Disclaimer: MKR and its fabulous characters do belong to CLAMP.
Notes: I'm terribly sorry it took me so long, but uni is literally killing me -.-
Here's chapter 21 anyway...hope you like it!
A weak sunray entered Umi's room waking Clef, he stretched and smiled at the asleep girl beside him, he found her hand clutching his shirt so he tenderly kissed her knuckle, Umi moaned and lazily opened an eye
"good morning" he whispered, she made a sleepy, wide smile
"you know, it's fantastic finding you here" she commented rubbing her eyes, he lightly chuckled and kissed her, then Umi stretched her arms and climbed out of her bed, walking out of her balcony, the Master Mage followed her embracing her from behind, she rested her back against him
"it's a wonderful day" the Madoshi commented looking at the sun reflecting its warm rays on the surface of the ocean, the blue haired girl lightly nodded, then she turned to him
"I've a request" she said, a mischievous smile on her lips
"ask whatever you want, I'll do it" he answered
"you could even get yourself in trouble, Master Mage" she commented in a smirk
"I'll take the risk" he replied nuzzling her neck, she giggled
"fine then...go and take a sword, you owe me a fight"
"now? So early?" he asked keeping teasing her, Umi vigorously nodded and got free from his embrace
"see you in the dungeons"
"but Umi..." he winced, she quickly kissed him
" you said you'd do everything I wanted" she said pushing him towards the door
"and the breakfa..."
"later. Dungeons, in ten minutes" she stated closing the door to his face, then she grinned widely and, almost jumping for joy, entered the bathroom to take a cold shower.
Clef blinked at her closed door for a pair of seconds, then he widely smiled and shook his head making his way to his bedroom.
Once there he looked at his reflection in the mirror: he really seemed different without his Madoshi's goods. He searched for them around the chamber but then he remembered he had left them in his bibliotheca. Oh well, he'd took them later, it was terribly pleasuring ignoring his duties for once. He quickly took a shower and donned a new white shirt and new pants that fixed inside this boots, then he smiled opening the other door of his cupboard: a long silver folder was placed there, a white golden lion shaped hilt came out of it. the Madoshi sweetly took it in his hands drawing the sword, it was dusty and blackened because of the lacking of use.
He snapped his fingers and a patch appeared in his palm, the Master Mage slowly cleaned the blade, then the hilt. How many years had passed since the last time he used it? too much, according to him, that sword seemed the relic of a past life. He tried a pair of fences: it could even be old but it was still fearsome and sharp, a perfect weapon. He still remembered the day he had locked it in the depth of his cupboard, leaving it for the Master Mage wand. Clef sadly smiled caressing the blade: it was in occasions like that, that he really realized how much he had lived, how many things had changed.
"Guru Clef, are you there?" a voice asked, Clef sighed
"yes Ferio, come in" he allowed, the King's eyes widened as he saw the Master Mage with a sword in his hands
"what does this means?" amused, he asked, Clef shrugged
"I'm going to have some training in the dungeons..." he simply answered, Ferio raised an eyebrow, assuming a teasing expression
"may I ask you what, or better, who prompted you to take a fight in the dungeons?"
"no" Clef answered, then he realized he was too harsh and smiled to the green haired boy before him
"because you already know the answer anyway..." he added, Ferio burst in laughing
"good job, Master Mage, it was about time" Clef blushed furiously. He really didn't feel comfortable with those topics, he had ignored them for too many centuries. Ferio caught his embarrassment and smiled
"I know you'll hate me if I ask you so but...you see...could Lantis, Lafarga and I come to dungeons too? They wanted to train this morning and beside this I never saw you fencing..." he asked, Clef laughed
"why should I hate you, Ferio?"
"well, I thought that maybe you and..."
"it's nothing like that, I just promised her I'd fence with her, so it's ok"
"it will be embarrassing for you being defeated in presence of all your best pupils" the King joked, Clef smirked
"actually you've never been one of my best pupils, you've always been the one who took magic lightly" Ferio fumed
"hey, I was young I had better to do..."
"as for example chasing on Fuu" the Madoshi teasingly said, Ferio's mouth hung open and Clef laughed
"that was very venomous, Umi's effects on you are getting brighter" the King teased, the Master Mage just shrugged, but he was smiling
"see you in the dungeons, she'll kill me if I arrive late" he added exiting the room, Ferio nodded
"I'll go to call the others" he said following him out.
They were all lying against a wall looking at the scene before their eyes. Ferio was very surprised seeing that Clef was actually giving Umi a lesson she'd hardly forget
"who knew that the old Guru could do that!" he exclaimed, Lantis smirked
"Lafarga, do you know something about being defeated by Clef?" he asked to the blond soldier, he laughed
"oh, that was the most embarrassing day of my life" Lafarga admitted, Ferio looked confused at both of them
"what are you talking about?" he asked, Lantis folded his arms and looked at his friend
"don't make me tell him the terrible impression you did in front of everyone" Lafarga laughed
"ok, ok...I'll do it myself" he said, then he turned to the King
"you see, it was many years ago, Emeraude had just been chosen as Pillar and the whole army was training in the backyard" he said, Ferio smiled thinking to his sister
"anyway" the blond swordsman continued
"I was fighting against one of my comrades when I tried to fence against him, and he easily blocked my attack, in that moment Guru Clef was strolling around and seeing the scene told me..."
"Umi, stretch your arm out! In that way you'll never do a good fance!" Clef's voice exclaimed, correcting Umi's pose, Lantis laughed openly. It was a rare sight that made Ferio's eyes widen in surprise
"what's wrong?" the green haired king asked, the captain shook his head and Lafarga laughed too
"well, he told me the very same thing, just I looked at him rising an eyebrow and told him that maybe it was better if he kept working over his books" Ferio's mouth hung open
"did you really dared?!" he asked, the blond man nodded
"I was young and presumptuous...and I thought that the Master Mage was the less important post on the kingdom, the soldier did fight, he just stayed in his study reading books, checking documents, teaching to young kids how to use a spell...nothing special" he admitted
"yes, but that underestimated man gave you a lesson you will never forget" Lantis said in a smirk folding his arms, Lafarga laughed
"I admit that he did...you see, Clef just raised an eyebrow and posed his staff on the grass, then he called Lantis and asked him to gave his sword for a while"
"I obviously accepted, I knew what he could do, he was my teacher"
"you were a crap that day, I'd rather smacked you on the floor sticking my sword in your insides" Lafarga teased, the captain smirked
"you won't be able, Lafarga" he said, the solider waved it off and said
"anyway, Clef slowly approached me and asked me a fight, I laughed and accepted, I mean, how could a six centuries old man beat me?" Ferio burst in laughing
"don't tell me..."
"oh yes, I was KO in half minute, that was the most embarrassing day of my whole life" he admitted, Ferio laughed aloud and looked at Umi and Clef still fencing together.
Umi was tired, she was dying to take a break, but asking it would have meant admitting that he was better than her, and surely that was the last thing she'd ever do.
But the more she tried to stay focused on the match, the more her mind wandered away. She couldn't even look at the man before her, it gave her chills: he was handsome. His hair gently falling on his eyes, his tensed body, his blue eyes seriously fixed on her, his short breath...she had to get a grip or she'd never be able to touch him with her rapier.
She tried a fence, stretching her arm out as he had just told her, but the result was Clef dodging it and blocking her sword with his own. He laughed at her angry expression, she surely imagined an easier fight.
He could even seem focused on the fight, but actually he was scanning her with his eyes: her blue mane tied up in a pony tail, her skilful movements, her muscles tensing every time she reached out to fence against him...she was perfect. And now she was his. That was almost incredible. He quickly moved and stretched out his arms fencing against her, she tried to block his attack but her rapier flew away from her grasp, hard hit by Clef's sword. Her mouth hung open as it hit the floor with a clanging noise.
"Damn it!" she yelled, the Master Mage just smiled and walked to pick up Umi's sword, he couldn't deny it was a beautiful weapon, Presea really did a good job.
"may I have my sword back?" she snapped, he nodded
"yes, sorry" he said, she sharply took her sword, her eyes placed on Clef's sword: it was a jewel, not a weapon. The processed lion head shaped hilt, the shining blade...that was really a great sword. The Madoshi caught her thoughtful stare
"what's wrong?" he asked, she shook her head
"it's a beautiful sword, Presea did an amazing work" he laughed
"that's not Presea's work...she wasn't even born yet" he joked, her eyes widened
"really?"
"Umi, I'm more than seven centuries old...Presea is still a young woman!" he explained laughing. Umi knew he was very old, but his look and his manners always deceived her, she never cared of the age difference between them, but in that moment the situation hit her hard. Clef noticed it
"Umi, are you ok?" he asked caressing her cheek, she lightly nodded then she sat on the floor. The Master Mage made sign to Lantis and Ferio to start their training, then he sat beside the blue haired girl
"hey, what's wrong?" he sweetly asked, she shook her head
"nothing" he smiled and passed an arm around her waist moving her closer, she was biting her bottom lip
"Umi, don't lie, c'mon...tell me" she sighed and looked up at him
"I'm 18, Clef, and you're over 700, so..." his stare lowered
"Umi I can understand if you..." she gasped and held him
"no!" she yelled
"you stupid Madoshi!" she cut him off
"what the hell were you thinking?!" she said smiling
"I just was wondering...how old is a 7 century old man? I mean, if we'd bring him on Earth, what would be his age?" Clef smiled
"I have no clue, I never tallied it, I never thought I'd need it" he sincerely answered, his stare lowered, Umi smiled back
"so you have no clue of what my Cephrian age could be, right?" he shook his head
"surely you aren't 700" he bitterly considered, Umi smiled and took his face in her hands
"hey, listen carefully to what I'm telling you, Master Mage: I don't care. You could even be thousands years old, but I don't care. And you know why? Because I lov..." suddenly her head ached, and she hissed in pain taking her head in her hands
"Umi!" Clef exclaimed worried, holding her.
Lantis quickly one of Ferio's attack and made him sign to stop, he frowned, then he looked at the King who nodded worried
"Clef I can sens..." the Master Mage's stare froze Lantis who immediately stopped
"I can sense him, Clef" the swordsman said telepathically
"I should have known it...is he around?"
"no, the presence is strong and dark, but it's far"
"so he's attacking her from Iris"
"I'm afraid yes"
Umi yelled in pain again, her head was throbbing and she felt like it was going to explode
"Clef, do something!" she exclaimed in pain
"I've a potion in my study, don't worry, we'll fix it" he said trying his best not to look worried
"Lantis, Ferio, Lafarga, alert the Magic Knights and the others"
"what about you, Clef? What will you do? You won't go there again, I'm the King and I forbid you to do such an idiocy" Ferio stated
"I won't Ferio, but we must do something"
"I'll call Fuu, maybe one of her healing spells..."
"no, Fuu would tell her everything and I won't it to happen. N body will tell her that man is attacking her again"
"why not, Clef? She must know she's in troubles" Lantis asked
"she'd freak out, she would surely go to him and he could harm her seriously. I can't let it happen again, was I clear?"
"sorry, but I think you're mistaken, last time you acted so protective towards her it caused Cephiro to get in troubles, did you forgot it?"
"last time I told her everything I found her hurt, chained up to a wall and without powers, did you forgot it?!" the Master Mage barked in Lantis' mind
At that memory he felt blood boiling in his veins, the floor beneath their feet started shaking, Umi looked scared around her, what the hell was happening?
"Clef, are you ok?" she asked, only in that moment he realized his powers were effecting the world around him again.
Lantis shook his head and looked severely at the Master Mage
"stop it now" he said aloud, Clef sighed deeply and calmed down, then he looked at Umi
"yes, don't worry" he answered, then he looked at the King and the swordsman
"just go" he said, Lantis shook his head and exited the room together with the others, Clef sighed and picked Umi up in his arms, pressing a palm on her aching forehead, she moaned in pain
"let's get the potion in my bibliotheca, then I'll put you to rest" he sweetly said walking out of the dungeons.
Arashi was looking at the scene thanks to his magic. That girl was almost ruining his plans, and he couldn't let it happen. It was true that Umi was in love with the Madoshi, it was absolutely clear, yet there was a weak ring in the chain: she never confessed her love, neither did he. Those three words were still left unspoken and he'd take advantage of it. He'd avoid them to tell that they loved each others, or his next move would fail. He smirked inwardly, he'd casted so many spells on her that in the end that old idiot would have gave up. It was matter of time. He smirked satisfied, and thought that it'd be nice play with the old Master Mage.
Once in the bibliotheca, Clef grabbed his wand that was still lying on the floor next to his seat and summoned a stretcher to lay her down, then he walked to the cupboard next to the balcony door and took a vial with a green fluid inside it
"drink this" he said resting the little bottle on Umi's parted lips making her drink the potion
"it's terrible" she winced
"you must work on the taste of your damn swills" she added, the Mage smiled and caressed her forehead
"I'll think about that, now rest" he whispered sweetly kissing her nose, she sighed
"what was that? Why did I feel terrible all of a sudden?"
"you spent much energy, I guess you were just weak"
"I'm used to harder fights" she commented, not convinced by Clef's explanation, he shook his head
"we fought for two hours without breaks, it's normal you felt terrible"
"why you're still good then?"
"in seven centuries one tends to get pretty immune to tiredness, especially when they spent the most of their life working night and day without breaks" he answered with a smile, she sighed
"I'm a pain...I hate being like this, I bet that if I still had Selece with me I was perfect" she sadly commented,
"not true, you are always perfect" he replied kissing her, Umi blushed furiously.
"can you walk to your room?" he asked, she glared at him, she hated being so damn weak
"yes, of course I can" she said climbing down of the stretcher, Clef smiled and slid an arm around her, helping her
"I can do it alone" she snapped, he smiled
"I know, I just like holding you" he answered, she blushed again. The Master Mage smiled satisfied, two blush in less than 5 minutes, that wasn't Umi at all but he literally loved it. She was adorable
"you are too much loving towards me, Clef...it flatters me" she commented, he smiled and nuzzled her neck
"you deserve it, Umi" he whispered
"I love..." Umi's yell cut him out again, and he had to tighten his grasp on her for avoiding she collapsing on the floor
"Umi, are you ok?" he asked worried, she hissed in pain
"it hurts Clef...I thought your potion would have work sooner and better!" she winced, he frowned angry. That man was lucky he couldn't reach him at the moment, or really he'd made him suffer all the possible ways. Death would have been a sweet comfort if compared to what he'd do to him.
"Clef?" Umi asked in a hiss, seeing his expression
"are you ok?" he shook his head pushing away Arashi from his mind, and looked at the girl in his arms
"no, I'm worried, Umi...c'mon, I'll take you to rest" he said picking her up and walking to her room.
Once there he laid her on the bed and sat beside her
"how do you feel?" he asked
"terrible..." she muttered, the Master Mage caressed her hair
"you should sleep"
"I won't, since I came back I spent more time in this damn bed than outside with the others, I'm sick of this!" she pouted, he smiled sweetly
"do it for me, please?" he tried, the bluette fumed but took the vial that had magically appeared in Clef's hands. Why the hell he had that terrible effect on her? How could he always made her hang on every single word of his like that?
"tell me the truth, has all this something to do with him?" she asked, the Madoshi swallowed cursing his inability to tell a decent lie.
"rest" he simply said kissing her forehead and walking out of the room.
Umi tightened the grasp on the little bottle with the potion. It was useless he kept denying it, it was useless he tried to hide what was really happening. She wasn't blind or stupid, she knew that something wasn't right.
Clef shut the door of his study behind him, and angrily watched outside the window: there must be something he could do to stop those damn attacks. He looked at his official outfit still hanging on his seat and sighed putting him on, then he locked the headdress around his forehead: it was good being just Clef for a pair of hours.
He sat at his desk and rested his forehead against his clenched fist, he had to do something. But what?
He felt terrible guilty, if he'd told Umi everything right from the start, surely things would have been different. He was a terrible idiot
"well, Master Mage, I can't deny it" a teasing voice said, he clenched his wand and stood up walking at the balconny
"what do you want here? You aren't welcome in Cephiro" he barked, the green eyed man just smirked
"are you satisfied of what you are doing?" the Madoshi angrily asked tightening his grip on his staff
"well, honestly not. I'll be satisfied when you'll give up and I'll have Cephiro"
"Ferio would never agree to that, print it in your mind"
"Ferio would never agree to that unless a certain old idiot doesn't make him change his mind"
"why should I do such a folk, Arashi?"
"because you're getting tired of seeing you precious Umi being attacked by me"
"let her alone, Arashi, do whatever you want but stop charging on her"
"this is moving, Madoshi, but you see, I must admit that seeing her frustrated over this situation amuses me a lot, so I don't think I'll stop my entertainment"
"if that's me you're trying to hurt why using her? Can't you cast your damn spells on me? The Madoshi of Cephiro should be more attracting than a young earthling girl" he tried, Arashi chuckled
"because she's your weak point. You know, at first I thought you'd be a difficult target, but then, when I saw your expression when she left your study running away with that upset expression everything was clear...you aren't so hard to read as people say"
"I should have kicked you out of this country since the beginning"
"oh, you are too fair for these kind of things and anyway I've a nice idea for you" Clef swallowed
"what do you want to do, Arashi? What? I'll tell you just once: stop it"
"why should I?"
"because it takes me nothing to make you regret the day you were born, I may even be not able to kill you but I know spells that will make you beg Umi to put an end to your damn life" Arashi laughed
"you know, you are amusing. Anyway you'll see soon enough what I have in mind, and you'll be surprised to know that your little blue haired girl won't be my victim"
"as long as you leave her in peace, you can cast all your spells on me, I don't care" the Irisan king laughed again
"do you mean like this?" he asked sending a strand of magic against the Suprem Yil, Clef jumped back and dodged it
"do you really want to fight the Madoshi of Cephiro in his own study? You know here I've many people to help me, it won't never end like our last fight"
"I'll take the risk then" the king said summoning his sword and attacking the Master Mage.
Clef stopped his fences with his staff when suddenly a voice said
"I thought I told you not to come here again" Arashi stopped and looked at the opened door: Ferio was standing there
"Ferio, go away" Clef said, the green haired boy shook his head
"you know Arashi, charging on him is absolutely pointless, I'm the King, the one who takes decision" Arashi smirked
"don't make me laugh" he said launching a spell against him, Ferio quickly moved away and stepped forward towards Clef who was catching his breath
"are you ok?"
"yes, go away" the Master Mage answered
"I thought I told you I wanted to take seriously my post..."
"this is not the right time, Ferio"
"why not?" he asked angrily
"because his magic is too advanced, even I had troubles against him last time we fought and I am the Master Mage!" he exclaimed, Arashi laughed
"c'mon little King, take his advice...moreover this is a personal fight, let's say"
"how did you called me?!" Ferio asked furiously summoning his sword, Arashi laughed and sent a green band of magic against him, the green haired boy tried to dodge it but failed and crashed against a wall.
Umi had left the vial on her night table, she was too busy to think of what was wrong to sleep. Suddenly a green light to Clef's window caught her eye, suddenly she felt her throat getting dry: she knew that magic who belonged to. She run at her balcony and almost yelled at the sight of Arashi in Clef's bibliotheca. Damn protective Clef! Why didn't he told her?! It was the same old story! She immediately grabbed her rapier and run towards the Master Mage's study.
Once there she slammed the door open and gasped at the sight of Ferio on the floor, his magic sword lying beside him, then her stare posed on Clef who was trying to stand up using his wand and Arashi who was smirking. When he realized the girl was there, he turned to her
"Umi chan, is a pleasure meeting you again" he said, Clef's stare posed on her in horror. Damn headstrong Umi! Why didn't she took the potion?! It was the same old story!
"you know, you are just in time" the Irisan King commented, Umi glared at him
"yes, I'm just in time to give you a lesson!" she yelled, the man laughed
"no, you're in time to say bye bye to your sweet Master Mage" he said sending a spell against the Madoshi, Umi jumped forward putting between Clef and Arashi and shut her eyes. Damn Clef, it was always a lost battle with him!
"Umi!" Clef shouted seeing the spell hitting her. He saw his life without her: never he'd hear her clear laugh again, nor he'd see her sparkling eyes. Never his door would have been roughly slammed open again and he'd never hear her angry voice charging on him. He'd never felt the soft skin of her hand gently holding his, nor he'd ever felt her soft, velvet lips against his. His life would have been silent and blank, empty and gray. His head spinned and his heart almost stop beating at those thoughts. Damn Umi! why did she always had to prove she was the strong one?!
Suddenly the ocean roared in the distance and a flashing blue light surrounded her frame and lifted her up
"My child" Umi's heart beated faster
"Selece" she whispered
"I thought you wouldn't..."
"thou had passed my test, my young girl, thou are ready to sacrifice thy own life for the ones thou love"
"what? Are you saying that you didn't really rejected me?"
"No, my child, I just tested thou. Just this time I made it harder. I wanted to see if thy heart was strong enough to keep loving our country and fighting for it even without me protecting it and giving it strength"
"Oh Selece, I missed you..."
"now my child, show the true strength of the Magic Knight of Water" the deity said.
Umi felt her body growing warm, and then those words buried inside her heart came out from her mouth with all the powers Selece had just gave her back
"Mizu no Ryuu!" she screamed, and immediately water spilled out from every corner of her body.
Clef looked amazed at the show before his eyes, while Arashi got slammed against the floor by Umi's spell.
"what the hell...?!" he asked trying to regain control, but another water spell reached him hurting is chest.
"Hikaru, did you heard it?" Fuu asked, jumping out of her bed, the red haired girl listened carefully around, then she vigorously nodded, both of the girls run out at Fuu's balcony and saw the sea rushing furiously
"what's happening here?" the Fire Knight asked worried, in that moment a loud noise reached their ear
"it came from Clef's study..." Fuu commented
"I don't like all this, let's go!" Hikaru exclaimed grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards the Master Mage's bibliotheca.
Once there their eyes widened at the sight of Umi's spells
"her powers..." Fuu commented amazed
"oh no! Fuu! Look there!" the red haired girl exclaimed pointing Ferio, the Wind Knight's eyes wided in anger
"that monster!" she yelled, then she glared at the Irisan King
"that's enough, Midori no Shippu!" she shouted sending her spell against him, Hikaru nodded
"Akai Inazuma!" she exclaimed as well, so that her spell joined her friends' ones.
Arashi yelled in pain. those damn kids! He couldn't let them defeat the King of Iris. Weakly he moved his hand and teleported away. He found himself in his throne room: his body ached, his limbs were bleeding. He'd made them pay, his revenge would have been painful.