For the three excited youths, the night passed too slowly. At the first time in the day, they found themselves in front of the door of the house of taru in casual clothing since it was Saturday. After knocking on the door for more than 10 minutes, it was finally opened by a still half asleep taru, looking at the group with half open eyes and while yawning. He looked at the three before him with glassy eyes totally unfocused and still half asleep, then his brain caught up with the situation.

Blinking, he said "can we put it at tomorrow, I was doing a really nice dream."

They blankly stared at him for a while, then at ech other before reacting each differently. Daisuke laughed his ass off while hikaru giggled more elegantly. Chihiro sighed grandly and shake her head. Then she said what they all had in head at this moment with a smile "magic or not, I guess taru remain taru."

Yes, she thought no matter if the world is different, if there is magic or demon, the taru which we knew all these years will not suddenly disappear. At this moment the unnoticed apprehension that lurked in their minds dissipate like a mirage. Surprised Chihiro looked at taru once again and saw a barely noticeable relief on his face. Only the many years she spent observing him let her remake it.

Before her piercing glare, taru remained stoic. Scratching his head he sighed and said

"I guess that means no. Well whatever, let get this over with."

They get in the house and waited while taru made himself more presentable. Then they went toward the front door. "Where are we going? Is there a train that will take us to a magic school?" Asked Daisuke curiously. "How come you know about this old book but you don't know what's the soul society?" Asked taru while giving him a disappointment look.

"Although there is indeed portals to the magic world at keys points, I'm too lazy to remember them so we will just take a shortcut." Saying so he opened the door of the house. Instead of the familiar neighborhood, what appeared beyond the door was a richly decorated hall.

Finely sculpted gloden Pillars Which would look at theirs place in royals palaces support the high ceiling orned of shining chandelier. By the vast windows on the left wall could be see a gorgeous garden filled with healthy and foreign vegetation and far in the distance, a ghastly forest filled with a sense of mystery attract the glare of the beholder. Soon had the three youths taken their bearing that a simple yet imposing wooden door door before them that had somehow escaped their notice opened abruptly.

From inside come a white haired woman, striking beautiful in all points if not for the heavy look on her face as she looked vigilantly at the group before her. That's until her eyes stopped on taru. Her eyes were firstly filled with surprise, then suspicion followed by joy. "Taru..." she purred and seemingly teleported before him and embraced him, completely ignoring the odd stares of the others three. Taru looked at her with complex emotions before Sighing and said "good to see you too, luna."

After she calmed down, luna lead them inside. The room was spacious with dark blue walls and a black wooden floor. Just before the door was a huge desk filled with paper work, on both ends of the room were two bookcases filled to the brim with stranges books giving powerful and dangerous vibes. On the left wall aside of the bookcase were

They sat around one of the two couch in the room before a warm cup of tea congured by luna. Ignoring the surprised look at the sudden appearance of the cups taru causualy sipped the tea while trying to ignore the glare luna give him ever since the entered. recovering from the surprise, Daisuke said excitedly while looking at the steaming cups.

" Is this magic? Amazing!" Hikaru was fidgeting with her tea timidly taking it like fearing that it was an illusion and chihiro turned toward taru , throwing one question after the other.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

" where did that come from? How did she made them appear? Is it something anyone can do? is that connect to how you made us come here ?" to which taru answered blandly

"magic, magic, dunno, somehow." "muu, answer me seriously "

"too troublesome"

looking at this interaction, luna suddenly burst into laughter, until tears started rolling out of her eyes. after calming down and seeing that everyone was lookin at her she blushed slighly and wiped her tears before saying

"I am sorry i didn't mean to be rude." coughing lightly she pursued " allow me to introduce myself: i am luna dawn the headmaster of this clear water magic academy, archmage of the second order, as well that the older sister of taru."

bowing lightly she said toward the three confused teens " thank you for having taken care of my brother all this time."

"I am the one who most often took care of them though." interjected taru simply. luna smiled and replied "maybe but that don't mean they never did take care of you. you must give thanks wher its due." taru simply looked aside, too lazy to counter not to mention that it was true.

Finally getting over their confusion the three looked at taru and luna alternatively. Indeed, if one take the time to compare them, the resenblance is striking. Same ice blue eyes? same snow white hairs and beside the slight differences brought by gender even their face was the same.

The cause of their bewilderment was that this relation contrasted everything they knew of taru. with complicate expression Daisuke asked

" when you mean that you are his sister you mean..."

"Exactly what i said. We were born from the same father and mother. i understand your confusion but that iss the truth. due to some incident though, we had to live separatly." explained luna while sipping elegantly her mysteriously still hot tea.

Proccessing everything she said all looked at taru who was playing with his cup. sighing softly he glanced toward them

" don't look at me like that. Although i may not be an orphan like you thought it don't erase the fact that i lived as the son of the sake family. And as far as i am concerned that's all that matter."

as he finish his speach he saw that they had visibly relaxed and looked ashame for even doubting him . After all they had knew each other for years.

Ignoring them, taru talked to luna about their situation.

"I understand." She said after a moment of contemplation. suddenly a heavy pressure started emating from her body. the air sank, the light darkened and the temperature took a dip toward the dephs.

"i understand that your feelings stem from a good intention. but that's far from as to face the life that await you if you decide to tread this road. Here, life is as cheap that dirt onthe ground and famillies tears each others for riches and power."

looking at each of them in the eyes she spelled calmly " if you can't even bear this level of pressure then stop dreaming about standing beside taru."

Right. While they were all struggling to remaing awake taru was streching, contenplating if now wasn't the time to get back the sleep that he lost in the morning.

in her blurry eyes, chihiro saw this familiar scenery. He was always like that. He was so strong that he didn't need to make any effort. Nothing got to him if he don't will so. It was this intouchable image of him that attracted her. The day he saved her she resolved to always follow him. And if the price to that was losing her, life, her humanity or even her soul. Then so be it.

Daisuke was struggling, his consciensness theating to fly away at any moment. Despite this, the figure of taru nonchalantly laying on the table to find the best sleeping position reflected cleary in his eyes. this nonchalance that he displayed everyday was to daisuke a symbole of his strongth. Fom childhood until now this strongth is what always pushed him forward. Always struggling to reach thsi solitary world in which he seemed to live. What pushed him forwad was indeed affection. But it was wrapped in a solide stuborness.

Like the other two, hikaru was barely holding on. One would think that she would be the first to fall by her frail appearance. But her uprising in a shrine which reinforced her mind and soul coupled with daisuke who unconsciously withranded a little of the pressure for her allowed her to endure.

But just that. It would be so easy to give up and let her consciensness fly away. She knew that chihiro, daisuke and despite his indifferent attitude, taru would ensure that nothing bad happen to her. She also didn't had such a long time with taru having met him only in middle school. It certainly wasn't as to justif y risking her life. But contrarly to the two who saw in taru a deppless strength, she could also see lonelyness in his figure. this simple fact led her to try to remain by his side. both because of their friendship, her personality and also because of her personnal experience of lonelyness. And so she persisted deseperatly. To not let go of this lonely boy.

like this the situation turned into a deadlock. luna excerced her pressure to make them give up and they desperately endured, refusing to give up. Until-

ZZZRRR

with a loud static sound a the deadlock was brocken.