Disclaimer: CLAMP owns
the rights to Magic Knight Rayearth and all the characters in this story. I do
not write this for money, but simply to express my obsession and love for
CLAMP's work. I do own the plot to this fanfiction, and the way Princess
Emeraude acts when she's not praying for the good of Cephiro or enraged over
her lover's death.
Magic
Knight Rayearth: Genesis
Chapter
One
by
Sakuya Hecila
A worried-looking man with forest green hair sat by a bed
containing a beautiful blonde woman. The woman's eyes were closed and her
breathing regular; she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. The man looked away,
wondering if she would ever awaken. Three days had passed since they found her
in a comatose state, and for three days she never stirred. He sighed, then
turned back at the sound of soft fabric rubbing against sheets. He watched the
woman's eyelids flutter open, revealing sapphire eyes no one had seen for five
years. Shock kept him from wondering at the impossibility or registering his
own joy at the realization that Emeraude, princess and former Pill of Cephiro,
his sister, was alive.
"You're
awake," he stated, finally letting it sink in. Emeraude died five years
before, along with her lover Zagato. The people of and related to Cephiro had
accepted the tragedy, until a recent comment from an innocent child sparked an
idea. What if they could be brought back?
Not
even the Pillar could will someone back to life, but the new Cephiro was ruled
by the will of all the people, not one. Everyone in Cephiro lamented these two
deaths. Mightn't the wish of so many hearts be granted? Those most closely
involved in the terrible incident appealed to Mokona, the Creator.
At
first the fluffy-bunny-thing (AN: What else do you call it?) refused. Once a
life was taken, it could never be given back. Making one exception would
certainly lead to countless requests to defy death. However, the pleadings of
the Magic Knights and their friends persuaded Mokona. Emeraude and Zagato's
demise had taught the people so much, and the two who caused it should be able
to experience this new happiness. This was not the wish of one or two people,
but of everyone who understood the terrible deaths, especially the strongest
hearts connected to Cephiro.
The
Creator agreed, on the condition that, on the anniversary of the lover's end,
every person connected with Cephiro wished with all his or her heart for the
two to live. The people, comprehending the greatness of such a gift, thanked
Mokona profusely and promised never to take the grant lightly. And so, two of
the magic knights (Umi was on Earth for the wedding of an American cousin and
knew nothing of the momentous events taking place) discovered two comatose
bodies near the site of the lover's destruction.
(AN:
Back in the present...) Emeraude searched the room, confused. Her vision
cleared and she espied the source of the voice, then began to cry. "Oh,
Ferio! You're dead, too."
"Actually,
I'm quite alive. As are you, dear sister, amazing as it is." He smiled.
"But
how? I remember the Magic Knights' sword running through me (Ferio winced).
And...the feeling of freedom. I feel free, like I were no longer Pillar."
"You
aren't Pillar."
"D
not tease me Ferio. Only my death could stop my being Pillar, and since I am
not dead..."
"No,
you're not dead, now. But you were" Ferio smile became a grin.
"What
do you meant?"
"You
died, now you are alive again, and therefore no longer the Pillar."
"How
could I die but be alive?"
"It
is a long story."
"Then
do not tell me yet. I am alive and free, but I still cannot have what I
want." Emeraude sighed and stood, pacing the room sadly.
"Why
do you say that?"
"You
must know why I died."
"You
loved Zagato."
"Yes,
and Zagato is dead. I cannot be happy."
Ferio
took his sister by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Emeraude,
thin about it. If you came back to life, could not Zagato do the same?"
Emeraude
stared at him, the tears stopping in her eyes. Her hand flew up to cover her
mouth. "Oh Ferio! Now I can be truly happy." She stopped, thinking
for a moment. "But—the new Pillar. It is wrong to put someone
through what happened to me. I feel awful for the new Pillar."
"There
is no Pillar."
The
blue eyes widened and their owner charged to the wall-to-ceiling window.
Emeraude gazed out at the lovely landscape and said in a bewildered tone,
"But Cephiro is still beautiful. I remember, before I became Pillar, the
world crumbling."
"Nevertheless
there is no Pillar—has not been one for five years. Let me explain." Ferio
disclosed to his sister the events after her death leading to the ultimate
elimination of the Pillar system. The tale might have taken hours, but Ferio
left out most of the little details. The story still took about an hour to tell
and left Emeraude's head spinning.
"So,
what you're saying is that the Magic Knight of fire—"
"Hikaru,
yeah."
"That
this Hikaru passed through the Path—which led to her world—along with Eagle
Vision of Autozam. But only one could return, the Pillar."
"Correct!"
"But—Hikaru?
Wanted to save Eagle anyway, and because of her great love for everyone she
knew and her wish that what happened to me never repeated itself, Mokona made
it so that there is no Pillar?"
"Pretty
much, yeah. If you have to simplify it, that covers the story fairly
well."
Amazing.
And now the Path is open permanently—and not just to those who might become
Pillars. The Magic Knights visit often?"
"Actually,
they've lived in the castle since they came of age."
"I'd
like to meet them. They deserve so much of my thanks." Emeraude collapsed
on her bed. She smiled the first truly happy smile Ferio had ever seen from
her. "Because of them, I am free to be with Zagato and everyone else I
care for. I hope, Ferio, that one day you too can know what it is like to love
someone like I love Zagato."
Ferio's
grin grew. Laughing, he replied, "You haven't seen me for five years. I do
know the feeling—very well." His scarred face reddened and he fingered the
earring he wore.
"Ferio,
in love?! I see...one of the earrings I gave you is missing. It's a wonder I
had not noticed. Who is she? Tell me all about her!"
"Well—"
"Ferio,
are you still up? I thought I told you to get some sle—" the voice halted
as a face, framed by sandy hair and with glasses covering large kelly-green
eyes, appeared in the doorway. "Princess Emeraude—you're awake."
"Indeed.
And you, if I remember correctly, are the Magic Knight of the wind."
The
girl nodded, stepping fully into the room.
"Emeraude,
this is Fuu Hououji. Fuu, I will sleep when I am tired."
Emeraude
looked oddly at her brother for a moment before addressing the newcomer.
"It is wonder to finally be introduce, Fuu. I would like to thank you and
your friends for saving Cephiro."
"We
only did what anyone who cared for this country would do. I cannot help feeling
horrible for what happened when I first came."
"You
did what I summoned you for, nothing more. Now what's this about Ferio needing
rest? That doesn't sound right. Five years ago, he could not sleep
enough!"
Fuu's
hands went to her hips and she mock-glared at Ferio. "That's right. Don't
give me any 'I'll sleep when I'm tired' business. One, you're normally always
sleepy, so that excuse won't work. Two, you have not even dozed off in three
days; that is unhealthy."
"Ferio,
she is right. What were you doing?"
"Keeping
vigil here," Fuu replied for him. She marched to Ferio's chair and forced
him to stand. "It shows he cares, but is still dangerous."
"I'm
not tired!"
"Nonsense,
Ferio. You are always tired." Emeraude turned to Fuu, "I assume I was
found three days ago?" Fuu nodded and the princess looked back at her
brother. "I do not exactly understand how I 'returned from death,' but I
do know that it is no reason to make yourself sick. I have to agree with Fuu.
You should not risk your health on my account."
"Of
course not. And now, you are going to bed." Fuu steered Ferio toward the
open door.
"Fuu,
I honestly am wide awake!"
"I
am sure. A certain feeling of exhilaration usually exists for a short time when
a person lacks sleep. But that does not mean you should stay awake, especially
not if you normally sleep as much as you do. You no longer have an
excuse; Emeraude is awake. You may talk with her later." Fuu frowned at
the prince.
"All
right. I can never disobey you for long." Ferio winked and grinned.
Fuu
smiled back, smugly. "I know. Now, go!" She pointed down the hallway
and Ferio scramble after her finger.
When
he had gone, Emeraude burst out laughing. "That was so—funny the—way
you—handled him."
Fuu
smiled.
"I
have never seen anyone do that so easily. Ferio can be so stubborn, although I
have to admit he's never been so adverse to sleep as long as I have known him.
You managed him very well. I think I know the answer to one of the questions I
asked Ferio."
Fuu
adjusted her glasses and sat down in the now empty chair. "Oh? What
question?"
"Just
the one about the name of the girl he loved."
Fuu's
complexion shifted from ivory to tomato instantly. "He...said he was in
love?"
"Yes.
Did you not know how he felt? I assumed...after all, he no longer has the other
earring."
"No,
I knew. It's just...it still amazes me. How much did he tell you?"
"Not
very much. He was just starting to talk about you when you entered. I hadn't
even heard your name. I've been awake about an hour and a half, and most of that
was Ferio explaining why there is no Pillar. Which is, by the why, astounding
and wonderful."
"Yes,
it is. Emeraude, I want to apologize."
"For
what, Fuu?"
"For
what happened—you know."
"That
wasn't your fault."
"But
it feels like it. Whenever I'm with Ferio, it feels like I don't deserve him
because of what I did to you." Fuu looked down.
"You
did what you had to. I, and Cephiro, would have been much worse off without you
and the other Magic Knights I don't blame you, and I'm sure no one else does.
Especially not Ferio." Fuu glanced up and Emeraude continued, "Fuu,
Ferio has every reason to love you."
"Thank
you." Fuu fidgeted in the chair.
"Have
you never shared this with my brother?"
"We
have talked about it, but sometimes I feel as if he might pretend not to blame
me to spar my feelings. I trust him, but still....On Earth we have a saying,
'There is a thin line between love and hate.' If that is true, it might be
possible for him to love me and still hate me for my actions."
Emeraude
moved from the bed and wrapped her arms around the Magic Knight.
"Nonsense. Ferio idolizes you. I could tell when I saw you together just
now. And when he told me he loved someone, love was the only emotion I saw in
his eyes."
"Thank
you." Fuu smiled and pulled out of Emeraude's hug.
"You
have a lovely smile, Fuu."
"Me?
No, you do. Ferio once told me that, as Pillar, you smiled softly, but it never
reached your eyes. I'm glad to see your eyes so happy, because they were so
very sad the first time we met. You are truly beautiful."
"I
take that as a compliment from one so pretty as you."
"Me?"
Fuu blushed. "I'm not pretty. Not like you, or Hikaru and Umi, or Caldina
and Presea."
"Yes
you are. You're hair is gorgeous and suits you perfectly. And those things over
your eyes bring out your cheekbones and the elegant green color of your eyes.
Never argue with a princess—certainly not when you are in love with her
brother."
"I
will remember that."
"Now,
did you mention Presea? I haven't seen her in years. Well, I haven't seen
anyone years, but....How is she? How is everyone? I want to know all about you
and the other Knights and all the juicy castle gossip! It feels so good to be
able to do what I want for a change!"
Fuu
laughed. "Gossip, huh? Umi might be a better source than I, or Caldina—do
you remember her? She's a Chizetan dancer, worked for Zagato until she met
us—But I keep fairly well-informed with what goes on around here...."
*********************************************************************
As
Fuu reported the castle goings-on to Emeraude, Lantis was reading an Earth
magazine beside another bed in a room a corridor away. The man on the bed bore
a striking resemblance to the one in the chair, but since they were brothers it
was not surprising. Unlike Ferio, Lantis only spent a few hours a day watching
for his sibling to regain consciousness. Normally, Lantis spent this time with
Hikaru, who kept him from brooding and provided some entertainment. He had
found that, when with the right people, he preferred company to being alone. At
the moment, though, Hikaru had gone to examine the preparations for the arrival
of envoys from Autozam, Fahren, and Chizeta. Lantis set down the magazine and
considered following his love.
'Presea
offered to watch for me,' he thought. Emeraude and Zagato had round-the-clock
surveillance, particularly because no one knew how the couple would react when
they awoke. 'Or I could convince Primera, although that might be harder.'
Lantis chuckled at the thought of the five-inch pixie shrieking about how
Hikaru had better not 'steal' HER Lantis.
The
figure on the bed stiffened into a defensive position at the sound of Lantis'
laughter. It was the first reaction Zagato had given since his return to life.
Lantis waited a few seconds and then spoke.
"Zagato?
Can you hear me?"
"Who
are you? What happened? Where am I?"
"I
cannot answer if you don't give me a chance. Let's see.... Who am I? Can you
not recognize my voice, or even my face?"
"My
vision is blurred, Mocker, but the voice is...familiar."
"Ha!
Familiar he says. I should hope so. He's certainly heard it enough! Really,
Brother, your memory must be failing you in your old age."
"Lantis!"
Zagato squinted, then his eyes (finally) adjusted.
"Yes;
Lantis. As for where we are—the castle of Cephiro."
"What
happened? The last the I remember is the Magic Knights in their Mashins. I had
to fight them. I could not allow them to fulfill the prophecy.
"You
failed."
"No!
I will kill them for what they did to Emeraude!" Zagato jumped from the
bed.
Lantis
stood as well, between Zagato and the door. "No, you will not."
"Who
will stop me?"
"I
will, among others." Lantis touched his sword hilt.
"I
thought you left Cephiro because—"
"I
did. I still feel that way."
"Then
why do you sympathize with Emeraude's murderers?"
"They
only did what was required of them; they did not choose their path"
"They
still followed it."
"Not
willingly."
"How
do you know?"
"Much
has happened since your death, Zagato."
The
older man's face was incredulous. "What do you mean, 'since my death?' I
am as alive as you."
"Indeed.
Nevertheless, you were dead for five years. As was the princess."
Zagato
fell back into the bed. "Dead for five years, but alive now? Did you say
Emeraude as well? She is alive?"
"Yes."
"But
she was dead.... It makes no sense. But for some odd reason, I believe you. You
have never lied to me, Lantis. If five years have passed, then a new Pillar has
been chosen. Emeraude is free to exercise her own will!"
"She
is."
"Lantis,
Lantis do you know what this means?"
"I
think the people of Cephiro had some idea in mind when they petitioned the
Creator for your lives, yes."
"The
Creator? Who...?"
"A
long story."
"And
evidently a confusing one."
"Rather.
Zagato, none of this could have happened without the Magic Knights."
Zagato's
eyes narrowed. "Without the Magic Knights Emeraude and I would never have
died in the first place."
"No,
but Cephiro would have been destroyed. I may not have agreed with the Pillar
system, but I know it held this world together for thousands of years. Emeraude
could not have been happy had her love for you destroyed that. She summoned the
Magic Knights with a full knowledge and comprehension of the outcome."
Zagato
glared silently.
"And
another thing, just because a person performs an action does not mean it is by
choice. The Magic Knights suffered when they killed you two—they still suffer
in their hearts. I know at least one of them wishes nothing more than for your
forgiveness."
Had
the brothers listened, they might have heard the joyful footsteps traipsing
down the hall and stopping before the door to their room.
"I
cannot forgive those girls. The killed me and Emeraude, and I am surprised you
can stand up for them."
As
Zagato spoke, the door opened to reveal a dazzling redhead. Her sparkling eyes
dulled and teared as she heard the man's speech. She had begun to say
"Lantis—" but choked and sprinted out of the room.
"Hikaru!"
Lantis yelled.
"One
of the Magic Knights!"
"You!"
Lantis roared at his brother. "How dare you?" He moved to follow
Hikaru but was stopped by Zagato.
"Why
are you going after her?" questioned the older man.
"Wouldn't
you go after Emeraude?" Lantis pushed past Zagato and darted after his
love, not bothering to notice his brother's reaction.
*********************************************************************
Author's Notes: Congrats!
You made it through the first part of my newest fic. This has been really fun
to write, and I actually left it at a cliffhanger! More will come as soon as I
finish writing it (I have some already, but I just *had* to leave off hear.).
That is, if you want more.
If
you liked it, didn't like it, thought it too impossible (nothing is impossible,
only improbable), thought Lantis talked too much (hey, it's been five years,
the guy could loosen up. Besides, when he has something important to say, he
does say it all.), or whatever, REVIEW! I accept constructive criticism
with an open mind: I may or may not follow it, depending on whether or not I
find it pertinent—not all critiques are. However, I always value the opinions
of others and consider any thoughts sent my way. If you're still reading this,
STOP! I've been rambling for two paragraphs and Mitsuko Hime doesn't understand
stream of consciousness very well.
Ja
ne!
