Chapter 18 Falling

The next morning was like all the others. The sun was staring down at her, mocking her, telling her that it could be bright and cheery and she couldn't. She didn't understand why it just wouldn't stay behind the clouds, why it just wouldn't admit to the world that it had bad days too, and it just wanted to stay in bed. She groaned and sat up.

She put on a skirt and sweater and walked out. She said good morning to her parents and declined their offer of breakfast. They exchanged glances and tried not to look at her sunken expressions and all the weight she'd lost in only two weeks. They tried to put away the fact that they had found some blood on the edge of the bathtub the night before and smiled at her and asked her how she had slept.

"Fine," she responded repeating the familiar ritual though they knew that she hadn't slept maybe more than an hour, "I'm going to the Tokyo Tower," she whispered, and they exchanged glances.

"Are you sure that's best?" her mother asked, and she nodded.

"I have to face it sometime," she responded, and they didn't want to argue.

She grabbed a book-bag and walked out of the house. She walked down the familiar streets of Tokyo and found herself straying from the Tower. She knew she had to go there, but she didn't want to. She walked around it for some time before she got up the courage and walked toward it. As it grew closer her stomach began to twist as she tried to force her hopes down. She knew they would just be shattered again. She looked up at the sky and smiled slightly; it looked like rain.

"Umi!" she turned and saw him trot up to her. She sighed as she saw the same boy she had the day she had lost everything, "You haven't been to practice," he informed her.

"I know," she said softly, "I haven't been feeling very well."

"You've lost a lot of weight," he pointed out bluntly.

"Do you think I'm stupid or something?" she snapped, and he shook his head.

"No, I was just worried when you didn't come that's all," he said quietly.

"I'm fine, now I was just on my way to…"

"Okay," he turned and walked away, and she called after him.

"The Tokyo Tower do you want to come?"

He grinned and nodded, and they walked together toward the Tower.

§§§~~~

"Fuu you have to let it go, it wasn't your fault," Ferio told her softly playing with her hair, "You did what you could. It would have been worse if you had waited, and the portal would have closed."

"I know," she said quietly, "But it doesn't seem fair that I be happy and she not."

"You don't know she's not happy," Ferio tried to cheer her, "There was a reason she stayed Fuu, just because she loved him doesn't mean there wasn't someone else."

Fuu shook her head, "There wasn't. I've never seen her happier than when she's around him. There was no one else that did that to her. She would never give him up willingly. Something happened, and she missed us. I don't know if by seconds or days, but I know it wasn't willingly."

"Even if that's true, there's nothing you can do for her or for him. You have to let it go. They'll both be okay in time, I know it. They're both strong," he pulled her closer to him.

"I know," she whispered, "But time might kill them both."

§§§~~~

Hikaru looked out the window, "Poor Clef."

"I know," Lantis appeared behind her, and she smiled. She was already getting used to him sneaking up on her.

"I can't believe Umi-chan would hurt him that bad. Something bad must have happened. I hope she's okay," Hikaru looked distressed. She hadn't been herself since she'd come back. She had a grim expression that never seemed to leave her even when she was trying to be happy.

"I'm sure she's fine," he tried to be encouraging, but he couldn't even convince himself that the Magic Knight of Water was okay. Something about the way she had acted when Clef was around told him that she wouldn't give him up willingly. He had to be strong for Hikaru, and he would, but he wasn't sure that the Water Knight was at all okay.

§§§~~~

He finished bandaging the wound and looked over at his teacher. Clef smiled weakly and commented the work.

Ascot shook his head and tried to concentrate on what he was doing, but he knew that Clef must be hurting. He had been hurting for a long time. They had been having half an hour lessons for the last week, but that was the most anyone had seen of him.

He didn't feel resentment toward his teacher for stealing the girl's heart at all. He loved him for loving her, but he didn't understand why Umi would want to hurt him so badly. It was obvious that she loved him, so why? He couldn't help but think that she was badly hurt. It was the only reason she wouldn't have come back. He wondered if Clef thought that. No one had spoken of her in his presence, but he had to know.

"Clef?"

The Master Mage looked up, and he could see the pain in the deep blue eyes.

"Do you think that Umi's safe?"

His eyes shot down, "I think so," he whispered.

"Haven't you even considered that she might be extremely hurt?" he winced at his words; he didn't mean to upset him more.

"I thought about it, but I know that the other two would have felt something. She was connected to them. They would know if she was hurt, or…" he didn't have to finish, Ascot got the point, and he didn't want himself to force the word that had been crossing his mind; dead.

§§§~~~

"When I found you here that day what was really wrong?" he asked over a cup of tea.

"Nothing, I was just sick," she responded absently stirring the tea with a straw.

"I don't believe you. So who is he? I want a name, address, phone number," he grinned when Umi smiled.

"You wouldn't know him."

"Try me."

"He's not from around here," she looked out the window over Tokyo. She wanted to see it fade; she wanted to see it dissolve and see the palace of Cephiro in her view. When it stayed the same she closed her eyes and tried to picture it, but even those images were fading. She was left with only the pain of her loss.

"You can tell me anything," he assured her.

"Not this, you would never believe me," she laughed weakly.

"I would believe anything you told me."

She didn't know why, but she began telling him the story of Cephiro and by the time the sun had set he knew everything. He stared at her, shocked.

"You're right, I don't believe you," he told her, and she looked down.

"See?"

"You have some imagination," he almost whistled, "So what's the real story?"

"That is the real story," she whispered, and his eyes narrowed.

"Have you ever asked someone about this?"

"What?"

"Like professional help," he said seriously, and she glared.

"Why would I need professional help?" she demanded.

"For schizophrenia or something," he was being cruel.

"I don't have schizophrenia, and I think it's time you leave," she snapped back, and he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah I think it is," he stood and walked out.

She walked out onto the observation deck and looked around before kicking in the glass. She stepped out and felt the wind whip at her viciously. She edged out onto the steel of the tower and thought of Cephiro and of Clef as she let go of the edge and fell…

§§§~~~

"Umi!" Hikaru and Fuu screamed at once as they felt her fall.

They ran into the hall and looked at each other with fear in their eyes, "Clef," they both whispered and ran around in search of him. They reached his study and burst in, "Clef!"

He looked up at them, stricken at their eyes.

"Umi, she…she…" Hikaru looked horrified.

"She jumped," Fuu whispered, and he tried to understand, to comprehend.

"Jumped?"

"Off the Tokyo Tower," Fuu finished, and his eyes darted.

"Why?" he choked.

Hikaru shook her head, "Suicide."

§§§~~~

It felt like the last time she had come to Cephiro, and she smiled blissfully only this time she wasn't afraid of death. Her feet touched the ground, and she looked around. The hills in front of her stretched far, but she could see shining towers in the distance. Her breath caught, she must be dead and this was heaven. But when she felt the stabbing pain in her legs from the fall she knew she was alive. She didn't even have to think before she bounded off toward the towers, joy in her heart.

§§§~~~

The information hit him hard, his precious Water Angel…he couldn't even picture her doing that.

"You're wrong," he told them, and they looked pained, "She would never do that…she would never…"

They left him there, staring, confused and broken more than he ever had been. She had killed herself…there was nothing left to live for. There was no hope of her coming back now, and he wasn't sure he could go on, not anymore. Not now that he knew he would absolutely never see her again. There wasn't even a reason to live, to pray for her return anymore. She would never be coming to Cephiro again.

"Clef," she was breathless.

He didn't turn; he was hallucinating already. He screamed at himself for being so weak.

Umi was hurt, "Clef," she whispered, "Turn around! Look at me!" tears poured down her cheeks. Why wouldn't he turn? What was going on?

He closed his eyes and began reciting a spell.

"Clef?" Umi could feel the growing darkness around him, "What are you doing?!" then it dawned on her, "No!" she screamed.

*Hey this could end one of two ways. Happy recovery ending or Shakespearean Tragedy. I already wrote the last chapter but you'll have to wait to find out! ^.^ hopefully with enough reviews *coughcoughcough* you won't have to wait long. Until next chapter ja!*