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“Ren, are you alright?” the sound of both Ryuji and Yusuke revived the stoic man as he stood in his groom room. The Chariot Arcana, once full blonde, donned a nice dark gray suit with a nice pink shirt and tie to accommodate his semi-blonde hair now, for the patches of black were now making its way. He kept scratching his neck however as he was normally not suited for this type of attire despite Ann’s previous rants of manning up and learning how to wear suits when the occasions presented them. To Yusuke however, his navy blue suit was normal for him as he ignored the stress it really brought. He did have to deal with the man in question, Amamiya Ren, or rather soon to be Niijima Ren in the following hour.
Niijima Ren. At first, Makoto was hesitant about keeping her surname as she was rather content to keep Ren’s. However, as Ren proved countless times (along with a little nagging here and there), the surname Niijima was the winner, but that didn’t mean he lost his true last name forever. He felt it was best to use it for work purposes while family affairs were for the “Niijima Family” as he graciously advertised to his wife-to-be.
Ren continued to look rather pale on his wedding day as his Third Eye began to sense the countless hypothetical failures that can bring up during his magical day, especially for someone as young as he. Twenty-one and stable income was something surprising for both Makoto and Ren, but due to the countless help form those during his Metaverse travels, opportunity thrived for the two. Though their pockets may have run a little empty for this wedding venue, they were still happy to have it nonetheless, and Ren was waiting to see if someone were to slip up and make a mistake that would empty the wallet even further.
“ No there’s no way Ohya will tab us up...at least if Mishima stops her after drink #2 or #3, but then there’s Takemi and the guys at college would most likely want to figure out a way to get to her...and that could cause some damages both externally and internally. Then there’s Futaba, and I’m honestly scared of what hacking concoction she came up this time…” Ren loudly “hmmmed” as he gathered his thoughts with Third Eye before Ryuji and Yusuke interrupted the leader once more. “You okay?” they asked him again.
“Never better,” Ren quickly smirked and then fixed his hair, long and fluffy as usual, making sure he was tidying up some of the loose ends and making it look presentable. From what he noticed is that he had to trim the fluff down a notch for courtesy (and photos) sake, but the baseline was still intact. The only difference was the lack of glasses as his dark-grey eyes shone with delight as he looked in the mirror, black wedding suit and all. “ Damn I look good.” he smiled and then looked at Ruji and Yusuke who smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Well you got about forty-minutes now after your little face-off in the mirror,” Ryuji checked the time on his phone and whistled a tune. Yusuke looked at his phone as well and bid farewell to the two. “I wouldn’t want Hifumi waiting. She gave me the perfect spot to paint secretly,” Yusuke then brushed his dark-blue hair and left the room.
“Why am I not surprised by that remark...F’real” Ryuji shook his head.
“That’s Yusuke,” Ren replied and patted Ryuji’s shoulder. “But that’s what makes him our friend. As for you Ryuji,” he smirked once more and then looked away for a moment. “You were planning to hype me up, right?”
Ryuji nodded. “When I walked in, I saw you all zoned out and thought you were having second thoughts so I came to hype things up, but it looks like I don’t have to.”
“Thanks for the thought at least.” Ren chuckled.
“Yeah for sure. Oh! I almost forgot!” Ryuji took a few steps to the side away from the door. “I also came here to bring her to you. She really wanted to see you before the ceremony.”
“Thanks, but I’m not supposed to see Mako until the unveiling as explained by my...Mom.” Ren stopped speaking as an older woman took the initiative to walk forward. She had a smile on her face that radiated holiness and purity, to which no doubt resembled Ren’s.
Amamiya Ayumi is the mother of Amamiya Ren, and for twenty-one years has cherished her child along with her husband, Amimiya Hideo. Of course, Ren started having mixed feelings for his father after his return from Tokyo to Tsunada, his hometown, and seeing that he simply left led for Ayumi to attend to the household. The reason why he left is yet to be unfolded and perhaps revealed decades down the line, but for this moment in time, Ayumi cared for her child just as she did here.
She donned a formal silvery dress with a lined jacket for coverage. A small purse to her left side, the important features were of her middle-aged face, as nice mighty orangey eyes sparkled underneath the blackness of her smooth hair. How this woman was known to be Ren’s mother was due to the smile she still had on her as she saw her son, which shifted to quick words towards him.
“You look like quite the gentleman I raised you to be,” she said lightly.
Ren smiled back. “Thanks, Mom,” he then looked back at Ryuji and then Ayumi. “I hate to ask this, but aren’t you-”
“Breaking tradition? It appears so, but I just couldn’t wait to see my handsome boy before he is off to become a man. Ryuji dear?” she shifted her gaze to Ryuji, who stood like he was security. “Yes ma’am?” he asked.
“Kindly close the door and head towards your lovely girlfriend. She’s waiting for you to take pictures.” she smiled once more and Ryuji nodded before running for dear life towards Ann. Ren chuckled before his attention was back towards his mother.
“That friend of yours is truly loyal.” Ayumi chuckled.
“Yeah, no kidding. Been there for me that entire year in Tokyo.”
“I can see. Along with the others I’ve met and heard from your stories. They really are friends to the end. I wished your father would’ve met them.”
“Yeah,” Ren looked down for a moment and began to sit down on his chair. He really hoped to at least see his father on his wedding day, but of course, like the day of his return, he never showed up. Ren was never one to hold grudges, but he felt justified to hold one against his father, the one who he had all the other features from. The fluffy hair, the dark-grey eyes, and physique, he felt necessary to hold it despite telling a dear friend to relinquish his. Yes for Akechi too hated his father and yet look who appears to be a hypocrite? He removed the grudge for a moment and then sighed. “I still wonder why he left you Mom. I was hoping I would come back and see us together again after everything. I hoped he fought hard to have me stay, but if he didn’t-”
“Your wedding day would never come to bear the light.” Ayumi continued smiling and sat down next to her son. She took Ren’s hand and soothed her child. “I understand your willingness to hold a grudge, but a true man would move past it after all these years and come to terms with them. Accept them and understand that perhaps they are for the greater good.”
“You seem to have taken it lightly.”
“Why wouldn’t I? You did leave to Tokyo two months afterward to start Shujin for your Third Year. And the house was never empty anyways as neighbors would always stop by and guests would come and go. I was still happy, and you want to know why my son?”
Ren shook his head. He was beginning to feel like a little kid, being on his mom’s lap to hear a bedtime story. How little Ren would run straight to her and not Dad, for sometimes Dad had to stay up late in his office to study symbols, so he begged his mother for a short and sweet story. This time it had the same sensation, for he waited for what Ayumi had to say.
“Because I learned to accept the things in life I have no control over. Your father was in that category, and there was nothing I could’ve done to change his mind. What I do know is that he did it out of love for both you and I. He never meant to hurt a single soul he loved.” Ayumi smiled broadly and caressed Ren’s hand. Ren held tight to his mother’s warm embrace and sighed once more.
“I guess he did want this to happen at some point.”
“Exactly. Now for the other reason, I’m here,” Ayumi proceeded to take something out of his purse. She struggled a little removing the item, but after a few seconds, what laid in her hand was a silver glass wrapped in white cloth. “Your father and I had this thing on our wedding day where he brought this glass cup and gave it to the bride to then smash it together on the floor with their feet. At first, I didn’t get why he did it, but as I researched it a few years later...well I’ll let you figure it out on your own.” She handed the glass to Ren. “It is said to resemble both pain and love. ‘Unity to all and unity one’ as your father said on that day.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Ren didn’t have any other words left in him as he hugged Ayumi right afterward. Tears rolled down his eyes and Ayumi patted her son’s back a little. “It’ll be okay,” Ayumi reassured him and let go of the embrace, her orange eyes darting kindly to her son. “Now I should tend to the future daughter-in-law and see how she is doing.” Ayumi stood up from her seat and then walked away from her son, who jerk back the remaining tears and nodded like the way he used to do back during his times as Joker.
Once his mother was gone, he looked back at the glass and then at the mirror for one final look at the boy he was before becoming the man who raised Niijima Seiji and Niijima Touya decades later...
“You have everything right? Veil? Bride flowers? Everything?” Sae asked every five seconds to her sister as she nodded yes rapidly to address her concerns. Makoto was trying her best to look in the mirror in her room as the wedding dress was stunning to her appearance. The whiteness sunk all the way down to her ankles, making her feet invisible to the human eye. She knew that underneath she had the prettiest of silver heels and she needed to make sure they were not too tight for her feet. Once they were comfortably placed, she looked back at Sae and sighed.
“Sis, I have everything taken care of. Haru helped me out this morning and all the last-minute things. Don’t stress out too much. You’re getting married, you know.” Makoto teased lightly as she was putting on some make-up. Sae had one of her eyes twitch in irritation due to how Makoto picked up Ren’s mannerism but sighed as well as she took a seat.
“I know, I know. I’m just both nervous and-”
“Excited?”
“Delighted to see my little sister get married.”
“Thank you, Sis, but again, don’t stress out too much.” Makoto stopped her makeup and looked at the mirror before examining her pearl earrings, small but bright enough to be noticed. She smiled wide at herself and then saw that she did twiddle her fingers a little in anxiety, possibly due to Sae being just as anxious. Anxiety sure tends to rub off on some people…
“You know, Mom and Dad would be proud of you,” Sae said after a moment of silence.
Makoto quickly grabbed her dress. “Yeah, they would be. Daddy would be taking me down the aisle, his nice smile on his face. He would be happy for this moment.” Makoto began to fight back a few tears as she didn’t want the makeup to be ruined already. Her father and mother, both lost to her in the physical world, was sure to be happy for their little girl, how quickly she grew up to be the proud woman she is now. Makoto was sure that her father would approve Ren from the get-go, and her mother would tease Ren far more than Ren would tease Makoto. That part she knew she was certain and giggled mainly to herself before a knock was heard on the door.
“Ren,” Sae sighed and headed for the door. “You know you’re not supposed to see her, and I don’t want to already be breaking noses- Ayumi-san?” Sae quickly changed her tone as Ayumi waved the sincerest of waves along with her usual smile.
“Hello Sae,” she bowed to her and then looked at Makoto, gasping with delight as she rushed to greet her soon to be daughter-in-law. “I knew the dress would fit you Mako dear.” Ayumi hugged her and then sat down next to her. Makoto smiled and continued the warm embrace.
“I was a little nervous about the dress you gave me Ayumi-san, but when I tried it on, it felt-”
“Magical?” Ayumi asked quickly.
Makoto nodded. “I fell in love with the dress. Of course, I did have to alternate the dress a little to make it properly fit, but the overall aesthetic is still as it once was when you gave it to me.”
“Oh don’t worry about that Makoto,” Ayumi waved it off with a smile. “Sooner or later, the dress was going to be changed to be fitted to a Queen.” Makoto blushed lightly at “Queen”. She really started enjoying the once used Codename as a simple gesture of romance and name-addressing. After all, when was she ever going to see the Metaverse make a return in her life? At the time, her answer was determined no before her world was involved in far more.
“Thank you Ayumi-san, really for all of this. The dress, the venue, everything.”
“Oh, you don’t have to thank me. This was all a group effort and everyone did their parts the best they could. Right, Sae?” Ayumi turned to the eldest Niijima who nodded with respect for the older woman. Ayumi continued to smile. “See? So there’s no need to be thanking me far more than you should be thanking everyone. There is a saying after all: Unity to All and Unity to One.”
“I’ve never heard that saying before. Who told you that?” Makoto was beginning to be curious, a common trait that later was bestowed upon her children down the line of time. Her red eyes piqued with interest and Ayumi chuckled a little. “Oh, it was just a phrase said many times by my husband. He was a keeper that one.”
“I wish I could’ve met him.” Makoto sighed a little and reverted back to her thoughts about her parents. She really wished they were here to see her shine on this big day, where it would begin the series of trials and tribulations with the man she would be with to the very end.
“I’m sure someday there will be a time.” Ayumi finished speaking and saw the clock. “Oh my! It’s almost time! I should get going now and head to my seat.” Ayumi grabbed Makoto’s hands suddenly and smiled once more. “You’re going to be a great wife to my son as well as a great mother. I do hope for grandchildren, yes?” Sae coughed loudly at the mentioning of the word and Makoto sighed. Typical Sae.
“I hope so Ayumi-san. I really do.” Makoto answered with a strong smile.
“Now go get your man then.” Ayumi released Makoto’s grip and began to walk away from the room. “One final thing Makoto.” she stopped by the door.
“Yes?”
“Never doubt for a second that you are not capable of the greater things in life solely because of the things you’ve already lost before. The past is the past. You can either revert to old behaviors...but I’m confident that you are always going to strive for greatness.” and with that final advice, Amamiya Ayumi walked out the door, her presence now slowly draining the room to its previous radiance.
“Now I see where Amamiya-Kun's kindness came from.” Sae smiled.
“Yeah. It really shows.” Makoto smiled as well.
The wedding ceremony now started, everyone all seated to see the bride and groom be united on the center stage. The guests were looking here and there for the possibility of where the two were on their day, but once the doors behind them opened, Ren began walking alongside Sojiro, who appeared quite happy to see the man he was raised in the middle. Ren looked towards his left, where the Phantom Thieves gathered together, and how they were happy for them. Tears rolled down Ann and Futaba’s face and Ryuji and Yusuke were smiling and giving their best thumbs up while Haru simply smiled and took a photo of the Leader.
Ren looked back at his group of friends and recalled a brief exchange he had with the two male Phantom Thieves. “ Wait, so no best man or bridesmaid? What kind of wedding are you even planning bro?” Ryuji drank a quick iced tea before gasping with relief. Ren laughed at his blonde friend and then saw Yusuke to his right, who was busy looking outside the window of Ren’s apartment. “That bird appears to look lively...oh and Ryuji is right for once.”
“For once? Really?” Ryuji sighed and looked defeated before Ren patted his back.
“Listen Ryuji. The reason there are no best man or bridesmaid is that Mako and I thought we would have a family walk us down and just have us two on the stage. Besides, it’s easier on our half to see who’s going to get it. Don’t want any fighting before the wedding.”
“Well, that’s just lazy planning.” Ryuji simply remarked back and drank more of his iced tea. Ren shook his head. “I don’t think so. Weddings vary in all shapes and sizes, and for mine, I want to keep it like how it’s been in my family.”
“You really stick to your ideals, Ren,” Yusuke spoke again.
“Yeah. I sure do.”
After Ren was walked down the aisle by Sojiro, he thanked him and held onto the glass while waiting to unveil his soon-to-be wife. He was nervous but didn’t want to be let down as he calmed himself down.
It was then after a minute that Makoto arrived, with Sae alongside her. She kept a professional glance but smiled gently to her younger sister, who looked stunning in the wedding dress and her face veiled by the whiteness and purity of the veil. She looked down, not because she was nervous, but because she wanted to see Ren in all his glory once she stepped up alongside him.
Makoto now stood on top with Ren by the opposite side now, her veil still covering her face. Ren then took the initiative to unveil her and then become in awe at the beauty that was now standing in front of him. “You’re beautiful Mako,” he whispered and Makoto blushed back lightly. The man in the center spoke now about the usual things weddings speak about. He spoke of love and of pain, of virtue and of right, and once he finished speaking, he allowed the floor for Ren and Makoto to exchange wedding rings. Ren grabbed Makoto’s smooth hand and placed the silver ring just as Makoto was doing to Ren. Once the wedding rings were exchanged, Ren then grabbed the glass cup and looked at the man in the center. He nodded and laid the floor for the two once more.
“What is that?” Makoto said.
“Something to represent love and pain. I’m supposed to crush this with my leg and yours to symbolize eternal peace. Something my mom told me last minute.”
“Funny. Your mom told me something last minute as well. She said Unity to All-”
“And Unity to One.” Ren finished and Makoto nodded in agreement. After that happy exchange, they looked at each other one last time before Ren dropped the glass cup and thus, the two crushed it with their right legs, finally ending the ceremony for everyone before exchanging their very first kiss as husband and wife.
As all this happened, along with the food, dancing, and speeches, Ayumi stood behind the sidelines with happiness, but with a reminiscent face. As she looked at her son and her daughter-in-law, she was reminded of her and Hideo. How she saw Ryuji giving a thoughtful speech to which Ann applauded the loudest (for she helped him write it) and Yusuke and Hifumi presented one large painting they collaborated, to Haru giving a nice speech about friendship and the bond of the two newlyweds, Ayumi began to think back to her husband, smiling as she knew that he was not there for a reason. She closed her eyes and sighed with relief.
“ Hideo, wherever you are my dear husband, I hope all is well on your journey. I wish you were here to see our little boy whom you cherish with all your heart now turned into a bright and handsome man. Oh, how I wish you were here to see it all. He even reminds me of you on our wedding day. But, as you told me the day our Ren left to Tokyo for his second year, just before you too had to leave town to handle business, I’m sure you are looking out for him, ensuring the dangers you told me does not reach to him once more as they did years ago. As for me, well you know how stubborn and yet kind I can become. I will always wait for you no matter the span of time life took from us in order to distance us. I hope you are happy and quite well-fed, for I hope to keep my promise upon your return.”
Those words were read out loud decades later as an older man, possibly around his late sixties though appeared quite young in his physique read outside on that nice summer day. His glasses covered the dark-grayness of his eyes, and the fluffiness of his light black hair was as thick and yet well-combed as usual. He did however continuously rubbed his thick beard as he read the final letter he had received from his wife decades ago. As he finished reading the final line, he folded it back up and placed it on his suit pocket, where he pressed it lightly. He then grabbed his pocket watch that was hidden his suit vest and checked the time. He didn’t have a phone and he never bothered to try one. As he checked the time, he sighed and looked back at the tombstone that read “AMAMIYA AYUMI. LOVING WIFE, MOTHER, AND GRANDMOTHER.”, with the dates upon she was born and died on the Earth.
“Ayumi,” Hideo spoke now, his eyes tearing up, but his speech intact. “You did the best you could to keep your promise. Now I hope I can keep mine. It will all be over soon, my love.” he bent down to kiss the tombstone and place a nice set of flowers upon the ground.
Hideo Amamiya then stood up and began to collect his things, upon which was a large briefcase and his suit jacket, now walking towards the exit of the graveyard, where a familiar dark brown-haired teenager ran towards with a similar set of flowers. What Hideo noticed was that he possessed the same eyes as his and his son’s, Ren, and how he appeared too similar to his features. Niijima Touya didn’t bother to see what was, in reality, his unspoken grandfather, but he was too focused to visit his beloved grandmother upon his visit to Ren’s hometown, Tusnada, for his reason upon visiting would coincide with the truth behind everything...