Chapter 11 Dreams and Reality

"That's his way of telling you to sleep, and we'll go after her in the morning," Persea nudged Hikaru when she hadn't budged from the doorway to Clef's study.

"We have to go now! She could be in danger!"

"She's not, he wouldn't leave her if she was," Lantis assured her, "And we will be of no use to her if we're falling down half asleep."

"But…" there was no room to argue, and Hikaru and Fuu trudged down the hall talking in worried whispers the whole way. They stayed up together sitting on Umi's bed and talking until they could barely keep their eyes open and retreated to their own rooms.

When they awoke the next morning they looked to their windows and saw the sun barely rising. They went down to breakfast and found that the only one up was Clef. He looked out the window absently.

"Guru," Fuu said quietly, and he looked to her vaguely. His eyes were dark and worried, sick almost.

"Hello Fuu, Hikaru."

"What's wrong? Why do you look like that? We'll find her," Hikaru was in denial, completely oblivious to the fact that something was seriously wrong.

"I'm sure we will," he smiled slightly and looked back to the window, "It's whether or not she wants to return with us that I'm afraid of," he whispered so no one heard. He didn't want to upset them.

"Well then there's nothing to be worried about," Hikaru smiled, "Now where are the others? They're lazy," she tried to be light but there was no spring in it, "Who's coming with us anyway?"

"Ferio insisted that he come, and no one can go against him. Lantis said that if Ferio could come so could he. Persea said that if Mokona was going that she would have to come, and Caldina said that if Ascot was going then naturally she would come. Lafarga said without words that he was coming after Caldina," there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"And of you Guru?" Fuu asked softly. They might need the Master Mage on this journey.

"I will be coming as well," he told her, and she smiled appreciatively, "I have some unfinished business to attend to with a certain Mage."

They traveled a day until they saw the ocean twinkle in the sunset.

"We'll stop here," Clef told them, and they turned to glare at him.

"The horses are tired; we pushed them hard," Fuu said softly petting the horse she had ridden as she dismounted. It was breathing heavily and looked as if it would collapse right there.

Everyone in turn looked at their horses and saw their situation.

"Heal them Fuu-chan, and we'll keep going," Hikaru urged, and Fuu nodded and raised her hands.

"No Fuu," Clef stopped her, and they all looked at him trying to hide their glares, "It will cure their feeling of fatigue, but they will still be tired. There are some things that only sleep will cure."

"But…"

"No arguments, Umi will be safe as long as she is under my spell," Clef dismissed their protests as Persea pulled him aside, Lantis and Ascot close on her heels.

"Maybe they don't know, but we do," Persea said in a hushed whisper that no one else could hear, but yet her voice was still distinctly angry.

"Know what?"

"Don't insult your own intelligence," Ascot said with a glare.

"Umi will be safe under your spell, but you've already let go of the spell. No one could hold it for that long. She wanted to know something, and she had to be awake to hear it. Her will is strong, and your magic is tired from all the work and training. She's forced you to pull it off," Lantis looked at him through intelligent but expressionless eyes.

Clef looked down and away, away from the three pairs of eyes that hounded him, "She needs to know I guess…"

§§§~~~

She whimpered in slight pain as she opened her deep blue eyes and looked around. Those were the eyes he had fallen in love with, the eyes that showed the ocean after a storm, "What happened?" she mumbled, and he smiled grimly.

"That Master Mage 'friend' of yours put you in a Sleep Spell, but I suppose he wasn't strong enough to keep it on," he responded, and Umi gasped.

"He wouldn't…never…he couldn't," but there was no excusing it. There was no other explanation…unless, "You did it!" she screamed, standing, and he stepped back, "You did and blamed it on Clef!"

"Umi think about this! Why would I want you asleep?" he demanded, and she shook her head.

"I don't know," she sat back down on the bed shaking her head, "Maybe…"

"He can't be trusted Umi," his voice was gentler now, "Don't you re…of course you don't remember," he scowled, "But you have to believe me."

"Give me one reason why I should believe you," she shouted with a glare that seemingly could melt solid ice.

"Because…" he sighed, "Because I love you."

§§§~~~

"Maybe this did more good than harm, he's brought those pesky Magic Knights to me so I won't have to find them. Now I won't have to fight them on their terms. It will be easier to win this way," she laughed, then her expression turned sullen, "I swear to you brother if she ever hurts you again she will pay and pay dearly."

§§§~~~

"Umi," Fuu and Hikaru sat bolt upright. They had felt something in her aura change; it wasn't a good change.

Clef nodded in the darkness, and they just barely made out his figure, "I felt it too. You should go to her. Wake Ascot, but I'm coming with you. The others will catch up."

Fuu nodded and walked over to Ascot shaking him awake.

"W…wh…what?" he mumbled.

"There's something wrong with Umi. We have to find her."

In a minute he was awake and standing, "But the horses," then it donned on him, "Right."

"I'm coming too Ascot," Clef informed him, and he nodded.

He summoned the four animals from earlier. Fuu mounted the Unicorn Argentum, Hikaru got on the wolf Atervultus, Ascot rode the eagle Chrysizoncor and Clef got on the Pegasus Noxala.

"Lantis!" Hikaru called to him as they took off, and he awoke, "Catch up with us when the horses are ready!"

"But where are you going?" he demanded as distress and concern flashed across his emotionless eyes.

"To the shore, follow the coastline until you find a large dark palace," Clef told him, and he nodded and watched them go, sighing heavily.

§§§~~~

"What?!" Umi shouted, and he winced.

"Umi, I always have, I thought…I thought you knew."

"No! I thought you did not that you do!" She was at a point of hysterics. This was definitely a completely new experience for her. What was she supposed to do now? The enemy was in love with her? What was this madness?

"Well I do, you're so strong," he reached up and touched her face softly with his thumb, "And beautiful," he reached in, but she pulled away from the kiss. He looked at her confused, and the expression he showed was of innocence.

Umi's mind thought of that dream, and tears began to fall down her cheeks. That's who it was then, that was the one she was dreaming about, "I told you…" she choked, and he stopped, frozen in fear, "I told you that I'd come back, and we'd be together forever."

"How…how did you know that?"

"I dreamt about it, but I didn't know who I was dreaming about," she said softly as the tears fell harder.

"Umi, please, don't cry," he begged sitting beside her and taking her hand, "Don't cry, I don't want to see you hurt." 

"I don't understand," she muttered hiding her head in her hands, "Why would he do that to me?"

He pulled her close and despite the pain she found warmth and got closer to him, "Because of his love for the Princess."

§§§~~~

"Where is it Clef?" Hikaru demanded.

"A little further," he called down to her.

As they flew down the shore a castle began to emerge in the dark, a stone palace, but instead of being whitewashed it seemed to be blackwashed. The night made it glint and loom in a forbidding way that scared them all. Anything could be in there, but one thing they were sure was…Umi.

§§§~~~

"What? Princess Emeraude?" Umi questioned, and he nodded, "I don't understand," tears came back as he held her tighter.

"He would die for her, do anything to protect her, to help her. He loved her."

§§§~~~

They crept in silently and were met with a never-ending hall, "This doesn't go anywhere," Fuu whispered.

Clef nodded and closed his eyes summoning all the magic he had left. He threw it forward from his staff, and a doorway at the end of the hall appeared. He swayed a bit, and they rushed to help him. He nodded to Fuu, and she raised her hands. "Iyashi no Kaze!"

For now the fatigue was gone, but he knew his magical strength as well as physical could only come from rest, but he needed the feeling of strength to continue.

They reached the end of the hallway and looked at each other nervously as they turned the handle to the door.

"Not so fast!" someone kicked away Hikaru's hand, and she shouted and pulled away from the door as they all backed up.

"You again," Fuu drew her sword as Hikaru did hers.

"Magic Knights, so glad to see you again. I see that you're looking for the Water Knight, well she's in good hands don't worry about her," she pulled her gaze away from the girls when she heard Clef.

"If he so much as lays one hand on her I swear…"

"You," her eyes turned to ice, and she threw all her magic at him.

He tried to get a shield up but didn't have the strength. He closed his eyes…

"Mamori no Kaze!" a shield of Wind stopped the attack, and her eyes fell to the Knight of Wind. She threw her magic onto her as Fuu held out her sword to block it. The woman screamed in anger and frustration.

"Damn you Magic Knights!"

"Akai Inazuma!"

She shielded herself from the attack, but the shield was incinerated, and the attack hit her slightly. She retaliated full force throwing Hikaru to the ground before Fuu could even try to protect her. Hikaru struggled up, but she hit her harder. Before anyone could think Fuu threw herself in front of the attack and pushed forward with her magic, sword and body.

"Fuu-chan," Hikaru whispered hearing the girl scream in pain. Slowly Hikaru stood and added her magic to Fuu's. It broke through, and she screamed as she disappeared.

"We will meet again Magic Knights," she vowed.

They looked around nervously and slowly opened the door.

§§§~~~

"What?"

"He loved her," he repeated slowly, "Does that bother you?" here was a hint of jealousy.

She shook her head, but inside her heart screamed, "No," she responded.

He smiled, "Good, because…" he reached in to kiss her, this time she was willing.

"Umi don't!" Clef shouted seeing the scene.