Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP. All hail CLAMP!

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes: Hello again! XD Thank you to everyone whose sticking with me through these boring set up chapters, and I'm very sorry for this one: I'm currently running a fairly high temperature, and so the whole thing comes with a warning. O.o This chapter doesn't EXIST in the outline, except for about a hundred words at the beginning of the next one, which is what I sat down to write yesterday.

Then Clef got travel sick, and decided to babble to take his mind off the fact he felt awful, and so now I have this thing. O.o I tried to cut large bits of it out but every time I did, something made me rewrite them on the next go through. In the end, I gave up: my head just hurts too much to deal with it at the moment.

There's also the fact that Clef was trying to put in foreshadowing, failing miserably, and that my brain used his rambling as an exposition dump. I'm incredibly sorry for that, but it should let me get the political set up stuff out the way so I can get on with the actual story? (I want to write the ball scenes! They're the reason this EXISTS. pouts)

Second disclaimer: I have NOTHING against secretaries. I keep calling Kuregu's minions that, mainly because they're the closest thing in this to a civil service. (Which is made up of Permanent Under Secretaries to the Departement of at the top levels. XD) Repeat: I don't hate secretaries! Honest!

Also, I'm not really sure the Comm last chapter will have made sense to anyone who, well, isn't me and doesn't know what I think they were really saying. So have a summary! XDDD

Kuregu: Hah, I'm older than you, and smart, and powerful. I can ignore you any time I want, Puny younger person!

Clef:… but I'm not going to let you ignore me. HA, I know exactly how you work, and I'm not afraid to point it out! (bastard)

Kuregu:… Hmm. Perhaps you have some potential after all. Very well, I won't ignore you this time. (Besides, we both know something that the audience doesn't yet…)

Clef: Good. Because I could blow you up if I wanted to!

Kuregu:... … that wouldn't be a good idea?

Clef: Well, I'm not going to NOW. Besides, why do I need to? I'm bringing possibly the only person in the galaxy you can't yet blackmail to back me up!

Kuregu: Well, damn. (But I'm still older and powerful!)

Um. Yes. I'll stop rambling now… (when can I take more paracetamol?)

Chapter Four: transports and windows

Aka being travel sick.

" So," said Umi, sat comfortably in the back of the odd cross between a bus and a train which ha picked them up, " what the hell are we actually doing?"

Clef turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised in question – though his face was fairly pale. His knuckles, too, were white where they gripped the safety harness. I guess he's not used to transports like this, then – I'm lucky I'm so used to planes, or I wouldn't be particularly happy in this thing, either. "for starters, aren't we meant to get ourselves to this meeting place on our own?"

" We are getting there on our own, Umi. I called in a favour to get a transport, because getting an extra slot for translocation of any sort would have us leaving at about one o'clock this morning." Clef's hands relaxed a little. "Besides, it's a symbol of status and wealth arriving in one of these things. And Cephiro needs all the extra power people can imagine for us."

Umi was quiet, watching, Clef for several long minutes. She wasn't sure he'd meant to say that last to her, and didn't know what to make of it. In the end though, she spoke up. "How badly off is Cephiro, really? I know that it can't have had much contact with the other countries before Emeraude passed on, but it can't take that long to gain some impact, can it?"

Clef sighed deeply. "It can and it does, I'm afraid. It's probably not as bad on earth, I imagine that you get people moving in and out of the job in… twenty years or so? Anyway, here, a lot of diplomats train for that long, next to working… 'masters', for want of a better term. Some of the people out there have been in politics for several centuries… that's long enough to learn a lot of tricks, and to gain a whole lot of personal power you can use to get things going the way you want them to. No one from Cephiro has ever had that chance."

"Before the pillar system was destroyed, we… well, we didn't really bother with the rest of the world. A few people traveled back and forth – Lantis for one, and Caldina, too, for that matter. Others like them. But it was only a few, and never for anything… business related. Just curiosity, really, I guess. Wondering who was out there… what was out there… I went, once, long ago." Umi sat up straighter at this – she had never heard anything suggesting that before! Clef chuckeled at her expression, relaxing his death grip on the arms of his chair a little.

"I was… oh, about two hundred, I guess. Something like being… eighteen? In your world. Not really an adult, not quite a child, and far too confident and energetic. I'd never been on my own before that, and then I was wandering these strange new places, utterly lost and over my head." He grinned. "I loved it! It was absolutely insane. I wandered about all these strange places, with no responsibilities, and no one to tell me what to do, completely and utterly lost! I had hardly any money, and no wish for a real job – I moved almost every week, at least, so no one would want to employ me either. So I demonstrated magic, for a bit. Some of the places had a large number of… idle nobility, shall we say, and they were willing to pay well for an afternoon's diversion. My powers were something they didn't see much of, what with my being a Cephiran mage. I demonstrated in several courts, I seem to remember, and there were quite a few other 'magicians' who were… curious… that's not quite the right word, but never mind. They paid well, too, trying to learn the ' truth' behind Cephiro's power."

"But I didn't like many of them much. I didn't want to give away the extent of my power, either, and I was always worried in the back of my mind about the magic rebounding and hurting me from such a frivolous use of it. So I found other things to do. I only really needed food and drink – I hitchhiked a lot, stowed away a few times; don't tell anyone that, by the way; and slept rough. Sometimes I'd help out in a bar or café for the day, and in return get fed. I never actually stole… but I nearly did. I got caught up in a fight between two street gangs somewhere, and got swept away on the adrenaline, hanging around them for a few days… my conscience wouldn't let me be, though. So I left them too."

Clef sighed once more, eyes slightly unfocused, staring off into the memories only he could see. Umi was watching him, somewhat amused but somehow not as startled as she should have been about all this.

Clef shook his head slightly, focusing himself again. "Anyway… the point is, I was fairly typical of those who visited other countries, and you can see what a little help that would be to Cephiro's standing with the other countries… we held our selves aloof from them, being 'mysterious' and 'powerful'. We hid behind the cloak of the pillar system for thousands of years – and now our strength has been torn from us, as they see it.

"We have the worst balance it could be possible for them to imagine. They see us as being… virtually defenceless, as a nation, but still strong… able to get whatever we wish for, because that myth is still hanging on. And that's why we need more power, more impact. Because they think we're just about the perfect resource… lots of power as individuals, absolutely none as a country. It's vaguely true, which makes things worse. Then there's all these powerful diplomats out there, most of whom have huge private networks of Allies. All unseen, of course, because private power lines in that sense are technically illegal in the international arena – as well as most of the local arenas. Cephiro doesn't have a local arena! Just the council, Really, and none of them are elected, just the heads of various families and institutions. The whole thing was defunct until the pillar fell, a relic of the time when there were no priests to convey wishes and prayers to the pillar."

Clef paused, and Umi broke in. "And in the last few years, they suddenly realized they had all of this potential power, right? I've heard Ferio and you both complaining about them."

" I wouldn't mind an elected council, you know." Clef huffed. " one selected by the people… but these are just abusing the power for their own sakes, we have no way to get rid of them, and they have no right to mistreat the people the way they try to!"

Umi listened, fascinated despite herself. "…it's almost like Cephiro is feudal. No, not quite feudal… bastard feudalism, that's it! Only now the head of the system, the point of it all, is gone… the way in which Cephiro is built is more like democracy now than anything else… well, maybe, communism? Still… they don't match up. Your power structures and the system don't match, so people can abuse it, as the people who have power to create Cephiro don't all have power in the system to defend themselves and the use of their power."

"… I think I followed that," said Clef, wryly. "Not knowing those terms you used didn't exactly help with It, but… you really are politically aware, aren't you?"

" I…" she blinked. " I guess so. You struggle not to be, on Earth, past a certain age… and especially when you're studying history. The political systems have changed so much… I would say evolved, but I'm not sure the changes have really improved anything…"

"It's more than that." Clef looked straight at her, absolutely serious, and it felt as if his eyes were going through her, into her, she shivered. He looked… intense.

It wasn't exactly a bad look for him, either.

" I… well, I guess so. With my father being who he is… we've always had people he works with around to eat, come to stay with us, and so I've always been around people talking about politics. You can't help but pick a lot up, like that… particularly when I was younger. I had to play the 'perfect little girl' for more people than anyone should have to. It helped I was cute as a child… they all went ' awww, isn't she precious,' and sent me off to play, because a pretty child 'can't understand adult conversation'… they didn't mind me in the same room, a lot, as long as I was quiet." Clef nodded at her.

"I don't suppose you know how we're meant to stop being… few-dall, was it?"

"Feudal, and, ah, not unless you want a civil war… I can't think of any other example, really, except slow change snuck in over time."

"…I don't think Ferio would really agree to our starting a civil war." Clef smirked at her, fairly amused at the idea. "Not even on his behalf!"

"Well, no… but then, that's usually the point!"

They were quiet, for a time, and Umi looked around at this… transport… curiously. It was… weird, all right, but still vaguely familiar… from the outside it had looked like a cross between a plane, a rocket ship, an… apple, and possibly thunderbird two. Inside, however, it looked more like a fancy lounge, crossed with the NSX; the Autozamnian connection, was plain to see, here, and she was willing to bet it was even run on the same types of technology. Clef had mentioned, once, that Autozam was at the head of that field.

The ship rumbled quietly on. There were no windows, but Umi could imagine what was out there – in the same thing as she'd seen from Selece, when fighting here against Autozam and the others. Which reminded her…

/Selece? Can you hear me/ she called out silently, listening hard. She didn't want to have to draw her sword to summon her rune god's attention – she probably wind up donning him, instead. And that wouldn't be very inconspicuous now, would it. But she needed to be certain she could still call on him, out here.

It shouldn't give her a problem… she thought. But she'd never been quite this far away from Cephiro before…

/Yes, magic knight? I am here./

She smiled, closing her eyes and leaning back in her seat. /Good day, Selece. I'm glad to hear your voice again./

/It is good to hear from you, too, Umi. Did you have a question for me/

/I just want to be sure I will be able to summon you out here. I may need your help… See, I'm going to this 'conference of nations' thing with-/ a deep laugh cut her off.

/With the mage, yes? To protect him/

/How did you…/

/I can hear you when you think very loudly, little one. You think loudly about the mage a lot./ Umi blushed absolutely red at that, and Selece chuckled again. /Do not worry, little one. The mage is a worthy man; I will do all I can to aid your protection of him./

/Thank you, Selece. It means a lot to me, that you're still willing to help, even after going on from Cephiro./ She was not going to ask what Clef was worthy of. Selece had picked up a bad habit of teasing her. A lot.

/It means a lot to me that you would still call on me, after I left Cephiro. That world may not be my dwelling place anymore, but it will always be home./ There was a pause, then/Mokona sends his regards to both of you, and says to tell the mage his new form suits him better./ Umi giggled at that, not opening her eyes, and so didn't see the bemused look she was getting from Clef.

/I'll pass it on. Thank you, again, Selece./

/And you, magic knight./ And all of a sudden, her brain felt much quieter than it had been for the last half an hour.

Her eyelids drifted open, slowly, to find Clef watching her from his chair on the other side of the room.

"I'm assuming, given the faces you were just pulling, that you were speaking with Selece?" Umi flushed again, then her eyes narrowed at him, and the colour retreated. Clef swallowed a little, meeting those eyes.

"I have a message for you, Clef." She said, her voice far too cheery. Clef sat back further in his chair, leaning right against the edge of the wall behind him. He could feel the vibrations of the moving engine, through the wall, in his spine.

"You… do? Who from?"

"From Mokona." She paused, for dramatic effect. "He says that your new form suits you much better than your old one did." Umi sat back, satisfied, watching his reaction.

He freaked out enough that it had to have been an old argument between the two of them – not that Mokona had much room to talk about appearances, either. But his ranting about sneaky, spying, interfering Creators was even more amusing… and there had to be a story behind that, too, somewhere.

He calmed down eventually, which she was quite disappointed about. The journey was boring her now. No… more than that. With no windows and no more people in the same room, she had no way of telling how quickly or slowly time was passing. It felt as if they… were standing still somehow. It was making Umi feel oddly detached, suspended in time, and anything to distract herself from it was a good thing.

"How much longer will this thing take, anyway?" she grumbled, half to herself.

"It won't be too long now." Clef answered her, looking at the clock over the door, a seemingly digital one which Umi couldn't read, it being in a different script than any she was used to. "About… half an hour? We've been in here almost an hour and a half… I'll teach you to read our clocks this week, don't worry. I should have done it sooner… well, someone should."

"…That long?" She wailed. "Why does it have to take that long? Why aren't there any windows in here!"

"Windows are expensive." Clef stated, matter of factly, standing up to wander around and stretch his legs. "We should probably make good use of the time left, though. If you don't mind, I'll tell you about the conference?"

"Go right ahead." She sighed, a little too quickly. When he sat down again, Clef took the chair next to hers, and the warmth along her side where they were nearly touching helped Umi quell the very slight trembling which had taken over her hands. Clef ignored it, if he had even noticed it, and began to explain.

"Well… the 'Conference of Nations' is pretty much self explanatory in purpose: it's a meeting of one or more representatives from each of the 'countries' or 'nations' in the area. There are about a hundred Representatives in all, I think. Most of them also bring along about three or four people with them. Aides, secretaries, apprentices, families… a few have no one, like me – or at least like I did, until this year, - some have many more. Kuregu usually has about twenty of his secretary force with him – watch out for them. They'll all attempt to seduce you, whether they're male or female, without hesitation, and they're very good at it."

Umi didn't ask, however curious she was. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

"With that many people there, the whole place is chaos, and no one can really remember who everyone else is. If anyone begins talking to you, and you can't for the life of you figure out who they are, default to being very polite, and skip right to the conversation without mentioning any names at all. If you're sure they are a rep, you should technically address them as 'Honoured Representative', but only the really powerful or snobbish reps bother about it, and they'll ALWAYS let you know who they are first." He grimaced a little. "Don't let any of them intimidate you: they don't have a right to. You'll be fine. The day to day business is simple enough – breakfast together in the main dining hall, then a session of discussion on whatever the reps volunteer up and want to vote on, which anyone can attend, though only reps can take part in the actual discussion."

"The issues tend to be peace treaties, trade agreements, travel routes out in the gap… things like that, which involve everyone. Most of the nations represented are tiny things, though, with a population of only a few million beings. Those don't tend to be involved very much – just larger countries and those with a lot of power tend to do the talking. That group totals around twenty, and has the central round table. Cephiro counts, just, as do Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren – you may well see someone you know there. But we're all clinging onto our places with the skin of our teeth, so don't expect anyone to act as if they know you: they can't afford to be associated with other countries in difficulty with keeping their place. There are always more waiting to take a seat on the table, trying their hardest to get there. Autozam, especially, has been in trouble recently… I hope they've begun to recover."

"Sessions break up for lunch, of course, at some point. There's a couple of hours for that: it isn't as formal as breakfast, normally there are a number of different smaller resterants and cafes, which people wander off to at various times, or a buffet in the main dining hall. Then, in the afternoon, there is a smaller meeting, of just the main table. Those discussions are more varied… well, you'll see. Dinner can either be formal in the dining room, or informal in the other food halls, and then come the 'recreational activities'. They throw a ball every weekend, but most of the time it's just a table with drinks and snacks in a hall, so people can meet each other, and talk where other people can see them."

He watched Umi carefully as he spoke: this was a lot of information he was dumping on her haphazardly, anything he thought of that he felt she could do with knowing before they got there, and to his surprise (and sudden warmth) she didn't look at all overwhelmed or confused: just thoughtful, nodding her head slightly at him.

"My job isn't going to be easy, I see – it's a good thing I can go to the talks with you, but that many people I don't know who can just wander in? No, not easy. And this 'inner table' situation makes you even more of a target then otherwise."

Clef relaxed. "I don't really think you'll have anything to do but be bored, Umi. If you could keep a straight face whilst doing it, I'd suggest talking with Selece, having him tell you stories, or something." Sometimes, she wished she'd never told Clef that she'd spent a couple of nights when insomnia struck talking to her Rune God.

She shot him a Look. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, so far most of the attacks have been made with monsters – only a few with hired assassins or other methods, so it's probable that the person behind them is from Cephiro, and we're the only people from Cephiro attending. Technically, only I am, I guess." He got another Look, and could tell she hadn't bought his reasoning. It did explain, however, one of the reasons he had given in to her accompanying him quite so easily. He didn't believe she was going to be in danger.

Umi glared at him until he looked away, then huffed, and stared across the room. Her eyes lay on the suitcases piled in a corner there. "Hey, Clef? Why are we using suitcases, not gems? For that matter, where's your staff? I don't see it in here."

"It wouldn't be very diplomatic to bring the staff, Umi – it is technically a weapon, or at least appears to be, and Reps aren't meant to be… violent, or able to threaten each other. Also as I would be the only who could access the gem, they wouldn't be able to search what was within it, if anything happened – they could tell me to empty it, but never be certain I HAD. That goes for both the staff and using them in place of suitcases." He smirked suddenly. "Besides, it let Caldina do half of our packing for us!"

Umi grinned. "Well, yeah, that was a plus… though I'm not too sure about half the clothes she packed for me, but never mind that. But… if there's all this fuss about gems, what about this one?" She raised her gloved hand, and an eyebrow.

"You get special licence on such things, to carry items such as weapons, as you're holding the position of bodyguard."

"Makes sense." She smiled, slightly, glancing down at the softly shining deep blue gem, resting on the back of her hand. "Not that I've only got my sword and armour in there, of course… I really love these things! You can carry absolutely anything in them, and it never gets any heavier!"

Clef returned the smile, curious about what else could be in the gemstone, but not asking… he was sure he'd find out, eventually, if she wanted him to. If she didn't, he wouldn't invade her privacy by asking… they were staying in the same room for two weeks, they were probably going to be invading each others space on a regular basis! No need to start off by doing it any more than was strictly necessary. Not that he was thinking at all about their having to share a room… he was concentrating hard on NOT thinking about their having to share a room.

He hadn't had to share a room with anyone in… oh, at least a hundred years! And never with a female!

Still… when you have to, you learn to cope with these things. They would cope. They had to.

There was a slight shuddering through the floor, and both of them looked up as the voice of their unseen Captain came through the speaker grill next to the clock, above the door. "We are now making our descent to Dleivus. Please sit down and attach your safety harnesses, we should be on the ground within ten minutes. I hope it was an agreeable journey for you!"

Sure enough, just over five minutes later there was a louder rumbling in the floor and the walls as the jets bounced off the ground below them, then a slight thud, and a rattle, and they were down. The engines cut out, and they unbuckled themselves from the chairs, just as the door to the cabin opened, and a man neither of them knew stepped through, dressed in the full uniform of an Autozam fighter pilot. Clef, recognising it, hid his startlement but bowed deeply to him, a gesture that the pilot returned, a smile on his face. Umi looked from one to the other, then grinned and bobbed her head to the pilot.

"Thank you for getting us here safely." She said, saving Clef from having to begin any conversation, as he was currently not sure what the hell to say. A fighter pilot? Umi'd rescued him from the embarrassment… he wasn't sure how she knew he needed rescuing, but was grateful all the same.

"It was no trouble, Lady Magic Knight. There was heavy competition for this ship, once it was learnt who would be riding within it – I'm proud to have the chance to thank you and the Master Mage, personally, for all you have done for our world. Not only beginning to heal the atmosphere, and the planet itself, but for healing Commander Eagle. We would be lost without him, I don't hesitate to admit it to you."

"Thank you." Umi blinked, then smiled and curtseyed to him. "I was proud to know Eagle for the months that he spent on Cephiro. He is an amazing man." The pilot nodded agreement, then Clef spoke up.

"Eagle Vision is an amazing man, and he comes from an amazing country. Autozam has done much to help its neighbours – I can't think of a single country which does not use its machinery. It was an honour to be able to help your land begin its recovery from its sacrifices. If all goes well, your people will be able to live without the protective domes in a little under twenty years."

"That soon?" The pilot was startled. "All the reports I had heard said it would be fifty years, at the least!"

"I recently had another update on the situation – the initial estimate was fifty years, yes, but Autozam is responding much better than could have been hoped to the healing process. Your land is very resilient, you should be proud of her. She cares for you a great deal, and wants nothing more than to be able to look after her peoples and creatures again without support." Both the others stared slightly at Clef as he said this. The mage had closed his eyes, and was glowing, very slightly silvery, with a tiny smile on his face. He opened his eyes, saw their looks, and the smile grew.

"It's true." The pilot breathed, almost reverently. "You are connected to our planet – you spoke with her! And you're still supporting her…"

Clef shrugged this off. "I'm connected very closely to Cephiro through my post as the Master Mage, and Cephiro is nothing if not healthy at the moment. I'm just a conduit between the two sister countries – it's Cephiro who is supporting your land, providing an example of health for Autozam to build towards, work from. The two are more similar than is first apparent, you know."

The pilot bowed, deeply. "It is still a great thing that you are doing for us, and at no small personal risk – and on that note, I bring a message, a warning." Clef straightened, eyes suddenly serious, intent… scarily hard. "At the moment, as of two weeks ago, a certain faction has claimed political power within Autozam – a faction which believes that we no longer need Cephiro's help, that Autozam will continue to heal without it, and that it was wrong to beg for help as it seems to them Eagle has done." The pilot's downcast eyes and harsh voice told all he thought of this idea. "They are more concerned with Autozam's political standing in the wider arena than they are with her health: mainly because it's their own positions on the line. You know how precarious our position is on the table at the moment?"

"I do." Clef said, not liking at all where he thought this was headed.

"They are going to try to hold onto their position by forcing Cephiro out, drawing attention away from our problems. They have deposed Eagle from the military and the political scenes, and Geo Metro has gone with him. They hope to make you interfere, draw you out, so they can denounce you." Umi gasped, and Clef's eyes narrowed. "I bring a message from Eagle himself." The pilot stood up parade ground straight, pride shining in his eyes at being chosen to bring this. "Master Mage, Clef, my friend. Do not concern yourself with Autozam at the moment – plans are in motion, and within the week things should have been righted. Do not let these tricksters draw you out – do not let them bring you down. Autozam needs you, and she needs you and Cephiro to remain strong as is possible. More, I do not want anything to pull you down unfairly. Look after yourself, and we will do the same. Eagle." There was a pause. "He also mentioned that he couldn't contact Lantis or the Fire knight on his own, that he would appreciate it if you would warn them off for him."

"…Tell Eagle that I have received the message, and will do my best to look after the interests of my country, and I wish him good luck in looking after those of his. Also, he need not worry – whatever happens, I will continue the healing of Autozam. I will not cut her off." The pilot's eyes cleared at that, and he nodded again, in thanks. "Tell me… how good a chance does he have of succeeding?"

"The military of Autozam is loyal to Eagle Vision, not some puffed up idiots who care more for their salaries than for their country." The pilot stated, fiercely. "The population is not happy, either. Nor are the older politicians these idiots have overruled. They will not last."

Clef nodded, a counterpart to the fierce smile playing on his own face. Umi kept her own face blank, slightly… unnerved by the severity in Clef's look.

"Now, then… our turn to unload will probably be up soon, I should get back to the cockpit. Considering everything… would you take offence if I suggested that you changed your clothing into something more… dramatic? To make a strong impact? If you need privacy, you could take turns, and the other stand in the cockpit next to me…" He was cut off as Clef raised a hand sharply, muttering something, and the comfortable soft trousers and tunic he had been wearing for travelling morphed into a full set of Cephiran robes: dark blue trousers and a matching long sleeved t-shirt under a dusky grey robe, embroidered in silver on the hems and the wide collar, with flowing sleeves. There was no bulky shoulder decoration, unlike normal, but the whole thing looked… very regal. The guard blinked, but before he had the chance to say anything, Umi was raising her gloved hand and her own outfit morphed, into a new form of her armour.

The long boots remained as always, but the rest of it was new even to Clef. A light blue pleated skirt that stopped at mid-thigh height, black shorts just glimpsed underneath it, and an overskirt of a darker blue trimmed with silver, open at the front. The top half was in layers as well: more of the light blue fabric wrapped loosely around her chest, visible at her sides, as there was a panel of the darker blue covering each her back and her front, held at the top by white shoulder straps, attached to the fabric by a short length of silver chain, once more decorated and edged in silver, but also with a deep blue Gemstone set at the centre of each. The layers were all caught at her waist by another band of white, edged with silver, set with an array of smaller gems. Even her hair band was now of the darker blue, embroidered in silver, and she stood up tall and proud, eyes flashing, and looking every inch like some kind of wild princess. She looked beautiful, and dangerous, as she had meant to.

She also complemented Clef, though only the pilot had the view to see it at the moment. Side by side, they were an image of the strange power and majesty of Cephiro.

The pilot bowed to both of them one last time, deeply reverent, and withdrew to the front of the ship. A moment or so later the engines shuddered to life again, and the transport rolled slowly forwards to what Umi assumed must be the disembarkment zone. They had just enough time for Clef to murmur: "That look suits you, Umi." Before the doors were opening, and a ramp descending in front of them, and Umi had no time to be embarrassed by his comment because Clef was sweeping down the ramp, and she was following him, half a step or so behind as befitted a bodyguard.

End Chapter Four.