Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Lion Heart ❯ A Boyfriend?! ( Chapter 9 )

Lion Heart: Chapter Nine: A Boyfriend?!

***

"That's that!" the director called. "Go on home; you all deserve it. Be back early tomorrow for the shooting of the next scene."

The lights in the studio brightened so that the set no longer seemed like a nostalgic oasis in the void. Spotlights lined the ceilings and video cameras surrounded the replica Meiji Era village, wires sprawled all across the concrete floor. Masaru narrowed his eyes to adjust to the brightness, but he kept his attention focused to the beautiful actress in the center of the "village": Katsumi Aiaki.

The kimono-clad actresses laughed over some joke one of the actors made, but once Katsumi's and Masaru's eyes met, Katsumi said something to the cast and waved "bye" to them as she made her way over to him.

Masaru smirked and tightened his grip on the bouquet of flowers he held behind his back.

"You did pretty good," he said as she approached him.

"This kind of acting is easier than the kind you're doing," she replied with a smile. "You guys weren't shooting today?"

Masaru shook his head. "We did; we just got off early. Orikasa-san wasn't exactly pleased that I had to run off so quickly though. I swear, her role is rubbing off on her." He laughed.

Katsumi giggled. "Orikasa-san was probably just joking around. Was Takada-san also upset?"

Masaru put his forefinger on his chin in mock contemplation. "Come to think of it... ah, I must be popular with the girls."

"No, it's Tenchi who's popular with the girls; you're just the voice behind him," Katsumi pointed out. "I don't think I can ever handle voice acting."

"It does take a lot of skill," boasted Masaru, "which I have."

"Sure you do, Masaru."

"So--" Masaru began, but Katsumi promptly cut him off.

"Tonight Hikaru is introducing her boyfriend to the family, right?" she asked.

Masaru sighed. "Not exactly what I wanted to talk about, but yes, it is. I'm not sure what to make of the 'other world' stuff she and Umi and Fuu talked about, but I have no choice but to believe her once she brings this man home. He has the weirdest name that I forgot what it was. Oh! Speaking of which, I nearly forgot!" He handed her the bouquet. "I know you hate clichés, but I love them, so I came to a compromise."

Katsumi grasped the flowers gently. "Daisies, not roses," she murmured before she broke into laughter. "Ah, Masaru, always have to have things your way even if you have to improvise."

"You don't like sweet things," said Masaru, "so I couldn't get you chocolates or cookies or anything, and I am a little low on money ever since Mother made me pay rent."

Katsumi arched a brow. "How much did these cost?"

Masaru shrugged. "Eight thousand yen."

"You could have gotten me a cheap piece of jewelry for much less. Flowers die quicker."

"Well, I did get you something else, but before I give it to you--" Masaru took a deep breath. "--what's your answer?"

"My answer?"

"To the question I asked you last night on our date," he replied, shifting his gaze to the refreshments table sitting next to him. "If you need more time, completely understandable, but I'm losing faith by the, well, second now."

Katsumi grabbed his shoulder and pecked his cheek. "Do you want a straightforward answer or a speech?" she whispered in his ear.

"Straightforward. The speech might hurt."

"Yes."

Masaru widened his eyes, turned his head, and gaped at Katsumi. He fought off the elation that rose his heart to his throat. "Really?" Katsumi nodded. "It isn't because I gave you flowers?"

"I almost said 'no' because of the flowers," said Katsumi with a giggle.

Masaru smiled. "Thank goodness you didn't," he murmured before he leaned down and kissed his new fiancée.

***

Yuujirou Chuutei narrowed his eyes and bent his knees, concentrating his focus on the oversized pearl Kakeru held in his hands. Yuujirou's hands tightened around the large wooden club as soon as he saw his friend pull his arm back and thrust it towards him.

Yuujirou swung at the air.

"Strike!" said Hidehiro as he threw the ball back to Kakeru.

Kakeru caught the ball easily in his raggedy mitt. "Call it a ball, Hidehiro. Yuujirou doesn't know that when the ball is below your waist, you don't swing."

Yuujirou scowled. "Shut up."

The sun loomed over the western horizon as if it were ready to give way and fall beneath the mountain range of Japan without giving crimson shades a chance to show off their brilliance. The blue sky had only begun to show signs of a golden color, and with no cloud in the dying spring heavens, the afternoon was brighter and warmer than usual. Kakeru called it the perfect day for playing baseball, and he literally dragged Yuujirou and Hidehiro to the university's baseball field for a little practicing.

He was the pitcher of his university's baseball team, and Yuujirou had to admit, one of the best the campus had ever known. If it wasn't for Kakeru's undying devotion to the sport of soccer, Yuujirou would place half of his life savings that before Kakeru was twenty-five, he would be playing for either the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers in the American Major League.

Yuujirou didn't understand why he had to be the batter. If anything, Hikaru's boyfriend should be the batter, considering the great velocity put in each of Kakeru's pitches. Hidehiro could be the umpire instead of the catcher, and Yuujirou could be the catcher.

Unfortunately, Hikaru's boyfriend wouldn't be arriving until dinnertime, and Yuujirou became more and more convinced that there was more than one reason that Kakeru wanted to play baseball.

It was a dangerous subject to tread on, but Yuujirou decided to take his chances. Hey, what was the worst Kakeru could do to his best friend?

"So, Kakeru," said Yuujirou as he repositioned himself, "if Hikaru gets married to this boyfriend of hers, don't you think you ought to make amends with your father before the wedding?"

Yuujirou had almost no time to react as Kakeru fired the ball, and Yuujirou could almost swear that it was faster than a bullet. On impulse, he staggered back and tripped over his own feet as the sphere flew right in front of his nose. The bat impacted the white home base bag, and Yuujirou caught a glimpse of Hidehiro using his glove to shield his face from becoming a crater. Luckily, he managed to catch the ball.

Yuujirou panted, "I... really... shouldn't have... said that..."

Hidehiro peeled the glove away from his face and stared at Kakeru, terrified. "Th-that was a ball," he sputtered. "That was a ball, but I'm afraid to say it."

"Call it a strike, Hidehiro," said Yuujirou. "Please call it a strike."

"Whoever said that she was going to marry that jerk?!" snarled Kakeru. "And there is nothing to talk to that bastard about!"

Jerk equals Hikaru's boyfriend; bastard equals Kakeru's father, Yuujirou told himself as he picked himself up from the dirt. Two subjects that I need to stay away from the next time I talk to Kakeru.

"Either way," said Hidehiro, the ball still in his hands; he knew better than to give Kakeru's only weapon back to him, "it's been two years. I have never known you to keep grudges for so long. Don't you think it's time to at least get on speaking terms with your father?"

Kakeru glowered like death at Hidehiro. "Did Masaru put you two up to this?"

"No," said Yuujirou in quick defense for himself and Hidehiro. "I only figured that since Hikaru is ready to get married--quit glaring at me like that; you're scaring me--you would like to give Hikaru the best day of her life truly the best day of her life by not creating such a dark atmosphere during the wedding."

"This is only her boyfriend! Nobody said anything about an engagement!"

"Yet," muttered Hidehiro. "Come on, two years. That's fourteen years total of hallucination."

"What hallucination?! There's no hallucination, damn it! And I'm sick of hearing about my father, so leave me the hell alone! Give me back my ball."

"Not if you're going to kill us with it," Hidehiro counterattacked. "Besides, you're going to have to go to your home to meet Hikaru's boyfriend, right? So why don't you--"

"Not my home," said Kakeru as he stormed towards the two. "My home is an apartment, and Hikaru is bringing the jerk to her home, which is a traditional kendo house."

"Regardless, you're going to be in the same room as him," pointed out Hidehiro.

Yuujirou nodded, and although Kakeru's menacing glare tried to prevent him from saying it, he knew he had to. "You don't want Hikaru's boyfriend to get uneasy, do you?"

"Maybe I do."

"There goes the end of that conversation," muttered Hidehiro, and all Yuujirou could do was sigh and run away from the steaming Kakeru.

***

It was the evening of the end of the working week, so the parking lot across the street from Tokyo Tower wasn't as crowded as it normally was. For that, Fumiko was more than happy. However, when she made the big mistake of offering Sera a ride home and let it slip that she was going to meet Hikaru and her boyfriend at Tokyo Tower, Sera insisted on coming. Fumiko could not force Sera out of the car when they arrived in front of the Araki mansion, and she refused to be late to pick up Hikaru.

So, against Fumiko's will and Hikaru's wish, Sera was present in the Tokyo Tower parking lot, giddier than ever about the wonders of Hikaru's first boyfriend.

Needless to say, after waiting for about ten minutes, Fumiko was getting annoyed.

"I wonder what he looks like," Sera mused in the passenger seat left of Fumiko. "I don't know Hikaru's type; I don't remember her ever having even a simple crush on anybody while we were in school."

"We went to an all-girl's school, Sera."

"So? She has three older brothers with a lot of friends. She could have easily fallen in love with Kyousuke-san or Yuujirou or Hidehiro--even though Rei is going out with him--or even one of Masaru-san's actor friends. But if Hikaru is Hikaru, she won't care about looks. Oh dear, what if he's fat and ugly?"

"Who knows?"

"You seem apathetic."

"You really need to shut up! I swear, you can be worse than Rei sometimes. I thought geniuses like you were supposed to be shy and quiet and not talkative at all."

Sera shrugged. "So I go against the stereotype sometimes. What's your point?" Fumiko groaned. "Has Hikaru told you anything about him?"

"Only that he's out of this world," said Fumiko.

"He must be really special, then." Sera sighed dreamily. "Poor Kakeru. You know how overprotective he is over Hikaru."

Fumiko sighed, too, but out of annoyance. Oh, if only Sera knew how special Hikaru's boyfriend was! Fumiko had a hard time believing Hikaru at first, and Fumiko still only barely believed it, but Hikaru's boyfriend literally was out of this world. He was in the world of Cephiro, soon to be in Tokyo, and his name was one of the strangest Fumiko has ever heard: Lantis. That was all Hikaru really told her, and that was all Fumiko really cared to hear from Hikaru--everything else she'll find out from Lantis, or she'll judge for herself.

"Hey, Fumiko--"

"What?" she snapped.

"You went off in space when I mentioned Kakeru," Sera teased.

"I was trying to ignore you," said Fumiko angrily. "I knew I should have never told you that Hikaru had a boyfriend."

"Don't act like I'm stupid in social situations," said Sera, sounding just a little irritated. "I know you have a crush on him, and that's why you're meeting Hikaru right now."

"I'm meeting Hikaru because she asked me to pick her up."

That was true. Hikaru told Fumiko that she normally went to Tokyo Tower by bus and train, and she didn't want to risk losing Lantis in the Tokyo metropolis. Her other two friends that normally went with her to Tokyo Tower didn't have cars of their own, and, after all, Fumiko was Hikaru's best friend.

Somehow, though, it got a little warmer in the car. Fumiko reached for the air conditioner, but Sera's oh so tactful remark stopped her.

"You're blushing."

Fumiko clenched her fists and said through gritted teeth, "No, I am not!"

"Yes, you are."

"If my face looks red, it's the sunset, damn it."

"Then why were you going to turn the air conditioner up? It's not hot in here at all."

"I was going to turn it down," Fumiko retorted... and lied.

Sera rolled her eyes. "Sure you were."

"I swear you switched personalities with Rei today!" growled Fumiko.

"You still aren't denying the fact that you're in love with--oh, look! Here comes Hikaru!"

Fumiko turned and stared out the window, and sure enough, stepping into the parking lot was Hikaru with two other girls and a, Fumiko had to admit, very handsome man. He made the three girls accompanying him look like elementary kids, for Hikaru only barely reached midway up his chest. He seemed like a dark man--which Fumiko would never suspect Hikaru would go for--only because he had raven hair and wore completely dark clothing with black boots. There was nothing too strange about his clothes otherwise, but Fumiko felt that he really was from another world.

"Wow," breathed Sera, "Hikaru really does have good taste!"

Fumiko sighed. "Watch. I'm going to end up not liking him. He's probably a jerk when he's not around Hikaru--or even with her around."

"I think I'm beginning to understand now why you and Kakeru would make such a cute couple."

"Something is keeping me from seriously hurting you," growled Fumiko, "and I want to know what it is."

"Fumiko-chan!" called Hikaru as she jogged towards the car. Fumiko rolled down the window, to which Hikaru stopped and peered inside. "I'm glad you could make it. Ah, Sera-chan! What are you doing here?"

"Good evening!" Sera chirped. "When I heard that you had a boyfriend, I had to see for myself!"

Fumiko rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Hikaru," she said. "I really shouldn't have told her..."

"That's okay!" said Hikaru. "I'm not ashamed to hide Lantis from anybody. Does Rei-chan know?"

Fumiko shook her head. "Rei doesn't know, and--" Fumiko dropped her voice to a whisper. "--I didn't tell Sera about Cephiro. She thinks Lantis is just a normal Japanese guy despite the weird name."

Hikaru giggled, and by that time, Lantis had finally approached them. The other two girls that had accompanied him had called Hikaru and told her that they were on their way to the train station to get home. Fumiko would offer them a ride if it hadn't been for the fact that with Sera tagging along, the car was too full unless somebody sat in someone's lap. Kakeru would not be pleased with that idea if he was the same Kakeru Fumiko had always known: too damned overprotective over his sister for his own good.

Hikaru waved goodbye to her friends. Fumiko had to stick her head out of the window to get a better view of Lantis's face. She arched a brow as soon as she caught a glimpse of it; his eyes were warm although his facial expression was cold, much like somebody that she would know. But who? She hardly befriended people like that.

"It's rude to be in the car like this," she muttered as she released her seatbelt and opened the car door. After she stepped out of the car, she smiled at Lantis and said, "You must be Lantis. I'm Fumiko Tachiiri, Hikaru's friend. I--" She bit her lip and cringed; she was about to say the wrong choice of words. "I would be lying if I said I heard so much about you."

Lantis cracked a small smile, but if he was going to say anything, he was cut off by Sera. "Hikaru, I must say, you have better taste in men that I gave you credit for!"

Fumiko sighed and slapped herself as Hikaru grinned sheepishly. "You idiot, Sera," Fumiko said with a sigh. "All right, all right. Hikaru, your family's probably waiting for you, and the traffic is about to get bad. We'll get acquainted in the car. Grab a seat in the back."

Fumiko slid back into the car, and Hikaru and Lantis piled into the back seat. The ride home was blissfully slow because while the traffic was slow, Fumiko and Sera were treated to the most unusual conversation during the ride.

Needless to say, Fumiko wondered how Hikaru's brothers, of all people, were going to take the strange tale of Cephiro.

***

It was hard to believe, but Masaru somehow found the tale of Cephiro to be quite true. Of course Hikaru had mentioned it a couple of nights before when she announced that she was going to try to bring her boyfriend to Tokyo, so it hadn't really come as that much of a surprise to anybody. Well, that is, except for Kakeru, who gaped at Lantis and sputtered to come up with some coherent words in some sort of protest. Hikaru only smiled brightly as she introduced Lantis to the entire family, including Katsumi and Kyousuke.

Kakeru's fish-like face turned into an instant glare once their father invited Lantis in. Masaru almost found the transformation hilarious, but because he knew the circumstances of Kakeru's emotions, he didn't laugh. Instead, he cringed and followed everyone else inside, afraid of saying anything.

Maybe it was a very bad thing that I invited Katsumi along, Masaru thought as he watched his father bombard Lantis with questions.

The Shidou mother, Katsumi, and Hikaru were busy in the kitchen. He could barely hear the women's excited chatter over the clanging of pots and pans. Luckily, everybody else was fairly quiet. Satoru and Kyousuke listened and sometimes contributed to the conversation between the Shidou father and Lantis. Masaru saw from the corner of his eye Kakeru fuming in his seat. He followed his younger brother's gaze and saw that it went to their father, not Lantis.

Very odd indeed, even if Kakeru loathed his father.

Masaru checked his watch. "Wow, nearly an hour since they got here," he muttered. He scooted closer to Kakeru and whispered, "Hey, Kakeru, I'm surprised you haven't attacked Lantis yet."

"I have no problems with Lantis," Kakeru replied, much to Masaru's surprise.

"But, wait, I thought your 'sole purpose in life' was to protect Hikaru from any guy who dared make a move on her," said Masaru. "You're being really strange tonight."

"It's not that," said Kakeru, still looking straight ahead at the two eldest men--or so Masaru assumed; Lantis seemed to be older than Satoru and Kyousuke. "It's just that, well, doesn't Lantis remind you just a little too much of Satoru?"

Masaru arched a brow and turned to his father and Lantis once again. He stole a peek at Satoru, and he did notice some sort of resemblance between his older brother and his sister's boyfriend. Both seemed distant, cold, and yet there was some sort of warmth about them that was very attractive. They were like the tunnel and the light at the end of it; it was a little unnerving, Masaru had to admit. Since he had nothing to say about that, he only shrugged.

Kakeru, however, was not finished. He mumbled, "I hope Hikaru realizes how disturbing this is, her so-called 'boyfriend' being just like the long lost twin of her eldest brother."

Masaru had nothing to say to that, either, and found it more beneficial to change the subject.

"Yare, yare," he said with a sigh. "Fine, I'll threaten the poor guy for you."

He felt Kakeru's gaze finally tearing away from his father and staring at him. "And here I thought you respected Satoru."

Before Masaru could bring up anything of any sort to Lantis, the Shidou father beat him for a final judgment call. "Well, I find you worthy enough for my daughter." He smiled. "I bid you two the greatest of happiness."

To that, Kakeru finally responded by pounding the table with a fist and shouted: "Well, I don't!"

Masaru snapped his head towards Kakeru, wide-eyed and mouth ajar. The room had gotten silent, and only the sounds of the girls in the kitchen could be heard. After only a couple of seconds, Masaru groaned and slapped his forehead.

"You would do anything to disagree with Father, won't you?" he growled in a low whisper.

Kakeru continued, apparently deciding to ignore Masaru, "Just because her father likes you doesn't mean that I do." Masaru wanted to say that the one of the reasons why Kakeru didn't like Lantis was because his father did but decided to keep his mouth shut. He also wanted to point out that he was just comparing Lantis to Satoru but said nothing about that, either. "And if this whole 'another world' crap is true, and if there are dangers that are worse than the worst that can appear here on Earth, how will I know you truly have the potential to protect my only sister?"

Masaru felt pressured to choose between empathy for Lantis and relief that Kakeru was finally acting like he always planned to when Hikaru first brought a boy--or in this case, man--home. The only thing he managed to do was to look back and forth between Lantis and Kakeru as the conversation ensued.

Lantis sighed. "Hikaru can take care of herself," he said, "but I would protect her with my life if the situation came down to it."

"Not good enough," Kakeru said, snarling, his face in a dark glower. "I want you to prove it."

"Prove it?"

There was yet another moment of uncomfortable silence, to which Masaru used to his advantage to catch everybody's expressions. Kakeru looked at Lantis, challenging, while Lantis seemed baffled in the way Satoru would look with the same emotions: one eyebrow arched, his eyes twinkling with controversy. Masaru's father shook his head, and Satoru had sighed in some form of disappointment. Kyousuke, Masaru noticed, seemed very amused but was doing everything within his power not to show it. The girls were still oblivious to the happenings in the living room.

So Masaru, once again, said the only thing he could.

"Yare, yare."

Luckily for Masaru, Satoru had a better choice of words that would be the most logical ones to ask. "Kakeru, how do you expect Lantis-san to do that?"

"I don't know," said Kakeru, his narrowed eyes still locked on Lantis. "Enlighten me."

Masaru's father sighed. "Kakeru-san, this is not the place to begin a fight, and this is not the time to be challenging a guest you only just met to a duel. If you want your proof, I suggest that you should go with Hikaru-san sometime to Cephiro."

"Good idea," said Masaru, promptly cutting Kakeru off. He knew what Kakeru was going to say, anyway. "But, Father, you should have told Satoru or Lantis or even me that. You shouldn't have said it yourself. You know Kakeru; he's a moron."

This time, Kakeru turned his glare of daggers onto Masaru. Masaru only shrugged innocently and gave Satoru a pitiful plea of help.

Satoru responded, "Kakeru, Father's right, and you know it."

That wasn't the rebuttal to Kakeru's potential argument that Masaru wanted. Those were dangerous words Satoru had just spoken; Kakeru was going to explode again, this time ranting and raving about how their father was never right in his ideas and decisions, which would imply the one thing that obviously Hikaru would have never told Lantis and something that Lantis probably should never know. Masaru groaned and slumped his head to the table, but Kakeru's grumble of "fine" made him jump to his feet; that was something he had not expected.

Masaru gaped at the top of Kakeru's head, but Kakeru ignored the abrupt movement the middle brother had just made. "How does tomorrow sound?" Kakeru asked Lantis.

To that, Masaru fell to the ground. After he gathered himself together, ridding his emotions of disbelief, he slapped Kakeru upside the head. "He just got here today, you idiot!"

"What? I can't wait forever, you know!" Kakeru protested, waving a fist in Masaru's face. "I need to know as soon as possible if he's worthy of my little sister!"

"Can't 'as soon as possible' wait until next month, then?" asked Masaru, his aggravation growing.

Kakeru looked skeptical. "You want to wait that long?"

"I'm waiting that long to see if he's not worthy of Hikaru," Masaru snapped. "Since my priorities for Lantis are not as outrageous at yours--"

That was when Kakeru blew up again. "'Outrageous'?! He's from another world!"

"He's still a normal guy, so I have normal priorities for him, such as would he be able to provide for Hikaru, would he be able to make her happy, and other things like that!"

"He's not normal! He doesn't even come from a normal place! You have to go for more, damn it!"

"U-um..." a young female voice sputtered, immediately gaining the attention of Masaru.

He turned his head, and he felt the anger plummet from his face when he saw his younger sister standing by the table. Kakeru's steam also cooled off, and the two brothers sang together innocently, "Hikaru-chan!"

"What..." she began, confused as to what Masaru and Kakeru had just been arguing about.

"Never mind," said Kyousuke. His face was still puckered to prevent laughter. That was so not amusing just now, Masaru thought. "Sit down, sit down, we were just talking about you."

Hikaru hesitantly sat down, still staring at Masaru and Kakeru with wide eyes of puzzlement. No sooner she had done so did Kakeru take the opportunity to let Kyousuke's words of assurance slap back into his own face. He began questioning Hikaru and Lantis as he leaned over the tabletop with determination to get what he wanted.

Masaru sighed and turned to Satoru and Kyousuke helplessly. Obviously, Kakeru was not going to be one of Lantis's favorite people, and judging from the look on his face, Satoru thought so as well.

***

"I can take care of myself!" said Hikaru to Kakeru's interrogation. "So can Lantis, and even then, we have everybody else in Cephiro to help us. I'll always have Umi-chan and Fuu-chan."

"So Umi and Fuu also go to and from Cephiro with you," said Kakeru. "At least you aren't alone. I know you're safe with Fuu... and Umi, even. She fences, right?"

"Kakeru-niisama," said Hikaru, laughing a little to break the tension, "don't worry about me. I'm sure the worst that could happen in Cephiro has already happened. Look, we're still alive."

Kakeru pouted. He was not convinced yet, not even after Lantis and Hikaru described some of the things they had gone through together. This whole concept of Cephiro was unbelievable, but when Kakeru actually came face-to-face with Lantis, there was just something telling him that it was no fantasy story Hikaru had weaved or a melodramatic tale to describe how she first met Lantis or anything like that. If it had been just an ordinary guy, Kakeru would accuse Masaru of being in way too many productions for his own good, and this sort of discomfort wouldn't unsettle Kakeru so much. It was one of the main reasons why he really disliked Lantis at the moment.

Well, that and because his father approved so much of him, but Kakeru wasn't entirely that shallow. He had other reasons.

Kakeru had once said before that he thought that a normal man was not worthy of Hikaru, and he had yet to forget it. Lantis was not a typical guy, that was what he had just told Masaru, and that was another reason why Kakeru hated him. He was afraid that Lantis really was worthy, and he was not ready to let go of his little sister so soon. He was only her first boyfriend, for crying out loud!

Kakeru had changed his standards immediately after meeting Lantis and getting to know him a little bit better. It was only just now did he realize that while he had them ridiculously high before, now his standards for any boy Hikaru would have to date were impossible to meet. It was almost if he didn't want Hikaru to ever have a boyfriend, and Kakeru soon found himself disgusted at what he had done to himself and what he would have done to Hikaru if he had never realized it and acted on his initial feelings any further.

He would have hurt Hikaru's feelings, just like his father had done fourteen years ago. Maybe he would have done worse.

Kakeru scowled. He didn't want to become what his father was: an insensitive man who only cared about his desires rather than anyone else's feelings. If he criticized Lantis harshly, Hikaru would have been hurt. Kakeru could tell she really did care for him, and things would have gotten uglier than two years ago when Kakeru's father returned home if Kakeru had censured the man she loved more than any other.

Kakeru was losing his sister, but he decided that he shouldn't be selfish any longer and to let her live her life.

"Hikaru," Kakeru began. She looked at him adorably innocently, which made his next words all the more difficult to say. "Are you happy with him?"

If Lantis were any other human on the face of the planet save for Satoru, Kakeru could have sworn that he would have gaped. It surely was a change of subject, from a harsh cross-examination over the safety of his sister to his sister's romantic happiness. Lantis stared at Kakeru with furrowed brows, but he, like Kakeru, let Hikaru answer.

"Yes," she said without hesitation. That didn't make Kakeru feel any better.

"Are you sure?" Kakeru asked. Hikaru nodded, and Kakeru sighed. "Would you want to spend the rest of your life with him?"

Hikaru blushed furiously. "Y-yes. Of course."

Kakeru sighed. That was it, then. He had no choice but to let her go. "I guess I'll have to respect that," he said. He turned to Lantis and glared at him--again. "That doesn't mean I like you. I don't. You still have to prove yourself to me, but I won't try to murder you or even challenge you to a duel or anything. That is, unless you make her cry. If you do that, I will find a way to Cephiro and kill you ten times and let you live for five years before you actually die. Do. You. Hear. Me?"

Lantis smiled. "In that case, you shouldn't be planning my funeral within the next five millennia. The last thing I ever want to do is to hurt Hikaru."

"We'll see about that," Kakeru grumbled just as his mother and Katsumi walked into the living room with dinner.

The rest of the night went by quite peacefully otherwise.

***

When everybody who didn't live in the house returned home, including Kakeru, Mitsuru showed Lantis to the room where he would be staying during the weekends he decided to visit. Like all of the other rooms in the Fahren-esque house, the bedroom was modest. The bed was only a mattress sprawled in the middle of the floor with thick blankets and a very tiny pillow set atop it. There were two dressers against the wall, and a window in the center of the far wall with the moonlight spraying inside elegantly.

While the city of Tokyo reminded Lantis almost too much of Autozam with only half the pollution, Hikaru's home seemed more like a mix between Fahren and Cephiro. The scenery in the yard was like Cephiro while the rest of the house and the atmosphere was much like the attitude of the middleclass citizens of Fahren.

Lantis walked to the window and stared at the trees in the Shidou's backyard while he reflected over Hikaru's family. They were a rather interesting bunch, and it was a wonder how Hikaru turned out the way she had, but while each member of the family was completely different, she really did fit in somehow and was graciously loved by everybody.

Mitsuru, her father, was a very wise and kind man, but Lantis sensed that there was something darker within him. Kakeru's attitude towards him and the comment Masaru made about that only confirmed it, but Lantis knew better than to ask. If they wanted to tell him, then they would tell him. Mitsuru also had a unique streak of mischief and politely teased Lantis when it was appropriate to do so. Lantis knew that he had been joking, so he offered a small smile and sometimes a chuckle or two when Mitsuru did so.

Lantis had yet to form an opinion on Hikaru's mother. She hadn't talked much and spent most of her time in the kitchen. Mitsuru had told her to just sit down and have fun with everybody else. She snapped back, telling him that she was perfectly fine taking care of the chores. Katsumi and Hikaru always offered to help, and depending on the task, she agreed to it or she told them to stay put. All Lantis could say about her was that she was a very hard-working woman, and it was easy to see where Hikaru had inherited her persistence.

Hikaru's brothers, Satoru, Masaru, and Kakeru, were a completely different story all together.

Satoru seemed to be more mature than any other person in the house, and if it hadn't been for the wrinkles on Mitsuru's face and the youthful sternness on Satoru's, Lantis surely would have been confused as to who was the father and who was the eldest brother of Hikaru. He stayed silent most of the time, poker-faced, even, and the only times he really showed any emotion besides distance was when he interacted with Kyousuke. Lantis at first didn't know what to make out of the relationship between Kyousuke and Satoru, but as the night wore on, he saw that it was very much like the one he had shared with Eagle during the time he had visited Autozam.

Masaru was a very interesting person. He had a wide variety of interests, and his spirit was very eclectic as well. He carried empathy for everybody who got involved in the conversations; he didn't know which side to turn to. Oftentimes he took his own side in the arguments, which was everybody's side. Masaru would make for a great diplomat.

Kakeru was deeper than he first came off to be, and Lantis had seen through him after a while. It wasn't just that he thought that Lantis was unworthy of Hikaru--as true as though it may be--it was just that he apparently had a very close relationship with her and was afraid that Lantis was going to take it all away. He loved Hikaru dearly and seemed even just a little more overprotective over her than he probably should be. While Kakeru may not like him, Lantis respected and found himself loving Kakeru like a younger brother he never had already; he had a very high-flying spirit.

Lantis found himself longing for a family much like Hikaru's; Zagato had been the last relative of his left, and then he fell in love with Princess Emeraude. That was when Lantis knew he had lost Zagato because he knew of the consequences for falling in love with the Pillar, and that was why he left Cephiro almost immediately after discovering their love for each other.

"Lantis?"

He turned and saw Hikaru peeking her head into the room. "Hikaru," he greeted with a smile. "What are you doing up?"

She grinned as she invited herself into the room. "I forgot to say goodnight to you," she answered when she reached his side, "and I could ask you the same thing. What were you doing here?"

"Just thinking," he answered, "about your family. They really do seem to care about you deeply."

"They do," Hikaru said. "I have never felt unloved whenever I was in their presence. There were some bad times, but my brothers and I managed to overcome those obstacles together."

"That's good to hear." Lantis remembered a piece of conversation from earlier and decided to ask Hikaru about it. "What do you say to bringing your brothers to Cephiro sometime?"

To that proposition, Hikaru brightened to shine more than the moonlight. "That's a great idea!"

Hopefully by then, Lantis thought, Eagle would have finally woken up.

With that, a twinge of sadness entered Lantis's heart. Hikaru could never seem to choose between him and Eagle, but when Eagle told Hikaru that he didn't love her in that way, the choice had been easier to make. When Lantis confronted him later about it, Eagle replied, "All I want is your happiness, Lantis, and it would be no fair if you had to share."

He really did love Hikaru, Lantis could tell, and if they did had to "share" Hikaru, he wondered how her brothers would have reacted to that.

Indeed, Lantis thought, it's a very good thing that Mitsuru had brought up Kakeru going to Cephiro sometime.

** To Be Continued **