Picking up from where we left off in the previous book...

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The first thing I did was panic when Danny proposed to me. I cried, too, both in joy and in my panic. I was also afraid. I don't know why I was afraid, but I was. I guess it was because of how soon he had proposed to me. Just over a year together, and he proposes on our very first date. It scared me, and all I could do was stare because of it. I stared at Danny and the ring, crying as my whirlwind of emotions kept me frozen, mute as my thoughts and stomach churned, giving me the sensation of needing to throw up, and also the desire to do just so. But everything inside me was just as frozen as the out, the only thing functioning inside me my heart, barely beating as I tried to process everything in front of me.

I watched, still frozen as Danny bit his lip, hesitating. "Love...?"

Should I say yes? It was hard to decide if I should or not. I don't know why. I mean, I loved him so goddamn much. Danny meant everything to me. I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life. But... What about everything that had happened between us before? I was finally able to grasp a thought, one from when he had ignored me for an entire week. He had hurt me then, emotionally, causing me to hurt myself by starving myself, however unintentional that was on both our ends. But he had tried to fix it, to make me see that he still loved me, and he had said that he had tried every day since I stopped leaving my cabin to find me and apologize for every little bit of pain he could have possibly caused me. And he had meant it. He had given me his promise that very day, too, the promise that had lead up to this point, the day- this day, today, when he was going to propose to me. But then there was his lack of confidence since my depression. I wanted him to be confident about everything before he had proposed. Maybe not everything, but all the things that he had once been confident about before the accident in the Medical Building. I wanted my timidly bold Danny back everyday. But... then again... he was being that very Danny I wanted right then and there, bold about asking me to marry him, and timid in front of all of the people.

I opened my mouth, trying to get words out to answer him, but my throat and mouth suddenly turned dry, and I was unable to do so, suddenly mute.

Danny bit his lip once more, and he waited a few more minutes in silence for an answer from me. People had begun to gather, noticing our positions, eye-balling us as though we were a painting, just waiting to spring to life. The crowd was relatively small, but large enough to bring me discomfort. A couple of them were whooping and shouting at me to say "yes", even though they didn't know me and Danny one bit. Danny seemed uncomfortable with the people, sending them nervous glances as he tried to figure out what else to say to me to get me to say "yes".

"Just say yes already, damn it!" Someone in the crowd shouted at me. I winced at their shout, and let in a shuddering breath, thinking over the past year once more. I rubbed my face with a hand, pulling my hair out of my eyes, keeping my mouth covered with my other hand, hiding my wide and disbelieving smile from Danny.

When he appeared just about to give up, just about to close the black velvet box with the silver ring that had three blue, three red gems on it, I was finally able to speak.

"Yes." I told him, voice barely a whisper. Danny blinked, freezing in his movements, seemingly making sure he had heard me right. The people in the crowd closest to me went quiet when I whispered my answer, and soon the whole crowd was hushed, hanging on a golden thread, waiting for my single-word answer that would determine the rest of both mine and Danny's lives.

After awhile, when I didn't say anything more, Danny finally spoke up. "L-love? C-could you repeat for me, pl-please?" He asked hesitantly once the crowd was completely hushed.

I wiped at my eyes, finally removing my hand from my mouth as I did, showing Danny my wide smile. I nodded, running a hand through my hair again, pulling back my disobedient curls once more. "Y-yes," I cried, my emotions finally settling on joy. Pure, over-whelming, loving joy, and nothing less than that. "Yes. I-I would l-love to marry you, D-Danny."

The half-hippocampus blinked his deep blue eyes, processing my words, before he grinned madly. The crowd around us started cheering, making a cacophony of boisterous noise as he gently grabbed my left hand, removing the ring from the box it was in, slipping it on to my ring finger to rest there along with the ring he had used to give me his promise. I continued to cry as he did, ignoring the crowd for the time being as Danny brought my hand up and kissed the top of both the rings, keeping his eyes locked with mine as he did, my inner joy reflecting from his deep blue eyes.

Suddenly, someone started to chant a specific word in the crowd, and a few people joined in, though most continued to just cheer and shout their praises and some blessings for a well and full life. But the one word that kept being repeated I couldn't ignore, and neither could Danny, and we both grinned when we heard it. The few people chanting the single word, punching the air with their fists as they did, kept chanting to us "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Danny glanced at them and chuckled, leaning in close to me, neither of us bothered by the crowd any longer, more rather enjoying them so more people than just the two of us could enjoy and remember this moment forever. "Shall we?" He whispered to me.

I gave him a sly smile. "I don't know... should we?"

"I think we should." Danny stood up from where he had been kneeling on the ground in front of me, tugging me up with him. The people continued to chant as we stood, and Danny wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. I looked up at him as he lifted a hand and brushed my hair back, tucking it behind my ears before cupping my cheek and pressing his lips to mine, sealing the memory of that day in our minds and hearts forever.

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A boosh. Book 4, chapter one... complete. Booyah. B)