Authors Notes: Woo hoo ^_^ Eleventh chapter. Second day. The last chapter was really fun.. Who was the mysterious guy? Well you dont know :P But I suggest you pay very close attention to him. He might sneak up any day now and stab you! Just kidding... Anyways, Be good little readers and review O_o You can review on more than one chapter you know. It'd help me out alot. There's -SOME- people who writes around this many chapters and already has 15-20 reviews x_X Maybe I should just leave it here for a week without updating :P Kay, I'm done ranting. On with the show.
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Nightly Conflicts
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Hikaru shot up from her bed. She had that dream again.. Her eyes were wide, and beads of sweat trickled down her forhead. She tried to shake away the thoughts that clouded her mind, but she couldn't. Immediantly, her first thought was Lantis.. Hikaru threw the covers back on the bed and rolled over, slipping her shoes on. She didn't bother to tie them, but instead ran out into the hall way to goto Lantis' room. She reached his room quickly with her speed, and threw the door open. She didn't even think about it as she threw herself onto Lantis' bed in a fit, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, as though she was frightend he wouldn't wake up. But he did, and rather abruptly for that matter.
"Wah!" Hikaru was thrown back off the bed when Lantis shot up, shoving her off of him in shock. He halfway sat up, his hand resting ontop of his knee and his other leg still laying down on the bed.
"Hikaru?" He looked at her, his eyes were filled with annoyance and anger. Hikaru's eyes immediantly began to well up and she looked as though she had just been struck by him, except even more so hurt. Her lip trembled.
"Hikaru... I'm.." He began, but Hikaru had pulled herself to her feet and ran out of the room.
--

Clef looked out from his room as Hikaru slammed the door to her own room. He sighed. He would get no peace tonight until things had mended. He desided to pay a visit to a certain knight to see what was wrong with Hikaru. Clef didn't think directly talking to Hikaru was such a good idea at the moment.
--
Umi sat on her window seal, staring out at the night sky. She started when Clef entered. Crash.
"I always told you not to sit on that thing..." Clef smiled weakly as she looked up at him from the floor, her legs still ballanced up on the window pane, but the rest of her strolled out on the floor.
"Oh be quiet... It's your fault" Umi glared at him, picking herself up from the floor and sitting down on the bed.
"So... What is the Master Mage Clef doing making secret night visits to my room?" She grinned. She needed something to cheer her up, and Clef was going to be that something. She heard a slight 'Hmph' from him.
"I came to see if you knew why your friend ran down the hall crying and waking half the castle up..." Clef muttered under his breath.
"Who?" Umi blinked. She didn't know anyone else was up.
"Hikaru" He replied.
"Hikaru-chan? She never crys! I'll be right back!" Umi hopped up from the bed and went running out the door. Clef sighed and shook his head. There goes the other half of the castle's sleep... He thought to himself.
--
"Hikaru-chan?" Umi gently opend the door to her friends room.
"Yes, Umi-ster?" Hikaru and Fuu was sitting on her bed talking. She looked as though she had been crying.
"Anything wrong? Clef said you woke up half the castle, running around like that this late" Umi tried to cheer her friend up, closing the door behind her.
"Oh! I'm sorry, did I wake you up too?" Hikaru looked worriedly at her friend. She hadn't meant to be that loud.
"From the looks of it... Umi-Chan doesn't look like she's been to sleep at all tonight..." Fuu pointed at Umi's clothes.
"Why not?" The short girl asked, feeling especially small tonight.
"Just because.... Anything particular that upset you?" Umi asked quietly, sitting down beside Fuu and Hikaru.
"Yeah... Fuu and I had that dream again... You're lucky you were awake" Hikaru mummbled, looking at the ground. She frowned.
"I'm beggining to think this little dream of ours isn't so much of a joke as we thought it was..." Fuu sighed softly. She hated to have something ruin their fun so early being back in Cephiro, but they couldn't ignore it either.
"Yeah... Me too" Hikaru folded her arms.
"Well.. In any case... It's 3:30 in the morning! We should be getting some rest. Maybe we can talk the others into a walk tomarow around Cephiro.. and maybe ask them about some things." Umi smiled at her two friends, even though she didn't feel like it.
"Yeah... You're right... G'night Umi-ster, Fuu-ster" Hikaru smiled, genuine, unlike Umi. Hikaru hugged both of her friends tightly, and they hugged her back. It felt good to be together again, and as long as they had that... they wouldn't have to worry about tomarow. Umi and Fuu began to walk out.
"Umn..." Hikaru began.
"Yes?" Fuu turned to look at Hikaru.
"Well... Me and Lantis kinda didn't work out to well when I came bursting into his room in the middle of the night, and I was wondering if someone would walk me to his room... I mean... It's not that I'm scared or anything... But..." Hikaru looked at the ground. Fuu and Umi both laughed at the younger-looking girl.
"I'll walk you, Hikaru-chan. Umi-chan, you should get some sleep.. Atleast we've had some, despite how restless it was" Umi nodded to Fuu, and they walked their seperate ways. Umi started back twords her room, but as she neared it, She found Clef waiting quietly beside her door. Her heart skipped a beat.
--
This time, Hikaru knocked. Fuu had left her to walk back to her own room after walking her there, and she was glad.
"Yes, Come in.." She sighed, relieved that he hadn't gone back to bed. She quietly enterd his room, stopping so that she could take a good look at him. For the first time, she noticed, that his chest was bare except for the sheets that were pulled loosely around him. She blushed deeply. Her face stopped burning when she realized that he had his head in his right hand, oblivious to the fact that she was the person who had knocked. He looked upset, and that made Hikaru sad.
"Umn..." Hikaru came and sat down infront of his bed on her knees.
"I'mreallysorryIburstinherelikethatIhadabaddreamandwasscaredsoIwasntthinkingclearly" She said all together in a really quick sentence all together. Lantis immediantly took his hand down from his face.
"What...?" He began, and Hikaru sighed and started over.
"I'm really sorr I B---" She squealed when Lantis picked her up off of the floor and cuddled her close to him, hugging her softly.
"Mn.. I was angry with myself that I acted like that. I'm the one who's sorry." He smiled and kissed her gently on the forhead.
"Don't. I have to go back, you know" Hikaru grumbled. She didn't think anyone would find it amusing for her to sleep here tonight, especially not Ferio and Clef.
"Oh alright... You sure you have to?" Lantis grinned at her. Hikaru nodded, looking a bit sad.
--

Umi.... Clef looked at her. She looked troubled and sad. He wished he had know about this before the party.
"Umi.." He began, getting her attention. They were inside her room now, and she was sitting on the window again.
"Here..." He handed her a mug of a tea-colored looking liquid. She figured it was something to make her sleep. She drank the liquid, and it tasted suprisingly sweet. She grinned.
"Umi, Why didn't you tell me?" Clef asked quietly, sitting down on her bed with his staff still in his left hand.
"Tell you... what?" Umi asked nervously.
"About the dream..." Clef shook his head at her. What else would he be talking about..
"Oh..." Umi sighed in relief to something unknown to him. He frowned at her, and Umi caught the look.
"I'm sorry... It just didn't seem important." She replied gently, standing up and walking over to the bed. She curled up just beside him in the warm sheets, smiling gently.
"Umi-chan.. It could be more than imporant"
Her eyes opend quickly and moved to look at him. It was the first time he had addressed her in that way. His voice had been of genuine concern, she realized, and blinked. She stood up and walked over to the window and closed it. She turned around and smiled. Clef stood up and bowed quietly, but still kept his eyes on her. Slowly, she swayed slightly to the side.

"M--May.. be..." Umi completely collapsed into Clef, and he caught her gently. He looked down at her, supprised. Even his sleeping potions usually took a few minutes to take effect because of the girl's strong magic and will. And for it to take effect so quickly.... It would usually take the equal of a full day of fighting monsters. Then he rememberd how tired she seemed to all of a sudden be at the party... When she was dancing. With him. He frowned deeply. He had a feeling that niether Umi, Hikaru, or Fuu should see the man again... Or him, for the man's sake.
He picked her up and walked over to the side of her bed, gently pulling the covers down. He layed her down on the bed, and layed her head gently on the pillow.
"Good night, Umi-chan.." He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead unconciously, and pulled the covers up over her shoulders. With that, he left the room quietly.