Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 3

Chapter 2: The Forgotten Birthday

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

I was up in my office as I was busy checking up on various incidents about possible sightings of the Elect. Still, I was too occupied with my work as I wanted to go there and fight those renegade angels who appeared the moment Severin was killed a week ago. I didn't want anyone to fall under their control as I was busy looking up some research that was collected about Christian mythology over the years. With many pages based on the research about the Elect, I was looking at the damage that they did as they were even controlling people to go beyond their moral restraints in which resulted into the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the biblical context. By the time I put my research away, I was on my way out of my office as I saw Totsuka enter in which he was hard at work into doing what he did best in his field.

"I take it that you're not too happy with me after I caused the release of the Elect," I said.

"Dude, don't even go there," said Totsuka. "Even though that douchebag had it coming when he planned the release of those renegade angels, we need to do what we can in order to put those asshats back on ice."

"It's been a week since Severin was killed, but the Elect are much worse than what we know."

"After doing my work into slowing that asshat down a week ago, I've been hearing about several people being tortured by them in which resulted in burns on their bodies. Even the Medical Corps have their hands full when it comes to seeing new cases that occurred in the Southern Stride. Still, everyone has their hands full right now, but most of us here on Alecrast can't do too much forever."

"I get your point, but the Elect is our biggest problem right now."

Totsuka spots something in my junk box as he takes it out of there. It was a birthday card as it was mainly addressed to me by one of the people I know so well. By the time he opened it up, he noticed some money falling out of it as he picked it up and later set it on my desk, for he had much courtesy here in my home. As for me, however, I put the money into my safe box as I didn't have time to deal with such trivial matters, especially when it came to have my birthday coming up in two days. Even though it was the last day of April, tomorrow was the first day of May as I was dreading the day after it. When I was about to put the birthday card back into the junk box, I saw Totsuka stop me as he was concerned about what I was missing in life.

"This isn't my concern right now, Totsuka," I said.

"Dude, you can't just diss your own birthday," he said.

"To tell you the truth, I don't celebrate my birthday because of the fact that I treat it like a normal day."

"Hey, people who don't celebrate their own birthdays are twice as likely to suffer from depression later on in life. Hell, I've even seen people who refuse to acknowledge their existence end up killing themselves and you, my friend, are gonna end up the same way."

"No..." I see Totsuka pick up the birthday card. "Don't even think of showing that thing to Reiko right now."

"Hey, she's gonna know eventually when she wants to know about your birthday."

"Don't even think about it." I snatched the card away as I put it back into the junk box. "I don't have time to waste on my poor excuse of a birthday while all of us are dealing with the Elect. I've celebrated Dirk's birthday as well as Reiko's, but mine will never happen because I don't want it to be."

I left my office as Totsuka stayed behind to retrieve the birthday card from the junk box. He couldn't let this slide as he was more than willing to show either Dirk or Reiko the birthday card that I got, but he didn't have time to do so yet. Still, he was determined to get me to enjoy my birthday, which was on May 2nd. When he left my office, he was ready to pull all the stops into making me have a day to myself in which it was mandatory in order to keep me from becoming depressed. It was his most unusual challenge yet as he was ready to get me out of my shell sooner or later...


Later on in the evening, I was outside in the backyard after dinner as I was seeing the stars shining in the sky. In two days, it would be my birthday as I wanted to avoid it as much as possible due to the bad memories that I had long ago. All those years in the fort on Gehenna not only kept me as my tenure as a lowly servant, but I was being forgotten by Sylvanus of all people due to his reasons to shower his son, who lost his life a week ago. Still, I wanted to forget about my birthday as I had better pressing things to do like keeping tabs on the newest threat that came forth after I did away with Severin due to his crimes here on Alecrast. All those memories of him getting his way every time were starting to get to me as I just wanted to get back into my office and look for more data on the Elect, who caused problems in the Southern Stride town of Quorum, where Dean rushed in at the last minute to save Castiel, Chitorin, and Veshka that day.

When I was about to do so, I saw Totsuka standing there as he was dead-set on getting me to change my mind about my birthday, which was in two days. As usual, I didn't want to accept it as I didn't want any more bad memories to creep in while I had decent work to do in which I had to do my part into putting my efforts into finding and stopping the Elect in their tracks. In the long run, I was about to get another earful from the Shinigami weaponmaker that wasn't about to take no for an answer any time soon, for my birthday was the most important day for me after all.

"You still can't take no for an answer, do you?" I said.

"Hey, it's better than having you forget your own birthday," answered Totsuka.

"If I went and celebrated my own birthday, it would bring up bad memories for me."

"How is enjoying your own birthday so bad?"

"It's something that I don't talk about to anyone, especially Reiko." I sighed heavily as I just wanted to go back inside. "It's best that my birthday is better off not being mentioned at all."

When I went back inside, Totsuka was staring at me as he refused to take no for an answer this time. The thought of having my birthday not being mentioned was more than enough to get me to change my mind as he was ready to bring on a slow and steady progress to get me out of the shell I created. The thought of my birthday bringing back the bad memories was the tip of the iceberg as there would also be complications to get me out of the rut I had over me for years, for I had to begin anew with all the happiness I got so far...


Many years ago on Gehenna...

I was on my way to my room after studying another day of school studies. Still, tomorrow was my birthday, but I didn't want to get another yelling from Sylvanus as I went straight towards my room. Even though it was in May, I never saw any spring outside of the fort on Gehenna as I saw the snow falling from outside. It was always frozen on Gehenna as I just wanted to stay in my room for the rest of the day. I didn't want to celebrate my birthday tomorrow as I even locked the door to my room. I didn't want any cake or presents as I was still a young boy that had been put in the corner all because of my curiosity about a lot of knowledge. After what I went through, I was turning eleven, but I didn't want to celebrate my birthday anymore as I saw a birthday card being slipped under the door.

I didn't want it as I tossed it back out. I just wanted it all to go away as I was better off without celebrating my own birthday, for I wasn't worthy enough to do so. When I saw the card being tossed back into my room, I tossed it out again as I didn't want it. By the time I went towards my bathroom, I took off my clothes as I was running myself a hot bath. When I got into the bathtub, I was just relaxing there as I wanted the birthday thing to just go away. I didn't want to be noticed as I was just nothing but a stepping stone to Sylvanus and his cronies. Still, I got used to what I went through as I turned off the water in the bathtub. I was just doing my daily thing as I was cleaning myself before going to bed. Even though the water was hot, I didn't have any comfort as I finished doing so until I was fully clean. By the time I was done, I drained the water from the bathtub as I wrapped myself in a towel and got out my nightclothes. With the towel and dirty clothes in the hamper, I put on my nightclothes as I got my teeth brushed and went straight to bed.

When I wrapped myself in the warm covers, I was huddled up in bed as I saw the same birthday card being tossed under the door of my room. I didn't want to be around everyone as I had been the butt of Sylvanus' cruelty the moment I was taken here out of Alecrast three years ago. Still, I stared at the birthday card as I didn't look at it or open up the envelope it was in. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard some banging on the door as I got up and unlocked the door. It wasn't long until I saw Dean standing in front of me as he wasn't too happy with me trying to toss away the birthday card that was on the floor.

"What's the big idea, Sam?" he asked as he saw the card unopened. "Aren't you gonna open it up?"

"It's not mine," I said.

"Of course it's yours 'cause the teacher said to give it to you."

"Dean, if Sylvanus or Severin caught you with that birthday card, they'd take it away from you in a heartbeat."

"Hey, tomorrow is your birthday, Sammy. You should be happy that you're getting a special day to yourself."

"Even if tomorrow is my birthday, I don't want anything; not a party, or presents, or anything else because it's up to the soldiers. I'm sorry that I can't accept that birthday card, but-"

"At least open up the card for once!"

I reluctantly agreed as I opened up the birthday card. It was a nice one as it had a drawing of a cupcake with a birthday candle on it. When I saw the inside of it, there was a drawing of me and Dean in it as we were holding hands together. It was a nice card indeed as I wanted it only for tonight. The sight of it brought a smile to my face as I wanted to thank Dean for giving it to me, for it was the least he could do for me.

"This the best card in the world," I said.

"I knew that you'd like it," said Dean.

"What if Sylvanus gets here and sees the card I have?"

"If he tries to, I suggest that you hide it. Besides, I'm not the only one that matters right now."

"But you can't give this to me right now."

"So? Just because you have a birthday, doesn't mean that you can just avoid it. You're very special and you know it, Sammy. Besides, you have a lot of potential that could blow any of us out of the water. By the way, you're celebrating your birthday whether you like it or not and I'm bringing a cupcake for you and a candle just to blow it out with. It'll be the best birthday you'll get from me, just wait and see."

By the time I saw my brother leave the room, I watched him close the door behind him as tomorrow was a special day for me anyway, for I was ready to enjoy it tomorrow. By the time I was about to get ready for bed, I heard the door open up as I saw Severin enter in there in which he wanted to put a damper on my plans for a birthday celebration tomorrow. I wanted him to leave as he was trouble from the start in which he wanted my birthday card just to rip it up in front of me.

"I know that you got that birthday card from your brother, didn't you?" he said.

"This card's mine, not yours," I said.

"Only the heavily privileged can receive birthday accolades, not some lowly worm" Severin snatches the card from my hand. "Still, you're about to become a servant instead of a soldier because my father said so!"

"Give me back my card!"

"Or you'll do what, exactly? Tattle on me to your big brother? This card you have I'm confiscating."

"I want my card back! Dean worked very hard to make it for me!"

"No!"

"I want my card back!"

"No!"

"You can't take it from me!"

"Then cancel your pathetic little party or else I'll tell Father and he'll banish you to Belbe Citadel where most disobedient little boys go just to do hard labor! Besides the point, tomorrow is my special day of joining the Order of Letters alongside Father and it's a good occasion indeed, so I suggest that you stay put in your pathetic little room."

"What's going on here?" asked a familiar face as he stood behind Severin.

I noticed Acamas there as he never aged a single day. Still, he was on business as he was overseeing the fort in Ginryu's stead for a while. As usual, he never trusted Severin due to his bad behavior as he had a feeling that he would do harm in the future. It wasn't long until he snatched away the card that the spoiled brat took from me as he set it down on my bed. I was grateful that Acamas was here as I didn't have any problems with him at all, for he was someone who remained close to Dad until his death.

"How dare you come here, you Rendilian worm!" yelled Severin.

"Your father is looking for you," said Acamas.

"That's a lie!"

"He's actually looking for you anyway, so I suggest that you come when called."

"I'm not finished with you yet, Sam Winchester!" Severin storms out the door. "In the end, you'll always be a worthless servant!"

I peeked out my door as I saw Severin storming off after getting a stern sendoff from Acamas. With my card handed back to me, I was grateful and guilty at the same time as I was about to be put under the ringer of the spoiled brat that would stop at nothing to dampen me at every turn. Still, I was afraid as I just wanted to be alone after Acamas came in to intervene on my behalf, for I dreaded that my birthday tomorrow would end up being a disaster for me.

"You shouldn't have to stick up for me, you know," I said.

"After what Severin did, he needs to be reprimanded by his father," said Acamas.

"Sylvanus doesn't even do that with him. All he ever does is coddle him."

"That's enough of that, Sam. Tomorrow is your eleventh birthday and you need to have a positive outlook in life. Now, don't let this dark cloud cover you or else you would never be able to have a healthy future in mind."

"I'll try to do that."

And so, I saw Acamas leave my room as he closed the door behind him. By the time I got back into bed, I was holding the birthday card as I wanted to thank Dean for giving it to me, for it was something that I kept with me for a brief time…


The next morning, I was up and about as I was dressed and ready to go towards the school grounds where I was studying there. Even though today was my birthday, I decided to stay the course anyway as I had to remain positive about what I have in mind. By the time I got to my classroom, I found it to be bleak as I was had no hold it together. The promise of having a party for me went directly down the toilet as I saw nothing for me there: no party balloons, no guests, no cake and ice cream, or no presents. It was the same dull classroom as I sat down with my birthday card in my hand. By the time I sat in my desk, I got out my books as I was waiting for the other children to get in here. I was alone until I saw the other children and teacher come in here to get on with their daily work as me, for it was just another day after all.

"Okay, class," said the teacher. "We should take out our math books and turn to page 104."

"But isn't it Sam's birthday today?" asked one of the students.

"No, it's not my birthday and my party will never happen," I said.

"Sam, how old are you today?" asked the teacher.

"It doesn't matter anyway because it won't make any difference."

"Weren't we supposed to throw a party for him?" asked another student.

"No!" I yelled. "I don't want anything right now! It's better off if I don't have a party to celebrate with 'cause it's like any other day! Can we just get to our studies now?"

I ignored everyone in the classroom as I was doing what was done earlier by reading my mathbook to where the proper page was. Still, the teacher and students were concerned about my behavior as they wanted to brighten my mood, but I wasn't into it right now. I was staying on task as I looked at the page of my mathbook so readily. I didn't want to think about my birthday. I didn't want to go through with it. All I wanted to do was to resume my studies as I didn't want to be bothered. The other students in the classroom were concerned about me as they wanted to cheer me up so badly. Even though I paid no heed, I continued to read into the mathbook on my desk as I wanted to forget about my birthday. Just as I was about to turn the next page, I saw my mathbook being snatched away as I was staring at the teacher in which she was concerned about my behavior so far.

"Why are you acting this way, Sam?" she asked me.

"It's because I don't want to celebrate my birthday," I said.

"Is that all?" I nodded. "Sam, this isn't our fault this time."

"I thought there would be cake and presents, but I was wrong."

"Sylvanus pressured me to cancel your birthday party because he wanted a special day devoted to Severin and you know how that boy gets if he doesn't get enough attention."

"But what about me? I wanted to celebrate my birthday, but there was nothing for it."

"Sam, whenever school is over, I'll ask Chomaru to bake you a cupcake and I'll have him bring it to you in your room."

"No! Severin will always be important because he's Sylvanus' son! I will always be worthless until I drop dead! I will always be hiding away! And I'll always end up being a lowly servant for the rest of my life!"

I stormed out of the classroom as I sprinted into the hall of the fort. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I finally made it back to my room and locked the door. I knew that Severin won as his special day was more important than my birthday this time in which I felt as if I was cheated out of something that was important to me. I remained in my room as I was huddled up in my bed for warmth in such a cold room. Just as I was about to huddle even further in my bed, I saw a cupcake on the nightstand as it had a birthday candle that was unlit. I decided to light it as I found some matches with it. When I lit the candle, I was ready to make a wish as I was about to sing the birthday song.

"Happy birthday to me," I sang with tears in my eyes. "Happy birthday to me... Happy birthday to the one who is forgotten... Happy birthday... to... me..."

I blew out the candle as I took it out of the cupcake that was baked for me. And so, I ate the cupcake that was baked for me in silence as I was alone in my room. Still, my heart ached in silence as I felt cheated by Severin in the end, only to be put under his foot for the next few years I had on me. It was also at that moment that I vowed never to celebrate my birthday ever again as I would always treat it like any other normal day in mind, for this was the final nail in the coffin that sealed my disgust at the day that I was born so far...


Meanwhile, back in the present...

The next morning, I was back in my office as I was most likely to be keeping tabs on the newest threat since Severin's slaughter on Alecrast that ended with him being killed a week ago. Still, the Elect was becoming a problem as we all had to pull our weight the moment we noticed the problem head-on. By the time I was finishing up my work, I heard something approaching as I sprinted out of my office and went outside to see. It wasn't long until The Hunter Corps ship arrived here in the clearing near the castle as it landed smoothly. When I stood there to welcome everyone out of the ship, I saw Dean and his group coming out of it as they were ready to give me a report about what was going on here. With the Elect running rampant, we all had to do our part as we didn't have much time to waste right now, for this threat was most likely to be biding its time as we speak.

"I take it that you had your hands full," I said.

"I just went up against a group of humans in one town, but they were stunned," said Dean as he showed up the glove on his right hand. "This baby I got sure does pack a punch when I got a hold of it."

"You're holding the Fist of Hanyar in your hand, Dean. According to the books I read, that artifact can only be wielded by one that is touched by the one who is from the Destiny of Worlds. If any other person got a hold of it, the Fist of Hanyar would've crushed his or her hand on the spot."

"Now, I'm playing with power with this glove."

"By the way, the Fist of Hanyar has been used to reverse the control of those who cause darkness and you're lucky that you have that in your arsenal of weapons that even the popular weaponmakers of old would get their hands on that."

"Yeah, but those Elect guys sure like to use the human population on this popsicle stand as pawns in their petty little chess game."

"You can talk about the Elect later, but you and your crew need to rest up after travelling all over the planet."

And so, I noticed the rest of Dean's crew come out of the ship as they were exhausted from their travels. Still, I had to welcome everyone who came here to the castle as I was also about to get an unexpected surprise in the form of an upcoming birthday that I didn't want. I had to keep tabs on the Elect's activities as I didn't want to lag behind in which they were a nuisance that came in the form of renegade angels. By the time we all got into the castle, we noticed the same birthday card from the junk box in my office as I wanted it out of here as soon as possible. It wasn't long until I picked it up and was ready to put it back in the junk box until I saw Dean take it out of my hand.

"Looks like Ippei didn't forget," he said.

"That birthday card is trouble," I said.

"If this birthday card's trouble, then how come it's addressed to you of all people?"

"It's because I don't want it to be." I take the card out of Dean's hands. "My birthday's coming up tomorrow and I'm not gonna let it hamper my plans into finding more about the Elect."

"There are other members of the Order that are on it right now, Sam. Besides, don't you have a special day coming up?"

"No and I'm not going to celebrate it. My birthday will always be like any other normal day, Dean. It's been like this the moment I stopped celebrating it during my days in the fort on Gehenna. If I wound up celebrating my birthday, it would bring up bad memories for me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do and there's breakfast that needs to be cooked."

Dean was concerned about me as he remembered all those times after the failed birthday party incident on my eleventh birthday all those years ago. Still, he always saw me to ignore my own day of birth as it was always like a normal day to me, but it was all going to change the moment he was ready to plan something in particular. By the time he went into the living room, he saw Magda enter as she sat down beside him. Like him, she was also concerned about my birthday as she wanted to help out into planning a party that was unwanted in the first place.

"Sam's been in a mode lately," she said.

"Tomorrow's his birthday, but he doesn't want to either acknowledge it or celebrate it as if it's a bad thing," said Dean. "It's been like this since he turned eleven during our years living on Gehenna, but it can't happen forever."

"For someone who celebrates other birthdays, he never seems to celebrate his own as if it's like the plague or something."

"It's been like this the moment he turned eleven on that day. We were supposed to throw a party for him, but all that day was wasted on Severin's special day as a member of the Order of Letters like the rest of us. Sam was heartbroken when no one ever did anything for him on his birthday, so every year, he sat in his room alone with nothing but a cupcake to mark the occasion with. I tried to get Sylvanus to change his mind about Sam's birthday, but all I got was a temper tantrum from Severin that served in the asshat's favor."

"Where I come from, birthdays are celebrated in style in our time of winter on Rietza and every year, we dress in red to honor the occasion. I bet that Reiko doesn't know about Sam's birthday yet."

"If she did, she should be baking a cake for him, but if he doesn't accept it, I'm more than ready to kick his ass in real time. Birthdays are a symbol of marking one's age and dissing them is a huge slap in the face on oneself. That was what our dad told us before he passed away, but I bet that Sam's most likely to be forgetting his birthday again."

"Instead of caving to his whim, we should allow it in order to make sure that he doesn't forget his birthday. We can't let him sulk forever because he matters just like the rest of us. It's the least we can all do to get him out of his shell for once"

Dean was fully concerned about me as he was fully determined to get me to take my birthday to heart like everyone else. This wasn't going to be easy as I was too stubborn to accept my own birthday as a day of joy instead of a load of bad memories. When he saw me go into the kitchen to get breakfast done, he had a lot of opportunity to go into my office without me knowing as he was ready to search my junk box for possible birthday greetings that were intended for me. By the time he took it out, he found the sight of it to be shocking as he found several birthday cards that were addressed for me in which they were unopened and were ready to go straight towards the shredder near the wastebasket. He was stunned to see such birthday cards that were addressed to me as my avoidance of my special day was about to be put to a stop.

The stack of birthday cards was more than enough to get in my face as Dean was ready to pounce, but he was about to be put into a downside of what my birthday really was about. To me, it was about all those bad memories that I had as I spent every year alone in my room, but all of it was about to change one slow step at a time. He was most likely to be cornering me the moment I was going towards my office as he was ready to show many of those birthday cards in front of me. By the time I got there, I was about to get the worst form of humiliation imaginable as I saw Dean with that stack of unopened birthday cards that were addressed to me in the first place.

"What the hell are you doing with all that junk?" I asked as I was starting to get a little testy.

"Explain this." answered Dean as he was pointing to the stack of unopened birthday cards that were on my desk. "What do these birthday cards represent?"

"They're nothing to me."

"These birthday cards represent you in the most possible and thoughtful way and you're trying again to reject the day you were born? That's not gonna happen, Sam. That's not gonna slide 'cause your birthday is the day that you matter."

"Who cares about my birthday?" Anger fueled my tone of voice as I was starting to feel the string of bad memories coming at me like knives. "Everyone else's birthday matters a lot before mine!"

"I do! You may not think that your birthday doesn't matter, but it does! What would Aora and Ghimru think if you reject your own birthday the moment they decide to get you a present that you like? They'd be disappointed that you would diss a special day just for you of all people."

"I made it clear that I didn't want my birthday to be neither celebrated nor acknowledged because of the bad memories that it brings. It's better that my birthday is better off not being celebrated because of the fact that I'd rather treat it as another normal day."

"This is being on Gehenna all over again. You're stuck in your room crying with the door locked while you see a cupcake with a candle all those years ago. You're disappointed all because of the fact that you get overlooked all the time and it hurts so bad. Don't you matter the most when it comes to having a special day to yourself or is just another normal day as usual?"

"My birthday doesn't matter to me anymore because it's just another day!"

"Yes it does, Sam! Your birthday mattered more than anything because everyone cares just as much as you, but you're afraid that it would bring up all those bad memories that you had after that day. On your eleventh birthday, you weren't the only one who was disappointed 'cause I wanted to spend it with you, but I had to bend down and kiss Severin's ass instead. No, I wasn't just disappointed into skipping your birthday, I was pissed 'cause Sylvanus wanted that day to be special to that heartless prick who razed Kanto Village and caused slaughter to the main headquarters and the seven towns in his wake. You may believe that celebrating your birthday is a bad thing, but you're wrong and every year, you avoided it for years, only to shield yourself from the good it brought you before being brought to Gehenna. I'm telling you this for your own good, Sam, if you continue to avoid your birthday, then you're gonna end up being more sad and bitter than before."

"I need some time alone."

"Not until you open up those birthday cards first! You have all that time to make it right this year or else it'll be too late."

"Say what you want, but my answer will always be no. My birthday will never be important because it doesn't matter."

"Oh, it will because it'll be a lot better than what you experienced over the years. You may think that your birthday will bring back bad memories, but not this time, Sammy. You may think that tomorrow is just another normal day, but your birthday celebration is happening whether you like it or not. I'm telling you this for your own good 'cause this year, it'll be better."

I was staring at those birthday cards as they were decorated with such designs from the people in the Order of Letters. Still, I was caught under the stigma and resentment of my birthday as I wanted it all to just go away. I didn't want to celebrate my birthday right now as I just wanted to simply take those cards and toss them out the window. Even though they were addressed to me, I didn't want to open them up as I wanted to forget about my birthday entirely. When I was ready to gather up those unopened birthday cards that were made for me, I was stopped my Dean as he gave me one in which he refused to leave until I opened it up. Just as I was about to do so, I heard the bell ring as it was time for breakfast. The smell of pancakes filled the air as we left my office in which I put my card down without opening it. I was doing my best to avoid my birthday as I didn't want to have all those bad memories eating me up, for it was always a terrible time for me, no matter what I tried to do...


After breakfast, I was helping out with the dishes as it was the best time to ignore my birthday celebration as much as possible. I didn't want my birthday to be acknowledged after what I went through as I didn't want it on me. Just when I was almost done, I was feeling at the bad memories of my birthday over the years as they cut at me like a knife. All those years in my room alone with just a cupcake and a birthday candle was more than enough to cause me to have a panic attack. I didn't want to have it right now as I was trying to hold it together and not fall under the pressure. All those bad memories have triggered enough in me as I fell down onto the kitchen floor. I was most likely to be put under too much pressure as I was starting to hyperventilate.

It wasn't long until Reiko came into the kitchen as she saw me breathing rapidly from all the pressure that triggered those bad memories I had about my birthday over the years. She was concerned for me as she pressed her slender fingers against my neck to check my pulse. She became more than alarmed when she saw me gasping for breath while my heart was beating too fast. It wasn't long until Dean rushed into the kitchen as he noticed me like this in which it was too much for me to bear.

"Don't do this to me, Sammy," he said as he was scared for my health.

"Please, Sammy, try to remain calm," said Reiko as she was worried to death for me.

"C'mon, don't go belly-up all because of those bad memories about your birthday, which is tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Sammy's birthday?" Dean nods. "He should be happy that he should get this, not suffer from a panic attack."

"That's just it in a nutshell 'cause he believes it to be a bad thing after what happened to him during our years on Gehenna."

With that, I passed out on the floor as Dean and Reiko were worried about me on the spot. The notion of my birthday coming up was all too much for me, but it was all going to change my mind for the better. Still, there was the dreaded obstacle of bad memories that were waiting for me as there would also be the onset of what was yet to remembered and later conquered...


I found myself back in my office again as I was staring at the stack of birthday cards that were unopened. When I picked up one of them and opened it, I saw that it was blank until I saw the terrible words in black letters inside. The words, "drop dead," appeared as they were also accompanied with the words, "your birthday will never matter anymore," in red letters. I was reminded of the bad memories of my birthday every year during my youth at the fort on Gehenna as I saw the same cupcake with a candle in it. I even felt the cold air coming into my office as I shivered from the freezing weather in which it reminded me of all those years of celebrating my birthday alone.

It was at that moment that I noticed the stack of cards piling up as they remained unopened for all eternity in which they were reminders of birthdays past. I didn't want to open them up as I gathered them all up and tossed them out the window. It was the least I could do as I wanted to forget all about my birthday entirely. By the time I was about to leave my office, I saw the door stretch farther away as I noticed a figure that looked like me standing in my way. He was someone who was disappointed in me for averting my birthday for far too long as he was ready to pounce at me.

"Whoever you are, my birthday isn't your concern," I said.

"Oh, it is my concern because I'm gonna be the one who will make it happen," he said.

"My birthday will never matter to me because it'll never happen."

"Is that so, Sam? All those years ago on Gehenna, you suffered in silence the moment Sylvanus forced everyone to cancel their plans for you just to make it a special day for Severin. All those years ago, you sat in silence instead of reveling in the cake and party favors. All those years ago, you treated your birthday like the plague and you say that it's just another normal day? You should be ashamed of yourself for your actions all because you're afraid that your birthday would cause you more bad memories."

"My birthday will always trigger bad memories for me. It'll always remind me of what happened to me all those years ago."

"If those bad memories are so painful, then why didn't you tell your brother about it all those years ago? I know you a lot more than you know yourself and your birthday is something that is to be celebrated, not ignored, put away, or even treated like a normal day. It is the cornerstone of everything that you have within you, not just respect or family."

"Say what you want, but my birthday means nothing to me!"

"Is that so? Then why don't you tell it to her?"

The figure who looked like me showed me a terrible sight as I saw a familiar face lying on a stone slab in the middle of a clearing in the forest. It was Reiko as she remained lifeless while dressed in a white shroud that covered her body. My heart sank as I saw her dead on the stone slab as I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. I was too late to save her as I wanted to end my life so readily until I was stopped by the person who resembled me all too well.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked me.

"How... did she die?" I asked.

"This is what would happen if you end up rejecting your birthday for far too long, Sam, and this would be the first casualty of what would occur if you didn't change your mind about it. You know very well that an Elf can die from a broken heart so easily after hearing someone taking no for an answer for far too long. I know what you would say next if she decided to bake you a nice birthday cake to mark the occasion that you rejected for too long, but you would always say no in the end, only to resulting in her death."

"Reiko..., come on, talk to me. Please, open your eyes!"

"You should've taken your birthday to heart instead of pushing it away. If you would've clung to the happiness that it brought instead of those bad memories on Gehenna, then none of this would've happened in th first place. Well, aren't you gonna say yes to celebrating your birthday or are you gonna sit there and mourn the first casualty in the onslaught of rejections that you had over the years?"

"Reiko..." I touched her icy hand as I held onto it tightly. "Wake up for me. I'm extremely sorry for my actions and I promise that I'll celebrate my birthday for the rest of my life. Just wake up for me... Don't leave me all alone like this!"

More tears flowed down my face as I woke up in a hospital bed in the infirmary wing. All of this was a bad dream as I was back into reality in which I still noticed the morning. It was at that moment that I was cleaned and dressed in my nightclothes as I got up out of bed and sprinted out of the hospital room and onward towards my office. I noticed the stack of birthday cards still there as I gathered them all up and took them back with me. When I reached my room, I decided to open them all up as I wanted to see them in all their glory. The first one I opened up came from Jun as it had money in it along with free coupons to the Blue Iris in her homestead. More and more, I opened up the rest of the birthday cards that I had as I was starting to come out of the shell that I built since I stopped celebrating my birthday. By the time I got to the last one, I knew that it would be the first one with the terrible words, but it was far more different this time. It was a card that had the names of everyone I knew on it as I was thankful that I got it so far. By the time I finished with it, I stripped off my nightclothes and got into some clean ones as I was ready to start the day until Reiko came in.

"Sammy, what are you doing out of bed?" she asked me. "You know that you can't be up right now."

"Oh, Reiko," I said as I hugged her so tenderly. "Thank goodness that you're still alive!"

"Are you feeling alright?"

"It's not too late because tomorrow will be perfect."

"Is it your birthday?" I nodded. "Actually, it's today and you passed out yesterday after you suffered a panic attack that left you unconscious."

"I was out for a whole day? What time is it? Where are the twins? Is Dirk dressed and off to school?"

"It's eleven in the morning, Sammy. You shouldn't worry too much about everything. It'll make you age into an old man."

I remained calm as I wanted to have my birthday to myself for once in which I was taking it back after all those years of treating it like a normal day in silence. I wanted this day to be for me this time as I didn't want it to be like that time when my birthday party was cancelled all those years ago. I wanted to apologize to everyone as I wanted to go downstairs and see what was going on here. Just as I was about to go into the main hall, I noticed it to be without party favors and cake once again as it was just like before all those years ago. Once again, I was disappointed until I heard the sound of party whistles blowing all over the place. I saw Dean and his unit of the Hunter Corps on hand into bringing out the birthday cake as it had candles on it. I even noticed the twins dressed up in their fancy clothing as they were also there for the occasion I was having.

"Well, what do you think, Sammy," said Dean as he was standing there with the cake. "Reiko took her time and hard work just to bake it for you."

"I don't know what to say, but thank you," I said as I was blushing.

"Sammy, I've got a present for you," said Reiko as she came into the main hall. "Please, open it just for me. I took my time into making it for you since Christmas."

"Reiko..." I saw her give me a box as she was waiting for me to open it up. "Okay, I'll see what's inside of it." I opened it up as I saw a blue scarf that was the envy of all scarves everywhere. "This is really a great present for me." I took it out of the box as I put it around my neck. "It's even long enough down to my feet."

"Hey, before you get down with the scarf with the Tom Baker seal of approval, I suggest that you blow out the candles on your cake," said Totsuka as he appeared out of nowhere. "Besides, you finally got past the worst obstacle in your birthday so far."

I didn't get mad this time as I saw everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to me. I wasn't alone on my birthday this time as I blew out the candles, but the last one lit back up indeed. It was a trick candle as I blew it out again, only to light up afterwards. After blowing it out twice, I took it out as I went towards the sink and put water over it so it wouldn't light up again after that. It wasn't long until Dean entered into the kitchen as he was ready to dish out the cake that was out there. I had a feeling that he was in on the trick candle debacle as he was channeling his past self's days as a jokester who loved to pull pranks sometimes.

"You put that last candle on there, didn't you?" I said with suspicion.

"I did, but at least show some backbone for once. It's your birthday, you know," said Dean.

"After all those years of ignoring this special occasion, I had a little bit of divine intervention that pushed me forward into doing so."

"And all those years you treated this day like it was nothing at all, but it all changed for the better."

"And you were right."

"C'mon, birthday boy, we've got some cake to eat."

"Whatever floats your boat..., jerk."

"Bitch..."

And so, we came out of the kitchen as we were ready to have a birthday party here without any trace of bad memories whatsoever. By the time we got our piece of cake, we were happy that there wasn't any trace of trouble at all as I was glad that was reminded of the fact that my birthday was special after all. I had fun instead of being alone in my room as I continued to celebrate my birthday without any problem at all. I was happy in a long time as I there was a good memory that came for me after all, for I would hold up my promise to celebrate my birthday for the rest of my life...

To be continued...