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The morning of May 15 rolled around. Sayaka woke up with the sun, turning off the alarm clock before it even went off. She raced down the stairs and immediately got to work. She had already started cleaning the day before, so the house was mostly spotless already. She still double checked everything, carefully cleaning a few specks of dust and debris she’d missed.
Once she was satisfied with the level of cleanliness, she pulled out a purple tablecloth and covered the dining room table with it. She followed that up with little swirls of confetti around the table and a colorful banner she hung at the top of the doorway. She pulled a present from the closet, a large box wrapped in gold paper and red ribbon, and set it on a chair at the head of the table.
She had just pulled a cake from the fridge when she heard a knock at the door. She quickly set it on the table and hurried to the drawer where she’d stashed the candles. She stabbed the cake with them as fast as she could, then hurried to the door.
Kankuro’s smiling face greeted her. “Fancy meeting you here,” he teased.
“Who else were you expecting?” Sayaka asked as she let him inside.
“Oh, I don’t know. I heard the most beautiful girl in the world lived here and had to see for myself.”
Sayaka chuckled. “And did you find her?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” Kankuro said, giving her a peck on the cheek. He then paused, his eyes landing on the banner. As he stepped further in, he could see the cake and decorations on the table. He turned curiously towards her. “Sayaka? What’s all this?”
She rubbed her arm. “Happy birthday,” she said, smiling sheepishly.
Wonder filled his expression. He slowly moved through her house, examining each decoration as he passed. “You remembered.”
Sayaka blinked. “Of course I remembered. How could I forget my boyfriend’s birthday?” She then glanced away. “I’m sorry it’s not much,” she said. “I wanted to do more, but I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so…”
Kankuro suddenly threw his arms around her. Sayaka let out a small squeak as he squeezed her tight. “You really remembered,” Kankuro said, his voice tight.
Sayaka returned his hug, though she still looked confused. “Kankuro? Is everything ok?”
“I…” he paused to take a breath. “No one’s ever remembered before.”
She froze in his embrace. “What?!”
He pulled back, eyes looking at a memory somewhere in the distant past. “Dad was always too busy running the village to bother with our birthdays,” he said. “We never got any presents or cards, and hardly anyone ever wished us a happy birthday. Temari and I tried to do something on our own for a while, but it’s tough when you’re just kids. After a few years, we just didn’t bother anymore, and we haven’t celebrated our birthdays since.”
Sayaka rubbed her upper arm. “Kankuro, I am so sorry,” she said, looking away. “I didn’t mean to bring up any painful memories.
“Hey now,” he said, smiling as he lifted your chin and kissed the tip of your nose. “The first person to remember my birthday in over twenty years does not need to apologize.”
You blushed. “So…is this ok?”
He nodded. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I promise, this is amazing and I love everything you’ve done,” he said. “So, what kind of cake are we having?”
“You said strawberry was your favorite,” Sayaka replied as she retrieved a box of matches from a drawer. “So that’s what I got.”
Kankuro’s eyes lit up. “God, you’re really spoiling me today, huh?”
“Well, it is your birthday,” Sayaka said as she lit the candles.
That made Kankuro laugh. “True,” he said. He blew out the candles with a quick puff. “And it’s the best birthday I’ve ever had.”