(Please remember that I'm not a native speaker of English and just translating, so, if you have any suggestions or corrections in style or expression, please gently let me know. Also, tell me what you think of the story thus far as well J )

Chapter II

Ascot's Suffering.

- "What exactly did you see, Guru Clef?"-

Caldina was very worried about Ascot. He was like a little brother to her. Everyone else kept silence in order to listen to what Clef had to say.

- "I was able to see how Ascot was trapped by fire, and how his soul asked desperately for help."-

- "Lafarga, we have to go and help him."-

- "I'll go with you, Ascot has helped me too many times and I wouldn't be able to abandon him, it wouldn't be fair."-

Hikaru and Fuu offered to help, but Umi asked them to wait for her in Cephiro and enjoy their time there as much as they could, since she, Lafarga and Caldina were going to help Ascot and bring him back safe and sound. Before leaving, Umi received her sword from Clef and promised herself that someday she'd tell him about her feelings.

Caldina touched a small device in her hand, and she, Umi and Lafarga swiftly teleported to Chizeta. They arrived were Hindi City, home of Tarta and Tatra, should be, but all they found were ruins of houses and the Royal Palace.

- "What could've happened here? I'm very scared, Lafarga. Tarta and Tatra were too powerful for being easily defeated."-

Lafarga was trying to calm Caldina down by hugging her and putting her head against his chest. A shiver ran through her spine. Maybe they arrived too late. Umi interrupted the couple by screaming for running into something she couldn't see.

- "And I thought weird things happened only in Cephiro."-

Umi was rubbing her forehead when Lafarga realized that it was some sort of force field. Being the three of them together, a thick layer of smoke started to rise from the ground, and when they inhaled it they lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

When Umi woke up, the first thing she saw was Tarta's face looking at her with scrutiny.

- "It seems it's her."-

- "What the hell do you mean that it seems it's me?"-

- "Now there's no shadow of doubt. It's definitively her, rude and impolite as usual."-

Tarta and Tatra explained Caldina, Lafarga and Umi how a woman disguised under the appearance of Caldina got into their palace and conjured a spell that blew up the building. Ascot stopped some of it with his magic, enough to let everyone leave that place, but he couldn't escape.

- "At first we thought he'd died, but we were wrong. He is alive, but now he is our enemy."-

Thus spoke Tatra. Umi and Caldina were shocked at what the princesses were telling them. Umi suggested that it might had been someone else using the appearance of Ascot, but the princesses were sure that it was him. They were thus speaking when a creature attacked the refuge they were in; Tarta and Tatra weren't able to believe how fast he found them. An image of the attacker and owner of the creature appeared in one of their screens. Caldina realized immediately that the one who was attacking the refuge was indeed Ascot. She had no more doubts about it, but Umi still didn't believe it was him. She ran outside the refuge followed by Lafarga and Caldina. Outside, she faced Ascot.

- "You're not Ascot! He'd never hurt people."-

Ascot's facial expression changed completely when he saw Umi; his eyes gave away pure hatred, and cynically grinned. Immediately, he attacked her with his magical powers, but Lafarga defended her with his sword. Ascot fought for a bit with Lafarga, but it was clear that his main target was Umi. Suddenly, he was able to evade Lafarga and attacked her and Caldina at the same time.

- "You see, Caldina? That's not him, he would've never dared to hurt us."-

- "You're wrong! I'm the only and true Ascot, and I'm very capable to harm whomever I please, and particularly you as a vengeance of all the pain you've caused me."-

- "I don't believe you!"-

- "Do you want proof? You have a mole in your left butt cheek."-

Umi blushed in shame, but still she was still sustaining that he was not the true Ascot.

- "Ascot didn't know that."-

- "Yes, Umi, he did. I told him."-

- "Besides, I've seen it; I saw it the day you were taking a bath with the other girls."-

Umi couldn't deny anymore it was really him, but many question came to her mind. Why was he spying her? Why did he feel so much hate towards her?

Meanwhile, Caldina ended up concluding that Ascot wasn't under the effect of a spell, but someone took out his innermost feelings, his suffering, from which the greatest one was Umi's unrequited love, and transformed it in pure hatred towards anyone that would've made him suffer.

- "Now that you know that it's really me, I will be able to kill you for everything you've done to me."-

Ascot attacked her with his most powerful spell, which made her fly through the air. Caldina tried to reason with the young man.

- "How can you do that to Umi? You love her!"-

- "I loved her. I LOVED HER MORE THAN MY OWN LIFE! But she never thanked me for anything I did for her. You're also to blame, for letting me raise false hopes."-

- "You're wrong! I tried that you wouldn't suffer, but you tried so hard…"-

Caldina wasn't able to finish the phrase, for Ascot attacked her, leaving her right next to where Umi was. He was ready to attack them again when Lafarga recovered and got in the middle to stop him. This gave Caldina some time to talk with Umi.

- "Dear child, you ignore the true reason why Ascot came to this planet. He left Cephiro trying to forget you… He is in love with you. He needs you so much in this moment… someone has thrown a spell over him and transformed his suffering into hate. Ascot once was willing to give up his life for you. He loves you. I have no right to ask you this… but… would you be willing… only to give him a kiss? I believe that if you kiss him, his feelings towards you will make him react."-

Umi wasn't able to assimilate all what Caldina had revealed her in that moment. She thought the only thing Ascot felt for her was a great sympathy and a good friendship, but never thought that he expected something else. She looked down and silently understood that his suffering was very much like the one she felt. Umi didn't say a word; she stood up and went where Lafarga and Ascot were fighting.

- "Lafarga, please go to Caldina. This is my fight!"-

Ascot smiled pleased and started a magic duel with Umi. At first it seemed that he was taking the lead, but Umi fought back and threw him to the ground. She didn't waste the opportunity, and even though she had never done something similar, she put her lips against his and kissed him. Contrary to what Caldina thought, Ascot enraged and threw Umi away, who hit her head against a rock when she fell and went unconscious. Lafarga and Caldina ran to aid Umi, but Ascot used his powers to keep them frozen still, took Lafarga's sword and went were Umi was. As he stood in front of her, he wielded the sword and stabbed her with all of his might through her chest. The blood started to spring out, the grass turned scarlet red from the magic knight's blood. A shiver went through Ascot's spine, and all of his memories of her who he held dear started to come to mind. All of those memories about that girl, the girl who he loved more than anything in the world, who was now in the verge of dying by his own hand, broke the spell. Taking Umi in his arms, he ran towards the refuge pleading for the doors to be opened. The tears ran down uncontrolled as he desperately asked for help for Umi.

- "Please, don't let her die! Please, for whatever you hold dear, open the door! You can do whatever you want with me, but she must live! Please, don't let her die, I beg you!"-

The twin princesses doubted at first, but ultimately ended up opening the door because of Ascot's unceasing plead. While they were getting ready to help her, Umi briefly became conscious once again. Her eyes stared directly into Ascot's, who wasn't able to understand the sad looking of those blue eyes that were so close to shut permanently because of him. A great fear came over him; maybe that sad gaze meant that Umi was fading away, that it was too late…

- "Please… tell Clef… that I love him…"-

Umi caressed Ascot's face and tried to say something else, but she wasn't able to. She hugged him and closed her eyes…