AN: Hi! erm...sorry for the long delay. Life just kind of got in the way, but I am back and ready to continue the story. I had to reread the story, but I do have a plan and an end goal of where this story is going. Just hang in there and I promise it'll be good!

And now...onto the story!

Chapter 7

The next morning finds the Kagari family and its newest members outside by the flying compound. Akko is off to the side with Kano going over flying mechanics and new attack patterns, while the rest are being taught by Shiro.

"Master, I hate to ask…" he dodges a wooden arm "But is this really necess…OW!" Kai whirls around looking at the other occupants. "Who did that? Who…oof" The next second finds Kai on his back with Chariot smirking down at him. "This isn't even fair. Master, she is Akko's equal. The rest of us mere mortals cannot even compare to the amount of magic Usagi-chan has. This is too cruel even for you." Kai takes Chariot's hand and stands up, brushing his legs off, before walking towards Shiro.

"Kai you are the one with the best chance against Ursula. You know of Atsuko's magic and how to evade it. Do not forget about that. But you must also remember that Ursula has decades of magical experience over Atsuko, and her family magic has a shady undertone. You must rise to her level." Shiro looks Kai up and down then smirks. "Where is your fighting spirit Kai? Did Croix take your manhood when she took your heart?" A huge gust of wind is his answer. "Good. Defiance is an excellent way to assert yourself on a battlefield. Your opponent is going to say worse things, they are going to make you angry, sad, or even second guess yourself. Use that energy and channel it to your magic."

Kai runs off to the side and builds his power while Shiro continues working with Ursula. "Croix, use some of your magitrons and create a maze for these two to get through. It is my hope that they will meet in the middle and have a fight that will entertain us all." A large gust of wind is sent his way which he reflects off to the side. "Kai reserve your magic, your opponent is much stronger than you and you will need all the magic you can spare."

Around Kai and Ursula walls shoot up. Kai looks around impressed at Croix's magic; meanwhile, Ursula blends in with the shadows cast by the walls and moves towards the magic across the maze from her. Kai slowly starts sending out his magic to map out the maze ahead of him. He catches small glimpses of Ursula's magic, but they ebb and flow.

Usagi-chan, does Ursula use assassin magic? Kai begins moving towards the middle of the maze.

I am unsure onii-chan why?

Because Usagi, she keeps disappearing and reappearing and I cannot keep a lock on her. And another thing, your father is crazy to think that I would be able to fight this woman fairly. Like come on!

Onii-chan…are you nervous? Kai hears Akko's chuckle in his brain. He curses to himself as he hits another dead end.

Yes Atsuko, your soulmate has as much magic as you and comes from a dark family. Yes I'm fucking nervous.

Okay okay! No need to curse at me, what do you need me to do? You want Kano in there with you when you fight her?

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AKKO YES! "Fuck! Croix stop changing the maze up!" He stands up after getting hit by a wall that just shot up. "Whose side are you on?"

Croix chuckles and projects her voice into the maze. "I am on no one's side. You are easy to target, I lost track of Chariot a long time ago."

Kai stopped in his tracks. "You lost track of her? So, she could be right behind me? Croix, what the actual hell!" Kai starts running towards the middle of the maze. "Akko, anytime now would be great to send Kano!" A flash of light is his answer and a weight settles on his shoulder. "Oh thank god. Kano, help me out little buddy, we need a plan of attack"

Kano rubs his head against Kai. "Okay, but nothing too dangerous. I don't want to hurt Usagi's mate." He begins whispering his plan into Kai's ear while Kai continues his mad dash to the center of the maze.

Meanwhile, Ursula is standing in the middle of the maze setting traps in the potential places that Kai will stand. 'This really isn't fair to him, but our magics are too different and I want to give him my absolute best' She sets the final trap on the opening right behind her. 'And done'. "Croix, Shiro, what is the deciding factor of our match?"

Shiro looks over at Croix who shrugs. "You think submission or until someone passes out? I don't want either one of them to suffer from magical exhaustion, but that may be the only way to really determine a winner."

Croix runs a hand through her hand. "You don't understand master. Chariot is intense when she fights. Even if her magic runs out, she has the physical stamina that is unmatched. She knows several types of martial arts styles. She is a force to be reckoned with. You will need to set very specific parameters for her to know when to stop."

Shiro nods. "Very well. Ursula, the rules are as followed: the match will continue until someone submits. You are to stop before magical exhaustion, and you are not to use lethal force on each other. Magic can heal all sorts of injuries, but it cannot heal broken trust. Remember this is just an exercise, not a real match. You two are allies. Never forget that"

Ursula nods to herself. "Right, okay I can do that" Ursula goes back into the shadows and waits for Kai to make his appearance.

"Kano, these people are trying to kill me. You won't abandon me will you?" Another wall shoots up in front of him as he runs. "Dammit Croix, be nice! I'm doing my best to get to Ursula and not die in the process." He makes a quick turn to his left as a horizontal wall shoots out. He stops when he hears another wall being constructed. He turns around to find "Stairs?"

He hears Croix's chuckle being projected into the maze. "You wanted me to be nice right? Well then, I'm giving you a direct path to the middle of the maze. Make sure you don't die fighting Ursula."

"Oh, thank god. Kano, let's go." Kai races over to the newly constructed stairs and finds small arrows on the top of the walls to direct his mad dash to the center. "What are the odds we are going to win Kano? A nervous childlike chuckle was his response. He hung his head for a second before picking up the speed. "Yeah, I thought so. Shiro is evil. If things start to go south, transport back to Usagi. I don't want you to get hurt."

"What about you onii-chan?"

"I'll be fine. Master won't let anything happen to me and Usagi won't let anything happen to Ursula. It's a fair match." Kai stops about 500 meters from the center of the maze. "Remember, she is used to dark and assassin magic. Our job is to flood the arena with light. You catch my drift, right?"

Kano let's loose a little burp of fire. "It's been so long since Usagi has let my fire out. I'm ready."

"Okay let's do this." Kai resumes his journey to the center and drops closest to one of the walls. Kano can you hear me? He slowly makes his way around the center.

Yes, what are we looking for?

I want you to take flight and get an aerial view of the center. You have the unique capability of detecting traps. Project that image into my mind and maybe we can escape out of here without….fuck nevermind. Kai crumbles to the ground after activating a stunner trap. "KANO, FIRE NOW!" Kai erects a barrier around him and watches as the arena is flooded with fire. He glances around to see if he can spot any areas where the fire swirls unnaturally, giving him a hint as to where Ursula could be.

Kano, can you see her?

No onii-chan. And I don't think I can hold this up for much longer.

Go back to Usagi. Thanks for the backup!

"Alright Ursula, it's just you and me now. Come on out and we can settle this like the mature wizards we are." Kai circles around the arena and cannot get a lock on her magic.

"I do believe, Kai, that I am a witch and not a wizard" Ursula says as she comes up behind him and places a knife at his neck. Kai attempts to move but knicks his neck on the blade. "I would be very careful about my movements if I were you."

"Ursula…and I do mean this with the utmost respect. Who the hell brings a knife to a magic fight?" A gust of wind pushes her back to the far wall. Kai follows up his gust with an immediate wind slash, which Ursula dodges easily. "I swear to Merlin if I die here I am coming back and haunting every one". He pushes himself to the edge of the perimeter and takes a second to focus. Unsure of where all the traps are, Kai makes the decision to hover 4 inches of the ground just in case.

"So Ursula, how are we doing this?"

Ursula looks over at him with a contemplative look. "I understand that this is training, but I still would like to discover just how strong I am. Is that alright with you?"

Merlin she is going to kill me. "Uh master, is okay to forfeit right now? I kind of like living and this seems to be a very dangerous situation that you have shoved me into"

Chuckles could be heard in the maze. "Kai, stop acting scared. You are one of the best fighters in Japan. Please stop limiting yourself to one form of magic and meet this obstacle like the man that you are."

Kai dropped his head to his chest and sighed. Right I knew he would say that. "Chariot love, I mean no harm or disrespect to you, but I suppose I should start taking this seriously. Are you okay with that?" As he speaks, his aura bursts open.

Ursula flinches at the drastic change in power. "It's Ursula remember." And she vanishes.

Kai stays where he is and focuses on the qi in the arena. He gets a sense of the ground and the traps that had been laid before he arrives. He feels a disturbance just behind him on the right and catches the knife before it strikes.

"Well, that wasn't very nice was it?" A gust of wind violently knocks Ursula into the wall behind her and before she can recover ice has her arms and legs stuck to the wall. "Chari-chan, you and I have a long way to go before you will be deemed an actual threat to me." Kai gets closer to Ursula with lightning surrounding his being.

Ursula looks up in defiance. "I think you should know Kai that just because you are more comfortable with your magic," the Ursula in front of him fades away and he freezes feeling two knives under his throat. "It is always bad to assume you are the most skilled in the room. Do you yield?" She whispers into his ear.

"Never" He says as flames engulf the both of them. Kai knocks her hands away and turns to continue his attack. Conjuring a long sword to him he begins his offensive attack. Swing after swing, parry after parry, the two continue on in a battle of blows. A cut appears on Kai's left cheek, followed by an answering cut on Ursula's arm. Each strike just as deadly as the last only to be blocked or dodged at the last second.

From their place outside the maze, the other occupants watched as the flurry of weapons becomes too fast to follow. "Otosan, just how skilled is nii-san with that sword?"

Miranda answers with pride in her voice. "Kai has been the magical Europe swordsman champion since just before he went to live with your family Akko." She looks over at Shiro and smiles. "I see that he has only improved upon his craft in your presence. His skills are breathtaking. But Akko, to see someone being able to keep up with him and match his technique blow for blow, your mate is quite the skilled witch."

Shiro inclines his head and offers his own thoughts. "I do believe this is going to be a competition of stamina. Kai has trained mercilessly in his technique, but Ursula is an unknown factor here. We have no idea just what practices her family taught her." He watches the fight closer noticing a pattern in Ursula's movements. "Actually, I think we are going to see a very rapid end to this fight." Just as he ends his sentence, Kai collapses to the shock of everyone.

"I yield. Please don't kill me" Kai says looking up at Ursula. She raises one of her hands with a knife, Kai closes his eyes, and then quickly reopens them when feeling the warm feeling of healing magic washing over him. "What…why?"

Ursula smiles down at him. "Thank you for such an invigorating fight, but I think Akko would be upset if I killed her brother." She gives him another sheepish look. "Or rather wound him and don't offer to heal him." She offers him her hand and helps him stand up. "Croix can you lower the maze now?" She calls out into the maze and then looks over at Kai. "Are you all healed?"

Kai jumps up and down and shakes out his limbs. "Yeah. Merlin Chari-chan you are really good at that" He feels a punch to his arm and looks over at her. "Okay OW, what was that for?"

"It's Ursula, remember. Aren't we supposed to be keeping a low profile here?"
"Merlin why am I like this." He bows in her direction. "My apologies Ursula-chan. I didn't mean to potentially out you before we were prepared. I will get better about it. I would like to get the chance to really understand your family magic and then we can come up with a training that works for us."

"Kai please lift your head. We are family are we not?" Ursula's easy smile greets him as he lifts his head. "Let's make it back to everyone and then I will tell everyone the hell that my family put me through." Kai bows and extends out an arm for her to take. She giggles as she places her hand in the crook of his arm.

"Usagi-chan is going to murder me when she sees us, you know this right?" Kai says chuckling at the mental image he has in his head.

Ursula just chuckled. "No disrespect but you are nowhere near my type."

"Oh so what is your type? Kai please remove yourself from where you are if you want to keep your arm." Akko appears behind them.

Kai jumps in surprise and slowly turns to face Akko. "Usagi-chan, how long have you been there?" He quickly pulls his arm from Ursula and takes two big steps away from her. "It was innocent. I was just being a good English gentleman and escorting my soon to be sister out after a battle well fought." He glances over at the rest of the group gauging how quickly he can cover the distance to avoid the wrath of his little sister.

Akko tilted her head to the side. "Just got here. You two fought brilliantly. Kai definitely got his ass handed to him." Akko held out her fist for Kai. She smiled when he gave her a fist bump. "Back to the question at hand," She pointedly looks at Ursula. "You were talking about your type?"

Ursula looked over at Kai who shrugged his shoulders and started walking to the rest of the family. "Well, I'd like to think that I am just attracted to power, but I know that's not the truth, because then Kai would be my type." She stops and hums to herself. "I'm attracted to someone who is honest and loyal. Someone who doesn't mind using their power to protect the people they love. Someone who is willing to defy the most powerful people just to stick to their convictions." She looks Akko in face and smiles. "I want someone who keeps me on my toes. Who isn't afraid to show me all the pieces of themselves. Someone who is a fierce protector, but a gentle soul. I want someone who will stand with me even when things get hard. I want you Akko and no one else. I haven't thought about romance in a very long time, but when I think of an ideal partner, you are the only one I want."

Akko gives her a watery smile. "Chari…Ursula I mean. I can be all that for you." She holds out a hand, which Ursula takes. She pulls her into a hug as large walls encompass them.

"What is Croix doing?"

"Not Croix, it's me." Akko lets her go. "We have only know each other for a few days, but I feel like I have known you my whole life. You have been my idol for wanting to learn magic, and when I was told you were my soulmate, everything just made more sense. The mistress told us, but I want you to know, I don't love you because a bond says I have to. And this isn't hero worship either. When I saw you standing in that hall a couple of days ago, it was a lifechanging feeling. My world stopped and you were at the center and the clearest thing in my vision. My heart," Akko places a hand on her chest "it started beating so fast that I thought I would die on the spot. But what I realized was that it was just reacting to the rightness I felt. I know we have to take this slowly. You are 9 years older than me and I know that might make you a little uneasy; but I will spend every day for the rest of my life loving you and being the kind of partner that is worthy of you." Akko steps closer to Ursula. "I want you. I want the hard days with you. I want the easy days. I want to know you. I want to know what makes you smile, your fears, your wants, your needs, your desires." Akko smiles at the blush on Ursula's face. "Most of all I want to love you openly and for the whole world to see." She takes a step back and takes a deep breath. "But right now, I want to take you on a date."

Ursula lets out a shaky breath. "Merlin Akko, you can't just do that to a girl and then just stop."

"I didn't do anything" Akko shoots back taking in her mate's red face. She looks her up and down and then closes the gap between them again. She puts her arms around Ursula's waist and pulls her against her. "Is there something that you would like me to do?" She whispers in her ear. She can feel the shaking from her mate and pulls back enough to look at her. "I'm not going to kiss you." At this Ursula's head shoots up and the blush is back. "I want to, Merlin do I want to, but this isn't a Disney movie. We are adults who need to get to know one another." Akko raises a hand to caress the cheek in front of her. "These last few days have been charged with a lot of emotions, but even still we owe it to ourselves to take the time to learn each other before deep diving into a physical relationship."

"How can you be so calm in this situation?"

Akko lets out a laugh. "I am definitely not calm, but one of us has to think rationally. And since I got us into this predicament, I figured it falls on me. Like I said before, when I kiss you, it will be when you have forgiven yourself." With that Akko kisses her on the cheek and lets her go before lowering the walls. She grabs Ursula's hand and walks over to the rest of the family.

Croix looks over at the blushing Ursula and smirks. "Everything okay Nordi?"

"Kindly go die Croix" was the only response she got.

Akko claps her hands to get everyones attention. "So it's lunch time. Can we go back to nii-sans room and eat then talk? I wanna make some food!" Kano and Kai loudly cheer while Shiro smiles. Akko looks over at her mate. "So part of my training was to learn how to cook." She starts to get shy. "I loved it so much that otosan paid for me to attend a culinary institute to really cultivate my skills. So now I do all the cooking at home."

Shiro smiles at his daughter. "Yes Atsuko, your skills are more than phenomenal in the kitchen. Should you ever desire to forsake magic, the culinary world would gain a genius. Should I ask for anything in particular from the kitchen to have sent up?"

"I am feeling a little Italian, so stuff for a lasagna with a bechamel sauce please otosan. Is there anyway we can take a 15 minute break then meet at nii-sans room? I need to grab my notebook and take a quick shower since someone" she shoots a look at her dad "decided to make me do agility training so I am sweaty in the most not fun way possible." Everyone laughs at her comment except Ursula who blushes. "Welp, I'll see you soon. Little dragon, you coming or do you want to stay with otosan?" Kano lands on her shoulder. She waves before disappearing in a light.

"Life is only going to get more interesting from here isn't it?" Ursula says looking at the spot Akko just disappeared from. Shiro pats her on the shoulder and laughs.

"Welcome to the family."

15 minutes later, Kai's quarters, Luna Nova

Just outside of the door leading to Kai's room, a delicious aroma wafted through the hallway. Ursula's stomach growled in response to the smell. I could've swore she said 15 minutes. There is no way she's already deep in the cooking process. She knocked on the door in front of her and waited still puzzled by the wonderful smell coming through.

The door opens and she is met with the face of her long time past lover. "Croix."

"Nordi, come in." Croix moves out of the way and Ursula steps in.

"It's Ursula. Do not claim to know me well enough to stick to past nicknames." She fixed Croix with a glare who in response held her hands up in surrender.

"Yes ma'am" Croix nods towards the kitchen. "The family is this way."
Ursula follows behind her. "How does it smell this good already? I thought Akko said 15 minutes?"

"Oh she did. She just got here. This is just the start of her process. She's using magic to change cooking times so that we can eat sooner. The shrimp doesn't like to waste time when she's cooking. She says food is a better gift than magic." Croix chuckles at that. "Can you believe that? The most blessed witch in history thinks food is much better than magic. Crazy right?"

Ursula can't help but chuckle. "Maybe it's just the one thing that offers her peace. Her magical journey hasn't been easy."

Croix looks at Ursula. "You seem to understand her pretty well for just meeting her."

Ursula stops just outside of the kitchen entrance. "What is this Croix? What are you trying to pull here? We aren't friends. Right now we are simply two people who have aligned thoughts." Ursula points into the kitchen. "That woman in there is everything to me. In the short time that I have known her, she has set me on the path of healing. We have been open with each other. We have shared magic…she is my savior and my mate. The only thing I can do is accept her with open arms no matter what comes our way."

Kai comes out noticing the women in the doorway. "Ladies, are you going to join us in here?" Ursula walks straight in without another word leaving Croix gazing at her back. "You okay?" Kai steps up and caresses her arm. Croix nods then steps closer and rests her head on his chest. Kai encircles her in his arms and just waits. He feels her mumbling but can't understand what she says. "Could you speak up? I can't hear you."

"Will she ever not hate me?"

Kai rubs her back as he thinks of an appropriate response. "I think my love, that she just needs time. There are a lot of changes rapidly happening. She just found out she has a soulmate. She found out that we are correcting the narrative of what happened. She found out that you are important to said mate. It's just a lot. She needs to adjust. You have to give her the time." He stops rubbing her back and kisses her head. "You need to stop antagonizing her and try to have an honest conversation. Allow her to be angry and still put everything on the table. Only then can you move forward."

"That goes against everything in my nature."

"Yes well, for the sake of our family, swallow your pride if you want your friend back. You two are no longer those young girls. Give that chapter of your lives closure so you can move on." He grabs her chin and lifts her face. "So we can move on as a family, okay?" Croix nods and Kai gives her a gentle kiss before pulling back. "Okay, let's get back in there and hear what Ursula-chan has to tell us. I fear that she is just as deadly as Usagi-chan."

Kai pulls Croix into the kitchen and takes a seat around the table with Croix sitting next to him. At the stove is Akko and Kano, working in tandem to create the delicious smelling lunch for the family. Shiro and Miranda are at the head of the table looking over papers, while Ursula is next to them staring at Akko and Kano. Ursula smiles as she hears Akko tell the dragon to apply steady heat to the bottom of the dish while she makes the salad.

"Just 2 more minutes! Then the food will be ready!"

I guess this is why everyone was celebrating. Ursula thought to herself. She felt eyes on her and looked to her right directly into the eyes of Akko's father.

"For the sake of this conversation, I think sticking to your true name is the best. So, Ms. Du Nord, would you care to begin? Could you tell us what your family magic is and any training you have undergone."

Chariot let out a deep sigh. "Where should I start?" She felt a tendril of familiar magic grace her mind and smiled before resuming her tough exterior. "The Du Nord family serves the nobility in France as their retainers to the public, but their real job is that of assassin."

"I knew it!" "Shut the fuck up Kai"

Shiro snapped his fingers and the siblings shut up. "Please continue, there will be no more interruptions. Atsuko, please preserve the food. We will eat after the conversation."

"Yes otosan." Magic welled up in the kitchen then dispersed focusing on the food. Akko pulled her chair closer to her mate, sat down, and grabbed her hand. "Go ahead. It will be okay" she said while offering a comforting squeeze.

"My parents are both masters of different types of magic. My father's magic is the dark arts while my mother's is herbology. The two of them together, have created different poisons and creations for performing their duties without the slightest hiccup. They are on a mission to recreate Halahala; it is a poison that the Hindu people believe was developed in the process of creating the nectar of immortality." Gasps could be hear around the table, but Chariot focused on the hand in hers that gave off a comforting warmth. "From the time that I was old enough to hold a spoon, I was in the lab with my mother experimenting with her. Soon after I became her guinea pig. She would have me try small doses of the poisons and record their effects before giving me an antidote. This went on until I was 10, when she tried to add my little brother into the mix. I went to my father and pleaded with him to protect Adélard, but he wanted a deal, I would train in the arts of assassination in exchange for my brother's protection." She gave Shiro a sad smile at his sharp intake of breath. "I assume you know of my brother. He has made quite the name for himself hasn't he. I noticed his brilliance early on and did everything I could to protect his innocence. Seems like I did too good of a job." She chuckles before quickly becoming sober once more. "From the time that I was 10 until I came to Luna Nova. I trained every morning until mid afternoon in various martial arts. From mid afternoon until early evening, I would be with my mother in the lab, then at night after Adélard went to sleep, I would perform assassinations with my father. The poisons that my mother develops would be used to immobilize our targets before the torture began. It was not an easy life, but I did it for my brother…to protect his innocence. To answer your question, I am trained in every known martial arts school, every weapons style, and can erase my presence at the drop of a hat. When I was 12, there was a target that fought back and gravely injured my father. For a moment, I was delighted that this cycle would end. But then it dawned on me, if he died Adélard would then become my mother's victim and I couldn't do that to him. So I went over to him and pushed magic into him wishing that I could heal him. For 5 minutes, nothing worked and then a miracle happened. He started breathing easier. The bleeding started to slow his color got better, and then the next thing I knew, he was healed. My father laid there recovering and I went over to the target and healed them as well. He had been awake the whole time. I offered to heal him in exchange for his silence and his promise that he would flee the country. He went to America and assumed a new name. He only sent me a letter after I became Shiny Chariot. After that night, my father was even more vicious in his assassinations knowing that he could be healed without needing a different mage to help him. The day I left for Luna Nova, I swore to them that I would never step foot in their home ever again. My father kept his promise to protect Adélard but I was still worried. When I obtained the Shiny Rod, I sent them a missive, demanding that Adélard be moved closer to me. He was sent to the school in Brightonbury. That is as much as I know about him until recently where I have seen his name all over as one of the leading mages in healing arts. I do know he goes by a new name now." She ended awkwardly.

"Your brother is Adélard Chariot?" Shiro asked with his eyebrows in his hairline. Chariot nods. "Your family history is tragic, I am sorry that you have gone through such trials at such a young age and still are this bright spot in the world. Thank you for not giving up and surviving. I am truly blessed to have you as a part of my family." He glances to his side. "Miranda, we have to reunite her with Adélard. Wasn't he just here last week harvesting in the greenhouse?"

The headmistress shakes her head. "For Merlin's sake child, you have been through too much in your years. How did you miss him? You were on the premises!"

Chariot ducked her head. "I intentionally avoided him. I didn't want to bring back past trauma for him."

"Bull shit" Croix calmly said from across from Chariot. "You are not that weak."

Chariot's voice became steel in her response. "You have no idea what I am anymore. I am not the same person I was 10 years ago. I have lived in fear for 10 years for a mistake that wasn't even mine. How could I in good conscience go to my brother and bring that notoriety to him. What could I have to offer him? Nothing. I am an outcast in the magical world because of you. You don't get to make any claims to what I am or am not."

"Were. You were an outcast. I have painstakingly gone to every town for the last several months to clear your name. There is no place that you can't go now. Magic is free for you to use once more. So, what is stopping you? Why didn't you run to him the minute you knew your name was being cleared?"

"Because I abandoned him!" Chariot yelled. "Is that what you wanted to hear? I left him all alone in this world because I wasn't strong enough to stand up to you. You ruined my life and I…"

Croix stands and fixes Chariot with a soft look. "And I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Be angry at me all you want, but look at what you have gained. Look at these amazing people sitting around you doing nothing but looking at you with love and concern in their eyes." Croix pauses and takes a deep breath. "I am not saying to let go of your anger or forgive me right now, but I am not the type of person to beg for anything. You will forgive me or you won't. Just know this. The Chariot Du Nord that I knew, isn't a coward. She would face the negative attention with her head held high. You are better than your fear. You didn't survive all these terrible trials to just fade into existence. You are very clearly meant for something great Nordi." Croix sat back down defeated. "Your future is still as shiny as it was 10 years ago, actually I think it is better now." She looks up again. "You have the literal magic messiah as your mate, you can face anything, and we will all be here to help you." She offers her old friend a smile and sticks her hand in the middle of the table. She holds her breath and looks down at her lap waiting for the rejection. A shaky hand grabs hers and shakes. She looks up and sees Chariot looking at her.

"I'm still angry with you, but this is a start. Thank you for reminding me of who I am."

Akko squeezes Chariots hand a few times trying to gain her attention. "Would you like to see your brother? He is in Brightonbury."

"How can you know that?"

Akko smiles widely. "Think of me as a map for magic I have been exposed to. Adél has spent plenty of summers in Japan with us. He's good friends with nii-san. Besides, he just told me he was here" She held up a cell phone to show Chariot the message. "I haven't told him why I was asking where he is, the choice is yours."

"Let's just eat and enjoy our time together, and I will make a decision once my mind has settled?" Akko nods, squeezes her hand once more, then stands up.

"Little guy we are up!" Kano shoots over to Akko and holds the salad bowl while Akko brings the lasagna to the table. "So, I am not one to get sappy; however, I look around this table today and can't help but be blessed by the luck that I have. We have all suffered through horrible things separately, but here we are all together and stronger for it. I want to make a pledge to the people at this table. You will never suffer as long as there is breath in my body. You are my family. The people on this planet that I need the most. All of you are my reason for living. I won't fail you. Not if I can help it." She gave a bow to the table then stood up with a huge smile. "Now let's eat this food that Kano and I slaved over!"

"Atsuko…" her dad starts hesitantly "did you teach Kano how to cook?"

Akko stops serving the lasagna and just looks at him. "No, not really. Think of him as my rapid fire. He can maintain any temperature I need. So, we have just don't trial and error when it comes to cooking. But would it be so bad if he could cook? He likes food too otosan."

Shiro deep sighs. "Atsuko, Kano is already an anomaly. We can't have a cooking dragon in the world. It is just too out of the world."

"Otosan, who am I to stop Kano from living his life? I already stole his magic, I won't steal his passion."

"I…I can't argue with that. Please limit his cooking ability to just the family please. We do not need an international incident caused by a cooking dragon."

Akko stands tall and salutes. "Yes otosan." She finishes passing out the food and sits down. "So, what's the plan? How do we move forward?"

"Right now, we eat Usagi-chan. Plans can come later." Kai says after taking a bite into his lasagna. He lets out a happy sigh. "Please cook for me for the rest of my life."

"Sure nii-san"

"Great. Sooooo Chariot…you are a certifiable bad ass…did you intentionally not immediately take me out earlier?"

Chariot put her silverware down. "I wasn't sure how powerful you were. So, I wanted to gauge that. Taking you out at the beginning would not have given me that opportunity. I thought the purpose of the exercise was to do just that? To find a baseline to train more from."

"She's right Kai. Were you the only one who didn't realize the intentions of the training?" Shiro asked between bites of food. "Everyone else understood the assignment" He stopped and looked him up and down then gave him a bright smile "Too focused on your recent happiness to really put yourself into training?"

Kai had the good sense to blush and kept quiet. "Well since nii-san has been shut up, I propose that we do nothing for the next two weeks just to get back into the swing of things. I have to get settled into school. Niisan and otosan need to make up plans for their lessons. And Chariot…" Akko turns to look at her mate. "She needs to really let all of this settle and understand what's happening. We will have nightly family meetings for dinner here, if that's okay niisan?" Kai nods. "Good I'll cook. We need to become a family again. There have been lots of newness in the last several days."

"Well said Atsuko. I agree. Let us hold off on any solidified plans. Miranda, can I count on you to take care of Ms. Du Nord? She is going to need all the help she can get during this process. Atsuko, I'm sure you will make yourself available to her as well."

"Aye aye captain! Kano and I will always be here."

"Perfect. Ms. Du Nord" Shiro stands and comes next to her "Should you ever need my assistance, know that my door is always open for you. You are apart of my family now. I know you do not have a family that you can rely on. But now you do. Know that no matter where you go, nowhere is too far for us." He pulled Chariot into a hug and felt tears on his shoulder.

"Thank you."

Akko and Kano look at each other and smile. "GROUP HUG!" Everyone came around the table and joined in. The smiles and feeling of contentment lasted throughout the night. Everyone returned to their seats and easy conversation was exchanged at the table.
Unknown location

"You never told me how powerful Atsuko has become father."

The emperor looks at his daughter with sadness in his eyes. "She is no longer a pawn for you to manipulate Aizuma. Let her become the person that she was meant to be."

"She is meant to do what I say father." She seethes in his direction. "And I will not rest until she is here with me." Aizuma turns and storms out.

The emperor hangs his head in defeat. He stands and moves the curtain to the side. "Follow her. Do not let her leave the compound. We will have to deal with her sooner rather than later." The dark clad person bows deeply before blending back into the darkness. "Where did I fail you Aizuma? Shiro, stay strong. Atsuko will go through many trials soon."

AN: Let me know what you think! I'm still going to keep writing regardless of the negativity! This is a ship that I will see sail!