AN: I'm back again! With not much to say, I'm excited for this story! I hope you are, too!

My mind could barely register the two people in front of me. It wasn't until a full two minutes later that I finally managed to say something.

"Mother? Father?" I whispered. "Is that really you?"

"It can't be... you were dead..." the woman said. It had to be. That was Mother, her bold, brown eyes, dark hair, and the necklace she wore everyday gave her away. Father always had a bow and arrow with him, along with a knife. His hair had slowly dulled to a gray.

"Is it really you, Ke'ri?" Father asked.

"Yes, it's me." I felt my voice shake. "It's really me..."

"Oh, Ke'ri! My daughter! We've missed you so much...!"

"Mother, Father!" I felt tears come to my eyes. "I'm so sorry if I caused you too much pain..."

"Don't be sorry. We're so happy that you're back somehow."

"How do you know it's really me?"

"A parent's instinct." Father proudly said. "It may be doubtful, but not everything's impossible if you believe it."

Our group hug ends, and Mother and Father glances around at the army. "Is that the Exalt of Ylisse?"

"Why, yes he is. I travel with the Shepherds." I smile proudly. "We've conquered evil in Plegia."

"Please don't put yourself in too much danger, Ke'ri..." Mother begged. "Please... losing you again would be too much."

"I promise, Mom. I promise." I replied.

"Thank you." my parents both said. "We're both so glad that you came back."

"Oh, and Lon'qu's here as well!" I say. "Hold on a second."

I run back to Lon'qu, who was standing off to the side. I grab his hand. "Come on!" I say. "My parents would be glad to see you as well!"

"They would...?"

"Don't worry!" I half dragged the swordsman towards my parents.

My parents took a moment to recognize the dark haired man. "You've grown so tall!" Mother said. "We're so sorry that we put all the blame on you for our daughter's death... We should have thought twice."

"..." he doesn't seem to know how to reply.

"But we're glad that you'll be there to take care of our daughter." Father continued. "Thank you."

"... But last time, I didn't do a good job of that." Lon'qu eventually said.

"We can always learn from past events." Mother said. "Please don't think too hard of it."

The swordsman finally smiles. "Thank you."

"Our daughter needs a good, strong man to protect her." Mother said, with a glint of humor and amusement in her eyes.

I froze, my face reddening. "Mother!" I look away. "No, I don't!"

"She does." Father said. "She's told us so much about you."

Lon'qu is chuckling as well, only adding up to my embarrassment. "I guess I'll be that strong man for her."

After a dinner provided by my parents and I, all the Shepherds are sitting in a wide circle around the town's bonfire, enjoying a time of temporary peace. The night was as pretty as all the other nights when Lon'qu and I used to stargaze.

Later into the night, when all the Shepherds were starting to retire and get a rest for tomorrow's march, Lon'qu stood up. "I'll be going as well. Good night, Ke'ri."

"'Night, Lon'qu. See you tomorrow."

I was the only Shepherd left out beside the dying fire. I shifted, my hands supporting my weight as I stretched out my legs. I felt something smooth under my left hand, and I saw that it was Lon'qu's journal again.

"He left his journal behind?" I muttered to myself. It was also open to a specific page, face down. So, I decided to read it. The journal was basically there, waiting to be read.

April 15

"That's today." I say aloud. "Since when was he writing?"

I'm writing for you today, Ke'ri, just like all the other days I have been doing so. I'm glad that you're so happy right now.

Your parents seemed to be hinting at something... I wonder what it was. I want to talk to you in private. Meet me by the cherry tree?

Lon'qu

"Hmm." This sure was a strange message...

"Is that from Lon'qu?" I heard Mother ask. "Let me read it."

"Okay..." I gingerly hand the journal to her. "Just be careful with it. There's a bunch of other items that might fall out."

It takes Mother only a few seconds to scan the words on the page. Her eyes widen, but she smiles knowingly.

"Ooh... You should go talk to him. Ke'ri... do you have feelings for him?" Mother said in a hushed voice full of excitement.

Caught off guard by the sudden question, I feel myself stuttering on every word. "N-no, I-I-I don't!"

"It's okay, Ke'ri. You do, right? You can tell me anything. It's alright."

"... I like him. A lot. He trained so hard for me. I like every moment we spend together. I think about him too often. I've lied to him too much about my feelings, Mother. I just don't know if he thinks of me as a childhood friend like years ago, or if he thinks the same. I mean, I think he might, but I'm just really unsure."

"Just tell him. I'm sure he won't judge you." Mother took my hand. "Keeping these feelings bottled up won't do you any good."

"Alright. Thanks, Mother... I should talk to him now."

Mother only nods, a small smile still on her face.

I take one last look at Mother before I turn and walk to the cherry tree where Lon'qu and I have always met. At first, I didn't see anyone, but then I saw someone sitting, leaning against the tree, staring at the sky. I closed Lon'qu's journal and held it tightly. Anything could happen.

"... Lon'qu? I have your notebook."

His head turns, and I hand the journal back. Perhaps his hand brushing across mine is intentional, but it makes me jump.

"Y-you wanted to talk to me about something." I said.

"Yes, I did." he says. "... Remember when we always used to stargaze?"

"Yeah." I said. "Those times were great."

Silence reigns as we both stare at the stars above.

"You've been lying to me."

"H-huh?" I nearly jump again. I wasn't ready for the sudden topic change.

"Admit it." he says, but without any anger or annoyance. "Have you been lying to me?"

I might as well let out the truth... and along with that, my feelings.

"... Yes. Yes, I have..." I say, looking away to the left. "It was just because I thought you would think of me as a childhood friend, that maybe... I don't know."

Lon'qu sighs. "Listen. I don't want us to be childhood friends anymore... Do you know what I mean?"

"... Oh." Maybe I lied to him one time too many? Or is it because...

I'm pretty sure I know what he's implying, but I feel twinges of uncertainty. "I think... but I don't want to jump to false conclusions."

"I've never been able to truly get over your death. Every day, I've been trying so hard to be strong so people like you wouldn't die. But even through that, Emmeryn and Phila still died. All of these deaths tell me I have to get stronger, though I might never be. But you keep telling me that I'm good enough. And now that you're here again, I'm not sure of what to feel."

He takes a deep breath. "Ever since you came back to life, I've thought things differently. Maybe my life wasn't so unlucky after all. I have another chance to protect you. And this time, it's different. I will protect you, even if it's for my life."

"Please don't let it be for your own life, Lon'qu! If you died, I wouldn't know what to do."

He hesitates, taking an even longer pause than before. All the while, I'm constantly wondering: What will he say? Is he leading onto what I think he might say? What is he thinking?

"But... I love you, Ke'ri, and I wouldn't bear losing you again. Even as childhood friends, you've given me a family. I was an orphan. I was poor. And you didn't shun me like other kids did. I used to be alone, without friends. But you accepted me, and I was grateful for that. It wasn't until later that I continued to grow more attached to you, and when you died, I was heartbroken. That's why I blamed myself so much. I didn't know how much you meant to me, and when you came back to life, I finally realized. Do you... Do you think the same of me?"

Our faces are both blushing, and I feel my heart pound. "I'm so sorry for lying about my feelings. Lon'qu, I love you too." What was hiding my feelings was no longer. "I was worried that you still thought of me as just a friend, and I was always unsure. I want to protect you, too, and by this, I hope we can have a happy life together."

"Thank you. It's alright... I just wanted to know how you really felt about me." He leans towards me and gives me a kiss. Overjoyed, I give him a kiss back. He looks happier than ever, and with that, my smile widens as well as we gaze into each others' eyes.

We go back to gazing at the stars, just like we always did as friends. But this time, it's better. It's the start of a new life together. As I lean on Lon'qu's side, we need not talk to know how we feel about each other. No longer are we held by uncertainty.

I could call this the best day of my life.

"Hey, Ke'ri, wake up." I feel someone's breath on my ear, and I slowly open my eyes. Tired from the hours of stargazing, I yawn. Instead of leaning against the rough bark of the tree, I find myself staring up at the white cherry blossoms. I realized I was lying on Lon'qu's lap.

"Not yet... I want a few more minutes of sleep." I murmur.

I hear Lon'qu laugh, while he ruffles my hair. "Alright. A few more moments. It's early, so that's okay. But you're making my legs fall asleep."

He bends over to kiss my forehead, and I make a smile. "That is so un-Lon'qu of you."

"I know it is." he said, slightly indignant. It gives way to embarrassment. "If others saw us..."

"People are going to know soon. There's no need to be so embarrassed of it. Almost everyone else has a loved one with them, so why not you?"

"... Because..." he grumbled. "I don't know... And what about your parents?"

"Don't worry. We'll talk to them today." I laugh, knowing how it'll turn out to be. Finally deciding it was time to wake up, I sit up. Lon'qu stands up to stretch, stumbling a little.

He sighs. "Give me a moment... My legs need to wake up."

He helps me stand up. "Actually, I need to get you something."

"What is it?"

"Just come with me. You'll see."

I find myself staring at a small jewelry shop that I used to pass at the outskirts of the slums.

"It's the only shop I remember." he says.

Inside are dozens of necklaces and bracelets, but I know what Lon'qu was thinking of buying.

A ring.

"Well... which one would you want?" he asked me. "I should have found one earlier, but I forgot. We might as well find one together."

"Right." I look around, but I can't help but hear what others are whispering. My mind wanders from the glimmering, exotic jewels to the hushed murmurings of what could be a rumor or something.

"Isn't that Lon'qu?"

"Isn't he afraid of women? Who is he really buying the ring for?"

I see that Lon'qu is trying to ignore it, but it's difficult to do so. From the corner of my eye, I see that he's shaking slightly. He also seems to recognize these people, but I don't. Maybe he met these people... after I died?

"Hey, Lon'qu, trying to buy a ring for another man with a girl's help?" someone dares to ask.

"Hey! You dare taunt him?" I hiss, whipping around, my hand finding the sword at my side. "If you say another thing about him, you'd better run. He's not gay or whatever you might think. Now, mind your own business!"

At once, what the other men were thinking instantly thought. Finally minding their own businesses, I glance back at the rings, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "A simple one will do. I don't want to waste your money."

"If you insist, but you don't have to worry about that."

I eventually settle on a simple gold ring, and we both leave, paying the storekeeper (who also seems intimidated).

"You must know those people." I eventually say, seeing how Lon'qu stuffed his hands into his pockets, scuffing the ground rather nervously.

Lon'qu eventually sighs after a bout of silence. "Yes, yes I do. I barely remember them. But after you died... I met them. They knew I was afraid of girls. Until I left, they thought I was going to be gay."

"I'm so sorry." I sigh, looking to the side of the path.

"No, it's okay. But thank you for defending me."

"It wasn't a problem, Lon'qu. Anybody who taunts you will have to go through me first." I take a glimpse at the shiny gold ring on my finger now. I smile with pride, finally looking at him again. "We have a new life together. And I'll be glad to protect you, just like you to me."

I reach up on my toes and I give him a quick kiss on the cheek. His face blushes, but he does the same.

"You don't know how glad I am." Lon'qu shook his head. "I'm happy to have you at my side."

"Me too."

Joy blossomed, like a rose, through my heart. There was still much to do in this war, but at least there was something to wait for at the end for us both.

AN: I can't help but feel embarrassed about writing about love. Maybe I'm relating too much about the characters. I don't have any experience about writing love stories. Not much of it anyway. And when I wrote this last part, I kept feeling bad for Lon'qu. This always happens. The poor swordsman doesn't deserve to be taunted. He's damn awesome. He probably would have been one of my favorite characters in Awakening, other than Morgan, Nah, Cordelia, Robin, Severa, Owain, and Inigo (I like the last three because they're in Fates. And mentioning that, the one reason why I hate Birthright is because you can kill Inigo. I cannot imagine how Olivia and her husband must feel. I ended the chapter and killed Xander, sparing Inigo. I didn't kill him. It sounds selfish, but Inigo's too good to die. So is Xander, though...).

Maybe that went too quickly, as when I have a lot of ideas, I tend to be impatient on writing. There's a lot to improve upon, so any suggestion would be welcomed!

Anyway, I'll be starting the next chapter soon! And someone, give me suggestions for Ke'ri's son's name (haha, spoilers! But you probably would have guessed anyway based on Awakening's plot with the child characters.) I look forward for this... plenty of ideas in mind! Stay tuned!