It was the night of Dayakka and Kiyoh's wedding. After the ceremony, the entire party had headed over to the local bar for the reception.

Upstairs at their private table, while Nia poured them both drinks, Simon looked down at the revelry on the ground floor and laughed.

"Everyone is enjoying themselves, aren't they?" Nia said.

"Yeah," he grinned. Well, maybe not Kittan. And Kiyoh was certainly looking like she regretted ordering alcohol for the reception.

Nia passed him his glass and Simon thanked her. But then he paused. When coming here, he had gone for a private table without thinking. "Would you have preferred sitting down there with everyone else?"

Leite and Makken having a table to themselves made sense; they had their young children with them. But there was no real reason they had to be up here, cut off from the rest of the party.

But Nia just smiled. "No, it's fine. I enjoy being here with you too." She sat down across from him and sipped her drink, her eyes gazing bashfully at him over the top of her glass.

Simon flushed. Truthfully, he wanted to be alone with her too. They had both been so busy for the past week; him, balancing his duties as Commander with carving his Bro's statue, and her, helping Kiyoh prepare for the wedding. This was the first time in a while that they were able to sit down and have a meal together. And considering how they had practically been hitched to each other's side following the fall of Teppelin, even a week's absence felt like an eternity.

And she looked especially beautiful tonight, in the dim light of the bar. Yes, beautiful. A year ago, he would have rather described her as 'adorable.' But lately, she had begun to show changes. Her hair was growing out again, now around shoulder length. She had grown a little taller, and her hips were a little wider. And her chest was starting to fill out. He'd think it all terribly unfair if it weren't for the fact that he was growing too.

"Simon? Are you okay?" Nia asked.

He shook his head, realizing he had spaced out while staring at her. He hoped the dim lighting hid his blush. "Yeah, sorry."

Nia looked down at the party below, smiling. "You know, this was the first wedding I've ever attended. And I must say, it was very lovely."

"Yeah, no kidding." Leite and Makken had eloped before anyone even realized they were together, so this really was the first proper wedding to have taken place among the old gang.

"Have you been to any weddings before?"

"Uh..." He vaguely recalled attending the wedding of a family friend, back when his parents were still alive. "Sort of. But it was nothing like this one."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, for one, it was underground. In my village, no one could afford to host a big celebration like this. There'd just be a simple ceremony, a small meal, the dowry would be presented, and then the groom carried his bride into their new home. We didn't wear anything different. No church. No flowers. Nothing white; it was all brown."

"That sounds a little..."

"Depressing, right?" he chuckled. "At least, it seems that way now; back then, we didn't know any better. Those were the only traditions we had, so for a time, they were important. I'm kinda glad we can move on to something better now though."

Change was intimidating. And ever since he and Kamina escaped their underground world, it was an ever present reality. Especially now, at the beginning of a new age, when ancient knowledge and technology were being unearthed every day...everything was so new, the possibilities so endless, it could often be disorienting.

But with these changes and discoveries came a lot of good. Their lives were happier now, easier. And soon it would be that way for the whole of humanity.

"Miss Kiyoh did say something like that," Nia said. "She wanted to plan her wedding according to the traditions of the past, not the traditions of her village."

"Yeah, Rossiu told me he looked them up for her. Stayed up all night tearing through books for references..."

"She said she wanted hers to be the first modern wedding of the new age." Nia tilted her head. "But I wonder...would it really be 'modern' if it is something from the past?"

He shrugged. "I guess 'modern' is whatever we decide it is, now."

She nodded. "I suppose so. But...there is one thing I still don't understand. Why is everyone fighting over the bouquet?"

Down below, Leeron, Kiyal, Darry, and even Attenborough were nearly climbing over each other in an attempt to get their hands on the bride's bouquet.

"I thought this was an occasion worthy of celebration, not fighting."

"Haha, well..." He thought back to his conversation with Rossiu, when he had learned about some of the old traditions. "Apparently, there used to be a tradition where, after the wedding, the bride tosses her bouquet over her shoulder, and whoever catches it will be the next one to marry."

"Really? But how does the bouquet know who to be caught by?"

"I dunno, I think it's just a superstition..."

Nia thought for a moment. "So Leeron and the others are fighting because...they would like to be married?"

"I guess so." In a way, he was glad Nia didn't know about this beforehand. He didn't know what he would have done if she'd been the one to catch it...

Simon laughed nervously. "I guess it's a bit silly, huh? If you want to get married, you don't need a bouquet to tell you that you can. You should just go for it...which I guess is easier said than done," he mumbled, averting his eyes.

"Not at all!" Nia said.

"Huh?"

"I do not think it is silly at all! I think that's a wonderful tradition!" Nia clapped her hands together, smiling. "After all, it means that love will not only be limited to one couple, but will continue to spiral outward, right? One wedding can create a long chain of happiness...and even if people fight for it, it is only because they wish to be a part of that happiness."

"Yeah...you're right." That's Nia for you. Always finding a new way to look at things...

Nia looked straight in his eyes. "Simon, when I marry, I think I would like to toss a bouquet over my shoulder as well."

Suddenly, his heart was beating very fast. "O-Oh, really?" he said, voice cracking. "That's...nice. I hope you will..."

She beamed at him.

They lapsed into silence after that, and Simon retreated into his thoughts, simultaneously berating himself for not being able to say anything better, and furiously rewinding her words over and over in search of a deeper meaning. When I marry... When I marry... With who, Nia?! WHO?!

He was in a daze for the rest of the evening, as his imagination conjured up images of Nia, radiant in a white gown and veil, tossing a bouquet of flowers over her shoulder.

13 Years Later

A Guntruck plodded its way down a long, straight road in the desert. A tarp covered the back, shielding its cargo from the harsh sun, and in the driver's seat sat Danan, a surly man in his late twenties. His young wife, Hayo, sat beside him in the passenger seat. They rode with the windows open and the radio on, neither of them speaking until Hayo suddenly pointed something out.

"Who is that standing by the side of the road?"

Up ahead, they could see someone in a brown, hooded cloak, holding his thumb out and waiting.

"A hitchhiker, huh?" Danan grumbled. He said no more, keeping his gaze straight ahead on the horizon stretching seemingly to the ends of the Earth.

Hayo gave his arm a light punch. "Aren't we going to stop?"

"We don't know who he is, and we're in a hurry. Why should we?"

"Because it's a nice thing to do, that's why. What if we were in his position? Wouldn't we want someone to pick us up from this hot, dusty desert?"

Danan sighed. He could argue back, but Hayo always won anyway, and he was too tired to bother. "Fine. As long as he's not a creep."

He steered the Guntruck to the side of the road and brought it to a stop. The hitchhiker jogged over to them.

"Good morning!" the hooded stranger called. As he came closer, Danan saw that the man was younger than he'd expected, around his own age in fact.

"Oh, my," Hayo said softly. The man was also quite handsome. Danan frowned.

"Where you headed?" he grunted at the stranger.

"Just the outskirts of Kamina City, if that's not a problem."

"Oh, that's perfect!" Hayo exclaimed. "We're going to Kamina City too! And it's no problem, really!"

The man smiled gratefully. "Thank you. That would be a great help."

"You'll have to squeeze into the back," Danan said, gesturing with his thumb. "Don't disturb the cargo."

"Yes, of course. Thank you again."

The man climbed into the back of the Guntruck. Danan watched him through the rear view mirror, and saw him raise his eyebrows as he realized what they were carrying. But he made no comment.

Once the man was settled, they set off again.

Danan would have preferred they return to silence, but predictably, Hayo shut off the radio and twisted in her seat to speak to their new passenger.

"So what are you doing in Kamina City?"

"Oh, well, my destination isn't Kamina City itself. It's a little ways off, actually, but I could make the rest of the trip by foot. I just want to get there before nightfall, if possible."

"Maybe you could spend the night in the city first? We know a few places that aren't too pricey..."

The man smiled politely. "I'd really like to get there today. It's my wedding anniversary, you see."

"Oh, my!" gasped Hayo. "So you're going home to see your wife? How sweet!"

"Yeah...I meant to come earlier, but things came up. You know that awful drought they're having up north?"

"I heard about it on the news. Hardly any rain for the past two years, right?"

The man nodded. "I went up there a few months ago to help out, doing anything I could. But one project took longer than I expected, and that delayed my trip..."

"Good for you we showed up, then," Danan snorted. "You wouldn't've made it otherwise. Lot of good standing around in the desert would've done. Saved you from being chewed out, eh?"

"Dear!" Hayo frowned at him.

But the man just laughed. "Well, my wife isn't the type to make a big fuss about these things, especially if I was late for a good reason. It's mostly me who's the stickler about getting there on time."

"Oh, don't say that! I'm sure that even if she doesn't say it out loud, your wife must be very touched that you remember and make an effort to visit her like this."

"Yeah..." The man smiled pensively, looking off into the distance. "You're probably right."

"It's a shame, though. If you'd come a little earlier, maybe you could have taken her to the Flower Festival."

"The what?"

"You don't know? It's a festival that's held in Kamina City every year, on this very day."

The man's mouth hung open for a moment. "Is that a recent thing? It's been a few years since I've gone into the city proper, but I used to live there, and I don't remember there being such a festival..."

"Come to think of it...it must have started only five, six years ago?"

"Six," Danan confirmed. "I was there when it was first held."

"Danan used to work in construction," Hayo explained. "He was in Kamina City for a few years, to help with the reconstruction...and that's where we first met." She beamed, always proud to tell this story. "I was just a country bumpkin, but I saw a report about the festival on TV, and I knew I had to go at least once. Can you imagine, my first time in a big city...it was really overwhelming. But the flowers were so beautiful, and I happened to meet a nice young man who was willing to show me around..."

She turned to wink at her husband. "It was sooo romantic."

Danan looked away, trying to hide his blush. It was always so embarrassing, the way she told this story.

"Keep your eyes on the road, dear."

The man chuckled behind them. "That's great. I'm very happy for you two."

Hayo smiled. "But like I was saying, you should definitely take your wife! Especially if it's the same day as your anniversary. Maybe next year?"

"Maybe...would you mind telling me more about this festival though? Like, how did it start?"

"It was started by the government, right?"

"Right," Danan nodded. "President Rossiu made an announcement and all. To commemorate something or other...don't remember."

"Anyway, it's really fantastic! All the stores are decked out in flowers, every window, every door! They even have big wreaths laid on top of all the buildings' faces, like flower crowns!" Hayo giggled. "And at twilight, vendors gather in the park and pass out bouquets to young unmarried couples." She sighed dreamily. "It's just lovely. It's been two years since we got married, but even now, going to the festival just makes me feel so young, you know?"

Danan snorted. "What are you talking about? You're still plenty young."

"You won't be saying that in another few years, I bet."

The man spoke up again. "So I'm guessing you're headed there for the festival, then?"

Hayo nodded. "We can't receive a bouquet now that we're married, but we still wanted to participate somehow."

"And that's why you're bringing flowers?" the man asked, glancing at their cargo.

"We run a farm," Danan said gruffly. "Flowers are just one of the things we grow."

"You're continuing the chain..." the man mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head, then smiling. "The festival sounds great. Thank you for telling me about it. I'll definitely have to see it with my own eyes someday."

An hour later, Kamina City finally came within sight.

Simon bid the couple farewell on the outskirts of the city. They had a little back-and-forth, Hayo trying to persuade him to take one of their bouquets to give to Nia, him politely trying to refuse, but finally giving in at the end. Now he carried the bouquet in one hand, his drill staff in the other, as he made his way quickly over the rough terrain, racing the sun's trek across the sky.

The sky was dyed rose pink and orange gold when he finally made it to the twin hilltops. He paused first in front of one hill, looking up at the sword planted in the ground with the red cape flapping in the breeze. He nodded at it. "I'm going, Bro."

Nia's hilltop showed clear signs of Old Coco's continued care. The flower garden was free of weeds and evenly watered, and her grave stone was clean, with not a speck of dirt or dust.

Simon breathed a sigh of relief as he climbed the hill. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Nia. I'm here."

He sat down, putting the bouquet on the grave stone. Boota woke up then, wriggling out from inside his cloak, shaking himself, and then wandering off to find some worms. Simon watched him go with a smirk, then turned back to the grave stone. "All right. Let's catch up."

He told her about what he'd been doing since the last time he visited, how many wells he dug, and how that nearly cost him being able to arrive on time. "But thanks to that, I was able to meet this nice couple. And I learned something interesting..."

And so he told her about the Flower Festival. Simon smiled. "Did you know, Nia? There are people out there- people we don't even know- who celebrate this day with us each year. It's...a little embarrassing, to be honest," he said, laughing sheepishly. "But I'll have to thank whoever thought this up. Looks like you got to toss your bouquet after all..."

A warm breeze wafted through the flowers in the garden, sending pink petals flying in the air. To him, it felt like a warm smile.

"Next year, I'll definitely go check it out. Then I'll come back and tell you all about it, okay? I'm sure it must be beautiful..."

He paused then, recalling the single most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. "...Wouldn't hold a candle to the real thing, though..."

Deep inside, he knew she was chiding him. "Yeah, I know. I won't know until I see it for myself. But I can't help being biased about this." He looked up at the stone with a grin. "You'll forgive me, right?"

He was answered by another warm breeze wrapping around his body.

Simon let out a soft sigh. "Seven years...it felt like forever, but it went by in a flash, too."

He turned to rummage through his knapsack, bringing out a bottle and two mugs. Uncorking the bottle, he poured wine into the mugs.

"This is supposed to be a good vintage. Picked from the best Grapehippos. Let's see if it's worthy of the reputation."

Simon set one mug on the gravestone, then raised his in the air.

"Cheers, Nia. Happy Anniversary."