The Gun & The Sword

Chapter IX: Birthday Celebrations, A Date.

Keiranto twisted the throttle and was rewarded by a loud roar from the engine and a spurt of smoke from the exhaust. Everything seemed to be in order, the old bike even had the original Speedo, complete with impossibly low mileage: only four hundred kilometres from new. He looked over at the man standing nearby and said, "I'll take it."

He thought about the bike as he stared at the book of maths problems he was studying. It had cost him ¥1,111,000 (£5000 or $10000) but it would to be worth it to see Motoko's happiness when he gave it to her. It was her birthday tomorrow and he had more than one surprise up his sleeve.

---------------------------------------The next day, December 6th--------------------------------------

Motoko came down to breakfast to find the Hinata inn deserted, no food on the table and the residents nowhere to be found. She opened the door to the lounge and almost jumped out of her skin as the residents all broke out in to a very loud amplified version of happy birthday to you. There was a mountain of presents waiting for her and she thanked everyone for the surprise before walking over to them.

Half an hour later, and surrounded by wrapping paper she was down to her last present: a small box with a tag saying "To my dearest Motoko, with all my love, Keiranto." She opened it to find a beautifully crafted metal flower and a set of keys on a key ring that said "Seeley Matchless G50". Keiranto led her outside to see a pristine motorcycle, complete with ribbon. Her jaw dropped, "This must have cost loads! I remember talking about this type of motorbike with you the other day and almost fainted at the cost of a bad condition example, this one is concourse! And this flower, it is beautifully crafted, what metal is it?"

"It is an alloy of silver, steel and tin. I hope you like these presents," was his sheepish reply.

"Like them? I LOVE them Keiranto, but not as much as I love you for giving them too me." And with that, she pulled him close and kissed him.

When she broke the kiss, Keiranto pulled out something else from his pocket. "Err, Motoko, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me this evening?"

"Of course, there's nothing I'd rather do!"

-------------------------------------------That evening, 5pm---------------------------------------------

The pair walked down from the Hinata Inn towards the seafront hand in hand. When Keiranto told Motoko which restaurant they were going to she almost didn't believe him. It was a top class establishment which usually had a huge waiting list and a reputation for serving the best food in Japan. "But, what should I wear, I can't go in like this!" she said. At the time she was wearing a denim skirt and long sleeved black top.

"Don't worry, I've got everything planned," said Keiranto, bringing out a package from a bag on his back. "There is a changing room over there, by that pool."

When she came out, he was wearing a navy blue shirt, black trousers and a maroon tie and was carrying a black jacket slung over one shoulder. She had to admit, he looked good. Keiranto, however, almost had to plug his nose to stop himself dying of blood loss. He had seen the dress in the shop and imagined how Motoko would look in it, but seeing her in it in person was mind-blowing. The long, shiny, dark red dress accented perfectly her raven hair and tall, lithe body. She took his arm. "Well, shall we go?"

Motoko sighed with pleasure. The meal had been lovely; she could see why the restaurant had got its reputation. Keiranto had presented her with another surprise, reserving the whole seafront balcony for them both, along with a band playing slow, romantic music. The band changed to a slow waltz and Keiranto beckoned to her. "Would you do me the great pleasure of accompanying me in a dance?"

They danced slowly, alone under the full moon with only the sound of the band and the sea accompanying them. Motoko rested her head against Keiranto's chest. "Thank you Keiranto, this has been the best birthday I have ever had. In fact, this is the best time I have had in my life." They carried on dancing long into the night, moving as one.

It was around ten o'clock when the left the restaurant and the walked home together along the beach. When they finally opened the door of the Hinata inn, at around eleven, they were greeted with the sight of Kitsune passed out on the floor, drunk as a skunk. Motoko looked over at Keiranto. "Same old, same old." They said in unison and smiled.