Chapter 7 The Water Temple
She was sitting on the beach, tears streaming down her cheeks, when he found her. He approached her carefully, not completely sure what the Dark One could do through her.
"Umi."
She spun and tried to smile, and he realized that she was okay…for now.
He sat beside her and looked out to the water.
"I tried to get to him, but the song, it's gone. It hurts, and I don't know why. His voice no longer carries on the breeze, I'm so lost," she whispered, head down.
"You were visited by someone, someone that touched you; he stole something from you to bind you to him," he looked at her with gentle eyes.
"How?!" she stood and backed away, "I trusted you not to be one of them! How did you know?!"
He never stood or grew hostile, "I know because I too am connected to you through the light though, not the dark."
"Connected?"
Now he stood and put a hand behind her neck, pulling her close. They were so close that Umi blushed from her pure awareness of the pleasure she got from being this close to him, "I have a destiny yet to complete with you," his words gave her chills, and she began to tremble in his arms.
He felt her shake and pulled away, "Gomen."
"No, please," she took his hands and wrapped them around her waist. She moved close to him burying her head in his chest.
"Umi," he stroked her long blue hair loving the feeling of her being close to him.
She looked up at him, and he reached down and kissed her gently at first then more passionately as she pulled him into her. When they pulled away she was shaking and trying to catch her breath.
He grinned at her, but she could feel him shaking too.
When she had regained herself somewhat she managed to whisper, "You're a few hours too late."
"What?" he looked at her worried and confused.
"You almost had my first kiss but that's what he stole from me," she whispered as a tear streamed down her cheek. He kissed it then met her lips briefly, "We'll fix it I promise."
Just then she fell to her knees, panting, and her eyes began to change their color from that enchanting blue to black.
"Umi, no," he whispered and took her hands, "Umi come back to me."
"Stay away from her Son of Cephiro," a figure materialized in the fading dark, "She is mine now; she will be my queen, the Queen of Darkness, and together we will conquer this world."
"No!" he shouted and lunged for the throat of the Dark One, "You will never have Umi!"
She gasped and coughed up black blood onto the white sand.
"Umi," his eyes widened.
"But it has already begun," the Dark One laughed, and anger flared in his heart.
He drew his sword, and it flashed in the moonlight matching his flashing eyes.
"Oh dear, the Son of Cephiro wants to fight over his doll. What to do what to do," he mocked, "Oh I know, up." He pulled Umi to her feet. She was coughing and weak, but he managed to get her to her feet with some struggle.
Yukito's eyes grew more pained with every whimper of her struggle. His grip on his sword tightened until his fingers were white.
"This is what you want right?" the Dark One asked her, "You want her."
He stayed completely still, their eyes locked, his were deadly with rage.
"I take that as a yes, well how about we play a little game? Like when we were little. You remember when we were little don't you?" his fingers moved up and down her arms.
"That was a long time ago when you weren't cruel."
"No it was when you weren't soft, when you weren't cloaked in your love for this damn country… or should I say the protectors of this country?"
He refused to give him the pleasure of answering, that would just give him more of a chance to hurt her.
"Let's see what we can show her about you," he pondered, "Ah yes," he put his hands to her head and let magic flow into her mind giving her images.
§§§~~~
They ran their horses hard toward the palace.
"It hurts so bad!" Hikaru shouted over the stamping hooves.
"I know Hikaru, I know," Fuu said loudly enough so that Hikaru could hear, but quiet enough that it didn't sound rude, "Your first time riding a horse normally hurts."
"We need to stop," she begged.
"We can't," it was the most Ferio had said since the incident in the inn.
"If you get off the pain will set in worse," Fuu glared at Ferio's harsh words, but he never looked at her.
"The palace at this pace is two hours away if we cut through the Forest of Silence," he informed them.
"But Yukito gave us instructions not to go through the Forest," Fuu responded.
"Do you want to get there two hours or two days from now?" Ferio snapped.
"Two hours!" Hikaru put in.
"Good. Two against one; I guess you're out voted," he turned his horse toward the Forest, and the other two followed.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Fuu muttered as the Forest's dark crept on them.
§§§~~~
Somewhere in the darkness she could hear him, fighting with the Dark One for her. She smiled weakly. As she thought about him and thought about freeing herself to get back to him a vision engulfed her.
*There was a girl, young and beautiful, with curly blond hair and hazel eyes. Then he was there, and she threw herself into his arms.
He sat down with her on the bed, fingering her lips.
"I can't stay; I must leave tomorrow."
"But why?" she whispered.
"The Magic Knights have surfaced; I feel the girl who carries the blue ovum gem," he responded and kissed her softly.
"No," she pleaded, fear in her eyes, "Don't leave."
"I must."
"Why?!" she screamed in obvious anguish.
"You know why."
She cried into his chest. After a moment she looked up, her cheeks were tearstained, "Ashiteru."*
Umi gasped and fell to her knees, sobbing.
That's when he set her free.
He saw her eyes change and knelt beside her shaking her shoulders, "Umi."
She ripped away and stood, eyes narrowed in pain, "You deceived me; you were just going to use me."
His eyes shot from her to the Dark One, "What did you tell her?"
"I simply showed her the truth. You thought you would get away without telling her. You thought that you could use her in the time you had left. I simply saved her from that," he looked smug.
"Liar!" his sword met Umi's as he swung down on the Dark One, "What?"
"This fight is between you and I," he saw the dark in her eyes again.
"I won't fight you Umi."
"Yes you will or you'll die," she slashed him across the arm, but he never moved to parry, "Coward! Fight me!"
"No," he shook his head, "I'm not afraid to die."
"Umi stop this fight, find me, free me, and I am yours to control…"
"That voice," she whispered, and her eyes turned back to blue as she unsummoned her sword. She followed it numbly.
"No!" the Dark One drew his sword and ran after her.
She heard the clang of metal upon metal as the Dark One and Yukito's swords met.
"Umi, find me, free me…"
She dove into the water and swam to the voice.
"Umi!" Yukito shouted and ran to the shore.
"Dammit!" the Dark One shouted and disappeared just as the sun began to rise.
§§§~~~
She dove not knowing where she was going or how she was going to get there. She opened her eyes, but the sea didn't sting. When she ran out of breath she tried to reach the surface but found it was getting further and further away. She was going to die. She opened her mouth to scream, and it filled with water. She swallowed and there was air in her lungs.
'What kind of magic is this?'
"Find me, free me…"
She swam toward the voice and as she got closer a dark shadow began to emerge and take shape. A temple, completely submerged in water. Her eyes widened as she saw the symbol scratched into the stone. It was an intricate 'S'. She touched it and felt that the stone was completely dry. Instead of getting further away she pulled herself closer; she was in an airtight bubble. She stepped through the doors that slowly lurched open and held her breath.
§§§~~~
They rode hard through the forest, and Fuu let out a sigh when they saw the upcoming light.
'See,' her mind laughed at her, 'Worrying about nothing.'
The next thing she knew she was screaming on the ground, frozen in fright with something clawing at her neck, "Ferio!"
His horse was trained in battle, and with a movement he was bringing heavy hooves down upon the creature. It shrieked and scrambled off the trembling girl.
Ferio remembered how Umi fought the creature and defeated it the same way. He reached a hand to Fuu and pulled her up, "Are you okay?" he asked, pure worry in his voice.
"Fine," she responded and dropped his hand.
He muttered and remounted, "We have to move faster; it probably called its friends."
"Faster?!" Hikaru moaned a complaint but when he forced his gelding into an impossible pace no one had breath to complain.
§§§~~~
She entered and was surrounded by huge blue pillars that seemed to glow with magic. Her footsteps seemed to pound inside her head they echoed so loud. She reached two double doors with that same 'S' in the middle of a circle between the doors.
"Umi, Magic Knight of Water," the voice was powerful this time, but still sad, "You dare to enter the Water Temple with a tainted heart?!"
Umi cowered, "Gomen, but I-I heard your voice and-and…"
"You have corrupted a sacred place; you are not the Legendary Magic Knight of Water."
§§§~~~
"Umi!" he took off his sword belt and discarded it onto the beach diving head first into the water following the bond of light that connected the two. He dove when he felt her, but there was no magic to protect him. He sank to the bottom and opened his eyes, the ocean stinging them. He saw a blurry looming figure nearby before he fell into unconsciousness.
§§§~~~
She felt him fall under, "Yukito!" she turned and ran from the building slamming into the stone doors so hard she fell back to the ground. She stood and pounded her fists against the door, "Let me out!"
"But why? He deceived you. Why save him?" the voice seemed to mock her pain.
"I don't care!" she screamed back, "I don't care," her voice grew weak, and tears fell down her cheeks as she suddenly became aware of his life force; it was fading, "It doesn't matter what he did in his past ," impulsively she became strong, determined to save him, "Because I'm falling in love with him now! And whoever or whatever you are either you let me out now or come out and fight me." She summoned her sword, and it began to glow. When it stopped she felt change though she didn't know what it was.
The voice laughed, "You are as sharp as a Phoenix as brave as a Lion and as strong as a Dragon. You, Umi, are the Magic Knight of Water," the doors opened, and she flew out not stopping to unsummon her sword simply dropping it at the door. It flew back into her gem, but she was too desperate to care. She plunged into the water and swam toward him. When she found him she pulled him into her arms and kicked fiercely.
She fell onto the stone floor of the temple, panting. She bent down and beat on his chest pushing water from his body then was going to give him mouth to mouth. He coughed and rolled onto his side slowly sitting up, "Oh God, Umi," he whispered pulling her into his arms and feeling her for injury, "I thought you were hurt, or dead, or oh God you're okay," he reached in to kiss her, but she pulled away.
"You deceived me; you made me believe that there could be something more than a bit of fun for you, please don't touch me," she stood and walked back to the doors.
"Once," his words made her stop, but she didn't turn, "When you were little you convinced yourself if you could get high enough you could fly with wings of your own," now she turned to face him, "So you climbed a tree and jumped, and the water caught your fall. You gave up that hidden dream, that desire to be an angel. But," he looked deep into her eyes, "You just accomplished it."
"What?" she took a step forward as he stood.
"Out there, just now, I thought I was being rescued by an angel, and I now I see that I was."
"I don't understand, how do you know this?" she took a couple steps forward.
"I've watched you your whole life through our connection," without stopping for more questions he began to explain, "She was my lover but not my love. She was beautiful and kind, but I couldn't bring myself to respond when she told me she loved me because I knew greater beauty and kindness. I knew greater strength and intelligence, and I couldn't help but want the best. I left her to find you and the other two, and with you I will stay, for as long as life permits me."
She closed her eyes wanting with all her heart to believe, "You don't have to explain I understand completely."
"But you can't forgive or forget?" he was almost wincing as he spoke.
She shook her head, "No because I'll never forget, and something that effects me like that; something that makes me guilty every time you touch me I can never forgive."
He closed his eyes and leaned against the cool stone, "You can't let it end like this, I-I-I'm falling for you."
She knelt beside him and kissed him hesitantly at first but then more demandingly. When they pulled away she was shaking and smiling blissfully. She curled up next to him and buried her head in his chest.
"I don't understand," he wrapped his arms around her tiny body.
"Sh…" she put a finger to his lips.
"Umi, Magic Knight of Water, come forth," no longer was the voice sad, only powerful.
"What am I to do?" Umi stood, untangling herself from his arms.
Quickly he scrambled up to stand beside her. He smiled sheepishly noting all elements of her frame through the clothes that hung, sobbing wet, to her body.
"Come forth to the doors, to the Dragon's Den," the voice instructed.
She obeyed and stepped forward to the double doors.
"You may enter," the doors swung open, and her whole body began to glow blue.
"I'm scared," he heard her whisper before she stepped inside. There was a scream and then the doors swung shut.
"Umi!" No matter how hard he hit the doors they wouldn't budge, "Damn you Selece let me in!"
'You know as well as I Son of Cephiro that her test is none of your affair,' the voice showed a bit of amusement through the foreboding.
"She's as much of my affair as she is yours! Let me in!" he hit the door once, hard, but never once did it budge, "Tell me she'll be okay!"
'It surprises me that you care! Since when have you cared about anyone but yourself?!
'She was given the blue ovum gem, the Master Mage of Cephiro thought her worthy of it, now it is my turn to test her and see if she is worthy of me. You know there are no guarantees, but she seems strong.'
"Selece!" he heard the voice fading, "She is tainted; she must be brought to him!"
'Son of Cephiro this I know, but no longer is it within your control.'
"Dammit!" he shrunk to his knees trying to help the fear in his mind and the ache in his heart, "Umi, no…"
*Response to a review by Peddle2024 I'm just happy that you liked my story that much *grins* you may use anything of mine that you wish I don't mind at all. I'm honored to have people like my writing, so arigato! As for the rest of you guys who review or even read my story thanks to you too. I wouldn't be able to continue without all the help. Anyway until next chapter ja ne!*