Crumbling Pillars

Author's Ramblings:

Hello, everyone! finally the next installment. I hope it lives up to your expectations! I have been busy with tests and such recently but I was just itching to write so now I have it out of my system. I originally had this chapter near completion but my computer had to be reimaged so I lost everything ;_; but I have reconstructed and hopefully it is even better than before. Also a big shout out to everyone who reviewed my first chapter. *Bonzai* ^_^

-Merrow

Story Note:

This chapter introduces a bunch of new characters and in an attempt to be faithful to CLAMP I used Japanese car names. Also the beginning of this story is a Zagato and original character pairing, but never fear Z/E fans their time will come.

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth it is the brain child of the talented manga group CLAMP. I but borrow their world to make a bit of it my own.

In the previous chapter:

Then he saw her most familiar eyes, wide and innocent brimming with unshed tears. Blinking, a few sparking droplets fell to the floor and she managed to draw her lips into a thin, painful smile. Clef's breath caught and with what voice he had left he called to her …. "Princess Emeraude?" ….

Chapter 2:  Destiny and Deceit

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it could not be. He looked again at the woman before him. She tried to wiped her eyes but glistening tears still swam at the edges.

"How I wish I could be the one you were hoping for" She whispered in a voice cracked with disuse. More tears and a thin smile. Clef stood motionless, speechless before this phantom from the past.  Her voice was so familiar and as he stood, lost in thought, again his dream played out in pantomime before him. Emeraude playing while the ominous figure stood in shadow just behind her, then the sun burst out and bright sunlight spilt across the shadowy form. Illuminating her long golden hair framing a smooth pale face, cold and devoid of emotion, atop her head sat a burning crown of gold, the proof of the pillar. Clef was looking upon a past that never came to be.  Emeraude's older sister, Cresta, the last and true pillar.

        She stood and watched as recognition dawned on her friend. Blinking back more tears she too fell into reverie… soon an oppressive weariness overcame her body and spirit, too tired to resist she succumbed to the darkness. She fell back, back to a time before the knights, before all the trouble and tragedy…back to the beginning of the end.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

in the past…

Cresta looked up at the small egg shaped clock on the wall. 10 more minutes, grimacing at the thought of even a second more of oppressive lecturing; she willed the clock to move. Grudgingly, the hand ticked off another minute. It was no use, time would not be hurried. She heaved a heavy sigh before attempting to catch the last strains of her instructor's sentence.

        Smack! Cresta felt a sharp pain in her left hand and looking up found her teacher's angry face looming just above hers.

        "Do you have ANY idea the burden that will soon be yours?!?" She screeched. Cresta longed to cover her ears, but only managed another grimace. "I am trying to teach you the history of this world…this world, that will one day be YOUR responsibility…" another dramatic pause. Cresta waited silently, faced schooled into a cool emotionless expression. The pause lengthened into a hesitant and uneasy silence. Seeing no response from her pupil, the older woman sighed exasperatedly before turning on her heel and stalking to her desk.

        "That is all." She rapt out, "I can get no information into an empty head." She violently stuffed an assortment of papers into her folder as she spoke. Looking up she glared at Cresta before huffing an abrupt "leave" accompanied by more paper stuffing.

        Cresta stood, the sound of her chair scraping across the stone floor broke the angry silence. Her teacher looked up to scowl disapprovingly at her again. Quietly, Cresta gathered her books and left the room. Her calm face was a barely maintained façade attempting to conceal her joy and relief. As the door closed heavily behind her, a wide smile bloomed on her face. Finally free of the room, she dashed down the hall letting the sound of the birds and the warm flower scented breezes guide her. She emerged into a sunny courtyard and fell into the soft grass. She kicked off her shoes then tugged at her itchy constricting tights. Free of her bothersome school items, Cresta stood and throwing back her head smiled into the sunshine spinning around and around with delight. Her wavy golden locks fanned out behind her and her white sundress puffed out in a bell about her small legs. Dizzy from spinning, Cresta fell to the ground. Her arms stretched out on either side, her aquamarine eyes brimming with joy. A feeling of pure and utter contentment permeated her body like the warm afternoon sunshine.

        Lying in the grass, she listened to the happy twitter of the birds, when a less melodious sound reached her ears. Clank, screeee  the unmistakable sound of metal hitting metal and the definite sound of a duel.  In a flash, she was on her feet dashing for the practice grounds just outside the palace gardens. Following the sound of battle cries and clashing metal she finally drew abreast of the ridge around the practice field. Looking down, she saw them.

        Two opponents circled each other their eyes riveted on the other's face. Zagato stood with his back to Cresta. His long ebony hair pulled back in a loose ponytail that trailed down his back and swung in a thick mass at his waist. Tendrils had come loose and clung to his sweat soaked form. His black training uniform clung heavily to his body and his pale face glistened. A drop of sweat fell from his bangs and slid down his cheek before dripped from his smooth white chin to his hands fisted tightly around the hilt of his sword. 

Cresta stood silently watching but soon the duelist felt the observer's presence and looked up. His amythest eyes searched for only a moment before resting on Cresta. He smiled and was about to speak when his forgotten opponent saw a chance to attack. With a loud yell, the younger boy rushed forward his sword arching towards Zagato's unwary form. Instinctively Zagato sidestepped the wild blow then countered by striking the attacking sword near the hilt. Shocked at the sudden parry and still rushing forward with his attacks momentum, La Farga dropped his weapon and went tumbling a few feet beyond where Zagato had once stood. he let out an indignant yelp before his face was planted in the dirt.

        "Nice try," Zagato smiled "but I am still too quick to lose to such a wild attack, but keep training you get better everyday." Zagato used the blade of his own sword to flip the other boy's weapon into his free hand. LaFarga raised his body from the ground. The dirty clung in brown splotches to his sweaty clothes and covered his face. He attempted to wipe it away but only succeeded in smearing it into a great brown smudge. Scowling, he walked over to where Zagato stood. Zagato extended the sword but LaFarga paused looking angrily at his foe, a slight tension filled the air as the two eyed each other, then hastily LaFarga grabbed his sword his eyes never leaving Zagato's.

        "You can't win every time!" LaFarga huffed tears edging his child-like voice. Before a single salty drop could fall, he turned and dashed away. Zagato's eyes laughed as he watched LaFarga's retreating form. He turned his smiling gaze to his friend who had by now descended into the practice field.

        "Hey, you! You almost cost me the match" Zagato chided playfully as Cresta approached.

        "hmph, I think it is your own lack of concentration that is at fault." Cresta rounded, picking up a twig and twirling it about, before pointing it rapier-like at her friend.

        "Oh, so you want to fight too, huh?"  He mocked, pointing his still unsheathed sword at her. "I seem a popular sparing partner today. First LaFarga, now you…who next?"  Well, LaFarga he had to concede was not really a surprise; he challenged Zagato nearly everyday and lost just as often.  LaFarga was 3 years younger than Zagato but already almost the same size. However, he had yet to best the older boy at fencing a fact that irked him every time they met.

        Dropping the twig, Cresta faced Zagato a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "I have a better idea," she drawled and walking a little distance from him she paused. He waited expectantly, not at all liking her expression. She laughed then took off running only looking back to yell, "Last one to the garden fountain is a rotten egg."  Her challenge voiced, she dashed away as fast as her feet would carry her.

        "Hey! No fair! You cheater!" Zagato yelled and sheathing his sword, he raced after her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In a room deep inside the white castle walls, a woman stared at the image of the two children running and laughing before falling, out of breath, before one of the palace fountains. She sighed a deep and heavy sigh before waving her hands before the mirror causing the image to fog over and disappear in a cloud of hazy smoke. Her face was pasty pale from lack of sunlight and her eyes were an icy blue so light they looked to be silver. Her hair fell in stark contrast to her colorless features, a black mass of midnight strands spread about her on the pillows, surrounding her in a sea of darkness. Her face was neither young nor old, just worn, she was the Pillar of Cefiro, Impreza.

        "It will never do" she said her voice cold and solemn. Beside her a woman with shoulder length blond hair bowed deeply.

        "My apologies" she murmured, "But I did not know what to do and I fear they grow to close."

        "You were right to come to me." Impreza condescended, "I too noticed the change but I think we can weed these silly emotions out of her yet. Love is not a feeling the future Pillar should experience" A hard cold gleam glinted in her pale icy eyes as she spoke. "yes, her ONLY love can be Cefiro…" she paused, her gaze lost in a world only she could see. Abruptly, looking back at her attendant, she finished, "and if the first should fail there is always the other."

        "My lady?" The second woman asked looking up confused.

"You have more than one daughter, do you not?" Impreza clipped, "as the mother of the pillar there is no law saying your second daughter cannot take over where the first fails." Her eyes slid to the small bundle nestle close to its mother. As if it understood the threatening words, the child whimpered and shifted uncomfortably in its blankets.

"Yes, my lady, but it has always been the first daughter and … Emeraude has had no training, I hope to spare her that burden." She bowed her head, embarrassed at her outburst.

"It is a heavy burden to shoulder…" Impreza answered stoically, "but do not lose hope, I believe we can make a pillar of that girl Cresta yet." Brushing aside her hair and gathering her elaborate white robes about her Impreza stood and beckoned her handmaiden. "Come, I am tired from my prayers, we will rest and think of a solution to this…problem." The doors acquiesced to her will and she stepped out of the room a fridged smile frozen to her lips, a feral gleam in her pale eyes.

That's all for this chapter! Not quite the cliff hanger of the first, but you can't win them all. I hope you noticed the tension between LaFarga and Zagato. I am trying to fit in the relationships of the characters later in the story here early on.  At this point they are too young for it to be serious, but I am planting the seeds for their great dislike of each other or at least LaFarga's dislike of Zagato (Zagato doesn't seem to really care about what LaFarga thinks of him). Also I made my own version of the pillar system before Emeraude. The mother of the pillar is identified before the child is born (maybe she have a special aura, I didn't think about it that much) but the child is trained from birth for her job and when the old pillar dies the new one takes over. Hikaru and Emeraude are extreme emergency situations so traditional methods were not used (at least that's how I explain it).

Anyway thanks again to all the people who reviewed. It really is very encouraging to know people like what I write and want to read more. Please feel free to send your suggestions, comments and even criticisms. Thanks again!

-Merrow  ^_^