*Rachael's POV*
"No way," said Scrooge. "So… they're together? Mark and Kim are a couple?!"
"Yep," I laughed. "I was there. You can ask them… Well, actually, they don't know I was there, but… they know they're in love."
"I gotcha," Scrooge nodded.
Of course, I had just finished explaining the bright side of what played out in the Stronghold that night. The dark side had kinda… faded away. I mean, I was worried sick at first about the End being gone forever and some creepily familiar voice speaking to me as if I were its best friend… but I was only worried at first. I'm one to let things slide and get over things easily. Vengeance hinders dream-catching in some cases.
"So, uh… hey," Scrooge said, getting up from the floor and walking up to me. "I actually have a bit of a surprise for you!"
Oh, I loved surprises! When they were festive, that is.
"Ooh," I smiled. "…Do you need me to close my eyes?"
"Yes, actually," said Scrooge. "You just keep your arm over your eyes, and I'll guide you to where we need to be."
"Cool!" I cheered, covering my eyes.
At that moment, Scrooge took my hand and started pulling me out the door. I figured he'd just nudge my back and turn me in the right direction occasionally, but… he held my hand… I felt myself blush a bit and my blood rush faster and faster. It was almost like the growing excitement was like a growing sugar rush.
"What time is it?" I asked worriedly. The last thing I needed was definitely to be mauled.
"It's nighttime, but that's good for the purpose," said Scrooge. "I'll be sure to beat anything up that even gives you a longing look."
At that moment, I realized that I had lost my footing. I gave out a bit of a scream before I found my hand separating from Scrooge's, and myself in the water. Of course… being blinded by my arm was going to lead to an inevitable fall off of my one-block-wide dirt "bridge." I swam to the surface, not even removing my arm from my eyes. I then stood atop an underwater stone block, catching my breath and coughing.
To my disbelief… Scrooge was… laughing. I thought water hurt his kind, and that I had just sent a huge splash of it his way.
"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.
"Just fine," Scrooge continued laughing. "Just… dry your right hand off, and we'll be fine. I should be asking if you're okay!"
"It happens all the time," I said, drying my right hand against a dry brick of cobblestone, then feeling around until I could get back up onto the bridge, where Scrooge then took my hand again.
I felt that we were walking into a snowy biome, and then Scrooge spoke again.
"Alrighty, then!" he said. "You may uncover your eyes."
And what did I uncover them to?
It was an event similar to one we had for Scrooge earlier in the year. A festive table, a couple of presents… and, excluding Steve, every one of my other friends.
They had figured out, somehow, that it was December the 9th… my birthday.
"Surprise!" cheered Scrooge, Mark, Kim, and Bill. They then stared at me expectantly… meeting my grateful and astonished glare.
I could almost feel tears well up in my eyes.
"…You guys…" I said.
"Don't mention it," said Bill. "I mean… you mean a lot to us, and you've probably never had your birthday celebrated here before… so… yeah! Happy birthday, Rachael!"
"Hey, open my gift!" Kim requested. "It's the green one with the purple bow!"
So I walked over and picked up the present out of the two that were there that she had just mentioned. I opened it excitedly… feasting my eyes upon the most beautiful emerald ring I had ever seen.
My mind's eye decided to travel back in time. When Steve gave me that diamond out of nowhere…
The whole thing with Steve is getting a little weird, isn't it? It was here that I began totally doubting his "friendship." Every time I tried to watch him, he always seemed to be killing mobs at random without examining their legs or their faces first. Sharpening tools, or even muttering to himself about him and I being alone on this world…
I didn't quite appreciate his company anymore. At the same time, however, I wasn't going to let that ruin my first Minecraft birthday.
Basically, the diamond was just a rock in comparison to this emerald ring. I put it on gratefully, watching it glint in the moonlight. Regardless of how much I really didn't care for jewelry… this was beautiful.
"Thank you, Kim!" I smiled. "It's beautiful!"
"Mine next!" said Bill. "…It's the only one left."
The only one left was actually a pink present, also with a purple bow. This actually felt strange. Bill… and these types of colors? Was he seriously trying to think completely of what I liked? Well… it was a hot pink, not a prissy princess pink. It looked cool.
I opened it and feasted my eyes upon a golden, yet transparent bracelet that was filled with glowstone dust. I'm still surprised that it didn't shine through the box. Again, I wasn't really that fond of jewelry… but these were rather beautiful things, crafted by a couple of my friends themselves. I slipped it on.
"Bill, this is beautiful as well!" I said. "How did you do it?"
"Well..." Bill replied. "…W-What, just because I don't have arms-"
"That's not it!" I said. "Even if you did have arms… this and the ring are two of the most beautiful things I've ever seen!"
*Scrooge's POV*
I had a gift for her as well, before you ask. It was more of a visual concept, though. I was still pretty sure she'd like it.
…Until Kim and Bill had to work together to quite literally outshine me.
The present? It was a cobblestone heart that I had built all by myself… long ago, after the castle was built, yet before she officially knew me.
…Glowstone! That was all I needed to make it prettier! Oh, and maybe some signs as well!
"H-Hey…" I said, making the crowd look my way… worriedly. "I have a gift as well. It's more of a visual aspect, though, and I need to work with it for a little bit."
"Hurry up," Mark called. "The moon is halfway to the horizon!"
Long story short, I traveled to the Nether, teleported around, and eventually had all of the glowstone blocks I knew I needed in hand. I traveled to the cobblestone heart. Poor thing was so dull and dim against the night sky.
Time to light it up, I told myself.
*Rachael's POV*
A curious question popped up in my head, and I grabbed a potion bottle that was in my inventory and got some water from the nearby river.
I had heard the Villagers tell stories of people much like myself that needed water to live much more than they needed food. I… somehow didn't.
Then… I realized why as I examined the liquid within the bottle. I mean, it was water.
It's just that now that this amount was condensed into a bottle… I could see the little particles of squid ink swirling in it. I should have suspected as much, actually. Squids were everywhere sometimes within my world's water bodies.
Then, I heard Scrooge say from behind me "Alright! My gift is finished! It's… on the other side of the world, though..."
"Ah, go ahead and take Rachael alone," said Mark. "Kim and I would never make it before the sun starts burning us to crisps."
"Well… alright," said Scrooge.
He held my hand again, and soon, we were both standing… in front of the absolute most adorable creation I had ever seen.
It was a cobblestone heart… surrounded with a rectangle of glowstone.
First off, I wondered where Scrooge had found this glowstone. Each and every journey I had to take for it took the risk of being a swirling torrent of disappointment and fire or fall related death. I'm not sure where I went "wrong," but pretty soon, glowstone was an endangered species of inanimate object.
That doesn't mean I was angry, though. Honestly… this sculpture was beautiful, and I wanted it to stay this way forever.
For a second, I was wondering whether this was a sign… but I told myself yet again that it was best to live in the moment rather than trying to watch it from the outside.
But really… Scrooge had built this himself? It wasn't much, but it was sweet to the extreme. I felt tears well up in my eyes again.
"Like it?" asked Scrooge… with an evident blush on his face.
"It's… so sweet of you, Scrooge!" I said, hugging him.
All of a sudden… he picked me up while he hugged me back. To be fair, he was taller than me and all, but… I felt so warm and fuzzy…
*Scrooge's POV*
The words "She's mine" smiled slyly within my mind.
More than anything, though, I was so happy that she liked my creation. I was certainly proud of it, and as simple as it looked… I loved her, and at this point, both subtle and evident were great ways to go for showing it.
I had to show it, though, especially on tonight of all nights. This was an anniversary of when she was born… When my soulmate was created, and I probably had no clue that "soulmate" was even a word…
Author's note: …The same birthday applies to this beloved author. My birthday is on the 9th of December! I shall be Sweet 16 this year… On another note, though, I will be taking ideas for yet another week. None, and I'll go on a predetermined route of pure seriousness.