Work Text:
“Sara’s birthday is coming up soon, is it not?”
Ei looks up from her work to see Miko lounging over the side of her desk. This most likely is a ploy to get her to pay attention to her, but she deems this a worthy distraction, “I believe so. July 14th, correct?”
“Correct,” Miko grins and sits up, her legs swinging off the edge of the desk.
This is the first birthday they would both spend with Sara since they got together. Last year, Ei was dating Sara, but she was deployed to the Watatsumi Island delegations and the best Ei could do was send her a letter (she made sure to make up for it later). They both wanted to make sure that this one was special for her.
“So, what do you think we should do for our little bird?” Miko asks.
“Hhm,” Ei leans back and crosses her arms. “We could give her a sword.”
Miko rolls her eyes, “She has her pick of any sword in the nation. It has to be something special.”
“I could make the sword,” Ei continues. “Then it would be special.”
“No weapons,” Miko decides. She shifts as rest her feet on Ei’s knees while tapping her chin, “Remember how back in the old days we celebrated our birthdays?”
It was a tradition Makoto started, making sure that they all were together on everyone’s birthdays. They would meet under the sakura tree, bringing food, games and gifts. They would celebrate until the sun went down and then set off fireworks. Though the explosive end, it was a private affair and on the smaller side. It would be perfect for Sara, who doesn’t like big and ostentatious things anyways.
“I do,” Ei nods sagely. “It would be nice to do that again-and isn’t one of Sara’s friends the firework maker?”
“Yes, Yoimiya,” Miko reminds Ei. “She would be more than happy to make fireworks for Sara. We can also invite Kokomi, the Shirasagi Himegimi, and the two from the Arataki Gang, Shinobu and Itto.”
Ei’s face scrunches in confusion, “Who?”
Miko sighs, “The loud oni.”
“Oh, him,” Ei nods. “Yes, that seems like a good crowd. Big enough for a party, but small enough to not be over-whelming. However, there still is the matter of a gift.”
“Yes, we wouldn’t want to arrive empty-handed.”
“I still suggest the sword.”
“You know what?” Miko sighs. “Fine. As long as you’re the one to make it. But, I also have another idea, something that we both would like.”
All it takes is a look for Ei to know what Miko is insinuating, “Oh yes. That will be good to. I’ll leave you to plan that, then.”
“And since you’ll probably be busy in the forge for the next week, I’ll handle the party planning as well,” Miko smiles. “But, let’s keep this a secret from Sara. It’ll be a surprise.”
Ei frowns, “Sara hates surprises.”
“She’ll like this one.”
“If you insist,” Ei shrugs. She closes her eyes and smiles, how long has it been since she celebrated her own birthday? Those were good memories, despite the fact that the person she shared her birthday with is now gone, “Miko, remember the year that Saiguu suggested that you and I and Makoto share a birthday party?”
“I do,” Miko huffs, and Ei cracks open an eye to see Miko crossing her arms and pouting.
“You threw quite the tantrum.”
“It wasn’t a tantrum.”
“Then what do you call it?”
“A diplomatic discussion.”
“A diplomatic discussion involves potted plants being thrown around?”
“That sounds like a diplomatic discussion for Miko.”
Ei and Miko glance up as the door slides open and Sara walks in carrying a stack of paperwork. She’s quiet, but not enough to evade either of their senses. They know she didn’t hear their talks of her surprise party.
Miko fake gasps, “Are you saying that I am not good at diplomacy?”
“Considering how your last meeting with the Yashiro Commissioner ended, I believe so,” Sara says.
“Is there something I should know about?” Ei asks curiously, raising an eyebrow.
“All you need to know is that Ayato got what was coming to him,” Miko says with crossed arms.
Instead of grilling her on the subject further, Sara taps Miko’s shoulder, causing her to unravel, “Now Miko, please leave Ei alone so she can work. If she gets it done now, we’ll have more time with her later.”
Ei pouts, staring at the stack Sara just delivered, “Do I have to go through all of this?”
“Yes, but they just require your signatures. It’s to finalize the trade agreements with Mondstadt. They need to be done today so we can send it to the Knight of Favonius for their Acting Grandmaster to sign,” Sara explains. She grabs Miko’s arm and tugs it, “As for you, I’ll make you fried tofu if you let Ei work.”
“Well, that’s all it takes to convince me,” Miko shrugs and hops off of Ei’s desk.
“Please don’t leave me,” Ei sighs. It’s nearing the end of the week, and she’s not looking forward to more paperwork.
“It’s too late Ei, I am already gone,” Miko says dramatically, walking out the door without so much of a goodbye. At least Sara is hanging around.
Sara kisses Ei’s forehead and promises, “I’ll bring you some dango after I make Miko lunch.”
Ei smiles as she turns to kiss Sara, “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
At this time, both Ei and Miko are thinking the same thing: Sara does so much for them, she deserves to have a birthday that shows just how much they appreciate and love her.
On July 14th, Sara’s birthday, Ei wakes up in bed alone.
Sadly, the day before Miko had to attend to an emergency at the Shrine but promised to return early the next day so they could work on final preparations for Sara’s birthday. In the weeks since planning began, Sara has been none the wiser for what surprises lay in store. But it appears she has plans of her own.
Ei was hoping to get Sara to at least try to sleep in, but she’s up well before her usual starting time. She gets out of bed and shrugs on a robe to begin her search for Sara to wish her a proper happy birthday.
Knowing Sara’s schedule, she checks the kitchen first, since Sara likes to make breakfast in the morning. She’s not there, so Ei moves onto see if she’s already training. Ei lets her use the private dojo in Tenshukaku for her morning routine, but she’s not there either. If she’s not inside . . . maybe she’s outside?
She finally finds Sara at the archery range in the Kujou Estate (after she had to put on actual clothes). She hears the sounds of an arrow whizzing through the air and hitting the target, closely followed by another, and another, and another. It’s an onslaught of arrows, and Ei wonders why Sara is pushing herself.
Against the backdrop of dawn and lit by a single torch, Sara is knocking arrows into her bow and firing them off at a brutal pace. The five targets she set up look like pin cushions. Her brow is furrowed into an angry expression, and body is way too tense for someone practicing archery. It looks like she’s about to snap at any second.
Usually, Sara has more care when practicing archery, and is clearly upset, so Ei approaches her carefully to not surprise her, “Sara? You’re up quite early.”
Sara releases her current arrow early, and it sinks into the ground between her and the target. She lets out a little sigh, towards herself no doubt, before turning to Ei, “Yes, I am.”
“Couldn’t sleep?” Ei asks softly. She reaches up to brush a sweaty strand out of Sara’s face, but Sara tenses when her fingers graze her skin.
“I suppose,” Sara says. These short, clipped-off answers are another clear sign that Sara isn’t in a good mood. Could a nightmare have sent her spiraling? It’s been a few months since the flames of La Signora tormented her in her sleep.
“Is everything alright, Sara?” Ei asks concernedly. “It looks like you’ve been out here for a while . . . is there anything I can do to help you?”
“I’m fine,” Sara clearly lies. She steps past Ei and says, “I am going to clean up and get to work. I’ll see you later.”
This is not normal at all. While Ei would like to follow her, it’s clear she needs a bit of space to cool down from whatever happened. She will be seeing her later throughout their workday, so she can check in on her again.
As she walks back to Tenshukaku, Ei realizes one thing: she forgot to wish Sara a happy birthday.
Miko hasn’t had a chance to see Sara all day. When she arrived in Inazuma City, she quickly has to finish preparations before she could head to Tenshukaku and wasn’t able to arrive until late afternoon. Maybe she should have stopped by first though.
“Sara has been what?” Miko repeats.
“Holed up in her office since I saw her this morning,” Ei sighs. “Whenever I went in to talk to her, she kept the conversation short. I even bought onigiri from the city, but that didn’t cheer her up.”
Of course, the biggest wrench in their plans would have to be Sara herself. Miko sighs, “Do you think it was a nightmare?”
“She knows she can talk to us about it,” Ei says with a small frown. “I just hope it isn’t something serious . . .”
Miko has half a mind to march into Sara’s office herself and pester her until she tells her what’s wrong, but the next part of their plan is about to go into action. It appears to be too late anyway, as someone knocks on the door.
“That must be Kokomi,” Miko sighs. “Come in!”
“Good day,” Kokomi says with a smile as she enters, but it turns into a frown when she notices Miko’s and Ei’s dour looks. “Is everything alright? Sara hasn’t found out, has she?”
“No, but she’s not in a good mood,” Miko sighs. “And apparently has been since this morning, but I’ve been busy in the city.”
“What did Ei do?” Kokomi asks with a teasing smile.
“Nothing!” Ei protests, but Miko rolls her eyes.
“However, the plan must move forward,” Miko decides. “But, Kokomi, I would appreciate it if you could try and pry into Sara’s subconscious to see what’s bothering her since she clearly doesn’t want to tell us. I must assume you already have a scenario prepared for this.”
“I do,” Kokomi smirks. “Isn’t that why you asked me to help you?”
“But, if anything goes wrong, just contact us with one of your fish messengers,” Ei reminds her.
“Don’t worry,” Kokomi says. “I’ll get Sara to her party right on time.”
Sara may not be having a good day. But, she won’t let that distract her from what should be an important meeting with Kokomi to discuss the next steps in reigniting trade between Inazuma and Watatsumi Island.
Though . . . Kokomi is being unusually lax today.
The two now get along well enough outside of the war room to the point where they can call each other friends, but inside she still fights vigilantly for her people to get the better end of the deal. Today . . . she is giving into Sara’s requests. Which is absolutely unlike her at all. She also keeps on asking personal questions, as if trying to distract her.
“Sangonomiya,” Sara growls. “I would appreciate it if you stayed on topic.”
“Sorry,” Kokomi says. “I just noticed you looked agitated, and I wanted to lighten the mood.”
“Thank—you, but it is unneeded. I am perfectly fine,” Sara insists. If she says it aloud enough times, it must come true eventually?
“Okay,” Kokomi nods, and stands up.
Sara blinks, “What are you doing?”
“We’ve been sitting in this room for nearly two hours, I would like to stretch my legs,” Kokomi says. “It’s about time for a break, anyways.”
“I would prefer to get this done,” Sara growls.
“Why don’t you come with me?” Kokomi asks. “I believe some fresh air will do you good.”
She glares at Kokomi, but the Divine Priestess meets her harsh gaze with a smile. Her chair stutters against the ground as she forcefully stands up, “Fine, but let’s not waste too much time.”
“Of course,” Kokomi grins. She leads Sara towards the entrance to Tenshukaku and to the gardens. They’ve been inside so long, Sara didn’t realize the sun was starting its journey towards the horizon, casting Tenshukaku in long shadows. Despite knowing Sara’s dislike to small talk, she decides to make some, “So, since we’re no longer in a formal setting, I want to wish you a happy birthday.”
Sara freezes in place, “Oh.”
If it’s her birthday . . . it makes sense why she received that letter, and why Ei has been trying to pay extra attention to her today.
Kokomi turns to her and sighs, “Please don’t tell me you forgot it’s your birthday.”
“I’ve never celebrated it before,” Sara says in a huff. She quickens her pace to pass Kokomi, so she doesn’t have to see her self-assured smirk. “Why should I start now?”
“Is that why you’re in a bad mood?” Kokomi pesters. “You don’t like your birthday?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it,” Sara says. “It’s that . . .” she pauses and frowns inwardly. “Today technically isn’t my birthday.”
Kokomi stares at her, “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know the actual day I was born,” Sara admits. “I only learned what a birthday is when I was adopted. Officially, today is the anniversary of when I was formally accepted into the Kujou Clan. It’s the date Takayuki wrote down on all of my official documents since I did not know my own birthdate.”
“Oh,” Kokomi says.
“My birthday was never celebrated,” Sara says with a shrug. It never bothered her, or at least she tells herself it doesn’t. She would see other children have celebrations, and her own brothers would at least be given a gift. For Sara, however, Takayuki made sure she knew how grateful she should be that she was here at all, “It was just another day.”
“So you’ve never had a birthday party?” Kokomi checks.
“No,” Sara admits. “Have you?”
“I have,” Kokomi nods. “I mostly had them when I was a child, but even during the war Gorou would find a way to get me a new book to read and some of our troops would bring me sweets. It’s nice to know that my friends cared enough to find a way to celebrate.” When Sara doesn’t respond, Kokomi stares at her, “You don’t like the ideas of birthday parties, do you?”
“It is a bit of an uncomfortable idea to me,” Sara admits. “I wouldn’t want to be the center of attention like that.”
“It’s not so much that you’re the center of attention,” Kokomi insists. “Think of it as a way for your friends and family to show that they appreciate you and are glad that you’ll be with them for another year.”
“Still,” Sara sighs.
“You know what I think,” Kokomi says. “I think you need to experience a birthday party for yourself to decide whether or not you like them.”
“I’d have to be invited to one,” Sara points out. Though she has grown closer to many people this year, she doesn’t see attending a birthday party in her future. “And if it’s for myself . . . I wouldn’t want to ask for a party. That would be narcissistic of me.”
“You don’t have to ask, Sara,” Kokomi says with a smile, and gestures down the path in front of them.
Sara finally realizes that she’s been following Kokomi this whole time, and they’ve walked around the front of Tenshukaku to the private area Ei likes to have tea. The two sakura tress provide shade at all hours of the day and the breeze from the sea keeps the area cool. Now though, multiple voices echo down the small hallway, louder than the idle chatter she usually shares with Ei or Miko. When Sara tries to question Kokomi why they’re here and not in the gardens, Kokomi shakes her head and pushes her forward.
She feels like she’s walking into an ambush, but Sara steels her nerves and walks forward. She doesn’t know what to expect . . . but it wasn’t this.
Streamers and lanterns hang from the two sakura, lighting up the area in the shade of the evening. The tea table has been replaced with a longer one, on which food and wrapped boxes rest. That’s odd in itself, but the most surprising thing is that . . . people are waiting for her. There’s Ayaka, Yoimiya, Shinobu, Itto, as well as Ei and Miko, who all great her with, “Happy birthday!”
Sara freezes in the doorway, while Kokomi walks up behind her with a pleasant smirk on her face, “Well, it looks like you get to experience a birthday party.”
“You knew about this,” Sara mumbles.
“Of course, I did,” Kokomi says. “Now, please try to enjoy yourself.”
Kokomi steps away from Sara’s side as Ei and Miko approach her. Miko wraps her up in a hug while Ei kisses her cheek (in the background, Sara thinks she hears Itto yelling ‘Oh, Kujou PDA!’, followed by the sound of Shinobu hitting him).
“Happy birthday, little bird,” Miko says first. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to say it earlier.”
“I as well,” Ei says. She cups the side of Sara’s face and runs a thumb over her cheek, “I hope that you’re feeling better, and that you’ll be able to tell us what was troubling you eventually, but will you come and join the festivities?”
“Did,” Sara swallows. “Did you two plan all this?”
“We did,” Miko smiles. “We thought you’d like a small gathering for your birthday, like how we did in the old days.”
“Sara,” Ei frowns. “You’re crying.”
She reaches up and touches her own cheek to feel the wetness, she didn’t even realize she was crying. Sara manages to hiccup, “I-I’ve never had a, a b-birthday party b-before.”
“Oh Sara,” Miko murmurs. She and Ei hug her again as she cries (and at least Itto is silent this time) and hold her until her sobs subside. “You’re going to have many more birthday parties just like this one in the future, I promise.”
“Shall we join everyone?” Ei asks.
Sara nods, “Yes, let’s not keep them waiting.”
She feels slightly embarrassed that she cried in front of all of her friends, but they clearly don’t care. As soon as Ei and Miko release her, Yoimiya is bouncing over to draw her into another hug.
“Happy birthday Sara!” Yoimiya shouts and basically tackles her. Ei has to put a steadying hand on Sara’s back to make sure she doesn’t fall over. “I really can’t believe that I’m at a party with the Raiden Shogun but it’s for you so who cares! Also, I can’t wait for you to see my gift-both of my gifts.”
“One of your gifts better not be fireworks,” Sara says.
“And if it is?” Yoimiya asks.
“You don’t have permission,” Sara points out.
“I do actually!” Yoimiya insists. “From your girlfriends!”
Sara glances over her shoulder at Ei and Miko, who smile at her despite her glare. She hopes they went through the proper safety protocols with Yoimiya, there’s a lot of flammable material around her.
Ayaka grabs Sara’s attention next, and greets her with a soft smile, “Happy birthday, Sara.”
“Thank-you Ayaka,” Sara sighs.
“And don’t worry,” Ayaka squeezes her arm. “I’ll make sure Yoimiya doesn’t explode anything.”
“Hey!”
“I would appreciate that,” Sara says. “That’s one headache I don’t have to worry about.”
“Yo Kujou!”
“And there’s the other,” Sara sighs as Itto shouts at her from across the small yard.
“Try not to worry,” Ayaka laughs. “It’s your birthday, you should be relaxing.”
Itto suddenly slaps her back with a hearty laugh, “Kujou, you gotta come see what I set up! Ms. Yae asked me if I could bring some games and I found the perfect thing! It also ties into my gift for you, so you gotta see it.”
Sara is suddenly dragged away to where Shinobu is standing next to a small table. Ei also seems to be curious about this and follows one step behind Sara. On the table is a large, purple onikabuto and a box with holes in it that seems to be shaking slightly.
“Ta-dah!” Itto says, holding out both his hands.
“. . . What am I supposed to be impressed by?” Sara asks.
“I figured that since you won’t fight me on the battlefield, we could at least meet on the beetle-field,” he says with a grin, but Shinobu shakes her head and sighs.
It takes Sara a moment to get the joke, “Oh. But I don’t have an onikabuto.”
“That’s where this comes in,” Itto grabs the package off the table and shoves it in her face. “Tah-dah!”
Sara gingerly takes the box and opens it up. Inside is a purple onikabuto, but there’s red coloring on it’s face. It’s about as big as the one on the table, and is waddling along in the box.
“This is my birthday gift to you,” Itto continues dramatically. “And now, we can fight! For fun!”
“Don’t worry,” Shinobu adds. “I made sure he gave you a good one.”
Itto scoffs, “Are you implying that I would give her a shitty beetle just so I would win? How can you think so little of me?”
“I wouldn’t put it past you,” Sara says, and Itto deflates as Shinobu chuckles.
“Pardon me,” Ei steps next to Sara, and glances over her shoulder at the beetle in the box. “You mention fighting, but how are the onikabuto involved?”
“In beetle fighting, the beetles are the ones fighting!” Itto exclaims enthusiastically, while Shinobu panics because he’s speaking so casually to the Raiden Shogun. “Once they get riled up, they’ll fight until one gets knocked on their backs! So c’mon Sara, let’s fight!”
Sara turns to Shinobu, as Ei studies the small arena Itto’s beetle is currently residing, and sighs, “He won’t give this up until I appease him, correct?”
“Oh yeah,” Shinobu nods.
With a loud sigh, Sara sits down at the table place her onikabuto down. “Let’s do this.”
“Alright!” Itto shouts. “Let’s go, Mighty Hammer!”
“Mighty Hammer?” Sara repeats confusedly.
“That’s my beetle’s name,” Itto explains, and then gasps, “Wait, before we begin, we gotta name your beetle too!”
“Do I have to?” Sara groans.
“Yes,” Itto insists. “And it’s gotta be cool.”
Sara frowns, as this really isn’t her specialty. She feels Ei’s hand resting on her back and looks up at her girlfriend, “Ei, can you name it for me?”
“That’s cheating!” Itto shouts.
“Dude,” Shinobu kicks him in the butt. “It’s the Shogun. If she names it, we have to go with it.”
“Not necessarily,” Ei says with a strained smile. “Only if Sara likes it.”
“Do you have one in mind?” Sara asks.
“How about,” Ei muses. “Crimson Lightning? Because of its face markings.”
“That’s good,” Sara murmurs. She wouldn’t have been able to come up with something even a quarter decent. “Then its name can be Crimson Lightning.”
“Then, Mighty Hammer VS Crimson Lightning, go!” Itto shouts.
To Sara’s surprise, the beetles actually begin to battle. As they tussle, Itto eagerly cheers his beetle on. Sara simply watches. Eventually, Mighty Hammer topples Crimson Lightning, but Itto doesn’t seem happy.
“Congratulations, you won,” Sara says.
“Yeah, but you didn’t even try!” Itto whines.
“I have no control over the performance of the beetle you gifted me,” Sara argues.
“But they know if you’re into it or not!” Itto tries to explain. “You gotta cheer them on! That like, gives them a power-up!”
Sara stares at him, “It’s a beetle.”
“It can tell!” Itto insists.
“Think of it as similar to how you command your troops,” Ei interjects. “When heading into battle, you try to instill your soldiers with the courage they need to perform well and win.”
“Yeah, she gets it!” Itto cheers.
Shinobu buries her head into Itto’s shoulder, “Boss, please don’t talk to the Raiden Shogun like that.”
Sara stares at Ei, “It’s a beetle.”
“Just try it,” Ei insists.
“Fine,” Sara huffs, because she can’t say no to Ei. “Let’s go again.”
“But you’re gonna actually try this time, right?” Itto checks.
“Yes,” Sara sighs. Like Ei suggested, she picks up Crimson Lightning and holds him up to eye level. She feels embarrassed, having to talk to a beetle like this, so she keeps her voice low so no one else can hear, “Crimson Lightning, now is your time to strike. I am relying on you to win this battle, but not just for me, for the Shogun too.”
“Don’t bring me into this,” Ei sighs.
Sara places Crimson Lightning back down, “You’ve got this.”
“Then three, two, one, let’s battle!” Itto shouts.
Like last time, Sara does not join in with Itto’s enthusiastic shouting, but almost instantly Crimson Lightning rushes in and flips Mighty Hammer on it’s back. Itto groans loudly while Ei and Shinobu clap.
“It looks like your skills as a general surpasses species,” Ei teases.
“It’s a beetle,” Sara tries to insist again.
“Best two out of three!” Itto says. “Give Crimson Lightning another pep talk so we can get this show on the road!”
Once again, after giving the beetle a little speech, Crimson Lightning quickly wins.
“It looks like I’m still the winner,” Sara says as Itto groans.
“Alright, alright, good game,” Itto sighs. “But next time, I’ll get an even bigger and better beetle!”
“Are you up for another round?” Ei asks suddenly.
“Huh? With Kujou?” Itto checks.
“No,” Ei sits down next to Sara. “I believe I would like to try.”
Shinobu blanches while Sara points out, “You don’t have an onikabuto, Ei.”
“I can remedy that quickly,” Ei says. She quickly raises her hand and an onikabuto made of electro comes to life on the table. With a smile, she says, “This is Violet Spark.”
“Oo!” Itto’s eyes sparkles. “If I win, can I get one of those?!”
“Of course,” Ei nods. “Shall this be a three-way battle?”
“Yes!” Itto shouts. Sara feels like she has no choice but to participate. “Mighty Hammer VS Crimson Lightning VS Violet Spark, the most anticipated beetle battle of all time is about to beginning!”
Surprising only Itto, Ei’s electro onikabuto handily defeats his and Sara’s three times in a row. Ei smiles proudly at her victory, while Itto commiserates over getting last place every time. Shinobu just watches in shock as the Raiden Shogun and her General participate in a child’s game.
“What is it you said earlier, young oni?” Ei asks. “‘Good game’? This was very satisfying to compete in.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s not every day I get to say that I fought with the Raiden Shogun,” Itto grins. “So it was a good game!”
“You didn’t fight with her. Your beetle fought with her beetle,” Sara tries to point out.
“It’s the same in his mind,” Shinobu sighs. She nudges Sara’s shoulder with her elbow, “But as long as this is over, I wanna give you my gift.”
“Shinobu, you didn’t have to,” Sara insists. She has never received any gifts on her birthday, and she could chalk Itto’s beetle gift up to wanting a rematch with her. Receiving a genuine gift from her friends wasn’t a possibility in her mind, despite that being a mainstay of birthday parties.
However, Shinobu’s gift is a piece of paper. Sara unfolds it and stares at it, as it appears to be the recipe to make a portable cooking device called the ‘Adepti Seeker’s Stove’.
“I saw one of these in Liyue, and my friend managed to grab the recipe for me. You can give this to Hajime and he should be able to make it if you provide him with the materials,” Shinbou explains. “I know that you take commissions and expeditions, so I though this would be useful.”
It will be extremely useful, as from what Sara can make from the diagram is that it heats up any food automatically without having to start a fire, which will save her time.
“Shinobu . . .” Sara says. “Thank-you. This will be immensely helpful on my expeditions.”
“Good,” Shinobu says, and Sara imagines she’s smiling behind the mask. “I knew that if I got you something, it’d have to have a use.”
“I do appreciate that,” Sara adds.
“Wait!” Yoimiya shouts and runs over, nearly crashing into Sara’s side. “Are we already doing presents? I wanna give you mine-and you have to show everyone what you got!”
Sara doesn’t know how to feel about that, but Yoimiya pulled her over to the table-where Miko, Ayaka and Kokomi are talking nearby-and insists she starts opening her gifts. With everyone watching her, Sara felt nervous but proceeded.
From Ayaka, she got a custom go board. Yoimiya’s (first) gift is a few small games. Kokomi’s gift is a few of her favorite tactical-focused books. Shinobu has another gift, which is another piece of paper that says, ‘Coupon for an Itto-Free Day’. Sara isn’t quite sure what this means, but Shinobu promises to explain at a latter date.
Finally, there’s a long box with a purple ribbon on it, that Ei smiles when she starts to unwrap it. Inside, is the most beautiful sword Sara has ever seen.
“Do you like it?” Ei asks.
Sara stares at it, “This . . . this is mine?”
“I did,” Ei nods. “I made it especially for you.”
“And,” Miko leans on Ei and throws an arm over Ei’s shoulders. “This comes from both of us, of course.”
“It’s beautiful,” Sara says. She’s almost afraid to touch it, as if she’ll break it, but knowing Ei, this is made from the best steel and is probably one of the strongest swords in Inazuma.
“You have to battle me with that next time,” Itto quickly says.
Shinobu elbows him in the side, “Can you chill out for a moment, boss?”
“Actually,” Ayaka clears her throat. “I want to spar with you, seeing you use that too.”
“I insist you use it the next time we train,” Ei adds.
“Swordspeople,” Miko rolls her eyes.
Sara leaves it in the box for now, since a party in no place for a sword, and looks up at the people around her. Ayaka, Yoimiya, Kokomi, Shinobu and Itto . . . are all the friends she never thought she would have. Then there’s Ei and Miko, who give her a love she doesn’t think she deserves. She feels the tears threaten to spill over, but holds it back as she shakily says, “All of you . . . thank-you. I’ve . . . I’ve never had a birthday party before, so . . . I appreciate all of you.”
“Aw, Sara!” Yoimiya crushes her in a hug first, and to her surprise Itto is right behind her, and lifts both of them off of their feet.
“Don’t make me cry, Kujou!” Itto shouts.
When they let them go, Miko is next and wraps an arm around her waist, “You deserve all of this, Sara.”
“I believe there is one more gift left,” Ei points out, and nods to Yoimiya. The sun is almost set, casting its pink hues across the horizon, but the majority of the sky is dark.
“I’ll go get it set up!” Yoimiya says and runs off. Sara hopes that where she’s setting off the fireworks from isn’t flammable.
“Is that really necessary?” Sara sighs, looking to Ei and Miko.
“Believe it or not, this is how we used to celebrate our birthdays, with a big fireworks display,” Miko insists. “Right beneath the sakura, like we are now.”
“Then,” Sara nods. “I’m glad we can continue the tradition.”
The party continues, and once the sun has fully gone down Yoimiya returns with a big grin plastered onto her face, “Are you all ready?”
“Hell yeah!” Itto shouts.
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Miko says.
“Please don’t burn anything down,” Sara sighs.
“Then, let’s go!” Yoimiya points to the sky as the fireworks start.
As they light up the night sky, brighter than any stars, Ei and Miko stands by Sara’s side with their arms wrapped around her.
The party winds down, and the guests return home after wishing Sara a happy birthday one more time. Ei and Miko help her carry the gifts to their room in Tenshukaku, and they find a place for Crimson Lightning and Violet Spark and give them some lettuce to eat.
After the long day, Sara is ready to go to bed especially because she barely slept the night before. But, as she tries to get ready, Miko wraps her arms around Sara’s waist from behind and rest her head on her shoulder, “So, did you like your birthday party?”
“I did,” Sara says. Considering that it’s the only one she’s ever had, it’s the best she’s had.
“Are you feeling better?” Ei adds, stepping into her view. She takes one of Sara’s hands and rubs her thumb across the back of it, “You’ve been rather upset for most of the day.”
“I wasn’t upset because of anything you two did,” Sara quickly points out. “If anything, all you two did today made me feel better.”
“What did?” Miko softly asks.
Sara takes a deep breath, “I got a letter from my father.”
She feels Miko stiffen behind her, and Ei’s grip tightens momentarily, but she continues. She explains to them that today technically isn’t her birthday, and how Takayuki likes to use it as a day to lord over her ‘all she owes him’.
“I haven’t actually read the letter,” Sara admits. “I got it last night before I went to bed . . . and it’s been on my mind since.”
“You don’t have to read it,” Miko lets go of her so she can face Sara and takes her other hand. “We can throw it in the fire, right now. You don’t owe him anything.”
“. . . I think I want to read it,” Sara admits quietly. Part of her hopes, that after being in exile for over a year, he’s changed. Deep down . . . she knows better. She looks up at her partners and sucks in a breath, “Will you stay with me while I read it?”
“Of course,” Ei insists. Miko frowns, but she nods as well.
They sit on the bed while Sara pulls the letter from the desk drawer she hurriedly shoved into last night, and sits between them. Ei puts a hand on the small of her back, while Miko rest a hand on her knee. Their grounding presence is what she needs to open the letter, and she begins to read.
…
It’s the same insulting drivel she’s heard her whole life, however it’s become vitriolic now that she’s betrayed him. You would be nothing without me. Sara closes her eyes and the letter before she even finishes it. She shakily sighs, “I don’t know why I expected anything different.”
“You were hoping he changed,” Ei says softly. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Is it time to burnt it?” Miko asks eagerly.
Sara nods and Miko gleefully takes it from her hands and tosses it in the fireplace. She figures that all of Takayuki’s future letters will meet a similar fate.
“How do you feel?” Ei asks, as the letter turns to ashes.
“I feel . . .” Sara’s hands, which were balled into fists at her knees, open and closes as she searches for words. “Okay.”
“Just okay?” Miko asks. She saunters towards Sara like a predator stalking its prey. She fits herself between Sara’s knees and traces a finger down her chest, “How about we make you feel good?”
“Uhm,” Sara swallows, but suddenly her throat as gone dry. Ei shifts behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist and snaking her hands up under the hem of her shirt.
“I believe it’s still your birthday-even if you weren’t born on this day,” Miko says as she leans in and whispers into Sara’s ear, her breath making her shiver. “And we still have one more birthday present to give you.”
“A-another one?” Sara mumbles.
“Oh yes,” Miko says. “Would you like it?”
Though Ei’s roving hands threaten to distract her, Sara manages to hiss, “Yes.”
Miko leans back so Sara can see her hungry grin, “Good.”
She dives in, capturing Sara’s lips in her own in a fervent kiss and immediately deepens it. While Miko bruises her lips, Ei makes quick work of her clothes, stripping off her gloves, shirts and vision until she’s just in her shirt and shorts.
When Ei starts to pull up Sara’s shirt and Miko separates so it can be pulled over her head, she catches her breath and gasps, “Wha . . . what do you want me to do?”
“Nothing,” Miko insists. “This is for you. You just have to sit back and enjoy.”
“But-” Sara tries to protest, but Miko sticks her fingers into her mouth.
“You’ve been so good,” Miko hushes.
“Let us reward you,” Ei adds.
The praise stirs the warmth growing in her core, so Sara nods.
Miko pulls out her fingers and replaces them with her lips, but she begins to trail kisses from the corner of her lips, to the corner of her jaw, down her neck. Ei hasn’t been idle, and while her hands begin to massage Sara’s chest, causing her to breathily whine, she kisses the nap of her neck. When she bites into her shoulder, Sara lets out a moan. When Miko gets to Sara’s chest and wraps her lips around her nipple, Ei moves her hands to her back and begins to knead into the tense muscles. Slowly, Sara unravels the tension leaves her body.
“That feel good?” Ei asks while nibbling on her ear.
“Y-yeah,” Sara moans, and leans her head back to rest on Ei’s shoulder. Ei takes advantage of this and capture Sara’s lips in a hungry kiss as Miko begins to travel lower.
The kitsune is taking her sweet time, leaving kisses and love bites down Sara’s chest to her navel. When she reaches the waistbands of her shorts, Miko looks up hungrily and asks, “Ready?”
Sara nods, somehow feeling relax and wound up at the same time. She wants release.
Her shorts and underwear come of quickly, revealing her slickened folds. Miko licks her lips before she bites the inside of Sara’s knee and moves up her thigh and making sure she’s covered in marks. Ei is doing the same, leaving hickeys on her neck that will surely be visible in the morning.
Finally, Miko leans into to where she needs her most and licks a clean stripe up her core. Sara moans loudly, and Ei captures it in a kiss. Miko continues to tease her, barely brushing against her clit and not going deeper.
When Ei releases her lips, Sara moans, “Miko, please.”
Miko doesn’t listen, so Ei leans down and lightly flicks her head, “It’s Sara’s birthday, Miko. She’s been so good, and she deserves more than your teasing.”
“Alright, alright,” Miko huffs. “Come help me.”
Ei’s hands leave her back, one travel to her breast to massage it lightly, and the other skirts along her side to the curve of her hips and down to her core. Her fingers replace Miko’s lips, and one enters her slit, while Miko finally lavishes attention to her ignored clit. Their combined touches cause her to moan louder than before.
“That’s right,” Ei whispers into her ear, quickly adding a second finger before starting to pump in and out of her with a slow pace. “Let us hear you.”
“Let all of Tenshukaku hear you,” Miko adds, pausing only for a moment before she resumes her work, taking Sara’s clit into her mouth.
Sara nearly screams as Ei picks up the pace and rubs her fingers along Sara’s most sensitive spots. She’s hurdling towards her climax, and both her partners can tell.
“Don’t hold back for us, Sara,” Ei says. “You’ve been so good, you deserve this.”
The praise is all Sara needs to let go, and her climax washes over her. Ei and Miko don’t stop their pace though, and quickly a second orgasm overtakes her. They work her through both of her orgasms, until she stills. Miko rolls back on her heels, slick covering her face, while Ei removes her fingers and lifts them up to Sara’s face. Dutifully, Sara licks them clean.
“How was that?” Ei asks Sara as Miko stands to her feet and walks across the room.
“Good,” Sara sighs. She still feels slightly weightless, her whole body relaxed in a way it’s never been before. “It was very good.”
“Well, don’t get too comfortable,” Miko returns. Sara’s eyes are instantly drawn to the large purple strap in her hand. “Because we’re just getting started.”
Sara gulps. Though she’s not complaining, she has the feeling she’s in for a long night.
Hours after midnight, when her birthday officially ended, Sara lies spent between her two girlfriends. She lost track of how many times she came after the fourth and is surprised she’s still conscious.
However, there is one last surprise: the offer to preen her wings. Sara accepts and lays down on her stomach, as she couldn’t do much else, while Ei’s careful hands began to work through the feathers of her wings. Between the multiple rounds of soft sex and the gentle hands on her wings, Sara is in bliss.
“So,” Miko traces the lines of Sara’s back, “Did you have a good birthday?”
Before Sara can answer that question, Ei snorts, “Is that even a question? Look at her face.”
Miko pushes Ei’s shoulder and she laughs, barely budging or ruffling the feathers she’s straightening.
“Yes,” Sara sighs. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
“Isn’t this the only birthday you’ve celebrated?” Miko checks.
“It is,” Sara admits. “But . . . it’ll be hard to beat.”
Miko smirks, “I’ll have to take that up as a challenge for next year.”
“Thank-you, so much,” Sara says. “I love you both.”
Ei leans down to kiss the nap of her neck once again, while Miko laces her fingers with Sara’s and kisses their entwined fingers. The latter replies with a sleepy smile, “We love you too, Sara.”
“And,” Ei continues. “We’ll love you for many more years.”
Between her lovers, utterly relaxed, Sara can’t help but start to drift off to sleep. She falls asleep with a smile on her face, knowing that this love can last an eternity.