DISCLAIMER: I do not own Magic Knights Rayearth nor do I claim to. I just like the show and wanted to write a little something for it.

Sestercentennial - Means 250 years

Squall - Is another term for a storm.

_[ STORY ]_

Clef woke refreshed and energized he couldn't remember the last time he felt so relaxed a smile soon graced the Mages face at the thought. Last night was exhausting, but regaining his memories was reliving, he didn't recall falling asleep, but it was long enough ago that Fuu was gone and the sun was casting stubby shadow into his room.

Clef pulled himself from his bed, as he stood Clef's back gave some protest, "I slept wrong it seems," he mused making his way to his washroom.

Soon enough Clef was bathed and dawned the robes of the Master Mage, beaming with pride he looked for his staff, but it was gone, 'Lantis may know where it is' he said to himself leaving his room.

Making his way to the dining hall, Clef found the doors open with cherry voice pouring from the room, he stopped outside the door listening, his heart swelling with joy. For too long he shouldered a burden he had no need too, they made him see that with all they did for him well he was ill.

A particularly loud round of laughter brought the mage from his musing, and he glided into the room, he saw his dear students, the girls from another world, the allies from Cephiro's neighboring realms and Persea...Clef had finally acknowledged a part of his heart he thought long ago silent, and he cared for her in a way he had not felt for another being in centuries.

"Clef!?" someone called, the room became silent immediately, the Mage's smile widened.

"Hello everyone," he greeted.

Chairs scraped across tile, as those gathered moved to surround Clef, Hikaru reached him first and instantly wrapped her arms around the Mages waist in a hug and lifting him from the floor a few inches.

"Hikaru I'm happy to see you as well, but could you let me go?" Clef asked, "you're crushing my ribs."

The fire knight lowered him before loosening her grip, but she didn't let go instead she buried her face into Clefs shoulder and started to cry, "dear girl why are you crying?" Clef asked drawing the Magic Knight into a gentle embrace.

He noticed the other Magic Knights had tears welling in their eyes, as did Persea, "my goodness, dry your tears one and all; enough have been shed," Clef said with a chuckle.

"Now that is the Master Mage we know," Lafarga said.

"Of course, I would hope Fuu would have informed everyone of my memory coming back," Clef said, Hikaru finally pulled back from the hug tears give, but eyes still red.

"Don't ever scare us like that again," Hikaru said, "I think you not being you scared us more than that blasted storm did."

"Master," Lantis called, "come and sit dinner is about to start."

"Food sounds amazing," Clef said, Umi grabbed his arm.

"Your sitting with me and the girls," she said dragging him to the center of the table.

Clef caught Perseas smile fall a bit, he would speak with her later on; after dinner, the group moved to a drawing room where sofas and chairs sat waiting before a fireplace which Lantis lit, Caldina with Lafarga appeared with tea and biscuits. Umi seeming to have realized what she had done earlier made sure Clef and Persea found themselves side by side on a small sofa directly across from the fire.

idle chatter made the round of the group, as Clef took a sip of his drink he notice his student sitting beside Hikaru, "I'll be right back," he said to Persea before rising to move over to the Kairu.

Lantis seeing the Mage stopped his conversation with Hikaru, "is everything alright Master?" he asked.

"I was hoping we could have a word in private," Clef said, "it'd only take a moment."

"Of course, I'll be right back Hikaru."

"Take all the time you need, I'll pester Persea," the Magic Knight laughed jumping from her seat.

The two men stepped out into the hall, "are you alright Lantis? What happened?" Clef asked.

"What do you mean? Nothing is…"

"Your arm, I'm so sorry I didn't realize sooner…I saw it shaking; Fario made a comment that you hadn't been training like you usually do...I..."

"Master," Lantis interrupted taking a deep breath, he lifted the appendage, and it trembled, "I spoke with Caldina about it after the other healers couldn't explain why it was still injured," he said.

Clef took the damaged limb into his hands, he could feel the muscles twitching, "this looks like magic shock!? How did you initially hurt it?"

"I'd rather not say," Lantis said attempting to pull his hand back, "Caldina did say the same thing, said it would take time to heal."

"I'll not let you suffer from this," Clef said holding fast, like Hikaru day's previous Clef clamped the other's hand between his and started to speak a white light swirled around, then vanished.

Lantis was shocked, his hand and arm were back to normal no more stiffness or the feeling of pins running along his skin, "Master Clef, thank yo...are you alright?" he started as Clef swayed on his feet.

"I'm alright it seems using magic for the time being should be avoided," he said, "let's head back in, I don't trust my legs to keep me up any longer."

Clef turned from Lantis and marched into the drawing room, back to Persea, Hikaru moved so he could sit, she and Lantis took back their original place; Fario looked to the man after he settled in and cleared his throat.

"Master Mage Guru Clef, " he said rising to his feet, "on behalf of those gathered I would like to say welcome home."

Applause went up around the room, Clef smile widened, "I'm happy to be home and whole, I can't imagine how difficult it was to deal with me in that state."

"In all honesty, it was shocking to see you in such self-doubt," Fuu said.

"Yay, your the strongest mage in Cephiro after all and know all kinds of spells...right?" Umi added when she saw the smile fall from Clefs face.

"Once upon a time I would have been lucky to be able to light a candle with magic," Clef said. "I made mention of a sister and the Master Mage before me did I not?"

"You did, but we neither you nor we could find a single mention of them," Ferio said.

"Lady Laymin Princess Emeraude predecessor ordered their removal from all written records, and those who knew them were never to speak about them again," Clef explained, "I was bound by the same ruling. I'd rather forget everything again then remember those two beings, but with what happened to you all I feel it only fair to tell you, I ask though this information not be shared nor taken from this room."

"If this is too hard to talk about you don't have too," Hikaru said a chorus of voice chimed in agreement.

"Then you all would be stuck with the curiosity," Clef laughed, "and I know I couldn't bear that, so let's begin." Clef said quickly, "when I was a boy I grew up in the country, both of my parents were healers, and my mother had an extensive garden of herbs and flowers for potion making well my father used spell magic for healing as I used for you, Hikaru," he said looking to the redhead.

"That's cool," she said.

Clef smiled, "my sister Belladonna older by fifty years was expected as firstborn to follow in our parent's footsteps although she had no interest in it, after my birth our parents found I had a talent for healing magic that Belladonna didn't. For ten or so years she was left to do as she wished as I was given the training she had forced upon her when she was a girl; for a time she was happy with that but realized she was in essence cut off from the family. I didn't even know I had a sibling until schooling age," he said taking a deep breath, "after that first year away from home what power I had all but disappeared no one could explain it. I was pulled from the school, and my parents started showing me spells I had done not a month before, nothing, my powers were gone."

"Magic can't just disappear," Caldina said from her place beside Lafarga.

"True, but there are a number of ways it can be suppressed to the point of uselessness," Clef said, "well that was going on," he continued, "Belladonna was in the capital doing who knows, but at one point she met a man named Maroff; several years after my magic vanished Maroff became the Master Mage with Belladonna as his aid. A few years after that an illness washed over Cephiro even Lady Laymin contacted it, every Healer was called to help including my parents and myself, I could still make potions; it was an anomaly, to say the least. The Captain of the Guard at the time and for the life of me I cannot remember his name, suspected something was wrong and as it turned out he was correct."

Those gathered held their breath, "Belladonna and Maroff were the ones who unleashed the illness upon our world by way of magic, they planned to wipe out as many people as they could including the Pillar so they could take control without much resistance."

A bubble of angry protest rose from the group making Clef shrink back in his seat, "you do know this happened a very long time ago and didn't work?" he said

"So!? I still would love to punch them in the face," Umi bristled.

Clef chuckled, "they were executed after the plot was uncovered," he said.

"Oh, well never mind," Umi said folding her hands in her lap.

"After Belladonna died, my magic came back all in a rush, and we were still in the capital...as some of you know first hand a large amount of power being released at once can be dangerous," he said looking between Eagle and Hikaru," let's just say the damage was extensive," he laughed.

"As it turned out my sister cast a transfer spell on me, she gave me this ring as a congratulation for coming to study at the capital...she had the match and told me that as long as I didn't take it off, I would always be able...well nevermind...I didn't think anything of it. I had a sister and was excited she wanted anything to do with me, so I took the gift without question..."

Clef became lost in thought as he fiddled with the ring on his right hand, "sorry," he said quickly, "where was I?"

"You told us about your magic and ring," Fuu said.

"Why do you keep it?" Ascot asked before Clef could continue.

The man took a deep breath, "it keeps my power in check, magic develops with its owner I was deprived of that; well my magic was able to grow as it was being used by my sister physically I can't hold it without losing control. I have improved on that front in my later life, so at this point, I keep it for sentimental reasons."

"How did you become the Master Mage?" Lafarga asked, "if the one at the time was executed, who taught you the skills necessary to take the position."

"The Master Mage before Maroff took back the title," he answered, "she and Lady Laymin for what reason know only to them decided that I would be taken under Master Rene's tutelage. The rest is common knowledge," Clef concluded.

The room stayed silent before Eagle took a breath to say, "that is quite a tale."

"It is hard to imagine someone doing that to you," Hikaru said.

"But it led you to this point," Umi added, those around the room gave the girl a strange look.

"Umi's right if your sister hadn't done what she did Cherio would be a different place," Fuu said, "not to say what she did was right morally or otherwise."

"I know," Clef agreed, "and given a chance I wouldn't change a thing of my past."

The topic changed slowly as the group made a round of questions to the Mage they talked well into the night eventually those in the drawing room left one or two at a time for their beds soon Clef and Persea were alone before the dying fire.

Clef reignited the flames, "I never said thank you, for staying with me during everything," he said to the weaponsmith.

"There's no need for thanks," she said, "when you...care for someone you do things for them without question."

He smiled at the words, before taking her hand making the woman jump a bit, she looked at the joined appendages then at the Mage, who had half closed eyes as he enjoyed the peace. Persea looked back to the fire and leaned back into the sofa; the following morning the pair would be found still on that sofa leaned against each other sound asleep.

_[ ~FIN~ ]_

Note: and that's a wrap people hope you all enjoyed and thanks for reading!