Disclaimer: MKR and its character do belong to CLAMP
Notes: ok guys, today is March 3rd, this means it's Umi's birthday and this inspired me a lot, so yeah...here's another one shoot about the Water Knight and Clef. Enjoy!
-HAPPY BIRTHDAY-
Umi & Clef
I just wanted to spend my birthday there with all my friends. There with him. But no matter how badly I wanted it, I couldn't. Hikaru and Fuu promised me we'd go to Cephiro in the week end, because they had a very busy week. I sighed alone in my room when suddenly someone knocked my door
"yes?"
"Umi chan, that's us!" Fuu exclaimed, opening the door to come in togheter with Hikaru
"happy birthday!" they exclaimed then, launching themselves on the bed and hugging me
"hey" I sadly greeted them,
"what's that face?"
"nothing" I muttered, so Fuu smiled and held out a gift. It was a small package wrapped in azure paper and with a green ribbon on the top
"huh? What's this?" I asked, blinking
"your present! C'mon, open it!" Hikaru said happily, so I did it and smiled: it was a bracelet with a small drop-shaped blue pendant
"oh! Araigatou girls!" I exclaimed, wearing it
"c'mon, get dressed!" Hikaru said then, opening my closet
"huh? Why should I?" I asked, Fuu rose an eyebrow
"do you really believe that we're going to let you spend your birthday alone, locked in your room?"
"I really don't feel like going out..."
"don't play stupid, c'mon get dressed, we're going out tonight"
"what did you planned?" I asked, searching for something nice to wear, both my friends looked at each other
"hem...promise us you won't get mad..."
"what does this mean?"
"hem...you see...we reserved a table in that new, nice restaurant just in front of the Tower"
"what?!"
"c'mon Umi, don't be childish…" Fuu started
"no! you know I'm dying to go to Cephiro and you take me in some spot two steps close to the portal!"
"Umi chan, it's a nice place...right music, right atmosphere...one of those cool places you love so much"
"but it's just beside the portal..."
"you will survive" Fuu stated with her usual teacher-like tone.
I sighed, clearly defeated
"fine"
They were right, the restaurant was nice, and we ate noodles and sushi.
Everything seemed to go pretty well –ok, everything but my gloom mood- until we finished our sushi.
"we have a surprise for you!" Hikaru exclaimed, excited
"what else?" I blankly demanded
"Umi, you could at least show a little bit of enthusiasm! We planned all this just for you!" Fuu scolded me.
She was right, I was acting like an ungrateful, spoiled brat. But I was feeling so sad...I waited for my birthday all year long and I've always thought I'd spend it in Cephiro with Clef. Not that I didn't want Hikaru and Fuu by my side, I mean, they're my best friends, I love them, but I had planned something like a great party at the Palace, so that Clef and I could spend some time together while Hikaru and Fuu were with Lantis and Ferio.
"I'm sorry" I whispered, so they passed an arm around my shoulder
"it's ok, now let's go"
"where?"
"to the Tower" my eyes lit up
"do you mean that..."
"no, of course, we just ordered a cake for you in a patisserie at the last floor"
"I hate cakes..." Fuu glared at me again
"ok, ok!" I snapped, rising my hands and following them.
Once there, the pastry chef wished me an happy birthday and handed me a small cake with cream and strawberries. Immediately, Hikaru took a small candle out of her pocket and placed it on the top of the cake
"here" she added, lighting it
"c'mon, make a wish!" Fuu exclaimed
"if I do, the portal will get open..." I muttered
"Ryuuzaki Umi, stop being an ass" she stated. I sighed
"fine fine..." as I closed my eyes, I felt the ground vanishing beneath my feet.
Holy Gods. It was happening!
When I opened my eyes again, I saw everyone around me
"surprise!" everybody exclaimed, then Ascot hugged me
"happy birthday Umi chan!"
"Ascot! Gods, I'm so happy to be here!" I said, holding him back, then Ferio playfully slapped my shoulder
"Ryuuzaki! You're getting old!"
"a thing that you won't ever be able to do if you don't give it a rest!" I menaced him, but both of us burst in laughing
"happy birthday, really" he said, I smiled
"Umi chaaaaaan!" Caldina literally swap me away
"urgh! Caldina, you're struggling me!"
"I'm sorry hun, it's just I'm terribly happy to see you again!" I laughed
"hi Umi, happy birthday" Lantis said then, with a small, rare on his lips
"thank you, Lantis" I answered.
Then I looked around. My heart sank.
"Umi dear, are you alright?" Caldina asked
"I...yes...where's Clef?"
"he's away for a diplomatic mission on Chizeta"
"when will he be back?"
"I don't know...probably tomorrow in the night" Ferio answered. I wanted to cry.
"Oh..." that was all I was able to say
"Umi chan, tonight we're having a party for you" Caldina said at one point, winking
"I...we don't have anything to celebrate" I whispered
"what are you saying? It's your birthday!"
"I...you'll excuse me" I stuttered, running out of the room.
I went in my chamber and launched on my bed
"Clef" I sobbed in my pillow. How could he do this to me? The person who loved him the most? Gods...I couldn't believe it. I was so angry...he knew that it was my birthday, that I was dying to spend it with him...and he went to Chizeta anyway. He and his damn work were spoiling everything!
Toc Toc.
"what?" I snapped angry
"Ryuuzaki, are you crying?" Ferio's voice asked me from behind the door
"no"
"liar!"
"leave me, you baka prince!" but he sighed and opened the door
"hey, what's wrong?"
"nothing" I muttered
"it's for Cl—"
"no, I don't cry over a man" I snapped, trying to gain some composure, he just rose his eyebrow
"yeah, anyway, there's something we have for you...would you come with me?"
"sure" I muttered, standing up and following him.
He leaded me to the room where we used to have breakfast: there was a huge cake with three layers of cream with nice azure decoration. But it was what there was behind it who made me freeze.
Clef was standing right there, with a smile on his lips.
My heart speeded up, I really didn't know how it was possible, but he still had that effect on me.
He moved towards me
"happy birthday" he whispered, leaning in to kiss me, but I moved away.
He looked confused at me
"weren't you on Chizeta?" I snapped
"I..yes but...I just thought that this could have been a nice surprise and..."
"well, obviously you were wrong!" I shouted
"do you have any idea of how I felt when I came here and didn't find you with the others?"
"well, forgive me if I went there to take your stupid present!" he yelled back, launching a small blue velvet bag on the table, then he turned to Ferio
"I told you that it would have been useless, like every single thing people di for her" he added, storming out of the room.
Great, now he did even think that I was ungrateful and spoiled.
"Umi chan..." Hikaru tried to stop me, but I went away too, slamming the door behind me.
Once in my room, I punched my pillow. I didn't even know why I reacted in that way, I should have been happy that he was there with me, that he, who was always so serious and formal, agreed to Ferio's idea just to make me a surprise. What the hell was wrong with me? I sighed and collapsed on my bed.
Stupid Umi. Idiot Umi.
"Umi hun, are you here?" Caldina's voice from the other side of the door interrupted my thoughts
"where else should I be, Cal?" I answered, so the Chizetian opened the door
"may I?"
"yeah, come" I muttered, making her sign to sit beside me
"Umi, you know I find your temper quite amusing but...what the hell did you do?" she asked me
"I don't know, really. I don't even know why I shouted at him like that!" Caldina sighed
"well, you can still make up for this silly fight"
"how?"
"tonight, at the party"
"oh, Caldina I have no intention to party tonight"
"what?! But we invited half Cephiro! They're all coming for you!"
"well, they will have fun anyway"
"absolutely not! They're coming to celebrate Lady Umi!" I fumed
"I've no way out, right?"
"exactly"
"fine, fine...you won"
"yay!" she exclaimed, hugging me, then she run to my wardrobe
"well, well, well...let's see what we have here..."
"hem, Caldina, I do really believe I can do it alone..."
"ah, ah, ah! No way!" she exclaimed shaking her finger
"I've always helped you with this things and today is your birthday so...let's get in it!" I sighed, it would have been a really long preparation.
When we finally were done, I was wearing a long dark blue linear dress that let my back exposed. My hair were tied up in a chignon and only few locks of hair fell down to frame my face.
A thin necklace with a small diamond was locked around my neck.
"Umi, you are stunning!" Caldina exclaimed, winking
"do you really think it?"
"sure, you're the most beautiful around here, you know it!" I sighed, it was true, I was considerated very beautiful, although sometimes I wondered what people did find in me.
"C'mon missy, everyone's waiting for you"
"yeah...yeah, let's go" I answered, even if I wasn't exactly convinced by the whole situation.
When we arrived in front of the ballroom, Fuu and Hikaru run to me
"Umi chan, how are you?" they demanded, hugging me
"I'm fine"
"you sure?" Fuu asked
"yeah"
"you look beautiful, did Caldina came to you?"
"yes, she helped me with the dress thing"
"perfect. You know, we wanted to come to you, but you seemed so angry..."
"it's ok, I'm not mad at you" I reassured them with a smile, they hugged me again
"we're going inside, they will announce you and you will come down...you know how it works"
"yeah, I remember Hikaru's birthday the last year" she smiled
"good! See you later then" she exclaimed, reaching Lantis and taking his arm. Fuu did the same with Ferio.
I sighed, remembering Hikaru's birthday: Lantis waited for her just at the end of the stair, then took her hand and leaded her on the dance floor where they opened the dances. Knowing Clef and his pride, he surely wouldn't have done it. I was so sad that I had no one there waiting for me, that I egoistically hoped that at least Ascot would have done it. But I knew that it wasn't right and I was being stupid and selfish.
"Lady Umi Ryuuzaki, Magic Knight of Water" the chamberlain called my name, so I showed myself to the crowd.
I looked down the stair, but no one was there for me: Ascot was in a corner with Caldina and Lafarga, Ferio and Lantis were with Fuu and Hikaru. I froze when my eyes posed on Clef: he was with Presea, he seemed very calm and was smiling at her, while she looked at him with adoring eyes.
I felt sick. He never did something that could make me jealous, and I perfectly knew that he loved Presea in the same way I loved Ascot, she was a dear friend, a confident. But still, it was like someone had just stuck a knife in my chest.
Before I could realize what I was doing, I turned my back to the people and run away from the ball room.
I went in the room where Clef and I had argued that day, and slammed the door behind me. Before I could stop myself, I started weeping like a mad.
The small bag with Clef's present was still on the table and caught my eye, so I took it and opened it, getting it upside down to make the present fall in my palm.
I felt a monster when I saw the ring in my hand: it was made in white gold, and at the center has a sapphire that was shining a brilliant blue.
The worse part, was when I saw a small parchment rolled up and closed by a thin blue ribbon.
Reluctantly, I untied the thread and read it
***
"Umi,
When you have lived more than seven centuries, you start to believe that every day is the same, but after I met you I had to admit that it isn't ecactly so. Today it's 3rd March, a day that I never believed would have become so important to me: today the best thing that my long life has ever brought to me came to the world and there are no words that could express my feelings right now. Thank you for being the loud Umi that everyone knows. Thank you for being the noisy and short tempered yet sweet and lovely girl that I know. Though I'm the Master Mage, I'm not that good at showing my feelings, but I suppose that now you're used to it. Anyway, I just want you to know that I love you. With my whole heart.
Happy birthday.
With love, Clef."
***
"An idiot" I whispered
"I'm a total idiot" I added, still sobbing.
I rested my head in my hands. He loved me, and I knew it. But I spoiled everything, like everytime he tried to show me how he cared. He'd never forgave me this time.
"Clef" I whispered between sobs, holding tightly the ring in my fist.
In that moment a hand lightly placed on my shoulder, I looked up to tell them to leave me alone, but my breath chocked in my throat when I saw Clef standing behind me.
Slowly, he sat down next to me
"how did you know I was here?" I weakly asked
"I know you enough" he calmly answered.
"What are you doing here?" I demanded then, not daring looking at him
"I have no reason to stay there, if you're not there too" he explained. The answer was simple, but so strong that made me feel a monster.
"I'm a stupid" I commented, in a whisper, he shook his head sighed
"I think we should start it all over again, shall we?" he asked
"what do you mean?" he just smiled and took the ring from my hand, sliding it to the finger of my left hand
"happy birthday" he whispered then, leaning in and kissing me. My head started swimming, my heart almost popped out of my chest and I felt chills all along my spin. It was the same old story.
When we parted, I was still crying, so he just cupped my cheek and brushed his thumb over it, wiping away my tears. That made me feel the worse person in the world: how could I have treated him so badly? And how could he always forgive me and my stupid outbursts?
"c'mon, stop it. It's all good now" he reassured me, holding me tight. I just nodded in his chest and sniffed, then he took my hand and helped me up
"let's go back to your party" he said, I nodded and followed him.
Once in the ballroom, the chamberlain called my name again, so I showed myself to the Cephrian people, but this time, when I looked down, I saw Clef smiling at me.
He didn't wait for me to reach him, he went towards me and pulled me into his arms
"happy birthday" he said, kissing me, uncaring of all the eyes placed on us.
I smiled happily and took his arm, so he leaded me to the dance floor and we danced a waltz: I didn't know he was able to do it.
"when did you learned to do it?" I asked
"almost three centuries ago, but I never believed I'd ever do such a thing" he chuckled
"you hadn't to do it by force tonight..."
"I didn't do it because I had to, I did it because I wanted to..."
"are you sure?"
"yes, I knew you'd appreciated it, and you know that if you're happy then I'm happy too. I love you, Umi" I smiled again
"and I love even your smiles" he added, leaning down to brush his lips against mine
"I love you too" I whispered, resting my head on his chest.
Surely that was the best birthday I had ever had in my whole life.