A/N: Can someone please tell me how to get Chie added as a character here? Also, I hope you enjoy reading this oneshot, and please tell me what you think :)

Tsukiyama Shuu didn't even know it was her birthday the first time. He didn't really care enough to find out. After all, Hori Chie was nothing more than a pet to him. She was his Little Mouse. Although, she had way more freedom than an actual pet mouse would. Those creatures are confined within cages, whilst Chie was free to roam around wherever she wanted. Perhaps she was more like a cat then?

Back to the matter of her birthday, Shuu only really found out because that day, Chie was eating cake. It was during lunch time that day on February 25 when Shuu saw her eating cake out of a tupperware. Although he knew that she was very fond of sweets, he still found it peculiar. Being the attentive pet owner he was, he wasted no time in inquiring about it.

Chie then told him it was her birthday, and that her mother had baked her the cake. She had turned 17 that day. Shuu spent quite a bit of time during class that day considering whether he should do something about what he had just found out.

In the end, as soon as he arrived home, he ordered one of the maids to buy a cute dress in Chie's size. After all, pets deserve to be pampered by their masters every once in a while. It didn't take long for the maid to come to him with a very cute pink sundress. Shuu examined it, and was very pleased. The dress was very good quality and was made out of very fine fabric. It was also obviously very expensive. Of course, his servants knew to attain only the best for him. The dress would suit Chie very nicely, he knew it. Definitely a good change from her usually drab choice in clothes.

The next day, he gave his present to Chie who immediately opened it. She held the dress up against her body and Shuu was pleased to note that the dress really would look good on his Little Mouse. Chie looked up and simply thanked him for the gift before stuffing the dress back into the nice little paper bag it came with.

She never even wore the dress.

The next year, Shuu gave her a bouquet of flowers. He had his servants order them and they made sure to accept only the healthiest and brightest coloured flowers. Then they arranged the bouquet in a way they knew would please their young master. Shuu presented it to his little pet early in the morning, before his classes in university would begin. Chie took many pictures of the flowers and himself before she finally accepted it with a simple word of thanks.

He had no idea what she chose to do with it after that.

For her 19th birthday, Shuu decided to give her a cake. It was a massive, five-layered chocolate cake he had made by his family's personal chef. It was presented to Chie, carried by two of his servants. Chie's first response, of course, was to take pictures of it.

The student body of the university crowded around them, all in obvious awe at the cake that was wider than the birthday girl, and half as tall. Shuu could even hear the jealous whisperings of the young women around them. He ignored all of it, placing his attention on his pet as his servant gave her a huge slice of the cake, and Chie began eating enthusiastically. She happily thanked him, her mouth still filled with the cake.

Shuu was especially amused that his pet refused to share the cake with anyone. For days afterwards, the little mouse carried cake in a tupperware.

For her 20th birthday, Shuu gave her a brand new camera set imported from Germany. Of course, the best brands for cameras are from Japan, but he figured Chie would appreciate the difference in functions and attributes. He wasn't disappointed. The moment he gave it to her, she immediately began taking pictures with it. The whole day, she went around taking pictures of everything, including himself. This behavior wasn't unusual for the girl, but Shuu thought she was even more enthusiastic about it, even if only slightly.

On her 21st birthday Shuu decided to bring her to a ghoul restaurant he was hosting. He ordered Matsumae to have Chie properly dressed, a mask included. Chie was ready a few hours later and Shuu had to admit that Matsumae definitely outdid herself. Matsumae had managed to turn Chie's bland and childlike appearance into something worth admiring. She wore a body fitting wine-red dress which flares slightly at the hips with matching high heels and silver half mask on her face.

Shuu was honestly surprised to see that although her body didn't have the figure of a woman her age suggested, neither was it as child-like as he once thought. She had small breasts and there was a slight curve to her slim figure to show hips, which was only accentuated by the dress she wore. Her high heels had added enough height that she actually reached his shoulders. All in all, she looked like a young girl whose body was just beginning to mature.

Of course, that definitely wasn't the case with Chie. She was old enough to be considered a young woman, although not once has Shuu ever thought of Chie as such. The figure that Chie had was most likely going to be the most that Chie would ever have. It's highly unlikely that she would grow more when she was already 21 years old.

At the restaurant, Chie wasted no time in taking pictures, from the tasteful interior decorations to the classily dressed ghouls. The ghouls all looked curiously at the girl, either because of her odd behavior or her human scent, Shuu wasn't certain. Her bland smell was unlikely to appeal to any of the ghouls present. Unlike the uncivilized boars that regrettably was the majority of the ghoul population, the ones at the restaurant had refined tastes. Still, he kept an eye on her just in case. It wouldn't do to have her get eaten when he invited her here as a an actual guest.

As Shuu gave his announcement to his captivated audience, he noted Chie's current location. It was much easier as her attention was actually directed at the stage below. She then proceeded to take pictures of the show.

When Chie turned 22, Shuu had organised a small party for her, with Kaneki's group as the guests. Or course, he made sure that the food was top quality, especially the desserts, though Chie was the only one who could actually eat them. None of the ghouls at the party complained, although it was obvious that they found the whole thing awkward. Chie wasn't at all affected by the awkward atmosphere though, as she was too busy taking pictures and stuffing herself with food.

Everybody managed to give Chie a birthday present. None of the other presents given to her were anything she would care for, Shuu believed, but she thanked them anyway. Shuu's present on the other hand was a silver locket which was designed to fit several pictures.

Banjou made a comment about how strange it was that he would go so far for a human. Shuu wanted to hit him in the face at that moment, but managed to calm himself. He simply told the ignorant fool that Chie was no mere human, which was the absolute truth. He then reflected on his feelings and actions and found himself at a loss as to why he had such a strong negative reaction to that thoughtless comment, or why he found his response to it unsatisfactory.

Years have passed and February 25 was coming up once again. Chie was turning 27 years old that year. Shuu found it amusing how even after all that time, almost nothing about Chie had changed. Not her appearance and certainly not her personality. That's what he liked most about her though. She had truly become one of his closest, if not his closest friend. He had no idea when he stopped looking at her as a pet or when he started seeing her as a genuine friend. But after everything that happened and everything she's done for him, there is no question that she is someone he considers dear to him. Especially after having lost so many when the Tsukiyama family have been exposed to be ghouls.

Back to the matter at hand however, Shuu had no idea what to do for her birthday. It had been so long since he had done anything, or given her anything. For over two years, he had been too depressed to think of her much less give her anything for her birthday. Then there were too many things going on to even think of celebrating much of anything.

Shuu was determined to make up for all those years lost.