The Past, Present, and Future of Love

"This sounds like a nice family moment." Hine spoke up, hearing them. "If you'd like, we can give you some privacy."

"Oh no, if anything. You're all welcome to hear our story too." Great, he thought. He's waited all his life to hear this, and everyone else just gets it for free. "I guess I should start at the beginning…."

The first meeting. It wasn't a fun one. She had been working at this exact restaurant, when he walked in. More accurately, ran in. He had been watching some neighborhood pets when they had gotten loose, causing a ruckus in the business.

"Are there just a lot of animals around here?" Arata commented. Seemed like most people he knew only found it because of that.

"I guess so." She said. "The food must be what attracts them." His mom laughed.

At the time, she was really mad at him for causing her so much more work to do. His dad was forced to help clean up once the animals were rounded up. It wouldn't be long after that, when they'd meet again.

It turned out that he was a new transfer student at school, whose family recently moved in due to his father's job. They were even in the same class, though at the time, she could've lived with not being forced to sit next to him.

Arata's mother, when she was younger, was a lot more meaner then, being quite standoffish to other students. She thought that the other teens her age were stupid, and he was no exception. His father, on the other hand, was the opposite. He always wanted to meet new people, make plenty of friends, have lots of fun.

It wasn't long until he was fairly popular, especially with the girls. Yet despite all that, he always tried to be friends with her. She never knew why someone like him, would want to bother with someone like her.

The second major moment, would definitely be when they were part of the school's famous May dance. It was no surprise that he was voted in, and she was probably put there because the students thought it would be amusing.

"Hold on, you two were in the May dance?" Arata stopped the story.

"Oh yeah we were." She answered. "We never told you because we thought you didn't care about that type of stuff."

"Are you not aware that your son was one of the dancers for it this year?" Misei asked.

"What?! You were?"

"Haa… I was hoping to keep that a secret." He replied nervously. His school escapades were not a topic he wanted to talk about at home.

"I wish you told us, then we could have taught you. After all, your father and I won the whole thing ourselves." She bragged.

"Actually, he was the winner from the boy's side." Misao responded. Arata really wished they'd not bring this up about him.

"You did?!" Her excitement burst out again. She jumped over the table, and grabbed him. "Who'd you win it with?! Who's the girl that I'll call my daughter-in-law?"

"Mom! Please… Not again!" He pushed her off of him, so that he could catch his breath. "Come on, we all know that's just a legend, it's 50-50 at best."

"Yeah, he's right." Hine spoke up. "It's no surprise that Arata and Erina won, I was the one to teach them after all." Why won't they stop telling her, he thought. His mom grabbed Erina's hands.

"Please marry him!" Erina pulled her hands away and turned from them. She covered her face to hide her bright red cheeks.

"I-I couldn't possibly…" She muttered.

"Mom, stop harassing my friends, let's just get back to the story."

"Okay, fine…"

It was after that, that she changed her tune about him. Even if only a little bit, and the two became closer friends. Their misadventures together, it felt like fate, or perhaps it was something that they made on purpose, just for an excuse to be with one another.

The school festival, when they were cast in a play. Not expecting to act together, but an accident backstage forced him to step in. Playing the sleeping beauty, when she opened her eyes and saw him, not the boy playing the role originally. It made her happy, even if she pretended it didn't to him.

Their first Christmas together, when they were trapped, snowed in at the airport. It was him that gave her hope, in what she thought was a hopeless situation. He never gave up, and he made sure she wouldn't either. She'll never forget the gift he gave that night either, A small key chain of Tokyo tower that he bought from the airport's gift shop.

"Really? That's why you still have that old thing?" He looked at his mom's purse, where she still had it connected to the handle.

"Of course, it was on that day. When I realized that I was in love with him." She looked at it, smiling at the memory.

"That's so nice." Yogi was crying over hearing this story. Arata was taken aback by that a little.

However, the biggest moment in their lives together. Had to have been during the Summer break of their third-year in high school. It was then, when she learned that her family was going to move away.

His mom, she was really sad about it. Knowing that her time with him was going to end, yet she still never had the courage to confess to him. In fact, she didn't even tell him that she was going away. Hoping that they wouldn't have to suffer the pain of saying goodbye.

Yet things have a funny way of working out. Eating here, at what she thought was going to be the last. He knew that something was wrong, he wouldn't let it go. In the face of his interrogation, she had to tell the truth.

"Fine you idiot! I'm moving away… We'll never see each other again. Are you happy now?" She yelled. He was awestruck at what he was hearing. That she planned on leaving, without so much as a goodbye.

"But why didn't you tell me?" He asked. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"You idiot." She couldn't keep it in anymore. "It's because I love you. I'm in love with you, but we can never be together. So when I leave, I'll hate you instead." She was so angry, that she was about to rush out of the door. Except, He grabbed her by the arm, stopping her.

"And you know what he said to me then?"

"What?" Asked Erina, everyone else was enveloped into this story.

"He confessed." He was in love with her too, it was at that moment, when he knew that his feelings for her were true. It might have sounded sudden, but they got married right at this spot, with only their friends and families to see.

"You got married… Here?" He wasn't sure how to feel about his parents getting married at a place like this.

"Yep, 20 years ago to the day." She answered happily. "How else was my family going to attend if we did it any later?" He felt they should've made a proper ceremony, but it looks like they made the right choice.

"That has to be the most beautiful story I've ever heard." Yogi was in tears from what he had just heard. Arata wasn't as moved as him, but he never could've imagined his parents love for each other. Being their son, he realized how much he took it for granted.

"I'm sorry about your husband though." Said Misei. "It's unfortunate that he won't be able to make it on such a special occasion."

"I don't know if I'd say that." His mom replied. Unlike earlier, when he was setting up the plates. She had a more optimistic glow about her. "Talking about that story, I think he will."

"I don't know mom, it's getting…" His ear perked up. A certain noise made him stop to try and listen more closely.

"What's-" Matsu was about to ask, but he pushed his hand to her face. Silencing her. His ears twitched, hearing the sound more clearly now. The ringing of a bicycle bell? Quickly, without another word. Arata rushed outside, the others followed. What he saw, was probably the most accurate depiction of his father.

"D-dad?!" His father was riding on a bicycle that he knew wasn't theirs. Where did he even get that thing?

"Darling, I'm here now!" He yelled out to Arata's mom.

"Oh honey, you've made it." His mom was moved to tears seeing her husband. He leaped from his bike, giving his wife a hug.

"Wait, dad!" Unfortunately for Arata, momentum still exists in this universe. He got ran over by the now abandoned bike.

"I'm so glad to see you." His parents embraced each other warmly. Meanwhile, Arata laid on the ground, the wind knocked out from his sails.

"I've finally made it." Ayami arrived shortly after him, out of breath. She had been riding at the back of their bike, until a bump caused her to fall off. Her dad didn't even stop for her, and she had to run the rest of the way here. "Where's Arata?"

"Right here." He was trapped under the bike, which was a lot heavier than he expected. She helped him up, then she noticed the crowd that was here.

"Y-yogi?" She spotted the hapless boy, who also remembered her.

"Oh, hey Ayami." He greeted her, without really thinking much of it.

"You two know each other?" Arata was surprised at hearing this. Neither had mentioned the other to him.

"I never knew you two were related." Yogi answered. "I guess I should've figured with the names." He laughed.

"Yeah, funny…" She laughed nervously. "Why didn't you tell me he was your friend now?" She whispered to her little brother.

"It's a long story." Was his only response.

"I can't believe I'm finally getting to see all of Arata's friends now." His dad was finally done kissing up his wife. He rushed up to literally each and everyone standing there, giving them a quick handshake. "This is so exciting."

"Well it's nice to meet you too." Misei greeted him respectfully.

"It's nice to meet you too." The way he was acting, something about it felt familiar to her, for some reason.

"So…" His mom stepped in. "How did you manage to make it this time?" She asked him.

"Oh, it's just some little adventure I found myself on." He bragged. "You can't honestly expect some car accident is going to stop the world's greatest businessman, right?"

"Um, your dad is… interesting." Yuriko whispered to him, curious about his personality. Not only did he not look like what anyone expected, he didn't act like it either.

"There's a reason why I don't talk about him to you guys." He replied. Maybe it was the otaku in him, but he always viewed his dad as some shonen main character. The type that was foolhardy, dense, and sometimes arrogant. Yet he always found a way to come out on top, because of his belief in friendship, or whatever.

From the way his dad told his story. It sounded like him and Ayami had quite a trip, and it only took an hour just to get here.

"Also, I know it isn't much." His dad pulled out a small bag. Something that he picked up from the airport gift shop seeing as it wasn't even wrapped. It was a small key chain, sporting the logo of Arata's high school. "I hope you like it." He nervously showed it off to his wife.

"It's wonderful." She was overjoyed just looking at it. A way to remember the time they had together when they were just students here.

"Dad..." It's not that Arata didn't like it either, but he thought it was an odd gift to get for an occasion like this. "Was that really what you got her this year?"

"Actually, I had a much bigger gift. Too bad it got destroyed from the car accident."

"How bad could it be?" The two of them looked fine, so the car, and everything in it, should've remained mostly intact.

"It was actually pretty bad." Ayami showed him a picture on her phone. It was insane, the car got completely T-boned, caving almost halfway in. "Lucky we weren't in the car when that happened." The two had just finished packing in his things when the accident happened.

"I'm just glad you're both fine." He said.

"Yeah, but too bad." His father whispered to him. "I got you one of those anime figurines you like so much, but it didn't make it." Arata just wanted to cry hearing that.

"I'm just glad you two are okay." He repeated again, a bit more strained.

"Say…" The store owner walked out to see the commotion. "Now that everyone's here, maybe you should all get to eating. I'd hate to see the food go bad because we're all just standing out here."

"Oh yeah, I'm starving." His dad ran in first. Arata sighed, that man had a really big appetite.

"Yeah, well everyone go ahead." Arata allowed them to enter before him. He just wanted an excuse to not have to move so suddenly after getting hit by that bike. There was still some pain in his leg. They all walked in the restaurant, until it was just him and Matsu.

"Hehe, I knew it." She poked a finger to his chest and giggled.

"Knew what?" He asked, unsure about her actions.

"I knew that you needed cheering up." She said. "I can tell you're really happy now." He turned his head away from her, not wanting to look her in the face.

"Of course, who wouldn't be glad to see their dad." He replied, trying to hide his smile.

"Then let's go eat with him." She pulled him by his arm.

"Wait!" The pain in his leg spiked from the movement. If he was going slow, it would've been fine. With her pulling him so fast, he lost balance, falling onto her.

"A-arata, wh-what are you doing?" She had gotten modest from having him on top of her. "I-I'm still a decent girl!" He wasn't sure what she meant by that at all.

"Sorry, just my leg is hurting." Unable to stand up properly, he rolled away from her. "Just, help me... slowly."