A long time ago... longer than the first time she had stolen a bite of cookie dough, longer than her first memory of snuggling into warm silvery sand, a girl had a cat. The cat was ginger, with a beautiful sleek coat and round cuddly body, rather resembling a ripe pumpkin. So she, being the uncreative child that she was, had given him the name "Pumpkin" in her sweet childish voice, emphasizing each syllable with a happy high-pitched squeak.

"Pump-kin!"

The girl loved Pumpkin more than anything else in the world. Dolls were forgotten as they lay limply in the toy basket, crayons were strewn carelessly around her bedroom, and picture books gathered dust in the shadows under her bed. She saw only him. The large purring creature which crawled into her tiny lap whenever there was a chance, crushing the undeveloped bones under its overpowering mass. Yet she didn't mind the slightest, for he was like family, and family members tolerate each other, don't they?

His soft silky fur was like cream under her fingers. She could sit there for hours, simply repeating the upward and downward motion of her hand as it lovingly stroked the hairy animal. His meowing was music to her ears; his innocent begging eyes filled a part of her that was hollow with loneliness. For the first time in her life, she felt needed and accepted by something, even if it was just by a cat.

He would always be there. When she had locked herself in her room after a violent quarrel with her mother, with her tear-streaked face buried into the soft cotton pillow, he would always appear. When she had been awarded the top-of-the-class prize, with her mouth curved into a proud beam, he would watch her glowing face from a corner of the room. She could always expect him to be there. Whether it was shooting in from an open bedroom window or wriggling out from a pile of clothes under her bed. He would always be there, offering the comfort of his warm amber fur and the treat of his rough licking tongue.

Yet one day, he vanished from her life, completely.

It had been the last day of October, and the weather had been unusually humid for an autumn's day. She could remember that morning vividly, partly because she had struggled over the choice of her clothes due to some incredibly pathetic reasons. A jumper? No, too warm...A T-shirt? But what if it gets cold later? ...Time had ticked by without notice, and it was not until her grandmother's impatient shouts echoed from downstairs that her thoughts had been interrupted. In her hurry, she had grabbed the jumper and raced down to the kitchen to gulp down three mouthfuls of cereal. Then, before she could check off her morning routine list, she had wrenched the door open and sprinted through. She did not want to be late for school. She had never beenlate for school...

The ginger cat stretched out on the front porch and watched his master's fading back with alert, gleaming eyes. He yawned and bathed under the shimmering spill of sunshine. A silver name tag shone from where it nestled within the rough clumps of ginger hair. It was a specially manufactured tag, with a long fish bone framing the wobbly capitals spelling the pet's name. Designing and ordering it had cost the girl a fortune, yet she was willing to share anything with Pumpkin and the limited contents of her piggybank were no exception. The cat seemed to also understand the girl's feelings, as he began licking the tip of the metal poking out from under his chin, like a loving mother would over her kittens.

However, something tasty caught his eye.

The cat's hunting instincts tingled and his ears perked up in excitement. He slowly straightened up and, with the gentle morning breeze ruffling its majestic golden fur, gracefully walked out through the open gates like an emperor parading down a street. His shrewd eyes were locked on a twitching object on the other side of the road, an object with fluttering black feathers and a twitching claw. A bird was wounded; its bright yellow eyes were blinded with fear, terror, and panic. Although its chance of survival was slim, it beat its tiny twisted wings in a final fight against destiny, refusing to give up.

The cat paused on the footpath and watched for a while. He narrowed his eyes, yet the hard, hungry light has diminished. The slits softened, slowly but surely, and the cat let down its guard. He gazed back at the house from which he had stepped out, and was about to stroll back again when something else caught his attention. A group of laughing teenage boys was walking toward the bird, totally oblivious to its presence. Their shuffling feet drew nearer and nearer to the pile of trembling feathers.

Then, without warning, the single thread of life snapped.

A blonde boy squashed it as easily, as mercilessly, as if it was a bug. The poor creature was instantly crushed to a pile of flesh under his sneakers. Its leg stopped twitching. And none of the boys cast a second glance back. Not even the blonde one.

The cat stood dead still, silently witnessing the scene without moving a single muscle. An angry hiss escaped his lips as he bared his teeth. He hunched his back in a stance of attack and leapt over the pedestrian path, towards the group of snickering murderers. Yet as clever and alert as he was, the cat overlooked the danger of bustling traffic, including the roaring motorbike which would soon end not only his heroic act, but also his life.


The sky was stained with the identical watery grey after five years, twenty seasons, sixty months. The exact shade of grimness which hovered overhead like thick, uneven clumps of dust.

Ryuzaki Sakuno lowered her line of vision from the depressing colour with a sigh. Her silky brown hair was braided into a single plait down her back, a little different from two years ago when she was a young immature first-year student. But the shimmering hairclip still remained, with the delicate design of a cherry blossom holding her thick fringe in place. The young girl's uniform fluttered in the breeze which caused a shower of warm autumn colours and a whirlwind of dry crackling leaves.

It doesn't feel like five years had gone by... Sakuno closed her eyes and breathed in the faint smell of decaying leaves. This time five years ago, I was...

"Hey who have we got here?? Why, isn't this Ryuzaki-chan??" A loud but familiar voice sounded behind her, saving her, just in time, from a dreadfully vivid memory flashback. Her eyes snapped open just as she heard an ear-splitting screech of tires beside her slender body. The horrible noise made her cringe instantly.

"A-Ah...Momo-senpai! Good morning!" Sakuno looked around to greet a young grinning face. His jet black hair was spiked with perfumed wax, for she could smell the distinctive scent of it as he swung his legs down from the old bike to walk beside herself. She smiled and fell into step beside the former upperclassman, although always felt so tiny next to his strong muscular built... which was still a whole head and a half taller than her own.

Purely out of habit, her eyes flickered to the empty passenger seat of Momoshiro Takeshi's vehicle. Yet as quick as it was, the action did not escape the sharp eyes of Momoshiro. His face immediately broke into a sly smile and he glanced sideways at the girl with suspicion.

"Just who are you looking for there, Ryuzaki?"

A blush warmed her cheeks as she shook her head in violent denial. "Err-nothing! No one!"

Amusement was written all over his face as he sighed at the sight of her reaction.

"...Echizen said he is on class duty this morning, so he went to school early." Even though Momoshiro and Echizen Ryoma now goes to different schools - one in high school and one in middle school - their friendship remained intact and the older boy would often drop Ryoma off as was their routine in middle school. Sakuno lowered her head in embarrassment for making her inquiry so obvious. For even now she has an overpowering admiration for the young tennis prodigy, but whether the feeling was the so-called 'love'...she still doesn't know. Maybe she doesn't want to know...after all, like Momo-senpai said, they are still "young".

"Hmm...You look particularly troubled today, Ryuzaki! What's wrong? Did Echizen say something to you again!? Humph, that brat never learns, does he?? Don't worry! I'll go and give him a good painful punch for you-"

"No, no, it's not like that..." She smiled and tried to hide her sadness. But it was harder than she thought. If she doesn't change the subject her tear glands are surely going to start functioning... "Anyway, how's everyone at high school, Momo-senpai?"

Despite her desperate effort to shift the focus of the conversation, Momoshiro could detect the quivering emotions under the girl's forced smile. He frowned but decided to go with the flow.

"Oh, they are all fine...as healthy as an ox! Echizen has probably told you that everyone is in the tennis club except Taka-san? But we had all expected his withdrawal anyway...Oh! And did he also tell you that there's going to be a Halloween party at Kawamura Sushi tonight?"

"...Err...No."

Looking at her blank face, Momoshiro was clearly surprised that she hasn't been told the news, yet the surprise soon turned into frustration at the young tennis prodigy.

I thought he would've told her by now... Oishi-senpai did tell him to notify the 'old party'! Momoshiro balled his hand into a fist. But then his face softened and he shook his head in sad realization.

But now that I think about it...that brat really doesn't interact with anyone, does he? I wonder if he even knows who was in the 'old party'...that explains this confusion. But...somehow my incredibly accurate instinct has always sensed a peculiar bond between him and... Momoshiro stole a glance at the young girl walking briskly beside him, clearly trying to catch up with his large strides.

He shouldn't have forgotten. Or is it really as simple as 'forgot to ask her'...?

"Well, even if you haven't heard anything, would you like to come? It's at six o'clock and... everyone has to dress up." He chuckled and wasn't surprised at Sakuno's immediate refusal.

"D-Dressed up!? Umm...I think I'll pass this time...thank you very much for inviting me though..." Confusion was evident from her slightly alarmed voice. Yet her refusal was said with firmness, almost like she was prepared to refuse even before he offered the invitation. The older boy pulled an exaggeratingly disappointed face.

"Aww... don't be so harsh, Ryuzaki-chan! We're only dressing up for trick-or-treating-"

"Trick-or treating!?!? A-Aren't we a bit old for that, Momo-senpai??...Oh, I didn't mean it offensively-" She covered her mouth when she realized her rudeness, but it was too late.

"I am so offended, Ryuzaki! ...Gosh, I'm afraid the only way I'll forgive you is for you to come to this party tonight." The tone, the expression, the gestures all illustrated the fact that this was all part of the Super Great Momoshiro Special Plan. Sakuno could not refuse again...especially since she had just, technically speaking, 'insulted' her upperclassman. As dense as she was, she knew very well this can almost be considered to be a sin in Japan. Yet she did not want to go...especially since today was...

"There will be sushi?" Momoshiro tested when he noted her hesitant expression.

"Oh...it's not that..." She mumbled weakly, desperately scanning her brain for any usable excuses for this particular situation.

"Ponta? Candy floss? Lollipops??"

"Umm...I'm not particularly concerned about food, Momo-senpai..." As troubled as she felt, Sakuno could not help smiling at the young man's interjections of food names...this person's way of thinking obviously hasn't changed at all.

"No? Well, how about this?...Echizen will be there."

Pain seared across her lungs and Sakuno erupted into a sudden coughing fit. Momoshiro laughed and slapped her on the back. "A-ha! It's settled then! We shall be prepared to welcome you as our special female guest tonight!" He did a cheery wave and swung his legs back over the bike, completely ignoring the tired sigh of the old tires and the squeak of the seat as he put his full weight onto the poor vehicle.

"Say hi to Echizen for me! Oh, and please don't hesitate to hit him for not inviting you! ...Just say it's an expression of my bitter disappointment in him!" The older boy winked and vanished around the corner like a hurricane. He truly is the human form of a hurricane...fast and powerful, with an unbelievable appetite for anything and everything. Sakuno sighed again. She knew to reason with Momoshiro-senpai when he has his mind firmly set on something is completely useless. No choice now. She must either go or be prepared to insult the friendly upperclassman...which equals no choice.

The girl trudged through the school gates in a state of distress.


Distressed, Echizen Ryoma rested his forehead on the cool wood of his desk.

Arrgh...why do I have to go to a stupid Halloween party tonight!?!? It's not like I haven't had enough trick-or-treating experiences in America already... He groaned into the desk and closed his gloomy amber eyes. He had just finished the window-cleaning duty, as required of him before school, and was secretly rubbing his aching arm (since a tennis prodigy getting cramps from cleaning would, undoubtedly, be the most disastrous rumour to be spread around the school) when the metal door of the classroom was pushed open. Assuming it is probably some nerd who had arrived early to school for an extra hour of studying, he did not bother lifting up his head. Although he opened his heavy eyelids just a fraction so that he could see the 'safety distance' of gleaming tiles by his seat.

The footsteps grew louder, but it was not until a pair of polished leather shoes appeared in his narrow field of view that he took any notice of it. The female feet stopped abruptly and he rolled his eyes. Oh dear God...don't torture me with another love confession this early in the morning...

"...Ryoma-kun?"

The golden eyes widened and a smirk slowly formed on his lips as the voice rushed through his eardrums, up his brain, and clicked in with an image of a girl with long auburn braids and deep warm eyes. Oh dear God... I take back what I said.

The young boy slowly lifted his head of emerald-green hair from his desk and looked up at his visitor with a lazy flick of his feline eyes. "What?"

"Uh...I-I saw Momo-senpai this morning..." Sakuno coloured slightly under Ryoma's piercing gaze. "He wants me to say 'hi' to you...um, you know, for him."

Ryoma lifted an eyebrow as an awkward silence fell upon them. "...Thanks, messenger."

She shuffled her feet nervously. Ryoma sensed that she was waiting for something...from him? He frowned and questioned coldly.

"What else do you want?"

The pale girl flinched and Ryoma thought he saw her shoulders sag, like a child who was denied an extra candy... She shook her head and smiled faintly.

"Oh, um, nothing...s-sorry for interrupting your nap..." She muttered and turned around to hastily walk out of the classroom.

He stared after her and felt a wave of confusion eating away his mind. He almost gave in to an urge to chase after her and ask her to explain the problem, or the thing that she was expecting from him. But he yawned and chose to give in to the exhaustion tugging at the edges of his brain instead.


The wooden sign with printed block letters "CLOSED" swung gently from side to side in the night breeze and bumped against the sliding door of Kawamura Sushi. A magnificent sunset was fading from the sky, crimson melting into violet, gold dimming into grey, and the stars opened their eyelids to peer down at the planet on a night meant for blood-curdling screams and dark sweeping costumes. It's Halloween night.

A stream of laughter flowed out from a crack in the sliding doors, along with some happy munching and chewing sounds occasionally interrupted by the dull thud of knife against wood. No one noticed a flicker in the street lamp outside the restaurant; it lit up a corner of the street in a sudden burst of light, and then dimmed again to normal. It wasn't an unusual sight, but a pair of feet had stopped directly under it. Their owner lifted two huge and startled eyes to the faulty bulb and then relaxed again when she discovered it was only the lamp. Not lightning, not a torch flash, just a faulty street light. Yet she didn't continue down the path. Instead, the dark eyes traveled down her black velvet dress and overcoat, and then finally back up to the gigantic broom stick in her hand. The girl winced in embarrassment.

She told her grandma she couldn't be a witch. She just...didn't have the feel of being an evil old hag, complete with wrinkles, a big wart on her nose and a sleazy black cat. But, having just found out about the party that morning, this was all she could manage to put together... a random assortment from her childhood dress-up box, her loving grandma's antique wardrobe, and the broom cupboard of her neighbor.

Not bad for a three-hour scramble and panic attack.

But at this precise moment, merely two meters from the entrance to the party venue, her mind wavered in doubt and fear. What if I'm the only person dressed up? Maybe they've changed their mind and forgot to tell me? ...Just like how they forgot to invite me. Oh dear, I knew I should've refused and stayed at home...and anyway, I'm not supposed to celebrate anything today...in fact, I shouldn't even be happy at all.

The girl sighed and was even considering turning back when the door slid open without warning. A flood of golden light poured over her slender body and illuminated her pale face. Her mouth opened in surprise but, before she could make a sound, a hand had gripped her forearm and roughly dragged her into the warm room.

"Stop moping around by the door, it's annoying."

The hand let go and she heard the door bang shut again behind her. What followed afterwards was an overwhelming explosion of wolf whistles, excited exclaims, and teasing questions.

"Oooh, Echizen... I didn't know you were so eager for Ryuzaki to come in!"

"A-ha! Your true face is finally revealed, Echizen!...But before she even came through the door...you're more desperate than I thought, Echizen!"

"Fight Ochibi! I knew you have the potential!!"

"Hehehehehe...this is really really good data..."

A horde of older boys - older dressed up boys - grinned gleefully at their youngest male companion, completely unaffected by the icy glare on Ryoma's face as he seated back in front of the glass cabinets of the sushi bar and aggressively hoisted the thick vampire cape out of his way. The boy was obviously in a serious state of frustration, Sakuno could almost see a note saying "I'm annoyed" stuck to the back of his emerald hair.

"Aww... Sakuno you look gorgeous!!!" A shrill voice pierced the loud laughter and teasing of the boys, and a girl clad in an extravagant pink lacey dress bounced up to her. Her shoulder-length red hair was elegantly twisted back into a bun on the back of her head, and her lips were frighteningly red due to an excess apply of lipstick. She took hold of Sakuno's right hand (the broom-free one) and studied her from top to bottom, then finally let out an excited giggle and squeezed her hand.

"Oh you do look absolutely beautiful!" Osakada Tomoka gasped in pure joy. Her voice slightly trembled from her unusually hyperactive mood.

"Err...t-thanks, Tomo-chan...you...too..." Sakuno was about to compliment on her friend's costume in return, but somehow the plastic tiara and pink stiletto heels just didn't exactly fit in her category of "the outfit to go trick-or-treating in". Nevertheless, she smiled and tried her best not to burst Tomoka's bubble, since her own costume wasn't exactly the ideal Halloween clothing either.

"Oi Osakada! Can you please move?? We can't see Ryuzaki's costume because you're in the way!" A voice croaked from the group behind. Tomoka's eyebrows immediately scrunched together and she spun around to fire back:

"A person who's so stupid as to come to a party when he's sick has no right to talk! Really, I don't know how the hell you managed to get into the Seigaku High Tennis Club with six years tennis experience but still not knowing how to hold a racquet properly. I bet Ryoma-sama can thrash you in five minutes flat!"

"Three minutes, actually." Ryoma corrected coldly.

Horio shrank back against the wall. He's obviously no match against those two, regardless of how many years tennis experience he has.

"Nice costume, Ryuzaki-chan! That broom is brilliant!" Kikumaru Eiji pounded onto the girl in his fluffy cat costume. From his attitude it was extremely difficult to believe that he was now a high school student. The claws on his "paws" looked so real Sakuno was scared that it would penetrate her flesh when they gripped onto her shoulders. But her attention was diverted upon catching a quiver of Ryoma's cape. Weird, did he just flinch when Kikumaru touched her shoulders? But he didn't shift from his present position of leaning against the counter on one elbow, and a cool sideways glance on his face. She didn't think he even blinked.

No, it must have been her imagination.

"Well, since everyone's here now...shall we begin?" Oishi Syuichirou's enthusiastic voice rang out above the rest. Sakuno could see, with a small smile, the tall ex-vice-captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club waving a huge plastic bag filled with bamboo baskets which he had clearly prepared in advance for the purpose of collecting sweets. He laid them on the floor and ushered everyone to take one. Carefully fishing out what she suspected to be a mini picnic basket, she chuckled at the sight of Momoshiro trying to stuff a basket into Ryoma's arms. Due to Ryoma's cold insist on only being a "guard" for the trick-and-treating party and not actually joining the crowd, which disastrously clashed with Momoshiro's determination at forcing everyone to be "part of the group" (as Sakuno had previously experienced), a ridiculous battle had erupted between the pair. A battle which Momoshiro triumphantly won despite Ryoma's attempt to hide his arms under the thick folds of vampire costume, and resulted in the basket to be "worn" on the younger boy's head instead.

"It suits you quite well, Echizen!" Momoshiro laughed at the upside-down basket over the tussle of dark green hair, its handle wedged under his chin like the ribbons of a sunhat, and a pair of fuming golden eyes glaring from under the smooth bamboo rim.

"You'll regret this, Momo-senpai..." Ryoma say through gritted teeth, but the upperclassman only grinned and slapped the boy's shoulder.

"Come if you dare."

Sakuno smiled as she followed them out of the restaurant, and held out a helping hand when she noticed Ryoma struggling to untangle his hair from the basket...a process which looked extremely painful from his twitching brows and tightly pressed lips. The most obvious proof that it was painful was, however, that he didn't protest when he felt Sakuno's fingers gently loosening the knots from the bamboo cracks. Although the fact that his eyes wouldn't meet hers could probably be interpreted as a sign of embarrassment.

The basket was lowered and Ryoma breathed out a sigh of relief and frustration. Although still not looking at her directly in the eye, he muttered a quick "thanks" before hastily walking away to join the other males. She smiled. That was, indeed, all she was expecting.