Yukina's eyes glanced down at the monitor as her fingers swept over the keyboard. Her determined face scrutinized in concentration. Kennosuke watched the woman he already considered to be his wife with affection, wonder, and no short amount of curiosity.

Along with Sophie, Sebastian, and their team of reinforcements, Yukina had arrived to help their cause against the Efy Dolghs three days ago. Their reunion had been a tearful one on both sides and she had practically collapsed in his arms, despite being a commanding officer. He was almost given up hope that she would come for him but ironically, it had been Lord Zell and Muetta who had never doubted her return to them. To him.

He wondered what it would be like for them. He had seen so much during those years and he wondered if she would still have him after all this time. If she would still be his wife. He chuckled as he thought of how she had refused him, saying that she had been too young. Now she could not say such a thing. She was undeniably a grown woman.

He studied all the changes that has happened to her these 5 long years. She was taller than he remembered. But that was not the extent of her changes. He had remembered the maiden Yukina as soft; her body had been lithe and untrained in being a solider, now, though it still looked soft, but it was hardened with years of training. Her eyes had held child-like wonder and innocence despite her having been 18 years old. Now they held a determination and grit that he had only seen in the most desperate of circumstances. And in this time of uncertainty against the Efy Dolghs, they were in a desperate circumstance.

She was now also a captain.

"Kennosuke?" Yukina turned her chair around to face him and he was suddenly snapped out of his reverie. "What are you doing?" She smiled at him brightly and suddenly his doubts dissipated––her smile was the same, bright and warm. He felt his own face smiling crookedly in return.

"I am simply wondering what you are doing," His smile grew. "Wife."

Kennosuke expected her to sputter and flush and yell at him but instead her eyes softened and tilted her head in confusion. "You still think of me like that?" Her eyes began to cloud, "After all this time? I had thought––" Yukina's voice began to choke with emotion, "After all this time––you and Muetta would have––I would have understood––I would have––"

Kennosuke moved over to her and kneeled before her faster than she could have though humanly possible, effectively cutting her off. "You senseless woman!" He grasped her hand in both of his tightly, "How dare you think I would have been unfaithful to you? And with our friend and comrade no less! You bring me shame! I made a decision years ago that I would make you my wife! Would you not think that a samurai such as I would have enough honor to follow through with such a act?"

Kennosuke's voice suddenly lowered. "Do you not know that it was the only thing in my life that had certainty after the war against the Efy Dolghs was concluded?" He lowered his head as his voice shook, "You were the only thing I thought about all these years. The only thing that gave me hope was the thought that you would be safe. That you would return to me someday." Kennosuke smiled weakly as he recalled his earlier despair, "I had almost given up hope. But Muetta––" He let out a snort, "Muetta and Zell never doubted you. They knew you would come." He smiled and continued.

"I kept thinking that maybe it was better that way. That you stayed. Maybe even forgot about me. That way you could be happy. That way you could be safe. I could die happy knowing you were safe with your family. Perhaps even with a family of your own." At this, Yukina made a sound of protest but Kennosuke blazed through, not meeting her eyes. "But I was selfish. I wanted you with me. I knew you were the only maiden I would ever wed. Muetta looks like you, but she is not you. And though you were never the princess Yuki, she was never you either. But she is your ancestor and as such, you have some of her spirit––the same courage and desire to protect the innocent and help those in need. You are a descendent of the house of Washiba, and as a samurai I would have given my life for you and yours. But as a man," Kennosuke swallowed and frowned, "I knew I would live and die for you, Yukina."

"Kennosuke," said Yukina gasped softly.

"Yukina, I know much time has passed. But never again doubt that I have ever been anything less than faithful to you." Kennosuke still refused to look at her and pressed his forehead against the hand he still entrapped within his own. "However," he continued. "I understand if you have not. Here, I had no one. But on Earth, you had Akagi and many others that would have gladly wedded one as beautiful as you, despite you being well past the usual marrying age." At this Yukina rolled her eyes but bit back a snarky remark. "If you have married another man and have had his children, I want you to know I do not hold it against you. That I understand and do not hold you to being my wife. You have given me back my life, and I yours." Kennosuke closed his eyes, "You owe me nothing."

Yukina was silent. Then after a moment, she carefully lifted up his head to face hers and patiently waited for him to open his eyes. When his reddish eyes finally met her blue ones, he gasped. Tears trickled down her face but her eyes shone bright with joy. He did not understand what that meant. Yukina held his face between her hands and laughed softly.

"Baka! Don't you realize that I'm in love with you? That I have been all this time?" Yukina heartily laughed out loud. "I never said I wouldn't marry you, you oblivious samurai. I only said I was too young––and I was!" Kennosuke looked back at her in shock as Yukina continued. "In your time I may have been the right age for that, but this this time, women don't usually get marry until they're at least in their twenties! And not before they've dated for a while!"

Kennosuke slowly put his hands over hers and removed them from his face, but held them securely in his own. "Do you mean to say…that you accept my proposal? That you will finally consent to being my wife?"

"No."

Kennosuke sputtered in shock, "But––!"

"Men and women do not marry unless they've dated for a good amount of time!" Yukina shouted.

"But what is this 'dating' you speak of? Tell me what it is I must do so that you will finally consent to being my wife!" Kennosuke growled in frustration. Sometimes he could not understand her. First she denies being his wife, when she clearly is, then she sounds like she is consenting to being his wife but suddenly is not. And what is this "dating" she keeps insisting they do?

Yukina sighed. Then giggled.

Kennosuke "What is it, Yukina?" Kennosuke's eyes seemed tired, desperate. Yukina laughed even louder causing Kennosuke to glower at her.

"Kennosuke, dating is another way of saying courting. We cannot just marry each other before spending some time together first."

"But we have!"

"That was five years ago!"

"That does not matter! I am certain––!"

"Well I'm not so sure!"

Kennosuke started. He had never thought she would be uncertain of him after she had not wed or courted anyone else during all this time. Perhaps she did not want him after all. At seeing his crestfallen face, Yukina quickly backpedaled.

"W-what I mean is I'm not so sure you are! It's been five years! In that time it's likely we've changed," Yukina squeezed his hands and bent to catch his eye. "You've seen so much, Kennosuke. So much has probably happened and I want you to tell me. I want you to share it with me, as I will with you."

Kennosuke groaned in more frustration. He did not understand. "Yes! Like a man and his wife should!"

Yukina rolled her eyes, "Yes but that's not––ugh!" She pulled her hands away from his and held the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes and sighed. "What I mean to say is," she removed her hands from her face onto her lap. She sighed and looked up at him from under her eyelashes and continued softer this time, "We might be different people, Kennosuke. Though," she chuckled, "you don't seem to have changed much."

She shook herself and continued more seriously, her gaze dropping from his. "But…I might have. The person you see before you might not be the exact Yukina you remember." Yukina lifted her eyes towards his again, imploringly, "Kennosuke, what if you get to know me and realize you don't want to be with me? What if you find out that I'm not the girl you want to be your wife anymore?" Her eyes began to fill with tears again, "Kennosuke, how can you be sure?"

Kennosuke's eyes softened and he leaned closer to her, causing her to blush but not pull away. "Yukina," he said softly, grasping her hands within his own again, "I know you. Perhaps in your time what we shared is considered little, but I lived in your home with you and your family, you took me in when I had nothing––gave me friends. You gave me hope in living life again when all I wanted to do was join the princess and my comrades in death. I do not need to court you to know that you are the same maiden. For me the decision is made." Kennosuke closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. His close proximity made Yukina blush even harder. "But for you…" He took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. How he had missed it. "The decision has yet to be made. You are unsure of me and I understand. It is true some time has passed, but if it is what you wish and will allow for you to consent to being my wife," Kennosuke opened his eyes and moved away from her so she could meet his, "then I shall do my best to court you despite us being in the midst of a war."

Yukina stared at him and then broke out into a grin. "I had forgotten how dramatic you are."

With that she promptly circled her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Kennosuke froze in shock and then immediately moved away from her, blushing and sputtering furiously. "W-what––we can not––that was entirely––I do not understand!"

Laughing heartily, Yukina stood up and walked over to him. "Calm down, Kennosuke. Since we're dat––I mean, courting––we can kiss every now and then."

"What?"

"I will explain all the modern rules of dating to you later. But, don't worry, it's perfectly fine for us to kiss once in a while before marriage."

Kennosuke regarded Yukina briefly, almost suspiciously. "Truly? And it will not ruin your reputation?"

Yukina glared at him and punched him roughly on the shoulder, "No! It won't! As long as that's all we do!"

Kennosuke stared at her in amazement, "You mean there are more things we could do?"

She then proceeded to promptly face-palm herself and then looked at him from between her fingers. She sighed. But she did not want to deal with that conversation––or even entertain the thought––until much, much later.

"Let's just take it one step at a time, okay?" She moved closer to him and embraced him, resting her head against his chest. "For now just know that it's okay to show physical affection towards me and––" she blushed but continued, "that as my boyfriend, it's definitely okay for you to kiss me."

Kennosuke regarded her words and pulled away from him, looking into her eyes. Slowly, he lowered his head slightly and as gently and softly as he could, closed his eyes and met his lips with hers. It was better than he had ever imagined.

After a moment that seemed blissfully far longer, they pulled away and Kennosuke held her against his chest.

"Yukina?"

"Hmm?

"What is a 'boyfriend'?"

**This was my first fanfic and it was a lot of fun writing this. I'm so sorry for any errors I might have made but this is my first one so please be gentle. Also, there are different ways of spelling "Efy Dolgh" (Netflix spells it Efidolg) so I'm sorry if I'm wrong, I went off of what wikipedia said, sorry if that was the wrong move. Anyway, Thank you so much for reading! Any reviews are welcome as long as they're not too mean thank you!**