A/N -Ooohh... I had this written a couple days ago. Yet, since his fic went on longer than planned, so I hadn't posted this chapter just in case I wanted to change things around. I feel like it's fine as is, though.

The sky above the "Astral Plane" was as blue as could be. Xander was still getting used to this place. It was very well maintained by Kira's battalion of troops. He saw shops selling Nohrian and Hoshidan weapons, a blacksmith, and a mess hall that seemed to be very lively. He was still nervous about being here, though. He couldn't help but feel out of place. Everywhere he turned he saw people mingling without a care in the world. Like they weren't fighting a war against a great unknown force. He's also been known to be very off-putting… "Oh, big brother!" To most people at least.

Xander would've been tackled to the ground if it wasn't for his heavy armor. He gazed down at a bright, blonde girl that had wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Yaay! I'm sooo happy to see you here! We've missed you so much!" Elise continued to beam at him. She'd been the constant source of joy in the family. Castle Krakenburg just felt emptier and emptier as the sisters had defected one by one.

"You're not on duty today, right? Wanna help me get some coral from the spring?" she asked. Xander didn't get a chance to agree or disagree before she was skipping to a pool of glimmering water. He watched as she showed him a large shifter pan. Xander couldn't help but think she was going to be baking a large cake. She carefully placed it in the water and began shifting it around. Xander noticed how diligent Elise was being. He had known her to be a ball of energy. Now, she was patiently fishing something out of a pool.

"Do you do this often, Elise?" he inquired. Xander felt she was the safest person to ask about how things were done around here. Elise hummed in thought. "Umm, not really. We try to rotate different tasks around here. I usually get put into the shops. New recruits like you don't usually get put on duties for about a day or so," she declared with a wink. "Oh!"

She lifted up the pan to reveal dazzling red stones. Elise giggled with delight. She was so proud of herself. Xander was proud of her. It seemed like a simple task, but he knew she was doing much more for Kira, and all on her own. It all felt so… peaceful. Is this really what he had been missing out on all this time? Everyone was so gleeful and relaxed. It was so foreign to him.

"Ah, this should be good enough for today." The beaming girl had set the shifter with the ore to the side. "I have to wait for Kira to come pick this up."

"Actually, I needed to speak with her today. I'll probably just wait here with you until she comes. She will be here soon, correct?"

"Well, usually but-" She looked past her eldest brother. "Oh, hey!"

"Hime-sama." A green-haired man walked towards the coral spring. "Ouji-sama," he greeted to Xander.

The Nohrian prince glared at him. This man.

"I see you've already gathered the ore, hime-sama. There's so much of it, too. Let me take that off your hands." He began gathering the gems into a basket.

"Big sister's busy again?"

Kaze chuckled softly. "No, she's at the blacksmith without enough ore. I was going to bring her some before she barters everything else she has."

Kaze and Elise continued laughing together. They both knew Kira could get carried away at the forge, especially if the right person was there. Kaze could feel the glare of his wife's brother on him. The prince in black armor always had a deep frown and a killer gaze. They definitely weren't something you'd want to be scrutinized under.

Kira told him about how awkward last night had gone. Finding out one's sister was married is a hard thing to swallow. She had insisted to speak with both of her brothers first, and Kaze knew all too well that was a great idea. Still, he felt that sweat should be escaping his body as the prince seemingly glared at his very soul. He wanted to follow his ninja instincts and escape into the shadows.

"I'm going to bring this to her," he said with an unsure smile as he walked off.

"Tell her I said 'hi'!" Elise shouted at him. He waved an arm back in response.

"Does he usually do that?" Xander asked with a very deep frown.

Elise looked back at her brother. "Who, Kaze? Oh yeah, he gives Kira the daily reports. Jakob used to do it, but Kaze is way friendlier." Elise kept rambling. "You probably didn't know. Kaze became her retainer months ago. Sigh… It must be so nice. He's so kind and handsome and he makes her so happy~" Elise suddenly became aware that she should stop before she told Xander that Kaze was also-

"Elise, I know they're married."

Oh. Well, that was a relief.

"Who told you?"

"Kira," he sighed. "We had tea last night."

"That's good." Elise saw the troubled look on Xander's face. "Big brother." That got his attention.

"You should go talk to him." Xander had been taken aback. "Come on. Kira sounds like she's super busy today. Kaze is super nice, too."

"I agree," said a deep, sultry voice.

Camilla appeared behind Xander with the sudden grace she always had.

"Kaze has been a wonderful asset to our army," Camilla acknowledged. Elise gave her a slight eye roll. She knew Camilla was just trying to appeal to Xander's logical side.

"Elise dear, I think I should speak to our brother alone. We have so much to catch up on."

Both sisters nodded to each other. Another thing Xander had apparently been missing out on. When did they become close? He remembered Camilla and Elise as to not having a bad relationship, but they weren't particularly close. Here, it seemed that they could have a discussion without actual words. That seemed to be the case everywhere Xander turned.

Camilla ushered for Xander to walk with her through a Nohrian glade. There was a distant look in her eyes as she gazed above the trees. It wasn't nearly as distant as Xander had felt recently. His sisters had become so mature. He could only imagine what had become of Camilla lately.

"How fare thee, brother? Having a tough time adjusting to your freedom?" she asked without actually looking at him. She could sense Xander's unease as he shifted. He'd always been so easy to read to her. He wore the mantle of "eldest brother", but she had known him long before he had become weighed down by the pressure of their father and being crown prince.

"Hmm, it's always bothered me how it never rains or snows here."

"Camilla, I-"

"-must know about Kira's husband?"

Xander sighed in defeat. Only Camilla's gaze had been on him. It eventually rejoined the rest of her in peering above.

"Really, brother. I had hoped we'd talk about the weather. Sigh… We never got to talk about such trivial things before."

"T-This is serious, Camilla."

"Kira wanted to hold off on the wedding." Xander froze.

"She really wanted you to be there. You and the Hoshidan crown prince." Camilla sounded so wistful as she told him this. She ran her hand through her hair and across her face. "I know Kaze would've waited."

She finally shifted her entire body to face him properly. "Then the battle at Cyrkensia happened." Camilla began circling around him. "Remember? You and the Hoshidan one wouldn't stop fighting. It had upset poor Kira so much." She stopped dead in her tracks. "We had a small, but lovely ceremony shortly after that day." She had a small smile that wasn't happy or sad. Camilla folded her arms before continuing for her dear brother.

"Those two were getting so close for months. I remember catching her gazing at him like so many other women had. I was worried she was infatuated with a serial flirt, like that Niles that serves Leo." Her grin looked a bit more genuine this time. "She wouldn't stop squealing when he finally proposed to her." She stepped right in Xander's face.

"My darling Kira deserves to be happy. She shouldn't have to wait for anyone."

Xander turned away from her.

"Oh, don't worry. I promised to chop off his head if he hurts her for any reason."

Xander turned to her again. He was so shocked, he could've snapped his neck. The wicked smile she always had whenever Kira was unhappy was on her face.

"I gave them my blessing. In fact, I was the maid of honor, hehe." Camilla began her pacing again. She wasn't looking at Xander. "Elise was there." She took a step. "Long lost Azura was there." Xander swallowed hard. "Even two of her Hoshidan siblings were there- that bashful Sakura girl and haughty Takumi boy," she illustrated.

"Remember that scared little girl looked away in that frigid fortress? The one that would grip your leg so you wouldn't leave her all alone again. The one that would cry for a week because she didn't know when we would come back. Hmph, I don't think she envisioned her wedding day without any of us there. Sometimes I wonder if she thought she would marry at all."

The prince contemplated at that. Yes, father had insisted on keeping her in forsaken place for so long. Even though she had been exemplary in her training, would always be a joy for her siblings to visit, and had a brilliant smile despite having never seen the outside world. His father repeatedly declared it was because of Kira's strange appearance- mainly her pointed ears. Yet, she would get more beautiful and lovely every time Xander visited her. He should've known. Kira wasn't his sister. She was his father's prisoner. Locked away because his real father had long ago decayed, and wanted to torture everyone around him, even his real children.

Xander had been surprised when his father told him to let Kira out if she could pass one final test. He knew he had trained her hard enough to pass. He struck her when she refused to execute those Hoshidan prisoners. One Amazonian woman and a green-haired nin-

Wait.

That's whom that man was!?

"Camilla! I need to speak with that man- Kira's husband!" Xander shouted suddenly. Camilla's facial expression or body language hadn't changed despite his sudden outcry.

"Xander, you can't go scaring him off now. He's already married her." She sounded a bit exasperated.

His voice was still raised. "No, I just need confirm my suspicions about him."

"Oh, that sounds even worse," she uttered in reply.

His face was scrunched in frustration. "Camilla, please."

"Fine, he's most likely in her private quarters, or along the outer walls of the fort." Camilla had barely been able to finish that last part before her brother was speeding off. She let out a throaty laugh. "As steadfast as ever, Xander." She flipped her hair back. "I know you love her as much as we do. Kaze knows that, too."