A/N: So this piece here is my snippet of an after story taking place years after the game involving Roze and Ulrika in a scenario in which they are reunited and develop their relationship.

This piece will once again be from Roze's POV and are his thoughts about his relationship with Ulrika.

He thinks that her hands are small in his own, but nonetheless a perfect fit.

He'll never say it out loud, at least not until he is ready to take the risk and ask for her hand with a more permanent wish.

Her skin is slightly rough from work, but it only tells him of her efforts and trials, yet he hopes to lessen her burden and earn more of her time.

The questioning gaze in her eyes are apparent, blinking green orbs flashing like the lights of life itself. He squeezes her hands gently and she smiles at him comfortingly.

They aren't dating, oddly, but he knows her feelings all too well. Ironically, she happens to be the only one unaware of them.

It's been many months since they had reunited with the span of five years having greatly influenced their growth. Within those months, they grew closer than they could ever imagine.

She isn't that much taller from when they had been in school, remaining petite in his eyes, if not smaller. Then again, he did grow just a bit more and being a male made their builds clearly different. He remained much the same, except his hair had grown out through the years, his build lean but solid through years of honing his swordsmanship, and his face and eyes are sharper than before.

Her face is slimmer, a sign of womanhood, but every time she smiles he can see the child in her. Her eyes glitter when she is amused and burn when she is angered. He had once seen her cry and still thought them beautiful as her eyes glassed over. No matter what reason, he was clearly drawn to her.

When had he fallen so hard for the lass he wonders?

Ungrudging, he admits only to himself that she indeed sparked his interest near the end of their school year, but he brushed it off as just a curious thought.

Who knew they would meet again in the thick of a forest as time ticked down calling forth the moon and dark skies?

Being stuck in a ditch with her was a terrible experience, but he would never wish to undo it.

So here they are now, in her small potion shop located just off the outskirts of the big city. He had done some traveling after leaving the Valendorf mansion to seek out a new purpose in life. On it, he stumbled upon her humble store and ended up helping her with a few gatherings only to fall into a pit and for her. He's been here for a while now, helping her shop in exchange for her letting him stay in her extra room.

Whose fault that they fell, he would say would be hers, but she would beg to differ. In the end, he didn't mind because to him, the answer had a double meaning, so he was still correct.

He smiles to himself as he secretly reminisces about their reunion, him holding her hand just like now, except this time instead of being in a ditch and just comforting her, he pulls her away from her kitchen with other plans in store.

"Take the day off," he says gently with a little smile upon his face. "I'll even treat you."

Before she could even say 'but', he tugs her towards her room and lightly pushes her in.

"Don't worry about the work, I'll help you tomorrow."

She looks at him slightly confused, but accepts his genuine offer.

"Okay, but it's gonna take a really long time to get it all done, maybe even a few days. Still up to it?"

She teases.

He pretends to be hurt. "You think a little bit of potion making is gonna scare me away? I've handled much worse, should I remind you?"

She turns away and huffs. "No need! I just want you to be sure that you can dedicate all your efforts to it!"

'To you', he thinks inwardly and just smiles. Goddess, when did he become such a romantic?

"I can and will. You want to promise on that?"

She turns her head towards him and scowls, believing he is treating her like a child. Only he and the Goddess knows how far off her thoughts are.

But he believes that in time, in a very short time that is coming pretty darn soon that she will realize his real intentions.

She shakes her head.

"No need," she says again, this time referring to the promise. "It's just important to me that you do. It's a big project, one that can decide the rest of my life."

And indeed it will. The offer she received would skyrocket her store's reputation and give her much more publicity. Being on the outskirts made it hard to gather customers, but if she can fulfill her order, then people from all over would come by, she hoped.

She couldn't do it alone though.

She may never have received the offer in the first place if he hadn't been there.

His timing had been perfect.

If he hadn't been by her side through the last few months, her shop may have already closed down. With his swordsmanship, he protected her during their gatherings and since he is also an alchemist, they fulfilled requests with double the speed.

She's extremely grateful and wonders if he knows.

She hopes that some day, some time soon, she could offer him something just as wonderful as his support.

And maybe more.

"I know," he responds. "That's why I'm helping you. We won't fail."

With that, she gains a bit more confidence. She appreciates him a lot, but hasn't quite figured out how to show him yet.

"We do make a great team don't we?"

He nods, "I'd say we're the perfect match."

He's too far for her to punch him. Teasingly. So instead she just laughs and throws a random object at him in which he dodges.

"Wait a little," she says smiling at him affectionately, "I'll be there soon."

He nods and walks back out to her living room and waits for her to finish changing.

He chuckles to himself thinking about their conversation and how it really was full of double meanings.

He doesn't mind waiting because he knows the outcome.

She's almost ready.

They'll be together soon.

And might he add…

Always.

A/N: I'm such a sucker for this pair. I really don't write enough romance for the two which is sad enough to make scream in frustration. Since my longer fics focus on slower developments, the only time I can really post anything with even an ounce of romance is here in "The Hearts Record".

Anyway, let me know how you guys like this one.