For the best experience play

1.Cupid's chokehold by Gym Class Heroes

2.Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala

3. Bored by Billie Eilish

4. Black Out Days by Phantogram

5. Thelema by Ofdream

6. Breezeblocks by Alt-J

7. i was all over her by salvia palth

When you see ***

TW: guns/ violence, ambulances/ hospitals. If you feel this will be triggering to you, I have a note at the end of the chapter with a summary so you can understand the plot without reading. However i do not think it is very "dark" only with some guns and threats, no actual harm comes to the reader.

Pure angst, but it is important to the story. If you don't like angst, there is a summary at the end, but I hope you can read :) Enjoy!

_______________

The white angel halo headband on your head moved up and down, peeking above the crowd of people as you danced. Maki clasped her hand in yours as you jumped up and down, watching as you smiled drunkenly, even though you hadn't consumed any alcohol yet that night.

She smiled back at you, taking her lip between her teeth slightly as you spun around. The strobe lights fading between every color in the rainbow made the small red horns on her head turn different colors as they changed. She pulled you close, wrapping her hand around your waist and sliding it slightly under your white crop top.

Halloween was your favorite night of the year, and spending it with Maki at a party on campus couldn't have made you happier. Your M necklace stilled on your chest as the song ended and you stopped dancing.

"Are you drunk?" Maki yelled over the roar of the next song starting.

"Nope," you replied. "Stone cold sober."

"I forgot how much you love Halloween," she added.

"Best night of the year," you smiled, placing your hands on her shoulders. "Can we go to the kitchen?"

"Sure," she replied, holding you close as the two of you walked. You pushed yourself up on the counter, pouring some Svedka into a cup as Maki stood in front of you. You offered it to her, but she shook her head. "I'm staying sober tonight, I don't wanna end up leaving you alone again," she said, answering your inquiring gaze.

"If you say so," you said, giving her a soft smile. The familiar burning feeling of the alcohol warmed your throat as you drank it, making you wince a bit.

"Have you eaten today?" Maki asked, placing her hands on your knees.

"Yeah, I had some ramen before you picked me up."

She pressed her lips into a line. "Not enough if you're gonna be drinking, Y/N." Her hand reached past you to a bag of chips, handing them to you as she took the red solo cup out of your hand.

You reluctantly took it, appreciative of her protectiveness but not sure as to why she was so worried.

Maki had always been smart when it came to managing her "business."

Every deal made, shipment, and plan were reviewed and perfected by her. So far she had managed to stay out of legal trouble when it came to gambling, but not so much with when it came to the actual poker nights. They were hosted in a place similar to the one she had taken you clubbing, a building that looked abandoned but wasn't underground. She usually leased the space from Shoko, giving her and Nobara somewhere to set up and run their operation where they could control everything. She always made sure everything ran smoothly, even if that meant keeping arms on her and hiring security.

One of the most important parts of running her ring was keeping it small, making sure no one outside of their employees and rich guests knew everything about it. The only crack in this system was Mai. As Maki had left her alone years ago, she held a grudge against Maki and tried anything and everything to topple what she has built, whether it was with you or how she made money. Mai figuring everything out was not something she had accounted for, especially not when she received a call one Wednesday night when she was working. When she picked up the unknown number, the line was silent, and after a few moments when she hung up, she received a text from the same number reading. "I know."

The message startled her at first, a million things running through her mind as to what it could mean or who it could've been from.

The next day, she revived another. "About everything."

The next day was "We need."

This sequence continued for the week until the street race that Friday, the week before Halloween, when all of the messages added up to; "I know everything. We need to talk, meet me on Friday at midnight."

You hadn't noticed Maki slip away after another one of her victories to make a call.

"Hello?" she said when the other side of the line picked up. There was silence. "Hello!" she repeated. "I don't know who you are, or what you're saying, but you wanna talk to me you're gonna need to be more clear and come see me face to face like everyone else."

Nothing.

Maki hung up the phone angrily. She hadn't told you or Nobara about the texts or the calls, not wanting you to worry about something that could be so harmless as a prank call. She decided in the moment that blocking the mystery perpetrator would be the best option. As she opened her phone to do it, a loud bang interrupted her and she heard something whizz past her face before she realized someone was shooting.

Something grazed her arm as she turned to run back to where you were, ripping the sleeve of her black racing jacket and tearing her skin, just narrowly missing her. She ran back to the race, seeing everyone yelling and swarming around to find their cars after hearing the sounds. She found you and Nobara, grabbing the two of you and running to her car before driving away. The sound of police sirens echoed through the city as you asked her what happened to her arm, and she insisted that she had fallen.

You noticed Maki seemed shaken that night, and hardly said anything when she dropped you off at your apartment, holding you tightly as you walked into the building and upstairs.

Maki spent the rest of the week as a mix of anxiety and anger, only for it to be worsened when she received another text from a different number.

"Ignore me, and next time I'll have better aim."

She scoffed at the text, opting to block the number again.

**

Which all brought her here, anxious and afraid to go out on Halloween, but not wanting to ruin your night when she saw how excited you were.

Her eyes darted across the room, surveying all the people at the party and scanning the sea of heads to see if they were new, or if she recognized them. Her mind couldn't stop running through all the things that could go wrong, or all the potential threats around the two of you.

"Maki," you said, waving a hand in front of her face and pulling her out of her train of thought. "Are you listening to me?"

"No, sorry," she sighed, turning her attention back to you.

"I said, do you wanna go to the basement? They have this pool table down there and I was thinking-"

"Are you drunk already?" she asked, cutting you off and staring at you intently.

"No," you lied, 3 shots deep and tipsy.

"You are."

"I am not, I'm just, happy to be here with you," you giggled, throwing your arms over her shoulders. "It'll be fun," you said, wrapping a leg around her waist and pulling her hips to yours.

She sighed, picking you up off of the counter and putting you off the ground. As much as she wanted to, going to a secluded area wasn't the safest option. "Not today, Y/N. Sorry."

"It's okay," you said, reading the guilty expression on her face. She seemed worried about the fact that you were drinking, so you grabbed a bottle of water. "We can go home if you aren't feeling it tonight."

"No, no it's fine I'm having fun."

"Okay," you replied, taking a swig of water. "We can go outside if you want, I think they started a bonfire." Her expression picked up a bit.

"Yeah," she answered. You took her hand in yours, giving it a light squeeze before the two of you walked out of the door. The cold fall air greeted you as you sat down on a bench in front of the fire, only for it to be replaced by the warmth of the fire and Maki's arm around your shoulder.

"We ran out of s'mores stuff," a clearly drunk man whined. "I'll go get more." When he got up to go to the kitchen, he stumbled and nearly fell over.

"I'll get it," Maki said, standing up. "Be right back." She opened the door and went inside.

"Oh, Y/N, is that you?" the man asked. When he stepped closer, you realized he was Todo from your Chemistry class.

"Hey Todo," you said, scooting over so he could sit next to you as the two of you talked and caught up.

"Oh shit, I feel like I'm gonna be sick," he said, placing his hand on his mouth. You followed him as he got up, running around the side of the house to the bushes and kneeling down. You helped him, holding his black hair back as he threw up and rubbing his back. You stayed with him for a few minutes, knowing from experience how bad he probably felt at the moment.

"Y/N?" Maki called, running around the corner as you helped Todo to his feet.

"Hey-"

"Holy shit," she breathed, placing her hand on her forehead. "I didn't know where you went!" She seemed more distraught than necessary.

"I'm right here, I was just helping Todo," you said, walking over to her as he made his way back to the party, thanking you.

"Why didn't you stay there? I've been looking all over for you," she said, out of breath.

"Maki, it's fine I just went around the corner," you replied, tilting your head at her.

"Just- don't go off by yourself, please."

"Okay," you said questioningly. You considered saying you could take care of yourself, but she already knew that and seemed distraught, so you let it go and walked back to the party with her. You began to notice how on edge she was for the entire night, and how she never let go of you; whether it was your hand, your arm, or your waist, she kept you close.

"Is something wrong?" you asked as the two of you walked back to her car. "Mai isn't here Maki, you could only get into the party if you knew someone from the frat. You don't have to worry about leaving me alone."

Something clicked in Maki's mind. Mai.

"No," she replied simply, opening the door for you. The two of you sat in silence on the ride home.

**

A million things ran through your mind as you closed the door to your apartment after Maki had dropped you off. Why had she been so silent the past week? You missed her sarcastic jokes in the absence of her usual nature. You stood still, staring at the wooden door as you pondered it before plopping down on your bed.

You sighed, starting a much-needed hot shower before being interrupted by Ms. Ayuzawa. She offered you some cash to watch her kids for a few hours, but you declined as you already had enough from working and took some of her homemade empanadas instead.

You bit into the warm dough as you watched the three kids play Mario Kart, smiling as they jumped up and down on the couch. The idea of texting Maki and asking her why she had been so distant ran amply through your mind, but you figured asking her about it face to face would be better.

"Breakfast tomorrow?" You messaged.

"Yeah, what time?"

"10 at Shoko's?"

"Yep."

You exhaled as you placed your phone down, hoping the communication would get things back to normal.

Ms. Ayuzawa returned about an hour later, thanking you with a smile and the offer that you could come over anytime to eat before you slipped back into your apartment.

You turned the key to your door, but realized that you had already left it open and made a mental note to not forget to lock it anymore. It was unlike you to miss something like that. Flicking the light on, you placed your keys down on your desk before walking over to the bathroom. The light went out, and you sighed at how cheap the landlord could be with the electricity, assuming too many people were running blowdryers or something.

As you turned from the bathroom door to turn the light back on, something grabbed you.

Someone.

Their hand wrapped around your face as you tried to yell, pressing something cotton-like to your mouth. As you tried to move, the room around you blurred as your legs waned beneath you.

Then everything went dark.

___________________

Maki stormed into the police station at 1 PM that Saturday.

"Hey!" she said, raising her voice. "Are you logging this?"

"Yes, Maki," the woman at the front desk sighed, typing on the computer. "To file a missing person report, it has to have been 72 hours, not 3."

"That's bullshit!" she yelled, hitting the reception counter lightly.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Iori said, waking out of the back room.

"Utahime, Y/N is missing, and she won't put it in the system."

"How long has it been?" Iori asked, looking through the papers on her clipboard as if she was busy with something else.

"We were supposed to meet at 9 this morning, she didn't show up, and she's not answering her phone-"

"Have you tried going to her apartment?"

"No, but this isn't like her-"

"Look Maki," she sighed, turning to start back into her office. "I really would like to help you, but I have a robbery investigation to work on and it seems like maybe she just slept in, or forgot to set her alarm. Try going to her apartment, and if she's not there call us back in a day."

"But-"

"Don't make me get the Commander. Congrats on your first time coming here not in handcuffs," she said, waving behind her head as she walked away. Maki groaned, turning to leave the station.

She closed the door to her car harder than necessary before she took out her phone to call you again.

This time you picked up.

"Y/N, where are you-"

"Hey, Maki," Mai answered.

Maki's eyes widened. Her lips parted to speak, but she didn't say anything, only a silent breath leaving her mouth.

"W-where are you?" she finally managed, hands becoming shaky.

"I'm at the old apartment building on Maria street, that's where she lives right? Hope I got the right room," she answered, nearly laughing.

"Don't touch her," Maki seethed, starting her car.

"Oh I won't, I don't plan to. You didn't want to answer my messages, so I thought this would be the best way to get your attention. Worked last time."

"Fuck you!" Maki yelled, beginning to drive hastily to where you lived. It was 30 minutes away from the station that was positioned downtown in the heart of the city.

"Speaking of last time, if you don't show up fast enough, or with what I want, I guess I'll have to do what you did to me to your girlfriend here."

"If you hurt her, I will actually fucking kill you this time," she yelled, angrily stopping at the lights in the city that seemed longer than necessary. Mai laughed.

You watched as the black-haired girl paced back and forth in your room, holding your phone in one hand and a gun in the other. She had stayed awake all night, sitting in front of your door with the pistol to prevent you from leaving as you slept terrified, swearing you could see the darkness in her eyes even though the lights were off. She hadn't hurt you, only threatening you if you tried to leave or made too much noise.

So far you had stayed calm, trying to figure out what was happening, how Mai even got into your room, or knew where you lived. The first question was answered when you saw that the lock picker on her belt loop. Yelling echoed from Maki's end of the line.

You zoned out as the two made some type of deal, sitting still as you began to lose your calm composure. You had heard her threats to Maki but didn't process them until now, when Mai hung up the phone. She pulled out the chair at your desk, sitting down backward in it and resting her arms on the top casually.

**

You kept your gaze off of her, staring forward at the door as she began to twirl the gun between her fingers.

You jumped when she spoke. "She should be here in about 20 minutes but if hse's not-" she stopped spinning the gun, gripping it in her hands and pointing it at you. Your eyes darted over to her as she made a fake shooting gesture, laughing as you visibly stiffened.

"Did Maki tell you about that guy he shot?"

You were silent until Mai pressed a load of bullets into her gun.

"Yes," you blurted.

"Oh, really?" she coed surprisedly.

"Our family?"

"Yep."

"What about her weed addiction?"

"Dependency," you corrected.

"Excuse me?"

"It's a dependency, uh- not an addiction."

"Don't be a smartass, Y/N"

"Sorry."

"So she told you about all the shit wrong with her and you're still dating her?"

"Yeah."

Mai scoffed. "I don't get that, but okay," she replied, standing up. She sat down on the edge of your bed casually, making you scoot back towards the headboard as tears pricked at the back of your eyes.

You had never felt so afraid and violated in your own space, and made a note to wash — burn — your sheets later.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said, changing her tone to an empathetic one.

"You tried to on that rooftop," you said quietly, fighting with your rings.

"That was only to get Maki arrested, but clearly that didn't work."

You sat in silence for a few minutes. "Why do you... hate her so much?" you asked, making eye contact for the first time that day, noticing the fresh scars from stitches on her face.

Mai sighed. "We could've had a normal life, with our family, the Zenins. But she got greedy, said she wanted more respect as her father's daughter. They don't really care for women, and she resented them for that. So she left, and she left me behind too. She also said some shit about morals."

"Morals?"

"Killing people," she said casually, making you gasp softly.

"W-what?"

"He told me some bullshit about 'not wanting to take someone's life because of what happened with our mother. The Zenins settle things by killing people, and she didn't like that."

You went silent.

"I really only do it if I have to," she explained, chuckling a bit. "But, I can't say I hate it." A soft smile accented her lips as she stopped speaking, making you shiver. "Hope that puts things into perspective for when Maki gets here, so don't be a bitch."

You hugged your knees to your chest, not making a movement other than a breath as you waited for her to arrive. Mai got up when there was a knock at the door, grabbing your arm roughly to pull you with her. Tears flowed from your eyes as she pressed the barrel of the gun to your head, telling you to shut up when you shrieked and she hooked a strong arm around your neck. The crook of her elbow pressed roughly into your throat as she opened the door.

**

Maki stood frozen in the doorway, holding nothing but a black backpack in her hands and expressionless. Her mix of emotions; afraid, angry, relieved, guilty- all mixed into nothing as she saw you.

Mai stepped back with you to let Maki in, leading you to sit down on your bed as he continued to point her gun at you.

"I-I got what you asked-"