Part I - Summer (Middle) - "We danced until the end of the night."

Cameron followed after the bride.

(Heinrich, from behind: "Oh, yeah, don't mind me. I'll just head … back to … Okay you're not even listening to me.")

"Yuka," he called out. "Yuka. Yuka!"

The bride turned around in alarm, as if caught in the middle of doing something she shouldn't've been. "… Cameron?!"

"Yuka. Hey. Wait, hold on, where are you … Are you sneaking off somewhere?"

"Um, kinda? It's time for another dress change. … The last one of the night. The tenth one."

"Oh."

Yuka, nervously: "Nobody's supposed to see me in between changes. It's reeeea-lly bad luck if that happens. It's why I've been sneaking off all night to get changed. … Haven't you noticed that at all?"

He hadn't, in fact. "Do you want me to leave, then?"

"No, no. Whatever. What's done is done." She laughed. "You're human anyway, so maybe it doesn't even matter. … What's up?"

What's up? He didn't know where to start. How about, for starters …

"Are things between you and Miyu okay? Aren't you angry at her?"

Yuka tilted her head, confused. "Mad at Miyu-Miyu? … Why would I be mad?"

"She's the one who … gave you away to another village."

Yuka stared back, bemusedly. Then, she snorted, and laughed. "Cameron! … Are you still thinking about Embervyl? We're way past that, that was so long ago."

Cameron turned red. "Don't laugh!—I was really worried about you."

"Yeah, and it seems like you're the only one still worried."

"But the way you asked me to stay that night. I thought, I dunno … You wanted me to do something about it."

Yuka rolled her eyes. "What—to 'save' me? To whisk me away with you and Miyu back to Crystal City, ride away on a white horse from those mean old backwoods elves?"

Sheepishly: "… It sounds stupid when you put it like that …"

Yuka sighed. "I'm going to be fine, Cameron. Stop worrying. That night … I don't know—I just wanted to vent. Sometimes people say things they don't mean."

"Well, maybe they shouldn't," he grumbled. "… Words should have meaning behind them."

"Yeah, but that's not how people work." She tapped Cameron on the forehead. "Mister engineer. You gotta turn this thing of yours off. People aren't like the machines you build, you know. You can't fix everything. Worry about your own self first, before you worry about others."

"Okay …"

"Seriously, I'll be okay. Lazumere is a good place, full of kind people. They wouldn't let anything bad happen to me, even if I don't live here anymore. … And besides, you've seen me. I can take care of myself just fine." She assumed—quite impressively, considering what she was wearing—a fighting stance, and began shadow-boxing the air, just as she had when Cameron first met her. "… Remember, Cameron? When I—"

"—kicked me in the spine?"

"Ha ha! Yeah! That was hilarious." She smiled at the memory, and then, after a long silence: "… Thanks."

"… For what?"

To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him tightly. "For all the fun we had this summer, dummy."

Cameron patted her on the back, and smiled. "Yeah. … It was fun, wasn't it?"

"And Miyu-Miyu … She's a lot happier now, these days. Really. I'm serious. She used to be so … different."

Yeah. So people keep telling me.

"She used to be—…" Yuka trailed off. "Well, I'm sure you know everything by now. You don't have to hear it all again from me."

… Yes—that sure seemed like it should've been the case, right? … After three years, Cameron surely should've known everything there was to know about Miyu by now, right?

Right?

Yuka: "Anyway, I think the two of you are really good together. I'm so happy she met you. I mean it. Treat her well, okay? If you don't … I'm gonna track you down, and beat you up. You know I'd do it, too."

"Yeah. I know."

"Promise me."

"Of course. I promise."

*

Later that night, Cameron sat at the table, modestly sipping his flute of sparkling wine, alone—the rest of the table empty, some of the guests passed out somewhere nearby, having drunk their entire body weight in beer, and Heinrich off at another table of Summergrün guests, trying out those same jokes which had garnered him so much praise earlier, to mixed results this time—when he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind.

He craned his head upward, to see Miyu Nocturne looking down at him.

"Hey, handsome. Come here often?"

Cameron smiled. He took Miyu's hand, and kissed the back of it.

She bent over, wrapping her arms around him from behind, her hair spilling over, tickling the sides of his face.

"You changed out of your priestess robes."

"Yup. Wedding's done. No more duties for me to do. I don't have to be priestess Miyu for the rest of the night anymore. … I'm just Miyu now." She kissed the top of his head. "I'm your Miyu."

Cameron slowly rose from his seat.

Then, taking her by the hand, he lead her out onto the dance floor, where the party was beginning to wind down for the night, only a few couples still slow-dancing among the flickering candles, no crystal lights, no crystal anything, really, and as she turned to face him, he pulled her body close to him, placing his hands around her waist, she wrapping her arms around his neck, the two of them staring into each other's eyes, neither saying anything, the two of them swaying in time to the gentle elfensong, dancing the night away, dancing, dancing …

And as they danced, somewhere out there, the bride and the groom were on the road back to Summergrün, riding in a carriage with a JUST MARRIED banner trailing the back, which Cameron could picture clearly in his head, as he wondered if he would ever see Yuka Yuuni again.

The answer to which was, Yes—he would.

But considering the circumstances under which they would meet next, perhaps it would have been better if everything had just ended with that final hug under the trees that night, at the wedding, and Cameron never had to see Yuka again.

At least, that's what he—future Cameron, reuniting with Yuka Yuuni again after so many years—thought to himself, as he returned to Lazumere for the first time since he stormed out, drunk on rage and indignation, that one fateful summer so long ago …