While Umi and Hikaru mixed ingredients together and got the fire in the stove roaring, the other four settled themselves at the table to wait. Kakeru dropped next to Yasuo and tore a piece from his friend's mostly-eaten sandwich. Yasuo glared at him while Ren and Fuu sat down on the other side of the long kitchen work table.

"I don't know very much about you, Yasuo," Fuu broke the silence.

"That's just what I was saying before we were rudely interrupted," Hikaru said from the end of the table where she vigorously stirred a batter of some sort.

"Hey, why don't we do like a meet-and-greet – introduce ourselves?" Kakeru suggested.

Fuu shook her head, too solemn to be serious. "Ren doesn't want to," she teased, "He likes being the dark mysterious type." Everyone but Kakeru seemed taken aback at the amount of ease Fuu seemed to be with Ren. All of them had known him a total of three days.

Yet Kakeru pressed, "No, no, it'll be cool. I'll go first: my name is Kakeru Shidou. I'm twenty-four. I'm engaged to the lovely Umi. Hikaru's my little sister. Our family owns a kendo dojo. And last year I started my own branch downtown."

Hikaru raised her hand from the dough she had started rolling, "Me next! I'm Hikaru Shidou. I'm twenty-one years old. I work part-time at our family's dojo. I'm taking classes at our community college to be a veterinary technician. And I train seeing-eye dogs in my spare time. Now you Umi."

"What? Oh," she looked up from the eggs she was frying and pushed some hair out of her face, "My name is Umi Ryuzaki. I'm twenty-one. I'm engaged to Kakeru. And I'm in my third year at Tokyo U. I'm studying to be an elementary school teacher – I like kids." She shrugged and turned back to the eggs.

"My name is Fuu Houogi. I'm twenty-one years old. I'm in the pre-med program at Tokyo University. And I'm currently interning in a medical research lab."

Ren looked around, he was next and he knew just what to say. "I'm Ren Sato. I'm twenty-two. And I work as a mechanic in my neighbor's repair shop."

"Is that it?" Fuu poked him.

"Hey, I gave as much information as you did."

Kakeru joked, "You were expecting some sort of revelation?" Fuu crossed her arms and Hikaru stuck her tongue out at him. Kakeru winked at her, and then turned to his friend, "Hey we saved the best for last, Yas'"

"Yeah, yeah," Yasuo said, resigned, "My name is Yasuo Sengiku. I'm twenty-five. And I teach junior high school girls math and science." While they were speaking Fuu had stood to find plates for them all. She set a place before each as Umi deposited eggs on each dish and went to retrieve the cakes from the oven.

As they all prepared to dig in Kakeru leaned closer to his fiancé and asked, "These are going to better than the ones I tried to make, right?"

She responded lovingly, "You are such an idiot."

"You made her cakes, Kakeru?" Hikaru exclaimed.

"Tried and failed miserably."

Fuu interjected, "Actually don't feel bad. They're deceptively hard to pull off properly. Me and Hikaru have both tried with mixed results."

Proud of herself Hikaru boasted, "I came the closest. I … Lantis!"

He stood in the doorway, looking uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to interrupt. Please continue."

"Oh," she seemed distracted as she did as he asked, "Well, I … No, I have to talk to you." She stood, apologizing to her comrades and left with Lantis.

As they walked trough the dim passageways of the early morning Lantis gazed at her. "I woke up and you weren't there so I came to find you. You didn't have to leave breakfast."

"No, Lantis," Hikaru stopped him as they entered the pillared corridor. "Remember when I told you that it didn't matter why or how you avoided becomingly like Clef. Figuratively of course, I don't think you would have done what Clef has done no matter what. But, I think I need do need to know. It does matter."

He looked away as he said, "I know it does. It does because while you waited so long for me – seven years – I didn't wait. She had loved me for so long and had stayed beside me though I constantly denied her. She was there and two years ago, I just couldn't say no to her anymore. I was … No, there's no excuse."

"Primera," Hikaru knew.

"Hikaru, I know it seemed like she always hated you, but it's not true. They are simple creatures, fairies, with simple desires. You were an obstacle to her desire and regardless she respected you. We spoke of you often, even before we …" he stopped there, not knowing what to say. "Don't blame her."

Hikaru stared at the forest through the pillars. Motionless, she said, "I don't."

"Hikaru?"

"I need time, Lantis. It's good you told me this now. We can spend sometime apart and meet again when are heads are together," she turned away and began to leave.

"Hikaru," he cried, startled and distraught.

"You said it yourself, Lantis. I waited. I waited for you."

"There was never an understanding between us."

"There wasn't? I don't remember anymore. I just know that I waited."

He stood back, head bowed, "I know."

The meal completed, the Magic Knights, present and former relaxed in the kitchen in the Fortress of Silence and were anything but. "So how did you guys meet?" Ren asked pointing at the soon-to-be-married couple.

Umi spoke first, "Well we had known each other for a while before we got together, him being Hikaru's brother and all."

"Umi and Fuu were always at the dojo the first year after they met. They got to be like family for a while," Kakeru continued.

"Then things got busy at school and we stopped coming around as often. Fuu and I ended up going to the same high school. And our sophomore year, this guy in the grade above us really liked Fuu. Seiho was his name. Anyway, Seiho really liked Fuu and it turned out Seiho was taking classes from Kakeru's father and he and Kakeru were like this," Umi crossed her fingers, indicating they were tight. "Do you wanna tell this part, 'Keru."

"Nah, you're on a roll."

"So Seiho figures out Kakeru knows us and he begs – I mean really down on the floor grovels – that Kakeru will hook him and Fuu up. Now Kakeru knows Fuu and he knows she's not going to go on a date all by herself with a guy she doesn't know and has barely spoken to. But he also knows she and Seiho are really going to get along. So he calls me up and we have double date and we've been together ever since."

"Just like that?" Yasu jokes, having heard the story before.

Kakeru chuckles, "No, man. You should have seen Umi that night. I couldn't take my eyes off of her."

Fuu laughed with him, "Yeah, Seiho was pissed at you. I remember him telling me later it was supposed to be his date, not yours."

Kakeru smiled wanly remembering their earlier argument, "He could never stay mad at anyone for long."

"Past-tense? He just went to New York, 'Keru. He's not dead," Yasuo clarified for Ren's sake.

"Well, we all know why he left."

Fuu defended herself, "He wasn't mad, Kakeru."

"No, just heart broken."

"Kakeru," Umi warned, hand on his arm as he stood.

And Ferio walked in. Ren heard Fuu groan under her breath. This is certainly interesting, he thought amidst the awkward silence that ensued.

Kakeru looked up as Ferio entered. It hit him like a wave and nearly knocked him down; the uncanny resemblance, his crooked and sleepy grin, his cocky and swaggering walk, his rough and tumble voice as he spoke shifting his eyes to look at each person in the room, "Mornin'."

"Seiho," he breathed and cast a quick glance at Fuu as he remembered what Seiho had told him. "She said it wasn't fair to me. To me! That it wasn't me she really loved. Did you hear that 'Keru? She never loved me." Seiho had gone to Fuu again and again, begging her to take him back. She wouldn't. And Kakeru never understood why until now. It was Ferio, the whole time. And though he wanted to keep the attention of this revelation on his friend, he remembered his sister and how long she had waited for the one she loved from Cephiro. Both Hikaru and Fuu had never abandoned the men they found here. What about Umi?

Caldina followed Ferio in, followed by Lafarga and Corsica. They all took part in the scraps left over of the Magic Knight's meal as Umi stood to help Caldina prepare another. Fuu stood as the room came alive with people from all corners of the fortress and spoke over the bustle, "Why don't we get what few belongings we have together and meet in the courtyard entrance. We should leave as soon as possible." They all agreed and went their separate ways.

When Kakeru reached his room he paced. He didn't have anything to pack anyway. His sword, really the only thing he needed, was in his wrist or whatever. But their something he didn't want lurking in his heart, doubt. What if he was just a copy of this Clef person? He hadn't seen the man for long and everyone said he had changed significantly.

Umi entered, "Kakeru," she began in a tone he recognized, "I saw you looking at Ferio. I think he was kind of creeped out. But, did you only realize just now?" He nodded and she went on cautiously. "I geuss Seiho has been pretty far from your mind right now. I didn't see it when I first met him either. Only after they started dating did I understand."

"The stupid thing is … I don't think he would have cared even if she had told him why she was with him. He was that crazy about her."

"I know." She brushed the hair back from his face, gently soothing, "That's what made it so hard for her to say no so many times."

"She's deceptive."

"What?"

He laughed, "I mean she's deceptively strong. You'd never guess looking at her, speaking to her."

Umi smiled, "We all have our hidden talents. And secrets tend to make themselves known in Cephiro."

Kakeru backed away from her and went to make the bed. She crossed her arms and peered at him, "That's not all that's bother you, is it?"

He didn't answer.

"Kakeru!"

He sighed and looked up from the throw he was folding, "I'm an idiot, Umi."

"Yeah, and?"

"Fuu and Hikaru. Ferio and Lantis. None of them could let go of each other. What about Clef? Or Ascot even, hell I don't know!"

"What about them?" she strode over to him, her eyes fierce and demanding.

"What am I supposed to think?"

Umi spoke flatly and accusatory, "That I'm not exactly like my friends."

"Look, all three of you went through a lot with these people. How is what I've given you supposed to measure up to … I don't know, magic, a grand epic, adventure and …"

"Tragedy, heartbreak, violence, and murder," Tears welled in her eyes, "Sure it seems like it was a great time and there was fun and friendship. But I never wanted it again. I never wanted to come back. That's why I'm different from them, Kakeru. I love you because you saved me from this. From longing for a place I never truly loved because it was better than home with the divorce everything. You're my home now, not my parents house, not Cephiro, you. I'll say it again because you never seem to get it, I love you."

Kakeru wiped her tears with his thumb and lifted her chin gently, "I'm sorry."

She laughed, "Don't be sorry. Just stop being stupid."

"Hey, I'm in love. I can't make any guarantees."

So yeah. It took a while, but this is it. Hope you enjoyed.