Ever since that night, the pair would often exhibit displays of affections to one another—quite often with a peck on the forehead or cheeks, placing their hand over the other's, and most recently, snaking their arms around the latter's waist and inhaling their natural scent (For Estelle's case, smelling Yuri's lavender smell would automatically make her drowsy).

Slowly and surely, the intimacy between them was turning into the general norm.

And by the third day, Yuri and Estelle were getting quite comfortable with each other…then again, there were times when the dark-haired man would surprise his partner with a kiss on the neck or take her into his arms and spin her around before dipping her down to steal another kiss on her lips—such actions made the poor woman feel wholesome inside, though at the same time, secretly wished to step up her game as she wanted to be as daring as him.

Such a thought caused Estelle to wonder about Yuri's experience with relationships. From the looks of it, it seemed rather natural for him to initiate such intimate gestures and actions around her as if he'd been doing that for so long. Because of this, it made the pink-haired woman begin to ponder and think if he had other lovers before her…the image of him with another man or woman getting close and sharing a kiss together made her feel insecure about herself.

Once more, Estelle was in conflict with herself—questioning whether she was worthy to be around Yuri and if he'd want her to be a part of his life just like how she willingly welcomed him into hers.

Shaking her head, she inhaled a deep breath.

"No, I trust him…" She uttered lowly under her breath as she sat alone on her bed one night, pondering over her thoughts.

Knowing how the dark-haired man operates, it would take a good while for him to start opening up to her about his inner thoughts, feelings, fears, and his past. For now, she liked where they were—enjoying the other's company and having fun.

"If he's ready to tell me," She told herself, collecting her hands together as she closed her eyes, "Then I'll be there to listen,"

After lunch, the two headed for the living room settled down on the edge of the same couch and sat across from each other, their legs somewhat tangled together.

With a book resting in her hands, Estelle snuck a peek at the latter who seemed to be preoccupied with his hands. Taking notice of his displeased expression, she spoke up, "Everything alright, Yuri?"

Hearing his name being called, the dark-haired man turned to face her and forced a grin. "Yeah," He assured her, followed by a light chuckle. "Just wondering what to do about the upcoming party,"

Estelle blinked. "…Party?"

Upon realizing what he had said, Yuri abruptly sat upright and locked eyes with her. "Yeah, did you receive a notice about the company celebration?" He saw her shake her head and sighed. "Well, it's stationed at Tokyo," He began to explain as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"How many days?" Estelle pressed on.

Yuri pursed his lips. "Usually, about one night," He went on, "But I was thinking about going there early…you know, to check out the sights,"

Estelle tipped her head to the side. "Judith and Raven live in Japan, right?"

Again, the dark-haired man nodded. "Yeah, and they agreed to house us during our stay. The boys go with the old man and the girls go with Judy,"

The implication of her friends caused the pink-haired woman to slightly widen her eyes. "Does this mean that everyone else is going?"

Yuri produced a grin. "Most of them, yeah," He confirmed, "Flynn texted me the other day, something about chaperoning Karol, Rita, and Patty since the four of them are coming from Canada. And since Judy and Raven are already at Japan, I thought maybe you'll want to go there together with me," Moving his head toward her general direction, he gave her a wink. "Whaddaya say? You and me, together, going to Tokyo for a once-in-a-lifetime party?"

At a loss for words, Estelle bit her lower lip.

Silence filled the air.

Once she was able to compose herself, she spoke up again, "I'll have to talk it over with Ioder first," She explained, lowering her book and setting it down on her lap. "Would that be okay with you?"

Yuri smiled. "'Course," He answered, leaning forward to gently tug a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "Let me know when you're ready and I'll start buying tickets,"

Ignoring the burning sensation on her cheeks, Estelle suddenly cried, "How about I call him right now?" When she received a nod from the latter, she quickly excused herself and headed for the staircase that would lead her to her loft, all the while keeping the book close to her chest.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem to catch the sight of Yuri who widened his grin as he watched her disappear from his view.

Placing her book on her mattress, Estelle stood still for a minute as she studied her surroundings. It wasn't long before she found her phone which happened to be on the surface of her wooden drawer. Seizing the small device and inserting her passcode, she quickly tapped on the green phone app and pressed favorites which automatically displayed about ten numbers.

As soon as she caught sight of her cousin's name, Estelle pressed the dial button before pressing her phone close to her ear. After a few more rings, the other line picked up.

"Hello?"

"Ioder!" Estelle cried, delighted to hear his voice once more.

The blonde laughed. "Afternoon, Estellise," He greeted her with his usual easy-going demeanor, "What's new?"

Estelle opened her mouth to say something, only to stop herself. Ruminating through her thoughts, she tried to carefully choose the right words to say to him.

Worried, Ioder called out her name.

"I'm still here," She assured him, which earned her a sigh of relief from the other line, "I called you because I wanted to ask a favor,"

"A favor?"

Estelle nodded. "Yes, and well, it's going to sound rather strange but…" She trailed off, her face somewhat flushed as she became reminded of Yuri's words about purchasing tickets and venturing off to Japan together.

"Go for it!"

Estelle flinched, quite surprised to hear those words coming from her cousin. "Wait, what?"

"I said go for it!" Ioder repeated, this time with his voice raised.

Gripping her phone tightly and keeping it close to the shell of her ear, Estelle continued with, "But I didn't even tell you what it is,"

"It's about the company party in Tokyo, right?" Ioder asked with a delightful tone. When he received a soft-spoken, "yeah, that's the one," from the female, he grinned brightly. "Then what are you waiting for? Go, go!"

Estelle rolled her eyes. "Ioder, you're missing the point here," She replied back, sounding stern, "I can't keep going overseas. What happens if I come back and get evicted from my apartment?"

"Dear cousin, no need to fret," The blonde assured to her, "I'm planning not to attend the ceremony anyway. Besides, I have a spare key to your place. Which means that I'll probably drop by and check in, get your mail, and tidy up."

The pink-haired woman's eyes widened.

Before she could protest, the latter beat her to it.

"Seriously, there's no need to worry," Ioder reassured her, his voice becoming softer. Despite his lack of presence, Estelle could imagine her cousin giving her the usual neutral-looking expression that he was known for wearing. "We both know how much you want to go and meet your friends. And I'm confident that Yuri would take good care of you,"

Estelle remained quiet, allowing her cousin to continue with his speech as she intently listened.

"Besides, you've bought presents for each of them, right?" Ioder added in, "Your money would only go to waste if you don't give it to any of them. So, use that excuse to your advantage,"

All Estelle could do was emit a light giggle.

"Ioder," She began, motioning her head to face another framed picture situated on her bedside table—which displayed the two of them as children, smiling together with their respective parents behind them. At the sight of the picture, her eyes softened. "You really don't have to do this,"

"I know," He replied back and she could tell from the way how he said those words that he was probably turning his head to take a good look at the same picture that she possessed, "But I made a promise to Aunt and Uncle that I would take care of you. Even though you're a bit older than me by a few months, I still want to do this," There was a brief pause on his part. "And I love you, you know? We both don't have any siblings but to me, you're the closest thing that I could ever have as a sister…and I know that this is going to sound cliché, but Estellise…I want to see you happy,"

Registering his words, the pink-haired woman swallowed her saliva thickly. "Ioder…" Her ears picked up the sound of his trademark laughter and that alone made her feel warm inside.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is," He continued before clearing his throat, "Go to the party with Yuri. Have a safe trip to Tokyo, make up for lost time with your friends—and lead the life that you want. We've got only one, you know, so be sure to make it worth it,"

"I will," Estelle agreed, trying her best not to tear up right then and there, "I promise to take some pictures and send them to you,"

Ioder laughed earnestly. "Looking forward to that,"

After bidding farewell to each other, Estelle lowered her phone and clicked the red button on the screen, ending their call. She remained in silence for a few more minutes as her eyes were focused in on the wallpaper of her phone—it was of her, surrounded by her friends with a certain blonde haired cousin of hers standing next to her with a dumb grin on his face.

Her lips curved upwards. "Tokyo, it is,"

Thanks to Ioder, the anticipated trip to go to Tokyo was officially established.

After much discussion, both Yuri and Estelle agreed to take the first class (to prevent any fans from recognizing either one of them and with the Vesperia project already out in the public for a few weeks, they needed to do everything with extra caution as it was likely that they were going to be recognizable). According to Yuri, the Tales franchise was quite popular in Japan which could imply that the possibility of them getting spotted in public was twice as likely to happen compared to their home regions.

With this in mind, Estelle was determined to disguise herself in the best way possible—though in the end, resorted to simply wearing glasses, a red scarf around her neck and a pink cotton hat over her short pink bob. Once again, she didn't need to put much effort into her disguise as she was a recently recruited actress…while Yuri, on the other hand, was forced to wear a mask over the lower part of his face, thick sunglasses, and clipped his long mane along with the protection of a hood.

Luckily, Estelle was there to accompany him as there were times when they had to pretend that they were a normal couple going on a vacation (then again, there wasn't much to pretend since they were technically in a relationship).

The flight from Heathrow to Narita Airport was long and excruciating. Since they boarded around 5 pm, they would be entering their destination during the time of sunrise—which happens to ironically share a common theme together with the land of the rising sun.

As usual, the pair were seated together, with Estelle closest to the window and Yuri right beside her and in the duration of their time on the plane, Yuri made sure to educate her on about the party that they were going to in three days' time.

"Almost every year, the Tales company would hold a special party in commemoration to the employees and their efforts," He explained while rotating his spoon in his cup of green tea with his dominant left hand. "Most of the time, it's held to celebrate the next installation of their series. In this case, it's Tales of Vesperia—the same project that we're involved with,"

Curious, Estelle threw in a question. "Does this mean that other representatives from the Tales adaptations would be present as well?" When she received a nod of confirmation, her seafoam eyes sparkled. "Oh my goodness! Does that mean I get to meet Guy Cecil, Mystearica Aura Fende, Luke and Asch Fon Fabre from the Abyss?"

Yuri grinned. "That's what I heard at least," He couldn't help but laugh when he saw his girlfriend cover her mouth as she tried not to scream with excitement. "By the way, did you packed your books?"

Estelle nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I was planning to read them during my spare time," She explained, her features somewhat flushed. And then a thought occurred to her. Her eyes slowly widened as she said, "Wait, are you saying that…"

"Be sure to bring them with you to the party," Yuri instructed her, followed by another wink. "There's a chance that you might receive their autographs,"

His words were music to her ears.

"I'm so glad that we're going!" Estelle exclaimed, giggling to herself. Once she managed to compose herself, she leaned back against her seat and released an exasperated sigh. "Celebrities I want to meet and a reunion with friends…I can't believe that this is happening,"

"Want me to pinch you?" Yuri offered.

Estelle turned to glance at him and nodded firmly. "Yes, please!" And leaned in to close her eyes, her hands shaped into fists as she prepared for what was about to come. She waited for a few minutes and yet nothing was happening. Growing restless, she cracked one eye open—startled to discover that the latter was already leaning in with an unreadable expression and with his hand lightly brushing along her right cheek, surprised her with a soft kiss on the lips.

The taste of green tea and coffee invaded her mouth, making her head spin.

A minute later and they broke away from each other, eyes slowly fluttering open to gaze at one another with intensity.

"Do you still think you're dreaming?" Yuri asked her, pressing their foreheads together and inhaling her sweet scent.

Blushing furiously, Estelle shook her head. "It's definitely not a dream," She whispered, veering downwards to look at the armrest that separated their seats. "But if it is, I don't want to wake up from it,"

To her surprise, Yuri agreed along with her and just like that, the pair shared another loving kiss, though made sure not to exert too much pressure in fear that if they did, chances of them making out would likely occur.

Once that was over, the two continued on with their usual private conversations.

"When do you think would be the best time to tell everyone about us?" Estelle inquired him as she motioned her head to glance over at the oval-shaped window beside her with their hands intertwined together.

"I don't know," Yuri expressed, rubbing his thumb over the surface of her hand, "I personally like the secrecy of our relationship. Makes it feel a bit exciting, you know?"

Turning to face him, Estelle puffed her cheeks. "Yuri!" And hit him lightly on his shoulder.

Even so, Yuri laughed. "I'm kidding," He admitted, "Whatever makes you comfortable, I don't mind. If you need to declare it to the world, I still won't mind—I'm pretty much cool with anything. Just don't lose yourself into fame, okay?" As he delivered those words, Estelle noticed his pained expression—it was quick and brief but she saw it. "Stay humble and be yourself. I wouldn't know what to do if you start doing unspeakable things for the sake of popularity and money-grabbing…"

A moment of silence ensued.

"…I won't," Estelle finally spoke, earning the dark-haired man's attention. "So long as you and our friends are with me, I promise to not stray away or become consumed with greed or selfishness," With ignited vigor in her eyes, she continued, "And I'll do my best to stay true to myself,"

Yuri stayed quiet as he listened to her declaration. Slowly, he produced a grin. "Now that's what I like to hear," And reached out to take a hold of her hand and squeezed it fiercely. "Then I'll do the same on my end too,"

Estelle beamed. "Here's to the road ahead?" She suggested, which earned her a light chuckle from her boyfriend. "What? Isn't that what our characters would say to each other if they want to continue their journey?" Deep down, the statement felt right to say. And when she peered up to look at the dark-haired man, she couldn't help but smile when she saw him stare back at her with softened eyes.

"To the road ahead then," He agreed, shaking their hands together in a firm grip.

A few hours have gone by and their trip eventually came to a satisfying conclusion—at long last, they've finally at Narita International Airport.

"We made it!" Estelle exclaimed, smiling away as she pulled her pink luggage forward. With her other hand, she secured her hold on her boyfriend who keenly observed her from behind. As they exited out of the long, winding hallways and entered a large room with people holding large posters, the pair searched around for their own.

Upon sighting a familiar figure, Estelle quickened her pace with Yuri following after her.

"Raven!" She greeted the older man who approached them. Overwhelmed with emotions, she tackled him, causing the latter to stumble backward and drop the large poster in his hands.

Regaining his computer, Raven lowered his chin and chuckled. "Nice ta see ya darling," He expressed, returning the gesture while patting the top of her head. From the corner of his eye, he took notice of Yuri who slightly crouched on his knees to retrieve the large paper.

"Nice to see that you're putting this to good use," Yuri began, referring to the four-shaped star inscribed on the poster, a clear reference to the fictional guild—Brave Vesperia.

After breaking his hug with the pink-haired woman, Raven shrugged. "Karol and Patty recommended it," He explained, accepting the large paper from the latter, "Thought that it'll speed the process, ya know?"

Yuri nodded. "Well, it did," He confirmed, setting a hand on his hip as he sighed. "By the way, Estelle, how'd you recognized Raven if he's in disguise?"

Blinking, Estelle smiled. "Oh, well…" She trailed off, bringing her hands behind her back, "I remember him once telling me how he enjoys wearing a fedora hat, just like what he's doing right now,"

Touched by her words, Raven sniffed. "You know me so well,"

Meanwhile, Yuri rolled his eyes. He averted his attention to his girlfriend who looked back at him with a bright smile of her own. Feeling at ease, he turned back to the older man and said, "Anyway, it's nice to see you in good spirits, old man,"

"How about a hug, eh?" Raven suggested, already spreading his arms wide and urging the other male to do the same. "Come on now, don't be shy!"

Frowning, Yuri shook his head. "I'll pass," He grumbled, using his other hand to rake through his long mane.

Hearing this, Raven groaned, though was quick to recover. "That's too bad," He muttered, turning his head to glance over to the woman in their group and grinned mischievously. "Well, least I got a big old hug from the lady," And flashed a suggestive wink, causing the latter to turn red.

The second he finished his sentence, another person came in.

"Oh, what have we here?"

"Judith!" Estelle exclaimed as she identified one of her best friends right away and once more, tackled her with glee.

The female model chuckled, patting her on the head. "Nice to see you, Estelle," And then peered up to find the dark-haired standing nearby. She watched him perform a wave at her general direction and nodded in acknowledgment, along with a pleasant smile crinkling her lips.

"Glad to see that you both made it safely," Judith began as she broke away from the pink-haired woman's tight hold on her. "Flynn and the others are already here by the way,"

Yuri arched an eyebrow. "You don't say?"

"Right now, they're lounging at my place," Raven explained, bringing his arms behind his head as he swayed from side to side. "You know, even the pooch is here,"

At the mention of the canine, both Yuri and Estelle widened their eyes.

"Repede's here?" Estelle cried aloud, surprised and delighted to hear the news.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Yuri began, suddenly growing impatient. "Let's get going,"

Gathering their belongings, the four adults maneuvered through the busy crowds, at the same time, making sure not to be

"Is the airport always like this here?" Estelle asked, stepping back as she allowed a mother and child to go pass by before resuming forward.

"Not always," Judith commented as she too pulled the pink luggage for support. "Then again, I recall the Director stating that the other representatives of the Tales franchise are coming from all over the world,"

Hearing this, Raven chuckled. "Good thing we're in disguise, huh?" He commented, jogging after them.

Yuri rolled his eyes. "You could say that again," He grumbled as he led the way for his group. "I hear that the Legendia team are having difficulties since one of them is about to start military training in the Mediterranean,"

"Symphonia and Destiny are already here," Raven added in, "Though I'm not too sure if Phantasia would come,"

"Cless is technically the face of the entire Tales company," Yuri pointed out, narrowing his eyes, "He and his team should be there, lest the Director wants to change it up a bit and give that title to someone else,"

"Heard from the boss that you and Lloyd are one of the possible candidates," Raven chimed in, wiggling his eyebrows while making sure to keep pace with the other male's surprisingly swift stride, "Come ta think of it, with how popular you are, I bet you've already won,"

The dark-haired man clenched his teeth. "Don't jinx it, Raven…"

While the two continued to converse privately, the females made sure to follow after them.

"You are going to love Japan, Estelle," Judith replied, "There are plenty of things to explore here and see and now that you are here, I hope to bring you, Rita, and Patty along for a bit of a joyride sometime tomorrow afternoon," Turning her head to glance at her pink-haired friend, she couldn't help but widen her smile as she caught sight of the latter's twinkling eyes.

"You mean it?"

When Judith nodded her head to approve this, Estelle's face glowed like the star she was named after.

Shortly after packing their belongings into the light blue Honda car which Judith fondly calls, 'Ba'ul'—it was off to Naka-Meguro to meet the others. The ride was fifteen minutes long and roaming through the busy streets, the four friends finally made it to the residential district where they were surprised to discover some of their friends waiting for them outside a two-story wooden building with another poster, similar to the one that Raven used to get Yuri and Estelle's attention at the airport.

As Judith parked her car toward the driveway, she pressed her foot against the middle pedal to trigger the brake. Eventually, the vehicle abruptly stopped and everything was still.

"We're here," She declared, removing her seatbelt and opening the door on her right side.

Afterward, Raven and Yuri followed her example and exited out as well with Estelle emerging out shortly after.

Once they stepped into the outside world, a rambunctious series of squeals and outbursts erupted in all directions. Before they could comprehend what was going on, Karol and Patty ran toward them.

"Yuri!"

"Estelle!"

Filled with joy, the two youngsters ran over to the dark-haired man first, welcoming him with a hug and then proceeding to mimic the same gesture to his girlfriend.

"Karol, Patty!" Estelle greeted as she welcomed them into her arms and giggled when they tackled her in the process, "I'm so happy to see you guys!" From the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar small mage nearby. Her eyes widened. "Oh my goodness, Rita!"

Flinching in her spot, Rita blushed. "What took you so long?" She exclaimed, walking over to them, only to get pulled into their group hug. "Woah, stop!"

From afar, Yuri keenly observed them with a grin on his face. Turning around, he faced his childhood friend and greeted him with a fist to which the latter reciprocated the gesture.

"The gang's back together, huh?" He commented, pulling the strap of his duffel bag closer to his chest.

Flynn chuckled. "I believe so," He then jerked his chin to the right, "And by the way, Aunt Lily insisted that I brought Repede along for the trip,"

Yuri nodded as he lowered his gaze to pay attention to the blue dog in front of him. "What's up, Repede?" And extended his arm outward to scratch the canine's crown.

Repede wailed, leaning forward to stick out his tongue and lick his owner's cheeks.

Unfazed by this, Yuri laughed.

"Alright, everyone!" Flynn cried, clapping his hands a few times to gain every single individual's attention. "Let's continue the celebration inside!"

"Yeah!" Both Karol and Patty agreed and just like that, rushed off to the entrance of the house with Repede chasing after them.

Judith and Rita assisted their best friend out with her pink luggage and other small boxes while Raven, Flynn, and Yuri went on ahead of them.

Veering her eyes from the building in front of them, then to her familiar figures of her friends, Estelle couldn't help but broaden her smile.

After three weeks of separation, they were finally reunited.

And that concludes chapter 10 of this fanfic!

Hello, everyone! This is Kroissant!

YES, WE ARE OFFICIALLY IN TOKYO, JAPAN AND ARE FINALLY REUNITED WITH EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF BRAVE VESPERIA (AND FLYNN).

Now that we are here, there are bound to be cameos from other representatives of previous Tales games (examples like Phantasia, Symphonia, Abyss, and Legendia that are mentioned)

Also, this is where the test of Yustelle's relationship begins-especially now that they are Japan as it just so happens to be a lot more fans of Tales compared to that in other western countries.

Quick update-I've been pondering for a while now and realized that the Valentines Day prompt is out of season which means that I'm left with no choice but to cancel it entirely (however, in replacement of this, next weekend-I will be releasing a one-shot to make it up)

Speaking of the weekends, that will be my new schedule: every weekend, I will be posting new chapters for SoSN, checkmate and other one-shots/spinoffs. Once again, the spinoff date is still in the works and am waiting for the right time to begin writing.

That's all for now and it's wonderful to be back writing SoSN! Also, thanks to the extensive practice I've done with Father and Son, my writing and timing has vastly improved since then so please look forward to more chapters every weekend!

That's all for now, thank you, everyone!

As always, please leave kudos in the Ao3 community and comments! I'm always eager to listen to your opinions and your open criticisms!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!