I do not own InuYasha or Magic Knight Rayearth in any way, shape or form!


Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

'The'Thoughts


PLEASE READ BEFORE BEGINNING CHAPTER!

AN: BAH! Spring Break my foot! I wasn't able to get a single thing updated! For some reason, uploading chapters, wasn't working well for me until now. I don't quite understand what was happening myself, but I'm just happy I can actually upload chapters again. Added to that, I just had lots going on, especially at work, so yeah.

Now, since I'm meshing the anime and the manga, this is where the timeline becomes tricky. I have the whole Road to the Pillar deal going, but I also have Debonair working in the background. As far as she goes, there's only been one actual instance of her existence here in my story and plotline. She's literally been kept as a background character rather than a main antagonist at this time.

From here, I'm going to try and bring out to the foreground of the story and bring her in more. A little at a time until it's clear that she's there. Don't actually know how many chapters that will take, but as an advance warning, just know that the end of the manga/anime won't be for a bit.

Anyway, I hope you all like this and please remember to review, but if you've nothing polite to say then don't bother saying anything at all!


~A Match of Two Souls~

oO-Fear-Oo

"Such delicious fear! Such wondrous despair!" a dark sigh of ecstasy whispered on the wind. "Just a little more, my pets…"


-Crystal Palace-

"The dark presence grows stronger," Lantis spoke in a low tone.

Clef nodded grimly. "I've noticed. But there isn't anything I can do when I cannot find the source! If this Debonair character is here in Cephiro, why hasn't she shown herself? What is she after?"

Lantis couldn't answer, choosing instead to keep silent.

~AMatchOfTwoSouls~

"The smallest things give joy to them now…" Fuu said softly, watching the children play in the garden.

"It's because there is more fear for our world," Ferio answered, coming to sit beside her. "Everyday Cephiro crumbles just a bit more, and the fear escalates. Only a few children can ever muster the ability to laugh and smile in times like these anymore."

Fuu nodded understandingly, a frown spreading over her lips. "Ferio?"

"Hm?" the green-haired prince looked at her. "Is something wrong, Fuu?"

"What do you think will happen?" she asked quietly. "We've held off the three invading countries, and yet there's another enemy we know nothing about. What can we do against something we know nothing about?"

The Prince of Cephiro grimaced. "We hope," he said, having no other answer to give.

~AMatchOfTwoSouls~

"Ascot," Umi looked at the taller mage, "How many baskets are we supposed to fill again?" She looked down at the ten giant baskets of fruit and sweat-dropped.

Ascot looked at their bounty and flushed. "We might have gone a little too far…" He looked up at his creature friend and motioned for him to set the both of them down. "This will be enough to last our people for a long while yet, I think."

Umi looked up at the trees and sighed.

"Umi?"

"Do you think this world needs a Pillar?" she asked softly. "Just look at what you have here. Plants, animals, life; all without the existence of a Pillar."

Ascot was silent for a moment. "If you asked me this before She passed on, I'd have said 'yes' in a heartbeat. Now…Our world is surviving without a Pillar, so no, I don't want a new Pillar."

He pursed his lips. "But this world is falling apart. Princess Emeraude had stopped invaders and kept this land healthy and intact as the Pillar. In the end, it won't matter what I think, Cephiro is dying and only a Pillar can stop it."

"But where will that leave the Pillar?" Umi blurted out. "Alone. Surrounded but never seen. Loved, but never being able to love in return! Emeraude-hime loved Cephiro, but she was human! She fell in love and couldn't give her entire heart to this land because she'd already given it to someone else!"

Umi brushed off the tears that trailed over her cheeks. "I know a Pillar was what made this world what it was, Ascot. But think about it: Was Cephiro ever truly beautiful?"

The auburn-haired mage said nothing as he pulled the Knight of Water in into a warm embrace.

~AMatchOfTwoSouls~

Hikaru sat by the window in her room, staring out into the barren, rocky land that was now Cephiro. Pulling her knees to her chest, she sighed as she rested her chin on them.

"Puu?" Hikaru looked up and saw Mokona bouncing happily towards her. With a small smile, she reached out and caught the fluffy, white creature. "Mokona! What are you doing here?"

"Puu~!" long ears waggled up and down as Mokona snuggled into the redhead.

Hikaru let loose a brief giggle. She was silent for a moment. "Mokona, what do you think Debonair wants? She tried to trick me, but I don't understand why… And Eagle. Why does he want to be the Pillar? Wh—AH!"

A great tremor shook the castle.

"What was—" Hikaru caught sight of a familiar airship hovering outside of the castle, a scant few miles away.

"Autozam…"


A chuckle as obsidian eyes shone with malicious intent. "Finally…"


Adieu,

TsukiyoTenshi