December 10th.

Expecting a person to act on information they were probably given once is by no means fair. However, after spending five months together, is it bad to be a little selfish? Afterall, it's only two little words...

The phone rang around noon. An Unknown Number flashed across the caller ID. "It's Sonoko!" Mother yelled from the kitchen.

"Got it!" I pinched my nose to alter my voice and answered, "110, what is your emergency?"

The other end went silent.

"If you're unable to answer we can track your call. Just stay on the line and-" I laughed when a dial tone picked up.

It rang again. This time Suzuki Sonoko plainly identified on the caller ID.

I answered in a squeaky tone, "Takoyaki, take out or delivery, what's your order?"

"I know that's you, Keiko!" Sonoko snapped.

"Fine. Fine. What's up?"

"Uh," she stammered. "Well, actually... I'm stuck at the pastry shop, you know, the one close to your house? I didn't bring enough to buy something, can I borrow some from you?"

"Ah, alright." Not too difficult. "I'll be there in a bit."

Sonoko without enough money... I stopped at the door. Isn't that kind of weird? When I got to the shop however, Sonoko wasn't there.

"Excuse me?" a girl with short dark blue hair piped up as she stepped around the cash register.

"Yeah?"

She fidgeted. "There was, um, someone who said you would show up, and..."

"My friend called saying she needed help paying for something."

"Pay? Oh no, I mean—"

A girl with long orange hair tied up in pigtails leaned over the counter. "That person said something about heading off to the library."

"Okay? ...There's nothing that needs money or...?"

"Oh, w-well she left this." She handed me a bag, then bowed. "And my name is Hinata."

"I'm Asuna," The cashier shot me a thumbs up. "Nice to meetcha."

"Nice to meet ya too, I'm Keiko." With a farewell wave I left. ...And now I have to return a lost item... Maybe someone managed to save Sonoko's tail before me, but then, why'd she leave a bag? I lifted it experimentally, weighing it. Something small-ish? Jewelry? Make-up? What else do girls like?

...car keys?

Halfway to the library a juggler with shoulder length purple hair crossed my path. He said his name, Paul, and handed me a ball. Lame. Even after encouraging him, he refused to juggle. It's rare to see a performer, but I'm sure the reason he's around is to drum up the crowds for the nearby jewelry exhibit. Energy thrummed through me at the amount of people around. Mostly spectators, but other than that, entertainers, and artists galore.

...and then there's me, entering the library, a desolate area compared to the life around it.

"Sorry, missed 'em." A rather stern and—well—green librarian told me. "Name's Piccolo by the way." He glanced at me from over his book Living with Aliens.

"Keiko. Did they say where they were going?"

"Right..." He flipped to his bookmark, a small envelope, then handed it to me. "That person dropped this. Said something about a shoe store as well."

"Really?" I sighed, and dragged myself to the exit.

A small boy with a large straw hat bumped into me outside. His ice cream dropped, splattering a sticky orange mess onto my shoes. "I'm so sorry!" He bowed. The swift act caused his hat to fall as well.

"It's okay." I caught the hat, yet recoiled at the sight of his—no—her long yellow hair pulled back into a ponytail. "I was um—" she hastily retrieved her hat from my frozen hand. "—going to get new ones anyway."

"No, it's not okay. Here," She dutifully handed me a bouquet of flowers from her small bag. How'd that fit in there? "I got these, please accept it as an apology."

"No it's—"

"My name's Yellow," she smiled brightly. "Hope ya like 'em!"

Yellow left too quickly for me to object. I stuffed it into the bag then stared intently at the ground.

Okay. Yes. There's a big event, but it's official, I smell a rat. If Sonoko needed me to pay for that thing a heiress didn't have enough money on hand for, then she wouldn't have been able to leave. Two, considering her level of stealth, there's no way I'm missing her this much. Three, this many people introducing themselves is way more than coincidence. And lastly, it's Sonoko, she's not worth this- this- whatever this is!

But—I halted, one foot in the air upon my decision to head home—I do need new shoes...

"Welcome—" A man with long black hair inside the entrance of the shoe department store paused at the sight of my impatiently raised hand.

"Just-" I sighed. "It's Keiko. Tell me your name, and let's get this over with."

He cooly crossed his arms, as if considering me before monotonously stating, "Byakuya."

I bowed, forcefully, yet courteously. "Thank you."

A spiky orange haired guy, who'd witnessed our exchange, rolled his eyes and said, "Ichigo."

That's when a girl with short black hair gasped, looking between the two men as though they'd committed treason. She then targeted my shoes, the oddest gleam in her eye as she strode over, and said with an air of confidence, "you look like you require assistance!"

Ichigo scrubbed a hand over his face. "Rukia..."

"Let her," Byakuya stated.

Rukia nodded, all smiles and sparkles as she escorted me to the women's section. "Might I interest you in a pair of loafers, or maybe." She slipped out a box from the shelf, and held the pair of shoes proudly before me. "This might be the precise thing you are looking for!"

It's odd. The way she spoke so bluntly; I had to refrain from looking over my shoulder, since it sounded the way one would read while looking directly at a script.

"I'd prefer a, um..." actually what Rukia held is exactly what I wanted. Running shoes with a gel insole, elevated heel, and rubber spiked outer soles. "That. That's good." I smiled and nodded, continuing only because the most curious expression glued itself to her face. "Great."

Suddenly she exploded with happiness. "Really?!"

I hummed an affirmative, checking the material a second time, when she swung me down the aisle.

"Brother!" Rukia chirped. "Ring her up!"

Byakuya nodded, and calmly went about the transaction, pressing buttons, and putting the shoes into a bag. When I handed him the money though, he handed me the receipt.

He shoved both the receipt and money back at me.

"But I—"

Ichigo turned me around, put the bag in my hand, and pushed me to the door. "It's the special today. Any pair free of charge."

"Free of—" I spun around him then stamped. "Did Sonoko put you all up to this?"

"Sonoko?" Rukia blinked. Then a lightbulb went off. "Oh, that person? They said someone would be asking around."

"Let me guess, she said she was going to—" and she completed my sentence with, "—Game on Game."

I sighed. "Always somewhere else..." I eyed them suspiciously, but couldn't help the tinge of blush that colored my anticipation. "Did that person mention anything about today?"

Ichigo stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Like what?"

"Like, um..." the brand new shoes taunted me. A neon sign that just begged me to admit where I thought this might be going. So, I shot my own hopes down and went for the door. Alright. I'll play whatever game this is. Pretending, maybe, it's a prank, instead of what I'm wishing for.

A mime with brown spiked back hair appeared before me on the streets outside. Without a doubt the most welcoming person all day, one without words.

"Hey," I smiled. "I'm Keiko." To which he pointed at his nametag that read, "Terra."

He grinned and nodded, reaching behind my ear to pull forth a deflated balloon. To my surprise it inflated in an instant. A long balloon which he shaped to form a heart.

"Wow!" I clapped.

His eyes went wide, and just as quickly, he created a balloon arrow. Terra held the heart against his chest, then pitched the arrow into it with the silliest smile splashed upon his face.

I couldn't contain my laughter at the sight, is that flirting?

He gestured for me to take the creations.

My happiness cooled to a giggle. "Thank you."

And at that, he bowed and left, cloaked in a puff of smoke. The experience left me buzzing with happiness. Although... isn't that more of a magician thing?

"Nope," a boy with long purple hair said when I asked if Sonoko had visited Game on Game. "Name's Hakudoshi. I hear a lot of things." He smirked, shuffling game coins in his hand. "Although, my memory could be better refreshed with some spare change."

"Lighten up," A spiky yellow haired guy came up, and gave Hakudoshi an abrupt pat on the back. "Pleasure to meet ya," he directed at me. "I'm Demyx, at your service."

"I'm—"

"Keiko, right?" A girl asked as she approached with a friend. "My name's Akane." She bowed. Akane had short, tomboyish black hair, similar to her friend. Except, I couldn't help but notice keychains they wore on their belts. Akane's appeared to be a yellow kettle, while her friend had what looked like a shuriken.

"The name's Yuffie," her friend chimed. "See that person mentioned someone like you while we were waiting in line for a game." She handed me a bag. "Left that behind, I couldn't believe it, looks important."

"Oh, I know who you're talking about!" Demyx exclaimed. "That person was so noisy too. Said something about a Professor."

"Really?!" I asked.

They nodded, each with varying levels of shock to my reaction.

"Thanks!" I waved goodbye, and sprinted out the door.

What else could it possibly be? A prank with the worst timing ever? I shouldn't put it past Sonoko, but it's not like I can eliminate the possibility either.

Without hesitation I barged into Agasa's home.

And "Surprise!" is what chorused from all inside.

I fell back against the door, their loud volume enough to send me staggering, since everyone I knew from this little town of Beika managed to get themselves into Agasa's home today.

They tossed confetti and streamers moments later, shouting, "happy birthday!"

All eagerly awaited my response, but my heart needed a second to catch up. "You all knew?"

"Shinichi might have reminded us," Ran admitted. "The whole treasure hunt was his idea."

"Treasure?"

"What you're holding," Sonoko pointed to the bags. "Those are your birthday presents from me, Ran, and Shinichi."

"This junk of yours I've been collecting?" Emotions welled in my throat. "I-it's not junk? It's not yours? It's..." overwhelming tears of joy gathered at my lashes. "I don't know what to say. Y-you guys..."

"Don't cry." Sonoko gripped me by the shoulders. "How are we going to get any good pictures if your stupid face gets stuck like that?"

"That whole chase got me so mad at you." I tapped her cheek, blubbering out the words as I did. "Now I can't even slap you."

Sonoko rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah."

Once Ran and Sonoko pulled me together, and convinced me that, "yes, this is happening," I opened the presents. Which consisted mostly of clothes and cards. Yep. Simple. But really awesome, considering my personal wardrobe only contained three outfits even when mix-matched. Yay for clothes!

I hugged the gifts, and sighed contentedly. "Thank you so much everybody."

Sonoko and Ran, already raiding the cake, took a second to acknowledge me with a nod and a smile over their shoulders.

"Where's Shinichi?" I asked.

Agasa paused mid-bite to point at the indoor balcony. "Up there."

All by his lonesome, I caught Shinichi stargazing out the window. Crosslegged, so I did the same.

Since the gifts I received today ranged from frills to skirts, I had to ask, "Which present was from you?" A grin spread across his face once I did.

Shinichi readily extracted an item from his pocket. "Here."

I took it with a question in my eye. "A phone?" A small green cell, although, I've never really asked or stated a need for one.

"On your next birthday, instead of going on a wild goose chase, you can just call." He smirked as it's use dawned on me. "Also, with the amount of contact you keep regularly with your parents, I think this will prove to be important."

"It will actually." I shook my head in good-nature. "Unbelievable. You got me something I didn't even know I wanted." Unable to contain the happiness, I pounced him into a hug. "Thanks! That's really sweet."

He nearly went off balance, but managed to return the embrace before I let go.

"I'm curious though, what's with all those people? Introductions here and there, I went with it, but it still doesn't make sense..."

"They're various clients who owe me favors." Shinichi methodically twirled a finger, as if writing on the air. "Any chance you remember their names?"

"From start to finish it felt so odd, how could I forget?"

"Then take the first letter of each of their names, and put them together."

Let's see... Hinata and Asuna, "H, A." Paul, "P." Piccolo, "P." Yellow, "Y." Byakuya, Ichigo, and Rukia, "B, I, R." Terra, "T." Hakudoshi, Demyx, Akane, and Yuffie. "H, D, A, Y." And then it clicked.

Shinichi gave me the warmest of smiles. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." The thought of it all coming together built a bubble of excitement within me. "Wow, you- you really know how to celebrate! Want to help me plan something for Christmas?"

"That's it for me." Shinichi sprawled onto the floor, eye's closed, mock-passing out.

"Aw, don't quit here." I shook him. "Eat some cake. It'll perk ya right up." Nothing. "Hey, what about you, what do you want for your birthday? Shinichi? I don't think I can outdo this! Shinichi? Hey. Shinichi! What should I do, Shinichi?!"

Shinichi broke his façade to laugh at my efforts. He bunched my lanyard into his fist, and pulled me down, so that we hovered inches away from one another. I hardly caught my breath before the most mischievous look came over him. "Surprise me."