Several weeks into the new job and Charlotte felt as if she were getting the hang of things. Yami had stayed by her side the entire time, as he had promised, only briefly returning to his squad to make sure things were operating as normal. He hadn't said much about them since she had been appointed; he never said much about anything aside from a sarcastic remark here or there. But she could tell he missed them. She had to admit, she missed her own squad as well.

Sitting in the throne Julius had occupied so recently felt strange. Yami had refused to sit in it. He had also refused to meet with anyone in so formal a manner. Just sitting and waiting for others to act also felt strange. And the more she found herself waiting, the more she realized she had been terribly wrong-that Julius had been terribly wrong, to suggest Yami for the role. Though he was with her as often as he could be, typically standing guard next to her as he had taken her safety as his personal mission, he was always moving. The waiting, the sitting still-none of it suited him, at least not when it was by design instead of by choice.

He could also be terribly lazy, she thought as she glanced at him next to her, fingers drumming against the hilt of his sword. She looked up at him, his eyes distant, lost in thought she guessed and she noticed his trademark cigarette was missing. Reflecting on the last few weeks, she realized she hadn't seen him smoke in a while.

She wondered if that could be adding to his edginess.

Marx presented a messenger from a village on the edge of the spade kingdom, and her musings ended as the young woman told her story. She told herself she would ask him later.

After the last visitor departed and the public audience was closed for the day, Charlotte looked around. Yami was gone. She was certain he had disappeared sometime during the afternoon, but she had not seen him slip away. She wanted to look for him, but Marx called her attention to the mountain of paperwork needing approval. She had been avoiding the stack for as long as she could, but she steeled herself, exhaling slowly, and mentally noting to talk to Yami later. She sat at her desk-which had been Julius' and then Yami's desk while he had acted as interim wizard king, though he had little use for it-and began affixing her signature to the proper pages. She needed to talk to Yami, but it would have to wait.

She found him a few hours later in the tower which had recently been rebuilt after William-no, Patri, she reminded herself-had destroyed it the day he had killed Julius.

"Hi." She sat next to him as he stared at the spot where Julius had fallen. He sucked in on his cigarette, drawing the acrid smoke deep into his lungs. He blew the smoke out away from her.

"Hey."

"What are you doing up here all alone?"

Yami shrugged and took another drag on his smoke.

"It was too stuffy in there."

"Tell me about it." She leaned her head back and looked up at the intricate design woven into the roof. Yami had told everyone after the fighting ended about how Julius had died, where and when. Seeing the care taken with the tower's restoration-a care not taken elsewhere, she realized how deeply the older man's death had affected everyone. Every spot seemed to hold a meaning now, and people honored it and the emotions tied to it.

She slipped her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder. The ease of the action still surprised her, as did his response. Every time, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. Her arms slithered around his waist as he sheltered her. She always felt a little guilty at how comforting his embrace was for her, even more so at times like these, when she knew he needed to be comforted.

"Are you alright?"

"No." His chest rumbled against her ear. "But holding you makes me feel better."

She smiled.

"Want to talk about it?"

He chuckled and squeezed her to him. He rubbed his nose against the top of her head and breathed deeply.

"You sound like Marx."

She looked up at him and made a sour face. The mind mage who assisted her constantly badgered her about her mental state and the stress of the job. He also apparently badgered Yami about his grief, or so she had been told.

Yami caught her chin in his hand and kissed her softly.

"I know something that will make me feel better." He rubbed the tip of his nose against hers in a lazy circle. "Are you done for the day?"

"I am, but we have somethings we need to talk about."

Yami tossed his head back and groaned in frustration.

"Like, your squad and who is actually overseeing them right now?"

He sighed, and Charlotte could not quite make out if it was a wistful or frustrated sigh.

"You miss them." She brushed his cheek, drawing his eyes back to her. "Don't try to tell me otherwise. I miss my own squad too."

"They are more than a squad, you know?"

"They are your family."

"Yeah."

"And soon, I'll be your family too." She hesitated to talk about their agreement to get married. It hadn't exactly been a proposal, nor was it anymore an arrangement as it had been prior to her election. But they had agreed, and they both wanted to be together.

"Charlotte, you already are."

"I guess you're right." She blushed unexpectedly. She had slowly gotten over her embarrassment of being with him, or rather, of being with anyone period, but the confirmation of their relationship, so succinctly, brought everything back.

"But yeah, I miss them. As stupid as it seems, I miss the hell out of those idiots."

"When's the last time you saw them?"

Yami pulled another cigarette from his secret stash and lit it. He took a deep breath, sucking in the smoke and letting it out slowly.

"At the vote." He wrinkled his brow for a moment. "No, I saw them a week or so after."

"Go to them."

"But."

"No. Go. Don't make me order you." She smiled up at him. "You don't have to keep watch over me all the time, you know. I am capable of watching my own back."

He hugged her tightly to his chest once more.

"I know, I just… after losing Julius, I don't want to risk losing you too."

"I'll be fine. And when you come back, we can start planning a wedding."

"Ugh, right. But, all of that can wait until tomorrow."

"Why is that?"

He stood and pulled her up to her feet. He lowered his head to press his forehead against hers as he pulled her hips toward his.

"Because tonight, I want to pretend we're already married."

He kissed her in a way which made her melt against him and left her breathless. She wanted him to keep kissing her like that forever.

The next morning, Charlotte woke to an empty bed. The pillow was still warm as if Yami had only recently left. She rolled over and buried her face where he had lain, taking in the scent of him. The smell always made her smile. She stretched and stood, wishing she could stay beneath the warm blankets, but also wishing he was still beside her.

As she dressed, she noticed a neatly written note on the vanity. In it, he apologized for not waking her and letting her see him off, but he wasn't certain he would be able to leave her if he had been able to kiss her good-bye. He wrote he would try to contact her later, and would definitely see her in a couple of days. She smiled, wondering what sort of reception he would receive once he returned home. She knew he needed to be with his squad, his family. She would have wagered they needed him as well. Her fingers brushed over the scrawled signature which was so different from the neat print of the rest of the letter.

She missed him already, but she forced herself to greet the day with as much focus as possible.

Yami emerged from the portal from the capital to appear in front of the haphazard structure he had commandeered years ago. The seemingly random angles jutting out in every which way, the shifting scene, the slow gentle breathing of the building gave him a comfort he never thought a building capable of. He could hear the ruckus from within and felt a small smile creep onto his lips.

"They better not have touched any of my stuff," he muttered as he pushed his way through the door. The scene which met him was as familiar as ever with Magna chasing Luck, Vanessa passed out on the couch and Charmy tucked in at the table devouring a pile of... something. Yami didn't want to bother trying to figure out what. The others were scattered around the room, doing what they pleased with little concern for what else was happening. Yami's heart warmed at seeing them.

As soon as the door closed behind him-quiet compared to the normal fists slamming into walls anyway, the entire room stilled. Except for Vanessa. She sat up. The squad was perfectly silent for a heartbeat which seemed to sound in unison from all those present before noise erupted once more as they all greeted their captain. Yami could barely make out the individual voices greeting him as they all spoke at once, but he didn't really care what they were all saying. He only cared that they were saying it. He only cared that he could see their eager faces. He held his hands up and they stilled. 'A far cry from having to put my fist through the wall to get their attention,' he thought, as he looked at each one in turn.

"Welcome home, Captain!" they greeted him in unison as they fell in line before him.

"What the hell have you idiots done to the base?" He scolded before a broad smile spread across his face.

"How long are you staying, Captain?" Magna asked.

"I thought you were staying in the capital... with her," Vanessa said as she rubbed the back of her head. In her hungover state, Yami could not miss the jealousy in her expression.

"I figured you lot needed someone to keep you in line. Charlotte thought so too. So you haven't quite gotten rid of me yet."

"Oh man!" Finral whined, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And I was so looking forward to trying to manage this bunch of assholes."

Yami lit another cigarette and chuckled.

"Like we would actually listen to a cowardly, no-good, skirt-chaser like you." Zora countered. The pair continued to bicker as Yami just watched, sucking down the acrid smoke of his cigarette.

"Despite recent events, or perhaps because of a change in recent plans, I am still your captain, whether you like it or not." He said after a moment. His voice alone was enough to quiet the argument building among the squad. "And from the looks of things," He looked around the common space, which was a bigger mess than usual-though it did not have quite as many of his trademarked holes as it once did. "You need me." He crossed his arms over her chest. "However, I will still have to split my time between here and the capital. After everything that has happened, don't be surprised if there are quite a few changes coming."

The squad members looked at each other and mumbled curiously.

"What kind of changes?" Magna asked. Yami shrugged.

"Charlotte has some ideas about training and getting more people prepared if we have anything crazy happen again. But aside from that, I'm not sure. Still, I'm going to be helping her, all of the captains are."

"So, what about you and Charlotte?" Finral asked, his attention turning from Zora, his eyebrows waggling.

Yami felt the grin spread over his face and could do nothing to stop it. He didn't want to either. He took his cigarette between his fingers as his tongue darted between his lips unconsciously.

"We're, uh, we're good. And we're getting married still, well, eventually. We haven't really talked much about the details."

"Are you sure?" Vanessa asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

Yami looked at her, recognizing for the first time how she wore her feelings for him on her sleeve. His face fell and he sighed. He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew he had no choice-not if he were to follow his heart.

"Yeah, I am." He tried to keep his voice gentle, to lessen the sting as best he could, but he could see the light of hope dim in her eyes. She closed her eyes and shook her head as if to force the thought of him from her mind. When she looked at him again, she wore the biggest smile he had ever seen on her face, but it was a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"If you're sure, then I'm happy for you."

But he could see the tears forming, glistening in her eyes before she left the room. The rest of the squad gave him their 'congratulations' and their' welcome homes' before dissipating through the building, returning to their tasks and activities. Yami looked over at the board on the common room wall now filled with golden stars where black ones once stood. Despite his absence, the number seemed to have multiplied since the Crisis, as people had taken to calling the event which had nearly torn the kingdom asunder. The room hummed with discussion, or eating, or the general activity of the building's occupants, and Yami felt a sense of peace wash over him. The feeling was not quite the same feeling of wholeness he felt when he wrapped Charlotte in his arms, but it was close. He could only describe the feeling as 'home'.

He made his way to the room which had been his home for the last six years. Opening the door, he noticed immediately how some things had been shifted or moved, despite the time he had been away. It wasn't much, but he noticed it.

"Who the hell touched my stuff?" His voice boomed through the building. Yami could hear the rest of the squad scurry out of the building so as to not face his wrath. He sighed as he moved every little thing back into place. He did not have much; he had learned to travel light long ago, and could fit much of what he owned into a small bag should he ever need to disappear. But each item he had was deeply tied to a memory. Julius was tied to many of them, but each of his squad members too had given him something to call them to mind-not that they knew of it, of course. As had each of the adversaries he had overcome since he had joined the Magic Knights.

As he replaced the broken sword which had been knocked to the ground, his eyes caught on an old white scrap of fabric. He pulled the still soft knit out from under the shelf and rubbed a deep brown stain between his fingers. The shirt was dusty and grimy, aside from the stain, from years of neglect and being forgotten, pushed under the shelf and into memory. moths had eaten holes through the cloth over the nearly ten years since he had last worn the shirt., fraying the edges until they were ragged. He had thought the old shirt long gone, lost in the transition from his life under Julius' direct command to taking on his own. He had last worn it the day he had stumbled across Charlotte with her magic gone out of control.

"I should have kissed her then." He sighed. "I was stupid not to try at least." He had often regretted simply walking away that day, leaving her staring at his back. He had always thought she was beautiful-everyone did as she was arguably one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom; her beauty was nothing new. But that day, something had shifted. Maybe it was the way she looked at him, maybe it was her vulnerability beneath her strength. He had never been able to pinpoint what it was, but it had changed him. He felt a rightness he had never been able to identify until now.

Looking at the shirt, he realized he had fallen in love with her that day. He folded the shirt neatly and placed it back with his collection. He wondered what she was doing, what sort of menial, boring, yet important, task Marx had her working on. He wished he was with her if only to hold her for a bit. He could recall how she felt as she let herself melt against him after a long day managing the affairs of the kingdom's military. She was good at the job, he had to admit, Far better than he could possibly hope to be, but she had told him before it was only because she could lose herself in him at the end of the day... or sometimes in the middle, if things had gotten too stressful. He wondered how she was holding up without him there.

A flash of light near him drew his attention. A small letter materialized through the portal and he snatched it before it hit the ground. He cracked the seal and opened the document. Reading the contents made him sigh. His work cleaning up the mess the other had made of his room would have to wait. He skimmed the letter again as he walked out of the door and called together the squad. They had a mission. He read through the details once more, not so much reading the words again, but rather examining the neat, yet ornate script of her handwriting. Charlotte had sent the assignment personally. He could tell because of the brief post-script after the mission details. She had simply written 'I miss you'.

After giving the assignment to Luck, Magna, and Vanessa, and then a second to Gauche, Asta, and Noelle, Yami looked at the letter once more. He wondered if he could go back to the capital tonight. Finral was still at the base; with his spatial magic, it would take no time at all to return. But she had told him to take a couple of days, and looking at the base, his kids did seem to need him. He sighed as he picked up one of the communication artifacts assigned to the squad. He knew the device would connect him to the communications office at headquarters. He wondered if he could use it to contact her directly.

He flipped open the lid of the device and manipulated some of the internal workings. In no time at all, a small blue glowing figure appeared-a young man in a purple orca robe.

"Connect me to the Wizard King." He said without preamble. The figure blinked a couple of times as if his brain had not quite processed the request.

"Uh, I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to..."

"Fine, then connect me to Marx, the Wizard King's adviser."

"Is this an emergency? I'm only supposed to provide a direct connection in an emergency."

"It's going to be if you don't." Yami's voice grew menacing and the young man flinched at the magical aura he pushed through the device.

"Very well, Sir." The image wavered out of existence and was replaced a few seconds later by a sighing Marx.

"What is it, Yami?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"The rookie mentioned something about a big scary man making demands, and I just assumed." Marx's voice sounded bored, weary, and frustrated.

"Connect me to Charlotte."

"The Wizard King is busy." Marx said, trying to be patient, but Yami noticed how he rolled his eyes. "I know you don't care, but there are proper channels to go through to talk to her."

"Not if you're her fiance, there's not."

"Maybe. But Yami, really, she's busy meeting with some delegation from the Diamond Kingdom. Want me to tell her you called? I'm sure she will call you back when she can."

Yami grunted.

"I guess."

"Oh, and is your squad taking care of those things she sent you?"

"Yeah. The idiots jumped at the chance, actually."

"Good." Marx's small luminescent form nodded. "Good. That will be a weight off of her shoulders."

"Whatever, just tell her I tried calling."

"I will. And you're right. We've never had to deal with a Wizard King with a partner who didn't live with them in the capital before. They were all either unmarried, like Julius, or their spouses weren't also Magic Knight Captains." He looked off into the distance for a moment. "I'll see what I can do about a direct line to her.

Yami closed the artifact with a frustrated sigh before he laid back onto the bed. The house was quiet for the lack of people. Everyone left was quiet in their own right, and not one among them was someone he felt he could or should talk to about things-not of a personal nature anyway. He grabbed a stale pillow from next to him and hugged it tightly to his chest. But unlike the pillows in her room in the capital, it did not smell like her. He tossed it away and sat up.

"Look at me, acting like a lovesick fool. I'm too old for this shit."

He tried to take a bath, thinking a good relaxing soak would help get his mind off of her, but it did just the opposite. He sat and watched Charmy eat for a while as Gray looked on in horror at how much the tiny woman was able to stuff into her small frame. Zora and Finral walked in, at it again. The pair never seemed to get along, which was part of the reason why he had given Zora so easily over to his last mission of hunting down traitors in the ranks of the magic knights. But now, Finral, who had grown stronger in spirit, if not in his magic, had taken to trying to order everyone around. Yami looked at them argue realizing it was probably his fault Finral had gotten so bossy. He had left the spatial mage essentially in charge when he had relocated to the capital. And Zora, well, Zora had always had a difficult time with authority.

"Knock it off, you two." he bellowed across the room. They, and everyone else in the room jumped, as if they were no longer used to him being there. He barked a short laugh before he shook his head and downed the last of his glass. The alcohol burned his throat as it went down and he poured himself another.

"Are you alright, Boss?" Zora eyed him, suddenly serious. Finral also looked at him with concern.

"Fine." Yami shot the glass as if it were tequila and not wine. "Don't we have anything better than this shit?"

"Vanessa's gone through it all already." Finral leaned against the table before glancing at Zora. As Yami watched, the pair seemed to come to a silent understanding and agreement.

"You are not fine." Zora crossed his arms over his chest as he took a seat at the table. Charmy looked up from her feast at the newcomers, glaring with murderous intent before recognizing them and turning back to her eating. Gray also turned their attention to the captain

"What's wrong, Yami?" Finral asked.

"Nothing's wrong. It's good to be back here. It's good to be with you all again."

"But..." Gray prompted.

"But I miss her." Yami sighed, and poured another glass.

"You sure seem head over heels, Boss. Sounds like a pain in the ass."

"Shut up, Zora." Finral shot the taller trap mage a look of frustration.

"It's stupid." Yami said. "But I can't stop thinking about her now that I'm here. But while I was there, I couldn't stop worrying about you idiots."

"Aw, you were worried about us?" Zora feigned surprise. Finral rolled his eyes at the ever sarcastic comments the red-head made. Yami grunted when a knock on the door caught all of their attention. Gordon stood from the tattered couch and opened the heavy door. Asta stood in the narrow doorway with a massive boar over his shoulders.

"Get out of they way, Stupidsta!" Noelle tried to squeeze past.

"I thought I gave you all a mission?" Yami took a sip of his glass as he regarded them with a cocked eyebrow.

"You did, and we're done. And I brought home a little something in celebration of your return, Captain." Asta looked at him with his ever hopeful eyes as he also tried to squeeze through the door with the dead creature still slung over his shoulders.

"You're never going to get through, so get out of the way." Gauche glared with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Yami could barely see him past Asta.

"Is that meat?" Charmy looked up from her meal, salivating at the vision in the doorway. In a flash she tackled Asta and the boar, clearing the doorway.

"Why are you trying to bring that in here?" Finral complained, yelling over the sound of Charmy and Asta scrabbling over the boar. He opened a rift beneath the pair and pulled Charmy from Asta as they reappeared in front of him. Charmy kept working her tiny legs and arms as she struggled to break free. The noise of Asta reprimanding Charmy and Noelle, Finral and Gauche reprimanding Asta was so loud that Yami barely heard the chime the communication artifact made. He did not know how long it had been chiming when he ducked out of the common area to answer it.

Charlotte looked frazzled on the other end when she appeared in blue translucent miniature.

"No, I'm not sure, but that's why we need to meet with him. No." She sighed in frustration at something Yami could not see, but she looked like she was going to either punch something or pull her hair out. "No, Marx. Listen. No, it's going to be fine. I know he's Diamond Kingdom, but he's a defector, and he helped. You can argue all you want but we will meet with him about this."

"Is everything alright?" He knit his brows together in worry at her frazzled state. She seemed to visibly relax as she looked at him.

"Marx, no. Later." She looked briefly to the man just out of view before she looked back at Yami. He heard the sound of a heavy door slamming shut. "I know I told you to go and I know I said I would be fine, but dammit, I miss you."

Yami's lips quirked up in a smile.

"I miss you too. Want me to come back? I could be there in no time at all."

She opened her mouth to say something, closed it again as she considered the offer and then shook her head. She smiled sadly as she looked at him.

"No, you need to be with your family." She had used the word he had hesitated to use for so long, but her knew she was right. The squad was indeed his family, and always will be, regardless of his relationship with her. He would always need them, despite how much he needed her as well. "Besides, I could use some time away from the capital myself."

Yami's eyebrows shot up.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting? Isn't that kid from the diamond kingdom supposed to be there tomorrow?"

"I can be back before the delegation arrives. It takes no time at all to get to the capital from your base, doesn't it? If I recall correctly you've got a pretty good spatial mage there."

Yami chuckled.

"Don't let him hear you say that. He'll add it to his list of highly exaggerated titles when he tries to pick up girls."

"I'll be there in an hour." She moved to sever the connection

"Charlotte."

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you don't want me to come back there?"

She shook her head.

"I'll see you soon." The connection went silent and her image vanished. Yami closed the communication artifact and went to see why it had gotten so quiet all of a sudden.

He shouldn't have worried at the silence, though something about it was eerie about the quiet. Frankly, he had always found such silence unnerving, and it was part of the reason he had been anxious to leave the capital. While the capital itself was bustling and busy, the apartments he shared with Charlotte were usually as silent as the tomb in which they had laid Julius to his final rest. At least during the day. When she was with him at night, the rooms were anything but silent. He felt a satisfied grin creep across his face as he thought back to the many nights they had shared in the last few weeks. He took a long drag on his cigarette and stood grinning like an idiot as he watched the rest of his crew chow down on the large beast Asta had brought back as a supposed celebration. Yet, he noted, they had not made sure he was also there to celebrate.

"Come on over, Captain!" Asta called when he eventually noticed Yami's presence. As he joined in on the fun, Yami lost track of time among the laughter and teasing conversation of his team. It wasn't until Luck suddenly looked up from the feast and peered toward the forest that he thought to tell them all that his fiancee was going to stop by for a visit.

"Someone's here." Luck announced shortly after the Noelle, Finral and Vanessa also looked toward the overwhelming sensation of power. As soon as he had felt it, he knew exactly who it was. A smile crept on his face that he could not stop.

"That is probably Charlotte." Yami said as he wiped his face and hands. The barbecued meat was juicy and had dripped everywhere as he had eaten. Just as he had finished cleaning up a bit and turned toward the sense of her, she appeared out of the forest surrounding the old house he had turned into the squad headquarters. He left the group and trotted to meet her. She had stripped herself of her ranks of office, of the heavy robes and finery she wore on a day to day basis. Also missing was her armor and helmet, and her long blond hair hung in sheets framing her face. Even her side braid was missing. She looked more like she had the day he had stumbled upon her in her hometown- the day she turned eighteen, the day he had rescued her, than she had in a very long time. Seeing her so relaxed made him grin.

"Hey, Gorgeous." He looked her over as they met. She rolled her eyes at the compliment, but couldn't stop the smile that also erupted on her face. The happiness, the joy in her expression made him fall in love with her all over again. He slipped his hand around her thin waist and pulled her to him, using his thumb to tilt her chin upwards as he met her lips. Her arms snaked around his waist and neck and her fingers tangled into the hair at the back of his head as she pulled him deeper into her. The kiss lasted only a moment, but also felt as if it lasted forever before her hand fell upon his chest and pushed him back slightly.

"You're so silly." She laughed as her eyes met his dancing. He only grinned. "Are you having a party?" She asked as she looked around him at the gathered squad standing around the pit and the feast roasting in it.

"Just a little cookout." He took her hand and led her to the group. "Have you met everyone?"

He could feel her resisting somewhat, hesitating as he made introductions, but he kept hold of her hand and didn't let her pull away. Asta and Noelle welcomed her without question, though some of the older members-Vanessa, especially-were polite, yet cool in their reception. As Charmy offered her some of the food they were all sharing, Yami could feel her relax, though she looked at him with a question in her eyes. She ate gratefully and slowly the squad fully warmed to her presence. Yami shared her plate, but ate one-handed as he rubbed her back. They had only been apart for a few hours, but he had missed her terribly.

"So, what brings you out here?" He asked as he shut his bedroom door behind him. Her lips crushing against his answered the question far more succinctly than words ever could. Her hands on his chest, her body pressing against his was all the proof he needed of how her day without him had gone.

"I missed you." She stroked his cheek with the tips of her fingers. scratching his stubbly skin with her neatly manicured fingernails. "I told you that already." She laid her head against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He sighed as he stroked her back and kissed the top of her head.

"I missed you too, but we're going to have to get used to this."

"I know." Yami thought her voice sounded sad. "I know. Work to be done and all that. I just, I guess I wish things could be like they have been forever." His chuckle rumbled in his chest.

"We both know we will eventually drive each other crazy."

She squeezed his waist.

"True, I suppose. Still, I like being able to hug you like this whenever I want."

"Only hugs?" His voice suggested more, offered more. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, he could feel the heat rising from her blushing cheeks. He could see the light pink blush through her pale hair.

"You know what I mean."

He grinned as he tilted her chin up to him. He gazed into her crystalline eyes for a long moment, seeing the desire he felt reflected back to him.

"Yeah, I know." He kissed her slowly, firmly as he guided her to the bed.

Yami held her close as he looked up at the cracks in the old ceiling, wondering if Henry had done something to the building recently. The hair-thin serpentine paths spider-webbing across the stone above his head had not be there before, at least no to his recollection. Charlotte snored softly against his chest as she slept. She had found release quickly, far more quickly than he would have liked, and exhaustion had overwhelmed her afterward. She had been working herself sick, he knew, as he also had been doing while in the capital. He wanted to suggest a respite for her as she had allowed him, but he knew she would not listen, not now, not when so much needed to be done. He sighed, a sense of gratitude for the short break she had taken to be with him, and a sense of frustration over not being able to change this to make it easier on her.

He hadn't expected her to wake as he shifted from beneath her, but as he tried to roll over, she was suddenly attentive.

"We need to talk about the wedding."

He sighed before turning to face her. The dim light of an oil lamp cast a reddish glow on her skin and hair. She looked almost as if she were bathed in fire. She had sated him before she fell asleep, but he could feel the stirrings of desire once more.

"We do."

"So, um, how do you want to do this thing?" She seemed as nervous talking about their pending, but as yet unplanned, nuptials as she had once been when talking about her own desires.

He shrugged.

"Doesn't really matter to me. I just want to be able to call you my wife. We could go run off and get married now for all I care."

"You really don't want any sort of ceremony? It doesn't matter to you at all?"

"Not really."

"There's nothing from your homeland you would want to include to honor the day?"

Yami laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling and the hairline fractures traveling across it once more. He tried to think back to the land of his childhood. The memories came with more difficulty now. He realized he had now been in his adopted home longer than he had lived in the land which would always be his home in his heart. But as he thought, he realized he knew little of the marriage customs of his own people. He told Charlotte this and she made a small sound of surprised empathy.

"I thought you said your mother wanted to plan all of this."

"Well, she does, but I would hate for you to be uncomfortable at your own wedding." She had pillowed her head on his shoulder once more and was tracing lazy circles in the light smattering of hair on his chest. Yami thought long and hard about his options. He felt he had been allowing himself short bursts of attention to the matter of the wedding in between longer bursts focusing on other matters at hand. In the time since Charlotte was elected Wizard King, however, his time spend on the matter had greatly decreased.

"Whatever you want will be fine, Charlotte." He meant it.

"I don't know what I want. I mean, I want to please my mother. I get so few opportunities these days, and she hates you, so I guess I figure if I can have a wedding she would be proud of, at least it would be something to make her happy. I don't know. And then I want to give the people what they want-a large public affair where everyone can see."

Yami felt himself groan uncontrollably at the thought of a public wedding.

"But I don't really want to do that, either of them really. I just feel like I should have this big public ceremony and that it would make everyone happy."

"But what do you want Charlotte?"

Her hand stilled on his chest and she lay quietly breathing for a long moment. In the tension of the silence hanging in the air, Yami found himself gently stroking her arm.

"I'm not sure." She answered after a long pause. "I guess, I just want to be done with it."

"So let's get married tomorrow."

"Can't, have the diamond kingdom delegation arriving tomorrow."

He grunted.

"Right."

"This is never going to happen, is it." She sighed.

Yami shrugged.

"Does it really need to?"

A few days later, Charlotte was pacing the carpet in the throne room. She had called him back from his squad, under the pretense of an emergency. But nothing was wrong, not with the kingdom, or the knights. The only thing was that she had been thinking about what they had discussed during their last night together. She had ordered his entire squad-at least those who were able to travel-to accompany him. A few of her friends and colleagues, as well as a couple of the other captains they both served with were also in the room awaiting his arrival.

She jumped at the sound of the door cracking open, her nervousness on high alert. She had made the decision rashly, without much thought. She knew it was right, but she still questioned it and herself for making it. She stopped her pacing as he entered the room. He was dressed in his typical gear-calling it casual would be a stretch, as it was downright sloppy by any measure. But something about seeing him made her heart skip a beat regardless of how he was dressed. Seeing him now made her more confident in her decision. She was ready and she wanted to be with him, to marry him, to call him her husband and maybe, just maybe start a family with him. She knew, finally, and after so many years of longing, she knew exactly what she wanted.

As she watched him walk up the strip of deep green carpet lining the path to where she stood, she noticed his confused expression. She hadn't told him why she needed him to come to the capital. Nor has she told him why she wanted the rest of his squad to accompany him. Looking at the several members of the black bulls arrayed behind him, she saw similar expressions on some of their faces. Others were simply in awe at the summons, and other still seemed skeptical of the unfolding events.

"What's going on, Charlotte?" Yami asked when he reached her. Customarily, he should have addressed her as Wizard King, but Yami never took much stock in customs and traditions.

She looked up at him and felt the nervousness rush back through her body. Now or never, she told herself, just as she had psyched herself up over the last few days when she had hatched this plan. She held out her hand for him.

"Can we talk a minute?" She led him behind the throne which she hated, yet from which she was expected to pass judgment.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

Charlotte took and released a deep breath.

"Do you still want to do it?"

Yami's eye's shot wide.

"It can mean a lot of things. What specifically are you asking about?"

"Us getting married. Why? What did you?" Her mind processed his insinuation slowly, far more slowly than she usually did. "Oh. Yami, we already to that..." She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper as color rose to her cheeks. She sighed and rubbed her hands over her face as she shook her head to clear it. She looked back up at him, her eyes focused and determined.

"Do you want to marry me, yes or no?" she still kept her voice low out of fear of what he might say. She shouldn't have been afraid; the sardonic smile on his face was answer enough.

"Yes. I already told you."

"Alright. Then, let's do it."

"Get married?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Now."

"Now, now?"

"No, later now. Of course, now now." She rolled her eyes, partly at the look of shock on her face and partly at how much of his attitude she had adopted over the last few months.

"I thought you wanted to plan something big, or something."

"I thought I did, but all I really want is to be married."

"This is so impulsive of you, Charlotte." He chuckled and brought her hand to his lips.

"I don't know if impulsive is the right word. I've been thinking of nothing else for the past four days."

His kissed her knuckles once more.

"Maybe assertive would be a better description." She added.

"I like assertive. It' looks good on you."

"So is this a yes?"

"To what?"

"Getting married now. Like, right now."

"Give me a few minutes and I'll be yours forever." He pulled her against him and kissed her. "though you're sure you are alright with not having you parents here?"

She scoffed at the suggestion. In the last few days, her mother had pressed her into larger and larger plans for the wedding, but all the while she complained about the groom. At one point, Charlotte had ordered her mother to leave, and she hadn't seen her since. It wasn't the first time her mother had lamented Yami's background as being too common for her daughter, but Charlotte had sworn it would be the last. Since then, her mind had been filled with nothing but thoughts of being with him, of having him by her side. While her parents had long ago chosen their idea of her over the reality.

"Yes. I'm fine with it."

A few minutes later, she held his hands before their gathered friends and found family. A few of her former squad members stood to one side, supporting Sol as she cried. Charlotte had known the young woman had been infatuated with her, but she never imagined she would be so upset by the marriage. Charlotte hoped, she would be able to find a love more suited to her, and was certain others would help comfort her in her grief. But as she looked into his dark eyes, Charlotte felt a sense of warmth and home she had never experienced with anyone else. Not even her family, not even her best friends had given her the feeling of completeness she felt when she looked at him. The officiant said something, some rushed nonsense about how the connections people shared helped them all to overcome the recent trying times, but the words were meaningless when compared to the look in his eyes that she now recognized as love.

"Do either of you want to say something, or should we get on with it?" The older gentleman asked. The lovers turned simultaneously to him before turning back to each other.

"Yeah." Yami said as his eyes met hers once more. "When I first washed up here, so much could have gone wrong. In fact, so much did go wrong. for years, I searched and searched for a home, for a family. First it was... Julius." His voice broke over the name. She squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. "And then it was my squad." He turned and looked at the gathered members of the Black Bulls. Charlotte also looked at ragtag group. Every single one of them beamed with pride, wiped tears from their eyes, or both. "And now, well, now I can't picture existing without you either. I'm still grieving over Julius, as are so many." He reached out and brushed her cheek. The officiant cleared his throat and frowned at the action. "But you have been a light in my life for, well, for longer than I cared to admit. I've wanted to add you to my family for so long. And now I can. I," He sighed as his voice broke once more. He smiled and shook his head as he closed his eyes before looking down at their joined hands. "I never thought I'd get so worked up on this." He mumbled. She placed her hand on his cheek and he leaned into the touch as the officiant made another annoyed little noise.

"You don't have to say any more." She whispered. He opened his eyes and looked at her from beneath heavy lids.

"I love you, Charlotte."

"Do you remember the cave outside of Nein? You asked me something then. I rejected the idea at the time. I was too, well, nervous isn't exactly the right word. I was too caught up in my own ideas of what I should be, not for myself, but for everyone around me. But you've never asked me to be something I'm not, well, maybe you have asked me to be a little nicer. but I was only mean because I had built a wall around myself, one so tall and thick that no one could get through it. But you, every single time I saw you, you chipped away at that wall. That's not right either, not entirely. When you broke the curse, it was like you fired a ballista at it, piercing it all the way to my heart. The damage was done that day, but after then, you chipped away at the hole bit by bit, even if you didn't realize you were doing it. I tried to rebuild it, but it was never as good or strong as before. And then, one day, in that cave. You had gotten your ass handed to you." She chuckled with a smile. The officiant sputtered at the phrase.

"I did not." He protested. She raised her eyebrows in challenge.

"You did, but by fighting three of the most powerful mages I had ever seen, mages who gave Nozel, Jack, and I a difficult time one on one. And after that, you asked me something. Do you remember?"

He wrinkled his brow as he thought before a smile cracked his face.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Consider us old and gray then, Yami." She chuckled as she matched his smile. He nodded in agreement. "I love you too."

"Are you two quite finished?" The officiant asked impatiently. "You may be Wizard King, but I do the Goddess's work, and she is most frustrated with your lack of respect for the holiness of the ceremony." Yami and Charlotte looked from him to each other, both stifling a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." Yami muttered under his breath.

The officiant grunted and puffed out his chest with self-importance and Charlotte lost herself in Yami's eyes once more as he droned on. Several prayers and incantations later, their wrists bound together, their mana symbolically joined, the officiant said the final words of blessing and announced them as husband and wife in the eyes of the spirits, of the Goddess, and of all those present. As soon as the echo of his words faded from the room, Yami's lips were on hers as he snaked his free hand around her waist and up her back. He pulled her in tightly to him. She could tell he wanted more than would be socially acceptable at the moment as his lips crushed against hers. She would be lying to say she didn't feel the same. She pressed her hand against his chest and resisted the urge to slide it around his neck and tangle her fingers in the hair at the back of his head. She tapped on his chest a couple of times before he took the hint and backed off.

"Sorry." His whisper was just loud enough for her to hear him over the cheers of congratulations from the small crowd which had gathered.

"Don't be." She met the desire in his eyes with her own. "Later."

He nodded before they turned to the people below them.

"You are supposed to recess now." The officiant reminded them.

"Right." They said in unison before stepping down from the dais. They walked down the aisle lined with people-not just those who had been called in for the event, but others who had joined in part way after word of the ceremony spread throughout the building. Once they reached the heavy double door, a pair of mage guards opened the exit and they stepped into the hallway. They breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.

"Well, that just happened." Yami said in disbelief, before smiling at her.

"It sure did." Charlotte answered.

"Wife."

"Husband."

Yami grunted before he kissed her again. This kiss, however, was far less chaste than the kiss on the dais. The kiss was filled with promise and commitment, a taste of things to come. Charlotte held tightly to him, allowing herself to melt against him and relish in the path, the life, they would now build together.