Author's Notes:

What is up guys? Sorry for posting at 1 am last night, life decided that posting during the day was lame. Anyway, I think the next few chapters will be more relaxed. One may contain a lemon, although I'm not particularly eager to write one (cause it'll be absolute sh*t). Anyway, thanks for reading guys! Enjoy chapter 16!

Chapter 16: The Lover's Vacation

The four newly appointed members of Tristanian high command were in Louise's room in the Academy. It had been about one week since their battle with Joseph. They had all healed what wounds they had and were preparing to leave on their holiday. They had decided to stay on Saito's land by the beach. Henrietta had informed them that there was a mansion a few hundred yards from the coast that would be their main place of residence.

Saito put on his clothes, exactly the same ones as he would have worn in his wedding, over which he wore his white cloak that Henrietta gave him. Alexandre, who much to Saito's annoyance began to mimic him, wore similar clothes that were dark blue and had silver highlights. Shion wore a long, sleeveless, purple dress. It was fastened around her rather flat chest, leaving her shoulders bare. She also wore a pair of long, silver gloves. Her long hair, which as usually tied by a rubber band, was now let free, running down the length of her back to her knees.

Louise wore a similar dress. It was light pink, matching her distinct eyes and hair, which was tied by a single red band. Two bangs of hair framed her face. She too wore long white gloves, just like Shion's.

Saito and Alex stared in awe at them, making them feel quite uncomfortable. After a few moments, they snapped out of it.

"You look beautiful…" They both said at once.

"It's rude to stare." Louise said, blushing.

"Right, right. Sorry." Alex said. "Ready to go?"

Shion and Louise nodded. Saito and Alex held their hands and led them outside. Students cheered them on their way to the carriage they were going to use. They smiled and waved until they finally reached their carriage, they were relieved to finally be alone. The journey to the coast would take several hours, so they had packed a little food with them.

"Finally we're alone." Saito said, relieved. They all slouched down in their chairs.

"Hey, Saito." Alex whispered. "Did you remember to carry the ring?"

Saito nodded. "Yeah. I'd never forget. It's in my pocket."

"What are you two whispering about?" Louise asked.

Saito and Alex immediately stopped whispering and laughed in nervousness. "Nothing!" they both said.

Louise and Shion knew they were lying. They spent the next several hours borderline torturing them for information until eventually, they fell asleep.

Bruised and battered, Saito and Alex watched them sleep.

"They really are a handful, huh?" Alex said, stroking Shion's long silver hair.

"Yeah." Saito replied, looking at Louise's slightly pink face. "It's completely worth it though."

Alex smiled, agreeing with Saito. They sat held the girls and watched them sleep until they finally arrived at Saito's new mansion. It was a large villa surrounded by a variety of flowers and trees. Two large water fountains sat on either side of the building. A marble path lead to the front door of the building. The mansion itself was 5 stories tall and had several windows. It was made of a some kind of white stone and its roof was made of orange tiles. It reminded Saito of a larger version of the Italian mansions he would sometimes see on television or in magazines. Several smaller structures surrounded it, which Saito assumed were storehouses for random materials.

"It's amazing!" Alex said, filled with awe.

Saito was too shocked to reply. They slowly nudged Louise and Shion awake.

"We're here." Saito said quietly. Louise got up and looked outside. Her eyes widened when she saw the beautiful villa in front of her. Saito smiled when he saw her happy reaction.

"We're going to live here, Saito?" She said in disbelief.

Saito nodded. "This is our home, Louise."

He kissed her cheek and helped her out of the carriage. Alex lifted Shion off of the chair and carried her outside. As they walked on the path towards the door, a dozen maids came out of the house and bowed towards them.

"Welcome, Duc de la Hiraga. We have prepared this residence for your arrival." Said one of the maids. Saito thought he recognized her, and soon realized that it was Siesta.

"Siesta, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Queen Henrietta selected maids around the country based on how well they performed. I was chosen to come and serve you in your new territory." She said.

"Right, she doesn't like me. This is a new world." Saito thought to himself.

"Hey, you and the other maids are free to go and do as you please. We can take care of ourselves." Alex said.

Siesta bowed. "As you wish, Lord Alexandre." She and the other maids departed the estate. There were a few houses in the distance that Saito identified as the maid's houses. The four lords walked into the mansion. The inside was very lavish. The floors were made of a light colored wood. The furnishings were extremely expensive and looked very comfortable. Everything was pristine, since Siesta and the other maids had cleaned everything before Saito and his friends arrived.

They went to the back of the house, where there was a patio overlooking the sea.

"It's beautiful!" Shion said in awe.

"Let's go to the beach!" Louise said.

She and Shion ran to one of the bedrooms to change into their swimsuits, leaving Saito and Alex to look at the scenery.

"This will be the perfect place for you to ask her." Alex said, smiling at Saito.

"Yeah." Saito replied, looking at the ring he would give Louise tonight. He wanted to propose to her on the first day they arrived so that the anxiety he had inside of him would disappear as soon as possible.

"I'm here for you. You can do it." Alex said, patting Saito's shoulder.

Saito took a deep breath. "Thanks, Alex. We should probably change into our swimsuits."

Alex nodded and they left the room to change. Being men, their swimming outfits only consisted of simple pairs of shorts. As they changed thought more about Alex.

"Hey Alex," Saito began. "How old are you exactly?"

Alex looked at his fingers, counting. "I'm not sure exactly. I lost count a few years back." He said, laughing.

"Can you at least give me an estimate?" Saito asked, feeling slightly disappointed.

"An estimate huh? Well, I'd say that I'm getting pretty close to 400." He said casually, as if nothing was wrong with that statement.

Satio nearly fell down with shock. "You?! Four hundred years old?! How?!" Saito asked. He thought Alex was messing with him.

"Well, as long as I'm not killed by some massive injury, I suppose I'm immortal." He said, smiling.

"Then how do you look so young?!" Saito asked.

"I dunno." Alex replied, as if holding a normal conversation. "I don't really care. I'm alive, that's what matters."

Saito was in disbelief. How could someone who acted like him be so old?

"Are you even human?" Saito asked, somewhat afraid of Alex now.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, of course. There aren't that many people like me, and I have no idea where I came from or why I've lived so long, not that I care at this point. The only other people who live close to this long are the elves, and even they tend to tap out at 300. So I'm pretty happy anyway."

"Does Shion know that you'll outlive her?" Saito asked with concern in his voice.

"Well, that's the thing. I think she could be like me. She's definitely young, probably just as old as Louise, but there is something different about her." Alex said, thoughtfully. He remained silent for several moments, then returned to his child-like self. "Anyway, we're here on vacation! Let's go to the beach, I'm sure the girls are waiting for us."

He jumped up and ran as fast as he could down to the beach, arriving there in a few seconds. Saito, still in shock, started walking down to the beach. He kept reminding himself of Alex's age. When he finally arrived at the beach, those thoughts were washed away when he saw Louise. She wore a bright red, two piece swimsuit. It was simple but, to Saito, quite cute.

Alex was already chasing Shion around the beach, trying to hug her. She wore a frilled, 2 piece, purple swimsuit. Deciding to have fun as well, Saito ran after Louise, chasing her into the water. They played a variety of games for several hours. From making sand castles, to digging each other into the sand, they had fun until the sun began lowering into the sky. At this point, Saito decided to make supper for them.

He jumped into the water and remained submerged for several minutes. Finally, he emerged from beneath the surface, holding 4 large fish in his hands.

"I'm going to make supper guys! You can stay here while I cook." Saito said. Although he was generally average at everything before coming to Halkeginia, he was an extremely good cook, courtesy of his mother. He ran up to their villa and began to make his dish, leaving the other three around a campfire they had made.

"So Alex," Louise began, "where are you from?"

Alex leaned back on his arms. "Well, I don't know. My memory of my younger days is a little hazy, so I don't remember anything, really." He explained.

"Do you at least remember your family?" Louise asked.

"Oh yeah, of course." Alex said, "I could never forget them, even if I try."

"What do you mean? Why do you want to forget them?" Shion asked.

"They died a long time ago, so I don't like to think about it." Alex replied. "It doesn't matter now anyway. Soon enough, I'll have a new family to look after, right Shion?" Alex said, holding Shion's hand.

She blushed and looked away. "Not soon! But…maybe someday." She said, slightly smiling at the thought. As she became lost in her own thoughts of future motherhood, Alex turned his attention to Louise.

"What about you and Saito?" He asked.

Louise became a bright shade of red. She shook her head at the question. "He doesn't look like the kind of guy who'd want children! Besides, we're not even married!"

Alex laughed at her. He then looked into the campfire. "I have a feeling that might change soon." He said, smiling.

Before Louise could retort, Saito came back from the house. He was carrying 4 large silver platters.

"Sorry I took so long! I wanted the food to be perfect!" He said as he laid the platters in front of each of his friends. He eagerly waited for them to critique his food. Alex took his first bite. His eyes immediately lit up as the taste of fish and rice landed on his tongue. Saito didn't need Alex to say what he thought of the food, as he was eating it voraciously. They sat down and ate their food happily, telling each other stories as they did.

By the time they had finished, the sun was nearing the horizon. Alex stood up and stretched, his belly round from the food he'd eaten.

"Compliments to the chef!" He said, barely able to bow at Saito.

"Alex and I will take the dishes to the house." Shion said. "You deserve to relax after making a meal like that."

Alex didn't seem to like the idea, but was forced to comply. He and Shion left the beach to go and put the platters in the house. As he walked up the path to the mansion, he turned around to look at the sun. It was getting closer and closer to the horizon.

"This is the perfect moment." He thought to himself as he turned around and kept walking.

Back at the beach, Saito and Louise were staring at the sun setting. Louise was leaning her head on Saito's shoulder. He felt extremely nervous. He knew deep down that this was probably the best moment to propose to her, but he suddenly didn't have the confidence to do it.

"What's wrong, Saito?" Louise asked. She could see nervousness written on his face.

Saito took a deep breath. He stood up, looking at the sun beginning to set over the ocean. Louise stood up and looked at him, waiting for him to answer her question.

"How do you feel about me?" Saito suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?" Louise responded, feeling rather confused.

"In your heart, how do you feel about me?" Saito said, still watching the sun.

"I love you with all of my heart. Why would you ask? Are you jealous of Alex?" She said, slightly irritated.

"No, not at all. I'm just wondering how much you're willing to put up with me." He said.

Louise was bewildered by his questions. "I'll put up with you as much as I have to. I'll do it forever if I have to, as long as you remain with me." She said, slightly blushing.

"Forever, huh?" Saito said. "That works out perfectly then."

Much to Louise's surprise, he suddenly knelt down in front of her. He pulled a small box from underneath a small pile of sand he had made earlier. When he opened it, there was the ring that he had shown Alex. Its gem was glistening brilliantly in the sun's orange light.

"What are you doing, Saito?" Louise asked. She was rather slow catching on.

"Louise, will you marry me?" Saito asked without a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Louise's eyes widened. "Me?"

Saito nodded with determination in his eyes. "It has to be you." He said.

Tears began to fill Louise's eyes. "Yes! Yes!" She said, happily.

She hugged him to the ground, laughing with an immense amount of joy. When she finally pulled away, Saito held her hand. He slowly slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Louise looked at it in admiration for several minutes. She then turned her attention to Saito, looking into his eyes.

At this moment, Shion and Alex were walking back to the house. When they were halfway down the path, Alex stopped. Shion looked at him in confusion.

"What's wrong, Alexandre?" She asked.

He said nothing and instead pointed at something. With only half of the sun visible over the horizon, Saito and Louise kissed. Shion spotted the ring on Louise's finger, realizing what had happened. She smiled at the beautiful sight in front of her. Saito and Louise stayed kissing for a long time before pulling apart.

"Thank you for coming into my life." Saito said.

"And thank you for coming into mine." Louise replied.

Their moment was somewhat interrupted by Alex and Shion. Alex ran and hugged Saito, throwing him to the ground. Shion peppered Louise with questions about her impending wedding. As the sun finally set, they all decided to go back inside the house.

Alex and Shion went up the path first, with the newly engaged couple not far behind, holding hands.

Author's Notes:

I'm sorry for posting this chapter late AGAIN. I don't really want to explain myself right now, just know that life can be a real pain sometimes. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Louise and Saito are engaged! Happy day! As always, I'll see you guys next time!