Chapter 6

The Older I Get

One month later...

I awoke early that morning even though I had the day off and looked at the calendar. Today's date happened to be very special; it was Yuki's 5th birthday. I glanced over at her. Still asleep. I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Happy birthday," I whispered in her ear. She stirred and wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Good morning, onii-san." she yawned. "You want me to make you anything special for breakfast?" I asked her. "Cake," she replied hopeful. "No, you can't have cake yet, silly." I told her. "Ice cream?" she wondered. I sighed. "Tell you what, I'll let you have a small bowl of ice cream after you eat your breakfast, okay? How do pancakes sound?" I asked. "Yummy," she responded.

"So, what do you want for your birthday this year, Yuki?" I asked her. "Anything will be fine as long as it's from you, onii-san." she said. "Oh come on, there must be something." I pressed. "Well, there is one thing I want." she told me. "Really? What is it?" I inquired. "I miss mama and papa, can you bring them back?" she wondered innocently. Tears filled my eyes. "No Yuki, I can't bring back mama and papa. I wish I could but, I'm not a god." I cried. "Don't cry, onii-san! If you start crying then it'll make me cry too!" she told me. "Sorry Yuki, it's just...I miss them too." I explained as I wiped away my tears. "Hey, how about I get you a new stuffed toy? Would you like that?" I suggested. "Uh-huh." she nodded. "Alright then, I'm going to head out for a bit to buy your present. I'll be back in a little bit, okay?" I assured as I put on my coat.

As I left I called Emma on my cell phone. "Hello?" she answered. "Hey Emma, are you free right now?" I asked. "Yeah, why, what's up?" she asked. "Today's Yuki's birthday and I was wondering if you could help me pick out a gift for her." I requested. "I'd love to. But, I'm not sure how much help I can be since…" she began. "Don't talk like that, Emma. Look, just meet me in town, you'll be fine." I assured her. "OK, Blaze." she agreed. "See you later then?" I inquired. "Yeah, see you in a bit." she replied. I hung up.

15 Minutes Later, Town Square…

"Let's see, which one of these would be cute?" I pondered as I browsed the toy store display window. "Is that Blaze and Emma?" I heard a voice ask. "It is them!" said another voice. We turned around. "Matt? Izumi? What are you doing here?" I asked them. "I had some stuff I needed to get and I asked Izumi if she wanted to come along." stated Matt. "So, you're on a date then?" wondered Emma. "No-nothing like that!" went Matt and Izumi in sync.I responded with a long, drawn out, "Sure." Their faces turned red.

"So what are you two doing at a toy store?" wondered Matt. "Today's his little sister's birthday so I'm helping him look for a present." stated Emma. "Oh! Today's Yuki's birthday?" went Izumi enthusiastically. I nodded. Matt or Emma must've mentioned her. "Hey, would guys like to come over to help her celebrate?" I inquired. "Sure, we'd love to." responded Izumi. Matt nodded in agreement. "Thanks guys, it'll mean a lot to her." I told them.

Later that evening...

"Happy birthday, Yuki!" we wished my sister enthusiastically as she opened the door. The little girl's eyes lit up. "You're all here...for me?" she gazed at my friends. "That's right, Yuki." I nodded as we entered. "Who's she?" Yuki pointed to Izumi. Izumi kneeled down to her level. "My name's Izumi. It's nice to meet you, snowflake." she said in a friendly tone. "Mama and papa used to call me that!" Yuki gasped. "Really?" went Izumi. Yuki turned to me. "I like her, she called me snowflake!" she grinned. I smiled.

With all of us gathered for my little sister's fifth birthday my dorm room had become rather crowded. I placed the presents from Emma, Matt, Izumi, and I in the bedroom then went into the kitchen to get the cake. Emma followed me. "So, this is what it's like to celebrate one's birth?" she said to me once we were out of earshot. "Yeah," I nodded. I noticed something was bothering her by the look she wore. "What's wrong?" I wondered. "What if she doesn't like my gift?" she worried. "Huh? That's what's bothering you?" I asked. She looked away. "Don't worry, she'll love it." I reassured her. "You...really think so?" she questioned. "I know so." I stated, smiling. "Thanks, Blaze." she smiled back and kissed my cheek. "OK everyone, take your seats, I'm about to bring in the cake." I yelled out to our guests.

Matt and Izumi took a pair of chairs while Emma and Yuki sat on the couch as I brought in the cake. I set the cake down and lit the candles. Then, all of us began singing, "Happy Birthday," to my little sister. Yuki blushed as we sang. When we finished I told her to make a wish and blow out the candles. She closed her eyes, leaned in, and blew out the five candles. We applauded.

As Yuki and our guests ate I went into our bedroom to retrieve the gifts. "Happy birthday, Yuki." I said returning with them. "Presents!" cheered Yuki. "This is from Matt and Izumi." I told her as I handed her the gift. She ripped off the wrapping paper. "Yay, a new dress! Thanks Izumi and Matt." she told them. "You're welcome, birthday girl." responded Matt.

"Here Yuki, this is from me. I hope you like it." Emma handed the present to the smiling toddler. Yuki ripped up the paper. When enough paper had been removed I saw her smile ear-to-ear. "It's a faerie doll! Thanks Emma, I love it!" she immediately took it out of the box and gave it a big hug. "Y-you're welcome." went my girlfriend. I think I actually saw a tear roll down Emma's cheek. See, I told you so. "Now you have someone to play with when I'm not home." I told my softly. Yuki smiled and snuggled the stuffed animal. "I'm going to name her Olive." she stated. "Why Olive?" inquired Emma. "Olives are her favorite flower. They symbolize peace." I explained.

A little while later...

"Thanks for coming over guys." I told my friends as they prepared to leave. "No problem." went Matt. "Hey, if you ever need a babysitter let me know, I'll be glad to watch her." stated Izumi. "Thanks, Izumi." I told her as she and Matt left. Emma approached me. "Good night, Blaze." she said and kissed my lips before leaving. "Good night." I told her and closed the door.

I walked over to the happy little girl. "Did you have fun?" I asked her. Yuki simply grinned. "There's one more present." I informed her. "Really?" she remarked. "This is from me." I put the gift in front of her. It was a small rectangular box wrapped in a simple green paper.

"It's something that's very special to me. I want you to use it only in case of an emergency." I explained as she unwrapped the gift. She opened the box and stared at the gift with a confused look. "What's this?" she asked. "It's a Compac Drive." I replied. Yuki studied it. "I think something's wrong with it." she informed me. "What do you mean?" I inquired. She handed it to me. "There's some weird word on it." she stated as I examined the Compac. My eyes widened once I read it.

Z I T A

"Yuki, I need you to promise me something." I said. "What, Hi?" she inquired. "You can't tell anyone about this." I told her in a gentle but, firm tone. "About what my Compac Drive says?" she questioned. "Yes, and don't show it to anyone either." I added. "But, why not, onii-san?" she wondered. "Yuki, please." I requested. "OK Hi, I promise." she agreed. "Thanks, Yuki." I said and handed the Compac back her. "Z, I, T, A. Zita." she read it out loud. "What's a Zita?" she pondered. "I...don't know." I lied. I felt a knot in my stomach when I did. I hated lying to her. Gomenasai, Yuki but, it's probably best you don't know.