Chapter 4 Determination
"Umi," Hikaru muttered in her deadly sleep. She looked out from the mirror and scowled.
"Oh please, you know you want her around just about as much as I do," she scoffed.
Hikaru shook her head and whimpered, "Umi-chan!"
"I hope you know I'm not buying any of this. Look at me, I'm so bored I'm talking to a Magic Knight," she muttered under her breath, "I've been in this mirror way too long."
"Stop! Don't hurt Umi-chan! Help!" Hikaru screamed, and she winced hoping no one would hear and rush in. Luckily she was too weak to wake anyone, and she smiled knowing her plan was full proof now. There was no way that anyone was going to get to her now that she had the pillar of Cephiro under her control.
She watched the moon in the sky as it glittered beautifully. It was an escape of hers, maybe, just maybe if she looked at the moon long enough she could be there and get away from all of this. She looked back and shook her head knowing that there was something wrong, "They wouldn't," she whispered, "They wouldn't do this to me. There's got to be a reason." She looked up suddenly determined, "There is a reason and I'm going to find out what it is."
With that feeling she stood and got dressed in blue pajamas and curled under the covers letting her mind send her the sweetest images. Tonight she would dream only about her friends, her best friends. The first time they had met at the Tokyo Tower and coming to Cephiro. Images of Fuu and Hikaru haunted her and then she saw all her friends of Cephiro. Persea, and Caldina, Lafarga, Ascot, Lantis, Ferio, everyone. She knew they would never hurt her willingly, and then something happened. She was pulled into a sweet light, and she saw a beautiful girl in front of her. She couldn't find her voice at first, but soon she managed to squeak, "Princess Emeraude?"
The girl smiled as a man walked from behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Umi," the voice was but an enchanted whisper, and Umi had to strain to hear it yet, it rang as clear as a bell throughout her mind telling her things she already knew.
"Umi you know your friends would never betray you. They never have, after all you've been through you must know how much they care for you. In this time you must trust that you know them and now how much they love you and you love them. Trust your heart Umi because the mind can be deceiving," she advised as Emeraude's beautiful eyes burned deep into her mind.
"I know that Princess," Umi bowed slightly, "I know that already, I will help my friends, no matter what," she vowed, and Emeraude smiled lightly.
"Then I don't need to worry about you Umi; you will accomplish what was meant for you. Don't let your loneliness kill you," this last thing was barely a whisper, "There are too many people who base their existence on you."
"Thank you Princess, Zagato," she bowed again and slowly they began to disappear in a fog and she was left alone in her bed as she watched the sun rise. Slowly her shield changed to a sword as her defense was let down.
She shook her head still determined but worried about what she must do.
She put on a short blue skirt and black top and ran out. She found Clef in his usual study pouring over books, "I have something we need to talk about," she said from the doorway, and his eyes jumped to her looking her over, choosing his words.
"Please come in and tell me what you wish," he offered, and she walked in and sat near him. For a while she was silent fiddling with her skirt not sure what to say then she burst out.
"There's something terribly wrong with Hikaru and Fuu! The others don't see it, and…I don't think…well…you don't either…but…I'm worried, about them," she faltered as his eyes narrowed. She wanted to cry, of course he wouldn't believe her, but who else should she turn to? Who else could give her the information she desired? The thing she needed to cure the two Knights?
He sighed and shook his head, "Umi," he began.
"I don't care if you don't believe me!" she burst out, now she was in tears, "I'm worried about them, and I'll find the cure myself if I have to! It would just be faster if I had help."
"I can't possibly know what's wrong with them. I'm more interested in what's wrong with you," he stared intently into her ocean colored eyes and saw the water run through them. He couldn't even begin to interpret her feelings; they were so deep he could drown in them. All he knew was this wasn't the same self centered girl he had met four years ago. This was a girl who was determined to save the only two people that mattered to her. Something had to be wrong. As he pulled himself out of her eyes he found her staring at him confused.
"I don't believe anything's wrong with me," she said softly, "Only that I'm worried about the way they've been acting. They don't act like that around anyone but me. It's only during the day, it's so strange," she whispered, "I'm…I'm afraid of them."
He shook his head trying to wipe the feeling away, of course there was nothing wrong with the Knights, there was only something wrong with this one.
"Why do you refuse to believe me?!" Umi stood and clenched her fists, "What have I done that makes me so untrustworthy?!"
"More like what have we done to make us more trustworthy?" Hikaru said it coldly as she walked into the room.
"Hikaru," Umi whispered backing up, and Clef saw the fear in her eyes and saw the way Hikaru spoke and began to doubt his choices.
"Umi please don't back away like that, as if… as if we're your enemy," Fuu begged softly, "Please don't."
"Umi we're your friends anything that's wrong you can tell us," Hikaru held open her hands.
"And as I confess you pull out your swords and have my blood on your hands," Umi whispered, "I will not let that be. You are not Fuu and Hikaru!" she screamed, and they backed up as their eyes darted, "You are not the Magic Knights I grew up with! You will let them go!" she drew her sword and charged at the two.
Clef's eyes darted. In a split second his staff was in the way of Umi's sword, and she was frozen.
"Let me go Clef," she growled, "They need to be vanquished!"
"What is all this…" Ferio stopped as he walked in and saw the position, "What's going on?" he whispered, and Fuu ran to him.
"Ferio," she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her, and she sobbed into his chest, "Umi-san, she…she's gone mad… help her," she begged.
"Water Dragon!" Umi caught Clef off guard and threw him to the ground as she pulled her sword up once again towards Hikaru. This time she was met with Lantis' sword and it was a clang of metal upon metal as the two dueled.
"This is not the Hikaru you love," Umi protested, but he wasn't listening all he wanted was to stop her from hurting Hikaru.
He swung his sword around and threw hers from her hand as she ran to pick it up. As she did he hit her hard with the butt of his sword, and she fell to the ground unconscious.
The world around her was blurry as she opened her eyes. All she saw around her was red and green swirls as they talked, but she was too tired to hear. The words were quick and she caught only phrases; she was sure she didn't want to hear. Then slowly she felt soothing hands on her and something near her mouth.
"Drink this," someone said slowly and quietly enough for her to understand, and she did knowing that it was someone to be trusted by the touch. As she did her vision cleared and she saw Fuu and Hikaru pacing around her as Clef sat on her bed holding a tonic near her lips.
"Umi," he seemed to sigh. She watched as she saw the effects of what he had seen wear off. He had seen the hate in their eyes, the fear in hers, but then that sudden determination. Something was wrong with the willingness to attack her friends. There had to be something wrong; she wouldn't jump to conclusions like that.
"Umi-chan!" Hikaru ran to her side, but her personality wasn't right. She sounded more disappointed then happy.
She wanted to pull out her sword and kill her there, kill this person that had taken her friend but couldn't. She couldn't even speak she was too weak.
"Let her rest," Clef ordered and ushered them out as she fell back onto the pillow and fell into a dreamless sleep.