After changing into my casual clothes, rather than the usual tunic, I finished getting ready as well as mentally preparing myself. I put on my hat and neatly pinned the glass butterfly Strich had given me for my birthday on one side of it. It was one of the best gifts I had ever gotten, and I really did intend to where it as often as possible.

Okay, I thought to myself. Today's the big day. Today is the day that I've gotta make this happen, I have to confess my feelings to Strich. I just hope this won't ruin our friendship or make things awkward if it doesn't turn out the way I hope.

I sighed and looked out my window. It was a really beautiful out today. Hopefully there won't be any storms to interrupt the picnic. My stomach twisted into knots and my face grew hot as I tried formulating a plan for my confession. I don't want to mess this up but I was getting so nervous already when I have yet to do anything that it seemed like maybe this will just be impossible.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I failed to ever tell Strich my feelings for him. That way the two of us can continue to be friends forever. I'd hate to lose something so precious to me.

Deciding that I had wasted enough time, I inhaled deeply through my nose and exhaled all the air in my lungs out through my mouth. My heartbeat calmed down, but only by a little. I quietly hoped that the fly over to Bug Rock would help relieve some of my tension.

I left my room a little more slowly than usual, walking down the stairs and passing a couple of the other students. Pipit and Karane waved at me as walked by, wishing me a happy birthday, so I waved back and said thank you before moving on. The delicious aroma of food was wafting through the first floor from the kitchen, and my stomach grumbled in protest at the lack of food within it. I rubbed my stomach, wishing to eat something, but I was so nervous I wasn't sure I could keep anything down at the moment. Besides, Strich and I would be having a picnic in just a few minutes, so there was no reason to spoil it.

Once I stepped outside, I took another deep breath. The air was as clean and clear as ever, and that, along with the warmth of the sunlight, helped alleviate some of my worries. I set off at a brisk pace, not wanting to keep Strich waiting any longer.

As I made my way down to meet him, my thoughts started to wander. This year's gift from Strich was by far nicer than any of the others. He must have put a lot of time and effort into it to craft something so nice. During the previous years, Strich had gifted me with books of his that he already knew by heart, or a bug that he had gone out to catch specifically for me. They were simple things, really, but this one felt more special than all the rest combined.

I wonder why he put so much effort into this gift? I pondered this and more as I got closer and closer to the plaza. Really, it just has a different feel from those other gifts. And why did he blush when I mentioned I'd wear it everyday? He's never blushed over giving me a gift before...

My thoughts were cut short when suddenly I realized I had reached my destination. I could see Strich standing close to the designated jumping point on the other side, with a basket at his feet to the side. He was looking out at the sky, and it seemed like he might have been lost in thought.

An idea suddenly popped into my head. I started slowly creeping up towards him from behind, careful not to make a sound. When I got close to him, only a foot away, I was about to surprise him when I heard to mumbling to himself.

"What am I supposed to do? Great leaping mantises, I did not think this through very well... I suppose I'll just have to go for it-" Strich stopped in mid-sentence has he had turned his head to the side and finally noticed me. He made a slight jump, and quickly turned around, putting his arms up in surprise. "Woah there, you scared the bugs out of me! I- uh..." He started turning red in the face and absentmindedly scratched the back of his neck. "So uh, how long were you standing there?"

While wondering what on earth Strich was just talking to himself about, I replied. "Wha-? Oh, I just got here, really. I uh... I was trying to sneak up on you is all but you noticed me before I could surprise."

Strich gave a nervous chuckle. "I-is that so?" He rubbed his neck again. "Well, you certainly did surprise me, although I guess not in the way you expected to." His face was still red but it was slowly fading away. "Anyways, shall we get going? I've got all the food right here," he said, pointing to the basket.

"Alright then, let's get going!" I gave an almost weak smile, as my nerves were still bundled up.

Strich called to his loftwing and mounted it from the ground, making sure the basket was secured tightly. I whistled to mine as well, hopping on and waiting for Strich to be sure that he was ready to go. In a few seconds, he took of with a WHOOSH, and I followed suit.

Once up in the air, within the freedom of the sky, I could feel some of my nerves being blown away by the rushing wind. Flying always made me feel more at ease, and I was thankful for that. I looked over at Strich, and caught him looking back at me. When our eyes met, his eyes widened and he jerked his head forward away from my direction.

Is he blushing again? I couldn't help but think of how much Strich had been blushing today... In fact, I thought, I think he's actually been blushing a lot more the past few months or so... Why didn't I notice that sooner? And what's his reason for it?

Though I was lost deeply in thought, my trusty loftwing was following Strich and his bird, so it didn't much matter that I wasn't paying very much attention at the moment. I couldn't help but think of how Strich has even had times where he started acting in a very awkward or suspicious manner around me on occasion. And that had only started recently as well. He definitely never acted this way when we were children.

I was pulled from my thoughts as we burst through the cloud dome, and landed on Bug Rock in a matter of minutes. I slid gently off my loftwing and took a moment to stretch. I let out a yawn and stretched on final time before walking over to Strich.

"So, where should we sit to eat, then?" I asked.

"Well, anywhere you want to, although I was thinking we could sit inside the tower with the Starry Fireflies. But it's up to you, it's your birthday after all," he said with a smile.

"I think I like your idea best, let's go!" I jumped forward and sprinted towards the tower, although it only took Strich a few seconds to run off ahead of me.

I could see Strich running off downwards, to enter the tower through the door at the bottom, so I ran up the hill and around, taking a great leap of the edge of the top and landing square in the middle at the bottom.

I tossed the my arms in the air and shouted, "I win!"

Suddenly, without any warning, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist and Strich whispered in my ear. "Are you sure about that?"

I gasped and twirled around so fast that I fell down. Strich giggled and apologized.

"Well then, we are now even for the little start you gave me in the plaza." He reached out his hand, offering to help me up.

I took the offer, and was about to brush myself off once I was back on my feet when I realized Strich hadn't let go of my hand. My face started burning and I wondered when he would let go. A few seconds past but he was still holding on.

"So where should we sit, little ladybug?" he asked.

"Uh, oh uh, well..." I stammered. The fact that he was holding my hand still and the little stunt he just pulled was making it hard to think. "H-how about over there?" I pointed at one of the little nooks.

Strich finally let go and went to pick up the basket. He brought it over to where I pointed and set out a nice blanket down on the ground. "Ladies first," he said, as he gestured to the ground.

I curtsied playfully. "Why thank you sir, how kind." I plopped down and he did the same.

The lunch Strich had packed was filled with what seemed like every one of my favorite foods. We sat about, chatting about bugs, school, flying, and wondering about where Link, Zelda and Groose might be. My stomach was almost too full to eat anymore when the only thing left was the cake. Strich carefully pulled it out of the basket and uncovered it.

"I hope you like the cake I made you," he said.

It was a small cake, enough for just two people, and it was in the shape of a ladybug with rich red frosting for it's back, dark chocolate for it's spots and head, and pieces of sugar cookies for the remaining white markings.

"Aaww, it's almost too cute to eat," I said. "It looks really tasty, though!"

Strich blushed again. "I-I was just trying to do something special for you. Happy Birthday, little ladybug."

So we sat there, taking bite after bite of the cake, piece after piece. It was a very content moment, filling our bellies with (very delicious) cake and watching the fireflies lazily drift about. Soon there was only one bite of cake left. Strich got a mischievous grin on his face and picked it up with his fork. He started lifting it towards his mouth. My eyes widened in disbelief.

"No way!" I cried. "Why do you get the last piece of cake?" I put on the best pouty face I could muster.

He laughed and lowered his fork. "I was only joking," Strich said. He then lifted the bit of cake up to my mouth. I blushed, wondering whether I should eat it off the fork or take the fork and feed myself. Every second I waited, though, the more awkward it would be, so I quickly ate the piece of cake, letting Strich feed it to me.

I looked away, trying to conceal my blushing. My face was so hot, there was no way he wouldn't notice it. I tried pulling myself back together. "That was a really yummy cake you made, thank you very much."

"It was no problem, really." Strich seemed a bit pink in the face himself. "I hope that today has been a nice day for you."

"Yes, it really has." Aside from being so nervous and awkward, I thought.

Strich suddenly became very interested in one of the fireflies that floated nearby. "So, um... I sort of have one more gift for you..." He fidgeted nervously in his seat, still pink in the face and avoiding my gaze.

"Really? What is it?" I asked curiously. What could it possibly be?

"O-oh, w-well... It's a special gift... Not something I would give to anyone else..." He fidgeted some more, and he seemed to have moved closer to me then he was a few seconds ago.

My nerves started acting up again. Could he possibly be...? But there's no way! …...right? I tried to slow my heartbeat, but it was no use, my pulse was escalating and I couldn't stop it.

"The... the thing is... I don't know whether or not it would be a good idea to give you this gift... I'm not sure if you would like it or not." Strich was now staring down at the blanket, fiddling with a loose thread. "What, uh... What do you think?" He looked up at me and his cheeks were bright red.

Oh my Hylia... He's...!

"I, uh... I think... I think that you should, you know, go ahead with it..." My mumbling was barely audible. I looked down at my legs, feeling like my face was on fire, as was my heart.

When I thought my butterflies couldn't get any worse, I sensed Strich shift his sitting position. One of his hands reached out and gently rested on my shoulder. The other tenderly lifted my head up, so we were looking each other in the eyes. The intensity of his gaze froze me in place. There was so much tension in the moment that I could barely breath. Slowly, he brought himself closer and closer, until finally, the long awaited moment I had only fantasized about before came into being.

His lips interlocked with mine and I closed my eyes as I felt sparks fly through my heart. My heart skipped a beat and the intimate kiss he gave me made it harder breath. He literally took my breathe away and every beat of my heart felt magnified by a hundred. My body ached for him and I wanted nothing more than to feel his hands on my body. Within the next few seconds, however, Strich pulled away, reluctantly.

It was probably for the best not to get carried away. We would have plenty of time to explore our new relationship.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too."

Yes, we would have all the time we would ever need to be together, and nothing would ever prevent us from our happy ending.