More mostly tasteful grown-up scenes! You have been warned!

Thanks again the most amazing beta reader.

Tsuyo had spent the last week putting the repair bay back into shape. He had cheerfully reamed out the workers who had put tools in the wrong places, and whistled happily as he found errors that needed correcting. Much as he had adored the time spent with Saria and the others, he needed to come back.

Yellow and he had spent much time over the last week learning how to talk to one another. From his talks with Keith over the last month, the pilot had learned much to aid in better bonding with his lion. Tsuyo knew he would never develop the same kind of bond that Keith and Black enjoyed, but as he and Yellow grew closer, he found a new source of inspiration and validation. He and Darrell had started working on more modifications and upgrades to the lions. Created by a combination of magic and science, the lions could and did grow and change as needed, but they could only do so much. He and Darrell worked to upgrade and modify the lions to keep them at the top of the technological pyramid.

Tsuyo still found himself amazed at the changes he saw in himself. A year ago, he would have never imagined partnering with a mechanical lion to create and implement changes in itself. He had always believed the lions a product of a superior AI program, but now knew they held something very like a soul.

Shaking his head, he finished cleaning up his work space before heading back to his quarters. He and Saria had their weekly private meal; one of the changes Magda had introduced. As the residents of the castle grew and changed, she had declared that couples needed time to have dinner without all their friends and family surrounding them. She encouraged couples to have dinner in their suites or one of the smaller rooms of the castle at least once a week. They needed to place their order with the kitchen staff the day before to make planning easier. Magda had also supervised the restoration of a smaller kitchen, which anyone could schedule if they wanted to cook their own meals. Tsuyo took advantage of the kitchen at least once or twice a week. He and Magda would often collaborate in creating new dishes or meal planning.

The world had certainly changed in the last four years, and the pace had increased in the last several months. Tsuyo shook his head. Keith married and a king. The yellow pilot had always thought Keith would end up as a general or head the academy, but this new role suited him in a way the others would not. Here he could create policy. More importantly, he, along with the rest of the original team and the trainers from Garrison, had created and continued to modify a military from the ground up. They had learned from the mistakes of many planets and tried to build something that would foster innovation, create an atmosphere of competition to encourage their soldiers to seek to excel. As the planet grew, they also required defense training of every citizen to some level. They all agreed that not everyone could or should become a professional solider, but everyone should have the ability to defend themselves or others as needed as least long enough for help to arrive.

Arus had gained a reputation as a peaceful planet with a near zero crime rate. Tsuyo did not know how long that would last, but he thought it came from two places. They had spent so much time rebuilding, no one had the energy to try and cheat anyone else. Plus, few people had amassed many belongings. Keith had argued hard for and won harsh penalties the first few years for anyone caught withholding supplies from others or trying to use their positions to gain power over other individuals. Arus did not have cells, but they did have hard labor and dirty jobs that needed doing. As Arus slowly caught up on technology, some of the worst jobs disappeared, but the tradition stayed.

Tsuyo blinked as he realized he had reached his door already. Pressing his hand to the sensor pad, he let himself into his suite. He smelled the air and realized a roast awaited him for dinner. Which meant roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables. Taking a deeper sniff, he caught the sweet odor of baked fruit, which meant a cobbler for dessert. Rubbing his hands together, he walked to the room that served as their dining area, work area, and even a place to relax and enjoy each other. Saria had just set down a plate on the table when he walked in, so he took advantage of the moment to wrap his arms around her waist before letting them rise to caress her breasts. He also bent to kiss the side of her neck. With a smile Saria reached her left arm around Tsuyo's neck and then turned her head for a kiss. The man quickly turned Saria until he could deepen the kiss and pull her closer to him. He could never kiss this woman enough!

Saria finally pulled away with a last kiss, and smiled at him. "Guess what?"

"Purple cows eat orange grass?

"Ugh. You spent too much time with a certain young lady recently! Besides, everyone knows the purple cows eat pink grass!"

Tsuyo laughed and gave Saria another lingering kiss.

"I have no idea. Give me a hint."

Saria reached behind her and handed her beloved a small box. "This arrived today. Special made."

Face lighting up, he tore into the box, "Is it that new wrench I have been talking about because I tell you Yellow and I were just talking today. . ." the man's voice trailed off as he looked in the box and picked up the wrench inside. "Really?"

"Really, really!"

Tsuyo whooped and whirled Saria in a circle before lifting her up against the wall to fasten his mouth to hers. Dinner forgotten, he carried her to the couch to lay her against the cushions. He pulled back slightly and held up the tiny wrench to look at it before setting it on the coffee table. "I love you Saria Aldas-Garrett."

"I love you Tsuyoshi Garrett-Aldas."

The big man leaned over Saria's stomach, "I love you Baby Garrett-Aldas." He caressed Saria's stomach and then let his fingers wander down until he heard a gasp from his wife. With a grin, he let his fingers keep playing while he unfasted her blouse with the other hand. "This calls for a celebration."

"Less talking, more doing."

"As my wife commands!"

Dinner grew cold, as the doing commenced.

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Allura woke slowly, enjoying the rare morning an alarm of one kind or another did not jolt her from sleep. She stretched, feeling odd at not having anything between her and the soft sheets of the bed. As she let her muscles relax, she heard the rhythmic clunking of the machines in the exercise room across the hall. When the boys had first set up the machines, she had asked why they used real weights rather than the machines that let them program the equivalent resistance. Darrell had launched into a long detailed explanation before Lance had cut him off by saying, "It feels like you work when something makes noise." In other words, because.

Reluctant to leave the cozy bed, Allura snuggled back into the pillow and let her thoughts drift.

She woke to the feeling of someone's mouth on the side of her neck, and thumbs teasing her nipples until they stood upright. With a deep inhale she arched her back as Keith took one of her nipples into his mouth and ran his tongue around the edges. Allura had no concept of how much time passed as her husband successfully seduced her again. Her brain finally started putting thoughts together as Keith rested his forehead next to hers on the pillow, dragging in deep breaths. She ran her leg up and down his and absently caressed his back.

Finally, Keith raised up on his elbows over her enough to give her a lingering kiss, "Good morning, your majesty."

Allura lifted her head to return the kiss. "Good morning, Commander."

Grinning, the man lifted himself up, and off the bed before holding out a hand, "Shower?"

"Scrub my back?"

The man looked in appreciation as his woman emerged from the bed, "Only your back?"

"Wee-elllll. . . . "

With a laugh, Keith pulled Allura behind him, for a long, hot, shower.

Allura pushed back her plate, and reached for her cup of tea. Keith had sat with her, stealing bits and pieces of her breakfast while he drank one of his special teas. She studied him for a few minutes, before mentally giving herself a kick in the pants. "So. . . . "

"So?"

"So, now what?"

"Well, other than following Saria's directives, I have no solid plans. We can read, or go for a walk, or go fishing, although I am NOT gutting anything we catch. Catch and release works for me. Or. . "

"Not today," Allura interrupted.

"Ok." Keith ran a hand through his hair, "You will have to be more specific, Allura."

"I am not sure what we do next. It's not like I have any kind of reference to normal relations between two people."

"Neither do I Allura. I remember some of my parent's relationship, but my first marriage was a disaster from start to finish. I left the hospital to find a car seat for Cady and came back to find divorce papers, papers that gave up all parental custody to me, and a hospital bill I did not know how I would pay. Growing up at Garrison did not give me much to go on. I guess we just make it up as we go along. Maybe we need to make some ground rules?"

"Like what?"

"I have no clue."

Allura laughed. "You mean, Mr. Overprepared, my back-up plans have contingency plans, is winging it?"

Keith smiled wryly. "Yep."

"You realize this means I could take complete and total advantage of the situation?"

"Depends on when you take advantage."

Allura looked at Keith, her mind trying to figure out what that could mean. "Ok, I give up. When is the right time?"

"Allura, I am a mostly healthy 26-year-old male, and you are a very beautiful woman who happens to be on her honeymoon."

A blush suffused her cheeks. "Oh."

Keith grinned, "Oh."

Allura stood and took her dishes to the washer, and put them back in before turning to look at Keith. "I am going to have to ponder what requests I shall make then."

With a laugh, the young man finished the last of his tea before putting the empty mug in the washer. "Perhaps for now, we can just enjoy the time together before we return to the real world."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Although you will have to teach me the meaning of the word relax. Tsuyo assures me you have learned the meaning finally."

"How about we start with exploring some of the trails around here? Saria left a recorder, so we can take pictures of the local wildlife and maybe even some of each other."

"Let me brush my teeth and put on some walking shoes."

"Deal."

Fifteen minutes later, she joined Keith on the front porch, where he looked at a map Tsuyo had left for them. "Tsuyo marked all the trails, and Saria gave me a list of which ones would be appropriate for me to use. And considering she marked several as 'This is an ok choice to start,' I would suggest. . . ." Keith's voice trailed off as he looked up at Allura.

Allura smiled at Keith, once again following Nanny's instructions. Although it had taken her a full five minutes to walk out the front door, the look in Keith's eyes as he looked at her made it well worth her bravery. She watched him swallow twice before trying to speak. Giving him her best smile, she walked down the two steps before looking behind her. Her husband looked like someone had hit him with a board on the back of his head. "Coming?"

With a shake of his head, Keith followed after Allura as she started walking not toward the trail entrance, but toward a secluded spot Nanny had found. She swung the picnic basket in her right hand, a large smile on her face.

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Keith and Allura returned from their honeymoon relaxed with their relationship growing stronger. They had spent the rest of the time playing, planning, and laughing. Allura gave free reign to her long repressed desires to touch Keith whenever she wanted or needed. He proved himself an attentive lover and responded with enthusiasm to whatever Allura wanted. Both studiously ignored the real world and let themselves have time without the demands that awaited them.

Their return signaled the beginning of the changes around the castle. They plotted with Magda and Coran to restructure responsibilities of the monarchy. Keith worked with Lance and others to continue to refine the Arusian military. The king had a plan and a goal, although it would take years to achieve.

Tsuyoshi and Saria first announced their joyful news, and then a few weeks later announced their news had doubled in size. Magda pulled out all the stops planning for the first babies in the castle in decades. Although Allura offered them land and a house in return for all of Tsuyo's service to the crown, they decided to stay in the castle in a newly built family suite. Saria wanted her children to grow up around all the other children she knew would follow.

Allura announced her first pregnancy only a few months later. She and Keith had talked of waiting to expand their family, but decided they had waited long enough. Lance and Darrell eventually found partners and had children of their own. The castle abounded with laughter and love.

Keith and Tsuyo continued to work with the lions and explore the relationships between the lions and their pilots and the select few the lions communicated with outside their pilots. The information remained on a need-to-know basis and passed down from one pilot to the next.

Arus fought off many invaders over the years, and continued to grow their technology and their military capabilities. Keith and Allura worked to pass laws that allowed Arus to come to the aid of those repressed, but would prevent future generations from turning into a conquering force.

Arus became a beacon of hope in the galaxy and a symbol of how a planet and a people could rise from the ashes, like the mythical phoenix. Accomplished by a band of misfits, who became brothers and a family.

FIN

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I know the ending of the original Battle story disappointed many people. It amazes me that, as writers, we think we convey the scene or emotion in our brains to our readers, yet the translation does not always end as we think. Hopefully, this will show that I intended for Allura and Keith to have a rich, full married life filled with love, laughter, and joy amidst the periodic episodes of Lotor appearing or other invaders who wanted what Arus built.

I hope all your Hunkateers have loved the journey with Tsuyo as much as I! In my mind, he has grown from the bumbling, overweight, comic relief, to a character with depth, a sense of humor, and a grand temper that gives him dimensionality.

Thanks for your patience on this project.

Blessings to you and yours.