FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

My Hero and Me: My Greatest Adventure Ever: Chapter 22: Eric's Birthday

I opened my eyes slowly not moving a muscle in my body. I blinked slowly as my senses came back to me one by one. Groaning slightly and softly, I lifted my right arm to rub my eyes, waking myself up. The first thing that came clear to me was the sight of Kimahri having cuddled me in his arms, fast asleep. I smiled slowly as I watched him with his eyes closed, and snoring. He was like a lazy lion that had settled in for a nap. I was almost tempted to pet him like a kitty, but I didn't want to wake him up.

I looked around the room and saw Aluxes asleep in his bed. It was only right that I gave him his bed back. If I had continued to use it long after I needed it back when I was cursed, it would be rather rude. I was pretty much back to normal at about the time we explored the cave. So I am here lying on the floor with a mat and I was sure Kimahri was happy that we could finally sleep in each other's arms again. Across from us on another mat was Neko, snoozing with a purr. We didn't know where she came from; she was like a lost kitten. Since she did not really have any place to stay, Nora decided to give her shelter in this house. While I'm glad we were able to stay in a place that's nice and comfortable, I'm sure it must be hard on her to take three strangers in.

I turned back to Kimahri again who was still lying still. A little while later I gently moved away from his arms and got myself up. I stood up and put my socks and shoes on. I slipped my gloves back on as well. After I got fully dressed, I knelled down to pick up my pendent. As soon as I grabbed it, I took a look at it and it triggered something in my memory. I didn't know how I got it, or where I got it, I just happened to have a dream about it back home, and there it was. I just had it. It then got me thinking about the dream itself, of the crystal that shattered in front of me. Those mysterious silhouettes that came from within; what were they supposed to symbolize? That crystal was the same one I encountered at the cave, or at least that's what I thought. Did that dream happen for real? And what did mean from what it said? All these questions wrapped around my mind. I shook them away and put my pendent back on, then I went downstairs.

I took each step carefully so as to not wake up the others. After the last steep I strolled through the house, looking around quietly. There was no one else in the dining room. It was empty, and quiet. I then noticed something going on in the kitchen, so I turned around and went there. I saw Nora quietly working around the place either cooking, or cleaning, I didn't know which. As she was working, she noticed me.

"Oh. Good morning, Eric." She said. I waved to her.

"Good morning. Did I interrupt anything?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"No. You're alright. I'm just being a busy mother. It's not easy taking care of several people." I can relate to that. She somewhat reminded me of my mom. It's not easy taking care of two kids.

"I'm sorry if we overworked you, ma'am." I said very humbly.

"It's okay." She told me. "I do this every day. This is no different. Make yourself comfortable. The next meal should be on its way soon." She went back to her duties almost immediately.

I figured I should just leave her to her work, so I left the kitchen and back to the front room. I looked back upstairs and didn't notice anyone moving, so I assumed they were still asleep. There wasn't really anything I could do during this time. I decided to head outside, so I opened the door and stepped out. I looked around the village, and decided to go for a walk. I figured I could use the exercise.

I walked around the village taking in the crisp fresh air. It felt rather nice for the Summer; although it has gotten a little cooler than before. It's hard to imagine exactly how much time has passed, but it has been a while since I left home. I strolled through the grass, circling and observing the neighboring houses. One little boy and girl were just standing there talking to each other, while the few other people who lived here just went about their daily lives not once even acknowledging me. Maybe a couple of them would take odd looks at my appearance, but to my surprise they haven't. It's was almost like I blend in with the rest of them which made me feel very comfortable.

I traversed back north stopping just before the well left to Aluxes' house. I decided to take a look at it. It stretched several feet deep underground where the water was. Three wooden planks stood atop of the well made from light gray stones. A rope tied a wooden bucket to the planks, and it was long enough that it could reach the water. It was the first time I've seen a well like this in person. It was the kind of well I had only seen in storybooks I used to read when I was younger, at least as far as my vague memory could tell. Soon after as I was looking in the bucket, I got up and walked away. I looked onward to the gates leading to the hills that lead to the cave we explored yesterday, and I noticed the entrance was guarded by a dog. It made me a little nervous thinking somebody might have spotted us. Thankfully I don't think anyone noticed anything suspicious, so I assumed they usually put somebody there to keep trespassers away. I didn't dwell too much into it so I just walked away.

I then looked far ahead to another gate at the opposite side of the village. That one was guarded by a young man with blue hair wearing some kind of outfit. It had tan and blue colors on it and he also wore some green wrist bands. Some people certainly knew how to dress. As I headed back into the house, somebody opened the front door. It was Aluxes stepping outside the door. He saw me standing in front of him and gasped silently in surprise, calming down quickly after recognizing me.

"Good morning, Eric." Aluxes said.

"Morning." Was my response. He walked around the house in the direction of the well. Curious, I followed him there. He grabbed the bucket that was next to the well and gently lowered it down to the bottom with the rope. I approached next to him. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm just fetching some drinking water." He said. "We do have a sink in the kitchen, but mom usually uses it for meals." He lowered the bucket as far as it could go and I looked directly at the basin. There it was, the bucket was laying on its side floating on top of the water as it filled itself up. Aluxes observed carefully, and eventually the bucket filled up most of the way. He nodded and grabbed the rope believing to have enough for a while. He pulled up the rope slowly and carefully so as to not spill any water from the bucket. As soon as the bucket reached the surface, he grabbed the handle and lifted up slowly. I decided to help him lift and set it down on top of the well. It was quite a bit of water for one small bucket to handle. It would've been a little heavier had it not been for his help.

"Thanks." Aluxes told me and smiled.

"You're welcome." I said to him. He looked back at the water and spoke to me.

"You know. This well has some pretty good drinking water. Would you like some?" I was rather thirsty, so I answered.

"Sure." I put my hands into the water and scooped it up. Then I put it in my mouth and sipped it. It tasted pretty good, and it felt so refreshing. "Wow... This is really good." Was all I could say. Aluxes smiled.

"I figured you would like it. I had better head back inside." He grabbed the bucket and carried it back into the house.

"Okay. Thanks for the drink though. I really needed it."

"Of course." He headed back into the house, and I just stood outside. I dried off my hands with my shorts and wiped the small drips from my face. After looking around once again, I noticed both exits of the town were sealed off since they were guarded. It was then I realized that I was stuck here, but for how long? I figured I could stay for a little while longer at least until something comes up. I couldn't leave, but there was one thing I could do while I'm still out. There was one thing I needed to know. Ever since I ran away from home I've lost track of time. I wasn't sure how it was since then, so I just had to ask. I walked all the way to the front gates and greeted the guy guarding the entrance.

"E-excuse me." I said to him shyly.

"I'm sorry, sir." The man said to me. "But no one is to pass beyond this point unless instructed specifically by the mayor."

"I know." I said to him. "I just had a question."

"Oh, of course." He said apologetically. "What were you asking."

"Do you know what today is? The whole date? I honestly don't know." The man looked at me extremely confused. After a long pause he eventually responded.

"It's September 20th, sir..." I grew wide eyed and stood there fully stunned. Did I just hear him correctly? Did he say, September 20th? Then suddenly, it was as if time itself stood still. This day really hit me very close to home. Before I could ponder more into this though, the man snapped me back into reality. "Is something wrong, sir?" I came to and responded with a stutter.

"Huh?.. Oh, yeah, I'm fine... Thanks." I left him quickly turning away to hide the embarrassment. The light of noon only accentuated the sudden sadness that delved into my heart. What I just heard just hit me hard. I began feeling homesick even more than ever. Because today was September 20th, 2008. That meant tomorrow was September 21st, which is the most important day of my life: it was the day I was born.

I quietly sat on the porch of Aluxes' house, thinking long and deep about all the events that had happened since Ryan was gone. Since he was gone the police worked night and day to look for him, and with my disappearance they tripled their efforts. That time I was sure they were determined to bring us back, me even more so. Now that I'm gone from that world, they must truly be cursing themselves to death for so long. It pains me even more to think how my mom must feel. She might be stricken with grief over the fact that she lost not only one, but two of her sons. Knowing her it would probably be killing her by this point. The rest of my family would no doubt be devastated by this too. I just hope they give her all the support she needs. There was only one way this all can be fixed and return to normal. I ran away because I wanted to see for myself that Ryan would be found, and we both could return home again.

Now it was my birthday coming up tomorrow, and not just that. It would be my 18th birthday. Now that made me sad. It made me feel how much time truly had passed. Kimahri and I found ourselves in this mysterious unknown world, and there was still no sign of my brother anywhere. Where could we look? I never told Aluxes or the others any of this. I didn't want to burden them with my personal problems. Usually with our birthdays, my family would throw Ryan and I a nice party with dinner, cake and presents. Not this time. I would be getting no presents this year, and neither would he. I placed a hand on my forehead as I stared at the ground. I shook my head groaning in defeat. As the minutes pass by slowly, the only thing my eyes fixated on were every blade of grass and grain of dirt that sat there in the ground. Only to be moved by the wind. With every detail I observe of the very nature beneath my feet that I observed, I began to question myself.

'What exactly am I doing here?' I asked myself silently. 'What was the point of me even leaving in the first place?' I wandered through my mind and was starting to have doubts. Would it have been a better idea if I just stayed home, wait for the police to question me for the incident involving Sue's stalkers and be done with it? Or would that only make things look worse for me in the eyes of the mainstream media? Did Ryan really get kidnapped or run away when it happened, or was it some other cause that was of no fault of his own? He couldn't have felt so unhappy that he would just get up and leave home. Last time I checked we were all living a nice, and wonderful life. I didn't know what the cause of it all was, but it didn't matter since all I wanted to do was just find him and bring him back. I wanted back that nice life we all had as a family before he disappeared. If he were still at home, we'd be celebrating our 18th birthday together. The first time we would be legally considered adults over there. Now I'm just sitting here in this little hamlet alone, waiting for tomorrow to come just to celebrate a day I could share with anyone but myself. Eventually I looked up at the sky. The clouds slowly moved inch by inch with each passing second. It didn't matter what I would do now. Nothing could change what just happened to me, and there was no going back. I began to accept that.

I took a deep breath, and soon my negative thoughts that lingered within me began to dissipate. I returned to normal after reluctantly coming to terms with my fate. Albeit it's one where I had no idea where it would lead.

"I guess this is how I'll be celebrating my 18th birthday, tomorrow." I said to myself out loud, which immediately followed with an exasperated sigh. Little did I know that the front door was open, and Nadia was just outside having heard everything. She was completely shocked. Her jaw had dropped down as far as it could possibly go, and her eyes widened greatly. She cupped her mouth with her hands to keep herself quiet and stepped back into the house slowly and quietly to make sure she wouldn't disturb me enough to turn around and see her.

As soon as she was in the clear she ran to the dining room. Nora, Aluxes, Neko, and even Kimahri were all there settling down.

"Hey, everybody!" She shouted as loud as she can. "I have something to tell you!" This caught everyones attention.

"Nadia? Why are you shouting?" Nora asked.

"What happened, sis?" Aluxes asked.

"Nothing happened. It's very important!" She tried to explain. "It's Eric! His birthday is tomorrow!" Everybody in the room suddenly gasped from the sudden news as if they were to simultaneously shout 'HUH?' from the top of their lungs. This especially brought Kimahri's attention since he didn't know my birthday either.

"How do you know this?" Nora asked unsure of what she was saying was true.

"It's true, mommy!" Nadia exclaimed. "I heard it with my own ears!" She then began imitating my voice to the best of her ability. "'I guess this is how I'll be celebrating my 18th birthday, tomorrow.'" They were in disbelief. If those were my exact words according to them, then it must be true.

"I see..." Aluxes exclaimed. "But what can we do?"

"Why not throw a party?" Nadia asked. "Pretty please!"

"I don't know." Nora said with doubt. "I'm afraid if we throw a party for Eric, we won't have much to give. If we had known sooner we would have been prepared."

"Aww!" Nadia pouted. "All I want is for Eric to feel special... He was so sad, I just want him to be happy and smile." Kimahri sat there silently. Not only was my birthday coming up, but it was my 18th birthday. At first he didn't even think about it once. Now it was flooding all over his mind. He had to think of something and fast. Nadia wants to throw a party, and he too wants to give me something.

"We think of something." Kimahri said all of a sudden. Nora and Nadia looked at him surprised.

"Are you sure?" Nora asked.

"Of course." Aluxes said and stood up. "We'll find some things we could give to him as a gift. I think a party would be a great idea. Even though we've only known him for a little while, I feel he and Kimahri have been great company to us in a long time. Don't you agree?" Nora realized that her son had a point, and laughed.

"Well you're certainly not wrong on that part. He has been a fine young man." She thought about it for a second and nodded. "Alright, if you think you can handle it, we'll have the party." This lightened up Nadia's mood immensely.

"Yay!" she cheered and giggled. Neko's ears perked up.

"Oh, wow!" She said with a mew. "Is someone having a birthday?" Aluxes looked at her and nodded.

"Yep, it's Eric's." He told her. "I gotta tell you, 18 is an important year."

"How are we going to do it, mew?" Neko asked?

"I'll go talk to Yumi about organizing this party." He explained. "Her place can handle something like this. She doesn't take any random request though, but she'll definitely listen to a close friend like me."

"Alright then." Nora said. "You go ahead and talk to Yumi, and I'll prepare the cake soon." She headed to the kitchen almost immediately.

"What about me?" Nadia asked.

"Let the grown ups handle this, dear." She told her daughter. "You can keep an eye on Eric and make sure he doesn't find out until tomorrow."

"Ooh, a surprise party!" Neko exclaimed. "That's so fun! Hehe, I'll get his tongue, mew."

"I should be back soon." Aluxes told her and ran towards the front door.

Meanwhile I remained here on the porch and started to stretch, arching my back making myself comfortable from sitting there too long. I stood up and headed towards the door. Before I opened it though, I was suddenly pushed away. Before I knew it, there was Aluxes right in front of the door.

"Oh, hey Eric." He said. "Excuse me." He ran ahead past me, then I saw Nadia follow out the door as fast as she could.

"Hey Aluxes! Wait for me!" I just stood there confused. Watching him run towards the biggest house in the village nearby. Soon I turned around and headed back into the house.

"What just happened?" I asked. Neko noticed me.

"Oh, it's nothing, mew!" She said, and bounced her way out the door. I got out of the way just in time just to make sure I didn't get hit. I just wasn't sure what happened, but whatever it was certainly had Aluxes in a hurry. I looked at Kimahri sitting on the table and grinning. I just held my arms out and asked.

"What just happened?" The Ronso shook his head.

"Nothing." Kimahri said to me, than patted his lap. I headed towards him immediately and sat myself on his lap. Then he wrapped his big muscular arms around me.

"It's just that Aluxes ran off in a hurry." I said wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "Did he have an errand to take care of?" The Ronso grinned even wider.

"Something like that. Eric need not worry. It's no concern." He leaned toward me to exchange a kiss, which I gladly returned.

"Well. If you say so." With that, we just sat there and cuddled for a little while.

Aluxes meanwhile stood in front of the larger house in front him. In the front yard he spotted an older man who recognized him almost immediately.

"Ah, master Aluxes." He said. "What brings you here?"

"Hello there." Aluxes said. "Is Yumi home?"

"Yes, she is upstairs in her chambers." He held his hands towards the door. "Feel free to come in, master Aluxes."

"Thank you, sir." Aluxes nodded and entered the house. Almost immediately he headed up the stairs. He reached the second floor and headed his way into one of the bedrooms.

"Yumi!" He called. "Are you home?" He then heard a voice from the other side of the door.

"Hm, Aluxes? Is that you?" Aluxes heard footsteps coming to the door. Then he saw the door open and saw Yumi standing in front of him having raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I was right." She said. "What brings you here?"

"I have an important favor to ask you."

"What is it?" She asked coyly.

"We're throwing a party tomorrow, and we need your help organizing it."

"A party?" She asked, this time very curiously. "What's the occasion?" Aluxes began to explain.

"It's because Eric's birthday is tomorrow, and we wanted to do something special for him." Yumi was very doubtful about this. She couldn't believe Aluxes and his family would go through something like this. Especially for someone they've only just met for a few days and is practically a stranger.

"Well..." She thought about it for a little while, and folded her arms. Something came to her, and it helped make her mind up. She never really knew me, but she felt that she had gotten used to me like a good friend.

"Alright." She said rolling her eyes. "Normally I wouldn't follow this request. But for you, I'll do it." Aluxes smiled.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, sure." She smirked. "Just leave the big stuff to me. The cooks can make some meals to really liven up the place." Then something else came to her mind. "Well, I guess all that's left is giving him a gift..."

"Only if you want to. It's all up to you." Aluxes said, turning back towards the stairs. Then he asked her a question. "What is your honest opinion about Eric? I mean, what do you think of him?" Yumi twirled her hair.

"He's okay. He's not my type, but he is pretty cute. I'm sure I'll think of something nice to give him."

"Are you sure?" Aluxes asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I don't know him much, yet. But I have a hunch that he's a good guy." Aluxes nodded. "How old is he anyway?"

"17."

"You're kidding!" Yumi said surprised. "He turns 18? I thought he was a few years younger."

"He does look that way. Haha, well thank you very much." He said. "I appreciate the help." Then he headed back down the stairs on his way out the door.

"No problem." She said with a confident smile. "Just wait until tomorrow. You're going to experience a fabulous party like you've never seen."

The day continued on from there. Yumi had made the preparations for the party at her place. Aluxes, Nora, and Nadia all took care of the arrangements here as well as the cake. Of course they all took care of it in the background to keep it a secret from me. It worked as I remained clueless at what was going on. Kimahri kept me busy and out of everyone else's sight so they could work on wrapping their gifts. The rest of the evening was the usual meal and small talk we had the last couple of nights. Soon, morning came.

The sunlight came slowly through the window, and we all laid still. Aluxes was the first one to wake up. He slowly stirred and opened his eyes slowly. Turning himself around in the bed, he observed the room quietly. Everyone was laying still, not even moving at the slightest. Neko slept soundly like a little kitten. Ahead of her, he saw the two of us laying close together. At first he rose an eyebrow, and questioned himself why we were cuddled up close. Right now however, he had to get both Kimahri and Neko out of bed without even waking me up at the slightest. Very slowly he lifted the covers off of him. As soon as his feet were free, he took his time to lift himself up from the bed until he was sitting upward. Then he put his feet on the ground and gracefully stood up. Keeping quiet he re-equipped his gear. He slipped his armor on and put his gauntlets and boots on. After that he wrapped his headband back on. After finally fully clothed, he looked back at us and took a deep breath knowing we remained fast asleep. He tiptoed his way around the room until he was right in front of Neko, who mumbled a little in her sleep. Aluxes slowly got down on one knee and nudged the cat girl awake, but only a little so as to not spook her. One of her cat ears flickered, and she lifter her head up. She made a small mew in response looking like a cranky cat that just had her cat nap interrupted. She was Aluxes looking at her as he held out his finger in front of his lips shushing her.

"We have to keep this quiet." He whispered to her ear. "We don't want to wake up Eric." Neko said nothing in response and just got up lazily on her feet. She fully stretched her arms and yawned. Then she slowly walked down the stairs looking incredibly tired. Her eyes drooping and ears lowered. Eventually she disappeared from the room completely. After she left Aluxes got back up on his feet slowly. He knew he had to wake Kimahri up, but he also had to make sure I wouldn't wake as well. So carefully he approached the two of us with caution. As soon as he was right in front of us he observed our positions. I slept on my left side with my head resting on the Ronso's chest. He also had his arms wrapped around me so he could keep me close.

Aluxes gave his head a shake. He realized it would be a little harder to get the blue beast awake now. He kept himself calm, breathing slowly as he edged closer to our mats. He got on his knees, and leaned closer to the big muscular anthropomorph in front of him. Soon he paused for a moment, shaking a little bit as he didn't want to screw this up badly. He reached his arm out and carefully laid his right hand on the Ronso's shoulder. He waited for a second as soon as the shoulder was in his grasp, and gave it a few nudges. Kimahri didn't budge an inch, so Aluxes tried again trying not to end up waking me up as well.

"Kimahri..." He whispered quietly, shaking him a little once again. "Wake up..." Soon he heard a deep rumbling snort emitting from Kimahri's nose. He was spooked greatly and he let go of his shoulders. Kimahri slowly opened his eyes, and his body started to wake up. He turned his head to face the ceiling and yawned greatly. Aluxes looked at him stunned, observing the Ronso's great fangs and teeth within his leonine mouth. Then the yawning ceased and his mouth was closed. Kimahri blinked a little bit and looked around. Very quickly he saw Aluxes right next to him, and gave him a confusing look. Aluxes put his finger to his own lips and shushed.

"Are you awake?..." He asked him quietly. The Ronso nodded, still holding me in his arms. Aluxes continued whispering. "Okay, good..." He looked at me for a second. "Be sure not to wake him. We got to get the party ready..." Kimahri lifted a hand and wiped his eyes. He understood what he had to do. Very carefully the Ronso reached for a nearby pillow and grabbed it. Then slowly and gently he lifted my head away from his chest. He didn't want to move me too much or too fast since it would wake me for sure. Soon his arms were freed, but keeping my head elevated. Despite this, I was still sound asleep much to both his and Aluxes' relief. The Ronso gently put my head down until it eventually it was atop the pillow. After succeeding, Kimahri slowly inched his way out of the mat. Aluxes backed away so he could give him some room to maneuver around. Kimahri eventually made it out of the bed and got up. He kept himself in a kneeling position so he can pull the covers until I was fully covered from neck to toe.

Kimahri looked at Aluxes and the two nodded at each other. The Ronso got up on his feet slowly and eventually they walked their way towards the stairs. Aluxes stepped down carefully with Kimahri following close behind. He stopped to give one last look at me, smiling at how peaceful I looked laying down fully protected by that blanket. Then he walked downstairs, disappearing from the room.

The two of them made it down the stairs without any problems, and were approached by Nora. She came up to her son and whispered.

"Is he still asleep?" She asked quietly. Aluxes nodded.

"Yes."

"Perfect." They all headed to the front room with Nadia following close behind quietly. "Make sure everything gets sent to Yumi's house. The cake's not quite ready yet, so I will be a while."

"Do you need one of us to keep an eye on him?" Aluxes asked. Nora shook her head.

"It's alright. In case we need to, Nadia can keep watch." She looked down on her daughter. "Think you can handle it, honey?"

"Yes, mommy." She replied.

"Alright, you guys." Aluxes told Neko and Kimahri. "Let's go." And the three grabbed some boxes and cases wrapped together in ribbons, and went out the door. They went down the relatively short path to Yumi's house. Aluxes led the way and the other two followed. When they arrived they meet with Yumi at the front door.

"Hey you guys." Yumi greeted them, then asked. "Aren't you a little early?"

"We needed to get our stuff out here before Eric wakes up." Aluxes explained. "I thought it would be the best way of keeping it a surprise."

"Fair enough." Yumi said and lead them inside. Neko hopped inside before anyone else.

"By the way." Aluxes said as he stepped inside, with Kimahri passing through. "Did you find a gift for Eric?"

"Yep." Yumi answered, showing him a rather small box with a delicate green ribbon wrapped around it. The rather rich appearance put made him rather speechless. "I think I got something neat for him. I'm sure it would fit a guy like him perfectly." She winked at Aluxes, and he raised an eyebrow.

"What did you get him?..." He asked. Yumi just smirked and flipped her hair with her fingers.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." She ran back inside the join the others in the preparations. Aluxes just stood there puzzled. He didn't know what to think. He shook his head soon after and went inside, shutting the door behind him.

Meanwhile, back at Aluxes' house as the time went by, Nora was at the kitchen, not only cooking a breakfast for me, but also tending to the cake. She grabbed a knife and began coating the batter with some homemade frosting that she had preserved for special occasions like this.

"There we go..." She said to herself. "I hope this will be just right for him." She hummed a little as she took her time decorating the cake. Nadia ran over to the kitchen to check up on her mom.

"How's the cake, mommy?" She asked.

"Just fine, dear." She told her. "Keep looking out, make sure Eric doesn't see this."

"Okay." She ran out of the kitchen and played around some more.

All the way back upstairs, I still slept in my mat, not even budging an inch. However, the sunlight was getting brighter, illuminating Aluxes' room greatly. I eventually began to stir and before I knew it, my eyes opened. I got myself up and rubbed my eyes with my arm. Then I yawned greatly while stretching my arms, and then arched my back outward. I gave myself a minute to regain my senses, then looked around and realized nobody else was in the room. I was all alone. Aluxes, Neko, and even Kimahri were all gone.

"Huh? Where did they go?..." I asked myself. "Maybe they all had something to do." That was what I assumed anyway. I pushed away the covers and got off the mat. I walked towards the window and took a look at the village basking in the sunlight. It had dawned on me that today was officially the big day. I am officially 18 years old now. No longer was I just simply a teenager, I am now officially an adult. Well, legally speaking. I strangely did not feel any older, but I didn't mind. It still felt rather crazy though. I knew all along that my birthday would come eventually, but all of a sudden that day was today, and it hit me like a tidal crashing into my chest. I walked back towards the mat and grabbed my socks and shoes while sitting back down. I slipped them on within seconds and put my gloves back on as well, along with my necklace. I got up once again and looked into the mirror. Using my reflection I fixed the collar of my shirt and readjusted the spikes in my hair.

I looked around the place for a bit and inspected it. For a small home that doesn't really have any electricity it did feel rather homely. The longer I've been here it made me appreciate the older days a little more. I looked at the clock on the wall to see what time it is. The hands read 10:27 AM. It was pretty late in the morning, and just now I started to hear my stomach growl.

"I am a little hungry. I wonder what's for breakfast." So I walked out of the bedroom and headed down the stairs. I walked down the steps, and saw Nadia running around just ahead. As she looked up, she saw me and gasped, then ran into the kitchen. "Huh, Nadia?..." I just stood there a little confused. That was weird, she just took off after seeing me. Did I upset her?

"Mommy!" Nadia exclaimed. "Eric is awake!" This caught Nora by surprise and she looked down at her.

"Keep him busy." She told her and sent her on her way. Nadia ran back to the stairway and saw me. I still barely moved an inch.

"Good morning!" Nadia said to me with a wide smile. I smiled back at her.

"Morning." I said to her. "Do you know what's going on this morning?"

"I don't know..." She told me. Something in her speech seemed a little hesitant.

"Well, where are the others at least?" I asked her, trying not to pressure her at all.

"They, uh, all had errands to run."

'Even Kimahri?' I asked myself. That was rather nice of him to do something for Nora though. Since he and I were both strangers staying at her house for sometime now.

"I see." I scratched the back of my head and asked. "Do you know if breakfast is ready? I'm starving."

"Breakfast should be ready soon." Nadia said. "Hey, why don't we go play outside?" She ran up the stairs and before I knew it, she grabbed my wrist.

"Come on!" She ran back down with her hand still grasped on my arm.

"Whoa!" I found myself dragged down with her, and she lead me out to the front door. As we ran I smelled something rather delicious.

"Did I just smell chocolate? Ah!" Suddenly I felt a harder tug on my arm.

"Come on!" We then ran outside, and we continued to run farther away from the house out into the grass. What was that all about? I asked myself. That smell in the kitchen was not like the others. In fact, it was rather different. It seemed rather sweet. I guess there's something else I'm having for breakfast this time, but I'm not sure. Eventually we were far enough from the place we stopped so I can catch my breath a little.

"Jeez... What was that for?"

"Sorry." Nadia said. "I just needed someone to play with."

"I see." I guess Aluxes was busy with his errand to go play with his little sister. So I asked. "So what do you want to do?"

"Umm." She slightly scratched her cheek with her finger trying to think of a plan. She needed something to do in order to distract me from either her mom or anyone else. "Hey, I know! Wanna play tag?"

"Uh, sure." She giggled then tapped my arm a little.

"Tag! You're it!" She ran off away from me through the grassy area.

"Haha, so I'm it?" I said. "Alright! Here I come!" So I chased after her, following her to make sure I didn't lose her. she lead me away from the house of course, leading me to chase her around the neighbors houses. Nora meanwhile looked out the door to see her Nadia distracting me far away and breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close." She said to herself. "I didn't want to spoil the surprise." She went back into the kitchen to check up on everything. She finished decorating the cake, and it was ready to go. While she waited for some assistance with it, she checked on my breakfast to make sure it was ready.

Meanwhile at Yumi's house, Aluxes and others were finishing with the preparations for the party. My gifts were placed in the middle of the living room, out of the walkway. Kimahri noticed that there were two maids in the dining room across organizing the plates and silverware. He didn't know who those people were, but he appreciated the extra help. They were pretty much done setting everything up as far as he knew, all that's left was to wait for the cook to actually start crafting the big birthday meal. It'll be a little while until then, so he just stood there and pondered. He wanted to know what I was up to right now. He looked down at the pile of gifts, observing the boxes. In particular he glanced that the long thin one. His mind wandered back to yesterday at the time he was making his gift to me. I was outside practicing my Keyblade swings out of sight. He had a log of wood which he carved down to size, and sharpened it smoothing out the rough edges. The gift in it's complete form was hidden inside that box. He wanted me to see it for myself when the time was right.

"Hey, Kimahri." He heard Aluxes calling for him and turned around to face him.

"Hmm?" Was his response.

"Why don't you go see if mom has finished the cake, yet?" Aluxes asked. "Everything else is done over here, so I think she could use your help."

"Kimahri help." He turned towards the direction of the front door and headed down. He took another look at the two maids as they left the dining room, then turned back around.

"Who are they?" He asked Aluxes.

"Oh, those two? They're the mayor's servants. He's somewhat rich, so he has hired hands to do the work for him." The Ronso nodded having understood it now. He then turned to the door and left the house. He strolled through the village back to Aluxes' house. He opened the front door and stepped inside.

"Who is it?" He heard Nora's voice asking from the kitchen. She looked outward and saw the Ronso waiting for her.

"Oh good. You're here. I could use your help bringing the cake over." He nodded and headed into the kitchen, though not before smelling an aroma of freshly cooked eggs on the way. He looked around the kitchen and saw the cake sitting tall on the counter next to the stove. "Here it is, right here." She said pointing towards it. "Be careful not to drop it." He did not hesitate in grabbing the cake, and holding it carefully. It was somewhat heavy overall, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. With the cake in his grasp he headed back out the front door.

"Here. Why don't I get the door for you?" She ran for the door and held it open. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Kimahri said.

"You're welcome. Now hurry along before Eric sees you." Taking her advice, he headed straight out the door, and back towards Yumi's house where she was waiting for him to bring the cake over.

While this was all going on, I was still chasing Nadia around with our game of tag. Eventually I caught up to her.

"Tag!" Now it was my turn to be chased around, so I ran off the other way and she followed suit. We just laughed and played around without a care in the world. I had to admit, I was having a good time today despite the fact that I didn't have a party to celebrate my day today, nor was any of my family around to celebrate with either. Eventually we both grew exhausted from the game, and we both just lied back on the grass looking towards the bright blue sky.

"That was fun." I said to Nadia while watching the clouds go by with my hands tied behind my head. "You were pretty fast." She giggled.

"Yeah! You were great!" The two of us just laughed along while we relaxed from that game. I certainly got my exercise for the day, and it felt rather good. She had me going out of breath back there. If I hadn't played so many video games back home, I might have been in better shape. Nora came outside and started calling for me.

"Eric! Breakfast is ready!" I got up and saw her at the door smiling at me.

"I'm coming." I ran towards the house charging straight for the door. Nadia got up and followed suit. It was just so interesting. The way Nora called me over for breakfast. It sort of reminded me of home. She is a mother after all, so I guess that comes naturally. I walked towards the dining room and I saw an assortment of eggs sitting at the table. I sat down on the stool and observed it closely.

"Wow." I said, and looked up at her. "Are those for me?"

"Of course." She said. "I hope it's not too much for you." I shook my head.

"No, it's okay. This is just fine. Thank you." I grabbed a fork and began chowing down my meal.

"You're welcome, dear. You slept in while the others are awake, so I decided to save yours for later." I just kept eating at a reasonable pace. I've never had eggs before, but surprisingly they were pretty good.

"Where are the others, by the way?" I asked her in between bites.

"I sent them on some errands." She said. "I can't keep this place running by myself, you know."

"I guess that's true." I then grasped a cup of milk and drank it down. "Do you know when they'll be back?"

"They should be back soon." She said and stood up walking back towards the kitchen. "I'll be doing some cleaning up in the kitchen if you need me."

"Okay." She disappeared and I finished my meal. I looked around and saw that Nadia wasn't here. I guessed that she must still be outside. I got and went outside once again to look for her. Very quickly I saw Nadia near a neighbor's house talking to a couple of other kids around her age. They must have been friends of hers, otherwise I wouldn't know given they're interacting nicely and having a good time. I might as well leave her be, I thought to myself. So I just walked towards a bed of tall grass away from anyone else in the village and just laid down to relax underneath some trees so I could have some shade.

For a while I just stared at the clouds roaming by. The only things that were on my mind at this time were just simply passing thoughts. I started to have an epiphany while daydreaming. I remembered before I came here someone cured me of my curse. While I don't remember everything he told me, I do remember his face and his name. Shia Osthato, that blue dragon who is also a great sage... What was it he tried to say? Somehow the clouds above are trying to tell me something. As I continued trailing away into my thoughts I heard the sounds of footsteps approaching me in the grass. I came to and looked up. There was Kimahri standing right next to me, and looking at me with a smile.

"Hey Kimahri." I said as I sat up straight. "How did your errands go?"

"Went well." He said and sat down next to me starting to rub my back. "Aluxes gather mushrooms for next meals." I snickered shortly after.

"Did Neko try to eat some of the funny ones again?" I asked in a joking manner and laughed, remembering what happened to her a couple days ago after we explored that cave. Kimahri shook his head and grinned.

"Not this time." He let go of my back and we just sat there after that watching the clouds. Then I felt him tap my shoulder and he stood up. "Come." He instructed. "Kimahri have something to show you." I stood up as well giving him a confused look.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"It's a secret." He said to me and winked. I blushed while staring at him. What could he mean by this? Was it some kind of surprise, or it something naughty that the Ronso plans for me? He chuckled and walked behind me. "Close your eyes." I followed his deep voice and shut my eyes completely.

"Is is a surprise?" I asked.

"We'll see." The next thing I felt he wrapped an arm around my side and placed another hand across my eyes to make sure I wouldn't open them. Then he starting walking slowly and carefully, taking me with him. I was completely blind as to where I was going, but he kept me close to him to make sure I didn't stumble, trip, or went the wrong way. Little did I know he was leading me straight to Yumi's house, and slowly but surely we headed towards the door.

"Almost there..." He said as we went past the front fence and heading towards the door.

"How much further?" I asked. My eyes were itching to be opened.

"Just a little more. Keep them closed." He let go of my eyes, which remained closed, and opened the door. As soon as it opened he cupped his hand on my eyes again and lead me inside. With each step we made I got more curious as to what exactly Kimahri's secret surprise is. I got even more curious when I realized we were stepping inside a house. Maybe it was Aluxes' house? I thought, but I didn't know. We continued to step inside, and the Ronso lead me right in front of the dining room of Yumi's house. He put me right into position.

"Okay." Kimahri said with a grin and letting go of me. "Open your eyes, now." I opened my eyes to see what he had in store for me. As soon as they fully opened I heard a huge shout.

"SURPRISE!!"

I was caught off guard. Right in front of me there's was everyone: Aluxes, Yumi, Neko, Nora, Nadia, and another man, with blond hair and mustache, who I've never seen before. They were all standing together near a table filled with various food.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIC!" My jaw just dropped, and I placed a hand over it in surprise. How could they have known?

"Wow!..." I exclaimed with a pause. Still stoked from the surprise. "How did you guys know it was my birthday?"

"We found out, so we decided to throw a little party for you." Aluxes explained. I stuttered a little trying to get the words out.

"Y-you guys didn't have to do this... I mean, this is great, but..." Then Yumi came up to me.

"It's the least we can do." She said.

"After all, you're our friend." Aluxes said. "We wanted to do something special for you." To think my birthday was just going to pass me by. The fact that my new friends, despite only knowing then within days, would go out of their way to do something so nice for me. There was no expressing how much happiness I have running through my veins.

"Well... Thank you guys. I don't know what to say." Neko then bounced about.

"I say let's eat, mew! I'm starving!" Then she hopped onto one of the chairs getting ready to eat.

"Hold your horses there." The man said as the others gathered around the table. "We must go through the speech first. It's a tradition here in La Sonrisa when children are coming to the age of adulthood." Kimahri sat me down in my chair and then sat next to me. As soon as everyone gathered around their spots on the table, the man closed his eyes and held his hands into the air. We all watched as he began to deliver his speech.

"I thank you the powers that be who bless us on this special occasion. I pray that you see this young lad before you, and guide him through the road of enlightenment. Bless him throughout his future endeavors, for on this day, the boy known as Eric has officially become a man. May you continue to bring prosperity and smiles here in La Sonrisa, and shine above it with your radiant light. Amen." Then he set his hands on the table and open his eyes. "Dig in."

So we all started to eat our meals. I grabbed my knife and fork and started to cut down the meat, taking bites into my mouth. It was so juicy and delicious. It was unlike anything I've had before. Yumi spoke to the man in between bites.

"That was a great speech, daddy."

"Well thanks, sweetie."

"So you're the mayor here?" I asked him.

"Of course." He told me. "Allister Usagi is my name. I've heard plenty of good things about you, young man."

"Really?" He nodded.

"My daughter Yumi told me you were a fine young man." I raised an eyebrow and looked at Yumi, who looked away embarrassed.

"It's not like that, daddy..." She said. He chuckled.

"I was only kidding sweetie. It's always nice to make new friends." Then he looked at me and spoke. "We're glad to have you here in this village. I'm sure Nora enjoys the company."

"You really don't mind?" I asked her.

"Of course not, dear." She said. "You're welcome here anytime."

"Thank you." I continued to enjoy my meal. Meanwhile, Aluxes at his meal at a reasonable pace, helping Nadia with hers every now and then. For a boy his age, he sure is very mature. Neko munched on her meal rather fast. I was almost waiting for her to choke by accident. Thankfully she didn't, but I guess this is all to her cat-like nature.

Eventually we all finished our meal and we all felt so stuffed. Most of us leaned back relaxing after our satisfied meal.

"Phew. That was such a good meal." Aluxes said.

"I agree." I said. "I'm stuffed..." Neko purred in satisfaction, mewing a few times in succession.

"Anybody have room for dessert?" Yumi asked. Nora made a suggestion.

"Why don't we save that for later." She said. "Why don't we all go sit in the living room in the meantime. I believe it's time to open presents." Gifts too? I didn't know they'd do cake and presents as well. Regardless it's nice that they'd do something like this for me. Allister yawned greatly.

"Well you kids continue on without me, I've got some things to do." He slowly got up out of his chair and walked out of the dining room and towards the stairs. "It's nice meeting you young man." He said to me.

"It's nice to meet you too, sir." I watched him marching up the stairs, and he disappeared. It did seem rather strange that he would just get up and leave the party while we're in the middle of it, but I suppose he's a busy man after all. Nora got up out of her chair.

"Come on everyone." She said. "Let's head over to the living room."

"Oh, boy. Presents!" Nadia shouted and ran towards the living room. Aluxes followed right behind her.

"Nadia, be careful!" He said to her, making sure she wouldn't trip. Neko hopped into the room and Yumi simply walked there. Kimahri patted me on the back, and we looked at each other with a smile. He motioned his head suggesting that we joined the others. I got off the chair and went straight into the room. Soon we joined with the others, who already were gathered around in a circle near the fireplace.

"Are you sure it's okay to leave the dishes like this?" I asked.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Yumi told me. "The maids will take care of that." I sat down on one of the chairs, but Kimahri remained standing. I just sat there for a minute as the gifts are being brought over. I smiled as there were plenty of boxes of different shapes put together in a pile. They must have really went out of the way to find something to give me.

"Alright, birthday boy." She said to me. "Pick out which gift to start with." I looked at each box intently.

"I'm not sure where to start." I said. Then Nadia grabbed her box and ran towards me, holding it towards me.

"Hey, open my present first!"

"Nadia. It's rude to make him choose like that." Nora scolded her.

"No, it's okay." I told her. "I can open hers first. Thank you." I grabbed her gift and she giggled, heading back to her mother's side. I looked at the small box tied together with a little pink ribbon. I untied the ribbon and opened the box. I looked inside and saw some kind of herb. "Ooh." I took it out and observed. "It looks so pretty. Where did you get it?"

"I found it growing in the grass." Nadia said. "I thought it looked pretty and I wanted you to have it."

"It's an antidote." Aluxes explained. "It's rare to find them growing here, but they're used to cure poisons." A rather useful item. I smiled at her and she blushed.

"Thank you, Nadia."

"You're welcome. Tehehehe." I went to the next box. This one was rather big, and wrapped in a red bow this time.

"This one is from me." Aluxes said. I unwrapped the bow and opened the box.

"Oh wow." I grabbed the item out of the box, and pulled it out. I was holding a medium-sized, bronze plated armor that covered the chest and abdomen area. "This is neat."

"Thank you." Aluxes said. "This plate armor has been in our storage room for a while, so I figured you might have more use for it then I will."

"Cool." I smiled and set the plate aside. Then I grabbed a bluish box wrapped by a white bow.

"This one is for me." Nora told me. "Since you might be going away somewhere on your travels, I figured you could use these in case of emergency." I looked at her curiously and then stared back into the box. Well Kimahri and I were on a quest to find my brother, but we didn't know how long it would be until we would be on the road again. Then again, it would hopefully be rather soon. We've already recovered from that wild goose chase back on Earth. I unwrapped the box and opened the lid. I was shocked when I saw about five bottles inside.

"Are these potions?" I asked Nora.

"Of course." She said. These were healing potions that could be used in battle, in case I got injured.

"Thank you." I said to her, and she nodded. Yumi then handed me her gift.

"Here. This one is from me." She said. "I think it would look nice on you." Curious, I looked at the gift. It was a small black box wrapped with a bright green ribbon. I undid the ribbon and opened the lid. I was stunned to see a rather incredible looking ring. It was silver with a red and blue jewel on the top.

"Wow..." I said taking the ring and putting it on. "It looks wonderful." I held out my hand to everyone and they all got a good look at it, and became as stunned as I was.

"It's pretty." Nadia said.

"Certainly is." Said Nora.

"It's beautiful." Aluxes commented, then looked at Yumi who just smirked. "Are you sure you want to give it up?"

"It's nothing." She said gloating a little. "He can have it. Besides, I have plenty of jewelry as it is."

"Thanks Yumi." I said taking the ring out and putting back in the box. It must have taken a lot of kindness for someone like her to donate one of her rings as a birthday present. I figured she was the last person to think about others.

"Don't think this means I'll always be this generous." She told me. Now there were two gifts left. The second to last was from Neko. I opened it and found another two bottles inside, this time the liquid was pink rather than blue like Nora's potions.

"These ones restore magic energy, mew." The cat girl told me as she swished her tail.

"Thanks." I said. The gifts I received so far were interesting. I got five potions, two magic perfumes, an antidote, a plate armor, and a ring. It was drastically different from what I usually get on my birthdays back home, but I was glad I got gifts anyway so I didn't complain. In fact, I rather liked the gifts.

"Alright, there's just one last gift." Aluxes said. I looked down by my feet and saw another box. This one was longer than the others and also thinner. I grabbed it and placed it on my lap. "This one is from Kimahri." He told me. I looked up at the Ronso standing next to me. He looked away a little bit, and I noticed he was blushing. This was a side of him I've never seen. I took a look at the box once again and untied the strings that wrapped it shut. Then I opened the box and was struck in awe by what's inside.

"Oh Kimahri..." I pulled the gift out of the box and put it up on display for everyone to see: it was a javelin. We all looked on at the impressive appearance of the spear. The wood handle looked so delicately carved with a little cloth wrapping the pole with the sharp spear tip.

"Kimahri made that spear." The Ronso said to me. "Kimahri figure Eric use it sometime in battle."

"This is perfect Kimahri." I said to him with a smile. "Thank you."

"You could use it for other things too." Aluxes said, admiring my new javelin. "Like fishing."

"Oh boy! Fish!" Neko bleated, hopping around with joy. We all laughed in response. As soon as the laughter stopped. Nora stood up.

"Well speaking of food. I think it's time for dessert. Who wants cake?" She asked us. We all responded positively towards it, and we all stood up.

"There's cake?" I asked.

"Of course. I baked it myself."

"I'll have it brought over." Yumi said and left the room. I set Kimahri's spear down and we all headed back to the dining room. This time the plates and silverware were cleaned and rearranged for desert. Nora and Yumi both brought over a nice looking cake and set it on the table.

"Thank you, Yumi." Nora said to her.

"It's no problem." Yumi said. "I had the help sent home early today, so I decided to help." I stared at the cake, not even listening to the conversation. It was a chocolate cake, with some white frosting decorated on with with the words 'Happy Birthday' written in the middle. The candles circled the cake and were already lit.

"Mmm, this looks good." I complimented.

"It was made with chocolate frosting." Nora told me. "Is that alright?"

"Definitely." I said to her. "I love chocolate." This made her smile. She nodded.

"Go ahead and make a wish." I walked in front of the cake and looked at the candle. I silently thought long and hard about the wish I had in mind. Soon enough the wish came to me: I wanted to see me and Ryan home together again. After I made the wish, I blew the candles out.

"Great. Let's start slicing." Nora said taking out the candles. We all sat down on the table once again. Nora grabbed a knife and began slicing the cake. She put the first slice on a plate and handed it to me.

"Thank you." I said to her, then grabbed a fork and began eating it. It had a chocolatey taste as I expected from it, only this time it was mouthwatering. It had this particular homestyle taste to it unlike any other cake I ever had in my life. "Mm. This is great!" Nora chuckled as she handed the slices to the rest of the party.

"Well thank you, dear. I truly appreciate it dear." I laughed a little bit and finished off the cake within minutes. I also noticed Kimahri was trying a piece, and judging from his reaction seemed to be enjoying it. It was interesting to see since I thought most cats were allergic to chocolate; however I maybe wrong since Kimahri is more of a humanoid.

The party continued onward as we finished the cake off. It lasted all the way to the night and most of the time was spent making conversation, and we even had some entertainment with Neko putting on some kind of show. She was pretty funny, and sometimes she would bring either me, Nadia, Aluxes, or all three of us into the act. We all were having so much fun, and enjoyed every minute of it. Eventually the sky began to grow dark, and things started to settle down for us. I took a deep breath and began to relax. We all pretty much ran out of energy at this point.

"I got to admit. That was fun." I said. I noticed everyone around me were starting to feel exhaustion.

"Most definitely." Aluxes said. "It's been quite an eventful day."

"Neko surely had fun. She really used up a lot of her energy." Yumi said, and looked at the very exhausted cat girl who just laid down flat on her back. It was probably the sugar from the cake that started to make her crash.

"What do you think, Eric?" Nora asked me. "Did this help satisfy you?" I nodded.

"Of course it did..." I said, then I looked at everyone who all stared and smiled at me. "Everybody. Thank you. Everything you guys have done for me... You don't even know how happy this makes me. The food, the gifts, the love... Even the entertainment... I could not ask for more. This is probably one of the best birthdays I've ever had in my life. You all made it so much special... Thanks you guys, from the bottom of my heart..." I put my hand on my chest, covering my heart. Everybody around me clapped their hands in applause.

"Yaaay!" Was Nadia's response. This party at this point had reached it's conclusion, and it ended so well I was in danger of shedding a tear of joy. The day I thought would pass me by in sadness, went on to be an incredibly joyous one.

Nadia made a big yawn, and held her mother's hand.

"Let's go home, sweetie. You must be tired." Nora said to her. She headed her way out the door, but looked back at us. "Coming with us?"

"Go on ahead." Aluxes told her. "We'll join you in a minute."

"Alright. Good night everyone, and happy birthday Eric." The door was shut behind the two and they were gone. Yumi yawned greatly herself, having been exhausted from a long busy day.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to bed. I'll catch you guys in the morning..." She headed her way up the stairs towards her room. "Good night you guys..."

"Good night." I told her waving goodbye. Aluxes, Kimahri and I looked at Neko who just got up on her feet again.

"Come on Neko." Aluxes said. "Lets get going." As I nodded in agreement, I felt a hand grasp my shoulder. I looked back and saw it was Kimahri's.

"Go ahead, back home." Kimahri said. "We catch up soon."

"Alright. We'll see you back in my room." Aluxes responded. He left the room on the way to the front door, and Neko followed suit. "Good night you two. Happy Birthday, Eric."

"Good night, Aluxes." I said. "And thank you." Then they left, and now it was just me and Kimahri as we were left alone.

"Hey, thanks for the spear by the way." I said to him.

"You're welcome. Glad you liked it." He then wrapped his arms around me into a hug which I gladly returned. "Now..." Kimahri had let go of my embrace, then began to pick me up.

"Whoa." I laughed a little and before I knew it, I was lifted off the ground, and cradled into the big Ronso's arms. Like a princess being held by her knight in shining armor. I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders as he carried me out the door. Before we knew it, we were outside in the dead of night. The only things illuminating the village were the moon and the stars. Kimahri walked away from Yumi's house, but instead of heading back to Aluxes' house, he lead me away from the village and into the woods.

Soon we passed the south gate since nobody was guarding it, and we were soon away from civilization. The only thing that surrounded us were the sounds of the cicadas echoing in the distance, and the trees rustling in the cool, gentle wind. Kimahri set me down on a nearby log and knelled down in front of me, giving me another soft gentle hug. I was not afraid of the darkness, feeling secure and content from the Ronso's comfort. We let go of the embrace though his shoulders still grasped my arms.

"Beautiful, isn't it, Eric?" I looked up at the bright moonlight, gazing up at the stars.

"It sure is." I said in response. There was nothing but silence between us at this point. My breathing slowed into a relaxed state, and the two of us just gazed into each other's eyes. I felt hypnotized by his stare. It was so romantic, and he felt the same way as he stared back at me. I smiled at him, slightly giggling. "So why did you bring me out here?" I asked him.

"There's one more gift Kimahri bring Eric." He answered me.

"Really?..." We fell silent once again, looking into each other's eyes again, this time he inched his face closer to mine. His eyes closed, and his muzzle met with my lips. Soon I was put into a trance, and gave in to the Ronso's loving kiss.

My eyes closed as the kiss grew deeper. His hands rubbed my arms for a little bit until letting go and wrapping them around my back. I tightened our embrace wrapping my arms around his muscular back. We kissed passionately from where I sat still. The hot breathing and stimulating sensation put me in a state of catharsis. I was locked into the kiss, and did not want to let go. He rubbed my back with one hand, and used the other to massage one of my sides. I just held onto him tightly, moaning softly into his muzzle as he was feeling me up.

Almost immediately my shorts began to tighten; my mate's handle on me making me hard. Kimahri took advantage of this and began massaging my thighs with the intent of making my bulge grow. The very second I opened my mouth in moaning, he worked his kiss deeper, and explored the inside of my mouth. He purred in satisfaction, and wrestled with my tongue intently. With intense moans I began wrestling his tongue back at him. His larger leonine tongue had the advantage and was clearly winning.

Both our hot breaths matched and our moans grew slightly louder. The Ronso began feeling me up more vigorously. At that point I grew incredibly uncomfortable, the bulge in my pants already grew into a full tent. Kimahri sensed this and bulged his way closer until our chests began to touch. He purred and moaned at the same time as we touched. I felt his bulging pecs grinding against my chest. It caused me to shiver, and I felt my nipples began to harden. He continued making love to my mouth and moved his hand from my thighs to my crotch. My moans sharply rose an octave as he groped my bulge, rubbing it up and down slowly.

My moans became uncontrollable at this point and we broke the kiss. Kimahri spread my legs open so he could rub my throbbing bulge more profusely. Kimahri rumbled delightfully having pleasured his human so successfully.

"Good boy..." He said with a deep seductive voice. "So horny..."

"Ah! Kimahri..." Was my only response within a serenade of lustful moans. He started to lick my neck, causing me to shiver even more with his teasing. Then he rubbed a little lower in the crotch area of my shorts, rubbing between my balls and taint. I rubbed his pecs with my hand, feeling the deep rumble of his purrs.

Kimahri let go of my crotch and we broke the embrace. I just sat there inherently touching my tent while he knelled down towards my feet, and took my shoes and socks off one by one. Very soon I was left with my bare feet hanging out and my toes wiggling around freely. My gloves were the next to go. With almost no effort he slipped them off, putting asside my socks and shoes. He chuckled and got back up to eye level purring as he watched me touching myself.

"Oh Kimahri. I really missed this..." I told him. It had been a very long time since the two of us had sex. Now all the pent up hormones that I've kept inside during that time were just begging to come out.

"Kimahri missed this too." He told me, giving me another kiss on the lips. "... Let's make Eric more comfortable." The Ronso then grabbed the sleeves of my shirt, starting to pull it off. I lifted my arms in the air to make his job easier. Very quickly my torso was fully exposed; the cool night air hardening my nipples while it blew. Wanting to tease my smooth young body some more, Kimahri began licking my chest, grooming it to his liking. I shivered in delight once again, and wrapped my hands behind his head as he licked. My fingers ran through his long hair as he continued to groom me. Then he moved his licks toward one of my nipples.

I moaned softly from the stimulation of that nipple. I couldn't fully explain the pleasure, but his tongue just felt so good as it ran through my nipple with each passing lick. Kimahri used a free hand to pleasure the other nipple, twirling his claw around the center to really drive my arousal up the wall. He let go of my left nipple and started to lick the other one. It was equally stimulating as the left one, though slightly more. He twirled his tongue around it making sure I was teased even more.

He lowered his hands to my shorts once again, but this time it was to undo the buckle of my belt. Successful in opening the buckle, he slipped the belt off of my pants. Then he started to grope my aching bulge once again. I made another loving moan, the stimulation too good. The Ronso eventually felt that I've been teased with my shorts on for too long, so he undid the zipper and began to pull it down. Soon my shorts came off, and I was left in my underwear. The cloth concealed my full erection and dabbled a little with pre-cum. He grinned at the sight of my bulge pulsing and throbbing. It was as if it was begging Kimahri to give it attention.

So Kimahri lowered his head and began to nuzzle my crotch. I emitted another good moan in response. He deeply inhaled the musk slowly, savoring the smell of my cock. Then he made a few licks at my bulging underwear. My moans grew louder and my face grew beet red. He has done so much teasing with my boner that I wasn't sure how much more I could take before I would blow. He sensed this and let go of my cock rumbling in ecstasy. Proud that he had gotten me this far, he stood tall observing his lover.

"Loving this?.." He asked. I could not speak another answer and only nodded my head. He made an even more devilish grin. "Good... How's this?" Then he began the next part of his private show. He undid the leather belts surrounding him from the center skull buckle. Within several seconds, they all came off along with the feathers on his back. I just watched him intently as he slowly striped each article of his tribal clothing. Soon his armlets came off, then he removed his leg bracers as well. One by one.

Then the remaining leather straps that tied his upper legs came off. Kimahri kept the whole process slow to tease my bulge some more. He looked at my bulge and winked swishing his tail back and forth. Right after, he pulled off the blue plate off, exposing his rock hard abs.

"Mmm." Was my response. The Ronso began to flex his arms and legs; proving his masculinity very confidently. His tail moved close to me and brushed against my bulge making sure it was still hard. Kimahri smiled and grabbed his red rope belt, starting to undo the knot. Soon after he let it drop along with his loincloth and other surrounding garments. My jaw dropped while I breathed heavily as I saw that he was packing a large tent within his loin wrapping. I moaned slightly feeling even hornier than usual.

Kimahri smirked and bulged his hips forward, so he could show off his glorious manhood even more. He just knew I could not resist looking.

"Come on." Kimahri said confidently. "Eric love this." Instantly I started rubbing my own bulge with my right hand again. "That's it..." The sexy Ronso turned around for me slowly. Then he started undoing his loin wrapping, the last article of clothing he had on. The backside began to drop off slowly from his tail. He looked behind me with another evil grin as his blue buttocks were now fully exposed for my viewing pleasure. My breathing came faster and a little heavier. I just could not help but stare at that fully toned ass of his. It looked so nice. He smirked and started to swish his ass back and forth in the air, teasing me even more once again.

I wasn't sure how much more I could take from this. It felt like I was about to leak pre-cum again on my already stained undies. Kimahri turned back around, and saw that I was still incredibly horny much to his satisfaction. He held his hanging loin wrapping at the front, stroking the bulge within slowly.

"You want this off?" He asked.

"Y-yes..." I said stuttering a bit. That was his signal to finally let it drop. He let go of his erection and the wrapping fell down on the ground revealing that big cock I love so much. Kimahri was now officially naked in all his furry, manly glory. His erection was full and standing up proudly. He smirked letting it all hang out. I stared as it pulsed right in front of me. Soon the Ronso approached me and knelled down again. He stroked his cock and tugged at my underwear with a free hand.

I did not object and let him pull my underwear down. At last I was nude and my erect cock was free. Kimahri licked his lips looking at my delicious member.

"Oh, Eric..." He said softly, then began to lick from the base to the tip of my member. I moaned sharply placing my hand on his head. He growled lovingly taking that as an encouragement to go further. He made another long lick then placed my cock in his maw. I shivered greatly; my member throbbed greatly as it surrounded his tongue. It was further helped from the heat within his beastly mouth. Soon the Ronso began to bob his head up and down my cock. Thus began his blow job.

He purred and moaned taking in my cock with relative ease. For several minutes I've been moaning profusely from the blow job he has laid upon me. Soon he began to speed up his pace. My moans grew even louder and my cock began to leak some pre-cum. He took in every bead of pre he could get his tongue on and swallowed it up with glee. While he continued to blow me, Kimahri stroked his own cock keeping it up with the rhythm. Before I knew it, my moans of ecstasy quickly grew louder and louder. I was starting to reach my climax quickly.

Kimahri caught wind of this and pulled his mouth out of my cock. I groaned a little in protest. My cock was so very close to blowing its load of seed, and it so desperately wanted to come out. The Ronso had something else in store for me, and it was about time he let that happen. So he stood up towering over me once again. I took this as an opportunity to show my ass to him and to have him fuck me. This time however he started to turn around much to my confusion.

"Ready to receive birthday gift now?" He asked, and I nodded curiously. Then he got down on all fours. He bent his ass towards me and lifted his tail upwards revealing his tailhole. "Here's the gift: Kimahri want Eric to top this time."

This caught me off guard. This was practically the first time I've ever been on top during our sexual intercourses. He was usually the one on top, I wasn't sure what to do.

"A-are you sure?..." I asked him.

"Yes." Kimahri said, shaking his blue booty a little. "Take Kimahri, Eric."

"But..." I was completely hesitant to do so. I remembered what Biran and Yenke did to him back then, and it was holding me back from any attempts to hump him.

"Do not worry. Kimahri can take it." He explained. "Kimahri want to prove to Eric it's okay for Kimahri to bottom." He made a smile of reassurance towards me while swishing his tail back and forth.

"Well..." I thought about it a little more than came to a decision. "Alright. If that's what you want. I'll do it." I got up off the log and walked directly behind him. As soon as I got close I felt Kimahri's soft, fuzzy tail wrap around me. Encouraging me to go on. I stroked my already lubricated cock and lined it in between his buttcheeks.

"There you go..." He said softly. "That's it..." Soon I felt the tip of my cock touch his hole. I took a deep breath and began to push in.

Kimahri grunted with loving passion as I started to inch my way into his rectum. I moaned uncontrollably; his ass felt so hot it was like I could melt at any second. He pushed back a little wanting me to go in deeper and deeper. I groaned immensely and continued pushing inside. Within a minute my cock fully hilted inside. I had pushed in as far as I could go. Kimahri growled with pleasure, happy that his human mate would willingly oblige into fucking his asshole.

"Mm! Good, boy!..." He grunted. "Now, thrust!" He gave his next command which I obeyed. I started to pull out a little, then thrusted back in. The big Ronso rocked forward a little urging me to keep going. I continued thrusting several times slowly until I got used to my length being inside. Soon after I started to hump him a little faster.

Kimahri growled and moaned taking in every inch of my cock inside him. He tightened his claws to the ground in absolute delight. I continued to thrust myself inside him, slapping my hips on his cheeks. I moaned so much picking up a little more speed and power with each thrust I make; much to the Ronso's ever growing delight.

Eventually I started to thrust his ass hard and fast. Grunting even more as I was really fucking him.

"Ah! Kimahri!..." I moaned to him. Kimahri responded back with some passionate moans of his own.

"Keep going, Eric!" He shouted. "Don't stop!..." This was followed up by another growl. At this point I couldn't slow myself down, and continued pounding his tailhole the way he wanted me to. Soon I felt myself leaking lots of pre-cum inside. Kimahri started feeling the warm human pre and grasped his cock with his right hand. He pawed himself furiously, growling from the pleasure.

At this rate my balls had been slapping against Kimahri's taint, signaling that it's about to release. I moaned louder and louder nearing my climax. Kimahri sensed that I was about to cum, and was determined to climax before I could. So he sped up his pawing vigorously, his pre-cum spurting to the grass below him.

"Kimahri!" I said moaning. "I'm, cumming!..." He growled, nearing his climax too.

"Cum for Kimahri, Eric!" Then he let out a roar and started shooting his ropes of hot Ronso seed on the ground. His ass squeezed on my cock, and I let out a sharp, passionate cry as I emptied my cum inside him. I made one last thrust, coating his inner walls with my seed. Kimahri kept shooting a few more ropes of cum on the ground.

Soon our climaxes began to dissipate. As soon as Kimahri's tail unwrapped itself from my waist I began to pull out. The Ronso grinned and got back up, placing his hand on his back. He knelt down in front of me and held me close in a warm hug. We didn't speak, but we both knew how we felt for each other. He was proud of me for learning how to fuck and cum inside another man's ass. I also learned that it didn't matter what we did to each other or how we did it. What mattered was that we loved each other, just like we always do.

"Eric enjoy his gift?" Kimahri asked me. I giggled a little while we remained in each other's embrace.

"Yeah, I did..." I didn't know what else to say. Then I decided to ask. "Do you think we could do this more often?" He smiled.

"Of course. Anything Eric desires." He chuckled and we gave each other another kiss. As soon as we broke it, we looked into each others eyes as we were inseparable now. After having been apart for so long, we were finally able to be together again to do things like this again.

"Happy Birthday." Kimahri said, stroking my hair softly.

"Thank you." I said to him with a smile. We gave each other yet another hug that lasted a little while. We broke the embrace again soon after.

"We should put clothes on again, and return to Aluxes soon." He said. "They might be worried." I nodded in agreement. If anyone were to catch us naked this soon. It would not be good. Before we put our clothes back on to return to the village, I took one last look at the moonlit sky where the stars gleamed, and asked myself aloud.

"I wonder how Ryan is celebrating his birthday today?"

---

End of Chapter Results

Eric Lewis Human Class: Freelancer Lv. 6 Exp: 601 Next Lv: 134 HP: 464/464 SP: 149/149 G: 1088