*Gomen about how long this took to come out. Writers block you know. I hope it was worth the wait though!*

Chapter 5 A Stranger

When they reached the village they saw that this was just a larger version of the village behind them. The houses seemed sturdier and there wasn't as much damage but still the ocean was the same, churning dangerously, threatening the people.

"Will we be able to find a place to sleep here? Maybe we would be safer camping out in the woods tonight," Fuu said quietly, but Umi shook her head.

"Those things have our scent now; they'll be tracking us. That's what they'll expect, they have friends that are humans, friends that will tell them we were not treated or accepted. They'll think that we won't find a place to stay in a village. It's too dangerous. Besides people in inns and taverns talk and this village is big enough to have at least one. We need to go in there."

"How do you know all this?" Hikaru asked with narrowed eyes.

"I spent a lot of my life running," Umi said quietly, and it was again one of those times where they refused to delve further; they could feel her harden and knew that she would refuse to talk after letting that out.

'Why have I told them so much? I shouldn't be slipping like this. They're good to make me speak so much,' Umi thought looking around her warily. The idea that they were worried about her never once crossed her mind.

It wasn't long before they found a small inn on the outskirts of town. They walked in and spoke to the innkeeper, a large round man that looked older with a once merry face now worn and tired.

"Gomen nasai, but I only have two rooms available. The rest of them are so damaged by storm and leaking roofs that they aren't acceptable to sleep in," he told them when they asked for four rooms.

"We'll take them," Umi spoke up before anyone could argue, "Pay the good man," she urged Ferio, and he did as she said grumbling under his breath the whole time but not daring to test her.

As he finished he walked over to the girls and looked at them curiously.

Umi and Hikaru were glaring at each other, and Fuu was looking at them in a desperate attempt to calm them.

"Please we all have differences but…"

They didn't listent o a word she said just continued their stare down.

"What are we going to do with two rooms?" Ferio's question made them all turn.

"I know!" Fuu shouted smiling, and they looked at her warily, "Umi and Hikaru take one room, and I'll stay with Ferio in another. We'll just have to set up a cot or something in the room."

Umi and Hikaru's jaws dropped.

"You're kidding right?" Hikaru demanded.

"It'll be good for you," Ferio said quickly, and Umi eyed him. Her eyes were so cold, so exposed it was almost like she could see to his very soul. He tried not to shiver every time she looked at him.

"Whatever," Hikaru held open a hand, and Ferio placed the key in it, "I'm going to sleep."

After she had disappeared up a flight of steps Fuu and Ferio too said they needed rest, leaving Umi alone.

She entered the tavern part of the inn and was met with whistles. She muttered and found a table in the back where she could watch. In a minute there was a man in front of her, "Can I buy you a drink for a seat?"

"I'm not thirsty but please go ahead and sit, tell me all about yourself," Umi motioned toward the seat, and he sat, "So where are you from?"

"A village just outside of this one, I came to survey the damage. It looks bad everywhere, not just my home. I was hoping that there was still a chance… but what about you? You don't look like you're from around here."

"I'm not," Umi responded simply, "I too came to see the damage, but I'm from farther than you, and the damage has reached everywhere around Cephiro."

"Where are you from though? I've seen much of the world, and never before have I seen beauty such as yours, you must be some kind of goddess."

She grinned, "Not hardly, I'm from a village near the palace."

"Oh," his eyebrows raised, "Just a village girl? You don't dress like one."

She smiled slightly, "No?"

He dropped it and turned to a new subject, "Are you sure I couldn't get you something to drink?"

"Actually yes, something to clear my head would help. My traveling companions weren't exactly what I would have chosen."

He grinned and ordered a drink for her. When it arrived she reached up and took it gently, and the gem on her hand glinted. He grabbed her hand, and she struggled. His eyes widened, "This is the blue ovum gem."

"What?" she ripped her hand away and covered the gem with a hand, "No it's not, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I knew you weren't from around here," he took her arm and forced her into his room. She looked at him with terrified eyes as he shook his head, "The Magic Knight of Water, I should have known."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she protested, and he rolled his eyes.

"I've been looking for you for a while, I knew you would surface when Cephiro was threatened by this darkness. Where are the other two?" it wasn't a question that had a requested answer, it was a question that demanded answering.

"You're sure of yourself," she muttered, "But I won't answer anything."

"Yes you will," he drew a sword that his cloak had hidden.

She muttered and summoned her own sword.

They circled one another before Umi made the first stroke, which he parried. They danced around for a while before his attack came and then hers. They were perfectly matched until an upward movement from her threw his sword to the ground. He scrambled to grab it, but she had her sword at his throat, "No I won't."

He grabbed the sword and threw her down to the ground and put it to her throat, "Yes you will," he was panting heavily.

"They're with me," she said softly, "But I don't know where their rooms are. I was trying to find out what was going on around here. Who are you?"

He lifted the sword and put it back in its sheath as she unsummoned her sword.

"A friend of the light. I've known about the coming of this darkness for quite sometime and have been seeking it and you three. Now that it and you have come I know that I must train you in the fighting of it. It's something that swords won't be able to help you with. I'm to lead you to your designated Rune Gods. Luckily we're close to yours, though, only you will be able to tell how close. I'm going to teach you what you can't learn from any of your world's teachings. I'm going to teach you how to use magic," he spoke quietly, and it made Umi look around her warily.

"And we're to trust you?"

"Do you have a choice?"

§§§~~~

"Do you think it was right putting Umi with Hikaru?" Fuu puzzled over their situation.

"I don't know, but I know that those two need to learn to get along because all three of you are needed to save Cephiro," Ferio responded.

"I'm worried though, if they kill each other tonight we'll have quite a predicament."

He laughed, "I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I'm sure if they get into a fight someone will end up winning. Two out of three is pretty good right?"

"And I'm guessing you would like for Hikaru to come out victorious?" she glared at him.

He looked down, "When she looks at me it makes my skin crawl. I don't trust her," he muttered.

"She is very secretive," Fuu agreed.

"Something about those secrets scares me."

"I'm sure she'll come around."

After a long silence Ferio grew extremely solemn, "When you first came here," he said quietly, "I thought you were a goddess."

Fuu blushed fiercely, "Arigato."

"But now," he took her hand, "Now I know you are."

§§§~~~

Hikaru tossed and turned, "Now where is that girl?" she muttered.

'Why am I worried about her? What has she done for me to make me so worried like this?' she asked herself.

'Oh she just saved your life back there,' her mind mocked, and she glared.

"I would have been fine," she mumbled, but knew that she owed Umi a lot even if she was stuck-up.

'She's very talented, but where those talents come from scares me. I don't understand her, and I don't like it.'

§§§~~~

"Magic?" Umi asked after a time, "How can we use magic?"

"You don't even know what you possess do you?" he asked, and she shook her head, "I don't know why he wouldn't have told you, but…"

"What? Who?" Umi questioned standing up and sitting on the bed while he paced the room.

"Who?!"

She cowered a bit at his outburst, and he quickly apologized.

"I'm just not used to anyone asking such obvious questions. The only one who can give the Magic Knights their magic is the Master Mage of Cephiro."

"Clef?"

"No the other Master Mage of Cephiro," he said dryly, and Umi glared.

"I will not be treated as a child. I can just leave."

"You can, there's the door," he nodded toward the door, "But I know you won't, because you're smart and you're curious."

"Who are you to judge and tell me what I will and will not do?!" she stood, outraged, her temper flaring.

He laughed, "Fiery one for a Water element."

"What?" she whispered.

"You are the Magic Knight of Water, didn't you know that?" he shook his head.

"I've heard it but what does it mean?"

"It means that when you have learned your full potential you will control the Water and bend it to your will."

She had always dreamed of the ocean; she had loved it. That's why she had always escaped to the sea when she could, though the war had stopped that. She had tried to find safety in the ocean waves, and for a time she had been completely peaceful there. She missed it so much, and the chance to control the Water, to bend it to her will was enticing, "What must I do?"

He smiled and began.

§§§~~~

"Well it's getting late, and we have another long day I'm sure," Fuu said pulling away from him, but she couldn't avoid the hurt look she received or the ache in her own heart.

"Yeah you're right," he responded and turned and lay down on the cot. She wanted to say something but couldn't find her words, so she resolved to lie down to sleep though it would be hours before sleep would take her. When it finally did she dreamt of a handsome Prince sweeping her off her feet and protecting her for all eternity.

§§§~~~

When she was finished pacing the room she fell back on the bed, "Does she know that some people are trying to sleep?" she muttered to herself, "Where is she anyway? Doesn't she need to sleep or is she some kind of magician that doesn't need rest like the rest of us?!"

She knew that her ranting to herself in the dark would get her nowhere, so she curled up under the sheets and closed her eyes. When she found that doing that only made her want to be awake more she opened her eyes as wide as she could and slowly, very slowly, they began to droop, and without a single sign of the blue haired girl she fell asleep. She dreamt about her home being shattered by the Japanese. She imagined her brothers getting drafted and sent to war and how she wasn't home to see them for the last time possibly. Tears streamed down her cheeks in her sleep as she saw her home torn apart by bombs and guns and soldiers marching up and down her street. She screamed as she heard her brothers last cries pleading that they take care of their baby sister.

§§§~~~

"You're doing good," he commented when she put her sword away.

"But all we've done is meditate and fence; things I already knew how to do," she smiled despite herself, this had been a good workout, and it had been a long time since she had had a worthy opponent.

"But you've gotten better at both, and I don't want to start serious training without the other two. You're tired though; I can see it in your eyes though your body doesn't show it. You need to sleep."

Umi looked down, "I don't want to think about going back there with her. They want me to tell them…everything, and I don't want to utter a word about my past. I don't even know them, and they expect us to be best of friends. They don't even understand," she looked down, tears stung her eyes, and he watched one hit the ground, "They don't understand anything. I don't know why I'm telling you this," she laughed and looked up drying her tears.

"Umi," he touched her shoulder gently, "I understand, not what you're speaking of exactly because obviously I've never been a Magic Knight," this earned him a small giggle, "But I know what you're feeling. I know what plagues you, you're alone in this world and being with people is something new to you. I know because I'm alone too, and I know how it feels. If you like you may stay with me tonight."

"Arigato."

*Sigh, finally. I didn't think I'd ever finish this chapter. Oh by the way if this chapter reminded you of a certain movie possibly it's only because I saw Lord of the Rings two times this weekend. I promise the rest of it won't be like this. Sorry if I kinda interpreted it into my work though ha. I didn't mean to but looking over it; it kinda made me think of the movie. Anyways I'll try to have the next chapter up before spring break is over if I can. Until then R&R! Arigato and ja ne! ^.^*