A/N: References up to vol 11.

Many thanks to the wonderful 86 discord gang for helping brainstorm this idea


Fireworks lit the night sky above her in a myriad of colors, filling her mind with just as many scenes and emotions.

Blue.

One of Lena's earliest memories was watching the fireworks of the Revolution Festival at the Palace Luñe as a child. All those beautiful lights and bright colors had left a big impression on her young mind. Her father had picked her up, carrying her on his shoulders so she could get a better look at them from above the huge crowd — a crowd that, while predominantly silver, had featured as many colors as the sky.

There was the night she had spent on a balcony in a black dress, the loss of so many Processors under her command weighing heavily on her, while everyone else celebrated mindlessly. When the distant, hazy fireworks started, she had been talking to Shin, even if they couldn't see each other. Back then she had wished to be able to see these fireworks with him — with all of them — one day, from the bottom of her heart.

A year later, she'd had no intention of looking at the display at all. Preparing for the upcoming Legion attack was far more important. Beyond that, she'd also lost more and more interest in the meaning behind the festival the more she learned of the true scope of the actions of her country. In the end, it had hardly mattered, for that night the sky had lit up with fire and artillery, as the first large-scale offensive shattered the only world she knew.

The fireworks at the Alliance of Wald had been beautiful. She was sure of this, even if she had barely paid attention to them. Her emotions took complete hold of her after dancing with Shin, and especially after hearing his love confession, which finally banished the doubts that had been plaguing her mind for so long. And as she closed the distance between them, the fireworks she felt had completely drowned out anything from the outside world.

Green.

In the end, many hadn't made it to this promised spectacle. Some had died that same night. It made her heart heavy.

However, Shin had also expected to be among the dead, when he'd asked for her to never forget them. And yet he was there, looking intently at the colorful explosions right next to her, and that couldn't make her happier.

The air of the Republic was very different now. No pollution, and only small, dim lights. These fireworks were comparatively humble, yet they shone brighter than at any festival she remembered.

A few young children cheered in amazement, but for the most part, the crowd kept quiet. It was palpable how not only her, but everyone looking at this display had a lot going through their minds.

The plaza was spacious enough — or perhaps, the crowd small enough — for people to spread apart. Most of them were Alba, as expected, but there were a handful of Eighty-Six who had probably traveled there each for their own personal reasons.

As for her, she had arrived at the festival together with the rest, but once the fireworks started, the conversation died down and they naturally split into small groups.

From the corner of her eye, she could spot Dustin and Anju. She had a strong idea of what they could be feeling now.

For Dustin, as much as for Lena, this place could be described as an awkward former home. He probably had similar clashing memories about the festivals he'd seen throughout his life, first as a child, then after growing up and having a better grasp of things. As for Anju… it had been that night, when they'd played with the fireworks Lena sent to the Eighty-Sixth Sector, that she had finally allowed herself to mourn Daiya's recent death. Always one to look strong in front of others. Now though, she no longer had to be alone with her feelings.

Raiden and Kurena stood a small distance apart from them (Theo was nowhere to be found, but she had a good idea of where he could be, as she'd also lost sight of Annette). Were they also reminiscing about that same night? Did they remember watching these fireworks as children as Shin did, along with their long-gone families, back when they were still considered citizens of their own country?

This place, these fireworks brought her so many memories. Yet at the same time, she felt like a foreigner. Her chest tightened again.

At that very moment, Shin squeezed her hand, and the glinting of a silver band caught her eye as it reflected the colors of the sky.

Yellow.

To nobody's surprise, they got engaged shortly after the end of the war. Everyone celebrated it alongside them — those days were full of optimism, and everything was a good enough excuse for throwing a party.

It had been more of a formality, as they had already promised to spend their lives together long before. They were young, yes, but neither of them had any doubts about it. It felt completely natural, like everything in their lives had happened to bring them together. Finding the time to host the wedding ceremony itself though, had been a different matter.

Many things had ended along with the Legion War, but many had also begun. Finally free from fighting a devastating war, all nations in the continent had to immediately turn all their resources and efforts into rebuilding. Thankfully, air travel was once again possible as the skies were finally clear of Legion, which greatly helped in these endeavors. More surprisingly, several faraway nations she had only heard of in history books had also contacted them and offered their help, curious about the corner of the world that had been cut off from the rest for over a decade.

The Republic of San Magnolia had been among the most affected nations, especially after the second large-scale offensive. Even without the threat of the Legion, it was no longer in a state to house its now greatly reduced population. And while the crimes of the country were far from forgotten by the world, those people still needed a place to live. Among the refugees, there were families with children young enough that they had never known a world without war, some too young to even remember the land they were born in.

The Republic citizens were still quite vocal about wanting to go back home though, perhaps hoping that things would somehow go back to what they were like before. And the Federacy tolerated them to an extent, but did not want them there either, so keeping them indefinitely in Giad was ultimately not a solution.

In the end, an interim government was created to start the long process of rebuilding. However, the situation was quite complex, as several parties had vastly different ideas about what should be done with said territory. Some argued about annexing it to Giad, the nation that had provided the most support both during and after the war. Other groups insisted on rebuilding it as a new version of San Magnolia that actually upheld the ideals it was supposed to, after learning the hard way the consequences of not doing so — some rolled their eyes at this, as if that could ever happen. Others also expressed interest in creating a brand new nation, far removed from the old one.

Thinking about it was always enough to give her a headache. The Eighty-Six were painfully apathetic about the fate of the country where they had been born and oppressed, which had never stopped turning its back on them. She couldn't blame them. But for her, despite everything, it was still the country where she had been born and raised, and which she had fought so vehemently to defend, even if she did not agree with the views of its population. She no longer considered it a home, but still could not find it in herself to turn a blind eye to it.

As such, she had been involved in the rebuilding efforts as much as she could. There had been a lot of bureaucracy involved, and she'd always tried her best to keep the interactions between the Republic and the Federacy as civil as possible, which was never an easy task.

It had been a long, ongoing effort, and today marked the first Revolution Festival that could be celebrated since the first large-scale offensive years earlier.

Red.

The last firework, the brightest of them all, erupted above them with a tremor that spread through her whole body, bathing everything in its light. And then the night was once again dark and quiet.

"Let's go on that honeymoon trip."

She turned to meet Shin's eyes and stood still for a moment, his sudden words taking her out of her daze.

They'd been repeatedly asked about a honeymoon trip during their long wedding planning — mostly by Ernst and both of Shin's grandparents, who seemed keen on one-upping the other two with their wedding gifts — and she'd always tried her best to avoid the question. It wasn't that she didn't want one, she definitely did. She enjoyed spending time with Shin more than anything, and there were so many places she still wanted to see together with him. But… something definitely felt off about going around having fun while fully aware that the rest of the world was still in the process of rebuilding their war-torn countries. Although she hadn't voiced everything out loud, Shin had likely figured out what was on her mind, and hadn't pressed her further back then.

In the end, they had a beautiful wedding, surrounded by friends and (his) family, and everyone dear to them. She'd truly felt happier than ever. But the very next day she'd returned to work, overwhelmed by the crushing pressure of a task that never seemed closer to ending. War had been a constant in their lives for so long that it felt like a lifetime, and even after it was over, she couldn't shake it off her mind.

"I…"

So, she hesitated.

It was ironic. In the past, she had been the one often asking Shin to think past the war, but now was having trouble doing so. Truth be told, she was still undecided about what she would even do once the rebuilding was finally over.

He was quiet for a moment before speaking up again, not a hint of annoyance or impatience in his voice as he looked up at the starry night sky. "This was the first promise we made."

She nodded. I know. That was back when they still didn't know each other's faces, and despite everything that had stood in their way, they had finally fulfilled it.

"That time, I didn't think I would ever be able to see these fireworks with you. Yet here we are." He gestured around them, once again voicing her thoughts. "Lena, I think it's time to take a rest. You need it. We all do, but especially you. You've done a great job already. The world isn't gonna crumble anymore if you take a break."

Following his gaze, she took another look at the plaza. This place was so different from the home she had once known, and it would likely never look the same again. But that was not necessarily a bad thing. The food stands were much more modest than those in her memories, now serving simple food to-go rather than fancy dining. The crowd was much smaller and quieter than the boisterous groups she remembered, and they were no longer openly celebrating as if nothing was wrong in the world. Yes, the circumstances for this festival were different, and the future of this land was uncertain, but these people were still moving forward, one step at a time. Maybe she could really allow herself to do the same.

"And…" Shin continued, his expression softening as he looked at her again. "There are many other things we have yet to see together, isn't that so?"

She nodded again. This was indeed their first promise… but far from the last. The northern lights of the United Kingdom, the scenery of the Alliance, and of course, the sea. For real this time. And many, many other views that they couldn't even imagine. A smile started tugging at her lips.

"Alright."

For all the effort it took her to give that answer, her chest already felt lighter.

He smiled back at her, circling her waist with his arm and hugging her close to him. And just like that, as she leaned onto him, the convoluted feelings in her heart seemed to finally start to settle.


Lena looked out the window as she waited for their train to part from the Ilex terminal — she tried not to think too much about the darker memories this place brought her. The train tracks were among the first things to be fixed after the war, as they were of utmost importance for connecting the multiple rebuilding countries, allowing transportation of both people and resources.

Shin was already dozing off next to her. She somewhat admired his ability to fall asleep anywhere no matter how noisy, but perhaps it was to be expected.

Their first stop would be the Federacy, where they were currently living in a small but cozy apartment. If they wanted this to be a long trip, they would need to plan things ahead of time and get everything ready. There was a lot of packing to do, people to visit before parting, and then all the logistics. They would be using trains and airlines, perhaps even boarding a few ships, and it would make sense to bring Shin's motorcycle for shorter land routes as well. Her mind was already racing thinking about everything. It would be more work in a sense, but she was honestly looking forward to it, a bubbly feeling of excitement making its way inside her.

With a rumble, the train started moving. The station, Ilex City, and finally the Republic started growing smaller and smaller, until they were out in the open fields. She closed her eyes and leaned into Shin's shoulder — her husband's shoulder. They'd been married for a few months now, but thinking of him like that still made her a bit giddy.

She wasn't sure where "home" would be in a year, or five, or ten, but she knew it would be beside him, and that was enough.


A/N: Wrote this as a prologue for an AO3 collection, hopefully more chapters will be posted there by other authors in the future.