Hello to one and all! Yes, it's Tezuka Kunimitsu's birthday! But did you know in Mythic Brotherhood, he actually has TWO? That's right readers, his Human birthday and a "Hatch Day" celebration held once every hundred years. Well, I decided, what the heck! Lets have him celebrate, but what does one give an ancient gold dragon who has EVERYTHING for his birthday? Read on and see! No set time to coincide with chronicles... Just a little tale for fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEZUKA! ...even if it IS a little late...

"Ever lasting"

Story: Tora Macaw

Disclaimer: Prince Of Tennis is not mine.. I think we all know who they REALLY belong to. I just like to turn them into non humans..grin.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Tezuka Kinumitsu; stoic captain and undisputed ruler of Seigaku tennis team celebrated a birthday, he usually did so by looking upon it simply as another day and reacted by totally ignoring it.

However, when the world around him conspired to do other wise, pretending one day out of 365 days of the year didn't exist became a difficult matter. For one, his human parents always insisted on a party. Even if it were an extremely small affair involving only the three of them, the proud youth's mother would spend an entire day choosing ingredients, sifting, mixing; then up to an hour slowly baking until her goal had been met. Then she would cover the sweet with pure white icing, lovingly fashion delicate lace borders, tiny marzipan mice so realistic one would swear they were moving, and white-gold birds perched upon balls of light chocolate before giving the entire creation a final dusting of fine grain icing sugar.

Retrieving his white framed racket from its bag, even he had to admit that such a beautiful cake; painstakingly made every October 7th with a magic touch of motherly love was an art form and in the many thousands of years the disguised dragon king had lived, nothing at all could be compared to its hand made splendor.

" Save maybe one thing." he thought as he strolled out onto the open tennis court.

Two orbs of glittering cerulean turned in a delicate face of fine porcelain skin to briefly lock onto his own hazel-gold eyes, before swinging away to meet his opponent with a closed lid smile. For a long moment, the team's captain found himself captivated by his lover's flawless grace wed to easy movement and neatly hidden power as he played.

A flash of raven darkness in the corner of his left eye caught his attention and steadying his gaze, he stared directly into a pair of emerald green eyes. " Happy birthday Tezuka." the owner of the orbs said warmly. " Eighteen human years old today."

Tezuka's only reply was a firm nod as his arms folded across his chest.

" Nya captain!" shouted Eiji as he bounced up to join the pair. " Happy birthday nya!"

Frosty russet orbs briefly shone in a stern face, then Tezuka found his attention taken up by Ryoma as the dark-haired singles star performed a perfect twist serve.

" Captain.." Oishi's voice speaking near his ear as Eiji raced off to play some more, caused Tezuka to slightly incline his head to indicate he was listening. " Will you be celebrating this year?"

"Aa.. perhaps." he answered while drinking in the sight of his grandson's every move.

" Not your human birthday." said Oishi quietly. " Your other one."

His other one. The words seemed to ripple about his head as he suspended his observations to ponder the question.

For one who had lived since before the dawning of time, a celebration every year at the beginning of spring had become a tedious affair; an event had he learned to avoid until finally agreeing to his disappointed subjects suggestion that he celebrate only once every one hundred years. Now, with that time looming once again before him, Tezuka's nostrils flared as a snort of disdain past through them.

" Bright Moon, I'm..what... somewhere on the high side of five hundred million years old?" tipping his head back, the proud teenager spent a moment enjoying the sun on his face as the wind stirred his hair with cloying fingers. Drawing a deep breath, he then continued to speak as though talking to the distant sky. " Sixty five million years ago I watched the dinosaurs perish in a destructive blaze of fiery death. After that, I watched the mammals emerge from the ashes and humans take their first ever two leggard steps. I've seen the Celestials vanish, fought in a terrible war and watched as Jinnai disappeared without a trace."

" Munt tnykuh gehk." said Oishi gently as he laid a comforting hand on his captain's right shoulder. " What are you trying to say?"

Resting his proud gaze on his friend's face, Tezuka briefly closed his eyes before answering. " The sun rose and set for years without number before I was born and will do so long after all life is gone. So what does it matter if I chose to ignore the time that marks the beginning of my presence on this earth?"

A light chuckle greeted his words, bringing a slight frown to his features as the disguised Moon Dog replied. " It matters to your subjects, and to the Hikari who wish to honour you."

"And, it matters to me." said the very quiet voice of Fuji who had stolen up on cats feet to overhear the entire conversation.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A cold wind sighed over the vast open meadow, rippling its way through tall emerald strands of soft grass as the first glorious rays of golden sunlight breached the barrier of jagged mountain tops surrounding the isolated roof of the world at dawn. Only those who could respect its pristine beauty were welcome there and as the glowing disk of day star cleared the ranks of thick clouds to bath the area in its warmth, a single creature that seemed to have detached from the sun itself appeared to lightly touch down on the lush carpet of green.

Mighty golden sails folding neatly along its back, the glowing creature seemed to glide over the meadow as it walked lightly for all its great mass. Stopping just shy of a dizzying two thousand meter drop off, Tezuka stood with all four feet firmly planted as he stretched his neck out over the cliff to voice a thunderous roar. Echoing from craggy peak to shaded valley, the sound carried for miles; drifting over silent, snow bound passes before finally fading to windy howl hidden in the strong breezes blowing throughout the human settlements far below.

Satisfied his private retreat from the modern world was undisturbed, the king of all dragons retreated a few steps before swinging his head around to look at the slender human seated at the base of his long, serpentine neck. " So what happens now?"

" Saa..." replied Fuji as he turned his smiling face to the sky. " We wait a moment."

Voicing a low pitched grunt, the huge gold dragon laid his neck flat against the grass so his lover could easily slid down. Lifting his head, Tezuka then sat up on his haunches; strong forelegs crossing over his broad chest as he eyed the tiny human standing before his heavy, curving hind claws.

" As much as I enjoy coming here, I don't enjoy parties."

" But would you enjoy it for me?" asked Fuji quietly while running a loving hand over a warm golden talon.

Lowering his head, Tezuka ever so gently rubbed the side of his huge squared off muzzle against the Tensai's Parka clad torso. " Only for you." he whispered before the heavens were spit asunder by a piercing cry. A loud warbling bellow followed and fighting down an urge to sigh, he lifted his wings while extending his neck upwards.

Greeting the dragons now popping into existence with a hauntingly beautiful call that bought happy tears to the 'Blood's' half lidded eyes, the mighty dragon lord reared high; great golden sails standing wide from his shoulders as he displayed his splendor for all to see.

Once his team mates, his fellow dragons and many Hikari had finished arriving, Tezuka bowed low before the angel folk as they began to sing a lovely song in his honour.

"Stars wheel throughout the sky, some shower the earth with chromatic rain. Prism tones and dancing rainbows there's so much life for us to gain..."

Listening to the words brought many of Tezuka's deeply buried memories boiling up to the surface as recalled Jinnai once singing the very same song so very long ago and despite his misgivings for the occasion, he found himself swaying in time to the music of flute, harp, lyre and whispered percussion as the voices of his dragon followers set a perfect harmony. Humming along with the others, Fuji let his own voice rise to blend perfectly with the some what lengthy song.

Finally falling silent, the massed Hikari bowed as one while Tezuka nodded his approval and thanks. Stepping forward as heavens choir moved aside, the huge bronze Kabaji held out a large object gripped firmly in his front talons. " My gift to you u sekrdo kumt. An ice crystal from beneath the caverns of purity in the upper realm."

" Will go very well with the one hundred and seventy others you've given me." thought the gold silently as he accepted his gift with regal aplomb.

Next one to approach was Inui and as his idea of a birthday gift was a huge bottle of frothing, seething juice a ghastly shade of grey-green, Tezuka rather gingerly took it from him as if fearing an explosion.

" This is from me." Takashi said shyly while holding out a huge platter. Eyeing enough sushi to easily feed every creature present with plenty to spare, the much larger dragon took it from the little red with a small nod of thanks.

" Lord gold...sir..."

Hearing a very small voice somewhere near his mid section accompanied by a persistent tug on a wing, Tezuka ignored Fuji's light, slivery laugh to glare sternly at the tiny black hatchling begging for his attention.

Retreating half a step due to his king's forbidding expression, young Dan gulped as he nervously bobbed his head. " Ah... this..is.." lifting a trembling fore leg, he hesitantly presented a large green object dangling from a loose grip of shaking talons. " ...I want..." His throat moving as he loudly swallowed, the rest of the sentence erupted from him in a sudden rush. " I want to give you this very special present, its from Akutsu senpai, Sengoku senpai and myself."

" Indeed." thought Tezuka as one scaly gold eye brow quirked up. Accepting what was very obviously a dragon sized head band being reverently draped over an extended claw, the great gold almost snorted fire due to the strangely smug expressions marring the faces of a flame haired Hikari and the green scaled dragon beside him as Nitobe and Kita looked on in amusement.

From Atobe he received a beautiful gold watch, successor to a long line of such objects presented to him ever since the human time pieces had first been invented. Momo' and Ryoma gave him a new pair of tennis shoes, then Kaido slid forward to hand him a large ornate bottle of scale oil. From all of team Rokkaku, he received a beautifully illustrated ancient book of Asian history and judging by the pleased look on their old coach's face, the last of the royal Chinese dragons had certainly given a claw in the acquisition of such a rare and valuable gift.

Through out all the gift giving, Fuji had held back; the normally serene smile gracing his features seeming to grow just a little wider as he waited patiently to give his incredible lover his own very special brand of present. No one had ever given the ancient gold such a gift before he thought as he watched Daichi hand him a large bunch of exotic wild flowers from around the world and glittering eyes peeling half open, the Tensai let a somewhat sly expression slowly creep onto his placid features as he anticipated his captain's reaction.

Tezuka was carefully placing a large box of his favourite ginger chocolates from Yukimura beside his ever growing stack of hatch day gifts, when a flash of honey-brown hair out the corner of one eye caught his attention and looking fully upon the face of the one who had gradually tamed his wild heart, the stern hazel-gold eyes softened.

Lowering his great head, he closed his eyes; a small sound of contentment sighing from him as Fuji lovingly embraced his face. "Did you think I'd forgotten?" the 'Blood' whispered as Tezuka ever so gently nuzzled his chest. " I wanted to be last, so you would never forget it was I that gave you the best present of all."

" And what would be?" Tezuka breathed as the tip of his long, snakelike tongue tenderly stirred up his lover's hair.

" My love." And with those two simple words, Fuji took the sides of the gold dragon's huge squared off muzzle in both hands then tilting his head a little to one side, the Tensai of Seigaku placed an affectionately erotic kiss on the great beast's top lip.

Deaf to the awed sighs drifting around them, the pair became captive only to each eyes as their deep bond became the only recognized force in all the known realms.

Carefully laying his neck flat against the grass, Tezuka silently invited his lover to ride upon his back. His beaming smile rivalling the sun, Fuji quickly sprinted down the glowing length to place his hands firmly atop the golden scales. Swiftly pushing himself up, the Tensai used his arms as leverage then threw his right leg over the limb to comfortably settle himself between the last two towering neck ridges.

Standing fully erect, the mighty dragon threw his head back to voice a fearsome bellow as his muscles bunched; then with a great leap, the glowing fantasy creature bounded forward. Long legs reaching in mighty strides, the lord of dragons galloped with a light, easy grace; his large curved talons floating over the grass as he charged directly for the nearby cliff.

Holding on tightly the tall triangular ridge before him, Fuji's heart began to beat fast as his open eyes widened at the realization of his lover's intentions.

Reaching the drop off, the Mythic fire lizard unhesitatingly threw himself over to drop straight down in a mind blowing, terrifying free fall.

With the icy wind lashing his face as it roared in his ears; his hair steaming behind him as the harsh G forces threatened to tear the cloths from his body, Fuji felt his heart leap into his throat as the pair plummeted; the ground rushing up toward them with brutal speed. Yet, resisting an over whelming urge to scream, Fuji; in an ultimate test of faith, relaxed as he placed his fragile life wholly in Tezuka's claws.

Directly below the sharp rocks and snow bound wastes beckoned. But mere seconds before the couple were about to slam into the unforgiving ground, Tezuka's enormous wings snapped open. Fire thundered from his open jaws, the powerful blast coupled to a strong down sweep of golden sails pushing him back into the windy safety of the open sky; the tips of his claws just barley stirring up the melting snow as the huge dragon neatly pulled out of the spectacularly dangerous dive.

Leathery wings pumping, Tezuka eyed the seared rocks below with satisfaction as he quickly reassured himself his human lover hadn't suddenly dropped dead from fright.

" Well... you could have warned me." Fuji answered with a slightly strained smile. " But I must admit, it was fun. Tezuka, you make a very good roller coaster."

Lifting his wings, the great creature answered with a non committal grunt as he leveled off to glide towards a large opening at the base of a towering cliff face a few miles east of his hatch day gathering.

Swooping low over the dazzling snow, he let his hind legs dangle as he back winged to land. Delicately touching down in a whipped up flurry of freezing white, he then loosely folded his wings before striding into the yawning mouth of a huge cavern.

" One of my many secret lairs." he informed Fuji as he lowed his neck.

The moment his lover's feet touched the ground, Tezuka transformed in an eye blinding golden glow. Then in his half human form, he swept his smiling lover into his strong arms to carry him into a short side passage linked to the main network of large tunnels honey combing the entire mountain.

Upon reaching a small cavern, the proud youth tenderly laid his burden upon a thick bed of dry grass and soft blankets before drinking in the sight of the willowy human with luminous eyes. " Thank you pamujat pmuut..." he whispered as hungry lips lightly drifted over the shell of his lover's sensitive ears. " ...for the truly marvelous gift you have given me."

" A gift I'll gladly give whenever you wish to receive it." murmured Fuji in reply, slender fingers entangling themselves in silken, golden-brown hair as the pair completely surrendered themselves to their passion.

Endless...