For several minutes Hikaru ran aimlessly all over the
school grounds earning her curious stares from her
schoolmates. She noticed during all the time she was running
that the pendant had actually stopped tingling. That was
good news but she wasn't about to take any chances.

  Finally she found the perfect place. Behind their rather
large gymnasium was an empty area. It was exactly what she
was looking for: a large, spacious area with no people
around. She planted her right hand on the side of the
gymnasium wall and leaned on it. She took the pendant out
from her uniform with her left hand and gazed down at it.
Nothing. Whatever it was that caused it to give her that
tingling sensation must have truly gone now. But what caused
it?

  No sooner had the question formed in her mind did the
pendant not only tingle in her hand but also begin to
faintly glow at first. Hikaru's large sienna brown eyes
widened in alarm. She straightened, pulling her hand from
the wall. She cradled the pendant with both her hands,
intently gazing into it, bracing herself for something else
that might happen. The glow coming from the pendant's
reflective surface began to increase in intensity gradually
until continually looking at it began to hurt the eyes.

  It was when Hikaru finally tore her eyes from the glowing
object in her hands did she notice tiny motes of light
dancing in the air. She tracked some of them with her eyes
and noticed that they seemed to be pulled in a central point
in space. Slowly she watched as the motes collected in front
of her, building rapidly, coalescing into a ball of light.

  *So*, Hikaru thought, *it's a portal*. She knew that blasting
the growing ball with her fire spell would most likely stop
the portal from forming. But her curiosity got the better of
her. She released the pendant, leaving it to hang from her
neck. The pendant was already glowing intensely, almost
matching the brightness of the portal. She realized that the
portal was not forming as quickly as she was expecting it
would. The portals she cast were usually there almost
instantaneously from the moment she willed it. It was clear
to her that whoever was creating the portal was using the
power of the pendant.

  The Fire Knight took a few steps backwards. If whoever
comes through was hostile, she will have the time and space
to summon her sword and deal with the threat. After a few
more seconds, the ball of light flashed brightly. Hikaru had
known to expect this and was therefore not blinded by it,
having shielded her eyes with an arm at just the exact
moment. By the time she dropped her arm the portal had
already fully formed.

  *How is this possible?* Hikaru asked herself. Only a Pillar
could create portals. She looked down at the pendant. It was
still glowing. She looked up once more. She decided it was
best to be ready. With a silent command, she summoned her
sword. In a burst of fire and energy, her magic fire sword
appeared in her right hand. She quickly drew it up in front
of her, grasping it in a two-handed grip. She was ready.

  The churning liquid center of the portal began to ripple.
Someone was coming through. Hikaru gripped her sword more
tightly, bending her knees in preparation. An image of black
suddenly burst out of the portal. Even in her prepared
state, she was startled and out of reflex began to swing her
sword. She was further surprised when the cold steel of her
broad sword clanged against another sword, one that was
glowing.

  She recognized that sword! Drawing back and looking down,
she first noticed the black boots. Her eyes slowly traced
upwards noting the swirling black cape, the gray-black armor
and finally the face.

  "Lantis!" Her cry and accompanying expression contained
surprise, pleasure and then anger in a span of a heartbeat.
The portal behind the magic swordsman dissipated almost
immediately after he stepped out of it. The pendant that
swung against the Fire Knight's chest stopped glowing as
well.

  "Hello Princess," Lantis said softly. He slowly put away
his magic sword. He noted though that Hikaru still gripped
hers in her hand. "Shouldn't you be putting away that sword
of yours as well, Princess?"

  Hikaru's eyes narrowed and raised her sword, planting its
bejeweled golden tip on the swordsman's chest armor. "Just
what do you think you're doing crossing over to Earth?"

  "It is my duty to protect the Pillar of Cephiro," Lantis
said simply.

  "Well, I don't *need* your protection." Hikaru raised her
left hand away from her. A portal flashed and formed
instantaneously. "Go back to Cephiro now," she said firmly.

  Lantis turned to glance briefly at the portal. "No," he
said, returning his gaze to the redhead who seemed to be
getting angrier by the second.

  Hikaru was shocked by Lantis' refusal. *He wouldn't dare*,
she thought darkly. "What do you mean 'no'? You cannot stay
*here*!"

  Instead of responding, Lantis took a step sideways and
began walking past her. Hikaru's eyes widened, seeming to
pop out of their sockets upon realizing the extent of what
Lantis was doing. She dismissed her sword and ran in front
of the walking swordsman. When she got past him, she whirled
and planted two hands on his abdomen and pushed hard,
effectively stopping him.

  "You cannot be walking around in my school! Lantis!" She
was looking hard at his eyes but his eyes were not looking
down at hers. Instead they shone with curiosity at his new
surroundings. He's actually *enjoying himself!*

  "So, this is your school."

  "Yes it is," she hissed. "Some of my schoolmates will see
you!"

  "So? What's wrong with that?"

  "This is an all-girls' school, for crying out loud!"

  "An all-girls' school? You mean there are no men here at
all?"

  Hikaru began to push harder, succeeding only in getting
Lantis to take one step backward. "Some of my teachers are
men. Other than that, no men are allowed here. Please
Lantis!" She pleaded as she continued her efforts to push
him back behind the gym, getting increasingly agitated by
her lack of success.

  "In that case," Lantis said in that infuriatingly calm
and reasonable voice, "wouldn't you think it prudent that we
leave the school grounds immediately?"

  "No way! Take a look at yourself, Lantis. You're wearing
some weird costume and a black cape. How am I going to
explain who you are? Furthermore, I still have classes. I
can't just leave."

  The magic swordsman finally looked down at the Fire
Knight. He took both of her hands into each of his own
causing the redhead to cast her eyes upwards in surprise.
"Hikaru..." Lantis whispered her name caressingly, gazing
deeply into her sienna brown eyes.

  Hikaru felt incredibly uncomfortable under his gaze but
for some reason she couldn't tear her eyes away. The feel of
his hands, completely engulfing hers was adding to her
discomfort. The emotions and confusion she had been
repressing were threatening to make themselves known. Lantis
was so handsome and she realized that she missed him. She
just wasn't sure whether a real relationship with him was
something she was ready to explore. There were already so
much that she had to adjust to. The idea of being a Magic
Knight with actual magical powers was something she was just
getting used to when she all of a sudden became the Pillar
as well.

  Sighing deeply, Hikaru decided to succumb to the feelings
that were already swelling in her. She stepped closer to the
tall magic swordsman; she released her hands from his grasp
and wrapped her arms around his waist. She laid her face
against his chest and hugged him to her. "Oh Lantis...I'm
sorry for pushing you away. I'm just...confused I guess."

  Lantis was surprised by Hikaru's sudden show of
affection. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, stroking
her hair gently. "It's okay, Princess. I'm here to help you.
It is my job to protect the Pillar of Cephiro."

  "But..."

  Lantis silenced her by putting a finger on her lips.
"Please understand that although you can probably defend
yourself against direct attacks, there are several possible
indirect attacks that you will not able to defend against
without some help."

  "Indirect attacks?" Hikaru looked up questioningly.

  "Yes, attacks to your brothers and friends."

  "Oh," she lowered her head, her brows furrowed in
thought. "My brothers were talking about that very same
thing. Oh, Lantis, you know why I don't like you to get
involved, don't you?" She gazed upwards once more.

  Lantis nodded somberly. "I know. You're worried that what
happened with Nova might happen again. I cannot guarantee
that it won't happen. What you have to do, Princess, is to
distance yourself. It's not easy but you must do it. We are
about to fight a war here and you cannot be distracted."

  Hikaru sighed once more and cast her eyes downwards
without lowering her head. "I understand what you're saying,
Lantis. Everytime I remember that battle with Nova, I...it
just...I don't know. I can remember being frightened that I
might lose you and frustrated by that helpless feeling I
had...of not being able to do anything. If wasn't for Eagle..."
A tear began to roll down her cheek.

  "Shhh..." Lantis soothed, wiping the tear with a finger. "I
know. Listen," he tilted her face upwards with a finger
under her chin so he could gaze deeply into her eyes. "You
must learn to trust. I survived because I was able to free
myself from Nova's bond. I was the one that told Eagle how
to weaken Nova's hold on me. I can take care of myself,
Hikaru. After all," he said with a smile, "I've been a
warrior much longer than you."

  Hikaru's face softened. She nodded slightly. "Okay,
Lantis, I trust you."

  Lantis' smile broadened. Their eyes held, locked in a
mesmerizing gaze. The swordsman's eyes wandered from her
eyes to her pert little nose to her beckoning lips.

  Hikaru saw where Lantis was looking and she knew what was
about to happen. True enough, Lantis' lips began its slow
descent on hers. Instinctively she tilted her head upwards,
wanting, needing the kiss. It was going to be her first
(unless she counted the one that Nova gave him). Part of her
was afraid but before that part raised any strong
objections, she felt the swordsman's lips on hers. She
surrendered herself to the sensations. It was different from
anything she had experienced.

  As if having a will of their own, her arms snaked upwards
to encircle Lantis' neck. Even though he had bent
considerably to make the kiss comfortable, she had to stand
on her toes to reach that far upwards. She parted her lips
slightly. This seemed to encourage him as he wrapped his
arms around her tiny waist, lifting and crushing her to him,
deepening the kiss leaving Hikaru even more breathless.

  Lantis was the first to pull away. The kiss had also
affected him deeply. He opened his eyes to find Hikaru's
face still very close to his, her lithe body pressed close
to him. He gazed deeply into the Pillar's eyes, which seemed
to have changed color from sienna brown to deep burgundy. He
could get lost in those pools of light. For several seconds
they stared into each other's eyes. Finally, Hikaru let go
of his neck but she was still looking up at him. He noticed
for the first time as he lowered her gently that she was
blushing. This brought a soft smile to his face. The Fire
Knight reacted by tilting her head sideways slightly with a
quizzical expression on her face.

  "What's so funny?"

  The smile on Lantis' face widened. "Nothing. It's just
that blushing becomes you."

  Hikaru returned the smile and cast her eyes downwards
slightly then punched him lightly on the arm. Gazing upwards
once more, she asked, "So, how different was kissing Nova
from me?"

  Lantis furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, Nova and I are one person. You've kissed Nova. How
different was it from kissing me?"

  "A whole lot different. First of all, Nova kissed me
without my consent. This time, I really wanted to kiss you."

  "Is that all?" Hikaru asked, a hint of disappointment in
her voice.

  The magic swordsman mentally rolled his eyes. *Women!* He
said, "Not at all, Princess. Kissing you is probably the
best experience I've ever had."

  "Really?" Hikaru smiled, pleased. She cast her eyes
downwards once more, all of a sudden feeling shy.

  "Yes, really," Lantis said seriously as he brushed her
cheek with a finger. "What do we do now?"

  This made the Pillar frown a bit. "Well, I guess I should
get you out of here. Although that will be a bit difficult
since my teachers are going to look for me, not to mention
my school bus." Her brows furrowed even more as she thought
of a solution to her plight. "I know!" She suddenly
exclaimed. "We can call one of my brothers to pick me up.
Kakeru will be on his way home soon from the academy.
Perhaps he could pass by, make up an excuse to take me home
and then we can all be on our way."

  "It sounds like a good idea. How are you going to call
him?"

  "Easy," she said, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she
pulled out a small rectangular object, "haven't you heard of
a cell phone?"
                              
                          * * * * *
  
  Hashimoto walked into the police precinct and instantly
felt all eyes on him. Was he just being paranoid or did the
whole precinct know of his meeting this morning? With jaws
clenched he strode purposefully towards his superior,
Hirota, who was leaning against a desk, arms crossed on his
chest. He noted that the American agent Jenkins was standing
beside him.

  "So?" Hirota asked as Hashimoto neared him.

  Hashimoto glanced at Hirota and Jenkins and took a deep
breath. "He bought it," he said as he pulled out a tape
recorder and thrust it in front of the two. Hirota and
Jenkins exchanged glances before turning back the junior
detective.

  "Very well," Hirota said, "play it."
                              
                          * * * * *
  
  "...reducing our security to about two officers per girl,
two days from now," Hashimoto's voice on the tape recorder
said. Jenkins noted that the recording was very clear,
clearer in fact than the quality he was used to working with
at the FBI. Trust the Japanese to come up with a more
innovative recording system.
   
   "I see," the voice of Tanaka finally said after a few
moment's pause, "why would you be doing this?"

  "Because the department could not keep up that kind of
security and surveillance for very long."

  "That makes sense. I'm surprised you were able to do it at
all."

  "We have some help."

  "The Americans you mean."

  "You could say that."

  Another pause. Jenkins could imagine that Tanaka was
taking time to consider all the information he had gotten.
He wasn't sure whether Hashimoto was convincing enough. It
would have helped if Jenkins saw the detective's facial
expression and body language.

  "Very well," Tanaka's voice said, "thank you for the
information detective." The voice seemed to be smiling.
Jenkins wasn't sure whether or not some sort of hand signal
accompanied that last recording.

  Hashimoto pressed the Stop button on the tape recorder.

  Hirota had been listening somberly during the entire
recording. He turned to look Jenkins. "What do you think?"

  Jenkins held his chin between his forefinger and thumb
casting his eyes down as he replayed the conversation in his
mind. He was trying to recall nuances in the voice of
Tanaka, trying to search for clues as to what he was
actually thinking. It actually flattered him that Hirota
asked his opinion. After all, he was a *gaijin*. Finally he
looked up and glanced at Hirota. His brows furrowed
slightly. He had to phrase what he was going to say
carefully so as not to offend Hashimoto. "Tanaka has some
reservations."

  "You think so?" Hirota asked.

  "I can't put a finger on it but yes, I'm pretty certain
he isn't buying everything," Jenkins glanced at Hashimoto
trying to gauge his reaction.

  "Well, we have to assume that Tanaka is very astute and
he won't let his guard down just like that. He is, after
all, the most successful Yakuza leader we have in Tokyo, if
all accounts are to be believed, that is," Hirota remarked
also watching Hashimoto's expression.

  "Perhaps we should play the tape again," Jenkins
suggested.

  Hashimoto glanced from his superior to the American
agent. He wasn't sure what the American heard in the tape
that caused him to give that assessment. Perhaps it would
indeed be good to listen to the recording again. "Very
well," he said as he looked down and thumbed the Rewind
button.
                              
                          * * * * *
  
  Joan Rumsen sat alertly beside Bill Winters at the police
station. *Something was up*, she thought, noticing the two
Japanese cops who they were with all the time, Hirota and
Hashimoto. They weren't speaking rapidly or excitedly but
Rumsen could sense that there was an air of...urgency in their
body language. Jenkins, the FBI agent they met at the
airport, had a serious expression on his face as he listened
intently to the exchange.

  The conversation paused as they played the tape recorder
once again. Naturally, the voices were also speaking in
Japanese, although she recognized one of the voices belonged
to Hashimoto.

  "Something seems to be happening, finally," Winters
remarked dryly. He too had been bored out of his wits just
waiting around for something to happen. He didn't realize
police work was so boring. Considering that the high point
of his day consisted of adding notations to star maps, that
was truly saying something.

  "You noticed it too huh?" Rumsen responded without
glancing at her companion. She stared hard at the back of
Jenkins' head willing him to look at her so she could ask
him what was going on. She'd learned from the first day she
arrived that asking or talking out of turn was deemed as
impolite and disrespectful. *C'mon Jenkins*, she thought hard,
*look at me*!

  Finally, as if reading Rumsen's mind, Jenkins turned and
caught her looking at him. Rumsen raised her eyebrows and
waved her hands palms up as if to ask, "what's up?" Jenkins
merely nodded, raising a hand up indicating that she should
wait a bit. He then turned his attention back to the tape
recorder.

  "Damn," Rumsen muttered, looking away.

  "You gotta be patient, Joan," Winters said placatingly,
"they'll come around to telling us soon enough."

  Rumsen turned to look at her companion as if seeing him
for the first time. "How can you just sit there and act
so...so calmly?"

  Winters glanced briefly at Rumsen and shrugged
nonchalantly. "I've long since given up worrying about
things that I have no control over."

  Rumsen glanced up at the ceiling, shaking her head.
Finally, she noticed that there was a break in the
conversation. She looked up expectantly and was gratified to
see Jenkins walking over to her. "So?" She asked
impatiently.

  "We have reason to believe that the Yakuza are going to
attack the girls again," he said stuffing his hands in his
pockets.

  "What are we going to do about it?"

  Jenkins raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing the
"we" word from the astrophysicist. "There is no 'we', Miss
Rumsen," he replied tersely. "I will have both you and Mr.
Winters escorted back to your hotel."

  "You can't do that!" Rumsen protested, jumping to her
feet.

  "I can and I have," the agent countered firmly.

  Rumsen cast a disbelieving glance at her companion before
returning it to the FBI agent. "Well, what about when the
Yakuza attacks? We came here for the very purpose of
witnessing the capabilities of these girls. How the hell do
you think we can do that if you'll just keep us in our
rooms?"

  Jenkins sighed. "It's out of my hands," he said,
spreading his hands palm up, pleading for their
understanding.

  "I can't believe this," the astrophysicist said, shaking
her head. She turned to her companion but only got a shrug
in return. "You're no help at all, Bill," she muttered under
her breath. Well, she thought, there was no way she was
sitting this one out. She was confident that she would be
able to find a way to the girls one way or the other.
                              
                          * * * * *


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