All right then! Time for a new chapter! Sorry for the loooooooooooooong wait, school happened. But at least you get a longer chapter!

Having lived for 762 years, Madoushi Clef had seen and lead his fair share of Bonding ceremonies, so he was one of the first to return to his quarters that night. It did not surprise him to see the Sea Knight curled up and fast asleep, for he always knew who went in and out of his room; he was the strongest mage in Cephiro, after all.

Flipping the picture frame of the Magic Knights back up absent-mindedly, he silently moved to Umi's side, gazing upon the blue-haired woman's features.

"Umi, your face is stained with tears," he whispered, "What has caused this grief? ...Though I can probably guess..."

Briefly, the photo of the three friends was stared at by the ancient man. Even when he was 762, it took him a while to get used to those "broken mirrors on parchment" as he liked to call them. Nevertheless, he kept this one and gazed at it often, reminiscing of the recent past that has changed Cephiro so much. Looking back at Umi, his eyes showed a small sadness that reflected the one in her face as she slept.

"I fear for the three of you, Umi, I only want you all to be happy..."

Hesitatingly at first, Clef took Umi in his arms, silent as a Hobbit, then proceeded to carry her to her old room, trying not to pay attention to the way her dress was loosened in such a position. Her thighs were visible thanks to that slip in her gown. Her smooth, beautif---.

'Really, now, how old are you, Clef?' he thought to himself as he steered his thoughts from such unchaste words, 'I must be getting tired.'

It didn't seem like there was anyone in those silent, marble-white halls which carried her through. However, with magic great enough to conceal someone from even the Great Clef himself, were two cold, emerald eyes which hid in the shadows of an intersecting passage. Those eyes narrowed, blinked once, then turned away and disappeared into the darkness of that dark, smaller hall.

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the next morning was warm and bright, just like any other day in Cephiro. In that decorated room, Lantis looked at Hikaru's sleeping visage, the sun's rays saurating her skin on her cheek. Lantis silently observed her smooth, beautiful young skin, watching the sheets over her move upward and descend in a slow, repetitive fashion; her even breathing manifesting itself in her ribcage. Her lips pared slightly and her eyes were closed; a natural expression for a dormant human. But to Lantis, seeing her in this bed with her, it seemed almost surreal.

Lantis had always been the silent observer, so he never really understood how people could be so close-minded or biased. He had never seeked vengeance nor wallowed up in self-pity for his brother's death nor had he ever been angry towards any of the Magic Knights for what had happened. From the very beginning of Zagato's "coup d'état", he knew how it was all going to end, and he was sure Zagato knew as well. No, instead he had deep sympathy for those three girls; three young women who were forced to fulfill such a tragic mission.

'those three were so close, then,' he thought, 'they were inseparable, like triplets.'

He remembered that time Hikaru took it upon herself to go to him and beg for the forgiveness of her friends, saying he could 'hit' her instead. She had shown a deep desire to protect them that time, and it was so clear to see that he had never doubted their friendship.

'Even though I can sense some tension between the three of them now,' he acknowledged, 'I don't think it will be anything lasting.'

"What are you thinking about, with that serious face of yours?"

Hikaru had her hand over his, looking straight at him with a smile. Today was the best morning she's ever had in her life, waking up to see Lantis by her side. 'Surely, the rest of the day will be amazing!' she reasoned.

"I was thinking about how beautiful you are in the sunlight," he replied, "Good morning, Hikaru." He took his other hand and held it over the red-haired girl's stomach. Hikaru started blushing ferociously.

"Y-you know, on Earth," she started, "we don't have magic to help us, so getting pregnant is more difficult over there. You just have to try and try until it happens."

Lantis blinked, "Really? It's actually difficult to receive a child in your womb?"

"A-and then there are times where it's just an accident and you actually didn't want to have one." Hikaru was like a tomato now; she had no idea why she was telling him such things, but they were on the subject, so...

Lantis' eyes widened, "And yet your kind still goes and have intercourse before marriage?"

"I told you before, right?"she said, getting a little uncomfortable,"yes, they do."

"You didn't, did you?"

"No, no!" she exclaimed, flabbergasted at such an accusation, "I was too young anyway! You know how I was, right? I didn't even think about such things then!"

Lantis, despite getting such crazy information couldn't help but chuckle at her flustered expression. without saying another word, he pulled her close to him, embracing her being under the blankets, instantly calming her down; all the while saying he believed her and for her to not worry about it.

"I love you, Lantis," she whispered, a small smile on her face.

"And I you, mother-to-be," he teased. Hikaru's face grew red again, much like her hair. Chuckling some more, he gave her a squeeze and assured her, "It's alright, I'm a father-to-be as well. I told you before, the responsibility is as much mine as it is yours."

Though her face was still beet red, she smiled and nodded, moving closer to him still. They layed there together for a while, until...

'Hikaru, Lantis.' A familiar voice was heard in their hearts. 'are you two awake yet?'

'Doushi Clef,' was Lantis' automatic, formal reply.

'Look at the time, you two! Everyone's already up for breakfast!'

'Oh.'

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Instead of going for breakfast like everyone else, the Wind Knight wandered the large halls, no destination in mind. Even if she detested this place, the castle was indeed an architectural masterpiece... as well as a form of nostalgia for her, so she spent that morning lost in memories both bad and good. She ended up wandering over the residential quarters of the castle and, without realizing it, she found herself in front of the door of Ferio's room. It was, of course, empty. Ferio was with everyone else, laughing and talking at the Dining Halls. She entered it without giving much thought and observed. The room was a pastel green and spacey, with a king-sized bed, his sword and trophies of the hunts he often lead, all hung up. A fireplace was installed at the opposite side of the room, facing the bed. On top of the fireplace, there was a large painting hanging with an intricate gold framing that could only fit the designs of Cephiro.

A rage coursed through Fuu. Years before, in that very spot, was a portrait of her. But no longer. It was replaced by Ferio's wife. That woman was...

Fuu's hand touched the canvas...

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"Uwaah! Umi-chan, you look so cute!"

Hikaru was flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine, looking at the pictures of one of Umi's photo shoots as a model, promptly ignoring her breakfast in the process.

"Let me see, let me see!" cried out Caldina, completely oblivious to the fact that she sounded like a child, "It's those instant painting thingies, right?--"

"Photographs."

"Right! I wanna see 'em!"

Instead of waiting for it to be passed over to her like she requested, she ran around to the other side of the large table to look over Hikaru's shoulder. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the amazing technology within the magazine.

"Now, you do look pretty sexy, girl, I-- Woah! What in Chizeta's name is that?!"

Caldina was pointing towards an ad that had some sore of Kind Kong-like creature on it. The ad was promoting deodorant.

Ferio, being curious, came over and peered quickly at the picture, then jumped away like a rabbit.

"What a terrible creature! Hikaru, I thought you said there wasn't any monsters in your world!"

"There isn't! It's a... um..."Hikaru wracked her mind for a definition of CGs and photoshopped images, which was hard since she hasn't been exposed to that sort of thing for seven years by now.

It was then that Fuu entered the room. Ferio suddenly went back to his seat, silenced just from her presence. Likewise, the room's conversations stopped for a short moment. Fuu smiled and said, "Morning, everyone."

Hikaru ran up to her and gave Fuu a quick, tight squeeze. "Mou~, Fuu-chan, where were you? I'd hardly call it morning anymore."

Umi turned Fuu's way; and notice the slight bags under the Wind Knight's eyes. 'Liar,' she thought to herself, 'You probably didn't sleep at all last night, did you?'

Speaking of that night, Umi couldn't remember how she ended up waking up in her bed that morning. She didn't even really remember falling asleep, but she assumed that she must of dragged herself out of Clef's living quarters half-asleep and crashed on her old bed. Since it wasn't a big deal, Umi thought no more of it. There were so many other things brewing around in her mind that she didn't need something trivial like that as well.

And so, all of them chatted and visited, a seemingly warm and fond moment. And yet, some smiles were hollow, and some laughs were forced. For the sake of a friend, one's emotions are slipped away into hiding and forced underneath the bed.

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"Goodbye, Umi-chan, Fuu-chan," said Hikaru as she once again embraced her dearest friends in the two worlds. "I know you guys are busy, but please at least come for the baby shower, okay?"

Umi and Fuu suddenly stopped in their tracks. "...Baby... shower, Hikaru?"

HIkaru was confused for a moment, then understood. She laughed lightly, "Ah, did you guys forget? During the Bonding, there's a hundred percent chance of fertilization. I'm...uh, well... pregnant, you know."

"A-ah, right..." stuttered Umi, finding it very difficult to picture it; she did not remember ever being told such a thing. Gullible, naive Hikaru, a mother? But even so, she did not want to come back, not even to see a mini-Hikaru or a mini-Lantis crawling about the marble floors of the castle. She just wanted to get out of here and return to the busy and mind-consuming lifestyle of Earth. '...I'm so selfish...' she thought bitterly.

Fuu's face darkened for a brief moment. One hundred percent chance of pregnancy... then that meant... Ferio and that woman had a child already. Why hadn't she seen it around? 'Was Ferio trying to hide it from me?'

"You know," started Hikaru; interrupting Fuu in her thoughts, "for the seven years in Cephiro; I've always, always thought about you two. So I want you guys to know that I'll always be supporting you guys, no matter what you're doing or where. No matter how seperated we are, we're still Magic Knights. We're still connected." She gripped her friends' hands tightly and with confidence. And, yet, that grip slipped to something more like a soft, gentle hold. She spoke once more, a quieter tone in her voice. "...It's sad though, I... haven't seen you both in such a long time..." Her voice wavered slightly and salty tears began to form in the corner of her eyes and her eyes shown with it's wetness; she loved her friends dearly and there truly wasn't one moment where she didn't miss them, whether she had waited for months or years.

Now, Umi had always been amazed with Hikaru's eyes, though she was certainly not the only one. There was such strength and beauty, and also a certain sadness, which often appeared whenever she reminisced of past events. Whenever she had that look to her, Umi used to embrace her with a tight squeeze, letting her know she wasn't alone. Whenever Hikaru cried, Umi felt as if the world was being torn in two.

Now it was her that was making Hikaru cry, and the blue-haired girl felt the frog in her throat and her own tears also threatening to spill just from that knowledge. So, just like long ago, Umi took Hikaru and held her tightly. "Hikaru..." her voice was thick with emotion as she comforted the Fire Knight, who was also tightly hugging her best friend; tears freely yet silently running down her face despite the gentle smile she held as well.

Fuu looked onward, also feeling that tug on her throat, but she instead just silently observed. When Hikaru looked at her, she of course smiled back, but it was just so empty.

"I'll come visit sometime," lied Umi, not really wondering why she was saying this when she knew fully well that it wasn't going to happen, "I'll make sure to come and see your kid, kay? Don't worry."

When the time had come, and Umi and Fuu finally left Cephiro's dimension, Hikaru simply stared into the spot they had disappeared from, wondering what it was that was bothering her. She just couldn't put her finger to it, so she shrugged it off and headed for Lantis' warm embrace. After all, there was nothing that could spoil such a good day.

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They had returned. The crowd and the tourists and the paparazzi were back in their midst. Umi quickly dried the tears on her cheeks and turned to Fuu, saying, "Well Fuu, it's finally over and done with. I'm going to go straight to my hotel now; I just wanna crash over there and let it all wash out over me. But it has been a while since I've seen you, do you want to go for a coffee or something?"

Fuu shook her head quietly. "No, thank you, I feel like staying here for a while longer. You can go to your hotel; I'm sure you told me where you were... I'll come by later." Her eyes held a solemnity and sadness that made Umi's heart tug a bit at their strings. The blue-haired girl understood and so gave her a quick, meaningful hug.

"I understand, take your time. I'll be going then, okay? Just call me if you want."

Fuu nodded and let Umi go back to the elevator, paparazzi somehow tricked into not seeing her. Once she was out of Fuu's vision, she sighed and turned toward the great glass windows that let her mind wander as she gazed up at the sky, with the explosions of colourful fireworks reflecting into her green eyes.

But she didn't really see the fireworks. What she saw instead was her, Umi and Hikaru, battling for their life as they met with their "enemies". She remembered the unearthly scream of Emeraude when Zagato perished. She remembered their confusion, their revelation of their true mission, the sheer pain in granting the Princess' wish.

She remembered the next battles, she remembered when Ferio comforted her in her grief. She remembered the ring that was placed in the palm of her hand. She remembered how he would flirt with her ever so gently. She remembered when Hikaru was chosen as Pillar, and how she and Umi tried their very best to return her from the road of the Test. She remembered how the three of them wished for a world without the pain of the Pillar. How she softly fell into Ferio's arms, his warm smile welcoming her back.

She remembered the good times, when the three Magic Knights would come to Cephiro on their days off and talk with their fellow Cephireans. She remembered how Ferio would welcome her with open arms each time.

Then she remembered when she couldn't go so much. University had her buckled down, so she worked hard on Earth, remembering where her home was. She sadly remembered when Hikaru told them her decision to stay in Cephiro permanently.

She remembered when she told Ferio that she won't be coming for a while. He had said with a smile, "I'll wait, and when you return, we'll Bond. I promise you that."

She tightened her fist in anger. "You Liar," she whispered to herself, "you couldn't wait, could you? Too many beautiful women out there for you to wait. So you forgot about me and chose... that girl..." Her negative thoughts now swirling, she started remembering when Ferio broke up with her. She remembered her broken heart and her rage. She remembered trying so hard to forget.

And then, her final memories; her memories of yesterday. Of Ferio's behaviour. Of Hikaru and Lantis, and how they had their Bonding. "They had their little happily ever after; what about me? Why couldn't Ferio wait? That bastard..." Her hands tightened on the railing and her teeth were clenched tightly. Her thoughts went to what she saw the other night. "Even Umi seems to be getting nicely along with Clef."

She couldn't take it anymore. She had to do something. Was she just going to go through life, moping about and letting things just slip from her fingers? Was she just going to forgive and forget? That was the right thing to do. The polite thing to do. Inside her head was a bitter laugh.

No more. A green light circled around her, though no one seemed to notice. With a calm face and a decision reached, she was engulfed in this light and disappeared from the Tower.

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Hikaru was with Presea, the Pharle brushing the red-haired girl's hair rhythmically, humming as the two shared a quiet moment together. It was just like that; no conversation, no jokes or teasing; just a peaceful and silent, calming moment.

Then, Hikaru felt it. She stood straight up with a confused Presea quickly trying to get the brush out of the Fire Knight's hair from the sudden movement. "What is it, Hikaru? Why did you get up like that? I wasn't finish--" Hikaru didn't even listen and was already out the door of the room; running as fast as she could to the Grand Hall. Fuu was there, she could feel her aura, even if it did seem rather strange at that point. She ran through the halls, brushing past bewildered servants and maids.

When she reached the main hall, she was surprised to see no one there. A bit bewildered, she shook her head. Why would Fuu be here anyway? "Maybe It's just wishful thinking," she said to herself.

Hikaru-san.

The person mentioned jumped a bit. Then she relaxed. Fuu was here afterall!

Oh, don't scare me, Fuu! Where are you right now?

... In the hallway to your left.

Hikaru frowned. That path was dim and no one went there often, since it was the hall with the Magic Knights' swords. No one needed them anymore, so it wasn't a place she visited often. Nonetheless, she entered that hall without any hesitation and as promised saw Fuu there, smiling sweetly as usual.

"Hello, Hikaru-san."

What was this feeling? There was something wrong... "What are you doing back here, Fuu-chan? Did you forget something?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Fuu turned the the end of the hallway, the room with the weaponry. Hikaru noticed that Fuu's was covered with the glove orb. She approached Fuu and held that hand.

"Fuu-chan, why do you have that on?"

"For this." Fuu smiled. She embraced Hikaru. The orb glowed.

Hikaru's eyes widened. The blade sunk into Hikaru's stomach like a thousand needles, creating a numbing feeling in her back. Hikaru didn't even gasp. She didn't utter one cry of pain. She only looked up at Fuu's face wordlessly, blood trickling down her lips. Fuu still carried that same smile.

"Good night, HIkaru-san."

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain to her head, and Hikaru's world went black.