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It was a little before the tenth hour after noon when Chouko looked up from the hand-held video game she'd been intently as a knock resounded on her door. Her attention averted, a bleeping sound from her game informed her that her last man had just gone to that Big Pixelated Place in the Sky. Turning the game off, she sat up into a cross-legged position and called out, "Come in!"
The door opened to reveal Kagerou, dressed in pajamas and socks. He walked in and climbed up onto Chouko's bed, a slightly tired look on his face. Chouko smiled at the little boy, and stated, "Yes, Kage-kun?"
"Chouko-mama, there's a Thing in my room," Kagerou stated in his usual quiet manner.
Chouko blinked. "A Thing?"
The blue-eyed boy nodded. "Yes. In my closet. It's a Closet Thing."
"Oh, well we can't have that... Closet Things are the worst Things," Chouko said resolutely.
"There are other Things?" Kagerou asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Of course. Closet Things, Under-the-Bed Things, Basement Things... you name it, it probably has a Thing that could potentially live in it," Chouko said, nodding sagely.
"Hn," Kagerou muttered. "Mine's just a Closet Thing."
Chouko smiled mischeviously and said, "Well, we'll just have to get rid of this Thing, won't we?"
"How do we get rid of it?" Kagerou asked.
"Describe it to me. Maybe I can detect a weakness with my vast knowledge of Things!" Chouko stated. She abashedly grinned a little and said, "I know a lot about them, because I've dealt with pretty much every Thing you can think of when I was little. Sometimes, I still have to deal with them. Would you believe that I even had to deal with a Blender Thing once?"
"Oh..." Kagerou murmured. This was the first time he'd been plauged by a Thing. Well, the first time he could remember, anyway.
"So, fire away! What's this Thing like?" Chouko asked.
"Um... well, it's big. Really big. I haven't seen it, but I just know that it's big. And... ah... it makes sounds sometimes. Creaky sounds, like it's gonna open up the Closet door and eat me," Kagerou stated. Chouko nodded in a 'go on' sort of way. He thought for more descriptive things to say. "Um... it only comes out at night, when it's dark and scary, because... because... because it doesn't like light. And it turns indivisable when it's day, 'cause I've tried to look for it before, and it's not there."
"I think you mean 'invisible'... but, yes, those are all very much traits of a nasty old Closet Thing!" Chouko said, hopping off her bed. She ran over to her own closet, where she reached in and pulled out a medium-sized cooking pot (what it was doing in there in the first place is one of the Universe's greatest mysteries), and placed it on Kagerou's head like a hat. She grinned. "For protection. It's a magic pot, to keep the Closet Thing away. I'm not going to have any nasty Thing coming after MY future kid while we hunt for it!"
Kagerou blinked at her and slowly nodded in the way someone nods to humor a crazy person. He climbed off of his future mother's bed and followed Chouko on their way to face the abominable Closet Thing.
"Hmm..." Chouko muttered as she turned on the light in Kagerou's closet. "Clothes... a random toy here or there... a bathroom mirror? Why's your bathroom mirror in the closet, Kage-kun?" No answer. Oh, well... "Do you see a thing?"
"No..." Kagerou said from outside the closet.
"Do you think it ran away? Maybe it knew I'd beat it up if it stayed," Chouko said.
"Maybe..." Kagerou muttered. He yawned and rubbed his right eye with his fist in an effort to wipe away sleep.
"Well, then it's a big coward, that's what it is," Chouko said gently as she picked Kagerou up and set him on his bed. She returned to the closet, and said, "Now, you bad Closet Thing, you'd better leave my Kage-kun alone!" She returned to the now half-asleep Kagerou, and removed the 'magic' pot from his head. She pulled the covers up around the little boy and smiled warmly.
"Chouko-mama?" Kagerou asked groggily.
"Mm-hmm?" Chouko replied.
"What if the Thing comes back?" the small boy asked, yawning again.
Chouko thought this over. She bit her lip slightly as she thought of what to do. After a moment, her eyes widened a bit, and she grinned. "Well, I know JUST what you need! I'll be back in a minute." She left the room, and returned a moment later. There was a wide grin on her face, and her hands were behind her back, obviously hiding something. In a sing-song voice, she said, "Guess what I've got!" She brought her hands in front of her, revealing that she was holding a stuffed toy cabbit. "Ta-da!"
Kagerou blinked sleepily at her. "It's one of those bunny things you like..."
"It's a cabbit," Chouko said, walking over to Kagerou's bed. "And not just ANY cabbit. It's a magic cabbit," She picked up the 'magic' pot and continued, "Much, much, MUCH more magical than this pot, you see. This cabbit is just chock-full of anti-Thing magic. If a Closet Thing ever decides to come back, this little guy will send him packing." She placed the cabbit near Kagerou, who slowly wrapped an arm around it.
"Are you sure it'll work?" he asked, a little doubt in his tired voice.
"Guaranteed 150% to work perfectly," Chouko stated.
Kagerou, now quickly drifting back into sleep, mumbled, "Okay. 'Night. Thanks, Chouko-mama," and fell asleep, magic cabbit still held close.
Chouko sighed happily, and gave Kagerou a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Kage-kun," she turned to the stuffed cabbit and said, "And you do a good job, magic cabbit." With that, she left the now sleeping boy's room.
And the Closet Thing never came back.
