Duri and everyone else stood around a giant brown and white cake, and there were 16 candles surrounding it.
Marshy said to Duri, "Go ahead Duri."
Duri replied, "I wish Zabel was here so I could fight him."
Everyone laughed, and Marshy grinned, "Nooo, don't say it out loud. You do this EVERY year. Think about it, then blow the candles out."
"Oh, right."
Duri stepped forward as everyone watched him, and he thought, 'I wish a lot of shit. I wish Zabel really was here so I could clip him. I wish I was the strongest being ever. I wish the people I care about stay by my side..including these idiots that just so happened to become..my damn friends. Like seriously, I didn't see this coming. If I was the old me, I probably would've kicked everyone out. This is the first time I've had any friends at a birthday party. Oh I'm getting off track. I wish I knew my dad, I wish my friends and everyone else with me would get stronger, so they can be ready for anything.'
Duri blew the candles out, and everyone clapped.
Kedarah whined, "Awww! He's so adorable! Lemme at 'em'!"
Kedarah zipped over to Duri, and hugged him.
"I'm gonna spoil you rotten! Forever!"
Hanako started pulling Kedarah back, saying, "Okay that's enough. If you hold on for too long, you will hog him for the whole day."
"Awww!"
Tek stepped up behind Duri, and put his hand on the back of Duri's head.
Tek said, "You have something in your hair, fool."
Duri replied, "Huh?"
Tek grabbed Duri's head, and smashed it into the cake.
Cake flew everywhere, and it hit everyone.
Seven: "Oh shit!"
Kazuma: "Tek is crazy!"
"I wanted some of that cake," Xenon said calmly with a plate out.
Chaos said to Xenon, "Don't cry."
"Do I look like I'm crying?"
"Yes."
Tetsuya was eating some of the cake that fell on him, saying, "Such an exquisite taste. Consuming this is satisfactory."
Sith said to him, "I was planning to cut up the entire cake! Keh..keh.."
"Of course you were, feen."
Everyone looked at Duri, and Duri had cake all over his face.
Marshy thought, 'Oh shit..Duri might..'
Seven thinks, 'Tek just slammed Duri's face into the cake. He might go crazy now.'
Kazuma thinks, 'Duri is gonna fight, I think so! I gotta be ready to calm him down with a bro hug!'
Ren-Ren thought, 'Here we go. Let me stand back. Things are about to get ugly for these commoners.'
Roga the cat said to Duri, "Oi..Duri.."
Duri started to slowly chuckle, the chuckling was building up, and everyone looked confused.
Xenon thought, 'He's laughing…instead of fighting? Weird brat.'
Ellie thought, 'Odd. Strange. Uneven behavior from the birthmark boy.'
Duri wiped the cake off of his face, and he was smiling with the sun shining on him.
Duri said, "You know..I've always wanted that to happen to me. Thank you, Tek. And I also wanted to say, thank you to all of you bastards for coming here. I uh..never had this many people at any birthday party of mine. I begged Marshy to not invite anyone, and if she did, I chased them off. But, as time went on, I started growing closer with everyone here. We've all been through near death situations with each other, fighting alongside one another, doing things like hanging out with each other, I didn't see any of this coming. So..I can rightfully say that you dumbasses..are my friends. Yes, that includes you Tek. Even though you're my rival, I consider you an ally of mine. I have everyone's backs when they need me, and all that good shit. Being with everyone made me see a different side of myself, seeing the importance of having people by my side; seeing that people actually give a fuck about me. I grew up in the Shadow realm, a place where fighting and bullying was the norm, Ellie knows ALOT about that. I never had multiple friends there, not like any of you. So I'll say I'm thankful for..all of you. I can say I came a long way from where I started, and you all were there with me 80% of the time."
Everyone gasped, some of them even concerned their mouths. None of them expected Duri to say something like that, knowing how he is, knowing how supposedly tough and stubborn he is, it shocked them.
Duri blushed, "Oi! S-Stop staring at me! I said what I said!"
Xenon laughed, "Listen here, runt. You're alright with me."
"Ha! Looks like I got the approval of fake edgy Batman over here."
"I like that name."
Kazuma squealed with a smile, "Duri cares about us!"
Duri answered, "Don't make it sound so soft!"
Espen said, "Duri is a great friend to me also."
Duri said to Espen, "Espen, even though you text me every five seconds asking if I'm okay, you're alright. Even though you creep me out with the mind reading, you've been kinda badass since we met at the exams."
"Gotta make sure everyone is well."
Shiryu said, "Aww…I wanted some of the cake."
Nine used her speed to zap over to Duri, putting him in a headlock.
"Now that's the spirit! Ya know, at first when we met, I was gonna curbstomp you. But now, I still wanna curbstomp you, but not too hard. I have to fulfill my big sister's duties!"
Ellie ran up there, saying to Nine, "No! I'm legally his sister now, so that's MY job."
"Oh look! Another shadow person I can curbstomp!"
Duri said to Ellie, "Ellie."
Ellie answered, "Duri."
Duri patted Ellie on the head, and Ellie's face turned red.
Duri started to remember the Shadow realm invasion, and Ellie started to remember it too. Both of them remembering the hard and brutal things they had to face in order to survive.
Duri said, "Me and you come from the same place, dealt with the same kind of trauma. In all honesty, you relate to me more than most people. Just so you won't feel left out, you're one of us now. My friends are your friends."
Ellie sighed, grinning, "Stop. I'm gonna cry. Do you wanna make me cry, dumbass? Didn't think so."
Ellie looked at everyone, and some of them nodded at her.
Ellie said, "Your friends are my friends, huh? I'll take it!"
Kazuma welcomed Ellie, "Welcome to the club!"
"Awesome! I'm making you my pet!"
"Noooo!"
"Too fucking late! Haha!"
Duri looked at Ren-Ren and Jiyu, saying, "Can't leave you two goons out. Watching you two fight hard for on behalf hits hard. Thank you for being there."
Ren-Ren's cheeks went red in embarrassment, "W-Well! T-Thank you for the compliment! It's nice to get compliments from peasants sometimes!"
Jiyu smiled, "I'm very very very glad to be your friend, Duri! You and everyone else has shown me what true friends are, and have given me the friends I've always wanted."
Duri looked away, "I'm glad to be honest. Now Tek.."
Tek looked at Duri, "What?"
Duri dashed up to him, and smashed cake in his face, slamming him into the ground.
Duri said, "Now then! Round fucking two!"
Tek smirked, "If you wanna lose that badly again, then so be it!"
"Again?! I beat you last time in the cafeteria!"
"No! I won that!"
"I did, fool!"
Duri and Tek started throwing cake at each other, while everyone else joined in, throwing it at one another.
Roga the cat was sitting high in a palm tree, licking cake and icing off of his skin.
Everyone was laughing as they ran around throwing cake at each other, and Seven was doing the same.
Duri and Seven's backs hit each other, and they turned around.
Seven asked Duri, "Imagine being noticed by someone."
Duri responded, "I'm sorry! I really didn't wanna look like a simp! But Seven, thank you for being my gi..thank you for being my first gir…"
"Spit it out! Girlfriend is not a hard word to say!"
"It is sometimes! Especially in front of people!"
"Say it, wuss!"
"Thank you for being my FUCKING girlfriend! I like your dumbass and I like that you like me and can put up with me!"
Everyone stopped the cake fighting, just to say, "Aww."
Seven even blushed, "Aww, Duri.."
Duri exclaimed, "Shut up!"
The cake fighting started back up again; Duri and Seven turned around with cake in their hands, and threw it as hard as they could, hitting others.
Seven kissed Duri in the cheek while smiling, "Love ya!" And she ran off to attack more people with the cake in her hands.
Duri's face was red, stuttering, "L-L-Love?!"
Tek charged up to Duri, saying, "Ha! You're gonna be weaker now! Love has blinded you!"
Duri grinned, "You fucking wish!"
"Give me all you got, rival!"
"Sure thing!"
Duri and Tek collided with cake in their hands, and they smashed it against each other's face, stomachs, and backs.
Ellie was using her shadows arms to throw stronger cake attacks, yelling, "Yeah! Take that!"
Ren-Ren exclaimed, "Damn! She's going all out!"
Kazuma replied, "I know right! It's so cool!"
Jiyu said, "I can barely dodge her attacks!"
Xenon and Marshy were plowing cake on each other while running around, and Xenon said, "Now this..is the most fun I've had in a few days."
Marshy answered, "Finally you got your lazy ass up and touched some grass!"
"I needed to let my legs rest after being snatched up by Kin, sitting as a diamond for a few hours REALLLLY messed up my mood!"
"Mine too!"
"..You're proud of Duri..aren't you?"
"Yeah. And I'm proud of everyone else. Seeing Duri say you all were considered friends is devastating. He really has grown."
"Yep. The brat was troublesome when I first met him. Now he's good. A hell of a lot better. Went from rejecting people and society to accepting them, risking his life for them without thinking about what would happen to him. He didn't let his childhood trauma change him entirely..he really is trying to change."
"….Hell yeah!"
Hanako was standing still, flicking cake everywhere with her speed, saying, "It's pointless. None of you can even get near me."
Chaos was on the ground squirming because a bug got in his eye, "Ow! Agh! Agh! Get it out! Get it out!"
Sith jumped over him, laughing with a creepy smile while flipping and throwing cake around, "Keh, keh! Die! Die! Die!"
Kedarah ran around, saying, "I gotta protect Duri! I got to protect Duri!"
She was even using her stuffed animals to throw cake at everyone, and she was even juggling cake on her foot and kicking it at people.
Shiryu was now sitting in the tree eating cake beside Roga the cake, saying, "Today..is fun. Wouldn't you agree..cat man?"
"Cat man? Respect your elders!"
"Cats don't..live that long."
"I'm not just a cat! I am basically kinda the Spirit of Wrath! Not anymore..kinda."
"Oh..cool….want a piece of my cake..Roga?"
"You knew my name but still called me cat man?!…Sure. Give it."
Minutes later, everyone was riding on shadow boats, racing each other to get to the finish line. They all used their power energy to propel themselves forward, smiling as they all went full speed ahead, with water shooting upward into the air.
Duri, Tek, and Seven were in the lead, smirking.
Duri yelled, "I'm beating all of you losers!"
Marshy laughed, "Definitely not!"
Tek replied, "Duri's cheating. He's making my shadow boat slower."
Duri replied, "Heh?! No I'm not! You're just slow!"
They all kept going, they all looked like they were enjoying themselves, laughing and competing as they threw competitive insults at each other.
"I'm beating you!"
"Slowpoke!"
"You peasants aren't worth racing neck and neck with me!"
(15 minutes later)
Duri and everyone else were sitting on the island ground, laughing and talking with each other as the sun continued to shine on them.
A mile away in the water, there was a man with fish gills on his face, long silver hair, and white eyes.
His name was Gillmore. Self proclaimed king of the waters.
He thought, 'How dare they tread upon my sea? I, Gillmore, will exterminate them, and I will show them who rules over all the waters on earth!'
Gillmore swam forward quickly, and he jumped out of the water, landing on the island, and he had fish gills on his ribs.
There were fish and sea creatures walking onto the shore like humans, and Duri and his friends and Mother looked around them.
Gillmore was wearing nothing but a leaf on his private parts and he exclaimed, "I am Gillmore! King of the seas! I plan on ruling over all of them with my power and wisdom! I have heard the cry of the sea creatures, begging for a leader! I used my power to make them more like me, a mythic human creature! But without the human part, you feel me? ANYWAY! They hate being fished and eaten and hunted! We shall become the hunters! We will kill all those who tread upon the waters! Touching it is a violation! Being near it is a violation! Prepare to be mincemeated!"
Chaos said, "I don't think mincemeated is a word. Is it, Hanako?"
Hanako responded, "Never heard of it."
Marshy responded, "Me either."
Tetsuya says, "It is made up."
Seven said, "Sounds like some shit off an edgy cartoon."
Gillmore squealed like a girl, "It is a word! How dare you land dwellers question my vocabulary! Fish army, kill them!"
All of the fish soldiers with angry faces started to run towards Duri and everyone else.
Marshy said, "How dare these bastards try and ruin my baby's birthday?! "
Duri laughed while changing into his Shadow form, "Haha! It's okay, Marshy. Being able to fight on my birthday..against fish..is so damn cool! Let's fight! Haha! I'm gonna enjoy this!"
Marshy laughed, "Yokai! Who's up for some fish after this?"
Duri and his friends and the Hosts answered, "Me!"
"Good. Let's skin them first."
Gillmore exclaimed, "You dare joke about eating fish?! You're super super duper DEAD! D—E-E-A-A-D! Or is itD-E-A-D?"
The fish soldiers were getting closer, and the fighting began.
Gillmore rushed at Duri, but Tek came out of nowhere and wrapped his chain around Gillmore's throat, spun forward, and punched him in the face. Gillmore went upward, as his entire arm formed into a gnashing shark.
"How do you like this?!"
Duri came out of nowhere, and performed a twisting shadow kick on Gillmore's face, blasting him backwards.
"Take that, bitch!"
Kazuma then flew around with fire, and smashed two fireballs on Gillmore, and then punched him in the gut.
"Booyah!"
Jiyu came out of nowhere with a bat, and smashed Gullmore in the face with it twice, sending him backwards more, smashing fish blood everywhere.
Seven came up above with a purple orb, formed it bigger in both hands, and blasted Gillmore down towards the water.
"Gotchaaa!"
Nine was running on water, "I got him! I got him!"
Nine grabbed Gillmore's face, and slammed it into a nearby palm tree, then she jumped and curbstomp him on the tree stump.
Gillmore thought, 'They're too fast! And strong!'
Espen and Shiryu swooped in, and performed a double clothesline on Gillmore's chest, shooting him hard back into the air.
Ren-Ren teleported into the air with his katana, and cut Gillmore in the gills over and over, saying, "Bet that stings huh? Poor thing. Peasant fish!"
He hit Gillmore in the face with the handle of his sword, shooting him backwards.
Ellie came up in her shadow form, saying, "Call me pretty!"
Gillmore said, "P-P-P-!"
"Wrong!"
She started punching and kicking him in all areas, and then she grabbed his gill, and threw him towards Duri.
Duri grabbed Gillmore by the gill, and started flying upwards.
Duri said, "We save the best for last. Sorry for not feeling bad, but this is beyond cool!"
Duri raised his shadow arm, and made a large shadow shark form, and the shark tackled Gillmore down into the water, dragging him to the bottom.
It was silent, Duri and his friends looked down at the island, and saw that the Hosts were surrounded by cut up fish.
Sith had two blades out, laughing, "I sliced them! Haha! I sliced them up!"
Xenon said, "They barely even put up a fight. Good little exercise though."
Marshy laughed, "That was cool, gotta admit it."
Hanako smirked, "Hmph. None of them could get past my blade."
Minutes later, they all were sitting at a wooden table in the middle of the island, and they were eating hot fish on plates. They were cooked by Kazuma's fire by the way.
Everyone was eating and socializing, laughing with each other and talking about the fight with the fish and Gillmore, and about other things.
Ren-Ren: "Never seen peasant fish before!"
Ellie: "Hell yeah! We showed them who's boss!"
Tek: "Which is me."
Ellie: "Who even are you?"
Seven: "I wanted to go all out! But I probably would've destroyed the island."
Kazuma: "That would've been a sight to see!"
Espen: "She was thinking about it the entire fight."
Seven: "Get out of my head!"
Espen: "Can't help it."
Shiryu: "Very tasty..food."
Jiyu: "*Chews* It's very good! Adds to why this is the best day ever!"
…
Tetsuya: "This fish is very tasteful. Must be consumed with delicacy and patience."
Chaos: "Do you HAVE to speak like that? Sounds very butler-ish."
Tetsuya: "I speak with formal language. Something you do not possess."
Chaos: "Yes I do! Sometimes. Half the time! Okay, maybe not a lot! But I'm a lot more formal than you know!"
Marshy: "I'm the only one with real delicacy."
Xenon: "Why lie on your son's birthday?"
Marshy: "Did you just say..birthmark? Insulting Duri..?"
Xenon: "BIRTH-DAY! Imbecile."
Marshy: "Did you just..insult me?"
Kedarah: "Marshy, Xenon just insulted you."
Xenon: "Kedarah!"
Kedarah: "Tee-hee!"
Roga the cat was sitting on Duri's shoulder, purring as a shadow hand from Duri's back petted him.
Roga asked Duri, "Guessing you didn't see all the gifts?"
Duri responded, "What gifts?"
"We all left piles of gifts in your room."
"Hell no I didn't see them. I was dragged out of my sleep and put on an island. By the way, how are those old ladies doing? The ones at the village?"
"Ryu's grandmother is recovering, and the other one was taken into custody by some Hosts."
"Oh. I still have to get the Spirit of Destruction removed from Ryu."
"Don't think about it too much right now. Enjoy your birthday."
"Guess your right, cat."
"It's Roga!"
"Thanks for coming, too. Cat."
"…It's an honor. When Seven gave me the invitation, I hurried over to this island. Glad to see you enjoying yourself after all you've been through. I know it's been…tough."
"It has. Truly fucking tough. But I made it through, WE made it through. Thank God."
Duri watched everyone laugh and smile, and then he grinned in happiness.