Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mintendo looked beautiful. It normally looked amazing, but around this time of year, it was clear some extra effort was put into the restaurant's appearance to show it was a special occasion. Lit, red lanterns hung from the ceiling, lighting up the room, and pictures of Min Min as a baby, her family, and past Lunar New Year celebrations were scattered on the walls. The counter area in front of the kitchen had been cleaned and new red, bar stool chairs had been installed. The tables in the restaurant were new too, made of polished wood, with a newly painted red border. The seats at the tables were black and had soft cushions on them, and sat on the dark, polished wood floor. The place looked as gorgeous as ever. 

Li Hua, better known as Min Min, and her family were celebrating the Chinese New Year. They added new items to the menu as a temporary celebration of the holiday, and had a few discounts on meals, too. This made business as busy as ever, but Min Min was able to reserve the restaurant, late at night, to have dinner with her other family. The ARMS fighters. She had been fighting with them as a part of the ARMS league for months now, and they were her best friends in the entire world. Honestly, she'd do anything for them, and what better way to show your love for your family than to invite them to one of the biggest celebrations of your culture? They'd be coming over on the 1st night of the Chinese New Year (which is normally celebrated for 15 days), and staying for dinner, fireworks, and many other traditions typically done during this time of year. It sounded like a great plan. It was supposed to be great, amazing, even.

So... What could have possibly gone wrong? 

What could have happened to such amazing plans that would cause Min Min to have one of her biggest breakdowns yet? 

The event that was meant to enjoy being with her dearest friends/family was now her hiding away in her room (which was just on the top floor of the building), crying, yelling, and wishing she had never invited them over in the first place.

What in the world could have caused this? 

1 week ago... 

"LI HUA!"

She sighed, drying the just-washed bowl in her hand, and setting it on the dish rack to dry. 

"Yes, Mama?" 

"Help me put up the lanterns!" 

"Just a moment!" 

She looked out the window, which could easily be seen from the kitchen. It was pitch black outside. They had just closed up shop. The streets were mostly empty, with the exception of cars that drove by every now and then. It must've been late, it had to be, Mintendo didn't close until 11, and Min Min had already spent most of her day doing ARMS fights with her friends. She was tired, both mentally and physically. Drained, even. It took every fiber of her being to keep her eyes open long enough to finish washing dishes, and even then, that was just barely good enough to keep her awake. 

Actually, scratch that.

She wasn't awake anymore.  

She was standing in place, eyes shut, head bobbing up and down, as if she was so tired she couldn't hold it up anymore. Her balance swayed, teetering and tottering until a voice snapped her out of it. 

"LI HUA! Help me!" 

Her eyes fluttered open, and she caught herself, just as her balance was about to give out. She folded the towel in her hand and laid it on the side of the dish rack, then rubbed her eyes, sighed, and walked out of the kitchen to see her mother holding a red lantern in her hand, and standing on a step ladder. Min Min had helped make the lanterns just a few days earlier. That wasn't all, either. Min Min, her mother, and her aunts, uncles, father, and little cousin had made other decorations for Mintendo, too. They made Door Couplets, two red papers, 1 placed on each side of the doorway, with writing on them in black ink, wishing their customers good fortune for the new year. The one on the outside of the front door read, "帆风顺年年好,万事如意步步高," and inside, there was one that read, "长长长长长长长,长长长长长长长."  They did paper cuttings, which, as the name implies, were shapes and designs of different animals, cut out of red sheets of paper. Each design represented something different, and Min Min and her family made sure to do several. The papers they did had a peach, representing longevity, a mandarin duck, representing love, a pine tree, representing eternal youth, and a peony, representing honor and wealth. The paper cuttings were put up in the windows, for customers to see when they came by. 

In addition to all that, the restaurant  that was famously known for ramen, began also serving fish, dumplings, spring rolls, and sticky rice cakes, which were very popular during this time of year all across the country of China. Working at Mintendo and the ARMS league while preparing for the new year proved to be very stressful. Min Min just wanted to lay down, go to sleep, and never wake up. She felt like even if she slept for a week straight, she'd still be exhausted. Even so, she listened to her mother's request and picked up a couple of lanterns. 

"Want me to hang these outside?" 

"Yes, then hang some on the second floor. We also have to clean the house tomorrow, and do some more shopping." 

"We're still going to be able to have my friends over, right?"

"Yes, but it'd have to be on the Eve, and we'd have to fit in the dinner, red envelopes, fireworks, and clean up, so we can do the offerings the next day, and then relax." 

"Alright." She walked outside, wincing as freezing cold air slapped her in the face. Min Min hung up one lantern on the right side of the door, beside one of the door couplets, and the other on the left side of the door, next to the other door couplet. They actually looked really nice, and lit the area up well. Although, even with the bright light in her face, she found herself dozing off again, and having trouble keeping herself up. She dreaded the thought of having more work tomorrow, and the days after that. Just the idea of waking up early, ARMS fighting from the morning to the afternoon, and then working at Mintendo until nearly midnight took energy from her. And, now that the new year was coming up, she'd have to stay up even later.

She shook her head, making herself open her eyes, even if every part of her body just wanted to collapse. She forced herself back inside the building, and picked up more lanterns, aiding her mother in hanging them up around the building. It took an hour. Then, she had to put the chairs at each table off to the sides of the room, sweep the floor, and do the same on the second floor. When they finished, it was long past midnight, and Min Min would have to wake up around 6 to get ready for work at the league. She immediately went upstairs and flopped onto her bed, not even bothering to shower, brush her teeth, or change into actual pajamas. She just wanted to get as much rest as should could. She shut her eyes, and before she knew it, she was woken up by the painfully loud alarm of the clock on her dresser. 

Hours later...

"What are you so upset about, Min?"

"Nothing. Leave me alone." 

Spring Man leaned against the window on his side of the booth, trying to look her in the eyes, as she did her best to avoid his gaze. It was about 2 pm, and the fighters had gone to Spring's favorite pizza parlor to get something to eat, after spending the whole day practicing. Min Min was sitting in her seat, the left side of her head pressed against window. Spring was sitting across from her, and had just finished what had to be his 6th or 7th slice of pizza. 

 "I don't wanna annoy you, Min, you just seemed upset, that's all. Is something bothering you?"

She had half a mind to reply, "Yeah, you," but bit her tongue. Sure, she was tired and cranky, but that was just mean. Even if he was getting on her nerves, he was trying to be helpful. She could at least pretend to appreciate that.

She just decided to lie. "No. Nothing."

"You sure?" 

"Yeah. Positive." She rubbed her eyes, somehow looking more exhausted than before. 

"... This is kinda a random question, Min, but, uh... How much sleep did you get last night?" 

She sighed as her patience wore thinner and thinner, "Why?"

"You look tired, no offense. Sleep's important, y'know, just like eating or drinking water." 

"I know, Spring. Don't worry about it. I'm fine." 

"You're really, really sure, Min Min?"

Now she was getting frustrated. Answering the same question over and over was just pissing her off at this point. She was sleepy, and it didn't help that she normally didn't have the most cheerful attitude. She put down her glass of water and looked him dead in the eyes. The look alone said everything. There was an entire world of irritation in her eyes alone. Before she could say anything remotely rude, just as luck would have it, Ninjara walked up to the two. He sat next to Min Min, which made her look up at him, and suddenly every bit of annoyance she was feeling washed away. The two smiled at each other, as they normally did, and Min hesitantly turned back to Spring to answer him. 

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm fine." 

"Alright." He gave her a smile, and she gave a far weaker one in response. He must've noticed one of the other fighters from a distance because he waved to them and quickly rushed over to talk to them. Min Min stretched out her arms, and yawned for the millionth time that day. She didn't even realize how heavy her eyes felt until now. It took so much strength to keep them open. Ninjara must've noticed, as he tapped her shoulder a few times to wake her back up. She brought her knees up to her chest from under the table, and hugged them as he spoke to her. 

"What time did you fall asleep last night?" 

She smirked. "Why? What time do you think I fell asleep last night?"

"1 a.m.? Maybe 2?"

"What? I look that tired?" 

He quickly shook his head and hands. "No, I didn't mean to imply that--"

"It's okay, I know what you meant." She laughed, teasing him as she normally would. 

"I know I look tired. Honestly, I am. Went to bed a little past midnight, and the night before that I went to bed around 2." 

"Why?" 

"Work. Both here, and at home. And the Lunar Year is less than a week from today, there's a lot of stuff to set up for that, y'know." 

"Isn't that a lot of stress, Li Hua?" 

"Yeah, but I got it..." 

That was another lie. She could tell he could tell it was a lie, but she decided not to say anything else about it. Honestly, she hated the work she was doing, and dreaded the preparations she'd have to do tonight. She could already see herself not falling asleep until around 3, and waking up again at 6. Running on 3 hours of sleep sounded awful, but she didn't have much of a choice. The preparations weren't going to, well, prepare themselves...

... And she fell asleep again. Ninjara tapped her shoulder again, but this time, when she opened her eyes, she realized he had scooted closer to her, and was now less than 5 whole inches away. She felt her cheeks become warm, but she wasn't sure if it was because of him, or if the sleep-deprivation was just making her crazy. She could've sworn his cheeks became pink too, and that really convinced her that she was just tired and imagining things. She quickly decided to get the conversation going again, just to stop things from being too awkward, in case this wasn't just in her head. 

"Uh... So, you'll still be able to come to Mintendo on the Eve, right?"

"Yes. The others will be there, too. We're really looking forward to it." 

She smiled again. "That's good to hear. I'm looking forward to having you and the others there." 

"You're looking forward to having me and the others there?"

"I just said that, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but you separated me from the other fighters, instead of just saying, 'I'm looking forward to having you all there.'" 

"Because I've been dating you for 5 months now, not the others." 

He laughed, which made her laugh, and blush more. 

"I have to go to Mintendo now to work and prepare for the celebration, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright." He got up, and offered his hand to her, helping her up from the seat. 

"Don't forget to wear red." She spoke as she stood up. 

"I won't." 

She nodded, and stood in place for a moment, before pulling him into a quick hug. He wrapped his arms around her. Her head nuzzled into his chest. They stayed like that for a minute or so, until she broke away, gave a small wave and headed towards the glass doors of the building. She walked outside the parlor, and went to the nearest train station to catch a ride to Mintendo. When she arrived, it was already the middle of the work day, and she'd be trading places with her uncle, who had to pick up her cousin from school. She walked inside and waved to customers that recognized her (Mintendo has several regulars), and walked up to her room where she changed into her work attire. A red, short-sleeved button down shirt, with a dark green border on the collar, dark green buttons, and a dark green apron that stopped just above her knees. She also had on red paints and the apron had Min's logo on it, "麺." When she finished, she ran back downstairs, and into the kitchen. Her mother was in the middle of making a dish, her father was out in the seating area making sure customers were okay, along with one of her aunts, and her uncle walked up to her, gave her a quick hug, and left to change out of his uniform. She walked up to her mom, who smiled at her, happy to see her beautiful daughter. 

"Welcome home, Li Hua, I need you to serve the customers over at the left side of the counter." 

"Alright, Mama, I got it." 

"Oh, and one more thing-After work, I need you to run to the store for me and pick up a few things." 

"行." 

She sighed, already dreading the evening ahead of her. Min Min took the customers' orders, prepared their meals, and served them, making sure to check up on them every now and then. Just as normal, she spent the next few hours catering to customers, going to and from each side of each floor of the building, making sure everyone was comfortable and well fed. After what felt like forever, she walked back into the kitchen, leaned against one of the tables, her hands supporting her, and looked at the clock hanging up on the wall. It was just a few minutes before 11. She glanced outside, and sure enough, the only light out there were the lanterns, the street lights, and the thousands of stars in the sky. She looked back into the seating area, and it was almost completely empty, with the exception of a few people who were now getting their coats on and preparing to head home. Min Min went back to her room, changed into a more casual outfit-consisting of denim shorts, a red bomber jacket, a white shirt, and sneakers-and left for the store.

It was only 20 minutes away by walking, and so she chose to travel on foot. She walked out the restaurant and quickly zipped up her bomber jacket as the coldness of the nighttime greeted her. She walked quickly, trying to get to the store and back home as soon as possible. At the street corner where she normally crossed to get to her current destination, she furrowed her brows as she noticed not one, but several people with raincoats on, either holding umbrellas or wearing their hats or hoods. Was it supposed to rain today? She hadn't heard that at all. She rolled her eyes as the traffic light turned red, and the crossing light displayed the icon for walking. She practically ran on the crosswalk. She figured if she hurried, she'd avoid any potential precipitation. After crossing the road, she walked just a few feet further until she reached the entrance of the store. She grabbed the handle of the door, pulled it open, and strolled inside, taking the grocery list her mother had given her out of her pocket. She quickly read over it. 

 Soy Sauce

Eggs

Green Onions 

Ginger

Cooking oil

Simple enough. She had no problem going through each isle and finding each needed item. She plopped everything she needed into her plastic basket that she had picked up near the entrance of the store, and walked to the register lines. She easily paid for everything she needed, and walked back out the store with her plastic bag of groceries. However, just as she began walking towards the street corner, it began to rain. 

Hard.

It started as a slight drizzle, and in less than 5 minutes, turned into a shower. Her noodle-hair quickly became soggy. Her arms were safe for now, but if she didn't hurry, the rain would begin to seep through her jacket and ruin them as well. She began to run. She got to the crossing light again, and continuously pressed the button for it to allow her to cross, ignoring the annoying sounds it spouted, simply repeating, "Wait... Wait... Wait..." Once the light changed for her to cross, she bolted to the other side of the street and down the sidewalk. She continued running, ignoring how the stars had vanished, and were replaced with big, dark clouds. She didn't pay any mind to the bright, neon lights of buildings as they lit up the area. She just kept going for as far as her legs would let her go. She let out a small gasp as she heard thunder in the distance, and only ran went faster as she heard it more and more. Eventually, she arrived back home, and yanked open the door as quickly as she could before letting it shut behind her. 

By the time she got there, she looked like someone had dumped a bucket of water over her head. She put the groceries away in the kitchen, and went upstairs to change into pajamas. She noticed she had a bit of a sniffle and cough too, but that was the last thing she had time to worry about. 

She knew her mother wanted the house cleaned, and so, Min Min cleaned it. She swept floors, dusted every shelf and wiped down every counter, vacuumed every carpet, straightened out pictures hanging on any walls, and then did her usual wash of the dishes. Once that was all done, she put aside the chairs in the first floor of the restaurant to one side of the room, and scrubbed the entire floor. As it dried, she sat on the steps that led up to the second floor, and looked at the clock up on the wall near her. 

2:34. In the morning. 

"... Are you kidding me?" 

She mumbled to herself and yawned, leaning her head against the railing of the staircase. Her eyes felt like little weights were attached to them, and they closed. And remained closed, like they were glued shut. Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder, roughly half an hour later. She opened them and looked up to see her father, who was chuckling at her. If she wasn't so exhausted, she'd say some smart remark, but right now she could hardly muster the energy to remember her own name. 

"Why don't you go to bed, Li Hua? You've done enough for today." 

All she could do was nod in response, and slowly make her way to the top floor of the building, where her room was. She threw on basket ball shorts and a t-shirt she totally didn't steal from Ninjara, and went to sleep. Less than 4 whole hours later her alarm clock blared through the room. She reached up from her bed, shut it off, and slowly sat up. It took her a moment to realize how awful she felt. 

Her head hurt, her throat hurt, and her sniffle was still there. 

 She forced herself out of bed and picked up her phone, which charged overnight on her dresser as she slept. She unlocked it and turned on the front-facing camera, only to see that her cheeks were completely flushed, and the area under her eyes were dark. She put her phone back down and sighed. Even if she felt like dirt, there was still work to be done. She made herself shower, brush her teeth, get dressed, and put on a full face of makeup- foundation, highlighter, blush, everything. She didn't have time for feeling sick. She took an Advil to mask her headache and throat ache, and got an umbrella, as it was heavily raining outside. She left home for work: ARMS practice with the other fighters. 

At about 2 in the afternoon, the fighters all went to a nearby sushi restaurant for lunch. Fighting for hours certainly made them hungry, and Spring Man was the only person in the mood for pizza after having it everyday for lunch for a week straight. They all walked in and had to push a few tables together, as most were only meant for 2 people but the group consisted of 10 (Excluding Helix, Byte, or Barq, because they don't need to eat), and then sat down. They ordered their drinks, received them, then ordered their food, and waited for it to arrive. Min Min sat at the very edge of the makeshift table, and Ninjara sat right across from her. 

She didn't pay any attention to what was happening around her. She couldn't get her mind off of how horrible she felt. The Advil was starting to wear off and her sleep-deprivation was once again becoming obvious. Her eyes would shut and take a moment-and a lot of strength-to re-open. She was congested too, and her coughing only got worse through the day, which made her throat hurt. She made that obvious as well, as she rubbed her throat every now and then and took long sips of her ice cold water, in an attempt to soothe her it. The only good thing she could enjoy right now was that her makeup hadn't gotten messed up at all. At least she didn't look as bad as she felt. She normally avoided makeup, but her face was the screaming image of being sick. However, even with the cover up, Ninjara could tell something was wrong. He watched her worriedly from across the table as she dozed off again, one elbow up on the table and her hand in her head. When the waiter arrived and served them their food, she slowly woke back up and ate with the rest of them. The two stayed in silence, allowing the others' conversations to fill up the room. After an hour or so of eating and talking, most of the fighters had to pack up and leave for any other plans they had that day. Min Min was the last to get up from her seat and throw her denim jacket on, buttoning it up. She threw on a gray beanie and pulled it snugly onto her head. Ninjara, who had already put on his coat and gotten his umbrella, put his hand on her shoulder. 

"Are you feeling alright, Li Hua?" 

She sniffled and paused, closing her eyes for a moment as her head throbbed in pain. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"You just said that." 

"... I-I did... I..." 

She shook her head and picked up her own umbrella. 

"I'm fine, I'm okay. Just tired, it isn't anything you should worry about." 

He simply looked down at her. 

... Was she really that bad at lying? 

He brushed her bangs to the side and put his hand on her forehead. She quickly stepped back, almost like a child having their temperature checked by their parent. 

"You feel warm. Are you sick? Were you out in the rain for too long, Li Hua?" 

"No, I told you, I'm alright. I really gotta head to Mintendo right now." 

"Let me walk you there, and make sure you don't get any sicker."  

"I'm not sic-"

"Please." 

She looked away for a moment, sighed, and then turned back to him. Her current condition had ruined the already small amount of patience she had. 

"Alright." 

He smiled warmly at her, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling back. This was the best she had felt in days, all because he was giving her a chance to just not worry about anything. They two walked out the building together, and opened the transparent bubble umbrella he had and held it over the two of them. His other hand was intertwined with hers, and the two took their their time walking to Min Min's family's restaurant. Every now and then, they'd look up to see the rain drops fall on the umbrella, and they stood silently at street corners, just enjoying each other's company. They didn't need to speak to enjoy having the other there. They could just feel their own love for each other radiating off of each other, and that was enough to express their own feelings. 

They got to one corner where they had to wait for the cars to stop so they could cross the street. Ninjara, who had been watching the cars drive by, waiting for them to come to a halt, looked over at Min Min, who had been sniffling and coughing for the entire walk. He knew she'd get annoyed if he pestered her about being under the weather again, so he looked away, thinking for a moment, then returned to facing her. 

"... What are you planning to do at the dinner?" 

She looked up, pausing for a moment, like a student caught off guard with a question from their teacher. Truthfully, the many symptoms she was experiencing had distracted completely, and she had to take a few seconds to comprehend what he had said. She heard it, but she hadn't really processed it. She took a moment to get herself together, standing up straight and looking Ninjara in the eyes. 

"Not much. We'll eat, of course, probably hand out red envelopes and do fireworks. Nothing super big or fancy, though." 

"Who else will be there?" 

"Other than me, you guys, and my parents...? Most likely my aunts, uncles, and my little cousin."

"The one you always send me pictures of when he visits Mintendo?"

"Yeah. I talk to him about you a lot. I think he'll enjoy meeting you."

"... You talk to him about me?"

"Mhm. All good things." 

"Why?"

She shrugged and sniffled. "Just feels right, I guess, since we always talk about him and my other family members. I think they'd all like to meet you, since only my parents have." 

"How do you think that will go, Li Hua?"

She shrugged again. As she opened her mouth to speak, she suddenly burst into a coughing fit, and had to let go of Ninjara's hand to cover her mouth. He patted her back quickly and worriedly. Once she stopped coughing, she realized her throat was killing her. And there wasn't any bottle of water in sight. 

"Li Hua! Are you alright?" 

She opened her mouth to speak...

And immediately closed it. It hurt too much to even work up the energy to respond. She waited a second, then forced herself to speak up. 

"... Y-Yeah, I'm alright...."

She coughed a few more times, and Ninjara wrapped his arm around her, keeping her close, and quickly crossed the street as the traffic light turned red. He got her to Mintendo as quickly and quietly as possible. Then, he rushed her inside and up to the second floor of the building where there were much less customers seated and eating, and sat her down on the staircase that led to the very top floor, where her room was. 

He continued holding her close, even though her coughs had already stopped. Now she was just sniffling again and struggling to clear her throat. Ninjara got up and disappeared in the restaurant for a moment before returning with an ice cold bottle of water. He sat back down next to Min Min and handed it to her. She took a long sip of the drink and then screwed the cap back on the bottle, putting down on the step. 

"... Before you say anything, I am not sick." 

He gave her a look of absolute disbelief. 

She rolled her eyes, sighing, and clearing her throat again. He tried to hand her the water bottle for a drink again, but she just took it and put it back down. 

"You need to rest, Li H-" 

"I'm fine, alright? I don't have time for rest, things need to be done and they won't get magically done on their own." 

"You cannot put this much stress on yourself while you're sick. You need to relax." 

"I need to do my work." 

"You're going to make yourself worse." 

Suddenly, she stood up, now becoming frustrated. 

"How do you know that? When did you become a doctor, Takeo?" 

"Please don't get annoyed, I'm just trying to care for you." 

"I don't need you to baby me. Go home. I've got work to do." 

She turned, marching up the steps. He followed up a few but stopped before he got to the top. 

"Li Hua, please!"

"I said go!" 

She opened the door to her room and slammed it shut. He sighed, then looked down at the half-empty water bottle that Min Min had left on the staircase. Ninjara picked it up, set it down outside her room, and walked himself out of the restaurant before catching a train to his school. He knew she needed some time to herself, and his next class was going to begin with or without him there. He just hoped she wouldn't be so angry she'd ignore any text he'd try to send her, since face-to-face communication was not something she wanted right now. 

 She changed into her work uniform, went down to the kitchen, took some medicine, and made herself work. Up until her shift was over. She did her usual clean up of the restaurant, cleaning the entire bottom floor-while her uncle and father cleaned the second floor-, and then went to her room and collapsed for the night. Once again, she felt awful when her alarm woke her up the next morning, but work still had to be done. She did the same as she had done the previous day, putting on makeup and taking some pain medicine to mask her sickness, and leaving for work at the league, then for work at Mintendo. 

She continued this cycle of pushing herself up until...

The Eve of the Lunar Year. 

Chapter Text

The Eve of the Lunar Year was a busy time for everyone, especially those working at Mintendo. Min Min almost regretted inviting her friends over, because now she definitely just wanted to sleep. She sat down on the staircase leading to the second floor and waited for them to arrive. She felt like dirt, to be blunt. Her head ached, her legs felt heavy and exhausted when she walked, and her coughing and congestion and sneezing had only gotten worse. Still, she refused to take a break until she saw the results of her hard work. 

Despite her current condition, she decided tonight was going to be fun. It had to be. She had even been bothered to get dressed for it. She felt like just lounging around in pajamas, but she made herself do a full face of makeup--Bold, red lipstick, black, winged eyeliner, blush on the cheeks, even some nude eye shadow--, and a satin, red jumpsuit with short sleeves, that had a collar and was buttoned down the middle, from her neck to just under her chest. The legs of the outfit were flared at the bottom, and she completed the look with silver hoop earrings. One could say she almost looked like a princess, but she certainly didn't feel like one. She had been ignoring getting proper rest and taking actual, prescribed medicine for days now. 

She hadn't even gone to the doctor for feeling so badly. 

But she figured she'd survive. She looked up at the clock on the wall of the first floor, and hoped this evening would soon be over with. Even if she did love her ARMS family, she also loved not feeling stressed and sick. Maybe they'd have so much fun, the evening would fly by. She put her elbows up on her knees and rested her head on her hands. Her eyes shut, and a few minutes later, she was woken up at the sound of the doors to Mintendo opening. Some of her guests were arriving now. 

She hopped off the staircase to greet them, and smiled once she saw them all. Spring Man, Ribbon Girl, Mechanica, and Twintelle were the first few to arrive, all dressed in red, just as Min Min had asked them to be when she initially invited them all over a couple weeks ago. She greeted them all, and led them to a table (which, much like the one at the sushi restaurant, was a few other tables and chairs pushed together). They all took their seats and quickly began to talk among themselves. Min Min walked into the kitchen to see how everything was cooking. Her mother, father, uncle, and 2 of her aunts had been helping to prepare the entire dinner. Min Min had been helping too, but took a break to change into her outfit and greet her guests. It was clear that most of the food was either done, or would soon be done, as the smell of it all waved through the building. 

"Li Hua!" Her mother spoke up, "Start taking some of the food out to the table. We're almost done with all of it." 

"Alright, Mama."

She walked over and began to pick up some of the dishes of food, smiling as she took in their smell. It was hard to enjoy it through a congested nose, but it was still nice. As she began walking out her Mom spoke to her again. 

"Hey, Li Hua, are you feeling alright?"

"... Yeah, Mama. Why do you ask?" 

"You just seem... Tired. Eh, It may just my old eyes tricking me." She continued cooking, quickly becoming completely invested in the meal she was preparing. 

"I wish that was all it was..." Min Min thought to herself as she carried the food out, and forced a fake smile, putting it all on the table. Her younger cousin, Ju Long, whom she spoke about with Ninjara on several occasions ran into the room, dressed in his own red outfit. The fighters all smiled, as he struggled to climb into one of the chairs. 

"Who's this little angel?" Twintelle spoke up, giving a little wave to Ju Long. 

"That's my little cousin, he's only in pre-school." Min Min finished putting down all the food, and looked down at him, smiling as well. He beamed up at her. 

"Introduce yourself, Jul." She crouched down beside him, and ruffled his hair a bit, sniffling. 

"我叫--"

"In English, Jul." The fighters all laughed. He stood up in his seat out of excitement, and raised his voice a bit. 

"My name's Ju-Long, but Li-Li calls me Jul!" 

"Li-Li? Who's that?" Spring tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. 

"Li Hua!" Ju Long excitedly pointed at Min Min, and she felt her cheeks warm up and turn pink. The others began talking to Ju Long more, smiling and laughing as he spoke and answered all of their questions with bubbly, child-like energy. Almost like how Spring Man would. Li Hua had stood beside him for a moment, listening to him and the others converse, until she heard the door open, and looked over at it. Ninjara walked in, dressed in all red, and gave a small smile as he made eye contact with her.

She froze.

For more than one reason. 

The first reason was, well, because he looked stunning. Dressed beautifully in a red tuxedo, with a bow tie, and polished shoes. She had to admit she didn't want to take her eyes off of him. The person she loved was dressed as handsome as possible, just for her event. Just for her family. Just for her. She wanted to give him a wide, beautiful smile, that she only gave when extremely happy. Usually, she had a stoic, all-work-no-play vibe to her, but Ninjara brought out the lighter side of her, and she appreciated that with all of her heart. 

The second reason was because she hadn't treated him like that was how he made her feel the last time she saw him. She couldn't stop replaying the scene in her head, of him just trying to be helpful, and her acting like a child. She yelled at him for treating her like a baby, but she had to admit, she was certainly acting like one. She hadn't swallowed her pride enough to tell him she was sorry for blowing up like that. Min Min knew that Ninjara knew she didn't mean what she had said when she got upset with him, but she still felt a need in her heart to apologize to him. And, yet, she hadn't done so. So as she stared at him from the middle of the restaurant, she couldn't help feeling an uncomfortable and tension-filled air around them. 

Ninjara walked over, and gave her a hug. She could hardly speak. She could hardly move. She stood in place, not hugging him back, but not breaking away from the hug, either. The other fighters were too captivated by Ju Long to notice her, standing like a statue, but this moment was all she could think about. Ninjara broke away from the hug and looked at her, as she looked back at him, unsure of what to say to his face. Her throat hurt. She might as well stay silent. She felt like she could throw up, or faint, or break into a coughing fit at any moment. She was fighting back a need to lay down and relax.  

He finally broke the silence between the two. "... Hey, Li Hua. You look great." He offered her another smile. This made her want to smile back. One, because his smile was absolutely beautiful and precious, and two, because he was like Min Min in regards to how they expressed themselves. Both had a habit of smiling less than most people. She loved seeing his. But she couldn't say that right now. She just looked at him for a moment, as her head pounded in pain, and finally responded with, 

"Thank you. You too." 

Ninjara blushed lightly. "Thank you, Li Hua."

Before he could say anything else, she quickly gave him a rushed apology and hurried away, up the staircase.

She began beating herself up, in her head, for not coming up with some excuse for leaving so suddenly, retreating into her bedroom. She sank to the floor, against the door, keeping it shut so nobody could get inside from the outside. She felt horrible. Absolutely horrible. Downstairs, the other fighters had taken notice of the sudden leave, and looked at Ninjara as he took a seat at the table. He didn't know what to say to them, so he remained silent. Ju Long quickly took interest in Ninjara, and began bombarding the ninja with silly, childish questions. Ninjara patiently and kindly answered them all, keeping conversation with the child, although his mind never let go of the worry he was feeling for Min Min. After a while, her family had finished setting all the food out on the table, and joined the fighters. Min Min finally came back down from her bedroom and joined them. She made sure her seat was far from Ninjara's. It hurt to be separated from him, but she couldn't bring herself to even begin to apologize for how rudely she'd spoken to him the other day.

The rest of the fighters arrived, dressed in a various red outfits, from Lola Pop's dress to Misango's tuxedo, which Twintelle had helped him pick out. Max Brass even wore his signature mask, but in light red. Mechanica had come in a red dress as well, and red bows for her ponytails. Once everybody was comfortably in place at the table, Min Min's mother stood up from her seat, causing the room to go silent, and give her full attention. She had a warm smile on her face. 

"Thank you all so much for joining us for tonight's celebrations of the Lunar Year. We can't thank you enough for being here, and for treating our Li Hua so well. You're all welcome here anytime. Please, enjoy your meals, and your time with our family."

Everyone politely clapped for her, except for Min Min, who was currently in her own little world. Her head hurt, her throat hurt, and her legs felt weak. She couldn't breathe through her nose, and her stomach felt queasy. She was on the brink of throwing up just from seeing the food laid out on the table, despite it all being well-made. If she had been feeling healthy, she would've been more than happy to eat with everybody, but today, that just wasn't the case.

The fighters all began to eat.

She had to admit, even if she felt like dirt, it was pretty funny to see Spring Man and Master Mummy fumbling with chopsticks while Ninjara, Mechanica, and Twintelle used them with grace and ease.

She would've laughed, but her throat ached terribly, and her voice would've been coarse and rough, giving away her sick state. She didn't want them to worry about her. She just wanted this evening to be over. 

Unfortunately for her, though, this night was feeling much longer than any other. Mainly because she couldn't catch a break. She had a plate and bowl of food in front of her, and chopsticks in her hand, but she hadn't touched any of it. She could feel Ninjara's gaze on her, as well as her mother, since Min Min was usually the best eater out of all of them. She normally had a great appetite, but tonight, she had no appetite. She looked up and made eye contact with her mother, and upon realizing that she'd probably call her out and ask her if she was feeling okay, in front of everybody, Min Min quickly began making herself eat. Her stomach protested against this, making her feel even queasier, and nauseous, but she continued so anyone's suspicions about her health would be kept to a minimum. After forcing herself to swallow the last of her food, and letting an uncomfortable shudder run through her body, she set down her utensils. The other fighters didn't seem to take notice in her reluctant eating at all. She was happy about that. 

 Next, the group moved onto passing out red envelopes. Her mother and father handed red envelopes to each ARMS fighter, and Ju Long, each filled with money, though most of them didn't open the envelope right then and there. Ju Long struggled to open his, and just gave the money to his mother, requesting that she buy him some new toys, which made everyone smile, and even laugh. Spring Man, to nobody's surprise, also took a few minutes to get his open. Ultimately, Twintelle opened it for him. Min Min quietly put hers away in her pocket. Her parents decided they wanted to wait until midnight to set off fireworks, so the group spent time together in the restaurant, talking to each other. Mechanica, Lola Pop and Spring Man were playing with Ju Long, and a few of the other fighters joined in. 

"I wanna go first!" Ju Long excitedly ran around the circle the fighters had made, tapping them each on the arm and saying, "Duck, duck, duck..." in the cutest, most child-like voice possible. It made each of them beam, and chuckle, each time he tapped them. He stopped on Mechanica and yelled, "Goose," before starting to run. She laughed happily and chased after him, as the other fighters cheered them on. As silly and competitive as Mechanica liked to be, she chose to let Ju Long win, allowing him to beat her to where she had been sitting on the floor a moment ago. She began doing as Ju Long had done before, patting each fighter's arm as she passed them, while they sat in a circle. However, the mischievous Mechanica also poked their cheeks or ruffled their hair as she passed. She always enjoyed playing around with them. The group was having a blast. 

Duck Duck Goose was surprisingly fun with a pre-schooler and a group of people aged 15 and older.

Min Min excused herself to her room for a moment, not really giving much of an reason. She just simply told the others, "I'll be right back," and most assumed she was going to the restroom. Instead of that destination, however, Li Hua went into her bedroom, on the top floor of the building again. She made sure to lock the door behind herself, and then sat at her desk, putting her head down for a moment. It was starting to hurt again. Throb, even. She quietly cursed under her breath at the pain, before getting up, and desperately looking for her bottle of Advil. Upon finding it, and struggling to get off that damn childproof cap, she turned it upside down to pour the medicine into the palm of her hand. 

"... No, no, no... You've gotta be kidding me. You have to be kidding me..." 

It was empty.

She was in such a rush to get ready for the celebration that she didn't bother to remember to get a new bottle after using the last of the medicine in the previous bottle. Out of frustration, she threw it onto the floor, letting it roll away, under her bed. Her eyes started filling with tears, against her will. She was officially fed up with being sick, and fed up with pretending like she was okay after days of allowing herself to feel so terrible. She was about to give in, and let herself cry, until a knock was heard at the door. 

"Minnie? You there?" It was Spring Man. She immediately rolled her eyes. She didn't want to have to deal with anyone right now, and she wasn't in the mood to be called a nickname that she often asked to not be addressed by. "We're getting kinda worried about you." Spring continued, "Is everything okay? Ninjara said you've been a little off-color recently, and figured you were hiding here. Wanna talk about what's bothering you?" 

"No! I-I... I mean... I'm fine, Spring." She raised her voice so she could be heard from the other side of the door, "Leave me alone. I'll be back out in a bit." 

"You're sure, Min?" 

"Yes! I'm alright!" She closed her mouth and looked around. Right now, she was sitting on her bedroom floor, with every cold symptom imaginable, sleep-deprived. Her friends had come to enjoy the holiday with her. They came just because she asked them to, and she's the one person who isn't enjoying the festivities with them. "... I'm okay."

Spring Man remained silent for a moment, before responding. "... Alright, Min Min. Well, come out whenever you're ready. It's almost Midnight. We don't wanna set off the fireworks without you. If you wanna join our game of Duck Duck Goose, we're all playing downstairs." 

She sighed to herself, and removed her earrings, letting them drop to the floor. "Alright. Thanks, Spring. I'll be out soon." 

"Alright." Another moment of silence passed, before his foot steps could be heard backing away from the bedroom door, and going down the steps. The farther he got, the harder it became to hear them.

Downstairs, the others had begun playing Hide and Seek.

Kid Cobra was the seeker, and was looking around the entire bottom floor of the building for the others. Mechanica and Ju Long were experts at this game, and could hardly be seen from under the table they were hiding at. Helix was hiding in the kitchen, inside of an empty pot, in a cabinet. Barq was also hiding in the cabinet, right beside Helix. Byte had chosen to look over the group, to make sure everyone was playing safely. Misango, Biff, and Ribbon Girl were hiding in the storage closet. The three were sitting on the floor, quietly conversing. Ninjara, however, chose to sit at the bottom of the staircase, and wait for Min Min. Twintelle was at a table a couple feet away, watching over the group, and smiling whenever Lola Pop looked over. She noticed Ninjara and quietly took a seat beside him. 

"What's the matter?"

Ninjara quietly turned to her, having gotten lost in his own head. For him, and the other fighters, Twintelle had a mother-like aura. She looked over everyone, and there wasn't a single fighter who didn't trust her, and who didn't feel like she was caring for them. 

"... It's Li Hua. She's been working herself down for a while now, and we got into an argument last time we were alone together. I'm worried about her. She isn't taking care of herself properly, and she won't let me care for her. I'm not quite sure what to do." He looked down at the floor. Twintelle put a hand on his shoulder, and spoke in a calming voice. 

"It'll be alright. I'm sure she's aware that what she's doing isn't healthy. If you'd like, I can try talking to her, and get her to speak to you. I think she just needs a chance to relax. Right now, she's in the mindset that she has so much work to do, she can't rest, even if she's under the weather." 

Ninjara nodded in response. "I just hope she relaxes before anything too drastic happens--" 

A loud crash was heard from upstairs, capturing everyone's attention. Even the group playing Duck Duck Goose paused, some standing up out of concern. In an instant, Ninjara hurried up the staircase, and to Min Min's room, Twintelle not too far behind. He harshly knocked on the door after trying to open it. Unfortunately, it was locked. "Li Hua! Are you okay? What happened?" 

 Min Min silently sat up, having collapsed from her lack of sleep and her sick state. She looked around at the mess she made. Her desk had been knocked onto the floor, along with all of its contents. The mirror attached to it was now shattered, some glass pieces lying on the floor. She felt weak, and dizzy, and most likely had used the desk to keep herself standing, causing it to fall over. Min Min struggled to her feet, as a few tears ran down her face. She could hardly concentrate enough to respond to Ninjara, who was still knocking at her door. After a moment, he managed to pick the lock. Ninjara, Twintelle, Min Min's mother and aunt, and Spring Man came bursting into the room, all worried. Quickly, they looked around, assessing the situation. Ninjara hurried to help Min Min to her feet, and she quickly pulled herself out of his grip. 

"I-I'm fine--"

"Li Hua, you are not fine! You're working yourself too much! Please, get some rest, for your sake, and ours. I've been so worried about you!" Ninjara tried to hold her hand, and she quickly pulled away from him. Her mother took a step towards her. 

"Are you alright?" She put a hand up to her daughter's forehead, gasping upon realizing that she had a fever. Min Min quietly moved so her mother wasn't touching her anymore. Ninjara turned to Min Min's mom. 

"She's been like this for days. Sick; Coughing, sneezing... Headaches, sore throat... She's been overworking herself, and getting little to no sleep, despite being ill." 

Her mother looked back at her, with a face of absolute disbelief. Spring Man took a step towards Min Min, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

"Min, please, get some rest. We don't want you to get anymore sick, or worse, 'cos you aren't caring for yourself." He was frowning, visibly worried. Ninjara put a hand on her other shoulder, and the two continued talking, trying to convince her to rest. She was blocking out both of them, fed up. She was sick of the work, sick of them treating her like a baby, and literally sick. Her patience had finally worn out completely, and without thinking, she did whatever she could to get them both to back away from her. Ninjara was pushed away, meanwhile Spring Man was harshly kicked in the stomach, causing him to stumble backwards. She paused, watching him. 

Did she really just do that? 

The others all had their eyes on her. She couldn't even begin to open her mouth and explain why she did that. She just needed to get away, and she needed to get away quickly. Min Min did the first thing that came to her mind.

She ran.

Out of the room, down the staircase, past the other fighters in the restaurant, and out of the building.

Just as luck would have it, it was raining.

She kept running down the sidewalk, far away from Mintendo. Tears started rushing out of her eyes, and pouring down her face, ruining her makeup. Her legs were weak, and so, she was harshly forced to stop running when she fell at a street corner. Nobody was in sight. The rain falling from the sky drenched her outfit, and her hair, starting to make her ARMS soggy and difficult to use. Her sniffling got worse, and now, she was congested again. Min Min could hardly breathe through her nose at all. She walked to the park nearby, and collapsed at one of the tables built under a wooden roof, for when people had lunch at the park on sunny days. She laid down on the bench of the table, and hugged herself tightly, starting to cry more, which quickly turned into loud sobbing, however nobody was nearby to hear her. Her knee was scraped from falling at the street corner, and she shivered, her outfit now looking like she jumped into a pool. She closed her eyes, still shaking from the cold. 

Some time passed. 

She wasn't sure if it was a few minutes, or a half hour, or an hour, or more, but at some point, she woke up, after falling asleep. Ninjara had shaken her awake, and wrapped a blanket around her. 

"... You're up." He had a hand on her cheek. She was still warm. 

"... I'm so sorry..." She immediately broke into tears again, and Ninjara hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead. 

"Shshsh... It's okay, Li Hua. It's alright." The two stayed in place. It felt amazing to be in his embrace, and it felt fantastic to hold her close. 

"Please, promise me that you won't do anything like that again? Your well-being is far more important than your work. You had us all worried sick." 

Min Min nodded in response, remaining close to him. She felt like she could finally relax. Like she could finally calm down. After a few minutes, she stopped crying, and looked up at Ninjara. 

"Is Spring okay? I didn't mean to kick him, honest. I feel awful about doing that..."

"He's fine; Just needed an ice pack. He doesn't have any serious injuries. Definitely nothing worth going to a doctor or hospital, if that's what you were wondering. Though, you do owe him an apology." 

She nodded again. "I know, I know. I'll apologize next time I see him; I promise... Can we stay here for a few more minutes, though, Jara?" 

"We can, Li Hua." He sat down next to her, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Ninjara pulled a sparkler out of his pocket, and a lighter, and lit it. He handed it to Min Min. "It's a little past midnight. I wanted you to have this. Everyone refused to do the fireworks until we found you. You need to get some rest once we finish them, though, alright?"

"Alright. I will. But you gotta visit me while I'm home, sick."

"Of course I will, Li Hua." He kissed her cheek, which made her cheeks warm up and turn a bright pink. "I'll visit you everyday." 

"Thank you. 新年快乐." 

Ninjara smiled at her. "Happy new year to you too, Li Hua." She had taught him that phrase a while ago, in preparation for the holiday. "Let's get you home." 

"Alright." The two stand up, with Ninjara keeping an arm around her. He gave her another kiss on the forehead before walking off with her, back to Mintendo. The lights and fireworks of other business and households lit up the night sky in a beautiful chorus, along with the stars. Cheering can be heard from various people and families celebrating. The holiday has officially begun. Happy new year.