Cross Chapter XX: Unravel
Everyone's eyes were on Umi when she answered her cell phone. "G-Good evening- no dad I'm fine. No dad it's not because of Maxwell. I'm coming home- no- I wasn't running away! No I can take a taxi-" she glanced to Hikaru and Fuu whom exchanged worried looks. "No- dad, no- no I'm sorry I scared you. No just stay there I'll cab home." She got quiet then and listened as her father had his say. Umi sighed. "I'm at Hikaru's." another sigh. "Okay.. Okay... Yes, good bye father."
She closed the phone and looked to the waiting group. She folded her arms, "Sorry for the inconvenience Satoru. Father's coming over to collect me."
Hikaru jumped to her side, "Wait Umi. We don't even know if that's safe."
"I agree our enemies could be waiting for just this sort of chance. We should be sticking together." Fuu added.
Even Kakeru who often took to teasing and arguing with her had offered concern. "Is it really such a good idea to bring your father here? I mean after everything that's happened?"
Umi in turn shook her head. "You didn't hear him, he sounded so worried. I didn't have much choice in the matter. He was insistent. Should I have turned my phone off instead and let him worry while we all head off to Cephiro?" She tsked, "It's just as well. I can't leave my parents here," She gave pause looking in the Magic Swordsman's direction. "We can't depend on time standing still while we're over there."
Fuu continued her thought, "Time stopped for us before because of our desire not to worry our families Earth and Cephiro were also separate. Magic from Cephiro is here-"
Lantis though focused on maintaining his barrier interjected, "It's possible that the two worlds are blending. If that is the case, you may not be able to put this Earth on hold. Indeed your families could face danger while we are over there. Best not to take chances with your loved ones..."
There was much for them all to mull over while Mr. Ryuuzaki to made his way to the Shidou household. It didn't take him long.
Finally sensing his presence Umi shouted. "That's dad!"
Hikaru nodded to Lantis and he allowed the new presence to pass through his barrier. Satoru was at the door ready to receive him but instead Umi's father barged right passed not even stopping to remove his shoes. "Umi!" Mr. Ryuuzaki for once not in business attire rushed his daughter and enveloped her in a tight hug, lifting her clear off the ground. "Oh, my little girl. You scared me so much!"
"Dad-" Umi gritted, "Put me down. You're embarrassing me!" On top of being a love struck fool of a husband he was a dotting father too.
Hesitantly he let her down, "your poor mother's in a tizzy. Imagine our surprise when young Maxwell knocked at our bedroom door saying you were gone."
"Dad I'm sorry but-"
"Oh, Satoru!" Her father said finally noticing him as the eldest Shidou reentered the living room. He spun his daughter on her heels and had her bow low with him. "Forgive our intrusion."
"Not to worry, Mr. Ryuuzaki. I'm sorry to not have contacted you myself..." Satoru said, brushing aside the older man's rude entry. Like daughter like father he supposed. He couldn't fault Umi's father for focusing solely on Umi and her well being. "We've had... somewhat of a situation going on here you see."
Rising back to his full height Mr. Ryuuzaki took note everyone else. He looked over the Shidous' then to Umi's friend Fuu, "Oh, Fuu I thought you were in America."
"Yes well..."
He tilted his head in observation. Something was missing from her usual person. "Did you perhaps, finally change to contacts?"
The young woman brought a hand up to her temple, seeming to only just realize herself that her large oval glasses were no where to be found. "Oh?" Quickly she looked to Hikaru and Umi who also stood surprised.
Mr. Ryuuzaki unable to stay on one topic then saw someone he did not recognize. He was roughly Satoru's height decked in black. He stood apart from the rest of them, tense and focused. "hm?"
"Never mind him," his daughter waved. "There's something we need to talk about before we go home."
Umi ushered him to sit at the traditional table. The others followed suit save for the man in black. Mr. Ryuuzaki kept his eyes on him while Hikaru took to poring the tea that so far had been neglected. His impression was that this young man was strange and otherworldly though he wasn't sure why. To cut the serious tone in the room he joked, "You didn't come to the Shidou's with some scheme to meet with a secret boyfriend now did you?"
"As if!" Umi raged back at him.
At the same time Hikaru, working on filling the fifth cup outwardly flinched and hot tea spilled over her hand and onto the table. Her brothers gasped. The eyes of the man in black in turn flickered towards her.
"Eh, It's fine." She said with a wave, answering the worried looks. Mr. Ryuuzaki noted that her skin hadn't so much as changed color from the burning liquid. "Heat doesn't bother me."
The man in black was already retrieving towelettes for her. The way she accepted it and the way the Shidou brothers eyed the new comer told him everything. When it came to matters of the heart he was quite perceptive if he did say so himself.
Ah. Was that the cause of the tension? Mr. Ryuuzaki folded his arms,"I didn't think a bubbly girl like you would fall for the tall, dark and reclusive Hikaru."
"Father!"
Hikaru sputtered and her brothers shifted uncomfortably.
Mr. Ryuuzaki put his hands on his thighs, leaned forward and called to Lantis, "young man, you probably have your work cut out for you with these boys," he looked to Satoru, Masaru and Kakeru. "Even so, Umi's friends are like family to me." He grinned, suppressing and urge to pat Hikaru's head. "Like cute little nieces." His eyes then narrowed, "Hurt them and I have the pull to make your life hell."
The stranger eyed him but said nothing.
Fuu and Hikaru both dipped their heads in a blush.
Umi palmed her forehead, "Dad, honestly we just got all of that settled don't go working them up again."
"My apologies. It's not my intention to scare you." The woman that looked like Fuu began. "believe me or not, I mean you no harm."
When it looked like Kuu was going to stay quiet the woman released her.
Kuu lurched forward and gaped. She had been able to breath but with restriction. Whatever this woman had done had affected the air pressure around her. Now that she was free of it she felt dizzy, unsteady on her feet.
"I am sorry." The woman said. "I hope I didn't hurt you too badly with my magic."
"Magic?" Kuu echoed.
The woman arose from the computer chair. Kuu couldn't call the movement walking; she was too fluid. Really it seemed to her that the look-a-like-Fuu glided over the floor and it unnerved her even more.
"Listen elder sis- Kuu. There are dangers in this world that you, your parents, even your little sister are not aware of." Before she could even think what to say to that the woman reached into the inner breast pocket of her jacket and pulled out three gem stones that glowed pale green. She took one between her finger and thumb and held it before Kuu's chest.
The gem pulsed and she could feel the power emanating from it "Wait." but the gem was already passing through the other girl's fingers and into her chest. Kuu gripped at her night shirt in disbelief. She was afraid, she didn't know what was going on or why this woman was invading the Hououji home but the moment the gem penetrated her skin she felt warmth and safety.
"Terrible things are about to happen and there is little I can do to stop it... But I can offer you, moth-" She quickly corrected herself, "your mother and father this protection."
"What about Fuu?" Kuu breathed in recovery. "And why do you look so much like her?"
The other woman sighed. "She can protect herself just fine. It's you three that I'm worried about... As for why we look a like - you know why. Why we even feel the same to you. It's why you didn't try to attack or scream when I released you. It's because I am Fuu. Just not the one you know."
Being a double agent certainly kept one busy. The man that had encountered the Organization's Water Witch and the fire using young rebel with crimson hair had spent the following weeks investigating both parties. He was posing as a corporal within the Organization. Though he possessed great magic he used it carefully to appear as ordinary as possible. He changed his facial appearance so that no one could relate him to his family. His true name abandoned, he chose to use Takezo Shinmen. The name of a man from an old Japanese story that no one cared to remember.
Takezo had always been tech savvy and being at such a lowly rank, there was no notoriety associated with the name he currently went by. He was stealthy and easily able to access their systems for information on the Organization.
Umi Ryuuzaku was easy enough to find out about. Right hand of the sorcerer Eagle. Her involvement in many various world's capture... Defector of her home world, turned advocate for the enemy. But that's not how they spun it. She was their poster child. Survivor of her world's end, saved by the Organization – which they called WISH and people began to associate them with hope. The desperate flocked to join their cause. Never knowing that the ones responsible for the destruction of their very lives were the ones they swore allegiance to...
Most recently, he had discovered that she had been summoned to oversee yet another world's capture. In fact many with strength of will in the military were being called to the new world. One where magic was bleeding into Earth from Cephiro but still lacking a fully stabilized road. Umi and her master Eagle were en route with the use of a Clover Cage – A technology that could only be operated by those with strong magic. It was how the WISH Organization could travel between worlds without connecting roads. But it was incredibly dangerous, the slightest break in concentration could result in a limb lost to another dimension. Or the Clover Cage could completely lose stability and collapse on itself along with its users.
They weren't to be used lightly. In fact they were only used to make initial contact. That another set of Clover Cages had been commissioned to this new Earth was very alarming. He would be reporting his findings to CLAMP as soon as possible. The rest of his intel... well he planned to keep that under his cap for now.
The boy; red long braided hair, small build, strong will and skilled as a fire user. He was the spitting image of the lost Hikaru Shidou. No doubt he was her son in this world. Further investigation revealed the base he and a few Autozam survivors were operating out of.
Well that certainly made sense why the Organization had such trouble with the rebels. Autozam's people were strong and smart, incredibly tactical.
With his daily duties completed for the Organization he stole away after the evening meal and found a secluded place to make contact with CLAMP. While the WISH Organization used Clover Cages, CLAMP tended to using the Mokona of the various worlds they infiltrated. They were whimsical but benevolent creatures that were hard come by. This world, for example did not host one. Not even a Lesser Mokona which was really more like a spirit or fairy. So far degraded was this world the creature must have long ago abandoned it.
Takezo sat and focused envisioning his contact in CLAMP until her image and her surroundings formed in his mind. He fixed on the creature's wavelength and beckoned 'Chi.' He used his sorcery to take control of the doll-creature. It's eyes opened and he saw as it saw.
He saw the dark shadow known as Kokuyo first. He held the appearance of someone in his late twenties to early thirties. Everything from his long tipped bangs, to his cloak, to the wings that protruded from his back were black. Takezo had never met Kokuyo in person but he had heard that this man was some sort of dark prince and even from another realm he could feel the darkness that emanated from him.
At his side was his polar opposite. Shining with a brilliance and humming with love and good will was the lovely, angelic, Hisui of the wind. It was rumored that these two were actually creatures of Heaven and Hell but that their love affair had bound them to the Lesser Planes. The physical plane – the mortal realms. They did not directly involve themselves in human affairs. They were observers. Taking up residence with the CLAMP director.
Hisui was the first to notice the Chi doll's possession.
"Hmmmm?" She tilted her head, "What's this air I sense?"
Kokyo stepped forward, putting distance between the Chi doll and his beloved. "A Nephilim child."
"I carry the Pillar's blood if that is what you mean." He said through the Chi.
Kokyo snorted losing interest. "Call it what you will. You are what you are."
Takezo gave a pause, before continuing. "I have news of WISH sending sorcerers to The New Earth."
"The New Earth?" Hisui repeated. "Oh yes. I heard Clef the Priest and the Fire Sorceress were over there. The Director spoke with them recently. Shall I summon her for you?"
"Yes. If you could please. There are many things that I must tell her."
Kuu had watched in silence from the threshold of her parent's bedroom as the other Fuu pressed the gem stones into their sleeping forms. She hadn't gotten much out of the other woman other than some vague and cryptic warnings. She needed something direct, something substantial that she could digest. The amount of hows, whats and whys were such that her head was beginning to ache. Kuu starting to realize that this woman probably wouldn't hurt her began prodding as they moved through the house. This Other Fuu couldn't rightly show up out of nowhere and act as she pleased without offering some sort of explanation. Finally the Other Fuu relented.
They settled at the kitchen table with the lights on dim. Other Fuu's eyes were sharp, her body rigid in her seat.
"I'll tell you the story – though I don't know how many parallels there are to your Fuu's experiences and mine." She took a moment to compose herself. "In eighth grade during the school trip to Tokyo Tower. I was sent along with two other girls to another world."
Once the Other Fuu started talking she couldn't seem to stop. She told Kuu the tale of the world called Cephiro and how she and the two other girls shared in a special destiny. They were Magic Knights tasked with the quest to save that world by defeating an evil sorcerer and saving the captive Princess Emeraude.
It sounded like the premise of a video game to Kuu.
The Other Fuu continued explaining that things weren't as they seemed and that after many trials they faced the sorcerer known Zagato. He fell in battle by the Magic Knights' hands. They had achieved their goal – or so they thought. Upon learning of Zagato's death the Princess went mad. It was at then that they learned their true purpose.
The Princess was the Pillar of their world. A deity of sorts that brought peace to the land and its people but she'd lost her way when she'd fallen in love with Zagato. The world without focus began to crumble and it was the destiny of the Magic Knights to end her Rule so that another could take her place. It was the reason they'd been summoned to that world.
They were so young, and they would have been killed by the Princess had they not fought back. It was their destiny their purpose; that's what they'd been told. And so they fulfilled it.
"Then what happened?" Kuu asked.
"Nothing. That was the end of our journey. We were congratulated for a job well done and sent on our way. We went back to Tokyo Tower; the only proof of our adventure were three jewels. One green, one blue and one red. Just like that we went back to our regular lives."
"And that's it? Just like that?" It seemed to Kuu like that was a lot to go through, only to then go back to your normal life as if none of it had happened.
The Other Fuu looked remorseful. "As I said, we were young. It took me a while to really understand what happened. What we did... It took even longer to come to terms with it."
"What about the other girls?"
She shook her head, "I was too hard to keep in contact with them. Too many bad memories. It wasn't until after I graduated college that I ever saw them again."
"Why?" Kuu almost whined. "I mean, what changed after all that time?"
"The world..." the Other Fuu hardened her features. "It ended."
TBC
Author's Notes: Okay... That was a lot to try and convey. You guys still with me? There are a lot of other CLAMP references/easter eggs starting to come out and other versions of the Rayearth story beginning to unfold. Can anyone guess how many versions of MKR I've currently introduced? Hope to hear from you guys feel free to shoot me a PM with any questions.