((HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEI!))
It has been over a month since Sasame had his birthday party and Himeno received the ring from Hayate. Hayate was still a little nervous around Himeno and Sasame and Takako were still planning the wedding.
They were thinking it was going to be small. They just wanted to invite the knights and Himeno's family.
"Himeno? Which do you think looks better?" She said, pointing down at 2 different plate settings.
"Ummm. I like this one." She answered pointing down to the silver one with navy blue flowers painted on as a border.
Takako smiled, "I like that one too."
"Shut up! You are so annoying! Why did Hayate make you go to work with me I cant concentrate at all and I have a deadline coming up in a week!" Himeno jumped as someone yelled from the front room.
Kei burst through the door of the dining room and glared deeply at Himeno.
"What did I do?" Himeno backed away, scared that he was going to attack her.
"You need to keep that stupid boyfriend of your under control! He needs to learn that I'm too busy to baby-sit these runts all day! Tell him that you can do it for once!" He screech at her as Hayate walked in.
"Kei! What the hell are you doing?" Hayate yelled at him.
"Those babies were tearing up my office! How am I supposed to meet my deadline and baby-sit at the same time?" He turned to Hayate who just looked at Himeno.
"Hayate, Kei! We are trying to plan a wedding here. Please take this conversation elsewhere." Takako butt in angrily, throwing the clipboard she had all the notes on to the floor.
"Sheesh. Chill out I was just hoping Himeno could take the kids for a while." He backed into the wall near the door.
"Why didn't you ask in a kinder manner then, hmm? Why did you have to blow up on her when we were extremely busy planning my wedding?" Takako was still angry but cooled off a bit.
"Sorry Himeno. But could you? I really have a lot of work to do." Kei looked at her with big golden puppy dog eyes.
"I guess, as long as they are sure not to get in the way with my work. Besides, they can play outside with Miako. She's a sweet little girl." Miako was the daughter of one of the maids and came to hangout at the mansion everyday. She loved to play outside with all the things we had bought for the younger knights, "But Kei, Isn't it you birthday? Why are you working on your birthday?" She added as an after thought.
"Yes. But I really have a lot of work and can't take any more time off then I have already. I'll will be here tonight, around 6'o'clock. Bye guys." He turned and left. Himeno heard him tell Mannen that the kids could stay there now. She heard Shin laugh with joys as he rushed into the kitchen and hugged Himeno's knees.
"Himeno? Will you play with me?" His cute little voice found its way up to her ears and she looked down with a smile.
"Maybe later. Miss Takako and I have a lot of work to do before the wedding. Maybe I'll take a break though." She continues to smile as he nodded and went back out into the foyer with Mannen who had just discover that Miako was 12 and VERY pretty.
"Himeno. There are some things I have to do for the wedding with Sasame. I'll call him and you can play with Shin, if you want." Takako suggested to Himeno as she plopped into a chair with boredom.
"Okay! I'll do that!" She stood up and rushed out the door and to the foyer room to find Mannen sitting on the stairs with Miako and Hajime and Shin playing with the toy cars in front of the door.
Shin looked up from making the car get gas when Himeno walked in.
"Himeno! Did you decide to come play with us?" Shin asked hopefully.
"Yup! So which car can I be?" Himeno sat cross-legged on the floor across from Shin.
"Oh this one! This one!" He held up and a reddish-pink hotrod. Himeno smiled and took the car as Shin explained with detailed instructions how to play.
Himeno pushed the car across the floor and watched it roll to the edge of the stairs just as Mayune was stalking down them. Himeno screamed for Mayune to watch where she stepped a little to late and saw her step on the car and slide across the floor to the door where she rolled down the stairs that led to ground floor.
Mayune jumped up from the ground, Her pink hair tangles in knots and her new shirt torn down the side," Himeno!" She screeched out like a banshee. She raced up the stairs and stopped in front of Himeno as she was pushing a new car down the street of Hajime's handmade cardboard city, complete with a little pond just outside. The boxes were held up with tiny vines Shin had made.
"Aw How sweet, the little babies are playing pretend!" Mayune taunted Himeno.
"Shut it Mayune! Its better to be a kid at heart then to grow up old!" Came Himeno's response between the siren noises Hajime was making come from his toy police car.
Mayune growled and turned angrily to the door.
"OUCH!" She cried as she ran into Kei as he was walking in, looking flustered and extremely pissed off.
"What the hell?" The cried out as Mayune toppled to the floor, landing in Hajime's pond, and Shin cried out," Yay! The bad lady fell! Kerploosh!" He jumped up and down in excitement as a maid hurried in with a mop to clean up the mess.
"Kei? I thought you weren't gunna be home till later…" Himeno stood.
"That was the initial plan but the boss says since I'm only 17, that I shouldn't be at work in the summer anyways. THEN he found out it was my birthday and all my plans went down the drain." He plopped onto the couch and crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted.
"Oh come on! It can't be that bad…I mean, you can stay here and hang out with me!" Himeno felt proud that she was so much fun to hang out with.
"Oh trust me…It IS that bad." Kei grinned at her.
"HEY…well at least you are smiling now…" Himeno glared but her face turned to utter surprise when a toy car came crashing into the back of her knee.
"I'm sorry Himeno!" cried Shin, running over to her and giving her a big, watery hug around her legs.
"Its okay…I know you didn't mean it." She smiled down at him through the pain she was feeling and knew it would be bruised the next day.
"Himeno. Can me and Miako go outside to the backyard?" Mannen spoke from the stairs. Himeno noticed Miako was blushing and holding his hand.
"Sure. But be back soon, I think the cake will be done in 30 minutes, be back in about 20. Kay?"
"Okay!" Mannen smiled, and his face turned a deep shade and red.
They disappeared through the door and Himeno sat on the couch next to Kei, rubbing the back of her leg, which was already turning an ugly mix and purple, yellow, black, and blue.
"Himeno Let me get you some ice." Kei stood but a maid rushed in with ice and began wrapping a cloth ice pack around her injured leg," Okay never mind." He sat back down and another maid fluffed a pillow next to her.
"So…Kei, what kind of cake do you eat?" Himeno asked the awkward question randomly.
"Umm, White cake." He answered and then rested his face in his hands.
"Oh that's good, cause that's what the chefs are making'" Himeno giggled as Hayate walked in from outside.
"Hey Himeno, Can you tell me where Mannen is?" He looked bewildered about something.
"Ummm, he went outside wit Miako." Himeno answered knowingly.
"…" He was speechless."
"Why?" She asked him when he said nothing.
"Cause I think I just saw him making out with some girl." Hayate blushed and looked disgusted.
"Aww…don't like the making out?" Himeno laughed and stood.
"It's not that…it's just that…well…He's like 13." Hayate was trying to find a way to keep himself from sounding stupid.
"Its okay Hayate, I know you don't mind if I kiss you." Himeno stood on her tiptoes and kissed him deeply.
"He melted into her kiss, he did, every time she kissed him like that. To him, she was perfect.
They broke and Himeno turned to Kei, "Hey Kei, Go in the dining room and I'll be there in a sec." Kei stood and did as he was commanded, wanting to get away from the two lovebirds.
When he walked in, Takako was standing in the room, along with Sasame, Shin, and Hajime.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEI!" They all screamed when they walked in.
"Wha?" Kei was shocked, he thought the only person that even thought about his birthday that day was Himeno, only because she wouldn't stop talking about it.
"Surprise! Surprise!" Shin was jumping up and down in a chair and Hajime was sitting on the floor next to him.
"Happy Birthday Kei!" Himeno walked in with Hayate on her heals.
His eyes were wide, what's going on? What were they thinking? That my party would be as great as Sasame's? I mean, a couple got married there AND a couple got started there, how do I compete?
Then, three maids walked in carrying a HUGE cake decorated in beautiful yellow and white icing.
The maids were making their exit when Himeno started asking them if they wanted to stay.
"No, we couldn't do that, Madam. We have work to do and no time to party." Talley said with a small smile.
"Well…I'm your boss and I am telling you that you can stay, we have like 10000 maids, 3 missing ones wont be a problem I assure you." Himeno smiled back at them and pushed them further into the room.
Talley ran into Kei as she was being pushed forward.
"Oh! I'm so sorry sir!" She stepped back and bowed, her waist length blonde hair falling into her face, covering her golden eyes.
Kei reached for her pulled her face up with her chin," It's no problem." He smiled.
Himeno watched from the corner with Hayate," I knew he'd like her. She's the only American on the staff, and she's is really kind to. She is the one who lights all the candles during power outages."
There was an interruption as one of the maids, Katey, announced she was cutting the cake and offered the first piece to Kei.
He took it and handed it to Talley who blushed as she took the first bite.
"Aww, they are so cute together!" Himeno squealed out.
Hayate remained in his silent stage as he went up and got himself and Himeno a piece of cake, making sure Himeno's was as big as a rhinoceros. ((I'm sorry, had to put that…lol))
Kei smiled and his usually even toned face was being stained with red on his cheeks as he spoke enthusiastically with Talley.
"So, are you really from America?" He asked her.
"Yeah. My mom and dad died a while back so I live with a Japanese foster family. They take in a lot of foster kids. I'm just one of many they have. I have 21 other brothers and sisters." She explained to him as she took a big bite of her cake.
"Wow. That's a lot of family. A wedding for one of you will be PACKED!" He exclaimed.
"And why did you think of wedding?" Talley asked him expectantly.
"Because…umm…of this really good cake. Tastes like a wedding cake! Yum." He took a bite that was too big for him to talk with it still I his mouth.
Talley laughed at him and he grinned down at her once he finally swallowed his mouthful of cake.
"Want some ice cream?" He offered her, walking over to the ice cream container Katey had just placed on the table.
"Umm, let me get that for you." She offered him in return.
"No. You always do this for people, let me d it for you. 'Kay?"
"Okay." She finally gave up trying to let her do the work.
She seemed to forget it and she and Kei found the bench in the far corner and sat down with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream.
They just sat and talked for what seemed like a couple of minutes. They talked about their families and their jobs. They talked about their embarrassing moments and the best minutes of their lives.
By the time Himeno came up to Talley and told her she had been on that bench for 4 hours and that she should probably get back to work.
Kei pouted as she left and glanced at his watch. 11: 45pm.
"Wow…" He said to himself.
"I know, how time flies when you're falling in love." Himeno said.
"Yup. How time flies when your fall- WAIT A SECOND!" He yelled at Himeno.
Himeno just started running upstairs to her room and Hayate was hot on her heels.
Kei growled in anger just as Talley walked back in and stated the Natsue told her to clean the dining room.
"Okay, I'll help you." Kei said as he began to pick up people's paper plates and forks.
"You really don't have to, Kei. Really." She tried to get him to sit in one of the dining room chairs. He refused and continued to clean up with her.
When she was done it was 11:59 pm and Kei was starting to count the seconds that he had left in his birthday.
He watched as the hour hand and minute hand moved in unison to the 12.
"Well, my birthday is officially over." He said with a grin, "Now I can go to work."
"You mean you won't be here tomorrow?" Talley asked with a disappointed look on her beautiful face, her golden eyes seemed to fill with sorrow.
"Well, maybe I can skip ONE day of work." He said and went up to her. She leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek.
Kei shook his head. 'This was the best birthday ever. Oh was I wrong.' He thought to himself as he held her close to him.
((There you go! I know I posted it early…but I finished it and couldn't wait for the replies I'll be getting…lol))