"Hinata and the others said they couldn't come today, but they promised to bring another cake and sing you 'happy birthday' soon."
"It's alright, Owari. Things have been very hectic lately."
The woman, Owari, hummed her agreement and brought a large, amorphous cake littered with candles to the table, and placed it in front of the man that had addressed her. Once, that man had been strong, irradiating healthiness, a state that occulted perfectly the weak heart that beat in his chest. However, months to no end of being stuck in a comatose state took their toll, and he even needed to use a cane to walk. Still, both the man and woman were hopeful in spite of it all, for the recovery was slow, but steady.
"It looks horrible, but the scent of this cake is promising," the man said to Owari, who was back to the kitchen counter, fetching other things necessary for the birthday celebration.
"Jeez! No need to be so honest, old man," she complained jokingly as she returned to the table, flatware in one hand and a party hat in the other.
Owari put the flatware on the table where it belonged, that is to say, close to the plates. Following that, she went to place the party hat on the man's head. First Owari let the elastic band hold against his well defined chin that contrasted with his thinned cheeks. Then, she made the conical shape rest upon his head, which was covered by very short blue hair. The hat was adorned by various colourful patterns, and it was sided by two cat ears, making it work just like a cat headband.
"Heh, I kinda missed those cat ears of yours, old man!"
"You will never tire yourself of making me wear cat headbands and other such thing, will you?" the man said with a sigh, but there was a smirk on his unshaved face.
"Not until you can grow your own again!" Owari replied with a devilish grin.
Owari lit up the candles and turned off the kitchen's lights, proceeding to sing shakily but surely.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to old man Nidai
Happy birthday to you…
She clapped her hands enthusiastically, and the man blew the candles. Some remained lit, however.
"Ku… it is the first time that I fail to defeat the birthday candles with a single blow…"
Owari approached him, placed a hand on one of his shoulders, and said, "Don't worry, old man." The woman leaned forward and blew the remaining candles. She grinned at Nidai. "See? They still went down with a single one of your breaths!"
Nidai's arms encircled Owari, pulling her to him, and hugged her.
"Thank you, Owari. How would I be able to face this all without you?" he said with a wobbly voice.
Owari hugged him back, one of her hands patting his head. A couple tears rolled down cheeks as she spoke. "I don't know, Nidai. But as long as I have a say in it, we're making it through this."
They stayed in such a stance for a while, until Owari broke the hug and lowered herself, landing her hands on Nidai's cheeks and kissing him on the lips.
"We'll beat the hell outta the odds and make it through this… happy birthday, old man."