The Sealed Pendant
Episode Five - An Unexpected Arrival


Being the last to sleep, he was the first to wake up, so he believed. Yue got up from where he was and floated down the stairs. Wei was in the kitchen, fixing breakfast for the children. He looked up as Yue stood in the doorway. "Oh. Are you hungry?" he asked, wiping his hands off on a towel, "I can fix you something." Yue shook his head. We smiled and walked past him, going upstairs. "I never did see Julian's fascination in eating, though he needed the energy. I wonder if he still will." Yue sighed, floating back upstairs. "Li. It's time to get up. You too, Kokkei. School." The duo groaned, but reluctantly got out of bed. They stumbled into the hall and headed for the bathroom. The bumped into each other and fell over. "Owww!" they groaned, rubbing their heads. "You're worse than Sakura." Yue commented, passing between them.

"Ladies first, Li." "Show me the lady and I'll let her go first." Kokkei growled and reached out to slap him, but stopped. She instead patted him on the cheek then ran into the bathroom saying, "There's the lady!" Li grumbled, getting up. "Wei. Can I use your bathroom?" "I guess. Just don't mess anything up." Li walked back into his room and grabbed the things needed for his cleaning. By the time he finally came out, Kokkei was just finishing her breakfast. "I refuse to be late again, Li." she said, slipping her feet into her shoes. "You're not gonna be late." he mumbled, walking into the kitchen. He grabbed a sandwich, and took a bite, holding it in his mouth, as he poured himself a glass of orange juice. Kokkei sighed and ran upstairs, grabbing both her and his briefcases, then came back down. He was half-finished with his sandwich as she handed his to him. "Eat on the way to school. We're leaving now."

"Fine." he said through food. "Eww. Gross. Don't talk with your mouth full." Li swallowed and glared at her. She glared back. "Oh. Kokkei." They broke the glare and Kokkei stared at Wei. "This was n your bed." He handed her a pendant. "Oh. I was wondering when she would come back." Kokkei smiled and stuck the Mirror pendant in her briefcase. She slapped Li on the back, making him choke on the last piece of sandwich. "Let's go, preppy." She ushered him through the door, then turned back. "Bye, Yue! I'll see you when I get back." "Yeah. Bye." Kokkei laughed as she ran to catch up with Li, who was still red from choking. He glared at her as they headed for school.


When they got there, they noticed that most classes were outside. Kokkei ran ahead and checked their classroom. Tr. Tomido and the others were there, but the class was talking excitedly, with no order, whatsoever. She ran over to Sakura and Madison. "Mornin'" she said, "What's going on?" "Morning." Madison said. "I don't think you were here when they said it, but--" "Today is Archery and Swordsmanship day." Li said, interrupting Sakura as he walked to his seat. "Thanks, Li." she said sarcastically, "I was incapable of finishing my own sentence. Really, thank you." Madison and Kokkei giggled as Li took his seat. "We're going to the Swordsmanship one soon." Madison said, "Then switch, after lunch, for Archery." "Alright. I get to use a sword." Kokkei cheered, her two braids bouncing. "With an attitude like that, just for the use of a weapon, we might not let you participate." Kokkei looked at Mr. Tomido standing beside her. "You can't do that." Mr. Tomido frowned. "And why not?" "Because... I'm the best swordsperson around." The other kids protested and laughed, making Kokkei sweatdrop. "No. Rita is." Sakura piped. Rita blinked. "I am?" Sakura nodded. "And Li, also." "Well, we'll just see these skills. It's out turn."

Mr. Tomido walked to the front of the room. "We'll change, then head for the gymnasium." Kokkei and the others headed for the door. "Wait. I don't have anything to change into." Madison dragged her along. "I always have extra clothes. By the way, have you seen Eriol?" Kokkei blinked. "Come to think of it, I haven't. I wonder if something's wrong." "I hope not. Now let's get you suited up." Madison giggled as she pushed Kokkei along. After changing and everything, they now stood, lined off in the gym. Another class was there, but they had already started. They wore the winter gym shirt, the long-sleeved one with the symbol of the school on their sleeves and gray sweats. The lines consisted of boys on one side and girls on the other. Sakura and Li were paired off. Chelsea was paired off with Zachary. Eriol had showed up late, but he was paired off with Madison. Kokkei was paired off with a student named Christopher.

She smiled at him. "Can I call you "Chris" for short?" He nodded. "Most everybody does." "Ok. Chris, then." He smiled as they headed over for a sword. "You don't talk much, do you?" He shook his head. "some girls like quiets guys like yourself." Chris blushed as Kokkei ran ahead to get their swords. She took them from Mr. Tomido from the blade end. He gave her a cautioning look and she tossed a sword in the air, then caught it by the handle. Mr. Tomido sweatdropped and went back to handing out swords. Kokkei and Chris moved to a section of the gym. Li and Sakura had already started; Li going easy on her a little. Eriol and Madison were to the other side. Kokkei handed Chris' sword to him. "Have any experience?" As she asked him the question, he missed the sword and it clattered to the floor. Others looked over, but then returned to what they were doing. He laughed sheepishly and bent to pick it up. "It's ok." Kokkei said.

When he grabbed the handle, Kokkei fixed hers, preparing to start. "Ready?" He straightened back up, his blue eyes blank. "Chris. Are you ok?" He pointed the tip of the sword at her. "Chris?" Kokkei took a step back. "Mr. Tomido..." she called out. Chris rushed at her, bringing the weapon down at a slant in front of her. She screamed and blocked his with hers. He pulled back and held the sword with both hands. Kokkei then saw the faint black aura pulsating from it. "Aw, c'mon." she grumbled, "This is a school day. No." Chris rushed at her again and she flipped over him, heading for the door. He turned and followed after her. Li sighed and ran after her. "She's as bad as you, Sakura." Sakura stopped herself from chopping Li in half. Kokkei had just made it outside when Chris attacked her again. She was on her back, and he was above her. It was cold steel against cold steel.

She kicked him lightly in the gut and he fell back, giving her the chance to get up and run outside. He wasn't too far behind though. When they met again, the clash from their swords made a spark. They pushed against each other, their faces almost touching. Screams took Kokkei's mind away from the fight and he pushed her to the ground. Her sword landed a few feet away from her. Chris stood over her, the blade of his sword pressed to her throat. "Hey! Stay away from her!" He turned and looked at Li, standing a few feet behind him. Kokkei kicked his hand with the sword, the kicked the sword away. She pulled the chain from her neck. "Release!" She grabbed the Wand and ran to the fallen sword. "Sword!... return to the pendant you were confined to! Lock and seal!" The sword glowed brightly then disappeared into the formed pendant. She grabbed the pendant with the image of the sword, with a heart handle similar to the one on the Wand. She looked over at Chris. Sakura and Madison were trying their best to carry him back inside.

"Li. I heard screaming." Kokkei said as she ran to him. "It's from the Archery section." "It's a school day!" she cried again as they ran through the bushes. "Get down!" Li grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to the ground as an arrow whizzed past them. "Sakura's Arrow was in the form of a spirit. Why is mine taking possession of people's bodies?" They looked up to see a young girl, holding a bow in her hand. "It's the bow, not the arrow." Li pointed out. An arrow appeared in the girl's hand as she fixed it in the bow. "Shield!" Kokkei yelled as she fired. The arrow disappeared as it hit the barrier. "Element! Wind!" The gust swirled around the girl, clouding her vision. "Thanks, Li. Sword!.. Unlock!" Kokkei held the Sword tightly and rushed forward just as the girl jumped over the dust cloud and started firing at her. She knocked a few away with the Sword and dodged others. The blond-haired, brown-eyed girl landed and two arrows appeared in her hand.

Kokkei dashed towards her while she was fixing the bow. She brought the flat of the sword down on the girl's wrist, right as she fired. Kokkei's eyes widened, and then softened greatly, as she ignored the pain in her right shoulder and grabbed the girl. She then turned to the fallen object. "Bow!... return to the power you were confined to! Lock and seal!" Kokkei grabbed the pendant then leaned on the girl a little as she let the pain take over. The Wand changed back to into the pendant she always wore and she slipped it back on, the chain attached. She then reached up broke off the ends of the two arrows. By this time, the girl in her arms had stirred and Li was by Kokkei's side, holding her close as she slowly fell unconscious.


When Kokkei opened her eyes again, she was in a moving vehicle and she could hear her breathing and heartbeat echoing. "She's awake." someone whispered. She couldn't move her head that much, but she knew who was with her, and she knew where she was. Her right shoulder was numb from all the painkillers. "Kokkei..." Madison said, leaning over her, "Are you ok?" Kokkei nodded slightly. She reached up to remove the oxygen mask. She pulled it down and took a deep breath. "How did... you all... fit in here?" she asked. Madison and Eriol were on one side and Li and Sakura were on the other, while two male paramedics worked behind her head. "We're not like full-grown adults." Li said. "I'm sorry." one of the paramedics interrupted, "She has to conserve whatever energy she has. She lost a lot of blood." Li looked at his clothes and squeezed his eyes shut. It was covered in blood, and he knew there was a stain on the grass where they had stayed until the ambulance had came. They all nodded and the other paramedic injected Kokkei. She gasped and the mask was put back over her mouth and nose as she drifted back into the darkness.


Just arriving at the airport, a young lady stepped into the lobby, a small bird on her shoulder. She tossed her brown hair over her shoulder, then ran a hand through her yellow bangs. She looked at the hair in her fingers and smiled, then looked at the small budgie. "I never thought we'd be back here, Aquilia." the girl said. She picked up her bags and headed out to the front. She saw her driver and waved her over. The car pulled up and she put her bag in the back then climbed into the front seat. "How was your trip guys?" The bird stretched, then spoke, "I was confined to a cage. How rude." Ceaira and her driver smiled. "They don't really allow pets on the plane. I'm surprised they let me carry you on." "I'm not a pet." Aquilia stated proudly, flapping her wings a little. "Don't worry." Misu said, "I made a batch of cupcakes. You can have a few when we reach home." "Alright!" Ceaira smiled and looked out the window as her guardian beast cheered and they headed to the house.


Sakura and Madison paced back and forth outside in the waiting room. "Usually, it's the guys who pace, you know." Eriol stated. Li smiled and the two girls stopped. "We're sorry. It's just we're so nervous." "She's going to be fine." Eriol said, standing up. Li stood also, stretching his stiff limbs. "I have to agree with him." he said, "Kokkei seems like a tough nut to crack." "She's a tough nut alright." someone laughed. Everyone turned to look over at the doorway, where Ceaira was now standing, her hands on her hips. "Ceaira!" Sakura laughed, "It's so good to see you again!" She rushed over and hugged her. "Same here." she said, hugging back. Madison walked over and was pulled into the hug, then the three girls walked back to where Li and Eriol were standing. Ceaira smiled and nodded at them. "How is she?" "You know about Kokkei?" She nodded. "She should." Eriol said, "Those pendants are connected to Kayo's power. That's why you're here, right?" "That... and the fact that Kokkei might have just had a certain part of her memory restored." All except Eriol blinked. "I'll explain later." she laughed, "Let's go visit her." "We haven't been told we could yet."

The doors popped open right there and a doctor looked over at the group, "Friends of Kokkei Akarui?" They all nodded. "You can see her now. Follow me." They rushed after him quickly as he turned and headed back. He stopped in front of a room numbered 312 and pulled the clipboard from the door. "She suffered from a severe loss of blood and we believe that one of the arrows might have struck some bone tissue." Sakura winced slightly. "She won't be able to use her right arm for about a few weeks, but she can come out of the hospital by tonight. I have her medicine." He replaced the clipboard and pushed open the door. Kokkei had just turned, and was lying on her chest. A nurse rushed up and turned her back over. "You have to stay on your back, miss. It's better for you arm." Kokkei fussed as her arm was put back in the sling. "But I get uncomfortable on my back. Can't we just move the contraption to the other side of the bed, then I can rest on my side, or something?" "No. You have to stay on your back. If you want, you can adjust the bed settings."

The nurse finished fixing Kokkei's arm and moved out of the way. "Guys!" Kokkei laughed, sitting up, "And... a new person." Kokkei pulled her arm from the sling a second time, to hug Sakura, Madison, Li and Eriol as they came over. She looked over at Ceaira after they'd moved to the side. Her eyes went blank and she receded into her memory.


"Ceaira..." her voice echoed, "Ceaira... I can't do this alone. Don't go." The image of the girl with her boy slowly started to fade. "Kokkei... I have my own fate... I'm sorry." Kokkei started reaching out towards her. "No... I can't do this alone." "You won't be alone. You're never alone..." Her last three words echoed as she continued fading. Another figure appeared next to her. A man (Kayo's description) "Clow... Kayo." Kokkei whispered, "Don't take her away. I need her help." "I'm sorry. You'll have to do this on your own." "No! I'm not ready to do this! I can't capture anything!" Tears floated around her and when she focused clearly, Ceaira and Kayo were gone, but Kayo's last few words remained, "Kokkei Akarui. I will wait until you are ready, then you shall begin down the path of your own fate."


Li and Sakura were shaking Kokkei lightly. "Kokkei, what's wrong?" Kokkei blinked and looked around. "What...? I'm in the hospital..." She reached up a hand and wiped away tears. "I was crying..." She looked up at Ceaira. "... crying for you. She pulled her once again placed in the sling arm free and jumped off the bed, hugging Ceaira tightly. "Crying for you, Sky-chan." Ceaira smiled and hugged her back. "I told you you were never alone. You had Sakura and all the others all along." Kokkei smiled then whined as she was dragged back to the bed. Ceaira laughed and walked over to the side of the bed, the other four staring at her. "What's going on?" Madison asked. "Yeah." Sakura added, "How do you two know each other?" "Well... it was such a long time ago. Sky-chan and I were--" The rest of Kokkei's speech was a mess of mumbling. One was translated as, "What'd ya do that for?" "You're in a hospital." Ceaira said quietly. Kokkei looked around. She spotted two cameras in the room and the nurse was still there. "Ohh." she mumbled, removing Ceaira's hand, "Sorry. We'll talk later. And when I'm able to get out of hospital gowns." The four nodded.

"I'm hungry." Kokkei began whining. Eriol and Li produced a small sweatdrop. "She acts like nothing's happened." Li said through his teeth. Eriol nodded. The door opened and Julian walked in, followed by Tori and Antonio. "Wow. I gots lots of visitors." Kokkei waved them over. Julian placed a bouquet of flowers on the table next to her bed. "How are you feeling?" "We came right over as soon as we heard." "It was on the news." "I'm on the news?" she squealed. "Well," Tori said, poking at the sling. She removed her arm again. He smiled, "It's jus the incidents and they mentioned your name, so yeah, you could say you were on the news." "I'm surprised one person hasn't made it here yet." Kokkei sighed. "Don't be so sure." Julian said, fixing the flowers in a vase as he looked out the window. She blinked and opened her mouth to comment, but the door opened swiftly. Yue stood there, wearing clothes that accented his hair, which was folded upwards, so it was in the middle of his back, and his eyes.

Kokkei squealed happily, but the nurse held her down, so she could only hold out her good arm to him. He rushed to her side. "What happened?" he asked. "I was shot..." She pulled him down and whispered in his ear, "By a pendant possessed student." "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." She smiled. "It's ok. I'm a tough nut to crack." Madison and Sakura giggled while Ceaira, Li, and Eriol just smiled. The door opened once again, but this time Kokkei's doctor came back. "I'm sorry. There's a little too many people in here, and she needs more rest. "No, I don't." she said quickly. The doctor ignored her. "We'll leave." Sakura said, "We still have school left. Lots of it, too." The four students hugged Kokkei one last time. "We'll bring you your homework and class work." she said. Kokkei made a face but smiled. They left.

Julian leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Take care and get better. We gotta get back also." "Yeah. We kinda came on our lunch break." Julian and Tori walked across the room. "Welcome back, Ceaira." Tori said as he passed by her. "Is there room in that college for me?" She smiled. He smiled back, then left with Julian, to wait for Antonio. He was standing next to Kokkei's bed, staring at Yue for a while. He leaned down and hugged Kokkei. "Get well soon, niƱa." he whispered. Kokkei smiled and a tiny blush formed on her face. He left and closed the door behind him, leaving Ceaira and Yue the only ones in the room with her, besides the nurse. "No more visitors?" Kokkei said with a small pout. The nurse smiled. "I'll go get your lunch then." she said, walking out. Rukki popped out of Yue's jacket pocket as the nurse left. "One more!" he cheered. "Rukki! This is your fault." "Aww. I thought you'd be happy to see me." He sat down on the sling for her arm. "By the way." He looked at Ceaira, "How's Aquilia?" "She's just fine. Always happy, always smiling, except when magical forces are involved. Even then she still manages to be happy." Rukki nodded.

"So, who's staying with me until I can go home?" Rukki cautiously landed on her head. She just glanced at him, then at Yue and Ceaira. "I wish I could, but I have to get back. Settle in, seeing as how I'll be here for a good, nice while. So I'm sorry, Kei-chan. And I also have something else I need to do." She hugged Kokkei tightly. "It's ok. Now I now Yue'll stay fro sure." Ceaira laughed then waved as she walked out of the room. Kokkei sighed and fell backwards on the bed. She took Yue's hand and squeezed it slightly. "I've been reduced to nothing. I'm just happy I'm an ambidextrous person." "What's that?" "A person that can use both hands with ease." "That's good. But of something were to come up, like the pendants, what would happen?" Kokkei shrugged. "They better take a couple days off." Yue smiled a little. Kokkei shook her head and Rukki flew off. "How'd you guys get here anyway?" "Wei. He dropped us off, but he was really sorry he couldn't stay to visit." "Wei seems like a busy man, so, I understand. How's your day as a regular person going, Yue?"

She covered her mouth as she giggled. Yue sighed, "I know most everything, but it was Julian actually doing things. It's... weird." He pulled on the white shirt and blue pants. Kokkei laughed as the nurse walked back in with a plate on a tray. She placed it on the bed, in front of Kokkei, who just looked at it. "Um... I'm not hungry anymore." She pushed the tray aside. "I'll just have dessert." She leaned up and kissed Yue on the cheek. He smiled and so did the nurse. She walked to the bedside. "Time to rest, young lady." Kokkei didn't argue, she just yawned and let the nurse arrange her bed settings. "Sir. Will you be staying here with her for the remaining of the day?" Yue looked at the nurse and nodded. She smiled. He sat in the chair next to Kokkei's bed and closed his eyes, and both he and Kokkei fell asleep.