The two women strolled down the cobblestone street of the market. The sun was nearing the end of its journey in the western sky as they approached the growing noises of excitement and delight in the central square of the small Japanese village. Their wooden sandals clunked pleasantly with their light steps and the reddening light of the sun played off the graceful designs on their kimonos. The many lanterns decorating the walk glowed like stars in the trees, though the traveling pair's eyes were focused elsewhere, searching. The woman on the left turned her head from side to side, wheat colored bangs sweeping across her face before settling. She cast worried hazel eyes to the woman beside her.
"Where are they? Are you sure they're coming?" Her companion laughed lightly at her friend's distress.
"Relax Rene. They'll be at the center of attention, no doubt. This way."
They turned a corner into the main square, taking in the scene before them. Children laughing and running through the streets, old friends embracing and chatting happily, groups of friends moving from one game to the next in one happy clump, sweethearts moving hand-in-hand towards the lake. And sure enough, in the center of the commotion, they spotted them. Two men, tall and slightly burly in stature were facing off, staring each other down.
The man on the right was the shorter of the two, with light lavender hair that was tied back behind his shoulders and icy blue eyes that were glaring playfully. The man standing across from him was slightly older, with a mess of coal black hair and bangs that hung over his eyes, under which innocent onyx eyes stared out. What attracted the two females' attention was not their appearances, but the fact that they were both shoving large quantities of food in their mouths. Rene covered her mouth, suppressing a laugh and pointed a finger.
"I think they are over there." The dark haired girl shot the blonde a playful look and began creeping sideways, staying out of the lavender-haired man's line of vision. Once behind him, she was quickly tiptoeing towards him. The blond gave her friend a look of mock exasperation and took of in a light jog to the tall dark haired man, leaping and catching him off balance, knocking them both to the ground.
"GOTCHA!" At the same moment, her friend threw her arms around her quarry's neck from behind, laughing at his shocked expression.
"Trunks-kun...." she tutted, "Are you trying to draw attention to yourselves? Or are you trying to see who can get the most food around their mouths, rather than in them?"
There was playful amusement hidden in her tone. Rene and her attackee went sprawling down a gentle slope as dropped food landed on the ground they had previously occupied. The black haired man turned his head in surprise to the girl in the grass next to him. He opened his mouth in question, but she took a hand and cupped his chin, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
"Having fun?" The confused look left his face to be replaced by a wide grin. He helped her up.
"Hai! You wouldn't believe all the strange food they serve here!" The man identified as Trunks nodded.
"I agree with Goku-san. We should have gone to last year's festival." Rene gestured to the ring of food around Trunk's face and giggled.
"Come on, they have to have some food for the rest of the people here."
The lavender haired man blushed and brought a hand over his mouth, wiping the food from his lips. Goku held up his hands defensively.
"No, we haven't eaten half as much as we did at the Christmas party!" Rene shoved Goku in the shoulder lightly and looked to her friend, who returned a look of skepticism.
"Ryo, they think they're improving their eating habits, when they probably are going to burn holes in our pockets as well as their own!" Ryo mock-glared at both of the sheepish men.
"They'd better not, or I'll burn a hole in them!" she exclaimed with a playful poke to Trunks' ribs.
Goku laughed and signaled a spot ahead to Trunks, suddenly wrapping his arm around Rene and tickling her with the other hand. She shrieked and struggled out of his grasp, just as Trunks grabbed Ryo and tickled her stomach. Suddenly they both ran ahead, the two recovering women soon chasing after them. Ryo glanced at Rene out of the corner of her eye.
"Why...." she huffed between strides,"...do I get the feeling....they're leading us....somewhere?" A large building loomed before them and the two men were lost from view. Rene's mouth dropped open and she skidded to a stop, leaning against the trunk of a tree.
"Because." She gulped in air, staring up at Ryo "They are..." The two women approached the Temple with caution. They ascended the weathered stone steps slowly, glancing around them. They reached the top and neared the large wooden doors. With an exchanged look of curiosity, the pushed them open. The warm darkness of many candles and the smell of incense and mochi greeted them. Soft whispers lightened the solemn air the hung about the place. Rene inhaled the scents deeply, blinking her eyes at the sudden emergence into darkness. She listened for familiar voices, as Ryo felt around the room for either of the two ki's. Ryo stared into one of the candles, watching the dance of the flame as Rene listened to the soft whispers in the calm dark. They stepped further inside. The place gave them the feeling of finding peace and sanctuary from the troubles of the world, as it had given them sanctuary from the chilly wind that had picked up as the sun set. Ryo spotted a small tree with tiny pieces of paper tied to it branches.
"Ah!" The warm air seemed to stifle her soft cry of delight. "Rene, follow me." The puzzled blond raised an eyebrow, stepping lightly to catch up to Ryo, standing beside her in front of the tiny tree.
"What's this Ryo?" She felt a slight rush of embarrassment in her face at her lack of knowledge of her own Human culture, but the wonder on Ryo's face soon spread to her own, soaking up the mood of the room.
"This tree has fortunes for the New Year tied on its branches. Let's see now...." She plucked a paper from the tree and unfolded it. "Ah! You see?" She showed the paper to Rene, beaming. "Lucky."
Rene leaned in, reading the beautifully painted characters on the paper and, smiling in wonder, she took the paper with two fingers and turned it about. She looked up at Ryo.
"What did you get?" She heard the soft voices again and looked about. "Who else is in here?"
The voices stopped abruptly. Rene turned back to Ryo, surprised to see her reading her paper grimly.
"What?" The blonde woman leaned over to read, trying to contain her laughter. Ryo was going to have a very unlucky year. "Oh, come on, Ryo! It's only a piece of paper after all!"
"But I'm unlucky!" she protested, staring at the paper as if it could change. Rene narrowed her eyes, reaching behind a stone column that was next to Ryo, pulling out an olive toned hand, followed by a lavender head. Trunks grinned sheepishly, holding a number of papers in his hand.
"Ah ha!" Trunks was laughing softly.
"Ryo, I didn't think you believed in these sorts of things!" Ryo folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.
"You're so mean, Trunks-kun! First you curse me, then you laugh at me!" But by the mischievous way she had said his name, they all knew that she was joking with him in the same way he had been with the fortunes.
"I'm sorry, Ry-chan." He pulled her into a hug and affectionately nuzzled her cheek. Rene slapped a hand over her eyes.
"You two! Hard to tell whether you're going to kill each other or kiss and make up!" Rene straightened her kimono, looking in the darkness for anyone else. "Is it just us three, or is Goku here?"
"I think Goku is still praying. It's through those doors. You can't miss him." Rene walked swiftly away from the embracing couple. One look through the doors confirmed Trunks' suspicions. Rene walked quietly toward the figure kneeling on pillows, the telltale flare of hair causing a smile. As she approached, she caught the last few words of his prayer.
"...and please bless Rene and give me the courage I need to get through tonight..." Rene blinked, stepping over to him quietly and seating herself down next to him on another cushion. She closed her own eyes and drifted quietly in her own thoughts and dreams, giving thanks and blessing. Finally, she turned her head to the side and opened her eyes, finding them meeting Goku's. She looked down at her knees and spoke softly.
"Um, I couldn't help but hear the last part of, what you were saying here, and I just wanted to ask...what did you mean by the courage to get through tonight?" He grinned shyly, taking her hand.
"I'll show you." He led her back through the Temple, receiving an encouraging nod from Trunks and a wink from Ryo on their way out. He continued to gently guide her down the hill, stopping at a bench by the calm shore of the lake. Rene admired the view of the moon on the lake and the rustling of the branches of the cherry tree overhead. Goku beamed happily at her, though his smile was slightly nervous.
"Do you like it here?" She grinned, taking in the air, and watching the reflection of the moon on the lake. Nodding, she looked up at Goku, quirking her head to one side at his nervousness.
"I love it here, it's beautiful...Are you alright? What is it?" He fidgeted slightly.
"I...I have something for you." He reached into the obi of his kimono and fished out a necklace. A dragon pendent wrought of gold and jade, with bright ebony eyes. "When I saw it, I thought of you."
"Goku...." He slipped it gently over her head.
"Rene?.....When you're with me, I feel....I feel.....strange. I've never felt this way before and I was wondering......." He bit his lip. Something stirred in her, somewhere she didn't know existed, and butterflies began to fly in her stomach. He was so nervous.... Goku was never nervous.... what could he be....
"You were wondering?" She put her hand over his, feeling the warm skin against the cold of the night. He exhaled a shaky breath.
"Well.... I was talking to Trunks and he said there was a right way to do this so...... I'll try." Goku stood before her and bent to one knee. Rene's eyes widened. He wasn't going to... She wasn't that special, she didn't deserve him, if he was even...no, but what if he was? The moment she had waited for ever since she first knew she loved him...could it be?? Goku's hand plunged into the silk sash around his waist once more to retrieve a small velvet box. Rene's breath caught in her throat and she felt her cheeks flush as he turned the box to face her.
"Rene?.....I was wondering.....if you want to, that is......if you would....be my wife?" Rene opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. She looked at the gold sparkling ring in the box, then straight into Goku's onyx eyes, hopeful and nervous. She nodded, slowly and finally was able to choke out one word as her vision was blurred with unfallen tears of joy.
"Yes." Goku let out a wordless cry of joy and lifted her right off her feet, twirling her around as he laughed happily. He set her down, his hands still at her waist and his eyes shining.
"You mean it?!" Rene laughed in joy and threw her arms around him, resting her head against his chest.
"Yes, I mean it, more than anything!" As they leaned in for a kiss, applause erupted for behind them. A little ways up the hill was a good-sized crowd, cheering the happy couple on. The men were whistling, the girls giggling, and the older women sighing with misty looks in their eyes. Ryo and Trunks were flashing them victory signs. Rene and Goku, blushing furiously, grinned sheepishly back. Goku's hand flew behind his head in his trademark move of embarrassment. He eyed Rene indecisively for a moment before sneaking a quick kiss on the cheek. Rene turned to face him, catching the gesture full on the lips for a split second.
She looked up at Trunks and Ryo with a happy but slightly accusing look. Ryo wiggled a coal black eyebrow, then winked at her before nudging Trunks in the ribs and whispering something in his ear. Rene turned back to Goku as he slipped the gold ring over her finger. She admired at the design, two hearts linked together and looked up once more before again embracing the now blushing Goku. A pop and a flash of dazzling gold and red light told them that the fireworks had started. The crowd hurried towards the main street to enjoy the rest of the evening. Trunks waved them towards the commotion.
"Follow me. The fun hasn't even started yet!" He led the way up the street back to the public square.
"Oh! Let's try that one." Ryo pointed towards a booth sporting a paper goldfish lantern. Goku grabbed Rene's hand and ran back up the hill, catching up to the lavender head that was quickly disappearing in the crowd. They slowed to a stop as Trunks searched his pockets for some zeni.
Rene raised a golden eyebrow. "What's this?"
"This...", he began impressively, gesturing extravagantly with
the hand holding his money, "...is a very tricky game. It involves skill, patience.... and, of course, more than a little luck." He winked at Ryo as he handed the money to the vendor, receiving what looked like four large bubble wands with thin paper stretched over them.
Ryo was barely hiding a smile. She always enjoyed Trunks' rare boughts of playfulness. He kneeled before the tank of goldfish as Ryo handed him a plastic bag filled with water. His eyebrows furrowed with concentration as he dripped his wand into the water, slowly sneaking up on a brightly colored fish. With a flick of his wrist, he flipped it into the bag. He tied it off and handed it to Ryo with a smile. She watched the fish swim lazily about the bag for a moment then looked up at him, slightly impressed.
"Can I try?" He handed her a wand with flourish. She took his place and began.
"No no, Ryo. Slowly. Don't scare them away." She began pursuing one more slowly. She flicked her wrist, the fish flopping on her wand. She seemed slightly startled by her success and the fish flipped itself back into the water, slashing her in the face. Trunks chuckled softly. He kneeled behind her, reaching around to guide her hands.
"Here, let me show you." Their combined efforts bore fruit as they flipped a black and gold fish into a bag. Trunks handed Goku a wand and gestured to the pool of water. Goku scratched his head and neared the pool, slowly dipping the net into the water. Rene held a bag open next to the inside of the pool as Goku slowly moved the net towards a golden yellow fish, flicking his wrist as Trunks had done, but sending the fish flying across the pool.
"Whoops!" Rene giggled and kissed him on the cheek, then held the bag out again.
"Go on, try again!" Goku laughed and dipped the net in the water again, only to flick the fish the other way. Despite his lack of success, he grinned from ear to ear as he laughed at his poor fishing skills.
"I'm not very good at this." Goku held his hands out in front of him, as if measuring the angle of the fish to the net and quickly dipped his net into the water and flicked the fish into the bag.
"Got ya!" Rene tied the bag up and ruffled Goku's hair as he gave a small shout of triumph. Ryo handed Rene a net and took the fish from her, but she shook her head.
"No...I'm not any good at this sorta thing!" Goku gave her a light shove to the front of the pool and held a bag open for her. Rene bit her lip and held the net hovering over the water as she scanned for the 'right' fish. She spotted a black and white speckled one and dipped the net slowly under it. She suddenly flicked the net up, rolling the fish off the net as it reached the surface and sending a small spray of water in her face.
She wiped the water from her eyes with her free hand as she doubled over with the contagious laughter that had overtaken the group, then again searched for her lost fish, suppressing a giggle every few seconds. Finally, she lifted the fish from the water and quickly overturned it into the bag. Goku tied it and gave it to her as she handed the net back to Trunks. Trunks set the nets back on the booth counter and put his arm around Ryo's waist and dragging her to the next booth. Trunks once again reached into his pockets, but as he brought out the money to hand to the vendor at the next booth, Goku pulled Trunks' hand aside.
"Iie, Trunks-san, It's my turn to pay. Some one grabbed Trunks from behind as Goku fished into the pockets of his jeans. A high feminine voice pierced that air as an arm locked itself around Trunks' arm.
"TRUNKS-CHAN!!" Both Ryo and Trunks stared, wide-eyed at this new intrusion. The red-haired women giggled and snuggled closer to him. "Trunks-chan! Did you miss me?!" She fluttered her eyelashes at him a little more than Ryo deemed necessary. Mindy was just one of those things that needed to be tolerated until you can escape. Rene and Goku exchanged confused glances and Rene looked at Ryo, deciding telepathy would be the only way to keep from being rude.
'And who, might I ask, is THIS???' Ryo's head snapped over to meet Rene's eyes. Ryo looked a little startled, but recovered quickly from it. She pointed at the red-haired woman in question from behind Trunks' back and received a nod from Rene. She made an 'o' with her mouth in understanding then paused a moment. She again pointed at the woman who was practically fusing herself to Trunk's arm and crossed her eyes, pointing with her other hand down her open mouth, tongue stuck out. Rene stifled a snort and Ryo rolled her eyes as the woman squealed his name again, batting her blue eyes.
'That is Mindy.'
"Ah....." Rene looked at Goku and tilted her head in the opposite direction. Goku got the hint and grabbed Trunks' free arm.
"Look over there!" Goku pulled Trunks out of Mindy's grasp and bolted his way through the crowd, Ryo weaving in and out of the people just a little behind them. They heard a barely audible, "Wait for me!!!" before slipping behind a food stand dedicated to mochi. Trunks wiped a beat of sweat from his forehead.
"Thank you Goku-san, that was close." Ryo peered around the side of the stand.
"The coast is clear. She's heading up the hill towards the Temple." By that time there was a swarm of people heading that way, and the green-eyed woman wasn't sure whether or not Mindy was heading that way by her own choice. Goku was already first in line, and had already caused the woman at the stand to pull out a pen and paper to take down his order. Rene giggled at the look on the woman's face, and even more at the fact that Goku didn't notice her slight astonishment. The woman taking the order paused to call for more help with the cooking. After her three teenage daughters read the list they looked up at Goku with a mixture of shock and amusement.
"What do you want Rene??" Goku asked. The women's mouths dropped open as they looked down at the order, then back up at Goku. The woman at the register spoke in a shaky voice.
"You...you mean all this here is just...for you?" Goku grinned and put his arm around Rene's shoulders.
"Yeah, I didn't want to have too much though so the order is a little small tonight." The head cook almost fell over.
"What??!! What...whatever you say sir!" The women rushed around in a frantic cooking frenzy. Trunks turned to Ryo.
"Hungry?" She eyed the panicking women for a moment before replying.
"No thanks. My order would probably kill them. Besides, I would just get stains on my kimono." She gestured to the white silk that faded into crimson at the sleeves and ankles. Rene nodded.
"Same here. Besides, if I get hungry I'll just bum something off of Goku-saa!" Goku looked over at her as he started packing what had begun of his order onto his person.
"Hn?" Rene shook her head and grinned.
"Nothing Goku."
"How about another game before the parade starts?", Trunks suggested with a smile. Rene perked up with curiosity.
"There's a parade?" Ryo nodded.
"It's actually more like a celebration procession." Trunks smiled at her and shook his head.
"In other words, a parade."