It's Not Even My Birthday... Or Is It?
By Saltwater Romance

Chapter One

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I dooooooo?!" she wailed through the phone. He winced at her octave; it was like a dog whistle, but for humans.

He rubbed his eyes and groggily glanced over at his alarm clock. He groaned inwardly. This crazy girl was calling him at 4 in the morning as if he had nothing better to do besides answer her phone calls.

"Ruuuuuuka!" she wailed again, "What do I dooooo?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Sammi died!" she sniffled.

"Who's Sammi?" he went back to the comforts of his pillow and closed his eyes. Maybe she wouldn't notice him falling asleep on her.

"My best friend!" she sobbed, "Didn't I just tell you that?! She was so beautiful and majestic and larger than life! I can't believe that she just died! She's been living with me since the carnival before classes started! What do I dooooo?!"

"Cry?" he stifled a yawn.

"No! I need to bury her!" her voice somehow getting shriller, "She's in my bedroom!"

"What?!" he leapt out of bed, "Did you call 911?! What about her parents?"

"You have to help me," she begged, "I don't know if I stand here looking at her lifeless body any longer!"

"I'm on my way," he hopped on a leg, stuffing his feet into the nearest pair of sneakers that he could find, "Just stop… Crying."

"How do I just stop crying?!" Mikan shrieked, "MY BEST FRIEND JUST DIED!"

"Just breathe then," Ruka amended, "I'll be there in a couple minutes."

"Okay," her voice finally getting small, "See you soon."

"Bye."

He grabbed his car keys and drove down the road to her home. He remembered how shocked he was when he discovered that she had lived off-campus in a house; she and her roommate were both freshmen, but her roommate's older brother had graduated a year earlier and handed them his lease.

That's lucky he supposed; they received more freedom and paid less than what they would've had to if they chose to stay in a dorm. However, they lost the college experience; he wondered what he would have done without having met Tsubasa. Probably wouldn't listen to his incessant complaints about Mikan. He changed his original opinion. Maybe living off-campus straight away was the best option after all.

Her front door flew open before he made it up the steps, "I'm so happy that you're here!"

Her face was red and tear-stained as she led him into her bedroom, "Look at her!"

He looked around her room bewildered. There was no dead body anywhere, "Uh… Did you put her into your closet or something? I don't see her."

Mikan pointed wildly to a corner of her bedroom, "She's right there! Don't you see her?!"

He stared at a fish tank.

A fucking fish tank.

He woke up at 4 in the morning for a dead fish.

All he could do was stare in disbelief.

"Do you…" he struggled for words, "want me to flush her down the toilet?"

"Ruka!" she stared at him in horror, "She's my best friend! She deserves so much better than the toilet bowl! We need to bury her!"

"Right now?"

"No, when pigs start flying over the moon," her sarcasm not lost through her hysteria, "Yes right now!"

"Mikan," Ruka said as gently as he could, "It's four in the morning."

"She needs a proper burial!" Mikan insisted, "We need to get shovels and and and… I need to prepare a eulogy!"

And that's the day that he added fish undertaker to his resume.

"Sammi," Mikan sniffled, the sky just beginning to turn rosy, "I remember the day that I brought you home. I had just won you at the high striker game, and I looked you in the eye and I knew that you were the one for me. I fell in love with your orange scales and beautiful bubble-making lips. I remember how Tono dropped your bag onto the floor and how it burst open. I felt so hopeless watching you flop around, but you held on until we found you a water bottle to rescue you in. You were so strong in that moment, and I always had a belief that you were immortal. But now… But now! We will no longer be able to create new fond memories.

"I wish you all the best wherever you end up," her voice cracking, "I love you Sammi."

Ruka absently wondered about the horrors that the fish faced in her care if it had to face peril on the very day that Mikan received it.

"Ruka," Mikan nudged him, "Don't you have some kind words to say about Sammi?"

"Uh," he cleared his throat. Was she serious?

She stared at him until he shifted his weight from foot to foot, "Sammi. I didn't… Know you… Like at all, but I know that you made Mikan very happy. No one should ever… Die young. You had a lot of potential… And I guess you seemed like a cool fish. So goodbye, Sammi. I hope you make a lot of fish friends in fishy heaven."

Mikan placed a single weed on the grave before hugging Ruka, "Those were beautiful words, Ruka. Thanks for helping me with this. If you want, you can sleep in my room. I know that I woke you up really early."

"Nah it's fine," but his yawn negated his words. Before he knew it, he was ushered into her floral bedsheets and white comforter.

"Good night," Mikan smiled and turned her back to him in order to face the wall. He faced his back to her form and closed his eyes. He smiled to himself. He was sleeping in her bed with her while Tsubasa made absolutely no progress with Miasaki. And he didn't even like Mikan in that sense. He congratulated himself in his prowess with women.

"You dog," Tsubasa waggled his eyebrows as Ruka locked their front door, "Owned that walk of shame, did you?"

Ruka smiled, "Nahh."

"Tsubasa put down his mug of coffee, "Who's the lucky lady?"

Ruka shrugged and smiled enigmatically.

Tsubasa's shoulders sagged immediately, "Oh. You were with Mikan. I should've figured."

"What makes you say that?" he poured himself a mug before joining Tsubasa.

"You're desperate to make me think for even a second that you don't have feelings for Mikan," Tsubasa rolled his eyes, "Of course you would have said someone's name."

"I don't kiss and tell."

"Oh? So who were you with last night?"

Ruka arched his eyebrow at the provocation and considered his options; should he try to clear his name or should he stick to his not kissing and telling rule? He shrugged as he weighed the pros and cons. Eh why not?

"If you must know, I was with Sammi."

"Who's Sammi?"

"She's a beautiful majestic creature that's larger than life," Ruka stated with a straight face, trying his hardest not to emphasize the 'creature' bit.

"What's she look like?"

Ruka's gaze turned thoughtful, "Small and delicate, that one is. She's a rather orange individual."

Tsubasa groaned, "You're so weird. Orange?"

He just sipped his black coffee without a word.

"And how'd you guys meet?"

"Mikan," Ruka didn't hesitate, "Sammi's Mikan's best friend. We got to know each other real well last night; I even stayed over in her room."

A wide sincere grin, "You dog!"

Ruka nodded in agreement before slyly asking, "How's Miasaki? Heard that she was around and about those Kappas last night at their party."

Tsubasa clenched his fist, "I don't care what that girl does anymore."

"And here you are," Ruka continued sadly as if his friend hadn't spoken, " with your roommate out and at other girls' apartments and Miasaki out and at wild parties doing God knows what while you're stuck by your lonesome in this cold empty apartment. Tell me, Tsubasa… Did you cry last night? I'm sorry I didn't bring any ice cream to cheer you up."

"You're a jerk."

"Stop bothering me about Mikan, and I'll stop bothering you about Miasaki."

"Nah," a twinkle in those navy eyes, "I've never heard your backbone speak before; it's refreshing. But you got to work on your insults because really? Miasaki is nothing to me. You got to find a different tune to sing."

Ruka smiled lazily, "Nah. I'll stick to the classics."

"Then so will I."

Their eyes met and gleamed from the challenge. The last man standing wins.