AN: Once again, thanks for reading! I really appreciate it! And I can't believe I didn't write for so long! :(

I've had these tooth pains, and after a week of heat sensitivity, the dentists told me I need a root canal surgery. And I'm only in tenth grade! At least I found out why I have so much tooth pain. My back tooth had a big cavity around three years ago, and the dentists put a big filling in it.

I'm always open to your opinions and suggestions... So far, I feel as if it's really strange to have no comments.

If not, that's okay... The follows and the favorites will do!

The soft light of dawn shines through a hole at the top left corner of the tent. I sit up, stretching and shaking off all signs of sleepiness before putting on my myrmidon outfit and stepping outside.

"Good morning, Ke'ri." Someone says. Turning, I see that Chrom had spoken to me.

Surprising to see him up early.

"Morning, Chrom."

"Today, we are starting our trip to Chron'sin. And Lon'qu did tell me that you and him would want to visit your parents."

"Since when did he tell you that?"

"Last night."

Oh... so that's why.

"So, you would allow me to visit my home village, right?" I asked.

The blue-haired lord nods. "Of course."

I bowed. "Thank you so much."

"Thank Lon'qu; he mentioned it to me. By the way, if you were wondering, he's at the edge of the camp right now. I suppose that you wanted to look for him."

Is he implying the same thing Lissa and Maribelle had said the day before? How does he know?

Lissa must have told him that for sure. Giving a small sigh after Chrom walked out of sight, I found my way to the edge of camp to find no one.

Chrom, you liar! I had taken a second glance around before someone jumped at me. I yelped in fright and my hand flew to my sword at my side. Before I could do that, someone's arms pinned my arms to my side. I glance up to see a familiar dark-haired man.

"Lon'qu, you jerk!" I shouted, struggling. "What the hell?!"

Lon'qu burst out laughing. "You're not as alert as before. And Chrom did a fantastic job of making you fall for the trap."

I duck away as soon as he lets go of me, and I end up tripping, landing face-first on the ground.

"Are you trying to act like Sumia?" he chuckled, reaching down to tickle my neck.

"Are you trying to be as annoying as Virion?" I retort, rolling away and standing up once again, taking Lon'qu's outstretched hand.

"You're being as grumpy as Maribelle." Lon'qu snickers. "Or Lissa, when she has to walk in the long marches."

"Why are you comparing me with them?" I glare, punching him lightly.

"Look, okay, I have news. From Cherche." Lon'qu sighed suddenly. "Please don't be mad at me. But while reading it... I kind of figured out some things."

He gives me a neatly folded letter. I open it slowly and read.

Dear Lon'qu,

Perhaps it was wrong of us to blame you for the death of our daughter. We didn't see the full picture. The lovely pink-haired lady with the Wyvern told us the story; she watched what happened and told us a few months earlier. News had somewhat spread that you were the famous champion for Khan Basilio, even if you aren't now. Achieving that position takes much effort and should be rewarded for.

While my husband has been deathly ill for quite a while, I've been wondering about you and Ke'ri. I never asked Ke'ri about you. I've only seen you often. It's only a shame we couldn't... Ke'ri told us all about you. I do remember the time she cooked bear meat for us; I was more than proud to have such a talented daughter.

We ask that you come visit us again so we can pay our apologies for being so cold-hearted and rude to you when we saw our little angel die... My husband and I have had so much hatred in you for years until we realized it wasn't your fault. Ke'ri cherished you so much, like as if you were more than just a friend to her.

From,

Te'ri and Ke'tor

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"You know, the last sentence."

Ke'ri cherished you so much, like as if you were more than just a friend to her.

It must have been obvious I did have a crush on him before... I feel my face warm in embarrassment.

"Oh. So that's what you figured out."

"You had a crush on me, didn't you?" Lon'qu teases me, face breaking into a smile.

"You're a great man, but you've jumped to conclusions way too quickly. And you're too hopeful."

"Oh, really?"

"Really." I fib. "Just because I told my parents a lot about you doesn't mean that I liked you." Haha, burn!

Lon'qu's face fell suddenly. "Sorry about that, then. Forget about it."

I happen to say the worst things, don't I?

Before I could talk to him again, he walks away rather briskly.

It can't be... he likes me back? No way would he be so disappointed and walk away like that.

Despite of the situation at hand caused by myself, I felt joy bubble on.

...He likes me!

Lon'qu wouldn't talk to me the whole day, and it felt unnerving to not spend time with my best friend. I watched him sit at the opposite edge of the fire during the cold evening, hugging my arms around my legs and rocking back and forth. Not once did he make eye-contact with me, and I bite my lip.

I've said a lot of wrong things my entire life... Hopefully I can make it up one day. This was all my fault.

"Lon'qu." I say softly, but loud enough to be heard over the dying fire. He almost looks up, but remains apathetic.

I sigh. "Well, good night then." I stand up and leave. Hearing no one follow me, I pushed back the tent cover to make my way into the tent.

I've ruined someone's day, and obviously I shouldn't have. There must be a way to make it up to him. But at least he might like me.

Flopping onto the cot with a heavy sigh, I stare up at the tent's ceiling until my eyes shut from weariness. Tomorrow could be the start of another battle, especially out in the open seas across to Chron'sin. The thoughts of my mother and ill father came back to mind. Well, at least there was some good news today.

I tried to imagine my parents' expression when they would see me. Would they be excited? Surprised? Joyful and tearful at my appearance?

But wait- what if they don't believe I'm alive? What if they think that I am still dead? What if they think I'm an imposter? What it-

"Are you alright?" Lissa peeked into the tent, and my eyes blink open. Sitting up quickly, I shake my head at Lissa, realizing I must have spoken out loud. "I'm alright. I'm just thinking about my parents. I don't know how they will act when I come to see them. I hope that they would be happy to see me back, but what if they don't believe that I'm alive again, that I might be an imposter?"

"You'll be fine!" Lissa put on a sympathetic face. "I'm sure that if you prove it to them, they'll believe it if they didn't already."

"Thanks, Lissa."

"By the way, what happened earlier? Why did you and Lon'qu not spar today? Why did you two not talk at all?"

"I'd rather not explain." I huff. "Maybe tomorrow? It was just a misunderstanding that I hope to fix soon."

"Don't worry; you will! I'm sure you will!" Lissa responded cheerfully. The frown on my face soon turned into a soft smile at the sight of her optimism. She then left as quickly as she had came, and I heard giggles fading as she went back to her own tent.

"I hope, Lissa." I sigh. "I hope..."

Once again, morning light softly shines into my tent as I awaken. Rubbing my eyes, I realize that I would have to soon prepare for the trip overseas. I fix my messed-up dark hair and walk out of the tent to see nobody around. I look back at the mark on my wrist, slightly visible against my glove. It hadn't been completely covered by the clothes, but it would hopefully be alright.

"Watch it!"

I couldn't believe those words had come from Lon'qu to me. Snapping out of my small reverie, I realize I had bumped into the swordsman.

"What's wrong?" He did look exhausted, I noted. "Why the attitude? Was it me or something? Did you get enough sleep?"

"..."

"It's still around the crack of dawn. Get some sleep, Lon'qu. I care about your health." I sigh.

"I'm not. I need to train."

"Stop being so stubborn!" I snap, taking Lon'qu's wrist. "You are getting some sleep. And if you couldn't sleep because of me, I'm sorry. So please, get some rest. You never know what might happen out in the seas."

Regardless or not about how awkward it seemed to drag Lon'qu back to his tent, I forced Lon'qu to lie back on the cot, and I laid out a blanket on him.

I sigh. "Tell me why you didn't sleep last night."

"I slept last night!"

"But you didn't get enough rest." The anger fades away as I sit on the side of his cot. "Just tell me why. Was it because of what I said before?"

"Fine. Yes, it was."

"I didn't mean it that way." I shook my head. "You're still important to me, no matter what."

Lon'qu inhales a deep, long breath before speaking. "I'm sorry for being so... ignorant."

"I forgive you." I make a small smile. "Will you get some rest for me? Please? We have a long boat ride soon."

"I will." he responds slowly.

Standing up, I glance back at him one last time. "Good."

Leaving, I go to slash at some practice dummies, scoring a few marks across the wooden bodies. At least it helped me forget a few of the concerns with Lon'qu for the time as I landed slash after slash. It wasn't until an hour later that I went to go back and check on Lon'qu. Sleeping peacefully, I couldn't help but gaze at him.

Stop staring at him! What are you doing, Ke'ri? People will spread rumors! Stop. Staring!

I backed out of the tent and left to eat breakfast, deciding to check on him a little later. Thankfully, Stahl had not woken up yet, so all of the food remained. Cordelia had made breakfast today. Normally, it would have been Sully's day, but everyone didn't mind that she skipped her routine and let Cordelia do the cooking for her- well, ugh, it's already so cringe worthy, even when Lon'qu explained just a small fraction of Sully's 'talent'.

"Thank you, Cordelia," I nod as I take some bread and jam and sit across from her.

"I see that Lon'qu has been acting cold towards you." Cordelia suddenly says.

Why does everyone talk about Lon'qu and I like that?

"Well, yeah. There was a slight misunderstanding." I explain.

She only nods. "I'm sure he will understand, considering you're his best friend."

Taking a bite out of the fresh bread, I savor the fresh wheat that was so difficult to salvage in these times. Eventually, I give another sigh. "He didn't get enough sleep last night."

"He didn't seem tired at all." Cordelia contradicted.

"I just know when he's tired. He wouldn't be so snappish with me, unless that was because of his gynophobia towards me. I doubt that thought because he hasn't acted that way to me before. I just knew." Propping my head up with my right arm, I glance at Cordelia.

"Oh hey, Ke'ri."

I turned to see Stahl walk up.

"Hi." I glance at the huge mound of food on his plate, and he sets the plate down. Cordelia makes an amused smile.

"How do you always eat a lot?" Cordelia laughed. "You must have a bottomless stomach!"

"I just do." Stahl took a bite out of the small loaf of bread.

"Well, how are you both doing? How's Severa?"

"She just turned two. Sucks that we can't celebrate her second birthday..." Stahl sighed. "At least she has Cynthia and Lucina."

"I wonder how all of them are doing." I couldn't help but think about the two babies.

It was war... what else could we have expected?

Love and war don't match. It's like oil and water... I think.

"Maybe sometime later you can visit. And one day, when the children grow up, they'll understand."

"Hopefully they will. Something tells me that at least one child won't particularly happy." Cordelia shook her head. "I hope this war ends soon. Our children need their parents."

"What about you?" I hear a cheery voice.

At first I don't answer.

"Don't you look forward to having a family-" I hear Lissa sit down next to me.

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Because-" I shush her right after, knowing where this was going to.

"Lissa. I'm not looking to have a family now, in times of war." I sigh. "There are times for everything, and there's plenty of time after the war to have a family. But not now. I don't want any child of mine to be separated from me or their father because of war."

"True... What about Lon'qu?"

"Why Lon'qu?" I take another small bite out of the bread. There's not going to be another time that we'll get fresh food like this. "What, are there rumors?"

"No, but I myself, along with Sumia and Maribelle know your little secret."

"What secret?" Cordelia asked, tilting her head with interest.

I cringe as I hear Lissa start to say what she believed. "I think L-"

"Stop, Lissa!" I groan. "Don't you dare."

"Lissa, Ke'ri's right. You wouldn't want your secrets being spoiled, right?"

"Sorry, Ke'ri." Lissa murmured. "It's just that everyone's so cranky. I wish there was a way to fix it."

"No. I'm sorry, Lissa." I sigh. "It's because of this stupid war. What you believe is somewhat right... but having a family at this time... you know... it's not going to be a good time for children to be left alone."

"When do you think this next war will end? We've already been through a war in this continent, and now we're fighting in a war across the sea..."

"We can only hope that in these next fights, we'll all be safe. In a land that we barely know of that well, we're sure to have the disadvantage. All we can hope for is to have good luck and safety on the next battles we must encounter."

I hope. I hope everyone can live throughout the war. There's already been a close call or two... And that was at the end of the Plegian war. How many near deaths- or actual deaths- will we go through?

Sorry for being away for so long!

I'm not that good at romance, but the more I try, hopefully the better I will get at it! Everything feels so... obvious, but maybe it's because it's me whose writing, so I would know what is going on. I cringe at my own romance writing, but I guess it might turn out better than I expected... or worse.

I actually got Fire Emblem Fates, both Conquest and Birthright! I played Conquest first on Normal Classic mode, and it was hard. Birthright is so easy! Maybe that's because I playing it on Casual mode, but for the most part, if someone dies, I still shut it off (the units need experience!). And plus, infinite grinding (Rhajat's paralogue was the best - I put all defensive people at the corner and let hundreds of Faceless do no damage to my units, while my units were all getting over-leveled). In Conquest, only two people died (in the endgame) were Midori and Percy.

Favorite weapons: Horse Spirit, Raider weapons, Barb shuriken, Guard Naginata, Waterwheel, Paper (scroll), Dragonstones/Beaststones

Favorite characters for both paths: Corrin (of course!), Kaze (married in Birthright), Silas (married in Conquest), Sophie (Luna, Draconic Hex), Midori (Dragon Fang, Astra, Spendthrift!), Kana (Luna, Dragon Fang)

Conquest: Velouria (wolfskins! Easy recovery), Soleil (excellent strength and defense), Nina (snipes down enemies easily), Ophelia (magic powerhouse, yet frail), Siegbert and Xander (already strong), Charlotte (frail, but gets constant criticals!)

Birthright: Takumi (Has Rend Heaven, Luna, Counter, Tomebreaker, high skill), Hayato (Lucky with stat growths, +5 or more for half of his level-ups, Rend heaven, but worst in skill), Shiro (Luna, Aegis, and Rend Heaven, activates often. Maxed out defense), Mitama (high magic +Tomefaire), Azura (lately has been getting defense!), Mozu (Great level ups!)

I've been training a few of the units who had been under-leveled units. Mozu got +5 and +6 when I trained her for at least five levels, and Setsuna got decent level ups for once, Kagero got great level ups and got Rend Heaven. Subaki is still too slow, even as a Kinshi knight. Felicia has crap defense, but excellent magic (considered making her a strategist, but would decrease defense by 3, making her defense only 5 - wtf), Saizo got good level ups as well, and when trying to lower other enemies' HPs, he ended up activating Lethality. But in the arena battles, he and his son both ended up using Lethality during nearly all the matches.

This month has been rough, and mostly, I've been playing Fates during the night. I wished I could have typed more.

If you play Fates, who are your favorite characters? And are there any suggestions for what skills some characters should have? I love Rend Heaven and Luna, and even Astra and Dragon Fang. I also like Counter. Are there any other skills I should consider?

(Wow, that was a lot I wrote about my favorite characters... I've just finally got my wish to play the recent Fire Emblem versions. I've wanted it since my birthday, and now that I have a job, I finally paid it all off.)