Disclaimer: MKR and its characters belong to CLAMP. I do owe just Hoshi Ryuuzaki.
Notes: I wrote it while I was boring so please, go easy on me...lol
-CHAPTER 2
"Did you find her?" a voice made him turn towards the heavy wooden door of his library, he looked through the dark and saw two tall and slender figures coming towards him
"more or less..." he said in a blank voice
"what do you mean?" the red haired girl asked sitting on the edge of his desk
"I reached her house..."
"...but?" the other girl, blonde with wide green eyes behind glasses, asked sitting on the chair in front of the desk
"but I was greeted by a 14 years old girl who said me her mother wasn't home" he whispered shaking his head
"UMI HAS A DAUGHTER?!" the red haired asked in shock
"Hikaru! Don't shout!" the other one rebuked her
"sorry Fuu..." she apologized
"anyway...yes, she does" he answered
"I'm sorry Guru Clef..." Hikaru said in a sad tone
"what did she look like?" Fuu asked
"she was tall and slender, like Umi, you know...but her eyes...though they were wide and blue like Umi's they were different shaped...the same for the face features...and her hair...they were purple, no...lavender...just a little bit darker than mine..." he blankly said, Hikaru held his hand
"Guru Clef I...I don't know what to say..." she whispered
"lavender hair?" Fuu asked not fully surprised
"yes...what a cruel joke, eh?" he asked with a bitter smile, the blonde just put on a thoughtful expression, then she finally spoke
"what are you going to do?"
"I don't know..."
"what do you mean?" Hikaru asked
"I mean...Hoshi, is really sweet and kind...all the opposite of the 14years old Umi..."
"Hoshi?"
"yeah...that's her name...anyway, that's not the point..."
"and what's it, then?"
"she...she asked me to dinner to her and her mother tomorrow..."
"will you do it?" the red haired woman asked
"I don't know...I told her yes, but I've doubts...I mean, my powers allow me to go there only 3 times...if I go it will be the second time I use them..."
"but if you do it, maybe you could convince her to come back here and there will be no need to use that spell for the third and last time...beside this it's 14 years you desperately try to find the right spell to reach her" Fuu said in a smile
"I know but...do you think she will accept?"
"I don't know, but if you don't try you'll never know" Hikaru answered
"I think I'll follow your advice..."
"great!" the red haired merrily exclaimed clapping her hands
"now we are going...see you tomorrow, Guru Clef" Fuu said standing up followed by Hikaru
"yes...oh, Hikaru, Fuu...just one question"
"tell us" the blonde said
"do you know anything that Umi wanted to keep from me before she left?" both girls frowned in thought
"no..." Hikaru said then, Fuu just shook her head
"sorry...but why?" she added, he sighed
"never mind..." he said
"see you tomorrow girls" they nodded
"good night, Guru Clef" they answered at one voice walking out of the room.
Umi was alone in her bed, the room was enlightened by the pale moonlight, she turned over trying to sleep. Nothing, her mind was too full of thoughts. She remembered all the beautiful moments in Cephiro: the fisrt time she went there with Hikaru and Fuu, their battles, the sad discovery of the reason why they were summoned. Her mind run to Emeraude, Zagato and their forbidden love, and then, obviously, to Clef.
Clef who always helped them, who supported her when she was on the edge of a breaking down, Clef who was always there for her.
She remembered how much she was happy with him, how she wished to be with him forever.
Her mind run to their furious arguments, when she yelled him that in the end she was nothing to him, and he got angry and shouted her back that he was the Master Mage and he should neither have a relationship with her. Then she used to run out of his library or his throne room slamming the door behind her and took refuge in her chamber where she used to cry as a baby. Only late at night she used to creep in his study again, finding him sitting at his desk, to apologize. And he did always apologize her, pulling her into his lap, saying he was sorry too and cradling her as a child while kissing her face whispering soft words.
Her stomach fluttered at that memory. Surely that night would be sleepless.
She decided that the next morning she'd call to work pretending of having flu. Her fake nasal voice was her secret move in that occasions.
When Hoshi came back home from school, she felt the wonderful smell of her mother's roast coming from the kitchen.
She smiled, the last time her mother invited someone to dinner there with them was ages ago, and anyway, since her father's death, she always refused to dinner with men.
"mum I'm back!" she yelled
"come upstairs hun, I need your opinion!" Hoshi's smile grown wider, if her mother was worried about what to wear, that guy had to be special to her.
When she got in her mother's room she found a bunch of clothes thrown on her bed, Umi was standing in front of the mirror with a dark blue simple sheath dress
"mum, you look wonderful!"
"I think it's exaggerated, I was gonna put on my jeans and..."
"no no no! What the hell are you saying?! Here, put this on" the girl exclaimed fetching her a pair of high heeled sandals
"but Hoshi, that's not a formal..."
"shut up mum! You are a wonderful woman, i can't understand why you want to hide it!" Umi smiled and sighed, then she wore the sandals. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, not to be vain but her daughter was right: she looked very good.
"fine" she said in the end smiling to her daughter and messing her hair with a rub
"now go to take a shower and get dressed" the girl nodded and went away.
When Hoshi got out of her room, Umi sat on the bed and opened the drawer of her night table, she smiled looking at the small blue velvet bag with the logo of her Manashin, Selece, printed in a silver symbol.
She carefully opened it and took a necklace out of it: she sighed tossing it in her hand.
As usual, that night she couldn't sleep, and the worse thing was that Clef was out for a diplomatic mission.
Though she knew he'd return that morning she found it extremely annoying: she hated not having him around. Well, the truth was she was in love with the Master Mage, but, of course, she was just a child, just the Water Knight to him. She sighed and got out of her bed and walked towards Clef's study.
She now knew where Clef used to keep his sleeping potions, she had spent so many night in his study asking for them, so it wasn't a real problem.
She opened the sideboard next to the tall huge balcony door, she knew there she'd found what she needed, indeed there it was: a little glass bottle with a purple fluid inside it, she sighed and opened it then she swallowed it.
Suddenly she felt her eyes becoming heavy, she just had the time to sit on the chair in front of the desk, then she fell asleep with her head putted on her crossed arms placed on the table.
When she woke up, she startled at the sight of Clef sitting in front of her, focused on some old papers.
Only in that moment he looked at her and smiled
"good morning" he said, she looked out of the window, confused, and she saw the warm golden sun shining outside reflecting itself on the deep blue Cephran ocean.
"Clef! Oh Pillar, forgive me, I went here to drink the potion and I fell asleep too fast to come back to my room and..." the Mage laughed
"it's ok, Umi, really...just, I was kind of surprised when I found you here, but when I saw the empty bottle i understood it..."
"I'm sorry, really..."
"no problem...you do always fall asleep here, but my magic carries you back to your room, that's why you never wake up here" he explained
"oh...anyway that was embarrassing..."
"not at all...it was a...nice surprise finding you here" he said in a smile
"re...really?" she asked blushing, he nodded, she laughed nervously
"anyway I can assure you it will never happen again...I...I..." she started but he sighed and silenced her with a finger on her lips
"Umi...when I was away I...I thought a lot of you..." her eyes widened
"wha...what do you mean?" she asked nervously
"you see...I...I missed you...and..."
"I missed you too. A lot" she quickly cut out him, then, realizing what she just said, she covered her mouth with her hand, he smiled sweetly
"that's good because...because it makes easiest what...what I want to tell you since long time..."
"Clef" she said
"I have something to tell you too...it's since I went away from here the second time I want to...but I never get the chance or, when I do, I can't find the words or...or the courage...you see...I know I'm only a spoiled girl to you, and probably you find me even quite annoying since I do always stress you in the middle of the night or interrupt your work but...you see...I...I..." she stopped she felt so stupid, she was a 745 years old man, how in the world could he return her love?
"never...never mind" she whispered then looking down at the floor. The Mage sighed and held her hands in his
"you see..." he spoke after a long silence
"it's difficult, even for a 745 years old Master Mage, to show his feelings...but...Umi...I don't know how to say it, even because the traditions do forbid me to tell it...but...what I do really mean is...is that...that you mean a lot to me..." her eyes widened, she gasped in surprise
"I thought that you noticed that the way I act towards you is slightly different from the way I act towards the others Knights..." she swallowed, Caldina always teased her for that, but she thought it was just an impression of the Chizetian girl. She slowly nodded, Clef smiled
"well...the reason is that my feelings for you are different from the ones I have for Hikaru and Fuu...I mean...I...."
"I love you, Clef" she whispered cutting him off again. The Mage's eyes widened in surprise
"that's...that's what I meant..." he answered
"sorry if I can't explicitly tell you..." he added in a whisper, the girl launched herself in his arms, he held her and took her face in his hands, then sweetly kissed her. She felt it so right, so natural. That was what she always dreamed of. When the Mage pulled away she felt chills running along her spin, then Clef took a small blue velvet bag out of one of the pocket of his cloak
"it's ages i wanted to give you this..." he said handing it to her, she gasped
"but Clef..." he sweetly smiled
"it's yours" he cut her off putting it in her hands, the girl smiled and opened it
"Holy Pillar!" she exclaimed looking at the beautiful necklace shining in her hands.
It was made by white gold, with a dragon shaped pendant. The eyes of the dragon, that she recognized as Selece, where made by bright sapphires and its wings were made by crystal. Where the wings met the white golden body of the dragon, there were settled two small but shining diamonds.
"Clef, it's wonderful but...but it's too much...i can't accept it...I..." he silenced her protests with a kiss, then he took the necklace and hooked it around her slender neck. Only when he was done with it he broke up the kiss, she smiled happily and buried her face into his cloak
"thank you" she whispered.
"Mum?" Hoshi's voice took her back to reality, she shook her head
"what are you doing?" the girl asked coming closer, she gasped at the sight of the necklace
"mum! It's amazing! Why you never wore it?" Umi sadly smiled
"I...I was waiting for the right occasion..." she truthfully answered, Hoshi laughed
"c'mon, I'll help you to put it up...take your hair away from your neck" she said grabbing the necklace and hooking it around her mother's neck.
"done" she said then, Umi turned to her and smiled
"thanks" she said kissing her forehead
"honey, you look fabulous" she added then looking at her daughter's white miniskirt and at the violet top she was wearing
"I took it from you" the girl answered winking, Umi laughed
"oh, I can assure you that your father is an awesome man too..."
"...is?" Hoshi was quite confused, her mother never talked that way of her father, and the rare times she did it, she always referred to him using the past
"sorry" Umi said shaking her head
" I meant was..." Hoshi laughed
"seems like you have other thoughts in your head".
Umi smiled, her daughter was smart...just like her father.
"I'm just kind of nervous...it's ages I don't meet..." the doorbell cut her off. Her head spanned, her heart almost popped out of her chest: there he was.
"Hoshi, go to welcome him...say him I'm coming..." the girl nodded and run downstairs.
Umi wanted to scream. She had to calm down, she was a grown, mature woman, she couldn't act like a schoolgirl!
There he was again. He was nervous, very nervous. Would Umi remember of him? And what was she expecting from him? Even if she'd remember of him, she never saw him in his new tall look...Pillar, he had to stop it! He was a 7 centuries old man, not an adolescent boy! He breathed deeply and pushed the doorbell button
Hoshi opened the door, and smiled
"Good evening, sir!" she exclaimed, Clef smiled her back
"please...call me just Clef" he said, he had enough with all the formal titles people gave him.
"oh...ok...hem...come in, Clef" she said, he stepped in and the girl made him sit on the white armchair
"my mom is coming just..." her phone start ringing
"excuse me..." she apologized, then she picked up the call
"here's Hoshi...Ai...Holy God...he did not dare...he did?! What a worm! No no no! Don't cry! I don't know...my mother and I are having a dinner and...don't be stupid! Stop crying! Ok, ok...I'll ask her...bye"
"something wrong?" Clef asked confused
"Ai, my best friend, just got dumped by her boyfriend..."
"well, you should go to her then" he said in a smile
"my mother will kill me..." she muttered
"I won't believe so...ask her..." Hoshi sighed
"excuse me, be right back" she said running upstairs
"mum, there's a problem?"
"what?" Umi asked nervous
"Ai needs me..."
"hun, we have guests" she hissed
"it's urgent...her boy friend dumped her...she was crying...please!" Umi closed her eyes and sighed. A night alone with Clef...well, it was appealing, do doubts, but could she stand it? Well, anyway she had a lot of loose ends...maybe it was better that Hoshi wasn't here, they could have talk more freely...
"ok...but be home early, right?"
She hugged her
"thanks mum!" she exclaimed running away
"nothing...say our guest I'm coming..." Umi shouted
"You were right!" the girl exclaimed stepping in the living room
"how can you know her so well?" she added putting on a jacket, he laughed
"have fun...and take her mood up" he said watching her walking outside the door
"I'll try...oh, mum is coming...have fun! Bye, Clef!" she said shutting the door behind her.
Clef rested his back against the armchair and closed his eyes.
A night alone with Umi. He was growing worried about it.
