Chapter IX

However, before the fireball could injure her a azure blue light erupted across the entire battlefield and engulfed her in it, causing the magical sphere above her and the circle around her to disappear.

"W-what is that?!" Iago shouted in surprise as the light started to collect at the spot between Kaguya and Iago and turned into a female figure - and then a woman stood there with her hand on her hip.

Though Kaguya could not see her face, she saw knee-length azure blue ethereal hair tied to a long ponytail which seemed to glow and a tall, curvaceous body wearing a Nohrian-style cheongsam dress with no shoes.

"Nice try, human." Kaguya could recognize the monotone voice everywhere and her face lit up at seeing the person she has longed to see for nearly a year by now.

"Who are you?" Iago hissed at Aria who stood there, not impressed by him.

"What does it matter to you? You are not going to stay here for long either way." Aria replied and snapped her fingers. All Nohrian soldiers who were fighting for Iago caught azure fight and dissolved into nothing than dust. Iago made huge eyes seeing her kill all of the soldiers at once and started to tremble, moving away from Aria.

"This… this can't be happening… My plan… was perfect… I… King Garon… H-help...me…" He whimpered as azure flames engulfed him.

"Nice exit, coward." Aria said and then turned to Kaguya, her big electric blue eyes drilling into Kaguya's eyes. She had similar eyes to the princess, only the color was different and her ears were shaped the same, only a bit more pointed. "Are you all right, Kaguya?"

"Uhm… yes…" Kaguya said, still a bit surprised but then broke into a huge smile and jumped on her feet - ignoring the pain - and threw her arms around Aria who kept her emotionless expression. "I'm so glad to see you again, Aria!"

"I would have not expected you to bear-hug me, but it's nice to see you again as well. Now show me your feet."

Aria just finished taking care of Kaguya's feet as the Nohrian siblings and Ryoma gathered around her, Aria retreated further away and leaned against a tree to watch the events unfold.

"Are you all right, Kaguya?" Xander was the first one to reach her and put his hands on her upper arms, looking distraught.

"Y-yes, don't worry. I'm fine, Aria saved me." She answered and Xander took a glance to the female dragon in the back before sighing in relief and let go of her.

"All right. It seems that's the last of them then. Impressively, they were all killed at once."

"Xander! Leo! You're here!" Elise shouted as she was running up to her brothers and jumped into Leo's arms who was almost knocked over.

"My goodness, Elise… Do you really need to bounce around like that? Though I'm happy to see our wonderful brothers as well. Now all four of us are together, just like the Hoshidan brothers and sisters." Camilla chuckled and Leo smiled bitterly and turned around to see the approaching rest of the Hoshidian royal family. Hinoka and Takumi reacted quite aggressively at Leo's teasing, but Xander calmed them down.

"Relax, Leo. We have to stop thinking in terms of Us and Them. We all made the choice to come here."

"You're right, Xander. I apologize." Leo said and bobbed his head to the Hoshidan siblings as a way to apologize. "It's hard to get used to this, but after what happened to Father…"

"What do you mean? Did something happen in Nohr?" Kaguya asked, wondering whether King Garon has totally grew insane by now.

"When we last saw Father, he… He said that Hoshido and Nohr meant nothing to him. He commanded us to destroy both kingdoms." Xander sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That's insane!"

"Kaguya, in Izumo you said that you thought Father was being controlled. I didn't believe you then, but after seeing how Father has changed… I've decided that you might have been correct all along." Leo added, frowning.

"It's true, Leo. I haven't lied to you. Our real enemy is controlling King Garon." Kaguya answered and put her hand to her chest.

"I apologize for calling you a traitor. If I had trusted you sooner, we would be in a better situation now."

"No, you don't need to apologize. Just having your trust now means more to me than you know." She answered and smiled at her little brother who showed her a small smile as well.

"As for me, until now I have risked my life time in defense of Nohr. I have no intention of turning my back on my kingdom. But if Father is not himself, and is a fact a danger to our home… Then it is my duty to follow you and do what it best for Nohr." Xander said and stepped closer to Kaguya, putting his hand on her shoulder with a gentle expression and squeezed it lightly. "Kaguya… I trust you. I trust that you'll remain true to your goal for lasting peace."

"Then I propose a truce between our kingdoms." Ryoma suddenly spoke up and walked over to Xander who turned to face him.

"What do you mean, Prince Ryoma?"

"You and I are similar, Xander, both in our goals and motivation. If there is a way to bring peace to our two kingdoms, that is the cause I will support. For the sake of our sister… For the sake of the world… Let us be allies in this." Ryoma said and held out his hand to Xander for a handshake. Xander seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then grabbed Ryoma's hand and the two of them shook her hands.

"I accept your proposal, Prince Ryoma. I hope that we can achieve a peaceful world."

Kaguya felt her heart grow warm at the exchange, it seemed almost like a dream to see her two older brothers deciding to be allies and her other siblings agreeing to it. She had done so much to achieve her dream of being able to be with her whole family and fight against Anankos with them and it made her feel relieved to see them, she teared up.

"Isn't it wonderful, Kaguya? You've managed to win over your family, blood related and not! Because of the choice you made, all of this became possible." Azura chuckled next to her, looked elated.

"Thanks, Azura. And thank you all. It means more than I can say for everyone to trust me." She let out a relieved sigh and suddenly felt Camilla wrap her arms around her.

"Aw, poor little Kaguya. Don't cry."

"I-I'm not crying!" Kaguya shouted, her cheeks reddening as she tried to wriggle out of Camilla's hold but she was holding on way too tight on Kaguya. "Now Camilla, let go! I'm all right - really!"

Camilla let out a little sigh as she let go of Kaguya who still blushed, feeling awkward of having been caught crying in joy right in front of everyone.

"So, we are all together here now… what is what we are against?" Leo asked, turning over to look at Kaguya who winced as she was rubbing the tears out of her eyes.

"Um… yes… about that…" Kaguya was trying to say she could not say anything as a curse would kill her, but had no idea how to tell them.

"His name is Anankos." Suddenly Aria appeared right next to her despite having been further away a moment ago and Kaguya winced in surprise, having not expected that.

"But…!" Azura looked shocked at Aria, but she only shook her head.

"My little brother's curse does not work on me, don't worry." Aria shook her head and Kaguya's eyes grew bigger as she heard her say little brother. "Anyways, as the portal is closed right now and you won't be able to enter Valla to learn the truth I will be so generous to tell you."

She then proceeded to tell them about Anankos and Valla, though she clearly did know more about it than Azura did. She explained that Anankos used to be kind and was friends with King Cadros - Azura's father - but as he was falling more into dragon madness, he killed his friend in his rage and because of it went completely insane. He had started to devour Valla and it disappeared in the rift between Hoshido and Nohr, now known as the Bottomless Canyon - that was why it serves as the portal. She added that they shouldn't mention any of it directly as Anankos had put up a curse to kill anyone - so that he couldn't be stopped.

"I have heard of the dragon madness. The Rainbow Sage spoke of it." Xander said, frowning as he seemed to proceed the information.

"Indeed, but that is his punishment. As we are the first dragons to have been ever created, we were put under different rules than the one created and born after us. We are not allowed to intervene in the matters of the world too much and he has broke the rule too many times. So he was punished with the dragon madness." Aria answered. "I am only here to support the battle against him."

Everyone went quiet hearing it and Aria shook her head.

"He closed off all kinds of portals, even the Outrealms. The only way to enter Valla is when the sky above Hoshido and Nohr will reverse but until then there's still a lot of time. Good thing is that he is also limited due to the closed portals, so you have time to make sure that your entrance then will be easy and get rid of all of his underlings here. Though I guess you wouldn't want to do that with Garon."

"So Father is really…?" Camilla muttered with a sad expression and Aria nodded.

"Yes, the real Garon has already died long ago - I suppose shortly before Elise's birth - and replaced by one of my brother's underlings. So it was not Garon whom you have listened to the entire time."

"But that's…!" Xander looked like he was about to object, but Aria quickly stopped him.

"You don't need to believe me. I just said the truth and that's all. Oh, and about the Seal of Flames, Kaguya." Aria turned to look at the princess. "It can only be done once you are about to fight Anankos, with the other four divine weapons - though you already have them with you as your brothers have them."

"How did you know I was searching for it?"

"Well, I have followed you since Izumo, only not visible. You should be proud of yourself, having come so far." Aria bobbed her head to the side and a shy smile spread on Kaguya's lips. She had no idea Aria would ever say such nice words to her.

"Oh, and do you know why the Yato has chosen me? I mean, there could have been others…"

Aria stayed quiet for a while and looked awkwardly to the side, apparently trying to collect her thoughts. She did seem to know the answer but had a hard time to say it.

"Do you remember… when I told you that your father is not the man you think he is?"

"Yes, you meant that King Garon is not my father."

"Yes… and no. I have also meant Sumeragi with that. You see, the Yato has chosen you because you have Anankos' blood running through your veins… and well, he is actually your father. That is why you can turn into a dragon."

Kaguya felt like something within her was breaking as she felt something cold in the pit of her stomach and everything seemed to freeze.

Her father is actually the one whom she is fighting against and she was truly the daughter of a dragon. Her mind seemed to reel and she did not know what to say. Aria told her that Mikoto has met Anankos when he split his human self from his dragon form and thus lost his memories, falling in love and eventually Kaguya was born. Soon after that, he regained his memories and has sent Mikoto and Kaguya away at the same moment Valla disappeared.

Kaguya felt like something has hit her right across the head and she had trouble breathing. Aria told her to not let it get over her head and to stay calm, thinking about it and Kaguya shook her head. She might have not expected Aria to tell her that, but she tried not to think too hard about it.

"Well, I… thank you for telling me… but we should head over to the astral plane to rest and regroup." Kaguya said and walked towards Aria, clasping her hands together and her eyes sparkling. "Will you join us?"

"Kaguya, I just said that… making puppy eyes won't work!" She said with a stern expression as Kaguya was looking hopefully at her. She wanted Aria to stay longer with her and she wanted to talk to her and hear more, but Aria seemed to be against it until she shot Kaguya an uneasy look and sighed. "All right, but as I said - don't expect me to help you."

Aria then clasped her hands together and an azure light surrounded them.

Hours went by and Kaguya could still hear her friends having fun at the banquet in the main hall, but she couldn't join them. Everyone had wanted to celebrate the fact that Nohr and Hoshido had put their disputes to rest and started to become allies, Kaguya was with them for the first few moments but she was in no mood to celebrate and instead sat on the fence by the berry fields.

She was still shocked by the fact that Anankos was her father and she tried to wrap her head around it, but no matter what she did she couldn't understand it. She had been happy to find out that Mikoto and Sumeragi were her parents, but as it turned out her father was not the man she thought. She had thought that her father would be a loving man, but as Anankos was out to kill her it was not what she has expected.

She grabbed a lock of her hair and stared at it. It was not her mother's hair color, but rather the same as Aria has so Kaguya figured out it must be Anankos' hair color in his human form - just like her red eyes.

Nonetheless, the thing that shocked her most was that none of her siblings were blood related to her and though they have told her over and over again she was their sister, she still felt incredibly uneasy being around them.

"Mother… why have you kept this a secret…" She muttered quietly.

"It seems like I have disturbed you greatly." Kaguya heard Aria saying behind her and turned her head around to see Aria approaching her. She had refused to celebrate with the others as she was not really a friend of huge banquets and disappeared somewhere else, returning just now.

"Wha… no, it's all right. I just feel weird knowing that he is my father." She shook her head as Aria stopped next to her, tilting her head yet keeping the emotionless face.

"Are you sure? You look really sad."

"No, it's just that I'm sad knowing that none of my siblings… are really my siblings."

"Does it matter if you are blood related or not? You are a sister to them and you see them as your siblings. You don't need to be their real sister to be a member of their family. They love you nonetheless." Aria answered. "So stop being so angry and sad about it. Just look forwards and never falter, moving towards your goal. And don't let the fact that Anko is your father bother you, after all you never interacted with him - just as he did."

"You… you are right. I shouldn't rack my brain about it." Kaguya nodded and swiped her long hair back over her shoulder. "But if you're his sister, then you're my paternal aunt, right?"

"Indeed I am. I wouldn't visit a person I have nothing to do with otherwise." Aria shrugged and then reached out to pat Kaguya's head. "Now, don't think too much about everything and relax for a change. Go and have fun with your family and friends."

"You won't come along?"

"No, I'm not fond of great masses and I have still things to do. Now, off with you." Aria gave her a gentle push and Kaguya turned around to thank her, but the female dragon was already gone. Kaguya giggled quietly, happy to have been able to talk with her aunt again even though it was short.

Returning to the others she was welcomed with open arms and Camilla put her arms around Kaguya, looking worried although she told her repeatedly that she was fine.

"Kaguya." After a while Azura approached her and tilted her head. "What do you plan to do now? After all, we have still time until the door to that kingdom opens."

"I think we should do what Aria has suggested and take care of his subjects in Nohr and Hoshido, but I will leave the decision what to do with Garon to Xander."

"That's a good idea. But for now we should rest and then hold a council what to do next."

Kaguya agreed to Azura's proposal and went on wondering how such a war council might look like as she walked to her room, having grown very tired. Many of the others also decided to turn in for the night and left the banquet hall, but others decided to stay up and train or do other things.

She was about to head into the castle, but heard a familiar voice nearby which made her heart thump faster. Ignoring her tiredness, she rushed over to the training hall to see Xander stand there, having shed his armor and a training sword in his hands. She watched him for a moment, ravished by the sight and she smiled remembering how she used to watch him like that many times before.

"Xander?" She asked as he made a small break and wiped the sweat from his brows and turned to look at Kaguya, his expression softening. "You're still training, are you? You should get some rest."

"Thank you for your concern, Kaguya, but I haven't a moment to lose. I must keep improving my sword technique for the glory of Nohr. As crown prince, it is my responsibility to be as strong as I can for our people." He said, gripping the training sword tighter again while continuing to swing it making Kaguya giggle.

"Even after all these years, you're still the same Xander."

"Oh? How so?" Xander suddenly stopped continuing his training and showed Kaguya a surprised look.

"Remember when I was little, and I'd get so lonely in the Northern Fortress? You'd always come stay with me until I got sleepy and then go train late into the night." Kaguya said, fondly remembering how Xander always held her hand and sat next to the bed or laid next to her and talked to her about anything - sometimes stroking over her head in a soothing manner.

"You knew about that? But how?" Xander said surprised and seemed to decide to take a break from training and walked up to Kaguya.

"I could see you from my window. After you left, I always watched you train for a bit. It's a little embarrassing, but I'd even try to imitate how you swung your sword. I thought if I matched your movements, maybe one day I could be as strong as you." Kaguya chuckled in embarrassment, her face flushing. She couldn't believe she was actually telling him that whereas she had promised herself she would never do that.

"I had no idea."

"I was always afraid if I told you about it, you might train elsewhere. Wow, thinking about all that is making me really nostalgic. Such great memories." Suddenly she got an idea to spend more time with him. "You know… we've been so busy, we haven't had a chance to train together in a while. Um, if you're not too busy, maybe we could practice sword swinging like old times…"

"That's the best idea I've heard all day. But it can't be like old times. This time, you and I shall train side by side. No more lonely Northern Fortress for you." He patted her head and Kaguya closed her eyes happily.

"All right, I'm going to get a sword!" She said and retreated to a nearby room where she has seen a few spare training swords lying around when she took a tour around the castle to memorize the layout. Kaguya grabbed the closest one and returned to Xander with a wide smile.

"By the by, how does it come you use those dancing-like movements during battle?" He asked as she positioned herself next to him.

"Um… Aria taught me as she said that the battle found be easier, especially dodging the attacks of the enemies. And it is quite helpful and has saved my life more than often during the battles in the past few weeks."

"That's good to hear. But I'm concerned how weak the guard around the Northern Fortress was for her to slip in." Xander sighed, frowning but Kaguya shook her head in denial.

"No, it was very well guarded but she had froze the time around the fortress and its grounds so that no one will notice her or how long she was staying there and once she left the time flowed normal again with no one knowing she was there." Kaguya answered and Xander looked gloomy as he then stepped in front of Kaguya, his sword ready.

"Fine, then show me what she has taught you."

"All right!"