HSV - A Birthday Forgotten

“Sano, wake u…” he trailed off as he realized his husband was not lying next to him in the bed. Hade could see just where the sun was in the sky and it wasn’t late in the day. On the contrary, it was rather early. Shrugging his large shoulders he stood and, taking the sheet with him to cover his naked form from his littlest siblings, made his way to the bathroom.

As soon as he was presentable, he would be sure to go visit everyone he knew. A glint came to his eye at the excitement in store. Surely everyone would be in a celebrating mood today. It was the best day of the year… how could anyone not love it?

Hade shook the disturbing thought that people may not appreciate today as much as him out of his head before walking out of the Kobiru Compound.

His first stop would be to his oldest and best friend. She would certainly have some sort of something for him on his birthday.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Good morning Ei-chan!!” The giant Kobiru exclaimed when he threw open the Mikokage’s office doors, flinging his arms out wide to welcome himself into the room, head tilted back in self-appreciation.

Not hearing the gushing about it being his birthday that he expected from the woman behind the desk, Hade dropped his face to look around. Inside the room were both Joshua and Kan. They appeared to have been in deep conversation with the Mikokage when he’d interrupted. Momo sat next to the desk coloring a book on the floor.

Rather than leave, the Kobiru walked forward and flopped onto the sofa. He could wait until the conversation was over in order to receive his birthday cheers… especially since he could get three all at once.

Leaning back into the cushions he waved a hand in the air as a signal for them to continue.

None of the three shinobi spoke. They merely stared at him as if he’d grown another head. “What?” Hade questioned. The looks remained.

“Hade,” Eimi finally sighed. It was the ‘someone’s in trouble sigh’. Usually it was reserved for him.

“Yes, Ei-chan?” he beamed with his best puppy-dog eyes. Surely she couldn’t be mad at him for whatever it was he had done on his birthday of all days.

“Out.”

The blue-haired man’s eyebrows furrowed. “Out?”

“Yes, out.”

“Out?”

Eimi lost her patience, “Yes! Get out of my office now!”

Whimpering, Hade stood from his seat. He slowly shuffled his feet toward the door. Once it was open, he turned around with expectant eyes. “Are you sure there’s nothing el…”

“Oh! Yes,” the Mikokage smiled.

Hade beamed thinking his best friend had finally realized her error.

“Drop this off at the ANBU office on your way out,” she pointed to a stack of paper on the corner of her desk.

The Kobiru’s eyes went wide in shock. With a huff he grabbed the paperwork and, instead of taking the door as planned, exited with a flourish that was sure to leave behind a mess of glitter in his wake. How could none of them… not even Eimi… remember it was his birthday?!

“Do you think he suspected anything?” Kan turned back to the others.

“He was pissed, so no,” Eimi shook her head. “Hade is one of the smartest people I know, but sometimes he can be so… one-sighted.”

Joshua simply laughed before starting up their previous conversation.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

By mid-afternoon Hade was ready to go crawled back in bed and start the day over.

He’d delivered the Mikokage’s paperwork to the ANBU office as instructed. Not a single person there had wished him a happy birthday. Nobody had even so much as smiled or even looked up at him. It was like he was invisible. Hade knew he was a stealthy ninja, but really, he couldn’t understand how or why everyone seemed not to notice him.

His next stop had been the main market area. So many people were always milling around there. He was sure he’d start getting congratulations or pats on the back.

But there was nothing.

Nothing about his turning a year older from Raiden or his younger brother Hikaru when he came across the pair causing mischief as they normally did.

Not a peep about it from Yukiko when he bumped into her just outside Doki Doki Park.

Benkei silently kept walking away from the taller man as Hade tried to pester an answer from the village’s Pink Virtuoso.

For hours Hade circled the streets and people on them in an attempt to get so much as a “Happy Birthday” from someone… anyone. But he was sourly disappointed. Not a single person remembered his birthday.

He sighed heavily. There had to be someone he had missed.

“Ah!” the blue-haired man suddenly remembered. “My dear sweet Azami will definitely remember!” And he took off at a sprint toward the library.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Azami! Azami!” Hade shouted as he flung open the double doors of the large building. “Azami-de---Ouch!” A book had smacked him in the back of the head. “What was that for?” He wheeled around to look as his assailant only to see the bespectacled woman he’d been searching for. “Azami!” Hade pounced in for an excited hug.

The woman stepped out of his reach and hit him with her book once more. “Hush,” was all she said before spinning around to return to her abandoned work.

Like a scolded puppy, Hade trotted after her. “How are you today?” he dropped his voice to a whisper in order to avoid any further bruises.

“Oh, same old, same old,” she didn’t spare him a glance as she worked to reorder a shelf.

“Nothing special happening?” the Kobiru prodded. “Nothing out of the ordinary?” On the way to the library Hade had firmly decided that the whole village was in on pretending to forget about his birthday. He knew he was much too fabulous to have been truly forgotten. All he had to do was get Azami to give even the slightest hint of a party or celebration and he would be satisfied enough to wait… at least for another couple hours. Anything longer than that would simply be pure torture.

“Other than you standing in my library hovering over me?” her voice was full of sarcasm. “Not a thing.”

“Really?”

“Really,” she replied curtly. “Now I’m rather busy as you can see,” he lifted a giant stack of books to move to a different section of the library,” Why don’t you go bother your brother?” Her head indicated a direction.

Hade’s eyes followed it over to a corner desk where his brother Haru was sitting with a pile of scrolls in front of him.

“But… but…” Hade turned back to the brunette only to find empty space. He sighed. The last of his hope that this was all some trick was gone. Azami hadn’t even blinked at his questioning. He sighed once more as he walked over to Haru’s desk and flopped down into a chair across from the boy. His arms folded on the table and he buried his face in them with a dramatic flair.

When Haru didn’t acknowledge the new presence, Hade turned up his inner drama-queen. Leaning back in the chair he lifted his wrist to his forehead and sighed loudly.

Haru, knowing Hade’s perchance for exaggeration, finished reading the last of the words on the sealing scroll he’d been immersed in. before responding. “Yes?” He said as he looked up.

“Nobody remembered!” Hade wailed.

Shushes came from all around. Azami cleared her voice across from clear across the room and Hade slumped his shoulders slightly. It was still a mystery how she could get that to work on everyone.

“Nobody remembered,” the older man repeated more quietly. “How could nobody remember?” He let his head wilt back down to the desk.

The elder twin looked at him with a raised brow. “Remember what?”

Hade shot up rigidly. “Not you too,” he lamented.

Haru just sat there with a puzzle expression. “Hade… I really do need to get back to work…”

“Okay,” the man stood up sullenly, “I’ll leave you to it then.” And he left the building.

Shortly after the large man’s departure, Azami sat down across from the elder Kobiru twin. “Do you think he suspects anything?”

The boy shook his head. “He may have earlier in the day but I think everyone successfully pulled it off. He was too pouty even for even his normal theatrics. He really believes we all forgot.” A grin appeared on his face. “Honestly, I couldn’t say if he’ll be mad that we got him on this or if he’ll just… explode with happiness.”

Haru stood up when he saw Kiki walked in the door looking for him. She waved at him once she saw where he was and trotted over. He began packing the scrolls into his bag. “Though… either way there’s no going back now.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hade did not want to see anyone else.

He was done trying to be social. He wanted to be alone.

To be alone and pout.

Once he left the library, he headed out into the wooded area nearby. Wandering aimlessly seemed like the right thing to be doing. There was less chance of coming across people that way.

In his head he continually went over his entire day.

But it still didn’t make any sense. How was it possible that every single person had forgotten what today was? How did an entire village forget about someone like himself? It’s not like he was hard to miss… and he was always getting a spotlight and an audience. How did they all forget his birthday?

It was a damn special day in his opinion.

He clenched a fist in frustration as he slipped in the back entrance to Joshua’s rosary.

Joshua had forgotten. Raiden. Azami. His own siblings. Sano… he hadn’t even seen his own husband that day. And… and… Eimi.

That one hurt the most.

His very best friend… his life-long friend…

…had forgotten, too.

Hade knew everyone was busy. They all had their own lives and things to do. But his birthday was special to him and they all knew it. It was the one day that, no matter what, was celebrated. He huffed and sat down under a tree. They should have remembered.

He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew a pair of arms were shaking him awake. They were very nice, muscular arms at that. Familiar arms.

“Sano?” the Kobiru yawned. “What… what time is it?”

Ignoring the question, Sano heaved Hade to his feet. “Let’s get you home.”

“No. I want to stay here,” he planted his feet. “Nobody remembered what today is. I don’t want to see anyone.” The whining and pouting continued even as Sano pushed and pulled the larger man toward the Kobiru Compound.

“There, there,” Sano placated with a gentle pat to the head which was slumped over on to his shoulder. “Let’s just go home.”

“Fine… but I’m not eating… and I’m going straight to bed. Let the others fend for themselves,” Hade kept sulking as the walker closer and closer to the gates. “See if I…”

“SURPRISE!!”

“…care?” Hade finished with a surprised expression.

There, filling up the courtyard to the Main House, were all the people Hade had just been complaining about. A good portion of the town had shown up for this surprise.

Hade saw Raiden and Hikaru. There was Yukiko with Atsuo. And Benkei and Azami and Buntaro. Everyone he’d run into throughout the day had a smile on their face at having pulled off the impossible.

Haru and Aki were there. And Tento and the little ones.

Kan. Joshua.

And finally… there was Eimi.

“Ei-chan!” Hade exclaimed as he grabbed her in a giant hug. “You remembered after all” The hug tightened.

Once she was released, Eimi smacked him in the back of the head. “Of course I did. Who do you think you’re talking to?” She scoffed as she went to wander around the party, mumbling under her breath, “What kind of best friend does he think I am…”

Sano came up behind him and gave him a hug around the middle.

“Happy Birthday Hade.”