Good Grief
15 Years Ago
8-year old Ren Amamiya was on his way home from school when he heard a group of kids laughing in an alleyway that he was passing. The bespectacled little boy looked into the alleyway to find a group of bullies ganging up on another young boy with brown hair and reddish-brown eyes. Ren went into the alley and hid himself behind a trash can to see what was going on.
"Well now," One of the bullies said, "What do we have here, fellas?"
"Just a little run who seems to have lost his way and wandered into our hangout," Another bully said.
"Looks, guys, I don't want any trouble," The brown haired boy said.
"You got trouble the moment you set foot in this alleyway," The lead bully said, "But maybe it's a good thing you wandered through here. Me and my mates have been looking for someone new to play with, haven't we?"
The rest of the gang laugh wickedly as the brown haired boy cowers in fear.
"Please let me go," The brown haired boy whimpered.
"You're going to leave now?" The lead bully asked, "But it's almost snacktime, and fresh from the oven is a nice batch of knuckle sandwiches with your name on it!"
The bullies ball their hands up into fists and are ready to beat the brown haired boy up when suddenly…
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Ren screamed as he came out of his hiding place, ran up to the lead bully, and punches him square in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Seeing their leader get knocked to the ground as easily as he did made the rest of the bullies look at Ren in fear.
"Hey, man, what gives?" One of the bullies asked the raven haired boy.
"You fools want some too?!" Ren shouted as the group of bullies ran away screaming, with one of them dragging the lead bully away.
After the bullies disappeared, Ren walked over to the brown haired boy and he held his hand out in front of him, looking to help him to his feet.
"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you," Ren said.
The brown haired boy took Ren by the hand and stood up, "You saved me," he said.
"I'm not one to stand by and watch people get abused," Ren said, "There has to be some justice in the world. At least that's what my dad always says."
"Well, thank you," the brown haired boy said.
"No need to thank or repay me," Ren said, "I was just doing the right thing."
"Well I have to do something to show my gratitude," The brown haired boy said, "Hey, I got it! Maybe I can be your friend!"
"You want to be my friend?" Ren said, intrigued.
"Yeah," The brown haired boy answered, "I don't really have that many friends and you're the first person I met who did something legitimately nice for me without expecting something in return. You're a really cool guy, you know that?"
"Thank you," Ren smiled, "Well, if we're friends now, do you want to come over to my house for a snack? We can call your parents when we get to my house."
"That sounds great," The brown haired boy said as he and Ren continued on their way, "By the way, what's your name?"
"Ren," Ren said, "Ren Amamiya."
"That's a cool name," The brown haired boy said, "I'm Minato Kimura."
"Pleased to meet you, Minato," Ren said as he and Minato continued on their way to the Amamiya Residence, "I think we're going to get along just fine."
"Yeah," Minato said, "I think so too."
Present Day
Back in the present day, we see Ren Amamiya, now 23 years old, as he sits in the living room of the house he and his wife Ann moved into, with Morgana sound asleep in his cat bed in the corner of the room. Ren and Ann got married after graduating from college in Kyoto, and they managed to save up enough money to move into a house after they came back from their honeymoon.
Anyway, Ren was sitting in the living room of his and Ann's house, looking at a childhood photo album. The photos he was looking at were ones of him and Minato. Ever since he saved Minato from those bullies all those years ago, they became the best of friends. Often times Ren would compare the friendship he had with Minato to his friendship with Ryuji to see who he favored more, and every time he found himself favoring Minato. Not that Ryuji wasn't a good guy or he wasn't fun to be around, but Ren ran into Minato first, and thus had a stronger connection with him.
The photos Ren was looking at included when he and Minato went to a local water park, him and Minato having a sleepover at the Amamiya Residence, him and Minato at the zoo for a field trip, him and Minato attending the middle school dance with their very first dates (Minato had a date with the captain of the middle school chess team while Ren had a date with one of the cheerleaders), and from when Minato's dad took the two boys to a baseball game.
As Ren was reminiscing about his childhood friend, Ann walks in with two slices of cake for the two of them to snack on.
"What are you looking at, Ren?" Ann said, causing the bespectacled man to look in her direction.
"I was going through this box in the attic earlier when I found this old photo album that had pictures of Minato and me in it," Ren said.
"Your old childhood friend?" Ann asked, causing Ren to nod his head.
"Our friendship happened after I saved him from a group of bullies," Ren answered, "He felt so grateful that he wanted to be my friend as a show of thanks."
"I've never met Minato," Ann said, "What was he like?"
"He was just one of the sweetest guys you'll ever meet," Ren answered, "Always respectful and polite, but he was also kind of shy and timid. He told me the reason he never made that many friends was because he was always nervous of what others would think of him, and he thought that others would take advantage of him somehow. He said that I was the first person to show him true kindness by saving him from those bullies."
"You are a kind man," Ann said as she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek, "Anyone would be lucky to be your friend. Hell, I feel blessed just to be married to you."
"Likewise," Ren said with a smile before continuing, "Anyway, after I got sent to Tokyo as part of my probation, I always made sure to keep in touch with Minato. Words couldn't even begin to describe the happy look on his face when I came home."
"I can only imagine," Ann said.
"I thought that he'd come to our wedding," Ren continued, "But a few days before, I got a call from him, and he said he'd be 'going away for a while'."
"How long of a while?" Ann asked.
"He didn't say," Ren said, "But I've been calling him back almost every night to see if he came home, and everytime I got his answering machine. I hope Minato is alright."
"I'm sure he's just fine," Ann said reassuringly.
Suddenly, the phone started to ring. Ren picked it up and read the caller ID to see a familiar number.
"It's Minato's mom!" Ren said excitedly.
"Pick it up," Ann said happily, "Maybe she'll tell you some good news involving Minato!"
Ren answered the phone and put it up to his ear.
"Hello," Ren said excitedly, "Mrs. Kiumra hi!...Yeah, it's me Ren…Yeah, I know it's been a while…so, how's Minato…oh…uh-huh…oh…I see…I'm so sorry, Mrs. Kimura…"
As the phone conversation with Minato's mom went on, the joy in Ren's voice disappeared and the look on his face went from an elated smile to look of sorrow and disappointment. Ann also had a similar look on her face when she saw Ren's mood change.
"It's in two weeks, is it?" Ren asked, "Of course I'll be there…thank you for letting me know…bye."
Ren hung up the phone and looked over at Ann.
"What did Minato's mom want, Ren?" Ann asked.
After a moment of silence, Ren had this to say, "He…he's dead…"
"What?!" Ann asked, her heart slowly breaking for her husband.
"It turns out the reason he went away and he couldn't attend our wedding was because he had cancer," Ren said, "He went to the Joan Lettering Cancer Center (Sloan Kettering) in America for treatment. His body didn't respond to any of the treatments and he ended up dying."
"Oh my God," Ann said, "Ren, I'm so sorry. I know how much Minato meant to you."
"Thanks, Ann," Ren said as he laid back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, "I just don't get why he didn't tell me he had cancer. For as long as we've known each other, Minato and I have never kept secrets from one another. I could've helped him through this tough time and make his last days a bit more bearable."
"He probably didn't want to tell you because he knew you were getting married, and he didn't want to dampen your mood with the news of his cancer," Ann said.
"I guess," Ren said.
"You know, Ren," Ann said, "I'm here for you if you need a shoulder to cry on."
"I appreciate the gesture, babe," Ren said, "But crying won't solve anything."
"You mean you don't feel like crying?" Ann said, amazed, "Even though Minato is one of your earliest friends? I mean, I know if I heard that Shiho was dying of cancer I'd be bawling my eyes out."
"Sorry, but, I just don't feel it in me to cry right now," Ren said, "People die all the time, it's just the way of the world."
"Ren, it's alright to be upset," Ann said, "There's no shame in crying."
"Look, Ann, I appreciate you worrying about me, but trust me, I'm fine," Ren said as he got up from the couch to make his way to the kitchen, "We all grieve in our own way. Just let me grieve how I want to. I'm going to make us some dinner."
As Ren walked off to the kitchen, Ann stared off after him with a sad and worried look on her face.
"He's bottling up his emotions," Ann thought to herself, "I've got to find a way to make him open up, or at least figure out why he's like this."
Throughout the rest of the evening, Ann tried to get Ren to open up about his real feelings in regards to his friend's death, but to no avail. Ren kept telling his wife that he was fine, but she could tell from looking in his eyes that deep inside he wanted to cry, but he wouldn't for a reason that has yet to be explained to her. She wasn't sure if Ren was trying to be strong for her, or if he was just someone who didn't like to cry, whether it was because of his upbringing, or he just hated how crying felt.
Later that night, as Ann drifted off to sleep with Ren by her side, she decided to do whatever it took to help Ren cry and open up about Minato's death. She knew, however, that she couldn't do it alone, and she needed the help of her friends.
The next day after Ren went to work, Ann called up the rest of her and Ren's friend group, and she filled Morgana in on what's going on since he was asleep for most of yesterday evening's events. When Ann's band of 12 friends came knocking on the door, she let them in and led them into the dining room so she could inform them about Minato's death.
"Man, that sucks," Daisuke said, letting the death of Ren's friend fully sink in, "Poor Ren."
"You said Ren didn't shed a single tear when he learned about Minato's death?" Makoto asked Ann.
"He says he's grieving in his own way," Ann said, "But I know he wants to cry, I can see it in his eyes."
"Why is Ren so hellbent on holding in his sadness?" Hifumi asked.
"I might be able to answer that," Ryuji said, "I remember one time when Ren and I had a talk about each other's families and he told me that his father was 'old fashioned'."
"What do you mean by that?" Ann asked.
"Ren's dad was never one to show emotion," Ryuji said, "While Ren said he's pretty sure his father loved him, he never really showed it. It was a rare day when Ren would get a hug from his father, and even rarer when he said 'I love you' to him."
"A stoic fellow," Hayato said.
"Exactly," Ryuji said, "Anyway, Ren told me that his father told him that tears are a sign of weakness and if he ever felt the urge to cry, just suppress that feeling as much as you can."
"How could he tell him to do that," Shiho asked, "It's not right to hold back emotions such as sadness."
"Like Ryuji said, love, Ren's dad is old fashioned, and he comes from a time when men were more 'macho' and didn't put things like love and sadness on full display." Daisuke said, "Now some of those traits are passed down to Ren, and that's what's making him not cry about Minato."
"It just isn't right," Shiho said, "He should be able to cry whenever he wants."
"And that's why I called you all here today," Ann said
"To find a way to help Ren turn on the waterworks?" Yuuki asked.
"You're catching on fast, Mishima," Ann told the spiky blue haired man, "Once we get Ren to cry, he'll be able to open up about Minato's death and let out all the pain he was holding in…that and I can get to work on 'cheering him up'."
"And by cheering him up you mean making love to him like a rabbit in heat," Sumire asked.
"Oh, you can read me like a book, Sumire," Ann said, as everyone rolled their eyes, "Anyway, Ren has the weekend off. When the weekend comes, that's when we band together and do everything in our power to make him open up and cry."
"Let's do it!" Ryuji said, before saying to himself, "Never thought I'd be this excited to make someone cry before."
"Operation Waterworks is underway, people," Ann said.
After her meeting with their friends, Ann sends them all home to think of ways to make Ren cry so he can open up about Minato's death, and so she can get her rocks off with him afterwards. When Ren returned home later that evening, he found his wife working on a fashion project in her office. When he asked her how her day was, she just said that it was normal and uneventful, not wanting to bring up the subject of Minato or the plan she dubbed 'Operation Waterworks'. The couple then had dinner together and watched a movie before settling in for the night, with Ren happy that tomorrow was Saturday and he had the day off, not knowing the plan Ann had for him up her sleeve.
Method #1: Pain
The next day, after breakfast, Ren got a text from Ryuji telling him to come outside.
"Who's texting you, sweetie?" Ann asked, feigning innocence.
"I got a text from Ryuji," Ren said, "He wants me to come outside because he wants to show me something."
"Better go see what he wants," Ann said as Ren left the kitchen and made his way to the front door.
When Ren opened up the front door he was immediately met with Ryuji who threw a dodgeball right in his face, causing him to yell in pain as he held his nose.
"Ryuji, what the fuck?!" Ren bellowed.
"What happened?" Ann asked as she came running to the front door.
"Is he crying yet, Ann?" Ryuji asked as he ran up to the front door.
"No, but my nose is bleeding!" Ren said, looking up at the blonde haired man, "And what's this about me crying?"
"Oh, uh, nothing," Ryuji said, nervously, "Just doing something that someone dared me to do."
"Who would dare you to throw a dodgeball at my face?!" Ren yelled.
"You wouldn't know him," Ryuji said, "He's a friend from my days on Shujin's track team. Speaking of track, I've got lots of potential track stars to coach, see ya!"
With that, Ryuji ran off, with Ren and Ann starring after him.
"Idiot," Ann thought to herself as she watched Ryuji run away.
Method #2: Baked Goods
After Ren got his nosebleed taken care of, he went out to run some errands. First, he had to buy some diamond earrings to give to Ann as a gift for her birthday in a few weeks. Then, he had to go to the post office to send a letter of condolence to Minato's family. Then after that, it was off to the fish market to get some fatty tuna for Morgana. And finally, he had to go to the supermarket to get ingredients for his and Ann's dinner that night. Suffice it to say, he was rather busy.
On the way to the jewelry shop, however, he ran into Makoto and Haru, both of whom had a plan to make Ren cry. Haru had a tray of cookies in her hand as she approached the bespectacled man.
"Girls, hi," Ren greeted.
"Ren, are we glad to see you," Haru said happily.
"What have you got there, Haru?" Ren asked, pointing at the tray of cookies in the floofy haired woman's hands.
"As I'm sure you know, I have dreams of opening up my own cafe one day," Haru said, "So Makoto and I baked some cookies that I wish to sell at my cafe when, or if, it opens."
"You know, as a sort of free sample thing," Makoto chimed in.
"First of all you shouldn't sell yourself short like that, Haru. I know you'll get your cafe," Ren said, "And second, am I allowed a sample?"
"We were actually looking for you so you could be the first one to sample my cookies," Haru said.
"They're chocolate chip," Makoto added, "Go ahead, pick one."
Ren looked at the cookies and picked the biggest one. He took a bite out of it, and he sighed contently as he teeth sand into the baked good, and the chocolate danced and rolled around on his taste buds.
"It's so delicious," Ren said happily.
"We're glad you liked it, Ren," Haru said, "But tell me, does it remind you of simpler times?"
"Maybe on cold winter days, after playing in the snow all day, you'd come inside where your mother would be waiting with a nice warm mug of hot chocolate and cookies that are just as good as the one you're eating now," Makoto chimed in.
"You girls took the words right out of my mouth," Ren smiled.
"A hoard of happy memories come rushing back to you," Makoto said.
"Almost makes you want to cry, right?" Haru asked.
After Haru asked that, Ren ate the rest of his cookie and said, "Not really." Hearing that made Makoto and Haru frown; they had failed, "Thanks for the cookie, girls," Ren said as he continued on his way to the jewelry store.
Haru sighed due to her cookies not making Ren shed a tear, and Makoto rubbed her shoulder, "It was a good try," The brunette said.
Method #3: Art
Some time later, Ren came out of the jewelry store, Ann's diamond earrings in hand. When he left the jewelry store, however, he found Yusuke waiting for him.
"Yusuke, what's up?" Ren asked.
"Nothing much, Ren," Yusuke said, "I just wanted to show you something. Come with me."
Curious, Ren followed his blue haired artist friend to an art gallery where some of his artwork was put on display.
"What are we doing here, Yusuke?" Ren asked.
"I just wanted to show you my latest piece," Yusuke said as he guided Ren towards his painting, "Behold!"
What Ren saw was a beautiful picture of an angel descending from the heavens as the sunsets behind her. The colors, brushwork, and the range of depth were expertly done, an only Yusuke could make a painting this magnificent.
"Wow, Yusuke, you actually painted this?" Ren said, amazed.
"It took me all night to finish it, but yes, I painted it," Yusuke said with a yawn.
"Well, you're going to sleep good tonight, buddy," Ren said.
"I sure hope so," Yusuke said, "But tell me, what do you really think of it?"
"It's the most beautiful painting I've ever seen," Ren replied, "I really love the brushwork on the angel's wings, and the clouds almost look real."
"But is it beautiful enough to make you weep tears of joy," Yusuke asked, causing Ren to turn in his direction with a raised brow.
"You are the third person today who wants to know if something is going to make me cry," Ren said, "What's going on here?"
"Nothing," Yusuke said, nervously, "It's just that sometimes art is so beautiful it moves someone to tears, that's all."
"Okay," Ren said, unsure, "If this is all you have to show me, can I go and finish my errands?"
"Of course," Yusuke said, "I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you in any way."
"It's alright," Ren said, "Take it easy, alright."
"Bye now," Yusuke said as he watched Ren make his leave.
Method #4: Sad Story
After leaving the art gallery, Ren's next stop was the post office to mail his letter of condolence to Minato's family. Upon making it to the post office, he walked up to the counter so he could get a stamp before sending it. When he got to the counter to get his stamp however, he was met with two more familiar faces, Ichiro and Sumire.
"Hey Ren," Sumire greeted.
"Sumire, Ichiro, what a surprise," Ren said, "I didn't know you guys worked here."
"Other than training, Sumi and I need something to do during the gymnastic off season," Ichiro said, "So we both got a job here at the post office."
"That's pretty cool," Ren said, "Anyway, I just need a stamp for this letter before I send it."
"That sounds good, but first we want to show you something," Sumire said, "It's a slow day today, so it should be alright."
"What is it?" Ren asked.
"Sometimes pieces of mail go missing," Ichiro explained as he took out a piece of paper with a message written on it, "For example, we found this letter from years ago just hiding beneath the printer. Want us to read it for you?"
"Sure," Ren said as Ichiro started to read the letter.
Dearest Hana,
I know I promised I'd be home come summertime so you and I can be married, but I'm afraid they extended my tour here in Iraq and I won't be able to make it home in time. I know you'll be disappointed, and there really aren't any words for me to use to describe how deeply sorry I am that I have to break the promise I made to you. Your beautiful face is what I think of every night before I go to bed, and you're the reason why I go out there and fight. I pray that I can make it home to you soon so we can finally get married and have that big, beautiful family and that wonderful house in the countryside we've always talked about. You're in my thoughts and in my prayers always, my love. I miss you, and I love you.
Sincerely, Genjiro.
"What a sad story," Sumire said as her boyfriend finished reading the letter.
"This Genjiro guy was forced to stay in Iraq and fight, and he had to postpone his and Hana's wedding as a result," Ichiro said, "Who knows if Genjiro ever made it home. This story and everything surrounding it is enough to make even the most hardened of souls weep uncontrollably. Right, Ren?"
The gymnast couple looked over at Ren who had an unamused look on his face.
"Why is everyone so fixated on making me cry right now?" Ren asked, "I just dealt with Ryuji, Haru, Makoto, and Yusuke, all four of whom also tried their own stunts to make me cry. What the hell is going on? Wait, did Ann tell you about my friend dying and now she got all of you in on some kind of plan to make me cry?"
"Oh my gosh, your friend died?" Sumire asked, feigning innocence along with her boyfriend, "We're so sorry, Ren."
Ren just rolled his eyes and said, "Just give me my stamp so I can send this letter and get out of here."
"Fair enough," Ichiro said as he handed Ren his stamp. After Ren paid for the stamp, he put it on the envelope, and put it in the mailbox for it to be sent to Minato's family. With that errand taken care of, the next stop was the fish market.
Method #5: Ludovico Treatment…(Yes, I'm serious)
While on the way to the fish market, Ren got another text. He took out his phone to see it was from Hayato. The text read, 'Come to mine and Hifumi's place. We want to show you something.'
"I swear if they have a plan to get me to cry," Ren said as he took a detour to Hayato and Hifumi's house.
Upon making it to Hayato and Hifumi's house, Ren knocked on the front door three times and the door opened up…with no one there to answer it.
"Okay then," Ren said as he entered the house, "Hayato? Hifumi? Are you guys home?"
"GRAB HIM, HIFUMI!" Hayato shouted as he and Hifumi came out of nowhere and tackled Ren to the floor.
Sometime later, Ren was strapped to a chair in front of Hayato and Hifumi's television in the living room with his eyes pried open.
"Hayato! Hifumi! What's the meaning of this!?" Ren yelled.
"You need to get in touch with your emotions, Ren," Hayato said, "And that's why we're here to help."
"It's not good to bottle up emotions like sadness, Ren," Hifumi chimed in.
"Did Ann put you two up to this?" Ren asked.
"All she told us was to help you open up and cry by any means necessary," Hayato said, "This was the best idea Hifumi and I could come up with."
"So just sit back, relax, and watch," Hifumi said as she turned the T.V on to a series of sad movie clips that are meant to make Ren sad.
The first clip was from the animated movie Tiger King (The Lion King), where a young tiger cub watched his father fall from a cliff after saving him from a wildebeest stampede caused by the film's main villain. Ren didn't cry during this scene.
The second clip was from the film His Gal (My Girl), where the main character attends the funeral of her friend, who died after trying to retrieve the main character's necklace from the woods only to get stung to death by hornets. The main character is seen having a breakdown since her dead friend is without his glasses. Ren still didn't cry.
The third clip was from the film Revengers: Eternity War (Avengers: Infinity War), specifically the ending where the main villain claps his hands after getting all of the Eternity Gems, resulting in the death of half of Earth's population. Ren has yet to shed a single tear.
The fourth clip is from the Flixar film Rise (Pixar's Up) where we see the main character and his wife's life together right up until the wife tragically passed away, leaving the main character alone. Once again, Ren's eyes remain completely dry.
While the scenes had no effect on Ren, both Hifumi and Hayato became teary eyed.
"Is he crying yet, Hifumi?" Hayato asked with a sniffle.
After wiping her eyes of tears, Hifumi looks over at Ren to see him still looking at the T.V stone faced, "Not even a single tear, babe," Hifumi said.
"Are we done here?" Ren said, annoyed, "I kind of have places to be."
"Alright, let's set him free," Hifumi said as she and Hayato freed Ren of his bondage.
After blinking rapidly to get the feeling in his eyes back, Ren just looked at the Yajima couple before saying, "Okay, I'm going to leave this house now, and I'd better not get anymore people trying to make me cry."
"Hey, we're not going to try and make you cry, but our other friends might," Hayato said.
"I already had to deal with Ryuji, Makoto, Haru, Yusuke, Sumire, Ichiro, and now you guys," Ren said, "And I'm sure whatever Futaba, Shiho, Daisuke, and Mishima have up their sleeves won't have any effect on me either."
Ren then made his way to the Yajima's front door saying, "I'm outta here." After leaving the house, he continued on his way to the fish market.
Method #6: Hurt Feelings
After getting Morgana's fatty tuna from the fish market, there was only one place left for Ren to go, the grocery store to get ingredients for his and Ann's dinner. On the way to the grocery store, however, he was about to pass by an alleyway where Futaba and Yuuki were waiting for him.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Futaba?" Yuuki asked, unsure.
"It was the best idea we could come up with," Futaba said.
"No, it was the best idea you could come up with," Yuuki reminded his lover, "If you recall I didn't want to make Ren cry this way."
"Ssshh, be quiet, he's coming," Futaba said as Ren got even closer, "I'm about to roast this boy and his glasses. He'll be so embarrassed he'll have no choice but to cry."
Just as Ren was about to pass by the alley, Futaba and Yuuki came out of hiding, and Ren knew where this was heading.
"What do you two want?" Ren said, immediately knowing why the orange haired gamer and her blue haired lover were here.
Futaba took a deep inhale before saying, "Boi, Thelma from Spooky-Coo, lookin' ass!" (Velma and Scooby Doo)
"Oh God, Futaba," Yuuki said, covering his face in shame.
"Brion from Alfred and the Woodchucks lookin' ass (Simon and Alvin and the Chipmunks)," Futaba continued to roast.
"Huh?" Ren said, confused.
"Alister's Research Facility lookin' ass (Dexter's Laboratory)," Futaba laughed.
"Just stop," Yuuki said, embarrassed, but the roasts on Ren just kept coming.
"Harvey Panner and the Necromancer's Gem, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner and the Boudoir of Mysteries, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner and the Inmate of Alzaran, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner and the Chalice of Flame, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner and the Council of the Griffin, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner and the Half-Bred King, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner and the Deadly Blessings Part 1, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner and the Deadly Blessings Part 2, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner and the Damned Youngster, lookin' ass! Harvey Panner, lookin' ass!"
And with that, Futaba was left panting for air, having finished her roast on Ren and his glasses.
"Is she done?" Ren said, unamused.
"I'm sorry about this, Ren," Yuuki said.
"Is he crying yet?" Futaba asked as she continued to catch her breath.
"Nope," both Yuuki and Ren said.
"Well that's all I got," Futaba said.
"So let me get this straight," Ren said, "You two thought you could make me cry by making fun of me and my glasses by calling me names based on fictional characters that also wear glasses."
"Actually it was all her idea, Ren," Yuuki said, "I wanted to part in her scheme."
"Thanks for selling me down the river, oh boyfriend of mine!" Futaba said, annoyed.
"Well if you two are done 'roasting' me, if that's what you want to call it, I've got more errands to run," Ren said as he continued on his way to the grocery store.
Method #7: Music
Ren left the grocery store with his and Ann's dinner ingredients in hand. And with the ingredients and fatty tuna in his possession, the letter of condolence sent, and Ann's diamond earrings safe in his pocket, Ren could finally go home.
As he walked home, however, he decided to take a shortcut through the park and take in the scenery as it was a beautiful day. As he was walking however, he looked at the big gazebo in the distance to see Shiho, Daisuke, and all of Daisuke's old jazz band friends from his high school days. Daisuke and his friends had their jazz instruments with them, and Daisuke himself was seated behind his drumset. Knowing that Shiho and Daisuke had a plan to try and make Ren cry, and having had enough of his friends' nonsense for one day, Ren tried to hurry past the gazebo only to be spotted by Shiho anyway.
"Ren, over here!" Shiho called, stopping the bespectacled man in his tracks, "Come here, Ren, you have a minute?"
"Unfortunately I do," Ren said as he walked over to the gazebo, "Alright, so how are you two going to try and make me cry?"
"What makes you think we want to make you cry?" Daisuke said, feigning innocence.
"All of our other friends have tried some kind of trick to get me to bawl my eyes out over the death of my friend, so I can only assume you have a plan of your own," Ren answered.
"We have no such plan in mind," Daisuke said, still feigning innocence, "I just set up this little reunion with my old jazz band mates, and we're about to have a jam session right here beneath this gazebo. It'd be nice if we had an audience to listen to the song we played during our graduation ceremony."
Deciding to humor Daisuke and Shiho, Ren shrugs his shoulders and says, "Alright, I'll stick around. But make it quick, I have tuna that I don't want to spoil."
"It'll be quick trust us," Daisuke said as Shiho stood next to Ren, ready to listen to her boyfriend and his friends play some music, "Ready, everyone? One, two! One, two, three!"
On his cue, Daisuke and his friends began playing a jazz rendition of the song 'I Hope You Dance'. The sound was so hypnotizingly beautiful that it attracted other people at the park. Before Ren, Shiho, or Daisuke and his jazz band mates knew it, a whole crowd was surrounding the gazebo, listening to the music. The music was so beautiful that most of the crowd started to shed tears, Shiho and a few members of Daisuke's band included.
The only person who didn't get misty eyed was, you guessed it, Ren.
When the song ended, Daisuke and his band mates took a bow as everyone clapped and the crowd dispersed. Daisuke came out from beneath the gazebo to join his girlfriend and Ren.
"So, what did you think?" Daisuke asked, "Did that song make you feel something here?" The last part he said with his hand over his chest.
"It was a beautiful song, Daisuke, I won't deny that," Ren said, "But…no."
Hearing that made Daisuke and Shiho's jaws drop in a mixture of amazement and disappointment.
"How can that song not make you cry?" Shiho asked, "Did you see everyone around you? There was barely a dry eye in sight. How is it that they were able to cry with ease, but you didn't?"
"Sorry, it just takes a lot to make me cry," Ren explained.
"Listen, Ren," Daisuke said, "Ann told us all about how Minato died. It's okay to cry about it. Like I told Shiho when she attended my after school therapy session all those years ago, being open is key to having peace of mind. You're not at peace right now, Ren. I can see it in your eyes. Crying won't make you any less of a man. If anything it'll purify your soul and make you feel a lot better."
Ren let Daisuke's words sink in before he shook his head and said, "Look, I appreciate you guys worrying about me, but I assure you I'm just fine. Look, I gotta go. See ya."
And with that, Ren left the park and hurried off for home, with Shiho and Daisuke staring off after him.
Ren eventually made it back home where he hid Ann's diamond earrings on a high shelf in the linen closet until her birthday came around before going to the kitchen with Morgana's fatty tuna and his and Ann's ingredients to prepare dinner. Upon entering the kitchen, he saw Ann already there and cleaning the dishes. The sound of Ren placing the grocery bags and tuna on the counter alerted the blonde woman of her husband's presence.
"Oh, hey baby," Ann smiled as she hugged her husband, who gave her a hug back, "I didn't hear you come home. You finished your errands?"
"Yeah, I did," Ren said.
"Anything interesting happen?" Ann asked, feigning innocence.
"Ann, I know you told our friends about Minato's death," Ren said, "I had a run in with all of them after the incident with Ryuji earlier today, and they all had one goal in mind, and that's to make me cry, no doubt because you told them about how I didn't cry when I heard about Minato's passing."
"And I take it they all failed," Ann asked.
"Yeah," Ren replied, bluntly.
"Look, Ren, I get that your father wasn't one to show his emotions, but that's no excuse for you to do the same," Ann said, "It's not healthy to hold in all that sadness. It's going to give you an ulcer some day."
"Why can't you all understand that I'm grieving in my own way and I don't need to cry to feel better?" Ren asked.
"I know you're grieving in your own way," Ann said, "But it's not a healthy way to grieve. Crying isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign that you've been strong for too long and you should be allowed to let out some of that emotional steam."
"I…I just…crying doesn't come easy for me," Ren admitted.
"No doubt because of how your father raised you," Ann said, "To be 'macho' like him. But you're not like him. You're kind, loving, wise, honest, and just the best husband I could ever ask for."
"You mean that?" Ren asked.
"Of course," Ann said as she gave her husband a kiss on the lips, "And you're one of the strongest guys I know. No amount of tears you shed or don't shed will ever change that fact."
"Ann…" Ren said, his voice shaking a little from her words of love. Ann knew that she was close to getting Ren to open up, all she had to do was give him a little nudge.
"Tell me about Minato," Ann said.
"Well, Minato and I were the best of friends back in my old hometown," Ren explained, "Every Friday after school he'd always come over to my house and we'd play video games or watch a movie as my mom cooked delicious meals in the kitchen. He really loved my mom's cooking and we'd always send him home with some leftovers. His parents usually worked late, so he'd have to fend for himself for dinner most times."
Ren started to feel a light tugging on his heartstrings.
"And then during weekends in the summertime, I'd come over to his house and we'd swim in his pool and play all kinds of pool games, "Ren continued, "You know, Marco Polo or we'd have his dad throw coins into the pool and we'd swim to the bottom to see who can get the most coins. Then afterwards we'd dry off and his folks would take us to Buck E. Cheddars (Chuck E. Cheese) and we'd compete over who was the best at skee-ball before we ate some pizza."
Ren's heartstrings started to get tugged on even more, and he started to get misty eyed thinking about his friend.
"Minato really loved his manga," Ren continued, "I remember one time we camped out in front of our local book store just waiting for the next entry in the Serpent Orb X series. And he went nuts when we went to a convention and he got the voice actor for Roku (Goku) to sign his Serpent Orb X shirt. He also really knew his way around a chess board. He could mop the floor with his opponents without even trying."
At this point, the memories of Minato caused tears to start streaming down Ren's face as he removed his glasses to wipe the tears from his eyes. Ann saw this and she hugged her husband, who hugged her back.
"I miss my friend, Ann," Ren sobbed.
"I know you do," Ann said, some tears leaving her eyes as well.
"Why did he have to die," Ren sobbed, "Why didn't he tell me he was dying? He was a good person who didn't deserve any of this. He…he…"
"It's okay, Ren, I'm here," Ann said as she started to rub his back, which only made Ren cry even more, "Let it all out, it's alright."
Ren and Ann stood there in the middle of the kitchen in each other's embrace, the raven haired man finally letting out all of that repressed sadness caused by the death of his childhood friend. Morgana, who had been napping in the living room, woke up to the sounds of Ren sobbing and he walked into the kitchen to nuzzle his owner's leg to further comfort him.
Ann successfully got Ren to open up about Minato's death, and when his weep-a-thon ended, he felt a whole lot better.
After Ren let out all of his tears over Minato's passing, he gave Morgana his fatty tuna while Ann insisted that she and Ren order take out; she didn't want her distressed and sad husband to cook. So, they put the dinner ingredients away for tomorrow evening and ordered some Big Bang Burger via the FoodHub app.
When their dinner came, the couple ate their burger and fries while cuddled up on the couch and watching a movie. When the movie ended, Ren cleaned up their dinner mess as Ann went upstairs to 'get ready for bed'. Now that she had Ren open up to her, she felt it was the perfect time to try and 'cheer him up'.
Once Ren cleaned up any and all messes he, Ann, or Morgana left behind throughout the day, Ren then checked all the doors and windows to make sure they were locked before going upstairs. He took a quick stop to use the bathroom and brush his teeth before pressing on to the master bedroom.
When he got to the bedroom, he was met with an interesting sight. It was Ann, wearing a cute maid's outfit. Seeing his wife dressed like this made Ren blush.
"My, Ann," Ren said, "What a nice surprise?"
"I figured you'd need some cheering up after the day you've had, my love," Ann purred, "So I thought that maybe I'd get dressed up like this and give you a massage. How does that sound?"
"That sounds perfect," Ren said with a smile.
Ren took off his shirt before getting on his and Ann's bed, making sure to lay down on his stomach so Ann could properly give his back the TLC it deserves. Once Ren got settled, Ann got on top of him, basically straddling him, as she put massage oil in her hands and started to rub his strong back and shoulders, causing Ren to moan lightly as a smile came to his face.
"Do you like this, baby?" Ann asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Ren replied.
"I'm glad," Ann smiled as she continued the massage, "You're a wonderful man, and an even more wonderful husband. So kind, so smart, so handsome, so strong. You are the living definition of perfection to me. You deserve all of this and then some."
Ann continued to massage Ren's back and shoulders, making him purr with delight and cheering him up after everything he's been through. This massage continued for another 15 minutes before Ren suddenly felt his wife stop her treatment of him. That's because she got off from on top of him to lay down on her back next to him. Ren smiled as he climbed on top of her and stared into her lovely blue eyes, just as she stared back into his handsome gray eyes.
"Ann," Ren said, "I want you."
"You'll always have me," Ann smiled as the two of them shared a deep kiss before moving on to more 'romantic' things.
When the two of them finished their 'lovefest', Ren and Ann laid on their bed as sweet dripped from their faces. Ann once again insisted on bringing Ren into her embrace as she had her rest his head on her chest so she could feel him close to her. Ren fell asleep to the sound of his wife's heartbeat, and Ann gladly stroked her husband's hair until she too fell asleep.
Nine months later, Ren and Ann found themselves in Takemi's Clinic, their lovefest from Ann trying to cheer her husband up leading to her becoming pregnant with their firstborn child. Interestingly enough, Ann learned she was pregnant when she and Ren came home from Minato's funeral, providing a silver lining for the two of them.
Thankfully, Ren and Ann's baby was an easy birth with very few complications. When all was said and done, Ann ended up pushing out a beautiful baby boy with Ren's hair and Ann's eyes.
"Congratulations, you two," Takemi said after cleaning the baby, wrapping it in a blue blanket, and handing it to Ann, "You two are now the proud parents to a healthy baby boy!"
"I can't believe we're finally parents," Ann said as she happily stared at her new baby.
"I know, it's so amazing," Ren said as his and Ann's baby opened his eyes for the first time, "Hey little guy. We're your parents."
The baby boy cooed in Ann's arms, happy to see his parents for the very first time.
"What do you think we should name him, sweetie?" Ann asked her husband.
Ren gave it some thought before settling on a name that fit him to a T. "Minato," he answered.
"After your friend?" Ann asked.
"Yeah," Ren smiled, happy in knowing that his friend's good name will live on through his son, "What do you think?"
"I think it's perfect," Ann smiled before looking down at her new baby, "Welcome to the world, Minato Amamiya."
END