After a tragically long wait, I've finished up the next chapter. I'm really beginning to think that writing over eight stories at the same time was a bad idea. No matter! I will attempt to march on.

As always, thank you all for your patience and kind words. Your reviews give me the inspiration to keep going.

Oh, and Glitter Spires, I quoted you in this chapter. Let's see if you can find out just where.

Family Matters

After a couple hours and a few tens of angel wing rides later, Kagura and Isaac arrived before the castle. The massive garden labyrinth greeted them on sight, and so did a couple of guards who immediately dropped to one knee at King Isaac's presence. The man looked disturbed at the greeting.

Hastily, his hands came up in front of his face. Offering them a smile, he stated, "There's no reason to bow. I'm just here to see Hisui. If that's alright, of course."

"Of course, King Isaac! Forgive us for the rude introduction. We meant you no insult!" the guards stammered. Given their wary expressions, they looked like they were worried they were about to get ripped up one side and down the other.

Not even the Isaac with all his memories would have ever tore into someone like that. Even as Kagura questioned that, she remembered that the old Isaac had something Millianna called Resting Bitch Face. Even when it wasn't intended, the king could give someone a look that would chill them to their very soul. Perhaps, these men had been on the receiving end of such a look.

Isaac pulled her out of her thoughts by apologizing, "Oh! No, no, no! No insult. I just meant… Ya know, we're all men here. Aside from Ms. Kagura, of course. But, there's no reason for anyone to bow to anyone." He gave pause, offering a smile of sympathy for some unknown reason. "Would you be able to take us to see Princess Hisui?"

A salute was their reaction. "Sir, yes, sir! We would happily take you to see our Princess, but first we must alert King Toma of your presence. Follow me, please," one of the guards stated. Before Isaac could ask them to drop titles and the salutation, the man had already spun on his heel. He marched with his shoulders back and his chin held proud as Isaac slumped his shoulders.

"Was I really so arrogant I let people bow and salute me?" he wondered. His purple eye drifted her way as if he was seeking advice.

Kagura was merely amazed. She couldn't get over it. Old Isaac and New Isaac were so different. This Isaac loved children and hated formalities. Old Isaac paid no attention to formalities and was unnerved by anything he thought he could accidentally harm. The old Isaac also wouldn't have paid the formal bow and salute any attention. As a male born into nobility, he had grown up around people bowing and saluting. This Isaac didn't remember any of that.

To be honest, it was kind of sad. All of his memories seemed to be wiped. His childhood had been vanquished in an instant and by some scenario Kagura still knew nothing about. She wished… She wished there was something more she could do instead of just becoming his chauffeur.

Placing her hand on Isaac's bicep, Kagura eased, "You were noble born. You never really paid it any attention. Nothing arrogant about that."

Even as he walked, Isaac didn't appear too reassured. His eyes solemnly took in her hand on his black trench before drifting away. His old self must be bothering him hard. Kagura kind of wondered just what sort of thoughts he was entertaining in that head of his.

He didn't need to be hard on himself. If anything, he needed to be trying to figure out things he'd forgotten. The man had hardly been able to understand what a coach was when the girls had gotten inside of it. There was nothing to be ashamed of. He was an amnesiac for Saint's sake. He couldn't help it.

Taking a step inside of the castle, Kagura let herself walk on Isaac's right through the main hall. The entire castle was decorated in the Baroque style of architecture. Gold leaf lined the walls, and golden archways lined halls and doors. The tile floor was lined with a long, crimson runner rug. It spanned the entire length of the hall before stopping at the base of curved stairs.

Those stairs were where the guard took them next. Kagura and Isaac took the three steps of the elaborate but short staircase. When the room opened from a hallway and into another space, Kagura laid her eyes upon the grand ballroom Mermaid Heel and other guilds danced at after the dragon issue.

The last time, it had been decorated with a myriad of potted plants and tapestries. Without any major event, the decorations were still beautiful but a touch more minimalistic—as minimalistic as Baroque architecture could be at least.

"Please, wait here while I alert King Toma and Princess Hisui of your arrival. They'll be delighted that the two of you came so early," the guard explained. He gave a slight bow before stepping off towards the large, curved staircase at the head of the room.

When the clapping of his sabaton covered feet left the room, Kagura noted Isaac sink deep into a red cushioned seat. His face was pale, and his hands shook slightly when he drew them to his forehead.

"Are you okay?"

"Not exactly," Isaac responded. He didn't even lift his head when Kagura took a chair directly in front of him. She scooted it forward to examine him.

Even with his head still dipped down, Kagura placed her hand on his brow. "You don't have a fever. What's the problem?"

"Ha. If only a head cold was what I was feeling right now. I believe my current emotions fall somewhere between Bachelor's Panic and Cold Feet." Isaac let one hand drop from his forehead, and he looked Kagura straight in the eye. "I woke up with amnesia in your guild not too long ago, found out that I'm a king of a country I don't remember anything about, and may or may not be engaged to a princess of another kingdom. It's a lot to take in."

A small smile quirked at the corners of Kagura's lips. It was a lot to take in. The man had only recently learned how to work his wings. Kagura supposed he was wondering when the next whammy was coming to hit him face first.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words in the air weren't her own. A feminine voice greeted, "King Isaac, you're here early." When Kagura's head turned, she wasn't surprised to see Hisui E. Fiore entering the room. What did surprise her was the fact that her personal guardian, Arcadios, wasn't at her side.

At just the sight of Hisui's approach, Isaac rose. His body moved as if he wasn't sure what to do with his hands, but when she approached, Isaac gripped either side of her face lightly to press his lips to hers.

Hisui reacted in kind. A sweet but shy smile slipped across her pale pink lips before she got up on tip toes to brush her mouth lightly across his. The kiss lasted for little more than a second, but Kagura wasn't sure why it felt like an eternity in her eyes.

When Hisui's green eyes strolled Kagura's way, the dark black-purple haired mage realized she'd been staring. Annoyed with herself, Kagura hastily tore her eyes away from the couple. Why was she getting so protective over Isaac? She barely knew the guy for crying out loud.

Berating herself, Kagura didn't even realize Hisui was speaking to her until green hair tumbled into her line of sight. "Kagura? Kagura? Do you feel alright? You aren't acting like you can hear me," Hisui mentioned, raising a green brow in question.

"Hnn? Oh! Er-excuse me! Sorry. The ride here was long and…" I really, really did not like seeing you kissing Isaac, but I understand that's a custom of his people and am trying to respect that. But, for some unknown reason am currently bothered by that melted butter appearance in your eyes when you look at him. Other than that, yeah, I feel great. Stupid, stupid Kagura. Be respectful! "I guess my head's just not in the right place right now."

"I understand. Though Crocus is in the center of the kingdom, many guilds live on the outskirts. The ride here can be tiresome," Hisui understood. She offered a gentle smile to Kagura before asking, "So, why are you here with King Isaac? Did you need to meet with me or my father about the pageant?"

"No, I'm here for Isaac," Kagura explained. Gesturing to one of the chairs that made a small speaking area in the room, she added, "Please, sit down. Isaac and I have a lot to tell you about the past couple of days."

When Hisui gave her a slow, unsure nod, Kagura watched the woman settle into a chair directly beside Isaac. Once more, that slightly jealous feeling rose its ugly head, but Kagura forced it down. She had no right or reason to be jealous of Hisui. These emotions were getting in the way of her usually steady minded focus. She needed to make them see reason.

Easier said than done. When Hisui reached for Isaac's long, calloused hand, Kagura found her hazel eyes watching their hands instead of focusing on the matter at hand. "Should we wait for my father or discuss this now?" Hisui wondered.

Mentally kicking herself in the backside, Kagura stated, "Either way is fine."

"I'd prefer to wait for…" Hisui's eyes drifted off in the direction of the head of the room. Sure enough, Toma was already on his way. Good. That meant Kagura could be done here sooner.

She felt like she needed to go outside for some fresh air. A good, long run would clear her mind. Then, she would meditate. There was a garden not too far from the inn they were staying at. Kagura could meditate there on her irrational emotions.

After a short bout of greetings and more Lancet customary kissing—edited since Toma wasn't really interested in putting his mouth on another gentleman's—the group got settled down. Hisui and Isaac sat side by side. Toma took a spot on a couch off to Kagura's left.

Three pairs of eager eyes all awaited Kagura's explanation, and without any further ado she got down to it. She wasted no time with introductions or details. If anything, Kagura started right at the point where she found Isaac washed ashore near their guild. She explained about the amnesia and calling Princess Adamine. Also, she mentioned that Urian Lancet was MIA. Then, she noted how Bickslow's younger twin sisters, Catory and Winry were coming to fix Isaac's amnesia. Given the looks of relief upon both Toma and Hisui's faces, that put some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. What Kagura left out, though, was the bit about Araña thinking Isaac was a vampire, the blood in his flask, and Sirenia's comment about Angel Slayer Magic.

Even as she skipped over that last part, she couldn't help but sigh at the fact that there was another kind of slaying magic. All of this old magic resurfacing couldn't be a good thing. It spelled disaster, but just what kind of disaster?

While she spoke, Kagura noticed Isaac's expressions throughout her announcements. Isaac looked pale. His eyes were heavy lidded, and he was leaning slightly against Hisui. When the young woman looked up at him, Kagura noted Isaac giving sleepy apologies. Perhaps, he needed more rest. His body was likely still healing, and Kagura needed an excuse to get away from him.

Isaac got her irrational. Kagura hated irrational.

"How long until Winry and Catori arrive?" Toma asked after Kagura mentioned that they needed to be leaving.

Pressing a thoughtful hand against her face, Kagura filtered through all the boxes in her mind. When she came across the box holding her previous conversation with Adamine, Kagura explained, "Adamine said the girls would be here before the pageant. Since the pageant starts the day after tomorrow, I would hope they would be here sometime during the evening." That would give them several days to cross the ocean to Fiore. Surely, they were close.

"I hope to see your memories return, Isaac," Hisui stated.

Isaac gave a short bow of his head. "The same here. Maybe, I'll remember how to cook." His hand came up behind his head. "I actually tried to cook toast with an unplugged toaster."

Hisui and Toma's jaws went slack. At their horror stricken expressions, Isaac asked, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"N-No. Nothing, but you forgot how to cook? Isaac, that's… that's your favorite thing to do!" Hisui gasped, her eyes wide as if Isaac had explained that he'd started the apocalypse.

Isaac himself looked a little bothered by the statement as well. Drawing his brows, he sighed, "Looks like there's a lot of myself I forgot. I hope Winry and Catori make it here sooner rather than later."

"You and me both," Toma explained. "Until they get here, I'll be mourning all the wonderful Lancet cuisine you used to serve with our cooks."

"I cooked with your cooks?"

"Indeed. You make our master chef your sous chef every time you come in. We never eat the same dish twice when you visit."

Isaac shook his head at the same time that Hisui and Toma offered up concerned looks. Each second he was learning something about himself that he never even knew.

"We'll contact you as soon as something comes up. I'm sure all this information is making Isaac's head spin," Kagura stated as a form of goodbye. She bent her body at the waist as Isaac set about kissing Hisui's lips and Toma's forehead.

The princess and king waited until Kagura and Isaac started towards the massive garden labyrinth before disappearing back inside of the massive castle. When the two of them were safely secured behind castle walls, Kagura let her shoulders slump.

That entire visit didn't seem to go as Adamine and Urian had said it would. Familiar Amnesia withered around familiar faces. Isaac hadn't appeared to have any recognition when Hisui and Toma approached. The only thing he did when he saw them was the typical greeting. Likely, that cultural approach was so ingrained inside of him that it was nearly impossible to get rid of.

If Isaac had cooked for the princess and king, he should have remembered it when they mentioned it. Either this wasn't Familiar Amnesia or it was a heightened version of it. Kagura had no clue. This was her first time dealing with it, but according to what she'd been told, his lack of recognition seemed out of ordinary.

Carefully, Kagura looked Isaac over. His hair was longer than she remembered ever seeing it, but he still wore it in that laid back style. It was brushed out of his face by the occasional hand. Only a few choice strands fell in his face, but he was still Isaac.

His skin was paler than she remembered, almost sickly looking. Dark shadows were forming beneath his eyes. A look of tension was drawn across his face, but he hid it with a gentle smile.

Familiar Amnesia wasn't supposed to show any outward signs of illness—just internal. Right?

Ugh. Kagura had no clue. She wished she did.

This lack of knowledge on the subject was bothering her. She was the one people came to for advice. She needed to know these things. The simple fact that she couldn't help someone who had been placed in her care was driving her up a wall. If only there was something that she could do for him instead of becoming his caretaker.

Her mind was in such a tizzy about finding a way to help Isaac that she didn't even realize they'd walked past the inn until Millianna hollered out at them from the fourth floor window. Her hazel eyes looked up to her cat themed comrade. Putting her hand on Isaac's tired shoulder, she suggested, "You go ahead inside and get some rest. I think I'll go to the library and see if there is anything I can read up on about amnesia or the spell Familiar Amnesia."

Instead of giving a verbal response, Isaac nodded. Kagura took in the hard lines drawn in his face, and when he turned his back to her, she noted the stiffness of his shoulders. He could use a massage to draw out the knots formed there.

Perhaps, the reason he wasn't remembering things was because he was so stressed out about them. That could hinder the memory process! Ah, yes.

That would make a lot more sense than him just not being able to remember. Or, Kagura hoped that was it. She needed Isaac back on track. That would help them figure out the Case of the Washed up King.

Nodding to herself, Kagura headed off in the direction of the library, but as soon as she took a single step, a large bolt of lightning struck in the distance. She could barely begin counting to ten before the thunder slammed against her eardrums.

It was an angry sound, the most vicious lightning that Kagura had ever heard. Almost like… the gods were angry?

Furrowing her brows, Kagura looked to an open window. Her jaw nearly came unhinged when she saw a bandaged up version of Urian Lancet climbing out of a window. His medium length, black hair waved in the evening breeze, and his body dropped silently into the streets.

When he almost disappeared into the crowds, Kagura followed him. He might have been looking for Isaac. Kagura could reunite the two of them and get Isaac's memories kick started.

Another lightning bolt slammed hard. As Kagura stayed on Urian's trail, she vaguely wondered, Do this lightning, a missing god slayer, and an amnesiac king have some kind of relationship?

Without giving it much more thought, Kagura hastened after Urian. He easily outmaneuvered her through the evening crowd. Bodies were packed, and people were already setting up for the festival that would go on during the pageant. Paper lanterns were being lit. Food was getting cooked.

She was on sensory overload as she chased after the dark head of Urian Lancet. For some reason he was bandaged up. But, as he walked through the streets, he unraveled the bandages across his skin.

As more wrappings went, Kagura could easily see the resemblance between the half-brothers. They were both tall and had hair that stopped just at their shoulders. Though Isaac was broader, Urian had muscle tone like a jungle cat. If Kagura hadn't gotten so accustomed to King Isaac's frame, he could have mistaken Urian for Isaac.

Urian turned a corner in the crowd at the same time that lightning struck once more. With every lightning strike, he moved quicker.

Urian knew something, and Kagura was determined to find out just what it was.

Thunder clapped loud overhead, and when the next lightning bolt struck, the god slayer narrowed his eyes. If Kagura remembered correctly, she was almost positive that Urian was the adoptive son of the god Loki. Rumors had floated around about how Urian came about his god slaying ice, and Kagura heard of a tale of Urian being rescued by the god Loki during a mansion fire.

It was a farfetched story to be honest, but with dragons coming out of time machines, Kagura couldn't exactly doubt anything. Her perfect, organized world was turning out to be more chaotic than she realized.

More lightning struck, and this time it slammed down in the middle of a cemetery. Kagura was astounded when she realized Urian was following the lightning strikes. When the flash of the lightning gave way, Urian stepped inside of the graveyard. Headstones had been scorched by the lightning, and a fire was starting to line the branches of a struck tree. Urian directed his hands towards the flames to freeze it in his ebony god slaying ice.

Then, he headed towards a set of large doors projecting from the earth around it. He wasted no time opening up the massive doors that led to what Kagura assumed to be catacombs, and she wasted no time following him.

Urian was acting strangely. His movements were quick and jerky. His eyes darted back and forth within his skull. Actually, he appeared to be seeing if he was being followed. Just what was Urian up to?

Plastering her body against the doors, Kagura made herself as thin as possible when Urian glanced her way. His crystalline blue eyes were so different from Isaac's. And, like Isaac, his eyes had changed.

Isaac's eyes glittered with the fun loving light that used to dwell within Urian's eyes. Now, Urian's face was a shielded mask of suspicion, a look that used to grace the skin of Great King Isaac. He no longer looked like the playful playboy with a barrage of females following his every movement. Now, he looked like a man on a mission.

Skeptic of the change, Kagura gave Urian a few moments to enter deeper into the candle lit darkness before she followed suit. Her white boots never made a sound on the stone floor. She made sure to walk on the balls of her feet as she stalked Urian in the darkness.

As she crept Kagura took note of her surroundings. The catacombs were chilly. Flickering candlelight danced across the skulls lining the stone walls, and upon closer inspection Kagura realized the flames were encased in ice. A strange ice barrier held the flames, letting them give off no heat while still giving light.

Was that Urian's doing? Or, could it be that Urian was meeting Loki?

If that was the case… Then, what was with the lightning?

There were no clouds in the sky. There was no reason for direct bolts of lightning to be slamming home inside the earth. Also, the path of the lightning had been strange. It had been ordered almost like marching footsteps. Each lightning strike had been similar to the hammer fall of a foot to the earth.

Her gut was telling her something was wrong. Her heart was telling her that following Urian was a bad idea. But, her mind was set of figuring out what was going on.

Keeping that resolve solid in her mind, Kagura continued.

Urian ventured deeper into the catacombs. He barely paid any mind to spider webs iced over or the many skulls that had been placed like mortar between the stone slabs in the walls. His ice blue eyes were dead ahead and did not waver.

When he took another turn, Kagura felt her foot crunch down on something. A loud snap echoed in this silent hall. Ice inched through her veins when a black head peered around the corners. Holding her breath, Kagura slapped her body to a stone wall. Something net like pressed into her hair, and she could feel the smooth roundness of a skull against her fingertips.

"Loki!" Urian snarled. She could imagine the furrow of his black brows, the way his eyebrow piercing would glimmer against the flickering light. Also, she could imagine the firm set of his full lips then the glinting of his slight canines.

Footsteps sounded, and Kagura gritted her teeth. She was so close! She couldn't get found out now. When something like long legs started crawling in her deep purple hair, Kagura held back on a whimper. No, not spiders!

Still holding her breath behind mashed lips and keeping her eyes squeezed shut, Kagura tried to make herself paper thin against the stone walls. A skeletal hand slipped against the back of her thigh, and Kagura nearly screeched.

But, she didn't dare move. In her mind she chanted, Got to help Isaac. Got to help Isaac. He needed her help. She couldn't let some old bones and a spider in her hair keep her from helping a friend.

When the footsteps slowed, she didn't hear Urian. The steps simply stopped. After a while, she heard Urian loosened a gust of air. "Damn it, Loki. I have no time for your games. My brother needs me."

Brother? Did Urian know about Isaac's state of amnesia?

As soon as the steps started back up, Kagura let herself peer around the corner. By the time Kagura locked her eyes on the man, he was already dipping behind another wall. If Urian knew about Isaac, then what was he doing in the catacombs instead of looking for Isaac?

"None of this is right," Kagura breathed. She was about to feel a wave of relief at not being caught until something dark swayed in her vision. Hundreds of tiny hairs lined a long appendage. Before her scream could be let loose, Kagura took a deep inhale of breath.

Gloved hands flung into her hair, and Kagura tossed a massive spider off her skull. Her hands went straight to her sheathed blade. By the time she got a grip on it, the arachnid was already scampering away. Now, she could breathe out a sigh.

Or so she thought, the hand that had been pressing against the back of her thigh fell from its skeletal arm. She leaped at least three feet into the air before slamming her back against the wall. "Screw your head on straight, Kagura," she scolded to herself.

Finally letting go of that overdue sigh, Kagura tried to get herself thinking straight. It didn't take long. Years of being self-dependent had trained her to get a quick grip on herself. It didn't look like that was changing any time soon.

Shoulders back, Kagura scampered right back after Urian. It didn't take long to catch up to him. The man had apparently stopped at the sound of voices in a widened out room. When she saw him take a few moments to gather himself up, Kagura dipped behind him. He entered the room. Kagura guarded the archway that led to where… Loki was kicking a body underneath a pile of skeletons.

She couldn't even be amazed that she was in the presence of a god because she was too far taken by the sight of him sweeping a male underneath bones like a child trying to hide something from his or her parent. She was still trying to figure out a reason for that when Urian waylaid Loki upside the face. His fist was encased in ice, and Urian walloped the man so hard he staggered back a few steps.

"Good to see your swinging arm is still functioning properly," Loki laughed, punching himself in the other side of the face to knock his jaw back into place. Once he was fixed, he threw his knee without warning into Urian's gut. "But, you really should learn to respect your elders."

Spit flung from Urian's lips as the man hunched over, looking for the air Loki had knocked out of him. "Ten years," Urian wheezed.

"Ten years of what?"

"Since you kicked me out, sent me to live with royalty."

"Gracious, child. You make it sound like a chore. Living with royalty. Life must be so hard."

"Royalty that hated me on sight!" Urian added, straightening his back to stand tall and proud as Loki had trained him to. Ah, such youth and vitality. He might as well been a blood born son.

Checking his nails, Loki commented, "So what, you were suspected of being possessed by a demon because of your magic. Not like I haven't been put through worse. Try being held captive with a creature's acidic venom dripping down your body as your wife frantically tries to gather the bone disintegrating filth in a cup. Then, we'll talk."

"You could have warned me of what they would do to me!"

"Slayer magic can't be extracted the same as normal magic. Especially not mine."

"Your arrogance hasn't changed."

"Neither has yours."

"I hate you."

"Feeling's mutual."

Urian's lips curled, and he reached out his hand. Smiling on his own, Loki repeated the gesture. They locked their hands before bringing their bodies together. One hand wrapped around the body of his son. Urian slapped his palm against Loki's back.

"Bastard," Loki commented into his son's hair.

"You were the one who chose me, arrogant prick."

"And, a poor choice indeed."

What the hell? Kagura closed her eyes hard then popped them back open. Sure enough, the two men were still locked in a shoulder to shoulder embrace. They were grinning like they'd pulled off some kind of coup. Just what kind of people were this family?

Weirdest. Reunion. Ever.