Magic Knight Rayearth
A Fourth Knight
Disclaimer: Although I wish I owned the cast of Magic Knight Rayearth, sadly I do not. Four lovely ladies called CLAMP have that honor. I've often asked myself, "If not the whole cast, then at least Clef." But alas. I am, however, the creator of Seika and several other characters.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance/Humor
Pairings: While I am fully supportive of Umi/Clef, due to the fact that the character Seika was based off of... someone... the couples are as follows: Hikaru/Lantis, Umi/Ascot, Fuu/Ferio, Eagle/Seika/Clef
Summary: A year has passed since Hikaru disposed of the Pillar system. She, Umi, and Fuu have remained great friends with their otherworldly companions, and have made new ones on Earth. But the good times are sweet, and short. The new evil looming in the shadows has emerged, and the Knights are going to need some unannounced help from one slightly spazzy Earth girl.
In One Year's Time...
It had been just a little more than one year since Cephiro's Pillar system had been abolished. The people had the power to use their will to benefit others and themselves. Danger was a long passed memory, and nothing more. There was no need for the three protectors of that world, but that didn't stop them from visiting every so often.
They were three ordinary teenage girls who had nothing in common, until they were summoned to Cephiro from Earth to rescue Princess Emeraude, the former Pillar. They received weapons, magic, Mokona, and revived the Spirit Mashin.
After returning home, suffering through much sorrow and regret, the girls returned once more and learned of three other countries beyond the peaceful Cephiro; Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren. It was then that secrets were revealed, relationships made, and the one girl with the strongest heart in all the world made her wish, to believe in the power of the ones she loved.
That girl was Hikaru Shidou; a sweet, overly optimistic, vertically challenged fifteen-year-old, with flame red hair pulled into a trademark braid. She is the Magic Knight of Fire and the unofficial Pillar of Cephiro. Living with three older brothers has helped to develop her into somewhat of a tomboy. Her Mashin is called Rayearth, and is in the form of a lion.
Hikaru's two best friends in all of both worlds are Umi Ryuuzaki and Fuu Hououji.
Umi is an only child who comes off as slightly selfish until you get to know the tall girl underneath the sky blue eyes and sea blue hair. She is the Magic Knight of Water and her Mashin is known as Celes, and is in the form of a dragon.
Fuu is the youngest sister in her family. Her green eyes framed by glass and short blond hair give her a poised appearance. Always very polite, Fuu is the Magic Knight of Wind. Her Mashin is Windom, and is in the form of a four-winged bird.
Once the three girls had gained the ability to return to and from Cephiro in an instant, they began to mold two separate lives into one. They have created many new friendships between three separate schools. But their strongest bond outside of their own is with another girl from Hikaru's school.
Her name is Seika Onri. She is shorter than Fuu, yet taller than Hikaru. She has waist length brown hair streaked with blonde, and gray eyes. Her parents were killed when she was quite young and was left to live with family friends until she was twelve, in which she was transferred to Tokyo schools and now lives with one of the high school teachers. She was forced to continue wearing her old school uniform – a yellow skirt with a white shirt and black jacket - due to lack of money. She befriended Hikaru easily, mainly because of Hikaru's cheerful nature.
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...Three years ago...
The soft melody of the piano caught Hikaru's ears as she rounded her way down to the cafeteria.
"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up," she called to her pals.
"Fine, we'll see ya at lunch!" the others called back to her.
Hikaru followed the sound down to the music room. Peeking inside, she saw a lone girl in an odd uniform. Her fingers trailed over the black and white keys like water, creating a haunting melody with a fast tempo. Hikaru watched as the girl ended the piece of music and reached down for her brown, paper lunch bag.
"Wow, that was cool!"
The girl quickly turned, startled by Hikaru's abruptness, "Oh! Thanks. I don't get to play that often at my house." She stood up, and in the process, knocked over a stack of papers seated on a chair, "Oh! Darn it. I'm such a klutz. Heh heh!"
"Here. Let me help!" Hikaru jogged over to the girl and aided her in gathering the papers. She extended her hand in greeting, "I'm Hikaru! Nice ta meet ya!"
The girl smiled and accepted Hikaru's hand, "I'm Seika. I just moved here. I'm living with Miss Haruna for now."
"The high school English teacher? Why? What about your parents?" Hikaru questioned.
Seika's face took on a depressed expression, "They're... dead." She whispered the word so quietly Hikaru almost didn't hear it.
"Oh! I... I'm sorry," Hikaru became equally depressed.
"Now, don't worry about it! I was really young, so it's not as bad as it sounds. You look much cuter when you smile anyhow, like a little sister!"
"Alright!" Hikaru switched back to her cheery disposition as quickly as it had faded, "Hey! You weren't going to eat lunch here all alone were you?"
"Well..."
Hikaru grabbed Seika free hand, "NO! You can come eat with my friends and me! Okay? I won't take no for an answer."
"Well then. I guess I have no choice, eh?" Seika giggled.
"Great!" Hikaru dragged Seika out of the piano room and down the hallway to the cafeteria. Seika tripped about every couple of feet or so.
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Two years after Hikaru befriended Seika, and after the incident with Cephiro, she introduced her to Umi and Fuu. They bonded quickly. The quartet was a powerful bunch and they shared everything... well... almost everything.
An Unannounced Visitor
"OH MAN! WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME!?" Seika cried out to some unknown presence as she raced down the sidewalk.
Her morning had started off as usual. She had managed to misplace her song portfolio and had trashed her room in order to locate it. Miss Haruna had commanded she straighten up her room before dashing off to wherever she disappeared to, which just so happened to be Umi's place. This caused her to be a tad late. There was nothing planned, she just enjoyed spending time with one, or all, of the three girls. Her calls to Hikaru and Fuu's had resulted in their parents informing her they were not at home, which led her to the conclusion that they were at Umi's.
Umi's massive, elegant home came slowly into view. Seika slowed her pace and brushed herself off before marching up to the door and eagerly ringing the bell.
Mrs. Ryuuzaki answered the door and was not the least bit surprised to find Seika at the door, "Well hello there Seika. I assume you're calling on Umi?"
"Yes Mrs. Ryuuzaki. Is she at home?"
"Actually, she headed out to meet up with Hikaru and Fuu just a few moments ago."
"Oh," Seika sighed.
"I believe they went to Tokyo Tower. You should be able to catch them there. I don't know what they find so interesting about that place. They must have every inch of it memorized by now," Mrs. Ryuuzaki laughed merrily.
"Oh! Thank you Mrs. Ryuuzaki. I'll be off now," and Seika was gone.
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"Ah! Finally!" Seika gazed up at the huge steel tower, "I hope the elevator is working today."
Much to her great fortune, the elevator was functioning, and it wasn't as crowded as she had expected.
"Now... which floor?" Seika moaned.
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"Umi! There you are!"
"We've been waiting."
"For how long?" Umi giggled as she made her way over to her two best friends.
"Well, you're here now. Did you bring any of those delectable baked goodies you know I'm so fond of?" Hikaru looked Umi over to see if there were any hidden treats.
"Not today. I had my hands full with schoolwork. There's a big project due Monday and I'm not even half done," Umi wined.
"Not to worry. A quick visit to," Fuu glanced around, and seeing that this particular floor was unoccupied, except for them of course, continued, "Cephiro will take your mind of the stress."
Umi nodded in agreement.
"Alright then. If we're all settled, then let's go!" Hikaru bounced happily up and down.
"Forever trapped in a childlike state, how lucky for Hikaru," Fuu whispered to Umi.
"Yeah. Our little sis is quite the joyful little thing," Umi contemplated.
Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu laughed heartily and took each other's hand. They were so preoccupied in coming out of the fits of laughter, no one heard the elevator doors open.
"There they are. Hey guys!" Seika called to them, but her cry went on deaf ears.
A bright white light began to form around the three girls. It spread magnificently throughout the room.
"What is this?" Seika gasped as the blinding light surrounded her.
Suddenly the room vanished and it became hard to breathe. Seika tried to open her eyes to look for Hikaru, Umi, or Fuu to no avail. The blackness faded after a time, and Seika gasped for air. A strong wind blew from underneath her and the sensation of falling overcame her. She pried her eyes open and stared in horror as the ground grew nearer and nearer. She clutched her portfolio and looked up to see the other trio falling as well. But unlike Seika, they did not appear afraid.
After coming to Cephiro so very often, the girls had grown used to flying through the sky. The volcano, sea, and floating mountains were a welcoming sight.
Seika tried to scream for them but could not find her voice.
Suddenly, all four landed upon a smooth flying creature.
"Fyula! Hi there sweetie!" Hikaru hugged the back of the enormous flying fish.
"You know, we could have just gone straight to the castle," Umi noted.
"Yes, but... this way is more fun! And we don't get to see Fyula all that much," Hikaru explained.
"Castle?" Seika whispered. She had landed on the back end of Fyula and was still trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"Look!" Fuu pointed straight ahead, "We're almost there!"
Seika peered out and was amazed to see a huge castle hovering above the sea. It was like a giant crystal, beautiful and perfect in every way. This led Seika to believe what she was witnessing was merely a dream. This conclusion, however, did not ease her mind.
Fyula landed near the massive door of the palace, and Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu jumped off.
"Let's go already!" Umi raced ahead.
"It's always such a pleasing experience to spend time here," Fuu stated, relieved.
"Of course, there is more than one reason it's so much fun to come here!" Umi blushed slightly and winked back at Hikaru and Fuu.
"Yeah. And maybe Eagle or someone else from the other countries are here for a visit," Hikaru wished aloud as she and Fuu made their way to the door.
"It's great that you and Eagle are still friends, Hikaru," Fuu patted her petite friend on the back.
"Yeah, especially after... well... you chose Lantis over him," Umi bit her lip gently.
Hikaru looked thoughtful for a moment before perking up and pushing the door open, quite easily, despite it's size.
Meanwhile, Seika had begun to ease herself off of Fyula, when Fyula began to shimmer and vanish.
"Oh no! Not again! Hold on a minu... ah!" and the flying fish was completely gone and Seika fell to the ground. "Ow," she forced herself up and gazed at the castle.
"Well, if this is a real dream... as real as dreams can get I mean... it's a really vivid one."
Seika saw the door begin to close slowly and took the opportunity to dash into the palace, despite papers from her portfolio flying around at her feet.
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"Umi! I didn't know you were coming today!" Ascot's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He was tall, and his bright green eyes covered by intense brown bangs only added to his length.
Umi walked up to him, trying to appear calm, but her face said otherwise, "Well, I like to surprise you sometimes."
"Where is everyone else?" Fuu asked; of course she mainly meant one specific person.
"They should be here soon," Ascot wrapped his arm around Umi, "We were actually planning on going on a little um... what do you call them where a group goes somewhere?"
"A fieldtrip, right Hikaru?" called an exceptionally tall, black haired, green-eyed man, accompanied by a swarm of people as he entered the room.
Hikaru skipped over to the man and walked around behind him, "Lantis!" She took a bound and leapt onto his back.
"Ah! Hikaru!"
"I'm not that heavy am I?" Hikaru laughed loudly.
"Of course not," Lantis sighed, "But you could warn me next time, okay?"
"You got it!"
"Hey Fuu? What about me? Don't I at least get a hug?" another man, shorter this time, with green hair tied back in a ponytail and a scar on his face called out.
Fuu placed her arms about the man's neck, "Of course Ferio. But is that all you want?" and with that their lips met for a brief moment.
"That works too."
A roar of voices broke out as the group chattered aimlessly All the while Seika had managed to sneak into the palace unnoticed. She crouched behind a large end table that held quite an exotic plant. She was startled to find the people that Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu had surrounded themselves with were normal appearing, except for the short boy with the staff. Seika forced herself down so that she couldn't see the others anymore.
"So, I suppose we might need to pack extra food. Presea, why don't you..." the "boy" stopped in mid sentence.
"Yo. Clef, what's up? Is there like..."
"Caldina! Shhh," Clef silenced the tan woman wearing an Arabian style get- up, "There is someone else present in this room."
A hush fell over the group and the men bearing arms drew their swords.
"Lafarga," Clef whispered to a large man in blue armor with a short, blond ponytail and motioned for him to follow.
Lafarga nodded and tailed Clef as he rounded his way around towards the wall nearest the door. Clef closed his eyes while the others waited intently. Suddenly his eyes flickered open and he motioned his staff towards the end table and mouthed "behind there" to Lafarga. Lafarga, sword gripped tightly in one hand, slowly reached around beside the plant set atop the table. His hand then rapidly shot down and grabbed a rather heavy piece of fabric.
"AHHHHH! STOP! PUT ME DOWN!" Seika screamed as she thrashed to release herself from Lafarga's grip.
"SEIKA!" the three Earth girls shouted in unison as they raced toward her.
"You know this young woman?" Clef watched, slightly amused at the sight of the girl dangling in mid air, with help from the confused Captain of the Guards.
Hikaru attempted to explain their relationship with Seika while trying to hush up Umi, who was having trouble refraining herself from laughing.
Fuu eventually took over, "She is a dear friend of ours from Earth, although how she got here, I'm not entirely sure."
"Alright then, Lafarga put her down."
"Whatever you say," Lafarga sighed as he released his grip on Seika's shirt collar. Seika fell heavily to the floor and crawled backwards, straight into a wall.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Seika's eyes couldn't have gotten any wider, even if she tried.
Hikaru, followed by Umi and Fuu, cautiously trudged over to Seika and sat down near her.
"Seika," Hikaru shook her gently, "It's okay. No one will hurt you. These are our friends."
"Yeah," Umi reaffirmed Hikaru's statement, "Now, how did you get here in the first place?"
"Before you guys ask me anymore questions, just answer me one," Seika sighed as her eyes drifted from person to person.
Fuu smiled sweetly, "Of course dear, go ahead."
"Is this a dream?"
"Well," Fuu took a deep breath, "If this were a dream, we'd all have to be experiencing the same thing, and the likelihood of that has a probability of a thousand to one."
"In other words, no Seika, this isn't a dream," Umi translated.
"I thought so. Okay then," and Seika fell into a brief coma.
Explanations Galore
A dream... Seika thought as her eyes flickered open, A very strange dream...
As her eyes opened and the room became clearer, she found herself staring into a chubby, white face.
"PUU!"
"AHHHHHHHH!"
"PUUUUUUUU!"
"MOKONA!" Presea's hands reached out and roughly grabbed the bouncy little ball of fluff off of Seika, "Get out of here. You'll scare the girl more than she already is."
Seika grabbed the satin sheets that were wrapped tightly around her body and pulled them up with her as she slid to the top of the bed, "What... was that... that... thing?"
"That was Mokona," Presea announced in a frustrated tone, "Our resident trouble maker."
"Oh! You're awake!" Hikaru bounded into the room and hopped up onto the bed.
"About time!" Umi laughed quietly.
"Yes," Fuu joined Hikaru on the opposite side of the bed from Seika, "We were afraid Clef might have to perform surgery."
"Clef?" Seika voice sounded unsure and quivered a bit.
"That would be me," proclaimed the lavender haired, ice blue eyed man with a calm air as he joined Presea.
Seika stared at him, as if trying to clarify something within her own thoughts, and then burst out laughing, quite rudely I may add, "Okay, I can believe that this isn't a dream, and that these freaks are perfectly harmless, but if you expect me to believe that this... child is... anything more than a child, then you are seriously mistaken!"
Clef, as calm as ever, lifted his staff high into the air and brought it down upon Seika's head, "I can accept you not realizing just who I am, but to insult the other inhabitants of Cephiro is cruel and deserving of punishment."
"WHY YOU LITTLE... wait," Seika restrained herself, "Cephiro?"
Umi sighed, "Finally, a little reasoning within that thick head of yours."
"Yup! Cephiro. That's where we are now," Hikaru chirped merrily.
"Perhaps it's best if you three explain things," Presea commented, "Let's go Clef."
"Quite so."
Seika watched as Presea and her fluffy companion, with Clef at their side, made their way out the door and down the hall. Fuu followed them in order to shut the door.
"So we won't be intruded upon," she explained, "Now, back to questions."
"Okay," Seika loosened her grip on the bed sheets once she was sure Presea and Clef was gone, "So this is Cephiro. How did we get here?"
"Yes... we..." Fuu began.
"What's with those people? Who are they? Why are you here? Why didn't you tell me?..." and numerous other questions exploded from Seika.
The three Knights proceeded to explain how, when, and why they were transported to Cephiro the first time, excluding some of the more painful details. Seika nodded slight comprehension and the girls went on to explain their second visit to Cephiro when they learned of countries beyond Cephiro and of the role the Pillar played. Hikaru also attempted to clarify how she had become Pillar as well, with little or no understanding from Seika.
Seika sat perfectly still for a time, letting these thoughts run through her head.
"I... see," she responded after a time, "You three are... Magic Knights? Defenders of this world?"
The three girls moved closer together and smiled proudly.
"Prove it."
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A bit exasperated, the Magic Knights led Seika into the foyer, where she had first been discovered.
"Stand here," Umi placed her roughly to one side of the room and joined her friends in the center.
They closed their eyes, and suddenly the roar of fire, the rush of water, and the howl of the wind could be heard as three sets of armor appeared around them. Then, the jeweled gloves on their hands began to glow as swords formed from them to the girls' hands; a rapier for Umi, a massive sword for Fuu, and a broad sword for Hikaru. Each had a jewel matching the one on the gloves in the pommel and the guards had engravings on them representing the three Spirits.
Seika watched as the display of power came to an end. Her eyes widened slightly, but that was all, "Impressive. That explains the Knights part, but what about the Magic?"
The girls looked at each other and nodded as they pointed straight ahead at Seika.
"Guardian Wind!" Fuu called out as a gust of wind swirled about Seika.
Umi and Hikaru went next, using the basic elementary spells they had first aquired from Clef.
"Water Dragon!"
"Fire Arrow!"
A massive blue dragon surrounded by an arrow of flame charged at Seika and broke into pieces as it hit Fuu's shield. Seika cringed and gawked at the dazzling attacks thrown at her.
When the spells ended and the shield was removed, she ran toward the Knights, "THAT WAS SO COOL! OH WOW!" She bounced up and down as much as Hikaru normally did.
"I think we've made a firm believer out of this one," Fuu whispered to the other two who muffled already quiet laughter.
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Clef paced his office slowly, his eyes staring the ground down as Lantis watched patiently from the doorway.
"There is a specific reason the girls transported her here with them. But what?"
"You're thinking too hard about this, Master Mage. There have been no signs of danger in Cephiro for years now. It may have just been an accident," Lantis comforted his teacher.
Clef looked up and smiled sadly, "You are probably right. I am over reacting."
Lantis placed an arm about his friend, "Come. Hikaru wants to introduce us all to Say-ee-ka," he sighed, "Such strange names."
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"It'll be fine. You'll like them."
"Yes, and I'm sure they'll like you as well."
The Knights had assured their friend all the while they dragged her down the long corridors. The others had gathered in what appeared to be the dining hall. After much procrastinating, the Knights ushered Seika into the room where several smiling faces greeted them.
"Okay everyone, this is our good friend Seika," Hikaru introduced Seika.
"Uh..." Seika bowed properly, "It's nice to meet you all, friends of my friends."
Presea laughed shortly and stepped forward, "I am Presea, Chief Pharley of Cephiro."
"A what?" Seika looked at her quizzically.
"Like an Artisan. I make weapons. I was actually the creator of the weapons the girls displayed moments ago."
"Oh," Seika nodded. She already liked Presea after the way she dealt with the fluffy white thing that had invaded her space.
The others introduced themselves one by one, Seika silently forming opinions of them, until the Knights brought Lantis forth.
"Lantis?" Seika rolled the name around, "Sounds familiar somehow... AH!" She jumped up in excitement, "That's your boyfriend you talk about all the time Hikaru!"
Hikaru and Lantis broke out in deep shades of crimson. The others were introduced one by one - Caldina and her lover Lafarga, Prince Ferio, and finally Clef.
"Clef," Seika bit her lip gently, "I... I'm sorry, about before I mean. I meant no harm in what I said."
"It's perfectly understandable, being from a different world and all," Clef's serious demeanor diminished and a smile formed on his face.
Ascot coughed, drawing attention towards him, "Since she is new and all, perhaps we can use the 'fieldtrip' to get her acquainted with the country."
"Ascot, what a wonderful idea!" Umi agreed and grinned approvingly, causing Ascot's heart to skip a beat or two.
"So, we're like, off then? Finally!" Caldina bounded ahead of the others. "Like, let's go already! It's time for some fun in the sun!"
Old Friends, Meet New Friend
"This place is sooooo beautiful! I've never seen such a place before!" Seika was enjoying herself immensely.
The sky was clear and intensely blue. A cool breeze blew, making the leaves on the trees shake merrily. The green grass was soft to the touch and the native wildlife was alive and making themselves known to all.
"So? Where shall we stop to eat?" Lafarga commented shortly before his stomach growled intensely.
The group looked about for a comfortable spot to spread out the lunch. Mokona bounced about, not really caring much about the location of the picnic (since he... she... it didn't eat). Seika watched the fuzzy, little ball spring up a hill settled behind them. Atop the hill was a massive tree that offered a good amount of shade.
"Hey!" she summoned the others, "How about up there?"
The Magic Knights nodded in agreement, "Perfect!"
Once under the tree, Lantis and Hikaru spread out the blanket while Ascot and Umi laid out the magnificent spread. They all gathered around in the gentle grass and munched eagerly on the variety of food.
"Wow, Presea," Umi smiled as she swallowed a bit of a sandwich, "This is great!"
Presea beamed proudly, "I've been practicing with those recipes you left me, Umi."
"Hey, Clef," Hikaru chewed her lip thoughtfully, "have you heard from Eagle at all recently?"
Lantis listened intently as Clef responded to Hikaru's rather random question. Lantis and Eagle had been great friends, and were still quite close. The only wrench thrown into their relationship was Hikaru. Both men had wanted her love desperately, and while Hikaru cared for both of them, she had chosen to take further steps with Lantis. Eagle did not resent her, although he regretted her decision.
"Now that you mention it, he hasn't written much. Geo keeps in constant contact, though," Clef reached for a piece of fruit before continuing, "I'm sure he must be terribly busy."
"Eagle? Who's Eagle?" Seika pondered aloud.
"Eagle is a friend of ours from Autozam," Fuu answered.
"Autozam? Then there are other places in this world besides Cephiro?"
Ferio nodded, "Three to be exact."
"Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren," Fuu finished his sentence. The couple blushed and laughed. They had a habit of doing that.
"Wow," Seika was impressed, "A whole other universe. I want to meet this Eagle. He sounds like a nice guy."
No sooner than he words were spoken, then a large airship roared into view. The ship was an Autozam aircraft for exploration. It was rather large, but not so that it was any threat. Seika gazed at the stunning ship. It was more skillfully crafted than any rocket back on earth.
Once the ship came to a halt and quieted down, the group made their way towards it.
"Speak of the Pillar," Lantis mumbled.
Hikaru was ecstatic, and as the shuttle doors opened, she ran up and leapt on to the outline of a man coming out. The man had incredible blonde hair, so light it appeared white, and intense golden eyes that made his porcelain skin shine.
"Eagle?" Seika whispered to Caldina.
"Eagle," Caldina confirmed.
Hikaru had raced back to the others, followed by Eagle. Lantis approached him, "It's good to see you again Eagle."
"You as well, Lantis," Eagle smiled generously. "It is good to see all of you." He scanned the friendly group until his eyes fell on Seika.
"Who's this?"
"I... I'm Seika," she stuttered.