"Luna! Happy birthday!" Betty cried as Luna sat down to breakfast. "Fourteen. What do you want to do?"

"I want to go on my pilgrimage. I've wanted to ever since that first time I summoned Ifrit."

"But you know you can't."

"I know."

"What else do you want to do?"

"Go out and have fun, like I always do every Saturday."

"With no breakfast?" Betty teased.

"All depends. What are we having?"

"Pancakes and sausage."

"In that case, I'm eating." Luna said. Pancakes and sausage were Luna's most favorite breakfast foods. She finished her meal and and then went to Dericks house.

"Hi. Would Derick be home?" Luna asked his mother when she answered the door.

"Hi. Happy birthday. Yes, he is. He's in his room."

"Thanks." Luna said as she went toward Derick's room. She walked into his room to see him changing his shirt. "Oops. I'm sorry." Luna said, blushing and turning to leave the room.

"It's ok. Come on in. It's just my chest. It it was your chest, that would be a whole different story." Derick said with a laugh. Luna smiled, but not at Derick's joke. She couldn't keep her eyes off his exposed skin. Derick had a four pack that looked like, with a little more work, it would soon become a six pack.

Derick pulled on a shirt and her attention went back to his face. He smiled, showing the dimple on the left side of his mouth. Luna smiled back.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Luna asked.

"Wel, I thought we could do whatever you wanted to do, since it's your birthday."

"Ok. Well, we could always go explore more of the woods. We kinda got off track last time."

"Speaking of that incident, are you ungrounded yet?"

"Yes."

"Cool. Let's go get Matt."

"Do we have to?" Luna asked, hopeful.

"Not if you don't want to." Derick replied. Of course not, Luna thought to herself, I'd never give up the chance to spen a day with you.

"Good. I thought it could be just us."

"Why?"

"Cause you're my best friend."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go."

In the woods, Luna and Derick were walking around, talking.

"I heard about what happened at school. Actually, I had seen it. Was that what had went into you when you were in the temple?"

"Yes. You saw that? Wasn't that amazing?"

"Yeah. So that's what an Aeon looks like. Which one was it?"

"That's Ifrit. He's pretty cool."

"He looks cool."

"You know, I have to leave for my pilgrimage one year from today." Luna said, gathering her courage.

"You have to go on a pilgrimage? How come?"

"Ifrit said it was my punishment for going in the cloister of trials without the intent of becoming a summoner."

"Well, that really stinks. Now who's going to be my partner in crime?" Derick teased.

"Well, I've been thinking about that," Luna started, "and I was wondering if you would want to be one of my gaurdians."

"What? You want me to be your guardian?"

"Yes. Betty is going to my other guardian. "

"Cool. I get to be a guardian."

"Hey, rememeber the High Summoner we we studied about, Braska?"

"Yeah."

"He was my father."

"What! Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"I had no idea. That's awesome!"

"I still miss him. It's been ten years since he died."

"Was he nice?"

"Very, what I can remember of him. I wish I could see him again. I still remember the day I left Bevelle."

"Yeah. I remember you telling me about that when we first met."

"Yeah."

"Hey, let's go explore that canopy up there." Derick said, pointing above them.

"Ok. Let's go." Luna said, climbing a tree, Derick right behind her.