Our Special Day[Natasha, Natsumi]

"Of course I will. What type of friend would I be if I miss the best part?"

Kenichi had already been informed of their next location and the event that would follow. It was honestly something akin to a game, yet it wasn't at the same time. It involved riding atop something, but he had no intention whatsoever of spilling any detail that would prove efficient enough clue to his friend. Where was the fun in revealing the finale? Offering for the woman to occupy a spot on his back, he would follow Natasha to her car. Setting her down, he volunteered to sit in the back while she could enjoy a seat in the front beside her caretaker. Onward, they traveled, to the finale... the next event to cap everything off with a bang.

“I would understand if ya had to head off like the others. I can’t be keeping you all the time. I do like you stayin’ though… first birthday an’ all.”

Being offered a piggy-back ride, Natsumi gladly hopped on all the way to Natasha’s car. Since Kenichi took the back seat, Natsumi sat up front with Natasha. On the way there, Natsumi mused about making the car fly so they didn’t have to take the roads. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be today. Natsumi didn't know where they were going and it could give it away if she was being told to fly. So, Natsumi backwards in her seat, only to get scolded for safety by Natasha. Instead, she laid the seat back and talked upside down and sideways to Kenichi and Natasha.

A joyous expression dominated Natasha's features as they navigated the City of Lights. As nervous as she initially was, she was quite proud of her efforts so far in providing Natsumi with ample entertainment befitting an occasion of this nature. At her age, a birthday was a common event by now. Celebrations were amusing, sure, but she found likewise contentment in enjoying a few presents and acknowledgement. Natsumi, on the other hand, was a case that required cooperation and coordination. Much to her joy, everyone had played their parts relatively well. Everything had played out as well as she could have hoped for.

Even more so, it was sure to get better by the end of the day. After a one hour drive, Natasha parked around a section of land that appeared empty at first, yet it would only take a single turn of the head for one to take in the sight of a majestic facility resembling a ranch that Natasha had requested - with a generous portion of cash on her end - to be built for those who enjoyed horse riding.

There were several amenities one could reasonably enjoy if they desired engaging in something else other than riding a horse, and the entire place, from décor to presentation, was simple yet intricate. If she added anymore effort to it in the future, it could probably double as an amusement park of sorts. Fortunately, this wouldn't dig too heavily into her cash, since she wasn't a big spender to any degree. An amusing project that Natsumi could experience first hand. Exiting the car, Natasha bent down to ruffle her hair with a tilt of the head.

"Alright, I want ya' to cover your eyes for this next part, sweetheart.'

The hour long drive was surprising. It was hard for Natsumi to sit still. Usually, she could run around, use her powers, or anything but sit still. She wasn't used to having to be this patient, unless she was watching a show or movie. At least those distracted her mind. She did her best to fill the air with as much conversation as she could. She asked questions about favorite colors, places, foods, events, and people. Some of these questions were definitely repeats from other meetings, but oh well. Natsumi also wanted to know who Natasha's best friend was since Natsumi's bet friend was sitting behind her. She also commented on how scary Natasha's father kind of looked, but he was still kind to her. Then they arrived...

Natsumi wasn't exactly sure where they were, so when she was asked to close her eyes, she did something silly. She lifted herself about four feet in the air and sat down. Holding out a hand, she could now be a kite over to where Natasha wanted to take her. As she was taken there, she got to close to peeking that she slapped her free hand over her eyes to use it as a shield. "I will not look, promise."

Natsumi would need to be patient no longer. Though the drive itself took an hour, the preparations that followed took no more than a few minutes. The remaining guests went out into the field along with Kenichi and Johnny, while Natasha brought her special birthday girl out into the large field of grass. Slowly but surely, she quietly requested for each horse to be brought out so that her ears wouldn't catch anything until the absolute end. When everything had been properly prepared, Natasha removed her hands from the woman's eyes. The first thing to greet her sight was a playful horse that bumped its nose against her head. Natasha ruffled Natsumi's hair as she warmly smiled down at her.

"Tada~ I recognized durin' one of our movie nights that ya wanted to know what it felt like goin' horse riding. Well, sugar, here we are. Since yer pretty special to me, I wanted ya to experience what I experienced once on my birthday - surrounded by people who genuinely care about you."

Finally being allowed to see, Natsumi was surprised by the horse nudging her head. She thought she heard one when they were coming over, but wasn't sure until now. Natsumi smiled wide and hugged the horse like she saw on TV, by stepping under its head. She looked around, seeing everyone else that was here and her smile got wider. She then turned around and stepped in to give Natasha a big hug.

"Are we all gonna ride together?" Natsumi asked. "If I get to pick my horse, I wanna pick this one." Natsumi pointed to the one she had already hugged. As far as she understood, the horse nudging her meant they were friends. "And do we ride with partners or alone? Can they run or only walking? What are the rules!"

"All of the above, honey. There ain't no rules here. If ya wanna turn it into a game, we certainly can."

Natasha warmly returned the hug, holding the embrace for a moment before she parted with a bright smile. There was no rules that applied here. Everyone present could enjoy themselves as freely as they so desired. Each guest found a horse that suited them most while Natasha took the time to pick Natsumi up, properly seating the woman atop her chosen steed. When she was properly square away, Natasha made her way over to her own horse, gently mounting herself on its back.

"Properly seated and everything, sweetheart? We're ready. We just need the special birthday girl to give us the go-ahead."

Natsumi chose to get on her own horse. She could have ridden with someone, but there was a sneaky part of her that wanted to make the horse fly. She kept that a secret though. As she was settled in on her chosen horse, white with brown spots, Natsumi took the reins and nodded to Natasha. She was ready to go!

"How do I make her go?" Natsumi asked. Once given the proper instructions on going, stopping, running, and turning, Natsumi was off! She got the horse into a sprint. From what she heard, horses loved to run and Natsumi loved to go fast. She gave no warning and shouted a cow girl's 'yee haw' as her hair was taken by wind.

Laughing joyously, Natsumi looked back to see where everyone else was. When she did though, she realized not seeing where she was going made her nervous, so she just kept looking straight. At one of the turns, Natsumi just let the horse do what came naturally. Soon, they ended their first run around, so she slowed down.

"Gotta give everyone time to catch up." Natsumi said, patting the horses side.

Natasha couldn't help but feel the slightest sense of pride at hearing that exalting yeehaw bellowing from Natsumi's throat. Proof of that pride was better expressed in the warm smile that swept across her lips. Natasha strode along her horse, coming to a pause to take a momentary break beside Natsumi.

"I hope this was everything ya could've asked for, sweetheart. I know I ain't yer real parent, but I definitely have grown attached to ya in the short amount of time we've spent together. Here's to hopin' this is the start of many birthdays moving forward, hm? Let's finish this day off with a bang, shall we?"

Running a hand through Natsumi's head, she'd challenge her to a race as she set her steed into action, rocketing off into the horizon of the afternoon soon, engraving this memory deep within her heart. It was their special day. One of many, she hoped, as they continued to grow closer in the future...