tampered | openish; in-progress

openish; in-progress

When; Wednesday, March 3rd
Rating; G
Characters; MKR apartment and friends~
Summary; Umi, Raenef, and Lockon's birthday party. But mostly Umi's!
Log;

It hadn't occurred to Clef to have the party at the beach - probably because it was still a little chilly yet, but that's presumably why Fuu had rented the hut. He still smiled to think of how meticulously she had planned it, and right under the noses of everyone else. She had gotten the decorations together, rented the hut, and sent out invitations even while Umi and Clef were still unable to decide where and how this party was happening. Not just that, but all of Umi and Shin's cooking for the party had somehow been transported here. It was absolutely perfect, he thought, and now that he considered it he knew that this was exactly what Umi would have wanted - whether she realized it at the time or not. She loved the beach, so it was entirely appropriate to have her party there, regardless of the season.

Clef, for his part, wasn't much of a party person. He made sure to give his well-wishes to all three of the birthday people, but aside from that mostly stayed on the sidelines, ready to help Fuu with her hostess duties should the need arise. Seeing all three of the girls so happy made even him a little more cheerful than usual, though, and even as he lurked in his little out-of-the-way corner there was plainly a slight smile on his face.

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When she thought back to how FAST she'd run all the way from the apartment, forgetting everything about birthday plans... Or worse: thinking her birthday was ruined... Fuu had played this one beautifully.

Alright, so maybe it'd freaked the heck out of Umi when she'd heard some sort of weirdo monster had appeared at the beach (she definitely remembered the last time that'd happened: not very nice memories, those). But when she'd arrived there to find all of Fuu's arrangements made for the perfect surprise party it all had vanished.

She should have seen it coming. She should have seen it coming with eyes closed.

Now the Water Knight stood there, amazed by how lucky she was to have nearly all her most beloved people gathered there to celebrate... and yeah. Suddenly being stuck in The City didn't seem too bad.

Not really bad at all.

It was more difficult than she had ever expected to arrange a celebration without Umi's knowledge. It required everyone's help, everyone's silenced help, just for this party to come to fruition. And it was worth it, really. All the conspiracy paid off, she realized, as she glanced around the thoroughly decorated hut.

Fuu had to admit that the monster thing was a little evil. But, she knew Umi too well. She knew that she would set aside everything if any one of them gets endangered. It was the perfect set-up. Although, Fuu couldn't help but feel somehow guilty for playing that little trick.

Nonetheless, their birthday girl was here now and that was all that mattered at the moment.

"Happy Birthday, Umi-san!" Fuu called out, a wide smile on her face. If Umi would dash to their direction now, she would receive not only her present, but a warm hug from one of her best friends. Enough to extinguish the cold for a while.

Aska smiled as she waited for everyone to rain their birthday blessings on the trio celebrating. She had not one, but three presents in her small arms, one of which was a bit bigger than the rest. As anxious and impatient as she was, Aska forced herself to wait.

She had one present for each of the Magic Knights, and then one BIG present for everyone in attendance. She smiled and rocked on her heels, just waiting for one of the Magic Knights to approach.

Fuu took notice of this when her gaze traveled to the Fahren royalty and she couldn't help getting curious. Giggling, she approached her, watching her rock her heels like that. It was downright adorable.

"Lady Aska, is there something the matter?" The Wind Knight inquired softly, crouching down a bit so she could be at eye-level. Of course, she knew they were presents but three? Who knew Lady Aska loved giving birthday presents to people in threes?

Aska shook her head, placing two of the presents down, leaving her with one wrapped in green. "This one is for Fuu," said the princess with a nod, "We figured since there is a gift-giving party going on, we could give out all our presents at the same time." She handed the parcel to the blonde girl.

The blonde couldn't help but giggle some more. "Oh, but Lady Aska, you did not have to," Though, still accepting the gift with a smile. She looked down at it before averting her glance on to Aska. "I am not the one celebrating her birthday," Fuu continued, realizing that birthdays were a foreign term for their friends back in Cephiro, or in Fahren for this matter. Oh Lady Aska, you are too cute for your own good.

Aska blinked. "That doesn't matter," replied the small girl simply, "Open it. We were going to give it to you the next time New Cephiro met, anyway." She smiled and nodded, as if that solved the entire problem. And for her, anyway, it did.

"There you are..." Umi spoke the words with all the affection she held for her best friend.

That Fuu had gone through all this trouble for her sake, for making her birthday count, even in a place like this... it meant the world to the Water Knight. She intended to make it clear. Who cared for being too sappy this once. Umi couldn't be eloquent enough. Not when it came to thanking her sister. "This... All of this your fault, you know?"

By that she meant not just the party, or the lovely way Fuu's plot had played out, but also the truth their friends were all gathered there, proving once again that yes, it WAS possible to feel happy, even in a City that supposedly thrived on negative emotions.

"Jeez, Fuu. You couldn't have possibly made it better for me!" That stated --sappy or not, it was just the simple truth-- Umi rushed to pull her best friend into a hug. Yes, she'd take the initiative this once. It wasn't as if she couldn't guess those had been Fuu's intentions all along.

At least this one she could really guess. The monster plot? That one had caught her completely off guard!

"Aska..." A plate of cake in hand, Umi approached Fahren's young Princess with a comforting smile on her face. That day hadn't precisely started well for either of them. Therefore it was relieving to see the little girl there, willing to have fun along with all their friends from Cephiro. "I'm glad you came. Um..."

Umi nodded toward the bundles in Aska's arms, here eyes widening in amazement. "You bought presents for all three of us?"

Still smiling, Fuu took great care in unwrapping the gift. Once it was undone, what greeted her was the sight of fine Fahren silk. At first, Fuu's eyes went wide before her face turned into that of warm appreciation. It appeared to be a belt of some sort and Fuu couldn't help but take it out of its case to take a better look at it.

It felt nice against her skin, their silk, and the Wind Knight smiled in gratitude at small royalty. "Thank you, Lady Aska. It's extremely kind of you to have given this. It looks very beautiful,"

The Wind Knight knew that a hug would take place. She knew it too well. Extending her arms to return that heartfelt embrace, Fuu's smile seemed to be resolute. All the exhaustion she undergone to prepare this, all the secrecy and the fear of Umi finding out the truth, they were all worth it in the end.

Just by this hug, they were all worth it.

"I am glad you liked it!" Was all she managed to reply, and was all her heart held for the moment. Words could come later. Right now, sisterly bonding was in order.

The green silk had been picked out especially for Fuu, the belt's buckle made of pure gold. The ends were long and wavy, the belt itself made for a feminine decoration more than an actual 'belt' belt. "We made sure to make it green," said the royalty with a smile, "To match with your armor!"

Aska nodded, holding up the blue bundle. "This one is Umi's," said the princess, adding, "You can open it now." She wanted Umi to open it, to see the item inside, and to wear it on this, her special day.

"Just like?? Are you kidding? It's perfect! Absolutely perfect..." In every way. Umi wasn't letting go anytime soon. It was sap. It was so very sentimental from her part. But boy, she could allow herself this at least during her birthday. She had so much to feel grateful for. Too thank her best friend for. "Fuu, it's far more than I could have possibly hoped for..."

"Aska... You know you didn't have to, right? This is so sweet of you! But just having you here's enough for me!" That didn't mean Umi wasn't already carefully but eagerly unwrapping the blue package ---just look at that: Aska had bothered color-coding them and everything!

At the sight of the gorgeous gleam of Fahren silk, she held her breath. "T-this is gorgeous! Is this from your world?"

She knew the answer, but still couldn't hide her amazement. "Then how...?"

Aska laughed, amused by the amazement on Umi's face. "We were gathering gifts for the next time we went to New Cephiro," she explained, "And then we appeared back here. So we figured we would give them now!"

The scarf was made of the finest blue Fahren silk, pure gold woven into the fabric; it shimmered and shone when the light caught it just right. Gold cording also made the frayed ends, blue beads hooked throughout.

"So THAT'S the point this place pulled you in from!" The amazement wasn't about to fade anytime soon, no. If anything? It grew stronger. This... this wasn't ordinary silk here. It looked far lovelier! The colors seemed alive, as if it was really made of gleaming water and sunlight.

"And you were bringing gifts for Hikaru, Fuu and I... Aska, this is BY FAR the prettiest thing I've ever seen! Hands down!" She wasted no time, but put the scarf around her neck. It fitted the color of her hair perfectly.

The Knight of Water sighed in sheer, unabashed delight. "Thank you!"

Aska just smiled, watching Umi practically fangirl as she gushed about the scarf. And then, once she gave her thanks, Aska hugged her (despite barely being able to reach her waist. "You are welcome, Umi," said the princess quietly.

This was fashion, Aska. Umi's eternal weak point. Something told her she'd just unwrapped her favorite present of the lot.

She hugged the little girl back wholeheartedly, giggling happily (and entirely more childishly than she'd have liked to admit) "I'm so glad you could be here for today! Maybe it's selfish of me. But I'm happy for this place's timing. This makes the perfect birthday present, and having you with us is even more wonderful!"

Ascot hadn't been very sure about what to expect with Fuu's plan, but the look of surprise and happiness on Umi's face was enough to make him happy for weeks. He was glad Fuu had been there to plan out the party, and only hoped he had been help enough.

He approached Umi and smiled, his cheeks their usual rosy shade. "Happy birthday, Umi."

"Ascot!" There you had him, just the young man she wanted to see. Now her day was complete. Not that she doubted he'd come over. She actually saw his hand in lots of the arrangements here. Umi was sure Fuu'd found a great accomplice in the young summoner.

She beamed brightly at Ascot and approached him in turn. "Thanks a lot! You guys have sure made it happy for me! I can't really thank you enough."

"I'm glad you like it," he said, looking really happy. "It's still kind of cold, but when the beach was suggested, I knew you'd love having the party by the ocean." Though already he was wondering if she would be too cold.

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