Having gotten hungry, we were in a restaurant now. It was a place we'd never been before in Tokyo, and Tetsu had been worried about me eating new things. But, I knew my diet. I knew it would be okay, if I just stuck to familiar foods despite this new setting. I'd taken his hand, and he'd given me a look of trust.

I was about to put a piece of chicken in my mouth, raising my chopsticks, when Tetsu let out a cry of mirth and shock. My head snapped to his direction, and Natsuko had done the same. He was holding his cellphone, his other hand over his mouth.

"Huh? What is it?" Natsuko asked, putting down her chopsticks. She grabbed the phone from him, and in a couple of seconds, her face matched his.

"What is it?" I asked. I didn't want to take the phone from her like she'd taken it from Tetsu. Instead, she turned the phone to me, and I saw it. I burst into laughter, and they did, too.

Posted an hour ago was Tetsu's blog post for the day. He'd finally shown some of our engagement pictures, and the first one was of him on one knee in front of me with Cinderella's Castle in the background. There were no other words except, he said yes.

Under the picture, were comments. Hundreds of them, it said. I got up from my seat, and Tetsu rose his hands up to meet me. "Oh, oh, oh, careful," he said, gently. He took my waist. He stood up and gave me his seat, helping me sit down. He stood behind Natsuko and I, and we all looked at his cellphone together. Natsuko began to scroll.

"'Congratulations'. 'Congratulations'. 'I'm so happy for you, congratulations'. Ah- uh oh."

We burst into laughter at the same moment. Tetsu put his face between us, to see better. I turned and kissed his cheek and he gave a bashful laugh.

"Tetsu you're in trouble, you better call Keitaro. Hahaha. 'Aurelia, answer your phone. Why won't you answer your phone? Crying emoji, I have to post here instead? This is how you tell everybody? Where's my phone call? Aurelia!' Hahahaha!" Natsuko doubled over, and we all couldn't stop laughing.

I noticed something about the pictures, and I choked on my spit. Tetsu's hand was on my back immediately, and Natsuko looked concerned.

"I'm okay. I'm okay, but-" I gestured at his phone, "you're wearing men's clothes in these pictures! You're not Aurelia in these pictures!"

Tetsu turned to me, his face so close to mine. His content smile so beautiful. "I know."

I gasped, and he kissed me gently.

"Ew gross, not so close to me," Natsuko fake gagged. We all burst into laughter again.

Tetsu grabbed his phone from Natsuko, and dragged one of the chairs to the side of the table closest to me. I leaned in towards him as he dialed a number. He put it on speaker, and started grinning. Within one ring, I heard a familiar voice. My hands went over my mouth.

"Tetsu! Tetsu?!" Keitaro's panicked voice answered. Not even a hello.

Tetsu started laughing again, and we all did.

"What's up with those pictures on your blog?!" Keitaro paused, and then let out a loud whisper. "You're not dressed as Aurelia in those pictures!" His normal tone of voice returned. "I noticed that right away! Is it a photo shoot? Is that how you're choosing to show the world? I know we've talked about changing your image before. But this is pretty bold. I wish you would have talked to me about it first, so I could guide you. What is this?"

Tetsu's hand fell on my shoulder, and it filled my heart with warmth. He smiled at me. "No, these pictures are real. Sana and I are engaged. We're going to get married in a few days, maybe even tomorrow, if there's no waiting period. We're going to register as soon as possible. We got our necessary documents ready today."

Silence. I eyed Tetsu, and he eyed me. Natsuko's eyebrow creased. Before anyone could say anything, she spoke up, calling out to the phone, her hands cupped around her mouth to cast our her words better.

"Keitaro, you better not be against this marriage! I'll beat you up! What's that silence for?!"

Tetsu started to laugh at this, but Keitaro was making me nervous.

"Am I on speaker?" Keitaro asked.

"Yes," Tetsu said. He took my hand, and I squeezed his.

"Hmm hmm. Well, I'll just say it." He cleared his throat. "I've been thinking this for a while. Let me just say, it's not my place to tell you if you're being too hasty. I know your past, though. Has anyone ever told you that you make compulsive decisions?"

Natsuko answered that one. "A million times!" She called out. "He's the most compulsive person I know!"

"Who am I talking to?" Keitaro asked, chuckling, a good sign.

"Natsuko!" Natsuko called out.

Keitaro laughed. "Of course it is. Hi, Natsuko."

"Hello!" She was grinning.

Keitaro cleared his throat again. "Well, the whole time I've known you, you've made spur of the moment, split second decisions without really thinking."

Tetsu's mouth opened, about to say something. Keitaro was worrying me, but his tone was friendly. It was confusing. I decided to speak.

"What are you saying, Keitaro-san?" My heart was beating too fast. I had to calm down. Speaking to him. I hadn't really thought about who I was talking to until I'd said it. I tightened my grip on Tetsu's hand, and he looked at me. I started breathing harder.

"Oh, is that Sana-san?"

"Uh, yes."

"I feel embarrassed saying this in front of you."

"Anything you have to say, you can say it in front of Sana, too." Tetsu tightened his grip on my hand, too.

"Okay, I will. Don't worry, it's nothing bad. As I was saying, Tetsu, you make a lot of not well thought out decisions. I've known you so long, I've seen a billion of them. From mixing liquor and other kinds of alcohol, to buying the ugliest vase I've ever seen-"

"Hey! I know exactly what vase that is! I can't believe it!" Tetsu interjected, starting to laugh. Keitaro sounded a lot more friendly now, but my heart was still beating so fast.

Keitaro laughed with him. "Yeah, that vase is pretty ugly."

"It's uranium glass. When you see uranium glass, you buy it!"

"If you say so," Keitaro laughed. "Anyway. Where was I? Oh, yeah. But, as I was saying, I don't think the decision to marry Sana is one of your bad ones. I think it's well thought out, and shows how much you've matured, especially in these past few months. I've seen such a change in you. You're much more mature, and you're making good decisions. You're acting so responsible. I feel like I've finally seen you grow up, and I was waiting for it. You've learned what it is to care about someone more than yourself. I know that just from the conversations we've had recently. When I saw the pictures of your engagement on your blog, I couldn't believe it. I looked for a long time. I posted a comment, I don't know if you saw it-"

"We saw it! Why do you think we called you?!" Natsuko called out again.

Keitaro was laughing again. "No wonder. I- wait. Did you say you're going to register?"

Tetsu nodded, looking at me. I smiled to him, and he smiled back. "Yes, we're going to register as soon as possible."

We heard something shift on Keitaro's end of the phone. "But you're two guys. You can't register for marriage." He sighed hugely. He continued, his voice sounding deeply pained. "I wish you two could. I really do. I know you know you two can't officially register. Are you going to try anyway? I don't want to see you two get hurt. You don't need that. Why would you do it? Just get married in a ceremony. I'll take you anywhere you want. Do you want to get registered in America? It's legal over there, I know Sana is American. I don't think they'll recognize it in Japan, but the paper must mean something. I know how much you want this, to post real pictures of yourself so boldly."

Tetsu stared at me. He squeezed my hand. I knew what he was going to ask. Strangely, I felt okay with it. I knew how much Keitaro meant to him. He was family to Tetsu. I knew that Tetsu trusted him, and that's all I needed. I nodded, and Tetsu got closer to the phone, leaning over it, his lips practically touching it.

"Sana is female on his birth certificate. He's transgender," Tetsu whispered, so quiet, so no one in the restaurant could overhear.

Keitaro was quiet. My heart was jumping. Pretty soon, I'd have to tell Tetsu. I didn't want to cut the conversation short.

"Keitaro?" Tetsu asked, after a while.

"Y- you mean she's a transgender woman? She changed her birth certificate already?" Keitaro asked, sounding flustered and surprised. I thought he'd said it a little loudly. My heart was...

"No, no. Sana is a man."

"Oh- Oh!" Keitaro said, finally getting it.

"Yes." Tetsu was smiling so much.

"Well, that's very good. I hope that isn't too intrusive to know, Sana-san."

I shook my head. I found I couldn't speak. Tetsu answered for me. "He shook his head. He's okay with it."

"Okay." Keitaro cleared his throat, and I wondered if it was a nervous thing. "Well, when you do go to register, I want to be there. Please tell me when you're going to do it. Karin and I will both be there, if you want us to be. I feel like you're my little brother. I want to be there for you. Please let us attend."

Tetsu's breath caught. I found I'd stopped breathing, and I let in a big breath. Tetsu bowed his head. "I humbly accept. We want you there."

Keitaro laughed. "'Humbly accept'? Is this a period drama?"

Tetsu started laughing. "Well, you sounded formal, too!"

I wanted to put my head on Tetsu's shoulder. I was starting to feel tired, my heart beating too fast at what they were saying. Instead, I pushed the bowl in front of me forward, and I laid my head down on the table, my arms around it.

"Huh- Sana?" Tetsu asked, a confused questioning in his voice.

"Huh?" Keitaro asked on the phone, immediately concerned.

Natsuko's hand was on my back, rubbing it. I closed my eyes, starting to breathe harder. My heart had started to pound, especially with them all paying attention to me now.

"S- Sa-na?!" Tetsu was alarmed now, out of his seat, his chair making a loud scraping sound as he jumped up.

I felt my eyes roll into my head behind my closed lids.

I woke up in the same restaurant, propped up on a couch in the waiting area. A waitress was fanning me with a handheld fan, and Tetsu was sitting next to me on a dining room chair. Natsuko was on the phone, pacing around, talking rapidly.

"Huh?" My eyes were on Tetsu, half lidded though they were. His chair scraped on the tile of the floor, and he was out of his chair. Natsuko was looking at us now.

"Oh! He's awake! He's awake now!" Natsuko said into the phone.

"What happened?! A- are you okay?! I- oh, calm down, calm down." He let a slow breath go between his teeth, trying to calm himself. "Are you okay?!" It didn't work.

I nodded. I thought I was okay. Maybe not. Tetsu handed me my asthma inhaler, and I took it. "Was it an asthma attack? What happened? I- I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

I shook my head. There was nothing to be sorry about. I took two puffs of my inhaler slowly.

"So much excitement for a bride," the waitress said, still fanning me. "I bet you fainted, because you're so happy."

"'Happy'!" Tetsu exclaimed, making me jump. He put his fingertips on my chest, seeing this. "Oh, sorry. But, 'happy'! Did you get too excited, or something like that? Your asthma? Your trigger?"

I blushed. I remembered now. I shook my head. "I was nervous," I said quietly. My eyes widened. "Bride?" I asked, looking up at the waitress.

"Yes, we overheard your conversation. We were quite amused. You were all being so loud. Congratulations on your marriage," she said.

I looked down at my clothes. Ah, my white rainbow flowered dress. I breathed out, bowing my head. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"But, you were nervous?" Tetsu asked quickly, taking my hand.

"Yes, because of Keitaro." My eyes went wide again, as my heart started to increase in speed. I breathed out, trying Tetsu's tactic.

"The ambulance is on the way," Natsuko said, momentarily taking her ear away from her phone.

I shook my head. "I don't need an ambulance."

"I want to make sure you're okay," Tetsu said, picking up my hand with both of his hands and putting it to his chest. "It's a been a while since this happened. What if it's something serious? We need to make sure."

"But..." Sudden tears were in my eyes. My heart was getting more rapid, all the while. "We were supposed to register tomorrow. I don't want-"

Tetsu was tsking. "Your health comes first."

My tears overflowed. I was much more upset than I realized. Suddenly, it was all real. We were supposed to get registered tomorrow. What we'd been doing today, getting our documents together. We'd been planning to register to get married tomorrow. It was real. And now I was going to ruin it.

I gasped, sniffling. A small squeaking sound left my throat, whimpering. I took my hand from Tetsu, and covered my face with my hands, my tears escaping through my fingers. I bent over, unable to control myself.

"Oh, oh, oh, Sana," Tetsu whispered, his hands on my back and my front, trying to sit me up straight. "Please don't cry. It's okay. We can register when you're feeling better. We'll talk about it. Maybe we can just visit the hospital, and they'll let us go in a couple of hours. It's going to be okay."

"But..." My words were mushed in my tears.

"It's okay. Please calm down. I don't know what's going with your heart. If something were to happen to you, I-" Tetsu's words fogged up.

I breathed in, trying to regulate my breathing. His arms were around me, and he pulled me to him, his warmth surrounding me. I put my head on his chest.