Takuya groaned as he found himself groggy and strapped tightly to a chair. It was pretty dark in the room, and the only light was in the center of the room. It was so bright, Takuya had to squint when looking up to it- it illuminated even the dust in the air.
Suddenly, big, heavy footsteps sounded from a metal staircase landing... the feet thundered against the steel as it vibrated and reverberated around the room.
Takuya began to sweat as he knew someone was coming for him... Takuya, world class international spy wouldn't stand for this- he couldn't allow himself to be taken so easily by a scientist or whoever was there in the dark laboratory he was being held in...
Quickly, he got out his laser pen, and-
***
"Today's the day!" screamed an overly excited voice accompanied by the pattering of small bare feet on wooden floors that woke Takuya up. Rustling around in his bedsheets, Takuya stirred, grumbled, and groaned as he was still groggy and had just been woken up.
He rubbed his eyes, still in sleep mode before allowing the gears in his mind some time to catch up. Technically, he was still half-asleep, but he never really expected that he would get to sleep in today.
"...that was a weird dream," he mumbled to himself, "but it ended towards the good part..." Still growling to himself, a little upset and still tired, he rolled out of bed, still in his boxers and t-shirt and opened up the bedroom door.
Sure enough, there was his little brother, Shinya, parading all over the house, skipping and jumping for joy. Why?
"Because today's my BIRTHDAY! Yippee!" Takuya's hyped little brother yelped as he skipped around looking like he was about to do a cartwheel in his orange pajamas.
Takuya peered around as quick as he could, observing to see if anyone else was home before Shinya could notice he was actually awake.
Nope, not a soul. It's worse than he feared. His dad was off at work and his mom had already gotten up very early in the morning to do some last minute shopping for her oh-so-special birthday boy. Probably there would be a note or something left by his mom around the area of the refrigerator.
Takuya sighed as he rested his cheek in his hands. Why didn't he ever get the big birthday celebrations. Being nine isn't really all it's cracked up to be...
But there was no way he could tell that to his blissful brother, who, at this moment, could be found scrambling over to his older brother as fast as he could, a wide and devious grin on his face.
"Guess what, Takuya?" Shinya eagerly implored. Takuya could see where this was going.
"What?" he whined unenthusiastically.
"It's my BIRTHDAY!" Shinya yelled, leaping in the air, almost falling out of his pajamas, "And yooou know what that means..." he said with a sparkling grin on his face, his eyes sparkling with no good intentions.
"You're another year older?" Takuya yawned, scratching his belly sluggishly.
Shinya looked a little taken aback, "Well, yeah, but that's not so important-" Shinya recovered as he cried, "Since it's my birthday, it means I get what I want!" He then started giggling wildly with a wide, mischievious grin plastered all over his face.
No wonder he felt so happy. Shinya felt that because it was his birthday, he had acquired absolute power over everyone else for a single day. No wonder he felt so happy, and no wonder small children enjoy birthdays so much, if not for all the presents.
"Isn't that kinda beside the point?" Takuya asked, slouching against the door to his bedroom, which he had closed at this point.
"Hey!" Shinya yelled, "Shut up! It's my birthday!" he implied again, in the case that Takuya had forgotten the other seven hundred and thirty-six times he had been told this before.
"Yeah, alright," Takuya muttered as he started to walk down the hallway, his younger brother's feet scuttering behind his as he tried to overtake his pace and beat him to the kitchen. To be honest, Takuya loved Shinya as much as anyone else would love their younger brother, but he seriously felt that he could be such an arrogant brat most of the time.
"Are you sure you don't know where Mom hid my presents?" Shinya implored.
"For the last time, NO, already!" Takuya snapped, spinning around, giving him an angry look, almost raising his voice against his younger brother. He stopped himself, though- he was actually going to make an effort to get his brother to enjoy the day, even if it meant him losing half his sanity.
"Hmm... she must be out buying them," Shinya contemplated, putting his hands on his waist, "I'm gonna call her and tell her not to get me anything stupid. Like clothes."
Takuya tried not to respond to that, but he wouldn't let his little brother do such a thing. Luckily, both their attentions soon became fixed on a great spectacle to behold, sitting and taking up most of the kitchen table.
"That's the biggest birthday cake I've ever seen in my life!" Takuya exclaimed, pointing at the behemoth of a pastry. Shinya's mouth lay slack in pure surprise and his eyes sparkled with happiness as he brought both his hands together.
To be frank and brief, the cake could easily compare to or even overshadow a wedding cake. It was a beautiful chocolate masterpiece, standing firm about three to five layers tall. It didn't sway over to one side because it was of a stocky build and stood perfectly wide and tall.
The entire cake was covered evenly and perfectly smooth with a velvety chocolate ganache frosting. On the border of each layer was a white frosting ring, with flowers cast of icing sprouting out at random points. At the very top of the cake was a thick ring that looked like a green leaf crown with flowers all about. Its surface read, 'Happy 9th Birthday, Shinya! We love you!' in delicious looking yellow frosting.
"Aren't parents supposed to love the older siblings best?" Takuya asked, scratching his head in confusion. Shinya smacked him upon hearing that, but continued to gaze upon his marvelous cake.
It didn't make sense at all. All Takuya got for HIS 9th birthday was a few cupcakes. Maybe it was because Shinya got better grades than him, but what serious grades can you get when you're nine? He still is pretty dumb, thought Takuya. Shinya sucked up a lot to Mom and Dad, though, even though he was horribly behaved around his older brother.
'Maybe Dad got a really big bonus...' thought Takuya. He noticed that there was a note his mom left desecreetly on the refrigerator, just as he expected. He skimmed over it while Shinya was still looking at his cake.
To sum it all up, it said that she was out getting Shinya presents. She hadn't bought them yet because she knew that if she bought them before directly giving them to him, Shinya would find them somehow. She said she had picked up the cake very early in the morning and she would be back with his dad, who was able to leave work early (maybe when his boss heard that Shinya was having a party, he decided to give his dad a bonus) to celebrate the party together. It also said to make Shinya happy, help him have fun on his special day, and that she loved them both (although Takuya could have sworn Shinya's name was written slightly larger than his).
Takuya sighed as his brother was complaining again, "When's breakfast?" he whined.
"Whenever you feel like it, birthday boy," Takuya said sweetly, his teeth gritting together a little too hard.
"Well, make me something good for breakfast," Shinya smirked, "Let's try not to have another accident like the eggs and bacon cereal."
"Hey, you're the one who came up with the idea, I merely cooked it," Takuya protested, "But this time, I'll cook something I know how to. How about rice?"
Shinya looked like he had just whiffed a skunk, "Rice? Are you kidding me?"
"Well, how about toast?"
"... Do you even know how to cook anything good, Takuya?" Shinya asked.
"What do you think?" Takuya snapped, getting a little frustrated, "But as a final option, I can offer you waffles, but we're out of syrup."
"... You don't know how sad I am on my birthday, and I haven't even been awake for an hour," Shinya sniffled, trying to win Takuya's sympathy. Instead of feeling sorry, Takuya felt about ready to wring his brother's neck.
"Okaaay..." he sighed, "What do you want then?"
"Hmm, good question," Shinya agreed, not even knowing what he wanted for breakfast.
"Good! Toast it is!" Takuya exclaimed, half-hoping he wouldn't fry himself in the process.
Seven minutes passed...
A black pile of ashes was smoking on the plate Takuya placed in front of Shinya, "Mmm! Doesn't that look delicious, Shinya?" Takuya exclaimed.
Shinya stared down nervously at the plate in front of him as if the neighbor's dog had leapt up onto the table and loudly gave him his first present of the day right on the table.
"Aren't you sooo lucky today's your birthday?"
Shinya sneered and glared evilly up at Takuya, "Gimme cereal."
"Yeah, I thought so," Takuya smirked as he took Shinya's plate and swept the pile of ashes into the garbage can.
At one point, the pile of ashes that was once toast destined to be devoured was now doomed to a dark and cramped fate at the bottom of a garbage bag. Takuya contemplated that slightly depressing thought as he began to open the fridge for some milk.
The refrigerator light spilled out through the room- it was still a little dark out since it was very early, and there was limited light- they still could see the room pretty good, though.
"I bet you wish the refrigerator light wasn't on all the time," Shinya sneered.
"Uhm, where did that come from?" Takuya asked.
"Well..." Shinya explained, "If I recall correctly, Mom and Dad caught you having a midnight snack last week all because the refrigerator light went on and blew your cover."
"Yeah, you have a point there," Takuya admitted, "But the refrigerator light isn't on all the time. It only turns on when you open the refrigerator door."
Shinya's eyes widened as if the purpose of life had suddenly been revealed to him in an instant flash, "What?!?" His face took on a quality of blatant denial, "No! You're wrong! It stays on forever!"
"Well, I'll have you know it doesn't!" Takuya said, closing the door, sealing any sign of light or absence of light away.
"Nuh-uh!" Shinya yelled, "You just can't see the light when you close the door like you just did!"
"Well, actually you just can't see the light turn off when you close the door!" Takuya retorted.
"But when you close the door, you close off the light, it doesn't shut off! You're so dumb, Takuya, what's going to shut the light off? There's no switch!"
"Shinya!" Takuya called his brother's name, "I'm telling you- How much do you wanna bet that this light turns off when I close the door?" Takuya asked as he opened and closed the door again, grinning. He got into fights like this with his brother almost every day.
"Uhm! Uhm!" Shinya hesistated with aggitation, "Uhm!"
"I bet'cha can't prove it!" Takuya cried, "I bet'cha can't even find something to bet on!"
"Well, I... I..." Shinya stammered, nervously looking around the room for something and sweating.
"I bet'cha I can eat more cake than you!" Shinya exclaimed loudly, jumping out of his seat and grinning with satisfaction.
Of course, thought Takuya, his eyes darts to the biggest target in the room.
"Well, I'm not sure about that, Shinya, Mom and Dad really want to celebrate your special day with you- I mean REALLY want to celebrate your birthday. Maybe we should wait until they-"
"You're afraid, aren't you, HUH, Takuya?" Shinya smirked, crossing his arms as he stood up, "You won't do it 'cause you're chicken you'll lose!"
"I'm not afraid!" Takuya cried, feeling the challenge and will to take it on building up in him. He would NOT be shown up by his little, bratty brother, Shinya.
His fists shook with rage as Shinya stuck his tongue out at him, "Nyaaah!" He was such a brat... Takuya HAD to prove that he could be better than his brother.
Takuya suddenly grabbed his plate and fork and handed Shinya a knife to make the first cut of the cake with, "Make your wish, little bro! You're going down!"
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