Between Friends 2
part 2


        Hikaru looked down at the auburn-haired baby and smiled.  Cressida 
was adorable.
        "Where are my manners?" Eagle asked suddenly, lightly hitting 
himself on the forehead.  "I haven't introduced everyone yet!"
        Ferio stifled half a laugh at Eagle's easy forgetfulness before 
sobering, as befitted the hereditary Prince of Cephiro, and bowing politely 
to Corona and Toyota.  "I am Ferio, Prince of Cephiro," he said formally, 
"and I bid you welome to this world."
        Hikaru smiled lightly as Ferio made the introductions of Eagle's 
sister and her family for all of them.  It wasn't just Ferio and herself 
who had never met Corona before, but also Umi-chan, Ascot, Caldina, and 
Lafarga, who had all come to see the NSX land.  Fuu-chan had chosen to stay 
back in the castle to work on the programming for the Kuunellasobu project 
she was trying to create to link the four worlds, and Clef and the twin 
Pharles had elected also not to come, working on a particularly esoteric 
angle of magic (Hikaru had asked about it once, and the subsequent 
explanation had confused her so thoroughly that she had ended up with a 
slight headache) that was to be implemented in the Protege model that was 
almost ready to send as a test to Autozam to see if it could help their 
pollution problems.  Clef, Presea, and Sierra wanted to have it working by 
the day of the weddings, so it would make an "elegant tie-in with the 
ceremonies."
        And who knew where Subaru-san and Acura-san were.
        Well, Hikaru figured with a smile and a small mental shrug, they'd 
all meet each other at dinner or over the next few days.
        And she smiled too as she saw each of the black-haired twins picked 
up by her fiances, the talkative Camry held by Eagle, while the shy Celica 
hid in Lantis' arms, quite obviously charming him with her bashfulness.
        "Hikaru-san," Corona said quietly from her side, watching as Toyota 
quickly became involved in a conversation with Lafarga about the history of 
Cepheronian swordsmanship and armor evolution--one of Lafarga's passions--
"would you like to hold Cressida?"
        "Me?!" Hikaru asked, looking at the baby held in Corona's arms, "I 
couldn't!  I'd drop her or break her or...."
        "Babies aren't made of porcelain," Corona replied, nonetheless 
careful as she shifted Cressida and put her into Hikaru's reluctant arms.  
"And I think you *do* want to hold your soon-to-be-niece."
        "Oh, I do," Hikaru said, looking down into the sleeping infant 
face, "but I've never held a baby before!"
        "Never?" Corona asked.
        "Not in my entire life," Hikaru answered, hesitantly shifting 
Cressida's weight totally onto her left arm and carefully touching a 
fingertip to the baby's milk-soft cheek.  "Wow, she's so tiny!"  Hikaru 
murmured, comparing the size of her own fingernails to the transparent ones 
of the baby.
        "Mmm," Corona agreed with a nod, smiling like Eagle.  "Babies are 
apt to be small."
        "How old is she?" Hikaru whispered, enchanted by the soft rise and 
fall of Cressida's breathing.
        "Just a month old," Corona replied.  "You look very natural holding 
a baby, Hikaru-imouto-chan."
        "Thank you, Corona-neechan," Hikaru replied without thinking.  Then 
she realized the casual tone she'd used with Eagle's sister and blushed, 
looking back up into Corona's violet eyes.  "I'm sorry," she apologized 
hastily, "I didn't mean to say that, it just slipped out...."
        Corona laughed slightly as Umi-chan and Caldina finished 
introducing themselves to the twins and came over to see the baby.  "It's 
all right, Hikaru-chan," she said, waving a hand negligently.  "Feel free 
to call me whatever you like.  Unlike Father, *I* don't stand on ceremony."

        Eagle smiled at Lantis as he saw his sister bonding with Hikaru.  
Lantis softly returned the gesture, his attention also centered on Hikaru 
and Corona.  This took care of both of their families meeting and approving 
of their "marriages," leaving only Hikaru's... a problem to be dealt with 
in a couple days.
        Well, Eagle technically amended to himself, smiling happily at his 
niece, who smiled back, it took care of *his* family meeting Hikaru.  
Lantis didn't have any family now but his friends, who were the first to 
know anything about the three of them anyway.
        Eagle nearly winced as he recalled his father's reaction to finding 
out about the three-way marriage.  It had involved lots of noise, mostly 
yelling.  In the end, he'd resorted to a tiny white lie that he wasn't 
*really* marrying Lantis at all... that that part would be in name only.  
He was marrying Hikaru, who just *happened* to also be marrying Lantis.
        That was completely untrue, of course, but it restored the domestic 
harmony that had become strained over the past two years since Eagle's 
mother had died.  And besides, Eagle justified to himself, his 
relationships really weren't any of his father's business.  Talon to the 
mundane government, Vision to the military and ambassadorial aspects of it, 
and never let the twain meet.
        Eagle moved over next to Lantis, still holding Camry, and tiptoed 
to whisper into Lantis' ear, "You haven't told her, have you?"
        Lantis shook his head.  "No," he replied in a sotto voice.  "I 
wanted to wait until we could both tell her."

        Hikaru reluctantly released Cressida into Corona's arms as they 
reached the castle and the visitors were shown by some of the servants (who 
were more like employees and friends than servants to everyone who still 
dwelt in the castle) to the guest quarters.  She had gotten quickly 
accustomed to the weight of the baby in her arms, the charming way Cressida 
had of moving her lips and fists in her sleep, like she was trying to 
communicate something.
        "Mothering instincts kicking in, Hikaru?" Umi-chan teased her.
        "'Mothering instincts'?" Hikaru asked blankly, not knowing what 
Umi-chan was talking about.
        "Oh, Hikaru, you can't be *that* innocent!" Umi-chan exclaimed, 
then paused, looking into Hikaru's face.  Then she made one of those faces 
of astonishment that she got every so often when she discussed something 
that Hikaru didn't understand.  "Come on, Hikaru, we're going to talk to 
Fuu!" she exclaimed, grabbing Hikaru by the wrist suddenly and 
half-dragging her down the hall.
        "Wait- Umi-chan, we're leaving everyone!" Hikaru cried, looking 
back at where everyone was looking after them.

        Eagle couldn't help but stifle a laugh as Umi dragged Hikaru off to 
go to Fuu's room, where the two other Magic Knights would no doubt tell 
Hikaru just what "mothering instincts" meant.  "She's hopelessly innocent, 
isn't she?" Eagle asked with a smile, glancing at Lantis.
        "... Yeah," Lantis agreed.
        With low pleasantries, the group of them split up, heading in their 
separate directions.  Eagle thought of his sister, and hoped that Corona 
and her family were being comfortably settled into the large suite that had 
been prepared for them.  He should technically be helping with the 
disembarkment procedures aboard the NSX, but Geo had assured him that it 
was alright, and to just go ahead and go to the castle.  Which basically 
meant that Geo was getting ready to assume command of the NSX, and was 
feeling uncomfortable being caught between that duty and his friendship 
with Eagle, the current-soon-to-be-former commander of the ship.
        Eagle just smiled and wished Geo much luck with the NSX.  She was a 
wonderful ship, and he had fully enjoyed his time aboard her, but now he 
couldn't wait to assume his position as Autozam's Ambassador.  And, since 
he was on the subject, why not just tell the truth?  Due to the two and a 
half years that Eagle had spent in the Deep Slumber, Geo had spent far more 
time commanding the NSX than he ever had.
        A sudden hand ruffling his hair brought Eagle out of his reverie, 
and he smiled innocently up at Lantis.
        Lantis sighed.  "It's a wonder you ever got chosen as Ambassador, 
Eagle.  You're like her... just too naive for your own good."
        "Not so much as you think I am," Eagle replied, his heart feeling a 
momentary pain as he remembered the far distant past.
        Lantis watched him calmly for a moment, then quietly said "I know," 
understanding exactly what Eagle was referring to.
        "But," Eagle continued brightly, changing the subject, "that was 
then and this is now.  Has anything interesting happened while I was gone?"

*********

A mini-timeline I came up with to explain everything:

Between Friends / RayEarth (more-or-less simulataneous)
        <1 year's time>
RayEarth 2
        <3 years' time>
Between Friends 2

My theory is that when Hikaru became the Pillar, Cephero time synchronized 
with Earth time, so they now run at the same rate.  And, as a framework for 
some of the central characters' ages, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are 17, Eagle 
and Ferio are 21, Ascot is 22, Lantis is 24, and Corona is 31.