*I was up all night doing algebra homework, ahem, and then a great idea struck me. Well not really, but I was given enough motivation to um…do something more…uh…productive? Yes writing is better than algebra any day and so here is my late night "algebra homework" ha. I still have to finish that hm…*

Chapter 13 Memories

Umi grimaced, "Nothing," she re-sheathed the sword.

"That was not nothing Umi!" The girl who had swung the sword shouted, "That was unnatural!"

"What?" she was going to play dumb.

"What do you mean what? Your sword!" she screamed, the other girl was too scared to move.

"What about my sword? You need to get more sleep; you're daydreaming," Umi informed her.

"I am not! Your sword turned into water!"

"Really? Hm…I didn't know it could do that," she grabbed her bag and walked out. She wanted to be home, she just wanted to see Tokyo again, "No you don't," she whispered, "You don't want to see Tokyo you want to see Cephiro."

"Umi?" her coach jogged up to her.

"Oh hi," she smiled weakly, "I was going to go up to the space needle," she explained her being there.

"You should, while you're at it you should check out Pike's Market too. It's fabulous," he smiled at her, "Good fight today."

"Thanks," she looked down.

He looked at her curiously, but then realized she was just homesick and said goodbye. As long as it didn't effect her fighting it was no concern of his.

"Oh by the way," Umi added, and he turned, "I think the girls are having a bit of a sleep deficit. They swear they saw my sword turn into water. I don't know what that's about, but um…please tell them to get some rest."

He nodded and told her he would before leaving.

"Hey Umi!" her head snapped up at the voice. It was the first boy she had fought on her team, "Watcha up to?"

"Oh I was going over to the space needle," she just wanted to get out of that hotel lobby.

"Really? Me too."

Oh great, Umi sighed, I guess I'm going to have company. Oh well better make the best of it. She kept her head down as they walked. Their hotel wasn't far from downtown Seattle. It was a beautiful city full of sights and sounds. The walk wasn't far and when they got there they looked up at the spiky needle with the rotating room attached to it. It was amazing, "But nothing like the Tokyo Tower," Umi whispered, and he grinned at her.

"That's true," he commented, "Oh by the way do you know where our next competition is?"

She didn't pay attention when they were announcing, she never did. All she knew was that she was getting further and further away from Tokyo. This was the closest she had been in a few months, and even now an ocean separated them. She shook her head, "It doesn't matter to me really. Everywhere we go the fights are the same, and I don't care so long as we don't have to go home." As much as she wanted to go home she knew she couldn't. She wasn't sure she'd be able to see Tokyo again and not have the urge to go back to Cephiro. If only just to see her friends.

He grimaced, "Oh," he said softly. He was almost positive all Umi wanted was to go home, but he must have been wrong.

"Why? Where are we going?" she lightened, "California? Mexico? Some tropical island? Australia maybe?"

"Getting a little far there," he laughed, "Australia is a bit out of range, at least from here."

"Okay," Umi laughed, "Hawaii then?"

"We're stopping in Hawaii," he supplied, and she looked at him curiously, "On our way to Tokyo," he added, and her jaw dropped.

"Oh great," she managed to mutter. The one thing that she thought she couldn't take and it was happening.

"What's wrong with Tokyo? You were born there; it's your home."

"Yeah, but there were some things I wanted to leave in Tokyo. I'm afraid if I go back they'll resurface. I thought when I left them behind I would never have to look back, and now we have to go back?" she shook her head, "I don't know if I can handle that."

"Tell you what," he laughed, "Instead of bringing back old memories how about making new ones? When we get back home would you let me take you dinner?"

She blushed, "That'd be nice," she had left her loud obnoxious self in the past. She was too tired to care anymore, too tired to get worked up. She didn't sleep and when she did all she dreamt about was Cephiro.

One minute she was gazing up at Seattle's Space Needle, and it seemed the next it was the Tokyo Tower in her view.

"Thank you for flying Air Japan," the flight attendant was saying as the plane neared the ground, and Umi took in a deep breath. The tower…it haunted her. She saw everything there, all the signs. She could feel Cephiro's presence, the portal was open, that bit of magic still there.

No! she screamed in her mind, I'm not going back! I said I wouldn't and I won't! What's waiting for me there?! Nothing!

§§§~~~

"Six months," he muttered, "Six months and she's not come back."

"So she won't," Fuu added harshly, "Of course she won't. Why should she? She doesn't think she has anything for her here!"

"Fuu-chan maybe it's time to let it go," Hikaru suggested.

Fuu sighed, "Yeah I guess, but don't ever think that'll I'll forgive you for this. None of us will ever forget her, and I know you won't. I hope this haunts you forever," she turned and ran down the hall holding her face in her hands as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Fuu-chan!" Hikaru shot a glare at him then turned and ran after her.

"Umi," he whispered watching the two go, "Are you as torn as these two? I know you have to be worse. You have no one, no one to comfort you." But his mind was asking him if he thought there was someone else. There very well might be, Umi was beautiful and kind, and she was touring the world. There were probably several someone elses'.

He closed his door begging for one glimpse of her as he looked into his crystal like so many nights before. Everything was fuzzy, it could only see things in Cephiro, but just…just one glance.

An image came into view she was at home? In her own home staring at the Tokyo Tower, crying…

His breath caught, "Was that an illusion?"

§§§~~~

"Umi we're so glad you're home!" her parents had hugged her and treated her kindly enough, but now…she was glad to be alone with her tears. She stared out the window and looked at the pouring rain. Even in that torrential rain the red and white striped Tokyo Tower stood out.

Just go back! her heart and mind were screaming, you don't have to go back to Cephiro just go to the Tower. Just see it one last time. It was begging, and finally she gave in. She wrote a note to her parents and set it on the counter. It was late, and they had been asleep for a long time. She grabbed her bag subconsciously and changed into a short blue skirt and white shirt and threw her hair into a ponytail leaving the house silently.

She ran to the Tokyo Tower through the pouring rain letting nothing stop her, letting her heart guide her. She ran into the door and tried to pull it open. She couldn't and looked down to see the heavy chains on the door, "Dammit!" she screamed as her tears mixed with the rain and she sunk to her knees and let her sobs come out as she leaned against the door. As her cries began to ease she realized what she had with her. She opened her bag and drew her sword. As she did it grew in her hands becoming a bit wider and a bit longer, "What?" she whispered then she remembered Clef telling her that the sword would evolve with her skill. She had fought many competitions, but never had it done that. Maybe it wasn't her skill as a swordsman, maybe it was her skill at something else…

She didn't feel like figuring it out just then, instead she just raised her sword and slammed it down onto the chains. Her sword cut through them like butter, and she easily opened the door and ran to the observation tower. It didn't even occur to her that they would have cameras or security.

She walked onto the deck and looked over Tokyo. Where they had met, she smiled as visions of the girls came back to her. Where they had found Cephiro time and time again. Where she had been summoned and learned her skill as a swordsman, where she had found magic and love. It all came back to this single landmark. She looked out the window over Tokyo. She never looked away as she heard feet pounding up the steps.

"A girl?" the voice was husky, "A young girl? She broke those chains? But how?"

Umi closed her eyes as a single tear fell down her cheek. She didn't think she had tears left to cry. She just wanted to see Cephiro one last time…

*Okay! So I lied! I have one more chapter in this story! Gomen, but it tells me what to do and I do it. The story has a mind of its own! One more chapter I swear! That's it! Do you hear me story?! One more chapter! Okay so three cups of tea in the morning is a BAD idea…*