I nearly died this afternoon...
I loaded up my laptop, as pleasant as you like, and haf just opened my story when, lo and behold! My laptop yelled at me that I was opening a file that was desperately corrupted! Well, after nearly passing out and suffering severely debilitating trauma, I hunted about in the recesses of my computer for my precious and safely held copy of the story.
It was safe and sound, and I loaded it and tried to fix the errors...
I think I might have gotten the two Chizeta sisters' names wrong. If someone knows, could they kindly leave me a review so I don't embarrass myself further? Thanks!
On to my (safely recovered) story!
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Umi struck the ground running, the slight bruise in her shoulder forgotten in the heat of battle.
She's good! Who would have thought that the nicest of the two Chizeta sister would also be the best fighter?" Umi skidded to a halt, allowing no pause as she swiftly leaped forward to deal a crippling blow to Tatra, the elder sister of Tarta, whom Umi had already defeated. Tatra blocked the blow, sending her energy-whip crackling after Umi, who barely dodged in time.
Umi had arrived at the impromptu dueling arena only twenty minutes before, but Tarta had been more than ready to duel. As it turned out, Tarta had been to overconfident, and Umi had defeated her after only a short, but furious, duel. Tarta had taken her defeat surprisingly gracefully, considering her volatile nature, and she had left the arena friends with Umi. But then Tatra had stepped up, and Umi had been dueling hard for almost half-an-hour. She was getting short of breath and her dodges and parries grew slower and less sure, but Tatra seemed as fresh and ready as she had when they had begun the duel.
Another strike with the whip was sent sweeping Umi's way, and again she jumped, barely dodging the searing energy.
I can't go on like this! Umi thought desperately, So long as I'm on the defensive, I have no chance of winning!
Another blow with the whip grazed the water Knight's side, and she skipped away, avoiding further damage. I can't lose! Cephiro depends on me. Hikaru and Fuu depend on me. Everyone depends on me!
She dodged again, the panic on her face spreading. She knew she had to go on the offensive, but the non-stop attacks from Tatra's deadly whip made it impossible to do anything. She leaped high into the air, evading Tatra's attack and summoning her power as swiftly as she could. She poured all her energy into the spell, yelling the words across the distance, determined that she would win.
"Water…DRAGON!"
Her liquid creature rushed at Tatra, but the princess held it off with her magic, pushing against the dragon and winning.
Umi landed, panting heavily, watching as her attack was thwarted. Her eyes widened.
No! I can't believe it! She blocked it!
Tatra recovered from the blast, standing to send her whip spinning towards Umi.
The girl dodged automatically, her mind still wheeling in shock.
It didn't work! My best was not enough! This can't be! This can't be happening!
But it was. Tatra jerked her whip with practiced ease, sending it from its current path back towards the running Magic Knight. Umi leaped aside, still dazed.
I can't lose. I just can't. I can't lose now. Please, I have to win. Let me win. I need something that will let me win.
Tatra flicked her weapon one last time, drawing it back and flinging it toward Umi in a final, fatal blow. Umi watched the gleaming whip near, knowing that she could not move in time, that this was the finish. And as she watched it, time seemed to slow, so that the whip seemed to almost freeze in mid-air, its death-dealing strength delayed for a time. And Umi flew down deep into herself, down into the innermost depths of her heart, down into what was, above all else, herself.
Images, beautiful and impossible, appeared in a never-ending, terrible mantra. Caldina and Lafarga, standing side by side and smiling. Ferio, holding a blushing Fuu. Mokona bouncing on Primera. Clef turning towards her, a smile flashing onto his face. Ascot, looking down at her from his great height, something strange in his eyes and a faint color on his cheeks.
And Hikaru. Flashes of Hikaru from their last journey to Cephiro. Hikaru introducing herself. Hikaru hugging the great fish-bird. Hikaru meeting Presea. Hikaru holding Mokona and smiling.
Then the scenes changed. Now Hikaru was standing against Alycone though she had no hope of winning. Now she was fighting the great creature Ascot had summoned at Presea's house. Now she was attracting the light-creature with her own blood. Now she was standing in front of Zagato within the volcano, protecting Umi and Fuu from his attacks.
A new feeling emerged. Hikaru holding a dying Presea, tears darkening her once-bright eyes. Hikaru crying out as she was carried away from a fatally outnumbered Clef. Hikaru realizing the truth of the Legend of the Magic Knights.
And suddenly Umi felt it. That strength that came from the love that she had for her little sister, Hikaru. The strength that flowed because she cared for others, because she loved them. The strength that gave her that last, great power she needed because she had to protect those she loved.
Around Umi, a glow suddenly sprang up, pulsing blue, and she raised her great sword above her head, once again filled with the same power that Clef had introduced into her.
The whip sped towards Umi, it's power unheeding the sudden change in it's target. But Tatra saw it, and shock made her hesitate one, fatal moment.
Umi looked up, eyes glowing with the same power that resonated through her.
"ICE BLADE!"
Hundreds of razor-sharp icicles sped towards Tatra, and in her surprise the woman from Chizeta could not block them. They struck and shattered her whip without hesitating. They flew swiftly, narrowing in on the woman Umi had been fighting. But suddenly Tatra was gone, and Umi looked around herself wildly to see where her opponent had gone, expecting another attack.
But Tatra landed directly in front of the water Knight, though she made no move to attack. They stood, staring into each other's eyes, Umi's hard and defiant, and Tatra's careful and searching. Then Tatra stepped back, the same genial smile on her face, and she knelt in front of Umi, the two parts of her cracked whip held out before her.
"T-Tatra…"
Tatra looked up at the bewildered Knight. She tilted her head to the side, still grinning amiably.
"I never would have defeated such power. I concede. Chizeta will not invade Cephiro."
Umi's mouth gaped a few times, making her look suspiciously like a grounded fish. Then she smiled.
"Thank you. Both of you." She took the broken whip from Tatra's hand, and put the two shattered pieces back together. Then she handed it back to Tatra, giving the other girl a hand up.
"I know that now we are at least not enemies. But I'd really like to be friends." Tatra nodded happily in agreement with Umi request, and then pulled a protesting Tarta out to stand with her.
"Of course we will be friends. Right, Tarta?"
Tarta humphed and crossed her arms, turning away from the two others. But then Umi placed a gentle hand on Tarta's shoulder, and they looked at each other. Then, suddenly, Tarta broke out in a smile, and Tatra engulfed them all in a breath-stealing hug.
"Oh, I'm so happy we're all friends!"
Tarta gasped and fish-mouthed, and Umi wheezed out,
"That's great, Tatra. But could you please let go? You're suffocating us."
Tatra smiled and let them both go, where they stood for a moment, catching their breath. Immediately Tarta started to yell at Tatra, who took it all with a bemused and pleasant expression. Umi watched them for a moment, smiling softly.
………
please…
Someone … anyone…
HELP ME!
The cry tore through Umi's thoughts, ripping her mind away and pouring into it terrible pain, denial, sorrow, despair, and agony. It held her for a moment, trapping her.
And then suddenly it was gone, as if it had been cut off abruptly. She reeled a bit from the shock, and Tatra was suddenly beside her, holding her up. Tarta was already on her other side, supporting.
"Umi?" she asked, "are you alright? You kinda spaced out there for a second."
Umi placed her hands on either side of her head, shaking it more in an effort to deny the source of the pain than to clear her head.
"Hikaru." she said shakily. Suddenly she turned to Tarta, speaking quickly.
"Can you get me back to the castle? I need to be there. Now."
Tarta nodded confusedly, and opened her mouth to question. Umi intercepted her.
"Not now. I'll explain later. Just hurry. Please, hurry."
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Not long later they were speeding towards the palace created by Clef and those with strong will. Umi stood at the front of the ship, gripping the railing with whitened knuckles.
We must hurry, she thought, we must go faster.
She had no idea what could have caused the sudden outcry from Hikaru, but Umi knew it was something sufficiently terrible. Hikaru had strong shields around her emotions, and rarely could Umi or Fuu break through them to see how their 'little sister' was truly faring. Whatever had just happened to her, Umi knew that Hikaru must have been in hundreds of times more pain than Umi had felt, simply because it would take that much for Hikaru to broadcast her feelings.
She tightened her grip on the rails.
Hurry.
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Oh, Umi, if only you knew! I actually wrote this bit super-quick. Iwanted to get back to Hikaru, but I knew I needed to explain where Umi and Fuu were...
What? You say I didn'tsay anything about Fuu?
Ah-hah...that, mydear reader, is my clever ploy to make you come back tomorrow to read the next chapter! Pretty clever, no?
As always, thanks for your kind reviews!
