Harvest Moon

"Trust me Tab, you'd like it! It's kinda like a huge party that they all party about love."

"Not interested, not going, not in love!"

Yoyo grinned, his normal trademark. The garage seemed more normal, now that Yoyo had started acting like his old self again. Yoyo threw around a green apple, entertaining him self while teasing Tab. "C'mon, yo! Candy's all waitin' for ya and you're gonna stand her up?"

"She is not waiting for me! We're nothin more than friends."

Yoyo arched an eyebrow, his smile broadening. Tab's cheeks had already reddened and he had more emphasis in his answers. "You know, that's the same reaction Candy had when some girl mentioned you."

"What!"

Yoyo took a bite of the apple, "Nothin'." Tab glared at him and shook his head. "You have to go anyway, the elder gotta tell ya somethin." Yoyo added, looking at his dog-like bites in the apple. Lying was as easy as breathing for Yoyo. It came natural for him, and this time, it was for a good cause. Candy was nice and she was a good friend, and Tab the same. They liked each other. Add together and Yoyo couldn't find any negativity in it. He liked to pair up obvious couples. It made him feel like he controlled something.

For being him, he never had the type of boldness needed in a leader. He usually decided for himself, or followed what he was told to do. But with match making, he controlled the cards, and unexpected events could take hold. That was the most interesting thing about match making. He saw it as a full life time game. But one thing always bothered Yoyo. As a small child cannot play in a game, he felt left out.

No one had ever taken interest in him personally, and he felt closed in all the time. All of the others had someone to confide in, whether it be a boyfriend, girlfriend, or even best friend if they weren't paired off with someone yet. Too many people were entering Yoyo's life now, too many to get to know any of them. No one that he could just hang out with or talk to privately.

Becoming a werewolf was not his plan to get close to anyone. In fact, he felt he was being ripped and pulled from his customary home to be with others like him, only in appearance. He suddenly realized that when the pack would be leaving, Candy would go, too. Tab would be broken, but having someone, even for two minutes, was better than being alone, as Yoyo felt.

Tab stopped and looked at Yoyo, "He really needs to tell me something?"

Yoyo bit off another mouthful of apple and chewed happily, "Yup."

Tab's shyness of girls got the best of him at most times. Yoyo recalled when Tab had a slight crush on Rhyth. Nothing intense or blushing at every look, but it was more of a best friend crush. Tab had talked to her once, privately, and then came out, as if he had never liked her more than a friend at all. Still his usual self, but something had changed, as if he had to stay quiet about something.

Yoyo chuckled to himself as he remembered bothering Tab and Rhyth, singing elementary school taunts, pointing and making the others laugh. In the end, it was always Rhyth who would get embarrassed and look to the floor. Tab never was bothered by it, and brushed it off easily, but Rhyth was more emotional than anyone could ever be. Yoyo smiled as he thought of Rhyth. She was a great friend who would never let you down or let you put yourself down. She always smiled, even if she was mad at someone, she never treated another with that held in anger.

But Rhyth could also toughen up, if necessary. He shook his head as memory served him a time of pain that Rhyth put him through. She had gotten her very first tattoo. She was proud of herself and so was the gang. It was on her check, just under her eye in blue, color of her choice. Yoyo had told her it looked a little smudged and he could fix it up. Licking his thumb, he smudged it across her cheek, making her scream in disgust. Her cheek had been hurting to the previous poking and stenciling of the tattoo on her face, and Yoyo had made the pain worse, besides spreading his germs on her. He had laughed a good riot up until Rhyth clenched her teeth and kicked him in the crotch, forcing him to collapse in pain. "Never again would I piss her off." floated around in Yoyo's head, a promise of his own words.

Rhyth stopped and stared back as she realized that odd being watched feeling was coming from Yoyo. He hadn't stopped staring for a long time and it was locked on her. As normal when she was watched by anyone, her heart paced quickly and she began wondering if there was something wrong with her. A stain on her dress? Messy hair? Forgot to put on make up?

Yoyo blinked twice, taking in that Rhyth was staring back at him. What was he doing? He had been thinking about her. Strange, how his thoughts led him to look at the same person. He hadn't even noticed until his brain kicked into gear. Tab glanced at Yoyo and then at Rhyth before Yoyo broke off the contact. "Eyin' Rhyth?" he grinned, wanting to be able to tease Yoyo for all the times he had teased him.

"No."

"I saw you. And she did, too."

"I didn't know I was lookin at her, yo."

"What."

"My mind sorta did its on own…I was thinking about her…"

Yoyo crammed his mouth shut, only wondering what Tab could register from that. "Really? Hmmm…." Tab smirked, leaning against the kitchen counter. "You know, those old times when I would make fun of you guys…" Yoyo chuckled, seeing the event replay in his mind.

"Sure you're not just growin attached to her?" Tab said with a smile.

"Dude, I don't even know what that feels like anymore…"

Yoyo glanced at his apple and tossed it, heading into his room and closing the door. Tab, utterly confused and bewildered, picked up the apple and threw it into the trash, wondering what Yoyo meant.

Rhyth sat on the couch of the second floor, watching them both. Why did Yoyo seclude himself so much? He was hardly ever like that. After he had gone missing the second time, he had come back a different person, but only Rhyth knew it.

&&&

The sunset slowly melted into the middle of the sky, spreading brilliant shades of yellows, oranges, reds, pinks, and purples. This reflected off the water, and onto walls. The beauty of nature, as Rhyth liked to describe it. Yoyo looked at his watch; he was going to be late. The party lasted all night though. He still didn't want to miss anything he had never been to before. He was known for arriving late at parties, but the causes were usually not his fault. It was always the person he was waiting for.

"TAB!"

"Comin! I had to get my skates out." Tab explained, changing them quickly. Stores didn't let you in with skates on and he had to get some food for the gang. It was his turn to go grocery shopping, a chore he hated with a passion. "Alright, let's go."

"So, what does the elder have to tell me?"

"If I knew, I would've told you, yo."

"Right."

Something about Yoyo's behavior didn't seem right. It was as if he was planning something. Tab was sure to keep a watchful eye out for him. Yoyo skated, feeling as he had before he had ever met Jam and Candy. The days that he used to take off on a race or a dare felt closer to him now than ever before. He needed his skates. It was part of who he was. But, he named himself cursed, like Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde. Normal, happy, human Yoyo at day, and animal at night. Not much of another way to put it, as Yoyo thought.

The cottages and alleyways were deserted and quiet as always. Everything was dark as it was every night, since the day Yoyo came. "What gives?" asked Tab, hesitating to go any further, "I thought you said some party was on?"

"It was…"

Yoyo stepped into the alleyway that he took to get to the center circle. No sound, no movement, nothing. Wait…a faint whisper. "C'mon, yo. I hear something." Tab followed as Yoyo led the way, the sounds coming more mingle-like and party-ish. They finally reached the center circle, where some of the pack were talking, flirting, and anything else along those lines.

Yoyo recognized the girl who had been talking to Candy two nights before. She saw him and smiled, diving into the crowds and coming back with a distraught looking Candy. Candy appeared to have been forced to come. All part of Yoyo's plan. As Spice pulled Candy nearer and nearer to the two boys, Candy tried her best to pull away, but failed. Spice placed Candy in front of Tab, "This boy." she smiled, answering Candy's previous question of what boy is here?

Candy glanced at him and stared to the ground, unable to make eye contact. Tab crossed his arms and slowly glared at Yoyo, whose grin was breaking his face. "Oh yeah, the elder said to behave, Tab!" cracked Yoyo, fleeing the scene. "Have fun, you two!" called out Spice, who was already on her way.

Tab and Candy looked at each other.

"Planned?"

"Oh yeah."

&&&

Yoyo passed random people, wondering what was the point in calling the holiday a Harvest Moon when the moon hadn't shown yet. It was already nine. His stomach growled; a sure sign of needing the food bar. He let his nose do the work in finding the table in the mess of people who were now coming by the bunches, from where, Yoyo knew not.

He piled his plate until there wasn't any more room and sat at one of the tables to enjoy the feast. By first taste, he knew Blaze had cooked it. As he was about to head back for seconds, he saw her serving herself. "Hey!" he greeted, while he stacked his own place for a second time.

"Hi!" she responded, walking back with him to the table. "I still don't get this whole 'celebration' idea, but the food's great!" he admitted, licking his fingers. Blaze took a bite of her food, "Well, here is where you eat. Most of the pack is up on the roofs."

"Roofs? Why?"

"To see the harvest moon!" she smiled as if this was an obvious answer. "When does it come out?" he asked, mouth filled with something made with potatoes.

"In about two hours."

"Two hours. Then why is everyone waiting now instead of eating?"

Blaze giggled, not understanding Yoyo's mentality, "This is a night to appreciate the person you love and spend time with them, not loving the food!"

Yoyo blinked, "I knew that!" Blaze watched as Yoyo went to get a drink. Yoyo was interesting, just like Jam, but in a different way.

&&&

The wind spread a cold chill to anyone who wasn't wearing a coat or long sleeved shirt. The temperature had dropped and was still going down as a young girl skated out freely. Her short dress wasn't protecting her any, the wind blew right through, freezing her every bone. Covering up her legs were her long socks, so at least she had that. The typical weather was usually warm, but it would get cool at night, giving the land a chilly freeze.

The girl swerved by parked cars and closed stores. She wondered what her two friends could be doing. They had acted so weird, keeping quiet about some meeting she had overheard them talking about. They also mentioned a lot of names. Candy, Jam, Blaze, Spike, and the elder, whoever that was, were brought up constantly. Could they be involved in another gang? No, not her friends, not them. But she would have to prove it to herself first.

She turned the street into Hikage Street, knowing that's where Yoyo had been sneaking off to in the middle of the night. She knew about his nightly creeps, hearing his door click and his feet pattering against the floor. He always left barefoot, and this puzzled her the most. Where could anyone go without shoes? And he would talk about these visits, where ever he went, with Tab. They both knew something she didn't, and she had to know. She kept this information, this hunch, to herself. No one else had the time to notice changes in their friends.

She was almost there, and she would have her answers.

&&&

"C'mon, follow me."

The two young teens traveled through an alleyway, which most of this place was made of, one followed by the other, all the way to a particular cottage with a ladder leaning up against it. Yoyo climbed up first and then Blaze, due to her having a skirt on. Not too far down, Yoyo could see teens cuddling, hugging, kissing, and even licking each other's faces. He looked at Blaze confused for a moment until she answered, "Ever have a dog lick you before? It's affection."

Blaze sat at the edge of the roof, motioning for Yoyo to sit, too. He did, but hesitantly. He wasn't used to one on one attention. She spoke after a while, "This is where all the teenagers come. Most adults don't watch the harvest moon. And the kids are too young. So, it's basically a holiday for teens."

Yoyo nodded, watching as she inched closer to him, smiling between every word she said. His heart paced rapidly as her words became whispers, and she gently touched his cheek. "I really like you, Yoyo. Since the day I saw you, the day I had to take care of you before you woke up." she whispered, making his ears twitch nervously.

Yoyo looked into her eyes, trying to see if he could see the person she once was. But he soon forgot what he was searching for, as he just stared into her sparkling eyes and she reached over his head, slowly trailing the tips of her fingers on the back of his neck, making his hairs stand up. He felt his cheeks burn up as she wound their tails together and placed her hand into his. She was also blushing, some of her double colored hair covering her face. Yoyo gently pulled the hair away, revealing her face once again, and she looked perfect. She was his. All his.

"Blaze…"

He neared her, not noticing that others not so far away were awed by the moon's appearance, the sudden burst of dark orange meant nothing to him, although it resembled a lot of what he was missing. Something special. Someone special. And now, he believed he had her. Blaze closed her eyes as she tilted her head towards him and he towards her. Their lips barely touched when a gasp broke the moment.

In a flash, the visitor scrambled down the ladder and began skating away. Yoyo immediately jumped to his feet, "RHYTH!" he called out, but there was no sign of life in the empty alleyway. "Not like having Tab know was enough!" he muttered annoyed, rushing down the ladder, leaving Blaze forgotten for the moment.

All that was in his mind was that Rhyth had seen him in his half blood form, and at the rate she was racing off, she was probably terrified and ready to tell the gang. As he ran, he noticed he wasn't going to get anywhere. He tried fours, and ran much faster, but he couldn't find Rhyth anywhere. The way she had run wasn't back to Shibuya Terminal. She had run into the wooded area.

Blaze, alone and forgotten, felt no reaction but pity for the running girl. "I'm sorry," she whispered, but there was no possible way Rhyth could hear her, "I really am."

Yoyo skidded to a halt, "Rhyth? Where are you! Please! Come here, I'm not gonna hurt you, it's me!"

The only answer was his repeating echo. His ears drooped as his heart felt heavy. The pack was going to kill him.

&&&

Hiding in the security of the trees, Rhyth stayed hidden, tears rushing down her cheeks like downpour. She knew something had been odd about Yoyo, but never to think that he was hiding some kind of girlfriend from all of them. But why would he do that? She shook her head, it didn't matter. He was already taken and his heart belonged to another. "I'm such an idiot…" she moaned over and over to herself, driving herself crazy with the chant, pulling at her cheeks.

Flashback

Rhyth had always been a very emotional person, even as a young child. When her parents would fight, she would whimper and when her father left her and her mother on their own, she cried everyday, receiving screams and tantrums from her mother that Rhyth reminded her of the pain. A splitting image of her father, a soreness that her mother held against her, making her life a living hell. After a while, when Rhyth couldn't take it anymore, she ran away when her mother took her to the mall to shop. There her mother was, picking random clothes for Rhyth, never letting her decide anything for herself. According to her, Rhyth was as good as a retarded child who would always need someone to accompany her, to make decisions for her, to live her life for her.

She hardly allowed Rhyth to talk, heaven forbid. She would get smacked or have a random item thrown at her. Answering was basic body language. And as Rhyth grew older, maturing in both mind and body, her punishments became worse. For starving herself, for being an idiot, for attracting men's attention, all things she couldn't help or were not true. "I'm sorry…" she would always say, covering her mouth after she had said it.

Slowly stepping away from her mother, she backed into a rack of older women's clothing, hiding herself from any view her mother could have of her. Continuing to push herself back, she crept to the other side of the aisle and ran. Ran as fast as she could, away from the problems and worries she faced everyday, either it be from school about the way she was and dressed, or at home from her mother and all her issues.

Rhyth stood in front of the store she had been in and saw that the one next to it had the nicest and most unique dress she had ever seen. It was part turtleneck, but with no sleeves. If she hemmed it, it would be wonderful. But it was still missing something. She slid into the store, a teen paradise for shopping for the girls who had the money. Quickly, she snagged her size from the rack and grabbed something else while walking around. It was the oddest piece of clothing in the store. A bra that no girl could possibly wear underneath her blouse unless she was desperate. She matched the two together, seeing her own style blooming.

She walked around, seeing if she found anything else. Some long, blue stripped socks. This she liked, but couldn't find any shoes to go with it. As she neared the door, she watched as the clerk was busy with a customer who seemed to be putting up some trouble. This was her chance. She ran out, alarm ringing that the tags had not been removed.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!"

Running for her life, she raced outside, hoping and praying that she wouldn't get caught. Her life could only get worse. Cars raced across the street, a sure death call if she were to take that road. She paced down the street blindly, trying to get away from the shouts she had heard following her in the stores. A crash into someone blocked her and her items went flying. "Ohhh…" she sighed, rubbing her head.

"What the hell?"

She looked up at a short boy, about the same age as her, strange sunglasses and a hood with tomato red hair coming out like a mane, staring back at her. "What's the rush, yo? Sky fallin?"

"I'm sorry…" she said automatically, gathering her things and looking behind her. She was deathly afraid of strangers from all the stories her mother had told her about rapes and kidnapping, and that it would happen to her if she ever thought about leaving.

"She took things worth over five hundred-"

"We'll find her, don't worry. Call the authorities."

Rhyth's heart paced quicker than any animals could naturally, and she was about to race off again, when the boy's eyes widened, "Cops after you too? Follow me!" he hissed, grabbing her arm and racing. Rhyth had a difficult time keeping up with him due to the fact that he had skates on and she only had five year old, worn sneakers. She suddenly heard gunshots, a fear she never wanted to face.

The strange boy yanked her into an alley and covered her mouth as a few cops ran by. "Shh…"

After a moment, he let her go, "Okay, they're gone. You new around here?" Rhyth looked at him and half nodded. She could definitely fit the part of someone who had been searching for somewhere to stay even though she had only been gone for about a half hour now. Her baggy shirt covered all the way to her behind, where she wore stretchy pants that covered all the way to her ankles, ending in her old sneakers. She had tied her long hair into a pony tail, but after all the running, it was loose and some was hanging in her face. The boy shrugged, "Ooookay, what's you're name, yo?"

Rhyth wanted a new identification than her real name. A name that someday everyone would know.

"Rhyth." she answered quietly. He grinned, making her feel shy, "I'm Yoyo. Headin' my way?" She shrugged, not knowing what way he was talking about, but followed him anyway. He soon introduced her to his friends, whom she found nice, but that was the last time she saw him or them until two years later, when she was officially Rhyth, a rudie with a purpose. He had recognized her from somewhere when she first joined, but couldn't put his finger on it. They both looked different from the last time they had seen each other. She also had a feeling that she knew him, but it was only after they introduced names that they remembered and hugged as if they were old time friends.

End Flashback

Rhyth sighed as she remembered the day he had saved her from an easy jail capture. Thanks to him, she became who she was now. And she had always liked him for that and much more, but now that was robbed from her by someone he had only met days before.

Hearing his calls recalled when she would scream her father's name, but received no response. He was saying something about not being afraid. Afraid of what? What could he possibly do that would save a heartbreak?

Yoyo stayed in the same spot, listening for any change in the sounds he heard. A light sigh or deep breath would help him greatly. "C'mon Rhyth…" he sighed, looking around. "This is dangerous…get back to the gang…" he said, hearing his own echo. Rhyth heard this too, but pay no attention to him. As she wiped her face, she heard a crack. Probably Yoyo walking over. Maybe he found her. At the moment, she didn't want to be found. She wanted to be comforted. But by who?

Another crack.

She stood up, ready to look him in the eye and lay it all out.

A screech.

Rhyth immediately lost her courage and backed against the tree she had been sitting against, wondering what in the world that could've been. Large flapping wings covered her view as she tried to race away from this large creature, screaming for help. As she did, she realized herself calling out Yoyo's name.

"YOYO!"

"RHYTH!"

Her voice trailed off as she was carried away by a large, gray, human-like bat that was far beyond Yoyo's reach. She screamed and fought, using all her strength until darkness filled her sight. She stopped fidgeting, and remained motionless in the creature's arms.

And all Yoyo could do was watch.

Author's Note: Now how did some friends know how this was gonna turn out? (smiles) Went into JGR, but all the same. Well, there are other turns on this ride. Review!