SPECIAL CHAPTER: Happy Birthday, Uryu!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wonder why I haven't been submitting any chapters for this story yet? Well, you have your answer!! It's Uryu's birthday today! Yayyy!!! ;D I swear, I went through HELL to get this thing done, and done right! It was horrible; I was so edged on if it I was going to finish it in time, if it was alright, and I'm just glad I was able to finish it a week early. (Thank God! :)) I'm actually glad how this whole thing unfolded; that, and this SO MUCH LONGER than any other kind of chapter I have ever written in my life! Heh, not wonder it took me so long! (lol) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, love it, just as I do.
Reviews would be a very nice late birthday gift. :D (If you're wondering my birthday was last week. It's funny how me and Uryu's birthdays are just a week apart!)
REMEMBER: This chapter is NOT part of the actual story-line. I did it just for the fun of it. :)
It was a beautiful, shining, Friday morning, with the birds chirping melodically outside. As the sun leaked through the windows and curtains in Ashley's room, she started to wake up from such brightness that covered her. "No sun good for me!!" Ashley whined childishly, as she covered her head with her pillow. After minutes went by quickly, Ashley finally lifted her head up away from her pillow, seeing that it was almost seven-thirty on her alarm clock beside her. "Ah, crap. I got school..." Ashley finally jumped out of her bed, with a wobbled start, as she went over to her desk to gather her school supplies, and stuffed them in her bag, with her eyes closed the entire time.
She opened her eyes once again, only to see that barely any of her supplies made it into her bag. "Urgh..." Ashley growled in annoyance, once again putting her things where they belonged properly. "Whoever evented school should really get a katana shoved down their throat." Now overthinking how many more days of 'torture' there was left, Ashley looked over at her calendar, which was just hanging above her desk, she saw that the day's date was November sixth, two thousand and eight. Ashley's eyes soon widened by such a date, as she managed to choke out, "November...sixth...?" Ashley, staring up at her calendar like an idiot, still couldn't comprehend the day's date. Was it true? Or was it just a hallucination? Ashley knew that that day was coming up, she had it all planned out a month ahead, but so soon...where did the time go? "It's...Uryu's birthday..."
After moments and thoughts of utter excitement, and even some tension, Ashley quickly got dressed in her high school uniform the Uryu oh so sweetly made for her in the beginning; but she didn't bother to put her shoes on yet. But she did take her shoes away from underneath her closet, and set them just beside the foot of her bed. Shaking away any wrinkles that formed on her skirt, Ashley finally skipped her way out of her room, and towards Uryu's room. The door was shut and locked tight as it usually was, but Ashley gently knocked on the hard-wood door, "Oh, Uryu," Ashley sang quietly to herself, as, quickly giving up getting in his room, silently descended down the stairs, "Where's the birthday boy...??" She continued to sing. Making her way to the kitchen, Ashley found her answer.
She saw Uryu right infront of the stove, in all of his glory, cooking, Ashley guessed, breakfast. His back was facing Ashley almost all the way, but she could still see his arms in different motions and part of his face, but unfortunately, his jet-black bangs covered that part. Ashley was about to take a step forward, but she saw Uryu suddenly twist the black knob on the stove, automatically turning the burners off, and then turned an absolutely graceful spin, now facing Ashley. "Oh," Uryu gasped slightly, his sparkling blue eyes barely widened, "Good morning, Ashley. How are you today?" Ashley blushed a cotton candy pink from Uryu's beautiful smile; she still couldn't get over how incredibly sweet he was. But she still was able to smile in the end, "Oh, I'm just fine, Uryu," Ashley's heart still beats at an amazing rate from just saying Uryu's name, "Uhm, what about you? How are you doing?" Ashley asked him as calmly as she could, hoping not to seem too desperate. Ashley knew Uryu wasn't too keen on birthdays; Ashley really hated to think that Uryu doesn't want it to be celebrated. "But it's his birthday, if he wants to celebrate it, he does, if he doesn't, then he doesn't." But Ashley's thoughts were interrupted soon, when Uryu answered, "I'm good, thank you for asking."
"Yeah." Ashley could not think of anything else to say at that moment, but she quickly added, "Oh, and Happy Birthday!" She said it with over-enthusiasm, and her arms stretched out wide. "O-Oh..." Uryu stammered quietly, as if he had forgotten about his own birthday being today. "Well, thank you very much for that, Ashley." After he had said that kind statement, Ashley went over to the small round table infront of her and Uryu, and sat down in one of the chairs, and then asked, "So, what are you cooking today?" Following Ashley's previous movements, Uryu sat down in the chair right beside her, as he said, "Nothing special. Just toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon. The usual; it's done, so you can have some if you want." Ashley shook her head as an answer, but also said, "No, that's all right. I'm not that hungry right now." Uryu nodded, tapping his slim fingers on the hard wood of the table. An awkward silence commenced once again, until Ashley decided to break it, "So, Uryu," Uryu looked over at Ashley beside him, as she continued, "Uhm, what would you like to do for your birthday? I'll pay for every where we go." Not that surprisingly to Ashley, Uryu shook his head slowly, saying, "No, that's okay. I don't plan on doing anything like that today; just think of it as a normal day, okay?" Ashley sighed out then, hoping her disappointment wasn't noticable to Uryu, "Oh, okay. If it's what you want, then alright." Unfortunately, Uryu had easily noticed how saddened Ashley looked, "You're not disappointed, are you? I'm sorry; would it make you feel better if we did something today? I would have never realized you'd be like this." Ashley looked into Uryu's magical, beautiful blue eyes then, becoming hypnotized as she does, seeing a gentle, remorseful look. Once again feeling herself blush, Ashley flinched back, as she said as calmly as she could, "Oh, no, no, Uryu! It's fine! Really! You don't have to do anything if you don't want to; it's all up to you, not me." Uryu smiled his heart-breaking smile once again, as he looked over at the wall clock, above the refrigerator: seven fourty-five. Uryu stood up from where he was then, the chair he once sat in screeched back a few ways, as Ashley looked up at him with an oblivious look. "It's almost time to go; we should get ready now." Uryu explained, tightening his tie all the way up to his neck. "Yeah, alright." Ashley agreed, as she also stood up and went up to her room and put her shoes on, grabbed her bag, and descended back down the stairs to meet Uryu at the front door. Both of them traveled together toward Karakura High, talking and laughing merrily all the way; Ashley secretly planned for the on-coming party for Uryu at the house, that will start tonight...
Arriving at the school, and entering classroom 1-3, Uryu and Ashley made their way to their seats, which was just exactly beside each other. Uryu regulated to his normal routine: sitting in his desk quietly, while reading one of his books. Ashley was about to do the same thing, but then heard an all too familiar squeaky voice, "Oh, Ashley-chan, Ishida-kun!!" Orihime skipped happily as ever, towards where Ashley and Uryu were. Ashley stopped what she was doing imediately, as did Uryu, while she sat on top of her desk instead; Orihime stopped infront of her. "Hey, Orihime. What's up?" Ashley began; Orihime, as well, knew it was Uryu's birthday today, and that the party Ashley was planning was tonight. Ashley had put Orihime in charge of the decorations; Ashley then turned her head over to see what Uryu was doing: he still was intent on reading his book, his back facing her. "Oh, I'm great! Thanks for asking!" Ashley nodded with a smile, now leaning forward toward Orihime, "So, you got the decorations ready, yet?" Ashley whispered as low as she could, hoping not to be in listening range for Uryu to hear. Orihime still had a smile on her face, Ashley hoping Orihime knew why Ashley was whispering to her. Thankfully, she said it in a much lower tone, "I've done them just as you wanted me to. Oh, and do you want the drawings of the designs of them back? I don't need them any more." Ashley, now beginning to feel her bottom becoming numb from the hard wood of the desk, rearranged herself, and also setting her feet on the chair infront of her, "No, that's fine. You can keep them if you want."
Orihime squealed in delight, much louder than she should; Ashley had to lean back, away from her sudden hyperness. "Oh, I'm so glad you said that!! The designs you made are sooo adorable!! Hee hee!" Orihime giggled sheepishly, as Ashley grinned, pleasingly, "Oh, I'm glad you like them; you want me to add color to them, so they can have a 3-D look?" Orihime shook her head in disagreement, her arms folded behind her back, "No, that's all right. I can do that on my own. Thanks." Unable to resist to eavesdrop on Ashley and Orihime's conversation, Uryu dropped his book on his desk and turned around, to see Ashley sitting up on her desk with her back facing him. Standing up, hands on hips, Uryu asked curiously, "And for what are these decorations Inoue-san made, from your designs, for?"
Ashley immediately jumped up off of her desk, nearly falling in the process; Uryu stepped up beside her, just in case she actually did fall, knowing her clumsiness well. "U-Uryu!! Um, h-hey." Uryu smiled by Ashley's sudden uneasiness and embarassment, as he said, with a small chuckle, "Hey, sorry if I frightened you. So, these decorations you and Inoue-san were talking about? What are they for?" Ashley gulped down a lump in her throat, but also let out an innocent laugh, while saying, "Oh, yeah! W-Well, they're actually for an art project; it's not due until next week, but me and Orihime wanted to get a head start on it." Ashley did not hate anything more than she hated lying to Uryu, especially about something that was just for him. But, Ashley wanted this party perfect for him; to see him unbelievably happy, she would do anything.
"Oh, that sounds interesting," Uryu began, believing the obvious lie. "I hope you--no, I know you'll do great on it." Ashley blushed a light pink shade by Uryu's wonderful comment, even though she knew there isn't an 'art project.' But, she still said, shyly, "Th-Thank you, Uryu." Orihime, still standing behind Ashley, could tell how guilty Ashley felt about not telling Uryu the actual truth, but she also knew how hard Ashley is working on the party; Orihime knew that Ashley wanted this party to be the best she could make it, just for Uryu. "Ashley-chan did all the work herself, you know!" Orihime cherrily said, now stepping up beside Ashley; Uryu looked down at her, curiously, "Oh, really? Well, to be honest, that doesn't surprise me at all." While he said his most kind statement, Uryu flashed a magnificent, beautiful smile Ashley's way, secretly; Ashley saw that precious smile, and started to blush even worse from it. Orihime noticed, although, and smiled very sweetly from how innocent and shy Ashley looked now. It seemed as if Ashley and Uryu had forgotten that Orihime was even there now, since both of them were in deep conversation; both of them never looked Orihime's way, they smiled and laughed with one another the entire time. Without not either of them noticing, Orihime left them, and went over to talk with Tatsuki, who was just right where her desk was.
Ashley and Uryu kept on talking and laughing normally, as they never even noticed that Orihime had left. "So, making decorations for Art, eh?" Uryu began, as he suddenly became interested; Ashley nodded along, trying her best not to look as horrible as she felt, "Yep! That's right! They're turning out great!" Ashley's overall 'enthusiasm' seemed to work on Uryu, for he smiled very sweetly and said, "Oh, really? That's good. Will I be able to see these decorations of yours before you turn them in?" Ashley let out a low laugh this time, hoping Uryu would not notice, "Uhm, well...something like that." It seemed as if Uryu had found out about Ashley's secret depression inside of her, for his eyes soon softened into an sympathetic look; he wanted to slowly reach out for her hand, but unfortunately, the school bell rang before he could even move. "Alright! Let's get this day over with!!" Ashley said joyfully, in all seriouness now, her excitement returning back in a quick flick. Ashley's enthusiasm seemed contagious to Uryu now, for he also somehow felt excitement flush through him. He soon sat back down in his seat, which was just infront of Ashley's, with a kind smile on his face.
The time went by as if it had suddenly froze in place; the day went by extremely slowly for Ashley, even when she and Uryu were around each other. When with Uryu, the time seemed as if it didn't exist, it went by too fast. But, why was it that today, of all days, it was the slowest it has ever been? But at long last, it was time for her Art class, with Ichigo and Orihime walking with her instead of Uryu this time. "I can not believe how slow this day is going! Ugh!!" Ashley groaned childishly, slapping her forehead in frustration. "Now, now," Ichigo began, placing his hand on Ashley's shoulder, hoping to calm her, "The day's almost over; we'll be at the party in no time, when lunch is over." Orihime, on the other side of Ashley, nodded along with Ichigo's too-true statement, "Yeah! Kurosaki-kun's right! And we're all gonna have the time of our lives! Including Ishida-kun!" Ashley wanted to believe what Orihime said is true; she remembered, a few weeks back, Uryu telling her he discreetly didn't want any kind of party for his birthday: especially a surprise party. Of course, Ashley didn't listen to him, as she usually does. But she smiled in the end, hoping not to worry Orihime too much, "Yeah, you're right, Orihime...He'll love it, I'm sure of it...."
Through the whole class, all Ichigo, Orihime, and Ashley did was continue to plan on about Uryu's party, not even bothering to work on the project they were supposed to be working on: decorations, treats, confetti, food, balloons, music, all kinds of things. Ashley was mostly incharge of practically everything that was needed to the party tonight: she designed the decorations Orihime was making, the treats that Ichigo should and should not buy for the party, (for she knew Uryu was allergic to some candy snacks), and she made, baked, organized, the cake, drinks, and the such.
"So, everything's set up and ready at Ishida's house, right?" Ichigo asked, as Ashley was, once again, going through the invitation list for the billionth time today. Ashley stopped her finger around the eleventh person, as she looked up at Ichigo, "You got it. I set up everything right when we left for school." But then Orihime stopped, for she was starting to work on the project then, as she said in a worriedly tone, "Ishida-kun didn't notice the decorations or anything, did he? He didn't go back in the house or anything?" Ashley giggled charmingly behind her hand, trying to supress it, as she said to Orihime's constant questions, "Oh, no, not at all! He might've gotten alittle but suspicious though; I sort of acted kind of...excited, I think, about going to school as soon as possible. Heh." Ashley chuckled, once again. Both Ichigo and Orihime couldn't help but laugh along with her also, as they kept on planning and working on Uryu's party.
And at long last the school bell rang, for lunch to begin; Orihime was one of the first ones to rise up, "Oh! Lunch time already?! That was fast!!" Ichigo was the second one to stand up, as Ashley was busy packing all of her 'party planning' papers in her bag. Orihime and Ichigo let Ashley be on her own for that time, knowing full well that she and Uryu would be lunching together. The door wasn't closed shut at all, but Ashley didn't even notice, as she put the last piece of paper in her bag and closed it shut. "Okay," Ashley began, as she stood up with a sigh, "That should be it. I finished them! Alright!!"
"What's finished?" Uryu Ishida curiously asked, stepping up behind Ashley. Ashley almost nearly jumped out of her own skin this time, and almost fell over her own feet, as she tightly held the tip of the chair for support; but Uryu was right beside her, just in case she did fall down. "Do you have to do that every time you come here?" Instead of showing an apologetic-like look, Uryu chuckled quietly behind his hand, as he said jokingly, "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I just have that affect on you." Ashley did feel alittle angry for Uryu sneaking up on her almost every day, but it wasn't serious fired-up anger; she could feel her anger distinguish in no time, from just seeing Uryu smile so kindly at her, like a fire splashed with water. Ashley could feel her lips part away, forming into a small smile, "Y-Yeah," She also felt herself blush a light pinkish color, "I--I guess so; Thanks alot."
Uryu noticed Ashley's obvious sarcasm to his statement instantly, with his beautiful, glistening, blue eyes staring down at her, "Yeah, no problem at all. So, are you ready to eat yet?" Ashley jumped up in excitement for a response, as she usually does, as she sped off toward the door, "Yeah!! I got the food!!!" For once since she's come to his world, Uryu was extremely skeptical on Ashley's not-so-suprising extra excitement. And how is it that she has the food instead of him this time? Uryu wondered through his mind, repeatedly. Uryu was always the one who brought the lunch that he made for him and Ashley, or he bought the food that he had no time to fix in the morning. Uryu knew that it seemed absolutely unusual for Ashley to do such a thing. What in the world was going through that crazy mind of hers? Uryu wished for nothing but to know the answer to the many questions that boggled his mind endlessly.
Lunch, and even the rest of the day, went by speedily, just as Ichigo insinuated: the lunch time with Uryu was just as wonderful as it usually is for Ashley. She made the food, this time, all just for the sweet-hearted Uryu Ishida. Ashley had made one of Uryu's most favorite dishes she knew he loved: Miso soup stewed with mackerel. For all the time that she's known Uryu, it was Ashley's first time to actually see him glow with excitement; Uryu offered over nearly a thousand 'thank yous' and plenty of compliments before he engulfed his entire lunch in no time to spare. Ashley could not help but just think how cute and adorable Uryu was to her at that moment; she was sort of jealous also, by how much Uryu could eat and eat and still keep his perfect, beautiful, slim yet, thankfully, Uryu never even suspected on why Ashley made him one of his favorite foods. (She hoped, anyway.) Ashley did eat some of hers that she made herself, but it only half eaten, so Uryu eagerly took hers and chunked it down his throat; Ashley still couldn't believe Uryu could eat as much as he did and gain not one pound from it.
Afterwards, classes continued onto their usual slow pace, as Ashley did nothing but look over her finished plans for Uryu's party, over and over again. Orihime, Ichigo, Rukia, and Chad did what little they could do for the party, since Ashley did mostly everything for it; the only thing Ashley actually worried about is if Uryu would enjoy the party or not. While doing that, Orihime was worrying over if Uryu might walk in to the party a few minutes way too early, but Ashley had that all planned out also: Ashley mentioned to Uryu, just a few weeks back, that more of her favorite pens and sketch pads to draw in, for she was clean out. While, in actuality, she hid a big stash of pens and sketch pads just underneath her bed, out of sight. Ashley told him that she didn't have the money (again, she actually did), and she knew that Uryu did. He fell into Ashley's trap all too easily; Uryu had promised, that today, he will be going to the craft store and get what Ashley said she wanted, and he wouldn't be back until nine 'o clock tonight.
By the end of the last class of the day, everything was set and ready; Ashley eagerly ran for home, without even waiting for Uryu.
Uryu's birthday party was now just moments, minutes away, and everything was perfectly set in: all the guests arrived just when they were supposed to, the decorations were neatly in place, thanks to Orihime and Rukia, and the drinks and snacks were well in order as well, as Ashley saw Ichigo stack up the paper cups into a towering pyramid, out of sheer boredom; the cup pyramid was almost as tall as the cake was. Speaking of such, the cake was the most beautiful, and the most perfect thing in the whole room, Ashley thought. The cake, spread with yellow lace and cotton-candy pink icing, and encircled with electric-blue icing in the form of Quincy crosses, towered absolutely high, and it didn't even look wobbly or lumpy as Ashley feared it would; it was all too amazing for words. Of course Ashley could never lift such a huge cake on her own, so luckily, Ichigo and Chad helped her out with that, both of them steadily and slowly placing the cake on the table as gentle as they could. It shook, maybe just for a split second, but at that moment, it made Ashley want to have an heart attack and never get up; everyone applauded excitingly from their spectacular feat, as Ashley also instructed the guests to put their presents around the cake, forming a circle outside of the cake. It all looked too perfect to even be real. Music was also echoing through the dining room, the stereo at a low volume for now; Ashley would 'pump up volume' when Uryu arrived. Ashley had made her own kind of playlist mix just for the party, as she could barely hear soft, gentle, and alittle up-beat music starting to play; Ashley easily recognized it as one of Home Made Kazoku's friendly songs. And all the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves, even though the party hasn't even started yet. Ashley couldn't help but smile in relief from that, as she saw some of them just talking and laughing, and some even started to dance alittle to the music.
Excellent, Ashley started to get lost in her thoughts, while she looked over at her creative work, Everything's all set and ready and it's not even close to nine yet. At least everything's going as planned. I'm glad. Ashley smiled to herself, crossing her arms over her chest, and also nodding in approval. "Ashley-chan!! Everything looks sooo goood!!!!" Orihime squealed in delight, as she, with Rukia beside her, skipped over toward Ashley. "Orihime's right," Rukia agreed, "I'm impressed that you could do all this in such short time." Ashley blushed sheepishly from Rukia's compliment, as she scratched her head in embarassment, "Y-You think so? Well, to be honest, I've actually had this for awhile; I planned it out a month earlier. It all just came in perfectly, I guess."
"More like too perfectly!!" Orihime beamed, hyperily, "I don't even recognize this place; it's just so well decorated! Ashley-chan, it's so amazing!!" Rukia, with her arms crossed over her chest, added, "Yeah, can't wait to see the look on Ishida-san's face when he comes." Orihime giggled perkily from Rukia's all-too-true statement, as Ichigo came up toward them, holding a small digital camera in his hand, "Oh, yeah, that's the whole point of the party right? I definitely can't miss the chance and take a picture of how stupid he's gonna look!" For once in, maybe, his entire life, Ichigo actually had a brilliant idea, Ashley knew it as fact; she couldn't help but let out a hysterical laugh, "You know it! You have to make sure you send me duplicates of that picture," Ashley then turned on her heel, almost falling in the process; she ignored what just happened as she said, "Hmn, you'll probably have to hid behind the couch when he comes, to get a good picture of him." Ashley pointed over at the dark green couch, where she saw Renji Abarai, and Shuhei Hisagi, chug down as much fruit punch as they could, to the point where they almost puked.
"Everyone, he's coming! Pencil neck's coming!!!" Yachiru announced eagerly, as Ashley snapped her head over to her, to see her hanging over by the window. "Okay, it's time!!" Ashley shouted at a certain level, hopefully not loud enough for Uryu to hear from outside. "Turn the music off! Close the curtains! And kill the lights!! Hurry, and get in your hiding places!!!" Everyone did as told, as they immediately scurried to where they were going to hide: the music was shut off, as was the lights and the curtains were pulled together, making it unable for Uryu to see inside. Ashley slid toward her hiding spot beside Orihime, which was right behind the kitchen counter. It dark, and it was all too quiet, that Ashley actually heard the jingling of the keys as Uryu went to unlock the door outside. "You locked the door, Ashley-chan?" Orihime whispered as quietly as she could; Ashley couldn't help but snicker, "Oh, I did. You know, just in case he came when we weren't ready for him." And now, Orihime couldn't help but snicker along with Ashley, "Oh, great idea." Ashley could easily hear the key unlock the door with rotation, and the door opening, slowly, with a creaking sound. Uryu placed down, what sounded like, a plastic bag down on the floor, as he went to flick the lights on...
"SURPRISE!!!!!" Every one of the guests, including Ashley, jumped up from their hiding places and raised their arms up with excitement. Right when they did, Ichigo took that time and snapped a perfect picture of Uryu's reaction. And Uryu's reaction to it was all too priceless; Uryu was frozen from it at first, but, as if realizing what just happened, he jumped back, almost tripping his own feet, if not for the door behind him. Ashley could have just died laughing at that moment, for Uryu still had that hilarious, dumbfounded look on his face. "Happy birthday, Ishida-kun!!!" Orihime sang happily, jumping up and down with excitement, while she left her place beside Ashley and raced toward Uryu; Ichigo, Rukia, Renji and everyone else repeated her action, all except for Ashley. Many of the guests heads were blocking Ashley's view to see Uryu's current expression, but she knew that she didn't have to see it to know what it was. Inside her mind, Ashley could so simply picture Uryu having such a gorgeous, and radiant, and alittle confused, expression on his face, and even smiling just half-way.
"This was completely uncalled for," Uryu finally spoke, ever since he entered his home; Ashley could not hear him at all, since she was so far away from him. "I can't believe you guys did this. I must've tooken you guys ages to put this up." Orihime couldn't help but giggle by Uryu's appreciation that should actually just be pointed toward Ashley, and Ashley alone, "Glad you like it! But, actually, we wouldn't be having this party if it wasn't for Ashley-chan! She's the one who planned all of this, just a month earlier!" Uryu stared down at Orihime for the longest time; he couldn't believe what he just heard. Ashley was the one who planned this party? And all on her own, with no additional help required? Uryu could have sworn that he told Ashley that he didn't want any kind of party for his birthday, three weeks prior. But, she had already started planning for it, even before that. Deep inside of himself, Uryu actually felt glad that she did this.
With the many guests surrounding him, Uryu couldn't really see ahead of him, or behind him even, let alone searching for Ashley, "Where is she at? I need to thank her properly." In an exact instant, the guests moved aside, finally making Ashley visible to Uryu. Ashley was just where the stereo was, infront of the kitchen counter, getting ready to play the playlist she made, with the volume at its highest. "Ashley," Uryu breathed out slowly, stepping forward, as Ashley gazed at him: Uryu still had his school uniform on, and yet, somehow, he looked his most gorgeous Ashley has ever seen him. "Oh, Uryu," Ashley gulped a lump in her throat, as she felt a blush start to form on her cheeks in no time at all.
"Thank you." Ashley felt Uryu's hot breath hit against her neck behind her; she had felt Uryu disappear from her senses for not even a second, as he reappeared behind her. Ashley could feel her heart race at an all too fast pace now, but it wasn't that he appeared behind her so unexpectedly. It was that of his entire being being so close behind her, with his warmth, the secure feeling Ashley felt was like no other. "There's...no need...f-for that," Ashley choked on her words she let out, sounding more of a studdering idiot; Ashley wanted to slap herself for doing such a thing. Quietly, Uryu gently ran his thin fingers through Ashley's hair, being so very careful not to pull it; he twirled strands of her hair in between his fingers, "There is need, Ashley. There is. You this, all of this, just for me? I must do something for you to pay you back for this. Tell me," Uryu leaned his face towards Ashley's then, his lips barely an inch away from her ear, "What is it that you desire?"
You. It has always been you, that I've always desired, Uryu. I love you more than you will ever know. Ashley had thought in her mind repeatedly, her lower lip quivering, just wanting to speak it outloud, infront of Uryu, and even infront of everyone else, who were watching so very closely. "I...don't know..." Was all Ashley let out of her mouth, even when her mind was screaming continuously, Uryu, Uryu, Uryu. "...I see," Uryu said through a long pause, as he gripped his hands on Ashley's shoulders; now, Ashley feared she might have disappointed Uryu in some way. Uryu then, so suddenly and quickly to Ashley, spun her around as gently as he could, so Ashley could be facing Uryu now; the spin was so quick that Ashley actually lost her balance at that second, and fell into Uryu's arms. To Ashley, it would have been a bad situation as she was in, only if everyone of the guests wasn't staring at them for so long; Ashley's face flared with embarassment. Uryu didn't seem to mind them staring at him like that, for he, carefully, wrapped his strong arms around Ashley's fragile body. "I'll say it one more time," Uryu said in almost a whisper, but Ashley heard him clearly; Ashley suggested that he didn't want anyone else to hear what he was about to say, "Thank you so very much, Ashley. And not just for this; also for everything you've done for me, thus far. I prob--no, I know I wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for you. I want to show you my appreciation for you, even if it might be meaningless to you--"
"Nothing you ever do for me is meaningless, Uryu." Ashley snapped back in a low whisper; she wanted it kept in her revolving thoughts, but she wanted Uryu to know what he truly is to her. "Then you won't despise me for what I'm about to do?" Uryu asked it as a question, but he already knew it as fact; he knew Ashley could never hate him, or anyone else for that matter. But he heard Ashley answer him in a soft, "No, Uryu. Never." Uryu nodded, slowly loosening his grip around Ashley, as he said mostly to himself, "Okay, good." When Uryu fully released his hold around Ashley, Ashley dared to look up at Uryu and even wonder aimlessly on what he was about to do; Uryu breathed in slowly, a small blush forming on his face.
"Please forgive me if you do not approve," Uryu pleaded so softly, with such gentle, kind, blue eyes, that Ashley would approve of it in a click, even if she really doesn't. "I'll always approve on what you do, Uryu. No matter what it is." Uryu smiled that heart-breaking smile that Ashley loved more than her life, as he slowly placed his hands back on Ashley's shoulders. Uryu started to lean forward, "Such innocence," he whispered as he came closer and closer; Ashley now knew what he was about to do, and her heart raced faster than ever before, but she closed her eyes and relaxed, in acceptance.
In an absolute dreamy instant, Uryu's lips crashed against Ashley's while he now placed his hands on Ashley's face, his fingers underneath her jaw-line. Ashley could feel herself become deep into the kiss, as she eagerly placed her hands behind Uryu's head, her fingers playfully pulling short strands of his onyx-black hair. It was just exactly what each and every one of her dreams was like: kissing Uryu so deeply and passionately, only stopping when they knew they were going too far. Ashley could hear some sweet 'aws' coming from the female guests, and Orihime's was the most loudest. The male guests really clapped and wooed for Uryu's accomplishment, but Ashley was way more into the kiss that was still going on, and wondering if she was dreaming again.
Finally, Uryu released the kiss, as he slowly pulled away, breathing heavily; once he did pull away, although, Ashley pulled on his tie tightly, making him fall forward and crash against Ashley's lips. It was apparent that Ashley wasn't done with him yet, and also that her hormones were starting to take control of her. Uryu didn't care about that at all, though; he accepted her, closing his eyes, and tightly wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Unfortunately, being such a ignorant idiot as he was, Ichigo broke apart the make-out scene, pulling Ashley and Uryu away from each other, "Okay, okay, that's enough, you animals. Don't want anyone to get seriously hurt here." Since Ichigo broke them apart, the rest of the guests dispersed around the house, singularly and also in groups. "S-Sorry," Ashley blushed a dark pink, scratching her head in embarassment. "I kind of...lost control there."
The party then soon began. The music was played at the highest volume and snacks and cake were served. Everyone then started to dance to some of the up-beat songs and none danced to the soft, slow ones. While helping to serve the cake, Ashley couldn't help but notice Orihime in that one open space where everyone were dancing, right beside Ichigo, and it looked as if she was teaching him that one dance move that Ashley taught her not too long ago, that came from her world: The Jerk. Orihime kicked her feet up in the same rhythm as the song, and bobbed her head right and left, her long, wavy brown hair flowing along.
"Would you like to dance?" Uryu appeared behind her, once again Ashley feeling her heart race at an unusual speed. But she was able to remain her calm self, as she started to cut off a piece of cake, "No, that's alright. I'm fine here." Uryu frowned in disappointment, wondering if it was because of him that Ashley wouldn't dance, "You know, it is my birthday," Uryu began, as he wrapped his arms around Ashley's waist and layed his head against her shoulder, "I think I am obliged to do what I want to do, correct?" Ashley couldn't help but giggled slightly from Uryu nuzzling his nose against the hollow base of her neck, "Heh, that sounds about right. What do you have in mind?" Uryu then started to leave a trail of sweet kisses all around Ashley's neck, now stopping at her jaw-line, "Hmn, I was thinking of you and I dancing, but this seems more pleasurable." Ashley hummed delightedly, closing her eyes, enjoying the moment, "I couldn't agree with you more, Uryu."
Midnight soon hit quicker than anyone anticipated it could have. Through all the eating, laughing, talking, and even dancing with Uryu, time seemed to have just stopped in its place. After everyone left, Ashley knew it was time to clean the place up: empty paper cups and plates were towered high in the trash, small crumbles of cake were on the table and even on the floor, and the decorative paper wrapped around Uryu's presents were all around the table, but mostly on the floor. Cleaning up after a big party is such a hardy task, Ashley knew, which is why she let Uryu do all the cleaning, as she sat at the table and read one of the many books Uryu recieved for his birthday. "You could help me, you know," Uryu said through the silence, playfully glaring at Ashley, as he started to take out another trash bag. "I know that," Ashley tiredly mumbled, scanning through the book, "But it was your party, not mine."
Uryu was going to say a quirky comeback, but quickly decided not to, as he walked toward where the stereo was, right behind Ashley, "I guess you're right," Ashley tilted her head over toward Uryu, wondering why he just agreed to her, when she really was wrong about it. "And it is still my birthday," Uryu soon pressed the 'play' button, dropped down the trash bag, as Tsuji Shion's Sky Chord began to play. As it started to play, Uryu turned on his heel, once again performing a graceful spin, as he held out his hand for Ashley to take, "Ashley, may I have this dance?" Seeing that beautiful look on his face, that too-hard-to-look-away-from smirk of his, Ashley could not say no to Uryu. Not ever.
On that night, both Ashley and Uryu danced to their heart's content, and it felt as if the night wasn't ever going to end; just as Ashley wanted. Pressed against his chest, playfully running her fingers over Uryu's tie, Ashley softly whispered, "Happy birthday, Uryu." Uryu smiled so tenderly, as he leaned in and pressed his lips so softly on top of Ashley's head, "Thank you, Ashley. My love, my life, my salvation."