I hope you all enjoy this chapter full of fluff and cheesiness! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.

Chapter 15- A Surprise Party Full of Surprises

"We're finally home!" Takachin exclaims as we exit the Ishiyama Train Station, carrying our duffel bags and carry-on bags.

Today has indeed been a long day. We have gone on a long journey back home, and it's only 7:50 pm! A part of me is kind of excited and relieved to be back home, but at the same time, I'm extremely jetlagged. I turn and smile at Takachin.

"Happy birthday, Takachin," I say. He smiles.

"Thanks… for the third time today," he teases. "Let's go home now."

I nod. "Yeah, I could definitely use some sleep," I agree, yawning.

Right then, I hear the sound of a phone ringing. Takachin pulls out his phone right then, which is ringing and buzzing repeatedly. He looks at the caller ID. "It's Oga," he says, answering the call. "Hello?"

He pauses for a moment and looks disbelieving at whatever Oga's saying. "Huh?! What do you mean, come over to your place right now?" he asks in disbelief. "We just got off the train, and we're tired and jetlagged and exhausted! You try moving through time zones, idiot!" He pauses again. "Can we come to tomorrow's meeting? Please man, I'm really not up to meeting anyone right now, and my body's trying to adjust to the time zone difference." Another pause and then, a look of fright crosses his face. "Okay, okay, we're coming! Just at least let us drop our bags at home and freshen up!" A look of relief crosses his face. "Thanks, bye."

"What was it?" I ask. He sighs.

"Oga wants us to come over to his place right now, even though we just went through a really long flight, that insensitive bastard," he grumbles. "Apparently, there's a meeting, and we're supposed to be there whether we like it or not, and we have to bring food."

"Why did you look scared at one point?" I ask.

"He said that if we didn't show up, we would have to face the wrath of Hilda-san. However, he's letting us go home and freshen up," he tells me. "Let's go."

"Ayaka!" I turn and see Mom, smiling happily at me as she walks up to me. I smile at her.

"Mom!" I greet, hugging her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetie," she tells me. "You both must be really tired."

Takachin nods. "We are, but we have to go to Oga's place for a meeting," he says. "And we can't skip, or we'll have to face Hilda-san's wrath…" he shudders.

Mom chuckles. "If you must, then you can go," she says. "First, freshen up."

We go back to our respective homes to get ready. When I enter the house, I take out a bronze-coloured sleeveless salwar kameez with a pretty beadwork at the neck, with a teal-coloured churidar and a teal dupatta. After a hot shower, I change into the salwar and put on a bit of makeup. I then take the jalebis and my gift for Takachin, which I have yet to give him, and leave the house.

"Hey Ayaka," Takachin greets. I smile at the outfit he's wearing: a dark green men's kurta and a pair of jeans.

"Look who's dressed in Indian clothes," I tease.

"You're the one to talk," he teases back.

"So, how did your parents greet you?" I ask.

"They were happy to see me," he tells me. "I had told them that I was going on some charity trip to help out poor kids before we had left for India, so they were asking me questions. They were actually pretty insistent that I go to Oga's place for this meeting."

I chuckle at the bag in his hands. "You're bringing the banana chips?"

He nods. "You're bringing those jalebis?"

I nod. "Yeah." I suddenly let out a tired yawn. "Oh boy, I don't think I'll be able to last the whole night. I'm already feeling drowsy."

"Me too. Hopefully the meeting isn't too long. I really want to be able to get at least some sleep," Takachin agrees. "I now know what it was like for Oga when Berubo was going through his night crying and he couldn't sleep for four nights."

We eventually arrive at Oga's house and we ring the doorbell. Right then, a pretty young woman with short black hair and kind eyes opens the door, smiling warmly at us. "Takachin, Ayaka-chan!" she greets. "Come on in!"

"Who was she?" I ask as we remove our shoes.

"That's Oga's older sister, Misaki," he tells me.

We barely even set a foot inside the main room when the lights turn on and suddenly, everyone cheers, "Happy birthday!"

"Huh?!" Takachin and I exclaim at the same time in surprise. I look around the room, and see a banner with the words 'Happy Birthday Furuichi and Ayaka' written on it. Wait, but my birthday's not today! I think in surprise.

"Surprised, huh, Ayaka-chan?" Misaki asks. "Your mom told us that your birthday's a few days after his, so we decided to have one party to celebrate both your birthdays."

Takachin looks around the room, stunned. "You… You guys remembered…" he says, his voice sounding shocked and happy, and I swear I can almost see a few tears in his eyes.

Oga smirks. "Idiot Furuichi. What made you think that we forgot?"

I smile at all of them. "Thanks guys," I say. Practically everyone is at this party: the Tohoshinki, the Red Tails, Lamia, and the three members of the Six Holy Knights.

Right then, Miki comes up and takes our wrists. "Come on you guys," he says, dragging us to the couch as Misaki takes the food from us.

"We have a lot of catching up to do," Tojo says, grinning.

"Hold on," Hilda-san suddenly says. "Why don't we just start the party and after opening up presents, we'll let them tell their adventures."

The party soon goes into full swing. Oga, Tojo, Kanzaki, and Himekawa drag Takachin upstairs to Oga's bedroom to play video games together, while Kunieda and the Red Tails drag me away for karaoke. However, I manage to give one rueful smile to Takachin, who returns the smile back to me. Oh well. Let Takachin go and have fun with the guys. He deserves it.

After getting a plate of snacks, I sit back down and watch as Yuka and Nene sing some J-Pop songs. Kunieda sits down next to me. "So, Ayaka," she says. "How was training?"

I nod. "Training was pretty good," I say. "Hard and strenuous, but it went well."

"How stronger has Furuichi become?" Hilda-san asks.

"A lot stronger," I say. "You'll all be pretty surprised when you see him fight."

She nods. Right then, Nene hands me the mic. "Your turn, Ayaka-chan," she tells me.

I choose the song 'Butterfly' by Perfume, and start singing along to the music. From where I'm standing, I see Hilda-san walk past Miki, Shizuka, and Izuma who are talking amongst themselves and leave the main room. A few moments later, just as I finish the song, I see Takachin, Kanzaki, Himekawa, and Tojo come back down, with Tojo holding Berubo.

"Where's Hilda-san and Oga?" I ask.

Kanzaki grins. "They're busy… talking," he replies, a small smirk on his face.

I shake my head at the laughter that follows his comment. Boys… I think, rolling my eyes. Takachin suddenly gestures me to follow him out into the hallway, and I follow immediately.

"Hey," he says as we step into the hallway. I smile.

"Hey you," I say in a gentle voice. "What's up? How was playing video games?" I ask.

He chuckles. "It was fun," he says. "We all played Dragon Quest. They told me about how their training went, and stuff like that."

"When should we tell everyone that we're together?" I ask.

"We'll figure something out," he replies. He then looks down, a blush on his face. "Ayaka… I have something for you. Close your eyes and hold your hands out."

I do so, and I feel him gently place something in my hands, giving them a gentle squeeze afterwards. "Happy early birthday Ayaka," he says. "Open your eyes."

I open my eyes, and to my joy, I see a miniature Radhakrishna idol in my hands. I smile joyfully at him. "It's perfect," I whisper. "Thank you, Takachin."

"I have more things for you, which I'll give later," he tells me. I smile.

"It's my turn," I say. "Close your eyes and open your hand out."

He does so, and I place the trishul pendant in his hand. "Happy birthday Takachin," I say. He opens it and stares in surprise at the pendant. "It's a trishul, or a trident," I explain, looking down. "I… I got it because I thought you might want something to make you look badass and have something like a trademark thing."

Takachin chuckles. "I love it," he tells me. "And I'm pretty sure that I'll look badass with this on." He puts it around his neck. "Well, how badass do I look?"

I giggle. "Pretty badass," I say. "But, I have something else for you later on."

He smiles at me before pulling me into a warm hug, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "Thanks Ayaka," he thanks me as I place my hands on his shoulders. "For everything."

I smile into his shoulder, inhaling the surprisingly intoxicating scent of his fresh and clean men's soap. "You don't need to thank me," I reassure him. "I really like a lot about you, Takachin. You're kind and sweet, and you make me feel happy. I enjoy being in your company, because just being around you cheers me up." I look into his eyes. "I'm happy you broke down your walls and let me in. I'm grateful to have met you, to know you… to love you."

He pulls away and stares into my eyes, surprise in his eyes. "You… You love me?" he asks.

I nod, smiling at him. "I love you, Takachin."

I can see some tears in his eyes as he smiles down at me. "Ayaka…" he whispers, trying not to cry. I feel like crying, since it's quite clear that no other girl has told him how much he means to them, and I'm the first girl to fall in love with him. Takachin then hugs me again. "Ayaka… I'm happy," he whispers. "Because of you, I'm able to feel the joy of falling in love and being in love. Because of you, I know what it's like to love someone. I'm happy and grateful to have met you." He smiles at me as he brushes away some of my hair. "I… I love you, Ayaka."

We look into each other's eyes, losing ourselves in them. Right then, Takachin slowly starts leaning closer to me, gently caressing my face with his slightly rough hands. I close my eyes as he gently presses his lips against mine in a sweet yet hesitant kiss, his hands gently holding my face.

The kiss lasts for only a few moments before he pulls away. However, it's enough to make my knees weak, my heart pound against my chest, and send a warm, fuzzy feeling through me. Everything seems perfect right now. I've just been kissed for the first time, and now I'm being held by the guy I've been in love with.

"Whoa, that was pretty sentimental! Who knew that Furuichi had it in him?" Kanzaki's voice brings us back to reality. And at that moment, the perfection in the moment goes away when we turn to the doorway.

Not only is Kanzaki watching, but so is everyone else! Even Oga and Hilda-san are watching from Oga's bedroom! At that moment, I feel a blush staining my face and I turn away. Takachin looks away, blushing in embarrassment. "Just… Just how much of that did you see?" I ask, my voice stammering.

Oga grins. "Oh, we saw the confession, Mizushima," he teases. "And we heard the whole confession as well."

"Out with it," Hilda-san says. "How long?"

I blush even more. "During our training… But this is our first kiss…"

"Well, it's about time!" Tojo cheers. "Congrats, you two!"

"They're actually kind of cute together," Yuka comments.

All the guys come and pat Takachin on the back or give him friendly punches in the shoulder, congratulating him, while all the girls come and give me hugs, congratulating me. Soon, it's time for cake and presents.

We all go to the main room, where a chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream icing sits on the dining table. On the icing are the words 'Happy Birthday' in chocolate icing. For presents, we got some pretty nice things. Both Takachin and I receive some cash from Himekawa, some coupons for the new restaurant where Tojo works at, and a pack of fruity-flavour Yogurty from Kanzaki. Takachin also receives the latest Call of Duty game from both Oga and Hilda-san, while I receive a small collection of Hello Kitty plush toys from them. From Kunieda and the Red Tails, Takachin receives the first few volumes of Attack on Titan while I receive a Pikachu handbag from them. From the three Six Holy Knight members, Takachin receives the latest album by his favourite singer Yui, while I receive the latest album by my favourite band Delhi 2 Dublin.

Finally, it's time for the two of us to exchange gifts. Takachin opens his up and I smile at the look on his face. I had gotten him the first few volumes of the manga Kekkaishi as well as the first few DVDs of the anime. He looks at me and I grin at him. "It's a good anime, and you can trust me on this one," I tell him.

He then gives me my gift. I open it up to reveal the most beautiful set of gold jewelry: a gold necklace with red precious stones, a gold nethichutti, a gold ring with a chain that connected it to a matching bracelet, gold bangles, and two gold anklets. I look up at Takachin who smiles at me.

"Your grandfather helped me get this," he tells me. "I told him I wanted to get you something and he took me into one of the cities to a jewelry shop to buy this. It was pretty expensive, but worth it."

I blush. "Takachin, you didn't have to… but thanks so much," I thank him.

"Okay, can we catch up on what you two have done while you were gone?" Miki asks.

So, the two of us then proceed to explain about how our training went, and I give a brief background on kalaripayattu before explaining about the different techniques we've learned. We also talk about some of the other things we have done, and we also talk about what the experience was like.

"Overall, I really liked the experience," Takachin concludes.

"Wait, you had to eat vegetarian food for two and a half weeks?" Kanzaki asks, surprised.

"So how much stronger are the both of you now?" Oga asks.

"A lot stronger than before, especially Takachin," I say.

"Then, can you show us?" Nene asks.

"Not now!" Takachin pleads. "Come on, you haven't told us about your training yet!"

So now, we listen to Oga and everyone else talk about their training, and the experiences they've had, and they surprise us by telling us who has gotten together. "Huh?! Kunieda-senpai and Izuma-senpai got together?!" Takachin asks.

"Ehhhh?! Nene-san and Miki-san got together as well?!" I ask.

"Enough with that," Himekawa says. "Why don't you show us how much stronger you two are."

I shake my head. "Maybe tomorrow," I say, my voice sounding tired. "I need to sleep right now, I'm so tired."

"Me too," Takachin agrees. "My body still needs to adjust to the time zone change, and I'm pretty jetlagged."

Misaki smiles at us. "Okay then. Ayaka-chan, you can sleep in my room. Takachin, you can sleep in Tatsumi's room. The rest of you can go back to the party."

I smile at the kind gesture before making my way upstairs to Misaki's bedroom. However, I find myself unable to even get a few minutes of sleep. Sighing, I get up and go over to Oga's bedroom, where Takachin is currently lying down on the bed.

"Hey," I greet.

He looks up. "Hey. What're you doing here?"

I sit down on the bed next to him. "May I lie down next to you?" I ask.

He looks surprised for a moment, but nods his head. "Sure."

I smile and lie down, snuggling closer to him. I feel him running his finger through my hair. "Your hair's so soft," he tells me, breaking the silence. "It's like silk, almost. How'd you make it so soft?"

"Whenever I wash my hair, I put coconut oil in my hair, because it makes it soft and smooth and shiny," I tell him. I look up at him. "What did you think of today?" I ask.

Takachin pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around me. "Today was a good day," he says. "I felt appreciated and valued today. When I was playing video games with the guys, they told me that without me, they didn't have much of a clear plan."

I smile into his shoulder. "See, they do have some respect and appreciation for you," I say.

"It felt good to finally be one of them," he says. "And their reactions when they saw us confessing to each other was something that felt good. Rather than teasing me, they congratulated me." He looks at me. "Why'd you come and lie down with me?"

I shrug. "I wanted to be in your company," I say. "Also, I was feeling cold."

He smiles at me. "Come here then," he says, pulling me closer so that we're lying on our sides, his arms around me and his face snuggled into my shoulder. "Better?"

"Better."

He gives me a kiss on my nose before burying his face into my shoulder. "Now sleep," he tells me teasingly.

I close my eyes and allow sleep to take over me, feeling warm and safe in his arms. We sleep next to each other like that for a while until our families come to pick us up. And when they catch us sleeping in the same bed in each other's arms, they're shocked and amused at the same time