I've been neglecting my other stories…grrrr…I don't own MKR. Warning: MAJOR HL FLUFF AHEAD! You have been warned.

Previously

"Dying? No…" Hikaru let her tears fall. 'Cephiro can't die. It's my home, where everyone I care about is.'

"Is that possible?" Fuu asked, her tears sliding down her cheeks as well. 'I have to do something. This is Ferio's land & I won't see it die!'

"It feels like it." Umi said, but she felt tears hit her hand as well. 'I hope I'm wrong.'

Wiping their tears, the girls exchanged looks, then nodded. "We'll go find them, then meet back at the castle?" Hikaru made sure.

The two girls nodded & they walked off in different directions.

Chapter 3

Hikaru's POV

'I bet he's by the fountain!' she giggled as she skipped/ran to their 'special' place. But when she got there, there was no one in sight.

Trying to contain her disappointment, she sighs & walks over. Sitting on the ledge, she stares up at the statue of the two lovers Selenity & Endymion. Smiling, she remembered the first time she meet Lantis.

Flashback Mode

After being summoned back to Cephiro a second time, the three girls gathered in the throne room. Hikaru giggled at how Fuu kept staring at Ferio, but then looked away. She also giggled when Umi exclaimed "Oh my God! You grew!" to Ascot, causing the poor boy to blush uncontrollably.

Looking back at Clef, she asked, "Why aren't we starting yet?"

Clef smiled down at her. "We're waiting for one last person."

But before Hikaru could ask who it was , the door opened & all three girls turned. Hikaru's eyes widened & she felt a blush creep up on her cheeks.

Standing in front of her was one of the most gorgeous guys in the world. She stared at him so intently that she didn't hear Fuu ask her a question.

"What?" she asked, blinking.

Fuu giggled, but Umi rolled her eyes. "Stop drooling & pay attention." she teased, watching as Hikaru turned as red as her hair.

"Girls, this is Lantis…" Clef introduced. Hikaru smiled, but the next thing he said brought it all down for her. "…Zagato's younger brother."

All three girls gasped & looked at him. He did look like the late Zagato they had to…kill. Hikaru couldn't look in his eyes anymore. She knew he probably hated them for killing his brother. She was in her own world when Clef finished speaking.

"…ready, girls?" he said.

Hikaru looked up & saw Umi & Fuu nod their heads. Taking their lead, she nodded her head as well, not sure what she was agreeing to. All she could think about was Lantis & how much he must hate them.

Clef 'adjourned' the meeting & Hikaru watched as Lantis walked out, not making eye contact with anyone. She felt her heart go out to him, but knew she had no right to comfort her.

Sighing, she followed him out to the fountain. Staring at him as he stared into space, Hikaru took a deep breath & walked up to him.

Attempting a smile, she introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Hikaru Shidou." She expected something in return, but he said nothing.

Biting her lip, she sat down next to him & began to fiddle with her fingers. Trying to think of something to say, she finally settled on staring at the statue of the two lovers.

"Do you know who they are?" asked Lantis. Hikaru was suprised he spoke to her, but she answered him.

"No, but I guess they must be lovers. Right?"

"Yes, you are right. She is the Goddess of the Moon, Selenity. He, on the other side, is only a shepherd, Endymion. Have you ever heard their legend?" he asked, surprising Hikaru that he was talking to her.

Shaking her head, she said "No, I haven't. How does it go?"

" Endymion was only a shepherd. He worked hard and was very hand-working. One day, Selenity saw him and fell in love. Every night, while he slept, she went to his house and watched him. One day, the Supreme God discovered this and made Endymion fell asleep for all eternity. This made him young for all the eternity as well. Selenity, then, was able to live with her loved one, although he could never open his eyes anymore, he could only live in the dream world for ever." he finished.

Hikaru was close to tears when he finished. "So they...never stayed together?"

"No, never."

"Then why are both of them looking at each as if they were lovers?" Hikaru questioned, not wanting to stop the conversation.

"It was Princess Emerauld's idea. She found the story very sad, as have you, so she decided to do something about it. Making them like this, she felt that they were finally together, and this made her very happy." Lantis explained.

"I really hope Endymion and Selenity are now together..." Hikaru wished out loud.

"It is only a story. Now, I must leave." Lantis got up, but Hikaru, not wanting him to, called to him to wait.

She stood up & bowed to him. "I'm…sorry that we…killed your brother. But if you want to hit someone, please hit me & not the others." She shut her eyes waiting for the hit, but when nothing came, she opened her eyes.

Lantis was looking down at her. "I don't hate you, Magic Knight of Fire. I hate the Pillar System." He smiled a small smile & walked away. Hikaru stared at him, trying to sort what just happened.

End flashback

Giggling, Hikaru thought, 'As if he would hit anyone who didn't deserve it.' Then, stopping, she stared into the water, looking at her reflection, her red hair hanging past her shoulders, her red eyes filled with anxiety & her lips opened slightly.

"I haven't changed that much." she said, playing with her hair. "Sure I've changed my hair & I've grown a little, but I'm still the girl he loves." Then an awful thought came to her. "What if he has a girlfriend?" She began to tear up. "I mean, we've been gone for 3 years. I bet he has one."

Wiping her tears away, she smiled at her reflection. "No need to worry about that now…" She stared at her reflection when suddenly it morphed into an evil face that looked familiar.

"Nova!" Hikaru gasped, staring at the dark side of her; the long pick hair, the evil pink eyes & the smile curved in a sardonic smirk.

Hikaru was concentrated so much on her reflection that she didn't realize she was leaning into the fountain.

She finally realized what she was doing, she tried to right herself, but she was leaning too far. She shut her eyes, waiting to feel the water cover her. What she did feel were two arms go around her & pull her from the water.

"Oh my God, thank you so much!" Hikaru thanked the person.

"Hikaru…" a soft familiar voice called out.

Hikaru's eyes widened. "Lantis…?" she looked up &, Lord behold, it was her swordsman. Her eyes began to water as she gripped onto him, not wanting this to be a dream. She felt him cautiously wrap his arms around her.

Finally recovering, she wiped her tears & stepped backwards. "You haven't changed at all…" she sighed, taking in the sight she was wishing for so many days & nights. The short ebony hair that just fluttered in his purple eyes widened with shock & uncertainty. He wore his normal black shirt with black jeans, but he wore a jacket with the symbol of Cephiro on it.

Realizing he was staring at her, Hikaru giggled nervously. "It's the hair. I know, I cut it & had it layered." She felt her hair, nervously twirling a strand of red hair. "And I grew a lot. I bet I'm up to your chest by now…" she stopped because Lantis had walked over to her & put his hand on her cheek. She covered his hand with hers.

"You're real…" he murmured, surprising Hikaru.

"Last time I checked, yes I am real." she smiled at him. Before she could ask what was wrong, he brought her into his arms & kissed the top of her head. "Lantis, what's wrong?" she asked, looking up at his gentle purple eyes radiating love & happiness.

"Every time I've come out here, I see you, but it's always an illusion." he whispered into her hair, still holding her to him.

Hikaru's eyes began to water again. "Well, I'm here…" she said.

"And I'm never letting you go." Lantis said, then pulling back, he looked down at her, taking her in. 'She's still my little fireball.' he thought, staring into her red eyes filed with tears that he wanted to wipe away, her hair softly flowing in the wind & her lips he had dreamed of kissing ever since they had left.

"I love you, Hikaru Shidou, Magic Knight of Fire." He leaned down to capture her lips, but not fast enough for her to mutter, "I love you, too, Lantis, master swordsman…" Their lips meet.

They parted lips after a few seconds, but didn't part arms. Lantis held Hikaru to his chest, just enjoying the fact she was there.

"Oh, I heard! Congrats!" Hikaru smiled.

"For what?" Lantis was confused.

"Clef told me, Mr. Leader of the Palace Guards." She teased him, poking at him.

Lantis laughed, which made Hikaru happy. He rarely laughed & the fact she had made him laugh, made her smile at him.

"It's not as glamorous as you think." he said, smiling down at her.

"Oh? Really?" Hikaru inquired.

Lantis shook his head. "Nope. It's mostly meetings." he groaned.

Hikaru smiled. "So what is this meeting about? Or is it some secret that if you told you, you'd have to kill me?" she teased.

"No, it was just talking about the politics of Cephiro." Lantis said, looking down to kiss her again.

"Everyone to the throne room, now!" Clef's voice rang through the palace.

Groaning, Lantis let go of Hikaru. "Come on, we don't want to anger the great Guru Clef." he teased.

Hikaru giggled, but followed him.

Fuu's POV

"I can't believe we're actually back!" Fuu exclaimed into the sky, eyes glistening with happiness. Laughing to herself, she wondered out loud. "Now where could he be?"

She walked to the old cherry tree. Staring up, she thought of an idea. She climbed the tree, with difficultly. When she finally reached the top, she sat down to take a breather. "Jeez, how does he make this look so easy?" she thought out loud.

Finally recovering, she looked out at the land that she had come to love. "I'm so happy I can sing!" she laughed, but didn't sing. She looked at how the trees fluttered in the wind, she looked over to the forest where she had found her Mashin so many years ago, she smiled at the giggles of children playing.

"Fuu?" a voice called up, startling Fuu.

"Whoa…!" she tried to regain her balance, but she fell out of the tree. She shut her eyes, waiting for the impact.

When none came, she opened her eyes to look into a pair of yellow eyes. "I know I'm irresistible, but you don't have to throw yourself at me." a familiar voice teased.

"Ferio!" she squealed, hugging the prince.

"Fuu…" he murmured, hugging her back. "I've missed you so much. I haven't been able to think of anything else but you."

Fuu backed up, gracing him with her beautiful smile. "Come on, you had to think of something else besides me."

Ferio pretended to think. "Well, I guess I've thought about napping, but mostly you." he teased. Then he realized something, "Hey, your glasses are gone!"

Fuu's hand flew up to her eyes. "Yeah. I got laser eye surgery. I don't have to wear them anymore. And I grew my hair out." She began playing with hair, worried about his reaction.

Ferio smiled. "I still think your as beautiful as before." he told her sincerely.

Fuu blushed as she felt his intense stare. "Thank you."

Ferio took her in his arms again. "I love you." he told her, kissing her hair.

"I love you too." She leaned into his chest. Ferio lightly grabbed her chin & brought her face up to his.

"I've been wanting to do this for awhile." he said before he bent down to capture her lips.

She leaned into him, closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers. Reluctantly, she broke the kiss & giggled at his face; lips still pursed out in a fish kiss. "Put those lips away."

Ferio pretended to pout. "Meanie." But he laughed & hugged Fuu to him. Surprising Fuu, Ferio picked her up & jumped into the tree. He put her on his lap & she leaned back into him.

"You make it seem so easy." she said, smiling.

Ferio puffed out his chest. "I guess it's just that I'm so manly."

"No, I think it's just because you've practiced a little too much." Fuu giggled, deflating his ego.

"Ouch, Fuu. That hurt." he pouted, but smiled.

"You'll survive. You are so manly." she teased him. Ferio laughed with her & brought her into his chest. They stared out into the land until Clef's voice rang out.

"Think if we don't show up, he'll do something?" Ferio whispered to her.

Fuu nodded. "Yeah. Come on, let's go." She wrapped her arms around his neck & he jumped down to the ground. He let her down, but kissed her one last time.

"Come on, you flirt!" Fuu pulled him along as Ferio followed with a dopey grin.

Umi's POV

"Where could he be?" Umi wondered out loud as she walked past the front of the castle for the third time. "There aren't that many places a summoner with a hoard of monsters could go."

Sighing, she walked towards the back again. "Now if I were Ascot, where would I go?" she wondered out loud.

"No where. I'm happy here." a familiar voice spoke up.

Umi spun around & felt her eyes water at the sight of the summoner standing in front of her. "Ascot!" she squealed, running to him.

"Umi…oomph…" he muttered as she knocked him down. With one roll, he pinned her to the ground.

Umi giggled. "Jeez, you're touchy feely."

Ascot grinned. "Just with you." He bent down to capture her lips. Finally parting, he took in Umi's beauty. She had cut her hair, but it did nothing to take her beauty away, her blue eyes were lightly covered by her eyelids & her mouth that was slightly opened. "God, I've missed you." He kissed her again.

This time, when he broke away, Umi made an attempt to push him off. "As much as I like that, I'd like to be able to breath." she teased.

Ascot grinned, but brought her into a hug. "I love you, Umi."

Ascot leaned into him, hands on his chest. "I love you too, Ascot."

They stayed like that for a few moments, until Umi finally broke the silence. "Congrats on becoming chief summoner."

Ascot sighed. "I guess so, but it's not that glamorous."

Umi giggled. "Well, what did you expect? Hoards of women to throw themselves at you?"

"That would be nice…" Ascot started, but Umi hit him playfully in the stomach. "But none of them compares to you." He stared down into her eyes. "You are the most beautiful girl in the world & not just with looks, though you are beautiful. You have a beautiful soul & a good heart."

Umi blushed at his sincere words. "Ascot…" she began, but Clef's voice rang out.

"Jeez, Clef, always interrupting at the best part." Ascot complained, helping Umi up.

"Come on, lets go." She grabbed his hand & they walked into the castle.

Everyone's POV

All three couples arrived at the same time. "Hey, you guys look familiar." Hikaru teased, letting go of Lantis' hand.

"I know I've seen you somewhere." Fuu teased back, letting go of Ferio's hand.

"It's almost like we've seen each other before." Umi laughed, letting go of Ascot's hand.

The three girls giggled, until they heard a familiar voice say. "I don't get a hug?"

The girls looked up to see a familiar pink haired woman standing in front of them. "Caldina!" they squealed as they rushed at the dancer.

"Girls!" she squealed back, hugging them. Letting go, Umi started. "I can't believe you & Lafarga go married! And we missed it. Do you think you could have a second wedding?" Everyone sweat dropped at this. "What? I'm serious."

Before anyone could reply, another familiar voice spoke up. "Oh no. I'm still recovering from the last one."

The girls looked up. "Lafarga!" they squealed, rushing at him. He smiled as they gave him a huge hug. "Congrats, Sir Lafarga." Fuu said smiling.

"Yeah, I bet you two are happy." Umi teased, causing Lafarga to blush.

"Oh, stop teasing him, Umi-chan." Hikaru scolded, but had a huge grin on her face.

"What about me?"

The girls turned & once again, squealed as they rushed Presea. She laughed as she was knocked down by the girls. "Hi to you, too."

But something caught Umi's eye. "Is that a ring, Presea!" she squealed, grabbing her hand. The other two girls looked at her hand, & Lord behold, there was a ring on her finger.

"Oh my God, who gave you this!" Hikaru asked, excited.

"Who do you think?" Umi said, a pretty good idea of who it was in her head. Suddenly, the person in question, stepped up. "Can you girls stop tackling my fiancé?"

"I can't believe it!" Hikaru shouted, jumping up.

"We better be invited to the wedding." Umi said, standing up.

"Of course." Presea laughed, helped up by Clef. She hugged him & smiled. "We'd have it no other way." They looked at each other & kissed.

"Awww!" the girls plus Caldina sighed in delight.

Clef broke away. "Well, let's eat." He motioned to the table set in front of them. But something was wrong.

"Why are there only 5 chairs?" Hikaru asked, confused.

"Guess we'll have to sit 2 per chair." Ferio said, glancing at Fuu. But the girls understood & Hikaru's hand shot up. "I get Fuu!"

Umi's hand shot up. "I get Caldina!"

"Fine, I'll be alone…" Presea pretended to pout. But the 5 girls sat down, Hikaru on Fuu's lap & Umi on Caldina's. Presea sat down in the last chair.

"We're ready. Let's eat." Fuu said, smiling.

The girls turned to the guys & laughed at their faces. "We're joking. Chill out." Hikaru got off Fuu's lap & Umi got off Caldina's.

Once everyone was settled, it was Hikaru on Lantis' lap, Fuu on Ferio's lap, Umi on Ascot's, Caldina on Lafarga's & Presea on Clef's. (Like you didn't see that one coming!)

Lantis whispered to Hikaru as his arms held her by her waist. "You scared me for a second. I was afraid I had to sit on Ferio's lap."

Hikaru whispered back. "You'd crush him." She giggled as Lantis nodded. "Most likely."

"OK, down to business." Clef said, arms holding Presea by her waist. "Even though we're more than happy, what are you three doing back?" he addressed the girls.

"Not sure." Hikaru answered.

"We were just at Tokyo Tower & then we were falling to the ground." Fuu explained.

Umi's eyes turned to Clef. "By the way, why didn't Fyula come for us?" she asked.

"What do you mean, why didn't he come?" Ascot asked, confused. But Ferio finished. "You mean, you three fell from the sky straight to the ground!" he exclaimed, scared for his Fuu. The other guys had the same reaction as they glared at Clef for an answer.

Hikaru felt Lantis' grip tighten. "It's OK. We're fine." she said, trying to save Clef from the anger of the guys.

Fuu nodded. "Yeah. We're survived." she added.

"I was just wondering." Umi tried to explain herself.

Clef nodded, not making eye contact with any of the guys. "I'm sorry. I must not have sensed you presence. I just heard you scream."

The girls nodded. "It's fine, Clef. You did come to get us, right?" Hikaru smiled at him.

Clef nodded & cleared his throat. "Still girls, I'm sorry."

The girls nodded. Umi spoke up. "So how is everyone? How's Cephiro?" she asked with a sadden tone. The other two girls became sad also.

Caldina noticed. "Why so down, girls?" she asked, worried.

The girls didn't answer, but felt the arms around their waits tighten. Presea pushed on. "Girls?"

Looking up, the girls exchanged glances & nodded. Hikaru started. "We felt the land. I feels…cold." she said, tears forming.

Fuu nodded. "As if it's hurting…" She tried to go on, but her throat became dry.

"We think…Cephiro's dying." Umi finished, eyes watering.

Everyone took an intact of breath. Everyone looked at the girls as they tried to keep their tears in, but seemed to fail.

Lantis felt Hikaru shiver under him, so he held her tighten & kissed the top of her head. "Don't cry…" he murmured into her hair, but she couldn't stop.

Ferio heard Fuu tried valiantly to cry quietly, but was gasping quietly for breath. He felt his own eyes water as his grip tighten. "Don't cry, Fuu. Everything will be fine…" he told her softy, but Fuu didn't hear.

Ascot just held Umi tight, kissing the top of her head, trying to make her feel better.

The other 2 couples stared at this, feeling helpless until Clef spoke up. "Wait, all three of you felt this?"

The girls nodded, not speaking, trying to stop their tears. Clef stood up & looked out the window. "I was afraid of this." he said.

"Afraid of what, Clef?" Presea asked.

Clef turned to them. "If all of you felt this, then Hikaru isn't the only Pillar. All three of you are."

OMG! Is that possible? Stay tune. Please RR