Okay... Ascot fans, leave RIGHT now. I don't think you'll like what I'm going to do to him. *Nods head in agreement with self* You're going to HATE me for it. You're going to KILL me for it. You going to... Eh, you get it. Okay then... now after the warning... Happy reading! ^_^ (I doubt it, though...)

Disclaimer: Rayearth doesn't belong to me. The poem does, though. So no steal! Enough said.


*~*~*~*~*~*

Untitled

Love is special, and needs to come naturally
I won't just fall in love, with just anybody
I won't do it because, everybody else says I should
I won't just love for the fun of it, that I can't do

I don't want to be with anybody who'll hurt and harm me
I won't be with anybody who can't see me for me
I want a lover who'll be with me for life and for heart
Who won't kill my soul, and break it apart

I'll wait if I have to, for eternity and on
To have the one come, and sing the right song
So I'll be there sitting and hoping, for the one to hold me
To come to love me, and see me for me


*~*~*~*~*~*


Chapter Two: "I Won't Fall In Love Just Because Everybody Else Did"

Umi walked down to the beach, her boots clattering on the road. The sound was muffled as she stepped into the smooth sand.

Once she felt that she had walked enough along the ocean, she sat down on the sand, not bothering to care if her dress will dirty or not. What an unhappy feeling... to be lonely. But she didn't want to truly care for anybody just yet... What will happen to Hikaru and Fuu? Right now, yes, it's just all fun and games, and happy meetings... But what about when they grow old? She didn't want to take the risk of loving anybody here. It would hurt too much...

Umi sighed as she listened to the ocean talk to her, its water banging against each other, causing sounds that sooth her, and motivate her.

You'll always be there for me, won't you? she asked. No matter what world I am in... You'll always be there...

Umi, finding that the cold wind blowing against her a very a nice feeling, laid on the sand, and closed her eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*


Clef walked to up Hikaru, who was dancing with Lantis.

"Sorry to bother you, Hikaru, but do you know where Umi is? Ascot is getting worrisome," he laughed silently.

"Yeah," Hikaru said. "She came with us. She should be in here somewhere."

Clef stare at Hikaru in surprise. Then, catching himself, he quickly shook his head. "She is not in here. Are you sure that she came in with you?" he asked carefully.

Hikaru thought about it for a minute, and shook her head. "I came in with Lantis, but she was right behind Fuu and me."

Clef nodded. "I see..." he mumbled. "I think that I will look around the castle. Maybe she went to walk around."

Hikaru nodded. "But please come back and give me an update. I'm gonna start worrying more soon..."

Clef smiled. "Don't worry. I will find her."

Hikaru grinned. "It's so weird. Now we have to look up to talk to you, Clef," she laughed. "You look great!"

"Thank you," Clef smiled, and then exited the ballroom.

*~*~*~*~*~*


Clef had searched the entire castle. He knocked on the door to the girls' room, but no answer came. He looked into the garden, but she wasn't there either. He walked up and down the entire castle, but couldn't find Umi anywhere.

"Where did she go?!" he asked himself, now sounding kind of desperate. "No wonder Ascot acted like he did..."

He went through the castle once more, but to no avail could he find her.

"*sigh*... Might as well try some magic. It wouldn't hurt..." he muttered, and entered the room in the center of the castle. He looked into a pool of water, his viewer, and mumbled a spell.

Suddenly, the water shimmered, and an image appeared. It showed from a top point of view an ocean, the waves clashing onto the sandy beach. And next to it, there was Umi, sleeping peacefully near the water.

Clef sighed, but then smiled at how content she looked. He obviously still knew nothing of the magic knights, or he would've known that Umi would have gone there. Closing the image, Clef left the room, and walked out of the castle.

*~*~*~*~*~*


Umi smiled. She was standing on top of a cliff, which led down to a deadly death into the rocky water. The wind blew against her, causing it to look like an angelic image.

"I want to stay here forever... No worries..." she said to herself. "No need to care for the outside world... No interruptions... Nothing..."

Umi sat down near the edge of the cliff, still smiling.

Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Free me..."

Umi turned around. So much for no interruptions. She saw a girl around the age of eighteen. "Free me..." she whispered once more.

"Free you? Who are you?" Umi asked.

The girl walked to her. "Cephiro... is a country where will is power..." she whispered.

Umi nodded. "Yes. I know that."

"Power... to create... to destroy... to love... to be..."

Umi nodded once more. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Free me..." she whispered, with begging eyes. "Please..."

"I... I don't know what to do..." she said, backing up a bit.

"If you help me... you needn't be alone anymore..."

"I... I'm not alone. I have Hikaru and Fuu," Umi said.

"You are alone. They have people to love them. They have lovers. You, though, are alone... Free me... And you will not be alone anymore."

Umi shook her head, this time angry. "I am NOT alone!" she said through clenched teeth. "I have FRIENDS, and that's all I need."

"But don't you yearn for a man's touch? Somebody to kiss your tears away? Somebody to tell you that you will never have to suffer alone anymore? To be there for you forever?"

Umi shook her head. "I don't need that!"

"You don't need... love?"

"I DO love! I love Hikaru and Fuu!"

"But what about... romance?"

"Romance can wait," Umi said. "I don't need to fall in love so quickly. So will you leave me alone?!"

"You DO need romance. Don't you yearn for what your friends have? I can give you that. But please... You must free me..." she continued to persist.

"I don't need to do anything. And I am happy for my friends. They deserve whoever they get. And if anybody hurts them, I'll pound them to the ground!" Umi said determinedly.

"You can't ignore it forever. That feeling that you developed..."

Umi's eyes widened. "My... feeling?" The one I've been searching answers for?!

"It calls for attention."

"My feeling... is NOT wanting to be LOVED!! I don't need love right now! I am strong enough to wait!" Umi said. "Why are you here?" she then asked.

"I need you to free me."

"Why should I?"

"Because... even if you do not need love... I do."

"What?"

"I have been separated from my love for centuries. I need you to free me."

"Does he still love you?"

"Yes... I need to go back to him... I... I miss him so much..." she whispered, tears falling.

Umi sighed. "I..."

"Will you?"

"I... Who? Who is your love? Why-"

"Umi... Umi..." said another voice, interrupting hers. "Umi... wake up..."


*~*~*~*~*~*


"Umi. Wake up, Umi..." said a soft whispered.

Umi stirred in her sleep. "Hnn..." she groaned.

She slowly opened her eyes. "Who..." she whispered. The person stood up after seeing her eyes open.

"Don't you wish to be at the banquet, Umi?" Umi sat up, and saw that it was...

"Clef..." she mumbled, still a bit startled at his new look. "Oh, man... I am SO not used to seeing you so grown up. I still feel that you look like an eight-year-old. This will take some getting used to... What are you doing here?" she then asked.

"To take you back to the banquet. You are worried about, you know," he said, smiling, and ignored her remarks of him as an 'eight-year-old.' He then crouched down next to her. "Come now?" he offered a hand to help her up.

Umi shook her head, still a bit groggy from waking up. "I don't know... I won't have fun there. Dancing's..."

"Not suitable for you?" he asked.

"I..." Umi shook her head. "That's not it."

"Do you need an escort?" he then asked.

Umi shook her head again. "That's okay."

"Well, Ascot is worried about you," he tried.

Umi smiled. "Can you tell Ascot that I am okay?"

"You know... he cares for you. A lot."

"I know... but I can't return those feelings to him. I... everybody here are just friends to me. I can't force myself to love him, or anybody else."

Clef nodded. "Well then, what should I do? People expect me to take find you and bring you back to the banquet."

Umi nodded. "I'm sorry, Clef. It's just that all the girls have somebody to care for them... to love. I guess that I just felt left out. It got a bit uncomfortable for me," she admitted.

"Are you lonely?"

Umi shook her head, and smiled. "I have my friends. And besides, I shouldn't love somebody just because everybody else is. That's not true love. And don't tell them I said that. They'll start doing all this matchmaking business. I know they will."

Clef nodded, understanding. "You know, Umi, you've grown up a lot..." he told her.

"So have you," she said jokingly.

Clef laughed along with her. "I thought that my child body was too... child-like. Besides... Hikaru changed everything. I do not need to stay in that form anymore."

"How?" Umi asked. "Why did you in the first place?"

Clef shook his head. "It is nothing."

"Are you sure? It's better to tell people things, Clef. Takes a load off of your shoulders. Besides, I'm not THAT young to not understand! After all that I have been through, Umi said, her voice getting softer. "I must understand at least a BIT of it..."

Clef got up, and held his hand to her once more. "Shall we take a walk along the beach? The moon is lovely," he said softly.

Umi stared at Clef, and then she smiled, and took his hand. Clef pulled her up. "That'd be nice," she whispered.

*~*~*~*~*~*


Fuu and Hikaru stopped dancing to get something to drink, leaving their men to talk to other people. But even though they were having a good time, there was one member missing that was causing them great anxiety.

"Clef still hasn't come back with Umi yet..." Hikaru said, talking with Fuu about it.

Fuu smiled softly to Hikaru. "Ascot told us that Clef went to find her, so you must trust in Clef. He'll bring her back. I'm sure that he will be able to find her."

"Yes. But..."

"But?"

"Don't you think that Umi's been acting a bit... weird?" Hikaru asked.

"She is?"

"Well, recently, she hasn't been as jumpy and loud as she used to be..." (Umi: ^^U Loud...)

"She'll be okay, Hikaru," Fuu said reassuringly. "Now, I need to get back to Ferio. He's waiting."

Hikaru nodded. "So is Lantis."

*~*~*~*~*~*


Clef walked slowly along the shore, next to Umi. "You have something on your mind," he told her. It wasn't a question.

Umi looked at him, and then nodded. "I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"You've lived for over seven hundred years..."

Clef nodded.

"Have you ever fallen in love before?" she mused.

Clef, hearing this, started to laugh.

"What? What?!" she asked.

"You are the second person to have asked me that recently. Might everybody's minds be more connected than I thought?" he laughed.

Umi smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I must have offended you."

"No. No," Clef said hastily.

"I shouldn't have asked in the first place..."

"No. I said it was okay, Umi."

"But..."

Clef smiled at her. "I will tell you about the only time I have fallen in love, though I should warn you that it is not a pleasant story for me to tell..."

"If you don't want to, you don't have to."

"And then the mystery will continue to eat through you in your mind? No. I trust you to not freak out on me, though."

"You got it, Clef."

*~*~*~*~*~*


Hikaru saw Ascot run by her. "ASCOT!" she yelled.

Ascot stopped in his steps and turned around. "Yes, Hikaru?" he asked.

"Why are you running?"

"Well, it's been forever since Guru Clef left to find Umi, and he still hasn't returned. I will go in search for them. I mean, I'm sure that Umi's in trouble. And maybe Clef couldn't find her. Wouldn't that mean something bad? He should really check in with us once in a while. I don't want..." he babbled on and on.

Hikaru had zoned out quite a while ago. Suddenly, she looked behind Ascot, and smiled.

"You don't have to, Ascot," said a voice behind him.

Ascot turned around.

*~*~*~*~*~*


Umi listened to Clef's entire story.

"I fell in love with the previous pillar."

Umi stared at him. "What?!" she whispered.

"I was maybe a few years older than you, and I met her at that age..." Clef said. And a long while later, he told her the entire story.

"But..." Umi whispered.

"I decided to choose an older form after Hikaru became the pillar. You see, now we do not have to fear for the pillar to fall in love, or for people's emotions to sway. I decided that I did not need to keep my young form anymore."

Umi nodded, and then, she smiled at him. "You'll find somebody special again one day, Clef. I know it."

Clef nodded, smiling. But this time, it did not reach his eyes. "Now... we need to return to the banquet. I am quite serious about the others worrying about you."

Umi nodded. "Yes. That's fine with me, going back, that is. Let's get going." Then, she looked at herself, and saw that some sand was still stuck to her. She quickly brushed herself off. "I guess I'm a mess right now..." she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, to Umi's surprise, Clef held his arm out.

"Huh?" she asked.

"I will escort you in."

"But... I don't need one..."

"We are going back together anyway. Might as well, Umi," Clef said.

Umi stood there for a moment longer. Then, she smiled at him, and took his arm. "Thanks, Clef." Then, the two walked back into the castle, where the festivities were being held.

Umi and Clef got there just in time to see that Ascot was about to run out in search for her.

"You don't have to, Ascot," she said, walking in with Clef.

Ascot turned around. "UMI!" he yelled, rushing to her. "Are you okay?! Did you get hurt?! Did something happen?! Do you need rest?!" he asked, rushing all these sentences into one breath.

Clef laughed. "She was fine. I found her at the beach, relaxing."

Ascot nodded, and then, he stared at Umi's arm, which was linked with Clef's. Not only was he staring, but also Hikaru, Fuu, Ferio, and Lantis were as well. Clef, noticing what they were gaping at, slowly disconnected their arms. Then, he smiled at her, and bowed. "I thank you for coming, Umi, or I'm sure they all would have strangled me for thinking that I did not find you."

Umi smiled back. "Thanks to you, too, Clef." Then, Clef walked off. Umi turned back to her friends. Suddenly, Hikaru ran up to Umi, and hugged her.

"UMI!!!" she yelled. "We were all so WORRIED about you! I mean, you were following us and all, and then, you just disappeared on us!"

Umi smiled. "I'm sorry, Hikaru. I didn't mean to worry you, all of you. I was just at the beach, relaxing and all. Next time, I'll leave a word first."

Fuu nodded, and walked up to the two. "Next time, you better YELL it to us. We should have gone with Clef to find you..."

Umi shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's okay that you didn't come to search for me. I totally understand."

"Fuu?" Ferio asked. "Shall we return to the dance floor?"

"Umm... I think that I'm tiring from all that dancing," she laughed. "How about we walk around a bit in the castle?"

Ferio nodded.

"I'll be back, guys," Fuu informed them, and left the banquet room.

Umi watched as they left, and then, she felt a tug on her arm.

"Umm... Umi?" Ascot asked. "Can I h-have this da-dance?" he stuttered.

"Sure," Umi smiled, and he lead her to the dance floor.

"What were you doing at the beach?" he asked her as they twirled around.

"I was resting. The sound of the water sooths me," she smiled.

"Ooohh..." he said. "Umm... You look... really nice tonight..." he managed.

"Thanks, Ascot. And you're your usually tall self."

"Haha," he laughed.

"Mmhmm..." Small talk.

"Umm... Umi?" he asked once more.

"What is it, Ascot?"

"Do... do you have a boyfriend?" he asked.

"Unless somebody took me to the movies and I totally forgot about it... I really doubt that I do have one," she joked.

"Movies?" he asked.

"Umm... never mind."

"Well, then... do you... do you... like me?" he asked.

Umi sighed, knowing where this conversation was going. Ascot... I know he likes me already. Clef was talking with me about this. I... I... Then, she knew what she had to do. "I'm sorry, Ascot," she whispered.

"Oh?"

"Do you really like me?" she asked.

Ascot blushed. "I... yes, I do."

"Well... I don't want there to be any misunderstandings between us. I love you... enough to be a good friend," she whispered. "But not enough... to get into anything deep..."

Ascot listened to her words, no expression on his face. Then, he smiled softly. "I knew... that I was taking a risk when I told you, Umi."

"I'm really sorry, Ascot," she started.

Ascot shook his head, smiling at her. "I'm glad that you were straight-forward with me. And I guess you are right. We can stay as good friends, because I'd really like that. But if you ever change your mind..." Ascot stared into her eyes. "I'll be waiting..." he whispered.

Umi nodded. Then, she stopped dancing. "I think that I want to get something to drink," she said. "I totally forgot that I didn't have anything to drink since I got here..." And so, Ascot led Umi off of the dance floor.

*~*~*~*~*~*


Lantis stared at Umi. "She looks distressed," he told Hikaru.

"Maybe I should go talk to her..."

"No," Lantis said, holding her back. Then, he smiled softly at her. "I will. Is that okay with you?"

Hikaru cocked her head to one side in confusion. "I don't see why not... I can go talk with Presea! She and Eagle look as if they are having fun," she smiled, and ran off.

Lantis smiled at Hikaru's energy, and then walked to Umi. She had gone to get a drink, and Ascot was waiting for her to return.

"Hello, Umi," he said.

Umi, a bit startled, smiled uncertainly back at Lantis. "Hello, Lantis."

"I have to apologize to you, Umi," he said.

"Huh? Why?"

"I have been keeping Hikaru all to myself the entire day. I guess that I felt separated from her for too long, and I yearned for her. But now... I really think that you need her and Fuu more than Ferio and I need the two of them."

Umi shook her head quickly. "NO!" she replied. "Hikaru and Fuu mainly came back here for the same reason as me: to see you all once more! I don't want you to feel that they have to be obligated to be with me!"

Lantis smiled at her. "How is Ascot?"

"He's been great tonight," she said. "A real gentleman."

"Did he ask you yet?"

Umi stared at him. "He told you?" she finally asked.

Lantis nodded.

Umi sighed. "I... I can't force myself to love someone. He and I will remain as good friends. I didn't want to lead him on at all, because I just don't feel that way for him. I just think that he's a good friend. I'm just scared that I might've hurt him..."

"I see... Well, you are right. It's wrong to lead him the wrong way. He will be fine."

Umi nodded. "But why did you come here to talk to me?"

"I sensed that you are depressed."

"Sensed?" Umi laughed.

"You're going through depression right now. Confusion."

Umi strained a smile. "I..."

"I've seen this before... With Eagle. What is causing you to feel this way?"

"I... I think that I just have to sort some feelings out right now. That's all."

Lantis nodded, knowing that this was the end of the conversation. "Remember, Umi. You're not alone."

Umi nodded. "I know that. But thank you for the reminder anyway."

*~*~*~*~*~*


*cringes away from Ascot fans* Ohh... Don't hurt me please! Well, that's chapter two. Still not really ANY romance for Umi, huh? Don't worry! We'll get there! She'll fall in love soon... Maybe... Hopefully... Gotta keep reading to find out!! ^_^ Oh, yeah! Please review! Please?