Ferio had been nervous since Fuu, Umi, and Hikaru touched down in Cephiro. He seemed particularly skittish around Fuu. When she had asked if he wanted to go for a walk around the gardens before the meeting, he acted as if he couldn't get away from her fast enough, coming up with some lie (and she had gotten very good at telling when he was lying) about Clef wanting to talk to him. And now, as he sat next to her during the Council meeting, it was if he didn't know how to behave next to her, only heightening her anxiety.
Though she knew she should've been focusing on what was being said during the meeting, she found herself trying to pinpoint what was so different about this visit that had Ferio acting so strangely.
It would be the first time she, Umi, and Hikaru would be spending the night in Cephiro since they're second visit, but that shouldn't have him acting like this. Things had seemed fine at their last visit, and, sure, it had taken some time between visits for them to get a handle on how to get back to Cephiro, but it couldn't have been that long.
Could it?
Time moved differently in Cephiro, of course, but it couldn't have been that in the time she was gone, Ferio had changed his mind about his feelings for her, right?
She chewed on the corner of her lip, trying to catch Ferio's eye a few times as the meeting progressed, only to finally sigh at herself and set the issue to the side until after the meeting.
At her sigh, Ferio looked at her. She swallowed her agitation, because of course he looks at her after she'd decided to put her worries to the side, and pointedly observed the discussion that was taking place among the other delegates. Ferio moved as if he was going to whisper something to her, but she carefully moved herself away from him.
Ferio stilled, drawing back, before carefully touching her hand. When she didn't pull away, he entwined their fingers together, and pulled their conjoined hands towards him.
She allowed herself a glance at him as he placed an apologetic kiss on the back of her hand.
She quelled relief and tried to keep her agitation alive, albeit at a lower level than it had been at previously. She wanted answers, and a kiss on her hand wasn't going to be enough.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, squeezing her fingers.
She allowed herself to lean closer to him so she could whisper, "Just what has been going on with you today?"
Ferio opened his mouth to answer her, only to be cut off by the annoyed voice of the Guru, "Fuu, what do you think?"
She narrowed her gaze briefly at Clef before answering, "Well in all honestly, I think that the issue has less to do with Cephiran issues of space and resources, and more to do with integrating the Chizetan population in a respectful manner should their ideas on colonization come to fruition."
The Guru looked surprised by Fuu's accurate contribution to the conversation, reminding Fuu of a teacher she had two years ago who would often try to call on students who weren't paying attention in order to call them out on it in front of the class.
Fuu flashed him a smile, "But really, Guru, I'm more interested in what you and the people of Cephiro have to say on the issue."
Ferio tried to disguise his chuckle as a cough next to her.
The Guru shifted slightly, his discomfort evident, "Yes, well…"
As the conversation resumed, Fuu turned her gaze back to Ferio, still expecting an answer to her pervious question.
He offered her a pleading smile, "Just…be patient. Just until tonight."
She gave him a skeptical look, but nodded her agreement. Ferio grinned at her and kissed her hand again. She rolled her eyes, but let herself smile at him.
Soon, the meeting dispersed, and Ferio stood to leave. He stood in front of her, taking her left hand in his now, and stroked the ring that was there, "Meet me back here, tonight, just after everyone else has gone to bed."
She arched an eyebrow at him, "Sounds nefarious."
He chuckled, "I would never."
She smiled back, and then said carefully, "So I take it that I won't see you much in between now and then."
"Well being nefarious requires a lot of planning in order to be properly nefarious," He quipped, trying to get her to laugh.
She smiled half-heartedly, "If that's what it takes…"
He kissed the top of her head, causing a surprised blush to flash across her face. He looked back at her, "It'll be worth it. I promise."
"Uh…alright," She stammered, still recovering.
He grinned at her and squeezed her hand, "Until tonight."
He let her hand go and began walking away. Within seconds, Umi was right next to Fuu, grinning broadly and elbowing her, "So what was that about with the Prince, huh?"
Fuu's blush popped back up full force as Umi giggled at her.
Even if Fuu had wanted to go to sleep, she wasn't sure she could've. Her whole body seemed to be wide-awake. If had been at home, she would have opted to run on her family's treadmill to try to tire herself out. When Hikaru finally started to talk in her sleep, Fuu slipped out of their shared room and into the hall. Carefully, she made her way through the hall, passed numerous closed doors, and other adjoining halls, until she was finally out in the courtyard.
It was dark but for the light of the stars, and a nervous fear needled its way into her stomach as she tried to look around. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but she had hoped that Ferio would be somewhere close by, waiting for her.
Finally, she let herself call out his name as loudly as she dared into the empty courtyard.
At the sound of her voice, a gentle glow came from somewhere just at the edge of the tree line. Soon, the glow seemed to be moving towards her, illuminating a path for her. Nervously, she followed the path, calling his name again.
"I'm here, Fuu." His voice called back from the end of the path.
She let out a sigh of relief and quickened her pace to get to him. When she was finally close enough for the light to illuminate his features, he was already grinning at her. He was holding what looked to be a sphere of light, but it also seemed to be trying to float away from him
"What is all this?" she asked, gesturing to the path behind her and eyeing the sphere in his hands.
"It's…it's part of the ceremony." He said, suddenly nervous.
She furrowed her brow at him, "Ceremony?"
He nodded and let out a breath as he tried to explain, "I wanted to make your first normal night here memorable, but I also wanted to do something to mark your transition from 'Magic Knight' to 'Delegate,' and to honor the past so I talked to the Guru about something that could do that." He adjusted his hold on the sphere as he continued, "And he told me about this really old tradition about releasing these casts of captured light."
"Casts of captured light?" She repeated, confused and slightly incredulous.
He let out a chuckle, "I know how it sounds. But he explained that it's kind of a high level spell that—,"
"Wait a minute, he let you have something that takes high level magic?" she interrupted, giving him a skeptical look.
He grinned mischievously, "Well 'let' is an interesting word. I like to think that what he doesn't know won't hurt him."
She shook her head, rolling her eyes, but she couldn't hide her smile.
"Anyway," Ferio continued, still smirking, "it's a high level spell that goes onto the a glass sphere, and that when you let the sphere rest in the sun and surround it with happiness and warmth and the Wills of happy individuals, it starts to glow brilliantly. Like this thing," he held up the sphere for Fuu to get a better look at it. In it, she thought she saw the Chizetan and Fahren princesses, the Generals from Autozam, and all her friends from Cephiro, laughing together. For a brief moment, she thought she heard them all, distantly, talking like they do once the delegation meetings are done and all that's left is food and drink. Before she looked back at Ferio, she could have sworn she saw herself and Ferio in the sphere, with him kissing her hand like he had done earlier that day.
"Once it starts to glow," he continued, tucking it under his arm, "it starts to try to float away and into the sky, and when that happens you're supposed to let it go, so that that warmth and light and happiness can return to the world."
He looked at her, scratching his head with his free hand nervously, "And I thought that maybe you'd like to release it with me."
She grinned at him, her heart feeling warm in her chest, "I'd love to."
He flashed her a relieved smile and held the sphere out to here, "Great! Okay, so come over here and put your hands on mine."
"You know," she said as she walked towards him and did as he said, "there are easier ways to hold my hand, Ferio."
He made a face at her, smirking, causing her to giggle. The light seemed to grow brighter as she laughed, and the sphere seemed to be pulled upward.
"Woah!" Fuu said, trying to tighten her hold on it.
"It's okay!" Ferio said, "That's supposed to happen. Here, close your eyes."
She arched an eyebrow at him but did as he instructed.
"Now think about the happiest you've ever been and let that fill you up." His voice was quiet and careful.
She thought back, thinking of Umi and Hikaru and the first time they met each other's families, thinking of her sister and her love for marshmallow sweets, until finally, her mind settled on the first time Ferio had kissed her on the lips. Or, more accurately, the first time she had kissed him. She'd been so nervous about where their relationship stood, and had done it after a meeting of the delegates, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him haphazardly. She had pulled away first and had been so nervous about what he'd do, but then he kissed her again, carefully and fully, and she had thought she was going to fly away.
She felt the sphere slip from her hands, and Ferio entwine their fingers together. He pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her waist, and turned her so that her back was against him.
"Open your eyes," he whispered; carefully touching her chin and tilting her head back so it rested on his shoulder.
She did, just in time to see the sphere explode into hundreds of brilliant colors, like a firework but rather than an ear shattering explosion, there was just the quiet sound of her friends laughing, and a feeling of peace and joy washed over her.
She gasped, placing a hand over her mouth, and whispered around her fingers, "It's beautiful."
"What do you feel?" he asked quietly, placing a kiss on her neck.
"Loved." She said, a tremor in her voice, "I feel loved."
"Good." He smiled, "Happy first night home."
She couldn't stop the tears that had been building up from spilling at that.