This chapter is unusually long…(sigh) Cultural confusion…perfect. Okay, yes Christmas is celebrated in Japan…In a way. It's not huge, like it is in the West, though. Basically, you get together with friends (or, more commonly for older kids, your boy/girlfriend) and…well, hang out. And eat fried chicken. (Don't ask) And…That's about it. You don't even get off school. The REAL winter holiday for the Japanese is addressed here…

Well, lots of people guess right on the Secret Couple, but I'm not going to spoil it! Oh, and only ONE PERSON got the bit with the signature just right! Sugoi! (gives out the promised cyber-cookies and an extra dozen to the one who figured out what 'Tohi' meant) Don't worry, there will be an answer! Er…sometime around Valentine's day. (A chapter or two away…)

And to the ones asking me why I don't show Junpei much in this fic: I can only work with so many characters at a time, and he is not only my LEAST favorite, but the one I am LEAST able to write. So guess who gets shifted to the back burner in the name of creative integrity?

This chapter has a lot of Japanese culture in it. If anything confuses you, see my author's note/miniature index there at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter. I'm just really strange.

Chapter 28: …And An Eastern New Year

"Uh…Guys?"

"Yeah?"

"What're you doing?"

It was easy to see why Ron was just a tad bit surprised. He and Harry had entered the sixth-year dorms just before lunch on the 31st to find both Kouji and Takuya's trunks empty, their bedclothes completely stripped off, and the assortment of…things…from either location scattered across the room in semi-organized groups. Takuya was currently dangling his comforter out the window, snapping it sharply as though beating out a rug, while Kouji folded items of Muggle clothes and stacking them in his trunk on top of the Christmas presents he wasn't planning on using.

"New Year's cleaning." the black-haired boy muttered, folding a pair of jeans and pressing it into the pile of his trunk.

"'New Year's cleaning'?" Harry echoed, cautiously jumping over a stack of textbooks to drop on to his bed.

"Yeah, you know…" Takuya grinned brightly, giving the blanket a few more magically-induced whacks before pulling it back in. "Last day of the year, right? Gotta get everything in order for the new one…start fresh…'with a clean slate', I think the term is around here…"

"You do this every year?" Ron asked, slightly surprised as Takuya neatly 'magicked' his bed made.

"There's loads more at home." Takuya sighed, sitting on the floor by his bed and starting to count off on his fingers. "What, with beating the futons out…cleaning the bathrooms…changing the tatami mats and moving furniture…Not to mention that at school you have to clean out your desk and mop up the floors and the gym…"

"And the shrine…" Kouji muttered nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah, since we're there so often, you gotta help Hakaishi-sensei and Kenkyo-sensei with the tables and dusting the rice-paper barriers around the genkan…and Kouichi-kun likes taking care of Hakai's crows, so we help him with that sometimes… and of course there's shopping and cooking for the girls and…"

"Okay, okay, we get it!" Ron exclaimed, covering his ears with his pillow. "Argh, if I had to even hear about any more of that, I'd go off my rocker! How do you guys stand it?"

Takuya laughed and Kouji smirked. "It's only once a year." the black-haired boy said calmly, now moving to his textbooks.

Harry checked his watch. "You might want to be wrapping this up." he shrugged, turning the item where the transfers could see the face. "It's almost lunch time."

"We'll be there." Takuya grinned again, waving as Ron and Harry exited the room.

Ron shook his head as they tromped down the stairs. "New Year's cleaning." he sighed, rolling his eyes. "That lot's brought some weird stuff, but that's the looniest one yet."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Naturally enough, Ron was proven wrong at lunch that afternoon. Among the usual dishes and foods, there were three large, boiling pots of…some kind of thin, brownish noodle soup.

"What is…?" Harry started, before the Transfers stepped in.

"All right!" Junpei cheered, diving for a bowl and the serving spoon. "It's soba!"

"Dumbledore must've remembered!" Izumi gushed, digging in herself.

"Remembered…what?" Hermione asked, curious.

"It's tradition." Takuya mumbled through a mouthful of noodles. He slurped them up quickly, then spoke a bit more clear. "You always eat soba on New Year's, for good luck."

"Good luck?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "From eating noodles?"

"Hey, it's better than cabbage." Takuya shrugged, then started in on his noodles again.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other and shrugged. Harry reached for a bowl and dipped himself some soup, picking up a pair of chopsticks, as it seamed appropriate. It took him a moment of observing how the transfers ate (lifting the noodles slightly in the chopsticks, then slurping them the rest of the way…) before he tried a small bite of the substance himself.

Though he had been cautious for a 'surprising' taste, similar to the sushi he'd eaten the first night, but instead he found it tasting rather…normal, all things considered. Compared to the Italian noodles he was used to, it was a bit like eating whole wheat bread instead of white, more grainy than anything else. As for the soup itself, it was a rather fishy-tasting broth with the now-familiar, spicy eastern seasonings. And a bit of boiled egg, he noticed, floating around, but you didn't taste it much.

"…Well?" Ron asked, and Harry abruptly realized that all the Gryffindors and most of the others who weren't either Slytherin or from another country were staring at him intently.

He slurped the noodles up, chewed, swallowed, and grinned. "It's good." he assured them. "Really…It's different, but it's good."

His words put some of them at ease to try the strange soup themselves. The transfers, on the other hand, all seamed particularly happy to have something more familiar in their bowls and were starting on a second serving each.

About halfway through that second bowl, Kouichi suddenly sighed. He rested his chopsticks on the edge of the bowl, looking a bit disturbed about something. Malfoy, beside him, gave him a rather annoyed kind of concerned look.

This did not go unnoticed by Kouji, who paused as well. "Kouichi? What's up?"

"Mm…Nothing, really." the elder twin sighed, looking a bit depressed. "I guess…I was just thinking about what our parents and everyone is doing back home tonight…"

One by one, the other transfers just…stopped, as though a collective thought that hadn't occurred to them had appeared all at once. Following this collective recognition was a collective sigh and a mutually depressed look. "…Yeah." Tomoki's face drooped in disappointment. "I guess…we'll miss the festival this year, huh?"

"…Oh." whispered Junpei. "I… didn't think about that."

"Me neither." Takuya sighed. "You know…as long as we're here…we'll miss all the festivals this year…Every last…one of them…"

"Oh, Takuya, don't say stuff like that!" Izumi groaned, putting her bowl on the table and leaning back with an aggravated moan. "Oh…I hate being homesick!"

"He's right though…" Kouji frowned. "As long as we're here, there are going to be a lot of festivals we'll miss…Not just Oshogatsu…Golden Week…"

"Children's day." Tomoki mumbled.

"The Sakura Festival…" Izumi looked practically in mourning. "No cherry blossoms 'round here."

There was another collective sigh from the transfers, all of who seamed to have lost their appetites. Harry paused in his meal, feeling a bit sorry for them. He'd never felt any homesickness at Hogwarts…why would he, his 'home' was little less than a hellhole…but he couldn't imagine being stuck in a completely different country, thousands of miles away from your loving family and having to adapt to the customs around you…

Dumbledore suddenly stood, clearing his throat. The small motion could instantly silence an entire school of a thousand, so, naturally, the two-dozen of them were quiet as the old man approached them.

"Before you all go off…" he said, smiling warmly. "I would like to announce that dinner will not be held at its regular time tonight."

There was some confused mumbling, which he allowed to subside before he continued. "Since tonight is a very special event for our visiting wizards, the teachers and I decided it would be a wonderful opportunity to add a bit of a…cultural experience."

"We will be eating out in the grounds tonight…I trust you will be able to find us. The festivities will begin about an hour after nightfall, which, I believe, would be around seven thirty at this time of year. As a warning, it is formal-dress, so please…dress appropriately."

With that, he turned and, with a slight smile to the transfers, left the Great Hall.

"Formal dress?" Ron repeated. "For a picnic? Outside?"

Hermione kicked him again, but the transfers hadn't noticed. Actually, exactly following the announcement, Izumi rose and announced that she was going to start getting ready.

"Hey…" Harry hesitated to call after her. "It's only three o'clock!"

"Eh, she probably wants to take a bath first." Takuya shrugged, grinning. "We're probably not gonna have time tonight."

"Takuya…" Kouji muttered, setting down his chopsticks and rising from the table. "We should probably leave, too. Or are you forgetting how long it takes to put on kimono, especially without the help?"

Takuya faltered a moment, then his face fell slightly comically. "Oh, yeah…I kinda forgot about that."

Harry and Ron blinked. "What's a ki…"

"You'll see." Kouji snapped, cutting them off, and promptly left the Great Hall as the remains of their meal disappeared.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Draco entered the Slytherin common room at around 6:15, planning to take a nice, long bath, change leisurely into his dress robes (brand new, blue silk with small emeralds lining the seams) and still make it down to the 'special' event while only being fashionably late…

What he hadn't been planning on was entering his dorm room to find Kimura struggling to get into some kind of knee-length, dark red robe, several other layers lying spread out on his bed.

"Oh…Malfoy-kun." he sighed, trying to hold the robe together with one hand and tie a plain black sash behind himself at the same time. "I…don't suppose you could help me with this?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, but wandered begrudgingly over, glancing at the other garments with a very mild, well-hidden curiosity. He took the sash, finding small clasps hidden in the fabric to attach it around Kimura's back as the transfer held the robe shut. He noted, with some interest, that Kimura was wearing an odd kind of split-toed white sock on both feet.

"Thank you very much." the dark-haired boy sighed. "These things are almost impossible to get into on your own…'There's no room for sloppiness in wearing kimono' after all…"

"Why even bother?" Malfoy turned away, quickly shedding the school-bred nonsense and donning the fine robes suitable of a pure-bred wizard in his position.

Kimura looked both confused and a little hurt. "I…I would've thought you'd understand…Out of anybody."

"Understand what?"

"This…" Kimura spread his arms, showing both the knee-length robe and the ankle-length green one he'd slipped halfway on. "This is our heritage, Malfoy-kun. The Japanese have been wearing kimono since…since before written language was inherited from China. It's…It's…"

"I get it." Draco growled. The transfer fell silent as Malfoy stewed this over a moment, clipping shut the emerald cufflinks. Heritage…tradition…This sounded very…familiar.

And here he'd thought Kimura didn't fit in with Slytherin.

"…All in the blood, I suppose." he shrugged, and wandered over to help attach the sash over the second layer.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Fifteen to seven, Harry and Ron headed up to the dorm rooms to change. Hermione had disappeared an hour and a half before, along with most of the other girls, but was planning to meet them in the entry hall before heading out. They were just a little surprised to find Tomoki in the 6th-year's dorms, being tended to by Takuya as Kouji watched them disdainfully from his place against the doorframe.

"Are you ready yet?" the black-haired transfer muttered. "We're gonna be late."

"Almost…"

"What are you guys doing?" Ron blurted, catching their attention for the first time.

Harry, pushing past Kouji to get to his trunk, could see why his friend was a bit confused. Their dress robes were really simple…you just pulled them over your head, buttoned the sleeves and snapped the cuffs…but whatever Takuya was helping Tomoki into seamed really, really complicated.

For one thing, he could see that the ankle-length robe the younger boy wore…a pale orange color…was covering a shorter, knee-length red one that had been tied beneath it, but you wouldn't have noticed at first glance because of the measures Takuya was taking to align the robes with each other exactly. Takuya himself wore an ankle-length robe of dark red, with a bright gold underneath and a fan tucked in the back of his outer sash. The only reason Harry knew it was a fan was because Kouji was holding one himself…they were small, round, and painted with various scenes, Kouji's of a rabbit and Takuya's showing a mountain range with a sunset. The black-haired transfer was wearing a blue outer robe with holes in the outside sleeves, showing the white one under neither. All three were wearing a sort of white split-towed sock with thin, light sandals.

"Just getting ready." Takuya shrugged. "You guys not worried? It's almost time."

"Uh…yeah." Harry pulled his dress robes over his head, and was ready in a few quick snaps. "All set."

Kouji raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"That's it."

The black-haired transfer frowned. "What's the point of dressing up if you don't put a little effort into it?"

Harry didn't have an answer to that one, but he was saved from doing so as Takuya got the last clip in place on Tomoki's robe. "There! Done!"

"About time." Kouji rolled his eyes, snapping the fan shut. "Let's go."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The girls were waiting for them in the front hall, along with Junpei, who was wearing a blue-and-yellow robe that barely fit around his wide frame.

Harry glanced at Ron wordlessly, then reached over and closed his mouth discreetly before the girls could notice. He did have to admit, Hermione looked great in her sleek powder-blue robes, her hair smoothed and pulled back into a long, graceful braid. She smiled at them, obviously taking Ron's gawking as a complement.

Ginny didn't look bad either, in dark red with her hair in a decorative bun, but Harry doubted Ron was staring at her. Izumi wore a dark blue kimono with sleeves much, much longer than the boy's, and liberally decorated with large purple-and-blue butterflies. A thick, purple sash was wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her back very straight in an almost uncomfortable way. She carried a fan as well, decorated with what seamed to be purple flowers.

"There you are." she sighed, smiling at Takuya fetchingly. "It's about time…Where's Kouichi-kun?"

"What, he's not here yet?" Takuya blinked, looking around.

"Would I be asking if he was?"

The sound of footsteps suddenly caught their attention as two figures rose out of the dungeons. Harry stiffened a bit in defense when he realized one of them was none other than Draco Malfoy. He relaxed only a hairline fracture when Kouichi appeared next to him, listening to the blonde boy talk patiently.

The first thing Harry noticed was the state of Kouichi's kimono. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with it, it was the same style, same dress as the other boys, dark red showing from underneath forest green, tied with a red sash. But it looked…different, in the way Ron's had when they first reached Hogwarts. It was about an inch short, and faded, the edges tattered and frayed, a few strings hanging loose, and there was a small hole about half-way down the front.

Harry was tempted to ask, but then he remembered what Kouji had said Christmas morning, unwrapping presents…"Mother makes all her gifts by hand. It's the only thing she can afford."

Kouichi lived with their mother, and Harry was willing to bet those fancy robes got pretty expensive. He decided to keep his mouth shut as the transfers gathered (Malfoy storming off in a huff beforehand) and left through the large doors. Harry shook his head as he, Ron and Hermione followed quickly after them.

Dumbledore was right, it was easy to find, thanks to the collective glow of about a hundred paper lanterns, doubled by their own reflection with the stars in the dark, glassy lake. These lanterns were surrounding a large tent without walls, glowing with its own light and sizzling with a slight heat, which melted the snow around it easily.

Inside the tent was a long, low table with blanket edges hanging out from under the 'top'…an extra layer that had been placed on top. This top had long, thick, wooden strips down each side, but in the very middle was a flat stovetop, various different dishes, both odd and familiar, cooking on it. The two sides were lined with pillows, obviously meant as seats.

Ron blinked at the blanket in surprise. "What the…?"

"Cool! It's a giant kotatsu." Takuya exclaimed.

"A what?"

"Just watch." Izumi winked. She crossed to one side of the table, folding her legs underneath her to sit gracefully on one of the pillows. (This itself seamed odd to Harry, as he was sure her feet would be asleep in minutes) With a short motion, she pulled the blanket up over her lap and smiled again brightly. "See? It's nice and warm."

Harry raised an eyebrow, but sat down gingerly (cross-legged) and lifted the blanket over his lap. He was pleasantly surprised, as Izumi was very right…it was quite warm, obviously heated from beneath by something magical. It was soothing, in a way, and kept you from freezing in the cold, winter night air.

As soon as everyone was seated and comfortable, a polite buy loud cough sent eyes turning down the end of the table to where Dumbledore and the other teachers set. Dumbledore looked almost funny…the robe he was wearing had obviously been made to look somewhat like a dark blue kimono without all extra the work.

"Welcome, all." he said warmly. "I trust you've made yourself comfortable…And, transfers, I trust you approve of the decorations."

Takuya shouted something in Japanese, which Harry could only assume was approval. Dumbledore smiled, seaming to understand. "I do hope you all will be…satisfied…with tonight's meal, as well."

He clapped his hands once and the food appeared. There were all kinds of meats keeping warm on the stove, legs of mutton and beef and pork, as well as several hot-cooked vegetarian dishes and lots of cooler foods lining the wooden edges. But there were also several things Harry and the other 'locals' had never seen before…The most notable being several things that were directly on the stovetop, round and flat, but made of several long, thin strands, all wound together and cooked at once.

"What the…?"

"Okonomiyaki." Kouji said shortly, reaching out with a knife and fork to pull one over. Kouichi, sitting across from him, assisted with his own utensils before reaching for one of his own.

"Oh-ko-wha?" Ron looked like he was getting a headache.

"Well, some people 'round here would call it 'Japanese Pizza'." Takuya mentioned, taking a big bite. "Mm…Modan-yaki…"

"It doesn't look like pizza." Harry blinked. He'd seen Dudley gobble eight large ones in a sitting once, but what little he'd seen of them hadn't looked a thing like what the transfers were eating.

"It's just a weird name someone came up with." Izumi swallow. "Because you can put different things in it, but as long as it has the sauce and the shape it's an Okonomiyaki."

"Wanna try?" Tomoki piped. He cut a small piece off his own and put it on a small plate, holding it out to the other Gryffindors. "Mine's Tonpei-yaki."

Ron accepted the plate, looking at the light brown…reeds…floating in the thick red sauce, then held it out to Harry. "Oh no." Harry pushed it back towards him. "I tried the last one. Your turn."

Ron gulped. "I don't like fish…"

"They don't all have fish in them…do they?" Harry blinked at Takuya, who shook his head. Most of the people around them were having quite a good time watching this little exchange, except, of course, for Malfoy, who was pretending not to be interested and staring off in the opposite direction.

"But that's not saying this one…"

"Oh, give it here." Hermione snatched the plate out of his hand, speared the bite on her fork and popped it into her mouth before anyone could object or laugh. All eyes were on her as she chewed slowly, swallowed…and smiled.

With that assurance that it wasn't going to kill anybody, everyone soon settled into their conversations. The hours ticked by, but there was barely any notice between all the unusual…disturbances.

First of all, the ghosts were having a ball, literally, dancing out across the glassy lake. Then a large drum started pounding out a strange beat on its own in the middle of the second course, prompting several empty plates and glasses to leap off the table and dance their way into a wash buckets. Sometime soon afterwards, the third course (dessert) appeared, accompanied by several wickerwork baskets, filled with…uh…

"What are these?" Hermione asked, taking one of the dolls. At least, Harry assumed they were some kind of doll…they were small, red and vaguely circular, looking like a man's head with large, black spots where his eyes shoulder have been. They were accompanied by small brushes, which had been charmed to hold ink like a pen.

"Darumas." Izumi smiled, taking one. "They're wish-makers."

"Wish-makers?"

"Yeah. Like this." the blonde girl took one of the brushes, thought a moment, then painted a black dot in the middle of the left eye of her doll. "You paint one eye in when you make a wish, and the other when it comes true."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden clang of a bell. Heads shot up to the clock tower as they realized, with a jolt, that it was midnight. There was an expectant hush as the bells rang…four…five…six…

"Shichi…hachi…kyuu…" Takuya was counting under his breath.

Izumi poked his shoulder. "English, Takuya!"

Ten…eleven…twelve!

At the last tone, several wizard crackers were set off at once, causing several people to shriek and the rest to laugh. The laughter turned to cheers and shouts of "Happy New Year!" from the ghosts and teachers, and someone was trying to start a chorus of 'Should auld acquaintance…'

And the bells kept ringing.

The excitement soon settled down to confusion as the bells continued to clang in their slow, counting rhythm. Seventeen…eighteen…nineteen…

"What's going on?" Hermione whispered. Harry could tell she was ready for the worst…she was tense all over. Ron, too, had all his hair standing on end.

Twenty-two…twenty-three…twenty-four…

Nearly Headless Nick came soaring down from the clock tower and bowed deeply to Dumbledore. "There's an odd bit of parchment attached to one of the bells, headmaster." he reported briskly. "Strange writing on it…very oriental, if I do say so myself, but it won't come off…"

"I suspect it won't." Dumbledore chuckled. "Until it has finished it's spell."

Thirty-five…thirty-six…thirty-seven…

"And how long with that be?" Professor McGonagall bristled slightly all over.

"Oh…I think a hundred-and-eight sounds should be its limit." Dumbledore turned and smiled warmly down to the end of the table. "Isn't that right, Mr. Kimura?"

Forty-eight…Forth-nine…fifty…

One by one, the transfer's eyes turned to stare at the boy, who was blushing a bright red as he poked at the cake he was eating. "Kouichi-kun?" Izumi breathed, trying very hard not to laugh.

"When'd you do that!" Takuya demanded, not even bothering to hold in his laughter.

Sixty-three…Sixty-four…sixty-five

"Hakaishi-sensei asked me to do it…" Kouichi blushed even deeper. "He sent the charm with my Christmas gifts…It's bad luck, you know, if you don't hear the gongs."

"But why so many rings?" Hermione asked, as Harry tried to time it. They'd been at it for two minutes now, and showed no sign of stopping.

Seventy-six…Seventy-seven…Seventy-eight…

"One for every sin a human is capable of." Kouichi muttered, sounding almost as if he was repeating a scripture. Harry noticed for the first time that he'd been idly messing with one of the brushes, practicing that strange 'Kanji' writing down the side of a napkin.

Kouji sighed, shaking his head with an amused air. "They pound gongs back home." he sighed. "It's kind of a…cleansing…ritual. The priests say it's bad luck if you don't hear them."

Eighty-nine…Ninety…Ninety-one…

"Of course." Izumi giggled. "That's Kouichi-kun for you…He's wanted to be a priest for ages."

"Really?" Harry blinked, impressed. Kouichi blushed ever deeper, looking very much as though he wanted to sink into the blankets of the kotatsu and not come out until the snow melted.

"Yup. They're the ones who teach our magic classes back home." Izumi nodded.

Kouji cleared his throat, sending a Look Izumi's way. If he hadn't known him for several months, Harry would've thought he'd sent a death glare, but it was just his subtle way of telling someone to shut up. Harry suspected it had something to do with Kouichi's visible discomfort.

Hundred-and-four…Hundred-and-five…Hundred-and-six…

With a last few extra loud crashes, the bells fell silent, as did the small crowd. The twenty-some-odd students looked up at Dumbledore, who simply smiled and stood.

"Goodnight, all. Happy New Year."

TBC…

Tatami - mats made out of reeds that are woven together, used as a floor covering. It's very traditionally Japanese, and most homes have at least one room of this style, but, though you have to exchange outside shoes for slippers upon entering a Japanese home, you have to go barefoot on tatami because it's very fragile and, bluntly, impossible to clean.

Genkan - hallway, i.e., where you leave your shoes before entering a tatami-matted area.

Yes, it is very good luck to eat Soba (brown wheat noodles) on New Year's. It is also perfectly fine to slurp your noodles…they say they taste better that way. (Note that I have never actually tasted soba, as of yet…I'm just estimating)

Oshogatsu - The three-day Japanese New Year's ceremony.

Golden Week - A week of holidays in April/May which, if set up right, results in nine consecutive days off of school. The holidays include Green Day (Midori no hi), Constitution Memorial Day (Kempo Kinenbi) and Children's Day (Kodomo no hi)

Children's Day - May 5th. Celebration of children.

Cherry Blossoms - The 'Sakura' festival, held in the spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. You get lots of food, go out and have a picnic in the cherry blossoms.

"…since before written language was inherited from China." - Almost all of Japan's writing, and as such, their written history, was inherited from the Chinese. Though Neolithic Japanese culture can be traced to 10,000 BC, the first written history didn't come around until 300 BC.

Kimonos with long sleeves are only worn by young, unmarried girls. The tight sash Izumi had on is an obi…It's tight and warm and actually rather comfortable, all things considered.

Kotatsu - A table with a heater under it and a blanket to keep in the heat. Commonly found in hot spring resorts and certain Japanese houses, they're usually much smaller.

Yes, I know that normally on New Year's people go to a shrine, not a picnic in the middle of the winter, but there's no Buddhist or Shinto shrine around Hogwarts, I'll tell you that.

Okonomiyaki - Sometimes called Japanese Pizza or Japanese Pancakes, they have nothing in common except that they are round and flat. They're made of flour, water, cabbage (and other veggies) some kind of meat (usually seafood) and a steak-sauce-like 'Okonomiyaki sauce.' Konomi means 'like' and yaki means 'fried', basically saying you can put the meats or veggies you like in it. 'Modan-yaki' and 'Tonpei-yaki' is some kind of flavor, I assume like pepperoni is to pizza…don't ask me what it means, I got it out of RESRVoir CHRoNiCLE Tsubasa, by the marvelous CLAMP.I also have no idea how common pizza is in England, but I tend to think of it as a very 'American' food.

Darumas - Small dolls that represent the founder of Buddhism, who was said to have mediated until his arms and legs fell off. Traditional sold on New Year's, you paint in one eye to make a wish, and the other when your wish comes true.

I just had to have Kouichi place the charm there…I don't know why I wanted it to be him…I just had to.

Aiie…This author note is over a page long! Daaaaaaaaaaang…Well, I hope somebody got SOMETHING out of it…I love Japanese culture, and New Year's is a great opportunity, so I threw in a lot. Either way, this chapter turned out lame…dammit. See you next chapter. (If I ever get over the writer's block…)