I Love Halloween Chapter (Re-Written)
This chapter is dedicated to DeidaraUlquiorra for all their support and AMAZING help. I am totally honest in saying that I could not have re-written this chapter without them. I grovell at their feet for eternity. :) I know this is different than before, but I hope you guys like it as much as the sadly deleted chapter. RIP Baila Baila No 1!
The school was going crazy. Halloween, which was coming up fast, was apparently the favourite holiday of the year, for both students and staff.
Konan herself was getting caught up in the excitement of decorating the school: each student had a month-long assignment of decorating one section of the school for Halloween.
Konan was supposed to decorate the ceiling of the lunch hall, and she had a great idea for it! However, her idea required an ass-load of preparation and time, so she was, in a word, stressed.
On October 12, she trudged into the lunch hall from origami class, feeling so worn-out it was like somebody had used her as a dishcloth. Twenty times, on a cheese grater.
She lined up at the buffet table, and one of the cooks who was just putting out another batch of juiceboxes took one look at her and shoved a mug of black coffee into her hands.
"You look like you need it, dear." she said as an explanation. Konan sipped the coffee gratefully and shuffled towards her usual table, where everybody was already sitting, talking excitedly.
Honestly, Konan thought as she sat down next to Pain, if she heard the word 'Halloween' one more time, she'd probably snap.
"So, how's your Halloween project going?" he asked her.
Konan's head hit the table. "I see. Good to know you're making progress." he commented, taking a bite of his toast.
"I'm going crazy, this whole thing is absolutely hopeless, I've slept a grand total of 16 hours in the last week...and the laundry machine's eaten all my left socks." Konan grumbled from the tabletop. Pain half-smiled at her and patted the top of her head.
"It's okay, Konan. Just think. After everything's finished, there's the Halloween party to look forward to! That one's always the best one of the year." he said optimistically.
"Hell yeah! It's the only reason I even go to this fucking shithole of a school!" Hidan interjected, patting Konan on the back heavily as he went to get more cereal.
"You only go to this school because you'd be on the streets if you didn't, stupid!" Kisame called after him, and received two fingers in return. Konan raised her head with a sigh and chugged her coffee.
"That's better." she said, wiping her mouth and looking up at Pain, who was halfway through a smuggled bottle of vodka. "So, what's so good about the Halloween party? ...and why are you drinking at 12:30 in the middle of the day?" she asked with a frown.
"You've got coffee, darling. I've got vodka. We get though school projects in similar ways." Pain explained with a wink. Konan rolled her eyes, fighting to ignore the happy cheer that was trying to force its way out of her- her reaction to being called darling, and getting a wink from Pain- and bit into her apple.
"You didn't answer my first question." she noticed, and Pain looked meaningfully at Deidara. Deidara leaned forward, after having to fight a little to let Sasori to release him.
"He doesn't like to talk when there's vodka on the table, un." Deidara said, rolling his eyes. "The Halloween party's the best one, because...well, we have to dress up on almost every holiday, 'cuz it's the school's tradition. But everybody likes dressing up as a dead cheerleader or a zombie butler a lot better than dressing up as a snowflake or an easter bunny, or cupid, un." Konan nodded, grinning.
