Chapter 20

"Itachi-kun, I won't be reading with you today," Suiren exclaimed just as they were about to enter his room. Itachi paused in his steps, turning to gaze at her.

"Sasori asked me to buy some materials for his puppet. I'm the only one who can go without killing innocent people for fun."

"You don't need to tell me everything. It's your life," Itachi replied.

Suiren's face slightly fell but immediately regained its composure. "Oh, well… I'll be going then."

She quickly teleported out of the hallway to the entrance.

"Stupid Itachi," She pouted as she ran through the grass. "I'm doing all this for you!... Just when I thought we became closer…" Suiren sighed, then shook her head. "No, today's gonna be a happy day! He'll regret it later tonight!" She nodded to herself, determined to find the ingredients she would need to bake tonight's surprise.

Itachi couldn't concentrate as he sat at his desk, trying to read. The room was too silent, a different kind of silent than when Suiren was there. After focusing for a few more minutes, he finally gave up, bringing the book to his bed. He lay in silence, staring at the stone ceiling.

Was I too harsh on her? He wondered. He sighed deeply, covering his face with the open book. I'll apologize to her when she gets back.

Eggs, butter, milk, cream. Suiren ran through the street market searching for the precious items, mentally checking off the list every time she succeeded in purchasing an item. She grew more excited the closer she got to her goal. It would be her first time celebrating Itachi's birthday today.

Smiling brightly, Suiren swung her groceries over her shoulder and returned back to the hideout. Before going inside, she masked her chakra and cast a jutsu that erased her presence. She then confidently walked in towards the middle hall, going to the kitchen. Kakuzu was already there cooking dinner for the night.

"Hello, Kakuzu. I'll be using the kitchen today," Suiren nodded at Kakuzu, who nodded back.

"It's rare to see you here."

"Today I'll be baking something special for Itachi's birthday. Keep it a secret. He thinks I'm on an errand for Sasori."

"Is that so. It's been a long time since anyone's celebrated their birthday here. Except Deidara, but that boy doesn't count," Kakuzu shook his head, then resumed cutting the vegetables.

Suiren giggled, taking out a few mixing bowls and tools from the cabinet. Remembering a certain recipe from her previous life, she mixed the ingredients as if it was second nature to her. The cake dough was quickly made and popped into the oven, and she moved on to the cream while waiting for the cake to finish baking. After it cooled, the circle cake was cut into layers and reassembled with buttercream in between. Then the outside was coated with a light whipped cream and smoothed out. To finish the white cake, Suiren decorated the top with blueberries and syrup and wrote "Happy Birthday, Itachi" in the middle with chocolate icing.

"There! Finished!" She cried out in triumph as the masterpiece lay beautifully on the countertop.

"Just in time," Kakuzu called out. "It's time for dinner."

"Ah, wait," Suiren answered. "I'll stay here. I want to surprise Itachi-kun right after dinner!"

Kakuzu shrugged, not understanding why the girl was so excited about the event, but he set aside her portion of dinner anyways before leaving the area.

"Thank you!"

"Whatever."

Suiren scarfed down the rice and fish combo that Kakuzu cooked, then hid behind the counter with the cake. She pushed a few candles into the cake's smooth surface, then found a comfortable position to sit in wait.

Itachi was the last to join everyone else at the table. He frowned as he saw the empty seat beside his. Suiren had not returned yet. She had never missed a meal before.

"Hurry up so we can eat, Itachi no danna!" Deidara yelled as he struck his chopsticks into the table.

"Where's Suiren, Sasori?"

Sasori glanced over, bored. "The parts I asked for are hard to find. She's probably still searching through the black market."

The face lines on Itachi's face grew deeper as he sat down in his chair. You should have gone yourself then, asshole.

The table was quieter than usual, since Suiren wasn't there to make conversation as usual. Everyone seemed to finish dinner faster because there was less talking. Itachi stared at his half-eaten meal.

"I'm going to go look for her," He said as he stood up. Kisame stared incredulously at him.

"She's stronger than me, Itachi. Hell, she's stronger than all of us. I'm sure she's fine. You're not acting like yourself."

(At this moment, Suiren was thinking 'Oh shit, I gotta act fast').

Itachi didn't reply, instead walking out of the dining room. However, just before he exited the area, the lights went dark. His eyes flashed red, searching for the intruder. How could none of them have felt the enemy infiltrating? Had his senses dulled?

What his eyes saw wasn't an enemy though. It was an outline of a girl, illuminated by the candles on the cake she was holding.

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Itachi-kun. Happy Birthday to you!" She sang as she placed the cake on the table.

Itachi's eyes obscurely widened as he stood frozen as Suiren sang her way to the table.

"You…?" He didn't know what to say at the sight in front. How many years had it been since someone had celebrated his birthday? He had forgotten the date himself. Flashbacks of his childhood filled his mind.

"Happy Birthday, my son Itachi!" Mikoto cheered as she set down her homemade cake on the table.

"You're growing to be a fine man, my son," Fugaku smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Nii-san!" Sasuke laughed.

"Happy 17th Birthday, Itachi-kun!" Suiren exclaimed.

"What are you waiting there for? Blow out your candles!" Deidara pushed Itachi back down into his chair, shaking him from his daze. He quickly blew out the fires, earning a howl from Hidan.

The lights came back on, and everyone gasped at how pretty Suiren's cake was. It was simple, but delicate looking. Itachi was surprised, because he did not know that Suiren could bake. Suiren evenly cut the cake into even pieces, giving Itachi the first slice with a shy smile.

Itachi hesitantly ate the first bite. The cake melted into his mouth. The buttercream was light and just the right amount of sweetness, and the blueberries added a hint a tartness to balance it out. The cake itself was moist and spongey.

"This cake is amazing, yeah!" Deidara yelled out with a mouthful of cake. "Suiren, make one for my birthday next time!"

Suiren laughed, feeling proud that everyone was enjoying her cake. She glanced over at Itachi, who was silently finishing his slice.

"Happy Birthday, Itachi-kun! I'm sorry I lied to you. Do you like it?"

"You've gotten better at hiding your presence."

"If I didn't, you would have found out!"

"You didn't have to do this for me."

Suiren huffed. "It's a special day! Of course I had to do it for you."

"Is that so… Well… I wanted to apologize for earlier. I was too harsh."

"Ahh… It's fine. What you said wasn't wrong. I'm sorry if I was a bother to you. I'll try to stay out of your way now."

"No," Itachi gazed at her. "You don't have to do that. I don't mind if you tell me everything."

"I see. I'll do that then," Suiren smiled nonchalantly, although she was inwardly relieved.

"Suiren! I want a second slice!" Deidara yelled.

Suiren rolled her eyes. "I better go to him before he explodes our hideout for cake," She said as she stood to leave. But before she could take her first step, a hand grabbed onto her wrist.

"… Thank you, Suiren," Itachi said sincerely, gazing into her eyes.

Suiren tilted her head, surprised at his response. "I'm glad you like it."

"… I do."

Suiren's lips turned into a small smile. "We'll celebrate it every year then."

Itachi felt a warm sensation in his chest as he watched Suiren prevent everyone from fighting over the last slice of cake.

"Every year, huh…" He mumbled to himself. He supposed he could get used to it.