Hikaru let out an inaudible sigh of relief as they
approached their gate. Getting here had been extremely
stressful. She would prefer battling monsters on Cephiro
than to have to endure the palpable tension between her
older brother Kakeru and Lantis.

  Kakeru had complained loudly upon seeing Lantis. The Fire
Knight could clearly recall the expression on her brother's
face when he laid eyes on the magic swordsman, especially
the way he was dressed (which was another thing she had to
endure during the entire trip home). She had to explain
rapidly who Lantis was, where he was from, how he got here,
and why he was here in the first place.

  To further exacerbate the situation, she didn't realize
that she had been standing too close to Lantis during their
first leg of their trip back home. Kakeru, who had always
been a keen observer had noticed this immediately and made a
big deal out of it. The insinuations her older brother was
making made her blush furiously and for the first time she
could remember she felt anger towards Kakeru.

  To his credit, Lantis took all of this stoically. Hikaru
knew that even though the magic swordsman didn't understand
a word of what they were saying, he could deduce the reasons
for her older brother's aggression.

  Just before Kakeru pressed the doorbell, he gave Hikaru a
glance as if to say, "I'm watching you", and another
poisonous one to Lantis that telegraphed the message: "don't
even think about it, bud." Hikaru glanced surreptitiously at
the magic swordsman. His face was a mask of aloofness, as if
everything that had happened thus far had not affected him
in the least. This was definitely not the way she imagined
her brothers would meet her...her...oh well, boyfriend.

  To her ever-increasing dismay, it was Masaru that opened
the gate. Not another brother who would recklessly take
everything out of context. At least if it were Satoru as she
was hoping, he would endeavor to understand.

  It took a few seconds for Hikaru's second brother to take
in the sight of the three before focusing his attention and
subsequent suspicion on the tall black-clad weirdo standing,
in his opinion, too close to Hikaru.

  Hikaru immediately stepped forward, interspersing herself
between Lantis and her brother. "Um, hi Masaru! This is my
friend, Lantis, from Cephiro." She turned to Lantis and
introduced her second brother in Cephirean. Her use of a
different language evoked a stunned expression on both
brothers, even on Kakeru who had already heard her speak it
when he picked her up from school.

  Lantis stepped forward, as he had done when she
introduced him to Kakeru, and bowed. "It is a great honor to
meet the Pillar's brother."

  Masaru's brows furrowed and turned to Hikaru.

  "He says that it is a great honor to meet you," Hikaru
said, her expression clearly showing that she was expecting
the worse.

  Masaru's expression softened somewhat and bowed as well.
"Please tell him that the house of Shidou welcomes him to
Tokyo." Hikaru dutifully translated. Lantis smiled amiably
and nodded gratefully. Masaru stepped back to let them all
in.

  Hikaru smiled in relief but it died as she noted that
Kakeru still had a scowl on his face. She quickly led Lantis
through the gate.

  "Umi and Fuu and their families are already waiting in
the living room, Hikaru," Masaru said as Hikaru and Lantis
walked past.

  "Okay," Hikaru responded flatly. She had a feeling it was
going to be a long meeting.  She walked purposefully and
briskly towards the house. Lantis followed wordlessly
alongside her, matching her stride for stride.

  Kakeru hung back. It was obvious that he was going to
tell Masaru about how she behaved with Lantis. As if she did
anything wrong. So she was standing a wee bit closer to
Lantis. What of it? She glanced over her shoulder and
couldn't help but throwing Kakeru an angry glance.

  Kakeru didn't notice the glance directed at him as his
head was slightly bent talking to Masaru in a low voice.
Masaru's expression turned from wide-eyed surprise to a
threatening frown in a space of a few seconds.

  "Are you sure?" Masaru asked.

  "Well," Kakeru vacillated, "I'm not *entirely* sure. But
I'm telling you Masaru, that guy is in love with our little
Hikaru."

  Masaru eyed Lantis and Hikaru walking ahead of them and
adopted a displeased expression as well. "Well, we'll just
have to see about that."

  Hikaru took off her shoes upon reaching the foyer and
continued walking. Only belatedly did she realize that
Lantis was no longer by her side. She turned back and saw
Lantis just standing there looking down alternately at her
shoes and at his boots.

  Lantis looked up at Hikaru and asked, "Should I be taking
off my boots as well?"

  Hikaru cast her eyes beyond Lantis' shoulder and spied
her brothers watching the both of them, their arms crossed
across their chests and feet tapping the ground impatiently.
She glanced back at Lantis and found him watching her
intently.

  "Your brothers don't seem to like me."

  Hikaru nodded but forced a bright smile. "Please don't
worry about it, Lantis. They're just being protective."

  "Is that what it is?"

  "Yes, of course," she replied quickly.

  "Very well. Should I take off my boots?"

  "Yes, please," Hikaru said in an almost embarrassed tone.
"I'm really sorry for the inconvenience."

  "Think nothing of it. It is custom after all." Lantis
bent down and began pulling his boots off. As soon as that
task was done, he straightened and stepped onto the smooth
wooden floor of the foyer. "I'm ready."

  "Right." Hikaru turned and began walking again. She slid
open the door to the living room to find the Hououjis and
the Ryuuzakis kneeling all around the table sipping tea and
apparently deep in discussion.

  It was Fuu and Umi that first noticed their leader.
"Hikaru!" They chorused, jumping to their feet to hug her.
It was when they started to pull back from the hug did they
notice the figure standing behind Hikaru.

  "Lantis?" Umi asked, a look of incredulity on her face.

  "Sir Lantis, is that really you?" Fuu's hand was on her
cheek as she took a step back.

  Lantis smiled gently. "Yes, it's me."

  "But how--?" Umi asked but stopped, the words lost on her
lips.

  "It's a long story," Hikaru said hastily, leading Lantis
to the center of the living room so that everyone could see
him. Hikaru stood beside him as she turned to address the
people surrounding the table who were already looking up
expectantly. "Everybody, this is our friend from Cephiro.
His name is--" Hikaru stopped as she noticed a smiling face
looking up at her that she didn't readily recognize. "M-
Malor?"

  Malor stood and slowly approached Hikaru. He knelt on one
knee and said, "Princess Hikaru, it is truly a great honor
to be in your presence."

  Hikaru was completely dumbfounded as she looked down at
the man who was once a Fire Knight just as she was. Finally
regaining her senses, she knelt as well and hugged the
surprised Malor to her. "Malor! You came!" A single tear of
happiness rolled down Hikaru's cheek.

  "Ah Princess..." Malor said, feeling incredibly awkward.

  Hikaru rose gently holding onto Malor's elbow, helping
him up. She stepped back so that Malor stood face to face
with Lantis. "Malor, I want you to meet the only magic
swordsman of Cephiro, Lantis."

  Lantis looked down at the wizened old man and grasped his
right arm. "Malor. I am honored to meet you. And may I also
express my gratitude to you for helping the Princess."

  Malor grinned toothily and gripped the swordsman's arm
with equal fervor. "The honor is mine noble swordsman. As
for helping the Princess, I was only doing my job."

  "Ah excuse me..."

  Hikaru was feeling all happy and giddy inside that she
forgot to complete her introduction. "Oh yes," she said
addressing once again the people surrounding the table,
"this is Lantis, a friend from Cephiro."

  Eyebrows rose all around the table.

  "My," Mrs. Ryuuzaki said, "there seems to be a lot of you
now from Cephiro."

  "Yes, well, we had better get on with the meeting,"
Satoru said, bringing order to the gathering.

  Hikaru led Malor back to his place on the table with
Lantis following. She had the swordsman sit between him and
Satoru. "Elder Brother," she said looking intently, almost
pleadingly, to her eldest brother, "I'd like to introduce to
Lantis, a good friend of mine from Cephiro."

  Satoru was puzzled by the expression on his sister's
face. He was going to ask her about it later. He shifted his
attention to the newcomer and bowed. "I am pleased to meet
you, Lantis."

  Shifting to Cephirean, Hikaru introduced her eldest
brother to Lantis. She handled the translations for the few
phrases they had to say to each other. When that was done,
she moved between Lantis and Malor. "I'm going to sit by Fuu
and Umi," she whispered. She looked at Malor. "Malor, please
translate for Lantis."

  "But of course, Princess," Malor replied happily. He
watched with pride as the young Princess stood and join the
other Knights at the other side of the table.

  Satoru allowed his eyes to sweep through the table.
Satisfied that he had everyone's attention, he took a deep
breath. "I would like to thank you for taking time away from
your busy schedules to meet. Some of you have even come from
great distances," he glanced meaningfully at Lantis and
Malor.

  "I'm sure all of you are now aware of the very unique
circumstances of Hikaru, Umi and Fuu. What we need to assess
this afternoon is what kind of danger we now all face and
how we can defend ourselves. My brothers and I have given
this a lot of thought, as I'm sure all of you have.

  "We have ideas about how we should go about this and I
would like to present them to you. If you have any ideas,
please let us know and we will discuss them as well."

                          * * * * *
  
  "Do you trust this Hashimoto guy?" Lam asked as he
followed Tanaka into his office in the warehouse.

  "As a matter of fact, I don't," came the nonchalant
reply. "I think the police are trying to play it clever. I
do believe they're attempting to bait us into attacking."

  "What makes you think that?" Rogo, who was walking on the
other side of the gangster, asked.

  "It's just a hunch," Tanaka said as he opened the door to
his office. He stepped aside to let his two clients enter
first. The first things that Lam and Rogo noticed upon
stepping into the office were three large overhead
photographs hanging side-by-side. They showed three
different houses and their immediate surroundings. Tanaka
studied his clients' expressions and noted if they were
surprised at all by what he had prepared for them, they
weren't showing it. He stepped in front of them and tucked
his hands in his pockets. "Those are satellite photographs
of our targets' houses."

  "That's quite impressive, Mr. Tanaka," Lam commented as
he stepped closer to one of the photographs.

  "Yes, very," Rogo added also drawing closer. He even
noted the surveillance cars parked near the entrance of the
house he was looking at.

  "I also was able to obtain complete blue prints of the
interiors of those houses," the Yakuza leader said proudly.

  Lam turned to face Tanaka. "So, you recommend we continue
with the mission even though you think it could be a trap."
It was a statement.

  "On the offhand chance that our friend Hashimoto is
telling the truth, it provides us with an excellent
opportunity to take the girls with minimal risk."

  "And if it is a trap?" Rogo asked.

  Tanaka turned to face the other. "We will plan this
'mission' with the assumption that there is a trap. I've
already done some preliminary planning on how we would still
be able to pull it off."

  Tanaka went on to explain the mechanics of the plan,
moving from one house to another. Lam and Rogo asked several
questions along the way. Before long the three photographs
were riddled with pen marks and notations. The entire
discussion lasted for two hours. Lam and Rogo were impressed
at the amount of detail covered in the plan.

  "Of course," Tanaka said, winding down the session, "this
whole plan will still need to be fine-tuned. Fortunately, we
have all day tomorrow to do that."

  "You know," Lam said thoughtfully after a pause, "I can't
help but notice during our discussion that you plan to put
quite a number of your own men into this."

  Tanaka's face turned serious as he looked at Lam levelly.
"I'm putting in twenty of my men."

  Rogo's eyes widened slightly. "That's double the number
of men you had in your last attempt."

  "Well, gentlemen, it's a bit more personal this time. And
I have a reputation to uphold."

  Both Lam and Rogo nodded at this. The Yakuza already knew
how many from their end will be participating. It will be a
massive undertaking just to make sure that their actions
were all coordinated. It was a good thing both of them were
able to convinced the gangster to combine their teams
together.

  It was inevitable during the mission that Tanaka and his
men will discover their technology and most likely wonder
exactly what they were. Lam wasn't too worried about that.
It the end he was just another puny human that will have to
learn to bow to their new masters once they've harnessed the
power to open wormholes.

  "Well," Rogo said, "I guess we've covered everything that
needs to be covered for today."

  "Yes. I suggest we meet here tomorrow at oh eight hundred
with our key people assembled," Lam added.

  "Very well, tomorrow then," Tanaka agreed. The gangster
watched silently as his two clients left. *Why do you want
those girls?* he asked himself for the umpteenth time. He
began to feel that tingle again at the back of his mind. It
was the tingle that didn't want to go away. It was that very
same nagging feeling he got whenever something was not
right. He'd always trusted his instincts and now it was
telling him that things were not what they seem.

  It was a good thing he allowed himself to be manipulated
into combining his men with theirs. It would be good to see
how the others operate. At the very least, it should provide
him with clues pointing to the real identities of his
clients.

  Tanaka turned back to study the satellite photographs. He
had some more planning to do.
                              
                          * * * * *
  
  On the other side of the world, other men have been
hatching plans of their own.

  Tim Warner dismissed the National Intelligence Officer
that brought the latest update from Tokyo. He turned to the
others surrounding the conference table. "So, it looks like
the local PD at Tokyo, together with our friends from the
FBI, have taken the initiative."

  "Do they really think the Yakuza will take the bait?"
General Masterson asked to no one in particular.

  Warner shook his head slowly. "I won't even pretend to
know the answer to that question. I do think the Tokyo PD is
crazy to pull a stunt like this. We *need* to get to those
girls first," the DCI said that last statement emphatically.
He locked gazes with each of the five others who were seated
around the conference table. Three were from Masterson's
camp and two were from his. All were experts in black bag
operations.

  Masterson twisted his head to look at the person seating
nearest him. Lt. Colonel Biggs was a veteran commando of the
Desert Storm campaign. He was between his late thirties or
early forties but was clearly still in shape. The quiet
intensity he radiated bespoke a competence that gave his
superiors a high level of confidence and his subordinates a
high level of respect. "How ready are we to deploy, Biggs?"

  Biggs leaned forward resting his elbows on the table.
"Sir, the team is assembled and ready. We're just being held
back by logistics. Bringing over arms and ordinance to Japan
is proving to be a challenge for our guys."

  Warner and Masterson nodded. They both knew that firearms
of any kind were illegal in Japan. Everyone in the room was
aware that what they were attempting to do was highly
illegal and that if caught, there was no way the United
States is going to bail them out of it.

  Warner fixed the commando with a stare. "Col. Biggs, do
you understand the importance of this mission?"

  Biggs didn't even flinch. Of course, he understood the
importance of successfully negotiating this mission. It was
a matter of National Security after all. It was also
important to him on a more personal level. He wanted to make
flag before the year ends and this mission would guarantee
that. "I'm fully aware of the importance, Sir. We will be
ready to ship out by tomorrow morning," he said with
conviction.
                              
                          * * * * *
  
  What started as a civilized meeting very quickly became a
verbal free-for-all with several pockets of heavy
discussions happening across the table. Hikaru glanced at
Satoru and winced at the expression of frustration she saw
there. She swept her eyes across the table. The loudest
voices were from Umi's and Fuu's parents. She didn't have to
listen in very carefully to know exactly what they were
arguing about. They were totally against risking the lives
of their daughters. But they weren't giving any useful
alternatives either. This was turning out to be a nightmare.
At least her brothers understood her own need to fight and
defend.

  Umi and Fuu were trying their best to defend their
position. They of course felt bound, and rightfully so, to
defend Earth against the aliens. But their parents couldn't
see beyond their own need to ensure that their daughters
were safe and that the family remained intact. Didn't they
see that if the three of them didn't fight and defend, their
safety would also ultimately be jeopardized?

  The Fire Knight cast a glance towards Malor and Lantis.
Malor was keeping a running translation of a particular
discussion for Lantis. How he was able to manage that above
the din of the other voices, Hikaru didn't know. Hikaru
caught Lantis' eyes causing her to blush slightly from the
intensity she saw there.

  "Hello," came an unbidden voice into her mind, startling
her. She realized it was Lantis. She'd forgotten that he,
too, could broadcast his thoughts telepathically.

  "Lantis, you scared me there for a moment," Hikaru
responded with her mind. She tore her eyes away from his. It
wouldn't do for her brothers to get all riled up when they
most likely will jump to the conclusion that she was making
googly eyes at Lantis.

  "I'm sorry about that, Princess. That was not my
intention." A pause. "Even though I don't understand
everything that's being said, it appears the meeting isn't
going very well."

  "Yeah," she replied, transmitting her disappointment
along with her thoughts. "What we do?"

  "Umi and Fuu must make their own decisions," the magic
swordsman readily answered.

  "I know. The question is, will they have the courage to
make the right one?"

  Any response that would have been forthcoming from Lantis
was stilled by Umi's sudden outburst of frustration. All
other discussion around the table stopped as all eyes
focused on the blue-haired teenager standing with fists
clenched at her sides, glaring down at her father.

  "You're being extremely short-sighted about this, Daddy!"
Tears of exasperation were welling up in Umi's blue eyes.

  Not to be outdone, Umi's father slowly rose to his feet
effectively towering over his teenage daughter. "You will
*not* raise your voice to me, young lady," Mr. Ryuuzaki didn't
have to raise his voice. The coldness of his voice sent
chills down the backs of Hikaru and Fuu. Hikaru could see
Mrs. Ryuuzaki gingerly touching the hand of her husband to
try to get him to calm down.

  Umi raised her eyes defiantly at her father. "I cannot
just stand by when I know I can help prevent people from
getting hurt!"

  "At this point, I don't particularly care how you feel
about it, Umi Ryuuzaki," the father said, his voice taking
on a menacing tone. "As my daughter, you will do exactly as
I tell you!"

  Umi flinched visibly at her father's words. She tore her
eyes away from the heated glare of her father's and sought
out her mother's, which were clearly pleading for her to
capitulate. Umi turned to look at Hikaru, trying to search
for strength in the latter's eyes. Hikaru was careful to
return the gaze without offering any encouragement but at
the same time offering support. It was apparent from Umi's
expression that she had gotten what she was looking for in
the redhead's eyes. Slowly she turned back to her father as
her whole being began to faintly glow. Mr. Ryuuzaki
reflexively took a step back upon noticing the change in his
daughter's demeanor.

  "Daddy," Umi said in even tones, "I'm really sorry that
you do not agree with the decision that I must make. I hope
that someday, when this is all over, you will come to
understand."

  Before Mr. Ryuuzaki could utter a word, Umi turned on her
heel and exited the room with her head held high leaving
everyone in the room completely stunned.

  "Umi..." Hikaru whispered her friend's name, calling out to
her telepathically even as she watched her retreating form.

  "I'm sorry you had to see that, Hikaru," Umi answered the
call sadly. "May I go to your room?"

  "Of course, Umi," the redhead replied. "I'll be with you
in a while."

  Hikaru glanced at Mr. Ryuuzaki. He straightened himself,
glanced down at his wife, beckoning her with his eyes to
stand. He swept his eyes over the others around the table.
"I would like to thank you for your hospitality. If you will
excuse me..." Umi's father gently took his wife's arm and
looped it around his as they both made their way outside.

  As the couple left, Hikaru could hear Umi's mother asking
her husband what they were going to do now. She could no
longer hear what the father must have answered for they were
already too far. She glanced at the Hououjis. They appeared
to be extremely subdued.

  "Mother, Father," Fuu said in a voice that was barely
audible. "I have decided that I, too, shall fight the
aliens. Like Miss Umi, I cannot just stand by and do
nothing."

  Mr. Hououji opened his mouth to protest but a touch from
Mrs. Hououji on his hand effectively silenced his
objections. Fuu smiled slightly at her parents and at her
older sister. She gracefully rose to her feet. "If you will
excuse me, I need to comfort a friend." After getting a nod
from her father, Fuu glanced at Hikaru mouthing her request
to go follow Umi. The Fire Knight nodded her assent.

  Mr. Hououji watched helplessly as his daughter left the
room. He wanted so much to stop her just as Ryuuzaki did.
But at the same time, he didn't want to alienate her. Both
Fuu and her friend Umi seemed to have made up their minds
about this whole alien invasion thing. The idea was totally
bizarre. Even after seeing for his very eyes Fuu's
transformation, he still couldn't believe any of this was
truly happening.

  He glanced at his wife. She had serene expression on her
face. He knew that she supported their daughter's decision.
If his wife could do that, he supposed he could do the same.
He turned to face the host and bowed, Satoru Shidou. "Thank
you very much for your hospitality."

  "And thank you for your time," Satoru replied formally.

  After a few more formal exchanges, the Hououjis left.

  "Well, I guess that's that," Satoru said, slapping his
knees and rising to his feet. He faced his little sister. "I
guess that didn't turn out as planned."

  "No, it didn't, Elder Brother," Hikaru agreed, looking up
at Satoru, her eyes expectant.

  As the eldest Shidou gazed down at the youngest, he
couldn't help but be amazed at the innocence that still
radiated in those sienna brown eyes. To be saddled with the
kind of problems she was now faced was plain unjust. True,
Hikaru had power. He saw it with his very own eyes. True,
Hikaru was a sort of...goddess. (His mind rebelled at the
thought.) Still, to be faced with this kind of danger...Hikaru
was only fourteen years old after all.

  "I'll be in the study if you need me," Satoru said. "We
still need to talk about what we need to do, Hikaru." Before
leaving the dojo, he reached out and stroked her cheek.
Hikaru was taken aback by the gesture but immediately smiled
brightly, warming up to him. So much that it surprised the
elder Shidou. It made him realize that he been aloof to
Hikaru and she certainly didn't deserve that. He promised
himself to not do that to her again.

  Just before stepping out, Satoru glanced back at the
table they used for the meeting. Only Malor and Lantis
remained, heavy into some sort of discussion in that strange
language of theirs. "So much for planning..."

--------------------
NEXT:
Chapter 10 - Casualties of War

--------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
This took a long time to write. It was difficult to
get all the elements to blend in. And I'm still not
so sure whether I did a good job of it. Oh well.

All C&C are of course welcome! I am accumulating all
C&C and will make one final revision for the entire
story before posting it in my upcoming web page. I
may decide to post it again in FFML when that time
comes.

Special thanks goes to Michael Hokama who has given
invaluable C&C for the previous chapters.

To all others who have also given their C&C, many thanks
to you too.

--------------------
DISCLAIMER:
Magic Knight Rayearth and all the characters in that
anime/manga are properties of CLAMP.  These are used here
without permission.

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