Everything had to be perfect. The dinner, the restaurant, my suit, my hair… everything. This had to be special.

Okay, so I generally liked to make any date something special, but this one had to be beyond special.

Perfect.

I don't know if Nami realized what I'd been saying, the night that Angel left. I think she did. But… it never went anywhere. We'd joked about it, a little, after that night. Talked about dresses and trappings and who would be in it, but it had never been serious. We'd made an agreement, though we never did. We'd made a promise.

I adjusted my tie – god, how I hate those things – and looked myself in the eyes. I would make good on that promise tonight.

She showed up and she looked like diamonds, sapphire eyes burning in pale skin framed by blonde hair. She was wearing white with accents of blue; the colors looked good on her. I smiled, fiddled with the little box in my pocket. I'd spent months, months, searching for the perfect one.

I'm not good at formal dates, but I would have to be tonight.

Of course, things rarely go as planned.

Naminé had come in her family limo…. which got a flat tire ten minutes down the road. We ended up taking a cab instead. The restaurant had lost my reservations and the waiting time was three hours, so we ended up in a place down the road that was a lot less fancy. We looked out of place, dressed up so formal, but the food was wonderful, and Nami seemed to be having fun. I was just worried… nothing, nothing, was turning out like I'd planned. We shared a sweet dessert and then walked outside to wait for the cab to come back for us.

I sighed, looking down at theground, fiddling with the thing in my pocket. "This was a disaster," I mumbled.

Nami gave me a strange look. "What are you talking about, Neku? This was fun!"

I sighed disgustedly. "The car broke down, the restaurant was full… we ended up in a taxi cab and at a cheap dinner. You deserve a lot better, Nami… you're high class. You deserve the perfect date." I threw up my hands… spilling the box out of my pocket. I growled. "Great… just great…!"

She laughed softly. "Neku… you really are dense. Have you ever been to a fancy restaurant? The seats are uncomfortable, and if you laugh, everyone looks at you like you just murdered god. I had the most fun I've ever had tonight… you know that I love the unexpected." She knelt down to pick up the box.

"W-wait!" I shouted. "I… I got it!" I knelt, grabbing the box, shoving it back in my pocket before standing up and turning away, an embarrassed flush on my face.

I couldn't see her, but I knew she was smiling. I could hear her silent, triumphant, Ah-hah! and I knew that she had her hands on her hips with that devilish smile on her face.

"Ne-kuuu," she said, her voice sing-song quality. "What's in the boooox?"

"N-nothing," I said. It wasn't like I could give it to her now.

"It's something for me, isn't it?"

"N-n-no. I, um… I…." Okay, I couldn't think of any really good reason why I'd have a jewelry box in my pocket. I spared a glance over her way, and she was smirking smugly – she knew she had me.

I pulled it back out. "I… I wanted to ask you something. And I wanted to… to give you this. But… everything, it was just going so wrong, and…" I cursed my inability to string three words together. "…I was so scared I'd ruined the date, and that… this would, I dunno, ruin everything."

I think she'd guessed, but I saw her eyes widen slightly and I realized, she was figuring it out.

So I did what I'd come here to do. I took her hands in mine.

"Nami… even with every horrible secret we've learned about me, even with all the hardships we've been through together, we've been just that… together." I'd forgotten the speech I'd rehearsed a million times, but I found that if I put my mind to it, I could make my mouth and my brain work together. "I…" My words failed me, but I shook my head and plowed forward. "I… I never want… to not have that. When everything in my life was just… wrong… you've been there. And… I want to let you know that… if you'll have me, I want to be there for you too, Nami."

Shaking, more scared than I'd ever been, more scared than when I'd faced down Izaya and learned the truth about my family and my past, shivering, I did the hardest thing I will ever do in my life.

I got down on one knee, and I opened the box. Inside glittered a sparkling diamond ring.

"Naminé Joy LeBeau… will you… marry me?"

Her hand went up to her mouth, and her eyes crinkled up. Tears fell down her face.

Oh, no. I'd made her cry!

"Nami…" I stood up. "Nami, I'm… I'm sorry, really…! If… if you've changed your mind, you don't… you don't have to…"

She put her hands on her hips again,s till crying, but smiling, too, I saw. "Neku Sakuraba, you are, without a doubt, the densest man I have ever met." She threw her arms around me. "Of course I want to marry you, you big lug!"

Then she kissed me.

And I realized… Everything, right now, was absolutely, without a doubt, completely….

Perfect.