"Naruto!" I turnned just in time to be crushed by my beautiful girlfriend.
"Eh, Charlie, what has you so excited?" I asked, smiling and holding her tight.
"Because today is a special day! Duh! Carami and Natsa are helpping me set up a party and everything for later." What is today? Something special. Hm... It's not our anniversary.... Halloween is still several weeks away. So what could today be? Did I forget something.
"Oh yeah? Whats so special about today?" I asked teasingly, hoping that she would actually tell me. But she didn't. She just laughed and told me that I of all people should know what today is. Unfortunatly... I forgot.
Charlie ran off to talk to her friends that had shown up earlier today. More of the fifty-five friends. In the past week since Cara and all them showed up, at least eight more of her friends have shown up to take her back home. Of corse each one of them, after a quick talk and the incressingly disbelife that Kobe lied to everyone, they shut up, visit with Charlie, smile at me, and either leave to visit Yumi and then go home, or spend a few days in town. Two of them came today, Carami and Natsa, and without a doubt the most violent of her friends I have met. They punched me as soon as I opened the door!
The girls went to go visit Yumi, leaving me to walk around by myself. Charlie has been taking the incresing number of people coming to take her away pretty well. But I can see it. In her grand golden eyes, every person that comes, every person that tries to take her away from her home here, I can see the break in her. She's breaking down little by little. And if it continues like this, I fear for the girl I love so much.
As I walked I began to think more about the day. What is so special about today? Lets see... it's Friday. It's October the tenth. I do feel like theres something special about today, but I just can't seem to remember what it is. Like I said before, It's not mine and Charlies anniversary, her birthday isn't until next February. So what is today?
It began to get late so I stopped in at Ichiraku's for some lunch.
"Hey Naruto. Usual?" The old man asked. I nodded. Whe he sat the bowl down in front of me he smiled. "So, what kind of plans you got tonight, eh? Your girl coming up with something special?"
"Do you know what today is?" I asked, seriously wishing he would tell me.
"Well of course I do! You're my best customer! So in celebration of today, the first bowl is on the house. Think ofit as a gift."
Well that didn't help. It seemed like everyone knew but me. Why can't I remember? I would say it must not be to important, but obviously it is with the buzz my friends are making about it. Going home sounded pretty good to me at the time, since I'd been out all day and had altimatly fried my brain thinking all day. When I walked in, Charlie and her friends had just finished putting streamers up around the room. Hinata, Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba, Sai, and Sakura all laughed together at some joke Carami made.
Charlie came up and gave me a light kiss. "Perfect timeing! Come on! We have the cake all set up and waiting for you." She pushed me down to sit at the table where a small cake displaying the words, 'Happy Birthday Naruto' sat. Happy Birthday?
"Holy shit it's my birthday!" I realized. Charlie and everyone else gave me a strange look.
"Well yeah. Wait, did you seriously forget it was you're birthday?" Charlie asked.
"Well... you see... I never really had anyone celebrate my brithday so some years I didn't even realize it WAS my brithday until a few days after."
Everyone looked like thay had just heard the greatest sob story every and I sweat dropped.
"You guys are the really first people to celebrate my birthday with me. Thank you so much... It really means a lot to me." Thay all smiled. "Now lets get this party started!"
After they sang and I blew out the candles, we turnned up some tunes to really get the party going. I opened the gifts my friends had gotten me, smiling at some of the random crap they managed to find. And by the end of the party, I felt like the luckiest kid on Earth. Esspecially when Charlie gave me an earnest kiss when everyone left.
"Happy Birthday Naruto." She whispered. Yeah. Despite the fact that I forgot about birthday before, I know I will never forget it again. It will be impossible for me to forget this year, with this girl.