Merry Christmas, you.
Happy birthday, Marik. Sorry but this chappie concentrates on Ryou's birthday...

I'm so sorry this took me ages. Sorry, sorry, sorry. But the file deleted itself twice. TWICE. This is the third time I wrote it. And I'm learning to backup my files now, so... (/I have a cute USB flash drive the shape of a tick XD)

Thanks to anyone who might still remember this or be reading this right now~ You're the reason I'm writing this, you know that, right?

I promise to update faster next time, really.

Disclaimer: Don't own any more than I did last time I updated, really...
Warnings: Nada.

Inspirative song was MCR's "Disenchanted", which kept me going with this, haha.

Oh and thank Anamique4 for me making this chapter the way I did in the first place. Okay?

I hate the ending myself, but it started with an alright scene ~ Disenchanted - My Chemical Romance

If you really want to hear about it, I guess I could go back to my birthday. I don't really like to remember it, but Marik's told me many times that when you share something sad with someone else (though usually it's always Marik himself, the person who I share sad stuff with), it's suddenly not as sad anymore. And besides...

At least it started out kind of nice.

It was the kind of day when you wake up, only to wonder if you've woken up. Marik told me it was so dark that he was pretty sure it was still night... Or that he had gone blind also. Which worried him, until Ishizu walked in and turned on the lights.

"Happy birthday to Ryou~" she sang cheerfully, nudging me awake.

I rubbed my closed eyes lazily, trying to sit up. Sadly (or not) Marik didn't quite agree with me, and I was pulled back down by his arm that was wrapped around my waist protectively.

"What are we playing?" Marik asked, and I wasn't sure if he was actually serious or just sleeping still.

"...I don't know, either..." I muttered, hearing Ishizu chuckling somewhere not too far.

"Well, if you two can get up within... let's say, half an hour, there's waffles and cake waiting~" she informed us happily.

"Waffles?" Marik asked, sitting up and pulling me up along with.

"Cake?" I asked hopefully. I recalled the last time I had eaten cake must've been...

...it might've never happened, to be honest.

No, wait! Mum used to make cake! She made it really yummy! It had chocolate and whipped cream and many many many layers and I always ate a lot of it and then my whole face was messy with chocolate!

"Yes. So up and dressed quickly, okay?"

I nodded, and I guess Marik did too, though I naturally failed to see it.

Marik let go of me and stood up. He then gave me some of my clothes from the floor so I could get dressed. "The blue shirt you wore yesterday, the light brown hoodie and black pants," he informed me.

"I have a brown hoodie?" I asked stupidly, working a little slowly so early in the morning.

"The one that feels furry is light brown," he chuckled, "The one we got you a few months back? When you told me to look around at the store for something nice?"

"Oh. The furry one." I nodded approvingly and got dressed.

Sleeves always caused me the most trouble. Often times I dealt with them by asking Marik where I had lost the sleeve. If you have never tried wearing your shirt with your eyes closed, you wouldn't know.

Most of my shirts had buttons or zippers so that I wouldn't wear them the wrong way around. (Been there, done that, had Marik help with that...)

"Look alright?" I asked Marik when I thought I was done.

He was quiet for a moment, probably looking me up and down or something, then taking my hand in his. "Sure are, let's go!"

My face felt warm, with happiness I could tell. It almost always happened when Marik did this.

I followed him down the stairs.

"Waffles!" Marik exclaimed, releasing my hand to probably make a quick snatch to get a waffle or two.

"Nu-uh!" Ishizu snapped, followed by a quiet whine from my best friend. I wondered why Ishizu would deny Marik his tasty waffles. We both knew how much he adoredwaffles! Especially with strawberry jam! (Because he loved strawberries, it only made sense he would love strawberry jam, too. Right?)

Just as I opened my mouth to try and tell Ishizu my point of view, she continued. "You need to wait, Marik. The birthday boy goes first today!"

"Oh," Marik pulled me towards the smell of waffles impatiently. "Sorry Ryou... Of course you should go first!"

"Thanks..." I murmured shyly, not really used to people celebrating my birthday like this (or even remembering it, for the most part!). Of course, mum used to do something nice with me on my 'special day', but that was so long ago that it barely even counted, really.

Marik piled some waffles, cookies and cake on my plate, chatting happily all the while.

"What's your favorite thing you've got for you birthday?" he asked me curiously.

I thought for a while, then pulling a photo from my pocket. It was grumbled, but I always made sure to move it to the pocket of whatever I would be wearing that day. It was important to me even though I might never see it again (Again with saying that. Sometimes I wished that I really could forget all about being blind, for a day or so at least.).

It was mum.

"My father gave me this when mum had died." I murmured, pressing the photo in his hand gently, "He said she'd still be with me."

"...she's beautiful. I knew you had to get it from somewhere." Marik murmured, giving it back carefully.

I tilted my head confusedly as I put the photo away.

"...did I say that aloud?" he muttered awkwardly.

"Call me be-au-ti-ful?" I spelled the word slowly, afraid I could manage to get it wrong if I spoke too fast. "You did."

"...never mind... Forget about it."

"Sure," I agreed with a smile.

But I knew I wouldn't do it. I'd keep all of Marik's words, be it good or bad, locked in my heart forever.

Marik ruffled my hair, laughing. "Liar." I didn't know how he knew that, but I supposed it didn't matter all too much either way.

And so I laughed with him lightly, not bothering to deny this. "Maybe."

"...now can we eat?" he asked me with a pout-like voice, almost making me start laughing again.

I nodded in response, and heard him go all munch-munch-munch-munch.

Soon I heard a weird sound, followed by Marik's complaints. "Hey! Ishizuuuu...! I had my eyes closed!" He then turned to me, murmuring, "She's taking photos of us."

I shrugged. I didn't really have any special liking towards photographs, but if someone wanted to take pictures of me, then it was just fiiine by me.

Marik wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me closer for a photo. "Say waffle!" he called cheerily.

"Waffle!" We said in unison, and the weird sound was heard again.

"...did it turn out good?" Marik asked a little after, curiously as ever.

"I think so," Ishizu responded, "But we'll only know for sure later."

"Oh."

It was quiet for a while again.

"Ishizu? When are we giving Ryou his presents?" Marik's voice suddenly sounded throughout the otherwise quiet kitchen.

I gasped quietly (so quietly that only Marik might be able to hear it, and that only if he knew me like I knew him). I would be getting presents? For real?

"After you two have finished eating."

Marik made a whine that sounded kind of like he wanted to tell me to hurry up so that we could get to it, but on the other hand, didn't want to make me feel uncomfortable and in a hurry to eat on my birthday and then again, he probably wanted some more waffles.

So he stayed somewhat quiet until he noticed that I hadn't asked him for any more cake or cookies or waffles for a while now.

"You ready?" he asked, and I could pretty much imagine his eyes shining, even though I had never even seen his eyes shining. Or his eyes, at all (or him, for that matter).

I nodded to him after a quick touch to my plate to make sure it really was empty, and he cheered happily, "Presents!"

He tugged me to the living room (it was next to the kitchen... I think.) eagerly.

"Presents, presents~" he sang cheerily, making me smile and soon sing along also. I found it pretty amazing how happy he was about megetting presents, but chose not to ask him why he thought it was so cool.

Ishizu gave both me and Marik both cell phones. She seemed a little embarrassed about it, and soon continued to apologize that she had also got Marik something on my birthday, but promised to get me something when it was his.

Of course I didn't mind; Marik totally deserved a phone, more so than I did, if you ask me. And what would I do with a cell phone if Marik didn't have one, too? Then I couldn't call him! That wouldn't have made any sense!

He told me his phone was dark-ish lilac and mine was silver (which I found surprisingly fitting until realizing that Ishizu had probably thought about it while buying them), and then he and Ishizu both helped me set up two shortcuts; when I pressed the button for 'one', it called Marik, and 'two' called Ishizu. It made a lot of sense, to me at least.

It seemed like Marik could barely stop himself from grinning really really really widely when he handed me his present. It was soft furry, that much I could easily tell by a quick, simply touch to it.

"Her name is Miho! She's a white Tabby, a cat!" he informed me proudly. "She has a light blue collar around her neck! And blue eyes, the glass-kind, you know! And a pink nose, too!"

I smiled, pulling Marik into a hug, trapping Miho between us. "Thanks, Marik!" I was really happy that my best friend would do something like this for me, but I had a sort of hard time finding the right words for telling him that. Maybe I just thought he knewhow much it all meant to me.

"Nooooo problem!" he murmured cheerily.

I giggled. I don't even know why, but I just reallyreallyreally felt like it, just then, so I did. A simple thing in a simple seven-year old's world or something, I guess...

Marik then suggested that we could go to our (our. Still like the sound of that.) room and then play together and stuff. And since it sounded like one of the first five ideas in the Grand Book of the Best Ideas in the World (not sure if that really exists though, but if it doesn't, it should. I bet they'd have some of Marik's ideas there. Or, or, or, maybe they could make a whole book from Marik's ideas!), I agreed immediately.

I sat on the floor, Marik sat on the bed and I sat Miho next to myself. We played a few board games, like Monopoly and Bunny Hop. Marik would've wanted to play Guess Who, but since I couldn't see, it would've been a little impossible. Labyrinth turned out to be impossible, too. Sadly. I liked that game, at least by what Marik told me about it.

After like, eight games, seven of which Marik won since he had played them before (and I think he let me win the eighth one, to be honest), he asked me what I wanted to do.

I moved my little kitty-plushie and squeaked for her, "Miho would like someone to do her fur~"

"Not now, Miho," Marik whined like the six-year old he was (And I'm not only saying that because I turned seven that day, nope), "I want to talk to Ryou."

"Say the magic word~" I squealed in Miho's place, pretending it really was her talking to my best friend and not me.

"Please," he finally muttered.

I smiled, putting Miho away. "You called?"

"Yup!" he said gleefully, "What do you want to do?"

I was quiet for a moment. "...whatever Miho wants?" I then said slowly.

It became eerie quiet for a little moment, until I heard Marik get up. "Miho this and Miho that! Would you just stop saying that already?" he suddenly cried. And before I could say anything to that, I heard him storm out of the room and the only thought in my head was 'What just happened?'

Marik didn't talk to me for the rest of the day.

As said, Merry Christmas, you all.

...I know I shouldn't, but can I ask for a review? ._. They help me write...