occasional flickering of several candles from the torches hung across the wall. The dark maroon, floral-designed wallpaper was stained with damp marks that looked suspiciously like handprints.

And there was a strange, muffled sobbing from the end of the narrow hallway, which was growing increasingly louder.

The group soon realized that the broken sobs were coming from a limp body lying on the ground; who was barricading the only exit.

The figure was leaning against the wall, her shoulders shaking as she wailed softly. Upon closer inspection, the feminine figure was clad in a coal black ball-gown, with powdered skin as pale as Mio's. Her lips were adorned with dark lipstick of the same colour as her dress.

Mio shivered. She knew what was coming next.

The group of teens was tightly huddled together like penguins; with the guys wearily looking around while the girls shrieked upon noticing the unmoving woman. They hadn't noticed Mio's arrival as they were too focused with their current predicament− how were they supposed to avoid the sobbing woman while getting to the exit?

They knew something was going to happen. They just didn't know what.

Mio's heart went out to them immediately. She understood their feelings all too well.

A guy hesitated uncertainly. "Is she… crying?"

"Let's just get out of here," his friend hissed back.

"But she's crying blood? !" the first guy whispered in horror.

And indeed, she was.

There were two trails of thick, dark maroon liquid flowing down her cheeks from her closed eyes.

Without warning, the body sat upright stiffly. Her eyes snapped open, revealing blood red irises which stared at the group lifelessly.

The teens froze; some in morbid fascination while the others were paralyzed from fear, as the woman shakily stood up and staggered towards them.

"U-um, hi," a guy said weakly, trying to hold his façade of bravado. "We're just passing, so please d-don't mind us?"

The group had unconsciously started taking several steps backwards as the woman continued to limp forward, her dead eyes fixated on them.

Suddenly, she threw her head back slightly and emitted a high pitched, ear-grating screech that echoed throughout the hallway before lurching forward violently in a limping charge.

Mio flinched, but held her ground, barely resisting the urge to run away screaming.

The entire room erupted into terrified shouts and shrill shrieks as they violently turned around to escape to the previous room.

Then they saw Mio.

Naturally, more chaos ensured.

They must have found Mio more frightening− who couldn't decide if it was a compliment or insult− as they bolted towards the exit, despite the other woman in the way.

In their desperate attempt to get out of the hallway, the entire group had literally pushed each other to get to the exit.

During the mini-stampede, one of them had accidentally shouldered the woman, who lost her balance (and scary factor) due to her uneven high heels.

With an uncharacteristic "Oof!", the woman went down tumbling, mildly swearing at her unreliable footwear.

In the midst of the pandemonium, a tawny haired girl had been left behind.

Mio was prepared to help the girl, who was probably too scared to move. But much to her bewilderment, the girl walked up to the fallen woman with an outstretched hand, completely unfazed. Mio also noticed how the teen, who looked about her age, was casually munching on an unusually dark red apple.

The woman grunted gratefully and took her hand. "Thanks."

The stranger snorted in return, pulling the woman up to her feet. "No worries. That was a pretty epic fall though."

"I wouldn't use the word 'epic'," The woman dusted her dress, scanning the young teen with a raised brow. "Children nowadays are either complete sissies or horror maniacs," she said dryly. "I'm assuming you're one of the maniacs?"

The girl just shrugged, a large grin plastered on her face.

"What scared you the most so far?"

"Watching you go down like the Titanic." The girl chortled gleefully. "Man, I thought you were gonna get stepped on for a second there!"

The woman rolled her eyes but looked somewhat amused. "I'm sorry to say we don't give out refunds though."

"I kinda guessed that. Can I just look around?"

"Sure. But you should get going," the woman gestured towards the exit. "Before you get separated from the group."

"I think I might just prefer that," the girl replied. "They scream too much."

At this, the woman looked thoroughly amused. "I can't have you wandering without supervision though. And I have to get to the next room to change my costume."

"What about her?" The girl asked persistently, jabbing her thumb at Mio's direction.

Mio winced. She didn't exactly want to get involved.

"Hm?" The woman looked over the tawny haired girl's shoulder and noticed Mio, who gave a shaky wave in return. "Ah, Akiyama-san. Would looking after this troublemaker be too much for you?"

Mio had always been slightly intimidated by the brusque woman, who had been working in the house of terror ever since it first opened. Despite her gruffness, Mio knew she was kind at heart.

The raven haired girl shook her head in reply to the request, surprising both the woman and herself.

"… Are you sure?" the woman asked reluctantly. "You don't have to."

Mio nodded, a slight smile forming on her lips.

"Suit yourself," the woman shrugged dismissively. "Well, I have to go, sorry for the trouble. See you later, Akiyama-san. Good job on the scare, by the way." Before she left the room, however, the woman turned back to the tawny haired girl. "Don't cause any trouble to that sweet child, you hear me?"

"Yessir!" The girl replied with a playful salute.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "I'm watching you," she warned.

As soon as the woman left, the tawny haired girl immediately went to inspect the props. She took a huge bite off her apple. "Seriously?" she drawled lazily, while chewing with a disapproving frown. "What a disappointment."

This slightly ticked the dark haired girl off.

Mio had always envied those who always seemed to be fearless, especially since she was the complete opposite herself. She had encountered a couple of these people a few times during her past few weeks; who had either laughed or mocked her.

This frustrated Mio to no end, leaving her feeling unaccomplished.

Plus, the stranger had just insulted her workplace. Sure, Mio disliked her job. But the raven haired girl had gotten rather attached to the people she worked with, since most of them had went out of their way to look out for her.

The tawny haired girl turned her attention back to Mio, scanning her from top to bottom. Frankly, she looked unimpressed. "Seriously?" the stranger repeated, shaking her head in disappointment before taking another munch of her apple.

Mio's eyebrow twitched.

The girl noticed this and grinned widely.

Choosing to stay in character, Mio didn't reply and just glared.

"Oh honey, how do you scare anyone like that?" she pressed on, enjoying pressing Mio's buttons. She found the dark haired girl's reactions highly amusing.

"… You'll be surprised," Mio finally spoke, in mild aggravation. "And don't address me so casually."

"You talk!" The tawny haired girl feigned her over-exaggerated shock. "The girl in the wig talks!"

Mio could barely suppress a growl. "That's my real hair."

The stranger blinked. "You're kidding."

"Do I look like I am?"

The girl didn't even bother to disguise her snickering. "Man, you guys are even lamer than I thought!"

Dumbfounded, Mio just stared incredulously. "Well, I'm sorry we didn't manage to meet your expectations," Mio replied through her gritted teeth. Why oh why had she agreed to look after this monster?

The tawny haired girl didn't even bother to reply, choosing to smirk devilishly as she continued to chew on a huge chunk of fruit.

"Food isn't allowed in here," Mio continued, her irritation increasingly growing. Everything about the troublemaker was starting to get on her nerves. She gestured to a faraway bin. "Please finish it quickly and dispose− … W-what?"

For some reason, the stranger's gaze was suddenly fiercely focused on Mio, which had caused the dark haired girl to falter involuntarily.

And Mio didn't like the way she was staring at her. At all. Feeling mildly self conscious, Mio resisted the urge to straighten out her bloodstained dress.

The tawny haired girl stepped closer and gently grabbed a lock of Mio's raven hair, who jolted instinctively at the sudden contact. "Is this really your hair?" she murmured, mostly to herself. "It's so coarse. I was so sure it was horse hair…."

Mio was usually a reserved girl that kept to herself. But this girl was seriously starting to get under her skin. The raven haired girl wasn't in her best mood either; and the stranger had really stepped out of line. Before Mio's mind could even register her actions, her arm had jerked upwards and smacked the girl's offending hand away with the back of her wrist.

Instantly regretting it, Mio stepped forward to apologize, ashamed that she had gotten worked up over a small matter.

The tawny haired girl's surprised expression melted into a devilish smirk in an instant, before twisting behind Mio and curling her arms loosely around the dark haired girl's waist. "Feisty, aren'tcha?" she whispered huskily.

Her words and close proximity triggered Mio to erupt into a bright shade of red. The hot breath at her ear and the warm body against her back didn't help one bit, either."

Shuddering, Mio tried to push the stranger away, but failed as the grip around her waist tightened.

When a pair of soft lips grazed the tip of her ear, Mio immediately stiffened as the girl continued in a low, sultry tone, "I like that."

The atmosphere was suddenly very stuffy, causing Mio to grow dizzy and breathless.

"Let me go," Mio hissed, which sounded more of a croak instead.

"Hm. What about no?" the tawny haired girl replied playfully.

"Let. Me. Go." Mio's knees were trembling despite her fierce tone.

"Make me," the girl continued to murmur against Mio's ear, her grip around her waist tightening possessively but gently.

Mio inhaled deeply…

And with all the strength she could muster, brought her heel smashing down onto the tawny haired girl's toes.

While wearing high heels.

"Anjkiebgifdghe!"

Mio was released immediately. She staggered a few steps backwards to get some distance between them while the girl clutched her foot, grimacing in pain.

"Whoa, whoa!" The girl held out her other arm in mock surrender. "Easy girl, easy!"

Mio just glared.

"Those are some heels you've got there," the tawny haired girl muttered.

"You had it coming," Mio shot back harshly.

"I thought you would scream for help at worst," the girl admitted.

"We're in a haunted house."

"… Touché." The tawny haired girl's grin softened into an apologetic smile. "I was just messing around, though. I must've scared you pretty bad, huh?"

Mio remained silent, choosing to concentrate on regaining her normal breathing rate instead.

Mild concern filled the girl's expression. "Hey? I'm sorry. Joke went too far, huh?"

"That wasn't funny," Mio muttered. "Wasn't funny at all."

The stranger looked genuinely guilty. "How can I make it up to you?" she asked, slightly sheepish.

"Can you please just finish looking around and continue the tour with the rest of the group?" Mio requested softly, staring at the floor.

There was a small pause. "… Hey?"

Mio didn't reply, choosing to keep her gaze trained to the ground. She knew her face still resembled a bright tomato.

"Hey, look at me."

Mio flinched inwardly.

"Akiyama, was it?" The tawny haired girl's voice had softened considerably. "Just look at me, I don't bite." A pause. "Yet," she mumbled the last word to herself.

"What?"

The girl shook her head quickly and flashed Mio a dazzling smile. "I would never hurt you, you know?"

That was the last thing Mio had expected the stranger to say. Her grey eyes grew wide in bewilderment. "… What!" she half demanded, completely unsure how to react.

The tawny haired girl winked. "I've got a feeling you're gorgeous under all that retarded make-up," she murmured, causing the tips of Mio's ears to redden at her boldness.

With an arm across her stomach, the tawny haired girl bowed slightly, in the similar manner as an artist after a live performance. "It was an absolute pleasure to meet you, although I would've preferred to leave you with a better impression of me." She took a step forward, and tenderly grabbed Mio's wrist.

The raven haired girl tensed immediately.

"Hey, relax, I'm not gonna do anything," the tawny haired girl whispered, pressing her bitten apple onto Mio's palm. "See?" She grinned softly, curling Mio's fingers into a secure fist around the fruit. She shoved her hands into her pockets before casually walking to the direction the group had left to previously.

Mio exhaled through her teeth. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath the entire time.

"Oh, and by the way."

A quick, sharp inhale of air.

The tawny haired girl flashed Mio a lopsided grin. "I lied. Your hair's really soft, sweetheart."

Mio was left jaw dropped, gobsmacked and weak in the knees as she watched the stranger wink at her once more before disappearing from her sight. Her legs buckled, and the raven haired girl dropped onto the ground, rear first. W-what just happened?

Staring at the ground blankly, Mio tried to process everything that just happened.

Did she just hit on me?

Mio blinked.

She totally did! A GIRL!

Now now, calm down. Why was she getting so worked up? That girl was probably just mindlessly teasing her.

A complete stranger, too!

She swore to give the girl a piece of her mind if she ever saw her again. Why, she was basically assaulted! She should report to her manager−

Her gaze fell to the dark fruit in her hands.

Hastily, her fingers snapped open. Mio smiled bitterly. I'm a trash bin now? She stared at the apple apprehensively before sitting up straight with a startled expression.

Bitten out of the fruit was the shape of a heart.

Although the shape was slightly crooked and uneven, it was a heart nevertheless.

Unable to decide how to react; Mio stared at the exposed, yellowed patch before rolling the apple in her palm to inspect the rest of the fruit.

Etched in small, messy letters from some sort of marker pen was a long list of numbers, followed by two simple words.

Call me.

Mio felt jaw drop for the hundredth time that day.

Was that girl trying to pick a fight?

A/N: Lolwhutdidijustwrite?

Uh... Yeah. Sorry about the slow beginning, I had to introduce the AU. I'm not sure how I should feel about this either... I'm probably not going to continue this. What do you folks think? :/