Birthday Surprises

A/N: Just a cute little oneshot I came up with at three AM. I'm going to be dog tired in the morning because I stayed up to write this, so you better appreciate it! And, just because I feel like it, I'm gonna tribute this to Eilara just because she's awesome and makes me and my own writing get better! (Without even trying, too.) R&R!

Mamoru Hijikata frowned as he sat on his bed, thinking. Haruka's seventeen birthday was coming up soon, and he had no idea what to get her. As a matter of fact, he was considering not getting her anything at all! She was too hard to shop for.

Four years. For four years he had tried to do something unexpected for her. He had tried everything he could think of. Some of the things were silly, some of them scary. A few of them had been so unlike him that he'd been so sure it was going to be a surprise, that she wouldn't know. God, he'd been so pissed when had they all failed.

Surely there had to be something he could do that would catch her off guard.

Suddenly, it dawned on him what he could do.

He grinned. Oh yes, this was going to be great. This would be a surprise. There would be no way she would be able to see this coming!

Feeling proud of himself, Mamoru sauntered out of his room to go have Igawa help him make plans for Haruka's birthday. After all, a good surprise can't be executed without a trusty side kick!

The days flew by and Haruka's birthday was upon them before anyone realized it. A few members of the Wall had stopped by, inquiring as to what Haruka wished for as far as presents went. Her requests were cheap, humble, and boring to the people who felt the urge to dote on her.

"I just want a day out with Mamoru-san." She had said. "A day where we can go and have fun…and not get attacked."

Sighing heavily, the people dedicated to protecting her had started batting around ideas. After all, Mamoru stepping foot outside of the safe house was all it would take for him to be attacked, and if he had Haruka in tow the chances of blood being shed tripled.

Mamoru, however, had other ideas for Haruka's birthday. His idea consisted of everybody "getting the hell out" for a day. After some arguing it was decided that staying in would be easier and safer, and that Haruka probably wouldn't be too disappointed, since she'd still be alone with Mamoru without distraction.

"You know…" Alpha said, watching Mamoru as he walked back up the stairs to his room. "Am I the only one that thinks leaving Blade and Haruka alone in the house together is a really bad idea?"

All eyes turned on him since he dared to voice what had been nagging at the back of everyone's minds. He blinked. "What? I'm just saying."

"I agree. It's a bad idea, and we shouldn't do it." Sierra said, crossing her arms over her chest and resuming her over protective mode.

"So?" Dai asked. "Haruka takin' a dump in a public bathroom by herself is a bad idea, and we let her do that."

"How the hell can you compare that to this situation!?" Sierra snapped.

Igawa sighed. "Knock it off, you two. It's what Haruka, and for some reason Mamoru, want. Haruka's an adult now, if…something happens, then it'll be her choice."

Sierra opened her mouth to say something, but was shut up with a stern look from Igawa. She frowned. "Fine. But I get to kick his ass when I get back here, even if he didn't do anything."

Haruka locked the back door, happy that everyone finally left. She turned and walked over to the couch, sitting down next to Mamoru.

Silence ensued.

Twenty long minutes of it.

"I thought we'd have Tempura for dinner tonight." Haruka said finally, breaking the somewhat awkward silence.

"Didn't we have that last night?" Mamoru grumbled.

"Yes."

"Then wouldn't it be more accurate to say you got lazy and we're having left over's for dinner?"

Haruka frowned. "You're gonna eat it anyway, what does it matter?"

Mamoru turned his head towards her, raising an eyebrow. "What if I don't?"

Haruka crossed her arms. "Then I guess you'll be going hungry."

Mamoru tried to reply, but failed to think up any snappy comebacks. Instead he kind of just growled at her.

So they sat there and glared at one another for another ten minutes.

Mamoru was first to give up, letting out an aggravated sigh and flopping back against the couch. "I give up. This sucks."

"Gee thanks!" Haruka snapped. "It's not like it's my birthday or anything."

"Hey, you're lucky I even bothered to do anything for it this year!" Mamoru snapped back.

"Oh gee, I feel so much better about it, now." She droned.

"Good to know."

Haruka sighed. What was one supposed to do with a blind swordsman when he wasn't beating up Yakuza and terrorists or running from pesky police detectives? She bit on her bottom lip and stared at the floor. After four years and all that they had been through together, was there really nothing that they could talk about? Were they really so distanced from each other that they couldn't even occupy each other's attention for a few hours?

So…what did that make them?

Was it truly just a bodyguard and his charge, after all? Were all of her dreams and hopes nothing more than a figment of her own imagination in the end?

Maybe it was about time she started accepting things for what they really were…

"Hey." Mamoru said suddenly, snapping Haruka out of her thoughts.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I realized something this morning, when I was thinking about how to get everyone out of the house." He said, looking up at the ceiling.

"And?"

"I realized that you're not a little kid anymore, and you haven't been one for a while now. Seems like it's taken me longer to notice than it has everyone else." Mamoru spoke slowly.

Haruka's heart skipped a beat.

"It made me think of some other things, too." He continued. "Like, how me and you have been side by side for four years already and how fast it went by. How it seems lucky that we're both still alive and all that sentimental kind of shit."

He sighed. "Haruka…to be honest, I'm so used to you being around that it would be kind of weird if you were suddenly gone. I only decided to accept protecting you on a whim, but now I'm kind of glad I did. It's nice to know that there's someone out there who needs me, even if it's not under 'normal' circumstances."

He was looking at her now. "I think that somewhere along the way I accidentally fell for you."

Haruka gaped. Her heart hammered in her chest and her faced burned crimson. She kept trying to form coherent words, but none would come. She soon began to resemble a fish out of water, what with all of the opening and closing of her mouth.

After a few minutes of silence, Mamoru broke out into the most devilish grin he'd ever worn. He leaned in. "Surprised?"

"Y-y-yes…" Haruka gasped out.

"Then my work here is done." Mamoru jumped up off the couch and walked around it towards the stairs. "Until next year!"

Haruka turned, facing him. "Wait a second!"

Mamoru stopped, halfway up the steps.

"All that stuff you said just now…was it true?" Her voice was shaky, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"Have I ever lied to you before?" He asked.

"No."

"Okay then." With that, Mamoru continued up the stairs and disappeared into his bedroom. He mentally tallied up the scores; Haruka 3, Mamoru 1.

Things were looking up.

A/N: Lets be honest, Mamoru himself is a big ass distraction… Also, YAY FOR GENDA REFERENCES! That's as close as he's come to being in an UDDUP fic yet!