Hello, everyone! Today is my birthday and so I decided to post a birthday fic. And you know what else? This is also the first story in a new series! Yes, I realize that I'm adding more work on my plate and so this probably isn't the best birthday gift to myself. But I was in the mood so why not?

This series will focus on Syaro and Rize as a married couple. I think this will be a fun idea to explore. I don't exactly have any ideas for future stories for this series just yet but I'm sure I'll be able to think of something eventually. So I hope you all enjoy this new series of mine.

Without further ado, let's get on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own GochiUsa. It belongs to Koi.

Birthday Bliss

Syaro let out a sigh as she trudged back home. She was so tired. Work was way too hectic today. Ama Usa An was opening yet another shop and she was in charge of overseeing everything related to it. It truly was a lot of work.

She'd been running around since the morning and all she wanted to do now was curl up in bed and sleep. But Syaro didn't think that was going to be possible. After all, it was her birthday today. And she was sure her friends would want to celebrate it.

Syaro slowed to a stop as she reached her destination. She stared at the front door of her house, wondering just what was awaiting her inside. Everyone had been acting kind of funny since the past few days and she was pretty sure they had been secretly planning a surprise birthday party for her.

Syaro bit her lip. A surprise birthday party. Just for her. The thought of everyone going through so much trouble for her sake made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And in all honesty, she had been looking forward to this party.

But things suddenly became extremely busy at work today and now she was completely exhausted. She didn't think she could handle a party right now. Actually, she knew she couldn't handle a party right now.

But she couldn't disappoint her friends. They worked hard just for her so she owed it to them to be happy with their surprise. Syaro took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She took out her key and turned it in the lock. With a click, the door opened and Syaro made her way inside the house.

Syaro quietly closed the door behind her and stood in silence. She couldn't hear anyone. Were they all hiding or something?

Syaro slowly crept through the passageway and headed toward the living room. She was glad she and Rize could afford to buy such a big house but right now, she kind of missed her old house. Her friends wouldn't have planned a party for her if she still lived there. There was no way all of them would fit in that tiny place.

Syaro quietly entered the living room and slowed to a stop. She looked around the room. Nobody was in sight. So everyone really was hiding. Oh, well. They'd probably jump out any second now.

...Or not.

Syaro furrowed her eyebrows. How long did everyone plan on keeping her waiting? She was feeling stupid simply standing in silence like this.

Rize poked her head out of the kitchen and grinned. "Oh, Syaro. You're finally back."

Syaro blinked. Was this their plan? To make it seem like nothing was happening and then they'd all jump out to surprise her?

Syaro crossed the room and stood near the dining table, looking around suspiciously. She seriously had no clue where everyone was. Maybe Rize trained them in guerilla warfare or something.

Rize took off her apron and walked over to Syaro. "Dinner is ready. You want to eat first or do you want to take a bath?"

"Uh..." Syaro looked over her shoulder. She wished everyone would come out already. She was too tired to deal with this right now.

"Syaro?"

"Huh?" Syaro turned back to look at Rize, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "Sorry. A bath would be nice."

"...Right."

Syaro's eyes darted around. This didn't make any sense. Everyone should have revealed themselves by now. What on earth were they waiting for?

"Um... Syaro? Is anything wrong?"

Syaro looked up at Rize to find her staring at her, a genuinely confused expression on her face. Syaro leaned forward and whispered into Rize's ear, "Could you please tell everyone to come out now?"

"...What?"

Syaro pulled away to look at Rize who looked absolutely puzzled. That was probably to be expected. After all, she wasn't supposed to know about the surprise party, was she?

Rize furrowed her eyebrows. "Syaro, what are you talking about? We're the only ones here."

"And when you say 'we', how many people are you referring to?"

"Just the two of us."

Syaro frowned. "This isn't funny anymore."

"What are you talki-"

Syaro whirled around, a hand on her hip. "Everyone, please come out."

"Syaro."

"I'm serious. You all don't want to annoy the birthday girl, right? So come out."

"Syaro, please listen to me."

Syaro threw her hands up into the air in exasperation. "Oh, come on! How long are you all going to hide?"

Syaro heard Rize sigh. Then she felt two hands on her shoulders. As Rize slowly turned her around, Syaro looked up at her.

A soft smile adorned Rize's lips. "You found out about the surprise party, didn't you?"

Syaro looked away. "Everyone was acting funny. It wasn't hard to figure out."

Rize chuckled. "Smart as ever, huh?"

Syaro bit her lip as she looked up at Rize. "I'm sorry I ruined the surprise."

Rize shook her head. "Don't apologize, sweetie. But..." She let out a sheepish laugh. "I wasn't lying when I said it's just the two of us here."

"...Huh?"

"I canceled the party."

"Eh?!"

"I, uh..." Rize scratched the back of her head. "I knew you were really busy today. And when I called you in the afternoon, you seemed really stressed out. And you said you'd come home late tonight. So I thought you'd be too tired to enjoy a party today. So I told everyone not to come."

Syaro's jaw dropped. Seriously? Rize canceled the party? That... That was...

Rize gave Syaro an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. Should I have not done that? Were you looking forward to the party? I can still call everyone if you want."

Syaro stared up at Rize in silence for a few moments before taking a step forward and hugging Rize as tight as she could. She buried her head in the crook of Rize's neck, a contented smile spreading across her face. She was so damn lucky to have such a caring wife.

"Syaro...?"

"I love you, Rize. I really do."

"Eh?"

Syaro looked up at Rize with a giggle. "That's not how you reply when someone says they love you, you know?"

"Uh, well..." Rize blinked. "You're not mad?"

"Of course not. I really am tired. Thank you so much for canceling the party."

Rize grinned. "I'm glad you're happy."

Syaro closed her eyes. "I am. And I really do love you like crazy right now."

Rize chuckled as she returned the embrace. "I love you too, Syaro. Happy birthday."

After a nice, relaxing bath, Syaro went downstairs to the dining room. Her eyebrows shot up at all the food spread out on the table.

Rize shot her a wide grin. "I canceled the party but that doesn't mean we're not going to celebrate your birthday at all."

Syaro eyed everything on the table. "You made all of this yourself?"

"Yep."

"And you made five dishes with bean sprouts?"

"Yep."

"And there's even meat too."

"Yep."

Syaro looked up at Rize, tears springing to her eyes. "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

Rize chuckled. "Oh, stop it. It's your birthday. Of course I was going to make you something special."

Rize pulled out a chair. "Have a seat, ojou-sama."

Syaro sat down as told. "Don't call me that."

"What about 'sweetheart'?"

"That's much better."

"Then I hope you enjoy your dinner, sweetheart."

Syaro giggled. "Thanks."

The two had their dinner together while Syaro chatted about her day. The food was delicious and by the end of her meal, a huge portion of Syaro's weariness had melted away.

"Thanks for cooking all this, Rize."

Rize gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "It was the least I could do."

A warm smile made its way to Syaro's face. Married life was even better than she had expected. That much she was certain of.

Rize stood up and began clearing the table. "This isn't a party but you did enjoy yourself, right? So I'm happy."

"I did enjoy the meal, yes. But..."

Rize raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"I feel bad for our friends. I'm sure they had a lot planned for tonight."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I told them that we'll have the party next week. You shouldn't be so busy then, right?"

Syaro blinked. "Seriously?"

Rize nodded. "I know you'll feel weird cutting into a birthday cake one week later but just humor them, okay? I'm sure it'll be fun."

As Rize carried the dishes to the kitchen, a small smile tugged Syaro's lips upward. "Of course, Rize. As if I wouldn't do that for them."

Rize emerged from the kitchen and placed a plate before Syaro. Syaro's eyes widened. She looked up at Rize with a huge smile on her face.

"You even got me cake?"

"Of course I did, silly. It's your birthday."

Syaro looked at the small chocolate cake before her. "Where'd you get a cake this small?"

Rize cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. "It was made by Rabbit House on a special urgent request."

Syaro burst out laughing at Rize's mock-seriousness. Rize handed her a knife and Syaro split the cake down the middle. Half for her and half for Rize.

Syaro took a fork from Rize and cut into her piece. As she took the first bite, a smile spread across her face. The cake was moist and soft and chocolatey and simply delicious.

Soon enough, Syaro finished eating and she leaned back into her chair. This had turned out to be quite the enjoyable birthday after all. Being able to come home to Rize and enjoy her favorite food was a dream come true. She didn't need anything else.

... Except for sleep. That's what she needed the most right now.

But before Syaro could even try to get up, she suddenly felt Rize's hands gently pushing her shirt down her shoulders from behind. Syaro looked up at her quizzically. What was she trying to do?

Rize chuckled. "You don't have to look so alarmed, Syaro. I'm not taking your shirt off. I'm just going to give you a shoulder massage."

Syaro's eyes widened. "What? No, you don't have to do that."

"You've been working way too hard lately so I think I do."

"But-"

Rize grabbed Syaro's head and made her look ahead. "Just close your eyes and relax."

"Rize, you really don- Ahh, that's good."

Rize let out a giggle. "You like that, don't you?"

"How could I not?"

As Rize continued to knead her shoulders, Syaro's eyes fluttered shut. She could feel all of her stress melting away. Rize was surprisingly good at this.

A bit too good, actually.

"Hey, Rize?"

"Yes?"

"You're very good at this."

"Really? Thanks."

Syaro looked up at Rize. "So why is this the first time I'm getting a shoulder massage from you when we've been married for over three years already?"

Rize's cheeks turned crimson and she looked away. Syaro raised an eyebrow. That wasn't a reaction she was expecting.

"Uh... Well... I actually learned how to do this recently."

Syaro closed her eyes again and tried to relax. "Did you get someone to teach you this or something?"

"...Yes."

Syaro's eyes snapped open. Who on earth did Rize learn from? And why?

Rize cleared her throat. "You've been really tired recently so I thought I should do something to help you out a little..."

Syaro bit her lip. Really? Rize learned this just for her sake? Rize truly did a lot for her. Much more than she deserved.

Syaro smiled. "So who taught you?"

"Uh... Do you have to know?"

"Well, I'd like to know."

A few moments passed in silence. Then Rize let out a sigh. "My dad taught me, okay? He's very good at giving massages. Don't ask me why. I have no clue."

Syaro stifled a laugh. Her father-in-law of all people? That most certainly wasn't an answer she was expecting.

A few minutes passed by in silence and now Syaro was beginning to feel a bit guilty. Rize must be getting tired. She really should tell Rize to stop. That was the right thing to do. She knew it was.

...But it honestly felt so good that Syaro couldn't bring herself to actually tell Rize to stop.

Just a few more minutes couldn't hurt, right?

After who knew how long, Syaro felt Rize give her a gentle shake. Syaro's eyes snapped open and she looked up to find Rize smiling at her.

"You're dozing off, Syaro. Let's get you in bed."

"Huh?" Syaro rubbed her eyes. "I fell asleep?"

"Almost."

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize. I'm actually going to take that as a compliment. It means I succeeded in my mission of getting you to relax."

Syaro chuckled. "Yes, you did. You most certainly did."

Rize took the cake and headed toward the fridge. "I'll eat this tomorrow. Let's go to bed now."

"Yes..."

"Syaro, you're falling asleep again. Get up, sweetie."

Syaro forced her eyes open. She was so sleepy she could barely think straight.

Rize walked over to her and leaned close to her ear. "Let's go upstairs. I'll give you a different sort of massage."

In an instant, Syaro's eyes were wide open. She slowly turned her head to find Rize smiling brightly at her. Syaro bit her lip.

"Uh... Rize..."

"Yes?"

"I, uh... I'm really tired right now. So please don't mind but I... I don't have the energy to do anything like that tonight. So..."

Rize furrowed her eyebrows, her expression morphing into one of confusion. A moment later, a heavy blush spread across her cheeks.

Rize shook her head vigorously. "No, no. That's not what I meant. I know you're tired. I meant something else. I..." Rize let out a long sigh. "I need to be more careful with how I say stuff."

Syaro creased her eyebrows. "What exactly did you mean then?"

"Let's go upstairs. You'll see."

As Syaro slipped under the warm covers and lay her head on the pillow, she let out a contented sigh. This was bliss. True bliss.

Syaro's eyes fluttered shut as she let out a yawn. She was so glad to finally be in bed.

Syaro didn't have to open her eyes to know that Rize was climbing into bed. A small smile made its way to Syaro's face. Even though she had been married for quite a long time now, the fact that she could have Rize by her side all night long still made her immensely happy.

Syaro cracked her eyes open when she felt Rize's fingers running through her hair. "What are you doing? Go to sleep..."

Rize smiled. "This was the massage I was talking about... Though I'm not really sure if this counts as a massage."

A lazy smile spread across Syaro's face. "Well, it feels good. So thanks."

Syaro closed her eyes, sleep starting to take over her. As Rize continued to stroke her hair, Syaro's smile grew a little wider. She couldn't believe how easily Rize had managed to make all of her stress vanish.

But as nice as she felt right now, Syaro knew how she could feel even better. Slowly opening her eyes, Syaro grabbed Rize's arm and gave it a light tug.

Rize raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Lie down."

"You don't have to worry about me, Syaro. I can keep this up until you fall asleep."

Syaro shook her head. "That's not why."

Rize furrowed her eyebrows. But she didn't ask anything and did as told. As Rize turned off the light and settled in, Syaro moved closer to her. Syaro laid her head on Rize's chest and wrapped her arms around her.

Rize chuckled and hugged Syaro with one arm. "So you want to cuddle, huh?"

Syaro grinned as she snuggled closer. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not." Rize kissed Syaro on her forehead. "Happy birthday, sweetie."

Syaro's grin grew wider. "Thanks. This really was a nice birthday."

And so with a huge smile on her face, Syaro drifted off to sleep. This life of hers was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Let me know what you think of this fic. I'd love to hear what you all think.

Read and review, folks! I'm always open to feedback and constructive criticism.