Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any characters affiliated therewith.

Dedicated to two people I know of who were born on Halloween: one of my friends and L.

'Twas the night of Halloween, and the adults in Wammy's House had decided to throw their own 'Haunted House' for the orphans, complete with spooky halls, costume contests, festival food, and, of course, trick-or-treating. The child known only as L peeked around the corner of one of the House's long hallways, hoping there wouldn't be mechanical spiders waiting to drop on his head. For the tender age of seven, he was very intelligent, always observant of his surroundings, like a mouse watching for the cat. Black hair hung limply before his beautiful, wide dark eyes under the simple white sheet he wore for a costume. At his side, he held a small orange jack-o-lantern bucket, already partially filled with candy. He cautiously stepped from his hiding place, keeping close to the plain white-striped wall. Abruptly, a dark object as big as his two fists together dropped before him.

"Yahhh!!!" L stumbled backward, spilling half of his candy in the process. A few other children came up from an adjacent hallway, dressed in various costumes, laughing hysterically at L's sprawled form on the ground.

"Aw, widdle L's afwaid of a spwider?" a brunette boy in a king outfit asked mockingly.

"L, you're afraid of everything, aren't you?" taunted a blonde girl dressed as a fairy. The children laughed at L and ran to snatch up his candy, much to the boy's dismay.

"Stop it! It's my candy!" L threw off the sheet, his cheeks red in anger and embarrassment. He charged at the brunette king, tackling him to the ground. The boys wrestled for a few minutes, before the other boy hit L hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Jeez, L!" the boy said, gingerly patting a scratch on his cheek that he'd gotten from the raven-haired boy. "We were just teasing! What's wrong with you?" L didn't answer, but remained huddled on the ground in a mass of scattered candy.

"We'd better go," the girl in the fairy costume said, pushing the group of children down the next hall. They left without saying sorry. L's eyes burned with humiliation and sadness, but he wouldn't let himself cry, not when there were other children so close. After he caught his breath, he lifted himself to his knees and began to pick up the small pieces of sugar. Luckily, the children had left his candy alone, but that didn't make him feel any better. When he had salvaged his treats, he drew the ghost costume back over his head and left silently for the playroom. No more trick-or-treating for him tonight.

Upon reaching the heavy oak doors of the playroom, L heard a sound he didn't expect to hear. Leaning as close as he dared to the slightly ajar door, he heard someone… sobbing. The boy pushed the door open with both hands, slipping in noiselessly, before closing the door with a quiet click. There, bathed in the moonlight from the full moon, was a little girl no more than L's age. She was dressed in a ballerina outfit, with an identical jack-o-lantern basket beside her. Her straight black hair was drawn up in a ponytail, her bangs unconstrained by a pink hair-tie. L blinked as he tried to connect the small, pretty, red-blotched face with her name.

Sherry…

"Um, Sherry?" The girl looked up abruptly from where she had buried her face in her hands. She relaxed when she saw L.

"Oh, hi L." She hiccupped and wiped her eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Why are you crying?" the boy asked, ignoring her question as he sat down beside her. Sherry bit her lip, as if trying to hold back more tears.

"… It's my birthday…" she finally whispered, her voice choking. "But nobody cares…" L felt an unexplainable happiness drive out the sadness and embarrassment from before.

"It's your birthday?" he repeated. Sherry nodded, tears spilling from her eyes once more. The boy took off the sheet and wiped her face with it.

"Don't cry anymore, Sherry. It's my birthday too." The girl's face lit up and her eyes widened.

"It is? I didn't know that!" L felt himself smile, and Sherry giggled, her face still blotchy, but a definite happiness in her eyes.

"L, you look cute when you smile." The boy only smiled even more as he hugged her.

"Maybe we can celebrate together!" He dug out a fistful of candy and gave it to her, saying, "Happy birthday, Sherry." The girl smiled back at him as she took the sweets, before giving him a few pieces back and a kiss on the cheek.

L's face immediately went bright red, even in the moonlight. Sherry laughed and snuggled up close to L, murmuring, "Happy Birthday, L."

A/N: I feel bad for not writing more, but I'm loaded with schoolwork and other miscellaneous activities. I hope this will satiate some of my readers' appetites for a good story, and I hope to get back on writing. Happy birthday Sherry!