Zora sighed as he slowly packed his stuff up, he couldn't believe this was happening to him. That he had, not one child, but two with a complete stranger! It was mind boggling, he didn't know that woman from Adam and yet he had kids with her in the future! He sat on his bed and shook his head, how did he get into this mess? Why did it have to be him?! He never even imagined himself with kids, sure maybe one day he would have them, but not now! Especially not two teenagers!

He shook his head as he heard Vanessa call him, he knew he was taking too long and if he was anymore late the Captain would probably drag him out of the house himself. Zora sighed as he grabbed his bag and walked out of the room and down the hall into the common room, where all the Black Bull members currently sat.

" Well of all the members to have kids, you were the one I was least expecting!" Magna said in surprise, Zora made a hmph noise in response.

" Yeah, you and me both. Especially with a complete stranger, and a prissy stranger no less." Zora grumbled before letting out a sigh. " I'd better get going before the Captain comes after me." He added before walking out of the hideout.

" Good luck! You're going to need it!" Magna shouted after him, Zora gave a short wave before shutting the door behind him, hopping onto his broom, and flying towards his temporary home.

—

" Shut up Solid!" Nebra shouted at her younger brother, who was currently laughing his tail off at her. Nozel had told him why he and Nebra had been summoned to the Wizard King and he thought it was a joke at first, but once he saw the look on his older siblings' faces he couldn't stop laughing. At all.

" I-I'm sorry Nebra, but this, this is too funny!" Solid said between fits of laughter, he was sitting in her chair by the window and was about to fall out of it he was laughing so hard.

" Maybe to you it is! Imagine having a child, no correction, children with a complete stranger and according to said children you're happily married to each other!" Nebra rounded on her brother, he suppressed his laughter for a few moments before standing up.

" I can only imagine sister. You, on the other hand, are living it!" He said with a smirk, she grabbed a shoe and threw it at him before she grabbed her bag and walked out of her room.

" I still don't understand why we have to move in with all of them, I'd much rather be here than with the Black Bulls and all those kids." Nebra grumbled as she walked outside their home and towards her broom, with Solid following behind her.

" Because it'll be easier to keep tabs on everyone if you're all in one place." Nozel said as he walked up to his sister, causing her and Solid to jump, they hadn't seen him standing in the shadows.

" I figured that out! But why couldn't the Wizard King put a magical tracing spell on us or something?!" Nebra exclaimed in exasperation, she did not want to leave and stay with complete strangers in some dump out in the middle of the woods when she had a comfortable home right here!

" Because those kinds of spells can be altered or other mages can track them. For now, all of you must be kept in hiding. Just until we can figure this out." Nozel said with a sigh before handing his sister a broom. " You'll have to use this to get there. The Wizard Kings orders."

Nebra looked from the broom to her older brother and back again, he wasn't serious. Was he? There was no way she was using that!

" You'll have to use this to get around, if I were to fly you there using my mercury magic everyone would know something was amiss. So, for now, this will be your mode of transportation." Nozel said shoving the broom into her hands and walking away, Solid snickered behind her before following his brother inside.

Nebra huffed as she inspected it, she was a royal not some commoner or peasant, she should be able to travel luxuriously not like this! But she sighed, her brother had basically ordered her to use this stupid thing without actually ordering her too. She quickly sat on it, using her mana to levitate it off the ground, and flew to her new 'home'.

'Why? Why me?!'

—

" Took you two long enough!" Yami grumbled as Nebra and Zora walked in, the two looked anything but happy. They had arrived at the same time and did nothing but glare at one another. This was going to go great. Yami shook his head as he helped Charlotte finish dinner. She said it was some sort of stew her family used to have when she was growing up. From what he could tell it didn't smell too bad, it would be anything like what Charmy cooked, but he hoped it would be close enough.

" Sorry Captain. There was traffic." Zora said as he walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, Zebra rolled her eyes at his lame excuse and walked over to the chair opposite him and sat down as well.

" Traffic my ass. You were stalling, both of you." Yami glared at the red haired mage, who only shrugged in response. While the silver haired mage just 'hmphed' and looked away. Yami sighed as he looked over at Charlotte, they were both thinking the same thing.

This was going to be a nightmare.

" Guys! Dinners ready!" Charlotte shouted as she walked over to the dining table and set the pot of stew down. Yami grabbed the bowls, glasses, and a few pitchers of water before he began to set the table, it was the least he could do since he wasn't much help cooking.

The magic knights looked up as Hikari, Josslyn, and Ace walked into the room. Ace's face lit up when he saw his 'mother' and he quickly walked over and sat down next to her, much to Nebra's surprise, while Josslyn sat next to Zora.

" I hope you all like this, I haven't cooked in a while so I can't promise it'll be very edible." Charlotte said a little nervously as she sat down at one end of the table, Yami sat at the other end and Hikari sat on his left side.

" I'm sure it'll be fine, Prickly Princess." Yami said with a shrug as he and the others began to fill up their bowls.

Dinner passed by awkwardly.

The families all didn't really know what to say to each other, there were a few comments made complimenting Charlotte's cooking, while there was a little idle chatter between Hikari and Josslyn. But what really made things awkward were the looks Nebra and Zora were giving each other. They just kept glaring at each other, and making snarky comments towards one another the entire evening. Poor Ace just looked between them with a sad look on his face, he couldn't believe these were his parents, he just couldn't!

" Well, this is awkward." Josslyn commented as they all sat there in silence, Hikari laughed softly before nodding in agreement.

" Yes it is. But I think it's mostly because we all don't really know each other yet. As time passes we'll all become more comfortable around each other." Hikari said as she took a sip of water. Charlotte nodded in agreement.

" She's right. This is an adjustment for all of us. It's going to take longer than a few hours or a couple of days for us to kind of get a sense of each other." Charlotte turned as Zora snorted.

" I dunno, you three seem pretty comfortable already." Zora pointed at Yami, Hikari, and Charlotte before drinking his own glass of water. The three in question looked at each other in surprise.

He wasn't wrong. The three had only known each other for a day at most, and yet they were already pretty comfortable around each other. Yami helped Charlotte cook dinner, which wasn't something he normally did. Charlotte had asked Hikari if she had any boyfriends, which was something she didn't normally ask people. It was strange.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and all 7 people turned towards it. Yami and Charlotte looked at each other before standing up and walking towards it, Yami had a hand on his Katana as Charlotte had her grimoire at the ready. Zora and Nebra stood as well, ready to give the Captain's back up should they need it. Ace stood and ran towards his older sister and hid slightly behind her, the pink hair girl had her grimoire out as did Hikari. They all waited with baited breath as Yami slowly opened the door.

" Vangeance?" Yami said in surprise as he opened the door wider to reveal the masked Captain of the Golden Dawn. As well as a white haired young man that stood next to him, a small smile on his face.

" Ah Yami, it's good to see you. Julius said you would be here. May I come in?" William asked politely, he nodded and moved aside to allow them in. Charlotte frowned slightly.

" What are you doing here?" She asked as she crossed her arms, William laughed somewhat sheepishly which only confused her more.

" Well, you see-." William didn't get to finish his sentence before Hikari interrupted.

" Alistar?!" She quickly put her grimoire away and walked around the table to look at him. She couldn't believe it, he actually made it! Well, of course he made it, she didn't have a single doubt in her mind that he wouldn't. But still, she couldn't help but feel relieved to know he was here safe. She was his bodyguard afterall.

" Hikari. It's good to see you made it here in one piece." Alistar said warmly, he felt a wave of relief wash over him at the sight of her. She was here, and she was safe. He may not have looked it on the outside, but on the inside his stomach had been in knots the entire way here, he was worried sick about her. Sure she could handle herself if she had too. But that still didn't mean he couldn't worry about her.

" Oh great, pretty boy's here." Josslyn grumbled as she say back down and glared slightly at him, Alistar chuckled even though she was glaring icly at him, his warm smile still remained.

" It's good to see you too, Josslyn." Alistar answered shortly, yet still polite. He noticed Ace still standing next to his sister and he gave the young boy a small wave, which was returned. " It's good to see you as well Ace."

" What? Were you worried about me Golden Boy?" Hikari asked, quickly changing the subject. Alistar's smile turned into a bit of a smirk at her question.

" Not at all. I knew you'd be ok. After all, I wouldn't have made you my bodyguard otherwise." Alistar said, but a knowing look passed between the two. He hadn't asked her to be his bodyguard, she appointed herself his bodyguard shortly after they had met.

" Uh-huh, whatever you say, Golden Boy." She said with a shake of her head before walking up to him. She gave him a once over, probably to check for any injuries, before nodding in satisfaction that he was in fact ok. But oddly she didn't notice Alistar had done the exact same thing. She was usually very observant.

" Honestly though, I'm glad you're ok." Hikari suddenly looked up at him, and Alistar's heart stopped dead in his chest.

She was smiling, not a smirk or a half smile like she normally would give him. But a smile. One that showed she was truly relieved to see him here, to see that he was ok. It was a warm friendly smile, and it caused Alistar's heart to stop. No one knew he had a crush on the young Sukehiro, he had done his best to keep it hidden from people, but she made it very difficult to hide when she smiled at him like that. Alistar looked away and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

" Thank you, I'm glad you're ok as well." He told her kindy, he mentally face palmed himself. 'Seriously?! That's all you can say? Just repeating what she told you?!' His mind shouted at him, anytime she showed her kinder and softer side he always became tongue tied and his mind would go blank. He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as Hikari grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the table.

" You're looking thin and pale. C'mon, some of mom's stew should fill you up!" She told him as she dragged him to the table, pushed him into the chair, and put a bowl and spoon in front of him.

The adults watched the exchange curiously, all the kids seem to know each other, and know each other pretty well. Yami turned to look at William.

" Alistar's your son I take it?" He asked before crossing his arms, William nodded.

" He is. Which is why Julius sent us here." William said before walking over to the couch and sitting down, Zora and Nebra walked over to others as well, deciding to let the kids all hang out together in the dining room.

" How did you find him?" Charlotte asked curiously as she sat down as well.

" We didn't. He found us." William said with a small laugh before leaning forward, Yami sat down across from him and leaned back in his chair.

" I take it that's what you were going to explain when the kids started catching up?" Yami asked and, again, William nodded.

" Yes, I was. It's a long story." William took a breath before he began to explain his meeting with Julius and Alistar.