9 MAY 18

Added a little more here and the flashback!

"My back is starting to kill me, you know that? I guess that's what happens when you been sleeping on the ground for a week…" Marco was having some lunch with Asuka's headstone as the bright blue sky was over him.

"The town people have been nice to me… they always ask me to have dinner with them and stay the night… I kindly turn down the offer, but they still give me food and some really good wine!" He shows her the bottle with a a big smile, then it falls as fast as it formed realizing she couldn't say anything back. Things have been pretty rough for him, Ryoko left after telling him goodbye heading back to the rest of the unit.

Flashback

"It's been an honor to serve you Reaper…" Ryoko places her hand on his shoulder.

…

"Thank you Captain… it's been my pleasure." Her hand slowly runs down his arm stopping at the elbow.

"What will you do now… Sir?" This couldn't be the last time she seen him… not like this.

"Not sure… go back to the men, they need you more…" Reaper placed his hand on top of her's and gave a smile.

"I'll see you one day, mark my words!" Ryoko wanted to believe him, the smile was soft and warm. The eyes were dead and cold, maybe he would keep his word?

"You better Sir!" Now placing a kiss on his cheek as she walks away to mount a horse.

The Commander gives her a little wave and then looks back to the headstone with his head hanging low, "Goodbye… Ryoko."

The Jinko let's one more tear fall before she rides off down the trail.

Flashback Over

He hasn't found it in him to leave Asuka yet, "You know, there's a rumor going around that you're my wife… that would have been something…?" He starts to laugh then hears something.

A little bit down the way, a girl falls over trying to spy on him, "OUCH…"

He stands up to find a Jinko girl holding her ankle, "You twisted your ankle, don't move it." Reaper take off his lather backpack and starts to wrap her foot with some supplies.

"You wanted to hear some more stories, didn't you?" The little girl has seen him everyday this week.

She nods her head.

"I'm guessing your other friends got bored with them, but you still want some more?" What else could he tell her, she knew almost everything about him and Asuka.

The little girl nods her head again.

"Didn't I tell you to use your words more?" He finished dressing the wound.

She nods her head, but stops midway, "… sorry…" It came out softly as she looks up to him.

He gives her a small chuckle, "You have a pretty voice, you shouldn't hide it Yuki."

Yuki had been the first person in town to see Marco and Ryoko, she was able to get them a room for the night and was there for every story he told about Asuka. The whole town thought she was a mute, but her mother until she spoke to Reaper.

"Looks like I'll be carrying you home, hop on." He turns his back and then kneels for her to jump on.

"Make yourself useful and grab my bag!" He leans over to help her.

"… k…" Then placing it on her back.

Marco walks over to the headstone, "I'll be back in a few..."

As they leave, Yuki waves, "… bye Asuka…"

The former Major was placed on a small hill that was just outside of town.

"Soooooo… what would you like to know this time about her?" The little girl always made Marco feel better about what has happened. There was something about the way she would smile.

"… some of the people… said she… she was your wife…" Yuki became attached to him after seeing the pain in his eyes.

"That's funny… I was just talking to her about that… we used to be enemies, but always a powerful team together. It had taken a lot of time for us to become friends… I care for her deeply..." Has it been that long already that he knew her?

"… did you want to marry her…?" Why aren't you a nosey little bugger?

"Maybe… I don't know myself, I planned to stay in contact with her after the war… why do you want to know so much about us?" She would ask him anything that would come to mind, more when she was alone with him.

"… she sounds like… a really nice… person…" Yuki squeezed her arms tighter around him.

"I wouldn't use the word nice very much!" He laughs a little even surprising himself.

"… were your eyes… always so black…" It was the first thing she noticed about him when they met.

"No… they're really brown… or use to be..." He spoke with the elder priest that Asuka told him about, the priest offered to cleansed his mind of her memories. He refused it, not wanting to ever forget her.

"… I like the way they look… it scares some of the… other people…" She leans the side of her head on his back listening to his heart beat.

"I don't mean to scare them… it's just hard to not have Asuka kicking my butt all the time!" They laugh together.

"There goes your mother." Marco waves at her.

"Hello Reaper, I see Yuki ran off and hurt herself to find you!" The woman dries her hands off.

"I don't mind the company… it gets lonely up there sometimes…" He rubs the back of his head with a nervous smile.

"Well then, you'll be staying tonight, flies are starting to gather around you!" She holds her nose the closer he gets.

"I don't stink, do I Yuki?" Looking over his shoulder at the little one.

"You smell like a pig pen!" She smiles at him with her eyes closed.

"Glad you're so honest… I'll just wash up and leave if you don't mind." He asked the older woman.

"Nonsense, go take a good long bath, I'll lay out something comfortable for you. Just relax and you can tell Yuki some more stories!" She pulls his arm into the house.

Hour Later

Marco was lying in the tub with hot water all around him and a towel over his face, when the door opens. "I was wondering when you were going to come in, you've been out there the whole time."

"… sorry…" Yuki sits on a chair next to the tub.

"It's okay." They stay there a few minutes not saying a word.

"… why do they call you Reaper… Marco?" She was the only one to ask what his real name was.

"It was my name during the war… I've done a lot of bad things to save a lot more people… let's talk about something else…" Yuki was 11 and didn't need to know about that.

"… okay… how old are you?" Surprised that one didn't come up the last few days.

"Hmmmmm... well if Hekapoo was here, she could tell me? I'm sure I'm 28 now." He kept telling himself every day, that he was ready to see her again, but that day hasn't come yet.

"… can I meet Goddess Hekapoo?" That would be so cool!

"Anything for you, Yuki!" She could probably ask for a kidney right now and he would give it to her.

The little Jinko always loved when he would say her name, "Thank you…"

"Now, do you mind if I finish up in here? I don't know what your mother made, but it smells better than what I've been eating the last few days!" He pulls off the towel to look at her and opens his mouth with his tongue hanging out and pointing a finger at it.

Yuki giggles at him, "She made something really special for you!" Yuki walks to the door and looks back at him... and then she leaves.

"Kids… I wonder if I'll ever be a father?" He wraps things up in the tub and shaves his face. Then walks in the room he'll be staying and put on the clothes waiting for him. Marco makes his way through the house that lead over to the kitchen.

"That was amazing Miss. Valentine… I really did need a hot bath!" He closes his eyes as Reaper stretches his arms over his head. That's when Yuki jumped in for the attack and wrapped her arms around his midsection.

"You're more than welcome to come over whenever you want… and that little girl is crazy about you!" Yuki rubs her face up and down on his stomach.

Marco looked down in shock at the little girl.

"And I told you to call me Faye, Miss. Valentine makes me sound old!" Then turning around so he could get a good view of her rear.

He places his hand on Yuki's head and rubs it, "Okay Faye, she pretty awesome also, I think she just wants me to teach her to sword fight more!"

Yuki looks up to him, "We can practice later… if you don't mind?"

"Anything for you, but let's eat first!" The table was set and they enjoyed the meal together.

Later That Night

"You're getting pretty good at this!" Marco was kneeling beside her giving instructions on the movements.

Yuki looks back at him, "RIGHT!"

The rest of his time there at Blue Heaven, was spent in that house. Visiting Asuka everyday with Yuki and taught her how to fight.

This is mostly filler, but I wanted to go in about those two months. Now we know why he likes the name Yuki so much, that and I think she might have a crush on him…