Sort of sad to admit, I couldn't tell you how long I stood leaning against my door frame. Now that I look back at it, I was so stupid to just stand there, watching nothing. My brain was telling me to 'take a walk'. That meant go down my normal route to school which casually passed the cemetery. What has seriously gotten into me? I don't believe I've ever acted this way. It was nearing winter and I felt warm instead of cold as the wind blew my hair. My eyes seemed to pick up things in a clearer view. Nothing was blurry as I ran down the street toward the cemetery. What was I doing?

I stop running and just stand there in the middle of the road. I was still in my school uniform for goodness sake. I was running after a boy who'll never notice me as who I am. I'll always be 'that girl in class with red hair'. I'll be nothing. A weak Pokemon trainer. A quiet studier. A good student. A shy friend. What can I amount to? What can I use to impress him? Why am I thinking this way? Could it be… could it be that I long for Satoshi to notice me? This couldn't be good. When did this happen? When did I start to feel this way?

I put my hand on my chest and feel my heartbeat. No, Kasumi doesn't fall in love. I'm only concerned about my grades and my close friends, Sae-chan and Naoko-chan, and my Pokemon. I have no room in my life for a boy like Satoshi. He's half-vampire, too. Wait, that doesn't make me racist, does it? I'm judging him because of it. It does. Ah, shimatta…

A jitensha bell rings behind me and I finally come back to my senses. I go to the side of the road and continue walking.

My mind was buzzing with thoughts. I'm not good enough. I'm such a lame girl. Someone like me doesn't deserve a guy's attention. I'm tall. Guys like short girls. I'm scrawny. They like at least a little meat on the bones. My face is pale with freckles. I'd need a good tan and some moisturizer. I have red hair. Such an awkward color. All my friends and classmates have brown or black. I stick out like a sore thumb. Ah, found something half-way decent. I have good sized breasts. If all else fails, I have a backup. I suppose. Would that make me a slut? Nope, not going to sink to Ryu's level.

Just then, I felt cold. Where did that warm feeling go? The wind picked up and swept around my legs, causing my skirt to bunch up around my knees. I hug my arms and look up and down the street. Nobody was around. That was a rare thing too. I reach up and start to untie the ribbon that held my hair up in its ponytail. My red locks fall down to my shoulders to warm my ears and neck. The weak leaves, beaten by the fall wind, snap off the limbs of nearby trees and flutter down to the ground, only to be carried away again by another breeze. It was cold.

I walk on, hoping that moving would help my body regain some warmth. Winter was truly trying to settle in. My walk finally brings me to the cemetery gates. I stroll by slowly, turning my head casually to gaze inside. To my horror, Satoshi was standing directly on the other side of the gate. I scream and jump back, holding my heart in my hand, breathing hard.

Satoshi looks at the ground.

"I'm sorry!" I quickly apologize. "You just surprised me. I didn't expect to see you standing there."

"I was just going to leave." He opens the gate and closes it behind him.

I take a deep breath to calm myself down. "Where to?"

"The market. I'm hungry."

I never truly thought how he got his meals. "I see."

Satoshi comes up to me and picks up a strand of my hair. "Heh. Look kinda funny with your hair down, Kasumi-san. It hides your face."

I put on a meek smile. "It was a tad chilly out and a change couldn't hurt."

"You busy?" Satoshi asks.

"Not really." I blink a few times.

"Come to the market with me?" He asks again.

"I bet I'd just be in your way." I say, but hope he insists.

"No you won't," He replies. I exhale. "I never seem to pick the right vegetables."

"That's one thing I'm good at."

Satoshi starts to walk down the street and I follow besides him. "You're good at other things."

"No way."

"At least you're better at studying that I am." Satoshi says.

I just smile. It made me feel good that he saw that. Maybe Kasumi can fall in love. I'm just a bit staggered that it was Satoshi my heart chose. I never really took the time to think about the guys in my class. There were a lot of other ones who were plenty good looking. Many had good grades, were good at sports, had rich families, and the list goes on and on. Not all of them had the looks, and I had to admit that Satoshi had always been one of the more handsome boys in the class. I just never sat back to appreciate it. His soft black hair. Normal hair color, unlike mine. Those creamy brown eyes that I think I was one of the few privileged to see. His face was cute as well. Body not too scrawny, not too bulky. That was a bit astonishing…considering I never have seen him eat a meal.

I couldn't help but wonder then, if guys analyzed girls the same way we analyze them. I bet the perfect guy in our minds is completely different in theirs. A woman's perfect man doesn't exist in this world. Plain and simple. You'll be lucky if you find one with half the traits you were looking for. Perfect men only are found in books, movies, and shoujo mangas. I do like my shoujo mangas…

"What are you going to buy at the market?" I ask.

"Just a snack. I'm not that hungry." Satoshi puts his hands deep in his pockets. "Something simple, you know?"

"If you don't mind me asking," I say. "How do you get your meals?"

Satoshi turns his sunglasses on me with this icy black stare.

"I'm sorry." I bow my head.

I hear Satoshi sigh. "My mom cooks."

He answered me.

"Nothing too fancy." Satoshi continues. "The normal stuff. Average dinner has your rice, smoked fish, and maybe some soup. Miso is my favorite. I know that not a lot of people like Miso, since it has so many leeks in it."

"I don't mind Miso." I reply.

The side of Satoshi's mouth twitches again into that miniscule smile. "My mom can make one good Miso soup. She has this way of making it more sweet than sour."

I giggle. "My mother always makes it so salty." I stick out my tongue.

"Does your mom work late?" He asks.

"No, not really. Why?"

"I didn't see anybody at your house earlier this afternoon." Satoshi says.

"Oh," I sigh. "My parents go on a lot of vacations. They're such kids at heart. My sisters are a lot older than me and already moved out."

"I had no clue you had siblings."

"I don't blame you." I reply. "I don't mind living by myself most of the time. Whenever my parents are home, my dad has to work and my mom cleans the house like a maniac."

"She'd have a fit if she came in my house…" Satoshi mumbles.

I look at him peculiarly.

Satoshi gives me this 'duh' look. "The shrine."

"You live in the shrine?" I ask.

"What did you expect? I curl up behind the largest gravestone?"

I could feel myself blush. "Gomen. Gomenasai."

Satoshi smacks me on the shoulder. I look up at him questioningly.

"Stop apologizing. You always apologize." His tone wasn't harsh, it was more comforting. He was talking as if he was trying to be kind and sincere. "You don't always have to be sorry. Everybody makes mistakes, Kasumi-san."

"Uh, Hai." I answer.

We reach the market and Satoshi goes for the cart of sweet potatoes. He picks up two and hands them out. I hold out my own and he places them inside. He apparently wanted me to see if they were good enough to buy. I move them around in my grip and squeeze them gently. Roll them over a couple of times, smell them quickly. They were just fine.

"You picked two nice ones." I smile at him.

Satoshi takes the two potatoes back from me and swiftly grabs some change from his pocket and pays the owner. Without a word, he starts to walk home again. I follow him again, not sure if he wanted me to join him a second time. I didn't care. As long as I could linger and be near him, I was happy. When did this happen? Aiya! I feel so flustered. Ahh…Satoshi-kun wa kakoi…

"The Pokemon Battle Tournament is tomorrow." Satoshi says out of the blue.

"Wah! I almost forgot!" I smack myself on the forehead once.

"I take it you haven't trained much since last time I kicked your butt." Satoshi smirks.

I scowl at him. "Of course I have!"

"That Koddaku was a little rough around the edges. Not sure if he could take my Gousu again."

"Who said I was going to use Koddaku again?" I ask.

"Okay, which one would you send out instead?"

I put a finger on my chin and think. "Eh, Kameiru? Or Hitodemon."

Satoshi tuts. "Water masters…"

"What's wrong with them?" I try to defend. "I just happen to like Water types better than others. My Hitodemon is the strongest in my six. You haven't seen it battle yet."

"Nope, not yet."

We get back to the cemetery and he opens the gate. I wave quickly, but I don't think he saw me. So, I start to walk my own way back home.

"Oy." I hear Satoshi call.

I turn around. "Nani?"

"Doko e yuku?" He asks.

I look around a little uneasily. "Home."

"Why else do you think I bought two potatoes? Come on." Satoshi beckons me to follow him inside the gate and disappears behind the stone wall before I could answer him.

So…I run back to the gate and follow him inside. This cemetery seemed to be getting more and more friendly. I wouldn't want to consider it my home, like Satoshi does. I wonder if he grew up here, or if he lived with his father until he died. Just then, I could see a toddler Satoshi running across the stone path in front of me chasing a ball. He even wore sunglasses then. I shake my head to get rid of the image. Cemeteries are haunting.

"Kasumi-san." Satoshi calls from the steps of the shrine. "Could I bother you for some help?"

I trot up to the shrine and climb the steps. "Sure. What is it?"

"I have some fire-stickers in my room, but I have no idea where. If there are two of us looking, we'll find them a lot quicker."

His room? "Uh, Okay."

Satoshi slides the shrine door open and walks in without a problem. I was a bit hesitant, but followed. Cemetery shrines are supposed to house the souls of the lost dead, you couldn't blame me for being a bit nervous. That and the fact that it was Satoshi's house. The whole thing was laid out as one room. His futon was over in one corner, a small table in the middle with a lamp overhead. A mini-refrigerator and a cupboard or two were against the opposite wall. The problem was, there were a lot of things scattered across the floor. Old newspapers, some dirty clothes, dishes, books, magazines, pocky boxes, and a few bottles of melon soda.
"Gomen. It's such a mess." Satoshi puts a hand behind his head sheepishly.

"Ah, heki, heki! I've seen worse, trust me." I reach into my pocket for my ribbon and put my hair up again so it wouldn't get in my way.

Satoshi starts to sort through the chaos on the floor and search. I follow his lead. I did a lot of following when it came to Satoshi. I guess you could call me his shadow, his puppy. I giggle to myself. A puppy waiting for its treat.

"What's so funny?" Satoshi asks in a slight panic. "What did you find?"

Ah, he was afraid of what was on the floor. "Oh, nothing, Satoshi-kun. I was just thinking about something."

"…about what, may I ask?"

Cover up. What's a good cover up? "Oh, how bad I'm going to beat you in the tournament tomorrow…nothing big." I laugh out loud.

Satoshi didn't answer. His reply was throwing a pocky box at my head. I pick up the box and glare at him. He as pointing at me and sticking out his tongue! I don't think I've ever seen Satoshi this open with anybody before. He might be with his mother, but that's different. I look down at the box again. Pocky, original chocolate.

"Have you ever had the strawberry cream?" I ask.

Satoshi stops the pointing and tongue-sticking. "No. Why?"

"It's my favorite flavor." I reply.

"Eh, can't go wrong with the original." Satoshi continues to pick up newspapers.

I shift everything to one side and try to find the fire-stickers. I found a bag of Muscat Kisses. Satoshi really must like melon. I should make him some of Mom's melon tea sometime and see if he likes it. I embarrassingly came across a pair of boxers, which a threw aside without haste. Satoshi didn't notice though, thank goodness. Crawling on all fours, I accidentally bumped my head on one of the cabinets and a book fell down on my head. It flopped open and a newspaper clipping fell out.

"You okay over there?" Satoshi asks from across the room.

"Yup." I reply, staring at the clipping.

There was a picture of the cemetery. The gate was covered in police tape. The heading read, Popular Pediatrician and Pokemon Trainer Found Dead. I quickly read through the first few sentences, and sure enough, they were talking about Satoshi's father. It mentioned leaving a seven year-old son behind with his wife, Hanako. The creepy part was, they didn't mention how he was killed. I promptly put the clipping back into the book and place it on the shelf.

I sit back with my legs folded underneath me. This shrine. It smelled of old wood, dust, a small hint of leek, newspaper, and Satoshi. This was the smell I picked up earlier when we were sitting on my couch. Only this time, it's much stronger. It reminded me of Sandalwood bath salts. I could just sit here forever inhaling the thick air. I look over my shoulder and see Satoshi's futon. I wondered if that smelled the same. Just then, I felt myself blush brightly.

"Ah, found them." Satoshi's voice comes from the 'kitchen'.

He walks over to the door and slides it open. The sun flows in and creates a path of light across the floor. He steps out of that beam back towards the 'kitchen'. I could only see his legs. Everything else was covered in black. Satoshi will always be shrouded in darkness, won't he? I stand up and can't seem to walk forward.

"Ikimashou?" Satoshi steps into the light and out the door.

I find my feet and go outside as well.

Satoshi goes around to the back of the shrine and comes around with a few pieces of chopped wood. He places them on the ground by the nearest large oak tree. I did nothing but stand there. I was in such a daze over nothing. The wind blew by again, shifting my bangs from one side of my face to the other. Satoshi's hair moved too, but being so black, you could hardly tell. Just then, I felt sorry for him. Living such a life as he does. It must have been hard. Growing up being told you were a hybrid. You didn't belong with the humans, you didn't belong with the vampires. You were stuck in the middle, unable to go anywhere. The only person you thought loved you were your parents and one of them had to die. My eyes felt hot as if they were going to cry. I held them back.

Satoshi releases his Derubiru, which spits out a flamethrower attack on the wood, setting them ablaze. Impaling the sweet potatoes on the fire-stickers, Satoshi hands one over to me. I take the metal rod and gently hold it over the flames like Satoshi did. I look over at him. I wished sometimes that he'd take off his sunglasses and look at me with his real eyes. Even though he's opened up to me quite a bit, I couldn't help but want more. Tell me what's going on in your head, Satoshi. How do you feel about being caught between two worlds? What's it like to be trapped between night and day?

The skins of our sweet potatoes turn a crispy brown and we both take them off the fire. I haven't had a sweet potato in a long time. I never considered them a treat. My family and I used to roast them like this all the time in the fall, when they were all home. We only did that because my middle sister, Ayame, liked them so much. I don't really have a family anymore. I have Naoko-chan, Sae-chan…and Satoshi-kun. However, I'm probably the only one who thinks of it that way.

"Is yours good?" Satoshi asks after taking a few bites.

I take another myself. "Oishii."

"What's the matter?"

I look at him weirdly. "What do you mean? Nothing is wrong."

"You were looking at me earlier with a worried look on your face." Satoshi replies.

Earlier. I couldn't tell since he had his sunglasses. He was looking back. All of my thoughts came back to me at once. Two worlds. Night and day. What's going on inside your head? Growing up being told you were a hybrid. One of them had to die. Sae-chan…and Satoshi-kun.

Before I could stop myself, a few tears fell down my face. What's wrong with you, Kasumi? You're not the emotional type! You're letting just a few thoughts get to you. Who said they were all true? You're going to make yourself look like a blubbering idiot! Standing there, in your uniform, potato in hand, crying.

Satoshi steps closer a few inches. "Are you okay?"

"Zettai Daijobu da yo!" I reply, but it didn't help that the tears currently running down my cheeks fell into my mouth. "I'm sorry."

("Stop apologizing. You always apologize." )

"I'm sorry… for being sorry." I quickly say.

Satoshi stands in front of me and wipes off a fresh tear with his finger. "Don't worry."

I look up into his dark glasses.

"I'm fine about all that." Satoshi adds.

The wind picked up again.

He knew what I was thinking the whole time.

He places a hand on my cheek. "Arigatou."

I didn't know what to say back.

"For everything." Satoshi adds.

He leaned down, sort of slowly, waiting for me to react. I stood there. He tendering places his lips on mine, before making it a true kiss. I close my eyes by instinct and felt myself kissing him back. The wind had one more huge gust left in itself, before dying and letting the left over wisps play around my ankles.

When we both let go, Satoshi straightens up and walks back to the shrine, opens the door, walks in, and closes it behind him. I was left standing there, wondering if what just happened was a fluke, a dream, or reality. I wasn't quite sure what to do.

Satoshi…the mysterious Satoshi…

I go home.

****

The next morning at school, I bump into Sae-chan in the shoe locker room. We say our good-mornings and take off our regular shoes. Opening my locker a small box falls out. Sae-chan kindly picks it up for me and hands it out. My eyes felt a little wider and my jaw slightly drooped. Everything, however, turned into a small smile. It was a box of Strawberry Cream Pocky.

("Have you ever had the strawberry cream?" I ask.

Satoshi stops the pointing and tongue-sticking. "No. Why?"

"It's my favorite flavor." I reply.

"Eh, can't go wrong with the original." Satoshi continues to pick up newspapers.)

Satoshi…the mysterious Satoshi…

"Sae-chan, the Pokemon Battle Tournament is this afternoon. Are you looking forward to it?" I ask.

"Of course I am! I can't wait to send out my Muchuuru! Konno Kawaii!" Sae-chan smiles. "Kasumi-chan, what's with the Pocky?"

After putting on my school shoes, I open the box and put one in my mouth, cream side first. "It's my favorite flavor."

Sae-chan giggles. "I like the White Chocolate Almond."

"What's wrong with the original chocolate?" I ask.

"Nothing at all. It's good."

"I agree."

-----------------

Japanese Romanji Translations!

Shimatta - Shit (or shoot…)

Jitensha - Bicycle.

Shoujo Manga - (in case you didn't know..) Shoujo is a girl. Mostly a very good looking girl. And Shoujo mangas are usually love stories where the girl always gets the best guy

Gomen/Gomenasai - Sorry/I'm sorry

Hai - Yes

Kakoi - (slang term) Cool, (What's cooler than cool? Ice cold! (sorry ^^o))

Oy - Hey

Nani - What?

Doko e yuku? - Where ya going?

Heki - It's Fine , (in this case it can be,) It's all good

Ikimashou - Let's go

Oishii - Delicious, yummy

Zettai Daijobu da yo - I'm 100% okay, I'm definitely alright.

Arigatou - Thank you

Konno Kawaii - It's so cute!