Chapter 13 Stepping out of the Shadows

"Why Umi?" his voice was raised, and everyone was watching the heated argument, "Why won't you just kill them?"

"Because I don't believe in killing people like that. In the heat of battle yes, but not when they've given up, not when they've almost surrendered. Maybe we can help them," she said hopefully. Maybe she was thinking, maybe there was a way to restore him to the person she used to love.

Clef sighed knowing exactly what she was thinking about and wanted to tell her…wanted to tell her everything. He knew he couldn't and it killed him, but he stayed strong, "There's nothing we can do; they're beyond our control. The only way to erase what they've done from the people's minds is to kill them."

"Or you could just erase their memories too," Umi muttered, and he glared.

"Are you going to hold me to that forever?" he snapped, and her eyes met his in a flash of blue against blue.

"Until you tell me what you're hiding," she responded, and his throat got caught.

"Wh…wh…what?"

"Oh come off it, you know that there's something that you're hiding from me. I'm not stupid, I can feel it, and I've had dreams. There's someone in my life that you're keeping hidden, tell me," her voice was so pleading, so innocent.

"It's…" he stopped himself and shook his head, "It doesn't matter, it's behind us. You probably wouldn't even feel the same way."

"I'll be the judge of that thank you," she snapped, and he looked down. He changed the subject drastically.

"Then what are we going to do with them?"

"If it is as you say," Umi sighed, "Then a final battle with the Magic Knights would be an appropriate death I think."

"What?!" everyone in the room shouted, and Umi stood.

"In the morning we will fight them, or at least I will. It's up to you two whether or not you want to come. I won't hold you for anything. I understand that none of this is your doing, that it's my fault and my battle."

"We wouldn't ever abandon you Umi-chan," Hikaru jumped up and grabbed Umi's hand.

"I will fight as well," Fuu stood and took her other hand and the three were as one.

"Arigato," Umi whispered as tears came to her eyes.

After a long silence they decided it was time for bed and walked toward their rooms.

Umi fell onto her bed and didn't want to get up when she heard a knock on the door. She groaned as she pushed herself up and answered it. She looked up slightly and met Clef's blue eyes.

"Here," he handed her a potion which she took gently, "It will help you sleep, you'll need it."

"Arigato," she downed it quickly, and he turned, "Clef," she called, and he turned wishing…

'Stop it!' his mind scolded him, 'You know that will never be! Never again!' he shook his head sadly and moved his eyes to the young Knight that called him, "Sleep well Umi," he turned and left her without letting her speak, 'You're going to make it so it will never be,' another part of his mind scolded, but he quickly shook it away. What he did was for the good of Cephiro.

§§§~~~

She could never see his face, "Why can't I know who you are?" she whispered in her dream and somehow she knew that he was frowning. He could never speak either; it was a cruel game that was being played.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words emerged.

"Why?" Umi whispered, and he shook his head, "Why?!" her voice was more forceful this time. "WHY?!"

She sat bolt upright, sweating and panting the words still on her lips, why? She fell back onto her bed and curled into a tight ball crying herself back to sleep. Why couldn't she know? Why did she have to go through this misery? Questions raced through her mind like drops of water, all becoming a waterfall in the end. The waterfall droned out everything else and eventually sleep came to her.

§§§~~~

She paced the fencing room floor nervously. She wasn't wearing shoes and neither were the other two. Clef brought the woman and her brother in the room and unshackled her magic sighing heavily and begging Umi with his eyes to turn back and stop this. She shook her head, and he turned and went to stand on the side of the room with the others. He knew somewhere in his mind that if this turned the other way he wouldn't hesitate to kill them himself.

Umi faced Kio and the other two faced the woman as they bowed in ceremony. Umi pulled her sword to her hands using only her mind as he drew his own. As she spun and their swords met she heard the words.

"Midori no Senpuu!"

"Akai Inazuma!"

She turned her attention away from her friend's struggle and went back to her own blocking and attacking, throwing all her rage into her attacks, trying desperately to be faster than him because she knew she couldn't be stronger. She met him stroke for stroke, swing for swing but could never get any of her own in. Finally she was offered a spot and threw her sword into his sword arm causing blood to seep onto the pale stone.

He glared but never uttered a word as he threw his sword into the other hand giving Umi the advantage. He wasn't as good with his other hand. She tried to get to his back but couldn't, then resorted to pacing around him waiting for him to attack. When he did she parried then broke the parry and aimed for his leg, trying to cripple him slowly. He blocked her attack and whipped his sword across her cheek instead. She held in tears feeling the fiery wound begin to flare up. If she were to cry the tears would blind her. She bit the insides of her cheeks keeping them in and kept up with him still.

Finally she managed to get him across the side shredding into his shirt exposing the wound; it was deep. He shouted in pain, and his sister's eyes caught the wound. She tried to attack but couldn't with the two girls.

Umi looked triumphant as she made one last cut, into his chest, and he fell back, his sword clattering to the ground. He was dead before he hit.

"Bitch!" she screamed and threw magic onto Umi as the girl curved in pain and fell to the ground, panting.

"Umi-chan!"

"Umi-san!"

Her sword fell from her hands and onto the ground as she closed her eyes, "Gomen nasai, Hikaru, Fuu," she said quietly before she fell onto the ground.

"NO!" they both screamed.

"Shut up!" the woman shouted and hit the girls hard, throwing them into the ground as well.

"Umi!" Clef shouted. Seeing her begin to fade he threw himself down to her. Nothing mattered anymore, not even the good of Cephiro, all that mattered was the girl that was dying in his arms, the girl that he loved, the girl he couldn't live without, "Umi wake up," he begged as a lone tear streamed down his cheek, "Umi wake up!"

"Damn you Clef!" she screamed throwing all her magic onto him. He didn't have time to create a shield, to protect her, to protect himself.

"Mamori no Kaze!" Fuu collapsed as the barrier stood strong, the barrier that would save her friend's life even if it couldn't save her own.

She screamed but didn't bother with the fallen Wind Knight. She wanted vengeance for her brother's death, and she could taste blood.

§§§~~~

"Umi, please, wake up," she could hear his voice in the dream. Was this a dream? Where was she? Why was it so dark? Then out of nowhere someone appeared in the mist, a form…the form from her dreams. Her breath caught because this time she could see a face, this couldn't be right. Her whole body trembled, quivered. He stepped out of the shadows, and into her view as she met the eyes of her lover.

*gasps! Was that a cliffhanger?! No hahaha I don't really like them much, so I made it semi-obvious I think…yes. Anyway good news for me anyway I don't have testing for another three weeks so I don't have to stop this story. I'll be finished by then I'm sure so yey! Until next chapter ja ne! ^.^*