Title: Taking the Plunge
Disclaimer: Umi and Clef belong to CLAMP. I just borrowed them for a short story.
Author's notes: This is my first fan fiction about Magic
Knight Rayearth so please bear with me.
Please let me know what you think.
Email me at clef_loves_umi@yahoo.com
. Constructive criticisms are very
welcome. This is a story about Umi and
Clef, one of my favorite anime couples.
Actually I still haven't made up my mind regarding who I like to be
paired with Umi. I honestly still can't
choose between Clef and Ascot. So Ascot
fans, please don't throw stones at me.
Maybe I'll write a story about Ascot and Umi when I have the time. +_+X.
"Only
fifteen minutes until the dance!" Hikaru exclaimed gleefully as she put
finishing touches on her make-up.
"Yeah,"
Umi replied. "I can't wait to see
everyone in their finery." Especially
Clef, Umi added silently. She felt
her face pinken at that thought. She
hurriedly turned back to the full-length mirror and checked her
appearance. She knew she looked special
tonight. Her blue hair, usually left to
fall down her back, was in an upsweep with a few tendrils escaping to frame her
face. Her blue eyes were shining in
anticipation and her evening dress looked great. It was a white strapless creation with its full skirt billowing
so far out that she felt like a princess.
Hikaru and Fuu likewise looked great, Hikaru in a baby pink halter gown
with full skirt, and Fuu in an emerald green sleeveless dress that matched her
eyes. Both of them also had their hair
up in a messy bun.
Umi
turned back to her friends and noticed their high color. She knew they were thinking of the night
ahead spent with their loves, Lantis for Hikaru, and Ferio for Fuu. She sighed.
Where did that leave her? With
Ascot? She didn't think so. Though she loved him dearly, she couldn't
look at him that way. With
Clef? Umi sighed once more. Though she knew Clef cared for her, she knew
she didn't have a chance with him. He saw
her as nothing more than a student, as a child, although he was the one
who looked like a child. At first she
didn't mind but lately she had begun to develop, well, romantic feelings for
him. Sometimes when she had her
late-night talks with him, she would look at him longingly when he was staring
somewhere else and find herself wondering how it would be like to be kissed by
him. She would blush and look away.
"Earth
to Umi! Earth to Umi!!!" Hikaru waved a
hand in front of Umi's face.
Umi
shook herself out of her reverie. She
smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I kinda
spaced out. Were you trying to tell me
something?
Fuu
shoved Umi lightly away from the mirror.
"Yes. Would you mind moving over a bit?
I need to retouch my lipstick."
Obligingly,
Umi stepped away and sat on Hikaru's bed.
Hikaru sat beside her. She laid
a hand on Umi's shoulder. "Is there
something wrong? You look… I
dunno! All red?"
So
much for being discreet. She had to get
ahold of herself. Umi shook her
head. "It's nothing. I guess I'm just nervous about tonight."
Fuu
sat down on her other side. "Me
too. I wonder what Ferio will think of
this dress?"
Umi
turned to Fuu. "You look great! Ferio will absolutely die when she sees you
in that dress." she assured her. "You
too, Hikaru," she added.
Hikaru
gave her a once-over. "Well you look
great, like a princess! I almost feel
like an imp next to you!"
Umi gave her a
light punch on the shoulder. "You know
that's not true! You look
fabulous! Wait till Lantis sees you." She
smiled wistfully then looked at the clock.
"Look, it's about time we go down to ballroom."
Fuu nodded. " We don't want to keep them waiting."
The three magic
knights then filed out of the room and descended down the stairs clutching each
other's hands. Music greeted them when
they reached the door of the ballroom.
Hikaru hesitated for a moment, and then pushed the door open. She came in first, followed by Fuu. Umi came in last. The girls' entrance did not escape the eyes of the people. Almost at the same time, Lantis and Ferio
appeared by their side whisking Hikaru and Fuu away. Hikaru had asked Umi to go along with them but Umi declined. She didn't feel like being a third wheel and
she knew Lantis wanted to have Hikaru all to himself. She honestly didn't mind.
She knew she wouldn't be alone for long for she had made a lot of
friends since coming to Cephiro. Still
she felt funny standing there alone.
She closed her eyes briefly and hoped that someone would ask her to
dance.
________________________________________________________________________
Clef had been
talking to Ferio when the Magic Knights made their entrance. They were having a rather stimulating
conversation when suddenly Ferio stopped midsentence. He was staring at a point beyond Clef's shoulders with his mouth
hanging open in wonder. As if in a
trance, he started to walk away from Clef without so much as a word of
goodbye. Puzzled, Clef turned around to
look at what held his friend stupefied… and felt his own mouth drop open. The Magic Knights had arrived and they all
looked great, especially his dear precious Umi.
Ahhh Umi, the
fire in his heart… the life to his soul.
In all his 745 years, he had never met a girl like her. Beautiful, spirited, refreshingly innocent,
intelligent, kindhearted, loyal… and painfully young. And much too tall. Clef
shook his head over his train of thoughts and told himself that Umi should not
know, ever, the way he felt for her. It
was too complicated. She was too young
for him, and much too tall. A beautiful
girl like her could never want a man like him.
When he first
met her, he had been merely annoyed at her for being so loud and rude. But as he got to know her better, he saw a
girl who cared deeply for her friends, and a girl who had a pure heart, no
matter what appearances presented. And
thus, he had begun to fall. At first,
he tried to fight the feeling, reasoning that what he felt for her was merely
concern. But as time passed, he
couldn't deny any longer that he had fallen in love with her. All his dreams were filled with her and when
she was near, his heart was filled a kind of happiness he could never
explain. Eventually, he had
acknowledged that he was a man in love… but he vowed that Umi would never know
how he felt and resolved to act normally around her.
Still he
couldn't stop the way Umi made him feel.
The sight of her took his breath away.
Her hair was piled atop her head and she was wearing a white strapless
creation that emphasized her long graceful neck and the gentle slope of her
shoulders. She looked like a radiant
vision in her dress. She was
gorgeous. Then he noticed that she was
standing alone. He scanned the room and
saw that Hikaru was already dancing with Lantis, and so was Fuu with
Ferio. He glanced back at Umi and saw
that she was still standing alone, looking at her surroundings in
uncertainty. She looked so vulnerable,
like a lost child that he felt something tug at his heart. He decided then that he would dance with her
and started walking towards her. Then
he stopped short. Him, dance with
Umi? That had to be the biggest joke he
had ever heard. He was a head shorter
than her, coming up only to her chin.
How was he supposed to dance with her?
More importantly, what would Umi think if he asked her to dance? Would she laugh and tell him to get
lost? Nah, Umi might have her faults
but being that cruel isn't one of them.
He glanced back at Umi and saw her looking longingly at the dancing
couples. Then he saw Ascot make his way
towards her and he was filled with jealousy.
He squared his shoulders and hurriedly headed to Umi. He had to take this chance.
He reached Umi
before Ascot did. When Ascot saw him,
he quickly retreated and headed towards Caldina.
"Hello Umi," He
greeted her with a warm smile.
Umi turned and
found herself looking into Clef's intense blue eyes. She felt her heartbeat racing.
Clef looked handsome in his evening clothes. And he looked… well… a bit older. She forced herself to calm down.
She smiled back. "Hello Clef. It's nice to see you here."
For a while,
they stood there staring at each other, each of them trying to come up with
something witty to say.
"So do you wanna
dance?" They both blurted out at the
same time.
They stared at
one another for a moment then laughed lightly.
"I'd love to
dance with you, Clef," Umi said shyly, a light pink color dotting her smooth
porcelain cheeks. Clef thought she
looked absolutely adorable.
Clef held out
his hand, and Umi took it. He felt
little currents of electricity traveling up his arms. He led her to the center of the dance floor and rested his left
hand lightly on her waist. With his
right hand, he held her hand, while she rested her right hand on his shoulder.
They started
swaying to the music, neither one saying a word for a while. Clef felt as though he was in heaven, with
Umi so close to him. She smelled so
clean and fresh; like flowers in full bloom that all he wanted was to bury his head
in her hair. He looked up at her and
saw that she was watching him with a warm look in her eyes. Suddenly, a thought made him laugh a little.
"What's so
funny?" Umi asked.
"It's just that
I can't believe I'm dancing with you.
You're the tallest magic knight you know! And we must look so stupid together. People must be laughing at us." Clef replied with a trace of
laughter in his voice.
Umi wasn't
fooled by the laughter. She knew how
sensitive Clef was about his height. "I
haven't thought of that…"
Clef stiffened
in her arms.
"…But if they
are laughing, let them be. The important
thing is that we're having a good time."
Clef's gaze
softened. His arm tightened slightly
around Umi's waist. The action wasn't
missed and Umi felt shivers coursing through her spine. Unconsciously she let
out a contented sigh. In response, Clef
dropped her hand and wrapped both his arms around her waist. Umi let her arms circle Clef's neck.
They danced that way for quite a while,
staring into each other's eyes as they did.
Clef's eyes were intense as he stared at Umi while Umi's eyes were shining
softly.
Around them, the
dance floor was abuzz with speculations about the blue-haired knight and the
child-like magician who were dancing so closely and staring at each other with
such adoring look in their eyes.
Hikaru
was lost in her own world with Lantis, wrapped in his arms, when she felt a tap
on her shoulder.
Hikaru
turned and saw Fuu with Ferio. She
smiled and said, "What's up Fuu? Hi
Ferio!"
Fuu
just pointed to her left with her lips.
Hikaru looked at where Fuu pointed and her eyes widened in
surprise. In the middle of the dance
floor, she saw Umi dancing with Clef.
They were quite a sight. They
were dancing so close and they were staring into each other's eyes
intensely. Clef was a head shorter than
Umi and the view of them dancing was supposed to look funny. But somehow, the two of them together looked
just right, as if they belonged to each other, as if they were meant for each
other.
Hikaru
turned to Fuu and saw that her friend was smiling sheepishly. She leaned towards Hikaru and said in a low
voice that neither Lantis nor Ferio could hear. "Hikaru, it seems that we had been too occupied with our
respective love lives that we failed to notice that our friend Umi has fallen
in love too."
Hikaru
nodded in understanding. Now she knew
why Umi was so keyed-up before the dance tonight. She was nervous and excited at the same time about seeing Clef.
Hikaru never
really thought of Clef as boyfriend material.
He had always seemed so mature and more of a father-like figure for her. She never really considered that a man like
him would fall in love. But she guessed
any man would have to be crazy not to fall in love with Umi. Umi was beautiful, kind-hearted and
smart. She may come off as selfish at
times but Hikaru knew that beyond that façade was a very sweet person who cared
for her loved-ones very much.
"We'll talk to
Umi later, ok?" Fuu said.
"Yup," Hikaru
agreed. "She has to fess up."
"Ok. See you later then," Fuu said then glided
away in Ferio's arms.
"What was that
all about?" Lantis asked Hikaru in curiosity.
Hikaru smiled.
"It's a secret for now but I doubt it will remain that way for
long. But for now, let's continue
dancing."
Lantis happily
obliged and pulled Hikaru into his arms once again.
Clef and Umi
were dancing for quite some time already when the music changed from a slow
number to a fast one.
"I've been
hogging you all night. Perhaps you'd
like to dance with someone else?" Clef said, hoping she would say no and that
she wanted to stay with him.
"No!" Umi shouted,
and Clef looked surprised. She blushed
when she realized how vehement she sounded.
She groaned inwardly. Clef must
be thinking that she was as clingy as a vine.
So she said pointedly, "Nobody's asked me to dance except for you, in
case you haven't noticed."
Clef was pleased
that Umi does not seem ready to let him go yet. He was smiling inwardly but strived to keep a straight face. "Would you like to take a break then? I could get us something to drink," Clef
asked.
Umi smiled at
him. "That would be ok. I am kind of thirsty and I could use a drink
of water."
So Clef let go
of her and took her hand in his. He
twined his fingers with her and led her to some chairs at the edge of the dance
floor.
She sat down on
one of the chairs while Clef hurried off to get the drinks he promised. Her gaze followed his retreating back, a
soft smile playing on her lips.
Suddenly, she
found herself wedged between her two best friends. She started up in surprise.
Then she greeted them with a bright smile, "Hi guys. What's up?" she asked cheerfully.
Hikaru looked at
her with a mock scowl on her adorable face.
"What is going on between you and Clef?" she asked in stern voice.
Umi willed
herself not to blush but could feel herself blushing anyway. "Nothing.
We were just… dancing," she replied lamely.
"Yeah right,"
Hikaru said with an unladylike snort.
Fuu was looking
at her with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Fess up, it's written plainly on both your faces that you're in
love with each other."
Umi's blush
deepened. Was she that obvious? Was her feelings written so clearly on her
face that's why Clef wanted to be rid of her company? "I don't know what you're talking about. Clef and I were just dancing," she replied
firmly.
Hikaru nudged
her on the ribs. "C'mon, don't be
shy. We're your best friends. You can tell us how you feel about Clef."
Umi sat silent
for a while, contemplating whether to tell her friends how she felt about
Clef. She slumped back in her chair and
decided to tell them at least part of the truth. They were her best friends after all. "Ok, I admit, I kinda like Clef.
He's been so nice to me and…" her voice trailed off.
Hkaru grinned
knowingly. "Kinda like?" she asked
wriggling her eyebrows comically.
Umi threw her
hands up in mock surrender. "Ok, I give
up. I do like him… a lot. I think I may even… love him. Now are you guys satisfied?" She scowled at her two best friends.
"Very," Fuu
replied. She looked thoughtful for a
moment then asked, "Are you guys like an item already?"
Umi looked
incredulous. "Are you crazy! As if Clef would ever look at me that
way. He only sees me as a kid."
Hikaru rolled
her eyes in exasperation. "Are you
blind, Umi? Haven't you noticed the way
Clef was looking at you tonight? He
looked as though he wanted to gobble you up… in a positive way," she added
hastily.
So they have
noticed it too. She thought she had
been imagining things. "So," Umi
started hesitantly, "Should I go for it?"
Hikaru and Fuu
nodded vigorously. "Definitely," they
both said.
Still Umi looked
worried. "Tell me honestly, do you guys
think we look funny together?" she asked.
"No way!" Hikaru
exclaimed. "You look so adorable
together."
"Yes," Fuu
agreed. "You'll make one of the cutest
couples I know."
Umi smiled
radiantly. "Thanks guys for… you know
the kind words. I really appreciate
it. If only Clef would hurry back. He promised to get me a glass of water."
As if on cue,
Clef suddenly appeared in front of the girls.
He greeted the girls good evening.
He handed a glass of water to Umi and looked apologetically at Hikaru
and Fuu. "Sorry, I didn't bring you
anything."
"It's okay," Fuu
said. She stood up followed by
Hikaru. "We have to go. We promised Ferio and Lantis we wouldn't be
gone long." The two girls started
walking away. "See you later," Fuu
called over her shoulder.
"Bye Clef, Umi!"
Hikaru called out. She winked at Umi
before following Fuu into the crowd.
Clef sat down
beside Umi and glanced at her at the corner of his eyes. She was sipping daintily at her drink and
her cheeks were pink.
"Is there
something wrong? You look flushed."
Clef asked Umi with concern in his eyes.
Umi shook her
head. "It's the heat. Haven't you noticed how stuffy it is in
here?"
Clef
nodded. "Would you like to go to the
garden?"
Umi's eyes
brightened. "Sure! I'd love to."
They stood up
and Clef took Umi's hand and led her out to the courtyard. They stopped when they reached the fountain
at the center. Umi sat at the edge of
the fountain while Clef stood in front of her.
Umi had to smile. For once, Clef
was looking down at her and she was looking up into his eyes. But her smile disappeared when she felt the
evening breeze picking up, making her shiver.
"Are you cold?"
Clef asked.
"No," Umi
replied, which was a blatant lie for the goose bumps on her arms were
impossible not to notice.
Clef just looked
at Umi for a long moment then silently removed his evening jacket. He draped it over her slender shoulders, his
hand brushing her skin in the briefest of contacts. Umi shivered again, though this time, not because of the cold.
"Better?" Clef
asked.
Umi nodded. "Yes, thank you very much," she replied with
a dazzling smile.
Clef sat down
next to Umi and except for the splashing of the water from the fountain, all
were silent. But it was not an
uncomfortable type of silence, but a silence defined by a kind of contentment
in sharing each other's company. They
sat there looking at the stars for a while, each of them lost in their own
thoughts. Clef was in an inner
predicament, about whether to make a move on Umi or not. He sneaked a glance at her and again his
breath caught on his throat. She was
leaning back with her hands propped on her sides and her head was tilted
upwards as she looked at the night sky, seemingly lost in her own
thoughts. She looked so beautiful, so
angelic, and he knew that with every moment he spent with her, he was fighting
a losing battle. While he had been
getting Umi her drink, he had time to gain control of his raging emotions. He scolded himself for getting caught up in
a moment of temporary insanity and vowed to act like the respectable teacher
that he is to Umi and put some distance between them. She was too young for him for Pete's sake and he couldn't
possibly get involved with her. But
when he came back and she smiled at him, he knew he was lost. He knew it was impossible to stay away from
her. The night had awakened in him
secret desires and feelings he never knew he possessed. He had to make her his, or else he'll go
crazy. Just the thought of
relinquishing her to any other man was enough to drive him nuts. But what about Umi? How will she react if he told her how he
felt? What if she didn't feel the same
way? Clef decided to test the
waters. Slowly he brought his hand to
rest over hers. She turned to him with
startled eyes but she didn't pull her hand away. In fact, she even twined her fingers with him and turned to look
up at the stars again. Clef cheered
inwardly at the gesture. Could it mean
that she felt the same way about him?
He didn't dare hope but he moved closer to her until their shoulders
were almost touching.
As for Umi, she
was thinking about her conversation with her friends at the ballroom
earlier. Could it be possible that Clef
returned her feelings? Her friends
seemed to think so and she took hope in that.
She knew Clef was shy about this type of things so she wondered if she
was supposed to make the first move?
And if she did get around to making the first move, was she supposed to
tell him she loved him then kiss him or the other way around? She then concluded that matters of the heart
were so confusing and decided to just sit back and wait for whatever may
happen. And anyway, what is meant to be
will happen.
Umi felt Clef
lay his hand above her own and her heart fluttered inside her chest. She looked at him questioningly but the warm
look in his eyes answered her unspoken question. She then twined their fingers together and looked back at the
stars as her heart beat raced in anticipation.
She felt him move closer and she shivered again.
Suddenly she
spoke up. "Clef, when I go back to
Tokyo, would you miss me?" she asked.
What type of a
question was that? Didn't she feel how
important she was to him? "Yes, I will
miss you… a lot more than you'll ever know." Clef replied quietly.
"I'm glad. Because I would have missed you too."
"Truly?"
"Truly," Umi
assured him with a slightly sad smile.
"Umi," Clef
called out softly.
Liquid blue eyes
turned to look at him. "Hmmm?"
"When you're already
in Tokyo, would you even think about coming back here, even for a few visits?"
Clef asked, looking at her searchingly.
Umi nodded. "Of course.
I have friends here and I love the people here. I could even stay here forever…" Umi flushed
when she realized the extent of what she had said.
Clef smiled
softly at her. "I too wish that you
could stay here forever."
Umi's eyes
widened over his admission. She felt
her heart skip a beat. Clef rose and
stood in front of her. He took her face
into his hands and Umi found herself staring at the most intense blue eyes she
had ever seen. "I love you, Umi," Clef said quietly, while gazing at her with
the full intensity of his feelings unmasked.
Umi felt a
single tear slide down her cheeks, a tear of relief, relief that the one she
loved so much returned her feelings with equal, if not greater, passion. "I love you too, Clef," she replied
tremulously.
Clef's eyes
turned darker. Slowly, he bent his head
and touched his lips with hers.
Instinctively, Umi's hands circled Clef's neck, her fingers running
through his silky lavender hair. Clef's
hand rubbed Umi's cheek while his other arm wrapped possessively around her
waist. Before long, their kisses became
more passionate, kissing with all the pent-up passion and longing they hid for
quite some time. Umi felt as though she
was melting, with Clef's lips so wonderfully soft and warm against her
own.
Clef broke the
contact and was arrogantly pleased that Umi was taking some time to
recover. She was still trembling and
she had a bemused expression on her beautiful face. His smile disappeared however when he realized that his knees
were likewise shaking and his heartbeat was still racing. He had been just as affected by the kiss as
she had been. Kissing Umi had been a
dream come true, only, the reality is even better than his dreams. Her lips were much softer and luscious and
her response had been more ardent. He
looked at her saw that her lips were swollen red from his kisses. Unable to resist, he kissed her again, this
time much more demandingly. When he
broke the contact, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. She hugged him back, pressing her head
closely to his chest.
"Umi, my dear
sweet Umi," Clef whispered soothingly into her hair. "I meant what I said. I
do love you… with all my heart."
Umi listened to
Clef's heartbeat and all her earlier doubts disappeared. She knew he loved her. And with that knowledge came joy and a
feeling of security. She looked up at
him and saw that he was staring at her with unhidden love in his eyes. Happiness washed over her. "I love you too Clef, and I always will,"
she vowed.
They stayed
wrapped in each other's arms for a while savoring their closeness for a little
more time.
Voices coming
from the palace woke them from the pleasurable haze and reluctantly they drew
apart. Umi stood up and took Clef's
hand. Hand in hand, they walked back to
the palace, greeting friends they ran into on their way. Clef escorted Umi to her room and when they
reached her door, they stood there for a while, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, Clef touched Umi's cheek and
kissed her lightly on the lips.
When they drew
apart, Clef said in a husky voice, "Goodnight Umi. Sweet dreams."
Umi nodded and
touched Clef's cheek. "You too, Clef."
They hugged
briefly then Umi went inside the door.
Once inside, she leaned back against the door, and sighed
contentedly. A knock came from the
other side. She opened the door, peered
outside, and found herself looking into Clef's smiling eyes.
"Oh hi! Was there something else you wanted?" Umi
asked coyly.
Clef
nodded. "Yeah, I forgot to tell you
something."
"What is it?"
"I love you,"
Clef said.
Umi smiled
radiantly at him. "I love you too," she
replied.
The couple
shared one last brief kiss before finally separating for the night.
Umi went over to
her dresser and smiled at her reflection.
Things will surely change after tonight. Oh she knew Clef and her will have their trials as couple but she
knew in her heart things will turn out right.
Umi smiled. Yes, things will
definitely turn out right.
Author's end notes:
- So what did you think about it? Comments? Suggestions? Send
them at clef_loves_umi@yahoo.com
- I made Clef a little taller so that he and Umi
wouldn't look that funny dancing together ^_^X
- I also made Clef more romantic. Wouldn't it be wonderful if he were
actually a lady's man like that?
Sigh….
- As for Umi I gave her a more subdued personality
befitting the romantic atmosphere in the air.
- Lastly, in the scene by the fountain when they were
kissing, the reason Umi's head came only up to Clef's chest was because
Umi was sitting down and Clef was standing in front of her. No, Clef did not suddenly grow up.
- Please bear with this story. It's my first MKR fanfic so I hope you
won't be too hard on me.
- Thanks for reading my story. (bows)… *_*X.