Author's Note: My second attempt at a sentai story, this time from Tokusou sentai Dekaranger. This series was amazing in more ways than I count, and I absolutely adored the pairing of Umeko and Sen-chan. This is my tribute to them. Inspired by Train's song Marry Me. This is also my first time attempting the writing style of second-person, so I hope that it flows the way it is supposed to. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

MAJOR SPOILERS for episode 46 and beyond.

Forget the World

You had never been this nervous in your life. You feel like the world is holding its collective breath for this one moment. This should have been so easy.

You love her.

She loves you.

Of that you are absolutely certain. It was never a difficult puzzle to solve, though you had stumbled across the occasional person who would stare at the two of you in curiosity, puzzlement evident on their faces.

You were tall, quiet and always thinking things through before taking a single step. Your continuously curious mind contemplated every riddle before making a decision. You didn't speak much, but when you did, everyone listened to what you had to say. No one doubted your ideas or your thoughts. You were level-headed, predictable and steady.

She was short and petite, bursting with energy and smiles. She spoke exactly what was on her mind when it was on her mind. The moment an idea popped into her head, she was off without a second thought. Her wild imagination lent to some crazy ideas at times and some…interesting situations at others.

She never did anything half-heartedly, and maybe that was one of the reasons you had fallen for her in the first place. The simple fact that she threw her heart unreservedly into every single thing she did. She didn't hold back, didn't protect her heart. She trusted you with it explicitly. The idea had floored you at first, made you stumble at the thought that anyone in this universe could have so much faith in you. It had scared you too, but the sheer joy had left you with the feeling that everything just might be finally falling into place.

She was different from you in just about every way, but what others failed to see at times was how much you were alike. You both smiled, always, no matter what you were actually feeling inside. Perhaps, because of this, you were able to tell when she was truly hurting inside, and were always by her side to pick her back up again. You both were also truly terrifying when exceptionally angry. Considering that you were both fairly easy to get along with, it took a significant amount of ire to awaken a sight that could be deadly to behold. The rest of your teammates could only sit by in near-pity for the fool who dared to cross that particular threshold.

The last inane being to raise you both to that level had been the catalyst that had brought you to this moment. Now that individual had been a true monster. He had led her on for months, proposed to her, and committed truly heinous acts behind her back. If that were not enough, the fool had then tried to perform his special act on her as well.

You had been sickened at the idea that anyone, anything, could even conceptualize the idea of toying with another's emotions, with love, to bring them to the epitome of happiness, and then slay them in cold blood to take their pure hearts.

You had been enraged beyond any rational thought when you discovered that that creature would be weaving his web of lies and deceit around the purest heart you knew. It was incomprehensible to you at first that you would react with such incredible wrath, but at the time, you did not care. All you knew was that someone was trying to hurt her, in the most inhuman way possible. To sink to that kind of level…that animal could be approved for nothing else but complete deletion, there was no other option.

You had tried to warn her, tried to save her from the indescribable pain you knew this would cause her. But she wouldn't listen, didn't want to hear it. You knew, however, that had you been in her position, you would find her claim just as incredulous. You wouldn't want to believe it either.

So you had decided to take care of the problem without her knowledge. You hadn't thought your plan completely through for once, merely running off to apprehend the imposter before she could see him again. At the time, you had half-formed some idea that you would tell her the man had disappeared on some emergency.

You never dreamed that she would witness the entire altercation or that she would lift the entire burden onto her own shoulders and finish the job in a single, flawless instant.

Her emotionless façade had been like a punch to the gut. Gone was her brilliant smile, leaving behind only a broken heart and a crushed spirit. She tried to hold it all in, tried to fake her usual demeanor, but you saw through it all.

Words wouldn't make it better, wouldn't take the pain away. So you had simply opened your arms as she ran to you, her act finally breaking down. As she sobbed inconsolably in your arms, you held her tighter, keeping her on her feet as her shaking body threatened to collapse.

You knew the others were behind you, knew that they wanted an explanation, knew that they were puzzled over your sudden embrace and her tears, but you didn't care. For once, you weren't explaining, you were fixated solely only on her. She was all that matter in that moment.

Things changed after that day.

As much as you loathed that sorry excuse for an organism, there was a small, quieter part of you that acknowledged his existence, if only as the spark that had finally pushed the two of you closer together.

It wasn't too long after that fateful day that the two of you had begun your relationship.

You chuckle at the memory of when you had first asked her out.

You had been terrified that, just maybe, you had read the signs wrong. Maybe she still only thought of you as a partner, one of the team, just a close friend. Your evident relief when she agreed made you both laugh.

That was one thing she could make you do without fail, make you laugh.

You shift in your chair and tug nervously at your shirt collar as you look around the café. Your eyes dart to the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes. For once, you had been the one who was on time.

Your memories dart back to that day when you couldn't find the right tuxedo for your date with her, and she had given you a head-lock for making her "wait in vain" as the restaurant was attacked with her still inside it.

That week had led to another shift in your relationship.

You had been together for a long time by then, and you couldn't contemplate being with anyone else. But it wasn't until then that you had begun to seriously consider the idea of making your relationship more permanent.

A movement out of the corner of your eye grabs your attention. You see another couple across the room, mere centimeters from each other, and you glance swiftly away to give them some semblance of privacy. They were obviously caught up in their own world.

You recall the first kiss the two of you shared. The moment seemed to have lasted an eternity. You couldn't recall how long you had imagined what it would be like, and it blew all of your expectations out of the water.

While the two of you were open about your relationship, your entire team knew, it was those stolen kisses, those private moments when it was just the two of you that were the most memorable. The moments that you knew would stick with you forever. The ones that would pop into your memory at some of the most inconvenient times, and have you longing for the case to be over so that the two of you could sneak away discreetly. Or at least…you both could pretend you were being discreet.

A shape moves across your line of vision, and you blink, startled that you had been so lost in your own head that she has slipped into the café unnoticed and seated herself across from you. She's grinning at you like she knows exactly what's on your mind, and you can't stop the faint flush that races across your face, or your responsive, sheepish grin.

Your heart stops momentarily, and then re-starts again in a pounding rhythm.

This is it.

This is the moment.

So why can't you seem to find your voice? Just say "hello," that's simple, right? It's a common enough greeting applicable to every species in the universe in any given situation, but for all your efforts you can't utter a single word or phrase.

"Sorry I kept you waiting," she says all smiles. "I couldn't pick out the right dress," she teases.

You shake your head and smile, profoundly relieved that your basic motor functions are at least still cooperating.

You notice that she is gazing at you in a mixture of amusement and adoration, plainly aware that you have something on your mind. She's gotten used to your moments of quiet contemplation as you try to puzzle your way through some question or riddle that has completely occupied your mind. She knows that your attention will wander for another minute or two, so she picks up her menu and begins to read through her options to give you some peace.

Just say "hello" your brain is screaming at you, but still you cannot seem to work out how you ever knew how to speak. Your heart races as you fiddle with your pocket below the table, the rounded cube hidden inside its depths a constant reminder of the importance of this night to you. And for all its importance you can't help but begin to feel doubt creeping in.

What if she's not ready? What if her dark memories from her last pseudo-engagement have left her wary of anyone, including you? …what if she says no?

You'd take it in grace, of course, for her sake, but what kind of strain would it put on your relationship? Would things become awkward? Would it eventually deteriorate into a sham of a relationship until the two of you become so frustrated with one another that it ended in bitter memories and words that should never have been said?

You feel the blood draining from your face at the thought, and all you can hear is the pounding of you heart in your ears. But then she glances up from her menu to sneak a quick peek at you and her smile steadies your world. It shores up your doubts, calms your heart, and centers your thoughts.

You know you will never get tired of her smile, her laughter, her wild antics and her strong, passionate, trusting heart.

And you know.

You know that forever could never be long enough with her.

You forget about the rest of the world as the weight of indecision vanishes from your shoulders.

Her gaze turns to one of innate curiosity, her head tilting slightly to the side as she tries to figure out the look you're giving her.

"Sen-chan?" she asks. "Is everything alright?"

You notice that she's beginning to blush as you continue to just look at her as the most beautiful being in existence, and to you, she is.

You nod, if only to reassure her, and she goes back to her menu to hide her increasingly pink cheeks.

Silently you slip the box out of your pocket and slide from your seat.

"Umeko?" you ask with a new tone to your voice that she has not heard before. That more than anything, catches her attention, and you enjoy the startled expression on her face for a moment as she realizes that you are suddenly much closer to her than she thought. You watch in fascination as she notices that you are on one knee before her with an open box in your hand, a delicate ring catching the glow of the room inside it.

Her eyes mist over and for possibly the first time since you have known her, she can't seem to find a single word to say as she simply stares back in anticipation.

"I love you," you begin and discover that it sounds different than it ever did before. "I promise that every day you're by my side will be happy if you would share it with me."

And here it is.

The moment that you had agonized and puzzled over for so long.

"Will you marry me?"

You suddenly find yourself on the floor, her small frame on top of yours and she's shaking not entirely unlike she was that night long ago. Her arms around you and she's crying, but all you can hear is "Yes! Yes, yes, yes," over and over again.

She pulls away and you are met with a chaste kiss, both of you forgetting where you are, and not caring even if you could recall. The smiles that grace both your faces make you both laugh softly as you gently slip the ring onto her finger before returning her kiss with one of your own.

As your lips meet hers the smallest corner of your mind remarks over the fact that you never did say "hello."