Another Journey Begins

by Dabish95

Zanza is defeated and everyone is now free to live as they choose. Shulk and his friends return home but they still have one last thing to decide, something they've all had on the back of their minds during their journey, "What happens now?" How will everyone go about their lives now that it's all over? (Mature content is kept minimal but still rated M due to it's nature.)

15. Time to Sheyn

Melia's eyes slowly opened and the first thing she seen was a clock hanging from the wall that read nine in the morning. She still felt a bit sluggish and looked around the room, trying to regain her bearings while she waited to fully wake up. She found that an arm was wrapped over her shoulder and she looked up, seeing Shulk fast asleep and that she was still in his hospital bed.

Melia tried not to wake him and slowly sat up, but she couldn't bring herself to stop smiling as she glanced back at Shulk.

It… it wasn't all just a dream. Shulk was actually awake…

Melia could feel a warmth rising in her chest and her wings began to flutter as reality sunk back in. Everything she wanted had come true, and the one person she'd hoped to have back at her side was there once more, peacefully drifting deeper into his sleep.

Melia leaned down and kissed Shulk's forehead, but the very second she started to sit back up, his arms latched around her and he pulled her into a tight hug.

Shulk's eyes opened and he put on a smirk, "Hey, you~ Were you going somewhere?~"

"Hey, Boo~ Good morning~" Melia said back and softly laughed. She nuzzled closer to Shulk, not even trying to fight back against his hold on her, "I was thinking of going to the Villa to freshen up and come back, but I can stay if you didn't want me to leave."

"No, that's okay, Melia." Shulk said and let her out of his grip, "Go do whatever you need to do."

"Are you sure?" Melia asked hesitantly.

Shulk smiled over Melia's protectiveness and took her hand, "I'm sure, Angel. I'll be all right until you get back."

Melia nodded and leaned into him for a hug, "I'll come right back when I'm done, okay?" She said softly.

"You don't have to worry so much about me, Angel." Shulk replied and returned the hug, "Everything is fine now, and I was probably just going to nap while I waited."

Melia lifted her head from Shulk's shoulder and gave him a smile, "Okay, Boo."

They shared a soft kiss before Melia got off his bed. She stopped at the door and turned around, giving him another small smile.

"I shouldn't be gone for too long, Shulk. I love you~" Melia said.

"I love you too, Melia. Take as long as you want, you're not in any rush." Shulk said back.

Melia then left Shulk's room and she heard a stomping sound coming from her side. She turned in the noise's direction, seeing the captain standing idly at attention.

"Empress." The captain greeted and saluted.

"Oh, hello. Why are you here, captain?" Melia asked.

"I was given the news that Shulk is awake now, and I was requested to stand guard for the next shift change." The captain explained.

"You've already heard about his surgery?" Melia asked with a small sense of surprise in her tone.

Melia took another glance up and down at the captain. She understood that it was part of his job, but she had grown so accustomed to seeing him laid back that it felt strange to talk to him while he was acting so uptight.

"At ease, captain." Melia jokingly said with a smile.

The captain gave a relieved sigh as he relaxed his stance, "Yeah, I knew about it already. I mean, everyone in the capital should know about Shulk by now. The news about him spread around pretty quickly."

The captain looked down at Melia's hand and started to grin, "I don't know if the public knows about that yet, however."

Melia looked puzzled and raised an eyebrow.

What is he talking about?

Melia quietly gasped as it suddenly clicked, he was talking about her ring.

The captain chuckled, "Did it seriously take you a minute to catch on to that? I guess that's understandable, though. You two have been acting like a married couple even before he proposed."

Melia warmly smiled and held out her hand for the captain to see her ring.

"If our engagement isn't well known yet, how did you find out about it?" Melia asked.

"Shulk told me beforehand." The captain replied as he inspected the ring, "I wouldn't be surprised if he told the rest of your friends about it too."

"Oh, that reminds me." Melia spoke up, "Could you find the others and have them meet me at the Villa in about an hour?"

"Of course. I don't have much longer until the next shift change, so I'll go look for them once I can leave." The captain said.

Melia nodded, "Okay. Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Did you want an escort back home? I can have that arranged." The captain offered.

"No, that's all right. I'll make my own way home, and I was going to be coming back here shortly." Melia replied.

"Alright then. Well, if I don't see you by the time you get back, enjoy the rest of your day, Mrs. Antiqua." The captain teased.

Melia turned so flustered from his comment that she couldn't even say anything back. She nodded and took her leave, blushing helplessly and staring off into space during her walk back home.

Mrs. Antiqua… being Shulk's wife-to-be… I still can't believe this is all real.

Melia stopped for a moment and smiled brightly as she looked up to the sky, "You'll all soon have an in-law joining your families. Your son told me what you two think of our relationship, and I hope I have your approval of our wedding as well, just like I would hope my own relatives are supportive of it too."

Melia's mind began to clear after she took the transporter and walked up to her Villa. She opened the front door and went right into the bedroom, wanting to get ready as fast as possible and be back with Shulk.

Melia picked an outfit from the closet and stepped into the bathroom for a quick shower. She didn't hear any noise at the door after she finished, so she got started on her hair and makeup while she waited for everyone to arrive.

After a short while had passed, Melia could hear a knock at the front door. She went to answer it and was met with a big hug from Denise as she jumped ahead of the group.

"Melia! We heard that Shulk is finally awake! We're so happy for you!~" Denise exclaimed.

The others all started to laugh over Denise's enthusiasm.

"Energetic as always, aren't you?" Dunban teased.

Melia returned the hug, "Still, I appreciate the gesture. Thank you, Denise, that's really sweet of you."

The two girls let each other go and Melia looked back up at the group with a cheerful smile.

Sharla returned the smile seeing that Melia was back to her old self, "Anyways, what did you want to meet with us here for, Melia?"

"I was going back to the hospital to see Shulk soon. I wanted to know if you were all interested in coming with me to visit him." Melia offered.

"Of course we'll go with you, Melia." Fiora answered.

Melia nodded, "Alright, I just need to do a few more things and I'll be ready."

Sharla put on a teasing smirk, "Aww, trying to look good for your hubby? I'll help you, Melia."

Melia stood out of the doorway for everyone to come in. They all waited in the living room while her and Sharla went into the bedroom.

Melia sat down at her desk to finish her makeup while Sharla took over on styling her hair. She noticed that Sharla was rather quiet most of the time and glanced at her through the mirror, seeing a frown and a distant stare.

"Is everything okay, Sharla?" Melia spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, everything is fine. It's just… Reyn has been acting different, and I can't shake the feeling why. He's not his usual goofy self lately, and either acts all serious or zones out into space." Sharla suddenly paused, "Oh, I'm sorry for just unloading all of my problems at you like that. I'm sure you have plenty of things to keep you busy as it is and don't need me adding on to it."

"No, it's okay. Other than Shulk's recovery and day-to-day things, there hasn't been much else taking up my time. We haven't even talked about our wedding arrangements, or when we're going to have it for that matter." Melia assured her, "I haven't noticed anything unusual about Reyn, but I'll try to help in any way that I can."

Sharla smiled and went back to curling Melia's hair, "I appreciate it."

After they finished, the girls went back into the living room and grabbed the others.

"Sorry for keeping you all waiting. Are we ready to go?" Melia asked.

"Don't worry about it. We're all set." Reyn answered and got off the couch.

Melia glanced at Reyn and the changes in him felt more apparent now that Sharla brought it up. He looked so deep in his thoughts and she also caught him staring at her ring, but she chose to keep quiet about it for now.

They all left the Villa and went to the hospital. Shulk woke from his nap not too long ago and greeted everyone as they walked in, but Melia suddenly felt entranced at the sight of her fiancé. She was profusely blushing and had this dream-like stare as the captain's words kept echoing in her mind, especially him jokingly calling her 'Mrs.'.

Melia stepped ahead of the others and Shulk smiled as she crawled into his bed.

"Welcome back. You didn't miss mu-"

Shulk was suddenly cut off and let out a surprised noise as Melia passionately kissed him. He ignored the fact that everyone else was watching and pulled her closer as he returned the kiss, seeing sparkles in her eyes after they broke it.

Melia laid down next to Shulk and nuzzled against his shoulder, "Hi, Boo~ Did you get any rest while I was gone?"

Shulk lifted his arm and wrapped it over Melia as she snuggled closer.

"A little, but what's gotten into you since you left, Angel? You're certainly acting more affectionate than usual." Shulk commented.

Before Melia could answer, a female staff member entered the room with a clipboard in hand.

"Mr. Antiqua?" She asked.

Shulk turned just as red as Melia and looked down at her. He suddenly remembered the ring on his hand as it glimmered in the corner of his eye, and he also got an answer to his earlier question as he caught that dreamy smile reappearing on Melia's face.

Shulk snapped out of his daze and looked back at the girl, "Yes, that's me. Sorry, the name change is still new, so I'm not exactly used to it yet."

"Oh, my apologies. I was just going off what I seen on your paperwork, it had your status marked as married." She started.

"Well, soon to be. It's alright though, I've got to get used to it eventually, right?" Shulk joked.

The girl softly laughed and handed Shulk the clipboard as she came over, "Well, congratulations to the both of you. I'm Carla, and I was your Case Manager for your operation. Dr. Nagoya authorized to have you discharged, and I brought everything for you to sign so we can get you ready to leave."

Melia faintly squealed and hugged Shulk so tightly that it made him drop the pen and clipboard into his lap.

"Melia!" Shulk playfully cried and tried to keep himself from getting knocked over.

"Sounds like someone is eager to have you back home." Carla smiled.

Shulk laughed over Melia stubbornly refusing to let him go. He kissed the top of her head and reached for the things he dropped as he tried to work around her.

"Is there anything Shulk will need to do after he's discharged?" Sharla asked while he was signing everything.

"We'll be sending him home with some medications and schedule a few more appointments to check up on him. Other than that, we'll want him to take everything easy for a bit and keep his health maintained. It's all the basic stuff, really: Eating healthy, staying active as best he can, avoiding smoking and drinking for a while, etcetera." Carla explained.

Shulk turned his attention away from what he was signing and glanced down at Melia, seeing that she was staring back at him with a concerned look on her face.

Shulk gave Melia a hug and leaned closer to her ear, "I know, Angel, I heard her. It was just that one cigar and nothing more. You can even hold onto the case if that'll help you feel better."

"Okay, Boo." Melia said quietly and hugged him back.

Shulk let her go and finished signing everything before handing the clipboard back to Carla.

"Alright, we're just going to process all of this and get your medication ready, then you should be good to go. Congratulations again on the engagement, you two." Carla said and left the room.

Shulk smiled and pulled Melia into another hug, "I finally get to be back home with you~"

Melia's worries started to melt away at the thought of having him home and she smiled as she nuzzled against him.

"I know we've already been here for a while, but if you two don't mind, we could stay in Alcamoth for a few more days and help Shulk get situated." Sharla suggested.

"Already acting like a doctor, huh Sharla?" Denise joked.

"I've got less than a year until I graduate and can start looking at medical schools, may as well get into the routine early. Besides, I've been taking care of these guys for the past few years, I practically am their doctor." Sharla replied with a small smile.

Shulk looked down at Melia, "What do you think, Angel?"

"Of course you all can stay." Melia answered.

"And here I thought you two were starting to get sick of us." Sharla joked, "It'll only be for a few more days. I'm sure you both would want some time to yourselves after all of this."

"Well, yeah…" Shulk paused for a moment and took Melia's hand, "But I think we'll be okay for a bit longer. I mean, we've got nothing but time now because of this surgery."

Melia smiled warmly and locked their fingers together as they shared a tender kiss.

Sharla smiled along and rested her head on Reyn's shoulder, but when she looked up at him, his distant and serious look was back in full effect.

---

Three days later, Shulk was settling back in with Melia at their Villa. It was around mid-afternoon, and he was resting in bed while everyone else was up, but he didn't feel like he could go back to sleep. He got up and started walking down the hall to see what the others were doing, and he saw Reyn walking up to him before he could make it into the living room.

Reyn threw his arm around Shulk's shoulder and grinned a bit too eagerly as he made him move in the opposite direction.

"Shulk! Just the guy I was looking to see! Think you could spare a minute for your old pal?" Reyn asked.

Shulk raised an eyebrow, "That depends. With how weird you're acting, you're making it sound like we might be getting into trouble like we used to."

"Nah, this ain't anything like that. Come on, we'll walk and talk." Reyn said.

Reyn turned Shulk back around and they walked into the living room. Fiora and Melia were nearby in the other room, while the rest of the group was lounging around.

"Yo, guys, me 'n Shulk are going out for a bit." Reyn announced.

"You're taking Shulk with you?" Melia overheard and hurried into the living room, "Boo, are you feeling okay to go anywhere? Do you want me to come with you?" She asked worriedly.

"It's okay, Melia. I feel fine-" Shulk paused and looked down, noticing she had an apron on.

"What's with this?" Shulk asked and playfully flicked at her apron.

"Oh, I was helping Fiora in the kitchen." Melia answered.

"Wait, what?" Shulk gawked.

Fiora came over and stood next to Melia, "Carla and the doctor told you to watch what you eat, Shulk. You can't just order junk food and call it a day anymore."

"And you seemed to like the food I made when I came to visit you, so… I thought I could cook for you more often, and I asked Fiora if she could further teach me before she left." Melia added shyly.

Shulk gawked back and forth between the two girls before he suddenly broke out laughing.

Melia only turned redder as he laughed, but then Shulk threw his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Melia. I'm not laughing at you, it's just the way you said it sounded so adorable!" Shulk assured her.

"So… you don't mind?" Melia asked nervously.

"Of course not, Angel. If Fiora is the one teaching you, I'm sure I'll love anything you make." Shulk answered.

Melia started to smile, but she was too embarrassed to show it and hid her face in Shulk's chest as she returned the hug.

"I guess it's true what they say, 'The way into a man's heart is through his stomach'." Reyn joked, "Whatever it is you two are making, throw in something spicy for me too!"

"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you that Reyn likes his food spicy, Melia." Fiora spoke up, "We'll find something we can work with for you, Reyn."

Melia lifted her head from Shulk's chest and looked up at him, "If you want to wait until after we eat, then I can come with you, Boo."

"You're too protective of him, Melia." Reyn commented and rested an arm on Shulk's shoulder, "He'll be fine with me around, and I kinda wanted it to be just us guys for a bit, y'know? We haven't gotten a chance to hang out with just us in a while."

"Well, okay, if you're feeling well enough for that, Shulk." Melia said hesitantly.

Shulk gave her another reassuring hug, "I'll be okay, Melia. I've been feeling much better after a few days to rest."

"Okay, Boo." Melia gave in and gently broke out of the hug, "Did you remember to take your medicine before you leave?"

"Yes, mom." Shulk jokingly groaned and rolled his eyes.

Melia's wings perked up and she instantly started to blush. Everyone else could tell what she was thinking, while Shulk just looked around confused.

"Something I said?" Shulk asked.

Melia quickly snapped out of her daydreaming, "N-no, it's nothing, Shulk. You two can go on ahead if you're ready."

Reyn was faster to catch on to things than Shulk and started pushing him towards the front door.

"I'll have him back in a few hours." Reyn called out and shut the door behind them.

After the boys left, Melia followed Fiora back into the kitchen, but she was still too flustered to concentrate.

Fiora looked over at Melia and gave her a comforting smile, "Still thinking about what your oblivious fiancé said?"

Melia started to relax knowing it was just the two of them now and let out a sigh, "Yes. I know he was just trying to tease me, but… being called 'mom' someday, and picturing cooking for a family of our own…"

Melia turned bright red and felt too shy to keep talking about it, but Fiora had plenty enough to know where her mind was taking her.

Fiora softly placed her hand on Melia's shoulder, "One thing at a time, Melia. You guys still have a wedding to plan, and I'm going to need a bit more time to teach you if you're going to be making food for a whole family."

Melia nodded and tried to clear her head as they went back to making dinner.

---

Reyn and Shulk were joking back and forth and rambling about nothing in particular as they strolled through the city. They aimlessly passed through a few of Alcamoth's districts, but Reyn grew increasingly quieter and his facial expression turned more serious as they approached the commercial district.

Shulk noticed his friend's sudden mood change and glanced back at him, "Alright, Reyn, what's this all about? You still haven't explained why you wanted me to come with you."

"You know what? You're right." Reyn let out a sigh and tried to relax as best he could, "Alright, Shulk. You know I'm not the greatest when it comes to words, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. I've been watching how well you and Melia have been taking it lately after getting engaged, and… every time I see that nice ring you put on her hand, it gets me thinking that maybe it's time I settled down too and popped the question to Sharla."

"Wait… pop the question?" Shulk took a step back in surprise, "You mean you want to ask Sharla to m-"

Reyn suddenly covered Shulk's mouth and shushed him.

"Not so loud, ya spazz." Reyn joked, "I wanted this to be a surprise. You're my closest friend, so I wanted to keep this between me and you, and I asked for you to come with me because I could use some help in picking out a ring."

Shulk tried to compose himself after Reyn moved his hand away, "I-I mean… I don't know what to say, Reyn. I think that's great, but you shouldn't be rushing into something as serious as this just because you've seen how me and Melia have taken it after such a short time."

"Yeah, I know it isn't enough to go off of, but I'm not making this decision just from that. I'll admit, I've thought about it before, but it wasn't in much of a serious way back then. Now that some time has passed, and how me and Sharla stayed together through all of it…" Reyn paused for a moment and gave a determined stare back to his friend, "I'm serious about this now, Shulk. I've given it plenty of thought, and I'm thinking it's finally time that I asked her."

Shulk returned his look with an understanding nod, "Alright. If you're absolutely sure on this, then I'll help you out, Reyn. Come on, there's actually a place in the commercial district where I had mine and Melia's rings made."

Shulk took him to one of the jewelry stores in the commercial district and Reyn stopped for a moment before they went inside. He took a step back to see the entire building and felt a familiar pang as he read the name on the sign.

"Wait… this is that same jewelry store me and Dunban were checking out after the fighting was over!" Reyn exclaimed.

Shulk smirked and rested his hand on the door, "Small world, huh? Come on, I'll introduce you to the guy who helped me if he's working today."

The two stepped inside to see a male High Entia browsing over a catalogue of new jewelry they just added.

"Welcome, welcome! Please, take as long as you like to look around. My name is Cedric. If you find anything you like, then let me-" Cedric suddenly stopped his introduction as he lifted his head from the catalogue and seen Shulk. He hurried over and shook his hand, "Consort, good to see you again! What did our empress think of the ring?"

Shulk smiled and held up his ring hand, "She loved it."

"Wonderful, wonderful! So, what brings you in again, here to spoil her a little more?" Cedric asked.

Shulk chuckled a little at his enthusiasm, "No, I'm actually here for a different reason."

Shulk placed his hand on Reyn's shoulder, "This is Reyn. He's a lifelong friend of mine and he was shopping around for an engagement ring, so I brought him here."

Cedric shook Reyn's hand, "Well, any friend of the consort is a friend of mine. We just got some new merchandise in, so take your time looking through all of it, or I can also give you a few suggestions to get you started. We also do custom-made jewelry like the consort's ring, but you'll have to give us some time to make it, so it might not be the best option if you were looking to propose in the short future."

"I don't think that'll work, I'm only in town for a few more days." Reyn said.

"That's okay, I'm sure we can find something she'll like with what we have on the showroom floor. Since you're a friend of the consort, I'll throw in an extra percentage off on top of the referral discount." Cedric offered.

"Alright, that's perfect! We're going to look around for a bit on our own, then we'll come find you." Reyn said.

"Alright, sounds good. Just let me know when you're ready." Cedric said.

Cedric left them alone as Shulk and Reyn browsed around the store, glancing over several rows of display cases.

"This is great, I might not have to owe Dunban anything back!" Reyn said.

"Why would you owe anything to Dunban?" Shulk asked.

"Oh, guess I was thinking out loud. Dunban knows about this already and he offered to front me a bit of cash to help pay for the ring. At this rate, though, I might not have to rely on him." Reyn explained.

Shulk chuckled softly as he looked back into the display cases, "And Melia said my new title wouldn't come with many benefits. Did you have anything in mind to help you look, Reyn? Like a certain style, color, something like that?"

"Well, Sharla seems to like emerald." Reyn pondered out loud.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we've got a few things that fit that description on this side." Cedric overheard them and pointed to the other end of the showroom.

Shulk and Reyn came over and checked out the display cases he was pointing to.

Reyn glanced through a few of the rings, then stopped as one came into view with a band that was twisted like wispy vines and had emerald accents.

"Hey, boss, could you take this one out for me?" Reyn called.

Cedric came over and opened the display case. He took out the one Reyn pointed to and turned the ring as he inspected it.

"Not a bad choice." Cedric commented.

"Anything you can tell us about it?" Shulk asked.

"Well, this is a Trellis-style ring, meaning it has four prongs that interweave and are shaped to hold up the centerpiece. The band itself is 18K White Gold, and as you can see, it has vine-like twists as it gets closer to the center. You mentioned emerald earlier, Reyn, and this one has emerald accents with a 0.60 carat, round diamond in the center. You have options with this ring as well to suit both your budget and your significant other's tastes: We can swap the band for a different metal, and we can also change the diamond if you wanted a specific cut or a different carat amount. Another plus side to those changes is that it won't take as long as a custom order, and it should be ready before you leave." Cedric explained.

"Actually, I'm thinking it looks great as is." Reyn said and leaned his arms onto the glass, "All the fancy descriptions aside, how much are we looking at this one costing?"

Cedric went to grab a small calculator and came back over, "Well, if we're adding in the tax and appropriate discounts, you're at… just under five-thousand G. To be more precise: Four-thousand, eight hundred and ninety-five."

Reyn whistled and stared into the glass underneath him, "On second thought, maybe I will end up owing Dunban back."

"If this is out of your price range, we have plenty of-"

"No, no, that's not an issue." Reyn gently cut him off, "I can afford that, it's just a little more than I was expecting it to be. I'll still take it."

"Alright then. If there wasn't anything else you two were looking for, then I'll get you rung up and have you on your way." Cedric said.

"I've taken a big enough hit to my pockets for one day." Reyn joked.

"Fair enough. Well, let me be the first to congratulate you." Cedric said and shook Reyn's hand.

"Thanks. I just hope she likes it." Reyn said nervously.

"I'm sure she will." Cedric smiled.

After paying, Cedric handed Reyn a small box with the ring inside, "You're all set. Good luck, and nice meeting you."

"Yeah, you too." Reyn said back as he and Shulk left the store.

Shulk grinned as he seen a familiarly nervous look on Reyn's face while he tucked away the box into his pocket.

"I was like this before I asked Melia too, Reyn. Just relax, it's all in your head." Shulk assured him.

"If you say so." Reyn blankly said back as his thoughts traveled.

Shulk threw his arm around Reyn's shoulder as they walked along, "Come on, this isn't the Reyn I know. Tell you what, we'll find something to do around Alcamoth to clear your head before we go back to the Villa, and whatever we do, it's on me. You've spent plenty of cash today, and you look like you could use a minute to relax."

Reyn's friendly grin started to reappear at his offer, "Alright, let's do it."

After hanging out around the city for a while, they went back to the Villa and Sharla and Melia greeted them as they came through the front door.

"Welcome back, you two." Sharla smiled.

Melia walked up to Shulk and hugged him, "Was everything okay, Boo? What did you two end up doing?"

"Yeah, everything was fine, Melia. And we didn't do anything in particular, just hung out for a bit." Shulk said nonchalantly and returned the hug.

Reyn suddenly went up to Sharla and lifted her up, giving her a passionate kiss and carrying her like a princess back over to the living room.

"R-Reyn! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Sharla cried and started to laugh.

"Nothing, I'm just happy to see you and I'm feeling a bit better now that I got some time to chill out. There's nothing wrong with that, right?" Reyn grinned.

Sharla smiled and nuzzled close as he carried her, "I guess not~"

Sharla looked over Reyn's shoulder and also gave a smile to Shulk.

Whatever you did to fix him, thank you, Shulk.

As the two left their sight, Melia started to grow suspicious and turned back to Shulk.

"Okay, Shulk, what happened?" Melia pressed.

Shulk grinned and held up his ring hand, "Here's a hint."

Melia was thrown off by his reply and stared puzzledly at the ring.

What are you trying to tell me, Shulk? What does your ring have to do with this? …Wait…

"Shulk, you mean Reyn's planning to-"

Shulk covered Melia's mouth and shushed her like Reyn did to him earlier, "Shh, it's supposed to be a secret. I wasn't supposed to tell anybody, but I figured you wouldn't let it slip if I told you."

Melia nodded as Shulk moved his hand away. She started to smile and gave him another hug, "After you proposed, I was wondering how long it would take for them to follow suit. Either way, I'm happy for them."

"Yeah, so am I." Shulk added and held her under his arm, "But remember, Angel, you need to keep it a secret."

"Okay, Boo. Did Reyn tell you when he was planning to ask her?" Melia asked.

"He never mentioned specifically when, but he did say he'd let me know before it happens." Shulk answered.

"A bit vague, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Melia said.

Shulk kissed Melia's forehead and pulled her into a tighter hug, "Seems so, but let's just focus on what's happening right now, Angel. Speaking of which, is food ready? I'm starving."

Melia laughed a little and untangled herself from his arms, "It's almost done, Shulk. How about you help me set the table while you wait? It should be finished by then."

"Alright." Shulk said and anticipatingly licked his lips, "Time to be a test rat again."

"Must you always refer to it like that?" Melia frowned.

"You know I'm just kidding, Angel. I'm sure it'll be good if you and Fiora made it." Shulk assured her, "I'll stop saying it if it'll make you feel better. Come on, let's go."

Melia nodded and took Shulk's hand as they went into the dining room. They finished setting the table just as Fiora started bringing everything out, and everyone gathered around the table to eat then called it a night.

---

Eight months had passed since Reyn and Sharla last visited Alcamoth, and both of them had seriously knuckled down in that allotted time: Sharla had graduated and received an acceptance letter for a medical school in Colony 6, while Reyn worked to the bone to scrape enough money for them to buy a house there before her schooling started.

The time had finally come for them to move, and Dunban and Fiora agreed to help them. Dunban borrowed a heavy vehicle from the military district, and he and his sister drove over to Reyn's soon-to-be-old house to load everything up.

With everything packed and the house now completely empty, Reyn decided to take one last stroll down memory lane. He smiled softly as he roamed through the house, reminiscing on all the good times he had growing up in the colony.

"You really don't realize how fast life moves until later on. I knew it couldn't last forever, but I'm still going to miss this place…" Reyn quietly said to himself.

Sharla was wondering where Reyn wandered off to and went back into the house. She found him staring blankly around their old bedroom and came over, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Everything all right, hun?" Sharla asked softly.

Reyn placed his hand over hers, "Yeah, everything's fine. I was just taking one last look around the place, that's all."

Sharla began to smile as she laid her head on Reyn's shoulder, "So many good memories here."

"Yeah, there was." Reyn added.

Sharla left a kiss on his shoulder and gave him another hug from behind, "We could always stop by and see this place again if we come to visit."

"Maybe we'll do that, but for now, let's just make the best out of whatever's ahead." Reyn replied with a hopeful smile.

"Okay, babe." Sharla smiled along and held out her hand, "Are you ready to go?"

Reyn nodded and the two held hands as they left the home.

Dunban was parked outside and waiting in the driver's seat while Fiora sat passenger-side. Reyn and Sharla hopped into the back of their makeshift moving truck and they all drove off towards Colony 6.

As the colony came into sight, they could see people gathered outside the gates and setting up attractions for the annual festival. They parked close to the gate and Juju and Otharon waved at them from the top of a nearby hill as they stepped out of the vehicle.

"Sharla, up here!" Juju called out, "We've got some new stuff we're adding for the festival, you've gotta see this!"

Fiora looked over at Sharla with a smile, "I'll go with you, Sharla. Come on, let's go see what they want."

"But what about all the stuff we need to move?" Sharla asked.

"Don't worry about that. Reyn and I can get started while you two are gone." Dunban assured her.

"Well, alright, if you're sure." Sharla replied hesitantly.

Fiora didn't give Sharla much time to reconsider and took her hand, pulling her along as they started trekking up the hill.

Dunban quickly turned to Reyn and handed him a duffle bag, "They can't keep her distracted for long, Reyn. Hurry up and get ready."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Reyn said.

Reyn took the bag from him and was rushing off to the colony gates, but Dunban suddenly called out to him.

"Reyn!" He yelled.

"Yeah?" Reyn called back.

Dunban let out a sigh and gave a soft smile, "I still think the way you're planning to do this is dumb, but it fits you perfectly. Good luck."

Reyn shot him back a smirk and disappeared behind the colony gates.

Fiora tried to keep Sharla distracted for as long as she could, and soon after, they headed back to the colony entrance, only to be met by Reyn stationed out front in his guard uniform.

"Hold it, hold it." Reyn said and blocked Sharla's path.

Sharla raised an eyebrow at him, "Reyn? What are you doing? And why are you in your old guard outfit?"

Reyn pointed at his badge, "That's officer to you. I was called in for a bag check, so I need to see your luggage and your ID before I can let you in."

"Are you serious, Reyn?" Sharla said back, beginning to sound irritated.

Reyn had to hide his grin as he tried to stay in character, "Ma'am, my job is to make sure everyone here is safe. You're new here and these people don't exactly know you. I'm only-"

"Fine! Here, you jackass!" Sharla cut him off sharply and threw her ID onto the table next to him.

Dunban and Fiora were watching the scene play out and they covered their mouths as they snickered.

Reyn took her ID and pointed it at them, "Oi, you two! If you think something's funny about this, I'll be more than happy to have you both checked out next!"

Fiora stopped herself from laughing and sarcastically played along, "Oh, we're so sorry, 'Officer'. We'll keep quiet from now on."

Reyn jokingly scoffed back and glanced at the ID, "Hm, they told me ahead of time that you were coming in, but they actually gave me the wrong last name. That's on them, though, so I'll let that slide. Let me see your bag now."

Sharla impatiently rolled her eyes and set the bag down on the table.

Reyn took his time searching through the bag to make it look dramatic, then he suddenly stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Did you pack this bag yourself, Ms. Sharla, or did you have someone help you?" Reyn asked.

"You already know Fiora helped me pack my stuff, Reyn." Sharla answered.

"Is that right? Well, would either of you care to explain what this is?" Reyn shot back as he pulled his hand out, revealing a small box and a folded note.

Sharla paused for a split second in shock, then covered her mouth and let out a gasp as she pieced together what might be inside the box. She tried to say something as she glanced back and forth from Reyn to Fiora, but nothing would come out when she tried, and the both of them would only grin at her as their gaze met.

"Staying silent, huh? Alright, I'll start with the note then."

Reyn unfolded the piece of paper and began to read it out loud.

"Sharla, I've thought over on how to say this to you so many times and could never find the right words for it, so I'm just going to come out with it in the way that I know best. You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, and I wouldn't want to even begin thinking on where I'd be if we'd never met. I've had some of the happiest times of my life with you by my side, and I honestly still can't believe how far we've come after all this time. I know you almost never see me acting seriously, but I want you to know that I really am happy to be taking this next step, and it's because I have you alongside me. I love you, Sharla, and before we truly start this next step, I have something that I wanted to ask you."

Sharla felt paralyzed and like she was on the verge of crying as Reyn lifted his head from the note. He then took the box and held it in his hand, giving Sharla that bright and playful smile she always loved to see as he got down on one knee.

"From here on, and wherever life ends up taking us, I want you to be there with me through all of it. Sharla, will you marry me?" Reyn then opened the box, revealing the engagement ring.

Tears streamed down Sharla's face and Reyn could hear her making a strange noise from behind her hand. At first it sounded like crying, then he realized what it actually was, she was laughing.

"Even after all this time, you're still that same goofball I've always known." Sharla wiped her tears and smiled brightly down at him, "Yes, Reyn, I will!"

Reyn stood up and embraced her, and as they shared a passionate kiss, hordes of colony residents emerged from behind and even on the top of the city's gates and cheered.

Reyn slid the ring over Sharla's finger and she pulled him into another tight hug.

"I love you so much, Reyn." Sharla said and hid her face in his chest, not even sure herself if she was about to cry again with joy.

Reyn smiled as he stroked her hair, "I love you too, Sharla."

Sharla had a sense that someone was walking towards them and she lifted her head back up. Her intuition was right and she seen a couple with wings on their heads were coming over. She could clearly tell one of them was Melia, but the blonde-haired boy that was beside her… even though she recognized his face, she could only stare dumbfoundedly at the sight of his wings.

"Melia, and… S-Shulk?!" Sharla blurted out.

Melia smiled warmly, "It's nice to see you after all this time too, Sharla."

Sharla wasn't trying to be rude, but she just couldn't bring herself to reply or take her eyes away from Melia's partner's set of head wings. They reached about halfway down his back and were aimed downward, giving his wings a look as if they were a mix between pure and non-pure High Entia.

"Sh-Shulk… you're…" Sharla stammered.

Shulk grinned and pointed up to his wings as they began flapping, "Pretty cool, aren't they? My co-workers told me that I'd possibly growing wings, and now they're at full size!"

"I-I don't know what to say… I mean…" Sharla was still in shock and couldn't make sense out of what was in front of her, let alone even a sentence.

"It must be something you have to see for a while to get acquainted with." Melia chuckled. She turned to Shulk and made him blush as her hand caressed one of his wings, "I think they look adorable, Boo~"

"Not as adorable as you though, Angel." Shulk mused.

The winged couple smiled at each other and looked back over to Reyn and Sharla. This was their moment, after all, and they didn't want to impede on it.

The commotion from the city slowly started to simmer down and the group all followed behind Reyn and Sharla to see their new home. After a tour around the house and listing off where they wanted to place everything, everyone pitched in and helped carry the boxes inside.

Melia was helping Sharla carry the lighter boxes into the master bedroom upstairs. They both stopped for a moment to take a break, and Melia caught Sharla helplessly smiling and staring at her ring like she used to do.

"Congratulations, Sharla. I'm happy for you." Melia said warmly.

"Thank you, Melia." Sharla said before glancing back down at her hand. However, her smile was starting to fade away and she looked nervous as she clasped her other hand over the ring.

"Hey, Melia, you and Shulk have been living together for a while now after your guys' engagement, right?" Sharla started.

"Yes, we have. Why do you ask?" Melia replied.

"It's just… I don't know why, but I feel a bit nervous about this. Reyn and I have already been living together, but it somehow feels different now that he proposed." Sharla explained.

Melia held Sharla's hand, "That's the beauty of it: It's like getting to know someone all over again. I didn't feel as nervous about Shulk moving in with me, but in that short time I've had away from him while he was in the hospital… I just couldn't call the Villa 'home' unless he was there."

"Melia…" Sharla started.

Before she could say anything to comfort her, Melia silenced her friend's worries by giving her a reassuring smile and gently squeezing her hand, "Maybe you just need to give it some time before you adjust, and it might help if you don't look at it as moving in with your fiancé, but instead with your closest friend."

Sharla looked at her in astonishment; Melia was more like the little sister in their dynamic, but here she was giving her the mature piece of advice.

Sharla nodded, "Maybe you're right. Thank you, Melia, I'll try to look at it that way. Speaking of Shulk, have you two decided on when you're going to be having your wedding?"

"We were thinking of having it when Spring comes back around next year." Melia answered.

Only seconds later, Shulk appeared in the doorway with a big box in his hands.

"Where do you want this, Sharla?" He asked.

"Just set it against the wall over there, Shulk." Sharla pointed.

Shulk went to set the box down and felt a pair of arms wrap around his mid as he stood back up. He didn't even need to use his newly-acquired ether sense to tell who was behind him; He knew it was Melia, and he smiled as he placed his hand over hers.

"Hey, you~ What are you two doing just sitting around up here?" Shulk asked.

"Nothing, just talking while we were taking a break." Melia replied and nuzzled closer to him.

Sharla smiled and began to ponder as she watched them.

Maybe Melia has a point. Her and Shulk seem so comfortable around each other, possibly even more than they used to be since he proposed. I hope Reyn and I can be like that too once we give it some time.

Sharla suddenly broke out of her train of thought, "Oh, I just remembered what I wanted to ask you two! Are you guys going to be staying here for a bit? I'm sure you've already seen it, but the festival is starting up again soon, and it's gotten so big that they're even adding stuff outside of the colony!"

Shulk and Melia turned to face her.

"Oh, we didn't exactly plan for that…" Melia started.

"It's going to be starting pretty soon though, Melia, I think we'll be okay with what we brought until then. Besides, it could be fun!" Shulk said.

"Yeah, you two could relive your first date~" Sharla teased.

"O-our first…" Melia turned bright red as images replayed in her mind from the last time they went to the festival. She looked over at Shulk, seeing he was blushing just as much before he shyly looked away.

"Still the same innocent lovebirds from back then, I see." Sharla commented. She paused for a second and suddenly broke out laughing.

Sharla's laughing gave Shulk a distraction from his flustering and he looked over to her in confusion.

"What's so funny, Sharla?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I forgot about your wings." Sharla took a moment to calm down and stop laughing… as best she could, at least, "I guess calling you two 'lovebirds' is kind of literal now, isn't it?"

Shulk gave a small chuckle in return, "I guess it is."

Shulk then looked over to Melia and tried to play it off, giving her a smile as he took her hand.

"Melia, would you want to go with me?" He asked.

Melia started to relax as she looked into her fiancé's eyes. Her wings gave a subtle flap and she returned the smile, "I'd love to."

Shulk glanced back over at Sharla, "We should be done with this by the time the festival starts, right?"

"Yeah, we should have plenty of time. It's not starting until tomorrow night, so we can set up all the necessary things and end it at that, then get ready for the festival." Sharla replied.

"Alright." Shulk said and pressed his forehead to Melia's, "Then it's a date~"

"That it is~" Melia giggled.

Melia pulled Shulk closer and their wings began to flutter as they shared a tender kiss.

Shulk then broke the kiss, "I should get back to helping Reyn downstairs."

Shulk went to the doorway but took one more look back before he left. He blushed and his wings began to nervously flap as he glanced over to Melia, then he flusteredly hurried down the hall.

Even after Shulk left, Melia was still blushing as well and stared at the open doorway where she last seen him.

Sharla smirked and leaned against Melia as she put an arm around her shoulder, "Whatever happened to seeing them as your closest friend and not your fiancé?"

"Well… Shulk is both of those to me." Melia murmured shyly.

"Aww, how sweet~" Sharla teased, "Come on, Juliet. You'll see your Romeo in a bit, but we've got work to do until then."

Melia nodded and the two girls went back to work. They mostly stayed on the upper floor while Shulk and Reyn focused on the main level, but every now and then, Shulk and Melia's paths would cross and they'd blush as they gave each other a nervous smile.

Early evening soon came around and Sharla dusted off her hands, "Alright, that should be enough for today."

The group all let out an exhausted sigh and Melia walked over to Shulk, tiredly resting her head by his collar bone as she hugged him.

"I'm ready to just drop right here and go to sleep." Reyn commented and looked back at the others, "We appreciate the help, guys."

"We brought an inflatable mattress in case we couldn't get our sleeping arrangements set up, but since we don't have to worry about that now, you guys can decide who wants to use it and stay the night here." Sharla added.

"No, that's okay. Dunban and I were going to stay the night at the reconstruction HQ, like always." Fiora said.

"Shulk and I already rented a room at the inn here as well." Melia added.

"Alright, if you guys are sure." Sharla said, "If you're all up for it, we could meet here tomorrow and go to the festival in one big group."

"Actually, we might do that." Fiora spoke up.

"You and Dunban are staying for the festival too, Fiora?" Shulk asked.

"Of course. We're already here, so we may as well stay for the fun, right?" Fiora replied.

Shulk nodded to her, then everyone looked over to Sharla in agreement.

"Alright, sounds like we've got a plan." Sharla smiled, "We'll see you guys tomorrow, then. Good night, everyone, and thanks again for the help!"

Everyone else said their goodbyes and left for the places they would be staying for the night.

Shulk and Melia started getting ready for bed as soon as they got to their room. They took a shower together and changed into their pajamas, then Shulk fell right into bed, exhaling tiredly as his back sunk into the mattress.

"So comfortable~" Shulk said and moved over to his side of the bed.

"More comfortable than the inflatable mattress option?" Melia jokingly asked. She climbed into bed and snuggled next to Shulk, "I figured we should've given Reyn and Sharla some privacy anyways. They just got engaged, after all, I'm sure they would've wanted some time to themselves."

"I wouldn't doubt it. I mean, we had a pretty… 'interesting' night too after I proposed." Shulk murmured.

"That we did~" Melia suggestively giggled and traced her finger over Shulk's chest.

Melia lifted her head and gazed into Shulk's eyes before leaning in for a kiss.

Melia broke the kiss and gave Shulk a tight hug, "And just think, come next year, it'll be made official!"

Shulk smiled and held his ring hand up against hers, "Mr. and Mrs. Antiqua. I already love the way that sounds."

Melia couldn't stop smiling at the thought of it and locked their fingers together, "I do too, and I can't wait for that day to come. I love you, Shulk, with all my heart."

"I love you too, Melia." Shulk mused.

The two shared another tender kiss before Melia laid back down, still wearing that bright smile as she nuzzled close to him.

Shulk nested her under his arm, "Not much longer, Angel, but let's just relax and enjoy the time we have until then, okay?"

"Okay, Boo." Melia said, although she was still smiling as she pictured it in her head. She left a kiss on Shulk's chest and made herself comfortable, "Good night."

"Good night, Melia. Sweet dreams." Shulk said back.

The two then closed their eyes and soon went to sleep.

---

Time felt like it flew by with everyone anticipating the festival. With the next evening already upon them, Shulk and Melia packed a bag of clothes to change into and headed for Reyn and Sharla's house.

Sharla greeted them at the front door and let them in, but Shulk noticed something was off as he looked around the rooms.

"Where's Dunban and Fiora?" He asked.

"Dunban said he had to go somewhere before the festival and Fiora tagged along with him. He was acting a little strange and kept it vague when we tried to ask where he was going, but he promised that he would be back in time. He also mentioned not to wait for them and go on ahead, saying that they'll come find us shortly after the festival starts." Sharla explained.

"A bit weird, but alright, if he says so." Shulk said.

Sharla shrugged, "I guess we'll have to wait and see. Either way, we should start getting ready."

Sharla took Melia's hand, "Come on, Melia, we can get ready upstairs." She said and looked over to Shulk, "Reyn's getting ready in the other room. You two can do whatever you need to do down here."

Shulk nodded and went to find Reyn while the two girls scurried off upstairs. He noticed the bathroom light was on and the door was also opened, and he found Reyn in there checking himself out in the mirror.

Reyn waved, "Hey, hey! Good to see you two could still make it, Shulk."

"Yeah, Sharla just told us about Dunban and Fiora." Shulk commented.

Reyn took a gel bottle out from the drawer and began to style his hair, "Don't sweat it too much. He said he'd meet us during the festival, and you'd better believe I'm going to hold him up to those words if he doesn't show."

Shulk nodded and glanced down at the bag he brought with him.

Reyn looked at his friend through the mirror, "I'll be out of here in a minute, then you can wash up or do whatever you need."

Reyn quickly finished with his hair and exited the room. Shulk then went in and shut the door behind him to start getting ready.

Up on the second floor, Sharla took Melia into her room for them to get dressed. Sharla was stripping down without giving it a second thought, while Melia was a bit hesitant and still holding onto her bag.

Sharla looked over at Melia and raised an eyebrow, seeing her nervously standing around, "What's wrong, Melia? Aren't you going to get dressed?"

"W-well… it's just…" Melia turned flustered and tried not to stare, but her eyes would sometimes wander and she'd blush harder every time she looked at her friend. Even in just her bra and underwear, Melia could see every highlight of Sharla's body, and the little bit of clothing she had on really helped to show it off.

"You're still iffy about all of that?" Sharla came closer and made Melia blush more at the better view, "I mean, we've already seen each other's bodies before, and like I said back then, it's just us girls here."

Sharla teasingly flicked at Melia's shoulder strap and caught a glimpse of her bra as her dress hung lower.

"Ooh, what you have on underneath is really cute, Melia!~ Did you pick it because you thought Shulk would like it?~" Sharla teased.

"Sh-Sharla!" Melia cried and quickly fixed her dress, "Have your carnal desires seriously not been satisfied in the night we gave you and Reyn alone?!"

Sharla suddenly turned flustered, "W-what makes you think that we…"

Melia smirked seeing that she had the upper hand now and flashed her ring, "I'm speaking from experience~"

Sharla let out a sigh knowing she was beat and held up her hands in a playfully submissive way, "Alright, Melia, I'll back off~ But my point still stands: It's just us girls here, so you have nothing to be nervous about."

Melia nodded and started to relax as she set her bag down on the bed. She pulled her outfit from the bag and began to undress, but she paused and smirked again as she caught Sharla glancing on and off at her.

"Something wrong?~ I thought you said it was just us girls here?~" Melia teased.

"N-no, nothing's wrong, I just thought your underwear looked really cute is all." Sharla murmured.

"Aww, thank you, Sharla~ Yours really suit you too~" Melia purred and playfully pulled at the side of Sharla's thong.

"M-Melia!" Sharla cried. She batted Melia's hand away before it could travel any further and she backed up in surprise, "I get it, Melia, I went too far earlier. You've made your point."

Melia put on a dominant smirk as she giggled. The two girls then called a truce and went back to getting ready.

Back downstairs, Shulk and Reyn were already finished and sitting on the couch while they waited for their dates.

Reyn looked over and seen Shulk nervously twiddling his thumbs, "Oi, Shulk, what's wrong with you? You're picking up on your old habits, there."

Shulk's nervous twiddling only got worse now that there was attention being drawn to it, "I'm not really sure either."

"Just relax, will ya?" Before Reyn could say anything more, they both could hear footsteps against the stairs.

Sharla appeared from around the corner and sat in the open seat next to Reyn. She was wearing a long floral dress with a slit down the side and open-toed heels.

Reyn wrapped an arm over her shoulder and grinned as he looked her up and down, "Looking good, Sharla."

"Aww, thanks, babe~" Sharla said back and pecked Reyn's cheek.

"How come Melia's not with you?" Shulk asked.

"She said she needed another minute, and that I could go ahead of her." Sharla answered.

"Welp, looks like you got some time to pull yourself together, Shulk." Reyn commented.

"Wait, what?" Sharla spoke up.

Shulk didn't reply and shyly looked away, even feeling like he had to fight the urge to bite his nails.

"He's been acting all nervous about this." Reyn filled her in.

Shulk still wouldn't look at them, but Sharla glanced over and could see how red the visible half of his face was turning.

"Aww, that's so cute!~" Sharla teasingly cried, "But still, what's there to be nervous about, Shulk? I mean, you two have been together for years now, and you've even been on a date like this before."

"I-I don't know. I mean… it's just…" Shulk stammered.

Sharla giggled at how innocent he was acting and wrapped her arms around Reyn's neck as she nuzzled closer.

"Deep breaths, Shulk." Sharla said soothingly, "She's probably feeling the same way too, and I bet she's taking so long because she wants to make sure she looks good for you~"

Shulk wasn't sure if she was trying to comfort him or tease him with that comment, but either way, he took her advice and closed his eyes as he took a few deep breaths.

Just moments after Shulk started to relax, another pair of footsteps were heard coming down the staircase. His eyes flew open and he could feel his heart racing as the sounds came closer, but then his worries melted away almost instantly at the sight of his fiancé. She entered the room wearing a peach skater dress that Fiora gave her on her birthday, a short pair of heels, and she also wore her hair down.

Shulk got off the couch and walked up to her, seeing that Melia was just as nervous as he was.

"What do you think, Shulk?" Melia said shyly and looked away.

Shulk couldn't help but smile as her shyness only added on to how cute he thought she looked. He gently cupped her cheek and turned her head back to him, "You look just as beautiful as you did on our first date, Melia."

Just like Shulk, Melia's worries began to fade away after she seen his warm smile. She gave one back as she looked him up and down: He was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a white shirt and shoes, and also his usual jacket to give his outfit a small touch of red.

"Thank you, Boo. You look good too." Melia said.

Shulk wrapped his arms around Melia's waist and pulled her closer. She blushed as she gazed into his eyes, then leaned in for a soft kiss.

"Those two little lovebirds." Sharla commented and playfully rolled her eyes as she and Reyn watched them.

"Yeah, seriously." Reyn jokingly added. He glanced over at Sharla and could see that look in her eyes, so he cupped her chin and turned her towards him, "Come here~"

After Reyn and Sharla shared a small kiss, Shulk and Melia came up to them.

"So, since Dunban and Fiora are gone for the time being, how about we just make it a double date?" Sharla suggested.

Melia started to blush again at just hearing the word 'date', then she felt Shulk's arm wrap around her shoulders.

"I don't mind that. What about you, Melia?" He asked.

Melia decided to follow Shulk's lead and gave him a smile as she nodded, "Okay then. Did we have anything in mind on what to do first?"

"Well, they were going to have a parade to kick off the start of the festival. We could head there first and see what that's all about." Sharla suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then let's get going!" Sharla sounded eager to go, and it definitely showed as she jumped off the couch and started pulling Reyn out the front door by his hand.

Shulk and Melia laughed as the two took off ahead of them. Just before they were about to go out the door and catch up, Shulk held out his arm next to Melia.

"My lady~" Shulk joked.

"Still using the same repertoire as last time, are we Shulk?" Melia teased and held onto his arm.

"I don't see you complaining." Shulk playfully shot back.

"I'm not~" Melia smiled and nuzzled against him, "At least you know how to do it without needing help now~"

"Well, that was mean." Shulk joked. He playfully tried to shake Melia off of him, but she would only grip on tighter and refused to let him go.

"Shulk, don't! You know I was just kidding!" Melia cried.

Shulk laughed and rested his head against hers, "I know, Angel. It's okay, I'm not letting go."

Melia looked up at Shulk and gave him a warm smile before their lips gently pressed together.

"Oi, you two! You guys coming or what?"

The two broke the kiss after they heard Reyn yelling for them, and Melia kept a hold on Shulk's arm as they went to catch up.

After the group met back up, they found some spots close to the edge of the sidewalk for a good view of the opening parade. Several themed floats began to pass by, and those that were marching in the street moved closer to Reyn and Sharla to congratulate them on their engagement before getting back into position.

Shulk and Reyn held their dates under their arms while they watched the parade, but something caught Reyn's eye on the other side of the street. He leaned over the bars that were blocking the street and stared wide eyed as he noticed three familiar faces.

"Wait… no way!" Reyn exclaimed.

Everyone else looked confused at his sudden outburst.

"What are you shouting for, Reyn?" Sharla asked.

Reyn pointed in front of him, "Wait for the floats to pass again, then look on the other end of the street."

They all followed Reyn's instructions and gawked after the pathway cleared. On the other end were Dunban and Fiora, with Denise standing in between them.

"That sly old bastard actually asked Denise out!" Reyn praised.

"I guess that explains where they went. Still, took him long enough." Sharla commented.

"Agreed. It was clear they liked each other from the start." Melia added, "I just hope that Fiora doesn't feel left out…"

"You mean like a third wheel? I don't think they'd do that to her, and it doesn't look like it from what I can see either." Sharla assured her.

Reyn and Shulk grinned at each other before Reyn looked back to the other end of the street with his hand cupped around his mouth.

"Yeah, atta boy Dunba-"

Sharla suddenly cut Reyn off and yanked him back by his shoulder, "Leave them alone, boys."

"At least give them the chance to see if anything unfurls from this." Melia added.

"Oh, come on, Melia, we're not that mean." Shulk protested, "Besides, they did it to us once; Remember when we were by the lake?"

"That doesn't make it right to do it back to them, Shulk. Either way, that happened so long ago that it isn't even a valid reason anymore." Melia argued back.

Shulk could see that stern look about to appear on Melia's face. He decided to let it go and gave a submissive sigh before holding her tightly in his arms.

"Okay, Angel, we'll leave them alone." Shulk gave in.

"Thank you, Shulk." Melia said softly and returned the hug.

As the parade continued to go by, Shulk kept his word and mostly ignored them while he showered his fiancé with attention. Occasionally, however, the others would glance at the opposite end of the street to see if anything would transpire between Dunban and Denise, but nothing major seemed to happen.

The parade soon ended and people began to flood the city to kick off the festival. The group tried to get one last look across the street to see where Dunban, Denise, and Fiora went off to, but they were nowhere to be seen, and the swarms of people walking through their line of sight wasn't making it any easier.

"Seems like they went ahead of us." Reyn commented.

"Sure looks like it." Sharla added, "Well, we might run into them later on anyways, so let's just leave them alone for now and find something else to do. They opened a bunch of new stuff, both in and out of the colony, so we've got plenty of options."

The others nodded and began to aimlessly stroll through the festival attractions. During their walk, several game stands came into sight and Reyn looked back at the group.

"Anyone up for a few games?" Reyn grinned.

Shulk stepped up before anyone else could answer and returned the grin, "Alright. You're on, Reyn!"

Sharla and Melia both laughed and rolled their eyes at them.

"Everything's gotta be a competition between you two, doesn't it?" Sharla teased.

"All I'm hearing is that someone's scared they'll lose." Reyn shot back.

"Scared? Okay, I can't let that slide. You in too, Melia?" Sharla asked.

"I suppose." Melia said playfully.

"Alright!" Reyn grinned. He looked through all the game stands and found one for basketball, and it also had four open spots next to each other to shoot.

Reyn started walking ahead of everyone and made a gesture with his hand, "Come on, guys, this way!"

The rest followed behind him and they all took positions next to each other after they paid to play.

"Alright, go!" The stand owner said and hit the buzzer.

About halfway through the game, Shulk looked over everyone's scoreboard and noticed he was in third place, with Melia behind in fourth. He glanced to his side and watched her shoot a few baskets, seeing she was clearly struggling to make most of them.

"Here, Angel, let me help you." Shulk said. He walked behind her and helped fix her stance, and also the way she was holding onto the ball.

"Okay, now try shooting it." Shulk instructed.

Melia nodded and took another shot, and a faint dinging sound was heard as the ball went straight into the net.

"There you go! Good job, Angel!" Shulk praised.

"Thank you, Shulk." Melia turned to him with a cheerful smile, but it slowly started to fade away, "But aren't you worried that you'll lose now?"

"They were probably going to beat me anyways." Shulk assured her, "Besides, I'm more concerned about you having fun than some petty contest."

Melia's smile came back, but then they both suddenly jumped as the buzzer went off again. The game had ended and the scoreboard read that Shulk and Melia were tied for last place, Sharla in second, and ultimately, Reyn taking first.

"Like there was any doubts?" Reyn gloated and started to flex, "Come on, who's the champ?"

"Alright, Reyn, calm down." Sharla laughed and pulled his arms back down.

Sharla wrapped an arm around her boyfriend and looked back over to Shulk and Melia, "It was actually kind of sweet that you stopped to help her, Shulk."

Shulk didn't answer and shyly scratched at the back of his neck while Melia gave him a hug.

Reyn looked back and forth between them and suddenly had an idea, "Hey, how about another round, but two-on-two this time?"

"I don't think we can even do that, Reyn." Sharla pointed out.

Reyn turned to the stand owner, "You don't care, do ya?"

"So long as you're all paying, I don't see why not." He joked.

Reyn determinedly grinned back to Shulk and Melia, "Well? How 'bout it?"

Melia nervously clung onto Shulk, "I don't know, Shulk. We'll likely lose if I'm on your team."

"What did I tell you earlier, Angel? All I care about is if you're having fun." Shulk assured her.

"Well…" Melia sheepishly started.

Shulk cupped Melia's chin and lifted her head up, "Win or lose, I'm happy as long as I'm with you, Melia."

Melia began to blush as she gazed into her fiancé's eyes. She gave Shulk a small kiss and he could see a confident spark in her eyes after they broke it.

"Okay, Shulk." Melia answered.

They all paid for another round and stood next to each other in the two middle lanes. They formed a line and made two teams: Shulk and Melia on one side, Reyn and Sharla on the other, and they would alternate between their partners after each shot.

There was only a few seconds left before the buzzer would go off, and Shulk and Melia were only behind by one basket. Reyn knew his ball wasn't going to roll back in time for another shot, and he looked over at Shulk with a grin as he readied to throw his own.

"Aaand rejected!" Reyn jumped in Shulk's way and blocked his shot, and the buzzer went off just as Shulk's ball was smacked to the ground.

"Oh, come on! How is that fair, Reyn?! We could've tied if I made that!" Shulk complained.

"Alright, children, settle down." Sharla laughed.

"Who are you calling 'children'? You're only a few years older than us!" Shulk and Reyn both shot back.

"Alright, alright, I know how we can settle this." The stand owner spoke up, "They get two free shots. If they make just one, then you guys will tie, but if they make both, then they win."

"Sounds good to me." Shulk said before anyone could interject.

Shulk went first and paused for a moment to concentrate. He then took his stance and threw the ball, making the first shot and tying the scores.

"Alright, that's one!" Shulk said and turned to his partner, "You're up next, Melia."

"M-me? I don't know if that's a good idea, Shulk. I might miss and compromise our chance to win." Melia said nervously.

"The rules still apply even if these are free shots. She has to be the one to go next." The stand owner clarified.

Shulk could see that Melia wasn't handling the pressure well and came up to her, "It's okay, Melia. We already made one, so the worst-case scenario is it'll be a tie. That's no big deal."

"But…" Melia sheepishly replied.

Shulk gently took Melia's hand and brought her up to the counter. He gave her the ball and stood behind her, leaning by her ear after he helped her get back into stance, "There's nothing to be so stressed about, Angel. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Win or lose, it doesn't matter as long as I'm with you."

"Okay, Boo." Melia said softly.

Melia tried to relax as best she could and readied herself. The feeling of being put under the spotlight made her hand slip as she shot the ball, but it still landed on target and started to bounce along the rim.

Everyone watched anxiously as the ball spun around the rim, then it slowly began to stop and fell over, landing into the basket and making the second shot they needed to win.

"I… I did it…" The realization began to set in and Melia smiled brightly, "We won!" She cheered.

Shulk had on a smile just as big and lifted Melia off the ground, "That's my girl! Good job, Angel!"

Melia held on to Shulk and laughed as he spun her around. She looked into his eyes after they stopped spinning and she started to blush, then gave him a tender kiss as he set her back down.

Shulk broke the kiss and glanced over Melia's shoulder. He was looking right at Reyn and gave him a smirk as he struck the same flexing pose he did earlier.

"Yeah, who's the champ now, Reyn?" Shulk gloated.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. No one likes a show off, Shulk." Reyn pouted.

Shulk wasn't going to let Reyn off that easy and continued to gloat while Sharla came up to Melia's side.

"Those boys of ours." Sharla laughed.

"They're never going to grow up, are they?" Melia playfully added.

"Sure doesn't seem that way." Sharla smiled and wrapped her arm over Melia's shoulder, "Congrats, Melia."

"Thank you." Melia said as her victorious smile reappeared.

After checking out a few more attractions on the inside, they all decided to go outside the colony gates and see what else was new.

Near the gates on their way out, Reyn noticed they had a bar set up inside a tent. He stopped the group and pointed to the door of the tent.

"I'm gonna make a quick stop in here. You guys want anything while I'm at it?" He asked.

Shulk and Melia shook their heads while Sharla walked up to Reyn.

"More for us then. Come on, Reyn, let's go." Sharla said. As they were walking away, she turned her head back to Shulk and Melia, "We'll be right back, you two!"

They gave a small, understanding nod back as Reyn and Sharla hurried into the tent. They weren't kept waiting that long, but Shulk and Melia still gawked at them as their friends came back both holding a small bottle of liquor in their hands.

"Um, are you guys sure this is a good idea?" Shulk advised.

"There isn't exactly a law against public drinking here, Shulk." Sharla said nonchalantly and took a sip from her bottle.

"I'm not saying drinking is the problem, it's what you're drinking; It looks a little strong." Shulk replied.

"Oh, don't worry about us. The bottles aren't that big, so we should be fine." Reyn commented and took a heavy swig, "We ain't gonna make you guys carry us home or anything like that."

"I don't think we'd even be able to carry you, Reyn. You might end up sleeping outside." Melia smirked.

"Real funny, Melia." Reyn rolled his eyes and took another drink, "Alright, enough standing around, let's go!"

With their little detour now out of the way, the group carried on past the colony gates. While they didn't walk that far outside the colony yet, there was definitely a noticeable shift in scenery compared to the inside, with thrill rides covering the area and echoing screams coming from them.

"Its just roller coasters and other rides as far as the eye can see." Shulk commented as they walked around.

"Yeah, everyone seemed to like the few rides we had from when the festival first started, and every year they kept asking if there was going to be more of them, so Juju and Otharon put more resources towards it." Sharla explained.

While Sharla was being frugal with how much she was drinking, Reyn was a different case altogether. He was close to finishing his own bottle already and felt a buzz from how fast he was drinking, and he staggered as he walked up to the front of the group.

"Speaking of Juju, check it out!" Reyn exclaimed and sloppily pointed to one of the nearby rides, "That's the roller coaster he was telling me about! You guys wanna go?"

"Are they even going to let you on with you acting like a belligerent drunk, Reyn?" Shulk chuckled.

"Oh, I get it, just because you've been hanging around Melia for a while, you suddenly think you know big words! Well, Mr. Dictionary, how about you tell me what this means?" Reyn shot back and flipped him off.

"I thought I told you earlier to settle down, children." Sharla said in a playfully stern voice. She went up to Reyn and put her arm around him for support, "I'll go on it with you after we finish our drinks, Reyn. Shulk, Melia, what about you two?"

Shulk turned to Melia and felt his heart jump at the sight of her. She'd gone quiet ever since the rides came into their sight, but now with the mention of going on one, she had also turned pale and her pupils were dilating. It was a look Shulk was all too familiar with from his own experiences: It was the start of a panic attack.

Shulk gently took Melia's hand, "What's wrong, Angel? You don't like rides?"

Melia looked down and nervously shook her head.

Shulk pulled her into a comforting hug and could feel her trembling, "Hey, it's okay, Melia, you don't have to go on them if you don't want to. I'll stay here with you too, will that help you feel better?"

Melia nodded and took a few deep, shaky breaths while Shulk rubbed her back.

"Don't worry about it, Melia." Sharla said softly and came up to her, "Reyn and I will go by ourselves and come find you two in a bit, okay princess?"

"O-… okay." Melia quietly whimpered.

Sharla glanced back at Melia and gave her a soft look as she and Reyn went to find the line for the roller coaster. They were soon out of sight and Shulk cupped Melia's chin, gently lifting her head up and giving her a small kiss.

"It'll be all right, Melia. Come on, let's go find something else we can do while we wait for them." Shulk said.

Melia nodded and Shulk took her hand. Practically everything around them was more thrill rides, so Shulk guided her back inside the colony to get her away from the commotion of it all.

Melia began to relax and regained some color after they were back inside the colony, but she couldn't help feeling a little guilty as they walked around.

"Shulk… you're not upset with me, are you?" Melia asked.

"Upset? Why would you think that, Angel?" Shulk replied.

"You didn't get to go on any rides with Reyn and Sharla because of me…" Melia frowned.

Shulk wrapped his arm around Melia's shoulder and pulled her closer, "Don't worry about that, Melia. I'm actually not a fan of rides either."

"You're not?" Melia asked.

"No, I never really liked them." Shulk replied, "Even if I did, there's no way I'd just leave you there to go on some rides, Angel."

Shulk gave her a reassuring smile, and it only grew brighter as Melia looked up at him and gave one back. She reached up and kissed him, then gave him a hug as she felt her worries fading away.

Melia let go of him and the two held hands as they continued walking through the colony. Not that far along, they came across a place that struck a familiar chord for them: It was the spot by the lake where their first kiss was originally supposed to be, but due to things changing as time went on, the area was now repurposed into a small beach. They walked over to the railing just above the beach and Shulk couldn't help but frown at the sight.

"It's honestly a bit sad to see that they changed this…" Shulk said and sighed softly.

Melia knew how much Shulk cherished any of his good memories and she rested her hand on top of his as she glanced over at him, "It doesn't have to be perceived that way, Boo. It might not be the same as before, but that feeling of being a place that's for both families and couples is still here. Just look around and you'll see that for yourself."

Shulk was reluctant to accept it at first, but he realized that Melia might have had a point as he looked around the beach. Even for its small size, it had a romantic walkway through it that was dimly lit by torchlights, and there were also groups of parents relaxing in the sand while they let their kids play in the water.

"You might be right about that, Melia." Shulk quietly admitted.

They turned to face each other and Melia placed her hand on Shulk's chest, right over his heart.

"What's important is that the memory still lives on inside of you, Shulk." Melia said and leaned closer, "It may not have come to be back then, but how about we create a new memory, one where it actually happened?~"

Shulk smiled and rested his hand over Melia's, "I'd love that~"

As their gazes met, they could see glints of the moonlight in each other's eyes. Their eyes slowly began to close and they leaned in, but just before they were about to kiss…

"Mister? Mister! Is that you?!"

They both jumped and Shulk quickly turned around to see a young High Entia boy was behind him.

"It…" The boy started throwing his head around to get a better look at Shulk from every angle, "It really is you!"

"U-um…" Shulk could only stare cluelessly as he tried to make sense out of what this kid was saying.

"O-oh, I get it. You probably don't recognize me because of how long it's been." The kid said and gave a friendly laugh, "I guess it doesn't help that I never introduced myself back then, does it? My name is Michael, and… do you remember helping a kid win a pink Bunniv for a girl?"

"A pink Bunniv…" Shulk suddenly gawked at him, "Wait, that was you?"

"Yeah, that was me…" Michael said nervously, "Oh, s-sorry if I interrupted. I seen you were with your girlfriend, but… I don't know, I just felt like I had to say something and properly thank you for what you did for me back then."

Melia started to warmly giggle as the events from back then came to mind, "Actually, I'm not his girlfriend, and I wasn't back then either."

"Wait, you're not?" Michael gawked.

"No, we're actually more than that." Melia started.

Shulk held up his hand for Michael to see the ring, "She's my wife-to-be now, and we weren't a couple until shortly after the festival, but that was still our first date."

"Really? That's so sweet! If that's the case, I'm actually a little envious over how long you two have been together." Michael commented.

Melia curiously raised an eyebrow, "What happened with the girl you gave the Bunniv to?"

"Oh, she's-"

"Michael!"

Before Michael could even turn around, a female Homs appeared behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I finally found you!~" The girl said.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wander off, it's just that I seen some people I thought I recognized and wanted to make sure." Michael said and brushed his cheek against her.

The girl quickly untangled herself from Michael and stood presentably next to him, "Are these the two you're talking about?"

"Yeah, it's actually them! This is…" Michael suddenly froze, "Oh, wow, I can't believe I've never actually gotten your guys' names yet."

Shulk chuckled a little, "It's okay. I'm Shulk."

"And my name is Melia. It's a pleasure to meet you." Melia added.

"Wait… Melia?" Michael's entire expression began to change, "Is your last name 'Antiqua', by chance?"

"Yes, but there's no need for the formal-"

"A-a member of the royal family…" Michael quickly fixed his posture and bowed in front of Melia, "Forgive me for not recognizing you at first, empress. I've never actually seen you without that mask, and…"

Melia slightly lifted her hands in a reassuring way, "It's okay, most people haven't either until these last few years. I've stopped wearing it in Alcamoth since the Telethia invasion, but I'm guessing you don't live in the capital since you didn't recognize me. Is that correct?"

"Y-yes, empress. Please, forgive me." Michael said, still keeping his view aimed at the floor.

Melia walked up to him, "Please, lift your head."

Michael did what he was told and was met with a warm smile from Melia as he lifted his head back up.

"As I tried to explain earlier, there's no need for you to be formal around me. You met me before I had the ability to rise back to the throne, so you knew me as just Melia, not the empress, and you can keep it that way if it pleases you." Melia said.

"You mean… I can just call you Melia?" Michael asked.

"You can address me by whichever way you prefer." Melia repeated.

"Oh, okay." Michael tried to relax and looked over, suddenly realizing he hasn't introduced the girl who was with him yet. He put his hand on her shoulder and brought her forward, "Shulk, Melia, this is Holly. She's the person you helped me win the Bunniv for, and also my girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you." Shulk said.

Holly started to feel nervous as she looked the couple over and bowed like her boyfriend did, "N-nice to meet you too."

Melia softly glanced at Holly, "Could you please lift your head?"

Holly did so, and just like with Michael, she was met with a warm smile on Melia's face.

"You've certainly grown since we last seen you. I guess that's due to the differences in our race's aging compared to Homs." Melia commented.

"Wait, we've met before?" Holly asked, looking confused.

"Well, it wasn't an actual meeting, but Shulk and I happened to see you two from afar during the last festival we attended. It was during the unveiling of the fireflies, and we could only decipher that it was you because of that stuffed animal you carried around." Melia explained.

"O-okay, well…" Holly's nervousness resurfaced and she instinctively bowed again, "It's a pleasure to meet you, empress."

"Holly…" Melia started.

"Y-yes, empress?" Holly asked and flung herself back up.

"You have the same decision as Michael: You can either refer to me as empress or simply by name." Melia said.

"I do? Alright, let me start over then." Holly started to relax and put on a more laid-back smile, "It's nice to meet you, Melia. I'm Holly."

"The feeling is mutual." Melia replied and returned the smile.

Holly looked over at her boyfriend, "Well, it was already an interesting night, but it's even more so now, huh Michael? I mean, you've met royalty and didn't even know it."

Holly then turned back to Shulk and Melia, "I hope this doesn't come out wrong, but you two are certainly different from how I expected a royal family to act."

"Well, I can understand why you'd think that about Melia; I didn't know about her lineage when we first met either, and she certainly acted proper back then, but I never would've guessed it was because she was a princess at the time before we went to Alcamoth." Shulk pointed out, "Me, on the other hand? I only have that title because of our relationship, if I'm being honest."

"You're nothing if not precise, are you Shulk?" Melia teased.

"It's a blessing and a curse, I guess." Shulk joked back.

Holly giggled at their ranting, but then suddenly paused and swung her bag from off her back. She unzipped the pouch and reached her hand inside.

"We won this earlier, but I want you to have it." Holly said as she dug through her backpack. Her hand resurfaced showing a small stuffed animal that resembled a baby Armu and she brought it up to Melia.

"As weird as this might sound, Michael giving me that Bunniv all that time ago was when I realized there could be a deep connection between us. We've become so much more since then, and to think that it all started after one night, and one small gift…" Holly started. She refocused before digressing any further and looked Melia in her eyes, "I actually still have that stuffed animal; Out of everything else he gave me, that Bunniv is still my favorite one because of what it symbolizes. Now that I know you're the ones who helped him win it, I feel like you should have this in return."

Melia's heart began to melt and she warmly glanced between Holly and the stuffed Armu as she thought back on her memories together with Shulk.

It's almost like looking in a mirror… Even though I didn't realize it was a date until later on, that first-festival night was when everything began to change between Shulk and I, just like these two. It's also apparent that Holly and I have something else in common as well, it's how deeply we cherish the things that are gifted from someone we love. It may sound superficial, but just holding that Dobercorgi Shulk gave me whenever I feel distraught helps to ease me if he's not around; It's like I always have a small piece of him with me.

Even though she was tempted to take it, Melia fell back on her old ways and humbly declined as she lowered Holly's arm, "That's very kind of you, but there's no need for you to feel obligated to do this."

"Alright then, how about I rephrase the question." Holly said and brought the stuffed animal back up to her, "I want Melia to be the one to have it."

Melia was taken aback and looked perplexed at Holly's reply.

But… aren't I the one she's been talking to this entire time?

While Melia was trying to piece it together, Shulk was laughing over Holly's stubbornness and placed an arm around his fiancé, "Come on, Angel, she really wants you to have it."

Melia looked up at Shulk and could feel a warmth rising in her chest as she started to figure out what Holly meant.

Is Holly trying to say that she sees two personas? Maybe it's due to all the time I've spent around Shulk and the others, but… have I really changed to the point that it's become noticeable?

Melia silenced her drifting thoughts and gave Holly a nod as she took the stuffed animal, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Melia~" Holly smiled seeing that she finally got through to her, "It might not be much, but… I don't know, maybe you could pass it down to one of your future children?"

"F-future children?" Shulk gawked.

While Melia had thought about possibly having kids before, they never actually sat down and talked about it yet, and the idea came up as such a surprise to Shulk that he began to stammer.

Shulk gave up on trying to get anything coherent to come out of his mouth and looked over at Melia, seeing her holding the stuffed animal close to her heart with a certain smile he'd only seen a few times before. It was the same one she wore when they talked about living together, and also while they were escorting Teelan to the Ether Plant: A warm and optimistic smile, coupled with an aura that made it seem like she couldn't wait for what the future had planned.

Although Shulk was normally oblivious, seeing that smile on Melia's face was enough to pierce through his usual cluelessness. He could tell where her mind was taking her, but instead of bringing it up right now, he pulled his fiancé closer and smiled at the two teens.

"Thank you." Shulk told them.

"You're welcome~" Holly said and returned the smile.

Holly looked back to her boyfriend, "Maybe we should get going."

"Yeah, you might be right." Michael said and turned his attention to Shulk and Melia, "It was good to see you again, Shulk, and sorry again if we interrupted."

"Yeah, you too. And it's all right, don't worry about it." Shulk assured him.

The two were about to leave, but Michael paused for a moment, "Hey, you mentioned that your guys' wedding was coming up soon, right? When is it?"

"It was going to be when Spring starts again next year." Shulk answered.

"You two are more than welcome to visit Alcamoth for the ceremony, if you'd like." Melia added.

"You know what? Maybe we will." Michael said.

Holly gleefully squealed and hugged her boyfriend tightly, "We get to go to a wedding!~"

Shulk and Melia softly chuckled over how eager they were acting about it.

"We'll let you guys know about the details when it gets closer to that time." Shulk said.

"Alright. Well, see you then!" Michael replied.

Holly stayed wrapped under her boyfriend's arm and waved back as they walked away, "Bye, Shulk~ Bye, Melia~"

The couple waved back as they watched them go, then after they were gone, Melia suddenly pulled Shulk down to her level and surprised him with a deep kiss. With how much passion she put into it, Shulk started to think it was because Holly's comment about having children was still fresh in Melia's mind. He knew they would need to have a serious talk about it later on, but for now, he let the moment speak for itself as he pulled his fiancé closer and returned the kiss.

Melia broke the kiss and tightly hugged him, "I love you so much, Shulk~"

"I love you too, Melia~" Shulk mused.

After a few moments of blissful silence, Melia could hear a noise like Shulk was chuckling and looked up at him, "What is it, Boo?"

"I just remembered where we were. It's not that pier where we watched the fireflies anymore, but it's still the same spot, and we got interrupted in pretty much the same way again now that I think about it." Shulk joked.

Shulk could see a frown forming on Melia's face, but he cupped her cheek and gave her a reassuring smile as they locked eyes.

"Hey, just like you told me earlier, it doesn't have to be perceived as a bad thing, Angel. Good things started to come after we were interrupted that first time, right? So maybe things are just repeating themselves and something good will happen again soon." Shulk said.

Melia nodded and rested her head against Shulk's chest, "Okay, Boo~"

The two shared a small kiss and then Shulk took her hand, "Come on, let's see what else there is to do."

Melia nodded and locked their fingers together as they started back up on their trek through the colony.

After walking for a bit longer, they found themselves back on the main street where the parade took place. One of the attractions towering in the distance caught Shulk's eye and he tried to focus on it, seeing that it was a spinning wheel with vibrant lights running along it.

Shulk pointed up to it, "Hey, I know you don't like rides, but what about a Ferris Wheel? Would you go on one of those, Melia?"

"I've never actually been on one…" Melia said as the size of it made her start to feel nervous again.

Shulk couldn't help but chuckle a little and took her hands, "They're not scary, Angel."

"Are you sure?" Melia asked hesitantly.

"They're not, I promise." Shulk assured her, "These are a bit different from the rides outside the colony, but they're definitely not scary, and I'll be sitting next to you the entire time too."

"Well, if you say so…" Melia paused for a second to think about it and regain her composure before ultimately giving him a nod, "Okay, Shulk, I trust you. Let's go."

Shulk smiled and held Melia's hand as they got in line, trying to keep her relaxed as they got closer to the front. When it was their turn to get on, Shulk made a subtle gesture with his hand as he paid the worker, signaling him to stop them at the top.

The worker glanced out of the corner of his eye at Shulk's date, seeing that nervous look on her face. He looked back at Shulk and gave him a nod, then the two went to find an open cart.

Melia stepped in first and set the stuffed Armu next to her as they took their seats. She sat close to Shulk and tried to relax, but then noises began erupting from the machinery and she latched tightly onto him as their cart gently rocked.

"It's okay, Melia, it's just starting up." Shulk assured her and patted her back.

Melia gave an understanding nod, but she still kept her grip on him, though Shulk didn't seem to mind and held her under his arm as the wheel began to turn.

As the Ferris Wheel spun, Melia began to relax and loosened her grip so she could look over the sides of their cart. The ride soon came to a stop and Melia's eyes lit up at the view, gazing in awe at the colony below them.

"See, Angel? You didn't have anything to be afraid of." Shulk smiled.

"I guess you were right, Boo." Melia admitted, "It all looks so beautiful from up here."

The colony felt like it gave off a bright and lively glow even from their bird's eye view, and Melia put on a smile that reflected it as she looked over the cart. She turned back to Shulk and her smile changed to a more teasing one.

"You're going to say it, aren't you?" Melia asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about~" Shulk smugly crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

"Yes, you do. You were going to say how it doesn't compare to me like you always do, weren't you?~" Melia teased.

"I wouldn't keep saying it if it wasn't true, would I?" Shulk grinned.

The two began to blush and Shulk moved closer to her, gently caressing her cheek as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"But okay, if you insist~" Shulk teased back, "Even with all of this, you're still the most beautiful thing I've ever laid my eyes on, Melia~"

Melia softly giggled and pulled Shulk into a warm embrace.

"That's still the same thing, you just worded it differently." Melia joked.

"Hey, you gotta mix things up from time to time, right?" Shulk playfully shot back.

They both laughed and cuddled close as they looked below them. The colony felt so serene as the streetlights and stars above enveloped it in their light, but Melia's attention kept getting drawn to a green-tinted glow floating past her vision.

Melia tried to focus on this strange new light, then she suddenly gasped as she realized what was making it.

"Shulk, look! It's a firefly!" Melia exclaimed and pointed to it.

"Hey… it is!" Shulk said.

Shulk held out his hand and the firefly landed onto his finger. He slowly brought it closer and held it above their heads like a mistletoe as they gazed back into each other's eyes, blushing heavily as the firefly's light dimly flickered.

"I guess we've got a second chance to relive that moment by the lake, don't we?" Shulk smiled.

"It seems that we do~" Melia smiled back.

They both turned bright red as the nervousness they felt from back then came rushing back, but they weren't going to let this chance slip away, not after they promised themselves they wouldn't all that time ago if they could.

Melia made the first move and rested her hand over Shulk's as she came closer, stopping right before their lips touched.

"I love you, Shulk~" Melia mused.

"I love you too, Melia, more than anything~" Shulk said back.

They closed their eyes, and for that brief moment, everything felt perfect as their lips pressed together for a passionate kiss.