Camaro looked out the window of the Stratus. "So this is Cephiro," he murmured, unimpressed. "Doesn't look like much."

"But I bet there are plenty of beautiful women!" his brother Camry replied. "And we're way down the list of planets. Perhaps this is where I will find the most beautiful one of all!"

"Speak when you're spoken to, Camry!" Camaro ordered. "And don't think I'm going to change my plans just so you can chase some Cephiran chick. We're not here to look at girls, we're here for world domination!"

"World domination, schmerld domination," muttered Camry. "Just because of what happened last time..."

"You insolent fool!" Camaro shouted. "How dare you speak back to me!"

"Just because mom always liked you better doesn't mean you can pick on me!" Camry protested, sticking out his tongue. "I am older than you."

"Well, I'm bigger than you, stronger than you, and I'll do what I like, whether you want me to or not," Camaro replied, turning back to the window. "Now go back to your room until you're ready to apologize."

"Can I play with my dolls?"

"I don't give a pink pancake! Just leave me alone!"

"Huh? Ryuuzaki Umi to Kawakami Hayase? I can't believe it--Umi's getting married!" Hikaru put down the newspaper and opened up the front door of Yamada Animal Hospital, the veterinarian's office where she was an assistant, at least until she finished her bachelor's degree in two years. "The first appointment should be showing up right about...now."

She grinned. "Good morning!" she greeted her customer, the owner of a large black dog. He looked up at her sadly.

"Kurado's sick," he said sadly. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, let me take a look at him," Hikaru replied. "I'm sure he'll be as good as new in no time! You just wait here while I take him in to the examining room."

"But--Kurado usually doesn't like other people--" The dog was smiling and drooling happily at Hikaru, who grinned back.

"I've just got a thing for animals, that's all. Let's take a look at him." Hikaru rushed into the examining room, leaving the door swinging behind her. She returned a few moments later, a huge grin on her face.

"Congratulations! Your dog is carrying a litter of healthy puppies!"

"Pu-pu-puppies?" the boy gasped. "But--Kurado's a boy!

"No she's not!" Hikaru looked genuinely surprised. "Where'd you get that idea?"

The boy and his dog left, and Hikaru looked around the waiting room. It was empty, so she sighed and turned away.

The door swung open behind her. "Does Shidou Hikaru work here?" A tall, elegant woman strode in the door. Her hair was long, straight, and blue, and Hikaru recognized her in an instant.

"Umi-chan!" Hikaru lunged at her, engulfing her in a big hug. Only then did she look up for a closer look at the woman's face. "You are Umi, right?"

Umi smiled and nodded. "You haven't changed a bit! Still so cute and innocent."

"And you're still as beautiful as ever," Hikaru replied. "Geez, it's been forever since I've seen you! What've you been up to these past few years?"

"I'm working on a degree in fashion design," Umi replied. "I've already had a few job offers, but I want to wait until I've finished."

"And I just read in the paper you're engaged!"

"Yeah, I am." Umi blushed, twirling her million-dollar diamond around her finger. "Um...Hikaru? I know we haven't seen each other in a long time, but would you be my bridesmaid? You and Fuu?"

"Of course, Umi! I'd be honored! Oh, you'll make such a pretty bride..." Hikaru gushed. "And to one of the Kawakamis! This is going to be quite an event!"

"Yeah, I guess it will be," Umi sighed.

"Have you told Fuu yet?" wondered Hikaru.

"No, I haven't gotten a hold of her. I was hoping you had her number."

Hikaru shook her head. "Drat. I wonder..."

"Excuse me!" The door opened and shut again. "Is this--"

"Fuu!" Both Umi and Hikaru lunged to hug their old friend.

"What are you guys doing here!?" Fuu wondered.

"We just sort of ran into each other!" Umi replied, grinning.

"Yeah, isn't this weird? Like the first time we met!" Hikaru added. "I wonder if we've been brought together for a reason."

The three girls looked at each other, but there was no flash of light, no unearthly calling, nothing but an ordinary veterinarian's office. They shrugged and giggled a bit.

"Nope, guess it's just coincidence!" Fuu said.

"Fuu, I'm getting married. Would you like to be my bridesmaid?" Umi asked.

"Getting married?" Fuu replied. "But--what about--"

Umi looked away. "It's all right. We'll never see them again."

Hikaru put a hand on Umi's shoulder. "Umi-chan..."

She faked a smile. "I'm all right, Hikaru. Especially now that we're together, that we can be friends again."

"We're sisters," Fuu put in.

"That's right!" Hikaru said, perking up. "We must protect our sisters!"

They all clasped hands, just like they had so long ago.

Clef frowned as the edge of one of his robes got caught on a splinter of one of the dusty bookcases. "I really don't see why all the information is kept down here," he muttered. "It's most inconvenient."

"You wouldn't find it so if you wore pants like a normal person, Clef," Ferio replied, freeing Clef from the bookcase.

"I do! I have pants under this!" Clef lifted his robes to illustrate the fact. Ferio shrugged.

"Don't you get hot carrying all that cloth around?" he wondered.

"I must! I'm the chief magician of Cephiro! I have to look impressive!"

"To accommodate for your childish stature and facial appearance?" Ferio stepped ahead, leaving Clef steaming. He picked up a book. "Huh. Crystalline Cathedral..." He leafed through a book, and there was a flash of light.

Someone was shaking him. "Ferio! Are you all right?"

He realized he was lying on the floor. "Oh, man," he said, rubbing his head. "What happened?"

Clef sighed in relief. "You collapsed. Been out for ten minutes or so. What did you do?"

"Just...looked at this..." Ferio breathed, giving Clef the book. Clef looked at it, but nothing seemed to happen.

"The Crystalline Cathedral--I've heard that legend somewhere..." Ferio stood up.

"What legend?"

"I think this book is the key to finding the new pillar! Come on! Let's get out of these dark, dingy archives! Presea has to see this!" He tried to step away, but there was a ripping sound as a good half of one of his robes tore away. He blushed.

"Perhaps after a quick trip to the tailor?" suggested Ferio. Clef nodded.

Hikaru put the finishing touches on Umi's hair, a jeweled comb to keep her braided bun in place. "There. Perfect."

"You're absolutely beautiful, Umi," Fuu sighed, handing Hikaru the veil. "Like something out of a fairy tale."

"You look splendid yourself, both of you," Umi replied. "I hope this isn't a case of the bridesmaids being more beautiful than the bride!"

"Don't fish for compliments!" Fuu scolded. "You leave both of us in the dust! Hayase's a lucky man."

"I can't believe everything's come together so well," Umi breathed. "I'm afraid to sneeze for fear it'll all come apart."

"Don't worry about your hair, Umi--there's enough hair spray there to kill a small animal," Hikaru reassured her, as she tried to find the best arrangement of the veil.

"Not just that, I mean the whole wedding. Everything's so beautiful and perfect. I could almost forget that..." Umi sighed and drifted off.

"You don't love him," Fuu replied.

"But I'm not going to find anyone I can love! Not in this world, anyway."

"It's not to late to back out," Hikaru said.

"Are you kidding? My parents would kill me! You know how much they spent on all this?" Umi half-laughed, half-cried.

"Umi..."

"No. I'm going through with this." She smiled. "If I must, I can always get a divorce."

"Give me information on Cephiro," Camaro ordered his computer, sitting down at the console.

"Cephiro," the computer replied.

"Confirmed."

"Processing..." A moment later an image came up on the screen. "Cephiro. Protected for all time by the Pillars, recently assisted by the Magic Knights from another world (see Earth). Not much else known."

"Who governs this planet?" Camaro wanted to know.

"A princess," the computer told him.

"A princess?!" Camry perked up. "I want a princess!"

"Huh. For once, you may have a good idea," Camaro muttered. "If we have the princess in our control, then Cephiro is ours!" He let his head fall back in maniacal laughed, and Camry shrunk away.

"I hate it when he does that," he said, cowering in a corner.

"You should know, Clef--you're older than any of us," Presea said. "The term sounds familiar, but I can't place it."

"It's familiar to me, too," Clef replied. "And it has something to do with the Pillars."

"I know it does," Ferio put in. "I'm not a Pillar, but I am Emeraude's brother. Something in that book reacted to me."

"Maybe because you have Pillar blood," Clef said thoughtfully. "Do you remember your parents?"

Ferio shook his head. "I remember very vaguely people taking care of Emeraude and me, but I know they weren't my parents. And my sister never said anything about it."

"I didn't come to the palace until your sister's time," Clef replied. "You were still very small--your sister set me to looking after you sometimes."

Ferio blushed. "Great, just great. There's nothing more humiliating than being around someone who changed your diapers."

"Except, perhaps, two people who changed your diapers," Presea put in.

Ferio turned even redder. "Not you too! You don't look that old!"

"I'm older than you think, Ferio, but not quite as old as this senior citizen," Presea said, clapping Clef on the back.

"Sheesh, I'm only 750!" he replied, getting a sweatdrop.

"You both make me feel like such a little kid," Ferio sighed.

"Huh...I can remember you being a tiny baby--not much more than a newborn--and yet I can't remember your parents," Presea said thoughtfully. "Isn't that odd? I should've at least known something."

"I'm sure it has something to do with this Cathedral," Clef replied. "The way just the name seems to react with Ferio's Pillar blood proves it."

"But where is it?" Presea wondered. "The book doesn't say, other than that the Pillar knows."

"But we don't have a Pillar," Clef replied, frowning. "Unless Ferio could find it."

Ferio shrugged. "I have no idea."

"You're sure? Not just one hint of direction?" Clef pleaded.

"I know that I'd know it when I saw it," Ferio replied. "Other than that, you might as well ask the Magic Knights."

Clef brightened. "Then we'll summon the Magic Knights," he said.

"Do you, Ryuuzaki Umi, take Kawakami Hayase to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Umi swallowed. "I...." Her throat was dry, her mouth open, but the words wouldn't come out.

And then they were falling through the sky.