Disclaimer: Love Live not mine ^_^
"Umi-chan, is something wrong? You've been spacing out and sighing the whole day." The bluenette signed again before facing her friend, worry etched on her face.
"I'm sorry if I'm dull company, Kotori. I am not entirely sure myself, but ever since the week started, I noticed that Maki's purposely avoiding me." The flaxen-haired fashion designer looked at her friend worriedly.
"What made you think that? Did you two fight?" Umi sighed again and shook her head, her eyes teary.
"I don't remember us arguing over anything recently. On the contrary, the days leading to this week were rather enjoyable. She would drop by the apartment and spend the night or visit the dojo to watch me teach, or I would visit her at the hospital and we'd go out after. But then it's like she disappeared suddenly, and every time I tried to call, she'd either reject it or answer just to say she's busy. I even tried to visit her at the hospital, but her secretary said her schedule's packed and she couldn't spare a minute to talk, not even to me. I don't know what it was that I did to merit such treatment from her." Kotori embraced her friend, sad to see her upset. Maki had her off days, too many to count in fact, but as far as the people close to them knew, she would never take it out on Umi on purpose.
"Maki will come around soon, Umi-chan. You know better than anyone that she can't possibly ignore you for long. Cheer up! It's your birthday in two days and I can't wait for you to open my present!" Umi gave her friend a thankful smile as she tried her best to lift her mood up.
"Thank you, Kotori. I hope you're right. And you know that you don't have to get me anything, but I also know that it's pointless to argue," Umi chuckled, and Kotori was happy that her childhood friend seemed to feel a bit better.
"Come on, I'll drop you off at your apartment. Thanks for accompanying me today, Umi-chan."
"Maki dropped by?! Why didn't you call me?!" The blue-haired instructor shouted. The young servant flushed as she wasn't used to her young mistress getting angry.
"F-forgive me, Umi-sama, b-but she left in a hurry after she went to your room. She even declined my offer of tea." Umi deflated at that.
"I'm sorry, Maya. I was out of line. Did she say anything before she left?"
"Nothing, Umi-sama. She seemed to be in a sour mood after visiting your room, though. I thought she was going to stop by the dojo since you haven't finished your classes yet and she was headed there, but then she quickly turned around and just left." Umi looked at her, confused.
"My room? What could she possibly -," Umi suddenly paused, wide-eyed. She quickly thanked Maya then hurried to her room.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' The bluenette rushed inside her room and let out a loud groan as the sight and smell of dozens of flowers and chocolates assaulted her senses. She let out a heavy sigh as she picked up the card of the bouquet nearest her.
'Umi-sensei, thank you for your never ending support during our lessons. I really appreciate all the effort you put into all our classes. I look forward to learning more from you. Advanced Happy Birthday! – Fujitaka Rio'
Umi smiled as she read the card and stared at the beautiful flowers her student sent. She then noticed another card next to a beautifully-wrapped box of chocolates that was obviously opened, and instantly knew that it had been read recently. Umi was a bit apprehensive to read it but opened it anyway.
'Umi-sensei, words simply cannot express how much I adore you. I always look forward to the days when we have classes. I may be just a teenager now, but please wait a few more years and I'll be able to legally court you. Until then, I hope you won't get tired of my constant presence, and that I hope you stay as nice and caring and beautiful as you are now. I hope you remember me always on this day, and I wish you a very Happy Birthday tomorrow. – Aida Touya'
The bluenette couldn't help but sweat-drop after reading the message, but her face was also noticeably red by her student's shameless, albeit sweet, words. No wonder Maki was pissed. Umi smiled sadly.
"At least I know she still cares enough to get jealous. I just wish she'll give me a chance to see or talk to her by tomorrow. It won't be much of a birthday otherwise."
"Psst, Umi! Wake up! C'mon, you need to get dressed or we'll be late." The bluenette frowned and slowly opened her eyes and blinked the drowsiness away just enough to look for the person who had the audacity to wake her up at an ungodly hour. Her mind suddenly cleared and her amber eyes widened when she remembered that she was in her apartment and that she lived alone. She sat up straight as she heard someone giggle beside her, and was surprised to find Maki sitting on the bed, an amused expression on her lovely face.
"M-m-maki! What are you doing here?!" Umi quickly checked the clock on her nightstand, three forty-eight AM, before returning her attention back to her formerly missing girlfriend. Maki just stared at Umi before smiling sweetly and ushered the confused woman to the bathroom.
"I'll answer your questions later. Right now you need to get ready. We're leaving in one hour." The bluenette nodded her head and complied, still a bit disoriented to argue.
As Umi got ready, the redhead bustled around the room preparing an overnight bag for her partner, snatching her wallet but purposely leaving her mobile phone behind. She waited patiently for Umi to finish as she sent a quick text to their friends and family to not worry and that she and Umi were unavailable and may not be able to reply to any messages until the day after. She looked up just as Umi got out of the bathroom, wearing a loose red top and white shorts that matched cutely with Maki's navy top and denim skirt, her hair up in a high ponytail.
"I-is this okay?" The bluenette asked timidly, unsure if what she had on was appropriate to where they were going. Maki stood up and walked towards Umi and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. The older girl blushed and avoided her partner's eyes. She felt her chin being lifted and she had no choice but to meet Maki's amethyst gaze.
"You look beautiful." Umi blushed harder as she let Maki take her hand and lead her out of the apartment.
Umi didn't think that her relationship with Maki would be this awkward after only several days of no contact. She was too tense to ask where they were going, and Maki didn't give any indication as to where their final destination would be. But if she were to be really honest with herself, she felt giddy and excited about the day.
In their young relationship, the two of them weren't much for public displays of affection, which wasn't exactly an issue until they noticed that admirers still kept on flocking towards them even after a year of dating. Subtle touches here and there were added to their daily routines, including other romantic gestures during special days. Both of them had demanding occupations, so any time spent together were valuable for the two of them.
Maki was never one to plan anything grand since time was obviously an issue, but a step up into their relationship was something she thought was way overdue. Her partner's birthday gave her a perfect opportunity to push their relationship in the right direction. Yes, she felt guilty for ignoring Umi for the past several days, but she was sure it'd be worth it. Or so she hoped.
Forty-five minutes passed, and Maki could feel her girlfriend's anxiety rise at every second of silence that passed between the two, so she gingerly reached out and held Umi's hand to calm her down. The bluenette blushed but interlaced their hands together. After several minutes, Maki finally slowed down to a stop and Umi's eyes widened as she recognized the hill they were on which was on the side of a familiar road.
The younger woman gave Umi's hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and getting out of the car. She briefly checked her watch and smiled before motioning for Umi to follow her. The bluenette followed her girlfriend who was already leaning against the railing and staring out into the distance.
The moon was practically nonexistent this time of the month, but the cloudless sky with all the twinkling stars and the lights of the surrounding towns were more than enough to illuminate the vast sea. Umi was swept away by the tranquility of the place and didn't notice her partner continuously checking her watch again and again, until, finally, the bluenette gasped at the wonderful scenery that was unfolding before her.
Bright light slowly irradiated the horizon as the sun was starting to peek out, awake from its slumber. Warm hues of red and orange replaced the coolness of the previous night as the stars slowly faded into the distance, now hidden behind a blanket of a clear opalescent sky. It was like everything around the two moved in slow motion as they committed to memory the sunrise of a brand new day.
Umi was still staring at the view, but she was also quite aware that Maki was staring at her, and she turned her head and smiled at her lover, which was immediately reciprocated. The redhead sidled closer to her girlfriend and interlaced their fingers once again.
"You know how much I love to stargaze, but I also have been fond of watching the sun rise in this particular spot whenever my family and I travel up here, as much as we could. Unfortunately, it's been years since then, but I'm glad that I finally had the chance to bring you here to watch it with me. You have no idea how much this means to me, Umi." Umi's eyes shone with affection as she leaned in and placed her forehead on top of Maki's, their gazes never wavering.
"It's beautiful, Maki. Thank you so very much for bringing me here and sharing it with me." The two shared a sweet kiss which turned passionate after several seconds, the week finally catching up to them. They embraced each other as both craved the other's touch, realizing how much they missed each other. They were breathing deeply when the kiss finally ended, still reluctant to part. Maki caressed Umi's swollen lips and smiled lovingly at the beautiful woman in front of her.
"Happy Birthday, Umi," Maki whispered then stared sheepishly at her lover.
"I guess I should apologize for my behavior the past few days. I wasn't kidding when I said I was busy. You make it really difficult for me to find the perfect gift for you because I know you'll just say that I don't have to get you anything, or that anything will do. You really are too considerate for your own good," Maki chuckled. Umi was about to comment but was silenced by her lover's finger on her lips.
"The amount of overtime I did was worth it just so I could free up today for you, so don't ruin the moment by saying you feel guilty, because for me, you're worth it. And it got me thinking. Whatever time we spend with each other, however small, is important to me. And this past week made me realize the intensity of my feelings for you, and how depressed I got each day we weren't able to see nor talk to each other." Maki's eyes were ablaze with affection that made Umi weak in the knees as her partner suddenly pulled their hands together to her chest.
"Move in with me." A pin could be heard if it dropped with the silence that followed that statement, as Umi's eyes widened and her jaw dropped while she stared at Maki, their gazes never wavering. When the older woman failed to supply an immediate answer, the redhead quickly tried to explain herself.
"I thought about it over and over, and I know we talked about this before and decided that we should wait first because it's a big step for us, but I – hmff!" Maki was suddenly cut off by a pair of warm lips on hers and she took a step back to accommodate her girlfriend's familiar weight as Umi draped her arms around the doctor's neck. Maki grinned after the initial surprise wore off and pulled Umi closer to her as they savored each other for a few more seconds before they parted, huge smiles on their faces.
"I'll take that as a yes, then." Umi giggled as she affectionately caressed her girlfriend's nape.
"At this stage in our relationship and following that beautiful sunrise, I think you can get me to do anything!" The bluenette missed the mischievous gleam on her partner's eyes as she quickly pecked her lover's lips. Maki amusedly shook her head and smirked.
"How am I doing so far? The day's just beginning and I left you tongue-tied twice already." Umi giggled again.
"I'm already thinking of ways to top this in time for your birthday next month, but I got to hand it to you. I never expected that you were capable of planning something like this in between hospital duties. I'm impressed, Nishikino-san. I'm not sure how to thank you." Maki laughed as she took Umi's hand and started leading her back to the car.
"Well, I already took the liberty to dispose of your stack of White Day and birthday tokens from your admirers so you don't need to bother yourself with that." Umi sighed and playfully glared at her girlfriend, not entirely surprised by the confession. Maki laughed again as her voice mischievously turned seductive.
"Don't worry, you have all day to shower me with praises and show me how grateful you truly are," the redhead said as she flirtatiously winked at Umi who began to fan herself from how red her face had gotten, guessing the meaning behind her girlfriend's words, as they quickly drove towards Maki's vacation house.
A/N: finished my first ever birthday story for Umi's special day! *clap*clap* hopefully it won't take me as long to finish Maki-chan's story since I still have a month to write (and rewrite) it, but obviously, like always, I will write it last minute.. XD again, thank you for your patience in regards to my other unfinished stories.. thanks for reading and reviews are always welcome! ^_^