Title: Birthday Surprise
Genre: Romance/Friendship
Rating: K+
Summary: As far as girls went, Mamiya Sakura was fairly observant. Maybe that was why it was such a shock that she actually forgot her own birthday.
Disclaimer: I OWNETH NOTHING. NOTHING, YOU HEAR?
Notes: Errr...the Rinne wikia said that Sakura was 15 (?). So I guess she'll be turning sixteen...?
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As far as girls went, Mamiya Sakura was fairly observant. Both her friends and herself were of that opinion, at least. Rinne pointed out wearily that she had been unable to see his complete lack of interest in Ageha, but Sakura usually turned a deaf ear to that. She wasn't exactly sure why, but it had nothing to do with the fact that Ageha continued to appear at the most inconvenient moments around Rinne. Of course not. And she noticed this because she was observant. Of course.
Maybe that was why it was such a shock that she actually forgot her own birthday.
"Happy birthday, Sakura," Miho said, smiling as she held out a wrapped present. "Hope you like it!"
Sakura stared, not comprehending. "It's my birthday...?" She mentally checked the calendar, and lo and behold, today was the day she turned sixteen.
"Wow, Sakura, I didn't think you of all people would forget their birthday," Miho blinked rapidly, seemingly fascinated. "You're always so on top of things, so it's kind of weird hearing that you can forget stuff like that."
"I guess," Sakura shrugged, accepting the present. "Thanks, Miho."
So it was her birthday. Strange that she had forgotten, but she supposed she had been caught up in all of the little exorcisms that had happened in the last week, consisting of a particularly nasty rash of cursed stuffed animals. Rinne had been running himself ragged.
And speaking of Rinne, he had come to class early and in his old tracksuit, so it didn't seem like he had any exorcisms in the morning. However, he was staring at her present with what looked like utter bewilderment—well, as much bewilderment that could appear on Rinne's face. He didn't have an incredible range of facial expressions, but then again, she didn't either.
"Mamiya Sakura," he began hesitantly.
"Yes?" She looked over at him questioningly.
"It's your birthday?"
"I guess so."
Rinne opened and closed his mouth, apparently at a loss for words. Then finally he averted his gaze and bore a hole into his desk through his eyes alone. He didn't lift his head once during the lesson, although Sakura glanced at him now and then. Perhaps he was surprised about her birthday? It wasn't like she told him or anything, but why would he be surprised?
During lunch, Rinne finally snapped out of his funk and left the classroom, although not before Sakura noticed a black cat popping out of nowhere in the hallway to follow him wherever he was going. She considered following him, but he almost instantaneously stuck his head back into the classroom and gave her a "don't you dare follow me" look. For once, she felt compelled to obey.
Walking home was oddly silent. Most of the other girls had something to do after school, and she briefly wondered what Rinne was doing. He hadn't looked distressed about an exorcism and nor did she see him floating around in his haori all day, so it couldn't be that bad.
She took a detour and came across a park. She decided to have a go on the swings since she had time on her hands, and as she approached the swing set...
"Mamiya Sakura."
She lifted her gaze and spotted Rinne sitting on top of the swing set, his haori falling around his shoulders as he stared almost severely at her. "Rokudo-kun?"
Scarlet eyes seemed almost amused. He pulled something from his haori and tossed a small white box to her. Catching it, she blinked; it was a cake box containing a single slice of chocolate cake. She couldn't help but wonder how much it cost him.
"Rokudo-kun, you—"
"I didn't know if you liked strawberry or chocolate more," Rinne said. He didn't act agitated, but she knew better by the way he refused to look directly at her and fiddled with his sleeves. "So I put some strawberries on chocolate so you'll have both. I guess."
"You didn't have to. I know you don't have enough money for yourself and Rokumon."
"It's not a big deal. I asked if I could work a bit at the cake shop for one piece. I mostly cleaned the floors." His gaze remained permanently fixed on the slides. "I didn't...know it was your birthday. It's the least I could do after all you've done."
Sakura really knew that she should say something, but she felt slightly overcome with gratitude. At last, she said quietly, "Thank you."
"Hm." Rinne flushed just a bit. Cute.
She hid a smile. "You know, this piece of kind of big..."
His head whirled around so quickly that she was amazed it didn't fall off. "I can take it back if you don't—"
"How about you and Rokumon help me eat some of this?"
He stared at her for a moment, mouth slightly agape. "Erm," he fumbled. "Okay, sure. I mean, Rokumon will be happy to hear that."
This time she really smiled. "Let's go, Rokudo-kun."
Although he was wearing his haori and therefore she knew she couldn't touch him even as he walked alongside with her, she held out her hand anyway. He took it, and she could swear she felt a kind of warmth from his skin.
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A/N: So fluffy~ Well, a bit cliché, but cliché works well in small amounts. Wow, this completely contrasts my other Rinne story. I promised a happier story in that one, didn't I?
Anywho, folks, please R&R to show your love for this fandom/pairing/story. Or just review. Yeah, that's it.