Syv: I was so hyped after typing up that last chap, I just had to write this one right after:D

Umi: She finally came to her senses.

Syv: -rolls eyes- Whatever. :P Haha, anyway, this will most probably be the last chapter. Oh. My. GOSH! Haha, I finally finished a multi-chaptered fic:P Hope you all like it!

Umi: Just get on with it!

Syv: Hai, hai Umi-chan.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own MKR, and I currently don't care! I'm just too hyped up that I'm gonna finish this fic! –bounces around-

(Translation) for uncommon words only

'Thoughts'

"Talking"

Author note

In the previous episode: As the door shut, Lightning lay where Hikaru left him, his body still aching from the shocks. His own pain was far from his mind though. The only thing he saw was the defeated look on Hikaru's face. Lightning neighed softly, as if to let out a sigh, before he looked up at the sky and said, 'Lantis, come back. She needs you.'

Eagle continued to take Hikaru to his room. Once they were inside, he pushed her none too gently on the bed. He made sure the door was locked this time, and he also checked to make sure the rest of the inhabitants of the castle were only just waking up. After all this, he turned to Hikaru and gave a satisfied smirk.

Hikaru felt even more hopeless than when she first had her problem with Eagle. She didn't show it on her face, but she felt fear as she looked up at him. She didn't know what to do. Lightning had told her not to give up, but how could she not? Lantis was gone, Eagle was scaring her, and Lightning would be shocked to death if she didn't marry Eagle. Her desperation was so great that if she wasn't guarding her emotions so carefully, Eagle was sure to have seen it.

Eagle slowly approached Hikaru before stopping just in front of her on the bed. He extended his arm and took her face in his hand. He lifted it so she was looking at him before he began to explain what she would do.

"Hikaru, today at breakfast, you will announce that we will be wed tomorrow. You will say that we talked it over and you can't wait any longer. Then, we will make sure that the preparations will be ready by tomorrow. You will stay by my side the whole time. If you say anything to ANYONE, especially to your two friends, I will press the button and you can say goodbye to Lantis' horse. After we wed, we'll go to Autozam where no one can disturb us, and you WILL be mine. Do you understand?"

Hikaru nodded. Eagle looked at her for awhile before his gaze softened. He sighed and lifted his other hand to caress Hikaru's face. She felt uncomfortable as Eagle did this, but she didn't flinch nor show her nervousness to him.

Eagle said in that caring voice he used to use before, "I'm really sorry it has to be this way Hikaru. I just… I can't bear to lose you to anyone else. I want you for myself. I know it's really selfish but…" Eagle looked at her tenderly, "I really do love you Hikaru. I hope you believe that."

As Eagle said all this, Hikaru could sort of understand now why he was acting the way he was, but despite this, she still couldn't decide whether what she felt for Eagle was truly "love", like the love he wanted.

She didn't say anything as he let go of her face and went to the door. He unlocked it, stopped to look at her, then opened the door and left the room. Hikaru still sat on his bed, trying to understand everything that just happened in the last several hours. She was so confused, and she felt fear gripping her heart. She didn't know what to do. She sighed softly, before finally getting up, putting on her boots, smoothening her dress, then exiting the room.

When Hikaru got to the dining room, everyone else was already there. She smiled brightly at them, so as not to arouse their suspicions that anything was wrong. She was making her way to her usual seat in between Umi and Fuu when Eagle caught her eye. She suddenly changed direction and went to sit beside Eagle who was across from Umi and Fuu. Umi raised her eyebrow at this, but she didn't say anything. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who thought this was strange. The table relatively became quieter after Hikaru took her seat.

Hikaru noticed the silence so she immediately smiled brightly and said in a cheery voice, "Why is everyone so quiet? C'mon! Let's eat!"

Everyone immediately began to talk again and enjoy the food, but there was still an air of uneasiness around them. Around halfway through the meal, Hikaru decided to do what Eagle had told her to. She was talking to Umi and Fuu across the table at that time. She tried to make it look like it was really casual.

"Ne, ne Umi-chan, Fuu-chan. Guess what? Eagle-kun and I talked this morning. We decided that we can't wait for a month to get married, so we're planning to set it up tomorrow! Isn't it great?" Hikaru said brightly in a tad bit louder voice than normal.

Umi almost choked at this remark. It was definitely a shock for everyone that's for sure. Everyone stopped eating and talking, and they stared at her with wide eyes.

Hikaru knew why they were shocked. It was to be expected. Despite the little voice in her mind telling her not to go through with it, she knew if she didn't do this, Lightning would be hurt. She had grown to love Lightning like a very dear friend. She couldn't bear it if he got hurt because of her. Besides, she somehow felt that Lantis expected her to take care of Lightning. After all, Lightning was Lantis' horse.

Hikaru pushed on with her somewhat innocent look, "Umm, guys? Why are you all looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

Suddenly, it was as if everyone came back to life.

"Umm, no, nothing's wrong Hikaru-chan," Umi said once she swallowed the food in her mouth.

"Yes, Hikaru-chan. It's great to hear that you two are getting along again," Fuu continued.

"Indeed, it is wonderful news Hikaru-san," Clef said with a bit of forced enthusiasm.

"A weddin'? Tomorro'? Tha' means we gotta prepare! C'mon Hikaru-chan! We've gotta get ya ready fer ya big day!" Caldina said excitedly as she rose from her seat and practically dragged Hikaru off.

Presea smiled at this before following Caldina, "Hey, wait for me! I want to help dress Hikaru up!"

Eagle watched as Hikaru was dragged off with Caldina and Presea. He had a small smirk on his face as he too stood up.

"Well, I guess this means we've got to get ready. There's still quite a lot left to do, right?" Eagle said as he looked at Clef.

Clef nodded as he stood up as well, to be followed by Ferio, Lafarga, Geo and Zazu. All the men left the dining room to help with the necessary preparations.

The only ones left in the dining room were Umi and Fuu. They waited a while with only silence between them as they were each lost in their own thoughts.

Umi broke the silence, "Fuu… what… what do you think happened?"

Fuu turned to Umi as Umi continued, "This isn't normal. I don't know why, but I don't think they really made up just like that. If they did, why the sudden 'let's get married tomorrow' idea? I don't think Hikaru thought of this. And what's with the 'I'll sit beside Eagle today'? It's not right!"

Umi was close to shouting already. Fuu looked comfortingly at her as she grasped her hand, "I know Umi-chan. We can't do anything though. Hikaru doesn't seem like she wants to tell us what's wrong. We can't help her in any way, except to be there for her."

Umi couldn't stop the tears from appearing in her eyes, "Why? Why did Lantis-kun have to die anyway? I'm worried for Hikaru, Fuu. I don't know why, but I'm really worried about what might happen to her with Eagle."

The only thing Fuu could say was, "I know, Umi, I know." The two girls hugged before finally standing up and going off to help Caldina and Presea with Hikaru's attire.

Hikaru was in her room where Caldina was working her magic trying to come up with the perfect dress for Hikaru when Umi and Fuu came in.

"Umi-chan! Fuu-chan!" Hikaru called out happily.

The two girls smiled a bit sadly when they saw Hikaru, but they didn't say anything. Presea went up to them and said, "C'mon you two! We've got to help Hikaru get ready! Maybe you can give ideas on how the dress should look to help Caldina out."

The two girls nodded as they followed Presea to the side of the room.

"Hmmm… I think a white dress would look lovely on Hikaru-chan," Fuu started.

"That's not a bad idea! It should be white… with intricate red patterns around it!" Presea continued excitedly.

"Should it have sleeves, do you think Fuu?" Umi asked.

"Why not? How about until her elbows?" Fuu answered.

"Yeah, that would be good. Then the dress could be until her ankles I guess?" Umi said.

"Nah, how about there will be a part of the dress until her knees, then there'll be this translucent layer until her ankles?" Presea suggested.

"Why not? How do you want it to come out? Should it be frilly, with bows, or a nice smooth one?" Umi asked.

"I would prefer a smooth one, but that is only my opinion. Which would you prefer Presea-san?" Fuu replied.

"I agree, I think a smooth one would be best. It would suit Hikaru-chan's personality more," Presea answered.

"And it would show off little Hika-chan's wonderful shape!" Caldina butted in.

The four of them laughed a bit at this comment before Umi continued thoughtfully, "Should there be a veil you think?"

"Hmm, that is a good question Umi-chan," Fuu said thinking hard.

Presea blurted out, "I think there should! I mean, wouldn't it add to the wonderful effect once her veil is lifted in the end?"

"I guess, but…" Umi continued.

"I want a veil."

This comment came so unexpectedly. Everyone turned to Hikaru who was the one who spoke.

She simply looked at them before repeating, "I want a veil."

It took them a moment to fully comprehend what Hikaru said before they began to discuss how the veil should look.

Hikaru was watching them as they discussed her appearance. She said she wanted a veil, but it wasn't for the effect at the end as Presea said though.

'I want a veil so if I cry, no one will notice,' Hikaru thought sadly.

Finally, the design for the dress was finished. The four girls showed Hikaru the rough sketch, and when Hikaru saw it, she was amazed.

"But, but that's so beautiful! I couldn't possibly wear anything like it!" Hikaru exclaimed.

"Nonesense Hika-chan! Of course you can! With my help, this is way possible!" Caldina said with a wide grin as she began to dance around Hikaru.

Colorful lights started to appear around Hikaru. They seemed to follow Caldina in a dance as they began to circle her. After a while, the lights seemed to have grown in size, and a flash erupted, blinding everyone momentarily.

When the light dimmed, Hikaru was dressed in a beautiful off-shoulder white gown that flowed until a little bit past her knees. There was a translucent layer that went from past her knees until just above her ankles, and the sleeves were of a translucent material as well. The sleeves just flowed until her elbows and there was a slit on the side. There were intricate gold and red patterns just above the translucent part at the bottom of the skirt. The patterns made it look like a fire was burning on her. She also had on a choker of white flowers around her neck. The veil on her head looked like a crown of pinkish flowers with a pale translucent white material covering her face and trailing along her back. Her shoes were white as well, with small heels and a rounded tip. She looked like a goddess.

The other four girls stood back to admire her. Their mouths were agape at Hikaru's beauty.

"Hikaru-chan, you look… you look beautiful!" Umi said in awe.

Hikaru blushed at her compliment, "Iie, not really Umi-chan. I'm sure you'd look beautiful if you wore a dress like this too."

"Iie, Hikaru-chan, your beauty is incomparable," Fuu said.

Hikaru blushed even more. She suddenly remembered something, "Ne, Fuu-chan, Umi-chan? Will you be my bridesmaids?"

Fuu and Umi looked at her surprised. "Mochiron (of course)! We almost thought you'd forget about us, Hikaru-chan!" Umi said delightedly.

Caldina was almost just as delighted to find out she'd get to make dresses for the other two Magic Knights as well.

"Well, well, I can't wait to think up of your dresses too Umi-san, Fuu-san!" Presea said.

They all shared a laugh as they once again began to think up of the perfect dresses for Umi and Fuu. In the end, after Caldina had performed her magic, Umi was wearing a sleeveless white gown with a high neck that cascaded to her ankles. There were some ruffles at the end and the entire dress was lined with beautiful blue patterns that looked like waves crashing on a shore. There was a pale blue sash tied around her waist and her shoes were similar to Hikaru's only it had streaks of blue. Fuu's dress, on the other hand, had long sleeves that clung to her arms and it ended around two inches above her knees. There were also ruffles at the end of the dress and it was designed with little green leaves that looked as if they were being blown about. A pale green sash was also tied around her waist, and her shoes were similar to Hikaru's and Umi's. Both girls looked beautiful as well.

The three Magic Knights stood admiring each other for a while. They each knew that things would be different after Hikaru marries Eagle. Tears sprung to their eyes before they all hugged. Caldina and Presea watched the girls with hints of sad smiles on their faces. It was quite hard to imagine the girls would be separated from each other.

After their hug, the three Magic Knights changed back into their casual attire, and everyone left Hikaru's room. Umi said she'd head to the kitchen to bake Hikaru's wedding cake. Fuu followed her, saying she would help. Presea and Caldina said they'd set the decorations in the main hall for the reception after the wedding. Hikaru smiled at all of them as she left to walk around.

When Presea and Caldina got to the main hall, the boys were already setting up decorations. The two girls immediately went to help, giving suggestions on how the decorations should look and where they should go, and the main motiff for the whole thing. The ceremony itself would be held in the garden with the fountain. The boys had already decorated the place with white streamers, pedestals and flowers.

Eagle had left the room as soon as the two girls came in. He asked them where Hikaru was before leaving. He walked towards her room, hoping to find her there, but he was disappointed. He tried the garden, but he couldn't find her there. He checked the kitchen, but only Fuu and Umi were there, and when he asked, they had no idea where Hikaru had gone after they left her room. He suddenly thought of Lightning and he hurried to Lantis' room. When he got there, the room was still dark and didn't look to be disturbed. He approached the wall to where the door had appeared before, but when he placed his hand on it, he only hit a solid wall. He left, disappointed at not finding Hikaru. He decided though to leave her alone for once. He went instead to continue to help with the preparations.

In the meantime, Hikaru had gone to the garden. When Eagle passed by, he didn't notice her for she sat on one of the branches of the tree there, hidden from view. It was the same branch she sat on while she was reading "Phoenix's Smile". She just sat in the cover of the leaves, not noticing her surroundings. She was deep in thought.

'What am I going to do? I'm going to marry Eagle-kun tomorrow. If I don't… Lightning might be hurt. What will happen to me after though? I'm going to have to live in Autozam. Will he allow me to even come back to Cephiro? How about Umi and Fuu? Will I see them again?' Hikaru was lost in her troubles.

Finally, the sun began to set and the night started to settle in. Hikaru only realized the time when the light above her faded away. She cautiously climbed down from her perch before heading back inside the castle to the dining room.

When Hikaru entered the dining room, everyone was already seated. She sat beside Eagle like she did during breakfast. As they ate, they were discussing the wedding for tomorrow. They had done a wonderful job that day. Everything was well-prepared for the celebration tomorrow. All the decorations were finished, the dresses were done, the cake was finished as well, and they had even invited their friends from Chizeta and Fahren to join the 'festivities'. It looked as if everything would be perfect for tomorrow.

As dinner ended, everyone went to bed early in order to get a good night's rest for the big day. They also needed the rest to recover from the strenuous work they had just endured after setting up what should have been at least a week's worth of work in a day. Even Eagle slept soundly that night.

A pair of ruby red eyes, however, refused to close. Despite the weariness on her body, Hikaru couldn't seem to get to sleep. Perhaps it was the nervousness for tomorrow's events or the fear of the life after tomorrow, but whatever the case, she couldn't sleep.

Hikaru decided to get up since it didn't seem to do any use lying around anyway. She quickly changed into a pair of short shorts and a plain t-shirt. Her hair was in her usual braid and she didn't bother to put on any shoes on her feet. She simply slipped out of her room and made her way to Lantis' room.

As she walked through the dark corridors, she tried her best to push her thoughts away from her upcoming marriage. She thought of all the fun times she had with Umi and Fuu. She recalled how she met each and every one of her friends in Cephiro. She even thought of all her battles and adventures as a Magic Knight. She sighed softly as she finally reached Lantis' room. She entered slowly and went to the wall where a door opened as soon as she came close enough. She took a step into the secret garden and went towards the tree to Lightning.

She saw Lightning lying by the base of the tree. She ran up to him and took a seat next to his head. He looked up at her, startled to see her there at that hour.

'Hikaru, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be asleep at this time?'

"I couldn't sleep," she answered, "How are you feeling? Does your body still hurt from this morning?"

'No, I am fine now Hikaru,' Lightning replied.

Hikaru nodded, but didn't say anything more. As the night drew on, the two simply sat in comfortable silence. Lightning moved his head to rest on Hikaru's lap sometime in the night. The stillness of the night and the cool breeze, however, did nothing to ease Hikaru's tension and troubles. Hikaru had so many questions she wanted to ask, so many things she wanted to say, so many problems she wish she could tell Lightning, but instead she kept quiet. She chose to fight this battle alone.

Lightning sensed her uneasiness, but decided it would be best to let her solve her problem on her own. Still, as Lightning rested his head on her lap, he couldn't help feeling sorry for this girl who would be forced to marry someone without yet coming to a clear decision of what she wanted. He could feel her confusion even as she sat there silently. He let out a soft neigh, only hoping that she would be all right no matter what happened.

Soon, both Lightning and Hikaru drifted off to sleep. Perhaps in sleep, they would find even momentary peace.

Morning dawned way too early for Hikaru. She woke up to the first bright rays of sunshine to find that she was still with Lightning in the secret garden. Lightning had woken up at roughly the same time Hikaru did. He greeted her with a soft neigh and a nuzzle to her cheek to somehow calm her before the events that would take place later on that day. She smiled at this before standing up.

"I have to go Lightning," she said softly as tears came to her eyes, "This might be the last time I will ever see you. I… Thank you so much for all the stories Lightning. Thank you for everything. I will miss you very much."

Lightning stood up as well and came to her, nuzzling her softly, 'Do not worry Hikaru. I am certain we will meet again. Remember, do not give up hope. I pray you will be happy.'

Hikaru smiled before giving Lightning a hug, "Thank you so much."

As she let him go, more tears appeared in her eyes, but she smiled brightly at the horse before she waved goodbye and left the secret garden.

Lightning watched as she vanished from his sight before he neighed again, looking up at the sky, 'Lantis, how long will you wait? She might be gone if you don't come now. Hurry!'

Hikaru rushed to her room to change. She took a quick shower to freshen up before she got ready to put on her dress. Just as she finished putting it on, Umi, Fuu, Presea and Caldina entered her room.

"Ohayou Hikaru-chan!" Umi and Fuu said at the same time.

"Ohayou Umi-chan, Fuu-chan," Hikaru replied with a smile.

"Let's make ya beautiful Hika-darlin'!" Caldina grinned.

The four girls began to apply make up on Hikaru, fix her hair and smoothen her dress. They placed face powder on her face, they added a soft blush, a bit of eyeliner, and a touch of pink lip gloss. Her hair was left loose down her back and it was brushed carefully to smoothen it out. They also smoothened her dress so it was free of wrinkles. When they were through, Hikaru looked positively stunning.

"Hikaru-chan, you look even more beautiful than when you tried on the dress yesterday," Umi told her.

"Arigatou Umi-chan," Hikaru said with a blush.

The girls then prepared to leave the room for the ceremony was about to start. They each filed out and Hikaru was the last to leave. She took a glance around her room before sighing softly and finally shutting the door.

The girls headed to the garden at the center of the castle. The boys were already there. Clef would be the one to preside over the ceremony, Geo was Eagle's best man, and Zazu was in charge of the rings. All the men, with exception to Clef, were in tuxedos. Geo wore a black one while Eagle had on a white one.

Once the girls got there, Presea and Caldina immediately went inside and took a seat. Umi and Fuu were to come in before Hikaru. They started to walk slowly towards the fountain. Once they were around 3 steps away from Clef who was standing in front of the fountain, they took separate directions, Umi going to the left and Fuu heading to the right. When they got to their seats, Hikaru entered.

The veil covered Hikaru's face just like she wanted it to. She entered slowly with a small smile on her face. Her heart was pounding harshly against her chest. Her mind was swimming with all of her thoughts. She felt dizzy. She thought she couldn't breathe and couldn't even move, but her legs kept going forward, moving closer and closer to Eagle.

When she was just a few steps away from Eagle, she looked up at his face. He had a sort of smug smirk. It was as if he had won some prize. Her heart hurt and she didn't understand it. She was just a few more steps from Eagle. Suddenly, a single thought popped in her mind.

'I love Lantis.'

The thought made her heart stop for a split second as she stood still. Her eyes widened at this thought. She knew it was true. She had always known this truth; she simply tried to push it away because it hurt too much when Lantis had died. Now, though, the thought didn't make her heart hurt. It filled her with some unknown emotion. It was so overwhelming that a few tears came to her eyes. No one saw this though as her veil covered her face. Eagle, on the other hand, was approaching her already.

Hikaru made a split second decision before she tossed her veil aside, turned around, and ran. Everyone was shocked. Eagle was too surprised to move for a few seconds before he furiously took after her. Umi and Fuu stood up as well, not even thinking about the whole matter before going after the redhead.

Hikaru didn't care what Eagle would think or what anyone else would. She didn't love Eagle that way; she couldn't marry him. She continued to run, not sure exactly where she was going. Her feet seemed to know exactly where to go though as she entered Lantis' room and rushed into the secret garden.

Eagle was furious. He couldn't believe Hikaru had run. He chased after her, more aware than she was of where she was going. He knew she'd go to Lantis' room, 'Back to that stupid horse.'

Umi and Fuu didn't know where they were going. They simply followed after Eagle, intending to stop him if he ever tried to hurt Hikaru.

As Hikaru entered the garden, Eagle sped up and called out to her in an angry voice, "HIKARU! COME BACK HERE OR I WILL HURT THAT HORSE!"

Hikaru continued to run, but she glanced back when Eagle shouted out to her. Just as she turned, she collided with a dark body. She whispered an apology, thinking it was Lightning. As she lifted her head though, she gasped.

Eagle, Umi and Fuu had all entered the garden just as Hikaru gasped. They looked to see the reason for her gasp and their own eyes widened at the sight.

Hikaru whispered his name, "Lantis…"

Syv: MWAHAHAHA! I shall cut it off! It iz a vonderful cliffhanger, don't you agree? –grins evilly- But nah, I want to finish this already so I shall continue. Lucky people. :D

Lantis looked at Hikaru tenderly and smiled the smile which he reserved only for her, "Hikaru."

Hikaru couldn't stop the tears that came out of her eyes. Her surprise and joy at seeing Lantis overwhelmed her. Lantis smiled at her again as he softly brushed her tears away with his hand. She was trembling. Feeling his touch on her was too much. She could have collapsed if Lantis didn't sense it first and he picked her up bridal style.

Finally, Eagle spoke up. "Hello Lantis, it's so nice to see you again. I must tell you though, a lot has happened since you've been away. For starters, I should ask you to please put down my fiancee."

Lantis looked at him with an unreadable emotion in his eyes, but he didn't put Hikaru down.

Eagle gritted his teeth as he called out to Hikaru, "Hikaru! Remember, if you don't marry me, I WILL kill that horse."

Hikaru jolted a bit at this realization. She suddenly remembered what she thought before that Lantis expected her to make sure Lightning was safe. Despite the fact that she didn't really want to marry Eagle, she tried to push herself off of Lantis in an attempt to save Lightning; however, Lantis refused to let her go.

"Lantis, onegai, let me go! Lightning might die! Eagle will shock him to death! Onegai Lantis! Let me go!" hikaru cried.

Eagle grinned at him, "She's right, you know. If she doesn't marry me, I will kill your precious horse. I know how much that horse means to you. I can kill him with the touch of a button."

Lantis still didn't say anything, but he also didn't let Hikaru go. Hikaru cried out to him that it was all right for her to marry Eagle. She didn't want Lightning to die. Lantis wouldn't listen to her.

Eagle was so frustrated that he brought out the remote controlling the gadget he had placed on Lightning. He glared at Lantis before saying, "I really don't want to do this, but you leave me with no choice Lantis."

As he pressed the button, Hikaru screamed in anguish. Sobs racked her body and Lantis pulled her closer to him in an effort to comfort her.

Hikaru kept asking 'why', but Lantis still said nothing. Umi and Fuu looked on at the scene unfolding before them, their hearts in pain at seeing Hikaru like this. Eagle looked away for a moment as he felt a slight twinge of guilt.

Suddenly, Hikaru heard a soft neigh. She looked up quickly, startled by the sound. Apparently, she was the only one who had heard it, save for Lantis. Again, another neigh sounded, louder than the first one. Eagle, Umi and Fuu all looked towards Hikaru upon hearing the sound. Lantis gently placed her on her feet as she looked around. Behind the great tree, Lightning stepped out unharmed.

Hikaru was so happy, she ran towards him and hugged him as tears of joy and relief fell from her eyes. Lightning nuzzled her to calm her and reassure her that he was indeed all right.

"How?" Hikaru asked softly, "How are you still okay, Lightning? And how come Lantis is here?"

Lightning let out a soft neigh before explaining the story from the beginning. This time, he made his voice know to everyone in the garden so Eagle, Umi and Fuu could hear him as well.

'That time Lantis faded away, Hikaru, he really was about to die. He blocked the attack in order to save you and his life was fading away little by little the longer he stayed under that attack; however, just as he was about to die, when he only had one small spark of life left, Zagato-san and Emeraude-hime teleported him to this place between the living world and that of the dead. In this place, life energy is reused over and over again. There is a certain amount of energy in each person, some have more than others but everyone has some. When a person dies, their energy goes to this place to be used by another living person. The soul of a person has nothing to do with this energy which is why it remains even after the person dies. Lantis spent time in this place, recovering his lost energy and slowly regaining his health. If Zagato-san and Emeraude-hime hadn't brought him to this place, Lantis would have surely died even if he did manage to survive the attack. He had lost too much energy. As it was though, he was saved. He knew when he was being pulled away from this world to go to that place, which is why he told you he would be back. He knew he would be able to return after. Unfortunately, he lost so much energy that's why it took so long for him to come back. He isn't actually fully recovered yet even now. He only told me that he came back because he felt he was needed.'

As Lightning said this, he looked directly at Hikaru, who blushed under his gaze having some sort of idea on why Lantis came back.

'In any case, I am alive and well right now because Lantis has saved me once again. He was the one who removed that gadget from my body and crushed it. You have nothing to worry about Hikaru.'

Hikaru smiled at him and hugged him once more before looking up at Lantis. Throughout Lightning's story, Lantis didn't say a word nor did he look away from Eagle. Eagle, on the other hand, looked shocked yet angry at the same time.

The two former best friends just stood there staring at each other. Eagle glared at him while Lantis seemed calm and unaffected. Finally, Eagle pulled out his sword and charged at Lantis.

Lantis waited until Eagle was close enough before pulling out his own sword and blocking Eagle's attack. Eagle continued to slash at him, all the while shouting things at him.

"Did you know Hikaru and I kissed while you were gone, huh? She's a good kisser I must say," Eagle told him with a smirk as he brought down his sword on Lantis.

Lantis easily blocked this attack and jumped away, saying nothing of Eagle's confession. Eagle continued on, "We've had passionate times, you know. Her body has a great shape, did you know? It's beautiful."

Lantis still remained silent as Eagle continued to thrust at him.

"Do you really even love her Lantis? She loves me you know. You've been away for so long, she's forgotten all about you."

Eagle continued with his taunts as he slashed, parried, thrust and tried every possible way to attack Lantis. Lantis still didn't say anything and continued to dodge and block Eagle's attacks. Eagle was getting frustrated and his attacks were becoming more ferocious.

Hikaru was getting worried for both of them. She was afraid one of them might die. She turned from the battle for a moment to look helplessly at Umi and Fuu on the other side of the garden. They caught her gaze and understood her plea with their eyes. They nodded to her before telepathically calling on Clef and the others to come to where they were.

Reassured that Umi and Fuu got her message, Hikaru turned her attention back to the battle. Eagle continued to attack Lantis with both his sword and his words, but Lantis just calmly dodged and blocked his attacks.

As Eagle and Lantis continued to battle, the others entered the garden. They looked around, shocked that such a place existed and even more shocked upon seeing Lantis. Umi and Fuu explained to them what had happened to Lantis and what was going on now. They all stood by the sidelines, ready to help if they were needed, but otherwise out of the way of the two battling friends.

Eagle continued to taunt Lantis by saying things like Hikaru doesn't even love him. "Why do you keep fighting? It's not like Hikaru even loves you. She told me she loves me, no one else. She is mine, Lantis. You can't do anything about it. You've come too late. She doesn't love you, she told me so herself. You're fighting a hopeless case, Lantis."

No matter what Eagle said though, it didn't seem to be getting through to Lantis. He never gave up. Finally, he saw an opening, and in the span of a second, Eagle's sword had flown out of his hands and landed several feet away. Eagle looked at Lantis in surprise. He wasn't the only one surprised though. Everyone who was watching was in awe of what Lantis had done. They were watching the battle intently and saw Eagle constantly attacking Lantis when all of a sudden, Eagle was unarmed and Lantis was just standing there, still looking as calm as ever.

Eagle would have told Lantis to kill him, but before he could even say a word, Lantis had already turned and walked away. He sat there stunned for a moment before he brought out a gadget. It was a sort of laser gun which he pointed at Lantis' back. Since Lantis was facing everyone else, no one saw the gun Eagle held, except for Hikaru. Her eyes widened as she ran quickly towards Lantis. Just as Eagle shot the laser, Hikaru stood in between him and Lantis, taking the full blast of the attack.

Lantis spun around, shock evident on his face. Eagle too was shocked. Umi and Fuu couldn't stop themselves as they ran towards Hikaru. Hikaru turned around to face Lantis and said, "I was able to save you this time, Lantis," before she fell down.

Lantis caught her falling body before it even touched the ground. He cradled her against him as he brushed the bangs from her eyes.

"Hikaru," he said softly.

She opened her eyes as she heard her name and looked at him with a tender smile, "I missed you so much Lantis. Gomenasai, I didn't wait for you. I… I don't deserve to be with you. I'm so stupid."

Lantis looked at her and shook his head, "Iie, you aren't stupid. You don't have to be sorry either. You didn't do anything wrong."

Tears came to her eyes as she heard this, "You don't understand Lantis. Umi and Fuu have kept telling me to follow my heart, to do what I really want. Even Lightning told me not to give up, but I did. I gave up, I refused my heart's desires and I agreed to marry Eagle-kun. How can you say I did nothing wrong? I've done everything wrong!"

"Hikaru," Lantis said gently, "Tell me now then. What do you really want?"

Hikaru looked up at him as everyone had gathered around, even Eagle. She said in a loud and clear voice without any hesitation, "I want to live happily with everyone here in Cephiro. I want everyone to be happy and be at peace with one another. I want everyone to have someone to love who will love them back too. I want to love you, Lantis, with all of my heart, body, mind and soul, even though I already do."

Lantis gave her a soft smile before he kissed her. The others could only smile as they watched the two lovers. Fuu said a soft spell to heal Hikaru as well. When the two broke apart, Eagle came towards them. Hikaru and Lantis both looked up at him as he spoke.

"Gomenasai, Hikaru. I forced myself on you. I was selfish and I was harsh. I'm so sorry for everything I've done to hurt you. I know you probably can't forgive me, but I'm sorry anyway. I really am."

Hikaru smiled up at him, "Iie, Eagle-kun. It isn't all your fault. I'm sorry for leading you on. I… I do forgive you, and I love you too, but I love you as a friend and not the way you want me to. I was just so devastated when Lantis left and I wasn't thinking properly." Tears sprung to her eyes at this before she continued, "Honto ni gomenasai (I'm really sorry). Can we still be friends?"

Eagle gave a soft smile, "Mochiron (of course)."

During this entire exchange, Lantis continued to stare at Hikaru. It would've been a lie to say he wasn't mad in the least about her "betrayal", but he couldn't stay mad at her for very long. Perhaps he did feel a slight hurt, but Lightning told him quite a lot of her visits and their talks. He would much rather have been there personally, but hearing of how Hikaru eagerly listened to stories about him and how she even read his favorite book and learned his favorite song by heart, it gave him a warm feeling. Only Hikaru could make him feel this way.

After the exchange between Eagle and Hikaru, Caldina spoke up, "So does that mean the wedding is off?"

Everyone looked at each other in surprise. The wedding! They had totally forgotten about that!

Eagle looked at Lantis as he continued to stare at Hikaru's face, "I can't marry Hikaru. Lantis, why don't you?"

Everyone looked at Lantis, waiting for his answer. Even Hikaru stared up at him, wondering what he would say.

At first, he said nothing. He finally spoke up a few moments later and said, "Iie, perhaps another time maybe. I do not think that Hikaru nor I am ready to undergo such a big step. We will wait until the right time comes and we are ready."

Hikaru looked up at Lantis gratefully. 'Arigatou Lantis. You're right, I'm not ready yet, but I know that when the time comes and I will be ready, I will be ready to do it with you.'

Everyone agreed as they headed out of the secret garden to pack up all the decorations that was put up for the event. Despite the fact that no wedding took place, no one seemed to think the whole thing was a waste of time. After what took place in the secret garden, the only thing in their minds was food for thought about how love should be like – not forceful, not hasty, but rather, it should be something taken one step at a time and enjoyed fully.

When everyone else left the secret garden, Lantis and Hikaru took a seat under the tree with Lightning by their side. Hikaru was still cradled in Lantis' lap and her head rested against his chest.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Lantis whispered, "If I didn't come back, would you have married Eagle?"

Hikaru looked up at him, startled. She contemplated his question before answering with a sureness in her voice, "Iie. I realized something just before Eagle-kun reached me during the ceremony. I love you. I realized that even if I married Eagle-kun, I wouldn't be happy. You would have still been gone, and YOU are my happiness. Lightning told me not to give up, and I didn't plan to. As I ran here, I was thinking that if Eagle-kun did catch me or hurt Lightning, I wouldn't have married him anyway. I'd probably just kill myself, whether physically or emotionally. I made so many mistakes before that ceremony, but it was as if I learned something important at the end of it all. I seemed to have learned more from that short time I was running here than in all that time I spent with Eagle-kun." She paused a while before asking in a soft voice, "Are you mad at me?"

Lantis looked at her then. He didn't know anymore. After what she said, he didn't know what to think. A part of him kept saying that she would have still married Eagle if he didn't show up. Another part of him, on the other hand, believed her. He kept silent.

Hikaru was slowly dying with his silence. She knew he had every right to be mad at her. She betrayed him and his love. She went off and got herself betrothed to Eagle.

'What did you expect? For him to take you back without any qualms? Hah! Yeah right,' a voice in her head muttered back evilly to her.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she heard what her inner voice had said. It had a point. How could she expect him to not get mad? She was pained at this truth, but she wasn't mad at him at all. She was more mad at herself. How could she do such a thing in the first place? It was unforgivable!

She pushed herself off of Lantis so suddenly that Lantis was startled. He looked at her as she stood up and faced away from him.

"Gomenasai Lantis-kun," Lantis' eyes widened upon hearing the "-kun" at the end of his name, "What I did was unforgivable. I can understand that you're mad at me; I'm furious at myself. How could I have even thought for a moment to do something like this?"

Hikaru's tears began to fall. She let out a bitter smile upon thinking of her foolishness, "I can't possibly ask you to just suddenly love me after I did something like this. You probably don't believe me when I say I love you. How could you? After all, if I really loved you, I wouldn't have gone and almost married Eagle-kun. I'm so stupid."

She turned to him as the tears continued to stream down her face and the same bitter smile still in place, "Gomenasai Lantis-kun. I really do love you though." With that, she was about to turn around and run.

Lantis anticipated what she was about to do and he quickly grabbed her arm just before she ran. She screamed at him to let her go, but instead he pulled her to him and hugged her. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Why?" She whispered softly, "Why won't you let me go? I'm worthless and stupid! Please, let me go!"

Tears still streamed down her face as sobs began to rack her body, but Lantis didn't let her go. He continued to hug her, not saying anything. After a while, Hikaru's sobs began to lessen, and Lantis still didn't release her nor say anything. Once Hikaru calmed down, Lantis finally moved – only to take them back to their first position of her sitting on his lap while he leaned against the tree.

"You are right," Hikaru looked up, startled, as Lantis began to speak, "I do feel a tiny hint of anger perhaps, but I won't just let you go. Despite all the mistakes you have made, you are still you. You are still the girl I fell in love with and the girl I will always love. Even if you did marry Eagle, I would never stop loving you. Even if you made a hundred, a thousand, or even an infinite number of mistakes, I wouldn't stop loving you. You are human, as am I, and we all make mistakes, am I correct? I guess, for a brief moment, I had forgotten that. Still, if I let you go now, I would never forgive myself. I love you, Hikaru, and I believe you."

Hikaru kept shaking her head, "No, no, no… I'm not worthy, I'm stupid, no matter how many mistakes I make, I shouldn't have done that! I'm a horrible person. You can't possibly still love me. I'm nothing. I…"

Before she could continue, Lantis silenced her with a kiss. She tried to fight him off, but after several futile attempts, she gave in to her desire and kissed him back as a single tear rolled down her face. When Lantis broke away, he cupped her face in his hand and wiped away any trace of her tears. She stopped his hand though, and placed it on her cheek as she leaned her head against it, all the while still looking at him.

"Do you really mean it? Do you really love me, Lantis-kun?"

He flinched on hearing the "-kun" at the end of his name. He bent down and kissed her softly before saying, "Don't use '-kun', and yes, I do love you Hikaru."

She smiled at him, "Arigatou and… Aishiteru Lantis."

He smiled back at her as he bent down for another kiss which she eagerly responded to this time.

Lightning was watching them the entire time. He smiled softly in that horse way of his before looking up at the sky as if talking to Zagato, Emeraude and Lantis' mom, 'They are finally together.'

A breeze passed them, blowing through Lightning's mane and Hikaru's and Lantis' hair. It seemed to smile at them and whisper, "Ah (yeah), their journey together has finally begun."

OWARI (THE END)

Syv: Can you believe it's finally over? I'd read this again just to make sure there aren't any errors or anything, but I'm too lazy right now. :P Haha, it's finished! This is my first time to finish a multi-chaptered fic! The ending wasn't really what I originally planned, but I hope it's okay nonetheless. Thanks so much to everyone for taking the time to read my first ever MKR fic. I hope you enjoyed it! I'm sorry to all those who aren't really satisfied with the ending. It actually became kinda cliché-ish and corny. –sigh- I honestly am not as proud of the ending myself. Oh well… I guess there's always a next time. Thanks again to everyone for reading! See you all around!