1st January 2008
It was New Year's Day and Ryuji was going to the temple to meet with Kotonoha. He was wearing one of his best outfits. It was a black turtleneck with brown slacks and a brown leather bomber jacket thrown over it. Loki was with him too, in his human disguise and dressed in a suit.
"So, we will be meeting Kotonoha-san and her family at the temple?" Loki asked, clarifying the information.
"Yeah," Ryuji nodded as he braided his hair. He wanted to look his best for Kotonoha, Kokoro and their folks. The parents saw him as a good man who made their daughter smile and well he didn't want to look uncouth. He could control his mouth when around them at least. "So, how do I look?"
"Well, you would look better wearing traditional clothing," Loki stated, "But you look clean and smart enough as you are, Ryuji."
"Thanks," Ryuji smiled. "Alright, it's time to go."
The temple was packed and everyone was getting their fortunes from the shrine maidens. Ryuji checked his watch as he searched around. "Where are they?" He felt a pat on his back. He turned. "Koto-chan…?"
"Ryuji-niichan!" Kokoro cheered as she lunged and glomped the boy, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You're here."
"Kokoro-chan," Ryuji sighed. "Where's your sister?"
"Here I am," said Kotonoha as she stepped into view and he gasped. She was wearing a beautiful violet kimono with pink cheery blossoms on it and a red obi. Her hair was done up in an elegant bun. He blushed at this vision of beauty since she looked just like an elegant traditional Japanese beauty (Yamato Nadeshiko). He was stunned. "Ryuji-kun?"
"You look so beautiful," he told her and the compliment resulted in a blush.
"Thank you, Ryuji-kun," she smiled. "Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year," he greeted back.
"Oh, Hasuma-kun," greeted Kotonoha's father. With him was Kotonoha's mother. "So you're here too."
"Hai, I am, Mr. Katsura," Ryuji said with a bow. "You look lovely as well, Mrs. Katsura." Kotonoha's mother was wearing a red kimono with a violet obi.
"Thank you," the woman said. Ryuji now could see where Kotonoha got her looks from.
"What about me, Ryuji-niichan?" Kokoro pleaded as she looked up at him. Her hair was in its usual style and she was wearing a pink kimono with red petals on it with a blue obi. "Do, I look cute?" He pat her head.
"Yes, very cute," he agreed.
"Are you here alone, Hasuma-kun?" Kotonoha's father asked, dressed in a nice suit for the day.
"Oh, no," Ryuji answered. "My guardian is here with me but we got separated in the crowd."
"Guardian? What about your family?" asked Mrs. Katsura with a frown.
"Well, they are overseas and they couldn't make it," Ryuji told her but then she took his hand in hers. "Nani?"
"Then you must spend New Year's Day with us," she insisted.
"You don't have to!" he told her.
"But I insist. After all, you are going to be family soon," the woman smiled. Ryuji smiled awkwardly. Since the first time he met Kotonoha's mother, the woman already decided that Ryuji would be a good husband for her daughter. She could see that he was willing to risk everything for her daughter. It took a little longer to win over her husband though but eventually, Ryuji was ableto convince the man of his love and devotion towards Kotonoha. Still, Mr. Katsura still kept making hints that Ryuji should cut off that long hair of his.
"Ryuji!" Loki called. He waved his arm to get his partner's attention and Ryuji sighed. The Imagin in human guise sure knew how to make himself known.
"Loki, over here," Ryuji called. The man stepped over and then bowed deeply.
"Ohayo! Hajimemashite! I am Loki, Ryuji's guardian," Loki introduced himself. He then took out a plastic bag filled with cookies inside and a bow on it. "Here, some cookies!"
Ryuji had the urge to snap at Loki for his habit of giving his cookies to everyone he met but restrained himself. Loki was just trying to make a good impression and these were New Year's cookies that he had made specificallyfor this day.
"Yay!" Kokoro took the bag. "Arigatou, Loki-san!"
"So, you are Hasuma-kun's guardian," Mr. Katsura said speculatively.
"I am to make sure Ryuji focuses on his studied and eats well," Loki explained. "I also do the housework since Ryuji is horrible at it." He was brutally honest, unfortunately.
"You don't have to tell them that," Ryuji said, more embarrassed than angry.
"But it's true, you broke the dishes cleaning them and ruined the laundry," Loki pointed out. "Nobody else would mix brights with whites."
Kotonoha, Kokoro and Mrs. Katsura laughed. Even Mr. Katsura had a smile tugging his lips at the duo.
"Come on, Ryuji-kun," said Kotonoha as she took her boyfriend's hand. "Let's go ring the bell."
"Hai," Ryuji nodded, smiling softly. "Loki, ikuze."
"Hai!" Loki smiled as he followed the family.
They went to the bell to give their prayers after dropping the coins into the box. Ryuji wasn't a telepath so he wasn't sure what they were praying for but he knew what he wanted to pray for.
'I wish to always be by Koto-chan's side, no matter what,' Ryuji prayed. He clapped his hands together and rang the bell.
"Ryuji-kun, what did you pray for?" Koto-chan asked curiously.
"What did you pray for?" Ryuji retorted and she blushed, looking down to the ground.
"Ano…" she played with her fingers.
"It's okay. You don't have to tell me," Ryuji said. "And I'll tell you mine soon. Let's just go get our fortunes, OK?"
"I can never understand these things," Ryuji muttered as he walked along the sidewalk with Kotonoha. Loki had gone back to the apartment and Kotonoha's parents had gone back with Kokoro. Kotonoha wanted to spend the day with her boyfriend. "I mean I get better ones from fortune cookies."
"What are fortune cookies?" Kotonoha wondered.
"Oh, Chinese restaurants in the US have these little cookies with slips of paper in them that have random fortunes written in them. Usually it's just gibberish."
"Sounds interesting," Kotonoha commented.
"Yeah, it does," Ryuji agreed. "It's good for a laugh though. Beast Boy keeps collecting them for some reason."
"Beast Boy?" Kotonoha wondered out loud. "Who's that?"
"Oh, I never really told you much about my world, huh?" he said. "Well, back when Ryuki and I shared the same body, he became part of a team of superheroes called the Teen Titans." He then started to tell her about the Titans' adventures and she listened with deep interest. This was one of the times she always looked forward to. She always loved learning about him.
With a laugh, he said, "Then there was the time Takada shrank us. Now that was an experience." He noticed she was quiet. "Koto-chan? Is something wrong?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "It's just I'm glad that you're able to tell me things about your past." She hugged his arm. "That means a lot to me."
He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Is it?"
"I love you, Ryuji-kun," she confessed.
"Me too," he smiled and then he noticed people staring at them. They both blushed brightly as he gave them a menacing glare. They all walked away. "Damn busy bodies," he muttered.
What he didn't notice was a man in his early twenties with white hair was one of the people staring. With him were two beautiful women, as well as two toddlers. "Nah, I'll give him the day off," said the man.
"Warren, what are you up to?" asked a woman with violet hair.
"Nothing, Rae. But I know that guy and was wondering whether or not to say hi. But he's with his girl, so I'll let him be." He reached down and picked up the two toddlers with him. "So, how bout we go to the park and make a snowman?"
The two kids cheered at their beloved father's idea.