"Hey. Taki. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Truly…how do you feel about Okudera-senpai?"

Taki paused for a second, mapping out his words carefully in his head. He knew that there was an answer that Mitsuha wanted to hear. Well, at the very least, an answer that would upset her. But he wasn't sure what it was.

"Honestly. Do you want the honest answer? Mitsuha?"

"Yes. It's clearly still bothering you. Is there something I should know?"

"'Something you should know', what are you talking about?"

"DO YOU STILL HAVE FEELINGS FOR HER?"

Despite how confident he was in his love for Mitsuha, it hurt. It hurt to hear his own beloved question his devotion to her. After everything they'd been through. He thought by now there wouldn't be a sliver of doubt between them. So why all of the sudden is this becoming a problem? Again?

"Do…do you hear yourself? You're asking me if I still like Okudera? Even after I've made it evident…time and time again…that I love you with every ounce of my body… that there isn't a chance that I'd abandon you, ever. For any reason. Mitsuha, I'm…"

The words cut too deep, and the emotions were becoming too much. It hurt him. Never mind the fact that he was being reintroduced to such a resented part of his past, it was coming between him and his true love.

"Taki…" Mitsuha, ever regretful about her recent choice of words, started to move her legs. In an effort to charge for him. And apologize to him. But something was stopping her. Guilt? Grief? Maybe it was doubt after all. But he was right. He'd done enough to prove his loyalty to her. Seeing him in this kind of anguish wasn't pleasant. Knowing it was her fault didn't help either.

"Taki, I…I didn't mean…"

For the first time in a month, Taki and Mitsuha had become voluntarily separated. Taki left the apartment in tears, needing fresh air and perhaps a place to think and clear his thoughts. Mitsuha was left powerless, petrified by remorse, and ultimately furious with herself. But the oddest thing is that…the whole reason she asked him in the first place was to try to quell any lingering hostility towards Okudera. She wanted to clear out any negative or resentful thoughts of her, just so he would be happy in the end. Misinterpretation is powerful, and now Taki is beside himself.

Taki…

The past month with Mitsuha felt like the longest of his life. He would've been a liar if he said he didn't enjoy every single second of it. So much had happened, and it felt like years had passed. Yet, as he walked through Tokyo, wandering around aimlessly as he drained out his thoughts, it still felt like yesterday he was living his life with very little purpose. He used to dread weekends since he didn't always have someone to spend it with. In fact, there were times where he was excited to go to work, because he had something to do, and had people to interact with.

And deep down in his heart, nothing changed between him and Mitsuha. He still loved her dearly. There wasn't an ounce within his body that wanted to be away from her for too long. Really, what bothered him so much was the fact that Mitsuha still had concerns. Still wondered whether Taki's heart was really where she thought it was, or where she wanted it to be. But the more he thought about it, the less he questioned it.

He hadn't been the kind of active boyfriend that most others. A lot of what he'd said and done, to and for her, were in response to her own words and actions. The extent of their relationship was "what do you wanna do this weekend". Some grocery shopping, some domestic support, and of course some… extracurricular activities. But at the end of the day, Mitsuha was still a little fragile inside. Witnessing her home town get destroyed by a natural disaster, the turmoil of having no one to turn to in loneliness, she'd been through it too long to shake easily. He came to realize this after a moderate walk outside.

There wasn't any good that would come out of dwelling on the past, having endless discussions, impasses of emotional frustration. They could talk and talk and talk all they wanted, but nothing between them would change. There'd always be doubt between. Albeit a very minor, very weak uncertainty, it'd always stick around in the back of their minds. Nothing would change. Until the ultimate promise was made.

Am I rushing?

It'd been just a few weeks. Most couples go months, even years, before getting married. And a lot of premature marriages fall apart because not all of their differences were settled beforehand.

But. As it'd been stated so many times before. It's been more than a few weeks. It's been years. They knew each other better than they thought. They understood each other, and the life experiences that'd forged them into who they were. And they knew where they wanted to be in 10, 20, 30 years. Or rather, they didn't. Nor did they care. As long as it was with each other.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his beloved was hurting. Grieving, scared, and above all, unsure. She wasn't the only one in this relationship. He has every responsibility to protect her, and keep her happy. She'd done so much for him. Healed his wounds, filled the void, gave him motivation and purpose.

He was ready to make her his forever.

The leftover sandwich from the café was plenty for her for dinner. She wasn't even hungry to begin with. Instead, her appetite was usurped by this overwhelming grief, and an emptiness that she used to be very used to. It wasn't a very good time to get sentimental, but she loved Taki enough. Such that his absence was destroying her. Looking across the dinner table, and not seeing him smiling, and talking about his day. Looking over at his desk, and him not being there browsing the internet or sketching. Looking over at their bed, and it being empty with room for two more. She wanted to believe none of this was actually happening. After all, it was happening so fast. It wasn't even half a day ago when they were hanging out, having lunch in a café with their other friends. It took 7 words. Just a few words. A very quick and succinct argument that lasted not even 5 minutes. And now this feeling of their relationship being in jeopardy started to eat at her.

As she was disposing of parchment paper containing her now-eaten sandwich, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. And when she saw it was Taki, she burst into tears, and fell to her knees. Part of her was exceedingly relieved that it was him, but another one was fearing the worst.

"Taki!"

Mitsuha…I…are you alright?

"I'm fine! I'm just…why…what's wrong?"

Can you meet me at that stair case? Y'know, the one where we-

"I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!" Not even letting him finish his request, Mitsuha bolted out the door and into the city. All he was able to say was 'stair case'. She knew right away where he was talking about, and where to go.

So she ran. And ran. A long way. She wasn't used to running like this. Like she was chasing something. Like the clock was ticking down before…oh. That's right. She had run like this. Just hadn't been for a while. The comet. The one that would eviscerate her home town. The disaster in which she, along with her friends and family, were supposed to perish. Saving Itomori…getting all of its inhabitants to safety…took all of her physical and mental willpower. She expended a lot to save her town-mates. And running through the city gave her the same feeling. Of panic, and hurrying. But this wasn't the lives of 500 people at stake here. No. It was something much, much more important to her.

By the time she made it to the steps, she was out of breath. She made up a few steps before her legs begged her to stop. Hunched over on her knees, gasping for air, she felt a presence come up to her. And this presence took her by the shoulders, raised her up, and wrapped around her, pulling her towards the rest of it. And its warmth enveloped Mitsuha, who found herself in a state of ecstasy.

She wasted no time squeezing Taki as absolute hard as she could.

"I'm not one for sentiments. Are you?"

Through tears and a throat engulfed with emotion, she yelped out a quick "not really."

"Well, I've become that way. A little bit of role reversal here? Remember when we found each other? It was bright, and daytime. And I was the one hunched over, out of breath and really tired."

"Huh…huh…it seems…like everything's reversed. Hasn't it…"

"From all the time I've spent with you, I realize everything comes back full circle. But sometimes, the course of action likes to take its time. And we spend too long going at the same pace before we realize things fly right by us. And we've missed out on a lot of things."

"Taki…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean what I said earlier."

"Mitsuha…don't lie to yourself. You meant that. I know it. And I understand why now. Which is why now I have to do this. Before I make a mistake that I can't undo."

Taki let go of Mitsuha, and gently pushed her away, giving himself room to…

Mitsuha gasped, and tears rolled from her eyes, as the scene before was one that she'd been dreaming about for the month they'd been together. This was it. All the time they spent together, all of their own that they committed to each other, the decisions and sacrifices they've made for one another. All culminating to this moment. That either of them knew was coming sooner or later. And it was a monumentally exhilarating feeling.

"Mitsuha, I know it's only been a little over a month. But if you think about it…we've known each other for 5 years."

"8 years."

"Yeah…8 years. So. I have no regrets. Having my integrity questioned like that made all the more confident in what I'm doing." On one knee, Taki reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small black box.

It took all of Mitsuha's resolve to remain where she was, to allow Taki to conduct his intended action, and not grab him and smother him with love. Nevertheless, she stood, shaking, eyes blurred from her tears, and her hand covering her mouth to suppress any strange noises she might make that would kill the mood.

"Miyamizu Mitsuha. I've had to absolute pleasure and honor of being your boyfriend. You've made me happy in ways I can't put into words. This gaping void that I thought was going to consume me has been wholly filled by your warmth and your love. I know we're destined to be together. Time and space ripped us apart, and it's brought us together again. Coincidence? I think not. So with that being said. I ask for your hand in matrimony. Tighten the knot and burn the frayed ends with a passionate flame. And make this last forever. Will you marry me?"

As he was finishing that last question, he began to open to box to reveal the ring that he'd gotten for her just about an hour ago. But he was cut off, and the box wasn't even half open, by the time Mitsuha had lunged into him, latching her arms around Taki's neck, crying hysterically as her one most desired wish had been realized. All of her emotions were pouring out, and all of her doubts washing away as she staked a kiss into his cheek.

"Taki…I didn't mean what I said-"

"You still haven't given me an answer yet."

"Wha-…ugh…yes! I will marry you! Was the crying and hugging and kissing not an answer?!"

"Ha ha. I suppose I could've figured that out."

She was despondent, silent, wanting nothing that would interrupt this moment of her savoring everything that'd just happened. Collecting her thoughts, and letting the possibilities of what can come in the years ahead sink in. In the low light, Mitsuha was beyond beautiful. In fact, if one were to ask Taki, he could say that her magnificence surpassed that which human physicality is capable of. This sweet and delicate woman, who only desired his companionship and loyalty. He felt terrible about walking out on her earlier.

"Taki…about what I said earlier…"

"Don't. I want to put that behind us. That was a pretty shameful moment. For both of us. It was wrong of me to react that way."

"Well, it's just that…this is all happening so fast. All I wanna know is…did that have anything to do with you deciding to propose?"

"It did."

"So you decided to propose to me just in the last few hours?"

"No. No, I didn't. I've been thinking about proposing to you for a while now. Perhaps since the day you moved in. Y'know. I had originally planned to take you back to Ito-…well, what's left of Itomori. To that crater where we really met for the first time. And proposing to you there. But I felt like it should be now. Look around us. Everyone we know is getting married. Saya and Tessie. Tsukasa and Okudera. They're taking the next step into their lives, on their way to prosperity. Why not us?"

"Yeah…why not us…"

In the very spot where they professed their love for one another for the first time, they remained in each other's arms, absorbing every last bit of their passion, and encapsulating every second into their memories. A marriage proposal is no small deal. It's a huge milestone for everyone. The pinnacle achievement of every relationship. And the emotions involved usually get the best of people. Taki and Mitsuha were no different.

They wiped away their tears, and tried to salvage as much of their composure as they could. Mitsuha pushed Taki back a little to create some space, and leaned right back in for a kiss. Yet again. They as a couple kiss a lot, but the circumstances seem to be different every time.

Even though they could bet money that this day would come eventually, the doubt in the back of their head lingered all this time, and feeling it disappear was incredible. That being said, it was so easy for the two of them to jump ahead years into their marriage, and think about all the amazing things they'd do. Starting a family, traveling the world, growing old together, and all these other thoughts were rushing to the front of their mind.

Neither of them really wanted to be outside anymore; there were a lot of things they wanted to do and say that they felt weren't very appropriate in a public setting. So they rushed back to Taki's apartment, got undressed and crawled into bed. Lying on their sides, they stared at each other, admiring each other, staring into eyes that said "I love you". No words were needed, they'd been with each other long enough for them to read each other and feel their thoughts without verbal communication. They gently stroked each other's cheek with their thumbs.

Eventually, the emotional wear and tear of the past hour's events put them to sleep, and Sunday came before they could even stop to think about where and when they were.

Taki woke up, with his arms vacant. Unlike Mitsuha, he always needed a second for his brain to catch up after his body woke up. And when he realized that Mitsuha was nowhere to be found, he began to panic. Not for very long though. On his desk was a note. Reminding him of the one Tsukasa and Shinta left him. Were they here again?

He walked over and saw the note was from Mitsuha. And wasn't really sure what to think or how to feel after reading it:

Taki-kun:

You proposing to me was the best thing that's ever happened to me. Sure, we knew that day would come, but I didn't expect it to be that soon. But the timing couldn't have been more perfect. I was so fearful that I'd gone too far and what I said to you would separate us. I was scared. But soon we'll be bonded forever, and I can't wait for that day. But before then, there's one thing I need to clear up, and you can probably imagine what that might be. By the time you're reading this, I'll most likely be at my grandmother's house, explaining to her what's going on. And where my life will be going. The one thing I ask of you, my beloved, is to leave this to me for now. I understand that you consider them your family almost as much, if not just as much, as I do. And honestly, it's so endearing to me that you care about my grandmother and my sister the way you. There will be a day where you will be able to share your piece, and do your part in bringing our families together. But not today. Text me if you wanna go anywhere for brunch, otherwise I'll see you at home.

I love you
Mitsuha

"I see." Taki expressed out loud his personal disapproval of how Mitsuha was handling this. But. She was right. Him being there could jeopardize the healing process. He could end up doing more harm than good. But he couldn't help being worried about Mitsuha.

His attention diverted to his vibrating phone, whose display showed that it was Mitsuha calling. "Mitsuha?"

Taki-kun…please come to my grandmother's house. Right away.

The call disconnected before Taki could even formulate a response. And just about the same as with everything else, he wasn't sure what to think. Part of him was hoping that Hitoha would welcome him to the Miyamizu line with open arms, but another part of him believed he would be walking into a torrent of berating and scolding.

No. I have to do this. For Mitsuha…my fiancée…my soon-to-be wife.

Even though he'd only been there once, Taki was able to navigate to the Miyamizu residence with relative ease. Along the way, he tried to keep his poise and confidence as high as possible. There was no point in going all the way there, to prove himself to Hitoha, if he was going to be a nervous mess. But with every step closer to the house he took, he became more and more anxious, and his pessimism fought his optimism harder and harder the closer he got.

Before he even had a chance to ring the doorbell, Mitsuha opened the door, grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside.

"Ohh! Is that Taki?"

"It is, Obaa-san. Taki, come say hello to my grandmother."

Taki was perplexed by what was transpiring; it was just about the last sequence of events he expected. He sat down across from Hitoha, who had a gentle grandmotherly smile, eager to meet her future grandson-in-law.

"It's very nice to meet you, Taki."

"Wha-…what?"

Mitsuha bumped him with her knee, signaling him to return her introduction.

"Ah- uhh- umm it's very nice to meet you too."

It was almost eerie how Hitoha kept her smile, and continued to stare at Taki. It was almost like she was putting up a façade. Or worse…

"I'm going to bring Taki upstairs real quick, okay Obaa-san?"

"Ohh, take your time. Your old grandmother isn't going anywhere."

As Taki followed Mitsuha up the steps of her old home, he could feel her arms trembling. She was clearly nervous or worried about something. Would this happen to be something with Hitoha?

Yotsuha was waiting at the top of the steps for the couple, also shaking with doubt. As Mitsuha turned to face Taki, the morbid look of sorrow that she and Yotsuha identically expressed all but confirmed Taki's fear.

"Mitsuha…"

"I think you get the idea. You're so smart, Taki-kun."

"How long…how long has she been like this…"

"Just about a couple of weeks." Only Yotsuha could answer, having been the only one to spend every day for the past couple weeks with her. "Her Alzheimer's worsens each day. Every minute, feels like."

"I…I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing for you to say. There isn't really anything you can do. Anything any of us can do."

"That…that can't be true! We have to help her somehow."

"Taki…it warms my heart that you care about our grandmother this much. But…getting treatment for her wouldn't be easy. And honestly…this state of ignorance she's in…"

"Mitsuha…don't you dare."

"I WANT OUR MARRIAGE TO HAVE NO OBSTACLES!"

Taki turned to Yotsuha, hoping that she would demonstrate a little more faith or any sort of willingness to fight Hitoha's memory loss.

"Taki…she's 90. You can't expect her to be in perfect health. And quite frankly, she doesn't quite have it in her to go through Alzheimer's therapy. We don't want to put her through anything she doesn't want to."

That last sentence. That was it. And his feelings and intentions shifted immediately. It all but made sense. He could've said all he wanted, said all these things, but there was no way he could even pretend he knew what was best for Hitoha.

So the only thing any of them could do was to stay course with everything. For Taki and Mitsuha, start planning the wedding. And for Yotsuha, just live life normally.

She would eventually find herself in Taki's apartment. Sitting at a dinner table. With her sister and her fiancée. His two friends, one single and one engaged, and that guy's fiancée. And Mitsuha's friends, who were of course also engaged. All the people who meant anything and everything to Taki and Mitsuha. She and Shinta, the only other single individual at the table, couldn't keep their eyes off of each other. But that wasn't why either of them were here. In fact, only Yotsuha knew why everyone was gathered. No one else did.

But it didn't matter. They were all smart. And already had a good idea of what they were all together for. All these people who Taki and Mitsuha had re-encountered within the last couple of weeks, some within the last 2 days.

"So, guys. What's the deal?" Okudera had a sarcastic inflection, since everyone knew what they were there for.

"Well, it seems like you all know what's going on. So yes. We're getting married."

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A/N: Well! There it goes. The ultimate moment the story was heading towards. I'm not sure why I decided to make this happen here. But nonetheless, the last thing I wanted to do was to overbuild it up. With how I've depicted their relationship so far, it wouldn't make sense to drag out the proposal. And the story doesn't end here, of course. There's so much more to go, and the adventure will go on for not only Taki and Mitsuha, but their friends and family. And a lot of arcs that I've started and haven't followed up on. All that and more to come soon.

So now comes the obligatory thank you section. Where I spew out as many creative ways to thank the audience as possible. I write one in every time, but the sentiment doesn't change at all. It truly, sincerely, organically means all the time I've put into this fic to me that there's still readers 15 chapters in. To be completely honest, there've been times where I've been disappointed enough in certain chapters where the motivation to write is almost nonexistent. But simply put, 50 favorites and 60 follows will always keep me going. Seriously, that's big time for me. Having 5 favorites and 6 follows was big to me. Those are numbers I could only lie to myself about having when I first wrote this fic on my phone during baseball practice. Crazy to see how far it's come since.

So that's it from me. If I keep going, this author's note is gonna become longer than the story itself. Who would want that? For the umpteenth time, thank you to all of you so much for reading my story and giving it your attention. See y'all next time. Cheers.