Ren had had enough, enough of the weird animals and architecture, enough of all the mystery, and enough of all the hugging. "Umm, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything but it seems that in order to get any kind of explanation I have to interrupt something. You see, the thing is, I don't know where I am, who all of you are, or what's going on here and it's really starting to bother me. Is anyone going to help me out here?"

"I guess we need to tell all three of you our story," Fuu supplied turning to the men.

"You mean they don't know?" Mira asked, astonished as if every one in the world should know about their adventures here. Well, Umi thought, every one in this world does.

Fuu looked at the girl and smiled patiently, "Mira, if we had told anyone on our world what happened to us here we would have been locked away for a long time."

"Oh." They all departed from the cramped nursery, led by Caldina. When they entered a much larger room that seemed to be designed as a gathering place, with plenty of seating and tables, Umi said, "Before we start with the long narratives I have a question for you, Caldina."

Caldina settled down on a soft and comfortable looking couch and replied, "Shoot!"

"You keep referring to some one named Sierra. Who is that, and where's Presea?"

Caldina looked away for a moment, obviously thinking of what to say or how to say it. "Missies, Presea was never resurrected. When you came back, that was Sierra playing the part of her twin sister, trying to save you girls and especially Ascot a little heartache. Ascot has since found out the truth and he's accepted that not even Princess Emeraude could have saved Presea from her fate. And though Sierra can never take her sister's place as she once tried to, she has found her own place here and in all of our hearts."

"And I hope to find a place in your hearts, Magic Knights." Presea, no, Sierra appeared at the doorway where the rest of them had entered. Lafarga materialized next to her, gave her shoulder a squeeze, and then moved farther into the room to greet Caldina.

Hikaru was the first to move toward the doorway then all three girls converged on Presea's twin and gave her the same greeting they would have given Presea. As the four women moved into the room another woman came running into the room through another doorway, "Caldina! Sierra! I felt it kick, it kicked!" She was yelling with joy, then, "Oh!" as she entered the room and saw all of the unexpected visitors.

"Corsica, that's marvelous," Caldina struggled to get up in order make introductions but Sierra intercepted. She started, "Corsica, this is . . . ," but she was cut off when Ferio came in.

"Corsica!" he was startled to see all the people but looked away when he met Fuu's gaze.

Fuu met his gaze and understood what she saw there. It only drove the stake in deeper when Sierra continued, "This is Hikaru, Umi, Fuu and. . . company. All of you this is Corsica, my new partner in smithing and Ferio's new . . . partner in . . . life." She said the last part a bit hesitantly and then there was an uncomfortable silence. Fuu knew what she had to do but it didn't hurt any less. She started over to where the two women were standing with Ferio behind them.

"Fuu," he started. But she silenced him with a quick look.

"Hello, Corsica. In case you didn't get that too well, I'm Fuu, that's Hikaru and Umi. That's Hikaru's brother Kakeru, his friend Yasuo, and that's Ren. Ren's requested an explanation for being here and we were just about to give it to him when everyone else arrived. So why don't we get started, unless there's any one else we haven't met yet?" She smiled and directed the question toward Sierra who, like every one else, except the Tokyo men, looked a little shocked and a tad perplexed, Ferio most of all.

Sierra shrugged and looked to Caldina who also shrugged and said, "Well there's just the kids, but there's so many of them and they're always runnin' around you probably couldn't get them straight any way. Hell, Lafarga doesn't get their names right half the time and he's their father." Everyone, except Ren who hadn't chuckled at anything yet, chuckled at that as Larfaga lightly blushed. When every one was settled Hikaru began the tale with her school trip to Tokyo Tower.

Hours had passed and when Hikaru finished Ren looked bored, Kakeru looked worried and Yasuo was trying to hide his tears. "I guess that's it." Fuu said.

"No, wait, now what was the thing about them boys bein' the magic knights, Liesse?" Caldina asked.

"All I know is that, Kakeru, Yasuo, and Ren must now undergo what the girls did more than seven years ago and the previous magic knights must go with them," Liesse replied then added, "I really am as confused as the rest of you."

"Is there any way that you could be wrong?" Hikaru said.

"No, no seer in the history of Cephiro has ever been wrong. I know that."

"Why is it that we never came across any seers before this?" Fuu questioned.

Lafarga answered that one, "During Princess Emeraude's reign only two seers existed and they both were at the palace when Zagato took control. They were both killed during the chaos that day."

There was a moment of silence after that. Hikaru couldn't contain her question any longer though, "Have we somehow ceased to be the Magic Knights, then?"

"Yes," Liesse answered. At seeing the distress that her answer caused she continued, "You do have the chance to become something else. I don't know what and I don't know how, but I do know that you must go to find the shrines of the rune gods along with the magic knights, there you will find the answers that I can't give you.

But that also means that you, Magic Knights, must depart for the Spring of Enterna to find the ore escudo, so that Corsica may make you the weapons you will need."

"Corsica?" Fuu asked curiously, "Not meaning any disrespect, but aren't you able to create weapons, Sierra?"

"No, that was Presea's specialty. I can repair weapons only. Corsica is now the Master Smith of Cephiro, only she knows how to create them," Sierra answered with no trace of shame or jealousy.

"And what about Mokona, where is the little marshmallow?" Umi asked.

Sierra said rather sadly, "After you girls left, and after the rebirth of Cephiro, Mokona just . . . just left." She shrugged, "Clef and I just watched him disappear into this forest. No one has seen him since."

"He just disappeared?" Hikaru said in amazement.

"We had gone to that little cliff where you girls first met Clef. We talked for a while about you and about Presea, and about Alcione too, she was also a student of his you know. He spoke about all of them with such great sadness, I suppose that was why he started the school to find new pupils to teach and love. Oh, anyway Mokona had followed us there and was surprisingly quiet throughout our entire conversation. He gave us one last 'puh!' really in goodbye I suppose, and just hopped into the forest. We tried to look for him, but he was gone."

Hikaru looked extremely saddened by this news. So Fuu said encouragingly, "Don't worry Hikaru I'm sure he'll turn up right when we need him most." There was another pause, then Fuu sighed, "I guess that's it then."

"But it's not," Hikaru protested, "Umi tell them."

Umi looked startled, she had been watching Kakeru the whole time, studying his reactions. "What? Tell them what, Hikaru?"

"About your dreams."

Umi was alarmed. She couldn't tell them! "I. . . I think I'm hungry. How long have we been sitting here?"

Caldina shot up, "Oh my goodness! It's been decades! Every one must be starvin'. Come on Sierra, Corsica, Mira let's see what we can fix up."

"I think I'll come with you," Umi volunteered, "I'm not a horrible cook."

"I'll vouch for her!" Kakeru declared and they shared a quick smile.

Kakeru settled back down. That story was amazing but also unsettling. He wasn't sure what it meant for his and Umi's relationship.

"That was a good bit of fancy footwork on her part," the guy named Ferio chuckled.

"What?" poor Hikaru was confused again.

"That whole 'I think I'm hungry thing.' She knew Caldina would make a big deal and she wouldn't have to answer your question," Ferio explained.

"Now the question is, why?" Kakeru spoke up.

"I don't think she's ready. Like Hikaru wasn't ready to talk about your wedding until, well, today," Fuu suggested.

She was about to continue when Ascot asked rather quickly as if he wasn't sure he could get it out, as if he already knew the answer, "Who's wedding?"

Yet again everyone looked a little uncomfortable and Kakeru felt that it wasn't a good time for him to speak. Even though it hadn't been mentioned in Ren's explanation there was obviously something up with Ascot and Umi also.

Hikaru tried not to look down as she said, "Umi and Kakeru are engaged. They've promised to spend their life together." She must have added the last bit in case the people of Cephiro didn't use the same terms they did.

"Oh," Ascot looked away, "Excuse me for a moment," he said as he rushed from the room.

There was another silence. Surprisingly, Fuu got up and followed him.