Disclaimer: Magic Knight RayEarth and all the characters therein are the property of CLAMP.
The chosen morning was slightly overcast and not at all what Hikaru had hoped for. She and Fuu were meeting at Tokyo Tower, the only place they knew of to access Cepherio, but if the thick mists and drizzling rain continued, the observation deck of the Tower may not be open. A slight tingle coursed down her spine at the thought.
It had been another two days since the men looking for Umi had visited. Calming a frantic and anxious Fuu, plus developing for her parents a plausible reason to visit her friend, had taken up the bulk of Hikaru's time since then. She had been prepared for it though, everything except the pleading call from Umi's mother.
A subtle cough was her only outward indication of the guilt and dull pain that remembering that phone call brought. She had never really lied before, but that time she did. It had been an outright, blatant, unhelpful lie. Umi's mother was too upset to notice though, and her husband had come quick enough and taken the phone from his distressed wife. She could still hear the sadness in his voice too.
The sub train lurched as it reached the station, and Hikaru hurried off, eager to get to Fuu and Cepherio. The tower was no more than a hop from the underground station, but street traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, made navigating there tricky.
In the now increasing downpour, very few people were out walking about, leaving the only real flow of transportation to be cars and buses. Looking both ways before crossing the road, Hikaru did her best to begin focusing herself for the trip. As the Pillar it fell to her to negotiate her and Fuu's trip to Cepherio. She was somewhat familiar with the voided area of space, a realm of its own really, that existed between the worlds. By heading out to Cepherio, she created her own road to follow, but needed the Rune Gods to get all the way there.
It was not that she couldn't make it on her own, it was just that Hikaru needed more practice. RayEarth had pulled them through the final part of their two previous journeys, making the transition as easy as possible, but for those times there had always been the three of them. Three Magic Knights, three elements, three girls.
How Umi managed to break that trend, to create her own way to Cepherio, was on Hikaru's mind when a car rounded the blind corner right in front of her. With two tires still on the sidewalk, the vehicle swerved right towards her, its driver never actually seeing the lithe form before it was too late.
There was no thud of flesh on metal though; no terrified scream cut short or blaring horn, only a single, intense red light. The driver jerked the wheel, pulling the nose of the car back onto the street. He overcompensated and the sedan spun, popping up on the opposite curve before lodging it's back end in the display window of a local shop.
The driver got out immediately, he staggered back to where the girl had been, sure that if he looked he'd find her body and could begin crying over it. The police and emergency vehicles that had followed him were there now, officers coming towards him, shouting that he was under arrest. But still he stumbled about, searching for her. There was none to be found.
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Author's Note:
I am not done with this update yet, I just wanted to get this posted for anyone reading right now that is interested.
Cheers,
Rym
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