Chapter 2 The Heated Mountains
They looked up at the mountain in front of them and gulped. It seemed to go on forever.
"Why isn't there snow on the top?" Umi inquired looking for any excuse to delay the inevitable climb.
"Because it's not a mountain," Ascot responded.
"Well what is it then?" Umi persisted, "It's obviously not a hill."
"It's a volcano," he replied shortly.
"Oh…A What?!" Umi screamed.
"A volcano Umi-san, an explosive land mass formed by…" Fuu began.
"I know what it is, but why are we climbing a volcano?! What if it explodes?!" Umi shrieked.
"We're tracing the dark energy," Ascot told her, "This is where it's located."
They looked up at the volcano again and gulped.
"Well…" Umi was looking at it the longest, "Let's get started."
They walked up the volcano chatting merrily as they did. Towards the middle of the day the sun was high, and they were nearing the top where it was the hottest.
Hikaru was skipping merrily as the other three trudged behind, arms sagging.
Hikaru turned as Fuu began to speak.
"Hikaru-san…please…stop," she said between pants.
Hikaru looked at her curiously tilting her head to one side, "But why?"
"Because…it's…hot," Umi gasped, and Hikaru blinked.
"Really?" she seemed to be contemplating.
"Yes!" Ascot cried.
"Oh," she smiled, "Okay then." So they stopped on a flat spot on the side of the volcano. Mokona gave them all cool drinks and when Umi, Fuu and Ascot had downed four cups in the same time it had taken Hikaru to drink one they were able to speak.
"What exactly are we going to do when we get to the top of the volcano?" Umi asked wondering where this little quest was taking them.
"Look in it and find out what's there I guess," Ascot shrugged.
"You mean you don't even know what we're looking for?!" Umi screamed; it seemed she was back to her normal self.
"Uh…n…no…" Ascot stuttered.
"Oh great," Umi muttered, "There had better be something up here because if there isn't I'm going to be very angry, and no one wants to see me angry."
Hikaru patted her on the shoulder gently, and she muttered again…
When they reached the top of the volcano Umi looked down it and shrieked backing away causing her to run into Ascot as Fuu looked down she gulped and slowly inched away as well running into Umi.
"Hello?! Anybody down there?!" Hikaru called and found nothing. She threw her hands up and turned to the others, "What's wrong?" she asked seeing Umi cower behind an equally frightened Fuu.
"H…H…Hikaru," Umi tried to speak.
"What's wrong Umi-chan?" Hikaru asked thoroughly bewildered.
"Witch!" Umi screamed.
"Huh?" Hikaru questioned.
"Turn around," a voice behind her ordered and Hikaru spun. In front of her was a woman with long black hair and dark black eyes like obsidian. She was wearing a long body fitting black dress that flowed past her knees, a sneer was on her lips. Her long skinny fingers were entangled in the fur of the beast she sat on. It was a wolf as black as night with bat-like wings. It snarled viciously at Hikaru.
"Uh…may we help you?" Hikaru asked as Umi and Fuu drew their swords standing just behind her ready to attack.
"As a matter of fact," her sneer became more hostile, and Umi and Fuu exchanged glances before looking back to the woman, "I thought I'd just…do this!" she hit Hikaru with black lightning magic as she fell to the ground. Fuu rushed to her side as Umi stood her ground looking from Hikaru to the woman nervously.
"So you're," Hikaru struggled up and drew her own sword, "You're the one who wants to destroy Cephiro," her eyes were cold as stone, "I, Hikaru, the Magic Knight of Fire and donner of Rayearth will not stand for anyone trying to hurt this land we love or the people in it."
She laughed, "All your pretty speech won't stop me!" she hit her again, but Hikaru was ready and held out her sword, reflecting it, "Oh very good," the woman laughed again, "But are your friends as quick?" she held out both hands hitting the two Magic Knights. They screamed and hit the ground, bleeding.
"Umi-chan! Fuu-chan!" Hikaru screamed tears in her eyes. She looked back to the woman, glowing with anger, "You'll pay for that."
She laughed, "Without the other two you're weak."
"No, without the other two I'm angry," she held out her sword and jumped onto the wolf and slashed at the woman before jumping back. There was a fresh cut in the side of the woman's dress where Hikaru had taken her by surprise and cut into her causing the blood to trickle down her milk white skin.
She glared at Hikaru, "I thought you were going to be easier to kill, and I wouldn't have to torture you first," she threw open her hands and hit Fuu with all her magic.
"Fuu-chan!" Hikaru screamed, "Fuu-chan!" she ran to her side, she was barely breathing. The woman laughed, enjoying Hikaru's pain.
"Poor dear, so blinded by love and friendship," she tisked.
"I feel badly for you to be so unhappy as to believe in your hate!" Hikaru stood and raised her hands, "Akai Inazuma!"
She screamed as the Fire and Lightning ate at her skin, and Hikaru attacked once more with her sword.
The wolf pulled out of the way just in time, and Hikaru cried out as she fell to thee volcano's molten floor.
"Hikaru!" Umi shouted as she awoke wrapping strands of Water around her friend, pulling her back.
"Annoyance!" the woman growled hitting Umi as hard as she had Fuu. Umi screamed as she hit the hard floor and Ascot looked horrified as he looked at her beautiful blue hair turned an unnatural shade of crimson as it was slowly drenched with her blood. She had been hit in the head, and Fuu was unconscious as she gasped for breath, choking on her own blood as she did.
"UMI-CHAN!" Hikaru couldn't control her emotions any longer as she threw all her weight into her last attack hitting with magic and blade and hate.
She shrieked and disappeared taking the wolf creature with her as Hikaru felt herself falling into that deep pit, but this time there was no one to save her…
*I still have no clue what to do with Umi in this fic. I'm so confused! Ah! But if you read my last fic The Water Dragon's Heart you'd notice this one was a lot lighter. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep that way, but probably I will. And if you haven't noticed Umi is my favorite character so I focus on her A LOT but this one will include all three of the Knights a lot more than my last. Until then!^.^*