-CHAPTER 1

He opened his eyes and gasped in surprise, there he was, he did it!

It was a rainy day in that strange place she used to tell him about, he remembered it was called Tokyo. He made his was out of the Tower and looked around him, it was full of people going around inside strange metallic things with four wheels, maybe they were the famous cars the Knights always talked about.

"mom, look how strange does look that man..."

"don't stare, you know it's rude!"

Only when he noticed a kid pointing towards him, he realized that he had everyone's eyes on him.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, that woman was right, this was rude.

Ok, he still was wearing his Master Mage's outfit and his staff never left his hand, so his headdress never left his forehead, but he never thought that people of that world would be so indelicate. Lost in his thought he didn't realized that rain had made him soaked, only when a blast of wind made him shiver he noticed it.

He immediately find repair in a small dark alley. At least here he'd be safe and far from amused and rude gazes.

Well, surely it was that Tokyo city, he knew it thanks to the Tower the three Magic Knights always talked of, but now there was the very hard part: finding Umi. He had looked at her thanks to a special spell, and he knew she lived in a nice house not too far from the downtown, but he really didn't know how to reach it.

He leaned against a cold wet wall and closed his eyes. He was an idiot, how in the world could he have been so stupid not to care about it? What was he thinking? that his powers would have lead him to her?

"Umi" he whispered in the wind and the rain, suddenly his staff enlightened, his eyes got wide, he was sure there was no one of his power that could work in that world but the spell for going back to Cephiro.

He felt like he was falling from some high place, so he instinctively held his staff and closed his eyes.

When he opened them up again, he found himself in front of a nice white house with a groomed garden in front of it. It looked exactly like Umi's house, was it really what he was looking for? He didn't know what happened to his magic, but he took it like a help from destiny, so he breathed deeply and made his was along the small path to the house.

Once in front of the door he breathed again and pressed the doorbell button.

Hoshi was preparing the dinner, it was almost 7 o'clock, she knew her mother would have been back in one hour and probably she'd been tired. Suddenly the doorbell ring made her jump in surprise, could her mother be back from hospital so early?

"I'm coming!" she run towards the door and opened it, her eyes widened when she found a soaked good looking young man standing in front of her.

Clef looked at the tall slender lavender haired girl in front of him

"hem, excuse me, I think I came in the wrong place" he apologized

"I was looking for miss Umi Ryuuzaki..." he tried then, the girl smiled and said

"no, you came in the right place, my mother isn't home now, but she'll be back in a hour.."

Her mother. Clef froze. She had a daughter? But...how was it possible? She loved him, that's what she used to say...he did always believed her...what was that joke?

"are you ok?" the girl asked looking at his pale face

"y...yes..." he whispered, the girl made him sign to come in

"please, don't stay outside, come in...you're all wet..."

"oh...I won't disturb, I..."

"no disturb, sir...my mom is at work now, but she'll be back for dinner, why don't you wait for her?"

Clef hesitated, he felt stupid. He came back for her while she had forgot him, erased her past and found a new life, a new family. But if he could have just see her again...even for the last time...that thought made him accept the girl's request

"fine, thank you..."

"you welcome" she said leading him in the living room, then she tended her hand to him

"I'm Hoshi, Hoshi Ryuuzaki" he took her hand and shook it

"pleasured to meet you, I'm a old friend of your mother, I'm C..."

"really?" she cut him off

"she never told me about you...well, she doesn't talk that much of her past, and i don't know much of her friends..."

"she doesn't?"

"no...I think she prefers to leave it behind her shoulders..."

Clef's heart sank

"oh, how rude I am...please sit down" she said pointing a white armchair, he obeyed

"thank you Hoshi"

"you welcome...would you like a cup of tea?"

"oh I won't abuse of your hospitality, thank you anyway"

"no disturb really, I'll prepare a cup for me too"

"if things are so, ok, thank you"

"you welcome" she said disappearing in the kitchen.

Clef looked around the room, there was another white armchair and a white couch, they were settled around a crystal short table, on it there was a white porcelain bowl, with some chocolates and candies inside it. He smiled sadly, that was strange, Umi didn't eat sweets, he was sure about it.

At the other side of the room there was a long dark wooden table with elegant chairs that surrounded it, an azure vase full of daisies was posed on it, further there was a black piano. He knew Umi liked music, but he didn't know she could play any instrument, he found it as strange as the candies in the bowl.

The windows in the room where covered by soft white curtains and the walls were white too.

He couldn't imagine Umi in another place that wasn't the Palace of Cephiro. Her room appeared in his mind, the huge poster bed with its azure curtains, the navy blue velvet curtains, the white and silver cupboard...how many nights he spent there with her...he had to stop it. That wasn't the right time.

Finally Hoshi came back with a silver tea tray

"here's your tea" she said giving him a white cup, he thanked her and sipped it.

"so, you are a friend of mum's..."

Friend...that word referred to his and Umi's relationship had always made him laugh. It was impossible for both of them being just friends...of course, when Umi needed help and support he was always there for her, even before they become a couple, but the way he felt about her was not simple friendship. It never had been. He felt like he must protect and help her in everything. First he thought it was normal, she was a Magic Knight, it was his duty. But then he understood that it has nothing to do with the same feelings he had for Hikaru and Fuu: towards them he acted like a teacher, sometimes even a father. But Umi was another story, the depth of his feelings for here were totally different from the ones he had for the other two knights and with time she understood it and let herself go, showing him that she wasn't that spoiled bitchy person everyone thought she was. He had already saw through her façade, earlier than anyone else, even before Umi herself.

"yes...now it's 14 years we don't meet and..."

"wow, 14 years it's lot of time...well, it's exactly my age..."

"you don't look much like your mother when she had your age" he commented

"I know...everyone says I do look a lot like dad, but I can't find similarity between us..." Clef noticed her eyes becoming sad, he smiled

"really? And what does your father thinks bout it?" he almost whispered the word "father", he couldn't imagine Umi being with someone else. That made him hurt.

Hoshi smiled sadly

"I don't know it...dad dead when I was 3..." Clef eyes widened. He imagined how Umi had suffered in that period. When Umi loved someone she gave him all of her, she must had feel so empty after that terrible episode.

"I'm...I'm sorry I didn't mean to..."

"no, it's ok...it was long time ago...I can't even remember much about him...after that car crashing my mum raised me alone. But I never miss the figure of a father, my mum is really good with me. Well, I think she spoils me but I don't mind it...I know, i could seem superficial and selfish, but who'd give up on private schools, trade clothes, a house like this...I think it's her way to show me how much she cares of me..." Clef smiled again: spoiled and selfish. That's the way Umi did always describe herself, it took him a lot of years to make her understand that she was wrong, that she was a wonderful person.

"It must have been difficult for Umi..." he considered, Hoshi smiled

"she's very determined, she did a good job...I loved the way she used to cook her chocolates cake for me and the sweet stories she used to tell me before going to bed, again, i think she spoiled me" Clef laughed, he knew Umi cooked very well, he could never forget the days when she woke up early in the morning to creep in the huge kitchen of the Palace just to prepare him that...what was their name? Muffin? Yeah, Muffin. Then she slipped in his room with a tray full of muffins for breakfast, then she used to give him a soft good morning kiss just to wake him up. That was one of the best memories he saved. But he couldn't really see Umi telling a fairy tale to a little child...

"what's so funny?" curious, Hoshi asked

"well, it's just I can't see your mother telling a sweet fairytale, I mean, I know that she always wanted to become a good bride but it's so not her..." the girl laughed too

"I know, but I can assure you she's very good at it, she has got a great fantasy, though her fairytales often were sad and melancholic..."

"really?"

"yes...they were always love stories, especially about a beautiful but selfish Knight and a good and wise Master Mage..." Hoshi answered

Clef froze. That tales were about them. So she didn't forget him...but if things were like that, why did she left him?

"M...Master Mage? A...a Knight?" that was all he could say to the girl, she nodded

"well, they were awesome, but the end was so sad...I mean, why should a women leave the man she loves carrying with her a...secret or something like that? There was no point in it...but I always thought it was a reflection of my mother's mood, everyone knows she isn't exactly a cheerful person..."

That was ridiculous. Ok, maybe Umi wasn't that exuberant person, though she used to show off her vitality, especially in occasions like the parties Caldina used to give at Palace, but she never was that sad and melancholic. What was wrong with his precious Umi?

"oh..." that was the only word he could say, Hoshi smiled

"I even suggested her to write a book, something like 'The Legend Of the Water Knight' but she just laughed at me and told me that I had too much humour" she added shrugging. The Mage didn't know what to say, so he looked outside the window, he noticed that the sky had become dark

"I'd be better to go..."

"oh, but my mother will be back soon..."

"never mind...just tell her I was here, it's important" the girl nodded

"why don't you come here for dinner tomorrow?" she asked, he didn't know what to say, he had still two chances to go in that world, he was tempted to accept it

"I won't disturb..."

"no disturb, it'd be nice having you here..." Clef sighed, why not? In the end he needed to talk to Umi.

"ok, thank you Hoshi"

"great! You are welcome, see you tomorrow then" the Mage smiled and walked outside the door.

Hoshi sat on an armchair, she was happy about that visit, that man didn't seem like her mother's other friend. Not that she knew much of them, but she always thought they were all so boring.

In that moment the doorbell rang, she went at the door and opened it

"hi sweetie" Umi said kissing her cheek

"hi mum...I prepared the dinner" the woman smiled

"that's good, I'm so tired...thank you" Umi said throwing her jacket on a armchair, then she turned and saw the two cups on the crystal table

"Hoshi, why did you use the cups?"

"oh, a friend of yours came here..."

"really?" she asked sitting at the table

"yeah...he said you didn't met since 14 years" she answered sitting on the chair in front of her mother's one

"14...years?" she asked pouring some water in a glass

"yup! He was lavender haired, and he was wearing a strange cloak, he had even a tall staff with him...he was a very good looking man"

Umi gasped in surprise, struggling with the water

"mum you ok?" the girl asked

"ye...yeah, hun..." she answered coughing and putting the glass on the table

"so" she added

"what was his name?"

"it was...no! wait! He was telling me, but I cut him off!"

"Hoshi! You let a stranger coming here and you did even offered him a cup of tea!" she exclaimed, but she knew she just said a lie, she knew him. The way her daughter described him was clear. Just...how could he came to her world? How could he find her?

"he wasn't a stranger! We talked a lot, even about you...he knew you well, and for the first time a friend of yours wasn't boring or ego-boosted..." Umi sighed

"what did you talk about?"

"lot of things" the girl said eating the salad she prepared

"mostly you, but I told him everything, it was easy talk to him...I told him about dad, about the way you raised me...he was amused by the fact you could act like so motherly though he knew you wanted to become a good bride...I assured him you were totally good at it, I even told him about your sappy fairytales..."

Umi froze. She not only talked of her dead husband, thing that probably had almost killed him, but that tale...she suddenly felt so embarrassed...what did he thought of her? He surely understood that her characters weren't just a product of her imagination, that they were...them. She put her head in her hands

"mum, are you ok?" Hoshi asked worried

"yes..." she whispered

"I'm sorry hun, the dinner was wonderful but I'm too tired even to eat..." the girl smiled

"it's ok mum, I'll wash the dishes, go to bed now..." Umi nodded and kissed her forehead

"thank you Hoshi, I'm sorry"

"don't worry, it's ok...oh...mum..." Umi turned to face her daughter

"yes?"

"I invited him to dinner with us tomorrow..."

Umi's heart almost popped out of her chest

"you did what?!"

"he wanted to meet you, so I thought it was a nice idea...beside this I find him very interesting..."

Interesting...yeah, that was a word that perfectly matched Clef. Umi smiled to herself.

"ok...this means I have to prepare a good dinner..."

"I could help you..."

"no, you already did it tonight, I can't treat you as a servant..." she said.

The truth was that, after 14 years of distance, she wanted do something special for him. She almost giggled at the thought of cooking for him again

"as you want" Hoshi said

"good...now I'm going to sleep...good night sweetie"

"night mum" the girl said watching her climbing the stairs towards her bedroom.