This is an event that happened before the morning of Happy Halloween, and it's a special for one particular person, the author of Roze! Hee, I cannot help it. The ending of my story is begging for a continuation. But, I resisted and thus a presequel is born. Enjoy.

Kaoru is a good-natured person; in fact if you ask around in her campus, everyone can tell you that her hold on her temper and patience is like granite. Well, if any of those people saw her now, they would not even recognize her. Why? Because of one person.

"Hi! Kaoru-neechan!" the girl in question cringed when she heard the owner of the voice. Pinching her nose, she turned and greets the petite hyperactive girl, the self-appointed and informally approved by her childhood buddy cheerleader, Taki Suzuna.

"Suzuna, for the umpteen time, why are you stalking me?" Kaoru had to tighten her hold on her temper as she questioned the nosy poker. Suzuna waved it aside, apparently not paying any attention at the deliberate neutral tone.

"I saw you just leaving the supermarket and was wondering why are you in the neighborhood since you did mention you don't live around this district?" The cheerleader had a suspicion since the previous meeting with the PI cum very good 'friend ' of the DevilBats captain. And she used the 'friend' very loosely. After all, she's helping Mamori in her campaign of wooing the elusive devil. And who knows the target in question better other than Kaoru herself. Suzuna is a little worried that the two friends will ended up together as couple due to the way they neither admit nor rebuff the acquisitions. The plastic bags in her hands are very suspicious to her.

Kaoru looked up and scowls at Kami-sama. She's never good in hiding her strong emotions like anger and annoyance to anyone but she can masked her tone very easily. There is no way is she telling her that she's dropping by Hiruma's apartment, at his request of doing his grocery shopping since the team is busy with training. Later, she's going to her friend's party in campus to unwind her stress from the constant stalking from Suzuna. Then, she thought through about telling her a half-truth is better than not telling her or lying. Especially if she found out about her deceit. There will be not end to this episode. "Youichi got me to do his shopping since he's too engrossed in football to do it. I'm meeting him at the back gates of the school. Wanna join me?"

Suzuna nodded and they walked to her black Ducati. Lifting the chibi to the back of the vehicle, Kaoru climb on and fastened the helmet on her head. Checking that both her passenger and the groceries are secured, she started her baby and turned right.

Soon, they reached the back gates of Deimon. This area is rarely used by the students and it's the passageway that only Hiruma frequents. It's less crowded compared to the 'front' gate. "Kaoru, isn't this the front gate of the school? Why did you call it a back gate?"

"Hardly anyone used it, so I dubbed it a 'back' gate. Ok, so can you answer my question earlier?"

"Ehh?" Suzuna pretended not to understand her question. Kaoru mumbled under her breath, something about stubbornness and persistence of a pit bull. She pouted at the remark and was about to whack Kaoru's protected head with her borrowed headwear when the guy in question appeared and remark about their presences here.

"Why in the hell are you doing here? And why are you with her?" Kaoru glared at the quarterback and used sign language to reply back. /Like the fuck I wanna be here instead of delivering those stuff to your house! I bumped in to Suzuna when I left Son Son. Do you want me let her tail me all the way back to your den?/ The blond boy glared back in answer. Kaoru hmphed. Suzuna looked at the strange movements made by Kaoru and find it peculiar since Mamori communicated with Hiruma during games with hand signals.

"What's that you're doing with your hands?"

"Sign language. Something I picked up when I was younger." Suzuna probed some more about it. "Does You-nii knows it? It looks almost like the hand signal Mamori-neesan used with You-nii during the games."

"Oh really? Interesting. Maybe she got some idea from sign language but add in a bit of her own to make it a unique style that no one can understand. Otherwise anyone who studies ASL will be able to decode it. And, yes. Youichi knows ASL." She didn't elaborate further. With the devil looking, Suzuna decides to keep that for another day.

Hiruma is not interested in their conversation. Sometimes, she is such a pushover. Giving in to people instead of demanding her own rights. But…still, he wouldn't change her personality for the world. It's because of this understanding that make her outbursts at people more appreciated by him and he can see when the fuse is actually lit. In fact, he encourages it. If it weren't because of the stupid kidnap, she would have been more vocal anyway. Maybe that's why he took great pleasure in provoking Anezaki. If he knew which buttons to push to annoy her, maybe he can get similar reaction from Kaoru. They are kinda alike. Although that chibi is doing a good job testing that boundary, judging from the glare in her eyes.

"Oei, Suzuna. Sena told me to tell you that he's meeting you at the clubhouse. Hurry up or you'll miss him." The pixie nodded and waved bye to the two teens. Once she disappeared from sight, Hiruma whipped out his phone and dialed the pipsqueak's number. "Suzuna's coming to see you. What do you mean 'Huh?!' How should I know why she wanna see you! And don't tell her that I told you. Grrrr…Just make some excuse saying that you wanna meet her." He cut the line and strolled towards the bike and sat at the back sideways.

"You-chan, my bike. My rules."

"Give me a fucking break here. No nagging for the next 12 damn hours, my ears are going to bleed out."

Kaoru got out from her bike and pushed him into the driver's place. "You drive then. At least, we can cut short the argument and I can go to my friend's party on time." Hiruma sigh and nodded. He jabbed the helmet on, not caring about his hair since he's heading home. Moreover, he can feel that she's stressed, not annoyed or angry. When they go into position, she just sinks into him, wraps her arms round his waist and laying her head by the side on his back. It shows that she is indeed, very tired. He drove off, taking a longer route just in case of any nosy trailers. When they are about a couple of blocks away from his home, he stopped and they switched. She waved goodbye and Hiruma watched her turn at the intersection before walking back home.

Couple of hours before midnight, same day

Hiruma is relaxing on his couch, something that is out of the ordinary for the boy. But then, it's not everyday that one's birthday is approaching round the corner. He decides to take it easy for now. Tomorrow is Halloween and two days later will be his birthday. He never celebrates it on the actual day, so he chooses 31 Oct as his official date. Suits his devil persona right down to the core. Only Kaoru knew about it and his desire to have it at the end of October. Suddenly, the ringing of his residential phone shattered the peaceful silence. He cussed and decides to let the answering machine to receive the call. After all, that's the function of the contraption; intercept unwanted calls.

"Hiruma Youichi, you there? I know you are listening so pay attention. I'm just left my friend's place and cannot drive back. Actually, can but prefer not to test theory. God knows what will happen to my bike if I did so. So my turn to ask a favor, come fetch me and don't left my bike behind. Else, bye bye, laptop corrupted and pike all footballs. Thanks in advance."

Hiruma blinked at the message and got up to rewind the whole thing again. He listens carefully at the tone and the way her words are stringed together. "Shit, she's drunk up to her gills." Her language is slightly off and the tone is too soft. The gentleness is a dead giveaway, plus the usage of his full name.

When he got there, she's sitting beside her baby and smiled at him. Hiruma gave her the death glare but to no avail. Her Cheshire grin is intact; result from being drunk. A bottle of water is beside her, half drained. "How many bottles have you finished?"

She replied, "Five and this is my sixth. Went to the public toilet twice so no worries in that area. I'm drunk, not blind." She pushed his two waving fingers aside. Pushing herself up, and moved slowly to remove her keys from her pocket, Kaoru handed it over to her buddy and bowed. Hiruma grumbled and stuck the keys in. she sat sideways and grab him into her embrace. Her arms crisscrossed his chest and abdomen. Hiruma used a cloth rope and bind their bodies together. Next time, maybe he'll get Musashi to help him. He has a truck after all.

"Damn it, you are a dead weight with all that jacket and boots." One arm around her waist and another holding on to her right wrist that was lope over his shoulders, the both of them navigated to his front door. Once entered, Kaoru slammed the door shut with her foot and allow the poor guy to release her onto the front step. She waved him down and gave him a surprise of his life.

Kaoru didn't know why she's doing it but then, why did the quarterback obey her orders when she beckons him to sit beside her. Their lips meet for a brief moment before they opened up and let their tongues slide into each other's entrances. She's drunk but still fully aware of her actions. Hiruma didn't know that, no one knows about it. She never told anyone, Hanako especially since she found out about the monthly visits. So all this can be pushed into drunken behavior.

Hiruma'a reaction to the kiss was…finally, but wrong moment. He didn't know what to do to push their encounter to this stage but she took it off his hands as they pressed for more. He knows their eyes are closed but he could see her features clearly in his mind. He is the first one to break the connection and open his eyelids. Kaoru, however, slumped forward and pretend to sleep. She buried her face into his chest to make the act a bit more realistic. He cursed softly then chuckled. His kiss actually made her fall asleep. But then, the exchange wasn't aggressive in the first place, so it was acceptable for now.

He removed her biker jacket and boots, unfastened her undergarment but left it inside. Hiruma carried her bridal style to the coach he occupied earlier and went to a cupboard to drag out pillows and blankets. He stood there, staring at her sleeping pose, thinking. Arranging the pillows properly, he slides behind her and lay behind her in a spoon fashion. Kaoru instinctively moved her left arm to the back to tuck herself closer to the presence behind her. This time, she's really asleep, not knowing the male body enclosing her body. In her mind, she thinks that it's her bolster.

The devil encircles her waist with both his arms and pulls her close. Resting his lips on her nape, he slowly drifts away to sleep, listening to the second heartbeat under him.

Next day

Hiruma was the first one to open his eyes. So the weight on him wasn't a dream after all. He continues his lazing beside her as she lifted her head to tuck her right arm under it. She wasn't even awake with all that activity she done. Interesting. He ponders over the outcomes and decides that last night will be a dream for the both of them. Until she decides to take that step, he'll just make sure her attention will be on to him. Quietly, he creeps out from her embrace and left it as it is. He didn't bother to adjust her head, well it's petty of him but he wants her to suffer a bit for the last night's stunt. He washed up, prepares breakfast and waited for her to wake up. When the groaning sounds resound the living room, he smiled. Today will be a new day for his campaign to knock sense into his buddy. "Wish me luck…" he muttered to himself.

Owari