Archive of Our Own

October 31^st. Samhain. All Saints’ Eve. All Hallows Eve. But most simply said…

“Happy Halloween!”

Similar cries filled the air as excited beings ran around the town, participating in every activity they could find. Halloween was popular throughout the world but nowhere more so than Halloweentown.

The name wasn’t an exaggeration. Halloweentown was a place not only dedicated to the traditions of the holiday but built upon it. The air always had the smell of decay. The nights were as black as the cat that wanted to curse you. Every building was covered in cobwebs and full of ghouls and zombies and skeletons. All the things that went bump in the night. Most called them monsters but they just had a certain way of life.

The Halloween night was almost finished. The trick-or-treaters proudly showed off their candy hauls. Clean up of the activities was underway.

And his most important part was about to begin.

He slithered through the crowds before shooting out of the ground, his red eyes the only thing visible in the dark. Screams filled the town center as the creatures ran from him. He tilted his head, watching them run off.

Shadows erupted around him, going after his prey. One by one, creatures were grabbed and pulled closer into the darkness. Before they completely disappeared into the dark, he released them and went to find his next targets.

Life’s no fun without a good scare. The Halloweentown creed. Every Halloween, it was his duty to give the creatures of Halloweentown that thrilling feeling that only came after you screamed bloody murder.

When he scared enough people, he made his way to the fountain in the center of the town square and finally emerged from the shadows. The citizens gathered around him as he formed a chair and sat down. From the corner of his eye, he watched as a man with large bat wings walked up to him, clapping his hands.

He held his arms up, declaring, “Magnifique! All hail the Pumpkin King, Kaneki!”

The crowd erupted into cheers.

“That was terrifying!”

“I almost passed out from fright!”

“Another wonderful job, Kaneki!”

Kaneki didn’t say anything as he stared down at his subjects. Hiding in his shadows, “scaring” the masses, year after year until he perished. And why? Because, apparently, he was the best choice for the job.

As he scanned the crowd, he caught a glimpse of yellow in the distance. Sitting on a brick wall away from everyone was a rag doll dressed in a colorful patchworked outfit. Yellow straw stuck out of his head in all directions and he stared at Kaneki with big brown eyes.

When their gazes met, the rag doll’s stitched grin grew even wider before he gave a big wave. That got a smile out of Kaneki as he subtly waved back. The other mouthed something before he fell behind the wall, out of Kaneki’s sight.

Kaneki couldn’t read his lips but he knew where to find him. He turned to the crowd who was still applauding him. The same speech he had said so many times fell naturally from his lips.

“Thank you, everyone, for your hard work in making this Halloween even more dreadful than the last.” He turned to the man who had approached him. “Now, Tsukiyama, are you prepared to announce the winners of our annual awards?”

Tsukiyama bowed with a flourish. “Of course.” He clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Gather around, mes amies! We shall begin with the awards for the most spooktacular Halloween decorations!”

While everyone gathered around Tsukiyama, Kaneki used the opportunity to disappear into the shadows. He made his way through the back alleys, crawling along the walls as an unseen shadow.

Once he reached his destination, Kaneki appeared from the darkness and landed on the soft forest floor. He went through the rusted iron gates that marked the entrance to the cemetery and was immediately comforted by the change in scenery. He didn’t like to be alone but he liked the quiet that came with it.

He trekked through the graveyard, muttering greetings to the tombstones he passed, and he kept walking until he reached the enormous mausoleum in the center.

It was dedicated to Yoshimura, the past Pumpkin King, the most terrifying being of his lifetime. Each Halloween, watching Yoshimura’s scare performance was magical. Each time he came here, Kaneki told himself to be more like him. Hold his head high. Think how to bring joy and fear to his people. Stop being selfish.

‘If he didn’t want a selfish ruler, he shouldn’t have chosen you.’

Kaneki lowered his head as the thought that had plagued him for the past decade echoed through his mind. When Yoshimura had declared Kaneki, the town archivist, as his successor, Kaneki thought it was a joke. A strange new way to scare him. But then he insisted Kaneki attend every planning session with him and had Kaneki shadow him during his scare performance. That was how Kaneki knew the man was dead serious. He told Yoshimura he was insane for even thinking this but Yoshimura never faltered, saying Kaneki had great potential and would surely be a wonderful ruler.

It had been ten years and he still believed Yoshimura had made a mistake. He didn’t offer anything to the people of Halloweentown. Of course he worked hard each Halloween night, wanted to give his people something, but it was just out of duty. Any joy Yoshimura had in this role, Kaneki couldn’t find.

“So why did you choose me?”

Kaneki could sense someone coming up behind him and wasn’t surprised when a hand tried to cover both of his eyes.

“Guess who~!”

Hearing that voice always made Kaneki feel better. “Could it be a certain rag doll who fell into an open grave last week?”

The hand was removed as its owner let out a huff. “Rude!”

Kaneki chuckled, turning around and seeing the rag doll from earlier. His gaze narrowed when he saw that he was now missing his left arm.

“Hide, what happened to your arm?” Kaneki asked, though he was certain he knew the answer. “Was it…”

“No, no.” Hide used his one hand to scratch the back of his head with a sheepish grin. “Seidou found me before I got here and sacrifices had to be made.”

Kaneki was able to relax at that, able to find humor in the situation. Hide pouted at him. “Don’t laugh. It’s not fair. I just want to go out for a bit but no, I’m not allowed alone…”

“Because last year, a certain werewolf stole your arm.”

“…but Seidou and Amon can go wherever they want…”

“Because Amon is a six-foot tall golem and Seidou has an axe for a hand.”

“…and I’m just supposed to stay home!”

“Because you’re grounded.” Kaneki gave a hearty laugh when Hide pouted further. “I’m just saying.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“Mine.”

“Traitor.”

Kaneki laughed again as he leapt up and landed on top of the mausoleum. He reached a shadow down to Hide and pulled him up. Once Hide was settled, they both took a seat on the roof’s edge and gazed up at the moon above.

If there was one thing he was grateful for because of his duties, it was Hide. If he hadn’t been scaring people last year, he might not have felt confident enough to get so close to the other man.

Hide hadn’t been around for a long time and instead of using that time to focus on himself, he decided he wanted to be near Kaneki. Spend quiet nights in the graveyard. Listen to Kaneki read tales of Halloweens long ago. Hide didn’t treat him like an uncertain king; he just saw Kaneki as a friend.

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?”

Kaneki turned his head to Hide, replying honestly, “How I’m glad you’re here.”

“Aww~!” Hide wrapped his one arm around Kaneki’s shoulders, bringing him close. Kaneki did the same, mindful of his claws. “I’m glad you’re here too.”

Kaneki never understood why Hide was so nice to him but he wasn’t going to ask Hide to stop.

“You were awesome tonight.”

Yep, too nice to him. “I just did what I always do.”

“And it was awesome,” Hide argued.

Kaneki let out a bitter chuckle. “You’ll get sick of it soon enough.”

Hide backed away from Kaneki, giving him a serious look. “Hey, don’t talk like that. I had a perfect view of tonight and I’m telling you that you were great.”

Kaneki shrunk in on himself. He knew Hide wasn’t mad at him but he still felt like he was disappointing him in some way.

“Hide, you never saw Yoshimura. That was amazing. I’m just…” Kaneki sighed, not knowing what else to say. “…I’m just here.”

“You’re right. I never saw Yoshimura. I saw you and what you did and how everyone reacted to what you did. And it was amazing.”

Kaneki knew that this was going to just keep going back and forth and he was too tired to argue. “Okay, Hide.” Hide obviously didn’t like that Kaneki was just giving up but it didn’t seem like he wanted to argue either.

“You know what will make you feel better?” Hide asked. Kaneki shook his head. “We go get Kama, bury my arm, and see if he can find it.”

It was amazing how Hide found losing his arm to be nothing but fun now.

“Maybe tomorrow. I’m going to go walk in the woods for a bit.”

Hide perked up. “Oh, that sounds fun, too. Let’s go!”

That did sound fun. Maybe if Hide was there, he could…Kaneki shook his head. “Sorry, Hide. It’s one of those things I do on my own.” Kaneki watched as Hide’s happy mood deflated and patted him on the head. “Just tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll do whatever you want.”

Usually, the day after Halloween was spent with Tsukiyama, talking over the reactions to the Halloween festivities and how to improve them for next year. He would definitely prefer to spend that time goofing around with Hide.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Kaneki jumped off the roof then held out his arms, catching Hide before he hit the ground. He gave Hide a tired sigh as he set him on the ground.

“One day, I won’t get you in time.”

“Then you’ll just have to sew me back up,” Hide giggled. “Now, go have your walk because tomorrow, you’re taking me coffin sledding.”

“Let me take you home first.”

“I’m not going to have you walk back to the center of town just to come back here.”

“But I’d be worried.” Hide had a bad habit of attracting trouble and ending up in pieces because of it.

“Hey, now, I’m a tough little rag doll.” Hide knocked Kaneki lightly on the head. “Besides, I know how to call you if I need you.”

That was true. Kaneki brought Hide in for a hug. “Get home safe,” he whispered.

Hide wrapped his arm around Kaneki as tight as possible. “Same to you.”

Kaneki didn’t want to let go; it always felt nice to hug Hide. But he reminded himself that he’d be back tomorrow. So, he forced himself to let go.

“Don’t go through her territory,” Kaneki warned.

Hide rolled his eyes. “Yes, mummy.” The two started walking in opposite directions, Hide waving him off. “Try to come back before twilight, okay?!”

“I will,” Kaneki swore, waving at Hide. Kaneki didn’t turn around until he saw Hide disappear into the woods. “It will be okay,” he whispered to himself. Hide was reckless but he was also smart. He would get back safe.

Kaneki started his annual walk through the woods. There wasn’t anything he was searching for; it was just what he did on Halloween. Scare the townsfolk, go to Yoshimura’s mausoleum, then walk through the woods until dawn. There wasn’t anything else to it.

‘Why are you lying to yourself?’

Kaneki covered his ears as if that would block out the voice that constantly echoed in his mind. Maybe there was more but it wasn’t an option. He couldn’t go there.

‘Because you’re a coward?’

Because Yoshimura told him it wasn’t allowed. He had called them the Forbidden Lands for a reason.

‘Yoshimura’s not here. You’re the king now.’

He was the king so he had to set an example to his people.

‘Hide would—’

“Don’t you dare bring Hide into this,” he hissed as if the voice was more than just his own invasive thoughts.

‘Like you wanted to?’

Kaneki sighed to himself, lowering his hands. It was true that he thought that if Hide was here, he’d push Kaneki to go see what was past the hidden part of the forest, the part Yoshimura told him to never speak of. He was always trying to find something that would make Kaneki happy and if he knew that this was something Kaneki wanted to see, Hide wouldn’t have hesitated to follow him there.

But that wouldn’t have been fair to Hide. If Hide got hurt by whatever was there, he’d never forgive himself.

No, if Kaneki wanted this, he had to do this himself. He had the opportunity and now he had to seize it, just like Hide would.

He gazed out into the part of the forest that he passed every year. “…It will be okay,” he whispered to himself.

**********************

“But do you ever listen to reason? Of course, you don’t because you have straw for brains!”

Hide wished that the straw in his head was enough to block out Seidou’s constant nagging. Thankfully, Amon and Akira had decided it was completely pointless to lecture him. So, Amon was just sitting in a nearby chair, reading a book, while Akira silently worked on stitching his arm back on.

Turning his head to Seidou, Hide pouted. “Now, that’s just hurtful.”

Seidou reached forward, obviously wanting to smack him but he quickly lowered his hand. He knew that it was meaningless to hit Hide when he felt no pain.

Seidou looked at Akira. “I’m telling you. Pain sensors.”

“I’ll think about it,” she replied, in her tone that obviously meant that she wouldn’t. It was only another minute before she had finished her stitching. “Done.”

Hide sat up on the operating table, flexing his arm and wiggling his fingers. “Perfect work as always! Thanks!” Akira just frowned at him and he grinned, scratching the back of his head. “Come on, you can’t be mad at me. I mean, Halloween is our town’s special day and you expected me to just sit out my 2^nd one?”

Akira kept glaring before she whispered, “Amon.”

Hide let out a yelp when he was lifted up and draped over Amon’s shoulder. He could hear Seidou’s snickers as he was carried up to his room. Amon dumped him on his bed before walking back to the door. Akira was there, arms crossed and glare slightly softer as she sighed.

“You’ve been wondering what I’ve been working on?” It came out as a question but she wasn’t expecting an answer. “A new security measure. Let’s see you sneak through this one.”

He shouldn’t goad her but it was far too easy. With a smirk, Hide lied down on his bed. “Sounds fun~!”

Akira didn’t say another word as she turned on her heel and marched down the hall. Amon just stared at him before he mumbled ‘Good night’ then closed Hide’s door. Hide heard the sound of the locks turning then let out an annoyed groan.

He really did wonder why Akira put so much effort into these new security systems instead of just taking his legs or something. He was pretty sure she must have gotten as much fun out of trying to stump him as he did out of being unstumped or whatever the word was. And he was going to need to get unstumped before tomorrow if he was going to go coffin sledding with Kaneki.

Hide wondered when Kaneki would be back from this forest walk. He understood why Kaneki needed to go alone but it wasn’t like he would take away from the experience. If anything, he would have made it all the more exciting.

At least, that’s what Kaneki always told him. And that was one of the things Hide loved about Kaneki. He never questioned what Hide could do or tried to get Hide to prove himself with some weird escape room. Did Kaneki think a lot of what Hide did was suicidal? Probably but he never seemed to mind. Whenever Hide had some crazy idea that sounded like it might leave him in pieces, Kaneki was always there with a snarky comment and a needle to stitch him back up.

It had been like that ever since they met.

-x-

When he first opened his eyes, three sets of eyes were staring back at him. He let out a shriek and sat up quickly, searching around the room. Wherever he was, it was dark aside from a light above him. He looked at his hands and flexed his fingers, taking in the stitches as they moved. His hand traveled to his arms and legs, feeling every single stitch on his skin. He gaped at the three people(?) who all seemed as surprised as he was.

“Holy Hades,” one said, putting his hand on his hip. He gestured with the axe that was attached to his other arm. “You did it.”

The woman’s shock faded and she let out a huff. “Of course. It was simple with enough brain power.”

“Can’t you just take the compliment?” the one with the axe growled.

The tall man standing in the back patted them both on the head. “He’s staring.”

Then three eyes were all on him again and he wasn’t sure what was happening. The woman walked up to him, silently judging. She didn’t appear as scary as the other two but something about her still terrified him.

“Can you speak?” she asked.

He blinked at the question, eyes trying to look down at his mouth. He opened it and closed it several times.

“C…” He shut his mouth quickly but the woman was persistent, her hand moving up and down. So, he tried again. “C…c-ca…n…”

He stopped again; it felt so weird. He knew what he wanted to say but making his mouth work with it was not easy. However, that was enough for the woman who nodded at him.

“It’s a start. Welcome to the world, Hideyoshi.”

Hideyoshi? Was that his name? It was kind of long. But he didn’t want to be rude so he said, “T…th…than…you…” The smiles on all three of them left a nice feeling in his chest and he felt a bit better about what would happen next.

Over the next few weeks, Hideyoshi found that he was a fast learner because he was able to learn a lot about himself and his new family: Akira, Amon, and Seidou.

Akira’s father was a mad scientist who had created Amon and Seidou when Akira was little. Seidou was a corpse that he had reanimated and Amon was a golem made from graveyard dirt. The three had been together for years and when Akira’s father died, they never left each other.

Apparently, Hideyoshi was Akira’s first attempt at following in her father’s footsteps and a successful one, too. A bunch of straw wrapped up in good-looking fabric made him.

When he wasn’t learning about them, he was learning about this world he was in, this Halloweentown. A world filled with monsters and spirits and everything else that was dedicated to scaring the unliving daylights out of a person.

It sounded fun…if only he was allowed to go out and see it.

In the weeks he had been alive, Hideyoshi hadn’t been permitted to actually leave the house. Unfortunately, as incredible as it was that he was made, it was just as risky to let him leave in case he got hurt. At least that’s what they told him but how would they know he’d be in danger if they didn’t let him try?

But that wasn’t an option. The only options were daily lessons, a bunch of physical tests, and family meals.

Still, he always had one thing to cheer him up. The window from his room had the best view of the town center. The way the moon lit up the entire area so he could see everything was amazing. There were so many different creatures out there and each new one he saw, he would always make sure to ask the others about. (“These ones had snakes for hands that kept eating each other.” “This one crawled on the ground and left slime everywhere.” “This one had way too many eyes. Let’s get one!”) It was the most fun in his boring life.

But then something started happening.

Hideyoshi didn’t know what was going on but for the last few days, the town square was buzzing with excitement as they decorated everything. They were bringing out guillotines and using them to cut off some zombies’ heads that they put on spikes. Hideyoshi laughed when the crows came down and started pecking at them. The buildings were covered in fresh cobwebs while the local witches made some kind of brew in the fountain in the center. He was pretty sure it was poison from the way the clown froze up after he drank it.

He had asked his family what was happening but they kept telling him it was a secret. They had never said that before and it just made him want to know more. Each day as the decorations went up, some fancy-dressed man with giant bat wings was giving all the instructions. Amon told him that was Tsukiyama, the mayor of Halloweentown. If the mayor was here, that meant that this was going to be something big.

Hideyoshi watched as Tsukiyama kept giving orders before someone called his name. Tsukiyama turned towards the person and instantly perked up. That was weird; he never looked that happy.

Someone strolled over to Tsukiyama so smoothly Hideyoshi thought he was floating. While the two down below talked, Hideyoshi took note of how everyone had stopped to stare at the mysterious new person.

Hideyoshi leaned further out the window, wanting to get a better view but all he could really see was he was dressed almost as fancy as Tsukiyama and had a head of white hair.

“Hideyoshi!” Hideyoshi screamed, almost falling out the window before he was pulled back into his room by his collar. Seidou glared at him, obviously enraged. “What in the nine hells were you doing?”

“Just looking,” he argued, getting back up and trying to go back to the window. He was quickly blocked by Seidou’s axe and he groaned as loudly as possible.  “I’ll be careful this time!”

Seidou massaged his temples. “Look, I get it. You want to see everything but just…” He let out a sigh before his expression went from annoyed to accepting. “…just try not to die yet.” Hideyoshi just pouted at that before he nodded. Seidou lightly knocked him on the head with his axe. “Amon made a new recipe for fried bat wings. Hungry?”

He wasn’t but he was never one to turn down food so he nodded again. Seidou grinned, walking ahead of him. Hideyoshi waited until Seidou was gone before he ran back to the window. He scanned the entire area and when he didn’t see the man, he dragged himself away and headed downstairs.

It was the next day when he finally learned what was going on as he prepared himself for another day of lectures. He entered the parlor and was surprised to see his family, each with a big smile on their face.

“You ready?” Akira asked and Hideyoshi’s face made it obvious that he didn’t know what to be ready for. She looked over at Seidou and Amon who were chuckling at each other. “Hideyoshi, happy Halloween.”

“…What?”

“It’s Halloween, dummy!” Seidou cheered, rushing forward and pulling Hideyoshi into a one-armed hug. “You know, the thing this place is named after?”

Hearing that, everything was making a bit more sense. All of the preparation happening in the town’s square. The mayor surveying the area every day. The secrecy and whispers.

But he still had the most important question to ask. “Can I go outside?”

When Akira nodded, Hideyoshi thought his stitches would pop with how wide he was smiling.

“There will be a lot of chaos due to the excitement. You stay by our side the entire time, Hideyoshi,” she warned.

“I will! I will!” he promised, bouncing up and down.

Amon opened the front door and Hideyoshi ran outside. He looked around the town center, taking in the view from an angle other than his window. It was only the morning but there were still so many creatures out celebrating. And he was going to be part of it.

He turned to his family, practically vibrating. “What do we do first?”

“That’s up to you,” Akira said, handing him a list. “These are all the activities happening today. I’ve ordered them by time and interest level.”

Seidou rolled his eyes. “Only you could make Halloween sound so boring.”

“I want to try everything!” Hideyoshi shouted, running to the closest activity.

The rest of the day went by so fast. They went coffin sledding, danced (from a very far distance) around the bonfire, and watched the parade of spirits until the sun set.

Hideyoshi cheered loudly when he knocked down all of the zombies with his pumpkin.

“Strike!”

There was a tap on his shoulder and he looked up at Amon who offered him some kind of slime-coated apple. Hideyoshi took it with a thank you before biting in to it. His lips immediately puckered up from the extreme bitterness.

“How is it?” Amon asked, noticing his scrunched-up expression.

Hideyoshi swallowed. “It’s…” He took another bite, grinning. “…it’s awesome!”

Amon smiled at him. “The witches always save their best crabapples for Halloween.”

“Thank you~!” Hideyoshi checked their list. He was sad to see that they were near the bottom of the activities which mean Halloween was almost over. If that was the case, then he wanted to go out with a bang. “What should we do last?”

There was another secretive glance among the three before Akira whispered, “The grand finale.”

A shrill cry pierced the air, quickly followed by several more. When Hideyoshi turned toward the source, he saw the people who had been laughing and dancing just a moment ago running in fear.

He turned back to his family who had expressions of anxious excitement. “Wha…what’s the grand finale?” he asked.

“Watch,” was Akira’s only warning.

Before Hideyoshi could say anything, a giant shadow wrapped around him and dragged him away. He screamed as his family got farther away and when he came to a stop, he looked behind him and ended up gazing into two blood red irises surrounded by the shadows.

His body trembled as the eyes leaned in closer, taking him in. The shadow around his waist tightened its grip, crawling up his torso and dragging him in. Just when he thought he was going to be consumed, the creature and the darkness enveloping it vanished.

When the shadow that held him left, Hideyoshi fell to his knees. He placed a hand to his chest; if he had a heart, it would have probably busted out of his chest.

“Hideyoshi!” His head shot up when he heard Seidou calling out for him. Seidou knelt down beside him, examining him. “You okay?”

All Hideyoshi could manage was a hesitant nod. Akira and Amon walked over to them. Akira took note of his trembling form.

“Was that too much for you? Do we need to go home?” she asked.

Go home? “No! No. I’m fine.”

Hideyoshi stood up on shaky legs, searching for the creature that had scared him. If it could appear and disappear just from the shadows, there was no telling where it could be. It could pop up anywhere and strike.

How…exciting.

When he didn’t see any sign of it, he looked at the others. “What was that thing?”

Amon pointed behind him. Hideyoshi turned around and was surprised to see the mass of darkness, surrounded by the townspeople. Hideyoshi’s eyes went wide when the shadows finally faded, leaving a familiar figure behind.

It was the person who had talked to Tsukiyama yesterday. Now that Hideyoshi was on the ground, he was able to see more details. Deathly pale skin under stark white hair; a black suit and long cape. But the most amazing thing were those red eyes surrounded by black sclera.

As the man stood among the people, Tsukiyama came up to his side and cried out, “Another horrifying Halloween! Let us give thanks to the Pumpkin King!”

The crowd let out a collective cheer, chanting praises to the man who had just frightened them all.

“The Pumpkin King…” Hideyoshi whispered in amazement. What a terrifying being. He took a step towards the king, wanting to see him up close.

“Alright!” Seidou wrapped an arm around Hideyoshi and raised his axe in the air. “Time for our annual Halloween beer chug!”

Akira and Amon responded, “Hear, hear.”

Hideyoshi blinked, looking at the king then at his family. “Uh…shouldn’t I go introduce myself?”

Akira gestured to the crowd. “Trying to get through the crowds is a hassle. He’s always around town. There will be another time.”

Seidou and Amon seemed to agree with her. Hideyoshi wanted to argue but he just sighed, deciding it wasn’t worth it. As he followed the trio, he looked behind him to see the king still surrounded by his adoring subjects.

It must have been his imagination but the king looked kind of sad.

He decided it wasn’t important as he kept trailing behind his family. He wasn’t really paying attention to what they were talking about but something Amon said caught his attention.

“After all, Halloween only comes once a year.”

Hideyoshi walked even slower as they enthusiastically talked about their annual tradition.

"Once a year."

Did that mean he was only allowed this once a year? Allowed to walk outside? Allowed to explore? Allowed…to be free?

His family kept strolling along, not noticing that Hideyoshi had stopped.

If this was the only night he got then…

He whispered, “I’m sorry.” Hideyoshi turned on his heel and ran in the opposite direction.

If this was the only time he was allowed to see this world, he was going to make the most of it.

Hideyoshi ran back to the town center, hoping the king was still there. When he got there, he saw there were still a large number of people but the king was nowhere to be seen. Everyone was now gathered around Tsukiyama as he announced the winners of some kind of contest.

Hideyoshi scanned the area, feeling his shoulders droop. Was it really over already? He frowned before nodding to himself. Then this was the time to see everything. He wanted to see just what Halloweentown was about.

He moved towards the center of the crowd, deciding it was a good place to hide if the others came looking for him. A pang of guilt struck him when he thought on how he was going to worry the others. But then he thought on how he could finally prove that it wasn’t dangerous for him to be out here. That he could take care of himself. He'd come back home, safe and sound.

The award ceremony finished and the crowd dispersed shortly after. It seemed like that was the end of Halloween. The king’s scare really was a grand finale.

Hideyoshi gave another look around the town center, wondering where the king could have gone. Akira said he was always around so shouldn’t he be here?

He decided it wasn't important anymore as he left the town square, walking into part of the woods; he wanted a firsthand look at the forest.

“Oh, rag doll~!”

Hideyoshi stopped, turning towards the person who called out to him. Standing near one of the larger trees was a small woman in a tattered dress. A pair of ears were nearly hidden in her messy green hair and she grinned at him with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

“Haven’t seen you around here,” she giggled, sauntering over to him. “What’s your name?”

Hideyoshi could feel his anxiety rise. “Um…Hideyoshi…”

“What are you doing around here when you should be off having fun with the others?”

“Oh, just…” He gestured around the woods, not sure what to say. “Exploring.”

“Oh? Well, I can explore with you if you want~” She ran her tongue over one of her fangs. “There are so many places you would never know of.”

Hideyoshi didn’t know much but he was pretty sure that was a bad idea. He took a careful step back, eyes never leaving the woman.

“That’s fine but thank you.”

He saw the way her claws shone under the moonlight as she shook her head. “How rude. Didn’t your mummy ever teach you manners?”

Before Hideyoshi could react, the woman had rushed in front of him and used her claws to rip the seam of his left shoulder. The force knocked him to the ground and he watched in horror as his arm dangled from her tiny hands.

She giggled, waving his arm around. “I’ll consider this my fee for your rudeness.”

“Give it back!” Hideyoshi ordered, using the arm he still had to get up.

He tried to grab it but she easily held it out of his reach as she climbed up a tree. He stayed at the base of the trunk, looking up as she waved the arm around, goading him to get it. But he knew that he couldn’t take it from her and any attempt would just serve as amusement for her. He saw the way his arm tried desperately to grab at her hair in an attempt to fight back.

Hideyoshi lowered his head and mumbled, “Please give me back my arm.”

“Eh? I can’t hear you~!”

He raised his head to glare at her and watched in horror as she used one of her claws to pull at the stitches of his wrist. “Please give me back my arm!” he begged.

She smirked down at him, removing her claw from the stitch. “That’s more like it. Now, I’m guessing this is your first Halloween. Am I right?”

“…Yes…” he admitted.

“Word of warning, rag doll. Next time, I won’t be so nice.” Hideyoshi knew he didn’t want there to be a next time. Her smirk turned wicked before she reeled her arm back, cackling, “Now, go fetch!”

Hideyoshi let out a horrified scream when he watched her launch his arm off into the distance. He took off in the direction he had seen his arm fly. He couldn’t see it past all the trees but he was sure he could find it.

That’s what he thought but as he kept walking through the forest, he started to think that he might have lost his arm for good. When the trees finally cleared, he wasn’t surprised at what he found.

“A cemetery.”

Well, that was perfect. By the time Akira and the others got through with him, he’d be six feet under.

Hideyoshi walked pass the giant gates, making his way through the seemingly endless graves. It was so much quieter here than the town center and he hated it. If he wanted to be somewhere with nothing to do and no one to talk to, he could go back to his room. He kept his eyes open, hoping to see the familiar limb.

Once he reached a broken-down bench, Hideyoshi took a seat and thought on what to do. He had to go back home eventually but when he did, that would be it. The others would probably lock him in his room forever, maybe even in an iron maiden to be sure he didn’t get out.

He let out a big sigh as he lied down on the bench. “Guess they were right. It’s too dangerous for me out here.”

That’s what he said but he still hated that this was his life. To go out and be torn apart because he was too weak to fight back or to be stuck inside of his room like a rat in a cage.

Maybe he could convince Akira to give him an axe too. No, it would be too heavy to carry around. A sword? Maybe turn his fingers into knives.

Hideyoshi kept trying to think on a solution but it was becoming difficult because something was scratching against his fingers. He tried to shoo it away but was only met with resistance. Looking over, he screamed when he saw some kind of giant bug pulling at his fingers with giant pincer things.

“No, no! Stop it!” He sat up, trying to pull his arm back. “I still need that!”

The bug didn’t let go, tugging harder. Hideyoshi could feel a seam start to rip and he reared his leg back, ready to kick the creature.

“Kama!”

The giant bug released Hideyoshi’s hand before scurrying away. Hideyoshi looked at his fingers, sighing in relief when he saw that they were all there. He could still go back with one fully functional arm.

A smooth voice spoke up behind him. “Sorry about that. He likes to play.”

Hideyoshi chuckled. “It’s okay. I just didn’t want to lose another arm tonight.” He turned towards his rescuer. “Thanks! I’m Hide…” He trailed off once he realized who he was talking to.

It was the Pumpkin King!

The man didn’t say anything, just giving him a small nod.

“Uh…hi…” What was he doing here? Shouldn’t he back in the town center, basking in everyone’s attention? “Um…” He glanced around, wondering what to talk about. His eyes landed on the shiny bug that was now sitting near a dead tree. “So…it’s named Kama?”

The king nodded again, letting out a brief whistle. Kama perked up before it scampered across the ground and up its owner’s leg. It wrapped itself around his shoulders like it was some kind of shawl.

It was actually kind of cute when it wasn’t trying to eat him. “Can I pet it?” Hideyoshi asked.

The king held out his arm and Hideyoshi jerked back when he saw the claws. The king seemed to ignore the reaction as Kama climbed down until it was close enough for Hideyoshi to touch. Hesitantly, Hideyoshi reached forward and placed a hand on top of its smooth head, making sure to avoid its pincer things. He giggled when he saw the way its antennae wiggled around while he gently ran his hand over its dark plating.

“Nice to meet you, Kama,” he whispered.

“He likes you.”

Hideyoshi looked up and felt his (metaphorical) heart leap into his throat when he saw the gentle smile on the king’s face. He was really pretty. Hideyoshi tried to pull his hand back but Kama nudged its head up into his palm, wanting him to keep petting it.

Letting out a sigh, Hideyoshi continued the gentle strokes and glanced up at the king. “So…what are you doing here?”

The smile fell from his lips. “I like it here.” He gazed up at the crescent moon. “It’s quiet. Lets me think.”

So, Hideyoshi was intruding? He pulled his hand back, forcing himself to ignore Kama’s demand for more attention.

“Sorry. I’ll leave.”

He stood up and the king placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, no, it’s fine. I’d enjoy your company.”

Hideyoshi didn’t have time to think on how happy that made him because as he sat back down, one of the king’s claws caught on the seam of his shoulder. He gasped in panic, thinking that he was about to lose the other arm.

The king seemed just as worried as he gently pried his claw out of the strings. “I’m so sorry,” he said, carefully removing his claws so he didn’t cause any further damage.

Hideyoshi saw how concerned he was and let himself relax. The king wasn’t like the lady in the forest; he wasn’t trying to hurt him.

“It’s okay. Not your fault I’m fragile,” Hideyoshi sighed. When the claw was detached, he moved his arm around to make sure it was still functioning.

His words didn’t seem to make the king feel better because he took a step back. “I…I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he insisted.

“Believe me, you didn’t.” One of the things he was most grateful for was his lack of pain sensors. Hideyoshi patted the seat beside him. “Sit?”

The king seemed reluctant but that was okay because Kama decided to scamper from its perch and curl up in Hide’s lap, making some kind of happy clicking noise. Hideyoshi smiled, giving Kama another pet on its head.

That seemed to be the push the king needed before he took a seat beside Hideyoshi. “I’m sorry…not just for that.” Hide didn't know what else he would need to apologize for. “I try to make sure I know everyone in our town but I don’t remember you, Hide.”

Hideyoshi was going to explain but he paused. “Hide?”

“You…you said that was your name, right?” the king asked, looking ready to run off if Hideyoshi said otherwise.

Had he? Hideyoshi thought on that but couldn’t exactly remember. The longer he thought on it, the more he realized he liked that name. Not nearly as long and stuffy.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m Hide!” Hide stopped petting Kama so he could offer up his hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you!”

The king’s eyes widened as he glanced at Hide’s hand. Worried he had made some kind of faux-pas, Hide went to pull his hand back but the king gently took it in his.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kaneki,” he said, smiling as he shook Hide’s hand.

Kaneki…he liked that name, too.

Hide pulled his hand back, explaining, “So, I haven’t actually been around. Akira just made me about a month ago. You know Akira?”

“The mad scientist. She lives with Amon and Seidou.” Kaneki gave Hide a onceover. “You’re her first creation?” Hide nodded. “She did well with you.”

Hide knew Kaneki was complimenting Akira’s skill more than his appearance but it still made him feel good.

“Thanks,” he muttered, happy that Akira had put so much effort into him. The happy feeling faded when he glanced over at his missing arm. “She’s gonna kill me.”

Kaneki looked at the vacant spot where his arm should be. “What happened to it?”

“I was walking in the woods and some woman took it. Threw it in the woods somewhere,” Hide grumbled.

Kaneki’s stare grew cold and he cracked one of his knuckles with his thumb. Kama curled up tighter as a chill Hide didn’t know he could get ran down his spine.

“Green hair?” Kaneki asked in a low growl.

Hide let out a quiet “Yes?”

Kaneki hissed, “Eto. I warned her that her stunts are not permitted on Halloween night.” Kaneki took in a deep breath, composing himself, before he looked back at Hide. “Don’t worry. I’ll find your arm.”

Hide perked up at that. “Really?” He wanted to thank Kaneki until he realized that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t Kaneki’s fault that Hide got into this mess. With a sigh, Hide shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I can find a way.” He probably couldn’t but he had to try.

Kaneki raised an eyebrow at the refusal. “What do you plan to do?”

“I’ll think of something,” Hide assured him, waving off his concerns.

“Hide, if I can help you, let me.”

“You don’t have to. It’s my fault, anyway.”

“It’s not your fault that Eto enjoys messing with others.”

“If I hadn’t walked off on my own, this never would have happened.”

“Halloweentown is huge. It’s easy to get lost.”

Hide really did appreciate how Kaneki was trying so hard to make him feel better. “I didn’t get lost. I ran off on my own.” He realized how that sounded and was quick to explain. “This was my first night out and I…I just wanted to see more.”

“You’ve never been outside before tonight?” Kaneki sounded completely stunned by the confession.

“I think they were waiting for tonight because it would be fun but…I was worried,” Hide admitted. “I thought about how Halloween only happens once a year and I wasn’t sure if that meant I was only going to get this freedom once a year.” Hide could feel Kama wrap itself around his waist, almost as if it was hugging him. “I just wanted as much as I could have.”

Hide let out a bitter scoff. “And what do I have to show for that?” He reached into the hole in his shoulder, pulling out a clump of straw and tossing it into the air. “A missing arm and a reminder that I’m nothing but straw and fabric.”

He let out a sigh before turning to Kaneki. The other man sat there silently, probably waiting for Hide to finish his outburst.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have dumped all that on you.”

Kaneki shook his head. “I’m glad you did. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot tonight. Halloween is supposed to be a night where everyone is able to just let go and have fun in the terror. I’m sorry you weren’t able to enjoy that.”

“I mean, it wasn’t all bad. I did have fun with my family.” He thought on Kaneki’s performance earlier that night. “And after you scared me,” Hide laughed.

Kaneki scratched the back of his neck, almost like he was embarrassed. “I had never seen you before so I wanted to get a closer look.” He glanced at him. “It wasn’t too much for you, right?”

“No way! It was amazing!” Hide thought on how his legs felt so wobbly afterwards; if he had breath, it would have been taken away. “I didn’t know being scared could be so fun.”

Kaneki smiled at that. “’Life’s no fun without a good scare.’ The Halloweentown creed.”

“I’m starting to get it now.” Hide clicked his heels together as he stared at the ground, hoping the others would let him get scared next year too. “Maybe next year won’t be so bad,” he hoped.

“…For what it’s worth, I think that was brave of you.” Hide turned to Kaneki, not sure what he meant. Kaneki stared down at his hands as they lay in his lap. “You saw an opportunity for something you wanted and took it. That’s amazing.”

Hide couldn’t believe that. This man who was able to scare an entire town into submission thought that he was amazing? Just because he was selfish? That didn’t make any sense.

But then he thought on how sad Kaneki had looked before. How he could be off enjoying the praise of his vassals and chose to sit in an empty graveyard with no one but his giant bug for company.

Hide asked, “What about you?” Kaneki raised his head, casting Hide a curious glance. “What do you want?”

Kaneki blinked a few times as he gazed at Hide before he covered his eyes with his hand. Hide thought he heard a sob but it left as soon as it came.

Kaneki whispered, “I can’t remember the last time someone asked me that.”

“What? But aren’t people supposed to ask you what you want?”

“I’m this town’s figurehead solely because I’m supposedly the scariest. That’s all that matters.”

“But…but that’s not fair.” Hide stood up, careful not to knock Kama off of him. “You care about us so we should care about you.”

“I don’t—”

Hide cut him off. “You said you wanted to know who I was because I was the only one who you didn’t know. Akira told me you’re always around town. That’s because you want to make sure everyone’s happy, right?” Kaneki didn’t say anything, just looked up at Hide with a dumbfounded expression. “So, if you want everyone in Halloweentown to be happy, then we have to work on making you happy too.”

He was done with his speech but Kaneki still wasn’t talking. Hide was starting to worry that he had overstepped his bounds before Kaneki stood to his feet, quickly turning his back to Hide.

“I appreciate that, Hide. You’re…you’re very nice.”

It definitely wasn’t his imagination this time; he heard a sniffle but it sounded happy.

Hide wrapped his arm around Kaneki, like Seidou had done to him so many times. Kaneki seemed caught off-guard by the action but he didn’t try to throw Hide off.

Hide gave him his biggest smile. “I think you’re nice too.”

Kaneki just looked at him before a genuine laugh came out. He slowly wrapped his arm around Hide’s back before letting his hand rest on Hide’s shoulder. Hide was really glad he couldn’t blush because his face would be bright red. He turned his head forward, hoping he didn’t look as awkward he felt.

“So, back to the question. What do you want?”

Kaneki thought on it for a long while, lips pursing every few seconds before he came to a decision.

“To find you arm.”

“Ehh…that’s not what I meant.”

“I know but I’d feel better if we did.”

Hide let out a sigh. “You’re not going to stop, are you?” Kaneki shook his head, a small smirk on his lips. “Alright. Any ideas?”

“Kama’s a good tracker.”

“Oh?” Hide looked down at the bug still wrapped around his waist. “Kama, can you find my arm?”

Kama made a clicking sound before it crawled up to Hide’s arm, scratching it with its antennae. Was it smelling him? It then stood up straight, antennae waggling around before it hopped off Hide and started scurrying through the cemetery.

“Looks like he found something,” Kaneki said, following Kama.

Hide stayed close by, not wanting to lose track of either of his companions. The two walked through the forest, following Kama as he made a beeline for what Hide hoped was his arm.

Kama stood up straight again before zooming through the forest. Hide was about to chase after it but Kaneki held up his hand to stop him.

“One sec.”

Hide waited and in a few moments, Kama was scuttling back to them and on its back…

“My arm!” Hide shouted in joy. His severed arm was petting Kama on the head as it was carried. Once Kama was in front of the two men, Hide knelt down and gave it a scratch under its head. “Good buggy!”

Kama must have enjoyed that because it rolled over onto its back, squishing Hide’s arm underneath it. Hide chuckled, moving his arm from under Kama before he scratched the bug some more.

“Who’s a good buggy? Is it you? Is it you?” Kama replied with some happy clicking sounds. “It’s you! You’re a good buggy! Such a good buggy!” Hide scratched Kama a bit longer before he grabbed his arm and stood up. “Welcome back,” he said, laughing when his arm gave him a wave.

“Can you reattach it?”

Hide shook his head. “I don’t have any thread or needles. I have to go back to Akira.” Hide winced and his arm shared his sentiment because it drooped in his grasp.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

Hide didn’t, only because he didn’t want Kaneki to see him get in trouble. But having the other man around might make him feel a little less nervous.

“I’d like that.”

Kaneki nodded then offered up his hand. “I can carry your arm.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Hide handed him his arm and Kaneki gently held it, making sure the opening was near his shoulder so none of the straw fell out. Hide hoped he didn’t notice the way his hand tightened its grip around Kaneki’s.

The two walked back through the woods, Kama deciding to ride on Kaneki’s shoulders. It was a nice comfortable silence. Once they were back in the town center and he could see the familiar spire of his home, Hide wanted to return to the graveyard.

“I don’t know about this,” he mumbled.

He felt Kaneki place a hand on his shoulder. “It will be fine, Hide. Akira and the others care about you.”

Hide smiled at that. “You’re right.” He turned to Kaneki to thank him then noticed that the hand touching his shoulder wasn’t Kaneki’s; it was his. He chuckled. “Really?”

“Made you laugh.”

Hide couldn’t argue with that. “Thanks…for everything.”

“…Same to you.”

What had he done? Before he could ask, Hide was picked up by the back of his collar. He floundered around for a bit, trying to get himself straight.

“Amon, put him down,” Kaneki ordered.

Hide stopped fidgeting. Looking over his shoulder, he gave the obviously upset golem an anxious grin.

“Hi, Amon. I missed you.”

Amon didn’t say anything, just frowned in displeasure. That was fine because Seidou came up to them and held his axe to Hide’s throat.

“You idiot! Akira’s worried sick! If she didn’t want you alive, I’d kill you!”

Hide had the decency to be guilty. “I’m sorry,” he said, lowering his head.

“What happened to your arm?” Amon asked.

Hide bit his lip, not wanting to tell the truth.

“It caught on a tree.” The three turned to Kaneki who held up Hide’s arm with one hand and scratched his chin with the other. “A large branch ripped the seams out.” Hide gazed at Kaneki, silently thanking him.

“Are you kidding me?” Seidou asked in disbelief. He rolled his eyes, grabbing the arm from Kaneki. “Thanks.” He turned to Hide, bonking him on the head with his severed arm. “Say thanks, dummy!”

Hide bowed his head. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

“Alright, let’s get home so Akira can reattach this.” He pointed a finger at Amon. “Keep a tight grip on him.”

Amon nodded, bowing to Kaneki, before he tossed Hide over his shoulder. As Hide was carried back to the house, he gave Kaneki a wave goodbye and smiled when Kaneki gave one back.

Hide had spent the rest of the night being scolded as Akira reattached his arm before he was locked in his room. The next morning, as he gazed out his window, he was still surprised at how quickly all the decorations had disappeared.

It really did only come once a year.

He kept looking around the town center, hoping to see some reminder of the night before. That was when his eyes landed on Tsukiyama and a familiar king walking by the fountain.

Kaneki must have had a sixth sense that let him know he was being stared at; he stopped then turned his head towards Hide’s window. When they locked eyes, Kaneki smiled and gave a small wave. Hide returned it with a wave of his own.

Kaneki rejoined Tsukiyama but as he walked off, Hide noticed the way Kaneki would glance back up at him before he disappeared.

Hide placed a hand on his chin, thinking that he wanted to get a bit more of that freedom.

-x-

They had been best friends ever since. Hanging out in the graveyard or at Kaneki’s tower. Spending time playing with Kama. Helping each other throughout the year. Sharing secrets no one else knew.

But there was still something Kaneki wanted that Hide hadn’t been able to help him find. Hide saw it every time Kaneki discussed the preparations for Halloween day. Some kind of cloud drifted over his eyes as if he wanted to be anywhere else.

Hide wanted to help him find that missing piece but he knew the truth. It was one of those things Kaneki had to find for himself.

But it was okay because Kaneki would come back and when he did, he knew that Hide would be there waiting for him.

******************

When Kaneki woke up, he surveyed the area. This part of the forest didn’t look familiar.

He sat up, putting a hand to his head as he thought. Last he remembered, he had left Hide in the graveyard. He walked through the forest and…

He lowered his hand, struck with realization. “The Forbidden Lands.” He had actually made it here.

Getting to his feet, Kaneki was confused by the scenery. The trees had paintings on them. What for? Some kind of ritual?

He looked at some of the paintings before focusing on the only image he recognized. A simple jack-o’-lantern. He walked over to the painting, tracing his hand over the bark of the tree. But now that he was closer, he noticed that the triangle for the jack-o’-lantern’s nose wasn’t painted on. It was a block.

Kaneki grabbed the triangle and gave it a twist, watching in amazement when the jack-o’-lantern pulled away from the tree.

It was a door.

He quickly closed it before backing away. Where did that door go? Was this how he got here? He reached for the doorknob again but stopped, glancing around at the other trees.

Were all of these doors? To where?

Kaneki decided to study the small area but it didn’t really help him. He didn’t understand what any of the symbols represented.

Some kind of giant bird. Didn’t look like a crow. Maybe a strange vulture.

A leaf of some kind. Poisonous?

A heart, though not a good one. It wasn’t even bloody.

A…

He stopped, locking onto a specific door. It was shaped like a tree but not like the ones in Halloweentown. It was bright green and covered in colorful spheres and wraps. He had never seen anything like it.

Kaneki walked towards the door, scratching one of the decorations; it was all painted, just like his door. He reached for the doorknob; it was so shiny and shaped like one of the spheres painted on the door.

Slowly, he opened the door but there was nothing except an empty abyss. He lifted his foot past the doorway, ready to explore what kind of world would have such a strange door.

“Try to come back before twilight, okay?!”

Kaneki stopped when he remembered Hide’s words. If he went inside here, would he be able to come back out? Or would he just get swallowed up in the void? He stayed frozen as he considered his options. He wanted to go in, wanted to see but…

Letting out a sigh, Kaneki turned his back to the door. He told Hide he’d take him coffin sledding and he was going to keep that promise.

Kaneki walked away from the door…or he tried to. He felt a wind colder than any in the graveyard wrap around him. It pulled him backwards and dragged him inside the door. Kaneki screamed as he fell, the air that ensnared him growing colder by the second. There was nothing to latch onto, no way to stop himself.

He shut his eyes and braced for the impact. To his surprise, when he finally stopped falling, he didn’t feel any pain. It was still freezing but he had landed gently on the ground. Carefully, he opened his eyes and his jaw dropped.

This world was beautiful.

The night sky was a brilliant dark blue, the stars sparkling above. Down below was a vibrant town filled with an array of bright colors. Nothing like the neutral palette of Halloweentown.

Kaneki took a hesitant step forward, almost as if going too fast would make this gorgeous sight vanish. He felt his foot sink in and looked down at the ground covered in white. He stepped forward and backwards and watched as each step left an imprint of his feet. Whatever this was, it wasn’t soil or cobblestone. What was this?

Standing back up, Kaneki continued his slow trek to the town down below. As he got closer, he saw the buildings were all covered in the same colorful strands that had been on the world’s door. The roofs were all white. Was that because of the stuff on the ground? Did it come from the sky like rain?

He kept walking, doing his best to stay in the shadows. It was difficult. There weren’t as many places to hide here. Sticking to an alleyway, Kaneki gazed out at what he thought was the town center.

People were frantically running around, carrying an array of items. Large trees that looked like the door. The decorations on the houses. Boxes that were covered in bows and paper. They were all wearing vibrant colored outfits. Hats and coats and scarves, probably to protect from the bitter cold. When he looked closer, several of the people had pointed ears. He knew they weren’t hobgoblins so what were they?

Since the chaos wasn’t going to settle down anytime soon, Kaneki took a chance and stepped out. No one seemed to pay him any mind, too focused on their own preparations. What were they doing?

There were small beings that weren’t trying to help, simply playing in the strange white stuff on the ground. They were laughing as they built golems from it or turned it into balls that they threw at each other. The golems didn’t move and he was certain this white stuff didn’t hurt but they were still so happy.

He stopped when he bumped into a row of lights, red and green and white. He held the strand of lights up to get a better look. These colors were everywhere. Was there some significance to them? Or was it just because they were pretty?

Then there was a strange sound. Something gentle and airy. He dropped the lights, following the source. As he got closer, he was able to make out the sounds of people singing. Something about a horse and slaying. That didn’t sound like what this town was about. Near a giant tree that the door had probably been modeled after was a group of people. No pointy ears but still wearing bright colors and heavy coats. As they sang, one person was waving some kind of instrument around. It had shiny golden balls attached that made a tinkling sound as it went through the air. It sounded nice.

Kaneki started walking again, not sure what he wanted to focus on. The red and white hooks? There were some that people were eating but there was one that was being used to hang decorations. Could you eat the large one? And that strange smell in the air? He thought it might be food but it was nothing like he had ever smelled before. No rotting stench or scent of poison. He wanted to try it.

There was so much to look at. So much to learn. Kaneki could feel a smile grow on his face as he spun in a circle, wanting to take in everything at once. He had never felt anything like this before. Didn’t know he could feel like this. What was this wonderful place?

Kaneki kept spinning until he got dizzy and collapsed onto the cold white ground. He felt like his stomach was going to burst from how hard he was laughing. When the laughter subsided, he rested on the ground and gazed up at the sky.

“Where am I?”

He heard the sound from that strange instrument again but it sounded louder. “Hear ye! Hear ye!” Kaneki turned his head to see one of the strange pointy-eared creatures, waving a large curved instrument. “The Christmastown Hall will begin momentarily! Please join us and discuss any further ideas for this year’s Christmas!”

Many of the people in the center jumped at the opportunity as they went towards the creature. Kaneki sat up, taking in the words.

“Christmastown.”

What was Christmas? What holiday allowed for such beautiful sights and amazing things? Kaneki stood back up, wondering where he could find more information. Certainly, a place this wonderful had to have an archive of sorts.

He moved through the shadows, searching through all of the buildings. As he searched, he went through several homes of the people here. It was just as colorful inside but it was so much hotter. The fire wasn’t used for torches or cauldrons, just to keep everyone inside warm and happy.

It took him several minutes before Kaneki finally found a large collection of books on shelves. He stepped out of the shadows; there was no light inside so he hoped area was closed. Thankfully, reading in the dark was something he was used to.

He traced a knuckle down one of the book spines, smiling. Even if the information in these books didn’t answer any questions, reading always managed to put him at ease.

Kaneki kept reading all of the spines and whenever he found one that sounded like it would help, he gently placed it on the nearby table. By the time he had finished, he had a large collection of books to sort through.

He read so much on this magical Christmas. It was so fascinating. A holiday that wasn’t about scaring people but about giving and spending time with loved ones. It had so many traditions from decorating the trees (They were called pine trees.) to singing songs (The horse wasn’t being slayed; it pulled a sleigh. What was a sleigh?).

The most interesting thing he had found out though was the ruler of this world: Santa Claus. Apparently, he was a giant of a man who wore a red suit as he snuck into the homes of people to leave them presents. Not just one or two, but everyone in this world. How could someone so large get to so many places so quickly? What kind of magic did he possess to stay hidden despite being so bright? And why did he feel the need to go and give all of these presents?

Kaneki stayed in that quiet place, absorbing tome after tome. The more he read, the more he knew that he wanted more.

*******************

A week. Kaneki had been gone for a week. Hide stared out the window, resting his chin on his hand. He watched as Tsukiyama ordered anyone who was available to search for their missing king.

Hide sighed through his nose, leaving his window and collapsing on his bed. Kaneki hadn’t lied to him; he had meant to come back so why wasn’t he here?

“Where are you, Kaneki?”

Hide thought on breaking out again to go keep Kama company. He had broken Akira’s new security system the second day and when he got to Kama, the poor thing had obviously been so lonely.

Just as he was about to pull out a needle to pick the locks, loud sounds from the town center caught his attention. He ran back to the window and laughed when he saw Kaneki walking through the masses. Everyone was swarming him, probably wondering where he had gone for so long.

Kaneki pushed past them all, standing on the edge of the fountain. His powerful voice rung out through the town center.

“I’m calling a town meeting! Inform everyone that I require them in the town hall as soon as possible!”

Everyone stood at attention before they scattered to notify the others of their king’s request. As Kaneki stepped down, he looked up to Hide’s window and gave a wave. Hide waved back, finally able to relax. He ran to his door and knocked loudly on it.

“Hey! Hey! Kaneki’s calling a town meeting! Let me out!”

Hide heard heavy footsteps come up and the locks being unlocked before Amon opened the door.

“You’re not going,” he told Hide.

Hide pouted. “He said everyone and I’m part of everyone.”

“Tell him he’s grounded!” Seidou shouted from downstairs.

Amon nodded in agreement. “You’re grounded.”

“But…”

“Akira will take notes for you,” Amon said, taking a step back and closing the door in Hide’s face.

The locks were shut again and Hide rolled his eyes. Apparently, he was sneaking out. He went to his window and watched as his family left without him. Akira looked up at him and he stuck his tongue out at her. That didn’t seem to bother her as she waved and followed the others to the town hall. When he didn’t see them anymore, he ran back to the door and began picking the locks.

It took him about ten minutes before he finally managed to get the locks open. He carefully opened the door and wrapped a thread around the doorknob. He stepped back several times then took a running start as he leapt and landed on the railing. He yanked the door shut and smiled, looking down at the specks on the floor.

Hide wasn’t sure how Akira did it but he knew that they were some kind of motion sensors or, rather, weight sensors. If they sensed something lighter than Akira step on them, they would sound off. It was amazing what she put her mind to when she wanted to keep him locked up.

Hide used the thread connected to the door to climb down before he walked outside, making sure to lock up behind him. It looked like everyone else had already made it to the town hall so Hide was able to hide in the back. Kaneki hadn’t started speaking yet so he took the time to make sure he was out of view of the others. It wasn’t hard to find them thanks to Amon’s height; they were sitting in the back on the other side of the hall. Hide found a spot beside a large ogre, using him as a barrier.

A few minutes later, Kaneki strode up to the main stage. The idle chatter of the crowd died down, everyone turning their attention to their king.

“Good day, everyone. I’m certain you want to know where I was this past week.” A large number of confirmations were made. “Well, I found a town that celebrates a holiday different from Halloween.”

“What other holidays are there?” came a curious voice from the crowd.

“It’s called Christmas.”

“Christmas?” Hide whispered, the name foreign on his tongue.

Kaneki took in a deep breath, shadows emerging around him and when they dispersed, a large number of foreign objects were beside him. Frenzied whispers filled the hall as most of the crowd moved up to get a better look at the strange items. Hide leaned forward as much as he could but he wasn’t able to see anything.

There was a tap on his shoulder and he froze. Hesitantly, he turned around, expecting to see his family. Instead, he saw a shiny red orb covered in sparkly things; it was being held up by a single shadow. Hide took the orb, thanking the messenger, and stared at it in wonder. He had never seen something so pretty before. This was Christmas? No wonder Kaneki was so interested in it.

Clapping his hands, Kaneki ordered the crowd to settle down. Once everyone had returned to their seats, Kaneki gestured to a tree that was bright green and covered in decorations like the one in Hide’s hands.

“This is a Christmas tree. The people in Christmastown take a large pine tree and decorate it in colorful ornaments.”

“Why?” someone asked from the crowd.

“It’s pretty. The entire town is decorated with them.”

Several voices began to talk all at once.

“It’s burning my eyes and not in a good way.”

“Don’t they have any better things to decorate it with? Like shrunken heads?”

“Oh, yeah! And a giant eyeball on top!”

The others in the crowd began shouting out things that they thought would make the tree look better. Kaneki let out a large whistle and everyone went silent.

“Thank you.” Kaneki decided to move on to the next item, holding up several red and white hooks between his fingers. “These are candy canes. They—”

“Candy?!”

Several children ran up to Kaneki and held out their hands. “Trick or treat!” they cried out.

“No, that’s not what you…” Kaneki let out a sigh, giving each of the children a candy cane. “Enjoy,” he said, sounding resigned.

As the children ate, all of their faces scrunched up.

“What flavor is this?”

“Peppermint.”

“What’s that? Sounds gross.”

“It’s—”

“Hey, look!” A small mummy child held up his candy cane. He had managed to sharpen the end of it. “You can turn them into daggers!”

That sent the crowd into a frenzy. The children started to attack each other with their newly sharpened weapons while several of the adults in the crowd requested ones of their own, especially if they came in bigger sizes.

Hide watched as Kaneki pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously frustrated with how quickly this meeting was derailing. Kaneki looked out into the crowd and when he met Hide’s gaze, Hide gave him a thumbs up and a placating grin. That seemed to make Kaneki feel a bit better because he smiled back before letting out another large whistle to get everyone’s attention again.

“There’s something I want everyone to know about Christmas before I adjourn our meeting.” He smirked, the red of his eyes starting to glow. “Or rather someone.” Kaneki disappeared into the shadows; his voice echoing through the town hall. “The ruler of Christmastown is a being known as Santa Claus.” The lights went out one by one, drowning everyone in the darkness. “He uses his magic to sneak into the homes of the people of Christmastown, unseen by all. If the people were good, they get treats. But if they were bad…”

The lights came back on and Kaneki was standing on the stage, surrounded by burning pieces of coal.

“…nothing but coal to burn.”

The people erupted into applause, discussing amongst themselves what they had just learned. Hide saw some start to leave and knew he had to head out too before his family did. He gave Kaneki one final glance and was saddened to see that same cloud over his eyes as the crowd talked.

Hide managed to make it back to his room before the others got home. Sitting down on his bed, he took the ornament Kaneki had given him out of his pocket. He was sorry that Kaneki wasn’t able to share everything he wanted about Christmas. The little bit he had mentioned sounded so fun. A holiday that was filled with bright lights and colorful treats? He had to ask Kaneki some more about it later.

******************

When Kaneki arrived home, Kama tackled him to the ground. He laughed as the centipede’s tiny legs tickled him. “I’m sorry I left you for so long. Did Hide at least come visit you?” Kama made a clicking noise that Kaneki was able to understand as a yes. “That’s good. It’s for the best you weren’t there though. It was so cold; I would have worried for you.”

He lifted Kama up, cradling him like a child, and walked to his foyer. He had taken a great number of them from the Christmastown archive; he’d make sure to return them as soon as possible. Once all the books were on his desk, he took a seat and let Kama rest in his lap. Then he pulled out the book on the traditions of Christmas he had read at least ten times.

He had been so excited to share what he learned with the others but none of them seemed to care. Was he that much of an anomaly? Just as he thought on how he could try to discuss it again, he heard a familiar knocking pattern. Or rather, felt it. He smiled down at his shadow, carefully standing up and placing Kama in his bed before he bent down and repeated the pattern.

Kaneki had told Hide something no one else in Halloweentown knew. That he was connected to the shadow of every being in Halloweentown. It helped him know if people were safe, teleported him to someone’s location, or…

His shadow turned pitch-black and he reached inside. When he felt something grab his hand, he pulled and out of the shadow came Hide.

“I have arrived!” he cheered, crawling out of the shadow completely. After Hide was able to stand on his feet, he held up a bottle that Kaneki recognized as a quality blood wine. “Brought a present~!”

“Thank you, Hide, but is everything okay? You rarely use the portal.” Kaneki usually offered but Hide insisted on keeping his lockpicking skills sharp.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Hide told him, patting Kama on the head before he took a seat on Kaneki’s couch. He pulled out the ornament that Kaneki had given him, tossing it into the air. “I just figured you wanted to talk more about this Christmas thing.”

Kaneki smiled, looking from the bottle to the waiting smile on his best friend’s face. To this day, he never understood what he did to deserve someone as amazing as Hide.

“Well, let me get some glasses and I’ll tell you everything.”

For the next hour, the two drank as Kaneki told Hide everything he had seen in Christmastown. From the snow that coated the entire world to the elves who made toys for the children to the mysterious Santa Claus who worked day and night as he checked his list.

Hide let out a low whistle. “So, everything looks like that tree you showed us earlier? Why?”

That caused Kaneki to groan in annoyance as he downed the rest of his glass. “I don’t know why. I’ve read book after book on Christmastown history and it explains it but…” Kaneki put a hand into his hair, gripping the white stands. “…it doesn’t make sense.

“Hey, hey.” Hide grabbed his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “That was a silly question. After all, do we think about why we hang up cobwebs on Halloween?” Kaneki shook his head. “Right. It’s just what we do. The Christmastown people just do it because it feels right so just…think about how it makes you feel.”

“How it makes me feel,” Kaneki whispered before he nodded at Hide. “Sounds good.”

“Awesome. Now, go grab one of those books and read me a story. No history. No facts. As your guest, I demand to be entertained.”

Kaneki chuckled, going over to the mountain of books. He plucked one from the bottom and dragged Kama and his bed over to the couch before taking a seat.

“Let’s read A Christmas Carol.”

Hide put his head on Kaneki’s shoulder, getting comfortable. Kaneki felt the straw on Hide’s head scratch his cheek and was easily relaxed by the feeling.

“What’s it about?”

“A stingy old man learns the value of Christmas after he’s visited by four spirits.”

That caught Hide’s interest. “Christmas has ghosts too? Would they live here since they’re ghosts or in Christmastown since they’re Christmas ghosts?”

Kaneki glanced at Hide, tapping him on the nose. “Now, who’s thinking too hard?”

“It’s a valid question.”

Kaneki began reading the story, telling how Scrooge was cruel to everyone around him. He hoarded his money, refusing to give to those less fortunate. He forced his employees to work under terrible conditions for countless hours away from their families, even on Christmas day.

“You’re not supposed to work on Christmas?”

Kaneki shook his head. “Christmas is a day where you’re supposed to be with your families at home.”

“So this Scrooge is a real jerk. Does he die in the end?” Hide asked, lifting the corner of the next page.

Kaneki gave Hide’s hand a light pat. “Patience, young rag doll.” Hide let out a bleh.

The first ghost that arrived was the spirit of Scrooge’s old business partner, Jacob Marley. Because of his callous and miserly nature, he was forced to travel the world as a ghost with heavy chains wrapped around his body and no hope of peace.

“Do chains weigh anything to ghosts?”

“Well, they’re ghost chains so I think that’s a factor.”

Hide grinned, looking up at Kaneki with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Do you have any? I’m sure Nishiki would be a great test subject.”

“You’re on your own for that one.”

Marley warned Scrooge that he would be visited by three other spirits and if he didn’t change his ways after meeting them, he would suffer the same eternal torment that Marley did.

The second spirit was the Ghost of Christmas Past. It took the form of a small child with a glowing head. It took Scrooge to many of his past Christmases. The ones in his youth where he spent so many of his Christmases alone and then one where Scrooge’s fiancée left him because of his greed.

“Looks like he’s had a lot of warnings about being a jerk,” Hide muttered. There was a gentle tone to his voice so Kaneki knew he felt some kind of sympathy towards the old man.

The third spirit was the Ghost of Christmas Present. It was a jolly giant who wore bright green; he sounded a bit like Santa. He took Scrooge to see what Christmas would be like this year for everyone around him. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, whose family was happy despite barely having enough to scrape by and care for their sick child. His nephew, Fred, who celebrated Christmas day surrounded by friends as they danced and played. And the reminder that Scrooge, for all his riches, was miserable and alone.

“What’s that saying? ‘What do you get for the man who has everything?’”

Kaneki nodded, flipping to the next page. “Not even it seems.”

The final spirit was the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

“They couldn’t just say future?” Hide scoffed, taking a sip of wine.

“It sounds more impressive.”

“You writers and your fancy words.”

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come took the form of a Grim Reaper. He took Scrooge to the many people who discussed the death of a cruel old man, saying how much better their lives were now that he was gone.

“’A churchyard. Here, then, the wretched man whose name he had now to learn, lay underneath the ground. It was a worthy place. Walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds, the growth of vegetation’s death, not life…A worthy place!’”

When he didn’t hear Hide comment, Kaneki lowered his book and tried to get a look at Hide’s face. His eyes were shut and his empty glass dangled from his fingers.

Kaneki smiled and turned to the end of the book, whispering, “’Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew…’” He shut the book. “The end.”

Kaneki carefully cradled Hide’s head as he used his shadows to lift up Hide’s legs and take the glass from his hand. He wrapped his arms around Hide’s legs and back before standing up, holding the rag doll in his arms. Kaneki then lowered into the darkness and emerged in Hide’s bedroom.

He gently laid Hide down on his bed and tucked him in. Brushing Hide’s hair, Kaneki whispered, “Thanks for listening.” He gave Hide a gentle peck on the forehead before he returned to his house.

Kaneki saw Kama curled up on his bed, having fallen asleep. Kaneki was so tired and knew that he should go to bed too but there was still too much going on through his brain.

He put A Christmas Carol back with the other books and sat, covering his face in frustration. He knew what Hide was saying but he could still answer questions about Halloween. You scared people because it was fun. You covered the walls with cobwebs because they were spooky. You drank blood wine because it was delicious.

But Christmas? He knew what it made him feel but he didn’t know why. He lowered his hands, picking up a book with a drawing of Santa on the front. He still hadn’t met the man in person. Maybe if he did, Santa would be able to answer all of these questions Kaneki had.

Kaneki chuckled to himself, a brief image flashing in his mind. He wondered what he’d look like in that bright red suit, delivering presents to everyone.

The chuckle died down as that fleeting thought lodged itself into his brain.

‘You could do that, couldn’t you?’

No, no, that was a ridiculous idea. He couldn’t replace Santa.

‘It’s not replacing. Just giving Santa a night off. He deserves it.’

But he wasn’t Santa. He didn’t have his abilities.

‘You can easily sneak into homes, carry everything without anyone knowing you were there.’

But he wasn’t like Christmas. He was the Pumpkin King.

‘But what if this is how you learn? Hands-on experience.’

Kaneki knew that this was an insane idea. Could hear that little sliver of reason telling him not to think any further. But the more he thought on it, the more he knew that this was what he wanted. He wanted to experience the magic of Christmas. Wanted to make it. Wanted to have it.

‘Need to have it.’

His earlier chuckles erupted into manic laughs as he pulled out a quill and parchment. He began writing frantically, planning out everything. The people of Halloweentown could make the presents. Akira could make a magnificent sleigh. And there was only one person who could make him a suit that would rival Santa’s.

This would be his first Christmas and he would make sure the people of Christmastown never forgot it.

****************

It was cold.

Hide couldn’t feel it but something in his stitches knew it. He kept walking but there was nothing but a black sky and white ground as far as he could see.

But he heard something, a voice that he knew all too well. His walking turned into a swift run as he tried to find the sound and he didn’t stop running until he saw a light off in the distance.

He slowed down and smiled when he saw the source. It was a large Christmas tree, strung up with lights and garlands. And underneath it was Kaneki, reading the story he had been telling earlier.

As Hide walked closer, the happy feeling in his chest dissolved. The tree was still lit up but…but it was on fire. Kaneki was completely oblivious as he kept reading.

He tried calling out to Kaneki but nothing came out. He started running again but he wasn’t getting any closer. It was like something was holding him back. A flame landed on Kaneki’s shoulder and started to spread on him.

His silent scream burning in his throat as Kaneki disappeared in the blaze.

-x-

“Hide. Hide!”

Hide shot up, looking around wildly. Amon was by his side. He was in his bed. He was in his room. Kaneki wasn’t here. Kaneki was fine. Kaneki had to be fine.

Amon put a hand on his head, concern evident. “Nightmare?” Hide nodded. “Not a fun one?” Hide shook his head. “Want to talk about it?”

“Just…lots of fire.”

Amon accepted that, knowing that fire was something Hide tried to avoid.

“Sorry about that. Hope the next one’s bugs.” Hide chuckled at that which got Amon smiling. “I came to tell you that Kaneki’s called everyone in Halloweentown again. This time, you are permitted to come with us. Promise to behave?”

Hide managed his best smile at that. Any other time he would have leapt at the offer but that nightmare had left a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Still, he wanted to make sure Kaneki was okay, needed to see it with his own eyes.

“Don’t I always?” he snarked back, laughing when Amon ruffled his hair.

After a delicious breakfast and Seidou threatening to cut his legs off if he tried to run away, the four of them were off to see what Kaneki wanted to show off this time.

When they had arrived at the town hall, there was a long line in front. Hide tapped the zombie in front of them, asking, “Hey, do you know what we’re waiting for?”

The zombie made a low groaning sound, mumbling several garbled words. Hide, Amon, and Akira all turned to Seidou who nodded as the zombie ‘spoke’. Seidou was technically a zombie himself so he knew how to understand their language.

“Seriously? That’s insane!” The zombie shrugged before turning back around. Seidou turned to his family. “So, our king has decided that it’s not enough that we just had Halloween. Apparently, we’re going to help him with Christmas too.”

Hide felt like his legs had gone out from under him. “What?”

“I know! We don’t even know about this Christmas stuff and we’re just supposed to make it?!”

That had Akira chuckling. “If you don’t think you can handle it.”

“Oh! So, that’s how you want to play it!”

Amon sighed, “Please don’t make a scene you two.”

The sound of his family’s chatter was drowned out by the buzzing in Hide’s head. All he could think of was his dream, still fresh in his mind. It had to be a mistake, right? Kaneki wouldn’t do something so outrageous. Or maybe it was just Kaneki wanting to have a tiny little thing. Once he walked up to Kaneki, Hide would explain his (obviously not prophetic) nightmare and it would all be okay.

That’s what he thought but as they stayed in line, Hide saw the numerous objects that Kaneki had apparently given other townsfolk. It didn’t seem like this was going to be as small as Hide hoped.

When it was their turn in front of Kaneki, Hide took note of how his face lit up. He had never looked this happy preparing Halloween.

“My favorite people,” he laughed. He pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper and handed it to Akira. “You all have some of the most important jobs for Christmas.”

Akira opened the paper up and the other three leaned over her. It was a drawing of some type of black carriage with blades on the bottom instead of wheels.

“That’s a sleigh. I need it to fly and fast. Can you make it?”

Akira scoffed as she rolled the paper back up. “What a foolish question.” That was a yes.

“Excellent,” Kaneki said, turning to Amon and Seidou. “I need you two to find us the largest tree in the woods and bring it to the town center. We’re going to decorate it.”

Amon nodded and Seidou groaned. “There’s none of those pine things you talked about.”

“No worries on that.” Kaneki pointed near the wall of the town hall where several children were sitting around a box of sharp needles that they were painting green. “Once we have a tree, we can glue those on.”

“Alright. You’re the boss.”

Kaneki turned to Hide, big smile still on his face. Hide gave a stiff grin in return. “You have the most important job,” Kaneki told Hide, handing him another piece of paper.

Hide felt the others gather around him so they could all see. This time, it was a drawing of Kaneki in a red suit with white trim. Hide recognized the suit as the one Santa apparently wore. The grim feeling in his stomach doubled down and he had to resist the urge to crush the drawing in his palms.

Kaneki didn’t notice because he leaned over the paper, pointing at the drawing. “I need you to make my Santa suit.”

“He really sneaks around in such a bright suit?” Amon asked, sounding astonished.

“Isn’t it amazing? I’ll have to be careful when I sneak in to the homes of the Christmastown families.”

Hide looked up at that, praying that didn’t meant what he thought. “What do you mean Christmastown?”

Kaneki seemed amused by the question. “Where else would I go to deliver Christmas presents?”

‘Nowhere!’ Hide wanted to scream. Turning to his family, he put on his biggest smile. “Hey, give us a sec?”

“Better not try escaping,” Seidou hissed.

“Ghoul’s honor.”

The three exchanged glances before they walked off. He knew they weren’t going to go far but it wasn’t like he was planning on running.

He turned to Kaneki. “So, I had a nightmare last night.”

“That’s good.”

“No, a bad one. With lots of fire.” Kaneki grew serious at that. “And you were there and so was your Christmas tree and…”

He squeezed his eyes shut when the image of Kaneki disappearing in the flames entered his mind again. He felt Kaneki place a hand on his shoulder and Hide looked Kaneki in the eye.

“I don’t want you to get hurt because of this.”

Kaneki placed his free hand on Hide’s other shoulder, giving Hide a sympathetic gaze. “Hide, I promise you that I won’t let anything happen. I’ll come back to you safely.”

Hide shook his head. That wasn’t the problem. He didn’t want any of this. He knew it was going to end badly. He wanted to scream that at Kaneki, make him understand.

But then all Hide could think about was how ecstatic Kaneki was as he showed off his designs. A passion that Hide never thought he would see. Kaneki wanted to give this his all and Hide didn’t want to get in the way of him finally having found something that brought him joy.

With a sigh, Hide glanced at the drawing he was still holding. He already knew the answer but he needed to hear it from Kaneki.

“Is this what you want?”

He hated the way Kaneki’s eyes lit up. “More than anything,” was his earnest reply.

That was it for Hide. He grinned, grateful that his stitches made it as wide as possible. “Santa will be so jealous by the time I’m through with you.” Hide gave him a light punch to the jaw. “Finish your kingly duties and I’ll get started.”

“Thank you, Hide. I knew I could count on you.”

“…Always.”

Hide waved goodbye before he went to find his family who were waiting by the front door. Amon and Seidou were discussing where to go for the best tree while Akira was analyzing the design Kaneki had given her.

She looked up from the paper. “Is everything okay?”

It wasn’t but Hide wasn’t going to burden them with his worries. “Just talking about how funny it will be to see him wearing something other than black.”

He was pretty sure none of them bought that but thankfully, they didn’t say anything as they walked back home.

With a heavy feeling in his chest, Hide asked, “Can we stop at the fabric shop?”

*****************

“So, Touka, you’ll hang your thread all around the town center. And Yoriko, you’ll place your scales on their as decorations.”

“This is so stupid,” Touka huffed, her giant spider legs stomping on the ground in a rhythmic pattern.

Yoriko giggled behind her. She was inside a giant fishbowl filled with water. “Come on, Touka. Let’s give it a try. If we don’t like it, we can sit out next year.”

Touka rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. She just turned around and walked off, waving at Kaneki without a glance back. Yoriko waved at him with her tail as Touka carried her away. Kaneki was fairly positive that meant they were going to do it.

He looked around the empty hall and couldn’t help the way his chest filled with pride. All of the jobs had been assigned. He would oversee the production of the toys, the placement of the decorations; everything that had to be done, he wanted to see.

Kaneki let out a joyful laugh at the thought of all the Christmas preparations. It was going to be amazing. They had less than two months left to prepare. Halloween took all year so they would have to go into overtime. If anyone could do it, it was his citizens. No one worked harder. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

“Nothing for me, your majesty?”

Kaneki’s happy mood evaporated. Refusing to acknowledge the nuisance, Kaneki began to gather the leftover materials. He saw a clawed hand reach out and one of his shadows wrapped around the wrist attached. He squeezed as tight as possible, not stopping until he heard a bone snap.

“Mean. I just want to help.”

He finally glared at the intruder, hating the way she just smirked at him. “Your help is never wanted, Eto.” She hadn’t done anything this Halloween but it was clear she was only here to cause trouble. He also hadn’t forgiven her for taking Hide’s arm last year.

“But I can help with your biggest issue,” she said.

Kaneki knew that he shouldn’t give her the time of day but he was curious.

“Which would be?”

“May I have my arm back?”

Kaneki released her arm and she didn’t even blink as she forced the broken bone back into place.

“Now, I wasn’t here for your little town hall yesterday so I’ll admit I don’t know all the details…” She leaned in close, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “…but would Santa appreciate you taking his holiday?”

Kaneki gave her the answer he had given to himself. “Christmas is about what you can give to others so I’m giving Santa a respite.”

“And if he says no?”

“He won’t.” Kaneki refused to think on that possibility.

Eto’s growing smirk promised nothing but trouble. “I can give him an offer he can’t refuse.”

He knew it. “No.”

“How will you spread joy to the people of Christmastown if Santa doesn’t allow it?”

“I don’t care what you say, Eto. You are not going to cause any problems this time.” He still had enough of his sanity to know that nothing Eto was offering would end well. “You want to be useful? Go help paint needles for the Christmas tree. Make them as green as your hair.”

“I’m not really into arts and witchcrafts.”

“Then go back into the woods and stay out of the way,” Kaneki ordered, grabbing his leftover materials and walking away.

He paused when he heard Eto sigh and mumble, “Guess we’re going to do this the hard way.”

He spun around, eyes blazing in fury as he glared at her. “And just what are we doing the hard way?” he snarled, taking a fighting stance.

Eto held up her hands in submission, looking bored to death. “I mean, you always want to make things difficult when you could make them fun. Is that a thing about Halloweentown’s monarchs?”

“Your kind of fun is a blight on our town. It wasn’t wanted when he was king and it’s certainly not wanted now that I am.”

Kaneki didn’t miss the way her smirk fell for the briefest moment. He decided not to engage with her any further and left her in the empty hall. Normally, Kaneki would simply teleport back to his house but he needed a distraction and walking through town always offered that.

Kaneki saw a few people had already started working on the toys and felt his anger ebb away. He really did have hardworking subjects.

He walked over to get a closer look. “What are you making?” he asked, a childlike glee in his voice.

A siren held up a small round box; she had already started decorating it with a beautiful blood spatter. “We’re going to make this into one of those music box things. When it’s done, it’ll play a song that lures the chidlren to prick their finger on the needle inside and have them fall into a deep slumber for a week.”

“You managed to think that up in such a short time? That’s incredible!” The siren was obviously pleased by the praise. “Is it possible to make the sleep only last the night though? I’m pretty sure it would be their first time and I don’t want them to get overwhelmed.

“You got it,” she said, writing a note down.

Kaneki walked over to a goblin who was currently fighting with a snake he was trying to put in a basket. The snake began to hiss loudly and Kaneki responded by growling back, smirking when the snake lowered itself down into the basket. The goblin wasted no time in wrapping it up with a ribbon.

“Thanks, Kaneki. Guess someone’s not happy he’s going to be in here for the next month and a half.”

“He should be grateful. Once he’s out of that basket, he’ll probably end up freezing to death.”

“If only we could all be that lucky.”

Kaneki laughed. “Keep up the good work. Let me know if any of the others become difficult.” The goblin gave a salute, moving onto a bat.

As Kaneki continued his walk, he became more optimistic. Everyone was just as excited as he was and they were all making such incredible things. They would surely be able to finish this before Christmas.

‘And if Eto’s right? What will you do then?’

Kaneki shook his head. No, he couldn’t think like that. Once Santa saw how hard everyone was working, he had to give them a chance. It would all be fine.

“I don’t want you to get hurt because of this.”

Hide’s troubled words echoed through his mind. Usually, Hide jumped on the opportunity to try new things so seeing him that worried was upsetting. Kaneki could blame the excitement but he should have tried harder to ease Hide’s concerns, especially when the other man was always doing that for Kaneki.

He didn’t care what he had to do. He was going to make sure everyone’s hard work meant something and he was going to make sure that he and Hide were able to look back on this night with a smile.

*************

It was amazing how quickly the weeks blurred together. Last year, the months following Halloween were low intensity, a bit of talk of the next year but a chance to rest weary bones.

But this year? People were running around all of Halloweentown, working hard to get the preparations for their Christmas ready. It seemed a lot of them had really gotten into the spirit of it, wanting to show off all the ideas they had made.

Amon and Seidou had found a giant tree deep in the forest. It was practically hollow and rotting; it took them everything to bring it back in one piece. Afterwards, they helped the children glue the needles on.

Akira had finished the sleigh Kaneki wanted. It was pitch black and decorated with golden snakes along the trim. She had recruited several banshees to help her make it fly using their screams as fuel.

And Hide was currently at Kaneki’s home, watching Kaneki stand in front of a full-length mirror, taking in all the details of his suit.

Hide didn’t want to disappoint Kaneki so of course he worked hard on it but it was ridiculous. It looked like Kaneki was wearing a bright red onesie and that wasn’t him.

The longer Kaneki went without saying something, the more Hide hoped that meant he hated it. He would say he appreciated it but would realize that it wasn’t for him.

Kaneki finally turned around to face Hide, a big smile on his face. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Hide.”

Hide couldn’t believe that making Kaneki so happy made him absolutely miserable. “Only the best for you,” he whispered.

Kaneki must have noticed Hide’s lack of enthusiasm because his smile dropped. “Still worried?” Hide nodded. How could he not be? “Do you have that ornament I gave you?”

Hide reached into his pocket and pulled out the bright red orb. He wanted to keep it as a memory of what this Christmas was supposed to look like.

Kaneki walked up to Hide and brought Hide’s free hand to rest on the other side of the ornament before placing his palms over them, always mindful of his claws. Hide could feel the shadows slip through his fingers as they settled deep into the ornament.

“I don’t think my connection to your shadow will work in Christmastown so Kama is going to stay with you tonight. If you need me to come back, you give him this ornament and he’ll come find me.” Hide could see the resolve in Kaneki’s eyes as he stared at Hide. “I don’t care what I’m doing. The second I see him, I promise to drop everything and come back to you.”

Hide was dumbstruck from the declaration. He thought Kaneki had forgotten about his concerns during all the excitement. Had this been on his mind since November? Would he really give up the chance to experience something that gave him such joy just to ease Hide’s uncertainties?

Of course he would because Kaneki always thought about others first. That’s why Hide wasn’t going to get in his way.

Hide gave Kaneki a genuine smile. “What if I just miss you?” That seemed to catch Kaneki off guard as the tiniest hint of color made its way to his cheeks.

Whatever Kaneki was going to say was cut off by a loud knock on his door. “My king! It is time for you to leave!” they heard Tsukiyama shout on the other side.

“I’m coming!” Kaneki patted his leg and Kama scuttled over to them. “Alright, Kama. You’re going to stay by Hide’s side tonight and when he gives you this ornament, you use it to find me and bring me home. Understand?” Kama made a loud clicking sound before he climbed up Hide and wrapped around his shoulders. Kaneki rubbed his arm, focusing his gaze on the ground. “You’ll…watch my takeoff?”

He pointed a thumb upwards. “Me and Kama will have the best view.”

Kaneki smiled at him before he walked to the door and exited with Tsukiyama. Hide strolled up the spiral staircase to the second floor where Kaneki’s bedroom was; he walked out to the balcony and watched the scene below.

Kaneki was talking to Akira who was probably explaining all the fancy things she put into the sleigh to make it work. A large crowd was surrounding them and the sleigh; everyone was excited to watch their king’s departure. When the two finished speaking, Kaneki climbed into the sleigh full of the presents Halloweentown had worked on. There were no reindeer to pull it but it didn’t seem like Kaneki minded.

Kaneki turned to as much of the crowd as he could, shouting, “Great work, everyone! I’ll be sure to tell you how the people of Christmastown reacted!” The crowd shouted back, wishing him safe travels and demanding he bring back presents for them.

When Kaneki looked up at Hide, Hide gave him a big wave and screamed as loud as he could, “See you soon!”

Kaneki nodded before he started up the sleigh and the excited screaming turned into astonished whispers. The wails of banshees filled the air as the sleigh rose into the air. Hide let out a low whistle, reminding himself to congratulate Akira later.

As he watched the sleigh rise higher, Hide noticed someone on the roof across the area. It was Eto. She was sitting on the roof, watching the takeoff. When the commotion started up again, she stared Hide dead in the eye before waving at him with a bright red hat in her hand.

Hide stared back, not understanding. He glanced at Kaneki to make sure and yep, the hat Hide made was still on his head. So where did she get a hat like Santa’s?

Hide’s eyes went wide. “No…” He looked back at Eto and the dread set in when he saw her pick up something large and red before running towards the woods.

He looked down at the crowd of people who were still calling out to Kaneki as he flew off. “HEY! Hey, Eto has the real Santa!” He screamed as loud as he could but no one heard him over their own excitement.

Hide ran from the balcony and down the stairs. When he made it down to the crowd, he tried to get someone’s attention but everyone was too distracted and he knew he was wasting time. By the time someone noticed him, Eto would be in the woods and Santa would be a blood smear on her claws. Even if they got to her in time, no one was strong enough to take her out. No one but…

Hide unwrapped Kama from his shoulders and placed him on the ground. He took out the ornament. “Alright, Kama, it’s earlier than I hoped but you gotta go find Kaneki for me, okay?” He hung the ornament on Kama’s feeler. “You can do that, right? Because you’re the best buggy ever.”

Kama made a loud clicking sound before it zoomed off in the direction Kaneki had flown in. Hide wished him good luck before turning in the direction Eto had gone. He was about to do something really stupid.

“So you better get back soon, Kaneki.”

****************

Kaneki landed on the roof of Christmastown’s largest building. Santa’s Workshop. As he climbed out of the sleigh, he kept muttering the speech he had prepared.

“And I know the exhaustion that comes with doing a job for so long which is why I think you should allow me to—”

Kaneki’s murmurs stopped when he looked down through the skylight. Elves were frantically running around but they were completely ignoring the toys that littered the workshop. Kaneki slipped through the cracks, listening to the pandemonium down below.

“I searched the reindeer stables! None of them have seen him!”

“Someone, take some hot chocolate to Mrs. Claus!”

“Santa wouldn’t just disappear on us! Find him!”

Kaneki stayed and listened for several more minutes before he slithered back up to the roof.

Santa was missing?

He gnawed on his lower lip. Was this his fault? Because he wanted to take over Santa’s duties? No, no. It was just a terrible ‘perfect’ coincidence but it didn’t matter right now. What mattered was joining the search for Santa.

‘Why would you do that?’

Why wouldn’t he? Santa’s people were worried for him and Christmas was going to be ruined.

‘Unless you step in.’

No, this wasn’t about him. This wasn’t the time.

‘You have no idea where to start searching. By the time you find him, Christmas will be over.’

Kaneki hated that voice; he hated it even more when it was right. If he was unable to perform on Halloween, then Tsukiyama was supposed to take over his duties. If Santa didn’t have a contingency plan, then Kaneki was the only option left to ensure Christmas happened.

“Deliver the presents. Find Santa. Save Christmas.” It was that simple.

Kaneki hopped back on the sleigh, letting the banshees’ cries encourage him as he took to the sky.

Flying through the air, Kaneki thought on where to stop first. He had forgotten to grab Santa’s list but with how vigilant everyone in the workshop had been, it was probably under lock and key. He would just have to make do.

He made his way to a bustling part of town, landing on one of the roofs and picking up one of the sacks of present he had brought. Slipping in through the chimney, Kaneki looked around the foyer of the home. He noticed three children in the photos over the fireplace.

That was simple enough. He pulled out three presents from the sack and placed them under the Christmas tree. A guillotine small enough for dolls. A stuffed animal that would come to life at midnight. A pet bat (rabies-free). He didn’t feel right leaving any of the children burning coal since he didn’t know if they had been naughty.

Kaneki looked down at the presents he left with a smile then heard a quiet shuffling sound behind him. He quickly made his way back up the chimney before he was caught.

As he made his way to the next house, Kaneki heard loud screams coming from the house he just left and smiled. Sounded like they peeked at their presents early; maybe they were naughty. But at least they seemed to like them.

Kaneki made his way through house after house, leaving presents for every child he could, sneaking away before they saw the mysterious Santa substitute.

Each time he heard a scream pierce the air, Kaneki felt a joy he had never known. When was the last time he had this much fun? He would be sure to tell Santa how much he enjoyed helping him when he found the other man.

Having delivered presents to everyone in this area, he climbed back into his sleigh and traveled to the next part of town. While he flew through the air, Kaneki heard a loud noise over the screams of banshees and children. It sounded like an alarm.

Suddenly, the night sky was filled with bright light and Kaneki wasn’t able to see. He shut his eyes tight, trying to keep control of his sleigh. A loud crash knocked him forward. Something hit the sleigh. He risked opening his eyes, checking the damage; there was a giant hole in the back.

What was happening? Something else hit the sleigh and the sound of the banshees began to fade away. No matter how he tried to move the sleigh, it wouldn’t respond. He was losing power; he was going to crash.

Kaneki jumped off, wrapping himself in a protective cloak before he crashed to the ground.

***************

Hide looked up at the sky; he didn’t know why but he had a feeling something bad happened. Gripping the knife he had brought, Hide glanced past the tree he was hiding behind.

It looked like Eto was taking a break as she sat a few feet away from the man she had kidnapped. Thankfully, Santa didn’t look injured, just exhausted and chained up, but he was wearing his red suit so Hide couldn’t tell if he was bleeding or not.

Alright, Hide was downwind and at least 30 feet away. Hopefully, that would spare him enough time to think of an actual plan.

“Hideyoshi~!” Hide cursed when he heard the taunting tone. “We still haven’t learned our manners, have we?”

With a sigh, Hide came out from his hiding spot, tucking his knife behind his back. Eto smirked, eyes scanning the area for a brief moment, as she stood up

“You really did come alone. I thought you were smarter than that.”

Obviously, he wasn’t. Now, that he was closer, he was able to get a better look at Santa. Aside from the chains and fatigue, he looked just like Kaneki had described.

“You’re still alive, right?” Santa raised his head, giving Hide a cautious stare. He was moving and reacting to questions; that was a good sign. Hide turned to Eto, taking note of the hole in her chest. “What happened?”

“He had a bit of fight in him.”

Surprised, Hide glanced back at Santa. Being able to land a hit on Eto that still hadn't healed? Getting him out of those chains was even more important. Hide took a careful step toward Santa, Eto watching him closely.

“Eto, Kaneki’s going to come back and when he does, you know he’s not going to forgive this.”

The smirk on Eto’s face grew. “Oh, Hideyoshi, even you must realize Kaneki knew of this.” She didn’t wait for him to respond, letting out a mocking laugh. “Like a newlyborn hellhound, full of nothing but naïve loyalty!”

Hide let that thought pass for a fleeting moment. The idea that Kaneki was so obsessed with Christmas that he’d do anything to make it his own. Even kidnap the man who ruled Christmastown. Even trust Eto to not do something horrible to him.

How stupid did she think he was?

“Let Santa go.”

When Eto saw Hide wasn’t taking her bait, she let out a derisive scoff. “Last I recalled, your demands held no weight.” He watched as she held up her claw, memories of last year flashing through his mind.

Hide pulled out his knife. “It’s not like last time.”

Just as he got that out, Eto was in front of him and ripping out the seams of his weaponless arm. She pushed him to the ground, stepping on the arm that was still attached to his body. However, Hide refused to let go of his knife, even as she dug her heel in.

Eto laughed loudly as she tapped her temple with the arm she had ripped off. “Looks like last time to me.”

“No. This time, I’m armed,” Hide said, right before the arm Eto was holding stabbed her in the eye with one of his needles.

She let go of the arm, hissing in pain. Hide then knocked her to the ground before taking his knife and jabbing her in the other eye. While she screamed, Hide ran to Santa and desperately began to pick the lock of the chains.

“Behind you!”

Hide couldn’t do anything before he was smacked away with tremendous force and knocked into a tree. He looked up and there was Eto, waving around his knife. It was still covered in blood but any damage it had done to her eyes was gone. He tried to stand but Eto used the knife to cut off one of his legs; it tried to hobble around a bit before Eto kicked it away.

She let out a sigh full of disappointment. “You didn’t feel anything from that, did you?” Hide didn’t respond, knowing there was no answer that would help him. Eto leaned down, drawing the knife against his cheek and smirking when it ripped a seam open. “I guess I’ll have to find another way to amuse myself, huh?”

As Hide’s back pressed against the tree trunk, he rapped his knuckles against his shadow, praying Kaneki would hear him.

***************

Kaneki sat up to a terrible pounding echoing through his skull. Thankfully, the light that had blinded him was finally gone which allowed him to assess his situation.

The sleigh was several feet away, destroyed and buried in the snow. He had managed to survive the crash, nothing felt broken, but his entire body hurt. But he still didn’t understand what happened. They attacked him? They tried to kill him. Why? What had he done? He just wanted to help out and—

‘Are you really going to lie to yourself like that?’

Tears gathered in the corner of his eyes and Kaneki shook his head to clear them, the action causing his hat to fly off his head. He grabbed the hat and as he stared down at it, Kaneki could only think of Hide. How hard Hide had worked to make this for him. How he had tried to warn Kaneki that something terrible would happen.

The tears came back in full force and Kaneki cried into the hat. “Hide, I’m so sorry.” This was all his fault. Because he was selfish. Because he tried to take something he shouldn’t have.

‘And what do you have to show for that?’

“Nothing…” Kaneki sobbed. “Nothing but…”

“…nothing but straw and fabric.”

Kaneki didn’t stop crying as he lifted his head up, the bitter cold stinging the tears left on his cheeks.

Hide said something similar last year, hadn’t he? How he felt ashamed of himself for causing problems because he went after something he had never had before. But that hadn’t stopped him. Almost every day, Hide would escape his room then find Kaneki so they could go on some new adventure.

Each time, Kaneki saw how Hide chased after a new desire with reckless abandon, ignoring what anyone else told him. One time, Kaneki asked him why he did it; why didn’t he just stay home where it was safe so he didn’t get into any more trouble?

And all Hide told him was: “Why would I do that when I want to be here with you?”

Kaneki always admired that about Hide, desperately wanted to be the same as him. To have that courage. That ambition. And now he had tried and all he had done was left a mess in Christmastown.

‘You should have known better. You’re not him, after all.’

He knew that was meant to insult him, put him down but it was just the truth. He wasn't Hide or Santa or even Yoshimura. Kaneki wiped the remaining tears off his face as he thought on everything that had been done to get ready for this night.

He thought on the preparations the people of Halloweentown had worked on for their Christmas because it was their Christmas. It was their Christmas full of cursed needles and sleighs powered by banshee screams. And a gift giver who snuck through homes with the power of shadows and celebrated the screams that he left in his wake.

As his shadows engulfed him, tearing the red costume from his form, he declared, “I’m Kaneki, the Pumpkin King.” And for the first time since he was given that title, he actually wanted to be.

Kaneki stood to his feet, ignoring the residual pain, and thought on his next course of action. There were a few more hours before Christmas. There was still time to find Santa and hopefully he could fix everything.

Before Kaneki began his search, he noticed something coming his way. He started to plan what he was going to say but as it got closer, Kaneki realized it wasn’t a denizen of Christmastown.

“Kama!”

Kaneki ran to Kama, picking him up and wrapping him in the remainders of his Santa suit. The poor thing was freezing but Kama stayed focused as it waggled its antennae around. Kaneki took the ornament that dangled from Kama’s antenna, fear building up in him.

“Hide.”

Kaneki held Kama close as he wondered what to do. His sleigh was destroyed and it would take him at least an hour to get to the area where Christmastown’s door was hidden. That wasn’t even taking into account the people who were probably searching for him.

He stared down at his shadow, running a hand over it; all that did was make imprints in the snow. He was so far away so trying to make a connection to anyone’s shadow in Halloweentown should be impossible.

But this wasn’t just anyone. It was Hide. Kaneki could clearly picture the constant grin that was on his face. He could feel the warmth of Hide’s hugs. Thought on how Hide made him feel so happy, cared for…loved.

Kaneki focused as hard as he could, keeping a tight grip on Kama as he descended into the shadow. He followed that distant familiarity, praying that Hide would be safe when he got to the other side. It felt like an eternity before he finally emerged on the other side of the shadow and collapsed on the ground, energy completely drained. He looked around frantically; he was in the forest, in Halloweentown, but that wasn’t important.

“Hide! Hide, where are you?!” he screamed, getting nothing but silence in response.

Something tapped his leg and when he looked down, he saw one of Hide’s arms trying desperately to get his attention.

Hide's limbs were still moving; that was a good sign. “What happened?” Kaneki asked. He felt his heart stop when the palm opened up and several strands of green hair fell out. “Eto. Where did they go?” The hand pointed towards the graveyard.

Kaneki placed Kama down on the ground, the centipede having warmed up since leaving the winter world. He then placed Hide’s arm beside him.

“You did well, Kama. Don’t worry. I’m going to get Hide and we’re going to give you all the cricket crunchies you can eat.”

Kama curled around the arm which wrapped its hand around one of his pincers. Kaneki headed to the graveyard as fast as he could, a mix of fear and rage building up inside of him the closer he got.

“Eto!” he screamed, when he reached the cemetery gates. There was no response but he knew something living was here. “I know you’re here!”

Kaneki heard that twisted giggle echo through the graveyard and he walked further in, scanning for any incoming attacks. He made his way to the mausoleum and felt his rage grow when he saw the man wearing red dangling from the roof.

“What have you done?”

He cut the chain that was holding Santa up and used his shadows to gently place him on the ground. “Are you alive?” Kaneki asked, cutting the rest of the chains around him.

Santa nodded, slipping out of the chains. “I’ll be fine. Once I return to Christmastown, I’ll be able to replenish all of my magic.” He looked at Kaneki, apprehensive. “Is my town okay?”

Kaneki felt the guilt eat at him as he bowed his head. “I’m certain no one’s hurt. I’m sorry. I can’t explain everything right now but—” Santa held up a hand.

“I have an idea. I don’t approve of what you’ve done but I know you and the rag doll didn’t plan my kidnapping.”

Rag doll? Before Kaneki could ask if Hide was okay, another giggle filled the air and Kaneki looked up to see Eto on top of the mausoleum.

“Hello, my king. Did you have fun?” Kaneki was about to launch himself at her but Santa grabbed his wrist. Eto gave the man a curious glance. “Oh. Did you want a rematch, Mr. Claus?”

Santa stood to his feet and Kaneki felt him place something in his hand. “You haven’t changed at all, young lady. It’s quite a shame.”

Kaneki looked at the pendant Santa had given him before glancing between Santa and Eto. What did he mean by that?

Eto was clearly amused by Kaneki’s confusion. “Kaneki, it’s pretty simple when you think about it,” Eto said, taking a seat. “How would I know my way to Christmastown if you never told me?”

He racked his brain to think of an answer. The only way to get to Christmastown from here was through the Forbidden Lands but the only ones who knew about that area were him and…

“Yoshimura,” Kaneki whispered, eyes going wide in realization. “You already knew about Christmastown.”

“And Valentinestown and Eastertown and all the other places those doors lead to.”

Kaneki looked at Santa who kept scowling in Eto’s direction. She had known about Christmas all of this time; Yoshimura had known all this time.

“I can see the gears turning. Let me guess: why didn’t I do this earlier?” Eto wiggled her fingers as if she was casting a spell. “My father didn’t care for how I acted in other worlds so before he perished, he had an enchantment made. No one could find that area until the spell was broken and the only one who could break that was…”

“Me.” He didn’t even do anything to try and break it, just kept walking until he made his way out. So that was why Yoshimura had forbidden him from going there. “He knew you would try this.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s why he chose you. He thought a scared little thing like you would never break his rule.” Eto barked out a laugh. “I can’t believe you finally found the courage! Congratulations!”

Kaneki felt sick when he realized that not only had he broken Yoshimura’s trust but he had given Eto exactly what she wanted.

Kaneki still didn’t understand. “What was your plan? To kidnap Santa and then what? Did you really think I wouldn’t try to stop you?”

Eto let out a sigh; it sounded almost wistful. “You were so ready to have Christmas for yourself. I thought we would be good partners but the moment I mentioned taking Santa, you decided to grow a conscience.”

“Because I didn’t want anyone to get hurt! Why don’t you care about that?!”

Eto didn’t say anything, simply shrugging her shoulders. Her lack of remorse only served to further infuriate him.

Kaneki turned to Santa. “I’m sorry for the trouble. Can you find your way back?”

“Yes, but I have to take care of something before I go.” Santa walked into the woods. “Aim for the heart,” he whispered.

Kaneki gripped the pendant tighter before his shadows carried him onto the roof. Eto stayed seated, gazing up at the full moon.

“I really did want to be friends, you know. We could have shown all of them what makes Halloweentown fun.”

Kaneki cracked his knuckles under his thumb. “My loyalty to Yoshimura was the only reason you lived this long.”

Eto gave another sigh at that, standing on her feet. “What a foolish reason.”

Kaneki watched Eto's green hair cover her entire form as her body grew larger until she was towering over Kaneki in her full wolf form.

Kaneki launched several shadow lances at her which Eto dodged easily. She charged forward, ready to bring her claws down on him. Kaneki wrapped his shadows around her wrists, cursing when she broke free. He descended into the shadows right before her strike hit.

He could hear her cackling on the other side. “What’s wrong, Kaneki? The old man gave me more of a challenge!”

Preparing himself, Kaneki sprung out of the shadows behind her but Eto was ready. She turned around and sank her fangs into his shoulder. Kaneki screamed as Eto bit down harder, digging her claws into his sides so he couldn’t escape.

And neither could she.

Eto released her hold on Kaneki, howling in pain when Kaneki shoved his claws through the hole in her chest. She backed away, weakly clawing at the impact hole to reach the pendant he had just imbedded in her heart.

“S-silver…” she choked.

A precious metal that had been lost to Halloweentown for millennia.

“A present from Santa.”

That had Eto laughing as she slowly reverted back to her human form. “C-couldn’t even…k-kill me…your…self…” Eto dropped to her knees, still laughing. “…T-tell him…I…loved it…”

Kaneki watched her slump over, staring at him with unblinking eyes. He held his stance, ready to attack, but when she didn’t move, he let out a relieved sigh.

“Good night, Eto.”

He made his way to the ground before going the direction Santa had gone. If Santa didn’t make it back, then this was all for nothing. Kaneki walked through the woods but didn’t see a hint of red. How was a man like that so hard to find?

“Santa! Santa, where—”

A voice in the distance shouted, “Please release that!”

Relief flooded Kaneki. “Santa…” Kaneki ran in the direction he heard Santa shouting from, wanting to get to the man before anything else happened to him. “Santa! Santa, you have to—”

Kaneki froze when he finally found Santa. The man was currently trying to take the arm that Kaneki had left with Kama but the bug refused to let go.

But the thing that Kaneki was most concerned about was…

“Hide!”

Santa and Kama stopped their tug-of-war match and Kaneki rushed over, grabbing the severed head from under Santa’s arm.

Tears welled up in Kaneki’s eyes as he stared at his friend. “What happened to you?” he whispered. Hide just blinked at him, unable to talk without his lower jaw.

“That was the young lady’s handiwork,” Santa explained, gesturing to Hide’s torso and one of his legs that were lying near a tree. “Before I go back, I wanted to try and fix him.”

“You can do that?”

Santa pulled on Hide’s arm again. “Perhaps if this creature would release his arm.”

“Kama, let go!” Kaneki ordered. Kama let go of Hide’s arm and scuttled over to Kaneki’s side. Kaneki looked at Hide’s head before offering it to Santa. “Please help him,” he begged.

Santa took the head and placed it with the other pieces he had collected. “This should be enough,” Santa muttered before his hands started glowing. The magic scattered from Santa’s fingers to the collection of body parts before making its way through the forest.

It didn’t take long before the magic returned, carrying Hide’s remaining body parts. Kaneki watched in awe as all of the pieces came together, the magic forming a protective orb around them as Santa worked. Santa let out a deep breath before the magic dispersed and Hide was revealed in one piece.

“Hide!” Kaneki ran towards the rag doll, catching him before he fell to the ground. He did a quick scan; nothing seemed missing. “Are you okay?”

Hide opened his eyes, looking up at Kaneki and smiling.

“Am I still pretty?”

Kaneki sobbed, holding Hide close and sighing when Hide hugged him back. The two stayed in their embrace and didn't break apart until Santa cleared his throat. Kaneki felt his face go warm as he placed Hide on the ground.

Kaneki bowed to Santa. “Thank you so much for helping him.” There weren’t any words to describe how grateful he was.

Hide gave a quick bow. “Thanks, Santa! How did you do that?”

“You’re alive but a rag doll is still a toy and fixing toys is my specialty,” Santa told him, wiping his brow. “This has been quite an experience but I must return home before the night is over.”

“Of course. I’ll see you to the exit.” Kaneki turned to Hide who had picked up Kama so the centipede could wrap around his shoulders. “Please stay safe,” Kaneki pleaded.

“I think I’ve had enough excitement for one night,” Hide told him, taking a seat. He waved to Santa. “Merry Christmas, Santa!”

Santa smiled for the first time since Kaneki had seen him. “Merry Christmas, young man.”

Kaneki started escorting Santa to the doors, constantly checking over his shoulder to make sure Hide was still there.

Santa spoke up, “You care a great deal for him.” Kaneki turned to the older man who kept his gaze forward. “Remember that before you think about doing something like this again.”

Kaneki lowered his head in shame. “I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you and your people.”

“…What did you hope would happen?”

Kaneki took note of the tone. He didn’t sound angry or like he was judging, just curious.

“I…I had never seen anything like Christmastown before. I just…I wanted to be part of it.”

“Admiring my town is fine; there is plenty I admire about Halloweentown,” Santa explained. Kaneki raised his head, wondering what that could be. Santa finally turned to Kaneki, giving him a stern look. “But we do not try to take from each other.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry.” Santa nodded, apparently satisfied that Kaneki had learned his lesson. “How…how did you know Eto?”

Santa sighed. “The leaders of each holiday town gather together often. Yoshimura used to join us with Eto but they stopped centuries ago,” he explained, tone melancholy.

That was unfathomable. Kaneki had read every book in Halloweentown’s archives and he had never heard of this.

“Why didn’t any of us know about this?”

“The magic in Halloweentown is quite impressive,” was the only reason Santa could offer.

That was true but to go through all of that trouble. Just to make sure no one knew of the other towns, just so Eto couldn’t find a way to get there. What other lengths would Yoshimura had gone to?

They stopped walking when they reached a light shining down on the ground; it was the outline of Halloweentown’s door. Kaneki wrung the edge of his vest, casting Santa nervous glances. He knew he had no right to ask but he still wanted to know.

“Um…may I…may I visit Christmastown again?”

Santa just stared at him for several seconds. “Swear to respect our boundaries?” Kaneki nodded his head vigorously and the old man’s lips turned up in a smile. “Then you are welcome.” Kaneki’s face lit up and he thanked Santa as the gift giver stepped into the light. “But make sure to bring your friend. I’d trust you far more if he were around.”

Kaneki couldn’t disagree with that. “I will. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, young man.”

With that, Santa shot up into the sky, disappearing into the darkness. Kaneki let out another breath before he headed back to Hide and Kama, wanting nothing more than to sleep until next year.

***************

“So, long story short, I saved Christmas and shouldn’t be grounded.”

Hide finished his recap of the hectic night he and Kaneki had gone through. He continued to pet Kama as the centipede laid in his lap while he gauged his family’s reactions. Seidou was continuously shifting his glare from Hide to Kaneki which was a contrast to Amon who just stared at the ceiling, refusing to look at either of them. Akira had her eyes close and Hide wasn’t sure if she was thinking on how to make them suffer or just blocking out their existence.

After an unbearably long silence, Akira muttered, “I’m not going to ground you.” Everyone looked at her, sharing the same stunned reaction. She simply shrugged. “There’s no point. After all, you won’t be living here any longer.”

“W-what?” Hide stuttered. That was a joke, right? It just wasn’t a funny one because Akira never joked.

“Amon.” The golem sat up straight. “Gather Hide’s things.” Amon didn’t make a move, just glancing over at Hide.

Seidou spoke up, “Um…isn’t that a bit much?”

“No,” was her brief response.

Hide couldn’t believe this. She was really kicking him out of their home.

Kaneki stood to his feet. “Hold on, Akira. What happened to Hide was because of me and he shouldn’t be punished for it.” He bowed to the woman. “I take full responsibility so please don’t—”

“You better.” Kaneki raised his head, watching as Akira stood up. “You do foolish things that cause Hide to have to take care of you.” Hide watched Kaneki wince and before he could come to his friend’s defense, Akira continued, “Hide does foolish things and you have to put him back together.” She let out a resigned sigh. “So, go be foolish together.”

Kaneki and Hide stared at Akira before looking at each other, her words finally sinking in. She wasn’t kicking him out; she was telling him it was okay to be with Kaneki.

Hide grinned, tossing Kama to Kaneki so he could run over and give Akira a hug. “You’re the best!”

Akira hugged him back, brushing his hair back. “Maybe I should have invested in those pain sensors.”

“Told you so,” Seidou laughed, the mood in the room a lot lighter now. Amon smiled as he went upstairs to gather Hide’s things.

Hide let go of Akira and ran to Kaneki, grabbing Kama and dancing around with the centipede. “I’m going to be living with you from now on!” Kama replied with a bunch of happy clicking sounds. Hide turned to Kaneki, realizing that they hadn’t actually asked him if it was okay yet. “Um…right?”

Kaneki smiled, bowing to him. “Please take care of me.”

“That’s my line.” Did Kaneki even have a room for him to sleep in that wasn’t full of books?

“Hey!” Seidou ran up to Kaneki, holding his axe up to his face. “I don’t care that you’re our king. He better not have a scratch on him next time we see him.” Akira nodded silently behind him.

Amon came back downstairs with a bag full of Hide’s belongings. “We’ll bury you alive,” he threatened.

Kaneki replied, “I’ll give you the shovel.”

Not wanting that mental image in his brain, Hide shouted, “Alright! Enough with the threats!”

He grabbed the bag from Amon and tossed it to Kaneki. Once Kaneki had a good grip on Hide’s things, Hide turned to his family.

“You know I love you guys, right?” The three didn’t say anything. “I had fun breaking out and the family dinners and driving you all mad and…” He just sighed, going in for another hug. They were crazy but they were his family. “…thanks for everything.”

“For Hades’ sake, you’re just going to be on the other side of town,” Seidou insisted but Hide could see he was getting emotional as he hugged Hide back.

Amon squeezed Hide as tightly as he could. “We’ll miss you too.”

“You better come visit,” Akira ordered.

“Of course, I will. Who else is going to help you stay sharp?”

Akira smirked. “I’ll have a new escape room ready for you.”

“Looking forward to it.” Hide held tight to Kama while Kaneki tossed his luggage over his shoulder. “See you later!” he yelled, waving at them.

Hide didn’t stop waving until his family was out of sight. He stepped closer to his new roommate, giving him a nudge with his shoulder.

“You still need to take me coffin sledding.”

Kaneki gave him a weary smile. “Can we take a nap first? Just for…” He yawned and it quickly spread to Hide. “…a year?”

“Fine but if you don’t, I’ll haunt your nightmares.” The comment made Kaneki stop. Hide stopped as well, looking at the frown on Kaneki’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For…?”

“You told me about your nightmare. You tried to warn me and I just…” Kaneki lowered his head, refusing to look at Hide. “…I ignored you and I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

Hide sighed through his nose, expecting this at some point. “Kaneki, it’s okay.”

Kaneki raised his head, obviously upset by Hide’s response. “No, it’s not. If I had just listened to you then you wouldn’t have gotten hurt and Santa wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped and—” Hide covered Kaneki’s mouth.

“What happened tonight can never happen again but you don’t have all the blame.” When he was sure Kaneki wouldn’t interrupt, Hide removed his hand. “I knew something bad would happen but I didn’t want to stop you because I saw how happy it made you.”

“Then how is it not my fault?” Kaneki asked, exasperated.

“Because I knew something bad would happen to you and that should have been my main concern.”

Hide thought on what Kaneki had told him as they went to his family. How the people of Christmastown shot him out of the sky and he crashed down into the Earth. If Kaneki had died, Hide would have never forgiven himself.

“I should have tried harder,” Hide mumbled.

Kaneki stared at him before he walked closer and placed his forehead on Hide’s shoulder.

“You always listen to my problems, always worry about my happiness. I should have done the same.”

Hide held Kaneki close, shaking his head. “You do, Kaneki. That’s why I know that this won’t happen again.”

Kaneki nodded into his shoulder. “I promise.”

As they embraced, Hide felt Kama wriggling between them. “Now, let’s focus on something we can agree on.” Hide moved back and held up Kama like a proud father. “Kama’s the best buggy in the universe!”

That got Kaneki smiling as he scratched Kama’s belly. “That he is. Let’s get the hero some cricket crunchies.”

Hide watched Kama click happily at the news. And that was when he saw something fluttering in the air. Kaneki seemed to notice it too because he looked up at the sky; Hide followed his gaze.

The clouds were dark like it was about to start raining but the only thing that was falling were small white flecks.

“Snow…” Kaneki whispered.

Hide’s eyes went wide. This was snow? Hide held one of his hands out so he could catch it. When one of the small pieces of snow landed on his hand, he watched the way it soaked into his fabric.

“Wet!” Hide clutched Kama tightly as he started running. “It’s wet!” he whined. He hated fire but he didn’t like to get wet either.

He heard Kaneki laughing. “Wait for me!”

But Hide didn’t stop running until he made his way to Ka—their home. Once they were inside, he fell onto the couch and hugged Kama.

“We’re gonna stay in here forever, right, Kama?” No wet. No cold. Just cuddles.

When Kaneki walked inside the foyer and saw them, he asked, “Want to go see the snow from the balcony?”

Hide thought on it then nodded, following Kaneki to his bedroom. He placed Kama on the foot of the bed before walking to the balcony. Glancing at the rooftop across the way, he almost expected to see Eto there again. All he saw was the light layer of snow that started to pile up on it. Down below, the people of Halloweentown were marveling at their first encounters with snow. There wasn’t enough to make any snowballs or anything but the way it covered the cobblestones and buildings felt…Christmas-y, if that was a word.

“How much do you think we’ll get?” Hide wondered, hoping that they’d get that white Christmas Kaneki had talked about.

Kaneki let out another large yawn. “…We’ll see tomorrow.” He walked back inside then stopped, staring at his bed then at Hide. “I…uh…don’t have a spare bed.”

“I figured. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“No, no. I…” Kaneki fiddled with his hands, cheeks turning pink. “I was hoping…you’d stay here.”

Hide blinked, not sure he heard right. “Huh?”

“Not like that,” Kaneki insisted. “I just…want to make sure you’re safe.”

Hide smiled at him, accepting the fluttering feeling in his chest. How could he say no to that? He ran past Kaneki and jumped onto the bed, making sure to avoid Kama.

Getting under the covers, he looked at Kaneki and said, “Didn’t want to sleep on the couch anyway.”

Kaneki only hesitated for a moment before he climbed in beside him. The two just lied there together, neither one attempting to sleep as they gazed at each other. Kaneki’s cheeks were still pink while the red of his eyes shined in the night. It really wasn’t fair how beautiful he was.

“The snow…” Kaneki murmured.

Hide glanced behind Kaneki, watching as the snow continued to fall outside.

“What about it?”

“…it’s cold…” Hide nodded. He knew that much. Kaneki squirmed as he hid under the blanket. “…and the blanket might not be warm enough tonight…”

Oh. Hide chuckled in an attempt to hide how nervous he was. “Wanna huddle for warmth?”

Kaneki just went deeper into the blanket. Hide gently lifted the blanket so he could see Kaneki’s red face.

“You’re probably still cold from Christmastown. Can’t have you getting sick on me.”

Kaneki didn’t say anything; he just opened his arms, inviting Hide into his embrace. Slowly, Hide huddled up to Kaneki and pressed his head to his chest. Kaneki wrapped his arms around him, bringing Hide as close as possible.

Hide didn’t move, couldn’t move. It was so strange. They hugged all the time so why did this feel so different? He listened to the way Kaneki’s heart beat inside his chest, felt the gentle scratches of his claws as he brushed Hide’s hair.

The tension started to seep away and just when he was falling asleep, he heard Kaneki whisper, “Hide?” Hide let out a tired hmm. “…I don’t want to lose you.”

Hide assured him, “You won’t, Kaneki.”

The hand in his hair paused. “Then…will you stay with me until our final Halloween?”

Hide raised his head so he could meet Kaneki’s gaze. Kaneki stared back, anxiously waiting for Hide’s answer, as if he thought Hide would say no. What a silly idea.

“Nothing I’d want more.”

Kaneki kept staring at him as the hand in his hair slowly made its way to his face, caressing his cheek. Hide felt the anticipation building up inside of him the longer Kaneki stayed silent. It only grew tenfold when Kaneki cupped his face and brought it closer to his.

Hide shut his eyes, sighing happily when Kaneki’s lips met his. It was only a second before Kaneki retreated but it still left Hide’s “heart” pumping. When he opened his eyes, he grinned at the embarrassed look on Kaneki’s face.

“Yep. Nothing more.”

Kaneki smiled at him. “Same here,” he said, going in for another kiss.

The rest of the night was filled with soft kisses, whispered promises, and a blissful slumber in each other’s embrace.

A Christmas to remember.