Chapter 15 The Fire Temple

She walked toward the mountains, the volcano, not even knowing her destination. She was following a feeling deep inside, a longing. As she climbed the mountain she felt her name being called from the waves of heat coming out of the rock, from the sun. You couldn't call it hearing per say because no one around heard it, but she knew the words as if someone was screaming them in her ear.

'Hikaru, come and free me.'

"Okay," she said out loud and forced herself to climb higher faster. As she did the voice grew louder, more demanding.

'Hikaru! FREE ME!'

"Okay!" she shouted in response causing a shaking in the rock.

§§§~~~

"He told me," Umi started quickly.

"What?" Yukito asked her.

"Who?" Clef persisted.

"The Dark One told me about the prophecy."

"What?!" Yukito shouted.

"So you know," Clef looked down.

"What will he take from me and Clef?" she demanded.

"Yukito's eyes lit up, "That's all he said."

Clef looked relieved.

Umi glared, "What are you hiding from me?!"

"Nothing," Yukito wouldn't meet her eyes.

"There is nothing we haven't told you," Clef was no better.

"He will take something from you," Yukito managed to whisper.

"What?" Umi looked at him though he wouldn't look at her.

"But not from Clef, that's a lie," he finished.

"What?" she was gentler now.

"That's it," Yukito stopped her questions.

"That's not true," Clef glared at him.

"Please," Umi begged.

"It is," Yukito glared back.

"Stop," she whispered.

"He will take nothing from you."

"He will, you just don't realize it," Clef said curtly.

"I don't understand," she couldn't reach them.

"We grew up together and you don't know me," Clef sounded hurt.

"You have changed much," Yukito sounded saddened.

"As you have."

"I don't know who's telling the truth," Umi begged, "You have to tell me."

§§§~~~

She dusted her hands on her skirt and turned around and looked at where she was. She saw nothing but forest beneath her, forest and rock. There was a lone falcon flying in the sky. Her eyes narrowed when she saw it seem to look at her. There was something wrong here, something unnatural, spies. She turned and was about to walk forward but stepped back and almost fell into the molten pit of lava beneath her. She screamed and jumped back.

After a few minutes of worry her eyes narrowed, and she squinted across the pit. There seemed to be something on the other side, "What?" she whispered.

'Hikaru! Free me! HURRY!' that voice seemed somehow closer.

"Okay, what do I do?" she seemed to have lost that feeling, that thing leading her, her tracking was gone and she was lost. She wasn't even sure how she was going to get back.

With the end of her question all her others were lost again because she felt the longing back, the invisible thread, and she began to trace it across the pit. She didn't even realize when she walked down into the volcano. She didn't feel the lava eating at her skin and when she could think she wanted to scream. Then she realized that she had no need because whatever this was it wasn't hurting her, "I don't understand."

'Free me.'

She nodded, determined and walked forward through the lava that seemed to part for her.

§§§~~~

He grinned cruelly as he watched the Magic Knight of Fire descend into the volcano, "Only a little while now. In the meantime I'm going to pay a visit to an old friend and a new victim while she's caught up."

He laughed to himself and jumped from the mountain. A falcon in the distance shrieked its fury and dove. He shouted and tried to get away from the ripping claws but wasn't able to pull the bird off. Finally he drew his sword and slashed at it. When he had it on the ground, bleeding profusely he examined it. He laughed as he looked at the mutation, long claws and fangs, sharp eyes. This wasn't a falcon, but a mutation, a monster, "Wonder who this was sent from?" he pondered though he knew the answer, "It seems to me," he began after a long time of 'thinking', "That I have a spy from the Master Mage," he turned and threw his hand out and knocked the boy into the rocks, before he could even think, with a blast of black magic.

§§§~~~

"Ascot!" Clef jumped up and ran back to the camp without another word from either of the two. They followed him and found him mounting a gray gelding, "Ascot is in danger."

The others nodded and mounted as well. He tried to stop them, but it was settled and there was no time to waste so they took off toward the mountains.

When they reached the rock they found blood trails on the ground and into the forest some. They followed them sickly and discovered the apprentice, badly injured lying on the grass, unconscious.

"Ascot," Clef whispered and knelt by the boy and let his magic flow into him cleaning and closing the wound. He wasn't sure if that was enough though. He couldn't feel a taint, but he knew that there was one.

"Why isn't it there Clef?" Yukito demanded, feeling the same thing, "Why aren't you cleaning it?"

"I can't find it," Clef muttered, aggravated.

"What do you mean you can't find it? It's there! He stole the life of one of Ascot's best friends! Of course it's there!" Yukito shouted angrily.

"I can't find it!" Clef sounded more worried than angry.

"Let me try," Fuu instructed, and they nodded and moved out of the way, "Umi-san come here, use your Water magic and cool him. Maybe it's because he's too hot to notice it."

"That shouldn't make a difference," Clef informed her, but after Umi finished, letting her magic seep into the boy, he was able to find the taint easily, and Fuu smiled triumphantly.

"It's like when you have a splinter or something," Fuu told them, "You can feel it, but sometimes it's too red for you to see it."

Clef complimented her and went to work fixing the taint. In a few minutes it was off, and Ascot was waking.

"Guru?" he asked softly, and Clef nodded.

"You've had quite a scare I see, but thanks to the Magic Knight of Wind you have recovered," he told the boy, and Ascot looked at Fuu gratefully.

"Arigato."

She blushed and looked down, "It was nothing," she muttered, and Ferio tried not to scowl.

"Jealous?" Umi jabbed him, and he glared at her, "Oh come on, you know you are!"

He turned and mounted, "Hikaru may be in danger," he informed them, and they looked at him seriously.

"She's not," Umi told him flat out, and no one knew how she knew.

"Umi-san, are you sure?" Fuu questioned, and Umi nodded.

"Hikaru is strong and brave; she'll pass her test and then we will vanquish the Dark One," Umi smiled confidently, and Yukito looked away as he mounted.

"I have to be alone just now," he turned and galloped the other way.

"What?" Umi whispered as she watched him go, "What are you hiding?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned, "You will know in time," Clef told her softly, but there was a deep sadness in his eyes, "And you will not be pleased you found out."

§§§~~~

            She reached out and touched the carved 'R' on the door. As she did the doors swung open and revealed a room with giant red pillars and stone floor. She gasped, and it could be heard all around her, echoing in the walls. She took a few steps and everything around her seemed to scream with her footsteps, then that voice in her ears.

            'Cote.'

"What?" Hikaru whispered, and she could hear her voice all around.

'Free me and then control me.'

"Right," she looked around, "How?"

'The doors.'

"Okay," she looked ahead and took a few deep breaths, why am I trusting this voice again? She demanded herself, then shrugged and walked toward the doors trying to be as noble as she could. It was difficult trying to feel tall in that huge room. It was hard enough for her to feel tall without the huge room to go along.

She reached the doors and touched them, trying to open them the way she had before. When they didn't she reached out with shaky hands and traced the lines of the 'R'

'Magic Knight of Fire, thou shall don me…'

§§§~~~

She turned her mare from the others and took off the way Yukito had come. She was tired of being in the dark; she wanted to know, and she was going to find out. She was going to find out or she was going to leave. She didn't need to take secrets from anyone, not anymore. The horse reared and threw her to the ground as it came across a deer in the forest. She screamed, lost in her own thoughts not even thinking about the horse, and fell, tumbling to the ground and rolling. She rolled and stood, taking the reins to the rearing mare and tried to help her, to calm her.

"You shouldn't be out here all alone with no one to come and rescue you."

She turned and spun and met the cold eyes of the Dark One, "Oh no," she whispered and looked up to the setting sun, "Stay away from me!" Umi shrieked and tried to mount the horse but when she kicked, it wouldn't move, and he laughed cruelly.

"You cannot escape me Knight of Water, you might as well accept it," his voice was gentle, desperate.

"I will never give up!" she screamed and dismounted, drawing her sword.

"Please don't make me fight you," he held down her sword hand with his magic and came near her, "I've been longing for you," he pushed her to him, and she whimpered. His kiss was full of vengeance, and it made her cry out in fear.

"Get your hands off of her," his voice was as cruel as she had ever heard it, but she had never been more grateful.

"Yukito," he dropped his hold on Umi and drew his sword.

She ran to him and took his hand, "Arigato," she whispered, and a tear streamed down her cheek.

He brushed it away and bent in and kissed her, "Ashiteru," he said it so solemnly it scared her, "Always remember."

"I will, ashiteru."

*I made the slightest attempt at the Rune-Gods true language ah! It was definitely something new for me. Oh well there'll be more in the next chapter…I think… anyway until the next time ja ne! ^.^

P.S. I decided to do a bit of Tori to go with the chapter don't mind me.

~ "I know the Robin's bring, bring me many things but Sugar, he brings me Sugar," Tori Amos, Sugar, To Venus and Back