Cross Chapter XV: Precious Memories

Eagle had felt the power shift in the unclaimed Earth. He was in his homeworld-its final world Rayearth but even from there he knew when the other Earth's barrier had weakened. He stretched his power and was able to sense that it had been the would-be-Pillar herself that had caused the damage: a crack that would bleed magic back into the Earth world. Curious. He wondered if she'd even realized it. Still, it would be sometime before the Organization would be able to claim it for their own. They still needed to capture that universes Mokona to form the Roads that would allow the armada to invade.

He arose from the throne that had once belonged to his elder sister. The Castle was quiet as ever save for his footfalls. He summoned his spirit beast and the bird came to perch on his shoulder. He neared the crystal clear waters that he had used many times in the past for his sorcery and with a wave of his hand he brought the other Tokyo into view. The bird flew from his perch, dove into the water and appeared in the other Tokyo. The spirit bird's eyes became Eagle' eyes. He sensed Sakuya's presence quickly on the move and followed at a distance.

The young man was closing in on a traditional Japanese household where power was pulsing. He brought his hands together and closed his eyes in concentration.

"What shall you do..." Eagle uttered. "Now that you've found your prey?

In the Shidou living room, Satoru looked the statue of calm but inside he was torn. On the one hand Lantis was a man he had only known for a short span of time and he had come to consider a friend. Lantis was quiet and reserved much like himself yet he seemed to understand Satoru in a way that few did. On the other hand, he'd walked in on the man in his baby sister's room. Holding her against him in her futon. He pondered while he waited for everyone to assemble around him. He was more furious at the betrayal of trust. As much as his mind told him otherwise his heart refused to believe that Lantis would do anyone in his family harm.

The phone by the couch rang but Satoru wasn't about to answer it at this time of night. It went quiet for a few moments only for it to start ringing again. By this point Masaru came storming into the living room bokken in hand. He headed straight for the machine grabbed the cord and yanked it out of the wall. Kakeru entered the living room next looking absolutely livid. He was white knuckled from how tightly he was gripping his own bokken.

Under absolutely no circumstances did they ever bring training gear into the Shidou home. That had been Mother's rule since their Father had left them all those years ago. Even with her no longer living in the family home they all abided by her wishes. Satoru sighed, "And just what do you two think you're doing bringing training swords into our home?"

"We're gonna teach that guy a lesson!" Kakeru shot at him.

"If he thinks he can seduce our dear sister under our own roof he's got another thing coming." Masaru hollered.

Satoru's eye brow twitched, in a quick movement he took both of their weapons. "Do not disrespect our family's sword arts. These are tools for teaching. You will not use them to beat someone like a bunch of hoodlums."

Kakeru growled.

"But," Masaru said through gritted teeth. "We're defending Hikaru's honor!"

"My honor does not need defending!" Hikaru stomped into the room towards them, her Vision temporarily forgotten. She stared them down. She looked pale but furious, defensive.

All Shidou men were taken aback. Hikaru had never risen her voice to any of them before.

Lantis entered the room as well. He was more properly clothed. The tension in the room rose again but Lantis seemingly ignored it. His eyes were on Hikaru etched with worry.

Satoru caught his brothers about to start into Lantis but quickly silenced them. "Everyone, calm yourselves and sit," he gestured to the floor.

They sat with their ankles under them in the traditional style. The brothers on one side Hikaru and Lantis on the other. Satoru looked between them. It was time to get to the bottom of this. "What is the nature of the relationship between you and Hikaru?"

Their sister visibly tensed.

Again Lantis' eyes were on Hikaru. "It is complicated but," he said. He was more concerned with her nightmare then her brothers' temper. They needed to get to the bottom of things and possibly start preparing for an attack. He could feel traces of his magic coming back to him and he feared for whom else might be accessing magic. His gaze was piercing when he spoke to the Shidou men, "I love her."

There it was the admission of truth.

"She's sixteen." Masaru snapped before Satoru could respond.

"Nearly Seventeen." Hikaru said matching his icy tone.

Hardly. Kakeru snorted, her birthday wasn't for almost another six months. "Sixteen is sixteen. You are too young to be dating," his eyes bore into Lantis, "Especially him. He's too old for you."

There was a long uncomfortable pause. Hikaru looked down to the hands in her lap and bit the inside of her cheek focusing on that pain until she calmed. There was a lot of things she wanted to say out of anger, but that wouldn't help their situation. "I won't stop loving him just because you say that it's wrong. Lantis is kind and gentle- you all thought he was a great guy didn't you?"

That was cause enough for Kakeru and Masaru to flinch under their sister's unwavering gaze. Yes they had both liked him. Liked him like a brother. Now that they both thought about it wasn't it weird that they thought of him like family when they'd only known him for a few weeks? Then there was that bombshell that had just been dropped on them. Their baby sister had just admitted she was in love with a full grown man. She'd never even expressed liking a boy before and now apparently Lantis and Hikaru were... right under their noses?!

Satoru sighed, "the fact of the matter is, you both went behind our backs." He narrowed his eyes at Hikaru and Lantis addressing them both, "you went behind my back. Lantis, I am disappointed in particularly. You should have approached me. You should have talked to me. From our perspective it looks entirely like you're taking advantage of our hospitality and our impressionable Hikaru."

Lantis narrowed his eyes, "That is not the case. I would no more force myself on her than I would cut out my own heart. I went to her room because she screamed, she was afraid and I was afraid for her."

"Really?" Kakeru interjected, he wasn't convinced.

"Everyone please!" Hikaru rasped. At this rate they'd talk in circles for the rest of the night. They needed to understand but how could she explain everything and have her brothers not think that she was crazy, or worse that Lantis had created the delusion of Cephiro and the other life that she had lived there.

The pendant that secretly always hung around Hikaru's neck began to glow through her clothes in response to her feelings. Her brothers' attention fell on it as the chain floated, revealing the small mirror encased in gold over her night shirt.

"What's-" That's as far as Kakeru got before all three Shidou brothers seemingly fell into a trance.

They saw Lantis emerge from the shadows in strange apparel. It looked as though he were wearing some kind of armor as impractical as it seemed. A cape flowed behind him and he was carrying something in his arms, as he got closer they realized it was a woman.

"Are you hurt?" the question was posed by Hikaru. She wore some sort of chest and shoulder armor over... the uniform she wore back in junior high?

A scene of introductions unraveled. A small creature buzzed between Hikaru and Lantis, Primera she was called. A fairy. She couldn't have been taller than the length of Hikaru's forearm and she was prattling on about the man in black armor. Lantis on his part carefully set the woman down. The girls- Umi and Fuu were there too? Gave their names as well.

"So then you are... the Legendary Magic Knights." Magic Knights?

Hikaru zeroed in on the blood flowing from under Lantis' hand guards, "You are hurt after all!" She'd raced to the armor clad man and held his hand up for inspection. She requested the help of magic and the fairy came between them again in a fit. She tried to disentangle their hands but Hikaru and Lantis barely registered it. There was a curiosity there; him for her, her for him. They'd made eye contact and it was plain to see that something existed between these two strangers.

The scenery changed and their little sister stood mesmerized watching Lantis as he comforted a small young girl. They walked her back to her living quarters and after the girl left Hikaru became very serious.

"I... I killed your..." She trembled under Lantis' gaze. "You can hit me if you want! No I know that hitting me won't be enough... But I want you to leave Umi and Fuu alone!"

She looked up at him tears brimming, "I know I sound selfish saying that... but... Umi and Fuu weren't as cheerful back in Tokyo... They tried their best to cheer me up because I got depressed, but I think they were both crying when they were alone... So if you want to hit us, just hit me!" Her eyes were full of pain pleading with him.

"I'm not going to hit you." He said, "Legendary Magic Knight summoned from another world. I have no reason to blame you."

It shocked Hikaru, "But, I"

"I'm sure that you cried when you were alone, as well..." The look on their sister's face... Something clicked in her at Lantis' words.

Everything faded to darkness and in the dying light of the fire behind them, the Shidou brothers saw Hikaru chase after Lantis along jagged rocks that jutted through the ground like spikes. It was as dark as night and it was dangerous. Finally she caught up and walked just behind him she studied him and it seemed that perhaps he was adjusting his pace to match hers...

It was raining and the two of them took shelter under a large rock formation but even so, a few water droplets hit her. Lantis took notice and raised his cloak over his forearm to cover her. She stuttered and assured him she'd be fine but he did not move his arm.

"Thank you Lantis."

They chatted idly about storms and travel and then something Hikaru said drew Lantis' full attention.

"Hey, were you ever lonely traveling alone?" Their eyes met yet again studying each other.

Hikaru was wearing strange clothing with a bandana that had wires coming out of it. The entire mechanized room shook and the ceiling gave way revealing Lantis on a black horse with a mane of - blue fire!?

Lantis' steely gaze fell on a man in robes with metal plates and mechanical armaments.

Hikaru gasped, "Lantis!"

Lantis directed his words to her, "I want you to return Hikaru."

The other man shot a blade of light from his arm.

Again Hikaru screamed his name clearly frightened for him this time.

Lantis lept from his stallion with his own blade of light drawn and met the man head on.

Sometime later Lantis was by a pond and felt a pang of despair from Hikaru. It brought him to his knees. He clutched his head and he knew she was in trouble.

As fast as Lantis could run, he raced down corridors to get to Hikaru. He knew that she was weakened. He knew she was in terrible danger.

He'd found her unconscious on the floor. A ghostly apparition approached him. It leaned against him and softly promised that it would kill Hikaru. Lantis visibly trembled, afraid that he wouldn't be able to protect her from the spirit's wickedness. It vanished and he rushed to her cradling her in his arms.

She raised a trembling hand up towards his face, "I'm sorry, but... I love you." He stared on in surprise and worry.

They were sitting on opposite edges of a large fountain. She thanked him for carrying her to her room and quickly covered the distance between them awed by the pretty birds that flocked to him. They sat side by side chatting and then he offered her something. It had belonged to his mother. He wanted Hikaru to have it. She tried to refuse but he covered his hands over hers, "It will protect you someday."

They were about to slip into another memory; one with a girl in black and long pink hair when something covered the mirror finally breaking the trance. "That's enough."Hikaru was bent over clutching her pendant tightly, "they don't need to know about you." She whispered.

"Hikaru," Lantis' arm circled around her, drawing her against him. The brothers' still processing what they'd seen said nothing to the intimate gesture. "You've broken the illusion. They won't see what you won't allow."

"What... What..." Masaru tried to say.

"What was that?" Kakeru asked.

Satoru, though shaken watched intently desperate to know the answer as well.

The pendant slid back under Hikaru's shirt, quietly she answered, "Memories."

TBC

Author's Note: For the anime scenes referenced above I used the DVD releases Japanese subtitled dialogue as opposed to the English dub although I personally find some of the English dialogue between Hikaru and Lantis more endearing than some of its Japanese counter part. Follows and Favs are always appreciated and a major component in my resuming this story. Anyone with questions comments or criticisms are welcome and encouraged to review/PM me.