Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. They are Clamp's. I just have fun playing with them.
Note: English is not my mother tongue. Italian is. And my translator work as drunk. So please forgive me for errors or incomprehensible phrases. And now…text.
The tribute
Hikaru woke up among Lantis' arms in the new Cephiro that she had desired. The new one, splendid Cephiro, built with the contribution of everybody. Yet there was a shade in her heart that morning. She had to go to Clef. And when he had asked her to come he was so accursedly serious that probabilities to have been invited for a tea were very scarce. She had kissed her dormant love and she was prepared for going out. Clef had welcomed her with a face even more serious of the last time. Some instant he had remained in silence, then he had asked her: "Hikaru... would you give your life for Cephiro? ". A question that had frightened her. "Why…? " "I beg you Hikaru, now answer me and enough… sincerely. Would you give your life for Cephiro? " What was Cephiro? It was Rafaga, Ascot, Ferio, Presea, Clef…Lantis. She had found again all of her strength. "Yes, Clef. Yes, I would do." "Then let me explain to you." Clef had sigh. "Cephiro is subdued to a… tribute. Every twenty thousand years, one some kinds of demon comes until here and… it devours the pillar. After that it returns from where it has come and it leaves the planet alone for the next twenty thousand years." No bad as unluckiness to be here just in this period, thought Hikaru. But she said: "And as magic knight I must… to eliminate this thing, correct? Also at the cost of the life… " But why has not it been done before? "Not really." These words froze her blood. "You see, the demon nourishes itself of the energy of the pillar's heart, which to protect Cephiro has always been ready to the sacrifice... and for that that I know, the magic knights are too much weak to make anything, in this case." "But now… " Hikaru started to understand… and she was afraid. "Now we don't have a pillar. What I fear is that the demon to feed is chosen to devour the whole planet." "No! " Hikaru had shouted. "Therefore, you see, simply we need a pillar… that is ready to sacrifice himself for Cephiro." "I am the pillar…″ she had murmured. "You are the nearest thing to a pillar whom we have in this moment" had confirmed Clef. "And when it should arrive this demon?" How much does it stays me? God… how much it stays me? "Tomorrow." "Tomorrow? Clef… what would have happened if I had said no? " "We would be dead, I imagine… But I swear you that it is the truth, Hikaru, I have there almost hoped in that no. It is not fair that touch always to you… " "But it is this way. We are not able to do nothing."
She had returned home racing. She was thrown among Lantis' arms. And she had bursted to cry. "What is there, my love? " He didn't tolerate seeing her this way. It hurt him too much. She tightened him, trembling. And she had said: "I am about to lose you." "Don't say nonsense! " he had exclaimed. She had told everything, between a hiccup and the other. It had been a long history. He didn't want to believe it. "It is not possible! " It could not be true. Hikaru was not pillar… not more. He loved her, he could love her. Didn't this mean that she was not anything? Why now did they want to set again her that assignment? Why did they want to tear her to him? Clef… At the end, what had found to say was: "You can't do it." You can't… I can't lose you. "Even if did it mean the end of Cephiro? " Hikaru was… confused. "Yes." He stayed Zagato's brother. And he had not never understood his brother as at that time. "It is not fair. You a re not the pillar anymore. And I won't allow that you do a madness as this. Won't I allow you it, have you heard me? Because I love you." I can't live without you. You can't ask me this. "I can't do other." Hikaru kept on crying. "I can't let Cephiro be destroyed." Was this what had said Emeraude summoning the magic knights? And then she had said: "I will lose you, tomorrow. But if indeed you love me, love me tonight. A last time…". And he had loved her. With the whole desperation that had in heart, that both had in heart. Still and still and still, without standstill, with those words that played again inside of them: "The last time". At the end Hikaru had fallen asleep among his arms. It was almost the dawn. That dawn that had to bring him her away. He could not allow it. He could not leave that she died. But what could he do? To bring her away… away from the planet. Before she woke up. To leave all to his shoulders. To leave that all was destroyed, also not to lose her. No… he could not do it. Hikaru would never have forgiven it to him, he knew this. But if she had remained she would be dead. He could not surrender to this. It had to be there a solution. A solution that he had not seen yet… suddenly, a possibility. It would have been able not to work, but he had at least to try. He had given her a kiss. The last kiss. It was the dawn.